{
  "books": [
    {
      "id": "structure-and-interpretation-of-computer-programs-64e9b7",
      "title": "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs",
      "author": "Harold Abelson, Gerald Jay Sussman, and Julie Sussman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41388186,
          "author": "BarbaryCoast",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T07:16:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41388186",
          "commentText": "A lot will depend on where you are in your maturity as a programmer.  And what sort of work you want to do.\nI've always done well following Don Lancaster's advice: Hit the basics, HARD.\nMost modern software \"innovations\" are really just a restatement of David Parnas' paper from 1971. He suggested programs should be split up so that the data used by modules can't be affected by the other modules.  \"Data hiding.\"\nOnce you get a grounding in the history and literature of programming (which all other professions do without thinking), you'll start to see the \"sameness\" among all the supposed difference.  Once you see the \"sameness\", you'll know what is truly important to know/master, and what is not.\nAs a recent grad, I'll tell you that the first thing I learned was to ignore all the \"software engineering\" stuff that schools teach.  The reality is that I would be asked, \"Build a tool to do X\".  So I'd start through the process, building a design and the data flows, starting to build the code.  Then I'd get \"It also has to do Y.\"  And I'd have to throw away most of what was written.\nEventually, I learned the two rules Ken Thompson taught:\n1) give users something useful in two week, not the whole problem solved.\n2) when in doubt, use brute force.\nThat's it.  With attention to fundamentals, you can clearly see that \"Agile\" is just a bunch of fancy words (and vendors selling tools) telling you to do that same thing.  Only Ken talked about that in the 70's.\nWhat you'll find is that getting a tool into the hands of users will generate new features based on what it already does.  No more blue-sky wishes.  And it will allow the tool to evolve into what they really want it to do.  Which no one ever knows when they start.  All the best software followed that path to greatness.  (Which you'll see when you read the history of your chosen profession.)\nSo learn the history.  Learn how computers work (not the \"Von Neumann\" stuff).  Get a computer engineering book and learn about bit-slicing and clocks and microcode.  It doesn't matter that you're not a hardware guy; you need to know what your code is actually doing, down on the metal.\nNever stop learning.  Read constantly.  Read books you'll never find a job with, like SICP.  (I once had to write a loop in a language without a loop construct.  But I had read SICP, so I knew if it supported recursion, I could make a loop.  And I did.)  Don't read trash.  Don't bother with the \"current hotness\"; if it's good, it's probably just a restatement of the old and if it's bad, it'll go away.\nI'll just leave with an ancient aphorism: 40 can't tell 20.  There's just a gap between what an older person has learned about the world, and what a younger person imagines the world to be.  That different can be called \"experience\", but the fact is I remember perfectly the pearls of wisdom dropped on my by the \"old men\"...and 20 years later, I was them.  So I offer this small essay, knowing it'll probably be rejected, but hoping that just this once it does some good for someone.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Read books you'll never find a job with, like SICP.",
          "reason": "Uses it as an example of a worthwhile book despite not directly helping with job prospects; says it helped solve a programming problem.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it may not help you get a job.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41242139,
          "author": "vismit2000",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-14T03:02:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41242139",
          "commentText": "SICP",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SICP",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40291667,
          "author": "JackMorgan",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T21:23:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40291667",
          "commentText": "I just get into flow state when working in lisp, more than any other language family.\nRunning and writing code blended together with a connected REPL is like being jacked into the machine. Imaging how much of an improvement a connected debugger is over reading through logs. This is that much of an improvement over a connected debugger. The code is live running right in the editor all the time. More like magic than debugging.\nAnd then macros, both anaphoric and hygenic, that let you write your own language inside the lisp itself. They should be used extremely sparingly, but when used at the right time it can literally change the language itself to better suit your need.\nAnd then the code itself being a data structure, it all feels so connected, integrated, and unified.\nI have never had as much fun as I do when working in Lisps. I haven't done it for money in a while, but maybe one day again.\nLet Over Lambda and SICP are what really got me turned into a lifetime lisp lover. By the end of LoL you make a version of Forth inside of lisp! https://letoverlambda.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Let Over Lambda and SICP are what really got me turned into a lifetime lisp lover.",
          "reason": "Resolves SICP from context; the commenter says it helped inspire a lasting love of Lisp.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40284561,
          "author": "JackMorgan",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T12:14:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40284561",
          "commentText": "Wow, this is interesting, very few books I've read more than once! Even fewer are non fiction, but they sure do explain a lot about me:\n- Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving by Pete Walker helped me process a number of assaults that happened to me as a child\n- Designing Data Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann helped me understand intuitively how databases work and how to use eventual consistency to handle workloads\n- The Highly Sensitive Person: How To Thrive when the World Overwhelms You by Elaine Aron this helped me process my and my families neurodivergence.\n- Structure And Interpretation of Computer Programs by Ableson and Sussman. Great book, it's how I learned to love Lisp. I felt like I grew 10x in skill from completing all the homework.\n- Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training by Mark Rippetoe. This is the book that got me into powerlifting  as a regular part of my fitness. I used this to heal my back, neck, and wrist pain. Changed my life.\n- Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter by James Gurney. The GOAT of plein air painting himself teaches so much about how light works on complex forms. I've dog-eared this book.\n- Reinventing Organizations by Frederic Laloux. A great look into how to build and run a self organizing team. Very insightful for when I was leading several teams and needed inspiration for something other than the typical chain of command.\n- The Classroom Management Book by Harry Wong. This book taught me so much about how humans work. I still apply lessons from this book 20 years later.\n- Real World Haskell by O'Sullivan, Goerzen, Stewart. This taught me a lot about Haskell, and got me into all the neat effects needed to make a function pure but still handle IO/async, etc.\n- Peopleware by DeMarco, Lister. My go to book for people management and a philosophy of project management\n- Science of Trust: Emotional Attunement for Couples by Gottman. I love this book for teaching me how to be a better spouse and friend.\n- The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing by Larimore, Lindauer. A great guide to building a permanent portfolio that will return consistent gains with the market. Simple in hindsight, thanks to this book. Best book on investing I've ever read.\n- How to Take Smart Notes by Ahrens. Introduces the zettlekasten system for thinking and creativity. Very inspiring, got me to start a personal file that I keep going to this day, five years later.\n- Twenty Small Sailboats to Take you Anywhere by Vigor. I read this book over and over, dreaming of buying a small boat and sailing around the world. Maybe this year...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Structure And Interpretation of Computer Programs by Ableson and Sussman. Great book, it's how I learned to love Lisp.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises it and credits it with teaching them to love Lisp.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39253075,
          "author": "ctrw",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T18:45:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39253075",
          "commentText": "No that's sicp chapter 4 and 5.\nAgain I have no idea why no one talks about those. They are the most mind bending parts of the book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "No that's sicp chapter 4 and 5.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39252859,
          "author": "andher",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T18:24:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39252859",
          "commentText": "I started SICP last year but haven't gotten anywhere close to completing, mostly because of competing priorities.\nSiddhartha is great book, I read it years back and it sparked my interest in other works of Herman Hesse.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I started SICP last year but haven't gotten anywhere close to completing",
          "reason": "The commenter began reading it but has not made much progress because of competing priorities.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not gotten close to completing it.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39249251,
          "author": "Swalden123",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T10:59:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249251",
          "commentText": "I’ve been working through the Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, reading Stillness is the Key and Siddhartha.\nThe SICP might take me a year.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I’ve been working through the Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39061223,
          "author": "nikhilsimha",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T21:10:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39061223",
          "commentText": "cannot recommend sicp enough: https://mitp-content-server.mit.edu/books/content/sectbyfn/b... (https://mitp-content-server.mit.edu/books/content/sectbyfn/books_pres_0/6515/sicp.zip/full-text/book/book.html)\nuses scheme to illustrate how to think about computation abstractly.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "cannot recommend sicp enough",
          "reason": "Uses Scheme to illustrate how to think about computation abstractly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38561732,
          "author": "troupe",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T20:58:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38561732",
          "commentText": "SICP is a textbook. The Little Schemer is a tutorial. You sit down with a pen, paper, and the book. Then you cover the answer column in the book, read the question / prompt and try to write an answer on your paper. You compare your results with the books suggested answer and work your way through it question by question.\nSo it is kind of a way of create a Socratic dialog with a book. I found it to be a great way to engage with the material in a way that promotes understanding in a hands on way, but without putting a computer in the way. When you are writing your answers you have to be more intentional than just, \"well lets see if this works.\"",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "SICP is a textbook.",
          "reason": "Contrasts it with The Little Schemer, describing it as a textbook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937338,
          "author": "jekude",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:56:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937338",
          "commentText": "The Road to Wigan Pier - Orwell\nAntifragile - Taleb\nWhat is Life? - Schrodinger\nStructure and Interpretations of Computer Programs - Abelson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Structure and Interpretations of Computer Programs - Abelson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37816386,
          "author": "anacrolix",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-09T02:38:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37816386",
          "commentText": "SICP",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "SICP",
          "reason": "Names the book by its common acronym in the computing context.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37813315,
          "author": "approxim8ion",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-08T18:53:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37813315",
          "commentText": "CLRS or some Algorithm Design Book, but you could easily be talking about TAOCP or SICP or Clean Code or any of 1000 other books.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "SICP",
          "reason": "Named as one of several books people might pretend to have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36855642,
          "author": "sharts",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-24T23:29:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36855642",
          "commentText": "If you are concerned with the core concepts of computing with Von Neumann-esque machines then SICP will certainly cover it.\nWill it make you better at your job? No.\nThe only thing I walked away with after SICP in undergrad many years ago is how much utter bullshit and non-innovation there is tech with new hotness and frameworks all the time. They can all be reduced to SICP.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If you are concerned with the core concepts of computing with Von Neumann-esque machines then SICP will certainly cover it.",
          "reason": "Says it covers core computing concepts, while denying that it will improve performance at the reader's job.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in core concepts of computing with Von Neumann style machines.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it will not make you better at your job.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36823955,
          "author": "philomath_mn",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-22T06:51:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36823955",
          "commentText": "Going to stick my neck out here: I read a lot of technical books, have a masters in math and 10+ years professional experience but man that book was too much of a slog for me (only made it a few chapters).\nIt sure _seems_ like a no-brainer to read such a classic, but I wonder how many copies languish on the shelf without ever getting finished (same goes for The Art of Computer Programming).\nDon't let this discourage you from giving it a shot, but also don't be discouraged if you aren't able to finish it. Just keep reading and challenging yourself as best you can -- a few years of that and you'll be miles ahead of 99% of devs out there.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "that book was too much of a slog for me (only made it a few chapters).",
          "reason": "Reports that reading the book was a slog and the commenter stopped after a few chapters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says not to let this discourage others from trying it.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36817174,
          "author": "wk_end",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-21T17:59:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36817174",
          "commentText": "HtDP isn't really mind-blowing the same way SICP can be. It basically just tries to give you a mental framework and tools for breaking problems down into simple, composable, testable pieces - in terms of the work you're doing it's CS 101, but it's a particularly good implementation of CS 101. There's \"senior\" engineers at my company that I think would benefit from reading and absorbing HtDP. But, if I'm being honest, yes, an experienced developer would likely find it tedious.\nSICP's big mind-expanding thing is that it teaches CS 101 through the process of building, from within a computational system, an entirely new computational system - various kinds of programming languages and later even a machine and compiler. In this sense it kind of peels away a lot of the magic of how computers and programming languages work. For lots of CS students - and even professionals - who've never really thought about what makes their Python interpreter tick, that's a big discovery. It's also a real pedagogical feat.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SICP's big mind-expanding thing is that it teaches CS 101 through the process of building, from within a computational system, an entirely new computational system",
          "reason": "Describes how it teaches computing through building programming languages, a machine, and a compiler.",
          "audience": "CS students and professionals who have not examined how interpreters and programming languages work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36810871,
          "author": "charlysl",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-21T07:09:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36810871",
          "commentText": "This.\nThat was my journey as a self-taught programmer who at one point realized had to learn the timeless foundations.\nAnd then MIT's 6.005 [1], where you will apply all this with a realistic language (Java, although the concepts carry to any language), and learn how to design, code and test programs that \"have no bugs, are easy to understand and ready for change\".\nAnd also learn a bit about algorithms, I don't think that one can design and understand properly without. And what is O(2^n) today will still be that in 100 years. MIT's 6.006 is amazing, both professor and TA [2].\nI've seen Knuth's TAOCP recommended around here. Don't even consider that, do a course like 6.006 first, the Everest shouldn't be the first mountain you climb. Likewise favour HtDP over SICP at first, I've been there.\nIf after all this you are still interested in LLMs, I recommend EdX's \"Large Language Models: Application through Production\" [3]\n[1] https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/6-005-software-construction-spri... (https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/6-005-software-construction-spring-2016/)\n[2] https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/6-006-introduction-to-algorithms... (https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/6-006-introduction-to-algorithms-fall-2011/)\n[3] https://www.edx.org/course/large-language-models-application... (https://www.edx.org/course/large-language-models-application-through-production)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "favour HtDP over SICP at first",
          "reason": "Says to start with How to Design Programs instead.",
          "audience": "Readers starting with programming foundations.",
          "caveat": "The recommendation is to favor How to Design Programs first.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36810277,
          "author": "mario-main",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-21T05:22:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36810277",
          "commentText": "Would you recommend HtDP to a non-beginner? Like SICP, it seems to cover fairly basic concepts and aimed at first-year CS students.\nI always feel like I'm missing out on some sort of magical programming secrets that will expand my mind like a spiritual retreat when I'm in these threads. But it's just CS 101 except you use Lisp? I don't get it.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Like SICP, it seems to cover fairly basic concepts",
          "reason": "Compares its perceived level and audience with How to Design Programs.",
          "audience": "The commenter asks whether it suits non-beginners.",
          "caveat": "The comment questions its depth and does not endorse it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36808867,
          "author": "shaunxcode",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-21T01:07:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36808867",
          "commentText": "SICP is absolutely worth reading (and even working through in your language of choice!)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SICP is absolutely worth reading",
          "reason": "Strongly endorses reading it and suggests working through it in any language.",
          "audience": "Readers willing to work through the book in a language of their choice.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36808786,
          "author": "db48x",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-21T00:54:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36808786",
          "commentText": "I don’t really think so. If you decide to become a farmer, then care of farm animals may be very relevant to you. Similarly, if you decide to become a software engineer or computer scientist then SICP is very relevant to you.\nNot everyone uses geometry every day, but engineers do. And we all depend on engineers, so the understanding of geometry is a fundamental underpinning of our entire society. The same can be said of computer science. We don’t all program for a living, but the structure and interpretation of computer programs (the literal structure and interpretation, not the book) is becoming an ever larger factor in how our society functions.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the structure and interpretation of computer programs (the literal structure and interpretation, not the book)",
          "reason": "Explicitly distinguishes the book title from the general concept and argues that computer science is relevant to society.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter clarifies they mean the concept, not the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36808209,
          "author": "pistolpete333",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T23:30:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36808209",
          "commentText": "Working through the original SICP (including doing ALL of the exercises!) had the largest tangible positive effect on my ability to code as someone who has a CS degree.  After finishing I felt much more confident as a programmer.\nI’m mainly a TS/JS node and react dev and found much of what I learned from SICP translated into a deep understanding of both, especially with regards to higher order functions, closures, state management/hooks in react etc.  The subtler aspects of coding (at least in JS/TS but also generally) all kind of just started to make sense.\nWould definitely recommend",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Working through the original SICP (including doing ALL of the exercises!) had the largest tangible positive effect on my ability to code",
          "reason": "Credits working through the book and its exercises with a major improvement in coding ability, then says they would recommend it.",
          "audience": "Programmers, including those with a computer science degree.",
          "caveat": "The commenter found the exercises important to their experience.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36807873,
          "author": "Agingcoder",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T22:54:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36807873",
          "commentText": "Edit: I’m essentially self taught as well, apart from one class about algorithms.\nTo a large extent, reading books about old tech is still interesting- you’ll just have a better appreciation of what you have now, how it came to be, and what was explored before. It will also show you a simpler version of what you have now, so easier to understand: reading the manual of the 6502 or i386 is not the same thing ( a single readable text file ) as the many manuals of the latest Intel CPUs, totaling thousands of pages !\nI grew up reading manuals of old computers, old computer magazines, books about random tech ( from expert systems to system programming in pascal, prolog, etc ) because my father would buy random books. I’ve never regretted doing so, it just gave me a broader overview of what was possible.\nIn any case, sicp is great, just read it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In any case, sicp is great, just read it.",
          "reason": "Calls it great and directly recommends reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36807495,
          "author": "teh_klev",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T22:15:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36807495",
          "commentText": "This is a rather short sighted and somewhat gate keeping mentality. Acronyms are often contrived and separate from the common vernacular and idioms related to a subject matter.\nAs a software developer with a forty year career behind me I'm quite familiar with the \"SICP\" book. But for some reason my brain won't persist the connection between the full title and the SICP acronym when I bump into it. Yet somehow I can recall what each and every assembly language mnemonic means across a fairly broad range of micro and mini computer processors.\n> maybe that's a sign that particular thread isn't for you, and that you likely have little of value to add.\nSure I may not have much to add, but the reason to read a thread, article or essay is to become familiar with the subject matter because it sounds interesting. Don't assume your reader is an expert in decoding your special and often made up acronyms.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm quite familiar with the \"SICP\" book.",
          "reason": "The commenter discusses remembering the book's acronym while criticizing acronym use.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36807430,
          "author": "omnicognate",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T22:10:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36807430",
          "commentText": "I've read SICP cover to cover and completed every exercise, so I recognised that one. I had to look HtDP up.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I've read SICP cover to cover and completed every exercise",
          "reason": "The commenter mentions having read the book and completed its exercises.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36807366,
          "author": "sn9",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T22:04:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36807366",
          "commentText": "For those interested in working through all three, the order to do so would be HTDP -> SICP -> CTMCP.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "-> SICP ->",
          "reason": "Named as the second book in a suggested sequence for working through all three.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in working through all three books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36807163,
          "author": "iainctduncan",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T21:45:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36807163",
          "commentText": "SICP is the bomb. I wish I had picked it and Scheme up 15 years earlier. Literally mind expanding.\nSure lots of it is not as applicable now as it was, but it should absolutely be on your bookshelf in addition to more modern texts.\nI spent most of my professional code slinging career doing Python, but IMHO it is critical to learn to read CS books in many languages. If you use any lexically scoped language, reading the chapter on environments and what happens when you go from pure functions to a language that sets variables is invaluable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SICP is the bomb.",
          "reason": "The commenter strongly recommends the book and says its material remains valuable alongside more modern texts.",
          "audience": "Programmers interested in computer science concepts and programming languages.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says much of it is less applicable now than it once was.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36806916,
          "author": "dreamcompiler",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T21:21:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36806916",
          "commentText": "And because javascript has real lambdas and lexical closures, you probably lose less studying SICP in JS than you would in e.g. Python.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "you probably lose less studying SICP in JS than you would in e.g. Python.",
          "reason": "The commenter compares how well JavaScript and Python support studying the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36806726,
          "author": "rsrsrs86",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T21:03:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36806726",
          "commentText": "I think it won’t ever hurt to know the topics in SICP. The interpreters and other components presented in the book will help the user navigate so many different problems, and the use of Scheme will instruct the reader in functional programming.\nThe presentation is very gradual and easy to follow (as far as any text in CS can be easy).\nIf you follow SICP in Racket, you will get know a language that can be used to do anything - Racket has a formidable library.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think it won’t ever hurt to know the topics in SICP.",
          "reason": "The commenter says its topics and presentation are useful for learning programming concepts.",
          "audience": "Readers learning interpreters, functional programming, or programming concepts.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36806353,
          "author": "bigfishrunning",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T20:33:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36806353",
          "commentText": "> focus on the goal instead of a million tiny details.\nThis attitude is why my 16 core machine with 100Gb of ram feels about as fast as my Windows 95 machine felt 25 years ago. It's why software seems to scale with the computers that run it.\nGP: Read SICP. even if you don't end up writing any Scheme, you'll be a better programmer for it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read SICP. even if you don't end up writing any Scheme, you'll be a better programmer for it.",
          "reason": "Recommends reading SICP to improve as a programmer, even without using Scheme.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "You may not end up writing Scheme.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36806260,
          "author": "galkk",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T20:26:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36806260",
          "commentText": "If you will go past first chapter, you will find wealth of knowledge, that is not programming language/api/backend/frontend specific. SICP is a book that is a bit hard to start.\nThis is a thing that I miss about C++ programming language, third edition by Stroustrup. The \"Design using C++\" section of about 100 pages in the end made me, at a time, better programmer. I do not read it now, though, to keep my good memories about it =)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "SICP is a book that is a bit hard to start.",
          "reason": "Says SICP offers substantial knowledge beyond language and API specifics, while being difficult to start.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A bit hard to start.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36804718,
          "author": "retrocryptid",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T18:35:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36804718",
          "commentText": "Meh.  Python is for scientists.  Lisp is for engineers.  Which is to say the languages were designed for different language design methodologies.  In the old days of Lisp we didn't have large libraries of pre-existing functionality, so it was important for programmers to know how to construct complex functions from simple functions.  But now we have python with its expansive partially documented standard and semi-standard libraries.  You don't need to know how to rewrite that lump of functionality.  You just need to know how to write small test programs that verify you understanding of how it's supposed to be used.  And if you find you need to do something that's not supported, you just change what it is you're trying to do.\nThe flip side of this is that there's a large corpus of programs demonstrating idiomatic python.  \"There's only one way to do it,\" was a mantra I heard from Pythonistas in the 2000s.  Maybe it's still a cultural value in that community.  That would explain the large corpus (that and it being a popular language.)\nI've yet to see a LLM spit out even half-way decent Lisp (CL, scheme or even e-lisp).  My suspicion is the corpus of available code is small and its language features tend to generate less \"boilerplate.\"\nHaving taught \"practical lisp\" in the 90s, SICP was frustrating because of its insistence on describing idiomatic Lisp in text, but with far fewer examples than comparative texts in other languages (k&r c or PASCAL User Manual and Report.)\nThere seems to be a tradition of this in Scheme and CL books.  Where you could easily find books in the 80s entitled  \"${N} PROGRAMS IN BASIC\" or some such, which were useful to provide a corpus of idiomatic code learners could use to build an intuitive understanding of the language.  In the Lisp world no such books were available, and members of that community seemed to want learners to develop a wholly rational approach to learning.\nSo... if your purpose is to have a language that can be generated by ChatGPT, definitely pick Python.  My experience with automated tools is they absolutely do not understand how to refactoring lisps effectively.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "SICP was frustrating because of its insistence on describing idiomatic Lisp in text, but with far fewer examples",
          "reason": "Criticizes SICP for explaining idiomatic Lisp with comparatively few examples.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter found its limited examples frustrating.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36804650,
          "author": "vjust",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T18:31:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36804650",
          "commentText": "SICP is a beautiful book. The Youtube lectures are just as good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SICP is a beautiful book.",
          "reason": "Describes SICP positively.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36804592,
          "author": "neilv",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T18:27:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36804592",
          "commentText": "Try SICP at some point, no matter what else you learn.\nHtDP is also worth taking a look at, and is much easier than SICP.\nLLMs will mostly statistically plagiarize code.  (Some people will rationalize \"The tool generates the boilerplate, so that I can focus on the harder problems, because I am a mental giant who is above mere coding, and this is totally not open source code laundering\", and then slap the code into a Git commit with their name on it, while making \"cha-ching\" cash register sounds.)\nInstead of LLM, if you want to learn from other people's open source code, you can just read it in the original form (and not pretend you wrote it).\nYou can also practice writing your own code.  Find things you want to do, and instead of using an LLM or Googling for something to copy&paste, work through the problem yourself, and build that understanding and mental machinery.\nAnd when that starts getting routine, experiment with different approaches within the same language, as well as with different languages.  You will add to your toolkit of approaches, and start to build up a feel for when they are appropriate, and various implications.\nAdvanced, once you have some basic programming skills: Start building things that have to work reliably and securely, have to be maintainable and evolvable at a good cadence, have to be done in the context of a team where everyone is working towards product success, etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Try SICP at some point, no matter what else you learn.",
          "reason": "Encourages readers to try SICP.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36804360,
          "author": "jstx1",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T18:10:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36804360",
          "commentText": "Not necessarily as relevant, programming has changed a lot since SICP came out. Sussman says so himself - https://youtu.be/OgRFOjVzvm0",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "programming has changed a lot since SICP came out",
          "reason": "Says the book may be less relevant because programming has changed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not necessarily as relevant.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36804066,
          "author": "agomez314",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T17:48:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36804066",
          "commentText": "If you want to write professional python code, read python books and courses. Take algorithms and data structures courses. Take compiler courses if you so choose. Work hard to be the best you can at your work. If you are doing all this, feel free to glance over the first chapter or two of SICP, it's Calculus concepts and esoteric explanations will probably turn you off. If you're foolish enough to continue, don't, it will take over your precious time and learnings you could invest in the newest frameworks and LLMs, which make you into a more productive programmer anyway. If the first chapter of SICP is still echoing in your mind about \"procedures as general method\" and you daydream about opening and closing parenthesis, then it'll open up your mind to pleasures of programming you never new existed and stay with you forever. Your code could probably improve too, but in a tangential sort of way. SICP is the best programming book i've ever read, and one of the best of any kind.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "SICP is the best programming book i've ever read, and one of the best of any kind.",
          "reason": "Strongly praises the book while noting it may not suit readers focused on professional Python work.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in programming concepts and elegant code.",
          "caveat": "The commenter cautions that its calculus concepts and explanations may deter some readers, and it may not directly improve professional code.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36803984,
          "author": "cbm-vic-20",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T17:42:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36803984",
          "commentText": "Likewise, TAoCP (er, Knuth's \"The Art of Computer Programming\") is even _older_ than SICP, and will definitely not help with writing better professional Python programs, but is steeped in first-principles goodness.  Even so, I end up turning to it every once in a while; once while figuring out some tricky allocation code, and another to see if I could find a way to skip a few steps in a piece of code that needed to run in a tight loop.\nIt's certainly not required reading to be a successful programmer in the 21st century, but like SICP, it offers a different way of looking at things that may help influence some of your decisions on how to build something.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "like SICP, it offers a different way of looking at things",
          "reason": "The commenter compares its perspective to The Art of Computer Programming.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not required reading to be a successful programmer in the 21st century.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36803777,
          "author": "wk_end",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T17:28:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36803777",
          "commentText": "SICP is a great and mind-expanding book; but I came to it fairly late, at a time when (I think, I hope) I was already decent at \"elegant\" programming, so it's hard for me to say if it'd help you program elegantly. Probably, but I don't think that's one of its chief concerns.\nOn the other hand - HtDP is explicitly focused on teaching you patterns of thought that will help you create well-structured programs. It's also significantly easier, so I'd recommend it for your purposes full-throatedly.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "SICP is a great and mind-expanding book; but I came to it fairly late",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its impact but is unsure it helps develop elegant programming.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter thinks they may have already been decent at elegant programming before reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36803735,
          "author": "debaserab2",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T17:25:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36803735",
          "commentText": "aside from the fact SICP now has a javascript edition, if you pick a book that focuses on whatever random modern javascript/python programming language you're not really studying anything like the material in SICP.\nSICP is more like studying the actual composition of wood itself than it is about tools. this is still important whether youre using new or old tools.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "SICP is more like studying the actual composition of wood itself than it is about tools.",
          "reason": "The commenter presents SICP as teaching fundamental concepts rather than current language-specific tools.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36803724,
          "author": "f1shy",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T17:24:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36803724",
          "commentText": "> but might not help you with the task of writing better professional Python programs\nLet me disagree here: right now I’m doing mentoring with some python programmers where I work, they watch the videos, read the relevant part of the book, and we have a discussion together after each part. I hear constantly “oh yeah, I can apply that here or there”, “this streams concept is so good”, etc etc etc.\nI think it is most valuable if your background is “only” Algol family languages.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the videos, read the relevant part of the book",
          "reason": "The commenter describes mentoring programmers using the videos and book, and says they apply its concepts.",
          "audience": "Python programmers, especially those from Algol-family languages.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36803542,
          "author": "jstx1",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T17:12:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36803542",
          "commentText": "I'm not convinced that they're worth it for people who know how to program. If you want to write better Python at work, learn how to write better Python at work; don't waste your time on learning how to write a loop in scheme.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "don't waste your time on learning how to write a loop in scheme.",
          "reason": "The commenter questions its value for experienced programmers seeking better Python skills at work.",
          "audience": "People who already know how to program and want to improve their Python at work.",
          "caveat": "The commenter argues it is not worth the time for that goal.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36803517,
          "author": "bmitc",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T17:09:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36803517",
          "commentText": "Your only critique is that SICP is old. Computing power and performance are irrelevant to SICP.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Your only critique is that SICP is old.",
          "reason": "The commenter disputes the critique that the book's age is a drawback.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36803475,
          "author": "memco",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T17:05:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36803475",
          "commentText": "There are versions of SICP adapted for Python like this one: https://www-inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs61a/sp12/book/ and https://wizardforcel.gitbooks.io/sicp-in-python/content/.\nI can't compare them to SICP, but if your only concern is the relevance of the examples then these may be worth looking into as a supplement or replacement for the original.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "There are versions of SICP adapted for Python like this one: https://www-inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~cs61a/sp12/book/ and https://wizardforcel.gitbooks.io/sicp-in-python/content/.",
          "reason": "Points to Python adaptations as possible supplements or replacements if example relevance is the reader's concern.",
          "audience": "Python programmers concerned about the relevance of the examples.",
          "caveat": "The commenter cannot compare the adaptations with the original.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36803417,
          "author": "nelsontodd",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T17:01:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36803417",
          "commentText": "I dont know about practicality but Ive read a good amount of SICP and find it very entertaining",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I dont know about practicality but Ive read a good amount of SICP and find it very entertaining",
          "reason": "The commenter finds it entertaining.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure about its practicality.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36803230,
          "author": "daggersandscars",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T16:48:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36803230",
          "commentText": "Background: SICP was the textbook for my undergrad intro to CS class, though I was already a self-taught programmer at the time.\nSICP provided a different way of understanding programming. I enjoyed the class, did well, and became a big fan of Scheme for quite some time.\nBut the text was written for a different era, one dominated by C, PASCAL, and COBOL and when parallel programming was rare. In a time where almost all programming required working with low-level, basic programming constructs designed around the CPU's architecture, using Scheme to teach future non-academics was a great way to open their eyes to different ways of thinking about programming.\nBut it's close to the 40th anniversary of the first edition and past the 25th anniversary of the second. A four core CPU is low(er) end. Phones have 4+ cores. Even watches have dual-core CPUs. Ruby, Java, JavaScript, Python, Go, Rust, and a zillion frameworks are all available and widely used.\nIt wasn't possible to get performant Scheme on the hardware of the time. Now that we have the hardware, other languages have taken what Scheme could do and done it better.\nAre the concepts useful? Certainly. But if your goal is to be a better programmer now, I'd pick a different book. If you're a Python programmer, pick a (modern, recent) Python book. If you're a JavaScript dev, then a (modern, recent) JS book.\nIf SICP was teaching woodworking, it would be the no power tools, start with a standing tree method. It's fascinating, it's neat, there are cool concepts to learn. But it's of little relevance, day-to-day, in a world filled with tools that let you focus on the goal instead of a million tiny details.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "SICP provided a different way of understanding programming.",
          "reason": "The commenter says its concepts remain useful but recommends a different book for becoming a better programmer today.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Recommends a modern, recent book in the reader's programming language for practical improvement.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36803119,
          "author": "amackera",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T16:40:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36803119",
          "commentText": "SICP is an amazing book that will make you a better programmer, but might not help you with the task of writing better professional Python programs. If you aspire to understand computing systems from first-principles, there's no better resource that SICP. I've read it multiple times and I learn something new each time.\nDo the exercises too!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "SICP is an amazing book that will make you a better programmer",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its value for learning computing from first principles.",
          "audience": "People who want to understand computing systems from first principles.",
          "caveat": "Might not help with writing better professional Python programs.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36803097,
          "author": "Buttons840",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T16:39:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36803097",
          "commentText": "SICP gets challenging in the very first chapter. You should aim to do about 1/3rd of the exercises, knowing that you can come back and do more later. The first chapter will certainly improve your ability to reason about recursive code. If you lose motivation later in the book (like I did), you will still have gained something.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "SICP gets challenging in the very first chapter. You should aim to do about 1/3rd of the exercises",
          "reason": "Advises readers to work through some exercises, while noting the book is challenging.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It gets challenging in the very first chapter; the commenter lost motivation later.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36803010,
          "author": "bmitc",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T16:34:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36803010",
          "commentText": "The concepts in SICP are timeless. There's nothing to be lost going through that book.\nThere are video lectures you can use to accompany the book: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE18841CABEA24090\nAlso, I highly recommend the courses How to Code: Simple Data amd How to Code: Complex Data on edX that are based on HtDP.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The concepts in SICP are timeless. There's nothing to be lost going through that book.",
          "reason": "Recommends the book for its timeless concepts and suggests companion video lectures.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36803000,
          "author": "starside",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T16:33:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36803000",
          "commentText": "I think so.  Let me ask you this, what changed that would make it irrelevant?  There have not been any earth shattering advances in language design that make it obsolete.\nIt may not align with your ambitions as a programmer, but math and functional programming still apply.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think so.",
          "reason": "Affirms that the books remain relevant in response to the question about SICP and HtDP.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36802979,
          "author": "LoganDark",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T16:32:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36802979",
          "commentText": "there are a couple reasons to read those books, but the most important reason is simply to expand your wealth of knowledge. will you be writing scheme? probably not. will you benefit from knowing all the algorithms and practices that were used back when scheme was more common? almost definitely. because even if you don't use those algorithms and practices, they will surely inform your opinion of which algorithms and practices you do want to use.\ni say this as someone who has not read either of those books and doesn't even know what the acronyms refer to: knowledge is good. it'll take you many years to re-learn the knowledge that is already written in those books if you don't read them.\nthere is a practical limit to how much knowledge you can just throw into your brain, but these surely must be some important and well-renowned books if you throw out the acronyms without clarification, so i doubt the ROI could possibly be negative",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "there are a couple reasons to read those books",
          "reason": "Argues that reading the books builds useful knowledge, while noting the commenter has not read them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have not read either book.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35933845,
          "author": "Turing_Machine",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T23:32:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35933845",
          "commentText": "K&R (yes, it's outdated now, but it is still a fine model for how to write a clear and concise textbook).\nSICP.\nComputer Graphics: Principles and Practice by Foley and van Dam (plus a bunch more authors now).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SICP.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34420799,
          "author": "beeburrt",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-17T23:05:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 34412069,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach programming by building a series of small projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34420799",
          "commentText": "And a 'comparison' edition\nhttps://sicp.sourceacademy.org/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "And a 'comparison' edition\nhttps://sicp.sourceacademy.org/",
          "reason": "Points to a comparison edition of SICP.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33855816,
          "author": "allenleein",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T17:44:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33855816",
          "commentText": "SICP (Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs)\nhttps://web.mit.edu/6.001/6.037/sicp.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SICP (Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33826324,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-02T03:17:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33826324",
          "commentText": "Here is a secret which you might find reassuring :-) Most people (including myself) don't do exercises. Merely doing exercises is overrated. What one needs to do is Read a book, follow closely any worked out examples and try and get at the essence of things; Everything else is secondary.\nFor example when i first read SICP years ago, i was working on Protocol State Machines and was stuck (at work) on how to design a verification framework for the same which our clients needed to satisfy themselves that our implementation worked correctly as the official specifications laid out. SICP gave me enough knowledge to understand the problem and the enthusiasm to design a simple DSL to solve the same. Thus by reading it and without doing a single exercise (nor learning Scheme well) i had a huge ROI on my Time invested in reading that book.\nSo have confidence in yourself, and read anything and everything that you find interesting without beating up yourself over not doing it \"properly\". The point is to get exposed to new concepts/ideas and gain new perspectives/insights on already known knowledge.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "when i first read SICP years ago",
          "reason": "It gave the commenter enough knowledge and enthusiasm to design a DSL for a verification framework, without doing the exercises.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter did not learn Scheme well and did not do any exercises.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33133056,
          "author": "Syzygies",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T15:23:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33133056",
          "commentText": "I read the first edition of K&R when it came out, and switched to C for a computer algebra system that got me tenure as a math professor. K&R is a religious scripture, and remains the benchmark against which I measure all other programming books. It's in the same league as the aspirational SICP, and a far easier read.\nIn college I'd programmed Fortran on punched cards. APL was like dropping acid, and I worked one summer as a commercial APL programmer, but it wasn't appropriate for what I needed. Pascal didn't quite fit either. C was in that context mind-blowing. The future had arrived! I had full access to the machine!\nIf one is learning to become a plumber, one might not be so interested in how plumbing worked in 1840. If however, one is a herding dog, and needs serious work to avoid getting bored and destructive, reading K&R would put C in historical context.\nLater, as I depended on C, I bought each edition of C: A Reference Manual by Harbison and Steele, and read it as if I were studying to be a lawyer.\nI now program in Haskell, and wish I was equally versed in Clojure and Rust. If I were returning to C, I'd instead choose Rust. For my work, I have a free choice.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the aspirational SICP",
          "reason": "Compares K&R's standing with SICP; calls SICP aspirational.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32937049,
          "author": "babarock",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T10:36:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937049",
          "commentText": "I've spent much more time in sicp on text (and video lecture) than I did exercises. I also read it on my own time, not in class, and it took me many months to go through it.\nI guess everyone has a different way of approaching this.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I've spent much more time in sicp on text (and video lecture) than I did exercises.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes spending more time on the text and video lecture than on exercises.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They say everyone has a different way of approaching it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32937031,
          "author": "hcks",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T10:32:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937031",
          "commentText": "SICP is literally computer science 101 in LISP. Personally I found it less englightening than doing medium/hard leetcode problems.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "SICP is literally computer science 101 in LISP. Personally I found it less englightening than doing medium/hard leetcode problems.",
          "reason": "The commenter compares it unfavorably with solving medium or hard LeetCode problems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They found it less enlightening than doing medium or hard LeetCode problems.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936946,
          "author": "Yizahi",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T10:22:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936946",
          "commentText": "ITT: books programmers recommend but not really read :) . I'm guessing SICP would be recommended, Dragon book, TAOCP, some super famous philosophers centuries back and finally modern day self improvement books.\nAs for me, I can't really say that any single book was worth it in the sense - if I didn't read it, would I have been in the worse position or would I have missed some crucial and/or unique (only in that book) knowledge? Probably not.\nPS: just not to sound entirely negative, I can recommend two ideas.\nIdea 1: there are marks in Wikipedia, which denote especially good articles. And there is a meta page with a list of top10, top100, top1000 and so on pages. I made myself a personal project to read eventually through top1000 articles.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Vital_articles\nIdea 2: find a good in-depth history channel on youtube or a streaming service, explaining in-depth certain historic evens and the whole timeline. I wager a lot of things will turn out not quite as you may have remembered or imagined. It teaches a lot about social conflicts, wars, money etc. I can recommend a series of streams but they are in Russian. Don't have an English equivalent at the moment.\nhttps://www.youtube.com/user/ButKorn",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "I'm guessing SICP would be recommended",
          "reason": "Named as an example of a book programmers recommend, with skeptical framing about whether they have read it.",
          "audience": "Programmers",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936461,
          "author": "epolanski",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T09:08:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936461",
          "commentText": "Depends on what the journey looks like. If you're dead set on becoming a software developer it's a great and solid introduction to programming and computing.\nBut if you're not, I'd recommend resources targeting more popular and lower friction languages than scheme such as JavaScript.\nI've read it after 5 years of professional experience and it was a very good read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've read it after 5 years of professional experience and it was a very good read.",
          "reason": "Calls it a good read after professional experience; says it is a solid introduction for aspiring software developers.",
          "audience": "Aspiring software developers.",
          "caveat": "Recommends lower-friction languages such as JavaScript for readers not set on software development.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936195,
          "author": "newsoul",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T08:28:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936195",
          "commentText": "SICP. When do you recommend software devs read it? Beginning of their journey or mid journey?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "SICP.",
          "reason": "The commenter asks when software developers should read it: at the beginning or middle of their journey.",
          "audience": "Software developers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936161,
          "author": "epolanski",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T08:23:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936161",
          "commentText": "- The Way of The Superior Man. The only \"self help\" book I give any credit. It really boils down to encouraging people to have a purpose in life and accept ourselves.\n- The Stupidity Paradox. Ever feel the world works in a \"stupid\" way? That your organization keeps promoting stupid ideas? Read this book and get into the roots of functional stupidity. It's a bit repetitive, but extremely insightful book.\n- Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs. The book I most recommend for any software professional.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book I most recommend for any software professional.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it to software professionals.",
          "audience": "Software professionals.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32793609,
          "author": "lamontcg",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T19:04:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32793609",
          "commentText": "I think this might have been the textbook I was thinking of.  It wasn't SICP and I don't think it was CTM.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "It wasn't SICP",
          "reason": "The commenter identifies it as one candidate they had ruled out when trying to recall a textbook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it was not the textbook they had in mind.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32791679,
          "author": "curious16",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T15:47:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32791679",
          "commentText": "Maybe Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (SICP)?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Maybe Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (SICP)?",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32790907,
          "author": "nano9",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T14:21:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790907",
          "commentText": "Neuromancer\nSnow Crash\nBlindsight\n(Just some fun fiction to bolster one's passion for their chosen profession. Obviously TAOCP, SICP, K&R, and other books in their ranks are better answers.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Obviously TAOCP, SICP, K&R, and other books in their ranks are better answers.",
          "reason": "The commenter says these are better answers to the prompt.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32790740,
          "author": "f1shy",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T14:03:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790740",
          "commentText": "Computer science: Knuth's TAOCP. And Sipser's Introduction to the Theory of Computation.\nProgramming: SICP, K&R, and Stroustrup. Siebel's Practical common lisp.\nArtificial intelligence: AI a modern approach.\nSignals and Systems: Oppenheim's book\nProbability and statistics: Probability Theory: The Logic of Science by Jaynes",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SICP",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32198987,
          "author": "PeterWhittaker",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-23T00:44:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32198987",
          "commentText": "A few open books scattered through the house:\n  Billion Dollar Spy, Hoffman (I’m kind of obsessed with Cold War espionage)\n\n  SICP, JS edition (great read, I do a lot of JS work and I’ve learned a lot, despite time spent studying the language itself, and I’m still in the first chapter)\n\n  Topoi, Goldblatt (tough read, but Category Theory calls to me)\n\n  The Order of Time, Rovelli (his work is the clearest explication I’ve yet encountered of how QM might really be)\n\n  Helgoland, Rovelli (ibid)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SICP, JS edition (great read, I do a lot of JS work and I’ve learned a lot",
          "reason": "Calls it a great read and says it taught them a lot despite their JavaScript experience.",
          "audience": "People who work with JavaScript.",
          "caveat": "Still in the first chapter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31232163,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-02T07:04:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 31166475,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Top inspiring books on crucial CS ideas?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31232163",
          "commentText": "Gee, I've read 6 or 7 and found all of them extremely inspiring. (I've not read Code or CLRS Algorithms, and only parts of SICP and TAoCP) Well ok, 'inspiring' maybe is not exactly the word for Man-Month, but it is fascinating. Looks like the list of 10 most-recommended programming books, and things don't get on that list for no reason!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "only parts of SICP",
          "reason": "Says they have read only parts of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has read only parts.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31170838,
          "author": "richardthornton",
          "createdAt": "2022-04-26T17:59:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 31166475,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Top inspiring books on crucial CS ideas?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31170838",
          "commentText": "Great question, I'm definitely going to check out some of the other books here.\nFor me:\n1. Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs. It's a very challenging book (currently 2 years into reading it with a couple of friends), but really helps demystify the different layers of the stack.\n2. Coders at Work. Really interesting to hear how they think about programming (and their differing opinions from each other). I found the audiobook really good",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs. It's a very challenging book",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it and says it helps demystify layers of the stack.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in programming and computer science ideas.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as very challenging and says they are two years into reading it.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31168573,
          "author": "rg111",
          "createdAt": "2022-04-26T15:20:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 31166475,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Top inspiring books on crucial CS ideas?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31168573",
          "commentText": "- The Little Schemer\n- The Algorithm Design Manual\n- Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\n- Elements of Computing Systems (nand2tetris book)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for inspiring books on computer science ideas.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computer science topics, data structures, or algorithms.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31167257,
          "author": "Parker_Powell",
          "createdAt": "2022-04-26T13:33:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 31166475,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Top inspiring books on crucial CS ideas?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31167257",
          "commentText": "No matter how long you've been a programmer, you're always looking for new ways to hone your craft and learn new techniques. One of the best ways to do that is by reading books on programming—as in, books that are actually about programming. Here's our list of 10 of the best.\n1. Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software\n2. Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship\n3. Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code\n4. The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master\n5. Don't Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability\n6. The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering\n7. Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\n8. Introduction to Algorithms (The MIT Press)\n9. Programming Pearls (2nd Edition)\n10. The Art of Computer Programming",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "7. Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's ten recommended programming books.",
          "audience": "Programmers looking to hone their craft and learn techniques.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30738208,
          "author": "rmnull",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T22:40:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30738208",
          "commentText": "* Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi.\nAmong lot of books i've read this was the one that pushed me towards questioning my beliefs. \nAlthough i can't say this book made me irreligious it certainly was a gateway to a whole new world.\n* Calvin and Hobbes.\nthis is one of those things that completely changed my perspective on creativity, oh and not to mention all the things about life and philosophy in there, its in good spirit.\n* Animal Farm\nThis is arguably the best piece of satire I've read that is also fun and\neasy on the brain. It flows like water.\n* The Little Schemer.\nI hold this book dear. I've tried reading SICP twice and given up.\nAnd thought LISP was not for me. The environment was horrible,\nall those parens it was just confusing.\nThis book changed that, what it encouraged me to do is grab a pen and paper\nand try to work everything out myself[1]. It was such a fun read and i owe most of my understanding of functional programming to this book.\nFew days after finishing this book, i introduced this book to my friend\nand we spent all our days discussing life listening to sufjan stevens and working through this book, it was a sweet time.\n====\n[1] I wrote my actual scheme programs on computer long after i had worked through the book(i don't recall exactly but it was after 5th or 6th chapter). An online friend of mine recommended that i try DrRacket as i could execute scheme there. It was a much friendlier environment.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I've tried reading SICP twice and given up.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they tried reading it twice and gave up.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter found it difficult to continue.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30621027,
          "author": "jcubic",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-09T22:50:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30621027",
          "commentText": "* The Art of Unix Programming\n* Code Reading: The Open Source Perspective\n* SICP",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SICP",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30618325,
          "author": "Breza",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-09T18:37:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30618325",
          "commentText": "I agree with you. They assume the level of math of an MIT freshman. And the level of computer experience of a modern 11 year old. So sometimes they lean on the math in situations where a professor today might explain something in terms of a computer. Take a step back and try to understand the concepts that they are explaining, even if your math is a little rusty. I love SICP, it really make functional programming click for me. The other book I recommend in this space is Advanced R.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I love SICP, it really make functional programming click for me.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it made functional programming click.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30496210,
          "author": "debanjan16",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-28T03:52:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30496210",
          "commentText": "Regarding SICP. The first chapter is too mathematical. At least at first glance. Is that true? When did you do SICP? How mathematically mature were you?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Regarding SICP. The first chapter is too mathematical. At least at first glance. Is that true? When did you do SICP? How mathematically mature were you?",
          "reason": "Asks about the mathematical level and prerequisites of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is asking whether the first chapter is too mathematical.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30490516,
          "author": "ipnon",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T17:35:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30490516",
          "commentText": "There are few books with more eureka moments. Mine was discovering functional closures and object instances are two sides of the same coin.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mine was discovering functional closures and object instances are two sides of the same coin.",
          "reason": "Describes a discovery associated with the book discussed in the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30488530,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T14:07:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30488530",
          "commentText": "Despite high interest in learning to program, I was confused and bored in my first (FORTRAN) programming course. Browsing at the local bookstore I found 'The FORTRAN Coloring Book' and took it home. Kaufman's approach unlocked some kind of door for me, and the effort of going to find my own resources did as well. Forty years on,  'The Fortran Coloring Book' sits on the shelf next to 'Software Tools in Pascal' (same bookstore a few months later) and many of the other books listed in this thread (e.g. TAOCP, SICP, UPE, OSTEP.)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "SICP",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30487027,
          "author": "jp0d",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T10:36:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30487027",
          "commentText": "A lot of comments have praised SICP on this thread. I'm a data analyst but I don't have a computer science background. I somehow prefer the ML family languages to Lispy parentheses. Could anyone please suggest an SICP equivalent book in Standard ML, Scala, F# etc? Thank you.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "A lot of comments have praised SICP on this thread.",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a reference point while asking for a comparable book in ML-family languages.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter asks for an equivalent and expresses a preference for ML-family languages.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30486740,
          "author": "FiberBundle",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T09:38:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486740",
          "commentText": "SICP for CS and programming. That book (and its exercises) really instilled in me the thought patterns that drastically improved my programming skills and made me realize how important fundamental CS knowledge is to being a good programmer. What I learned from that book was: becoming comfortable with recursion, realizing the importance of abstractions, functional programming concepts and it gave me insights into how interpreters and the machine work.\nI studied math in university and the book that really improved me mathematically was baby rudin. I really struggled with this the first time I worked through it and had to also fall back on Abott's analysis book, but after my first analysis course I worked through Rudin again and it just clicked. The exercises are really well chosen and the text is just so on point. Every sentence in the book is extremely carefully chosen and of fundamental importance to what Rudin wants to teach you.\nIt's really rare that you find textbooks that almost kind of have a certain magic to them, like you are directly taught by one of the greatest minds in that field. These two books definitely meet that criteria.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SICP for CS and programming. That book (and its exercises) really instilled in me the thought patterns that drastically improved my programming skills",
          "reason": "The commenter credits it with building programming skills and understanding recursion, abstraction, functional programming, interpreters, and machines.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30486512,
          "author": "indigochill",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T08:50:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486512",
          "commentText": "SICP. I only read a little, but that little bit was enough for something to really click for me. When I dropped it, I felt like \"Before, I knew some syntax, but now I actually understand how to put a program together\".\nAlso, this is kind of cheating since I went through the \"Nand 2 Tetris\" video course, but there is a book that goes along with it, \"The Elements of Computing Systems\". The course really drove home for me the power of simple, well-designed layers in building complex systems, since the end goal of building a CPU from scratch sounded impossibly intimidating at the start but by the end I was comfortable in explaining every detail. I think it counts since the book covers the same material.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "SICP. I only read a little, but that little bit was enough for something to really click for me.",
          "reason": "The commenter says even a little reading helped them understand how to put a program together.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter read only a little.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30486458,
          "author": "reidrac",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T08:35:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486458",
          "commentText": "I also enjoyed it, but I read it probably a bit late in my career.\nI remember reading some parts and thinking \"wow, if someone had explained this to me like that when I was learning\". But then, I'm not completely sure what would have been my experience if SICP was my first contact with CS. I started with GWBASIC, then COBOL, then C; 1st edition already existed by then, so I could have learned with Scheme!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'm not completely sure what would have been my experience if SICP was my first contact with CS.",
          "reason": "The commenter reflects on how their experience might have differed if this had been their first CS book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are unsure how they would have experienced it as their first contact with computer science.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30486432,
          "author": "nonrandomstring",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T08:26:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486432",
          "commentText": "I still have these on my shelf looking dog-eared and well read You can\nprobably tell from these exactly which year I took CSEE :)\n- Biggs: Discrete Maths\n- Stroud: Engineering Mathematics\n- Solkolnikoff: Mathematics of Physics and Modern Engineering\n- Sommerville: Software Engineering\n- Aho: Compilers\n- Kernighan and Ritchie: The C Programming Language\n- Kernighan and Pike: The UNIX Programming Environment\n- Ben Ari: Principles of Concurrent Programming\n- Clements: Microprocessor Systems Design\n- Tannenbaum: Distributed Operating Systems\n- Dean, Allen, Aloimonos: Articficial Intelligence\n- Knuth: The Art of Computer Programming\n- Yourdon: Object Oriented Systems Design\n- Abelson and Sussman: Structure and Interpretation\nMaybe the one that ones that changed me most:\n- Polya: How to Solve it\n - Hofstadter: Godel Escher Bach",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Abelson and Sussman: Structure and Interpretation",
          "reason": "The commenter lists it among books on their shelf.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The title is abbreviated in the comment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30241534,
          "author": "bryanrasmussen",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T07:42:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241534",
          "commentText": "I would not recommend a single book for everyone to read, because people have different tastes and interests - and even if you recommend a single book based on people's interests - if they are really interested in that and the book is important to that interest it's likely they've already read it.\nSo probably a recommendation on any field should be made based on calculations both of how essential it is, but also how it's reading may change assumptions about the field if the person has not read it. It seems somewhat arrogant.\nAnd in the end it's annoying to get recommended a book one considers essential to the field, as it implies one does not know what one knows.\nAll that said - for the field of:\nFantasy - Gormenghast\nAmerica - Democracy in America\nProgramming - Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming - Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs",
          "reason": "Listed as a suggestion for the field of programming.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29220975,
          "author": "morty_s",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T21:38:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29220975",
          "commentText": "CLRS does about 5 pages on linked lists. If you want more, my advice would be to implement one in your language of choice, then look at the API for the standard lib impl of a linked list in your language of choice (if there is one).\nOtherwise, for more reading on linked lists, read through adlist.c from redis, by antirez.\nNext, one of the best books (IMO) on algorithmic thinking is SICP. Get through a few chapters, do the exercises, grok recursion, etc.\nIn no particular order:\nAlgorithm Design Manual, Skiena\nAlgorithm Design, by Kleinberg/Tardos\nAlgorithms, Sedgwick 4th ed. (also Algorithms in C)\nIf you find you need or would like more math:\nDiscrete Mathematics (Epp is an easier read, Rosen seems more verbose)\nMathematical Proofs, Charrand\nFor interview prep:\nElements of Programming Interviews (EPI)\nDesigning Data Intensive Applications",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "one of the best books (IMO) on algorithmic thinking is SICP.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for algorithmic thinking, with advice to work through chapters and exercises.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28704572,
          "author": "cauliflower99",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-30T09:39:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28704572",
          "commentText": "SICP is a fantastic and difficult book. I got through about 50% and have a much bigger appreciation for programming now.\nFYI - The original was written in Scheme. There is a newer version based in python which I haven't tried.\nEdit: The python version is highly contested. Scheme is the more difficult and therefore the best way to understand these principles.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "SICP is a fantastic and difficult book.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it fantastic and says completing it increased their appreciation for programming.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter completed about half; says the Python version is highly contested and favors Scheme.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28663370,
          "author": "dunefox",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T18:38:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28663370",
          "commentText": "For me it's boring old SICP. It's just that good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SICP. It's just that good.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best programming book for them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28660429,
          "author": "allenleein",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T12:40:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28660429",
          "commentText": "1. SICP\n2. How to Design Programs\n3. Software Design for Flexibility: How to Avoid Programming Yourself Into a Corner",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SICP",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the best programming books the commenter has read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27644910,
          "author": "sigjuice",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T19:15:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27644910",
          "commentText": "Indeed.  SICP does take ages.  I only worked through the first three chapters and it took me a year.  I skipped a handful of problems that simply didn't interest me enough.  This was several years ago and I hope to pick up from where I left off some day :/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "SICP does take ages",
          "reason": "The commenter describes working through the first three chapters over a year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They skipped some problems and have not yet resumed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27638167,
          "author": "codemac",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T01:22:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27638167",
          "commentText": "* Getting Things Done by David Allen\nThis book taught me so much about how to manage my life, and taught me how to review my own systems.\n* SICP, On Lisp, and Let over Lambda\nIt's hard to pick one exactly, because really it's about opening your mind to radically different programming paradigms than what's popular.\nLearning lisp well enough gives you confidence to attempt to create new programming languages, through code generation, or even mentally thinking about an API as a language rather than just a series of functions.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SICP, On Lisp, and Let over Lambda",
          "reason": "Groups it with books that opened their mind to programming paradigms and Lisp.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27637629,
          "author": "shanusmagnus",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T23:49:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27637629",
          "commentText": "Gini is a legend.  We were all lucky to get her and SICP.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "We were all lucky to get her and SICP.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the opportunity to learn SICP with the instructor.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27637481,
          "author": "craigching",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T23:25:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27637481",
          "commentText": "The course: Object Oriented Programming at the University of Minnesota\nThe book: Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\nThis was back in the early 90s, we learned OO with Scheme. SICP is where I credit my programming ability even today. I think that if I'd taken OO via C++ my eyes wouldn't have opened like they did with Scheme and SICP.\nI was, at the time, programming products in C++ for my father's software company while taking classes and I remember a student ask the professor (Dr. Maria Gini, an amazing instructor) why we were learning OO with a dead language instead of a language we'd actually use like C++. And I remember thinking to myself \"I'd like to learn something other than C++ anyway\". Dr. Gini simply said \"because this is how I choose to teach the subject.\" (something like that).\nIt was an amazing experience, definitely one of my top 3 classes taken at University.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book: Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs",
          "reason": "The commenter credits SICP with developing their programming ability.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27630073,
          "author": "exdsq",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T12:47:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27630073",
          "commentText": "SICP takes _ages_. I'm working through it myself but have realised it's going to be a background project for the next year or so. No idea how MIT freshman do it so quickly!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "SICP takes _ages_.",
          "reason": "The commenter says working through it takes a long time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter expects it to be a background project for about a year.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27628645,
          "author": "nindalf",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T09:20:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27628645",
          "commentText": "I'm planning to read\n- Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (SICP). A classic.\n- Crafting Interpreters. Intro to compilers for me.\n- Deep Learning for Coders with Fastai and PyTorch.\nThere's some other books in there too, but I'd be really happy if I finished these. I don't have a degree in CS, and most of what I know is self taught. My goal here is to fill in gaps in my knowledge as best I can.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (SICP). A classic.",
          "reason": "Listed among the books the commenter plans to read.",
          "audience": "A self-taught reader seeking to fill gaps in computer science knowledge.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26324043,
          "author": "allenleein",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-03T02:38:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 26321793,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books made you the most money?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26324043",
          "commentText": "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (SICP)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (SICP)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25905587,
          "author": "jamil7",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T17:00:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25905587",
          "commentText": "I only ever read the first 2 chapters of SICP but always intended to go back, I just need something a bit lighter during lockdown.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I only ever read the first 2 chapters of SICP but always intended to go back",
          "reason": "Has read only the first two chapters and intends to return to it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has read only the first two chapters so far.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25905040,
          "author": "eimrine",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T16:29:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25905040",
          "commentText": "Any of those standing on my bookshelf I want to read next, especially the \"Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\".\nWhat about my reading frequency, nowadays I read more of whitepapers and less of books, because whitepapers are way harder to read than books. Every day I read at least half of A4 page of whitepapers or at least 10 of A4 page of books or blogposts. It is just a hobby for me, not kind of job.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "especially the \"Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\".",
          "reason": "Names it as a book they want to read next.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24586397,
          "author": "snicky",
          "createdAt": "2020-09-25T03:49:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 24582669,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24586397",
          "commentText": "If you are interested in the computer science in general I highly recommend:\n1. Structure and Interpretation\nof Computer Programs (available for free, e.g. here http://sarabander.github.io/sicp/html/index.xhtml\n2. https://computationbook.com/\nAlso, I haven't read it yet, but this book has been praised here a lot recently:\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Designing-Data-Intensive-Applications... (https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Data-Intensive-Applications-Reliable-Maintainable/dp/1449373321)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Structure and Interpretation\nof Computer Programs",
          "reason": "Highly recommends it to people interested in computer science generally.",
          "audience": "People interested in computer science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23726852,
          "author": "tuukkah",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T19:42:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23726852",
          "commentText": "I appreciated getting from maths to CS with Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs: https://mitpress.mit.edu/sites/default/files/sicp/full-text/... (https://mitpress.mit.edu/sites/default/files/sicp/full-text/book/book.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I appreciated getting from maths to CS with Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them move from mathematics to computer science.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467593,
          "author": "rfrey",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:41:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467593",
          "commentText": "I can tell you that I've started Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs at least five times. Probably doesn't count.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I've started Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs at least five times.",
          "reason": "The commenter has repeatedly started it, while joking that this may not count as rereading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Has started it many times but does not say they finished it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22303320,
          "author": "fsloth",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-11T21:53:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22303320",
          "commentText": "The entire book Structure and Intrerpretation of Computer Programs is like that. It explains how to implement the language Scheme in any language (by decomposing the problem to small enough atomic entities you can implement and combine them in any language). I suppose it’s excellent practice since the book uses only Scheme, so the reader must implement the primitives of the interpreter themselves. So you need to figure out how to implement tiny things yourself (which is fun) and then goes on to show how those combine together into a wonderfull whole.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The entire book Structure and Intrerpretation of Computer Programs is like that.",
          "reason": "Explains implementing Scheme by breaking the work into small pieces.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22300457,
          "author": "brainlessdev",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-11T17:37:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22300457",
          "commentText": "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, where the reader implements a Lisp",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, where the reader implements a Lisp",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that teach through building projects.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21902980,
          "author": "baristaGeek",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T00:46:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902980",
          "commentText": "Best business books:\n-Secrets of Sandhill Road\n-Hackers and Painters\n-The Great CEO within\n-Venture Deals\n-Predictable Revenue\n-Zero to One\n-The Hard Thing About Hard Things\n-Lean customer development\n-Lost and founder\n-Lean B2B\n-From Impossible to Inevitable\n-Traction\nBest computer science books:\n-Competitive programming 3\n-Structure and interpretation of computer programs\nBest for fun (non-fiction):\n-Meditations\n-Sapiens\n-How to win friends and influence people\n-A brief history of time\n-Self-reliance\n-Frente a la estrella polar",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-Structure and interpretation of computer programs",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s best computer science books in response to a question about influential books.",
          "audience": "Readers studying programming and computer science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21766229,
          "author": "mateuszf",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-11T20:06:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 21765528,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fun Tech Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21766229",
          "commentText": "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs [1]\n[1]: https://mitpress.mit.edu/sites/default/files/sicp/index.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21766054,
          "author": "zarkov99",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-11T19:49:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 21765528,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fun Tech Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21766054",
          "commentText": "For me a fun book has to be clearly written and present new (for me) ideas in a somewhat aesthetic way. Density I suppose is secondary. SICP is one of the best examples of the right balance, also Elements of Computing Systems.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SICP is one of the best examples of the right balance",
          "reason": "Called one of the best examples of a clearly written, aesthetically presented book with a good balance of density.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking enjoyable technical books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21375861,
          "author": "cben",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-28T11:02:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21375861",
          "commentText": "You don't really need much math for SICP.  You can learn a few random pieces of math from SICP, and without background that will be harder and you might feel like you're missing out, but these are just examples; you can just trust the math works and focus on how they implement it in code, it's structure of the code they want to teach you about.\nAnd, it gets better, IIRC from chapter 2 there is much less math.\nWhat happens in the first chapter, is that SICP is exploring various control structures (and abstractions over them) before teaching any compound data structures at all.  So all it has to work with is numbers.\nBut as number theory teaches us, numbers actually have a rich internal structure, and SICP uses that to make \"interesting\" examples!\n(This aspect of SICP is one of the big critiques in the paper http://cs.brown.edu/~sk/Publications/Papers/Published/fffk-h... (http://cs.brown.edu/~sk/Publications/Papers/Published/fffk-htdp-vs-sicp-journal/paper.pdf)\nwhich explains the motivations beyond HtDP textbook.  In particular, HtDP shows compound data structures first, and uses those to start with explicit methodology for data-directed design of code.\nThese are smart programmers and smart educators, and I trust they made a better intro course.  I won't recommend SICP for people who don't know any programming at all.  But I feel SICP has a magical voice about the art of programming that HtDP didn't replicate — though I haven't read HtDP, only leafed through it a bit.)\nSo I don't recommend to to cram algebra/calculus before you begin SICP journey!  Just start on SICP, and look up math stuff if/as you want.\nAt the beginning, IIRC you'll encounter: prime vs composite integers; base-2 representation of integers; some calculus but it's enough to understand derivative = slope.\nThere is some symbolic algebra stuff later that's maybe trickier, but I think (hope?) SICP is actually a great book to demystify that.\n---\nIf you do want to learn math relevant to CS, but mainly for the purpose of learning math:\n- If you're comfortable with code more than math: \n  A Programmer’s Introduction to Mathematics by Jeremy Kun.\n- \"Concrete Math\" by Knuth/Oren/Patashnik is wonderful.  \n  Don't feel you have to finish it!  I stopped ~60%.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I won't recommend SICP for people who don't know any programming at all. But I feel SICP has a magical voice about the art of programming that HtDP didn't replicate",
          "reason": "The commenter admires its voice about programming but says they would not recommend it to people with no programming experience.",
          "audience": "People who already know some programming.",
          "caveat": "The commenter advises against it for readers who do not know any programming.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21311770,
          "author": "agentultra",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T13:03:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21311770",
          "commentText": "The Art of Computer Programming\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\nPurely Functional Data Structures\nProgramming in the 1990s\nA Logical Approach to Discrete Math",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21311639,
          "author": "qntty",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T12:48:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21311639",
          "commentText": "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs is frequently recommended here. I would especially recommend understanding section 3.2, which I've found very helpful for understanding the environment model of other languages.\nComputer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective has a lot of good explanations of hardware/os subsystems that can be hard to find detailed explanations of elsewhere. I especially like the sections on virtual memory.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs is frequently recommended here.",
          "reason": "Recommends the book and highlights section 3.2 for understanding language environment models.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an understanding of programming and language environment models.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20731227,
          "author": "resouer",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T16:35:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20731227",
          "commentText": "For CS theory, I would rather suggest you to focus on classic CS courses, here's my list:\n0. Do not touch \"Introduction to Algorithms\" until you are in a dream job.\n1. CS 61A: The Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\nhttps://cs61a.org/\n2. CS61B: Data Structures\nhttp://datastructur.es/sp16/\n3. Coursera: Princeton Algorithm\nhttps://coursera.org/learn/algorithms-part1\n4. CMU 15213 CSAPP\nhttps://courses.cs.washington.edu/courses/cse351/16sp/videos... (https://courses.cs.washington.edu/courses/cse351/16sp/videos.html)\n5. Keep moving.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "CS 61A: The Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs",
          "reason": "Includes it in a recommended sequence of classic computer science courses and resources.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20731137,
          "author": "zarkov99",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T16:24:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20731137",
          "commentText": "Yes, thank you.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Yes, thank you.",
          "reason": "Confirms the proposed correction to the book title in the preceding comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20730552,
          "author": "ken",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T15:04:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20730552",
          "commentText": "Typo for \"Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\"?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Typo for \"Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\"?",
          "reason": "Suggests that the preceding title may be a typo for this book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20729446,
          "author": "kgarten",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T10:44:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20729446",
          "commentText": "Structure and interpretation of computer programs (free online) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structure_and_Interpretation_o... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Structure_and_Interpretation_of_Computer_Programs)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Structure and interpretation of computer programs",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20344139,
          "author": "b3b0p",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-03T13:36:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20344139",
          "commentText": "Probably not able to completed during a single 3 months unless you do it full time, but I picked up a copy of SICP [0] and started reading through and working through every-single-problem. I got stuck so far on one problem in the first chapter toward the end at the moment. I will say, Scheme is fun! The problems can be challenging, short, and very rewarding.\nHowever, maybe I'm not very smart and feel like I might have a very hard time with it. I'm not that great at math I don't think, nor do I consider myself genius like. Did people who go through this book do every single problem and figure it out themselves? There are a lot more problems then I expected. They are also, so far, some to be quite challenging and math heavy. It does really feel like it helps get my brain thinking differently about a lot of problems and I love it! But it also feels like I might start grinding a lot and burn out on it. Any tips or help or suggestions how to get through it successfully, get a good amount of education out of, and continue to be excited to keep moving forward?\n[0] https://www.amazon.com/dp/0262510871\nI know it's free online, but I wanted a physical edition.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I picked up a copy of SICP [0] and started reading through and working through every-single-problem.",
          "reason": "Says working through it feels rewarding and helps them think differently, though they worry about difficulty and burnout.",
          "audience": "Readers learning programming with Scheme who want challenging exercises.",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds some problems challenging and math-heavy, and worries about grinding and burning out.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665225,
          "author": "hexfran",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:29:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665225",
          "commentText": "I am amazed by \"Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\".\nUnbelievably good on the technical side and all around a nice introduction to programming, highly recommended",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Unbelievably good on the technical side and all around a nice introduction to programming, highly recommended",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it technically excellent, a nice introduction to programming, and highly recommends it.",
          "audience": "People seeking an introduction to programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910184,
          "author": "TeMPOraL",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:23:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910184",
          "commentText": "Please don't... every time a thread like this shows up on HN, I end up impulsively buying some of the recommended books. I'm usually very happy about the purchase, though. :).\nHumor aside; not sure if favourite of all times, but definitely impacted my thinking a lot:\n- \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies\" - https://intelligence.org/rationality-ai-zombies/ - read this when it was still a bunch of posts by 'Eliezer on LessWrong. It cleaned up my thinking quite a bit, and introduced to couple new ideas from economics, sociology and epistemology.\n- SICP, obviously.\n- \"How to Win Friends and Influence People\", and \"How to Stop Worrying and Start Living\" - from the father of the whole genre of self-help/personal development, and one whose books are still probably the only good ones in this genre, Dale Carnegie. They explain exactly what it says in their titles.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SICP, obviously.",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite in response to a question asking for favorite nonfiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17169741,
          "author": "mm321",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T23:27:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17169741",
          "commentText": "Don't know about changing my life, but these books changed the way i look at things:\nThe Tao of Pooh: Benjamin Hoff\nSlaughterhouse-Five, or The Children's Crusade by Kurt Vonnegut\nTI 99/4a basic reference manual\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, by Abelson, Sussman\nObject Oriented Analysis and Design by Grady Booch\nDarkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler\nThieves in the Night by Arthur Koestler\nAll the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren\nThe Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck\nThe Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.\nWar and Peace by L.N.Tolstoy\nChapaev and the void by Pelevin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, by Abelson, Sussman",
          "reason": "Listed among books that changed how the commenter looks at things.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168869,
          "author": "z66is",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T20:07:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168869",
          "commentText": "Structure And Interpretation Of Computer Programs.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Structure And Interpretation Of Computer Programs.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17033227,
          "author": "heinrichhartman",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T19:42:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17033227",
          "commentText": "This is the most influential book I have read in my SE career. It's not a LISP book. It's a book about programming fundamentals. E.g. Objects are covered as well. They even build a register machine at the end.\nI think a translation to a more modern language (lua!) would boost adoption quite a bit.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is the most influential book I have read in my SE career. It's not a LISP book. It's a book about programming fundamentals.",
          "reason": "Calls it the most influential book in their software engineering career and praises its focus on programming fundamentals.",
          "audience": "Software engineers interested in programming fundamentals",
          "caveat": "The commenter suggests a translation to a more modern language could boost adoption.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032261,
          "author": "pera",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:08:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032261",
          "commentText": "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs:\nhttps://mitpress.mit.edu/sicp",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the question asking for books to read when starting a software or computer science career.",
          "audience": "People starting careers in software engineering or computer science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032216,
          "author": "enitihas",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:05:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032216",
          "commentText": "Code Complete. I found Code Complete to be as eye opening for day to day work as SICP is while learning in University.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "as SICP is while learning in University",
          "reason": "Uses SICP as a positive comparison for Code Complete, calling it eye-opening during university learning.",
          "audience": "University students learning computer science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16757541,
          "author": "CodeArtisan",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T18:31:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16757541",
          "commentText": "- Structure and interpretation of computer programs\nMore by nostalgia than by need\n- The art of computer programmming\n- Hacker's delight\nThese two are of great help when doing programming challenges. Hacker's delight is about bitwise tricks.\n- Open Data Structures\nUseful for a quick refresh on data structures.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "- Structure and interpretation of computer programs\nMore by nostalgia than by need",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter keeps on their desk.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is there more for nostalgia than need.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16575585,
          "author": "TurboHaskal",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-13T12:34:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16575585",
          "commentText": "SICP almost turned me into an unemployable mess.\nFortunately I managed to forget it all and am now happily earning a good living in a subset of Pascal called Go.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "SICP almost turned me into an unemployable mess.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book nearly left them unemployable and jokes about having forgotten its contents.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The criticism is expressed humorously and may be hyperbolic.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16572177,
          "author": "kristianp",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-12T22:14:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16572177",
          "commentText": "SICP, the foundation on which my career rests.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SICP, the foundation on which my career rests.",
          "reason": "The commenter credits the book as the foundation of their career.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16382353,
          "author": "sjellis",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-15T06:56:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16382353",
          "commentText": "\"After watching the first 10 minutes of the first lecture, was so good I immediately got my super-non-techy housemate to watch it, after explaining how revered among programmers the book is. She said \"Thank you for showing me that!\" hehe.\"\nYeah, the lecturers are really good, and IIRC, the videos were professionally produced (HP paid for them). The book is    written like course material for a maths class, more than a commercial programming book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The book is    written like course material for a maths class, more than a commercial programming book.",
          "reason": "Describes its presentation as course material for a mathematics class rather than a commercial programming book.",
          "audience": "Readers comfortable with a mathematics-class style of presentation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16381519,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-15T02:35:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16381519",
          "commentText": "OMG Thank you to both of you! I've seen dozens of references to SICP in lists online, but I never knew there's video of the course, no-one mentioned that. Great stuff.\nAfter watching the first 10 minutes of the first lecture, was so good I immediately got my super-non-techy housemate to watch it, after explaining how revered among programmers the book is. She said \"Thank you for showing me that!\" hehe.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "after explaining how revered among programmers the book is.",
          "reason": "Describes the book as revered among programmers while praising the associated course videos.",
          "audience": "Programmers and people exploring computer science.",
          "caveat": "The comment's strongest enthusiasm is for the videos.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16351947,
          "author": "sjellis",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T09:29:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16351947",
          "commentText": "If anyone is interested in SICP, I strongly recommend finding videos of the lectures (which are free online) and watching those, then going back to the book for reference and exercises. I found the SICP book very hard work until I discovered the actual lectures that it is meant to support.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "going back to the book for reference and exercises. I found the SICP book very hard work",
          "reason": "Recommends pairing the lectures with the book for reference and exercises, while noting it is hard work.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in SICP who benefit from lecture support.",
          "caveat": "The book is very hard work without the lectures.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16351449,
          "author": "peterkelly",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T06:14:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16351449",
          "commentText": "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (SICP) by Abelson, Sussman, and Sussman.\nFull text is available here: https://mitpress.mit.edu/sicp/full-text/book/book.html (or PDF at https://github.com/sarabander/sicp-pdf).\nIt is IMHO the most important book on programming and programming languages ever published.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It is IMHO the most important book on programming and programming languages ever published.",
          "reason": "Calls it the most important book on programming and programming languages ever published.",
          "audience": "People interested in programming and programming languages.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16084776,
          "author": "bewe42",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-06T11:16:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16084776",
          "commentText": "yes, no need to buy it.\nand you are right, the value lies in the exercises. I started doing them in Clojure. I recommend doing as many as you can and then you'll find plenty of solutions online to compare your results. It's worth it",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend doing as many as you can",
          "reason": "Recommends working through the book’s exercises and comparing solutions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says there is no need to buy the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16081695,
          "author": "Buttons840",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-05T21:13:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16081695",
          "commentText": "SICP is online for free (legally) from MIT's website, or there are some community version with cleaner layout. See: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13918465\nI've only worked through Chapter 1. The text is interesting, but most of my learning has come from the exercises. You should plan to do the exercises. Also, don't worry if you have to skip a few exercises and come back to them later. Don't allow yourself to be bogged down and loose interest over a single difficult exercise.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The text is interesting, but most of my learning has come from the exercises. You should plan to do the exercises.",
          "reason": "Calls the text interesting and recommends doing its exercises.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has only worked through Chapter 1 and advises skipping difficult exercises when needed.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16081490,
          "author": "stuxnet79",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-05T20:45:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16081490",
          "commentText": "This has been recommended a lot. I'm gonna buy it on Amazon and work through it slowly.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "This has been recommended a lot. I'm gonna buy it on Amazon and work through it slowly.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16079931,
          "author": "bewe42",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-05T17:21:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16079931",
          "commentText": "SICP\nIn case you didn't know, have a look at http://lesswrong.com/lw/3gu/the_best_textbooks_on_every_subj... (http://lesswrong.com/lw/3gu/the_best_textbooks_on_every_subject/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SICP",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question asking for the best textbook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630924,
          "author": "mbrock",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T18:57:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630924",
          "commentText": "Gödel, Escher, Bach awakened my intellectual curiosity about formal systems and other autistic modes of beauty as a teenager. After \"The Selfish Gene\" it was the first book I bought and read on my own volition, so I have to credit it as a major influence.\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs for showing that you can think rigorously and compose beautiful programs out of simple pieces.\nContingency, Irony, and Solidarity by Richard Rorty for showing that it's possible to think and feel about politics while maintaining a profoundly ironic and groundless mind.\nThe Body in Pain by Elaine Scarry for its beautiful view of civilization as materialized caring and of the inflicting of pain as metaphysically destructive.\nBeing-in-the-world by Dreyfus for introducing me to Heidegger and showing how continental philosophy inspired by Heidegger was a major force in the evolution of AI and how AI researchers tended to be influenced by rationalist philosophy in the vein of Descartes which leads to huge misunderstandings of the nature of being.\nDhammapada translated by Gil Fronsdal because it's a beautiful exposition of early Buddhist poetry and clearly shows the worldview of south east Asian Buddhism.\nDebt by David Graeber for making me interested in money and credit systems from an anthropological point of view.\nA Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace for being hilarious and sad and buzzing with neurotic perceptive overeducated thought in a way that mirrored my own precocious self-consciousness and made me feel less \"marooned in my own skull.\"\nThe Uses of Disorder by Richard Sennett for giving a defense of the anarchy of urban life that views conflict as necessary for growth.\nAfter Virtue by Alisdair MacIntyre for showing the contemporary situation in thought and ethics as profoundly abnormal and difficult, being the aftermath of the Enlightenment project's failure to ground morality in objective reason, and pointing to virtue within traditions as the only way to live coherently.\nThe Teachings of Huang-bo for being a merciless and hilarious attack on sanctimonious and ritualistic Buddhism, displaying the role of sarcasm and wit in spirituality, and generally just shouting \"wake up, lazy pretentious idiot\" on every page.\nFanged Noumena by Nick Land for diving deeply into amphetaminic insanity thus accurately mirroring the schizophrenia of postmodern capitalism.\nThe letters of Van Gogh.\nPhillip Lopate's personal essays.\nHyperobjects by Timothy Morton.\nOn the Origins of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs for showing that you can think rigorously and compose beautiful programs out of simple pieces.",
          "reason": "Praises its demonstration of rigorous thinking and composing programs from simple pieces.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630093,
          "author": "saurabhnanda",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:29:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630093",
          "commentText": "SICP (Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs). Structured very well. Each exercise builds on a concept of the previous exercise, getting increasingly difficult.\n1984 by George Orwell. I am told that we're increasingly moving towards a mix of 1984 and Brave New World (I haven't read the latter).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SICP (Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs). Structured very well. Each exercise builds on a concept of the previous exercise, getting increasingly difficult.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its structure and progressively challenging exercises.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14859920,
          "author": "pvarangot",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:23:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859920",
          "commentText": "Structure and Interpretation of Classical Mechanics is a nice book to read after SICP if you like torturing your brain with extremely thorough material written by and for geniuses that want to master something everybody think he knows bu he really doesn't.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "after SICP",
          "reason": "Presented as the book to read before Structure and Interpretation of Classical Mechanics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14859878,
          "author": "FredrikMeyer",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:19:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859878",
          "commentText": "* \"The history of western philosophy\" by Bertrand Russell. A fun read so far (~100 pages). Russell is not afraid to tell the reader that he really dislikes Plato, and thinks he destroyed western philosophy.\n* SICP (Structure and interpretation of computer programs). Learning Scheme for fun now with this book. I'm only in chapter 2 so far, but it is really fun\n* \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" by Douglas Hoefstadter. The story in one line: he have a theory that consciousness aries from \"strange loops\". Along the way he talks about fractals, programming, patterns in music and in pictures,...\n* \"The Idiot\" by Fyodor Dostoyevskij. Fun read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'm only in chapter 2 so far, but it is really fun",
          "reason": "Says learning Scheme with the book is really fun.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14843253,
          "author": "d0m",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-24T22:17:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14843253",
          "commentText": "SICP made the biggest difference; it really changed the way I approach mutability and state management in everything I write (To name just this).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SICP made the biggest difference; it really changed the way I approach mutability and state management",
          "reason": "The commenter credits it with changing how they approach mutability and state management.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14842736,
          "author": "abecedarius",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-24T21:13:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14842736",
          "commentText": "Thinking Forth; Software Tools; SICP; Abstraction and Specification in Program Development; Essentials of Programming Languages; Paradigms of AI Programming; I'd like to list something about OO too, but no book I know really measures up to learning from other programmers. But there's Mark S. Miller's thesis Robust Composition.\n(in roughly chronological order. As you can see from the chronology, it took me a long time to start to like OOP.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SICP",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which books shaped the commenter's approach to code structure.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14505600,
          "author": "thojac",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-07T12:11:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14505600",
          "commentText": "To get comfortable with recursion, you should check out a simple functional language like Scheme (https://mitpress.mit.edu/sicp/full-text/book/book.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://mitpress.mit.edu/sicp/full-text/book/book.html",
          "reason": "Suggested as a way to get comfortable with recursion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14488212,
          "author": "pvg",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T15:21:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14488212",
          "commentText": "Scheme was chosen as a language for SICP for being a \"syntax-free\" language...\nFirst-class functions, lambdas, closures, lexical scoping, etc. Abelson wrote, for instance:\n\"6.001 differs from typical introductory computer science subjects in using Scheme (a block-structured dialect of Lisp) rather than Pascal as its programming vehicle. The subject's developers feel strongly that Pascal is hopelessly constraining, and that important ideas (such as functional programming and object-oriented programming) can be addressed within Pascal only awkwardly, if at all.\"",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Scheme was chosen as a language for SICP",
          "reason": "Discusses Scheme as the language used in SICP and quotes an explanation of that choice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14487739,
          "author": "jerf",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T14:17:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487739",
          "commentText": "These are indications of the weakness of Java and C, not SICP.\nI do not mean this as empty snark; it is something you can see across the board in programming language evolution. It is virtually impossible to propose a new general-purpose programming language today that does not have closure support, which is the biggest thing you're finding missing from C and Java to use the techniques in SICP. (It is not the only thing, but it is the biggest thing.) You'll note Java is going to bolt them on soon, or recently bolted them on, but it'll be another decade before Java is using them fluently either way.\nI've often recommend SICP to self-taught programmers; it is not a complete substitute for a computer science education, but it is a concentrated dose of the stuff you're probably missing out on. Expect it to be the work of some months to work through it. However, in the end, a self-taught programmer who has also worked through SICP systematically and carefully is probably a better programmer than 80% of the modern computer science graduates nowadays. (If you want to avoid that fate, oh ye who are still in school, take the freaking compilers course at the very least. Do your peers complain that it is hard? Then maybe it is a good one.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've often recommend SICP to self-taught programmers; it is not a complete substitute for a computer science education, but it is a concentrated dose of the stuff you're probably missing out on.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a concentrated supplement to computer science education for self-taught programmers.",
          "audience": "Self-taught programmers.",
          "caveat": "Not a complete substitute for a computer science education; working through it takes months.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14486738,
          "author": "i_feel_great",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T11:19:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14486738",
          "commentText": "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs.\nI have attempted some of the problems in Lua, Python, Erlang and Ada. It is very doable. So not just for Scheme.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs.\nI have attempted some of the problems in Lua, Python, Erlang and Ada.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as usable beyond Scheme, noting problems can be attempted in several languages.",
          "audience": "Programmers using languages beyond Scheme.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14478668,
          "author": "WillPostForFood",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T21:44:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478668",
          "commentText": "Getting Real - got me out of the corporate grind\nSICP - got me out of the OO grind\nEach one had a significant positive impact on my life. And both a free online!\nhttps://gettingreal.37signals.com/\nhttp://sarabander.github.io/sicp/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SICP - got me out of the OO grind",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them move beyond object-oriented programming.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14461725,
          "author": "ThrustVectoring",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-01T16:28:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14461725",
          "commentText": "This is a bit unorthodox, but I personally got a lot out of taking the LISP code in Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, and mentally translating the examples and solving the exercises in Javascript. There's apparently versions of the text around with the exercises pre-translated, though translating it myself was valuable to me.\nObviously, this will more teach you how to write good code that happens to be in Javascript, rather than taking an already-solid programmer and showing them the nitpicky details, idiosyncrasies, and browser APIs of Javascript.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "taking the LISP code in Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, and mentally translating the examples and solving the exercises in Javascript",
          "reason": "Describes translating the examples and exercises into JavaScript as a way to learn to write good code.",
          "audience": "Programmers learning to write good JavaScript code.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says this teaches good coding practices rather than JavaScript details or browser APIs.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13804126,
          "author": "hashslingrz",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:15:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804126",
          "commentText": "Gravity's Rainbow, Thomas Pynchon (1973). The Platonic ideal of the Postmodern novel that combines a deep understanding of modernity with deep understanding and pessimistic view of technology.\nPurgatory, Dante (1320). No other work so elegantly grasps Christian Sanctification and it's true difficulties.\nPhilosophical Investigations, Ludwig Wittgenstin (1953). Like Pynchon, Wittgenstein understood quite well the exhausting pedantic nature of modern life. A book that can stand on it's own without having read much philosophy, this work attacks the foundations of most of \"Modern\" (I would label this as post Medieval philosophy ). \nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, Abelsson, Sussman, Sussman (1985). For me, the definitive \"Programming is what exactly?\" book.\nComputer Systems, a Programmer's Perspective, Bryant & O'Hallaron (2012). The Concrete Systems yin to SICP's abstract yang. \nBattleCry of Freedom, McPhearson (1988). The best Civil War history in the past generation that also lays bear how much of  what we view as modern crisis in the U.S. ( partisanship, horrendous propagandized media coverage, etc ) is as old as the country itself.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For me, the definitive \"Programming is what exactly?\" book.",
          "reason": "Called the definitive book for understanding what programming is.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567483,
          "author": "dharmon",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T16:20:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567483",
          "commentText": "Bill Gates famously said that anyone who finished TAOCP should send him their resume, but to me, anyone who has read and done all the SICP exercises would be a good hire, and it is a far more achievable task.\nI had been programming for about 10 years or so when I read it and did all the exercises. It seriously leveled-up my abilities, in my opinion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "anyone who has read and done all the SICP exercises would be a good hire",
          "reason": "The commenter says completing its exercises develops programming ability and makes someone a good hire.",
          "audience": "Programmers seeking to deepen their abilities.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13409729,
          "author": "ripitrust",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T13:10:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13409729",
          "commentText": "SICP\nI read it twice and it is still a gem",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SICP\nI read it twice and it is still a gem",
          "reason": "Calls it a gem after reading it twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13408302,
          "author": "nextos",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T05:00:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13408302",
          "commentText": "CTM. Could be labelled as SICP's sequel.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "CTM. Could be labelled as SICP's sequel.",
          "reason": "Used as a point of comparison for CTM.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13407071,
          "author": "ZephyrP",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-15T23:22:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13407071",
          "commentText": "I finished it up a few months ago and I cannot recommend it enough.\nThe real soul of SICP is in it's exercises however. It asks you to build on your own prior work in inventive ways, challenging you to solve the exercises correctly, but also to do so in a maintainable way.\nI wrote up some supplementary material to make the experience smoother for a practicing programmer: High-level requirements of the chapter subprojects, Pitfalls and paradigms embedded in some of the footnotes, Answers to (nearly) all exercises, a testing framework for Chapter 4 interpreter (including the JIT compiler), a GUI for running Chapter 5 virtual machine here: https://github.com/zv/SICP-guile",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I cannot recommend it enough.",
          "reason": "The commenter strongly recommends it and praises its inventive, maintainability-focused exercises.",
          "audience": "Practicing programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12262739,
          "author": "enitihas",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-10T16:02:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 12262586,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are good reads for designing APIs?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12262739",
          "commentText": "I think if you have the time you should read SICP. It is not just about APIs, but my understanding of good APIs too increased a lot after reading this.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think if you have the time you should read SICP. It is not just about APIs, but my understanding of good APIs too increased a lot after reading this.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends reading it and says it improved their understanding of good APIs.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Requires time; it is not specifically about APIs.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11235924,
          "author": "veddox",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-06T22:37:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11235924",
          "commentText": "I prefer HN Reads. Though both are good sites (and the first is aggregated automatically, which is a plus), ramiro.org only finds books that are linked to Amazon. IMO this gives a rather skewed result, as most books mentioned on HN are only mentioned by the title. (And the more famous the book, the less likely it is to be linked to Amazon, since everyone is assumed to know about it already - e.g. TAOCP, SICP, etc.)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "e.g. TAOCP, SICP, etc.",
          "reason": "Uses it as an example of a famous book mentioned by title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175663,
          "author": "hyperion2010",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:46:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175663",
          "commentText": "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs. I need to implement a superset of lisp so I figured why not go to the basics. It has been a very fun read so far. Was particularly happy to see the chapter that starts with a quote from On Human Understanding.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It has been a very fun read so far.",
          "reason": "Says the book has been a very fun read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9758130,
          "author": "sebg",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T13:31:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758130",
          "commentText": "SICP (Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs) - https://mitpress.mit.edu/sicp/full-text/book/book-Z-H-4.html... (https://mitpress.mit.edu/sicp/full-text/book/book-Z-H-4.html#%_toc_start) (free version)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SICP (Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9675178,
          "author": "neilk",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T16:06:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9675178",
          "commentText": "Chomsky's oeuvre on politics, in general. There isn't one single book that states a thesis, it's about a perspective. So perhaps start with The Chomsky Reader.  An easier-to-digest intro is the documentary Manufacturing Consent. The twist is that a lot of the things you think of as \"bugs\" in the political and economic systems of the Western democracies are \"features\" from the perspective of powerful elites. But the meta-lesson is that big questions can be answered. If you get past the mythology in your culture, and read primary sources, you can really figure this stuff out. Chomsky can go off the deep end at times (and his fanclub does so a lot), but his documentation is meticulous. Well worth reading.\nFor very different perspectives on programming, check out Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programming (read it a decade ago and I use techniques from there every day.)\nThe Gift by Lewis Hyde. Although directed at artists, it is highly relevant to creative programmers and the phenomenon of open source. He is able to articulate things which are very hard to talk about, like the intersection of economics and artistry, and how the gifting ethos is necessary for any culture to thrive. If you think ESR had the last word on how open source works, you need to read this.\nAnother book of interest by Hyde is Trickster Makes This World, wherein you learn the hacker archetype - the giver of technology; the player of tricks - has been around since prehistory. It's not a coincidence that those two aspects are always seen together.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For very different perspectives on programming, check out Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programming (read it a decade ago and I use techniques from there every day.)",
          "reason": "Recommends it, noting that the commenter still uses techniques from it.",
          "audience": "People interested in programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9646275,
          "author": "benjaminmikiten",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-02T15:03:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 9636361,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9646275",
          "commentText": "Sprinting through Cibola Burn http://www.amazon.com/Cibola-Burn-Expanse-James-Corey/dp/031... (http://www.amazon.com/Cibola-Burn-Expanse-James-Corey/dp/0316334685) before Nemesis Games gets here http://www.amazon.com/Nemesis-Games-Expanse-James-Corey/dp/0... (http://www.amazon.com/Nemesis-Games-Expanse-James-Corey/dp/0316217581/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1433257392&sr=1-1&keywords=nemesis+games)\nAlso working my way through SICP to see if it makes be a better front end dev. Results pending.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Also working my way through SICP to see if it makes be a better front end dev.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is working through it; results are pending.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9614103,
          "author": "wfn",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T20:29:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9614103",
          "commentText": "Just to be clear, the official publisher page for SICP includes (and in fact) hosts the contents of it: https://mitpress.mit.edu/sicp/ (includes links to programming assignments etc.)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the official publisher page for SICP includes (and in fact) hosts the contents of it",
          "reason": "Clarifies that the publisher page hosts the book's contents.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9611625,
          "author": "cp9",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T14:36:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9611625",
          "commentText": "Sicp is available for free\nhttps://sicpebook.wordpress.com/ebook/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sicp is available for free",
          "reason": "Names the book and notes that it is freely available in response to a request for free reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9349919,
          "author": "javamonn",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T18:40:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9349919",
          "commentText": "I read three books at a time, and only pick up/start/buy a new one once I finish one. Helps acquiring a large back log of unread literature around the apartment. :)\n  * Labyrinths - Jorge Louis Borges [0]\nI believe HN was the reason I picked this up, if I remember correctly. It's a collection of short stories, each of which can be finished in a night, which is satisfying. I really dig his writing style and fantastical nature of the stories. I've done a bit of philosophical reading but a lot of the references he makes go over my head, leaving me to do a bit of research after each story.\n  * The Design of Everyday Things - Don Norman [1]\nPicked this up after finishing Debbie Millman's How to Think Like a Great Graphic Designer [2] (Misleading title, I would 100% recommend this book to anyone). I'm not sure what I expected, but so far this hasn't been satisfying. The first couple of chapters have been laying out a framework and defining terms. Considering swapping this out for Jon Kolko's Well Designed - How to Use Empathy To Create Products People Love [3], which seemed much more actionable after picking it up at Barnes and Noble.\n  * Real World OCaml - Yaron Minsky, Anil Madhavapeddy, Jason Hickey [4]\n\nSecond time picking this up, originally read up to chapter on Functors over the summer. I started over this time and I'm about finished with the first section, \"Language Concepts\", now. It's worth noting that the entire text is available online for free on the book's website. [5] I did some Scheme in high school and read through the fist half of SICP and dabble in functional js, but this is my first experience with a semi pure functional language and I'm loving it. I'm going through the functional challenges on Hackerrank in OCaml at the same time to solidify some of the language concepts. Decided to go with OCaml over Haskell or Clojure because I'm super interested in using/contributing to Mirage OS [6]\n[0] http://www.amazon.com/Labyrinths-Directions-Paperbook-Jorge-... (http://www.amazon.com/Labyrinths-Directions-Paperbook-Jorge-Borges/dp/0811216993)\n[1] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0465050654\n[2] http://www.amazon.com/Think-Like-Great-Graphic-Designer/dp/1... (http://www.amazon.com/Think-Like-Great-Graphic-Designer/dp/1581154968)\n[3] http://www.amazon.com/Well-Designed-Empathy-Create-Products-... (http://www.amazon.com/Well-Designed-Empathy-Create-Products-People/dp/1625274793)\n[4] http://www.amazon.com/Real-World-OCaml-Functional-programmin... (http://www.amazon.com/Real-World-OCaml-Functional-programming/dp/144932391X)\n[5] https://realworldocaml.org/v1/en/html/index.html\n[6] http://openmirage.org/\nedit: formatting",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "read through the fist half of SICP",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8125603,
          "author": "d0m",
          "createdAt": "2014-08-02T18:45:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 8125375,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I save for offline reading during 5 weeks without Internet?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8125603",
          "commentText": "SICP",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SICP",
          "reason": "Suggested as offline reading in response to the request for things to download.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8125543,
          "author": "wicknicks",
          "createdAt": "2014-08-02T18:28:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 8125375,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I save for offline reading during 5 weeks without Internet?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8125543",
          "commentText": "It depends on personal taste. But if I were going to a country I never visited before, there would be very little time to do anything else other than sightseeing, mingling with the locals, learning about their culture, their history, the food, and if you are anywhere near one, visit the national parks and take the safari.\nDocument everything you see. Take a good camera with you, and if you don't know how to use an SLR, this is the perfect time to learn some basic tricks. Once you pick a camera, you can find some tutorial on the web, which teaches you the basics for that brand/model.\nI would use this time out to \"take a break\" from computer science. But if you can't stay away from it, pick up a book like SICP (http://mitpress.mit.edu/sicp/). This is one of those books which you want to read away from all distractions and think deeply about. If you can, download the accompanying video lectures:\nhttp://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electrical-engineering-and-comput... (http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electrical-engineering-and-computer-science/6-001-structure-and-interpretation-of-computer-programs-spring-2005/video-lectures/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "pick up a book like SICP",
          "reason": "Suggested for a focused, distraction-free reading period; the commenter says it invites deep thought.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computer science and programming.",
          "caveat": "The commenter suggests it only if the reader cannot stay away from computer science.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109318,
          "author": "dllthomas",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:47:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109318",
          "commentText": "In terms of studying, I'm revisiting Topics In Algebra and starting on SICP.\nIn terms of leisure, I'm starting on A Mote In God's Eye (Niven/Pournelle).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "starting on SICP",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8029133,
          "author": "clark-kent",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-14T01:03:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8029133",
          "commentText": "SCIP should always be in the list as one of the best programming books ever written. Others are \n'Simply Scheme: An introduction to computer science', simply scheme is an alternative to  \"How to design Programs\", http://htdp.org/, both books are written for non-programmers but they provide a gentle introduction to many advanced topics covered in SCIP. I prefer \"Simply Scheme\".\nAnother one is the \"Little Schemer\" http://www.amazon.com/The-Little-Schemer-4th-Edition/dp/0262... (http://www.amazon.com/The-Little-Schemer-4th-Edition/dp/0262560992).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SCIP should always be in the list as one of the best programming books ever written.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the best programming books ever written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8003457,
          "author": "wiseleo",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-08T07:58:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8003457",
          "commentText": "There are just so many...\nHeadfirst series (JavaScript, HTML, jQuery... all of them)\nDiscover Meteor\nRefactoring: improving the design of existing code\nDatabase design for mere mortals\nMIT books (SICP, Algorithms)\nOh, and of course... Human Interface Guidelines by Apple. One of the best UX books on app design.\nAll books are ebooks for me, so this list is impossibly long.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "MIT books (SICP, Algorithms)",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s MIT technical books.",
          "audience": "Readers studying computer science and programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8001050,
          "author": "baumbart",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T20:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8001050",
          "commentText": "Well thats an interesting question. Among the best is certainly \"How to design Programs\", http://htdp.org/ It's about Scheme. It does a better job than SICP I think, even though it still needs some endurance to get through.\nGenerally, there are plenty of good books, you get some ideas usually by combining knowledge from different books...\nEven though this may sound a bit old-fashioned, simply in terms of quality and self-containedness, \"The C Programming Language\" by K&R is by far the best technical book I've read. You can certainly download it as PDF somewhere.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "It does a better job than SICP I think",
          "reason": "Used as a comparison point; the commenter favors How to Design Programs.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8000190,
          "author": "cageface",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T17:53:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8000190",
          "commentText": "Surprised it hasn't been mentioned yet. Hands down the most eye opening technical book I've read is SICP.\nhttp://mitpress.mit.edu/sicp/\nhttp://sicpebook.wordpress.com/ebook/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hands down the most eye opening technical book I've read is SICP.",
          "reason": "Calls it the most eye-opening technical book they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7760449,
          "author": "cenazoic",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-17T15:46:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7760449",
          "commentText": "I'm attempting some self-taught coding (my degree is in  history), and after much dithering, have started with How to Design Programs (htdp.org).  SICP is beyond me at this point, and I wanted to get a good grounding in general concepts and good design before jumping into some other more (theoretically lucrative)language.\nHtDP is wonderful at what it does, and while perhaps a tad dry in writing style, it is, for me, a page turner in terms of engagement and presentation of new ideas.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "SICP is beyond me at this point",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is beyond their current level.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7758671,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-17T00:06:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7758671",
          "commentText": "The books on and around my nightstand:\n+ Joy of Clojure. A recent gift[card]. I put off learning Clojure because of it's more complex syntax. I'm both glad I did, and that I have this book now that that's the no longer the case.\n+ ANSI Common Lisp. Lisp was out of reach at the time when my younger self might have pursued computer programming, and realizing around two years ago how accessible it had become got me to download Lisp in a Box and then buy the used copy. Currently visiting, this book orbits in and out of the rotation with a cometary periodicity.\n+ Art of Computer Programming: Volume 3, Sorting and Searching Twenty-five years ago or so I bought volume I and about 15 years I donated it to the community radio station's books sale [WMNF 88.5]. I spent about $25 dollars including shipping for used copies of the first three volumes from Amazon last year. Right now each is on a different floor. The proximate reason Sorting and Searching is by the bed: I'm taking Algorithms I on Coursera and it is the first one that really dives into algorithms. A deeper reason is that Knuth always reminds me how much more there is to know - I'm getting better at the maths, but haven't learned MIX. Maybe one of these nights.\n+ Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs I bought a \"used\" copy from MIT via Amazon last year. It's staggering how much is really in it that I glossed over 'reading' the free online version. It's much better than I thought, and I find myself constantly referring to it or just reading a section. It's also a reference for the other Coursera course I am taking: Funtional Programming in Scala with Martin Ordersky.\nThe non-programming books are from the public library:\n+ How Literature Works: 50 Key Concepts. The sections are four to six pages and lightweight. Makes for something brief to read. It's the sort of book that I feel no obligation to finish.\n+ Poetry of the First World War: An Anthology This book is actually why I mention the non-programming books. I don't read poetry, but I'd always seen people make a big deal about it, and there this was on the new book shelf. I see why the English make a big deal about Siegried Sassoon. I see why they make an even bigger deal about Wilfred Owen. It's potent and powerful and the bench of poets runs much deeper. It makes that war the last ancient one.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs",
          "reason": "Calls it much better than expected and says they constantly refer to it or read sections.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7757608,
          "author": "danielrpa",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T20:04:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7757608",
          "commentText": "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (SICP)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (SICP)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7756876,
          "author": "deathtrader666",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:10:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7756876",
          "commentText": "I've recently started my way through SICP and Algorithms in a Nutshell.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I've recently started my way through SICP",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has recently started reading it; no evaluation is given.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7579734,
          "author": "zbinga",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-13T00:45:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7579734",
          "commentText": "Heh. I bought SICM expecting it would be \"SICP for physics\". I started reading and felt out of my depth after just a few pages. But it seemed interesting, so I got a Lagrangian and Hamiltonian mechanics book and started reading that. That was 6 months ago, I'm about halfway through and I'm really enjoying it!\nLearning Lagrangian mechanics when all your life you only ever heard about the Newtonian approach is a lot like stumbling upon Scheme after years of programming in C.\nI'm looking forward to cracking the cover of SICM once more this summer!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "stumbling upon Scheme after years of programming in C.",
          "reason": "Used as a favorable analogy for the experience of learning Lagrangian mechanics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7579726,
          "author": "karamazov",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-13T00:41:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7579726",
          "commentText": "I'm a big fan of SICP. I'd describe it as \"hard-core\": requiring hard work, but extremely rewarding for the people who take the time and effort to go through it.\nI'd recommend the following three books to similarly cover the three main areas of higher mathematics (analysis, algebra, and topology):\n1. Principles of Mathematical Analysis by Rudin (http://www.amazon.com/Principles-Mathematical-Analysis-Inter... (http://www.amazon.com/Principles-Mathematical-Analysis-International-Mathematics/dp/007054235X))\n2. Algebra by Artin (http://www.amazon.com/Algebra-2nd-Featured-Titles-Abstract/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Algebra-2nd-Featured-Titles-Abstract/dp/0132413779))\n3. Topology by Munkres (http://www.amazon.com/Topology-2nd-James-Munkres/dp/01318162... (http://www.amazon.com/Topology-2nd-James-Munkres/dp/0131816292))\nWorking through all three (including the exercises!) will give you a solid understanding of the basis of modern mathematics. If you don't have experience with proofwriting, you might find them difficult at first - the activity is very different from performing calculations or solving equations. It's also best to have someone trained in mathematics talk to you about the proofs, until you develop a feel for the needed level of logical rigor.\nRudin, in particular, leaves a lot of work to the reader; going through that book is the most intellectually difficult work I've ever done. If you find it hard-going (which is completely natural), you might want to try Artin first, especially since you have some background in algebra.\n(Incidentally, these are the three books used to teach analysis, algebra, and topology to MIT mathematics majors. You can look up the assignments and exams for the three courses - 18.100B, 18.701, and 18.901 - for a good list of exercises to work through.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm a big fan of SICP.",
          "reason": "Explicitly says they are a big fan and describes it as demanding but rewarding.",
          "audience": "Readers willing to work through a demanding text.",
          "caveat": "Requires significant effort.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7578698,
          "author": "stiff",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T18:37:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578698",
          "commentText": "The only book on mathematics actually reassembling SICP I found is \"What is mathematics?\" by Richard Courant. I have read it after reading SICP, largely because I very much liked some of the more mathematical fragments in SICP, and surprisingly it felt like an actual follow up - it spends significant amount of time highlighting high level trends in mathematics, like use of abstraction and generalization, using very concrete examples. Sounds familiar?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "after reading SICP, largely because I very much liked some of the more mathematical fragments in SICP",
          "reason": "Says they very much liked its mathematical sections.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7578171,
          "author": "zodiac",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T15:58:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578171",
          "commentText": "Math is a much, much broader field than the part of Computer Science than SICP covers, so it's really hard to search for \"consistent and broad knowledge throughout all areas\". Do you really need to learn analytic number theory? category theory? axiomatic set theory? tensor calculus?\nMy suggestion would be to narrow it down to a specific field you're interested in like abstract algebra and ask for suggestions about that field. Even narrowed down the field might be too big - a basic introduction to abstract algebra would probably contain the same amount of information as SICP.\nCS people tend to find discrete math and linear algebra most useful in their work, but maybe you want to learn something just for the sake of it and not for work.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the part of Computer Science than SICP covers",
          "reason": "Used to illustrate the limited scope of the field covered by the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7578078,
          "author": "jvreeland",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T15:28:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578078",
          "commentText": "It's not nearly as easy to work through as SICP is but Principles of Mathematical Analysis by Walter Rudin (sometimes referred to as little Rudin) is a great place to start if you're interested in analysis. It's a hard book, but it's pretty much the standard for undergrad analysis.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "It's not nearly as easy to work through as SICP is",
          "reason": "Used as a comparison for how easy a book is to work through.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6736604,
          "author": "ivan_ah",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-14T23:44:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6736604",
          "commentText": "I recently got back to reading Infinite jest  by David Foster Wallace.\nOn a more technical, I'm reading SICP --- could you believe someone had thrown this book out (I guess left out for donation). I rescued it have been reading through it. Scheme is nice, but what is even nicer is the JS version: ivanistheone.github.io/SICPapp/ (credit Martin Henz for JS adaptation)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "On a more technical, I'm reading SICP",
          "reason": "The commenter is reading the book and says Scheme is nice, but does not evaluate the book itself.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6339086,
          "author": "amorphous",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-06T07:05:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 6329955,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which two books were the most influential on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6339086",
          "commentText": "Untethered Soul. Just finished it but I can already say it has influenced me more than anything spirituality related I have read in the last 10 years.\nThe power of this book is it's clearity and simplicity. It's not a new age book and not a how-to book. I feel I made a huge leap to a new level of inner tranquility. Maybe it's just the right book at the right time and something I needed to hear but it amazes me how direct the words speak to me.\nThere's also a short article of the same author on huffington post if you want to get an idea of what is it about.\nAs the OP asked for two books and we're on HN I'd say SICP",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "As the OP asked for two books and we're on HN I'd say SICP",
          "reason": "Offered as the second influential book in response to the thread question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6333831,
          "author": "zura",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-05T12:59:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 6329955,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which two books were the most influential on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6333831",
          "commentText": "0) The C++ Programming Language by Bjarne Stroustrup\n1) Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs by Abelson and Sussman\n2) Kvachi Kvachantiradze by Mikheil Javakhishvili",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs by Abelson and Sussman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5702946,
          "author": "adambreen",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-14T03:56:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5702946",
          "commentText": "The Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\n(http://mitpress.mit.edu/sicp/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5691600,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T18:40:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5691600",
          "commentText": "Blood Meridian, Cormac McCarthy.\nPhilosphical Investigations, Ludwig Witgenstein.\nThe Analects.\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, Ableson and Sussman.\nThe Hamet and The Town and The Mansion, William Faulkner.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, Ableson and Sussman.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for good book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4968985,
          "author": "Derbasti",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T12:10:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4968985",
          "commentText": "\"The Forever War\" by Joe Haldemann. Possibly the best science fiction I ever read!\n\"The Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\" and its video lectures[1]. Highly recommended!\n[1]: http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electrical-engineering-and-comput... (http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electrical-engineering-and-computer-science/6-001-structure-and-interpretation-of-computer-programs-spring-2005/video-lectures/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\" and its video lectures[1]. Highly recommended!",
          "reason": "Explicitly highly recommends the book and its video lectures.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4530467,
          "author": "idoh",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-16T21:37:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 4530022,
          "threadTitle": "What to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4530467",
          "commentText": "Some favorites from my bookshelf: Benjamin Franklin's autobiography, Thinking Fast and Slow, Fooled by Randomness / Black Swan, SICP, Zen Mind Beginner's Mind",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SICP",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorites; SICP is the common abbreviation for this book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4401521,
          "author": "david92",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-18T16:35:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 4382456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: reading list for high school students interested in CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4401521",
          "commentText": "If they already have some experience with high level languages, I would introduce them to K&R's C Programming Language. It does a good job of introducing some low-level topics, like pointers and memory management.\nI also second the books that teach using Scheme, like SICP. I think learning Lisp and C introduces many important concepts.\nAlso, learning a web stack is very educational. Learning how a web application works (Internet protocols, server side code, databases, etc) taught me a lot.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also second the books that teach using Scheme, like SICP.",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds Scheme teaching books, including SICP, as a recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4395229,
          "author": "vitus",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-17T05:45:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 4382456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: reading list for high school students interested in CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4395229",
          "commentText": "SICP!\nhttp://mitpress.mit.edu/sicp/\nOr, a prettier version that was on HN some time ago:\nhttps://github.com/ieure/sicp",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SICP!",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3565128,
          "author": "dncrane",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-08T04:58:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 3564256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best programming books for someone in prison?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3565128",
          "commentText": "Here's a good list of highly-praised books. Most of them look like they could make it past the censors: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1711/what-is-the-single-m... (http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1711/what-is-the-single-most-influential-book-every-programmer-should-read)\nFrom those I personally recommend \"Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\" and \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\". SICP might not make it through, but GEB definitely would (although its direct relevance to day-to-day work in web development may be questionable, it should do a lot to spark an interest in computer science).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "From those I personally recommend \"Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\"",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it from the list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Might not make it through the facility's censors.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3564330,
          "author": "syedkarim",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-08T00:10:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 3564256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best programming books for someone in prison?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3564330",
          "commentText": "This is absolutely the right direction--thanks! The one book on the list that might get kicked back is \"Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\". Too bad, since it's probably the most concrete. This is a great starting point, thanks again.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\". Too bad, since it's probably the most concrete.",
          "reason": "Calls it probably the most concrete, while noting it might be rejected by the facility.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Might get kicked back by the facility.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3564314,
          "author": "cliffwarden",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-08T00:05:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 3564256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best programming books for someone in prison?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3564314",
          "commentText": "Not sure if this is the right direction or not.  In different ways they are all, essentially, about programming...\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Code-Language-Computer-Hardware-Softwa... (http://www.amazon.com/Code-Language-Computer-Hardware-Software/dp/0735611319/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328659335&sr=8-1)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Elements-Computing-Systems-Building-Pr... (http://www.amazon.com/Elements-Computing-Systems-Building-Principles/dp/0262640686/ref=pd_vtp_b_1)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Structure-Interpretation-Computer-Prog... (http://www.amazon.com/Structure-Interpretation-Computer-Programs-Engineering/dp/0262510871/ref=pd_vtp_b_6)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/G%C3%B6del-Escher-Bach-Eternal-Golden/... (http://www.amazon.com/G%C3%B6del-Escher-Bach-Eternal-Golden/dp/0465026567/ref=pd_vtp_b_12)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Pragmatic-Programmer-Journeyman-Master... (http://www.amazon.com/Pragmatic-Programmer-Journeyman-Master/dp/020161622X/ref=pd_vtp_b_13)\nGood luck!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "http://www.amazon.com/Structure-Interpretation-Computer-Prog...",
          "reason": "Included in a list answering which programming oriented books to recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3399945,
          "author": "kung-fu-master",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-28T15:11:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 3380141,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Intro Programming Book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3399945",
          "commentText": "Why not HTDP or SICP?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Why not HTDP or SICP?",
          "reason": "Suggests it as an introductory programming book for the questioner's nephew.",
          "audience": "A 17-year-old beginner learning programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2415270,
          "author": "jerf",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T14:48:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2415270",
          "commentText": "If you did not tell me that SICP was actually made for something else, I would think that it was custom-designed for self-taught programmers to fill in their gaps, at least the ones that matter. If you actually finish that book you'll be ahead of the vast bulk of programmers who graduated with computer science degrees in terms of practical software engineering.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you actually finish that book you'll be ahead of the vast bulk of programmers",
          "reason": "Says completing the book gives self-taught programmers practical software engineering knowledge beyond that of many CS graduates.",
          "audience": "Self-taught programmers filling gaps in their knowledge.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it was made for something else.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414863,
          "author": "cema",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T12:48:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414863",
          "commentText": "FYI, you have listed several books twice (SICP, Intro to Algorithms).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "FYI, you have listed several books twice (SICP, Intro to Algorithms).",
          "reason": "Identifies it as a book duplicated in the list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414701,
          "author": "Tinned_Tuna",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T11:41:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414701",
          "commentText": "I can't remember who said it, but\n\"If you can write a compiler, you can write any program.\"\nHence, I'd get compiler books. Modern Compiler Implementation in Standard ML, SICP has a couple of sections on compilation, there's a computational theory book that I don't have on hand which would be useful to this end too.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "SICP has a couple of sections on compilation",
          "reason": "Mentions its coverage of compilation in passing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414503,
          "author": "nikcub",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T09:55:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414503",
          "commentText": "I am also self-taught, although I dropped out of University two years into a CompSci/Engineering double major, so I will recommend some resources to you that helped me immensely. Each of these books has an associated MIT course with lecture video, notes, etc. available online.\nFirst is Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs[1], which you can read online, and the associated course at MIT, which is 6.001[2]\nSecond is the famous 'Dragon Book', Compilers: Principals, Techniques and Tools[3] and the associated course which is 6.035[4]\nExtras would be the Python book 'How to think like a Computer Scientist'[5]. MIT course 6.00[6] uses the book as a reference, and the courseware is again available online.\nOther than that - the usual suspects on learning C (K&R), UNIX (TAOUP[7]), the bash shell along with grep, sed, awk, more algorithms(CLRS[8]), functional programming and machine learning. Take your time, it takes years to build the relevant experience and knowledge and you are never done.\nI love the MIT courses. Work and learn at your own rate. I feel that it is important to implement all the code yourself even if it looks easy in a lecture - there are little things you pick up as you write algorithms out.\nEven though I had worked through SICP I still watched all the lectures again and implemented all the examples with benchmarks and unit tests. I usually set aside one day on the weekend to work on study, and usually an extra evening or two mid-week to read papers and books. Once you get into the routine it is great.\nIt might be the best approach to set yourself a timetable and weekly schedule, just like in UNI (ie. every Saturday plus Tuesday and Thursday nights) and work through the MIT courseware and associated books in order (6.00, 6.001, 6.035). The more advanced MIT courseware is an excellent bonus.\n[1] http://xrl.us/sicp\n[2] http://xrl.us/6001\n[3] http://xrl.us/dragonbook\n[4] http://xrl.us/6035\n[5] http://xrl.us/thinkcs\n[6] http://xrl.us/6000\n[7] http://xrl.us/artunix\n[8] http://xrl.us/clrs",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "First is Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs[1]",
          "reason": "Lists it first among resources recommended to a self-taught programmer.",
          "audience": "Self-taught programmers seeking computer science study resources.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414395,
          "author": "T-R",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T08:57:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414395",
          "commentText": "It really depends on what you feel you're missing and what you're hoping to do (definitions of \"daily work\" vary widely). If you're looking to get up on theory by doing your own program of sorts, you could do worse than start with these (in roughly this order):\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs - Abelson, Sussman, and Sussman\nIntroduction to Algorithms - Cormen, Leiserson, Rivest, and Stein\nThe Art of Assembly Language - Hyde\na digital logic book (not sure which is most recommended), and an architecture book (see reply by tftfmacedo)\nModern Operating Systems - Tanenbaum\nIntroduction to the Theory of Computation - Sipser\nCompilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools - Aho, Lam, Sethi, and Ullman (a.k.a. \"Dragon Book\")\nProgramming Language Pragmatics - Scott\nA database design book (one that covers Relational Algebra, not just a book on SQL), and maybe a book on Networks. Also, Roy Fielding's paper on REST is both academic and applicable (and more approachable than you'd expect of a Ph.D paper). If you want to go all the way, an undergraduate program usually also has Calculus, Discrete Math, Linear Algebra, and Statistics. Some schools would also require Physics and Differential Equations. I'm sure I'm missing some topics, too, particularly electives.\nIf you can get through those and the associated problem sets, you'll have a better foundation than most.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs - Abelson, Sussman, and Sussman",
          "reason": "Listed first in a proposed sequence for building a foundation in computer science theory.",
          "audience": "Readers studying computer science theory independently.",
          "caveat": "The list is conditional on what the reader feels they are missing and hopes to do.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414366,
          "author": "stuartd",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T08:42:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414366",
          "commentText": "SICP is also available as a series of videos of the lectures at http://groups.csail.mit.edu/mac/classes/6.001/abelson-sussma... (http://groups.csail.mit.edu/mac/classes/6.001/abelson-sussman-lectures/) - very enlightening to this self-taught programmer",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "SICP is also available as a series of videos of the lectures",
          "reason": "Discusses video lectures associated with the book, calling them very enlightening.",
          "audience": "Self-taught programmers.",
          "caveat": "The comment discusses lecture videos rather than recommending the book itself.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414349,
          "author": "wicknicks",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T08:32:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414349",
          "commentText": "Programming is more about thinking in a certain way than algorithms or data structures (those are the tools). You should check out the book Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs -- I found it \"enlightening\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You should check out the book Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs -- I found it \"enlightening\"",
          "reason": "Recommends the book and describes it as enlightening.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in programming concepts and ways of thinking.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1973588,
          "author": "spacemanaki",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T02:33:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1973588",
          "commentText": "I think you mean Tony Hsieh?\nI haven't finished it, but the Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs was by far my favorite book that I've been reading this year. It really opened my eyes to a lot of new ideas, as it apparently has for so many other people.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It really opened my eyes to a lot of new ideas",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it their favorite book of the year and says it opened their eyes to new ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1025257,
          "author": "fadmmatt",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T00:23:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 1023970,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which Scheme book to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1025257",
          "commentText": "SICP and HtDP are good for starting out.\nI often use Scheme when I teach compilers, and I've got a few Scheme-related blog posts designed for the curious student:\n* Church encodings: http://matt.might.net/articles/church-encodings-demo-in-sche... (http://matt.might.net/articles/church-encodings-demo-in-scheme/)\n* Macro-generating macros: http://matt.might.net/articles/implementation-of-scheme-vect... (http://matt.might.net/articles/implementation-of-scheme-vector-struct-in-syntax-rules/)\n* Programming with continuations: http://matt.might.net/articles/programming-with-continuation... (http://matt.might.net/articles/programming-with-continuations--exceptions-backtracking-search-threads-generators-coroutines/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SICP and HtDP are good for starting out.",
          "reason": "Explicitly calls both books good for starting out.",
          "audience": "Readers starting to learn programming and Scheme.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1024727,
          "author": "tebeka",
          "createdAt": "2009-12-31T18:43:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 1023970,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which Scheme book to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1024727",
          "commentText": "My vote goes to SICP as well, however if you don't have much time http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/dorai/t-y-scheme/t-y-scheme.html is helpful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My vote goes to SICP as well",
          "reason": "Votes for SICP in response to the book choice question.",
          "audience": "Readers choosing a Scheme book.",
          "caveat": "Adds an online resource as helpful if time is limited.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1024152,
          "author": "michael_dorfman",
          "createdAt": "2009-12-31T11:37:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 1023970,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which Scheme book to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1024152",
          "commentText": "SICP by a mile, for one reason: the SICP videos: http://groups.csail.mit.edu/mac/classes/6.001/abelson-sussma... (http://groups.csail.mit.edu/mac/classes/6.001/abelson-sussman-lectures/)\nThat's the best 20-hour introduction you could ask for.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SICP by a mile",
          "reason": "Strongly prefers SICP as the answer to which Scheme book to read.",
          "audience": "Readers choosing a Scheme book.",
          "caveat": "The stated reason is its accompanying video lectures.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1024039,
          "author": "vorador",
          "createdAt": "2009-12-31T08:32:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 1023970,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which Scheme book to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1024039",
          "commentText": "I second that. Sicp, though, is quite hard conceptually (for instance, I've been baffled by church numerals and the y combinator), but in a good way.\nYou may want to read something more entry-level before, though.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I second that. Sicp, though, is quite hard conceptually",
          "reason": "Seconding the recommendation, while noting substantial conceptual difficulty.",
          "audience": "Readers considering SICP.",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds it conceptually quite hard and suggests reading something more entry-level first.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1024034,
          "author": "jobeirne",
          "createdAt": "2009-12-31T08:27:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1023970,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which Scheme book to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1024034",
          "commentText": "SICP isn't so much about Scheme, but language design principles, the beauty of abstraction, the dangers of mutable state, and the inability of a reactionary, functional approach to compensate for the lack of a mutable state.\nBut I would still go with SICP.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "But I would still go with SICP.",
          "reason": "Recommends SICP after describing its subject matter.",
          "audience": "Readers deciding which Scheme book to read.",
          "caveat": "Says it is not so much about Scheme itself.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1024012,
          "author": "elbenshira",
          "createdAt": "2009-12-31T07:43:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 1023970,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which Scheme book to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1024012",
          "commentText": "If you have little programming experience, I'd start with The Little Schemer. It's short and concise. Plus, I think you'll have more fun with The Little Schemer.\nDisclaimer: I've never read SICP.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Disclaimer: I've never read SICP.",
          "reason": "Mentioned only to disclose the commenter has not read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has never read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1024008,
          "author": "Kaizyn",
          "createdAt": "2009-12-31T07:41:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 1023970,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which Scheme book to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1024008",
          "commentText": "I would recommend you start with The Little Schemer and follow up with The Seasoned Schemer (the sequel to the other book).  These two will give you a good feel for some aspects of Scheme programming, but they will not go into the same depth about the fundamentals of computer science you'll get from SICP.  After reading them, then you should advance to either How To Design Programs as suggested before SICP or if you're feeling really ambitious jump right to SICP.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "they will not go into the same depth about the fundamentals of computer science you'll get from SICP",
          "reason": "Recommended as a later step for deeper computer science fundamentals.",
          "audience": "Readers learning Scheme.",
          "caveat": "Suggested after The Little Schemer and The Seasoned Schemer; How to Design Programs is offered as another step before it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1024005,
          "author": "samdk",
          "createdAt": "2009-12-31T07:38:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 1023970,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which Scheme book to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1024005",
          "commentText": "I have not read SICP, but I have read The Little Schemer. It's my favorite programming book.\nIf does a very good job of getting you comfortable with thinking recursively. It not meant to impart immediate 'practical' knowledge, and it really uses Scheme as a vehicle for teaching recursion, not the other way around. You can do the exercises in any Lisp dialect easily enough, and even in JavaScript (http://javascript.crockford.com/little.html).\nMy recommendation would be to use The Little Schemer as well as another, more practically focused book on Scheme or Lisp and work through them concurrently.\nAlso, if you're just getting started and are going to be using Scheme, the DrScheme mini-IDE makes it very easy to get started quickly. It's part of the PLT-Scheme package: http://www.plt-scheme.org/.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I have not read SICP",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a book the commenter has not read; no evaluation or recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have not read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1024003,
          "author": "prakash",
          "createdAt": "2009-12-31T07:37:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 1023970,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which Scheme book to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1024003",
          "commentText": "+1 for HtDP, after which the schemer series, followed by SICP.\nAlso, read this: http://norvig.com/21-days.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "followed by SICP",
          "reason": "Included as the next book in a recommended sequence.",
          "audience": "Readers learning Scheme.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1023976,
          "author": "dragonquest",
          "createdAt": "2009-12-31T07:03:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 1023970,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which Scheme book to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1023976",
          "commentText": "From my own personal experiences, try \"How to Design Programs\" (HTDP) by Felleisen et al as an introduction to Scheme. Its a great educational book which really prepares you for SICP.\nAlso if you want to give Common Lisp a try, I'd highly recommend \"Common Lisp: A Gentle Introduction to Symbolic Computation\" by David S. Touretzky. Its an old book but well worth its price in gold. It is the simplest way to really get Common Lisp and its concepts.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "really prepares you for SICP",
          "reason": "Presented as the next step after How to Design Programs.",
          "audience": "Readers learning Scheme.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797130,
          "author": "raju",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T02:01:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797130",
          "commentText": "1. Programming Clojure (Not going too well)\n2. Refactoring your Wetware (This is a very good book)\n3. SICP (Just started looking into this to see if I can attempt to write the code in Clojure)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "SICP (Just started looking into this to see if I can attempt to write the code in Clojure)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 766911,
          "author": "jerf",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-16T22:48:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=766911",
          "commentText": "I would recommend a classic that you haven't read that isn't directly about a specific programming language, since it would seem to me that the virtue of reading a book about a specific language when you aren't in front of a computer is dubious. (Note I didn't say it had no virtue, I just find it dubious. YMWV.)\nAlready mentioned is Code Complete and The Pragmatic Programmer. I'd add The Mythical Man Month, still a classic, but note that's a relatively short book and may not last long enough. (A depressing read in some ways; decades have passed and what's in the book is arguably common wisdom, yet I still encounter the errors outlined in that book every year.)\nGodel, Escher, Bach (mentioned by caffeine) is a love it or hate it book; check out a couple of summaries and see what you think.\nPersonally, I don't recommend the SICP unless you're actually working through the exercises to some extent, and without a computer it's too easy to think you understand it when you don't.\nIf you have already read all those, well, I'd suggest replying and saying so. :)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Personally, I don't recommend the SICP unless you're actually working through the exercises to some extent",
          "reason": "The commenter advises against reading it without working through exercises.",
          "audience": "Readers able to work through exercises alongside the book.",
          "caveat": "Without a computer, it may be easy to think you understand it when you do not.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 766731,
          "author": "weaksauce",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-16T20:59:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=766731",
          "commentText": "\"Hackers and Painters\" or \"Founders at Work\" are both good books if you haven't picked them up yet. Not language learning or directly programming but interesting none the less.\nA book more directly related to programing would be \"Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\" or \"The Little Schemer.\" bring a notebook and do problems out of them like defunkt said and it will help in all your programming.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A book more directly related to programing would be \"Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\"",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a programming book and says its problems can help across programming.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a programming book with problems to work through.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 407193,
          "author": "zitterbewegung",
          "createdAt": "2008-12-23T02:49:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 407067,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Let's start a Hacker News book club",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=407193",
          "commentText": "TAOCP ,SICP, Lisp in small pieces, Probably the upcoming clojure book comes to stuff that should be consed on the list.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "SICP",
          "reason": "Listed as a possible book club choice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 407075,
          "author": "robertk",
          "createdAt": "2008-12-23T00:55:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 407067,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Let's start a Hacker News book club",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=407075",
          "commentText": "That was my initial question as well, and this thread exists to find out! :)\nI say we mix it up. Something that is readable by and interesting to nearly all of us, but unread by most of us. The former requirement means technical books (even something like SICP) are unfortunately unwise choices, partially due to their nature and partially due to the longer reading times. I will wait for some more upvotes (interest) and comments before expressing my own suggestions.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "even something like SICP",
          "reason": "Cited as an example of a technical book that would be an unwise book-club choice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says technical books can be poor choices because of their nature and longer reading times.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240710,
          "author": "kylec",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T03:03:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240710",
          "commentText": "I thought about posting this here after a relative success asking the question on Reddit:\nhttp://www.reddit.com/info/6mikl/comments/\nbut it looks like you've beaten me to it!\nI did create a listing of the most popular books mentioned on the comment thread, if you're interested. The following were mentioned by 4 or more people:\n14 The C Programming Language\n11 Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\n8 Introduction to Algorithms\n7 Compilers: Principles, Techniques and Tools\n6 Programming Erlang\n5 The Mythical Man-Month\n5 The Pragmatic Programmer\n5 Applied Cryptography\n4 Beautiful Code\n4 The Little Schemer\n4 Programming Perl\nmore here: http://www.reddit.com/info/6mikl/comments/c04abpy",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "11 Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the most frequently mentioned books in the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 221521,
          "author": "silencio",
          "createdAt": "2008-06-19T04:31:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 221097,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Best book for Java",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=221521",
          "commentText": "I'd have to disagree, because the short term reason is a pretty big one.\nNot saying SICP sucks, I think the original poster would benefit from reading it..but at this point if he/she/it is working on said project NOW and needs a good Java/Struts book NOW, SICP isn't going to be that helpful.\nOnly in the long run.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "SICP isn't going to be that helpful.",
          "reason": "Says it will not help much with the immediate Java and Struts work, while allowing it may help in the long run.",
          "audience": "Someone who needs a Java and Struts book for a current project.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may be beneficial in the long run.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 221500,
          "author": "xlnt",
          "createdAt": "2008-06-19T03:57:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 221097,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Best book for Java",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=221500",
          "commentText": "Why so harsh? I think he'd be better off reading SICP than a java book, despite the short term reasons to do otherwise. And so what if it's in scheme? if he can't understand scheme then he's not a proficient programmer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think he'd be better off reading SICP than a java book",
          "reason": "Recommends it despite the short term reasons to choose a Java book.",
          "audience": "An experienced programmer who wants broader programming knowledge.",
          "caveat": "Written in Scheme; the comment acknowledges the short term tradeoff.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 221420,
          "author": "RyanGWU82",
          "createdAt": "2008-06-19T01:39:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 221097,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Best book for Java",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=221420",
          "commentText": "This is an absolutely terrible response. Did you even read his question? The original poster is already an experienced  and proficient programmer.  He just needs to understand the syntax and concepts of a new language.\nSICP uses Scheme, not Java.  SICP does not teach Java's syntax, nor object-oriented fundamentals, nor web development with Struts.  What possible rationale makes this a good suggestion?",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "SICP uses Scheme, not Java.",
          "reason": "Argues that the book does not address the Java syntax, object oriented fundamentals, or Struts needs in the question.",
          "audience": "A Java learner seeking syntax, object oriented fundamentals, or Struts.",
          "caveat": "The comment criticizes its fit for this specific request.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 221315,
          "author": "xlnt",
          "createdAt": "2008-06-18T23:14:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 221097,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Best book for Java",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=221315",
          "commentText": "SICP",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SICP",
          "reason": "Names a book in response to a request for a recommended programming book.",
          "audience": "People seeking programming books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 177290,
          "author": "neilk",
          "createdAt": "2008-04-30T04:20:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 176803,
          "threadTitle": "Which is your favorite 70-80s computer book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=177290",
          "commentText": "There's SICP, and MMM, but for me those are circa 90s-00s books.\nIn the 80s I was into Beagle Brothers one-liners.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "There's SICP",
          "reason": "Mentions it as an example of a book from the 1990s.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is circa 1990s–2000s, outside the thread’s 1970s–1980s range.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 177186,
          "author": "jfoutz",
          "createdAt": "2008-04-30T01:26:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 176803,
          "threadTitle": "Which is your favorite 70-80s computer book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=177186",
          "commentText": "I still use SICP. K&R is a great too. I didn't get them till the 90's though.\nThe book I used the most in the 80's was Chaos by James Gleick. I spent months coding up his mathematical models in basic on my 286. Good times.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I still use SICP.",
          "reason": "Says the commenter still uses it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 177035,
          "author": "adamo",
          "createdAt": "2008-04-29T21:55:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 176803,
          "threadTitle": "Which is your favorite 70-80s computer book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=177035",
          "commentText": "SICP",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SICP",
          "reason": "Names a favorite in response to the thread’s question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 176921,
          "author": "brlewis",
          "createdAt": "2008-04-29T19:52:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 176803,
          "threadTitle": "Which is your favorite 70-80s computer book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=176921",
          "commentText": "SICP, of course.  Is this a trick question?\nOh, 8-bit.  The 6809E reference manual.  Motorola sent it to me for free when I wrote asking where I could buy it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SICP, of course.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143085,
          "author": "mov",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T03:56:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143085",
          "commentText": "Lisp, SICP, PAIP",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "SICP",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135538,
          "author": "matstc",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T22:21:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135538",
          "commentText": "I'm surprised no one mentioned SICP.\nI would also add:\n  - The Little Schemer\n  - Linux in a Nutshell \n  - Unix power tools",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm surprised no one mentioned SICP.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86103,
          "author": "mov",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T21:22:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86103",
          "commentText": "- Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (SICP)\n- Paradigms of Artificial Intelligence Programming (PAIP)\n- Godel Escher Bach (GEB)\n- All books from Gibson, Asimov, Sterlig, Huxley and Douglas Adams",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (SICP)",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86044,
          "author": "jdale27",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T19:08:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86044",
          "commentText": "(I'm going to ignore the prohibition on \"programming/technical books\".)\n- GEB\n- SICP\n- anything by Paul Auster or Hermann Hesse\n- most Haruki Murakami, especially \"The Wind-up Bird Chronicle\"\n- Joan Didion, \"Where I Was From\"\n- Richard P. Gabriel, \"Patterns of Software\"\n- Durbin, Eddy, Krogh, and Mitchison, \"Biological Sequence Analysis\"\n- Italo Calvino, \"if on a winter's night a traveller\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SICP",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorites in response to the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes they are ignoring the thread's exclusion of technical books.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85983,
          "author": "Xichekolas",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T16:51:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85983",
          "commentText": "Ender Series - Orson Scott Card\nRama Series - Arthur C Clarke\nFirestar Series - Michael Flynn\n1984 - George Orwell\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs - Some guys at MIT (I know it's technical, but couldn't resist, it's just too good)\nAnything by Bret Easton Ellis, Greg Bear, Stephen Baxter, and the above mentioned authors.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's just too good",
          "reason": "The commenter says it's “just too good.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it is technical.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56704,
          "author": "Xichekolas",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T04:25:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56704",
          "commentText": "Favorite computer book: Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs - ISBN 0-07-000484-6 - Whether you actually like Scheme is beside the point. I got this book for an intro class into functional programming, and we only used sections one and two... but I enjoyed it so much I went through the rest of it on my own during Christmas break. Was probably the greatest experience I have had programming since first groking OO.\nFavorite non-computer book: Ender's Game - ISBN 0-812-55070-6 - I have probably read this about 10 times. All the other books in the series are good too, but it really stands apart from the rest.\nAs an aside, the Economist is probably the best (IMHO) news source out there, as it actually goes in depth as to the causes of events, rather than just listing them with pretty explosions. It's also delightfully devoid of sensationalist stories normally found on TV News or Newspapers. Added bonus: you get a nice discount if you subscribe as a student. Not sure I could recommend it highly enough.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed it so much I went through the rest of it on my own during Christmas break. Was probably the greatest experience I have had programming",
          "reason": "Calls it a favorite computer book and praises the experience of reading it.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in programming and functional programming.",
          "caveat": "Whether you actually like Scheme is beside the point.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Harold Abelson",
        "Gerald Jay Sussman",
        "Julie Sussman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 136,
      "threads": 72,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming languages",
        "computer science education",
        "scheme",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "godel-escher-bach-an-eternal-golden-braid-0de21e",
      "title": "Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid",
      "author": "Douglas Hofstadter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 44568427,
          "author": "jll29",
          "createdAt": "2025-07-15T06:32:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 44568054,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44568427",
          "commentText": "Torn between\nIt's a poem published in 1979 by the son of a physics Nobel prize winner, and it's about consciousness and artificial intelligence, and how they relate to mathematical proofs, music compositions (especially Baroque organ music) and visual art. It is full of self-references.\nIt's a twelve-episode science mystery called \"TAOCP\"... eagerly awaiting episode 4c! It's full of passion, hard facts, proofs, code fragments, even music scores and of course jokes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a poem published in 1979 by the son of a physics Nobel prize winner",
          "reason": "Describes a work about consciousness, artificial intelligence, mathematical proofs, music, and visual art.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43085043,
          "author": "ggm",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-18T01:18:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 43084739,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction/non-fiction book should everyone read on the topic of CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43085043",
          "commentText": "Gödel, Escher, Bach, an Eternal Golden Braid (Douglas Hofstadter, 1979)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gödel, Escher, Bach, an Eternal Golden Braid (Douglas Hofstadter, 1979)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41175653,
          "author": "taylodl",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:37:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175653",
          "commentText": "- Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Pirsig)\n- Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid (Hofstadter)\n- Shadows of the Mind: A Search for the Missing Science of Consciousness (Penrose)\n- Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind (Suzuki)\n- Demian (Hesse)\n- The Stranger (Camus)\n- Slaughterhouse-Five (Vonnegut)\n- Another Roadside Attraction (Robbins)\nI have read many books that have had an impact on me for a time, but these are the books that have had an enduring impact going on now for decades.\nAnd yes, one of these books, Another Roadside Attraction, is unlike the others. You can substitute any Tom Robbins book, or read them all!, but this is the book that started it all for me. Tom Robbins' books taught me to not take life so seriously.\nDemian and The Stranger may be fiction, but let's just say their purpose is to get across a philosophical point.\nFinally, with regards to Slaughterhouse-Five, you'll just have to read it.\nEnjoy!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid (Hofstadter)",
          "reason": "Lists it among books that have had an enduring impact for decades.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40432237,
          "author": "mcphage",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T18:45:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40432237",
          "commentText": "I haven't read Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, but I did enjoy The Martian and Gödel, Escher, Bach, so maybe I should read it.  What kind of writing do you like?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I did enjoy The Martian and Gödel, Escher, Bach",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40430638,
          "author": "tetris11",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T16:34:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40430638",
          "commentText": "I recently tried reading Long Way to a Small Angry Planet since a few people on HN recommended it.\nIts pretty terrible. The first few chapters involve the main character literally walking onto a ship, and then tons of exposition about how her alien teamates are all alien in their own individualistic ways that in no way contribute to an over arching story.\nYou learn nothing about the world, no intrigue, characters are superficially interesting, and to top it all off, the writing is teen fiction bad. (The book screams of Mary Sue.)\nI've been burned by HN book recommendations before. If you enjoyed the level of giddy writing shown in The Martian, Gödel, Escher, Bach, then you will probably like the giddy writing of this book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Gödel, Escher, Bach, then you will probably like the giddy writing of this book.",
          "reason": "Uses it as a comparison for the style of writing that readers may enjoy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned as a comparison, not endorsed here.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40290219,
          "author": "patal",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T19:11:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40290219",
          "commentText": "\"Last Chance to See\" by Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine. About Adams and Carwardine travelling the world to document several animals on the brink of extinction (by then 1988). Very entertaining and raising questions about the responsibility of human globalization. An all-time favourite.\n\"Never In Anger\" by Jean Briggs. About her living 17 months among Inuit in the 1970ies, documenting how the Inuit see emotions and raise their children without any shouting or violence.\n\"Shots in the Dark - Japan, Zen, and the West\" by Shōji Yamada. About the culture exchange between Japan and the West in the early 20th century and how several perceptions of Zen got constructed in the process.\n\"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" by Douglas Hofstaedter. About core ideas in logic, music and art, and their connections. I always find something new there.\n\"In Praise of Mastery\" / \"芸談\" by Tanizaki Jun’ichirō. An essay about the japanese pursuit of mastery. It's a fascinating window into the arts perception in late 19th century Japan.\nWebster's Dictionary of 1913. A great resource for looking up original meanings of words. I find it very useful for naming stuff in programming.\n\"Woe Is I\" by Patricia O'Conner. A witty grammar book. O'Conner's entertaining style makes it easy to grasp the grammar topics and come back for more.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" by Douglas Hofstaedter.",
          "reason": "The commenter returns to its ideas about logic, music, art, and their connections.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39061225,
          "author": "troupe",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T21:11:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39061225",
          "commentText": "Two books that did for me what I think you are looking for:\n- From Mathematics to Generic Programming by Stepanov & Rose\n- Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid by Hofstadter\n- The Little Schemer / The Seasoned Schemer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid by Hofstadter",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the books that did for the commenter what the requester is looking for.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking books that inspire an engineering outlook.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937329,
          "author": "raminf",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:56:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937329",
          "commentText": "- Gödel, Escher, Bach (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gödel,_Escher,_Bach)\n- Empty Planet: The Shock of Global Population Decline.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gödel, Escher, Bach",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937200,
          "author": "tiffanyg",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:40:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937200",
          "commentText": "Ah, a literalist.\nI see your literality, and raise:\nenabled a pivotal moment in my life\nLike that time you beat Archimedes to the punch and moved the world with a cantilever?\nTo not just 'standup philosopher'-post: Gödel, Escher, Bach (already mentioned by another I see); Euclid's Elements; Polya's How To Solve It; The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich; Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats - clearly non-fiction, if you know cats. :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gödel, Escher, Bach (already mentioned by another I see)",
          "reason": "Listed among books with a pivotal impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37936995,
          "author": "philipov",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:13:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37936995",
          "commentText": "As a kid? I'd probably name \"Goedel, Escher, Bach\" and \"The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language\" as the two that had the biggest impact on me while I was in high school.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Goedel, Escher, Bach\"",
          "reason": "Named as one of two books with the biggest impact on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37843996,
          "author": "danschuller",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-11T13:18:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37843996",
          "commentText": "A history of western philosophy? GEB and that book don't have much overlap in content and GEB is a more fun read. History of Western Philosophy is occasionally witty but is otherwise pretty dry.\nGEB isn't much to do with philosophy at all, it's more focused on computing and touches on philosophy where that seems relevant.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "GEB isn't much to do with philosophy at all, it's more focused on computing and touches on philosophy where that seems relevant.",
          "reason": "Describes it as focused more on computing than philosophy, while noting it touches on philosophy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not much to do with philosophy.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37820140,
          "author": "thorin",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-09T13:14:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37820140",
          "commentText": "It's a tough one. I took it as my only distraction on a week long meditation course. I had no technology, phone signal etc and this was the only book I had with me. I managed to read about a quarter of it and would really need to be in that kind of situation to finish it I think. A great desert island book though, I think.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "this was the only book I had with me",
          "reason": "Describes taking it as the sole book on a meditation retreat and reading about a quarter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter found it difficult to finish and would need a similar secluded setting.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37820081,
          "author": "ironlake",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-09T13:08:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37820081",
          "commentText": "It's not a good book. The metaphors are tortured and unrelatable.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "It's not a good book. The metaphors are tortured and unrelatable.",
          "reason": "Calls it a bad book because its metaphors feel tortured and unrelatable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37816330,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-09T02:26:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37816330",
          "commentText": "no, it's not just you.  I only made it about 1/4 of the way through",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I only made it about 1/4 of the way through",
          "reason": "Says they read only a quarter of the referenced book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter read only about a quarter of it.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37815452,
          "author": "dan-g",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-08T23:45:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37815452",
          "commentText": "Gödel Escher Bach? Or maybe that’s just me!\nGonna get through it one of these days…",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Gödel Escher Bach? Or maybe that’s just me!\nGonna get through it one of these days…",
          "reason": "Names it as a book the commenter has not yet finished.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they still plan to get through it.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36432047,
          "author": "dmd",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T13:43:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36432047",
          "commentText": "Gödel Escher Bach, read over and over from age 10-16 (early 90s)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Gödel Escher Bach, read over and over from age 10-16 (early 90s)",
          "reason": "The commenter read it repeatedly from ages 10 to 16.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33819701,
          "author": "glonq",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-01T17:44:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33819701",
          "commentText": "It's a bit of an overhyped \"must-read\" math/compsci book, but Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid was great for both enlightening me as well as utterly confusing me ;)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid was great for both enlightening me as well as utterly confusing me",
          "reason": "The commenter found it enlightening, though confusing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as an overhyped “must-read” math/computer science book.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33399202,
          "author": "therealdrag0",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-30T21:54:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33399202",
          "commentText": "I get what you’re saying. But I still read because it’s such a habit and part of my identity or something lol. There were some years I was hitting 50-75 books (and not small ones! GoT and godel Escher Bach etc) but now I’m down to a more sustainable pace of around 20 a year, and I’m pretty liberal about quitting books. If I’m getting a sense that it’s a 3/5 book then I just quit and move on. But even then I feel like I’m having an unquenched thirst for an absolute banger like Dune and Enders game. I’ve been thinking about doing a full year of just rereading books I loved like that from decades ago.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "godel Escher Bach etc",
          "reason": "References the book among books they read during high-volume reading years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32791257,
          "author": "wunderlust",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T15:04:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32791257",
          "commentText": "My field of study (what I really like to think and learn about) isn't my field of work, but I like the question so I'll spill some thoughts.\nI spend a lot of time thinking about philosophical-ish stuff, so here are some books that have had the strongest residual effects (whether that's changing how I think, changing what I think about, changing my values, or simply getting the thought ball rolling faster):\nIshmael (Daniel Quinn)\n1984 (George Orwell)\nBrave New World (Aldous Huxley)\nGodel, Escher, Bach (Douglas Hofstadter)\nThe Republic [imp. \"the allegory of the cave\"] (Plato)\nThe Genealogy of Morals (Friedrich Nietzsche)\nThe Social Construction of Reality (Peter L. Berger, Thomas Luckmann)\nTractatus Logico-Philosophicus (L. Wittgenstein)\nDissemination [imp. \"The Pharmakon\"] (Jacques Derrida)\nThe Quest for Reality (Barry Stroud)\nLanguages of Art (Nelson Goodman)\nThe Structure of Scientific Revolutions (Thomas Kuhn)\nConcepts (Jerry Fodor)\nThe Web of Life (Fritjof Capra)\nFoucault's Pendulum (Umberto Eco)\nNaming and Necessity (Saul Kripke)\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Robert Pirsig)\nThere are others, and a lot of essays (by thinkers like Bertrand Russell, Carl Hempel, Hilary Putnam, WVO Quine, Karl Popper, Alfred Tarski, Gottlob Frege, David Chalmers, Daniel Dennett, Michel Foucault, Jean Baudrillard, Mikhail Bakunin, CS Peirce, and David Hume, among many others), but these seem apropos as they most readily came to mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Godel, Escher, Bach (Douglas Hofstadter)",
          "reason": "Listed among books with strong residual effects on the commenter’s thinking and values.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32201167,
          "author": "hbogert",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-23T07:19:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32201167",
          "commentText": "The black Swan\nPrevious book was the innovators dilemma. Both are kind of cliche books, good reads though which pull me out of the IT technical stuff which one has to read nowadays to keep up.\nOf course there's my eternal struggle to read an \"eternal golden braid\". But that has stalled due to a chapter being incredibly meta it just hurts the brain\nShout out to my boox note Ereader. That thing has been a godsend.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "an \"eternal golden braid\"",
          "reason": "Says they have an ongoing struggle to read it and stalled at a difficult chapter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says a chapter was incredibly meta and hurt their brain.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30830512,
          "author": "armoredkitten",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T13:57:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30830512",
          "commentText": "Non-mathematician here (psychologist now doing work in data science & machine learning). I was told this book had interesting insights about AI, consciousness, and the like. But I read it last year and found it the most tedious, absolutely unfocused book I've ever read.\nHofstadter is clearly a brilliant person, a polymath. He clearly loves wordplay and classical music. But his ramblings are so often tangential and self-indulgent that probably half the book could be trimmed out without cutting anything insightful. Gödel is important to the book. Escher...makes pictures that, if you squint real hard, could be construed as kind of relevant. Bach...well, the author just likes Bach and decided that he needed to be present. The latter two figures are essentially just used for some examples that could probably have been explained more clearly without using music as the context, given that it then requires him to delve into all the details about how fugues are different from canons, etc. etc.\nLet's just say, reading the author's introduction to the 20th anniversary edition of the book states his main premises much more succinctly, to the point where you can skip the rest of the 700+ pages of the book.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I read it last year and found it the most tedious, absolutely unfocused book I've ever read.",
          "reason": "The commenter criticizes its rambling, tangential treatment and argues that the introduction states its premises more succinctly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter praises Hofstadter's intelligence but finds much of the book self-indulgent and says its introduction can stand in for the rest.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30829530,
          "author": "mdp2021",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T11:58:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30829530",
          "commentText": "Gödel, Escher, Bach is an artistic appetizer over the stimulating world of structures, - not a manual.\nThey young mind is opened by being shown relations it did not yet see.\nRead the extreme in that direction:\nItalo Calvino - Le città invisibili\n(which not only masterfully connects ideas, but most of the realm of existence and experience) - you should be able to see that principle at its apex. And there is no technical teaching: just an education to see the subtle.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gödel, Escher, Bach is an artistic appetizer over the stimulating world of structures, - not a manual.",
          "reason": "Describes it as an artistic introduction to structures and their relationships.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in seeing connections between ideas.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not a manual.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30827154,
          "author": "debanjan16",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T04:27:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30827154",
          "commentText": "Aha! GEB! Do you think a complete beginner with no knowledge in higher math should read GEB?",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Aha! GEB! Do you think a complete beginner with no knowledge in higher math should read GEB?",
          "reason": "The commenter asks whether it suits a complete beginner without higher-math knowledge.",
          "audience": "Complete beginners without higher-math knowledge.",
          "caveat": "The question leaves suitability unresolved.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30486432,
          "author": "nonrandomstring",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T08:26:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486432",
          "commentText": "I still have these on my shelf looking dog-eared and well read You can\nprobably tell from these exactly which year I took CSEE :)\n- Biggs: Discrete Maths\n- Stroud: Engineering Mathematics\n- Solkolnikoff: Mathematics of Physics and Modern Engineering\n- Sommerville: Software Engineering\n- Aho: Compilers\n- Kernighan and Ritchie: The C Programming Language\n- Kernighan and Pike: The UNIX Programming Environment\n- Ben Ari: Principles of Concurrent Programming\n- Clements: Microprocessor Systems Design\n- Tannenbaum: Distributed Operating Systems\n- Dean, Allen, Aloimonos: Articficial Intelligence\n- Knuth: The Art of Computer Programming\n- Yourdon: Object Oriented Systems Design\n- Abelson and Sussman: Structure and Interpretation\nMaybe the one that ones that changed me most:\n- Polya: How to Solve it\n - Hofstadter: Godel Escher Bach",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hofstadter: Godel Escher Bach",
          "reason": "The commenter says it may have changed them most.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The title is abbreviated in the comment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30486370,
          "author": "arisbe__",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T08:14:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486370",
          "commentText": "What initially turned me into a curious person were Surely You Are Joking Mr Feynman & Godel, Escher, Bach. Then Book of Proof & Forallx: an introduction to formal logic helped me develop an interest in mathematics. But what was really a kind of aesthetic crack was The UNIX Programming Environment and The TeXbook.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "& Godel, Escher, Bach.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped make them curious.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29816688,
          "author": "kleer001",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-05T23:23:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29816688",
          "commentText": "Another vote for G.E.B.\nI've come to realise that it's a bit long winded and winding, but it's pretty nice to go deep into. Like, just read it straight through.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Another vote for G.E.B.",
          "reason": "Adds another vote for the book and says it is nice to read deeply.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds it long-winded and winding.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29815082,
          "author": "azalemeth",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-05T21:19:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29815082",
          "commentText": "When I was 18, I read Gödel Escher Bach, an Eternal Golden Braid on Minds and Machines in the Spirit of Lewis Carol, by Douglas R Hofstader. It's a book that won a pullitzer prize in the 1970s and is about maths and formal logic, but really gives you a flavour of how consciousness might come about.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read Gödel Escher Bach, an Eternal Golden Braid on Minds and Machines in the Spirit of Lewis Carol, by Douglas R Hofstader.",
          "reason": "Describes reading it at 18 and recommends it in response to a book request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29309102,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T17:32:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29309102",
          "commentText": "It's definitely interesting! I don't know if I've ever met someone who finished the book though. It's a skewed definition maybe, but I don't personally consider things well written if it requires inhuman dedication to finish. :D",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I don't know if I've ever met someone who finished the book though. It's a skewed definition maybe, but I don't personally consider things well written if it requires inhuman dedication to finish.",
          "reason": "Questions whether the book's length and demands make it well written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter doubts they have met anyone who finished it and says it requires great dedication.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29309085,
          "author": "markus_zhang",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T17:31:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29309085",
          "commentText": "Is GEB considered to be one? It's not exactly CS but can be related, plus it was very well written.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Is GEB considered to be one? It's not exactly CS but can be related, plus it was very well written.",
          "reason": "Asks whether the book fits the requested category and notes its relation to computer science and writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it is not exactly computer science.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25910190,
          "author": "etherio",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T23:06:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25910190",
          "commentText": "I got a few nice sci-fi books for Christmas, including Exhalation by Ted Chiang and Peace by Gene Wolf.\nI also want to read Godel, Escher Bach, it's been recommended to me a lot.\nDefinitely some interesting picks on this thread.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I also want to read Godel, Escher Bach, it's been recommended to me a lot.",
          "reason": "The commenter wants to read it and says it has been recommended to them often.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25533845,
          "author": "jefallbright",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-25T03:05:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25533845",
          "commentText": "Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter.  Brilliant synthesis of thoughts on logic, reasoning, programming, artificial intelligence,…",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter. Brilliant synthesis of thoughts on logic, reasoning, programming, artificial intelligence",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as a synthesis of ideas about logic, reasoning, programming, and artificial intelligence.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23729076,
          "author": "abnry",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-04T00:59:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23729076",
          "commentText": "Godel Escher Bach is a good place to start. Or any book about Godel. That's a great place to blow a kids mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Godel Escher Bach is a good place to start.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a mind-expanding starting point.",
          "audience": "A child.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23728104,
          "author": "pvitz",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T22:12:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23728104",
          "commentText": "I read it when I was 16 and it was just wonderful. I can also recommend it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read it when I was 16 and it was just wonderful. I can also recommend it.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the book, recalling a positive experience reading it at 16.",
          "audience": "A 16-year-old reader, as suggested by the commenter’s experience.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23727645,
          "author": "dTal",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T21:06:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23727645",
          "commentText": "For a deep, but deeply entertaining introduction to extraordinarily high-level concepts that remain useful tools of thought forever - Godel, Escher, Bach. That belongs on everyone's bookshelf.\nFor a kind of \"cabinet of curiosities\", I endorse \"Wonders of Numbers\" by Clifford Pickover. This book was pivotal in my relationship with mathematics, containing as it does brief excursions into all manner of fascinating topics like cellular automata, and the Collatz Conjecture, as well as a host of more obscure oddities. It's a perfect book to have around when learning programing as well, since it has a nearly bottomless well of interesting things to code. Nor is it dry, thanks to Pickover's whimsical style.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Godel, Escher, Bach. That belongs on everyone's bookshelf.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as an entertaining introduction to high-level concepts and says it belongs on everyone's bookshelf.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23726946,
          "author": "mike00632",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T19:55:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23726946",
          "commentText": "I think \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" is the perfect book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" is the perfect book.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the perfect book in response to the recommendation question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23726843,
          "author": "javajosh",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T19:41:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23726843",
          "commentText": "I have to disagree with you here, and strongly. I don't think Gödel, Escher, Bach is a good book. Hofstaeder is clearly very smart, curious, and open-minded, and I love all those things, but the book itself is just so pretentious and sort of pointless. It's precisely the wrong kind of book you want to give a bright teenager, because it will only encourage them to get a head-start inserting their head up their own arsehole, metaphorically speaking.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I don't think Gödel, Escher, Bach is a good book.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it pretentious and pointless, and says it is a poor choice for a bright teenager.",
          "audience": "Bright teenagers.",
          "caveat": "The commenter praises Hofstadter's intelligence, curiosity, and open-mindedness while criticizing the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23726630,
          "author": "coeneedell",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T19:13:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23726630",
          "commentText": "For something that's a little more fun to read and covers fundamental topics. (Foundations for higher mathematics) I'd recommend Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofsteader. It changed the way I approach problems to this day.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofsteader.",
          "reason": "Recommended as an enjoyable read covering foundational topics for higher mathematics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23163818,
          "author": "goldenshale",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-13T05:40:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23163818",
          "commentText": "Accelerando by Charles Stross: Be there to receive a phone call from a sentient hive lobster consciousness that escaped from the lab, and watch the singularity happen in a hilarious and mind bending fast take off.\nA Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge: explore the far future in a space opera dreamed up by a computer science professor turned sci-fi author.  This book literally inspired the first IoT sensor \"motes\" created, and we haven't come close to achieving the vision he explores just as texture in this rich book with fascinating characters.  Not my favorite wordsmith, but one of my favorite idea-smiths.\nGodel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter: create a new mathematics from the axioms up, while strolling along with a wise tortoise and a hare who share fascinating ideas and connections from art and music to number theory, incompleteness, and consciousness.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Godel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter: create a new mathematics from the axioms up, while strolling along with a wise tortoise and a hare who share fascinating ideas and connections from art and music to number theory, incompleteness, and consciousness.",
          "reason": "Recommended for its connections among mathematics, art, music, and consciousness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23159949,
          "author": "arantius",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T21:15:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23159949",
          "commentText": "I'd suggest https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6del,_Escher,_Bach .  I was much younger when I first read it, but it blew my mind at the time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd suggest https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6del,_Escher,_Bach .",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to a request for mind-bending books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23155739,
          "author": "kabdib",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T16:17:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23155739",
          "commentText": "Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek and Holy the Firm. Dillard has a way with words that is both eloquent and a little violent, and she influenced how I write just as much as Strunk and White's Elements of Style.\nDouglas Hofstadter's Godel, Escher, Bach for its captivating presentation of some very complicated ideas (at least to the 17 year old kid who read this for the first time). This book was published around the time that I was growing from hobby programming to writing software as a career, and it exposed me to non-trivial proofs, LISP, and recursion in general.\nVernor Vinge's The Peace War. It's a bit stupid, but . . . I want to make the tech in this book become reality :-)  Bobbles are sheer fantasy, of course, but the Tinker tech stack would be a lot of fun.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Douglas Hofstadter's Godel, Escher, Bach",
          "reason": "Recommends it for its presentation of complex ideas and its introduction to proofs, LISP, and recursion.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in programming and abstract ideas",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23155712,
          "author": "yuribro",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T16:15:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23155712",
          "commentText": "\"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" by Douglas Hofstadter\nIt's presented in a very non conventional way, but teaches you to think about many problems in a more \"first principles\" way, and connects real world problems with more abstract idea. I have read it well into my CS career and it was still worth it.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6del,_Escher,_Bach",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" by Douglas Hofstadter",
          "reason": "Recommends it for its unconventional presentation and connections between abstract ideas and real-world problems.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computing or first-principles thinking",
          "caveat": "The presentation is unconventional.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23155525,
          "author": "inventtheday",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T16:02:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23155525",
          "commentText": "Godel Escher Bach by Hofstadter. I was never even close to the same afterwards.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Godel Escher Bach by Hofstadter. I was never even close to the same afterwards.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a transformative read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23153309,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T12:43:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23153309",
          "commentText": "Maybe try something/anything by Douglas Hofstadter. 'Godel, Escher, Bach' gets most of the attention, but I also found  'The Mind's I: Fantasies And Reflections On Self & Soul' (with Daniel Dennett), and 'Metamagical Themas' fascinating.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Godel, Escher, Bach' gets most of the attention",
          "reason": "Named as one of Hofstadter's books in a recommendation to try his work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23151715,
          "author": "bobosha",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T08:27:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23151715",
          "commentText": "TBH I have attempted to read it many times but escapes my feeble mind. GEB is one of those books ...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "GEB is one of those books ...",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have repeatedly tried to read it but find it difficult to grasp.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it escapes their understanding.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22706819,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T20:58:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22706819",
          "commentText": "\"Programmers At Work\" by Susan Lammers was a great read in its time, and I keep referring to ideas from it. Might be worth a look. Peter Seibel's done a great job with continuing the idea, e.g. \"Coders At Work\", \"Founders At Work.\"\nIs it time to read \"Godel, Escher, Bach?\"",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Is it time to read \"Godel, Escher, Bach?\"",
          "reason": "The commenter raises it as a question, without stating a view of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20731322,
          "author": "formalsystem",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T16:51:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20731322",
          "commentText": "There's so much more to CS theory than big O notation and you're in for a treat if you check out any of the below - happy to share more if people are interested.\n1. https://www.amazon.com/Computational-Complexity-Approach-San... (https://www.amazon.com/Computational-Complexity-Approach-Sanjeev-Arora/dp/0521424267/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=complexity+theory&qid=1566146955&s=gateway&sr=8-3)\n2. https://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Computing-since-Democritus-Aa... (https://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Computing-since-Democritus-Aaronson/dp/0521199565/ref=sr_1_1?crid=H43HH53HNDKQ&keywords=quantum+computing+since+democritus&qid=1566146985&s=gateway&sprefix=quantum+computing+since+dem%2Caps%2C191&sr=8-1)\n3. https://www.amazon.com/G%C3%B6del-Escher-Bach-Eternal-Golden... (https://www.amazon.com/G%C3%B6del-Escher-Bach-Eternal-Golden/dp/0465026567/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=godel+escher+bach&qid=1566147014&s=gateway&sr=8-1)\n4. https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Theory-Computation-Micha... (https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Theory-Computation-Michael-Sipser/dp/113318779X/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=sipser&qid=1566147058&s=gateway&sr=8-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://www.amazon.com/G%C3%B6del-Escher-Bach-Eternal-Golden...",
          "reason": "Included in a list of suggested resources for exploring CS theory beyond big O notation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20334298,
          "author": "ozim",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T12:23:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20334298",
          "commentText": "I am preparing to read it this summer. But this book is going to be big project to read and understand for me and I don't think I will make it in 2 months. If you can read it just like novel I totaly envy you.\nI started in December and got into like 20% of book or less and then I decided that I don't get that much out of book by casually reading it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I am preparing to read it this summer. But this book is going to be big project to read and understand for me",
          "reason": "The commenter finds the book demanding and says casual reading did not provide much benefit.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter expects it to take a substantial effort to read and understand.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20333099,
          "author": "Culmat",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T07:59:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20333099",
          "commentText": "\"Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid\" by Douglas R. Hofstadter\nA beautiful multidisciplinary dive into number theory, self-reference, consciousness art and much more. It's written in the spirit of Lewis Carroll. Really enjoying it right now",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A beautiful multidisciplinary dive into number theory, self-reference, consciousness art and much more. It's written in the spirit of Lewis Carroll. Really enjoying it right now",
          "reason": "Describes the book as beautiful and says they are really enjoying it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19088692,
          "author": "MikeCapone",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T19:15:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19088692",
          "commentText": "So many, and I wish I could write a long paragraph on each, but I'm unfortunately short on time. I'm posting any in case just one person who hasn't heard of those checks them out and gets value:\n-Godel, Escher, Bach (Douglas Hosfstadter)\n-The Mindbody Prescription (John E. Sarno, completely cured my long-term crippling RSI that kept me from using computers and was ruining my life)\n-Feeling Good (Dr. Burns, cognitive therapy mostly centered on depression, but I want to learn about this before I have depression so that I can avoid it and do 'maintenance' on myself)\n-The 5 Love Languages (Gary Chapman, made me understand a lot more about how people express and receive love, and the problems that arise from mismatched languages in relationships)\n-Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman (you guys probably already know this)\n-The Blank Slate (Steven Pinker)\n-The Snowball (Warren Buffett biography)\n-Influence (Robert B. Cialdini)\n-Your Money or Your Life (Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin)\n-When Heaven and Earth Changed Places: A Vietnamese Woman's Journey from War to Peace (Le Ly Hayslip)\n-The Halo Effect (Phil Rosenzweig)\n-The LessWrong.com sequences on rationality",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-Godel, Escher, Bach (Douglas Hosfstadter)",
          "reason": "Listed among books offered to readers who might get value from them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17936661,
          "author": "atlas1428",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T18:44:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17936661",
          "commentText": "- The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins\n- Godel Escher Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\n- Language, Truth, and Logic by A. J. Ayer\n- Thinking in Systems: A Primer by Donella Meadows\nBooks that serve as investment philosophy guides for those who've developed a habit of saving money but are looking for the \"next step\" in building more wealth. From the mind of one of the greatest investors of all time:\n- The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham (get the annotated version with an epilogue written by Warren Buffett!)\n- The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America\nA book that discusses what matters most in your life from a resource-allocation, measurable results standpoint (family, etc.):\n- How Will You Measure Your Life by Clayton Christensen\nA book I read 10 years ago that forever changed the way I manage productivity and organization both at work and in my personal life:\n- Getting Things Done by David Allen\nBooks that show that our universe is just as crazy, if not crazier, than science fiction:\n- Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy\n- Quantum Chance: Nonlocality, Teleportation and Other Quantum Marvels\n- ..and so on with intersecting topics!\nNot to mention, I love trying to have as deep an understanding as I can by reading highly technical textbooks on cosmology, gravitation, and quantum physics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Godel Escher Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17914326,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-05T01:12:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17914326",
          "commentText": "All these had a huge impact on me. The descriptions are inadequate, I've just tried to mention the subject matter.\nDeborah Tannen, You Just Don't Understand - how males and females talk different languages.\nLakoff & Johnson, Metaphors We Live By - how our language and thoughts are built from a fabric of conceptual metaphors. Philosophy In The Flesh is about the conceptual metaphors that philosophy is built from.\nJonathan Glover, Humanity: A Moral History of the Twentieth Century - WWI, WWII and other wars, nazism, communism etc\nPlutarch's Lives - biographies and stories from famous ancient Greeks and Romans. Amazing how little's changed.\nLin Yutang, The Importance of Understanding - introduced me to ancient Chinese philosophers. The Importance of Living - introduced me to ancient Chinese writers, poets and the Chinese way of life.\nHofstadter, Gödel, Escher, Bach - read it when I was 14, and I was into music, art and programming, so it blew my mind.\nSusan Faludi, STIFFED - men, work, jobs, masculinity, 20th C\nWalter Lippmann, Public Opinion - media, war, propaganda, democracy\nNoam Chomsky's political books\nE.F. Schumacher, Small is Beautiful - the world, development, government, planning, organization, humanity, sustainability\nJ.R. Saul, Voltaire's Bastards - power, history, democracy, technocracy, reason, rationality, history from late 18th C until today.\nRaymond Williams, Culture and Society 1780-1950 - the anti-industrialist tradition, politics, culture, society and the new language describing these things\nClifford Pickover, Computers, Patterns, Chaos, and Beauty - programming, mathematics, art, fractals, dynamical systems etc\nBen Zander, The Art of Possibility - hard to explain, kind of advanced self-help, the magic of changing attitudes, expectations, habits.\nMy favourite non-fiction books of all time, though, are the essays of Emerson, Hazlitt, RL Stevenson, GK Chesterton, Santayana, Bertrand Russell. And the books of Nietzsche, SARK and Robert Fulghum.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hofstadter, Gödel, Escher, Bach - read it when I was 14, and I was into music, art and programming, so it blew my mind.",
          "reason": "Says it blew their mind and connected with their interests in music, art, and programming.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910252,
          "author": "myth_buster",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:29:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910252",
          "commentText": "Gun germs and steel\nThe Innovator's Dilemma\nThinking Fast and Slow\nGodel Eschel Bach\nHard Things about Hard Things",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Godel Eschel Bach",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for favorite nonfiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17241992,
          "author": "undy",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-05T20:59:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17241992",
          "commentText": "\"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" by Douglas Hofstadter. I did not understand much the first time I read that book (I was 16 or so); maybe I understood well only one thing: that I wanted to understand more. That book made me clearly see what I wanted to do. (I am now a professor of mathematical physics). I should definitely read it again...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "That book made me clearly see what I wanted to do.",
          "reason": "The commenter says reading it shaped their academic direction and motivated them to understand more.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they understood little on the first read and should read it again.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17048345,
          "author": "dlwdlw",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T15:58:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17048345",
          "commentText": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance as well as Godel, Escher, Bach.\nHelped me see the limitations of rationality, rigor, and measurement.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance as well as Godel, Escher, Bach.\nHelped me see the limitations of rationality, rigor, and measurement.",
          "reason": "Credits it with helping them see the limitations of rationality, rigor, and measurement.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17046226,
          "author": "Applejinx",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T10:48:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17046226",
          "commentText": "Seconded. Parts of it are kind of impenetrable, or seem like it, but you can feel the love in it and it's so personal while also being so astonishingly wide-ranging… it's like taking your brain on a world tour to see things it never imagined were possible.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "you can feel the love in it and it's so personal while also being so astonishingly wide-ranging… it's like taking your brain on a world tour to see things it never imagined were possible.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book is personal, wide-ranging, and mentally expansive.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Parts can seem impenetrable.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16756885,
          "author": "genjipress",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T17:23:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16756885",
          "commentText": "Motion seconded. I read it first when I was barely ten, and even though I barely understood a word of it, I made a vow to myself to keep coming back to it until I did. I've been coming back to it constantly ever since, and I think I finally get it. I think.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I read it first when I was barely ten, and even though I barely understood a word of it",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it was difficult to understand as a child and is still unsure they fully understand it.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15966100,
          "author": "rlease",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-20T01:12:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15966100",
          "commentText": "I plan to write a bit about that when I finish (Dec 27 will mark one year from when I started). Here are a couple things I noticed:\n1) This was my big goal for the year. One book a week that I've never read, instead of getting in better shape, learning a new hobby, etc. Judging from prior experience, it felt difficult, but doable.\n2) It was mostly about time management. This was either accomplished with reading incrementally (infrequent) or bingeing over a weekend (frequent). I think if I was going to do it over, I would shift most of the reading into the first couple months of the year where the weather is dreary and not conducive to being outside.\n3) Cheating. I've had books (like GEB) on the list the whole year that I haven't gotten to because I knew that they would slow me down and ruin the average. When I would read something that I couldn't get through quickly, I would make up for that by reading books I knew I would plow through quickly. You can see that more towards the end of the year.\n4) I truly enjoy reading, and it's something I'd rather do than many other forms of entertainment. This helps immensely when deciding to devote a large amount of time to it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I've had books (like GEB) on the list the whole year that I haven't gotten to",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a difficult book on the commenter's reading list that they have not yet started.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it could slow their reading pace; no evaluation of the book itself is expressed.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762133,
          "author": "gerdesj",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T01:33:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762133",
          "commentText": "or GED as we know it. Auth: Hofstadter - \"Godel, Escher, Bach\"\nBelting read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Auth: Hofstadter - \"Godel, Escher, Bach\"",
          "reason": "Names the book in a list responding to the thread's request for books with broad usefulness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15761784,
          "author": "anddyyyy",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T00:09:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15761784",
          "commentText": "Chaos.\nGodel, Escher, Bach.\nFlatworld.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Godel, Escher, Bach.",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question asking for books useful across areas of daily life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15632097,
          "author": "throwaway7645",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T22:28:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15632097",
          "commentText": "I started reading GEB, and enjoyed hearing about things like Goedel's incompleteness theorem, but Hofstadter is really hard to get through. What did those who persevered get from it?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I started reading GEB, and enjoyed hearing about things like Goedel's incompleteness theorem, but Hofstadter is really hard to get through.",
          "reason": "Enjoys its discussion of incompleteness but finds Hofstadter hard to get through.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter reports difficulty getting through the book.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15631706,
          "author": "purplezooey",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T21:26:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15631706",
          "commentText": "Um hello... Godel, Escher, Bach:  An Eternal Golden Braid.\nThen have a look at the Tensorflow logo. :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Godel, Escher, Bach:  An Eternal Golden Braid.",
          "reason": "Offers the book as an answer in a thread asking for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630924,
          "author": "mbrock",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T18:57:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630924",
          "commentText": "Gödel, Escher, Bach awakened my intellectual curiosity about formal systems and other autistic modes of beauty as a teenager. After \"The Selfish Gene\" it was the first book I bought and read on my own volition, so I have to credit it as a major influence.\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs for showing that you can think rigorously and compose beautiful programs out of simple pieces.\nContingency, Irony, and Solidarity by Richard Rorty for showing that it's possible to think and feel about politics while maintaining a profoundly ironic and groundless mind.\nThe Body in Pain by Elaine Scarry for its beautiful view of civilization as materialized caring and of the inflicting of pain as metaphysically destructive.\nBeing-in-the-world by Dreyfus for introducing me to Heidegger and showing how continental philosophy inspired by Heidegger was a major force in the evolution of AI and how AI researchers tended to be influenced by rationalist philosophy in the vein of Descartes which leads to huge misunderstandings of the nature of being.\nDhammapada translated by Gil Fronsdal because it's a beautiful exposition of early Buddhist poetry and clearly shows the worldview of south east Asian Buddhism.\nDebt by David Graeber for making me interested in money and credit systems from an anthropological point of view.\nA Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace for being hilarious and sad and buzzing with neurotic perceptive overeducated thought in a way that mirrored my own precocious self-consciousness and made me feel less \"marooned in my own skull.\"\nThe Uses of Disorder by Richard Sennett for giving a defense of the anarchy of urban life that views conflict as necessary for growth.\nAfter Virtue by Alisdair MacIntyre for showing the contemporary situation in thought and ethics as profoundly abnormal and difficult, being the aftermath of the Enlightenment project's failure to ground morality in objective reason, and pointing to virtue within traditions as the only way to live coherently.\nThe Teachings of Huang-bo for being a merciless and hilarious attack on sanctimonious and ritualistic Buddhism, displaying the role of sarcasm and wit in spirituality, and generally just shouting \"wake up, lazy pretentious idiot\" on every page.\nFanged Noumena by Nick Land for diving deeply into amphetaminic insanity thus accurately mirroring the schizophrenia of postmodern capitalism.\nThe letters of Van Gogh.\nPhillip Lopate's personal essays.\nHyperobjects by Timothy Morton.\nOn the Origins of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gödel, Escher, Bach awakened my intellectual curiosity about formal systems and other autistic modes of beauty as a teenager.",
          "reason": "Credits it with awakening intellectual curiosity and being a major influence.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630503,
          "author": "memorymappings",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:36:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630503",
          "commentText": "I second Godel, Escher and Bach.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second Godel, Escher and Bach.",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15629992,
          "author": "bobosha",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:08:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15629992",
          "commentText": "1. Thinking fast and slow - Kahneman\n2. Godel, Escher and Bach - Hofstadter\n3. On Intelligence - Jeff Hawkins",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Godel, Escher and Bach - Hofstadter",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15157970,
          "author": "vpribish",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T20:15:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15157970",
          "commentText": "Goedel, Escher, Bach -- If you're reading this page you will dig this book.\nGuns, Germs, and Steel -- how circumstance drove civilizations. Fun storytelling even if it's a bit too \"just-so\".  definitely trains you to look at any situation and seek it's origins with less initial judgement.\nThe Visual Display of Quantitive Information -- gets at the essence of communication and medium.  more than it seems!\nThe Alchemy of Finance -- \"reflexivity\", but if you're also interested in Soros or some finance storytelling it's worth it.\nThe Selfish Gene -- as everyone else has said.\nThe Prize -- the history of oil.  huh?  yeah.  Likely to change how you look at the history of technology, government, power, the saudis, and geopolitics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Goedel, Escher, Bach -- If you're reading this page you will dig this book.",
          "reason": "The commenter says readers of the page will enjoy it.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the thread’s topics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15157015,
          "author": "carapace",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T17:00:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15157015",
          "commentText": "Early on I got into a box of my dad's old NLP books (not Natural Language Processing, the other NLP.)\n\"Structure of Magic\" vols I and II, \"Frogs into Princes\", \"Trance-formations\", and a couple of others.\nNLP grew out of the application of Chomsky's Transformational Grammar to recordings of very effective psychological therapists.\n(Virginia Satir, Fritz Perls, and Milton Erickson.)  By the way, this is the same Transformational Grammar that leads to the Chomsky Hierarchy of languages.  Neat, eh?\nAnyhow, the NLP people rapidly developed a powerful model of subjective reality and replicable results in theraputic settings (e.g. the \"Five-minute Phobia Cure\" algorithm, among many others.)  The capability to reprogram belief structures engenders a change of self-definition even if you don't use it.\n\"Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid\"\n\"System design from provably correct constructs : the beginnings of true software engineering\" about Dr. M. Hamilton's Higher Order Software.\nEverything by Robert Anton Wilson.  (That's not a title, I mean everything he wrote.)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156426,
          "author": "dwaltrip",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:27:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156426",
          "commentText": "\"Godel Escher Bach\" and \"I am a strange loop\".\nI only made it half way through GEB, however the latter is a bit easier to get through.\nFor me, these books marked the beginning of a lifelong journey of \"self\" contemplation and intellectual/philosophical exploration.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I only made it half way through GEB",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book marked the beginning of a lasting period of self-contemplation and intellectual exploration, while noting they finished only half.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter made it only halfway through.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156189,
          "author": "arc_of_descent",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T14:44:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156189",
          "commentText": "Mind is a myth - UG Krishnamurti\nGodel, Escher, Bach - Douglas Hofstadter\nUnweaving the rainbow - Richard Dawkins",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Godel, Escher, Bach - Douglas Hofstadter",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which books had the biggest impact on mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156149,
          "author": "omnibrain",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T14:35:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156149",
          "commentText": "Fiction: Peter Watts - Blindsight   \nNonfiction: Gödel Escher Bach   \nCS: David West - Object Thinking",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nonfiction: Gödel Escher Bach",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which books had the biggest impact on mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14859878,
          "author": "FredrikMeyer",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:19:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859878",
          "commentText": "* \"The history of western philosophy\" by Bertrand Russell. A fun read so far (~100 pages). Russell is not afraid to tell the reader that he really dislikes Plato, and thinks he destroyed western philosophy.\n* SICP (Structure and interpretation of computer programs). Learning Scheme for fun now with this book. I'm only in chapter 2 so far, but it is really fun\n* \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" by Douglas Hoefstadter. The story in one line: he have a theory that consciousness aries from \"strange loops\". Along the way he talks about fractals, programming, patterns in music and in pictures,...\n* \"The Idiot\" by Fyodor Dostoyevskij. Fun read.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The story in one line: he have a theory that consciousness aries from \"strange loops\".",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14846697,
          "author": "vldx",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T10:52:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14846697",
          "commentText": "That's fascinating. Just ordered Design of Design to supplement GEB. Thanks!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Just ordered Design of Design to supplement GEB. Thanks!",
          "reason": "Mentioned as context for the book they ordered; no endorsement of GEB is expressed here.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14846601,
          "author": "BJanecke",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T10:31:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14846601",
          "commentText": "Just like the other non programming book on the list(Thinking Fast and Slow) GEB is a lot about perception to me.\nUnderstanding that nothing is purely logical nor is it purely expressionistic; by pigeonholing your perception of any design whether it be Code, Math or Art to either Logic xor Expression you are blinding yourself\nThe other angle for GEB is design\nI read GEB along with Design of Design years ago following my mentor at the times suggestion, I would highly recommend doing this.\nThink of it as the Gödel, Escher, Bach, Brooks (Although Brook's writing style can be laborious at times)\nRecognizing patterns in all design work helped my understand my own design process better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read GEB along with Design of Design years ago following my mentor at the times suggestion, I would highly recommend doing this.",
          "reason": "Recommends reading it alongside Design of Design.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14846539,
          "author": "vldx",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T10:14:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14846539",
          "commentText": "I've just recently bought \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" -- looking shortly to start it. Curious, how did it influenced you in connection to programming?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I've just recently bought \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" -- looking shortly to start it.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Has bought it and plans to start reading, but gives no evaluation of the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14846482,
          "author": "BJanecke",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T09:59:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14846482",
          "commentText": "* Douglas Hofstadter - Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid\n* Fred Brooks -  Design Of Design\n* Fred Brooks - The Mythical Man month\n* Eric J. Evans - Domain Driven Design\n* Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software\n* Kent Beck - Extreme Programming Explained\n* Kent Beck - Planning Extreme Programming\n*  Michael C. Feathers - Working Effectively with Legacy Code\n* Daniel Kahneman - Thinking, Fast and Slow\n[EDIT] Correct the author for legacy code",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid",
          "reason": "Included in a list answering which books affected how the commenter structures code.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14479304,
          "author": "radicality",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-04T00:41:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14479304",
          "commentText": "Isn't that mostly a book of math problems? I've read some of his other books (GEB, The Mind's I, I'm a Strange Loop) - how does it compare to those?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I've read some of his other books (GEB, The Mind's I, I'm a Strange Loop)",
          "reason": "The commenter lists it among Hofstadter's books they have read while asking how another title compares.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14137439,
          "author": "azeirah",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T09:32:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14137439",
          "commentText": "Godel Escher Bach is fairly bible-ish if you ask me\nAnother set of books I consider to be \"one\" bible are Edward Tufte's (1) The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, (2) Envisioning Information, (3) Visual Explanations and (4) Beautiful Evidence.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Godel Escher Bach is fairly bible-ish if you ask me",
          "reason": "The commenter considers it bible-like.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13971140,
          "author": "Fripplebubby",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T19:57:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13971140",
          "commentText": "I think GEB holds up almost 40 years later - it's very much steeped in GOFAI[1] optimism, but the substance of the book, the intersection between math and art, its silliness and approachability, its pure fun, is absolutely as important now as when published.\n1 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbolic_artificial_intelligen... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbolic_artificial_intelligence) i.e. AI that isn't machine learning",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "GEB holds up almost 40 years later",
          "reason": "Praises the book’s lasting substance, approachability, and fun.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it is steeped in GOFAI optimism.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13901031,
          "author": "JamilD",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T12:47:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13901031",
          "commentText": "Firstly, I don't think you can dive straight into coding without understanding the fundamentals. AI is such a broad and rich field, and there's a lot you need to know before you start.\nIt also depends on what you're going to focus on. Are you looking to implement a game-playing agent? An object recognition algorithm? More of a logic focus?\nIf you just want Deep Learning and statistical methods, then Bishop's Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning is a good start. Otherwise, Russel and Norvig's Artificial Intelligence or Patrick Winston's similarly titled book are great starting points. For more big-picture stuff,\nMarvin Minsky's Society of Mind is great, and Hofstader's Gödel, Escher, Bach is a classic too. Both are a lot less practical though, which seems to be what you're looking for.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Hofstader's Gödel, Escher, Bach is a classic too",
          "reason": "Called a classic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A lot less practical than the requester seeks.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13900933,
          "author": "cowpig",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T12:12:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13900933",
          "commentText": "AI: A Modern Approach (Russell, Norvig) and Deep Learning (Goodfellow, Bengio) have been mentioned already.\nI'd also recommend:\nGodel, Escher Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid\nby Douglas Hofstadter. Might not be exactly what you're looking for (it's all over the place, touching music theory, math, art, philosophy...), but it's fun and enjoyable to read. Also very dense.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Godel, Escher Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid",
          "reason": "Recommended as fun and enjoyable to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "May not match the request exactly; covers many subjects and is very dense.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13804150,
          "author": "cgh",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:16:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804150",
          "commentText": "I'm not sure what \"fundamentally\" means in this context, but these certainly made a lasting impact upon my young mind:\nGodel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter\nDune by Frank Herbert\nPost Office by Charles Bukowski\nV. by Thomas Pynchon\nBlood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy\nPretty much everything by JL Borges",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Godel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a lasting impact on the commenter’s young mind.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13803959,
          "author": "yesbabyyes",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T16:59:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13803959",
          "commentText": "Fundamentally changed are so big words but these were pretty cool:\n- Douglas Hofstadter's GEB: An Eternal Golden Braid\n- Debt: The First 5,000 Years by David Graeber\n- Ursula K. LeGuin's The Word for World is Forest\n- Propaganda by Edward Bernays\n- Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond\n-  Empires: The Logic of World Domination from Ancient Rome to the United States by Herfried Münkler\n- Smedley D. Butler's War is a Racket (more of an exposé)\n- In Praise of Idleness by Bertrand Russell (ditto)\n- Neuromancer by William Gibson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Douglas Hofstadter's GEB: An Eternal Golden Braid",
          "reason": "Listed among books that changed the way the commenter thinks about the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13413229,
          "author": "lllllll",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T21:34:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13413229",
          "commentText": "haha, I'm reading it now - finally after many years - and I can absolutely relate to the feeling you describe. I decided that I won't be hard on myself for not understanding it all at the first read. Still quite enjoying it so far (1/3rd read). Additionally I also decided that I don't have to finish it unless I feel like ( specially considering it's 800pages).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm reading it now - finally after many years - and I can absolutely relate to the feeling you describe.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is enjoying it so far but says they may not finish it and don't expect to understand everything on the first read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13410364,
          "author": "reckoner2",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T15:11:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13410364",
          "commentText": "This would be my recommendation as well. It is closer to a textbook, than say a popular science book, but is still a very fun, engaging, and at times pretty funny read.\nSimilarly to books like GEB, it really exposed me to a whole range of fascinating ideas and topics that I am now interested in.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Similarly to books like GEB, it really exposed me to a whole range of fascinating ideas and topics",
          "reason": "Compares the recommended book to GEB for exposing the reader to fascinating ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13410143,
          "author": "kabdib",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T14:33:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13410143",
          "commentText": "It's a fun read. 30+ years since I last read it, I'll have to bump it up on The Pile :-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a fun read. 30+ years since I last read it, I'll have to bump it up on The Pile :-)",
          "reason": "Calls it a fun read and plans to revisit it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238963,
          "author": "cgh",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T17:52:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238963",
          "commentText": "> 1. The Recursive Universe: Cosmic Complexity and the Limits of Scientific Knowledge - Poundstone, William\nWonderful, I have never once in my life encountered another person who has read this book. I first read it as a student in the '90s and, like \"Godel, Escher, Bach\" and \"QED\", it made such an impact on me.\nStrangely, just yesterday I found myself recommending it to someone who is currently reading the new John Conway biography and had questions about the Game of Life.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "like \"Godel, Escher, Bach\"",
          "reason": "Says the book made a strong impression while they were a student.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13117318,
          "author": "internaut",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-06T19:06:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13117318",
          "commentText": "To those unacquainted, imagine if Godel Escher Bach mated with The Lord of the Rings. It is a true masterpiece.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "imagine if Godel Escher Bach mated with The Lord of the Rings",
          "reason": "Used as a comparison to describe the book being discussed in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12417361,
          "author": "mathsciencekid",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-03T02:04:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12417361",
          "commentText": "I grew up in a single-parent household back in the 70's before computers and\nstartups were the thing they are now and although my mom was an uneducated immigrant,\nI was fortunate to grow up in the bay area and get an education at a good public school\nwhere my teachers introduced me to\n  Harold Jacobs's \"Geometry\"\n  Nietziche's \"Thus Spoke Zarathustra\"\n  Freeman Dyson's \"Disturbing The Universe\"\n  Nigel Calder's \"The Key to the Universe\"\n  Jacob Bronowski's \"The Ascent of Man\"\n  Douglas Hofstadter's \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\"\n\nI especially loved spending time in the library, reading OMNI magazine, Scientific American \nmagazine (especially Martin Gardner's column) and the stories of Issac Asimov and Larry Niven.\nThose authors made me want to go to college and learn from people like them - people capable\nof thinking big ideas about science and civilization - and while none of those books ever \nhelped me raise money or start a business, they did help me help me overcome my personal \nfeelings of inadequacy from having come from a poor family and eventually become accepted \ninto a technical community which appreciated an ability to think and ask questions.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Douglas Hofstadter's \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\"",
          "reason": "Names it among books that helped inspire the commenter to pursue education and big ideas.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in science and civilization.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12246203,
          "author": "mdikici",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T08:19:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12246203",
          "commentText": "\"Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid\" by Douglas R. Hofstadter",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid\" by Douglas R. Hofstadter",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12143825,
          "author": "msluyter",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T14:46:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12143825",
          "commentText": "1. Godel, Escher, Bach -- Because it sparked my interest and got me started down the path.\n2. The Pragmatic Programmer -- a classic. Reminds me that I need to re-read it.\n3. Effective Oracle by Design, by Tom Kyte -- Not that I use Oracle any more, thankfully, but really provided a lot of insight about how databases function and how it pays to deeply understand their internals when writing webapps.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Because it sparked my interest and got me started down the path.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it sparked their interest and started them on their path.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12099250,
          "author": "selmat",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T06:28:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12099250",
          "commentText": "Updated as new comment since two hours already elapsed\n[1] Concepts, Techniques, and Models of Computer Programming (MIT Press) - URL: https://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Techniques-Models-Computer-P... (https://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Techniques-Models-Computer-Programming/dp/0262220695)\n[2] The Big Book of Concepts (MIT Press)  - URL: https://www.amazon.com/Big-Book-Concepts-MIT-Press/dp/026263... (https://www.amazon.com/Big-Book-Concepts-MIT-Press/dp/0262632993/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468535286&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Big+Book+of+Concepts)\n[3] Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid - URL: https://www.amazon.com/Gödel-Escher-Bach-Eternal-Golden/dp/0... (https://www.amazon.com/Gödel-Escher-Bach-Eternal-Golden/dp/0465026567/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468535300&sr=8-1&keywords=escher+godel+bach)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12098726,
          "author": "pklausler",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T03:08:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12098726",
          "commentText": "Infinite Jest\nUlysses\nThe Selfish Gene\nThe Histories of Herodotus\nMoby-Dick\nGödel, Escher, Bach",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gödel, Escher, Bach",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12097680,
          "author": "selmat",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-14T22:28:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12097680",
          "commentText": "1. https://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Techniques-Models-Computer-P... (https://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Techniques-Models-Computer-Programming/dp/0262220695)\n2. https://www.amazon.com/Big-Book-Concepts-MIT-Press/dp/026263... (https://www.amazon.com/Big-Book-Concepts-MIT-Press/dp/0262632993/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468535286&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Big+Book+of+Concepts)\n3. https://www.amazon.com/Gödel-Escher-Bach-Eternal-Golden/dp/0... (https://www.amazon.com/Gödel-Escher-Bach-Eternal-Golden/dp/0465026567/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468535300&sr=8-1&keywords=escher+godel+bach)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://www.amazon.com/Gödel-Escher-Bach-Eternal-Golden/dp/0...",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12070333,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T11:37:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12070333",
          "commentText": "So far, the best book about startups I have read is Traction, it's extremely useful overview of all the ways to get traffic/customers.\nI also making my way through GEB, it's relly interesting, though hard to read.\nAnd I am reading \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies\", it is a collection of rationality essays by Eliezer Yudkowsky, and it's amazing.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it's relly interesting, though hard to read",
          "reason": "Finds it really interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Hard to read",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229918,
          "author": "Ping_2_Ur_Pong",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T16:31:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229918",
          "commentText": "Below list are some of my favorite books overall that I didn't see mentioned.\n---Non-software related\nHow to win friends and influence people -Dale Carnegie (The definitive guide to helping you work better with people, truly great book, should be required reading)\nBlink- Malcolm Gladwell\nGodel Escher, Bach -  (Recursion, but not from a software perspective.  Its a glorious book that will change the way you think about recursion.)\nHitch Hiker's guide to the galaxy, - Douglas Adams  (Glorious book that is a fun read, when you need a break pick this up and laugh hard)\nFoundation Series - Assimov (Great stories from one of the best sci-fi writers ever)\n-------------------Software related\nCode Complete\nConcrete Mathematics\nThe Art of Computer Programming\nThe Design of the Unix Operating System\nIntroduction to Algorithms -Cormen\nDesign Patterns Elements of Resusable OO Design -Gang of Four",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Godel Escher, Bach -  (Recursion, but not from a software perspective. Its a glorious book that will change the way you think about recursion.)",
          "reason": "Calls it glorious and says it changes how one thinks about recursion.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in recursion beyond a software perspective.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10325621,
          "author": "keeringplastik",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T22:22:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325621",
          "commentText": "\"Chaos\",James Gleick\nMaybe not the best book for understanding chaos theory, but I have not stopped seeing stochastic patterns and applying concepts of fractal geometry to things I come across in life as I attempt to wrap my mind around some of the deeply complex phenomena in the universe. Whether being enraptured by the flitting and fluttering of a curtain in a breeze, or in observing the fundamental structure of a trees growth and branching. \nThe whole concept of the poincare section completely blew my mind open, even though the math was well over my head. The book stunned my feeble mind. Even though it has been about 15 years, no scientifically centered book has resonated as strongly since.\nAs an aside: GEB has come up so often it has reminded me that it was on my short list of books to read once upon a time, alas, before the internet stole my time.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "GEB has come up so often it has reminded me that it was on my short list of books to read once upon a time",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter planned to read it but gives no evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10324904,
          "author": "thescribe",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T18:39:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10324904",
          "commentText": "Two books come to mind almost immedatley one fiction, the other non-fiction.\nThe Library of Babel by Jorge Luis Borges, this really shook my belief in the meaning of ordered data.\nGödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter, I read this right after I finished high-school, and it turned a math-hating young man into a math obsessed man.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it turned a math-hating young man into a math obsessed man.",
          "reason": "Credits it with turning them from disliking math to becoming fascinated by it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175602,
          "author": "malux85",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:32:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175602",
          "commentText": "Godel, Escher and Bach\nThe elements of statistical learning\nThe murders of the Rue Morge (Poe stories mix)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Godel, Escher and Bach",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175595,
          "author": "analog31",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:30:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175595",
          "commentText": "Godel, Escher, Bach was one of the things that inspired me to study math in college. These days I'm just trying to do more reading and less mindless web surfing, to see if it helps me think better. Right now: Sherlock Holmes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Godel, Escher, Bach was one of the things that inspired me to study math in college.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it inspired them to study math.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10029631,
          "author": "chm",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-09T05:49:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10029631",
          "commentText": "That was my experience as well. Another poster mentioned Quantum Computing Since Democritus by Aaronson. The latter seems more technically difficult but I enjoye it more than GED. I haven't been able to \"get into\" GED in the last 3 times I have started reading it. It's just long and rambling (to me). I don't \"get it\", but maybe I will one day, the book's still on my bookshelf...",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I haven't been able to \"get into\" GED in the last 3 times I have started reading it. It's just long and rambling (to me).",
          "reason": "Describes it as long and rambling and says they have struggled to get into it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter allows that they may understand it one day.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10028993,
          "author": "timbuckley",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T23:49:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10028993",
          "commentText": "Completely disagree. GEB is the opposite of what OP was asking for. It takes pages to make points that can be done far more economically and concisely.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "GEB is the opposite of what OP was asking for. It takes pages to make points that can be done far more economically and concisely.",
          "reason": "Criticizes the book as unnecessarily long-winded for the requested high signal-to-noise ratio.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10027652,
          "author": "nandemo",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T16:06:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027652",
          "commentText": "Presumably, \"Goedel, Escher, Bach\" by Douglas Hofstadter.\nWhich, incidentally, doesn't have a particularly high \"signal-to-noise ratio\" but it's one of the most interesting books I've ever read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "doesn't have a particularly high \"signal-to-noise ratio\" but it's one of the most interesting books I've ever read.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the most interesting books the commenter has read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it does not have a particularly high signal to noise ratio.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10027647,
          "author": "rndn",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T16:06:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027647",
          "commentText": "If you consider extravagance as noise, this book will have a terrible SNR. (I think it's nonetheless worth reading. It's basically an introduction to the theory of computation with fables and plenty of illustrating examples by Escher and Bach (both of which have unknowingly used important concepts from computation in their works). It is definitely much easier to read after having attended to a theory of computation I lecture.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "this book will have a terrible SNR. (I think it's nonetheless worth reading.",
          "reason": "Says it is worth reading and describes it as an introduction to computation theory with fables and examples.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Its extravagance may make its signal to noise ratio terrible; easier after a theory of computation course.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10027609,
          "author": "jimhefferon",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T15:58:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027609",
          "commentText": "Probably Godel Escher Bach https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6del,_Escher,_Bach",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Probably Godel Escher Bach",
          "reason": "Suggested as a likely fit for the high signal to noise request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10027587,
          "author": "tomp",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T15:51:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027587",
          "commentText": "GEB?",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "GEB?",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10027563,
          "author": "rsync",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T15:46:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027563",
          "commentText": "Rising Up and Rising Down:  Some Thoughts on Violence, Freedom and Urgent Means\nAuthor:  William T. Vollmann\nIt's a 7 volume set, but has a one volume abridged version which is one of the more fascinating and thought-provoking books I have ever read.  I rate it very closely to GEB.\nHighly recommended.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I rate it very closely to GEB.",
          "reason": "Uses it as a favorable comparison for the recommended book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674676,
          "author": "mikefantast",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T14:13:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674676",
          "commentText": "Hofstadter - GEB - for sure\nThe Malazan Book of the Fallen (10 volumes) - Stephen Erikson - redefines impenetrable\nUse of Weapons by Iain M Banks - master of the interwoven narrative",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hofstadter - GEB - for sure",
          "reason": "Confidently names it as an answer to the request for a mind-blowing book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674533,
          "author": "jrs235",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T13:22:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674533",
          "commentText": "\"I want to find the absolutely crazy-to-grasp book of all times.\"\nGödel, Escher, Bach - An Eternal Golden Braid, by Douglas Hofstadter. Anytime I start reading a story which contains recursiveness my mind will feel warped and stuck in a loop at times.\nhttp://amzn.to/1KijebX (affiliate link)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0465026567 (non affiliate link)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gödel, Escher, Bach - An Eternal Golden Braid, by Douglas Hofstadter. Anytime I start reading a story which contains recursiveness my mind will feel warped and stuck in a loop at times.",
          "reason": "Connects the book to a mind-warping feeling when reading stories about recursion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674322,
          "author": "sriku",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T12:09:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674322",
          "commentText": "Gödel, Escher, Bach - An Eternal Golden Braid, by Douglas Hofstadter. Both a work of literary and technical genius.\nLe ton beau de Marot, also by Douglas Hofstadter. Was blown by his description of how making the typographical choice of starting the first word of each chapter with letters decreasing in height to the normal page font size, caused him to rethink a whole chapter (he couldn't use descenders, which limits the first word, which limits his first sentence, which constrains his first paragraph and so on).\nHarry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, by Eliezer Yudkowsky. Every single chapter is potentially mind blowing. The whole approach of trying to instruct rationality through such fiction is itself brilliant I think.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Both a work of literary and technical genius.",
          "reason": "Calls it a work of literary and technical genius.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9637141,
          "author": "rendambathu",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-01T07:19:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 9636361,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9637141",
          "commentText": "I wanted to read something about logical thinking and cognition. So just started with Godel Escher Bach.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "So just started with Godel Escher Bach.",
          "reason": "The commenter has just started this book to learn about logical thinking and cognition.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in logical thinking and cognition.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has only just started reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9354553,
          "author": "Nicholas_C",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-10T14:33:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9354553",
          "commentText": "I see this book lauded on HN frequently. Would it be interesting/understandable for someone who doesn't have a CS background but has an interest in CS?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I see this book lauded on HN frequently. Would it be interesting/understandable for someone who doesn't have a CS background but has an interest in CS?",
          "reason": "Asks whether the book is accessible and interesting to someone without a computer science background.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computer science who lack a formal CS background.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9350656,
          "author": "stenl",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T20:08:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350656",
          "commentText": "It's definitely fantastic, and one of the books that had the greatest influence on my thinking (I read it as a teenager, 20+ years ago).\nIf you want something less theoretical, more personal, poetic and emotional, his \"Le ton beau de Marot\" (English, despite the title) is also fabulous. He takes a short poem and translates it a hundred different ways, all the while musing about what \"translation\" means (literal, conveying the same emotion, using the same metaphors, between cultures...) as well as about thought, language and meaning more generally. And then, while he writes the book, his wife gets a brain tumor and dies, and the book becomes part of his mourning.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's definitely fantastic, and one of the books that had the greatest influence on my thinking",
          "reason": "Calls it fantastic and says it strongly influenced their thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348932,
          "author": "wankel",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:47:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348932",
          "commentText": "The only reason anyone needs to never read anything by Dan Brown is Dan Brown's writing.\nI'm terrible at random-access, on-demand list building like this, but I strongly agree about a few of the other things mentioned here:\nMeditations by Marcus Aurelius\nGodel, Escher, Bach by Hofstadter\nOrthodoxy by GK Chesterton\nThe Abolition of Man by CS Lewis\nWalden by Thoreau\nA few of the better and more philosophical bits out of the bible (especially in a good modern translation), including Ecclesiastes and 1 Corinthians 13\nTo this list, I would also add Ralph Waldo Emerson's classic essays, including Self-Reliance and Experience",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Godel, Escher, Bach by Hofstadter",
          "reason": "Strongly agrees with the book being included in a list of perspective-changing books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348434,
          "author": "kabdib",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:55:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348434",
          "commentText": "\"Godel, Escher, Bach\" by Douglas Hopfstadter. I was in high school when it came out, and it really opened my eyes up to the field of computability. The philosophy was interesting, too.\n\"Holy the Firm\" by Annie Dillard. Not really about religion, more about our relationship to the world. A beautifully written little book.\n\"The Making of the Atomic Bomb\" by Richard Rhodes. This one works on me at several levels: The physics (which are explained well), the sheer titanic scope of the Manhattan project, and the meta-knowledge that someone was able to write a book this good.\n\"The C Programming Language\", by Kernighan and Ritchie. Probably the single most influential book on programming that I've read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Godel, Escher, Bach\" by Douglas Hopfstadter. I was in high school when it came out, and it really opened my eyes up to the field of computability.",
          "reason": "Says it opened their eyes to computability and found its philosophy interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348419,
          "author": "grey-area",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:53:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348419",
          "commentText": "Meditations by Marcus Aurelius - a wonderfully simple explanation of what is truly important in life.\nThe Order of Things or Madness and Civilisation by Michel Foucault - a look at how our culture and time limit the horizons of our world view.\nAnna Karenina by Tolstoy - a complicated set of love stories set in 19C Russia - brilliantly observed.\nGodel, Escher, Bach by Hofstadter - an exhilarating skip through the wonderland of western maths, art, music and philosophy.\nFounders at Work by Jessica Livingston - a great insight into the first computer revolution - interviews with a lot of very interesting people.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Godel, Escher, Bach by Hofstadter - an exhilarating skip through the wonderland of western maths, art, music and philosophy.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an exhilarating exploration of mathematics, art, music, and philosophy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348293,
          "author": "ryanSrich",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:36:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348293",
          "commentText": "Currently I'm trudging through GEB[1]. Last month I read:\n- The Dip (super short read and has a few good points but overall I didn't really like it)[2]\n- Going Clear (great book, terrible formatting, but a great book)[3]\n- The Martian (short read, very entertaining and well researched)[4]\n1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6del,_Escher,_Bach\n2. http://sethgodin.typepad.com/the_dip/\n3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Going_Clear\n4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Martian_%28Weir_novel%29",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Currently I'm trudging through GEB",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9347895,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T14:48:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9347895",
          "commentText": "Here's my usual list of recommendations, the best books I've read in the past 5 years.\nFiction:\n- Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\nIf you know nothing about this book you might naturally hesitate to read \"Harry Potter fanfiction\" and assume that it's dumb/horrbile, but it's not. Just suspend your disbelief and read the first 5-10 chapters. Trust me, it's brilliant, hilarious, and life-changing.\n- Atlas Shrugged\nControversial, I know, a lot of people here hate it for some reason, but it was incredibly influential on me, inspired my passion for entrepreneurship and science and philosophy. Still is one of the best books I am aware of.\nNonfiction:\n- Hackers and Painters by Paul Graham\nAlso a collection of his essays that you can find on github. He is one of the most clever writers I am aware of, but I assume you know that, since you're on HN.\n- \"On Intelligence\" by Jeff Hawkins\nThis book explains in simple terms a very awesome and elegant theory on how mind works. Incredibly fascinating, I've learned a lot from it and it explains a lot of things, and will change the way you think about thinking process.\n- The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins\nEngaging and entertaining explanation of evolution, absolutely fantastic book.\n- The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli.\nDespite the stigma, and people thinking that Machhiavellian = \"evil\", I've found this book extremely clever and wise.\n- Serious Creativity by Edward De Bono\nThe best book on creativity and the process of generating ideas that I'm aware of.\n- Abundance\nThis is a very inspiring and optimistic book about the future of technology.\nEntrepreneurhsip:\n- Start Small, Stay Small\nGuide to creating your first product/business for hackers. It lays out all the basics of entrepreneurship in a very concise and clear ways, my favorite introduction to startups.\n- Rework\nVery wise and intelligent advice about startups, intelligent and witty, must read.\n- Lean Startup\nClassic book on \"lean startup methodology\", very useful.\n- 4-Hour Workweek\nDespite the silly title I think it is a great book and is very much worth reading. Many people here dislike Tim Ferris, but whatever, I think this book is cool.\nAutobiographies:\n- Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman\n- Ghost In The Wires by Kevin Mitnick\n- Catch me if you can by Abagnale\n- iWoz by Steve Wozniak\n- Losing my Virginity by Richard Branson\nAll these are fantastic and very intelligent autobiographies by the very awesome people.\nNow I'm reading \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" and \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies.\"\n\"Rationality\" is great and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. Can't say much about GEB, I've only started reading it, but everyone is saying that it is so great and the best book ever, so I think it's definitely worth checking out.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Can't say much about GEB, I've only started reading it, but everyone is saying that it is so great and the best book ever, so I think it's definitely worth checking out.",
          "reason": "Thinks it is worth checking out based on others' praise, while noting they have only just started it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The positive assessment is based on what others say; the commenter has only started reading it.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8795493,
          "author": "pizza",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T05:15:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795493",
          "commentText": "Another vote of confidence for GEB",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another vote of confidence for GEB",
          "reason": "Adds a vote of confidence for the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8528127,
          "author": "jordanpg",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-29T16:35:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 8528058,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Book Has the Most Page-for-Page Wisdom?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8528127",
          "commentText": "- The Open Society and Its Enemies by Karl Popper\n- Writings on an Ethical Life by Peter Singer\n- Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas R. Hofstadter\n- Arguably: Essays by Christopher Hitchens",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas R. Hofstadter",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401568,
          "author": "KhalilK",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:39:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401568",
          "commentText": "Godel, Escher, Bach;\nThis book is dense. But takes three times as long to read as any fiction that length. Most paragraphs require stopping and pondering.\nIt is my second time attempting to read this book. The first time, was about 6 months ago. Now, being on my second year in CPGE and having been through quite some math, it was more approachable.\nHofstadter invents his own system of formal mathematical logic and his own procedural programming language to explain concepts, without going into what would be considered a more \"standard\" formal logic system or even the Turing machine itself. He does a good job piecing them together but at certain times I feel like it'd be more meaningful to read the original works on several of the subjects he touches on.\nWhile formal logic certainly predates this book, a lot of the AI and neuroscience research that he describes were (and are) very much active. The book was published in 1979, and its references to AI reflect the time period.\nThe book is hard to read, especially for prolonged periods of time. It's dense and the concepts are not the easiest to begin with.\nWorth reading? Maybe.\nWill it expand your thinking? Probably, though maybe not as much as you might expect; due to the broad spectrum of topics covered, it's not as deep as I would like in some areas and spends too much time smoothing over difficult topics in certain fields in order to make \"clever\" maps between concepts in the fields (though in this aspect he's just being a computer scientist---simple representations that map cleanly across everything! Sadly, the world is not that way).\nVery good? Absolutely.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Very good? Absolutely.",
          "reason": "Concludes that the book is very good after discussing its strengths and limitations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Dense and difficult to read; the author says it can be less deep than expected in some areas.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8257665,
          "author": "Igglyboo",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T14:15:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257665",
          "commentText": "Just started reading GEB[1] after having it recommended by many IRL and on HN/proggit. Thoroughly blowing my mind, would recommend even if you don't have a CS background.\n[1]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6del,_Escher,_Bach",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Thoroughly blowing my mind, would recommend even if you don't have a CS background.",
          "reason": "Says it is mind-blowing and recommends it even without a computer science background.",
          "audience": "Readers without a computer science background as well as those with one.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has just started reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107058,
          "author": "danschuller",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:53:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107058",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed \"The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles\".\nI've have it recommended a few times but the title sounded a bit self help-like so I avoided it. Eventually I did ready and it's pretty great. It covers how people manage to get work done, which is pretty important for everyone.\nLast year I read The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt. It's non-fiction, though I believe the central premise is a little tongue in cheek. An ancient Roman manuscript that's rediscovered and helps set off the enlightenment and our modern culture.\nFor Buddhism I enjoyed Zen Flesh, Zen Bones by Paul Reps, mainly a collection of translated koans. If you've never it I recommend Godel Escher Bach : An Eternal Golden Braid, as it also likes to play with Buddhism. It's a book that tends to get a bit of hate but I found it quite fun and playful.\nNon-fiction for sci-fi and fantasy: Robin Hobb and Vernor Vinge.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If you've never it I recommend Godel Escher Bach : An Eternal Golden Braid, as it also likes to play with Buddhism.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly recommends it and notes its playful treatment of Buddhism.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Buddhism and playful ideas.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it tends to get some hate.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107037,
          "author": "cursork",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:46:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107037",
          "commentText": "That's a great book. I've just started reading I Am A Strange Loop by Hofstadter and it's promising.\nAlso by Hofstadter: Le Ton beau de Marot was a good read.\nGEB is the big one, but if you like his style - probably worth checking out some of the others. Best to get print books for this particular author though.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "GEB is the big one, but if you like his style - probably worth checking out some of the others.",
          "reason": "The comment refers to it as Hofstadter's major work and suggests it as a starting point for exploring his books.",
          "audience": "Readers who like Hofstadter's style.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8106920,
          "author": "fractalb",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:10:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106920",
          "commentText": "I'm currently reading \"Godel, Escher, Bach\" by Douglas Hofstadter",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm currently reading \"Godel, Escher, Bach\" by Douglas Hofstadter",
          "reason": "Reports currently reading it without evaluating or recommending it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8026695,
          "author": "ccvannorman",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-13T04:53:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 8025870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8026695",
          "commentText": "Love and Math - Edward Frenkel\nA very powerful book, both for its insights into incredible symmetries across all fields of mathematics (touching on QM and fields), and for the appeal to a positive and engaging attitude towards an incredibly rich fabric of math everywhere in the world\n========================================\nGodel Escher Bach - Douglas Hoffstadter\nUsing isomorphisms between genetics, programming, and math to understand why it doesn't make sense to fully formalize a system, and that logic itself always breaks when you attempt to be rigid, by the very nature of its logical contsruction. Also a VERY readable book, complete with anecdotal fantasy stories about animals.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also a VERY readable book, complete with anecdotal fantasy stories about animals.",
          "reason": "Calls the book very readable and describes its connections among genetics, programming, and mathematics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7969728,
          "author": "KhalilK",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T09:07:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7969728",
          "commentText": "I felt overwhelmed by the metaphorical meanings!!\nDefinitely going to let it sink in first before taking another plunge as well ;)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I felt overwhelmed by the metaphorical meanings!!",
          "reason": "Describes being overwhelmed by the book’s metaphorical meanings.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Plans to let it sink in before reading further.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968400,
          "author": "malokai",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:45:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968400",
          "commentText": "I also started Gödel, Escher, Bach.  Have yet to finish the preface.\nDiscover Meteor: a book for the Meteorjs framework.  Good book if you want to learn the framework.\nI read a lot of fiction I guess.\nNow I am reading American Gods, and before that, Dune.  Before Dune I read the 2 released books of The Kingkiller Chronicle.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I also started Gödel, Escher, Bach.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Has only started it and has yet to finish the preface.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968359,
          "author": "eliben",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:38:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968359",
          "commentText": "GEB is a good book to finish, congrats. Unless you're exceptionally brilliant and got it all on the first read, plan to read it at least once more though. But let it sink first :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "GEB is a good book to finish, congrats. Unless you're exceptionally brilliant and got it all on the first read, plan to read it at least once more though.",
          "reason": "Calls it a good book and recommends rereading it to let it sink in.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Suggests rereading unless the reader understood it on the first pass.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6983854,
          "author": "Snail_Commando",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-30T09:39:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 6981802,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good general technical books for teenagers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6983854",
          "commentText": "There are already suggestions in this thread that are better than mine, but I'll still throw my hat in the ring.\nThat's great that she's interested in biology. I'd like to gently suggest that if she \"isn't very enthusiastic about computers or technology\", you should instead try to nurture her demonstrated interest in art, biology, and other science.\nI know absolutely nothing about art, except that I apparently have no taste. So I'll refrain from making any suggestions on art books.\nTL;DR: Skip down to the third section for the \"technical book\" suggestion.\n--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n(1)\nHere are some suggestions of books on general science, biology, and chemistry (in no particular order, these are some of the first ones that come to my mind):\n\"The Structure of Scientific Revolutions\" By Thomas S. Kuhn\n\"The Diversity of Life\" By Edward O. Wilson\n\"The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time\"  by Jonathan Weiner\n\"Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes: Further Reflections in Natural History\"  by Stephen Jay Gould\n\"Life on a Young Planet\" By Andrew H. Knoll\n\"Galápagos\" By Kurt Vonnegut (Fiction, but related) (I loved this book, but it's not for everyone I suppose. A couple of my friends didn't like it.)\n\"Napoleon's Buttons\" By Penny Le Couteur and Jay Burreson\n\"The Lives of a Cell: Notes of a Biology Watcher\" By Lewis Thomas\n---------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n(2)\nIf she's interested in learning a lot about cellular biology in beautifully exhaustive detail, buy her this textbook:\n\"Molecular Biology of the Cell\" By Bruce Alberts, Paul Walter, Alexander Johnson, Julian Lewis, Martin Raff, Keith Roberts\nThis book is huge. And it is wonderful.\n---------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n---Read this suggestion if my other suggestions aren't good---\n(3)\nSo you want a technical book? And she's interested in biology?\nBuy her a copy of:\n\"The Principles of Biomedical Informatics\" By Ira J. Kalet\nThis textbook is incredible. It teaches you some fundamentals of many different flavors of bioinformatics. (Different flavors, because, as the author acknowledges, bioinformatics can mean many things.) You can learn how to work with amino acid sequences, protein modeling, medical imaging, probabilistic biomedical models, and more!\nSince you have SICP and LoL on your bookshelf already, you might love the next part. The entire textbook is a cleverly accessible primer on how to build applications with Common Lisp. Whether you're a greybeard Lisp hacker or a repl-noob, you'll like this book if you are interested in learning about bioinformatics.\nI've had the first edition for quite some time. Recently, I think in the past few months, a second edition was released. Someone gifted me the 2nd ed, :) but I haven't really compared the two.\n----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\nI was going to suggest Gödel, Escher, Bach when you mentioned she was interested in art, and were hoping to find a technical book for her. Then I saw that you already had tried that one. I'm going to leave the suggestion anyway because these types of threads are wonderful for finding great books.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I was going to suggest Gödel, Escher, Bach when you mentioned she was interested in art, and were hoping to find a technical book for her.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they would have suggested it, while noting the parent had already tried it.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in art and technical ideas.",
          "caveat": "The parent had already tried it, and the daughter had shown no interest in it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6923553,
          "author": "adamwong246",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-17T20:04:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 6921805,
          "threadTitle": "What book has inspired you the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6923553",
          "commentText": "Godel Escher Bach",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Godel Escher Bach",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that inspired the reader.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5859187,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-11T02:22:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 5859004,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5859187",
          "commentText": ">> 1. What books are you currently reading?\nWell, I'm one of those people who has a bookmark in about 15 different books that I'm \"currently reading\" but some are higher priorities than others, and some will never be finished (probably) and others I'll have to start over since I've forgotten what was happening when I sat it aside, etc.  But offhand, I can think of:\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore - re-reading this one\nThe Prime Solution - Jeff Thull - 3rd Jeff Thull book on selling that I've read lately, and I'll probably reread the entire series when I finish this one\nThe New Solution Selling  - re-reading this - can you tell I'm starting to try and move into sales?\nSelling to VITO - more sales stuff.\nHow to Create A Mind - Ray Kurzweil\nGodel, Escher, Bach - Douglas Hofstadter - set this aside over a year ago; about halfway through, will probably finish it, but FSM only knows when\nA New Kind of Science - Stephen Wolfram (see above about GEB)\nMadame Bovary - Meh. May finish one day, may not.  Would have to start it over at this point.\nREAMDE - Neal Stephenson - set this aside a while back, but intend to finish it eventually.  Will probably restart from the beginning.\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Stephen Gary Blank - I'm kinda in a perpetual state of reading and re-reading sections of this book.\nThe Dispossessed - Ursula K. LeGuin - sat this aside quite some time ago, will have to start over at some point.\nThe Man In The Moss - Phil Rickman - another one that I sat aside for a while, and may or may not ever bother finishing.  Weird, because I usually really enjoy Rickman's work and just tear through his books, but I got stalled out on this one for some reason.\n>> 2. Which book has helped you the most?\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Stephen Gary Blank.\nAlso, The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki and Crossing the Chasm by Moore.\nOf all these sales books I've read lately, I'm really starting to buy into this \"Diagnostic Selling\" stuff by Jeff Thull, so I'd endorse Mastering The Complex Sale, Exceptional Selling and The Prime Solution by Thull. Also, The New Solution Selling.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Godel, Escher, Bach - Douglas Hofstadter",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Set aside over a year ago, about halfway through; when or whether it will be finished is uncertain.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4967207,
          "author": "mridulk",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T21:51:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967207",
          "commentText": "India specific : India after Gandhi, India Unbound \nComputer Science : GEB( still reading), Mahout in Action \nGeneral : Cryptonomicon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "GEB( still reading)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Still reading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4966962,
          "author": "jlangenauer",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T20:09:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4966962",
          "commentText": "Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofsteder. Barely needs any introduction here, but the depth of thought is just staggering.\nLights Out in Wonderland by D.B.C. Pierre. A wonderful story with a few incidental observations about modern society.\nThe Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. Sure, you can read about people who've made everything, but what about people who lose everything. Absolutely everything. Shattering, tragic fiction.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the depth of thought is just staggering.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its depth of thought.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4521040,
          "author": "verdverm",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-14T10:46:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 4513324,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading currently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4521040",
          "commentText": "Godel, Escher, Bach;",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Godel, Escher, Bach;",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4388779,
          "author": "jfaucett",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-15T22:58:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 4382456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: reading list for high school students interested in CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4388779",
          "commentText": "what programming languages do you teach? I ask because, I remember now back to when I first really started trying to program, and I think it would have been great to get introduced to interesting code bases back then. So guess, I'm just looking back now and will recommend what I wish I had had, maybe some of it help:)\nAs a teen, I fumbled around for a while before discovering linux and open source and that good feeling you get when you download the src and start perusing and firing up your debugger. Having said that if you teach js, I'd highly recommend dojo, underscore, I guess most c /c++ might be too advanced but if not Webkit, Redis, and glib are clean fun code bases and dissecting Lisp / Emacs was a blast. As far as answering you actual question goes, I really liked Gödel, Escher, Bach back then, also thinking recursively by Roberts. The only \"technical\" book I enjoyed reading was Modern Operating Systems by Tanenbaum ( don't know what current editions are like, the roughly 2000-2001 version was great though). Its was simple, very clear, humorous, and a gives a great overview of how the os works.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really liked Gödel, Escher, Bach back then",
          "reason": "The commenter says they liked it as a teen.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3565128,
          "author": "dncrane",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-08T04:58:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 3564256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best programming books for someone in prison?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3565128",
          "commentText": "Here's a good list of highly-praised books. Most of them look like they could make it past the censors: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1711/what-is-the-single-m... (http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1711/what-is-the-single-most-influential-book-every-programmer-should-read)\nFrom those I personally recommend \"Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\" and \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\". SICP might not make it through, but GEB definitely would (although its direct relevance to day-to-day work in web development may be questionable, it should do a lot to spark an interest in computer science).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "and \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\". SICP might not make it through, but GEB definitely would (although its direct relevance to day-to-day work in web development may be questionable, it should do a lot to spark an interest in computer science).",
          "reason": "Recommends it for sparking interest in computer science.",
          "audience": "Someone interested in computer science.",
          "caveat": "Its direct relevance to day-to-day web development may be questionable.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3564314,
          "author": "cliffwarden",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-08T00:05:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 3564256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best programming books for someone in prison?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3564314",
          "commentText": "Not sure if this is the right direction or not.  In different ways they are all, essentially, about programming...\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Code-Language-Computer-Hardware-Softwa... (http://www.amazon.com/Code-Language-Computer-Hardware-Software/dp/0735611319/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328659335&sr=8-1)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Elements-Computing-Systems-Building-Pr... (http://www.amazon.com/Elements-Computing-Systems-Building-Principles/dp/0262640686/ref=pd_vtp_b_1)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Structure-Interpretation-Computer-Prog... (http://www.amazon.com/Structure-Interpretation-Computer-Programs-Engineering/dp/0262510871/ref=pd_vtp_b_6)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/G%C3%B6del-Escher-Bach-Eternal-Golden/... (http://www.amazon.com/G%C3%B6del-Escher-Bach-Eternal-Golden/dp/0465026567/ref=pd_vtp_b_12)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Pragmatic-Programmer-Journeyman-Master... (http://www.amazon.com/Pragmatic-Programmer-Journeyman-Master/dp/020161622X/ref=pd_vtp_b_13)\nGood luck!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "http://www.amazon.com/G%C3%B6del-Escher-Bach-Eternal-Golden/...",
          "reason": "Included in a list answering which programming oriented books to recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3338211,
          "author": "gruseom",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T19:17:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3338211",
          "commentText": "I love Pattern Language and use ideas from it all the time. It, and Alexander, are much more interesting than the mechanistic stuff that software people reduced him to. I think Chris Alexander is one of those rare cases where it's possible to see that an individual is right and an entire field is wrong.\nGrowing a Business I read because you recommended it on HN a few years ago!\nPeopleware I remember as being pretty enlightened in spirit and ahead of its time for software projects, but one of those once-you-get-it-you-get-it things. Also, they totally made shit up in that book (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=333694).\nGEB, meh. Hofstadter always struck me as the pseudo-profound type. Perhaps I am unfair.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "GEB, meh. Hofstadter always struck me as the pseudo-profound type.",
          "reason": "Dismisses the book and calls its author pseudo-profound.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3338040,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T18:05:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3338040",
          "commentText": "I read Cialdini years ago because Joel Spolsky recommended it here:\nhttp://www.joelonsoftware.com/navLinks/fog0000000262.html\nFrom that list, I also highly recommend:\n* Peopleware (get your cofounders to read it too)\n* Godel Escher Bach\n* A Pattern Language (but don't bother reading it straight through)\n* Growing A Business",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Godel Escher Bach",
          "reason": "Included in the list the commenter says they highly recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231499,
          "author": "jhaddon",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T19:13:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231499",
          "commentText": "I'm still slowly working my way through GEB.  Also reading Ghost Story (Dresden Files #13) for some lighter fare.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "working my way through GEB",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231163,
          "author": "yuvadam",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T17:04:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231163",
          "commentText": "Gödel, Escher, Bach",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Gödel, Escher, Bach",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2922102,
          "author": "noahth",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-24T19:11:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 2919368,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have changed the way you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2922102",
          "commentText": "Lots of books have influenced me over time, but these are some of the books that have a lot of influence over my current mindset:\nGodel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid - Douglas Hofstadter\nImagined Communities - Benedict Anderson\nHistorical Capitalism - Immanuel Wallerstein\nYoung Man Luther - Erik Erikson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Godel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid - Douglas Hofstadter",
          "reason": "Listed among books that influenced the commenter's current mindset.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2639674,
          "author": "pitchups",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T03:31:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639674",
          "commentText": "Gödel, Escher, Bach - the best book ever hands down!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gödel, Escher, Bach - the best book ever hands down!",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the best book ever.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2615917,
          "author": "haffi112",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T11:23:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2615917",
          "commentText": "I'm currently reading Gödel, Escher, Bach an eternal golden braid. I definitely recommend it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm currently reading Gödel, Escher, Bach an eternal golden braid. I definitely recommend it.",
          "reason": "Explicitly says they definitely recommend the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414509,
          "author": "dytrivedi",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T09:58:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414509",
          "commentText": "Godel, Escher, Bach\nSICP\nArt of Computer Programming\nC Programming Language\nIntroduction to Algorithms\nLand of Lisp\n-- Extracted from my wishlist - http://flipkart.com/wishlist/dhavaltrivedi",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Godel, Escher, Bach",
          "reason": "Lists it among books on the commenter's wishlist in a thread asking for useful CS books.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking computer science study resources.",
          "caveat": "Listed as a wishlist item; no specific evaluation is given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414434,
          "author": "arethuza",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T09:15:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414434",
          "commentText": "I think GEB is an excellent books because it basically demonstrates in a reasonable accessible way that CS can be about rather more than \"how to write programs\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "GEB is an excellent books",
          "reason": "Calls the book excellent and says it shows computer science can extend beyond writing programs.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414384,
          "author": "samdalton",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T08:53:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414384",
          "commentText": "While not strictly a CS book, \"Godel, Escher, Bach\" by Douglas Hofstadter definitely has strong roots in the area. It's not a text book, nor anything even close, however, there is a reasonable amount of mathematics and programming language design which make it educational as well as inspirational (particularly formal logic systems, around which the premise of the book is built).\nThe book is somewhat life changing, in the questions that it asks. You might find yourself thinking about things differently, such as what it is to be conscious, can we ever achieve artificial intelligence, is there such a thing as fate, how was J.S. Bach able to produce such stunning compositions, etc.\nIt's quite heavy going however, but there's a slightly more succinct, terse version which he wrote a few years ago, called \"I Am a Strange Loop\". This book takes the point he was trying to make in the first book, and expands on it while adding clarification. It does lack a lot of story that the original contained, so it's not a complete replacement however.\nWhile I think of it, there's also Operating System Concepts by Silberschatz, Gagne and Galvin - http://www.amazon.com/Operating-System-Concepts-Windows-Upda... (http://www.amazon.com/Operating-System-Concepts-Windows-Update/dp/0471250600).\nIt's an extremely detailed look at how operating systems work, down to the lowest level, and it explains a large number of things that we interact with on a daily basis.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book is somewhat life changing, in the questions that it asks.",
          "reason": "Says it can change how readers think and explores consciousness, AI, fate, music, and formal logic.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in logic, consciousness, artificial intelligence, and mathematics.",
          "caveat": "Described as heavy going; not a textbook.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2330255,
          "author": "ZackOfAllTrades",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-16T01:16:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 2329700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that change your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2330255",
          "commentText": "I've been struggling through that lately. I keep getting distracted trying to prove or disprove there is a solution to the MU puzzle. He will present a new idea and I always have to go back and check to see if I can make any headway. I've tried the problem forwards, backwards, and from a numerical standpoint of counting I's. I just want to get to the end of the book and know whether or not it is possible.\nRegardless, that book will make your brain fold in it's self. Highly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Regardless, that book will make your brain fold in it's self. Highly recommended.",
          "reason": "Says it will make the reader's brain fold in on itself and explicitly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is struggling through it and wants to reach the end to learn whether the MU puzzle has a solution.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2330068,
          "author": "kgutteridge",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-16T00:07:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 2329700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that change your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2330068",
          "commentText": "I was recently given this book by a doctor friend its absolutely brilliant and should appeal to any hacker\nGödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "its absolutely brilliant and should appeal to any hacker\nGödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid",
          "reason": "Calls it brilliant and says it should appeal to hackers.",
          "audience": "Hackers",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2148879,
          "author": "mycroftiv",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T18:26:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2148879",
          "commentText": "\"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" by Douglas Hofstadter. It taught me a lot about thinking about not just patterns, but metapatterns and metametapatterns.\n\"The Emperor's New Mind\" by Roger Penrose. A truly brilliant and eminent mathematician/physicist boldly stepping up to grapple with the profound challenge of understanding how math, mind, and physics intertwine. Penrose's commentary on the role of entropy in cosmology transformed how I understand reality.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It taught me a lot about thinking about not just patterns, but metapatterns and metametapatterns.",
          "reason": "Says it taught them to think about patterns and metapatterns.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1972833,
          "author": "cmaury",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T21:50:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1972833",
          "commentText": "This book changed my entire outlook on the world.\nAdded to this list are:\nSingularity is Near and\nThe Selfish Gene",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book changed my entire outlook on the world.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book changed their outlook on the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1866413,
          "author": "jhaddon",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T20:43:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1866413",
          "commentText": "I always have multiple books going at one time.  Right now they are:\n1) G.E.B\n2) Mind Hunter - John Douglas\n3) Whoever Fights Monsters - Robert Ressler\n4) End the Fed - Ron Paul\nI leave each book in a different place that I know will be \"downtime\" for me.  i.e - bedroom, bathroom, office, and car.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "G.E.B",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752374,
          "author": "rick_2047",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T08:24:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752374",
          "commentText": "If you want to read some eye opening fiction then I would recommend cory doctorows three books, Little Brother, Makers and For The Win. I know it is stacked in the young adult fiction section but it still is good read for anybody.\n<something irrelevant> I am shocked that in 26 comments till now nobody has mentioned Godel Escher Bach by Douglas Hofstater. Apart from everything else it has accomplished it is always the best seller in the \"Nobody reads but everybody recommends\" category, or at least the close second or draw to Art Of Programming by Knuth. </something irrelevant>",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "nobody has mentioned Godel Escher Bach by Douglas Hofstater. Apart from everything else it has accomplished it is always the best seller in the \"Nobody reads but everybody recommends\" category",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is widely recommended, though jokingly places it in a category of books nobody reads.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in mathematics, logic, and cognition.",
          "caveat": "The commenter jokes that nobody reads it despite its reputation as a frequently recommended book.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1642176,
          "author": "camperman",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-28T18:53:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1642176",
          "commentText": "Godel, Escher, Bach at age 14 or so made me realise that I wanted to program more than anything else.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Godel, Escher, Bach at age 14 or so made me realise that I wanted to program more than anything else.",
          "reason": "Describes the book as shaping a major life realization.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1632993,
          "author": "luffy",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T15:00:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1632993",
          "commentText": "Yes!  My mind was blown when I read this.  Here are some others:\n\"A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again\" by David Foster Wallace, pretty sure this book has changed how a generation writes.  At least it convinced a generation they'll never be as good as DFW.\n\"Norwegian Wood\" by Haruki Murakami, which I like to think of as a Japanese C.i.t.R.\nG.E.B. - power through it, soldier!\n\"Making Certain it Goes On\", by Richard Hugo. An instructional book on how to write poetry, or to basically do just about anything.  I highly recommend it to all programmers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "G.E.B. - power through it, soldier!",
          "reason": "Encourages readers to persist through the book.",
          "audience": "Readers willing to persevere through a demanding book.",
          "caveat": "The wording implies it requires effort to get through.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503699,
          "author": "steveplace",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T14:43:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503699",
          "commentText": "It's taken me 6 months to get through part 1. GEB is a tough read.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "It's taken me 6 months to get through part 1. GEB is a tough read.",
          "reason": "Comments on the difficulty of the book in response to its discussion.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in mathematics, computers, and consciousness.",
          "caveat": "Described as a tough read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503534,
          "author": "spacemanaki",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T12:17:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503534",
          "commentText": "Plus one to this, it really is quite readable, I think it's overly characterized as very dense and difficult.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it really is quite readable, I think it's overly characterized as very dense and difficult.",
          "reason": "Seconds the parent comment's praise of the book's accessibility.",
          "audience": "Readers who are put off by its reputation for being dense or difficult.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503377,
          "author": "tshaddox",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T08:48:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503377",
          "commentText": "I think many readers will be surprised at how accessible \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" actually is.  I'm not an expert at anything: I have no work experience and maybe two serious computer science courses under my belt, but GEB really satisfies an intellectual curiosity I've had for years.  I'm 550 pages in (out of about 750 pages) and with the exception of the two chapters discussing the anatomy of the human brain (a subject I'm just not that interested in), I've torn through this book—I only started reading about three months ago, which means I've been reading GEB much faster than any other book I've ever opened.  I highly recommend \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" even to those who have seen other people recommend it yet have been reluctant to try it out.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" even to those who have seen other people recommend it yet have been reluctant to try it out.",
          "reason": "Highly recommends it, praising its accessibility and intellectual appeal.",
          "audience": "Readers with intellectual curiosity, including those without extensive computer science experience.",
          "caveat": "The commenter found the chapters on human brain anatomy less interesting.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503207,
          "author": "rms",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T06:41:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503207",
          "commentText": "Godel, Escher, Bach won a Pulitzer Prize; I think that counts as serious. :)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Godel, Escher, Bach won a Pulitzer Prize; I think that counts as serious. :)",
          "reason": "Invokes its Pulitzer Prize in response to a debate about whether the book is serious philosophy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1229041,
          "author": "Paddy3118",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-30T13:24:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1229041",
          "commentText": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6del,_Escher,_Bach\nGödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter.\nNot only did I by it, but I read it, and enjoyed it too!\n- Paddy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Not only did I by it, but I read it, and enjoyed it too!",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed reading the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227734,
          "author": "steveplace",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T22:35:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227734",
          "commentText": "It's taken me 6 months to get through 1/3 of the book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "It's taken me 6 months to get through 1/3 of the book.",
          "reason": "Gives a progress update about reading it; no evaluation or endorsement.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026420,
          "author": "coderholic",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T23:09:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026420",
          "commentText": "I finally finished \"Godel, Escher, Bach\" in 2009, after starting and giving up on it a few times previously. A great book, but it does require a lot of time and some serious thinking with a pencil and pad to do some working out (or at least it did for me).\nThe best book I read in 2009 (and possibly ever!) was \"Fooled By Randomness\" - a fantastic book that I can't recommend enough. I also read the sequel, \"Black Swans\", that was interesting but not in the same league.\n\"Made to stick\" was also a great book, with lots of great marketing advice that is simple to follow.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A great book, but it does require a lot of time and some serious thinking with a pencil and pad",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book and describes the effort it took to work through.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Requires substantial time and serious thought, with pencil-and-pad work.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 877271,
          "author": "huherto",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T17:54:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=877271",
          "commentText": ">Been wanting to read \"Godel ...\" for years...\nMe too. I have the book but every time I try to read it I go to sleep. (May be I just get in an infinite loop)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I have the book but every time I try to read it I go to sleep.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter repeatedly falls asleep while trying to read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875975,
          "author": "kirpekar",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T04:13:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875975",
          "commentText": "Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid; Douglas Hofstadter.\nGuns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies; Jared Diamond.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid; Douglas Hofstadter.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875726,
          "author": "KC8ZKF",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T01:54:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875726",
          "commentText": "_Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid_  --Douglas Hofstadter\n_Moby-Dick_ --Herman Melville",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "_Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid_  --Douglas Hofstadter",
          "reason": "Named in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797949,
          "author": "gcopenhaver",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T13:20:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797949",
          "commentText": "* Gödel, Escher, Bach\n* The Pragmatic Programmer\n* Programming Clojure\n* Pragmatic Version Control Using Git",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "* Gödel, Escher, Bach",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797831,
          "author": "rodrigo",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T11:56:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797831",
          "commentText": "I will.  I took GEB and leave it 200 pages from the end, it is great but i keep feeling im not getting something. Im starting over now. And \"le ton...\" would be next.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I took GEB and leave it 200 pages from the end, it is great",
          "reason": "Calls it great, though says they felt they were missing something and are starting over.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The reader feels they are not understanding everything and is starting over.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797263,
          "author": "darkxanthos",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T03:13:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797263",
          "commentText": "Just finished The Time Traveler's Wife... Working on GEB, and Ulysses (also a simple French reader and Le Petit Prince since I'm just learning French).\nI also got a book about Ulysses to help me glean as much as possible out of this intellectual and physical monstrosity of a book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Working on GEB",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 766911,
          "author": "jerf",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-16T22:48:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=766911",
          "commentText": "I would recommend a classic that you haven't read that isn't directly about a specific programming language, since it would seem to me that the virtue of reading a book about a specific language when you aren't in front of a computer is dubious. (Note I didn't say it had no virtue, I just find it dubious. YMWV.)\nAlready mentioned is Code Complete and The Pragmatic Programmer. I'd add The Mythical Man Month, still a classic, but note that's a relatively short book and may not last long enough. (A depressing read in some ways; decades have passed and what's in the book is arguably common wisdom, yet I still encounter the errors outlined in that book every year.)\nGodel, Escher, Bach (mentioned by caffeine) is a love it or hate it book; check out a couple of summaries and see what you think.\nPersonally, I don't recommend the SICP unless you're actually working through the exercises to some extent, and without a computer it's too easy to think you understand it when you don't.\nIf you have already read all those, well, I'd suggest replying and saying so. :)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Godel, Escher, Bach (mentioned by caffeine) is a love it or hate it book; check out a couple of summaries and see what you think.",
          "reason": "Suggests sampling summaries first because readers' reactions vary.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in its ideas and willing to check whether its style suits them.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is a love it or hate it book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 766759,
          "author": "caffeine",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-16T21:14:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=766759",
          "commentText": "Nobody's mentioned it here, yet:  Godel Escher Bach",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nobody's mentioned it here, yet:  Godel Escher Bach",
          "reason": "Offers the title in response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "Someone looking for a book to read on vacation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 715731,
          "author": "safetytrick",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-21T04:28:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715731",
          "commentText": "In the middle of GEB,",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "In the middle of GEB,",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 407410,
          "author": "kleevr",
          "createdAt": "2008-12-23T08:54:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 407067,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Let's start a Hacker News book club",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=407410",
          "commentText": "I'll tell you what would be awesome.  A peer reviewed hacker reading list.  But, only the really sacred books.  For instance GEB or from the post that prompted this post, after reading that review, I can tell you it will absolutely be my next non-fiction book.  I've been wanting to read through some old textbooks to try and pick up somewhere I might've left off, but always found them distancing.  This looks like a great way to dive back into it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "GEB",
          "reason": "Describes it as a sacred book for a peer reviewed hacker reading list.",
          "audience": "Hackers seeking books for a peer reviewed reading list.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240740,
          "author": "andr",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T03:39:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240740",
          "commentText": "I've been coding for quite a few years, but it was Godel's Proof that got me into the theoretical parts of computer science (even though it's a logic book). Strongly recommended. Godel, Escher, and Bach is the usual book to read after Godel's Proof.\nUniversal Principles of Design - great when you need some UI inspiration.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Godel, Escher, and Bach is the usual book to read after Godel's Proof.",
          "reason": "Described as the usual follow-up after Gödel's Proof.",
          "audience": "Readers who have read Gödel's Proof.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 200483,
          "author": "avinashv",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-26T21:58:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 199722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=200483",
          "commentText": "GEB?  Might take you more than a week, but it's great reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "GEB? Might take you more than a week, but it's great reading.",
          "reason": "Describes it as great reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "May take longer than a week to read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 177203,
          "author": "fogus",
          "createdAt": "2008-04-30T01:50:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 176803,
          "threadTitle": "Which is your favorite 70-80s computer book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=177203",
          "commentText": "\"Programmer's Guide to the 1802\".  My initial answer was \"Godel, Escher, Bach\", but I suppose that is only tangentially a computer book.\n-m",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Godel, Escher, Bach\", but I suppose that is only tangentially a computer book.",
          "reason": "Offers it as an initial answer to the favorite book question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Only tangentially a computer book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143408,
          "author": "maheshcr",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T17:03:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143408",
          "commentText": "A worn out, moth eaten copy of Lord Byron's complete works. It took me almost a decade to outgrow the influence. Especially the poem Manfred, and the soliloquay at the beginning!\nThe Sanyasin - Satprem. I walked the streets of Chennai not knowing what the hell was happening, while reading this. Magical, mystic..anyone who has ever held any spiritual notions should read this...\nLast Temptation by Nikos Kazantikakis, what can I say..every word has drilled through me!\nKa by Roberto Calasso, this made me confront my own culture and religion like no other.\nSiddhartha by Herman Hesse.\nGodel, Escher & Bach - Douglas Hofstadter. Barely made it to 4th chapter but that alone has shattered opinions I held about my style of thinking.\nAnd Sri Aurobindo...almost everything that he has written touches me like no other. It was like coming home after being in exile. Not that I understand anything but...\nAnd of course Don Box's talk on DDJ about the origins of .NET!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Godel, Escher & Bach - Douglas Hofstadter. Barely made it to 4th chapter but that alone has shattered opinions I held about my style of thinking.",
          "reason": "The commenter says even the first four chapters reshaped their opinions about how they think.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in thinking and cognition.",
          "caveat": "The commenter barely made it through the fourth chapter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143158,
          "author": "jamesbritt",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T06:38:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143158",
          "commentText": "Here Come the Warm Jets; Brian Eno\nGodel, Escher, Back, book;  Douglas R. Hofstadter",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Godel, Escher, Back, book;  Douglas R. Hofstadter",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 142984,
          "author": "elq",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T01:00:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=142984",
          "commentText": "The half dozen or so books about Richard Feynman life and approach to problems.\n(somewhat cliched but) Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.\nGEB.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "GEB.",
          "reason": "Uses the common abbreviation for the title while naming influential books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135463,
          "author": "curi",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T20:30:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135463",
          "commentText": "The Fabric of Reality - David Deutsch\nGodel, Escher, Bach - Douglas Hoftstadter\nKarl Popper's books (too many to list)\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nAtlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Godel, Escher, Bach - Douglas Hoftstadter",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135370,
          "author": "andreyf",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T18:47:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135370",
          "commentText": "Wow, surprised nobody mentioned this:\n   GEB.\n\nOverrated in some circles, but definitely should be \"on your bookshelf\". Hofstadter's other books, also:\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Hofstadter#Books",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Wow, surprised nobody mentioned this:\n   GEB.\n\nOverrated in some circles, but definitely should be \"on your bookshelf\".",
          "reason": "Recommends GEB for a hacker's bookshelf while acknowledging it is overrated in some circles.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it is considered overrated in some circles.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86618,
          "author": "rugoso",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-06T14:17:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86618",
          "commentText": "i think it's a great book, not a \"serious\" book, whatever that means\nas i mention in another comment, I'm willing to call it mental-masturbation, in the sense of exciting one's mind (the nerdy mind anyway), so in a way I'm probably not too far from your vision of the book\ni also think this kind of excitement is the basic motivation of the nerdy minded persons, and any text/experience that can get you in that state is something to appreciate.\nlastly it exposes the reader to many topics, the reader may get interested in some of those topics and make some further investigations on its own, and at least in that sense it is a science divulgation book (it's more important for science divulgation to get you interested in the topics that to give you some raw facts)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "i think it's a great book, not a \"serious\" book",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the book great and values its ability to excite curiosity and introduce readers to topics.",
          "audience": "Readers with curious or nerdy interests.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not a serious book and describes it as mental stimulation rather than a source of raw facts.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86453,
          "author": "hhm",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-06T00:28:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86453",
          "commentText": "I know it's not a paper, but I'm not sure it's a science divulgation book either. Sometimes I read it and I found it fun (as a sophisticated book-game of science), but most of the times it makes me nervous, for the reasons I pointed above, and because I feel it's taken as a book a lot more serious than what at least I feel it is.\nMaybe it's a mistake in my appreciation of the book, but I can't help it. What do you think about it?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Sometimes I read it and I found it fun (as a sophisticated book-game of science)",
          "reason": "The commenter finds the book fun at times but says it often makes them nervous and is taken too seriously.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They say it often makes them nervous and may be taken more seriously than it deserves.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86439,
          "author": "rugoso",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T23:37:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86439",
          "commentText": "GEB is not a scientific paper ... if you don't realize this, then there is no point in continuing with this answer",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "GEB is not a scientific paper",
          "reason": "The commenter argues that the book should not be judged as a scientific paper.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86296,
          "author": "hhm",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T15:38:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86296",
          "commentText": "Why GEB? I read the original Godel paper and I studied on the subject, and I read a lot of related material... so I found GEB to be rather boring when talking about Godel (and pretty repetitive), and when not talking about it, I found it to be almost unscientific: unfocused, always going into unproved conjectures (or shallow theorems), and very little times explaining about stablished and scientific work that has proven to be useful.\nSo I could never understand this... why all the hype with GEB? What's the big thing with it?",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Why GEB? I read the original Godel paper and I studied on the subject, and I read a lot of related material... so I found GEB to be rather boring when talking about Godel (and pretty repetitive), and when not talking about it, I found it to be almost unscientific",
          "reason": "Criticizes its Gödel sections as boring and repetitive and other sections as almost unscientific.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The criticism is based on the commenter’s prior study and extensive reading on the subject.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86103,
          "author": "mov",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T21:22:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86103",
          "commentText": "- Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (SICP)\n- Paradigms of Artificial Intelligence Programming (PAIP)\n- Godel Escher Bach (GEB)\n- All books from Gibson, Asimov, Sterlig, Huxley and Douglas Adams",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Godel Escher Bach (GEB)",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86095,
          "author": "scylla",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T21:05:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86095",
          "commentText": "Godel Escher Bach - non fiction\nThe Tomorrow File - fiction. Written in the 1970s as the author's only foray into science fiction. Seriously, it's that good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Godel Escher Bach - non fiction",
          "reason": "Named as a favorite in the thread's book discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86044,
          "author": "jdale27",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T19:08:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86044",
          "commentText": "(I'm going to ignore the prohibition on \"programming/technical books\".)\n- GEB\n- SICP\n- anything by Paul Auster or Hermann Hesse\n- most Haruki Murakami, especially \"The Wind-up Bird Chronicle\"\n- Joan Didion, \"Where I Was From\"\n- Richard P. Gabriel, \"Patterns of Software\"\n- Durbin, Eddy, Krogh, and Mitchison, \"Biological Sequence Analysis\"\n- Italo Calvino, \"if on a winter's night a traveller\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "GEB",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorites in response to the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86010,
          "author": "Locke",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T18:20:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86010",
          "commentText": "A few sort of random selections from my bookshelf (in no particular order):\n * GEB:EGB - Hofstader\n * The Pragmatic Programmer - Hunt / Thomas\n * Peopleware - DeMarco / Lister\n * The Mythical Man Month - Brooks\n * Paradigms of Artificial Intelligence Programming - Norvig\n * Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind - Miyazaki",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "GEB:EGB - Hofstader",
          "reason": "Listed among selections from the commenter's bookshelf in a favorite-books thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85969,
          "author": "mrtron",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T16:20:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85969",
          "commentText": "I like how GEB ties together everything with 'strange loops'.\nThe concept of how small pieces of something can form into something else entirely, is fascinating.  How does a bunch of your cells form into you?  How do a bunch of notes from a song form something so grand?  How does a collection of 'inanimate' material form something animate?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I like how GEB ties together everything with 'strange loops'.\nThe concept of how small pieces of something can form into something else entirely, is fascinating.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book's linking of ideas through strange loops and calls the concept fascinating.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85912,
          "author": "rugoso",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T12:37:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85912",
          "commentText": "- Godel Esher Bach\n- The Development of Mathematics, by E. T. Bell\nnot that i understand mathematics that well, but this book gave me many ideas of how an abstract/complex thing like mathematics can evolve through history, i found that exciting\n- when i was a teenager i liked a couple of books by Martin Gardner",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Godel Esher Bach",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85894,
          "author": "anupamkapoor",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T11:06:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85894",
          "commentText": "- use of weapons (ian m banks)\n- surely you are joking mr feynman (rpf)\n- origin of order (stuart kauffman)\n- slaughter house five (kurt vonnegut)\n- goedel escher bach (douglas hofstadter)\n- theta-magical memas errr metamagical themas (dogulas hofsta)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "goedel escher bach (douglas hofstadter)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85889,
          "author": "jsomers",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T10:32:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85889",
          "commentText": "Godel, Escher, Bach (An Eternal Golden Braid) by Douglas Hofstadter. Also, The Mind's I (more philosophical) edited by the same guy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Godel, Escher, Bach (An Eternal Golden Braid) by Douglas Hofstadter.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 57193,
          "author": "viergroupie",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-20T02:36:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=57193",
          "commentText": "It depends on your age and level of education. Goedel, Escher, Bach was mind-blowing when I was 19. Four years (and some college) later it's a tedious bore. \nGabriel Garcia Marquez's \"Memories of My Melancholy Whores\" is pretty great. \nOliver Sacks' \"The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat\" is full of amazing case studies that will help you construct a personal theory of mind.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Goedel, Escher, Bach was mind-blowing when I was 19. Four years (and some college) later it's a tedious bore.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was mind-blowing at 19 but later found it tedious.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The assessment changed with age and education.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56837,
          "author": "ced",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T12:57:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56837",
          "commentText": "Most novels can be condensed, yet, it'd suck to read the condensed version. I'd say the same of GEB.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "same of GEB",
          "reason": "Says the point about condensing most novels applies to GEB as well.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56798,
          "author": "Tichy",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T09:21:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56798",
          "commentText": "It was a fun read, on the other hand, couldn't it be condensed down to five lines or so? OK, or maybe two pages? It seems to just put forward lots of variations of the same theme, which might be more confusing than clarifying in the end.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It was a fun read, on the other hand, couldn't it be condensed down to five lines or so? OK, or maybe two pages? It seems to just put forward lots of variations of the same theme, which might be more confusing than clarifying in the end.",
          "reason": "Calls it a fun read but criticizes its length and repetitive presentation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter feels the repeated variations may confuse rather than clarify.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56795,
          "author": "curi",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T09:17:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56795",
          "commentText": "The Fabric of Reality.\nWhy? Find out for yourself. Read the opening paragraphs here:\nhttp://www.qubit.org/people/david/FabricOfReality/FoRExtract... (http://www.qubit.org/people/david/FabricOfReality/FoRExtract.html)\nAlso, I second GEB.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also, I second GEB.",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56688,
          "author": "brent",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T03:57:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56688",
          "commentText": "GEB (Godel Escher Bach : An Eternal Golden Braid )\nRead it because no matter who you are, what you know, and even whether or not you've read it before it will make you think critically and you will learn something.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "GEB (Godel Escher Bach : An Eternal Golden Braid )",
          "reason": "Recommended because the commenter says it prompts critical thinking and learning.",
          "audience": "Anyone, regardless of background or prior reading.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Hofstadter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 133,
      "threads": 81,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self reference",
        "cognition",
        "logic",
        "formal systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-win-friends-and-influence-people-b51019",
      "title": "How to Win Friends and Influence People",
      "author": "Dale Carnegie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49481422,
          "author": "idontwantthis",
          "createdAt": "2026-08-28T17:00:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 49464764,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: If I am 16 what should I learn? Which books should read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49481422",
          "commentText": "How to Win Friends and Influence People.\nSounds corny, but the advice is timeless and eye opening if you don't have natural knack for dealing with people. It will save you a lot of frustration. I didn't read it until 30 and I wish I had read it at 16.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Win Friends and Influence People.",
          "reason": "Recommended for advice on dealing with people.",
          "audience": "People who lack a natural knack for dealing with others.",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it corny, while describing its advice as timeless and eye-opening.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42968012,
          "author": "aziaziazi",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-07T00:35:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42968012",
          "commentText": "How to win friends and influence people - Dale Canergie\nIt showed me different ways to interact with other humans. Influenced me by giving me tools, confidence, and making me want to step out of my confort zone.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to win friends and influence people - Dale Canergie",
          "reason": "Says the book gave them ways to interact with people, tools, and confidence.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40286835,
          "author": "rdmullins1978",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T15:24:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40286835",
          "commentText": "For the last several years, I've kicked off my annual book list by re-reading Ben Franklin's _Autobiography_. I just love the conversational tone and how wide-ranging it is, and there's a surprising amount of still-practical day-to-day advice in there.\nHonorable mention to _How to Win Friends and Influence People_ (I agree with other comments that earlier editions are better) and _Getting Things Done_.\nThanks for starting this thread! Lots of good recommendations here.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "_How to Win Friends and Influence People_",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter agrees earlier editions are better.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40285222,
          "author": "FL33TW00D",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T13:31:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40285222",
          "commentText": "How to win friends and influence people - Dale Carnegie.\nInfluence - Robert Cialdini.\nLike it or not, we enter into \"adversarial\" situations every day.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to win friends and influence people - Dale Carnegie.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40055130,
          "author": "marklubi",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-16T17:58:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40055130",
          "commentText": "How to Win Friends and Influence People\nIf you give it to someone, be very careful about who you give it to.  I've given it to several different people that needed some self-confidence boosting, but one of them ended up using some of the lessons from it in some devious ways.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "How to Win Friends and Influence People\nIf you give it to someone, be very careful about who you give it to.",
          "reason": "Has given it to several people for confidence boosting, but warns it can be used deviously.",
          "audience": "People who need confidence boosting.",
          "caveat": "One recipient used some lessons in devious ways; commenter advises care in choosing recipients.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937012,
          "author": "LeonB",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:15:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937012",
          "commentText": "I’d like to say\n- Factfulness or\n- Sapiens or\n- Richard Feynman’s various writings\n…but the most measurable impact was probably from something like\n- “Strunk and white The Elements of Style” or\n- “How to win friends and influence people” or\n- “Oh! Pascal!” Or\n- “the dictionary” or\n- some specific bus timetable that enabled a pivotal moment in my life",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“How to win friends and influence people”",
          "reason": "Named as a book with measurable impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35724796,
          "author": "eesmith",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-27T08:12:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 35710671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell still a recommended read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35724796",
          "commentText": "I don't think there's much evidence to support your viewpoint.\nMost books don't age well.\nI tried to read Baum's \"The Woggle-Bug Book\" a few years ago, and found its humor, rooted in old ethnic stereotypes, totally un-enjoyable. It did not age well.\nWhile the Hardy Boy books I enjoyed as a kid wouldn't have been so wildly popular had they kept the original text. (\"From 1959 to 1973, the first 38 books were extensively revised, largely to remove depictions of racial stereotypes\" says Wikipedia.)\nOne of the most popular Agatha Christie novels is \"And Then There Were None\". That was \"re-published to align with the political zeitgeist\" so much they even changed the title and the name of the island. Most people have read the re-aligned version, not the original version.\nAnd as I learned recently, \"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory\" was \"re-published to align with the political zeitgeist\" in the 1970s, due to complaints by the NAACP and others that the Oompa-Loompas were African Pygmies. The re-write made them white, and the movie made them orange. The re-aligned version has outsold the original version.\nAlso in the 1970s, Geisel (\"Dr. Seuss\") edited \"And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street\" to change how it describes and portrays a Chinese man. That book continues to be sold.\nCarnegie's \"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" was revised in the 1981 edition to reflect the new feminist zeitgeist. For examples, \"insurance man\" was replaced with \"insurance agent\", and \"leadership gravitates to the man who can talk\" changed to \"leadership gravitates to the person who can talk\". It also dropped the section on marriage. (\"Never get married until you have kissed the Blarney Stone. Praising a woman before marriage is a matter of inclination. But praising one after you marry her is a matter of necessity — and personal safety.\") The preface to the 1981 edition points out how \"Carnegie himself was a tireless reviser of his own work during his lifetime\" and would have made changes because he was \"sensitive to the changing currents of present-day life\".\nWhile not \"tons of books\", the fact that I - with little knowledge of book publishing history - can point to several counter-examples, suggests that there are a lot more popular books out there which were updated to the modern zeitgeist.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Carnegie's \"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" was revised in the 1981 edition to reflect the new feminist zeitgeist.",
          "reason": "Cites changes made in the 1981 edition.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The 1981 edition changed gendered language and dropped a section on marriage.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32937483,
          "author": "drunpy",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T11:35:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937483",
          "commentText": "The Pragmatic Programmer (Andrew Hunt, Dave Thomas),\nThe Manager's Path (Camille Fourier),\nHow To Win Friends and Influence People (Dale Carnegie).\nThese books helped me to realize that many insecurities I had where \"common\" in Software Engineering field. The last one is especially good if you're looking for improve your relations with people.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The last one is especially good if you're looking for improve your relations with people.",
          "reason": "The commenter specifically recommends it for improving relationships with people.",
          "audience": "People looking to improve their relationships.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30824645,
          "author": "mk416",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-27T22:07:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30824645",
          "commentText": "\"Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion\" by Robert B. Cialdini (1984)\n\"How to Make Friends and Influence People\" by Dale Carnegie (1936)\nTwo great books that could lure a curious mind into sales. However, I recommend both to everyone.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How to Make Friends and Influence People\" by Dale Carnegie (1936)",
          "reason": "Recommended as a book that could draw curious readers into sales; the commenter recommends it to everyone.",
          "audience": "Curious readers and people interested in sales.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30742512,
          "author": "irchans",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T13:39:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30742512",
          "commentText": "Personal Power - Robbins, How to win friends and influence people - Carnegie, Feeling Good - Burns, Godel Esher Bach - Hofstadter,  Fundamentals of Physics - Halliday and Resnick, Jonathan Livingston Seagull - Bach, The Commodore 64 User Manual, \"Stocks for the Long Run\",  The Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide - Gygax, Dune - Herbert",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to win friends and influence people - Carnegie",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30735067,
          "author": "lovingCranberry",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T16:25:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735067",
          "commentText": "A classic: How to Win Friends & Influence People - D Carnegie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A classic: How to Win Friends & Influence People - D Carnegie",
          "reason": "Listed as a book that changed the commenter's life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30242754,
          "author": "Scarblac",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T10:21:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30242754",
          "commentText": "Yes but _How to win friends and influence people_ started that genre, and is an extreme example of the style. All those anecdotes...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "_How to win friends and influence people_ started that genre",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an early example of the self-improvement genre and criticizes its anecdotal style.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment trails off after mentioning its anecdotes.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30242011,
          "author": "koonsolo",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T08:50:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30242011",
          "commentText": "I think the main message of the book is to \"put yourself in the shoes of others\". And that definitely does not create dishonest, manipulative, self-centered pricks.\nIn fact, that teaches people empathy.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I think the main message of the book is to \"put yourself in the shoes of others\". And that definitely does not create dishonest, manipulative, self-centered pricks.",
          "reason": "Argues that the book's message teaches empathy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29690780,
          "author": "argestes",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-26T08:46:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29690780",
          "commentText": "\"How to win friends and influence people\"\nby Dale Carnegie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How to win friends and influence people\"\nby Dale Carnegie",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27639215,
          "author": "itbeho",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T04:52:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27639215",
          "commentText": "How to Win Friends and Influence People by Carnegie. Old but  great for an introvert on the spectrum like me. Human nature doesn't change, but I still don't understand it.\nFunctional Web Development with Elixir, OTP, and Phoenix: Rethink the Modern Web App by Lance Halvorsen\nElixir and Phoenix have been fantastic for my productivity. I had a fairly short, but steep learning curve in the early days, but LiveView is amazing and replaces quite a bit of \nclient side javascript that previously felt redundant to me. I've been getting a quicker time to completion, and correspondingly being paid faster than when I was working with more traditional stacks like Django or Rails.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Win Friends and Influence People by Carnegie.",
          "reason": "Praises it as a useful introduction to human nature.",
          "audience": "An introvert on the spectrum.",
          "caveat": "The commenter still says they do not understand human nature.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26833633,
          "author": "goatcode",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-16T13:30:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 26833319,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book for software engineers (besides the well-known ones)?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26833633",
          "commentText": "How To Win Friends And Influence People",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How To Win Friends And Influence People",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25555861,
          "author": "dingle_thunk",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-28T01:25:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 25554464,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books for dealing with workplace politics and dishonesty?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25555861",
          "commentText": "How to win friends and influence people",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to win friends and influence people",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25531482,
          "author": "maxmunzel",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T21:14:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25531482",
          "commentText": "„How to win friends and influence people“ ranks pretty high.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "„How to win friends and influence people“ ranks pretty high.",
          "reason": "Ranks it highly among books that changed lives.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24286316,
          "author": "mikece",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-26T19:32:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 24286084,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading at the moment and what do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24286316",
          "commentText": "Just books in general? Professional development? Science Fiction? Politics?\nCan't go wrong with the classics like \"Seven Habits of Highly Effective People\" along with \"How to Win Friends and Influence People.\"  For motivation: \"Can't Hurt Me\" by David Goggins... it's impossible to read that book and come up with a good excuse why you cannot achieve your goals.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "along with \"How to Win Friends and Influence People.\"",
          "reason": "Listed as a classic recommendation in response to a reading question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467542,
          "author": "madamelic",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:36:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467542",
          "commentText": "Yep. I would re-read it on a semi-regular basis as suggested.\nI need to go back to it. Unfortunately my much loved copy (with highlights and underlines) was given to a family member so now I am left with my Kindle version.\nI've also listened to the millennium version twice.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Yep. I would re-read it on a semi-regular basis as suggested.\nI need to go back to it. Unfortunately my much loved copy (with highlights and underlines) was given to a family member so now I am left with my Kindle version.",
          "reason": "Affirms rereading the parent-mentioned book regularly and says they need to return to it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter gave away their annotated copy and now has only the Kindle version.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467506,
          "author": "henrik_w",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:32:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467506",
          "commentText": "\"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" by Dale Carnegie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" by Dale Carnegie",
          "reason": "Lists it as a book reread in response to the question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23154671,
          "author": "poulsbohemian",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T14:57:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23154671",
          "commentText": "It's probably been 32 years since I read How to Win Friends, but my take on it was that it is like many things we learn throughout life - first we model, they we practice, finally we make it part of our nature, and eventually we achieve mastery.\nI didn't come away with the impression that the techniques are intended to be used in a hollow, phony way, so much as to show the reader a set of steps to get started toward genuinely showing interest in other people.\nNot everyone can jump right in to Siddhartha or Zen and the Art or some of these heavier books that might take people out of their default self-absorption towards greater awareness of other people and their needs, but Carnegie wrote something that is easy to access and get people started down a path.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Carnegie wrote something that is easy to access and get people started down a path.",
          "reason": "Describes it as an accessible starting point for showing interest in others.",
          "audience": "Readers who want an accessible introduction to interpersonal skills.",
          "caveat": "The commenter rejects the idea that its techniques are meant to be hollow or phony.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23154312,
          "author": "enitihas",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T14:26:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23154312",
          "commentText": "I agree with what you said. The book encourages all kinds of shortcuts (not explicitly though), and later on I found other books to be much better on the same topics.\nHowever, it is very very easy to read and follow. And if you are not a social person, the book is a good first read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the book is a good first read",
          "reason": "It is easy to read and follow, and may suit someone who is not social.",
          "audience": "People who are not social and want an accessible first read.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it encourages shortcuts and that other books cover the topics better.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21902980,
          "author": "baristaGeek",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T00:46:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902980",
          "commentText": "Best business books:\n-Secrets of Sandhill Road\n-Hackers and Painters\n-The Great CEO within\n-Venture Deals\n-Predictable Revenue\n-Zero to One\n-The Hard Thing About Hard Things\n-Lean customer development\n-Lost and founder\n-Lean B2B\n-From Impossible to Inevitable\n-Traction\nBest computer science books:\n-Competitive programming 3\n-Structure and interpretation of computer programs\nBest for fun (non-fiction):\n-Meditations\n-Sapiens\n-How to win friends and influence people\n-A brief history of time\n-Self-reliance\n-Frente a la estrella polar",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-How to win friends and influence people",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s best books for fun in response to a question about influential books.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in interpersonal communication.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21852873,
          "author": "ryall",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T19:27:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21852873",
          "commentText": "I was about the same age when I read HTWF&IP. It's a shame because it's a really good book about, basically, how to be a good person.\nI think the reason we put it off for so long is that they couldn't have titled it worse if they'd called it \"How To Be An Asshole\"",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it's a really good book about, basically, how to be a good person.",
          "reason": "Calls it a really good book about being a good person.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says the title could hardly have been worse.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804413,
          "author": "LoveMortuus",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:46:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804413",
          "commentText": "Book: How to Win Friends and Influence People\nReason: To learn how to be a human.\nOr something like this, because apparently there's a thing called emotional intelligence, the Doctor says that I have a severe lack of it...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Book: How to Win Friends and Influence People",
          "reason": "Named as a book the commenter plans to read to learn how to relate to people.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is uncertain and frames the reason humorously.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21712897,
          "author": "Stronico",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T15:11:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21712897",
          "commentText": "How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.  Not really about leadership per se, but it helps you get out of your own way which allows a lot of other good things room to happen.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. Not really about leadership per se, but it helps you get out of your own way which allows a lot of other good things room to happen.",
          "reason": "Says it helps people get out of their own way and enables other good outcomes.",
          "audience": "People looking for interpersonal skills that can support leadership.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not really about leadership itself.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20982916,
          "author": "kalado",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T11:13:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20982916",
          "commentText": "Very interesting! I found the chapters on priming hard to believe anyway. Still a lot of good stuff in that book.\nIt's one of those lessons that you feel you know but get a much better understanding of when reading about it in-depth.\nSame as \"How to win friends and influence people\"",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Same as \"How to win friends and influence people\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19088339,
          "author": "sotojuan",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T18:43:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19088339",
          "commentText": "Most of the advice in \"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" is fairly relevant and can be learned at any age - the book and Carnegie's courses were originally for older businessmen. The problem with the book is that its title and chapter titles have not aged well - they sound manipulative. The actual advice is very good and focuses on empathy and kindness; timeless concepts.\nI've definitely seem people change their behavior after reading it well into their 30s and 40s.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The actual advice is very good and focuses on empathy and kindness; timeless concepts.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book’s advice as relevant and timeless.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The title and chapter titles have not aged well and can sound manipulative.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19088035,
          "author": "chuckgreenman",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T18:20:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19088035",
          "commentText": "Dale Carnegie's Winning Friends and Influencing people is so simple, but the technique really works.\nBecome genuinely interested in people, make them feel good, they will appreciated it.  The advice is essentially don't be a jerk and do talk to people about the things they are interested.  When you start doing that it's like playing life on easy mode.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dale Carnegie's Winning Friends and Influencing people is so simple, but the technique really works.",
          "reason": "Says its advice works and describes it as making social interactions easier.",
          "audience": "People who want practical advice for interacting with others.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19087934,
          "author": "porpoisely",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T18:14:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19087934",
          "commentText": "I read Freakonomics and Guns, Germs and Steel in college and was initially 'amazed' by it. Now, I see it as mass market rubbish used to influence a particular demographic.\nBut that goes for pretty much everything really. Catcher in the Rye in high school. Carnegie's \"How to Win Friends and Influence People\".\nI think books can \"change the way you think about almost everything\" when you are younger, naive and idealistic. As you grow older, wiser and understand the world more, you leave those childish things behind.\nAlso, as einstein said : \"Reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking.\"\nI'm sure I'm not the only one that used reading as a crutch and a form of escapism and to waste time.\nBut if you want a book that left an impression on me, K&R's C Programming Language is one. It showed me that a technical book can be concise, well written and enjoyable to read.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Carnegie's \"How to Win Friends and Influence People\".",
          "reason": "Lists it among books associated with being younger, naive, and idealistic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17988395,
          "author": "gadders",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-14T16:11:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17988395",
          "commentText": "Charisma by Marcia Grad - helped me become less shy as a teenager\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People\nThe Keill Randor books got me influenced in martial arts.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Win Friends and Influence People",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about books that changed lives.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17982715,
          "author": "skookumchuck",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-13T21:20:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17982715",
          "commentText": "\"How To Win Friends and Influence People\" by Dale Carnegie\nIt's an enduring classic for good reason.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How To Win Friends and Influence People\" by Dale Carnegie\nIt's an enduring classic for good reason.",
          "reason": "Names it as a life-changing book and calls it an enduring classic for good reason.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17981716,
          "author": "tabtab",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-13T19:38:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17981716",
          "commentText": "I agree it should be required reading in college. However, it has one glaring fault: it doesn't provide many tips on motivating yourself to take personal interest in others. We geeks like gizmos and logic and stuff, people bore us.\nIt's like a health book that reveals eating more vegetables and whole grains, and getting more exercise is the way to better health. That's useful info, but the hard part is motivating yourself to eat such and exercise often enough.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it should be required reading in college. However, it has one glaring fault: it doesn't provide many tips on motivating yourself to take personal interest in others.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it should be required reading, while faulting its lack of advice on motivation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It offers little help motivating readers to take personal interest in others.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17981598,
          "author": "dangwu",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-13T19:25:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17981598",
          "commentText": "How to Make Friends and Influence People",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Make Friends and Influence People",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17913331,
          "author": "lcall",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T22:16:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17913331",
          "commentText": "Upvoted, and I would also say the Book of Mormon, with the Bible.  The BoM reinforces the Bible's teachings powerfully, and as I age and read again, sometimes in other languages, and some scholarly things about it, they both just keep getting better and better.  Including in their effect on me.  You can get a copy of either one for free.\nEdit:\nAdditionally, some which have been mentioned or not:\n- a couple of biographies of Lincoln (one is free on gutenberg.org, the other more recent by Doris Kearns Goodwin), and one of Washington whose name I forget now, but there are good ones out there.\n- the 7 Habits book (Covey), and How to Win Friends and Influence People by Carnegie.\n- Refactoring ..., by Martin Fowler.\n- some thick Scheme programming book from college (sorry, it's downstairs).  And \"The Little Schemer\", also about Scheme (one of the authors, Friedman, was also our instructor).\n- Since Cumorah, by Hugh Nibley (maybe dated now, but there is a lot of related work).  Really got me interested in related topics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Win Friends and Influence People by Carnegie",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910184,
          "author": "TeMPOraL",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:23:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910184",
          "commentText": "Please don't... every time a thread like this shows up on HN, I end up impulsively buying some of the recommended books. I'm usually very happy about the purchase, though. :).\nHumor aside; not sure if favourite of all times, but definitely impacted my thinking a lot:\n- \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies\" - https://intelligence.org/rationality-ai-zombies/ - read this when it was still a bunch of posts by 'Eliezer on LessWrong. It cleaned up my thinking quite a bit, and introduced to couple new ideas from economics, sociology and epistemology.\n- SICP, obviously.\n- \"How to Win Friends and Influence People\", and \"How to Stop Worrying and Start Living\" - from the father of the whole genre of self-help/personal development, and one whose books are still probably the only good ones in this genre, Dale Carnegie. They explain exactly what it says in their titles.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "They explain exactly what it says in their titles.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls Carnegie's books the only good ones in the genre.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the titles explain what the books cover.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17169046,
          "author": "TYPE_FASTER",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T20:54:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17169046",
          "commentText": "Seconded. So very helpful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seconded. So very helpful.",
          "reason": "Seconding the prior recommendation and calling the book helpful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168739,
          "author": "qop",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:42:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168739",
          "commentText": "Cliche, but How to Won Friends and Influence People, along with Atlas Shrugged were the 2 biggest influences for me when I was trying to get sober. Or rather, they kept me dedicated when I was getting sober and wanted to deviate.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Won Friends and Influence People",
          "reason": "Named as one of the two biggest influences during the commenter’s effort to get sober.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168497,
          "author": "kp1",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T18:59:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168497",
          "commentText": "How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to the question asking for one book that changed the commenter’s life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032194,
          "author": "troupe",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:03:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032194",
          "commentText": "How to Win Friends and Influence People",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Win Friends and Influence People",
          "reason": "Named as a book in response to the thread’s request for career reading recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16571170,
          "author": "joshka",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-12T20:20:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16571170",
          "commentText": "How to win friends and influence people. Helped me solve some approaches to handling people in general and highlighted a few approaches that I had been taking that were actively causing me problems.\nThe Secrets of Consulting: A Guide to Giving and Getting Advice Successfully by Gerald Weiberg. [1] Helped me understand why technical problems are rarely just technical.\nWorking effectively with legacy code by Michael Feathers [2]. Practicing some of the techniques in this helped me get my foot in the door in a job long ago where one of the interview scenarios was \"This is broken, go ahead and fix it.\". I recommend reading this for anyone working on a code base that's been around for a while.\n--\n[1]: https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Consulting-Giving-Getting-Suc... (https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Consulting-Giving-Getting-Successfully-ebook/dp/B004J35LHQ/)\n[2]: https://www.amazon.com/Working-Effectively-Legacy-Robert-Mar... (https://www.amazon.com/Working-Effectively-Legacy-Robert-Martin-ebook/dp/B005OYHF0A/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Helped me solve some approaches to handling people in general",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them handle people and recognize approaches causing problems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16569826,
          "author": "slipwalker",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-12T17:39:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16569826",
          "commentText": "early in my career, those two books were on my desk continuously:\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Network-Programming-Perl-Lincoln-Stei... (https://www.amazon.com/Network-Programming-Perl-Lincoln-Stein/dp/0201615711/)\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Algorithms-Perl-Practical-P... (https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Algorithms-Perl-Practical-Programming/dp/1565923987/)\nlater, it was time for https://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0... (https://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0671027034)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "later, it was time for https://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0...",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter used during their career.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16569253,
          "author": "nandorsky",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-12T16:29:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16569253",
          "commentText": "How to win friends and influence people",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to win friends and influence people",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that helped professionally.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16352409,
          "author": "jawns",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T12:30:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16352409",
          "commentText": "\"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" by Dale Carnegie.\nI'm not saying my coworkers are a bunch of jerks, but it's got a lot of great advice for working alongside others and resolving differences.\n---\n\"How to Not Write Bad\" by Ben Yagoda.\nI'm not saying my coworkers are all terrible writers, but for many of them, writing just isn't their thing.  But learning how to avoid the most common writing problems is important for programmers, because everybody ends up writing some degree of documentation.\n--\n\"Experimenting With Babies: 50 Amazing Science Projects You Can Perform on Your Kid.\"\nI'm not saying my coworkers are a bunch of babies, but I wrote the book, so I want _everybody_, not just my colleagues, to read it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" by Dale Carnegie. I'm not saying my coworkers are a bunch of jerks, but it's got a lot of great advice for working alongside others and resolving differences.",
          "reason": "Recommended for advice on working alongside others and resolving differences.",
          "audience": "Coworkers",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16321144,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-07T00:00:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16321144",
          "commentText": "Sure, I understand. But a comment saying just \"I learnt nothing from that book.\" wouldn't be worth posting on here, not substantive. People talking about overratedness sound like they're on a mission to right a wrong. I appreciated your change of tack; originally I had sentences in my previous comment saying your first sentence read like you wrote it before you read the book, and your third like you wrote it after, but I deleted them. :-)\nIt is fascinating though how the most common subject in lists like this on here seems to be How to Win Friends and people saying it's great, other people saying it's overrated, not worth reading. Another thing I learnt from those movie reviews was that someone writing about why they love something is usually far more worth reading—is for much better reasons, says more about the thing—than someone not liking it, which often depends on arbitrary personal factors - not being advanced enough to appreciate it, being too advanced, feeling misled by the advertising or word-of-mouth, preferring or being used to a different style etc",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the most common subject in lists like this on here seems to be How to Win Friends",
          "reason": "Discusses how people praise or criticize the book, without taking a clear position on its merits.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16302385,
          "author": "fdw",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-04T11:42:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16302385",
          "commentText": "I agree that most of the advice is pretty obvious if you reflect on your and other people's behavior. Also, I grew pretty tired of always using a string of anecdotes as support. Sometimes they don't even seem to fit the current chapter.\nHowever, I think the important point of the book is that Carnegie succinctly collects a small number of behaviors that will improve your social life if you apply them. So you might not learn something new in the book, but hopefully it will teach you to focus on these known things instead.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the important point of the book is that Carnegie succinctly collects a small number of behaviors that will improve your social life if you apply them.",
          "reason": "Acknowledges its obvious advice and anecdotes but explains how applying its principles can improve social life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds the advice obvious and the anecdotes repetitive or ill-fitting.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16301863,
          "author": "akulbe",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-04T07:57:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16301863",
          "commentText": "My five year old is a voracious reader. I feel like this is one of the most important educational tools you can give anyone. We stress to her that if you can read, and comprehend, there's nothing you cannot learn. That's why I included the first two on this list.\nHow to Read a Book - Mortimer Adler\nHow to Read Slowly - James Sire\nThe Personal MBA - Josh Kaufman\nThe Intelligent Investor - Benjamin Graham\nThink and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the question about books to read earlier in life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16299629,
          "author": "WheelsAtLarge",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T21:02:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16299629",
          "commentText": "I have 4:\n-Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography - you can download it for free\n- Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell - A bit simplistic but it opens your eye to the fact that talent is a small part of being successful in whatever you want to achieve.\n- How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie - You need people to succeed. Making enemies or just treating people indifferently is a bad move.\n- 7 habits of highly effective people by Stephen R. Covey. People put it down because the advice seems to be common sense but it's only common sense if you know it but not everyone knows it.\n- Meditations by Marcus Aurelius- this is a lifelong guide. Read it until the pages fall apart and then get another and do the same.\nAll these books can be read multiple times and you'll learn something new so get hard copies if you can.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie - You need people to succeed. Making enemies or just treating people indifferently is a bad move.",
          "reason": "Included as an earlier-life recommendation, with a rationale about relationships and success.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16297784,
          "author": "AlexAmee",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T14:42:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16297784",
          "commentText": "From my standpoint, this is one of the most overrated books of all times.\nI stopped reading it somewhere in the middle because it did not tell me anything new at all.\nI understand we are all different and have our strengths and weaknesses, what is totally obvious to you is probably a new concept to me.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "From my standpoint, this is one of the most overrated books of all times.",
          "reason": "Calls the book overrated and says it offered nothing new.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16297768,
          "author": "fdw",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T14:39:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16297768",
          "commentText": "While it is certainly true on some level, I think Carnegie chose not to use \"manipulate\" for a reason: It's not so much about getting them to do what you want, but to see the issue from all sides and choose a path that is beneficial to you both. He also repeatedly stresses honesty (\"honest appreciation\").\nSo even if there is some amount of manipulation, it's still mainly about seeing everybody as a person and working together.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Carnegie chose not to use \"manipulate\" for a reason",
          "reason": "Defends Carnegie's framing, emphasizing mutual understanding, honesty, and cooperation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Acknowledges there may be some amount of manipulation.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296548,
          "author": "tmatthewj",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T06:46:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296548",
          "commentText": "Thinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman\nThe Richest Man in Babylon - George Samuel Clason\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert M. Pirsig\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie\nThis is such a beautiful thread!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the question about books the commenter wishes they had read earlier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296520,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T06:34:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296520",
          "commentText": "The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nAtlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand\nThe Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins\nHow To Win Friends And Influence People - Dale Carnegie\nThe Game - Neil Strauss\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\n... among others.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How To Win Friends And Influence People - Dale Carnegie",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296324,
          "author": "neya",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T05:21:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296324",
          "commentText": "Right off the bat, here you go:\n1. The 7 habits of highly successful people (Stephen Covey)\n2. The Miracle Morning (Hal Elrod)\n3. Business Model Generation (Aelxander Osterwalder)\n4. The Art Of War (Sun Tzu)\n5. The E-myth, why most businesses don't work and what to do about it (Michel Gerber)\n6. Made In Japan (Founder of Sony, Akio Morita)\n7. How to win friends and influence people (Dale Carnegie)\nProbably I missed a few more, but I think these ones are a good start.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to win friends and influence people (Dale Carnegie)",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about books one wishes one had read earlier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961471,
          "author": "blueside",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:45:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961471",
          "commentText": "I'm sure I have an unpopular opinion on this, I have read How To Win Friends And Influence People a few times and I can't get over the fact that the skills taught feel very disingenuous and superficial. \"act interested, use the person's name, etc\". It's extremely cringe inducing when you see somebody blatantly using the tactics.\nIf there's a reason that everyone should read this book, it's more so that they are aware of these tactics.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If there's a reason that everyone should read this book, it's more so that they are aware of these tactics.",
          "reason": "Suggests reading it to recognize the tactics, while criticizing the skills as disingenuous and superficial.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds the tactics cringe inducing when used blatantly.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961051,
          "author": "hukola",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T15:57:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961051",
          "commentText": "1. How to Win Friends and Influence People - I recommend because I apply every day at work and reap the results as well, somebody should have recommended this book to me ten years ago;\n2. Children of Time - a science fiction book that I enjoyed, I notice that fiction, in general, helps me deal with stressful work, as I disconnect easier and put myself in an imaginary world while reading;\n3. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius - this isn't a book you read cover to cover, I catch myself thinking long even after reading a single sentence;\n1) and 3) I've come across on HN, but 2) was the unexpected random hit.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend because I apply every day at work and reap the results as well",
          "reason": "Recommends it based on applying its lessons at work and getting results.",
          "audience": "People seeking practical interpersonal skills for work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15790201,
          "author": "cannonedhamster",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-27T19:12:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15790201",
          "commentText": "How to win friends and influence people - Dale Carnegie\nThis book starts off as a business book but it is the single most useful book I have ever read. For some people they will find that it's second nature, for those of us on the less socially aware side of the spectrum it's like an instruction manual for communicating effectively without coming off as a creep.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it is the single most useful book I have ever read",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it exceptionally useful and describes it as an instruction manual for effective communication.",
          "audience": "People who feel less socially aware and want to communicate effectively.",
          "caveat": "Some readers may find its lessons second nature.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14486243,
          "author": "K0SM0S",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T09:15:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14486243",
          "commentText": "Meditations by Marcus Aurelius.\nStoicism is by far the best philosophy I've ever encountered. Some people call it \"the best operating system for the mind\", and I very much agree with that statement.\nIt changed my life more than any other corpus of ideas. I can't overstate how much better I feel now that my brain is running on a 'Stoic OS', especially on an emotional level --which was the hardest to deal with as I'm rather hyper-sensitive; now my emotions have truly become an almost entirely positive force in my experience of life, regardless of their nature, good or bad, of said emotions; in fact I no longer even qualify emotions on this scale; and the same goes true for an overwhelming majority of my thinking.\nThis book is the personal journal of one of the greatest roman emperors, leader of the (western) world at the time. A rare enough occurrence in the history of leaders, he was deemed 'worthy of his position' on a human and philosophical level by most people who knew him.\nA couple remarks: \"philosophy\" as seen by ancient authors and thinkers is not a strictly intellectual or abstract endeavor, not a scholarly matter, at least not at its core. Philosophy is the closest equivalent they had to what we'd call \"self-development\" today. It's very down to earth, 'life recipes' of sorts, simply to educate and help people deal with this elusive brain of ours. Seneca's and Epictetus writings are also excellent food for thought, food for one's mind. Imho, philosophy, litterally the \"love of wisdom\", is something we should deeply reappropriate, both as individuals and whole societies.\nRelatingly, Stoicism used to be taught from childhood throughout most of human history in the western world (and it could be argued that Asia has its own equivalent philosophies). For some reason, we ceased teaching philosophy to children around the turn of of the 20th century, which leaves most people with a lack of means to deal with their emotional circumstances. I'm one of those who consider this to be a dire pity, especially in our day and age. I think it sorely shows in public discourse and interpersonal relationships, and the end result is too much suffering that is entirely preventable.\nMeditations is easy enough to read, but if you want something more modern, I found The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday to be a very good introduction to Stoicism.\n____\nAs A Man Thinketh by James Allen. It's as short as it is good for the mind, the building/making of one's persona. Well worth a read at least once in your life, there are many 20th and 21st century self-development books (e.g. How to Win Friends and Influence People) that I believe drew some of their teachings from this 1903 classic.\n____\nThe Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. Regardless of where you find the information contained in this book (there are many works on the topic, both modern and throughout history), this book helps understanding that living in the present moment is critically important, and a key to happiness. Notwithstanding the 'wu-wu' aspects of Tolle's particular take, it just works. If you find yourself constantly dwelling on the past, or being a 'nostalgic of the future' (as I both used to do), knowing the value of living 'in the now' may be the difference between chronic depression and a fulfilling experience of life. It certainly is for me.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "many 20th and 21st century self-development books (e.g. How to Win Friends and Influence People) that I believe drew some of their teachings from this 1903 classic.",
          "reason": "Mentioned as an example of a later self-development book believed to draw from As a Man Thinketh.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter presents this as a belief about its influence.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14478905,
          "author": "smaddox",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T22:46:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478905",
          "commentText": "Non-Fiction:\n\"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" by Dale Carnegie, because it changed my understanding of people for the better.\n\"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\" by Richard Feynman, because it gave me a model for how to enjoy life.\n\"Models\" by Mark Manson, because it helped shape my understanding of heterosexual relationships.\n\"An Introduction to General Systems Thinking\" by Gerald Weinberg, because it illuminates the general laws underlying all systems.\nFiction:\n\"Stranger in a Strange Land\" by Robert A Heinlein, because it showed me a philosophy and \"spirituality\", for lack of a better word, that I could agree with.\n\"The Fountainhead\" and \"Atlas Shrugged\" by Ayn Rand, because they showed me how human systems break, and they provided human models for how to see and live in, through, and past those broken systems.\n\"Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\" by Eliezer Yudkowsky, because it set the bar (high) for all future fiction, especially when it comes to the insightful portrayal of the struggle between good and evil.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" by Dale Carnegie, because it changed my understanding of people for the better.",
          "reason": "It changed the commenter's understanding of people for the better.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13805138,
          "author": "andreasklinger",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T19:08:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805138",
          "commentText": "\"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" is easily one of the most important books out there for anyone working in any professional env that involves other humans.\nNo need for throwaway - awesome selection",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" is easily one of the most important books out there for anyone working in any professional env that involves other humans.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of the most important books for people working with others.",
          "audience": "People in professional environments that involve working with others.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13804298,
          "author": "embarassed_toss",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:34:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804298",
          "commentText": "Throwaway since this is a bit embarrassing.\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People. Crucial Conversations. 5 Love Languages. The Way of the Superior Man.\nI'm 37 and I'm a stereotypical geeky, low-social-capability guy. Coasted through life on being smart, to the exclusion of much else. I'd get pedantic and into pointless arguments, but justify it because I was right -- sorta being a dick though not intentionally, just emergent behavior. I did poorly on romantic relationships despite being married a decade. I'd stumble around conversations awkwardly or interject stupid facts and just overall sucked at the personal side of life.\nLearning to talk to people, to deal with people, learning the give and take of conversations and to try to be interested in people -- this has completely changed my life. It works in business, it works in personal relationships. People that I'd usually mock (think homeopathic hippy type folks), the kind of folks that'd usually dismiss me, they have actually said glowing things about me to other people, and I now have friendships with such folks. Even with guy friends: I'm constantly surprised how powerful a simple \"How are you doing?\" or \"Did you get home OK?\" -- just small displays of interest, really can strengthen relationships.\nThe last book I mention, The Way of the Superior Man, I hesitate. Some of it is a bit silly. And it comes off VERY macho/chauvinistic. In fact, the first time I looked at it I tossed it in disgust. But damn, it'd have saved me so much grief. There are feminine/masculine differences (as personalities, not just sex or gender.) Just basic stuff like \"held and heard\": you don't need to try to solve her every problem[1], just listen and support her in what she does -- stuff as an engineer I wouldn't do at work and that bled over into personal life. Not attacking people when they say silly things... I've had a girl tell my family I'm the kindest guy she's ever dated. They all went silent and looked back and forth \"... him?\" 3 years ago I could never, ever, have imagined anyone saying that about me in any situation, let alone romantically. When people blow up and want to fight with me, I recognize the words don't really matter and it's just emotion and try to respond to that. Even my ex has ended up apologizing after yelling at me and saying I'm a good guy - another timeline I never thought I'd be in.\nAnd I know, this sounds like manipulation. But the bizarre thing is that after you set out to be like this and try to care, you actually end up caring and it's totally sincere. Life isn't C, being \"lenient\" on people and trying to think about them instead of picking at the specifics of what they said won't get you into trouble.\n[This might be relationships 101, but I know a lot of guys in a similar social situation and a few of them tried the same approaches and are way happier too. So maybe this will help someone.]\n1: https://xkcd.com/306/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Win Friends and Influence People.",
          "reason": "The commenter credits learning to communicate and deal with people to the listed books.",
          "audience": "Readers who struggle with social interactions and relationships.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13258390,
          "author": "alc90",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-26T14:47:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13258390",
          "commentText": "My goal for this year was to read 10 books. Not a huge challenge but I'm happy I managed to complete it. I'm currently at my 16th book - so I might say that's pretty good.\nHere's my 2016 reading list:\n#1. Zero to One - Peter Thiel - 3.5*\n#2. The Alchemis - Paulo Coelho - 3.5*\n#3. Founders at Work - Jessica Livingston - 3*\n#4. Traction - Gabriel Weinberg - 4.5*\n#5. How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie -4*\n#6. Reinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations... - Frederic Laloux, Ken Wilber - 4*\n#7. Daily Rituals: How Artists Work - Mason Currey - 3*\n#8. Rich Dad, Poor Dad - Robert T. Kiyosak - 3*\n#9. The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs... - Eric Ries - 4.5*\n#10. Meaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly - Bernadette Jiwa - 3*\n#11. Elon Musk: Inventing the Future - Ashlee Vance - 4*\n#12. Rework - Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson - 4.5*\n#13. Anything You Want - Derek Sivers - 4.5*\n#14. South of the Border, West of the Sun - Haruki Murakami - 3.5*\n#15. As A Man Thinketh / The Path Of Prosperity - James Allen - 4*\nCurrently I'm reading If This Is a Man / The Truce by Primo Levi - and so far it seems to be one of the top 3 books I've read this year - definitely a 4+* book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "#5. How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie -4*",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416642,
          "author": "rezashirazian",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T22:11:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416642",
          "commentText": "I was about to mention it. I still find it hard sometimes not to get into long winded arguments with people, but after reading this book I've gotten much better at picking my battles.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "after reading this book I've gotten much better at picking my battles.",
          "reason": "Says reading it improved their ability to pick their battles.",
          "audience": "People who want to communicate more effectively.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416540,
          "author": "sebringj",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:51:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416540",
          "commentText": "totally right on that one, it goes to every area of life",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "totally right on that one, it goes to every area of life",
          "reason": "Agrees with the parent comment's endorsement and says the book applies broadly.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in communicating with people.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12260592,
          "author": "nanospeck",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-10T10:13:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12260592",
          "commentText": "\"7 Habits of Highly Effective People\" [1] - I listened to the audio book and it was really an eye-opener. It changed my perspective on people and personality a lot. Highly recommended. \nSame with the book \"How To Win Friends And Influence People\" [2]. It's written decades ago and still holds the principles true. \nAnother gem I found recently was : \"How to Stop Worrying and Start Living\" by the same author of [2]. It's really good if you are stressed with your lifestyle. Really gives practical advice.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Same with the book \"How To Win Friends And Influence People\" [2]. It's written decades ago and still holds the principles true.",
          "reason": "The commenter says its principles remain true.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12249360,
          "author": "ruler88",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T17:23:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12249360",
          "commentText": "this is one of few books that i actually read several times in my life.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "this is one of few books that i actually read several times in my life.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they reread the book several times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12248259,
          "author": "aliencat",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T14:56:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12248259",
          "commentText": "I have had the same experience. It has always been difficult for me to handle social relationships with others when growing up (I cannot understand how others feel/think about me). \"How to win friends\" offers an (behaviourism?) insight into what you do can make others feels what. It's like a handbook really!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How to win friends\" offers an (behaviourism?) insight into what you do can make others feels what. It's like a handbook really!",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as a useful handbook for understanding how behavior affects others.",
          "audience": "People who find social relationships difficult to navigate.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12248233,
          "author": "poushkar",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T14:52:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12248233",
          "commentText": "I double this. Listened to the audiobook recently. I've always considered myself quite a communicative person, but only after the book I realized how much improvements can be done here.\nStill, I find it a bit manipulative, so I would only use the techniques in working environment and stay \"myself\" and direct with friends.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I double this. Listened to the audiobook recently.",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the parent’s endorsement, while noting the techniques feel somewhat manipulative.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter would use the techniques at work but stay direct with friends.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12246225,
          "author": "WalterBright",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T08:26:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12246225",
          "commentText": "\"How To Win Friends And Influence People\" helped me a lot with social skills that are obvious to most people but not to me. It's still something I work on regularly, it doesn't come naturally.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How To Win Friends And Influence People\" helped me a lot with social skills",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped with their social skills.",
          "audience": "People seeking help with social skills.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these skills still take regular work.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144253,
          "author": "LA_Banker",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:48:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144253",
          "commentText": "1. \"Meditations\" – Marcus Aurelius\n2. \"The Practicing Mind\" – Thomas Sterner\n3. \"Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance\" – Atul Gawande (I'm not a surgeon; the principles herein are universal)\n(honorable mention: \"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" – Dale Carnegie; various biographies by Caro and Chernow)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" – Dale Carnegie;",
          "reason": "Included as an honorable mention in a list answering the book recommendation question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12142564,
          "author": "saasinator",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T09:32:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12142564",
          "commentText": "I'll add my current three,\n    1) \"How to Win Friends and Influence People\"\n    2) \"The War of Art\" \n    3) \"The Pragmatic Programmer\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1) \"How to Win Friends and Influence People\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12142451,
          "author": "gadders",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T08:56:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12142451",
          "commentText": "How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.\nAll of your working life is built on relationships, even if you code all day.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a prompt asking for career-shaping book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12098094,
          "author": "aliencat",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-14T23:50:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12098094",
          "commentText": "How to Win Friends and Influence People - The tips in this book do work magic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Win Friends and Influence People - The tips in this book do work magic.",
          "reason": "Says the book's tips work very well.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12069539,
          "author": "HugoDaniel",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T08:03:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12069539",
          "commentText": "Mostly portuguese poetry.\nI've read the \"How to make friends and influence people\" by Dale Carnegie (pt edition).\nHighly recomend it to anyone who wants to improve people skills.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to make friends and influence people\" by Dale Carnegie",
          "reason": "Recommends it to anyone wanting to improve people skills.",
          "audience": "Anyone who wants to improve people skills.",
          "caveat": "Read in Portuguese translation.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297197,
          "author": "maxaf",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T13:46:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297197",
          "commentText": "But of course: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Win_Friends_and_Influen... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Win_Friends_and_Influence_People)\nIf there's a single book I wish everyone had read - not just managers - it would be this. I'd market it as \"manual for human beings\". You learn how to deal with them, as well as how to be one.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If there's a single book I wish everyone had read - not just managers - it would be this. I'd market it as \"manual for human beings\". You learn how to deal with them, as well as how to be one.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as a book for everyone, calling it a manual for human beings.",
          "audience": "Everyone, not just managers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229918,
          "author": "Ping_2_Ur_Pong",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T16:31:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229918",
          "commentText": "Below list are some of my favorite books overall that I didn't see mentioned.\n---Non-software related\nHow to win friends and influence people -Dale Carnegie (The definitive guide to helping you work better with people, truly great book, should be required reading)\nBlink- Malcolm Gladwell\nGodel Escher, Bach -  (Recursion, but not from a software perspective.  Its a glorious book that will change the way you think about recursion.)\nHitch Hiker's guide to the galaxy, - Douglas Adams  (Glorious book that is a fun read, when you need a break pick this up and laugh hard)\nFoundation Series - Assimov (Great stories from one of the best sci-fi writers ever)\n-------------------Software related\nCode Complete\nConcrete Mathematics\nThe Art of Computer Programming\nThe Design of the Unix Operating System\nIntroduction to Algorithms -Cormen\nDesign Patterns Elements of Resusable OO Design -Gang of Four",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to win friends and influence people -Dale Carnegie (The definitive guide to helping you work better with people, truly great book, should be required reading)",
          "reason": "Calls it truly great and says it should be required reading.",
          "audience": "People who want to work better with others.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10235351,
          "author": "PaulHoule",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T18:54:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10235351",
          "commentText": "I think advocating Dale Carnegie is a sign that \"the lights are on but nobody is home\".\nThere is a lot of stuff in Carnegie that makes sense,  but I have seen people advocate Dale Carnegie and get \"upvoted\" (or the equivalent) but I think the people who would benefit from Dale Carnegie aren't in a position to really benefit from it.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I think advocating Dale Carnegie is a sign that \"the lights are on but nobody is home\".",
          "reason": "The commenter criticizes advocating Carnegie's book and questions whether readers who need it can benefit from it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They acknowledge that much of Carnegie's material makes sense.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10233779,
          "author": "roel_v",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T15:11:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10233779",
          "commentText": "While that's true at the most abstract level, that doesn't mean that there isn't a whole lot one can learn beyond that, for example on recognizing customer archetypes, how to talk to each archetype to gain pathos with them, how to approach new clients, how to handle objections, how (and when) to close, ... So I would definitely say that there is something like sales, and yes it revolves around 'providing solutions', but that doesn't mean that anyone who can provide solutions to problems can bring in revenue.\nCarnegie is a useful book for life in general, don't get me wrong - it's just that it's only the 'foundation' of sales and there is a big distance between that foundation and the actual practice of doing sales. Much like algebra is a 'foundation' of programming, yet nobody gets hired to program based on their ability to multiple two numbers.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Carnegie is a useful book for life in general, don't get me wrong - it's just that it's only the 'foundation' of sales",
          "reason": "Calls it useful for life generally, while noting it is only a foundation for sales.",
          "audience": "People interested in sales and general life skills.",
          "caveat": "Described as only the foundation of sales.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10233557,
          "author": "thinkdevcode",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T14:32:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10233557",
          "commentText": "The one piece of advice I was given years ago:\nThere is no such thing as \"sales\", and you aren't a \"salesman\". You provide a solution to a problem. Listen, understand, and then offer a solution.\nI forgot who told me that but it's fantastic advice. As far as understanding people, the de facto book to read is \"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" by Dale Carnegie. I'd highly recommend that.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the de facto book to read is \"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" by Dale Carnegie. I'd highly recommend that.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommended as a book for understanding people.",
          "audience": "People seeking to understand people and improve sales.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9350136,
          "author": "pariya",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T19:05:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350136",
          "commentText": "\"The War of Art\" by Steven Pressfield (good read if you want to learn how to quit procrastinating!)\n\"The Greatest Salesman on Earth\" by Og Mandino\n\"The Zahir\" by Paolo Coelho is about challenging tradition, highly recommend.\n\"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" by Dale Carnegie\nWhen I was in high school-\n\"The Alchemist\" by Paolo Coelho",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" by Dale Carnegie",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348370,
          "author": "probably_wrong",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:47:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348370",
          "commentText": "\"You Can Negotiate Anything\", by Herb Cohen.\nBy taking the point of view that \"negotiation\" is not \"convincing morons to do what I want\" but \"let's try and solve this together\", the author introduces a couple points about how to deal with all sorts of conflicts and difficult situations. I read it several years ago, and yet there's not a month in which I don't put at least one of its lessons in use.\nI found it a lot more useful and honest than the famed \"How to influence friends and win people\" but, somewhat ironically, I never used it in any negotiation involving money.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the famed \"How to influence friends and win people\"",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a comparison; the commenter says You Can Negotiate Anything was more useful and honest.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned only for comparison, with no endorsement.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348304,
          "author": "jonawesomegreen",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:38:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348304",
          "commentText": "\"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" by Dale Carnegie\nA classic, but it has really helped change the way I deal with people.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A classic, but it has really helped change the way I deal with people.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped change how they deal with people.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348291,
          "author": "serve_yay",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:36:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348291",
          "commentText": "\"How to Win Friends and Influence People\", Dale Carnegie\n\"The Black Swan\", Taleb\n\"How To Be Idle: A Loafer's Manifesto\", Tom Hodgkinson\n\"The Tao Is Not Silent\", Raymond Smullyan\nIn that order.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How to Win Friends and Influence People\", Dale Carnegie",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about books that changed one's perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9045612,
          "author": "Yadi",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-13T17:38:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 9044833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I have $2k for books, training and confs. What should I spend it on?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9045612",
          "commentText": "I would buy and look into the following books:\n# HTTP: The Definitive Guide - O'Reilly Media\n# Algorithms by Sedgewick\n# Introduction to Algorithms by Cormen.\nCheck out some Machine Learning books:\n# Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning\n# Computer Networks (5th Edition)\nI would look at the following book if you wanted more Q&A and interview questions:\n# Cracking the Coding Interview: 150 Programming Questions ...\nTutorial memberships:\n# I would buy a Tuts+ account, they have been very slow in releasing new content (too bad), however they have lots of great Web Development stuff.\nI would read some other non-technical books:\n# Hackers & Painters: Big Ideas from the Computer Age by Paul Graham\n# The Hard Thing About Hard Things by  Ben Horowitz\n# The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book That Will Change The Way You Do Business by Clayton M. Christenen,\n# Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman\n# How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie\nIf you wanted to understand some Cloud stuff, look into the Whitepapers from Amazon Web Services:\n# https://aws.amazon.com/whitepapers/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401106,
          "author": "maresca",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T15:29:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401106",
          "commentText": "Read:\nZero to One - Peter Thiel\nTraction Book -  Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares\nCurrently Reading:\nHow to win friends and influence people - Dale Carnegie",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "How to win friends and influence people - Dale Carnegie",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968388,
          "author": "ctchocula",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:43:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968388",
          "commentText": "Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain, Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman, Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, Dale Carnegie's How To Win Friends and Influence People",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Dale Carnegie's How To Win Friends and Influence People",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7008545,
          "author": "timonv",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-03T22:05:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 7001282,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7008545",
          "commentText": "I agree it's great, but the summary serves just as well! http://sameffect.com/how-to-win-friends-and-influence-people... (http://sameffect.com/how-to-win-friends-and-influence-people-summary/)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I agree it's great, but the summary serves just as well!",
          "reason": "Agrees the book is great, while saying a summary serves equally well.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The summary serves just as well.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7001615,
          "author": "Nicholas_C",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-02T19:26:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 7001282,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7001615",
          "commentText": "After seeing this on so many Hacker News comments to threads like this I finally gave in and started to read it. It has definitely opened my eyes to how I interact with people and made me a lot more self aware.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "opened my eyes to how I interact with people and made me a lot more self aware",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book improved their awareness of how they interact with people.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7001494,
          "author": "dmak",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-02T19:10:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 7001282,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7001494",
          "commentText": "I second this book: How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second this book: How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the book recommendation in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7001473,
          "author": "sobbybutter",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-02T19:08:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 7001282,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7001473",
          "commentText": "Antifragile by Nassim Taleb\nInvisible Cities by Italo Calvino\nIl deserto dei tartari (The Tartar Steppe) by Dino Buzzati\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that inspired readers or changed their worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6976719,
          "author": "claudius",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T21:34:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976719",
          "commentText": "I read it a few years ago and found it quite helpful, too – the most important bit being that (most) people like to talk about themselves.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "found it quite helpful, too",
          "reason": "Says the book was quite helpful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6976142,
          "author": "petarb",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T19:53:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976142",
          "commentText": "How to Win Friends and Influence People\nI was skeptical at first due to how old the book is but the advice is truely everlasting and extremely effective.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the advice is truely everlasting and extremely effective.",
          "reason": "Calls the book’s advice everlasting and extremely effective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6976113,
          "author": "pkhamre",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T19:49:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976113",
          "commentText": "How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie",
          "reason": "Lists the book as an answer to the thread’s question about a life-changing book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6975690,
          "author": "city41",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T18:32:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6975690",
          "commentText": "This is a good book. The simple tip of asking people about themselves when unsure of what to talk about does work in a pinch. I also found it interesting that Susan Cain (see my comment in this thread) largely derided this book and the others like it that came out at the same time.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "This is a good book.",
          "reason": "Says the book is good and that its advice works in a pinch.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Notes that Susan Cain largely derided it and similar books.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6975669,
          "author": "trentnix",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T18:26:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6975669",
          "commentText": "How to Win Friends and Influence People\nI had avoided this one for years due to its age and because reading it seemed to imply one has no friends and no influence. It gets long-winded in parts with a few too many examples, but it's excellent. Definitely something everyone should read once, no matter what type of job or lifestyle one leads.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it's excellent. Definitely something everyone should read once, no matter what type of job or lifestyle one leads.",
          "reason": "Calls it excellent and recommends that everyone read it once.",
          "audience": "Everyone, regardless of job or lifestyle.",
          "caveat": "Long-winded in parts, with a few too many examples.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6938875,
          "author": "dougk7",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-19T23:51:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 6921805,
          "threadTitle": "What book has inspired you the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6938875",
          "commentText": "The Bible\nHow to win friends and influence people\nThe Alchemist\nThe Charisma Myth",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to win friends and influence people",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that inspired the reader.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6698615,
          "author": "zachlatta",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-08T19:42:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6698615",
          "commentText": "I know I'm a little late to read this, but I've been enjoying How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie. It's interesting how it objectifies social interaction with others in such short passages.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've been enjoying How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie.",
          "reason": "Says they have been enjoying the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6433179,
          "author": "Corvus",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-23T18:33:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6433179",
          "commentText": "I believe the title is even better now than when it was written in the 1930s; the fact that when most people hear it they think of Machiavellian back-stabbing is evidence how important its lessons are today.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the fact that when most people hear it they think of Machiavellian back-stabbing is evidence how important its lessons are today.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book's lessons remain important today.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The title is often misunderstood as referring to Machiavellian back-stabbing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6424848,
          "author": "Killah911",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-21T22:23:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6424848",
          "commentText": "A rather unfortunate title for an amazing book. You might think most of what it says is common sense, but in reality, ever since I read it, I've been far more cognizant of relationships with people & despite being a talkative extrovert, I have tried my best to shut the hell up and listen :)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "despite being a talkative extrovert, I have tried my best to shut the hell up and listen",
          "reason": "The commenter describes the book's lessons as important and says they changed how they listen to others.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls the title unfortunate.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6416110,
          "author": "ioddly",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-20T05:37:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6416110",
          "commentText": "How To Win Friends and Influence People really changed how I interact with people, for the better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How To Win Friends and Influence People really changed how I interact with people, for the better.",
          "reason": "Says it improved how they interact with people.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6413969,
          "author": "brd",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-19T20:17:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6413969",
          "commentText": "Siddhartha\nThe Alchemist\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Win Friends and Influence People",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about books that changed one's life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6330144,
          "author": "ryduh",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-04T20:12:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 6329955,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which two books were the most influential on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6330144",
          "commentText": "Think & Grow Rich\nHow to Win Friends & Influence People",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Win Friends & Influence People",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5869186,
          "author": "dome82",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-12T17:07:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 5859004,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5869186",
          "commentText": "How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5502716,
          "author": "orangethirty",
          "createdAt": "2013-04-06T05:20:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 5501062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Business Book For a 13-year-old Girl?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5502716",
          "commentText": "At 13, I read How to win friends and influence people. It taught me how to deal with people. Has she shown any interest in a given topic? At 13, I was dying to learn about stocks, but did not have the resources to do so.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It taught me how to deal with people.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it taught them how to deal with people.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5501644,
          "author": "timo614",
          "createdAt": "2013-04-05T23:17:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 5501062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Business Book For a 13-year-old Girl?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5501644",
          "commentText": "It really depends on what facet of business you think she'd be interested in.\nTo be honest I think better than any specific business resource out there would be to just get her on the path to building the core skills she'll use later on in life. She's already got that started with her vending business which is great. I think pushing her towards taking on some school activities may be great too. Things where she can help organize events and fundraisers and really contribute to a group.\nAs for my favorite books on business I would suggest for a 13 year old:\n\"Death by Meeting\" The author describes a fictional company that is terrible at conducting meetings until the main character comes and helps address the issues. I know she's not really running meetings at the moment so this may be of less use to her until she has others working along side her. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0787968056\nI also agree that \"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" is an excellent book. I grew up with social anxiety disorder and it was one of the books that really broke me out of my shell and gave me the confidence to really push past it. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0671723650\nAnother book I found pretty interesting was \"Win the Crowd.\" While not a 'business' book, per se, it goes into how to really grab your audience's attention and hold it.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060742054\nLastly \"Secrets of Powers Negotiating\" is an interesting book I'd suggest she take a look at. There are endless applications to negotiation in business from sales to even negotiating your first salary. \nhttp://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Power-Negotiating-15th-Anniver... (http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Power-Negotiating-15th-Anniversary/dp/1601631391)\nJust some ideas -- hope it helps!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also agree that \"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" is an excellent book.",
          "reason": "The commenter agrees it is excellent and says it helped them gain confidence despite social anxiety.",
          "audience": "A young person who wants help with social confidence.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4966795,
          "author": "napoleond",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T19:15:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4966795",
          "commentText": "These are the ones I remember, but not necessarily for being the best.\nSteve Jobs - Walter Isaacson. I thought it was interesting; an honest attempt at cataloguing the life of a fascinating and complex person.\nHow To Win Friends And Influence People - Dale Carnegie. I'd skimmed through it in high school, and decided it was full of obvious/cheesy platitudes, but was somehow convinced to take another look this year and I'm very glad I did. It is mostly full of very basic \"don't be an ass\" advice, but I needed it.\nNever Eat Alone - Keith Ferrazzi. I'm not sure what to think of this one. It's pretty low on actionable advice, but it did help me (together with HTWFAIF, above) reframe the way I approach interpersonal relationships.\nThe Cat's Table - Michael Ondaatje. I haven't finished this one yet, but it's part of a recent concerted effort to read more fiction. I've always loved Ondaatje's work, and this latest novel is no different.\nFreakonomics - Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner. I just started reading this last night, and I'm already 100 pages in. It's an addicting read, and is already causing me to re-evaluate the incentive systems that are everywhere.\nNapoleon Bonaparte - Alan Schom. I've been reading this one slowly for a while (it's a hefty book). It's a very well written account of Napoleon's entire life story--highly recommended.\nCrossing the Chasm - Geoffrey Moore. Just started this one last night as well (Christmas presents!) and so far it seems like it will live up to the hype.\nThe Education of Millionaires - Michael Ellsberg. This one, I can't recommend. As always, though, YMMV :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How To Win Friends And Influence People - Dale Carnegie. I'd skimmed through it in high school, and decided it was full of obvious/cheesy platitudes, but was somehow convinced to take another look this year and I'm very glad I did. It is mostly full of very basic \"don't be an ass\" advice, but I needed it.",
          "reason": "The commenter is glad they revisited it and says its advice was useful to them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes the advice as very basic.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4477421,
          "author": "adetayo",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-05T01:24:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 4476107,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN : What are some great books an aspiring entrepreneur should read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4477421",
          "commentText": "Dale's book is definitely a must read. Matter of fact, I would argue that you should read that first before anything else",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dale's book is definitely a must read.",
          "reason": "Calls it a must-read and says to read it before anything else.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4477081,
          "author": "murz",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-04T23:32:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 4476107,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN : What are some great books an aspiring entrepreneur should read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4477081",
          "commentText": "Have you checked out the handful of books listed on the YCombinator \"Startup Library\" page (http://ycombinator.com/lib.html)?:\nDale Carnegie: How to Win Friends and Influence People\nEdward Tufte: The Visual Display of Quantitative Information\nPaul Graham: Hackers and Painters\nJessica Livingston: Founders at Work",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dale Carnegie: How to Win Friends and Influence People",
          "reason": "Listed as a book on the Startup Library page, in response to a request for recommended books.",
          "audience": "Aspiring entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395662,
          "author": "joshz",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T13:19:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395662",
          "commentText": "The one I've enjoyed the most, was probably \"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman\" but additionally read a couple that kept being mentioned on here:\n* A Random Walk Down Wall Street\n* Predictably Irrational\n* Black Swan\n* Blink\nand enjoyed those too. I've also read \"How To Make Friends and Influence People\" and started \"Lords of Finance\" but never finished.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I've also read \"How To Make Friends and Influence People\"",
          "reason": "Reports having read it without stating an evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2919004,
          "author": "robwgibbons",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-24T01:00:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 2897515,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on overcoming shyness",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2919004",
          "commentText": "Me too, came here to just to say this.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Me too, came here to just to say this.",
          "reason": "Agrees with the preceding comment that this is the book they came to recommend.",
          "audience": "Someone seeking help overcoming shyness and building relationships.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2909106,
          "author": "tommoor",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-21T13:01:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 2897515,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on overcoming shyness",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2909106",
          "commentText": "This is the only book I was going to recommend.\ngreat summary.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is the only book I was going to recommend.",
          "reason": "Endorses the book as the sole recommendation they intended to make.",
          "audience": "Someone seeking help overcoming shyness and building relationships.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2907117,
          "author": "gs7",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-20T17:29:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 2897515,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on overcoming shyness",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2907117",
          "commentText": "By labeling his book outdated I actually meant the examples and situations he describes. The lessons learned and advice he gives are definitely timeless.\nAfter reading everyone's suggestions here I realized that I'm not as socially inept as I thought. I do have the fundamentals down. I guess it's the lack of practice and not knowing how to keep a conversation going when you're not naturally interested in the other person that I'm having a difficult time with.\nBut I appreciate your suggestion on how to approach people at the Hackers & Founders meeting. I think this is what I need, tips on how to initiate a conversation while sounding natural. And LOTS of practice. Thanks!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The lessons learned and advice he gives are definitely timeless.",
          "reason": "Affirms the book’s advice is timeless while clarifying that its examples feel outdated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The examples and situations feel outdated.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2903822,
          "author": "kjackson",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-19T16:05:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 2897515,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on overcoming shyness",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2903822",
          "commentText": "Sorry to be so blunt, but for someone who doesn't have any social skills, it's odd you would feel that Dale Carnegie's book is outdated.  It doesn't seem like you are qualified to know what is outdated or not, given your lack of expertise.\nI suggest you follow that book because it concentrates on the fundamentals.  It's very important you internalize this.\nWhen you go to the Hackers and Founders meetup, every 1 hr, walk up to someone and say \"Hi, my name is gs7.  So what brings you here?\"  It is awkward and embarrassing, but work through it.  You'll get over it.  At least it's friendly and people won't think you're a jerk.  And then you can engage people on things that are interesting to both of you.\nIf you do this exactly 100 times over the course of several months, you'll find that it's not a problem anymore.  All it takes is practice.  You will fail miserably the first 40 times.  The next 30 times, you'll do crappy, but you'll be doing better.  The next 20 times, you'll be doing okay.  And the last 10 times, you'll be good at it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I suggest you follow that book because it concentrates on the fundamentals.",
          "reason": "Recommends following the book for its focus on social fundamentals.",
          "audience": "People who want to improve their social skills.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2897648,
          "author": "lief79",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-18T01:42:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 2897515,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on overcoming shyness",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2897648",
          "commentText": "As has already been stated, \"How to win friends and influence people\" is probably your best bet.  However you'd be better off finding a way to practice your skills.\nA couple things to realize:\nmany people are lonely (like you), and like to discuss their interests.  In high school I was lucky enough to discover how easy it is to break through this with a few events where no one knew more than a few people.\nThe habit I adopted in college, and wish would be easier to do in suburbia was going to dining halls alone, (and this does work elsewhere ... but have a book handy in case no one  is interested) look for anyone who's eating alone and doesn't seem to be working or already engrossed in a book, and ask if they'd like company.\nI've done it successfully the two times I've found myself with the time to do it after college, and numerous times during college.  The same approach works in many large group social scenes.\nGood luck.  Oh, if you really want to improve things rapidly, ask if there is anyone on hackers news who is interested in helping you break through this for a free drink or meal.  It might be easier if you know one or two people prior to the meetup, in order to help with introductions.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How to win friends and influence people\" is probably your best bet.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as the best option, while also advising the reader to practice their skills.",
          "audience": "Someone looking for help overcoming shyness and improving social skills.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says practice is also needed.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2897630,
          "author": "gs7",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-18T01:37:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 2897515,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on overcoming shyness",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2897630",
          "commentText": "Thanks, I've actually read that one about a year ago and it's on my bookshelf. I think it was pretty good, but I felt it was a little outdated and the suggestions were all things I already knew.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I think it was pretty good, but I felt it was a little outdated",
          "reason": "The commenter found it useful but thought its advice was outdated and already familiar.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Felt a little outdated; suggestions were things the commenter already knew.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2897609,
          "author": "sayemm",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-18T01:28:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 2897515,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on overcoming shyness",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2897609",
          "commentText": "- \"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" as other mentioned here\n- join a Toastmaster's club. practice your speaking and presentation skills.\n- meetup.com is a great way to meet people with common interests in your local area",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" as other mentioned here",
          "reason": "The title is offered in response to a request for books on overcoming shyness.",
          "audience": "Someone seeking help with socializing and overcoming shyness.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2897581,
          "author": "joelhaus",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-18T01:15:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 2897515,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on overcoming shyness",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2897581",
          "commentText": "How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie\nWhen I read this book, the timing was perfect and I credit it with refocusing my mind when it comes to relationships. Critics usually say that it's all just common sense, and I would agree -- however, these critics miss the fact that common sense is rarely common practice.\nI recall my first few interactions after reading the first half of the book, and the stuff works, plain and simple. I wanted to kick myself for being so oblivious.\nIt sounds like you are already aware of the importance of relationships, so I would say, give it a shot and don't get discouraged. With practice, it will become easier (almost second nature when you see how positive the results are). You can also find some great summaries of this book online. Due to an overwhelmingly positive experience with this book, I later searched for further reading on the topic and ended up with \"Ethics for the New Millennium\" by the Dalai Lama -- this book helped to bring into focus the underlying \"truth\" of \"How to Win Friends & Influence People\" and is a nice follow up... good luck!\nhttp://www.westegg.com/unmaintained/carnegie/win-friends.htm... (http://www.westegg.com/unmaintained/carnegie/win-friends.html) (Summary)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/06... (http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0671723650)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Ethics-New-Millennium-Dalai-Lama/dp/15... (http://www.amazon.com/Ethics-New-Millennium-Dalai-Lama/dp/1573220256)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the stuff works, plain and simple.",
          "reason": "The commenter credits the book with refocusing their approach to relationships and says its advice works.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking to improve their relationships and social interactions.",
          "caveat": "The commenter agrees the advice can seem like common sense.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2897569,
          "author": "profquail",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-18T01:07:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 2897515,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on overcoming shyness",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2897569",
          "commentText": "\"How to Win Friends & Influence People\"\nhttp://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/06... (http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0671723650?tag=duckduckgo-d-20)\nI don't know if it's as \"step-by-step\" as you're looking for, but it's a classic and still quite popular -- I think it'll at least be a good starting point for you.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it's a classic and still quite popular -- I think it'll at least be a good starting point for you.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a classic and suggests it as a starting point for the questioner.",
          "audience": "Someone seeking practical help with socializing and overcoming shyness.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure it is as step-by-step as requested.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2173418,
          "author": "lsc",
          "createdAt": "2011-02-03T03:21:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 2172825,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: If you could recommend only three management books...",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2173418",
          "commentText": "personally, I'd recommend the classics.\n1. winning friends and influencing people by Dale Carnegie\nprobably the best \"quick introduction to people skills\" I've seen.\nthen, if you need to deal with vendor salespeople\n2. winning through intimidation by Robert J. Ringer.\n(not that I really advocate doing what he says, but it's an important window into the sales mind.  You need some applied cynicism  to defend yourself the first time you go to rent an office, a server, or anything else, really.)\nbut, I guess that's only two, and neither is as specific as you want.  I've never read a specific business book that I found useful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "probably the best \"quick introduction to people skills\" I've seen.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a quick introduction to people skills.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2147222,
          "author": "subhashp",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T09:20:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2147222",
          "commentText": "Few of them are:\n- I am OK you are OK, Thomas Harris (not sure)\n- Fountain Head, Ayn Rand\n- How to win friends ..\n- Lateral Thinking, Bono",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to win friends ..",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the books that changed the commenter’s way of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Title is abbreviated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1972773,
          "author": "sandipagr",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T21:34:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1972773",
          "commentText": "This is the only self-help book that has helped me. (Self-help books are normally waste of time)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "This is the only self-help book that has helped me.",
          "reason": "The commenter says this book has helped them, while generally finding self-help books unhelpful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says self-help books are normally a waste of time.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1972410,
          "author": "tommoor",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T19:27:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1972410",
          "commentText": "Definitely. Seriously considered giving this to my younger brother as well...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Definitely. Seriously considered giving this to my younger brother as well...",
          "reason": "The commenter agrees with the suggestion and considered giving the book to their younger brother.",
          "audience": "A younger reader who could benefit from advice about being kinder to people.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971350,
          "author": "RiderOfGiraffes",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T10:04:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971350",
          "commentText": "When I was about 17 I was told, in no uncertain terms and by someone I respected: \"You really need to learn how to get along with people.\"\nI took that at face value, and tried to find a manual for how to interact positively with others, and I found H2WF&IP.\nI treated it like a text book, and it changed my life completely.  I was happier, more able to be sociable, and I could get along with people.\nNow, after a further 30 or more years, I can still see the book's influence as I negotiate deals, manage employees, broker agreements, and generally \"do stuff.\"\nIt's now out-of-date, but if you can make the effort to read it in the context it was written, and to ignore the obvious anachronisms, it's still valuable.  The more recent versions try to be more up-to-date, but they lose something as far as I can tell, and I return to the original.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I took that at face value, and tried to find a manual for how to interact positively with others, and I found H2WF&IP.\nI treated it like a text book, and it changed my life completely.  I was happier, more able to be sociable, and I could get along with people.\nNow, after a further 30 or more years, I can still see the book's influence as I negotiate deals, manage employees, broker agreements, and generally \"do stuff.\"\nIt's now out-of-date, but if you can make the effort to read it in the context it was written, and to ignore the obvious anachronisms, it's still valuable.  The more recent versions try to be more up-to-date, but they lose something as far as I can tell, and I return to the original.",
          "reason": "Says it changed their life and remains valuable for interacting with others and handling work.",
          "audience": "People seeking to interact more positively and get along with others.",
          "caveat": "The original is out of date and has anachronisms; newer versions lose something, in the commenter's view.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971253,
          "author": "bmcleod",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T08:42:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971253",
          "commentText": "Probably How to Win Friends and influence people. I could have done with being nicer to people much earlier in my life, probably around 12 or so.\nI'm surprised by the number of tech books on this list, I found I had an appetite for finding them myself pretty much when I was ready for each of them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Probably How to Win Friends and influence people.",
          "reason": "Would have given it to their younger self to learn to be nicer to people earlier.",
          "audience": "Younger readers, around age 12.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1867881,
          "author": "bryanwb",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-04T06:07:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1867881",
          "commentText": "Big -1 on How to Win Friends by Dale Carnegie\nI think Franklin Covey's 7 Habits is much better in this regard",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Big -1 on How to Win Friends by Dale Carnegie",
          "reason": "The commenter strongly objects to the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1724771,
          "author": "SHOwnsYou",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-24T18:29:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1724771",
          "commentText": "If you actually want literature, my favorite book as a child was Where the Red Fern Grows. If they are around 14+ there are some great, captivating Hemmingway books. A Farewell to Arms, Island in the Stream, A Movable Feast, and The Garden of Eden (In that order).\nI keeping editing as I think of new things. This may sound odd, but if they are in the 14+ range, How to Win Friends and Influence People is great. It changed a lot for me.\nWhen I was like 9 I got the book How to be Twice as Smart and it taught me a ton of mental tricks.\nThis book taught me a lot (probably if the boy is like 10 or 12+?)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Backyard-Ballistics-Cannons-Cincinnati... (http://www.amazon.com/Backyard-Ballistics-Cannons-Cincinnati-Dynamite/dp/1556523750/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1285352917&sr=1-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Win Friends and Influence People is great. It changed a lot for me.",
          "reason": "Calls it great and says it had a strong personal effect.",
          "audience": "Readers around age 14 and older.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1635027,
          "author": "danielzarick",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-26T04:00:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1635027",
          "commentText": "Definitely all three of these...\nPlus recently \"Made to Stick\" has really changed how I think about ideas and sharing them with others. http://www.amazon.com/Made-Stick-Ideas-Survive-Others/dp/140... (http://www.amazon.com/Made-Stick-Ideas-Survive-Others/dp/1400064287/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1282795235&sr=1-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Definitely all three of these...",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly seconds the three books listed in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1634501,
          "author": "sandipagr",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T23:29:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1634501",
          "commentText": "The Alchemist http://www.amazon.com/Alchemist-Fable-About-Following-Dream/... (http://www.amazon.com/Alchemist-Fable-About-Following-Dream/dp/0062502182)\nZen and the art of motorcycle maintenance http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Art-Motorcycle-Maintenance-Inquiry... (http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Art-Motorcycle-Maintenance-Inquiry/dp/0688002307/)\nHow to win friends an Influence people http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/14... (http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/1439167346)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to win friends an Influence people http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/14...",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed your life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227744,
          "author": "dnsworks",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T22:39:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227744",
          "commentText": "- How To Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/06... (http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0671723650)\n- Beethoven As I Knew Him by Anton Felix Schindler http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-As-I-Knew-Him/dp/0486292320\n- Soul Of A New Machine (It's about hardware!) and Mountains Beyond Mountains, both by Tracy Kidder\n- Eating Animals by Jonathan Safron Foer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- How To Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 947738,
          "author": "charlesju",
          "createdAt": "2009-11-18T03:41:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 947581,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN:  What's the best first business book for a programmer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=947738",
          "commentText": "Here is the most important thing about the book. The basic motivation for all people is to feel important, you can influence people by making them feel important.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The basic motivation for all people is to feel important, you can influence people by making them feel important.",
          "reason": "Explains a principle attributed to the book discussed in the conversation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 947710,
          "author": "jason_tko",
          "createdAt": "2009-11-18T03:08:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 947581,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN:  What's the best first business book for a programmer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=947710",
          "commentText": "Great question.\nFirstly, the more I've gotten involved in business over the years, the more I've come to realise that for any kind of sale requiring human contact, personal relationships are absolutely paramount.\nThis is fairly straightforward, but it bears repeating.  People will buy from people who they like.  In a situation where a customer can choose between Vendor A and Vendor B who have similar products and prices, they will choose the likable Vendor A who is friendly and who they enjoy getting a call from.  This is 100 times more powerful than Vendor B who has 3 additional features that are really great, but who has made no attempt to establish any kind of relationship with the customer.\nAs such, the first book I would recommend would be the classic \"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" by Dale Carnegie.\nOnce you've got a handle on that, \"Ready, Fire, Aim\" by Michael Masterson talks about the value of moving quickly, selling quickly, and figuring out the finer details as you're moving along.  This was invaluable for me, since I used to want to have everything pretty much perfect before moving.  This was negative because it took a long time to get anything to market, and also because theory rarely survives direct contact with reality - the adjustment period in the first stage of operations is critical to the overall success of the project.  This book also has plenty of enjoyable personal stories and business anecdotes that make it very readable.\nI second \"Made to Stick\" as a great study on what makes things popular, and how they become popular.\nIt's really hard to narrow down more book recommendations actually - I've read hundreds of books over the years on a variety of topics.  What I found I needed to do, was continuously seek out good books and learn about topics as they arose.\nGenerally when it comes to book learning and business, I would recommend this : figure out your basic plan, and get started.\nOnce you encounter your first problem, seek help (ideally from both a mentor and some books).\nFor instance, you've built a product, now you want to sell it.  You hop on Google Ads and put down $400.  You've got a solid click through rate, and 2 weeks later, zero sales.\nTime to learn about marketing.  Seek out some good marketing books (Your Marketing Sucks is very good), buy them, read them, and ask your mentor about them.\nNow you're making some sales, and a Sales guy approaches you.  He bought your product, and he likes it.  He's interested to become your salesperson.  Next you need to find some good books on negotiation (Getting To Yes).  Of course, you're also going to need to get some advice from a lawyer or a mentor to ensure that the deal you do is fair and economically sustainable.\nDifferent books will provide all sorts of different benefits and insights depending on the stage of your business and your level of experience.  Book selection should be a continual process.\nHope this is helpful and best of luck.  Please feel free to contact me if you need anything else.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the first book I would recommend would be the classic \"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" by Dale Carnegie.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for understanding the importance of personal relationships in sales.",
          "audience": "People selling to customers through personal contact.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 947683,
          "author": "dnsworks",
          "createdAt": "2009-11-18T02:38:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 947581,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN:  What's the best first business book for a programmer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=947683",
          "commentText": "Pick up a copy of the tried and true, \"How To Win Friends & Influence People\". The rest of the fad business books come and go, but this one is a great start to learn how to interact with people when you're trying to sell them on \"something\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this one is a great start to learn how to interact with people when you're trying to sell them on \"something\".",
          "reason": "Calls it a great starting point for learning to interact with people when selling.",
          "audience": "People learning to sell or build relationships with customers.",
          "caveat": "The comment contrasts it with fad business books that come and go.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 568752,
          "author": "iainduncan",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-18T21:22:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 568556,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sales book recommendation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=568752",
          "commentText": "I'm a freelancer in web dev and show biz and have done a lot of sales in that area. Brian Tracey's \"Advanced Selling Strategies\" is probably the best single book out there for individual one-on-one selling, especially if you also read \"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" 80% of reviewers on Amazon gave it 5 stars, and the rest 4. That's saying something for a business book!\nI would also highly recommend finding good books on negotiation too. Balancing relationship sales with negotiation and estimation is IMHO the hardest and most far-reaching aspect of being a freelance web dev.\nIain Duncan",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "especially if you also read \"How to Win Friends and Influence People\"",
          "reason": "Recommended as a companion read to Advanced Selling Strategies.",
          "audience": "People doing individual one-on-one sales, including freelance web developers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 568639,
          "author": "mrduncan",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-18T19:32:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 568556,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sales book recommendation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=568639",
          "commentText": "How to Win Friends & Influence People (http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/06... (http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0671723650)) - Seriously.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Win Friends & Influence People",
          "reason": "Offered as a book suggestion in response to the request for sales books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 221121,
          "author": "huhtenberg",
          "createdAt": "2008-06-18T20:25:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 221097,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Best book for Java",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=221121",
          "commentText": "Go over \"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" by Dale Carnegie and then convince them to stay away from Java.\nYou will benefit not only yourself, but the humanity as whole :)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Go over \"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" by Dale Carnegie",
          "reason": "Suggests reading it before persuading the client to avoid Java; the advice is framed humorously.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The recommendation is part of a joke about convincing the client to stay away from Java.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 199959,
          "author": "xirium",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-26T04:07:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 199722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=199959",
          "commentText": "> This is a great book.\nWhich version did you read? Dale Carnegie's estate has published a slightly different version almost every year since Carnegie's death.\nThe version I read mentioned Stevie Wonder. I was thinking 'WTF? I thought that Stevie Wonder became famous after Dale Carnegie died.' Indeed, I was right. Anyhow, for this reason, I recommend the earliest edition you can obtain so that it is closer to Carnegie's intentions.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "for this reason, I recommend the earliest edition you can obtain so that it is closer to Carnegie's intentions.",
          "reason": "Recommends obtaining the earliest edition because later versions differ from Carnegie's intentions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that later editions may have been altered after Carnegie's death.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 199948,
          "author": "tomjen",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-26T03:48:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 199722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=199948",
          "commentText": "Second. This is a great book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Second. This is a great book.",
          "reason": "Seconds the previous recommendation and calls the book great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 199923,
          "author": "brlewis",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-26T02:49:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 199722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=199923",
          "commentText": "Dale Carnegie: How to Win Friends and Influence People",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dale Carnegie: How to Win Friends and Influence People",
          "reason": "Offered as a book in response to a request for vacation reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143100,
          "author": "thingsilearned",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T04:12:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143100",
          "commentText": "My grandpa giving me \"How to win friends and Influence people\" in 7th grade.\nMy Mom teaching me to code in 6th grade.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"How to win friends and Influence people\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says their grandfather gave them the book in seventh grade.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 138481,
          "author": "mixmax",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-16T22:39:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=138481",
          "commentText": "\"How to win friends and influence people\" by Dale Carnegie.\nThis book should especially be read by those that aren't good with people.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book should especially be read by those that aren't good with people.",
          "reason": "Directly recommends it to people who struggle with interpersonal skills.",
          "audience": "People who aren't good with people.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135267,
          "author": "tomjen",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T17:02:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135267",
          "commentText": "Make friends and influence people -- will help you understand why people react as strange as they do.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Make friends and influence people",
          "reason": "Suggested for a hacker's bookshelf, with the stated benefit of helping explain people's reactions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86007,
          "author": "shayan",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T18:13:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86007",
          "commentText": "Unfortunately I can't read fiction too much, I feel like what I read must directly help me with what I do, so I feel a lot better reading either technical stuff or business related (I love business).  Since we are excluding technical, most of the following are business related, or helps you in dealing with people and solving problems)\nNetscape Time - Jim Clark (very educational for those interested in startups, good piece of Internet history, interesting insights to the culture of the first Internet companies)\nHow To Win Friends And Influence People - Dale Carnegie (found it through YC recommendations, THANK YOU.  one of the best educational books I have ever read, it will teach you how to make friends, be a good leader, get along at home, encourage people, make them follow you and so much more...)\nFounders at Work -  Jessica Livingston (I found it relevant to what I am doing, good lessons, and interesting insights)\nGetting to Yes - Roger Fisher, William L. Ury (teaches you how to negotiate and how to get the best out of each situation for yourself and the other part, will be useful both at work and personal life, a bit dry)\nWinning - Jack Welch (great advices on leadership, might be more useful to someone that is running a big company)\nLeadership Is an Art - Max Depree (great leadership advices, it will give you the right mindset of how to be a great leader) \n-----------\nAnimal Farm (George Orwell), Alchemist (Paulo Coelho), Interpreting Your Dreams(Freud)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "one of the best educational books I have ever read",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of their best educational reads and lists practical benefits.",
          "audience": "People seeking help with relationships, leadership, and influence.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85926,
          "author": "nfriedly",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T14:05:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85926",
          "commentText": "The Bible,\nWild at Heart,\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People,\nSongs for Martha <-- I have an autographed copy,\nHitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy,\nRainbow Six (and most other Clancy books)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Win Friends and Influence People,",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 65157,
          "author": "Kaizyn",
          "createdAt": "2007-10-09T06:11:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 65153,
          "threadTitle": "Top Books for Entrepreneurs. List them.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=65157",
          "commentText": "This has come up a couple times before.  However, specifically for entrepreneurs, the books to read are:\n  1) How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie\n  2) Musashi's The Book of Five Rings\n  3) Gonzo Marketing by Christopher Locke\n  4) Getting Things Done by David Allen\n  5) What Management Is by Joan Magretta\n\nThere are other books, but less relevant in a business context.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie",
          "reason": "Listed among books to read specifically for entrepreneurs.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 57169,
          "author": "Jd",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-20T02:02:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=57169",
          "commentText": "All excellent suggestions.  Altho I am unfamiliar w/ Body Language I will check it out.  Just working through the Carnegie book now.\nAlso, I believe Code Complete is by Steve McConnnell.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Just working through the Carnegie book now.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 57091,
          "author": "jamiequint",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T22:16:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=57091",
          "commentText": "Never Eat Alone,\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People,\nGetting to Yes,\nThe Effective Executive\n...and like 40 more, too many to list!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Win Friends and Influence People",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56855,
          "author": "samson",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T13:41:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56855",
          "commentText": "Here are three books that I have loved reading\n1. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie\nI know its been mentioned already, but truly this is a book worth mentioning twice. For the introverted or the arugmentative type and for anyone else, this book hits alot critical and sometimes overlooked human traits that everyone should be aware of in their daily interactions with other people.\nA few quotes by Carnegie.\nAvoid arguments\n\"you can't win an argument, because if you win it you lose it, and if you lose...well you lose it.\"\n\"few people think of themselves as bad people\"\n-means regardless of how they look,dress or talk, most people are appproachable with a smile and a \"hi\".\n\"people will always strive to justify themselves\".\nAll three of these quotes are connected.\n2. The Innovators Solution - Christensen and Raynor\nIf you've ever heard the quote \"First they ignore you,... then they fight you, then you win.\" by Gandhi. This book puts it in perspective in relation to how small companies over take large companies. \n3.The 48 Laws of Power _ Robert Greene.\n Go Go read if you haven't yet. This is a great book! It pullls lessons which you can learn from various types of people throughout history from painters,generals to presidents.\nMy favorite was Law 28: \"Enter action with boldness\". Be bold in your ideas, be bold in how your carry yourself in life.\nI know I said three 3, but Seth Godin still deserves some mention with All marketers are liars. Which simply I take to mean for us here is if your developing a startup, make sure it has a good...no a great story to tell.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this is a book worth mentioning twice",
          "reason": "Says it covers important human traits relevant to daily interactions.",
          "audience": "Introverts, argumentative people, and anyone interested in daily interactions.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56777,
          "author": "Kaizyn",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T07:44:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56777",
          "commentText": "1) Musashi's Book of Five Rings\n2) Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People\n3) Machaivelli's The Prince\n4) Sun-Tzu's The Art of War\n5) Hayakawa's Language in Thought and Action\n6) Steven Johnson's Emergence\n7) Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel\n8) Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything\n9) Mark Buchanan's Nexus\n10) C. S. Lewis's The Problem of Pain\nTaken together, these books cover just about everything there is to know about the sciences, about human history, human nature and how to understand and communicate effectively with other people.  Only one other book besides these needs to be studied/read: The Bible.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People",
          "reason": "Includes it in a recommended list about human nature and communicating effectively.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in communication and interpersonal skills.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56709,
          "author": "ericb",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T04:32:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56709",
          "commentText": "How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.  It is arguably the most useful book I've ever read, albeit with the most embarassing title.\nAs inklesspen mentioned, Elements of Style is a must.\nCode Complete and the Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks.  Timeless coding wisdom.\nFor a laugh, Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, or Hitchhiker's Guide.  \nBody Language, Julius Fast. Kitschy but fascinating insights into body language.\nFabric of the Cosmos, Brian Greene.  Brian is a fluke of nature--a physicist who can explain things realy well!\nAnything by Phillip K. Dick.  Sci-fi stories that make you think.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It is arguably the most useful book I've ever read, albeit with the most embarassing title.",
          "reason": "Calls it arguably the most useful book they've read.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in interpersonal skills.",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds the title embarrassing.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5704,
          "author": "bhb",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T16:03:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5704",
          "commentText": "Some of these have been mentioned, but these stand out for me\nProgramming:\nGetting Real\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nHackers and Painters\nBusiness:\nGood to Great\nStart Your Own Business (I knew basically nothing about \nsmall business before I started, and it's a good intro)\nCrossing the Chasm (good so far, haven't finished)\nTechnology/Culture:\nThe Long Tail\nThe World is Flat\nProductivity/People:\nGetting Things Done\nGetting to Yes\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Win Friends and Influence People",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5591,
          "author": "danw",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T02:54:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5591",
          "commentText": "Win friends is great. I managed to find an old yellowing copy at the local library shelved under economics :) For those too AD to read it you can just check out these lists of rules to follow on wikipedia:\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Win_Friends_and_Influence_People",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Win friends is great.",
          "reason": "Calls it great.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in practical rules for interpersonal skills.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5584,
          "author": "pg",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T02:44:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5584",
          "commentText": "Tufte's Visual Display of Quantitative Information and Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dale Carnegie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 124,
      "threads": 69,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "interpersonal skills",
        "communication",
        "interpersonal communication",
        "social skills"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "zen-and-the-art-of-motorcycle-maintenance-e799ce",
      "title": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance",
      "author": "Robert M. Pirsig",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43098867,
          "author": "muzani",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-19T05:25:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 43084739,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction/non-fiction book should everyone read on the topic of CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43098867",
          "commentText": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance was a HN favorite, but seems to have dropped off the charts. It's not exactly CS, but covers the topic of tech and quality.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance was a HN favorite, but seems to have dropped off the charts.",
          "reason": "Covers technology and quality, though it is not exactly about computer science.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not exactly CS.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41802421,
          "author": "xkcd-sucks",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-10T19:18:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41802421",
          "commentText": "Moby Dick, Herman Melville\nVALIS, Philip K Dick\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance + also Lila, Robert Pirsig\nNaked Lunch, William Burroughs\nImmortality, Milan Kundera\nCatch-22, Joseph Heller (pair with The Deserters, Charles Glass -- In fact a lot of the stuff in Catch-22 is actually toned down from reality)\nMastering the Core Teachings of Buddha, Daniel Ingram (but ignore 80% of it)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41775133,
          "author": "billwear",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-08T08:50:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41775133",
          "commentText": "there are two: Pirsig's \"Zen...\" and Thoreau's \"Walden....\" the quality which is defined is not the quality, and the sun is but a morning star. iykyk. no posturing intended, just answering the d*n question.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pirsig's \"Zen...\"",
          "reason": "Named as one of two answers to the question about the best book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41758429,
          "author": "agiacalone",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-06T16:54:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41758429",
          "commentText": "One of the previous posts mentioned that it changes for them frequently, and I'm pretty much the same way. But for right now:\nFiction: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\nNon-Fiction: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Non-Fiction: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41175653,
          "author": "taylodl",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:37:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175653",
          "commentText": "- Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Pirsig)\n- Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid (Hofstadter)\n- Shadows of the Mind: A Search for the Missing Science of Consciousness (Penrose)\n- Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind (Suzuki)\n- Demian (Hesse)\n- The Stranger (Camus)\n- Slaughterhouse-Five (Vonnegut)\n- Another Roadside Attraction (Robbins)\nI have read many books that have had an impact on me for a time, but these are the books that have had an enduring impact going on now for decades.\nAnd yes, one of these books, Another Roadside Attraction, is unlike the others. You can substitute any Tom Robbins book, or read them all!, but this is the book that started it all for me. Tom Robbins' books taught me to not take life so seriously.\nDemian and The Stranger may be fiction, but let's just say their purpose is to get across a philosophical point.\nFinally, with regards to Slaughterhouse-Five, you'll just have to read it.\nEnjoy!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Pirsig)",
          "reason": "Lists it among books that have had an enduring impact for decades.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39063412,
          "author": "borlanco",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-20T00:42:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39063412",
          "commentText": "Pirsig's book is not really about engineering, but about how we engineers relate to the world.\nIn engineering school I was taught to see the world in a special and unique way, to be able to solve engineering problems as a professional. In the book, this worldwiew is very well laid out.\nAn example:\n  > Precision instruments are designed to achieve an idea, dimensional precision, whose perfection is impossible. There is no perfectly shaped part of the motorcycle and never will be, but when you come as close as these instruments take you, remarkable things happen, and you go flying across the countryside under a power that would be called magic if it were not so completely rational in every way. It's the understanding of this rational intellectual idea that's fundamental. John looks at the motorcycle and he sees steel in various shapes and has negative feelings about these steel shapes and turns off the whole thing. I look at the shapes of the steel now and I see ideas. He thinks I'm working on parts. I'm working on concepts.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Pirsig's book is not really about engineering, but about how we engineers relate to the world.",
          "reason": "Describes how the book lays out an engineer’s way of seeing the world and solving problems.",
          "audience": "Engineers interested in how engineering shapes their view of the world.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not really about engineering.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39057387,
          "author": "hide1713",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T16:37:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39057387",
          "commentText": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books on engineering philosophy.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the philosophy of engineering.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38579892,
          "author": "jesterson",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-09T08:29:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38579892",
          "commentText": "> - \"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\" by Robert Pirsig. Truly marvelous book and nice to read. This book requires the reader to be of certain kind attaining a certain level. Without that, this book will seem a fluff and overrated hugely. Fundamentally changed my thinking\nIt seems I am the kind of not reaching the certain level as I had to drop the book halfway due to being boring. Not trying to troll here, but would you kindly elaborate how the book helped to changed thinking? I am trying to understand what did I miss here.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "would you kindly elaborate how the book helped to changed thinking?",
          "reason": "Asks the prior commenter to explain how the book changed their thinking; reports dropping it halfway as boring.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter stopped reading halfway because it was boring to them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38565904,
          "author": "__rito__",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T06:03:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38565904",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- \"The Dark Forest\" by Liu Cixin and the whole Three Body Problem/Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy. Truly massive, grand SciFi. Would recommend 10/10. [HN]\n- \"Anna Karenina\" by Tolstoy. Made me face deeper parts of my mind. Attempted to answer some questions I had. Great story. Huge book. Historical fiction is something I like across languages.\n- \"Candide\" by Voltaire. Genuinely fun and entertaining, besides it being- you know- Voltaire.\n- \"The Diamond Age\" by Neal Stephenson. Very good story, world buulding, nice technology. Great thinking by the author.\nNon Fiction:\n- \"Fermat's Last Theorem\" by Simon Singh. Was very happy to see a Popular Math book where there are so many Popular Science books. Great book. Goes over FMT's solving history, with many many fun anecdotes, short biographies, etc. Truly enjoyable to read.\n- \"Code Book\" by Simon Singh. Genuinely fun and learned a lot. Cryptography's history, progress, and so much more. [HN]\nSelf-Help:\n- \"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\" by Robert Pirsig. Truly marvelous book and nice to read. This book requires the reader to be of certain kind attaining a certain level. Without that, this book will seem a fluff and overrated hugely. Fundamentally changed my thinking. [HN]\n- \"Four Thousand Weeks\" by Oliver Bourkeman. Thought this was about saner time management with some wisdom. But was much deeper than that. Will recommend.\nBengali:\n- \"Abhajaner Mahabharat\" by Mahbub Lilen. A fun and serious retelling of the Mahabharata. Goes deep, too. Really fun to read.\n- \"Khana Mihirer Dhipi\" by Bani Basu. An account of feminism in the light of female-dominated inner part of Bengali elite households- and that in the light of female dominated, fully maternalistic hunter-gatherers of early human history. Very thought provoking and unique.\n[HN]- chose primarily because recommendation in some past HN threads.\nRead 23 so far. Target is 25. Currently reading Snow Crash and Exhalation.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\" by Robert Pirsig.",
          "reason": "Calls it marvelous and says it fundamentally changed their thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it requires the reader to reach a certain level; otherwise it may seem fluffy and overrated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37940234,
          "author": "karmakurtisaani",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T08:53:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37940234",
          "commentText": "Easily one of my favourite books. My advice for anyone reading it is not to see it as a philosophical book, although some of the philosophical digressions are extremely interesting. Rather, read it as an autobiography of a person suffering from an obsession, and his quest to connect with his son. The end was very satisfying from this point of view.\nEdit: so to answer your points\n1. No need to.\n2. Worth reading the whole thing.\n3. At the first reading when younger, one might focus too much on the philosophy and miss the story of the person behind the thoughts. It's not a book where you learn philosophy, but how this person thinks and how it impacts his life. With some life experience and perspective this aspect is much more interesting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Easily one of my favourite books.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends reading the book as an autobiography about obsession and a father’s quest to connect with his son.",
          "audience": "Readers who may focus too much on the philosophy instead of the personal story.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not a book for learning philosophy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937406,
          "author": "gcanyon",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T02:07:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937406",
          "commentText": "1. Most definitely\n2. The revelation about quality\n3. I've read it three or four times, generally about ten years apart. I'm due...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've read it three or four times, generally about ten years apart. I'm due...",
          "reason": "The commenter has reread it several times and expects to read it again.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937398,
          "author": "gcanyon",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T02:06:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937398",
          "commentText": "As a funny aside, I have an otherwise intelligent friend who actually thinks the book is about motorcycles...",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the book is about motorcycles",
          "reason": "A funny aside about a friend’s interpretation of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937390,
          "author": "gcanyon",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T02:05:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937390",
          "commentText": "I don't know that I would call it \"non-fiction,\" but its non-fictional aspects have had a huge impact on me: the \"focus on the small to unblock yourself\" (was it write about your left hand?).\nAnd the concept of \"gumption\".\nBut most especially that \"quality\" is the interface between the observer and the observed -- that what you like is a unique aspect of you and the thing (that you like), and that's okay. That concept has shaped my world.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"focus on the small to unblock yourself\"",
          "reason": "The commenter discusses ideas they found impactful in the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937302,
          "author": "curious_soul",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:52:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937302",
          "commentText": "I have tried reading this twice but couldn't get past 30 pages or so. I was enjoying the read but not sure what made me drop it both times. I was much younger though, so perhaps a 3rd attempt is in order.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I have tried reading this twice but couldn't get past 30 pages or so.",
          "reason": "The commenter struggled to continue reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Couldn't get past about 30 pages on two attempts; may try again.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33799426,
          "author": "mantas",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T11:42:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33799426",
          "commentText": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Good take on what is quality vs function and form.\nArt of War. Good example of a creature to last a damn long time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it offers a good take on quality, function, and form.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32791257,
          "author": "wunderlust",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T15:04:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32791257",
          "commentText": "My field of study (what I really like to think and learn about) isn't my field of work, but I like the question so I'll spill some thoughts.\nI spend a lot of time thinking about philosophical-ish stuff, so here are some books that have had the strongest residual effects (whether that's changing how I think, changing what I think about, changing my values, or simply getting the thought ball rolling faster):\nIshmael (Daniel Quinn)\n1984 (George Orwell)\nBrave New World (Aldous Huxley)\nGodel, Escher, Bach (Douglas Hofstadter)\nThe Republic [imp. \"the allegory of the cave\"] (Plato)\nThe Genealogy of Morals (Friedrich Nietzsche)\nThe Social Construction of Reality (Peter L. Berger, Thomas Luckmann)\nTractatus Logico-Philosophicus (L. Wittgenstein)\nDissemination [imp. \"The Pharmakon\"] (Jacques Derrida)\nThe Quest for Reality (Barry Stroud)\nLanguages of Art (Nelson Goodman)\nThe Structure of Scientific Revolutions (Thomas Kuhn)\nConcepts (Jerry Fodor)\nThe Web of Life (Fritjof Capra)\nFoucault's Pendulum (Umberto Eco)\nNaming and Necessity (Saul Kripke)\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Robert Pirsig)\nThere are others, and a lot of essays (by thinkers like Bertrand Russell, Carl Hempel, Hilary Putnam, WVO Quine, Karl Popper, Alfred Tarski, Gottlob Frege, David Chalmers, Daniel Dennett, Michel Foucault, Jean Baudrillard, Mikhail Bakunin, CS Peirce, and David Hume, among many others), but these seem apropos as they most readily came to mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Robert Pirsig)",
          "reason": "Listed among books with strong residual effects on the commenter’s thinking and values.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32345552,
          "author": "cromulent",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-04T17:09:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32345552",
          "commentText": "Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance is a classic, written by a technical writer, and touches on the subject at some length.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance is a classic, written by a technical writer, and touches on the subject at some length.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a classic that touches on technical writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Only touches on technical writing at some length.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32197792,
          "author": "rkapsoro",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:21:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197792",
          "commentText": "Just started an overdue reread of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, as of last weekend. About half done now.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Just started an overdue reread of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, as of last weekend. About half done now.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have started rereading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32197450,
          "author": "HeyLaughingBoy",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T21:42:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197450",
          "commentText": "I second this. We haven't gone to the library since COVID but before that I was reading a lot more. I think the last library book was either Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance or Getting Stoned with Savages\nI liked \"getting stoned\" better :-)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "either Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance or Getting Stoned with Savages",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31969180,
          "author": "jdkee",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T17:05:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31969180",
          "commentText": "Came here to say this. I reread it every ten years or so and each time I find something new in it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Came here to say this. I reread it every ten years or so and each time I find something new in it.",
          "reason": "Endorses the referenced book, saying rereading reveals something new each time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30740363,
          "author": "deepspace",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T05:18:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30740363",
          "commentText": "I really liked ZAMM the first few times I read it, when I was very young, and for a while thought it was the greatest book ever.  With age and experience comes wisdom, though, and over the years I recognized that there is a lot of pretentious pseudo-scientific crap in there.\nThe part about \"Gumption Traps\" is very true and valid, however, and following Pirsig's advice on that front has saved me countless hours of fruitless troubleshooting.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I really liked ZAMM the first few times I read it, when I was very young",
          "reason": "The commenter once considered it the greatest book, but later found much of it pretentious and pseudo-scientific.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They still find its advice about troubleshooting useful.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30736242,
          "author": "Eddy_Viscosity2",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T18:21:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30736242",
          "commentText": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.\nI read this as part of course but it really stuck with me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.",
          "reason": "It stuck with the commenter after reading it for a course.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25907450,
          "author": "babygoat",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T19:18:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25907450",
          "commentText": "Kind of a dumb title, but it'll make sense when you read it. I have zero interest in motorcycles (let alone maintenance), but it's a fantastic read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kind of a dumb title, but it'll make sense when you read it. I have zero interest in motorcycles (let alone maintenance), but it's a fantastic read.",
          "reason": "Calls it a fantastic read despite having no interest in motorcycles or maintenance.",
          "audience": "Readers put off by the title or uninterested in motorcycles may still enjoy it.",
          "caveat": "The commenter acknowledges the title can seem off-putting.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25905123,
          "author": "hypomnemata",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T16:35:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25905123",
          "commentText": "I'm aiming to read Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance. I'm always being told I should read it, but the title has always put me off.\nI used to read a lot, but over the past few years I've read less and less. 2020 was definitely not a good year for deep reading.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'm aiming to read Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance.",
          "reason": "Names it as a book they are aiming to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The title has always put them off.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25533830,
          "author": "jefallbright",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-25T03:02:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25533830",
          "commentText": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig.  The only book I've read twice (at about 18 and again in late twenties.) Deep thoughts on the contrast between \"pragmatic\" vs \"romantic\" perspectives on life, and the meaning of \"Quality\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig. The only book I've read twice",
          "reason": "The commenter says it explores pragmatic and romantic perspectives on life and the meaning of Quality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24645187,
          "author": "enchiridion",
          "createdAt": "2020-09-30T23:12:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 24582669,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24645187",
          "commentText": "I could see that. Especially if you read it.\nThe premise centers around the idea of a Chautauqua, so I think it does really well as an audio book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The premise centers around the idea of a Chautauqua, so I think it does really well as an audio book.",
          "reason": "Says the book's Chautauqua format works well as an audiobook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24605909,
          "author": "m0ck",
          "createdAt": "2020-09-27T11:43:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 24582669,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24605909",
          "commentText": "Interesting, this book got some heat when I asked about books people do not recommend some time ago :)\nhttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16785473",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "this book got some heat",
          "reason": "Refers to the book as having received criticism in an earlier discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment does not name the book; identification comes from the parent comment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24602945,
          "author": "jarbus",
          "createdAt": "2020-09-26T23:25:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 24582669,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24602945",
          "commentText": "Started listening a while ago, but never got around to finishing. Picking it up again, thanks!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Started listening a while ago, but never got around to finishing. Picking it up again, thanks!",
          "reason": "Says they have started the audiobook and will resume it after the recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Has not finished it yet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24587290,
          "author": "vld_lzr",
          "createdAt": "2020-09-25T07:04:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 24582669,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24587290",
          "commentText": "Seconding that. Fantastic book!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seconding that. Fantastic book!",
          "reason": "Seconds the recommendation and calls it a fantastic book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24587139,
          "author": "enchiridion",
          "createdAt": "2020-09-25T06:35:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 24582669,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24587139",
          "commentText": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Preferably the audio book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Preferably the audio book.",
          "reason": "Offers the title as a book recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Prefers the audiobook.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22728174,
          "author": "flyingfences",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T14:16:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22728174",
          "commentText": "I finally got around to reading it about a year ago and the line that hooked me was right in the beginning. \"We want to make good time, but for us now this is measured with emphasis on 'good' rather than 'time' and when you make that shift in emphasis the whole approach changes.\"",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I finally got around to reading it about a year ago and the line that hooked me was right in the beginning.",
          "reason": "The commenter recalls being hooked by an early line from the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22719338,
          "author": "sdedovic",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T14:38:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22719338",
          "commentText": "- Anna Karenina: Tolstoy knows people better than they know themselves\n- Brave New World: Aldous Huxley is a genius and a wordsmith\n- Dune: a sci-fi masterpiece, highly recommended to anyone into sci-fi\n- Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: not purely fiction but an amazing book I will surely re-read during my lifetime",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: not purely fiction but an amazing book I will surely re-read during my lifetime",
          "reason": "Calls it an amazing book and says they expect to reread it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not purely fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21852319,
          "author": "t3hprofit",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T17:36:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21852319",
          "commentText": "I've read this twice. Enjoyed it both times and have referred frequently back to it. I second this wholeheartedly\nAlso, random side note, here's an interesting talk given by Ashley Williams on Rust that refers to the book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pn-1so-Ibsg (Zen and the Art of Convincing Your Company to Use Rust)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've read this twice. Enjoyed it both times and have referred frequently back to it. I second this wholeheartedly",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed it twice, frequently refer back to it, and wholeheartedly second the recommendation.",
          "audience": "Developers seeking audiobook recommendations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21852106,
          "author": "JCLacivta",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T16:56:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21852106",
          "commentText": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Developers seeking audiobook recommendations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20336756,
          "author": "clarityPhone",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T16:35:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20336756",
          "commentText": "I felt exactly the same way, and this as someone who spent their entire life surrounded by motorcycles. The philosophical insights  just felt a bit... corny? And the rest was just plain boring.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The philosophical insights  just felt a bit... corny? And the rest was just plain boring.",
          "reason": "Says the book’s philosophical insights felt corny and the rest was boring, in response to the parent’s discussion of it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19091972,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-06T01:48:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19091972",
          "commentText": "im sorry i love these threads and all the people contributing  but this book is overrated. Please explain to me what is so great and life changing about this book.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "this book is overrated. Please explain to me what is so great and life changing about this book.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the book overrated and questions its influence.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17992576,
          "author": "JDWolf",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-15T02:10:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17992576",
          "commentText": "This was one of my favorites.  The style of writing made me rethink what is possible in storytelling and philosophical/psychological narratives.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This was one of my favorites. The style of writing made me rethink what is possible in storytelling and philosophical/psychological narratives.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a favorite and praises its storytelling and philosophical and psychological narratives.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17341154,
          "author": "vstuart",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T19:53:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17341154",
          "commentText": "[Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_and_the_Art_of_Motorcycle_... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_and_the_Art_of_Motorcycle_Maintenance))",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17170496,
          "author": "8bitsrule",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-28T03:50:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17170496",
          "commentText": "\"Gumption trap\". oh yeah. Book of wisdom. Eventually I read the sequel, also good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Gumption trap\". oh yeah. Book of wisdom. Eventually I read the sequel, also good.",
          "reason": "Calls the book a book of wisdom and says its sequel was also good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168618,
          "author": "Keloo",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:20:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168618",
          "commentText": "zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance\nmasterpiece",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance\nmasterpiece",
          "reason": "Calls the book a masterpiece.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17049569,
          "author": "justinhj",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T18:10:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17049569",
          "commentText": "Some books have been very influential on how I see the world. Ishmael is one about an intelligent ape that explains the natural world to a guy in socratic dialogue style. Guns Germs and Steal. The Forest People, a book from the 60s by an anthropologist who lives with a pygmy tribe. These books about where we came from I find really interesting.\nFor self improvement books you can’t go wrong with 7 Habits of a highly effective people. It’s short and to the point and very practical.\nI’m half way through Zen and Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and it’s either way over my head or overrated. I don’t particularly like the narrator which does not help",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I’m half way through Zen and Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and it’s either way over my head or overrated.",
          "reason": "The commenter is unsure whether it is too difficult or overrated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter dislikes the narrator and is uncertain about the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17048345,
          "author": "dlwdlw",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T15:58:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17048345",
          "commentText": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance as well as Godel, Escher, Bach.\nHelped me see the limitations of rationality, rigor, and measurement.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance as well as Godel, Escher, Bach.\nHelped me see the limitations of rationality, rigor, and measurement.",
          "reason": "Credits it with helping them see the limitations of rationality, rigor, and measurement.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16297856,
          "author": "oceanghost",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T15:02:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16297856",
          "commentText": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.\nIt appeals to a certain type of thinker. For me, it was for confirmation that there was another individual in the universe whose brain worked like mine. This alone was a revelation, even aside from the book's profundity.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.\nIt appeals to a certain type of thinker.",
          "reason": "Praises the book's profundity and its resonance with the commenter's way of thinking.",
          "audience": "A certain type of thinker.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296548,
          "author": "tmatthewj",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T06:46:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296548",
          "commentText": "Thinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman\nThe Richest Man in Babylon - George Samuel Clason\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert M. Pirsig\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie\nThis is such a beautiful thread!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert M. Pirsig",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the question about books the commenter wishes they had read earlier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15761909,
          "author": "kiernanmcgowan",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T00:34:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15761909",
          "commentText": "I quit my “traditional engineering“ job after reading this book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I quit my “traditional engineering“ job after reading this book.",
          "reason": "Says reading it preceded a major career change, indicating personal impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment reports an effect on the reader but gives no explicit evaluation of the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15761763,
          "author": "kyo3",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T00:02:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15761763",
          "commentText": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance",
          "reason": "Names it in response to a question asking for books useful across areas of daily life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15160659,
          "author": "pbhjpbhj",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T10:16:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15160659",
          "commentText": "The synoptic gospels and NT, but to choose one book from the NT, ...\nThe Epistle of James - as it has some strong counterpoints to other parts of the NT particularly the contrast of Pauline notions of grace with charity/works.\nEmperor's New Mind, Penrose - probably my biggest take away from it was to consider how human perception works alongside, and co-mingles with, physics.\nWeb of Life, Capra - considering holistic nature of life, one's connection to the World at large; emergent patterns, complex structure birthing from simplicity (goes well with what I recall of Gleick's Chaos).\nZen and the Art ... - what is value, what is valuable to me, whither/whence/wherefore value; how should I relate to my children (long before i had any) and how to challenge them philosophically.\nRepublic, Plato - the first book that really set me thinking about the structure of society, about inequalities. And of course about stepping out of The Cave.\nKoran & Hadith (partial readings, ie whole sections; couple of major hadith only) - [redacted]; but greater understanding of Islam and of religion in general; taught me to watchfully avoid being tainted by the labels people give themselves and look instead to their actions.\nMein Kampf (partial reading) - ideas have intrinsic moral value, that we should judge ideas on their merits and not by who has them; we should be careful about tarring people by simple association.\nArt of War - preparedness, looking to supply lines, avoiding conflicts, not entering \"battles\" you know you'll lose (which I'd take as 'learn nothing from').\nChristianarchy - what it means to be a Christian, who is and isn't \"in\".\nAgrarian Justice, Paine - what is my place politically and economically in the world, whence do I derive the 'rights' to own what I do, whether such ownership is good.\nWorth noting here that the ideas and impressions I got are unlikely to be what you will get, we react to books based on who we are, our frame of mind, moods, etc.. Most of these books I read as a late teenager, that at least in part boosts their impact. The impact is not necessarily the purpose of the book, quite the opposite in some cases.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen and the Art ... - what is value, what is valuable to me",
          "reason": "Named for prompting reflection on value and how to relate to children.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15159040,
          "author": "RockyMcNuts",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T00:36:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15159040",
          "commentText": "Well Pirsig's Zen and the other ones related to eastern religions and science, are around the idea that there is no locus of reality or meaning, the reality is how everything interrelates. It's kind of like word2vec, the context of other words and real-world situations in which each word is used tells you everything about what it means. Take away a particle's charge and mass and the other numbers we associate with it, and is it still a particle? Those numbers describe how it interacts and all we can really say about it is how it interacts. Plato was off the mark when he talked about the ideal form of different objects. There is no ideal form of a chair, except that chairness is an abstract idea about how things (asses and furniture) interact.\nThen I think that Grammatical Man and Penrose are around the nature of information, and what can be communicated and understood. And I sort of think that question is at the top of the tree of abstraction about what we think about. Then comes computer science and math which are about any symbolic systems or formal systems that can be computed and reasoned about. Then most everything else is applying those systems to various problems.\nThen I think The Naked Ape and Hayek and Flow are around the notion that humans are their own thing. They are tribal and hierarchical and territorial and violent and not nearly as self-aware or even aware of our surroundings as we think we are. You get a lot more mileage out of just observing what they do than about listening to the rationalizations of why they say did it, things like God and blood and soil, i.e. superstitions and us-and-them-ing arbitrary physical features of a pack of mongrels and arbitrary lines on maps. Invitation to Sociology by Berger was another big one on those lines.\nAnd the Heilbroner and Durant are basically inventories of major mental models that people have come up with in philosophy and economics.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Pirsig's Zen",
          "reason": "Discusses its view that reality and meaning emerge from relationships and interactions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156316,
          "author": "RockyMcNuts",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:05:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156316",
          "commentText": "The Emperor's New Mind, by Roger Penrose\nThe Tao of Physics, by Fritjof Capra\nDancing Wu Li Masters, by Gary Zukav\nThe Naked Ape, by Desmond Morris\nThe Road to Serfdom, by Friedrich Hayek\nThe Worldly Philosophers, by Robert Heilbroner\nThe Story of Philosophy, by Will Durant\nGrammatical Man, by Jeremy Campbell\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert M. Pirsig\nFlow, by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert M. Pirsig",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which books had the biggest impact on mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14865908,
          "author": "galactical",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-27T14:59:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14865908",
          "commentText": "Agreed. I was really excited to read it because I like both Zen and motorcycles, but I found it really dull and didn't get much out of it.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I found it really dull and didn't get much out of it.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it dull and got little from it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14861138,
          "author": "knrz",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T22:55:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14861138",
          "commentText": "I'm simultaneously traveling  through On Becoming A Person by Carl Rogers and my psyche. Wonderful read, and furthers some of the ideas I've picked up in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and a couple other books I've read over the past year...",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance",
          "reason": "Says it contributed ideas that the current read furthers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14859988,
          "author": "dopeboy",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:29:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859988",
          "commentText": "Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance per the recommendations of a lot of HN'ers.\nHave to say, having a pretty difficult time following it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance per the recommendations of a lot of HN'ers.\nHave to say, having a pretty difficult time following it.",
          "reason": "Reports difficulty following the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is finding it difficult to follow.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14487514,
          "author": "optimuspaul",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T13:43:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487514",
          "commentText": "yes, I assumed that to be the book they meant. I read it 25 years ago. I am just surprised that it would be included in this list. I see no connection to the question posed.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "yes, I assumed that to be the book they meant. I read it 25 years ago. I am just surprised that it would be included in this list. I see no connection to the question posed.",
          "reason": "Questions its relevance to the language-agnostic programming books question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter sees no connection to the question.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14487361,
          "author": "superpope99",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T13:17:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487361",
          "commentText": "They mean 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance' by the late Robert M. Pirsig - I second the recommendation",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "They mean 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance' by the late Robert M. Pirsig - I second the recommendation",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the recommendation in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14487288,
          "author": "mathnode",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T13:04:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487288",
          "commentText": "- The Pragmatic Programmer\n- The Practice of Programming\n- The Mythical Man Month\n- The Cathedral and the Bazaar\n- The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\n- Introduction to Algorithms\n- Hackers and Painters\nSome of these do contain mixed language code examples, but they are expressed in a way to be agnostic. A problem is a problem; in any language.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance",
          "reason": "Included in a list answering a request for language-agnostic programming books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13970256,
          "author": "genkimind",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T18:17:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13970256",
          "commentText": "I thought the first third of the book was absolutely fantastic. But then it quickly decayed into philosophical drivel, IMO. Perhaps I'm not wise enough to understand the end of the book but I truly thought it was garbage and believe this is one of the most overrated books of all time. Anybody else feel this way?",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I truly thought it was garbage and believe this is one of the most overrated books of all time.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it declines into philosophical drivel and calls it overrated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They found the first third fantastic but disliked the rest.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13969502,
          "author": "BatFastard",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T17:03:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13969502",
          "commentText": "1) Jonathan Livingston Seagull.\n2) Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance.\n3) Illusions.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2) Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance.",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about influential books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12476321,
          "author": "zachlatta",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T23:50:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12476321",
          "commentText": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig.\nI've been really taking my time with this one, lots of annotations, lots of re-reading passages and pages.\nI'm not done yet, but what I've read so far has really spoken to me and provided a lot of clarity where I previously had trouble filling in the blanks.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "what I've read so far has really spoken to me and provided a lot of clarity where I previously had trouble filling in the blanks.",
          "reason": "The portion read so far has resonated and helped clarify ideas for the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not finished it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12247529,
          "author": "323454",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T13:30:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12247529",
          "commentText": "Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance. As a scientist, it helped me to realise that the quest for truth is only a tool: I have to choose my own goal.\nEdit: I also want to mention \"Language in Action\" by S.I. Hayakawa. I read it too recently to say that it has had the most impact on my life of any book, but it opened my eyes to orders of magnitude more cases of imprecision in our language than I had ever noticed before.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance. As a scientist, it helped me to realise that the quest for truth is only a tool: I have to choose my own goal.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them rethink truth-seeking and choosing their own goals.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12244306,
          "author": "taylodl",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-07T23:17:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244306",
          "commentText": "I give Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance to High School graduates. It's a good book for that time in a person's life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a good book for that time in a person's life.",
          "reason": "The commenter gives it to high school graduates and says it suits that stage of life.",
          "audience": "High school graduates",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12142578,
          "author": "r2r",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T09:35:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12142578",
          "commentText": "1. \"Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance\" by Robert Pirsig\n2. \"The art of war\" by Sun Tzu\n3. \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance\" by Robert Pirsig",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12069376,
          "author": "josefdlange",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T07:17:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12069376",
          "commentText": "I've read, at the behest of my spouse, The Hobbit and the trilogy of the Lord of the Rings. As someone who was never really \"into\" the whole world Tolkien had created, I must say I was won over by the end. Who wouldn't want to be a hobbit? At least, a hobbit who is not Frodo.\nEvery year or two I give a light reading to Andy Hertzfeld's compilation \"Revolution in the Valley\", which is a print edition of many (and probably some extras) of the stories available on www.folklore.org\nI am also midway through \"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\" (Robert M. Pirsig) and I must recommend it. It's got a lot of philosophy in it that I think is both accessible and transcendent all at once. It's actively changing my world view.\nIn terms of skills acquired, I don't typically read for that purpose. I learn skills primarily by active work, not passive ingestion of information.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I must recommend it",
          "reason": "Recommends it for its accessible, transcendent philosophy and says it is changing their worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is still midway through it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11298623,
          "author": "beeboop",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T16:38:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11298623",
          "commentText": "I haven't read the book, but I found this summary: https://lettersfromtheporch.wordpress.com/2010/03/07/what-yo... (https://lettersfromtheporch.wordpress.com/2010/03/07/what-you-might-discover-from-zen-and-the-art-of-motorcycle-maintenance/)\nYou are close, but I think the message is more nuanced than you state (as you guessed). What the book seems to be contrasting is the \"romantic\" view of something (the emotions it generates) and the classical view (the logic and order of something). This applies to a lot of things in life (cooking, music, programming etc) and the book uses the examples of motorcycles. One person doesn't mind tinkering with his motorcycle because it's part of the \"experience\" and he finds an emotional appeal to it. The other person only sees the motorcycle as a means to a different experience (traveling) and only cares that it works for their purpose.\nThe summmary says, \"Only by finding the middle ground that accepts both views can a person deal with the frustration and dissatisfaction of everyday life.\"\nI am not sure how finding the middle ground would make me more satisfied with life. I understand cooking has very romantic feelings for some people, but to me it's a chore. I don't have the same experiences, background, and emotional wiring as someone who enjoys cooking, and I don't think I ever will. Understanding that other people like it doesn't make me like it anymore. I guess maybe the point of the book is to try to view things romantically, and giving that view a chance.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the book uses the examples of motorcycles.",
          "reason": "Discusses the book's contrast between romantic and classical ways of seeing things, while questioning whether its proposed middle ground is helpful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure the book's suggested perspective would improve their satisfaction with life.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297162,
          "author": "minikites",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T13:41:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297162",
          "commentText": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is amazing and I happened to read it at just the right time in my life where it shaped a lot of how I think about technology and the different ways to approach it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is amazing and I happened to read it at just the right time in my life where it shaped a lot of how I think about technology and the different ways to approach it.",
          "reason": "Calls the book amazing and says it shaped how they think about technology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297133,
          "author": "jbob2000",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T13:37:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297133",
          "commentText": "It would be great if my manager read anything at all. Having been through a few managers; the good ones read, the bad ones don't read. It doesn't matter what they read, the last good one I had pretty much only read WW2 novels.\nThat being said, I think Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is an important read for anyone in technology. It changed how I approach and appreciate technology.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is an important read for anyone in technology. It changed how I approach and appreciate technology.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an important read for people in technology and says it changed their approach to technology.",
          "audience": "People in technology.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11230108,
          "author": "arunaugustine",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T17:32:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11230108",
          "commentText": "I had the same experience when I read it for the first time, I was skipping over the \"philosophy\" part to just read about the motorcycle trip.\nThen I read it the second time.\nAnd the \"chautauqua\" (what the author calls the philosophical discussions) blew my mind!\nI have read the book 3x so far, and the insights keep deepening.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Then I read it the second time. And the \"chautauqua\" (what the author calls the philosophical discussions) blew my mind! I have read the book 3x so far, and the insights keep deepening.",
          "reason": "Says the philosophical discussions were mind-blowing and the insights deepen on rereading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229797,
          "author": "chris_st",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:52:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229797",
          "commentText": "Took a philosophy class in college, where we read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Got a big shock about halfway through the book when I closed it and saw \"Non-fiction\" on the spine!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "we read Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Got a big shock about halfway through the book when I closed it and saw \"Non-fiction\" on the spine!",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229794,
          "author": "criddell",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:51:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229794",
          "commentText": "> Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\nI really enjoyed the parts of that book that were actually about the motorcycle trip. Pirsig's thoughts on quality didn't resonate with me, at all.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed the parts of that book that were actually about the motorcycle trip. Pirsig's thoughts on quality didn't resonate with me, at all.",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed the travel narrative but says the book's ideas about quality did not resonate.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Praise is limited to the motorcycle trip; the ideas about quality did not resonate.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229765,
          "author": "billybofh",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:45:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229765",
          "commentText": "Not really non-fiction, but Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is always a good read.  Also if you're just interested in 'stuff', Plato's The Republic is very worth reading :\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_and_the_Art_of_Motorcycle_... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_and_the_Art_of_Motorcycle_Maintenance)\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_%28Plato%29",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is always a good read.",
          "reason": "The commenter directly calls it a good read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is not really nonfiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783593,
          "author": "fmax30",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:59:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783593",
          "commentText": "I had read zero books by April 2015.\nHave read the following since then.\n1. 1984 by Orwell\n2. Animal Farm by Orwell\n3. 40 Rules of Love by Elif Shafak\n4. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline\n5. The Man in the high castle by Philip k Dic\n6. Tuesdays with morrie by Mitch Albom\n7. Broken Verses by Kamila Shamsie\n8. The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell\n9. Veronica Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho\n10. The Little Prince by antoine saint exupery\n11. A Monster calls by Patrick ness\nBooks that I am currently reading very very slowly ( 1-3 chapters per week )\n1. The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking\n2. The Wind Up Bird Chronicles by Murakami (I am really enjoying the slow reading here)\n3. Zen and art of motorcycle by Robert Pirsig\nEdit: Formatting",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "3. Zen and art of motorcycle by Robert Pirsig",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Reading slowly, 1–3 chapters per week.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10325276,
          "author": "zafka",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T20:43:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325276",
          "commentText": "Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance\nGodel Escher Bach\nTime enough for love - Heinlein\nIllusions -Richard Bach\nA wrinkle in time\nStranger from the depths\nSidartha and all the other books by Hess\nZen MInd Beginners mind\nMOre to come\nBooks by Bradbury\nBooks by asimov\nJust starting Antifragile and it might make the list",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9695159,
          "author": "onnoonno",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-10T20:35:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9695159",
          "commentText": "> \"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\" by Robert M. Pirsing\nSeconded. I think this one does a good job at resetting one's worldview to the state of 'what do we actually know?'",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seconded. I think this one does a good job at resetting one's worldview to the state of 'what do we actually know?'",
          "reason": "Seconds the recommendation and says it prompts fundamental questioning.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674493,
          "author": "hugodahl",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T13:04:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674493",
          "commentText": "\"JOB: A Comedy of Justice\" by Robert Heinlein\n\"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\" by Robert M. Pirsing",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\" by Robert M. Pirsing",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the request for a mind-blowing book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9352737,
          "author": "jeffbush",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-10T05:38:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9352737",
          "commentText": "I liked the part where he talks about gumption traps. Very relevant if you've worked on a big project.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I liked the part where he talks about gumption traps.",
          "reason": "Likes a specific discussion in the book, relevant to people who have worked on a big project.",
          "audience": "People who have worked on a big project.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348831,
          "author": "andrea_sdl",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:35:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348831",
          "commentText": "Quiet by Susan Cain, great book about introversion and why we have the \"Extrovert Ideal\".\nIt's really fascinating to see how introverts have their qualities and how\nZen and the art of motorcycle maintenance - Robert Pirsig:\nFantastic book that talks about philosophy in a new way and goes deeper into discovering what's \"Quality\" and what are the main 2 ways of interacting/reading the world around us.\nAdam Smith, theory of moral sentiments: Just began the book under ryan holiday advice, but can't really say more about it.\nGame of thrones, 1st volume, I suppose this book doesn't need any explanation :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fantastic book that talks about philosophy in a new way and goes deeper into discovering what's \"Quality\"",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it fantastic and praises its exploration of philosophy and quality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348693,
          "author": "echoless",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:20:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348693",
          "commentText": "I read this book a few years back and while I found it quite interesting as a story, I did not glean any major insights from it.\nIt most likely has to do with my own ignorance about philosophy, but all I got from the book was that the author hates Aristotle and rigorous classification. And that quality is a more important property than morality.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I read this book a few years back and while I found it quite interesting as a story, I did not glean any major insights from it.",
          "reason": "Found it interesting as a story but gained no major insights.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter attributes the lack of insight partly to their own ignorance about philosophy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348395,
          "author": "probably_wrong",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:51:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348395",
          "commentText": "I use the book's definition of \"quality\" (or one of them) as my to-go mechanism whenever I have to explain why I think something is bad art.\nIt's a shame that not even the author seems to like the definition.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I use the book's definition of \"quality\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says they use the book's definition of quality to explain why they think some art is bad.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says even the author seems not to like that definition.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348332,
          "author": "endlessvoid94",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:41:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348332",
          "commentText": "Zen & The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen & The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9242912,
          "author": "dlss",
          "createdAt": "2015-03-21T15:11:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 9242384,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on debugging?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9242912",
          "commentText": "Surprised this wasn't already mentioned, but the best description I've ever read of debugging is in Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. (Unsurprisingly, it's about debugging motorcycles, but the author was a programmer so it's directly transferable)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the best description I've ever read of debugging is in Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.",
          "reason": "Calls its description of debugging the best they've read and says it transfers to programming.",
          "audience": "Programmers interested in debugging.",
          "caveat": "The debugging discussed is about motorcycles.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8718778,
          "author": "gnestor",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T20:02:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8718778",
          "commentText": "I'm 28 and I've read it 3-4 times now. It's a truly an inspired work. I think that it would appeal to the HN community because the author, Robert Persig, arguably reaches a statement of enlightenment entirely through deductive reasoning. The story is essentially Persig's attempt to piece this whole event together after having undergone electric shock therapy. The story unfolds as Persig and his son travel across the US by motorcycle and is complemented by intermediary \"chautauquas\" (philosophical monologues) and technical monologues about motorcycle maintenance. The book is an enigma (unlike its sequel \"Lila\" which is not), and there isn't any other book that I've read that is like it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The story unfolds as Persig and his son travel across the US by motorcycle and is complemented by intermediary \"chautauquas\" (philosophical monologues) and technical monologues about motorcycle maintenance.",
          "reason": "Says it is an inspired work, describes its philosophical appeal, and notes rereading it several times.",
          "audience": "The commenter thinks it would appeal to the Hacker News community.",
          "caveat": "The commenter contrasts it favorably with its sequel, Lila, which they say is not an enigma.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8717353,
          "author": "owurkan",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T16:43:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8717353",
          "commentText": "I'm 46 and have read it 3 times over the past 25 years. Definitely a book that changed my life!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Definitely a book that changed my life!",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have read it three times and that it changed their life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8717270,
          "author": "kitbrennan",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T16:30:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8717270",
          "commentText": "`Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance`\nThe book looks at what it means to say something has 'quality'.\nIt didn't teach me any new philosophical methods or theories, but it did make me look at my own work differently and start asking: how can I make something with the highest quality? What compromises that quality? What is a method that leads to the highest quality?\nTranslating that to my business life: in the startup scene I've scene a lot of startups treat lean as gospel (myself included at one point), and as a result they compromise on the quality that both themselves and their customers are happy with. So I certainly found it useful to have a book that made me think about this.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "`Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance`",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed how they view their work and helped them question how to make and preserve quality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it did not teach them new philosophical methods or theories.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8123090,
          "author": "rafael-rinaldi",
          "createdAt": "2014-08-01T22:05:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8123090",
          "commentText": "”Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "”Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107805,
          "author": "arh68",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T13:01:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107805",
          "commentText": "re: buddhism: read Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.  It's not about motorcycles. ;)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "read Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. It's not about motorcycles.",
          "reason": "Directly recommends it in response to a request for books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter clarifies that it is not about motorcycles.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8106942,
          "author": "dirktheman",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:16:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106942",
          "commentText": "- Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance was a real eye-opener to me.\n- Last year, I read both Das Kapital by Karl Marx and The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money by John Maynard Keynes.\n- Walden by Henry David Thoreau\nNote that these are classic works (Zen is the newest, from 1974), but they haven't lost their relevance yet. Zen is a journey in your mind, disguised as a journey by motorcycle by a father and his son. Das Kapital and GToEIM offer deeper insight in why our economy works the way it does, and I especially liked the contrast between the two books. Walden is difficult to classify. It changed the way I look at things, but I can't say exactly how. Sometimes I encounter a situation and a quote or scene from the book pops up in my head. Highly recommended!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance was a real eye-opener to me.",
          "reason": "Calls it a real eye-opener and says it presents a mental journey through a motorcycle trip.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968409,
          "author": "cnaut",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:49:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968409",
          "commentText": "Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6423790,
          "author": "thenomad",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-21T17:55:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6423790",
          "commentText": "+1 for Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. It really is as good as its reputation suggests. I re-read it every half-decade or so.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. It really is as good as its reputation suggests.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it lives up to its reputation and rereads it regularly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6413969,
          "author": "brd",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-19T20:17:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6413969",
          "commentText": "Siddhartha\nThe Alchemist\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about books that changed one's life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387468,
          "author": "enra",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T23:20:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387468",
          "commentText": "After reading Game of Thrones I wanted to read more book series, so went with science fiction ones:\n  Started with: Dune, by Frank Herbert (+ 5 books in the series)\n  Continued to: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (+ 3 sequels)\n  Now reading: Foundation by Isaac Asimov (+ 5 books)\n\nAll those are pretty great in sense of that they take set in span of thousands of years, and touch bit different ideas around society, myths, religion, morals, physical and mental technologies.\nOther than that, been been enjoying some classic literature, Zen and Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, James Clavell, Haruki Murakami and books about Richard Feynman.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "been enjoying some classic literature, Zen and Art of Motorcycle Maintenance",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have been enjoying it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5832627,
          "author": "thesash",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T14:31:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5832627",
          "commentText": "A few on my \"re-read every few years\" list: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Speaker for the Dead, Infinite Jest, Watchmen, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list of books to reread every few years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5753756,
          "author": "michaelbrave",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-22T21:13:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5753756",
          "commentText": "Many of the ones I would list have been said before so I'll not list them, but I would also add.\nZen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - at it's core I felt it was about systems and how we can never truly eliminate or remove them from our lives but only replace them with other ones. A hard lesson for me to learn but I feel it really changed the way I look at the world.\nThe Book of Five Rings - it's a book written by a masterless samurai duelist about his thoughts on dueling. But there was one statement in it that changed how I looked at everything, he basically broke down how we shouldn't have favored tools but rather use the ones that are best suited for the task at hand. Which had a profound impact on me.\nthere are more but I'll need time to think about it some more",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I felt it was about systems and how we can never truly eliminate or remove them from our lives but only replace them with other ones. A hard lesson for me to learn but I feel it really changed the way I look at the world.",
          "reason": "Says the book changed how they see the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4969691,
          "author": "rehack",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T16:11:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4969691",
          "commentText": "Yes, I think, there are various takeaways at various levels in that book. The way I understood it, at the surface level, there is the lovely story of Father and Son on a road trip.\nAt deeper levels a lot of things are left to the interpretation of the reader, as it is with most abstract things. He uses the word Quality in the most fundamental way. To me that word held the meaning for his life. Quality in the way in which he understands and reacts to the world.\nBefore he learned to fix his motor cycle, he was at the mercy of various kinds of mechanics with varying skill levels and attitudes. He particularly cites an example of some listening to music while working on the machine. Which he does not like. For him working on the machine or writing technical documents for his job, is a spiritual activity.\nAlso, he makes a point regarding his nervous breakdown, that for others it was a nervous breakdown. But for him, the way he saw it, it was the deepest of meditations. Following which phase the understanding and meaning of Quality, dawned on him, and he was at peace with his life.\nAlso, I found the way he treats his 11 year old son, i.e like an adult, very interesting.\nAnother delightful thing, was the book full of philosophical quotable quotes. Like the (approximate) one I have cited in my above comment.\nBut most basic reason I liked the book, is because, it talked to me in the tone, I wanted it to talk to me. For example the moment any book becomes very specific (for example 'Life of Pi' is very specific in being inclusive to all religions, in a rather simplistic way), as a reader I tend to start to disagree. But if it is abstract, and \"Zen..\" is very very abstract in portions, I can provide my own concrete implementations!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "But most basic reason I liked the book, is because, it talked to me in the tone, I wanted it to talk to me.",
          "reason": "Explains why the commenter liked the book, discussing its abstract style and philosophical content.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The title is referenced by the parent as “Zen”; this comment clearly discusses that same book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4788096,
          "author": "satyajitsdt",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T11:32:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4788096",
          "commentText": "Last month I read \"Zen and Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\" by Robert M. Pirsig and just completed reading \"Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions\" by Dan Ariely. I would recommend both of these books. I have just started with 'Thinking, Fast and Slow' by Daniel Kahneman.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend both of these books.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommended along with Predictably Irrational.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4597268,
          "author": "saurabh",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-01T14:46:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 4596721,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4597268",
          "commentText": "Zen & The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Zen & The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4539426,
          "author": "saurabh",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-18T17:37:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 4530022,
          "threadTitle": "What to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4539426",
          "commentText": "I have been reading \"Zen & the art of motorcycle maintenance\" since I got it couple of days back. I must say that the first chapters of the book are teaching me a few new things. The ability to see things for not \"what they are\" but \"what they mean\" is some new gum for me to chew on.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I have been reading \"Zen & the art of motorcycle maintenance\" since I got it couple of days back.",
          "reason": "Describes learning new things from the opening chapters and finding its perspective thought-provoking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4530118,
          "author": "Roelven",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-16T19:44:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 4530022,
          "threadTitle": "What to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4530118",
          "commentText": "Here are some of the top of my head, assuming you already read some:\n- The New Capitalist Manifesto - Umar Haque\n- Net Smart - Howard Rheingold\n- Delivering Happiness - Tony Hsieh\n- Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert M. Pirsig",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert M. Pirsig",
          "reason": "Suggested in response for nonfiction books to bring on holiday.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3413800,
          "author": "bherms",
          "createdAt": "2012-01-01T20:41:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3413800",
          "commentText": "Ahh true... That book is really deep.  I love it.\nUnrelated comment, but I feel compelled to mention... I just moved to SF and read that book right when I got here, only to find out that Pirsigs son (who is one of the main characters of the book) was stabbed and killed at roughly 22 (I am 25) a few blocks from where I work.  For some reason, that story really affected me and has changed the way I look at life.  I highly recommend the book to anyone in any field.\nBeing an engineer amplifies its meaning.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend the book to anyone in any field.",
          "reason": "Says the book is deep, loves it, and highly recommends it to anyone.",
          "audience": "Readers in any field; the commenter says its meaning is amplified for engineers.",
          "caveat": "The discussion includes the death of Pirsig’s son, which affected the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3396077,
          "author": "mashmac2",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T15:42:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3396077",
          "commentText": "Man's Search For Meaning by Victor Frankel.\nIt was recommended by several friends, and I finally got around to reading it. Helped, along with Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance to work through my personal thought process. Highly recommended.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "along with Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance to work through my personal thought process.",
          "reason": "Says it helped them work through their personal thought process alongside the other book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2919742,
          "author": "the_decider",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-24T06:59:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 2919368,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have changed the way you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2919742",
          "commentText": "Brothers Karamazov\nGravity's Rainbow\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintanance",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintanance",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about books that changed the way people think.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in philosophy and personal reflection.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2639661,
          "author": "pwang",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T03:27:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639661",
          "commentText": "Best overall: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, and its less well-known sequel, Lila\nBest fantasy in terms of most imaginative and full of wonder: The Neverending Story by Michael Ende.  (I know, everyone saw the crappy movie; it simply does not do the book justice.)\nBest Scifi: The Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Best overall: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance",
          "reason": "Named as the commenter's choice for best overall book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2330490,
          "author": "andrewce",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-16T02:45:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 2329700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that change your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2330490",
          "commentText": "\"Ishmael\" by Daniel Quinn (as well as \"My Ishmael\") changed how I view the world and how I characterize contemporary issues. The Takers/Leavers dichotomy, while a tad simplistic, was jaw-dropping at the time.\n\"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\" had a similar effect, though with the Classicist/Romanticist split more than any other part of the book. Also: \"Itty-bitty rules for itty-bitty people\" made quite a few things make sense.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\" had a similar effect",
          "reason": "Says it had a similar effect on their thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2149583,
          "author": "pasbesoin",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T21:32:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2149583",
          "commentText": "Heinlein:  He presents a characterization (or characterizations), but some of his core points soak in over time, as one gains one's own life experience.\nPirsig's \"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\":  For letting me know I was/am not alone (even in my alone-ness).\nUpon reflection, I guess these books haven't changed my way of thinking.  But they've influenced them.  Perhaps Heinlein helped me to change from approaching the world as it was presented to me to approaching it as I actually saw and see it.  Pirsig helped me recognize and... formalize[1], at least for myself, some of my thoughts on quality.\nEmily Dickinson:  Less really can be more.  So much more.\n--\nEDIT:  Re [1], perhaps \"explore\" would be a better word.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Pirsig's \"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\": For letting me know I was/am not alone (even in my alone-ness).",
          "reason": "Says the book helped them feel less alone.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these books influenced their thinking but did not change it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2147603,
          "author": "rfugger",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T12:51:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2147603",
          "commentText": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\nThe Fountainhead\nIshmael by Daniel Quinn\nThe Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins\nThe Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed the reader’s way of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2087883,
          "author": "bkudria",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T08:27:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2087883",
          "commentText": "Reposted from my site: (http://ben.kudria.net/post/2548785108/my-favorite-books-of-2... (http://ben.kudria.net/post/2548785108/my-favorite-books-of-2010)). Affiliate links there, for those inclined.\n===\nIn 2010, every single book I read, I read on my Kindle. Buying a Kindle has been the best thing I have ever done for my reading addiction. I recently upgraded to a Kindle 3, and I wholeheartedly recommended you get one as well, even if you currently have a Kindle 2.\nHere are the top books I enjoyed in 2010, and you will enjoy also.\n- The His Dark Materials Trilogy. Start with The Golden Compass.\n- The City & The City by China Miéville. Quite the post-modern detective story. (Read also his novel Perdido Street Station)\n- Surface Detail, the new novel by Iain M. Banks, who has quickly catapulted to the very top of my “Favorite Sci-Fi Authors” list. Surface Detail may not be the best novel for a Banks-unfamiliar reader, however — you may wish to start with something like Consider Phlebas or Look To Windward.\n- I re-read Robert M. Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Read this book carefully and it will change your life. (N.B. It’s not really about Zen, although it kinda is.)\n- The true story Zeitoun, by Dave Eggers, about Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a Syrian-born painting contractor in New Orleans. What Zeitoun does for the people of New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina is heartwarming and truly American, and what the US Government does to him and his family is terrifying and utterly infuriating.\n- The Wind-up Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi is a fun Thai cyber/gene-punk yarn. Bacigalupi is a new author, and I look forward to reading more of his stuff.\n- Dan Simmons’ Song Of Kali has an invasive and palpable stench of suspense. This horror novel set in Calcutta is an excruciating, brutal, and brilliant read.\n- Kafka On the Shore by Haruki Murakami. I’ve always been a fan of Murakami’s works, but this novel from 2002 is, in my opinion, one of his greatest. It’s beautiful, haunting, and superbly thought-provoking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read this book carefully and it will change your life.",
          "reason": "The commenter says careful reading can be life changing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not really about Zen, although partly it is.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753293,
          "author": "mp_cnb",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:41:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753293",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction\n- 'The Selfish Gene' - Richard Dawkins\nGrokking the concept changed the way I thought about life forever.\n- 'Quantum Reality' - Nick Herbert\nOne of the best introductory level books on quantum physics mysteries. No nonsense.\n- Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert Pirsig\nThe book that introduced me to Kant, Hume and philosophy of science. Just for that, I'm forever indebted to it.\nSome favorite fiction books -\n- Cryptonomicon - Neal Stephenson\nLoved 'Snowcrash' too.\n- 'The Moon is a Harsh Mistress' - Robert Heinlein\n- Anything by Kurt Vonnegut, Milan Kundera, Somerset Maugham",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book that introduced me to Kant, Hume and philosophy of science. Just for that, I'm forever indebted to it.",
          "reason": "The commenter credits it with introducing them to philosophy and philosophy of science.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752894,
          "author": "roadnottaken",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T15:48:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752894",
          "commentText": "Agreed.  This book changed my life like very few others have.  It completely defies categorization and whatever you're expecting it to be, it isn't.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Agreed. This book changed my life like very few others have.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book changed their life like very few others.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1635027,
          "author": "danielzarick",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-26T04:00:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1635027",
          "commentText": "Definitely all three of these...\nPlus recently \"Made to Stick\" has really changed how I think about ideas and sharing them with others. http://www.amazon.com/Made-Stick-Ideas-Survive-Others/dp/140... (http://www.amazon.com/Made-Stick-Ideas-Survive-Others/dp/1400064287/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1282795235&sr=1-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Definitely all three of these...",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly seconds the three books listed in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1634501,
          "author": "sandipagr",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T23:29:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1634501",
          "commentText": "The Alchemist http://www.amazon.com/Alchemist-Fable-About-Following-Dream/... (http://www.amazon.com/Alchemist-Fable-About-Following-Dream/dp/0062502182)\nZen and the art of motorcycle maintenance http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Art-Motorcycle-Maintenance-Inquiry... (http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Art-Motorcycle-Maintenance-Inquiry/dp/0688002307/)\nHow to win friends an Influence people http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/14... (http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/1439167346)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Art-Motorcycle-Maintenance-Inquiry...",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed your life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1633531,
          "author": "dwwoelfel",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T17:40:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1633531",
          "commentText": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0553277472\nAlain de Botton: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alain_de_Botton#Publications\nEssay on Criticism: http://books.google.com/books?id=KFc7AAAAYAAJ&printsec=f... (http://books.google.com/books?id=KFc7AAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=Essay+on+Criticism&source=gbs_similarbooks_s&cad=1#v=onepage&q&f=false)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0553277472",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1632710,
          "author": "timruffles",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T13:06:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1632710",
          "commentText": "Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, R Pirsig\nRecently each of Alain de Botton's books (Status Anxiety, Pleasures and Sorrows of Work and Essays on Love) had a valuable lesson to teach.\nAlexander Pope's 'Essay on Criticism' (poem, not a book) was one the first poems that I gleaned something from, and that opened up a whole new library of potential reads.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, R Pirsig",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1504041,
          "author": "gruseom",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T17:52:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1504041",
          "commentText": "I couldn't get through Pirsig either. Unlike you, though, I have no compunction about not finishing a book; it's not my job to make it interest me.\nRe Dan Brown: since you feel that way, I recommend the review of it that Andrew Maxwell did for the BBC. Make sure to watch to the end!\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9ByyMd_qDA",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I couldn't get through Pirsig either.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they also could not finish Pirsig’s book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503774,
          "author": "jemfinch",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T15:26:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503774",
          "commentText": "I wouldn't call Zen overrated, at least insofar as it's a relatively easy read which makes some good points.\nThose points, IMO, are not the author's main philosophical contention, but his presentation of philosophical introspection intertwined with everyday life.  Would that more Americans realized they could contemplate metaphysics even while going about their everyday lives.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I wouldn't call Zen overrated, at least insofar as it's a relatively easy read which makes some good points.",
          "reason": "The commenter defends the book as an easy read that makes good points.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The author’s main philosophical contention is not, in the commenter’s view, its strongest feature.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503560,
          "author": "igravious",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T12:51:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503560",
          "commentText": "It is with joy that I answer your question. And if I may be allowed to answer it philosophically. The books you find incredibly interesting may be the books the validate your worldview. There are many of these. The book you find eye-opening may be the books that open the door into the world of philosophy proper for you. There are not many of these because you only need to go through that door once I feel.\nAlso, I would observe that besides Ayn Rand (who for many is not a philosopher) not a single female philosopher has been mentioned here which I find is a damning indictment on the state of affairs of the world of ideas. To remedy that I would recommend to you read A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft or anything by De Beauvoir (and do ignore her contemporary Sartre for he was nothing but a windbag).\nI am delighted that you singled out Thomas Paine (who again is not a philosopher as such; must be something in the air in the States) and Arthur Schopenhauer. They are both tremendous stylists. I've said this many times before - I don't care how great a philosopher's ideas are, if they can't write well I don't want to know. Thus we have people here recommending Kripke or Frege or heck knows who like that who bludgeon you to death with their tedious logic. Avoid them I say.\nFinally I would like to be clichéd and recommend anything by Nietzsche except for Thus Spake Zarathustra even though he himself considered it his best work and I would especially recommend Ecce Homo by him because it is a summation of his previous works by his own hand. Nietzsche was the supreme stylist and ruthlessly honest and fearless. Also I'd recommend A Short Treatise on the Great Virtues by a contemporary philosopher André Comte-Sponville. This is a remarkable book on virtue theory that takes in Aristotle, Spinoza, Nietzsche and Woody Allen among others and is divided up by virtue which is extremely novel. It is fantastically written. Anything by Cioran as well such as The Trouble with Being Born. I'm trying not to typecast myself here! :)\nAnd finally finally Sophie's World and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance while nice cute books are not true philosophy books. This is also why I wouldn't recommend Camus' The Outsider though someone did mention The Myth of Sisyphus. Borges falls into this category. Sophie's world is really a kid's book as well and one that I would perhaps recommend to children though I'd recommend Borges or Camus or Kafka first.\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Vindication-Rights-Woman-Penguin-Cla... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vindication-Rights-Woman-Penguin-Classics/dp/0141441259)\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Second-Sex-Vintage-classics/dp/00997... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Second-Sex-Vintage-classics/dp/009974421X)\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Penguin-Great-Ideas-Suffering-World/... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Penguin-Great-Ideas-Suffering-World/dp/0141018941)\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Ecce-Homo-Becomes-Penguin-Classics/d... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ecce-Homo-Becomes-Penguin-Classics/dp/0140445153)\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Short-Treatise-Great-Virtues-Philoso... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Short-Treatise-Great-Virtues-Philosophy/dp/0099437988)\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Trouble-Being-Born-E-M-Cioran/dp/155... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Trouble-Being-Born-E-M-Cioran/dp/1559704624)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance while nice cute books are not true philosophy books.",
          "reason": "Says it is a nice, cute book but not a true philosophy book.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for philosophy books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503251,
          "author": "ganjianwei",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T07:16:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503251",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig. It's not quite a philosophy book but I found his take on the concept of 'quality' very useful. To me it's a story of how a westerner discovers eastern philosophy, which is great to read coming from a western perspective.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig.",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed the book and found its treatment of quality useful.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in philosophy, quality, and Eastern thought from a Western perspective.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not quite a philosophy book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1228877,
          "author": "revorad",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-30T12:00:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1228877",
          "commentText": "I just cannot understand why people here like that book so much. Maybe it's because of my eastern background and because I drank too much spiritual koolaid when I was younger, but that book is full of the same old eastern mysticism wrapped up in language that probably appeals to philosophical \"hackers\". I mean, how can you like stuff where the protagonist is being so self-righteous and condescending to a 10-year old?",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "that book is full of the same old eastern mysticism wrapped up in language that probably appeals to philosophical \"hackers\".",
          "reason": "Criticizes the book as recycled eastern mysticism and objects to its protagonist's self-righteousness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227576,
          "author": "_fool",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T21:17:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227576",
          "commentText": "i'm trying to come up with the right analogy to explain why it isn't and coming up short.  if you can imagine a book, work of art, whatever, that explains something other than its obvious subject matter obliquely yet simply & elegantly, this is that sort of book. perhaps analogous to reading some lisp or haskell code that solves a problem you don't care about at all...but realizing that the algorithms were beautiful, appropriate, concise, and powerful despite that?  motorcycle maintenance is just a path, metaphor, example used in exploring different outlooks on life (i'd say, the hacker ethic versus the walmart ethic;  DIY versus throwaway one-size fits all.)\ni am also uninterested in motorized transport in general, but have read that book three times and it is the only book i've ever read twice in a row.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "have read that book three times and it is the only book i've ever read twice in a row.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a beautiful, engaging exploration of different outlooks on life and says they read it repeatedly.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in life philosophy, the hacker ethic, or DIY.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227086,
          "author": "kristiandupont",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T17:54:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227086",
          "commentText": "I am reading that right now, as recommended by I don't know how many people and I have to say that while it started out interesting, I find it increasingly more boring with every page. Which annoys me because it seems that everybody else gets something out of this book that I am simply not.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "while it started out interesting, I find it increasingly more boring with every page",
          "reason": "The commenter finds the book increasingly boring despite its popularity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The book initially seemed interesting, but the commenter is not getting out of it what others do.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226762,
          "author": "wooby",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:03:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226762",
          "commentText": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for recommended non-software books.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in non-software books relevant to the Hacker News community.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027662,
          "author": "julius_geezer",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T21:08:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027662",
          "commentText": "Definitely a great read. By the way, if you find Pirsig on the sophists interesting, you might look up Lev Shestov, _Potestas Clavium_.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Definitely a great read.",
          "reason": "Affirms the parent comment's positive assessment of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The parent comment says the commenter does not agree with all of it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027009,
          "author": "knv",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T09:29:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027009",
          "commentText": "Anathem, by Neal Stephenson\nConsider Phlebas, by Iain M. Banks\nSelfish Gene, by Richard Dawkins\nBusiness Stripped Bare, by Richard Branson\nProgramming Collective Intelligence, by Toby Segaran\nZen and Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert Pirsig",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen and Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert Pirsig",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books others enjoyed and recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026900,
          "author": "roundsquare",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T06:53:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026900",
          "commentText": "\"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values\" - Robert M. Prisig\nI wouldn't say I agree with all of it, but its a great read nonetheless.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I wouldn't say I agree with all of it, but its a great read nonetheless.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great read while noting they do not agree with all of it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not agree with everything in the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 879123,
          "author": "Radix",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-13T14:28:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=879123",
          "commentText": "To give an alternate opinion.  You should read through the first dialogue and the following chapter, then decide for yourself.  Maybe skip ahead a bit.  I read half of it sitting in a library when I didn't really have time to read it, it presented ideas I hadn't thought before.  I hadn't heard of figure and ground, at least not generalized, so I enjoyed noticing that my conversations jumped around the subject rather than being on the subject.  I also hadn't heard about recursion before, so...\nIf the writing engages you then you and presents interesting ideas, to you, in a non-obvious way, then it is worth reading.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I read half of it sitting in a library when I didn't really have time to read it",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends trying the opening dialogue and following chapter, then deciding whether the ideas engage you.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They suggest skipping ahead if needed and say it is worth reading only if its ideas engage you.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 878161,
          "author": "lazyant",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-13T02:24:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=878161",
          "commentText": "Didn't like it either.\nThe story about traveling in the bike with your son and the past with insanity is OK but I found the \"philosophy\" part terrible (\"we cannot define quality, so quality is everything\" or something like that - rolls eyes -).",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I found the \"philosophy\" part terrible",
          "reason": "The commenter criticizes the book’s philosophical ideas and presentation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They say the story about the trip with his son was OK.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876258,
          "author": "miked",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T07:38:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876258",
          "commentText": ">> would you mind writing up a comment with why you found it so profound and enjoyable?\nIt's been many years since I read it, but I can still remember the terror of identifying with its hero and his struggle against insanity and alienation. His struggle to create a connection with his son, his deep sense of caring for him and yet not being able to fully reach him.\nPirsig's genius was to get us to identify with its hero Phaedrus, a deeply damaged human being fighting to make sense of his world. Phaedrus is rather clearly an INTP/INTJ personality type, which should only deepen the identification with him by HN readers.\nHis clear explanations of the scientific method in terms of motorcycle maintenance are a big plus as well, especially for me. I worked for several years repairing electronics  and, being a philosophical type, was often struck by how similar  the process was to scientific experimentation and theory formation. Great read.\nMy books:\nThe Fountainhead, Ayn Rand -- A sharp, bitter, and ultimately soaring defense of the individual against the conformity of the compact majority, without the didacticism and moralizing that marred Rand's later novel, Atlas Shrugged.\nEcce Homo, Nietzsche (Kaufmann translation). Nietzsche's last full work, completed days before his descent into insanity. Shatteringly beautiful prose that will rearrange your soul, from one of history's most original (and misunderstood) thinkers. One of history's great fighters against political and cultural correctness. This boy could write.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pirsig's genius was to get us to identify with its hero Phaedrus",
          "reason": "Praises Pirsig's characterization and calls the book a great read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876217,
          "author": "eob",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T06:57:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876217",
          "commentText": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is one of the few books I've ever read where I practically celebrated when I finished because I didn't have to read it anymore. I read it (and forced myself to finish it) because so many people seem to absolutely love it, but I found myself having to force myself to pick it back up like a job.\nSo, if I may ask someone who cites it as his/her favorite book: would you mind writing up a comment with why you found it so profound and enjoyable?\nI'm really curious because I feel like I'm in the minority for not appreciating it.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is one of the few books I've ever read where I practically celebrated when I finished because I didn't have to read it anymore.",
          "reason": "Describes strongly disliking the reading experience and asks fans why they value it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They finished it only because many people love it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875709,
          "author": "cesare",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T01:43:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875709",
          "commentText": "- Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig\n- Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution by Steven Levy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig",
          "reason": "Named in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797144,
          "author": "zemariamm",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T02:09:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797144",
          "commentText": ". Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig\n. Programming Clojure\n. Little Schemer (re-reading)\n. Evidence-Based Technical Analysis: Applying the Scientific Method and Statistical Inference to Trading Signals by David Aronson",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143367,
          "author": "macmac",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T16:08:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143367",
          "commentText": "The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert M. Pirsig\nLila: An Inquiry into Morals - Robert M. Pirsig\nThe Open Society and its Enemies - Karl. R. Popper\nThe Player of Games - Iain M. Banks\nPale Blue Dot - Carl Sagan\nThe God Delusion - Richard Dawkins\n\"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—\t\nI took the one less traveled by,\t\nAnd that has made all the difference.\" from \"The Road not Taken\" by Robert Frost",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert M. Pirsig",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 142984,
          "author": "elq",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T01:00:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=142984",
          "commentText": "The half dozen or so books about Richard Feynman life and approach to problems.\n(somewhat cliched but) Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.\nGEB.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "(somewhat cliched but) Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.",
          "reason": "Names it among books that influenced them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls the choice somewhat clichéd.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86503,
          "author": "greg",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-06T04:25:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86503",
          "commentText": "How about...\nHow the mind works (Pinker)\nZen and the art of motorcycle maintenance (Pirsig)\nSophie's World (Gaarder)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance (Pirsig)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56941,
          "author": "tocomment",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T16:42:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56941",
          "commentText": "The Robert Pirsig books are excellent: Zen and the Art of Motercycle maintenance, and its sequal Lila.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen and the Art of Motercycle maintenance",
          "reason": "Calls the Robert Pirsig books excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert M. Pirsig"
      ],
      "recommenders": 100,
      "threads": 60,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Fiction",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "quality",
        "philosophical novel",
        "philosophical fiction",
        "motorcycle travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dune-9187de",
      "title": "Dune",
      "author": "Frank Herbert",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50119414,
          "author": "NishanStepak",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T15:13:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50119414",
          "commentText": "Frank Herbert Dune, book, there is a graphic novel of the latest edition which I glanced through.\nMachiavelli The Prince\nSun Tzu The Art of War\nEpictetus The Enchiridion\nTao Te Ching- different editions\nThe Odyssey in variety of formats, illustrated, graphic novel, book\nThe King James Bible-- Different pieces at various points. Proverbs many times.\nLewis Carroll-- Alices Adventures In Wonderland, book, annotated edition",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Frank Herbert Dune",
          "reason": "Listed among books read repeatedly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 50116165,
          "author": "manarth",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T09:29:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50116165",
          "commentText": "And yes: Tolkien, Dune, Pratchett, Douglas Adams, Asimov/Foundation, McCaffrey/Pern, Janny Wurts, Raymond E Feist, and more recently Brandon Sanderson, Patrick Rothfuss, and Melissa McPhail (who sadly passed away, with the Pattern of Shadow and Light incomplete).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune",
          "reason": "Listed among books read repeatedly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 49907747,
          "author": "kvgr",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T12:11:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49907747",
          "commentText": "Read: American Gods, Consider Phlebas, Neuromancer, The HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Dune 1, Nineteen Eighty-Four listened to Foundation and I definitely recommend all.\nBut for me Consider Phlebas is the best. Currently on 4th book in series, but cant get through it.\nNineteen Eighty-Four doesnt feel geek novel, just political. Also great.\nI keep reading outputs from LLMs all day and don't have energy to focus on Eng written books in the evening.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read: American Gods, Consider Phlebas, Neuromancer, The HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Dune 1, Nineteen Eighty-Four listened to Foundation and I definitely recommend all.",
          "reason": "The first Dune book is included among books the commenter definitely recommends.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter specifies the first book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 49903001,
          "author": "patrickdavey",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T00:52:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49903001",
          "commentText": "Thanks for that.  Dune used to be my favourite sci-fi, but, The Expanse maybe trumps that now.  I'll definitely check these out once I finish The Long Earth :)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Dune used to be my favourite sci-fi",
          "reason": "Names a former favorite science-fiction book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 48595627,
          "author": "db48x",
          "createdAt": "2026-06-19T06:58:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 48595560,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please recommend sci-fi books similar to \"children of time\" or \"anathem\"",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48595627",
          "commentText": "A Deepness in the Sky, by Vernor Vinge\nDune, by Frank Herbert\nDiaspora, by Greg Egan\nThe Clockwork Rocket, by Greg Egan\nThe Book of the New Sun, by Gene Wolfe\nProject Hail Mary, by Andy Weir",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune, by Frank Herbert",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for similar science fiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43688561,
          "author": "PaulHoule",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-15T02:51:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 43685856,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What 3 Books Would You Recommend to Anyone?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43688561",
          "commentText": "I love Dosadi and all the Busab books,  anything by Herbert that isn't Dune,  the trashier the better.\n\"A Pattern Language\" had very little impact on architecture but a huge impact on software design.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "anything by Herbert that isn't Dune, the trashier the better.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they like Herbert's other work, especially the trashier books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Explicitly excludes Dune.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42967801,
          "author": "cblum",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-07T00:05:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42967801",
          "commentText": "Other than the Bible, that would be Dune and Starship Troopers. I can't really put my finger on how specifically they influenced me, but I often find myself recalling scenes and quotes from those two books when discussing deeper topics with family and friends.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "that would be Dune and Starship Troopers",
          "reason": "Names it as a book that influenced them; they recall its scenes and quotes in deeper discussions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42509163,
          "author": "ratsimihah",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T15:15:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42509163",
          "commentText": "Dune. I started it a while ago but I want to read past the 2nd movie now, so I'm forcing myself to finish the first book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Dune. I started it a while ago",
          "reason": "Names the book being read, but gives no recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is forcing themself to finish it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41778654,
          "author": "layer8",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-08T15:47:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41778654",
          "commentText": "At least Dune has a glossary in the back.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "At least Dune has a glossary in the back.",
          "reason": "The commenter notes that the book includes a glossary.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41770957,
          "author": "MrDresden",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T20:56:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41770957",
          "commentText": "In the fictional corner I must place the Nights Dawn Trilogy and Dune.\nOther corners don't really have a best book, for me. Recently read 'Emperor of all maladies' and found it a fascinating journey through cancer, both as an illness and as a research subject.\nAlso recently read 'The Grand Chessboard' which was also fascinating for a completely different reason.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and Dune",
          "reason": "Named as a favorite in the fictional category.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41423129,
          "author": "gugug6",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-02T06:37:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41423129",
          "commentText": "harry potter \nlord of the rings\ndune \ngame of thrones\nberserk\nvinland saga\nrobinson curso\n                 : happy reading time!!!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "dune",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36022420,
          "author": "Maelcum",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T16:18:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36022420",
          "commentText": "Many of Philip K. Dick books and short stories, but Ubik and A Maze of Death are my favorites.\nWilliam Gibson's Sprawl trilogy (Neuromancer, Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive)\nDouglas N. Adams - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\nFrank Herbert's Dune books\nTheodore Sturgeon's More Than Human\nRobert A. Heinlein - Citizen of the Galaxy\nRobert Charles Wilson's Spin trilogy\nFrederik Pohl's Heechee books",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Frank Herbert's Dune books",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021892,
          "author": "doo_daa",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:23:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021892",
          "commentText": "Rendezvous with Rama. Arthur C Clarke\nConsider Phlebas. Iain M Banks\nDune. Frank Herbert\nKiteworld. Keith Roberts\nThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.\n Douglas Adams",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune. Frank Herbert",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35392123,
          "author": "landofredwater",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-31T19:24:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 35392063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Science Fiction books that predict where ChatGPT might lead us?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35392123",
          "commentText": "I wouldn't be surprised if something happened akin to Dune with the Butlerian Jihad.\nLots of media portrays robots both as the evil dictator that cares nothing for human life, but at the same time it also will often portray the innocent thinking-yet-feeling machines. Of course, any robot that is smart yet evil would conceal this until it could gain power to exact evil.\nIf you tried hard now, you could get AI banned. If you wait a bit, someone else will try to get AI banned.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "something happened akin to Dune with the Butlerian Jihad",
          "reason": "Uses the Butlerian Jihad in Dune as a comparison for a possible reaction to AI.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34165852,
          "author": "jsenn",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T20:57:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34165852",
          "commentText": "If you haven't read Ted Chiang's short stories yet, do so. His first collection (Stories of Your Life and Others) was my favourite, but his more recent one (Exhalation) was also very good (the title story, Exhalation, is gorgeous). Stories of your Life is what the movie Arrival was based on and (as ever) the story was better than the movie.\nAs far as sci-fi novels, I have pretty generic tastes for this crowd: Dune, The Dispossessed, The Martian. The Crying of Lot 49 is one of my favourite books. Not exactly sci-fi but close.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune, The Dispossessed, The Martian.",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the commenter's sci-fi favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34160619,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:11:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160619",
          "commentText": "This year I've put myself to the challenge to read at least one book per week which I primarily could complete by reading in the middle of the night while holding our sleeping baby in my arms. It has been an interesting challenge which gave me a lot of fulfilment and has certainly changed my mind on how I view the world. This comment became quite a long read, apologies for that.\nBooks I highly recommend:\nChurchill by Andrew Roberts (p:1105)\nA biography about one of the most interesting figures in politics and WWII. Roberts gives a very detailed description of the life of Churchill and manages to keep you interested the entire length of the book.\nThe God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (p:374)\nIn The God Delusion Dawkins gives arguments why there is no God, why we do not need a God and why religion is damaging to our society. If you are religious it might not be the book for you unless you are open to hear his arguments and line of reasoning. Dawkins will challenge your worldview.\nThe Bomb by Fred Kaplan (p:384)\nKaplan describes the policy of different US presidents on the atomic bomb and war in general. And primarily on the inability of US presidents and policy-makers to tune down its military. A chilling read which makes you appreciate a nuclear holocaust did not happen (yet)....\nPoor Economics by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo (p:320)\nBanerjee and Duflo give a gripping portrait of how poor people live. They offer an insight in the choices and decisions people make surviving on less than 1 USD a day (corrected for purchasing power). It made me completely rethink my own view on poverty and development aid; stressing even more that in order to help one need to have a complete understanding of the individual's situation and the local boundary conditions.\nProject Hail Mary  by Andy Weir (p:476)\nThis book triggered my science fiction reading. For some reason I never was interested in science fiction. Most likely triggered by reading Foundation by Asimov a few years back which apparently is not a book to my taste. But Andy Weir completely annihilated that wrong perspective on science fiction. Project Hail Mary is interesting, funny and gripping book.\nKindred by Octavia Butler  (p:287)\nThis book.... From page one I was hooked and almost read it in one go. Butler is a wonderful author and Kindred is a must-read. The book is about a woman traveling back in time to end up on a slave plantation. It's a chilling account of slavery.\nOther books I read this year, ask me anything about one of these books. I've added a + if I think its worth a recommendation\nBiography:\nNavalny by Dollbaum, Lallouet and Noble (p:280); The Man from the Future by Ananyo Bhattacharya (p:354) +\nSociology; Politics; Economics; Business:\nOnly the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove (p:224); The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli  (p:140); Winter is Coming by Garry Kasparov (p:290); Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum (p:224) +; Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl (p:164) +; We Are Bellingcat by Eliot Higgins (p:272); De Zeven Vinkjes by Joris Luyendijk (p:200); Waarom vuilnismannen meer verdienen dan bankiers by Rutger Bregman (p:104)\nComedy: The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (p:336)\nHistory:\nBand of Brothers  by Stephen E. Ambrose (p:432); The Nuclear Jihadist by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins (p:413) +; The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre (p:384) +; De Heineken Ontvoering by Peter R. de Vries (p:347); Red Famine by Anne Apllebaum (p:384); Night by Elie Wiesel (p:115) +\nScience, Technology, Mathematics:\nFermat's Enigma by Simon Singh (p:315) +; A Mathematician's Apology by G.H. Hardy (p:153); The Great Influenza by John M. Barry (p:546); The Rise and Fall of the Dinousaurs by Stephen Brusatte (p:404) ++; The Double Helix by James Watson (p:144)\nSport:\nRun or Die by Killian Jornet (p:208); The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton  (p:290) +; The Rise of the Ultra Runners by  (p:304); Tom Dumoulin by Patrick Bernhart (p:203)\nFiction:\nAnthem by Ayn Rand (p:105); Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (p:704); The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (p:566); Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (p:466); Live and Let die by Ian Fleming  (p:229)\nClassics:\nA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (p:104); The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (p:201); The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald (p:180); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (p:139); Animal Farm by George Orwell (p:122) +; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (p:227) +; The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (p:118)\nScience Fiction:\nThe Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (p:399); All Systems Red  by Martha Wells (p:144) +; A Memory Called Empire  by Arkady Martine (p:462) +; A Psalm built for the Wild by Becky Chambers (p:160); Dune by Frank Herbert (p:658); Foundation by Isaac Asimov (p:244); The Martian by Andy Weir (p:384) +;\nThe Forever War by Joe Haldeman (p:278)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Dune by Frank Herbert",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33399202,
          "author": "therealdrag0",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-30T21:54:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33399202",
          "commentText": "I get what you’re saying. But I still read because it’s such a habit and part of my identity or something lol. There were some years I was hitting 50-75 books (and not small ones! GoT and godel Escher Bach etc) but now I’m down to a more sustainable pace of around 20 a year, and I’m pretty liberal about quitting books. If I’m getting a sense that it’s a 3/5 book then I just quit and move on. But even then I feel like I’m having an unquenched thirst for an absolute banger like Dune and Enders game. I’ve been thinking about doing a full year of just rereading books I loved like that from decades ago.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "absolute banger like Dune and Enders game",
          "reason": "Names Dune as an example of a book they loved and want to reread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33383130,
          "author": "ihuk",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T11:36:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33383130",
          "commentText": "Reread Dune Dune Messiah and Children of Dune.\nHighly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Reread Dune Dune Messiah and Children of Dune.",
          "reason": "Included in the reread and covered by the comment's high recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33382991,
          "author": "rodolphoarruda",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T11:14:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382991",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction: Disinformation, Lt. Gen. Ion Mihai Pacepa\nFiction: Dune and Asimov's The Last Question.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fiction: Dune",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936760,
          "author": "pkszg",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T09:54:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936760",
          "commentText": "I like to read a wide variety of genre from fiction to human psychology.\nFor the mind:\nNonviolent Communication by  Marshall Rosenberg - A great book on how to communcate more effectively with others.\nThinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman -He is the only psychologist ever to recieve the Nobel Prize if I remember correctly. This book scientifically digests human biases and errors and how they influence our every day lives and decision making. Sometimes it a bit too technical for my taste and I like mostly the first part. (its not an easy read) I rarely had so many Aha-moments.\nA random walk down on wall street - For investing your income in stocks. What to do and what no to do. Simple, with facts.\nSapiens by Harari -Interesting, I remember it was a great read and fun read. Connecting a lot of dots :)\nOn programming:\nDesigning Data-Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann - I am failry a junior web dev, so any material that is clear and explains well is a great source of information and inspiration. This is such a book.\nComputer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective by Randal E. Bryant and David R. O'Hallaron - Teaches CS from the basics, which for me is a great source since I don't have a CS degree. I complement it with other materials from the internet (such as Harvard's CS50) for learning the fundamentals paralell working in my daily web dev job. Its a long book, so It will take a couple of months, years to go thorugh, but definitely worth the effort.\nFictions I love, without much introduction:\nLord of the Rings\nDune (first book)\nGame of thrones books\nFor me JRRs storytelling is outstanding, the books are better than the serires IMO.\nSpiritual Books:\n(I am not a religous person by any means and I do not follow traditions)\nSpirituality for me means a deeper connection with the universe.\nIf I really want to dig deeper than everyday work-life stuff I listen/read these books. Usually when there is a great emotional upheaval in my life or when I feel my daily distractions failed on me.\nPower of now by Eckhart Tolle - This book gives me the occasional goosebumps, a great summary of all spiritual teachings (before becoming religions) in a really simple way. If you are interested in such, I highly recommend it.\nMeditations by Marcus Aurelius - I see it mentioned here already, no intro needed.\nLetters by Seneca - This book is a proof for me that the essential human experience, the core of what makes us human does not change over time. Seneca was a great stoic thinker, who is very relatable by anyone even today (and probably will be for many millenia)\nZen Mind, Beginners Mind by Suzuki Roshi - All true spiritual teaching have the same source, but all are expressed differently. This is a great, simple powerful book to read if you lean towards buddhism.\nA Course in Miracles (no official author) -Now this is a heavy read. It has a textbook with daily practices also. This is definitely not a book for everyone.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune (first book)",
          "reason": "Lists the first book among the fiction they love.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Specifies the first book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30764235,
          "author": "haakonhr",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-22T09:37:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30764235",
          "commentText": "A good chance reflect. There are several:\n- A Conferedancy of Dunces, Peter O'Toole: tragic, hilarious and absurd\n- Fooled by Randomness, Nassim Taleb: this was my first exposure to a lot of biases and other interesting phenomena\n- The Design of Everything Things: eye-opener!\nHarry Potter, Tolkien, Dune and a lot of other sci-fi has also affected me, although I find it hard to point out one in particular. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein stands out a bit.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune",
          "reason": "The commenter says it affected them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds it hard to identify one particular book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30742512,
          "author": "irchans",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T13:39:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30742512",
          "commentText": "Personal Power - Robbins, How to win friends and influence people - Carnegie, Feeling Good - Burns, Godel Esher Bach - Hofstadter,  Fundamentals of Physics - Halliday and Resnick, Jonathan Livingston Seagull - Bach, The Commodore 64 User Manual, \"Stocks for the Long Run\",  The Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide - Gygax, Dune - Herbert",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune - Herbert",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30739737,
          "author": "sn9",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T03:12:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30739737",
          "commentText": "Frank Herbert only wrote six books. You only have to read them in order of publication.\nHis son's books aren't as good and in the opinion of many aren't worth the trouble of reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Frank Herbert only wrote six books. You only have to read them in order of publication.",
          "reason": "Recommends reading Frank Herbert’s six Dune novels in publication order.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says his son's books are not as good and many consider them not worth reading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30737366,
          "author": "hulitu",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T20:35:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30737366",
          "commentText": "1984 and Animal farm - George Orwell.\nDune - Frank Herbert.\nAntimemoire - André Malraux",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune - Frank Herbert.",
          "reason": "Listed among books that changed the commenter’s life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30737355,
          "author": "themadturk",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T20:34:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30737355",
          "commentText": "A Wrinkle In Time, by Madeleine L'Engle\nI probably read it in fourth or fifth grade, not too many years after it was published. It was definitely the first science fiction novel I ever read. It wasn't until many years later that I saw how foundational to my worldview it was that my first SF book had a female protagonist.\nI was going to give a few other examples of truly life-changing works (LOTR, Dune, Neuromancer), but I'm not sure how I would have found them if A Wrinkle In Time hadn't opened by pre-adolescent eyes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune",
          "reason": "Listed as another example of a life-changing work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30735755,
          "author": "bloopernova",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:36:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735755",
          "commentText": "Dune. Specifically the parts about how a human can choose their reaction to an external event. And the ability to overcome fear.\nMan's Search For Meaning. Again, overcoming the worst situations and finding joy anywhere.\nHow to Practice. Understanding what you are feeling and why you are feeling it.\nEmotional Intelligence. How the amygdala sends signals to the brain, why it does that, and how to recognize your negative reactions.\nAnd all the Discworld books, to find joy and humour in everything. GNU Terry Pratchett.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune. Specifically the parts about how a human can choose their reaction to an external event. And the ability to overcome fear.",
          "reason": "The commenter highlights its ideas about choosing one's response and overcoming fear.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30242064,
          "author": "dunefox",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T08:58:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30242064",
          "commentText": "Dune. I'd like to recommend all 6 by Herbert, but since I can only recommend one I'll say Dune. My favourite book. I even have this beautiful edition: https://imgur.com/LQPoi4m",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune. I'd like to recommend all 6 by Herbert, but since I can only recommend one I'll say Dune. My favourite book.",
          "reason": "Calls it a favorite and recommends it as the one book to choose.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter would prefer to recommend all six Herbert books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29688802,
          "author": "yla92",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-26T01:25:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29688802",
          "commentText": "I only read two books this year but they were amazing!\nThe first one is Dune : https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44767458-dune. \nIt needs no introduction to HN, I think. Best Sci-fi book I have read so far.\nThe second one is American Kingpin : https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpin) . It is about Silk Road (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silk_Road_%28marketplace%29), the online darkweb market place. It's very well written.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The first one is Dune : https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44767458-dune. It needs no introduction to HN, I think. Best Sci-fi book I have read so far.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the best science fiction book they have read so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29032266,
          "author": "xupybd",
          "createdAt": "2021-10-28T21:29:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 29030285,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29032266",
          "commentText": "> What are you reading and why? \nAudiobooks are a special case for me. They help fill the time when I'm driving to work, mowing the lawn or doing dishes. If I consume my entertainment during these productive times, I find I'm less drawn to television and other mindless distractions. They also help me to be motivated to do tasks that I otherwise find dull. The better alternative is to find a friend to share these tasks with, but that is not always a practical option.\nWhile I do read for entertainment, I really enjoy non-fiction as long as it's light. If I want to explore a topic and truly learn something, I often need to find a text version. That said, I have found some great audiobooks that I have learnt from:\n-The Goal\n-Pragmatic Programmer\n-Designing Data-Intensive Applications\n-Thinking Fast and Slow\n-Ultralearning\nThe best entertainment so far have been\n-Dune\n-The Expanse series\n-The Bobiverse series\n-The Expeditionary force series.\nI asked this question so broadly as I wanted to try something that I wouldn't usually go for. I have a heavy bias towards sci-fi and wouldn't mind exploring other genres. I love good non-fiction but have also found a lot of trash non-fiction out there that I regret wasting time on.\nI have a log of recommendations but not of books read. It sounds like a good idea.\nI'll add How to Read a Book to my list :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The best entertainment so far have been\n-Dune",
          "reason": "Names it among the best entertainment audiobooks so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25846738,
          "author": "Zanni",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T14:23:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25846738",
          "commentText": "Ted Chiang's Stories of Your Life and Others is the best, single-author collection of short stories I've ever read. If you like that, you might also enjoy The Lifecycle of Software Objects, an absolutely heartbreaking novella about simulated children, and his follow-up collection Exhalation.\nOrson Scott Card's Ender's Game is fantastic, and it's follow-up, Speaker for the Dead is even better, and my favorite science fiction novel of all time. They won back to back Hugo and Nebula awards. Card is a polarizing figure for his outspoken political opinions, but if ever the art should be separated from the artist, it's Speaker, which is an incredible exploration of empathy and responsibility, in addition to being a gripping, action-packed, science-literate read. Many more in this series, if you get into it.\nJohn Scalzi's Old Man's War series is fantastic, if you're into military science-fiction, or even if you're not. Smart, funny, engaging and accessible, and reminiscent of Heinlein at his prime, minus the weird incest fetish. Redshirts, a Star Trek parody, rivals Galaxy Quest and only falls short because Galaxy Quest is so goddamn brilliant. Agent to the Stars is less appreciated, but in my opinion his finest novel, rising way above its goofy premise by taking it seriously, exploring the consequences and treating the characters with empathy and respect. Also hilarious.\nSeconding Dune, which is a classic for a reason, and Stranger in a Strange Land (though I think The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is a better place to start with Heinlein). Also Neal Stephenson, though I'd suggest Cryptonomicon over Diamond Age.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seconding Dune, which is a classic for a reason",
          "reason": "Seconds the recommendation and calls it a classic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25845900,
          "author": "isaacimagine",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T13:02:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25845900",
          "commentText": "Dune",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25844169,
          "author": "chrisrickard",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T09:00:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25844169",
          "commentText": "I just finished read my first fiction novel in about 10 years: Dune.\nAlthough  it’s not quite contemporary - I really enjoyed it so you might too. There is also a bunch of follow on books I may delve into one day... but right now I’m back to business books :)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I just finished read my first fiction novel in about 10 years: Dune.",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed it and suggests the requester might too.",
          "audience": "Readers returning to fiction after a long break.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is not quite contemporary.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25532045,
          "author": "woleium",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T22:23:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25532045",
          "commentText": "Same :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Same :)",
          "reason": "The reply affirms the parent commenter's recommendation of the first Dune book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25532020,
          "author": "woleium",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T22:20:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25532020",
          "commentText": "Same! Also Herbert's Dune",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Herbert's Dune",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25530813,
          "author": "amrb",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T19:50:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25530813",
          "commentText": "The first Dune book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The first Dune book.",
          "reason": "Offered as the commenter's book choice in response to a recommendation question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Specifies the first book in the series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23491992,
          "author": "raztogt21",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-11T18:40:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23491992",
          "commentText": "Just finished Dune last month, that book was on another level. Ahead of its time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just finished Dune last month, that book was on another level. Ahead of its time.",
          "reason": "Calls the book exceptional and ahead of its time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23471512,
          "author": "abower",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T22:09:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23471512",
          "commentText": "Adam Hall's Quiller series. Good to revisit every few years and the mechanism of building to a crisis, then starting after the resolution and backing up is fun. Not for everyone though as it's cold war vintage spy stuff. Feels real though, not like Hollywood versin of Bond.\nBanks of course, Use of Weapons is great.\nJust hit 51 and finally reading Dune now, so keep that in mind, but would also suggest Cryptonomicon as i have started it several times, put it down and then come back and had to start again several times.... but i find it interesting enough to keep trying!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Just hit 51 and finally reading Dune now",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has only just started reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23471254,
          "author": "thebillywayne",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T21:43:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23471254",
          "commentText": "The Dune series is so rich in ideas and imagery. I've read it (print and audio) more than 20 times.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dune series is so rich in ideas and imagery.",
          "reason": "Praises the series' ideas and imagery and says they have read it more than 20 times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467680,
          "author": "pier25",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:50:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467680",
          "commentText": "- Sapiens\n- The Lord of the Rings\n- Siddhartha\n- Chaos: Making a New Science\n- The Death Gate cycle books\n- Neuromancer\n- Head First Design Patterns\n- Valis\n- Dune\n- The name of the rose\nI'm sure there are more, but these are the ones off the top of my head.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467646,
          "author": "humanistbot",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:46:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467646",
          "commentText": "Dune by Frank Herbert. This is a book I first read as a young teenager, but every time I re-read it every few years at a somewhat different point in my life, I get a different sense of it, maybe more based on where I am in my life and what is going on in the world.  That for me is what makes a book endlessly re-readable: you always find something new in it. It is packed with all kinds of references and allegories to so many parts of our world, but in a way that still seems like its own world.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune by Frank Herbert.",
          "reason": "Rereading it at different points in life reveals new meanings, references, and allegories.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467569,
          "author": "justinzollars",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:39:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467569",
          "commentText": "Jewish Wisdom for Business Success, Dune, Shoe Dog, On The Road",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to the question about books read more than once.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23156545,
          "author": "dunefox",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T17:14:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23156545",
          "commentText": "Nah, it's best to read all 6 books by Frank Herbert. They're incredibly good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's best to read all 6 books by Frank Herbert.",
          "reason": "Recommends reading all six books by Frank Herbert; the title is inferred from the parent context about the first book and later books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The parent suggests the first book works as a complete story; the commenter favors all six.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23154627,
          "author": "pjc50",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T14:53:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23154627",
          "commentText": "Don't bother with the books past the first and maybe the second. Dune itself should be treated as a standalone masterpiece of worldbuilding.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Dune itself should be treated as a standalone masterpiece of worldbuilding.",
          "reason": "Presents Dune as a standalone work of worldbuilding.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says to skip books after the first and perhaps the second.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22724097,
          "author": "kbradero",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T00:30:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22724097",
          "commentText": "i learn from Dune to never ever trust blindly any kind of leaders.\nGreat leaders should be come with a warning on attach to their heads.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "i learn from Dune to never ever trust blindly any kind of leaders.",
          "reason": "Says the book taught them not to trust leaders blindly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22720918,
          "author": "rsync",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T17:44:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22720918",
          "commentText": "He is, perhaps, my favorite contemporary author.\nI have a fairly predictable \"best novels ever written\" list which includes _War and Peace_, _Anna Karinina_, _Brothers Karamazov_ and _Dune_ ... but I would also place _SevenEves_ on that list.\nI found _Fall Or: Dodge in Hell_ to be terrible, however.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "_War and Peace_, _Anna Karinina_, _Brothers Karamazov_ and _Dune_",
          "reason": "Includes it on their list of best novels ever written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22720383,
          "author": "stevekemp",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T16:44:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22720383",
          "commentText": "Agreed.  No specific book has every \"changed my life\", or specifically been the source of positive impacts.\nBut reading stories is fun, and something I do constantly.  Currently I'm re-reading Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive.  Every year or two I re-read Dune, Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Amber, and Steven Brust's Taltos series.  Always a pleasure.\nMy recommendations would probably echo those already posted, with the addition of small random stories that I remember fondly because they were just fun, interesting, or surprising  (e.g. H. G. Wells: The Door in the Wall, or the original Mary Poppins books recently completed after finishing the Dresden Files for the first time.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Every year or two I re-read Dune",
          "reason": "Says they reread it every year or two.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22719338,
          "author": "sdedovic",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T14:38:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22719338",
          "commentText": "- Anna Karenina: Tolstoy knows people better than they know themselves\n- Brave New World: Aldous Huxley is a genius and a wordsmith\n- Dune: a sci-fi masterpiece, highly recommended to anyone into sci-fi\n- Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: not purely fiction but an amazing book I will surely re-read during my lifetime",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune: a sci-fi masterpiece, highly recommended to anyone into sci-fi",
          "reason": "Calls it a sci-fi masterpiece and highly recommends it to science fiction readers.",
          "audience": "People into science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21904588,
          "author": "dinofacedude",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T07:22:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21904588",
          "commentText": "Dune and Lord of the Rings. Both have such detail to their worlds that is rarely done well in other works. On top of the world building, I enjoyed the internal struggles that both Paul and Frodo had to go through to become better people and achieve their goals",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune and Lord of the Rings. Both have such detail to their worlds that is rarely done well in other works. On top of the world building, I enjoyed the internal struggles that both Paul and Frodo had to go through to become better people and achieve their goals",
          "reason": "Praises the detailed worldbuilding and Paul’s internal struggles.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804085,
          "author": "Jallal",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:11:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804085",
          "commentText": "Dune is great. Really great, especially the first part. While many books get a lot of praise/hype, Dune is one of the few that lives up to expectations.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune is great. Really great, especially the first part.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it lives up to its praise and hype.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter especially praises the first part.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803515,
          "author": "lghh",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:10:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803515",
          "commentText": "Leisure Stuff:\nBoom Town: The Fantastical Saga Of Oklahoma City, It's Chaotic Founding... by Sam Anderson\nMidnight In Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham\nDune by Frank Herbert\nThe Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu (tried it this year and stopped, want to give it another go)\nStories of Your Life and Others - Ted Chiang (just finished Exhalation and I think it's great)\nAn Ursula K. Le Guin novel, have not picked one out yet\nA book related to basketball (possibly Dream Team, but IDK yet)\nLess Leisure Stuff:\nLocked In: The True Causes of Mass Incarceration and How to Achieve Real Reform by John Pfaff\nEvicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond\nThe End Of Policing by Alex S Vitale\nEither Manufacturing Consent or Understanding Power by Chomsky\nThe Annotated Turing by Charles Petzold\nWork:\nCode Complete 2 by Steve McConnell\nThe Web Application Hacker's Handbook: Finding and Exploiting Security Flaws by Dafydd Stuttard,  Marcus Pinto\nFinish Writing An Interpreter In Go by Thorsten Ball\nIf I can get through all of these, I will be very pleased. Throw in a book or two at recommendation from friends and I think I'm full for the year.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Dune by Frank Herbert",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21461088,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T09:54:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21461088",
          "commentText": "Currently:\nThrough a Camel's Eye by Dorothy Johnston although admit I'm having trouble getting into it. Will give it another 50 pages before I decide.\nAnd today started listening to Dune Messiah on audiobook. I loved the first book which I've reread many times, but didn't enjoy the following books at all when I read them years and years ago. Decided to give them another try.\nRecommend:\nThe First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North for beautiful prose, charming writing and an inventive story. Her first and best book under that pseudonym.\nBarsk: The Elephants' Graveyard and The Moons of Barsk by Lawrence M. Schoen for making me care about anthropomorphic elephants.\nChildren of Time and Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky for almost making me care about non-anthropomorphic spiders.\nI Am Not a Serial Killer and sequels by Dan Wells for tricking me into reading a horror novel when I at first thought it was a thriller, but really enjoying it anyway.\nThe Lost Man by Jane Harper for being similar but so far a lot better than Through a Camel's Eye.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved the first book which I've reread many times",
          "reason": "The commenter says they loved it and have reread it many times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18664739,
          "author": "nop_slide",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T15:35:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664739",
          "commentText": "- A Random Walk Down Wall Street: I got much more interested in personal finance this year, and definitely recommend this book as a stepping stone for learning about investing.\n- Frankenstein: Highly recommend! It is nothing like it is portrayed to be in pop culture and I thoroughly enjoyed it.\n- Unbelievable: My Front-Row Seat to the Craziest Campaign in America: It is literally unbelievable. It follows Katy Tur, a reporter tasked with following Trump leading up to the election. If you aren't already fed up with Trump, then give this a whirl.\n- Dune: 5/5 sci-fi\n- The Society of the Spectacle: I had trouble with this one. I think some things get lost in translation, and the philosophical arguments are so abstract it was a bit hard to follow along. I had a few key take-aways but to be honest it was kind of a chore to read.\n- How Not to Die: Argues for prioritizing a plant-based diet, and definitely changed my relationship with food.\n- East of Eden: My wife's favorite book and is now one of my favorites.\n- Sapiens: Very enjoyable, but some of it can feel pseudo-sciency and gets a bit nihilistic in the end.\n- Man's Search for Meaning: Also very enjoyable, a good reminder to appreciate the people and things around you.\n- A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy: Very accessible intro to Stoicism\n- Red Notice: A True Story of Finance, Murder, and One Man's Fight for Justice: Very interesting and reads like a fiction thriller. TLDR Russia doesn't fuck around",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune: 5/5 sci-fi",
          "reason": "The commenter gives it a 5/5 rating in a list of books read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17582016,
          "author": "nepalez",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-21T14:06:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17582016",
          "commentText": "\"Blindsight\" by Peter Watts\n\"Solaris\" and \"Summa Technologiae\" by Stanislav Lem\n\"Dune\" by Frank Herbert\n\"The Diamond Age\" by Neal Stephenson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Dune\" by Frank Herbert",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for the best science fiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17538356,
          "author": "unmole",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T02:30:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17538356",
          "commentText": "Dune undoubtedly is a masterpiece. But, it's neither fun nor light-hearted like OP requested.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Dune undoubtedly is a masterpiece. But, it's neither fun nor light-hearted like OP requested.",
          "reason": "Calls it a masterpiece.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is neither fun nor lighthearted as requested.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17537852,
          "author": "rektide",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T00:15:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537852",
          "commentText": "Central Station by Lavie Tidhar is an amazing charming story of a world deeply steeped old sitting baking world where new things are coming about. It is charm & delight in the purest & simplest.\nSpin by Robert Charles Wilson. \"Robert Charles Wilson is a hell of a storyteller,\" said Stephen King and this wonderful tour through time and space, humanity & people's lives is incredible.\nThe Quantum Thief series by Hannu Rajaniemi is open, scenic, wild, & so so vivid, one of the most beautiful worlds I've ever visited, & it reminds me so much of a joyous wild swashbuckling run. The mystery of the main character is enchanting.\nInfoquake series by David Louis Edelson is a gripping suspenseful rise of a star entrepreneur that redefines and radically expands the world, amid an already boisterous & full & busy beautiful world already overflowing in seamless technology everywhere. Although the plot line whips along with some suspense & tension, the scenery and the voyage is incredible.\nLathe of Heaven by Ursala Le Guin could quite easily, quite simply be the best first contact story story ever. Touching, and sincere, & simple. This world is not bright and shiny but her writing and the bonding of characters is incredible. See also the rest of the Hainish cycle.\nLeft Hand of Darkness also by Ursala Le Guin is a shifting chaotic shizmatic tale, about picking our fates. \"Well, I did it through dreams. Phil would have done it another way. But yeah, homage to Phil [K.] Dick is right.\"\n- https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/a... (https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/all/)\nFallen Dragon is an early & involved Peter Hamilton adventure book. There's leaving home, & space ships, more space ships, bad guys, fighting back the bad guys, bigger ships, and action. There is A LOT going on, all the time, & violence, but damn this book comes together into something incredible, & telling, & powerful & strong, something that easily makes it my top pick for most-underappreciated Peter Hamilton.\nDiamond Age by Neal Stephenson, which I'm providing largely as a counterweight to the Snowcrash & Sevenses recommendations here. Diamond Age is much less dark, and way more a fun tail about an incredible & mysterious primer for a young lady.\nSirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut.\nAll Systems Red series by Martha Wells is a underprivileged barely coping robot dealing with the humans she hates having to talk to & a shitty planet trying to kill them. Simple, fun, some action & violence, but the main character is a total hoot the whole time with more loner/zero/drop-out attitude & spunk than anything I've read & it's unbelievably charming.\nLords of Light by Roger Zelazny has more style, pizzaz, & spirit than I feel like any of us deserve. An interesting, storied tale from the post-singularity, with a remarkable & robust cast.\nIllium/Olympos by Dan Simmons, are, in my mind still the clear winner, far above Hyperion. The cast is charming beyond belief, stumbling through a world they both know all too much about & far far too little. Some really incredible worldbuilding here.\nRainbow's End by Vernor Vinge. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE A Fire Upon the Deep. But Rainbow's End really is our planet, sometime not far out, and Vinge has the most tour of this next place we're headed, with threads, and annotations, and group chat being the defining new technologies of humanity. And the tale of the misfit happenstance adventurers who wind up ensnared in the plot line is a fun, roving hoot of a journey, a wonderful second chance at a coming of age story.\nMedusa Chronicles by two of my favorites, Alastair Reynolds & Stephen Baxter is probably my favorite exploring the solar system book, about a guy/robot a bit apart from humanity that really wants to see what the local area has to offer. A lot of high tension conflicting societal impulses that our somewhat aloof lead stumbles through, on his personal mission of exploration. Lots of interesting robot philosophy & very varied elements of space come together with the characters to make an incredibly fun space epic, set in a delightful & intriguing alternative history\nOther's recommendations I'd +1: Dune (but super heady material), The Stars My Destination (brimming with class & substance), Mote in God's Eye (some of the best Space Colonial Marines style stuff out there), Accelerando (and Iron Sky and ... overflowing playful scifi), Blue Ant series (dripping with style), Foundation series (and much more Asimov!), Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy (simple direct exciting hunt for treasure in Star Wars), Fuzzy Nation (fun tale)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Dune (but super heady material)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes the material as very heady.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17537661,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T23:20:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537661",
          "commentText": "Farmer in the Sky by Robert Heinlein [1]\nThe Complete Robot by Isaac Asimov [2]\nThe Wrong Unit [3] wasn't a bad little humorous tale.\nPretty much anything by Timothy Zahn (sans Star Wars novelisations) [4] or Robert Sawyer [5] floats my boat.\nThe First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North [6]\nBarsk: The Elephants’ Graveyard by Lawrence M. Schoen [7] made me care about sentient elephants.\nFuzzy Nation by John Scalzi [8] is very funny. Audiobook version narrated by Wil Wheaton.\nOf ones already mentioned:\nThe Bobiverse was surprisingly good (including the audiobook version).\nThe Expanse is good.\nWith regards to Dune, there are some like myself who only ever liked the first book in the series. (Also there is a good audiobook version out there.)\nThe Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and sequels are great world building and characters, although the plots seem to meander about with not too much purpose.\nThe Martian is great.\n[1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50851.Farmer_in_the_Sky\n[2] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50091.The_Complete_Robot\n[3] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30959279-the-wrong-unit\n[4] https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12479.Timothy_Zahn\n[5] https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/25883.Robert_J_Sawyer\n[6] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295861-the-first-fifte... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295861-the-first-fifteen-lives-of-harry-august)\n[7] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25667916-barsk\n[8] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11167622-fuzzy-nation",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "there are some like myself who only ever liked the first book in the series.",
          "reason": "Likes only the first book in the series, with an implied reservation about the rest.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they only liked the first book in the series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536584,
          "author": "mattnewton",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:22:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536584",
          "commentText": "Dune. Definitely Dune. \nThe most epic sci-fi world that is so far in the future it feels like it could be middle earth. Politics, mysticism, prescience, intergalactic travel build an amazing world that feels utterly alien but still relatable.\nIt’s like reading about modern battles between oil, culture and money, but in countless years and star system into the future.\nHonorable mentions for Hyperion and Neuromancer for my favorites :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune. Definitely Dune.\nThe most epic sci-fi world",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends it and praises its epic, richly imagined world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536533,
          "author": "physicsyogi",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:12:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536533",
          "commentText": "Cryptonomicon and Snow Crash were great. Others you might:\n- The Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang (superb short story that Arrival was based on)\n- The Three Body-Problem (Cixin Liu)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Parable of the Sower (Octavia Butler)\n- Lucifer's Hammer (Larry Niven)\n- The Kundalini Equation (Steven Barnes)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune (Frank Herbert)",
          "reason": "Listed as a suggestion in response to the request for fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17353257,
          "author": "adamhepner",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-20T07:15:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17353257",
          "commentText": "Actually, the whole Dune series, and risking to be controversial - the extended universe with the abomination of books by Frank Herbert's son. Yes, they break the rules, yes, they are rushed and yes some explanations plain don't make sense, but ohmygod the additional tens of thousands of years added to the story just put on so much more grandure... But why I like it: I open random page, and I just enjoy falling back to the epic story and remembering small details, discovering new ones, pondering upon the small artificial quotes before the chapters. Those books have so much going on for them, and thanks to the time spans involved you can actually pretty much jump in at any moment.\nOther one is Stainless Steel Rat series by Harry Harrison, those are very funny and don't attempt to take themselves too seriously, and have the same principle - you can jump into the story at any moment and just enjoy rapid pace of events splashed with humorous commentary. Plus the protagonist is a very much self made man in a world where it doesn't come easily, so there's that bit of hope for you.\nThirdly - Discworld. I guess it does not need comment, does it?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the whole Dune series",
          "reason": "Enjoys returning to its epic story and discovering details; says its timespans allow readers to jump in anywhere.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Calls the extended-universe books by Frank Herbert's son an abomination, rushed, and illogical.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17338118,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T13:38:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17338118",
          "commentText": "My top three would be:\nDune by  Frank Herbert (only the first book, dislike the rest of the series)\nFarmer in the Sky by Robert Heinlein\nThe Crysalids by John Wyndham\nI've probably read these three books at least twice a decade since the 80s when I was a teenager.\nThe Complete Robot from Isaac Asimov would be a close forth.\nThe Tripod Trilogy by John Christopher would be fifth on the list. Hadn't read since a teenager, but about ten years ago tracked down copies of them (and the prequel) and it was delightful to reread.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Dune by  Frank Herbert (only the first book, dislike the rest of the series)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter likes only the first book and dislikes the rest of the series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15964334,
          "author": "dorian-graph",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T21:13:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15964334",
          "commentText": "I finished Dune about 2 months ago, and I'm currently a quarter through Dune Messiah. It so far is a great compliment and progression, and I constantly fight the desire to look up what happens because I want to know now.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I finished Dune about 2 months ago",
          "reason": "Mentions having finished the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961291,
          "author": "jasonkester",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:26:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961291",
          "commentText": "It's still openly debated, but the generally accepted Best Order to read the Dune Novels is as follows:\nDune, followed by a 1-5 year pause, followed by Dune.  Repeat until death.\nYou may, if you wish, throw in the first hundred pages of a different Dune novel every ten years or so, just to remind you of the correct sequence.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Dune, followed by a 1-5 year pause, followed by Dune.",
          "reason": "A humorous recommendation to reread Dune, with long pauses between readings.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The suggested reading order is deliberately satirical.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961130,
          "author": "jamestomasino",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:05:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961130",
          "commentText": "Push on for books 2-4. They're great but take a longer investment. 5 & 6 fast-forward thousands of years, so I'd only recommend them if you enjoy things like the Foundation series where the setting and cultural movements are more important than individuals.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Push on for books 2-4. They're great but take a longer investment.",
          "reason": "Encourages continuing the Dune series, calling its second through fourth books great.",
          "audience": "Readers willing to invest more time in the series.",
          "caveat": "Books five and six are recommended only for readers who enjoy settings and cultural movements taking precedence over individuals.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961016,
          "author": "kiddico",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T15:54:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961016",
          "commentText": "I finally got around to reading Dune. I burned though it pretty quickly and loved it. For some reason I can't get into the other books in the series. For now they mock me from their spot on my bookshelf...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I burned though it pretty quickly and loved it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they read it quickly and loved it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter could not get into the other books in the series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762871,
          "author": "argimenes",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T04:58:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762871",
          "commentText": "- \"The Art and Craft of Drawing\", by Vernon Blake (1924)\n- \"Mindstorms\", by Seymour Papert\n- \"Dune\", by Frank Herbert\n-",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "\"Dune\", by Frank Herbert",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15671440,
          "author": "gravidor",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-10T17:33:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15671440",
          "commentText": "The Name of the Wind - For all the reasons mentioned above, is one of my absolute favorite fiction books.  Its not just the characters, its Rothfuss' use of language.  I've never kept track of so many quotable phrases in a book.\nEnders Shadow Series by Orson Scott Card - I loved the majority of the Ender's Game series was disappointed when it was over.  Throughout those books, Bean was always my favorite character and it was a great day when I discovered the Ender's Shadow series which chronicles Bean's life over several books. The thing I loved most about Bean were his powers of analysis and he taught me to think more about scenario outcomes and think about multiple ways of achieving my goals.\nDune - A pattern is emerging here.  I love the books where the hero CHOOSES to ascend and works to get there.  Paul Atredies starts out a boy against harsh conditions and rises to the challenge.\nThe Stand by Stephen King - I read this book when I was 14 or 15 on summer break in a week.  I fell in from the start and read for entire days until it was done and when it was over I was in awe at the size (1000+ pages) and scope of what King accomplished.\nThe Alpha Strategy by John Pugsley - Its an interesting book and look at economics and wealth preservation in layman's terms.  Its funny because this book was written in the 80s and when I read it, it was immediately applicable.  I grew up in a pretty liberal household and this book made me start to pay attention to what liberals and conservatives were saying and form my own opinions.\nAtlas Shrugged - I read this right after the book above and the two in combination really caused a mindeset shift for me. It wasn't so much that everyone is out to get me or against me, but more I am responsible for my outcomes and I need to invest in myself.\nE-Myth Revisited By Michael Gerber - Piqued my interest in systems and where I started to learn the value of systems and making success repeatable.\nWorking the System By Sam Carpenter - More of the \"how-to\" book E-Myth Revisited should have been.\nDaemon Series - This one has been mentioned and while it didn't have the impact on my that the other books did, I did enjoy the world the author created.\nThieves Emporium by Max Hernandez - This was a quick read and appealed to my love of technical fiction.  Similar to Daemon, its use of technology in the story is interesting and not that far off from the real world at this point.  [WARNING: GRAPHIC SCENES]\nI was unambitious and coasted through life until after college, and it wasn't until I was in my late 20s that I started really reading books like these.  Over the past few years, I've become almost a completely different person.  I read a tremendous amount and can say its had a huge impact on my \"mental models\" and how I approach life.\nBooks I'm interested in reading next include: \n- Meditations\n- Works on mental models\n- Elon Musk biography (the amount he's able to accomplish quickly is staggering)\nI don't read as much fiction as I used to, instead choosing to focus on technical books, but fiction has definitely had an impact on my development as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Paul Atredies starts out a boy against harsh conditions and rises to the challenge.",
          "reason": "Includes it among favorite books and describes the hero's rise as appealing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14859744,
          "author": "stratfordfellow",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:03:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859744",
          "commentText": "Dune - Frank Herbert",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Dune - Frank Herbert",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13967895,
          "author": "sandworm101",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T14:20:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13967895",
          "commentText": "Is sci-fi \"technology\"?\nI've taken much from Dune (see the name) but also Clark's books.  Comics and the bible have also helped me understand much of US pop culture in a way that i wouldn't without.  Realizing the religious overtones in the marvel movies, or the STD metaphor in HarryPotter, is great fun.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've taken much from Dune (see the name)",
          "reason": "Says they have taken much from the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13804150,
          "author": "cgh",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:16:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804150",
          "commentText": "I'm not sure what \"fundamentally\" means in this context, but these certainly made a lasting impact upon my young mind:\nGodel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter\nDune by Frank Herbert\nPost Office by Charles Bukowski\nV. by Thomas Pynchon\nBlood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy\nPretty much everything by JL Borges",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune by Frank Herbert",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a lasting impact on the commenter’s young mind.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13569455,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T22:20:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13569455",
          "commentText": "Three books I tend to re-read every 3-8 years are: Farmer in the Sky[1], The Chrysalids[2] and Dune[3][4]. Read them as a teenager and thirty years later still re-read.\nOthers I’ve re-read recently are:\n* Camouflage [5]\n* The Green And the Gray [6]\n* The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August [7]\n* The Martian [8]\n* I Am Not A Serial Killer series [9]\nI plan to re-read in the near future:\n* Touch [10]\n* The Hollow City [11]\n* Pulling Up Stakes [12]\nYes, I read a lot. [13]\n---\n[1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50851.Farmer_in_the_Sky\n[2] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/826845.The_Chrysalids\n[3] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1000049.Dune\n[4] Only the first book in the series. Really disliked all the rest. Last couple of times I’ve listened to the Audible audiobook version which is excellent.\n[5] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21607.Camouflage\n[6] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/216455.The_Green_And_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/216455.The_Green_And_the_Gray)\n[7] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295861-the-first-fifte... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295861-the-first-fifteen-lives-of-harry-august)\n[8] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18007564-the-martian\n[9] https://www.goodreads.com/series/49883-john-cleaver\n[10] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23561543-touch\n[11] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13034956-the-hollow-city\n[12] https://www.goodreads.com/series/94696-pulling-up-stakes\n[13] http://www.michevan.id.au/content/reading-habits-of-2015/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Chrysalids[2] and Dune[3][4].",
          "reason": "Lists it among books reread every three to eight years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they really disliked all the other books in the series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567142,
          "author": "MarketingJason",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T14:53:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567142",
          "commentText": "Just finished Daemon and about to start Freedom. Great read, and it's amazing how quickly it ramps up near the end! I hadn't been hooked to a book like that since \"The Moon is a Harsh Mistress\" and \"Dune\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and \"Dune\"",
          "reason": "Names it as a previous book that hooked the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249530,
          "author": "Fnoord",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T12:22:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249530",
          "commentText": "The correct answer really depends on what you're into, and what kind of person you are. There are a lot of subcategories in fiction (just like there are in non-fiction).\nLord of the Rings is much more than mere fiction. It is possibly interesting from a linguistic PoV as it contains an entirely new language called Quenya developed by Tolkien. It also contains a lot of subjects which are relevant IRL.\nWithout getting further into LOTR I agreed with another poster on Dune and attempted to explain the subjects it touches in another reply to your post.\nProblem with both of these (as well as say GoT) is there are movies made of them.\nYou might also be interested in stories which are based on non-fiction, but are written in a story telling kind of way, greatly adding to suspense. In that category I read the books Ghost in the Wires by Kevin Mitnick and Kingpin by Kevin Poulsen [1]. If you're interested in following a suspenseful hacker story I can recommend them both.\n[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13240924",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I agreed with another poster on Dune",
          "reason": "Explicitly agrees with another commenter's recommendation and discussion of the book's themes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249507,
          "author": "Fnoord",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T12:13:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249507",
          "commentText": "Yes, indeed. Dune. Lets talk about the why. Its much more than an average fantasy because it contains a lot of angles. It is full with psychology, politics, and sociology. Specifically, it touches on subjects like discrimination & racism, oppression/tyranny, managing, infiltrating, warfare, and various eastern philosophies (since the Atreides are forced to suffer). Did I forget anything? Please, do improve my answer! :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Yes, indeed. Dune.",
          "reason": "Affirms the recommendation and highlights its psychology, politics, sociology, oppression, warfare, and philosophies.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in social and political themes.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249442,
          "author": "ieatkittens",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T11:43:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249442",
          "commentText": "Dune.\nI mostly read non-fiction myself, so, just like you, I looked for something else amd randomly chose Dune. Loved it.\nBrilliant world building and a story arch that keeps on giving. And there are 7(?) books in total.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "randomly chose Dune. Loved it.",
          "reason": "The commenter loved it and praises its world-building and continuing story.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy expansive world-building.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12990331,
          "author": "RUG3Y",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-18T21:43:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12990331",
          "commentText": "Books I've give away this year:\n- \"In the Garden of Beasts\", Erik Larson: An excellent history of diplomatic relations between the US and Germany leading up to WWII.\n- \"Dune\", Frank Herbert: Most of you are probably familiar with this book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Dune\", Frank Herbert: Most of you are probably familiar with this book.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10786010,
          "author": "1812Overture",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T22:18:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786010",
          "commentText": "Dune by Frank Herbert- I'm one of the few people on Earth who enjoys the David Lynch adaptation so I finally had to get around to reading the book. Kind of awkward stylistically and structurally but a lot of fun.\nDevelopment as Freedom by Amartya Sen - It's seemed to me that there are political philosophies that focus on economic needs and those that focus on personal freedom. This is the best I've read at uniting those concepts.\nSurely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! - A blast to read and great insight into the thinking of a great mind.\nThe LA Quartet by James Ellroy (The Black Dahlia, The Big Nowhere, LA Confidential, White Jazz) - Really the pinnacle of dark gritty noir. If you like that I can't recommend highly enough.\nThe Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett - I like a lot of Hammett's other work but this seemed to have a lot of wheel spinning.\nCity of Quartz by Mike Davis - As an Angeleno this gave me so much insight into the city I love. I have no idea if it would be of any interest to an outsider.\nAntifragile by Nassim Taleb - Nassim Taleb is great and I've definitely been influenced a lot by his ideas, but he's getting too in love with the smell of his own farts.\nVarious books/textbooks on programming and databases - Nothing thrilling in this category. Gotta eat your vegetables.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Kind of awkward stylistically and structurally but a lot of fun.",
          "reason": "Calls it a lot of fun despite some stylistic and structural awkwardness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Finds the style and structure awkward.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10214906,
          "author": "monroepe",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-14T13:23:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 10211331,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10214906",
          "commentText": "Dune - Frank Herbert. Just an amazing book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just an amazing book.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the book amazing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10213452,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-14T02:30:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 10211331,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10213452",
          "commentText": "Hugo and Nebula award winner Ancillary Justice is pretty good, though perhaps not great. Before that I reread No Country for Old Men, Cormac McCarthy is definitely great and I enjoyed it far more this time than when I read it nine years ago. Right now I am rereading Dune for the first time in at least twenty and possibly thirty years partially because Ancillary Justice reminded me of it, partially because it might be something I recommend trying to my son and partially because being able to read previously read books in new ways is turning out to be a pleasure of getting older. Anyway, Dune is great in ways that Dino Delaurentis and subsequent film makers had made me forget.\nLangston Hughes' Weary Blues is amazing, but I'm no expert on poetry.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anyway, Dune is great",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly calls it great and considers recommending it to their son.",
          "audience": "Potentially a book to recommend to the commenter's son.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175538,
          "author": "netcraft",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:16:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175538",
          "commentText": "I am finishing up the magic 2.0 series (fun, fantasy, goes well with RPO and the like) and about to start Dune next I think.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "about to start Dune next I think",
          "reason": "The commenter plans to start reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348890,
          "author": "chops",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:42:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348890",
          "commentText": "After years of only reading technical, business, and philosophical books, I finally decided to take the plunge and read some fiction about 2 years ago.\nSince then, I've caught up with Song of Ice and Fire, read the first 11 books of Sword of Truth, and did the first 2 Dune books.\nMost recently, I finished Stephen King's Dark Tower series, and I'm currently going through a bunch of HP Lovecraft (it feels good to finally understand the Cthulhu mythos and all that it implies).\nWhen I finish that, I'm going to finish up the Sword of Truth series (the most recent 3 books), and I'm eagerly awaiting the 6th book in A Song of Ice and Fire.\nThese days, I don't actually read all that much, as I've picked up an appreciation for audiobooks and how you can read your stories while doing other things like driving, cooking, and shopping.  So I don't read in freetime anymore, but instead just rock the audiobooks in the \"between\" times.\nObviously, audiobooks don't work with technical books so much.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "did the first 2 Dune books",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056684,
          "author": "aaronem",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:58:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056684",
          "commentText": "Pretty much the defining space opera, yeah -- I mean, it's set in the year ten thousand, what else can you fairly expect it to be? While I quite like it (and can't abide its sequels), I do concede it takes a peculiar taste to appreciate it on its merits.\nthe whole thing is a metaphor for the oil industry, no?\nNo, not really, or at least I think not deliberately; it's much more Lawrence of Arabia in space.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "While I quite like it (and can't abide its sequels)",
          "reason": "The commenter likes Dune but says it takes a peculiar taste to appreciate it on its merits.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter dislikes its sequels.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056542,
          "author": "huhtenberg",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:22:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056542",
          "commentText": "Lord of the Light\nDune\nNeuromancer\nHyperion\nSnow Crash\nUse of Weapons\nPandora's Star / Judas Unchained",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite sci-fi books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056531,
          "author": "mbrochh",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:19:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056531",
          "commentText": "Interesting that you mention Dune here. I have a similarly strict approach to classifying works as sci-fi for myself as OP and Dune is the worst offender of everything I consider sci-fi.\nTo me, Dune is some new-age mumbo jumbo. It's fanatasy in space. Or it is contemporary social criticism (the whole thing is a metaphor for the oil industry, no?), but it's definitely not sci-fi.\nBy the way, I loved the first half of the book. The world building is fantastic, the characters are interesting (and the villains are really villain-y) but after the Duke dies, the whole book goes down the toilet and becomes a series of random adventure-in-the-desert encounters that couldn't be more shallow and predictable.\nThat being said, I'm probably too young to get it's larger impact on the \"genre\" (I heard that it's something like the defining space opera?).",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Dune is the worst offender of everything I consider sci-fi.",
          "reason": "Rejects its classification as science fiction and criticizes its later half as shallow and predictable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The first half has fantastic world building and interesting characters.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056512,
          "author": "rnernento",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:15:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056512",
          "commentText": "Dune - Frank Herbert\nThere's something mystical and very powerful about this book and the theme of conquering fear. It also reads surprisingly well considering how dense some of the political and technical descriptions are.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "There's something mystical and very powerful about this book and the theme of conquering fear. It also reads surprisingly well",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its power, theme, and readability.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes dense political and technical descriptions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056500,
          "author": "boryas",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:10:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056500",
          "commentText": "How big of an expert on deserts do you have to be that Dune stops being interesting? Unless you still find it valuable emotionally or philosophically and just reject is as 'science fiction' I think it's a bit sad to just flat out get rid of such an interesting book!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "such an interesting book!",
          "reason": "The commenter defends the book's interest and its emotional or philosophical value.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment frames its science-fiction classification as debatable.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056479,
          "author": "arethuza",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:04:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056479",
          "commentText": "Neal Stephenson, Anathem\nIain M Banks, Use of Weapons\nGreg Egan, Diaspora and Permutation City\nFrank Herbert, Dune\nKim Stanley Robinson, the Mars trilogy\nVernon Vinge: A Fire Upon the Deep and A Deepness in the Sky\n[Note to Hollywood: can we please have a Culture movie?]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Frank Herbert, Dune",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for favourite sci-fi books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056450,
          "author": "everyone",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T11:55:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056450",
          "commentText": "I have strong opinions about this. My criteria for a book being science fiction and not fantasy is that is must be based on scientific thinking. The author must have done some work to determine whether whats happening in his book is at least plausible according to real science, and then work out the details of how it would actually function. So I regard most \"science fiction\" books and almost all \"science fiction\" films as really being fantasy. Essentially they are works of fantasy or dramatic fiction re-skinned with lasers and aliens instead of magic and goblins (to a great or lesser extent).\nSo dune is a great book but it is 90% fantasy, there is only a little bit of research done by the author on desert ecosystems.\nMy favourite real science fiction author is Arthur C clarke. some good books by him...\nearthlight\nthe fountains of paradise\nislands in the sky\nthe sands of mars\nrama\nsongs of distant earth\nAlso would recommend accelerando by Charles Stross and the mars series by Kim Stanley Robinson",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "So dune is a great book but it is 90% fantasy",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book, while saying it is mostly fantasy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is 90% fantasy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8950167,
          "author": "padseeker",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-26T22:55:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8950167",
          "commentText": "Dune - IM not-so HO its the best sci fi novel ever.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Dune - IM not-so HO its the best sci fi novel ever.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best science fiction novel ever, with a stated qualification.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter qualifies the opinion as “not-so HO.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8944625,
          "author": "Tycho",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-25T23:05:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944625",
          "commentText": "Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, Dune, Foundation series, Martian Chronicles & Illustrated Man, Ender's Game, Accelerando, Hyperion, The Forever War, Player of Games, Snow Crash",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8622265,
          "author": "dllthomas",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-18T03:42:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8622265",
          "commentText": "A single book?  Impossible.  I don't think I could even name my favorite Zelazny or PKD.  Many of the works of both are in the running.  As is \"Dune\", for sure.  Possibly \"Snow Crash\". \"Protector\" might not quite make the cut, but comes somewhat close - from my recollection it was my favorite Niven (not counting short stories)...  I'm currently finally getting around to \"The Mote In God's Eye\".  Further back, \"Foundation\" was pretty amazing, and I've a bit of a soft spot for \"Childhood's End\".  Bester's \"The Demolished Man\" is well worth a read, but I think also doesn't quite make the cut.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "As is \"Dune\", for sure.",
          "reason": "Names it as a contender for their favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8613864,
          "author": "stevekemp",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-16T10:11:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8613864",
          "commentText": "I would pick Dune, Lord of the rings, and anything by Zelazny and Steven Brust as my two followups.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would pick Dune, Lord of the rings, and anything by Zelazny and Steven Brust as my two followups.",
          "reason": "Picks it among their favorite science fiction and fantasy books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401426,
          "author": "joshfinnie",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:22:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401426",
          "commentText": "Read: Dune by Frank Herbert\nReading: Foundation by Isaac Asimov\nI have been trying to get back to science fiction after leaving it for so long. It's great so far!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Read: Dune by Frank Herbert",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8106986,
          "author": "alphadevx",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:30:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106986",
          "commentText": "I just finished reading The Martian recently, inspired to write a review: http://www.alphadevx.com/a/453-Review-of-The-Martian\nCurrently reading Flash Boys by Michael Lewis, which is about High Frequency Trading in Wall Street which is interesting for the technology involved.\nFavorite book of all time is Frank Herbert's Dune, the six books are great in fact.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Favorite book of all time is Frank Herbert's Dune",
          "reason": "Named as the commenter's favorite book of all time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7970903,
          "author": "will_work4tears",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T14:34:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7970903",
          "commentText": "Dune is great, but don't stop there.  Read the rest of the series (I don't care for any of his Son's books though, so not going to recommend those, but there are those that like em).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune is great, but don't stop there. Read the rest of the series",
          "reason": "The commenter calls Dune great and encourages reading the rest of the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968595,
          "author": "fataliss",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T00:36:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968595",
          "commentText": "If you are looking for some good SF read I can't recommend \"Dune\" enough, this thing is a masterpiece.\nAs far as right now goes, I just started \"The girl with the Dragon Tattoo\", too early to give an opinion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can't recommend \"Dune\" enough, this thing is a masterpiece.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends it as a science fiction masterpiece.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for good science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7314327,
          "author": "dllthomas",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-27T19:25:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7314327",
          "commentText": "That's no longer the entire Dune series, then.\nUnfortunately.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "That's no longer the entire Dune series, then.",
          "reason": "Comments on the series' completeness without evaluating its books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7302540,
          "author": "octopus",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T02:54:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7302540",
          "commentText": "I've read the entire Dune series more than 15 years ago, one of the best Sci-Fi series I've ever read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've read the entire Dune series more than 15 years ago, one of the best Sci-Fi series I've ever read.",
          "reason": "Calls the Dune series one of the best science-fiction series they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter read it more than 15 years ago.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7302301,
          "author": "dan-g",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T02:10:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7302301",
          "commentText": "If you're talking about any sort of science fiction, I (and I'm sure countless others) would recommend Dune by Frank Herbert -- the best-selling sci-fi novel of all time, and for good reason. It's not as light-hearted as Ready Player One, though.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I (and I'm sure countless others) would recommend Dune by Frank Herbert",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it as a science-fiction novel.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for science fiction, including those open to a less light-hearted story.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not as light-hearted as Ready Player One.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387654,
          "author": "waterhouse",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T00:15:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387654",
          "commentText": "Isaac Asimov's robot series (start with \"I, Robot\" and \"The Caves of Steel\") is good, as is his Foundation series.  Ender's Game is also good; I've heard other people complain about the other novels in that universe (Speaker for the Dead and sequels, Ender's Shadow and sequels), but I liked them fine.  Cryptonomicon is rich, fascinating, and entertaining.  Dune is rich and pretty fascinating.  Heinlein's \"Stranger in a Strange Land\" and \"Time Enough for Love\" are somewhat scandalous, but I thoroughly enjoyed them.\nOutside science fiction: P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster novels, as well as what of his other books I've read, are hilarious and brilliant; I would suggest \"Right Ho, Jeeves\" as a starting point.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune is rich and pretty fascinating.",
          "reason": "Praises it as rich and fascinating.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387468,
          "author": "enra",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T23:20:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387468",
          "commentText": "After reading Game of Thrones I wanted to read more book series, so went with science fiction ones:\n  Started with: Dune, by Frank Herbert (+ 5 books in the series)\n  Continued to: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (+ 3 sequels)\n  Now reading: Foundation by Isaac Asimov (+ 5 books)\n\nAll those are pretty great in sense of that they take set in span of thousands of years, and touch bit different ideas around society, myths, religion, morals, physical and mental technologies.\nOther than that, been been enjoying some classic literature, Zen and Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, James Clavell, Haruki Murakami and books about Richard Feynman.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune, by Frank Herbert (+ 5 books in the series)",
          "reason": "Included in a series-reading list; the commenter later says all the listed series are pretty great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5833505,
          "author": "stevekemp",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T16:44:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5833505",
          "commentText": "Since you're going with \"classics\" I'd add:\n* Les Liaisons dangereuses\n* The Count of Monte Cristo\nPlus my personal picks; Taltos the assassin, Chronicles of Amber, Dune & LoTR.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's personal picks.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5833044,
          "author": "latch",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T15:34:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5833044",
          "commentText": "Dune\n1984\nWould greatly help if you told us what type (or examples) of books you like.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the question about favorite fiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3783897,
          "author": "latch",
          "createdAt": "2012-04-01T15:28:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 3781486,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi Books for Hackers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3783897",
          "commentText": "Non-developer specific good sci-fi books:\n-Dune\n-Hyperion + The Fall of Hyperion\n-The Book Of The New Sun\n-Ilium + Olympos\n-Takeshi Kovacs trilogy\n-The Culture Series (meh..)\n-The Demolished Man\nMore dev-oriented:\n-Reamde (which I hated, but I seem to be in a minority)\n-Neuromancer\nI'll always have a special place in my heart for Calculating God (not science fiction), because its the book that got me into reading seriously.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-Dune",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for science fiction book recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking science fiction, including developer oriented fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2660915,
          "author": "petervandijck",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-16T12:18:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2660915",
          "commentText": "But STAY AWAY from any Dune follow-up novels written by Herbert's son, including the \"final\" one of the series. Just terrible, it breaks your heart.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "any Dune follow-up novels written by Herbert's son",
          "reason": "The commenter urges readers to avoid the Dune follow-up novels by Herbert's son.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The criticism specifically targets the follow-ups written by Frank Herbert's son.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2641072,
          "author": "haysak",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T14:59:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2641072",
          "commentText": "God Emperor of Dune from the Dune series. Work up to it. It's incredibly rewarding.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "from the Dune series. Work up to it.",
          "reason": "The comment recommends working through the series before reaching God Emperor of Dune.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2639808,
          "author": "argimenes",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T04:32:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639808",
          "commentText": "Sci-Fi: The Dune series. All of them. There is no excuse to give up after the first one. Frank Herbert was a philosopher who worked in the medium of the sci-fi novel.\nFantasy: \"The Worm Ourobourous\".  If Christoper Marlowe had invented the fantasy novel genre, this is what he would have written. The prose makes modern fantasy look like milquetoast.\nCriticism: \"The Art and Craft of Drawing\" by Vernon Blake. The best attempt to capture the mental processes involved in drawing like the Masters. It was written in the 1920s when artists could still draw like the Masters and knew the tradition.\nProgramming: \"Paradigms of Artificial Intelligence Programming: Case Studies in Common Lisp\". A gymnasium for the programming mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dune series. All of them. There is no excuse to give up after the first one.",
          "reason": "Recommends continuing through the whole series and argues against stopping after book one.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Specifically urges readers not to give up after the first book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2639682,
          "author": "latch",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T03:34:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639682",
          "commentText": "Dune",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune",
          "reason": "Named as the commenter's answer to the greatest book question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2639595,
          "author": "hoodoof",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T02:55:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639595",
          "commentText": "There's plenty of nerds here so I'm sure I won't be the last to nominate Lord of the Rings and Dune.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and Dune.",
          "reason": "Nominated in response to a question about the greatest book ever read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2527540,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-09T04:15:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 2526568,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2527540",
          "commentText": "I recently have been reading Hugo Award Novels and recommend Roger Zelazny's This Immortal which is good enough to have shared the award with Dune in 1965. Lord of Light is also a great read and won a Hugo in 1968. Clifford Simak's Way Station, Phillip K. Dick's Man in the High Castle, and Walter Miller's Canticle for Leibowitz are other great Hugo novels from the early 1960's that tend to be overshadowed by more famous authors from that period such as Heinlein (not that I wouldn't recommend The Moon is a Harsh Mistress if you haven't read it).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "shared the award with Dune in 1965",
          "reason": "Cited as the co-winner of the Hugo Award with This Immortal.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned as award context, not separately recommended here.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2527454,
          "author": "ianthiel",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-09T03:31:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 2526568,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2527454",
          "commentText": "Seconding the dumping of the TV.  I've heard nothing but good things about the Culture series so that's something I'll have to get to soon.  And I can never recommend the original 6 dune books enough, simply legendary.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can never recommend the original 6 dune books enough, simply legendary.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends the original six books as legendary.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Refers to the original six books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2527340,
          "author": "latch",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-09T02:40:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 2526568,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2527340",
          "commentText": "I read a ton since getting a Kindle (and dumping my TV). Almost purely sci-fi.\nFinished the Culture series, Hyperios Cantos, Ilium/Olympos, Book of the New sun. Gonna re-read the original 6 dune books at some point. Anything by Paolo Bacigalupi (up and coming) or Larry Niven.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Gonna re-read the original 6 dune books at some point.",
          "reason": "Plans to reread the original six books; no positive evaluation is stated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043681,
          "author": "bottlerocket",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T21:16:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043681",
          "commentText": "Just wanted to chime in that Dune & Foundation are excellent (and my personal favorite) sci-fi series.\nI really enjoyed Ringworld by Larry Niven as well.And of course, the Hitchhiker's Guide trilogy in 5 parts :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune & Foundation are excellent (and my personal favorite) sci-fi series.",
          "reason": "Calls it excellent and a personal favorite science fiction series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043657,
          "author": "Anon84",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T21:05:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043657",
          "commentText": "I've just finished Hamilton's Commonwealth Saga and it's definitely one of the best books I've read in a long time.\nThe first three Dune novels are particularly good. Dune has a tendency to get more philosophical in the later volumes (plans within plans within plans).\nIf I had to choose an all time favorite I would probably go with Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy (Red/Green/Blue Mars). An extremely well researched view of how Mars colonization and terraforming might proceed in a realistic way.\nHe also has a trilogy on the possible/likely consequences of runaway global warming (Forty Signs of Rain, Fifty Degrees Below, Sixty Days and Counting) but RGB Mars is definitely better.\nEdit: \"The content of Green Mars and the cover artwork for Red Mars are included on the Phoenix DVD, carried onboard Phoenix, a NASA lander that successfully touched down on Mars in May 2008. The First Interplanetary Library is intended to be a sort of time capsule for future Mars explorers and colonists.\" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_trilogy#On_Phoenix_spacecr... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_trilogy#On_Phoenix_spacecraft)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The first three Dune novels are particularly good.",
          "reason": "Praises the first three novels, noting the later volumes become more philosophical.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Later volumes become more philosophical.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043630,
          "author": "subelsky",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:55:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043630",
          "commentText": "Damon (plus the rest of that trilogy), Dune - those are two recent favorites off the top of my head",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune - those are two recent favorites off the top of my head",
          "reason": "Calls it one of two recent favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043476,
          "author": "gnosis",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:01:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043476",
          "commentText": "They are all equally excellent in their own way, and fall in to a variety of scifi sub-genres.  The HHGTTG, Cyberiad and the Illuminatus could be called scifi parodies (though the Illuminatus is very difficult to categorize, as it spans various genres).  The Dune books are much more straight scifi.  And the PKD books are really mindbending, kind of nightmarish books.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Dune books are much more straight scifi.",
          "reason": "Characterizes the books as straightforward science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043451,
          "author": "Anon84",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T19:54:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043451",
          "commentText": "Depends on what you like. The Dune and Foundation sagas are excellent (although a bit dated). For a more modern feel checkout Alastair Reynolds and Peter Hamilton.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Dune and Foundation sagas are excellent (although a bit dated).",
          "reason": "Calls the saga excellent, with a caveat that it feels somewhat dated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A bit dated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1864850,
          "author": "iterationx",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T14:21:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1864850",
          "commentText": "Dune is the best science fiction book ever written.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune is the best science fiction book ever written.",
          "reason": "Strongly praises it as the best science fiction book ever written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752881,
          "author": "blrgeek",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T15:44:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752881",
          "commentText": "Want to blow your mind?\nFiction\nKeep an open mind, and a sense of wonder when you read these for max effect!\nHitch-hikers guide to the galaxy. I was hooked at \"The big yellow ships hung in the air just the way bricks don't.\"\nDune - what does scarcity do to a society?\nIsaac Asimov - Robot series. Foundation series. All of his short stories, esp. The Last Question, Nightfall.\nA.C. Clarke - 2001 - series, Childhood's End, The Fountains of Paradise\nThe Little Prince, The Count of Monte Cristo, Catch-22, Siddhartha, Ender's Game, Sundiver, Wodehouse.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune - what does scarcity do to a society?",
          "reason": "Listed as a fiction recommendation, with scarcity posed as a central question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569067,
          "author": "sliverstorm",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:03:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569067",
          "commentText": "Such practical and classic recommendations!\nI'm just trying to make it through A Clash of Kings and Dune.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm just trying to make it through A Clash of Kings and Dune.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are trying to get through it, without expressing a positive evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 877261,
          "author": "Ixiaus",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T17:52:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=877261",
          "commentText": "Dune by Frank Herbert and Anathem by Neal Stephenson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune by Frank Herbert",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875929,
          "author": "elblanco",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T03:44:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875929",
          "commentText": "Dune, The Rama Series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140509,
          "author": "knv",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T03:32:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140509",
          "commentText": "+1 for Dune (my favorite in the series is the 5th book - Heretics).\nBy the way, don't expect the prequels and sequels have even half the quality of original Herbert works.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "+1 for Dune (my favorite in the series is the 5th book - Heretics).",
          "reason": "Seconds the recommendation and identifies Heretics as their favorite in the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Warns that the prequels and sequels have less than half the quality of Herbert's original works.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140492,
          "author": "nazgulnarsil",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T03:02:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140492",
          "commentText": "Dune is fantasy >_>\nGod Emperor of Dune was my favorite even though it was the most preachy.  I thought the original Dune was a bit preachy being so strongly allegorical and all.\nI prefer Herbert's other novels like Whipping Star/The Dosadi Experiment",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I thought the original Dune was a bit preachy being so strongly allegorical and all.",
          "reason": "Comments critically on its strong allegory.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Found it somewhat preachy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140442,
          "author": "cocoy",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T02:07:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140442",
          "commentText": "Dune, Dune Messiah and Children of Dune by Frank Herbert are my favorites. the sequels God Emperor, Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse were good as well but I like the 1st three the most.\nDune was about how people shouldn't let supermen lead. it was complex. it was an ecological novel. they had quotable quotes like \"thou shall not make a machine in the likeness of the human mind\". people say it's the lord of the rings of science fiction. the characters are rich, the plot thick. i highly recommend Dune.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "i highly recommend Dune.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it, praising its complex plot, characters, and ecological themes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140414,
          "author": "noodle",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T01:23:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140414",
          "commentText": "i can't narrow this down to one.  some of these are already named:\nCryptonomicon,\nSnow Crash,\n\"The Last Question\",\nEnder's Game/Shadow,\nDune,\nSlaughterhouse 5,\nRingworld",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune,",
          "reason": "Lists it among several choices in response to a request for inspiring science fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86342,
          "author": "wbornor",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T18:01:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86342",
          "commentText": "1984 (George Orwell)\nFountains of Paradise (Arthur C Clarke, Space Elevator SciFi)\nDune Series (Herbert)\nEnder Series (Orson Scott Card)\n2001 Series (Arthur C Clarke)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune Series (Herbert)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86223,
          "author": "icky",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:37:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86223",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- The Time Machine (still holds up very well, and seems strangely eerie and prescient in places)... (H. G. Wells)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Hobbit (and LotR) (Tolkien)\n- Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n- Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties (I picked up Idoru first, so I haven't yet read Virtual Light) (also Gibson)\n- The Difference Engine (Gibson, Sterling)\n- Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n- Cryptonomicon (\" \")\n- Circuit of Heaven, End of Days (Dennis Danvers)\n- All of the \"Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser\" stories and novels. (Fritz Leiber)\n- The Earthsea trilogy (Ursula K. LeGuin)\n- 'salem's Lot (Stephen King)\n- Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein)\n- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)\n- the Coldfire trilogy (C. S. Friedman)\n- various Cory Doctorow short stories\n- Kamikaze L'Amour (Richard Kadrey)\n- Lightpaths (Howard V. Hendrix)\n- A Canticle For Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)\n- Moonwar, Venus (Ben Bova)\n- the Stainless Steel Rat series (Harry Harrison)\n- Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)\n- Ringworld (Larry Niven)\n- Cthon (Piers Anthony) -- Trippiness level approaching Philip Jose Farmer ;-)\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (Douglas Adams)\n- The Black Company (Glen Cook)\n- there's one particularly good post-cyberpunk series that takes place in a world in which Canada emerged as a major world power, but for the life of me I can't rememeber the title.\n- the 1632 series (Eric Flint)... see also S. M. Stirling's Nantucket series (\"Island in the Sea of Time\", et al.), and H. Beam Piper's novel Kalvan of Otherwhen\nNon-fiction:\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (Hume)\n- the surviving words and works of Epicurus, and Diogenes the Cynic\n- Freakonomics (Levitt, Dubner)\n- The Gay Science (Nietzsche)\n- The Jefferson Bible (Christ, Jefferson (ed.))\n- The Devil's Dictionary (Bierce)\n- Brain Droppings (George Carlin)\n- anything by P. J. O'Rourke\n- anything by Dave Barry",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune (Frank Herbert)",
          "reason": "Listed under fiction in response to the thread’s question about favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85938,
          "author": "jraines",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T14:35:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85938",
          "commentText": "1984\nThe Silmarillion\nThe Hero With A Thousand Faces\nDune\nWalden (about half the chapters anyway)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 57621,
          "author": "JulianMorrison",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-20T21:46:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=57621",
          "commentText": "I was going to mention Dune. That series taught me an important lesson: the techniques of mind, and the mind-body interface, are a technology - and we are still in the dark ages. We do not know how to learn, how to teach, how to make best use of our brains to analyze or synthesize. We are generally blind to our own minds and bodies and running nine tenths of the time on autopilot. When individuals get these skills, it's by aptitude or discovery. We haven't systematized them, we haven't made a science of them, we certainly don't teach them in school. There's a lot of room for improvement.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I was going to mention Dune. That series taught me an important lesson: the techniques of mind, and the mind-body interface, are a technology",
          "reason": "Credits the series with changing how the commenter thinks about learning, teaching, and the mind.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in learning, teaching, and the mind.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frank Herbert"
      ],
      "recommenders": 97,
      "threads": 53,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "political intrigue",
        "ecology",
        "political science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "atlas-shrugged-81bec0",
      "title": "Atlas Shrugged",
      "author": "Ayn Rand",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45652053,
          "author": "langfo",
          "createdAt": "2025-10-21T03:12:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 45651938,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45652053",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlas_Shrugged\nI came across it from a post/comments on Twitter and people were proposing that a character from the book resembles one of our current Billionaires who does car, space, social media things among others.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43686220,
          "author": "PaulHoule",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-14T20:55:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 43685856,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What 3 Books Would You Recommend to Anyone?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43686220",
          "commentText": "I think \"life changing\" and \"universal\" are contradictory.\nA person who is ready to pick up the bar,  for instance,  would benefit from Rippetoe's Starting Strength but if you don't pick up the bar it's just another book (you might get something from just plain lifting Schwarzenegger's Modern Weighlifting though, if not the Misner, Thorne and Wheeler book Gravitation.)  Similarly Super System will change your life if you are serious about playing poker,  otherwise it's just a fun read like the D&D Monster Manual  I'd say that Ashcroft and Mermin's Solid State Physics was a great adventure even if I didn't end up doing physics in the end,  but I was a grad student in condensed matter and I took Ashcroft's class.  When I was wanting to explore the edges of applied philosophy and literature I felt Alain Badiou's Being and Event was meaningful to me but a lot of people would say it is obscurantist French trash like Derrida and if you believe that I can't change your mind.\nI'd tend to reject categorically that fiction could be life changing but maybe that's harsh.  So often people nominate books that to me are trash like Atlas Shrugged,  The Illuminati Trilogy or Hitchhiker's Guide.  From time to time though I do discover an author with a large body of work that I'm obsessed with for a few months,  like last year I rediscovered Poul Anderson (want to see Dominic Flandry have a fight with Kimball Kinnison) and got into Pratchett's Discworld.\nI think a lot of books that offer simple answers to things like books by Malcolm Gladwell and Robert Greene are often harmful and also I think Man's Search for Meaning by Frankl is absolute poison for 21st century people.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "books that to me are trash like Atlas Shrugged",
          "reason": "The commenter considers it trash.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43612391,
          "author": "daft_pink",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T15:07:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43612391",
          "commentText": "Learned Helplessness - Martin Seligman\nA Random Walk Down Wall Street - Malkiel\nThe Millionaire Next Door - Stanley\nAtlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand\nSecond the Incerto series by Nassim Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books worth the time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42971496,
          "author": "maxbrt",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-07T11:35:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42971496",
          "commentText": "1984, George Orwell\nPermanent Record, Edward Snowden\nMy Early Life, Winston S. Churchill\nFlowers for Algernon, Daniel Keyes\nAtlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand\nEdit: To some extent probably also:\nThe Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas\nDon Quijote, Miguel de Cervantes",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42970496,
          "author": "unfixed",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-07T08:05:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42970496",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand\n1984, by Orwell\nWalden, by Thoreau\nSiddhartha, by Hermann Hesse\nBut really, the one that had most direct impact in my life was Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall. Not in my vision of the world but in my lifestyle.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand",
          "reason": "Listed among books that influenced the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41779438,
          "author": "The_Colonel",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-08T17:03:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41779438",
          "commentText": "Certainly worth asking, but in case of Atlas Shrugged like 90%  predictable.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "in case of Atlas Shrugged like 90% predictable.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the response to the book is mostly predictable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41774565,
          "author": "fullstackchris",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-08T07:20:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41774565",
          "commentText": "> a gigantic monologue in the middle\nSo just because you can't think of another book that has this, it's not well written?\nidk I'm no follower of objectivism but Atlas Shrugged is a book you definitely dont forget... and in my classification that makes it good",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged is a book you definitely dont forget... and in my classification that makes it good",
          "reason": "Argues that its memorability makes it good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter disclaims being a follower of objectivism.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41770738,
          "author": "tb_technical",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T20:35:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41770738",
          "commentText": "I'm not surprised that in over 1000 pages, a parallel can be drawn by a statement, from a character from the work in question, and a sentiment I hold.\nStopped clocks and all that.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm not surprised that in over 1000 pages, a parallel can be drawn by a statement, from a character from the work in question, and a sentiment I hold.",
          "reason": "Refers to a parallel drawn from a statement in the book, without expressing an opinion about it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41770167,
          "author": "0xBDB",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T19:46:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41770167",
          "commentText": "Not the person you were responding to, but if you ignore the hundred-page speech (which isn't that difficult to do) it's a fairly serviceable pulp sci-fi romance novel. It's far from Shakespeare and far from my favorite thing I've ever read, but it'll do in a pinch.\nI don't care for the philosophy/politics, but I've read a lot of good sci-fi that I didn't care for the philosophy behind. I like Starship Troopers, which isn't as fascist as some people think but is certainly right-wing. I like Orson Scott Card, regardless of what I think of his opinions on gay people. I like the Culture novels, which are lowkey anarcho-communist. I like China Mieville, and he's an unsubtle hardcore Marxist.\nThose are all much better than Rand, but not totally out of the ballpark (I think the Fountainhead is actually much better written than Atlas Shrugged).\nI agree with the original thread comment: people who can't separate literary and political merit are usually pretty tiresome in lots of other ways.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Those are all much better than Rand, but not totally out of the ballpark (I think the Fountainhead is actually much better written than Atlas Shrugged).",
          "reason": "Compares its writing unfavorably with The Fountainhead; the broader comment calls Rand’s books less appealing than other works.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not care for Rand’s philosophy or politics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41769978,
          "author": "Workaccount2",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T19:29:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41769978",
          "commentText": "As someone who also hates extreme non-nuanced views, and seeks people who are thoughtful and emotionally level, I don't think I would be put off at all.\nIn fact I'd guess that if you really did talk with tb for a while, you would probably pick up that Ayn Rand is not a fit for the beliefs they convey.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "you would probably pick up that Ayn Rand is not a fit for the beliefs they convey",
          "reason": "Says the person’s beliefs do not match Ayn Rand’s; this is a reference, not an endorsement.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41768523,
          "author": "tb_technical",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T17:29:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41768523",
          "commentText": "I have considered it. I generally don't like people who fly off the handle immediately.\nI really like your radar analogy",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I have considered it.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39250346,
          "author": "snapplebobapple",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T14:15:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39250346",
          "commentText": "Just Finished Greg Egan's Orthogonal Trilogy (it was very interesting if you like hard science fiction but want to spice it up with a universe that operates under different fundamental laws)\nAm about half way through \"The constitution of Liberty\" by Friedrich A. Hayek (it's got a lot of correct in it but is way too preachy/needed a better editor to cut down on some of the repetition. It's nowhere near as bad as something like Ayn Rand's Atlas shrugged in this regard though).\nStarted Vernor Vinge's \"rainbow's end\", so far it's decent but I am also very early in so that isn't really a qualified opinion until I get through another 50 or 60 pages at least.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "something like Ayn Rand's Atlas shrugged in this regard",
          "reason": "Uses it as a comparison for preachiness and repetition.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned as an unfavorable comparison for preachiness and repetition.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38575079,
          "author": "prepend",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T21:55:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38575079",
          "commentText": "I remember my literature teacher describing it as a romantic fantasy and that helped quite a bit.\nIt’s not meant to be realistic as it’s Rand’s belief system. It’s like complaining that Plato’s Cave isn’t realistic or something.\nIt’s nowhere near Mein Kampf and it’s a bit offensive to equate this with Hitler (or Ready Player Two).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "It’s not meant to be realistic as it’s Rand’s belief system.",
          "reason": "Defends the parent-discussed book as an expression of Rand's worldview, comparing its realism to Plato's Cave.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38575054,
          "author": "prepend",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T21:53:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38575054",
          "commentText": "It’s funny because people pooping on Ayn Rand is such a cliche. I know it’s not a perfect signal but I’ve never encountered a smart person knee-jerk reacting to any mention of Rand.\nAlso, this is poor advice as this book is so big and the paper so thin it is absolutely horrible as toilet paper.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "this book is so big and the paper so thin it is absolutely horrible as toilet paper.",
          "reason": "The commenter refers to the parent-mentioned book and criticizes it as impractical toilet paper.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38557112,
          "author": "baz00",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:02:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557112",
          "commentText": "> Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand\nI'd recommend leaving that one in the bathroom in case you run out of toilet paper.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend leaving that one in the bathroom in case you run out of toilet paper.",
          "reason": "Mocks the book with a sarcastic suggestion to use it as toilet paper.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37161874,
          "author": "danschuller",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T14:12:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37161874",
          "commentText": "A good pairing is Atlas Shrugged and The Illuminatus! Trilogy. I just happened to read at the same time but would recommend it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A good pairing is Atlas Shrugged and The Illuminatus! Trilogy.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a pairing with The Illuminatus! Trilogy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36451089,
          "author": "JohnnyHerz",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-23T19:20:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36451089",
          "commentText": "Fountainhead is just as good and a much easier read.\nI used Fountainhead to introduce my kids to Ayn Rand and as a warm up to Atlas Shrugged.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "as a warm up to Atlas Shrugged.",
          "reason": "Named as the book for which The Fountainhead served as a warm-up.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36429091,
          "author": "bwb",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T07:37:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36429091",
          "commentText": "It had a profound influence on me as well, I read it as a celebration of creativity and the human spirit. I never got the weird cult stuff that has emerged from it.\nI thought it was well written though. She just has a weird style; I kinda dug it. I would call it writing Brutalism, and it was very clear and to the point.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I read it as a celebration of creativity and the human spirit.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes reading it as a celebration of creativity and the human spirit.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They note cult-like interpretations that emerged from it and describe the author's style as weird and blunt.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36428852,
          "author": "robga",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T07:00:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36428852",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged had a profound influence on me, too.\nIt is a treatise on selfishness. A stench of arrogance leaks out from every paragraph. It showed me the worst of the worst. What not to be. I like to think reading it made me a more empathetic, social, caring person. It also awakened my antenna to the vileness in people that may lie just below the skin.\nThat is was excruciatingly badly written was a bonus. It showed me that dangerous ideologies are persistent enough to survive laughably poor communication.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged had a profound influence on me, too.",
          "reason": "The commenter says reading it made them more empathetic and showed them what not to be.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They call it excruciatingly badly written and criticize its ideology.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36428158,
          "author": "JohnnyHerz",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T04:59:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36428158",
          "commentText": "This is easy...Atlas Shrugged",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is easy...Atlas Shrugged",
          "reason": "Named as the commenter's answer to which book contributed meaningfully to their life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35169292,
          "author": "sotu",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T14:57:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35169292",
          "commentText": "Atlas shrugged, Minto Pyramid Principle, Nail it then Scale it",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas shrugged, Minto Pyramid Principle, Nail it then Scale it",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33799794,
          "author": "kamaal",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T12:33:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33799794",
          "commentText": "Both Atlas Shrugged and Fountainhead, can be great creativity catalysts if read in your younger years. Though the rage fades as you age and come to grips with the reality and unfairness of life. They are still great books to read.\nFight Club is another great movie as well.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Both Atlas Shrugged and Fountainhead, can be great creativity catalysts if read in your younger years. Though the rage fades as you age and come to grips with the reality and unfairness of life.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it can catalyze creativity when read young, while noting that its rage fades with age and experience.",
          "audience": "Readers in their younger years",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its rage fades with age and coming to grips with life's reality and unfairness.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32938264,
          "author": "alfor",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T13:05:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938264",
          "commentText": "Hardcore zen\nMan in search of meaning\nAtlas shrugged: too long winded, but popped my progressive reality buble.\nReturn to religion: made me see how most of our \nproblems(depression, anxiety, meaninglessness) are caused by our lack of transcendental\nRecently the bible, Marc, Genesis. But I saw the Peterson biblical lecture before, without that I would have not appreciated for sure.\nI see all around me that the progressives are captured by ideologies, most cannot see clearly because their religious shaped hole almost always get filled with the ideology du jour.\nThey tend to live meaningless lives, don’t have kids or very few, their couples are brittle, they run after money, travel, pleasures and then find out that it doesn’t give sustainable happiness.\nMy take is that our mind is religious even if you don’t want it to be, kind of our operating system. Better put something tested and reliable (with a few updates) than rewrite from scratch and fall in the same traps than everyone before.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Atlas shrugged: too long winded, but popped my progressive reality buble.",
          "reason": "Says the book changed their perspective, while criticizing its length.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Too long-winded.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30738219,
          "author": "teekert",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T22:41:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30738219",
          "commentText": "It also helped me a lot. It taught me the ethics of rational self interest. It helps me to this day when I discuss my salary for example. Also, relationships work better when you know what you want, you have to give your partner the chance to do something for you every now and then, that works best when you have personality. I struggled with this. To be able to say I love you one must first be able to say I. For me the best parts are those about personal freedom.\nI read most things Ayn Rand wrote and I really enjoyed it. Somehow, HN does not like Ayn Rand. I don't understand it really. I also read Rutger Bregman's Human kind, some people say it is the opposite of Atlas Shrugged, but I disagree strongly. I like both books and I think they can be part of unifying philosophy. Perhaps Paul Graham's \"What you can't say\" [0] is an explanation. I believe Ayn says some things that you can't really say anymore, but perhaps they are true.\n[0]: http://www.paulgraham.com/say.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "some people say it is the opposite of Atlas Shrugged, but I disagree strongly. I like both books",
          "reason": "The commenter says they like it and compares it with Human Kind.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that some people see it as the opposite of Human Kind.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30735764,
          "author": "jwood27",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:37:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735764",
          "commentText": "The following have all had a significant effect on my worldview. You can find more information at [1].\n- The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow\n- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\n- Crime and Punishment\n- The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York\n- Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies\n- The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity\n- Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead\n- Franny and Zooey\n- Master of the Senate\n- Atlas Shrugged\n- Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed\n- Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap?\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\n- The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics\n- The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don't\n- Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans\n- Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\n- Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World\n- Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones\n- Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow\n- Ethics in the Real World: 86 Brief Essays on Things that Matter\n- A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life\n- Humankind: A Hopeful History\n- The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think\n[1] https://jacobw.xyz/books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged",
          "reason": "Listed among books that significantly affected the commenter’s worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30735554,
          "author": "funstuff007",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:14:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735554",
          "commentText": "I know it's trite to say it, but in my early 20s reading Atlas Shrugged helped me regain my bearings.  And, no, it did not turn me into Peter Thiel.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "reading Atlas Shrugged helped me regain my bearings.",
          "reason": "The commenter says reading it helped them regain their bearings.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it did not turn them into Peter Thiel.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30244884,
          "author": "jiriro",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T13:57:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30244884",
          "commentText": "The Fountainhead\nby Ayn Rand\nAtlas Shrugged\nby the same author\nIt’s striking how fundamental the principles from those books are. An assembly code of the society:-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged\nby the same author",
          "reason": "Lists it as a book whose principles the commenter finds fundamental.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23866887,
          "author": "SecurityMinded",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-17T04:05:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23866887",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. HANDS DOWN!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. HANDS DOWN!",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23862312,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T18:41:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23862312",
          "commentText": "It's a shame you're going to get downvoted by a lot of knee-jerk \"ooh, I hate Ayn Rand\" types (most of whom have probably never read a word she wrote), but FWIW, I second your mention. Atlas Shrugged is definitely worth reading.\nI won't say it's a great book in many ways - Rand's language is a bit awkward and stilted (especially by contemporary standards), and it probably is a bit too long. But in terms of getting to the heart of the divide between those who adhere to an individualist / internal locus of control mindset, and those who don't, it's very enlightening.\nAlso, FWIW, I enjoyed The Fountainhead more than Atlas Shrugged, and usually recommend that anyone who is new to Rand start with it first.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged is definitely worth reading.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it for understanding individualist and internal locus of control mindsets.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds Rand’s language awkward and stilted and the book too long.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23858980,
          "author": "qwe098cube",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:52:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858980",
          "commentText": "Ayn Rand: Atlas Shrugged",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ayn Rand: Atlas Shrugged",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23155197,
          "author": "mattbk1",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T15:42:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23155197",
          "commentText": "I found the stories in Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged to be compelling enough that I could both empathize with (some of) the characters while at the same time disagree wholeheartedly with their choices.\nThey're good books for trying to find out _why_ you agree or disagree.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found the stories in Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged to be compelling enough",
          "reason": "Finds the stories compelling and useful for examining agreement and disagreement with the characters.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in reflecting on their own beliefs.",
          "caveat": "The commenter disagrees wholeheartedly with some characters' choices.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23153491,
          "author": "cik",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T13:03:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23153491",
          "commentText": "At random\nAtlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand. Love her or hate her, she makes you think.\nThe Hard Thing About Hard Things - This is a great book about building businesses, and business in general.\nCapital in the 21st Century - One of the greatest books about economics and capital written ever - let alone in the last decade.\nThe Intelligent Investor - This is Buffet's favourite book, and regardless of how many times I read it, I still learn more.  One can never digest it in full.\nPredictably Irrational - This excellent tome makes behavioural economics digestible outside of economics. It's enlightening, though provoking, and turns several accepted truths on its head, purely by being written at all.\nNexus (Ramez Naam) - This science fiction book explores transhumanism and would it could mean in the near future. It's both light and pulpy, but at the same time makes you think about the outcomes of technological progression.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand. Love her or hate her, she makes you think.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it makes readers think.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter acknowledges readers may love or hate Rand.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22724184,
          "author": "praveenpenumaka",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T00:44:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22724184",
          "commentText": "I'm surprised no one mentioned \"Atlas Shrugged\" by \"Ayn Rand\". It's not a typical fiction book but really made me think",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Atlas Shrugged\" by \"Ayn Rand\". It's not a typical fiction book but really made me think",
          "reason": "The commenter says it made them think.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not a typical fiction book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21000961,
          "author": "bill_rr",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-17T23:03:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21000961",
          "commentText": "No, it's good. It stands alone as a piece of literature. Atlas Shrugged doesn't - it's skippable. The Fountainhead is about work, art and passion. It's also just a much better story.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged doesn't - it's skippable.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is skippable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20918432,
          "author": "lbj",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T14:21:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20918432",
          "commentText": "I was fortunate enough to start with Atlas Shrugged and read Fountainhead after. It does feel like Fountainhead was her runway into Atlas, her way of getting a clearer picture of the story she wanted to tell. Although I like Ayn and her philosophy I think its safe to skip Fountainhead.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I was fortunate enough to start with Atlas Shrugged",
          "reason": "Says it worked as a starting point before reading The Fountainhead.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says The Fountainhead is safe to skip.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20917560,
          "author": "lbj",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T12:43:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20917560",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged had the most profound impact on me. Ishmael was a funny, short and enlightening read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged had the most profound impact on me.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it had a profound impact on them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19088120,
          "author": "navyad",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T18:26:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19088120",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged- Ayn Rand\nIt has a strong character which put work above everything else in life, highly idealist one.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged- Ayn Rand\nIt has a strong character which put work above everything else in life, highly idealist one.",
          "reason": "Describes a character and the book’s idealism without stating an evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17170276,
          "author": "fcolombo56",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-28T02:23:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17170276",
          "commentText": "Atlas shrugged\nI read this for the first time during the summer I graduated from college and was backpacking through South America. It struck me like a thunderbolt, putting into words principles that I strongly believed in but had not seen in print elsewhere.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It struck me like a thunderbolt, putting into words principles that I strongly believed in",
          "reason": "Says the book powerfully expressed principles they already believed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168739,
          "author": "qop",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:42:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168739",
          "commentText": "Cliche, but How to Won Friends and Influence People, along with Atlas Shrugged were the 2 biggest influences for me when I was trying to get sober. Or rather, they kept me dedicated when I was getting sober and wanted to deviate.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged",
          "reason": "Named as one of the two biggest influences during the commenter’s effort to get sober.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16361734,
          "author": "rthomas6",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-12T20:24:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16361734",
          "commentText": "At the cost of being downvoted, I like The Fountainhead for this. Trusting your own judgement, daring to create something beautiful even if nobody else appreciates it, even if everyone else hates you for it. Because it's beautiful and because your singular vision improves the world by existing in it. And because you become a better person for daring to realize the great work that is inside of you.\nThe love story in it is kind of weird, okay really weird, but besides that I like the book. Most of the over-the-top strawman librul bad guys, and attempts to morally justify Laissez-faire capitalism mostly came from Atlas Shrugged. The Fountainhead is more focused on an individual who wants to realize greatness for its own sake.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Most of the over-the-top strawman librul bad guys, and attempts to morally justify Laissez-faire capitalism mostly came from Atlas Shrugged.",
          "reason": "Criticizes its strawman villains and attempts to justify laissez-faire capitalism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296626,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T07:19:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296626",
          "commentText": "For those of us, like myself, that don’t realistically expect to read her books,\nYour reasons for feeling that way are, of course, your own, and I'm hardly one to tell you to do otherwise. But if I could offer any comment on this, let me just say this: there is a LOT of what I would call \"caricaturized misrepresentation\" of Rand and Rand's work out there in the wild. If your view on reading Rand is based on what you've heard about her from others, I'd strongly suggest you consider carefully if you can trust what you've been told.\nOn the flip-side, I'll also say this:  while I personally am sympathetic to a lot of Rand's thinking / philosophy, I do think she did herself a mis-service in the way she chose to use the words \"selfish\" and \"altruism\".  That is to say, her usage, while possibly pedantically correct, runs somewhat counter to the common vernacular usage, and it makes it unreasonably easy to misinterpret her meaning, or to impute things that aren't there, whether intentionally or otherwise.\nJust to give an over-simplified example of what I mean... Rand never really said, say, \"don't give to the poor\". But she probably said something roughly like \"don't give to the poor because of altruism, do it out of selfish self interest.\" To anybody educated in the last 30 years or so, that probably sounds very weird, because we tend to assume that \"altruism\" means something like \"a desire to do good to others, like, for example, giving to the poor\".  But in her world-view, \"altruism\" was actually just a facade used to misdirect people and get them to buy into a mindset of subjugating the individual to the whims of the collective (and by implication, the self-appointed, corrupt, elitist rulers of the collective).  The latter group of people being what she referred to as \"moochers\" in some of her works.\nLikewise, in today's vernacular the word \"selfish\" has a meaning that's almost negative by its very definition. That is, to say that anything is done for \"selfish\" reasons is to assume a lack of charity, lack of empathy, a disregard for the welfare of others, evil motives, etc. But that isn't what Rand meant. When she says do things for selfish reasons, she really means \"do things because they're what you, as rational, thinking, individual choose to do, without being coerced or manipulated\". A person who holds to Rand's ideas can behave in a way that is 180 degrees removed from what we generally think of as \"selfish\" and still be acting in the \"selfish\" way that Rand advocates.\nAnyway... that got longer than I meant for it to. I'll just finish by saying that I think most people should consider reading at least some of Rand's works and form their own opinions of what she is promoting, rather than simply accepting someone else's interpretation (including mine).\nAlso: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/201... (https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2014/05/13/ayn-rand-was-not-a-defender-of-the-rich/?utm_term=.022b3e0945d3)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think most people should consider reading at least some of Rand's works",
          "reason": "Recommends reading some of Rand's works and forming one's own opinion.",
          "audience": "Most people, especially those whose views come from others' interpretations.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is sympathetic to much of Rand's philosophy but says her use of \"selfish\" and \"altruism\" is easy to misinterpret.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296520,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T06:34:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296520",
          "commentText": "The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nAtlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand\nThe Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins\nHow To Win Friends And Influence People - Dale Carnegie\nThe Game - Neil Strauss\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\n... among others.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296386,
          "author": "abtinf",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T05:47:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296386",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15790173,
          "author": "cannonedhamster",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-27T19:08:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15790173",
          "commentText": "I've read both books. I personally didn't find them to be well written, however they convey what they are trying to convey well enough. If anything, people should read them to better understand how libertarians of the Objectivist streak view the world. It would be eye-opening to say the least.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've read both books. I personally didn't find them to be well written",
          "reason": "Recommends reading them to understand how Objectivist libertarians view the world.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking to understand Objectivist libertarian perspectives.",
          "caveat": "The commenter found them poorly written.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15766380,
          "author": "tomjen3",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T17:08:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15766380",
          "commentText": "I have read Atlas Shrugged twice now, and it is a really nice treatment of guilt, especially unearned guilt. It is less useful as a treatise on humans.\nMany, many people hate it, but most of those who hate it has not read it - they would be shocked, for example, to know that one of her heroes pays his workers more than the norm and more than what the other unions require (he does so, so that he can have the best workers), and how the heroes are not above, or unable to, do manual work.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I have read Atlas Shrugged twice now, and it is a really nice treatment of guilt, especially unearned guilt. It is less useful as a treatise on humans.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its treatment of unearned guilt but finds it less useful as a treatise on human beings.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The positive evaluation is limited to its treatment of guilt; the commenter considers it less useful on humans.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762506,
          "author": "megaman22",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T03:23:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762506",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged is one of those books that is often life-changing. Whether that is positive or not depends wildly upon the reader and their situation.\nOther books I'd put in that category are Fight Club and Walden",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged is one of those books that is often life-changing. Whether that is positive or not depends wildly upon the reader and their situation.",
          "reason": "Described as potentially life-changing, though the effect may be positive or negative depending on the reader.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The impact may be positive or negative depending on the reader and their situation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15671440,
          "author": "gravidor",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-10T17:33:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15671440",
          "commentText": "The Name of the Wind - For all the reasons mentioned above, is one of my absolute favorite fiction books.  Its not just the characters, its Rothfuss' use of language.  I've never kept track of so many quotable phrases in a book.\nEnders Shadow Series by Orson Scott Card - I loved the majority of the Ender's Game series was disappointed when it was over.  Throughout those books, Bean was always my favorite character and it was a great day when I discovered the Ender's Shadow series which chronicles Bean's life over several books. The thing I loved most about Bean were his powers of analysis and he taught me to think more about scenario outcomes and think about multiple ways of achieving my goals.\nDune - A pattern is emerging here.  I love the books where the hero CHOOSES to ascend and works to get there.  Paul Atredies starts out a boy against harsh conditions and rises to the challenge.\nThe Stand by Stephen King - I read this book when I was 14 or 15 on summer break in a week.  I fell in from the start and read for entire days until it was done and when it was over I was in awe at the size (1000+ pages) and scope of what King accomplished.\nThe Alpha Strategy by John Pugsley - Its an interesting book and look at economics and wealth preservation in layman's terms.  Its funny because this book was written in the 80s and when I read it, it was immediately applicable.  I grew up in a pretty liberal household and this book made me start to pay attention to what liberals and conservatives were saying and form my own opinions.\nAtlas Shrugged - I read this right after the book above and the two in combination really caused a mindeset shift for me. It wasn't so much that everyone is out to get me or against me, but more I am responsible for my outcomes and I need to invest in myself.\nE-Myth Revisited By Michael Gerber - Piqued my interest in systems and where I started to learn the value of systems and making success repeatable.\nWorking the System By Sam Carpenter - More of the \"how-to\" book E-Myth Revisited should have been.\nDaemon Series - This one has been mentioned and while it didn't have the impact on my that the other books did, I did enjoy the world the author created.\nThieves Emporium by Max Hernandez - This was a quick read and appealed to my love of technical fiction.  Similar to Daemon, its use of technology in the story is interesting and not that far off from the real world at this point.  [WARNING: GRAPHIC SCENES]\nI was unambitious and coasted through life until after college, and it wasn't until I was in my late 20s that I started really reading books like these.  Over the past few years, I've become almost a completely different person.  I read a tremendous amount and can say its had a huge impact on my \"mental models\" and how I approach life.\nBooks I'm interested in reading next include: \n- Meditations\n- Works on mental models\n- Elon Musk biography (the amount he's able to accomplish quickly is staggering)\nI don't read as much fiction as I used to, instead choosing to focus on technical books, but fiction has definitely had an impact on my development as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the two in combination really caused a mindeset shift for me.",
          "reason": "Says reading it alongside the previous book shifted their mindset toward taking responsibility for their outcomes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The described impact is from reading it in combination with The Alpha Strategy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15633889,
          "author": "navyad",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-06T07:19:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15633889",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand.\nI like idea of 'I' itself which can shrug the belief(s) of social norms.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand.\nI like idea of 'I' itself which can shrug the belief(s) of social norms.",
          "reason": "Likes the idea of an individual shrugging off social norms.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15019213,
          "author": "Treyno",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T15:39:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15019213",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand\nWill be reading The Fountainhead shortly afterwards!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14478905,
          "author": "smaddox",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T22:46:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478905",
          "commentText": "Non-Fiction:\n\"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" by Dale Carnegie, because it changed my understanding of people for the better.\n\"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\" by Richard Feynman, because it gave me a model for how to enjoy life.\n\"Models\" by Mark Manson, because it helped shape my understanding of heterosexual relationships.\n\"An Introduction to General Systems Thinking\" by Gerald Weinberg, because it illuminates the general laws underlying all systems.\nFiction:\n\"Stranger in a Strange Land\" by Robert A Heinlein, because it showed me a philosophy and \"spirituality\", for lack of a better word, that I could agree with.\n\"The Fountainhead\" and \"Atlas Shrugged\" by Ayn Rand, because they showed me how human systems break, and they provided human models for how to see and live in, through, and past those broken systems.\n\"Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\" by Eliezer Yudkowsky, because it set the bar (high) for all future fiction, especially when it comes to the insightful portrayal of the struggle between good and evil.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Fountainhead\" and \"Atlas Shrugged\" by Ayn Rand, because they showed me how human systems break, and they provided human models for how to see and live in, through, and past those broken systems.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the books showed how human systems break and offered models for navigating them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13978068,
          "author": "tonyedgecombe",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-28T16:33:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13978068",
          "commentText": "\"There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.\"\nJohn Rogers",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged",
          "reason": "Named in a joke about novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year-old’s life, with a mocking description of the lasting effect.",
          "audience": "Bookish young readers.",
          "caveat": "The comment frames it as the supposedly more realistic counterpart to The Lord of the Rings, then undercuts that contrast.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13972719,
          "author": "johngalt",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T23:25:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13972719",
          "commentText": "It showcases some interesting dynamics regarding businesses becoming involved with politics and power. It's a good walk through of how \"we just want the government to make companies give their fair share\" can easily turn into something darker.\nI certainly wouldn't promote objectivist an-cap policy writ large, but there are truthful elements in both Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead. I specifically like how Ayn Rand draws a link between collectivism and racism, which was truthful in the era she was writing in. A rare perspective.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "there are truthful elements in both Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead.",
          "reason": "The commenter says both books contain truthful elements and highlights an argument in Atlas Shrugged.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter would not promote objectivist anarcho-capitalist policy writ large.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13972430,
          "author": "f1gm3nt",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T22:33:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13972430",
          "commentText": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dollar_sign#Origin\nYou can also see http://www.shmoop.com/atlas-shrugged/dollar-signs-symbol.htm... (http://www.shmoop.com/atlas-shrugged/dollar-signs-symbol.html) which discuesses this.\n\"The dollar sign? [It stands] for a great deal. It stands on the vest of every fat, piglike figure in every cartoon, for the purpose of denoting a crook.... It stands – as the money of a free country – for achievement, for success, for ability, for man's creative power – and, precisely for these reasons, it is used as a brand of infamy....It stands for the United States.\"",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"The dollar sign? [It stands] for a great deal. It stands on the vest of every fat, piglike figure",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13820895,
          "author": "boris2293",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-08T15:34:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13820895",
          "commentText": "I recommend the first. Atlas Shrugged is one of my favourites. The main lesson I took from it was to think for myself. A quote from the book (paraphrased): \"an error made by yourself is safer than ten truths taken on faith\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend the first. Atlas Shrugged is one of my favourites.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the book and calls it a favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13809246,
          "author": "simonturvey",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-07T09:27:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13809246",
          "commentText": "- Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand\n- V for Vendetta - Alan Moore/David Lloyd\n- Heat: How we can stop the planet burning - George Monbiot\nThese are the books that quite literally changed my world view and interpretation of our place/purpose in it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "These are the books that quite literally changed my world view and interpretation of our place/purpose in it.",
          "reason": "Listed as a book that changed the commenter's worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13808321,
          "author": "phs",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-07T04:42:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13808321",
          "commentText": "In my early 20s I embraced Objectivism through this and Atlas Shrugged (bad writing aside), and in my 30s I abandoned it.\nParticularly, the process of abandoning it forced me into a clearer view of my personal value system.  That in turn has made me a better person: it is hard to have integrity if one doesn't understand what they believe.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "this and Atlas Shrugged (bad writing aside)",
          "reason": "The commenter credits engaging with the book and Objectivism with prompting reflection on their values.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter later abandoned Objectivism; they also call the writing bad.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12418236,
          "author": "navyad",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-03T07:57:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12418236",
          "commentText": "One of the best read of mine, \"Who is John Galt ?\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One of the best read of mine, \"Who is John Galt ?\"",
          "reason": "“Who is John Galt?” is a recognizable reference to Atlas Shrugged, offered as a favorite in response to the book recommendation thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The title is an allusion rather than the book's title.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12417311,
          "author": "hirundo",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-03T01:47:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12417311",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged. It clarifies the moral benefit of a selfish honest creative pursuit of money. It seriously improves your workday to feel faintly heroic about it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged. It clarifies the moral benefit of a selfish honest creative pursuit of money. It seriously improves your workday to feel faintly heroic about it.",
          "reason": "Says it clarifies a moral view and improves the workday.",
          "audience": "People who pursue creative work and money.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12244002,
          "author": "jsmith0295",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-07T22:15:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244002",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged\nJust kidding. I did give a friend The Go Programming Language by Donovan & Kernighan, though",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged\nJust kidding.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly retracts the title as a joke.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned as a joke, not a genuine gift recommendation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297799,
          "author": "roymurdock",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:56:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297799",
          "commentText": "Older Stuff: The Bible/Quran, The Republic (Plato), The Social Contract (Rousseau), Tao Te Ching (Laozi), Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky), History of the Peloponnesian War (Thucydides)\nNewer Stuff: Nine Stories (Salinger), The Razor's Edge (Maugham), Nausea (Sartre), Siddartha (Hesse), Road to Serfdom (Hayek), The Book (Watts), Design of Everyday Things (Norman), Atlas Shrugged (Rand), Invisible Man (Ellison), Debunking Economics (Keen), Blood Meridian (McCarthy), The Center Cannot Hold (Saks), This Time Is Different (Reinhart/Rogoff), Infinite Jest (Wallace), Calvin and Hobbes (Watterson)\nAll of these books are well written and have given me some perspective on interesting people/situations/ways of thinking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged (Rand)",
          "reason": "Listed among books said to have given the commenter perspective on interesting people, situations, and ways of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297539,
          "author": "kill_dang",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:26:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297539",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged, but he's not the 'reading books' type of guy.\nAtlas Shrugged's Taggart Transcontinental is the company I wish I could work for. I hate the nitpicking and bad attitude that I currently deal with. I took this job to write code and make money, why do I have to go to all these stupid meetings, read these stupid e-mails, use Slack, answer this stupid desk-phone etc?\n'Going to work' is what is killing my work, and nothing I say or do seems to matter. I just want to actually get some work done, seemingly unlike the rest of this entire corp.\nGive me my keyboard, my editor, and my coffee. That's all I need and I'll write up what I did at the end of the day, talk to me then.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged, but he's not the 'reading books' type of guy.",
          "reason": "Names it as a book the manager should read.",
          "audience": "A manager who resists reading books.",
          "caveat": "The commenter doubts the manager will read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10788034,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T13:07:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10788034",
          "commentText": "Well... yes and no... Rand divides all the characters into two groups, to put it simple into the socialists and the capitalists. The capitalists get the virtues of honesty, integrity and are rational and so on, while the socialists are depicted as dishonest, corrupt, irrational etc.\nIf you fail to understand these characteristics are not necessarily tied to either of the groups, yes the warning label is appropriate. If you do understand this - and I hope some males between the ages of 13 and 21 do - this book can help you improve your attitude towards work. After reading Atlas Shrugged I must say I'm more eager to get things done and ignore pessimistic people who think things simply cannot be done because it is a lot of work.\nIt definitely helped me.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "After reading Atlas Shrugged I must say I'm more eager to get things done and ignore pessimistic people who think things simply cannot be done because it is a lot of work. It definitely helped me.",
          "reason": "Says it made them more eager to get things done, while noting its political characterizations need to be understood critically.",
          "audience": "The commenter hopes males aged 13–21 may benefit from its effect on attitude toward work.",
          "caveat": "The commenter warns that the book's portrayal of socialists and capitalists can be misleading if taken uncritically.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785497,
          "author": "iandanforth",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:36:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785497",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged needs to come with a warning label.\n\"If you are male and between the ages of 13 and 21 this book should be considered harmful and potentially dangerous. If you are high achieving academically but socially awkward you should not read this book as it may exacerbate anti-social personality disorders.\"",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged needs to come with a warning label.",
          "reason": "The commenter warns that the book may be harmful to some young readers.",
          "audience": "Academically high-achieving, socially awkward males aged 13 to 21.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may exacerbate antisocial personality disorders.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785453,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:27:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785453",
          "commentText": "I'll skip some mentioned already by others. Books I really enjoyed this year:\nThe Wright Brothers, David McCullough - wonderful book on the Wright Brothers, easy to read, shows that persistence and logic thinking pays out. 5/5\nThe autobiography of Malcom X, Malcolm X - Nice bio, a bit repetitive sometimes. 3/5\nAtlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand - Although the book has more than 1200 pages it really kept me going. I read this book to get a better understanding of the ideology of some republicans. Fun read. 4.5/5\nFreakonomics, Steven D. Levitt - Levitt studies all kind of different everyday questions using economics. 4/5, short, easy to read\nGuantanamo Diary, Mohamedou Ould Slahi - Diary of a Guantanamo prisoner who has been imprisoned since 2002. The US has never charged him with a crime. Profound and disturbing. 5/5\nNo place to hide, Glenn Greenwald - Story on Edward Snowden, probably read by most of HN. Enjoyed it, that's it. 4/5\nHow to lie with statistics, Darrel Huff - Short book on statistics, easy to read and fun. 4/5",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fun read. 4.5/5",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a fun read and rates it 4.5/5.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Read to better understand the ideology of some Republicans.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10771549,
          "author": "EliRivers",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-21T15:40:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10771549",
          "commentText": "While I'm not the OP, I'll answer anyway. It changed how I thought about Atlas Shrugged; previously, I thought it was some kind of political tract cum morality tale, but after reading it I thought it was a fairy tale and was slightly concerned at how seriously it was taken.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "after reading it I thought it was a fairy tale and was slightly concerned at how seriously it was taken",
          "reason": "Says reading it changed their view to seeing it as a fairy tale and questions how seriously it is taken.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10767643,
          "author": "krp",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T17:42:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10767643",
          "commentText": "How did Atlas Shrugged change your way of thinking? I've read The Fountainhead, but felt like Officer Barbrady when I started Atlas Shrugged many years ago. Maybe it's worth another shot?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "How did Atlas Shrugged change your way of thinking?",
          "reason": "Asks the other commenter how the book affected their thinking; no view of the book is stated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they struggled to continue reading it years ago.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10766854,
          "author": "lilcarlyung",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T12:20:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10766854",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.\nFree Will by Sam Harris.\nTractatus Logico-Philosophicus by Ludwig Wittgenstein",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that affected the reader's thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10325237,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T20:31:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325237",
          "commentText": "I'm sure there are many, but a few that jump to mind, in no particular order, and spanning both fiction and non-fiction:\nThe Selfish Gene - Dawkins\nA New Kind of Science - Wolfram\nThe Singularity is Near - Kurzweil\nGödel, Escher, Bach - Hofstadter\nFluid Concepts and Creative Analogies - Hofstadter\nAtlas Shrugged - Rand\nThe Fountainhead - Rand\nNineteen Eighty-Four - Orwell\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nAmbient Findability - Peter Morville\nEmergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software - Steven Johnson\nSix Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age - Duncan Watts\nLinked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means for Business, Science, and Everyday Life - Albert-laszlo Barabasi\nArtificial Life - Steven Levy\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nThe World is Flat - Thomas Friedman\nnot a book, but the various writings of Douglas Engelbart - http://www.dougengelbart.org/library/library.html\nGlasshouse - Charles Stross\nPermutation City - Greg Egan\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nThe Shockwave Rider - John Brunner\nThe Society of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nThe Origin of Wealth: The Radical Remaking of Economics and What it Means for Business and Society - Eric Beinhocker\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nFooled By Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged - Rand",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10324762,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T18:05:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10324762",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand\nHarry Potter and the Methods of Rationality by Eliezer Yudkowsky\nThese are the most intelligent and well written books I've ever read. Authors are amazing at thinking clearly, and expressing their ideas. Stories are fantastic, and the author's philosophies are amazing and mind-expanding.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "These are the most intelligent and well written books I've ever read.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the most intelligent and well-written books they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10176835,
          "author": "blaedj",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-06T04:41:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10176835",
          "commentText": "Just finished atlas shrugged. It got a little  long, but for the 1st 80% of it I was pretty engrossed by the plot line, themes and all aside. I enjoyed it",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed it",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the novel and were engrossed by most of its plot and themes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They found it long and say they were engrossed for about 80% of it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175669,
          "author": "jlhonora",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:48:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175669",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand. Really enjoying it. Interesting how certain times can shape the perspective of the roles of society, companies and government.\nBefore that I read the entire Game of Thrones series. Not really worth the time invested if you ask me, but it was fun nonetheless. Might be one of those few books where watching their TV version is more enjoyable (disclosure: haven't watched the series).\nOn the technical side, I'm trying to read Google's   papers once in a while. Good mixture of theoretical background with practical approaches.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Really enjoying it. Interesting how certain times can shape the perspective of the roles of society, companies and government.",
          "reason": "Says they are really enjoying the novel and reflects on its ideas about society, companies, and government.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9708044,
          "author": "zodiac",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-12T19:29:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9708044",
          "commentText": "For me the main thing that Atlas Shrugged made me extend my conception of civil disobedience to economic laws. I believed that civil disobedience against for eg racial segregation laws is morally correct. Atlas Shrugged made me agree that in some cases, economic law can be unjust as well, and it would be moral to disobey it.\nIt did so by presenting a fictional instance of unjust economic laws. At least I read it as pure fiction - whether such unjust laws actually exist anywhere in the world is, I think, best treated as a completely separate question.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged made me agree that in some cases, economic law can be unjust as well, and it would be moral to disobey it.",
          "reason": "Says the novel changed their view of when economic laws may be unjust.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They describe the example as fictional and separate it from whether such laws exist in reality.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9705687,
          "author": "semateos",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-12T13:29:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9705687",
          "commentText": "I appreciate the thoughtfulness of this response.  I spent my high school junior year of english reading most of Rand and writing a 30 page paper on her.  She has some very useful and powerful insights - but beyond my initial enthusiasm I grew to find her morally repulsive.  There is some really weird shit in there like her constant need to be submissive to powerful men.  Still, 20ish years later I'm a designer, engineer and entrepreneur and I find myself often referring to moments and characters in her books.  However, I find it slightly upsetting that Atlas Shrugged is so often on people's #1 list.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I find it slightly upsetting that Atlas Shrugged is so often on people's #1 list.",
          "reason": "Expresses discomfort with its frequent placement at the top of recommendation lists, while acknowledging useful insights from Rand's work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment also calls Rand's views morally repulsive and describes disturbing elements in her writing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9705380,
          "author": "sergioschuler",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-12T12:18:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9705380",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged is indeed mind blowing. The reason is because you can actually see this sort of thing happening (depending on where you are, in my case, Brazil).\nIt gave me a new respect for entrepreneurs.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged is indeed mind blowing. The reason is because you can actually see this sort of thing happening (depending on where you are, in my case, Brazil). It gave me a new respect for entrepreneurs.",
          "reason": "Calls the novel mind blowing and says it increased respect for entrepreneurs.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9680310,
          "author": "abawany",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-08T16:48:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9680310",
          "commentText": "Not the GP but here is my answer.\nNOTE1: spoiler alert.\nNOTE2: please don't think of me as some heartless Objectivist - I have adjusted my views since I read it about 10 years ago but at the time, the following points were earth-shaking revelations to me:\n* It revealed to me how influence peddlers in society use a combination of coercion and guilt to suppress an individual's individuality\n* It revealed that these \"thugs\" are interested in suppressing your thoughts and controlling your money. I read this book during the Bush years and the suppression of speech in the name of \"patriotism\" rang true, while prior regimes' punitive taxation policies also rang true as meeting Rand's definition of thugs.\n* She basically posits that an individual's greatest purpose of existence is to create and to do the best for themselves that they can.\nWithin the above kernels, which with moderation I feel are very powerful insights, are interspersed a lot of distractions. Her writing style is retch-inducing and her hatred of native people in continents that were abused by colonialism is bafflingly naive. My edition of the book had about 1100 pages, 100 or so of which were Galt's long speech - it was an endeavor to finish this book but I am happy to have learnt the above insights.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it was an endeavor to finish this book but I am happy to have learnt the above insights.",
          "reason": "Values some insights on individuality and creation, while criticizing the writing and other aspects.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls the writing style retch-inducing, notes baffling naivety about native people, and found it an endeavor to finish.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9675832,
          "author": "Simulacra",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T18:38:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9675832",
          "commentText": "Really a tie between Blink, and Atlas Shrugged.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Really a tie between Blink, and Atlas Shrugged.",
          "reason": "Names it as one of two books tied for the most mind-blowing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9675000,
          "author": "vijayr",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T15:27:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9675000",
          "commentText": "Could you explain why you find Atlas Shrugged mind blowing? I read \"we the living\" and \"The fountainhead\" and found them quite annoying. Haven't read Atlas Shrugged, just curious if I am missing something.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Could you explain why you find Atlas Shrugged mind blowing?",
          "reason": "Asks why another commenter finds the book mind-blowing; gives no endorsement.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674225,
          "author": "devgutt",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T11:38:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674225",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand\nalso, not a book but very good \"The last question\" Isaac Asimov [1]\n[1] http://www.multivax.com/last_question.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9353777,
          "author": "chrisBob",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-10T12:17:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9353777",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged.\nI found out that the people who claim it changed their lives mostly think that they are the smartest, most important people in the country. Beware of the elite who think that the country is there to serve them and that it is criminal how the government demands taxes to help those who were not born into wealth and privilege.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged.",
          "reason": "Says people who credit it with changing their lives often adopt an elitist outlook, and warns against that outlook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The criticism targets the attitudes of people who say the book changed their lives.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9351498,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T22:38:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9351498",
          "commentText": "\"Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\" by Eliezer Yudkowsky - the most brilliant book I've read this year. I wish I'd read it 10 years ago.\nAnd Atlas Shrugged - controversial, I know, a lot of people here hate it for some reason, but it was incredibly influential on me, inspired my passion for entrepreneurship and science and philosophy. Still is one of the best books I am aware of.\nIf I could send 2 books back in time to the 14-year-old me - these would be it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it was incredibly influential on me, inspired my passion for entrepreneurship and science and philosophy. Still is one of the best books I am aware of.",
          "reason": "Says it was influential and inspired their interests, and calls it one of the best books they know.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it is controversial and that many people dislike it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9351241,
          "author": "DawkinsGawd",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T21:42:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9351241",
          "commentText": "Currently reading Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand and Exploding the Phone By Phil Lapsley.  Atlas Shrugged is an amazing account ofIndustry and government. Lapsleys book is a bit dry but it's a quick read and very informative",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged is an amazing account ofIndustry and government.",
          "reason": "Calls it an amazing account of industry and government.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348483,
          "author": "ElDiablo666",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:00:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348483",
          "commentText": "I'd also like a clear refutation of that book. I've only read two Rand books: Anthem and Capitalism. I loved Anthem in spite of its anti-government bullshit because of my libertarian side but my socialist side overrides all of it and that's where my criticism of her lies.\nI'm sorry I can't offer anything with regard to Atlas since I haven't read it but it's clearly rooted in her ridiculous philosophy of capitalist moralism. It doesn't stand up to even the most elementary scrutiny and once you apply any of it to real life you find that society would collapse in less than a year.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I'm sorry I can't offer anything with regard to Atlas since I haven't read it",
          "reason": "Criticizes the philosophy the commenter believes the book reflects, while noting they have not read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter explicitly says they have not read the book; criticism is based on their view of its philosophy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348299,
          "author": "humanarity",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:37:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348299",
          "commentText": "Meditations (Marcus Aurelius) - incredibly clear ideas probably clear-up 80% of issues you have with everyday life\nThe Bible (& The Gnostic Gospels) - I love the idea that Jesus was a real guy who (literally) petrified his childhood playmates because they \"vexed\" him by dispersing his anti-gravity water :)\nAtlas Shrugged - no excuses\nSelf and Others - personal pyschology\nSeth Speaks - a lady channels an interdimensional being\nThe Road Less Travelled - a psychoanalyst's memoirs\nLetters to a Young Artist - encouragement for going your own way, a series of letters\nThe Alchemist - help you read the signs from the heart of the World for your own path\nAn Introduction to Zen Buddhism, et al (T. Suzuki) - really interesting, non-duality, higher third unification of opposites\nHear the Wind Sing (Murakami) - really bizarre and pure, his first one written late nights at kitchen table after working in a bar, before he became famous\nRich Dad Poor Dad - solid advice\nDiscrete Maths (Rosen) - interesting and very learnable, a great reference\nAn Imaginary Life (Malouf) - great clarity of writing\nThe Solid Mandala (Patrick White) - amazing observation of people",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged - no excuses",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348047,
          "author": "tallanvor",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:07:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348047",
          "commentText": "You're not missing anything.  There's a reason John Rogers wrote “There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.\"",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The other, of course, involves orcs.",
          "reason": "The joke uses the book as the punchline in a satirical comparison.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9347895,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T14:48:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9347895",
          "commentText": "Here's my usual list of recommendations, the best books I've read in the past 5 years.\nFiction:\n- Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\nIf you know nothing about this book you might naturally hesitate to read \"Harry Potter fanfiction\" and assume that it's dumb/horrbile, but it's not. Just suspend your disbelief and read the first 5-10 chapters. Trust me, it's brilliant, hilarious, and life-changing.\n- Atlas Shrugged\nControversial, I know, a lot of people here hate it for some reason, but it was incredibly influential on me, inspired my passion for entrepreneurship and science and philosophy. Still is one of the best books I am aware of.\nNonfiction:\n- Hackers and Painters by Paul Graham\nAlso a collection of his essays that you can find on github. He is one of the most clever writers I am aware of, but I assume you know that, since you're on HN.\n- \"On Intelligence\" by Jeff Hawkins\nThis book explains in simple terms a very awesome and elegant theory on how mind works. Incredibly fascinating, I've learned a lot from it and it explains a lot of things, and will change the way you think about thinking process.\n- The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins\nEngaging and entertaining explanation of evolution, absolutely fantastic book.\n- The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli.\nDespite the stigma, and people thinking that Machhiavellian = \"evil\", I've found this book extremely clever and wise.\n- Serious Creativity by Edward De Bono\nThe best book on creativity and the process of generating ideas that I'm aware of.\n- Abundance\nThis is a very inspiring and optimistic book about the future of technology.\nEntrepreneurhsip:\n- Start Small, Stay Small\nGuide to creating your first product/business for hackers. It lays out all the basics of entrepreneurship in a very concise and clear ways, my favorite introduction to startups.\n- Rework\nVery wise and intelligent advice about startups, intelligent and witty, must read.\n- Lean Startup\nClassic book on \"lean startup methodology\", very useful.\n- 4-Hour Workweek\nDespite the silly title I think it is a great book and is very much worth reading. Many people here dislike Tim Ferris, but whatever, I think this book is cool.\nAutobiographies:\n- Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman\n- Ghost In The Wires by Kevin Mitnick\n- Catch me if you can by Abagnale\n- iWoz by Steve Wozniak\n- Losing my Virginity by Richard Branson\nAll these are fantastic and very intelligent autobiographies by the very awesome people.\nNow I'm reading \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" and \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies.\"\n\"Rationality\" is great and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. Can't say much about GEB, I've only started reading it, but everyone is saying that it is so great and the best book ever, so I think it's definitely worth checking out.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Still is one of the best books I am aware of.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the best books they know and says it influenced their interests.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Notes it is controversial and disliked by many readers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401502,
          "author": "banderon",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:31:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401502",
          "commentText": "I started reading \"Atlas Shrugged\" after reading about Peter Thiel's libertarian views. I'm thoroughly enjoying it!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm thoroughly enjoying it!",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are thoroughly enjoying the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401237,
          "author": "Kevin_S",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T15:54:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401237",
          "commentText": "Read: Ayn Rand - We The Living\nCurrently Reading: Ayn Rand - Atlas Shrugged\nHonestly loving Atlas Shrugged, but We The Living is easily my favorite book I have ever read. It has deeply affected how I think about life and I share many philosophical beliefs with Rand, would highly highly recommend.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Honestly loving Atlas Shrugged",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly says they love it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8125660,
          "author": "Thiz",
          "createdAt": "2014-08-02T19:05:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 8125375,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I save for offline reading during 5 weeks without Internet?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8125660",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged.",
          "reason": "Offered as a title to read in response to the request for offline reading suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6923250,
          "author": "angersock",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-17T19:25:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 6921805,
          "threadTitle": "What book has inspired you the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6923250",
          "commentText": "Not a book, but the essay \"Conscience of a Hacker\" has never been far from my mind.\nIn middle-school, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and Starship Troopers started a fairly strong libertarian bend as well as a somewhat antiauthortarian\nIn high-school, Atlas Shrugged gave me a clear vision of how important it was to create things with the skills I'd learned, and how naked self-interest could shape a society.\nIn college, Pump Six illustrated the failings of \"In the future, it's going to be even more awesome to be rich and white\".\nAfter college, The Jungle showed me both the importance of social safety nets and how easily people who say \"I'll just work harder\" get screwed by the system--any system. Makers gave me a better appreciation for taking care of my self and my body.\n~\nIt's important, I think, to constantly be reading new things and taking in new ideas; had I stopped with Atlas Shrugged, for example, I'd probably be a lot different (and more naive) than I am today.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "In high-school, Atlas Shrugged gave me a clear vision of how important it was to create things with the skills I'd learned, and how naked self-interest could shape a society.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it clarified the importance of creating things and how self-interest can shape society.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Later says they would have been more naive if they had stopped reading with this book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6899775,
          "author": "navyad",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T09:52:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6899775",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand\n1984 by George Orwell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for the best book read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6569091,
          "author": "nyan_sandwich",
          "createdAt": "2013-10-18T00:30:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 6553238,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the essential books of knowledge for civilization?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6569091",
          "commentText": "On the cause and mitigation of collapses, my humble opinion is that a culture of technical ambition and inquiry is likely to be as important as specific knowledge.\nYou might want to look at what kinds of people (culturally and ethnically) are behind most innovation and engineering, and look at the differences and influences there. (It may be interesting to look at the historical trend of their power, as well, for futurological purposes.) If the culture that produces civilization stays around through a collapse, there probably is less to worry about than if that culture doesn't survive.\nThus among your important books may be some of the books of industrial culture, like Atlas Shrugged, most good science fiction, some enlightenment philosophy and poetry, Paul Graham's writing, etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "some of the books of industrial culture, like Atlas Shrugged",
          "reason": "Included among books that may be important to preserve a culture of technical ambition and inquiry.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6388248,
          "author": "scribble73",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T06:07:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6388248",
          "commentText": "Ayn Rand's Atlas and Fountainhead are literature in the same sense that Harriet Beacher Stowe's \"uncle Tom's Cabin\" is literature.  These three pulp novels address important topics, but in shamefully oversimplified ways that almost defame the topics they present. Their authors both caught lightening in a bottle by accident.\nWest Point has no business assigning either book to any class presented to a future Army Officer.  I mean it:  None.\nI would get rid of any instructor who required students to read either Atlas or Fountainhead.  The heroes in both books behave immorally by any sane standard, in terms of what West Point Cadets are being taught in their other classes.  Howard Roark commits a violent rape in Chapter Two -- later, he blows up a sky scraper. John Galt would simply be considered a terrorist today.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "either Atlas or Fountainhead",
          "reason": "Argues that the novel oversimplifies important topics and objects to assigning it to Army officer students.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its heroes behave immorally and cites rape and terrorism.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387852,
          "author": "jgg",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T01:48:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387852",
          "commentText": "Alright, this comment thread is going to Hell, but for the sake of formality:\nIt's (been) required reading at West Point, amongst other places in the US.\nI didn't know that. Thanks. It must be more popular than I realized, but I still don't see where it's considered terribly crucial in general, as the original comment claimed. I shouldn't have made it sound like my personal  claim was any indication of absolute reality. My mistake. A survey would probably lay this issue to rest, but this was really supposed to be a one-off comment.\nAtlas shrugged has other interesting reasons to read it, however. Its main theme is actually dealing with assholes at work. Academics are embarrased by it, because its filled with \"non-collegial\" behaviour. But that just means they don't get out much.\nEconomics as a field which assumes opportunistic and deceitful behaviour are non-events. Atlas Shrugged is a great reminder of the fallacy in that. A typical Economist would consider Rand a \"Crackpot\", for using opportunistic and deceitful behaviour as basis for an empirical philosophy. But consider that lawyers get paid to write contracts to mitigaet the very dangers that economists assume away. Your Lawyer will tell you...never trust an Economist...theyre all crackpots and live in Ivy towers. =D\nChill! I'm speaking on what my impression is of the popular opinion on Rand in education, not what I think of Rand myself.\nAlso, your statement that the main theme of Atlas Shrugged being about \"dealing with assholes at work\" is very interesting and I'm not sure how you came up with that.\nAs a side bar, have you actually read Nietzche? I think academics (and a few of his old landlords) would consider him more of a \"crackpot\" than Rand. Clearly Rand and Nietzsche have nothing in common? Perhaps other than its the lie that tells the truth.\nI've read some of Nietzsche's stuff, and yes, Rand is very much an imitation of him (what does that prove and why are you asking me that rhetorically?). I'm still not sure I buy that Nietzsche is considered more of a \"Crackpot\" by academics than Rand is, having gone to a university in the US and having seen firsthand the curriculum in a philosophy class, but it's completely subjective, so you might be right.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm still not sure I buy that Nietzsche is considered more of a \"Crackpot\" by academics than Rand is",
          "reason": "Discusses its reception in education and academia without endorsing it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387846,
          "author": "FreakLegion",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T01:46:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387846",
          "commentText": "Plato and Nietzsche are far from atypical. Being two of the West's most literary philosophers, they routinely turn up in high school. Excerpts from Plato's Repulic (e.g. The Allegory of the Cave) and any of Nietzsche's aphoristic works are especially common.\nAcademics are embarrased by it, because its filled with \"non-collegial\" behaviour. But that just means they don't get out much.\nWhere on earth are you getting this? Academics celebrate texts far less collegial than Rand's. Rand's work, as literature, is dismissed because, as literature, it isn't very good. Her work isn't taken seriously or engaged with philosophically for other reasons, but propriety isn't one of them. To invoke the ancient stereotype of the \"stuffy academic\" is ludicrous. Academics today are probably the most open-minded, least proprietous group around.\nI think academics (and a few of his old landlords) would consider him more of a \"crackpot\" than Rand.\nI can't speak to the attitudes of his old landlords, but no, modern academics do not consider him a crackpot. For political reasons he was in and out of favor around the times of WW1 and WW2 (due to the misappropriation of his work by various groups, most famously the Nazis), but he's never ceased to be hugely important to continental philosophy, and Walter Kauffmann set the record straight and rehabilitated his image for the English-speaking world decades ago.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Rand's work, as literature, is dismissed because, as literature, it isn't very good.",
          "reason": "Argues that its literary quality is poor and that it is dismissed as literature.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387717,
          "author": "001sky",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T00:41:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387717",
          "commentText": "I have never heard of any public highschool that views Atlas Shrugged as critical reading\nIt's (been) required reading at West Point, amongst other places in the US. High-school reading lists are probably poor indicators: Plato, Nietzche, and Kant would be Atypical if not unheard of (if that is your standard).\nAtlas shrugged has other interesting reasons to read it, however. Its main theme is actually dealing with assholes at work. Academics are embarrased by it, because its filled with \"non-collegial\" behaviour. But that just means they don't get out much.\nEconomics as a field which assumes opportunistic and deceitful behaviour are non-events. Atlas Shrugged is a great reminder of the fallacy in that. A typical Economist would consider Rand a \"Crackpot\", for using opportunistic and deceitful behaviour as basis for an empirical philosophy. But consider that lawyers get paid to write contracts to mitigaet the very dangers that economists assume away. Your Lawyer will tell you...never trust an Economist...theyre all crackpots and live in Ivy towers.\n=D\nAs a side bar, have you actually read Nietzche? I think academics (and a few of his old landlords) would consider him more of a \"crackpot\" than Rand. Clearly Rand and Nietzsche have nothing in common? Perhaps other than its the lie that tells the truth.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged is a great reminder of the fallacy in that.",
          "reason": "Presents the book as a reminder about assumptions in economics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387697,
          "author": "jgg",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T00:31:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387697",
          "commentText": "I definitely should have been more clear. I meant that in terms of formal philosophy, she isn't usually ranked up there with Plato, Nietzsche or Kant, and that as far as literature goes, I haven't seen too many highschools advocating Atlas Shrugged. Universities might (I'm not really sure), but even then, I'm not sure it's really regarded as a \"classic.\"\nI don't think everything she has to say is bad, wrong or unimportant, even if I think she was nutty, verbose and a poor writer, but I was pointing out that she isn't nearly as important, from my perspective, as the OP claimed.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I haven't seen too many highschools advocating Atlas Shrugged.",
          "reason": "Discusses whether it is treated as a classic and criticizes Rand's writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Rand was verbose and a poor writer.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387503,
          "author": "jgg",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T23:32:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387503",
          "commentText": "You are horribly misinformed. Opinions or merits of the book aside, Ayn Rand is viewed as a crackpot and is generally (I'm sure there are exceptions) not taken seriously in academia, and I have never heard of any public highschool that views Atlas Shrugged as critical reading.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Ayn Rand is viewed as a crackpot and is generally (I'm sure there are exceptions) not taken seriously in academia",
          "reason": "The commenter criticizes Rand's reputation and says the book is not generally taken seriously in academia.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter explicitly sets aside opinions or merits of the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387467,
          "author": "neilbowers",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T23:19:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387467",
          "commentText": "One of the few titles on my list of books that I tell people  not to read (http://neilbowers.wordpress.com/2012/06/23/book-review-atlas... (http://neilbowers.wordpress.com/2012/06/23/book-review-atlas-shrugged-by-ayn-rand/))",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "One of the few titles on my list of books that I tell people  not to read",
          "reason": "The commenter says this is one of the few books they tell people not to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387407,
          "author": "wsc981",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T23:02:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387407",
          "commentText": "I recently started Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. From what I understand, in the US the book is viewed as a must-read for students, but it's much less known here in Europe.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I recently started Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.",
          "reason": "The commenter reports starting the book and describes its perceived status; no evaluation is expressed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6332451,
          "author": "maxharris",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-05T06:08:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 6329955,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which two books were the most influential on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6332451",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged\nThe Fountainhead\n(both by Ayn Rand)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5700940,
          "author": "maxharris",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-13T19:41:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5700940",
          "commentText": "The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Those are the two to start with.\nIf you like those, check out some of her nonfiction books: The Virtue of Selfishness: A New Concept of Egoism, Philosophy: Who Needs It, and Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology (these are but a few - Rand wrote a long series of nonfiction books).\nAyn Rand's Normative Ethics: The Virtuous Egoist by Tara Smith (a philosophy professor at UT-Austin) is excellent because it unpacks Ayn Rand's ethical system in an academic style. Finally, Leonard Peikoff's Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand gives a comprehensive view of Rand's entire philosophy.\nLight reading (not by Objectivist authors, and not in any particular order):\nMasters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture by David Kushner\nThe Soul of A New Machine by Tracy Kidder\nThe Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA by James Watson\nWhat Do You Care What Other People Think?: Further Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard Feynman\nSurely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard Feynman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Those are the two to start with.",
          "reason": "Names it as one of the two books to start with.",
          "audience": "Readers beginning with Ayn Rand.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5700766,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-13T19:14:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5700766",
          "commentText": "Aaaah, a couple of ones that jump to mind:\nAtlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand.  I prefer the latter, but they're both great books.  I discovered Rand later in life, after a lot of my beliefs were probably already pretty well locked in, but her outlook certainly resonates with me, and the inspiration I found in her books helps nudge me in the direction of truly to live my life more fully as my life, not someone else's idea of what my life should be.\nThe Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins.  I was already a borderline atheist anyway, although I tended to use the term agnostic to avoid arguing with friends & family, considering that I live in the Bible Belt.  But Dawkins' book showed me a counter argument to the \"irreducible complexity\" argument that made sense on a very fundamental level, and IR was one of the last things that kept even a vestige of \"mystical\" thought alive in me.  After reading this book, I felt very comfortable in being an atheist, and I also decided to quit dodging the issue and start telling people that I'm atheist, whether they like it or not.  Also, see above: I'm not interested in living a life that's about trying to please other people.  I get one crack at this, and it's fairly short.  This is my life, damnit.\nThe World Is Flat - Thomas Friedman.  Considering that I was already a libertarian leaning, pro free-markets / free-trade type, you might think that his book would have had little impact on me.  But it actually made me a lot more aware of the various implications (pro and con) of globalization.   Largely, though, it reinforced my thinking that globalization is  - over the long term - a mostly good thing.  It will hurt some individuals in the short-term, but it also creates a lot of opportunities.\nBut beyond all those, the one book that I consider the single most life-changing book of all... the book that I'd probably refer to as my Bible if I didn't get a bit queasy about even making that joke:\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank.  As an aspiring entrepreneur, I had some ideas I was working on, and some plans to do a startup a while back.  But I really had NO idea of the process of going from \"an idea\" to \"a company\" much less a profitable, growing, scalable company.\nReading TFSTTE felt like \"taking the Red pill\".  Now I see the path from \"idea\" to \"company\" far, far more clearly than I ever did before.  And while it's no guarantee of success, the process that Steve lays out feels like the closest thing you could get to a \"paint by numbers\" approach to building a business.  We've been working through the Customer Development Methodology for a while now, and I'm pretty sold on it's value.  And we haven't even always done it right (for various reasons).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. I prefer the latter, but they're both great books.",
          "reason": "Calls both books great and says their outlook resonates with the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter prefers The Fountainhead.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4772331,
          "author": "gadders",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-12T11:00:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 4770238,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fiction books that entertain and educate?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4772331",
          "commentText": "Sophie's World: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophies_World\nAtlas Shrugged.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3987064,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-17T14:17:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3987064",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nBlue Ocean Strategy - W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne\nBusiness Model Generation - Alexander Osterwalder",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for a great book read recently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3643185,
          "author": "RollAHardSix",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-28T14:13:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 3643009,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-technical book you've read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3643185",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to a question asking for recent non-technical books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3396472,
          "author": "mantas",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T17:28:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3396472",
          "commentText": "There were grey characters too. Dagny Taggart did not truly agree with Rand's philosophy.\nIn addition to that, Lord of the Rings must be terrible for the same reasons too. As well as most of the other popular books I can think of.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Dagny Taggart did not truly agree with Rand's philosophy.",
          "reason": "The commenter disputes the criticism that the novel's characters all fall into simple ideological camps.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3396208,
          "author": "gbaygon",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T16:20:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3396208",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged is a must read for any entrepreneur.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged is a must read for any entrepreneur.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a must-read for entrepreneurs.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395583,
          "author": "teja1990",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T12:32:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395583",
          "commentText": "Mine are :\nAtlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, I just love this book!\nGreatest Trade Ever by Gregory Zuckerman.\nAnd I read manga , so include One Piece as well :D",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I just love this book!",
          "reason": "Explicitly says they love it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2640750,
          "author": "creativeone",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T13:26:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2640750",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2618480,
          "author": "imjonathanlee",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-04T00:13:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2618480",
          "commentText": "Currently reading: The girl who kicked the hornet's nest\nTop Favorites: Count of Monte Cristo, The three musketeers, Sherlock Homes and the Hound of Baskersville, Atlas Shrugged, The Client",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter’s top favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2615877,
          "author": "kaeluka",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T11:04:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2615877",
          "commentText": "Just now I'm reading something I wanted to read for a long time: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The next will be Through the Looking Glass, same author.\nAmongst the last few books I read, I recommend Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five, Marlen Haushofer - The Wall (although this will be too kafkaesque for some), Fahrenheit 451.\nI do love Jules Verne as well.\nAtlas Shrugged should be known to anyone around here, I guess.. Relating to Atlas Shrugged: Nietzsche - Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Both books were very influential to me when I was younger.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged should be known to anyone around here, I guess..",
          "reason": "Presented as a book the commenter thinks the audience should know.",
          "audience": "HN readers, as implied by “anyone around here.”",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2615834,
          "author": "ujjvala",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T10:50:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2615834",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged.",
          "reason": "Names it in response to a request for book suggestions.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for non-technical books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2150409,
          "author": "kthodla",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-28T01:29:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2150409",
          "commentText": "The Biology of Belief by Bruce H. Lipton\nThe Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand\nThe Attractor Factor by Joe Vitale\nThe Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2148113,
          "author": "maxharris",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T15:27:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2148113",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead, and Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology, by Ayn Rand.\nTo a lesser extent, The Double Helix, by James D. Watson.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged",
          "reason": "Listed as a book that changed the commenter’s way of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2147885,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T14:28:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2147885",
          "commentText": "I can think of a handful of books that have had a major impact on me.  Off the top of my head:\nNineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell\nFahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury\nThe Game - Neil Strauss\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nAtlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand\nFour Steps to the Epiphany - Steve Blank\nBusiness @ The Speed of Thought - Bill Gates\nThe Art of the Start - Guy Kawasaki",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter says had a major impact on them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2147198,
          "author": "atgm",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T09:06:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2147198",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand), In Memory Yet Green/In Joy Still Felt (Isaac Asimov), The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (Robert Heinlein).\nThose books are probably what made me into a self-sufficient human being who wants to stand on his own and keep living the best he can.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the books the commenter credits with shaping their self-sufficiency.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1974764,
          "author": "dschobel",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T10:39:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974764",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged\nMediocre novel, tremendous ideas. The prose is a slog but worth it.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Atlas-Shrugged-Ayn-Rand/dp/0452011876/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Mediocre novel, tremendous ideas. The prose is a slog but worth it.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds its ideas tremendous and says it is worth the slog.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The prose is a slog.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971432,
          "author": "reeses",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T11:12:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971432",
          "commentText": "I think my father tried this exact experiment with me.  He gave me a copy of Atlas Shrugged when I was twelve and asked me to read it and tell him what I thought.\nNeither of us were (or are) objectivists, but it's one of those books that poke your buttons.  Either you agree[1], you disagree[2], or you think it's insipid[3]. :-)\n[1] Yeah, screw those looters who aren't as smart as I am!  I mean, he is!\n[2] Jeez, I hope someone drops a rock on these anti-social bastards.  And what a floozy!\n[3] You needed 80 pages for that speech?  Weren't you reading this book while you wrote it?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "He gave me a copy of Atlas Shrugged when I was twelve and asked me to read it and tell him what I thought.",
          "reason": "The commenter discusses how the book provokes sharply different reactions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter and their father were not objectivists; no endorsement is expressed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971391,
          "author": "tapiwa",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T10:50:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971391",
          "commentText": "Another vote for Atlas Shrugged. And like you, I found it put a lot of things I already felt, properly, albeit at times rather verbosely.\nAlong with this, I would insist on The Law, by Frederic Bastiat. Written in 1850, this book still wows me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another vote for Atlas Shrugged.",
          "reason": "Casts another vote for the book and says it helped articulate their existing feelings.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971344,
          "author": "Locke1689",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T09:59:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971344",
          "commentText": "I agree completely with The Gay Science, although I may have wished for an accompaniment. But really, Atlas Shrugged? Nietzsche and Ayn Rand just aren't even playing the same game.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "But really, Atlas Shrugged? Nietzsche and Ayn Rand just aren't even playing the same game.",
          "reason": "Questions Atlas Shrugged as a choice and contrasts Rand with Nietzsche.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971330,
          "author": "jiganti",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T09:47:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971330",
          "commentText": "The Gay Science - Nietzsche - Age 16\nI and Thou - Martin Buber - Age 18\nAtlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand - Age 17",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand - Age 17",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971281,
          "author": "roel_v",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T09:07:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971281",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged. I'm not a Rand groupie but seeing some of the core ideas of what I always felt but never could quite articulate  literally changed me as a person.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged. I'm not a Rand groupie but seeing some of the core ideas of what I always felt but never could quite articulate literally changed me as a person.",
          "reason": "The commenter says its ideas articulated their own thoughts and changed them as a person.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are not a Rand groupie.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971267,
          "author": "jaekwon",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T08:58:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971267",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged. It would have fired me up to start something.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged. It would have fired me up to start something.",
          "reason": "Would have inspired the commenter to start something.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865825,
          "author": "guylhem",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T18:21:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865825",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1774945,
          "author": "keerthyv",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-09T13:01:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1774945",
          "commentText": "I'd suggest \"Gone with the Wind\", an ultimate classic. It is tagged as epic romance but I personally feel that it is more than just romance. It has changed a few perspectives of mine and I couldn't get off the story for nearly 3 months. I really enjoyed the book.\nIf you've enjoyed \"Atlas Shrugged, which I'm planning to read, try reading \"The Fountain Head\" by the same author.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "If you've enjoyed \"Atlas Shrugged, which I'm planning to read",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a book the commenter plans to read, as context for the next suggestion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is planning to read it; this is not an endorsement.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1758261,
          "author": "vosper",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-05T01:28:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1758261",
          "commentText": "I loved that Rand \"quote\" too, when I saw it.\nReading Atlas Shrugged made me an asshole for at least 2 weeks - I remember some stormy arguments with my flatmates over drinks.\nAs polemic it's amazing; as a moral code it's callous.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "As polemic it's amazing; as a moral code it's callous.",
          "reason": "Praises the book as polemic while criticizing it as a moral guide.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Calls its moral code callous.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753020,
          "author": "macrael",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T16:40:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753020",
          "commentText": "Another lovely counterpoint to Ayn Rand is \"Sewer Gas and Electric\" by Matt Ruff. It is absurdist science fiction that is hilarious and full of fascinating characters.\nI really enjoy Atlas Shrugged as well, I've read the whole book twice, actually. But I don't believe it is a good code to live by. My favorite quite about her books comes from The Daily Show. On the back of America The Book there is a fake blurb from Rand: \"just like one of my books, reading this book will make you an asshole for two weeks.\"\nHer books are seductive because they intentionally oversimplify life. Her characters are not realistic and are completely binary. Everyone is either a superhero or a weasel. This makes for entertaining reading, but not much else.\nRead \"Crossing to Safety\" by Wallace Stegner. It is a brautiful book about an intense relationship forged between two couples. It's my favorite thing I've read recently.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I really enjoy Atlas Shrugged as well, I've read the whole book twice, actually. But I don't believe it is a good code to live by.",
          "reason": "Says they enjoy the book, while explicitly rejecting it as a code for living.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Enjoys it as a book but does not consider it a good guide to life.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752403,
          "author": "dnautics",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T09:06:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752403",
          "commentText": "Relax.  You're not alone.  I'm extremely libertarian and I hated the Fountainhead (haven't read AS).  And objectivism rubs me the wrong way.\nI think generally libertarian philosophy is inclined towards voluntarism as the broad umbrella.  In other words, altruism - I hesitate to use this word so how about charity - is not to be forced upon people by the hand of the government, which is coercive.  Personally, I believe that there are genuinely people, who through no fault of their own, are unable to help themselves.  Like the electric-wheelchair-bound multiple gunshot wound victim who was one of my low-income food-delivery clients in DC.  That could have been anyone.  And if it happened to you, you woudn't be able to care for yourself.  And you'd want someone to, out of the goodness of their hearts (or hell, for whatever screwed up reason they might have) to reach out help you.\nBut that isn't the same as someone \"putting a gun to your head\" and telling you you'd better help that person, at the threat of arrest.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "(haven't read AS)",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have not read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752397,
          "author": "rglullis",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T08:53:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752397",
          "commentText": "Am I the only one who is very libertarian-inclined but hated Atlas Shrugged? Instead of creating characters that are human (with flaws, weaknesses, subject to emotional reactions) but that manage to \"win\" by sticking to some ideal, she creates characters that are the personification of that ideal, completely out of touch of reality.\nI mean, not even Greek gods were perfect if you know basic mythology. Yet, you want me to believe that Hank Rearden will just give up \"his true love\" just because he sees value in Galt? And what happens with Rearden's self-interest? (as in, I want the girl, dammit!)\nActing out of self-interest in only valid when dealing with money? Stupid!\nBesides, talking about the \"Philosophy of Ayn Rand\" is no different than talking about the \"Theology of L. Ron Hubbard.\"",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Am I the only one who is very libertarian-inclined but hated Atlas Shrugged?",
          "reason": "The commenter says they hated the novel and criticizes its characterization.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The criticism focuses on the novel's characters and their lack of realism.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1633675,
          "author": "viggity",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T18:21:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1633675",
          "commentText": "Can't believe this hasn't been listed yet: Atlas Shrugged\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Atlas-Shrugged-Ayn-Rand/dp/0452011876",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Can't believe this hasn't been listed yet: Atlas Shrugged",
          "reason": "The commenter says it should have appeared among answers to the life-changing-books question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1633658,
          "author": "dwwoelfel",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T18:13:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1633658",
          "commentText": "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0300087012\nI read this after listening to the following lecture: http://arc-tv.com/inspiring-heroes-great-leaders%E2%80%94fre... (http://arc-tv.com/inspiring-heroes-great-leaders%E2%80%94frederick-douglass/). His strength of character allowed him to escape slavery and abolish the practice in the United States.\nAtlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0452011876/\nDon't buy the mass-market paperback, the writing and margins are so small that it is a pain to read. Spend a little extra for the larger version I linked to.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0452011876/\nDon't buy the mass-market paperback, the writing and margins are so small that it is a pain to read.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the life-changing-books question; the comment adds a specific format caveat.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The mass-market paperback has small writing and margins and is painful to read; the commenter suggests a larger edition.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569683,
          "author": "tomjen3",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T00:50:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569683",
          "commentText": "She was kind of looney (if you take what she writes at face value) but she does have some interesting ideas, which can changes your outlook on your life.\nBut no you don't shock me by not having read it - I specifically said that most people would have read it, which means that it may not make as good a suggestion as, something that is less well known.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "She was kind of looney (if you take what she writes at face value) but she does have some interesting ideas, which can changes your outlook on your life.",
          "reason": "The commenter gives a mixed assessment of the book’s ideas and their potential effect on outlook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter qualifies the criticism with “if you take what she writes at face value.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569166,
          "author": "tomjen3",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:32:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569166",
          "commentText": "I would be surprised if most here hadn't read it, whether they agree with it or not, simply because it is so famous in tech circles.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I would be surprised if most here hadn't read it, whether they agree with it or not, simply because it is so famous in tech circles.",
          "reason": "Says the book is famous in tech circles and many readers may have encountered it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter explicitly allows that readers may disagree with it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569050,
          "author": "helwr",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:00:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569050",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503212,
          "author": "sdave",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T06:45:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503212",
          "commentText": "\"Siddhartha\", \n\"Steppenwolf\" - by Herman Hesse.\n\"Atlas Shrugged\" - by Ayn Rand.\n\"Mrityunjay\" - by Sivaji savant (originally in marathi/hindi language.. based on the character of Karna from Mahabharata.Not very sure how good the english translation is though.The title means - he who has conquered Death.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Atlas Shrugged\" - by Ayn Rand.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for eye-opening or interesting books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227014,
          "author": "awolf",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T17:27:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227014",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged bu Ayn Rand\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlas_Shrugged",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged bu Ayn Rand",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026379,
          "author": "ardell",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T22:41:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026379",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged - finally got around to reading it after dozens of recommendations from good friends.  Shocking how relevant and prophetic it is, especially with respect to the events of 2009.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shocking how relevant and prophetic it is, especially with respect to the events of 2009.",
          "reason": "Calls it relevant and prophetic after finally reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876285,
          "author": "ComputerGuru",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T08:05:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876285",
          "commentText": "1. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand\n1. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury\nAnd, sorry, but I have 3 \"number 1 fav\" books:\n1. 1984 by George Orwell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876283,
          "author": "admp",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T08:01:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876283",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand.\nStill not sure about the second one. :-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not chosen a second favorite.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876258,
          "author": "miked",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T07:38:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876258",
          "commentText": ">> would you mind writing up a comment with why you found it so profound and enjoyable?\nIt's been many years since I read it, but I can still remember the terror of identifying with its hero and his struggle against insanity and alienation. His struggle to create a connection with his son, his deep sense of caring for him and yet not being able to fully reach him.\nPirsig's genius was to get us to identify with its hero Phaedrus, a deeply damaged human being fighting to make sense of his world. Phaedrus is rather clearly an INTP/INTJ personality type, which should only deepen the identification with him by HN readers.\nHis clear explanations of the scientific method in terms of motorcycle maintenance are a big plus as well, especially for me. I worked for several years repairing electronics  and, being a philosophical type, was often struck by how similar  the process was to scientific experimentation and theory formation. Great read.\nMy books:\nThe Fountainhead, Ayn Rand -- A sharp, bitter, and ultimately soaring defense of the individual against the conformity of the compact majority, without the didacticism and moralizing that marred Rand's later novel, Atlas Shrugged.\nEcce Homo, Nietzsche (Kaufmann translation). Nietzsche's last full work, completed days before his descent into insanity. Shatteringly beautiful prose that will rearrange your soul, from one of history's most original (and misunderstood) thinkers. One of history's great fighters against political and cultural correctness. This boy could write.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "the didacticism and moralizing that marred Rand's later novel, Atlas Shrugged",
          "reason": "Criticizes its didacticism and moralizing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876124,
          "author": "benl",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T05:44:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876124",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand\nFirestar, Michael Flynn",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797697,
          "author": "warewolfe",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T09:37:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797697",
          "commentText": "Last three books I read were; \nAtlas Shrugged,\nCode Complete,\nThe Mythical Man Month,\nThe three books I'm currently reading;\nflex and bison,\nMastering Algorithms in C\nExpert C programming,\nThe next three books on the \"to read\" stack are;\nCyptonomicom,\nThe definitive guide to GCC,\nManaging projects with GNU make,\nDid anyone else find \"Code Complete\" to be a bit repetitive, in places a bit redundant, and sometimes repetitive? \nI think the \"pragmatic programmer\" was a better read, and I could not put down \"programming pearls\"",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged,",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797140,
          "author": "quantumhobbit",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T02:08:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797140",
          "commentText": "Ayn Rand was a philosopher.  And like most philosophers, she started out with some good ideas and over applied them to everything in life, which leads to some scary conclusions.\nMy favorite Rand book was Anthem.  It was short and therefore didn't have space to extrapolate Rand's ideas to their scary conclusion.\nI just finished reading Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo.  It is just as long and pompous as Atlas Shrugged, but of the exact opposite philosophy.  Those two books make for some interesting comparisons.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "as long and pompous as Atlas Shrugged",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as long and pompous.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797116,
          "author": "sabon",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T01:50:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797116",
          "commentText": "Finishing \"Atlas Shrugged\". While ideas and the spirit of the book have aged only slightly, the way of writing seems way too pretentious for our times. But overall the book is interesting. From historic and ideological point of view.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Finishing \"Atlas Shrugged\". While ideas and the spirit of the book have aged only slightly, the way of writing seems way too pretentious for our times. But overall the book is interesting.",
          "reason": "Finds it interesting overall from historical and ideological viewpoints, while criticizing the writing style.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The prose seems too pretentious for contemporary tastes.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 191979,
          "author": "gunderson",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-16T17:15:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=191979",
          "commentText": "The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand\nAtlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand\nMuch of what makes an audiobook great is the reader's grasp of the material. Both of these books are great works of literature, but the skill of the reader makes them even better as audiobooks.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Both of these books are great works of literature, but the skill of the reader makes them even better as audiobooks.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls both books great works of literature and praises their audiobook readings.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The audiobook experience depends on the reader's skill.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143127,
          "author": "sarvesh",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T05:10:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143127",
          "commentText": "Star Trek, Plays by George Bernard Shaw, Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged, Firefly",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 142949,
          "author": "PCGuy",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T00:19:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=142949",
          "commentText": "Anything by Heinlein - \"Starship Troopers\" especially\nAyn Rand - \"Atlas Shrugged\"",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Ayn Rand - \"Atlas Shrugged\"",
          "reason": "Lists it as an influence in response to a question about what shaped people.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No specific evaluation is given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 142944,
          "author": "ca98am79",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T00:11:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=142944",
          "commentText": "\"The Kingdom of God is Within You\" - Leo Tolstoy\n\"Atlas Shrugged\" - Ayn Rand",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Atlas Shrugged\" - Ayn Rand",
          "reason": "Lists it as an influence in response to a question about ideas and books that shaped people.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No evaluation or recommendation is expressed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140532,
          "author": "jobeirne",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T04:06:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140532",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Technically, it's sci-fi. Neuromancer a close second.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Technically, it's sci-fi.",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which sci-fi book was most inspiring.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls its sci-fi classification technical.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135463,
          "author": "curi",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T20:30:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135463",
          "commentText": "The Fabric of Reality - David Deutsch\nGodel, Escher, Bach - Douglas Hoftstadter\nKarl Popper's books (too many to list)\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nAtlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86120,
          "author": "estherschindler",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T22:05:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86120",
          "commentText": "For sheer enjoyment (measured in how many times I've re-read them, at least at various times in my life): Heinlein's _The Door into Summer_. Connie Willis' _Bellwether_ (these can be funny, right?). Ayn Rand's _Atlas Shrugged_ (more in my youth than today, but I can probably still recite passages by heart). \nNon-fiction: Gerry Weinberg's _Secrets of Consulting_. Lynn Truss' _Eats Shoots & Leaves_.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Ayn Rand's _Atlas Shrugged_ (more in my youth than today, but I can probably still recite passages by heart).",
          "reason": "Lists it among books reread for sheer enjoyment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says their enthusiasm was stronger in youth than it is today.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86114,
          "author": "terpua",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T21:43:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86114",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand)",
          "reason": "Named as a favorite in the thread's book discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ayn Rand"
      ],
      "recommenders": 94,
      "threads": 61,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "objectivism",
        "political fiction",
        "individualism",
        "political philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "snow-crash-2df9cd",
      "title": "Snow Crash",
      "author": "Neal Stephenson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50115941,
          "author": "johncoltrane",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T09:03:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50115941",
          "commentText": "J.R.R. Tolkien: The lord of the Rings (lost count)\nPhilip K. Dick: Ubik, Flow My Tears The Policeman Said, A Scanner Darkly, etc. too many to count (many more than twice)\nWilliam Gibson: everything at least twice\nNeal Stephenson: Snow crash (three times, I think)\nClifford D. Simak: City\nH. P. Lovecraft: everything at least twice. There is a French compilation of The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, The Silver Key, and Through the Gates of the Silver Key that I've read countless times. I've used two editions and I'm at my third.\nMaurice G. Dantec: Babylon Babies (three times)\nPossibly many others.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neal Stephenson: Snow crash (three times, I think)",
          "reason": "Listed as a book the commenter read about three times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure of the count.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46161500,
          "author": "ashtavakra",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-05T14:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46161500",
          "commentText": "I consolidated the comments for my reference later. Someone else might also find it useful:\n# Fiction Books Recommended for Programmers (HN Thread 46128404)\n## Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- *Children of Time* — Science Fiction (Evolution, Space Opera)  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)\n## Rick Cook — Wizardry Series\n- *Wizard’s Bane* — Fantasy, Programming/Magic Mashup  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112616.Wizard_s_Bane\n- *Wizardry Series (overview)*  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\n## James P. Hogan\n- *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/743568.Inherit_the_Stars\n- *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifem... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifemaker)\n- *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_Tomorrow)\n## D. F. Jones — Colossus Trilogy\n- *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806105.Colossus\n- *The Fall of Colossus* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colos... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colossus)\n- *Colossus and the Crab* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_Crab)\n## Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner)\n- *A Logic Named Joe* — Golden-Age Sci-Fi, AI Precursor  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-j... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-joe)\n## David Gerrold\n- *When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One* — AI, Classic Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_Was_One)\n## William Gibson / Bruce Sterling\n- *Neuromancer* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer\n- *The Difference Engine* — Steampunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Eng... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Engine)\n## Neal Stephenson\n- *Snow Crash* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash\n- *Cryptonomicon* — Techno-thriller, Cyber-history  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/816.Cryptonomicon\n- *Anathem* — Philosophical Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2845024-anathem\n- *The Diamond Age* — Nanopunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827.The_Diamond_Age\n## Fred Saberhagen\n- *Octagon* — AI, Techno-thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1891958.Octagon\n## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga\n- *Series Overview* — Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/40946-vorkosigan-saga\n## Richard Powers\n- *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45104.Galatea_2_2\n## Scott Meyer\n- *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-wizard)\n## Daniel Suarez\n- *Daemon* — Cyber-thriller, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665844-daemon\n## Thomas J. Ryan\n- *The Adolescence of P-1* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_o... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_of_P_1)\n## Ernest Cline\n- *Ready Player One* — Sci-Fi, Gaming, Pop-Culture Adventure  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one\n## Dennis E. Taylor\n- *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)* — Humorous Sci-Fi, AI, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-we-are-bob)\n## Ted Chiang\n- *Stories of Your Life and Others* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\n- *Exhalation* — Speculative Fiction, Philosophy, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation\n- *The Lifecycle of Software Objects* — AI, Digital Consciousness  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of-software-objects)\n## Charles Stross\n- *Laundry Files Series* — Math-based Magic, Techno-Fantasy  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files\n## Ken Liu\n- *The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menag... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories)\n- *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, AI, VR  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl-and-other-stories)\n## Ellen Ullman\n- *The Bug* — Tech Industry Literary Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/703.The_Bug\n## Cory Doctorow\n- *Radicalized* — Techno-sociopolitical Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40604122-radicalized\n## qntm (Sam Hughes)\n- *Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans-in-transit-and-other-stories)\n## Roger Williams\n- *The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect* — AI, Post-Singularity SF  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)\n## Greg Bear\n- *Eon* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/924843.Eon\n## Vernor Vinge\n- *A Deepness in the Sky* — Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the_Sky)\n## Terry Pratchett\n- *Going Postal* — Comic Fantasy, Satire of Bureaucracy & Tech  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64222.Going_Postal\n## Bruce Bethke\n- *Headcrash* — Cyber-satire  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213465.Headcrash\n## Mary Shelley\n- *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* — Classic Gothic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein\n## Douglas Adams\n- *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* — Comic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guid... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)\n## Jorge Luis Borges\n- *The Library of Babel* — Metaphysical Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-babel)\n## Greg Egan\n- *Permutation City* — Simulation Theory, Hard Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156784.Permutation_City\n## Cixin Liu\n- *The Three-Body Problem* — Hard Sci-Fi, First Contact  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- *Snow Crash* — Cyberpunk",
          "reason": "Lists the title in a compilation of fiction books recommended for programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46150517,
          "author": "djinnrutger",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-04T17:48:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46150517",
          "commentText": "Hichhikers guide to the galaxy is a must for everyone no matter what :) also Snow Crash or Cryptonomicon both by Neal Stephenson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "also Snow Crash or Cryptonomicon both by Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46139412,
          "author": "stuxnet79",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T20:10:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46139412",
          "commentText": "Snow Crash was written by Neal Stephenson",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Snow Crash was written by Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "Corrects the author attribution for Snow Crash.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46135665,
          "author": "code_Whisperer",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T15:33:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46135665",
          "commentText": "\"Galatea 2.2\" by (my all-time favorite author) Richard Powers\n\"Off to Be the Wizard\" by Scott Meyer\n\"Daemon\" by Daniel Suarez\n\"The Adolescence of P1\" (vintage) by Thomas Ryan\n\"Snow Crash\" by William Gibson\n\"Ready Player One\" by Ernest Cline\n\"We are Legion [We are Bob]\" by Dennis Taylor",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Snow Crash\" by William Gibson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment attributes it to William Gibson; the book is by Neal Stephenson.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46128725,
          "author": "bediger4000",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T00:14:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46128725",
          "commentText": "Cryptonomicon and Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cryptonomicon and Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40046469,
          "author": "jpiratefish",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-15T22:34:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40046469",
          "commentText": "* The Chronicles of Amber (10 volumes)\n* CODE - Microsoft Press\n* Snowcrash",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Snowcrash",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38565904,
          "author": "__rito__",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T06:03:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38565904",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- \"The Dark Forest\" by Liu Cixin and the whole Three Body Problem/Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy. Truly massive, grand SciFi. Would recommend 10/10. [HN]\n- \"Anna Karenina\" by Tolstoy. Made me face deeper parts of my mind. Attempted to answer some questions I had. Great story. Huge book. Historical fiction is something I like across languages.\n- \"Candide\" by Voltaire. Genuinely fun and entertaining, besides it being- you know- Voltaire.\n- \"The Diamond Age\" by Neal Stephenson. Very good story, world buulding, nice technology. Great thinking by the author.\nNon Fiction:\n- \"Fermat's Last Theorem\" by Simon Singh. Was very happy to see a Popular Math book where there are so many Popular Science books. Great book. Goes over FMT's solving history, with many many fun anecdotes, short biographies, etc. Truly enjoyable to read.\n- \"Code Book\" by Simon Singh. Genuinely fun and learned a lot. Cryptography's history, progress, and so much more. [HN]\nSelf-Help:\n- \"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\" by Robert Pirsig. Truly marvelous book and nice to read. This book requires the reader to be of certain kind attaining a certain level. Without that, this book will seem a fluff and overrated hugely. Fundamentally changed my thinking. [HN]\n- \"Four Thousand Weeks\" by Oliver Bourkeman. Thought this was about saner time management with some wisdom. But was much deeper than that. Will recommend.\nBengali:\n- \"Abhajaner Mahabharat\" by Mahbub Lilen. A fun and serious retelling of the Mahabharata. Goes deep, too. Really fun to read.\n- \"Khana Mihirer Dhipi\" by Bani Basu. An account of feminism in the light of female-dominated inner part of Bengali elite households- and that in the light of female dominated, fully maternalistic hunter-gatherers of early human history. Very thought provoking and unique.\n[HN]- chose primarily because recommendation in some past HN threads.\nRead 23 so far. Target is 25. Currently reading Snow Crash and Exhalation.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Currently reading Snow Crash",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38239813,
          "author": "astromd",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T13:19:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38239813",
          "commentText": "Right now I’m reading Snow Crash by Neil Stephenson and Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I’m reading Snow Crash by Neil Stephenson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36022934,
          "author": "jayski",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T17:15:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36022934",
          "commentText": "Snow Crash",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Snow Crash",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36022537,
          "author": "etrautmann",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T16:32:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36022537",
          "commentText": "Perhaps a standard list but: Hyperion, Deepness in the Sky, Snow crash, Permutation City, Exhalation and other Ted Chiang",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Snow crash",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021727,
          "author": "atlasunshrugged",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:06:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021727",
          "commentText": "My absolute favorite is Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner, The Jagged Orbit was also excellent. Other than that, of course Snow Crash is a masterpiece, but I think my favorite Stephenson book is The Diamond Age. Another excellent one is Daemon by Daniel Suarez whose books are quite fascinating and look at generally pretty topical plotlines (I was just thinking I have to revisit his book Kill Decision about AI enabled killer drones).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Snow Crash is a masterpiece",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a masterpiece.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021258,
          "author": "bergheim",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:31:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021258",
          "commentText": "I read Snow Crash growing up. It is a wonderful weird cyberpunk novel that (metaverse aside, unfortunately) turned out to be kind of Nostradamusly. Easy read. Higly recommended!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It is a wonderful weird cyberpunk novel that (metaverse aside, unfortunately) turned out to be kind of Nostradamusly. Easy read. Higly recommended!",
          "reason": "The commenter praises it, calls it an easy read, and strongly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter adds “metaverse aside, unfortunately.”",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33382238,
          "author": "nathias",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T08:51:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382238",
          "commentText": "Neuromancer and Snow Crash",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neuromancer and Snow Crash",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32790907,
          "author": "nano9",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T14:21:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790907",
          "commentText": "Neuromancer\nSnow Crash\nBlindsight\n(Just some fun fiction to bolster one's passion for their chosen profession. Obviously TAOCP, SICP, K&R, and other books in their ranks are better answers.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Snow Crash",
          "reason": "Included as fun fiction to bolster passion for one's profession.",
          "audience": "People interested in fiction related to computing and technology.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says technical books are better answers to the prompt.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32199315,
          "author": "ydnaclementine",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-23T01:34:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32199315",
          "commentText": "Snow Crash, total 90s hacker all up in your metaverse's d-base type of book. Picked it up after learning it was a big influence to the early ID software guys (can definitely see how)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Snow Crash, total 90s hacker all up in your metaverse's d-base type of book.",
          "reason": "Describes its hacker and metaverse style and says it was influential to early id Software developers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32197266,
          "author": "jsherrard",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T21:22:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197266",
          "commentText": "Treasure Island - since last week - just started\nThe Left hand of Darkness - since two weeks\nSeven Brief Lessons on Physics - since three weeks nearly finished\nBreakfast of Champions - since a month - can't find the damn thing to finish the last chapter\nSpace 2069 - since two months - half way\nSnow Crash - since three weeks - first chapter\nLeonardo Da Vinci - Walter Isaacson - two months - nearly finished\nI've finished a bunch this year but you didn't ask about those...",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Snow Crash - since three weeks - first chapter",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31981059,
          "author": "jrjarrett",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-04T19:51:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31981059",
          "commentText": "Snow Crash.\nI love the opening sequence with the Pizzanator.\nAlso, the description of the Metaverse was a great concept.\nI’ve worn out one copy so far from reading it so much.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Snow Crash.",
          "reason": "The commenter loves its opening and concept and has reread it until wearing out a copy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29674982,
          "author": "MegaDeKay",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T16:36:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29674982",
          "commentText": "Couldn't agree more!  That first chapter hooked me harder than anything I have ever read.  It would hav been amazing had the entire book held to that pace, but I personally felt it got too bogged down at times in the more philosophical bits.  Still a great book on balance, and deserves great credit for its exploration of the metaverse.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It would hav been amazing had the entire book held to that pace, but I personally felt it got too bogged down at times in the more philosophical bits. Still a great book on balance, and deserves great credit for its exploration of the metaverse.",
          "reason": "Praises the book overall and its exploration of the metaverse, while finding some philosophical sections slow.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The pace falters in the philosophical sections.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29670937,
          "author": "Rebelgecko",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T06:34:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29670937",
          "commentText": "A protip for Snow Crash is that you can just skip ahead 5-10 pages whenever there's an info dump about Babylonian grammar or the history of herpes simplex. You'll miss a bit, but not much. However if the first chapter doesn't get your interest at least a little piqued you probably won't enjoy the rest of the book any more.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A protip for Snow Crash is that you can just skip ahead 5-10 pages whenever there's an info dump about Babylonian grammar or the history of herpes simplex.",
          "reason": "Offers advice for reading the novel and says readers who aren't piqued by the first chapter may not enjoy the rest.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Suggests skipping some info dumps; warns the book may not appeal if the opening fails to interest you.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29670010,
          "author": "d1str0",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T04:00:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29670010",
          "commentText": "I stopped halfway through and tried reading the sparknotes to see if anything exciting ends up happening but I ended up getting bored and let down just reading those highlights.\nThat said, maybe I was expecting something very different. I enjoyed Snowcrash and I enjoyed various sections of Cryptonomicon’s prose, it was just sooooo boring in the end.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed Snowcrash",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29669915,
          "author": "singlow",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T03:45:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29669915",
          "commentText": "I read snowcrash as a teen but Cryptonomicon was my reintroduction to Neal Stevenson as an adult and it got me hooked.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I read snowcrash as a teen",
          "reason": "The commenter recalls reading it as a teenager.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26593839,
          "author": "npsimons",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-26T16:15:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26593839",
          "commentText": "I've gotten a lot of good book referrals through HN, including \"Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training\" by Mark Rippetoe. So cutting out online stuff is just a bad idea (significantly reduces my \"surface area\").\nOTOH, I really need to get back into a habit of reading books, every day. I used to go through a goodly number of non-fiction books on a regular basis (another good book, \"The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master\" says you should read at least one non-fiction book in your field a quarter), but recently I've just lacked the discipline and habit to do so. I find myself reading a lot online, but so much of it is so low information and not in-depth enough.\nThat said, I also try to partake of fiction, although in that regard I'm not doing great either, as I opt for a lot of passive fiction in the form of video. Fiction can be just as good for expanding the mind, even exercising empathy. Just reading speculative fiction (to give a broader term to science fiction) can exercise one's mind in visualizing things or give one new ideas. Heck, Google Earth was supposedly inspired by a technology in \"Snow Crash\".\nETA: There's some great \"forgotten\" fiction out there, which hasn't been turned into other formats yet. \"The Stars my Destination\" and \"Lord of Light\" are excellent. Which reminds me, another good source I've found for books is /usr/games/fortune",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Google Earth was supposedly inspired by a technology in \"Snow Crash\".",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467709,
          "author": "alanfalcon",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:53:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467709",
          "commentText": "I find myself re-listening to large portions of my audible library fairly often. I pick up so much more on additional read/listen-throughs.\nI listen to or read Snow Crash at least once a year. I just enjoy most everything about it. Anathem required a couple listens, and a third listen was just for comfort food.\nThe Altered Carbon trilogy has depth and sublime world-building that I have now enjoyed at least a half dozen times.\nI second mentions of Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (and will mention The Long, Dark Tea Time of the Soul as well).\nEnder’s Game is also comfort food for me.\nBreaking from the speculative fiction reco’s above...\nThe Power of Vulnerability (Brené Brown) is more lecture series than audiobook, but as for non fiction I’ve recently given multiple listens to, that tops the list.\nI borrowed “Landline” from the local library, read it twice and then bought it so I could continue to read it when I want to. I think I was in just the right age group and life situation for this novel to hit home for me. Your mileage may vary, but IMO read it without knowing anything about it in advance if you’re going to read it. That means don’t read the back cover etc.\n(Blind borrowing of books from the library is fun and can be eye opening, try it sometime! Most places, you can borrow eBooks and even digital audiobooks without even leaving your home as long as you have a library card.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I listen to or read Snow Crash at least once a year.",
          "reason": "The commenter rereads it yearly and says they enjoy most everything about it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22724546,
          "author": "JoeAltmaier",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T02:00:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22724546",
          "commentText": "Snowcrash\nDoorways in the Sand",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Snowcrash",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21459285,
          "author": "augustinel",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T02:47:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21459285",
          "commentText": "Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson: I assume a HN classic. Good read nonetheless. Crazy imaginative. Prior experience with Stephenson is limited to Snowcrash, which I found to be quite good as well.\nBenjamin Franklin - Walter Isaacson: Biographies are immensely underrated. A good biography has had the effect of raising my own aspirations by orders of magnitude. Not sure what it is exactly about them. Being reminded that accomplished figures were humans first and foremost is always good. Either way, struck by the practicality of the man -- something I'm looking to emulate in my own life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Snowcrash, which I found to be quite good as well.",
          "reason": "Says they found it quite good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20333343,
          "author": "mlang23",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T08:48:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20333343",
          "commentText": "Neuromancer and Snowcrash.  For some reason, I always think of both at the same time.  The story is kind of similar after all.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Neuromancer and Snowcrash. For some reason, I always think of both at the same time. The story is kind of similar after all.",
          "reason": "Mentions it alongside Neuromancer while comparing their stories; no endorsement stated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20333285,
          "author": "laputan_machine",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T08:35:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20333285",
          "commentText": "Recently finished this, I enjoyed it a lot but I admit it's not... quite what I expected with the heavy religious aspect of the book. Deliberately irreverent, almost tongue-in-cheek (Hiro Protaganist...). Neal Stephenson had an incredible eye wrt the capabilities limitations of software, especially if you view it through the lens of 1992",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Recently finished this, I enjoyed it a lot but I admit it's not... quite what I expected with the heavy religious aspect of the book.",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed the book a lot, while noting it was not quite what they expected.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The heavy religious aspect differed from the reader’s expectations.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20332757,
          "author": "Fnoord",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T06:47:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20332757",
          "commentText": "Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson, SF from 1992. Goodreads entry here [1]\n[1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40651883-snow-crash",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson, SF from 1992.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19090053,
          "author": "laughinghan",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T21:33:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090053",
          "commentText": "Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson\n\"Wait a minute--this Snow Crash thing, is it a virus, a drug, or a religion?\"\n\"What's the difference?\"\nThis was the original definition of a \"meme\" as coined by Richard Dawkins: instead of humans choosing what to think, what if ideas self-replicate using human minds as hosts? Religions, languages, agriculture, chemistry, the word \"like\", uptalk, literally any thought or behavior pattern can be framed this way.\nSee also: https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/12/17/the-toxoplasma-of-rage... (https://slatestarcodex.com/2014/12/17/the-toxoplasma-of-rage/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "Uses the novel's idea of memes as self-replicating ideas to frame thought and behavior.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19089284,
          "author": "ohaideredevs",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T20:12:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19089284",
          "commentText": "Martin Eden by Jack London. Really stressed why education actually matters.\nSnow Crash by Neal Stephenson. Same.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. Same.",
          "reason": "Listed as a book that changed the commenter's thinking, with the same stated effect on education.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17749688,
          "author": "Dowwie",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T12:57:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17749688",
          "commentText": "\"Daemon\" or \"Kill Decision\"  by Daniel Suarez\n\"Snow Crash\" by Neil Stephenson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Snow Crash\" by Neil Stephenson",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to a request for similar novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536657,
          "author": "dejawu",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:35:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536657",
          "commentText": "Seveneves. The first sentence is, \"The moon blew up suddenly and without warning.\" Everything is near-future sci-fi and as grounded and accurate as possible. If you liked The Martian, this will scratch the same itch.\nSnow Crash is great too. Probably a bit problematic now, but fantastic world building. A bit more gritty and dystopia though.\nBoth are by Neal Stephenson.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Snow Crash is great too. Probably a bit problematic now, but fantastic world building. A bit more gritty and dystopia though.",
          "reason": "Praises its world building while noting concerns and its gritty, dystopian tone.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may be problematic now and is grittier and more dystopian.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536607,
          "author": "bostik",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:26:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536607",
          "commentText": "Asimov's original \"Foundation\" - it's effectively a collection of 4,5 short stories. I recommend to remain at a discreet distance from the rest of the series. While good within the universe, they are ... different.\n\"Ender's Game\" and \"Speaker for the Dead\" by O.S.Card. (Do not touch Xenocide without a hazmat suit. And if you do, burn it before reading.)\n\"Snow Crash\" by Neil Stephenson.\n\"Rendez-vouz with Rama\" by Arthur C. Clarke.\nIf you're up for some thought-provoking stuff, \"Stranger in a Strange Land\" by Heinlein. Not the easiest read but your carve-out basically rules out \"The Moon is a Harsh Mistress\".\n\"Embassytown\" by China Mieville.\nEDIT: I forgot \"Hyperion\" by Dan Simmons.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Snow Crash\" by Neil Stephenson.",
          "reason": "Listed as a recommendation in the comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536533,
          "author": "physicsyogi",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:12:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536533",
          "commentText": "Cryptonomicon and Snow Crash were great. Others you might:\n- The Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang (superb short story that Arrival was based on)\n- The Three Body-Problem (Cixin Liu)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Parable of the Sower (Octavia Butler)\n- Lucifer's Hammer (Larry Niven)\n- The Kundalini Equation (Steven Barnes)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cryptonomicon and Snow Crash were great.",
          "reason": "Calls it great and offers it among suggestions for the reader's request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536437,
          "author": "gtdthrow",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T18:50:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536437",
          "commentText": "+1\nAnything Gibson, especially Sprawl Trilogy\nAnything Stephenson, though I particularly liked Diamond Age, Cryptonomicon, and Snow Crash, In the beginning was the command line.. oh, I like everything by him.\nSeriously though, In the beginning was the command line and Cryptonomicon are basically an ode to 90s hacker culture, the true neckbeard type of CS. Love that aesthetic, culture and ethics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "particularly liked Diamond Age, Cryptonomicon, and Snow Crash",
          "reason": "Says this was particularly liked.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536300,
          "author": "marenkay",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T18:12:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536300",
          "commentText": "Read \"Neuromancer\" by William Gibson, also \"Snow Crash\" by Neal Stephenson.\nBoth offer something beyond just being Sci-Fi.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "also \"Snow Crash\" by Neal Stephenson.",
          "reason": "Recommends the novel, noting that it offers something beyond science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337272,
          "author": "yoodenvranx",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:11:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337272",
          "commentText": "For me it is Zodiac, Snow Crash and Diamond Age.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For me it is Zodiac, Snow Crash and Diamond Age.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16351439,
          "author": "Kapura",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T06:09:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16351439",
          "commentText": "Snow Crash - Convincing possible future dominated by media, corporations, computers, and drugs.\nThe Origin of Consciousness and the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind - Fascinating delve into, among other things, why Homer is boring but gets better, prehistoric art in early human cultures, schizophrenia, and perception and the points it breaks down.\n(I work in VR games so take with a grain of salt)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Snow Crash - Convincing possible future dominated by media, corporations, computers, and drugs.",
          "reason": "Describes its imagined future as convincing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says their perspective comes from working in VR games and should be taken with a grain of salt.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15967078,
          "author": "peelle",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-20T04:35:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15967078",
          "commentText": "This year I read 31 books. Only 8 were non-fiction. I'm hoping to finish another 2 before the year ends.\nMy top 3 were.\n1. The Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson. This series did a good job of balancing big and little picture, while givings us a neat form of magic to learn about.\n2. Stock Market Cash Flow from the RDPD series. In 2016 I had read several books on fundamental(or value) investing, and this book helped me bust out of the thinking that, that style is the only way to look at, and earn in the stock market.\n3. Snow Crash. This book was just fun. The characters were enjoyable to watch, and there was some clever stuff in this book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book was just fun. The characters were enjoyable to watch, and there was some clever stuff in this book.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it fun and praises its characters and cleverness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961696,
          "author": "Tehchops",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T17:10:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961696",
          "commentText": "Currently reading: Hyperion.\n* Peak: Secretes From the New Science of Expertise\n* The Hard Thing About Hard Things\n* American Gods\n* The Dark Tower\n* Children of Time\n* Sapiens\n* The Lies of Locke Lamora: Gentleman Bastards #1\n* Red Seas Under Red Skies: Gentleman Bastards #2\n* Dark Matter\n* The Dark Tower #1\n* Guns of The Dawn\n* The Hunter Killers\n* Snow Crash",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Snow Crash",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as a book in the commenter's list; no evaluation is given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15633859,
          "author": "AquiGorka",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-06T07:09:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15633859",
          "commentText": "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series.\nFoundation series.\nSnow Crash.\n2001: A space odyssey.\nWhy?\nAll are so much fun to read over and over again.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Snow Crash.",
          "reason": "Says it is fun to reread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630223,
          "author": "Panino",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:53:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630223",
          "commentText": "* Johnny Got His Gun, by Dalton Trumbo. Powerful anti-war story.\n  * Vagabonding, by Rolf Potts. Shaped my views on hard work and travel.\n  * 1984, by George Orwell. Brilliant and terrifying.\n  * The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle. Overcoming mental pain through consciousness. \n  * Planetwalker, by John Francis. Inspired me to walk and put myself into things more.\n  * Pure enjoyment: Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson), Ready Player One (Ernest Cline), Watchmen (Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons), Red Rising trilogy (Pierce Brown).\n\nHonorable mention: The Water Knife (Paolo Bacigalupi).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pure enjoyment: Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of books read for pure enjoyment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156533,
          "author": "jeffersonheard",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:44:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156533",
          "commentText": "Getting More - Stuart Diamond. I still think this is the best book on the art of negotiation.\nGetting Things Done - David Allen. If you have adult ADHD like me, and you haven't read this, it's the first system that's really worked for productivity for me.\nMan's Search for Meaning - Victor Frankl.\nLiving Buddha, Living Christ - Thich Nhat Hanh.\nCosmos - Carl Sagan.\nThe Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. LeGuin.\nThe One who Walks Away from Omelas - U.K. LeGuin.\nWild Seed - Octavia Butler.\nThe Heike Monogatari - (tr. Helen Craig McCullough) “The sound of the Gion Shoja temple bells echoes the impermanence of all things; the color of the sala flowers reveals the truth that to flourish is to fall. The proud do not endure, like a passing dream on a night in spring; the mighty fall at last, to be no more than dust before the wind.” If you need a comparison. this is the Japanese historical equivalent of Game of Thrones combined with a bit of MacBeth. The rise and fall of two shogunate families, and an analysis of the tragic flaws of character that brought their fall about.\nLes Miserables - Victor Hugo.\nSmall Gods - Terry Pratchett.\nHeart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad.\nThe Guide - R. K. Narayan.\nEvidence - Mary Oliver.\nAll of Us - The Collected Poetry of Raymond Carver.\nSilence - Shusaku Endo.\nThe Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald.\nThe Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Murakami Haruki. This and the next four are odd choices, perhaps, since it's a surrealist book, but IMO books that force your imagination to work hard do as much for creativity and fresh ideas as any of the more popular methods.\nThe Well-Built City (The Physiognomy / Memoranda / The Beyond) Jeffery Ford - Surrealist novellas best described as about the protagonist living and achieving agency within the constructs, dreams, and nightmares of a \"Great Man's\" mind.\nSnow Crash - Neal Stephenson.\nGravity's Rainbow - Thomas Pynchon.\nDhalgren - Samuel L. \"Chip\" Delany.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Included among surreal books the commenter calls odd choices that can stimulate imagination and creativity.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14480212,
          "author": "schemathings",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-04T06:56:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14480212",
          "commentText": "Snowcrash also plays heavily with Jaynes' ideas, as does Embassytown.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Snowcrash also plays heavily with Jaynes' ideas",
          "reason": "Says the novel draws heavily on Jaynes' ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249383,
          "author": "tavish1",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T11:22:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249383",
          "commentText": "I started reading sci-fi(mostly hard-sf) after I read the commonwealth saga, 'Pandora's star' and 'Judas unchained'. It was just really entertaining and unlike anything I've read. Also really recommend 'Snow crash'. Also adding a couple fantasy recommendations: Lies of Locke lamora, and any basically any novel by Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn: the final empire, Warbreaker, The way of kings etc.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also really recommend 'Snow crash'.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommended.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12069367,
          "author": "klez",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T07:15:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12069367",
          "commentText": "Not in order\n1 - Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n2 - The Trial (Franz Kafka)\n3 - Beyond the door (Philip K Dick - short story)\n4 - The eyes have it (Philip K Dick - short story)\n5 - Seven brief lessons on Physics (Carlo Rovelli)\n6 - I have no mouth, and I must scream (Herlan Ellison - short story)\n7 - The art of simplicity (Dominique Loreau)\n8 - On anarchism (Noam Chomsky)\n9 - The difference engine (William Gibson, Bruce Sterling)\n10 - Utopia (Thomas More)\n11 - Sophie's world (Jostein Gaarder)\n12 - Rete padrona (Federico Rampini - essays about the 'dark side' of the corporate web)\n13 - The art of discarding (Nagisa Tatsumi)\n14 - Symposium (Plato)\nAnd a couple of very short philosophy booklets by Zizek (about the Matrix) and Baudrillard (about 'cyberphilosophy')",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229877,
          "author": "fsiefken",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T16:16:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229877",
          "commentText": "That's a very broad question, so I read your comments to get a feel from where you might be coming from and/or going to and where you and I might overlap:\n* Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Antifragile, things that gain from disorder http://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Incer... (http://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Incerto/dp/0812979680/)\n* Jared Diamond. The World until yesterday, what can we learn from traditional societies http://www.amazon.com/World-Until-Yesterday-Traditional-Soci... (http://www.amazon.com/World-Until-Yesterday-Traditional-Societies/dp/0143124404)\n* Frans de Waal. The Bonobo and the Atheist: In Search of Humanism Among the Primates http://www.amazon.com/Bonobo-Atheist-Search-Humanism-Primate... (http://www.amazon.com/Bonobo-Atheist-Search-Humanism-Primates/dp/0393347796/)\n* John Higgs. The KLF: Chaos, Magic... http://www.amazon.com/KLF-Chaos-Magic-Music-Money-ebook/dp/B... (http://www.amazon.com/KLF-Chaos-Magic-Music-Money-ebook/dp/B00ABFHOS0/)\n* Joseph Jaworski. Synchronicity, the inner Path of leadership http://www.amazon.com/Synchronicity-The-Inner-Path-Leadershi... (http://www.amazon.com/Synchronicity-The-Inner-Path-Leadership-ebook/dp/B0051ANRBI)\n* Piero Ferrucci. Your Inner Will, finding personal strength in critical times http://www.amazon.com/Your-Inner-Will-Personal-Strength/dp/0... (http://www.amazon.com/Your-Inner-Will-Personal-Strength/dp/0399174931)\n* William Irvine. A Guide to the good life, the ancient art of stoic joy http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic/dp/01953... (http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic/dp/0195374614)\n* Chogyam Trungpa. Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior http://www.amazon.com/Shambhala-Sacred-Warrior-Chogyam-Trung... (http://www.amazon.com/Shambhala-Sacred-Warrior-Chogyam-Trungpa/dp/1590304519/)\n* Tomas Malik. Patience with God: The Story of Zacchaeus Continuing In Us http://www.amazon.com/Patience-God-Story-Zacchaeus-Continuin... (http://www.amazon.com/Patience-God-Story-Zacchaeus-Continuing/dp/0385524498/)\n* Nick Winter. The Motivation Hacker http://www.amazon.com/Motivation-Hacker-Nick-Winter/dp/09892... (http://www.amazon.com/Motivation-Hacker-Nick-Winter/dp/0989279820)\n* Chas Emerick, Brian Carper, Christophe Grad. Clojure Programming http://www.amazon.com/Clojure-Programming-Chas-Emerick/dp/14... (http://www.amazon.com/Clojure-Programming-Chas-Emerick/dp/1449394701)\nFiction:\n* Peter Hamilton - The Reality Dysfunction\n* Neal Stephenson - Cryptonomicon (his other hit: Snow Crash is surprisingly more history then SF now...)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Snow Crash is surprisingly more history then SF now...",
          "reason": "Recommended alongside the author's other hit in a response to a request for books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment says it reads as more history than science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783367,
          "author": "nothingpersonal",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:21:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783367",
          "commentText": "Do audio books count? If so my favorites from this year would be Snow Crash by Neil Stephenson, and Armada by Ernest Cline.\nBooks I actually read which were good:\nThe Informationist by Taylor Stevens\nReady Player One by Ernest Cline",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "my favorites from this year would be Snow Crash by Neil Stephenson, and Armada by Ernest Cline.",
          "reason": "Lists it among their favorite audiobooks of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10533675,
          "author": "AlwaysRock",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T15:49:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10533675",
          "commentText": "I read The Martian, Snow Crash, and Ready Player One over the course of a month or two. All three of those books have their flaws but I enjoy the style and page turning nature of them a lot.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "All three of those books have their flaws but I enjoy the style and page turning nature of them a lot.",
          "reason": "Enjoys the style and page-turning quality, while noting flaws.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says all three books have flaws.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10176012,
          "author": "riffraff",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T20:52:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10176012",
          "commentText": "I liked \"snow crash\" and \"the diamond age\", but found \"cryptonomicon\" hard to get through, even though it's super popular among geeks. \nI think even if I ever get to the end of this one, I won't be reading anything from him for a while though.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I liked \"snow crash\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says they liked the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175949,
          "author": "Praxilla",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T20:22:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175949",
          "commentText": "Snow Crash by Neil Stephenson\nand Halloween,\nAn anthology of ten stories with a supernatural element that originally appeared in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Snow Crash by Neil Stephenson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9088408,
          "author": "robbdavis",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-22T05:46:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9088408",
          "commentText": "Kim Stanley Robinson's \"2312\" carries on from the Mars Trilogy. \nStephenson's \"REAMDE\", \"The Diamond Age\", \"Cryptonomicon\" and \"Snow Crash\"\nDoes alternate history count her?  If so, Robinson's \"The Years of Rice and Salt\" is great",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Snow Crash\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056829,
          "author": "kelu124",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T13:39:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056829",
          "commentText": "Hey, I'd say Snow Crash (for history in geekery).\nThe Ender series.\nSome of Neil Gaiman (I do love TPratchett, though not on this list) ..\nAt the moment I'm a lot into short stories, and that'd mean Ted Chiang of course, and Greg Evan, as well as some of Vinge Vernor.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd say Snow Crash (for history in geekery).",
          "reason": "Offers it as a favorite in response to the thread question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Recommended for its history in geekery.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056763,
          "author": "bruna597",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T13:23:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056763",
          "commentText": "Snow Crash \nChildhood's End",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Snow Crash",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056542,
          "author": "huhtenberg",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:22:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056542",
          "commentText": "Lord of the Light\nDune\nNeuromancer\nHyperion\nSnow Crash\nUse of Weapons\nPandora's Star / Judas Unchained",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Snow Crash",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite sci-fi books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056535,
          "author": "akkartik",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:20:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056535",
          "commentText": "When I read your comment I'm strongly reminded of myself ten years ago. I held almost exactly the same view on hard scifi, and was similarly obsessed with Arthur C Clarke. But I've since loosened my definition of scifi for a couple of reasons:\na) I now think of scifi as any work intended to do more than tell a story or explore a world. Focussing on just hard scifi causes great works of social and sociology fiction like The Dispossessed to be left without a clear pigeonhole. Which is a great pity, IMO.\nPerhaps the biggest chunk that gets miscategorized is cyberpunk; works like Snow Crash and Hardwired are clearly about more than whether the ending is happy or sad, or whether the hero gets the girl. Doesn't seem right to categorize them as fantasy. Better to narrow Arthur C Clarke into the sub-category of hard scifi. Loosening my uptight definition caused me to better appreciate Snow Crash in particular on a second reading a decade later. It's aged wonderfully.\nYou could even imagine a book with fantasy 'props' that feels scifi-like. I haven't seen it yet, but I have no doubt it can be done. (Any recommendations from others?)\nb) Not even everything Arthur C Clarke wrote was hard. Rama series, c'mon! Kim Stanley Robinson is a great author, but I fail to see how he's 'more hard' than Asimov or Heinlein. Somebody described the Red Mars series to me as a reality show with dune buggies, and that seems about right. You certainly couldn't call it 'more hard' than Anathem.\nAnyways, for hard scifi readers the top author today is probably Greg Egan. That I think everybody can agree on. I have other recommendations elsewhere on this thread.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Loosening my uptight definition caused me to better appreciate Snow Crash in particular on a second reading a decade later. It's aged wonderfully.",
          "reason": "Says the novel is more enjoyable on rereading and has aged wonderfully.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056509,
          "author": "lwgray",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:14:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056509",
          "commentText": "Top 3 for me, would be\n1. Ender's Game\n2.  2001 Space Odyssey - I sit down with Arthur for Tea at his home in Colombo, Sri Lanka - He gave me a copy of his article in which he first described telecommunication via satellites\n3.  Snow Crash",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "3.  Snow Crash",
          "reason": "Named among the commenter's top three.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056472,
          "author": "firegrind",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:02:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056472",
          "commentText": "Snow Crash\nedit : and Ambient, by Jack Womack",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Snow Crash",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to the favourite sci-fi books question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8947397,
          "author": "theonekeith",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-26T15:20:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8947397",
          "commentText": "Favorite fantasy book far and away is \"The Way of Kings\" (a random Sanderson), favorite sci-fi book is Snowcrash (Neal Stephenson)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "favorite sci-fi book is Snowcrash (Neal Stephenson)",
          "reason": "Names it as their favorite sci-fi book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8946127,
          "author": "dwarman",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-26T09:13:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8946127",
          "commentText": "Stand on Zanzibar, Snow Crash, Cryptonomicon, Childhood's End, A Cantilce for St Leibowitz, The Stars My Destination, Midnight At The Well of Souls, Nine Princes in Amber, Halting State, Strnger In A Strange Land, The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Snow Crash",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8944625,
          "author": "Tycho",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-25T23:05:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944625",
          "commentText": "Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, Dune, Foundation series, Martian Chronicles & Illustrated Man, Ender's Game, Accelerando, Hyperion, The Forever War, Player of Games, Snow Crash",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Snow Crash",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8622265,
          "author": "dllthomas",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-18T03:42:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8622265",
          "commentText": "A single book?  Impossible.  I don't think I could even name my favorite Zelazny or PKD.  Many of the works of both are in the running.  As is \"Dune\", for sure.  Possibly \"Snow Crash\". \"Protector\" might not quite make the cut, but comes somewhat close - from my recollection it was my favorite Niven (not counting short stories)...  I'm currently finally getting around to \"The Mote In God's Eye\".  Further back, \"Foundation\" was pretty amazing, and I've a bit of a soft spot for \"Childhood's End\".  Bester's \"The Demolished Man\" is well worth a read, but I think also doesn't quite make the cut.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Possibly \"Snow Crash\".",
          "reason": "Includes it as a possible favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8617286,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-17T08:04:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8617286",
          "commentText": "The Mysterious Island - Jules Verne\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nNineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell\nPerdido Street Station - China Mieville\nSnow Crash - Neal Stephenson\nEnder's Game - Orson Scott Card\nFoundation series - Asimov\namong others...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8613403,
          "author": "fred_is_fred",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-16T03:55:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8613403",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed reading Snowcrash. It's no literary magic but it's a fun read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed reading Snowcrash. It's no literary magic but it's a fun read.",
          "reason": "Enjoyed it and calls it a fun read, while qualifying its literary merits.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is “no literary magic.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8613140,
          "author": "atmosx",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-16T01:02:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8613140",
          "commentText": "Cryptonomicon, it's by FAR the best I've read!\nEDIT: Come to think of it, I don't know is in the right category as Sci/fi. Well if not cryptonomicon, then SnowCrash probably :-P",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Well if not cryptonomicon, then SnowCrash probably",
          "reason": "Offered as an alternative favorite in response to the question about favorite sci-fi or fantasy books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter suggests this as an alternative if Cryptonomicon does not fit the category.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8261829,
          "author": "seanccox",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-03T07:08:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8261829",
          "commentText": "'Snow Crash' by Neal Stephenson: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_Crash",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Snow Crash' by Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7451047,
          "author": "compass-seeker",
          "createdAt": "2014-03-22T21:44:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 7450534,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's on your reading list? Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7451047",
          "commentText": "I loved Snowcrash! For more science fiction, I personally like Michael Crichton.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved Snowcrash!",
          "reason": "The commenter says they loved it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7451031,
          "author": "zxexz",
          "createdAt": "2014-03-22T21:40:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 7450534,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's on your reading list? Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7451031",
          "commentText": "I advise reading good fiction, especially \"hard sci-fi\", to get your mind in a good place for the startup scene.\nLike most people on HN probably would, I recommend reading Neil Stephenson's books, especially Cryptonomicon, The Diamond Age and Snowcrash (in order descending order of subjective of relevance).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "especially Cryptonomicon, The Diamond Age and Snowcrash",
          "reason": "Recommended as hard science fiction relevant to the startup scene.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in hard science fiction and startups.",
          "caveat": "Listed as the least relevant of the three by the commenter's subjective ranking.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7363491,
          "author": "efutch",
          "createdAt": "2014-03-07T23:44:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7363491",
          "commentText": "\"Snow Crash\" by Neal Stephenson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Snow Crash\" by Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "Names it in response to a request for science fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7308127,
          "author": "blinkdaddy",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T21:42:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7308127",
          "commentText": "I too just finished Ready Player One. Such a great read. I tend to lean on Good Reads lately for recommendations. But picked up Atopia Chronicles (http://amzn.com/B00DUK1RKY) after browsing popular sci-fi on amazon's best-sellers list. It has great similarities to Ready Player One - virtual presences, future VR challenges, etc. but a very different kind of book (split into multiple story lines, not one continuous story). But that said, if you've not read Snow Crash then drop everything and read that next!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "if you've not read Snow Crash then drop everything and read that next!",
          "reason": "Directly urges the reader to pick it up next.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7303307,
          "author": "mohaps",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T06:24:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7303307",
          "commentText": "Personal favorites: \"Flowers for Algernon\", \"Snow Crash\" and \"Schild's Ladder\" #YMMV",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Snow Crash\"",
          "reason": "Names it among the commenter’s personal favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7302496,
          "author": "jlees",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T02:46:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7302496",
          "commentText": "What did you like about it? I'd suggest Tad Williams' Otherland, Neal Stephenson's Diamond Age & Snow Crash, and Gibson's Pattern Recognition purely based on subject matter (gamey-cyberpunk-ARG-AI), but none is quite as lighthearted in terms of nodding towards videogame culture.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "& Snow Crash",
          "reason": "Suggests it based on its subject matter.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in gamey cyberpunk, ARGs, or AI.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not as lighthearted in its treatment of videogame culture.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6977028,
          "author": "canistr",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T22:52:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6977028",
          "commentText": "+1 Snow Crash\nThe interesting part about Snow Crash is that I feel that the dialogue between Hiro (the protagonist in the story) and the Librarian (an artificial intelligence in the metaverse but more advanced than either Siri or Google Now) amount to what may be the future of Google/Wikipedia/Research in the form of Q&A search queries.  His questions are usually ones which attempt to draw new insight from historical documents, but are asked in a way in which the Librarian can answer them as though a computer can, but does not immediately draw conclusions.  I can easily see that in 10-20 years, research/Q&A/Google could perform many of those same functions without biasing the user with any particular conclusions (because it can't).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 Snow Crash",
          "reason": "Seconding the book as a response to the life-changing book discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6698513,
          "author": "fredyr",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-08T19:26:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6698513",
          "commentText": "I'm doing a Neal Stephenson marathon, just started with Quicksilver last night, after finishing Snow Crash and Reamde back to back.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "after finishing Snow Crash",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a recently finished book in the author's marathon.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5834226,
          "author": "saturdayplace",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T18:23:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5834226",
          "commentText": "If the OP is looking for a page turner, then Stephenson's Snow Crash is another great recommendation. Anathem was slower to me, and Reamde was good. But if I was to pick up Stephenson's stuff again I go to Snow Crash, then Cryptonomicon as my one, two.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stephenson's Snow Crash is another great recommendation.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great recommendation and favors it as the first of two Stephenson books to pick up again.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a page turner.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5832430,
          "author": "zlbrooks",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T13:58:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5832430",
          "commentText": "Slaughterhouse 5,\nSnowcrash,\nHitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Snowcrash",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4663421,
          "author": "infinii",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-17T06:51:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 4661261,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite Science Fiction book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4663421",
          "commentText": "another vote for Snow Crash",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "another vote for Snow Crash",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds Snow Crash as a favorite in the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4662395,
          "author": "Delphiki",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-16T23:11:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 4661261,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite Science Fiction book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4662395",
          "commentText": "Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card\nSnow Crash - Neal Stephenson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite in response to the thread's question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4661281,
          "author": "google-1",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-16T18:52:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 4661261,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite Science Fiction book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4661281",
          "commentText": "Snow Crash, cyberpunk fun.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Snow Crash, cyberpunk fun.",
          "reason": "Presents it as fun cyberpunk, in response to a favorite science fiction book question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4397899,
          "author": "ttrashh",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-17T18:22:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 4382456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: reading list for high school students interested in CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4397899",
          "commentText": "Neuromancer and Snow Crash always inspired me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neuromancer and Snow Crash always inspired me.",
          "reason": "The commenter says both books inspired them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3799572,
          "author": "leeny",
          "createdAt": "2012-04-04T20:06:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 3781486,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi Books for Hackers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3799572",
          "commentText": "I'm surprised _Snow Crash_ (or other Neal Stephenson stuff) hasn't come up yet. It's a bit dated, as it envisions what teh internets will be like from a 1992 perspective, but still a very enjoyable/amusing read.\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_Crash",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "still a very enjoyable/amusing read",
          "reason": "Recommends it as an enjoyable read, while noting its 1992-era view of the internet feels dated.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for science fiction with a hacker or technology angle.",
          "caveat": "The internet predictions feel dated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2639706,
          "author": "fuzzmeister",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T03:40:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639706",
          "commentText": "Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson.",
          "reason": "Named as the commenter's answer to the greatest book question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043506,
          "author": "mhd",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:12:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043506",
          "commentText": "Snow Crash is great. Generally I'd recommend some \"classics\", just to see who treaded some ground first, i.e. who gets copied by everyone.\nIsaac Asimov - Foundation (and the rest of the trilogy)\nRobert A. Heinlein - Stranger in a Strange Land / Starship Troopers / The Moon is a Harsh Mistress\nAlfred Bester - The Demolished Man / The Stars My Destination\nJack Vance - The Dying Earth\nPhilip K. Dick - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep / The Man in the High Castle\nLarry Niven - Ringworld\netc. etc.\nA list of Hugo Award winners[1] might come in helpful.\nAnother advantage of having read \"the greats\" is that if some critic says that new author X writes \"in the style of Y\" you have a slightly better idea if you might like it.\nTastes vary, of course. Personally I never got what's supposed to be so great about Ender's Game. Teen Mary Sue geek power fantasy with questionable morals. Then again, lots of people said similar things about Heinlein…\n[1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Award_for_Best_Novel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Snow Crash is great.",
          "reason": "Explicitly praises the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043481,
          "author": "wwortiz",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043481",
          "commentText": "Snow Crash and The Diamond Age are good books, especially for just starting to read again.\nUbik is my favorite PKD book followed closely by Electric Sheep.\nThe His Dark Materials isn't really sci-fi so much as fantasy but it is quite a good read (though if you didn't have a kindle it might be embarrassing buying them from the young adult section, they are quite adult though).\nI think a huge thing missing from your list is the Foundation series from Asimov (I recommend going in order of publishing, start with Foundation move onto Foundation and Empire then Second Foundation and more if you are into it).\nMy 2 cents.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Snow Crash and The Diamond Age are good books, especially for just starting to read again.",
          "reason": "Calls it a good book, especially for returning readers.",
          "audience": "People starting to read again.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1974338,
          "author": "sgricci",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T07:20:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974338",
          "commentText": "Snow crash was great as well.\nAlso the \"Daemon\" series by Daniel Suarez is great along the same lines as snow crash.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Snow crash was great as well.",
          "reason": "Calls it great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865516,
          "author": "nathanielksmith",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T17:13:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865516",
          "commentText": "Just finished Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson). About 100 pages into the Wind-Up Bird Chronicles (Haruki Murakami). Next is The Invention of Morel (Adolfo Bioy Casares).\nI find that reading recharges my creative thinking. I used to think it was purely relaxation, but now consider it as essential as sleeping / eating well.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Just finished Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson).",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1864835,
          "author": "CWuestefeld",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T14:16:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1864835",
          "commentText": "RiderOfGiraffes also suggested Snow Crash; both would be excellent choices. I'd add to this Cryptonomicon, which is an interesting story, interesting thematic matter (relevant to software folks, and presented intelligently), and just full of different ways of looking at things (the scene that describes the Hindenburg disaster, or eating Captain Crunch cereal, were both perfectly clear, yet told in ways that took me some time to sync with what they were actually referring to.\nAlso consider most anything from Vernor Vinge. Some of my favorites from him are A Deepness in the Sky, Rainbows End, and A Fire Upon the Deep. Since he's a Comp Sci professor, he handles technology issues (and especially computer-related stuff) very realistically.\nAnd if you're looking back into the classics, consider Larry Niven's \"Known Space\" books, particularly Ringworld.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "RiderOfGiraffes also suggested Snow Crash; both would be excellent choices.",
          "reason": "Explicitly says it would be an excellent choice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1864716,
          "author": "RiderOfGiraffes",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T13:42:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1864716",
          "commentText": "Anything by Terry Pratchett.  There are a lot of books, and you might want to check this:\nhttp://www.lspace.org/books/reading-order-guides/the-discwor... (http://www.lspace.org/books/reading-order-guides/the-discworld-reading-order-guide-20.jpg)\nI personally loved \"Guards! Guards!\" and would recommend it.\nAlso enjoyed \"The player of Games\" by Iain M Banks.\nConsider also \"Snow Crash\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Consider also \"Snow Crash\"",
          "reason": "Suggested as another book to read next.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753293,
          "author": "mp_cnb",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:41:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753293",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction\n- 'The Selfish Gene' - Richard Dawkins\nGrokking the concept changed the way I thought about life forever.\n- 'Quantum Reality' - Nick Herbert\nOne of the best introductory level books on quantum physics mysteries. No nonsense.\n- Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert Pirsig\nThe book that introduced me to Kant, Hume and philosophy of science. Just for that, I'm forever indebted to it.\nSome favorite fiction books -\n- Cryptonomicon - Neal Stephenson\nLoved 'Snowcrash' too.\n- 'The Moon is a Harsh Mistress' - Robert Heinlein\n- Anything by Kurt Vonnegut, Milan Kundera, Somerset Maugham",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Loved 'Snowcrash' too.",
          "reason": "Explicitly says the commenter loved it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1633505,
          "author": "dwwoelfel",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T17:33:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1633505",
          "commentText": "Snow Crash: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0553380958\nIn the Beginning was the Command Line: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0380815931",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Snow Crash: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0553380958",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1633314,
          "author": "AmitinLA",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T16:29:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1633314",
          "commentText": "Snow Crash and In the Beginning was the Command Line by Neal Stephenson both introduced me to tech culture in different ways with the same result: it got me more excited about tech than anything else and made me realize that I had to work in tech, and also filled me with respect for what hackers do and regret that I was never going to be a good hacker.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Snow Crash and In the Beginning was the Command Line by Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "Says it helped introduce them to tech culture and made them more excited about working in tech.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226847,
          "author": "aarongough",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:34:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226847",
          "commentText": "I'm a big fan of Sci-Fi because I feel it makes people think about what they want the future to be, as well as avoiding the re-hashing of historical and current events that many fiction books set in the present do. With that in mind a list of great books to read:\n  The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson\n  Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson\n  Gridlinked - Neal Asher\n  Neuromancer - William Gibson\n  The Reality Dysfunction - Peter F. Hamilton\n  The Dreaming Void - Peter F. Hamilton\n  Fallen Dragon - Peter F. Hamilton\n  Altered Carbon - Richard Morgan\n  Market Forces - Richard Morgan\n  Blindsight - Peter Watts\n  The Electric Church - Jeff Somers\n  Tunnel in the Sky - Robert A. Heinlein\n  The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Robert A. Heinlein\n  1984 - George Orwell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026859,
          "author": "Xichekolas",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T06:01:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026859",
          "commentText": "None of Stephenson's books really have much of an ending (or in some cases much of a coherent plot)... the closest I can think of (in the way of endings) is Snow Crash.\nBut he writes with wonderful detail and humor, and seems really great at writing believable near-term futures, which I imagine are much harder than writing about the distant future (where everything can be fantastical).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the closest I can think of (in the way of endings) is Snow Crash.",
          "reason": "Named as Stephenson’s closest book to having an ending; the commenter also praises his detail, humor, and believable near-term futures.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment says none of Stephenson’s books really have much of an ending or, in some cases, a coherent plot.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797811,
          "author": "greggraham",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T11:48:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797811",
          "commentText": "I recently read _Cryptonomicon_ after having put it down last year. It was fun, and overall it was definitely worth it. I'm reading his _Snow Crash_ now. It was published in 1992, before the Web, and it predicts a time close to present day. It's interesting to see what he got right, and what he got wrong. It's also a fun read if you are generous with the disbelief suspension.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's also a fun read if you are generous with the disbelief suspension.",
          "reason": "Calls it a fun read, with a caveat about suspending disbelief.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Enjoyment depends on being generous with disbelief.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 767099,
          "author": "cschep",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-17T00:54:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=767099",
          "commentText": "I was going to suggest \"Snow Crash\" as well, so I'll just second it. Very cool book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I was going to suggest \"Snow Crash\" as well, so I'll just second it. Very cool book.",
          "reason": "Seconds the recommendation and calls it a very cool book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 767071,
          "author": "JunkDNA",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-17T00:37:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=767071",
          "commentText": "I find that reading fiction on vacation really stimulates my programming brain. There's a lot to be said for letting your mind roam free for a bit. I believe PG talks about the value of letting your mind roam in one of his essays (or possibly Hackers and Painters). In particular, I've found Neal Stephenson's books to be great for this purpose. If you haven't read Cryptonomicon, Snow Crash, or Diamond Age, I would suggest reading one of them. It will satisfy your need for some \"geek\" content on vacation, without being all business.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you haven't read Cryptonomicon, Snow Crash, or Diamond Age, I would suggest reading one of them.",
          "reason": "Recommended as fiction with geek content that can stimulate a programmer's thinking.",
          "audience": "Programmers looking for fiction on vacation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 200093,
          "author": "Shadow84",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-26T09:14:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 199722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=200093",
          "commentText": "One could ad Neal Stephenson books in general. Especially Snow Crash. Jointly, with Cryptonomicon, one of the best books I've ever read! In Snow Crash, the author envisioned stuf like Google Earth or Second Life, only in a much more advanced way. The book was written in 1992 :-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Especially Snow Crash.",
          "reason": "The commenter singles it out and praises it alongside Cryptonomicon as one of the best books they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 191867,
          "author": "chuchurocka",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-16T15:39:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=191867",
          "commentText": "1. People's History of the United States: Highlights from the 20th century - Howard Zinn\n2. Snow Crash - Neil Stephenson\n3. jPod - Douglas Coupland\n4. the world is flat 2.0",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Snow Crash - Neil Stephenson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140766,
          "author": "mflinsch",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T12:52:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140766",
          "commentText": "Snowcrash...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Snowcrash...",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140583,
          "author": "lee",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T05:59:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140583",
          "commentText": "His Baroque Trilogy I found to be the most inspiring read in the last few years - while it's easy to argue that it isn't strictly science fiction. Since it sets up characters who appear in Cryptonomicon, I feel I can get away with it.\nWhat the trilogy has in common with inspiring sci-fi is that it changes the way I look at the present - drastically. His characters are present for the beginnings of what we call science, the current economy and also on slave and pirate ships. He has brilliant physicists who are also alchemists and at war with themselves over not being able to resolve their own contradictions. (Newton) It's fiction about the history of science - and it's weirder and whackier and grander than anything else I've ever read. (Take THAT Tolstoy!( (you hack!)\nOf course, I'll also second Snowcrash as a must-read. Same with Cryptonomicon.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'll also second Snowcrash as a must-read.",
          "reason": "Seconded as a must-read in response to the recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140546,
          "author": "huhtenberg",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T04:47:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140546",
          "commentText": "I find Stephenson to be somewhat hard to read due to his peculiar use of present tense. His Snow Crash novel is an absolute must read in a cyberpunk genre. It is really vivid, bizarre and quite believable version of a near future. Only if he'd opted for using past tense .. :)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "His Snow Crash novel is an absolute must read in a cyberpunk genre.",
          "reason": "Called an absolute must-read and described as vivid, bizarre, and believable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds Stephenson’s use of present tense hard to read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140414,
          "author": "noodle",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T01:23:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140414",
          "commentText": "i can't narrow this down to one.  some of these are already named:\nCryptonomicon,\nSnow Crash,\n\"The Last Question\",\nEnder's Game/Shadow,\nDune,\nSlaughterhouse 5,\nRingworld",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Snow Crash,",
          "reason": "Lists it among several choices in response to a request for inspiring science fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 136236,
          "author": "earle",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-13T20:08:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=136236",
          "commentText": "SNOWCRASH for heavens sake.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SNOWCRASH for heavens sake.",
          "reason": "Urges the thread to include this book on a hacker's bookshelf.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in speculative fiction and computing culture.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86223,
          "author": "icky",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:37:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86223",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- The Time Machine (still holds up very well, and seems strangely eerie and prescient in places)... (H. G. Wells)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Hobbit (and LotR) (Tolkien)\n- Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n- Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties (I picked up Idoru first, so I haven't yet read Virtual Light) (also Gibson)\n- The Difference Engine (Gibson, Sterling)\n- Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n- Cryptonomicon (\" \")\n- Circuit of Heaven, End of Days (Dennis Danvers)\n- All of the \"Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser\" stories and novels. (Fritz Leiber)\n- The Earthsea trilogy (Ursula K. LeGuin)\n- 'salem's Lot (Stephen King)\n- Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein)\n- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)\n- the Coldfire trilogy (C. S. Friedman)\n- various Cory Doctorow short stories\n- Kamikaze L'Amour (Richard Kadrey)\n- Lightpaths (Howard V. Hendrix)\n- A Canticle For Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)\n- Moonwar, Venus (Ben Bova)\n- the Stainless Steel Rat series (Harry Harrison)\n- Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)\n- Ringworld (Larry Niven)\n- Cthon (Piers Anthony) -- Trippiness level approaching Philip Jose Farmer ;-)\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (Douglas Adams)\n- The Black Company (Glen Cook)\n- there's one particularly good post-cyberpunk series that takes place in a world in which Canada emerged as a major world power, but for the life of me I can't rememeber the title.\n- the 1632 series (Eric Flint)... see also S. M. Stirling's Nantucket series (\"Island in the Sea of Time\", et al.), and H. Beam Piper's novel Kalvan of Otherwhen\nNon-fiction:\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (Hume)\n- the surviving words and works of Epicurus, and Diogenes the Cynic\n- Freakonomics (Levitt, Dubner)\n- The Gay Science (Nietzsche)\n- The Jefferson Bible (Christ, Jefferson (ed.))\n- The Devil's Dictionary (Bierce)\n- Brain Droppings (George Carlin)\n- anything by P. J. O'Rourke\n- anything by Dave Barry",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)",
          "reason": "Listed under fiction in response to the thread’s question about favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85862,
          "author": "mgummelt",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T08:02:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85862",
          "commentText": "Snow Crash (Neil Stephenson)\nThe Bible (Various chaps)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Snow Crash (Neil Stephenson)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neal Stephenson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 90,
      "threads": 52,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyberpunk",
        "virtual reality",
        "satire",
        "dystopian fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "thinking-fast-and-slow-d183c9",
      "title": "Thinking, Fast and Slow",
      "author": "Daniel Kahneman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49766196,
          "author": "romerocarlos",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-19T12:54:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 49724691,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most career altering course or book you have gone through?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49766196",
          "commentText": "For me, a real gem though I don't usually recommend it since it's only in Italian is Decalogo della complessità by Alberto Felice De Toni.\nAnd the other one was Thinking, Fast and Slow by psychologist Daniel Kahneman.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking, Fast and Slow by psychologist Daniel Kahneman.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43620170,
          "author": "Quinzel",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-08T10:41:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 43572949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books written on “How to think”?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43620170",
          "commentText": "“Thinking, Fast and slow” by Daniel Kahneman\nSurprised no one has recommended it. It’s like an explanation of how we think, and how we should think. My only caution with this book is it represents “thinking” from a Westernised concept of rationality and it also represents western cognitive biases. A lot of the research done by Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky was only studied among westernised, educated, industrialised, rich, democratic populations which only actually makes up about 12% of the world population. It’s certainly not going to apply to every culture across humanity, but - it’s super helpful.\nHaving awareness of cognitive biases helps you recognise them in yourself, but also leverage them in other people and that’s power.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "“Thinking, Fast and slow” by Daniel Kahneman",
          "reason": "The commenter says it explains how people think and how they should think.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter cautions that it reflects Western concepts of rationality and research based largely on Western, educated populations.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43576099,
          "author": "HenryBemis",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-03T22:12:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 43572949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books written on “How to think”?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43576099",
          "commentText": "- Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know by Adam Grant\n  - Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman\n  - The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living Hardcover by Ryan Holiday",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books about how to think.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for books about thinking.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41175841,
          "author": "montgomery_r",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:58:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175841",
          "commentText": "Aargh, Formatting! Try 2 :\nFor the value of ‘best’ that includes\n(a) had a deep and long lasting impact on how I think about the world and\n(b) I consider beautiful pieces of writing in their own right,\nhere are some in no particular order:\nThe Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins\nThinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nNaming and Necessity, Saul Kripke\nTractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein\n(These you might want to approach via a gentle introduction if you did not study Philosophy to degree level)\nThe Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle\nDarkness at Noon, Arthur Koestler\nThe Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse\nA Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh\nDiaries, Samuel Pepys\nFalling Off the Map, Pico Iyer\nA Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor\nThe Lonely Sea and the Sky, Francis Chichester\nThe Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope\nBevis, Richard Jeffries\nThe Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith\nThe Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse\nHitch-22, essays, Christopher Hitchens\nCollected Essays, William Hazlitt\nVenice, Martin Gayford\nThe Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski\nThe Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch\nToo obvious a list, perhaps, but some gems for all that! Happy reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman",
          "reason": "Includes the title among books considered impactful and beautifully written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41175718,
          "author": "montgomery_r",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:45:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175718",
          "commentText": "For the value of ‘best’ that includes  (a) had a deep and long lasting impact on how I think about the world and (b) I consider beautiful pieces of writing in their own right, here are some in no particular order: \nThe Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins \nThinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nNaming and Necessity, Saul Kripke\nTractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein\n(These you might want to approach via a gentle introduction if you did not study Philosophy to degree level) \nThe Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle\nDarkness at Noon,\nArthur Koestler\nThe Glass Bead Game,\nHermann Hesse\nA Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh\nDiaries, Samuel Pepys\nFalling Off the Map, Pico Iyer\nA Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor\nThe Lonely Sea and the Sky,\nFrancis Chichester\nThe Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope\nBevis, Richard Jeffries\nThe Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith\nThe Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse\nHitch-22, essaysChristopher Hitchens \nCollected Essays, William Hazlitt\nVenice, Martin Gayford\nThe Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski\nThe Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch\nToo obvious a list, perhaps, but some gems for all that! Happy reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a book with lasting impact on how they think and as beautiful writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40279007,
          "author": "ldehaan",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-06T20:17:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40279007",
          "commentText": "The Coming of Neo-Feudalism - Joel Kotkin (its a brainful)\nAlgorithns to live by - Brian Christian\nThinking Fast and Slow - Daniel khaneman\nThe Machiavellians: Defenders of Freedom - James Burnham",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking Fast and Slow - Daniel khaneman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39249318,
          "author": "lnxg33k1",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T11:08:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249318",
          "commentText": "So far in 2024 I’ve finished a dissertation(?) of Schopenhauer work which is in italian and doesn’t exist in English, the name can be translated like “The art of not giving a fuck about other’s judgement”, then animal farm and another italian book “Leonardo Sciascia - Una storia semplice”, then in the same area of “recreational” reading I’ve started “Thinking fast and slow”, and in terms of books needed professionally I’m reading “Math for programmers”",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "“Thinking fast and slow”",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37814741,
          "author": "prepend",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-08T21:54:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37814741",
          "commentText": "I read that it’s the most started and not finished kindle book ever.\nIt’s great though and definitely worth reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It’s great though and definitely worth reading.",
          "reason": "Says it is worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37810987,
          "author": "mrbeast6001",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-08T14:51:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37810987",
          "commentText": "I somehow feel everyone pretends to have read “Thinking fast and slow” by Daniel Kahneman, but whenever I dig deep, most of the time I get to know they just bought the book but watched a video summary (it’s quite a biggie)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "“Thinking fast and slow” by Daniel Kahneman",
          "reason": "The commenter says people often buy it but rely on a video summary instead of reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as quite a big book.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33858797,
          "author": "jshen",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T22:43:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33858797",
          "commentText": "Become a better story teller and persuader, and learn how to make better decisions and manage risk. A few books that helped me in no particular order …\nThe Science of Storytelling - Will Storr\nInfluence - Robert Cialdini\nThinking Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman\nAntifragile - Nassim Taleb\nHow Innovation Works - Natt Ridley\nThe One Thing You Need to Know - Marcus Buckingham\nTeam of Teams - General Stanley McChrystal",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman",
          "reason": "Listed among books that helped the commenter.",
          "audience": "People seeking to make better decisions.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33804870,
          "author": "soupfordummies",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T18:07:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33804870",
          "commentText": "RE: Thinking Fast and Slow - I seem to remember a few times where that's been posted here that some say some of the concepts have been disproven/aren't rooted in science. I'm not sure if I'm thinking about the same thing. I've always been intrigued by that book.\nAlso, do you mind explaining a bit about what you mean by \"information/awareness hygiene\"? I'm intrigued by that as well.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "RE: Thinking Fast and Slow",
          "reason": "The commenter recalls claims that some of its concepts have been disproven or lack scientific support.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether they remember the criticism correctly.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33801826,
          "author": "chx",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T15:14:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33801826",
          "commentText": "I was reading the book the evening before my citizenship hearing. I got citizenship. Whether the two were related we will never know :D",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I was reading the book the evening before my citizenship hearing.",
          "reason": "The commenter connects reading the book with the evening before their citizenship hearing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they do not know whether reading it and getting citizenship were related.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33801650,
          "author": "ethics13",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T15:01:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33801650",
          "commentText": "Thinking Fast and Slow to me was a manual to a human mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking Fast and Slow to me was a manual to a human mind.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a manual for understanding the human mind.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33801428,
          "author": "onlyrealcuzzo",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T14:46:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33801428",
          "commentText": "Came here to say Thinking Fast and Slow by Kahneman and The Black Swan by Taleb.\nI don't know if it's strictly applicable to OP's question - but these books shaped how I see the world more than anything in life - and I think my view is way more accurate and I'm infinitely happier as a result.\nIn these conditions, I think problem solving becomes a lot easier...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Thinking Fast and Slow by Kahneman",
          "reason": "The commenter says it shaped how they see the world and made their view feel more accurate.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether it strictly applies to the question.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33800047,
          "author": "mitchelldeacon9",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T13:01:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33800047",
          "commentText": "Here are some classics in cognitive psychology with direct quotes that illustrate some of the main themes:\nRichard Rhodes (1986) Making of the Atomic Bomb\n\"In scientific work, creative thinking demands seeing things not seen previously, or in ways not previously imagined; and this necessitates jumping off from 'normal' positions, and taking risks by departing from reality. The difference between the thinking of the paranoid patient and the scientist comes from the latter's ability and willingness to test out his fantasies or grandiose conceptualizations through the systems of checks and balances science has established – and to give up those schemes that are shown not to be valid on the basis of these scientific checks. It is specifically because science provides such a framework of rules and regulations to control and set bounds to paranoid thinking that a scientist can feel comfortable about taking the paranoid leaps. Without this structuring, the threat of such unrealistic, illogical, and even bizarre thinking to overall thought and personality organization in general would be too great to permit the scientist the freedom of such fantasying.\" (p. 151)\nDaniel Kahneman (2011) Thinking, Fast and Slow\n\"In the current view of how associative memory works, a great deal happens at once. An idea that has been activated does not merely evoke one other idea. It activates many ideas, which in turn activate others. Furthermore, only a few of the activated ideas will register in consciousness; most of the work of associative thinking is silent, hidden from our conscious selves. The notion that we have limited access to the workings of our minds is difficult to accept because, naturally, it is alien to our experience, but it is true: you know far less about yourself than you feel you do.\" (p. 52)\nThomas Kuhn (1962) Structure of Scientific Revolutions\n\"One suspects that something like a paradigm is prerequisite to perception itself. What a man sees depends both upon what he looks at and also upon what his previous visual-conceptual experience has taught him to see. In the absence of such training there can only be... a 'bloomin’ buzzin’ confusion'\" (p. 113)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Daniel Kahneman (2011) Thinking, Fast and Slow",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33399681,
          "author": "therealdrag0",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-30T22:35:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33399681",
          "commentText": "Not parent, but I liked it a lot. But I wonder if by now the ideas have permeated thinking-person culture enough that it’s not worth it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I wonder if by now the ideas have permeated thinking-person culture enough that it’s not worth it.",
          "reason": "Questions whether the book remains worth reading because its ideas have become widely absorbed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure it is still worth reading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32942855,
          "author": "kingkongjaffa",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T18:35:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32942855",
          "commentText": "\"Thinking fast and slow\" is like this, it's a bit dry and it makes for hard reading (I tried by the poolside) but it's sort of more rewarding to fight through it.\n5 minute summaries are also forgotten in the same amount of time.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Thinking fast and slow\" is like this",
          "reason": "Says the book is dry and hard to read, but more rewarding to read fully.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as dry and difficult reading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32937781,
          "author": "crashingintoyou",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T12:13:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937781",
          "commentText": "\"Thinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman -He is the only psychologist ever to recieve the Nobel Prize if I remember correctly. This book scientifically digests human biases and errors and how they influence our every day lives and decision making. Sometimes it a bit too technical for my taste and I like mostly the first part. (its not an easy read) I rarely had so many Aha-moments.\"\nThis one seems to have gotten caught up a bit in psych's reproducibility crisis - e.g. https://replicationindex.com/2017/02/02/reconstruction-of-a-... (https://replicationindex.com/2017/02/02/reconstruction-of-a-train-wreck-how-priming-research-went-of-the-rails/)",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "This one seems to have gotten caught up a bit in psych's reproducibility crisis",
          "reason": "Raises concerns about the book's association with research affected by psychology's reproducibility crisis.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment links to criticism of priming research.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32937430,
          "author": "heliodor",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T11:27:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937430",
          "commentText": "\"Stumbling on Happiness\" by Daniel Gilbert is an excellent complement to \"Thinking Fast and Slow\". It explores how the mind works in regards to happiness, and the biases in that.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Stumbling on Happiness\" by Daniel Gilbert is an excellent complement to \"Thinking Fast and Slow\".",
          "reason": "Named as the book that Stumbling on Happiness complements.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32937220,
          "author": "oracardo",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T11:01:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937220",
          "commentText": "The Overstory by Richard Powers: this book changed the way I look at trees. I'll be driving some days and out of nowhere notice a tree and appreciate it. This book inspired me to consider that there is an objective meaning to life.\nThe Incerto Series by Nassim Nicholas Taleb: where to start...I started reading this series over a decade ago and I still think about it weekly. It can be very dense to get through as I took a lot of notes. But I think it's worth the trouble. One of my favorite chapters is via negativa. This is the concept that it is easier to know what NOT to do than what should be done. Many interested ideas flow out from that when it comes to personal health, public policy, and morality.\nThinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman: this book opened up my eyes to a host of mental biases. It's similar to some of Taleb's work but IMO easier to read. My favorite chapter surrounded the idea of the self as your memory vs your experience. Thought experiment: if you could take your dream vacation at no expense but would have no memories or photos/videos of the trip would you do it?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman: this book opened up my eyes to a host of mental biases.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it opened their eyes to mental biases and is easier to read than some of Taleb's work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936760,
          "author": "pkszg",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T09:54:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936760",
          "commentText": "I like to read a wide variety of genre from fiction to human psychology.\nFor the mind:\nNonviolent Communication by  Marshall Rosenberg - A great book on how to communcate more effectively with others.\nThinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman -He is the only psychologist ever to recieve the Nobel Prize if I remember correctly. This book scientifically digests human biases and errors and how they influence our every day lives and decision making. Sometimes it a bit too technical for my taste and I like mostly the first part. (its not an easy read) I rarely had so many Aha-moments.\nA random walk down on wall street - For investing your income in stocks. What to do and what no to do. Simple, with facts.\nSapiens by Harari -Interesting, I remember it was a great read and fun read. Connecting a lot of dots :)\nOn programming:\nDesigning Data-Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann - I am failry a junior web dev, so any material that is clear and explains well is a great source of information and inspiration. This is such a book.\nComputer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective by Randal E. Bryant and David R. O'Hallaron - Teaches CS from the basics, which for me is a great source since I don't have a CS degree. I complement it with other materials from the internet (such as Harvard's CS50) for learning the fundamentals paralell working in my daily web dev job. Its a long book, so It will take a couple of months, years to go thorugh, but definitely worth the effort.\nFictions I love, without much introduction:\nLord of the Rings\nDune (first book)\nGame of thrones books\nFor me JRRs storytelling is outstanding, the books are better than the serires IMO.\nSpiritual Books:\n(I am not a religous person by any means and I do not follow traditions)\nSpirituality for me means a deeper connection with the universe.\nIf I really want to dig deeper than everyday work-life stuff I listen/read these books. Usually when there is a great emotional upheaval in my life or when I feel my daily distractions failed on me.\nPower of now by Eckhart Tolle - This book gives me the occasional goosebumps, a great summary of all spiritual teachings (before becoming religions) in a really simple way. If you are interested in such, I highly recommend it.\nMeditations by Marcus Aurelius - I see it mentioned here already, no intro needed.\nLetters by Seneca - This book is a proof for me that the essential human experience, the core of what makes us human does not change over time. Seneca was a great stoic thinker, who is very relatable by anyone even today (and probably will be for many millenia)\nZen Mind, Beginners Mind by Suzuki Roshi - All true spiritual teaching have the same source, but all are expressed differently. This is a great, simple powerful book to read if you lean towards buddhism.\nA Course in Miracles (no official author) -Now this is a heavy read. It has a textbook with daily practices also. This is definitely not a book for everyone.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "This book scientifically digests human biases and errors and how they influence our every day lives and decision making.",
          "reason": "Explains how biases and errors affect everyday life and decision-making.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Sometimes too technical for the commenter; they mainly like the first part and say it is not an easy read.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30735764,
          "author": "jwood27",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:37:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735764",
          "commentText": "The following have all had a significant effect on my worldview. You can find more information at [1].\n- The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow\n- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\n- Crime and Punishment\n- The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York\n- Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies\n- The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity\n- Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead\n- Franny and Zooey\n- Master of the Senate\n- Atlas Shrugged\n- Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed\n- Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap?\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\n- The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics\n- The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don't\n- Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans\n- Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\n- Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World\n- Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones\n- Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow\n- Ethics in the Real World: 86 Brief Essays on Things that Matter\n- A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life\n- Humankind: A Hopeful History\n- The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think\n[1] https://jacobw.xyz/books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking, Fast and Slow",
          "reason": "Listed among books that significantly affected the commenter’s worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29032266,
          "author": "xupybd",
          "createdAt": "2021-10-28T21:29:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 29030285,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29032266",
          "commentText": "> What are you reading and why? \nAudiobooks are a special case for me. They help fill the time when I'm driving to work, mowing the lawn or doing dishes. If I consume my entertainment during these productive times, I find I'm less drawn to television and other mindless distractions. They also help me to be motivated to do tasks that I otherwise find dull. The better alternative is to find a friend to share these tasks with, but that is not always a practical option.\nWhile I do read for entertainment, I really enjoy non-fiction as long as it's light. If I want to explore a topic and truly learn something, I often need to find a text version. That said, I have found some great audiobooks that I have learnt from:\n-The Goal\n-Pragmatic Programmer\n-Designing Data-Intensive Applications\n-Thinking Fast and Slow\n-Ultralearning\nThe best entertainment so far have been\n-Dune\n-The Expanse series\n-The Bobiverse series\n-The Expeditionary force series.\nI asked this question so broadly as I wanted to try something that I wouldn't usually go for. I have a heavy bias towards sci-fi and wouldn't mind exploring other genres. I love good non-fiction but have also found a lot of trash non-fiction out there that I regret wasting time on.\nI have a log of recommendations but not of books read. It sounds like a good idea.\nI'll add How to Read a Book to my list :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I have found some great audiobooks that I have learnt from:\n-The Goal\n-Pragmatic Programmer\n-Designing Data-Intensive Applications\n-Thinking Fast and Slow",
          "reason": "Includes it among audiobooks the commenter learned from.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27647193,
          "author": "aalhour",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T00:06:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27647193",
          "commentText": "* Thinking Fast and Slow\n* The Selfish Gene\n* Probability: For the Enthusiastic Beginner\n* How to Measure Anything\n* Rationality: From AI to Zombies\n* Cynefin: Weaving Sense-making into the fabric of our world\n* Major works of Friedrich Nietzsche",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking Fast and Slow",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27640267,
          "author": "godmode2019",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T08:46:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27640267",
          "commentText": "* Thinking fast and slow - how to think and make decision and how to consider bias.\n* Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth - specialisation is for insects.\n* Propaganda - 1928 book by the inventor of public relations and modern media. Know how they influence you.\n* The war of art - being a professional. Honesty I don't think this book was written by a human this book completely changed my life and any other person I for to read this book had a similar experience.\nI have more but I don't want to information overload anyone.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Thinking fast and slow - how to think and make decision and how to consider bias.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for understanding decision-making and bias.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25540337,
          "author": "DiggyJohnson",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-26T00:35:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25540337",
          "commentText": "Thanks for writing this out, feels like I could’ve written it in many ways.\nI would especially recommend it for young people. It helped me see the components of my conversations and relationships that I was taking for granted.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would especially recommend it for young people.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them notice components of conversations and relationships they had taken for granted.",
          "audience": "Young people.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25533946,
          "author": "kumartarun",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-25T03:31:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25533946",
          "commentText": "\"Thinking fast and Slow\". It took around four and a half months to read it. I got the answers to some of the great mysteries related to human behavior.\nFor example,\n- Why don't good people keep their promises?\n- Why do people don't change their miserable life when their actions could change many things?\n- Why does charisma trump intelligence in most of the debates?\n- Why is it hard to change a habit?\n- Why do people judge so quickly.\nIt had a profound impact on me. After reading that book, I stopped trying to be silent when I was feeling angry.\nI invested in my relationships with family and friends a lot.\nI realized the biggest problem in the Tech industry is not the technology but the people. I became empathetic to introverted people.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Thinking fast and Slow\". It took around four and a half months to read it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped explain human behavior and had a profound impact on them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23860896,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T16:54:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23860896",
          "commentText": "Thinking Fast and Slow - it helped me to understand cognitive biases.  I think understanding these really helped to see what our lens does to how we see the world.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking Fast and Slow - it helped me to understand cognitive biases.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped explain cognitive biases and how perception shapes views of the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23154687,
          "author": "wigl",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T14:58:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23154687",
          "commentText": "Thinking, Fast and Slow is good if you like pop-sci, but has aged like milk if you are into the science.\nI respect Kahneman for walking back some of his claims since but he needs to publish a revision.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Thinking, Fast and Slow is good if you like pop-sci, but has aged like milk if you are into the science.",
          "reason": "Finds it good popular science but outdated for readers focused on the science.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in popular science.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it has aged poorly scientifically and needs a revision.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23153802,
          "author": "mitchelldeacon9",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T13:35:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23153802",
          "commentText": "In addition to the classics of cognitive psychology (Kahneman, Taleb, et al.), I would also recommend books on psychological manipulation, religious cults, and con men. The following books offer a multi-disciplinary perspective on psychological techniques to improve awareness and exploit other people, both of which are essential to enhance your perception and protect yourself against fraud and manipulation.\nCialdini, Robert (2006) Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion\nGuinn, Jeff (2017) Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple\nEkman, Paul (2007) Emotions Revealed: Recognizing Faces and Feelings to Improve Communication and Emotional Life\nKahneman, Daniel (2011) Thinking, Fast and Slow\nMitnick, Kevin and William Simon (2002) Art of Deception\nNavarro and Karlins (2008) What Every Body is Saying: Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Speed-Reading People\nNietzsche, Friedrich (1887) On the Genealogy of Morals\nRhodes, Richard (1986) Making of the Atomic Bomb\nSun Tzu (c. 400 BCE) Art of War\nTaleb, Nassim Nicholas (2005) Fooled by Randomness\nWright, Lawrence (2013) Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kahneman, Daniel (2011) Thinking, Fast and Slow",
          "reason": "Listed among books offering a multidisciplinary perspective on psychology.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in psychological techniques and manipulation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23151765,
          "author": "saheb37",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T08:34:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23151765",
          "commentText": "You might enjoy Undoing Project by Michael Lewis as well, it's like the backstory of Thinking Fast and Slow.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "it's like the backstory of Thinking Fast and Slow.",
          "reason": "Mentioned as the subject of the book's backstory comparison.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21904178,
          "author": "diego_moita",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T05:35:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21904178",
          "commentText": "* Information: A history, a theory, a flood - James Gleick\n* Sapiens - Yuval Harari\n* Thinking, fast and slow - Daniel Kahneman\n* Power of Habit - Charles Duhig",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking, fast and slow - Daniel Kahneman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21901740,
          "author": "t-writescode",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T21:09:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21901740",
          "commentText": "A strong upvote for Thinking Fast and Slow. I think it should be required reading in school, or at least parts of it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A strong upvote for Thinking Fast and Slow. I think it should be required reading in school, or at least parts of it.",
          "reason": "Strongly endorses the book and says it should be required reading in school, at least in part.",
          "audience": "School students",
          "caveat": "The commenter suggests requiring at least parts of it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21901585,
          "author": "onlyrealcuzzo",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T20:42:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21901585",
          "commentText": "The Black Swan by Taleb and Thinking, Fast and Slow by Kahneman are two books that pretty much completely changed how I view the world, and have made me much happier as a direct result.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Black Swan by Taleb and Thinking, Fast and Slow by Kahneman are two books that pretty much completely changed how I view the world, and have made me much happier as a direct result.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book changed how they view the world and made them happier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804066,
          "author": "Delfino",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:09:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804066",
          "commentText": "I read about 25 books this year, here are the top 10 I look forward to reading in 2020, many of them informed by my favorites of 2019:\nHomo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari - I read Sapiens this year and really enjoyed it. I just started this today one so I may finish that before the end of the year.\nThinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman - I like books that make me think and from what I've heard, this will definitely do the trick. I read Factfulness this year and this was a suggested follow-up.\nThe Language Instinct by Steven Pinker - I've gotten really into natural languages since I've lived outside my country of origin for the last 2 and a half years and I've heard good things about this book being an entry point into linguistics.\nSword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski - With the new Witcher show coming out on Netflix I finally went back and beat The Witcher 3 then read the first book, The Last Wish. It was enjoyable enough that I want to keep going with the series.\nEducated by Tara Westover - Was convinced by Bill Gate's blog this is worthwhile. I'm a teacher so it wasn't hard to convince me.\nRobot Builder's Bonanza by Gordon McComb - I've been asked to teach a robotics course next year and this one seems to be The Book everyone recommends to dive into robotics.\nDivided by Partition: United by Resilience by Mallika Ahluwalia - I recently visited the Partition Museum in Amritsar, Punjab, India and purchased this book there to learn about more stories about people impacted by this event.\nThe Elements of Computing Systems by Noam Nisan and Shimon Shocken - I just read Code by Petzold and it was one of my favorite books. Even though I studied Computer Science in University and most of the concepts weren't new to me, it was such a fun experience mentally \"building\" a computer from relays/transistors to logic gates and up to assemblers, compilers, and interpreters. I want to keep going with this and jump into the Nand2Tetris online course.\nThe Annotated Turing by Charles Petzold - Again, I loved Petzold's Code so I looked up other books he wrote and this one looks great. I've never actually read Turing's work so I'm excited to have some background and explanation to help me not just read the words but grasp their significance.\nZACH-LIKE by Zachtronics - I played through several Zachtronics games this year (TIS-100, Shenzhen I/O and Opus Magnum) so I can't wait to dive into some of the thinking behind creating these and similar games.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter looks forward to reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20982816,
          "author": "paradoxos",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T10:55:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20982816",
          "commentText": "Regarding Kahneman, keep in mind that in the following years there has been a lot of doubt - including by Kahneman himself - about the scientific validity of the evidence.\nSee also:\nhttps://replicationindex.com/2017/02/02/reconstruction-of-a-... (https://replicationindex.com/2017/02/02/reconstruction-of-a-train-wreck-how-priming-research-went-of-the-rails/#comment-1454)\nhttps://retractionwatch.com/2017/02/20/placed-much-faith-und... (https://retractionwatch.com/2017/02/20/placed-much-faith-underpowered-studies-nobel-prize-winner-admits-mistakes/)",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Regarding Kahneman, keep in mind that in the following years there has been a lot of doubt - including by Kahneman himself - about the scientific validity of the evidence.",
          "reason": "Raises doubts about the scientific validity of evidence associated with the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The criticism concerns evidence and research discussed in the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20982706,
          "author": "kalado",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T10:35:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20982706",
          "commentText": "Non-Fiction:\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman | \nbook on human rationality and irrationality\n- An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield\nFiction:\n- Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality | \nPetunia married a professor, and Harry grew up reading science and science fiction.\nhttp://www.hpmor.com/\n-  Off to Be the Wizard (Magic 2.0 Book 1) by Scott Meyer | \nReality is defined in a text file, making the protagonist a wizard when he discovers it while hacking a company.\n-  The Magicians (series) by Lev Grossman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman | \nbook on human rationality and irrationality",
          "reason": "Included as a recommended recent read, with a brief description of its subject.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20339588,
          "author": "PeterWhittaker",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T21:30:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20339588",
          "commentText": "Darwin's Dangerous Idea, by Daniel Dennett, one of the two most important (IMHO, of course) books I've read (Thinking, Fast and Slow is the other, already recommended, below.\nDennett is a practical philosopher of science; the book is a detailed analysis and extension of the idea of \"designer-free design\", evolution by incremental random change. Among other things, he thoroughly presents the implications of Darwinian evolution, discusses the concept of \"design space\" and how some evolutions preclude whole swaths of that space, then speculates carefully on how the idea could pertain to other fields, e.g., the evolution of physical law (assuming that each \"big bang\" resulted in a universe with slightly different physics.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Thinking, Fast and Slow is the other, already recommended, below.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19906571,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-14T03:33:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19906571",
          "commentText": "I have found Poor Charlies Almanack by Charlie Muenger to have quite a few.\nThinking Fast and Slow is another great book that explains some of the mental models well.\nThe Art of Thinking Clearly is yet another that is actually more like a dictionary of mental models.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking Fast and Slow is another great book that explains some of the mental models well.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great book that explains mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19896110,
          "author": "wintercarver",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T02:48:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19896110",
          "commentText": "I guess my interest is actually in finding books that teach _one_ mental model, or at most one with a few variations to really send the point home. There's no shortage of fascinating compilations or general studies (e.g. Thinking Fast & Slow is not a walk-away-with-one-concept book, apart from perhaps \"oh damn there's a lot of biases out there!\"), but there might be a shortage of books that effectively focus on a single concept.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Thinking Fast & Slow is not a walk-away-with-one-concept book",
          "reason": "Uses it as an example of a book that does not focus on a single takeaway concept.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19092022,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-06T01:57:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19092022",
          "commentText": "1. All of Nassim Taleb's Books - They changed the way I thought about tail probabilities and risk taking + bar bell strategies in general\n2. Thinking Fast and Slow - made me think about all of the biases that my mind has that I dont even realize\n3. The organized mind - This book gave me a lot of ideas about how I can change my life to live with less distractions and maybe do thinks more efficently\n4. The Vital Question - Made me realize how lucky we as humans and complex cellular beings are to even exist.\n5. Misquoting Jesus (and all of Ehrman's other books) - Gave me talking points I use against any/all overzealous Christians in my life. The stories of the bible are not remotely close to the stories that where handed down by the people that were with Jesus when he died. Over 100s of years and many errors (and a lot of luck), people decided Jesus was the son of God. Unfortunately for them, the chances of that being true are very very close to zero.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking Fast and Slow - made me think about all of the biases that my mind has that I dont even realize",
          "reason": "Made the commenter think about biases they had not noticed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19091223,
          "author": "_jgdh",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T23:35:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19091223",
          "commentText": "* Factfulness and Thinking Fast And Slow. The latter helped me internalise that my thinking, like most humans, is biased. Even being aware of those biases doesn’t always help. We need to go above and beyond to overcome our biases.  Factfulness goes into detail about what those biases are and how they lead to a distorted world view. Rather than taking the easy way out by blaming journalists/politicians/rich people, he turns the focus onto us and our biases and speaks about how to look at the world in an objective fact based manner.\n* The Dictator’s Handbook. One simple axiom - leaders do what is necessary to stay in power. Using that idea they explain the basis of all political systems, whether autocracy or democracy or somewhere in between. I didn’t really understand politics before I read this. CGPGrey has a video where he summarises the book. [1]\n* (Only for Indians) India After Gandhi. You can’t really understand your country if you don’t know it’s history. History stopped in 1947 according to our history books, and most people are blissfully unaware of what came after. They don’t know how close India came to losing democracy or how easily it could happen again. They don’t understand the dangers of promoting one language at the expense of others because they don’t know that it’s been tried before. Every Indian needs to know so we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past over and over.\n[1] - https://youtu.be/rStL7niR7gs",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The latter helped me internalise that my thinking, like most humans, is biased.",
          "reason": "Helped the commenter recognize human biases.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Awareness of biases does not always help overcome them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19090626,
          "author": "vishnugupta",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T22:27:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090626",
          "commentText": "All the books below have shaped my thought process to a significant degree. I started reading late but I'm fortunate enough to have stumbled upon these gems.\n\"Debt: The First 5000 Years\": This is truly a magnum opus. Until I read this I had taken money, economy, market etc., for granted. And I had held onto the widely accepted, but naive, view that economic systems somehow grew out of barter systems. The range of topics discussed, and the way author shows how seemingly independent concepts are intertwined, is truly astonishing. I'm on my 2nd read.\n\"Thinking, Fast and Slow\": This book made me truly appreciate the value of psychology. I didn't even know the existence of a vast domain called behavioral science until I read this book. Now I'm deliberately conscious about the decisions I take and retrace my thought process multiple times just to make sure that I haven't fallen pray to some of the cognitive biases.\n\"The Tell-Tale Brain\": While I did know that human brain is a unique organ this book opened my eyes to its layered complexities. For instance, how \"seeing\" is not a single step but a multi step process. From image formation, to identifying the object, to evoking emotional response.\n\"QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter\": The book with the highest signal to noise ratio. I finally understood what science is about, a way to model nature and to keep refining it to fit the observation. There are no true/false theories/models only those that explain nature's behavior better or worse. Nature is agnostic to all our theories and models. She's just the way she is. For details read about double slit experiment.\n\"How the World Works\": This one along with \"Profit Over People: Neoliberalism & Global Order\" has greatly shaped my mental model about the workings of contemporary world. I now understand why does military gets all the funding, why do powerful governments tend to keep its subject under perpetual fear, why is it that the cost of education has been sky-rocketing.\n\"The Hanging of Afzal Guru and the Strange Case of the Attack on the Indian Parliament\": A glimpse into the working of Indian justice system.\n\"Broken Republic\": This is by far the most accurate description about current affairs in India. How India is being hollowed out and how its most vulnerable section is the one fighting against it.\n\"Grammatical Man: Information, Entropy, Language and Life\": I'm currently reading it (20% through) and it has already made a big impact. The meaning of information is deep and subtle and pervades not just human being but the life itself.\n\"The Order of Time\": The book that well and truly shook the foundation that I had taken for granted for my entire life. That space and time aren't something absolute and are personal has had a profound impact on me.\n\"The Upanisads\": A truly remarkable work of human mind. Just to think about some of the concepts uplifts my mood.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Thinking, Fast and Slow\": This book made me truly appreciate the value of psychology.",
          "reason": "Says it deepened their appreciation of psychology and made them more aware of cognitive biases.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18663308,
          "author": "ivanmaeder",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:27:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663308",
          "commentText": "My highlights from this year:\n1. \"How to Measure Anything\" (Douglas Hubbard)\nPresents a few simple techniques (confidence intervals, Monte Carlo simulations, regression analysis, Bayes, etc) to help with decision-making. E.g., should we build this feature or spend the same money on marketing?\nI put it alongside \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" (Daniel Kahneman), \"Superforecasting\" (Philip Tetlock), \"The Art of Thinking Clearly\" (Rolf Dobelli), etc. These books explain how our thinking is often flawed; \"How to Measure Anything\" gives you some tools to avoid flawed thinking.\nNote: if you already know the math (a lot of people on HN would), you might not get that much out of it.\n2. \"Why We Sleep\" (Matthew Walker)\nAs I read this book I kept thinking about all the people I knew who would benefit from it: family and friends whom I want to have healthy happy lives, managers who believe that they'll get more out of people by pushing them to work crazy hours… and lots of people who think they’ll get more out of themselves if they sleep less.\nWith references to studies, the book explains the different factors that influence sleep, what your body does during sleep and the different phases of sleep, how your body—mostly the brain—benefits, etc.\nFor days after reading it I kept telling friends about things I'd learnt from it. One of my favourite was how certain types of bird are able to sleep: they line themselves up in a row, with the birds on each end putting only half their brain to sleep. This way they can keep one of their eyes open—the one furthest to the end—so they can keep watch. Then after a while the birds on the end will turn around and sleep the other side of their brain.\nFascinating!\nMy only complaint is that it very rarely mentions the actual numbers behind studies. E.g., there might be a mention of a lack of sleep and an increased risk of diabetes or depression or heart attacks, but there's no reference to the amount the risks increase by.\n3. \"Shoe Dog\" (Phil Knight)\nThe story of Nike, told by the founder. I honestly don't care about Nike but that's not the takeaway—it's not about shoes or T-shirts or Michael Jordan. It's about a guy trying to keep a business alive: almost from day one there no let-up, the company is continually under threat.\nAlso the early employees are a really fun bunch.\n4. \"The Master and Margarita\" (Mikhail Bulgakov)\nFiction. It took me a while to warm up to this but I'm glad I stuck it out. I think the charm is in the language and the crazy mix of characters, the way religion is dealt with in a very human way; the tension, the fun…\nI really struggle to describe this book.\n5. \"Shantaram\" (David Gregory Roberts)\nFiction. I was looking for a book about India. I've never been, and I thought I might learn something and get a feeling of what it's like to be there.\nI didn't. Not in the same way that I could feel the heat in \"Heart of Darkness\" (Joseph Conrad) or the sun and the trees in \"From the Holy Mountain\" (William Dalrymple) or the weight of the world in \"Suttree\" (Cormac McCarthy).\nBut it's a good ride of a story.\n6. \"In Dreams Begin Responsibilities and Other Stories\" (Delmore Schwartz)\nI knew this book from university. And then a few weeks ago: I needed a break from the world of tech and productivity and work, and this did the trick. It is so far away from that. Think: creative types working on books and poems and plays during the depression, struggling, self-conscious, observant, talkative…",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "These books explain how our thinking is often flawed",
          "reason": "The commenter says it explains how thinking can be flawed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910474,
          "author": "swaggyBoatswain",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:48:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910474",
          "commentText": "haven't read a ton of nonfiction, but these were good\n- Thinking fast, and slow\n- 7 habits of highly effective people\n- Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software\n- Getting Things Done\n- Choose Yourself",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "these were good\n- Thinking fast, and slow",
          "reason": "The commenter includes it among nonfiction books they found good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have not read much nonfiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910365,
          "author": "burke",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:39:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910365",
          "commentText": "In no particular order:\n• Sapiens\n• Thinking Fast and Slow\n• The Mind Illuminated\n• A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "• Thinking Fast and Slow",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for favorite nonfiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910252,
          "author": "myth_buster",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:29:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910252",
          "commentText": "Gun germs and steel\nThe Innovator's Dilemma\nThinking Fast and Slow\nGodel Eschel Bach\nHard Things about Hard Things",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking Fast and Slow",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for favorite nonfiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17528807,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-14T04:20:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17528807",
          "commentText": "I finished Never Split the Difference a month back.  Fantastic read.\nI am almost finished with Thinking Fast and Slow.  I kinda wish I had read it years back given all the useful insights.\nI just bought a copy of the 1961 version of Stranger in a Strange land.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I kinda wish I had read it years back given all the useful insights.",
          "reason": "Says it contains useful insights they wish they had encountered earlier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168677,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:31:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168677",
          "commentText": "I can't give just one, but here are a few that had a strong influence on me: \n\"12 Rules for Life\" by Jordan Peterson, \"Why Switzerland?\" Jonathan Steinberg, \"Little Book of Common Sense Investing\" by John C. Bogle, \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" by Butron Malkiel, \"Liberalismus\" by Ludwig von Mises, \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann, \"Walden\" by Henry David Thoreau, \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"A Treatise on Political Economy\" by Jean-Baptiste Say, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy\" by Joseph Alois Schumpeter, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"My Correct Views on Everything\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"The Captive Mind\" Czesław Miłosz, \"One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, \"The House of the Dead\" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, \"Conversations with an Executioner\" by Kazimierz Moczarski, \"Diary 1954\" by Leopold Tyrmand, \"The Master and Margarita\" by Mikhail Bulgakov, \"A World Apart: A Memoir of the Gulag\" by Gustaw Herling-Grudziński",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a strong influence on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17031978,
          "author": "cbanek",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T17:45:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17031978",
          "commentText": "1. Mythical Man Month - obvious reasons\n2. Deathmarch: The Complete Software Developer's Guide to Surviving 'Mission Impossible' Projects- also a classic.\n3. Thinking fast and slow - a great introduction to biases that will affect your thinking in any project.\n4. The Art of War - strategy and tactics for attacking any problem.  My personal favorite translation is by Thomas Cleary.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking fast and slow - a great introduction to biases that will affect your thinking in any project.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great introduction to biases that can affect project decisions.",
          "audience": "People starting careers in software engineering or computer science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16758298,
          "author": "eldavido",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T19:47:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16758298",
          "commentText": "This is a fantastic book. It's essentially a summary of the author (Daniel Kahneman's) academic career, worth reading because he's one of the founders of \"behavioral economics\" - the idea that economic-decision making should be studied using real people and experiments--how they do it in psychology--rather than a bunch of mathematical models on a blackboard which may or may not accurately capture human behavior (despite being mathematically usable/tractable).\nIf you read this book, you'll learn how absurdly influential Kahneman has been: he did the original research on the endowment effect, anchoring, loss aversion, and tons of other stuff you'll see quoted around here all the time. He's also heavily cited by Taleb.\nI wish more academics would write like this. It's a hard book to summarize because it's long and completely free of bullshit. It's more or less 400 pages of \"here's the question, here's what we did, here were the results, we were surprised because\" 20-30 pages at a time. It's an outstanding book by an outstanding professor.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is a fantastic book.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it fantastic and praises its clear account of Kahneman's research and influence.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Long (about 400 pages); difficult to summarize.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16758035,
          "author": "troycarlson",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T19:25:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16758035",
          "commentText": "This book has helped me recognize various cognitive biases and heuristics that I or the people around me are demonstrating. Sometimes people say things that just \"feel\" wrong and this book has helped me identify and name why it feels wrong. It can get a little dry at times, but for the most part the research and examples are memorable. I also find the framework of the \"two systems\" to be a simple reminder to slow down and think about things that surprise/frustrate me before arriving at conclusions (or responding to that frustrating coworker :P).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book has helped me recognize various cognitive biases and heuristics",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helps identify cognitive biases and use the two-systems framework to pause before reacting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Can get a little dry at times.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16757055,
          "author": "MarlonPro",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T17:42:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16757055",
          "commentText": "- Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio\n- Tribe of Mentors by Tim Ferriss\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman\n~10 SQL Server/DW/BI books (not just on the desk but scattered everywhere)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16595644,
          "author": "noobly",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-15T19:06:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16595644",
          "commentText": "I'm no professional but I was very impressed by the immediate utility and domain independence of what I gained from reading \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\".\nI've always felt that intelligence is largely cultivated (or at least a significant portion of what we commonly refer to as 'intelligence'), and much of this book seemed to agree and offered constructive advice on improving ones cognition, along with making use of many quirks, oddities and primitive habits our brains have been endowed with.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "reading \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book offered useful, domain-independent insights and advice about cognition.",
          "audience": "People interested in cognition and decision-making.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296548,
          "author": "tmatthewj",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T06:46:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296548",
          "commentText": "Thinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman\nThe Richest Man in Babylon - George Samuel Clason\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert M. Pirsig\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie\nThis is such a beautiful thread!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the question about books the commenter wishes they had read earlier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961294,
          "author": "vo1d",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:27:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961294",
          "commentText": "- The Innovator's Dilemma by Clay Christensen\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman\n- A Briefer History of Time by Stephen Hawking\n- The Lean Startup by Eric Ries\n- Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson\n- The Industries of the Future by Alec Ross\n- Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss\n- Start with No by Jim Camp\n- How Google Works by Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg\n- The Everything Store by Brad Stone\n- The Inevitable by Kevin Kelly",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15761778,
          "author": "Dowwie",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T00:06:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15761778",
          "commentText": "\"Thinking, Fast and Slow\", in particular the explanation of prospect theory.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "in particular the explanation of prospect theory.",
          "reason": "Names it as a response to a question asking for books useful across areas of daily life, highlighting its explanation of prospect theory.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15629992,
          "author": "bobosha",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:08:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15629992",
          "commentText": "1. Thinking fast and slow - Kahneman\n2. Godel, Escher and Bach - Hofstadter\n3. On Intelligence - Jeff Hawkins",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking fast and slow - Kahneman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156271,
          "author": "BeetleB",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T14:58:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156271",
          "commentText": "Bargaining for Advantage : Negotiation Strategies for Reasonable People\nThe Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion\nLies my teacher told me : everything your American history textbook got wrong\nInfluence: The Psychology of Persuasion\nNonviolent Communication: A Language of Life\nThinking, Fast and Slow",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking, Fast and Slow",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which books had the biggest impact on mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156202,
          "author": "palerdot",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T14:45:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156202",
          "commentText": "The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson\nThinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which books had the biggest impact on mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15017866,
          "author": "auganov",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T13:13:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15017866",
          "commentText": "The classic Clean Code by Robert C. Martin <- probably won't learn much new, but worth it, just to let the concepts reenter your consciousness.\nThe Secret War Against the Jews by John Loftus <- Changed the way I think about inner workings of the government. But at the same time, many claims are hard to verify.\nThe life changing magic of cleaning up by Marie Kondo <- not life changing but decent and a quick, 2-3 day read.\nNassim Taleb books, pretty sure everyone on here read it or plans to so, don't need my description.\nHalfway through The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis at the moment, it's pretty good, a joint biography of Kahneman and Tversky (of the \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\", which I guess is another HN classic).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "which I guess is another HN classic",
          "reason": "Identifies the book as an HN classic without expressing a personal evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14846482,
          "author": "BJanecke",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T09:59:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14846482",
          "commentText": "* Douglas Hofstadter - Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid\n* Fred Brooks -  Design Of Design\n* Fred Brooks - The Mythical Man month\n* Eric J. Evans - Domain Driven Design\n* Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software\n* Kent Beck - Extreme Programming Explained\n* Kent Beck - Planning Extreme Programming\n*  Michael C. Feathers - Working Effectively with Legacy Code\n* Daniel Kahneman - Thinking, Fast and Slow\n[EDIT] Correct the author for legacy code",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking, Fast and Slow",
          "reason": "Included in a list answering which books affected how the commenter structures code.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14478591,
          "author": "minouye",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T21:28:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478591",
          "commentText": "Flow\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Flow-Psychology-Experience-Perennial-... (https://www.amazon.com/Flow-Psychology-Experience-Perennial-Classics/dp/0061339202)\nAntifragile\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Ince... (https://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Incerto/dp/0812979680)\nHigh Output Management\nhttps://www.amazon.com/High-Output-Management-Andrew-Grove/d... (https://www.amazon.com/High-Output-Management-Andrew-Grove/dp/0679762884)\nThe Master Switch\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Master-Switch-Rise-Information-Empire... (https://www.amazon.com/Master-Switch-Rise-Information-Empires/dp/0307390993)\nThinking Fast and Slow\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-Kahneman/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-Kahneman/dp/0374533555)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking Fast and Slow",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13805286,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T19:26:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805286",
          "commentText": "A challenge with _Thinking Fast And Slow_ is that some of its fundamental premises have been called into question during the \"replication crisis\" in psychology.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A challenge with _Thinking Fast And Slow_ is that some of its fundamental premises have been called into question during the \"replication crisis\" in psychology.",
          "reason": "The commenter notes that some of the book’s fundamental premises have faced challenges during the replication crisis.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some fundamental premises have been called into question during the replication crisis in psychology.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13804430,
          "author": "thecity2",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:48:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804430",
          "commentText": "+1 for Thiking, Fast, and Slow. Definitely a life changing book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for Thiking, Fast, and Slow. Definitely a life changing book.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly calls it life-changing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13804020,
          "author": "tlackemann",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:04:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804020",
          "commentText": "++ Thinking, Fast and Slow\nGreat book, textbook-ish, but reshaped how I look at people and problems",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "++ Thinking, Fast and Slow\nGreat book, textbook-ish, but reshaped how I look at people and problems",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great book and says it reshaped their perspective on people and problems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Textbook-ish.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13803941,
          "author": "d33",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T16:57:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13803941",
          "commentText": "On the quick I could think of two:\n\"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman - essentially a book about \"bugs\" in our minds that lead us to bad decisions,\n\"The Design of Everyday Things\" by Donald Norman - changes the way you look at human-made things, makes you better appreciate examples of design that take functionality into account.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman",
          "reason": "Listed in answer to a question about books that changed how people think about the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238609,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T17:09:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238609",
          "commentText": "Read the black swan and thinking fast and slow after, I think the combination is life changing. It was for me anyways. They really complement each other.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "thinking fast and slow",
          "reason": "Says the combination of this book and The Black Swan was life-changing and that they complement each other.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The positive evaluation applies to the two books together.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238029,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T15:50:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238029",
          "commentText": "I read 47 books so far:\n* Oxygen (Lane)\n* The Vital Question (Lane)\n* Mitochondria and the meaning of life (Lane)\n* Life Ascending (Lane)\n* Shoe Dog (Knight)\n* Heat (Buford)\n* Thinking Fast And Slow (Daniel K, 3rd time reading it)\n* Fluent Forever (Wyner)\n* Dark Money (Mayer)\n* Elon Musk (Vance)\n* The Black Swan (Taleb, 5th time reading it)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Thinking Fast And Slow (Daniel K, 3rd time reading it)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416102,
          "author": "tracker1",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T20:39:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416102",
          "commentText": "I would look at a few design and user experience books... \"Don't make me think\", \"Thinking fast and slow\" and \"Designed for use\" come to mind.\nAs developers, and even PMs we will tend to overload our users with too much... simplification, structure, clarity come to mind.  Another deep issue, and I don't have any books to recommend center around nomenclature...  Too many projects don't take the time to concentrate on naming things from a high level...  From project features to user roles and the language/platform that integrate them, there's often confusion and blurred lines with the same names used in different contexts.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Don't make me think\", \"Thinking fast and slow\" and \"Designed for use\" come to mind.",
          "reason": "Names it among books relevant to design and user experience.",
          "audience": "Developers and product managers working on user experience.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12415928,
          "author": "bizzleDawg",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T20:13:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12415928",
          "commentText": "I guess someone has to be the first to say \"Thinking Fast and Slow\"[1] by Daniel Kahneman. It's certainly a very useful book (even for it's flaws) for it's detail on cognitive phycology and human biases. It certainly improved my personal and professional life.\n[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thinking,_Fast_and_Slow",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's certainly a very useful book (even for it's flaws) for it's detail on cognitive phycology and human biases. It certainly improved my personal and professional life.",
          "reason": "Calls it useful and says it improved personal and professional life.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in cognitive psychology and human biases.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it has flaws.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12244340,
          "author": "anonymoushn",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-07T23:24:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244340",
          "commentText": "Thinking, Fast and Slow",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking, Fast and Slow",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12243867,
          "author": "drited",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-07T21:50:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12243867",
          "commentText": "Misbehaving by Richard Thaler. It's like Thinking, Fast and Slow except more hilarious.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Thinking, Fast and Slow",
          "reason": "Used as a comparison for the humor of Misbehaving.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144179,
          "author": "naboavida",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:38:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144179",
          "commentText": "Thinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman. Learn why we're fools by nature.\nIncerto - Nassim Nicholas Taleb (4 volumes, with The Black Swan as my favourite). Learn how not to be a fool, or at least, minimize its impacts.\nThe Startup Owner's Manual - Steve Blank. Learn how to find your way through the market.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman. Learn why we're fools by nature.",
          "reason": "Presented as one of three books that impacted the commenter’s career.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12142525,
          "author": "justushamalaine",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T09:19:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12142525",
          "commentText": "Thinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nHow I raised myself from failure to success in selling, Frank Bettger\nThinking in Systems: A Primer, Daniela Meadows\nMost important thing is to get up and start doing stuff, understand how you personally f$$k things up and reap benifits of compound interest in personal development. I think these three bookshave a lot of information that is usable in any career or path one might choose.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman",
          "reason": "Included among three books offered in response to a career book prompt.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12099678,
          "author": "homingbrain",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T09:02:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12099678",
          "commentText": "Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman.\nAlso, strangely enough (not being a Harry Potter fan), I immensely enjoyed Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11704666,
          "author": "TheAlchemist",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-16T06:46:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11704666",
          "commentText": "Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman: http://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-Kahneman/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-Kahneman/dp/0374533555)\nGreat book about the way humans think.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book about how humans think.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785719,
          "author": "martythemaniak",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T21:18:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785719",
          "commentText": "Leave it to Psmith - 10/10\nAnna Karenina - 8/10\nThe Code of the Woosters 8/10\nFooled by Randomness 7/10\nFinding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life 8/10\nHow to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia 9/10\nReluctant Fundamentalist 9/10\nThe Sense of an Ending - Julian Barnes 8/10\nThe Last Question - Asimov - 9/10\nThe Magic of Thinking Big - 6/10\nThe catcher in the Rye 8/10\nModels 7/10\nHigh Fidelity - Nick Hornby 8/10\nThe Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman 7/10\nThe Surrender Experiment - 10/10\nUntethered Soul - 9/10\nThe Autobiography of a Yogi - 7/10\nRaja Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 7/10\nSomething Fresh, something new - 7/10\nKarma Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 8/10\nThinking, Fast and Slow - 9/10\nFierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates 10/10\nThe Pearl by John Steinbeck 7/10",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking, Fast and Slow - 9/10",
          "reason": "Rates the book 9/10.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785552,
          "author": "benajibayassine",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:50:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785552",
          "commentText": "1- The Emperor's Handbook by Marcus Aurelius. Jan, 10th 2015\n2- The crowd, a study of the popular mind by Gustave Le Bon. Jan, 10th 2015\n3- Remote by Jason Fried. Jan, 11th 2015\n4- The shape of the world to come by Laurent Cohen-Tanugi, Jan, 20th, 2015\n5- Post office by Charles Bukowski. Jan, 23rd 2015\n6- Gang leader for a day by Sudhir Venkatesh. Feb, 6th 2015\n7- Zen mind, beginner's mind by Shunryu Suzuki. Feb, 8th 2015\n8- The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Feb, 23rd 2015\n9- Darkness Visible by William Styron. March, 1st 2015\n10- Zero to One by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters. March, 9th 2015\n11- The Kaizen way: One small step can change your life by Robert Mauter. March, 11th 2015\n12- Time by Alexander Waugh. March, 12th 2015\n13- Max and the cats by Moacyr Scliar. March, 14th 2015\n14- Scattered by Gabor Mate. March, 20th 2015\n15- East of Eden by John Steinbeck. March, 30th 2015\n16- Crossing the unknown sea by David Whyte. April, 7th 2015\n17- Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. April, 13th 2015\n18- The World beyond your Head by Matthew Crawford. April, 22nd 2015\n19- How to Think about Exercise by Damon Young. April, 23rd 2015\n20- Solitude by Anthony Storr. May, 8th 2015\n21- Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. June, 10th 2015\n22- The bastard of Istanbul (in Arabic) by Elif Shafak. June, 21st 2015\n23- L’ordre libertaire: la vie philosophique d’Albert Camus by Michel Onfray. July, 7th 2015\n24- Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse. July, 10th 2015\n25- The arab uprisings by James Gelvin. July, 13th 2015\n26- How to worry less about money by John Armstrong. July, 13th 2015\n27- Self comes to mind by Antonio Damasio. July, 31st2015\n28- Muhammad: The First Muslim by Lesley Hazleton. August, 4th t2015\n29- Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. August, 15th 2015 \n30- Heidegger's Being and Time by William Blattner. August, 18th 2015 \n31- Heidegger and a hippo walk through those pearly gates by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. August, 19th 2015 \n32- Why nations fail by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson. October, 3rd 2015 \n33- Charlie Munger: the complete investor by Tren Griffin October, 9th 2015 \n34- The selfish gene by Richard Dawkins October, 23rd 2015\n35- The philosophical baby by Alison Gopnik October, 28th 2015\n36- The three-body problem by Cixin Liu November, 1st 2015\n37- Open letter to a young man by Andre Maurois November, 13th 2015\n38- Thinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman November, 16th 2015\n39- What do you care what people think by Richard Feynman November, 18th 2015\n40- When the body says No by Gabor Maté November, 29th 2015\n41- The truth will set you free by Alice Miller. December, 5th 2015\n42- The shallows by Nicholar Carr. December, 7th 2015\n43- What matters most byJames Hollis. December, 14th 2015\n44- Finding meaning in the second jalf of life byJames Hollis. December, 20yh2015",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Thinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman",
          "reason": "Included in a dated list of books read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783256,
          "author": "dbalan",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T13:59:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783256",
          "commentText": "I finished \"Thinking Fast and Slow\" by Kahneman - A slow read, but a good one. He talks about the intricacies and surprising observations about how me take decisions.\n\"Logicomix\" - A brief \"history\" of logic, its not always historically accurate. Did I tell you its a graphic novel?\n\"Show Your work\" - Aston Kleon - A short motivating read about sharing ones work, he makes some good arguments for sharing the process as well, not just the product.\nPicked up \"Coders at work\" - read two chapters, a great read so far (I know its pretty popular one amoung HN)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A slow read, but a good one. He talks about the intricacies and surprising observations about how me take decisions.",
          "reason": "Calls it a good read and summarizes its discussion of decision-making.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter found it a slow read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10234683,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T17:14:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10234683",
          "commentText": "I would recommend the following\nThinking Fast and Slow\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thinking,_Fast_and_Slow\nPredictably Irrational: \nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predictably_Irrational\nInfluence:\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Cialdini#Theory_of_infl... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Cialdini#Theory_of_influence)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking Fast and Slow",
          "reason": "Included in a list of recommendations in response to a request for sales books or videos.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175637,
          "author": "joepvd",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:39:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175637",
          "commentText": "Bill Bryson - A short history of nearly everything\nExcellent popular science intro to, well, nearly everything.\nDaniel Kahneman - Thinking, fast and slow\nAbsolute recommendation. Is changing my perspective on myself and the world with every chapter.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Absolute recommendation. Is changing my perspective on myself and the world with every chapter.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it and says it is changing their perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10029725,
          "author": "yhager",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-09T06:56:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10029725",
          "commentText": "Seconded. This book has a very high signal-to-noise ratio.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seconded. This book has a very high signal-to-noise ratio.",
          "reason": "Seconding the recommendation and praising its high signal-to-noise ratio.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10028239,
          "author": "kashyapc",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T18:41:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10028239",
          "commentText": "Sapins[1] by Yuval Noah Harari. Currently 220 pages into it, I wholeheartedly recommend -- it's remarkably well written and is full of very interesting perspectives.\nCredit where it's due: learnt about this book in an edge.org conversation[2] between Dr. Harari and the eminent psycologist Daniel Kahneman.\nSpeaking of professor Kahneman, I recently finished his  \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" (I did notice it's mentioned in the comments, but still), over a period of deliberate slow reading of 5 months. Much has been said and written (more than well deservedly!) about this book. Don't let the title invite you to dismiss it off as yet another over-simplifying popular psyocology book; it's anything but that. It is an account of about 30 years of collaboration with his late colleague Amos Tversky. Certainly not a breezy page-turner. It's well worth it to take your own time to assimilate the content.\n  [1] http://www.ynharari.com/sapiens-the-book/short-overview/\n  [2] http://edge.org/conversation/yuval_noah_harari-daniel_kahneman-death-is-optional",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recently finished his  \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" (I did notice it's mentioned in the comments, but still), over a period of deliberate slow reading of 5 months. Much has been said and written (more than well deservedly!) about this book.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the praise it has received is well deserved and says it is worth taking time to assimilate.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not a breezy page-turner and recommends reading it slowly.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674336,
          "author": "Symmetry",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T12:16:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674336",
          "commentText": "I'm just going to answer with the books that rearranged my understanding of the world the most.  In no particular order.\n\"Thinking Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman.\n\"Quantum Computing since Democritus\" by Scott Aaronson.\n\"The Strategy of Conflict\" by Thomas Schelling.\n\"Guns, Germs, and Steel\" and \"The World until Yesterday\" by Jared Diamond.\n\"The Retreat To Commitment\" by W. W. Bartley.\n\"The Myth of the Rational Voter\" by Bryan Caplan.  Despite the name it made me appreciate democracy a lot more.\n\"Wars, Guns, and Votes\" by Paul Collier.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Thinking Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman.",
          "reason": "Included among books that rearranged the commenter's understanding of the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9663767,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-05T03:37:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 9636361,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9663767",
          "commentText": "Nominally, I'm \"reading\" 23 books that are in my Goodreads \"currently reading\" shelf.  But of the ones that I'm really working on and will finish fairly soon:\n1. Secret Societies - John Lawrence Reynolds\n2. Black Wings of Cthulhu 3 - S.T. John (ed)\n3. Unleash The Warrior Within - Richard Machowicz\n4. Data Crush - Christopher Surdak\n5. Thinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman\n6. The Glass Cage: Automation and Us - Nicholas Carr\n7. Future Shock - Alvin Toffler\n8. The Balanced Scorecard - Robert S. Kaplan",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Thinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed among books currently being read; no evaluation given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9350607,
          "author": "gbersac",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T20:02:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350607",
          "commentText": "> Thinking, fast and slow\nDefinitely one of the most mind blowing book I ever read. Loved it.This could be summarised in : \"I know that I know nothing\". It's incredible how our mind is biased in so many way to the point of being untrustworthy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Definitely one of the most mind blowing book I ever read. Loved it.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the most mind-blowing books they have read and says they loved it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9350244,
          "author": "joshgel",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T19:17:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350244",
          "commentText": "You'll probably like Thinking Fast... and Slow. By Daniel Kahneman. It's all about how the mind works and why errors in judgement/logic happen.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You'll probably like Thinking Fast... and Slow. By Daniel Kahneman.",
          "reason": "Suggests the book to someone interested in how the mind works and why judgment errors happen.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348789,
          "author": "MichaelGG",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:30:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348789",
          "commentText": "This is embarrassing. I grew up with sorta fundie parents (they got better) and dropped out of school early (religious schools...), so it might be different for HNers that had a solid mental upbringing.\nA Brief History of Time because it pretty much slapped any thoughts I had of a supernatural universe/god right out of my mind. I know it's not highly regarded, but for a rather ignorant guy, it woke me up.\nThe Selfish Gene (inc The Extended Phenotype). This is one I think is the most powerful, even for people that had OK education. Showing how life could possibly evolve, just with random mutations and non-random survival made it real to me that we live in a natural world. And not just that, but that since it's so obviously a natural world, it's up to us to decide what is right, what our purpose is. The earth and nature aren't going to help us there - it's our call, full stop. That is huge, and many otherwise seemingly well educated people don't seem to get it.\nHeuristics and Biases. (Though Thinking Fast and Slow might be more approachable.) This book opened me up to the fact that I'm running on busted hardware. That I've got serious, unfixable, biases built into my brain. That a lot of what I do is a fast but inaccurate parallel system at work. (Interestingly, this is the essence of Taoism, wu wei).\nLately, LessWrong. (Available as a book called Rationality: From AI to Zombies). These sequences have helped me, well, get less wrong, slowly, at making decisions and general thinking. I try to be aware of when I'm being biased and incorrect. I make better predictions and actively try to update my priors, instead of just confirming my previous beliefs. As I get older (34) I find I'm unwittingly acting close minded on occasion, and need to actively work against it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Though Thinking Fast and Slow might be more approachable.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a possibly more approachable alternative.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter offers it as a comparison, not as a book they have read or evaluated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9347986,
          "author": "thingamarobert",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:00:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9347986",
          "commentText": "Maybe you'd like to follow that up with \"The Art of War\", by Niccolo\nMachiavelli? :)\nI'm in the middle of Paulo Coelho's \"The Zahir\". The next one in line is\n\"Thinking, Fast and Slow\", by Daniel Kahneman. I'm really looking forward to\nthat one!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm really looking forward to\nthat one!",
          "reason": "Expresses anticipation about reading it next.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9045612,
          "author": "Yadi",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-13T17:38:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 9044833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I have $2k for books, training and confs. What should I spend it on?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9045612",
          "commentText": "I would buy and look into the following books:\n# HTTP: The Definitive Guide - O'Reilly Media\n# Algorithms by Sedgewick\n# Introduction to Algorithms by Cormen.\nCheck out some Machine Learning books:\n# Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning\n# Computer Networks (5th Edition)\nI would look at the following book if you wanted more Q&A and interview questions:\n# Cracking the Coding Interview: 150 Programming Questions ...\nTutorial memberships:\n# I would buy a Tuts+ account, they have been very slow in releasing new content (too bad), however they have lots of great Web Development stuff.\nI would read some other non-technical books:\n# Hackers & Painters: Big Ideas from the Computer Age by Paul Graham\n# The Hard Thing About Hard Things by  Ben Horowitz\n# The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book That Will Change The Way You Do Business by Clayton M. Christenen,\n# Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman\n# How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie\nIf you wanted to understand some Cloud stuff, look into the Whitepapers from Amazon Web Services:\n# https://aws.amazon.com/whitepapers/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8718226,
          "author": "therealdrag0",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T18:49:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8718226",
          "commentText": "\"Thinking Fast and Slow\", was definitely the most impacting book for me last year. Highly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Thinking Fast and Slow\", was definitely the most impacting book for me last year. Highly recommended.",
          "reason": "Calls it the most impactful book and highly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8716558,
          "author": "arthurjj",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T14:32:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8716558",
          "commentText": "Having a 30 minute subway commute I'm looking forward to seeing what suggestions come out of this thread. My two suggestions:\n1. Thinking fast and slow - Understanding how we actually think as opposed to how we think we think is a critical skill, especially in a startup. Having a Nobel prize winner explain how the two systems of your brain work together (and  can sabotage you) was enlightening and enjoyable. This book helped me understand many aspects of design and sales that had been black boxes for me\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-Kahneman/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-Kahneman/dp/0374533555/tag=youtubeplayli-20)\n2. Art and Fear - This is a book nominally about the relationship between artists and how they go about making art but it is useful for anyone creative. It's about how to go about making when you have errands to run, a deadline, or just don't feel like it. As a dev I found it inspiring\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Art-Fear-Observations-Rewards-Artmakin... (http://www.amazon.com/Art-Fear-Observations-Rewards-Artmaking-ebook/dp/B0042JSQLU/tag=youtubeplayli-20)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Having a Nobel prize winner explain how the two systems of your brain work together (and  can sabotage you) was enlightening and enjoyable.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book made thinking processes understandable and helped explain design and sales.",
          "audience": "Especially useful for people working in startups, design, or sales.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109066,
          "author": "ylansegal",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:13:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109066",
          "commentText": "Thinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nThe Rails 4 Way, Obie Fernandez",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Thinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107093,
          "author": "mrcdima",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T09:05:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107093",
          "commentText": "Some titles I've recently read or at least have placed on my reading list.\n--------------------\nPhilosohpy\nLetters from a Stoic: Epistulae Morales Ad Lucilium - Seneca\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius (must read)\nThe Republic - Plato\n--------------------\nHistory\nFive Chimneys - Olga Lengyel\nThe Gulag Archipelago - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (must read)\nThe Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank\n--------------------\nFiction\n(particularly dystopian) 1984, Brave New World, Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451\n(crime/action) Child 44, The Secret Speech, Agent 6 - Tom Rob Smith\n--------------------\nEconomics\nCapital in the Twenty-First Century - Thomas Piketty\nPoor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty - Banerjee, Duflo\nWhy Nations Fail - Robinson\n--------------------\nEconomics/Decision making/Psychology\nUndercover Economist, Freakonomics, Nudge, Thinking Fast and Slow\n--------------------\nRandom titles\nThe Selfish Gene, Self-Reliance, The Elements of Style (about writing), Slaughterhouse-Five\n--------------------\nSome links to inspire your reading (though you may want to checkout the websites first to get an idea of the topics they cover)\nhttp://www.gatesnotes.com/Books\nhttp://bookpickings.brainpickings.org/\nhttp://www.farnamstreetblog.com/reading/\nhttp://www.ryanholiday.net/reading-newsletter\nI’m just a working-class guy trying to take part in the conversation that all the smart people are having. What books should I read? - http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-cl... (http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-class-guy-trying-to-take-part-in-the-conversation-that-all-the-smart-people-are-having-what-books-should-i-read/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking Fast and Slow",
          "reason": "Listed as a title in response to the thread's request for book suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107038,
          "author": "khc",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:47:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107038",
          "commentText": "Poor Economics - Abhijit Banerjee & Esther Duflo\nThinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman\nThe Signal and The Noise - Nate Silver\nPredictably Irrational - Dan Ariely\nThis Time is Different - Carmen Reinhart & Kenneth Rogoff\nSubliminal - Leonard Mlodinow\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Taleb\nFor something more lighthearted, I also enjoyed:\nAn Economist Gets Lunch - Tyler Cowen\nInside Jokes - Matthew Hurley & others\n(mostly skipped the dense parts)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman",
          "reason": "Listed among books offered in response to the favorite-books request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107002,
          "author": "glormph",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:36:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107002",
          "commentText": "Thinking, fast and slow by Kahnemann.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking, fast and slow by Kahnemann.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6976409,
          "author": "Codhisattva",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T20:35:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976409",
          "commentText": "Thinking is not a self help book. It's a memoir of sorts about a nobel prize winning economist and the way he and his mentor changed the field of decision theory through the combination of economics, psychology and statistical mathematics. It truly is eye opening and life changing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It truly is eye opening and life changing.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes the book as eye opening and life changing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6976229,
          "author": "capkutay",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T20:07:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976229",
          "commentText": "I was thinking about reading 'Thinking, Fast and Slow', but I couldn't tell if it would really be useful or if it would just be another glorified self-help book. But if people here like it, I will probably give it a shot.\nAlso, Drunkard's Walk was excellent.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I was thinking about reading 'Thinking, Fast and Slow'",
          "reason": "The commenter is considering it but is unsure it will be useful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter questions whether it may be glorified self-help.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6899411,
          "author": "jamesmcintyre",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T06:48:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6899411",
          "commentText": "Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman\nAbundance by Peter H. Diamandis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for the best book read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6333864,
          "author": "PeterWhittaker",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-05T13:05:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 6329955,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which two books were the most influential on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6333864",
          "commentText": "Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman. Should be read by all who wonder how our minds work - and how much happens \"behind the scenes\", \"under the covers\".\nDarwin's Dangerous Idea, by Daniel Dennett. Should be read by all curious to know the full implications of mechanistic evolution (hint: think about what came before life).\nThe Mating Mind, by Geoffrey Miller. Must-read for anyone in marketing, or anyone wondering why the other guy got laid and you didn't.\nGuns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, by Jared Diamond. Why are we rich and they poor? Why so few domesticated African animals? Why one big China and a many-state Europe?\nThe Laughter of Triumph: William Hone and the Fight for the Free Press, by Ben Wilson. Great read about an early 19th C. struggle against unjust laws used to gag journalism. Relevant in today's age of bloggers, etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Should be read by all who wonder how our minds work",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it to readers curious about how the mind works.",
          "audience": "Readers curious about how minds work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5704008,
          "author": "joelmaat",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-14T10:44:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5704008",
          "commentText": "The Way of The Superior Man\nThe Art of Learning\nAs a Man Thinketh\nThinking, Fast and Slow\nThink and Grow Rich!\nPsycho-Cybernet​ics\nPeopleware: Productive Projects and Teams\nRich Dad, Poor Dad",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking, Fast and Slow",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4966418,
          "author": "diego",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T17:15:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4966418",
          "commentText": "Here's a list of books that I read this year and liked. My favorite was Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. The rest are all worth reading. I hesitated to put \"The Joy of Clojure\" on that list because it's too narrow, but it's one of the best programming books I've seen.\nhttp://diegobasch.com/books",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favorite was Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman.",
          "reason": "The commenter names it as their favorite among books read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4788155,
          "author": "kaipakartik",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T12:03:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4788155",
          "commentText": "I quite liked the following\n1) Angelmaker\n2) Gone away world\n3) The Hobbit\n4) Fables the comic seriers\nNon fiction\n1) Steve Jobs\n2) Thinking fast and slow\nHave a look http://blog.kaipakartik.com for the books I enjoyed reading",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2) Thinking fast and slow",
          "reason": "Listed under nonfiction after the commenter says they quite liked the following books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4788096,
          "author": "satyajitsdt",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T11:32:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4788096",
          "commentText": "Last month I read \"Zen and Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\" by Robert M. Pirsig and just completed reading \"Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions\" by Dan Ariely. I would recommend both of these books. I have just started with 'Thinking, Fast and Slow' by Daniel Kahneman.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I have just started with 'Thinking, Fast and Slow'",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4530467,
          "author": "idoh",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-16T21:37:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 4530022,
          "threadTitle": "What to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4530467",
          "commentText": "Some favorites from my bookshelf: Benjamin Franklin's autobiography, Thinking Fast and Slow, Fooled by Randomness / Black Swan, SICP, Zen Mind Beginner's Mind",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking Fast and Slow",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4240681,
          "author": "bvlaar",
          "createdAt": "2012-07-13T17:09:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 4239104,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read & liked in 2012 till now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4240681",
          "commentText": "Thinking Fast and Slow",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking Fast and Slow",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books read and liked.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395382,
          "author": "juanre",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T10:33:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395382",
          "commentText": "Kahneman's \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\".  It's a great account of things we know about how the mind works, with amazing insights.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a great account of things we know about how the mind works, with amazing insights.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great account with amazing insights about how the mind works.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3338061,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T18:15:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3338061",
          "commentText": "Just bought a (physical) Kindle; it has:\n_Wolf Hall_ (http://www.amazon.com/Wolf-Hall-Novel-Booker-Prize/dp/080508... (http://www.amazon.com/Wolf-Hall-Novel-Booker-Prize/dp/0805080686))\n_Tree of Smoke_ (http://www.amazon.com/Tree-Smoke-Novel-Denis-Johnson/dp/0374... (http://www.amazon.com/Tree-Smoke-Novel-Denis-Johnson/dp/0374279128))\n(I'm about halfway through both; I'm trying to get better about reading fiction).\n_The Lean Startup_ (http://www.amazon.com/Lean-Startup-Entrepreneurs-Continuous-... (http://www.amazon.com/Lean-Startup-Entrepreneurs-Continuous-Innovation/dp/0307887898/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323540517&sr=1-1))\n(Having trouble getting myself propelled into this one)\n_Imbibe!_ (http://www.amazon.com/Imbibe-Absinthe-Cocktail-Professor-Fea... (http://www.amazon.com/Imbibe-Absinthe-Cocktail-Professor-Featuringthe/dp/0399532870/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323540560&sr=1-1))\n(Probably the best book on booze ever written, my favorite thing I've read all year)\n_Bitters_ (http://www.amazon.com/Bitters-Spirited-Cure-All-Cocktails-Fo... (http://www.amazon.com/Bitters-Spirited-Cure-All-Cocktails-Formulas/dp/1580083595/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323540592&sr=1-1))\n(The Atlantic liked this book, but I found it slight --- although we're going to make bitters from this book in our office, so maybe I'll appreciate it more later)\nFinally, I didn't read this \"recently\", but I'll take the opportunity to STRONGLY RECOMMEND IT TO EVERYONE:\n_Ideas in Food_ (http://www.amazon.com/Ideas-Food-Great-Recipes-They/dp/03077... (http://www.amazon.com/Ideas-Food-Great-Recipes-They/dp/0307717402/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323540682&sr=1-1))\nThis book blew my freaking head off. The authors are modernist (\"molecular\", gag) consultant/chefs with a very popular blog; the book adapts the stuff on their blog to home and professional cooking.\nWhat's amazing about it is that they did such a great job translating modernist techniques not just to home kitchens but to home cooking, so that the same concepts that give you wanking spherification and foam dishes in restaurants give you hands-free bulletproof risotto at home. I could go on and on about this thing. It is simultaneously the geekiest and most useful food book I've ever bought. Own it immediately.\n(Do audiobooks count? If so, add to the list _Thinking Fast And Slow_ by Daniel Kahneman, _Blood, Bones & Butter_ by Gabrielle Hamilton, and Caro's _Power Broker_).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "add to the list _Thinking Fast And Slow_ by Daniel Kahneman",
          "reason": "Included as an additional audiobook the commenter has read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No evaluation or recommendation is stated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231157,
          "author": "davidw",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T17:02:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231157",
          "commentText": "The Believing Brain: From Ghosts and Gods to Politics and Conspiracies---How We Construct Beliefs and Reinforce Them as Truths : http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004GHN26W?ie=UTF8&tag=... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004GHN26W?ie=UTF8&tag=dedasys-20&linkCode=shr&camp=213733&creative=393177&creativeASIN=B004GHN26W&redirect=true&ref_=kinw_myk_ro_title)\nThinking, Fast and Slow : http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00555X8OA?ie=UTF8&tag=... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00555X8OA?ie=UTF8&tag=dedasys-20&linkCode=shr&camp=213733&creative=393177&creativeASIN=B00555X8OA&redirect=true&ref_=kinw_myk_ro_title)\nHere's my Kindle @ Amazon link - does it work if you're you and... well, not me? https://kindle.amazon.com/profile/David-N--Welton/208047#rec... (https://kindle.amazon.com/profile/David-N--Welton/208047#recentActivity)\nIt shows what I've been reading lately, notes, etc...\nSpeaking of which, something that aggregated Kindle reading patterns of HN readers is something I would love to see as an application.  How cool would that be?  Popular books, notes, etc...",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Thinking, Fast and Slow",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231156,
          "author": "lpolovets",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T17:01:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231156",
          "commentText": "Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman\nMichael Lewis recently wrote an article about Kahneman and the book, and the discussion of that on HN really piqued my interest. (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3219240)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Kahneman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 82,
      "threads": 60,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Economics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognitive biases",
        "decision making",
        "behavioral economics",
        "judgment and decision making"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cryptonomicon-1e8c66",
      "title": "Cryptonomicon",
      "author": "Neal Stephenson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50116569,
          "author": "steven_noble",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T10:21:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50116569",
          "commentText": "\"How To Make A Good Script Great\", \"Slow Motion: Changing Men, Changing Masculinities\", \"Cryptonomicon\", \"1984\", \"Lord Of The Rings\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cryptonomicon",
          "reason": "Listed as a book the commenter read at least twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 49909371,
          "author": "bichiliad",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T14:19:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49909371",
          "commentText": "I opened this thread to post about Dungeon Crawler Carl. I just finished the fantastic Three Body Problem series, and reading something so pulpy in contrast feels like cheating, but it’s making me happy and that’s what I’m looking for anyways.\nSome other bits I’ve read recently that I’ve loved:\n- Ken Liu’s “The Paper Menagerie” is a beautiful short story by the Three Body Problem’s translator\n- Cryptonomicon feels like a great balance between heady reading (it goes into WWII-era crypto thinking) and pulpy humor. I loved reading it. \n- “Stoner” by John Williams (not the Stoner you think, and also not the John Williams you think) is kinda in a different direction, but it’s a really well paced and beautifully written book about a farmer’s son who falls in love with literature. It’s one of those books that’s hard to sell in a sentence, but is effortless to read and makes you think a lot in a non-engineering-brained way.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cryptonomicon feels like a great balance between heady reading (it goes into WWII-era crypto thinking) and pulpy humor. I loved reading it.",
          "reason": "The commenter loved its balance of detailed cryptography and pulpy humor.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46161500,
          "author": "ashtavakra",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-05T14:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46161500",
          "commentText": "I consolidated the comments for my reference later. Someone else might also find it useful:\n# Fiction Books Recommended for Programmers (HN Thread 46128404)\n## Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- *Children of Time* — Science Fiction (Evolution, Space Opera)  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)\n## Rick Cook — Wizardry Series\n- *Wizard’s Bane* — Fantasy, Programming/Magic Mashup  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112616.Wizard_s_Bane\n- *Wizardry Series (overview)*  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\n## James P. Hogan\n- *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/743568.Inherit_the_Stars\n- *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifem... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifemaker)\n- *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_Tomorrow)\n## D. F. Jones — Colossus Trilogy\n- *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806105.Colossus\n- *The Fall of Colossus* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colos... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colossus)\n- *Colossus and the Crab* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_Crab)\n## Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner)\n- *A Logic Named Joe* — Golden-Age Sci-Fi, AI Precursor  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-j... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-joe)\n## David Gerrold\n- *When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One* — AI, Classic Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_Was_One)\n## William Gibson / Bruce Sterling\n- *Neuromancer* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer\n- *The Difference Engine* — Steampunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Eng... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Engine)\n## Neal Stephenson\n- *Snow Crash* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash\n- *Cryptonomicon* — Techno-thriller, Cyber-history  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/816.Cryptonomicon\n- *Anathem* — Philosophical Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2845024-anathem\n- *The Diamond Age* — Nanopunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827.The_Diamond_Age\n## Fred Saberhagen\n- *Octagon* — AI, Techno-thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1891958.Octagon\n## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga\n- *Series Overview* — Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/40946-vorkosigan-saga\n## Richard Powers\n- *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45104.Galatea_2_2\n## Scott Meyer\n- *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-wizard)\n## Daniel Suarez\n- *Daemon* — Cyber-thriller, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665844-daemon\n## Thomas J. Ryan\n- *The Adolescence of P-1* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_o... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_of_P_1)\n## Ernest Cline\n- *Ready Player One* — Sci-Fi, Gaming, Pop-Culture Adventure  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one\n## Dennis E. Taylor\n- *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)* — Humorous Sci-Fi, AI, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-we-are-bob)\n## Ted Chiang\n- *Stories of Your Life and Others* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\n- *Exhalation* — Speculative Fiction, Philosophy, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation\n- *The Lifecycle of Software Objects* — AI, Digital Consciousness  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of-software-objects)\n## Charles Stross\n- *Laundry Files Series* — Math-based Magic, Techno-Fantasy  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files\n## Ken Liu\n- *The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menag... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories)\n- *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, AI, VR  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl-and-other-stories)\n## Ellen Ullman\n- *The Bug* — Tech Industry Literary Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/703.The_Bug\n## Cory Doctorow\n- *Radicalized* — Techno-sociopolitical Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40604122-radicalized\n## qntm (Sam Hughes)\n- *Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans-in-transit-and-other-stories)\n## Roger Williams\n- *The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect* — AI, Post-Singularity SF  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)\n## Greg Bear\n- *Eon* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/924843.Eon\n## Vernor Vinge\n- *A Deepness in the Sky* — Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the_Sky)\n## Terry Pratchett\n- *Going Postal* — Comic Fantasy, Satire of Bureaucracy & Tech  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64222.Going_Postal\n## Bruce Bethke\n- *Headcrash* — Cyber-satire  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213465.Headcrash\n## Mary Shelley\n- *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* — Classic Gothic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein\n## Douglas Adams\n- *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* — Comic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guid... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)\n## Jorge Luis Borges\n- *The Library of Babel* — Metaphysical Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-babel)\n## Greg Egan\n- *Permutation City* — Simulation Theory, Hard Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156784.Permutation_City\n## Cixin Liu\n- *The Three-Body Problem* — Hard Sci-Fi, First Contact  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- *Cryptonomicon* — Techno-thriller, Cyber-history",
          "reason": "Lists the title in a compilation of fiction books recommended for programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46150517,
          "author": "djinnrutger",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-04T17:48:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46150517",
          "commentText": "Hichhikers guide to the galaxy is a must for everyone no matter what :) also Snow Crash or Cryptonomicon both by Neal Stephenson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "also Snow Crash or Cryptonomicon both by Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46128725,
          "author": "bediger4000",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T00:14:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46128725",
          "commentText": "Cryptonomicon and Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cryptonomicon and Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41177050,
          "author": "novia",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T00:37:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41177050",
          "commentText": "Cypronomicon is a pretty fun read",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cypronomicon is a pretty fun read",
          "reason": "Calls it a pretty fun read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41176397,
          "author": "nicbou",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T23:01:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41176397",
          "commentText": "The Count of Monte Cristo. I rarely get this absorbed by a book. It was a very satisfying read.\nGrapes of Wrath stayed with me for a very long time. The Jungle too.\nThis is how you lose the time war. It was just damn unique and pleasant. Everyone who reads it loves it.\nCryptonomicon, another very entertaining read that every geek loves.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cryptonomicon, another very entertaining read that every geek loves.",
          "reason": "Calls it very entertaining and recommends it to geek readers.",
          "audience": "Geeks.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36030286,
          "author": "ianyanusko",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-22T12:03:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36030286",
          "commentText": "1) Three-Body Problem series\n2) Hyperion series (first two books especially)\n3) Cryptonomicon \n4) Cloud Atlas\n5) Wandering Earth (collection of short stories)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "3) Cryptonomicon",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29670010,
          "author": "d1str0",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T04:00:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29670010",
          "commentText": "I stopped halfway through and tried reading the sparknotes to see if anything exciting ends up happening but I ended up getting bored and let down just reading those highlights.\nThat said, maybe I was expecting something very different. I enjoyed Snowcrash and I enjoyed various sections of Cryptonomicon’s prose, it was just sooooo boring in the end.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed various sections of Cryptonomicon’s prose, it was just sooooo boring in the end.",
          "reason": "Some prose was enjoyable, but the commenter found the book boring overall.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter stopped halfway and felt let down by the ending highlights.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29669915,
          "author": "singlow",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T03:45:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29669915",
          "commentText": "I read snowcrash as a teen but Cryptonomicon was my reintroduction to Neal Stevenson as an adult and it got me hooked.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cryptonomicon was my reintroduction to Neal Stevenson as an adult and it got me hooked.",
          "reason": "The book rekindled the commenter’s interest in Neal Stephenson.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25846738,
          "author": "Zanni",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T14:23:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25846738",
          "commentText": "Ted Chiang's Stories of Your Life and Others is the best, single-author collection of short stories I've ever read. If you like that, you might also enjoy The Lifecycle of Software Objects, an absolutely heartbreaking novella about simulated children, and his follow-up collection Exhalation.\nOrson Scott Card's Ender's Game is fantastic, and it's follow-up, Speaker for the Dead is even better, and my favorite science fiction novel of all time. They won back to back Hugo and Nebula awards. Card is a polarizing figure for his outspoken political opinions, but if ever the art should be separated from the artist, it's Speaker, which is an incredible exploration of empathy and responsibility, in addition to being a gripping, action-packed, science-literate read. Many more in this series, if you get into it.\nJohn Scalzi's Old Man's War series is fantastic, if you're into military science-fiction, or even if you're not. Smart, funny, engaging and accessible, and reminiscent of Heinlein at his prime, minus the weird incest fetish. Redshirts, a Star Trek parody, rivals Galaxy Quest and only falls short because Galaxy Quest is so goddamn brilliant. Agent to the Stars is less appreciated, but in my opinion his finest novel, rising way above its goofy premise by taking it seriously, exploring the consequences and treating the characters with empathy and respect. Also hilarious.\nSeconding Dune, which is a classic for a reason, and Stranger in a Strange Land (though I think The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is a better place to start with Heinlein). Also Neal Stephenson, though I'd suggest Cryptonomicon over Diamond Age.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd suggest Cryptonomicon over Diamond Age.",
          "reason": "Explicitly prefers it over Diamond Age as a suggestion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Preferred over Diamond Age.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23471512,
          "author": "abower",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T22:09:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23471512",
          "commentText": "Adam Hall's Quiller series. Good to revisit every few years and the mechanism of building to a crisis, then starting after the resolution and backing up is fun. Not for everyone though as it's cold war vintage spy stuff. Feels real though, not like Hollywood versin of Bond.\nBanks of course, Use of Weapons is great.\nJust hit 51 and finally reading Dune now, so keep that in mind, but would also suggest Cryptonomicon as i have started it several times, put it down and then come back and had to start again several times.... but i find it interesting enough to keep trying!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "would also suggest Cryptonomicon",
          "reason": "Suggests the book and says it is interesting enough to keep trying.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has started and put it down several times, needing to start over.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23468080,
          "author": "chrismatheson",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T16:32:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23468080",
          "commentText": "All the Ian M Banks Culture series.\nNeal Stephenson - Cryptonomicon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neal Stephenson - Cryptonomicon",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter reread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467753,
          "author": "ajstiles",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:57:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467753",
          "commentText": "Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson, every three years or so.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson, every three years or so.",
          "reason": "The commenter rereads it about every three years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22724556,
          "author": "barnabee",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T02:03:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22724556",
          "commentText": "William Gibson. The Bridge trilogy and the Sprawl trilogy, at a minimum. They still feel like maps to the future even now. You have to work at it, the map is not the territory after all, but the realisations about the impact of technology, progress, and the choices we make when we let society work a certain way have been profound, for me at least.\nAlso The Peripheral, and Gibson’s essay in Wired about undersea cables, and... yeah. Having read Gibson feels like a superpower.\nAs others have said:\n- The Hitch Hiker’s Guide\n- Stepehnson’s Diamond Age, Cryptonomicon, Seveneves, Anathem (aside: totally surprised how much love there is for Anathem, I remember it not being received very kindly at the time by people around me, though I liked it.)\n- The Culture series (special shout out to The Player of Games.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stepehnson’s Diamond Age, Cryptonomicon, Seveneves, Anathem",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21458722,
          "author": "vo2maxer",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T01:03:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21458722",
          "commentText": "During the past six months I have been challenged intellectually and aesthetically by these works:\nPaideia: The Ideals of Greek Culture, vol 1-3, by Werner Jaeger\nDiary by Witold Gombrowicz\nComputer Science: An Interdisciplinary Approach by Sedgewick\n2666 by Roberto Bolaño\nThe Linux Programming Interface by Michael Kerrisk\nTomie: No Use Escaping by Junji Ito\nL’homme aux cercles by Fred Vargas\nCryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson\nLab Girl by Hope Jahren\nOperating Systems: Three Easy Pieces by Arpaci-Dusseau\nI Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong.\nThe Weird by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer\nThe Federalist Papers,  ed. by Kesler\nThe Anti-Federalist Papers, ed. by Ketcham\nDoctor Faustus by Thomas Mann, new translation by John Woods\nSearching for Stars on an Island in Maine by Alan Lightman\nLoren Eiseley in the Library of America Edition\nTu rostro mañana by Javier Marías\nThe Complete Essays by Michel De Montaigne, translation by Screech\nEarning The Rockies by Kaplan\nDesperate Remedies by Thomas Hardy\nThe Notebooks of Joseph Joubert\nNature Stories by Jules Renard\nMac y su contratiempo by Enrique Vila-Matas\nOlinger Stories by John Updike\nGreek Science in Antiquity by Marshall Clagett\nAt The Existentialist Cafe by Sarah Bakewell\n100 Diagrams That Changed The World by Scott Christianson\nHeart of Europe: A History of the Holy Roman Empire by Peter Wilson\nAlec \"The Years Have Pants\" by Eddie Campbell\nLandmarks by Robert Macfarlane",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "Listed among works that challenged the commenter intellectually and aesthetically.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20338465,
          "author": "peteforde",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T19:19:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20338465",
          "commentText": "That's a valid question to which I offer a hopefully interesting answer: given that Cryptonomicon came out in 1999, it would have been a prediction (or anticipation) of a future that was more and more true over the next 10, 15 and 20 years - especially if you were in the 99.9% of the population that was outside of the ultra-nerdy pre-crash tech bubble that we live and breathe in and take totally for granted today as HN members in 2019.\nI'm reminded of \"This Is Water\" - the David Foster Wallace commencement speech where he started with an allegory about the frog making small talk with a fish. I paraphrase:\n\"The water is lovely today, isn't it?\"\n\"What the hell is water?\"",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "given that Cryptonomicon came out in 1999, it would have been a prediction (or anticipation) of a future that was more and more true over the next 10, 15 and 20 years",
          "reason": "Discusses the novel as anticipating later technological and cultural developments.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20332905,
          "author": "sho",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T07:18:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20332905",
          "commentText": "Is Cryptonomicon even sci-fi? I mean, Stephenson is known for the genre, and certainly it will appeal to genre fans, but it's not actually set in the future...\nI totally second the recommendation, though.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I totally second the recommendation, though.",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the recommendation of Cryptonomicon in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20332844,
          "author": "peteforde",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T07:05:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20332844",
          "commentText": "Perhaps the most important book I've ever read is Difficult Conversations, by Douglas Stone. It's possible that my life is 10-20% easier since I read it, with zero hyperbole.\nIt's not a breezy quick read, but my favourite sci-fi is always likely to be Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "my favourite sci-fi is always likely to be Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson.",
          "reason": "Identifies it as a favorite science fiction book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17750043,
          "author": "tyu100",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T13:51:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17750043",
          "commentText": "Yeah, I would skip this and read Cryptonomicon again.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "read Cryptonomicon again",
          "reason": "Suggests rereading it instead of the criticized Reamde.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17574432,
          "author": "Davertron",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-20T12:30:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17574432",
          "commentText": "Cryptonomicon is one of my favorite books of all time (I'm probably due for a re-read at this point).\nI would also recommend \"Seveneves\", one of Neal Stephenson's most recent books. \"Anathem\" was also very enjoyable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cryptonomicon is one of my favorite books of all time",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of their favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are probably due for a reread.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536654,
          "author": "dochtman",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:35:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536654",
          "commentText": "Isaac Asimov is one of the classics, of course. I'm particularly fond of the robot novels (all four of the Elijah Baley ones especially) and the entire Foundation series. Of course, you also can't miss the robot short stories. Oh, and The End of Eternity!\nAt some point I found Charles Stross' Accelerando, which is freely available online (along with a bunch of other short stories), and found everything I've read (which is most of it at this point, I think) enjoyably fast-paced. In particular the Laundry series (of which I've bought every iteration as soon as they came out over the past few years) -- though arguably these maybe cross-over from SF into fantasy a bit -- and the Halting State trilogy.\nIn terms of online available work, Cory Doctorow's work is also great. Like Stross, most of his work is more near-term SF, which I have liked, and a bunch of it is available online under a Creative Commons license. It often moves fast and is also politically interesting; sometimes the activism shines through a little blatantly, but the themes are always make me thing in various ways I appreciate (but maybe will fail your lighthearted criterion even if it is fun). His latest is Walkaway, which I would recommend.\nI got into Neal Stephenson through Cryptonomicon, which is one of the greats. Stephenson has a pretty rambly, wordy style, but at least that also makes his stories last a bit longer. After that, I mostly moved on to Anathem, Reamde and Seveneves all of which are big and interesting and great reads (it took me longer than usual to get up to speed on Anathem, but it was very much worth it in the end). I tried one of the more historic ones (I think it was Quicksilver) at some point but haven't finished it. The 2017 Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. was a bit lighter, but lots of fun, too.\nWilliam Gibson has already been mentioned, which I would also recommend. I read the Sprawl trilogy a very long time ago, and it's made a lasting expression. I've started rereading it recently. I also liked the Blue Ant trilogy and The Peripheral, but have so far missed the more recent work.\nMore in the one-off category: The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell is one of my all-time favorites, and mixes deep SF with psychology and religion in interesting ways. There's a sequel, but it's not as good. I also liked The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, which is also on the softer side. I read Scalzi's Redshirts and liked it (especially if you're familiar with the Star Trek universe), it feels similar to Ready Player One in some ways. Daniel Suarez's (or Leinad Zeraus as he originally published them) Daemon is fun and easy to digest, along with its sequel Freedom. I liked Robert J. Sawyer's The Terminal Experiment, but one person I recommended it too wasn't impressed -- I still think it's fun, if not very deep. I also bought his Factoring Humanity and liked it okay.\nHope that helps. Always interested in more recommendations based on this list!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cryptonomicon, which is one of the greats.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the greats.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536533,
          "author": "physicsyogi",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:12:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536533",
          "commentText": "Cryptonomicon and Snow Crash were great. Others you might:\n- The Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang (superb short story that Arrival was based on)\n- The Three Body-Problem (Cixin Liu)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Parable of the Sower (Octavia Butler)\n- Lucifer's Hammer (Larry Niven)\n- The Kundalini Equation (Steven Barnes)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cryptonomicon and Snow Crash were great.",
          "reason": "Calls it great and offers it among suggestions for the reader's request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536437,
          "author": "gtdthrow",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T18:50:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536437",
          "commentText": "+1\nAnything Gibson, especially Sprawl Trilogy\nAnything Stephenson, though I particularly liked Diamond Age, Cryptonomicon, and Snow Crash, In the beginning was the command line.. oh, I like everything by him.\nSeriously though, In the beginning was the command line and Cryptonomicon are basically an ode to 90s hacker culture, the true neckbeard type of CS. Love that aesthetic, culture and ethics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "particularly liked Diamond Age, Cryptonomicon, and Snow Crash",
          "reason": "Says this was particularly liked.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296923,
          "author": "fiddyschmitt",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T09:37:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296923",
          "commentText": "The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood. An easily digestible summary of information and key figures in its history.\nTuring's Cathedral (or as my brothers call it: Von Neumann's Cathedral). An awesome account of the history of computation, and the obstacles that had to be overcome.\nCryptonomicon. Hilarious\nThe Strangest Man, by Graham Farmelo. A biography of delightfully awkward Paul Dirac.\nThe Library of Babel, by Jorge Luis Borges. Thought provoking and profound.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cryptonomicon. Hilarious",
          "reason": "Calls the book hilarious.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567186,
          "author": "iNate2000",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T15:07:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567186",
          "commentText": "Probably my favorite novel. And, unfortunately, more relevant than ever.\nA quote:\nIf the entire world were to become a police state obsessed with recovering old secrets, then vast resources might be thrown at the problem of factoring large composite numbers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Probably my favorite novel. And, unfortunately, more relevant than ever.",
          "reason": "Calls it their favorite novel and says it feels increasingly relevant.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567076,
          "author": "kmichaels",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T14:31:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567076",
          "commentText": "Just started re-reading the Baroque cycle and plan to follow with Cryptonomicon. Re-reading really reveals a lot that was a bit of a mystery the first time.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "plan to follow with Cryptonomicon",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13566796,
          "author": "xevb3k",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T12:45:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13566796",
          "commentText": "Cryptonomicon, very dense almost requires a second reading to fully understand how everything ties together.\nConsidering it was written in 1999 still feels very contemporary.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "very dense almost requires a second reading to fully understand how everything ties together.",
          "reason": "Praises its interconnected story and says it remains contemporary despite being written in 1999.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Dense; the commenter says a second reading may be needed to understand how everything connects.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249434,
          "author": "qwertyuiop924",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T11:39:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249434",
          "commentText": "I'll second The Baroque Cycle (or Cryptonomicon: it doesn't matter which). But might I also suggest the works of Terry Pratchett, particularly Discworld? Sir Pterry's work is among the best I've ever read.\nIf you're looking for something a bit fluffier than the above, then I would suggest The Dresden Files. Sure, it's mindless fluff, but man, it's good mindless fluff. The same applies to The Codex Alera (which apparently resulted from a bet that the author couldn't make a good book from an awful idea: the idea given was the lost roman legion crossed with Pokemon).\nI can also suggest Ready Player one in this category. Ready Player One is essentially geek culture (especially gaming culture) furiously... well, you know. Giving itself one. But it's a fun ride (unlike Armada. But that's another story).\nFinally, I can reccomend The Laundry Files. Do you like computing? Do you like lovecraftian nightmares? Go buy these now. The first book is okay, but has a rather nasty problem, sort of: It keeps winking at the audience incessantly. I didn't mind too much, myself, but I know others have been put off by it. Don't worry, the winking lessens to a manageable rate (although never quite fully goes away: after all, this is a series about a CS Student turned Sysadmin turned hunter of unspeakable monstrosities named Bob Oliver Francis Howard. Think about that for a second). And it is one of very few horror series that I have enjoyed. Take that as you will.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "or Cryptonomicon: it doesn't matter which",
          "reason": "Suggested alongside The Baroque Cycle as a fiction read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11557319,
          "author": "atmosx",
          "createdAt": "2016-04-23T20:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 11556470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your favorite dystopian novel and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11557319",
          "commentText": "For a series of psychological reasons I try to avoid reading 1984.\nFrom what I have read so far, I would say that it's Cryptonomicon. But it's a good future, it's a very sad future. Not as sad as Huxley's or Orwell's but sad enough.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "From what I have read so far, I would say that it's Cryptonomicon.",
          "reason": "Named as the commenter's choice in response to a question about favorite dystopian novels.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in dystopian fiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it depicts a sad future, but not as sad as Huxley's or Orwell's.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229877,
          "author": "fsiefken",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T16:16:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229877",
          "commentText": "That's a very broad question, so I read your comments to get a feel from where you might be coming from and/or going to and where you and I might overlap:\n* Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Antifragile, things that gain from disorder http://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Incer... (http://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Incerto/dp/0812979680/)\n* Jared Diamond. The World until yesterday, what can we learn from traditional societies http://www.amazon.com/World-Until-Yesterday-Traditional-Soci... (http://www.amazon.com/World-Until-Yesterday-Traditional-Societies/dp/0143124404)\n* Frans de Waal. The Bonobo and the Atheist: In Search of Humanism Among the Primates http://www.amazon.com/Bonobo-Atheist-Search-Humanism-Primate... (http://www.amazon.com/Bonobo-Atheist-Search-Humanism-Primates/dp/0393347796/)\n* John Higgs. The KLF: Chaos, Magic... http://www.amazon.com/KLF-Chaos-Magic-Music-Money-ebook/dp/B... (http://www.amazon.com/KLF-Chaos-Magic-Music-Money-ebook/dp/B00ABFHOS0/)\n* Joseph Jaworski. Synchronicity, the inner Path of leadership http://www.amazon.com/Synchronicity-The-Inner-Path-Leadershi... (http://www.amazon.com/Synchronicity-The-Inner-Path-Leadership-ebook/dp/B0051ANRBI)\n* Piero Ferrucci. Your Inner Will, finding personal strength in critical times http://www.amazon.com/Your-Inner-Will-Personal-Strength/dp/0... (http://www.amazon.com/Your-Inner-Will-Personal-Strength/dp/0399174931)\n* William Irvine. A Guide to the good life, the ancient art of stoic joy http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic/dp/01953... (http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic/dp/0195374614)\n* Chogyam Trungpa. Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior http://www.amazon.com/Shambhala-Sacred-Warrior-Chogyam-Trung... (http://www.amazon.com/Shambhala-Sacred-Warrior-Chogyam-Trungpa/dp/1590304519/)\n* Tomas Malik. Patience with God: The Story of Zacchaeus Continuing In Us http://www.amazon.com/Patience-God-Story-Zacchaeus-Continuin... (http://www.amazon.com/Patience-God-Story-Zacchaeus-Continuing/dp/0385524498/)\n* Nick Winter. The Motivation Hacker http://www.amazon.com/Motivation-Hacker-Nick-Winter/dp/09892... (http://www.amazon.com/Motivation-Hacker-Nick-Winter/dp/0989279820)\n* Chas Emerick, Brian Carper, Christophe Grad. Clojure Programming http://www.amazon.com/Clojure-Programming-Chas-Emerick/dp/14... (http://www.amazon.com/Clojure-Programming-Chas-Emerick/dp/1449394701)\nFiction:\n* Peter Hamilton - The Reality Dysfunction\n* Neal Stephenson - Cryptonomicon (his other hit: Snow Crash is surprisingly more history then SF now...)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neal Stephenson - Cryptonomicon",
          "reason": "Included in a response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10843279,
          "author": "osullivj",
          "createdAt": "2016-01-05T14:08:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 10833032,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book you've recently read and enjoyed?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10843279",
          "commentText": "Been a big Stephenson fan since Cryptonomicon. Enjoyed the Baroque Trilogy, Anathem & Reamde, but non of them are as good as Cryptonomicon. It's a bit like be an Umberto Eco fan - nothing since Name of the Rose has been quite as good. Or Wes Anderson for that matter; there's been good stuff, but nothing's touched the heights of Royal Tenenbaums.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Been a big Stephenson fan since Cryptonomicon. Enjoyed the Baroque Trilogy, Anathem & Reamde, but non of them are as good as Cryptonomicon.",
          "reason": "The commenter says none of the later titles are as good as this one.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783436,
          "author": "bryogenic",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:33:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783436",
          "commentText": "\"Cryptonomicon\" - Neal Stephenson\n\"Expecting Better\" - Emily Oster\n\"The 9/11 Commission Report\" -  National Commission on Terrorist Attacks\n\"Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS\" - Joby Warrick\n\"Power Wars: Inside Obama's Post-9/11 Presidency\" - Charlie Savage (not finished yet)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Cryptonomicon\" - Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10213126,
          "author": "icpmacdo",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-13T23:34:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 10211331,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10213126",
          "commentText": "I'm going through the audiobook of Cryptonomicon, its my first Neal Stephenson book and I am quite enjoying it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I am quite enjoying it",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are enjoying the audiobook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10176012,
          "author": "riffraff",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T20:52:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10176012",
          "commentText": "I liked \"snow crash\" and \"the diamond age\", but found \"cryptonomicon\" hard to get through, even though it's super popular among geeks. \nI think even if I ever get to the end of this one, I won't be reading anything from him for a while though.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "but found \"cryptonomicon\" hard to get through",
          "reason": "The commenter found the book hard to get through.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is popular among geeks, but plans to avoid the author's books for a while.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674285,
          "author": "jepper",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T11:55:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674285",
          "commentText": "The Selfish Gene - Dawkins, The Red Queen - Ridley\nI've read these books midway through high school, already interested in biology and medicine. The depth and complexity of how life forms handle evolutionary pressure is mind blowing. Why you favor relatives over strangers, the competition between mother and child, progress through collaboration of genes etc. You see the world completely differently (after reading many more books on geology, genetics, anthropology, anatomy, cellular biology etc) afterwards.\nFor a novel: Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson,\nTruely changed how I look at computers and encryption as a not mathematically inclined reader. Building a computer out of church pipe organ components etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For a novel: Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson,\nTruely changed how I look at computers and encryption",
          "reason": "Says it changed their view of computers and encryption.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computers and encryption.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9361816,
          "author": "mithras",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-12T02:16:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9361816",
          "commentText": "The two books I've read by Stephenson and really enjoyed. Never really got into the Baroque cycle because it's so long winded, but that should also be good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The two books I've read by Stephenson and really enjoyed.",
          "reason": "Says they really enjoyed the two Stephenson books named in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9088408,
          "author": "robbdavis",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-22T05:46:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9088408",
          "commentText": "Kim Stanley Robinson's \"2312\" carries on from the Mars Trilogy. \nStephenson's \"REAMDE\", \"The Diamond Age\", \"Cryptonomicon\" and \"Snow Crash\"\nDoes alternate history count her?  If so, Robinson's \"The Years of Rice and Salt\" is great",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Cryptonomicon\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056399,
          "author": "macmac",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T11:42:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056399",
          "commentText": "Anything by Iain M. Banks. Start with \"The Player of Games\" and \"Consider Phlebas\".\nAnything by Vernor S. Vinge especially \"Zones of Thought\" series.\n\"Daemon\", \"Freedom(tm)\", \"Kill Decision\" and \"Influx\" by Daniel Suarez.\n\"The Martian\" by Andy Weir.\nAnything by Neal Stephenson, especially \"Reamde: A Novel\" and \"Cryptonomicon\".\nAnything by Hannu Rajaniemi, especially \"The Fractal Prince\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "especially \"Reamde: A Novel\" and \"Cryptonomicon\".",
          "reason": "Particularly recommends this novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8957705,
          "author": "britknight",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-28T02:43:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8957705",
          "commentText": "All-time favorite: Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson\nRecent favorite: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All-time favorite: Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "Names it as their all-time favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8946127,
          "author": "dwarman",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-26T09:13:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8946127",
          "commentText": "Stand on Zanzibar, Snow Crash, Cryptonomicon, Childhood's End, A Cantilce for St Leibowitz, The Stars My Destination, Midnight At The Well of Souls, Nine Princes in Amber, Halting State, Strnger In A Strange Land, The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cryptonomicon",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8613140,
          "author": "atmosx",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-16T01:02:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8613140",
          "commentText": "Cryptonomicon, it's by FAR the best I've read!\nEDIT: Come to think of it, I don't know is in the right category as Sci/fi. Well if not cryptonomicon, then SnowCrash probably :-P",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cryptonomicon, it's by FAR the best I've read!",
          "reason": "Named as the commenter’s favorite sci-fi or fantasy book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether it fits the sci-fi category.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7451031,
          "author": "zxexz",
          "createdAt": "2014-03-22T21:40:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 7450534,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's on your reading list? Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7451031",
          "commentText": "I advise reading good fiction, especially \"hard sci-fi\", to get your mind in a good place for the startup scene.\nLike most people on HN probably would, I recommend reading Neil Stephenson's books, especially Cryptonomicon, The Diamond Age and Snowcrash (in order descending order of subjective of relevance).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "especially Cryptonomicon, The Diamond Age and Snowcrash",
          "reason": "Recommended as hard science fiction relevant to the startup scene.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in hard science fiction and startups.",
          "caveat": "Listed as the most relevant of the three by the commenter's subjective ranking.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6976944,
          "author": "rak",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T22:30:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976944",
          "commentText": "Cryptonomicon(no snark intended)? I read that book this year too and it was definitely a great read. It's aged really well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read that book this year too and it was definitely a great read. It's aged really well.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great read and says it has aged well.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387908,
          "author": "xanth",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T02:20:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387908",
          "commentText": "Catch 22\nSubtext: One Hundred Years of Solitude The Infinite Jest Cryptonomicon\n:P",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Cryptonomicon",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387654,
          "author": "waterhouse",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T00:15:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387654",
          "commentText": "Isaac Asimov's robot series (start with \"I, Robot\" and \"The Caves of Steel\") is good, as is his Foundation series.  Ender's Game is also good; I've heard other people complain about the other novels in that universe (Speaker for the Dead and sequels, Ender's Shadow and sequels), but I liked them fine.  Cryptonomicon is rich, fascinating, and entertaining.  Dune is rich and pretty fascinating.  Heinlein's \"Stranger in a Strange Land\" and \"Time Enough for Love\" are somewhat scandalous, but I thoroughly enjoyed them.\nOutside science fiction: P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster novels, as well as what of his other books I've read, are hilarious and brilliant; I would suggest \"Right Ho, Jeeves\" as a starting point.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cryptonomicon is rich, fascinating, and entertaining.",
          "reason": "Praises it as rich, fascinating, and entertaining.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387616,
          "author": "kyzyl",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T00:04:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387616",
          "commentText": "As has already been mentioned elsewhere in this thread, most of Neil Stephenson's work is just great. Cryptonomicon is my favorite, but The Baroque Cycle (three books) is very good as well.\nIf you're into crime/mystery fiction, the recently deceased Elmore Leonard was one of the best. A few of his books have been made into movies (Get Shorty, Jackie Brown, The Big Bounce) with mixed results, but I do I highly recommend reading the books, which are numerous.\nFor a different sort of fiction, James Clavell's Shogun, Taipan, and Noble House are great. In fact, Noble House very well be my favorite book. It's a long (~1400 page) book about business dealings, political intrigue, and more. All set in the context of 1963 Hong Kong.\nThose who like a touch of historical fiction could take a look at Conn Uggulden. One of his series, The Conqueror, which is about the rise and fall of the Mongol empire is pretty interesting. The books are a light read, and not particularly complicated, but it's entertaining and has some neat historical bits.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cryptonomicon is my favorite",
          "reason": "Calls it a favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387605,
          "author": "mdellabitta",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T00:00:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387605",
          "commentText": "Catch 22\nOne Hundred Years of Solitude\nThe Infinite Jest\nCryptonomicon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cryptonomicon",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387580,
          "author": "mehmehshoe",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T23:52:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387580",
          "commentText": "Couldn't agree more about Cryptonomicon.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Couldn't agree more about Cryptonomicon.",
          "reason": "Clearly agrees with the parent comment's praise that it is plain fun.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387461,
          "author": "BWStearns",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T23:17:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387461",
          "commentText": "I've been chewing through some Neil Stephenson books lately. I think a lot of his earlier work was somewhat prescient (in terms of general themes) and some of his newer work bring up some interesting societal points especially about the role of government with regards to technology. Another theme that I feel is particularly relevant lately is the bifurcation of the technically skilled (or even aware) and the technically unskilled. He puts up an interesting split in Anathema which wittingly or not might well represent a lot of the current hacker/tech-elite discussion in society at large. Anathema is well worth a read and Cryptonomicon is just plain fun (perhaps more relevant lately than it was in its own time).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cryptonomicon is just plain fun",
          "reason": "The commenter praises it as fun and notes it may be more relevant now.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5834226,
          "author": "saturdayplace",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T18:23:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5834226",
          "commentText": "If the OP is looking for a page turner, then Stephenson's Snow Crash is another great recommendation. Anathem was slower to me, and Reamde was good. But if I was to pick up Stephenson's stuff again I go to Snow Crash, then Cryptonomicon as my one, two.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "then Cryptonomicon as my one, two.",
          "reason": "Names it alongside Snow Crash as the two Stephenson books the commenter would pick up again.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5833118,
          "author": "fizzbar",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T15:46:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5833118",
          "commentText": "Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson, while maybe not the \"best\" book ever written, is highly entertaining...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson, while maybe not the \"best\" book ever written, is highly entertaining",
          "reason": "Calls it highly entertaining while qualifying that it may not be the best book ever written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may not be the best book ever written.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5692079,
          "author": "JackGibbs",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T20:57:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5692079",
          "commentText": "Some authors and a rec or two for each.\nDFW - Infinite Jest\nPynchon - Really anything, but in particular Against the Day, V, and Gravity's Rainbow.\nRushdie - Shame and Satanic Verses, a lot of good other ones.\nNeal Stephenson - Cryptonomicon\nGaddis - JR, hence my name.\nHeller - Catch-22",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neal Stephenson - Cryptonomicon",
          "reason": "Listed as a recommendation in response to a request for good books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4967207,
          "author": "mridulk",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T21:51:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967207",
          "commentText": "India specific : India after Gandhi, India Unbound \nComputer Science : GEB( still reading), Mahout in Action \nGeneral : Cryptonomicon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cryptonomicon",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4770853,
          "author": "fbuilesv",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-11T22:51:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 4770238,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fiction books that entertain and educate?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4770853",
          "commentText": "Neil Stephenson's Cryptonomicon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptonomicon) is not only great science fiction, it'll also teach you a bit about math, integration properties, cryptography and even Perl!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "is not only great science fiction, it'll also teach you a bit about math, integration properties, cryptography and even Perl!",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it great science fiction and says it teaches about mathematics, cryptography, and Perl.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in science fiction and technical topics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4663714,
          "author": "_0ffh",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-17T09:17:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 4661261,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite Science Fiction book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4663714",
          "commentText": "Both Neuromancer and Cryptonomicon are about \"social, cultural and economic dynamics\", and they are very good books to boot.\nTry as I might, I can't remember any mocking of Turing in the Cryptonomicon. I'm quite confident Neal Stephenson is not a homophobe.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "they are very good books to boot.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly calls Neuromancer and Cryptonomicon very good books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4663638,
          "author": "rendeiro",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-17T08:43:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 4661261,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite Science Fiction book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4663638",
          "commentText": "I will pick more than 1:\nUbik by Philip K. Dick (it's hard to cherry pick his best work though, ask me a different day and I will choose The Three Stigmata or Do Androids Dream or something else)\nThe Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester (simply a good story and a great background)\n1984 by George Orwell.\nWhat all these books share is the idea that sci-fi is about social, cultural and economic dynamics, not ships or time travel.\nThat is my definition of sci-fi: An on-going essay about the evolution of the dynamics of society, using exotic technology/science merely as a catalyst.\nRunner up: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card\nCould never finish (can't recommend):\n- Neuromancer \n- Cryptonomicon (Does the author feel entitled to mock the homosexuality of Alan Turing? Found that somewhat arrogant and in bad taste.)",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Cryptonomicon (Does the author feel entitled to mock the homosexuality of Alan Turing? Found that somewhat arrogant and in bad taste.)",
          "reason": "The commenter says they could not finish or recommend it, objecting to its treatment of Alan Turing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The objection concerns a perceived mockery of Turing's homosexuality.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4662872,
          "author": "lsiebert",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-17T02:04:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 4661261,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite Science Fiction book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4662872",
          "commentText": "Hmm... Favorite is hard.  Maybe Cryptonomicon Because it was funny, meditative, and the research into WWII crypto was interesting.  Or Maybe Stranger in a Strange Land, for the insights into correct action, the nature of humor, love, and understanding, and for giving us 'grok'.  Or Maybe the Illuminatus Trilogy, for crazy awesomeness insight into the 1970's.  I've loaned out all three, and I couldn't consider a book a favorite unless I'd tried to get people to read it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Because it was funny, meditative, and the research into WWII crypto was interesting.",
          "reason": "Named as a possible favorite, with praise for its humor, meditation, and WWII cryptography research.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4597837,
          "author": "rubberbandage",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-01T16:22:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 4596721,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4597837",
          "commentText": "I would say “self-congratulatory” rather than “hipstery” — I’m reading this right now too, and although I find it fascinating (like I find reading about any cryptography fascinating), it often feels impenetrable without a cause to be, other than “aren’t these characters all such geniuses, I bet you can barely keep up.”  \nAlso, I get http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Shaftos_Gone_to_Sea stuck in my head for hours afterwords each time.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I’m reading this right now too, and although I find it fascinating (like I find reading about any cryptography fascinating), it often feels impenetrable",
          "reason": "The commenter finds it fascinating but says it often feels impenetrable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it often feels impenetrable.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4597706,
          "author": "runjake",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-01T16:02:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 4596721,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4597706",
          "commentText": "Can anyone recommend some good cypherpunk books, aside from Stephenson? Preferably fiction that communicates ideas revolving around anonymity, crypto, privacy?\nI've been trying to read Cryptonomicon, but get turned off by the \"hipstery\" (for lack of a better word) informal writing style and can't get into it.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I've been trying to read Cryptonomicon, but get turned off by the \"hipstery\" (for lack of a better word) informal writing style and can't get into it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the informal writing style puts them off and they cannot get into the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter dislikes its informal writing style.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4414353,
          "author": "smartician",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-21T19:38:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 4353632,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon.  What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4414353",
          "commentText": "I had the endurance to read through Cryptonomicon, it was long but still enjoyable.\nThen I bought all three volumes of the Baroque Cycle, but gave up halfway through volume 1 and sold them. It was just too much.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it was long but still enjoyable.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was enjoyable despite its length.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Long.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4414166,
          "author": "dllthomas",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-21T18:57:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 4353632,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon.  What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4414166",
          "commentText": "Cryptonomicon benefits a lot from being a theoretical comp-sci and/or crypto nerd.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Cryptonomicon benefits a lot from being a theoretical comp-sci and/or crypto nerd.",
          "reason": "The book benefits from the reader having theoretical computer science or cryptography interests.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in theoretical computer science or cryptography.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4353871,
          "author": "e12e",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-08T04:16:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 4353632,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon.  What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4353871",
          "commentText": "If you enjoyed \"Snow Crash\" and \"Diamond Age\", I'd recommend \"Islands in the Net\" (if you can get hold of a copy) and \"Holy Fire\" by Bruce Sterling. Or for something newer, \"the Zenith Angle\" by same.\nI've also enjoyed all of Willam Gibsons books, including the latest trilogy \"Pattern Recognition\", \"Spook Country\" and \"Zero History\".\nIf you bothered to read through \"Cryptonomicon\" you'll either love \"the Code Book\" by Simon Singh more than I did, or hate it :-)\nAssuming you've picket through the classics shelf, you might have missed out on Samuel Delany - \"The Einstein Intersection\" might be a good one to try on for size -- although I actually found \"Neveryóna\" to be maybe his most interesting book (of the ones I've been able to get hold of) [edit: After \"Dhalgren\", that is. But I think \"Dhalgren\" is a bit like Joyce's \"Ulysses\" -- a classic I haven't gotten around to yet. I spent the better part of ten (10!) years reading through \"Dhalgren\", picking it up on odd holidays - never loosing touch with the intricate unreality within, readily satisfied after reading a few pages or a chapter -- like nibbling on a choice ham that didn't spoil. It's rather more complex than any of the other books I've listed here].\nAlso worth mentioning in the \"might be overlooked\" section is Jerry Pournelle's \"Falkenberg's Legion\" (republished as \"the Prince\").\nI'm afraid I've been mostly digging through second hand books lately, so the only other semi-recent book I could recommend would be \"Broken Angels\" by Richard Morgan (technically it's number two in a trilogy -- but I find it stands better on its own).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "If you bothered to read through \"Cryptonomicon\"",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a possible lead-in to The Code Book.",
          "audience": "Readers who have read Cryptonomicon",
          "caveat": "The commenter predicts readers may love or hate the suggested follow-up.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4353798,
          "author": "SinFulNard",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-08T03:50:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 4353632,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon.  What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4353798",
          "commentText": "Cryptonomicon? The only book I ever read to say \"I beat you massive book!\" and not for enjoyment. In the end it was a decent romp.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "not for enjoyment. In the end it was a decent romp",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a decent romp, but says reading it was not for enjoyment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as a massive book and says they did not read it for enjoyment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3782911,
          "author": "lsiebert",
          "createdAt": "2012-04-01T06:03:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 3781486,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi Books for Hackers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3782911",
          "commentText": "http://textiplication.com/2009/07/13/hackers-and-hacking-in-... (http://textiplication.com/2009/07/13/hackers-and-hacking-in-science-fiction/)\nhas many of the recommendations I'd make. I especially recommend Cryptonomicon if you want some pseudocode.  I'll add a few newer books:\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ready_Player_One\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daemon_%28technothriller_series%29\nHowever, have you considered some free nonfiction?  http://www.mit.edu/hacker/hacker.html The Hacker Crackdown\nhttp://hermetic.com/bey/taz3.html#labelTAZ Temporary Autonomous Zones\nYou might also like scifi short stories: http://www.flurb.net/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I especially recommend Cryptonomicon if you want some pseudocode.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it for readers who want pseudocode.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in science fiction with pseudocode.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231360,
          "author": "amorphous",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T18:13:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231360",
          "commentText": "Cryptonomicon, so far love it\nInteresting that most seem to read two books at the same time. Usually I read one fiction and one non-fiction, but this time really enjoying to focus on only one book",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cryptonomicon, so far love it",
          "reason": "The commenter says they love it so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The evaluation is provisional.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043561,
          "author": "rst",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:30:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043561",
          "commentText": "Vernor Vinge --- A Fire Upon the Deep.  (Also worth seeking out is the hugely influential novella \"True Names\", but you'd probably have to dig it out of a library someplace.)\nNeal Stephenson --- Cryptonomicon.  (Present day setting, but with an SF sensibility; ties into his literally epic Baroque Cycle.)\nCharles Stross --- Halting State.  (Investigation of an MMORPG bank breakin spills out into real-world skulduggery.)\nAnd an oddball that folks here may not have encountered:\nMary Gentle --- Ash, A Secret History.  (Starts off with interleaved narratives of a Joan of Arc figure in a strangely different medieval Europe, and a present-day Ph.D. researcher who's investigating her, and finding out that his sources literally don't say the same thing day to day.  Then it gets... weirder.  Quirky, brilliant, and kind of hard to find in the U.S.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neal Stephenson --- Cryptonomicon.",
          "reason": "Lists it among suggested books, noting its present-day setting and science fiction sensibility.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Present-day setting, though described as having an SF sensibility.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1974052,
          "author": "blacksmythe",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T05:26:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974052",
          "commentText": "Also his \"Cryptonomicon\", a phenomenal novel.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also his \"Cryptonomicon\", a phenomenal novel.",
          "reason": "Calls it a phenomenal novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865205,
          "author": "wlievens",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T15:57:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865205",
          "commentText": "Read the Cryptonomicon. It's an awesome work of fiction, and it involves lots of geek interests. Alternative suggestions are Microserfs and JPod.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read the Cryptonomicon. It's an awesome work of fiction, and it involves lots of geek interests.",
          "reason": "Recommended as fiction involving geek interests.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in fiction and geek topics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1864836,
          "author": "haasted",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T14:16:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1864836",
          "commentText": "... with an added emphasis on \"Cryptonomicon\". :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "... with an added emphasis on \"Cryptonomicon\".",
          "reason": "Endorses the existing recommendation with added emphasis.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1864835,
          "author": "CWuestefeld",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T14:16:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1864835",
          "commentText": "RiderOfGiraffes also suggested Snow Crash; both would be excellent choices. I'd add to this Cryptonomicon, which is an interesting story, interesting thematic matter (relevant to software folks, and presented intelligently), and just full of different ways of looking at things (the scene that describes the Hindenburg disaster, or eating Captain Crunch cereal, were both perfectly clear, yet told in ways that took me some time to sync with what they were actually referring to.\nAlso consider most anything from Vernor Vinge. Some of my favorites from him are A Deepness in the Sky, Rainbows End, and A Fire Upon the Deep. Since he's a Comp Sci professor, he handles technology issues (and especially computer-related stuff) very realistically.\nAnd if you're looking back into the classics, consider Larry Niven's \"Known Space\" books, particularly Ringworld.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd add to this Cryptonomicon, which is an interesting story, interesting thematic matter (relevant to software folks, and presented intelligently)",
          "reason": "Recommends it for its story and themes, which may interest software readers.",
          "audience": "Software folks",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753293,
          "author": "mp_cnb",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:41:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753293",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction\n- 'The Selfish Gene' - Richard Dawkins\nGrokking the concept changed the way I thought about life forever.\n- 'Quantum Reality' - Nick Herbert\nOne of the best introductory level books on quantum physics mysteries. No nonsense.\n- Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert Pirsig\nThe book that introduced me to Kant, Hume and philosophy of science. Just for that, I'm forever indebted to it.\nSome favorite fiction books -\n- Cryptonomicon - Neal Stephenson\nLoved 'Snowcrash' too.\n- 'The Moon is a Harsh Mistress' - Robert Heinlein\n- Anything by Kurt Vonnegut, Milan Kundera, Somerset Maugham",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Cryptonomicon - Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 877699,
          "author": "Avenger42",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T21:29:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=877699",
          "commentText": "Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card\nCryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "Named as one of the commenter’s favorite books in response to the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797811,
          "author": "greggraham",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T11:48:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797811",
          "commentText": "I recently read _Cryptonomicon_ after having put it down last year. It was fun, and overall it was definitely worth it. I'm reading his _Snow Crash_ now. It was published in 1992, before the Web, and it predicts a time close to present day. It's interesting to see what he got right, and what he got wrong. It's also a fun read if you are generous with the disbelief suspension.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It was fun, and overall it was definitely worth it.",
          "reason": "Says the book was fun and worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797697,
          "author": "warewolfe",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T09:37:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797697",
          "commentText": "Last three books I read were; \nAtlas Shrugged,\nCode Complete,\nThe Mythical Man Month,\nThe three books I'm currently reading;\nflex and bison,\nMastering Algorithms in C\nExpert C programming,\nThe next three books on the \"to read\" stack are;\nCyptonomicom,\nThe definitive guide to GCC,\nManaging projects with GNU make,\nDid anyone else find \"Code Complete\" to be a bit repetitive, in places a bit redundant, and sometimes repetitive? \nI think the \"pragmatic programmer\" was a better read, and I could not put down \"programming pearls\"",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Cyptonomicom,",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 767093,
          "author": "samg",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-17T00:52:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=767093",
          "commentText": "Another great hacker fiction read: Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another great hacker fiction read: Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "Calls it a great hacker fiction read.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for hacker-themed fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 767071,
          "author": "JunkDNA",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-17T00:37:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=767071",
          "commentText": "I find that reading fiction on vacation really stimulates my programming brain. There's a lot to be said for letting your mind roam free for a bit. I believe PG talks about the value of letting your mind roam in one of his essays (or possibly Hackers and Painters). In particular, I've found Neal Stephenson's books to be great for this purpose. If you haven't read Cryptonomicon, Snow Crash, or Diamond Age, I would suggest reading one of them. It will satisfy your need for some \"geek\" content on vacation, without being all business.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you haven't read Cryptonomicon, Snow Crash, or Diamond Age, I would suggest reading one of them.",
          "reason": "Recommended as fiction with geek content that can stimulate a programmer's thinking.",
          "audience": "Programmers looking for fiction on vacation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 601909,
          "author": "nanexcool",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-10T07:34:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 601903,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fictional books related to startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=601909",
          "commentText": "Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Cryptonomicon-Neal-Stephenson/dp/00605... (http://www.amazon.com/Cryptonomicon-Neal-Stephenson/dp/0060512806/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241940820&sr=8-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 200093,
          "author": "Shadow84",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-26T09:14:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 199722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=200093",
          "commentText": "One could ad Neal Stephenson books in general. Especially Snow Crash. Jointly, with Cryptonomicon, one of the best books I've ever read! In Snow Crash, the author envisioned stuf like Google Earth or Second Life, only in a much more advanced way. The book was written in 1992 :-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jointly, with Cryptonomicon, one of the best books I've ever read!",
          "reason": "Praised as one of the best books the commenter has read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 199980,
          "author": "knv",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-26T04:53:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 199722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=199980",
          "commentText": "+1 or Cryptonomicon. Although I don't call it SciFi. Nerd Fiction?!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 or Cryptonomicon. Although I don't call it SciFi. Nerd Fiction?!",
          "reason": "Adds Cryptonomicon as another suggested book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter resists classifying it as science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 199775,
          "author": "LPTS",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-25T22:29:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 199722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=199775",
          "commentText": "Cryptonomicon is great if you haven't read it.  I think it's a canonical piece of scifi.  It's two generations of nerds from a family.  One is a WW2 codebreaker, and his grandson is a startup tech guy.  The book tells the story by switching between 1940s and 1990s.  Lots of historical people, alternate timeline stuff.  Lots of interesting ideas about economics and information.  A great read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cryptonomicon is great if you haven't read it.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it great and describes its story and ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140754,
          "author": "endergen",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T12:14:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140754",
          "commentText": "Ender's Game:\nInspired my company: www.endergen.com. Who's goal it is make systems of play that augment intelligence as well as hopefully laterally solve world problems as you use them.\nFrakenstein:\nFor the morality that you must take responsibility for the consequences of your inventions.\nCryptonomicon:\nInspired most of the work on endergen(See Ender's Game Above). Introduced me to the concepts of privacy/security implemented in technical form and the conflict between the two.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cryptonomicon:\nInspired most of the work on endergen(See Ender's Game Above). Introduced me to the concepts of privacy/security implemented in technical form and the conflict between the two.",
          "reason": "Says it inspired their work and introduced technical concepts of privacy and security.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140583,
          "author": "lee",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T05:59:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140583",
          "commentText": "His Baroque Trilogy I found to be the most inspiring read in the last few years - while it's easy to argue that it isn't strictly science fiction. Since it sets up characters who appear in Cryptonomicon, I feel I can get away with it.\nWhat the trilogy has in common with inspiring sci-fi is that it changes the way I look at the present - drastically. His characters are present for the beginnings of what we call science, the current economy and also on slave and pirate ships. He has brilliant physicists who are also alchemists and at war with themselves over not being able to resolve their own contradictions. (Newton) It's fiction about the history of science - and it's weirder and whackier and grander than anything else I've ever read. (Take THAT Tolstoy!( (you hack!)\nOf course, I'll also second Snowcrash as a must-read. Same with Cryptonomicon.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Same with Cryptonomicon.",
          "reason": "Seconded as a must-read in response to the recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140414,
          "author": "noodle",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T01:23:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140414",
          "commentText": "i can't narrow this down to one.  some of these are already named:\nCryptonomicon,\nSnow Crash,\n\"The Last Question\",\nEnder's Game/Shadow,\nDune,\nSlaughterhouse 5,\nRingworld",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "i can't narrow this down to one. some of these are already named:\nCryptonomicon,",
          "reason": "Lists it among several choices in response to a request for inspiring science fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140410,
          "author": "Prrometheus",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T01:18:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140410",
          "commentText": "No hacker site would be complete without mention of Cryptonomicon.\nThat being said, I always liked the epics in the style of Poul Anderson, Robert Heinlein, and the like.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "No hacker site would be complete without mention of Cryptonomicon.",
          "reason": "Presents the book as a fitting mention for a hacker-focused audience.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in hackers and technology.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135270,
          "author": "JayNeely",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T17:10:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135270",
          "commentText": "- Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson\n- Copywriting (Teach Yourself series), by J. Jonathan Gabay\n- The Paradox of Choice, by Barry Schwartz",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books for a hacker's bookshelf.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86223,
          "author": "icky",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:37:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86223",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- The Time Machine (still holds up very well, and seems strangely eerie and prescient in places)... (H. G. Wells)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Hobbit (and LotR) (Tolkien)\n- Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n- Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties (I picked up Idoru first, so I haven't yet read Virtual Light) (also Gibson)\n- The Difference Engine (Gibson, Sterling)\n- Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n- Cryptonomicon (\" \")\n- Circuit of Heaven, End of Days (Dennis Danvers)\n- All of the \"Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser\" stories and novels. (Fritz Leiber)\n- The Earthsea trilogy (Ursula K. LeGuin)\n- 'salem's Lot (Stephen King)\n- Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein)\n- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)\n- the Coldfire trilogy (C. S. Friedman)\n- various Cory Doctorow short stories\n- Kamikaze L'Amour (Richard Kadrey)\n- Lightpaths (Howard V. Hendrix)\n- A Canticle For Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)\n- Moonwar, Venus (Ben Bova)\n- the Stainless Steel Rat series (Harry Harrison)\n- Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)\n- Ringworld (Larry Niven)\n- Cthon (Piers Anthony) -- Trippiness level approaching Philip Jose Farmer ;-)\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (Douglas Adams)\n- The Black Company (Glen Cook)\n- there's one particularly good post-cyberpunk series that takes place in a world in which Canada emerged as a major world power, but for the life of me I can't rememeber the title.\n- the 1632 series (Eric Flint)... see also S. M. Stirling's Nantucket series (\"Island in the Sea of Time\", et al.), and H. Beam Piper's novel Kalvan of Otherwhen\nNon-fiction:\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (Hume)\n- the surviving words and works of Epicurus, and Diogenes the Cynic\n- Freakonomics (Levitt, Dubner)\n- The Gay Science (Nietzsche)\n- The Jefferson Bible (Christ, Jefferson (ed.))\n- The Devil's Dictionary (Bierce)\n- Brain Droppings (George Carlin)\n- anything by P. J. O'Rourke\n- anything by Dave Barry",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cryptonomicon (\" \")",
          "reason": "Listed under fiction in response to the thread’s question about favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86181,
          "author": "bockris",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T02:09:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86181",
          "commentText": "Hmmm.  Diamond Age didn't do it for me for some reason.  I liked it but not nearly as much as Cryptonomicon.  But I have had several people tell me the same thing that you did wrt DA, so it just must be me.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I liked it but not nearly as much as Cryptonomicon.",
          "reason": "Used as the favorable comparison for the book the commenter preferred.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned comparatively; no direct recommendation is made.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85974,
          "author": "gensym",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T16:28:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85974",
          "commentText": "The Evolution of Cooperation - Robert Axelrod\nCryptonomicon - Neal Stephenson\nJonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell - Susanna Clark\nInfinite Jest - David Foster Wallace\nThe Informant - Kurt Eichenwald\nThe Visual Display of Quantitative Information - Edward Tufte\nLiar's Poker - Michael Lewis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cryptonomicon - Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85940,
          "author": "bockris",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T14:43:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85940",
          "commentText": "All of William Gibson and all of Neal Stephenson (especially Cryptonomicon and Baroque cycle series)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "especially Cryptonomicon",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neal Stephenson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 76,
      "threads": 48,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cryptography",
        "historical fiction",
        "world war ii",
        "technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "meditations-9e2eb4",
      "title": "Meditations",
      "author": "Marcus Aurelius",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46693299,
          "author": "0xmattf",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-20T16:01:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 46690957,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What non-fiction do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46693299",
          "commentText": "I only read non-fiction; mostly philosophy. Here are some books off the top of my head:\n* The Inner Citadel/Philosophy as a Way of Life by Pierre Hadot\n* Plato's dialogues (someone already mentioned a few of them, but the Republic was missing from their list).\n* Epictetus (Discourses and Enchiridion)\n* The various essays/letters of Seneca\n* Matter and Consciousness by Churchland (older, but fascinating)\n* The Mediations of Marcus Aurelius\n* (mostly) any Buddhist texts\n* What a Plant Knows\n* Moonwalking with Einstein\nThere are tons of fascinating books, way too many to list.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mediations of Marcus Aurelius",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42967215,
          "author": "DataDaoDe",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-06T22:37:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42967215",
          "commentText": "The Old Man and the sea - Hemmingway - so many things, with every reread I find something new.\nThe Heart of the Buddhas Teaching - Thich Nhat Hanh, useful prayers, concepts for understanding and dealing with life and a moral compass for going through it.\nThe Way of Zen - Alan Watts, opened my eyes to different forms of religious experience\nAlso a lot of psychology and philosophy books in undergrad were foundational to my thinking. The Moral Animal, the Moral Landscape, The Blank Slate, The Republic and Plato’s writings on Socrates, Tao te Ching, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, the Tanakh and parts of the Talmud, but many of these were more academic, still holistically they have shaped my thinking and moral compass.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Meditations by Marcus Aurelius",
          "reason": "Lists it among books and writings that shaped their thinking and moral compass.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Grouped with academic works.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41387709,
          "author": "dboreham",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T05:40:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387709",
          "commentText": "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy\nSurrounded by Idiots\nMeditations",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Meditations",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41238529,
          "author": "phaser",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-13T19:05:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41238529",
          "commentText": "Meditations, Marcus Aurelius",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Meditations, Marcus Aurelius",
          "reason": "Named as a favorite classic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40284922,
          "author": "yungporko",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T12:58:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40284922",
          "commentText": "seneca's letters from a stoic, marcus aurelius' meditations, the pragmatic programmer by david thomas & andrew hunt",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "marcus aurelius' meditations",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37960155,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:07:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960155",
          "commentText": "* \"The Code Book\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book explores the history of codes and codebreaking. It traces the evolution of cryptography from ancient times to the digital age, detailing famous codebreakers, notorious codes, and the role of codes in wars and revolutions.\n* \"Warped Passages\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book guides readers through the world of particle physics and string theory. It discusses key theories, experiments, and concepts that have shaped our understanding of the fundamental structure of the universe.\n* \"A History of The Internet And the Digital Future\" by Johnny Ryan (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers a comprehensive history of the internet and looks forward to its future. It traces the development of the internet, exploring its impact on society and speculating on potential future developments.\n* \"The Master Switch\" by Tim Wu (1 mention)\n    * Summary: The Master Switch looks at the history of information technologies like telephone, radio, television, and the Internet to see how their development was shaped by businesses and government. The book discusses the cycle of open to closed systems in the context of the Internet.\n* \"The Realities of Work: Experiencing Work and Employment in Contemporary Society\" by Mike Noon and Paul Blyton (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Examines the nature of work, the variety of different jobs, and the skills they require. This book highlights the changes in the structures and cultures of work and analyses their impact on the working lives of employees.\n* \"The Ascent of Humanity: Civilization and the Human Sense of Self\" by Charles Eisenstein (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book explores the history and future of civilization from a unique perspective. It hypothesizes that human history is a story of the self's marginalization from nature and each other and proposes that mounting crises in the modern world will lead to an 'Age of Reunion' with a more connected sense of self.\n* \"Cosmos\" by Carl Sagan (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A guide to the universe beyond the Earth. Sagan explores the origins, scale, and future of the universe, offering insights into the nature of life and mankind's place in the cosmos. The book fosters an appreciation for the quest for knowledge for its own sake.\n* \"Women, fire, and dangerous things\" by Lakoff (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A scholarly book about human cognition and linguistic categorization. It posits that human categorization is not arbitrary, but is based on cognitive models that originate from physical, social, and mental experience. It argues against a classical categorization approach in favor of a prototype approach.\n* \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A series of philosophical reflections and exercises by the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. The book offers guidance and insights on matters such as resilience, rationality, morality, duty, and the temporal nature of human life, reflecting the Stoic philosophy that Aurelius practiced.\n* \"A History of the Internet and the Digital Future\" by Johnny Ryan (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers a comprehensive history of the internet and speculates about its future. It discusses the various technological and social transformations that have accompanied the rise of the internet, as well as the implications these changes may have for the future.\n* \"The Master Switch\" by Tim Wu (1 mention)\n    * Summary: The book examines the history of information, communications and technology industries in the United States. Wu explores how the control of these industries has shifted from an open to a closed system, stifling innovation and threatening net neutrality.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius (1 mention)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937446,
          "author": "barbacoa",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T02:13:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937446",
          "commentText": "Meditations of Marcus Aurelius.\nSeriously would read each sentence then spend a minute just to letting the shattering existential realizations sink in.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Meditations of Marcus Aurelius.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes reflecting on each sentence and its existential implications.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936760,
          "author": "pkszg",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T09:54:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936760",
          "commentText": "I like to read a wide variety of genre from fiction to human psychology.\nFor the mind:\nNonviolent Communication by  Marshall Rosenberg - A great book on how to communcate more effectively with others.\nThinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman -He is the only psychologist ever to recieve the Nobel Prize if I remember correctly. This book scientifically digests human biases and errors and how they influence our every day lives and decision making. Sometimes it a bit too technical for my taste and I like mostly the first part. (its not an easy read) I rarely had so many Aha-moments.\nA random walk down on wall street - For investing your income in stocks. What to do and what no to do. Simple, with facts.\nSapiens by Harari -Interesting, I remember it was a great read and fun read. Connecting a lot of dots :)\nOn programming:\nDesigning Data-Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann - I am failry a junior web dev, so any material that is clear and explains well is a great source of information and inspiration. This is such a book.\nComputer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective by Randal E. Bryant and David R. O'Hallaron - Teaches CS from the basics, which for me is a great source since I don't have a CS degree. I complement it with other materials from the internet (such as Harvard's CS50) for learning the fundamentals paralell working in my daily web dev job. Its a long book, so It will take a couple of months, years to go thorugh, but definitely worth the effort.\nFictions I love, without much introduction:\nLord of the Rings\nDune (first book)\nGame of thrones books\nFor me JRRs storytelling is outstanding, the books are better than the serires IMO.\nSpiritual Books:\n(I am not a religous person by any means and I do not follow traditions)\nSpirituality for me means a deeper connection with the universe.\nIf I really want to dig deeper than everyday work-life stuff I listen/read these books. Usually when there is a great emotional upheaval in my life or when I feel my daily distractions failed on me.\nPower of now by Eckhart Tolle - This book gives me the occasional goosebumps, a great summary of all spiritual teachings (before becoming religions) in a really simple way. If you are interested in such, I highly recommend it.\nMeditations by Marcus Aurelius - I see it mentioned here already, no intro needed.\nLetters by Seneca - This book is a proof for me that the essential human experience, the core of what makes us human does not change over time. Seneca was a great stoic thinker, who is very relatable by anyone even today (and probably will be for many millenia)\nZen Mind, Beginners Mind by Suzuki Roshi - All true spiritual teaching have the same source, but all are expressed differently. This is a great, simple powerful book to read if you lean towards buddhism.\nA Course in Miracles (no official author) -Now this is a heavy read. It has a textbook with daily practices also. This is definitely not a book for everyone.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Meditations by Marcus Aurelius - I see it mentioned here already, no intro needed.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936103,
          "author": "Ligma123",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T08:14:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936103",
          "commentText": "Meditations - Marcus Aurelius\nRepublic - Plato\nLaws - Cicero\nNational System of Political Economy - Friedrich List\nMan and Technics - Oswald Spengler\nThe Bible",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Meditations - Marcus Aurelius",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32935942,
          "author": "zx10rse",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T07:51:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32935942",
          "commentText": "Meditations by Marcus Aurelius",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Meditations by Marcus Aurelius",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30739312,
          "author": "2OEH8eoCRo0",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T01:55:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30739312",
          "commentText": "Walden - Thoreau\nMeditations - Aurelius\nSimply existing can be exhilarating.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Meditations - Aurelius",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30735961,
          "author": "thedogeye",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:56:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735961",
          "commentText": "Meditations by Marcus Aerelius",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Meditations by Marcus Aerelius",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28452992,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-08T04:19:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 28450555,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that impacted your work that few other people seem to care about?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28452992",
          "commentText": "I have about half a dozen translations of the Meditations and i suggest the following;\n* Translation by Gregory Hays published in \"The Modern Library\" classics. This is highly approachable and should be the first one you start with.\n* Translation by Martin Hammond and published by Penguin Classics. Lots of illuminating Notes.\n* Translation by Robin Hard and published in \"Oxford World's Classics\" series. Robin Hard also has a translation of Epictetus' Discourses/Enchiridion/Fragments and Sayings and Anecdotes of Diogenes in the same Oxford series, both of which are also excellent.\nPS: All of the above contain a detailed Introduction to the work which you should not skip. They set the background, Worldview, Time etc. which help you understand the ideas in the book better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I have about half a dozen translations of the Meditations and i suggest the following;",
          "reason": "Suggests several translations and says the Gregory Hays translation should be the first to start with.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an approachable translation of Stoic philosophy.",
          "caveat": "Translations differ; the comment also recommends reading each edition’s introduction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28451639,
          "author": "knightofmars",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-08T00:50:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 28450555,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that impacted your work that few other people seem to care about?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28451639",
          "commentText": "1) Meditations, Marcus Aurelius\n2) Principles of Product Development Flow, Donald G. Reinertsen\n3) Step Away from the Computer or Hammock Driven Development, Rich Hi ckey\nhttps://github.com/matthiasn/talk-transcripts/blob/master/Hi... (https://github.com/matthiasn/talk-transcripts/blob/master/Hickey_Rich/HammockDrivenDev.md)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Meditations, Marcus Aurelius",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26593791,
          "author": "oldsklgdfth",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-26T16:10:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26593791",
          "commentText": "The Mediations of Marcus Aurelius is something I keep around and revisit frequently.\nIf I need some time to refocus during a busy workday, I’ll open it up to a random page and read for a few minutes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mediations of Marcus Aurelius is something I keep around and revisit frequently.",
          "reason": "The commenter keeps it nearby and rereads passages to refocus during the workday.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23859666,
          "author": "tonyedgecombe",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T15:01:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859666",
          "commentText": "If anybody is thinking of getting this the Hayes translation is probably the easiest to read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the Hayes translation",
          "reason": "Recommends the Hayes translation as probably the easiest to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Translation preference is qualified: “probably.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23858851,
          "author": "Madzen__",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:41:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858851",
          "commentText": "Meditations - Marcus Aurelius",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Meditations - Marcus Aurelius",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that helped readers understand the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21904369,
          "author": "palerdot",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T06:15:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21904369",
          "commentText": "Edit:\nI read Robin Buss Unabridged version from penguin for \"The Count of Monte Cristo\".\nAlso, some of other interesting books I forgot to mention in my original list\n- How to Change Your Mind (don't be put off by title)\n- Meditations, Marcus Aurelius (good peek into the mind of one of the greatest emperors of all time)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Meditations, Marcus Aurelius (good peek into the mind of one of the greatest emperors of all time)",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a good window into the mind of Marcus Aurelius.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21902980,
          "author": "baristaGeek",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T00:46:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902980",
          "commentText": "Best business books:\n-Secrets of Sandhill Road\n-Hackers and Painters\n-The Great CEO within\n-Venture Deals\n-Predictable Revenue\n-Zero to One\n-The Hard Thing About Hard Things\n-Lean customer development\n-Lost and founder\n-Lean B2B\n-From Impossible to Inevitable\n-Traction\nBest computer science books:\n-Competitive programming 3\n-Structure and interpretation of computer programs\nBest for fun (non-fiction):\n-Meditations\n-Sapiens\n-How to win friends and influence people\n-A brief history of time\n-Self-reliance\n-Frente a la estrella polar",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-Meditations",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s best books for fun in response to a question about influential books.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Stoic philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21802707,
          "author": "Havoc",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T13:03:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21802707",
          "commentText": "Before diving into meditations spend 15 mins researching Aurelius. Because it's written diary style without intention to publish the context triggering his thoughts isn't always explained in the text.\ne.g. Parts seemed quite obsessed with death - which is in part a stoic thing - but also just because at time of writing he was already old & his health was failing.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Before diving into meditations spend 15 mins researching Aurelius.",
          "reason": "Offers context on the author's diary style and circumstances when writing, including his age and declining health.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter gives background advice; they do not explicitly evaluate the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20917945,
          "author": "TheGallopedHigh",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T13:31:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20917945",
          "commentText": "To follow up your recommendation: he was more than a Roman emperor, he was arguably one of, if not the most powerful people on the planet. Some might argue that any Roman Empror was, but his reign I believe was near the zenith of Rome’s Empire in terms of territory (please correct me if I’m wrong).\nTherefore you’re reading his diary, realizing his own worries, all the while being this person.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "To follow up your recommendation: he was more than a Roman emperor",
          "reason": "Adds context for the book's author and reflects on reading his personal thoughts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20917017,
          "author": "m_t",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T11:04:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20917017",
          "commentText": "Some links from Project Gutenberg:\nEssays, by Michel de Montaigne\nIn English (Vol. 1), https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3581\nIn French (Vol. 1), https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/48529\nMeditations, by Marcus Aurelius\nEnglish translation by George W. Chrystal, 1902 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/55317\nEnglish translation by George Long, 1957 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/15877\nLes Misérables, by Victor Hugo\nIn English (Full), https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/135\nIn French (Vol. 1), https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/17489\n20000 leagues under the sea, by Jules Vernes\nIn English (slightly abridged), https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/164\nIn French (with illustration), https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/54873",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Meditations, by Marcus Aurelius",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite books or essays.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20916182,
          "author": "tonyedgecombe",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T08:22:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20916182",
          "commentText": "I've got two translations of Meditations, one was fairly easy to digest (Hayes), the other was terrible.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "one was fairly easy to digest (Hayes), the other was terrible.",
          "reason": "Compares two translations; one was easy to digest and the other terrible.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment does not specify which translation was terrible.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20915621,
          "author": "senjindarashiva",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T06:18:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20915621",
          "commentText": "It's been mentioned before but meditations is great, but I would also like to add \n\"How to live on 24 hours a day\" by Arnold Bennett https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2274\nIn fiction Sherlock Holmes and the Three Musketeers is some of my favorites.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's been mentioned before but meditations is great",
          "reason": "Explicitly calls it great in a thread asking for favorite old books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20914713,
          "author": "rammy1234",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T02:21:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914713",
          "commentText": "Meditations by Marcus Aurelius\nArt of war",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Meditations by Marcus Aurelius",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite old books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20914562,
          "author": "bmmayer1",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T01:45:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914562",
          "commentText": "Economics:\n- The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith\n- Das Kapital, Karl Marx\n- That Which Is Seen, and That Which Is Not Seen, Frederic Bastiat\nPhilosophy / Politics:\n- The Republic, Plato\n- Second Treatise on Government, John Locke\n- The Law, Frederic Bastiat\n- Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes\n- Meditations, Marcus Aurelius\n- Democracy in America, Alexis de Toqueville\n- On Liberty, John Stuart Mill\nFiction:\n- The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, Mark Twain\n- The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin\n- Metamorphoses, Franz Kafka\n- Candide, Voltaire\n- The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Meditations, Marcus Aurelius",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20914255,
          "author": "steerpike",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T00:25:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914255",
          "commentText": "Meditations by Marcus Aurelius is a pretty obvious one for this demographic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Meditations by Marcus Aurelius is a pretty obvious one for this demographic.",
          "reason": "Offered as a fitting book in response to a request for favorites written at least 100 years ago.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20333866,
          "author": "0kl",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T10:55:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20333866",
          "commentText": "I have always been of the opinion that you ought to read the stoics in the order of:\n1. Epictetus (foundational with the enchiridion) [trans Robert Dobbin]\n2. Seneca’s letters (eloquent exhortations from one person to another) [trans Robin Campbell]\n3. Aurelius’s meditations (powerful self-reflections not meant for publication) [trans Martin Hammond]\nI found that, going back, both Seneca or Epictetus were lesser reads than Aurelius, but I’m still glad I read them.\n[These are my preferred translations, but I did see this comment and just ordered the translation mentioned https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8717216]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Aurelius’s meditations (powerful self-reflections not meant for publication)",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's suggested reading order; described as powerful self-reflections.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Stoicism and the commenter's suggested reading order.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20332739,
          "author": "gordon_freeman",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T06:45:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20332739",
          "commentText": "I would recommend Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (Hays Translation) along with On the Shortness of Life by Seneca. These 2 books together will introduce you to the Stoic philosophy which I just found a couple of years ago and it has made my life much better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (Hays Translation)",
          "reason": "Recommends it as an introduction to Stoic philosophy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20332716,
          "author": "manjana",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T06:41:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20332716",
          "commentText": "On the genre of Stoicism, Marcus Aurelius has intrigued me for some time. I have yet to read any of Seneca's work though but imagine that it is any bit as much quality(!).\nI would like to add a candidate for the recommendation on Stoic philosophy - \"Meditations by Marcus Aurelius\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Meditations by Marcus Aurelius\"",
          "reason": "Adds it as a candidate recommendation on Stoic philosophy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19090108,
          "author": "nathias",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T21:39:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090108",
          "commentText": "Plato - Meno, Symposium, Parmenides, Gorgias, Protagoras\nPlotinus -Enneads\nMarkus Aurelius - Meditations\nDescartes - On method\nDescartes - Meditations\nSpinoza - On the improvement of Understanding\nLeibniz - Monadology\nLeibniz - Grace\nVoltaire - Candid\nDiderot - D'Alembert's Dream\nKant - How to orient oneself in thinking\nKant - Critique of Pure Reason\nKant - Critique of Judgment\nHegel - Phenomenology of Spirit\nHegel - Logic\nvon Kleist - Marionette Theatre\nKierkegaard - The Sickness Unto Death\nHeidegger - Being and Time\nSartre - Being and Nothingness\nSartre - Flies\nSartre - Nausea\nDeleuze - Difference and Repetition\nKafka - Metamorphosis\nKafka - The Castle\nLem - Magellan Nebula\nLem - His Master's Voice\nCioran - A Short History of Decay\nPessoa - Book Of Despair\nWolfe -  New Sun tetralogy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Markus Aurelius - Meditations",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19087872,
          "author": "LyndsySimon",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T18:10:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19087872",
          "commentText": "Meditations, by Marcus Aurelius.\nBottom line: judge your success in life by how well you make your decisions, not by your outcome. You have full control of your decisions, and often no control at all over their results.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Meditations, by Marcus Aurelius.\nBottom line: judge your success in life by how well you make your decisions, not by your outcome.",
          "reason": "Offers it as an answer to a request for books with a lasting impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17986872,
          "author": "hazz99",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-14T13:03:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17986872",
          "commentText": "I tried getting through Meditations, but I couldn't. Maybe I'm more used to long-form writings, rather than the short paragraphs? I could read them, but I felt like they didn't \"sink in\", even if I felt they were profound at the time.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I tried getting through Meditations, but I couldn't.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it hard to get through and felt its ideas did not sink in.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter felt the ideas were profound at the time, but they did not sink in.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17982586,
          "author": "tbjohnston",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-13T21:05:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17982586",
          "commentText": "1. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius - practical advice on how to arm yourself every day.\n2. Man's Search for Meaning by Frankl - no matter how bad you think you have it, it can be worse, and you can find meaning.\n3. The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen - it's the journey (not the destination) and <i>pay attention!</i>",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Meditations by Marcus Aurelius - practical advice on how to arm yourself every day.",
          "reason": "Presents it as a life-changing book and describes its advice as practical.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17981889,
          "author": "quickben",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-13T19:52:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17981889",
          "commentText": "It's an amazing one.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's an amazing one.",
          "reason": "The comment clearly praises the book referred to in the conversation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17343147,
          "author": "mrtonypino",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-19T01:42:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17343147",
          "commentText": "Couldn't agree more. 99% of the time I feel blocked, frustrated, etc - I pick it up and read (almost at random) and it also helps reset mindset. This in particular is one of my favorite passages:\n\"Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it also helps reset mindset.",
          "reason": "Agrees that the book helps reset their mindset and shares a favorite passage.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337250,
          "author": "zuzuleinen",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:06:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337250",
          "commentText": "Meditations, Marcus Aurelius",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Meditations, Marcus Aurelius",
          "reason": "Named as the commenter's comfort book in response to the thread question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168677,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:31:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168677",
          "commentText": "I can't give just one, but here are a few that had a strong influence on me: \n\"12 Rules for Life\" by Jordan Peterson, \"Why Switzerland?\" Jonathan Steinberg, \"Little Book of Common Sense Investing\" by John C. Bogle, \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" by Butron Malkiel, \"Liberalismus\" by Ludwig von Mises, \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann, \"Walden\" by Henry David Thoreau, \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"A Treatise on Political Economy\" by Jean-Baptiste Say, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy\" by Joseph Alois Schumpeter, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"My Correct Views on Everything\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"The Captive Mind\" Czesław Miłosz, \"One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, \"The House of the Dead\" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, \"Conversations with an Executioner\" by Kazimierz Moczarski, \"Diary 1954\" by Leopold Tyrmand, \"The Master and Margarita\" by Mikhail Bulgakov, \"A World Apart: A Memoir of the Gulag\" by Gustaw Herling-Grudziński",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a strong influence on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17060918,
          "author": "askafriend",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-13T20:37:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17060918",
          "commentText": "Seneca's On the Shortness of Life was a profound read for me. I wish I read it earlier. That and Marcus Aurelius' Meditations.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "That and Marcus Aurelius' Meditations.",
          "reason": "Listed alongside a book the commenter found profound, in response to a request for life-changing books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17049217,
          "author": "Balgair",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T17:29:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17049217",
          "commentText": "Peterson is very good at speaking and lecturing (practice makes perfect!) and I enjoy his work. That said, his tack is largely an updated stoic philosophy. A good idea, don't get me wrong. Still, if you liked his book, I'd go back and read more about stoicism. Here are some suggestion, but if anyone else has others, please chime in:\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Meditations-Thrift-Editions-Marcus-Au... (https://www.amazon.com/Meditations-Thrift-Editions-Marcus-Aurelius/dp/048629823X)\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Senecas-Letters-Stoic-Thrift-Editions... (https://www.amazon.com/Senecas-Letters-Stoic-Thrift-Editions/dp/0486811247/ref=pd_sim_14_7?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0486811247&pd_rd_r=MY1XXP4DKN8QNDBGPYMR&pd_rd_w=bcmaG&pd_rd_wg=LyiNS&psc=1&refRID=MY1XXP4DKN8QNDBGPYMR)\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoicism",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Here are some suggestion, but if anyone else has others, please chime in:\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Meditations-Thrift-Editions-Marcus-Au...",
          "reason": "Suggested as further reading on Stoicism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17046256,
          "author": "godelmachine",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T10:55:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17046256",
          "commentText": "1) All of Robin Sharma's books - especially The Monk who sold his Ferrari\n2) The Conquest of Happiness by Bertrand Russell\n3) Self Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson\n4) The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius\n5) Barking up the wrong tree by Eric Barker\n6) This might be strange - but Harry Potter series also teach us a lot, especially about Courage and Conviction.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for introspective book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16299629,
          "author": "WheelsAtLarge",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T21:02:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16299629",
          "commentText": "I have 4:\n-Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography - you can download it for free\n- Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell - A bit simplistic but it opens your eye to the fact that talent is a small part of being successful in whatever you want to achieve.\n- How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie - You need people to succeed. Making enemies or just treating people indifferently is a bad move.\n- 7 habits of highly effective people by Stephen R. Covey. People put it down because the advice seems to be common sense but it's only common sense if you know it but not everyone knows it.\n- Meditations by Marcus Aurelius- this is a lifelong guide. Read it until the pages fall apart and then get another and do the same.\nAll these books can be read multiple times and you'll learn something new so get hard copies if you can.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Meditations by Marcus Aurelius- this is a lifelong guide. Read it until the pages fall apart and then get another and do the same.",
          "reason": "Calls it a lifelong guide and urges repeated reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16298962,
          "author": "koolhead17",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T19:00:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16298962",
          "commentText": "* Total Freedom by J Krishnamurti\n* Meditations by Marcus Aurelius\n* Wit and Wisdom from Poor Richard's Almanack by \nBenjamin Franklin\n* Influence by Robert B. Cialdini",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Meditations by Marcus Aurelius",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books the commenter wishes they had taken to heart.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16298305,
          "author": "jonathansorum",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T16:48:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16298305",
          "commentText": "Couldn't agree more. This book truly deserves the \"timeless\" epithet. A book to revisit every few years at minimum.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Couldn't agree more. This book truly deserves the \"timeless\" epithet. A book to revisit every few years at minimum.",
          "reason": "Agrees with the parent recommendation and calls the book timeless and worth revisiting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16297231,
          "author": "timellis-smith",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T11:41:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16297231",
          "commentText": "Fiction\nWar and Peace\nCrime and Punishment\nCount of Monte Christo\n1984\nGod of Small Things\nParadise lost\nDivine comedy\nNon fiction\nSelfish gene\nMeditations\nMadness explained (the best book I've encountered for explaining how the mind works)\nThe Red Queen\nTao te Ching",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Meditations",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the question about books the commenter wishes they had read earlier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296499,
          "author": "ternaryoperator",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T06:29:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296499",
          "commentText": "The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. It's astonishing to get useful, relevant advice on how to conduct yourself across two millenia. I recommend the translation by Gregory Hays, which removes the academic feel of other translations, and so makes them relevant and, at least in my case, actionable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. It's astonishing to get useful, relevant advice on how to conduct yourself across two millenia. I recommend the translation by Gregory Hays",
          "reason": "Calls its advice useful and relevant and recommends Gregory Hays's translation.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for practical advice on how to conduct themselves.",
          "caveat": "Recommends the Gregory Hays translation, which the commenter finds more accessible and actionable than other translations.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296405,
          "author": "iammiles",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T05:54:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296405",
          "commentText": "Meditations. Its passages have become a sort of canon for my life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Meditations. Its passages have become a sort of canon for my life.",
          "reason": "Says its passages became a kind of personal canon.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961051,
          "author": "hukola",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T15:57:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961051",
          "commentText": "1. How to Win Friends and Influence People - I recommend because I apply every day at work and reap the results as well, somebody should have recommended this book to me ten years ago;\n2. Children of Time - a science fiction book that I enjoyed, I notice that fiction, in general, helps me deal with stressful work, as I disconnect easier and put myself in an imaginary world while reading;\n3. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius - this isn't a book you read cover to cover, I catch myself thinking long even after reading a single sentence;\n1) and 3) I've come across on HN, but 2) was the unexpected random hit.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I catch myself thinking long even after reading a single sentence",
          "reason": "Says the book prompted extended reflection.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not a book to read cover to cover.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762842,
          "author": "e19293001",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T04:52:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762842",
          "commentText": "The best book for me. I read this everyday.\nThe Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living\nI've learned a lot from this book. It made me calm and influenced my decisions.\nFor those who are interested and want to see an example here is an excerpt from the book:\nJuly 1st\nDO YOUR JOB\n“Whatever anyone does or says, for my part I’m bound to the good. In the same way an emerald or gold or purple might always proclaim: ‘whatever anyone does or says, I must be what I am and show my true colors.’”\n— MARCUS  AURELIUS,  MEDITATIONS, 7.15\nThe Stoics believed that every person, animal, and thing has a purpose or a place in nature. Even in ancient Greek and Roman times, they vaguely understood that the world was composed of millions of tiny atoms. It was this idea—this sense of an interconnected cosmos—that underpinned their sense that every person and every action was part of a larger system. Everyone had a job—a specific duty. Even people who did bad things—they were doing their job of being evil because evil is a part of life. The most critical part of this system was the belief that you, the student who has sought out Stoicism,have the most important job: to be good! To be wise. “To remain the person that philosophy wished to make us.” Do your job today. Whatever happens, whatever other people’s jobs happen to be, do yours. Be good.\nThere's more gems in this book. Guaranteed!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "— MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 7.15",
          "reason": "Quoted as the source of an excerpt in The Daily Stoic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned as the source of a quotation; the commenter does not evaluate it separately.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15671440,
          "author": "gravidor",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-10T17:33:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15671440",
          "commentText": "The Name of the Wind - For all the reasons mentioned above, is one of my absolute favorite fiction books.  Its not just the characters, its Rothfuss' use of language.  I've never kept track of so many quotable phrases in a book.\nEnders Shadow Series by Orson Scott Card - I loved the majority of the Ender's Game series was disappointed when it was over.  Throughout those books, Bean was always my favorite character and it was a great day when I discovered the Ender's Shadow series which chronicles Bean's life over several books. The thing I loved most about Bean were his powers of analysis and he taught me to think more about scenario outcomes and think about multiple ways of achieving my goals.\nDune - A pattern is emerging here.  I love the books where the hero CHOOSES to ascend and works to get there.  Paul Atredies starts out a boy against harsh conditions and rises to the challenge.\nThe Stand by Stephen King - I read this book when I was 14 or 15 on summer break in a week.  I fell in from the start and read for entire days until it was done and when it was over I was in awe at the size (1000+ pages) and scope of what King accomplished.\nThe Alpha Strategy by John Pugsley - Its an interesting book and look at economics and wealth preservation in layman's terms.  Its funny because this book was written in the 80s and when I read it, it was immediately applicable.  I grew up in a pretty liberal household and this book made me start to pay attention to what liberals and conservatives were saying and form my own opinions.\nAtlas Shrugged - I read this right after the book above and the two in combination really caused a mindeset shift for me. It wasn't so much that everyone is out to get me or against me, but more I am responsible for my outcomes and I need to invest in myself.\nE-Myth Revisited By Michael Gerber - Piqued my interest in systems and where I started to learn the value of systems and making success repeatable.\nWorking the System By Sam Carpenter - More of the \"how-to\" book E-Myth Revisited should have been.\nDaemon Series - This one has been mentioned and while it didn't have the impact on my that the other books did, I did enjoy the world the author created.\nThieves Emporium by Max Hernandez - This was a quick read and appealed to my love of technical fiction.  Similar to Daemon, its use of technology in the story is interesting and not that far off from the real world at this point.  [WARNING: GRAPHIC SCENES]\nI was unambitious and coasted through life until after college, and it wasn't until I was in my late 20s that I started really reading books like these.  Over the past few years, I've become almost a completely different person.  I read a tremendous amount and can say its had a huge impact on my \"mental models\" and how I approach life.\nBooks I'm interested in reading next include: \n- Meditations\n- Works on mental models\n- Elon Musk biography (the amount he's able to accomplish quickly is staggering)\nI don't read as much fiction as I used to, instead choosing to focus on technical books, but fiction has definitely had an impact on my development as well.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Books I'm interested in reading next include: \n- Meditations",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as a book they are interested in reading next; no evaluation is given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14860010,
          "author": "bawigga",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:30:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14860010",
          "commentText": "I've just recently become fascinated with Stoicism after reading the Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck!\nI've since read through Meditations, Letters from a Stoic and The Art of Living, and am really enjoying The Daily Stoic every morning before work. r/stoicism is also great.\nDo you have any other books/resources you recommend on the subject?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I've since read through Meditations",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14486243,
          "author": "K0SM0S",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T09:15:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14486243",
          "commentText": "Meditations by Marcus Aurelius.\nStoicism is by far the best philosophy I've ever encountered. Some people call it \"the best operating system for the mind\", and I very much agree with that statement.\nIt changed my life more than any other corpus of ideas. I can't overstate how much better I feel now that my brain is running on a 'Stoic OS', especially on an emotional level --which was the hardest to deal with as I'm rather hyper-sensitive; now my emotions have truly become an almost entirely positive force in my experience of life, regardless of their nature, good or bad, of said emotions; in fact I no longer even qualify emotions on this scale; and the same goes true for an overwhelming majority of my thinking.\nThis book is the personal journal of one of the greatest roman emperors, leader of the (western) world at the time. A rare enough occurrence in the history of leaders, he was deemed 'worthy of his position' on a human and philosophical level by most people who knew him.\nA couple remarks: \"philosophy\" as seen by ancient authors and thinkers is not a strictly intellectual or abstract endeavor, not a scholarly matter, at least not at its core. Philosophy is the closest equivalent they had to what we'd call \"self-development\" today. It's very down to earth, 'life recipes' of sorts, simply to educate and help people deal with this elusive brain of ours. Seneca's and Epictetus writings are also excellent food for thought, food for one's mind. Imho, philosophy, litterally the \"love of wisdom\", is something we should deeply reappropriate, both as individuals and whole societies.\nRelatingly, Stoicism used to be taught from childhood throughout most of human history in the western world (and it could be argued that Asia has its own equivalent philosophies). For some reason, we ceased teaching philosophy to children around the turn of of the 20th century, which leaves most people with a lack of means to deal with their emotional circumstances. I'm one of those who consider this to be a dire pity, especially in our day and age. I think it sorely shows in public discourse and interpersonal relationships, and the end result is too much suffering that is entirely preventable.\nMeditations is easy enough to read, but if you want something more modern, I found The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday to be a very good introduction to Stoicism.\n____\nAs A Man Thinketh by James Allen. It's as short as it is good for the mind, the building/making of one's persona. Well worth a read at least once in your life, there are many 20th and 21st century self-development books (e.g. How to Win Friends and Influence People) that I believe drew some of their teachings from this 1903 classic.\n____\nThe Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. Regardless of where you find the information contained in this book (there are many works on the topic, both modern and throughout history), this book helps understanding that living in the present moment is critically important, and a key to happiness. Notwithstanding the 'wu-wu' aspects of Tolle's particular take, it just works. If you find yourself constantly dwelling on the past, or being a 'nostalgic of the future' (as I both used to do), knowing the value of living 'in the now' may be the difference between chronic depression and a fulfilling experience of life. It certainly is for me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stoicism is by far the best philosophy I've ever encountered.",
          "reason": "The commenter strongly endorses Stoicism and describes the book as life-changing.",
          "audience": "People looking for practical ideas to help with emotions and everyday life.",
          "caveat": "Easy enough to read, according to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13969479,
          "author": "icey",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T17:01:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13969479",
          "commentText": "Meditations, originally written by Marcus Aurelius, but translated many times over. More as an introduction to stoicism; choosing the translation that works best for you is ideal. Hays and Hicks translations are most often recommended but if you can peek inside the book to see what language resonates the best with you.\nStoicism helped me build the ability to care about the things in my power to change, and not stress about things that aren't. Very useful in any job or personal situation that includes a lot of ambient stress.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stoicism helped me build the ability to care about the things in my power to change",
          "reason": "Recommended as an introduction to Stoicism, which the commenter says helped them manage stress.",
          "audience": "People dealing with ambient stress at work or in personal situations.",
          "caveat": "The commenter recommends choosing a translation whose language resonates.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12986827,
          "author": "IpV8",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-18T14:09:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12986827",
          "commentText": "\"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416833,
          "author": "cs702",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T22:54:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416833",
          "commentText": "I agree with others on the \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius.\nOff the top of my head, I would add:\n* \"The Way to Wealth,\" by Benjamin Franklin: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0918222885 (also available online for free; it's in the public domain) -- no-nonsense practical advice from a super-successful individual\n* Warren Buffett's Letters to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders: http://www.berkshirehathaway.com/letters/letters.html (also available organized by topic, in a bound book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1611637589 which some will find much easier to read)\n* \"The Intelligent Investor,\" by Benjamin Graham (specifically the chapters titled \"The Investor and Market Fluctuations\" and \"Margin of Safety\"): https://www.amazon.com/dp/0060555661\n* \"Influence: the Psychology of Persuasion,\" by Robert Cialdini: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0688128165\nAlso:\n* \"Devil Take the Hindmost,\" by Edward Chancellor: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0452281806\n* \"A Short History of Financial Euphoria,\" by John Kenneth Galbraith: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0140238565\n* \"Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds,\" by Charles Mackay: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1586635581",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I agree with others on the \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius.",
          "reason": "Explicitly agrees with others' recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416710,
          "author": "emptybits",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T22:26:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416710",
          "commentText": "A couple of these have been named and I've upvoted them, but this is my list:\n* \"Flow\" by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi. Being fully immersed and engaged in an activity. 1) Knowing the value of this mental state, 2) being able to recognize when you're in it, and 3) setting yourself up so that you can be in this state as much as possible is really valuable. File it under living an examined life, IMO. All the popular \"don't interrupt the programmer\" and Pomodoro and other time management techniques build on this old research.\n* \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius (several translations, worth comparing for even more insight) -- this is a man who understood duty and getting things done! (Not surprising from a stoic, but somehow this collection has extra impact because I know they were primarily notes and reflections written for his own clarity, more than for an audience.) Wisdom to apply to situations. Patterns to recognize in yourself and others.\n* \"Seven Habits of Highly Effective People\" by Stephen Covey. When more sophisticated or trendy approaches to effectiveness reach their limits, you can't go wrong falling back on \"Begin with the end in mind\", \"Sharpen the saw\", classifying activities into the Four Quadrants, etc.\n* Modern (typically psychological) interpretations of Buddhism. If a single book pops into my head, I will update this, so right now I'm talking about a whole category of books on Buddhist perspectives on character traits and habits of behaviour. If you strip any paranormal nonsense from Buddhist psychology you are often left with effective ways to classify your own thoughts, words, and deeds and work on improving them. A simple example would be the Four Sublime Attitudes. If I reflect on any relationship or interaction I have with colleagues or clients or new prospects, I can almost always take direct action immediately to improve it by applying these old rules: 1) replace anger toward someone with active good will toward them, 2) replace jealousy or envy of someone else's fortune with sympathetic joy for them,  3) approach anyone's suffering as your own suffering (compassion), 4) treat all situations and people impartially without judgement of of \"good\" or \"bad\" (equanimity).\nI'm sorry these are really old! For me, these just don't go out of style and their wisdom works cross-culture.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius (several translations, worth comparing for even more insight) -- this is a man who understood duty and getting things done!",
          "reason": "Praises its insight into duty and practical wisdom.",
          "audience": "People looking for wisdom to apply to daily situations.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes translations are worth comparing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416563,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:55:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416563",
          "commentText": "\"I'm wondering which other books have you read that have had the most impact on you professionally or even personally?\"\nProfessionally: Peter F. Drucker's books.\nPersonally: \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann,  \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"Metaphysical Horror\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"Rationality in Economics\" by Vernon L. Smith, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Personally: \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about books with personal impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12251510,
          "author": "jotux",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T23:26:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12251510",
          "commentText": "I've never thought of Meditations as religious or non-religious. It's all about really appreciating what you have and understanding the way you feel is derived from your perception of the world. I think that's pretty universal.\nIf anyone is interested in a more modern introduction to stoicism A Guide to the Good Life is a worthwhile read: https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic/dp/0195... (https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic/dp/0195374614)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've never thought of Meditations as religious or non-religious. It's all about really appreciating what you have and understanding the way you feel is derived from your perception of the world. I think that's pretty universal.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes its ideas as universal and explains what they value in it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12246283,
          "author": "Tomrn",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T08:40:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12246283",
          "commentText": "I always think this is the closest thing to a 'Bible for atheists' that I've ever found. Seriously awesome stuff",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I always think this is the closest thing to a 'Bible for atheists' that I've ever found. Seriously awesome stuff",
          "reason": "Calls it an exceptionally compelling book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12245128,
          "author": "jotux",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T02:34:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12245128",
          "commentText": "Meditations is a book I come back to over and over: http://classics.mit.edu/Antoninus/meditations.mb.txt",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Meditations is a book I come back to over and over",
          "reason": "The commenter repeatedly returns to the book in a thread asking which book had the greatest life impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144253,
          "author": "LA_Banker",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:48:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144253",
          "commentText": "1. \"Meditations\" – Marcus Aurelius\n2. \"The Practicing Mind\" – Thomas Sterner\n3. \"Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance\" – Atul Gawande (I'm not a surgeon; the principles herein are universal)\n(honorable mention: \"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" – Dale Carnegie; various biographies by Caro and Chernow)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Meditations\" – Marcus Aurelius",
          "reason": "Named in response to a request for books that impacted a career.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12142578,
          "author": "r2r",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T09:35:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12142578",
          "commentText": "1. \"Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance\" by Robert Pirsig\n2. \"The art of war\" by Sun Tzu\n3. \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12099658,
          "author": "dome82",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T08:56:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12099658",
          "commentText": "- Meditations by Marcus Aurelius\n- A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by Irvine",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Meditations by Marcus Aurelius",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229635,
          "author": "toumhi",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T14:51:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229635",
          "commentText": "Self-help/personal development/philosophy:\n- The obstacle is the way (Ryan Holiday)\n- Meditations (Marcus Aurelius)\n- Level up your life: how to unlock adventure and happiness by becoming the hero of your own story\n- the six pillars of self-esteem\n- so good they can’t ignore you\n- the power of habit\n- how to fail at almost everything and still win big\nBusiness:\n- soft sell: the new art of selling\n- essentialism: the disciplined pursuit of less\n- the magic of thinking big\n- everything is negotiable\n- making things happen\n- lean customer development\n- what customers want\n- inspired: how to create products customers love\n- delivering happiness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Meditations (Marcus Aurelius)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10825175,
          "author": "Jach",
          "createdAt": "2016-01-02T05:18:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10825175",
          "commentText": "Sorry, missed this. For Meditations I actually listened to it on audio book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXcmkSqAqTI I'm not sure which translation it is, looks like George Long's from http://www.amazon.com/Meditations/dp/B004INMVDY  but I also remember browsing http://www.bartleby.com/2/3/ a few times afterwards and thought it was readable (much better than the Gutenberg one).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "For Meditations I actually listened to it on audio book",
          "reason": "Mentions listening to it and discusses possible translations without expressing an overall judgment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The audiobook translation is uncertain; the commenter thinks it may be George Long's.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10793727,
          "author": "sundarurfriend",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-26T09:20:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10793727",
          "commentText": "> Meditations - Marcus Aurelius -- A fine classic I enjoyed.\nWhich version did read, and where did you get it? The translation I found on Gutenberg was too archaic and hard to understand.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Which version did read, and where did you get it? The translation I found on Gutenberg was too archaic and hard to understand.",
          "reason": "Asks which version the other commenter read and criticizes the Gutenberg translation as archaic and hard to understand.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The criticism is specifically about a translation found on Gutenberg.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10789215,
          "author": "horofox",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T18:57:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10789215",
          "commentText": "- Make me a German(great read, even if you aren't into germany, nice read/comedy).\nStill reading \"Meditations\" from Marcus Aurelius, definitely a must read. You can easily see why he was an imperator and can probably guess how much far a human can get even in today's society with the mindset he provided in the book. Maybe it's a good idea to finish this up this xmas.\nIt was a very poor year in reading for me, but compensated by the fact I've moved to Germany.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "definitely a must read. You can easily see why he was an imperator and can probably guess how much far a human can get even in today's society with the mindset he provided in the book.",
          "reason": "Calls it a must-read and praises its guidance on mindset.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is still reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785476,
          "author": "ThrustVectoring",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:31:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785476",
          "commentText": "Books I'm glad I've read:\nThe Inner Game of Tennis\nImpro by Keith Johnstone\nSeeing Like a State\nThe Timeless Way of Building\nLinear and Geometric Algebra by Alan Macdonald\nMeditations by Marcus Aurelius (read this one thrice)\nThe Tao of Pooh\nScience, Strategy and War: The Strategic Theory of John Boyd\nThe Drama of the Gifted Child\nInteraction Ritual\nWhat Do You Say After You Say Hello?\nOf niche use:\nMathematics: its Content, Methods and Meaning - mostly useful for figuring out what math you don't know. I recommend reading it at a fairly decent pace, and noting what subjects don't sound like an overview of something you've already learned.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (read this one thrice)",
          "reason": "Included under “Books I'm glad I've read.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783601,
          "author": "Jach",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T15:00:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783601",
          "commentText": "Meditations - Marcus Aurelius -- A fine classic I enjoyed.\nMight count, might not, since it finished in March but was going on before. I loved Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality - Eliezer Yudkowsky - http://hpmor.com/\nLoved Masters of Doom - David Kushner\nI liked Worm - Wildbow - https://parahumans.wordpress.com/table-of-contents/ -- but it falls short of overall greatness and I don't think it's worth its 22-average-books length if I were to go back in time and decide on rereading...\nLearn to Play Go: A Master's Guide to the Ultimate Game (Volume I) - Janice Kim -- I've been learning Go and thought this book was particularly excellent for beginners.\nThere are at least 4 other books I'm close to finishing and I might get one done before the end of the month... Volume 2 of the above Go series, Mythical Man-Month, A handbook of traditional living, or The Waking Dream.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Meditations - Marcus Aurelius -- A fine classic I enjoyed.",
          "reason": "Calls it a fine classic and says they enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9354322,
          "author": "bitshepherd",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-10T14:03:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9354322",
          "commentText": "It's also good to think /why/ Marcus wrote the things he did, why they meant so much to him that he felt it necessary to do so.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "It's also good to think /why/ Marcus wrote the things he did",
          "reason": "Adds that considering why Marcus Aurelius wrote the work deepens how to think about it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9349155,
          "author": "dome82",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T17:12:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9349155",
          "commentText": "The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy\nMeditations by Marcus Aurelius",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Meditations by Marcus Aurelius",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9349120,
          "author": "dome82",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T17:08:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9349120",
          "commentText": "The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy (4th time)\nMeditations (4th time)\nBecoming Steve Jobs\nThe Hook Model",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Meditations (4th time)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348932,
          "author": "wankel",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:47:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348932",
          "commentText": "The only reason anyone needs to never read anything by Dan Brown is Dan Brown's writing.\nI'm terrible at random-access, on-demand list building like this, but I strongly agree about a few of the other things mentioned here:\nMeditations by Marcus Aurelius\nGodel, Escher, Bach by Hofstadter\nOrthodoxy by GK Chesterton\nThe Abolition of Man by CS Lewis\nWalden by Thoreau\nA few of the better and more philosophical bits out of the bible (especially in a good modern translation), including Ecclesiastes and 1 Corinthians 13\nTo this list, I would also add Ralph Waldo Emerson's classic essays, including Self-Reliance and Experience",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Meditations by Marcus Aurelius",
          "reason": "Strongly agrees with the book being included in a list of perspective-changing books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348640,
          "author": "humanarity",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:16:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348640",
          "commentText": "I literally jumped in my chair and facepalmed myself when I saw you'd included Meditations and I'd left it out. Damn. Thank you for reminding me how great that was. Putting it in now :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "when I saw you'd included Meditations and I'd left it out. Damn. Thank you for reminding me how great that was.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it great and is adding it to their own list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348419,
          "author": "grey-area",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:53:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348419",
          "commentText": "Meditations by Marcus Aurelius - a wonderfully simple explanation of what is truly important in life.\nThe Order of Things or Madness and Civilisation by Michel Foucault - a look at how our culture and time limit the horizons of our world view.\nAnna Karenina by Tolstoy - a complicated set of love stories set in 19C Russia - brilliantly observed.\nGodel, Escher, Bach by Hofstadter - an exhilarating skip through the wonderland of western maths, art, music and philosophy.\nFounders at Work by Jessica Livingston - a great insight into the first computer revolution - interviews with a lot of very interesting people.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a wonderfully simple explanation of what is truly important in life.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as a wonderfully simple explanation of what matters in life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348299,
          "author": "humanarity",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:37:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348299",
          "commentText": "Meditations (Marcus Aurelius) - incredibly clear ideas probably clear-up 80% of issues you have with everyday life\nThe Bible (& The Gnostic Gospels) - I love the idea that Jesus was a real guy who (literally) petrified his childhood playmates because they \"vexed\" him by dispersing his anti-gravity water :)\nAtlas Shrugged - no excuses\nSelf and Others - personal pyschology\nSeth Speaks - a lady channels an interdimensional being\nThe Road Less Travelled - a psychoanalyst's memoirs\nLetters to a Young Artist - encouragement for going your own way, a series of letters\nThe Alchemist - help you read the signs from the heart of the World for your own path\nAn Introduction to Zen Buddhism, et al (T. Suzuki) - really interesting, non-duality, higher third unification of opposites\nHear the Wind Sing (Murakami) - really bizarre and pure, his first one written late nights at kitchen table after working in a bar, before he became famous\nRich Dad Poor Dad - solid advice\nDiscrete Maths (Rosen) - interesting and very learnable, a great reference\nAn Imaginary Life (Malouf) - great clarity of writing\nThe Solid Mandala (Patrick White) - amazing observation of people",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Meditations (Marcus Aurelius) - incredibly clear ideas probably clear-up 80% of issues you have with everyday life",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the clarity of its ideas and says they may help with everyday issues.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8795694,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T07:00:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795694",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nPredictable Revenue - Aaron Ross, Marylou Tyler\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nThe Ultimate Question 2.0 - Fred Reichheld‎\nThe Singularity is Near - Ray Kurzweil\nMoonshot! - John Sculley\nZero To One - Peter Thiel\nRepublic - Plato\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius\nNineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell\nFahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury\nThe Mysterious Island - Jules Verne\nDiscipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy, Fred Wiersema\nFalse Memory - Dean Koontz\nNOS4A2- Joe Hill\nRevival - Stephen King\nBarbarians At The Gate - John Helyar and Bryan Burrough\nInto Thin Air - John Krakauer\nHow To Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nand any collection of the works of H.P. Lovecraft.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Meditations - Marcus Aurelius",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for impactful or liked books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8718136,
          "author": "shenanigoat",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T18:36:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8718136",
          "commentText": "This is a fantastic translation of Meditations:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/The-Emperors-Handbook-Translation-Medi... (http://www.amazon.com/The-Emperors-Handbook-Translation-Meditations/dp/0743233832)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is a fantastic translation of Meditations:",
          "reason": "Calls this translation fantastic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8716768,
          "author": "Osmium",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T15:09:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8716768",
          "commentText": "I think the particular translation you have makes a big difference, as with a lot of these older texts. I found it very readable because the sections were so short and the language pretty clear, but I was reading the Martin Hammond translation.\ne.g. just compare the first few lines from the version on Project Gutenberg:\n\"Of my grandfather Verus I have learned to be gentle and meek, and to refrain from all anger and passion. From the fame and memory of him that begot me I have learned both shamefastness and manlike behaviour.\"\nand the same lines from the Hammond translation:\n\"From my grandfather Verus: decency and a mild temper.\nFrom what they say and I remember of my natural father: integrity and manliness.\"\nObviously a matter of personal preference though, but it's worth shopping around for a translation before you start reading, and the Gutenberg versions tend to be the most archaic (which doesn't necessarily even mean they're more accurate, I think it was just the fashion back then to translate classic texts into a more formal prose).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I was reading the Martin Hammond translation.",
          "reason": "Discusses the translation the commenter used while comparing wording across translations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Translation readability is a matter of personal preference; the commenter suggests comparing translations.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8716751,
          "author": "Evgeny",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T15:06:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8716751",
          "commentText": "you'd be better off reading something like Marcus Aurelius' Meditations instead, or some of the other classics.\nIncidentally, I'm trying to read Meditations now, but it's not an easy reading and it goes very slowly. Maybe I'll be able to put in on my 2015 list of influential books?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you'd be better off reading something like Marcus Aurelius' Meditations instead, or some of the other classics.",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a better alternative to the book being discussed.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Stoicism or philosophy of life.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8533086,
          "author": "infiniteseeker",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-30T14:25:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 8528058,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Book Has the Most Page-for-Page Wisdom?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8533086",
          "commentText": "- The Enchihirdion by Epictetus\n- Meditations by Marcus Aurelius\n- Letters of a Stoic by Seneca\n- Dhammapada (various translations)\n- Bhagavad Gita (various translations)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Meditations by Marcus Aurelius",
          "reason": "Listed as a book fitting the thread's request for page-for-page wisdom.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107093,
          "author": "mrcdima",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T09:05:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107093",
          "commentText": "Some titles I've recently read or at least have placed on my reading list.\n--------------------\nPhilosohpy\nLetters from a Stoic: Epistulae Morales Ad Lucilium - Seneca\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius (must read)\nThe Republic - Plato\n--------------------\nHistory\nFive Chimneys - Olga Lengyel\nThe Gulag Archipelago - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (must read)\nThe Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank\n--------------------\nFiction\n(particularly dystopian) 1984, Brave New World, Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451\n(crime/action) Child 44, The Secret Speech, Agent 6 - Tom Rob Smith\n--------------------\nEconomics\nCapital in the Twenty-First Century - Thomas Piketty\nPoor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty - Banerjee, Duflo\nWhy Nations Fail - Robinson\n--------------------\nEconomics/Decision making/Psychology\nUndercover Economist, Freakonomics, Nudge, Thinking Fast and Slow\n--------------------\nRandom titles\nThe Selfish Gene, Self-Reliance, The Elements of Style (about writing), Slaughterhouse-Five\n--------------------\nSome links to inspire your reading (though you may want to checkout the websites first to get an idea of the topics they cover)\nhttp://www.gatesnotes.com/Books\nhttp://bookpickings.brainpickings.org/\nhttp://www.farnamstreetblog.com/reading/\nhttp://www.ryanholiday.net/reading-newsletter\nI’m just a working-class guy trying to take part in the conversation that all the smart people are having. What books should I read? - http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-cl... (http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-class-guy-trying-to-take-part-in-the-conversation-that-all-the-smart-people-are-having-what-books-should-i-read/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Meditations - Marcus Aurelius (must read)",
          "reason": "Marked as a must read in a list of book suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107077,
          "author": "kilo_man",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T09:00:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107077",
          "commentText": "Just listing books that have had a big impact on me:\n* The Now Habit - http://www.amazon.com/dp/1585425524\n* Getting Things Done - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0142000280\n* Simply Christian - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061920622\n* Surprised by Hope - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061551821\n* The Great Divorce - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060652950\n* Mere Christianity - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060652926\n* The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - http://www.amazon.com/dp/048629823X\n* Tao Te Ching - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060812451\nBooks from the Bible that I like:\n* Genesis\n* Judges\n* Ruth\n* Tobit\n* Job\n* Psalms\n* Ecclesiastes\n* Sirach/Ecclesiasticus\n* Everything written by John",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter says have had a big impact on them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7478844,
          "author": "hallidayjb13",
          "createdAt": "2014-03-27T05:50:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 7450534,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's on your reading list? Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7478844",
          "commentText": "You may have already come across it if you've read a lot of Stoic philosophy, but 'Meditations' by Marcus Aurelius is a good read.\nOther books I've really enjoyed are:\nTalent is overrated, by Geoff Colvin (short version: working hard is more than half the battle)\nDrive, by Daniel Pink (short version: to be motivated, you need to have/be working toward purpose, autonomy, and mastery)\nHow will you measure your life, by Clayton Christensen (short version: just read it - very good)\nFor the win - how game thinking can revolutionize your business, by Kevin Werbach and Dan Hunter (Note: one of the authors offers a Gamification MOOC on Coursera)\nAnd for fun:\nEastern Approaches, by Fitzroy Maclean (short version: a pseudo-biography about a british man who was a diplomat, politician, and special forces operator all in one lifetime. Incredible)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Meditations' by Marcus Aurelius is a good read.",
          "reason": "Called a good read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it may already be familiar to readers of Stoic philosophy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6924160,
          "author": "staunch",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-17T21:41:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 6921805,
          "threadTitle": "What book has inspired you the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6924160",
          "commentText": "I first read The Meditations (Marcus Aurelius) when I was maybe 14. The way such a powerful man struggled so much to exert control over his own mind really blew me away. Got me started on the journey towards learning about, and influencing, my own mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The way such a powerful man struggled so much to exert control over his own mind really blew me away.",
          "reason": "Says the book’s account of Aurelius’s struggle with his mind made a strong impression and prompted self-reflection.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6414260,
          "author": "hvass",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-19T20:59:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6414260",
          "commentText": "The Black Swan (anything by Taleb really), Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Letters from a Stoic by Seneca, Epictetus' Discourses, Fish that ate the whale by Rich Cohen, Man's Search for Meaning,  Titan, Principles by Ray Dalio (not really a book, but really worth reading, plus it's free), 4HW by Tim Ferris, The Strategy Paradox.\nAlso Teddy Roosevelt's biography has been very influential.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Meditations by Marcus Aurelius",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed one's life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5324687,
          "author": "expralitemonk",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-05T14:42:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 5323956,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: which are some good self-help books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5324687",
          "commentText": "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/148\nMeditations by Marcus Aurelius http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2680\nHe wasn't the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, but he was Emperor of Rome. ;)\nWalden http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/205\nMost of the big problems in life have already been pondered eons ago.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Meditations by Marcus Aurelius",
          "reason": "The commenter points to it as an example of people pondering life's problems long ago.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4787829,
          "author": "staunch",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T09:15:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787829",
          "commentText": "I re-read Julius Caesar's Commentaries at least five times a year. I find them some of the most absolutely fascinating texts that exist. Discovered them when I was maybe 15 and they sparked my love of ancient history.\nMarcus Aurelius' \"Meditations\" is interesting in some similar ways.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Marcus Aurelius' \"Meditations\" is interesting in some similar ways.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds it interesting in ways similar to Caesar's Commentaries.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4635091,
          "author": "dccoolgai",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-10T04:45:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 4596721,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4635091",
          "commentText": "Meditations - Marcus Aurelius.  Recommend it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Meditations - Marcus Aurelius. Recommend it.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2639625,
          "author": "jaz",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T03:12:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639625",
          "commentText": "Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. Some translations are better than others, but I have found The Emperor's Handbook[1] to be the best so far.\n[1] http://www.amazon.com/dp/0743233832/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Meditations by Marcus Aurelius.",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the question asking for the greatest book read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says some translations are better than others.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2330570,
          "author": "staunch",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-16T03:13:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 2329700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that change your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2330570",
          "commentText": "The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius http://classics.mit.edu/Antoninus/meditations.html\nI first read it when I was around 14. I think it helped me create a much more complete moral framework than anything I'd heard before (and probably since). Definitely my first introduction to Stoicism.\nIt's not really a book, more of a collection of reminders to himself, which is probably why it's so useful and interesting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think it helped me create a much more complete moral framework than anything I'd heard before",
          "reason": "Says it helped form a more complete moral framework and introduced them to Stoicism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is a collection of reminders to himself rather than really a book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1867477,
          "author": "peter_severin",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-04T03:04:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1867477",
          "commentText": "My latest reading list:\n* Meditations - Marcus Aurelius\n* Man's Search for Meaning - Viktor E. Frankl. This one was very good. Psychology can actually be logical and accessible.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Meditations - Marcus Aurelius",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503745,
          "author": "harscoat",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T15:09:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503745",
          "commentText": "It depends if you want to be knowledgeable \"about\" philosophy and knowledge or if you want to apply it to you life.\n* K.Popper (in both cases;): _Open society and its ennemies_ http://www.archive.org/stream/opensocietyandit033120mbp#page... (http://www.archive.org/stream/opensocietyandit033120mbp#page/n7/mode/2up)\nfor \"Ars Vitae\" (applicable to one's life)\n* Plato: _Gorgias_\n* Marc Aurélius: _Meditations_\n* Friedrich Nietzsche: _Beyond good & evil_\nI agree with others on Hume, Russell, Husserl.\nAnother great thinker while he does not pretend to be a philosopher is Dan Sperber, I think of 2 books\n* Dan Sperber (with Deirdre Wilson) _Relevance. Communication and Cognition_ (Blackwell, 1986)\n* Sperber, Dan (1996) Explaining culture: _A naturalistic approach._ (Oxford: Blackwell)\nFinally philosophical literature: \n* Doistoievski: _The Brothers Karamazov_ (question of God is asked)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Marc Aurélius: _Meditations_",
          "reason": "Listed as an option for applying philosophy to life.",
          "audience": "People interested in applying philosophy to life.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227090,
          "author": "lionhearted",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T17:56:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227090",
          "commentText": "It's amazing how many good historical works are out of copyright and free. I got an Amazon Kindle as a gift, and it's been really wonderful for me.\nIf you like Roman history, you've got to check out Gibbons' History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. It's just a masterpiece. I flip through my copy of Meditations from time to time (actually, now I look at it on my Kindle, but I used to flip through my paper copy) and just pick out random quotes. A great work. \"It is not the thing itself that disturbs a man, but the man's perception of and reaction to the thing. The thing may not be able to be changed, but a man's perception and reaction may be changed.\" I'm butchering that quote, but it's incredibly meaningful to me, and I try to reflect on it when things seem to be going wrong or I get inconvenienced.\nWhile talking about classics, there's a lot of good philosophy out of copyright. Beyond Good and Evil and Thus Spoke Zarathustra aren't perfect works and I disagree with a fair bit of it, but there's some absolute jewels in them too.\nLately I've been looking for a decent electronic copy of Freud's Civilization and Its Discontents and Kierkegaard's Either/Or, but I've been having a hard time finding copies that are decently formatted and readable.\nAlso, got any other recommendations Staunch? I'm going to get Gallic Wars, and it seems like you and I have similar taste if you have other recommendations.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A great work.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great work and describes returning to it for reflection.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226915,
          "author": "edo",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:54:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226915",
          "commentText": "Think & Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill\nTaiko - Eiji Yoshikawa\nAlexander of Macedon - Peter Green\nand +1 for Staunch's choice:\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Meditations - Marcus Aurelius",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Attributed to another commenter’s choice.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797098,
          "author": "DanielBMarkham",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T01:40:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797098",
          "commentText": "I got books like sheiks got oil. I'm swimming in them. I try to read a little from at least four books every day. (You'll have to look up these links yourself)\n-----------------------------------------------------------\nOn my Kindle:\nAnna Karenina, Tolstoy; Clean Code, Uncle Bob; Palm WebOS; Antoninus Meditations, Marcus Aurelius, Emperor; Never Eat Alone, and Other Secrets to Success, Ferrazzi\n-----------------------------------------------------------\nIn my stack:\nDaniel-X, James Patterson; Born To Run, Christopher McDougall; The Existential Jesus, John Carroll; Fear and Trembling - Repetition, Soren Kierkegaard\n-----------------------------------------------------------\nOn the way in from Amazon:\nThe Trusted Advisor, Maister; Secrets of Consulting: A Guide to Giving and Getting Advice Successfully, Weinberg; Rain Making: Attract New Clients No Matter What Your Field, Harding\n-----------------------------------------------------------\nI'm thinking about growing another pair of eyeballs so I can read two books at once. I'll let you know how the genetic engineering goes. (grin)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Antoninus Meditations, Marcus Aurelius, Emperor",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marcus Aurelius"
      ],
      "recommenders": 76,
      "threads": 45,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "History",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "stoicism",
        "ancient philosophy",
        "classical philosophy",
        "roman philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-c-programming-language-8ec69a",
      "title": "The C Programming Language",
      "author": "Brian W. Kernighan and Dennis M. Ritchie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49781129,
          "author": "apothegm",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-20T23:17:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 49724691,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most career altering course or book you have gone through?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49781129",
          "commentText": "Database Design for Mere Mortals. The first afternoon I spent reading and puzzling through that book was worth an entire semester of computer science classes on the topic — and caused me to fall in love with relational databases.\nWith special mentions to K&R as well as The Manager’s Path.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "With special mentions to K&R",
          "reason": "Listed as a special mention in response to a question about career altering books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 49730886,
          "author": "AnimalMuppet",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-16T18:18:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 49724691,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most career altering course or book you have gone through?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49730886",
          "commentText": "\"The C Programming Language\", by Kernighan and Ritchie.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The C Programming Language\", by Kernighan and Ritchie.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43093707,
          "author": "jjice",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-18T19:03:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 43084739,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction/non-fiction book should everyone read on the topic of CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43093707",
          "commentText": "UNIX: A History and a Memoir by Brian Kernighan.\nBrian wrote The C Programming Language (the book), along with many other great books. He worked at Bell Labs during the time of Unix and it's a casual, whimsical telling of some of the history there.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Brian wrote The C Programming Language (the book)",
          "reason": "Mentioned as another book by Brian Kernighan.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned in passing; the commenter does not explicitly recommend it.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42734677,
          "author": "skydhash",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-17T06:29:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 42686034,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read regarding software development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42734677",
          "commentText": "The C programming language (ansi edition) - I had it before even leaning how to program properly. The explanations was so clear you could work out the examples with pencil and papers\nMystical man-month and the pragmatic programmer. The former gave insight about managing a team, the other about managing yourself.\nCurrently I’m reading:\nUnit Testing: Principles, Practices, and Patterns by Vladimir Khorikok\nDesigning Data Intensive Application by Martin Kleppman\nAnd very recently completed Learning Domain-Driven Design by Vlad Khononov\nI think the three are quite good too",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The C programming language (ansi edition)",
          "reason": "Says its clear explanations made it possible to work through examples before they knew programming well.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40512646,
          "author": "dmillar",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-29T14:58:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 40497383,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Can anyone recommend a Windows Systems programming book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40512646",
          "commentText": "K&R",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "K&R",
          "reason": "Recommended as a C book in response to a request for C/C++ books.",
          "audience": "Someone seeking a well-written C or C++ book with exercises.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937051,
          "author": "userbinator",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:20:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937051",
          "commentText": "The C Programming Language\nCourse of Theoretical Physics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The C Programming Language",
          "reason": "Listed as a book that had a major impact on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36804718,
          "author": "retrocryptid",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T18:35:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36804718",
          "commentText": "Meh.  Python is for scientists.  Lisp is for engineers.  Which is to say the languages were designed for different language design methodologies.  In the old days of Lisp we didn't have large libraries of pre-existing functionality, so it was important for programmers to know how to construct complex functions from simple functions.  But now we have python with its expansive partially documented standard and semi-standard libraries.  You don't need to know how to rewrite that lump of functionality.  You just need to know how to write small test programs that verify you understanding of how it's supposed to be used.  And if you find you need to do something that's not supported, you just change what it is you're trying to do.\nThe flip side of this is that there's a large corpus of programs demonstrating idiomatic python.  \"There's only one way to do it,\" was a mantra I heard from Pythonistas in the 2000s.  Maybe it's still a cultural value in that community.  That would explain the large corpus (that and it being a popular language.)\nI've yet to see a LLM spit out even half-way decent Lisp (CL, scheme or even e-lisp).  My suspicion is the corpus of available code is small and its language features tend to generate less \"boilerplate.\"\nHaving taught \"practical lisp\" in the 90s, SICP was frustrating because of its insistence on describing idiomatic Lisp in text, but with far fewer examples than comparative texts in other languages (k&r c or PASCAL User Manual and Report.)\nThere seems to be a tradition of this in Scheme and CL books.  Where you could easily find books in the 80s entitled  \"${N} PROGRAMS IN BASIC\" or some such, which were useful to provide a corpus of idiomatic code learners could use to build an intuitive understanding of the language.  In the Lisp world no such books were available, and members of that community seemed to want learners to develop a wholly rational approach to learning.\nSo... if your purpose is to have a language that can be generated by ChatGPT, definitely pick Python.  My experience with automated tools is they absolutely do not understand how to refactoring lisps effectively.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "comparative texts in other languages (k&r c or PASCAL User Manual and Report.)",
          "reason": "Cites it as a comparative programming-language text.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35954262,
          "author": "vram22",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-15T20:46:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35954262",
          "commentText": "Not all of the ones below may be textbooks, sorry, but IMO they are all very good. I cut my programming teeth on some of them, and read others at different times later in my career.\nHow to Solve It, by Georg Polya. \nA famous Hungarian mathematician. \nA text on general problem solving principles or techniques. A classic.\nHow to Solve It by Computer, by Dromey, an AU CS professor. In the same spirit as the Polya book, but applied to iteratively working out algorithms and pseudocode for common important programming problems.\nThe K&R C book. What to say.\nThe Unix Programming Environment, by Kernighan and Pike. Ditto.\nProgramming Pearls, and More Programming Pearls, by Jon Bentley.\nAmong many other things, some clever / advanced uses of awk.\nWriting Efficient Programs, also by Bentley. I had mentioned it on HN earlier, and someone replied saying they had used it in real life, and it was gold.\nSQL for Professionals, by authors whose names I forget.\nThe Object Primer, by can't remember who, but good.\nA Unix book by Kochan, IIRC.\nObject-Oriented Software Construction, by Bertrand Meyer, creator of the Eiffel programming language.\nA book on object-oriented analysis / design, can't remember the name, by Rebecca Wirfs-Brock (?) and others. Learned about CRC  cards from it. Very cool concept and technique.\nA book on Object-Oriented Design, by Grady Booch, from a time before he co-invented UML. Forget the exact name.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The K&R C book.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35933845,
          "author": "Turing_Machine",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T23:32:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35933845",
          "commentText": "K&R (yes, it's outdated now, but it is still a fine model for how to write a clear and concise textbook).\nSICP.\nComputer Graphics: Principles and Practice by Foley and van Dam (plus a bunch more authors now).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "K&R (yes, it's outdated now, but it is still a fine model for how to write a clear and concise textbook).",
          "reason": "Presented as an example of clear, concise textbook writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is outdated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33595961,
          "author": "spiffytech",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-14T16:00:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33595961",
          "commentText": "When I studied C in college everyone recommended the K&R C book.\nI found it the be of no value to me for learning the language. Instead I found King's C Programming: A Modern Approach much more enlightening.\nI know K&R is widely well-regarded, so I found it interesting how difficult it was for me to learn from it.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "everyone recommended the K&R C book",
          "reason": "The commenter says others recommended it, but found it of no value for learning C.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter found it difficult to learn from.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33594824,
          "author": "roel_v",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-14T14:55:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33594824",
          "commentText": "I remember reading 'The C programming language' (in the train, I even remember that) and when pointers really 'clicked' in my mind - it was when I realized that (*struct).member is the same as struct->member (I don't remember the exact page but it was one of the paragraphs on pointer syntax quite early on). Weird detail now that I think back about it after programming C++ for over 20 years, but that was just one of those moments for me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I remember reading 'The C programming language'",
          "reason": "Recounts that pointers clicked while reading the book.",
          "audience": "People learning C and pointers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33144526,
          "author": "orsenthil",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-09T19:45:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33144526",
          "commentText": "Using K&R, I try to practice the problems and understand them to learn C.\nI use my project https://www.learntosolveit.com/ to do that.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Using K&R, I try to practice the problems and understand them to learn C.",
          "reason": "Uses its exercises to practice and learn C.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33141587,
          "author": "pjmlp",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-09T14:38:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33141587",
          "commentText": "Compare C23 with K&R C.\nYou're right on the security part, and that C authors hardly care about it is visible on the language itself, naturally the book wouldn't be any better.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "the book wouldn't be any better",
          "reason": "Says the book would share C's security shortcomings.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter argues C authors give little attention to security.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33136878,
          "author": "cxr",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T23:01:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33136878",
          "commentText": "> I'm guessing based on the comments to my posts that some people are upset due to K&R being their first introduction to C (or their first introduction to technical writing) which leads to emotional responses that miss the point.\nThat's a shamelessly self-serving assumption.\nWhen confronted with a claim/argument that is not favorable to your position, you have (at least) two options: one involves employing humility and intellectual honesty in an earnest attempt to resolve the conflict, and another involves inventing a convenient narrative in order to avoid the conflict.  An example of the latter would be a stand-up comic who consistently bombs on stage and chooses to cope with it by telling themselves that the audiences are just too sensitive for the comic's edgy-but-otherwise-brilliant material.  An example of the former would be for the comic to at least entertain the idea that their sets always bomb because the jokes are shit.  Your response (which amounts to \"u just mad\") indicates that you seem to have taken this approach.\nYou have made a fact claim.  You said that K&R \"doesn't even attempt\" to cover undefined behavior.  That claim has been disputed.  The next step for you to do is not to change the subject by questioning the motives and emotional maturity of those who have disputed the claim, but rather to substantiate it.\n(For the sake of completeness: K&R was neither my first introduction to C nor my first introduction to technical writing—not that it matters.)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "K&R was neither my first introduction to C nor my first introduction to technical writing",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33135249,
          "author": "ljosifov",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T19:29:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33135249",
          "commentText": "Mentioned by most, still another vote for K&R \"The C Programming Language\" - for the sheer joy of it! It still puts a smile on my face recalling how much fun it made learning C. :-) Don't think I've read as measured and not-boring for another language since. Close to as much fun to read was maybe Steve Maguire's \"Writing Solid Code\". Not strictly about learning C, but the examples are all in C. (some people dislike it's K&R not ANSI C)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "another vote for K&R \"The C Programming Language\" - for the sheer joy of it!",
          "reason": "Recommends K&R as an enjoyable way to learn C.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33134256,
          "author": "ccouzens",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T17:33:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33134256",
          "commentText": "I've read but not written any c since learning rust. I've written some c years ago.\nI do feel that if I were to write more c now it would be better for me knowing rust and having a feel for designs that pass the borrow checker.\nUnhelpfully the only c book I've read was the k&r book. It seemed fine. Perhaps the question would be easier to answer if the reason for wanting to learn c was given (eg to contribute to existing c based project or to write embedded code)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the only c book I've read was the k&r book. It seemed fine.",
          "reason": "Reports a neutral to mildly positive experience reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it was the only C book they had read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33133822,
          "author": "hankchinaski",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T16:46:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33133822",
          "commentText": "The first time I was interested in programming I started learning C. I was 14 and what I used was \"The C Programming Language\" book. It was a great experience,",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "what I used was \"The C Programming Language\" book. It was a great experience",
          "reason": "Recounts using it when first learning programming and describes the experience positively.",
          "audience": "A beginner interested in programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33133632,
          "author": "fargle",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T16:28:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33133632",
          "commentText": "Here's another vote for K&R. If you want to understand why C and UNIX were so successful, it comes down to simply excellent communication. And remember - no web, no internet, no WYSIWYG word processors, etc. at the time.\nTo appreciate C properly, I think at some point you need to become a bit of a historian. Look at BCPL. Look at what assembly listings looked like or old Fortran. Read some of the very early papers from C and UNIX history. Check out Lions' commentary on UNIX. When you see a little of the problem C was invented to solve, it becomes a lot easier to understand why it is what it is. There's a lot of angst about why C allows Bad-Thing-X or doesn't have New-Fancy-Thing-Y. Nobody seems to remember what a change it brought to writing systems code.\nThen you can compare it to things written in modern C (C99+) and see that yes it has evolved quite nicely and can, if used correctly, be a nice application language too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Here's another vote for K&R.",
          "reason": "Supports the recommendation and says historical context helps explain C's design.",
          "audience": "Readers learning about C and its origins.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33133489,
          "author": "readme",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T16:10:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33133489",
          "commentText": "I read K&R 20 years ago and today it's still the closest programming book to my heart -- yeah there's more modern choices but the exercises are unmatched, it's short, and it's one of the most fun books you'll ever read.\nThe standards for C99, C11 are open. Look up what you don't learn in them and grab one of the other more modern suggestions from here for that, but K&R is a must have for any C programmer.\nYou probably won't be able to put the book down if you start reading it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "K&R is a must have for any C programmer.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for its exercises, brevity, and enjoyable reading.",
          "audience": "C programmers, including people learning C.",
          "caveat": "Suggests checking modern standards and using other books for material K&R does not cover.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33133056,
          "author": "Syzygies",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T15:23:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33133056",
          "commentText": "I read the first edition of K&R when it came out, and switched to C for a computer algebra system that got me tenure as a math professor. K&R is a religious scripture, and remains the benchmark against which I measure all other programming books. It's in the same league as the aspirational SICP, and a far easier read.\nIn college I'd programmed Fortran on punched cards. APL was like dropping acid, and I worked one summer as a commercial APL programmer, but it wasn't appropriate for what I needed. Pascal didn't quite fit either. C was in that context mind-blowing. The future had arrived! I had full access to the machine!\nIf one is learning to become a plumber, one might not be so interested in how plumbing worked in 1840. If however, one is a herding dog, and needs serious work to avoid getting bored and destructive, reading K&R would put C in historical context.\nLater, as I depended on C, I bought each edition of C: A Reference Manual by Harbison and Steele, and read it as if I were studying to be a lawyer.\nI now program in Haskell, and wish I was equally versed in Clojure and Rust. If I were returning to C, I'd instead choose Rust. For my work, I have a free choice.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "K&R would put C in historical context.",
          "reason": "Calls it a benchmark and recommends it for understanding C in historical context.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in C's historical context.",
          "caveat": "For someone returning to C, the commenter says they would choose Rust instead.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33132928,
          "author": "WastingMyTime89",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T15:08:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33132928",
          "commentText": "I will be a contrarian - but as you pointed we are many - and recommend against K&R. C is a simple language to learn but a hard language to master.\nC has few concepts. You can learn to write C in an hour with a couple of web pages. Then you have to learn how to implement the most useful data structures but that’s not difficult either. What’s hard is writing safe code in a maintainable way and K&R does very little to teach you that properly.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "recommend against K&R",
          "reason": "Argues the book does little to teach safe, maintainable C code.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The criticism concerns writing safe, maintainable code; the commenter says C itself is simple to learn.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33132675,
          "author": "apricot",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T14:40:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33132675",
          "commentText": "Fully agree that reading K&R is a must, because it puts C in context, it gives you the background that explains why C is like it is. Also, as a non-trivial bonus, it teaches you, by example, how to write great technical documentation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "reading K&R is a must",
          "reason": "Says it puts C in context and explains its design.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33132512,
          "author": "pjmlp",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T14:24:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33132512",
          "commentText": "Regarding K&R C, you should read it for its historical relevance to the C programming language, that is about it, it isn't 1980 any longer.\nSecure C from Oreilly and Modern C from Manning are more relevant in 2022.\nThen have a look into Frama-C and SAL security frameworks, MISRA C, and CERT C coding standards.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Regarding K&R C, you should read it for its historical relevance to the C programming language",
          "reason": "Recommends reading it for its historical relevance.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the history of C.",
          "caveat": "Says it is not a relevant guide for current C programming.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33132060,
          "author": "anthk",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T13:20:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33132060",
          "commentText": "From ANSI C to C99 there isn't many changes. Just read K&R C 2nd ed and then the book on Modern C which can be understood in a literal afternoon after doing the K&R one.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just read K&R C 2nd ed",
          "reason": "Recommends reading this before Modern C.",
          "audience": "Readers learning C who want a sequence of books.",
          "caveat": "Presents the sequence as sufficient to understand Modern C in a short time.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33131920,
          "author": "armitron",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T12:54:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33131920",
          "commentText": "The question that I'm answering is \"Best book to learn C in 2022?\". K&R written as you say in the 1980s (the first edition in the 70s) is not that book, there is far better written material out there: One can get a solid grounding in C reading Seacord's books and John Regehr's blog without even needing to know who K and R are.\nI'm guessing based on the comments to my posts that some people are upset due to K&R being their first introduction to C (or their first introduction to technical writing) which leads to emotional responses that miss the point.\nSo let me re-iterate that point. K&R is a terrible C book in 2022, and should not be recommended as an introduction to the language. It wraps C in a veneer of simplicity-hiding-untold-complexity which leads readers thinking that the language is much safer and much easier to deploy than reality dictates. \nThis has proven to be disastrous and something that we should point out and drive newcomers away from.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "K&R is a terrible C book in 2022, and should not be recommended as an introduction to the language.",
          "reason": "Argues the book is outdated and a poor choice for learning C in 2022.",
          "audience": "People looking for an introduction to C.",
          "caveat": "The commenter acknowledges its historical association with many readers, while arguing it hides C's complexity.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33131864,
          "author": "sureglymop",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T12:46:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33131864",
          "commentText": "If you have ADHD like me I would recommend \"Head First C\" from o reilly.  Was very visual and covered a lot. Then I continued with The C Programming Language. Sadly I haven't found something similar for rust yet.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Then I continued with The C Programming Language.",
          "reason": "Names it as the next book the commenter read after Head First C.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33131742,
          "author": "tialaramex",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T12:29:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33131742",
          "commentText": "> pointer provenance\nBut what could a book last updated in the 1980s have to say about this subject? The phrase falls out of DR260 (Defect Report #260 in the ISO C standard) which wasn't even raised until this century.\nHere's the mention of \"provenance\" from what WG14 (the committee for the C standard) wrote for DR260 back in 2001:\n\"the C Standard does not prohibit an implementation from tracking the provenance of the bit-pattern representing a value\"\nVague right? And it's technically true, the C standard says nothing whatsoever about this subject. Of course it also doesn't have anything to say about which Pony is Best [Princess Celestia is Best Pony, don't @ me]\nYou might assume after DR260 the C standard was fixed. Presumably C11 and so C++ 11 and modern languages in this family all spell out how provenance works exactly right?\nNope.\nThe status quo is that the standard appears to say pointers are basically just addresses, but they clearly aren't in practice in your C or C++ compiler. If you raise bug reports about this, your compiler vendor will say it's provenance and, if you're persistent and they don't just stop answering you, eventually point to DR260, the unresolved defect from 2001.\nThere are folks trying to produce a consistent model which is somewhere in the ballpark of what programmers expect to work versus what compiler vendors actually deliver, so that both will be happy or, if not happy, at least both will agree on what the situation is. This model is some variation of what's called \"Provenance Not Via Integers\" but it must have exceptions because clearly sometimes provenance is transmitted via integers, and how that works must be explained too. WG14 did not take this work for C23, but it will become a Technical Specification in the C23 era. If compilers implement this TS, and if programmers prefer having at least the guarantees from the TS over a shrug emoji then perhaps some day it becomes part of the standard itself.\nK&R mentions that you can't go around pointing to things of the wrong type (but C programmers do it anyway, and then doubtless you'll say K&R didn't warn them) and that you can't use pointer arithmetic to get at objects which are out of bounds (again, C programmers do it anyway).\nThe language is unsafe, and it's poorly designed in various ways by modern standards, but the OP didn't ask \"What language should I learn?\" they have apparently set their heart on learning C and so it's very strange to imagine the goal is to learn a good modern language which C isn't.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "K&R mentions that you can't go around pointing to things of the wrong type",
          "reason": "Criticizes K&R as insufficiently modern for teaching C and points to unsafe practices it does not adequately address.",
          "audience": "Readers learning C who need to understand modern correctness and security issues.",
          "caveat": "Says it mentions some restrictions but omits key topics such as pointer provenance and aliasing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33131620,
          "author": "hiepph",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T12:09:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33131620",
          "commentText": "Not a book. But this is a good notes/roadmap/etc. https://www.cs.yale.edu/homes/aspnes/classes/223/notes.html\nK&R is a bit more intermediate. Come back to it when you're more experienced.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "K&R is a bit more intermediate. Come back to it when you're more experienced.",
          "reason": "Suggests reading it after gaining more experience with C.",
          "audience": "Learners who have already gained some experience with C.",
          "caveat": "The commenter considers it too intermediate for a beginner.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33131546,
          "author": "armitron",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T11:51:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33131546",
          "commentText": "> which is that it really does just teach you C the programming language\nA gross misrepresentation that, taken at face value, can only lead to a perpetuation of disasters committed by the sort of C programmers that K&R has produced in droves.\nJust because there are a few mentions of undefined behavior in K&R, doesn't mean the concept is addressed or even identified as an issue. There is not a single mention of the \"C abstract machine\" (what is that, the K&R C programmer wonders), pointer provenance, aliasing, or pretty much any aspect of the language that has emerged in the last 20 years as of supreme importance to correctness and security.\nAs someone else wrote in this thread, the entire book is hopelessly obsolete and should be retired to the annals -if not the garbage bin- of history.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "the entire book is hopelessly obsolete and should be retired to the annals -if not the garbage bin- of history.",
          "reason": "Argues that the book omits important modern C concepts related to correctness and security.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it obsolete and says it should be retired.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33131470,
          "author": "raddan",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T11:33:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33131470",
          "commentText": "I am surprised to see nobody mention Practical C Programming (https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Programming-Does-Nutshell-H... (https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Programming-Does-Nutshell-Handbooks/dp/1565923065)) by Steve Oualline. Before I studied computer science in school, I read this book and successfully taught myself C. Readers here may consider it to be a bit remedial, but if you’re struggling to understand the other recommended books, start here. I attempted to read K&R half a dozen times back then, unsuccessfully. Looking back at it now, I can see why: K&R’s examples are hard for true beginners to wrap their minds around. I now teach C as a part of an upper level undergraduate course; the key to understanding most of C’s counterintuitive behavior is to have a clear understanding of its relationship with memory. In fact, I quite like C. It is simple and elegant in many ways. It is also just super unsafe.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "K&R’s examples are hard for true beginners to wrap their minds around.",
          "reason": "The commenter found its examples difficult as a beginner.",
          "audience": "Readers with some experience learning C.",
          "caveat": "The examples can be hard for true beginners to understand.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33131350,
          "author": "GeneT45",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T11:10:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33131350",
          "commentText": "Agreed.  It's also worth pointing out that Effective C is the most current in terms of being up to date with present-day C standards.\nK&R is so obsolete it's now wrong about some things.  It's a pretty good read sometime down the road - when you can recognize its shortcomings - but it's not a book from which to start learning C.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "K&R is so obsolete it's now wrong about some things.",
          "reason": "Says it can be a good later read once the reader can recognize its shortcomings.",
          "audience": "Readers who already have experience with C.",
          "caveat": "It is obsolete and not a starting point for learning C.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33131295,
          "author": "cxr",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T11:00:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33131295",
          "commentText": "It's hard to take someone seriously or believe that they've even read the material when they say stuff like this.  K&R (2nd ed.) is constantly calling out undefined behavior, etc. and gives you information you need to start out on a path to be a real stickler about the language.\nI spent time on my own learning C from K&R since the CS program at my school didn't expose anyone to C (or C++) during the first year.  Later, in e.g. the computer architecture course or the data structures course when C was being used liberally (and sloppily), and as I was running across lots of C in the wild, I was continually frustrated by the frequency I saw people relying on common-but-undefined behavior that's explicitly identified as unsafe/unreliable in K&R.\nHere's my advice to the original poster:\nIf you come across unsubstantiated comments telling you to ignore K&R for all the bad things it contains, then ignore those.  Or you can ask for evidence of the bad things they say about it.  It's become a meme in the last few years to write meatless swipes about how bad K&R is, but in all the times I've asked for evidence of the things it's purportedly rife with, no one has ever produced anything.  The most egregious thing I know of is that it uses `gets` and `puts` in some places—while taking extra effort to tell you it's wrong to use them.  This is arguably exactly how do-not-do-this wisdom should be imparted.\nThere is one criticism that holds true about K&R, if you're being generous (to the naysayers, that is), which is that it really does just teach you C the programming language (with some extra stuff about the UNIX system interface at the end).  It's not a general software engineering book.  You don't learn about build tools or how to structure large, maintainable programs.  It exposes you to the fact that C has various nooks and crannies, and it teaches you them, and that's all it really tries to be.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Here's my advice to the original poster:\nIf you come across unsubstantiated comments telling you to ignore K&R for all the bad things it contains, then ignore those.",
          "reason": "Defends K&R as a source for learning C and understanding undefined behavior.",
          "audience": "Someone starting to learn C.",
          "caveat": "It does not teach build tools or how to structure large, maintainable programs.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33131211,
          "author": "flohofwoe",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T10:35:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33131211",
          "commentText": "K&R was a very interesting read for me, but not actually for the description of the C language, but because it describes why certain features in C look the way they do, and because it is also surprisingly and refreshingly critical towards the language (e.g. it basically admits that the function pointer syntax was a mistake).\nIt also corrected my oversimplified view that C is a simple and small language simply because it is an old language, but it was already a simple and small language compared to other languages in the late 60's and early 70's 'programming language zoo'.\nAll the code examples are deeply rooted in the 80's programmer mindset though, and are not very relevant for \"modern C\".",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "K&R was a very interesting read for me",
          "reason": "Values its explanations of C's design, while noting its examples reflect an outdated programming style.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The code examples are rooted in the 1980s and are not very relevant for modern C.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33131116,
          "author": "flohofwoe",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T10:04:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33131116",
          "commentText": "The problem with K&R is that it stops at C89, while C99 almost feels like a new and much \"friendlier\" language (mainly because of compound literals and designated initialization).\n(e.g. shameless plug: https://floooh.github.io/2019/09/27/modern-c-for-cpp-peeps.h... (https://floooh.github.io/2019/09/27/modern-c-for-cpp-peeps.html))\nK&R 2nd Edition is still a very good read of course, but mainly for all the little interesting details that are not directly related to the C syntax, but there really should have been a K&R 3rd Edition when C99 came around.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "K&R 2nd Edition is still a very good read of course",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the second edition a good read for details beyond C syntax.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It stops at C89; the commenter says it should have had a third edition after C99.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33130948,
          "author": "lloydatkinson",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T09:24:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33130948",
          "commentText": "I don’t imagine OP had a 34 year old book in mind when there has been multiple C standards since then.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "34 year old book",
          "reason": "The commenter questions its relevance given its age and newer C standards.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes it as 34 years old, in the context of multiple newer C standards.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33130944,
          "author": "armitron",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T09:23:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33130944",
          "commentText": "King is good, also Seacord’s books: Effective C and Secure Coding ..\nJust ignore suggestions (parroting really) for K&R. It’s probably the worst introduction to C when it comes to good habits, undefined behavior and writing secure code, since it doesn’t even attempt to cover any of these but presents a total facade regarding what programming in C is like.\nK&R has created generations of people who call themselves C programmers but are essentially clueless when it comes to deep understanding of the language. Anyone that recommends K&R today is someone you want to avoid taking any advice on programming from.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "It’s probably the worst introduction to C when it comes to good habits, undefined behavior and writing secure code",
          "reason": "The commenter criticizes it as an introduction to C that omits good habits, undefined behavior, and secure coding.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The criticism focuses on its suitability as a modern introduction to C.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33130537,
          "author": "gregjor",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T07:38:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33130537",
          "commentText": "K & R",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "K & R",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32790907,
          "author": "nano9",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T14:21:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790907",
          "commentText": "Neuromancer\nSnow Crash\nBlindsight\n(Just some fun fiction to bolster one's passion for their chosen profession. Obviously TAOCP, SICP, K&R, and other books in their ranks are better answers.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Obviously TAOCP, SICP, K&R, and other books in their ranks are better answers.",
          "reason": "The commenter says these are better answers to the prompt.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32790740,
          "author": "f1shy",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T14:03:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790740",
          "commentText": "Computer science: Knuth's TAOCP. And Sipser's Introduction to the Theory of Computation.\nProgramming: SICP, K&R, and Stroustrup. Siebel's Practical common lisp.\nArtificial intelligence: AI a modern approach.\nSignals and Systems: Oppenheim's book\nProbability and statistics: Probability Theory: The Logic of Science by Jaynes",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "K&R",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31968716,
          "author": "srvmshr",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T16:06:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31968716",
          "commentText": "1. Hackers: Heroes of the computer revolution.\n2. Kernighan & Ritchie C (I learn/interpret either something new about C or marvel the art of precise writing)\n3. Harry Potter series",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kernighan & Ritchie C (I learn/interpret either something new about C or marvel the art of precise writing)",
          "reason": "The commenter rereads it to learn something new about C or appreciate its precise writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30737331,
          "author": "tomrod",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T20:30:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30737331",
          "commentText": "Yes!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Yes!",
          "reason": "Affirms the parent comment’s mention of K&R.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30487662,
          "author": "bluenose69",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T12:16:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30487662",
          "commentText": "Math: J+J, programming: K+R.\nJeffreys, Harold, and Bertha Swirles Jeffreys. Methods Of Mathematical Physics. Cambridge At The University Press, 1950. http://archive.org/details/methodsofmathema031187mbp.\nKernighan, Brian W., and Dennis M. Ritchie. The C Programming Language. Prentice-Hall Software Series. Englewood Cliffs, N.J: Prentice-Hall, 1978.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The C Programming Language.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30486432,
          "author": "nonrandomstring",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T08:26:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486432",
          "commentText": "I still have these on my shelf looking dog-eared and well read You can\nprobably tell from these exactly which year I took CSEE :)\n- Biggs: Discrete Maths\n- Stroud: Engineering Mathematics\n- Solkolnikoff: Mathematics of Physics and Modern Engineering\n- Sommerville: Software Engineering\n- Aho: Compilers\n- Kernighan and Ritchie: The C Programming Language\n- Kernighan and Pike: The UNIX Programming Environment\n- Ben Ari: Principles of Concurrent Programming\n- Clements: Microprocessor Systems Design\n- Tannenbaum: Distributed Operating Systems\n- Dean, Allen, Aloimonos: Articficial Intelligence\n- Knuth: The Art of Computer Programming\n- Yourdon: Object Oriented Systems Design\n- Abelson and Sussman: Structure and Interpretation\nMaybe the one that ones that changed me most:\n- Polya: How to Solve it\n - Hofstadter: Godel Escher Bach",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Kernighan and Ritchie: The C Programming Language",
          "reason": "The commenter lists it among books on their shelf.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28667124,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-27T04:36:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28667124",
          "commentText": "The AWK Programming Language (1988)\nhttps://archive.org/details/pdfy-MgN0H1joIoDVoIC7\nBest as in best written, along with K&R—Brian Kernighan co-authoring both can't be an accident!—it's just a pleasure to read. I use it as a model when writing documentation myself. They get you started using AWK literally on page 1. Later they get into the details of particular use cases—profiling, making DSL interpreters/compilers, random text generation, making indexes, a graph-drawing language, databases, data validation etc etc. All in under 200 pages!\nAnd best as in most useful—I use AWK every day for all kinds of things–web scraping, rearranging and creating data for programs, meta-programming etc. So easy to make whatever tool's needed for a job.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "along with K&R",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a comparison for writing quality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28664854,
          "author": "bluepoint",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T21:32:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28664854",
          "commentText": "I was also my first book and I read it carefully and multiple times when I was young. The thing is that this is quite possible with this book and it gives you a feeling of achievement. Most programming books nowadays are 2000 page monstrosities which are never meant to be read as whole.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I was also my first book and I read it carefully and multiple times when I was young.",
          "reason": "Says they read the book carefully and repeatedly, and that it is possible to finish it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter contrasts it with modern programming books they describe as too long to read in full.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28664618,
          "author": "dcchambers",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T21:00:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28664618",
          "commentText": "It's kind of a shame that C has fallen out of favor as a language for new programmers these days. I still haven't found another programming book as good as K&R and its hard to convince people to read a book for a laungage they probably won't use.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I still haven't found another programming book as good as K&R",
          "reason": "Says they have not found a better programming book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds it hard to convince people to read a book for a language they probably will not use.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28663020,
          "author": "znpy",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T18:01:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28663020",
          "commentText": "I read that book, more than once.\nI didn't enjoy that much as a teaching device, but I had the chance to greatly appreciate its timeless writing style.\nIt's as good today as a book about the C language as it was when it was first published.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I read that book, more than once.",
          "reason": "Discusses having read it multiple times, appreciating its timeless writing style, and its continued value as a C book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter did not enjoy it much as a teaching device.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28661592,
          "author": "crossroadsguy",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T15:26:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28661592",
          "commentText": "K&R. It was the best programming book I read. I have not read many other programming books to be honest. I couldn't finish most rather.\nIt's been years since I even touched C and at this point I am not going back, I know; but as an Android dev I wish I could find a non-lengthy book like K&R that would expose me to Kotlin like I was exposed to C, while helping unlearn a lot of Java.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "K&R. It was the best programming book I read.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best programming book they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have not read many other programming books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27638120,
          "author": "sys_64738",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T01:15:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27638120",
          "commentText": "K&R",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "K&R",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27629538,
          "author": "jkepler",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T11:46:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27629538",
          "commentText": "Mine are sociology, philosophy, and programming:\nLa technique ou l’Enjeu du siècle (The Societal Society) - Jacques Ellul [0]\nA New Critique of Theoretical Thought - Herman Dooyeweerd [1]\nSurveillance After September 11 - David Lyon [2]\nThe C programming Language - Brian W. Kernighan and Dennis M. Ritchie [3]\n[0] https://www.jacques-ellul.org/les-grands-themes/la-technique\n[1] https://herman-dooyeweerd.blogspot.com/2018/12/dooyeweerds-c... (https://herman-dooyeweerd.blogspot.com/2018/12/dooyeweerds-collected-works-series.html)\n[2] https://www.sscqueens.org/publications/surveillance-after-se... (https://www.sscqueens.org/publications/surveillance-after-september-11)\n[3] needs no intro here on hackernews",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The C programming Language - Brian W. Kernighan and Dennis M. Ritchie",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s summer reading titles.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21316513,
          "author": "randcraw",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T19:53:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21316513",
          "commentText": "K&R C is a minimalist introduction to the C language.  And I love it for that.\nThe book does not try to forewarn you of the myriad pitfalls inherent in C code.  Nor does it delve into the language's extended API available via a plethora of internal and external libraries.\nWhat the book does do in only 228 pages is get you up and operational in C as quickly as possible.  Then caveat coder.\nPersonally, I'd like to see more minimalist CS books.  I'm tired of having to surf through introductory tomes that often exceed 1000 pages.  I'd rather an intro book introduce me to its concepts in as few pages as possible and put the programming advice and copious reference materials elsewhere, like online.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "K&R C is a minimalist introduction to the C language. And I love it for that.",
          "reason": "The commenter loves its concise introduction to C and its quick path to getting operational.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a concise introduction to C.",
          "caveat": "It does not cover C's pitfalls or its extended library APIs; the commenter ends with “caveat coder.”",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21313742,
          "author": "e12e",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T15:58:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21313742",
          "commentText": "I thought it was wildly agreed that it's a pretty terrible book to learn modern C with?\nIt is however in other respects a fantastic example of great technical writing and a great text book.\nBut as I understand it it's today mostly an extraordinarily great book on inflicting legwounds on yourself.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "a pretty terrible book to learn modern C with?",
          "reason": "Calls it a poor guide to learning modern C, while praising its technical writing and textbook qualities.",
          "audience": "Readers learning modern C.",
          "caveat": "Describes it as a fantastic example of technical writing and a great textbook in other respects.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19087934,
          "author": "porpoisely",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T18:14:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19087934",
          "commentText": "I read Freakonomics and Guns, Germs and Steel in college and was initially 'amazed' by it. Now, I see it as mass market rubbish used to influence a particular demographic.\nBut that goes for pretty much everything really. Catcher in the Rye in high school. Carnegie's \"How to Win Friends and Influence People\".\nI think books can \"change the way you think about almost everything\" when you are younger, naive and idealistic. As you grow older, wiser and understand the world more, you leave those childish things behind.\nAlso, as einstein said : \"Reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking.\"\nI'm sure I'm not the only one that used reading as a crutch and a form of escapism and to waste time.\nBut if you want a book that left an impression on me, K&R's C Programming Language is one. It showed me that a technical book can be concise, well written and enjoyable to read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "K&R's C Programming Language is one. It showed me that a technical book can be concise, well written and enjoyable to read.",
          "reason": "Praises its concise, well-written, enjoyable presentation.",
          "audience": "Readers of technical books or C programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032519,
          "author": "bluGill",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:33:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032519",
          "commentText": "\"The C Programming Language\" is a good read if you intend to write a book. It is well written so you should read it for inspiration on how to make your book good.\nIf you want to learn C - there are plenty of resources that work just as well. The good ones cover things that didn't exist back then. (I've only read the original K&R from before ANSI, not one of the latter edition(s) so I can't comment on how up to date the latest version is)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The C Programming Language\" is a good read if you intend to write a book.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a model of clear technical writing for someone writing a book.",
          "audience": "People writing a book.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says other resources work just as well for learning C and notes the edition they read predates ANSI.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032388,
          "author": "wilsonnb",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:22:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032388",
          "commentText": "Our field is so varied that there is no good answer to this question unless you specify what you want to focus on.\nSome people are inevitably going to recommend The Art of Computer Programming, which hardly anyone has read and isn't that relevant to the work that 99% of us are doing.\nSomeone will probably recommend The C Programming Language, also called K&R after the authors, but again it's not very useful unless you're going to be using a lot of C and even then I personally don't think it provides anything you can't get from guides on the internet. (I have actually read this one, but it's been a while)\nThere are other classic textbooks that will probably be mentioned that are only useful to those in that domain. Many of us can get by without a deep understanding of algorithms and data structures, most people don't need to read a compiler book, etc, etc.\nHowever, there are some generalized books that people often recommend like The Pragmatic Programmer and Code Complete. These are, in my opinion, good recommendations if you're looking for something to read but I wouldn't say that someone starting a career in software engineering should read them. Software engineering isn't really a field with seminal texts that should be read by everyone.\nFor example, every political scientist should have probably read The Republic by Plato and Politics by Aristotle among many other texts. I don't think software engineering has that equivalent, partially due to the relative newness of the field and partially because the primary output of our field is not written texts.\nAnother interesting question would be \"What codebases should someone starting their career in software engineering look at?\". Are there things that the average joe programmer can learn by poking around the Linux kernel or Firefox? Maybe. I don't know. I've never done it. I'd be interested in hearing from those who have, though. Maybe I'll do my own ask HN.\nedit: I feel I should clarify that this is written from the perspective of a software engineer, not an academic in computer science. For all I know there could be seminal texts that those on the academic side should all have read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The C Programming Language, also called K&R after the authors",
          "reason": "Says it is not very useful unless the reader uses a lot of C, and that online guides can provide the same material.",
          "audience": "People who use C extensively may find it useful.",
          "caveat": "The commenter doubts it offers anything unavailable in internet guides.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032345,
          "author": "mfrw",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:17:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032345",
          "commentText": "My take on some which I think should be atleast read once:\n  1) The unix programming environment\n  2) The design of the unix operating system\n  3) The Pragmatic Programmer\n  4) Programming Pearls\n  5) Computer Systems: A Programmers Prespective\n  6) K & R C\n  7) The art of Unix Programming.\n\nPS: I admit my bias towards systems.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "K & R C",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books the commenter thinks should be read at least once.",
          "audience": "People starting careers in software engineering or computer science, as implied by the thread question.",
          "caveat": "The commenter admits a bias toward systems.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16759148,
          "author": "pjc50",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T21:12:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16759148",
          "commentText": "I have 2 of the 7 books of the X Window Programming Reference in that role.\nApart from K&R, there are very few programming books which are worthwhile; up to about 10 years ago the ORA series were worthwhile, but nowadays especially with StackExchange it's just far better to get the one fragment of information you need in a handy searchable pasteable internet format.\n(Non-programming book recs: recently The Man Who Stole Portugal (non-fiction, surprisingly relevant to crypto) and The Time Of Gifts (biography, extravagantly written, requires checking wikipedia every 5 dozen words unless you have a really excellent knowledge of European history)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Apart from K&R, there are very few programming books which are worthwhile",
          "reason": "Says very few programming books are worthwhile apart from K&R.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16757120,
          "author": "microtonal",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T17:48:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16757120",
          "commentText": "I rely mostly on hypertext for referencing, mostly through Dash for macOS and man pages. Books that I still occasionally reference:\n- Speech and Language Processing, Jurafsky & Martin\n- K&R\n- Sedgewick & Wayne, but more for teaching than anything else.\nIn a previous life:\n- The C++ Standard Library, Nicolai Josuttis,\n- C++ GUI Programming with Qt 4, Jasmin Blanchette and Mark Summerfield\n- The C++ Programming Language, Bjarne Stroustrup\n- Effective Java, Joshua Bloch\n- Scott Meyers' Effective C++ books.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "K&R",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16756752,
          "author": "cup-of-tea",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T17:11:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16756752",
          "commentText": "TAOCP always finds its way back to my desk. Volume 2 is here at the moment. I don't really keep any books as references, though. I have kept K&R on my desk before but these days I mostly use online documentation.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I have kept K&R on my desk before",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16573930,
          "author": "facorreia",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-13T04:52:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16573930",
          "commentText": "Definitely this one and also Algorithms + Data Structures = Programs by Niklaus Wirth.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Definitely this one",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly endorses the book referenced in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16572875,
          "author": "kristianp",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-13T00:20:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16572875",
          "commentText": "Sorry, that was a joke.  If I was honest I might say K&R's 2nd edition of \"The C Programming Language\".",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I might say K&R's 2nd edition of \"The C Programming Language\".",
          "reason": "Offered as the commenter’s honest answer to which book helped professionally.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter frames this as a tentative answer.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16352122,
          "author": "emmelaich",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T10:40:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16352122",
          "commentText": "All in no particular order....\nAs a Unix systems engineer, I would choose\n    1. W.R. Stevens books on Unix and Tcp/ip.\n    2. Rochkind's Advanced UNIX Programming.\n    3. Most of the Unix/Linux manual pages.\n    4. Bash FAQ\n\nAs a Unix systems programmer I would choose\n    1. Mythical Man Month\n    2. Jon Bentley's Programming Pearls.\n    3. K&R C and Stroustrup C++\n    4. A recent Java reference and Bloch's Java Puzzlers\n    5. a reference and cookbook for the language of your choice -- Python, Ruby, Perl, etc.\n    6. Google's style guides",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "K&R C",
          "reason": "Included among the author's choices for a Unix systems programmer.",
          "audience": "Unix systems programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16082098,
          "author": "randcraw",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-05T21:59:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16082098",
          "commentText": "I liked the first edition of K&R a lot.  Today I suspect it shines most when compared to recent intro language books.  It was succinct yet offered insight into both the language's design concepts and its implementation -- an introduction to software based on Strunk & White's spartan model of exposition.\nGiven the abstract nature and swiss-army knife mission creep of today's languages, it's a rare intro PL book today that's smaller than 600 pages.  (K&R 1978 fit into a mere 220.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I liked the first edition of K&R a lot. Today I suspect it shines most when compared to recent intro language books. It was succinct yet offered insight into both the language's design concepts and its implementation",
          "reason": "Praises its concise insight into language design and implementation, while qualifying its strengths by comparison to newer books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter thinks it shines most when compared with recent introductory language books.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16081911,
          "author": "Tepix",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-05T21:36:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16081911",
          "commentText": "Really? I've read it a few times but I never thought it was a great book.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I've read it a few times but I never thought it was a great book.",
          "reason": "Says they have read it several times but did not think it was great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16080994,
          "author": "clort",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-05T19:36:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16080994",
          "commentText": "The C Programming Language, by Kernighan & Ritchie (2nd Edition). I picked that up and was hooked.. 30 years ago",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The C Programming Language, by Kernighan & Ritchie (2nd Edition). I picked that up and was hooked",
          "reason": "Names it as an influential textbook and says it hooked him.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14489700,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T17:57:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14489700",
          "commentText": "+1. I have a corner of a bookshelf reserved for everything Kernighan, e.g. both Software Tools editions, both C Language editions, The Unix Programming Environment, The Practice of Programming, The AWK Language, even a copy of The Elements of Programming Style. I, and my employers and clients, may owe more to Mr. Kernighan for his teaching and programming style, than anyone else.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "both C Language editions",
          "reason": "Endorses Kernighan’s teaching and programming style and says they may owe him more than anyone else.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14136883,
          "author": "claroscuro",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T06:24:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14136883",
          "commentText": "The C Programming Language -- Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie.\nComprehensive, concise, and beautifully written.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_C_Programming_Language)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Comprehensive, concise, and beautifully written.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises it as comprehensive, concise, and beautifully written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12161784,
          "author": "corysama",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-25T21:37:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 12160209,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 12 year old tech savvy girl – books, programs, events, advice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12161784",
          "commentText": "> Things I see recommended here but which I personally wouldn't do\nSeconded.  Advice on learning tech and science tends to contain a large amount of survivorship bias.  A lot of people in these fields had some unusual, unstated quirk in their background that led them to do stuff like read K&R front-to-back while all of their friends were watching TV.  It worked out great for them, but it's bad bet to hope it will work for a large percentage of kids.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "read K&R front-to-back while all of their friends were watching TV",
          "reason": "Presented as an example of an unusual learning path that worked for some but is a bad bet for most kids.",
          "audience": "Kids learning tech and science",
          "caveat": "The comment cautions against assuming this approach will work for a large percentage of kids.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12160954,
          "author": "scottcha",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-25T19:28:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 12160209,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 12 year old tech savvy girl – books, programs, events, advice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12160954",
          "commentText": "I've been gradually teaching my daughter (7 years old) to code.  I've primarily focused on slow, self directed pace (when she has an idea I help tune it to something she is capable of and we do it together).  So far the best resources I've had are:\n1. Code.org: The Hour of code and Tutorials using Blocky are hands down the best intro to the basics I've seen.  You get through iterative programming up to loops with great tutorials.  Blocky also helps when you haven't yet learned to type.\n2. MIT Scratch: Also using blocky but has a great playground in which keeps it focused for lots of things my 7 year old wants to do (she animates Birthday cards, codes little games).\n3. Arduino: So far we've built a few things together.  This really takes more work on my part since she is still too young to get all the concepts but the main thing I'm trying to develop with her is that she can approach any of these problems and solve them.  She doesn't have to be intimidated by software or hardware.  So far we've built a greenhouse opener (servo activated by temp sensor) and we are working now on a programmable clock.\nThings I see recommended here but which I personally wouldn't do:\n1. Drop her in to a Linux/Command prompt with a book and ask her to go to town.  I think this may work for some folks but I'll wager the success rate would be pretty low as a general solution.  Also I disagree that letting a kid walk through man pages or technical books like K&R is the most effective for this age given how many awesome resource there are to get started.  Those things can come at their own time when they have an actual problem which requires it.\n2. Don't start on a language other than blocky unless she can type.  The typing will come but if you want a clean start and not have her too frustrated with doing the programming while also slow typing I would handle learning these separately.\n3. Let her to go on her own.  I'm fortunate (and most people on this site are) to know how to code so this applies only in this case.  Its much more motivating her for this to be \"our\" project where I can help get her unstuck when there is a challenge and its something we spend time together on.  I also get to model learning and debugging for her which is hard to learn by yourself.  On the flip side though you have to be patient and not be tempted to do it all yourself as the idea is that she learns it all eventually.\nRemember the big picture: keep this mind and realize that knowing this is incredibly powerful but at an early age there is so much to learn that keeping it fun and engaging is the best way to have her want to continue to come back to it.  Also remember that these kids want to learn and helping them pick up the right tools to help them solve their problems will enable them to do that as an adult.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "technical books like K&R",
          "reason": "Mentioned as an example of a technical book the commenter would not use as an initial learning resource.",
          "audience": "Children beginning to learn programming.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says such books can come later when a learner has a problem that requires them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12160697,
          "author": "satysin",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-25T18:49:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 12160209,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 12 year old tech savvy girl – books, programs, events, advice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12160697",
          "commentText": "Start with Programming in C or C A Modern Approach (although the latter is expensive even second hand) and learn some basic Linux.\nThen K&R just because everyone should read it.\nGrab C in a Nutshell, Understanding and Using C Pointers and C A Reference Manual for reference.\nThen get the Linux Programming Interface book.\nOkay maybe a bit overkill for a 12 year old...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Then K&R just because everyone should read it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says everyone should read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12160263,
          "author": "ruste",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-25T17:48:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 12160209,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 12 year old tech savvy girl – books, programs, events, advice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12160263",
          "commentText": "Give her a linux install disk and maybe a few pointers on how to use it as well as a copy of K&R C. I was about her age when I started!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a copy of K&R C",
          "reason": "The commenter suggests it as a resource for a 12-year-old who is starting with computers.",
          "audience": "A 12-year-old starting out with computers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144628,
          "author": "ericssmith",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T16:33:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144628",
          "commentText": "The headline and the body are posing two different questions. Regarding books that impacted my career in software. The top three are:\n1) K&R C\n2) Zen of Graphics Programming\n3) C++ Programming Language, 2E\nI wouldn't recommend any of these to a young version of myself today.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "K&R C",
          "reason": "Named as one of the top books that impacted the commenter's software career.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144524,
          "author": "samblr",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T16:23:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144524",
          "commentText": "If I were to go back and be young - I would dedicate myself to read plenty of books and probably find three genres which would appeal. A measure of a good book is how likely will it lead you to read another great book or how likely is that it changes the perception of another book/knowledge or makes you question-argue fundamental value systems. Wish there was kind of backlink algorithm to measure a book like that. I've found below genre-and-author that appeal more over time and you keep going back to them.\n> Tech : C - Kernighan & Ritchie (may be a good python/nodejs book today).\n> About tech people : Made in Japan - The Google Speaks - The Everything store - Hatching Twitter - Steve Jobs - Zero to One - Hard things about hard things.\n> About non-tech people : Founding fathers - Obama - Einstein - Darwin - Feyman - Teresa - Montessori - Gandhi - Mandela - Che Guevera - Churchill.\n> Last but important: Tolstoy - Plato - Enlightenment-Era-Books - Religions(all) - Military fitness.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Tech : C - Kernighan & Ritchie",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of tech books and authors that appeal to the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment gives no specific evaluation of this title.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144305,
          "author": "g051051",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:55:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144305",
          "commentText": "1. Peopleware\n2. The C Programming Language\n3. Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software\nHonorable mention: Compiler Design in C",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The C Programming Language",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books that impacted a career.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144232,
          "author": "protomyth",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:46:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144232",
          "commentText": "Career not life, so:\nK&R C (Draft ANSI Edition) - A small book that shows how you should write.  Many of the examples are not really good code anymore, but it traveled and inspired.\nPerl Little Black Book - I needed to learn Perl and it was packed.  Much like many of the ORA pocket references, except with a lot more examples.  My copy is in rough shape with flags, notes, and highlights.\nI will have to dig it out of a box, but I had a system process and design book from a college class that I used extensively in my first decade of work.  I think I internalized it all.  I put the book in a crate with my K&R C book waiting for a good shelf to put it on when I get somewhere a little more permanent.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "K&R C (Draft ANSI Edition) - A small book that shows how you should write. Many of the examples are not really good code anymore, but it traveled and inspired.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book inspired them, while noting many examples are no longer good code.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Many examples are not really good code anymore.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144210,
          "author": "GeneWilburn",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:44:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144210",
          "commentText": "The C Programming Language, Kernighan and Ritchie, for its simple elegance.\nThe Elements of Style, Strunk & White. On clear writing.\nHitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (series), Douglas Adams. So you don't take yourself too seriously.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The C Programming Language, Kernighan and Ritchie, for its simple elegance.",
          "reason": "Named in response to a request for books that impacted a career; praised for its elegance.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9761692,
          "author": "theGREENsuit",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T22:49:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9761692",
          "commentText": "I have this book at home, have read it and although it covers a lot in a short volume, I didn't get out of it as much as I did out of C Programming: A Modern Approach by KN King. \nOnce I bought King's book, C made a lot more sense, the book was fun to read and follow. K&R's book was, to me, less \"how & why\" but more \"how\". Pointers, in particular, is what I enjoyed more in King's book. That chapter alone made buying the book worth its money.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "K&R's book was, to me, less \"how & why\" but more \"how\".",
          "reason": "Finds it more focused on how than on how and why, and gets less from it than from King's book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "This is the commenter's personal comparison with C Programming: A Modern Approach.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9759704,
          "author": "henesy",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T17:12:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9759704",
          "commentText": "Common Lisp: A Gentle Introduction to Symbolic Computation by  David S. Touretzky is solid for learning the fundamentals of thinking in and writing lisp.\nhttp://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/LispBook/\nBump for the K&R as well, great book, helped me get my feet wet with C quickly and effectively.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bump for the K&R as well, great book, helped me get my feet wet with C quickly and effectively.",
          "reason": "Praises it for helping the commenter learn C quickly and effectively.",
          "audience": "Readers getting started with C.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9757998,
          "author": "trequartista",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T13:07:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9757998",
          "commentText": "Some love for - The C Programming Language - Kerninghan & Ritchie -\nhttp://www.amazon.com/The-Programming-Language-Brian-Kernigh... (http://www.amazon.com/The-Programming-Language-Brian-Kernighan/dp/0131103628)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Some love for - The C Programming Language - Kerninghan & Ritchie",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9757881,
          "author": "Sukotto",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T12:50:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9757881",
          "commentText": "Programming Pearls: Jon Bentley\nThe Pragmatic Programmer: Hunt and Thomas\nThe C Programming Language: Kernighan and Ritchie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The C Programming Language: Kernighan and Ritchie",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9350098,
          "author": "steakejjs",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T19:00:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350098",
          "commentText": "They are technical.\nBrushing up on:\nK&R     - The C Programming Language\nK&P     - The Unix Programming Environment\nK&P     - The Practice of Programming\nKerrisk - The Linux Programming Interface (Not light reading)\nEven though it is mostly review, reading code and seeing commands that K&R&P run has actually helped my workflow, code quality, etc.\nHighly recommend re-reading if it has been a while. Even things like variable names have noticeably improved since beginning re-reading.\nAnd, the Linux Programming Interface....is huge. There's always more to learn in there.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Highly recommend re-reading if it has been a while.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends revisiting the technical books, noting benefits to workflow and code quality.",
          "audience": "Readers who have read these programming books before.",
          "caveat": "The Linux Programming Interface is described as huge and not light reading.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348434,
          "author": "kabdib",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:55:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348434",
          "commentText": "\"Godel, Escher, Bach\" by Douglas Hopfstadter. I was in high school when it came out, and it really opened my eyes up to the field of computability. The philosophy was interesting, too.\n\"Holy the Firm\" by Annie Dillard. Not really about religion, more about our relationship to the world. A beautifully written little book.\n\"The Making of the Atomic Bomb\" by Richard Rhodes. This one works on me at several levels: The physics (which are explained well), the sheer titanic scope of the Manhattan project, and the meta-knowledge that someone was able to write a book this good.\n\"The C Programming Language\", by Kernighan and Ritchie. Probably the single most influential book on programming that I've read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The C Programming Language\", by Kernighan and Ritchie. Probably the single most influential book on programming that I've read.",
          "reason": "Calls it probably the most influential programming book they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8001050,
          "author": "baumbart",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T20:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8001050",
          "commentText": "Well thats an interesting question. Among the best is certainly \"How to design Programs\", http://htdp.org/ It's about Scheme. It does a better job than SICP I think, even though it still needs some endurance to get through.\nGenerally, there are plenty of good books, you get some ideas usually by combining knowledge from different books...\nEven though this may sound a bit old-fashioned, simply in terms of quality and self-containedness, \"The C Programming Language\" by K&R is by far the best technical book I've read. You can certainly download it as PDF somewhere.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The C Programming Language\" by K&R is by far the best technical book I've read.",
          "reason": "Called by far the best technical book the commenter has read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7999987,
          "author": "mmgutz",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T17:24:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7999987",
          "commentText": "K&R, the white book. There are few books that match it in conciseness and elegance.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "K&R, the white book.",
          "reason": "Praised for its conciseness and elegance.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7760300,
          "author": "lukasm",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-17T14:59:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7760300",
          "commentText": "I must strongly disagree. If you like K&R books, you will find a lot of useful tips like\nif (!b) { a();}\nelse { b();}\nchange to\nif(b) {b();}\nelse { a(); }",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "If you like K&R books, you will find a lot of useful tips like",
          "reason": "Says readers who like K&R books will find useful programming tips.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7757188,
          "author": "abcd_f",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:46:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7757188",
          "commentText": "This is the most disappointing programming book I have ever had a misfortune to buy. If you ever read any UML / Rational Software books - this is right up there in terms of sucking all joy out of programming, putting a blue collar and tie on you and then strangling you to death with soul-less trivialization of the software creation process. Horrible, horrible book.\nIf you like K&R books, stay the hell away from Code Complete. But make sure to read it though if you think programming is a career.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "If you like K&R books",
          "reason": "Invoked as a comparison point for the kind of programming book the commenter dislikes Code Complete alongside.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7757148,
          "author": "nwhitehead",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:41:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7757148",
          "commentText": "\"Programming in Lua\", by Roberto Ierusalimschy. This is a gem of a programming book. Some of my favorite chapters: coroutines, metamethods, weak tables, threads and states. Similar in tone and clarity to K&R \"The C Programming Language\". I learn something new every time I flip through this book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Similar in tone and clarity to K&R \"The C Programming Language\".",
          "reason": "Uses it as a comparison for the book's tone and clarity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7060144,
          "author": "vram22",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-14T22:10:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 7048683,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best development book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7060144",
          "commentText": "Can't really single out one book as the best I've read.\nBut many come close:\n- Code Complete - 1st Edition. I have both Editions 1 and 2.\nEdition 1 is very good and has a lot of stuff worth reading and practicing.\nKernighan and Pike's The Unix Programming Environment.\nKernighan and Ritchie's The C Programming Language.\nWould have to think of other good ones, though there are sure to be some.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kernighan and Ritchie's The C Programming Language.",
          "reason": "Lists the book among several that come close to being the best they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4401521,
          "author": "david92",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-18T16:35:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 4382456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: reading list for high school students interested in CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4401521",
          "commentText": "If they already have some experience with high level languages, I would introduce them to K&R's C Programming Language. It does a good job of introducing some low-level topics, like pointers and memory management.\nI also second the books that teach using Scheme, like SICP. I think learning Lisp and C introduces many important concepts.\nAlso, learning a web stack is very educational. Learning how a web application works (Internet protocols, server side code, databases, etc) taught me a lot.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would introduce them to K&R's C Programming Language.",
          "reason": "Recommended for students with some high-level language experience to introduce low-level topics.",
          "audience": "Students who already have some experience with high-level languages.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4088127,
          "author": "rhomboss",
          "createdAt": "2012-06-09T14:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 4087396,
          "threadTitle": "Must-read programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4088127",
          "commentText": "Even if you have no real interest in C, check out K&R if you haven't. It's a near flawless (imo) example of technical writing and language introduction.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "check out K&R if you haven't. It's a near flawless (imo) example of technical writing and language introduction.",
          "reason": "Praised as a near-flawless example of technical writing and language introduction.",
          "audience": "People interested in C, and readers studying technical writing or language instruction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says to check it out even without a real interest in C.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2919397,
          "author": "njharman",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-24T03:59:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 2919368,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have changed the way you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2919397",
          "commentText": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tao_Te_Ching\nThe translations vary greatly. (from making it sound like new age mumbo jumbo, to mystic mumbo jumbo, to a profound philosophy), need to find one that's right for you.\n\"The C Programming Language\" by K&R (I read this very young 12-13, it's life changing aspects probably had a lot to do with my age)\n\"The Hobbit\" by J.R.R. Tolkien\n\"Welcome to the Monkey House\" by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The C Programming Language\" by K&R (I read this very young 12-13, it's life changing aspects probably had a lot to do with my age)",
          "reason": "Lists it among books that changed their thinking and says it was life-changing, perhaps because they read it young.",
          "audience": "Readers learning the C programming language.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its life-changing effect may have been due to their age when they read it.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2381053,
          "author": "malandrew",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-29T02:15:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 2380810,
          "threadTitle": "Best program and books to learn how to code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2381053",
          "commentText": "In addition to what others have said, I would add The Little Schemer to the list. It may not seem like the most practical book, but it will make you a better programmer.\nBeyond that, I would reiterate the following suggestions put forth by others:\n-- How to Design Programs (get version 2. Racket, the IDE for this book, is practically plug-and-play, so you won't waste time prepping your development environment)\n-- Think Python by Allen Downey (i haven't read this one, but it comes very highly recommended. the excerpts I've read show that Allen communicates the concepts very clearly)\n-- Eloquent Javascript (very good introduction, all examples can be done directly in the browser with the specially-made console. This eliminates the time and confusion you will experience trying to set up a development environment with other languages.)\nOn top of those I'd also add:\n-- The C Programming Language by K&R (if you are interested in C)\n-- Dive into HTML5 (if you are interested in web development. HTML is a markup language, but you are going to need it to be able to build web stuff. This book complements Eloquent Javascript nicely)\n-- Land of Lisp\n-- DOM Scripting (Pair this book with Eloquent Javascript. It's the best introduction to the DOM that I've seen and will bridge the gap between HTML and Javascript)\nThe best books on coding are those that place equal emphasis on good prose and good programming practice and that de-emphasize syntax.\nAlso, look for books where the examples are real-world examples. i.e. things that people have actually had to implement at one time or another. Avoid books with completely imaginary examples that use made up names like foo, bar, widget, etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The C Programming Language by K&R (if you are interested in C)",
          "reason": "Suggested for readers interested in C.",
          "audience": "People learning or interested in C.",
          "caveat": "The commenter conditions the suggestion on interest in C.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971340,
          "author": "Locke1689",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T09:56:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971340",
          "commentText": "K&R. I discovered the book at age 17 by myself but that was the book I really wanted when I was 12. Not just because it teaches C -- it teaches the core of the systems programming and design experience. If you're interested in systems development I can't recommend K&R enough. You haven't really been taught C until you've been forced to implement malloc in C.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "K&R. I discovered the book at age 17 by myself but that was the book I really wanted when I was 12. Not just because it teaches C -- it teaches the core of the systems programming and design experience. If you're interested in systems development I can't recommend K&R enough.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends K&R for learning C and core systems programming and design.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in systems development.",
          "caveat": "Requires implementing malloc in C to fully learn C, according to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1213956,
          "author": "benster222",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-23T20:35:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 1212675,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I use and love Python. What's the best book to learn C ?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1213956",
          "commentText": "K&R, the definitive reference\nand\nExpert C Programming:Deep C Secrets by Peter van der Linden\nBecause the best way to understand a language (and its ups and downs) is from someone who understands that language's compiler.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "K&R, the definitive reference",
          "reason": "Recommended as the definitive reference.",
          "audience": "C programmers seeking a reference.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1212776,
          "author": "pvg",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-23T12:56:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 1212675,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I use and love Python. What's the best book to learn C ?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1212776",
          "commentText": "http://www.c-faq.com/resources/books.html\nTake a look at the Amazon reviews of some of these, you'll probably find something to your liking.\nK&R is an important book to have on your bookshelf but the idea that it's the only or best book to learn C from is absurd.\nAnother thing to do is scan the C FAQ and some of the online C tutorials just to get a feel for the language and where it fits in the language universe and to understand why a 'modern topic like threading' is not strictly a C topic. The C coding standard documents of various projects and organizations are also useful to give you an idea of what peoples' notions of sensible C look like - they can be  surprisingly varied.\nLastly, review known good code in the field you're interested in - in your case, this might be Python extensions. There aren't a lot of terribly good reasons to use C to 'hack on small Unix tools'. Your best path to learning the language is writing things that you actually need and where C is a good (or only) choice.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "K&R is an important book to have on your bookshelf but the idea that it's the only or best book to learn C from is absurd.",
          "reason": "Described as an important book to own.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter rejects the idea that it is the only or best book for learning C.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1212699,
          "author": "plinkplonk",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-23T12:05:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1212675,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I use and love Python. What's the best book to learn C ?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1212699",
          "commentText": "First, K&R. Second , C interfaces and Implementations by David Hanson.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "First, K&R.",
          "reason": "Recommended first in response to a question asking for an introductory C book.",
          "audience": "Readers learning C.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1212695,
          "author": "bensummers",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-23T11:59:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 1212675,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I use and love Python. What's the best book to learn C ?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1212695",
          "commentText": "K&R is still the best book on C. Short, simple and accurate.\nC++, on the other hand, is a moving target. Difficult to know what to recommend, apart from suggesting you get something modern which concentrates on using the STL, and perhaps Boost.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "K&R is still the best book on C. Short, simple and accurate.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the best book on C and praises its concise, accurate treatment.",
          "audience": "Readers learning C.",
          "caveat": "The commenter separately describes C++ as a moving target and does not offer a clear recommendation for it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027496,
          "author": "tjr",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T18:52:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027496",
          "commentText": "I think that K&R works better as a tutorial, as an introduction to C programming. Once you're generally comfortable with C, Steele's book is a much better reference.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "K&R works better as a tutorial, as an introduction to C programming.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a tutorial and introduction to C.",
          "audience": "Readers new to C programming.",
          "caveat": "The commenter prefers Steele's book as a reference once a reader is comfortable with C.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026332,
          "author": "andrewcooke",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T22:09:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026332",
          "commentText": "is fiction ok?  i live in chile and stumbled across bolano's books (particularly the savage detectives and 2666) in spanish just as they became popular in english in the usa (2666 was released in translation).\nsavage detectives is a funny account of adolescent \"poets\" in mexico; 2666 is a much darker, somewhat rambling tome that addresses \"evil\".  they're very different, but both great books.\nfor non-fiction the book i've used most this year is an old classic - harbison & steele's \"c a reference manual\".  it's invaluable (if you're writing c).  i don't know how people can prefer kernighan & ritchie...",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "i don't know how people can prefer kernighan & ritchie",
          "reason": "Compares it with Harbison and Steele's C reference manual.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter implies a preference for Harbison and Steele's book over this one.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 715509,
          "author": "lacker",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-21T00:46:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715509",
          "commentText": "Last: The C Programming Language - Kernighan & Ritchie\nCurrent: The Effective Executive - Peter Drucker",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Last: The C Programming Language - Kernighan & Ritchie",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as the last book read; no evaluation expressed.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240710,
          "author": "kylec",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T03:03:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240710",
          "commentText": "I thought about posting this here after a relative success asking the question on Reddit:\nhttp://www.reddit.com/info/6mikl/comments/\nbut it looks like you've beaten me to it!\nI did create a listing of the most popular books mentioned on the comment thread, if you're interested. The following were mentioned by 4 or more people:\n14 The C Programming Language\n11 Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\n8 Introduction to Algorithms\n7 Compilers: Principles, Techniques and Tools\n6 Programming Erlang\n5 The Mythical Man-Month\n5 The Pragmatic Programmer\n5 Applied Cryptography\n4 Beautiful Code\n4 The Little Schemer\n4 Programming Perl\nmore here: http://www.reddit.com/info/6mikl/comments/c04abpy",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "14 The C Programming Language",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the most frequently mentioned books in the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240688,
          "author": "breck",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T02:34:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240688",
          "commentText": "-Black Swan & Fooled by Randomness\n-The C Programming Language\n-The Non-Designers Design Book\n-How to Read a Book\n-Never Eat Alone\n-Art of War\n-Bill Bryson's a History of Everything(~)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-The C Programming Language",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 177240,
          "author": "landondyer",
          "createdAt": "2008-04-30T03:01:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 176803,
          "threadTitle": "Which is your favorite 70-80s computer book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=177240",
          "commentText": "Dang, choices, choices.  K&R, of course.  Followed closely by _Software Tools_, and Lion's Notes on V6 Unix.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "K&R, of course.",
          "reason": "Names it as a favorite in response to the question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 177186,
          "author": "jfoutz",
          "createdAt": "2008-04-30T01:26:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 176803,
          "threadTitle": "Which is your favorite 70-80s computer book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=177186",
          "commentText": "I still use SICP. K&R is a great too. I didn't get them till the 90's though.\nThe book I used the most in the 80's was Chaos by James Gleick. I spent months coding up his mathematical models in basic on my 286. Good times.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "K&R is a great too.",
          "reason": "Calls it great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135262,
          "author": "klocksib",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T16:59:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135262",
          "commentText": "Hmmm, here's a list of books I really like:\nMemory as a Programming Concept in C and C++ by Frenck\nThe Design and Implementation of the FreeBSD Operating System by McKusick/Neville-Neil\nLearning GNU Emacs by Cameron, et al.\nPractical Common Lisp by Seibel\nThe C Programming Language by K&R\nThe C++ Programming Language Stroustrup\nThe Design and Analysis of Algorithms by Leviten\nAssembly Language Programming for the IBM PC Family by Jones\nEssays/Collections:\nHackers & Painters by PG\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman by Feynman\nWhat Do You Care What Other People Think by Feynman\nThe Cathedral & The Bazaar by Raymond\nNovels:\nThe Soul of a New Machine by Kidder\nWhere Wizards Stay up Late by Hafner",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The C Programming Language by K&R",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books the commenter really likes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian W. Kernighan",
        "Dennis M. Ritchie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 73,
      "threads": 38,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming",
        "programming languages",
        "c",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-pragmatic-programmer-ff64c4",
      "title": "The Pragmatic Programmer",
      "author": "Andrew Hunt and David Thomas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46248549,
          "author": "skydhash",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-12T20:36:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 46226571,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46248549",
          "commentText": "The \"Sun Eater\" series (7 books) by C. Ruocchio have the final book published this year. Dune vibe/A bit of Warhammer.\n\"Simplicity\" by Dave Thomas is in the same vein of \"The Pragmatic Programmer\". Worth a quick read.\n\"Tidy First?\" by Kent Beck is another one that's worth a quick read.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "in the same vein of \"The Pragmatic Programmer\"",
          "reason": "Used as a comparison for Simplicity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42734677,
          "author": "skydhash",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-17T06:29:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 42686034,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read regarding software development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42734677",
          "commentText": "The C programming language (ansi edition) - I had it before even leaning how to program properly. The explanations was so clear you could work out the examples with pencil and papers\nMystical man-month and the pragmatic programmer. The former gave insight about managing a team, the other about managing yourself.\nCurrently I’m reading:\nUnit Testing: Principles, Practices, and Patterns by Vladimir Khorikok\nDesigning Data Intensive Application by Martin Kleppman\nAnd very recently completed Learning Domain-Driven Design by Vlad Khononov\nI think the three are quite good too",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mystical man-month and the pragmatic programmer. The former gave insight about managing a team, the other about managing yourself.",
          "reason": "Says it gave insight into managing oneself.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41387869,
          "author": "dusanh",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T06:14:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387869",
          "commentText": "The already mentioned The Pragmatic Programmer, 20th Anniversary Edition is so far the best I have read. It's not overly specific to one single thing, it tries to teaches general principles and good practice.[1]\nI also have a personal recommendation for when you want to better understand testing, QA, or want to/have to work with QA people. [2]\n[1] https://pragprog.com/titles/tpp20/the-pragmatic-programmer-2... (https://pragprog.com/titles/tpp20/the-pragmatic-programmer-20th-anniversary-edition/)\n[2] https://www.amazon.com/Lessons-Learned-Software-Testing-Cont... (https://www.amazon.com/Lessons-Learned-Software-Testing-Context-Driven/dp/0471081124)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The already mentioned The Pragmatic Programmer, 20th Anniversary Edition is so far the best I have read.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best book they have read and says it teaches general principles and good practice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It is not overly specific to one single thing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41387850,
          "author": "weinzierl",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T06:11:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387850",
          "commentText": "\"A Philosophy of Software Design\" by Stanford's John Ousterhout is excellent.\nIt is quite concise (about 190 pages), but in my opinion, it includes all the essential information that the other books in that category would teach you. It leaves out a lot of cruft that over the years turned out to be non-issues (code styling, problems that come with object oriented programming, etc.) but occasionally - when the topic is popular and widespread (e.g. Uncle Bob advice) - addresses them as alternative opinions. It was first published in 2018 and is therefore not in the out-of-date category.\nSo I would recommend it as essential read, hands down.\nIf you want something a bit more elaborate: \"The Pragmatic Programmer\" has a 20th Anniversary Edition. It is a timeless classic, worth reading at any rate.\nThat being said, I wish there was a  single consistent resource[1] that summarizes truly modern software design philosophy in the sense that it leaves the object orientation inspired ideas behind that did not turn out to be useful and focusses on typed functional programming. Maybe with examples in Typescript and Rust.\n[1] Possibly a book, but not necessarily. For me it would be important that it presents a consistent opinion, so it should be from a single author or small group of authors. The information I have in mind is mostly there, but spread out over many blog posts from people with slightly different takes and ideas about them. The overwhelming majority of recommendations in this thread  are from authors I'd consider part of the founding generation. I'd love to read about software design from the perspective of a younger generation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Pragmatic Programmer\" has a 20th Anniversary Edition.",
          "reason": "Calls it a timeless classic worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41387801,
          "author": "optymizer",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T06:00:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387801",
          "commentText": "I would split the books into two categories: those that improve the way you structure your code and deliver a software solution, and those that improve your technical understanding of the software platform and the computer you're using.\nThe first are books like Pragmatic Programmer, Mythical Man Month, Code Complete, Design Patterns, talks by Alan Kay on software systems and OOP, even Game Engine Architecture etc. A lot of the content there is distilled experience which is much faster to learn from a book than gain the hard way on the job.\nThe other books are practical deep dives. Here I would recommend a variety of books like Inside the Machine by Stokes, Computer Architecture by Hennessy, 21st Century C by Klemens, Crafting Interpreters by Nystrom, Compilers by Aho, Effective Java, Nature of Code by Shiffman, Ray Tracing Challenge by Buck, Hands on Hacking by Hickey, and others, depending on your interest and area of focus.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "books like Pragmatic Programmer",
          "reason": "Lists it among books on structuring code and delivering software.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41387633,
          "author": "rado_stankov",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T05:24:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387633",
          "commentText": "The top book imho is The Pragmatic Programer.\nHere some other recomendations\n- Designing Data-Intensive Applications\n- Tidy First?: A Personal Exercise in Empirical Software Design\n- A Philosophy of Software Design\n- Refactoring UI\n- The Software Engineer's Guidebook\n- https://blog.rstankov.com/programing-books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The top book imho is The Pragmatic Programer.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it their top book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40284922,
          "author": "yungporko",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T12:58:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40284922",
          "commentText": "seneca's letters from a stoic, marcus aurelius' meditations, the pragmatic programmer by david thomas & andrew hunt",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the pragmatic programmer by david thomas & andrew hunt",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40048824,
          "author": "skydhash",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-16T06:05:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40048824",
          "commentText": "Depends on the audience. Generally, it's always \"Getting Things Done\" and \"So Good They Can't Ignore You\". For fellow programmers it's \"Clean Coder\" and \"The Pragmatic Programmer\". And I always wish my managers and tech leads read \"The Mythical Man-Month\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and \"The Pragmatic Programmer\"",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a gift for fellow programmers.",
          "audience": "Fellow programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37825530,
          "author": "OnionBlender",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-09T21:11:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37825530",
          "commentText": "Code Complete needs a new addition similar to how The Pragmatic Programmer released a new addition after 20 years.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Pragmatic Programmer released a new addition after 20 years.",
          "reason": "Uses its new edition after 20 years as a comparison for the requested Code Complete update.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35711009,
          "author": "radicalbyte",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-26T08:48:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 35710671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell still a recommended read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35711009",
          "commentText": "It's in the same group as Pragmatic Programmer, Refactoring, Patterns of Application Architecture and the Gang-of-Four book for me. Still recommended for junior programmers as they're all teaching the core of good design.\nHowever seeing as the better frameworks/languages/IDEs have internalised a lot of the learnings and that the specific conventions may be outdated - so just follow the recommendations for your platform/framework.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Pragmatic Programmer",
          "reason": "Lists it among books teaching core software design.",
          "audience": "Junior programmers",
          "caveat": "Specific conventions may be outdated; follow the recommendations for your platform or framework.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33862651,
          "author": "supr_strudl",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-05T07:37:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33862651",
          "commentText": "The Pragmatic Programmer (Hunt)\nRefactoring (Folwer)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Pragmatic Programmer (Hunt)",
          "reason": "Listed as a reading suggestion in response to a request for books.",
          "audience": "Software engineers seeking to improve their work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33861877,
          "author": "astrange",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-05T05:41:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33861877",
          "commentText": "Most of these books are so trivial that if you’re already a professional you should be surprised if you learn anything from them.\nExcept for the Bob Martin one, which you just shouldn’t read since he is not good at programming and his advice is bad.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Most of these books are so trivial that if you’re already a professional you should be surprised if you learn anything from them.",
          "reason": "Says the listed books are too trivial to teach much to an experienced professional.",
          "audience": "Experienced professional developers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33861664,
          "author": "soheil",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-05T04:58:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33861664",
          "commentText": "There are many books, articles, and other resources that can help you to become a better software engineer. Some popular choices include \"Clean Code\" by Robert C. Martin, \"The Pragmatic Programmer\" by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas, and \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell. These books provide practical advice and guidance on a range of topics, including design, testing, debugging, and refactoring.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Pragmatic Programmer\" by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas",
          "reason": "Lists it as a popular choice in response to a request for reading material.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33858182,
          "author": "mooreds",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T21:37:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33858182",
          "commentText": "Hiya,\nI'd consider these books/articles/podcasts:\n* Secrets of Consulting by Gerald Weinberg: http://geraldmweinberg.com/Site/Consulting_Secrets.html Every problem is a people problem.\n* Refactoring by Martin Fowler et. al: https://martinfowler.com/books/refactoring.html talks about how and why to refactor, as well as providing a nomenclature for the process.\n* Code Complete by Steve McConnell. https://stevemcconnell.com/books/ A bit dated (the last version I could find was from 2004) but a great overview of the entire software process, from requirements to maintenance.\n* The Mythical Man-Month by Fred Brookes: https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/mythical-man-month-the/... (https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/mythical-man-month-the/0201835959/) best practices about software development, written about a project from the 1960 and 1970s.\n* The Joel On Software Strategy Letters: https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/05/12/strategy-letter-i-... (https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/05/12/strategy-letter-i-ben-and-jerrys-vs-amazon/) is the first one. All of them (I think there are five) are great.\n* Letters to a New Developer: https://letterstoanewdeveloper.com/the-book/ Please note I wrote this, but I still think it does a good job of discussing the \"soft skills\" in an easily digestible format.\n* Pragmatic Programmer by Dave Thomas and Andy Hunt: https://pragprog.com/titles/tpp20/the-pragmatic-programmer-2... (https://pragprog.com/titles/tpp20/the-pragmatic-programmer-20th-anniversary-edition/) Haven't read the revised 20th anniversary edition, but the first one opened my eyes to the craft of software.\n* High Output Management by Andy Grove: https://bookshop.org/p/books/high-output-management-andrew-s... (https://bookshop.org/p/books/high-output-management-andrew-s-grove/6730629) a great way to think about throughput\n* The Phoenix Project by Gene Kim et. al: https://itrevolution.com/product/the-phoenix-project/ Fun novel(!) about applying lean management principles to software engineering.\n* Radical Candor (haven't read, but it's been recommended): https://www.radicalcandor.com/ About communication.\n* Good to Great by Jim Collins: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_to_Great Focuses on what great companies bring to the table. Helps me evaluate where to work.\n* Mastery Autonomy and Purpose: A great video about what people really want in work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzXXC4MZZnY\n* https://www.manager-tools.com/podcasts a podcast about managing people. You didn't say you wanted to be a people manager, but knowing what managers think about will make you more effective in any org.\n* Managing Humans by Michael Lopp: https://managinghumans.com/ The whole Rands site is work reading, but I enjoyed this book about how to manage teams and build software. See above.\n* Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug: https://sensible.com/dont-make-me-think/ Easy ways to think about usability, focusing on webapps. Short and easy.\n* Badass: Making Users Awesome, by Kathy Sierra: http://seriouspony.com/badass-users-the-book Will help you put yourself in the shoes of your users and think about how to build software they will love. Short and easy.\nHope this helps.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Pragmatic Programmer by Dave Thomas and Andy Hunt",
          "reason": "The commenter says the first edition opened their eyes to the craft of software.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read the revised 20th anniversary edition.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33856481,
          "author": "summertime42",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T18:55:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33856481",
          "commentText": "I have all of these on my shelf. Fantastic reads.\n* Extreme Programming Explained by Kent Beck\n* Clean Code and The Clean Coder by Robert C. Martin\n* Soft Skills by John Sonmez (1st edition)\n* Pragmatic Programmer by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas\n* Working Effectively with Legacy Code by Michael Feathers\n* The Mythical Man-Month by Frederick Brooks\n(Selfish plug) Additionally, I wrote my own book concerning the entire industry, from just starting out to becoming a self employed consultant when you get sick of fulltime work - all soft skills from my decade or so of the industry, as well - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B43V1JJW",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pragmatic Programmer by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas",
          "reason": "Includes it among books they describe as fantastic reads.",
          "audience": "Software engineers seeking practical development guidance.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32937483,
          "author": "drunpy",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T11:35:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937483",
          "commentText": "The Pragmatic Programmer (Andrew Hunt, Dave Thomas),\nThe Manager's Path (Camille Fourier),\nHow To Win Friends and Influence People (Dale Carnegie).\nThese books helped me to realize that many insecurities I had where \"common\" in Software Engineering field. The last one is especially good if you're looking for improve your relations with people.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Pragmatic Programmer (Andrew Hunt, Dave Thomas),",
          "reason": "Lists it among books that helped the commenter recognize common insecurities in software engineering.",
          "audience": "Software engineers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30488536,
          "author": "diego_moita",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T14:08:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30488536",
          "commentText": "When I began programming it was a book I respected. I read it twice.\nBut today it is a book I see with flaws. I think it is a dated book, made for an era changed by web development, agile and functional languages. My criticisms:\n* It worries too much about little details on verbose object oriented languages (Java, C++). It is overly obsessed about ahead planning.\n* it established myths that I am not sure to be true (cone of uncertainty, orders of magnitude different productivity among programmers).\n* it failed to understand the agile philosophy and why it's ideas generate more adaptable software\nI think Pragmatic Programmer is a more interesting book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think Pragmatic Programmer is a more interesting book.",
          "reason": "Prefers it to the book being criticized.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29308535,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:53:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29308535",
          "commentText": "> And again, let's skip books that you might actually consider required reading for experienced developers.\nWould be a great suggestion in a generic good books list but this one is about books that are not pragmatic!",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Would be a great suggestion in a generic good books list but this one is about books that are not pragmatic!",
          "reason": "Says it would fit a general good-books list but not this thread's request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the thread seeks books that are not pragmatic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29308524,
          "author": "itpragmatik",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:52:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29308524",
          "commentText": "Pragmatic Programmer\nhttps://pragprog.com/titles/tpp20/the-pragmatic-programmer-2... (https://pragprog.com/titles/tpp20/the-pragmatic-programmer-20th-anniversary-edition/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pragmatic Programmer",
          "reason": "Lists the book in response to a request for suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29032266,
          "author": "xupybd",
          "createdAt": "2021-10-28T21:29:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 29030285,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29032266",
          "commentText": "> What are you reading and why? \nAudiobooks are a special case for me. They help fill the time when I'm driving to work, mowing the lawn or doing dishes. If I consume my entertainment during these productive times, I find I'm less drawn to television and other mindless distractions. They also help me to be motivated to do tasks that I otherwise find dull. The better alternative is to find a friend to share these tasks with, but that is not always a practical option.\nWhile I do read for entertainment, I really enjoy non-fiction as long as it's light. If I want to explore a topic and truly learn something, I often need to find a text version. That said, I have found some great audiobooks that I have learnt from:\n-The Goal\n-Pragmatic Programmer\n-Designing Data-Intensive Applications\n-Thinking Fast and Slow\n-Ultralearning\nThe best entertainment so far have been\n-Dune\n-The Expanse series\n-The Bobiverse series\n-The Expeditionary force series.\nI asked this question so broadly as I wanted to try something that I wouldn't usually go for. I have a heavy bias towards sci-fi and wouldn't mind exploring other genres. I love good non-fiction but have also found a lot of trash non-fiction out there that I regret wasting time on.\nI have a log of recommendations but not of books read. It sounds like a good idea.\nI'll add How to Read a Book to my list :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I have found some great audiobooks that I have learnt from:\n-The Goal\n-Pragmatic Programmer",
          "reason": "Includes it among audiobooks the commenter learned from.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28663811,
          "author": "qorrect",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T19:26:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28663811",
          "commentText": "Not sure this one counts but it's one of the best books ever:\nCode by Charles Petzold - https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/44882.Code .\nOthers would be:\nNeural Smithing ( its now obsolete but was great at the time ) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1153223.Neural_Smithing\nThe Pragmatic Programmer https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/4099.The_Pragmatic_Pr... (https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/4099.The_Pragmatic_Programmer)\nThe Effective series by Scott Myers https://www.goodreads.com/series/160060-effective-c",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Pragmatic Programmer",
          "reason": "Listed among other books they consider notable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28661795,
          "author": "nandkunal",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T15:44:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28661795",
          "commentText": "The Pragmatic Programmer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Pragmatic Programmer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27879673,
          "author": "chana_masala",
          "createdAt": "2021-07-19T05:58:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 27879593,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27879673",
          "commentText": "I agree that the Pragmatic Programmer is well done in it's audio form, and I also agree that Grokking Algorithms is terrible.\nI am currently listening Designing Data Intensive Applications and it's phenomenally done - the author clearly worked with the narrator to adapt the content to audio format, and the narrator seems to have experience or familiarity with the subject because he pronounces the technical jargon very naturally.\nI hope to find other software related audiobooks as good as DDAI is.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I agree that the Pragmatic Programmer is well done in it's audio form",
          "reason": "The commenter agrees that its audiobook is well done.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The praise is specifically about the audio edition.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24590977,
          "author": "jessehorne",
          "createdAt": "2020-09-25T15:41:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 24582669,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24590977",
          "commentText": "Some interesting books...\n1. What would Machiavelli do\n2. The Tao of Pooh\n3. The Conquest of Bread\nOn programming or engineering?\n1. Pragmatic Programmer\n2. Mr. Neighborlys Humble Little Ruby Book\n3. Programming in Lua\nI feel put on the spot. I thought there would be more but I can't think of any at the moment.\nIf you ever make a post asking for YouTube video suggestions, I'll definitely be able to comment on that much better. There's some really helpful videos out there, featuring Alan Watts and George Thompson that have helped me tremendously when dealing with the day to day engineering stress.\nI find that I'm learning less about programming lately and more about dealing with the anxiety. That has always been the biggest road blocker for me, anyways. It's easy to find the motivation to sit down and read a book or write a piece of code... It's hard to always enjoy doing it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pragmatic Programmer",
          "reason": "Listed as a programming or engineering book suggestion.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in programming or engineering.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24289321,
          "author": "Jtsummers",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-27T01:35:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 24286084,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading at the moment and what do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24289321",
          "commentText": "Fiction, English\n\nListening: Swords in the Mist, Fritz Leiber. Third in the Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser collections.\nReading: The Dispossessed, Ursula Le Guin.\n  Fiction, Spanish\n\nI’m trying to learn Spanish. I’ve picked up a few Spanish language fiction books, presently starting on Harry Potter y la piedra filosofal. I’ve tried reading other books, like Jorge Luis Borges’ Ficciones, but I’ve found it to be above my present level. I’ve restarted four or five times and made it further each time, but always stalled out.\n  Non-fiction\n\nThe Design of Everyday Things, Don Norman.\nI have other books started lying around the house, but these are the ones I’ve been actively engaged with in the last couple weeks. When I can type properly again (two to three weeks) I’ll resume Lisp in Small Pieces, Christian Queinnec. And at the office I have The Pragmatic Programmer, I’ll be back there next week and bring it home so I can continue with it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "at the office I have The Pragmatic Programmer, I’ll be back there next week and bring it home so I can continue with it.",
          "reason": "The commenter plans to continue reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22710359,
          "author": "PaulAJ",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T10:44:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22710359",
          "commentText": "* Alan Turing: The Enigma of Intelligence by Andrew Hodges. The definitive biography, with lots of detailed explanations of his work.\n* Making Software, edited by Oram & Wilson. A bunch of papers about evidence-based software engineering.\n* Beautiful Code, also edited by Oram & Wilson. A bunch of papers about especially elegant pieces of software.\n* Eiffel, by Bertrand Meyer. What Java should have been.\n* The Devil's DP Dictionary, by Stan Kelly Bootle. A satirical look at the computer industry circa 1980.\n* The Jargon File. (http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/). The language of the Elder Days.\n* Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering by Robert Glass.\n* The Pragmatic Programmer by Hunt & Thomas.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Pragmatic Programmer by Hunt & Thomas.",
          "reason": "Lists the book as a recommendation in response to a request for computing books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20739170,
          "author": "muzani",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-19T16:26:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20739170",
          "commentText": "It's not just algorithms. Creating maintainable code and building good habits matter too.\nFor that, I'd recommend The Pragmatic Programmer, A.Hunt, D.Thomas.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend The Pragmatic Programmer, A.Hunt, D.Thomas.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it for maintaining code and building good habits.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17034365,
          "author": "InclinedPlane",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T21:36:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17034365",
          "commentText": "- The Pragmatic Programmer\n- Refactoring\n- Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering\n- Code Complete",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Pragmatic Programmer",
          "reason": "Lists it as a book answering the thread's request for career reading recommendations.",
          "audience": "People starting a software engineering or computer science career",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17033368,
          "author": "ozim",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T19:54:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17033368",
          "commentText": "You start career. If you already have been programming like in high school or something and finished CS university don't focus much on technical books. Learn how to work with people not computers and listen. I assume you know objects, ifs, for loops. It is enough for technical start. I don't expect more from junior. \"The pragmatic programmer\" is quite good start on it.\nIf you lack technical background and have problems with structure because you have not worked through university/school in structured way then \"Code complete\", \"Clean code\".\nPick also something in depth for your specific area you are going to start, for C# good would be \"C# in depth\" to get really details of tech you will be working on. Get details in one programming language really well then you can pick up some other tech.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The pragmatic programmer\" is quite good start on it.",
          "reason": "Calls it a quite good starting point for a new career in software engineering.",
          "audience": "New software engineers",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17033281,
          "author": "clumsysmurf",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T19:47:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17033281",
          "commentText": "I kinda wonder, after all these years, if there would ever be a new edition of the Pragmatic Programmer; or even a discussion from the authors on how their thinking has evolved over time.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I kinda wonder, after all these years, if there would ever be a new edition of the Pragmatic Programmer; or even a discussion from the authors on how their thinking has evolved over time.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032504,
          "author": "yingw787",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:32:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032504",
          "commentText": "I read through Code Complete 2 cover to cover my first year and I agree with parent it's more useful early on than later. There's a lot of discussion around best practices; I think there's an entire chapter on strategic whitespace. All the stuff in there makes sense, but it cements why it's important.\nDefinitely check out \"The Pragmatic Programmer\"! There's definitely some good nuggets in there that helped me. Distinguishing full-blown prototypes vs. prototypical kernels that can be productionized, a.k.a. tracer bullet prototyping, is one.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Definitely check out \"The Pragmatic Programmer\"! There's definitely some good nuggets in there that helped me.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the book and says its ideas helped.",
          "audience": "Programmers, especially those early in their careers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032446,
          "author": "manaskarekar",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:27:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032446",
          "commentText": "A quick reference for the important points in Pragmatic Programmer :https://blog.codinghorror.com/a-pragmatic-quick-reference/\nCode Complete: http://codecourse.sourceforge.net/materials/Code-Complete-A-... (http://codecourse.sourceforge.net/materials/Code-Complete-A-Detailed-Book-Review.html)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "A quick reference for the important points in Pragmatic Programmer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Links to a quick reference rather than discussing the book itself.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032388,
          "author": "wilsonnb",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:22:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032388",
          "commentText": "Our field is so varied that there is no good answer to this question unless you specify what you want to focus on.\nSome people are inevitably going to recommend The Art of Computer Programming, which hardly anyone has read and isn't that relevant to the work that 99% of us are doing.\nSomeone will probably recommend The C Programming Language, also called K&R after the authors, but again it's not very useful unless you're going to be using a lot of C and even then I personally don't think it provides anything you can't get from guides on the internet. (I have actually read this one, but it's been a while)\nThere are other classic textbooks that will probably be mentioned that are only useful to those in that domain. Many of us can get by without a deep understanding of algorithms and data structures, most people don't need to read a compiler book, etc, etc.\nHowever, there are some generalized books that people often recommend like The Pragmatic Programmer and Code Complete. These are, in my opinion, good recommendations if you're looking for something to read but I wouldn't say that someone starting a career in software engineering should read them. Software engineering isn't really a field with seminal texts that should be read by everyone.\nFor example, every political scientist should have probably read The Republic by Plato and Politics by Aristotle among many other texts. I don't think software engineering has that equivalent, partially due to the relative newness of the field and partially because the primary output of our field is not written texts.\nAnother interesting question would be \"What codebases should someone starting their career in software engineering look at?\". Are there things that the average joe programmer can learn by poking around the Linux kernel or Firefox? Maybe. I don't know. I've never done it. I'd be interested in hearing from those who have, though. Maybe I'll do my own ask HN.\nedit: I feel I should clarify that this is written from the perspective of a software engineer, not an academic in computer science. For all I know there could be seminal texts that those on the academic side should all have read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "good recommendations if you're looking for something to read",
          "reason": "Calls it a good recommendation for someone looking for a book, but says new software engineers need not read it.",
          "audience": "People looking for a general software engineering book.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not a required book for someone starting a software career.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032345,
          "author": "mfrw",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:17:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032345",
          "commentText": "My take on some which I think should be atleast read once:\n  1) The unix programming environment\n  2) The design of the unix operating system\n  3) The Pragmatic Programmer\n  4) Programming Pearls\n  5) Computer Systems: A Programmers Prespective\n  6) K & R C\n  7) The art of Unix Programming.\n\nPS: I admit my bias towards systems.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Pragmatic Programmer",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books the commenter thinks should be read at least once.",
          "audience": "People starting careers in software engineering or computer science, as implied by the thread question.",
          "caveat": "The commenter admits a bias toward systems.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17031874,
          "author": "chollida1",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T17:37:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17031874",
          "commentText": "Three boks I'll recommend you read as soon as possible.\n1) The Mythical Man month\n3) The Pragmatic Programmer\n3) Code Complete.\nThe thing about these books, well atleast 1 and 3 is that when they were written they broke new ground.  Or if that phrase bother you, they were the first mainstream publications that brought their core ideas to developers.\nReading these books early in your career will help cement these best practices.\nReading these books after you've been a practicing programmer means,IMHO, that the return you get from reading them goes way way down.\nYou'll find that you've already learned all/most? of what they are trying to teach.\nYou'll find yourself getting frustrated that they are preaching what you already know as common sense and first principles.\nOr put another way, I'm not sure there is much that someone who has programmed for 5-10 years can get out of those books that they haven't picked up somewhere else already or learned the hard way.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "3) The Pragmatic Programmer",
          "reason": "Recommended to early-career readers to help cement best practices.",
          "audience": "Early-career programmers.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says experienced programmers may get little new from it.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16358031,
          "author": "xstartup",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-12T11:40:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16358031",
          "commentText": "McConnell, Steve. Code Complete. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Press, 1993.\nMcConnell, Steve. Software Project Survival Guide. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Press, 1998.\nMaguire, Steve. Writing Solid Code. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Press, 1993.\nRanade and Nash. The Elements of C Programming Style. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1992.\nKernighan and Plauger. The Elements of Programming Style. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1982.\nCaner, Cem, et al. Testing Computer Software, Second Edition. New York: Wiley Computer Publishing, 1999.\nHunt, Andrew, et al. The Pragmatic Programmer. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 2000.\nHolub, Allen. Enough Rope to Shoot Yourself in the Foot: Rules for C and C++ Programming. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1995.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hunt, Andrew, et al. The Pragmatic Programmer.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the question about books colleagues should have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16354102,
          "author": "rookiemaverick",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T18:51:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16354102",
          "commentText": "Pragmatic programmer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pragmatic programmer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16351710,
          "author": "tobyjsullivan",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T07:56:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16351710",
          "commentText": "I agree insofar as any developer should probably know that stuff as a minimal baseline. Which is why it made my list of books I wish my colleagues had read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Which is why it made my list of books I wish my colleagues had read.",
          "reason": "Says it belongs on the list of books colleagues should have read.",
          "audience": "Colleagues, including developers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16351627,
          "author": "tobyjsullivan",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T07:24:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16351627",
          "commentText": "1) The Pragmatic Programmer by Hunt and Thomas will always be a classic.\n2) The Decision Maker by Dennis Bakke. This one pairs well with the more thorough Reinventing Organizations which has been mentioned in another comment.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "will always be a classic.",
          "reason": "Calls it a classic in response to the thread’s request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14487352,
          "author": "ryan-allen",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T13:15:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487352",
          "commentText": "One of the first books I read that led me on to craploads of other books. It mentioned Peopleware, Mythical Man Month and just opened up a whole world of books about programming and being a programmer that were not 'do this then that to achieve Y'.\nGonna have to pick that one up again and see what else I can glean from it years later :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One of the first books I read that led me on to craploads of other books.",
          "reason": "Parent identifies the discussed book as The Pragmatic Programmer; commenter credits it with leading to many other books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14487288,
          "author": "mathnode",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T13:04:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487288",
          "commentText": "- The Pragmatic Programmer\n- The Practice of Programming\n- The Mythical Man Month\n- The Cathedral and the Bazaar\n- The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\n- Introduction to Algorithms\n- Hackers and Painters\nSome of these do contain mixed language code examples, but they are expressed in a way to be agnostic. A problem is a problem; in any language.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The Pragmatic Programmer",
          "reason": "Included in a list answering a request for language-agnostic programming books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14487150,
          "author": "ishmaelahmed",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T12:39:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487150",
          "commentText": "\"The Pragmatic Programmer\" by Andy Hunt and Dave Thomas",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Pragmatic Programmer\" by Andy Hunt and Dave Thomas",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books to add to the library.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14140266,
          "author": "exception_e",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T16:36:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14140266",
          "commentText": "The Pragmatic Programmer. I'm on mobile, so just Google for it.\nThis book is amazing and still holds up today, for the most part.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "This book is amazing and still holds up today, for the most part.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it amazing and says it still holds up.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The endorsement is qualified by “for the most part.”",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13805453,
          "author": "lostphilosopher",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T19:45:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805453",
          "commentText": "Generally:\nThe Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Thomas Kuhn\nThe Apology of Socrates, Plato\nProfessionally:\nThe Pragmatic Programmer, Andrew Hunt and David Thomas\nThe Best Interface is No Interface, Golden Krishna",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Pragmatic Programmer, Andrew Hunt and David Thomas",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12150875,
          "author": "de107549",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-23T20:24:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12150875",
          "commentText": "There were different book that impacted different stages of my career:\nAs a programmer :\n1. The C++ Programming Language by Bjarne Stroustrup.\n2. Operating System Concepts by Silberschatz\n3. Compilers by Aho\nAs an agile software developer:\n1. eXtreme Programming by Kent Beck\n2. Pragmatic Programmer by Hunt and Thomas\n3. Continuous Delivery by Jez Humble\nAs an architect:\n1. Domain Driven Design by Evans\n2. Pattern-Oriented Software Architecture by Buschmann\n3. Envisioning Information by Edward Tufte\nAs a CEO:\n1. Good To Great by Collins\n2. Lean Startup by Eric Ries\n3. Beyond Budgeting by Pfläging",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pragmatic Programmer by Hunt and Thomas",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144746,
          "author": "amerkhalid",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T16:46:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144746",
          "commentText": "1. Head First Design Patterns - Didn't learn patterns in school. This book made a lot of difference in communication with more experienced programmers.\n2. Pragmatic Programmer - A classic, learned many practical tips for day to day programming job.\n3. Founders at Work - Motivated me to work on my side projects and be constantly learning.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pragmatic Programmer - A classic, learned many practical tips",
          "reason": "Calls it a classic and credits it with practical tips for everyday programming.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144266,
          "author": "kentf",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:50:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144266",
          "commentText": "The Pragmatic Programmer, Dave Thomas, Andy Hunt\nFooled by Randomness, Taleb\nLinchpin, Seth Godin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Pragmatic Programmer, Dave Thomas, Andy Hunt",
          "reason": "Named in response to a request for books that impacted a career.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12143825,
          "author": "msluyter",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T14:46:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12143825",
          "commentText": "1. Godel, Escher, Bach -- Because it sparked my interest and got me started down the path.\n2. The Pragmatic Programmer -- a classic. Reminds me that I need to re-read it.\n3. Effective Oracle by Design, by Tom Kyte -- Not that I use Oracle any more, thankfully, but really provided a lot of insight about how databases function and how it pays to deeply understand their internals when writing webapps.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Pragmatic Programmer -- a classic.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a classic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they need to reread it.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12142564,
          "author": "saasinator",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T09:32:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12142564",
          "commentText": "I'll add my current three,\n    1) \"How to Win Friends and Influence People\"\n    2) \"The War of Art\" \n    3) \"The Pragmatic Programmer\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "3) \"The Pragmatic Programmer\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10786419,
          "author": "goddess_divine",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T00:21:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786419",
          "commentText": "i read a shit ton of books, but only keep the ones i'd like enough to read again. New to my library this year:\nthe checklist manifesto\nfriday\nthe left hand of darkness\nbanker for the poor\niq52\nthe pragmatic programmer\nstar diaries\ncat's cradle\nthe dead mountainer's inn\nspanner darkley",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the pragmatic programmer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175589,
          "author": "crazypyro",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:28:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175589",
          "commentText": "Finally bought Pragmatic Programmer and Code Complete so I'm perusing through those in between my school work/reading.\nAlso got Rapid Development for 5 dollars, but haven't started on that. Haven't really read any software engineering books like these before, but enjoying them so far.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "enjoying them so far",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are enjoying the software engineering books so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is only perusing them between schoolwork and reading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9757905,
          "author": "idlemind",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T12:54:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9757905",
          "commentText": "My favourites are more about the general craft of software development than specifics e.g.\nThe Pragmatic Programmer: Hunt and Thomas\nThe Mythical Man Month: Frederick Brooks",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Pragmatic Programmer: Hunt and Thomas",
          "reason": "Names it among the commenter’s favorites for the general craft of software development.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9757881,
          "author": "Sukotto",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T12:50:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9757881",
          "commentText": "Programming Pearls: Jon Bentley\nThe Pragmatic Programmer: Hunt and Thomas\nThe C Programming Language: Kernighan and Ritchie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Pragmatic Programmer: Hunt and Thomas",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8795332,
          "author": "autokad",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T03:36:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795332",
          "commentText": "let me know if you guys find better replacements, but this is what I got on my list:\nO'Reilly - Scott Murray - Interactive Data Visualization for the Web\nData Visualization with D3.js Cookbook\nA First Course in Probability\nRails AntiPatterns - Best Practice Ruby on Rails Refactoring\nBayesian Data Analysis Andrew Gelma\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nCode Complete\nBishop - Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning\nO'Reilly Mining The Social Web",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Pragmatic Programmer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8004830,
          "author": "pbr_rob",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-08T15:04:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8004830",
          "commentText": "Best \"learn a language\" book I've read was the first edition of Joe Armstrong's Programming Erlang book.\nFor a Software Engineering book, it's hard to beat The Pragmatic Programmer.\nA good working-with-other-people book is Extreme Programming Explained 2nd ed.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For a Software Engineering book, it's hard to beat The Pragmatic Programmer.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is hard to beat for a software engineering book.",
          "audience": "Software developers interested in software engineering practices.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8000602,
          "author": "eddie_31003",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T18:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8000602",
          "commentText": "For me, there have been more than one. I'll list them in the order I read them. I have them all in an eBook form to read in my Kindle App on my Nexus 7. \n1) Clean Code\n2) Pragmatic Programmer\n3) Patterns for Enterprise Application Architecture\nThere's some overlap in contents, but I feel they complement each other very well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1) Clean Code\n2) Pragmatic Programmer\n3) Patterns for Enterprise Application Architecture\nThere's some overlap in contents, but I feel they complement each other very well.",
          "reason": "Lists it among technical ebooks and says the books complement each other well.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7999594,
          "author": "_nh_",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T16:22:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7999594",
          "commentText": "The Pragmatic Programmer.\nMy suggestion: don't read another book until you've read this.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My suggestion: don't read another book until you've read this.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends it as essential reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7766038,
          "author": "kirang1989",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-19T06:52:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7766038",
          "commentText": "Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective and NAND2Tetris: Elements of Computing Systems are the best books to learn the internals of computer hardware and solidify your understanding of how a computer works.\nThe Pragmatic Programmer - My all time favorite. Awesome book to learn best practices of various aspects in programming.\nThe Code Book: The Evolution Of Secrecy From Mary, Queen Of Scots To Quantum Cryptography, if you have a thing for cryptography.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Pragmatic Programmer - My all time favorite. Awesome book to learn best practices of various aspects in programming.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it their all-time favorite and praises its programming best practices.",
          "audience": "Programmers seeking practical best practices",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7048802,
          "author": "a3n",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-13T03:49:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 7048683,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best development book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7048802",
          "commentText": "They're both good. I'd definitely read Pragmatic before Complete, and I wouldn't feel bad for not finishing Complete.\nOutside the box, I'd recommend Heinlein's Time Enough For Love, for the attitude. Be as self reliant as possible, be as skillful as possible, be as useful to your team as possible. Find or grow an excellent team.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd definitely read Pragmatic before Complete",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends reading it before Code Complete.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7048773,
          "author": "iends",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-13T03:38:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 7048683,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best development book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7048773",
          "commentText": "I just finished reading the Pragmatic Programmer for the first time and felt that it was pretty much a letdown. For one, it makes a huge number of claims but does not back up these claims by any empirical evidence (even though I think it's mostly right, and that empirical evidence for some of their claims exists). Two, I feel like an undergraduate software course covers 75% of the material in the book (at least mine did). Maybe people have learned since it was first published, or maybe I've just worked on pretty good teams that practiced the stuff, but nothing in there was ground breaking or made me a better developer. Three, there was a lot of filler in the book, summaries, talking about future, and past chapters, etc that added no value except to inflate the page count.\nI feel like Pragmatic Programmer would be a good book to read before starting your first job, or maybe your undergraduate year of college.\nI was going to start Code Complete next, but Pragmatic Programmer was so disappointing I decided to read fiction for the next few weeks instead.\nSo to answer your question, the best language agnostic development books I've read are:\n1. Joel on Software: And on Diverse and Occasionally Related Matters That Will Prove of Interest to Software Developers, Designers, and Managers, and to Those Who, Whether by Good Fortune or Ill Luck, Work with Them in Some Capacity\n2. The Best Software Writing I\n3. Hackers and Painters\nI always wish Joel would come out with a second volume of #2, or to start his blog up again. I've yet to find something that equals his quality since he stopped writing.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I just finished reading the Pragmatic Programmer for the first time and felt that it was pretty much a letdown.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds it disappointing, citing unsupported claims, redundancy with undergraduate courses, filler, and little practical benefit.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may suit readers before their first job or in their undergraduate year.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4087632,
          "author": "cldrope",
          "createdAt": "2012-06-09T08:44:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 4087396,
          "threadTitle": "Must-read programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4087632",
          "commentText": "Anytime I'm going to poke into a topic I like to nab one of the Head First books. They're a fast, easy way to learn a topic and after I'm done with it and into it deeply I'll find a dry reference.\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nMeta-programming at it's finest. Be a better programmer.\nJoel on software blog: \nHere's an example post.\nhttp://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/fog0000000043.html\nThere's quite a bit to learn in there.\nMany other books available free online. Primarily I suggest you read to an end, and as you get to a stagnation point you alternate between reading to learn new technologies or languages and reading to improve yourself as a programmer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Pragmatic Programmer\nMeta-programming at it's finest. Be a better programmer.",
          "reason": "Presented as a way to improve as a programmer.",
          "audience": "Programmers seeking to improve their practice.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3564314,
          "author": "cliffwarden",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-08T00:05:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 3564256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best programming books for someone in prison?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3564314",
          "commentText": "Not sure if this is the right direction or not.  In different ways they are all, essentially, about programming...\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Code-Language-Computer-Hardware-Softwa... (http://www.amazon.com/Code-Language-Computer-Hardware-Software/dp/0735611319/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328659335&sr=8-1)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Elements-Computing-Systems-Building-Pr... (http://www.amazon.com/Elements-Computing-Systems-Building-Principles/dp/0262640686/ref=pd_vtp_b_1)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Structure-Interpretation-Computer-Prog... (http://www.amazon.com/Structure-Interpretation-Computer-Programs-Engineering/dp/0262510871/ref=pd_vtp_b_6)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/G%C3%B6del-Escher-Bach-Eternal-Golden/... (http://www.amazon.com/G%C3%B6del-Escher-Bach-Eternal-Golden/dp/0465026567/ref=pd_vtp_b_12)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Pragmatic-Programmer-Journeyman-Master... (http://www.amazon.com/Pragmatic-Programmer-Journeyman-Master/dp/020161622X/ref=pd_vtp_b_13)\nGood luck!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "http://www.amazon.com/Pragmatic-Programmer-Journeyman-Master...",
          "reason": "Included in a list answering which programming oriented books to recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231089,
          "author": "espinchi",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T16:43:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231089",
          "commentText": "Breakthrough Rapid Reading (Peter Kump)\nThe Pragmatic Programmer (Andrew Hunt)\nCashflow Quadrant (Robert T. Kiyosaki)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Pragmatic Programmer (Andrew Hunt)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2528032,
          "author": "mullr",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-09T09:17:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 2524205,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books for soon to be Software Engineers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2528032",
          "commentText": "* The Pragmatic Programmer (Read this once every 6 months until it's obvious)\n* Head first design patterns\n* Agile Web Development with Rails\nIt's not obvious, but the rails book is a great introduction to test-driven development in general.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Pragmatic Programmer (Read this once every 6 months until it's obvious)",
          "reason": "Suggests rereading it regularly for software engineering practice.",
          "audience": "Soon-to-be software engineers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2147469,
          "author": "daliusd",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T11:53:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2147469",
          "commentText": "The Pragmatic Programmer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Pragmatic Programmer",
          "reason": "Given as an answer to a question asking which book changed the reader’s way of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Pragmatic Programmer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797949,
          "author": "gcopenhaver",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T13:20:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797949",
          "commentText": "* Gödel, Escher, Bach\n* The Pragmatic Programmer\n* Programming Clojure\n* Pragmatic Version Control Using Git",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "* The Pragmatic Programmer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797697,
          "author": "warewolfe",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T09:37:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797697",
          "commentText": "Last three books I read were; \nAtlas Shrugged,\nCode Complete,\nThe Mythical Man Month,\nThe three books I'm currently reading;\nflex and bison,\nMastering Algorithms in C\nExpert C programming,\nThe next three books on the \"to read\" stack are;\nCyptonomicom,\nThe definitive guide to GCC,\nManaging projects with GNU make,\nDid anyone else find \"Code Complete\" to be a bit repetitive, in places a bit redundant, and sometimes repetitive? \nI think the \"pragmatic programmer\" was a better read, and I could not put down \"programming pearls\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think the \"pragmatic programmer\" was a better read",
          "reason": "Says it was a better read than Code Complete.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comparison is specifically with Code Complete.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 766911,
          "author": "jerf",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-16T22:48:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=766911",
          "commentText": "I would recommend a classic that you haven't read that isn't directly about a specific programming language, since it would seem to me that the virtue of reading a book about a specific language when you aren't in front of a computer is dubious. (Note I didn't say it had no virtue, I just find it dubious. YMWV.)\nAlready mentioned is Code Complete and The Pragmatic Programmer. I'd add The Mythical Man Month, still a classic, but note that's a relatively short book and may not last long enough. (A depressing read in some ways; decades have passed and what's in the book is arguably common wisdom, yet I still encounter the errors outlined in that book every year.)\nGodel, Escher, Bach (mentioned by caffeine) is a love it or hate it book; check out a couple of summaries and see what you think.\nPersonally, I don't recommend the SICP unless you're actually working through the exercises to some extent, and without a computer it's too easy to think you understand it when you don't.\nIf you have already read all those, well, I'd suggest replying and saying so. :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and The Pragmatic Programmer",
          "reason": "Included among classic books to consider for vacation reading.",
          "audience": "Programmers seeking a book not tied to one language.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 766807,
          "author": "dshah",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-16T21:35:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=766807",
          "commentText": "I'll suggest The Pragmatic Programmer by Hunt and Thomas.  Basic stuff, but lives up to the title of being \"pragmatic\".\nIf you're going to write commercial software for a living, it's useful stuff to know (or be reminded of).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'll suggest The Pragmatic Programmer by Hunt and Thomas. Basic stuff, but lives up to the title of being \"pragmatic\".",
          "reason": "Suggests it and says it lives up to its pragmatic title.",
          "audience": "People planning to write commercial software professionally.",
          "caveat": "Described as basic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240850,
          "author": "trotzke",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T06:28:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240850",
          "commentText": "On my desk:\nGetting Real (37Signals),\nHardball (Chris Mathews),\nPrioritizing Web Usability (Jakob Nielsen)\nNearby shelf:\nThe Design of Everyday Things,\nMaverick,\nFounders at work,\nA Brief History of Time,\nA Pattern Language,\nPeopleware,\nMade to stick,\nWeb Standards Solutions,\nDesigning Interactions,\nThe Pragmatic Programmer,\nThe Mythical Man-Month,\nOh, the Places You'll Go!\nOther good reads:\nBlink,\nTipping Point,\nLong Tail,\nFreakonomics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Pragmatic Programmer,",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for recommended books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240710,
          "author": "kylec",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T03:03:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240710",
          "commentText": "I thought about posting this here after a relative success asking the question on Reddit:\nhttp://www.reddit.com/info/6mikl/comments/\nbut it looks like you've beaten me to it!\nI did create a listing of the most popular books mentioned on the comment thread, if you're interested. The following were mentioned by 4 or more people:\n14 The C Programming Language\n11 Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\n8 Introduction to Algorithms\n7 Compilers: Principles, Techniques and Tools\n6 Programming Erlang\n5 The Mythical Man-Month\n5 The Pragmatic Programmer\n5 Applied Cryptography\n4 Beautiful Code\n4 The Little Schemer\n4 Programming Perl\nmore here: http://www.reddit.com/info/6mikl/comments/c04abpy",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "5 The Pragmatic Programmer",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the most frequently mentioned books in the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240672,
          "author": "rdoherty",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T02:21:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240672",
          "commentText": "* The Pragmatic Programmer\n* Becoming a Technical Leader\n* In Search of Stupidity\n* Hackers & Painters\n* Blockbusters\n* Joel on Software: And on Diverse and Occasionally Related Matters That Will Prove of Interest to Software Developers, Designers, and Managers, and to Those Who, Whether by Good Fortune or Ill Luck, Work with Them in Some Capacity\n* The Best Software Writing I\n* Behind Closed Doors\n* Managing Humans\n* The Mythical Man-Month\n* Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams\n* The Non-Designers Design Book\n* Founders at Work\n* Good to Great\n* Dreaming in Code\n* The Art of the Start\n* Maverick\n* The Design of Everyday Things\n* The Art of Project Management\n* The Art of Innovation",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* The Pragmatic Programmer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135423,
          "author": "hbien",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T19:45:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135423",
          "commentText": "http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3087/2325563013_d62ca9cde5.jp... (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3087/2325563013_d62ca9cde5.jpg?v=0)\nI'm a fan of \"The Pragmatic Programmer\".\nOther books I thought were a good read: getting things done, 4 hour work week, and founders at work.\nI've also got all 6 seasons of 24 on my bookshelf =/, probably not the most productive times of my life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm a fan of \"The Pragmatic Programmer\".",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are a fan of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86010,
          "author": "Locke",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T18:20:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86010",
          "commentText": "A few sort of random selections from my bookshelf (in no particular order):\n * GEB:EGB - Hofstader\n * The Pragmatic Programmer - Hunt / Thomas\n * Peopleware - DeMarco / Lister\n * The Mythical Man Month - Brooks\n * Paradigms of Artificial Intelligence Programming - Norvig\n * Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind - Miyazaki",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Pragmatic Programmer - Hunt / Thomas",
          "reason": "Listed among selections from the commenter's bookshelf in a favorite-books thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5725,
          "author": "nostrademons",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T17:07:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5725",
          "commentText": "My list, categorized:\nBusiness & Management\n1. Innovator's Dilemma and Innovator's Solution by Clayton Christensen\n2. Built to Last and Good to Great by Jim Collins.  Built to Last is more applicable for startups.\n3. Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks.  Anyone who has to manage a team of programmers and hasn't read this will fail utterly, unless they've already failed before (or been on a failing team).  There's a lot that's counterintuitive about software project management.\n4. Peter Drucker's work.  Kinda long and repetitive, but some good insights.\nMarketing\n1. All Marketers are Liars by Seth Godin.  I like this better than Purple Cow, Guerilla Marketer's Handbook, and The Big Red Fez.  Most of those have fairly obvious stuff.\n2. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell\n3. Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore\nTechnical\n1. Building Scalable Websites by Cal Henderson\n2. High Performance MySQL by Jeremy Zawodny\n3. Pragmatic Programmer by...well, it's mentioned elsewhere here.\nThere are lots of other technical books I like, but most of them aren't directly relevant to the startup I'm building",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pragmatic Programmer by...well, it's mentioned elsewhere here.",
          "reason": "Included among technical books the commenter likes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew Hunt",
        "David Thomas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 62,
      "threads": 38,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software development",
        "programming practices",
        "programming practice",
        "software engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "designing-data-intensive-applications-4f3573",
      "title": "Designing Data-Intensive Applications",
      "author": "Martin Kleppmann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47318553,
          "author": "habitmaxer",
          "createdAt": "2026-03-10T02:46:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 47315415,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47318553",
          "commentText": "Liked the first edition, but there’s a lot of fluff. These days I have Claude remove the useless passages from stuff I want to read fast. Helps to make flash cards to drill for system design rounds.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Liked the first edition, but there’s a lot of fluff.",
          "reason": "The commenter liked the first edition but says it contains a lot of fluff.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter considers parts of the book fluff.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 47317896,
          "author": "diehunde",
          "createdAt": "2026-03-10T00:59:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 47315415,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47317896",
          "commentText": "I started reading the second edition of Designing data-intensive applications. I believe only the digital edition is out right now.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I started reading the second edition of Designing data-intensive applications.",
          "reason": "The commenter has started reading its second edition.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Only the digital edition is out right now, according to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46391881,
          "author": "Mossy9",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T13:40:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46391881",
          "commentText": "Humble Bundle has spoiled me and my ebook library has grown by around a 100 books this year...\nTech book recommendations: 'Secure by Design', 'Designing Data-Intensive Applications', 'Building Secure and Reliable Systems' and 'Fundamentals of Software Architecture'.\nFor scifi: 'Murderbot Diaries' and 'The Expanse' - both are just great entertainment",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Designing Data-Intensive Applications'",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46391848,
          "author": "arvid-lind",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T13:37:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46391848",
          "commentText": "Not enough. Going to try to rein in some sustained attention in the new year.\n- Piranesi by Susanna Clarke\n- Playground by Richard Powers\n- Designing Data Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppman\nI'm curious how much AI-generated stuff I read this year... likely at least a book's worth, but it would be more like one of those books with 365+ random deep dives into stuff that's not really relevant to my life.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Designing Data Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 45303980,
          "author": "agcat",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-19T17:07:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 45283087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45303980",
          "commentText": "Designing data intensive applications",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Designing data intensive applications",
          "reason": "Listed as a book the commenter is reading in response to the thread’s reading question.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in software architecture and distributed systems.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42753343,
          "author": "skydhash",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-19T03:38:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 42686034,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read regarding software development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42753343",
          "commentText": "I tend to skip language, tooling, or library specific book unless I'm working on a project or are curious about the subject (hoping to discover some valuable nuggets). So the book I tend to read cover to cover are more about methodologies, concept, philosophies, and best practices. I like DDIA especially as I was always more focused on the computing logic side of software, not much about infrastructure. It has good explanations about things that I have heard about, but never had the chance to explore more.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I like DDIA especially as I was always more focused on the computing logic side of software",
          "reason": "Likes it for its explanations of computing concepts beyond software logic.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in software infrastructure and computing concepts.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42734677,
          "author": "skydhash",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-17T06:29:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 42686034,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read regarding software development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42734677",
          "commentText": "The C programming language (ansi edition) - I had it before even leaning how to program properly. The explanations was so clear you could work out the examples with pencil and papers\nMystical man-month and the pragmatic programmer. The former gave insight about managing a team, the other about managing yourself.\nCurrently I’m reading:\nUnit Testing: Principles, Practices, and Patterns by Vladimir Khorikok\nDesigning Data Intensive Application by Martin Kleppman\nAnd very recently completed Learning Domain-Driven Design by Vlad Khononov\nI think the three are quite good too",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Designing Data Intensive Application by Martin Kleppman",
          "reason": "Says they are currently reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42697763,
          "author": "jjice",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-14T14:42:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 42686034,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read regarding software development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42697763",
          "commentText": "My personal favorites:\n- Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture (Martin Fowler) - early-mid 2000s and it stays valuable to this day. It's nice to have a formalized view of concepts you know in practice.\n- Clean Architecture (Robert Martin) - Great application architecture concepts being formalized\n- Designing Data Intensive Applications (Martin Kleppmann) - Fantastic perspective on your application's data. This is probably the most recommended book I've seen on Hacker News.\n- SQL Performance Explained (Markus Winand) - Just a killer, concise book to make you truly understand basic DB performance, specifically with indexes. I've met so many developers (myself included before this book) who thought any index will work and then they'd just wing it. Your RDBMS has tools for finding the best optimizations in your queries and you should use them. Your indexes are also more picky than you may think, but they're also incredibly fast if you place them correctly. It's a lot easier to see once you understand.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Designing Data Intensive Applications (Martin Kleppmann) - Fantastic perspective on your application's data.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its perspective on application data and notes it is often recommended on Hacker News.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42511878,
          "author": "undopamine",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T23:20:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42511878",
          "commentText": "The 3-body problem trilogy (Rememberance of the Earth's past). My first sci-fi novels ever - the Netflix show sold me and these novels compelled me on a whole new hard sci-fi rabbit hole.\nPresumed Innocent (preceeded by the Apple TV show of same name). Murder mystery. Loved it.\nTie-in novels from videogame franchise:\n- Deus Ex: Black Light\n- Devil May Cry: before the nightmare\nI've also started Marvel Comics in anticipation of Fantastic Four and the whole Secret Wars storyline it will build up.\nCouldn't finish a single non-fiction this year, but enjoyable so far:\n- Zero to One\n- When I say no, I feel guilty\n- Designing data-intensive applications",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Designing data-intensive applications",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have started it and describes it as enjoyable so far.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41419330,
          "author": "aronowb14",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-01T18:56:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41419330",
          "commentText": "When I first graduated I read a bunch of tech focused books: they’re all helpful but I think practice and learning from more senior engineers is the most effective road to mastery! You can probably get away with not reading any of these books if you have good coworkers :).\nThat being said, these have been my favorites:\n- designing data intensive applications (a great way of understanding systems + the basics of SRE)\n- the senior engineer (I love the prototyping process he lays out)\n- the effective engineer (lots of good gems for approaching prioritization)\n- debugging (by David agans)- a great resource for a formalized debugging process if you don’t have one\n- on writing well (I’m halfway through this, but it has been indispensable for writing tickets + messages at work)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "designing data intensive applications",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s favorite books, for understanding systems and SRE basics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41415473,
          "author": "anacrolix",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-01T09:27:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41415473",
          "commentText": "The main thing I learned from this book was about LSMs and it solidified my understanding of B trees. I think I'd mostly overrated tho.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The main thing I learned from this book was about LSMs",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book taught them about LSMs and solidified their understanding of B-trees, but says they mostly overrated it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They think they mostly overrated it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41394627,
          "author": "gaws",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T19:50:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41394627",
          "commentText": "Seconding. This book will get you hired.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seconding. This book will get you hired.",
          "reason": "Seconds the recommendation and says the book will help readers get hired.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41387900,
          "author": "physicsguy",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T06:20:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387900",
          "commentText": "Designing Data Intensive Applications is a great book.\nI read this years ago and regularly recommend it, especially when people are all over talking about some special queue or database technology. I find so many people don’t understand even how databases work and it’s crucial to application performance and structuring. Adding queues works to relieve server load but if you get swamped by messages you need to make an active decision on how to handle that - and maybe a queue isn’t the best idea if you can’t lose them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Designing Data Intensive Applications is a great book.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book and says they regularly recommend it.",
          "audience": "People discussing queues or database technologies who lack understanding of how databases work.",
          "caveat": "Choosing queues and handling message overload depends on whether messages can be lost.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41387633,
          "author": "rado_stankov",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T05:24:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387633",
          "commentText": "The top book imho is The Pragmatic Programer.\nHere some other recomendations\n- Designing Data-Intensive Applications\n- Tidy First?: A Personal Exercise in Empirical Software Design\n- A Philosophy of Software Design\n- Refactoring UI\n- The Software Engineer's Guidebook\n- https://blog.rstankov.com/programing-books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Designing Data-Intensive Applications",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41387557,
          "author": "djaouen",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T05:11:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387557",
          "commentText": "Designing Data Intensive Applications",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Designing Data Intensive Applications",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40873982,
          "author": "guilhas",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-04T11:19:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 40840658,
          "threadTitle": "Books to Dive in into Fullstack Development",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40873982",
          "commentText": "There are a lot of bad books but there are many good ones too, like 'Designing Data-Intensive Applications'\nBut when starting you're better with something like a youtube tutorial",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "like 'Designing Data-Intensive Applications'",
          "reason": "Named as an example of a good book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "When starting, the commenter says a YouTube tutorial may be better.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40284561,
          "author": "JackMorgan",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T12:14:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40284561",
          "commentText": "Wow, this is interesting, very few books I've read more than once! Even fewer are non fiction, but they sure do explain a lot about me:\n- Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving by Pete Walker helped me process a number of assaults that happened to me as a child\n- Designing Data Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann helped me understand intuitively how databases work and how to use eventual consistency to handle workloads\n- The Highly Sensitive Person: How To Thrive when the World Overwhelms You by Elaine Aron this helped me process my and my families neurodivergence.\n- Structure And Interpretation of Computer Programs by Ableson and Sussman. Great book, it's how I learned to love Lisp. I felt like I grew 10x in skill from completing all the homework.\n- Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training by Mark Rippetoe. This is the book that got me into powerlifting  as a regular part of my fitness. I used this to heal my back, neck, and wrist pain. Changed my life.\n- Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter by James Gurney. The GOAT of plein air painting himself teaches so much about how light works on complex forms. I've dog-eared this book.\n- Reinventing Organizations by Frederic Laloux. A great look into how to build and run a self organizing team. Very insightful for when I was leading several teams and needed inspiration for something other than the typical chain of command.\n- The Classroom Management Book by Harry Wong. This book taught me so much about how humans work. I still apply lessons from this book 20 years later.\n- Real World Haskell by O'Sullivan, Goerzen, Stewart. This taught me a lot about Haskell, and got me into all the neat effects needed to make a function pure but still handle IO/async, etc.\n- Peopleware by DeMarco, Lister. My go to book for people management and a philosophy of project management\n- Science of Trust: Emotional Attunement for Couples by Gottman. I love this book for teaching me how to be a better spouse and friend.\n- The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing by Larimore, Lindauer. A great guide to building a permanent portfolio that will return consistent gains with the market. Simple in hindsight, thanks to this book. Best book on investing I've ever read.\n- How to Take Smart Notes by Ahrens. Introduces the zettlekasten system for thinking and creativity. Very inspiring, got me to start a personal file that I keep going to this day, five years later.\n- Twenty Small Sailboats to Take you Anywhere by Vigor. I read this book over and over, dreaming of buying a small boat and sailing around the world. Maybe this year...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Designing Data Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann helped me understand intuitively how databases work and how to use eventual consistency to handle workloads",
          "reason": "Helped the commenter understand databases and eventual consistency.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38238272,
          "author": "renke1",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T07:57:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238272",
          "commentText": "Designing Data Intensive Applications is really good, because it gives you an good overview of data systems. I had the feeling I don't have to understand all the details  yet I would learn a lot.\nAre there other books like this?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Designing Data Intensive Applications is really good, because it gives you an good overview of data systems. I had the feeling I don't have to understand all the details yet I would learn a lot.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it provides a broad overview of data systems and feels useful without requiring mastery of every detail.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an overview of data systems.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes the coverage as an overview rather than requiring all details.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37333326,
          "author": "flopriore",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-31T06:41:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 37325594,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books to learn web development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37333326",
          "commentText": "Thanks, I already know Python for basic scripts. This tutorial looks awesome to build simple web apps, thanks for sharing. I'm looking forward to studying \"Designing Data-Intensive Applications\", it truly looks like a gem",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm looking forward to studying \"Designing Data-Intensive Applications\", it truly looks like a gem",
          "reason": "The commenter expresses enthusiasm about studying the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37330578,
          "author": "aradox66",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-30T23:41:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 37325594,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books to learn web development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37330578",
          "commentText": "If you're starting from scratch and interested in python, walk through Miguel grinberg's mega tutorial from start to finish, implementing everything yourself along the way. It's very good and you'll have a thorough understanding of the basics at that point. I started working professionally building simple web apps immediately after working through that.\nWhen youre ready to go galaxy brained, \"Designing Data-Intensive Applications\" is the standard",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Designing Data-Intensive Applications\" is the standard",
          "reason": "Recommended as a standard reference for when the reader is ready for more advanced material.",
          "audience": "Readers ready for advanced material on data-intensive applications.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37162275,
          "author": "adamc",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T14:33:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37162275",
          "commentText": "The best two books I read in the last year-ish are \"The Golden Notebook\" (novel by Doris Lessing) and \"The Soul of a New Machine\" by Tracy Kidder.\nBest tech book has been \"Designing Data-Intensive Applications\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Best tech book has been \"Designing Data-Intensive Applications\".",
          "reason": "The commenter names it as their best technology book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35929996,
          "author": "dstroot",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T16:34:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35929996",
          "commentText": "Second on Martin Kleppman’s book - really good. I have it on my nightstand as type.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Second on Martin Kleppman’s book - really good.",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the recommendation and calls the book really good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35929283,
          "author": "nindalf",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T15:26:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35929283",
          "commentText": "The books that taught me computer science\n- Operating Systems: Three Easy Pieces ( https://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~remzi/OSTEP/)\n- Designing Data Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann (https://dataintensive.net)\n- Crafting Interpreters by Robert Nystrom (http://craftinginterpreters.com)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Designing Data Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann",
          "reason": "Lists the book among those that taught the commenter computer science.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33942985,
          "author": "JackMorgan",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-11T13:31:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33942985",
          "commentText": "I started a reading club at work that met once a week and we'd assign reading about 15-30 pages a week. We'd just have a unstructured chat in the meeting. Maybe I'd prompt people with \"did you learn anything interesting from this section?\" if people were quiet. There were often enough questions to fill the time.\nAlso the book could be read out of order, so I'd regularly solicit people to join when starting a new chapter. That helped keep membership to about 5-8.\nAlso I suggested people put reading the book in their year goals so they'd be motivated to finish.\nI think about 6 of us finished the whole book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I think about 6 of us finished the whole book.",
          "reason": "Describes a workplace reading club that completed the book together.",
          "audience": "A workplace reading club meeting weekly.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33406830,
          "author": "chadoverfl0w",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-31T15:07:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33406830",
          "commentText": "Guide to Reliable Distributed Systems by Kenneth P. Birman: gave me the same effect that the people who read DDIA/Designing Data Intensive Applications claimed it gave them.\nI first tried reading DDIA before it since it was newer and it had more hype. But DDIA is so dense that most of the things went over my head. Then I came across Ken Birman's book and I found it easier to follow. Although it had a hundred pages more than DDIA, it doesnt cover as much ground such as it didnt mention object storages. The niche topics were also better in DDIA, such as error correction schemes was only mentioned once in Birman's book. DDIA seems to be more complete. So I'll re-read DDIA again next year.\nHarassment Architecture: saw it on Amazon and I could never understand the humor behind the reviews for the book. So I tried a few pages, and something about it was gripping. All I could say is that I've never read anything like it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "So I'll re-read DDIA again next year.",
          "reason": "Plans to reread DDIA, while describing it as dense and more complete than Birman's book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter found it dense and says many parts went over their head on the first attempt.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936760,
          "author": "pkszg",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T09:54:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936760",
          "commentText": "I like to read a wide variety of genre from fiction to human psychology.\nFor the mind:\nNonviolent Communication by  Marshall Rosenberg - A great book on how to communcate more effectively with others.\nThinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman -He is the only psychologist ever to recieve the Nobel Prize if I remember correctly. This book scientifically digests human biases and errors and how they influence our every day lives and decision making. Sometimes it a bit too technical for my taste and I like mostly the first part. (its not an easy read) I rarely had so many Aha-moments.\nA random walk down on wall street - For investing your income in stocks. What to do and what no to do. Simple, with facts.\nSapiens by Harari -Interesting, I remember it was a great read and fun read. Connecting a lot of dots :)\nOn programming:\nDesigning Data-Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann - I am failry a junior web dev, so any material that is clear and explains well is a great source of information and inspiration. This is such a book.\nComputer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective by Randal E. Bryant and David R. O'Hallaron - Teaches CS from the basics, which for me is a great source since I don't have a CS degree. I complement it with other materials from the internet (such as Harvard's CS50) for learning the fundamentals paralell working in my daily web dev job. Its a long book, so It will take a couple of months, years to go thorugh, but definitely worth the effort.\nFictions I love, without much introduction:\nLord of the Rings\nDune (first book)\nGame of thrones books\nFor me JRRs storytelling is outstanding, the books are better than the serires IMO.\nSpiritual Books:\n(I am not a religous person by any means and I do not follow traditions)\nSpirituality for me means a deeper connection with the universe.\nIf I really want to dig deeper than everyday work-life stuff I listen/read these books. Usually when there is a great emotional upheaval in my life or when I feel my daily distractions failed on me.\nPower of now by Eckhart Tolle - This book gives me the occasional goosebumps, a great summary of all spiritual teachings (before becoming religions) in a really simple way. If you are interested in such, I highly recommend it.\nMeditations by Marcus Aurelius - I see it mentioned here already, no intro needed.\nLetters by Seneca - This book is a proof for me that the essential human experience, the core of what makes us human does not change over time. Seneca was a great stoic thinker, who is very relatable by anyone even today (and probably will be for many millenia)\nZen Mind, Beginners Mind by Suzuki Roshi - All true spiritual teaching have the same source, but all are expressed differently. This is a great, simple powerful book to read if you lean towards buddhism.\nA Course in Miracles (no official author) -Now this is a heavy read. It has a textbook with daily practices also. This is definitely not a book for everyone.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is such a book.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a clear and informative resource for a junior web developer.",
          "audience": "Junior web developers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936579,
          "author": "jmcgough",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T09:26:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936579",
          "commentText": "Reading DDIA right now and I second this - the best technical book I've read, still holds up well after five years.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Reading DDIA right now and I second this - the best technical book I've read, still holds up well after five years.",
          "reason": "Strongly endorses it as the best technical book they have read and says it remains useful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32792849,
          "author": "yodsanklai",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T17:49:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32792849",
          "commentText": "Yes, it's very often recommended. It's surprisingly entertaining for a technical book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Yes, it's very often recommended. It's surprisingly entertaining for a technical book.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is often recommended and surprisingly entertaining.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It is a technical book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32792237,
          "author": "sarchertech",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T16:43:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32792237",
          "commentText": "One of the best books I’ve read in years. There’s very little fluff, which is exceedingly rare in a technical book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "There’s very little fluff, which is exceedingly rare in a technical book.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book's concise, low-fluff presentation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29312903,
          "author": "Arcsech",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T23:37:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29312903",
          "commentText": "I agree that this is a great book, but I think it fails the \"impractical\" test - DDIA is an immensely practical book that's basically required background reading if you work with distributed data systems.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I agree that this is a great book, but I think it fails the \"impractical\" test",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great book but says it fails the thread's impracticality criterion.",
          "audience": "People working with distributed data systems.",
          "caveat": "Described as immensely practical and basically required background reading for distributed data systems.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29306966,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T15:01:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29306966",
          "commentText": "I agree it's well written but for me that's way more on the side of required reading.\nI'm thinking about books you don't _need_ to read but that are just really neat or advanced discussions.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I agree it's well written but for me that's way more on the side of required reading.",
          "reason": "Acknowledges the book is well written but says it is closer to required reading than the requested kind of book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter considers it required reading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29306934,
          "author": "adampk",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T14:58:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29306934",
          "commentText": "Designing Data-Intensive Applications: The Big Ideas Behind Reliable, Scalable, and Maintainable Systems\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Designing-Data-Intensive-Applications... (https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Data-Intensive-Applications-Reliable-Maintainable/dp/1449373321)\nI surprisingly really enjoyed it. Well written and it pulled back the veil on a lot of concepts that I thought were too complex for me to understand/enjoy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Designing Data-Intensive Applications: The Big Ideas Behind Reliable, Scalable, and Maintainable Systems",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the book and found it clarified concepts that had seemed too complex.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29222718,
          "author": "digianarchist",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-15T01:50:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29222718",
          "commentText": "That's a good read regardless of your level.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "That's a good read regardless of your level.",
          "reason": "Affirms the book discussed in the parent comment as a good read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29221558,
          "author": "dyeje",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T22:55:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29221558",
          "commentText": "Yep, sorry that's the book I'm referring to.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Yep, sorry that's the book I'm referring to.",
          "reason": "Confirms this is the book meant in the preceding exchange.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29221532,
          "author": "throwaway81523",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T22:52:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29221532",
          "commentText": "> If you're interviewing for senior positions, it is worthwhile to read through Designing Data Intensive Systems. This will prepare you for System Design interviews where you do need to actually understand stuff.\nDo you mean \"Designing Data Intensive Applications\" by Martin Kleppmann?  That's what most of my search hits found.  If something else, do you have a link?  Thanks.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Do you mean \"Designing Data Intensive Applications\" by Martin Kleppmann?",
          "reason": "Asks whether the earlier reference means this title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29220975,
          "author": "morty_s",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T21:38:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29220975",
          "commentText": "CLRS does about 5 pages on linked lists. If you want more, my advice would be to implement one in your language of choice, then look at the API for the standard lib impl of a linked list in your language of choice (if there is one).\nOtherwise, for more reading on linked lists, read through adlist.c from redis, by antirez.\nNext, one of the best books (IMO) on algorithmic thinking is SICP. Get through a few chapters, do the exercises, grok recursion, etc.\nIn no particular order:\nAlgorithm Design Manual, Skiena\nAlgorithm Design, by Kleinberg/Tardos\nAlgorithms, Sedgwick 4th ed. (also Algorithms in C)\nIf you find you need or would like more math:\nDiscrete Mathematics (Epp is an easier read, Rosen seems more verbose)\nMathematical Proofs, Charrand\nFor interview prep:\nElements of Programming Interviews (EPI)\nDesigning Data Intensive Applications",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Designing Data Intensive Applications",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as an additional reading option.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29032266,
          "author": "xupybd",
          "createdAt": "2021-10-28T21:29:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 29030285,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29032266",
          "commentText": "> What are you reading and why? \nAudiobooks are a special case for me. They help fill the time when I'm driving to work, mowing the lawn or doing dishes. If I consume my entertainment during these productive times, I find I'm less drawn to television and other mindless distractions. They also help me to be motivated to do tasks that I otherwise find dull. The better alternative is to find a friend to share these tasks with, but that is not always a practical option.\nWhile I do read for entertainment, I really enjoy non-fiction as long as it's light. If I want to explore a topic and truly learn something, I often need to find a text version. That said, I have found some great audiobooks that I have learnt from:\n-The Goal\n-Pragmatic Programmer\n-Designing Data-Intensive Applications\n-Thinking Fast and Slow\n-Ultralearning\nThe best entertainment so far have been\n-Dune\n-The Expanse series\n-The Bobiverse series\n-The Expeditionary force series.\nI asked this question so broadly as I wanted to try something that I wouldn't usually go for. I have a heavy bias towards sci-fi and wouldn't mind exploring other genres. I love good non-fiction but have also found a lot of trash non-fiction out there that I regret wasting time on.\nI have a log of recommendations but not of books read. It sounds like a good idea.\nI'll add How to Read a Book to my list :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I have found some great audiobooks that I have learnt from:\n-The Goal\n-Pragmatic Programmer\n-Designing Data-Intensive Applications",
          "reason": "Includes it among audiobooks the commenter learned from.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28664913,
          "author": "heluser",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T21:40:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28664913",
          "commentText": "- Low level: Code Complete 2 (yes it’s old but still very relevant)\n- Hight level: Designing data intensive applications",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Designing data intensive applications",
          "reason": "Recommends it for high-level programming.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27888682,
          "author": "xupybd",
          "createdAt": "2021-07-20T00:03:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 27879593,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27888682",
          "commentText": "Thank you. I've just purchased it and am listening now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've just purchased it and am listening now.",
          "reason": "Confirms purchasing and listening to the book recommended in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27888333,
          "author": "orlandohill",
          "createdAt": "2021-07-19T23:12:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 27879593,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27888333",
          "commentText": "Manning have many programming audio books. I'd recommend buying directly from their website if you want any that include code samples or illustrations. It's a bit more expensive than from Audible, but they often have sales offering 40% off.\nI normally use the liveBook format with liveAudio narration for books with code samples, and download the ebook and mp3 files for other books.\nhttps://www.manning.com/liveaudio-landing\nYou can also find more audio books by the same publisher as Clean Architecture and Designing Data-Intensive Applications, Upfront Books. There's a link when you view Audible from a web browser, and you can filter by Computers & Technology.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the same publisher as Clean Architecture and Designing Data-Intensive Applications",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27887516,
          "author": "machinehermiter",
          "createdAt": "2021-07-19T21:35:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 27879593,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27887516",
          "commentText": "I second Designing Data-Intensive Applications.\nDeep Learning with Python by François Chollet I think works as an audiobook as well.\nI am a big non-fiction audio book fan and so much depends on the voice actor. I bad read can ruin the best content while Robertson Dean made Alan Greenspan's The Age of Turbulence into an enthralling adventure story.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second Designing Data-Intensive Applications.",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the recommendation for the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27886568,
          "author": "billti",
          "createdAt": "2021-07-19T19:45:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 27879593,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27886568",
          "commentText": "I'm currently listening to \"Designing Data-Intensive Applications\" [1] on my commute and it really does work well as an Audio Book (I can attest to the positive reviews). Highly recommended if you are dealing with any requirements in the space (scale, replication, consistency, SQL vs NoSQL, etc.)\n[1] https://www.audible.com/pd/Designing-Data-Intensive-Applicat... (https://www.audible.com/pd/Designing-Data-Intensive-Applications-Audiobook/B08VLGDK32)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm currently listening to \"Designing Data-Intensive Applications\"",
          "reason": "Recommends it for audiobook listening and for work involving scale, replication, consistency, and SQL vs. NoSQL.",
          "audience": "People dealing with data system requirements such as scale, replication, or consistency.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27879673,
          "author": "chana_masala",
          "createdAt": "2021-07-19T05:58:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 27879593,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27879673",
          "commentText": "I agree that the Pragmatic Programmer is well done in it's audio form, and I also agree that Grokking Algorithms is terrible.\nI am currently listening Designing Data Intensive Applications and it's phenomenally done - the author clearly worked with the narrator to adapt the content to audio format, and the narrator seems to have experience or familiarity with the subject because he pronounces the technical jargon very naturally.\nI hope to find other software related audiobooks as good as DDAI is.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I am currently listening Designing Data Intensive Applications and it's phenomenally done",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the audiobook's adaptation and narration.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The praise is specifically about the audio edition.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27653683,
          "author": "mephitix",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T17:59:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 27650775,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27653683",
          "commentText": "This is great, thanks!\n+1 for both data intensive apps and Google SRE books. The other two I haven’t checked out yet",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for both data intensive apps",
          "reason": "The commenter endorses this book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27653461,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T17:36:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 27650775,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27653461",
          "commentText": "As luck would have it, my blog on Github pages is down. So here's the post describing the four in markdown.\nTldr; Designing Data Intensive Applications, Effective Python, The Google SRE book, and High Performance Browser Networking.\nhttps://github.com/eatonphil/notes.eatonphil.com/blob/master... (https://github.com/eatonphil/notes.eatonphil.com/blob/master/posts/books-developers-should-read.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Designing Data Intensive Applications",
          "reason": "Listed among the four books the commenter recommends developers read.",
          "audience": "Developers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27637608,
          "author": "wenc",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T23:46:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27637608",
          "commentText": "* Fooled By Randomness (NN Taleb): Taleb is a complicated personality, but this book gave me a heuristic for thinking about long-tails and uncertain events that I could never have derived myself from a probability textbook.\n* Designing Data Intensive Applications (M Kleppmann): Provided a first-principles approach for thinking about the design of modern large-scale data infrastructure. It's not just about assembling different technologies -- there are principles behind how data moves and transforms that transcend current technology, and DDIA is an articulation of those principles. After reading this, I began to notice general patterns in data infrastructure, which helped me quickly grasp how new technologies worked. (most are variations on the same principles)\n* Introduction to Statistical Learning (James et al) and Applied Predictive Modeling (Kuhn et al). These two books gave me a grand sweep of predictive modeling methods pre-deep learning, methods which continue to be useful and applicable to a wider variety of problem contexts than AI/Deep Learning. (neural networks aren't appropriate for huge classes of problems)\n* High Output Management (A Grove): oft-recommended book by former Intel CEO Andy Grove on how middle management in large corporations actually works, from promotions to meetings (as a unit of work). This was my guide to interpreting my experiences when I joined a large corporation and boy was it accurate. It gave me a language and a framework for thinking about what was happening around me. I heard this was 1 of 2 books Tobi Luetke read to understand management when he went from being a technical person to CEO of Shopify. (the other book being Cialdini's Influence). Hard Things about Hard Things (B Horowitz) is a different take that is also worth a read to understand the hidden--but intentional--managerial design of a modern tech company. These some of the very few books written by practitioners--rather than management gurus--that I've found to track pretty closely with my own real life experiences.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Designing Data Intensive Applications (M Kleppmann)",
          "reason": "The commenter credits it with teaching first principles for understanding modern data infrastructure and new technologies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27629820,
          "author": "sidcool",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T12:20:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27629820",
          "commentText": "- Designing Data Intensive Applications - Martin K\n- Kubernetes Up and Running\n- The Joy of Kotlin",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Designing Data Intensive Applications - Martin K",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27629689,
          "author": "samuell",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T12:05:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27629689",
          "commentText": "I'm a lot into how to streamline data architectures, especially around ML solutions, so some titles related to that.\nI'm already reading Kleppman's book right now. Tons of very useful knowledge, although quite detailed, and a lot of details around distributed computing, consensus algorithms etc (Part II), which I'm not sure I will need and which make the book rather long. Still, surely worth pressing through.\nSome titles I would like to dive into in the summer:\n- \"The Art of Immutable Architecture\" by Michael Perry.\nPossibly also:\n- \"Machine Learning Design Patterns\" by by Valliappa Lakshmanan et al.\n- \"Building Secure and Reliable Systems\" by by Heather Adkins et al.\nAnd perhaps something lighter, more inspirational for the day to day work:\n- \"Coders at work\" by Peter Seibel",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'm already reading Kleppman's book right now.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it contains useful knowledge, but notes its detail and length.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure they need the distributed computing and consensus algorithms material in Part II, which makes it rather long.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27629189,
          "author": "grilledcheez",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T10:59:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27629189",
          "commentText": "Kleppmann's book is great, it will be well worth your time. I read it cover to cover. He takes care to be consistent and explicit regarding terminology, so it has helped me put a lot of bits of \"knowledge\" (and confusion) about distributed systems into perspective.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kleppmann's book is great, it will be well worth your time.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it great and says it will be well worth the reader’s time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27629115,
          "author": "Jtsummers",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T10:49:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27629115",
          "commentText": "Eric Evans' Domain-Driven Design. I've heard enough about DDD over the years that I figured I'd just go to the source. Liking it so far, I have some good takeaways but we'll see how effectively I'm able to use the ideas over the next couple years.\nMartin Kleppmann's Designing Data-Intensive Applications. Based on the frequent praise it receives here, haven't gotten far yet. I have some project ideas (for personal and professional projects) that could benefit from reading through it.\nMartin Fowler's 2018 update to Refactoring. I read the original one a long time ago. In context, we have a work lunch & learn series and I'm interested in doing some presentations on the topic of refactoring (why, how, and when in particular) so it seemed appropriate to refresh my memory on some specific terminology from the book as well as to see if it's an appropriate book to recommend to colleagues. My recollection of the first edition is that I'd recommend it to colleagues, but it's been so long I'd rather read it once more before actually recommending it.\nI reread Robert C. Martin's Clean Code based on some recent discussion here where it was rather strongly dismissed by a fair number of people. I didn't recall it being bad, my reread confirmed it is not, in fact, bad. Java-heavy, which is now an unpopular style of OOP, but otherwise a very good book. I'd still recommend it to junior colleagues paired with some caveats about avoiding seeing the world in black & white. There is no singular Way of Programming, but learn various ways and find what works for you and your team.\nThere are some more, but it's almost 5am and I haven't been able to sleep so I don't recall everything that's in the book stack or ebook queue. These are the ones I'm most interested in at present.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Based on the frequent praise it receives here, haven't gotten far yet.",
          "reason": "The commenter is considering it for project ideas in personal and professional work.",
          "audience": "People with project ideas that could benefit from the book.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not gotten far yet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27629052,
          "author": "ovidiup13",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T10:37:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27629052",
          "commentText": "My planned summer reading list:\n- High Performance Browser Networking by Ilya Grigorik\n- Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code by Martin Fowler\n- Designing Data-Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann\nHow did you find the latter? I'm a FE developer, so quite keen to get my hands on in data.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Designing Data-Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter’s planned summer reading list.",
          "audience": "The commenter is a frontend developer interested in data.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25989919,
          "author": "hugofirth",
          "createdAt": "2021-02-01T16:13:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 25987664,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommended books and papers on distributed systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25989919",
          "commentText": "I couldn't agree more about curiosity mode (I'm going to use that phrase liberally). Despite reading papers for many years, I rarely go in cold. I browse blog posts and twitter, ask myself a series of questions, then try to find/read papers to answer them. Of course this only leads to more questions, and so the journey continues.\nI also agree with the recommendations for \"Designing Data-Intensive Applications\" and \"Database Internals\". Though, having read the latter for a book club at $employer, I felt it served better as a sort of \"index for the space\" for people who already had some DB experience, rather a true introduction.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also agree with the recommendations for \"Designing Data-Intensive Applications\"",
          "reason": "Agrees with recommendations for the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25989754,
          "author": "atlgator",
          "createdAt": "2021-02-01T16:00:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 25987664,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommended books and papers on distributed systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25989754",
          "commentText": "Also recommend",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also recommend",
          "reason": "The comment seconds the parent’s recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25989294,
          "author": "sambroner",
          "createdAt": "2021-02-01T15:10:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 25987664,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommended books and papers on distributed systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25989294",
          "commentText": "One of the best. I recommend it to people in any speciality of software engineering. (Although I believe the poster is currently reading this book)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Although I believe the poster is currently reading this book",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25989052,
          "author": "mjb",
          "createdAt": "2021-02-01T14:40:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 25987664,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommended books and papers on distributed systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25989052",
          "commentText": "This is a very good list. Adrian's blog is, particularly, a treasure.\nI wrote this post a while ago, aiming to answer a similar question about finding paper: http://brooker.co.za/blog/2020/05/25/reading.html One key point there is that there are, in my mind, multiple 'modes' of reading, and I like to use different approaches to finding material for different modes. Those blogs you list are great for curiosity mode. Another great resource there is Twitter: following distributed systems practitioners and researchers, and seeing what they tweet about. When I read a (recent) paper I really like, I often see if the authors are active on Twitter and follow them there if they are.\nIt's also important not to weight too much on recency. A lot of the canon is actually more approachable than newer papers. For example, Lamport's classic \"Time, Clocks\" (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/publication/time-cl... (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/publication/time-clocks-ordering-events-distributed-system/)) and distributed snapshot (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/publication/distrib... (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/publication/distributed-snapshots-determining-global-states-distributed-system/)) papers, and Gilbert and Lynch's CAP paper (http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.67.... (http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.67.6951&rep=rep1&type=pdf)) are approachable without deep background or systems knowledge. Similarly, John Little's \"\nA Proof for the Queuing Formula: L = λW\" (https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/abs/10.1287/opre.9.3.383) is quite approachable if you have a math background but no systems knowledge, and is one of the foundational results behind the practice of building stable systems.\nI've got some longer-form dives into researcher's work here: http://brooker.co.za/blog/2014/03/30/lamport-pub.html http://brooker.co.za/blog/2014/09/21/liskov-pub.html\nhttp://brooker.co.za/blog/2014/05/10/lynch-pub.html\nFinally, books. There are a couple recommendations for Martin Kleppman's Designing Data-Intensive Applications book, which I like a whole lot. Alex Petrov's \"Database Internals\" is also a very approachable introduction. I wish every practitioner in the field would read Harchol-Balter's Performance Modeling and Design of Computer Systems.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "There are a couple recommendations for Martin Kleppman's Designing Data-Intensive Applications book, which I like a whole lot.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they like the book a whole lot.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25988750,
          "author": "ludovicianul",
          "createdAt": "2021-02-01T14:04:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 25987664,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommended books and papers on distributed systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25988750",
          "commentText": "This is a great book, indeed.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is a great book, indeed.",
          "reason": "Affirms the book recommended in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25988540,
          "author": "munchor",
          "createdAt": "2021-02-01T13:37:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 25987664,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommended books and papers on distributed systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25988540",
          "commentText": "I thoroughly enjoyed \"Designing Data-Intensive Applications: The Big Ideas Behind Reliable, Scalable, and Maintainable Systems\" from Martin Kleppmann.\nIt's a great book that goes into pretty much all of the commonly used strategies to scaling data-intensive applications. It's not incredibly deep on any of them but it will allow you to get a great overview of the entire space. For each component, there's usually references to places where you can read and study more about them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I thoroughly enjoyed \"Designing Data-Intensive Applications: The Big Ideas Behind Reliable, Scalable, and Maintainable Systems\" from Martin Kleppmann.",
          "reason": "Presents a broad overview of commonly used strategies for scaling data intensive applications, with references for deeper study.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not incredibly deep on any of the topics.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24587467,
          "author": "st1x7",
          "createdAt": "2020-09-25T07:32:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 24582669,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24587467",
          "commentText": "Can you share a bit about why it's so good? I found it kind of basic and underwhelming.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I found it kind of basic and underwhelming.",
          "reason": "Says the book felt basic and underwhelming.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The criticism is based on the reader's experience.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24586515,
          "author": "djangovm",
          "createdAt": "2020-09-25T04:14:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 24582669,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24586515",
          "commentText": "I can vouch for designing data intensive applications. Having read it before, I highly recommend it for all experience levels.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can vouch for designing data intensive applications. Having read it before, I highly recommend it for all experience levels.",
          "reason": "Highly recommends the book and says it suits all experience levels.",
          "audience": "Readers at all experience levels.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24586397,
          "author": "snicky",
          "createdAt": "2020-09-25T03:49:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 24582669,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24586397",
          "commentText": "If you are interested in the computer science in general I highly recommend:\n1. Structure and Interpretation\nof Computer Programs (available for free, e.g. here http://sarabander.github.io/sicp/html/index.xhtml\n2. https://computationbook.com/\nAlso, I haven't read it yet, but this book has been praised here a lot recently:\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Designing-Data-Intensive-Applications... (https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Data-Intensive-Applications-Reliable-Maintainable/dp/1449373321)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "this book has been praised here a lot recently",
          "reason": "Notes that it has been praised recently, without stating a personal evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have not read it yet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467772,
          "author": "apazzolini",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T16:00:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467772",
          "commentText": "Designing Data-Intensive Applications is probably one of the absolute best technical books I've read. I haven't done a second read through, but I can definitely see that being helpful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Designing Data-Intensive Applications is probably one of the absolute best technical books I've read.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises it as an outstanding technical book and says a reread may be helpful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it a second time.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467487,
          "author": "avremel",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:30:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467487",
          "commentText": "I usually read good technical books twice. Recently did that for: Designing Data-Intensive Applications, DynamoDB Book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Designing Data-Intensive Applications",
          "reason": "Says they recently read it twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22312198,
          "author": "linkel",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-12T19:58:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22312198",
          "commentText": "After seeing your comment here yesterday, I started reading your book Initiative.\nI am in the middle of the first exercise and have some questions.\nMany of the examples in your book show people connecting these separate ideas that are reasonably understandable and applicable to the general population--the girl who recognized that many people have a fear of needles and sought to design a medical to device to help, or the student who liked going to festivals and thought about aligning attendee interests with the festivals' interests and waive attendance fees for attendees by having them volunteer at charities. It sounds like students in your class came up with relatable ideas by looking at problems in their lives that they noticed.\nRight now, I'm merely a year into my career as a software engineer (having switched careers last year) and I am very interested in learning about good software engineering practices. I like seeing great CI/CD pipelines and being able to deliver very quickly. I like the sound of good DevOps practices (currently reading slowly through Accelerate by Forsgren) and I so far have really enjoyed reading books on scalability and reliability (Designing Data-Intensive Applications by Kleppmann is frequently recommended and I got a lot out of the book). I'm vaguely interested in MLOps.\nI'm pretty happy being more of a cog in a machine right now so that I can see how an established company runs from the inside. I don't know that I'm immediately interested in a project that is more generalizable, the way your book examples are. But it does seem like an entrepreneurial mindset is still core to career progression since in the end a job is also about solving people's problems (where people may be inside or outside of the company). Thus I want to figure out how to use Initiative to iteratively improve my career.\nI am wondering if people found success applying your Method Initiative concepts to a narrower scope in a specific technical field, and whether you could share some of those stories.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Designing Data-Intensive Applications by Kleppmann is frequently recommended and I got a lot out of the book",
          "reason": "The commenter says they got a lot out of it while reading about scalability and reliability.",
          "audience": "Software engineers learning about scalable and reliable systems.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21811446,
          "author": "phxql",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-17T07:26:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21811446",
          "commentText": "Designing Data-Intensive Applications: The Big Ideas Behind Reliable, Scalable, and Maintainable Systems is a really good book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Designing Data-Intensive Applications: The Big Ideas Behind Reliable, Scalable, and Maintainable Systems is a really good book.",
          "reason": "Calls it a really good book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804960,
          "author": "henrik_w",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:34:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804960",
          "commentText": "\"Designing Data-Intensive Applications\" is excellent, but it took me a long time to get through (it really helped that we read it in the book club at work). I am very glad I read it though - there is so much good stuff in it. I wrote a summary of it (mostly so I would learn the contents better):\nhttps://henrikwarne.com/2019/07/27/book-review-designing-dat... (https://henrikwarne.com/2019/07/27/book-review-designing-data-intensive-applications/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Designing Data-Intensive Applications\" is excellent",
          "reason": "Calls it excellent and says it contains a lot of good material.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Took a long time to get through; reading it with a work book club helped.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804348,
          "author": "JonathanMerklin",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:41:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804348",
          "commentText": "Great thread. 2019 was the first time in about 7-8 years I made reading for pleasure a tertiary priority ((school+career)work/sleep/exercise+socializing+(NEW!)reading) and I got through about 20 books of varying length and difficulty, so here are the next 20 in my queue:\n- Infinite Jest (already started, will likely finish in early Jan. I love it so far.)\n- Quantum Computing Since Democritus (started in November as my nonfiction read, but took a break; I think I want to finish IJ first. Scott is an excellent writer and I was really enjoying this)\n- Building Microservices\n- The Code Book\n- How Cars Work (I want to turn the projection of a car in my brain from a black box to a gray box this year, and I don't mean by purchasing a Cybertruck)\n- To Kill a Mockingbird\n- The Personal MBA (for years I laughed off caring about the business of business and lived in my fantasy land of being satisfied with just the technical details and being focused on only implementing great software/learning how to do so. With a few years in the workforce under my belt, I realize that such an outlook was of great detriment to me. I'm open to other suggestions on similar \"catch me up to speed on general business education\" material)\n- Designing Data-Intensive Applications\n- Island (I have a copy of this but not Brave New World. Multiple friends of mine demand I try Huxley, so here we are.)\n- The Annotated Turing\n- How to Invent Everything\n- Soonish (SMBC is a daily read for me and I'm excited to get to this.)\n- How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems (ditto XKCD modulo release schedule)\n- Basic Economics\n- Thus Spoke Zarathustra\n- Seveneves\n- The Prince\n- Pacific Rims: Beermen Ballin' in Flip-Flops and the Philippines' Unlikely Love Affair with Basketball\n- Elevator Music: A Surreal History of Muzak, Easy-Listening, and Other Moodsong\n- Fahrenheit 451\nAdditionally, to tickle the part of my brain that fancies mathematics (one of my my majors in undergrad), I try to work through a chapter or two of Evan Chen's \"An Infinitely Long Napkin\" on a quarterly basis. If you don't mind a conversational tone to your math textbooks, I've found this to be an excellent resource for scraping the surface of a wide variety of topics and fields (including, well, topics like fields). I think I'll continue this habit.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Designing Data-Intensive Applications",
          "reason": "Listed in the commenter's planned reading queue.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803308,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T14:43:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803308",
          "commentText": "I hilariously overestimate the number of books I can get through when I make these lists, but my current list for 2020 is as follows:\nDigital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World\nThe Man Who Solved the Market: How Jim Simons Launched the Quant Revolution\nBook of Proof\nDesigning Data-Intensive Applications: The Big Ideas Behind Reliable, Scalable, and Maintainable Systems\nSeeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed\nGuns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies\nWe Make the Road by Walking: A Year-Long Quest for Spiritual Formation, Reorientation, and Activation\nSoul Repair: Recovering from Moral Injury after War (for a friend)\nMaster and Commander\nEducated\nWithout Getting Killed or Caught: The Life and Music of Guy Clark\nStretch goal: The Power Broker, as a warm-up for Caro's LBJ series\nThe Bible (perpetual, I don't get through it every year, but I get through much of it, often)\nEDIT: I also hilariously underestimate the number of books I want to read. Here's one more I think is vital for my 2020:\nThe Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Designing Data-Intensive Applications: The Big Ideas Behind Reliable, Scalable, and Maintainable Systems",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21802875,
          "author": "kedean",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T13:35:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21802875",
          "commentText": "I just finished Kleppman last week. It took me since August since I was mostly reading during working hours, but I highly recommend it, especially as a companion piece if you already have a lot of familiarity with database technologies.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend it, especially as a companion piece if you already have a lot of familiarity with database technologies.",
          "reason": "Highly recommends it as a companion for readers familiar with database technologies.",
          "audience": "Readers already familiar with database technologies.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21370355,
          "author": "cben",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-27T15:36:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21370355",
          "commentText": "My recommendations are not exactly what you ask but what I suspect you'll enjoy if you're asking this.\n(1) \"Understanding Computation\" by Tom Stuart.\nNot \"fundamental\" as a deep textbook, but very approachable for programmers intro into a big chunk of CS, explaining deep ideas about languages using rigorous working clean code (in Ruby, no prior knowledge needed).\nI especially loved the first few chapters about what it means to define a programming languange and various kinds of formal semantics.\n(2) Designing Data-Intensive Applications, Martin Kleppmann.  This gives you a phenomenally good survey of concepts and practice of distributed systems.  This is more software engineering than pure CS, but in my view you can't approach the field of distributed systems without blending both anyway.\n(3) POODR — Practical Object-Oriented Design, in Ruby, by Sandi Metz.  This is 100% software engineering, where there is no single definition of \"foundational\", but many people who read this swear by it.  It's remarkably thin but lucid distillation of ideas that were \"in the air\" but Sandi nailed them down.  An important thesis is that good code is not an aesthetic judgement of how it _now_ looks, but objective question how easy it will be to _change in the future_.  Not Ruby-specific at all, but it teaches the original Smalltalk \"message-passing\" view of OOP, that for people that only learnt statically-typed Java, C++ etc view of OOP is a fundamental idea they're missing on.\nFinally, not a book, but \"the morning paper\" https://blog.acolyer.org/ is excellent \"return on your time\" if you want to sample academic papers, both classic foundational ones, as well as cutting edge.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Designing Data-Intensive Applications, Martin Kleppmann. This gives you a phenomenally good survey of concepts and practice of distributed systems.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a very good survey of distributed systems concepts and practice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is more software engineering than pure computer science.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20734794,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-19T04:02:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20734794",
          "commentText": "At the Architecture level see the very good book \"Designing Data-Intensive Applications: The Big Ideas Behind Reliable, Scalable, and Maintainable Systems\" by Martin Kleppmann.\nFor actual code, you do not have one book but have to glean the knowledge from a whole bunch of them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the very good book \"Designing Data-Intensive Applications: The Big Ideas Behind Reliable, Scalable, and Maintainable Systems\"",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly calls it a very good book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17036116,
          "author": "jpamata",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-10T03:07:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17036116",
          "commentText": "Designing Data-Intensive Applications[0] by Martin Kleppmann. There's a previous HN thread about it[1]. Helped me understand a bit more about databases and systems. The book is also very approachable and has the perfect blend of application and theory at a high level that anyone approaching the industry for the first time stands to gain a lot from reading it.\nThe Architecture of Open Source Applications[2] series is a good one for leaning how to build production applications and you can read it online. The chapter on Scalable Web Architecture[3] is a must-read.\n[0] https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Data-Intensive-Applications... (https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Data-Intensive-Applications-Reliable-Maintainable/dp/1449373321)\n[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428526\n[2] http://aosabook.org/en/index.html\n[3] http://aosabook.org/en/distsys.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Helped me understand a bit more about databases and systems. The book is also very approachable and has the perfect blend of application and theory at a high level that anyone approaching the industry for the first time stands to gain a lot from reading it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it improved their understanding and calls it approachable and valuable for newcomers.",
          "audience": "People approaching the software industry for the first time.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17033027,
          "author": "sp527",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T19:23:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17033027",
          "commentText": "This should honestly be the top-voted answer. The standard palette of cargo cult options are at best a weak proxy for real-world experience.\nBut Kleppman's book is genuinely and outstandingly useful for understanding the various components involved in modern backend architectures.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kleppman's book is genuinely and outstandingly useful for understanding the various components involved in modern backend architectures.",
          "reason": "Calls it outstandingly useful for understanding modern backend architecture.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032583,
          "author": "collinf",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:40:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032583",
          "commentText": "As far as a technical book, Data Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppman. This book covers distributed systems as well as databases, data-warehousing, and data-processing.\nA lot of tools and patterns you don't see in school that describe how most of the \"magic\" behind high-powered software we use is implemented.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "As far as a technical book, Data Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppman.",
          "reason": "Offers it as a technical book covering distributed systems, databases, data warehousing, and data processing.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a technical introduction to data intensive systems.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16757761,
          "author": "cdpolyme",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T18:55:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16757761",
          "commentText": "Same here. Only book that stays on my desk. Others rotate.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Same here. Only book that stays on my desk. Others rotate.",
          "reason": "The commenter says this is the only book that stays on their desk.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Keeping a book on the desk alone does not state an evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16756661,
          "author": "tta",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T17:02:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16756661",
          "commentText": "Designing Data-Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Designing Data-Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16570367,
          "author": "johntran",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-12T18:45:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16570367",
          "commentText": "Designing Data-Intensive Applications: The Big Ideas Behind Reliable, Scalable, and Maintainable Systems by Martin Kleppmann. Absolute best book on system design.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Designing Data-Intensive Applications: The Big Ideas Behind Reliable, Scalable, and Maintainable Systems by Martin Kleppmann. Absolute best book on system design.",
          "reason": "Calls it the absolute best book on system design.",
          "audience": "Readers learning system design and data intensive software architecture.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14849671,
          "author": "blain_the_train",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T17:15:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14849671",
          "commentText": "For a modern look at systems design i highly recommend \"Designing Data-Intensive Applications (DDIA)\" By Martin Kleppmann. Not really about structuring code, but I think stepping back and realizing your code is part of a larger system is very illuminating and influence how you write code.\nhttp://dataintensive.net/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For a modern look at systems design i highly recommend \"Designing Data-Intensive Applications (DDIA)\" By Martin Kleppmann.",
          "reason": "Highly recommends it as a modern introduction to systems design.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not really about structuring code.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14488947,
          "author": "silentsea90",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T16:33:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14488947",
          "commentText": "+1. Great for getting a lay of the land on distributed systems problems. I haven't ever studied distributed systems formally though, so I wonder how this differs from that.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1. Great for getting a lay of the land on distributed systems problems. I haven't ever studied distributed systems formally though, so I wonder how this differs from that.",
          "reason": "Seconds the book and says it is great for getting an overview of distributed systems problems.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an overview of distributed systems.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not studied distributed systems formally and wonders how it compares with formal study.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14488379,
          "author": "fatjonny",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T15:41:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14488379",
          "commentText": "I've been thoroughly enjoying \"Designing Data-Intensive Applications\" by Martin Kleppmann. It primarily deals with the current state of storing data (databases, etc) starting with storing data on one machine and expanding to distributed architectures...but most importantly it goes over the trade-offs between the various approaches. It is at a high level because of the amount of ground it covers, but it contains a ton of references to dig in deeper if you want to know more about a specific topic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've been thoroughly enjoying \"Designing Data-Intensive Applications\" by Martin Kleppmann.",
          "reason": "Says they are thoroughly enjoying it and describes its coverage of storage approaches and trade-offs.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in databases and distributed architectures.",
          "caveat": "The book covers a broad area at a high level and points to references for deeper study.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13409502,
          "author": "nsm",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T11:58:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13409502",
          "commentText": "Designing Data-Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppman. He does a great job of distilling storage systems to concepts and discussing conceptual trade offs instead of focusing on particular storage products. Plenty of footnotes to relevant research papers too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Designing Data-Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppman. He does a great job of distilling storage systems to concepts and discussing conceptual trade offs instead of focusing on particular storage products.",
          "reason": "Praised for explaining storage systems through concepts and tradeoffs, with references to relevant research.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9760569,
          "author": "cosmolev",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T19:16:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9760569",
          "commentText": "It's not even published yet, but based on the 7 of 11 chapters available I can say the book gonna be really fundamental.\nDesigning Data-Intensive Applications\nThe Big Ideas Behind Reliable, Scalable, and Maintainable Systems\nBy Martin Kleppmann\nhttp://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920032175.do\nhttp://dataintensive.net/\nThe author has great sense of humor.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "based on the 7 of 11 chapters available I can say the book gonna be really fundamental.",
          "reason": "Expects it to be a fundamental book, based on the available chapters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It had not yet been published; the assessment is based on 7 of 11 available chapters.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin Kleppmann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 62,
      "threads": 36,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "distributed systems",
        "data systems",
        "data intensive applications",
        "data engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Reference",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "code-complete-540613",
      "title": "Code Complete",
      "author": "Steve McConnell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41387801,
          "author": "optymizer",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T06:00:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387801",
          "commentText": "I would split the books into two categories: those that improve the way you structure your code and deliver a software solution, and those that improve your technical understanding of the software platform and the computer you're using.\nThe first are books like Pragmatic Programmer, Mythical Man Month, Code Complete, Design Patterns, talks by Alan Kay on software systems and OOP, even Game Engine Architecture etc. A lot of the content there is distilled experience which is much faster to learn from a book than gain the hard way on the job.\nThe other books are practical deep dives. Here I would recommend a variety of books like Inside the Machine by Stokes, Computer Architecture by Hennessy, 21st Century C by Klemens, Crafting Interpreters by Nystrom, Compilers by Aho, Effective Java, Nature of Code by Shiffman, Ray Tracing Challenge by Buck, Hands on Hacking by Hickey, and others, depending on your interest and area of focus.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code Complete",
          "reason": "Lists it among books on structuring code and delivering software.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37825530,
          "author": "OnionBlender",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-09T21:11:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37825530",
          "commentText": "Code Complete needs a new addition similar to how The Pragmatic Programmer released a new addition after 20 years.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Code Complete needs a new addition",
          "reason": "Says it needs a new edition.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37820074,
          "author": "ironlake",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-09T13:07:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37820074",
          "commentText": "I read Code Complete twenty years ago and it was a revelation. Revisiting it recently, it seemed dated and bordering on irrelevant. It wasn't that the ideas weren't good, they were just incorporated into modern language and API design. It won. People code like that now.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I read Code Complete twenty years ago and it was a revelation. Revisiting it recently, it seemed dated and bordering on irrelevant.",
          "reason": "Says it was revelatory at the time, but now seems dated and nearly irrelevant.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its ideas have since been incorporated into modern language and API design.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37819038,
          "author": "neversaydie",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-09T10:57:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37819038",
          "commentText": "In software:\nCould plausibly have read, but also likely to blindly recommend without having read them (I've done that myself, only ever skimmed either): The Mythical Man Month, Code Complete.\nVery unlikely to have read: Knuth's Art of Computer Programming. (I'm moderately sure Donald Knuth has read these, but beyond that, dubious. Personally I've read their titles on a shelf three times now.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Could plausibly have read, but also likely to blindly recommend without having read them (I've done that myself, only ever skimmed either): The Mythical Man Month, Code Complete.",
          "reason": "Says it is often recommended without being read; the commenter has only skimmed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has only skimmed it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35711305,
          "author": "gjadi",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-26T09:32:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 35710671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell still a recommended read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35711305",
          "commentText": "Well, Rapid Development is the next level after Code Complete :)\nCode Complete is the \"Introductory Level\" and Rapid Development is the \"Practitioner Level\".",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Code Complete is the \"Introductory Level\"",
          "reason": "Describes it as the introductory level before Rapid Development.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35711299,
          "author": "kqr",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-26T09:31:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 35710671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell still a recommended read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35711299",
          "commentText": "I think anything that makes you take a new perspective on (software) product development and reflect on your experiences and pay attention to patterns of outcomes is going to make you a better developer.\nEven if the book would be hopelessly outdated, that's usually informative too. It tells you which specific parts of the industry change slowly and which evolve rapidly. That will help you figure out where we are headed and what you can count on will be roughly the same for the next 25 years of your career.\nIt's very hard to rank books precisely, because how much people get out of them also depends on past experiences.\nIf you already have the book or can get free access to it -- why not try? Even just the preview on Amazon is usually good to give a sense of what it is like. Read a few chapters and see if it's something you think you want to continue with.\nBut what's important is not that you pick The Right Book now, it's that you pick up another book when you are finished with this one.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Even if the book would be hopelessly outdated, that's usually informative too.",
          "reason": "Encourages trying the book and reading a few chapters to judge its value.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Could be hopelessly outdated; suggests sampling it first.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35711141,
          "author": "jve",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-26T09:06:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35710671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell still a recommended read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35711141",
          "commentText": "Have you read the book?\nI'm not done, but many ideas I got from the book made me a better programmer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "many ideas I got from the book made me a better programmer",
          "reason": "Says ideas from the book improved their programming.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They have not finished it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35711079,
          "author": "_0xik",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-26T08:57:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 35710671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell still a recommended read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35711079",
          "commentText": "That's one way to look at it. Another way to look at it is: Why do we not *update* these books? This gets back into the question of copyright of course.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Why do we not *update* these books?",
          "reason": "Raises whether older books should be updated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35711049,
          "author": "_0xik",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-26T08:53:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 35710671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell still a recommended read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35711049",
          "commentText": "I don't have my copy with me so I can't supply an exact quote right now. The part that really stuck out was about companies relocating though. First, there was absolutely no possibility that women would be working, and iirc the primary reason that a company might not want to relocate was that a wife might complain her husband had to move, thus inconveniencing his boss. Something like this.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The part that really stuck out was about companies relocating though.",
          "reason": "Recalls a passage about companies relocating and gender assumptions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter cannot provide an exact quote and frames the recollection as approximate.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35711009,
          "author": "radicalbyte",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-26T08:48:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 35710671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell still a recommended read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35711009",
          "commentText": "It's in the same group as Pragmatic Programmer, Refactoring, Patterns of Application Architecture and the Gang-of-Four book for me. Still recommended for junior programmers as they're all teaching the core of good design.\nHowever seeing as the better frameworks/languages/IDEs have internalised a lot of the learnings and that the specific conventions may be outdated - so just follow the recommendations for your platform/framework.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's in the same group as Pragmatic Programmer, Refactoring, Patterns of Application Architecture and the Gang-of-Four book for me.",
          "reason": "Groups it with books teaching core software design.",
          "audience": "Junior programmers",
          "caveat": "Specific conventions may be outdated; follow the recommendations for your platform or framework.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35710993,
          "author": "blowski",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-26T08:45:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 35710671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell still a recommended read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35710993",
          "commentText": "I agree that you don't need to have read it to be a good programmer. Yet, in my experience, there is a large overlap between those who are good programmers and those who have read it. With such a heavy use of anecdata, it's hard to say how much is causation or just correlation.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "there is a large overlap between those who are good programmers and those who have read it.",
          "reason": "Observes an association between reading it and being a good programmer, while questioning causation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the evidence is anecdotal and may show correlation rather than causation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35710955,
          "author": "shubhamjain",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-26T08:40:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 35710671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell still a recommended read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35710955",
          "commentText": "Most likely no! Do you really need to read a 900 page book to understand how to write good code? There might be nuggets of wisdom here and there, but you'll most likely pick them on your own as you code and grow. Problem with these books is that you tend to over-apply whatever you read. You read the fact that configurations are good, so you create a nest of abstractions to make code configurable, even when it doesn't make sense. This is the stuff that I have seen happen over and over again. Over-engineered crap resulting from programmers trying to make future-proof code.\nThe best way is still, reading and writing lots of code. You'll pick the right way quite naturally.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Do you really need to read a 900 page book to understand how to write good code?",
          "reason": "Argues that a large programming book is unnecessary and may lead readers to overapply its advice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says readers can overapply its lessons and that experience writing code is a better path.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35710951,
          "author": "SideburnsOfDoom",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-26T08:40:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 35710671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell still a recommended read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35710951",
          "commentText": "> I'd take their recommendations about code style ... with a grain of salt though\nIIRC, this book started me on the \"meta-rules\" of code style, the \"what makes good rules\", specifically\n* aim for readability\n* the role that \"mere familiarity\" plays in readability\n* Team style over individual style, org over team, industry over org.\n* the small amount (but not zero) of actual data i.e. studies here.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "IIRC, this book started me on the \"meta-rules\" of code style",
          "reason": "Credits it with introducing principles for evaluating code style rules.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35710949,
          "author": "blowski",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-26T08:39:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 35710671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell still a recommended read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35710949",
          "commentText": "I think \"anti-feminist\" implies it expressses some opinion about the feminist movement, which it doesn't, to my recollection.\nThat said, it is somewhat sexist in its assumption that all programmers are men, which is not a surprise given when it was published. That lack of gender inclusivity is right there in the title. But it doesn't really take away from the value of the writing unless you're trying to be offended.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "That lack of gender inclusivity is right there in the title.",
          "reason": "Discusses the book's gender assumptions and its value as writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as sexist in its assumption that all programmers are men.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33861877,
          "author": "astrange",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-05T05:41:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33861877",
          "commentText": "Most of these books are so trivial that if you’re already a professional you should be surprised if you learn anything from them.\nExcept for the Bob Martin one, which you just shouldn’t read since he is not good at programming and his advice is bad.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Most of these books are so trivial that if you’re already a professional you should be surprised if you learn anything from them.",
          "reason": "Says the listed books are too trivial to teach much to an experienced professional.",
          "audience": "Experienced professional developers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33861664,
          "author": "soheil",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-05T04:58:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33861664",
          "commentText": "There are many books, articles, and other resources that can help you to become a better software engineer. Some popular choices include \"Clean Code\" by Robert C. Martin, \"The Pragmatic Programmer\" by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas, and \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell. These books provide practical advice and guidance on a range of topics, including design, testing, debugging, and refactoring.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell.",
          "reason": "Lists it as a popular choice in response to a request for reading material.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33858182,
          "author": "mooreds",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T21:37:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33858182",
          "commentText": "Hiya,\nI'd consider these books/articles/podcasts:\n* Secrets of Consulting by Gerald Weinberg: http://geraldmweinberg.com/Site/Consulting_Secrets.html Every problem is a people problem.\n* Refactoring by Martin Fowler et. al: https://martinfowler.com/books/refactoring.html talks about how and why to refactor, as well as providing a nomenclature for the process.\n* Code Complete by Steve McConnell. https://stevemcconnell.com/books/ A bit dated (the last version I could find was from 2004) but a great overview of the entire software process, from requirements to maintenance.\n* The Mythical Man-Month by Fred Brookes: https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/mythical-man-month-the/... (https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/mythical-man-month-the/0201835959/) best practices about software development, written about a project from the 1960 and 1970s.\n* The Joel On Software Strategy Letters: https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/05/12/strategy-letter-i-... (https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/05/12/strategy-letter-i-ben-and-jerrys-vs-amazon/) is the first one. All of them (I think there are five) are great.\n* Letters to a New Developer: https://letterstoanewdeveloper.com/the-book/ Please note I wrote this, but I still think it does a good job of discussing the \"soft skills\" in an easily digestible format.\n* Pragmatic Programmer by Dave Thomas and Andy Hunt: https://pragprog.com/titles/tpp20/the-pragmatic-programmer-2... (https://pragprog.com/titles/tpp20/the-pragmatic-programmer-20th-anniversary-edition/) Haven't read the revised 20th anniversary edition, but the first one opened my eyes to the craft of software.\n* High Output Management by Andy Grove: https://bookshop.org/p/books/high-output-management-andrew-s... (https://bookshop.org/p/books/high-output-management-andrew-s-grove/6730629) a great way to think about throughput\n* The Phoenix Project by Gene Kim et. al: https://itrevolution.com/product/the-phoenix-project/ Fun novel(!) about applying lean management principles to software engineering.\n* Radical Candor (haven't read, but it's been recommended): https://www.radicalcandor.com/ About communication.\n* Good to Great by Jim Collins: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_to_Great Focuses on what great companies bring to the table. Helps me evaluate where to work.\n* Mastery Autonomy and Purpose: A great video about what people really want in work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzXXC4MZZnY\n* https://www.manager-tools.com/podcasts a podcast about managing people. You didn't say you wanted to be a people manager, but knowing what managers think about will make you more effective in any org.\n* Managing Humans by Michael Lopp: https://managinghumans.com/ The whole Rands site is work reading, but I enjoyed this book about how to manage teams and build software. See above.\n* Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug: https://sensible.com/dont-make-me-think/ Easy ways to think about usability, focusing on webapps. Short and easy.\n* Badass: Making Users Awesome, by Kathy Sierra: http://seriouspony.com/badass-users-the-book Will help you put yourself in the shoes of your users and think about how to build software they will love. Short and easy.\nHope this helps.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Code Complete by Steve McConnell.",
          "reason": "Recommended as an overview of the software process, from requirements to maintenance.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is a bit dated; the latest version they found was from 2004.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33595432,
          "author": "iillexial",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-14T15:32:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33595432",
          "commentText": "https://www.coursera.org/learn/programming-languages - recursion, and how to apply it, and functional programming in general clicked for after this course.\nAlso Code Complete - after reading I finally understood what good code should look like.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also Code Complete - after reading I finally understood what good code should look like.",
          "reason": "Says it helped the commenter understand what good code should look like.",
          "audience": "Software developers improving code quality.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30488554,
          "author": "Ologn",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T14:10:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30488554",
          "commentText": "Code Complete has chapters on classes, functions, then several chapters on statements and several on variables.  McConnell also refers to studies throughout - for example, he says studies show it is not necessarily that long functions are bad in and of themselves, but that the longer a function is, the more odds it will introduce more variables, and using too many variables in one function is bad.  Somewhat dry, academic, great detail about the topics I mentioned with references to studies.\nI also like Clean Code by Bob Martin.  It covers similar ground to Code Complete but it is more opinionated, and was an easy read for me and has a narrative drive. As opposed to the more academic Code Complete which covers things thoroughly, and with references to studies.  Both are good books, covering similar ground, I like them both.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Code Complete has chapters on classes, functions",
          "reason": "Describes its coverage as detailed and academic, with references to studies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Somewhat dry.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30486979,
          "author": "omnibrain",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T10:27:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486979",
          "commentText": "Code Complete (2nd Edition) by Steve McConnell. It is perhaps the broadest book on programming I've ever read. It oviously can't go indepth on its topics, but it significantly helps to turn a lot of \"unknown unknowns\" into \"known unknowns\".\nIt really helped my to go from knowing how to program to knowing how to implement software.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code Complete (2nd Edition) by Steve McConnell.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped turn programming knowledge into practical software implementation knowledge.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Broad coverage without in-depth treatment of its topics.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28666785,
          "author": "TanakaTarou",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-27T03:28:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28666785",
          "commentText": "\"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_Complete\nFor many years we gave this book to all new employees on day #1. Even the most experienced developers will find something in this book they will find very useful and it will help you to take a step back and evaluate your programming. This book is true gold mine.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book and says it was given to new employees.",
          "audience": "New employees and experienced developers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27637560,
          "author": "DanHulton",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T23:37:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27637560",
          "commentText": "Code Complete (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_Complete).\nI hear that it's probably not as relevant these days, since it's been nearly 20 years since the 2nd edition was released, but the attitude towards professionalism it instilled in me was invaluable, and the fact that all the recommendations were backed up by studies made it so that I could back up my decisions with facts.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Code Complete (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_Complete).",
          "reason": "The commenter credits it with instilling a professional attitude and helping them justify decisions with evidence.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may be less relevant today because the second edition is nearly 20 years old.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27628705,
          "author": "sehhsucht",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T09:31:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27628705",
          "commentText": "Steve McConnell - Code Complete (Second Edition) is really good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Steve McConnell - Code Complete (Second Edition) is really good.",
          "reason": "Described as really good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26836813,
          "author": "sumnole",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-16T17:34:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 26833319,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book for software engineers (besides the well-known ones)?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26836813",
          "commentText": "Code Complete\nSoftware Design For Flexibility\nA Philosophy of Software Design",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code Complete",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Software engineers",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26357173,
          "author": "thorin",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-05T14:25:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 26321793,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books made you the most money?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26357173",
          "commentText": "Probably code complete, I'd studied engineering and programmed at home for years at a very poor level really. On becoming a commercial coder I got this and it gave me confidence in attacking a problem, maintaining code and the realization that, in a team, communication, readability and maintainability are more important that coding skill.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Probably code complete, I'd studied engineering and programmed at home for years at a very poor level really.",
          "reason": "The commenter credits it with building confidence and teaching maintainable coding and team communication.",
          "audience": "Commercial programmers, especially those moving from programming at home into professional work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25541877,
          "author": "vram22",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-26T06:41:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25541877",
          "commentText": "Code Complete is a similar very good one, with a deeper focus at somewhat a lower level of abstraction, maybe, but still covering other levels, including human aspects. I prefer the first edition.\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_Complete\nSee section \"Reception\" in above link.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code Complete is a similar very good one",
          "reason": "Describes it as similar to The Pragmatic Programmer, with deeper focus at a lower level of abstraction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter prefers the first edition.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24603620,
          "author": "maynman",
          "createdAt": "2020-09-27T02:01:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 24582669,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24603620",
          "commentText": "Code Complete\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Code-Complete-Practical-Handbook-Cons... (https://www.amazon.com/Code-Complete-Practical-Handbook-Construction/dp/0735619670)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code Complete",
          "reason": "Offers the title as a book recommendation in response to a general request for books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23478541,
          "author": "photawe",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-10T15:56:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23478541",
          "commentText": "Code Complete - 2 times: clearly it's a good book.\nThe selfish gene - 2 times - that's not programming wise, but it's an awesome book to get your thoughts rolling.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code Complete - 2 times: clearly it's a good book.",
          "reason": "The commenter reread it twice and calls it a good book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23366117,
          "author": "RickJWagner",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-31T00:30:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23366117",
          "commentText": "For a beginning programmer, I'd say buy a copy of \"Code Complete\", then rip it into 5 parts.  Read any one of the 5.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "buy a copy of \"Code Complete\"",
          "reason": "Suggests buying it and reading one of five sections for a beginning programmer.",
          "audience": "Beginning programmers.",
          "caveat": "Suggests reading only one of five parts at a time.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22708572,
          "author": "mitchelldeacon9",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T01:58:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22708572",
          "commentText": "The following is a list of my favorite books on software engineering, cyber-security, and the history of IT business development.\nBowden, Mark (2011) Worm: The First Digital World War\nBrooks, Frederick (1995) Mythical Man-Month, 2nd ed.\nChristensen, Clayton (1997) Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail\nHafner, Katie and Matthew Lyon (1996) Where Wizards Stay Up Late: Origins of the Internet\nHunt, Andrew and David Thomas (1999) Pragmatic Programmer\nMacCormick, John (2012) Nine Algorithms that Changed the Future\nMcConnell, Steve (2004) Code Complete, 2nd ed.\nMitnick, Kevin and William Simon (2002) Art of Deception\nPoulsen, Kevin (2011) Kingpin: How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cyber-Crime Underworld\nRaymond, Eric (2003) Art of Unix Programming\nStone, Brad (2013) The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon\nTorvalds, Linus and David Diamond (2001) Just for Fun: Story of an Accidental Revolutionary\nWallace, James and Jim Erickson (1992) Hard Drive: Bill Gates and Making of the Microsoft Empire\nWilliams, Sam (2002) Free as in Freedom: Richard Stallman's Crusade for Free Software\nWilson, Mike (1996) The Difference between God and Larry Ellison: Inside Oracle Corp",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "McConnell, Steve (2004) Code Complete, 2nd ed.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21824602,
          "author": "mnicky",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-18T13:34:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21824602",
          "commentText": "Not a long time ago I've found this comment about how to read Code Complete: https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R65Q50S27SSWE - After reading the comment, maybe I'll consider to give the book another try with a different approach :)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "maybe I'll consider to give the book another try with a different approach",
          "reason": "The commenter is considering rereading it using a different approach after finding advice on how to read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No evaluation or endorsement is expressed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21822231,
          "author": "derangedHorse",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-18T05:54:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21822231",
          "commentText": "Code Complete seemed to be a book with a lot of dense, redundant content. Reading what was written had me feeling like I was reading information that could have been written by myself. Clean Code on the other hand (along with Refactoring by Martin Fowler) changed the way I write code for the better.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Code Complete seemed to be a book with a lot of dense, redundant content.",
          "reason": "The commenter found the book dense and redundant.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the content felt redundant.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803515,
          "author": "lghh",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:10:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803515",
          "commentText": "Leisure Stuff:\nBoom Town: The Fantastical Saga Of Oklahoma City, It's Chaotic Founding... by Sam Anderson\nMidnight In Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham\nDune by Frank Herbert\nThe Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu (tried it this year and stopped, want to give it another go)\nStories of Your Life and Others - Ted Chiang (just finished Exhalation and I think it's great)\nAn Ursula K. Le Guin novel, have not picked one out yet\nA book related to basketball (possibly Dream Team, but IDK yet)\nLess Leisure Stuff:\nLocked In: The True Causes of Mass Incarceration and How to Achieve Real Reform by John Pfaff\nEvicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond\nThe End Of Policing by Alex S Vitale\nEither Manufacturing Consent or Understanding Power by Chomsky\nThe Annotated Turing by Charles Petzold\nWork:\nCode Complete 2 by Steve McConnell\nThe Web Application Hacker's Handbook: Finding and Exploiting Security Flaws by Dafydd Stuttard,  Marcus Pinto\nFinish Writing An Interpreter In Go by Thorsten Ball\nIf I can get through all of these, I will be very pleased. Throw in a book or two at recommendation from friends and I think I'm full for the year.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Code Complete 2 by Steve McConnell",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17034365,
          "author": "InclinedPlane",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T21:36:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17034365",
          "commentText": "- The Pragmatic Programmer\n- Refactoring\n- Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering\n- Code Complete",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code Complete",
          "reason": "Lists it as a book answering the thread's request for career reading recommendations.",
          "audience": "People starting a software engineering or computer science career",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17033368,
          "author": "ozim",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T19:54:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17033368",
          "commentText": "You start career. If you already have been programming like in high school or something and finished CS university don't focus much on technical books. Learn how to work with people not computers and listen. I assume you know objects, ifs, for loops. It is enough for technical start. I don't expect more from junior. \"The pragmatic programmer\" is quite good start on it.\nIf you lack technical background and have problems with structure because you have not worked through university/school in structured way then \"Code complete\", \"Clean code\".\nPick also something in depth for your specific area you are going to start, for C# good would be \"C# in depth\" to get really details of tech you will be working on. Get details in one programming language really well then you can pick up some other tech.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If you lack technical background and have problems with structure because you have not worked through university/school in structured way then \"Code complete\", \"Clean code\".",
          "reason": "Suggests it for readers lacking technical background or structured learning.",
          "audience": "Readers lacking technical background or structured learning",
          "caveat": "Suggested conditionally for readers with those gaps.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032504,
          "author": "yingw787",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:32:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032504",
          "commentText": "I read through Code Complete 2 cover to cover my first year and I agree with parent it's more useful early on than later. There's a lot of discussion around best practices; I think there's an entire chapter on strategic whitespace. All the stuff in there makes sense, but it cements why it's important.\nDefinitely check out \"The Pragmatic Programmer\"! There's definitely some good nuggets in there that helped me. Distinguishing full-blown prototypes vs. prototypical kernels that can be productionized, a.k.a. tracer bullet prototyping, is one.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I read through Code Complete 2 cover to cover my first year and I agree with parent it's more useful early on than later.",
          "reason": "Says it is more useful early in a career and explains best practices.",
          "audience": "Early-career programmers.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that its lessons may be less useful later.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032446,
          "author": "manaskarekar",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:27:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032446",
          "commentText": "A quick reference for the important points in Pragmatic Programmer :https://blog.codinghorror.com/a-pragmatic-quick-reference/\nCode Complete: http://codecourse.sourceforge.net/materials/Code-Complete-A-... (http://codecourse.sourceforge.net/materials/Code-Complete-A-Detailed-Book-Review.html)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Code Complete:",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Links to a detailed book review, not an endorsement of the title.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032388,
          "author": "wilsonnb",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:22:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032388",
          "commentText": "Our field is so varied that there is no good answer to this question unless you specify what you want to focus on.\nSome people are inevitably going to recommend The Art of Computer Programming, which hardly anyone has read and isn't that relevant to the work that 99% of us are doing.\nSomeone will probably recommend The C Programming Language, also called K&R after the authors, but again it's not very useful unless you're going to be using a lot of C and even then I personally don't think it provides anything you can't get from guides on the internet. (I have actually read this one, but it's been a while)\nThere are other classic textbooks that will probably be mentioned that are only useful to those in that domain. Many of us can get by without a deep understanding of algorithms and data structures, most people don't need to read a compiler book, etc, etc.\nHowever, there are some generalized books that people often recommend like The Pragmatic Programmer and Code Complete. These are, in my opinion, good recommendations if you're looking for something to read but I wouldn't say that someone starting a career in software engineering should read them. Software engineering isn't really a field with seminal texts that should be read by everyone.\nFor example, every political scientist should have probably read The Republic by Plato and Politics by Aristotle among many other texts. I don't think software engineering has that equivalent, partially due to the relative newness of the field and partially because the primary output of our field is not written texts.\nAnother interesting question would be \"What codebases should someone starting their career in software engineering look at?\". Are there things that the average joe programmer can learn by poking around the Linux kernel or Firefox? Maybe. I don't know. I've never done it. I'd be interested in hearing from those who have, though. Maybe I'll do my own ask HN.\nedit: I feel I should clarify that this is written from the perspective of a software engineer, not an academic in computer science. For all I know there could be seminal texts that those on the academic side should all have read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Pragmatic Programmer and Code Complete. These are, in my opinion, good recommendations",
          "reason": "Calls it a good recommendation for someone looking for a book, but says new software engineers need not read it.",
          "audience": "People looking for a general software engineering book.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not a required book for someone starting a software career.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032216,
          "author": "enitihas",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:05:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032216",
          "commentText": "Code Complete. I found Code Complete to be as eye opening for day to day work as SICP is while learning in University.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found Code Complete to be as eye opening for day to day work as SICP is while learning in University.",
          "reason": "Calls it eye-opening for day-to-day work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032157,
          "author": "InterestBazinga",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:01:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032157",
          "commentText": "I always started and stopped reading Code complete book.\nThe most recent strategy that really worked for me was. I googled summary notes for that book to recognize the topics that I wanted to learn and ditched the ones that are redundant.\nThis rejuvinated my interest and productivity for reading that book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I always started and stopped reading Code complete book.",
          "reason": "Describes repeatedly starting and stopping the book, then using summaries to sustain interest.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No positive evaluation or recommendation is expressed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17031874,
          "author": "chollida1",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T17:37:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17031874",
          "commentText": "Three boks I'll recommend you read as soon as possible.\n1) The Mythical Man month\n3) The Pragmatic Programmer\n3) Code Complete.\nThe thing about these books, well atleast 1 and 3 is that when they were written they broke new ground.  Or if that phrase bother you, they were the first mainstream publications that brought their core ideas to developers.\nReading these books early in your career will help cement these best practices.\nReading these books after you've been a practicing programmer means,IMHO, that the return you get from reading them goes way way down.\nYou'll find that you've already learned all/most? of what they are trying to teach.\nYou'll find yourself getting frustrated that they are preaching what you already know as common sense and first principles.\nOr put another way, I'm not sure there is much that someone who has programmed for 5-10 years can get out of those books that they haven't picked up somewhere else already or learned the hard way.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "3) Code Complete.",
          "reason": "Recommended to early-career readers; the commenter says it broke new ground and helps cement best practices.",
          "audience": "Early-career programmers.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says experienced programmers may get little new from it.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16358031,
          "author": "xstartup",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-12T11:40:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16358031",
          "commentText": "McConnell, Steve. Code Complete. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Press, 1993.\nMcConnell, Steve. Software Project Survival Guide. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Press, 1998.\nMaguire, Steve. Writing Solid Code. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Press, 1993.\nRanade and Nash. The Elements of C Programming Style. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1992.\nKernighan and Plauger. The Elements of Programming Style. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1982.\nCaner, Cem, et al. Testing Computer Software, Second Edition. New York: Wiley Computer Publishing, 1999.\nHunt, Andrew, et al. The Pragmatic Programmer. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 2000.\nHolub, Allen. Enough Rope to Shoot Yourself in the Foot: Rules for C and C++ Programming. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1995.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "McConnell, Steve. Code Complete.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the question about books colleagues should have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16351686,
          "author": "uber1geek",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T07:47:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16351686",
          "commentText": "1. Peopleware\n2. Code Complete 2",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2. Code Complete 2",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14846298,
          "author": "robinphilip1989",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T09:08:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14846298",
          "commentText": "Head First Design Patterns by Eric Freeman\nDesign patterns by GoF \nCode Complete by Steve McConnel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code Complete by Steve McConnel",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the thread's question about books that shaped code structure.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in software development practices.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14844078,
          "author": "btilly",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T00:39:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14844078",
          "commentText": "As to that, Design Patterns did not influence my coding style very much.  By contrast Code Complete was the first book that I read about how to structure code, and I've gained more from it on multiple rereads.  I consider it a much better book.\nBut then again I'm hardly enthusiastic about OO.  See http://www.perlmonks.org/?node_id=318257 for more on my perspective.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code Complete was the first book that I read about how to structure code, and I've gained more from it on multiple rereads. I consider it a much better book.",
          "reason": "Says they gained a lot from rereading it and consider it much better than Design Patterns.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14843545,
          "author": "btilly",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-24T23:03:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14843545",
          "commentText": "I'm nearing 50 so I'm hardly a youth.\nhttp://www.perlmonks.org/?node_id=133399 does a very good job of explaining why Design Patterns is a book to be careful with.  By contrast Code Complete won't steer people wrong.\nSee https://steve-yegge.blogspot.com/2006/03/execution-in-kingdo... (https://steve-yegge.blogspot.com/2006/03/execution-in-kingdom-of-nouns.html) for a cautionary tale about how a pursuit of OO purity can result in great verbosity, hiding intent behind a barrage of patterns.  Resulting in code that I, for one, would rather not work with.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "By contrast Code Complete won't steer people wrong.",
          "reason": "Explicitly says this book is a reliable choice, in contrast to Design Patterns.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14843180,
          "author": "darawk",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-24T22:07:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14843180",
          "commentText": "I second this. I read this book in my teens after I had taught myself programming and just been hacking away for a little while. It had never occurred to me to even think about the issues this book was discussing. It really made me think about and appreciate design quality in software.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second this. I read this book in my teens",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the parent recommendation and says the book led them to appreciate software design quality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14843146,
          "author": "sideshowb",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-24T22:03:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14843146",
          "commentText": "Are Design Patterns really so out of fashion with the youth of today that nobody here mentions Design Patterns as their answer?\nBecause it is mine, for better or worse. It took me from understanding OO to understanding how to build large systems with OO, writing maintainable code and using proper encapsulation. A much deeper work than Code Complete (though the latter is worth reading too).\nI have used functional languages as well (ML, Lisp; not Haskell yet though I think I get what monads are; plus I write a lot of Python, C++, JS in functional style) but I have yet to use them for any project as big. I hope I get the chance to one day. But for now Design Patterns gets my vote.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the latter is worth reading too",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is worth reading while comparing its depth with Design Patterns.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter considers it less deep than Design Patterns.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14842614,
          "author": "gt_",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-24T20:56:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14842614",
          "commentText": "Slightly kidding ofc. I have already skimmed sections of each.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I have already skimmed sections of each.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The parent identifies the books as Clean Code and Code Complete; this comment refers to them collectively without naming either.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14842592,
          "author": "gt_",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-24T20:54:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14842592",
          "commentText": "As a programmer in training who has both Clean Code and Code Complete in a queue on the edge of my desk, I'm following this thread to decide which goes first, or if they both get sold in mint condition.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "both Clean Code and Code Complete in a queue on the edge of my desk",
          "reason": "The commenter has it queued and is following the discussion to decide whether to read it first.",
          "audience": "Programmers in training.",
          "caveat": "Owning or queuing the book does not express an evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14842550,
          "author": "DanHulton",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-24T20:48:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14842550",
          "commentText": "Code Complete, Steve McConnell.\nhttp://www.stevemcconnell.com/cc.htm\nOne of the best books on programming style and function, backed up with actual research for the recommendations.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One of the best books on programming style and function, backed up with actual research for the recommendations.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the best books on programming style and function.",
          "audience": "Programmers interested in programming style and function.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14487722,
          "author": "pjmlp",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T14:15:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487722",
          "commentText": "A few ones:\n\"Algorithms and Data Structures\" from Niklaus Wirth.\n\"Introduction to Algorithms, 3rd Edition\" from Thomas H. Cormen, Charles E. Leiserson, Ronald L. Rivest, Clifford Stein.\n\"The Garbage Collection Handbook: The Art of Automatic Memory Management\" from Richard Jones and Antony Hosking\n\"Code Complete\" from Steve McConnell\n\"From Mathematics to Generic Programming\" from Alexander Stepanov and Daniel Rose",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Code Complete\" from Steve McConnell",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books to add to a programming library.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14486921,
          "author": "rusanu",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T11:50:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14486921",
          "commentText": "I second Code Complete",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second Code Complete",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the recommendation in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14486836,
          "author": "Insanity",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T11:34:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14486836",
          "commentText": "In addition to those already mentioned here, I enjoyed the book 'Algorithms' by Robert Sedgewick & Kevin Wayne.\nThe algorithms are explained, and demonstrated (in java). But with the knowledge of how the algorithm works you should be able to use them in another language.\n(And even though henrik_w already mentioned it, Code Complete2 is a really good book to read!)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code Complete2 is a really good book to read!",
          "reason": "Called a really good book to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12494191,
          "author": "dredmorbius",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-14T04:13:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12494191",
          "commentText": "From a recent HN comment,  a list, some authors, and some guidelines, largely based on books which radically changed my thinking.\nCurrently:  Vaclav Smil, Energy in World History (1994), and Manfred Weissenbacher, Sources of Power (2009).  Both detail the role and impact of energy through world history.  The latter draws strongly on the first, both are exceedingly well documented.  TL;DR: coal changed much, oil changed everything.\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/3... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/30398523&referer=brief_results)\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foragin... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foraging-agriculture-and-coal/oclc/837625798&referer=brief_results)\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625970&referer=brief_results)\nJames Burke's books Connections and The Day the Universe Changed, and their accompanying television series, were a profound introduction to the history of technology, science, ideas, and philosophy.  Though 30+ years old, they remain highly current and relevant.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/connections/oclc/4494136\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/day-the-universe-changed/oclc... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/day-the-universe-changed/oclc/12049817)\nJeremy Campbell's Grammatical Man (1984) introduced the concepts of information theory and their deep, deep, deep interconnections to a tremendous number of interconnected systems, many not explored within his book.  Darwin's The Origin of Species, James Gleick's Chaos, and many of the works of Santa Fe Institute members, including John C. Holland, J. Doyne Farmer, Geoffrey West, W. Brian Arthur, David Krakauer, and Sander van der Leeuw, continue these themes.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-e... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-entropy-language-and-life/oclc/8306673)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/chaos-making-a-new-science/oc... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/chaos-making-a-new-science/oclc/15366709)\nWilliam Ophuls' Ecology and the Politics of Scarcity (1977) is perhaps the best, most comprehensive, shortest, and most readable exposition of the fact, reality, dynamics, and interactions of limits on the present phase of fossil-fuel fed economic growth I've found.  This is a book I recommend not only for the message, but the author's clarity of thought and exposition, his meticulous research, exquisite bibliographical notes, and, given the nearly 30 years elapsed, testability numerous of his predictions, some failed, yes, others uncannily accurate.  Rather more the latter.  In a similar vein, William R. Catton's Overshoot looks at the ecological dynamics in more depth, with much wisdom, the writings of Richard Heinberg cover the ground of limits fairly accessibly and more recently.  Vaclav Smil in numerous books addresses technical factors of the profound nature of the past 250 years, and implications for the future.  Meadows, et al, in Limits to Growth set off much of the post-1970 discussion (though they're hardly the first to raise the question -- it dates to Seneca the Elder),\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-s... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-scarcity-prologue-to-a-political-theory-of-the-steady-state/oclc/2524932)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/overshoot-the-ecological-basi... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/overshoot-the-ecological-basis-of-revolutionary-change/oclc/6195764)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Aheinberg%2C+richard&a... (https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Aheinberg%2C+richard&amp;qt=owc_search)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Asmil%2C+vaclav&amp;qt... (https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Asmil%2C+vaclav&amp;qt=results_page)\nThough hardly pessimistic, Daniel Yergin's book The Prize (and TV series) impressed upon me more than any other just how much petroleum specifically changed and transformed the modern world.  Though intended largely as laudetory and championing the oil industry by the author, my read of it was exceptionally cautionary.  The impacts on business, everyday life, politics, wars, industry, and transport, and the rate at which they occurred, are simply staggering.  You can continue this exploration in Vaclav Smil's Energy in World History (1994) (I've recommended Smil independently elsewhere), and a rare but profound two-volume set I'm currently reading, Manfred Weissenbacher's Sources of Power: How energy forges human history (2009).  The shear physicality of this book speaks to the message -- it's divided into five parts:  1) Foraging Age (6 pages), 2) Agricultural Age (156 pp), 3) Coal Age (160 pp),  4) Oil Age (296 pp), and 5) Beyond the Oil Age (142 pp).  That is, the ~2 million years of pre-agricultural existence are little more than a footnote, the 8,000 years of agriculture roughly equal to the 150 years of coal, and the 100 years of petroleum use roughly twice either.  The oil and post-oil ages comprise their own volume.  Yergin followed up with The Quest, continuing the search for oil, though I've been less impressed by it.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/prize-the-epic-quest-for-oil-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/prize-the-epic-quest-for-oil-money-and-power/oclc/22381448)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/30398523)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foragi... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foraging-agriculture-and-coal/oclc/837625798)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/83762... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625970)\nAdam Smith's An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations is among the most-cited (and most incorrectly cited), least-read books of high influence I'm aware of, outside religious texts (and perhaps it is a religious text to some…).  The author's message has been exceptionally shaped and manipulated by a powerful set of forces, quite often utterly misrepresenting Smith's original intent.  Reading him in his own words, yourself, is strongly recommended.  I'd also recommend scholarship particularly by Emma Rothschild and Gavin Kennedy, though also others, on Smith. Contrast with the portrayal by the propaganda disinformation front of the Mont Pelerin Society / Atlas Network / so-called Foundation for Economic Education, and much of the modern American Libertarian movement (von Mises, Hayek, Friedman, Hazlett, Rothbard, and more recently, Norberg).  Contrast The Invisible Hand (1964), a compilation of essays published by Libertarian house Regnery Press in 1966, at the beginning of the rise in public use of Smith's metaphor to indictate mechanism rather than an expression of the unknown.\nThere are numerous editions of Smith, I believe the Glasgow is frequently cited by Smith scholars:  https://www.worldcat.org/title/glasgow-edition-of-the-works-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/glasgow-edition-of-the-works-and-correspondence-of-adam-smith-2-an-inquiry-into-the-nature-and-causes-of-the-wealth-of-nations-vol-1/oclc/832488566)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/economic-sentiments-adam-smit... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/economic-sentiments-adam-smith-condorcet-and-the-enlightenment/oclc/45282974)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smith-and-the-invisible-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smith-and-the-invisible-hand/oclc/820387997)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smiths-lost-legacy/oclc/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smiths-lost-legacy/oclc/56598640)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/invisible-hand-a-collection-o... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/invisible-hand-a-collection-of-essays-on-the-economic-philosophy-of-free-enterprise/oclc/326622)\nI'd like to put in recommendations on technology specifically, but am still searching for a good general text.  The material's covered somewhat in the chaos and complexity recommendations above (Campbell et al), though I'd add Joseph Tainter's The Collapse of Complex Societies.  Charle's Perrow has several excellent books including Normal Accidents and Organizing America.   I'd like to reference something concerning Unix, Linux, and programming, perhaps Kernighan and Pike's The Unix Programming Environment, Linus Torvalds' Just for Fun, Richard Stallman's The GNU Manifesto, and Steve McConnel's Code Complete.  The O'Reilly book Unix Power Tools also encapsulates much the strength of the Unix toolset.  All these are somewhat dated.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/collapse-of-complex-societies... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/collapse-of-complex-societies/oclc/15083222)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/normal-accidents-living-with-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/normal-accidents-living-with-high-risk-technologies/oclc/10229932)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/organizing-america-wealth-pow... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/organizing-america-wealth-power-and-the-origins-of-corporate-capitalism/oclc/939707157)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-programming-environment/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-programming-environment/oclc/10269821)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/5238168... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/52381684)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Steve McConnel's Code Complete",
          "reason": "Suggested as a possible reference on Unix, Linux, and programming.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these technology books are somewhat dated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144321,
          "author": "scottlilly",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:56:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144321",
          "commentText": "\"The Goal\" - Started my interest in Lean principles, along with how to apply them to programming - imagining my programs as little data \"factories\", that need to be made efficient and efficiently.\n\"How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World\" - Taught me I don't need to follow the standard path that \"everyone else does\", and to focus on how I can actively change my world - instead of waiting for someone else to to change it for me.\n\"Code Complete\" - Get it. Read it. Live it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Code Complete\" - Get it. Read it. Live it.",
          "reason": "Directly urges readers to get, read, and live by the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12142544,
          "author": "thorin",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T09:24:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12142544",
          "commentText": "Code complete was a great early read for someone who already knew the basics of programming\nL'etranger Albert Camus, for the same reasons as jjgreen\nA Herbert Shilt book on C programming but could have been K&R instead, was part of the process from moving from simple basic coding to software development",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code complete was a great early read",
          "reason": "Calls it a great early read for someone who already knows programming basics.",
          "audience": "Readers who already know programming basics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229918,
          "author": "Ping_2_Ur_Pong",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T16:31:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229918",
          "commentText": "Below list are some of my favorite books overall that I didn't see mentioned.\n---Non-software related\nHow to win friends and influence people -Dale Carnegie (The definitive guide to helping you work better with people, truly great book, should be required reading)\nBlink- Malcolm Gladwell\nGodel Escher, Bach -  (Recursion, but not from a software perspective.  Its a glorious book that will change the way you think about recursion.)\nHitch Hiker's guide to the galaxy, - Douglas Adams  (Glorious book that is a fun read, when you need a break pick this up and laugh hard)\nFoundation Series - Assimov (Great stories from one of the best sci-fi writers ever)\n-------------------Software related\nCode Complete\nConcrete Mathematics\nThe Art of Computer Programming\nThe Design of the Unix Operating System\nIntroduction to Algorithms -Cormen\nDesign Patterns Elements of Resusable OO Design -Gang of Four",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code Complete",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorite books in a response to a recommendation request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175589,
          "author": "crazypyro",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:28:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175589",
          "commentText": "Finally bought Pragmatic Programmer and Code Complete so I'm perusing through those in between my school work/reading.\nAlso got Rapid Development for 5 dollars, but haven't started on that. Haven't really read any software engineering books like these before, but enjoying them so far.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "enjoying them so far",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are enjoying the software engineering books so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is only perusing them between schoolwork and reading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9347839,
          "author": "stevenmays",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T14:40:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9347839",
          "commentText": "The Third Chimpanzee, Jared Diamond - Human evolution.\nCode Complete 2 - Only halfway through but this is by far the best book about programming I have ever read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Only halfway through but this is by far the best book about programming I have ever read.",
          "reason": "Calls it by far the best programming book they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is only halfway through.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8795332,
          "author": "autokad",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T03:36:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795332",
          "commentText": "let me know if you guys find better replacements, but this is what I got on my list:\nO'Reilly - Scott Murray - Interactive Data Visualization for the Web\nData Visualization with D3.js Cookbook\nA First Course in Probability\nRails AntiPatterns - Best Practice Ruby on Rails Refactoring\nBayesian Data Analysis Andrew Gelma\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nCode Complete\nBishop - Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning\nO'Reilly Mining The Social Web",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code Complete",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8405767,
          "author": "chilicuil",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-03T14:53:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8405767",
          "commentText": "Code Complete, 2nd Edition.\nRating [][][][][][][][ ][ ][ ] => [7]\nLevel  [][][][][][*][ ][ ][ ][ ] => [6]\nBasic => Intermediate\nPages => 753\nThis is a generalist book with lots of references to more advanced topics about programming.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code Complete, 2nd Edition.\nRating [][][][][][][][ ][ ][ ] => [7]\nLevel  [][][][][][*][ ][ ][ ][ ] => [6]\nBasic => Intermediate\nPages => 753\nThis is a generalist book with lots of references to more advanced topics about programming.",
          "reason": "Rated 7/10 and described as a generalist programming book with references to advanced topics.",
          "audience": "Generalist programmers.",
          "caveat": "The commenter labels its level basic to intermediate.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8110974,
          "author": "murtza",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T21:08:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8110974",
          "commentText": "Code Complete. I am only halfway through the book, but the lessons I have learned have already helped me improve how I design and develop software.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the lessons I have learned have already helped me improve how I design and develop software.",
          "reason": "Says the lessons have already helped improve their software design and development.",
          "audience": "Software developers.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is only halfway through.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8013419,
          "author": "nstart",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-10T03:20:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8013419",
          "commentText": "This book when combined with \"The Clean Coder\", and \"Refactoring: Improving the design of existing code\" completely changed how I thought about programming. It \"levelled me up\" so to speak. Even though I'm as far from being good as it gets, I still know I improved significantly from reading these three books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book when combined with \"The Clean Coder\", and \"Refactoring: Improving the design of existing code\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says it and the two named books changed how they thought about programming and improved their skills.",
          "audience": "Programmers seeking to improve their programming practice.",
          "caveat": "The title is identified from the parent comment; the target refers to it as “This book.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8000366,
          "author": "zupa-hu",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T18:15:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8000366",
          "commentText": "Code Complete 2nd edition\nSuper hands-on book. Since reading it, I'm writing better programs faster.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Super hands-on book. Since reading it, I'm writing better programs faster.",
          "reason": "Says its practical approach helped them write better programs faster.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7757338,
          "author": "will_work4tears",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T19:11:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7757338",
          "commentText": "I've got this right at the top of my wish list.  Got a list of other books I gotta finish first though, lol:\nCode Complete 2, The Web Application Hacker's Handbook, Algorithms in a Nutshell, and Code.\nNot to mention an Arduino book - but I'll probably get Effective Java and read it first.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Code Complete 2",
          "reason": "Lists it among books they still need to finish.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7757188,
          "author": "abcd_f",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:46:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7757188",
          "commentText": "This is the most disappointing programming book I have ever had a misfortune to buy. If you ever read any UML / Rational Software books - this is right up there in terms of sucking all joy out of programming, putting a blue collar and tie on you and then strangling you to death with soul-less trivialization of the software creation process. Horrible, horrible book.\nIf you like K&R books, stay the hell away from Code Complete. But make sure to read it though if you think programming is a career.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "This is the most disappointing programming book I have ever had a misfortune to buy.",
          "reason": "Calls it deeply disappointing and says it drains the joy from programming, while conditionally urging career-minded readers to read it.",
          "audience": "People who think programming is a career.",
          "caveat": "Strongly negative assessment; says to avoid it if you like K&R books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7756864,
          "author": "lukasm",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:09:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7756864",
          "commentText": "Code Complete has pretty good bang per page, especially if you are beginner.\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Code-Complete-Practical-Handbook-Con... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Code-Complete-Practical-Handbook-Construction/dp/0735619670)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code Complete has pretty good bang per page, especially if you are beginner.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it offers good value, particularly for beginners.",
          "audience": "Beginners.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7060144,
          "author": "vram22",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-14T22:10:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 7048683,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best development book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7060144",
          "commentText": "Can't really single out one book as the best I've read.\nBut many come close:\n- Code Complete - 1st Edition. I have both Editions 1 and 2.\nEdition 1 is very good and has a lot of stuff worth reading and practicing.\nKernighan and Pike's The Unix Programming Environment.\nKernighan and Ritchie's The C Programming Language.\nWould have to think of other good ones, though there are sure to be some.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Code Complete - 1st Edition. I have both Editions 1 and 2.\nEdition 1 is very good and has a lot of stuff worth reading and practicing.",
          "reason": "Calls the first edition very good and says it is worth reading and practicing.",
          "audience": "Software developers seeking practical programming guidance.",
          "caveat": "Specifically praises the first edition; says they own both editions.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7048802,
          "author": "a3n",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-13T03:49:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 7048683,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best development book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7048802",
          "commentText": "They're both good. I'd definitely read Pragmatic before Complete, and I wouldn't feel bad for not finishing Complete.\nOutside the box, I'd recommend Heinlein's Time Enough For Love, for the attitude. Be as self reliant as possible, be as skillful as possible, be as useful to your team as possible. Find or grow an excellent team.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "They're both good. I'd definitely read Pragmatic before Complete, and I wouldn't feel bad for not finishing Complete.",
          "reason": "The commenter says both books are good, while recommending Pragmatic first and saying it is fine not to finish this one.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is fine not to finish the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7048773,
          "author": "iends",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-13T03:38:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 7048683,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best development book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7048773",
          "commentText": "I just finished reading the Pragmatic Programmer for the first time and felt that it was pretty much a letdown. For one, it makes a huge number of claims but does not back up these claims by any empirical evidence (even though I think it's mostly right, and that empirical evidence for some of their claims exists). Two, I feel like an undergraduate software course covers 75% of the material in the book (at least mine did). Maybe people have learned since it was first published, or maybe I've just worked on pretty good teams that practiced the stuff, but nothing in there was ground breaking or made me a better developer. Three, there was a lot of filler in the book, summaries, talking about future, and past chapters, etc that added no value except to inflate the page count.\nI feel like Pragmatic Programmer would be a good book to read before starting your first job, or maybe your undergraduate year of college.\nI was going to start Code Complete next, but Pragmatic Programmer was so disappointing I decided to read fiction for the next few weeks instead.\nSo to answer your question, the best language agnostic development books I've read are:\n1. Joel on Software: And on Diverse and Occasionally Related Matters That Will Prove of Interest to Software Developers, Designers, and Managers, and to Those Who, Whether by Good Fortune or Ill Luck, Work with Them in Some Capacity\n2. The Best Software Writing I\n3. Hackers and Painters\nI always wish Joel would come out with a second volume of #2, or to start his blog up again. I've yet to find something that equals his quality since he stopped writing.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I was going to start Code Complete next",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6976558,
          "author": "ramgp",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T21:01:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976558",
          "commentText": "Software development related reads with a strong focus on proven practices that enhance software quality in terms of readability and maintainability (and other software ~ilities) to ease the process of changing the software later on.\nThe Art of Readable Code by  Dustin Boswell & Trevor Foucher\nDon't Make Me Think 2ed by Steve Krug\nRemote: Office not Required by Jason Fried & DHH\nThe Art of Unit Testing by Roy Osherove\nCode Complete 2 by Steve McConnell\nRefactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code by Martin Fowler\nThe Practice of Programming by Brian Kernighan & Rob Pike\nJavaScript: The Good Parts by Douglas Crockford\nCode Simplicity by Max Kanat-Alexander\nAn Introduction to Programming in Go by Caleb Doxsey at http://www.golang-book.com/\nAlso read: How To Be Black by Baratunde Thurston",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code Complete 2 by Steve McConnell",
          "reason": "Listed as a software development read focused on proven practices and software quality.",
          "audience": "Software developers seeking to improve software quality.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5862000,
          "author": "alexrson",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-11T14:38:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 5859004,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5862000",
          "commentText": "Code Complete second edition",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Code Complete second edition",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2529584,
          "author": "ig1",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-09T18:06:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 2524205,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books for soon to be Software Engineers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2529584",
          "commentText": "Code craft is the book I normally recommend for people starting out. Code Complete which several other people recommend is a great book, but it's one of those books that make much more sense after you've been programming for a year or so.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Code Complete which several other people recommend is a great book, but it's one of those books that make much more sense after you've been programming for a year or so.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book and says it makes more sense after about a year of programming.",
          "audience": "Readers with at least a year of programming experience.",
          "caveat": "May make less sense to beginners.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2524312,
          "author": "rhettg",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-07T19:02:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 2524205,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books for soon to be Software Engineers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2524312",
          "commentText": "Code Complete\n   Being Geek",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code Complete",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "New software engineers transitioning from school to industry.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2385300,
          "author": "MPiccinato",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-30T01:00:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 2380810,
          "threadTitle": "Best program and books to learn how to code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2385300",
          "commentText": "Code Complete is a great read.  It will help you out a great deal no matter which language you choose.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code Complete is a great read. It will help you out a great deal no matter which language you choose.",
          "reason": "Praised as a great read that can help regardless of programming language.",
          "audience": "Programmers choosing or learning any language.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797697,
          "author": "warewolfe",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T09:37:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797697",
          "commentText": "Last three books I read were; \nAtlas Shrugged,\nCode Complete,\nThe Mythical Man Month,\nThe three books I'm currently reading;\nflex and bison,\nMastering Algorithms in C\nExpert C programming,\nThe next three books on the \"to read\" stack are;\nCyptonomicom,\nThe definitive guide to GCC,\nManaging projects with GNU make,\nDid anyone else find \"Code Complete\" to be a bit repetitive, in places a bit redundant, and sometimes repetitive? \nI think the \"pragmatic programmer\" was a better read, and I could not put down \"programming pearls\"",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Code Complete,",
          "reason": "Calls it repetitive and redundant in places.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says The Pragmatic Programmer was a better read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797417,
          "author": "zzygan",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T04:52:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797417",
          "commentText": "I'm one of the ones that has too many books on my reading list.\nProgramming in Scala - Odersky et al.\nCode Complete 2- re reading, its a good read actually\nGodel Escher Bach - Hofstadter",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code Complete 2- re reading, its a good read actually",
          "reason": "Describes it as a good read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797105,
          "author": "brianto2010",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T01:43:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797105",
          "commentText": "> I don't ever see this discussed here.\nNonsense :-).\nhttp://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=749706\nCode Complete 2 [Chapter 7] (McConnell)\nTest Driven: Practical TDD and Acceptance TDD for Java Developers [Chapter 2] (Koskela)\nA friend is helping me with this one:\nThe Rebel [Chapter 2] (Camus)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Code Complete 2 [Chapter 7] (McConnell)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 766911,
          "author": "jerf",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-16T22:48:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=766911",
          "commentText": "I would recommend a classic that you haven't read that isn't directly about a specific programming language, since it would seem to me that the virtue of reading a book about a specific language when you aren't in front of a computer is dubious. (Note I didn't say it had no virtue, I just find it dubious. YMWV.)\nAlready mentioned is Code Complete and The Pragmatic Programmer. I'd add The Mythical Man Month, still a classic, but note that's a relatively short book and may not last long enough. (A depressing read in some ways; decades have passed and what's in the book is arguably common wisdom, yet I still encounter the errors outlined in that book every year.)\nGodel, Escher, Bach (mentioned by caffeine) is a love it or hate it book; check out a couple of summaries and see what you think.\nPersonally, I don't recommend the SICP unless you're actually working through the exercises to some extent, and without a computer it's too easy to think you understand it when you don't.\nIf you have already read all those, well, I'd suggest replying and saying so. :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Already mentioned is Code Complete",
          "reason": "Included among classic books to consider for vacation reading.",
          "audience": "Programmers seeking a book not tied to one language.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 766772,
          "author": "abesapien",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-16T21:20:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=766772",
          "commentText": "Code Complete 2nd edition is a good and interesting book about programming in general. I also recommend these two because they are much lighter reads, and maybe better for a vacation: \"The Passionate Programmer\" and also \"Masterminds of Programming: Conversations with the Creators of Major Programming Languages\".\nAnother thing you could do is find some great piece of software by a well know Python hacker and read his code lol. You could put that code in some readable format on your Kindle, PDA, or Smartphone.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code Complete 2nd edition is a good and interesting book about programming in general.",
          "reason": "Calls it a good and interesting general programming book.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in programming in general.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240778,
          "author": "pjackson",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T04:17:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240778",
          "commentText": "Wow. I forgot to mention Code Complete by Steve McConnell. Don't miss it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Don't miss it.",
          "reason": "Direct recommendation in response to a request for useful books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143310,
          "author": "jlk",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T14:46:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143310",
          "commentText": "Ulysses by James Joyce\nCode Complete by Steve McConnell\nWalden by Henry David Thoreau\nBreakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.\nWatermelon Sugar by Richard Brautigan\nMurphy by Samuel Beckett\nGravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code Complete by Steve McConnell",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135748,
          "author": "ujeezy",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-13T04:46:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135748",
          "commentText": "Steve McConnell's Code Complete (2nd Ed is the copy I have) -- it seems like every second page I've read lays to rest some tiny unanswered question I've had in the back of my head since I started programming.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Steve McConnell's Code Complete (2nd Ed is the copy I have) -- it seems like every second page I've read lays to rest some tiny unanswered question I've had in the back of my head since I started programming.",
          "reason": "Says the book repeatedly resolves questions they've had since beginning to program.",
          "audience": "Programmers, including those starting out.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 57465,
          "author": "ericb",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-20T16:55:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=57465",
          "commentText": "Oh sorry, didn't mean to imply Brooks wrote Code Complete.  I just accidentally left the author out of the sentence...",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "didn't mean to imply Brooks wrote Code Complete.",
          "reason": "Clarifies who did not write the book; no evaluation is offered.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 57169,
          "author": "Jd",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-20T02:02:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=57169",
          "commentText": "All excellent suggestions.  Altho I am unfamiliar w/ Body Language I will check it out.  Just working through the Carnegie book now.\nAlso, I believe Code Complete is by Steve McConnnell.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I believe Code Complete is by Steve McConnnell.",
          "reason": "Corrects the attribution to Steve McConnell.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56709,
          "author": "ericb",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T04:32:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56709",
          "commentText": "How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.  It is arguably the most useful book I've ever read, albeit with the most embarassing title.\nAs inklesspen mentioned, Elements of Style is a must.\nCode Complete and the Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks.  Timeless coding wisdom.\nFor a laugh, Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, or Hitchhiker's Guide.  \nBody Language, Julius Fast. Kitschy but fascinating insights into body language.\nFabric of the Cosmos, Brian Greene.  Brian is a fluke of nature--a physicist who can explain things realy well!\nAnything by Phillip K. Dick.  Sci-fi stories that make you think.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code Complete and the Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks. Timeless coding wisdom.",
          "reason": "Includes it among books offering timeless coding wisdom.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve McConnell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 61,
      "threads": 40,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software construction",
        "software engineering",
        "programming practices",
        "software development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sapiens-a-brief-history-of-humankind-752d62",
      "title": "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind",
      "author": "Yuval Noah Harari",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49781088,
          "author": "chistev",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-20T23:10:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 49724691,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most career altering course or book you have gone through?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49781088",
          "commentText": "I always see that book Sapiens recommended, but it has been heavily criticized by the scientific community as having lots of inaccuracies, which has restrained me from reading it.\nCarl Sagan has a better acclaimed book on the topic.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "that book Sapiens recommended, but it has been heavily criticized by the scientific community as having lots of inaccuracies",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have seen it recommended but held off because of criticism over inaccuracies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter cites scientific criticism and says it has restrained them from reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 49729121,
          "author": "neuralkoi",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-16T16:05:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 49724691,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most career altering course or book you have gone through?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49729121",
          "commentText": "Not a book or course per say, but based on a book:\nThe Gervais Principle, Or The Office According to \"The Office\" by Venkat [0]\nOther contenders:\nSapiens by Yuval Noah Harari [1]\nHaseeb qureshi's articles on Negotiating [2]\nThese along with er... mind-altering substances, helped me see that reality as we live it (careers, status, institutions, ect) is like software: built/programmed by humans and can be changed by shifting your perspective.\n[0] https://ribbonfarm.com/series/the-gervais-principle/\n[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGhTQ4iruLc&list=PLfc2WtGuVP... (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGhTQ4iruLc&list=PLfc2WtGuVPdmhYaQjd449k-YeY71fiaFp)\n[2] https://haseebq.com/my-ten-rules-for-negotiating-a-job-offer... (https://haseebq.com/my-ten-rules-for-negotiating-a-job-offer/)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari",
          "reason": "Listed among contenders that helped the commenter see careers, status, and institutions as human-made and changeable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 44569807,
          "author": "chistev",
          "createdAt": "2025-07-15T10:46:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 44568054,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44569807",
          "commentText": "I've seen Sapiens mentioned a lot, but I've read that it's been criticized by the scientific community as not being accurate, so I just haven't read it because of that.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I've seen Sapiens mentioned a lot, but I've read that it's been criticized by the scientific community as not being accurate",
          "reason": "Has not read it because of reported criticism of its accuracy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The criticism is reported secondhand.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 44569673,
          "author": "ratracer2025",
          "createdAt": "2025-07-15T10:17:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 44568054,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44569673",
          "commentText": "- Lost Connections by Johann Hari (Life, Overcome depression)\n- 1946: The Making of the Modern World : Sebestyen, Victor (History, WWII)\n- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind",
          "reason": "Lists it among favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43688053,
          "author": "WheelsAtLarge",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-15T01:13:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 43685856,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What 3 Books Would You Recommend to Anyone?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43688053",
          "commentText": "If you like sapiens, try \"Unstoppable Us.\" It's a kids book but it's surprising how insightful it is. Yuval Noah Harari is a great communicator. I wish there was someone like him for every subject under the sun.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you like sapiens, try \"Unstoppable Us.\"",
          "reason": "Suggested as a follow-up for readers who like Sapiens.",
          "audience": "Readers who like Sapiens.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43687519,
          "author": "more_corn",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-14T23:47:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 43685856,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What 3 Books Would You Recommend to Anyone?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43687519",
          "commentText": "“Sapiens” read it twice, wish I could go back in time and give it to 18yr old me.\n“The Dosadi Experiment”, probably 5 life-changing concepts just tossed in for flavor.\n“A Pattern Language” on how spaces inform life and life informs spaces.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Sapiens” read it twice, wish I could go back in time and give it to 18yr old me.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they read it twice and wish they could have given it to their younger self.",
          "audience": "Their 18-year-old self.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43611681,
          "author": "gmuslera",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T14:05:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43611681",
          "commentText": "In general the Incerto series by Nassim Taleb (Black Swan, Antifragile, and Skin in the Game) was worth it. The Selfish Gene, System thinking A primer, I am a strange loop, Sapiens are some books that I read recently that had a lasting impression.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sapiens",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter says had a lasting impression.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42269213,
          "author": "fredoliveira",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T23:01:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42269213",
          "commentText": "I'd say so. I didn't dislike Sapiens, but found The Dawn of Everything to be deeper in many ways.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I didn't dislike Sapiens, but found The Dawn of Everything to be deeper in many ways.",
          "reason": "Says they did not dislike it, while finding another book deeper.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The Dawn of Everything seemed deeper in many ways.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42268897,
          "author": "christudor",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:13:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268897",
          "commentText": "The Making of the Atomic Bomb is in my top three non-fiction books I have ever read.\nWill I like The Dawn of Everything if I didn't like Harari's Sapiens? (I loved Graeber's Debt: The First 5000 Years)",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "if I didn't like Harari's Sapiens?",
          "reason": "Mentions it as a book they did not like.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they did not like it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42268711,
          "author": "computerdork",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T21:43:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268711",
          "commentText": "Grendel by Gardner (so playful and creative), Jane Eyre (a classic with wonderful language and intense story), Sapiens (extraordinarily interesting survey of human history)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sapiens (extraordinarily interesting survey of human history)",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as an extraordinarily interesting survey of human history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42218918,
          "author": "andsoitis",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T03:07:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42218918",
          "commentText": "Sapiens",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sapiens",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40049737,
          "author": "mapasj",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-16T08:50:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40049737",
          "commentText": "Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari",
          "reason": "Listed as a book given as a gift.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937012,
          "author": "LeonB",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:15:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937012",
          "commentText": "I’d like to say\n- Factfulness or\n- Sapiens or\n- Richard Feynman’s various writings\n…but the most measurable impact was probably from something like\n- “Strunk and white The Elements of Style” or\n- “How to win friends and influence people” or\n- “Oh! Pascal!” Or\n- “the dictionary” or\n- some specific bus timetable that enabled a pivotal moment in my life",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sapiens",
          "reason": "Listed as a book the commenter would like to say had the biggest impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36105510,
          "author": "FrustratedMonky",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T16:29:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105510",
          "commentText": "Agree, not directly religion. But this book did cover a bit about 'shared beliefs' that become 'real', like money, or governments, or religions.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "this book did cover a bit about 'shared beliefs' that become 'real'",
          "reason": "Says the book covers how shared beliefs can become socially real.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is not directly about religion.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36104874,
          "author": "mmsnberbar66",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T15:30:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36104874",
          "commentText": "Not just religion but maybe Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "maybe Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a potentially relevant book on religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is not just about religion.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33852658,
          "author": "Orange1688",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T11:30:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33852658",
          "commentText": "An excellent gauge for how good a book is can be found in how many times you catch yourself thinking back on it even after some time has passed. Through this, my favorite this entire year is The Diary of a Young Girl (Anne Frank's diary). Without a doubt one of the best books I have ever read, just through how supremely human it is.\nOther books are:\n-The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson\n-Sapiens by Yuval Yuval Noah Harari\n-21 Lessons for the 21st Century\n-Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feyn\nman!: Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard Feynman\n-Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson\n-Permanent Record by Edward Snowden",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-Sapiens by Yuval Yuval Noah Harari",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's other books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32939069,
          "author": "thefz",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:16:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32939069",
          "commentText": "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari is an obvious recommendation.\nThe Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell will ruin fiction for you, from the classic myth up to modern storytelling.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari is an obvious recommendation.",
          "reason": "Explicitly calls it an obvious recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32937915,
          "author": "Bakary",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T12:27:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937915",
          "commentText": "This book is a bit like Guns, Germs and Steel or Sapiens. Very popular, very quotable, but tends to give the false impression that the theory contained within is uncontroversially correct.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "This book is a bit like Guns, Germs and Steel or Sapiens. Very popular, very quotable, but tends to give the false impression that the theory contained within is uncontroversially correct.",
          "reason": "Says it is popular and quotable but may falsely suggest its theory is uncontroversially correct.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter criticizes its presentation of contested theories as though they were settled.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936760,
          "author": "pkszg",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T09:54:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936760",
          "commentText": "I like to read a wide variety of genre from fiction to human psychology.\nFor the mind:\nNonviolent Communication by  Marshall Rosenberg - A great book on how to communcate more effectively with others.\nThinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman -He is the only psychologist ever to recieve the Nobel Prize if I remember correctly. This book scientifically digests human biases and errors and how they influence our every day lives and decision making. Sometimes it a bit too technical for my taste and I like mostly the first part. (its not an easy read) I rarely had so many Aha-moments.\nA random walk down on wall street - For investing your income in stocks. What to do and what no to do. Simple, with facts.\nSapiens by Harari -Interesting, I remember it was a great read and fun read. Connecting a lot of dots :)\nOn programming:\nDesigning Data-Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann - I am failry a junior web dev, so any material that is clear and explains well is a great source of information and inspiration. This is such a book.\nComputer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective by Randal E. Bryant and David R. O'Hallaron - Teaches CS from the basics, which for me is a great source since I don't have a CS degree. I complement it with other materials from the internet (such as Harvard's CS50) for learning the fundamentals paralell working in my daily web dev job. Its a long book, so It will take a couple of months, years to go thorugh, but definitely worth the effort.\nFictions I love, without much introduction:\nLord of the Rings\nDune (first book)\nGame of thrones books\nFor me JRRs storytelling is outstanding, the books are better than the serires IMO.\nSpiritual Books:\n(I am not a religous person by any means and I do not follow traditions)\nSpirituality for me means a deeper connection with the universe.\nIf I really want to dig deeper than everyday work-life stuff I listen/read these books. Usually when there is a great emotional upheaval in my life or when I feel my daily distractions failed on me.\nPower of now by Eckhart Tolle - This book gives me the occasional goosebumps, a great summary of all spiritual teachings (before becoming religions) in a really simple way. If you are interested in such, I highly recommend it.\nMeditations by Marcus Aurelius - I see it mentioned here already, no intro needed.\nLetters by Seneca - This book is a proof for me that the essential human experience, the core of what makes us human does not change over time. Seneca was a great stoic thinker, who is very relatable by anyone even today (and probably will be for many millenia)\nZen Mind, Beginners Mind by Suzuki Roshi - All true spiritual teaching have the same source, but all are expressed differently. This is a great, simple powerful book to read if you lean towards buddhism.\nA Course in Miracles (no official author) -Now this is a heavy read. It has a textbook with daily practices also. This is definitely not a book for everyone.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sapiens by Harari -Interesting, I remember it was a great read and fun read. Connecting a lot of dots :)",
          "reason": "Remembers it as an interesting, enjoyable read that connects ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936739,
          "author": "cafard",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T09:52:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936739",
          "commentText": "Every now and then, one hits odd statements in Sapiens that make one wonder about the rest. He writes as if he does not know the difference between the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution; he suggests that in the 1860 presidential election a majority of Americans voted for abolition, etc.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "He writes as if he does not know the difference between the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution; he suggests that in the 1860 presidential election a majority of Americans voted for abolition",
          "reason": "Cites claims in the book that the commenter considers inaccurate.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936662,
          "author": "wikfwikf",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T09:39:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936662",
          "commentText": "I would take a lot of the unevidenced narrative in 'Sapiens' with a huge pinch of salt.\nBoth the book and the author have been criticized, rightly in my opinion, the former for elevating the theories of a very specific and ideological branch of anthropology to facts, and the latter for being a grifter who does not know much about anthropology.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I would take a lot of the unevidenced narrative in 'Sapiens' with a huge pinch of salt.",
          "reason": "Criticizes the book's unsupported claims and treatment of a particular anthropological perspective as fact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the book and author have been criticized, and agrees with those criticisms.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30735764,
          "author": "jwood27",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:37:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735764",
          "commentText": "The following have all had a significant effect on my worldview. You can find more information at [1].\n- The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow\n- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\n- Crime and Punishment\n- The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York\n- Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies\n- The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity\n- Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead\n- Franny and Zooey\n- Master of the Senate\n- Atlas Shrugged\n- Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed\n- Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap?\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\n- The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics\n- The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don't\n- Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans\n- Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\n- Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World\n- Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones\n- Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow\n- Ethics in the Real World: 86 Brief Essays on Things that Matter\n- A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life\n- Humankind: A Hopeful History\n- The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think\n[1] https://jacobw.xyz/books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind",
          "reason": "Listed among books that significantly affected the commenter’s worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30250615,
          "author": "lnwlebjel",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T20:31:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30250615",
          "commentText": ">  why Religion is the center-stage for almost every event that happens to humanity.\nIf that's the question you're after, you'd probably enjoy The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell, and some parts of Sapiens by Harari, both of which approach this question from outside of religion (while I'd argue that reading the books on your list approach it much differently).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "some parts of Sapiens by Harari",
          "reason": "Suggested as another book that approaches the question from outside religion.",
          "audience": "Someone interested in religion’s role in human history.",
          "caveat": "The commenter specifically points to some parts of the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29818763,
          "author": "more_corn",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-06T03:05:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29818763",
          "commentText": "Seconded. This is the book I read in my thirties where I thought. “Damn, I wish I’d read this when I was 18”",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seconded. This is the book I read in my thirties where I thought. “Damn, I wish I’d read this when I was 18”",
          "reason": "Seconded the recommendation and says they wish they had read it at 18.",
          "audience": "An 18-year-old reader.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29815064,
          "author": "ketanmaheshwari",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-05T21:18:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29815064",
          "commentText": "Buy \"Sapiens A Brief History of Humankind\" by Yuval Noah Harari.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Buy \"Sapiens A Brief History of Humankind\" by Yuval Noah Harari.",
          "reason": "Directly suggests this book for the birthday.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29695193,
          "author": "vertak",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-26T18:54:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29695193",
          "commentText": "Thank you for sharing a counterpoint. IMO this act of skepticism is the most important trait of the HN culture.\nThat being said, I read through the counterpoint article and found it pretty hollow. In fact it seems to strengthen my belief that Sapiens is a valuable book. I kept expecting the author to point out where Harari’s assertions were wrong, but each section more or less boiled down to Harari is either not funny or not clever. The author even contradicts his article’s own thesis partway through:\n“Nonetheless, his version of human history involves moral judgments that suggest he is not so thoroughly reductionist, or as cynical about the human condition, as he appears to be at first glance.“\n+1 for Harari",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it seems to strengthen my belief that Sapiens is a valuable book.",
          "reason": "The commenter argues that the counterpoint strengthens their belief that the book is valuable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29031904,
          "author": "manx",
          "createdAt": "2021-10-28T20:57:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 29030285,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29031904",
          "commentText": "- Sapiens\n- Thinking in Systems",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sapiens",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23867994,
          "author": "lequanghai",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-17T07:12:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23867994",
          "commentText": "Try \"Sapiens: A brief history of human kind\". It teaches you about human history and more important, how we get there. Sometimes the author gets smart, seems like he doesn't believe in anything and human are bad for this planet. But it's worth it. Bill Gates recommended the book too.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Try \"Sapiens: A brief history of human kind\". It teaches you about human history and more important, how we get there. Sometimes the author gets smart, seems like he doesn't believe in anything and human are bad for this planet. But it's worth it. Bill Gates recommended the book too.",
          "reason": "Says it explains human history and is worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says the author can sound overly clever and pessimistic about humanity’s impact on Earth.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23859129,
          "author": "iguanayou",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T14:09:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859129",
          "commentText": "I'm reading Sapiens right now.  I wouldn't say \"mind blown\" as I was at least a little familiar with a lot of it before, but the way that Harari writes really makes you think about things differently.\nHere are a couple of other books that have been pretty influential for me:\nDemocracy for Realists: Why Elections Do Not Produce Responsive Government\n\"Main Street\" by Sinclair Lewis",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'm reading Sapiens right now. I wouldn't say \"mind blown\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says Harari's writing makes them think about things differently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter was already familiar with much of the material.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23859099,
          "author": "eneuman",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T14:05:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859099",
          "commentText": "Enlightenment Now - Steven Pinker\n(Also Sapiens :)\nRange - David Epstein",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "(Also Sapiens :)",
          "reason": "Listed as another book that helped the commenter understand the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467680,
          "author": "pier25",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:50:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467680",
          "commentText": "- Sapiens\n- The Lord of the Rings\n- Siddhartha\n- Chaos: Making a New Science\n- The Death Gate cycle books\n- Neuromancer\n- Head First Design Patterns\n- Valis\n- Dune\n- The name of the rose\nI'm sure there are more, but these are the ones off the top of my head.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sapiens",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467423,
          "author": "lennyscales",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:23:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467423",
          "commentText": "- Sapiens\n- Richard Dawkin's books",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sapiens",
          "reason": "Lists it as a book reread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22721172,
          "author": "Fnoord",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T18:09:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22721172",
          "commentText": "> The most powerful lesson I learned here is what anthropologists call cultural relativism. This book also taught me that everyone is under the influence of Mother Culture and her stories. I think internalizing this can help a lot with understanding other people, building self awareness, understanding politics in general, and also history in general.\nApart from that this appears to be the purpose of history, Sapiens contributed to that for me. However, it is clearly non-fiction.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sapiens contributed to that for me.",
          "reason": "Says the book contributed to their understanding of history’s purpose.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is non-fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21907859,
          "author": "nevf1",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T19:23:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21907859",
          "commentText": "Fantastic list, and thanks for the links.\nPersonally, I would put \"Sapiens - A brief History of Humankind\"[0] in the list rather than it's successor \"21 Lessons for the 21st Century\".\nWhile some people have some gripes about The 48 Laws of Power and Robert Greene's other books, in my opinion, they serve as a really valuable tool for understanding how most medium and large companies work. And for anyone interested, a great way to dip your toes into it is by having a look at Derek Sivers' book notes - https://sivers.org/book/48LawsOfPower\n[0] https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sapiens-Humankind-Yuval-Noah-Harari... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sapiens-Humankind-Yuval-Noah-Harari/dp/0099590085)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Personally, I would put \"Sapiens - A brief History of Humankind\"[0] in the list rather than it's successor \"21 Lessons for the 21st Century\".",
          "reason": "The commenter prefers Sapiens over its successor for the list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21904178,
          "author": "diego_moita",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T05:35:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21904178",
          "commentText": "* Information: A history, a theory, a flood - James Gleick\n* Sapiens - Yuval Harari\n* Thinking, fast and slow - Daniel Kahneman\n* Power of Habit - Charles Duhig",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sapiens - Yuval Harari",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21902519,
          "author": "iliketoworkhard",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T23:17:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902519",
          "commentText": "I really need to pick up Solaris.\nI felt like Sapiens rewired my brain in a way. Homo Deus only drove in the message that we are nothing but algorithms",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I felt like Sapiens rewired my brain in a way.",
          "reason": "Says the book changed how they think.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21902225,
          "author": "aprdm",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T22:23:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902225",
          "commentText": "Both sapiens and The art of happiness were great books I've read.\nSapiens made history very interesting, I loved the idea behind our species being able to believe in the concept of a Created Myth( capitalism , companies, money,  socialism, religion) as the main thing that made homo sapiens thrive.\nThe view of empires as not something bad and how they shaped our world of today and we essentially living in a global empire as well was a great point.\nBuddhism is truly incredible and while I don't consider myself a Buddhist I have very similar approach to life.\nHaving a western psychologist/ researcher having conversations on topics about suffering, happiness, death, loneliness with Dalai Lama and how their separate views of the world interacted was awesome.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sapiens made history very interesting",
          "reason": "Says it made history interesting and praises its idea about shared myths helping humans thrive.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21792749,
          "author": "quantumsequoia",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T22:26:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21792749",
          "commentText": "Rationality: From AI to Zombies\nSapiens",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sapiens",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21458490,
          "author": "vmurthy",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T00:23:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21458490",
          "commentText": "Sapiens (re-read) :)\nIt's one of those books that gives you a different perspective every time you read it",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's one of those books that gives you a different perspective every time you read it",
          "reason": "The commenter says each rereading gives them a different perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20332616,
          "author": "jonwinstanley",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T06:18:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20332616",
          "commentText": "I found “Sapiens” absolutely fascinating and incredibly dense in information.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found “Sapiens” absolutely fascinating and incredibly dense in information.",
          "reason": "Calls it fascinating and information dense.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19092390,
          "author": "secfirstmd",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-06T03:15:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19092390",
          "commentText": "I would argue \"Guns, Germs and Steel\" is actually better than Sapiens. I felt Sapiens was a bit biased in a number of points.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I felt Sapiens was a bit biased in a number of points.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds it biased in some points.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The criticism is limited to a number of points.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18755056,
          "author": "madrafi",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-25T00:21:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18755056",
          "commentText": "- Rationality From AI to Zombies (huge collection of essays about (rationality,intelligence,quantum physics,bayesian probability,philosophy...) that can be read on lesswrong.com)\n-Intuition Pumps and other Thinking Tools\n-Sapiens\n-Edward.O Wilson Letters to a young scientist\n-Cédric Villani Birth of a Theorem\n-Emanuel Derman Models Behaving Badly\n-Letters From A Stoic by Seneca\n-Mathematics it's contents methods 3 Volumes (Aleksandrov et al.)\n-Nick Bostrom Superinteligence\n-The Moral Animal by Robert Wright",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sapiens",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite nonfiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18744573,
          "author": "tpudlik",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T05:15:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744573",
          "commentText": "This is all true, but I sometimes missed the nuance of less witty but more detail-oriented histories. Harari could seem flippant at times, which mostly amused me when I agreed with him, but left me worried when I didn't. In a book this short on a period so vast, there was no space to steelman anything.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Harari could seem flippant at times, which mostly amused me when I agreed with him, but left me worried when I didn't. In a book this short on a period so vast, there was no space to steelman anything.",
          "reason": "Criticizes the book's treatment of a vast subject and its lack of nuance.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the flippancy amused them when they agreed with Harari.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18744369,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T04:11:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744369",
          "commentText": "* The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCullough\n* Higher: A Historic Race to the Sky and the Making of a City by Neal Bascomb\n* Caesar’s Last Breath: Decoding the Secrets of the Air Around Us by Sam Kean\n* Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari\n* A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts by Andrew Chaikin\n* The Actor’s Life: A survival guide by Jenna Fischer\n* The Interstellar Age: The Story of the NASA Men and Women Who Flew the Forty-Year Voyager Mission by Jim Bell\n* The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance by David Epstein\n* Uncommon People: The Rise and Fall of the Rock Stars 1955-1994 by David Hepworth\n* Chasing Space: An Astronaut's Story of Grit, Grace, & Second Chances by Leland Melvin\n* The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough\n* Jefferson: Architect of American Liberty by John B. Boles",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite nonfiction book read in 2018.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18696898,
          "author": "greenido",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-17T04:30:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18696898",
          "commentText": "Some books I've enjoyed in the past year:\nWish to laugh?\n* Born a Crime, by Trevor Noah\n* Yes please! by Amy Poehler\nThink?\n* Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell\n* Where Good Ideas Come from, by Steven Johnson\n* The Emperor of All Maladies and The Gene: An Intimate History both by Mukherjee Siddhartha\nLearn (more) about great thinkers?\n* Einstein or Leonardo da Vinci or Steve Jobs, by Walter Isaacson\n* Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike, by Phil Knight\nYuval Noah Harari 3 good ones:\n* Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow\n* Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\n* 21 lessons for the 21st century\nFrom time to time, I try to put some good ones over here: https://greenido.wordpress.com/?s=book",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Readers who want to learn about great thinkers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18663950,
          "author": "philippz",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T14:05:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663950",
          "commentText": "Yuval Harari - Sapiens\nYuval Harari - Homo Deus\nYuval Harari - 21 lessons for the 21st century\nFrank Schätzing - The Swarm\nPeter Drucker - The Effective Executive\nStephen Hawking - A Short History Of Time",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Yuval Harari - Sapiens",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910811,
          "author": "cryptozeus",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T17:19:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910811",
          "commentText": "Sapiens",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sapiens",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910365,
          "author": "burke",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:39:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910365",
          "commentText": "In no particular order:\n• Sapiens\n• Thinking Fast and Slow\n• The Mind Illuminated\n• A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "• Sapiens",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for favorite nonfiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910289,
          "author": "mirceal",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:32:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910289",
          "commentText": "Sapiens is an okay book, but it’s all over the place. On one hand it kinda says that in many regards we have hypothesis at best (ie we don’t know) to follow it with [sometimes] wild theories.  \nThere is no way you can cover as much ground as the author wanted in a book this size. It got diluted and turned into the classic “X best seller” crap.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Sapiens is an okay book, but it’s all over the place.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is okay but criticizes its scope and speculative claims.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Criticizes the book for covering too much ground and mixing uncertainty with wild theories.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910192,
          "author": "itpragmatik",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:24:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910192",
          "commentText": "1. Sapiens - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23692271-sapiens\n2. The Gene: An Intimate History - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27276428-the-gene\n3. I Contain Multitudes - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29083367-i-contain-multi... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29083367-i-contain-multitudes)\n4. Stuff Matters - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19553030-stuff-matters\n5. Rework - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6732019-rework",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1. Sapiens",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for favorite nonfiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910165,
          "author": "pwillia7",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:20:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910165",
          "commentText": "I recently read Sapiens - Yuval Noah Harari and it nearly broke my mind. It was on Obama and Bill Gates' reading lists that year and it is phenomenal. It's like one of those books that took some ideas I had been kicking around for years and blew the whole thing wide open.\nIf you want to get a taste, go look up 'The Legend of Peugot' from the book.\nThere was also a sale on the ebook for $3 on Amazon this weekend -- not sure if it's still going.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it is phenomenal. It's like one of those books that took some ideas I had been kicking around for years and blew the whole thing wide open.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it phenomenal and says it opened up their thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521727,
          "author": "nindalf",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T10:13:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521727",
          "commentText": "I loved Sapiens. It has a couple of ideas that help explain so much of our world - really powerful ideas. Once you know them they seem so obvious and you feel like you should have thought of that yourself. For example, (spoilers for human history ahead), our civilations are based on agriculture and very few hunter gatherers remain. But that doesn't mean that people consciously chose one over the other. It's just that for various reasons, agriculture is a more \"viral\" idea that spread more efficiently than the alternative. Ditto with monotheistic vs polytheistic religions.\nHomo Deus... less so. It rehashes a lot of Sapiens and I found it a bit of a drag. The introduction is worth reading though. He recounts all the progress we've made as a species, which would surprise people who think our world is growing worse by the day.\nChasing the Scream was amazing. Nothing more to be said.\nThe book I learned the most from was probably The Dictator's Handbook. Again, a very simple idea - how can we predict a politician/leader's behaviour based on a simple assumption - they will try their best to stay employed. The authors manage to explain almost all of how politics works based on this one single idea. If you're one of those people who likes to try-before-they-buy, here's a trailer of the book - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rStL7niR7gs",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved Sapiens. It has a couple of ideas that help explain so much of our world - really powerful ideas.",
          "reason": "Praises its ideas for explaining society and history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521472,
          "author": "Insanity",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T09:00:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521472",
          "commentText": "Some books that I recently read and enjoyed:\nNon-fiction\na) Sapiens (Yuval Noah Harari)\nb) Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon (Kim Zetter)\nc) Hackers: Heroes of the computer revolution (Steven Levy)\nd) Masters of Doom (David Kushner)\nFiction:\ne) The Death of Ivan Ilyich (Leo Tolstoy)\nf) Ready Player One (Ernest Cline)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sapiens (Yuval Noah Harari)",
          "reason": "Listed among books recently read and enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17170684,
          "author": "joddystreet",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-28T05:07:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17170684",
          "commentText": "Sapiens (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23692271-sapiens)\nGave words to describe my feelings for various ideas in my head.\nAnother thing that happened (probably unrelated), after this  I reestablished my reading habit that got lost for nearly 10 years.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sapiens (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23692271-sapiens)\nGave words to describe my feelings for various ideas in my head.",
          "reason": "Says it helped put feelings about ideas into words and preceded a renewed reading habit.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The renewed reading habit may have been unrelated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17048268,
          "author": "lsaac",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T15:50:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17048268",
          "commentText": "Yuval Noah Harari's books, 'Sapiens' and 'Homo Deus' really changed the way I look at things.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Sapiens' and 'Homo Deus' really changed the way I look at things.",
          "reason": "Says the book changed their perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16756739,
          "author": "Shivam_Dewan",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T17:09:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16756739",
          "commentText": "-Design of everyday things\n-Sapiens : A brief history of humankind\n-Zen pencils\n- Book of Life - By J. Krishnamurti",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Sapiens : A brief history of humankind",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15965488,
          "author": "013",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T23:28:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15965488",
          "commentText": "Fahrenheit 451\nAnimal Farm\nThe Gene: An Intimate History\nThe Martian\nCurrently reading Sapiens: A brief history of humankind. I would recommend all these books, if you're interested in the subjects they are written about.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend all these books",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the listed books to readers interested in their subjects.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the subjects covered.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are currently reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961696,
          "author": "Tehchops",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T17:10:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961696",
          "commentText": "Currently reading: Hyperion.\n* Peak: Secretes From the New Science of Expertise\n* The Hard Thing About Hard Things\n* American Gods\n* The Dark Tower\n* Children of Time\n* Sapiens\n* The Lies of Locke Lamora: Gentleman Bastards #1\n* Red Seas Under Red Skies: Gentleman Bastards #2\n* Dark Matter\n* The Dark Tower #1\n* Guns of The Dawn\n* The Hunter Killers\n* Snow Crash",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Sapiens",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as a book in the commenter's list; no evaluation is given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961406,
          "author": "atulatul",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:37:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961406",
          "commentText": ":) I was rather hoping that reading a single page (instead of a couple of pages) and then stopping would qualify.\nAnyway, what I meant was that the plan was tentative. (I have read Guns, Germs and Steel and a few reviews seemed to liken Sapiens to that book. So was looking for some other perspectives.)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "seemed to liken Sapiens to that book",
          "reason": "The commenter refers to comparisons between Sapiens and Guns, Germs and Steel while seeking other perspectives.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment reports what reviews seemed to say; it does not evaluate the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961146,
          "author": "alexwilde",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:07:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961146",
          "commentText": "Sapiens opened my eyes to social constructs and human behavior and  forced me to think about the vast timeline of humanity and how small our time is within it. Personally it provoked a re-visit to the philosophical questioning of life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sapiens opened my eyes to social constructs and human behavior",
          "reason": "Says the book changed their perspective on social constructs, human behavior, and humanity’s timeline.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15960988,
          "author": "briga",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T15:51:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15960988",
          "commentText": "A few of the best were:\nWhat Technology Wants by Kevin Kelly. A really profound and interesting look into what technology is. Technology evolves through the same sort of Darwinian process that life evolves. Technology is in some sense alive, and Kelly's perspective on it is wonderfully refreshing. I also read his book Out of Control, which is fantastic.\nSapiens by Yuval Harari. Enough people are talking about this one that I don't have to say much, suffice it to say it's a fascinating look into human history a la Guns, Germs, and Steel.\nThe Lucifer Principle by Howard Bloom. If you're a fan of Harari you'll love this one. It's an alternative scientific look at evil, and how evil appears to be encoded into our species.\nHyperspace by Michio Kaku. Kaku is an amazing popular science writer bar none and this is his exploration of modern physics and string theory. The most concise and understandable explanation of modern physics I've read, which is part for the course with Kaku.\nRed Queen by Matt Ridley. A fascinating look at sex, and why the human sex drive, and therefore human  nature, is the way it is.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's a fascinating look into human history a la Guns, Germs, and Steel.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as a fascinating look into human history.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in human history.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says enough people are already talking about it to need little further comment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15960982,
          "author": "atulatul",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T15:51:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15960982",
          "commentText": "Would you care to add a few lines about Sapiens? Plan to read it. But only tentatively.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Would you care to add a few lines about Sapiens? Plan to read it. But only tentatively.",
          "reason": "Asks for more information and says they are only tentatively planning to read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not yet read it and expresses only tentative interest.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15960931,
          "author": "alexwilde",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T15:45:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15960931",
          "commentText": "1. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\n2. Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! (Adventures of a Curious Character)\n3. The Loyal: The Story of Atwood and the Second Civil War (disclosure - my father wrote this book)\n4. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business\n5. Grit\nI thoroughly enjoyed all of these. It was interesting to see how Grit and The Power of Habit played off each other.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I thoroughly enjoyed all of these.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they thoroughly enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15020418,
          "author": "unmole",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T17:37:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15020418",
          "commentText": "Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari is the best book I've read in a while. It's like Guns, Germs and Steel but better argued and far greater in scope.\nThe Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins was a great read too. A bit of a slog in some places but otherwise brilliant and insightful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari is the best book I've read in a while. It's like Guns, Germs and Steel but better argued and far greater in scope.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best book they've read in a while and praises its argument and scope.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14859846,
          "author": "kahoon",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:16:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859846",
          "commentText": "I see quite a few people reading this on my commute. How do you find it so far?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I see quite a few people reading this on my commute. How do you find it so far?",
          "reason": "Asks other readers what they think of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14859605,
          "author": "mlenhard",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T19:51:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859605",
          "commentText": "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind \nby Yuval Noah Harari",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind \nby Yuval Noah Harari",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14747119,
          "author": "briga",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T19:17:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14747119",
          "commentText": "I felt like Homo Deus was largely a retread of Sapiens. Some of his speculations about the various forms of humanism that have arisen in the 20th century were interesting, but for most of the book it felt like he was treading very familiar ground. It seemed like Harari was in a rush to release another book after the runaway success of Sapiens, and because of that he didn't take his time writing it. Sapiens was very concise and felt like the product of years of careful thought. Homo Deus felt like it was rushed in comparison. Still a good read, don't get me wrong.\nFor a similar type of book I would recommend Howard Bloom's Lucifer Principle and Global Brain. They both take a similarly  broad scientific perspective on human history and behavior, and both are fun reads.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sapiens was very concise and felt like the product of years of careful thought.",
          "reason": "Praises its concision and careful thought.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14746250,
          "author": "vbrandl",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T17:47:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14746250",
          "commentText": "I didn't read Homo Deus but it is on my to-read-list. If you liked that one, you might also like \"Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\" by him.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you liked that one, you might also like \"Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\" by him.",
          "reason": "Suggests it to someone who liked Homo Deus.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14745048,
          "author": "ccmonnett",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T15:38:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14745048",
          "commentText": "It might not be read much only because it was recently released but Homo Deus by Yuval Harari is off the chain.\nThis dude can explain grand ideas encompassing human civilization in (relatively) simple, brief, and entertaining language and I can't get enough of it. I think Homo Deus's forward focus will appeal to the HN crowd more than his more famous Sapiens.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "his more famous Sapiens",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned as the author's more famous book; the commenter favors Homo Deus for its future focus.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14744520,
          "author": "ciocan42",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T14:38:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14744520",
          "commentText": "Nexus trilogy by Ramez Naam -\nSapiens / Homo Deus",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sapiens",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13972612,
          "author": "baraah",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T23:05:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13972612",
          "commentText": "It has Sapiens as one of Paul Grahams suggestions, but his tweet says he didn't finish it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "It has Sapiens as one of Paul Grahams suggestions, but his tweet says he didn't finish it.",
          "reason": "Reports that Paul Graham suggested the book but did not finish it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13969454,
          "author": "canes123456",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T16:59:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13969454",
          "commentText": "I am a big fan of it but do not take the book uncritically. Everything in the book is somewhere between simplified and incorrect. It is still very useful challenging of conventional wisdom for all of history. It ties everything together too neatly but neatness has some benefits. It makes your own think more solid and makes you question everything.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Everything in the book is somewhere between simplified and incorrect.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds it useful but says its account is oversimplified and sometimes incorrect.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in broad human history and conventional wisdom.",
          "caveat": "The book ties history together too neatly, according to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13237255,
          "author": "hackerkid",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:59:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237255",
          "commentText": "- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari\n- Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight\n- Rework by Jason Fried\n- Rocket Boys by Homer Hickam\n- Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand\n- The Martian by Andy Weir\n- Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman by Richard Feynman",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13237068,
          "author": "espitia",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:22:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237068",
          "commentText": "1. Hackers and Painters by Paul Graham\n2. Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker\n3. Tribes by Seth Godin\n4. Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich Nietzsche\n5. The Industries of the Future by Alex Ross\n6. Bigger, Leaner, Stronger by Michael Matthews\n7. The Science of Getting Rich: Financial Success Through Creative Thought by WALLACE D. WATTLES (The Barnes & Noble Library of Essential Reads)\n8. Money: Master the Game by Tony Robbins\n9. Principles by Ray Dalio\n10. Como Ganar Amigas e Influir Sobre las Personas by Dale Carnegie\n11. Without Their Permission by Alexis Ohanian\n12. Tribe by Sebastian Junger\n13. Sapiens A Brief History of Humanity by Yuval Noah Harari\n14. This is Water by David Foster Wallace\n15. How Not to Be Wrong. The Power of Mathematical Thinking by Jordan Ellenberg\n16. Walt Disney By Neal Gabler\n17. The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves by Matt Ridley\n18. Contagious: Why Things Catch On by Jonah Berger\n19. The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason\n20. A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William B. Irvine\nOut of all these, I would recommend only a few:\n- Sapiens\n- The Rational Optimist\n- Walt Disney By Neal Gabler\n- How Not to Be Wrong. The Power of Mathematical Thinking.\n- A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Out of all these, I would recommend only a few:\n- Sapiens",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly recommends this title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13236372,
          "author": "n3on_net",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T10:47:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13236372",
          "commentText": "Here is my list of 2016:\n- The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory\n- The 48 Laws Of Power\n- Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything\n- Crossing the Chasm\n- The Richest Man in Babylon\n- Confessions of an Economic Hit Man\n- Europe: A History\n- The Penguin History of Europe\n- The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon\n- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\nEvery of the books was awesome. The only thing is that I haven't finished Europe: A History from Norman and read The Penguin History of Europe instead because the Norman book was just too long for me. But It has way more details.\nI switch between business-related books and non-business related (it can be everything from philosophy to language history to hardcore science) but I don't read fiction (The Richest Man in Babylon is fictional, but still the focus is on self-development).\nHope you could see some titles that might interest you.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Every of the books was awesome.",
          "reason": "The commenter says every listed book was awesome.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12983673,
          "author": "drakenot",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-18T01:53:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12983673",
          "commentText": "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12475937,
          "author": "8611m",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T21:53:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12475937",
          "commentText": "Phenomenal read. It is the kind of book that I will read again several times.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Phenomenal read. It is the kind of book that I will read again several times.",
          "reason": "Calls it phenomenal and says they expect to reread it several times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12474679,
          "author": "gmays",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T18:04:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12474679",
          "commentText": "Sapiens\nMastery\nThe Geography of Genius\nReady Player One",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Sapiens",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12474179,
          "author": "cledet",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T16:41:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12474179",
          "commentText": "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind - Yuval Noah Harari",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind - Yuval Noah Harari",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12473765,
          "author": "kaushikt",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T15:19:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12473765",
          "commentText": "zero to one - Peter thiel -  good read\nold man and the sea - Hemingway - good read\nsapiens (currently reading) - Yuval Noah Harari - fantastic till now\nWhat if (still reading) - Randall Munroe - an interesting read",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "sapiens (currently reading) - Yuval Noah Harari - fantastic till now",
          "reason": "Says it has been fantastic so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Still reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12071006,
          "author": "Atwood",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T13:51:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12071006",
          "commentText": "Global Brain -Bloom\nCaptive Mind -Milosz\nMachines of Loving Grace -Markoff\nStation 11 -Mandell (fiction)\nSapiens -Harari\nRevenant (do not remember author/fiction)\nArgonauts  -Nelson",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Sapiens -Harari",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12070313,
          "author": "as17237",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T11:30:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12070313",
          "commentText": "* In Defense of Liberal Edication By Farred Zakaria\n* Confidence Men By Ros Suskind\n* Dark Money by Jane Meyer\n* Better by Atul Gawande\n* The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande\n* Essentialism by Greg Mckeown\n* Contagious by Jonah Berger\n* Sapiens by Yuval Harari\n* The Pentagons Brain by Annie Jacobson\n* Shoe Dog by Phil Knight\n* The Only Game in town by Mohamed El-Erian\n* The Industries of Future By Alec Ross",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Sapiens by Yuval Harari",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12069759,
          "author": "jdmoreira",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T08:57:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12069759",
          "commentText": "\"Present Shock\" by Douglas Rushkoff\n\"Super Forecasting\" by Philip Tetlock, Dan Gardner\n\"The Selfish Gene\" by Richard Dawkins\n\"The Marshmallow Test: Mastering Self-Control\" by Walter Mischel\n\"Precision: Statistical and Mathematical Methods in Horse Racing\" by C X Wong\n\"Functional Swift\" by Chris Eidhof, Florian Kugler, and Wouter Swierstra\n__ DIDN'T FINISH __\n\"Thinking in Forth\" by Leo Brodie\n\"The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch\" by Philip K. Dick\n__ QUEUED FOR READING __\n\"Porcelain\" by Moby\n\"Sapiens\" by Yuval Noah Harari",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Sapiens\" by Yuval Noah Harari",
          "reason": "Listed as queued for reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Queued for reading",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11701815,
          "author": "ddxv",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-15T17:31:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11701815",
          "commentText": "I will add a couple books I've read so far in 2016, both of which are not from 2016:\nSapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. This book was an unexpectedly  amazing overview of the history, current status and possible future of human beings.\nThe Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee. I put this off because I'm not very interested in medicine.  It was a mistake, this is one of the most well written non fiction books I've ever read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book was an unexpectedly  amazing overview of the history, current status and possible future of human beings.",
          "reason": "Praised as an unexpectedly amazing overview of humanity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10839026,
          "author": "newdaynewuser",
          "createdAt": "2016-01-04T21:59:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 10833032,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book you've recently read and enjoyed?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10839026",
          "commentText": "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind - Yuval Noah Harari\nVery interesting though later chapters become less of history and more of philosophy.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind - Yuval Noah Harari\nVery interesting though later chapters become less of history and more of philosophy.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it very interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Later chapters shift from history toward philosophy, according to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785552,
          "author": "benajibayassine",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:50:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785552",
          "commentText": "1- The Emperor's Handbook by Marcus Aurelius. Jan, 10th 2015\n2- The crowd, a study of the popular mind by Gustave Le Bon. Jan, 10th 2015\n3- Remote by Jason Fried. Jan, 11th 2015\n4- The shape of the world to come by Laurent Cohen-Tanugi, Jan, 20th, 2015\n5- Post office by Charles Bukowski. Jan, 23rd 2015\n6- Gang leader for a day by Sudhir Venkatesh. Feb, 6th 2015\n7- Zen mind, beginner's mind by Shunryu Suzuki. Feb, 8th 2015\n8- The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Feb, 23rd 2015\n9- Darkness Visible by William Styron. March, 1st 2015\n10- Zero to One by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters. March, 9th 2015\n11- The Kaizen way: One small step can change your life by Robert Mauter. March, 11th 2015\n12- Time by Alexander Waugh. March, 12th 2015\n13- Max and the cats by Moacyr Scliar. March, 14th 2015\n14- Scattered by Gabor Mate. March, 20th 2015\n15- East of Eden by John Steinbeck. March, 30th 2015\n16- Crossing the unknown sea by David Whyte. April, 7th 2015\n17- Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. April, 13th 2015\n18- The World beyond your Head by Matthew Crawford. April, 22nd 2015\n19- How to Think about Exercise by Damon Young. April, 23rd 2015\n20- Solitude by Anthony Storr. May, 8th 2015\n21- Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. June, 10th 2015\n22- The bastard of Istanbul (in Arabic) by Elif Shafak. June, 21st 2015\n23- L’ordre libertaire: la vie philosophique d’Albert Camus by Michel Onfray. July, 7th 2015\n24- Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse. July, 10th 2015\n25- The arab uprisings by James Gelvin. July, 13th 2015\n26- How to worry less about money by John Armstrong. July, 13th 2015\n27- Self comes to mind by Antonio Damasio. July, 31st2015\n28- Muhammad: The First Muslim by Lesley Hazleton. August, 4th t2015\n29- Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. August, 15th 2015 \n30- Heidegger's Being and Time by William Blattner. August, 18th 2015 \n31- Heidegger and a hippo walk through those pearly gates by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. August, 19th 2015 \n32- Why nations fail by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson. October, 3rd 2015 \n33- Charlie Munger: the complete investor by Tren Griffin October, 9th 2015 \n34- The selfish gene by Richard Dawkins October, 23rd 2015\n35- The philosophical baby by Alison Gopnik October, 28th 2015\n36- The three-body problem by Cixin Liu November, 1st 2015\n37- Open letter to a young man by Andre Maurois November, 13th 2015\n38- Thinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman November, 16th 2015\n39- What do you care what people think by Richard Feynman November, 18th 2015\n40- When the body says No by Gabor Maté November, 29th 2015\n41- The truth will set you free by Alice Miller. December, 5th 2015\n42- The shallows by Nicholar Carr. December, 7th 2015\n43- What matters most byJames Hollis. December, 14th 2015\n44- Finding meaning in the second jalf of life byJames Hollis. December, 20yh2015",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari",
          "reason": "Included in a dated list of books read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10211399,
          "author": "icuci",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-13T13:54:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 10211331,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10211399",
          "commentText": "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10029114,
          "author": "qrendel",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-09T00:47:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10029114",
          "commentText": "I read Sapiens after seeing the same edge.org conversation, and while it was mostly good, I think it started off strong and then became less so as it went on. Especially towards the end it became almost a hot list of current events the author had read about in the newspaper, like browsing through a lot of TED talks, without a lot of coherence to a larger picture. My other complaint would be that some portions seemed less scholarly and heavily influenced by the author's opinions and personal worldview. Not a bad book by any means but somewhat less than the \"history of humankind\" I had hoped for. The first quarter focusing on prehistory through agriculture was very informative, though leaves me questioning if I'm just suffering from Gell-Mann amnesia. Rated it 4/5 on Goodreads when I was finished.\nI found Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond to be perhaps a better book of similar nature overall, and would add in The 10,000 Year Explosion by Cochran and Harpending as another good one for those who liked Sapiens.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "while it was mostly good, I think it started off strong and then became less so as it went on.",
          "reason": "Says the book starts strong but weakens later, with concerns about coherence and scholarly rigor.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment calls it informative in its first quarter and says it is not a bad book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10028239,
          "author": "kashyapc",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T18:41:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10028239",
          "commentText": "Sapins[1] by Yuval Noah Harari. Currently 220 pages into it, I wholeheartedly recommend -- it's remarkably well written and is full of very interesting perspectives.\nCredit where it's due: learnt about this book in an edge.org conversation[2] between Dr. Harari and the eminent psycologist Daniel Kahneman.\nSpeaking of professor Kahneman, I recently finished his  \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" (I did notice it's mentioned in the comments, but still), over a period of deliberate slow reading of 5 months. Much has been said and written (more than well deservedly!) about this book. Don't let the title invite you to dismiss it off as yet another over-simplifying popular psyocology book; it's anything but that. It is an account of about 30 years of collaboration with his late colleague Amos Tversky. Certainly not a breezy page-turner. It's well worth it to take your own time to assimilate the content.\n  [1] http://www.ynharari.com/sapiens-the-book/short-overview/\n  [2] http://edge.org/conversation/yuval_noah_harari-daniel_kahneman-death-is-optional",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sapins[1] by Yuval Noah Harari. Currently 220 pages into it, I wholeheartedly recommend -- it's remarkably well written and is full of very interesting perspectives.",
          "reason": "The commenter wholeheartedly recommends it, praising its writing and perspectives.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Yuval Noah Harari"
      ],
      "recommenders": 61,
      "threads": 38,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human history",
        "anthropology",
        "human evolution",
        "civilization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-design-of-everyday-things-97dd02",
      "title": "The Design of Everyday Things",
      "author": "Don Norman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49905974,
          "author": "spenjovewkwhalo",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T08:23:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49905974",
          "commentText": "Absolute bible, love Don Norman!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Absolute bible, love Don Norman!",
          "reason": "Calls it an “absolute bible” and expresses affection for the author.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43729720,
          "author": "terrellbm",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-18T16:43:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 43723077,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on talking to users?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43729720",
          "commentText": "This book is always at the top of Amazon charts, but have never read it\nAlways have thought it was more around design rather than talking to users but I think sympathizing is the first step\nThanks for the rec!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "This book is always at the top of Amazon charts, but have never read it",
          "reason": "Discusses the book as a recommendation and says they have not read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has never read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43725092,
          "author": "vismit2000",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-18T04:45:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 43723077,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on talking to users?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43725092",
          "commentText": "'Design of Everyday Things' to first have sympathy with the users.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Design of Everyday Things' to first have sympathy with the users.",
          "reason": "Suggested as foundational reading to develop sympathy with users.",
          "audience": "People learning to understand users.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39249066,
          "author": "vidyesh",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T10:26:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249066",
          "commentText": "The Remembrance of Earth's Past has been on my list for some time now. Will you be finishing that trilogy?\nActively reading:\n- Mistborn : Final Empire (~90% finished ding)\n- 3rd novella in The Murderbot Diaries\n- Dive into Design Patterns\n- Fullstack D3 and Data Viz\nPassively reading:\n- The Design of everyday things (I don't think I will ever finish this book)\n- Bhagavad-Gita as it is\n- LOTR (mostly a re-read)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Design of everyday things (I don't think I will ever finish this book)",
          "reason": "Listed as passively being read; the commenter doubts they will finish it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they may never finish it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39059804,
          "author": "Minor49er",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T19:21:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39059804",
          "commentText": "Seconding this. It's an important book for all kinds of design\nI would also recommend \"Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship\" by Robert C. Martin. It focuses on crafting higher quality code, which is the property of it not only running well, but being easy to understand and to work on",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seconding this.",
          "reason": "Seconding the parent comment's recommendation of the book as relevant to design.",
          "audience": "People interested in design.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39057352,
          "author": "jpiburn",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T16:34:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39057352",
          "commentText": "The Design Of Everyday Things by Don Norman might be something of interest\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/840",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Design Of Everyday Things by Don Norman",
          "reason": "Suggested as potentially interesting in response to a request for engineering philosophy recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in design and engineering.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it might be of interest.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38238144,
          "author": "vidyesh",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T07:28:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238144",
          "commentText": "Actively reading:\n- The Fountainhead\n- Project Hail Mary\n- Learning TypeScript\nPassively reading:\n- The Design of Everyday Things\n- Dive into Design Patterns\nConsidering to read - This is mostly for anyone who has read them and would like to give their opinion about it.\n- Algorithms to Live By\n- Name of the Wind\n- Malazan Book of the Fallen\n- Good Girl's guide to murder\n- The Paradox of Choice\n- Moonwalking with Einstein\n- The Boron Letters\n- Storyworthy\n-",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "- The Design of Everyday Things",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37960142,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:06:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960142",
          "commentText": "I ran this thread through GPT-4 to extract mentions and summarize them in markdown. Sharing if it's helpful for others too.\n* \"Manufacturing Consent\" by Chomsky and Herman (2 mentions)\n    * Summary: This book investigates and criticizes the media's role in promoting and sustaining powerful interests. Chomsky frames the media as a system that safeguards the power of the elite by shaping public opinion.\n* \"On Palestine\" by Chomsky (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers an insightful view of one of the most enduring and intractable conflicts of our time. Chomsky explores the historical origins, developments, and politics surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict.\n* \"Requiem for the American Dream\" by Noam Chomsky (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book discusses the concentration of wealth in the hands of the few and its effects on democracy in America. It highlights the decline of the middle class and the widening wealth gap.\n* \"The Design of Everyday Things\" by Don Norman (2 mentions)\n    * Summary: The book details the science behind our interaction with everyday items. It scrutinizes the design process and explores the relationship between users and the products they use, urging designers to think deeply about how their designs influence user behavior.\n* \"The Better Angels of Our Nature\" by Steven Pinker (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book challenges the belief that society is becoming increasingly violent, arguing instead that violence has declined over historical time periods. It explores the psychological and societal mechanisms that have led to this decrease.\n* \"Factfulness\" by Hans Rosling (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Factfulness emphasizes a more optimistic view of global human progress. It challenges the notion that the world is worse off today than it was in the past by providing facts and statistics that argue the contrary.\n* \"Phenomenology of Spirit\" by Hegel (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This is a central work of German philosophy in which Hegel explores the concept of 'spirit'. He examines the relationship between consciousness and its objects, eventually leading to a discussion about the nature of freedom and the unfolding of history.\n* \"The Righteous Mind\" by Jonathan Haidt (2 mentions)\n    * Summary: The book delves into the world of moral psychology and its impact on politics and religion. Haidt proposes that morality is not a product of rational thought but is driven by intuitive reactions, challenging conventional understandings of morality.\n* \"How To Build A Car\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: The book offers a captivating analysis of Formula 1 car design and the precision engineering involved in creating these high-performance vehicles. It provides insights into the processes followed by a renowned designer.\n* \"Factfulness\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: Factfulness emphasizes a more optimistic view of global human progress. It challenges notions that the world is getting worse by presenting an array of facts that argue the contrary.\n* \"Strunk and White The Elements of Style\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A guide to English language usage and writing style that covers topics such as conciseness, clarity, and simplicity of expression. It is considered a seminal work on English composition and is widely used in American English writing.\n* \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book explores the concept of how symbols, patterns and loops manifest in the fields of mathematics, art and music. It also discusses aspects of cognition and consciousness and how our minds perceive and understand the world.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"The Design of Everyday Things\" by Don Norman (2 mentions)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37939639,
          "author": "MattPalmer1086",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T07:30:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37939639",
          "commentText": "Yeah, seconded.  Still on my shelf after 25 years and I still occasionally dip into it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Yeah, seconded. Still on my shelf after 25 years and I still occasionally dip into it.",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the parent’s recommendation and says they still return to the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937198,
          "author": "RheingoldRiver",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:39:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937198",
          "commentText": "The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman. It had a huge impact on the way I view UX issues, and the relationship between users & developers/companies, and I prioritize users' \"dumb questions\" way differently now as a result. It's also made me feel less bad about times that I have a problem with using some piece of software, whether it's a settings menu that I can't find what I need in it, or some complex setup process.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed how they view UX issues and prioritize users' questions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37834260,
          "author": "solardev",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-10T16:29:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37834260",
          "commentText": "It's ironic that the \"bible\" of design is itself so hard to use, full of lengthy anecdotes that bury the important examples. I wish someone would modernize and update it into a few screenshots and infographics, similar to Refactoring UI.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "It's ironic that the \"bible\" of design is itself so hard to use, full of lengthy anecdotes that bury the important examples.",
          "reason": "Criticizes its usability and says lengthy anecdotes bury important examples.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter wishes it were modernized into screenshots and infographics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37834227,
          "author": "solardev",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-10T16:26:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37834227",
          "commentText": "> Frontend software / design. The Design of Everyday Things, by Donald Norman.\nAlso in FE/UX. Came here to say exactly this. I've heard of this book so many times, and have tried to read it many times, but just can never quite finish it (too many anecdotes for me, vs something like https://www.refactoringui.com/)\n> It's incredible the number of people who use the words \"affordance\" and \"signifier\" incorrectly.\nI wish the UX world used less jargon. It's such a cross-domain concern involving developers, designers, researchers, users, owners, managers, etc., that using plain English is IMO usually a better way to get a point across.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've heard of this book so many times, and have tried to read it many times, but just can never quite finish it",
          "reason": "Says repeated attempts to read it have not succeeded, citing its many anecdotes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds it hard to finish because it has too many anecdotes.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37818604,
          "author": "isaachawley",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-09T09:32:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37818604",
          "commentText": "Frontend software / design. The Design of Everyday Things, by Donald Norman.\nIt's incredible the number of people who use the words \"affordance\" and \"signifier\" incorrectly.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Frontend software / design. The Design of Everyday Things, by Donald Norman.",
          "reason": "Identifies it as a book associated with frontend software and design.",
          "audience": "People working in frontend software or design.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37818556,
          "author": "blokmena",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-09T09:22:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37818556",
          "commentText": "The Design of Everyday Things can be a bit of a drag, and it's just my hunch that not many folks bother to read it all the way through.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Design of Everyday Things can be a bit of a drag, and it's just my hunch that not many folks bother to read it all the way through.",
          "reason": "Says the book can drag and suspects few read it all the way through.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter frames this as a personal hunch.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33857489,
          "author": "ayewo",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T20:26:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33857489",
          "commentText": "Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks is pretty good.\nThere is also the Design of Everyday Things (TDoET) by Don Norman.\nStructured Design from 1975 by Larry L. Constantine and Ed Yourdon is another excellent book that I am currently reading now.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "There is also the Design of Everyday Things (TDoET) by Don Norman.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33856434,
          "author": "chiefalchemist",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T18:51:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33856434",
          "commentText": "+1 for the Norman book. A bit verbose, but in the end worth it.\nKrug's \"Don't Make Me Think\", while more UI / UX is a solid compliment to \"Everyday Things.\"",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "+1 for the Norman book. A bit verbose, but in the end worth it.",
          "reason": "Endorses the book while noting it is worth reading despite its verbosity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds it a bit verbose.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33856014,
          "author": "ChrisMarshallNY",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T18:05:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33856014",
          "commentText": "> Code Complete by Steve McConnell\n+1. Also, Rapid Development, by McConnell[0]. I would say that it's even better than Code Complete.\nIt would be considered \"quaint,\" these days, but Writing Solid Code[1], by Steve Maguire, was a seminal book in my education. I still use many of the techniques he mentioned.\nAnd I cannot say enough about The Design of Everyday Things, by Don Norman[2]. That book changed my life. I would consider it required reading, for anyone that develops anything that will be used by other humans.\n[0] https://www.microsoftpressstore.com/store/rapid-development-... (https://www.microsoftpressstore.com/store/rapid-development-9780735691490)\n[1] https://writingsolidcode.com\n[2] https://jnd.org/the-design-of-everyday-things-revised-and-ex... (https://jnd.org/the-design-of-everyday-things-revised-and-expanded-edition/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "And I cannot say enough about The Design of Everyday Things, by Don Norman[2]. That book changed my life. I would consider it required reading, for anyone that develops anything that will be used by other humans.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed their life and considers it required reading for people who develop things others use.",
          "audience": "Anyone developing something that will be used by other people.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32791502,
          "author": "azhenley",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T15:29:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32791502",
          "commentText": "The Design of Everyday Things.\nIt really changed how I view software (or any product) as just a tool to help people.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Design of Everyday Things.\nIt really changed how I view software (or any product) as just a tool to help people.",
          "reason": "Changed the commenter’s view of software and products as tools that help people.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30826939,
          "author": "zwayhowder",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T03:48:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30826939",
          "commentText": "Not my fields but.\nThe Armchair Economist by Steven Landsburg for economics.\nThe Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman for design in any aspect.\nCloser to my field of organisational performance/psychology.\nThe Fearless Organisation by Amy C Edmondson.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman for design in any aspect.",
          "reason": "Listed as a book for design in response to the recommendation question.",
          "audience": "People interested in design.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30739186,
          "author": "azhenley",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T01:33:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30739186",
          "commentText": "The Design of Everyday Things.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Design of Everyday Things.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28471491,
          "author": "rayraegah",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-09T16:29:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 28450555,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that impacted your work that few other people seem to care about?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28471491",
          "commentText": "“The Design of Everyday Things”. The book that sparked a change in my career (to be honest)\nIn programming, the analogous problem is API design: taking whatever data structures are used by a software tool internally, and figuring out how to present them to external programmers in a useful, intelligible way. If there’s a mismatch between the internal structure of the system and the structure of what-users-want, then it’s the API designer’s job to translate. A “good” API is one which handles the translation well.\nUser interface design is a more general version of the same problem: take whatever structures are used by a tool internally, and figure out how to present them to external users in a useful, intelligible way. Conceptually, the only difference from API design is that we no longer assume our users are programmers interacting with the tool via code. We design the interface to fit however people use it - that could mean handles on doors, or buttons and icons in a mobile app, or the temperature knobs on a fridge.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“The Design of Everyday Things”. The book that sparked a change in my career (to be honest)",
          "reason": "Credits the book with sparking a career change and relates its design ideas to API and interface design.",
          "audience": "People interested in user interface or API design.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26837383,
          "author": "Jugurtha",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-16T18:24:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 26833319,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book for software engineers (besides the well-known ones)?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26837383",
          "commentText": "Books, concepts, and mindsets that help build the right thing. Problem solving, design, design thinking, consulting resources.\n\"The Complete Problem Solver\", \"Change by Design\", \"The Design of Everyday Things\", \"Jobs to Be Done\", concepts like non-consumption. Questions that confirm that feature requests are valid and avoid solving Y problem when the actual problem is X. Thought processes to prioritize work and focus on what matters.\nExample: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26814150\nThen books, concepts, and mindsets that help software engineers reap the reward of the software they write. Marketing, sales, prospecting, pricing, communication.\nI believe there is a huge quantity of beautiful, idiomatic, code that solves no real problem, and a huge number of software engineers who have trouble monetizing their skill, or get stuck in unfulfilling roles because they have not found a way to shape an interesting one for themselves.\nA few examples of threads searching for answers one usually answers through piecing together many resources, books, and life experiences:\nhttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26805216\nhttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26650563\nhttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26550896\nhttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26465891\nhttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26446169\nhttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26366426",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Design of Everyday Things\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24386769,
          "author": "rahimnathwani",
          "createdAt": "2020-09-05T20:53:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 24383180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Suggestions for books about API design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24386769",
          "commentText": "Like it or not, users develop a mental model. The fridge example in the book shows how hiding too much of the inner workings can make your system less intuitive to use.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The fridge example in the book shows how hiding too much of the inner workings can make your system less intuitive to use.",
          "reason": "Uses the book’s fridge example to argue that hiding too much of a system’s workings can reduce intuitiveness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24386212,
          "author": "spectramax",
          "createdAt": "2020-09-05T19:25:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 24383180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Suggestions for books about API design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24386212",
          "commentText": "Yep, I second this. Don Norman really and truly understood the user in the deepest way. It’s hard to find people like him who put their entire consciousness in the shoes of the user, simulate what the user goes through when interacting with the world and provide insights about how, we the designers, on the opposite aisle think about design as not some aesthetic shit but as a tool to solve problems.\nDesign and designers, vast majority of them are chasing aesthetics and trends. Just go on Behance to see it for yourself.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Yep, I second this.",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the parent’s recommendation of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24384080,
          "author": "riwsky",
          "createdAt": "2020-09-05T15:06:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 24383180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Suggestions for books about API design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24384080",
          "commentText": "Don Norman’s “The Design of Everyday Things” (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Design_of_Everyday_Thing... (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Design_of_Everyday_Things)). Yes, API design has its own gotchas and specific practices—but some of the best (and worst) APIs I’ve ever interacted with were good (or bad) for the same reasons any kind of design can be good ( or bad): affordances, feedback, coherent conceptual models, and so on.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Don Norman’s “The Design of Everyday Things”",
          "reason": "Uses general design principles to explain what makes APIs good or bad.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "API design has its own gotchas and specific practices.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24289321,
          "author": "Jtsummers",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-27T01:35:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 24286084,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading at the moment and what do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24289321",
          "commentText": "Fiction, English\n\nListening: Swords in the Mist, Fritz Leiber. Third in the Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser collections.\nReading: The Dispossessed, Ursula Le Guin.\n  Fiction, Spanish\n\nI’m trying to learn Spanish. I’ve picked up a few Spanish language fiction books, presently starting on Harry Potter y la piedra filosofal. I’ve tried reading other books, like Jorge Luis Borges’ Ficciones, but I’ve found it to be above my present level. I’ve restarted four or five times and made it further each time, but always stalled out.\n  Non-fiction\n\nThe Design of Everyday Things, Don Norman.\nI have other books started lying around the house, but these are the ones I’ve been actively engaged with in the last couple weeks. When I can type properly again (two to three weeks) I’ll resume Lisp in Small Pieces, Christian Queinnec. And at the office I have The Pragmatic Programmer, I’ll be back there next week and bring it home so I can continue with it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Design of Everyday Things, Don Norman.",
          "reason": "Mentioned among the books the commenter has been actively engaged with recently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23858921,
          "author": "schnevets",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:48:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858921",
          "commentText": "The Design of Everyday Things\nWays of Seeing\nThe Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Design of Everyday Things",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21857756,
          "author": "btschaegg",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-22T15:50:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21857756",
          "commentText": "There's an audiobook version of \"The Design of Everyday Things\" by Don Norman.\nThe book per se doesn't have much to do with programming per se (at least directly), but Norman describes a couple of mechanisms how humans interact with tools and describes some simple formalisms around them. I personally believe that it's a very useful book to have read (or listened to) if you're going to write any software that humans interact with -- be it UI driven or APIs.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I personally believe that it's a very useful book to have read (or listened to) if you're going to write any software that humans interact with",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it useful for people who create software that people interact with.",
          "audience": "Software developers working on user interfaces or APIs.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not directly about programming.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19093033,
          "author": "zwayhowder",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-06T05:54:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19093033",
          "commentText": "The first time I tried to read this book after Luke Kanies the founder of Puppet recommended it I barely made it 15% in, but after 6 months of noticing poor design everywhere I went back and gave it another go. I'm not in UX but I think about this book almost daily.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I think about this book almost daily.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book remains on their mind after returning to it following an initial failed attempt.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter barely got 15% through on the first attempt; they are not in UX.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18745447,
          "author": "henrik_w",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T10:50:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18745447",
          "commentText": "I didn't think it was that great. It was interesting, but a bit repetitive and a bit too long.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I didn't think it was that great. It was interesting, but a bit repetitive and a bit too long.",
          "reason": "Finds the book interesting but repetitive and overly long.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter did not think it was that great.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18743865,
          "author": "gs7",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T01:53:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18743865",
          "commentText": "The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman. Fantastic book that makes you realize how poorly designed many things in our lives are.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fantastic book that makes you realize how poorly designed many things in our lives are.",
          "reason": "Praises the book for changing how readers notice design.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18669004,
          "author": "codyb",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-13T00:49:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 18662992,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on modern UI/UX?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18669004",
          "commentText": "I can attest to those two books being fantastic resources on UI/UX design. They're the only two books I've read on the matter and I'm consistently praised as one of the more user experience focused engineers in any team I work on.\nAlthough, I can't walk through half the doors in the world it seems without going \"why the hell does this pull door have a push handle!!\", so there is that side effect.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "those two books being fantastic resources on UI/UX design",
          "reason": "Calls it one of two fantastic resources and connects the books to being praised for user experience focus.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18668890,
          "author": "kyaghmour",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-13T00:25:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 18662992,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on modern UI/UX?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18668890",
          "commentText": "If I may offer a contrarian viewpoint, I very much disliked Norman's book. I'm no UX professional, but I was looking for a pragmatic guide to understanding design and instead I was put off by his condescending tone and typecasting of engineers as somehow being innately unable to understand users. That was especially true of the earlier chapters of the book that were apparently first published in the original early '90s edition. The newly added chapters in the newer edition are more level-headed in that regard. Seeing how strongly this book was recommended in certain quarters left me uncomfortable and seemed to somewhat explain the general mentality pervading certain narratives that somehow it's best not to have engineers be involved in UX design but rather leave that to \"professional\" UX designers.\nIf you haven't guessed already, my background is engineering. So you read from that what you want, but I've crossed paths with a very large number of engineers who dismissed or diminished their own ability to form judgement on UX because of a general sense that the \"consensus\" was that engineers aren't good at that, and have seen several cases where the decision model in organizations was specifically tailored to tune out engineers from UX decisions. Both of these things are wrong from my pov. I certainly don't want to diminish the value of having UX as a specialization. However, I cannot recommend a title whose narrative champions one set of professionals at the expense of others.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I very much disliked Norman's book.",
          "reason": "Dislikes its tone and its portrayal of engineers' ability to understand users.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says newer chapters are more level-headed than earlier chapters.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18668070,
          "author": "azhenley",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T21:53:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 18662992,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on modern UI/UX?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18668070",
          "commentText": "Design of Everyday Things is great.\nI even had my Software Engineering students read excepts this semester.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Design of Everyday Things is great.",
          "reason": "Calls it great and says they assigned excerpts to their software engineering students.",
          "audience": "Software engineering students",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18667865,
          "author": "davidgh",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T21:19:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 18662992,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on modern UI/UX?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18667865",
          "commentText": "The Design of Everyday Things Is a masterpiece. The age of the book proves it. It is as relevant today as it was when written 30 years ago.\nThe only downside to the book is it will ruin every elevator, door handle and stereo amplifier you ever use. My wife tires of me explaining how a door that requires a “pull” sign is a major UX fail.\nAfter reading the book it helped me understand the different models the creator and user have and has allowed me to recognize when I’m making design decisions that make a lot of sense to the creator and no sense to the user.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Design of Everyday Things Is a masterpiece.",
          "reason": "Praises it as a masterpiece and says it remains relevant today.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it can make bad design in everyday objects hard to ignore.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18667853,
          "author": "ghaff",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T21:17:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 18662992,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on modern UI/UX?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18667853",
          "commentText": "Also see his revised edition to DOET and Emotional Design. It’s part of a broader evolution from UI to UX and  experiential issues more broadly.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "his revised edition to DOET",
          "reason": "Points to the revised edition as part of a broader evolution from UI to UX.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18667727,
          "author": "ab_io",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T21:02:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 18662992,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on modern UI/UX?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18667727",
          "commentText": "Reading \"The Design of Everyday Things\" will give you a sense of the basics -- After that try learning a popular frontend-web framework (like Bootstrap / Foundation) which follows lot of the industry-standard UI practices out-of-the-box. Also checkout things like WAI-ARIA / WCAG, which outline accessibility standards on the web.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Reading \"The Design of Everyday Things\" will give you a sense of the basics",
          "reason": "Recommended for learning the basics of design.",
          "audience": "People seeking to learn design basics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18667640,
          "author": "bch",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T20:51:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 18662992,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on modern UI/UX?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18667640",
          "commentText": "I’ve read (and love) his book and enjoy thinking about function and design. I think there’s a risk of designing at the expense of joy and beauty though, and Don Norman seems to have qualified his position post-The Design of Everyday Things in a TED Talk[0]. I think it’s worthwhile watching.\n[0] https://www.ted.com/talks/don_norman_on_design_and_emotion/u... (https://www.ted.com/talks/don_norman_on_design_and_emotion/up-next)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I’ve read (and love) his book",
          "reason": "The commenter says they love the book and value thinking about function and design.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter sees a risk of designing at the expense of joy and beauty, and says Norman later qualified his position.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18667598,
          "author": "plainOldText",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T20:47:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 18662992,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on modern UI/UX?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18667598",
          "commentText": "Don Norman's book The Design of Everyday Things has indeed altered how I look at the world from a design perspective. It teaches you design awareness, and you'll find yourself noticing and understanding design elements all around you, that you didn't before. Even though it might seem a little old, the information presented in there is timeless, so I highly recommend it as well. It is in fact the first book I would suggest to anyone wanting to learn how to think like a designer.\nI recently got his other book, Emotional Design, I just haven't gotten to it yet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend it as well",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed how they see design and calls its information timeless.",
          "audience": "Anyone wanting to learn how to think like a designer.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it may seem a little old.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18667565,
          "author": "mortenjorck",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T20:42:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 18662992,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on modern UI/UX?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18667565",
          "commentText": "I don’t teach UX design, but if I did, Norman’s The Design of Everyday Things would be the first assigned reading. I’ve even recommended it to friends who aren’t looking to transition into design, but just want a better understanding of the discipline for the occasional departmental web page, etc.\nIf you want to focus on visual language, iconography, and how graphics communicate, an unconventional, yet highly-regarded choice is Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics. What Norman does for interaction, McCloud does for visual communication (and does so, appropriately, in the form of a comic book).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "if I did, Norman’s The Design of Everyday Things would be the first assigned reading",
          "reason": "Would be the first assigned reading for teaching UX design.",
          "audience": "UX learners and people seeking a better understanding of design for occasional web page work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18667418,
          "author": "alistairSH",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T20:23:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18662992,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on modern UI/UX?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18667418",
          "commentText": "Design of Everyday Things & Don't Make Me Think are both likely to be in your employer's library, or on a co-worker's shelf. Not quite free, but I bet you can find a hard-copy to borrow.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Design of Everyday Things & Don't Make Me Think are both likely to be in your employer's library",
          "reason": "The commenter suggests borrowing copies from an employer's library or coworker.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are not quite free.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18667244,
          "author": "jasonhong",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T19:59:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 18662992,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on modern UI/UX?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18667244",
          "commentText": "(For background, I'm a faculty at Carnegie Mellon University in the Human-Computer Interaction Institute)\nFor best books, it depends on if you want to understand users or do implementation. But generally, I'd highly recommend Don Norman's The Design of Everyday Things to improve how you look at the world, and Steve Krug's Don't Make Me Think for simple and practical design tips.\nFor tools, the best is paper prototyping, where you have your team just draw it out on paper and simulate the UI. It's simple, fast, and cheap, and from a cognitive perspective, you can explore more of the design space (think breadth-first search instead of depth-first), and you don't get overly attached to your designs.\nIn my course on UX design, we also use Balsamiq and InVision, though other tools seem fine (e.g. Marvel, Figma, etc). One of our alums created this great chart comparing different prototyping tools: https://www.cooper.com/prototyping-tools\nFor schools, some to check out would be Georgia Tech, University of Washington's Master's of HCI, Indiana University, University of Michigan iSchool, and (of course) Carnegie Mellon's Master's of HCI.\nAnd lastly, here's a slide deck I put together and used at my startup several years ago. It was intended as a short 1-hour crash course. \nhttps://www.slideshare.net/jas0nh0ng/01-1hourcrashcourseuxhc... (https://www.slideshare.net/jas0nh0ng/01-1hourcrashcourseuxhci)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd highly recommend Don Norman's The Design of Everyday Things to improve how you look at the world",
          "reason": "The commenter highly recommends it to change how readers view the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665209,
          "author": "PostPost",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:26:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665209",
          "commentText": "Sorry for the wall of text.\n1. Bourne (The language and world of this novel are extraordinary - everything is falling apart yet brimming with life. Strangely moving)\n2. The Design of Everyday things (Essential for anyone in UI/UX)\n3. All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (Highly engaging, entertaining sci-fi novella series, from an author that can write a very decent robot protagonist)\n4. The Power (Interesting story with sci-fi elements on the dynamics of power, sex, and gender roles. I didn't care for the book, but the first 3/4 of the book are amazing)\n5. Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days\n6. 7 brief Lessons on Physics\n7. The Last Lecture (The energy and positivity coming from a man knowing he's about to die is infectious. Great read)\n8. A wizard of Earthsea (Move over Harry Potter, this is the essential children's story about wizards)\n9. Exploring diabetes with owls (Funny, irreverent)\n10. Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children (Made an effort to read more YA this year - this was the best in this series, but I still hated it. There's a host of better YA series out there.)\n11. A Wizard of Earthsea: The Tombs of Atuan (See 8.)\n12. The Girl in the Dark (Interesting book about a skin condition I had never heard of, and the trials of living with a very rare condition)\n13. The Phantom Tollbooth (Clever children's book)\n14. Black hole blues and songs from outer space (Informative book about the study of space,  the political and economic forces standing in the way of science, and the incredible individuals working in this field)\n15. Welcome to Night Vale (Hugely entertaining, clever and weird)\n16. You need a budget (Basic economics book explaining how to budget in a way that lets you do more with your money)\n17. To fight Against This Age (Incredibly pretentious, \nIvory Tower philosophizing)\n18. Infinity Gauntlet (Half the Universe dying because Thanos wanted to sleep with Lady Death will never not be ridiculous)\n19. The Right and Wrong Stuff (Great read explaining how to anticipate and avoid career pitfalls)\n20. Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children: Hollow City (pretty shitty)\n21. The Farthest Shore (Ursula K. Le Guin was the biggest loss this year)\n22. Miss peregrine's home for Peculiar Children: Library of Souls (I hate this book and all its characters)\n23. Every Good Endevour (Religious book about a Christian worldview and the value of labor - not a bad read)\n24. When to Rob a Bank and 131 warped suggestions… (interesting, funny, from the writers of Freakonomics)\n25. Weapons of Math Destruction (Probably the most useful book on this list, if you're reading this on \"hackernews\")\n26. Holes (Perfect summer paperback read)\n27. Silver Screen Sirens (Essential for film geeks)\n28. A full life: reflections at 90 (I gained a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter: he lived an incredible life and does great things)\n29. Call Me by your name (Very good romance novel to send to your bigoted relatives at Christmas)\n30. Hyperbole and a half (Incredibly entertaining, very distinctive art style)\n31. The Murderbot diaries: Artificial Condition (See 3.)\n32. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Best children's book, fight me)\n33. Less (Exceptionally well-written)\n34. Resilience (Great book, especially for those that have gone through extremely difficult circumstances)\n35. The Strange Bird (Dark, bleak, full of life, see 1.)\n36. The Murderbot diaries: Rogue Protocol (See 3.)\n37. His Dark Materials: The subtle knife (See 32.)\n38. Tap Dancing to Work (Very dry, some stories/articles are fantastic, others very, very boring for people that do not care about finance)\n39. So Good They Can't Ignore You (Pretty good)\n40. His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass (Amazing YA, see 32.)\n41. Uncontainable (Inspirational book about conscious capitalism)\n42. The Emperor of All Maladies (Pretty much everything you'll ever want to know about Cancer, written in a very engaging way)\n43. Blind Spot\n44. Shoe dog (Great story, see madmax108's comment, totally agree)\n45. The Faithful Spy (Beautiful artwork describing a Christian pastor's fight against fascism during WW2)\n46. Zero to One\n47. You'll grow out of it\n48. The Happiness advantage (Really fantastic book about the value of positive psychology)\n49. Dreams from my father (Enlightening look into Obama's \nearly days)\n50. Ayoade on Ayoade (Entertaining, extremely scatter-brained, not as funny as his interviews or tv programs)\n51. The Diabolic (badly written YA Sci-Fi)\n52. The Physics of Everyday Things (surprisingly informative, recommended for non science-people interested in the way things work)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Essential for anyone in UI/UX",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it essential for people in UI/UX.",
          "audience": "People working in or interested in UI/UX.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521167,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T07:42:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521167",
          "commentText": "Here are the best books I've read over the last few months:\n- Lost and Founder - the founder of Moz shares his advice and experience from building a 40M/year company. I found the things he says about building a startup extremely insightful and practically useful. Reading it feels like having a dinner with a friend who shares with you the things he has learned in a very honest, down to earth way. Highly recommend it.\n- Rationality from AI to Zombies - probably the most influential book I've read in my life, profoundly changed the way I think. It's a collection of LessWrong essays on science and rationality. (recently they've released an an audio version by the way).\n- \"A Short History of Nearly Everything\" and \"Our Mathematical Universe\" - two general popular science books I'm enjoying a lot. Haven't finished reading them yet, but so far they're brilliant(and very easy to understand, authors do an amazing job explaining complicated things in a simple, accessible way).\n- Hacking Growth - an AMAZING book on \"growth hacking\". It provides a framework for marketing a startup, gives a ton of practical advice and specific tactics. It breaks down step by step how  startups and big tech companies grow their products. Most of the books I've read on the subject were bullshit, but this one is absolutely fantastic, can't recommend it enough.\nOther great books I should mention:  This Idea is Brilliant, Actionable Gamification, The Design of Everyday Things, The Master Algorithm (great overview of machine learning techniqes), Springfield Confidential (fun behind the scenes from one of the writers on Simpsons), Homo Deus(from the author of Sapiens).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Other great books I should mention: This Idea is Brilliant, Actionable Gamification, The Design of Everyday Things",
          "reason": "The commenter includes it among other great books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17082822,
          "author": "skfist",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-16T14:48:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17082822",
          "commentText": "My favorites so far:\n- Pragmatic Thinking & Learning by Andy Hunt\n- The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman\n- The Effective Engineer* by Edmond Lau\n- The Pragmatic Programmer by Andy Hunt and Dave Thomas\n- SQL Performance Explained by Markus Winand\nAnd http://teachyourselfcs.com curriculum is pretty good as well.\nAs a side note, there's so much we can learn from game programmers and OS/database/compiler engineers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s favorites in a thread asking for books to read when starting a software engineering or computer science career.",
          "audience": "People starting a career in software engineering or computer science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032405,
          "author": "vazamb",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:23:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032405",
          "commentText": "I honestly felt the same way about \"The design of everyday things\". The first few chapters are quite interesting but it gets insanely repetitive after a while. To be fair I feel that way about a lot of pop-sci books...",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "\"The design of everyday things\". The first few chapters are quite interesting but it gets insanely repetitive after a while.",
          "reason": "Finds the opening chapters interesting but says the book becomes repetitive.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The positive evaluation is limited to the first few chapters; the rest feels repetitive.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032210,
          "author": "_hardwaregeek",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:04:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032210",
          "commentText": "Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug and The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman.\nWhile they're not strictly software or programming related, I really like the concepts of making interfaces that require minimal thought to use and empathizing with your users. I've seen an unfortunate amount of \"programming machismo\" where a confusing or poorly engineered system is used and accepted because \"that's just how things work in the real world\". And whenever someone struggles with the process, it's obviously because they're wrong, not the system. But more often than not, if more than one person has trouble understanding your system, whether it's an API, a website, a build process, the design is the issue.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really like the concepts of making interfaces that require minimal thought to use and empathizing with your users.",
          "reason": "Praises its concepts of usable interfaces and empathy for users.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is not strictly about software or programming.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16756739,
          "author": "Shivam_Dewan",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T17:09:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16756739",
          "commentText": "-Design of everyday things\n-Sapiens : A brief history of humankind\n-Zen pencils\n- Book of Life - By J. Krishnamurti",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Design of everyday things",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16351584,
          "author": "skittleson",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T07:05:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16351584",
          "commentText": "Working Effectively with legacy code (http://amzn.to/2CazEm5) and The Design of Everyday Things ( http://amzn.to/2H23a0R )\nBoth have a huge impact on how I work with code and design them.  Trying to explain these concepts are hard without context.  Sometimes i just copy/paste the sections i think they could benefit from.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Both have a huge impact on how I work with code and design them.",
          "reason": "The commenter says both books had a major impact on their work and shares sections colleagues could benefit from.",
          "audience": "People working in design",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762368,
          "author": "wpietri",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T02:39:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762368",
          "commentText": "Franz de Waal's \"Chimpanzee Politics\". It's nominally about the social relationships of a chimp colony in a Dutch zoo. But it made me see the extent to which humans are just another great ape, and a lot of human dynamics are really primate dynamics, especially around social power.\nJohnstone's \"Impro\". It's about improvisational theater, and mainly meant for people learning improv. But the section on status transactions helped me see a lot about how we express those primate dominance dynamics. There's also great material on the nature of creativity.\n\"Getting to Yes\" is a great book about business negotiation, but is lessons about shifting discussions from zero-sum to positive-sum are things I use a lot.\nBraitenberg's \"Vehicles: Experiments in Synthetic Psychology\" is a way of thinking about psychology (and our inference of mind) by examining imaginary robots.\n\"The Toyota Way\" and other books on Lean Manufacturing are about running extremely effective manufacturing operations. But they have deeply changed how I think about systems of making software and running businesses. Other great books in this category include \"Toyota Kata\" and \"Principles of Product Development Flow\".\n\"Crossing the Chasm\" is about how tech products get adopted. But its mindset around segmenting audiences and building credibility taught me a lot about any sort of social change.\n\"Why Does He Do That? Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men\" is nominally about abuse in romantic relationships. But its insights about power and control have  been useful to me way beyond that. E.g., so much behavior in large corporations is inexplicable if you look at it in business terms, and perfectly sensible if you think about if from the perspective of, \"What would a person with abusive tendencies gain from this situation?\"\nAlso, hearty +1s for books \"Design of Everyday Things\", \"Finite and Infinite Games\", and \"Punished by Rewards\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "hearty +1s for books \"Design of Everyday Things\"",
          "reason": "Included in the author's hearty endorsements.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14136739,
          "author": "machtesh",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T05:40:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14136739",
          "commentText": "This is exactly the kind of book I had in mind when I posted the question. It's scary how often I think about it, especially when going through doors.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is exactly the kind of book I had in mind when I posted the question. It's scary how often I think about it, especially when going through doors.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is exactly the kind of book they had in mind and that they often think about it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14136564,
          "author": "justinucd",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T04:51:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14136564",
          "commentText": "Don Norman - The Design of Everyday Things",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Don Norman - The Design of Everyday Things",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13805490,
          "author": "plainOldText",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T19:50:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805490",
          "commentText": "+1 The Design of Everyday Things. I believe this is a must read for anyone creating something for other people. I'm definitely a better designer because of it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I believe this is a must read for anyone creating something for other people. I'm definitely a better designer because of it.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a must read for people creating things for others and says it made them a better designer.",
          "audience": "People who design or create things for others.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13805376,
          "author": "twoodfin",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T19:36:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805376",
          "commentText": "Beware, though, as it may lead you to get unreasonably upset every time you encounter a misleading door handle.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Beware, though, as it may lead you to get unreasonably upset every time you encounter a misleading door handle.",
          "reason": "The commenter warns that the book can make readers unusually irritated by misleading door handles.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "May lead to unreasonable frustration with misleading door handles.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12717533,
          "author": "wodenokoto",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-16T07:47:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12717533",
          "commentText": "Design of everyday object is really great and I cannot recommend it enough.\nUdacity also has a mooc that follows the book and is taught by the author\nhttps://www.udacity.com/course/intro-to-the-design-of-everyd... (https://www.udacity.com/course/intro-to-the-design-of-everyday-things--design101)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Design of everyday object is really great and I cannot recommend it enough.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it great and strongly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12711815,
          "author": "overeater",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-14T23:28:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12711815",
          "commentText": "Some of the reading list in the UI/UX course at Brown:\nhttp://cs.brown.edu/courses/csci1300/\nParticularly (free links with pdfs),\nDon Norman - Design of Everyday Things\nhttps://archive.org/details/DesignOfEverydayThings\nBill Buxton - Input Manuscript\nhttp://www.billbuxton.com/inputManuscript.html\nAlan Cooper - About Face\nhttp://feiramoderna.net/download/pos-positivo/COOPER-Alan/Ab... (http://feiramoderna.net/download/pos-positivo/COOPER-Alan/About_Face_3-The_Essentials_of_Interaction_Design.pdf)\nVignelli - The Vignelli Canon\nhttp://www.vignelli.com/canon.pdf\nBill Buxton - Sketching User Experiences\nhttp://bscw.wineme.fb5.uni-siegen.de/pub/bscw.cgi/d807887/Sk... (http://bscw.wineme.fb5.uni-siegen.de/pub/bscw.cgi/d807887/Sketching_User_Experiences___Getting_the_Design_Right_and_the_Right_Design__Interactive_Technologies_.pdf)\n(the workshop slides)\nhttps://www.medien.ifi.lmu.de/lehre/ss14/id/Day%202%20Sketch... (https://www.medien.ifi.lmu.de/lehre/ss14/id/Day%202%20Sketching%20IxD.pdf)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Don Norman - Design of Everyday Things",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12711473,
          "author": "ritchiea",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-14T22:04:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12711473",
          "commentText": "My favorites are the classic \"The Design of Everyday Things\" and \"Microinteractions\" (http://microinteractions.com/about-the-book/).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favorites are the classic \"The Design of Everyday Things\"",
          "reason": "Named as one of the commenter's favorites in response to a request for books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12711124,
          "author": "YZF",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-14T21:13:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12711124",
          "commentText": "\"The Design of Everyday Things\" is a classic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Design of Everyday Things\" is a classic.",
          "reason": "Describes the book as a classic in response to a request for design books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12418273,
          "author": "sathishvj",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-03T08:12:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12418273",
          "commentText": "I too have been recommending this book quite a bit for new UI developers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I too have been recommending this book quite a bit for new UI developers.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly says they regularly recommend the book to new UI developers.",
          "audience": "New UI developers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416152,
          "author": "thrilleratplay",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T20:47:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416152",
          "commentText": "The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman\nThis should be a required reading for anyone who does UI design.  It helps explain why items you interact with subconsciously frustrate you and why product simplicity is typically better than more features.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This should be a required reading for anyone who does UI design. It helps explain why items you interact with subconsciously frustrate you and why product simplicity is typically better than more features.",
          "reason": "Calls it required reading for UI designers and explains its practical insight.",
          "audience": "People who do UI design.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12263344,
          "author": "dmreedy",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-10T17:18:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 12262586,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are good reads for designing APIs?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12263344",
          "commentText": "I'm going to take the pretentious and predictable* route here and recommend The Design of Everyday Things. It's not about REST APIs or whatever particular instance you're after, but it is more philosophical about what APIs are.\n*Like a freshman preaching Rand",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "recommend The Design of Everyday Things.",
          "reason": "Recommended for a philosophical perspective on what APIs are.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not specifically about REST APIs.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297799,
          "author": "roymurdock",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:56:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297799",
          "commentText": "Older Stuff: The Bible/Quran, The Republic (Plato), The Social Contract (Rousseau), Tao Te Ching (Laozi), Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky), History of the Peloponnesian War (Thucydides)\nNewer Stuff: Nine Stories (Salinger), The Razor's Edge (Maugham), Nausea (Sartre), Siddartha (Hesse), Road to Serfdom (Hayek), The Book (Watts), Design of Everyday Things (Norman), Atlas Shrugged (Rand), Invisible Man (Ellison), Debunking Economics (Keen), Blood Meridian (McCarthy), The Center Cannot Hold (Saks), This Time Is Different (Reinhart/Rogoff), Infinite Jest (Wallace), Calvin and Hobbes (Watterson)\nAll of these books are well written and have given me some perspective on interesting people/situations/ways of thinking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Design of Everyday Things (Norman)",
          "reason": "Listed among books said to have given the commenter perspective on interesting people, situations, and ways of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229681,
          "author": "shpx",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:15:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229681",
          "commentText": "The Design of Everyday Things. Probably the quintessential book on design, the basic premise is that if you can't figure out how a thing works, it's not your fault.\nStructures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down. About the engineering of various things, mostly buildings. Highly recommend.\nThe Elements of Computer Systems (better known as NAND to Tetris). Describes a computer from the bottom up.\nA History of the Arab Peoples\nThe Quran\nThe Bible\nSpace and Time in General Relativity by David Mermin\nFeynman QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Design of Everyday Things. Probably the quintessential book on design, the basic premise is that if you can't figure out how a thing works, it's not your fault.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the quintessential book on design and summarizes its premise.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in design and how people interact with objects.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9349919,
          "author": "javamonn",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T18:40:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9349919",
          "commentText": "I read three books at a time, and only pick up/start/buy a new one once I finish one. Helps acquiring a large back log of unread literature around the apartment. :)\n  * Labyrinths - Jorge Louis Borges [0]\nI believe HN was the reason I picked this up, if I remember correctly. It's a collection of short stories, each of which can be finished in a night, which is satisfying. I really dig his writing style and fantastical nature of the stories. I've done a bit of philosophical reading but a lot of the references he makes go over my head, leaving me to do a bit of research after each story.\n  * The Design of Everyday Things - Don Norman [1]\nPicked this up after finishing Debbie Millman's How to Think Like a Great Graphic Designer [2] (Misleading title, I would 100% recommend this book to anyone). I'm not sure what I expected, but so far this hasn't been satisfying. The first couple of chapters have been laying out a framework and defining terms. Considering swapping this out for Jon Kolko's Well Designed - How to Use Empathy To Create Products People Love [3], which seemed much more actionable after picking it up at Barnes and Noble.\n  * Real World OCaml - Yaron Minsky, Anil Madhavapeddy, Jason Hickey [4]\n\nSecond time picking this up, originally read up to chapter on Functors over the summer. I started over this time and I'm about finished with the first section, \"Language Concepts\", now. It's worth noting that the entire text is available online for free on the book's website. [5] I did some Scheme in high school and read through the fist half of SICP and dabble in functional js, but this is my first experience with a semi pure functional language and I'm loving it. I'm going through the functional challenges on Hackerrank in OCaml at the same time to solidify some of the language concepts. Decided to go with OCaml over Haskell or Clojure because I'm super interested in using/contributing to Mirage OS [6]\n[0] http://www.amazon.com/Labyrinths-Directions-Paperbook-Jorge-... (http://www.amazon.com/Labyrinths-Directions-Paperbook-Jorge-Borges/dp/0811216993)\n[1] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0465050654\n[2] http://www.amazon.com/Think-Like-Great-Graphic-Designer/dp/1... (http://www.amazon.com/Think-Like-Great-Graphic-Designer/dp/1581154968)\n[3] http://www.amazon.com/Well-Designed-Empathy-Create-Products-... (http://www.amazon.com/Well-Designed-Empathy-Create-Products-People/dp/1625274793)\n[4] http://www.amazon.com/Real-World-OCaml-Functional-programmin... (http://www.amazon.com/Real-World-OCaml-Functional-programming/dp/144932391X)\n[5] https://realworldocaml.org/v1/en/html/index.html\n[6] http://openmirage.org/\nedit: formatting",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "so far this hasn't been satisfying.",
          "reason": "The commenter has not found it satisfying so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The first chapters focus on establishing a framework and defining terms.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7004875,
          "author": "meerita",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-03T10:55:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 7001282,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7004875",
          "commentText": "In no particular order:\nWhat Would Machiavelli Do? The Ends Justify the Meanness\n1984\nFarenheit 541\nFoundation (all saga)\nThe Hobbit\nThe Lord of the Rings (all saga)\nThe Prince\nDe Bello Gallico and Other Commentaries\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nThe Riverworld (an entire saga of 5 books)\nOn the Good Life\nTreatises on Friendship and Old Age\nAsimov On Numbers\nAsimov on Chemistry\nThe Roman Republic\nAnd hundreds more I cannot list.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Design of Everyday Things",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6975700,
          "author": "nadiac",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T18:34:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6975700",
          "commentText": "\"The design of Everyday things\" Donald A. Normann",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The design of Everyday things\" Donald A. Normann",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5859121,
          "author": "emansim",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-11T02:07:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 5859004,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5859121",
          "commentText": "The Design of Everyday Things by Donald Norman",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Design of Everyday Things by Donald Norman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4787936,
          "author": "SuperChihuahua",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T10:10:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787936",
          "commentText": "Coders at work\nThe numbers behind Numb3rs\nStatistical methods in counterterrorism\nTotal recall (the biography by Schwarzenegger)\nFrom dictatorship to democracy (available for free here: http://www.aeinstein.org/organizations98ce.html)\nThe miracle of mindfulness\nThe design of everyday things\nEscape from camp 14",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The design of everyday things",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2149024,
          "author": "pkamb",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T19:03:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2149024",
          "commentText": "Without a doubt. The big takeaway from the book is that when you encounter something that's hard to use, it's not your fault for not knowing how to use it. It's the thing's fault for being badly designed. Read this book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "when you encounter something that's hard to use, it's not your fault for not knowing how to use it. It's the thing's fault for being badly designed. Read this book.",
          "reason": "Affirms the idea that usability problems can result from poor design and explicitly urges readers to read the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2148482,
          "author": "snikolov",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T16:47:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2148482",
          "commentText": "The Design of Everyday Things by Donald Norman.  It talks about good and bad design in everyday objects through lots of enlightening and amusing stories and examples (doors that look like you should push them but you actually have to pull, mixing boards with dozens of identical knobs, aircraft software that hides important state information, etc).  It provides some interesting insights from cognitive science and psychology too.  It definitely made me a lot more conscious of how I went about making things that people would use and how those things could effectively communicate through their design what should be done with them.  This also had an impact into how I went about communicating in general.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Design-Everyday-Things-Donald-Norman/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Design-Everyday-Things-Donald-Norman/dp/0385267746)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Design of Everyday Things by Donald Norman.",
          "reason": "Says its examples and insights changed how they design things and communicate.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Design of Everyday Things",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752669,
          "author": "Symmetry",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T13:24:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752669",
          "commentText": "Trying to confine myself to books I haven't seen others mention:\n\"Guns, Votes, and Democracy\" is a wonderful book about democracy in the third world and is both insightful and surprisingly readable.\n\"The Retreat to Commitment\" is the only philosophy book I'd actually recommend.\n\"The Design of Everyday Things\" is a book for anyone who makes or uses things.\n\"The Transparent Society\" is a thought provoking book on the future of privacy.\n\"The Mystery of Capital\" is a book on the importance of non-corrupt government in successful capitalism, a good point of view to have in addition to Rand.\n\"The Strategy of Conflict\" on how to use game theory in the real world, and negotiations especially.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Design of Everyday Things\" is a book for anyone who makes or uses things.",
          "reason": "The commenter presents it as relevant to anyone who makes or uses things.",
          "audience": "Anyone who makes or uses things.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 296189,
          "author": "umangjaipuria",
          "createdAt": "2008-09-05T19:13:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 295871,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HC: Which books on user interface design do you wish your CEO/Cofounders would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=296189",
          "commentText": "The Design Of Everyday Things (mentioned above as well) is one of my favourite design books.\nBut will reading books help? What is your intent in suggesting such books to them?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Design Of Everyday Things (mentioned above as well) is one of my favourite design books.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of their favorite design books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240672,
          "author": "rdoherty",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T02:21:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240672",
          "commentText": "* The Pragmatic Programmer\n* Becoming a Technical Leader\n* In Search of Stupidity\n* Hackers & Painters\n* Blockbusters\n* Joel on Software: And on Diverse and Occasionally Related Matters That Will Prove of Interest to Software Developers, Designers, and Managers, and to Those Who, Whether by Good Fortune or Ill Luck, Work with Them in Some Capacity\n* The Best Software Writing I\n* Behind Closed Doors\n* Managing Humans\n* The Mythical Man-Month\n* Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams\n* The Non-Designers Design Book\n* Founders at Work\n* Good to Great\n* Dreaming in Code\n* The Art of the Start\n* Maverick\n* The Design of Everyday Things\n* The Art of Project Management\n* The Art of Innovation",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* The Design of Everyday Things",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143380,
          "author": "_5y6p",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T16:32:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143380",
          "commentText": "Without a doubt, Heidegger's explanation of readiness-to-hand in Being and Time has done more for my usability and process inefficiency evaluating skills than even Don Norman's Design of Everyday Things or any HCI book I've ever read.  While Norman's book comes in a strong second, the benefit of the first few chapters of Being and Time is the incredibly low-level cognitive access it gives you to the work your brain does when engaged in a task.  (If you're interested and don't mind slogging through some tough writing, pick up the hardcover version and Dreyfus' Being-in-the-World and read them together.  Reading a Wikipedia article or some other summary fails to deliver the same degree of low-level access.)\nI'll also mention Ayn Rand as someone who wrote inspiringly about the entrepreneur as a (potentially) heroic figure, but hasten to add that her sociology of looters and movers is way too simplistic to ground some of her views on ethics.\nJohn Stuart Mill's \"Utilitarianism\" was my first assigned reading in a political philosophy class, and remains my favorite.\nNietzsche's On the Genealogy of Morals prompted me to question whether the values I had always held were really all that valuable.\nEleanor Rosch's work on basic categories and prototype theory (without which Lakoff's Women, Fire, and Dangerous Things--not to mention Weinberger's Everything is Miscellaneous--would likely not have been written) is fantastic, debunking empirically the Aristotelian theory of categories as being defined by necessary and sufficient conditions (they can be, where we intentionally define them to be from a top-down point of view, as in geometry, but bottom-up the construction of categories is much looser and based on family resemblances with one or several prototypes serving as the central point of comparison: hence, when I say \"bird\" you're more likely to think of a bluebird-type bird than a penguin or an ostrich).  Knowing this does a lot to help loosen up your understanding of things, which can become rigidified by traditional mathematical, scientific, and analytic philosophical education.\nSeveral others worth mentioning, but I've got to get back to work!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "While Norman's book comes in a strong second",
          "reason": "The commenter ranks it second to Being and Time for its benefit to their work.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in usability and design.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 138001,
          "author": "hooande",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-16T05:23:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=138001",
          "commentText": "I recommend \"The Design of Everyday Things\" (formely \"The Psychology of Everyday Things\") by Donald Norman. It's kind of dated and it's focused on product design, but it has some very good ideas about making products that are easy to use and understand.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I recommend \"The Design of Everyday Things\"",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it for its ideas about making products easy to use and understand.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is somewhat dated and focused on product design.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135444,
          "author": "mosburger",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T20:04:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135444",
          "commentText": "-Showstopper by G. Pascal Zachary\n-The Design of Everyday Things by Donald Norman\n-UNIX in a Nutshell (O'Reilly book written by Arnold Robbins)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Design of Everyday Things by Donald Norman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135395,
          "author": "amohr",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T19:19:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135395",
          "commentText": "The Design of Everyday Things - Don Norman\nI know he's gotten some flak lately for ripping on 37signals, but this book seriously changed how I look at the world... especially doors.\nFreakonomics - Steven Levitt\nGood for understanding the value of taking another perspective.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this book seriously changed how I look at the world... especially doors.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book changed how they see the world, especially doors.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentions that the author has recently gotten flak for criticizing 37signals.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85991,
          "author": "Kaizyn",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T17:12:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85991",
          "commentText": "This is a great book.  It delves into the psychology of how we think about and use the built world and explains why some things are simply hard to use as compared to other, better designed things.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is a great book.",
          "reason": "Calls the book great and praises its explanation of why some things are hard to use.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85860,
          "author": "tmm1",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T07:57:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85860",
          "commentText": "The Design of Everyday Things",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Design of Everyday Things",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Don Norman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 60,
      "threads": 40,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Psychology",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "usability",
        "human centered design",
        "user centered design",
        "user experience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "code-the-hidden-language-of-computer-hardware-and-software-3c055b",
      "title": "Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software",
      "author": "Charles Petzold",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49743024,
          "author": "pid0x17",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-17T16:20:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 49724691,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most career altering course or book you have gone through?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49743024",
          "commentText": "Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware And Software by Charles Petzold.\nI read it in my second year of studying computer-science during the summer break, and it completely changed how I view computing.\nFirst of all, the contents alone are quite valuable, even though it is an old book, as it basically walks you through building a simple relay computer on paper, with a CPU, RAM, simplified input devices, teaches you Intel 8080 assembly as an example of assembly programming, and then even goes over a simplified BIOS, OS, GPU and higher-level languages at the end, and it does not assume you have any previous knowledge; it starts from the basic physics behind electricity, then goes into boolean algebra, logic gates, etc. It's basically computer-architecture for the layman.\nBeyond the content of the book, I think the biggest mark it left on me is that it taught me that there is no magic behind the layers of abstraction, and that breaking problems and concepts down into simpler ones can make what initially seems like a very complex topic into something that someone can easily follow and understand.\nAfter I read the book, a lot of things I had already learnt at university felt like they made more sense, and I then took courses like Computer Architecture and Digital Circuit Design, where I felt a lot more confident than I probably would have, had I not read that book. It definitely colored how I viewed a lot of the courses I took at university after having read it.\nIn my career as a software developer, I still often think about that book, and I love to learn things by re-inventing the wheel and building simpler versions of complex existing software.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware And Software by Charles Petzold.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed how they view computing and made later university courses feel clearer.",
          "audience": "Readers without previous computing knowledge; the commenter describes it as computer architecture for the layman.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is an old book.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 49477110,
          "author": "Cheese48923846",
          "createdAt": "2026-08-28T11:34:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 49464764,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: If I am 16 what should I learn? Which books should read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49477110",
          "commentText": "Code by Charles Petzold. Greeat first book for anyone going down the techy path. Will fill in knowledge gaps missing from most new people.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code by Charles Petzold. Greeat first book for anyone going down the techy path. Will fill in knowledge gaps missing from most new people.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a first book that fills in foundational technical knowledge.",
          "audience": "People pursuing a technical path, especially newcomers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43187100,
          "author": "mindcrash",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-26T19:17:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 43084739,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction/non-fiction book should everyone read on the topic of CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43187100",
          "commentText": "Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software by Charles Petzold\nhttps://codehiddenlanguage.com/\nAlgorithms to Live by: The Computer Science of Human Decisions by Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths\nMythical Man Month by Frederick Brooks",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software by Charles Petzold",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43094051,
          "author": "vintageclothldn",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-18T19:38:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 43084739,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction/non-fiction book should everyone read on the topic of CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43094051",
          "commentText": "Personally really enjoyed Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Personally really enjoyed Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software",
          "reason": "The commenter says they personally really enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42219010,
          "author": "yaskour",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T03:28:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42219010",
          "commentText": "Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software\nthis book is a good read if you wanna know computer history , how it started and how it evolved",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software",
          "reason": "Recommended for learning about computer history and how computers evolved.",
          "audience": "Readers who want to learn computer history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33653942,
          "author": "bbyford",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-18T12:59:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33653942",
          "commentText": "computers in general–this book opened my eyes to how everything actually works... mostly :)\nhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Code-Language-Computer-Hardware-Sof... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Code-Language-Computer-Hardware-Software/dp/0137909101/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3SBG8UH4KCBC6&keywords=code&qid=1668776355&s=books&sprefix=code%2Cstripbooks%2C60&sr=1-1&pldnSite=1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this book opened my eyes to how everything actually works... mostly :)",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book helped them understand how computers work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter adds “mostly.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33381955,
          "author": "diarrhea",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T07:52:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33381955",
          "commentText": "Code, 2nd edition, by Charles Petzold.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Code, 2nd edition, by Charles Petzold.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32793465,
          "author": "thenberlin",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T18:50:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32793465",
          "commentText": "Big +1 for Code by Petzold. Just started the 2nd edition that came out last month and I'm blown away by Petzold's ability to pack in meaningful, interesting information without sacrificing readability.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Big +1 for Code by Petzold.",
          "reason": "The commenter strongly endorses the book and praises its readable presentation of meaningful information.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32198101,
          "author": "Surfactant7",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:55:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32198101",
          "commentText": "Old Man and the Sea. Was forced to read it in high school and promptly forgot it. Read it again and it's amazing. A short but big story about wants vs. needs with a surprising but inevitable ending.\nBefore that, The Great Gatsby. Same thing - forced to read earlier, then decided to read again. I missed so much about it the first time around.\nIt's kind of sad how education can tarnish classics in this way.\nTo re-iterate another commenter, Code by Prezold is surprisingly good (based on first few dozen pages). I had low expectations based on what seemed like hype, but so far it's holding up. It reminds me of the way that James Burke in his series Connections wove what seemed to be entirely disconnected technological threads together.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "To re-iterate another commenter, Code by Prezold is surprisingly good",
          "reason": "Echoes another commenter's recommendation and says it is surprisingly good so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Based on the first few dozen pages.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32197833,
          "author": "Li7h",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:25:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197833",
          "commentText": "Code by Charles Petzold for a month or so after seeing it recommended here over and over. It's highly recommended for a reason! Petzold's explanations are phenomenal. Can't wait for the 2nd edition so I can reread it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code by Charles Petzold for a month or so after seeing it recommended here over and over. It's highly recommended for a reason!",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly recommends it and praises Petzold’s explanations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31232163,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-02T07:04:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 31166475,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Top inspiring books on crucial CS ideas?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31232163",
          "commentText": "Gee, I've read 6 or 7 and found all of them extremely inspiring. (I've not read Code or CLRS Algorithms, and only parts of SICP and TAoCP) Well ok, 'inspiring' maybe is not exactly the word for Man-Month, but it is fascinating. Looks like the list of 10 most-recommended programming books, and things don't get on that list for no reason!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "(I've not read Code or CLRS Algorithms, and only parts of SICP and TAoCP)",
          "reason": "Lists it among books the commenter has not read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have not read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31167257,
          "author": "Parker_Powell",
          "createdAt": "2022-04-26T13:33:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 31166475,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Top inspiring books on crucial CS ideas?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31167257",
          "commentText": "No matter how long you've been a programmer, you're always looking for new ways to hone your craft and learn new techniques. One of the best ways to do that is by reading books on programming—as in, books that are actually about programming. Here's our list of 10 of the best.\n1. Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software\n2. Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship\n3. Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code\n4. The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master\n5. Don't Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability\n6. The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering\n7. Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\n8. Introduction to Algorithms (The MIT Press)\n9. Programming Pearls (2nd Edition)\n10. The Art of Computer Programming",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1. Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's ten recommended programming books.",
          "audience": "Programmers looking to learn programming and computer concepts.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30829754,
          "author": "aftergibson",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T12:27:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30829754",
          "commentText": "This was the exact book I came to suggest. How I wish I’d been handed this in my first year of university and not the dry textbooks teaching the same thing but making it about a dozen times more difficult.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This was the exact book I came to suggest.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they also intended to suggest the book, and wishes they had read it earlier instead of dry textbooks.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter contrasts it with dry textbooks that teach the same material.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30828942,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T10:03:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30828942",
          "commentText": "You have a valid viewpoint.\nI think it is more due to the failure of the CS \"Intelligentsia\" to popularize Computing(theory) and Computer(machines) Sciences for the Layman.\nComputers have ushered in a most radical change in our societies and yet they are a complete mystery to most \"ordinary\" people. There are more popular science books on \"Quantum Physics\" than on \"Computing/Computer Science\" which is sad to say the least.\nBut i think there is hope for the future with books like a) Code by Charles Petzold b) Algorithmics by David Harel becoming more popular.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "books like a) Code by Charles Petzold",
          "reason": "Named as a popular science book that may help explain computing to lay readers.",
          "audience": "Lay readers interested in computing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30826250,
          "author": "jeffreyrogers",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T01:58:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30826250",
          "commentText": "I randomly picked Code off a library shelf when I was a child, not sure the exact age but probably 13 or earlier, and it drew me into programming.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I randomly picked Code off a library shelf",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book drew them into programming.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The exact age is uncertain; probably 13 or younger.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30823950,
          "author": "muh_gradle",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-27T20:45:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30823950",
          "commentText": "Code by Petzold is 100% my choice as well. It is an incredibly good book to describe not just code but computing and ultimately computing machines. I would give my 18 year old self Code and it would've done a very good job of piecing all the college courses that I would end up taking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code by Petzold is 100% my choice as well. It is an incredibly good book to describe not just code but computing and ultimately computing machines.",
          "reason": "Strongly endorses it as an accessible explanation of code, computing, and computers.",
          "audience": "A curious beginner; the commenter says they would have given it to their 18-year-old self.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30823484,
          "author": "redwoolf",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-27T19:55:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30823484",
          "commentText": "I came here to mention this book. I think it's a great introduction to how computers work and well written.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this book",
          "reason": "The commenter agrees that it is a great introduction to how computers work and is well written.",
          "audience": "Readers curious about how computers work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30496325,
          "author": "Lamad123",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-28T04:10:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30496325",
          "commentText": "That one is good too, though it can get a little obscure in some sections.. I tried reading it twice! The first time I was stuck on the memory chapter. The second time I was stalled by the clock and synchronization thing, but it's still a great book. I hope I can muster the courage to read his Annotated Turing Paper.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "That one is good too, though it can get a little obscure in some sections.. I tried reading it twice! The first time I was stuck on the memory chapter. The second time I was stalled by the clock and synchronization thing, but it's still a great book.",
          "reason": "Calls the book great while noting that some sections are obscure.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some sections, including memory and clock synchronization, were difficult for the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30486599,
          "author": "cenny",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T09:09:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486599",
          "commentText": "The three books that I have appreciated the most when it comes to computer science must be:\n- Code The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software (https://www.programmingbooks.dev/#code)\n- Grokking Algorithms (https://www.programmingbooks.dev/#grokking-algorithms)\n- The Little Schemer (https://www.programmingbooks.dev/#the-little-schemer)\nThese two books I really found interesting as well:\n- Nine Algorithms That Changed the Future (https://www.programmingbooks.dev/extra/#nine-algorithms-that... (https://www.programmingbooks.dev/extra/#nine-algorithms-that-changed-the-future))\n- Good Math (https://www.programmingbooks.dev/extra/#good-math)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s most appreciated computer science books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30241988,
          "author": "skripp",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T08:46:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241988",
          "commentText": "Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software.\nWonderfully written book on how computers work.\nIt's even a good read for the curious non-technical reader. However, some chapters might be a bit hard for them. The first road block seem to be the chapter on logic gates, but with some help it's not that bad.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as an accessible explanation of how computers work, while noting some chapters may be hard for nontechnical readers.",
          "audience": "Curious nontechnical readers, with some help for the harder chapters.",
          "caveat": "The chapter on logic gates may be a roadblock for nontechnical readers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29307602,
          "author": "lghh",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T15:45:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29307602",
          "commentText": "I feel the opposite. I read it right after taking a computer organization class in college. Both Code and the course covered very similar topics. I really enjoyed and appreciated how clear and concise and friendly of a read it was even more after taking the course.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Both Code and the course covered very similar topics. I really enjoyed and appreciated how clear and concise and friendly of a read it was",
          "reason": "Says the book covered topics similar to a computer organization course and was clear, concise, and enjoyable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29307265,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T15:22:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29307265",
          "commentText": "Yes that's in the spirit! I personally did not enjoy it though because it tried to explain at a level that non-programmers could understand so it didn't exactly go fast enough. I got bored reading it so I wouldn't recommend it to other programmers.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I personally did not enjoy it though",
          "reason": "The commenter says they got bored and would not recommend it to other programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "The commenter found its explanations too slow for programmers.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29307220,
          "author": "kinbiko",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T15:19:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29307220",
          "commentText": "Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code:_The_Hidden_Language_of_C... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code:_The_Hidden_Language_of_Computer_Hardware_and_Software) comes to mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software",
          "reason": "Suggested as a book that comes to mind for the request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28663811,
          "author": "qorrect",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T19:26:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28663811",
          "commentText": "Not sure this one counts but it's one of the best books ever:\nCode by Charles Petzold - https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/44882.Code .\nOthers would be:\nNeural Smithing ( its now obsolete but was great at the time ) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1153223.Neural_Smithing\nThe Pragmatic Programmer https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/4099.The_Pragmatic_Pr... (https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/4099.The_Pragmatic_Programmer)\nThe Effective series by Scott Myers https://www.goodreads.com/series/160060-effective-c",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code by Charles Petzold",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the best books ever.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23730968,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-04T08:23:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23730968",
          "commentText": "The author's name is \"Charles Petzold\" and yes \"The Annotated Turing\" is a great book.\nAll of Petzold's books are excellent, in particular; \"Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software\" should be read by everybody to understand how Computers really work.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software\" should be read by everybody to understand how Computers really work.",
          "reason": "Recommends it to understand how computers work.",
          "audience": "Everybody.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22707970,
          "author": "samhenke",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T23:57:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22707970",
          "commentText": "\"Code\" by Charles Petzold is a great read.  It describes how computers work from the bottom up, starting with how you can get electricity to do math.  I've recommended it to people of all backgrounds, and everyone loves it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Code\" by Charles Petzold is a great read.",
          "reason": "Explains how computers work from the bottom up, beginning with using electricity to do math.",
          "audience": "People of all backgrounds.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21768631,
          "author": "vertexmachina",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-12T01:48:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 21765528,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fun Tech Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21768631",
          "commentText": "Fantastic book. I learned everything it covers in college, but the way it masterfully connects them all together is incredible and made connections in my brain that I didn't have before.\nThere's also something satisfying about seeing incremental abstractions develop in an intuitive way.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fantastic book. I learned everything it covers in college, but the way it masterfully connects them all together is incredible and made connections in my brain that I didn't have before.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises how it connects ideas and helps readers make new connections.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter had already learned the material covered in college.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21765886,
          "author": "anderspitman",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-11T19:32:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 21765528,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fun Tech Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21765886",
          "commentText": "CODE by Charles Petzold",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "CODE by Charles Petzold",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for fun technical book recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in how computers work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21313534,
          "author": "archielc",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T15:41:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21313534",
          "commentText": "Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software by Charles Petzold\nThis one's for you if you want to learn or just recap principles of computers (and read on evolution as well). I just started reading it and found it suprisingly easy to follow. It's perfect if you like things explained step-by-step and in a simple way.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "found it suprisingly easy to follow. It's perfect if you like things explained step-by-step and in a simple way.",
          "reason": "Praises its easy, step-by-step explanations and recommends it for learning or review.",
          "audience": "Readers who want to learn or recap computer principles through simple explanations.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has only just started reading it.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21312410,
          "author": "dawg-",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T14:09:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21312410",
          "commentText": "I never formally studied CS, but I can strongly recommend Code by Charles Petzold.\nIf you want to learn how a computer does what it does at the absolute lowest levels, it's a great starting point. It's all written in laymans terms so it's good as a conceptual overview or for people without a strong math background. If you're interested in diving super deep into that kind of stuff I imagine it would be a great high level overview to anchor yourself.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can strongly recommend Code by Charles Petzold.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends it as a starting point for learning how computers work at low levels.",
          "audience": "Readers without a strong math background or seeking a conceptual overview.",
          "caveat": "A high-level overview for readers who want to dive much deeper into the subject.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20734768,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-19T03:56:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20734768",
          "commentText": "Seconded. This is a good recommendation particularly for somebody who is just starting out (the OP has only done a js bootcamp and so has a very long way to go!)\nPair the above with Petzold's \"Code\" and you get a very good idea of both the Theory and the Machine.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pair the above with Petzold's \"Code\"",
          "reason": "Described as a useful pairing for understanding theory and the machine.",
          "audience": "Someone starting out in computer science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20729573,
          "author": "rhizome31",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T11:23:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20729573",
          "commentText": "For a gentle introduction to algorithms and Big O, \"Grokking Algorithms\" is easy to read and fun. For more in depth and systematic study, Sedgwick's \"Algorithms\" is a very clear and beautiful book.\nFor computer architecture, Petzold's \"Code\" is wonderful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Petzold's \"Code\" is wonderful",
          "reason": "Recommended as a wonderful book on computer architecture.",
          "audience": "Readers learning computer architecture.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20676522,
          "author": "emilwallner",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T15:49:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20676522",
          "commentText": "Is there a math equivalent to Charles Petzold's Code? I.e. a brief history of math where you feel like you invent the key steps yourself.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Charles Petzold's Code",
          "reason": "Mentioned as an example of a book that traces a subject's history through key ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15963444,
          "author": "csnewb",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T19:40:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15963444",
          "commentText": "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck is a cringy read, I couldn't get past the first chapter. Deep Work as a whole can be summarized in a sentence. My interpretation is: put away distractions and focus on getting things done. There's other advice there but none of it is anything you haven't heard of before. CODE is great on the other hand. Just skip the nonsense self-help stuff.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "CODE is great on the other hand.",
          "reason": "Explicitly praises CODE.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14860045,
          "author": "bawigga",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:34:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14860045",
          "commentText": "The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood\nThe 4-Hour Body - Tim Ferriss - Lot's of anecdotes from Ferriss' own experiments.\nS. - by J.J. Abrams - Layers upon layers. Unlike anything I've read before and a true Abrams experience. Check it out if you haven't heard of it!\nCode: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software -\n Charles Petzold - Fascinating PopSci book on the origins of Computers and Code. Each chapter seems to build on the knowledge you've built from previous chapters. Interesting read for the programmer/computer engineer and VERY approachable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fascinating PopSci book on the origins of Computers and Code. Each chapter seems to build on the knowledge you've built from previous chapters. Interesting read for the programmer/computer engineer and VERY approachable.",
          "reason": "Calls it fascinating and interesting, and says it is very approachable.",
          "audience": "Programmers and computer engineers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14744629,
          "author": "Top19",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T14:49:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14744629",
          "commentText": "\"Mathematics: From the Birth of Numbers\".\nIf you've ever read \"Code\" by Charles Petzold, it's as illuminating as that was.\nAlso a little bit tragic, makes you realize there is a lot of fun and beauty and even social history in math. I didn't realize there is also a lot of complaints in how math is taught, and that the arithmetic we all learn is considered the most boring part.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you've ever read \"Code\" by Charles Petzold, it's as illuminating as that was.",
          "reason": "Used as a positive comparison for the title's illuminating quality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14500035,
          "author": "mukeshm",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-06T18:54:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14500035",
          "commentText": "I am currently reading it and would definitely suggest it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I am currently reading it and would definitely suggest it.",
          "reason": "The commenter is reading it and says they would definitely suggest it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14487938,
          "author": "drio",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T14:46:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487938",
          "commentText": "+1 to Code (Petzold). I would absolutely start with that. One of my favorite books. The build a computer course from coursera (https://www.coursera.org/learn/build-a-computer) is the natural next step after reading code.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 to Code (Petzold). I would absolutely start with that. One of my favorite books.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends it as a starting point and calls it a favorite.",
          "audience": "Readers beginning to explore computer internals.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14487708,
          "author": "ctrlp",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T14:14:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487708",
          "commentText": "If you consider C to be language-agnostic, here are some gems. These are personal favorites as much for their excellent writing as for their content.\nThe Unix Programming Environment was published in 1984. I read it over 20 years later and was astonished at how well it had aged. For a technical book from the 80's, it is amazingly lucid and well-written. It pre-dates modern unix, so things have changed but much that goes unstated in newer books (for brevity) is explicit in UPE. (Plus, the history itself is illuminating.) It gave me a much deeper understanding of how programs actually run over computer hardware. Examples in C are old-school and take a bit of close reading but oh so rewarding. https://www.amazon.com/Unix-Programming-Environment-Prentice... (https://www.amazon.com/Unix-Programming-Environment-Prentice-Hall-Software/dp/013937681X)\nMastering Algorithms in C. Another fantastically well-written book that shows (with practical examples) how to implement common algorithms. This is just such a great book!\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Algorithms-Techniques-Sorti... (https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Algorithms-Techniques-Sorting-Encryption/dp/1565924533)\nAlso:\nCode (Petzold). This one is truly language-agnostic. Others have mentioned it already. Can't recommend enough if you're iffy on the internals of computers and programming.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Code-Language-Computer-Hardware-Softw... (https://www.amazon.com/Code-Language-Computer-Hardware-Software/dp/073560505X)\nWrite Great Code (Volumes I and II). Randall Hyde's books are fantastic explications of the underlying computer operations. Examples are in assembly or pseudo-code but easy to understand.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Write-Great-Code-Understanding-Machin... (https://www.amazon.com/Write-Great-Code-Understanding-Machine-ebook/dp/B0096FEJGQ/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Can't recommend enough if you're iffy on the internals of computers and programming.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommended for understanding computer and programming internals.",
          "audience": "Readers unsure about computer internals and programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13661055,
          "author": "pjungwir",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-16T16:13:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13661055",
          "commentText": "Code by Charles Petzold takes this approach to explaining how a computer works. By the end he has a working system with CPU, RAM, inputs, and outputs.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code by Charles Petzold takes this approach to explaining how a computer works.",
          "reason": "Explains how a computer works by building up a working system.",
          "audience": "Readers who want to understand computer hardware through a build-up of components.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13410038,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T14:12:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13410038",
          "commentText": "Recently?  And actually finished as opposed to skimming or working through parts of?\nCode by Charles Petzold.\nOf the ones that I haven't finished, but have at least looked at, I think I'd say:\nMachine Learning for Hackers by Drew Conway and John Myles White\nand\nThe Master Algorithm by Pedro Domingos",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Recently?  And actually finished as opposed to skimming or working through parts of?\nCode by Charles Petzold.",
          "reason": "Names it as the book the commenter recently finished.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12998525,
          "author": "i0nutzb",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-20T12:26:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12998525",
          "commentText": "Oh, that's easy: Code, by Charles Petzold [1]. One of the best book I ever read, that teach you about how computers work. The best thing is that it doesn't starts with any assumption and it gets you from the very basic - how a CPU works, how memory works - to fairly complex things (how video graphics work, how color video works and so on).\n[1]: http://amzn.to/2g6Lcfo",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code, by Charles Petzold [1]. One of the best book I ever read, that teach you about how computers work.",
          "reason": "Praised as one of the best books the commenter has read; explains how computers work from basic components to video graphics.",
          "audience": "Readers wanting an introduction to how computers work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12246413,
          "author": "yumaikas",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T09:21:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12246413",
          "commentText": "Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software was one of the most formative books for my programming self education. I've tried to loan it to several of my friends more than once, and it was a gift to me.\nAlso had a strange case of loaning out C# 4.0 in a Nutshell and never getting it back, but I would do it again (with an updated version). Albahari is good at writing a reference without being too boring, and C# has some legitimately interesting sides in how it does some things, like it's dynamically compiled regexen.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software was one of the most formative books for my programming self education. I've tried to loan it to several of my friends more than once",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it formative and has repeatedly loaned it to friends.",
          "audience": "Readers learning programming and computer hardware.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12098835,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T03:47:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12098835",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nCode by Charles Petzold\nArtificial Life - Steven Levy\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Singularity is Near - Ray Kurzweil\nSurfaces and Essences - Douglas Hofstadter\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\n-- One of my favorites is How Not to Be Wrong by Jordan Ellenbreg\nI have that on my list of \"to read real soon now\".  Sounds fascinating.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code by Charles Petzold",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229753,
          "author": "peterkelly",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:42:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229753",
          "commentText": "I'd recommend being a bit more specific about the things you're after. But here's two of my favourites (one technical, one business):\n\"Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software\", by Charles Petzold\n\"Rework\", by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "here's two of my favourites (one technical, one business):\n\"Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software\", by Charles Petzold",
          "reason": "Named as one of the commenter's favorite books in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229688,
          "author": "mbrd",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:20:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229688",
          "commentText": "If you haven't already read it, \"Getting Things Done\" by David Allen is one of the best known productivity books.\nSome people I have spoken to say his method isn't for them but I've found it useful, even if I haven't implemented everything he suggests.\nI'd also recommend \"Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software\" by Charles Petzold. It starts at simple circuits and builds up a picture of how computers work. It has really helped me get my mental models of what's going on inside a computer straightened out!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd also recommend \"Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software\"",
          "reason": "Recommended for building a clearer mental model of how computers work.",
          "audience": "Readers who want to understand what happens inside a computer.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9760607,
          "author": "why-el",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T19:22:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9760607",
          "commentText": "I second this recommendation. \"Code\" is a very enjoyable read indeed.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second this recommendation. \"Code\" is a very enjoyable read indeed.",
          "reason": "Seconds the recommendation and calls it an enjoyable read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9758452,
          "author": "joshvm",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T14:17:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758452",
          "commentText": "Code by Charles Petzold\nNot so much programming, but very good if you're interested in how your computer actually works.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code by Charles Petzold\nNot so much programming, but very good if you're interested in how your computer actually works.",
          "reason": "Described as very good for understanding how a computer works.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in how computers work.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not so much about programming.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8258231,
          "author": "drtse4",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T15:48:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8258231",
          "commentText": "Code, highly recommended, even if the content isn't new for you, it's so neatly structured that you'll enjoy reading it anyway.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code, highly recommended, even if the content isn't new for you, it's so neatly structured that you'll enjoy reading it anyway.",
          "reason": "Highly recommends it for its neat structure and enjoyable reading, even for readers familiar with the content.",
          "audience": "Readers already familiar with the content may still enjoy its structure.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8257655,
          "author": "blinkingled",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T14:13:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257655",
          "commentText": "I will second the recommendation for CODE. Great book - you can even read that with your kids.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I will second the recommendation for CODE. Great book - you can even read that with your kids.",
          "reason": "Seconds the recommendation and calls it a great book.",
          "audience": "Suitable for reading with children.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8257643,
          "author": "tyleregeto",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T14:11:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257643",
          "commentText": "Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software http://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B008PGKDOO\nThis is one of the most enjoyable reads I have had in a long time, definitely recommended.\nIntroduction to Information Retrieval http://nlp.stanford.edu/IR-book/\nThis is a free digital book, very good so far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is one of the most enjoyable reads I have had in a long time, definitely recommended.",
          "reason": "Describes it as highly enjoyable and definitely recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109145,
          "author": "DarkTree",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:24:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109145",
          "commentText": "Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software by Charles Petzold.\nA great book that explains how computers actually work through number systems and the logic that acts on those systems. You start with the theory behind binary numbers and work your way through electrical circuits, logic gates, RAM, transistors, and the operating system as you build your fundamental knowledge of the inner workings of computers. It's pretty cool.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A great book that explains how computers actually work through number systems and the logic that acts on those systems.",
          "reason": "Praises its clear explanation of computer fundamentals, from binary and logic gates to operating systems.",
          "audience": "Readers who want to understand how computers work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8021814,
          "author": "cfeduke",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-11T18:58:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8021814",
          "commentText": "Eloquent Ruby[1] by Russ Olsen\nIf you are an experienced programmer coming to Ruby this is definitely the place to start. Especially if you are a Java or .NET EE-indoctrinated programmer. The people who maintain your code after you will be thankful that you read this and wrote idiomatic Ruby.\nIf you just want to learn Ruby or read an excellent technical book as mind food this book is also a great choice.\n(Code by Petzold is actually my favorite technical book, but its already been picked.)\n[1] http://eloquentruby.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code by Petzold is actually my favorite technical book",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it their favorite technical book, while noting it has already been picked.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Already picked in the discussion.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7999724,
          "author": "kasbah",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T16:42:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7999724",
          "commentText": "Thanks for reminding me of this one. I had a brief skim of this years ago when I was short on money and time. Now with a bit more of both I have ordered a paperback copy.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I had a brief skim of this years ago when I was short on money and time.",
          "reason": "Says they skimmed it before and have now ordered a copy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7999490,
          "author": "daveloyall",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T16:01:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7999490",
          "commentText": "This book profoundly changed how I look at computers (and other things).\nhttp://www.charlespetzold.com/code/\nPetzold's style is narrative, but make no mistake: every sentence is carefully chosen.  I recommend resisting the urge to skim, lest you have to backtrack later...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book profoundly changed how I look at computers (and other things).",
          "reason": "Says the book profoundly changed how they see computers and recommends reading carefully.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The link identifies the book as Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7757257,
          "author": "arcadeparade",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:56:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7757257",
          "commentText": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code:_The_Hidden_Language_of_Co... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code:_The_Hidden_Language_of_Computer_Hardware_and_Software)\nReally good introduction to computers from relays up.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Really good introduction to computers from relays up.",
          "reason": "Praises it as an introduction to computers, beginning with relays.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6981813,
          "author": "vezzy-fnord",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-29T22:41:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 6981802,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good general technical books for teenagers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6981813",
          "commentText": "What else but Charles Petzold's phenomenal classic CODE: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software? [1]\nhttp://www.charlespetzold.com/code/ [1]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Charles Petzold's phenomenal classic CODE: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software?",
          "reason": "Called a phenomenal classic in response to a request for general technical books for a teenager.",
          "audience": "A teenager interested in general technical subjects.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6898623,
          "author": "frostmatthew",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T02:00:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6898623",
          "commentText": "CODE by Charles Petzold",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "CODE by Charles Petzold",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the question asking for the best book read in 2013.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4536813,
          "author": "davidxc",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-18T07:14:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 4530022,
          "threadTitle": "What to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4536813",
          "commentText": "If you're not too familiar with hardware or how computers work at a low level (assembly language, instruction sets, etc), then I would think about reading Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software.\nIt starts off with a story of two kids communicating to each other with flashlights in Morse code, and slowly builds up into how a computer works.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would think about reading Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software.",
          "reason": "Suggests it for readers unfamiliar with hardware and low-level computing; says it builds from Morse code to how computers work.",
          "audience": "Readers unfamiliar with hardware, assembly language, or instruction sets.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4382729,
          "author": "sun123",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-14T19:41:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 4382456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: reading list for high school students interested in CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4382729",
          "commentText": "http://www.amazon.com/Code-Language-Computer-Hardware-Softwa... (http://www.amazon.com/Code-Language-Computer-Hardware-Software/dp/0735611319/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344973287&sr=8-1&keywords=the+code+by+charles)",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "http://www.amazon.com/Code-Language-Computer-Hardware-Softwa...",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3566021,
          "author": "jrubinovitz",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-08T10:40:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 3564256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best programming books for someone in prison?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3566021",
          "commentText": "I have done work at a charity that mails donations of books to prisons called \"Books Through Bars\", and I am always excited to get a request for books on programming. You may want him to send a request to them, there will be some lag time, but it sounds like he has a bit of time left.\nI'd go with \"Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software\" or a Donald Knuth book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd go with \"Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software\"",
          "reason": "Recommended as a programming-oriented book that may suit the prison's restrictions.",
          "audience": "Someone learning computer science fundamentals through books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3564376,
          "author": "dlf",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-08T00:27:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 3564256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best programming books for someone in prison?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3564376",
          "commentText": "Ditto on \"Code.\" As a non-programmer learning to program, it was everything I needed to know to wrap my head around how everything actually works.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ditto on \"Code.\" As a non-programmer learning to program, it was everything I needed to know to wrap my head around how everything actually works.",
          "reason": "Says it provided everything needed to understand how things work while learning programming.",
          "audience": "Non-programmers learning to program.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3564314,
          "author": "cliffwarden",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-08T00:05:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 3564256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best programming books for someone in prison?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3564314",
          "commentText": "Not sure if this is the right direction or not.  In different ways they are all, essentially, about programming...\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Code-Language-Computer-Hardware-Softwa... (http://www.amazon.com/Code-Language-Computer-Hardware-Software/dp/0735611319/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328659335&sr=8-1)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Elements-Computing-Systems-Building-Pr... (http://www.amazon.com/Elements-Computing-Systems-Building-Principles/dp/0262640686/ref=pd_vtp_b_1)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Structure-Interpretation-Computer-Prog... (http://www.amazon.com/Structure-Interpretation-Computer-Programs-Engineering/dp/0262510871/ref=pd_vtp_b_6)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/G%C3%B6del-Escher-Bach-Eternal-Golden/... (http://www.amazon.com/G%C3%B6del-Escher-Bach-Eternal-Golden/dp/0465026567/ref=pd_vtp_b_12)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Pragmatic-Programmer-Journeyman-Master... (http://www.amazon.com/Pragmatic-Programmer-Journeyman-Master/dp/020161622X/ref=pd_vtp_b_13)\nGood luck!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "http://www.amazon.com/Code-Language-Computer-Hardware-Softwa...",
          "reason": "Included in a list answering which programming oriented books to recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395593,
          "author": "pencilcode",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T12:37:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395593",
          "commentText": "Code by Charles Petzold. It's made me think about computers in another light. AND to be amazed at how simple things (input/output, on/off) can add up to really big and complex systems.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's made me think about computers in another light.",
          "reason": "Says it changed how they think about computers and made them appreciate how simple components combine into complex systems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395293,
          "author": "rhizome31",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T09:46:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395293",
          "commentText": "Tech: Code by Charles Petzold\nNovel: Invisible by Paul Auster\nEssay: Après la démocratie (French) by Emmanuel Todd",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tech: Code by Charles Petzold",
          "reason": "Listed as the commenter’s tech book choice in response to the best book question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231232,
          "author": "ekm2",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T17:31:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231232",
          "commentText": "An introduction to Probability by William Feller\nCode(By Charles Petzold)\nFeynman Lectures Vol1\nArtificial Intelligence,A Modern Approach By Norvig\nBlink By Malcolm Gladwell.\nConcurrently.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Code(By Charles Petzold)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231160,
          "author": "szcukg",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T17:02:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231160",
          "commentText": "Code By Charles Petzold. This book is taking me back to school. Law of conservation of energy. Brilliant text",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code By Charles Petzold. This book is taking me back to school. Law of conservation of energy. Brilliant text",
          "reason": "Calls the book a brilliant text and says it is taking them back to school.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135373,
          "author": "bprater",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T18:48:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135373",
          "commentText": "Code by Charles Petzold is an awesome hacking book. It takes you from flipping a light switch, thru simple circuits up to assembly language. It's beautiful!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code by Charles Petzold is an awesome hacking book. It takes you from flipping a light switch, thru simple circuits up to assembly language. It's beautiful!",
          "reason": "Praised for its clear progression from basic circuits to assembly language.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Petzold"
      ],
      "recommenders": 57,
      "threads": 39,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer hardware",
        "digital logic",
        "computer systems",
        "computer architecture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-hitchhiker-s-guide-to-the-galaxy-89a62f",
      "title": "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy",
      "author": "Douglas Adams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50116165,
          "author": "manarth",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T09:29:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50116165",
          "commentText": "And yes: Tolkien, Dune, Pratchett, Douglas Adams, Asimov/Foundation, McCaffrey/Pern, Janny Wurts, Raymond E Feist, and more recently Brandon Sanderson, Patrick Rothfuss, and Melissa McPhail (who sadly passed away, with the Pattern of Shadow and Light incomplete).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Douglas Adams",
          "reason": "Listed among authors and series read repeatedly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 50116114,
          "author": "genezeta",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T09:24:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50116114",
          "commentText": "Elizabeth Hand's Winterlong, probably 3-4 times.\nMost of Raymond Chandler and Dashiel Hammet I've read multiple times. I've read Brautigan's Dreaming of Babylon a bunch of times too.\nAll of William Gibson. Miyazaki's Nausicaä of The Valley of Wind, in various languages. Stephen Cosgrove's Muffin Muncher, I couldn't say how many times I must have read that (It appears they've now changed the title to Muffin Dragon).\nI've read The Soul of a New Machine a couple of times too. The Hitchhiker's and Dirk Gently's trilogies a few times.\nStefano Benni's Baol probably half a dozen times. And Acts of The Apostles by John FX Sundman a bunch too. Oh, and a few of Martin Gardner's books. And Smullyan's To Mock a Mockingbird.\nAnd most probably also many others. Most of my books are now in boxes or have been gifted away, though.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hitchhiker's and Dirk Gently's trilogies a few times.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have read the trilogy a few times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 49907747,
          "author": "kvgr",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T12:11:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49907747",
          "commentText": "Read: American Gods, Consider Phlebas, Neuromancer, The HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Dune 1, Nineteen Eighty-Four listened to Foundation and I definitely recommend all.\nBut for me Consider Phlebas is the best. Currently on 4th book in series, but cant get through it.\nNineteen Eighty-Four doesnt feel geek novel, just political. Also great.\nI keep reading outputs from LLMs all day and don't have energy to focus on Eng written books in the evening.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read: American Gods, Consider Phlebas, Neuromancer, The HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Dune 1, Nineteen Eighty-Four listened to Foundation and I definitely recommend all.",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter definitely recommends.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 47319517,
          "author": "masterj122517",
          "createdAt": "2026-03-10T05:58:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 47315415,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47319517",
          "commentText": "I’ve been reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy lately. It’s a brilliant read—pure fuel for my sci-fi-loving brain.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I’ve been reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy lately. It’s a brilliant read—pure fuel for my sci-fi-loving brain.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a brilliant read and praises its appeal to science fiction fans.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46150517,
          "author": "djinnrutger",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-04T17:48:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46150517",
          "commentText": "Hichhikers guide to the galaxy is a must for everyone no matter what :) also Snow Crash or Cryptonomicon both by Neal Stephenson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hichhikers guide to the galaxy is a must for everyone no matter what :)",
          "reason": "Calls it a must-read for everyone.",
          "audience": "Everyone.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43686220,
          "author": "PaulHoule",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-14T20:55:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 43685856,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What 3 Books Would You Recommend to Anyone?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43686220",
          "commentText": "I think \"life changing\" and \"universal\" are contradictory.\nA person who is ready to pick up the bar,  for instance,  would benefit from Rippetoe's Starting Strength but if you don't pick up the bar it's just another book (you might get something from just plain lifting Schwarzenegger's Modern Weighlifting though, if not the Misner, Thorne and Wheeler book Gravitation.)  Similarly Super System will change your life if you are serious about playing poker,  otherwise it's just a fun read like the D&D Monster Manual  I'd say that Ashcroft and Mermin's Solid State Physics was a great adventure even if I didn't end up doing physics in the end,  but I was a grad student in condensed matter and I took Ashcroft's class.  When I was wanting to explore the edges of applied philosophy and literature I felt Alain Badiou's Being and Event was meaningful to me but a lot of people would say it is obscurantist French trash like Derrida and if you believe that I can't change your mind.\nI'd tend to reject categorically that fiction could be life changing but maybe that's harsh.  So often people nominate books that to me are trash like Atlas Shrugged,  The Illuminati Trilogy or Hitchhiker's Guide.  From time to time though I do discover an author with a large body of work that I'm obsessed with for a few months,  like last year I rediscovered Poul Anderson (want to see Dominic Flandry have a fight with Kimball Kinnison) and got into Pratchett's Discworld.\nI think a lot of books that offer simple answers to things like books by Malcolm Gladwell and Robert Greene are often harmful and also I think Man's Search for Meaning by Frankl is absolute poison for 21st century people.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Hitchhiker's Guide",
          "reason": "The commenter considers it trash.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41758429,
          "author": "agiacalone",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-06T16:54:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41758429",
          "commentText": "One of the previous posts mentioned that it changes for them frequently, and I'm pretty much the same way. But for right now:\nFiction: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\nNon-Fiction: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fiction: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41387709,
          "author": "dboreham",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T05:40:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387709",
          "commentText": "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy\nSurrounded by Idiots\nMeditations",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40051719,
          "author": "bmm6o",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-16T13:40:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40051719",
          "commentText": "Gave my nephew the Hitchhiker's Guide and Surely You're Joking this past xmas.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Hitchhiker's Guide",
          "reason": "Says they gave it to their nephew for Christmas.",
          "audience": "The commenter's nephew.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36022420,
          "author": "Maelcum",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T16:18:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36022420",
          "commentText": "Many of Philip K. Dick books and short stories, but Ubik and A Maze of Death are my favorites.\nWilliam Gibson's Sprawl trilogy (Neuromancer, Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive)\nDouglas N. Adams - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\nFrank Herbert's Dune books\nTheodore Sturgeon's More Than Human\nRobert A. Heinlein - Citizen of the Galaxy\nRobert Charles Wilson's Spin trilogy\nFrederik Pohl's Heechee books",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Douglas N. Adams - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021892,
          "author": "doo_daa",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:23:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021892",
          "commentText": "Rendezvous with Rama. Arthur C Clarke\nConsider Phlebas. Iain M Banks\nDune. Frank Herbert\nKiteworld. Keith Roberts\nThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.\n Douglas Adams",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021436,
          "author": "CoastalCoder",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:45:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021436",
          "commentText": "For light comedies:\nThe Murderbot Diaries (Martha Wells)\nHitchhiker's Guide series (Douglas Adams)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hitchhiker's Guide series (Douglas Adams)",
          "reason": "Listed under “For light comedies” in response to a request for science fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for light comedies.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35399641,
          "author": "codingdave",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-01T12:18:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 35392063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Science Fiction books that predict where ChatGPT might lead us?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35399641",
          "commentText": "Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy, where Arthur Dent spends an unreasonable amount of time trying to get an AI to understand what tea is and how to make it, and once he finally gets it to understand, it hangs the system up completely.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy, where Arthur Dent spends an unreasonable amount of time trying to get an AI to understand what tea is",
          "reason": "Cites a humorous AI episode involving Arthur Dent and tea.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31974822,
          "author": "philophyse",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-04T08:31:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31974822",
          "commentText": "The conversation around eddies in the space-time continuum is the single funniest thing I've ever read. I haven't read those books for years but I still chuckle every time I am reminded of it for any reason. Douglas Adams was a true master of his craft.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The conversation around eddies in the space-time continuum is the single funniest thing I've ever read.",
          "reason": "Praises a funny passage and calls Douglas Adams a master of his craft.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read the books for years.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31969555,
          "author": "Jaruzel",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T17:51:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31969555",
          "commentText": "If I was forced to only pick one, or at least one set of books it would be:\nThe hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy.\nThere are many better books I've read, but I grew up with these, and would want access to copies at all times in my life.\nNow... I'm off to make a Perfectly Normal Beast sandwich and ponder why Eddie is in the space time continuum.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy.",
          "reason": "Would choose it for lifelong access, despite having read many books they consider better, because they grew up with it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says there are many better books they have read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30735764,
          "author": "jwood27",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:37:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735764",
          "commentText": "The following have all had a significant effect on my worldview. You can find more information at [1].\n- The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow\n- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\n- Crime and Punishment\n- The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York\n- Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies\n- The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity\n- Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead\n- Franny and Zooey\n- Master of the Senate\n- Atlas Shrugged\n- Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed\n- Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap?\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\n- The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics\n- The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don't\n- Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans\n- Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\n- Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World\n- Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones\n- Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow\n- Ethics in the Real World: 86 Brief Essays on Things that Matter\n- A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life\n- Humankind: A Hopeful History\n- The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think\n[1] https://jacobw.xyz/books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy",
          "reason": "Listed among books that significantly affected the commenter’s worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467776,
          "author": "lukifer",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T16:00:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467776",
          "commentText": "I rather like the Max Landis Dirk Gently series, albeit as its own thing: a drastic reimagining only loosely inspired by the source material, similar to The Shining.\nThe 2 1/2 Dirk Gently books are Adams' finest in my opinion. HHGTTG is fun, but it doesn't hold together as a cohesive narrative in the same way. It's such a shame that we'll never know how the third book would have resolved.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "HHGTTG is fun, but it doesn't hold together as a cohesive narrative in the same way.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is fun, while comparing its narrative cohesion with Dirk Gently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter considers it less cohesive than Dirk Gently.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467715,
          "author": "p4bl0",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:53:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467715",
          "commentText": "The Campus Trilogy (Changing Places, Small World, Nice Work), by David Lodge.\nDO IT!: Scenarios of the Revolution, by Jerry Rubin.\nThe Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking A Spy Through The Maze Of Computer Espionage, by Cliff Stoll.\nThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams.\nLogicomix, by Apóstolos K. Doxiàdis and Christos Papadimitriou.\nOther books that I strongly recommend can be found here (some of them are in French): https://pablo.rauzy.name/miscellaneous.html#books\nUpdate: Pirates de tous les pays, by Marcus Rediker is a translation of Villains of All Nations: Atlantic Pirates in the Golden Age which you can thus read in English :). It really is an awesome read! After I finished it I immidiately ordered 5 more copies to give them to friends.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22724556,
          "author": "barnabee",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T02:03:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22724556",
          "commentText": "William Gibson. The Bridge trilogy and the Sprawl trilogy, at a minimum. They still feel like maps to the future even now. You have to work at it, the map is not the territory after all, but the realisations about the impact of technology, progress, and the choices we make when we let society work a certain way have been profound, for me at least.\nAlso The Peripheral, and Gibson’s essay in Wired about undersea cables, and... yeah. Having read Gibson feels like a superpower.\nAs others have said:\n- The Hitch Hiker’s Guide\n- Stepehnson’s Diamond Age, Cryptonomicon, Seveneves, Anathem (aside: totally surprised how much love there is for Anathem, I remember it not being received very kindly at the time by people around me, though I liked it.)\n- The Culture series (special shout out to The Player of Games.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The Hitch Hiker’s Guide",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22719492,
          "author": "eyegor",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T14:56:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22719492",
          "commentText": "So hitchhikers guide I can certainly agree with, but the rest of the series is pretty inconsistent. Restaurant was pretty terrible in my opinion, but then Life is almost as good as the original. I'd say the quality of the series is downhill from there. The follow up books didn't introduce many interesting situations or ideas that weren't already presented and so it just felt like it was dragging on.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "So hitchhikers guide I can certainly agree with, but the rest of the series is pretty inconsistent.",
          "reason": "Agrees with praise for the first book but finds the rest of the series inconsistent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter distinguishes the first book from the rest of the series, which they criticize as uneven.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20982005,
          "author": "aibrahem",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T08:07:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20982005",
          "commentText": "Can I ask what is so fascinating about it, It's been recommended to me a couple of times and I've tried everything to enjoy it and failed.\nI got the book, tried the audio-book and even tried watching the movie, I couldn't get myself past the first half of the book or the movie.\nIt just seems (to me) so childish and incoherent, am I missing somthing?",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "It just seems (to me) so childish and incoherent",
          "reason": "The commenter finds the book and film childish and incoherent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter could not get past the first half of the book or movie.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20981738,
          "author": "rohitbhats",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T07:13:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20981738",
          "commentText": "'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' can't stop recommending it. I am currently reading the 3rd book 'Life, the Universe and Everything'",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' can't stop recommending it.",
          "reason": "Explicitly says they cannot stop recommending it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20333117,
          "author": "fvztdk",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T08:02:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20333117",
          "commentText": "Strange not to found it here yet:\nHitchhiker's guide to the galaxy\nWhat's better than to have a good laugh, even if already read it, is always a nice book. And if you finish it fast, you have the rest of the series ahead.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy\nWhat's better than to have a good laugh, even if already read it, is always a nice book.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a funny, enjoyable book that remains nice to reread.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a good laugh.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18666619,
          "author": "fokinsean",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T18:52:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18666619",
          "commentText": "Yeah I felt the same about reading the sequels. Same thing happened with me and Hitchiker's Guide and its sequels.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Hitchiker's Guide and its sequels",
          "reason": "The commenter says the same concern about sequels applied to this series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17537133,
          "author": "jesuslop",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T21:17:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537133",
          "commentText": "Hitchhiker's  matches nicely what you look for",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hitchhiker's matches nicely what you look for",
          "reason": "Says it matches the reader's request for fun, lighthearted fiction.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for something fun and lighthearted.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536558,
          "author": "jamesRaybould",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:17:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536558",
          "commentText": "I'm fond of \"A Fire Upon the Deep\" by Vernor Vinge, and its kind of prequel \"A Deepness in the Sky\", they both contain some great ideas and I love the fact they have some very alien aliens!\nOh and if you haven't read any Douglas Adams \"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\" is fantastic",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\" is fantastic",
          "reason": "Explicitly called fantastic as a recommendation for someone who has not read Adams.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337443,
          "author": "oh-moses",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:42:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337443",
          "commentText": "I don't read fiction much anymore, but when I was a teenager, I reread both The Hitchhiker's Guide and Youth In Revolt a few times",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I reread both The Hitchhiker's Guide and Youth In Revolt a few times",
          "reason": "Reread several times as a teenager.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337323,
          "author": "robinhoodexe",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:21:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337323",
          "commentText": "Douglas Adams \"The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy\".\nI think I've read it 4 times the last 7 years, which may not be that often, but it definitely has a special place in my heart.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Douglas Adams \"The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy\".\nI think I've read it 4 times the last 7 years, which may not be that often, but it definitely has a special place in my heart.",
          "reason": "Says it has a special place in their heart after rereading it four times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17169432,
          "author": "z66is",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T22:25:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17169432",
          "commentText": "One of the best! 42.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One of the best! 42.",
          "reason": "“One of the best!” clearly refers to the book in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168374,
          "author": "kirubakaran",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T18:39:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168374",
          "commentText": "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I learned to be less Arthur and more Ford about my approach to living my life in general, and dealing with Fenchurch winking out of existence in particular.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I learned to be less Arthur and more Ford about my approach to living my life in general",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book shaped their approach to life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15633859,
          "author": "AquiGorka",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-06T07:09:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15633859",
          "commentText": "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series.\nFoundation series.\nSnow Crash.\n2001: A space odyssey.\nWhy?\nAll are so much fun to read over and over again.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series.",
          "reason": "Says the series is fun to reread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13970598,
          "author": "rcarmo",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T18:56:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13970598",
          "commentText": "Definitely the Hitch-Hiker's Guide to The Galaxy.\nI only read the rest of the series years later, but Douglas Adams' humour had a (very) lasting impression on me, and inspired me to write (and communicate, to this day) using a similar kind of humor and lateral thinking - because if you're not having _some_ fun, then you're not really accomplishing anything...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Definitely the Hitch-Hiker's Guide to The Galaxy.",
          "reason": "The commenter says its humor and lateral thinking had a lasting influence and inspired their writing and communication.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249408,
          "author": "kenrick95",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T11:31:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249408",
          "commentText": "Douglas Adams's \"The Hitchhiker Guide to the Galaxy\", a sci-fi comedy adventure fiction. It's the book where this appears: Answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything. The novel is adapted from a radio drama show, so reading it feels like someone is telling and describing you a story verbally.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Douglas Adams's \"The Hitchhiker Guide to the Galaxy\"",
          "reason": "Describes it as a sci-fi comedy adventure and says the storytelling feels verbal.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13237416,
          "author": "Raphmedia",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T14:29:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237416",
          "commentText": "Finally got around to read hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy.\nMy favourite books of the year were Brian Jacques Redwall series.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Finally got around to read hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter only says they read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12983548,
          "author": "oyebenny",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-18T01:25:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12983548",
          "commentText": "Sounds childish, but because a lot of people seem to be losing wonder and imagination:\nThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hitchhiker's_Guide_to_the_... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hitchhiker's_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.",
          "reason": "Offered as a book to help people retain wonder and imagination.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter frames the suggestion as potentially childish.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144210,
          "author": "GeneWilburn",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:44:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144210",
          "commentText": "The C Programming Language, Kernighan and Ritchie, for its simple elegance.\nThe Elements of Style, Strunk & White. On clear writing.\nHitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (series), Douglas Adams. So you don't take yourself too seriously.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (series), Douglas Adams. So you don't take yourself too seriously.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a series that helps readers avoid taking themselves too seriously.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12100481,
          "author": "tartuffe78",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T12:30:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12100481",
          "commentText": "Big science fiction fan\n1. Revelation Space\n2. Hyperion\n3. The Postman\n4. The Day of the Triffids\n5. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\n[1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revelation_Space\n[2] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperion_Cantos\n[3] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Postman\n[4] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_of_the_Triffids\n[5]  - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hitchhiker%27s_Guide_to_th... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hitchhiker%27s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "5. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter’s favorite science fiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12075275,
          "author": "bbcbasic",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T22:25:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12075275",
          "commentText": "Mainly habit I guess. I don't imagine enjoying it. That said I wouldn't mind reading hitchhikers guide to the galaxy again. Or thing explainer.\nAh I just remembered though... I've read dozens of kids books this year at bedtime :) for my daughter of course",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I wouldn't mind reading hitchhikers guide to the galaxy again.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12070873,
          "author": "mroll",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T13:30:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12070873",
          "commentText": "Long After Midnight, Ray Bradbury\nRendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarke\nThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams\nThieves' World, Robert Asprin\nTales From the Vulgar Unicorn, Robert Asprin\nRestaurant at the End of the Universe, Douglas Adams\nQuantum Computing Since Democritus, Scott Aaronson\nReamde, Neal Stephenson\nFool's Assassin, Robin Hobb\nBig Planet, Jack Vance",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229918,
          "author": "Ping_2_Ur_Pong",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T16:31:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229918",
          "commentText": "Below list are some of my favorite books overall that I didn't see mentioned.\n---Non-software related\nHow to win friends and influence people -Dale Carnegie (The definitive guide to helping you work better with people, truly great book, should be required reading)\nBlink- Malcolm Gladwell\nGodel Escher, Bach -  (Recursion, but not from a software perspective.  Its a glorious book that will change the way you think about recursion.)\nHitch Hiker's guide to the galaxy, - Douglas Adams  (Glorious book that is a fun read, when you need a break pick this up and laugh hard)\nFoundation Series - Assimov (Great stories from one of the best sci-fi writers ever)\n-------------------Software related\nCode Complete\nConcrete Mathematics\nThe Art of Computer Programming\nThe Design of the Unix Operating System\nIntroduction to Algorithms -Cormen\nDesign Patterns Elements of Resusable OO Design -Gang of Four",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hitch Hiker's guide to the galaxy, - Douglas Adams (Glorious book that is a fun read, when you need a break pick this up and laugh hard)",
          "reason": "Describes it as a glorious, funny book to pick up for a break.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a fun, humorous read.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10786739,
          "author": "hackerbloos",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T02:19:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786739",
          "commentText": "I've just updated my list of books I read this year. Scores are out of 5. If there is a + it means I found it to be extra special for some reason or other.\n= Jan =\nSmarter Than You Think - Clive Thompson 3\nThe positives of tech and the internet.\n= Feb =\nSuper Sad True Love Story - Gary Shteyngart 4\nScience fiction set in the not too distant future. Main themes include life extension and surveillance.\n= Mar =\nThe HitchHiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams 4\nThe Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams 3\nHad never read this series, thought it might be about time.\n= Apr =\nWhat does it all Mean? - Thomas Nagel 2 (though it is kind of meant for people who have never done any Philosophy, ever, so would recommend to someone like that. Will pass it on to someone taking an interest in the subject)\nAn introduction to Philosophy.\nEarth - David Brin 5+\nScience fiction set in the not too distant future, written in the 90s. Really interesting themes / vision of post climate change world.\nSlaughterHouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut 5\nSemi autobiographical account of the bombing of Dresden in WW2. Really funny and clever ideas. Very good.\n= May =\nNick Cohen - What’s Left? 4\nAccount of how the left has degenerated since the collapse of the hard left and the winning of liberal battles e.g. LGBT rights. Basic premise is that those on the left hate the West and the status quo so much they stoop to allying themselves with anyone who also opposes the status quo.\n= June =\nPlato at the Googleplex: Why Philosophy won’t go away - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 5+\nPlato has somehow appeared in the 21st century and is doing a talk at Google! A really enjoyable account of how Plato’s philosophy could be applied to modern issues. Really good. I want to go to Athens.\n= July =\nThe Mind Body Problem - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 4\nNovel about a female philosophy student shagging around and philosophising about it.\nBelieving Bullshit - Stephen Law 4\nBook detailing the various tricks / schemes played by charlatans and how to avoid being taken in by them.\n= August =\n36 Arguments for the Existence of God: a work of fiction - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 3\nNovel about an academic and his mentor. It was ok.\n= September =\nThe Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams 3\nThink I’m done reading these for now, don’t feel the urge to finish the set.\nKafka - The Trial 5\nReally good. Love the surrealism - the nightmarish / dreamish-ness of it. Saw it in the Theatre as well after reading it, thought that was great too.\n= October =\n= November =\nExistence - David Brin 3\nNot as good as Earth. Glad I read that first. Interesting imagining of what form contact from alien life could take though. Also interesting look at existential risks. The main part I didn’t like was how it skipped forward in time 3 decades about 3/4s of the way through, I had thought the characters were a little weak in general up until then anyway, and then they were pretty much gone entirely at that point.\n= December =\nAlone Together - Sherry Turtle 4\nThe negatives of tech, robotics and the internet. Interesting and important read.\nImperium - Robert Harris 5\nFirst in the semi-fictional trilogy accounting the fall of the Roman Republic, told through the eyes of Cicero’s secretary, Tiro. Really good. The politics, the corruption, the ancient city really brought to life. Enhanced by having visited Rome in the Summer.\nAlso currently reading ‘Reclaiming Conversation’ by Sherry Turkle, an account of the negative affect being permanently tethered to the internet has on our conversations, our capacity for empathy and our relationships, and Nietzsche’s 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra'.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The HitchHiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams 4",
          "reason": "Rated 4 out of 5.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Rated 4 out of 5.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056541,
          "author": "abhianet",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:21:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056541",
          "commentText": "I wonder why no one mentioned \"The Hitchhiker's Guide to Galaxy\" (Douglas Adams) yet. I died laughing twice while reading it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I died laughing twice while reading it.",
          "reason": "Recommends it through enthusiastic praise in a thread asking for favorite sci-fi books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8626706,
          "author": "codemonkeymike",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-18T22:10:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8626706",
          "commentText": "\"Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy\" As someone who simply cant sit down and read a book this was the first book I have ever read and reread. First comedic release, is littered everywhere in the book. Recurring jokes for those who pay attention to detail are little nuggets of gold. There are social commentaries that ring true today. Lastly all the characters are believably absurd.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Recurring jokes for those who pay attention to detail are little nuggets of gold.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its humor, recurring jokes, social commentary, and believable absurd characters.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy comedic science fiction and detailed recurring jokes.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they usually cannot sit down and read a book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5832430,
          "author": "zlbrooks",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T13:58:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5832430",
          "commentText": "Slaughterhouse 5,\nSnowcrash,\nHitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5691391,
          "author": "bloodorange",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T17:53:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5691391",
          "commentText": "\"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland\" - Lewis Carroll\n\"Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There\" - Lewis Carroll\n\"Dracula\" - Bram Stoker\n\"Frankenstein\" - Mary Shelly\n\"On Education\" - Bertrand Russell\n\"The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy\" - Douglas Adams\n\"Animal Farm\" - George Orwell\n\"1984\" - George Orwell\n\"Lord of The Flies\" - William Golding\n\"Brave New World\" - Aldous Huxley\n\"Gulliver's Travels\" - Jonathan Swift\n\"The Selfish Gene\" - Richard Dawkins",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy\" - Douglas Adams",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for good book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4662086,
          "author": "Rust",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-16T21:55:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 4661261,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite Science Fiction book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4662086",
          "commentText": "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy first, and Nightfall (both the short story and the later novelization) second.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy first",
          "reason": "Lists it first as an answer to a favorite science fiction book question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4661294,
          "author": "jcla1",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-16T18:55:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 4661261,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite Science Fiction book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4661294",
          "commentText": "Of course this isn't a science fiction book, it's all real ;-) \nBut mine would definitely be THHGTTG (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "mine would definitely be THHGTTG (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)",
          "reason": "Names it as their definite favorite in response to a favorite science fiction book question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3987990,
          "author": "aorshan",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-17T17:15:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3987990",
          "commentText": "I just re-read the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy. Always makes me laugh and is a great read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I just re-read the hitchhikers guide to the galaxy. Always makes me laugh and is a great read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it always makes them laugh and calls it a great read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231352,
          "author": "Fargren",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T18:09:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231352",
          "commentText": "A Game of Thrones and A Hitchhikers guide to teh galaxy. I've been using this past few months to read up a few things that I shyould have read long ago. Next up is Stranger in a Strange Land",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "A Hitchhikers guide to teh galaxy.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2639793,
          "author": "tpaddock",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T04:22:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639793",
          "commentText": "I was \"forced\" to read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy  in school, and it's still my favorite, forced or not. One of the best parts about that school.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's still my favorite",
          "reason": "Calls it their favorite book, even though they were assigned to read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They say they were forced to read it at school.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043681,
          "author": "bottlerocket",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T21:16:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043681",
          "commentText": "Just wanted to chime in that Dune & Foundation are excellent (and my personal favorite) sci-fi series.\nI really enjoyed Ringworld by Larry Niven as well.And of course, the Hitchhiker's Guide trilogy in 5 parts :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Hitchhiker's Guide trilogy in 5 parts",
          "reason": "Mentions the series with an approving tone in a list of liked science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described humorously as a trilogy in five parts.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043476,
          "author": "gnosis",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:01:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043476",
          "commentText": "They are all equally excellent in their own way, and fall in to a variety of scifi sub-genres.  The HHGTTG, Cyberiad and the Illuminatus could be called scifi parodies (though the Illuminatus is very difficult to categorize, as it spans various genres).  The Dune books are much more straight scifi.  And the PKD books are really mindbending, kind of nightmarish books.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The HHGTTG, Cyberiad and the Illuminatus could be called scifi parodies",
          "reason": "Describes the book as a science fiction parody.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043450,
          "author": "gnosis",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T19:54:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043450",
          "commentText": "* Heretics of Dune\n\n  * Chapterhouse: Dune\n\n  * Lem's Cyberiad\n\n  * PKD's Ubik, Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldrich, and Martian Time-Slip\n\n  * The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\n\n  * The Illuminatus Trilogy",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865594,
          "author": "frazerb",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T17:29:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865594",
          "commentText": "Read Hitchhikers Guide. Again. Priceless.\n\"The Timetraveller's Wife\" will make you think.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read Hitchhikers Guide. Again. Priceless.",
          "reason": "Calls it priceless and recommends rereading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1864818,
          "author": "mquander",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T14:12:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1864818",
          "commentText": "It would be nice if you provided a lot more detail.  I like recommending people books, but when all you say about your preferences is \"I like Foundation and Hitchhiker's Guide\" (like every other nerd in the universe) there's not really much space for figuring out what you would enjoy and what you wouldn't.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I like Foundation and Hitchhiker's Guide",
          "reason": "Cites the original poster's preferences while discussing how to tailor recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not an endorsement in this comment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752881,
          "author": "blrgeek",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T15:44:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752881",
          "commentText": "Want to blow your mind?\nFiction\nKeep an open mind, and a sense of wonder when you read these for max effect!\nHitch-hikers guide to the galaxy. I was hooked at \"The big yellow ships hung in the air just the way bricks don't.\"\nDune - what does scarcity do to a society?\nIsaac Asimov - Robot series. Foundation series. All of his short stories, esp. The Last Question, Nightfall.\nA.C. Clarke - 2001 - series, Childhood's End, The Fountains of Paradise\nThe Little Prince, The Count of Monte Cristo, Catch-22, Siddhartha, Ender's Game, Sundiver, Wodehouse.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hitch-hikers guide to the galaxy. I was hooked at \"The big yellow ships hung in the air just the way bricks don't.\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says the opening hooked them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1724743,
          "author": "spydez",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-24T18:26:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1724743",
          "commentText": "My favorite book as a kid was Lord of the Rings, so I'll recommend that. Also H2G2.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also H2G2.",
          "reason": "Offered as another recommendation in response to a request for books for boys.",
          "audience": "Children.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227466,
          "author": "_bfhp",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T20:25:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227466",
          "commentText": "Before anything, read the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series by Douglas Adams. Then try the Salmon of Doubt by him. Salmon of Doubt is a must, but it's made more accessible by reading Adams' fictional works first.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Before anything, read the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series by Douglas Adams.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends reading the series first.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it makes Salmon of Doubt more accessible.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027286,
          "author": "brown9-2",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T15:27:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027286",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction:\nCoders at Work by Peter Siebel and Founders at Work by Jessica Livingston - I loved reading about the founder's stories and first-hand perspectives of notable programmers.\nThe Pleasures and Sorrows of Work by Alain de Botton - really interesting perspective on \"work\" and various types of careers and people that find happiness in them/work itself.\nSuperfreakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner - even if you don't agree with their arguments or think that the authors are all fluff, I think that their writing style is exceptionally clear and easy to understand.\nThe Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb - some really interesting ideas and analysis, although the book could have been 1/2 as short\nFiction:\nAnathem by Neal Stephenson - starts out slow but after the first 200 pages it became a really great story that I couldn't put down.\nLife of Pi by Yann Martel - loved the main story of the book, the controversial ending didn't bother me too much because I don't feel like it takes away from the story at all.\nThe Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson - cheap fun and suspenseful\nThe Road by Cormac McCarthy - I don't think much needs to be said about this book\nWhite Tiger by Aravind Adiga - extremely interesting and gripping novel about a side of the world most of us Westerners never see\nHitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams - finally read this classic. I read the \"Ultimate Edition\" which contains all 5 of Adams' novel, loved the first one but the story felt like it started to putter out by the third.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "loved the first one but the story felt like it started to putter out by the third",
          "reason": "Loved the first book in the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The story felt as if it started to putter out by the third book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876399,
          "author": "sidmitra",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T10:11:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876399",
          "commentText": "Just to name two out of the many i love:\nHitchhiker's Guide to the galaxy and The adventures of Sherlock Holmes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hitchhiker's Guide to the galaxy",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter loves.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 141236,
          "author": "gcheong",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T23:15:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=141236",
          "commentText": "2001: A Space Odyssey - What hacker read that and then didn't want to create HAL?\nHHGTTG: Insipired me to keep the relative unimportance of most things in perspective",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "HHGTTG: Insipired me to keep the relative unimportance of most things in perspective",
          "reason": "Says it inspired a perspective on the unimportance of most things.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140813,
          "author": "NoBSWebDesign",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T14:37:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140813",
          "commentText": "I'm definitely bookmarking this thread. Maybe one day, I'll have read all of them mentioned here.\nBut seriously, how has no one mentioned Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy?!\nIt's a great book with a surprising amount of actual theoretical science (you know, stuff that could technically work). Douglas Adams writes the way I think. I wish I could do that :(",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "how has no one mentioned Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy?!\nIt's a great book with a surprising amount of actual theoretical science",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book and praises its theoretical science and writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135338,
          "author": "spydez",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T18:08:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135338",
          "commentText": "\"Lord of the Rings\" and \"Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\", because seriously... you need to read something fun every once in a while.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\", because seriously... you need to read something fun every once in a while.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as fun reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86223,
          "author": "icky",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:37:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86223",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- The Time Machine (still holds up very well, and seems strangely eerie and prescient in places)... (H. G. Wells)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Hobbit (and LotR) (Tolkien)\n- Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n- Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties (I picked up Idoru first, so I haven't yet read Virtual Light) (also Gibson)\n- The Difference Engine (Gibson, Sterling)\n- Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n- Cryptonomicon (\" \")\n- Circuit of Heaven, End of Days (Dennis Danvers)\n- All of the \"Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser\" stories and novels. (Fritz Leiber)\n- The Earthsea trilogy (Ursula K. LeGuin)\n- 'salem's Lot (Stephen King)\n- Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein)\n- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)\n- the Coldfire trilogy (C. S. Friedman)\n- various Cory Doctorow short stories\n- Kamikaze L'Amour (Richard Kadrey)\n- Lightpaths (Howard V. Hendrix)\n- A Canticle For Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)\n- Moonwar, Venus (Ben Bova)\n- the Stainless Steel Rat series (Harry Harrison)\n- Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)\n- Ringworld (Larry Niven)\n- Cthon (Piers Anthony) -- Trippiness level approaching Philip Jose Farmer ;-)\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (Douglas Adams)\n- The Black Company (Glen Cook)\n- there's one particularly good post-cyberpunk series that takes place in a world in which Canada emerged as a major world power, but for the life of me I can't rememeber the title.\n- the 1632 series (Eric Flint)... see also S. M. Stirling's Nantucket series (\"Island in the Sea of Time\", et al.), and H. Beam Piper's novel Kalvan of Otherwhen\nNon-fiction:\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (Hume)\n- the surviving words and works of Epicurus, and Diogenes the Cynic\n- Freakonomics (Levitt, Dubner)\n- The Gay Science (Nietzsche)\n- The Jefferson Bible (Christ, Jefferson (ed.))\n- The Devil's Dictionary (Bierce)\n- Brain Droppings (George Carlin)\n- anything by P. J. O'Rourke\n- anything by Dave Barry",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (Douglas Adams)",
          "reason": "Recommends the series in the fiction list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86041,
          "author": "oditogre",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T19:03:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86041",
          "commentText": "- Brave New World\n- Night\n- Hitchhiker's Guide series\n- Dark Tower series (Mostly just the first 4, though)\n- Eats, Shoots & Leaves\n- Just about any George Carlin or Patrick F. McManus books\n- Wheel of Time Series\n- Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hitchhiker's Guide series",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorite book series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85926,
          "author": "nfriedly",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T14:05:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85926",
          "commentText": "The Bible,\nWild at Heart,\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People,\nSongs for Martha <-- I have an autographed copy,\nHitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy,\nRainbow Six (and most other Clancy books)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy,",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85895,
          "author": "DarrenStuart",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T11:10:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85895",
          "commentText": "got to love Hitchhikers, I also enjoyed Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency and The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul by adams too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "got to love Hitchhikers",
          "reason": "Expresses affection for the book/series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85855,
          "author": "breily",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T07:23:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85855",
          "commentText": "House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski\nHitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56709,
          "author": "ericb",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T04:32:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56709",
          "commentText": "How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.  It is arguably the most useful book I've ever read, albeit with the most embarassing title.\nAs inklesspen mentioned, Elements of Style is a must.\nCode Complete and the Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks.  Timeless coding wisdom.\nFor a laugh, Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, or Hitchhiker's Guide.  \nBody Language, Julius Fast. Kitschy but fascinating insights into body language.\nFabric of the Cosmos, Brian Greene.  Brian is a fluke of nature--a physicist who can explain things realy well!\nAnything by Phillip K. Dick.  Sci-fi stories that make you think.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "or Hitchhiker's Guide.",
          "reason": "Lists it as another choice for a laugh.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for humorous science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Adams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 56,
      "threads": 43,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic science fiction",
        "comedy",
        "space adventure",
        "space travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "siddhartha-3026b2",
      "title": "Siddhartha",
      "author": "Hermann Hesse",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46396350,
          "author": "brokegrammer",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T21:16:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46396350",
          "commentText": "Demian by Hermann Hesse. I wanted to scream \"Stop overthinking!\" to the protagonist. Something I can relate to.\nSiddharta by Hermann Hesse. Helped me understand that a perfect life is a collection of ups and downs and that one must accept it all.\nAmerika by Franz Kafka. Could relate to the protagonist because people take advantage of his naivety.\nFactfulness by Hans Rosling. Made me see the world in a less pessimistic way.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Siddharta by Hermann Hesse. Helped me understand that a perfect life is a collection of ups and downs and that one must accept it all.",
          "reason": "Helped the commenter see life as a mix of ups and downs to be accepted.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 44570119,
          "author": "HenryBemis",
          "createdAt": "2025-07-15T11:41:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 44568054,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44570119",
          "commentText": "Books:\n  Siddartha: to think about myself and my changes/voyage through life.\n  Half-time: to think what-the-hell-comes-next (only if you are 40+)(it won't resonate with a 20yo)\n\n  Systemantics, Nexus: if you work in mega-big-corpos this will save your life\n\n  Hold on to your kids, The anxious generation: if you got kids\n\n  Strong Fathers Strong Daughters: (and mothers/sons) if you got kids (too Christian-y for my taste but an amazing 'manual' to manage the relationship with your kid(s))\n\n  1984, Animal Farm, Gulag Archipelago: ...\n\n  Light on Yoga: (also do practice yoga, it's good for most-if-not-all)\n\n\nYou asked for \"one book\"... but.. life.. is not 'one' thing. Systemantics (and Dilbert) have helped me stay afloat at work. Siddartha gave me a perspective in live about myself, the different 'people' I have been throughout my life.\nAll the listed ones are books I read and read again every few years. They shaped me the first time I read them, keep me 'grounded'/taking stock/thinking the 'change' in me and my life. I see them as a 'check-diff' and how I have changed/evolved/devolved since the last time I read it/them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Siddartha: to think about myself and my changes/voyage through life.",
          "reason": "Uses it to reflect on personal change and life; says it gave them perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43698374,
          "author": "HenryBemis",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-15T21:06:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 43685856,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What 3 Books Would You Recommend to Anyone?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43698374",
          "commentText": "1984 (Orwell)\n  Siddhartha (Hesse) \n  The Gulag Archipelago (Solzhenitsyn)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Siddhartha (Hesse)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43614491,
          "author": "readthenotes1",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T18:33:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43614491",
          "commentText": "A relative had to pass a \"non Western\" book for a high school class. She came to me because I was a known reader.\nI suggested Siddhartha. Her friend picked War and Peace.\nMy credibility went waaaay up:)\n(Siddhartha is very thin, like the book)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I suggested Siddhartha. Her friend picked War and Peace.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they suggested it for a high school class because it is very thin.",
          "audience": "A high school student needing a non-Western book for class.",
          "caveat": "Described as a very thin book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43613335,
          "author": "abhiyerra",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T16:40:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43613335",
          "commentText": "Funny I reread it again recently after reading it in college. Having a kid and rereading it adds a different dimension to the story.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Having a kid and rereading it adds a different dimension to the story.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes rereading the book and finding a new dimension in its story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43613261,
          "author": "jimsojim",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T16:33:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43613261",
          "commentText": "Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse\nThis book has stayed with me for years. It's a quiet, deeply reflective journey about self-discovery, the search for meaning. What resonated most was this idea that true understanding can't be taught—it must be lived and experienced.\nIt’s a short read, but one that invites you to slow down. Each time I return to it, I take away something new depending on where I am in life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book has stayed with me for years. It's a quiet, deeply reflective journey about self-discovery, the search for meaning.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it has stayed with them for years and describes its reflective journey and ideas about understanding.",
          "audience": "Readers drawn to self-discovery and questions of meaning.",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds it invites a slower pace and yields different takeaways at different points in life.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42970496,
          "author": "unfixed",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-07T08:05:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42970496",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand\n1984, by Orwell\nWalden, by Thoreau\nSiddhartha, by Hermann Hesse\nBut really, the one that had most direct impact in my life was Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall. Not in my vision of the world but in my lifestyle.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse",
          "reason": "Listed among books that influenced the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42967492,
          "author": "foxandmouse",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-06T23:20:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42967492",
          "commentText": "Here are a few books that come to mind:\n    Siddhartha – I highly recommend doing some background reading to get the most out of it. Everything in the book is a metaphor. For example, the question of whether to take the \"Big Boat or Small Boat?\" down the river is actually a deeper reflection on personal choices in the pursuit of nirvana or enlightenment.\n\n    When You Hear Hoofbeats, Think of a Zebra\n\n    Slaughterhouse-Five – Honestly, just read some Kurt Vonnegut. He’s probably the greatest American writer of all time.\n\nAlso, here's a great list: https://i.redd.it/cjuf9k91d6g71.jpg .I’m sure I’ve missed some of my favorites, but I just wanted to share because reading has given me so much perspective on the world. I’m really grateful it’s something I enjoy.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Siddhartha – I highly recommend doing some background reading to get the most out of it.",
          "reason": "Recommends it and suggests background reading to deepen understanding of its metaphors.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Suggests background reading is needed to get the most out of it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41244459,
          "author": "pyzhianov",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-14T10:10:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41244459",
          "commentText": "Wow, so many great responses, thank you all for that! I'm going to throw in my personal favorite: Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse. Somehow it touches me in a way that no other book does. It's also quite short, I think I've read it at least 3 times in the last few years and found something new and insightful each time",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse",
          "reason": "The commenter says it touches them deeply and that rereading reveals something new and insightful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39729959,
          "author": "somberi",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T22:14:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729959",
          "commentText": "I suggest two books by Hesse - Siddhartha /  Narcissus and Goldmund.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I suggest two books by Hesse - Siddhartha",
          "reason": "Explicitly suggested as one of two Hesse books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39252859,
          "author": "andher",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T18:24:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39252859",
          "commentText": "I started SICP last year but haven't gotten anywhere close to completing, mostly because of competing priorities.\nSiddhartha is great book, I read it years back and it sparked my interest in other works of Herman Hesse.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Siddhartha is great book, I read it years back and it sparked my interest in other works of Herman Hesse.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great book and says it sparked interest in Hesse's other works.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39249251,
          "author": "Swalden123",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T10:59:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249251",
          "commentText": "I’ve been working through the Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, reading Stillness is the Key and Siddhartha.\nThe SICP might take me a year.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "and Siddhartha.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31974281,
          "author": "jsrcout",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-04T07:05:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31974281",
          "commentText": "Agree, but would also list Narcissus and Goldmund. Am I the only one that found something of value in that book? People never seem to mention it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Agree",
          "reason": "Agrees with the parent’s mention of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31972057,
          "author": "gilmore606",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T23:58:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31972057",
          "commentText": "Same, I've read Siddhartha once a year for the past 15 years at least.  The river always has something to say.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Same, I've read Siddhartha once a year for the past 15 years at least. The river always has something to say.",
          "reason": "Says they have reread it annually for at least 15 years and continue to find meaning in it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31970359,
          "author": "electricant",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T19:38:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31970359",
          "commentText": "Came here to say the same. Every time I read it it has a different meaning.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Came here to say the same. Every time I read it it has a different meaning.",
          "reason": "Endorses the referenced book, saying it takes on a different meaning with each reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31968247,
          "author": "CelticBard",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T15:06:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31968247",
          "commentText": "Siddhartha by Herman Hesse",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Siddhartha by Herman Hesse",
          "reason": "Named as the book the commenter would reread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30241693,
          "author": "indiantinker",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T08:04:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241693",
          "commentText": "I have gifted numerous copies of the book - “Siddhartha” by Herman Hesse. I think the book changes the way you see the world.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I have gifted numerous copies of the book - “Siddhartha” by Herman Hesse.",
          "reason": "Says the book changes how you see the world and has gifted many copies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25911798,
          "author": "randomopining",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-26T02:42:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25911798",
          "commentText": "Hesse is insanely good. I read almost all his books in the past year.\nI want to re-read Siddhartha soon, after only like 8 months. I don't think it's really about Buddhism persay. Hesse uses it to get across some ideas. The main point was that Siddhartha realized the oneness of the world, in that each part is not a distinct entity - because that \"distinct entity\" is defined by it's relations to everything else. The realization brings him joy to consider himself not second class, but simply part of it all. Right?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I want to re-read Siddhartha soon, after only like 8 months.",
          "reason": "Plans to reread it soon and discusses its ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it is not really about Buddhism.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25908750,
          "author": "rmb177",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T20:56:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25908750",
          "commentText": "I read Siddhartha three years ago. I realize this is a long quote, but when I read the passage below, I had a huge rush of emotions and joy. It's been easy to forget this passage with everything that has happened over the past year. Thank you for the reminder that I wish more moments of my life were like this one.\n>>> Siddhartha learned something new on every step of his path for the world was transformed, and his heart was changed. He saw the sun rising over the mountains with their forests and setting over the distant beach with its palm-trees. At night, he saw the stars in the sky in their fixed positions and the crescent of the moon floating like a boat in the blue. He saw trees, stars, animals, clouds, rainbows, rocks, herbs, flowers, stream and river, the glistening dew in the bushes in the morning, distant high mountains which were blue and pale, birds sang and bees, wind silverishly blew through the rice-field. All of this, a thousand-fold and colourful, had always been there, always the sun and the moon, had shone, always rivers had roared and bees had buzzed, but in former times all of this had been nothing more to Siddhartha than a fleeting, deceptive veil before his eyes, looked upon in distrust, destined to be penetrated and destroyed by thought, since it was not the essential existence, since this essence lay beyond, on the other side of the visible. But now, his liberated eyes stayed on this side, he saw and became aware of the visible, sought to be at home in this world, did not search of the true essence, did not aim at a world beyond. Beautiful was this world, looking at it thus, without searching, thus simply, thus childlike. Beautiful were the moon and the stars, beautiful was the stream and the banks, the forest and the rocks, the goat and the gold-beetle, the flower and the butterfly. Beautiful and love it was, thus to walk through the world, thus childlike, thus awoken, thus open to what is near, thus without distrust. Differently the sun burnt the head, differently the shade of the forest cooled him down, differently the stream and the cistern, the pumpkin and the banana tasted. Short were the days, short the nights, every hour sped swiftly away like a sail on the sea, and under the sail was a ship full of treasures, full of joy. Siddhartha saw a group of apes moving through the high canopy of the forest, high in the branches, and heard their savage, greedy song. Siddhartha saw a male sheep following a female one and mating with her. In a lake of reeds, he saw the pike hungrily hunting for its dinner; propelling themselves away from it, in fear, wiggling and sparkling, the young fish jumped in droves out of the water; the scent of strength and passion came forcefully out of the hasty eddies of the water, which the pike stirred up, impetuously hunting.\n>>> All of this had always existed, and he had not seen it; he had not been with it. Now he was with it, he was part of it. Light and shadow ran through his eyes, stars and moon ran through his heart.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I read Siddhartha three years ago.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25905301,
          "author": "FlyingSnake",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T16:45:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25905301",
          "commentText": "Finished Range and Siddhartha, and now reading Seneca's letters from a stoic.\nRange is a great book that extols the virtues of playing around and dabbling with multiple skills. Immensely readable.\nSiddhartha, is a fascinating take on advaita vedanta, Sramana, and Buddhism. As someone familiar with these 3 philosophies, I liked Hesse's take on them. The story is really simple and can be finished in 2-3 sittings.\nLetters from a stoic is full to the brim of wisdom and I've never filled a book with so many bookmarks and notes before. Seneca writes like a straight arrow and doesn't mince words. No wonder the book is still around, one of the best examples of Lindy effect.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Siddhartha, is a fascinating take on advaita vedanta, Sramana, and Buddhism.",
          "reason": "Likes Hesse’s treatment of these philosophies and describes the story as simple.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Buddhism, Vedanta, and philosophical fiction.",
          "caveat": "The story is described as simple.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467680,
          "author": "pier25",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:50:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467680",
          "commentText": "- Sapiens\n- The Lord of the Rings\n- Siddhartha\n- Chaos: Making a New Science\n- The Death Gate cycle books\n- Neuromancer\n- Head First Design Patterns\n- Valis\n- Dune\n- The name of the rose\nI'm sure there are more, but these are the ones off the top of my head.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Siddhartha",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467601,
          "author": "playingchanges",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:42:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467601",
          "commentText": "The Razors Edge - Somerset Maugham\nSiddhartha - Herman Hesse\nThe Hobbit - Tolkien",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Siddhartha - Herman Hesse",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23154671,
          "author": "poulsbohemian",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T14:57:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23154671",
          "commentText": "It's probably been 32 years since I read How to Win Friends, but my take on it was that it is like many things we learn throughout life - first we model, they we practice, finally we make it part of our nature, and eventually we achieve mastery.\nI didn't come away with the impression that the techniques are intended to be used in a hollow, phony way, so much as to show the reader a set of steps to get started toward genuinely showing interest in other people.\nNot everyone can jump right in to Siddhartha or Zen and the Art or some of these heavier books that might take people out of their default self-absorption towards greater awareness of other people and their needs, but Carnegie wrote something that is easy to access and get people started down a path.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Not everyone can jump right in to Siddhartha",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a heavier book that may not suit everyone as a starting point.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22721752,
          "author": "jimsojim",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T19:18:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22721752",
          "commentText": "Just finished it last week, it made me revisit the idea of \"What it means to have meaning in life?\" and how personal that is, and have a wholesome view of my personality without any prejudice.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just finished it last week, it made me revisit the idea of \"What it means to have meaning in life?\"",
          "reason": "Describes how the book prompted reflection on meaning and a more accepting view of their personality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22721325,
          "author": "rtkaratekid",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T18:31:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22721325",
          "commentText": "Just finished reading this and found it incredible how one book could reveal so much of myself to myself.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just finished reading this and found it incredible how one book could reveal so much of myself to myself.",
          "reason": "Describes a personally revealing impact, referring to the parent’s Siddhartha recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22719253,
          "author": "baxtr",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T14:29:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22719253",
          "commentText": "Siddartha by Hermann Hesse",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Siddartha by Hermann Hesse",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19088461,
          "author": "onemoresoop",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T18:55:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19088461",
          "commentText": "Seneca - Letters from a stoic;\nHerman Hesse - Steppenwolf , Siddhartha and The glass bead game (Magister Ludi)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Herman Hesse - Steppenwolf , Siddhartha and The glass bead game (Magister Ludi)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17986163,
          "author": "icc97",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-14T10:44:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17986163",
          "commentText": "I didn't find it nauseating, it's an interesting tale, but I'll agree that it didn't make any profound influence on me beyond any other fiction book that I've read.\nPerhaps reading it as an eBook on my phone, means that I didn't take it in well enough.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I didn't find it nauseating, it's an interesting tale",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an interesting tale, while saying it had no profound influence on them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They say it had no profound influence beyond other fiction they have read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17984504,
          "author": "svat",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-14T03:34:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17984504",
          "commentText": "I haven't read Siddhartha, and expect I won't like it, but perhaps the Sanskrit idioms translate better into German? (https://shreevatsa.wordpress.com/2014/07/01/sanskrit-and-ger... (https://shreevatsa.wordpress.com/2014/07/01/sanskrit-and-german/)) Did you read the book in German? Or if not, which translation (Wikipedia lists at least six: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Siddhartha_(novel... (https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Siddhartha_%28novel%29&oldid=856221176#English_translations))?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I haven't read Siddhartha, and expect I won't like it",
          "reason": "Discusses an expectation about the book and asks which translation was read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Has not read it and expects not to like it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168577,
          "author": "baxtr",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:14:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168577",
          "commentText": "Siddhartha, Hermann Hesse",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Siddhartha, Hermann Hesse",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17049240,
          "author": "acrodrig",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T17:31:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17049240",
          "commentText": "I second Siddhartha, I think it's the closest I have come to understanding \"enlightenment\" (whatever it may mean for each person). Give it a try.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second Siddhartha, I think it's the closest I have come to understanding \"enlightenment\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them understand enlightenment and urges others to try it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032115,
          "author": "bloodorange",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T17:58:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032115",
          "commentText": "There are many books which sound good in theory but I think my younger self would not have been able to make use of the wisdom in those books because I did not have the experience to relate to what the book was talking about. Nevertheless, if I had to ignore this factor, I too, like many others in this thread, recommend \"The Mythical Man Month\". However, I think, it's more important to figure out what one wants from life than to just better one's craft. Of course if that is what you want in life, then indeed pursuing that makes sense. I'm also tempted to recommend \"Siddhartha\" by Herman Hesse and \"The Consolations of Philosophy\" by Alain de Botton.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'm also tempted to recommend \"Siddhartha\" by Herman Hesse",
          "reason": "The commenter is tempted to recommend it while reflecting on what one wants from life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter expresses hesitation with “tempted.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630749,
          "author": "Mz",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T18:21:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630749",
          "commentText": "It's an excellent book that I am fond of. I don't come from a religious upbringing, but that doesn't mean I don't wrestle with spiritual questions.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's an excellent book that I am fond of.",
          "reason": "Calls it excellent and says they are fond of it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630228,
          "author": "matthewvincent",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:54:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630228",
          "commentText": "Siddhartha by Herman Hesse for its portrayal of a spiritual journey / life that was not a ‘religious’ one.\nThis was a book I read in my early twenties that really helped me come to terms with a religious upbringing that no longer resonated with me, as well as a spiritual void in my life that needed to be filled. Seriously life changing stuff and so easy to read. Definitely the most accessible Hesse.\nI’d be curious if this book has impacted anyone else similarly and if so what they took from it. Love this thread btw",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Siddhartha by Herman Hesse for its portrayal of a spiritual journey / life that was not a ‘religious’ one.",
          "reason": "Says it helped them reconcile their upbringing with their changed beliefs and fill a spiritual void.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14481011,
          "author": "xaedes",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-04T12:06:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14481011",
          "commentText": "Oh yes. Siddhartha was really a good read!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Siddhartha was really a good read!",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was a good read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13969564,
          "author": "aakash58",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T17:08:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13969564",
          "commentText": "Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse.\nThe restlessness and questioning (epitomized when he leaves Buddha) that results in a fascinating journey of self-discovery and openness to experiences has been inspirational.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "has been inspirational.",
          "reason": "The commenter says its self-discovery and openness to experience have been inspirational.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in self-discovery and openness to experience.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13804191,
          "author": "superplussed",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:20:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804191",
          "commentText": "Siddhartha by Herman Hesse had a big impact on me when I was a teenager.  The message I took from it is to not depend on teachers, mentors, or answers-from-above, and instead forge your own path in this world.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Siddhartha by Herman Hesse had a big impact on me when I was a teenager.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it had a big impact and describes its message about forging one’s own path.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13591241,
          "author": "boca",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-07T18:08:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13591241",
          "commentText": "Excellent book. The first time I started reading it, I couldn't grasp it and stopped after a few pages. But then picked it up again in 2015 and read it in one sitting. It's a wonderful little book. To be honest, I don't think I can sum up how it felt but it was liberating. I remember keeping the book on my chest and getting lost in thoughts about what the purpose of life is. It was really deep, I was on a totally different plane with my thought process. I read it again last year on a flight but couldn't finish it and it didn't evoke the same emotions but it has a very special place in my heart.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it has a very special place in my heart",
          "reason": "Describes the book as liberating and deep, while noting a later reread did not evoke the same emotions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The later reread did not evoke the same emotions; the commenter could not finish it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249030,
          "author": "simongray",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T07:53:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249030",
          "commentText": "I don't read much fiction myself. \"Siddhartha\" by Herman Hesse was recommended to me by 3 different people on 3 different occasions, so I decided to read that one. It's a great little book that will make you stop every few pages and think about life.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's a great little book that will make you stop every few pages and think about life.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great little book that prompts reflection on life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not read much fiction and says others recommended it to them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12252572,
          "author": "alok-g",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-09T04:11:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12252572",
          "commentText": "Minds, Brains and Machines by Geoffrey Brown [1] for introducing me to the complexities of the mind-body problem.  It did not show the answers of course, but helped me think right about it.\nSiddhartha by Herman Hesse [2] for contributing to helping me come out of excessive questioning of everything (philosophy) to science that helps towards actually answering the questions answerable.\nFeynman Lectures in Physics [3] and Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman [4], with no need to explain \"how\".  :-)\nThe Ghost in the Atom [5] for explaining varied views on the nature of science, especially Quantum Mechanics, and what goes in the minds of the top-notch scientists working on these problems.\nParsing Techniques by Dick Grune [6] for teaching me the fundamentals of computer science and helping me proceed with my deep interest in Artificial Intelligence.\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/Minds-Brains-Machines-Mind-Matters/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Minds-Brains-Machines-Mind-Matters/dp/1853990132)\n[2] https://www.amazon.com/Siddhartha-Hermann-Hesse/dp/161382378... (https://www.amazon.com/Siddhartha-Hermann-Hesse/dp/1613823789/)\n[3] http://www.feynmanlectures.caltech.edu/\n[4] https://www.amazon.com/Surely-Feynman-Adventures-Curious-Cha... (https://www.amazon.com/Surely-Feynman-Adventures-Curious-Character/dp/0393316041/)\n[5] https://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Atom-Discussion-Mysteries-Quant... (https://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Atom-Discussion-Mysteries-Quantum/dp/0521457289/)\n[6] https://www.amazon.com/Parsing-Techniques-Practical-Monograp... (https://www.amazon.com/Parsing-Techniques-Practical-Monographs-Computer/dp/038720248X/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "for contributing to helping me come out of excessive questioning of everything (philosophy) to science that helps towards actually answering the questions answerable.",
          "reason": "The commenter credits it with helping shift their focus toward answerable questions and science.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297799,
          "author": "roymurdock",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:56:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297799",
          "commentText": "Older Stuff: The Bible/Quran, The Republic (Plato), The Social Contract (Rousseau), Tao Te Ching (Laozi), Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky), History of the Peloponnesian War (Thucydides)\nNewer Stuff: Nine Stories (Salinger), The Razor's Edge (Maugham), Nausea (Sartre), Siddartha (Hesse), Road to Serfdom (Hayek), The Book (Watts), Design of Everyday Things (Norman), Atlas Shrugged (Rand), Invisible Man (Ellison), Debunking Economics (Keen), Blood Meridian (McCarthy), The Center Cannot Hold (Saks), This Time Is Different (Reinhart/Rogoff), Infinite Jest (Wallace), Calvin and Hobbes (Watterson)\nAll of these books are well written and have given me some perspective on interesting people/situations/ways of thinking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Siddartha (Hesse)",
          "reason": "Listed among books said to have given the commenter perspective on interesting people, situations, and ways of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348755,
          "author": "galephico",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:27:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348755",
          "commentText": "Altruism - Mathieu Ricard\nSearch Inside Yourself - Chade-Meng Tan\nBible - several authors\nSiddhartha - Hermann Hesse\nFight Club - Chuck Palahniuk\nEléments de Philosophie Angélique - Denis Marquet (french)\nAu coeur de l'instant - Jean Bouchart d'Orval (french)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Siddhartha - Hermann Hesse",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348520,
          "author": "Denzel",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:04:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348520",
          "commentText": "Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse. I recommend it to everybody that asks for a life-changing book. Truly a piece of art.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse. I recommend it to everybody that asks for a life-changing book. Truly a piece of art.",
          "reason": "Recommends it to anyone seeking a life-changing book and calls it a piece of art.",
          "audience": "People looking for a life-changing book.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8257642,
          "author": "jaryd",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T14:11:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257642",
          "commentText": "Siddhartha is great--if you like Hesse I would also recommend that you check out \"Steppenwolf\" (same author), and if that also appeals to you, then \"The Stranger\" by Camus",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Siddhartha is great",
          "reason": "Calls the book great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107225,
          "author": "tomp",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T10:04:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107225",
          "commentText": "It's an amazing book. Apparently, the author had to stop writing it for a few years, since he needed to reach another level of \"enlightenment\" before he could accurately describe the last part of the book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's an amazing book.",
          "reason": "Describes the discussed book as amazing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107106,
          "author": "un_publishable",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T09:11:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107106",
          "commentText": "Hesse is timeless, there's a reason he resonated with so many people in the 60s movements.\nSiddhartha is a great meditation on life in its entirety. For startup-focused professionals it can be hard to imagine satisfaction with a life lacking \"accomplishment\" but Hesse paints a thoughtful picture.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Siddhartha is a great meditation on life in its entirety.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great meditation on life and explains its appeal for startup focused professionals.",
          "audience": "Startup focused professionals considering what satisfaction means beyond accomplishment.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8106989,
          "author": "cellover",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:32:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106989",
          "commentText": "I like understanding where I am located in space and time, that is why I love reading about science & science fiction ; it is indirectly related to religion in the sense that it makes you think about your world, about yourself.\nBuddhism / Religion / ... :\n- Siddartha - Hermann Hesse\n- The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho\nScience:\n- A brief history of time - Stephen Hawking (space, time)\n- The Blind Watchmaker - Richard Dawkins (evolution)\n- Le cerveau intime - Marc Jeannerod (in french only)\nScience-fiction:\n- The Road - Cormack Mc Carthy\n- City - Clifford D. Simack\n- Time is the simplest thing - Clifford D. Simack\n- Ringworld - Larry Niven",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Siddartha - Hermann Hesse",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8106947,
          "author": "tomp",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:17:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106947",
          "commentText": "Buddhism (and better living): Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Siddhartha (by Hermann Hesse), The Way of Zen (by Alan Watts - I learned a lot about meditation and satori).\nAlso: Think and Grow Rich (by Napoleon Hill, the original self-improvement book)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Siddhartha (by Hermann Hesse)",
          "reason": "Suggested under Buddhism and better living in response to a request for reading suggestions.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Buddhism and better living.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7008527,
          "author": "timonv",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-03T22:01:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 7001282,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7008527",
          "commentText": "In no particular order:\nPolitics and philosophy:\nIshmael - Daniel Quinn (even though in the end, it's just a cute, in essence a softies introduction to anarchist communism)\nOn property - Proudhon (Meta, ye oldist anarchy)\nDas Kapital (If you read Marx, also read on Marx, can't stress this enough)\nBeyond good and evil (but in his thought in general) - Nietzsche (Mainly for showing there are no absolutes, moral is what we make of it, and in that moral we can excel)\nAnd so, so many others, philosophy really adds up, just keep on reading, there's fundamental books for sure, but every publication adds up in some respect.\nSports and nutrition:\nStarting Strength (for making me bad ass strong in the last couple years)\n'Paleo' diet (for showing an extreme solution for a more simple problem, that actually worked and made me not fat anymore)\nSome random books that made a huge impression the last years:\nThe Alchemist, for showing how humble you can experience the wonders of life\nSiddhartha, same really.\nA short summer of anarchy (biography of Durrutti, rise of \nanarchism in 30s Spain, out of print)\nCrime and Punishment and Karamazov (There's beauty in the darkest corners of the human spirit, and so much more)\nThe Prince\nButler (For using Nietzsche's deconstruction to argue against 'genetic' discrimination, controversial, but very good)\nMetamorphosis - Kafka (I don't have a one liner to summarize this. Just read it, it's < 100 pages)\nFunny enough, as far as Tech and Business goes, I skim books to get some details, but at the end of the day most value comes from hacking around. For both.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Siddhartha, same really.",
          "reason": "The commenter applies the preceding reflection about experiencing life's wonders.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6977147,
          "author": "cyberneticcook",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T23:32:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6977147",
          "commentText": "Siddartha - Herman Hesse",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Siddartha - Herman Hesse",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to the question about a book that changed one's life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6933698,
          "author": "adidash",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-19T09:42:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 6921805,
          "threadTitle": "What book has inspired you the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6933698",
          "commentText": "Thats a great book!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thats a great book!",
          "reason": "Calls the parent comment’s book great, clearly seconding the recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6923945,
          "author": "adamredwoods",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-17T21:02:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 6921805,
          "threadTitle": "What book has inspired you the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6923945",
          "commentText": "Siddhartha, by Herman Hesse. It changed my outlook on life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Siddhartha, by Herman Hesse. It changed my outlook on life.",
          "reason": "Says it changed their outlook on life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6413969,
          "author": "brd",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-19T20:17:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6413969",
          "commentText": "Siddhartha\nThe Alchemist\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Siddhartha",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about books that changed one's life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5692169,
          "author": "bloodorange",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T21:32:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5692169",
          "commentText": "Adding more:\nSiddhartha - Hermen Hesse\nNarcissus and Goldmund - Herman Hesse\nThe Glass Bead Game - Herman Hesse\nThe Consolations of Philosophy - Alain de Botton\nA Brief History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson\nPolitics and The English Lanaguage (essay) - George Orwell\nA Modest Proposal (essay) - Jonathan Swift",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Siddhartha - Hermen Hesse",
          "reason": "Listed in a response to a request for good books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2330041,
          "author": "shantanubala",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-15T23:57:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 2329700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that change your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2330041",
          "commentText": "If you do a search through HN, you'll find some really good recommendations.\nRead The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb (Fooled By Randomness is also good) if you want to peer into the mind of an investor.\nRead Hesse's Siddhartha if you're thinking along the lines of culture/religion/philosophy.\nRead a few Ayn Rand books if you like libertarianism and don't really care to relate to the characters.\nRead We by Yevgheny Zamyatin if you want an interesting allegory that metaphorically compares heaven to a dystopian dictatorship.\nRead Unweaving the Rainbow by Richard Dawkins if you're very interested in the sciences.\nI remember Sebastian Marshall recommending Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa -- I'd recommend it too. It's pretty good, and I was especially interested since I've been doing marshal arts for over 10 years now.\nAnd read Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! no matter how you think. It's fantastic.\nEDIT: More Books!\nI read these when I was in elementary school, but they still hold their value:\nThe Giver by Lois Lowry if you want more dystopias.\nThe Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery if you're feeling especially playful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read Hesse's Siddhartha if you're thinking along the lines of culture/religion/philosophy.",
          "reason": "Recommended for readers interested in culture, religion, or philosophy.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in culture, religion, or philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1974477,
          "author": "naradaellis",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T08:23:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974477",
          "commentText": "Yeah, brilliant. A great illustration of gumption and willingness to pursue self-knowledge giving rise to amazing opportunities.\nAlong the same lines, Siddartha by Herman Hesse was my favorite book this year. Quite similar to the Alchemist really, viz. understanding yourself and being conscious and receptive to your environment.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Siddartha by Herman Hesse was my favorite book this year.",
          "reason": "Names it as their favorite book of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it is similar to The Alchemist.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Siddhartha",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752881,
          "author": "blrgeek",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T15:44:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752881",
          "commentText": "Want to blow your mind?\nFiction\nKeep an open mind, and a sense of wonder when you read these for max effect!\nHitch-hikers guide to the galaxy. I was hooked at \"The big yellow ships hung in the air just the way bricks don't.\"\nDune - what does scarcity do to a society?\nIsaac Asimov - Robot series. Foundation series. All of his short stories, esp. The Last Question, Nightfall.\nA.C. Clarke - 2001 - series, Childhood's End, The Fountains of Paradise\nThe Little Prince, The Count of Monte Cristo, Catch-22, Siddhartha, Ender's Game, Sundiver, Wodehouse.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Siddhartha",
          "reason": "Listed as fiction to read for a mind-blowing experience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752443,
          "author": "swombat",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T09:56:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752443",
          "commentText": "Most books by Hermann Hesse, really... Narziss&Goldmund changed my perspective on life. If you have anything artistic in you, it's a must-read. Steppenwolf, Siddharta and the Glass Bead Game are other must-reads.\nGabriel Garcia Marques, One hundred years of solitude.\nPractically all of Jorge Luis Borges' short stories. Mind-bending.\nMilan Kundera's Unbearable Lightness of Being.\nMichael Ende's Never Ending Story.\nEnjoy!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Steppenwolf, Siddharta and the Glass Bead Game are other must-reads.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a must-read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503287,
          "author": "tfh",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T07:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503287",
          "commentText": "The ones I've read and find good:\n- Existentialism is a Humanism - Jean Paul Sartre : Very easy to read and is a very good introduction to existentialism.\n- Thus Spoke Zarathustra - Nietzsche\n- Siddhartha - Herman Hesse",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Siddhartha - Herman Hesse",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter has read and finds good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503212,
          "author": "sdave",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T06:45:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503212",
          "commentText": "\"Siddhartha\", \n\"Steppenwolf\" - by Herman Hesse.\n\"Atlas Shrugged\" - by Ayn Rand.\n\"Mrityunjay\" - by Sivaji savant (originally in marathi/hindi language.. based on the character of Karna from Mahabharata.Not very sure how good the english translation is though.The title means - he who has conquered Death.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Siddhartha\",",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for eye-opening or interesting books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876339,
          "author": "theblackbox",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T09:15:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876339",
          "commentText": "I would Second ANYTHING by Hesse, not got round to a thorough read of Siddhartha yet, but Damien is most excellent and The Glass Bead Games is a revelation for anyone who feels there is something just a little bit ill with the mind and motion of our modern age.\nOh, and something along the lines of The Neverending Story (The Silmarillion/LotR), because it's something to lose yourself in with kids and doesn't even have to be read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "not got round to a thorough read of Siddhartha yet",
          "reason": "The commenter has not yet read it thoroughly, so does not evaluate it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They have not yet given it a thorough read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 199811,
          "author": "jsomers",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-25T23:52:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 199722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=199811",
          "commentText": "Siddhartha, by Herman Hesse. Quick read, very elegantly written.\nNearly everyone that I know who has read it puts it at the top of their list.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Siddhartha, by Herman Hesse. Quick read, very elegantly written.\nNearly everyone that I know who has read it puts it at the top of their list.",
          "reason": "Praises the writing and reports that readers rank it highly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a quick read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 199809,
          "author": "soundsop",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-25T23:48:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 199722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=199809",
          "commentText": "Siddartha by Herman Hesse. It's a short read but very interesting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Siddartha by Herman Hesse. It's a short read but very interesting.",
          "reason": "Offers the title in response to a request for books to take on vacation and calls it interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a short read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143408,
          "author": "maheshcr",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T17:03:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143408",
          "commentText": "A worn out, moth eaten copy of Lord Byron's complete works. It took me almost a decade to outgrow the influence. Especially the poem Manfred, and the soliloquay at the beginning!\nThe Sanyasin - Satprem. I walked the streets of Chennai not knowing what the hell was happening, while reading this. Magical, mystic..anyone who has ever held any spiritual notions should read this...\nLast Temptation by Nikos Kazantikakis, what can I say..every word has drilled through me!\nKa by Roberto Calasso, this made me confront my own culture and religion like no other.\nSiddhartha by Herman Hesse.\nGodel, Escher & Bach - Douglas Hofstadter. Barely made it to 4th chapter but that alone has shattered opinions I held about my style of thinking.\nAnd Sri Aurobindo...almost everything that he has written touches me like no other. It was like coming home after being in exile. Not that I understand anything but...\nAnd of course Don Box's talk on DDJ about the origins of .NET!",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Siddhartha by Herman Hesse.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86337,
          "author": "gills",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T17:57:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86337",
          "commentText": "The First Circle (Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn)\nLOTR\nSiddhartha (Hermann Hesse)\nThe Odyssey (Homer)\nThe Dilbert Principle (Scott Adams) -- Alright, not literature! But come on, it's Dilbert :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Siddhartha (Hermann Hesse)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hermann Hesse"
      ],
      "recommenders": 56,
      "threads": 40,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "spiritual journey",
        "coming of age",
        "spiritual quest",
        "self discovery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ender-s-game-e35e1a",
      "title": "Ender’s Game",
      "author": "Orson Scott Card",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40047166,
          "author": "mooreds",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-16T00:31:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40047166",
          "commentText": "I've given a few:\n* the hard thing about hard things (by Horowitz)\n* climate wars (dwyer)\n* ender's game",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "ender's game",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021503,
          "author": "rationalist",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:49:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021503",
          "commentText": "The Unincorporated Man\n(Ender's Game too, but haven't read the sequels, but I also recommend Ender's Shadow - a parallel novel from a different character's perspective.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Ender's Game too, but haven't read the sequels",
          "reason": "Recommended, with the commenter noting they have not read the sequels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read the sequels.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35396495,
          "author": "precompute",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-01T02:39:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 35392063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Science Fiction books that predict where ChatGPT might lead us?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35396495",
          "commentText": "The Ender's Game universe has a pretty extensive AI assistant.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Ender's Game universe has a pretty extensive AI assistant.",
          "reason": "Points to an extensive AI assistant in the Ender's Game universe.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33399202,
          "author": "therealdrag0",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-30T21:54:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33399202",
          "commentText": "I get what you’re saying. But I still read because it’s such a habit and part of my identity or something lol. There were some years I was hitting 50-75 books (and not small ones! GoT and godel Escher Bach etc) but now I’m down to a more sustainable pace of around 20 a year, and I’m pretty liberal about quitting books. If I’m getting a sense that it’s a 3/5 book then I just quit and move on. But even then I feel like I’m having an unquenched thirst for an absolute banger like Dune and Enders game. I’ve been thinking about doing a full year of just rereading books I loved like that from decades ago.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "absolute banger like Dune and Enders game",
          "reason": "Names Ender's Game as an example of a book they loved and want to reread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936036,
          "author": "przefur",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T08:04:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936036",
          "commentText": "If I were to choose three fiction, those would make the cut.\nFiction:\nThe Invincible by Stanislaw Lem - It shed light on me in regards to microelectronics, swarm intelligence. Nothing ever eased my learning curve more for genetic algorithms like this short novel! It is also a good read in general. It also taught me that the difference in scientific vs force vs emotional approach to unknown. Would recommend as a springboard from a day-to-day acitivities.\nRoadside Picnic by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky - a Soviet sf classic, I've read it 3x already. It tells a story about a closed zone where 'aliens' left their artifcats, and how that changed people around them.\nEnder's Game - I don't think there is an explanation needed. It is a total classic. It helps a lot to understand outsiders, not just aliens but a humans too.\nAll of the above are either hard or soft sf.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ender's Game - I don't think there is an explanation needed. It is a total classic.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a classic and says it helps readers understand outsiders, including humans and aliens.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25846891,
          "author": "giantg2",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T14:37:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25846891",
          "commentText": "I forgot Ender's Game in my recommendations. Great read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I forgot Ender's Game in my recommendations.",
          "reason": "Adds the title to their recommendations and calls it a great read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25846738,
          "author": "Zanni",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T14:23:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25846738",
          "commentText": "Ted Chiang's Stories of Your Life and Others is the best, single-author collection of short stories I've ever read. If you like that, you might also enjoy The Lifecycle of Software Objects, an absolutely heartbreaking novella about simulated children, and his follow-up collection Exhalation.\nOrson Scott Card's Ender's Game is fantastic, and it's follow-up, Speaker for the Dead is even better, and my favorite science fiction novel of all time. They won back to back Hugo and Nebula awards. Card is a polarizing figure for his outspoken political opinions, but if ever the art should be separated from the artist, it's Speaker, which is an incredible exploration of empathy and responsibility, in addition to being a gripping, action-packed, science-literate read. Many more in this series, if you get into it.\nJohn Scalzi's Old Man's War series is fantastic, if you're into military science-fiction, or even if you're not. Smart, funny, engaging and accessible, and reminiscent of Heinlein at his prime, minus the weird incest fetish. Redshirts, a Star Trek parody, rivals Galaxy Quest and only falls short because Galaxy Quest is so goddamn brilliant. Agent to the Stars is less appreciated, but in my opinion his finest novel, rising way above its goofy premise by taking it seriously, exploring the consequences and treating the characters with empathy and respect. Also hilarious.\nSeconding Dune, which is a classic for a reason, and Stranger in a Strange Land (though I think The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is a better place to start with Heinlein). Also Neal Stephenson, though I'd suggest Cryptonomicon over Diamond Age.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game is fantastic",
          "reason": "Calls the novel fantastic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The author is described as polarizing for his political opinions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23473517,
          "author": "alexpotato",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-10T03:10:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23473517",
          "commentText": "Ender's Game and the \"side-quel\" Ender's Shadow.\nEvery single time I've reread either I've found some part of the book that resonates precisely with a situation I'm going through in my life. Even parts I thought didn't apply to me at the time, upon rereading struck a chord.\nFor example, when I was younger, I identified with Ender but as I've gotten older, I identify more with the adults in the book. Especially now that I have children.\nOn a side note, the 25th anniversary edition has an introduction that has some gems all of it's own. Notably, there is a line where Card mentions something along the lines of: when I was a child, I never thought of myself as being less of a person than an adult. I just thought of myself as a smaller adult person.\nThat has always stayed with me since I read it and have always tried to apply that mental model of childhood to any interaction I have with children. It has been particularly impactful now that I have my own children.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ender's Game and the \"side-quel\" Ender's Shadow.",
          "reason": "Rereading has made different parts resonate with the commenter at different stages of life.",
          "audience": "Readers reflecting on life stages and parenting.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23471522,
          "author": "me_smith",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T22:10:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23471522",
          "commentText": "The Hobbit - Tolkien\nWizard's First Rule (Sword of Truth Book 1) - Goodkind\nFaith of the Fallen (Sword of Truth Book 6) - Goodkind\nEnder's Game - Card\n1984 - Orwell\nI'm looking to read Asimov's Foundation series again. Maybe spend more time with Hyperion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ender's Game - Card",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467709,
          "author": "alanfalcon",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:53:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467709",
          "commentText": "I find myself re-listening to large portions of my audible library fairly often. I pick up so much more on additional read/listen-throughs.\nI listen to or read Snow Crash at least once a year. I just enjoy most everything about it. Anathem required a couple listens, and a third listen was just for comfort food.\nThe Altered Carbon trilogy has depth and sublime world-building that I have now enjoyed at least a half dozen times.\nI second mentions of Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (and will mention The Long, Dark Tea Time of the Soul as well).\nEnder’s Game is also comfort food for me.\nBreaking from the speculative fiction reco’s above...\nThe Power of Vulnerability (Brené Brown) is more lecture series than audiobook, but as for non fiction I’ve recently given multiple listens to, that tops the list.\nI borrowed “Landline” from the local library, read it twice and then bought it so I could continue to read it when I want to. I think I was in just the right age group and life situation for this novel to hit home for me. Your mileage may vary, but IMO read it without knowing anything about it in advance if you’re going to read it. That means don’t read the back cover etc.\n(Blind borrowing of books from the library is fun and can be eye opening, try it sometime! Most places, you can borrow eBooks and even digital audiobooks without even leaving your home as long as you have a library card.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ender’s Game is also comfort food for me.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as comfort food.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22722534,
          "author": "Balgair",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T20:43:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22722534",
          "commentText": "Nearly every time the USMC list goes up on HN, the reaction is the same: Why the heck is Ready Player One on the list?\nThanks for diving a bit deeper into the selection.\nTo add a bit more context, the USMCRL has this in addition to the categorization:\n\"2044. Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes this depressing reality by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia where you can be anything you want to be, where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets...\"\nAs the selection is in the 'Primary Level - Enlisted' alongside Ender's Game and Rifleman Dodd, I think it is there to showcase initiative and intelligence for young enlisted marines.\nStill, I'll admit, it is a strange choice.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "alongside Ender's Game and Rifleman Dodd",
          "reason": "Mentions it as another book on the same reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21903974,
          "author": "Maximus9000",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T04:36:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21903974",
          "commentText": "Not much fiction in here:\n* Ender's game\n* Children of time\n* Kingkiller Chronicle (series)\n* Skyward",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Ender's game",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about influential books.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803711,
          "author": "Balgair",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:29:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803711",
          "commentText": "USMC Commandant's 2020 Reading List.\nThis year I am finishing up the Harvard Classics and am looking for a new view point. https://www.myharvardclassics.com/categories/20120612_1\nUnfortunately, the military only publish on New Years Day (traditionally as a sort of holiday gift to those under command), so the 2020 list is not out yet. Every title is free via either the base library or the Navy Digital Library. Most have free audio book narration. There are discussion guides also provided for free. The website is very easy to use and poke around in, I'd suggest looking at it from a Dev standpoint alone. That said, the 2019 list is here: https://grc-usmcu.libguides.com/usmc-reading-list\nThere are a LOT of titles so here are the Poolee through PFC levels:\nPoolee:\nBATTLE CRY by Leon Uris\nCORPS VALUES by Zell Miller\nGATES OF FIRE: AN EPIC NOVEL OF THE BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE by Steven Pressfield\nGRIT: THE POWER OF PASSION AND PERSEVERANCE by Angela Duckworth\nSTARSHIP TROOPERS by Robert A. Heinlein\nPFC through Lance Corporal:\nCHESTY by Jon T. Hoffman\nENDER'S GAME by Orson Scott Card\nTHE LAST STAND OF FOX COMPANY: A TRUE STORY OF U.S. MARINES IN COMBAT by Bob Drury\nTHE MARINES OF MONTFORD POINT: AMERICA'S FIRST BLACK MARINES by Melton Alonza McLaurin\nON CALL IN HELL by Richard Jadick; Thomas Hayden\nREADY PLAYER ONE by Ernest Cline\nRIFLEMAN DODD: A NOVEL OF THE PENINSULAR CAMPAIGN by C. S. Forester\nTHE WARRIOR ETHOS by Steven Pressfield\nThe 2020 list should have some froth in it (Greitens likely won't stay, but who knows, judge the art not the artist). I think it'll be a good look into a Corps that has been punched for a long time in Afghanistan. Still, some great titles in there.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "ENDER'S GAME by Orson Scott Card",
          "reason": "Listed as a title in the USMC Commandant's reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536607,
          "author": "bostik",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:26:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536607",
          "commentText": "Asimov's original \"Foundation\" - it's effectively a collection of 4,5 short stories. I recommend to remain at a discreet distance from the rest of the series. While good within the universe, they are ... different.\n\"Ender's Game\" and \"Speaker for the Dead\" by O.S.Card. (Do not touch Xenocide without a hazmat suit. And if you do, burn it before reading.)\n\"Snow Crash\" by Neil Stephenson.\n\"Rendez-vouz with Rama\" by Arthur C. Clarke.\nIf you're up for some thought-provoking stuff, \"Stranger in a Strange Land\" by Heinlein. Not the easiest read but your carve-out basically rules out \"The Moon is a Harsh Mistress\".\n\"Embassytown\" by China Mieville.\nEDIT: I forgot \"Hyperion\" by Dan Simmons.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Ender's Game\" and \"Speaker for the Dead\" by O.S.Card.",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14480247,
          "author": "zeroer",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-04T07:11:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14480247",
          "commentText": "Don't bother with the rest of the Ender Quartet.  While they're not terrible, they don't hold a candle to Ender's Game.  There's just better uses of your time (like any other book on this page).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "they don't hold a candle to Ender's Game.",
          "reason": "Says the rest of the series does not compare favorably to this book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment says the other books are not terrible, but recommends spending time elsewhere.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238592,
          "author": "apocalypstyx",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T17:07:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238592",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\nInherent Vice  ---  Thomas Pynchon\nThe Great and Secret Show  ---  Clive Barker\nJurassic Park  ---  Michael Crichton\nThe Mothman Prophecies  ---  John A. Keel (1)\nThe Wind in the Willows  ---  Kenneth Grahame\nEnder's Game  ---  Orson Scott Card\nAll Quiet on the Western Front  ---   Erich Maria Remarque\nThe Drought  ---  J. G. Ballard\nThe Dead Father's Club  ---  Matt Harris\nChildren of Men  ---  P. D. James\nThe Islanders  ---  Pascal Garnier\nSilence of the Lambs  ---  Thomas Harris\nInherit the Wind  ---  Jerome Lawrence & Robert E. Lee\nThe Butt  ---  Will Self\nInside Outside  ---  Philip Jose Farmer\nThe Panda Theory  ---  Pascal Garnier\nFanshaw  ---  Nathaniel Hawthorne\nThe Scarlet Letter  ---  Nathaniel Hawthorne\nThis Census-Taker  ---  China Mieville\nThe House of the Seven Gables  ---  Nathaniel Hawthorne\nThe A26  ---  Pascal Garnier\nThe Blithedale Romance  ---  Nathaniel Hawthorne\nThe Weird  ---  Edited by Jeff VanderMeer & Ann VanderMeer (2)\nFront Seat Passenger  ---  Pascal Garnier\nNon-Fiction:\nThe Wealth of Networks  ---  Yochai Benkler\nField Notes from A Catastrophe  ---  Elizabeth Kolbert\nWhat Ever Happened to Modernism?  ---  Gabriel Josipovici\nEscape Velocity  ---  Mark Dery\nWhat We See When We Read  ---  Peter Mendelsund\n(1) Author described as non-fiction, publisher hedged bets and labelled in as such, supposedly.\n(2) If only this book could be picked by Subterranean or Centipede press so it'd be a better printed and bound book than Tor ever seems to want to do.\nI always recommend Ballard, even when not wanted.  Relevant quote:\n   A story by J. G. Ballard, as you know, calls for people who don't\n   think. One begins with characters who regard the physical universe\n   as a mysterious and arbitrary place, and who would not dream of\n   trying to understand its actual laws. Furthermore, in order to be\n   the protagonist of a J.G. Ballard novel, or anything more than a\n   very minor character therein, you must have cut yourself off from\n   the entire body of scientific education. In this way, when the world\n   disaster — be it wind or water — comes upon you, you are under\n   absolutely no obligation to do anything about it but sit and worship\n   it. Even more further, some force has acted to remove from the face\n   of the world all people who might impose good sense or rational\n   behavior on you, so that the disaster proceeds unchecked and unopposed\n   except by the almost inevitable thumb-rule engineer type who for\n   his individual comfort builds a huge pyramid (without huge footings)\n   to resist high winds, or trains a herd of alligators and renegade\n   divers to help him out in dealing with deep water.  Algis Budrys,\n   Galaxy magazine (December 1966)\n\n\nI'd recommend Pascal Garnier for anyone who likes sickly dark humor + surrealism + noir + a kind of Ballardian-air.  Also Pynchon.  Hawthorne might be the stand-out this year, in the sense of his works' subtle, implicit ability to question the authorial mode, the nature of the text itself, and the instability of it.\nIn non-fiction I'd recommend Dery's Escape Velocity; It's from the 90s but still deals too presciently with many of the issues around the near-religification of modern electronic technology.  And Josipovici if you lean toward depressive jolts of existential anxiety (it deals mostly with the arts, but I think there's a broader life applicability).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Ender's Game  ---  Orson Scott Card",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10833439,
          "author": "B_Howe",
          "createdAt": "2016-01-04T00:58:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 10833032,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book you've recently read and enjoyed?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10833439",
          "commentText": "Ender's Game (The Ender Quintet) by Orson Scott Card",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ender's Game (The Ender Quintet) by Orson Scott Card",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9351387,
          "author": "blumkvist",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T22:10:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9351387",
          "commentText": ">These fights are fantasies in Card's head, projections of what he thinks makes for righteous cleansing of that which he sees as besetting him from all sides. It's the ol' \"'Merica is going to hell in a handbasket\". He feels like everyone is out to get him, his way of life, and he is surrounded, so escape isn't an option. And if someone dies in the process, it's not his fault, he was \"just\" defending himself. Because in his head, he's fighting for survival, and might makes right.\nAny animal is willing to kill the other, said Ender, but the higher being includes more and more in things within their self story, until there is no other. Until at last the needs of others are more important than any private desires. The highest beings of all are the ones who are willing to pay any personal cost for the good of those who need them.\n- The classically fundamental, right-wing demagogue Orson Scot Card.\nIn other words, you are completely full of shit.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "- The classically fundamental, right-wing demagogue Orson Scot Card.",
          "reason": "Quotes a passage from the novel sarcastically to challenge the preceding commenter's characterization of its author.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9350951,
          "author": "moron4hire",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T20:53:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350951",
          "commentText": "I not sure I see any point in separating them. Wagner's operas can't be separated from the notion of German exceptionalism that laid the groundwork for Nazi ideology. Ender's Game does not exist other than as an expression of Card's worldview. And he had expressed, through it (at least at the time that he wrote it. I am at least willing to grant the rare occurrence of change in people), that ignorance of the consequences excuses such violence, even violence that was executed under incorrect assumptions.\nIn the real world, Ender not knowing that the kids are being killed would not excuse his behavior. It merely changes 2nd degree murder into manslaughter. With the number of times he repeats this behavior, we'd maybe even try him as an adult, discarding even the basic notion within our culture that children are generally not yet to be held responsible for all of their actions. When we try children as children, we are not saying the crime was not their fault, we are saying they are not going to be punished for the crime in the same way as an adult. We still punish them.\nBut according to Card, nothing is ever Ender's fault. Ender doesn't kill them because he is so good. Ender is so good so that he can kill them. The causality in fiction is reversed from reality because there is a distinct narrative to portray, but reality doesn't have a narrative, it emerges. He wrote Ender to have misapplied violence on several occasions, so that he can then be excused for it. The aliens aren't destroyed because they invaded, the aliens invade so that they can be destroyed. They are aliens so that they immediately have the inhuman status that all genocidal maniacs need to assert before trying to cleans the universe of them.\nTo me, not only the revelation of Card's homophobia, but the vociferous manner in which he defended it, is just a corroboration of what Ender's Game tells us about who he is: an extremely rabid right-wing ideologue. We see in Card the beginnings of the Neoconservative movement with all of its contradictions nearly fully formed: the claimed reverence for both God and war, the clashing support for small government and large military.\nAnd for the life of me, I just can't read it as 8 to 10 year old children. I have several nephews spread from 2 through 10 years old and there is an extremely distinct difference in basic maturity level between them all. Ender portrays qualities more like a late teenager and he yet is on the young end of the book's spectrum. I just don't see 10-year-olds having the capacity to hate someone else \"because they are the best\". Mostly because the concept itself is alien to me. I know of it only through its portrayal in the media.\nIt's one of the more dangerous ideas we teach kids. It tells them, \"if you could just change, it will get better.\" And either the kid can change and tries, which is awful, or the kid can't and is stuck thinking life will always be like this, which is also awful. Real bullies are just jockeying for acceptance within their peer group and it has little to nothing to do with the victim. Bullying only ends when it's made to no longer be entertaining for the bully, a shockingly easy thing to achieve, if you just know that that is what needs to happen.\nBut also because that sort of hate takes fear. That's why we use the \"phobia\" ending on homophobia. Children don't know that kind of fear yet. You have to start to become aware of your own limitations, and the accompanying fear that someone else's success could have a detrimental impact on your own. Kids that age are only a few years into realizing the ball doesn't just dematerialize when you hide it behind your back, say nothing that there are limits on what they will be able to achieve.\nThese fights are fantasies in Card's head, projections of what he thinks makes for righteous cleansing of that which he sees as besetting him from all sides. It's the ol' \"'Merica is going to hell in a handbasket\". He feels like everyone is out to get him, his way of life, and he is surrounded, so escape isn't an option. And if someone dies in the process, it's not his fault, he was \"just\" defending himself. Because in his head, he's fighting for survival, and might makes right.\nClassic fundamentalism.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Ender's Game does not exist other than as an expression of Card's worldview.",
          "reason": "Argues that the novel expresses Card's worldview and condemns its treatment of violence.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9350256,
          "author": "blumkvist",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T19:19:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350256",
          "commentText": "In Ender's game they are searching for the perfect specimen to transform into the perfect military commander. Very smart men are making elaborate plans how to entrap him in order to mold him into a lethal machine. They are searching for a commander who can end (not intended) unresolvable conflicts decisively and, above all, permanently. Not for a morally balanced/superior leader.\nAnyway, I read Ender's game first when I was young and I loved it for the action, mixed with philosophy. Now I enjoy the rest of the books a lot more then the initial one.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read Ender's game first when I was young and I loved it for the action, mixed with philosophy.",
          "reason": "Praises its blend of action and philosophy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9350052,
          "author": "grandalf",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T18:55:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350052",
          "commentText": "So assume that Ender's response was proportional considering the bullying he underwent. His fear of being attacked at first sounds like a child's paranoia, but when he kills his tormentors the reader sees that this scared little kid is quite lethal.\nWe're left to wonder why he's lethal and soon we realize that he's innately good at executing force in a strategic way. We question his judgment a bit -- should he have avoided killing the bullies at all cost?  But we realize that his judgment is no worse than that of any other kid, only his execution (no pun intended) is far, far better. He would have been devastated if he'd known the bullies died.\nI think this aspect of Ender was conceived as a great short story angle, but as the plot develops it gets a bit two dimensional. Card counters this by framing Ender as the embodiment of human ability -- justice, self-awareness, compassion.\nFurther into the book we find that Ender's ability is a function of his empathy -- much like someone who empathizes with us may find just the right words to hurt us, Ender empathizes with his enemy allowing him to vanquish it.  Though because of his kind, compassionate disposition, he must be deceived into fighting an actual war.\nI will admit that revelations about Card's homophobia are a bit concerning, but I try hard to separate the creator from the product of creation in all areas...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Further into the book we find that Ender's ability is a function of his empathy",
          "reason": "The commenter discusses Ender's empathy, judgment, and role in the story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds the plot increasingly two-dimensional and notes concerns about Card's homophobia.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9349587,
          "author": "moron4hire",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T17:58:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9349587",
          "commentText": "I tend to think of that more as Orson Scott Card backpedalling after the various backlashes against his personal values. Books are reflections of the people who write them. Every violent encounter in the book is \"it's really too bad how everything turned out, but nobody knew, so that makes it okay!\" On several occasions, Ender commits what amounts to manslaughter at best, 2nd degree murder at worst, and it's all just washed away as \"well, but they hate him because he's so freaking good.\" It's absurd.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Every violent encounter in the book is \"it's really too bad how everything turned out, but nobody knew, so that makes it okay!\"",
          "reason": "Criticizes the book's treatment of violent encounters and the protagonist's actions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348829,
          "author": "moron4hire",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:34:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348829",
          "commentText": "I'm sorry, this isn't meant as an attack on you, but I thought Ender's Game was a rather terrible piece of over-indulgent nerd fantasy with a heaping helping of apologia for \"preemptive\" warfare. My wife also loved the book and I just don't see it. Well, I sort of see it, it's appealing to anyone who felt like an outsider in school. But its treatment of that feeling all seems very dangerous. It resorts to a weird sort of ego-stroking to explain away why the reader cum Ender was an outcast, then justifies all of the hyperviolence against all offenders under the age-old abuser's excuse \"I didn't know my own strength.\" I don't think people read enough into the book and treat it too much as light, throw-away fiction.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I thought Ender's Game was a rather terrible piece of over-indulgent nerd fantasy with a heaping helping of apologia for \"preemptive\" warfare.",
          "reason": "The commenter criticizes the book's style and perceived justification of preemptive warfare.",
          "audience": "Readers concerned with how fiction treats outsiders, violence, and preemptive warfare.",
          "caveat": "The commenter acknowledges that their wife loved it and that it appeals to readers who felt like outsiders.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348757,
          "author": "blumkvist",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:27:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348757",
          "commentText": "Good suggestions already ITT, so I'm not gonna repeat.\nAll of Enderverse by Orson Scot Card is simply excellent. Ender's game is a nice peak into what goes on in the whole series. A mash between true strategy, relationships, personal development, philosophy and is very engaging.\nHowever the rest of the Ender series deal mainly with philosophy. Plenty of nuggets there. Additionally Shadow's saga is situated on Earth and is about strategy and competing. Highly recommended too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ender's game is a nice peak into what goes on in the whole series.",
          "reason": "Recommended as an engaging introduction to the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056639,
          "author": "Bzomak",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:47:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056639",
          "commentText": "Some which I have re-read recently and still enjoyed:\n  William Gibson's Sprawl trilogy\n\n  Frank Herbert's Dune series\n\n  Isaac Asimov's Foundation series\n\n  Frederik Pohl's \"Gateway\"\n\n  Robert Heinlein's \"The Moon is a harsh Mistress\"\n\nSome which I remember liking when I read them many years ago as a teenager:\n  E.E. Doc Smith's Lensman series\n\n  David Brin's Uplift series\n\n  Peter F. Hamilton's Greg Mandel trilogy and The Night's \nDawn trilogy\n  Orson Scott Card's \"Ender's Game\"\n\n  George R. Dickson's \"Dorsai!\"",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Orson Scott Card's \"Ender's Game\"",
          "reason": "The commenter remembers liking it as a teenager.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Their recollection is from many years ago.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056610,
          "author": "mattkevan",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:38:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056610",
          "commentText": "Anything by Alastair Reynolds - his Revelation Space series is great, and House of Suns is a fantastic one-off. He's probably the  closest to Ian Banks in creating galaxy-spanning civilisations across eons of time.\nIan MacDonald is another good one. My favourite of his is The Dervish House, but his others are definitely worth reading.\nCharles Stross is good. Didn't get on with Accelerando, but his Laundry books are a fun mix of HP Lovecraft/Len Deighton/IT Crowd. Halting State and Rule 34 are good explorations of pervasive augmented reality and intelligent algorithms. Also Glasshouse as an exploration of post-singularity society. Never managed to finish a Cory Doctorow book though.\nI found William Gibson's Bigend trilogy a slog, but I really enjoyed The Peripheral - it's a fun read.\nEnders Game and Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card are fantastic, but the remaining books suffer from diminishing returns (with the possible exception of Ender's Shadow). There are a lot of books in the series, but basically, the series finishes wherever you get bored reading it.\nAnything by China Mieville is well worth your time.\nOh, I also really enjoyed Elizabeth Bear's Jacobs Ladder trilogy, set on a generation ship where the inhabitants have forgotten who they are and where they're going.\nFor some older stuff:\nThe Stars my Destination by Alfred Bester – I was surprised at how good it is and how well it stands up. I couldn't believe it was written nearly 50 years ago.\nThe Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein - possibly my favourite of his. I want to start a lunar revolution with a sentient mainframe...\nI'm currently working my way through all the Hugo Award winners, from 1953 up, and there's some real gems there.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Enders Game and Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card are fantastic",
          "reason": "Calls the novel fantastic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056570,
          "author": "elorant",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:27:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056570",
          "commentText": "Everything from Asimov.\nThe Mars trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson.\nThe Culture books from Iain Banks.\nThe Rama series from Clarke although it got tiresome after a while.\nThe Sparrow and Children of God from Mary Doria Russell.\nContact by Sagan which by the way is one of the very few sci-fi books that were successfully depicted in movies.\nBrave new world from Huxley. Old one but still highly relevant.\nThe first ones from Gibson.\nThe Enter series by Orson Scott Card.\nBradbury's Farhenheit 451. This one is a classic.\nRevelation Space from Alaistair Reynolds who writes the most hardcore sci-fi I've ever come across.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Enter series by Orson Scott Card.",
          "reason": "The named series appears in a list of favorite science fiction books; “Enter” is understood as a typo for Ender.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056509,
          "author": "lwgray",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:14:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056509",
          "commentText": "Top 3 for me, would be\n1. Ender's Game\n2.  2001 Space Odyssey - I sit down with Arthur for Tea at his home in Colombo, Sri Lanka - He gave me a copy of his article in which he first described telecommunication via satellites\n3.  Snow Crash",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1. Ender's Game",
          "reason": "Named among the commenter's top three.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8947577,
          "author": "eswat",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-26T15:47:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8947577",
          "commentText": "Theatre of the Gods by Matt Suddain is an epic read. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card is one of the few books I’ll reread every few years. Both are sci-fi.\nAnd, while not technically a book but a manga, Appleseed by Masamune Shirow is another collection I reread every few years (precursor to Ghost in the Shell).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card is one of the few books I’ll reread every few years.",
          "reason": "Rereading alone does not establish a positive evaluation or recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they reread it every few years.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8944867,
          "author": "iambot",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-26T00:21:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944867",
          "commentText": "Diamond age: a young ladies illustrated primer. Anathem. Halting state. Accelerando. Rant: an oral biography of buster casey. Enders game. The laundry files.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Enders game.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8944625,
          "author": "Tycho",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-25T23:05:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944625",
          "commentText": "Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, Dune, Foundation series, Martian Chronicles & Illustrated Man, Ender's Game, Accelerando, Hyperion, The Forever War, Player of Games, Snow Crash",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ender's Game",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8944477,
          "author": "poopchute",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-25T22:18:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944477",
          "commentText": "- Brave New World (dystopia/utopia, short read)\n- Pandora's Star (futuristic (2380), humans are immortal through rejuvenation and are colonizing new worlds using worm hole tech(I think they have 50 or so worlds), long read - lots of sequels if you enjoy the universe)\n- Ender's game (futuristic, the movie cuts off  1/2 the book that revolves around Ender's 2 siblings, both also are geniuses, short read - lots of sequels if you enjoy the universe)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ender's game (futuristic, the movie cuts off  1/2 the book that revolves around Ender's 2 siblings, both also are geniuses, short read - lots of sequels if you enjoy the universe)",
          "reason": "Highlights substantial material beyond the movie and notes it is a short read with sequels.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy a futuristic story and its universe.",
          "caveat": "Short read; has many sequels.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8617286,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-17T08:04:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8617286",
          "commentText": "The Mysterious Island - Jules Verne\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nNineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell\nPerdido Street Station - China Mieville\nSnow Crash - Neal Stephenson\nEnder's Game - Orson Scott Card\nFoundation series - Asimov\namong others...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8613977,
          "author": "nl",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-16T11:15:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8613977",
          "commentText": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Fire_Upon_the_Deep\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Deepness_in_the_Sky\nIt's easy to categorise these as wonderful and well written space opera, but that undersells them. Their author (Venor Vinge) invented the idea of the Singularity, and worked as a computer science professor. Both won both the Hugo Award.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ender's_Game\nAs good as people say it is.\nMost of Richard Morgan's works (esp the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takeshi_Kovacs series). Not his fantasy books though.\nFor fantasy books, Patrick Rothfuss is doing good stuff. The Kingkiller Chronicles is excellent. Read his other books before \"Slow Regard of Silent Things\", though, because that is one weird story.\nFrom more recent SciFi books:\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Windup_Girl is excellent.\nI'm currently reading Ancillary Justice and I'm really enjoying it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancillary_Justice",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "As good as people say it is.",
          "reason": "Affirms its positive reputation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8613353,
          "author": "partisan",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-16T03:22:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8613353",
          "commentText": "Hard to say... had you asked me this question 15 years ago, I would have answered without hesitation, The Hobbit and Ender's Game.\nToday, it's a bit less clear, but here is what comes to mind.\nRendezvous with Rama - Arthur C. Clarke\nWorthing Saga - Orson Scott Card",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I would have answered without hesitation, The Hobbit and Ender's Game.",
          "reason": "Named as a former favorite in response to the question about favorite sci-fi or fantasy books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it would have been their answer 15 years ago.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109436,
          "author": "teshima82",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T17:02:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109436",
          "commentText": "In terms of studying, I am half way in Case Study Research, Contextual design and Constructing Grounded Theory.\nIn terms of leisure, I just finished enders games, and fault in our stars, and I will begin physics of the impossible and the future of the mind",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I just finished enders games",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6899532,
          "author": "ozh",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T07:56:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6899532",
          "commentText": "Ender's Game, for the 8th time or so, which I wanted to re-read again before watching the movie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ender's Game, for the 8th time or so, which I wanted to re-read again before watching the movie",
          "reason": "Named as the book reread, in response to the question asking for the year's best book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6418333,
          "author": "bpizzi",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-20T15:30:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6418333",
          "commentText": "Well I'm definitely into sci-fi literature.\nThere's simply nothing else nowadays (being in my early thirties) which can caught my attention and limited free time.\nIt's hard to sum it up to a couple of favorites... \nIf you prefer hardcore sci-fi over the rest - as I do, those are definitely first choices:\n- Iain M. Banks Culture books (\"Excession\" being the best of all to me)\n- Simmon's \"Hyperion\" and \"Fall of Hyperion\"\nSome authors managed to bring some good pieces of space-opera without being too much cheesy:\n- Hamilton and his Void books,\n- and, of course, Herbert and the Dune stuff.\nBut I must warn the casual reader here: those kind of books can get really massive.\nSecond choices - but still really good books, would be stuff written by great guys like Asimov (\"Foundation\"), OS Card (\"Enders game\") or RC Wilson (\"Spin\").",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "OS Card (\"Enders game\")",
          "reason": "Listed among second choices, but described as really good.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy science fiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter ranks these as second choices.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387654,
          "author": "waterhouse",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T00:15:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387654",
          "commentText": "Isaac Asimov's robot series (start with \"I, Robot\" and \"The Caves of Steel\") is good, as is his Foundation series.  Ender's Game is also good; I've heard other people complain about the other novels in that universe (Speaker for the Dead and sequels, Ender's Shadow and sequels), but I liked them fine.  Cryptonomicon is rich, fascinating, and entertaining.  Dune is rich and pretty fascinating.  Heinlein's \"Stranger in a Strange Land\" and \"Time Enough for Love\" are somewhat scandalous, but I thoroughly enjoyed them.\nOutside science fiction: P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster novels, as well as what of his other books I've read, are hilarious and brilliant; I would suggest \"Right Ho, Jeeves\" as a starting point.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ender's Game is also good",
          "reason": "Calls the book good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387468,
          "author": "enra",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T23:20:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387468",
          "commentText": "After reading Game of Thrones I wanted to read more book series, so went with science fiction ones:\n  Started with: Dune, by Frank Herbert (+ 5 books in the series)\n  Continued to: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (+ 3 sequels)\n  Now reading: Foundation by Isaac Asimov (+ 5 books)\n\nAll those are pretty great in sense of that they take set in span of thousands of years, and touch bit different ideas around society, myths, religion, morals, physical and mental technologies.\nOther than that, been been enjoying some classic literature, Zen and Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, James Clavell, Haruki Murakami and books about Richard Feynman.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (+ 3 sequels)",
          "reason": "Included in a series-reading list; the commenter later says all the listed series are pretty great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5834183,
          "author": "saturdayplace",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T18:17:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5834183",
          "commentText": "Contact by Carl Sagan. I first read it as an adult and it took my breath away. The movie was a fair adaptation.\nAlso, I like to read Ender's Game once a year or so.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I like to read Ender's Game once a year or so.",
          "reason": "Says they like to reread it regularly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5716089,
          "author": "Casseres",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-16T00:36:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5716089",
          "commentText": "The Unincorporated Man by Dani Kollin & Eytan Kollin.  It's a sci-fi set a couple hundred years in the future where everyone is incorporated at birth.  Just like you can own shares in a company, you can own shares of another person.  It's my second favorite novel.  It has some interesting ideas.\nEnder's Game by Orson Scott Card. Don't let the movie fool you. The book is very good.  It was at one point it was on the suggested reading list for the United States Marine Corps.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Don't let the movie fool you. The book is very good.",
          "reason": "Explicitly praises the book and distinguishes it from the movie.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4663638,
          "author": "rendeiro",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-17T08:43:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 4661261,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite Science Fiction book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4663638",
          "commentText": "I will pick more than 1:\nUbik by Philip K. Dick (it's hard to cherry pick his best work though, ask me a different day and I will choose The Three Stigmata or Do Androids Dream or something else)\nThe Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester (simply a good story and a great background)\n1984 by George Orwell.\nWhat all these books share is the idea that sci-fi is about social, cultural and economic dynamics, not ships or time travel.\nThat is my definition of sci-fi: An on-going essay about the evolution of the dynamics of society, using exotic technology/science merely as a catalyst.\nRunner up: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card\nCould never finish (can't recommend):\n- Neuromancer \n- Cryptonomicon (Does the author feel entitled to mock the homosexuality of Alan Turing? Found that somewhat arrogant and in bad taste.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Runner up: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card",
          "reason": "Named as the commenter's runner-up favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4662395,
          "author": "Delphiki",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-16T23:11:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 4661261,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite Science Fiction book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4662395",
          "commentText": "Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card\nSnow Crash - Neal Stephenson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite in response to the thread's question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4662136,
          "author": "jfaucett",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-16T22:07:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 4661261,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite Science Fiction book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4662136",
          "commentText": "I like a lot of Philip K Dicks stuff, \"Do androids dream  of electric sheep?\" Also I really enjoy Jules Verne and H.G. Wells and dipping into the 19th century industrial revolution scifi that their works entail. If I had to pick a favorite though it would be Enders Game by Orsen Scott Card, although I haven't read it since I was a kid but I remember then I found it amazing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it would be Enders Game by Orsen Scott Card",
          "reason": "The commenter names it as their favorite and remembers finding it amazing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They have not read it since childhood.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4354812,
          "author": "liquidcool",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-08T10:24:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 4353632,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon.  What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4354812",
          "commentText": "A book that often escapes even cyberpunk fans is John Brunner's \"The Shockwave Rider\". It was written in 1975 but is eerily prescient - at least I thought so when I read it in the 90's.\nOf course, I also recommend Gibson's books. And \"Ender's Game\"/\"Ender's Shadow\", even though they're not cyberpunk/cyber thrillers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "And \"Ender's Game\"/\"Ender's Shadow\"",
          "reason": "Recommended alongside Ender's Shadow, despite not being cyberpunk or a cyberthriller.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is not cyberpunk or a cyberthriller.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4354472,
          "author": "tqh",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-08T08:09:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 4353632,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon.  What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4354472",
          "commentText": "Enders Game and Enders Shadow by Orson Scott Card.\nBefore the movie comes out: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1731141/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Enders Game",
          "reason": "Suggested as a book to read before the movie comes out.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3643043,
          "author": "kimswe",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-28T13:24:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 3643009,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-technical book you've read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3643043",
          "commentText": "Enders game, and then Enders Shadow..",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Enders game",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to a question asking for recent non-technical books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2923957,
          "author": "salemh",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-25T06:25:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 2919368,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have changed the way you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2923957",
          "commentText": "Reality Tansurfing 1: The Space of Variations\n\"Choosing\" your own reality, positive mind frames, philosophy and actionable steps for goal attainment (no \"Secret\" wish fulfillment).\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1846941229/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1846941229/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1846941229)\n\" Some of Zeeland's techniques are very simple and practical; e.g. his methods of combining rational thinking with intuition for making practical decisions.  Other \"tools\" require a high degree of control over one's thoughts and/or emotions.\n    Zeeland also advocates reducing the amount of mental self-talk in favour of listening to one's intuition, which has some similarity with the teachings of Eckhart Tolle [[2]].\"\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vadim_Zeeland\nThe Tibetan Book of Living and Dying\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062508342/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062508342/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0062508342)\nThis novel has been of great help to me and family with recent deaths. Overall life outlook, happiness, and the like.\nEnders Game\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812550706/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812550706/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0812550706)\nI have read this novel over 15 years roughly 8 times. I get more, and a different perspective (which is interesting just examining my own reaction to re-reads based on my life and age at reading / re-reading).\nPrometheus Rising\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1561840564/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1561840564/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1561840564)\n\"Hacking\" reality, your mind, alternate viewpoints of reality and \"living\" accordingly (or not :D)\nPandora's Star\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345479211/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345479211/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0345479211)\nFascinating \"space opera\" wherein humanity masters worm-hole technology (and space colonization), ever lasting life (downloading / uploading) and a lovely read with a dose of astrophysics (though, the number of plot lines and characters gets far too muddled much of the time, symptomatic of Hamilton's books). Great \"look\" at a potential future of these potential advancements.\nNeuropath\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0765361574/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0765361574/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0765361574)\nScience fiction novel set in near-future based on new advanced in neuroscience; psychopath / serial killer thriller (one night read)on the brain as a chemical machine (and free-will arguments) with brutal thriller violence. This sticks with you for a number of weeks. Sending this to my sister was reacted with \"it was really good, fascinating..why the f* did you send this to me?\"\nThe Darkness That Comes Before (The Prince of Nothing, Book 1)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1841494089/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1841494089/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=1841494089)\nFantasy, philosophy, linguistics in Magic..dark, dark and a very old world. Brilliant, the best fantasy series this decade.\nTitan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400077303/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400077303/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1400077303)\nFrom dirt (literally), to one of the richest men in history, a genius accountant, inventor, process engineer, capitalist, competitive monster (crusher), also spawning much of modern medicine research centers (while he himself was a more holistic man who distrusted \"modern medicine). An incredible biography (oft cited by other novels on various Baron's / dynastic biographies) on the idiocyncrocies and the incredible desire for wealth and power, while abhoring lavish displays of wealth. From his rise, to consolidation, to \"war\" with the Rothschilds to the ultimate breakup of Standard Oil.\n1,000 Dollars and an Idea: Entrepreneur to Billionaire: Expanded Edition\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1557048487/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1557048487/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1557048487)\nSam Wyly, on building businesses to last, 15-20 years to \"flip\" or keep. Nuggets of wisdom for all industries and verticals.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Enders Game\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812550706/ref=as_li_ss_tl?...\nI have read this novel over 15 years roughly 8 times. I get more, and a different perspective",
          "reason": "The commenter says rereading it yields more and a different perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2639654,
          "author": "evanwalsh",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T03:25:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639654",
          "commentText": "Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card\nIf you're on HN, you already know what this is. Probably.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card",
          "reason": "Named as the commenter's answer to the greatest book question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043506,
          "author": "mhd",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:12:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043506",
          "commentText": "Snow Crash is great. Generally I'd recommend some \"classics\", just to see who treaded some ground first, i.e. who gets copied by everyone.\nIsaac Asimov - Foundation (and the rest of the trilogy)\nRobert A. Heinlein - Stranger in a Strange Land / Starship Troopers / The Moon is a Harsh Mistress\nAlfred Bester - The Demolished Man / The Stars My Destination\nJack Vance - The Dying Earth\nPhilip K. Dick - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep / The Man in the High Castle\nLarry Niven - Ringworld\netc. etc.\nA list of Hugo Award winners[1] might come in helpful.\nAnother advantage of having read \"the greats\" is that if some critic says that new author X writes \"in the style of Y\" you have a slightly better idea if you might like it.\nTastes vary, of course. Personally I never got what's supposed to be so great about Ender's Game. Teen Mary Sue geek power fantasy with questionable morals. Then again, lots of people said similar things about Heinlein…\n[1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Award_for_Best_Novel",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Personally I never got what's supposed to be so great about Ender's Game. Teen Mary Sue geek power fantasy with questionable morals.",
          "reason": "The commenter criticizes its characterization and moral framing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Called a teen power fantasy with questionable morals.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1974467,
          "author": "_b8r0",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T08:18:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974467",
          "commentText": "It's a toss up for me between Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.\nEnder's Game is one of those books I never got round to reading and I thought it was incredible what they put that boy through. I got the main twist a bit earlier than I should've done but it was such a good story that it didn't affect me too much. I loved the manipulation of political debate by the other children, it reminded me of Fox news for some reason.\nA Thousand Splendid Suns is the tale of two Afghan women, one in Kabul and one from outside. It's incredible, harrowing and keeps you in a vice-like grip from start to finish. I loved it so much I bought a copy for my Mother in Law as I kept raving about it. If you liked the Kite Runner then you'll love this (it's by the same author).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card",
          "reason": "Calls it one of their two favorite books of the year and praises its story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The main twist was easier to guess than expected.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1972496,
          "author": "tehdik",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T20:02:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1972496",
          "commentText": "Ender's Game by OSC",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ender's Game by OSC",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971377,
          "author": "_b8r0",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T10:28:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971377",
          "commentText": "My younger self wouldn't have been interested in the books that interest me now. Instead I'd have to settle for some good fiction.\nGoing back in time to around 12-16, I'd send one of:\n* Brave New World - Aldous Huxley\n* 1984 - George Orwell\n* To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee\n* Catch 22 - Joe Heller\n* Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut\n* Of Mice and Men - Steinbeck\n* Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury\n* The Call of Ctulhu - H.P. Lovecraft\n* Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card\nSome of those I actually read in school and loved (but wish I read earlier), others I didn't. I think any of those books would've interested me at the time. There's plenty of time for Rich Dad, Poor Dad, SPIN Selling and all the business books later in life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card",
          "reason": "Included as a fiction choice for their younger self.",
          "audience": "Readers around ages 12–16, as suggested by the commenter.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865661,
          "author": "tdupree",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T17:44:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865661",
          "commentText": "I thoroughly enjoyed the Foundation Series about a year ago and since then have been reading many of the books found in Asimov's Foundation Universe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_series#List_of_books... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_series#List_of_books_within_the_Foundation_Universe)). Right now I am reading \"The Robots of Dawn\", the third book in Asimov's Robot Series. I have gone in a kind of a strange order, first reading The Complete Robot, then the Foundation Series, the Empire Series, and now the Robot Series.  I have enjoyed them all, I like Asimov's style.  I also enjoyed Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and will be reading the next book in the series \"Speaker for the Dead\" soon.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also enjoyed Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865438,
          "author": "javery",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T16:57:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865438",
          "commentText": "I bet he would like Ender's Game - the other book that every other nerd in the universe likes. :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I bet he would like Ender's Game",
          "reason": "Suggested as a likely fit for the person seeking books to read next.",
          "audience": "The original poster, who likes Foundation and Hitchhiker's Guide.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752881,
          "author": "blrgeek",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T15:44:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752881",
          "commentText": "Want to blow your mind?\nFiction\nKeep an open mind, and a sense of wonder when you read these for max effect!\nHitch-hikers guide to the galaxy. I was hooked at \"The big yellow ships hung in the air just the way bricks don't.\"\nDune - what does scarcity do to a society?\nIsaac Asimov - Robot series. Foundation series. All of his short stories, esp. The Last Question, Nightfall.\nA.C. Clarke - 2001 - series, Childhood's End, The Fountains of Paradise\nThe Little Prince, The Count of Monte Cristo, Catch-22, Siddhartha, Ender's Game, Sundiver, Wodehouse.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ender's Game",
          "reason": "Listed as fiction to read for a mind-blowing experience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1724795,
          "author": "ashleyreddy",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-24T18:33:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1724795",
          "commentText": "Surely your joking Mr. Feynman.\nThis should be required reading for people in this thing of ours.\nAlso Enders Game (fiction)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also Enders Game (fiction)",
          "reason": "Offered as a book recommendation in response to a request for books for boys.",
          "audience": "Children.",
          "caveat": "The commenter identifies it as fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1573940,
          "author": "esoteric",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-04T07:53:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1573940",
          "commentText": "I remember reading something about him personally and tried to not let it taint my recent reading and then next year rereading of Ender's Game. I've forgotten what I was so upset about, thankfully, so I can still enjoy that and Speaker for the Dead for what they are.\nI don't often get really emotional when I read books anymore (I'm newly in my 30's), but Ender's game just hit me so hard. I'm glad for the experience.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ender's game just hit me so hard. I'm glad for the experience.",
          "reason": "Says the book affected them deeply and that they are glad they read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They can still enjoy it despite unspecified concerns about the author.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569462,
          "author": "cschep",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T23:11:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569462",
          "commentText": "If you haven't, read Ender's Game. It's phenomenally well written science fiction.\nIf you have read it a long time ago, re-read it!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "read Ender's Game. It's phenomenally well written science fiction.",
          "reason": "Praised as phenomenally well-written science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 877699,
          "author": "Avenger42",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T21:29:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=877699",
          "commentText": "Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card\nCryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card",
          "reason": "Named as one of the commenter’s favorite books in response to the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140754,
          "author": "endergen",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T12:14:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140754",
          "commentText": "Ender's Game:\nInspired my company: www.endergen.com. Who's goal it is make systems of play that augment intelligence as well as hopefully laterally solve world problems as you use them.\nFrakenstein:\nFor the morality that you must take responsibility for the consequences of your inventions.\nCryptonomicon:\nInspired most of the work on endergen(See Ender's Game Above). Introduced me to the concepts of privacy/security implemented in technical form and the conflict between the two.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ender's Game:\nInspired my company: www.endergen.com.",
          "reason": "Says it inspired their company and its work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140747,
          "author": "albertcardona",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T12:01:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140747",
          "commentText": "\"The Forever War\" by Joe Haldeman, among others.\nThe book will put the timeline of your life into context, outline your limitations, and provide a grandiose example on the importance of communication.\n(\"Ender's Game\" and \"Stranger in a Stranger Land\" are among my top 5, but I thought the gem described above deserves attention.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Ender's Game\" and \"Stranger in a Stranger Land\" are among my top 5",
          "reason": "Names it among their top five books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140694,
          "author": "Frocer",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T09:27:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140694",
          "commentText": "Agreed, this is probably one of my favorite sci-fi novel of all time.\nExcellent story, well-developed characters.  I think what makes this novel so popular is because all of us can related to the main character, Ender, on some level.  Highly recommended if you haven't read it.  It's too bad the sequels aren't nearly as good.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Highly recommended if you haven't read it. It's too bad the sequels aren't nearly as good.",
          "reason": "Calls it a favorite science-fiction novel and highly recommends it, while judging the sequels less favorably.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the sequels are not nearly as good.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140570,
          "author": "manvsmachine",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T05:49:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140570",
          "commentText": "Ender's Game, because of the age at which I read it.  I was 12 or 13 at the time, and it definitely affected how I viewed my peers in school.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ender's Game, because of the age at which I read it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it affected how they viewed their school peers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The impact is tied to reading it at age 12 or 13.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140414,
          "author": "noodle",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T01:23:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140414",
          "commentText": "i can't narrow this down to one.  some of these are already named:\nCryptonomicon,\nSnow Crash,\n\"The Last Question\",\nEnder's Game/Shadow,\nDune,\nSlaughterhouse 5,\nRingworld",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ender's Game/Shadow,",
          "reason": "Lists it among several choices in response to a request for inspiring science fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85983,
          "author": "Xichekolas",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T16:51:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85983",
          "commentText": "Ender Series - Orson Scott Card\nRama Series - Arthur C Clarke\nFirestar Series - Michael Flynn\n1984 - George Orwell\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs - Some guys at MIT (I know it's technical, but couldn't resist, it's just too good)\nAnything by Bret Easton Ellis, Greg Bear, Stephen Baxter, and the above mentioned authors.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ender Series",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite book series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 57218,
          "author": "dfranke",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-20T03:24:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=57218",
          "commentText": "I don't think it's quite right to say that SftD is the second book in the series.  Rather, Ender's Game is the common prequel to two trilogies that begin with SftD and Ender's Shadow.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Ender's Game is the common prequel to two trilogies",
          "reason": "Identifies its relationship to the two series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56986,
          "author": "guest",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T18:14:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56986",
          "commentText": "I would concur with Xichekolas with respect to both Ender's Game and the Economist. Also, The Next Fifty Years: Science in the First Half of the Twenty-first Century (Paperback) is excellent.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would concur with Xichekolas with respect to both Ender's Game",
          "reason": "Explicitly agrees with the prior comment's positive mention of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56704,
          "author": "Xichekolas",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T04:25:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56704",
          "commentText": "Favorite computer book: Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs - ISBN 0-07-000484-6 - Whether you actually like Scheme is beside the point. I got this book for an intro class into functional programming, and we only used sections one and two... but I enjoyed it so much I went through the rest of it on my own during Christmas break. Was probably the greatest experience I have had programming since first groking OO.\nFavorite non-computer book: Ender's Game - ISBN 0-812-55070-6 - I have probably read this about 10 times. All the other books in the series are good too, but it really stands apart from the rest.\nAs an aside, the Economist is probably the best (IMHO) news source out there, as it actually goes in depth as to the causes of events, rather than just listing them with pretty explosions. It's also delightfully devoid of sensationalist stories normally found on TV News or Newspapers. Added bonus: you get a nice discount if you subscribe as a student. Not sure I could recommend it highly enough.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I have probably read this about 10 times. All the other books in the series are good too, but it really stands apart from the rest.",
          "reason": "Names it a favorite and says it stands apart from the other books in its series.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for science fiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the other books in the series are good too, but that this one stands apart.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Orson Scott Card"
      ],
      "recommenders": 56,
      "threads": 35,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military science fiction",
        "coming of age",
        "young adult",
        "child protagonists"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-selfish-gene-7eb261",
      "title": "The Selfish Gene",
      "author": "Richard Dawkins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 44574451,
          "author": "chistev",
          "createdAt": "2025-07-15T18:40:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 44568054,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44574451",
          "commentText": "Hard to choose for myself who made the post.\nBut some of my favorites are -\n1. God: The Failed Hypothesis\nBook by Victor J. Stenger\n2. The God Delusion\nBook by Richard Dawkins\n3. Berlin: The Downfall 1945\nBook by Antony Beevor\n4. A Song of Ice and Fire\nNovel series by George R.R. Martin\n5. A Short History of Nearly Everything\nBook by Bill Bryson\n6. Billions and Billions\nBook by Carl Sagan\n7. Flowers for Algernon\nShort story by Daniel Keyes\n8. I'm Glad My Mom Died\nBook by Jennette McCurdy\n9. Manhunt: The Ten-Year Search for Bin Laden--from 9/11 to Abbottabad\nBook by Peter Bergen\n10. Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space\nBook by Carl Sagan\n11. The Metamorphosis\nNovella by Franz Kafka\n12. The Selfish Gene\nBook by Richard Dawkins\nGun to my head, pick one? The God Delusion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Selfish Gene",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43614414,
          "author": "shpx",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T18:25:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43614414",
          "commentText": "The Machinery of Life by David Goodsell. It's a short book with beautiful diagrams and explanations of microbiology.\nThe Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. Its thesis is that everything is built up of smaller things that are all trying to replicate or get replicated.\nPhilosophical Investigations by Ludwig Wittgenstein. I haven't read the book, but reading about the book's argument that language is a type of multiplayer game, along with the aforementioned ideas about things being built out of smaller things that are trying to replicate changed how seriously I take ideas in general. I'm not looking for a universal truth anymore, I'm watching different collections of ideas compete with each other based on how well they replicate and how well they compete once they've entered a brain.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. Its thesis is that everything is built up of smaller things that are all trying to replicate or get replicated.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes its central thesis and connects it to their changed outlook on ideas.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in evolution and the replication of ideas.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43611789,
          "author": "drewmcarthur",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T14:14:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43611789",
          "commentText": "i just picked up an edition of “The Evolution of Cooperation” that has a foreword by richard dawkins.  was cool to see his take, from writing the selfish gene, on axelrod’s contributions to the study of cooperation.  by any chance, did your edition of his book mention those cooperation studies?  dawkins said he updated a later edition in this foreward i just read",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "from writing the selfish gene",
          "reason": "Mentions Dawkins's book while discussing its author's perspective on cooperation research.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43611681,
          "author": "gmuslera",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T14:05:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43611681",
          "commentText": "In general the Incerto series by Nassim Taleb (Black Swan, Antifragile, and Skin in the Game) was worth it. The Selfish Gene, System thinking A primer, I am a strange loop, Sapiens are some books that I read recently that had a lasting impression.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Selfish Gene",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter says had a lasting impression.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41787675,
          "author": "mikhailfranco",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-09T13:19:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41787675",
          "commentText": "Dawkins is not an original researcher. He is wonderful at synthesizing research and writing eloquent popular books.\nThe importance of The Selfish Gene is to write a correct summary of the neo-Darwinian project. In the future (perhaps even now), it will be more famous for the coining of meme (in an appendix IIRC).\nHowever, The Extended Phenotype is a remarkably original exposition of important (then) contemporary frontiers of Darwinism. It is a powerful idea, powerfully described.\nIt is certainly his most important original contribution to the literature. And a beautiful book. True and convincing. It will change your view of the world. There is no higher praise.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The importance of The Selfish Gene is to write a correct summary of the neo-Darwinian project.",
          "reason": "Describes the book's role as a summary of neo-Darwinian ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41768932,
          "author": "llamaimperative",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T18:01:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41768932",
          "commentText": "I have been meaning to come back to this since reading Selfish Gene, but haven't gotten to it! I suppose I should :)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "since reading Selfish Gene",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have been meaning to return to the topic after reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41175866,
          "author": "dcminter",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T22:01:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175866",
          "commentText": "I remember reading The Selfish Gene as a teenager and being struck by how it made evolution seem almost obvious.\nWodehouse is an embarrassment of riches of course.\nGood recommendations!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I remember reading The Selfish Gene as a teenager and being struck by how it made evolution seem almost obvious.",
          "reason": "Recalls being struck by the book’s explanation of evolution.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41175841,
          "author": "montgomery_r",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:58:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175841",
          "commentText": "Aargh, Formatting! Try 2 :\nFor the value of ‘best’ that includes\n(a) had a deep and long lasting impact on how I think about the world and\n(b) I consider beautiful pieces of writing in their own right,\nhere are some in no particular order:\nThe Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins\nThinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nNaming and Necessity, Saul Kripke\nTractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein\n(These you might want to approach via a gentle introduction if you did not study Philosophy to degree level)\nThe Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle\nDarkness at Noon, Arthur Koestler\nThe Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse\nA Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh\nDiaries, Samuel Pepys\nFalling Off the Map, Pico Iyer\nA Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor\nThe Lonely Sea and the Sky, Francis Chichester\nThe Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope\nBevis, Richard Jeffries\nThe Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith\nThe Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse\nHitch-22, essays, Christopher Hitchens\nCollected Essays, William Hazlitt\nVenice, Martin Gayford\nThe Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski\nThe Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch\nToo obvious a list, perhaps, but some gems for all that! Happy reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins",
          "reason": "Includes the title among books considered impactful and beautifully written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41175718,
          "author": "montgomery_r",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:45:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175718",
          "commentText": "For the value of ‘best’ that includes  (a) had a deep and long lasting impact on how I think about the world and (b) I consider beautiful pieces of writing in their own right, here are some in no particular order: \nThe Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins \nThinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nNaming and Necessity, Saul Kripke\nTractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein\n(These you might want to approach via a gentle introduction if you did not study Philosophy to degree level) \nThe Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle\nDarkness at Noon,\nArthur Koestler\nThe Glass Bead Game,\nHermann Hesse\nA Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh\nDiaries, Samuel Pepys\nFalling Off the Map, Pico Iyer\nA Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor\nThe Lonely Sea and the Sky,\nFrancis Chichester\nThe Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope\nBevis, Richard Jeffries\nThe Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith\nThe Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse\nHitch-22, essaysChristopher Hitchens \nCollected Essays, William Hazlitt\nVenice, Martin Gayford\nThe Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski\nThe Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch\nToo obvious a list, perhaps, but some gems for all that! Happy reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a book with lasting impact on how they think and as beautiful writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40278808,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-06T19:54:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40278808",
          "commentText": "Offhand I can think of a few that I've read at least 2-3 times. And in a couple of cases, maybe as many as 4 or 5 times. There are probably some others that just aren't jumping to mind, but suffice it to say that these are all books I've found very valuable.\nThe Four Steps to the Epiphany - Steve Blank\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nMastering the Complex Sale - Jeff Thull\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nThe Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937558,
          "author": "kaycebasques",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T02:27:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937558",
          "commentText": "Six Pillars Of Self-Esteem. Biggest effect on me of any book, by far. The only book that immediately jumped to mind without me needing to check my \"read\" list.\nI vaguely recall The Soul Of Sex giving me a healthier foundation for my own sexuality.\nThe Power Of Myth and The Varieties Of Religious Experience for general spiritual goodness.\nThe Selfish Gene has probably had a deep lingering effect on my thoughts about my life as a biological creature.\nEvery Page Is Page One is very helpful for realizing (what I believe to be) the higher purpose of technical documentation, which is knowledge sharing.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Selfish Gene has probably had a deep lingering effect on my thoughts about my life as a biological creature.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it had a lasting effect on how they think about life as a biological creature.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says “probably.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32935947,
          "author": "sgdpk",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T07:52:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32935947",
          "commentText": "The Selfish Gene is great. The portions on Evolutionary Stable Strategies are particularly interesting. It shows how Darwinism can lead to a \"steady state\", where a population contains individuals with competing characteristics (selflessness VS selfishness), and why this not at odds with selection.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Selfish Gene is great.",
          "reason": "The commenter singles out the book's discussion of evolutionary stable strategies as particularly interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32793287,
          "author": "xhevahir",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T18:34:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32793287",
          "commentText": "When I read The Selfish Gene that explanation was very convincing to my (layman's) mind, but I've since wondered if some sort of \"multilevel selection\" mightn't do a better job of explaining both individual and group behavior. (The idea of \"memes\" is an interesting metaphor, imo, and nothing more.)\nThis reminds me of a book I had hoped to read, \"Darwin's Cathedral.\"",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "When I read The Selfish Gene that explanation was very convincing to my (layman's) mind",
          "reason": "The commenter says its explanation was convincing to them as a lay reader, while later questioning the explanation.",
          "audience": "Lay readers interested in evolution.",
          "caveat": "The commenter later wonders whether multilevel selection better explains individual and group behavior.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32792185,
          "author": "garren",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T16:39:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32792185",
          "commentText": "The Ancestor's Tale is an intimidatingly large book at first glance, but I found it well worth the read. I'd recommend it before The Selfish Gene just because, despite the size, to me the progression from chapter to chapter really kept my attention.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend it before The Selfish Gene",
          "reason": "Named as the book to read after The Ancestor's Tale.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32792015,
          "author": "cercatrova",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T16:22:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32792015",
          "commentText": "Indeed. We are only vessels for our genes, what we do doesn't really matter as long as we pass our genes along, from the perspective of our genes.\nI would also recommend other Dawkins books such as The God Delusion, it was one of the pivotal books that turned me from someone vaguely religious to an atheist. It explains simply how the various fallacies of religions are explainable and unwrappable.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Indeed. We are only vessels for our genes, what we do doesn't really matter as long as we pass our genes along, from the perspective of our genes.",
          "reason": "Discusses the book’s gene-centered perspective on behavior.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Frames this as the perspective of genes.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30827202,
          "author": "popcube",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T04:40:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30827202",
          "commentText": "the Selfish Gene.\nthis book can attract people who want understand how creatures work",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Selfish Gene.\nthis book can attract people who want understand how creatures work",
          "reason": "Recommended as a book that can attract readers interested in how living things work.",
          "audience": "People curious about how creatures work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30735052,
          "author": "neilpanchal",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T16:24:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735052",
          "commentText": "Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins.\nAnd not a book, but a documentary – The War by Ken Burns.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins.",
          "reason": "Listed as a book that changed the commenter's life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29816240,
          "author": "cpach",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-05T22:47:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29816240",
          "commentText": "The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins is great.\nOr something by Jared Diamond, e.g. The Third Chimpanzee.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins is great.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27647193,
          "author": "aalhour",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T00:06:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27647193",
          "commentText": "* Thinking Fast and Slow\n* The Selfish Gene\n* Probability: For the Enthusiastic Beginner\n* How to Measure Anything\n* Rationality: From AI to Zombies\n* Cynefin: Weaving Sense-making into the fabric of our world\n* Major works of Friedrich Nietzsche",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Selfish Gene",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23859531,
          "author": "jimmyvalmer",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T14:48:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859531",
          "commentText": "Selfish Gene",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Selfish Gene",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23478541,
          "author": "photawe",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-10T15:56:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23478541",
          "commentText": "Code Complete - 2 times: clearly it's a good book.\nThe selfish gene - 2 times - that's not programming wise, but it's an awesome book to get your thoughts rolling.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The selfish gene - 2 times - that's not programming wise, but it's an awesome book to get your thoughts rolling.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an awesome book that gets thoughts rolling.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter clarifies it is not programming related.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20999529,
          "author": "w4tson",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-17T20:10:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20999529",
          "commentText": "I listened to the Selfish Gene on Audible recently and was blown away by it.\nAll through school I never had much of an interest in biology or genetics. I think if I’d read this earlier it may have changed my mind.\nPlanning on reading the Blind Watchmaker at some point.\nSpurred on by reading the former I thought I’d listen to A Brief History of Time. Wow that is a whole different kettle of fish. I had to stop because I realized it wasn’t the right format (Audiobook), for me at least.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I listened to the Selfish Gene on Audible recently and was blown away by it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book blew them away and that it could have changed their mind about biology.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in biology, genetics, and evolution.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19115660,
          "author": "mcraenich",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-08T16:20:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19115660",
          "commentText": "I've been studying history privately for about 8 years now, and 'Maps of Time' by David Christian has fundamentally changed the way I look at the progression of mankind. Essentially, he's described from the highest possible level how modernity has come to be. There is too much detail in the book to go into depth, but it's a fascinating, and more than worthwhile read for the knowledge-seeker.\nAnother I'd add is 'The Selfish Gene' by Richard Dawkins. I have a Bachelor degree in science and never thought I'd be able to add to my understanding of evolution, but this book accomplished it. Almost everything I've studied can be broken into two periods - that I studied before reading the Selfish Gene, and what I studied after.\nLastly, I'd add Hume's 'Treatise on Human Nature', specifically his theory of substances. The basic idea was that as you learn more information about a substance, how you define that substance changes. First you see an orange ball, and you think it's just an orange colored ball. Later someone tells you it's a fruit, and your understanding of it changes.\nHow this is relevant is that I realized this can be applied to the world at large. Our understanding of any given phenomena is intrinsically linked to what we know about it. So there is no such thing as 'enlightenment' 'self-awareness' etc, there is only ever increasing awareness as we move through life, and we can also make a point to be intentional about increasing our own awareness.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Selfish Gene' by Richard Dawkins. I have a Bachelor degree in science and never thought I'd be able to add to my understanding of evolution, but this book accomplished it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it added to their understanding of evolution and changed how they viewed their studies.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a deeper understanding of evolution.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19089022,
          "author": "tvladeck",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T19:47:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19089022",
          "commentText": "The Selfish Gene & The Blind Watchmaker by Dawkins\nEvolution is the reason we exist! Understanding how it happens and why it can lead to counterintuitive outcomes is very important. He also narrates his own audiobooks and is excellent at it.\nThe Blank Slate & The Better Angels of our Nature by Pinker\nBoth books counter much accepted wisdom. The second book, in particular, will make you think of humanity in a fundamentally different light.\nThe Black Swan & Fooled by Randomness by Taleb\nThe role of chance in everyday life! It plays a big role!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Selfish Gene & The Blind Watchmaker by Dawkins\nEvolution is the reason we exist! Understanding how it happens and why it can lead to counterintuitive outcomes is very important.",
          "reason": "The commenter presents the books as valuable for understanding evolution and its surprising consequences.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19088570,
          "author": "sinkpoint",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T19:04:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19088570",
          "commentText": "\"Debt: The first 5000 years\" completely changed the way I view money, society, and relationships.\n\"The selfish gene\" changed the way I define life, opened my eyes to virtual life, and morality of selfishness vs. altruism.\n\"Into the Cool: Energy Flow, Thermodynamics, and Life\" changed the way I view the life and material existence. Whereas before I viewed them as two separate domains, after I see them as a spectrum.\nChinese classic taoism treaties: \"Dao De Jing\", and \"Zhuan Zi\", offers a via-negativa way of thinking and view of existence, the values are beyond words.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The selfish gene\" changed the way I define life, opened my eyes to virtual life, and morality of selfishness vs. altruism.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book changed their understanding of life and morality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17936661,
          "author": "atlas1428",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T18:44:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17936661",
          "commentText": "- The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins\n- Godel Escher Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\n- Language, Truth, and Logic by A. J. Ayer\n- Thinking in Systems: A Primer by Donella Meadows\nBooks that serve as investment philosophy guides for those who've developed a habit of saving money but are looking for the \"next step\" in building more wealth. From the mind of one of the greatest investors of all time:\n- The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham (get the annotated version with an epilogue written by Warren Buffett!)\n- The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America\nA book that discusses what matters most in your life from a resource-allocation, measurable results standpoint (family, etc.):\n- How Will You Measure Your Life by Clayton Christensen\nA book I read 10 years ago that forever changed the way I manage productivity and organization both at work and in my personal life:\n- Getting Things Done by David Allen\nBooks that show that our universe is just as crazy, if not crazier, than science fiction:\n- Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy\n- Quantum Chance: Nonlocality, Teleportation and Other Quantum Marvels\n- ..and so on with intersecting topics!\nNot to mention, I love trying to have as deep an understanding as I can by reading highly technical textbooks on cosmology, gravitation, and quantum physics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17913050,
          "author": "pergadad",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T21:40:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17913050",
          "commentText": "For me the comparison of gene and meme blew me away. In short: There are not one but two things in you yearning/working to be reproduced: your genes (not body) and your memes/meme complexes. Thosr memes that are not good at getting  reproduced die out,  just like for genes.\nThe book is now around 40 years old but still stunning in its insightfulness.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book is now around 40 years old but still stunning in its insightfulness.",
          "reason": "Calls the book's insight stunning, describing its comparison of genes and memes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17912460,
          "author": "dominotw",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T20:24:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17912460",
          "commentText": "The Selfish Gene - Dawkins\nFreedom from the Known - Jiddu\nFor decades I've been plagued by 'what is one supposed to do in life' question, I've been restless for years.\nThese two books gave me atleast a logical framework to understand my frustrations.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Selfish Gene - Dawkins",
          "reason": "Says the books gave them a logical framework for understanding their frustrations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910414,
          "author": "sorenn111",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:44:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910414",
          "commentText": "The Selfish Gene has been the most influential book on my life. Especially when Dawkins makes the point about pre-darwininan philosophy needing rethinking. His point being that natural selection/evolution is such a profound notion that it should be embedded into the underpinnings of philosophy itself.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Selfish Gene has been the most influential book on my life.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book profoundly influenced their thinking about natural selection and philosophy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910210,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:25:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910210",
          "commentText": "- \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies\" - probably the most influential book I've read in my life, profoundly changed the way I think. It's a collection of LessWrong essays on science and rationality.\n- \"On Intelligence\" and \"I am a Strange Loop\" - how mind works.\n- \"Rework\", \"Zero to One\", \"Start Small, Stay Small\" - insightful startup advice.\n- Fun autobiographies: Ghost in the Wires (Kevin Mitnick), iWoz (Steve Wozniak), Catch me if you can (Frank Abagnale), Just for Fun (Linus Torvalds), Elon Musk, Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\n- How companies work: Creativity Inc (Pixar), In the Plex (Google)\n- On writing: Art of fiction/nonfiction by Ayn Rand, Story by Robert McKee, Save the Cat, Step by Step to Standup Comedy.\n- Other: The Selfish Gene, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Serious Creativity, Hackers & Painters, Hacking Growth, Angel (on angel investing, by Jason Calacanis).\nAlso collections of essays by Paul Graham [1] and Scott Alexander [2]:\n[1] https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%20Complete%20Essays.epub?dl=0)\n[2] https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of%20Scott%20Alexandria%20-%20Scott%20Alexander.epub?dl=0)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Selfish Gene",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16297231,
          "author": "timellis-smith",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T11:41:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16297231",
          "commentText": "Fiction\nWar and Peace\nCrime and Punishment\nCount of Monte Christo\n1984\nGod of Small Things\nParadise lost\nDivine comedy\nNon fiction\nSelfish gene\nMeditations\nMadness explained (the best book I've encountered for explaining how the mind works)\nThe Red Queen\nTao te Ching",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Selfish gene",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the question about books the commenter wishes they had read earlier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296520,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T06:34:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296520",
          "commentText": "The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nAtlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand\nThe Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins\nHow To Win Friends And Influence People - Dale Carnegie\nThe Game - Neil Strauss\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\n... among others.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296453,
          "author": "jrs95",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T06:15:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296453",
          "commentText": "+1 for The Selfish Gene, one of the best books I've read. If you have any interest in the process of evolution/natural selection, I highly recommend it. It's not as \"political\" or explicitly atheistic as some of Dawkins' more recent work either, so people who have a negative opinion of that sort of thing shouldn't be turned off by his name being on it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for The Selfish Gene, one of the best books I've read. If you have any interest in the process of evolution/natural selection, I highly recommend it.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the best books they have read and highly recommends it to readers interested in evolution or natural selection.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in evolution or natural selection.",
          "caveat": "Less political or explicitly atheistic than some of Dawkins' later work.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296414,
          "author": "ArslanAtajanov",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T05:58:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296414",
          "commentText": "\"Letters from a Stoic\" by Seneca\n\"The Selfish Gene\" by Richard Dawkins\n\"Deep Work\" by Cal Newport\n\"Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed\" by Jared Diamond",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Selfish Gene\" by Richard Dawkins",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630924,
          "author": "mbrock",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T18:57:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630924",
          "commentText": "Gödel, Escher, Bach awakened my intellectual curiosity about formal systems and other autistic modes of beauty as a teenager. After \"The Selfish Gene\" it was the first book I bought and read on my own volition, so I have to credit it as a major influence.\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs for showing that you can think rigorously and compose beautiful programs out of simple pieces.\nContingency, Irony, and Solidarity by Richard Rorty for showing that it's possible to think and feel about politics while maintaining a profoundly ironic and groundless mind.\nThe Body in Pain by Elaine Scarry for its beautiful view of civilization as materialized caring and of the inflicting of pain as metaphysically destructive.\nBeing-in-the-world by Dreyfus for introducing me to Heidegger and showing how continental philosophy inspired by Heidegger was a major force in the evolution of AI and how AI researchers tended to be influenced by rationalist philosophy in the vein of Descartes which leads to huge misunderstandings of the nature of being.\nDhammapada translated by Gil Fronsdal because it's a beautiful exposition of early Buddhist poetry and clearly shows the worldview of south east Asian Buddhism.\nDebt by David Graeber for making me interested in money and credit systems from an anthropological point of view.\nA Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace for being hilarious and sad and buzzing with neurotic perceptive overeducated thought in a way that mirrored my own precocious self-consciousness and made me feel less \"marooned in my own skull.\"\nThe Uses of Disorder by Richard Sennett for giving a defense of the anarchy of urban life that views conflict as necessary for growth.\nAfter Virtue by Alisdair MacIntyre for showing the contemporary situation in thought and ethics as profoundly abnormal and difficult, being the aftermath of the Enlightenment project's failure to ground morality in objective reason, and pointing to virtue within traditions as the only way to live coherently.\nThe Teachings of Huang-bo for being a merciless and hilarious attack on sanctimonious and ritualistic Buddhism, displaying the role of sarcasm and wit in spirituality, and generally just shouting \"wake up, lazy pretentious idiot\" on every page.\nFanged Noumena by Nick Land for diving deeply into amphetaminic insanity thus accurately mirroring the schizophrenia of postmodern capitalism.\nThe letters of Van Gogh.\nPhillip Lopate's personal essays.\nHyperobjects by Timothy Morton.\nOn the Origins of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "After \"The Selfish Gene\" it was the first book I bought and read on my own volition",
          "reason": "Names it as a formative book in the context of describing a major intellectual influence.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment does not state a specific evaluation of this title.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15157970,
          "author": "vpribish",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T20:15:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15157970",
          "commentText": "Goedel, Escher, Bach -- If you're reading this page you will dig this book.\nGuns, Germs, and Steel -- how circumstance drove civilizations. Fun storytelling even if it's a bit too \"just-so\".  definitely trains you to look at any situation and seek it's origins with less initial judgement.\nThe Visual Display of Quantitive Information -- gets at the essence of communication and medium.  more than it seems!\nThe Alchemy of Finance -- \"reflexivity\", but if you're also interested in Soros or some finance storytelling it's worth it.\nThe Selfish Gene -- as everyone else has said.\nThe Prize -- the history of oil.  huh?  yeah.  Likely to change how you look at the history of technology, government, power, the saudis, and geopolitics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Selfish Gene -- as everyone else has said.",
          "reason": "Included in the thread’s list of books answering the impact question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15157375,
          "author": "austenallred",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T18:07:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15157375",
          "commentText": "Yup, that's just the mental model I gleaned from it",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Yup, that's just the mental model I gleaned from it",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15020418,
          "author": "unmole",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T17:37:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15020418",
          "commentText": "Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari is the best book I've read in a while. It's like Guns, Germs and Steel but better argued and far greater in scope.\nThe Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins was a great read too. A bit of a slog in some places but otherwise brilliant and insightful.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins was a great read too. A bit of a slog in some places but otherwise brilliant and insightful.",
          "reason": "Calls it brilliant and insightful, with some slow sections.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A bit of a slog in some places.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13968471,
          "author": "jshawl",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T15:24:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13968471",
          "commentText": "The Selfish Gene (Richard Dawkins)\ntldr; our bodies are just a side effect of the gene's greater plan",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Selfish Gene (Richard Dawkins)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13828716,
          "author": "villmann",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-09T12:06:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13828716",
          "commentText": "The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins;\nRed Queen, Matt Ridley;\nSperm Wars, Robin Baker;\nRead in that order, the books explain much of what is going on in our society and lives. This has enabled me to to analyse my own, and others, actions and motives.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins;",
          "reason": "Included in a list whose order the commenter says explains much about society and people's lives.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13805580,
          "author": "dominotw",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T20:02:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805580",
          "commentText": "selfish gene, fountainhead",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "selfish gene",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13803999,
          "author": "MichaelGG",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:02:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13803999",
          "commentText": "Perhaps because I had terrible schooling that never taught this kind of stuff: The Selfish Gene.\nGetting a solid grounding in how life can arise without, well, magic, shifted my thinking quite a bit. At a low level, life has no inherent meaning, so it's whatever we make of it. For many this is probably obvious, but if you grew up in a rather fundamentalist religious environment, it's quite the change!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Selfish Gene",
          "reason": "The commenter says it shifted their thinking about how life can arise and meaning.",
          "audience": "Readers from a fundamentalist religious environment may find its perspective especially challenging.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12245929,
          "author": "dandare",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T07:08:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12245929",
          "commentText": "On a personal level the Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins because it explained that \"evil\" is not evil but \"mathematically\" inevitable, thus allowing me to find (relative) peace of mind.\nOn a professional level The Mobile MBA by Jo Owen, because it explained to me - the programmer - valuable management skills in no bullshit way (I can not stress this enough), thus allowed me to grow in my career.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On a personal level the Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins",
          "reason": "Credits it with explaining a view that helped them find relative peace of mind.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12098726,
          "author": "pklausler",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T03:08:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12098726",
          "commentText": "Infinite Jest\nUlysses\nThe Selfish Gene\nThe Histories of Herodotus\nMoby-Dick\nGödel, Escher, Bach",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Selfish Gene",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12069759,
          "author": "jdmoreira",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T08:57:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12069759",
          "commentText": "\"Present Shock\" by Douglas Rushkoff\n\"Super Forecasting\" by Philip Tetlock, Dan Gardner\n\"The Selfish Gene\" by Richard Dawkins\n\"The Marshmallow Test: Mastering Self-Control\" by Walter Mischel\n\"Precision: Statistical and Mathematical Methods in Horse Racing\" by C X Wong\n\"Functional Swift\" by Chris Eidhof, Florian Kugler, and Wouter Swierstra\n__ DIDN'T FINISH __\n\"Thinking in Forth\" by Leo Brodie\n\"The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch\" by Philip K. Dick\n__ QUEUED FOR READING __\n\"Porcelain\" by Moby\n\"Sapiens\" by Yuval Noah Harari",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"The Selfish Gene\" by Richard Dawkins",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10787625,
          "author": "aws_ls",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T09:09:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787625",
          "commentText": "1) Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree - Rating 3/5 - Got an idea about the times in receding Muslim powers, at the end of the 15th Century, in Spain -  The author is an historian so positive point is that fiction rooted in history. But some of the fictional narratives could have been better, as he was not a fiction writer when he started out.\n2) Zero to One - Rating 4/5 - Thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. Insights into and anecdotal examples of Paypal mafia, among the numerous over there.\n3) Liar's Poker - Rating 4/5 - The first of several best seller's by Michael Lewis, gives insights into the working of Investment Finance business, and in a very interesting way (lots of humor)\n4) Devotion of Suspect X - Rating 4/5 - Work of fiction by the Japanese best seller author Keigo Higashino. Enjoyable read - contrasts a Physicist and a Mathematician trying to out think each other in a crime context (reference to Maths/Physics are just pop-level so don't expect too much)\n5) 'Digital Gold...' by Nathaniel Popper - Currently reading (very enjoyable at around 41%) - Captures the history of evolution of Bitcoin. Also made me sad for various people for different reasons, e.g. Hal Finney, who was the first adopter of Satoshi Nakamoto's idea. Reading this book made me appreciate why not knowing who is SN is important. I am no longer curious.\n6) Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond - Rating 5/5 - A perspective changing book, if there can be one. Had picked it up from Gates notes' reading list couple years back. After reading this, my entire perspective on religions, politics, culture changed and I view everything from the reference point of when we started to do agriculture some 20,000 years ago, and of course geographical perspective.\nSome others in my to-read list (hope to pick one before the turn of the year):\n1) Emperor of all maladies - book on cancer research\n2) Ashley Vance's book on Elon Musk\n3) 100 years of solitude\n4) The selfish gene\n5) The hard thing about hard things\n6) Or, if I see any other book: either on this page, or on Gates Notes or on HN reading share the other day. Am a big fan of exchanging/sharing reading lists.\nEdit: Formatting. HN post editor needs two new lines ('\\n') to display one\nEdit 2: Had wrongly named book #4 as Salvation of a saint (which is another book, I read earlier by the same author)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "4) The selfish gene",
          "reason": "Lists it as a possible future read without evaluating it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It is on the to-read list.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785552,
          "author": "benajibayassine",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:50:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785552",
          "commentText": "1- The Emperor's Handbook by Marcus Aurelius. Jan, 10th 2015\n2- The crowd, a study of the popular mind by Gustave Le Bon. Jan, 10th 2015\n3- Remote by Jason Fried. Jan, 11th 2015\n4- The shape of the world to come by Laurent Cohen-Tanugi, Jan, 20th, 2015\n5- Post office by Charles Bukowski. Jan, 23rd 2015\n6- Gang leader for a day by Sudhir Venkatesh. Feb, 6th 2015\n7- Zen mind, beginner's mind by Shunryu Suzuki. Feb, 8th 2015\n8- The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Feb, 23rd 2015\n9- Darkness Visible by William Styron. March, 1st 2015\n10- Zero to One by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters. March, 9th 2015\n11- The Kaizen way: One small step can change your life by Robert Mauter. March, 11th 2015\n12- Time by Alexander Waugh. March, 12th 2015\n13- Max and the cats by Moacyr Scliar. March, 14th 2015\n14- Scattered by Gabor Mate. March, 20th 2015\n15- East of Eden by John Steinbeck. March, 30th 2015\n16- Crossing the unknown sea by David Whyte. April, 7th 2015\n17- Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. April, 13th 2015\n18- The World beyond your Head by Matthew Crawford. April, 22nd 2015\n19- How to Think about Exercise by Damon Young. April, 23rd 2015\n20- Solitude by Anthony Storr. May, 8th 2015\n21- Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. June, 10th 2015\n22- The bastard of Istanbul (in Arabic) by Elif Shafak. June, 21st 2015\n23- L’ordre libertaire: la vie philosophique d’Albert Camus by Michel Onfray. July, 7th 2015\n24- Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse. July, 10th 2015\n25- The arab uprisings by James Gelvin. July, 13th 2015\n26- How to worry less about money by John Armstrong. July, 13th 2015\n27- Self comes to mind by Antonio Damasio. July, 31st2015\n28- Muhammad: The First Muslim by Lesley Hazleton. August, 4th t2015\n29- Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. August, 15th 2015 \n30- Heidegger's Being and Time by William Blattner. August, 18th 2015 \n31- Heidegger and a hippo walk through those pearly gates by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. August, 19th 2015 \n32- Why nations fail by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson. October, 3rd 2015 \n33- Charlie Munger: the complete investor by Tren Griffin October, 9th 2015 \n34- The selfish gene by Richard Dawkins October, 23rd 2015\n35- The philosophical baby by Alison Gopnik October, 28th 2015\n36- The three-body problem by Cixin Liu November, 1st 2015\n37- Open letter to a young man by Andre Maurois November, 13th 2015\n38- Thinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman November, 16th 2015\n39- What do you care what people think by Richard Feynman November, 18th 2015\n40- When the body says No by Gabor Maté November, 29th 2015\n41- The truth will set you free by Alice Miller. December, 5th 2015\n42- The shallows by Nicholar Carr. December, 7th 2015\n43- What matters most byJames Hollis. December, 14th 2015\n44- Finding meaning in the second jalf of life byJames Hollis. December, 20yh2015",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The selfish gene by Richard Dawkins",
          "reason": "Included in a dated list of books read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10325272,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T20:42:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325272",
          "commentText": "I think we've swapped notes on a similar thread before, so we may have already talked about this, but let me say that if you liked Permutation City by Egan, you may also like Glasshouse by Charles Stross.\nI also \"second the motion\" in regards to both The Selfish Gene and *Gödel, Escher, Bach\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also \"second the motion\" in regards to both The Selfish Gene and *Gödel, Escher, Bach\".",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the recommendation of this book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10325237,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T20:31:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325237",
          "commentText": "I'm sure there are many, but a few that jump to mind, in no particular order, and spanning both fiction and non-fiction:\nThe Selfish Gene - Dawkins\nA New Kind of Science - Wolfram\nThe Singularity is Near - Kurzweil\nGödel, Escher, Bach - Hofstadter\nFluid Concepts and Creative Analogies - Hofstadter\nAtlas Shrugged - Rand\nThe Fountainhead - Rand\nNineteen Eighty-Four - Orwell\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nAmbient Findability - Peter Morville\nEmergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software - Steven Johnson\nSix Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age - Duncan Watts\nLinked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means for Business, Science, and Everyday Life - Albert-laszlo Barabasi\nArtificial Life - Steven Levy\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nThe World is Flat - Thomas Friedman\nnot a book, but the various writings of Douglas Engelbart - http://www.dougengelbart.org/library/library.html\nGlasshouse - Charles Stross\nPermutation City - Greg Egan\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nThe Shockwave Rider - John Brunner\nThe Society of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nThe Origin of Wealth: The Radical Remaking of Economics and What it Means for Business and Society - Eric Beinhocker\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nFooled By Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Selfish Gene - Dawkins",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10325078,
          "author": "Udik",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T19:40:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325078",
          "commentText": "My two cents:\nThe selfish gene by Richard Dawkins - makes you look at living beings as software, and at the world as an immense optimization algorithm.\nPermutation City by Greg Egan - the perfectly rational idea that the mind is computable is rife with apparently unsolvable paradoxes.\nGödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter. Maths, logic, patterns, artificial intelligence, beauty, art and self-referentiality.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "makes you look at living beings as software, and at the world as an immense optimization algorithm.",
          "reason": "Says it offers a way to view living beings and the world through computation and optimization.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10186185,
          "author": "pgathogo",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-08T15:14:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10186185",
          "commentText": "Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins, awesome stuff",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins, awesome stuff",
          "reason": "Calls it awesome.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10027904,
          "author": "hga",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T17:06:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027904",
          "commentText": "The Selfish Gene is wonderfully tight, indeed very little noise and a whole lot of signal.\nHere's two books if you want to learn about math you might want to learn about: The Facts on File Dictionary on Mathematics by Gibson, and Foundations and Fundamental Concepts of Mathematics by Howard Eves, which takes a historical approach, but is not a history per se.  More like \"this is what the Greeks did, in this period the use of calculus was pretty loose and look at this equation that  Euler thought was right, these are the steps that brought rigor to it\" etc.\nSusan Wise Bauer has been writing a series of history books solely focused on \"politics\", i.e. no coverage of the arts besides occasional mentions; that can be a very useful framework to then hang study of things like the arts off of.  Also no wild speculation like Guns, Germs and Steel is filled with, if it wasn't written down and passed down to us, it gets only brief mention.  Here's the first one: http://www.susanwisebauer.com/books/history-of-the-ancient-w... (http://www.susanwisebauer.com/books/history-of-the-ancient-world/)\nSamuel Eliot Morison wrote a series of book on the History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, they're focused on what happened in detail, with charts of the movement of the ships in various battles and so on.  The TV series Victory at Sea was based on them, and they're a good framework to then hang more detailed study of the war off of: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_United_States_Naval... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_United_States_Naval_Operations_in_World_War_II)\nAs Wikipedians put it, This History of U.S. Naval Operations also intentionally avoided a certain amount of analysis, for instance deferring to other works for the causes of the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor. The intended audience for the work, to quote from the preface, was \"the general reader rather than the professional sailor.\"\nThere are two very tight and short books on self-defense, Jeff Cooper Principles of Personal Defense and Massad Ayoob's In the Gravest Extreme, The Role of the Firearm in Personal Protection, \"Just the facts, ma'am\", firearm centric but wonderfully focused.\nADDED: Sun Tzu's The Art of War is itself very focused (the media on which it was written strongly encourages that!), although the commentary, traditional and what modern translators add, can wander into fluff.  A lot of it is relevant to modern non-violent life, and don't forget that \"You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you\".  I recommend  Samuel B. Griffith's translation, he was a professional military officer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Selfish Gene is wonderfully tight, indeed very little noise and a whole lot of signal.",
          "reason": "Praises its concise, high-signal writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9675231,
          "author": "folli",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T16:14:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9675231",
          "commentText": "Regarding 'the selfish gene', I still think that the concept that the gene is the unit of evolution and the resulting organism is just its proxy, is one of the greatest insights since Darwin.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Regarding 'the selfish gene', I still think that the concept that the gene is the unit of evolution and the resulting organism is just its proxy, is one of the greatest insights since Darwin.",
          "reason": "Praises the central idea associated with the book as one of the greatest insights since Darwin.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674285,
          "author": "jepper",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T11:55:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674285",
          "commentText": "The Selfish Gene - Dawkins, The Red Queen - Ridley\nI've read these books midway through high school, already interested in biology and medicine. The depth and complexity of how life forms handle evolutionary pressure is mind blowing. Why you favor relatives over strangers, the competition between mother and child, progress through collaboration of genes etc. You see the world completely differently (after reading many more books on geology, genetics, anthropology, anatomy, cellular biology etc) afterwards.\nFor a novel: Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson,\nTruely changed how I look at computers and encryption as a not mathematically inclined reader. Building a computer out of church pipe organ components etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Selfish Gene - Dawkins",
          "reason": "Listed as a mind-blowing book in response to the request.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in biology and medicine.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348789,
          "author": "MichaelGG",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:30:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348789",
          "commentText": "This is embarrassing. I grew up with sorta fundie parents (they got better) and dropped out of school early (religious schools...), so it might be different for HNers that had a solid mental upbringing.\nA Brief History of Time because it pretty much slapped any thoughts I had of a supernatural universe/god right out of my mind. I know it's not highly regarded, but for a rather ignorant guy, it woke me up.\nThe Selfish Gene (inc The Extended Phenotype). This is one I think is the most powerful, even for people that had OK education. Showing how life could possibly evolve, just with random mutations and non-random survival made it real to me that we live in a natural world. And not just that, but that since it's so obviously a natural world, it's up to us to decide what is right, what our purpose is. The earth and nature aren't going to help us there - it's our call, full stop. That is huge, and many otherwise seemingly well educated people don't seem to get it.\nHeuristics and Biases. (Though Thinking Fast and Slow might be more approachable.) This book opened me up to the fact that I'm running on busted hardware. That I've got serious, unfixable, biases built into my brain. That a lot of what I do is a fast but inaccurate parallel system at work. (Interestingly, this is the essence of Taoism, wu wei).\nLately, LessWrong. (Available as a book called Rationality: From AI to Zombies). These sequences have helped me, well, get less wrong, slowly, at making decisions and general thinking. I try to be aware of when I'm being biased and incorrect. I make better predictions and actively try to update my priors, instead of just confirming my previous beliefs. As I get older (34) I find I'm unwittingly acting close minded on occasion, and need to actively work against it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Selfish Gene (inc The Extended Phenotype). This is one I think is the most powerful",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it powerful and says it shaped their understanding of evolution and purpose.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9347895,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T14:48:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9347895",
          "commentText": "Here's my usual list of recommendations, the best books I've read in the past 5 years.\nFiction:\n- Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\nIf you know nothing about this book you might naturally hesitate to read \"Harry Potter fanfiction\" and assume that it's dumb/horrbile, but it's not. Just suspend your disbelief and read the first 5-10 chapters. Trust me, it's brilliant, hilarious, and life-changing.\n- Atlas Shrugged\nControversial, I know, a lot of people here hate it for some reason, but it was incredibly influential on me, inspired my passion for entrepreneurship and science and philosophy. Still is one of the best books I am aware of.\nNonfiction:\n- Hackers and Painters by Paul Graham\nAlso a collection of his essays that you can find on github. He is one of the most clever writers I am aware of, but I assume you know that, since you're on HN.\n- \"On Intelligence\" by Jeff Hawkins\nThis book explains in simple terms a very awesome and elegant theory on how mind works. Incredibly fascinating, I've learned a lot from it and it explains a lot of things, and will change the way you think about thinking process.\n- The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins\nEngaging and entertaining explanation of evolution, absolutely fantastic book.\n- The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli.\nDespite the stigma, and people thinking that Machhiavellian = \"evil\", I've found this book extremely clever and wise.\n- Serious Creativity by Edward De Bono\nThe best book on creativity and the process of generating ideas that I'm aware of.\n- Abundance\nThis is a very inspiring and optimistic book about the future of technology.\nEntrepreneurhsip:\n- Start Small, Stay Small\nGuide to creating your first product/business for hackers. It lays out all the basics of entrepreneurship in a very concise and clear ways, my favorite introduction to startups.\n- Rework\nVery wise and intelligent advice about startups, intelligent and witty, must read.\n- Lean Startup\nClassic book on \"lean startup methodology\", very useful.\n- 4-Hour Workweek\nDespite the silly title I think it is a great book and is very much worth reading. Many people here dislike Tim Ferris, but whatever, I think this book is cool.\nAutobiographies:\n- Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman\n- Ghost In The Wires by Kevin Mitnick\n- Catch me if you can by Abagnale\n- iWoz by Steve Wozniak\n- Losing my Virginity by Richard Branson\nAll these are fantastic and very intelligent autobiographies by the very awesome people.\nNow I'm reading \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" and \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies.\"\n\"Rationality\" is great and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. Can't say much about GEB, I've only started reading it, but everyone is saying that it is so great and the best book ever, so I think it's definitely worth checking out.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Engaging and entertaining explanation of evolution, absolutely fantastic book.",
          "reason": "Calls it engaging, entertaining, and fantastic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107093,
          "author": "mrcdima",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T09:05:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107093",
          "commentText": "Some titles I've recently read or at least have placed on my reading list.\n--------------------\nPhilosohpy\nLetters from a Stoic: Epistulae Morales Ad Lucilium - Seneca\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius (must read)\nThe Republic - Plato\n--------------------\nHistory\nFive Chimneys - Olga Lengyel\nThe Gulag Archipelago - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (must read)\nThe Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank\n--------------------\nFiction\n(particularly dystopian) 1984, Brave New World, Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451\n(crime/action) Child 44, The Secret Speech, Agent 6 - Tom Rob Smith\n--------------------\nEconomics\nCapital in the Twenty-First Century - Thomas Piketty\nPoor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty - Banerjee, Duflo\nWhy Nations Fail - Robinson\n--------------------\nEconomics/Decision making/Psychology\nUndercover Economist, Freakonomics, Nudge, Thinking Fast and Slow\n--------------------\nRandom titles\nThe Selfish Gene, Self-Reliance, The Elements of Style (about writing), Slaughterhouse-Five\n--------------------\nSome links to inspire your reading (though you may want to checkout the websites first to get an idea of the topics they cover)\nhttp://www.gatesnotes.com/Books\nhttp://bookpickings.brainpickings.org/\nhttp://www.farnamstreetblog.com/reading/\nhttp://www.ryanholiday.net/reading-newsletter\nI’m just a working-class guy trying to take part in the conversation that all the smart people are having. What books should I read? - http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-cl... (http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-class-guy-trying-to-take-part-in-the-conversation-that-all-the-smart-people-are-having-what-books-should-i-read/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Selfish Gene",
          "reason": "Listed as a title in response to the thread's request for book suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5700766,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-13T19:14:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5700766",
          "commentText": "Aaaah, a couple of ones that jump to mind:\nAtlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand.  I prefer the latter, but they're both great books.  I discovered Rand later in life, after a lot of my beliefs were probably already pretty well locked in, but her outlook certainly resonates with me, and the inspiration I found in her books helps nudge me in the direction of truly to live my life more fully as my life, not someone else's idea of what my life should be.\nThe Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins.  I was already a borderline atheist anyway, although I tended to use the term agnostic to avoid arguing with friends & family, considering that I live in the Bible Belt.  But Dawkins' book showed me a counter argument to the \"irreducible complexity\" argument that made sense on a very fundamental level, and IR was one of the last things that kept even a vestige of \"mystical\" thought alive in me.  After reading this book, I felt very comfortable in being an atheist, and I also decided to quit dodging the issue and start telling people that I'm atheist, whether they like it or not.  Also, see above: I'm not interested in living a life that's about trying to please other people.  I get one crack at this, and it's fairly short.  This is my life, damnit.\nThe World Is Flat - Thomas Friedman.  Considering that I was already a libertarian leaning, pro free-markets / free-trade type, you might think that his book would have had little impact on me.  But it actually made me a lot more aware of the various implications (pro and con) of globalization.   Largely, though, it reinforced my thinking that globalization is  - over the long term - a mostly good thing.  It will hurt some individuals in the short-term, but it also creates a lot of opportunities.\nBut beyond all those, the one book that I consider the single most life-changing book of all... the book that I'd probably refer to as my Bible if I didn't get a bit queasy about even making that joke:\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank.  As an aspiring entrepreneur, I had some ideas I was working on, and some plans to do a startup a while back.  But I really had NO idea of the process of going from \"an idea\" to \"a company\" much less a profitable, growing, scalable company.\nReading TFSTTE felt like \"taking the Red pill\".  Now I see the path from \"idea\" to \"company\" far, far more clearly than I ever did before.  And while it's no guarantee of success, the process that Steve lays out feels like the closest thing you could get to a \"paint by numbers\" approach to building a business.  We've been working through the Customer Development Methodology for a while now, and I'm pretty sold on it's value.  And we haven't even always done it right (for various reasons).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dawkins' book showed me a counter argument to the \"irreducible complexity\" argument that made sense on a very fundamental level",
          "reason": "Says it changed their thinking about atheism by providing a persuasive counterargument.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5691391,
          "author": "bloodorange",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T17:53:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5691391",
          "commentText": "\"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland\" - Lewis Carroll\n\"Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There\" - Lewis Carroll\n\"Dracula\" - Bram Stoker\n\"Frankenstein\" - Mary Shelly\n\"On Education\" - Bertrand Russell\n\"The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy\" - Douglas Adams\n\"Animal Farm\" - George Orwell\n\"1984\" - George Orwell\n\"Lord of The Flies\" - William Golding\n\"Brave New World\" - Aldous Huxley\n\"Gulliver's Travels\" - Jonathan Swift\n\"The Selfish Gene\" - Richard Dawkins",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Selfish Gene\" - Richard Dawkins",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for good book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395488,
          "author": "jvandenbroeck",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T11:47:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395488",
          "commentText": "The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins, old but definitely worth the read. Changes the way you look at things.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "old but definitely worth the read. Changes the way you look at things.",
          "reason": "Says it is worth reading and changes how you look at things.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it is old.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2147603,
          "author": "rfugger",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T12:51:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2147603",
          "commentText": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\nThe Fountainhead\nIshmael by Daniel Quinn\nThe Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins\nThe Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed the reader’s way of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1972833,
          "author": "cmaury",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T21:50:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1972833",
          "commentText": "This book changed my entire outlook on the world.\nAdded to this list are:\nSingularity is Near and\nThe Selfish Gene",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Selfish Gene",
          "reason": "Listed as an addition to the books that changed the commenter's outlook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753293,
          "author": "mp_cnb",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:41:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753293",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction\n- 'The Selfish Gene' - Richard Dawkins\nGrokking the concept changed the way I thought about life forever.\n- 'Quantum Reality' - Nick Herbert\nOne of the best introductory level books on quantum physics mysteries. No nonsense.\n- Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert Pirsig\nThe book that introduced me to Kant, Hume and philosophy of science. Just for that, I'm forever indebted to it.\nSome favorite fiction books -\n- Cryptonomicon - Neal Stephenson\nLoved 'Snowcrash' too.\n- 'The Moon is a Harsh Mistress' - Robert Heinlein\n- Anything by Kurt Vonnegut, Milan Kundera, Somerset Maugham",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Selfish Gene' - Richard Dawkins\nGrokking the concept changed the way I thought about life forever.",
          "reason": "Understanding its central concept changed the commenter's view of life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226948,
          "author": "samd",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T17:07:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226948",
          "commentText": "The Selfish Gene was probably the most important book I ever read. It fundamentally changed my understanding of the world.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Selfish Gene was probably the most important book I ever read. It fundamentally changed my understanding of the world.",
          "reason": "Calls it the most important book they have read and says it changed their understanding of the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226945,
          "author": "berntb",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T17:06:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226945",
          "commentText": "I also liked most of those. I'm just reading Blindsight, wonderful.\nThe only one I hated was \"Market forces\" by Morgan. It felt like reading \"The Pilgrim's Progress\", but with Chomsky as Jesus -- a little bit too heavy handed in political propaganda. For that kind of stuff done in a fascinating way, check Ken MacLeod's \"The Stone Canal\" and following.\n(Asher got a little too much of Space Opera for me, in the end.)\nFor sf, I'd add Greg Egan (Stross has been mentioned multiple times).\nI'd also like to recommend the worst author I used to buy books in hardcover from -- Robert L Forward. The guy couldn't have written a believable character to save his life, but he had some cool physics ideas. RIP.\nFor fantasy, which I didn't see mentioned, I'd add Scott Lynch, most stuff by Jack Vance, the black company series (Glen Cook), Joe Abercrombie and Vlad Taltos (Brust).\nDawkins' Selfish Gene has been mentioned. Steven Pinker was interesting.\nEdit: Re Schoeder, I've heard good things but not read anything yet. Thanks for advice and kick to start.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Dawkins' Selfish Gene has been mentioned.",
          "reason": "Notes that another commenter mentioned it; no endorsement here.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226916,
          "author": "olalonde",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:54:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226916",
          "commentText": "Richard Dawkins' \"Selfish Gene\" and \"God Delusion\" are excellent reads.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Richard Dawkins' \"Selfish Gene\"",
          "reason": "Called an excellent read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1032183,
          "author": "drtse4",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-05T10:35:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1032183",
          "commentText": "+1 for Selfish Gene, read a few years ago.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for Selfish Gene, read a few years ago.",
          "reason": "Seconds the title in a thread asking for books people enjoyed and recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027009,
          "author": "knv",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T09:29:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027009",
          "commentText": "Anathem, by Neal Stephenson\nConsider Phlebas, by Iain M. Banks\nSelfish Gene, by Richard Dawkins\nBusiness Stripped Bare, by Richard Branson\nProgramming Collective Intelligence, by Toby Segaran\nZen and Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert Pirsig",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Selfish Gene, by Richard Dawkins",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books others enjoyed and recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026506,
          "author": "paulgb",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T00:30:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026506",
          "commentText": "The best book I read in 2009 was The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. It's surprisingly accessible (I've never taken a biology class), and talks a lot about evolutionary game theory which I found fascinating.\nSome other books I read last year:\nHow the Mind Works by Steven Pinker. It was a great book, Pinker's writing is accessible and entertaining. Much more so than On Intelligence by Jeff Hawkins.\nMore with Less: Paul MacCready and the Dream of Efficient Flight by Paul Ciotti. I really enjoyed this one, it was the story of the first team to cross the English channel with human-powered flight.\nWhat the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell. I liked this one better than Gladwell's other books. There is less theorizing and arguing a point and more telling stories, which is what Gladwell excels at.\nThe Mind's I by Douglas Hofstadter and Daniel Dennett. If you are patient with what is sometimes (in my humble opinion) pointlessly arguing semantics, some of the sections are interesting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The best book I read in 2009 was The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. It's surprisingly accessible",
          "reason": "Calls it the best book they read that year and surprisingly accessible.",
          "audience": "Readers without a biology background.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876545,
          "author": "joubert",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T12:08:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876545",
          "commentText": "The Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins\nLord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797122,
          "author": "derwiki",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T01:55:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797122",
          "commentText": "\"The Selfish Gene\" by Dawkins. This was a result of asking my Twitter friends to decide between this and Art of War for me, and this won overwhelmingly. It's been a great read so far, and I'm really looking forward to learning more about how evolution and computer science can mix.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The Selfish Gene\" by Dawkins",
          "reason": "The commenter says it has been a great read so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 199786,
          "author": "lbrandy",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-25T22:49:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 199722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=199786",
          "commentText": "> I'd prefer things not directly technical though not necessarily fiction.\nSounds exactly like me. I strongly suggest:\n1. The Selfish Gene (Richard Dawkins)\n2. The Demon-Haunted World (Carl Sagan)\n...or if you need a little inspiration...\n3. Founders at Work",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I strongly suggest:\n1. The Selfish Gene (Richard Dawkins)",
          "reason": "Suggested as a book to take on vacation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143235,
          "author": "enki",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T09:53:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143235",
          "commentText": "Richard Dawkins: The Selfish Gene",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Richard Dawkins: The Selfish Gene",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85867,
          "author": "daniel-cussen",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T08:24:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85867",
          "commentText": "The Selfish Gene (Richard Dawkins)\nI, Claudius (Robert Graves)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Selfish Gene (Richard Dawkins)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Dawkins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 55,
      "threads": 43,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Nature",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolution",
        "gene centered view",
        "evolutionary biology",
        "gene centered evolution"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-soul-of-a-new-machine-5a94b4",
      "title": "The Soul of a New Machine",
      "author": "Tracy Kidder",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50116114,
          "author": "genezeta",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T09:24:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50116114",
          "commentText": "Elizabeth Hand's Winterlong, probably 3-4 times.\nMost of Raymond Chandler and Dashiel Hammet I've read multiple times. I've read Brautigan's Dreaming of Babylon a bunch of times too.\nAll of William Gibson. Miyazaki's Nausicaä of The Valley of Wind, in various languages. Stephen Cosgrove's Muffin Muncher, I couldn't say how many times I must have read that (It appears they've now changed the title to Muffin Dragon).\nI've read The Soul of a New Machine a couple of times too. The Hitchhiker's and Dirk Gently's trilogies a few times.\nStefano Benni's Baol probably half a dozen times. And Acts of The Apostles by John FX Sundman a bunch too. Oh, and a few of Martin Gardner's books. And Smullyan's To Mock a Mockingbird.\nAnd most probably also many others. Most of my books are now in boxes or have been gifted away, though.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've read The Soul of a New Machine a couple of times too.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have read it a couple of times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46491038,
          "author": "markus_zhang",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-04T19:00:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 46483863,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading list for being a better engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46491038",
          "commentText": "I'd say anything that inspires you to move to a career that focuses on engineering, that you cannot get away by being half-ass, is a good book.\nI recommend two books, none of them is technical. \"Showstopper! The Breakneck Race to Create Windows NT and the Next Generation at Microsoft\" and \"The soul of a new machine\".\nOnce you put yourself at the edge of knife, everything you want comes naturally, because you either swim or die.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The soul of a new machine\"",
          "reason": "Recommended as an inspiring account of engineering work.",
          "audience": "People looking for inspiration to pursue demanding engineering work.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not a technical book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43612543,
          "author": "ferguess_k",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T15:21:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43612543",
          "commentText": "A short list of books that cost some candles after I reached 40 (has been very picky about books since then). I not only read them into late night but also went back to them whenever I need some mental boost.\n- The Soul of a New Machine\n- Showstoppers\n- iWoz\n- Athens and Jerusalem (Shestov)\nI'm devouring many F & SFs (right now reading Arthur Clarke) but so far nothing really sticks. A lot of them are interesting but I'm keeping counting the pages I read. I used to burn candles reading them back in the day, but the magic was lost. I'm going to try out some recommendations I got on HN and see what happens.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The Soul of a New Machine",
          "reason": "Included in the short list of books the commenter rereads for a mental boost.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43611962,
          "author": "JSR_FDED",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T14:30:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43611962",
          "commentText": "The Soul of a New Machine, by Tracy Kidder\nhttps://archive.org/details/soulofnewmachine0000kidd/page/n6... (https://archive.org/details/soulofnewmachine0000kidd/page/n6/mode/1up)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Soul of a New Machine, by Tracy Kidder",
          "reason": "Listed as a book worth the reader's time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43098041,
          "author": "markus_zhang",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-19T02:55:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 43084739,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction/non-fiction book should everyone read on the topic of CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43098041",
          "commentText": "Soul of a New Machine\nShowstopper\nBooks that pull me from the darker mood from time to time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Soul of a New Machine",
          "reason": "Listed among books that sometimes lift the commenter out of a darker mood.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The mood effect is occasional, not presented as universal.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43086835,
          "author": "f30e3dfed1c9",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-18T07:05:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 43084739,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction/non-fiction book should everyone read on the topic of CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43086835",
          "commentText": "Don't know who you mean by \"everyone,\" but the only two mentioned so far suitable for a broad audience are The Soul of a New Machine and The Cuckoo's Nest.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Soul of a New Machine",
          "reason": "Named as one of two books considered suitable for a broad audience.",
          "audience": "Broad audience",
          "caveat": "The commenter says only two books mentioned so far suit a broad audience.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43085034,
          "author": "ggm",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-18T01:17:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 43084739,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction/non-fiction book should everyone read on the topic of CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43085034",
          "commentText": "Soul of a New Machine (Tracy Kidder, 1981) the experience building the DG 32 bit mini.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Soul of a New Machine (Tracy Kidder, 1981)",
          "reason": "Offered as a book about the experience of building a 32-bit minicomputer.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42655951,
          "author": "ghaff",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T14:42:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42655951",
          "commentText": "If we're recommending Showstopper (which I do), I'd add Soul of a New Machine about Data General, where I worked for many years--but a bit later.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd add Soul of a New Machine about Data General",
          "reason": "Adds it as a recommendation alongside Showstopper.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The events take place a bit later.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42655045,
          "author": "WillAdams",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T12:28:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42655045",
          "commentText": "_The Biography of Ottmar Mergenthaler, Inventor of the Linotype_ by Carl Schlesinger\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3648638-the-biography-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3648638-the-biography-of-ottmar-mergenthaler-inventor-of-the-linotype)\nc.f.,\n_Tolbert Lanston and the Monotype: The Origin of Digital Typesetting_ by Richard L Hopkins\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17140645-tolbert-lanston... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17140645-tolbert-lanston-and-the-monotype)\nFor background on how difficult/apparently impossible this was, see the story of Mark Twain's investment in a typesetting machine:\nhttps://twain.lib.virginia.edu/yankee/cymach6.html\nOne of the more memorably moments of my life was visiting a local newspaper back when they were still setting type using a Linotype machine --- it's just incredible to watch one (or the competing Monotype) work.\nIf I could, I'd have a Monotype machine in my shop along with a printing press, but first I'd need a shop, rather than a workbench at one end of the basement laundry room...\nIt's my understanding that for a long while, the U.S. Patent Office refused to consider patents for intermittent windshield wiping mechanisms because none of them worked --- the actual story of the invention is far more sordid:\nhttps://thehustle.co/windshield-wiper-inventor-robert-kearns\nFor us folks interested in computers, there is of course Charles Babbage who tried and failed, yet still managed to create many of the concepts underlying our modern computing devices.\nWhile the story of a team, Tracy Kidder's _The Soul of a New Machine_ is a classic which I would highly recommend:\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/7090.The_Soul_of_a_Ne... (https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/7090.The_Soul_of_a_New_Machine)\nand for a more recent spin on things, look at the folks who crashed and burned such as Jerry Kaplan:\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1171250.Startup",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tracy Kidder's _The Soul of a New Machine_ is a classic which I would highly recommend",
          "reason": "Recommended as a classic account of a team and its work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40303303,
          "author": "davis",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-08T22:18:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40303303",
          "commentText": "Another vote for The Soul of a New Machine. It's one of my favorite books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another vote for The Soul of a New Machine. It's one of my favorite books.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of their favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40289299,
          "author": "themadturk",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T18:04:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40289299",
          "commentText": "The Soul Of A New Machine, by Tracy Kidder - \nThe history of computing fascinates me, and this is one of my favorite books on the topic.\nHackers, by Steven Levy -\nAgain, computing history, and especially relevant to me because I started personal computing in the mid-80s and like reading about the stuff I missed. Levy is always fun to read. There are a lot of good books on the microcomputer revolution, this one is just my favorite.\nBird By Bird, by Anne Lamott -\nIt's not just a book about writing, but a book about living. Lamott is a born storyteller, and every one of her non-fiction books is inspiring and highly readable.\nOn Writing, by Stephen King -\nI am not a King fan. The only fiction piece he's written I come back to is The Stand. But the story of how he became a writer, and his life as a writer, gives me hope for my own writing. And his advice is valuable; even if I don't like his books, I can't argue with his success.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Soul Of A New Machine, by Tracy Kidder",
          "reason": "Calls it a favorite book on computing history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40279045,
          "author": "Froedlich",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-06T20:20:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40279045",
          "commentText": "I'm re-reading Tracy Kidder's \"The Soul of a New Machine\" at the moment.  It's about Data General and the development of a new minicomputer.  I read it at the dawn of my IT career in the 1990s and found much of was still relevant then.  (the book was written in 1981)  Thirty years later, I'm mostly just nodding as I follow along; yep, yep, yep. \"Engineering\" is a distant second to corporate politics and office pecking order.\nReading Brian Shul's \"Sled Driver\" autobiography on the tablet.  Shul was an SR-71 pilot, and the book is about 10% Shul and 90% SR-71.  It reads fast and it's interesting, with unexpected bits of information.\nJust finished David Goggins' \"Can't Hurt Me.\"  It's supposed to be a \"motivational\" autobiography.  I can't say I felt motivated.  Most of his problems were self-inflicted, and he treated his family and children like dirt.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm re-reading Tracy Kidder's \"The Soul of a New Machine\" at the moment.",
          "reason": "The commenter is rereading it and says it remains relevant decades after first reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37162275,
          "author": "adamc",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T14:33:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37162275",
          "commentText": "The best two books I read in the last year-ish are \"The Golden Notebook\" (novel by Doris Lessing) and \"The Soul of a New Machine\" by Tracy Kidder.\nBest tech book has been \"Designing Data-Intensive Applications\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Soul of a New Machine\" by Tracy Kidder.",
          "reason": "Named among the commenter’s two best reads of the past year or so.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36601396,
          "author": "topherjaynes",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:02:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601396",
          "commentText": "Have you looked for online courses? Here are a few of the books I'd go through around computers, but are you thinking more extensive history of \"technology?\" Like how we've grown from printing press as innovation?\nSoul of a New Machine is a great non-fiction but reads like a fiction account of trying to overtake the Vax by building one of the first 32-bit machines https://www.amazon.com/Soul-New-Machine-Tracy-Kidder/dp/0316... (https://www.amazon.com/Soul-New-Machine-Tracy-Kidder/dp/0316491977)\nA Biography of the Pixel https://www.amazon.com/Biography-Pixel-Leonardo-Alvy-Smith/d... (https://www.amazon.com/Biography-Pixel-Leonardo-Alvy-Smith/dp/0262542455) great overview of the innovation and math that pushed graphics forwrard\nThe Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood https://www.amazon.com/Information-History-Theory-Flood/dp/1... (https://www.amazon.com/Information-History-Theory-Flood/dp/1400096235) walks through information theory and how we got to the internet\nDealers of lightning: https://www.amazon.com/Dealers-of-Lightning-audiobook/dp/B00... (https://www.amazon.com/Dealers-of-Lightning-audiobook/dp/B0000546R7/) how a lot of modenr computing grew out of Xerox",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Soul of a New Machine is a great non-fiction",
          "reason": "Praised as a nonfiction account of building an early 32-bit machine to overtake the VAX.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computers and their history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36601356,
          "author": "Zelphyr",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T14:59:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601356",
          "commentText": "It's quite old and so doesn't include the rise of the Internet and subsequent innovations but, Accidental Empires is pretty good: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accidental_Empires\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late - on the creation of the Internet\nThe Soul of a New Machine - On computing in the 70's and 80's\nThe Difference Between God and Larry Ellison - On the rise of Oracle (also has the best title)\nMasters of Doom - A history of id Software\nWhat The Dormouse Said - How the 60's counterculture influenced computing\nThe New New Thing - Follows Jim Clark around while he creates SGI, Netscape, etc...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Soul of a New Machine",
          "reason": "Described as covering computing in the 1970s and 1980s.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35726409,
          "author": "warrenm",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-27T11:24:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 35710671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell still a recommended read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35726409",
          "commentText": "In my opinion, it's as much a \"recommended read\" as a lot of other so-called \"classics\":\n- Rapid Application Development (also by McConnell)\n- Soul of a New Machine by Kidder\n- Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks\n- Programming Pearls by John Bentley\n- Applied Cryptography (2e) by Bruce Schneier\n- The Cuckoo's Egg by Cliff Stohl\n- Structured Computer Organization by Tanenbaum & Todd\n- Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software by Gamma, Helm, etc\n- A New Kind of Science by Wolfram\nAnd many more could be added to this list\nSure, some of them use acronyms or reference technology that you've either never heard of or has been supplanted\nBut you could [nearly] do a find-and-replace on those \"outdated\" terms with a \"current\" term, and the books would [effectively] be up-to-date\nDon't get hung-up on specific examples - they're just there to illustrate the problem domain",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Soul of a New Machine by Kidder",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed among classics that may use outdated acronyms or technology references.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31168714,
          "author": "ivanmaeder",
          "createdAt": "2022-04-26T15:29:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 31166475,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Top inspiring books on crucial CS ideas?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31168714",
          "commentText": "Great question, I will come back to see what ideas people have. Thanks for the Turing book suggestion too.\nI have read lots of non-fiction books about programmers and engineers that have been very inspiring, they're just not technical: \"Masters of Doom\", \"Blood, Sweat, and Pixels\", \"Coders at Work\", \"The Idea Factory\", \"The Soul of a New Machine\", \"Dealers of Lightning\"...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Soul of a New Machine\",",
          "reason": "Listed among non-fiction books about programmers and engineers that the commenter found inspiring.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these books are inspiring but not technical.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30824746,
          "author": "barkingcat",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-27T22:22:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30824746",
          "commentText": "Tracy Kidder's Soul of a New Machine for computer engineering.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tracy Kidder's Soul of a New Machine for computer engineering.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a book for computer engineering.",
          "audience": "People interested in computer engineering.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25321078,
          "author": "FelipeCortez",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-06T04:39:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25321078",
          "commentText": "Not exactly what you’re looking for, but Elements of Typographic Style is an excellent introduction to typography written with so much passion it makes you want to become a typographer.\nWe’re mostly programmers here, but The Soul of a New Machine describes the creation of a computer, which is not something people do a lot these days. Fascinating stuff",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Soul of a New Machine describes the creation of a computer, which is not something people do a lot these days. Fascinating stuff",
          "reason": "Describes the creation of a computer.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in how computers are made.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that few people do this kind of work today.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22708939,
          "author": "gonehome",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T03:23:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22708939",
          "commentText": "I also think it's a great book, but partly because it is technical.\nCharles is great at explaining how computers actually work with circuit diagrams from the ground up in a way that's articulate, clear, and engaging. I think I learned more from this book than I did in my CS architecture class.\nThe historical context he puts it in helps with clarity since it's easier to understand when you know how each successive step built on the previous one.\nIn addition to the Dream Machine, I'd also mention Steven Levy's Hackers as an obvious one to read.\nSome others I've read:\n- What the dormouse said (this one was just okay, but interesting to see some of the cultural context at the time).\n- Crypto (about the history of cryptography). I really liked this one, but people I've recommended it to found it dry.\n- In the Plex (history of Google)\n- Masters of Doom (John Carmack, John Romero and Id Software)\nRelated Fiction:\n- Microserfs\n- The Soul of a New Machine\n- The Phoenix Project (fiction paired with the Dev Ops Handbook)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "- The Soul of a New Machine",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22707201,
          "author": "ghaff",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T21:47:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22707201",
          "commentText": "The Soul of a New Machine by Tracy Kidder. Probably the best book on product development ever written. Command Line Heroes podcast on it: https://www.redhat.com/en/command-line-heroes/season-4/minic... (https://www.redhat.com/en/command-line-heroes/season-4/minicomputers) (Disclosure: I work for Red Hat)\nAlso worth checking out in this vein is Showstopper about the development of Windows NT which focuses on the role of Dave Cutler.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Soul of a New Machine by Tracy Kidder. Probably the best book on product development ever written.",
          "reason": "Calls it an exceptional book on product development.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22706956,
          "author": "justicezyx",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T21:12:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22706956",
          "commentText": "The Intel Trinity \nAbout the early days until 90s for Intel, having stories on Shockley's semiconductor lab, Fairchild then Intel etc.\nThe soul of a new machine\nNot much history, but more on how a small computer manufacturer in 70s. It's quite relevant today, as the process very much resembles a software startup's.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The soul of a new machine\nNot much history, but more on how a small computer manufacturer in 70s.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as an account of a small computer manufacturer in the 1970s and relates it to software startups.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computer companies and startup-like work.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it has not much history.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22706587,
          "author": "joaomacp",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T20:33:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22706587",
          "commentText": "+1 on \"The Soul of a New Machine\": it's one of the most mentioned computer history books, and inspired the great \"Halt and Catch Fire\" TV series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 on \"The Soul of a New Machine\"",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the book and calls it one of the most mentioned computer history books.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computer history.",
          "caveat": "The comment also notes it inspired the TV series Halt and Catch Fire.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21853938,
          "author": "saasdev",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T23:24:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21853938",
          "commentText": "I agree that it’s tough to truly grok technical material in purely audio format. With that said, I think you can learn a ton by learning about the history, trends, and other software companies. Here are some of my favorites:\nThe Dream Machine\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer a Revolution\nHow the Internet Happened\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nAI Superpowers\nPlatform Revolution\nThe Everything Store",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Soul of a New Machine",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of favorites answering an audiobook request.",
          "audience": "Listeners interested in computing history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21852384,
          "author": "codebolt",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T17:49:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21852384",
          "commentText": "The Soul of a New Machine was a fascinating listen.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Soul of a New Machine was a fascinating listen.",
          "reason": "Calls the audiobook a fascinating listen.",
          "audience": "Developers interested in the history of computing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21768036,
          "author": "fred_is_fred",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-11T23:50:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 21765528,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fun Tech Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21768036",
          "commentText": "Seconded!  This is a great read.  No mode bit!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seconded! This is a great read.",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the recommendation and calls it a great read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21766872,
          "author": "W-Stool",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-11T21:13:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 21765528,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fun Tech Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21766872",
          "commentText": "Soul of a New Machine by Tracy Kidder.  Pulitzer Prize winner for non-fiction in 1982.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Soul of a New Machine by Tracy Kidder.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21460116,
          "author": "ivanmaeder",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T06:08:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21460116",
          "commentText": "Right now: \"Never Enough: The Neuroscience and Experience of Addiction\" (Judith Grisel)\nRecommend. Addict turned neuroscientist who doesn't hold back, so a good mix of gritty details—\n> After I got sober, it took me a little over a year to go a single day without wishing for a drink, but it was more than nine years before my craving to get high abated.\n—and science.\nBefore that: \"Educated: A Memoir\" (Tara Westover)\nRecommend. A good break from typical non-fiction books: easy to read, sometimes thrilling, and emotional.\nBefore that: \"The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America\" (Margaret Pugh O'Mara)\nDon't recommend. I really wanted to like this book, and I believe some of the themes are important and aren't often discussed. E.g., the support the Valley received from politicians, the lobby groups, the size of military spending back in the day…\nIt's possible my expectations were in the wrong place—I wanted to be inspired like with \"The Idea Factory\" (Jon Gertner), \"The Soul of a New Machine\" (Tracy Kidder), \"Dealers of Lightning\" (Michael A Hiltzik), etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Soul of a New Machine\" (Tracy Kidder)",
          "reason": "Listed as a book the commenter found inspiring.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20983115,
          "author": "jfrd",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T11:48:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20983115",
          "commentText": "I read Cuckoo’s Egg and also liked “The Soul of a New Machine”, “SkunkWorks”, and “The Making of the Atomic Bomb”.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“The Soul of a New Machine”",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter says they liked.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18824354,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2019-01-04T14:49:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 18824130,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What article/book do you recommend for my next flight?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18824354",
          "commentText": "If you like thrillers with a geeky edge to them, you might like Zero Sum Game by S.L Huang. Some review I read described the protagonist of the story as \"the geek's Jack Reacher\".  Pretty good analogy, IMO.\nIf you want non-fiction, maybe try Dreaming In Code. Or if you haven't read it before, how about *The Soul of a New Machine\"?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "how about *The Soul of a New Machine\"?",
          "reason": "Offers it as another flight reading suggestion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17208048,
          "author": "timdellinger",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T17:52:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17208048",
          "commentText": "I'll be the voice of dissent regarding The Soul of a New Machine and also More Than My Share of It All.\nYes, Soul won the Pulitzer prize, but it was published in 1981, and I found it very dated, and hard to slog through at times.  I know it'll never happen, but I'd love to see a re-write, or a heavily edited edition that's more approachable for a modern reader.\nI also found More Than My Share to be a little disappointing.  There were some fun things in there, but overall the there was too much of an emphasis on the tedious details of his life, not enough detail about the technical and managerial challenges / accomplishments, and then (unfortunately disjointedly) a few project management guidelines and some technology forecasting  were tacked on at the very end.  I can't help but think that he had more anecdotes and technical adventure stories in him which would have made for a much more compelling, enlightening, and readable book.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I found it very dated, and hard to slog through at times.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it dated and difficult to get through.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter found it dated and hard to slog through.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17205403,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T14:04:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205403",
          "commentText": "Maybe not perfect matches, but a few titles I'm familiar with that you might like:\nDreaming in Code - covers Mitch Kapor's post Lotus effort to build Chandler.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreaming_in_Code\nEveryone Else Must Fail - all about Larry Ellison and Oracle\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Everyone-Else-Must-Fail-Unvarnished/d... (https://www.amazon.com/Everyone-Else-Must-Fail-Unvarnished/dp/0712621482)\nWinners, Losers & Microsoft - title says it all\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Winners-Losers-Microsoft-Competition-... (https://www.amazon.com/Winners-Losers-Microsoft-Competition-Technology/dp/0945999844)\nTwo books by Bill Gates:\nBusiness At The Speed of Thought\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Business-Speed-Thought-Succeeding-Dig... (https://www.amazon.com/Business-Speed-Thought-Succeeding-Digital/dp/0446525685/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1527861952&sr=1-1&keywords=business+at+the+speed+of+thought)\nand\nThe Road Ahead\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Road-Ahead-Completely-Up-Date/dp/0140... (https://www.amazon.com/Road-Ahead-Completely-Up-Date/dp/0140260404/ref=pd_sbs_14_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0140260404&pd_rd_r=ZRRXQ50NEK3EPWVC9FM9&pd_rd_w=q6Fr8&pd_rd_wg=iFPgv&psc=1&refRID=ZRRXQ50NEK3EPWVC9FM9)\nAlso:\nMCI: Failure Is Not An Option\nhttps://www.amazon.com/MCI-Failure-Invented-Competition-Tele... (https://www.amazon.com/MCI-Failure-Invented-Competition-Telecommunications/dp/1888232412/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1527861809&sr=1-1&keywords=failure+is+not+an+option+mci)\nAlready mentioned, but I feel obligated to add another +1 for these three:\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Kidder\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Levy\nThe Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation - Gertner\nAlso, if you enjoy this kind of stuff, you might enjoy the AMC series Halt and Catch Fire. Yes it's fiction and highly dramatized, but it captures a lot of the spirit of the times from the beginnings of the PC era up through the Dot Com Bubble era.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "another +1 for these three:\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Kidder",
          "reason": "The commenter adds another endorsement for the book.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in technology history and engineering teams.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17205265,
          "author": "linuxlizard",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T13:50:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205265",
          "commentText": "Definitely one of the best tech case study books I've ever read. Book flows so well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Definitely one of the best tech case study books I've ever read. Book flows so well.",
          "reason": "Praised as one of the commenter’s best technology case study books, with especially smooth prose.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in technology case studies.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17205246,
          "author": "linuxlizard",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T13:48:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205246",
          "commentText": "_Showstopper_ One of the best tech books, after _Soul of a New Machine_ (recommended in the comments, too). Covers Microsoft's creation of Windows NT.\n_DEC is Dead. Long Live DEC_  about the rise and fall of Digital Equipment Corporation.\n_Skunkworks_ Lockheed-Martin's creation of the SR-71.\n_Moneyball_ using math to build a top flight US baseball team.\nBroadening the category a bit:\n_The Smartest Guys in the Room_ is about Enron's collapse. Not directly related to computer tech but definitely tech and people.\n_Billion Dollar Lessons_ covers several spectacular company failures. Again, not strictly tech related but amazing stories of crash & burn. Includes (IIRC) Iridium, Kodak, IBM.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "after _Soul of a New Machine_ (recommended in the comments, too).",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s recommended technology books.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in technology and company histories.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17204854,
          "author": "i_don_t_know",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T13:01:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17204854",
          "commentText": "\"Soul of a new machine\" by Tracy Kidder.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Soul of a new machine\" by Tracy Kidder.",
          "reason": "Offers the title in response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in technology companies and people in tech.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032825,
          "author": "mrweasel",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T19:03:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032825",
          "commentText": "The Soul of a New Machine is a wonderful book. I don't think it helped me career-wise, but it's an absolute joy to read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Soul of a New Machine is a wonderful book.",
          "reason": "Calls it wonderful and says it is an absolute joy to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it did not help their career.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032064,
          "author": "pcprincipal",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T17:53:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032064",
          "commentText": "Some I haven't seen mentioned here:\n1. Coders at Work\nPeter Seibel does an amazing job of asking programmers questions that make them explain their methodology. The interview with Donald Knuth is awesome; really enjoyed hearing him talk about literate programming.\n2. The Soul of a New Machine\nTracy Kidder's 1981 Pulitzer Prize winner I think is a brilliant case study on how engineers work together and the things that can go wrong and right with different personalities interacting with highly technical ideas. The project in this book starts without the consent of management, which to me shows the value of questioning the system to add business / engineering value.\n3. Little Schemer\nSmall book that will give your brain a serious workout and show you how to problem solve with Lisp like languages. Even if you never end up using a Lisp dialect, this book expands your brain.\nI have more here, all of which I recommend for software and other careers http://benbrostoff.github.io/books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think is a brilliant case study on how engineers work together",
          "reason": "Praised as a brilliant case study of engineering teamwork and personalities.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16355045,
          "author": "feydaykyn",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T21:55:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16355045",
          "commentText": "It's also extremely well written, and a great introduction to how computers work in the inside that can be understood by non technical readers. \nIt's also the only book which succeeded in expressing both the rollercoaster I feel when programming.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's also extremely well written, and a great introduction to how computers work in the inside that can be understood by non technical readers. \nIt's also the only book which succeeded in expressing both the rollercoaster I feel when programming.",
          "reason": "Calls it well written, accessible to nontechnical readers, and an unusually strong account of programming's emotional highs and lows.",
          "audience": "Nontechnical readers and people interested in computing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16352395,
          "author": "matfil",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T12:25:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16352395",
          "commentText": "\"The Soul of a New Machine\", by Tracy Kidder.  Solving hard problems, dealing with (and balancing) both technical and business concerns, but with emphasis on getting things done over process and organisational concerns.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Soul of a New Machine\", by Tracy Kidder. Solving hard problems, dealing with (and balancing) both technical and business concerns, but with emphasis on getting things done over process and organisational concerns.",
          "reason": "Presented as a book colleagues should read for its account of solving hard problems and balancing technical and business concerns.",
          "audience": "Colleagues",
          "caveat": "Emphasizes getting things done over process and organizational concerns.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15635546,
          "author": "Kraftwurm",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-06T14:15:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15635546",
          "commentText": "+1",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1",
          "reason": "Seconding the parent comment's recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15635405,
          "author": "mechhrt",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-06T13:57:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15635405",
          "commentText": "\"Soul of a New Machine\" - Tracy Kidder. I read it while in engineering school, and it's the first time it kind of clicked with me of what an engineer actually \"does\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Soul of a New Machine\" - Tracy Kidder. I read it while in engineering school, and it's the first time it kind of clicked with me of what an engineer actually \"does\"",
          "reason": "It helped the commenter understand what an engineer does.",
          "audience": "Readers curious about engineering work",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14743872,
          "author": "le-mark",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T13:16:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14743872",
          "commentText": "Non fiction and IT related:\nAlgorithmics The spirit of computing: this is a really great exploration of 'algorithmic' thinking, accessible to anyone:\nhttp://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2378136.Algorithmics\nSoul of a new machine: the book won the pulitzer, it's about now defunct Data General and implementing a new machine in the early 80's:\nhttp://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7090.The_Soul_of_a_New_Ma... (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7090.The_Soul_of_a_New_Machine)\nFiction:\nMarooned in Realtime: Vernor Vinge on a group of people who missed the singularity, and try to understand what happened. A damn good detective story too:\nhttp://www.goodreads.com/book/show/167847.Marooned_in_Realti... (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/167847.Marooned_in_Realtime)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the book won the pulitzer, it's about now defunct Data General and implementing a new machine in the early 80's",
          "reason": "Described as a Pulitzer-winning account of Data General building a new computer.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229742,
          "author": "kyberias",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:39:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229742",
          "commentText": "That is one awesome book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "That is one awesome book.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an awesome book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229718,
          "author": "newjersey",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:34:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229718",
          "commentText": "I have barely finished chapter one of this 1981 book but I think it offers insight into the past for all of us who got into this field after Java was already prevalent.\n> It chronicles the experiences of a computer engineering team racing to design a next-generation computer at a blistering pace under tremendous pressure.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Soul_of_a_New_Machine\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005HG4W9W/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I have barely finished chapter one of this 1981 book but I think it offers insight into the past",
          "reason": "The commenter says it offers insight into computing history and recounts a pressured computer engineering project.",
          "audience": "Readers who entered computing after Java became prevalent.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has barely finished chapter one.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7757128,
          "author": "warfangle",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:38:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7757128",
          "commentText": "The Soul of a New Machine. Fascinating documentation of Data General's development of the 32-bit Eclipse machine. Sorta programming, sorta hardware... back when the two were more tightly integrated.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fascinating documentation of Data General's development of the 32-bit Eclipse machine.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as fascinating documentation of a computer development project.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as partly programming and partly hardware.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5700940,
          "author": "maxharris",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-13T19:41:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5700940",
          "commentText": "The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Those are the two to start with.\nIf you like those, check out some of her nonfiction books: The Virtue of Selfishness: A New Concept of Egoism, Philosophy: Who Needs It, and Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology (these are but a few - Rand wrote a long series of nonfiction books).\nAyn Rand's Normative Ethics: The Virtuous Egoist by Tara Smith (a philosophy professor at UT-Austin) is excellent because it unpacks Ayn Rand's ethical system in an academic style. Finally, Leonard Peikoff's Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand gives a comprehensive view of Rand's entire philosophy.\nLight reading (not by Objectivist authors, and not in any particular order):\nMasters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture by David Kushner\nThe Soul of A New Machine by Tracy Kidder\nThe Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA by James Watson\nWhat Do You Care What Other People Think?: Further Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard Feynman\nSurely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard Feynman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Soul of A New Machine by Tracy Kidder",
          "reason": "Included in a list labeled light reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these are not by Objectivist authors and are not in a particular order.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3580176,
          "author": "pasbesoin",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-11T21:13:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 3564256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best programming books for someone in prison?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3580176",
          "commentText": "Mathematics is probably \"theoretical\" enough?  A good Discrete Mathematics text,  Perhaps some others.  He'll have some mathematics knowledge around which to orient his programming.  And people have been learning math for a long time -- meaning, long before computers.\nRelated, a good book on logic, including logic as implemented in circuits.\nI recall a fairly intense \"computer science survey course\" back in college, that started with and, or, not gates and built up through adders, etc, to an ACU.  Introduced a pseudo assembly language.  I forget how far it continued beyond that.  Something like that book I can see doable in good part on paper and in thinking, and it would provide some fundamental background that many programmers don't have or don't retain.\nIt might also be helpful to give him a good, concise book on project management.  So that he has some idea what people are talking about when he encounters the work environment.\nAnd there are always some of the classics, both for insight and for cultural orientation.  Brooks' \"The Mythical Man Month\".  Kidder's \"The Soul of a New Machine\".  Some years back, I rather enjoyed \"Where the Wizards Stay Up Late\", for it's take on the early development of what we now call \"the Net\".\nIf you're sadistic (and willing to risk some bucks against the chance of censorship), you can always send him Knuth's compendium.  ;-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kidder's \"The Soul of a New Machine\"",
          "reason": "Listed among classics suggested for insight and cultural orientation.",
          "audience": "Someone developing programming knowledge and workplace context.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1864969,
          "author": "steveklabnik",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T14:53:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1864969",
          "commentText": "I've always really enjoyed \"The Soul of a New Machine\" Amazon, non-affiliate: http://www.amazon.com/Soul-New-Machine-Tracy-Kidder/dp/03164... (http://www.amazon.com/Soul-New-Machine-Tracy-Kidder/dp/0316491977/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1288795939&sr=1-1)\nIt's the story of a team of engineers building a new minicomputer, back in the late 70s. I couldn't put it down. He manages to make the politics interesting and the technical details simple.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've always really enjoyed \"The Soul of a New Machine\"",
          "reason": "The commenter has always enjoyed it and says they could not put it down.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in engineers building a minicomputer.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Soul of a New Machine",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227744,
          "author": "dnsworks",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T22:39:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227744",
          "commentText": "- How To Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/06... (http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0671723650)\n- Beethoven As I Knew Him by Anton Felix Schindler http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-As-I-Knew-Him/dp/0486292320\n- Soul Of A New Machine (It's about hardware!) and Mountains Beyond Mountains, both by Tracy Kidder\n- Eating Animals by Jonathan Safron Foer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Soul Of A New Machine (It's about hardware!)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 623233,
          "author": "jamesbritt",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-23T07:03:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=623233",
          "commentText": "Soul of a New Machine.\nMade me want to go to school for real, and study EE.\nI ended up switching to CS (software == opinionated reality; way more fun!)  but that book really inspired me.\nEspecially the ad for Data General employees, described early in the book: \"Have fun and make money.\"\nSeems like the correct priority there.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "that book really inspired me.",
          "reason": "Says the book inspired them to study electrical engineering.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 621301,
          "author": "joe_bleau",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-21T23:43:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621301",
          "commentText": "Can't pick just one, but I enjoyed: Tuxedo Park, Soul Of a New Machine, and The Deadly Fuze.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed: Tuxedo Park, Soul Of a New Machine, and The Deadly Fuze.",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of books the commenter enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 621281,
          "author": "nomoresecrets",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-21T23:23:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621281",
          "commentText": "\"A Computer Called LEO\" - story of the first commercial computer, used to run Lyons teashops.  Fascinating both in terms of computer history, and history in general, especially Lyons' attitude to perfectionism, to the extent of doing many things themselves, that these days would never survive an outsourcing purge.\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Computer-Called-LEO-Worlds-Office/dp... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Computer-Called-LEO-Worlds-Office/dp/1841151858)\n\"The Soul of a New Machine\" by Tracy Kidder\nDrags a bit in places, but is still interesting in a history type way. It's the story of Data General building a 32-bit minicomputer in a year in the 1970s.\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Soul-New-Machine-Tracy-Kidder/dp/031... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Soul-New-Machine-Tracy-Kidder/dp/0316491977)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The Soul of a New Machine\" by Tracy Kidder\nDrags a bit in places, but is still interesting in a history type way.",
          "reason": "Finds it interesting as a history account.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Drags a bit in places.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 602216,
          "author": "mnemonicsloth",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-10T16:10:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 601903,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fictional books related to startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=602216",
          "commentText": "Seconded.  Besides telling a familiar story in a very compelling way, Kidder has a genius for quotability:\nOne engineer, Josh Rosen, who burned out fighting nanosecond-level timing bugs was seduced by the attraction of commune living and left to live in the country. His resignation note declared, I’m going to a commune in Vermont and will deal with no unit of time shorter than a season.\nGems like this one appear about once every two pages, give or take.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seconded.",
          "reason": "“Seconded” clearly endorses the book recommended in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 601919,
          "author": "SwellJoe",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-10T08:01:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 601903,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fictional books related to startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=601919",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction, but the best tech startup story I know of: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Soul_of_a_New_Machine",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Non-fiction, but the best tech startup story I know of:",
          "reason": "Described as the best tech startup story the commenter knows.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Nonfiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 177201,
          "author": "dmb",
          "createdAt": "2008-04-30T01:48:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 176803,
          "threadTitle": "Which is your favorite 70-80s computer book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=177201",
          "commentText": "I would have to agree; I was surprised how entertaining this book was when read it a few weeks ago after it was mentioned on DadHacker.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I was surprised how entertaining this book was when read it a few weeks ago",
          "reason": "Says the book was surprisingly entertaining.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 177020,
          "author": "renshaw",
          "createdAt": "2008-04-29T21:36:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 176803,
          "threadTitle": "Which is your favorite 70-80s computer book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=177020",
          "commentText": "\"The Soul of a New Machine\" by Tracy Kidder.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Soul of a New Machine\" by Tracy Kidder.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135906,
          "author": "fogus",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-13T12:45:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135906",
          "commentText": "Off the top of my head:\n- Soul of a New Machine\n- The Cuckoo's Egg\n- Revolution in the Valley\n- Fire in the Valley\n- Compilers by Sethi, Ullman, Aho\n- Masters of Doom\n- iWoz\n- Steve Jobs & the NeXT Big Thing\n- Crypto\n- Code\n- The Man Who Loved Only Numbers\n- The Man Who Knew Infinity\n- ANSI Common LISP\nMost of the books above are recommended because once reading them you will have an uncontrollable urge to immediately create something brilliant.  You will not be able to stop yourself.\n-m",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Soul of a New Machine",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter recommends for their motivating effect.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computing and creating things.",
          "caveat": "The claimed effect is an uncontrollable urge to create something brilliant.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135262,
          "author": "klocksib",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T16:59:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135262",
          "commentText": "Hmmm, here's a list of books I really like:\nMemory as a Programming Concept in C and C++ by Frenck\nThe Design and Implementation of the FreeBSD Operating System by McKusick/Neville-Neil\nLearning GNU Emacs by Cameron, et al.\nPractical Common Lisp by Seibel\nThe C Programming Language by K&R\nThe C++ Programming Language Stroustrup\nThe Design and Analysis of Algorithms by Leviten\nAssembly Language Programming for the IBM PC Family by Jones\nEssays/Collections:\nHackers & Painters by PG\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman by Feynman\nWhat Do You Care What Other People Think by Feynman\nThe Cathedral & The Bazaar by Raymond\nNovels:\nThe Soul of a New Machine by Kidder\nWhere Wizards Stay up Late by Hafner",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Soul of a New Machine by Kidder",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books the commenter really likes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tracy Kidder"
      ],
      "recommenders": 53,
      "threads": 36,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer engineering",
        "technology history",
        "minicomputers",
        "computer history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "surely-you-re-joking-mr-feynman-803ffc",
      "title": "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!",
      "author": "Richard P. Feynman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43615202,
          "author": "micvbang",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T19:49:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43615202",
          "commentText": "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! by Richard Feynman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! by Richard Feynman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42269065,
          "author": "parallax_error",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:38:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42269065",
          "commentText": "I found “Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\" - Autobiography about Richard Feynman very interesting",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\" - Autobiography about Richard Feynman very interesting",
          "reason": "Says the autobiography was very interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40051719,
          "author": "bmm6o",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-16T13:40:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40051719",
          "commentText": "Gave my nephew the Hitchhiker's Guide and Surely You're Joking this past xmas.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Surely You're Joking",
          "reason": "Says they gave it to their nephew for Christmas.",
          "audience": "The commenter's nephew.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36429801,
          "author": "shubhamjain",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T09:35:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36429801",
          "commentText": "_Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals_ and _Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!_. I always thought myself as a deeply ambitious person who wanted to do something significant. The mindset did help me grow, but it came at the cost of my mental health. Doubting every second if you're making good use of time isn't a great way to live. Both of those books helped me appreciate having a decent carefree life, where doing things matter without expecting (i.e, following your creative spirit).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "_Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!_",
          "reason": "Says it helped them value a decent, carefree life and follow their creative spirit.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33852658,
          "author": "Orange1688",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T11:30:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33852658",
          "commentText": "An excellent gauge for how good a book is can be found in how many times you catch yourself thinking back on it even after some time has passed. Through this, my favorite this entire year is The Diary of a Young Girl (Anne Frank's diary). Without a doubt one of the best books I have ever read, just through how supremely human it is.\nOther books are:\n-The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson\n-Sapiens by Yuval Yuval Noah Harari\n-21 Lessons for the 21st Century\n-Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feyn\nman!: Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard Feynman\n-Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson\n-Permanent Record by Edward Snowden",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feyn\nman!: Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard Feynman",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's other books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30486370,
          "author": "arisbe__",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T08:14:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486370",
          "commentText": "What initially turned me into a curious person were Surely You Are Joking Mr Feynman & Godel, Escher, Bach. Then Book of Proof & Forallx: an introduction to formal logic helped me develop an interest in mathematics. But what was really a kind of aesthetic crack was The UNIX Programming Environment and The TeXbook.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "What initially turned me into a curious person were Surely You Are Joking Mr Feynman",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped make them curious.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25531714,
          "author": "IndySun",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T21:43:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25531714",
          "commentText": "Congratulations on a well-worded ask.\nXmas break (not weeks), life changing, recommended for everyone (here)...\nSurely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!",
          "reason": "Recommended as a fit for the Christmas break and the question's life-changing criterion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25531646,
          "author": "hkrgl",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T21:34:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25531646",
          "commentText": "Surely you're joking Mr. Feynman! I first read it as a college student and have read it many times since. Feynman was a fascinating character. Reading about him taught me to appreciate the value of curiosity.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Surely you're joking Mr. Feynman! I first read it as a college student and have read it many times since.",
          "reason": "The commenter has reread it many times and says it taught them to value curiosity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21354552,
          "author": "ArtWomb",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-25T13:09:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21354552",
          "commentText": ">>> aimed at the American style of learning\nOuch! Boas is maybe not as inspiring as Feynman. But when you see a copy on someone's bookshelf. It tends to be just as dog-eared and spine-cracked as Surely You're Joking\nAnother resource I just thought of. While not a textbook per se. Math competition problems from previous years can be very stimulating ;)\nhttps://www.maths.cam.ac.uk/undergrad/pastpapers/past-ia-ib-... (https://www.maths.cam.ac.uk/undergrad/pastpapers/past-ia-ib-and-ii-examination-papers)\nhttps://kskedlaya.org/putnam-archive/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "just as dog-eared and spine-cracked as Surely You're Joking",
          "reason": "Used as a comparison for how worn a well-read copy of Boas may be.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19088692,
          "author": "MikeCapone",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T19:15:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19088692",
          "commentText": "So many, and I wish I could write a long paragraph on each, but I'm unfortunately short on time. I'm posting any in case just one person who hasn't heard of those checks them out and gets value:\n-Godel, Escher, Bach (Douglas Hosfstadter)\n-The Mindbody Prescription (John E. Sarno, completely cured my long-term crippling RSI that kept me from using computers and was ruining my life)\n-Feeling Good (Dr. Burns, cognitive therapy mostly centered on depression, but I want to learn about this before I have depression so that I can avoid it and do 'maintenance' on myself)\n-The 5 Love Languages (Gary Chapman, made me understand a lot more about how people express and receive love, and the problems that arise from mismatched languages in relationships)\n-Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman (you guys probably already know this)\n-The Blank Slate (Steven Pinker)\n-The Snowball (Warren Buffett biography)\n-Influence (Robert B. Cialdini)\n-Your Money or Your Life (Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin)\n-When Heaven and Earth Changed Places: A Vietnamese Woman's Journey from War to Peace (Le Ly Hayslip)\n-The Halo Effect (Phil Rosenzweig)\n-The LessWrong.com sequences on rationality",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman (you guys probably already know this)",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books offered to readers who might get value from them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337410,
          "author": "mks",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:37:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337410",
          "commentText": "Feynman: Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! - great inspiration for regaining playfulness. Particularly this quote applicable to many burnt out developers I believe:\nPhysics disgusts me a little bit now, but I used to enjoy doing physics. Why did I \nenjoy it? I used to play with it. ... \nSo I got this new attitude. Now that I \nam burned out and I'll never \naccomplish anything,...I'm going to play with physics whenever I want to, without \nworrying about any importance \nwhatsoever.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Feynman: Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! - great inspiration for regaining playfulness.",
          "reason": "Praises the book as inspiration for regaining playfulness and recommends its quoted passage to burnt-out developers.",
          "audience": "Burnt-out developers seeking to regain playfulness.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961840,
          "author": "rprameshwor",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T17:24:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961840",
          "commentText": "Into Thin Air  - Jon Krakauer\nIf you like reading adventurous books, i'd recommend it. This one is about the Mt. Everest expedition of a group of people and the disaster that fell upon them.\nYou're Surely Joking Mr. Feynman - Richard Feynman\nThis one is collection of events in the life of Feynman. He's mostly known for being a scientist, but he's equally talented in few other areas as well. An interesting and fun book.\nBlink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking - Malcolm Gladwell\nRecommended if you are into psychology and knowing how our thoughts and actions are affected by our subconscious.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An interesting and fun book.",
          "reason": "Describes it as interesting and fun.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15631380,
          "author": "borroka",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T20:28:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15631380",
          "commentText": "Surely you are joking Mr Feynman - He was a brilliant man, but I also get a weird vibe from him. I all his books, he comes across as the man who knows is more brilliant than the vast majority of other people, he wants to be considered as a simple man with more persistence and curious attitude than other simpletons, and at the end, I realize that the fake humbleness is pretty insufferable. Come on, Feynman.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Surely you are joking Mr Feynman - He was a brilliant man, but I also get a weird vibe from him. I all his books, he comes across as the man who knows is more brilliant than the vast majority of other people",
          "reason": "Criticizes the book's portrayal of Feynman as falsely humble and insufferable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The criticism focuses on the impression of Feynman from his books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630446,
          "author": "cjsuk",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:29:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630446",
          "commentText": "Another reference here. Go for it. It’s a brilliant book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another reference here. Go for it. It’s a brilliant book.",
          "reason": "Encourages the parent commenter to read it and calls it brilliant.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630314,
          "author": "roryisok",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:10:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630314",
          "commentText": "I'm going to have to read \"surely you're joking\", it comes up so often on these lists",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm going to have to read \"surely you're joking\", it comes up so often on these lists",
          "reason": "Plans to read it after seeing it frequently mentioned, without expressing an evaluation of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630284,
          "author": "stevenj",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:04:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630284",
          "commentText": "SURELY YOU'RE JOKING MR. FEYNMAN BY RICHARD FEYNMAN\n-I loved this book for its humor, everyday practicality, how relatable it felt even without having a background in physics or knowledge about the pranks and experiments he conducted. As well as the book being well-written in the sense that it reads as if you're sitting on the couch with him as he's telling you stories about his life, all with a child-like sense of wonder and enthusiasm about the world.\nTHE $12 MILLION STUFFED SHARK BY DON THOMPSON\n-I'm interested in the high-finance and fine-art worlds and this book discussed how they both go together - money and art - in an informative, quick-paced way.\nTHE BUY SIDE BY TURNEY DUFF\n-For its humor, honesty, and how well written it was in terms of it being a page turner while also providing you with an insightful account about the high-finance industry.\nMOLLY'S GAME BY MOLLY BLOOM\n-It was an entertaining, quick-paced read about the private, high-stakes poker industry with an assortment of participants.\nMONEYBALL, LIAR'S POKER & THE BIG SHORT BY MICHAEL LEWIS\n-I thought they were all entertaining reads, while also being insightful about their respective subjects.\nSTEVE JOBS BY WALTER ISAACSON\n-It was an illuminating read to me.\n- - -\nSeparately, these books are on my list to read if anyone has opinions about them:\n-Ghost in the Wires by Kevin \nMitnick\n-Principles by Ray Dalio\n-A Man For All Markets by Edward Thorp",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved this book for its humor, everyday practicality, how relatable it felt",
          "reason": "Praises its humor, practicality, accessibility, and engaging storytelling.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Feynman's life and science, even without a physics background.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630276,
          "author": "alekseypo",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:02:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630276",
          "commentText": "I really enjoy Jorge Luis Borges (hard to pick a favorite, just dive into the short stories and find out for yourself). Imagine an M.C. Escher drawing in story form.\nI also have a strong pull towards adventure so books like Wind, Sand and Stars by Exupery or Starlight and Storm by Rebuffat are constant companions.\nGrowing up I loved books by Emilio Salgari, for a man who traveled so little outside of Italy he had an uncanny ability to imagine worlds and adventures beyond his doorstep. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emilio_Salgari\nI second Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds another commenter's recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630111,
          "author": "jackschultz",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:32:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630111",
          "commentText": "Whenever anyone asks:\nCatch-22\nEast of Eden\nRemains of the Day\nSurely You're Joking Mr Feynman\nThese threads where people suggest multiple books are good to run through. If you see one in a comment that someone else liked, probably try to read the others they listed.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Surely You're Joking Mr Feynman",
          "reason": "Suggested as one of several books to try after seeing someone like another title on the list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15157772,
          "author": "1001101",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T19:29:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15157772",
          "commentText": "Our Mathematical Universe - Max Tegmark\nBeing and Nothingness - Sartre\nChaos - Gleik\nSurely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! - Feynman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! - Feynman",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking which books had the biggest impact on mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14478905,
          "author": "smaddox",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T22:46:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478905",
          "commentText": "Non-Fiction:\n\"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" by Dale Carnegie, because it changed my understanding of people for the better.\n\"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\" by Richard Feynman, because it gave me a model for how to enjoy life.\n\"Models\" by Mark Manson, because it helped shape my understanding of heterosexual relationships.\n\"An Introduction to General Systems Thinking\" by Gerald Weinberg, because it illuminates the general laws underlying all systems.\nFiction:\n\"Stranger in a Strange Land\" by Robert A Heinlein, because it showed me a philosophy and \"spirituality\", for lack of a better word, that I could agree with.\n\"The Fountainhead\" and \"Atlas Shrugged\" by Ayn Rand, because they showed me how human systems break, and they provided human models for how to see and live in, through, and past those broken systems.\n\"Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\" by Eliezer Yudkowsky, because it set the bar (high) for all future fiction, especially when it comes to the insightful portrayal of the struggle between good and evil.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\" by Richard Feynman, because it gave me a model for how to enjoy life.",
          "reason": "It gave the commenter a model for enjoying life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14478503,
          "author": "tjalfi",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T21:08:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478503",
          "commentText": "Autobiography/Memoirs:\n  Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! - Richard Feynman\n  What Do You Care What Other People Think? - Richard Feynman\n  Crime and Guilt: Stories - Ferdinand von Schirach\n\nFiction:\n  The Master and Margarita - Mikhail Bulgakov\n\nTechnical:\n  Bulldog: A Compiler for VLIW Architectures - John Ellis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! - Richard Feynman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13804171,
          "author": "nojvek",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:18:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804171",
          "commentText": "I loved this book. I read it on a plane and giggled",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved this book. I read it on a plane and giggled",
          "reason": "Explicitly says they loved the book and found it funny.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13568160,
          "author": "rezna306601261",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T18:22:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13568160",
          "commentText": "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12252572,
          "author": "alok-g",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-09T04:11:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12252572",
          "commentText": "Minds, Brains and Machines by Geoffrey Brown [1] for introducing me to the complexities of the mind-body problem.  It did not show the answers of course, but helped me think right about it.\nSiddhartha by Herman Hesse [2] for contributing to helping me come out of excessive questioning of everything (philosophy) to science that helps towards actually answering the questions answerable.\nFeynman Lectures in Physics [3] and Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman [4], with no need to explain \"how\".  :-)\nThe Ghost in the Atom [5] for explaining varied views on the nature of science, especially Quantum Mechanics, and what goes in the minds of the top-notch scientists working on these problems.\nParsing Techniques by Dick Grune [6] for teaching me the fundamentals of computer science and helping me proceed with my deep interest in Artificial Intelligence.\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/Minds-Brains-Machines-Mind-Matters/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Minds-Brains-Machines-Mind-Matters/dp/1853990132)\n[2] https://www.amazon.com/Siddhartha-Hermann-Hesse/dp/161382378... (https://www.amazon.com/Siddhartha-Hermann-Hesse/dp/1613823789/)\n[3] http://www.feynmanlectures.caltech.edu/\n[4] https://www.amazon.com/Surely-Feynman-Adventures-Curious-Cha... (https://www.amazon.com/Surely-Feynman-Adventures-Curious-Character/dp/0393316041/)\n[5] https://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Atom-Discussion-Mysteries-Quant... (https://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Atom-Discussion-Mysteries-Quantum/dp/0521457289/)\n[6] https://www.amazon.com/Parsing-Techniques-Practical-Monograp... (https://www.amazon.com/Parsing-Techniques-Practical-Monographs-Computer/dp/038720248X/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Feynman Lectures in Physics [3] and Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman [4], with no need to explain \"how\".",
          "reason": "Listed among the books that impacted the commenter, with no further explanation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10786010,
          "author": "1812Overture",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T22:18:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786010",
          "commentText": "Dune by Frank Herbert- I'm one of the few people on Earth who enjoys the David Lynch adaptation so I finally had to get around to reading the book. Kind of awkward stylistically and structurally but a lot of fun.\nDevelopment as Freedom by Amartya Sen - It's seemed to me that there are political philosophies that focus on economic needs and those that focus on personal freedom. This is the best I've read at uniting those concepts.\nSurely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! - A blast to read and great insight into the thinking of a great mind.\nThe LA Quartet by James Ellroy (The Black Dahlia, The Big Nowhere, LA Confidential, White Jazz) - Really the pinnacle of dark gritty noir. If you like that I can't recommend highly enough.\nThe Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett - I like a lot of Hammett's other work but this seemed to have a lot of wheel spinning.\nCity of Quartz by Mike Davis - As an Angeleno this gave me so much insight into the city I love. I have no idea if it would be of any interest to an outsider.\nAntifragile by Nassim Taleb - Nassim Taleb is great and I've definitely been influenced a lot by his ideas, but he's getting too in love with the smell of his own farts.\nVarious books/textbooks on programming and databases - Nothing thrilling in this category. Gotta eat your vegetables.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A blast to read and great insight into the thinking of a great mind.",
          "reason": "Calls it a blast to read and praises the insight it gives into Feynman's thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785281,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:00:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785281",
          "commentText": "I can vouch for the first two of these books:\n1. \"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\", fun bio, made me buy the Feynman lectures as well. Really glad I did.\n2. \"Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future\", Very inspiring indeed.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\", fun bio, made me buy the Feynman lectures as well. Really glad I did.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as a fun biography and says they were glad to read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10211369,
          "author": "frostmatthew",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-13T13:44:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 10211331,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10211369",
          "commentText": "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! - Richard Feynman",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! - Richard Feynman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348569,
          "author": "aqme28",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:09:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348569",
          "commentText": "Surely You're Joking, Mr Feynman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Surely You're Joking, Mr Feynman",
          "reason": "Lists it as an answer to which books changed their perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9347895,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T14:48:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9347895",
          "commentText": "Here's my usual list of recommendations, the best books I've read in the past 5 years.\nFiction:\n- Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\nIf you know nothing about this book you might naturally hesitate to read \"Harry Potter fanfiction\" and assume that it's dumb/horrbile, but it's not. Just suspend your disbelief and read the first 5-10 chapters. Trust me, it's brilliant, hilarious, and life-changing.\n- Atlas Shrugged\nControversial, I know, a lot of people here hate it for some reason, but it was incredibly influential on me, inspired my passion for entrepreneurship and science and philosophy. Still is one of the best books I am aware of.\nNonfiction:\n- Hackers and Painters by Paul Graham\nAlso a collection of his essays that you can find on github. He is one of the most clever writers I am aware of, but I assume you know that, since you're on HN.\n- \"On Intelligence\" by Jeff Hawkins\nThis book explains in simple terms a very awesome and elegant theory on how mind works. Incredibly fascinating, I've learned a lot from it and it explains a lot of things, and will change the way you think about thinking process.\n- The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins\nEngaging and entertaining explanation of evolution, absolutely fantastic book.\n- The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli.\nDespite the stigma, and people thinking that Machhiavellian = \"evil\", I've found this book extremely clever and wise.\n- Serious Creativity by Edward De Bono\nThe best book on creativity and the process of generating ideas that I'm aware of.\n- Abundance\nThis is a very inspiring and optimistic book about the future of technology.\nEntrepreneurhsip:\n- Start Small, Stay Small\nGuide to creating your first product/business for hackers. It lays out all the basics of entrepreneurship in a very concise and clear ways, my favorite introduction to startups.\n- Rework\nVery wise and intelligent advice about startups, intelligent and witty, must read.\n- Lean Startup\nClassic book on \"lean startup methodology\", very useful.\n- 4-Hour Workweek\nDespite the silly title I think it is a great book and is very much worth reading. Many people here dislike Tim Ferris, but whatever, I think this book is cool.\nAutobiographies:\n- Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman\n- Ghost In The Wires by Kevin Mitnick\n- Catch me if you can by Abagnale\n- iWoz by Steve Wozniak\n- Losing my Virginity by Richard Branson\nAll these are fantastic and very intelligent autobiographies by the very awesome people.\nNow I'm reading \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" and \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies.\"\n\"Rationality\" is great and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. Can't say much about GEB, I've only started reading it, but everyone is saying that it is so great and the best book ever, so I think it's definitely worth checking out.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All these are fantastic and very intelligent autobiographies by the very awesome people.",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of autobiographies the commenter calls fantastic and intelligent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8022032,
          "author": "kirang1989",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-11T19:47:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8022032",
          "commentText": "A brilliant book indeed!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A brilliant book indeed!",
          "reason": "The commenter clearly praises the book being discussed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8000824,
          "author": "thisjepisje",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T19:30:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8000824",
          "commentText": "Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman!\nNot very technical, but there's some interesting stuff in there, for example about working on the atomic bomb in WWII.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman!\nNot very technical, but there's some interesting stuff in there, for example about working on the atomic bomb in WWII.",
          "reason": "Calls out interesting material in the book, including Feynman's work on the atomic bomb.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it is not very technical.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7970718,
          "author": "relaunched",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T14:07:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7970718",
          "commentText": "Iron Druid Chronicles - Shattered\nSurely You're Joking, Mr Feynman!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Surely You're Joking, Mr Feynman!",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5752857,
          "author": "joshux",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-22T18:35:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5752857",
          "commentText": "Talent Is Overrated - Geoff Colvin ( Theory from Anders Ericsson )\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Introvert Advantage - Marti Olsen Laney\nThe Mindful Way Through Depression - Mark Williams et al.\nSurely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4788271,
          "author": "dontstealmyname",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T12:45:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4788271",
          "commentText": "I found the book \"The definitive book of body language: How to read others's thoughts by their gestures\" by Allan and Barbara Pease to be a great read.\nThe greatest show on Earth - Richard Dawkins was an excellent read.\nSurely  you're joking Mr Feynman by Richard p.Feynman was terrific read by a very small bit can considerred offensive or  at the least dated in its outlook but if you can get past that its great!\nI recently finished a book on ID called \"Masters of doom\" by David Kushner which I rather enjoyed as well.\nI also love reading about crackers from the (mostly) 80's and I can recommend.\nCuckoo Egg by Cliff Stoll\nMasters of deception\nWe are anonymous - Inside the hacker world of lulzsec, anonymous and the global cyber insurgency  by Parmy Olson\nI loved \"Underground Hacking Madness and the obsession on the electronic frontier\" once I got past the first 2 or 3 chapters (also it was researched by Julian Assange before wikileak and has a chapter about his hacking) An Ebook copy can be found on the authors website http://www.underground-book.net/download.php3\nGhost in the wire Kevin Mitnick",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "was terrific read by a very small bit can considerred offensive or  at the least dated in its outlook but if you can get past that its great!",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it terrific and ultimately great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says a small part may be offensive or dated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4773777,
          "author": "lsiebert",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-12T17:38:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 4770238,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fiction books that entertain and educate?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4773777",
          "commentText": "I find good biographies can both entertain and educate.   Try surely you are joking mr feynman.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Try surely you are joking mr feynman.",
          "reason": "Suggested as an entertaining biography.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395662,
          "author": "joshz",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T13:19:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395662",
          "commentText": "The one I've enjoyed the most, was probably \"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman\" but additionally read a couple that kept being mentioned on here:\n* A Random Walk Down Wall Street\n* Predictably Irrational\n* Black Swan\n* Blink\nand enjoyed those too. I've also read \"How To Make Friends and Influence People\" and started \"Lords of Finance\" but never finished.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The one I've enjoyed the most, was probably \"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman\"",
          "reason": "Says it was probably the book they enjoyed most.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2330041,
          "author": "shantanubala",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-15T23:57:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 2329700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that change your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2330041",
          "commentText": "If you do a search through HN, you'll find some really good recommendations.\nRead The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb (Fooled By Randomness is also good) if you want to peer into the mind of an investor.\nRead Hesse's Siddhartha if you're thinking along the lines of culture/religion/philosophy.\nRead a few Ayn Rand books if you like libertarianism and don't really care to relate to the characters.\nRead We by Yevgheny Zamyatin if you want an interesting allegory that metaphorically compares heaven to a dystopian dictatorship.\nRead Unweaving the Rainbow by Richard Dawkins if you're very interested in the sciences.\nI remember Sebastian Marshall recommending Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa -- I'd recommend it too. It's pretty good, and I was especially interested since I've been doing marshal arts for over 10 years now.\nAnd read Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! no matter how you think. It's fantastic.\nEDIT: More Books!\nI read these when I was in elementary school, but they still hold their value:\nThe Giver by Lois Lowry if you want more dystopias.\nThe Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery if you're feeling especially playful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "And read Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! no matter how you think. It's fantastic.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it fantastic and recommends it to everyone.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2111603,
          "author": "niqolas",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-17T08:50:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2111603",
          "commentText": "+1 for \"Surely You're Joking Mr Feynman\". Read it cover to cover in one sitting!\nIn addition to being one of the greatest minds of his generation, Feynman also had a rich life outside of science.\nReading his stories was as close as I'll come to having him share anecdotes as a guest on my \"fantasy dinner party\" list.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for \"Surely You're Joking Mr Feynman\". Read it cover to cover in one sitting!",
          "reason": "The commenter endorses the book and describes reading it in one sitting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2091061,
          "author": "JoshCole",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-11T05:47:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2091061",
          "commentText": "My favorite book was probably \"Surely Your Joking Mr. Feynman.\" I liked it, because it was fun to read, especially when he played a practical joke.\nA bit farther down the list would be the newest Wheel of Time books. Brandon Sanderson annoyed me at first, but once I got over that I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it had a very similar style to the original. I enjoyed it immensely.\nSomewhere after that are a few of the slightly more technical books I read. Maybe Coders At Work? It gave me a better sense of the history of the industry, but I don't think you should read it if your goal is to learn how to be a better hacker.\nFinally there is The Bible, which I would recommend to anyone.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favorite book was probably \"Surely Your Joking Mr. Feynman.\" I liked it, because it was fun to read",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a favorite and says it was fun to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1978843,
          "author": "jmg",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-07T12:28:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1978843",
          "commentText": "Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman! is also a great listen via audiobook, especially on road trips!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman! is also a great listen via audiobook, especially on road trips!",
          "reason": "Calls the audiobook a great listen, especially on road trips.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752837,
          "author": "makmanalp",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T15:13:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752837",
          "commentText": "Surely You're Joking is amazing. It's one of those books I can't get enough of, and I reread it several times. I wish I had such an interesting life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Surely You're Joking is amazing. It's one of those books I can't get enough of, and I reread it several times.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it amazing and says they reread it several times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1724795,
          "author": "ashleyreddy",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-24T18:33:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1724795",
          "commentText": "Surely your joking Mr. Feynman.\nThis should be required reading for people in this thing of ours.\nAlso Enders Game (fiction)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Surely your joking Mr. Feynman.\nThis should be required reading for people in this thing of ours.",
          "reason": "Says it should be required reading for people in their field/community.",
          "audience": "People in the commenter’s field or community.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1570057,
          "author": "sr3d",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T03:51:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1570057",
          "commentText": "I'm reading \"Surely you are joking, Mr. Feynman\".  I'm about 100 pages into it, and it's a pretty cool read.  Smart as he is but the way he wrote it doesn't make me feel intimidated at all.  I was really impressed about the part when he talked about this his first presentation to Einstein and Pauli and other biggest minds of the 20th century.  He made it so casual and I could pictured me in his shoes perfectly.  It reminds me of my Chemistry classes in college.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm reading \"Surely you are joking, Mr. Feynman\". I'm about 100 pages into it, and it's a pretty cool read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a pretty cool read and describes enjoying its approachable, casual writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is about 100 pages in.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569874,
          "author": "nopassrecover",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T02:21:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569874",
          "commentText": "Some recents:\nSurely You're Joking Mr Feynmann is a good read.\nAs is Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle\nAs is Hugh Laurie's The Gun Seller\nAnd I'm just getting into Orwell's Keep The Aspidistra Flying which is quite good too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Surely You're Joking Mr Feynmann is a good read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a good read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569511,
          "author": "weaksauce",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T23:32:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569511",
          "commentText": "I think the Feynman book is great! He is a great storyteller and humble to boot.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think the Feynman book is great! He is a great storyteller and humble to boot.",
          "reason": "Calls the book great and praises Feynman's storytelling.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1568981,
          "author": "lkozma",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T20:41:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1568981",
          "commentText": "Surely you are joking, Mr. Feynman.\nD. MacKay: Sustainable energy - without the hot air.\nN. Taleb: Fooled by randomness.\nM. Karinthy: A journey round my skull.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Surely you are joking, Mr. Feynman.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227716,
          "author": "aik",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T22:20:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227716",
          "commentText": "I very much wish I would have read the below books in (or pre) high school.  I'm not sure if they have the same effect on everyone, but for me they were huge in redefining elements of my life that needed to be fixed/unlearned/enhanced.\nAll related to having a passion for learning and life in general:\n\"Art of Learning\" by Josh Waitzkin\n\"Mastery\" by George Leonard\n\"A Mathematician's Lament\" by Paul Lockhart\n\"Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\" by Richard Feynman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\" by Richard Feynman",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of books the commenter wishes they had read earlier, saying these books helped redefine parts of their life.",
          "audience": "People interested in learning and personal development.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the books' effects may vary by person.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227218,
          "author": "apgwoz",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T18:46:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227218",
          "commentText": "Books about Richard Feynman, or essays, etc. by him. \"Surely You Must Be Joking, Mr. Feynman!\" in particular. I guess, this is unfair, as eventually he did get into software/hardware, but....",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Surely You Must Be Joking, Mr. Feynman!\" in particular.",
          "reason": "Highlighted as a particularly relevant book recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876652,
          "author": "timwiseman",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T13:33:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876652",
          "commentText": "Fiction:  I am fan of The Fountainhead, though I still have fond memories of The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe from when I was younger.\nNonfiction: So many good ones, but I think Surely your joking, Mr. Feynman! is probably the top.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think Surely your joking, Mr. Feynman! is probably the top.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is probably their top nonfiction book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876637,
          "author": "electromagnetic",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T13:20:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876637",
          "commentText": "Fiction: The Strange Life of Ivan Osokin, it made me realize that the things I wanted wouldn't just come to me if I waited around.\nNon-fiction: Surely, you're joking, Mr Feynman! It made me realize that even the most highly qualified people are still just people and can just as easily be wrong as anyone else, a fact Feynman appeared to use to his advantage constantly.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It made me realize that even the most highly qualified people are still just people and can just as easily be wrong as anyone else",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed their perspective on expertise and fallibility.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 203173,
          "author": "sohamdas",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T10:28:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=203173",
          "commentText": "\"Surely you are joking Mr. Feynman\" [absolutely rockstar of a autobiography]\n\"Every Second Counts\" Lance Armstrong [poignant]\n\"A beautiful mind\" John Forbes Nash [moving, and heart wrenching]\nMy personal favourite:\n\"Icon\" Steve Jobs",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Surely you are joking Mr. Feynman\" [absolutely rockstar of a autobiography]",
          "reason": "Called an outstanding autobiography.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 203027,
          "author": "albertcardona",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T05:33:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=203027",
          "commentText": "Richard Feynman: \"Surely you're joking Mr. Feynman\".\nNot a conventional biography, but Richard wasn't a conventional man either.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Richard Feynman: \"Surely you're joking Mr. Feynman\".",
          "reason": "Offered as a biography, with the caveat that it is not conventional.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not a conventional biography.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 202973,
          "author": "markm",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T04:23:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=202973",
          "commentText": "These might not be biographies but they are good non fiction.\nIt's not about the bike, my journey back to life. - Lance Armstrong\nSurely you're joking Mr. Feynman! - R. Feynman\nInto thin air - J. Krakauer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Surely you're joking Mr. Feynman! - R. Feynman",
          "reason": "Included in a list of recommended nonfiction books responding to the request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes these may not be biographies.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 136010,
          "author": "imp",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-13T15:37:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=136010",
          "commentText": "Another vote for \"Surely You're Joking Mr.Feynman\" by Feynman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another vote for \"Surely You're Joking Mr.Feynman\" by Feynman",
          "reason": "Adds another vote for the title in response to a request for books people like.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86041,
          "author": "oditogre",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T19:03:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86041",
          "commentText": "- Brave New World\n- Night\n- Hitchhiker's Guide series\n- Dark Tower series (Mostly just the first 4, though)\n- Eats, Shoots & Leaves\n- Just about any George Carlin or Patrick F. McManus books\n- Wheel of Time Series\n- Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85894,
          "author": "anupamkapoor",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T11:06:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85894",
          "commentText": "- use of weapons (ian m banks)\n- surely you are joking mr feynman (rpf)\n- origin of order (stuart kauffman)\n- slaughter house five (kurt vonnegut)\n- goedel escher bach (douglas hofstadter)\n- theta-magical memas errr metamagical themas (dogulas hofsta)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "surely you are joking mr feynman (rpf)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85858,
          "author": "jey",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T07:44:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85858",
          "commentText": "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! (Richard Feynman)\nWhat do you care what other people think? (Richard Feynman)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! (Richard Feynman)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard P. Feynman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 52,
      "threads": 34,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "physics",
        "scientist memoir",
        "anecdotes"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "neuromancer-39d1c4",
      "title": "Neuromancer",
      "author": "William Gibson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50119582,
          "author": "pmpmpmpm",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T15:25:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50119582",
          "commentText": "I can’t resist an invocation:)\nMost of these are old since I’ve been reading more articles these days but here are a few good books or series I’ve read more than twice: The Hobbit, LOTR, the Silmarillion, Neuromancer, the Chronicles of Narnia, Hong Lou Meng, The Heart Sutra, The Bhagavad Gita, The Tao De Ching, The Wheel of Time series, No country for old men, Persuasion, Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice, The Way of Kings, The Talisman, the Dark Tower Series, and The Prophet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neuromancer",
          "reason": "Included among good books read more than twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 50117152,
          "author": "suprjami",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T11:36:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50117152",
          "commentText": "I've lost count of the times I've read Neuromancer.\nKim Stanley Robinson's The Wild Shore is another repeat favourite.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've lost count of the times I've read Neuromancer.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have reread it many times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 49907747,
          "author": "kvgr",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T12:11:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49907747",
          "commentText": "Read: American Gods, Consider Phlebas, Neuromancer, The HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Dune 1, Nineteen Eighty-Four listened to Foundation and I definitely recommend all.\nBut for me Consider Phlebas is the best. Currently on 4th book in series, but cant get through it.\nNineteen Eighty-Four doesnt feel geek novel, just political. Also great.\nI keep reading outputs from LLMs all day and don't have energy to focus on Eng written books in the evening.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read: American Gods, Consider Phlebas, Neuromancer, The HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Dune 1, Nineteen Eighty-Four listened to Foundation and I definitely recommend all.",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter definitely recommends.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 49901770,
          "author": "simpaticoder",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-29T22:38:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49901770",
          "commentText": "I recently reread Neuromancer and I don't get why people think it's so prophetic. The real world is shaped by ubiquitous smartphones and surveillance capitalism and social media feeds. Gibson predicted none of that and not even close. Instead he predicted all kinds of things that never came to be, like neural interfaces consumer space stations. He didn't even predict income inequality - Case is in Chiba City for a very specific reason and for all we know it's quite unique. Even his predictions around the internet are way off because as far as I can tell the only medium that explains how it works in his book is telepathy - literally no one ever mentions or cares about physical connectivity, and there's no mechanism for Case to get online without repairing his nervous system. Which of course makes no sense if you could just look at a screen. The cultural aspects are way off although very atmospheric- the smoking the paper newspapers pay phones.... I think the only thing that it shaped was the cyberpunk aesthetic, which is as fundamentally retro-futuristic and silly as steampunk.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I recently reread Neuromancer and I don't get why people think it's so prophetic.",
          "reason": "Argues that the novel's predictions about technology and society were largely inaccurate.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Acknowledges its atmospheric quality and influence on cyberpunk aesthetics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46161500,
          "author": "ashtavakra",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-05T14:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46161500",
          "commentText": "I consolidated the comments for my reference later. Someone else might also find it useful:\n# Fiction Books Recommended for Programmers (HN Thread 46128404)\n## Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- *Children of Time* — Science Fiction (Evolution, Space Opera)  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)\n## Rick Cook — Wizardry Series\n- *Wizard’s Bane* — Fantasy, Programming/Magic Mashup  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112616.Wizard_s_Bane\n- *Wizardry Series (overview)*  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\n## James P. Hogan\n- *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/743568.Inherit_the_Stars\n- *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifem... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifemaker)\n- *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_Tomorrow)\n## D. F. Jones — Colossus Trilogy\n- *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806105.Colossus\n- *The Fall of Colossus* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colos... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colossus)\n- *Colossus and the Crab* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_Crab)\n## Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner)\n- *A Logic Named Joe* — Golden-Age Sci-Fi, AI Precursor  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-j... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-joe)\n## David Gerrold\n- *When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One* — AI, Classic Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_Was_One)\n## William Gibson / Bruce Sterling\n- *Neuromancer* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer\n- *The Difference Engine* — Steampunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Eng... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Engine)\n## Neal Stephenson\n- *Snow Crash* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash\n- *Cryptonomicon* — Techno-thriller, Cyber-history  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/816.Cryptonomicon\n- *Anathem* — Philosophical Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2845024-anathem\n- *The Diamond Age* — Nanopunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827.The_Diamond_Age\n## Fred Saberhagen\n- *Octagon* — AI, Techno-thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1891958.Octagon\n## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga\n- *Series Overview* — Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/40946-vorkosigan-saga\n## Richard Powers\n- *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45104.Galatea_2_2\n## Scott Meyer\n- *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-wizard)\n## Daniel Suarez\n- *Daemon* — Cyber-thriller, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665844-daemon\n## Thomas J. Ryan\n- *The Adolescence of P-1* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_o... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_of_P_1)\n## Ernest Cline\n- *Ready Player One* — Sci-Fi, Gaming, Pop-Culture Adventure  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one\n## Dennis E. Taylor\n- *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)* — Humorous Sci-Fi, AI, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-we-are-bob)\n## Ted Chiang\n- *Stories of Your Life and Others* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\n- *Exhalation* — Speculative Fiction, Philosophy, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation\n- *The Lifecycle of Software Objects* — AI, Digital Consciousness  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of-software-objects)\n## Charles Stross\n- *Laundry Files Series* — Math-based Magic, Techno-Fantasy  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files\n## Ken Liu\n- *The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menag... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories)\n- *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, AI, VR  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl-and-other-stories)\n## Ellen Ullman\n- *The Bug* — Tech Industry Literary Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/703.The_Bug\n## Cory Doctorow\n- *Radicalized* — Techno-sociopolitical Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40604122-radicalized\n## qntm (Sam Hughes)\n- *Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans-in-transit-and-other-stories)\n## Roger Williams\n- *The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect* — AI, Post-Singularity SF  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)\n## Greg Bear\n- *Eon* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/924843.Eon\n## Vernor Vinge\n- *A Deepness in the Sky* — Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the_Sky)\n## Terry Pratchett\n- *Going Postal* — Comic Fantasy, Satire of Bureaucracy & Tech  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64222.Going_Postal\n## Bruce Bethke\n- *Headcrash* — Cyber-satire  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213465.Headcrash\n## Mary Shelley\n- *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* — Classic Gothic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein\n## Douglas Adams\n- *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* — Comic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guid... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)\n## Jorge Luis Borges\n- *The Library of Babel* — Metaphysical Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-babel)\n## Greg Egan\n- *Permutation City* — Simulation Theory, Hard Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156784.Permutation_City\n## Cixin Liu\n- *The Three-Body Problem* — Hard Sci-Fi, First Contact  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- *Neuromancer* — Cyberpunk",
          "reason": "Lists the title in a compilation of fiction books recommended for programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46130213,
          "author": "LarryMade2",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T04:09:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46130213",
          "commentText": "These are all entertaining:\nDefinitely the Wizardry series by Rick Cook\nhttps://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/rick-cook/wizardry/\nProgramming meets magical realms\nJames Hogan\nInherit the Stars - Has supercomputers but not main characters\nCode of the Lifemaker Has Ancient Tech evolving into a robotic society\nTwo Faces of Tomorrow  - humans trying to get along with AI\nD.F.Jones\nColossus, the Fall of Colossus, and Colossus and the Crab\nHumans creating machines to protect humanity (computers have different idea) and the rebellion, and a new threat.\nA Logic Names Joe - radioplay of short story.\nhttps://archive.org/details/OTRR_X_Minus_One_Singles/XMinusO... (https://archive.org/details/OTRR_X_Minus_One_Singles/XMinusOne55-12-28031ALogicNamedJoe.mp3)\nThe internet and AI long before the internet and AI.\nDavid Gerrold - When H.A.R.L.I.E. was One - and other tales involving Artificial Super Intelligence\nWilliam Gibson - Neuromancer and related - Cyberpunk series, the Difference Engine - a Steampunk technology tale.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "William Gibson - Neuromancer and related - Cyberpunk series",
          "reason": "Listed among entertaining fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36033699,
          "author": "will_wright",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-22T16:44:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36033699",
          "commentText": "I second Hyperion and Neuromancer -- both are amazing book and a great representation of modern and classic sci-fi",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and Neuromancer -- both are amazing book",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36023446,
          "author": "kcartlidge",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T18:20:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36023446",
          "commentText": "Multiple re-reads:\n- Saga of the Exiles by Julian May, which merges science fiction with folklore/fantasy in Pliocene Earth\n- Hyperion by Dan Simmons, excellent SF with a feel of the Canterbury Tales about it\n- Neuromancer by William Gibson, plus the follow-ups (all the Sprawl) are very good too\n- The Sheep Look Up by John Brunner, about the eco collapse of the US in the 1980s (10 years after it was written) and which William Gibson called a \"brilliant novel\"\nAnd a couple of guilty pleasures:\n- Venus Equilateral by George O Smith, 1940s stories based around a three mile long space station at the L4 point in space, a bit like Babylon 5 meets DS9 in the era of vacuum tubes\n- Necrotech by KC Alexander, a brutal and obscene body-mod cyberpunk dystopia (the sequel of which, Nanoshock, has a superbly offensive opening sentence)\n- Halcyon Drift by Brian Stableford, about a corporate dystopia and a pilot who hooks up his body to merge with his ship (a bit blase now but less so then, especially as I had read far less at the time)\n- Bio of a Space Tyrant by Piers Anthony, a 6 book series following the rise of a refugee to becoming the Tyrant of Jupiter",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neuromancer by William Gibson, plus the follow-ups (all the Sprawl) are very good too",
          "reason": "Recommends Neuromancer and says its follow-ups in the Sprawl are very good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35394255,
          "author": "ckorhonen",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-31T22:01:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 35392063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Science Fiction books that predict where ChatGPT might lead us?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35394255",
          "commentText": "There are numerous science fiction books that have explored the potential impact of artificial intelligence on humanity, ranging from utopian to dystopian scenarios. Here are some of the most interesting and relevant titles that address the questions and fears you've mentioned:\n\"Neuromancer\" by William Gibson (1984): This cyberpunk classic envisions a future where AI is deeply ingrained in human society and plays a significant role in shaping it.\n\"2001: A Space Odyssey\" by Arthur C. Clarke (1968): The novel, as well as the film adaptation by Stanley Kubrick, explores the relationship between humans and AI, particularly when AI begins to develop its own goals and intentions.\n\"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?\" by Philip K. Dick (1968): This novel, which inspired the movie \"Blade Runner,\" questions the nature of humanity and consciousness as it relates to artificial beings.\n\"I, Robot\" by Isaac Asimov (1950): A collection of short stories that feature the famous \"Three Laws of Robotics\" and explore various aspects of AI and their impact on society.\n\"The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress\" by Robert A. Heinlein (1966): This novel features an AI that becomes self-aware and partners with humans in a fight for lunar independence.\n\"The Culture\" series by Iain M. Banks: This series of novels is set in a post-scarcity society managed by benevolent, hyper-intelligent AIs called Minds.\n\"The Singularity is Near\" by Ray Kurzweil (2005): Though not a novel, this non-fiction book predicts the future of AI, discussing the potential for AI to surpass human intelligence and the implications of this eventuality.\n\"Accelerando\" by Charles Stross (2005): The novel explores a future in which AI, augmented humans, and post-humans coexist, addressing various ethical and societal issues along the way.\n\"Daemon\" by Daniel Suarez (2006): This techno-thriller features an AI created by a deceased programmer that sets out to create a new world order.\n\"Altered Carbon\" by Richard K. Morgan (2002): This cyberpunk novel touches on AI's impact on society, particularly in the context of human consciousness and digital immortality.\nThese books offer thought-provoking explorations of the possible consequences, both positive and negative, of advanced AI systems like ChatGPT. While each of these works is fictional and speculative in nature, they can still provide valuable insights and stimulate important discussions about the future of AI and humanity.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Neuromancer\" by William Gibson (1984): This cyberpunk classic envisions a future where AI is deeply ingrained in human society and plays a significant role in shaping it.",
          "reason": "Listed among titles addressing AI's potential effects on humanity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35393643,
          "author": "billwear",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-31T21:05:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 35392063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Science Fiction books that predict where ChatGPT might lead us?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35393643",
          "commentText": "\"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel.\" Neuromancer, of course.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neuromancer, of course.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33382238,
          "author": "nathias",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T08:51:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382238",
          "commentText": "Neuromancer and Snow Crash",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neuromancer and Snow Crash",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33381977,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T07:56:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33381977",
          "commentText": "Of the books I've read this year, the fiction ones that stand out to me would be:\n1. The entire Sprawl Trilogy by Gibson, and the entire Bridge Trilogy, also by Gibson. The former I'd read before (multiple times) while the latter I had not read all the way through until now. Neuromancer I've read probably 7 or 8 times total in my life by now. I'm not as crazy about Gibson's later stuff, but the Sprawl and Bridge books are great.\n2. The rest of the HHGTTG \"trilogy\" besides the first book. I'd read the first book a couple of years ago but never got around to reading the rest until this year. Note that when I say \"the rest\" I'm excluding that one book that was written by another author after Douglas Adams' passing. I may still read it one day, but I'm not in any hurry to do so.\nIn terms of non-fiction:\nReal-World Reasoning: Toward Scalable, Uncertain Spatiotemporal, Contextual and Causal Inference by Ben Goertzel, Nil Geisweiller, and Lucio Coelho is the stand-out of the lot. How the Mind Works by Steven Pinker and How Can the Human Mind Occur in the Physical Universe? by John R Anderson are also worthy of a mention.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neuromancer I've read probably 7 or 8 times total in my life by now.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have reread it many times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32790907,
          "author": "nano9",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T14:21:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790907",
          "commentText": "Neuromancer\nSnow Crash\nBlindsight\n(Just some fun fiction to bolster one's passion for their chosen profession. Obviously TAOCP, SICP, K&R, and other books in their ranks are better answers.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Neuromancer",
          "reason": "Included as fun fiction to bolster passion for one's profession.",
          "audience": "People interested in fiction related to computing and technology.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says technical books are better answers to the prompt.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31970383,
          "author": "electricant",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T19:42:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31970383",
          "commentText": "Neuromancer by William Gibson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neuromancer by William Gibson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30737355,
          "author": "themadturk",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T20:34:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30737355",
          "commentText": "A Wrinkle In Time, by Madeleine L'Engle\nI probably read it in fourth or fifth grade, not too many years after it was published. It was definitely the first science fiction novel I ever read. It wasn't until many years later that I saw how foundational to my worldview it was that my first SF book had a female protagonist.\nI was going to give a few other examples of truly life-changing works (LOTR, Dune, Neuromancer), but I'm not sure how I would have found them if A Wrinkle In Time hadn't opened by pre-adolescent eyes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neuromancer",
          "reason": "Listed as another example of a life-changing work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25532037,
          "author": "doopy1",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T22:22:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25532037",
          "commentText": "Books that have changed my life:\nMasters of Deception: The Gang That Ruled Cyberspace\nIlluminatus Trilogy\nNeuromancer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neuromancer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467680,
          "author": "pier25",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:50:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467680",
          "commentText": "- Sapiens\n- The Lord of the Rings\n- Siddhartha\n- Chaos: Making a New Science\n- The Death Gate cycle books\n- Neuromancer\n- Head First Design Patterns\n- Valis\n- Dune\n- The name of the rose\nI'm sure there are more, but these are the ones off the top of my head.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neuromancer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467672,
          "author": "criddell",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:49:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467672",
          "commentText": "The Dog Stars by Peter Heller and Neuromancer by William Gibson. Both of these I've read twice.\nThe Dog Stars held up well on my second reading. Neuromancer did not.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Neuromancer by William Gibson",
          "reason": "The commenter reread it twice but says it did not hold up on the second reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it did not hold up on rereading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467660,
          "author": "anoonmoose",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:48:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467660",
          "commentText": "\"The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress\" by Robert Heinlein\n\"Neuromancer\" and sequels by William Gibson\n\"Slaughterhouse 5\" by Kurt Vonnegut\nI've read all of them dozens of times over.  Hard to explain why, they speak my language, and help me understand myself and the world around me, kind of like my favorite bands do.  Hard to put into words.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Neuromancer\" and sequels by William Gibson",
          "reason": "The commenter has reread it dozens of times and says it speaks to them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20333343,
          "author": "mlang23",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T08:48:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20333343",
          "commentText": "Neuromancer and Snowcrash.  For some reason, I always think of both at the same time.  The story is kind of similar after all.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Neuromancer and Snowcrash.",
          "reason": "Mentions it alongside Snow Crash while discussing how the two stories seem similar; no endorsement stated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18664845,
          "author": "elhudy",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T15:47:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664845",
          "commentText": "Neuromancer is always at the top of scifi lists but I found it to be astonishingly strange and dull.  I'm surprised I was even able to finish the read.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I found it to be astonishingly strange and dull.",
          "reason": "The commenter found the novel strange and dull.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17586008,
          "author": "jcubic",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-22T09:36:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17586008",
          "commentText": "My Favorite Sci-Fi book is Neuromancer by William Gibson. Also Philip K. Dick books like Ubik or his short stories are awesome.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My Favorite Sci-Fi book is Neuromancer by William Gibson.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it their favorite science fiction book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17540749,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T12:32:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17540749",
          "commentText": "Isaac Asimov’s Foundation Series is one of my all time favorites.\nLarry Niven’d Ringworld is a close second.\nPhilip K Dick has some great stuff.\nI really enjoyed William Gibson’s Neuromancer and all of his other books.\nI just picked up a 1961 copy of Stanger in a Strange Land but I cannot comment on it yet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed William Gibson’s Neuromancer and all of his other books.",
          "reason": "Says they really enjoyed Neuromancer.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17537359,
          "author": "Automatic_Jack",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T22:10:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537359",
          "commentText": "Martian Chronicles, Crystal Express+Cysmatrix, Neuromancer,Hyperion, Portico...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neuromancer",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536584,
          "author": "mattnewton",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:22:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536584",
          "commentText": "Dune. Definitely Dune. \nThe most epic sci-fi world that is so far in the future it feels like it could be middle earth. Politics, mysticism, prescience, intergalactic travel build an amazing world that feels utterly alien but still relatable.\nIt’s like reading about modern battles between oil, culture and money, but in countless years and star system into the future.\nHonorable mentions for Hyperion and Neuromancer for my favorites :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Honorable mentions for Hyperion and Neuromancer for my favorites :)",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's favorite science fiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536300,
          "author": "marenkay",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T18:12:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536300",
          "commentText": "Read \"Neuromancer\" by William Gibson, also \"Snow Crash\" by Neal Stephenson.\nBoth offer something beyond just being Sci-Fi.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read \"Neuromancer\" by William Gibson",
          "reason": "Recommends the novel, noting that it offers something beyond science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17520040,
          "author": "galeforcewinds",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T02:08:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17520040",
          "commentText": "William Gibson's Neuromancer continues to hold up well both for adults and teens. Worth a read or re-read.\nTravel books can be a good fit for the summer, and Keri Smith's Wander Society is a fun pick.\nI also like to make a random pick or two that I'd never normally choose for myself. My next random pick may be off this thread...\nZ",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "William Gibson's Neuromancer continues to hold up well both for adults and teens. Worth a read or re-read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it holds up well and calls it worth reading.",
          "audience": "Adults and teens.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17338858,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T15:19:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17338858",
          "commentText": "There's a few:\nThe Mysterious Island by Jules Verne\nFalse Memory by Dean Koontz\nNeuromancer by William Gibson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neuromancer by William Gibson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168679,
          "author": "immigrantsheep",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:31:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168679",
          "commentText": "Count Zero by William Gibson. Somehow I ended up reading it before Neuromacer. It was in the early 90s. I was maybe 16 or so and I remember just getting sucked into that world. It was also the time when I was getting more and more into coding and learning about networks and when I managed to connect to the internet from home for the first time.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Neuromacer",
          "reason": "The commenter says they read Count Zero before it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961269,
          "author": "calebm",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:24:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961269",
          "commentText": "* The Unconsoled (Kazuo Ishiguro)\n* Never Let Me Go (Kazuo Ishiguro)\n* Influx (Daniel Suarex)\n* Sputnik Sweetheart (Haruki Murakami)\n* Apex (Ramez Naam)\n* One Second After (William R. Forstchen)\n* Anna Karanina (Leo Tolstoy)\n* Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n* A Farewell to Arms (Ernest Hemingway)\n* Crux (Ramez Naam)\n* A Moveable Feast (Ernest Hemingway)\n* Hardboiled Wonderland and The End of the World (Haruki Murakami)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Neuromancer (William Gibson)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630241,
          "author": "pault",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:56:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630241",
          "commentText": "There's a recording[0] of Gibson reading Neuromancer that I really enjoyed. His reading is very stylistic and might be off-putting for some people, but I think it captures the spirit of the story better than a dry narration.\n[0] http://www.bearcave.com/bookrev/neuromancer/neuromancer_audi... (http://www.bearcave.com/bookrev/neuromancer/neuromancer_audio.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "captures the spirit of the story better than a dry narration.",
          "reason": "Recommends Gibson's stylistic reading as a fitting way to experience the story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The reading may be off-putting for some people.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15478233,
          "author": "bglusman",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-15T18:02:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15478233",
          "commentText": "I find it somewhat hilarious to list Neuromancer as \"Hard SF\", though I liked it a lot... but Gibson has never even used a computer when he wrote it!  Which explained so much about it's weirdness to me...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I find it somewhat hilarious to list Neuromancer as \"Hard SF\", though I liked it a lot",
          "reason": "The commenter says they liked the book while finding its classification as hard science fiction amusing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter questions whether it fits the hard science fiction label.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15445026,
          "author": "nathanasmith",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-10T20:21:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15445026",
          "commentText": "A few of my favorites like Accelerando and Neuromancer have been mentioned but I’ll add Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge. It’s set in the near future but features general AI, lots of intrigue and conspiring governments and corporations. Really a great story.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A few of my favorites like Accelerando and Neuromancer have been mentioned",
          "reason": "Includes it among the commenter's favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15432516,
          "author": "BjoernKW",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-09T09:42:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15432516",
          "commentText": "Apart from classics like Neuromancer I'd recommend the fairly new Singularity Series by William Hertling and the first novel \"Avogadro Corp\" in particular.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Apart from classics like Neuromancer I'd recommend the fairly new Singularity Series by William Hertling and the first novel \"Avogadro Corp\" in particular.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a classic, alongside newer AI-focused fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15428945,
          "author": "inetsee",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:58:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428945",
          "commentText": "My favorite: \"Neuromancer\" by William Gibson. A close second: \"Accelerando\" by Charles Stross.\n(I met Charles Stross once. He told me that \"Accelerando\" was not his favorite of the books he's written.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favorite: \"Neuromancer\" by William Gibson.",
          "reason": "Named as the commenter's favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13803959,
          "author": "yesbabyyes",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T16:59:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13803959",
          "commentText": "Fundamentally changed are so big words but these were pretty cool:\n- Douglas Hofstadter's GEB: An Eternal Golden Braid\n- Debt: The First 5,000 Years by David Graeber\n- Ursula K. LeGuin's The Word for World is Forest\n- Propaganda by Edward Bernays\n- Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond\n-  Empires: The Logic of World Domination from Ancient Rome to the United States by Herfried Münkler\n- Smedley D. Butler's War is a Racket (more of an exposé)\n- In Praise of Idleness by Bertrand Russell (ditto)\n- Neuromancer by William Gibson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neuromancer by William Gibson",
          "reason": "Listed among books that changed the way the commenter thinks about the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13575454,
          "author": "db48x",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-05T23:45:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13575454",
          "commentText": "Or the \"3 megabytes of hot ram\" :)\nStill a good story though.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Or the \"3 megabytes of hot ram\" :)\nStill a good story though.",
          "reason": "Calls the story good while joking about its period-specific detail.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13571763,
          "author": "Arkaad",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-05T10:38:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13571763",
          "commentText": "Feels the opposite too me. It shows it's been written in the 80's.\nWould \"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel.\" make sense to young people nowadays?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Would \"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel.\" make sense to young people nowadays?",
          "reason": "Discusses whether the book's famous opening line still resonates with young readers.",
          "audience": "Young readers are the audience raised in the comment.",
          "caveat": "Says it feels like it was written in the 1980s.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13119088,
          "author": "pasbesoin",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-06T23:10:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13119088",
          "commentText": "More than a year ago, I picked up William Gibson's \"Pattern Recognition.\"  I wasn't sure what I thought of it, at first, but it became increasingly interesting and I finished it.  This year, I picked up the third novel in the series that \"Pattern Recognition\" started.\nIt's a different world than that of \"Neuromancer\" et al., but I've come to find Gibson's portrayal of and thinking about it quite interesting.\nThis year, I also helped someone out for a while who is considerably into fashions of some sorts (make up, running shoes and attire, other stuff more by just doing it than by talking about it).\nI'm finding Gibson's latest trilogy giving me new eyes on all this.  And, in today's world of \"image\", it's not just and interesting but a valuable perspective.  Treatise.  Extrapolation...\nNot the most in your face of sci fi titles, but subtly compelling, for me.\nPerhaps partially sub-consciously.  Just like the world he's describing.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "It's a different world than that of \"Neuromancer\" et al.",
          "reason": "Uses the novel as a comparison; no evaluation or recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12145642,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T18:30:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12145642",
          "commentText": "As a reader of books, one of the good things about growing older is that the books the younger version of myself read are books that this older version of myself hasn't and there is great pleasure in rereading the books the younger version of myself read as the older person I am.\nAnd that makes this exercise impossible for me. The books I would tell the younger version of myself to read wouldn't resonate the same way (or not at all) with that other person I used to be. Picking books that might have appealed to the younger version of myself accurately would mean picking the books I actually read -- e.g. The Fifth Discipline -- and not books that the younger version of myself tried to read but couldn't but that I read and recommend today: e.g. TAoCP.\nPart of the complexity is that the world in which I read books today is radically different from that of my younger self. Today I can get a MIX interpreter from the internet [1]...there's even help on StackOverflow. My younger self couldn't because even in the time when there was an internet bandwidth was low and Google didn't exist.\nLike I said it's great to pick up a good book and realize it is better than I remember when I remember it being really good, but it's hard to see how it could have been better for my younger self.\n1. Neuromancer\n2. Blood Meridian\n3. A Pattern Language\n[1]:https://apps.ubuntu.com/cat/applications/precise/mixal/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1. Neuromancer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10534162,
          "author": "schlagetown",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T17:01:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10534162",
          "commentText": "Watchmen (Alan Moore)\nOrigins of Form (Christopher Williams)\nStarship & The Canoe (Kenneth Brower)\nThe Size of Lumber (Nicholson Baker)\nZen Mind, Beginner's Mind (Shunryu Suzuki)\nDeschooling Society (Ivan Illich)\nMoby Dick (Herman Melville)\nBolo'Bolo (P.M.)\nLe Ton beau de Marot (Douglas Hofstadter)\nGaia: A New Look at Life on Earth (James Lovelock)\nMouse or Rat: Translation as Negotiation (Umberto Eco)\nNeuromancer (William Gibson)\nThe Intelligent Investor (Benjamin Graham)\nDon Quixote (Miguel Cervantes)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neuromancer (William Gibson)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about the best books read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10325237,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T20:31:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325237",
          "commentText": "I'm sure there are many, but a few that jump to mind, in no particular order, and spanning both fiction and non-fiction:\nThe Selfish Gene - Dawkins\nA New Kind of Science - Wolfram\nThe Singularity is Near - Kurzweil\nGödel, Escher, Bach - Hofstadter\nFluid Concepts and Creative Analogies - Hofstadter\nAtlas Shrugged - Rand\nThe Fountainhead - Rand\nNineteen Eighty-Four - Orwell\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nAmbient Findability - Peter Morville\nEmergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software - Steven Johnson\nSix Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age - Duncan Watts\nLinked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means for Business, Science, and Everyday Life - Albert-laszlo Barabasi\nArtificial Life - Steven Levy\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nThe World is Flat - Thomas Friedman\nnot a book, but the various writings of Douglas Engelbart - http://www.dougengelbart.org/library/library.html\nGlasshouse - Charles Stross\nPermutation City - Greg Egan\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nThe Shockwave Rider - John Brunner\nThe Society of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nThe Origin of Wealth: The Radical Remaking of Economics and What it Means for Business and Society - Eric Beinhocker\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nFooled By Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neuromancer - William Gibson",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10209210,
          "author": "stuxnet79",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T20:19:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10209210",
          "commentText": "What I really liked about Neuromancer looking back, is how many black characters it had. Once of the first sci-fi books I read that had characters I could easily identify with.\nMaelcum was pivotal in the entire story and was a cool bad boy type. And you can't forget the whole crew in the \"Marcus Garvey\" spaceship.\nQuality stuff. That right there was enough to make me a lifelong Gibson fan.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Quality stuff. That right there was enough to make me a lifelong Gibson fan.",
          "reason": "Praises the book's characters and representation, calling it quality stuff.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10208827,
          "author": "gexos",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T18:24:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10208827",
          "commentText": "+1 Neuromancer was a wild ride for me, Gibson practically invented cyberpunk fiction when he wrote this novel.\nAhh, Case will always be in my heart! :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 Neuromancer was a wild ride for me, Gibson practically invented cyberpunk fiction when he wrote this novel.",
          "reason": "Calls it a wild ride and credits it with practically inventing cyberpunk fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10207278,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T04:56:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10207278",
          "commentText": "Neuromancer - William Gibson\nREAMDE- Neal Stephenson\nPattern Recognition / Zero History / Spook Country - William Gibson\nThe Peripheral - William Gibson\nNot exactly the same thing, but I'll also throw in Glasshouse by Charles Stross.  And since we're talking Charles Stross, also add Halting State to the list.\nOh, and VALIS by Philip K. Dick.  Definitely worth a read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neuromancer - William Gibson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056542,
          "author": "huhtenberg",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:22:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056542",
          "commentText": "Lord of the Light\nDune\nNeuromancer\nHyperion\nSnow Crash\nUse of Weapons\nPandora's Star / Judas Unchained",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neuromancer",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite sci-fi books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8795694,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T07:00:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795694",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nPredictable Revenue - Aaron Ross, Marylou Tyler\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nThe Ultimate Question 2.0 - Fred Reichheld‎\nThe Singularity is Near - Ray Kurzweil\nMoonshot! - John Sculley\nZero To One - Peter Thiel\nRepublic - Plato\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius\nNineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell\nFahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury\nThe Mysterious Island - Jules Verne\nDiscipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy, Fred Wiersema\nFalse Memory - Dean Koontz\nNOS4A2- Joe Hill\nRevival - Stephen King\nBarbarians At The Gate - John Helyar and Bryan Burrough\nInto Thin Air - John Krakauer\nHow To Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nand any collection of the works of H.P. Lovecraft.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neuromancer - William Gibson",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for impactful or liked books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8795504,
          "author": "pizza",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T05:21:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795504",
          "commentText": "Books I imagine will have 'tremendous' (what a prior, lol) effect\nNon-fiction;\nSlavoj Zizek's Absolute Recoil: Towards a New Foundation of Dialectical Materialism\nEvgeny Morozov's To Save Everything Click Here: The Folly of Technological Solutionism\nFiction;\nWilliam Gibson's Neuromancer\nVernor Vinge's A Deepness in the Sky (Zones of Thought)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "William Gibson's Neuromancer",
          "reason": "Listed among fiction the commenter expects to have a tremendous effect.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8617286,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-17T08:04:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8617286",
          "commentText": "The Mysterious Island - Jules Verne\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nNineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell\nPerdido Street Station - China Mieville\nSnow Crash - Neal Stephenson\nEnder's Game - Orson Scott Card\nFoundation series - Asimov\namong others...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neuromancer - William Gibson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401558,
          "author": "dneronique",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:37:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401558",
          "commentText": "The Algorithm Design Manual\nMy 'technical non-fiction' read to help keep my mind sharp.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B8139Z8/ref=oh_aui_d_det... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B8139Z8/ref=oh_aui_d_detailpage_o00_?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\nThe Disaster Artist\nMy 'non-technical non-fiction' read to help keep me interesting around non-tech folk. The making of 'The Room,' complete with lots of weird Tommy Wiseau moments and behind the scenes insanity.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BSAZ6LE/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl... (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BSAZ6LE/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1OHHR3E8POWSY&coliid=I3NWCBWNSAIPVW)\nNeuromancer\nMy fiction read to help keep my mind young.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000O76ON6/ref=oh_aui_d_det... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000O76ON6/ref=oh_aui_d_detailpage_o02_?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\nEdit: formatting",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Neuromancer\nMy fiction read to help keep my mind young.",
          "reason": "Names it as their fiction read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8258393,
          "author": "numo16",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T16:09:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8258393",
          "commentText": "Finishing up \"Ready Player One\" on Audible right now and just started \"Neuromancer\" the other day.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "just started \"Neuromancer\" the other day",
          "reason": "Reports having just started the book without expressing an evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8110514,
          "author": "jrjarrett",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T19:49:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8110514",
          "commentText": "Count Zero, by Gibson.\nJust finished Neuromancer (for the first time! Bad geek! No cookie!), and plan to read Mona Lisa Overdrive next.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Just finished Neuromancer (for the first time! Bad geek! No cookie!)",
          "reason": "Reports finishing it without evaluating the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7302886,
          "author": "thatusertwo",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T04:26:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7302886",
          "commentText": "A Scanner Darkly - Philip K Dick\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nExpanded Universe - Robert A. Heinlein",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neuromancer - William Gibson",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for science-fiction suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6392759,
          "author": "archenemy",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-16T11:48:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6392759",
          "commentText": "Rainbow's Edge read to me like an up to date, go-with-the-times version of Neuromancer. I'd should probably revisit it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "version of Neuromancer.",
          "reason": "Used as a point of comparison; the comment gives no evaluation of the book itself.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387960,
          "author": "veidr",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T02:51:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387960",
          "commentText": "The trilogy of Neuromancer, Burning Chrome, and Mona Lisa Overdrive is still my favorite work of fiction, and also, to my mind, exemplifies the kind of taut, awesome writing that I would want to do if I wrote novels. It the only series of 3 books I have read more than once.\nI caught these books at just the right time in my life (age 13 or 14), leading my high-school fascination with Japan and rekindled interest in computing, and probably played an inordinately large role in me ending up as a programmer who lives in Tokyo, two decades later.\nI like great sci fi best, but I think most of it is crap, including virtually all of the old pulp sci fi and Asimov I grew up reading (which was basically all of it), Star Wars/Trek, etc.\nOther than Gibson's stuff, some of the truly spectacular sci fi I have read is the very-dense-and-not-at-all-thriller-ish Mars trilogy (Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars), and the fast-paced-and-awesome Spin by Robert Charles Wilson. That led me to read all of Wilson's books, many of which are also good. Also Haldeman is an author worth reading, though not all of his books hit their mark.\nGreat sci fi is my favorite fiction, but IMO most of it is broken by being fundamentally implausible. Other fiction I consider great in other genres include Memoirs of a Geisha, Cold Mountain, REAMDE, The Son, The Road, the lighter but still version of that post-apocalyptic concept The Dog Stars, City of Thieves, and All the Pretty Horses and its sequels.\nIt's probably symptomatic of a major flaw in my character that despite also buying dozens of nonfiction works (Lincoln, On China, and so forth) over the past few years, I haven't finished any of them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The trilogy of Neuromancer, Burning Chrome, and Mona Lisa Overdrive is still my favorite work of fiction",
          "reason": "Calls it a favorite and praises its writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5834051,
          "author": "jtbigwoo",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T18:00:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5834051",
          "commentText": "Neuromancer by William Gibson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neuromancer by William Gibson",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the question about favorite fiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4663714,
          "author": "_0ffh",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-17T09:17:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 4661261,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite Science Fiction book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4663714",
          "commentText": "Both Neuromancer and Cryptonomicon are about \"social, cultural and economic dynamics\", and they are very good books to boot.\nTry as I might, I can't remember any mocking of Turing in the Cryptonomicon. I'm quite confident Neal Stephenson is not a homophobe.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "they are very good books to boot.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly calls Neuromancer and Cryptonomicon very good books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4663638,
          "author": "rendeiro",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-17T08:43:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 4661261,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite Science Fiction book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4663638",
          "commentText": "I will pick more than 1:\nUbik by Philip K. Dick (it's hard to cherry pick his best work though, ask me a different day and I will choose The Three Stigmata or Do Androids Dream or something else)\nThe Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester (simply a good story and a great background)\n1984 by George Orwell.\nWhat all these books share is the idea that sci-fi is about social, cultural and economic dynamics, not ships or time travel.\nThat is my definition of sci-fi: An on-going essay about the evolution of the dynamics of society, using exotic technology/science merely as a catalyst.\nRunner up: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card\nCould never finish (can't recommend):\n- Neuromancer \n- Cryptonomicon (Does the author feel entitled to mock the homosexuality of Alan Turing? Found that somewhat arrogant and in bad taste.)",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Could never finish (can't recommend):\n- Neuromancer",
          "reason": "The commenter says they could not finish it and cannot recommend it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not give a specific reason for stopping.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4661483,
          "author": "abosley",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-16T19:40:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 4661261,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite Science Fiction book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4661483",
          "commentText": "I'll have to say Neuromancer by William Gibson.  Changed my worldview and what I thought was possible.  I'm a huge fan of Ian M Banks, Charlie Stross, Ian MacDonald, Cory Doctorow, Peter Watts and older (90's) Stephen Baxter.  Baxter's Titan is a great piece of writing - makes you feel the isolation of being millions of miles from humanity",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'll have to say Neuromancer by William Gibson. Changed my worldview and what I thought was possible.",
          "reason": "Names it as their favorite and says it changed their worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4597077,
          "author": "valdiorn",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-01T14:18:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 4596721,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4597077",
          "commentText": "Neuromancer by William Gibson.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Neuromancer by William Gibson.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4514473,
          "author": "duggieawesome",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-13T02:28:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 4513324,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading currently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4514473",
          "commentText": "Neuromancer by William Gibson.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Neuromancer by William Gibson.",
          "reason": "Names a book they are reading, without evaluating or recommending it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4414562,
          "author": "rrival",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-21T20:15:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 4353632,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon.  What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4414562",
          "commentText": "Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive. The Cukoo's Egg is good as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4397899,
          "author": "ttrashh",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-17T18:22:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 4382456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: reading list for high school students interested in CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4397899",
          "commentText": "Neuromancer and Snow Crash always inspired me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neuromancer and Snow Crash always inspired me.",
          "reason": "The commenter says both books inspired them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3783897,
          "author": "latch",
          "createdAt": "2012-04-01T15:28:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 3781486,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi Books for Hackers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3783897",
          "commentText": "Non-developer specific good sci-fi books:\n-Dune\n-Hyperion + The Fall of Hyperion\n-The Book Of The New Sun\n-Ilium + Olympos\n-Takeshi Kovacs trilogy\n-The Culture Series (meh..)\n-The Demolished Man\nMore dev-oriented:\n-Reamde (which I hated, but I seem to be in a minority)\n-Neuromancer\nI'll always have a special place in my heart for Calculating God (not science fiction), because its the book that got me into reading seriously.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-Neuromancer",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for science fiction book recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking science fiction, including developer oriented fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3235074,
          "author": "waterlesscloud",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-14T18:33:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3235074",
          "commentText": "The Road To Reality - Roger Penrose.  Slowly, step by step.\nNeuromancer - William Gibson.  6th or 7th time through. Coming to it now after having read Delany's Nova, and the influence is clear.\nLittle Heroes - Norman Spinrad.  All that's good about Spinrad and all that's bad.  He does write well about Hollywood.\nHistory Of Film- David Parkinson.  A short survey text, sort of a review for me.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Neuromancer - William Gibson. 6th or 7th time through.",
          "reason": "The commenter is rereading it repeatedly and describes Delany's Nova as making its influence clear.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2642287,
          "author": "dbaugh",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T20:28:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2642287",
          "commentText": "this book is the yin to neuromancers yang.  instead of predicting the net it predicts how networks change our thoughts.  i can't recommend this enough.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "this book is the yin to neuromancers yang.",
          "reason": "The comment compares the parent-mentioned book to Neuromancer but does not endorse Neuromancer.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226847,
          "author": "aarongough",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:34:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226847",
          "commentText": "I'm a big fan of Sci-Fi because I feel it makes people think about what they want the future to be, as well as avoiding the re-hashing of historical and current events that many fiction books set in the present do. With that in mind a list of great books to read:\n  The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson\n  Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson\n  Gridlinked - Neal Asher\n  Neuromancer - William Gibson\n  The Reality Dysfunction - Peter F. Hamilton\n  The Dreaming Void - Peter F. Hamilton\n  Fallen Dragon - Peter F. Hamilton\n  Altered Carbon - Richard Morgan\n  Market Forces - Richard Morgan\n  Blindsight - Peter Watts\n  The Electric Church - Jeff Somers\n  Tunnel in the Sky - Robert A. Heinlein\n  The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Robert A. Heinlein\n  1984 - George Orwell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neuromancer - William Gibson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 715127,
          "author": "michaelfairley",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-20T20:33:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715127",
          "commentText": "Last: I am a Strange Loop\nCurrent: Neuromancer",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Current: Neuromancer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140532,
          "author": "jobeirne",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T04:06:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140532",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Technically, it's sci-fi. Neuromancer a close second.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neuromancer a close second.",
          "reason": "Named as the commenter’s close second choice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140428,
          "author": "fish",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T01:43:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140428",
          "commentText": "Neuromancer by William Gibson, though it might not be inspiring, is a must-read; it's practically internet heritage!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Neuromancer by William Gibson, though it might not be inspiring, is a must-read; it's practically internet heritage!",
          "reason": "Calls it a must-read and says it is practically internet heritage.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "May not be inspiring.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86223,
          "author": "icky",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:37:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86223",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- The Time Machine (still holds up very well, and seems strangely eerie and prescient in places)... (H. G. Wells)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Hobbit (and LotR) (Tolkien)\n- Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n- Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties (I picked up Idoru first, so I haven't yet read Virtual Light) (also Gibson)\n- The Difference Engine (Gibson, Sterling)\n- Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n- Cryptonomicon (\" \")\n- Circuit of Heaven, End of Days (Dennis Danvers)\n- All of the \"Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser\" stories and novels. (Fritz Leiber)\n- The Earthsea trilogy (Ursula K. LeGuin)\n- 'salem's Lot (Stephen King)\n- Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein)\n- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)\n- the Coldfire trilogy (C. S. Friedman)\n- various Cory Doctorow short stories\n- Kamikaze L'Amour (Richard Kadrey)\n- Lightpaths (Howard V. Hendrix)\n- A Canticle For Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)\n- Moonwar, Venus (Ben Bova)\n- the Stainless Steel Rat series (Harry Harrison)\n- Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)\n- Ringworld (Larry Niven)\n- Cthon (Piers Anthony) -- Trippiness level approaching Philip Jose Farmer ;-)\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (Douglas Adams)\n- The Black Company (Glen Cook)\n- there's one particularly good post-cyberpunk series that takes place in a world in which Canada emerged as a major world power, but for the life of me I can't rememeber the title.\n- the 1632 series (Eric Flint)... see also S. M. Stirling's Nantucket series (\"Island in the Sea of Time\", et al.), and H. Beam Piper's novel Kalvan of Otherwhen\nNon-fiction:\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (Hume)\n- the surviving words and works of Epicurus, and Diogenes the Cynic\n- Freakonomics (Levitt, Dubner)\n- The Gay Science (Nietzsche)\n- The Jefferson Bible (Christ, Jefferson (ed.))\n- The Devil's Dictionary (Bierce)\n- Brain Droppings (George Carlin)\n- anything by P. J. O'Rourke\n- anything by Dave Barry",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neuromancer (William Gibson)",
          "reason": "Listed under fiction in response to the thread’s question about favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56663,
          "author": "Readmore",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T03:26:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56663",
          "commentText": "The Search by John Battelle. Then, just for fun, Neuromancer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Then, just for fun, Neuromancer.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a fun read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Gibson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 50,
      "threads": 36,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyberpunk",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "ai",
        "classic science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "blindsight-3c72ce",
      "title": "Blindsight",
      "author": "Peter Watts",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49918914,
          "author": "AlexKalWork",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-01T07:46:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49918914",
          "commentText": "Actually blindsight was one of the top contenders for my next read! I will definitely give it a shot.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Actually blindsight was one of the top contenders for my next read! I will definitely give it a shot.",
          "reason": "The commenter intends to read it after it was suggested.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 49908114,
          "author": "largePanda9",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T12:44:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49908114",
          "commentText": "I read all three of these in the last 12 months, great choices. Have you read Blindsight? I felt it was almost a sci fi/horror mix. Great read",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Have you read Blindsight? I felt it was almost a sci fi/horror mix. Great read",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great read and describes it as a science fiction and horror mix.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 48089131,
          "author": "cheese_van",
          "createdAt": "2026-05-10T23:14:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 48084905,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci fi books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48089131",
          "commentText": "It didn't grab me at first but your comment makes me think I should give it another go, thanks.  I remember that initially I had a world of trouble with Conrad's Heart of Darkness but I hit it again and was amply rewarded, so Ill give Blindsight another try, thanks.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "so Ill give Blindsight another try, thanks.",
          "reason": "Plans to give the book another try after the other commenter's praise.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It did not grab the commenter at first.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 48085009,
          "author": "SyntaxErrorist",
          "createdAt": "2026-05-10T15:59:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 48084905,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci fi books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48085009",
          "commentText": "I am currently halfway through \"Blindsight\" by Peter Watts. It's a tough read but easily the most thought provoking take on consciousness and first contact i have encountered in years.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I am currently halfway through \"Blindsight\" by Peter Watts. It's a tough read but easily the most thought provoking take on consciousness and first contact i have encountered in years.",
          "reason": "Strongly praises its treatment of consciousness and first contact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Calls it a tough read.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46399187,
          "author": "kulikalov",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T04:38:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46399187",
          "commentText": "Loved it too! Try echopraxia next.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Loved it too!",
          "reason": "Clearly agrees with the parent's mention of Blindsight.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46206202,
          "author": "topologie",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-09T15:47:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46206202",
          "commentText": "I have a couple I would highly recommend:\nThe first is Stanislaw Lem's \"Imaginary Magnitude.\"\nMost stories there are written as sort of prefaces to non-existent technical/scientific books, papers, articles, etc. The last one, Golem XIV, goes a bit beyond and includes an entire lecture.\nThe content is incredibly detailed and technical, Lem knew his Technology and Science for sure, so sometimes it's incredibly accurate and prophetic. Even though it was written in the 1970's, Lem was already describing things that look uncannily like neural networks, emergent communication systems, and machine-generated literature, decades before they existed.\nAnd... most of them are also really really funny.\nHere are small summaries that ChatGPT helped me write for some of the stories there:\n---- Eruntics ----\nA faux-scientific introduction to a field studying “erunts”: biological (or semi-biological) agents, think bacteria/neural colonies, that can learn to read, write, and communicate.\nThese bacterial colonies learn to communicate through several learning iterations across many mutations and generations, much like, say, Neural Networks, and they even develop their own proto-language as they evolve.\nEruntics is a sort of \"meditation\" on emergent intelligence and how writing or meaning might arise in nonhuman systems.\n---- A History of Bitic Literature ----\nPurports to be a critical history of literature produced not by humans, but by machines or other non-human authors, the fictional discipline of bitistics.\nIt treats computer-generated texts as a full literary tradition, with schools, tropes, and structural analysis.\nIt also goes into detail on how at a certain point Bitic Literature required models to read what other models had generated and \"validate\" what they had written, since the complexity they reach in terms of things like neologisms, subtext, and interconnectedness to other texts and ideas, becomes so absurdly high that no human being can even attempt to read them or make sense of them.\n---- Golem XIV ----\nThis is like half of the book, and oh boy...\nIt presents itself first as a report/lecture series from a U.S.-military supercomputer, framed with forewords, editorial notes, “instructions,” etc, but it quickly shifts into the machine’s own philosophical monologues about humanity, evolution, intelligence gradients, and existential insignificance/significance.\nIt contains some really iconic phrases, in particular during Golem's \"Lecture\":\n\" 'The meaning of the transmitter is the transmission' [...] To be sure, the corollary holds: 'The meaning of the transmission is the transmitter.' But the two members are not symmetrical.\"\n\" 'The construction is less perfect than what constructs' [...] Let us give it more substance: 'In evolution, a negative gradient operates in the perfecting of structural solutions'\"\nGolem XIV becomes a genuine “book within a book,” a hard, speculative essay on what a post-human intellect might think.\nThe second set of \"books\" that I would recommend are kinda related, even in tone:\nMasamune Shirow's \"Ghost in The Shell\" and its sequel \"Ghost in the Shell: Man-Machine Interface.\"\nChatGPT summaries:\n--- Ghost in the Shell ---\nAt its core, the original Ghost in the Shell manga is a cyberpunk procedural about identity in a hyper-connected world.\nIt follows Major Motoko Kusanagi, a fully cybernetic government operative working for Public Security Section 9, a counter-cyberterrorism and intelligence unit. The cases involve:\n- cyberbrains and identity hacking\n- political corruption\n- AI autonomy\n- blurred boundaries between human and machine\n- networks where memories, skills, and consciousness can be stolen or overwritten\nThe central philosophical arc centers on Project 2501, the “Puppet Master,” an emergent artificial consciousness born from networked information systems rather than human intention. It challenges the legal, biological, and metaphysical definitions of “life.”\nThe manga’s key concern:\nWhen minds become software, what counts as a person?\nWhat counts as being alive?\nIt’s high-speed political action wrapped around deep questions about autonomy, embodiment, and consciousness.\n--- Ghost in the Shell 2: Man-Machine Interface ---\nMan-Machine Interface is not a continuation in the conventional sense, but more of a \"post-human\" sequel.\nHere, Motoko Kusanagi, the main character from Ghost in The Shell, no longer exists as a single embodied entity. After merging with the Puppet Master at the end of the original story, Motoko becomes something new: a distributed, multi-bodied, evolving posthuman intelligence often referred to as Motoko Aramaki or Motoko 2.0.\nThe sequel follows her as:\n- a partially decoupled consciousness running across networks\n- an entity capable of switching avatars, bodies, and instantiations\n- a mind that operates above nation-states, legal frameworks, and even human-scale cognition\nPlot-wise, it deals with:\n- AI-industrial warfare\n- megacorporations fighting over distributed intelligences\n- metaphysics of identity in a world of multiple selves\n- data-ecologies and collective minds\n- the emergence of “post-persons”\nBut the real shift is tone and philosophy.\nWhere the first manga explores the crisis of identity, the sequel explores post-identity.\nIts main question:\nWhat does “self” mean when consciousness is fluid, redundant, multi-threaded, and no longer tied to one body or one narrative?\nMan-Machine Interface is dense, maximalist, metaphysical, and sometimes abstract , much closer to Lem’s Golem XIV in its treatment of posthuman consciousness than the first part.\nThird, another set, Peter Watts’ Blindsight and its sequel Echopraxia.\n--- Blindsight ---\nHard sci-fi first-contact novel about a crew sent to investigate an alien signal. The aliens they encounter demonstrate astonishing intelligence and adaptability, but seemingly zero consciousness. The book’s central question is brutal:\nDoes consciousness provide any evolutionary advantage at all?\nOr is it an expensive, unnecessary hack?\nIt’s one of the most rigorous modern explorations of intelligence without awareness, cognition without qualia, and post-biological life. Also features resurrected vampires as humanity’s most efficient problem-solvers.\n--- Echopraxia ---\nA follow-up set in the same universe, focusing more on Earth, zombies, hive-minds, military religious cults, and what Watts calls baseline humans becoming obsolete. It complements Blindsight by following the implications of a world where non-conscious “intelligence engines” outperform conscious humans.\nFinally...\n--- Greg Egan's Permutation City ---\nAt its core:\nA group of people upload themselves as software (“Copies”) into a virtual environment where consciousness is implemented as a computational process. But Egan pushes the idea far past “mind uploading” into deep mathematical and philosophical territory.\nThe central premise:\nIf consciousness depends only on logical consistency, not computation performed in real time, then a simulated mind does not require a universe running on stable physics or an external computer at all.\nEgan calls this the Dust Theory.\nWhat the novel explores:\n1. Copies — software persons\n- Human consciousness is scanned and instantiated as a digital mind. These Copies struggle with:\n- psychological trauma from being disposable\n- questions about their moral status\n- fears of erasure\n- pressure to perform labor for “real” biological humans\nThey are conscious, but economically and ontologically precarious.\n2. The “Autoverse”\nA lifelike world governed by artificial chemistry and evolution. It explores how complexity and life can arise from arbitrary rules, not carbon-based biology.\n3. Dust Theory\nA mind is simply a pattern, not a process.\nIf any arrangement of matter in the multiverse instantiates that pattern, even for a moment, consciousness exists.\nThis implies that a mind could “run” without a computer — as long as the pattern exists somewhere, even scattered across physical chaos (“dust”).\nPermutation City becomes a sandbox for minds that no longer require a substrate.\n4. “Permutation City” itself\nThe ultimate simulation, constructed to be self-sustaining in a way that breaks free from dependence on any external reality. Inside it, Copies evolve new forms of existence beyond human constraints.\nWhy it’s important:\nIt’s one of the most serious, mathematically grounded attempts in fiction to grapple with:\n- the ontology of simulated minds\n- the meaning (or irrelevance) of physical reality\n- identity as a computational equivalence class\n- consciousness divorced from biology or substrate\n- universes that exist because their patterns are self-consistent\nIt anticipates debates around:\n- substrate independence\n- functionalism\n- consciousness as pattern-matching\n- AI personhood\n- anthropic reasoning\n- simulation theory\nBefore most of those ideas entered mainstream discussion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Third, another set, Peter Watts’ Blindsight and its sequel Echopraxia.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as part of a related set and summarizes its exploration of consciousness and intelligence.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in hard science fiction and questions about consciousness.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42269201,
          "author": "sandy_coyote",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:59:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42269201",
          "commentText": "I caught up with some science fiction this year.\nThe Murderbot diaries books by Martha Wells - 6/10. Mixed on these. They're fun to read. The setting is cool and the worldbuilding is shallow but effective (i.e., don't read it if you want game of thrones in space). Each novella takes an afternoon to read. I think \"snarky violent droid\" is overcooked these days and lost interest after book 5.\nLight by M. John Harrison - 7/10 excellent prose; great multiple-storyline plot; the journey was better than the destination, but it kept me thinking\nFar from the Light of Heaven by Tade Thompson - 7/10 Fun. If \"near future Nigerian/British post-colonial frontier action with guns, robots, and psychic aliens\" sounds cool to you, check it out. I liked his Rosewater Trilogy just as much.\nBlindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts - tough to rate these. brilliant ideas, VERY challenging plots. I wish I didn't get so confused by the end of each book.\nProject Hail Mary by Andy Weir - 6/10 - this and the Martian read like blog posts pasted together. The grand dilemma is spelled out on page one and never gets any deeper. Pro: the plot is in your face on every page and you will never be confused when reading; Con - there is zero internal character development. Read if you like stories driven by applied science, not comparative moral decision-making.\nThe City and the City by China Miéville - 9/10 - you will invariably see something like \"Kafka meets [some affected crime novelist] to describe this book, and that ain't wrong. Kind of SF, kind of fantasy.\nRailsea by China Miéville - 8/10 - great good vs evil YA SF about, well, imagine if trains were like boats. Good character writing, tight plot.\nThe Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi - 8/10 - loved this. More \"realist\" near-future fabulism than Gibson, but if you love cyberpunk, read this.\nThe Shipbreaker Triology by Paolo Bacigalupi - 6/10 - near-future YA science fiction with a lot of blood and guns. Pretty good stories.\nRoadside Picnic by the Strugatsky brothers - 9/10 - reread. I had to go back. This gets a near perfect score because of its style, setting, and plot.\nThe Sprawl Trilogy (Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive) by William Gibson - 9/10 - I had read Neuromancer 3 times but never the next two. I was pleasantly surprised to find the second and third novel easier to read* but just as enjoyable as Neuromancer.\nThe Bridge trilogy by William Gibson - 8/10 so far. I am in the second book. Can't believe I slept on these for the last couple decades.\nnon-SF:\nOur Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981-1991 by Michael Azerrad - 9/10 - if you like punk/hardcore from the 80s, this is a great read.\n* Every time I read Neuromancer, Gibson's literary footguns --holograms, false memories, hallucinations, and drug-addled unreality--make me feel crazy for not being able to follow the plot at times. I'm okay with believing that was the intended effect.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Blindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts - tough to rate these. brilliant ideas, VERY challenging plots.",
          "reason": "Recognizes the ideas as brilliant but found the plots very challenging and hard to follow.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy challenging science fiction plots.",
          "caveat": "The plots were confusing by each book's end.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40880093,
          "author": "jemmyw",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-05T05:46:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40880093",
          "commentText": "Blindsight by Peter Watts. It has some silliness but the principal idea was brilliant and has really stayed with me: the idea that self awareness might be an aberration and alien life could be intelligent without it. In particular, the idea that we attacked first by broadcasting our nonsense, purposefully wasting the processing capacity of other intelligences.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Blindsight by Peter Watts. It has some silliness but the principal idea was brilliant and has really stayed with me",
          "reason": "Praises its central idea about self-awareness and alien intelligence, while noting some silliness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds parts of the book silly.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37160563,
          "author": "NikolaNovak",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T12:30:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37160563",
          "commentText": "Three more thumbs up for Blind Sight. Gripping story but also puts forward some interesting questions on nature of consciousness and reality (but not in a woozy spiritual way; basically - what happens to your senses and thoughts when subjected to a massive and changing magnetic field?). Not quite Phillip K Dick as far as unreliable narrator goes, but it's cool once you start questioning the perspectives and observations :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Three more thumbs up for Blind Sight. Gripping story but also puts forward some interesting questions on nature of consciousness and reality",
          "reason": "The commenter endorses the story and its questions about consciousness and reality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its treatment is not in a woozy spiritual way.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37159649,
          "author": "hikingsimulator",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T10:35:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37159649",
          "commentText": "I really like Blindsight for how some of the questions it sets may apply to how we might face artificial general intelligence.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really like Blindsight for how some of the questions it sets may apply to how we might face artificial general intelligence.",
          "reason": "The commenter likes the questions the novel raises about facing artificial general intelligence.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37157769,
          "author": "jemmyw",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T05:54:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37157769",
          "commentText": "Blindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts [1] I enjoyed the ideas in these books.\nThe Sunken Land Begins to Rise Again [2] by M. John Harrison. Beautiful writing. His descriptions give me vivid dreams if I read before bed.\nThe Thursday Murder Club [3] by Richard Osman. Light reading, amusing, beginning of a series.\n[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echopraxia_%28novel%29\n[2] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49201192-the-sunken-land... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49201192-the-sunken-land-begins-to-rise-again)\n[3] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54846475-the-thursday-mu... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54846475-the-thursday-murder-club)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts [1] I enjoyed the ideas in these books.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the ideas in the books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36024356,
          "author": "MattPalmer1086",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T20:20:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36024356",
          "commentText": "There are many different genres of sci fi.  Seveneves is pretty much hard science fiction, in that it deals with plausible physics, which is also one of my favourite genres.\nI particularly recommend the Xeelee Sequence (a series of novels) by Stephen Baxter if you like mind bending sci fi over cosmological time).\nMore classically, The Foundation series by Isaac Asimov is a great (and shorter) read.\nFirst contact novels can also be interesting (meeting aliens for the first time).  Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke is great.  Also, Blindsight by Peter Watts.\nSo many others!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Also, Blindsight by Peter Watts.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36020942,
          "author": "dcminter",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:00:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36020942",
          "commentText": "Fair warning, I only liked the first part of Seveneves; I thought the second part was stupid. You'll get a lot of recommendations for Liu Cixin's \"Three Body Problem\" which I personally hate (though the first part of the first book is very well written), but if you like all of Seveneves then it might suit you.\nMy personal favourites that might not already be on everyone else's lists:\nFiasco - Stanisław Lem\nThis is how you lose the time war - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone\nFeersum Endjinn - Iain Banks\nThe Dark Side of the Sun - Terry Pratchett (yes, that one)\nBlindsight - Peter Watts\nBloom - Wil McCarthy\nGood luck!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blindsight - Peter Watts",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's personal favorites in response to a request for science fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35397629,
          "author": "marshmellman",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-01T06:15:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 35392063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Science Fiction books that predict where ChatGPT might lead us?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35397629",
          "commentText": "I loved this book, but I only recommend it if you’re reading on a Kindle or similar. There was so much jargon and technical words that I had to look up the definitions of.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I loved this book, but I only recommend it if you’re reading on a Kindle or similar.",
          "reason": "The commenter loved it but recommends reading it on a Kindle or similar to look up jargon and technical terms.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter had to look up many jargon and technical words; recommends an e-reader with lookup.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35396988,
          "author": "adeon",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-01T04:03:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 35392063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Science Fiction books that predict where ChatGPT might lead us?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35396988",
          "commentText": "Blindsight by Peter Watts.\nNot exactly answering questions on what AIs would do but: to spoil as little as possible: there is an alien ship that communicates with humanity in a way that is eerily parallel and similar to today's LLMs.\nIt's a pretty tough read though, I had hard time understanding what is happening exactly. Might be one of the books where it might be a good idea to spoil a bit how the narrative works. Maybe just reading to top tagline on TvTropes page doesn't spoil too much: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Literature/Blindsight\nAlso you can read it online easily: https://www.rifters.com/real/Blindsight.htm\nEdit: this novel apparently has been on HN frontpage once https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18378221",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Blindsight by Peter Watts.",
          "reason": "An alien ship communicates in a way the commenter compares to today's LLMs.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter found it a tough read and had difficulty understanding what was happening.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34162384,
          "author": "xyzzy_plugh",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T16:10:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34162384",
          "commentText": "It's also free to read online: https://www.rifters.com/real/Blindsight.htm\nThis is definitely a book that stuck with me over the years. The concepts were very foreign and unusual at the time I read it, and I still find them novel to think about. Definitely in my top five recommendations for sci-fi reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is definitely a book that stuck with me over the years.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book stayed with them and remains novel to think about.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in unfamiliar, unusual concepts in science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33383472,
          "author": "EdwardCoffin",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T12:28:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33383472",
          "commentText": "I couldn't tell whether you were joking about pirating it, but for others who might be interested, the author has made it available for free download from his website [1].\nI love Blindsight as well, and I think I like the other book in the series, Echopraxia (not available for free download though) even more.  Both books contain lengthy bibliographies citing various scientific papers the author has drawn ideas from, and on my first readings of both books I ended up spending as much time chasing down interesting references and reading them as I did reading the original books.\n[1] https://rifters.com/real/Blindsight.htm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I love Blindsight as well",
          "reason": "The commenter says they love it and recounts following its scientific references.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33382237,
          "author": "alecco",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T08:50:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382237",
          "commentText": "Re-read Blindsight and Echopraxia by Watts, dark dystopia about the singularity.\nDifferently Morphous and Existentially Challenged by Yahtzee Croshow, a lot of magic comedy.\nThe Price of Time by Chancellor, about how the current financial everything bubble came to exist and how it's always the same story.\nThe World for Sale by Blas, about the history of commodities traders in the past century.\nChaos by O'Neill, 20 year investigation about Manson murders finds ties to government agencies.\nI read about 10 other books but they were all terrible. It's becoming more and more a needle in a haystack.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48484.Blindsight\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18490708-echopraxia\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59056157-the-price-of-ti... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59056157-the-price-of-time)\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52199304-the-world-for-s... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52199304-the-world-for-sale)\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43015073-chaos",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Re-read Blindsight and Echopraxia by Watts, dark dystopia about the singularity.",
          "reason": "Included among the books the commenter read again.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as dark dystopia about the singularity.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32790907,
          "author": "nano9",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T14:21:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790907",
          "commentText": "Neuromancer\nSnow Crash\nBlindsight\n(Just some fun fiction to bolster one's passion for their chosen profession. Obviously TAOCP, SICP, K&R, and other books in their ranks are better answers.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Blindsight",
          "reason": "Included as fun fiction to bolster passion for one's profession.",
          "audience": "People interested in fiction related to computing and technology.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says technical books are better answers to the prompt.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28061884,
          "author": "wnkrshm",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T15:09:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28061884",
          "commentText": "Of his catalogue, I like Blindsight best probably, it's one of those fundamental science fiction novels that asks a new question and stays with you for a long time, without being too cerebral.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I like Blindsight best probably",
          "reason": "The commenter names it as their favorite in the author's catalogue.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28060495,
          "author": "marcocampos",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T12:59:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28060495",
          "commentText": "Love Peter Watts' work but be warned that his writing is super depressing (in a good way), specially his Rifters Trilogy. My favorites are still Blindsight and it's follow-up, Echopraxia. The ideas on those books about sentient life are eye opening and something I still think is heavily debated in the scientific community.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favorites are still Blindsight",
          "reason": "Names it among the commenter’s favorite works by Watts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Watts’s writing is super depressing, in a good way.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28059656,
          "author": "wnkrshm",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T11:15:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28059656",
          "commentText": "Blindsight by Peter Watts, it's available for free [1] (CC-License on his website), he releases all his books like that, except for the most recent one, which is only available through publishers.\nYou can also download it on the site as epub or PDF.\nEdit: Also, it's one of the few Sci-Fi books I know (all from Watts) that cites scientific literature and has a bibliography, to make an argument for plausability and give explanations in an afterword. Watts worked as a marine biologist before writing scifi, IIRC.\n[1] https://www.rifters.com/real/Blindsight.htm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blindsight by Peter Watts",
          "reason": "Presents it as a sci-fi recommendation and notes its scientific references and bibliography.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The author’s latest book is only available through publishers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23154112,
          "author": "CapmCrackaWaka",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T14:08:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23154112",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed Blindsight by Peter Watts. It explores several different interesting ideas.\nFor instance, what is the point of empathy/friendship/love in a technologically advanced society? These were very useful things for our ancestors to help each other battle the harsh environment, but we have mastered our environment, so why waste brain power on empathy now?\nThe Wikipedia summarizes the books discussion of conciousness very well:\n\"The novel raises questions about the essential character of consciousness. Is the interior experience of consciousness necessary, or is externally observed behavior the sole determining characteristic of conscious experience? Is an interior emotional experience necessary for empathy, or is empathic behavior sufficient to possess empathy?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed Blindsight by Peter Watts.",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed its exploration of empathy, friendship, love, and consciousness in an advanced society.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in mind-bending science fiction and consciousness.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23151890,
          "author": "h4kor",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T08:56:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23151890",
          "commentText": "Blindsight from Peter Watts",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blindsight from Peter Watts",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22102905,
          "author": "JVIDEL",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T23:24:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22102905",
          "commentText": "Can't believe nobody has mentioned Blindsight yet.\nAwesome scifi book, it will blow your mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Can't believe nobody has mentioned Blindsight yet.\nAwesome scifi book, it will blow your mind.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an awesome science fiction book and says it will blow your mind.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20334092,
          "author": "CosmicShadow",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T11:49:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20334092",
          "commentText": "Someone posted this on a previous book list and I read it and I'm so glad I did, now I've read Echopraxia, and I've bought all his other books and I'm on those as well, totally awesome. I still think about this series and the vampires and hive minds.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read it and I'm so glad I did",
          "reason": "The commenter says they were glad they read it and connects it to the series and its vampires and hive minds.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17582016,
          "author": "nepalez",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-21T14:06:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17582016",
          "commentText": "\"Blindsight\" by Peter Watts\n\"Solaris\" and \"Summa Technologiae\" by Stanislav Lem\n\"Dune\" by Frank Herbert\n\"The Diamond Age\" by Neal Stephenson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Blindsight\" by Peter Watts",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for the best science fiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536557,
          "author": "dsr_",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:16:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536557",
          "commentText": "OP said \"fun, lighthearted and enjoyable\".\nNoted reviewer James Nicoll on Peter Watts:\n\"When­ever I find my will to live be­com­ing too strong, I read Peter Watts.\"\nWhich Dr. Watts put at the top of his About the Author page.\nWatts is really, really good. And really, really bleak.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Watts is really, really good. And really, really bleak.",
          "reason": "The comment praises Watts while emphasizing his work's bleakness, echoing the cited reviewer's dark humor.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Really bleak; conflicts with the request for lighthearted fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536538,
          "author": "manojlds",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:13:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536538",
          "commentText": "Blindsight by Peter Watts\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blindsight_%28Watts_novel%29",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blindsight by Peter Watts",
          "reason": "Offered as a suggestion in response to the request for fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630061,
          "author": "naftalibeder",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:22:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630061",
          "commentText": "Blindsight, by Peter Watts. It's a sci-fi novel that asks fascinating questions about sentience and intelligence, and made me stare at the ceiling for weeks after I finished it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "asks fascinating questions about sentience and intelligence, and made me stare at the ceiling for weeks after I finished it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it asks fascinating questions and stayed with them after reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15447424,
          "author": "ajmurmann",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-11T05:05:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15447424",
          "commentText": "Some stuff is hand waved. However, the amount of incredible facts about human condition and precaution is incredible and very much core to the story. The back of the book is packed with references to actual research work.\nIt took me a long time though to get myself to buy the book because the book description on Amazon is the worst and sounds like a awful B-movie.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Some stuff is hand waved. However, the amount of incredible facts about human condition and precaution is incredible and very much core to the story.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its insights and research references while noting that some elements are hand waved.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some stuff is hand waved; the Amazon description sounds like an awful B-movie.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15430909,
          "author": "di4na",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-09T00:57:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15430909",
          "commentText": "I would say Blindsight is nearly completely about AI. I advise a re-read. Vampires are not really monsters... Just puppets...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would say Blindsight is nearly completely about AI. I advise a re-read.",
          "reason": "Says the novel is nearly entirely about AI and advises rereading it.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in AI in science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15428953,
          "author": "nabla9",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:59:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428953",
          "commentText": "FizerPharm presentation is really good intro into Blindsight.\nWatt's is a biologist who gives them plausibility and even ecological place that justifies their traits and behaviour. Hard scifi vampires!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "FizerPharm presentation is really good intro into Blindsight.",
          "reason": "The comment praises an external presentation as an introduction to the novel and discusses its scientific plausibility.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15428877,
          "author": "sdiupIGPWEfh",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:44:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428877",
          "commentText": "Most reviews I've seen consider it such.\nPersonally, if an author's done enough research to support most every detail with at least one or two scientifically plausible explanations (and has the personal scientific background to vet those ideas), I'll give their work the benefit of the doubt. Between ultimately still just being a work of fiction and the march of scientific discovery, you have to give some small leeway.\nRegarding the right angle thing, it's been long enough since I've read Blindsight that I can't recall how much was actually explained in the novel vs in the FizerPharm presentation or other material on Watts' website. If you're willing to include extra-textual content, Watts' vampires are given as hard a science fiction treatment as any classic monster is likely to get...",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "since I've read Blindsight",
          "reason": "Referred to while discussing the scientific details of the novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15428678,
          "author": "riffraff",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T15:59:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428678",
          "commentText": "is blindsight considered hard SF?\nIt's been a while since I read it, but I don't recall a big focus on science, and some things are pretty explicitly hand waved (\"we are lucky they have that issue with right angles\")",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "is blindsight considered hard SF?",
          "reason": "Asks whether the book qualifies as hard science fiction, citing its limited scientific focus and hand-waved details.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Questions whether it is hard SF.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15428657,
          "author": "nrp",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T15:55:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428657",
          "commentText": "Watts’ Blindsight and Echopraxia are excellent hard scifi too, though less focused on AI.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Watts’ Blindsight and Echopraxia are excellent hard scifi too, though less focused on AI.",
          "reason": "Described as excellent hard science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Less focused on AI.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156752,
          "author": "Ronsenshi",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T16:18:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156752",
          "commentText": "Blindsight (Peter Watts) - read it some time in university and it has completely changed how I think about things. Figuratively speaking turned my mind inside out.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blindsight (Peter Watts) - read it some time in university and it has completely changed how I think about things.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it completely changed how they think.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156149,
          "author": "omnibrain",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T14:35:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156149",
          "commentText": "Fiction: Peter Watts - Blindsight   \nNonfiction: Gödel Escher Bach   \nCS: David West - Object Thinking",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fiction: Peter Watts - Blindsight",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which books had the biggest impact on mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13804180,
          "author": "metaphorm",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:19:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804180",
          "commentText": "- The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin\n- Blindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts\n- The Tao Te Ching\n- The Gateless Gate (Koun Yamada translation/editing)\n- The Baroque Cycle (Quicksilver, The Confusion, The System of the World) by Neal Stephenson\n- The Invisibles by Grant Morrison\n- Incerto (Fooled by Randomness, The Black Swan, Antifragile, The Bed of Procrustes) by Nassim Nicholas Taleb\n- Iron John by Robert Bly\n- Catch 22 by Joseph Heller\n- The Character of Physical Law by Richard P. Feynman\n- Collected Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges\n- 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez\n- Pharmakon by Dale Pendell\n- The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss\n- Greek Mythology by Edith Hamilton\n- The Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual by Gary Gygax et al\n- Introduction to Algorithms by Charles E. Leiserson, Clifford Stein, Ronald Rivest, and Thomas H. Cormen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts",
          "reason": "Included in a list answering which books changed the commenter’s thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249664,
          "author": "gpderetta",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T13:14:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249664",
          "commentText": "It seems that everybody has been recommending sci fi and fantasy... Well, so will I.\n- The Lies of Locke Lamora: fantasy (think fantastic Renaissance Venice), fairly light read, very well written, great characters.\n- Accelerando: from our own cstross. Postuhumanist episodic scifi, pretty much a required read for the average HN reader.\n- The Book of the New Sun: fantasy (or is it?), On the surface episodic adventures of an executioner, but it is built on multiple layers. Not an easy read, but masterfully written. Might require multiple reads. Long series.\n- Blindsight, bleak diamond hard scifi, about first contact, consciousness and life. Not an easy read, but strongly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blindsight, bleak diamond hard scifi, about first contact, consciousness and life. Not an easy read, but strongly recommended.",
          "reason": "Explicitly described as strongly recommended.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Bleak; not an easy read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13117398,
          "author": "pavel_lishin",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-06T19:16:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13117398",
          "commentText": "This is a little more Lovecraftian Horror than science fiction, but I loved Matt Ruff's \"Lovecraft Country\". Equal parts what you'd expect, with an exploration of how shitty America was for black people in the 1950s.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25109947-lovecraft-count... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25109947-lovecraft-country)\nTed Chiang's \"Stories of your Life\" have been recommended here a bunch, since Arrival was based on one of the stories in the collection.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\nPeter Watts' Blindsight and Echopraxia are both excellent explorations of the human mind and consciousness.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48484.Blindsight and https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18490708-echopraxia\nBonus: Echopraxia comes with an optional audiovisual component that stands alone quite well: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL30ED0756E00786E2\nAnd don't let the mention of Vampires scare you off; this isn't a Twilight wannabe, and it's very likely not a take on Vampires you've seen before.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Peter Watts' Blindsight and Echopraxia are both excellent explorations of the human mind and consciousness.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an excellent exploration of the human mind and consciousness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12068003,
          "author": "motxilo",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T00:25:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12068003",
          "commentText": "Blindsight (Watts)\nBetween the World and Me (Coates)\nEconomics in One Lesson (Hazlitt)\nCorporate Confidential: 50 Secrets Your Company Doesn't Want You to Know---and What to Do About Them (Shapiro)\nLos últimos españoles de Mauthausen (Hernández de Miguel)\nDistributed Systems for Fun and Profit (Takada)\nThe Knowledge: How to Rebuild Civilization in the Aftermath of a Cataclysm (Dartnell)\nHistoria mínima de España (Fusi)\nTurn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders (Marquet)\nWhat I Learned Losing A Million Dollars (Moynihan)\nSite Reliability Engineering: How Google Runs Production Systems (Google)\nAdventures in Human Being: A Grand Tour from the Cranium to the Calcaneum (Francis)\nOperating Systems: Three Easy Pieces (Arpaci-Dusseau)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Blindsight (Watts)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785543,
          "author": "birdperson",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:47:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785543",
          "commentText": "> Blindsight is on my Kobo right now, but after reading Permutation City I'm scared to start reading it because I don't want to reach halfway and want to chuck it like I did Permutation City.\nI read Blindsight before Permutation City. The way he describes the situations and the way his characters are often extremely confusing. But you get used to it at some point along the way. The story line itself and the Aliens are somewhat off the left field which makes the story very interesting. I personally liked it.\nPermutation City is, on the other hand, simply boring as hell. Drier than ye olde Abstract Algebra textbook.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The story line itself and the Aliens are somewhat off the left field which makes the story very interesting. I personally liked it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the story is interesting and that they personally liked it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The situations and characters can be extremely confusing at first.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785337,
          "author": "stuxnet79",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:07:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785337",
          "commentText": "Permutation City has a brilliant premise but I found sections of it mostly unreadable and I can't say I enjoyed it very much. Egan would have been better served presenting the content in an essay format.\nEgan's more unforgiving stories are an acquired taste IMO. I started out with his short stories and found them enjoyable when there wasn't so much pretentious info-dumping and preaching. Permutation City felt like one of his harder to parse short stories stretched to the length of a novel.\nBlindsight is on my Kobo right now, but after reading Permutation City I'm scared to start reading it because I don't want to reach halfway and want to chuck it like I did Permutation City.\nOn a more positive note, I just want to say that I liked how prescient the novel was in foretelling AWS.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Blindsight is on my Kobo right now, but after reading Permutation City I'm scared to start reading it",
          "reason": "The commenter has not started it and expresses apprehension about doing so.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No evaluation; the commenter is worried it may be difficult to enjoy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783600,
          "author": "Hortinstein",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T15:00:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783600",
          "commentText": "I read quite a few others that have been mentioned here, but I finally read two that hard sci-fi books that should appeal to the Hacker News crowd\nPermutation City:  People can run simulations of themselves or entirely migrate their consciousness into computer programs, but existence is often limited to the amount of computation that you can afford, leading to slow existences that stretch time into fractions of realtime.  That premise had me hooked, but the book has fantastic thought provoking plot points throughout.  Highly recommended.    \nhttp://www.amazon.com/Permutation-City-Novel-Greg-Egan/dp/15... (http://www.amazon.com/Permutation-City-Novel-Greg-Egan/dp/1597805394)\nBlindsight: Amazing first alien encounter book that should be read by everyone that is a fan of the genre.  Memorable cast of characters...the Vampires are really interesting.  All kinds of introductory scientific concepts throughout.  Entertaining and educational.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Blindsight-Peter-Watts/dp/0765319640/r... (http://www.amazon.com/Blindsight-Peter-Watts/dp/0765319640/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1450882718&sr=1-1&keywords=blindsite)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blindsight: Amazing first alien encounter book that should be read by everyone that is a fan of the genre.  Memorable cast of characters...the Vampires are really interesting.  All kinds of introductory scientific concepts throughout.  Entertaining and educational.",
          "reason": "Calls it amazing, entertaining, and educational, and recommends it to genre fans.",
          "audience": "Fans of science fiction, especially alien encounter stories.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10324912,
          "author": "thescribe",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T18:41:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10324912",
          "commentText": "I was about to add Blindsight to my own list, but you beat me to it. I think it's the best book with the worst synopsis on the jacket.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I think it's the best book with the worst synopsis on the jacket.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best book, while criticizing its jacket synopsis.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The jacket synopsis is described as the worst.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10324758,
          "author": "jseliger",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T18:03:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10324758",
          "commentText": "I can't choose one, but I'd cite:\n* Jonathan Haidt's The Righteous Mind, for explaining so much personally and culturally so concisely.\n* Everything on this list: http://jakeseliger.com/2010/03/22/influential-books-on-me-th... (http://jakeseliger.com/2010/03/22/influential-books-on-me-that-is).\n* The Lord of the Rings, for its combination of story, interior drama, and (underrated) political economy.\n* Blindsight by Peter Watts.\n* Heart of Darkness by Conrad, who seems more prophetic all the time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blindsight by Peter Watts.",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's thought-provoking book choices.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10176721,
          "author": "smartial_arts",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-06T03:12:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10176721",
          "commentText": "Just finished, in the following order:\n- Blindsight\n- Echopraxia\n- Colonel\nby Peter Watts. Though I should've read the 'Colonel' before 'Echopraxia' in the hindsight.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Just finished, in the following order:\n- Blindsight",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as part of a reading sequence; the commenter notes a preferred order for Colonel and Echopraxia.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056662,
          "author": "aaronem",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:53:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056662",
          "commentText": "Peter Watts's Blindsight - easily the best SF novel I've read in the last decade. I haven't got round to Echopraxia yet, but I doubt it'll fail to live up to its predecessor.\nAlso, while I have no use whatsoever for Stross's \"Singularity\" stuff, his Laundry Files series excels, especially for an inveterate old Lovecraft fan such as myself. If you want a taste, there are some shorts available online -- \"Overtime\" and \"Funny Farm\" are good places to start; \"Equoid\" is the most recent, but it's not representative, and it's also the weakest entry in the series as a whole due to its poor characterization and reliance on shock and gruesomeness rather than the more insidious sort of horror in which the rest of the series specializes.\nI'm sort of surprised to see that no one has yet mentioned Heinlein; I know he's a politically divisive figure in the fandom, to say the least, but he's also the great granddaddy of the modern field, and such prominence deserves recognition. (Hell, he was pushing the Rapture of the Nerds before any of its modern adherents was even born!) Granted that his later works tend to bog down in self-referentiality and author tracts on the evils of Communism and the benefits of casual nudism; in his prime, though, he was an author and storyteller practically beyond compare.\nIn particular, his The Moon is a Harsh Mistress remains a classic among classics; The Puppet Masters even more so, to the extent of spawning practically a whole subgenre of second-rate imitations; and, for a lighter entry, his oft-overlooked The Door into Summer is a sweet story in which all's well that ends well and the importance of feline companionship in a well-rounded life is not overlooked.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blindsight - easily the best SF novel I've read in the last decade.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best science fiction novel they've read in the past decade.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056494,
          "author": "bobcostas55",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:08:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056494",
          "commentText": "Greg Egan - Permutation City\nPeter Watts - Blindsight",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Peter Watts - Blindsight",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about favorite science fiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8944576,
          "author": "andrewflnr",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-25T22:51:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944576",
          "commentText": "Blindsight by Peter Watts. It's a masterpiece of hard SciFi, but not for the faint of heart. It will mess with your mind, on top of the generally scary subject matter.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Blindsight by Peter Watts. It's a masterpiece of hard SciFi, but not for the faint of heart. It will mess with your mind, on top of the generally scary subject matter.",
          "reason": "Calls it a masterpiece of hard science fiction and says it is mind-bending.",
          "audience": "Readers comfortable with scary subject matter.",
          "caveat": "Not for the faint of heart; the subject matter is generally scary.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8125672,
          "author": "lancewiggs",
          "createdAt": "2014-08-02T19:10:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 8125375,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I save for offline reading during 5 weeks without Internet?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8125672",
          "commentText": "Great question, and one that I asked just before going to Mozambique for 10 weeks a few years back. I'd just bought a kindle, which were not available outside the USA back then, and asked a few interesting folks I was chatting to at Foo. Here are my resulting first few kindle purchases:\nThe Match King\nHeros Die (I bought the rest of them)\nThe city and the city\nEvery patient tells a story\nBlindsight\nBorn to Run\nHot, Flat & Crowded\nThe Autobiography of Ben Franklin\nThe Hunger Games (!)\nAnd on it went - asking for recommendations was a fantastic thing to do.  I'd asked for fiction as I was going there to work and would be too exhausted at first to do much else.\nSo I do encourage everyone to give some names of books. And yes - do take a good camera, do take binoculars - Leica if you can afford them, and embrace the experience.\nA few years later I went to Antarctica on a boat for 30 days offline. By then I had hundreds of books on kindle, and several devices to read them. This is basically a solved problem now. I did take Wikipedia in offline state, which was useful.\nIn decades previous when traveling I cared about weight and price per word and focused on \"good\" books - books that you know you should read but which need a bit of effort. When you are off the grid and in countries where there are few English books then it was a great way to read great books. \nBut now the Internet is everywhere. It might be flaky, and it might be painful to access, but you'll be able to find access to buy and download books relatively easily.\nThree recommendations, aside from the above which I enjoyed a lot.\nBill Aulet: Disciplined Entrepreneurship, covers the topic very well and generously references everything else.\nThe Circle by Dave Eggers paints a picture that's creepily familiar already.\nLeague of Denial will have you shake your head gently and sadly at NFL and other contact sports.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blindsight",
          "reason": "Listed among the books the commenter bought for offline reading, later described as books they enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109151,
          "author": "pumblechook",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:25:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109151",
          "commentText": "Blindsight, by Peter Watts. One of the better sci-fi novels I've read in awhile. Reminds me a lot of Arthur C. Clark in that it successfully strikes a really hard balance between scientific accuracy/feasibility and imaginative storytelling.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One of the better sci-fi novels I've read in awhile.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a strong science-fiction novel balancing scientific plausibility with imaginative storytelling.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy science fiction grounded in scientific ideas.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968366,
          "author": "egypturnash",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:39:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968366",
          "commentText": "I just devoured Blindsight by Peter Watts[1]. It's a fascinating bit of SF that explores some really fascinating ideas about how consciousness works.\nI've also been dipping into Daily Rituals: How Artists Work[2]. Lots of brief summaries of how various famous creators have broken up their workday; it both inspires me to get off my ass, and makes me feel better about the days when absolutely nothing happens.\nOh, and I've been slowly picking at Thee Psychick Bible[3], a collection of the majgickal documents of Genesis P-Orridge. Not sure it's really got any ideas I haven't seen in my other mystical readings. But there sure is a lot of it.\n1: http://rifters.com/real/Blindsight.htm\n2: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009Y4I4OM/ref=oh_aui_d_det... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009Y4I4OM/ref=oh_aui_d_detailpage_o02_?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\n3: http://www.amazon.com/THEE-PSYCHICK-BIBLE-Apocryphal-Scriptu... (http://www.amazon.com/THEE-PSYCHICK-BIBLE-Apocryphal-Scriptures/dp/1932595902)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a fascinating bit of SF that explores some really fascinating ideas about how consciousness works.",
          "reason": "Calls it fascinating and praises its exploration of consciousness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7314229,
          "author": "monknomo",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-27T19:10:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7314229",
          "commentText": "Peter Watts is excellent.  Blindsight and the Rifters trilogy are both fun hard sci-fi bent reads",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blindsight and the Rifters trilogy are both fun hard sci-fi bent reads",
          "reason": "Calls it a fun hard science fiction read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7313676,
          "author": "bdunbar",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-27T17:54:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7313676",
          "commentText": "Because no one has mentioned it yet: 'Blindsight' by Peter Watts.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Blindsight' by Peter Watts.",
          "reason": "Offered as a title in response to a request for science fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4414228,
          "author": "naturalethic",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-21T19:09:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 4353632,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon.  What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4414228",
          "commentText": "I bought that book to support him after his shitty customs experience.  Turned out to be one of the greatest novels I've ever read.  Totally fascinating.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "one of the greatest novels I've ever read. Totally fascinating.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of their greatest reads and says it is fascinating.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4395614,
          "author": "hivemindalpha",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-17T09:14:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 4353632,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon.  What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4395614",
          "commentText": "Massive recommendation for 'Blindsight' by Peter Watts, if you want your mind blown. And the author has made it available for free! http://www.rifters.com/real/Blindsight.htm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Massive recommendation for 'Blindsight' by Peter Watts, if you want your mind blown.",
          "reason": "Explicitly called a massive recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1866314,
          "author": "CWuestefeld",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T20:17:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1866314",
          "commentText": "I really loved Blindsight. It set me off reading reading a bunch of non-fiction about the mind (e.g., Hofstader' I Am A Strange Loop)\nThe first Rifter book was pretty good, but in the 2nd he really let loose with anti-capitalist themes to the point where I couldn't stand it anymore.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really loved Blindsight.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really loved it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226945,
          "author": "berntb",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T17:06:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226945",
          "commentText": "I also liked most of those. I'm just reading Blindsight, wonderful.\nThe only one I hated was \"Market forces\" by Morgan. It felt like reading \"The Pilgrim's Progress\", but with Chomsky as Jesus -- a little bit too heavy handed in political propaganda. For that kind of stuff done in a fascinating way, check Ken MacLeod's \"The Stone Canal\" and following.\n(Asher got a little too much of Space Opera for me, in the end.)\nFor sf, I'd add Greg Egan (Stross has been mentioned multiple times).\nI'd also like to recommend the worst author I used to buy books in hardcover from -- Robert L Forward. The guy couldn't have written a believable character to save his life, but he had some cool physics ideas. RIP.\nFor fantasy, which I didn't see mentioned, I'd add Scott Lynch, most stuff by Jack Vance, the black company series (Glen Cook), Joe Abercrombie and Vlad Taltos (Brust).\nDawkins' Selfish Gene has been mentioned. Steven Pinker was interesting.\nEdit: Re Schoeder, I've heard good things but not read anything yet. Thanks for advice and kick to start.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm just reading Blindsight, wonderful.",
          "reason": "Calls it wonderful while reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226847,
          "author": "aarongough",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:34:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226847",
          "commentText": "I'm a big fan of Sci-Fi because I feel it makes people think about what they want the future to be, as well as avoiding the re-hashing of historical and current events that many fiction books set in the present do. With that in mind a list of great books to read:\n  The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson\n  Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson\n  Gridlinked - Neal Asher\n  Neuromancer - William Gibson\n  The Reality Dysfunction - Peter F. Hamilton\n  The Dreaming Void - Peter F. Hamilton\n  Fallen Dragon - Peter F. Hamilton\n  Altered Carbon - Richard Morgan\n  Market Forces - Richard Morgan\n  Blindsight - Peter Watts\n  The Electric Church - Jeff Somers\n  Tunnel in the Sky - Robert A. Heinlein\n  The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Robert A. Heinlein\n  1984 - George Orwell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blindsight - Peter Watts",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Watts"
      ],
      "recommenders": 50,
      "threads": 34,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "consciousness",
        "hard science fiction",
        "artificial intelligence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-bible-38bd4b",
      "title": "The Bible",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43754933,
          "author": "gxonatano",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-21T18:27:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43754933",
          "commentText": "In what way is it shallow? I'm advocating for reading the whole Bible, and reading it deeply and critically: by reading the best available scholarly editions, by reading it alongside critical commentary, and by reading it alongside other contemporaneous works of fiction. It seems to me that's a reasonably deep perspective. The shallow perspective is the one usually practiced by Christians: reading the bible piecemeal, cherry-picking passages, reading it in isolation from other fiction of the time, and reading it uncritically as an ethical manual.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm advocating for reading the whole Bible, and reading it deeply and critically",
          "reason": "The commenter advocates reading it deeply and critically alongside scholarly commentary and contemporaneous fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Read critically, using scholarly editions and commentary.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43731186,
          "author": "kristopherBorja",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-18T19:32:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43731186",
          "commentText": "The Bible",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bible",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43617063,
          "author": "gxonatano",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T23:43:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43617063",
          "commentText": "As an atheist, I couldn't agree more. The fastest way to become an atheist, as it's often pointed out, is to read the Bible, which explains why about 95% of the Christians I've known have never read it. When asked, they say things like \"the _whole_ thing?\" or \"cover to cover?\" as if it were the unabridged Oxford English Dictionary, instead of just a single volume.\nAs a work of literature, with an unparalleled influence on Western culture, it's required reading for anyone interested in literature, philosophy, history, or related disciplines. As a blueprint for how to live your life, however, any reasonably ethical person will find its teachings to be at odds with modern ethics. More often than not, it's morally repugnant, and unapologetic about it, too. You won't hear about how backwards its morality is by going to church, though, and so you need to read it for yourself. Even Jesus, one of the most upright citizens in the book, is revealed to be as full of hate and vengeance as he is a \"prince of peace.\"\nOf course, as with everything, it really matters what edition you get. The New Oxford Annotated Bible is a good starting point. The Norton Critical editions (in two volumes, the old and the new testaments) are great, too, and include some of the source materials. (Bet you didn't know that a lot of the Bible was plagiar...ahem... adapted from much earlier texts, and from other religions.) The Skeptic's Annotated Bible is a great edition, too, and annotates everything from a secular perspective.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it's required reading for anyone interested in literature, philosophy, history, or related disciplines.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as important literature with substantial cultural influence.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in literature, philosophy, history, or related disciplines.",
          "caveat": "The commenter criticizes its moral teachings as conflicting with modern ethics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43613863,
          "author": "aristofun",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T17:27:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43613863",
          "commentText": "The bible",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The bible",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42968194,
          "author": "aristofun",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-07T01:12:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42968194",
          "commentText": "The bible obviously",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The bible obviously",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40287141,
          "author": "giraffe_lady",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T15:43:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40287141",
          "commentText": "The main cultural touchstones are disproportionately concentrated in a few books too, you can get a lot of them with just a dozen or two hours of reading.\nGenesis specifically is packed with common references, can be read in a few hours, and is fairly engaging and accessible as a coherent piece of literature in its own right.\nEcclesiastes is like five pages and possibly the most quoted thing across european cultures. So many literary references and even common idioms come from there.\nAfter that any one synoptic gospel + john + acts will set you up to catch a lot of christianity-specific cultural references. And then revelation imagery comes up a ton in pop culture, music, film & tv.\nAll of what I mentioned is about the length of a medium-short novel and would set you up to catch probably the majority of allusions to the bible. You'd be missing some major stuff like moses, david & solomon, plus a bunch of misc but influential stories like jonah & the whale, samson etc. But for bang for your buck it would get you pretty far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the majority of allusions to the bible",
          "reason": "Identifies selected biblical texts and books to read for cultural references and allusions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The suggested selections would miss some major stories and references.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39741692,
          "author": "devn0ll",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-18T08:59:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39741692",
          "commentText": "Reading the Bible made me more Atheist then anything else to be honest.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Reading the Bible made me more Atheist then anything else to be honest.",
          "reason": "The commenter says reading it strengthened their atheism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36107594,
          "author": "hevisko",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T20:42:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36107594",
          "commentText": "The Bible (preferably decent literal translations like ESV/NASB/NKJV instead of \"dynamic\" translations like the NIV/GoodNews/TLT/etc.)\nPS: there is a good difference between religion and true Christianity, which involves relationship, not religion/religious behavior",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Bible",
          "reason": "Recommended as a book on religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Prefers literal translations such as ESV, NASB, or NKJV to dynamic translations such as NIV, Good News, or TLT.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36105715,
          "author": "p0d",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T16:51:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105715",
          "commentText": "You are asking this question on Pentecost Sunday, observed by many Christians. Today we celebrate the arrival of person of The Holy Spirit, who supernaturally empowered Jesus's disciples in Jerusalem, following his death. You can read about this in the book of Acts in the Bible.\nAs you study I would encourage you to pray. If I was interested in learning to drive, I just wouldn't read about it :-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the book of Acts in the Bible",
          "reason": "Encourages the reader to study religion and pray.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36105484,
          "author": "arp242",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T16:26:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105484",
          "commentText": "I don't think that reading scripture is actually all that helpful in understanding the \"history and evolution of religion\", which is what was asked for. The bible has remained mostly unchanged for 1,600 years or so, but interpretations have varied substantially (also note: there was no \"bible\" for the first 400 years of Christianity, at last not how we understand it today).\nOf course, it helps to be familiar with scripture, but there's quite a bit of it and it's quite frankly not a particularly easy read (New Testament is a bit better than the Old). It's not where I would start – understanding the history of religion is more about history than religion.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The bible has remained mostly unchanged for 1,600 years or so",
          "reason": "Discussed as scripture whose interpretations have varied over time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says scripture is not where they would start for understanding religious history.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36105019,
          "author": "JasonFruit",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T15:41:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105019",
          "commentText": "That is a good way to get some ancient wisdom, and sometimes some incidental history, but it's surprising how little it will inform you about what those religions teach in contemporary practice. I don't think I could read the Bible and derive from it anything like the range of modern Christian belief and practice.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I don't think I could read the Bible and derive from it anything like the range of modern Christian belief and practice.",
          "reason": "Says reading it would not convey the range of contemporary Christian belief and practice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35930116,
          "author": "throwaway5959",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T16:45:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35930116",
          "commentText": "Not a textbook but when I actually read the Bible I realized it was total nonsense and left religion.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "when I actually read the Bible I realized it was total nonsense and left religion.",
          "reason": "The commenter says reading it led them to leave religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33854167,
          "author": "0xb0565e486",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T14:52:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33854167",
          "commentText": "The Bible",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bible",
          "reason": "Listed as the commenter's answer to the thread's best-book question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936357,
          "author": "dsr3",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T08:50:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936357",
          "commentText": "The Bible, directly and indirectly, is one of the major contributor to Western Civilization. While most of them has been secularized, large amount of ideas that we take for granted or consider common in the Western Civilization, such as equality of all man and inherent dignity of human, could be traced back to The Bible. A good understanding of The Bible would give you an understanding on the process of how Western Civilization is formed as it is today.\nStanford Western Culture class had Book of Genesis and New Testaments as part of required reading [0].\n[0] https://web.stanford.edu/dept/news/stanfordtoday/ed/9705/970... (https://web.stanford.edu/dept/news/stanfordtoday/ed/9705/9705ncf1.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bible, directly and indirectly, is one of the major contributor to Western Civilization.",
          "reason": "The commenter argues it shaped ideas and institutions in Western civilization and could help readers understand its formation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936265,
          "author": "pjc50",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T08:40:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936265",
          "commentText": "The Bible is not exactly .. readable? Embarking on actually reading it all the way through and understanding the references is a serious project of literary archaeology, even armed with a concordance and a Greek lexicon. Then you run in to the various hapax legomenon: the words for which we have exactly one example in one sentence in the Bible, and are forced to guess the meaning of the word from context. Then three years later you emerge blinking into the sunlight with a deep understanding of the spirituality of the European Iron age .. then what?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Bible is not exactly .. readable?",
          "reason": "The commenter describes difficulties reading it closely and explaining rare words from context.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says understanding it fully is a serious project of literary archaeology.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936103,
          "author": "Ligma123",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T08:14:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936103",
          "commentText": "Meditations - Marcus Aurelius\nRepublic - Plato\nLaws - Cicero\nNational System of Political Economy - Friedrich List\nMan and Technics - Oswald Spengler\nThe Bible",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bible",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31968871,
          "author": "bmj",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T16:25:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31968871",
          "commentText": "This has been a year of re-reading for me, so this is a timely question.  I can't pick just one at the moment, but I'll split a couple of top choices via genre.  (Also worth noting that in the end, my final choice would probably be the Bible.)\nFiction:\nThe Heart Is a Lonely Hunter - Carson McCullers\nAngle of Repose - Wallace Stegner\nNon-fiction:\nIn Good Company - Stanley Hauerwas\nInto the Silent Land - Martin Laird",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "my final choice would probably be the Bible",
          "reason": "The commenter says it would probably be their final choice for repeated rereading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter cannot pick just one at the moment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31968688,
          "author": "DLA",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T16:02:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31968688",
          "commentText": "The Bible",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bible",
          "reason": "Named as the book the commenter would reread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30745865,
          "author": "kcartlidge",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T19:38:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30745865",
          "commentText": "There are countless opinions/suggestions on how to read the Bible (and the same applies to the Qu'ran for example).\nIf you are totally new to the Bible the important thing is probably to try and get enough from it at the start that you'll be interested enough to continue. I've read it through many times and some/much of it is pretty impenetrable, obscure, and even dull.\nSo from this perspective, and note that this isn't a great sequence theologically, I'd go with the book of Acts, the gospel of John, the books of Proverbs and Psalms, and then the letters of John.\nAs for which versions of the Bible, avoid older ones like the King James (KJV, NKJV) or Revised Standard (RSV, ASV, NRSV); the archaic language and structure will be off-putting.  I'd perhaps go with the Contemporary English Version (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=acts+1&version=... (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=acts+1&version=CEV)) but the linked page will let you see the various translations of the same text using a drop-down.\nThere is no one ideal version of the Bible but personally I'd avoid any translation used by a single denomination or sect such as the NWT - which is produced by the Jehovah's Witnesses, and I'm meaning this not as a judgement regarding the organisation but as an example of a group whose translation has alternative readings at various doctrinal points (eg the trinity) and it is not worth getting sidetracked by theological disagreements at this stage.\nWhatever route you choose be prepared for a hard slog as a casual reader.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If you are totally new to the Bible",
          "reason": "Suggests a reading sequence and translation approach for newcomers.",
          "audience": "Readers totally new to the Bible.",
          "caveat": "Some portions may be impenetrable, obscure, or dull; casual readers should expect a hard slog.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30735786,
          "author": "geocrasher",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:38:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735786",
          "commentText": "First and foremost: The Bible. Not the watered down \"everybody goes to heaven\" theology that most people subscribe to, but rather an evidence based approach that uses the Bible to interpret itself as it was designed to do.\nSecondarily, this book saved my life in the sense that it helped me understand my depression, a clinical depression so deep that my psychologist had never seen such a thing previously:\nGet Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life: The New Acceptance and Commitment Therapy - Stephen C. Hayes https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0054M063A/\nIts scientific approach to understanding our own thought patterns gave me control- coping mechanisms- for dealing with my own feelings instead of ignoring (\"Burying\") them and letting them slowly destroy me from the inside out.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "First and foremost: The Bible.",
          "reason": "The commenter identifies it as the most important book in their life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They favor an evidence-based interpretive approach and criticize what they call watered-down theology.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30243351,
          "author": "orange8",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T11:31:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30243351",
          "commentText": "> You post as if the only argument I made was about the gender of the authors but that’s not the case.\nIn an online forum, people will usually only respond to things they strongly agree or disagree with. I just strongly disagreed with the idea that a book should not be read because of the gender of its author.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "a book should not be read because of the gender of its author.",
          "reason": "The commenter disagrees with the idea that a book should be rejected because of its author's gender.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30243298,
          "author": "orange8",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T11:25:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30243298",
          "commentText": "> Also shows the tension and resentment some apparently had towards her.\nThis is life. There will always be tensions, envy, politics and resentment whenever people come together, regardless of gender. Jesus was betrayed by one of his very own disciples after-all.\nSo you say you've read the whole bible, but have you read the gospel of Mary Magdalene which you consider would \"redeem\" the bible by? Why, haven't you read it?\n> Gospel of Mary Magdalene is a book that is believed to be an account of her albeit not directly written by her.\nThere are many books in the bible that give a females account. You should know about them as someone who's read the whole book (an impressive feat).\nAnd what do you think of the many other books omitted from the bible, for example the gospel of Thomas? Is it because it was written by a man?\n> This last link helps illustrate how the Bible is collated by man to fit a narrative defined by man.\nIs there really anything in this world that is written and collated that does not fit a narrative defined by their authors?\n> Which should cast scepticism about the motives behind the various rewrites and decisions behind what gets included and what doesn’t.\nThe changes have been greatly exaggarated: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZ5cgQUJnrI",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "many other books omitted from the bible",
          "reason": "Discusses which texts were included in or omitted from the Bible.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30243015,
          "author": "laumars",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T10:52:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30243015",
          "commentText": "I’m not disputing the historical significance of the Bible. I’m disputing the need to learn it to understand modern literature. And again I reference that generations of kids have managed just fine without reading the Bible.\nIt is entirely possible to explain as phrase without reading its original source material.\nTo give another example of this: Star Trek does exactly this with Picard and others referencing Moby Dick. I understand exactly what that dialogue is about and yet I’ve never read that specific book.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I’m not disputing the historical significance of the Bible.",
          "reason": "The commenter disputes that reading the Bible is necessary to understand modern literature.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it is possible to understand references without reading the original source.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30242766,
          "author": "Bayart",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T10:23:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30242766",
          "commentText": "It's a collection elaborated over thirteen centuries. I think having in mind the shifting context of writing and the various forces bearing on it make it a far more compelling text. Otherwise a lot of it just reads like out of date mythology and antiquated propaganda. You can see the evolution of Canaanite polytheism to Jewish monolatry and monotheism over time, the political conflicts between the groups of the region following the Bronze Age collapse, the conflicts between Canaanite polities, the retcons to invent a unified Kingdom of Israel, the creation of a literate orthodoxy with the Babylonian exile etc. And that's just the Jewish stuff. The dynamics of Late Second Temple Judaism and Early Christianity are also fascinating.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's a collection elaborated over thirteen centuries.",
          "reason": "Discusses the Bible's development and historical contexts as making it a more compelling text.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Without that context, the commenter says it reads like outdated mythology and propaganda.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30242725,
          "author": "laumars",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T10:18:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30242725",
          "commentText": "I wasn’t saying I don’t agree with any political messaging. I was saying it’s an objectively bad book to read by modern literary standards. Even those in this thread defending the Bible has literally said it’s not something you’d read cover to cover.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "the Bible",
          "reason": "The commenter criticizes the Bible as a book to read by modern literary standards.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter distinguishes this criticism from disagreement with its political messaging.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30242709,
          "author": "t8e56vd4ih",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T10:16:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30242709",
          "commentText": "the bible",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the bible",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30242507,
          "author": "sun_book_reader",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T09:50:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30242507",
          "commentText": "For me, the Bible didn't become appealing until I aqcuired a fascination with ancient history. Being able to track the lineage of certain writings through the Bible is a massive thrill for me. Here's a few examples of what draws me in...\nFamously, the story of Noah is also recorded in the ancient Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh. One of the psalms in the new testament contains parts of the egyptian opening of the mouth ceremony, which I believe was also recorded in the book of coming forward by day (aka the egyptian book of the dead). The crazy thing about the book of coming forward by day is that parts of it were regarded by the ancient egyptians as being of immense antiquity, stemming from a pre-cataclysmic source thousands of years prior. If anyone is familiar with Plato's Crimeus and Timmeus, Atlantis was supposed to have founded Egypt as a colony, and if we're willing to humor this sole tenuous connection, we may consider that there are sections of the Bible containing quotes/memes/symbolism from Atlantian culture :)\nThis is all just food for thought, just one more way of approach the Bible as hypermedia (per se).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "For me, the Bible didn't become appealing until I aqcuired a fascination with ancient history.",
          "reason": "Discusses the Bible as a text that became appealing through interest in ancient history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30242191,
          "author": "t0bia_s",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T09:11:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30242191",
          "commentText": "If there is a story, try to adapot it for nowadays. Keep asking what is the point of it and what would happen today.\nOf course there are boring parts with family trees etc., so skip it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "If there is a story, try to adapot it for nowadays.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter suggests skipping boring sections such as family trees.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30242125,
          "author": "guerrilla",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T09:04:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30242125",
          "commentText": "Everything you're saying is true but does not to attest to whether the Bible itself is a good book, judged solely as a literary work. It is possible for it to be an enjoyable and interesting read despite all of your valid complaints.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "whether the Bible itself is a good book, judged solely as a literary work.",
          "reason": "Discusses whether it is enjoyable and interesting as literature despite other complaints.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment frames its judgment solely as a literary one.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30241652,
          "author": "orange8",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T07:58:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241652",
          "commentText": "> Then there are issues about how it was written by man, in the literal sense. Female testaments were left out.\nDoes the gender of a books author really matter?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Does the gender of a books author really matter?",
          "reason": "Questions whether the author’s gender matters in the discussion of the Bible.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30241535,
          "author": "ImaCake",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T07:42:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241535",
          "commentText": "Agreed with this one. But whole chunks of it are incredibly boring. So not one to be read cover to cover. I wonder if someone could point to an annotated bible or even a text book on the historical and culturally important points that are central to the bible.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Agreed with this one.",
          "reason": "Agrees with the parent comment's recommendation of the Bible.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says large sections are incredibly boring and advises against reading it cover to cover.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27629258,
          "author": "blatchcorn",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T11:09:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27629258",
          "commentText": "The Bible",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bible",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25531425,
          "author": "justinz",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T21:07:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25531425",
          "commentText": "the Bible",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Bible",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25531405,
          "author": "danoloan",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T21:04:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25531405",
          "commentText": "Structured Programming notes by Dijkstra\noh and The Bible",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bible",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23859039,
          "author": "omreaderhn",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:58:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859039",
          "commentText": "Fooled by Randomness - Nassim Taleb\nLetters from a Stoic - Seneca\nThe Bible\nBeyond Good and Evil - Nietzsche\nPsychological Types - Carl Jung",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bible",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22869308,
          "author": "owenversteeg",
          "createdAt": "2020-04-14T18:04:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 22861452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading to make sense of the economy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22869308",
          "commentText": "So there are a number of pretty funny responses in this thread, I decided to make a list:\nMarx\nthe Bible\nBogleheads\nNewspaper titles (you read that right, not the content, titles)\n\"nothing, I just bought a piece of land to grow potatoes and beans\"\nComparative study of the black death\nRaw St. Louis Fed data\nFear and Loathing in Las Vegas",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the Bible",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22721872,
          "author": "frabbit",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T19:29:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22721872",
          "commentText": "The Bible (Old and New Testaments), An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, The Constitution of the United States of America and Jonathan Livingstone Seagull.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bible (Old and New Testaments)",
          "reason": "Listed as a book in response to the thread’s request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21919619,
          "author": "bustadjustme",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-31T08:00:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21919619",
          "commentText": "The way I read it, the Bible makes it a point to communicate that Jesus was/is a real person (and that his importance actually hinges on that fact). AFAIK, this is and has always been the Church's position.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The way I read it, the Bible makes it a point to communicate that Jesus was/is a real person",
          "reason": "Discusses how the Bible presents Jesus as a real person and says this is the Church's position.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21905614,
          "author": "Intermernet",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T12:46:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21905614",
          "commentText": "Which is actually a pity. The bible is at least as full of pithy quotes and genuinely helpful, thoughtful points to consider as the usual self help books. It's definitely worth a read, but so is a lot of Greek philosophy, poetry, other religious texts and a bunch more. Hence the original question that spawned this whole thread! There is original, thought provoking content being written all the time. This HN post has already given me a few recommendations for finding it, both in fiction and non-fiction.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The bible is at least as full of pithy quotes and genuinely helpful, thoughtful points to consider as the usual self help books. It's definitely worth a read",
          "reason": "The commenter says it contains helpful points and is worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21904786,
          "author": "nobrains",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T08:21:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21904786",
          "commentText": "\"I read the Bible out of curiosity and ended up joining a church, so that's pretty consequential.\"\nIn that case, to be fair to yourself, did you also read the Quran, for comparison? Other religious texts?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"I read the Bible out of curiosity and ended up joining a church, so that's pretty consequential.\"",
          "reason": "Asks whether the other commenter also read it out of curiosity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803308,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T14:43:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803308",
          "commentText": "I hilariously overestimate the number of books I can get through when I make these lists, but my current list for 2020 is as follows:\nDigital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World\nThe Man Who Solved the Market: How Jim Simons Launched the Quant Revolution\nBook of Proof\nDesigning Data-Intensive Applications: The Big Ideas Behind Reliable, Scalable, and Maintainable Systems\nSeeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed\nGuns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies\nWe Make the Road by Walking: A Year-Long Quest for Spiritual Formation, Reorientation, and Activation\nSoul Repair: Recovering from Moral Injury after War (for a friend)\nMaster and Commander\nEducated\nWithout Getting Killed or Caught: The Life and Music of Guy Clark\nStretch goal: The Power Broker, as a warm-up for Caro's LBJ series\nThe Bible (perpetual, I don't get through it every year, but I get through much of it, often)\nEDIT: I also hilariously underestimate the number of books I want to read. Here's one more I think is vital for my 2020:\nThe Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Bible (perpetual, I don't get through it every year, but I get through much of it, often)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20915563,
          "author": "eitland",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T06:04:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20915563",
          "commentText": "We share some favorites.\n20000 leagues under the sea by Jules Verne was my introduction to science fiction and I also enjoyed Mysterious Island (which overlaps, but is less science fiction).\nI had forgotten James Fenimore Cooper, and I have forgotten almost everything about the books, but yes, these were in the school library too and I read them.\n(we had no TV when I grew up so I read a lot, mostly books in the styles mentioned above but also historical books and fiction from the WWII, but obviously none of these are over 100 years old.)\nAlso the Bible, it might not be highly regarded here, and I'm obviously biased, but as someone who reads other texts as well I think a number of people here could find parts of it interesting, especially contrasting it to what school and others might have told you. (Spoiler: besides the endless listings of who was who that most people will learn to skip, the full version is also a lot messier than what anyone working in school or wanting your money will tell you ; )",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I think a number of people here could find parts of it interesting",
          "reason": "Suggests readers may find parts of it interesting, especially when comparing it with what they were taught.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in comparing the text with what school and others have said about it.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are biased and that the full text is messier than simplified accounts suggest.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20914527,
          "author": "iBelieve",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T01:36:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914527",
          "commentText": "The Bible.\nMysterious Island (1874), Around the World in Eighty Days (1873), and other books by Jules Verne.\nBooks by James Fenimore Cooper.\nThe Sea-Wolf (1904) by Jack London.\nThe Count of Monte Cristo (1844) by Alexandre Dumas.\nOliver Twist (1839) by Charles Dickens.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bible.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19092282,
          "author": "alanbernstein",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-06T02:52:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19092282",
          "commentText": "I set out to read through the bible once, but I don't believe I can get much from the prose style of KJV or similar. I decided on some website that would send me a free \"modern\", more readable, version. Unfortunately, they never sent it and I moved on.\nIs there a version you might recommend? Or just advice on reading the archaic prose?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I set out to read through the bible once",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Asks for a more readable version or advice on reading archaic prose.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910806,
          "author": "joobus",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T17:18:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910806",
          "commentText": "The Bible",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bible",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17364203,
          "author": "auslegung",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-21T11:49:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17364203",
          "commentText": "I used to think so, too, but I’ve been listening to the Bible Project  podcasts and realized that the entire Bible, including the NT, is very Jewish, not modern or Greek at all, and in some ways the NT is actually more confusing because it can appear familiar when it really isn’t.\nBut if someone could only read a small part of the Bible, no doubt I’d send them to the Gospels.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the entire Bible, including the NT, is very Jewish, not modern or Greek at all",
          "reason": "Discusses the Bible's cultural context and says the gospels are a suitable small portion for someone to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says the New Testament can seem familiar while actually being confusing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17342823,
          "author": "auslegung",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-19T00:33:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17342823",
          "commentText": "I suggest starting at the beginning, Genesis chapter 1, and really dig into just that 1 chapter for a while and try to figure out what it's really about. Remember that it was written to a different culture, a different time, in a different language, and not at all for the purposes that a lot of modern readers want.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Genesis chapter 1",
          "reason": "Suggests studying the opening chapter in its historical and cultural context.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Notes it was written for a different culture, time, and language.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337398,
          "author": "Y_Y",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:34:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337398",
          "commentText": "I was wondering how comforting reading The Bible (as a cultural catholic) could be, so I dipped in to the first book which came to mind:\n---\nSatan Takes Job's Property and Children\n13 Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, 14 and there came a messenger to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, 15 and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants[c] with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” 16 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” 17 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “The Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” 18 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, 19 and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”\n20 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. 21 And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”\n22 In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.\n---\nI'm not sure how that made me feel, but I bet this is more effective if you pick specific passages you like.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I was wondering how comforting reading The Bible (as a cultural catholic) could be",
          "reason": "Discusses trying the Bible as a possible comfort read, then questions how the passage made them feel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The quoted passage leaves the commenter unsure how it affected them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337335,
          "author": "auslegung",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:22:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337335",
          "commentText": "The Bible, Hobbit, LOTR series, Narnia, Catcher in the Rye, 1984, Papa Hemingway, these are all books that I’ve had to buy multiple times because they fall apart over the years. Never realized until just now how many comfort books I have...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bible",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17188501,
          "author": "jotjotzzz",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-30T15:32:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17188501",
          "commentText": "Minus the Revelations book, it's great.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Minus the Revelations book, it's great.",
          "reason": "Praises the Bible while expressing a negative view of the book of Revelation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Excludes the book of Revelation from the praise.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17071542,
          "author": "joeyespo",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-15T03:58:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17071542",
          "commentText": "There's an excellent YouTube channel called The Bible Project that breaks down each book in the Bible, explores recurring themes, and explains the original meaning of certain translated words. Their Ecclesiastes videos is one of my favorites: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeUiuSK81-0\nHere's another from them that answers \"what exactly _is_ the Bible?\" for anyone curious https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_CGP-12AE0",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "what exactly _is_ the Bible?",
          "reason": "The commenter points to videos explaining the Bible and its books.",
          "audience": "People curious about what the Bible is.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17052367,
          "author": "emodendroket",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-12T03:40:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17052367",
          "commentText": "It's hard for me to see why this logic points to the Bible and not the Odyssey or the Iliad, about which we could say much the same things (especially the Iliad, which shows clear marks of some parts of the story being much older than others).  Or frankly any very old text with pre-literary roots.\nI am certainly pro-Bible, but in the terms you're putting it here it doesn't seem especially compelling.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I am certainly pro-Bible, but in the terms you're putting it here it doesn't seem especially compelling.",
          "reason": "Expresses support for the Bible while finding the argument being discussed unconvincing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not find the argument for the Bible especially compelling.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17047067,
          "author": "gtycomb",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T13:17:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17047067",
          "commentText": "Such introspection for me began at the end of my college days – Books and essays by Herman Hess, Camus, and Kafka. Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann was a high point. Its interesting that its these books that prepared me for the Bible, to start understanding it an entirely new way. But dont miss reading Steinbeck :-)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "these books that prepared me for the Bible, to start understanding it an entirely new way.",
          "reason": "Included as something the preceding books prepared the commenter to read and understand differently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16756764,
          "author": "thecodeboy",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T17:11:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16756764",
          "commentText": "The Bible",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Bible",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15778665,
          "author": "SlowBro",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-25T23:59:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15778665",
          "commentText": "I may get flak for this but... The Bible. Immensely useful in a variety of areas in daily life. Even secular readers praise its poetry and purpose. I prefer the English Standard Version. Readable yet accurate.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bible. Immensely useful in a variety of areas in daily life. Even secular readers praise its poetry and purpose. I prefer the English Standard Version.",
          "reason": "Calls it immensely useful and praises its poetry and purpose.",
          "audience": "Secular readers are also mentioned as appreciating its poetry and purpose.",
          "caveat": "Specifies a preference for the English Standard Version.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14478559,
          "author": "rom16384",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T21:21:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478559",
          "commentText": "The bible",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The bible",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416120,
          "author": "anotherarray",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T20:42:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416120",
          "commentText": "The Bible.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bible.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12253716,
          "author": "rman4040",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-09T11:02:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12253716",
          "commentText": "As the Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth \"The Bible\", changes the way I look the world by showing more love and more compassion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "As the Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth \"The Bible\", changes the way I look the world by showing more love and more compassion.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed how they see the world and encouraged love and compassion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144777,
          "author": "quantum_nerd",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T16:50:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144777",
          "commentText": "1. \"The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People\" by Stephen Covey. Taught me how to be more productive and simplify thinking about productivity. One of the books I re-read every year.\n2. \"The Bible\" - I am not too religious, but I am a spiritual person. I find the new testament to be a good blueprint on how to live a righteous life.\n3. \"The Pragmatic Programmer: from journeyman to master\" - such a timeless classic. Just get it...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Bible\" - I am not too religious, but I am a spiritual person. I find the new testament to be a good blueprint on how to live a righteous life.",
          "reason": "Describes the New Testament as a good blueprint for living righteously.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are not very religious, but are spiritual.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144006,
          "author": "combatentropy",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:11:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144006",
          "commentText": "1. The Bible. It encourages me to live in a way that's also good for others, especially when I'm feeling selfish and cynical, and it teaches me how to interact with them in a healthy way (e.g. the book of Proverbs).\n2. The Elements of Style. I always enjoyed writing, but at first school taught me to write in a flowery, longwinded way. This was the book that cracked the code for me to good writing. It dispelled a lot of self-serving and ultimately self-defeating habits and paved the way to clean, helpful English. When I finally got into programming in my late twenties, I found that many of the same principles make good code.\n3. The Visual Display of Quantitative Information. This is like the Elements of Style but for graphs. Again, it encouraged me to cut through the hype and deliver the content as clearly and succinctly as possible --- to serve the reader, not stroke my ego.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It encourages me to live in a way that's also good for others, especially when I'm feeling selfish and cynical",
          "reason": "The commenter says it encourages consideration for others and teaches healthy interaction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229681,
          "author": "shpx",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:15:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229681",
          "commentText": "The Design of Everyday Things. Probably the quintessential book on design, the basic premise is that if you can't figure out how a thing works, it's not your fault.\nStructures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down. About the engineering of various things, mostly buildings. Highly recommend.\nThe Elements of Computer Systems (better known as NAND to Tetris). Describes a computer from the bottom up.\nA History of the Arab Peoples\nThe Quran\nThe Bible\nSpace and Time in General Relativity by David Mermin\nFeynman QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bible",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9363177,
          "author": "mknits",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-12T12:57:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9363177",
          "commentText": "LOL, you're brainwashed by a single book.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "LOL, you're brainwashed by a single book.",
          "reason": "Criticizes the parent comment for being influenced by a single book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9349460,
          "author": "markyc",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T17:45:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9349460",
          "commentText": "The Bible, definitely\nPS:\nProverbs 22:29 is a motivation for me to always improve my craft\nDo you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before obscure men.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bible, definitely",
          "reason": "Names it as a book that changed their perspective, and cites a verse as motivation to improve their craft.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348426,
          "author": "claar",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:54:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348426",
          "commentText": "The Bible.\nNo wait, don't go. I'm serious here.\nRead Proverbs -- from a purely atheistic mindset if you must. Very practical business and life advice if you're willing to hear it.\nRead Ecclesiastes. Don't spend your life chasing after the wind -- you can't take it with you.\nRead Romans 12:9-21. Do what it says for a week.\nRead about Jesus washing His servant's feet (John 13:1-17). Serve your team/family, put them first.\nIt's confirmation bias, but I'm continually amazed how the \"next new business/life strategy\" was already written ~2-5 thousand years ago.\n(edit: Romans reference fixed, thanks)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bible.",
          "reason": "Recommends reading selected passages for practical life and business advice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Frames the advice as useful even from a purely atheistic mindset; acknowledges possible confirmation bias.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8528321,
          "author": "Mimu",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-29T17:01:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 8528058,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Book Has the Most Page-for-Page Wisdom?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8528321",
          "commentText": "The Bible, since 0.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bible, since 0.",
          "reason": "Offered as the book with the most page-for-page wisdom.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8108812,
          "author": "Aym_C",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T15:36:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8108812",
          "commentText": "Dive into the classics.\nJohn Cowper Powys may help you to plan a great journey :\nhttp://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/12914/pg12914.html\n(Despite a few bizarre choices. Paul Bourget, seriously ?)\nIf I had to choose myself : Homer (The Iliad and the Odyssey), the Bible (David's psalms and Job's book), Augustine, Dante, Saint Simon, Shakespeare, Rousseau, Dostoievsky, Proust, Céline.\nAparté :\nIf you like ambitious history with economic insights, I would strongly suggest to read Fernand Braudel works. He wrote three fantastic triptychs :\n- The Mediterranean: And the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II (his thesis)\n- Civilization and Capitalism, 15th-18th Century (the best history books I've ever read)\n- The Identity of France",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Bible (David's psalms and Job's book)",
          "reason": "Listed among the classics the commenter would choose.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6414021,
          "author": "cgore",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-19T20:23:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6414021",
          "commentText": "The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss.  He is some weird combination of crazy person, scummy used-car salesman, and genius.  The best idea from the book is his \"dreamline\" idea, and I have been doing it since around 2009.  It really helps you focus your effort, and get rid of tasks that don't accomplish your goals.\n[And from your Jahreslisten: the Bible.]",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the Bible",
          "reason": "Names it as a book in the user's reading lists.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3396190,
          "author": "hello_moto",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T16:14:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3396190",
          "commentText": "Personally for me The Bible is and has always been. I'm not a religious fanatics but The Bible has taught me how to live life no matter how hard life is so that's good enough for me.\nLately I've been reading old books as well from Og Mandino. Ditto with technical books: books from the 70's, 80's, 90's are quite good. The rest are... \"OK\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bible has taught me how to live life no matter how hard life is",
          "reason": "The commenter credits it with teaching them how to live through hardship.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are not a religious fanatic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395938,
          "author": "jasondrowley",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T15:01:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395938",
          "commentText": "Now, to be fair, most Christians haven't read the Bible.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "most Christians haven't read the Bible",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2656096,
          "author": "wmboy",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-15T05:32:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2656096",
          "commentText": "I do.\nThe Bible has changed more lives than any other book, movie, or song you can name.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bible has changed more lives than any other book, movie, or song you can name.",
          "reason": "The commenter claims it has changed more lives than any other book, movie, or song.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2639773,
          "author": "shadowhillway",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T04:12:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639773",
          "commentText": "I'm curious if anyone here is going to offer The Bible as the greatest book he has ever read.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "offer The Bible as the greatest book he has ever read",
          "reason": "Raises it as a possible answer to the thread's question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter asks whether anyone will offer it; does not state their own view.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2627237,
          "author": "starter",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-06T23:37:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2627237",
          "commentText": "The Bible: Ecclesiastes - For Humans\nStarting From Scratch by Wes Moss - For Entrepreneurs",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bible: Ecclesiastes",
          "reason": "Listed as a suggested reading for humans.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking guidance for life.",
          "caveat": "The commenter specifies Ecclesiastes.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752555,
          "author": "chegra",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T11:59:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752555",
          "commentText": "These books, although some now I might not endorse some of their teaching but they have help me to see the world in a different light:\nThe Mystery Method -  Erik Von Markovik[Social Engineering at its best]\nRich Dad Poor Dad: Guide to Investing - Robert Kiyoski\nThe Thoughtworks Anthology: Essays on Software Technology and Innovation (Pragmatic Programmers)\nBible - First class book in teaching how to behave towards others, especially proverbs.\nTao Te Ching - For this two verse you should read it:\n\"When people see some things as beautiful,\nother things become ugly.\nWhen people see some things as good,\nother things become bad.\nBeing and non-being create each other.\nDifficult and easy support each other.\nLong and short define each other.\nHigh and low depend on each other.\nBefore and after follow each other\"\nCyropaedia - \"Along with the The prince this book was required reading by all former statesmen.\"",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Bible - First class book in teaching how to behave towards others, especially proverbs.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises it as a book about how to behave toward others.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they may no longer endorse some of the books' teachings.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503788,
          "author": "joubert",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T15:34:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503788",
          "commentText": "But the bible itself isn't a good philosophy book. Meta-bible discussions, including those by Christian scholars, might form a good corpus of philosophy, however.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "But the bible itself isn't a good philosophy book.",
          "reason": "The commenter argues that the Bible is not a good philosophy book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503738,
          "author": "jashmenn",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T15:06:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503738",
          "commentText": "Irrational Man is a good introduction to existentialism and he has a very readable overview of philosophy from the Greeks until now.\nThis is will largely be ignored on this tread, but The Bible is a source of philosophical thought for millions of people. You can get a clear picture of the central theme by reading the book of John.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bible is a source of philosophical thought for millions of people.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a source of philosophical thought and recommends reading John for its central theme.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in its philosophical ideas.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes this recommendation may largely be ignored in the thread.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503562,
          "author": "halojones",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T12:52:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503562",
          "commentText": "(Your reply brings to mind another book I should have mentioned - The Order of Things (Les Mots et Les Choses) by Michel Foucault.)\nIf philosophy is the drive to understand the human condition, I don't think any philosopher can or should ignore the Bible.  Athens, Rome and Jerusalem are where the Western mind was born it has been said. And there is nothing to stop you approaching the Bible as it were hermeneutically, ie. in the same way you might treat the Greek Myths. I find it fascinating myself - from the \"ex nihilo\" of Genesis, through the \"de profundis\" of the Psalms, to Job's \"Why?!\", not to mention the Christian New Testament - and I think it will be read (by philosophers) long after many books in \"The Philosophy Section\" have been forgotten.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I don't think any philosopher can or should ignore the Bible.",
          "reason": "Argues that philosophers should engage with the Bible and describes it as fascinating.",
          "audience": "Philosophers and readers studying the Western intellectual tradition.",
          "caveat": "Suggests approaching it hermeneutically, like Greek myths.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503495,
          "author": "joubert",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T11:24:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503495",
          "commentText": "The bible is a horrible suggestion for a philosophy book. Isn't this a work that prescribes genocide, builds myth, promote the irrational?",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The bible is a horrible suggestion for a philosophy book.",
          "reason": "Calls it a horrible suggestion for a philosophy book and questions its content.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1465163,
          "author": "scottjad",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T07:48:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1465163",
          "commentText": "If you're the kind of person who reads Diplomacy by Kissinger for an introduction to geopolitics or the Bible to understand christianity, then I'd highly recommend Human Action by Ludwig von Mises for a very strong understanding of economics. One of the best (and largest) books ever written on economics, you don't have to be of the Austrian school to get a lot out of it. It lays a strong logical and theoretical foundation and then considers issues in a very engaging and even entertaining manner for non-economists.\nAnd it's available as a very high quality audiobook for free!\nhttp://media.mises.org/mp3/audiobooks/mises/HumanAction/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the Bible to understand christianity",
          "reason": "Used as an analogy for learning about Christianity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned in passing, not evaluated or recommended here.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85926,
          "author": "nfriedly",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T14:05:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85926",
          "commentText": "The Bible,\nWild at Heart,\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People,\nSongs for Martha <-- I have an autographed copy,\nHitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy,\nRainbow Six (and most other Clancy books)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bible,",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85859,
          "author": "kirse",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T07:45:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85859",
          "commentText": "The Bible\nAutobiography of Ben Franklin\nMastering the Winds of Change (solid self-improvement book)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bible",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 50,
      "threads": 34,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christianity",
        "religious text",
        "scripture",
        "religious texts"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "founders-at-work-995212",
      "title": "Founders at Work",
      "author": "Jessica Livingston",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36603062,
          "author": "rchaud",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T16:46:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36603062",
          "commentText": "The history of technology is something that's better covered in trade publications, magazines and biographies, rather than textbooks and academic journals. Here's what I'd recommend:\n- Losing the Signal (Blackberry, 1990s-2013)\n- Founders at Work (dotcom era)\n- Masters of Doom ('90s PC video game market/graphics)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Founders at Work",
          "reason": "Listed as a recommended book about the dotcom era.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35172861,
          "author": "gfsgfjsgsj",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:45:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172861",
          "commentText": "Founders at Work. Just gave me a good sense of how near death and growth are just part of the game. But also tipped me to decide to move to SF Bay Area.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Founders at Work.",
          "reason": "It gave the commenter a sense of how near-death moments and growth are part of the game, and influenced a move to the SF Bay Area.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13258390,
          "author": "alc90",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-26T14:47:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13258390",
          "commentText": "My goal for this year was to read 10 books. Not a huge challenge but I'm happy I managed to complete it. I'm currently at my 16th book - so I might say that's pretty good.\nHere's my 2016 reading list:\n#1. Zero to One - Peter Thiel - 3.5*\n#2. The Alchemis - Paulo Coelho - 3.5*\n#3. Founders at Work - Jessica Livingston - 3*\n#4. Traction - Gabriel Weinberg - 4.5*\n#5. How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie -4*\n#6. Reinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations... - Frederic Laloux, Ken Wilber - 4*\n#7. Daily Rituals: How Artists Work - Mason Currey - 3*\n#8. Rich Dad, Poor Dad - Robert T. Kiyosak - 3*\n#9. The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs... - Eric Ries - 4.5*\n#10. Meaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly - Bernadette Jiwa - 3*\n#11. Elon Musk: Inventing the Future - Ashlee Vance - 4*\n#12. Rework - Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson - 4.5*\n#13. Anything You Want - Derek Sivers - 4.5*\n#14. South of the Border, West of the Sun - Haruki Murakami - 3.5*\n#15. As A Man Thinketh / The Path Of Prosperity - James Allen - 4*\nCurrently I'm reading If This Is a Man / The Truce by Primo Levi - and so far it seems to be one of the top 3 books I've read this year - definitely a 4+* book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "#3. Founders at Work - Jessica Livingston - 3*",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416582,
          "author": "rckrd",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:58:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416582",
          "commentText": "Founders at Work was phenomenal.  Its a collection of interviews with early startup founders where Jessica Livingston asks great, probing questions.  An excellent example of how to conduct a good interview.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Founders at Work was phenomenal.",
          "reason": "Calls the book phenomenal and praises its interviews and questions.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in startup founders and conducting interviews.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416019,
          "author": "p333347",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T20:26:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416019",
          "commentText": "Coders At Work and Founders At Work. Immensely inspirational.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Coders At Work and Founders At Work. Immensely inspirational.",
          "reason": "Describes both books as immensely inspirational.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144746,
          "author": "amerkhalid",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T16:46:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144746",
          "commentText": "1. Head First Design Patterns - Didn't learn patterns in school. This book made a lot of difference in communication with more experienced programmers.\n2. Pragmatic Programmer - A classic, learned many practical tips for day to day programming job.\n3. Founders at Work - Motivated me to work on my side projects and be constantly learning.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Founders at Work - Motivated me to work on my side projects",
          "reason": "Says it motivated them to work on side projects and keep learning.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10786609,
          "author": "FatalBaboon",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T01:34:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786609",
          "commentText": "I've been trying to up my game on reading:\n- Founders at Work: Jessica Livingston. Good. Less repetitive than Coders at Work.\n- Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage. Awfuly boring. But I don't care at all about sailing (it was a gift).\n- Terre des Hommmes: Antoine de St Exupéry. Brilliant, the chapter with the 2 girls made me decide to read all his work in 2016.\n- Practical Common Lisp: Peter Siebel. Had to start Lisp!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Founders at Work: Jessica Livingston. Good. Less repetitive than Coders at Work.",
          "reason": "Described as good and less repetitive than Coders at Work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comparison implies some repetition.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401469,
          "author": "ComNik",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:28:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401469",
          "commentText": "Reading:\nJaron Lanier - \"Who Owns the Future?\"\nRead:\nJessica Livingston - \"Founders at Work\"",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Jessica Livingston - \"Founders at Work\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8106928,
          "author": "tdubhro1",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:13:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106928",
          "commentText": "Buddhism: Not Always So, and anything else by Shunryu Suzuki, What Buddha Taught, by Rahula\nSmarter: A Mathematical Bridge by Stephen Hewson, it will make you grok the real structure of mathematics even if you're starting with fairly basic undergraduate level math, and it will make it immensely easier to tackle new areas of mathematics.\nPattern recognition and machine learning by Bishop\nPopular: Coders at Work, Founders at Work, Behind the Cloud",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Founders at Work",
          "reason": "Listed under “Popular” in response to a request for reading suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7970935,
          "author": "theshadowmonkey",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T14:39:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7970935",
          "commentText": "I just started reading \n* Shambala - The Sacred Path of the Warrior\n* The PayPal Wars\n* Founders at Work",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Founders at Work",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter only says they started reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4513907,
          "author": "Concours",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-12T23:42:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 4513324,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading currently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4513907",
          "commentText": "I'm reading \"Founders at work\" by Jessica Linvingston and can highly recommend it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "can highly recommend it.",
          "reason": "Explicitly says they can highly recommend the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4477081,
          "author": "murz",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-04T23:32:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 4476107,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN : What are some great books an aspiring entrepreneur should read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4477081",
          "commentText": "Have you checked out the handful of books listed on the YCombinator \"Startup Library\" page (http://ycombinator.com/lib.html)?:\nDale Carnegie: How to Win Friends and Influence People\nEdward Tufte: The Visual Display of Quantitative Information\nPaul Graham: Hackers and Painters\nJessica Livingston: Founders at Work",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jessica Livingston: Founders at Work",
          "reason": "Listed as a book on the Startup Library page, in response to a request for recommended books.",
          "audience": "Aspiring entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4476346,
          "author": "dglassan",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-04T20:21:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 4476107,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN : What are some great books an aspiring entrepreneur should read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4476346",
          "commentText": "Founders at Work by Jessica Livingston\nIt's a collection of interviews with founders who started successful companies.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Founders at Work by Jessica Livingston",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books aspiring entrepreneurs should read.",
          "audience": "Aspiring entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2963328,
          "author": "mattm",
          "createdAt": "2011-09-05T20:55:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 2963294,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Got a Kindle. What now? What books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2963328",
          "commentText": "I maintain a book list that I developed for my personal use but you could just as easily use goodreads.com or Amazon's wish list.  Everytime I see or hear a book recommendation I add it to the list.  My list now has over 1200 books that I'd like to read so I have no problem finding a book.\nYou could also find the books on Amazon you like and then check out the recommendations.  That should lead you to others.\nTo suit your interest in business I would recommend:\n- Barbarians at the Gate: The Rise and Fall of RJR Nabisco (I'll never look at public companies the same after reading this book)\n- Founders at Work",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Founders at Work",
          "reason": "Recommended in response to a request for book suggestions, especially for business interests.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in startups and founders.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2617029,
          "author": "wushupork",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T16:45:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2617029",
          "commentText": "Here are some business books I've read or am reading\nhttp://www.shelfluv.com/pek.pongpaet/business\nI also read books on design - here's a few I like:\nhttp://www.shelfluv.com/pek.pongpaet/design\nOne of my favorite books of course is Founders at Work. I also find books about entrepreneurs very inspiring - like anything from Richard Branson. Ted Turner's book and Howard Schultz are also good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One of my favorite books of course is Founders at Work.",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s favorite business books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2330440,
          "author": "riskish",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-16T02:29:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 2329700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that change your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2330440",
          "commentText": "I have found these books to be very influential in my thinking on web startups and building things in general:\n1) Hackers & Painters - PG\n2) Smart & Get Things Done - Joel Spolsky\n3) Rework - Jason Fried\n4) Getting Real - Jason Fried\n5) Founders at Work - Jessica Livingston\n6) Joel on Software - Joel Spolsky\nThese are by far some of my favorites.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "5) Founders at Work - Jessica Livingston",
          "reason": "Includes it among books they found influential and among their favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2087703,
          "author": "davidedicillo",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T06:24:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2087703",
          "commentText": "As someone who spend a lot of time designing iPhone apps I have to say that I really enjoyed Tapworthy ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1449381650 )\nI also finally read \"Founders at Work\", but I'm sure you all read that already.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I also finally read \"Founders at Work\", but I'm sure you all read that already.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1974234,
          "author": "pathik",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T06:33:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974234",
          "commentText": "Founders at Work\nThe Big Short",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Founders at Work",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971275,
          "author": "paraschopra",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T09:02:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971275",
          "commentText": "I think I read Paul Graham's essays when I was 18. I can't imagine diving into startup world any earlier than that. After all, had to enjoy my teen life!\nAny way, if I really must, I would have given back 'Founders at Work' to my 18 self. I only got to read it once I was 21.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would have given back 'Founders at Work' to my 18 self. I only got to read it once I was 21.",
          "reason": "Named as a book they would have given their younger self.",
          "audience": "Their 18-year-old self; readers interested in startups.",
          "caveat": "No explicit evaluation of the book is given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Founders at Work",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569317,
          "author": "msuprovici1",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T22:19:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 1567456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I want to start a web company what books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569317",
          "commentText": "Free - Chris Anderson;\n4 Steps to Epiphany;\nFounders at Work;\nCrossing the Chasm;\nViral Loop;\nGroundswell;\nLoosing My Virginity - Richard Brandson;\nGood to Great - Collins;\nEntrepreneurs guide to Business Law;",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Founders at Work;",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1568294,
          "author": "LeBlanc",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T17:30:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 1567456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I want to start a web company what books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1568294",
          "commentText": "I cannot recommend enough \"Founders at Work\" by Jessica Livingston.\nIt is a series of interviews of the founders of companies like Apple, Paypal, etc about the very very early stages of their start-up before they ever knew they would be successful. It is a great book to read both for motivation and for lessons learned.\nYou can read some of it here: http://www.foundersatwork.com/\nGood luck with your start-up!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I cannot recommend enough \"Founders at Work\" by Jessica Livingston.",
          "reason": "The commenter emphatically recommends it and says it offers motivation and lessons from founders' early startup experiences.",
          "audience": "People seeking startup motivation and lessons from founders.",
          "caveat": "Focuses on founders' early stages before their companies became successful.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1567846,
          "author": "bcroesch",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T15:16:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 1567456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I want to start a web company what books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1567846",
          "commentText": "These won't necessarily teach you how to do it, but reading them definitely helped motivate me when things got slow. Hearing the experiences and successes of other startups/founders always gets me excited to get to work.\nOnce You're Lucky, Twice You're Good - Sarah Lacy\nFounders at Work - Jessica Livingston\nThe Facebook Effect - David Kirkpatrick",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Founders at Work - Jessica Livingston",
          "reason": "The commenter says reading startup and founder experiences helped motivate them.",
          "audience": "People seeking motivation from startup and founder experiences.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these books may not teach you how to start a company.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227188,
          "author": "barnaby",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T18:34:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227188",
          "commentText": "Lately I'm into reading Biographies of Entrepreneurs.\nReserved \"Founders at work\" at the library, but currently reading \"Match King\" the biography of Ivar Kreuger. After failing a bunch of times, he figured it out: put on a show and pretend you're successful then other people buy in.  Problem is he took that too far.\nSurprisingly, good to read as an entrepreneur, both inspirational AND _cautionary_.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Surprisingly, good to read as an entrepreneur, both inspirational AND _cautionary_.",
          "reason": "Recommended for entrepreneurs as both inspirational and cautionary reading.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has reserved it at the library but has not yet read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027286,
          "author": "brown9-2",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T15:27:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027286",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction:\nCoders at Work by Peter Siebel and Founders at Work by Jessica Livingston - I loved reading about the founder's stories and first-hand perspectives of notable programmers.\nThe Pleasures and Sorrows of Work by Alain de Botton - really interesting perspective on \"work\" and various types of careers and people that find happiness in them/work itself.\nSuperfreakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner - even if you don't agree with their arguments or think that the authors are all fluff, I think that their writing style is exceptionally clear and easy to understand.\nThe Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb - some really interesting ideas and analysis, although the book could have been 1/2 as short\nFiction:\nAnathem by Neal Stephenson - starts out slow but after the first 200 pages it became a really great story that I couldn't put down.\nLife of Pi by Yann Martel - loved the main story of the book, the controversial ending didn't bother me too much because I don't feel like it takes away from the story at all.\nThe Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson - cheap fun and suspenseful\nThe Road by Cormac McCarthy - I don't think much needs to be said about this book\nWhite Tiger by Aravind Adiga - extremely interesting and gripping novel about a side of the world most of us Westerners never see\nHitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams - finally read this classic. I read the \"Ultimate Edition\" which contains all 5 of Adams' novel, loved the first one but the story felt like it started to putter out by the third.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved reading about the founder's stories and first-hand perspectives of notable programmers.",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of books the commenter enjoyed and loved reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026346,
          "author": "nopassrecover",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T22:20:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026346",
          "commentText": "Some books that stood out this year (many not for their intended reasons)\nThe 4 Hour Work Week (Tim Ferriss)\n- In parts entertaining, interesting, self-promoting, educational, inspirational, attractive and undesirable. Definitely worth the read and a great call to action. Will make you consider what you want and how you can achieve it.\nThe Game (Neil Strauss)\n- Truly interesting story and an interesting view on human dynamics and hacking one of the more important systems (dating). A great view on what is most important - ends or means. Will make you consider how people work, what motivates them and whether success cures emptiness.\nLosing my Virginity (Richard Branson)\n- The awesome and entertaining story of Virgin with lots of great advice and startup David vs Goliath inspiration. Will make you consider what determination and the little guy can achieve.\nBusiness Stripped Bare (Richard Branson)\n- Branson's more focused take on business advice and patches on bits of the Virgin story since the first book. Will make you consider the power of being genuine and growing a company with people treated as smart humans.\nOn Writing (Stephen King)\n- Most inspirational and compelling book on writing I've read. Half writing advice half King biography all awesome. Will make you consider becoming a novelist.\nCoders at Work (Peter Siebel)\n- Haven't finished yet but great interviews of leading coders. I didn't enjoy Founders at Work (personally found it a bit indirect/not deep enough) but in Coders at Work you really feel the connection between interviewer and interviewee while at the same time getting a lot of incidental startup advice as these coders have all had decent roles to play in Silicon Valley etc. history. Will make you consider if you're actually a better coder than you thought.\nThink and Grow Rich (Napoleon Hill)\n- Reads a bit like a bad Internet ad at times but that's because they stole that technique from here. This book summarizes the techniques that lead to success based on numerous interviews of most of the greatest leaders of the early 20th century. Pretty good bits in here and again inspiration fuel. Will make you consider how you can take charge of your self and your life.\nLetters From a Stoic (Seneca)\n- Decent musings on living life and mastering oneself. As relevant today as 2 thousand years ago. Will make you consider how you can master your self and what you will let affect you.\nHere Comes Everybody (Clay Shirky)\n- The best book on online community I've read. Shirky makes you want to make a difference and communicates his enthusiasm for the power of the masses with ease. Will make you consider how to enable communities to achieve unthought of goals.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I didn't enjoy Founders at Work (personally found it a bit indirect/not deep enough)",
          "reason": "Says the commenter did not enjoy it and found it indirect and insufficiently deep.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The criticism is explicitly personal.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 947722,
          "author": "techiferous",
          "createdAt": "2009-11-18T03:22:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 947581,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN:  What's the best first business book for a programmer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=947722",
          "commentText": "Thank you.  I have that one already and it's top-notch.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I have that one already and it's top-notch.",
          "reason": "Calls the book top-notch while responding to its recommendation.",
          "audience": "Programmers interested in starting a business.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 947658,
          "author": "parka",
          "createdAt": "2009-11-18T02:17:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 947581,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN:  What's the best first business book for a programmer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=947658",
          "commentText": "Founders at Work",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Founders at Work",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for business book recommendations.",
          "audience": "Programmers interested in starting a business.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 947653,
          "author": "jmonegro",
          "createdAt": "2009-11-18T02:14:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 947581,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN:  What's the best first business book for a programmer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=947653",
          "commentText": "\"Founders At Work\" by Jessica Livingston\n[1] http://www.amazon.com/Founders-Work-Stories-Startups-Early/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Founders-Work-Stories-Startups-Early/dp/1590597141)\n[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Livingston",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Founders At Work\" by Jessica Livingston",
          "reason": "Listed as a resource in response to a question about learning business basics.",
          "audience": "Programmers interested in starting a business.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875713,
          "author": "ctingom",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T01:46:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875713",
          "commentText": "Founders at Work",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Founders at Work",
          "reason": "Named in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797476,
          "author": "adityakothadiya",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T05:39:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797476",
          "commentText": "Maverick - By Ricardo Semler of Semco. It's a must read book for every entrepreneur. I've read few business books, but this is one of those books I'll always recommend everyone with Founders at Work and Art of the Start.\nIt's a real story of Semco with great business lessons.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "with Founders at Work and Art of the Start.",
          "reason": "Names it among books they will always recommend.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 766731,
          "author": "weaksauce",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-16T20:59:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=766731",
          "commentText": "\"Hackers and Painters\" or \"Founders at Work\" are both good books if you haven't picked them up yet. Not language learning or directly programming but interesting none the less.\nA book more directly related to programing would be \"Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\" or \"The Little Schemer.\" bring a notebook and do problems out of them like defunkt said and it will help in all your programming.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Hackers and Painters\" or \"Founders at Work\" are both good books",
          "reason": "Describes it as a good book.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computing beyond language instruction or direct programming.",
          "caveat": "Not language learning or directly programming.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 657981,
          "author": "khandekars",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-15T05:18:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 657892,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite management books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=657981",
          "commentText": "\"Founders at Work\" by Jessica Livingston. Full of good stories.\n\"My years with General Motors\" by Alfred P. Sloan, Jr. How he built the organization is quite an interesting read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Founders at Work\" by Jessica Livingston. Full of good stories.",
          "reason": "Calls it full of good stories in response to a request for business books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 621282,
          "author": "edw519",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-21T23:24:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621282",
          "commentText": "Founders at Work.  Lots of good true stories.  Encourages me to work on my own true story.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Founders at Work. Lots of good true stories. Encourages me to work on my own true story.",
          "reason": "Praises the true stories and says they are encouraging.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 601174,
          "author": "ochiba",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-09T17:55:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 600953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on the nuts and bolts of starting up",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=601174",
          "commentText": "Raising Venture Capital for the Serious Entrepreneur is probably the most useful book I've yet read when it comes to startups. Topics covered: Financing maps; Cash flow and risk of early stage ventures; how much capital raise and what to spend it on; getting behind how VCs think (really informative), business plans, valuation of early stage ventures, term sheets, splitting rewards, allocating control, aligning interests (options, vesting, noncompete, IP, etc.).\nhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/0071496025\nI've read Founders plus a couple of other titles on the subject, but this one really stood out.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I've read Founders plus a couple of other titles on the subject, but this one really stood out.",
          "reason": "Mentions having read it, without expressing a separate evaluation of it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 601122,
          "author": "kyro",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-09T17:11:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 600953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on the nuts and bolts of starting up",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=601122",
          "commentText": "To be quite honest with you, most of these books written by people like Guy Kawasaki, Jessica Livingston, Buffet, etc., are all great, but are pretty much compilations of stories or opinions. I know what you're after, because I was after the same thing not too long ago. I just went to Borders and picked up some text books on the subjects of interest - business, marketing, etc. I'm not sure if you'll be able to find text books on 'how to structure options,' but I'm sure there's some text that Harvard MBA's and the like have read throughout their time in school that covers that topic.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "most of these books written by people like Guy Kawasaki, Jessica Livingston, Buffet, etc., are all great, but are pretty much compilations of stories or opinions.",
          "reason": "Included among the books described as great, with criticism of the books' story and opinion focused format.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter characterizes these books as compilations of stories or opinions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 601116,
          "author": "ScottWhigham",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-09T17:06:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 600953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on the nuts and bolts of starting up",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=601116",
          "commentText": "I liked The Entrepreneur's Bible since it provided a great foundation of all the topics. From there, then you can pick and choose. I like Art of the Start, Founders at Work as well for various reasons.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I like Art of the Start, Founders at Work as well for various reasons.",
          "reason": "Expresses a positive opinion of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240867,
          "author": "colinplamondon",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T06:55:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240867",
          "commentText": "The World is Flat\nThe Post American World\nLosing My Virginity - Richard Branson's Autobiography\nAutobiography of Andrew Carnegie\nThe Second Coming of Steve Jobs\nInside Steve's Brain\nThe Seven Day Weekend- Book by Ricardo Semler of Semco on company organization and management, Semco essentially operates as a socialist enterprise with election of bosses, profit sharing, open information, flex-time, etc, but with the twist that Ricardo is the majority stock owner. Fascinating book and well-written to boot.\nFounders at Work should go without saying :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Founders at Work should go without saying :)",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly says it should be read without needing to say so.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240850,
          "author": "trotzke",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T06:28:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240850",
          "commentText": "On my desk:\nGetting Real (37Signals),\nHardball (Chris Mathews),\nPrioritizing Web Usability (Jakob Nielsen)\nNearby shelf:\nThe Design of Everyday Things,\nMaverick,\nFounders at work,\nA Brief History of Time,\nA Pattern Language,\nPeopleware,\nMade to stick,\nWeb Standards Solutions,\nDesigning Interactions,\nThe Pragmatic Programmer,\nThe Mythical Man-Month,\nOh, the Places You'll Go!\nOther good reads:\nBlink,\nTipping Point,\nLong Tail,\nFreakonomics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Founders at work,",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for recommended books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240672,
          "author": "rdoherty",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T02:21:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240672",
          "commentText": "* The Pragmatic Programmer\n* Becoming a Technical Leader\n* In Search of Stupidity\n* Hackers & Painters\n* Blockbusters\n* Joel on Software: And on Diverse and Occasionally Related Matters That Will Prove of Interest to Software Developers, Designers, and Managers, and to Those Who, Whether by Good Fortune or Ill Luck, Work with Them in Some Capacity\n* The Best Software Writing I\n* Behind Closed Doors\n* Managing Humans\n* The Mythical Man-Month\n* Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams\n* The Non-Designers Design Book\n* Founders at Work\n* Good to Great\n* Dreaming in Code\n* The Art of the Start\n* Maverick\n* The Design of Everyday Things\n* The Art of Project Management\n* The Art of Innovation",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Founders at Work",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 203374,
          "author": "ahsonwardak",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T15:54:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=203374",
          "commentText": "Though I know it may not be a single biographical book, Founders at Work is a great series of short biographies/interviews.  If you're more interested in any one of them, you can probably find a biography on them or even their personal blogs.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Founders at Work is a great series of short biographies/interviews.",
          "reason": "Praises it as a series of short biographies and interviews.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it may not be a single biographical book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 200430,
          "author": "ca98am79",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-26T20:38:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 199722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=200430",
          "commentText": "I'm on a week vacation right now and brought along Founders at Work - it is great.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "brought along Founders at Work - it is great.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book is great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 200099,
          "author": "scorpioxy",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-26T09:39:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 199722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=200099",
          "commentText": "Well, for non-technical books; I have enjoyed the following in no particular order:\n- Founders At Work\n- Eric Sink on the Business of Software\n- The Great War for Civilization\n- Pity the Nation\n- On Intelligence\n- The State of Africa\n- Long Walk to Freedom\n....etc",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Founders At Work",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter has enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 199786,
          "author": "lbrandy",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-25T22:49:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 199722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=199786",
          "commentText": "> I'd prefer things not directly technical though not necessarily fiction.\nSounds exactly like me. I strongly suggest:\n1. The Selfish Gene (Richard Dawkins)\n2. The Demon-Haunted World (Carl Sagan)\n...or if you need a little inspiration...\n3. Founders at Work",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "3. Founders at Work",
          "reason": "Suggested as a little inspiration.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 199779,
          "author": "bigtoga",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-25T22:37:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 199722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=199779",
          "commentText": "How about these:\nLetting Go of the Words: Writing Web Content that Works: http://tinyurl.com/3ftxva\nFounders at Work:http://tinyurl.com/4cytwa\n(links are to amazon.com)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Founders at Work:",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 191822,
          "author": "edw519",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-16T14:46:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=191822",
          "commentText": "This brings up a good point.  What would it take to put \"Hackers and Painters\" and \"Founders at Work\" onto CD?  I can't imagine anything I'd rather listen to.  And both are perfect for short trips because each chapter is stand-alone.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can't imagine anything I'd rather listen to.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they would especially like to listen to it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 138044,
          "author": "falsestprophet",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-16T06:36:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=138044",
          "commentText": "The New New Thing\nFounders at Work\nHackers and Painters\nHow To Get Rich\nCompetitive Strategies\nThe Intelligent Investor (or Security Analysis)\nLiar's Poker",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Founders at Work",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 137953,
          "author": "tonyvt2005",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-16T04:11:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=137953",
          "commentText": "Founders at Work (of course)\n\"Best Practices\"-type books that cover the tools and technology the startup is using, whether its Textmate, Unix, Subversion, whatever.  Becoming more efficient is never a bad thing.\nI'd also add books on management and dealing with people:\n- The Art of Speedreading People - Tieger\n- Behind Closed Doors - Rothman, Derby\n- The Mythical Man Month - Brooks\n- Most if not all the books on Joel Spolsky's \"MBA Curriculum\":\nhttp://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/FogCreekMBACurriculum... (http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/FogCreekMBACurriculum.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Founders at Work (of course)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 137933,
          "author": "edw519",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-16T03:42:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=137933",
          "commentText": "Art of the Start - Guy Kawasaki\nHow to Get Rich - Felix Dennis\nDifferentiate or Die - Jack Trout\nand of course...\nFounders at Work - Jessica Livingston\nHackers and Painters - Paul Graham",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Founders at Work - Jessica Livingston",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135451,
          "author": "edw519",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T20:17:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135451",
          "commentText": "Founders at Work by Jessica Livingston\nHackers and Painters by Paul Graham\nI am NOT recommending these because I am an avid hacker.news participant.\nI became an avid hacker.news participant AFTER reading these books.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Founders at Work by Jessica Livingston",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly says these books are not recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Explicitly says they are not recommending it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135423,
          "author": "hbien",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T19:45:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135423",
          "commentText": "http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3087/2325563013_d62ca9cde5.jp... (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3087/2325563013_d62ca9cde5.jpg?v=0)\nI'm a fan of \"The Pragmatic Programmer\".\nOther books I thought were a good read: getting things done, 4 hour work week, and founders at work.\nI've also got all 6 seasons of 24 on my bookshelf =/, probably not the most productive times of my life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "founders at work",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter thought were a good read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86007,
          "author": "shayan",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T18:13:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86007",
          "commentText": "Unfortunately I can't read fiction too much, I feel like what I read must directly help me with what I do, so I feel a lot better reading either technical stuff or business related (I love business).  Since we are excluding technical, most of the following are business related, or helps you in dealing with people and solving problems)\nNetscape Time - Jim Clark (very educational for those interested in startups, good piece of Internet history, interesting insights to the culture of the first Internet companies)\nHow To Win Friends And Influence People - Dale Carnegie (found it through YC recommendations, THANK YOU.  one of the best educational books I have ever read, it will teach you how to make friends, be a good leader, get along at home, encourage people, make them follow you and so much more...)\nFounders at Work -  Jessica Livingston (I found it relevant to what I am doing, good lessons, and interesting insights)\nGetting to Yes - Roger Fisher, William L. Ury (teaches you how to negotiate and how to get the best out of each situation for yourself and the other part, will be useful both at work and personal life, a bit dry)\nWinning - Jack Welch (great advices on leadership, might be more useful to someone that is running a big company)\nLeadership Is an Art - Max Depree (great leadership advices, it will give you the right mindset of how to be a great leader) \n-----------\nAnimal Farm (George Orwell), Alchemist (Paulo Coelho), Interpreting Your Dreams(Freud)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "good lessons, and interesting insights",
          "reason": "Says it is relevant to their work and praises its lessons and insights.",
          "audience": "People working on startups.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 57447,
          "author": "chwolfe",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-20T16:09:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=57447",
          "commentText": "Founders At Work  - Startup advice straight from those who have done it and have been successful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Founders At Work - Startup advice straight from those who have done it and have been successful.",
          "reason": "Presents it as advice from successful founders.",
          "audience": "People seeking startup advice.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5669,
          "author": "zkinion",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T13:08:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5669",
          "commentText": "Founders at Work :)\nand Felix Dennis' \"How To Get Rich\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Founders at Work :)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5663,
          "author": "raju",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T12:03:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5663",
          "commentText": "Founders at Work\nHackers and Painters\n(Disclaimer - I am moonlighting on my startup idea, but have these books to be a huge source of inspiration. Also, Joel's list is highly recommended. Another book, and it may seem off-topic is Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. It helps to study the lives of those who have managed to pull off very successful businesses)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "these books to be a huge source of inspiration",
          "reason": "Names it among books that are a huge source of inspiration.",
          "audience": "Startup founders",
          "caveat": "The commenter is moonlighting on a startup idea.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5633,
          "author": "comatose_kid",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T06:44:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5633",
          "commentText": "Business side:\n\nMost business books are fun to read, but it's really hard to say that any have been truly helpful.  Most lean more to the motivational/inspirational side, instead of focusing on case studies.  My suspicion is that business is probably not best learned from a book.  But I'll list a few I like anyways.\nAlan Sugar: The Amstrad Story\n  - Great story about how Sir Alan grew an empire selling stereos out of the back of a car.  Instructive because his key insights revolved around understanding what the average user wanted, as opposed to the technical elite. \nSoftwar:  An Intimate Portrait of Larry Ellison\n  - He started his first company at 33 after working for other high tech firms.  This book is neat because Ellison adds his own comments in the footer when he disagrees with the biographer.\nFounders @ Work\n  - Pre-ordered it.  I was tempted to read it all at once, but decided to spread it out over 2 weeks.  I'm glad that I did - there's a lot to digest....\nProduct side:\n\nDesigning Interactions\n   -  If you want to design great user experiences, it helps to see the thought processes great designers go through to create successful products.\nBulletproof Web Design\n   - Well written, concise.  Cederholm knows CSS.\nHardening Linux\n   - I've seen many guides at the bookstore.  This one appealed to me because it has both breadth and depth.  The chapter on configuring firewalls was alone worth the price of the book.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'm glad that I did - there's a lot to digest",
          "reason": "Says the book has a lot to digest and describes being glad to have spread the reading over two weeks.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5613,
          "author": "dropbox",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T04:36:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5613",
          "commentText": "some that haven't been mentioned:\n- the innovator's dilemma by clayton christensen\n- blue ocean strategy (kim and mauborgne) -- these two books give you a little bit more of a framework to evaluate where your idea adds value and give you examples of how/why some successful companies have been successful\n- high tech startup by nesheim -- a little dated, but lots of info\n- negotiation/people books: getting to yes (fisher, ury) and getting past no (ury), influence by cialdini\n (useful for more than just startups)\n- maybe some management books: peopleware (demarco and lister), the art of project management (berkun), first, break all the rules (buckingham)\n- founders at work (livingston) to get inspired\n+1 to crossing the chasm, and the godin & gladwell books, art of the start\nblogs: onstartups.com, fred wilson, brad feld, seth godin, etc., guy kawasaki\n-drew",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "founders at work (livingston) to get inspired",
          "reason": "Recommended for inspiration.",
          "audience": "Startup founders seeking inspiration.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5608,
          "author": "notabel",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T04:13:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5608",
          "commentText": "\"Hackers and Painters\" had an immense impact on me a couple of years ago.  Like pg, I multiplex art and hackery (I suck at painting though--sculpture, printmaking, and theatrical design are my areas), so to read a book that validated and supported that duality was to find a good bit of clarity regarding my course in life.  I still go back to H&P every few months, when I get worried about such things.\nJust yesterday I started reading \"Founders at Work\", and from what I've gotten through, it's going to be great.  More on that later, if this thread last.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "from what I've gotten through, it's going to be great",
          "reason": "The commenter expects it to be great based on what they have read so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They have only just started reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5574,
          "author": "python_kiss",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T02:11:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5574",
          "commentText": "About 14 months ago, I had little knowledge of how to execute a startup. In particular, I wasn't familiar with any online marketing tactics. The following books helped me a lot in that respective, and more:\n\n1. Positioning, 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing/Branding, Focus, Marketing Warfare\n2. Purple Cow, All Marketers are Liars, Permission Marketing (I didn't like \"The Big Moo\", \"Free prize inside\" or \"Small is the new Big\").\n3. Founters At Work\n4. Wikinomics, Wisdom of Crowds, The Tipping Point (Blink! was alright). I am looking forward to reading \"The Long Tail\" and \"The starfish and the spider\"...has anyone read them yet?\n6. Why We Buy\n7. Hackers and Painters\n8. The E-Myth revisited\n9. The Art of the Start\n10. On War, The Art of War by Machiavelli and Sun Tzu (not exactly for startups, but definitely useful)\n11. Crossing the Chasm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Founters At Work",
          "reason": "Listed among books that helped the commenter learn startup execution and online marketing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The title is misspelled in the comment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jessica Livingston"
      ],
      "recommenders": 49,
      "threads": 32,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Biography",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "startup founders",
        "entrepreneurship",
        "interviews",
        "startup stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nineteen-eighty-four-7d3a48",
      "title": "Nineteen Eighty-Four",
      "author": "George Orwell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49907747,
          "author": "kvgr",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T12:11:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49907747",
          "commentText": "Read: American Gods, Consider Phlebas, Neuromancer, The HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Dune 1, Nineteen Eighty-Four listened to Foundation and I definitely recommend all.\nBut for me Consider Phlebas is the best. Currently on 4th book in series, but cant get through it.\nNineteen Eighty-Four doesnt feel geek novel, just political. Also great.\nI keep reading outputs from LLMs all day and don't have energy to focus on Eng written books in the evening.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read: American Gods, Consider Phlebas, Neuromancer, The HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Dune 1, Nineteen Eighty-Four listened to Foundation and I definitely recommend all.",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter definitely recommends; they also call it great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it feels political rather than like a geek novel.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 44570119,
          "author": "HenryBemis",
          "createdAt": "2025-07-15T11:41:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 44568054,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44570119",
          "commentText": "Books:\n  Siddartha: to think about myself and my changes/voyage through life.\n  Half-time: to think what-the-hell-comes-next (only if you are 40+)(it won't resonate with a 20yo)\n\n  Systemantics, Nexus: if you work in mega-big-corpos this will save your life\n\n  Hold on to your kids, The anxious generation: if you got kids\n\n  Strong Fathers Strong Daughters: (and mothers/sons) if you got kids (too Christian-y for my taste but an amazing 'manual' to manage the relationship with your kid(s))\n\n  1984, Animal Farm, Gulag Archipelago: ...\n\n  Light on Yoga: (also do practice yoga, it's good for most-if-not-all)\n\n\nYou asked for \"one book\"... but.. life.. is not 'one' thing. Systemantics (and Dilbert) have helped me stay afloat at work. Siddartha gave me a perspective in live about myself, the different 'people' I have been throughout my life.\nAll the listed ones are books I read and read again every few years. They shaped me the first time I read them, keep me 'grounded'/taking stock/thinking the 'change' in me and my life. I see them as a 'check-diff' and how I have changed/evolved/devolved since the last time I read it/them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984, Animal Farm, Gulag Archipelago: ...",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of books they reread every few years and say shaped them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43698374,
          "author": "HenryBemis",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-15T21:06:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 43685856,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What 3 Books Would You Recommend to Anyone?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43698374",
          "commentText": "1984 (Orwell)\n  Siddhartha (Hesse) \n  The Gulag Archipelago (Solzhenitsyn)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984 (Orwell)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43695194,
          "author": "hulitu",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-15T16:30:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 43685856,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What 3 Books Would You Recommend to Anyone?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43695194",
          "commentText": "1984, Animal farm by George Orwell\nGod Emperor of Dune by Frank Herbert.\nThey fit very good to present time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984, Animal farm by George Orwell",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42972526,
          "author": "firefax",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-07T13:56:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42972526",
          "commentText": "1984",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42971496,
          "author": "maxbrt",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-07T11:35:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42971496",
          "commentText": "1984, George Orwell\nPermanent Record, Edward Snowden\nMy Early Life, Winston S. Churchill\nFlowers for Algernon, Daniel Keyes\nAtlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand\nEdit: To some extent probably also:\nThe Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas\nDon Quijote, Miguel de Cervantes",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984, George Orwell",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42970496,
          "author": "unfixed",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-07T08:05:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42970496",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand\n1984, by Orwell\nWalden, by Thoreau\nSiddhartha, by Hermann Hesse\nBut really, the one that had most direct impact in my life was Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall. Not in my vision of the world but in my lifestyle.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984, by Orwell",
          "reason": "Listed among books that influenced the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40878586,
          "author": "suranyami",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-04T22:31:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40878586",
          "commentText": "This is gonna sound a bit corny, but it impacted me for reasons that will become clear: \"1984\", by George Orwell.\nI was 13 at the time, and I was lucky enough to have a passionate English teacher that gave us challenging books to review. I chose \"1984\". It was the first book I'd read, up to that point, that didn't have a \"Hollywood ending\". The hero didn't save the day and get the girl… just the victory of tyranny over individualism. Admittedly, I had read a lot of crap, up till then.\nAs the leader directly tells Winston (i.e. you, the reader): \"If you want a picture of the future, think of a boot stamping on a human face - forever.\"\nI was gripped by the writing up till the very last words, then a panic set in… I thought that there were pages missing… I literally checked that someone hadn't torn out the last chapter where everything is made right again. No. There was no liberation. I sat stunned for the better part of an hour.\n\"The Dispossessed\" by Ursula le Guin: never have I experienced the idea of a working anarchism described in such a genuinely coherent form.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"1984\", by George Orwell.",
          "reason": "Describes being gripped by the novel and stunned by its ending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes they had read many poor books before it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38563661,
          "author": "riidom",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T00:09:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38563661",
          "commentText": "1984.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36022082,
          "author": "dwt204",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:44:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36022082",
          "commentText": "1984",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32791257,
          "author": "wunderlust",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T15:04:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32791257",
          "commentText": "My field of study (what I really like to think and learn about) isn't my field of work, but I like the question so I'll spill some thoughts.\nI spend a lot of time thinking about philosophical-ish stuff, so here are some books that have had the strongest residual effects (whether that's changing how I think, changing what I think about, changing my values, or simply getting the thought ball rolling faster):\nIshmael (Daniel Quinn)\n1984 (George Orwell)\nBrave New World (Aldous Huxley)\nGodel, Escher, Bach (Douglas Hofstadter)\nThe Republic [imp. \"the allegory of the cave\"] (Plato)\nThe Genealogy of Morals (Friedrich Nietzsche)\nThe Social Construction of Reality (Peter L. Berger, Thomas Luckmann)\nTractatus Logico-Philosophicus (L. Wittgenstein)\nDissemination [imp. \"The Pharmakon\"] (Jacques Derrida)\nThe Quest for Reality (Barry Stroud)\nLanguages of Art (Nelson Goodman)\nThe Structure of Scientific Revolutions (Thomas Kuhn)\nConcepts (Jerry Fodor)\nThe Web of Life (Fritjof Capra)\nFoucault's Pendulum (Umberto Eco)\nNaming and Necessity (Saul Kripke)\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Robert Pirsig)\nThere are others, and a lot of essays (by thinkers like Bertrand Russell, Carl Hempel, Hilary Putnam, WVO Quine, Karl Popper, Alfred Tarski, Gottlob Frege, David Chalmers, Daniel Dennett, Michel Foucault, Jean Baudrillard, Mikhail Bakunin, CS Peirce, and David Hume, among many others), but these seem apropos as they most readily came to mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984 (George Orwell)",
          "reason": "Listed among books with strong residual effects on the commenter’s thinking and values.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30737366,
          "author": "hulitu",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T20:35:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30737366",
          "commentText": "1984 and Animal farm - George Orwell.\nDune - Frank Herbert.\nAntimemoire - André Malraux",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984 and Animal farm - George Orwell.",
          "reason": "Listed among books that changed the commenter’s life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30241195,
          "author": "fvold",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T06:49:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241195",
          "commentText": "1984.\nYes, I know you've probably read it already, but it's probably time to read it again.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984.\nYes, I know you've probably read it already, but it's probably time to read it again.",
          "reason": "Recommends rereading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29821415,
          "author": "mobilio",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-06T09:46:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29821415",
          "commentText": "Without doubts - \"Animal Farm\" and \"1984\" from Orwell.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"1984\" from Orwell.",
          "reason": "Recommended alongside Animal Farm.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467743,
          "author": "wazoox",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:56:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467743",
          "commentText": "The book I've reread the most is The Odyssey. For a long time, I've read it once every year.\nAnother book I've read many times is Eco's Foucault's Pendulum.\nI've read Asimov's cycle of Foundation many times. Don't know how many, actually.\nI've also read several times some philosophy classics, particularly Plato's Symposium, Phaedrus, Apology and Republic.\nThen there are many books that I've read at least twice, almost all considered classics (from 1984 to LoTR, Great expectations to Tom Sawyer, Crime and punishment to Twenty thousand leagues under the sea, etc).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "from 1984 to LoTR, Great expectations to Tom Sawyer, Crime and punishment to Twenty thousand leagues under the sea",
          "reason": "Included among classics the commenter has read at least twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467719,
          "author": "zeroxfe",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:54:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467719",
          "commentText": "1984 -- my all-time fav book. I've read it more than 10 times, because it's a beautiful dystopian love story that moves me like no other.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984 -- my all-time fav book. I've read it more than 10 times, because it's a beautiful dystopian love story that moves me like no other.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it their all-time favorite and says it moves them deeply.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22866436,
          "author": "wernercd",
          "createdAt": "2020-04-14T14:31:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 22861452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading to make sense of the economy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22866436",
          "commentText": "1984",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18669949,
          "author": "pknerd",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-13T05:01:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18669949",
          "commentText": "Though many but a few recommendations:\n- Hooked\n- The dollar trap\n- Built to sell\n- Brain rules\n- The doctor in the house (Memoir of Malaysian PM, Mahathir)\n- 1984 by Orwell (Still reading)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- 1984 by Orwell (Still reading)",
          "reason": "Listed as a book in response to a question asking which books commenters would recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter was still reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17987144,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-14T13:50:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17987144",
          "commentText": "Nineteen Eighty Four- George Orwell\nI read this in high-school, and I can see very clearly how it has influenced my thinking up to the current day (and I'm 45 now). I would definitely say this book was a big part of influencing my to my strongly anti-state / anti-government position.  I was so angry at the end of that book, and that still resonates with me today.\nOrwell might not have been a libertarian himself, but his book helped make at least one, whether that's what he intended or not. :-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read this in high-school, and I can see very clearly how it has influenced my thinking up to the current day",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book strongly influenced their thinking and political views.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17944721,
          "author": "nphadke",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-09T06:57:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17944721",
          "commentText": "While I tend to agree that aspects of 1984 have been and continue to be seen time and again in societies around the world......the work itself is fiction. The OP asked for non-fiction books.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "the work itself is fiction. The OP asked for non-fiction books.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter points out that the novel does not meet the thread's nonfiction request.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17934836,
          "author": "ssvt",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T15:09:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17934836",
          "commentText": "1984",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "1984",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It is fiction, while the thread asks for nonfiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17382253,
          "author": "_emacsomancer_",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T17:22:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17382253",
          "commentText": "Though arguably not well understood.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Though arguably not well understood.",
          "reason": "Adds that the book may not be well understood, continuing the discussion about 1984.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter qualifies the claim with “arguably.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17382021,
          "author": "ryanx435",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T16:39:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17382021",
          "commentText": "1984 is required reading in many highschools. It's well known.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "1984 is required reading in many highschools. It's well known.",
          "reason": "The commenter argues the book is too well known to fit the request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17381813,
          "author": "goodpoint",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T15:56:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17381813",
          "commentText": "1984",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337335,
          "author": "auslegung",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:22:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337335",
          "commentText": "The Bible, Hobbit, LOTR series, Narnia, Catcher in the Rye, 1984, Papa Hemingway, these are all books that I’ve had to buy multiple times because they fall apart over the years. Never realized until just now how many comfort books I have...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16351530,
          "author": "beeskneecaps",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T06:49:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16351530",
          "commentText": "1984 just so they don’t get any crazy ideas and invent big brother. cough cough FACEBOOK cough cough",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984 just so they don’t get any crazy ideas and invent big brother.",
          "reason": "Suggests the book as a caution against creating Big Brother-like systems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16297231,
          "author": "timellis-smith",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T11:41:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16297231",
          "commentText": "Fiction\nWar and Peace\nCrime and Punishment\nCount of Monte Christo\n1984\nGod of Small Things\nParadise lost\nDivine comedy\nNon fiction\nSelfish gene\nMeditations\nMadness explained (the best book I've encountered for explaining how the mind works)\nThe Red Queen\nTao te Ching",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the question about books the commenter wishes they had read earlier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762748,
          "author": "charlysl",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T04:31:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762748",
          "commentText": "1984 - because it was the first book in English that I read front to cover, with a dictionary by my side, and learned so much recurring essential vocabulary that after that effort I could read anything; by now I have read much more from the much larger pool of writings in English than in my mother language. And, of course, it made me look differently at so many things.\nThings Fall Appart - because it helped me understand how religions like Christianity  and other initially subversive beliefs spread, and the sudden impact of Western culture on other cultures.\nAnthropology (Marvin Harris) - because it impacted the way I look at humanity, society and history, and also helped me understand that marxism is much more than an arguably failed political doctrine.\nThe Bernstein Tapes about Critique of Pure Reason - I am still working through this, but has already impacted my conception of what knowledge is\nHistory of Western Philosophy (Bertrand Russel) - because it made me understand the interwining between ideas and history. A desert island book\nConcepts Techniques Models of Computer Programming - still working through it, because ir is making me realize I had no clue about programming and design. Best programming book I have come across\nThe Prince (Maquiavelli) - because it completely changed the way I look at politics and society\nThe Making of The Atomic Bomb - because it is a great way to see the incremental progress of science, and made me realize how much those at the leading edge extract from a few crumbles of information. Also the starkest description of the impact of industrialized killing in WW1,",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984 - because it was the first book in English that I read front to cover, with a dictionary by my side, and learned so much recurring essential vocabulary",
          "reason": "The commenter says reading it helped them learn English vocabulary and changed how they see many things.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630093,
          "author": "saurabhnanda",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:29:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630093",
          "commentText": "SICP (Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs). Structured very well. Each exercise builds on a concept of the previous exercise, getting increasingly difficult.\n1984 by George Orwell. I am told that we're increasingly moving towards a mix of 1984 and Brave New World (I haven't read the latter).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984 by George Orwell. I am told that we're increasingly moving towards a mix of 1984 and Brave New World (I haven't read the latter).",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite, though no direct praise is given for this title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have heard society is moving toward a mix of it and Brave New World, which they have not read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15159707,
          "author": "edpichler",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T04:31:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15159707",
          "commentText": "- The Lean Startup, by Eric Rives\n- The Long Tail, by Chris Anderson\n- The Blue Ocean Strategy, by W. Chan Kim\n- On the shortness of life, by Seneca\n- 1984, by George Orwell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984, by George Orwell",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14485830,
          "author": "lorenzorhoades",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T07:18:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14485830",
          "commentText": "Great list! I love alot of the books you put on this list. I see Brave New World on alot of book lists. I get that it is a groundbreaking work at the time of its publication, but is it really that great nowadays? I've tried to read it on multiple occassions and i find it almost impossible to completely get through the book. his writing style is absolutely maddening (I think its partly because of my OCD, but at certain points the author is carrying on multiple conversations at one time, line by line. Nothing is Particularly surprising to me about this book, and I found it rather boring. I understand that it kind of predicted classical conditioning, but thats all obvious now. I understand that it inspired 1984, but i read 1984 before i tried to read brave new world, so nothing was suprising. Am i missing something here?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "but i read 1984 before i tried to read brave new world",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a book the commenter had read before trying Brave New World.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567412,
          "author": "merryandrew",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T16:07:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567412",
          "commentText": "1984, followed directly by Brave New World. Our world resembles a lot from each of these books. Much like in 1984, we have devices and companies constantly monitoring us (iOS, Android, Facebook, etc.), we have “news programs” and websites seemingly modeled after the “two minutes hate”, and we clearly have some Ministry of Truth-like misinformation getting spread around while accurate information gets lost or ignored. Much like in Brave New World, we have soma-like drugs, distractions and trivialities occupying people while they accept the world as it is and even shy away from wanting to change things. Really, we live in a world that blends together much of what was described in 1984 and Brave New World. Neither book predicted the future accurately, but together the picture these books painted is pretty damn accurate, and disturbing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Much like in 1984, we have devices and companies constantly monitoring us",
          "reason": "Connects the novel's surveillance and misinformation themes to the present.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says neither book predicted the future accurately.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13237838,
          "author": "satyajitranjeev",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T15:30:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237838",
          "commentText": "Things I completed:\n1. Elon Musk: Inventing the Future\n2. The Code Book - Simon Singh\n3. Fermat's Enigma - Simon Singh\n4. Deep Work - Cal Newport\n5. Smarter Faster Better - Charles Duhigg\n6. 1984\n7. So good they can't ignore you - Cal Newport\n8. Distributed Systems for fun and profit\n9. Classic Shell Scripting\nThings I partially read and hope to complete some time:\n1. The music of Primes\n2. Traction\n3. Founders at work\n4. Your Memory: How it works and how to improve it\nThings I would recommend:\nFermat's Enigma and The Code Book are very interesting reads if you are into Mathematics. They are both written very well and you don't need to know too much of Mathematics to understand it. On the other hand The Music of Primes started of very interesting and then got a bit too heavy for an evening read. If you can chug along I think it would be a good one too.\nOf all the self help books I mentioned I think Duhiggs Smarter, faster better is the one that stands out. It is more of an analysis of various teams and people and how they got to work efficiently.\nFounders at work is a long read but something that you can read a chapter independently and that's why it is under half read but definitely something to look at.\n[EDIT: formatting]",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "1984",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416563,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:55:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416563",
          "commentText": "\"I'm wondering which other books have you read that have had the most impact on you professionally or even personally?\"\nProfessionally: Peter F. Drucker's books.\nPersonally: \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann,  \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"Metaphysical Horror\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"Rationality in Economics\" by Vernon L. Smith, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"1984\" by George Orwell",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about books with personal impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11558915,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2016-04-24T07:44:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 11556470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your favorite dystopian novel and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11558915",
          "commentText": "Definitely Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four although it's hard to explain exactly why.  But it's probably at least in part because I read it when I was fairly young, and it was one of the first \"classic\" dystopian novels that I read.  And it made me so angry.  I finished that book with a really deep-seated, almost primal, loathing of \"Big Brother\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Definitely Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four",
          "reason": "The commenter names it as their favorite dystopian novel and explains its lasting impact on them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11557755,
          "author": "fatimafouda",
          "createdAt": "2016-04-23T22:51:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 11556470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your favorite dystopian novel and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11557755",
          "commentText": "SPOILER ALERT: \"But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother.\" - 1984\nHaunting last line. All struggle is futile; acceptance is inevitable. So yeah, pretty bleak, but favorite book nonetheless.\nI also love Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse 5, which while not classically dystopian, still manages to elicit dystopian stoic despair against the backdrop of a seemingly normal world (our very own time and age). It automatically coaxs readers to draw parallels..maybe dystopia is not something imagined. Maybe it's more familiar than we think.\nLastly, Robert A. Heinlein needs to be mentioned at least once in this thread; Farnham's Freehold and a Stranger in a Strange Land.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "favorite book nonetheless.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a favorite and describes its bleak ending approvingly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11557319,
          "author": "atmosx",
          "createdAt": "2016-04-23T20:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 11556470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your favorite dystopian novel and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11557319",
          "commentText": "For a series of psychological reasons I try to avoid reading 1984.\nFrom what I have read so far, I would say that it's Cryptonomicon. But it's a good future, it's a very sad future. Not as sad as Huxley's or Orwell's but sad enough.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "For a series of psychological reasons I try to avoid reading 1984.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they avoid reading it for personal psychological reasons.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter avoids the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11556570,
          "author": "dudul",
          "createdAt": "2016-04-23T17:53:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 11556470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your favorite dystopian novel and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11556570",
          "commentText": "By far \"1984\".  I re-read it once in while, and am always terrified to see that each time, it looks a little more like our actual world.\nI like \"Brave New World\" as well.  It is interesting to see how our present is a mix of both Huxley's and Orwell's worlds.  http://postimg.org/image/ue0pdq56r/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "By far \"1984\". I re-read it once in while, and am always terrified to see that each time, it looks a little more like our actual world.",
          "reason": "Names it as a favorite dystopian novel and says it feels increasingly like the actual world.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in dystopian fiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds it terrifying.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10786445,
          "author": "eecks",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T00:30:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786445",
          "commentText": "1984",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "1984",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783485,
          "author": "louisrochal",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:40:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783485",
          "commentText": "\"Thus Spoke Zarathustra\" - Nietzsche (French Translation) - 5/5 An absolute Must read.\n\"1984\" - Orwell - 5/5 French law on surveillance made me want to read it again\n\"Fahrenheit 451\" - Ray Bradbury - 4/5\n\"La zone du dehors\" - Alain Damasio - 4/5\n\"The name of the wind\" - Patrick Rothfuss - 4/5 A great fantasy story. It's a big book, there is a lot of details, but very well written.\n\"Stranger in a Strange Land\" - Robert A. Heinlein - 3/5 Awesome concept, but very slow\n\"The Inverted World\" - Christopher Priest - 4/5 Great short book",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"1984\" - Orwell - 5/5 French law on surveillance made me want to read it again",
          "reason": "Rated 5/5 and says French surveillance law made them want to reread it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10325237,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T20:31:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325237",
          "commentText": "I'm sure there are many, but a few that jump to mind, in no particular order, and spanning both fiction and non-fiction:\nThe Selfish Gene - Dawkins\nA New Kind of Science - Wolfram\nThe Singularity is Near - Kurzweil\nGödel, Escher, Bach - Hofstadter\nFluid Concepts and Creative Analogies - Hofstadter\nAtlas Shrugged - Rand\nThe Fountainhead - Rand\nNineteen Eighty-Four - Orwell\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nAmbient Findability - Peter Morville\nEmergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software - Steven Johnson\nSix Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age - Duncan Watts\nLinked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means for Business, Science, and Everyday Life - Albert-laszlo Barabasi\nArtificial Life - Steven Levy\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nThe World is Flat - Thomas Friedman\nnot a book, but the various writings of Douglas Engelbart - http://www.dougengelbart.org/library/library.html\nGlasshouse - Charles Stross\nPermutation City - Greg Egan\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nThe Shockwave Rider - John Brunner\nThe Society of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nThe Origin of Wealth: The Radical Remaking of Economics and What it Means for Business and Society - Eric Beinhocker\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nFooled By Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nineteen Eighty-Four - Orwell",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9646704,
          "author": "Jacqued",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-02T15:56:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 9636361,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9646704",
          "commentText": "BNW has always seemed much more alien to me than 1984. When I first read it as a teenager it seemed incomprehensible and somewhat insane.\nNow as I get older and get to better understand (still very modestly!) people in general and the structures of power, it seems like a much better informed take on our society",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "BNW has always seemed much more alien to me than 1984.",
          "reason": "Compares it with Brave New World.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9637999,
          "author": "classicsnoot",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-01T12:23:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 9636361,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9637999",
          "commentText": "How do you feel about Aldous Huxley's Brave New World? A juxtaposition between BNW and 1984 is very interesting in terms of what actually happened vs. what the authors portrayed.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "A juxtaposition between BNW and 1984 is very interesting in terms of what actually happened vs. what the authors portrayed.",
          "reason": "The commenter says comparing it with Brave New World is interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The interest expressed is in the comparison, not a standalone evaluation of the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9637393,
          "author": "amarraja",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-01T08:54:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 9636361,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9637393",
          "commentText": "I'd love to completely wipe 1984 from my head, just for the pleasure of reading it again! You will not look at the world in the same way once finished.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd love to completely wipe 1984 from my head, just for the pleasure of reading it again! You will not look at the world in the same way once finished.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its impact and says they would love to experience reading it again.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9637143,
          "author": "fmax30",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-01T07:20:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 9636361,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9637143",
          "commentText": "The Grand Design - Stephen Hawking.\nShould finish it by tonight.\nAfter that, it is time for 1984 - George Orwell.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "After that, it is time for 1984 - George Orwell.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter plans to read it next; no evaluation is given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8795694,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T07:00:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795694",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nPredictable Revenue - Aaron Ross, Marylou Tyler\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nThe Ultimate Question 2.0 - Fred Reichheld‎\nThe Singularity is Near - Ray Kurzweil\nMoonshot! - John Sculley\nZero To One - Peter Thiel\nRepublic - Plato\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius\nNineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell\nFahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury\nThe Mysterious Island - Jules Verne\nDiscipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy, Fred Wiersema\nFalse Memory - Dean Koontz\nNOS4A2- Joe Hill\nRevival - Stephen King\nBarbarians At The Gate - John Helyar and Bryan Burrough\nInto Thin Air - John Krakauer\nHow To Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nand any collection of the works of H.P. Lovecraft.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for impactful or liked books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8617286,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-17T08:04:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8617286",
          "commentText": "The Mysterious Island - Jules Verne\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nNineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell\nPerdido Street Station - China Mieville\nSnow Crash - Neal Stephenson\nEnder's Game - Orson Scott Card\nFoundation series - Asimov\namong others...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401452,
          "author": "mksm",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:25:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401452",
          "commentText": "Currently reading: \n  - \"When Google Met Wikileaks\" by Julian Assange\n  - 1984 by George Orwell",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "1984 by George Orwell",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8257692,
          "author": "dasmithii",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T14:19:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257692",
          "commentText": "I'm alternating between \"1984\" and \"I am a strange loop\" right now. I like to mix in some fiction with the serious stuff.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm alternating between \"1984\" and \"I am a strange loop\" right now.",
          "reason": "Says they are currently alternating between the two books, without evaluating either.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109174,
          "author": "humility",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:28:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109174",
          "commentText": "1984 by George Orwell, very relevant in current times.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "1984 by George Orwell, very relevant in current times.",
          "reason": "Calls the book very relevant in current times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109097,
          "author": "sparkzilla",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:17:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109097",
          "commentText": "I just finished reading 1984. You should read it as a warning, not a manual.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You should read it as a warning, not a manual.",
          "reason": "Explicitly urges readers to read it as a warning.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Read as a warning, not a manual.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7004875,
          "author": "meerita",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-03T10:55:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 7001282,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7004875",
          "commentText": "In no particular order:\nWhat Would Machiavelli Do? The Ends Justify the Meanness\n1984\nFarenheit 541\nFoundation (all saga)\nThe Hobbit\nThe Lord of the Rings (all saga)\nThe Prince\nDe Bello Gallico and Other Commentaries\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nThe Riverworld (an entire saga of 5 books)\nOn the Good Life\nTreatises on Friendship and Old Age\nAsimov On Numbers\nAsimov on Chemistry\nThe Roman Republic\nAnd hundreds more I cannot list.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "1984",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6899775,
          "author": "navyad",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T09:52:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6899775",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand\n1984 by George Orwell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984 by George Orwell",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for the best book read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5833044,
          "author": "latch",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T15:34:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5833044",
          "commentText": "Dune\n1984\nWould greatly help if you told us what type (or examples) of books you like.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the question about favorite fiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5691391,
          "author": "bloodorange",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T17:53:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5691391",
          "commentText": "\"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland\" - Lewis Carroll\n\"Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There\" - Lewis Carroll\n\"Dracula\" - Bram Stoker\n\"Frankenstein\" - Mary Shelly\n\"On Education\" - Bertrand Russell\n\"The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy\" - Douglas Adams\n\"Animal Farm\" - George Orwell\n\"1984\" - George Orwell\n\"Lord of The Flies\" - William Golding\n\"Brave New World\" - Aldous Huxley\n\"Gulliver's Travels\" - Jonathan Swift\n\"The Selfish Gene\" - Richard Dawkins",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"1984\" - George Orwell",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for good book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4242661,
          "author": "bazookaBen",
          "createdAt": "2012-07-14T00:47:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 4239104,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read & liked in 2012 till now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4242661",
          "commentText": "might be old school, but 1984 and Animal Farm by Orwell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books read and liked.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it old school.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3232520,
          "author": "damoncali",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-14T02:16:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3232520",
          "commentText": "One of the best ever. There's a part of me that is afraid to re-read it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "One of the best ever. There's a part of me that is afraid to re-read it.",
          "reason": "Calls the book one of the best ever.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Afraid to reread it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3232236,
          "author": "niclupien",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-14T00:16:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3232236",
          "commentText": "1984, Gorges Orwell",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "1984, Gorges Orwell",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2945912,
          "author": "damoncali",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-31T15:21:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 2919368,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have changed the way you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2945912",
          "commentText": "1984",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed how people think.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2615837,
          "author": "geekzgalore",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T10:51:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2615837",
          "commentText": "1984",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984",
          "reason": "Names it in response to a request for book suggestions.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for non-technical books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2147885,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T14:28:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2147885",
          "commentText": "I can think of a handful of books that have had a major impact on me.  Off the top of my head:\nNineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell\nFahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury\nThe Game - Neil Strauss\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nAtlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand\nFour Steps to the Epiphany - Steve Blank\nBusiness @ The Speed of Thought - Bill Gates\nThe Art of the Start - Guy Kawasaki",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter says had a major impact on them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971377,
          "author": "_b8r0",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T10:28:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971377",
          "commentText": "My younger self wouldn't have been interested in the books that interest me now. Instead I'd have to settle for some good fiction.\nGoing back in time to around 12-16, I'd send one of:\n* Brave New World - Aldous Huxley\n* 1984 - George Orwell\n* To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee\n* Catch 22 - Joe Heller\n* Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut\n* Of Mice and Men - Steinbeck\n* Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury\n* The Call of Ctulhu - H.P. Lovecraft\n* Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card\nSome of those I actually read in school and loved (but wish I read earlier), others I didn't. I think any of those books would've interested me at the time. There's plenty of time for Rich Dad, Poor Dad, SPIN Selling and all the business books later in life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* 1984 - George Orwell",
          "reason": "Included as a fiction choice for their younger self.",
          "audience": "Readers around ages 12–16, as suggested by the commenter.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1864742,
          "author": "jonafato",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T13:49:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1864742",
          "commentText": "I'd highly recommend Little Brother by Cory Doctorow.  I read it last weekend and simply couldn't put it down.  It's along the lines of 1984 but less extreme and thus more believable.  The (free) ebook can be found at http://www.craphound.com/littlebrother/download/.  The author offers the ebook for free and asks that you donate a copy (explained on the site) instead of emailing him and offering to pay him directly for it (or anything of the sort).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "It's along the lines of 1984 but less extreme and thus more believable.",
          "reason": "Invoked as a comparison for Little Brother.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned in passing, not recommended in this comment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1725663,
          "author": "tokenadult",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-24T22:32:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1725663",
          "commentText": "I think my oldest was reading George R. R. Martin by age twelve (but I could be a year or two off), on the recommendation of a friend who is somewhat younger, and my second son, who is only just now a teenager, has read some of those books. I have not read anything by him.\nOn my part, I read the nonfiction book Treblinka by Jean-Francois Steiner\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Treblinka-Jean-Francois-Steiner/dp/045... (http://www.amazon.com/Treblinka-Jean-Francois-Steiner/dp/0452011248)\nby no older than age ten, and no one would describe that as children's literature. (I reread parts of it a few years ago just to check if what I remembered about how graphic the violence in it is was accurate--yes, that is a true book with very grim details about a Nazi death camp.) Children deal with book content on their own terms. I didn't finish Orwell's 1984, which my dad had in the house, until my third attempt (thirteen-going-on-fourteen), because I found that very disturbing, and I still found 1984 disturbing when I reread it last year. Some great literature just isn't child-friendly, fiction or nonfiction, but some of it is well worth reading even during childhood.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I didn't finish Orwell's 1984",
          "reason": "The commenter recounts finding it disturbing, including on rereading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they found it very disturbing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1635259,
          "author": "lotusleaf1987",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-26T06:34:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1635259",
          "commentText": "Brave New World, 1984, The Metamorphosis, The Stranger, and...possibly Les Miserables if you have A LOT of free time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed your life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1632742,
          "author": "timruffles",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T13:20:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1632742",
          "commentText": "1984 has a lot to teach, and you could argue we've not learned them as history is rewritten, thoughts outlawed and truth redefined by our politicians and media.\nBut I'd agree that BNW has more to teach us about today - lots of us are losing/have lost the ability to think much beyond our next pleasurable experience.\nhttp://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2PAuup/www.recombinantrecords.... (http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2PAuup/www.recombinantrecords.net/docs/2009-05-Amusing-Ourselves-to-Death.html/r:t)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984 has a lot to teach",
          "reason": "Says the book has much to teach and relates its themes to current politics and media.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment argues that its lessons remain unlearned.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1632470,
          "author": "kksm19820117",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T10:32:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1632470",
          "commentText": "1984 - turned me from a die hard socialist to a rabid anti authoritarian.\nCosmos - helped me fall in love with Physics, and the sciences.\nTao Teh Ching - If I could tell you how it influenced me, we'd both have the wrong impression.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984 - turned me from a die hard socialist to a rabid anti authoritarian.",
          "reason": "Credits the book with changing their political outlook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875927,
          "author": "baddox",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T03:44:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875927",
          "commentText": "1984\n(I don't read much)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they do not read much.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875857,
          "author": "slig",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T03:09:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875857",
          "commentText": "1984 and \"the art of war\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 715228,
          "author": "domodomo",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-20T21:16:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715228",
          "commentText": "Last book:  1984\nCurrent book:  Master & Commander",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Last book:  1984",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85983,
          "author": "Xichekolas",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T16:51:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85983",
          "commentText": "Ender Series - Orson Scott Card\nRama Series - Arthur C Clarke\nFirestar Series - Michael Flynn\n1984 - George Orwell\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs - Some guys at MIT (I know it's technical, but couldn't resist, it's just too good)\nAnything by Bret Easton Ellis, Greg Bear, Stephen Baxter, and the above mentioned authors.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984 - George Orwell",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85950,
          "author": "jsb",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T15:16:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85950",
          "commentText": "1984 (George Orwell)\nThe Four Hour Work Week (Tim Ferriss)\nGetting Things Done (David Allen)\nDeception Point (Dan Brown)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984 (George Orwell)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85938,
          "author": "jraines",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T14:35:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85938",
          "commentText": "1984\nThe Silmarillion\nThe Hero With A Thousand Faces\nDune\nWalden (about half the chapters anyway)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Orwell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 48,
      "threads": 44,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopian fiction",
        "dystopia",
        "totalitarianism",
        "political fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-lord-of-the-rings-182770",
      "title": "The Lord of the Rings",
      "author": "J. R. R. Tolkien",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50119582,
          "author": "pmpmpmpm",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T15:25:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50119582",
          "commentText": "I can’t resist an invocation:)\nMost of these are old since I’ve been reading more articles these days but here are a few good books or series I’ve read more than twice: The Hobbit, LOTR, the Silmarillion, Neuromancer, the Chronicles of Narnia, Hong Lou Meng, The Heart Sutra, The Bhagavad Gita, The Tao De Ching, The Wheel of Time series, No country for old men, Persuasion, Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice, The Way of Kings, The Talisman, the Dark Tower Series, and The Prophet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "LOTR",
          "reason": "Included among good books read more than twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 50116569,
          "author": "steven_noble",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T10:21:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50116569",
          "commentText": "\"How To Make A Good Script Great\", \"Slow Motion: Changing Men, Changing Masculinities\", \"Cryptonomicon\", \"1984\", \"Lord Of The Rings\"",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Lord Of The Rings",
          "reason": "Listed in response to which books the commenter read at least twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 50116165,
          "author": "manarth",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T09:29:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50116165",
          "commentText": "And yes: Tolkien, Dune, Pratchett, Douglas Adams, Asimov/Foundation, McCaffrey/Pern, Janny Wurts, Raymond E Feist, and more recently Brandon Sanderson, Patrick Rothfuss, and Melissa McPhail (who sadly passed away, with the Pattern of Shadow and Light incomplete).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tolkien",
          "reason": "Listed among authors and series read repeatedly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 50115941,
          "author": "johncoltrane",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T09:03:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50115941",
          "commentText": "J.R.R. Tolkien: The lord of the Rings (lost count)\nPhilip K. Dick: Ubik, Flow My Tears The Policeman Said, A Scanner Darkly, etc. too many to count (many more than twice)\nWilliam Gibson: everything at least twice\nNeal Stephenson: Snow crash (three times, I think)\nClifford D. Simak: City\nH. P. Lovecraft: everything at least twice. There is a French compilation of The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, The Silver Key, and Through the Gates of the Silver Key that I've read countless times. I've used two editions and I'm at my third.\nMaurice G. Dantec: Babylon Babies (three times)\nPossibly many others.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "J.R.R. Tolkien: The lord of the Rings (lost count)",
          "reason": "Listed as a book the commenter has read repeatedly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 49902504,
          "author": "Ancalagon",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-29T23:55:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49902504",
          "commentText": "Finally getting around to reading the LOTR trilogy. I've read the Hobbit and the Silmarillion, just never got around to the main story.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "reading the LOTR trilogy.",
          "reason": "Says they are finally reading the trilogy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 48619433,
          "author": "jr_isidore",
          "createdAt": "2026-06-21T14:48:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 48595560,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please recommend sci-fi books similar to \"children of time\" or \"anathem\"",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48619433",
          "commentText": "Well, then you didn't do it right.  The TV show is garbage, the books were sublime (although like LoTR, their pacing was backloaded, so you had to suffer though the first half of each book.  The third book is more uniformly paced).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "like LoTR, their pacing was backloaded",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a comparison for pacing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The reference is only a pacing comparison; no evaluation of the series itself is given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46402290,
          "author": "sevensor",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T14:56:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46402290",
          "commentText": "Mary Renault. Fire From Heaven. I think she was ahead of the curve in recognizing that Alexander had monstrous qualities at a time when he was still seen as a kind of superhero.\nTolkein. The Silmarillion. I’ve bounced off this book a dozen times over decades, despite deeply enjoying The Hobbit and LoTR. This time I discovered that the best way to read it is backwards, tracing connections to characters you already know.\nStephenson. Anathem. I think I’ll skip the end next time. The first time I read it, I was confused; this time I understood exactly what was happening but I thought it was a bit pointless. Still worth it for the first 3/4 of the novel.\nLots of short stories. I was expecting to like Mark Twain better, but ours is a much more earnest era, and no match for his Gilded Age cynicism. What passes for cynicism today is Twain in his sunniest mood. At any rate, I appreciate Twain, but I enjoy EM Forster, Henry James, JG Ballard, William Gibson, and lots of others I’m forgetting at the moment.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "despite deeply enjoying The Hobbit and LoTR.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they deeply enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46400871,
          "author": "mrexroad",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T10:56:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46400871",
          "commentText": "I consider myself a fairly slow reader (see other comment) and nothing on this list took very long to read, other than LotR and The Count of Monte Cristo. One of my goals for 2025 was to replace parades of endless distractions (social media, hn, Reddit) with books. I  found that if I only read even for just 5min during morning coffee, I was far, far more likely to open a book when waiting while my car got smogged, kid at dentist, school pickups, etc. Those little between moments are so easily stolen from us and monetized, and they add up to a frightful total.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "other than LotR and The Count of Monte Cristo",
          "reason": "Names it as one of the two books that took longer to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41423129,
          "author": "gugug6",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-02T06:37:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41423129",
          "commentText": "harry potter \nlord of the rings\ndune \ngame of thrones\nberserk\nvinland saga\nrobinson curso\n                 : happy reading time!!!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "lord of the rings",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41175836,
          "author": "dcminter",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:58:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175836",
          "commentText": "If you never listened before, can I recommend (to both of you) the lovely BBC radio dramatization of it? The cast is excellent and it plays out over multiple hours so they didn't have to chop it about too much.\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lord_of_the_Rings_(1981_... (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lord_of_the_Rings_%281981_radio_series%29)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the lovely BBC radio dramatization of it",
          "reason": "Recommends a radio dramatization of the book to the other commenters.",
          "audience": "The two people addressed in the comment.",
          "caveat": "The recommendation is for a radio dramatization, not a book edition.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41175347,
          "author": "iambateman",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:02:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175347",
          "commentText": "Great recommendation, thanks!\nUnfortunately for me, they’re probably my favorite books of all time. :)\nCheers!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "they’re probably my favorite books of all time",
          "reason": "Affirms the parent comment's recommendation and says these are among their favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41175303,
          "author": "talldayo",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T20:58:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175303",
          "commentText": "The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings both stand alone as unparalleled fantasy novels. Buy a version with no foreword or footnotes and just, immerse yourself.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings both stand alone as unparalleled fantasy novels.",
          "reason": "Recommends immersing yourself in the novels, preferably in an edition without foreword or footnotes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Suggests choosing a version without foreword or footnotes.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39249066,
          "author": "vidyesh",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T10:26:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249066",
          "commentText": "The Remembrance of Earth's Past has been on my list for some time now. Will you be finishing that trilogy?\nActively reading:\n- Mistborn : Final Empire (~90% finished ding)\n- 3rd novella in The Murderbot Diaries\n- Dive into Design Patterns\n- Fullstack D3 and Data Viz\nPassively reading:\n- The Design of everyday things (I don't think I will ever finish this book)\n- Bhagavad-Gita as it is\n- LOTR (mostly a re-read)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "LOTR (mostly a re-read)",
          "reason": "The commenter is mostly rereading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38570166,
          "author": "v-erne",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T15:28:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38570166",
          "commentText": ">> username checks out\nOnly tentatively :)\nThorin is from Hobbit and was long gone when plot of LOTR started.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "when plot of LOTR started",
          "reason": "The commenter refers to the start of its plot.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35711199,
          "author": "_0xik",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-26T09:14:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 35710671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell still a recommended read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35711199",
          "commentText": "What? Tons of books get new editions. It happens constantly. For example, Strunk & White [0] has been updated in 1918, 1959, 1999, and 2009. Authors release different versions of their own books. I just wrote a review of a book [1] that had a 2nd edition released in 2022 after the first edition was released in 2014. J.R.R. Tolkein retconned The Hobbit after publication of Lord of the Rings. [2] (I realize this isn't really the same thing but I wanted to give an example in fiction)\nAnyway, point is, tons of books are changed after publication. I don't see why The Mythical Man Month shouldn't be; the technology is out of date and the gender issues are out of date.\n[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Elements_of_Style\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/Everybody-Writes-Improved-Go-Ridiculo... (https://www.amazon.com/Everybody-Writes-Improved-Go-Ridiculously/dp/1119854164)\n[2] https://birthmoviesdeath.com/2012/12/13/how-jrr-tolkien-pull... (https://birthmoviesdeath.com/2012/12/13/how-jrr-tolkien-pulled-a-george-lucas-on-the-hobbit)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "after publication of Lord of the Rings.",
          "reason": "Mentioned as the point after which Tolkien revised The Hobbit.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34161420,
          "author": "shaftoe444",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T14:45:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161420",
          "commentText": "I finally read Lord of the Rings this year, in my mid-thirties. Enjoyed it a lot. Recommend it if you haven't read it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Enjoyed it a lot. Recommend it if you haven't read it.",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed it and recommends it to people who have not read it.",
          "audience": "Readers who have not read it.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936760,
          "author": "pkszg",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T09:54:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936760",
          "commentText": "I like to read a wide variety of genre from fiction to human psychology.\nFor the mind:\nNonviolent Communication by  Marshall Rosenberg - A great book on how to communcate more effectively with others.\nThinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman -He is the only psychologist ever to recieve the Nobel Prize if I remember correctly. This book scientifically digests human biases and errors and how they influence our every day lives and decision making. Sometimes it a bit too technical for my taste and I like mostly the first part. (its not an easy read) I rarely had so many Aha-moments.\nA random walk down on wall street - For investing your income in stocks. What to do and what no to do. Simple, with facts.\nSapiens by Harari -Interesting, I remember it was a great read and fun read. Connecting a lot of dots :)\nOn programming:\nDesigning Data-Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann - I am failry a junior web dev, so any material that is clear and explains well is a great source of information and inspiration. This is such a book.\nComputer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective by Randal E. Bryant and David R. O'Hallaron - Teaches CS from the basics, which for me is a great source since I don't have a CS degree. I complement it with other materials from the internet (such as Harvard's CS50) for learning the fundamentals paralell working in my daily web dev job. Its a long book, so It will take a couple of months, years to go thorugh, but definitely worth the effort.\nFictions I love, without much introduction:\nLord of the Rings\nDune (first book)\nGame of thrones books\nFor me JRRs storytelling is outstanding, the books are better than the serires IMO.\nSpiritual Books:\n(I am not a religous person by any means and I do not follow traditions)\nSpirituality for me means a deeper connection with the universe.\nIf I really want to dig deeper than everyday work-life stuff I listen/read these books. Usually when there is a great emotional upheaval in my life or when I feel my daily distractions failed on me.\nPower of now by Eckhart Tolle - This book gives me the occasional goosebumps, a great summary of all spiritual teachings (before becoming religions) in a really simple way. If you are interested in such, I highly recommend it.\nMeditations by Marcus Aurelius - I see it mentioned here already, no intro needed.\nLetters by Seneca - This book is a proof for me that the essential human experience, the core of what makes us human does not change over time. Seneca was a great stoic thinker, who is very relatable by anyone even today (and probably will be for many millenia)\nZen Mind, Beginners Mind by Suzuki Roshi - All true spiritual teaching have the same source, but all are expressed differently. This is a great, simple powerful book to read if you lean towards buddhism.\nA Course in Miracles (no official author) -Now this is a heavy read. It has a textbook with daily practices also. This is definitely not a book for everyone.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lord of the Rings",
          "reason": "Lists it among the fiction they love.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31968843,
          "author": "joemountain",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T16:22:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31968843",
          "commentText": "I just reread LotR, and concur. Better than I remember and makes me sad about the movies anew. But I’m a romantic sucker.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I just reread LotR, and concur.",
          "reason": "The commenter agrees with the parent’s choice and says the book holds up on rereading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The movies make the commenter sad anew.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31968196,
          "author": "h2odragon",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T14:59:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31968196",
          "commentText": "Lord of the Rings.\nI re-read LotR, one volume a day, every day in 5th grade. Speed reading practice. Have re-read it several times since then, it still holds up.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lord of the Rings.\nI re-read LotR, one volume a day, every day in 5th grade.",
          "reason": "Chosen as the book to reread; the commenter has reread it several times and says it still holds up.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30764235,
          "author": "haakonhr",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-22T09:37:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30764235",
          "commentText": "A good chance reflect. There are several:\n- A Conferedancy of Dunces, Peter O'Toole: tragic, hilarious and absurd\n- Fooled by Randomness, Nassim Taleb: this was my first exposure to a lot of biases and other interesting phenomena\n- The Design of Everything Things: eye-opener!\nHarry Potter, Tolkien, Dune and a lot of other sci-fi has also affected me, although I find it hard to point out one in particular. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein stands out a bit.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tolkien",
          "reason": "The commenter says it affected them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds it hard to identify one particular book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30737355,
          "author": "themadturk",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T20:34:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30737355",
          "commentText": "A Wrinkle In Time, by Madeleine L'Engle\nI probably read it in fourth or fifth grade, not too many years after it was published. It was definitely the first science fiction novel I ever read. It wasn't until many years later that I saw how foundational to my worldview it was that my first SF book had a female protagonist.\nI was going to give a few other examples of truly life-changing works (LOTR, Dune, Neuromancer), but I'm not sure how I would have found them if A Wrinkle In Time hadn't opened by pre-adolescent eyes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "LOTR",
          "reason": "Listed as another example of a life-changing work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26593778,
          "author": "jkingsbery",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-26T16:09:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26593778",
          "commentText": "I've gone through phases where I'm more or less organized.\nSince the start of COVID and not needing to commute, I found myself with time to exercise for the first time in many years. In order to use that time efficiently and avoid injuries that would inevitably come from someone in his late 30's pretending he's in his early 20's, I read a bunch of books around running, biking, strength training and nutrition over the summer.\nI try to make myself read some fiction, but I don't feel compelled too often enough, so it doesn't happen much. I end up re-reading Lord of the Rings and Chronicles of Narnia every 2-3 years.\nI've been listening to a few Audible books lately about Roman History. A finished a biography of Caesar and a book offering (yet another) set of theories on the fall of the Roman Empire. I'm currently listening to a book about Cicero's life.\nFor sorta-related-to-work I have a few really niche books I'm reading on Telecom OSS/BSS, network planning and telecom regulation.\nI think my favorite author remains GK Chesterton, he has a couple books I try to re-read every so often. It's fascinating how he was writing around 100 years ago, and how around 25% is super old-timey cultural references or things that no one would think today, but how much of it is still pretty relevant. Also, I haven't read anyone better at turning a phrase.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "re-reading Lord of the Rings",
          "reason": "The commenter rereads it every two to three years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26593674,
          "author": "fjaved",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-26T16:02:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26593674",
          "commentText": "I read all the time—fiction and nonfiction.\nCurrently reading nonfiction: Stewart Brand’s Whole Earth Catalog.\nCurrently reading fiction: The Lord of the Rings trilogy by JRR Tolkien.\nFinished Tolstoy’s War and Peace in 2020 (pandemic silver lining). Life changing book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Currently reading fiction: The Lord of the Rings trilogy by JRR Tolkien.",
          "reason": "The commenter is currently reading the trilogy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25848254,
          "author": "zebraflask",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T16:21:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25848254",
          "commentText": "For a fantasy classic, you could try John Crowley's Little, Big, which was reputedly the late lit critic Harold Bloom's favorite novel. Bloom notoriously hated most fantasy novels - the Harry Potter series in particular - so that's a noticeable endorsement.\nFor an older fantasy series, you could also try Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast trilogy (starts with Titus Groan), which actually predates the Lord of the Rings and has a crowd that thinks it's better written. I think Neil Gaiman has worked on a TV series adaptation.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "predates the Lord of the Rings",
          "reason": "Used as a point of comparison for the Gormenghast trilogy's publication date and writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25531674,
          "author": "scop",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T21:37:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25531674",
          "commentText": "1. New Testament (I was not raised in a religious household)\n2. The Imitation of Christ\n3. The Lord of the Rings\n4. The Iliad",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Lord of the Rings",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25531668,
          "author": "hprotagonist",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T21:37:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25531668",
          "commentText": "Over christmas break? Lord of the Rings.\nMore than enough wisdom packed in there to last a lifetime.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lord of the Rings",
          "reason": "Suggested for the Christmas break; the commenter says it contains enough wisdom to last a lifetime.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467743,
          "author": "wazoox",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:56:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467743",
          "commentText": "The book I've reread the most is The Odyssey. For a long time, I've read it once every year.\nAnother book I've read many times is Eco's Foucault's Pendulum.\nI've read Asimov's cycle of Foundation many times. Don't know how many, actually.\nI've also read several times some philosophy classics, particularly Plato's Symposium, Phaedrus, Apology and Republic.\nThen there are many books that I've read at least twice, almost all considered classics (from 1984 to LoTR, Great expectations to Tom Sawyer, Crime and punishment to Twenty thousand leagues under the sea, etc).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "from 1984 to LoTR, Great expectations to Tom Sawyer, Crime and punishment to Twenty thousand leagues under the sea",
          "reason": "Included among classics the commenter has read at least twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467680,
          "author": "pier25",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:50:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467680",
          "commentText": "- Sapiens\n- The Lord of the Rings\n- Siddhartha\n- Chaos: Making a New Science\n- The Death Gate cycle books\n- Neuromancer\n- Head First Design Patterns\n- Valis\n- Dune\n- The name of the rose\nI'm sure there are more, but these are the ones off the top of my head.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Lord of the Rings",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467507,
          "author": "mathattack",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:32:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467507",
          "commentText": "Hobbit and Lord of the Rings - 3 or 4, including very recently.  The latest time I appreciated his background as a writer and the stories behind the story much more. They’re worth a reread as adults.\nOn the business side I read Deming’s Out of the Crisis several times. The ideas are profound but the writing is mediocre so it took a few times for it to stick.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hobbit and Lord of the Rings - 3 or 4, including very recently.",
          "reason": "Reports rereading it three or four times and says rereads are worthwhile as an adult.",
          "audience": "Adults revisiting the story",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22736937,
          "author": "vmilner",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-31T12:43:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22736937",
          "commentText": "I went through what I suspect is a common experience in that I had The Hobbit read to me at school at about 8, then read LOTR to get more hobbits. Even though the vocabulary was far too difficult for me, the experience of getting through a 1000 page book at that age, gave a massive boost to my reading and writing ability.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "then read LOTR to get more hobbits.",
          "reason": "The commenter says reading it as a child boosted their reading and writing ability.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the vocabulary was far too difficult at the time.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22720383,
          "author": "stevekemp",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T16:44:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22720383",
          "commentText": "Agreed.  No specific book has every \"changed my life\", or specifically been the source of positive impacts.\nBut reading stories is fun, and something I do constantly.  Currently I'm re-reading Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive.  Every year or two I re-read Dune, Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Amber, and Steven Brust's Taltos series.  Always a pleasure.\nMy recommendations would probably echo those already posted, with the addition of small random stories that I remember fondly because they were just fun, interesting, or surprising  (e.g. H. G. Wells: The Door in the Wall, or the original Mary Poppins books recently completed after finishing the Dresden Files for the first time.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Every year or two I re-read Dune, Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Amber, and Steven Brust's Taltos series.",
          "reason": "Says they reread it every year or two.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22719246,
          "author": "hprotagonist",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T14:28:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22719246",
          "commentText": "see my nick, but in addition to stephenson, the books i come back to over and over again for comfort and wisdom include:\n- Lord of the Rings: The other bible. Not even the very wise can see all ends; be of good cheer.\n- A Wrinkle In Time: 9 year old me, there is such a thing as a tesseract, and there is also Mrs. Beast.\n- The Master and Margarita: apocalyptic reading from someone who knew, and a cat who always pays his way.\n- the Discworld series: Sir Terry knew our hearts better than most, and sin, young feller, is treatin’ people as things.\n- If On A Winter’s Night, A Traveler: a perfect joke that you can tell once, plus a love story.\n- Good Omens: Gaiman and Pratchett team up, what’s not to love?\n- Moby Dick: And so the universal thump is passed round, and all hands should rub each other’s shoulder-blades, and be content.\n- Lucky Jim: grad school, a survival guide. Come in on the fa la la las, there’s a good chap.\nThis doesn’t include poetry, which is also in my head constantly.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lord of the Rings: The other bible.",
          "reason": "Lists it among books the commenter returns to for comfort and wisdom.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21904588,
          "author": "dinofacedude",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T07:22:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21904588",
          "commentText": "Dune and Lord of the Rings. Both have such detail to their worlds that is rarely done well in other works. On top of the world building, I enjoyed the internal struggles that both Paul and Frodo had to go through to become better people and achieve their goals",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune and Lord of the Rings. Both have such detail to their worlds that is rarely done well in other works. On top of the world building, I enjoyed the internal struggles that both Paul and Frodo had to go through to become better people and achieve their goals",
          "reason": "Praises the detailed worldbuilding and Frodo’s internal struggles.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18662208,
          "author": "earthicus",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T08:09:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18662208",
          "commentText": "Ofer Gal - Baroque Science. A highly academic history of the scientific revolution, not the most readable book. It focused quite a bit on mathematization, especially in optics (and Kepler's optics revolution in particular), and also in observation via instrumentation like telescopes and microscopes.\nPaul Nahin - The Logician and the Engineer. About Boole and Shannon's work; I had already learned the material so i skimmed part of it and returned it to the library.\nIan Mortimer - The time traveler's guide to medieval england. Talks about what daily life was like for different social classes in 14th century England eg towns & cities, food, clothes, housing, employment, travel etc. I got about halfway through and lost interest in the subject matter.\nLucio Russo - The forgotten Revolution. A very readable academic history of the development of science in ptolomaic egypt (eg euclid, archimedes, etc). This was certainly the most surprising book I read all year. This time period has been almost completely deleted from history, which jumps straight from aristotle to the renaissance (with a quick stop in the islamic world if you're being spoiled), and their achievements were incredibly impressive!\nJim al-Khalili - The House of Wisdom. A pop-history book about arabic science that i got from the library. I was wary because it's written by a particle physicist and not a historian, and sure enough it is filled with so much nonsense that I through it down in disgust after a few chapters.\nColin Pask - Magnificent Principia. A brief tour of some of the highlights of Newton's Principia, using both newton's geometric diagrams and modern notation. Following the modern notation of course assumes some basic calculus. Highly recommended - it made me want to learn old fashioned celestial mechanics! Perhaps in 2019...\nRandall Munroe - What if. A fun light read about whimsical scenarios.\nSigmund - Exact thinking in demented times. About the vienna circle, the philosophical group associated with logical positivism.\nNewman [ed] - The world of mathematics vol 1. A varied Collection of mathematical writings, both contemporary and historical.\nRichard J Evans - The Coming of the Third Reich. Evans has recently written a three volume treatment of the third Reich. this is of course the first and starts with the origins of the modern form of antisemitism in the late 19th century. I hope to read the next two in 2019!\nRobert Harper - Practical foundations for programming languages. I've mostly just skimmed it so my understanding is quite superficial, maybe in a year or two I'll go through and do all the exercises. I liked that he avoided 'paradigms' and developed the subject more systematically. The book's table of contents is absolutely irresistible!\nTolkien - the Hobbit. I finally got around to reading it... I didn't care for it. I started the lord of the rings but i don't think i'm going to finish it.\nMichael Chriton - Jurassic Park. The movie was better.\nAgatha Christie - Murder on the Orient Express. I think i just don't like fiction. The few years before this I tried reading more fancy literature and i didn't like that, so this year I tried more popular literature... Recently i heard someone say they thought that history spoiled fiction for them. I think I've suffered the same problem.\nFindlay & O'Rourke - Power and Plenty. (in progress) An economic history of the 2nd millennium, absolutely fascinating so far. The discussion of the black death was particularly memorable. It's become something of a meme to point out how the peasant survivors were economically better off than their parents and grandparents. In fact that effect was limited to western europe. In eastern europe the economics were different and feudalism deepened, and in the arab world the reaction was different still: (if i remember my reading correctly) it was certain sects of military men who came out on top. I'm bringing it up because it is a perfect reminder that reality is more complicated than memes.\nRobert Harper - Programming in Standard ML. (in progress) Online notes about functional programming.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I started the lord of the rings but i don't think i'm going to finish it.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter doubts they will finish reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536640,
          "author": "gmuslera",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:32:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536640",
          "commentText": "Fully agreed with that. Along with LOTR are the series that I did read most times. The first book can also be seen as an antology of short stories, each one superb, but the total is far more than the sum of the parts.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Along with LOTR are the series that I did read most times.",
          "reason": "Says it is among the series they reread most often.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17338004,
          "author": "el_cid",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T13:21:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17338004",
          "commentText": "CS Lewis for me (his non fiction stuff) and Tolkien (LOTR).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tolkien (LOTR)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337335,
          "author": "auslegung",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:22:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337335",
          "commentText": "The Bible, Hobbit, LOTR series, Narnia, Catcher in the Rye, 1984, Papa Hemingway, these are all books that I’ve had to buy multiple times because they fall apart over the years. Never realized until just now how many comfort books I have...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "LOTR series",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630167,
          "author": "mabub24",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:42:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630167",
          "commentText": "I liked Name of the Wind because it's a perfect counterpoint to Lord of The Rings, in a way.\nLOTR reads like a classical history book, sometimes literally. Everything is true, everything is tied together. The narrator disappears for omniscience.\nName of the Wind is an obvious post-modern slant with an unreliable narrator. The story Kvothe himself tells obviously makes him seem like a superhero and Rothfuss manages to (whether intentional or not) tell a story about a story that doesn't all add up. I can't say it's my favorite book. But, reading it against LOTR was fascinating.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "reading it against LOTR was fascinating",
          "reason": "Its contrast with The Name of the Wind made reading the two against each other fascinating.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13978068,
          "author": "tonyedgecombe",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-28T16:33:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13978068",
          "commentText": "\"There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.\"\nJohn Rogers",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The Lord of the Rings",
          "reason": "Named in a joke about novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year-old’s life, with a mocking description of the lasting effect.",
          "audience": "Bookish young readers.",
          "caveat": "The comment frames the book as a childish fantasy that can lead to an emotionally and socially stunted adulthood.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249965,
          "author": "qwertyuiop924",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T14:51:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249965",
          "commentText": "LoTR is not something I can recommend. When I read it, it was a miserable trek, and I read obsessively. It was a book written by somebody who cares more about the language then they do they story, and it shows.\nThat's not necessarily bad, but unless you share that point of view, I'd give it a miss.\nAnyways, in the same vein as Ghost in the Wires, I recommend The Cuckoo's Egg and Exploding the phone, which are both fantastic.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "LoTR is not something I can recommend. When I read it, it was a miserable trek",
          "reason": "Explicitly says they cannot recommend it and describes reading it as miserable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may suit readers who care more about language than story.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249530,
          "author": "Fnoord",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T12:22:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249530",
          "commentText": "The correct answer really depends on what you're into, and what kind of person you are. There are a lot of subcategories in fiction (just like there are in non-fiction).\nLord of the Rings is much more than mere fiction. It is possibly interesting from a linguistic PoV as it contains an entirely new language called Quenya developed by Tolkien. It also contains a lot of subjects which are relevant IRL.\nWithout getting further into LOTR I agreed with another poster on Dune and attempted to explain the subjects it touches in another reply to your post.\nProblem with both of these (as well as say GoT) is there are movies made of them.\nYou might also be interested in stories which are based on non-fiction, but are written in a story telling kind of way, greatly adding to suspense. In that category I read the books Ghost in the Wires by Kevin Mitnick and Kingpin by Kevin Poulsen [1]. If you're interested in following a suspenseful hacker story I can recommend them both.\n[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13240924",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lord of the Rings is much more than mere fiction.",
          "reason": "Discusses its linguistic interest and real-world themes; also agrees with another poster's recommendation.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in constructed languages and relevant real-world themes.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that films have been made from it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249516,
          "author": "veddox",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T12:18:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249516",
          "commentText": "Well, \"fiction\" is an incredibly broad category (if it can even be called that). And \"must read\" is highly subjective ;-)\nIf you're just looking for some light entertainment, go for sci-fi or fantasy (Lord of the Rings, anyone?). But if you don't mind some slightly \"heavier\" reading, have a look at the classics. In some cases they can be a little tricky to understand, but they are called \"classics\" for a reason...\nSpecific suggestions (incomplete and in no particular order): Shakespeare's plays, Jane Austen's \"Pride and Prejudice\", Daniel Defoe's \"Robinson Crusoe\", Harper Lee's \"To kill a mockingbird\", JM Barrie's \"Peter Pan\", Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "go for sci-fi or fantasy (Lord of the Rings, anyone?)",
          "reason": "Suggested as light entertainment in response to a request for fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking light entertainment.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13117318,
          "author": "internaut",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-06T19:06:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13117318",
          "commentText": "To those unacquainted, imagine if Godel Escher Bach mated with The Lord of the Rings. It is a true masterpiece.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "imagine if Godel Escher Bach mated with The Lord of the Rings",
          "reason": "Used as a comparison to describe the book being discussed in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416715,
          "author": "crdb",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T22:27:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416715",
          "commentText": "The first scene in Tolstoy's War and Peace should be required reading for engineering graduates, particularly the hyper-rational Sheldon types. I'm referring specifically to the impact Pierre has on the people at the party, the importance of manners, why small talk, etc. War and Peace is generally a great book because of how much it captures about human nature and power plays and it is still relevant today. It has a reputation for length but I found it much more readable than, say, Lord of the Rings.\nDelta Force by Col. Charlie Beckwith. Think your company has red tape? Try the US Army post-Vietnam. It's a great example of someone moving through bureaucracy to achieve great things and taught me to stop making excuses based on organisational behaviour. The Phantom Major by Virginia Cowles is in the same vein with some phenomenal hustling lessons. I still think of both men whenever I think whatever I'm doing is hard.\nDynamic Hedging by Taleb was written whilst he was a pit trader and is the most intuitive introduction to thinking about options I've read. It informs my thinking about decision making in terms of probability, path dependency and higher order greeks, and helps me take risks in a smart manner. I recommend it to a lot of people but nobody takes it up because (I'm guessing) it's only available as a second hand paper copy, and people think trading options has nothing to do with their life.\nLegionnaire by Simon Murray was recommended to me by my thesis supervisor shortly before graduation. I respected his opinion so I read the thing and it blew my mind in what people were capable of doing when pushed to the edge. Murray went on to have multiple interesting careers and set records as a helicopter pilot.\nThere are two books that were lessons in what they did not teach me.\nClayton Christensen's Innovator's Dilemma/Solution presents a very enticing idea but I think the core explanation for what it covers is much better set forward in Marc Bloch's Strange Defeat. There are regular sub-threads on the book on HN so I won't go into it further.\nI also read a couple of Jack Welch books and thought, wow, this guy knows what he is talking about. This was before 2007. After 2007, I heard from a few people - including very smart investors - who basically put GE's success down to the 30 year bull market and to the growth of GE Capital which became something like 60% of the company and indeed did almost take down GE with it after Lehman. It introduced the possibility that some famous leaders and gurus might not be as competent as they are branded to be and it's important to check for confounding variables.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I found it much more readable than, say, Lord of the Rings.",
          "reason": "Used only as a comparison for readability.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comparison does not express an evaluation of the book itself.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12098713,
          "author": "chrisabrams",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T03:02:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12098713",
          "commentText": "A Song of Fire and Ice\nZennis\nWheel of Time\nQuiet\nLord of the Rings\nIrrational Exuberance",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lord of the Rings",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12069376,
          "author": "josefdlange",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T07:17:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12069376",
          "commentText": "I've read, at the behest of my spouse, The Hobbit and the trilogy of the Lord of the Rings. As someone who was never really \"into\" the whole world Tolkien had created, I must say I was won over by the end. Who wouldn't want to be a hobbit? At least, a hobbit who is not Frodo.\nEvery year or two I give a light reading to Andy Hertzfeld's compilation \"Revolution in the Valley\", which is a print edition of many (and probably some extras) of the stories available on www.folklore.org\nI am also midway through \"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\" (Robert M. Pirsig) and I must recommend it. It's got a lot of philosophy in it that I think is both accessible and transcendent all at once. It's actively changing my world view.\nIn terms of skills acquired, I don't typically read for that purpose. I learn skills primarily by active work, not passive ingestion of information.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the trilogy of the Lord of the Rings",
          "reason": "Says Tolkien's world won them over by the end.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Read at the spouse's behest; previously not interested in Tolkien's world.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10784269,
          "author": "MuEta",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T17:05:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10784269",
          "commentText": "I can see that being an issue. I'm in the same habit with LOTR, ASOIAF and Harry Potter, reading each series once every two years or so, and it crushes my ability to read a lot of new books. I've avoided rereading Discworld so far because I know that it will never be as magical as the first read through.\nBut oh god, Baroque Cycle was unparalleled from a character-building perspective. I loved every second of it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm in the same habit with LOTR, ASOIAF and Harry Potter, reading each series once every two years or so",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Rereading is mentioned as a habit without an explicit evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10325295,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T20:47:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325295",
          "commentText": "http://jakeseliger.com/2010/03/22/influential-books-on-me-that-is\n\nSome good stuff there indeed.  The Game, Predictably Irrational, The Mating Mind, and Lord of the Rings stand out to me as excellent suggestions.  I'm just now starting book 12 of Jordan's Wheel of Time series, and while I've enjoyed it so far, I'm not sure I'd cite it as \"thought provoking\".  Entertaining, yes, and certainly worth reading, but the series doesn't stand out to me in that way.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Game, Predictably Irrational, The Mating Mind, and Lord of the Rings stand out to me as excellent suggestions.",
          "reason": "Calls it an excellent suggestion from the linked list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10324758,
          "author": "jseliger",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T18:03:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10324758",
          "commentText": "I can't choose one, but I'd cite:\n* Jonathan Haidt's The Righteous Mind, for explaining so much personally and culturally so concisely.\n* Everything on this list: http://jakeseliger.com/2010/03/22/influential-books-on-me-th... (http://jakeseliger.com/2010/03/22/influential-books-on-me-that-is).\n* The Lord of the Rings, for its combination of story, interior drama, and (underrated) political economy.\n* Blindsight by Peter Watts.\n* Heart of Darkness by Conrad, who seems more prophetic all the time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Lord of the Rings, for its combination of story, interior drama, and (underrated) political economy.",
          "reason": "Cited for its story, interior drama, and political economy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9349316,
          "author": "dotdi",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T17:31:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9349316",
          "commentText": "Last week I finished re-reading LOTR. It was awesome.\nBesides that, I am currently reading Scala in Depth (Suereth) and re-reading Refactoring (Fowler).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Last week I finished re-reading LOTR. It was awesome.",
          "reason": "Calls it awesome.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348047,
          "author": "tallanvor",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:07:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348047",
          "commentText": "You're not missing anything.  There's a reason John Rogers wrote “There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.\"",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes",
          "reason": "The quoted joke characterizes the novel as childish fantasy and links it to emotional and social shortcomings.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8716681,
          "author": "Bdiem",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T14:56:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8716681",
          "commentText": "\"Lord of the Rings\" by Tolkien. Tried to read it for years, but always got distracted by other books (e.g. \"The Making of the Atomic Bomb\" by Richard Rhodes - found in a HN). Lo! This year, after I purchased a e-book version I finally concluded the quest and cast the ... I mean I read it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Lord of the Rings\" by Tolkien. Tried to read it for years, but always got distracted by other books",
          "reason": "The commenter reports finally finishing it after years of trying.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8613864,
          "author": "stevekemp",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-16T10:11:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8613864",
          "commentText": "I would pick Dune, Lord of the rings, and anything by Zelazny and Steven Brust as my two followups.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would pick Dune, Lord of the rings, and anything by Zelazny and Steven Brust as my two followups.",
          "reason": "Picks it among their favorite science fiction and fantasy books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8110192,
          "author": "sogen",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T18:49:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8110192",
          "commentText": "* Anything by Cortázar.\n* Trainspotting,\n* Fight Club\n* Anything by Carl Sagan, specially Contact\n* Lord of the Rings\n* The Hobbit\n* And finally:\nAnything by Michael Ende:\nThe Neverending Story,\nMomo (one of my faves).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lord of the Rings",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a request for book suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7004875,
          "author": "meerita",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-03T10:55:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 7001282,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7004875",
          "commentText": "In no particular order:\nWhat Would Machiavelli Do? The Ends Justify the Meanness\n1984\nFarenheit 541\nFoundation (all saga)\nThe Hobbit\nThe Lord of the Rings (all saga)\nThe Prince\nDe Bello Gallico and Other Commentaries\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nThe Riverworld (an entire saga of 5 books)\nOn the Good Life\nTreatises on Friendship and Old Age\nAsimov On Numbers\nAsimov on Chemistry\nThe Roman Republic\nAnd hundreds more I cannot list.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Lord of the Rings (all saga)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5833505,
          "author": "stevekemp",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T16:44:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5833505",
          "commentText": "Since you're going with \"classics\" I'd add:\n* Les Liaisons dangereuses\n* The Count of Monte Cristo\nPlus my personal picks; Taltos the assassin, Chronicles of Amber, Dune & LoTR.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "LoTR",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's personal picks.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5833494,
          "author": "mast",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T16:42:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5833494",
          "commentText": "It's so hard to recommend something without a frame of reference.  Personally, I've found myself re-reading The Lord of the Rings lately.\nBut, if I had to pick one book that was my favourite, I might say Moby Dick.  (I'll admit that I actually read it first after seeing the Wrath of Khan as a kid)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I've found myself re-reading The Lord of the Rings lately.",
          "reason": "Mentions rereading it, without expressing an evaluation or recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Rereading alone does not indicate endorsement.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3396472,
          "author": "mantas",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T17:28:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3396472",
          "commentText": "There were grey characters too. Dagny Taggart did not truly agree with Rand's philosophy.\nIn addition to that, Lord of the Rings must be terrible for the same reasons too. As well as most of the other popular books I can think of.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Lord of the Rings must be terrible for the same reasons too.",
          "reason": "Sarcastically applies the parent comment's criticism to another popular novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned as a sarcastic comparison.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2639595,
          "author": "hoodoof",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T02:55:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639595",
          "commentText": "There's plenty of nerds here so I'm sure I won't be the last to nominate Lord of the Rings and Dune.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "nominate Lord of the Rings",
          "reason": "Nominated in response to a question about the greatest book ever read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1724743,
          "author": "spydez",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-24T18:26:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1724743",
          "commentText": "My favorite book as a kid was Lord of the Rings, so I'll recommend that. Also H2G2.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favorite book as a kid was Lord of the Rings, so I'll recommend that.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends a childhood favorite.",
          "audience": "Children.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876545,
          "author": "joubert",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T12:08:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876545",
          "commentText": "The Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins\nLord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876339,
          "author": "theblackbox",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T09:15:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876339",
          "commentText": "I would Second ANYTHING by Hesse, not got round to a thorough read of Siddhartha yet, but Damien is most excellent and The Glass Bead Games is a revelation for anyone who feels there is something just a little bit ill with the mind and motion of our modern age.\nOh, and something along the lines of The Neverending Story (The Silmarillion/LotR), because it's something to lose yourself in with kids and doesn't even have to be read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "(The Silmarillion/LotR)",
          "reason": "Offered as something along the lines of The Neverending Story, to enjoy with children.",
          "audience": "People who want something to lose themselves in with kids.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it does not even have to be read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 407426,
          "author": "swombat",
          "createdAt": "2008-12-23T09:31:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 407067,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Let's start a Hacker News book club",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=407426",
          "commentText": "EDIT3: If we're going to go with fiction, this looks like a good list to pick from:\nhttp://www.goodreads.com/list/show/6.Best_Books_of_the_20th_... (http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/6.Best_Books_of_the_20th_Century)\nPersonally, I've read almost none of these!\n1) How can you have read none of these? Get started already! And don't wait for others to tell you which books to read!\n2) That list is very suspect... I don't know how they compiled it, but it's a bit strange that it does contain some good books but then simultaneously allocates several positions to enjoyable but trashy books such as Harry Potter. Also gives several position to LotR (one is warranted, no more!), including one for the Silmarillion (wtf? I enjoyed it, but \"best book of the 20th century\"? no way!) Memoirs of a Geisha is also nice but hardly a thought leader. And it seems to be completely missing immortal masterpieces such as Narziss & Goldmund (Herman Hesse), Joseph and his Brothers (Thomas Mann), The Trial (Kafka), and many others.\nAn \"OK\" starting point, but not even the shadow of a definitive list.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "several position to LotR (one is warranted, no more!)",
          "reason": "Accepts one position for the series but criticizes its multiple placements.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says only one placement is warranted.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135338,
          "author": "spydez",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T18:08:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135338",
          "commentText": "\"Lord of the Rings\" and \"Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\", because seriously... you need to read something fun every once in a while.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Lord of the Rings\"",
          "reason": "Recommends it as fun reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86512,
          "author": "tel",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-06T05:10:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86512",
          "commentText": "V. by Thomas Pynchon\nThe Life of Pi by Yann Martel\nthe McSweeney's Quarterly Concern (Not a book per se, but  \nvery enjoyable)\nShakespeare (Everything, I'm surprised he's only been mentioned once so far)\nThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald\nThe Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe\nShogun by James Clavell\n\nThen, of course, the regular hodgepodge of Card, Asimov, Adams, Gaiman, Pratchet, Stephenson, Feynman, and that LOTR guy, Tolkey or sommat. (In all seriousness, though, all of these authors are phenomenal, if well-known for being such)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "that LOTR guy, Tolkey or sommat",
          "reason": "The commenter calls Tolkien phenomenal, in the context of listing authors they admire.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86337,
          "author": "gills",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T17:57:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86337",
          "commentText": "The First Circle (Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn)\nLOTR\nSiddhartha (Hermann Hesse)\nThe Odyssey (Homer)\nThe Dilbert Principle (Scott Adams) -- Alright, not literature! But come on, it's Dilbert :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "LOTR",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86223,
          "author": "icky",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:37:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86223",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- The Time Machine (still holds up very well, and seems strangely eerie and prescient in places)... (H. G. Wells)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Hobbit (and LotR) (Tolkien)\n- Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n- Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties (I picked up Idoru first, so I haven't yet read Virtual Light) (also Gibson)\n- The Difference Engine (Gibson, Sterling)\n- Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n- Cryptonomicon (\" \")\n- Circuit of Heaven, End of Days (Dennis Danvers)\n- All of the \"Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser\" stories and novels. (Fritz Leiber)\n- The Earthsea trilogy (Ursula K. LeGuin)\n- 'salem's Lot (Stephen King)\n- Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein)\n- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)\n- the Coldfire trilogy (C. S. Friedman)\n- various Cory Doctorow short stories\n- Kamikaze L'Amour (Richard Kadrey)\n- Lightpaths (Howard V. Hendrix)\n- A Canticle For Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)\n- Moonwar, Venus (Ben Bova)\n- the Stainless Steel Rat series (Harry Harrison)\n- Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)\n- Ringworld (Larry Niven)\n- Cthon (Piers Anthony) -- Trippiness level approaching Philip Jose Farmer ;-)\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (Douglas Adams)\n- The Black Company (Glen Cook)\n- there's one particularly good post-cyberpunk series that takes place in a world in which Canada emerged as a major world power, but for the life of me I can't rememeber the title.\n- the 1632 series (Eric Flint)... see also S. M. Stirling's Nantucket series (\"Island in the Sea of Time\", et al.), and H. Beam Piper's novel Kalvan of Otherwhen\nNon-fiction:\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (Hume)\n- the surviving words and works of Epicurus, and Diogenes the Cynic\n- Freakonomics (Levitt, Dubner)\n- The Gay Science (Nietzsche)\n- The Jefferson Bible (Christ, Jefferson (ed.))\n- The Devil's Dictionary (Bierce)\n- Brain Droppings (George Carlin)\n- anything by P. J. O'Rourke\n- anything by Dave Barry",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hobbit (and LotR) (Tolkien)",
          "reason": "Listed under fiction in response to the thread’s question about favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85880,
          "author": "brianmckenzie",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T09:43:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85880",
          "commentText": "LOTR\nKafka on the Shore (Haruki Murakami)\nBlood Meridian (Cormac McCarthy)\nDevil in the White City (Erik Larson)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "LOTR",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56629,
          "author": "herdrick",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T02:21:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56629",
          "commentText": "Among all books since the printing press?  Can you be more specific?\nActually, I take that back.  I do know some great ones that you ought to read no matter what your situation.\nThe Little Schemer  http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/matthias/BTLS/\nMaster and Commander  http://books.google.com/books?id=rx_yw5iMtnIC&dq=&pg... (http://books.google.com/books?id=rx_yw5iMtnIC&dq=&pg=PP1&ots=quZSkX-66f&sig=4rmlsrtPNSRNEfB8Zg6BmXiA0us&prev=http://www.google.com/search%3Fhl%3Den%26q%3Dmaster%2Band%2Bcommander%26btnG%3DGoogle%2BSearch&sa=X&oi=print&ct=title)\nLord of the Rings (you can find this one yourself)\nand probably a lot more, but I've got to run.  Good luck!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lord of the Rings",
          "reason": "Recommended among books to read regardless of one's situation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. R. R. Tolkien"
      ],
      "recommenders": 46,
      "threads": 32,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "high fantasy",
        "quest",
        "adventure"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mythical-man-month-3bab1a",
      "title": "The Mythical Man-Month",
      "author": "Frederick P. Brooks Jr.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46397578,
          "author": "Barrin92",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T23:39:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46397578",
          "commentText": "Among non-fiction what stood out to me was David Bentley Hart's All Things are Full of Gods, great book also very fun to read written as a Platonic dialogue. To me one of the most compelling theologians today.\nBruno Maçães, World Builders. Good book on the impact of technology in geopolitics has been consistently interesting.\nAmong fiction re-read a lot of Lovecraft, noticed that I like the Dream Quest stories more than the horror these days which surprised me. But they're more compelling to me now because of how much you can see Lovecraft as a person in them.\nThe last three Dune books. Liked the last two about the Bene Gesserit a lot, was surprised how much I disliked God Emperor given the praise it gets, but it honestly reads like Frank Herbert posting twitter hot takes as a worm with no story\nMark Twain, The Mysterious Stranger. Among the best novellas I've ever read, very different in tone from most of his books.\nShūsaku Endō, Silence. Book about a Jesuit mission in early Edo Japan. My favorite Japanese book in a long time.\nAmong technical books, re-read The Mythical Man Month, probably more relevant than it ever was in an age of artifical man-hours added to projects. Robert Seacord Effective C, after not having written C in a long time. Really good intermediate level book for modern C. Also making my way through The Little Schemer as a replacement for advent of code in the second half of the month this year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "re-read The Mythical Man Month, probably more relevant than it ever was in an age of artifical man-hours added to projects.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is especially relevant in an era of artificial labor added to projects.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43187100,
          "author": "mindcrash",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-26T19:17:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 43084739,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction/non-fiction book should everyone read on the topic of CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43187100",
          "commentText": "Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software by Charles Petzold\nhttps://codehiddenlanguage.com/\nAlgorithms to Live by: The Computer Science of Human Decisions by Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths\nMythical Man Month by Frederick Brooks",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mythical Man Month by Frederick Brooks",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42734677,
          "author": "skydhash",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-17T06:29:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 42686034,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read regarding software development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42734677",
          "commentText": "The C programming language (ansi edition) - I had it before even leaning how to program properly. The explanations was so clear you could work out the examples with pencil and papers\nMystical man-month and the pragmatic programmer. The former gave insight about managing a team, the other about managing yourself.\nCurrently I’m reading:\nUnit Testing: Principles, Practices, and Patterns by Vladimir Khorikok\nDesigning Data Intensive Application by Martin Kleppman\nAnd very recently completed Learning Domain-Driven Design by Vlad Khononov\nI think the three are quite good too",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mystical man-month and the pragmatic programmer. The former gave insight about managing a team",
          "reason": "Says it gave insight into managing a team.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42694460,
          "author": "koolhead17",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-14T06:45:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 42686034,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read regarding software development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42694460",
          "commentText": "mythical man month",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "mythical man month",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41387801,
          "author": "optymizer",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T06:00:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387801",
          "commentText": "I would split the books into two categories: those that improve the way you structure your code and deliver a software solution, and those that improve your technical understanding of the software platform and the computer you're using.\nThe first are books like Pragmatic Programmer, Mythical Man Month, Code Complete, Design Patterns, talks by Alan Kay on software systems and OOP, even Game Engine Architecture etc. A lot of the content there is distilled experience which is much faster to learn from a book than gain the hard way on the job.\nThe other books are practical deep dives. Here I would recommend a variety of books like Inside the Machine by Stokes, Computer Architecture by Hennessy, 21st Century C by Klemens, Crafting Interpreters by Nystrom, Compilers by Aho, Effective Java, Nature of Code by Shiffman, Ray Tracing Challenge by Buck, Hands on Hacking by Hickey, and others, depending on your interest and area of focus.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mythical Man Month",
          "reason": "Lists it among books on structuring code and delivering software.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40048824,
          "author": "skydhash",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-16T06:05:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40048824",
          "commentText": "Depends on the audience. Generally, it's always \"Getting Things Done\" and \"So Good They Can't Ignore You\". For fellow programmers it's \"Clean Coder\" and \"The Pragmatic Programmer\". And I always wish my managers and tech leads read \"The Mythical Man-Month\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I always wish my managers and tech leads read \"The Mythical Man-Month\".",
          "reason": "Wishes managers and tech leads would read it.",
          "audience": "Managers and tech leads.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40046285,
          "author": "Doctor-R",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-15T22:11:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40046285",
          "commentText": "1. Winnie the Pooh to kids on their third or fourth or fifth birthday.\n2. The Mythical Man Month to non-tech bosses.\n3. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress to girlfriends (it's a test).\n4. \"Get It Together: Organize Your Records So Your Family Won't Have To\" to 70+ old friend (single) and 70+ old sister (single).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mythical Man Month to non-tech bosses.",
          "reason": "Given to nontechnical bosses.",
          "audience": "Nontechnical bosses.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37820122,
          "author": "thorin",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-09T13:12:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37820122",
          "commentText": "Heart of darkness is very short and fits into those great books like L'Etranger and the Old Man and the Sea that can be usefully read in an afternoon and give back way more than they demand from you.\nRepublic is quite long but very approachable and I really enjoyed it.\nAgain the mythical man month still holds true and it very readable. It's interesting for anyone interested in computing history as well as for it's key points on management.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Again the mythical man month still holds true",
          "reason": "Says it remains relevant and is interesting for computing history and management ideas.",
          "audience": "People interested in computing history or management.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37819038,
          "author": "neversaydie",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-09T10:57:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37819038",
          "commentText": "In software:\nCould plausibly have read, but also likely to blindly recommend without having read them (I've done that myself, only ever skimmed either): The Mythical Man Month, Code Complete.\nVery unlikely to have read: Knuth's Art of Computer Programming. (I'm moderately sure Donald Knuth has read these, but beyond that, dubious. Personally I've read their titles on a shelf three times now.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Could plausibly have read, but also likely to blindly recommend without having read them (I've done that myself, only ever skimmed either): The Mythical Man Month, Code Complete.",
          "reason": "Says it is often recommended without being read; the commenter has only skimmed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has only skimmed it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37814502,
          "author": "nickster",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-08T21:17:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37814502",
          "commentText": "In Computers? The Mythical Man Month Fred Brooks\nIn Management? Turn the Ship Around David Marquet\nIn literature? Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad\nIn Philosophy? The Republic Plato\nIn Religion? The Confessions St. Augustine\nIn Mathematics? The Elements Euclid\nIn History? Parallel lives Plutarch\nIn Physics? Principia Isaac Newton",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Mythical Man Month Fred Brooks",
          "reason": "Listed as a book people in computing may pretend to have read.",
          "audience": "People in computing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37810868,
          "author": "aniijbod",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-08T14:39:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37810868",
          "commentText": "In Computers? The Mythical Man Month Fred Brooks\nIn Mnaagement? Turn the Ship Around David Marquet\nIn literature? Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad\nIn Philosophy? The Republic Plato\nIn Religion? The Confessions St. Augustine\nIn Mathematics? The Elements Euclid\nIn History? Parallel lives Plutarch\nIn Physics? Principia Isaac Newton",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Mythical Man Month Fred Brooks",
          "reason": "Listed as a book people in computing may pretend to have read.",
          "audience": "People in computing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35930473,
          "author": "vl",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T17:20:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35930473",
          "commentText": "Peopleware and Mythical Man-Month",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mythical Man-Month",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35726409,
          "author": "warrenm",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-27T11:24:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 35710671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell still a recommended read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35726409",
          "commentText": "In my opinion, it's as much a \"recommended read\" as a lot of other so-called \"classics\":\n- Rapid Application Development (also by McConnell)\n- Soul of a New Machine by Kidder\n- Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks\n- Programming Pearls by John Bentley\n- Applied Cryptography (2e) by Bruce Schneier\n- The Cuckoo's Egg by Cliff Stohl\n- Structured Computer Organization by Tanenbaum & Todd\n- Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software by Gamma, Helm, etc\n- A New Kind of Science by Wolfram\nAnd many more could be added to this list\nSure, some of them use acronyms or reference technology that you've either never heard of or has been supplanted\nBut you could [nearly] do a find-and-replace on those \"outdated\" terms with a \"current\" term, and the books would [effectively] be up-to-date\nDon't get hung-up on specific examples - they're just there to illustrate the problem domain",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed among classics that may use outdated acronyms or technology references.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35714062,
          "author": "warrenm",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-26T14:19:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35710671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell still a recommended read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35714062",
          "commentText": "I find it surprising that you thought Mythical Man Month was \"brutally outdated\"\nBentley's Programming Pearls, by that standard, is also \"brutally outdated\" - but the point of the book is not \"how do I make this work in early 1980s technology\"\nThe point of PP is \"ask the right question\"\nThe point of MMM is \"add resources when necessary; be brutally minimalistic about how many resources are added\"",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The point of MMM is \"add resources when necessary; be brutally minimalistic about how many resources are added\"",
          "reason": "Explains the book's point about adding resources sparingly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35711199,
          "author": "_0xik",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-26T09:14:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 35710671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell still a recommended read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35711199",
          "commentText": "What? Tons of books get new editions. It happens constantly. For example, Strunk & White [0] has been updated in 1918, 1959, 1999, and 2009. Authors release different versions of their own books. I just wrote a review of a book [1] that had a 2nd edition released in 2022 after the first edition was released in 2014. J.R.R. Tolkein retconned The Hobbit after publication of Lord of the Rings. [2] (I realize this isn't really the same thing but I wanted to give an example in fiction)\nAnyway, point is, tons of books are changed after publication. I don't see why The Mythical Man Month shouldn't be; the technology is out of date and the gender issues are out of date.\n[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Elements_of_Style\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/Everybody-Writes-Improved-Go-Ridiculo... (https://www.amazon.com/Everybody-Writes-Improved-Go-Ridiculously/dp/1119854164)\n[2] https://birthmoviesdeath.com/2012/12/13/how-jrr-tolkien-pull... (https://birthmoviesdeath.com/2012/12/13/how-jrr-tolkien-pulled-a-george-lucas-on-the-hobbit)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I don't see why The Mythical Man Month shouldn't be; the technology is out of date and the gender issues are out of date.",
          "reason": "Argues it should be updated because its technology and gender issues are dated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter considers its technology and gender issues out of date.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35711014,
          "author": "marginalia_nu",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-26T08:48:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 35710671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell still a recommended read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35711014",
          "commentText": "The book's nearly 50 years old. Most books not written very recently are not going to adhere to contemporary values and mores. If you're not willing to offer generosity when reading them and pick the useful part and discard the parts that haven't aged well, then you're going to miss out on a lot of very worthwhile reading.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Most books not written very recently are not going to adhere to contemporary values and mores.",
          "reason": "Argues that readers should take useful lessons from older books while setting aside parts that have aged poorly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Older books may not adhere to contemporary values and mores.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35710814,
          "author": "_0xik",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-26T08:19:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 35710671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell still a recommended read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35710814",
          "commentText": "The Mythical Man Month is also super anti-feminist, which I wish people talked about more if they're going to recommend that book.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The Mythical Man Month is also super anti-feminist",
          "reason": "Criticizes the book as anti-feminist.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35710783,
          "author": "it_citizen",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-26T08:13:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 35710671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell still a recommended read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35710783",
          "commentText": "Agree, but sometimes looking for recent books with the same underlying message is better than going through the classic.\nI read the mythical man month recently and the examples often involving OS/360 development are brutally outdated. I couldn't relate and I had to force myself to finish.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I read the mythical man month recently",
          "reason": "The commenter describes reading it and finding its dated OS/360 examples hard to relate to.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Examples involving OS/360 development feel brutally outdated to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33860122,
          "author": "Aeolun",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-05T01:16:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33860122",
          "commentText": "I thought this book was really fun to read, but it mostly reinforced what I already knew. The problem is my managers don’t, so having read the book doesn’t actually help in any way.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I thought this book was really fun to read, but it mostly reinforced what I already knew.",
          "reason": "Says the book was enjoyable and mostly reinforced existing knowledge.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Reading it did not help because the commenter's managers did not already know its ideas.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33858182,
          "author": "mooreds",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T21:37:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33858182",
          "commentText": "Hiya,\nI'd consider these books/articles/podcasts:\n* Secrets of Consulting by Gerald Weinberg: http://geraldmweinberg.com/Site/Consulting_Secrets.html Every problem is a people problem.\n* Refactoring by Martin Fowler et. al: https://martinfowler.com/books/refactoring.html talks about how and why to refactor, as well as providing a nomenclature for the process.\n* Code Complete by Steve McConnell. https://stevemcconnell.com/books/ A bit dated (the last version I could find was from 2004) but a great overview of the entire software process, from requirements to maintenance.\n* The Mythical Man-Month by Fred Brookes: https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/mythical-man-month-the/... (https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/mythical-man-month-the/0201835959/) best practices about software development, written about a project from the 1960 and 1970s.\n* The Joel On Software Strategy Letters: https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/05/12/strategy-letter-i-... (https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/05/12/strategy-letter-i-ben-and-jerrys-vs-amazon/) is the first one. All of them (I think there are five) are great.\n* Letters to a New Developer: https://letterstoanewdeveloper.com/the-book/ Please note I wrote this, but I still think it does a good job of discussing the \"soft skills\" in an easily digestible format.\n* Pragmatic Programmer by Dave Thomas and Andy Hunt: https://pragprog.com/titles/tpp20/the-pragmatic-programmer-2... (https://pragprog.com/titles/tpp20/the-pragmatic-programmer-20th-anniversary-edition/) Haven't read the revised 20th anniversary edition, but the first one opened my eyes to the craft of software.\n* High Output Management by Andy Grove: https://bookshop.org/p/books/high-output-management-andrew-s... (https://bookshop.org/p/books/high-output-management-andrew-s-grove/6730629) a great way to think about throughput\n* The Phoenix Project by Gene Kim et. al: https://itrevolution.com/product/the-phoenix-project/ Fun novel(!) about applying lean management principles to software engineering.\n* Radical Candor (haven't read, but it's been recommended): https://www.radicalcandor.com/ About communication.\n* Good to Great by Jim Collins: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_to_Great Focuses on what great companies bring to the table. Helps me evaluate where to work.\n* Mastery Autonomy and Purpose: A great video about what people really want in work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzXXC4MZZnY\n* https://www.manager-tools.com/podcasts a podcast about managing people. You didn't say you wanted to be a people manager, but knowing what managers think about will make you more effective in any org.\n* Managing Humans by Michael Lopp: https://managinghumans.com/ The whole Rands site is work reading, but I enjoyed this book about how to manage teams and build software. See above.\n* Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug: https://sensible.com/dont-make-me-think/ Easy ways to think about usability, focusing on webapps. Short and easy.\n* Badass: Making Users Awesome, by Kathy Sierra: http://seriouspony.com/badass-users-the-book Will help you put yourself in the shoes of your users and think about how to build software they will love. Short and easy.\nHope this helps.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Mythical Man-Month by Fred Brookes",
          "reason": "Recommended for its software development practices and historical project account.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The account concerns a project from the 1960s and 1970s.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33856481,
          "author": "summertime42",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T18:55:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33856481",
          "commentText": "I have all of these on my shelf. Fantastic reads.\n* Extreme Programming Explained by Kent Beck\n* Clean Code and The Clean Coder by Robert C. Martin\n* Soft Skills by John Sonmez (1st edition)\n* Pragmatic Programmer by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas\n* Working Effectively with Legacy Code by Michael Feathers\n* The Mythical Man-Month by Frederick Brooks\n(Selfish plug) Additionally, I wrote my own book concerning the entire industry, from just starting out to becoming a self employed consultant when you get sick of fulltime work - all soft skills from my decade or so of the industry, as well - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B43V1JJW",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mythical Man-Month by Frederick Brooks",
          "reason": "Includes it among books they describe as fantastic reads.",
          "audience": "Software engineers interested in software projects and teams.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33856215,
          "author": "loloquwowndueo",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T18:27:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33856215",
          "commentText": "I got a ton of value out of “Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams”. Even if you’re not a manager that can directly follow the advice, as an engineer it will provide great clues on how to ensure environment and team dynamics can greatly influence efficiency and chances of success.\nOf course my all time favorite is The Mythical Man-Month. But that’s already mentioned elsewhere in this thread.\nI haven’t read “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us” but some of the concepts it talks about are also of interest (on how to ensure workers are motivated and I’m not talking about “the beatings will continue until morale improves” :) )",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Of course my all time favorite is The Mythical Man-Month.",
          "reason": "Calls it their all-time favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it was already mentioned elsewhere in the thread.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32790203,
          "author": "fermigier",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T12:58:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790203",
          "commentText": "Physics: Feynman's lectures on physics.\nMaths: Rudin's Real and Complex analysis.\nSoftware engineering: The Mythical Man-Month.\nComputer science: Knuth's TAOCP.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Software engineering: The Mythical Man-Month.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23366585,
          "author": "Alex63",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-31T02:04:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23366585",
          "commentText": "The Mythical Man Month, Brooks. Probably more than 200 pages, but you can read the chapters as stand-alone essays. There are other good books about programming as a social activity, but everyone who does development for a living should read this one.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mythical Man Month, Brooks. Probably more than 200 pages, but you can read the chapters as stand-alone essays. There are other good books about programming as a social activity, but everyone who does development for a living should read this one.",
          "reason": "The commenter says everyone who develops software professionally should read it.",
          "audience": "People who develop software professionally.",
          "caveat": "Probably more than 200 pages; chapters can be read as stand-alone essays.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21712780,
          "author": "zt",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T15:00:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21712780",
          "commentText": "I think this is a more complicated question that it first appears. What do you mean by leadership? Getting things done for some strict definition? Managing a team? Managing a huge enterprise? I think reading books across the spectrum of leadership and management is critical, as each gives you some feeling of the underlying “truth” that you’re trying to find.\nI think the best book on the topic as I think you mean it is High Output Management by Andy Grove. It’s a classic. Incredibly well written. Direct.\nFrom there, I’d actually take a pivot and read MCDP 1 Warfighting, which is concise, brilliant, generally applicable, and completely aligned with the thinking of Grove. Along the same lines, I’d consider reading about OODA (I like “Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War” but not strictly necessary to read an entire biography). I think then you start to see that “Management” began to mean something particular in the post-war era for those who could see it, that it’s been lost in most organizations. Agile, lean, blah blah blah is all sort of derived from here.\nThen get some conditioning on how it all goes wrong, for which I would suggest the classic “The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering”, which is generally applicable.\nThen personally, I era toward thinking about organizations that have accomplished great things, so suggest “Creativity, Inc”, “Doing the Impossible: George E. Mueller & the Management of NASA's Human Spaceflight Program”, and books of those type.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Then get some conditioning on how it all goes wrong, for which I would suggest the classic “The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering”, which is generally applicable.",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a generally applicable account of how management can go wrong.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in software engineering and management.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21712529,
          "author": "ahnooie",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T14:35:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21712529",
          "commentText": "Managing the Unmanageable, a second vote for Peopleware, The Mythical Man-Month, and The Conviction to Lead\nhttps://b3n.org/programming-management-leadership-books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mythical Man-Month",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a request for leadership and management books.",
          "audience": "People interested in managing software teams.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17206712,
          "author": "sizzzzlerz",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T16:07:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17206712",
          "commentText": "\"Kelly: More than My Share of it All\" - Clarence \"Kelly\" Johnson : A personal narrative of the world's greatest aircraft designer\n\"The Mythical Man-Month\" - Fred Brooks : A classic book of software engineering but it is so much more. If you have aspirations of becoming an effective manager, you need this book.\n\"Flight: My Life in Mission Control\" - Chris Kraft : A book about the early space program written by the man who literally wrote the book on how spaces missions were to be conducted.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Mythical Man-Month\" - Fred Brooks : A classic book of software engineering but it is so much more. If you have aspirations of becoming an effective manager, you need this book.",
          "reason": "Calls it a classic and says aspiring effective managers need it.",
          "audience": "Software engineers and people aspiring to become effective managers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032453,
          "author": "commandlinefan",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:28:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032453",
          "commentText": "> recommend \"The Mythical Man Month\"\nBut be prepared to come away very depressed than a book that's now 44 years old contains wisdom that none of the people who ought to have absorbed it have.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "recommend \"The Mythical Man Month\"\nBut be prepared to come away very depressed",
          "reason": "Echoes the recommendation but warns that the book may be depressing because its wisdom remains unabsorbed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter warns the book may be depressing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032115,
          "author": "bloodorange",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T17:58:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032115",
          "commentText": "There are many books which sound good in theory but I think my younger self would not have been able to make use of the wisdom in those books because I did not have the experience to relate to what the book was talking about. Nevertheless, if I had to ignore this factor, I too, like many others in this thread, recommend \"The Mythical Man Month\". However, I think, it's more important to figure out what one wants from life than to just better one's craft. Of course if that is what you want in life, then indeed pursuing that makes sense. I'm also tempted to recommend \"Siddhartha\" by Herman Hesse and \"The Consolations of Philosophy\" by Alain de Botton.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I too, like many others in this thread, recommend \"The Mythical Man Month\".",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommended, with the caveat that its lessons may be hard to use without experience.",
          "audience": "Readers with enough work experience to relate to its lessons.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says younger, inexperienced readers may not benefit as much.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17031978,
          "author": "cbanek",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T17:45:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17031978",
          "commentText": "1. Mythical Man Month - obvious reasons\n2. Deathmarch: The Complete Software Developer's Guide to Surviving 'Mission Impossible' Projects- also a classic.\n3. Thinking fast and slow - a great introduction to biases that will affect your thinking in any project.\n4. The Art of War - strategy and tactics for attacking any problem.  My personal favorite translation is by Thomas Cleary.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mythical Man Month - obvious reasons",
          "reason": "Listed as a recommended book in response to a request for career reading.",
          "audience": "People starting careers in software engineering or computer science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17031880,
          "author": "modbait",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T17:37:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17031880",
          "commentText": "1.  The Mythical Man Month.  Quite old, but still a classic.\n2.  Dilbert.  This comic series is an excellent introduction into how corporations actually work.\n3.  The Systems Bible.  Somewhat obscure.  Fascinating ideas on how large systems, both technical and organizational, actually work.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mythical Man Month. Quite old, but still a classic.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a classic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it is quite old.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17031874,
          "author": "chollida1",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T17:37:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17031874",
          "commentText": "Three boks I'll recommend you read as soon as possible.\n1) The Mythical Man month\n3) The Pragmatic Programmer\n3) Code Complete.\nThe thing about these books, well atleast 1 and 3 is that when they were written they broke new ground.  Or if that phrase bother you, they were the first mainstream publications that brought their core ideas to developers.\nReading these books early in your career will help cement these best practices.\nReading these books after you've been a practicing programmer means,IMHO, that the return you get from reading them goes way way down.\nYou'll find that you've already learned all/most? of what they are trying to teach.\nYou'll find yourself getting frustrated that they are preaching what you already know as common sense and first principles.\nOr put another way, I'm not sure there is much that someone who has programmed for 5-10 years can get out of those books that they haven't picked up somewhere else already or learned the hard way.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "1) The Mythical Man month",
          "reason": "Recommended to early-career readers; the commenter says it broke new ground and helps cement best practices.",
          "audience": "Early-career programmers.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says experienced programmers may get little new from it.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16569319,
          "author": "crdoconnor",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-12T16:36:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16569319",
          "commentText": "Mythical Man Month",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mythical Man Month",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that helped professionally.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16352122,
          "author": "emmelaich",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T10:40:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16352122",
          "commentText": "All in no particular order....\nAs a Unix systems engineer, I would choose\n    1. W.R. Stevens books on Unix and Tcp/ip.\n    2. Rochkind's Advanced UNIX Programming.\n    3. Most of the Unix/Linux manual pages.\n    4. Bash FAQ\n\nAs a Unix systems programmer I would choose\n    1. Mythical Man Month\n    2. Jon Bentley's Programming Pearls.\n    3. K&R C and Stroustrup C++\n    4. A recent Java reference and Bloch's Java Puzzlers\n    5. a reference and cookbook for the language of your choice -- Python, Ruby, Perl, etc.\n    6. Google's style guides",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mythical Man Month",
          "reason": "Included among the author's choices for a Unix systems programmer.",
          "audience": "Unix systems programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16351633,
          "author": "conjecTech",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T07:26:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16351633",
          "commentText": "There is a class at Georgia Tech I colloquially referred to as \"making sure your coworkers don't hate you.\" It covered design patterns, software testing, and project management. I'd tack on a basic knowledge of databases to that. These are things you can gain a true functional knowledge of in a couple of weeks, and which not knowing might make senior engineers hate working with you.\nSo to mimic the class:\nThe Mythical Man Month\nDesign Patterns - Even if some of the particulars are not as relevant, it still provides a useful framework for thought.\nLessons Learned in Software Testing: A Context-Driven Approach\nI'd also add Harry Potter & The Methods of Rationality. A lot of engineers can think empirically, but its not their first reaction. Going through this book helped make it second nature for me. Can't remember if a certain data structure is immutable? Now I'll write a couple of lines of code to see rather than go looking for documentation. A lot of big problems start as false assumptions. Having the instinct to think to test them and knowing how to will prevent a lot of wasted effort, regardless of your role.\nHow to Solve It by Polya also gets an honorable mention for similar reasons.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mythical Man Month",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books for colleagues, answering the thread’s request.",
          "audience": "Software project teams",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14846482,
          "author": "BJanecke",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T09:59:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14846482",
          "commentText": "* Douglas Hofstadter - Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid\n* Fred Brooks -  Design Of Design\n* Fred Brooks - The Mythical Man month\n* Eric J. Evans - Domain Driven Design\n* Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software\n* Kent Beck - Extreme Programming Explained\n* Kent Beck - Planning Extreme Programming\n*  Michael C. Feathers - Working Effectively with Legacy Code\n* Daniel Kahneman - Thinking, Fast and Slow\n[EDIT] Correct the author for legacy code",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mythical Man month",
          "reason": "Included in a list answering which books affected how the commenter structures code.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14487352,
          "author": "ryan-allen",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T13:15:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487352",
          "commentText": "One of the first books I read that led me on to craploads of other books. It mentioned Peopleware, Mythical Man Month and just opened up a whole world of books about programming and being a programmer that were not 'do this then that to achieve Y'.\nGonna have to pick that one up again and see what else I can glean from it years later :)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "It mentioned Peopleware, Mythical Man Month",
          "reason": "The commenter says the discussed book mentioned it; no endorsement of this title is expressed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14487288,
          "author": "mathnode",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T13:04:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487288",
          "commentText": "- The Pragmatic Programmer\n- The Practice of Programming\n- The Mythical Man Month\n- The Cathedral and the Bazaar\n- The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\n- Introduction to Algorithms\n- Hackers and Painters\nSome of these do contain mixed language code examples, but they are expressed in a way to be agnostic. A problem is a problem; in any language.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The Mythical Man Month",
          "reason": "Included in a list answering a request for language-agnostic programming books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14138949,
          "author": "garethsprice",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T14:13:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14138949",
          "commentText": "The Art of Computer Programming by Donald Knuth is probably the closest to an actual bible for computer scientists - hardly anybody's read it all the way through, people quote bits of it out of context for their own ends and it mostly sits on shelves looking impressive while gathering dust.\nThe Mythical Man-Month by Fred Brooks for tech management.\nConfessions of an Advertising Man by David Ogilvy for advertising/marketing industry.\nDesign Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software by the \"Gang of Four\" for OOP software engineering.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mythical Man-Month by Fred Brooks for tech management.",
          "reason": "Named as a candidate bible for tech management.",
          "audience": "Technology managers",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297375,
          "author": "koja86",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:07:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297375",
          "commentText": "In context of software development these books (and other works by same people) might be interesting. I have not read them all yet but have been recommended by a colleague. My perspective is defined by being a developer in circa 100 people company.\n* The Mythical Man-Month by Fred Brooks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mythical_Man-Month\n* Facts and fallacies of software engineering by Robert L. Glass https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_L._Glass\n* Lessons learned from 25 years of process improvement: \nThe Rise and Fall of the  \nNASA Software Engineering Laboratory https://www.cs.umd.edu/users/basili/publications/proceedings... (https://www.cs.umd.edu/users/basili/publications/proceedings/P94.pdf)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "* The Mythical Man-Month by Fred Brooks",
          "reason": "The commenter lists it among books recommended by a colleague.",
          "audience": "Developers in software development, including those at companies of around 100 people.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read all the listed books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10786407,
          "author": "dllthomas",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T00:15:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786407",
          "commentText": "Off the top of my head: reread \"The Left Hand Of Darkness\", \"The Mythical Man-Month\", and the end of \"A Mote In God's Eye\"; read \"A Night In The Lonesome October\".\nAll worth reading, the last probably the least enduring.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"The Mythical Man-Month\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783601,
          "author": "Jach",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T15:00:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783601",
          "commentText": "Meditations - Marcus Aurelius -- A fine classic I enjoyed.\nMight count, might not, since it finished in March but was going on before. I loved Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality - Eliezer Yudkowsky - http://hpmor.com/\nLoved Masters of Doom - David Kushner\nI liked Worm - Wildbow - https://parahumans.wordpress.com/table-of-contents/ -- but it falls short of overall greatness and I don't think it's worth its 22-average-books length if I were to go back in time and decide on rereading...\nLearn to Play Go: A Master's Guide to the Ultimate Game (Volume I) - Janice Kim -- I've been learning Go and thought this book was particularly excellent for beginners.\nThere are at least 4 other books I'm close to finishing and I might get one done before the end of the month... Volume 2 of the above Go series, Mythical Man-Month, A handbook of traditional living, or The Waking Dream.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Mythical Man-Month",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed among books they are close to finishing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9757905,
          "author": "idlemind",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T12:54:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9757905",
          "commentText": "My favourites are more about the general craft of software development than specifics e.g.\nThe Pragmatic Programmer: Hunt and Thomas\nThe Mythical Man Month: Frederick Brooks",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mythical Man Month: Frederick Brooks",
          "reason": "Names it among the commenter’s favorites for the general craft of software development.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8000882,
          "author": "nimish",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T19:38:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8000882",
          "commentText": "The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968377,
          "author": "swah",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:41:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968377",
          "commentText": "The Art of Thinking Clearly, Write Portable Code by Brian Hook, Thomas Mann's The magic mountain, The mythical man month, Intellectuals by Paul Johnson and Hegemony and Socialist Strategy, by Ernesto Laclau are on my table right now.\nBut I don't think reading many books in parallel is a good strategy...",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The mythical man month",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3580176,
          "author": "pasbesoin",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-11T21:13:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 3564256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best programming books for someone in prison?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3580176",
          "commentText": "Mathematics is probably \"theoretical\" enough?  A good Discrete Mathematics text,  Perhaps some others.  He'll have some mathematics knowledge around which to orient his programming.  And people have been learning math for a long time -- meaning, long before computers.\nRelated, a good book on logic, including logic as implemented in circuits.\nI recall a fairly intense \"computer science survey course\" back in college, that started with and, or, not gates and built up through adders, etc, to an ACU.  Introduced a pseudo assembly language.  I forget how far it continued beyond that.  Something like that book I can see doable in good part on paper and in thinking, and it would provide some fundamental background that many programmers don't have or don't retain.\nIt might also be helpful to give him a good, concise book on project management.  So that he has some idea what people are talking about when he encounters the work environment.\nAnd there are always some of the classics, both for insight and for cultural orientation.  Brooks' \"The Mythical Man Month\".  Kidder's \"The Soul of a New Machine\".  Some years back, I rather enjoyed \"Where the Wizards Stay Up Late\", for it's take on the early development of what we now call \"the Net\".\nIf you're sadistic (and willing to risk some bucks against the chance of censorship), you can always send him Knuth's compendium.  ;-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brooks' \"The Mythical Man Month\"",
          "reason": "Listed among classics suggested for insight and cultural orientation.",
          "audience": "Someone developing programming knowledge and workplace context.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414791,
          "author": "netaustin",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T12:18:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414791",
          "commentText": "Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture by Martin Fowler helped me make the jump from small systems built for myself to large, sophisticated systems built for others.\nThe Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks really helped me learn to think about large projects from a personnel and planning perspective. There are some ideas there that have become part of the CS canon; \"no silver bullet\" and the slightly sexist but accurate metaphor for throwing more people at an overdue project, \"nine women can't make a baby in one month.\" The Mythical Man Month was written in 1975, but it holds up remarkably well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mythical Man Month was written in 1975, but it holds up remarkably well.",
          "reason": "Says it helped them think about personnel and planning on large projects, and that it holds up remarkably well.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that one metaphor is slightly sexist.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503811,
          "author": "zb",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T15:46:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503811",
          "commentText": "By \"overrated\" I don't mean that it's bad. It's overrated in the same way that The Mythical Man Month is the most overrated software engineering book, or Sgt. Pepper is the most overrated album. Those are important works, but they don't live up to the level of hype around them. In fact, I don't think anything could.\nI agree with your point, though. (But not sure why it only applies to Americans? ;)",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The Mythical Man Month is the most overrated software engineering book",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it overrated and says its importance does not match the hype.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter still calls it an important work.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797697,
          "author": "warewolfe",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T09:37:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797697",
          "commentText": "Last three books I read were; \nAtlas Shrugged,\nCode Complete,\nThe Mythical Man Month,\nThe three books I'm currently reading;\nflex and bison,\nMastering Algorithms in C\nExpert C programming,\nThe next three books on the \"to read\" stack are;\nCyptonomicom,\nThe definitive guide to GCC,\nManaging projects with GNU make,\nDid anyone else find \"Code Complete\" to be a bit repetitive, in places a bit redundant, and sometimes repetitive? \nI think the \"pragmatic programmer\" was a better read, and I could not put down \"programming pearls\"",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Mythical Man Month,",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 766911,
          "author": "jerf",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-16T22:48:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=766911",
          "commentText": "I would recommend a classic that you haven't read that isn't directly about a specific programming language, since it would seem to me that the virtue of reading a book about a specific language when you aren't in front of a computer is dubious. (Note I didn't say it had no virtue, I just find it dubious. YMWV.)\nAlready mentioned is Code Complete and The Pragmatic Programmer. I'd add The Mythical Man Month, still a classic, but note that's a relatively short book and may not last long enough. (A depressing read in some ways; decades have passed and what's in the book is arguably common wisdom, yet I still encounter the errors outlined in that book every year.)\nGodel, Escher, Bach (mentioned by caffeine) is a love it or hate it book; check out a couple of summaries and see what you think.\nPersonally, I don't recommend the SICP unless you're actually working through the exercises to some extent, and without a computer it's too easy to think you understand it when you don't.\nIf you have already read all those, well, I'd suggest replying and saying so. :)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'd add The Mythical Man Month, still a classic, but note that's a relatively short book and may not last long enough.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a classic, though the commenter says it may be too short for the vacation.",
          "audience": "Programmers seeking a book not tied to one language.",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds it depressing and says it may not last long enough.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 658102,
          "author": "wheels",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-15T07:47:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 657892,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite management books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=658102",
          "commentText": "The Mythical Man Month is an IT management classic that's worth its time, though I can't say that I've read a dearth of management books.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Mythical Man Month is an IT management classic that's worth its time",
          "reason": "Calls it a management classic worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have not read many management books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240850,
          "author": "trotzke",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T06:28:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240850",
          "commentText": "On my desk:\nGetting Real (37Signals),\nHardball (Chris Mathews),\nPrioritizing Web Usability (Jakob Nielsen)\nNearby shelf:\nThe Design of Everyday Things,\nMaverick,\nFounders at work,\nA Brief History of Time,\nA Pattern Language,\nPeopleware,\nMade to stick,\nWeb Standards Solutions,\nDesigning Interactions,\nThe Pragmatic Programmer,\nThe Mythical Man-Month,\nOh, the Places You'll Go!\nOther good reads:\nBlink,\nTipping Point,\nLong Tail,\nFreakonomics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mythical Man-Month,",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for recommended books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240710,
          "author": "kylec",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T03:03:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240710",
          "commentText": "I thought about posting this here after a relative success asking the question on Reddit:\nhttp://www.reddit.com/info/6mikl/comments/\nbut it looks like you've beaten me to it!\nI did create a listing of the most popular books mentioned on the comment thread, if you're interested. The following were mentioned by 4 or more people:\n14 The C Programming Language\n11 Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\n8 Introduction to Algorithms\n7 Compilers: Principles, Techniques and Tools\n6 Programming Erlang\n5 The Mythical Man-Month\n5 The Pragmatic Programmer\n5 Applied Cryptography\n4 Beautiful Code\n4 The Little Schemer\n4 Programming Perl\nmore here: http://www.reddit.com/info/6mikl/comments/c04abpy",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "5 The Mythical Man-Month",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the most frequently mentioned books in the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240672,
          "author": "rdoherty",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T02:21:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240672",
          "commentText": "* The Pragmatic Programmer\n* Becoming a Technical Leader\n* In Search of Stupidity\n* Hackers & Painters\n* Blockbusters\n* Joel on Software: And on Diverse and Occasionally Related Matters That Will Prove of Interest to Software Developers, Designers, and Managers, and to Those Who, Whether by Good Fortune or Ill Luck, Work with Them in Some Capacity\n* The Best Software Writing I\n* Behind Closed Doors\n* Managing Humans\n* The Mythical Man-Month\n* Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams\n* The Non-Designers Design Book\n* Founders at Work\n* Good to Great\n* Dreaming in Code\n* The Art of the Start\n* Maverick\n* The Design of Everyday Things\n* The Art of Project Management\n* The Art of Innovation",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* The Mythical Man-Month",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 137953,
          "author": "tonyvt2005",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-16T04:11:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=137953",
          "commentText": "Founders at Work (of course)\n\"Best Practices\"-type books that cover the tools and technology the startup is using, whether its Textmate, Unix, Subversion, whatever.  Becoming more efficient is never a bad thing.\nI'd also add books on management and dealing with people:\n- The Art of Speedreading People - Tieger\n- Behind Closed Doors - Rothman, Derby\n- The Mythical Man Month - Brooks\n- Most if not all the books on Joel Spolsky's \"MBA Curriculum\":\nhttp://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/FogCreekMBACurriculum... (http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/FogCreekMBACurriculum.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mythical Man Month - Brooks",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86010,
          "author": "Locke",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T18:20:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86010",
          "commentText": "A few sort of random selections from my bookshelf (in no particular order):\n * GEB:EGB - Hofstader\n * The Pragmatic Programmer - Hunt / Thomas\n * Peopleware - DeMarco / Lister\n * The Mythical Man Month - Brooks\n * Paradigms of Artificial Intelligence Programming - Norvig\n * Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind - Miyazaki",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mythical Man Month - Brooks",
          "reason": "Listed among selections from the commenter's bookshelf in a favorite-books thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 57231,
          "author": "alex_c",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-20T03:54:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=57231",
          "commentText": "For fiction, I'm surprised no one has mentioned:\nThe Dune series by Frank Herbert.  Unlike anything else I've read, and one of the most compelling and detailed fictional universes in literature.\nThe Discworld series by Terry Pratchett.  Don't confuse it for fantasy - it's brilliant satire.  Littered with geeky references and clever wordplay, I actually enjoy it a bit more than the Hitchhiker's Guide books.  If you like Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett is a pretty safe bet.\nAnything by Stanislaw Lem - clever and funny science fiction.  A good match for my weird sense of humour.\nAll of the above can slightly change the way you see the world.\nFor non-fiction, another vote for the Mythical Man Month.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For non-fiction, another vote for the Mythical Man Month.",
          "reason": "Adds another vote for the book in a recommendation list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56709,
          "author": "ericb",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T04:32:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56709",
          "commentText": "How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.  It is arguably the most useful book I've ever read, albeit with the most embarassing title.\nAs inklesspen mentioned, Elements of Style is a must.\nCode Complete and the Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks.  Timeless coding wisdom.\nFor a laugh, Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, or Hitchhiker's Guide.  \nBody Language, Julius Fast. Kitschy but fascinating insights into body language.\nFabric of the Cosmos, Brian Greene.  Brian is a fluke of nature--a physicist who can explain things realy well!\nAnything by Phillip K. Dick.  Sci-fi stories that make you think.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code Complete and the Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks. Timeless coding wisdom.",
          "reason": "Includes it among books offering timeless coding wisdom.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56671,
          "author": "inklesspen",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T03:31:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56671",
          "commentText": "In fiction:\nBridge of Birds, by Barry Hughart. Easily some of the best storytelling I've ever read. 1/3 comedy, 2/3 adventure, in an ancient China that never was. http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0345321383/\nHomer's epics. I prefer the translation by W.H.D. Rouse, which you can find at http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0451527372/ and http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0451527364/\nHeading even further back in time, I love this rendition of Gilgamesh: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0618275649/ Even in 2000 BCE they thought the world was ancient.\nLady of Mazes by Karl Schroeder has one of the best treatments of post-singularity life (and what makes life in general worth living) that I've ever read: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0765350785/\nNonfiction:\nThe Mythical Man-Month. A little dated (it's directed at mainframe developers and their managers) but still relevant.\nThe Elements of Style (Strunk and White). Learn to write clearly -- it's valuable no matter what you do.\nProgramming Erlang: Software for a Concurrent World. Easily the best programming text I've read in the last year, and it's sold me on Erlang.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A little dated (it's directed at mainframe developers and their managers) but still relevant.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it remains relevant despite being a little dated.",
          "audience": "Developers and their managers.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is directed at mainframe developers and managers and is a little dated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5725,
          "author": "nostrademons",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T17:07:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5725",
          "commentText": "My list, categorized:\nBusiness & Management\n1. Innovator's Dilemma and Innovator's Solution by Clayton Christensen\n2. Built to Last and Good to Great by Jim Collins.  Built to Last is more applicable for startups.\n3. Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks.  Anyone who has to manage a team of programmers and hasn't read this will fail utterly, unless they've already failed before (or been on a failing team).  There's a lot that's counterintuitive about software project management.\n4. Peter Drucker's work.  Kinda long and repetitive, but some good insights.\nMarketing\n1. All Marketers are Liars by Seth Godin.  I like this better than Purple Cow, Guerilla Marketer's Handbook, and The Big Red Fez.  Most of those have fairly obvious stuff.\n2. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell\n3. Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore\nTechnical\n1. Building Scalable Websites by Cal Henderson\n2. High Performance MySQL by Jeremy Zawodny\n3. Pragmatic Programmer by...well, it's mentioned elsewhere here.\nThere are lots of other technical books I like, but most of them aren't directly relevant to the startup I'm building",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anyone who has to manage a team of programmers and hasn't read this will fail utterly, unless they've already failed before (or been on a failing team).  There's a lot that's counterintuitive about software project management.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends it to people managing programmer teams and says its lessons are counterintuitive.",
          "audience": "People who manage teams of programmers",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frederick P. Brooks Jr."
      ],
      "recommenders": 46,
      "threads": 31,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software project management",
        "software engineering",
        "project management",
        "software teams"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "discworld-fff282",
      "title": "Discworld",
      "author": "Terry Pratchett",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50116165,
          "author": "manarth",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T09:29:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50116165",
          "commentText": "And yes: Tolkien, Dune, Pratchett, Douglas Adams, Asimov/Foundation, McCaffrey/Pern, Janny Wurts, Raymond E Feist, and more recently Brandon Sanderson, Patrick Rothfuss, and Melissa McPhail (who sadly passed away, with the Pattern of Shadow and Light incomplete).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pratchett",
          "reason": "Listed among authors and series read repeatedly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46392050,
          "author": "me_jumper",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T14:00:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46392050",
          "commentText": "Started rereading Pratchett's discworld novels. Gosh I love his writing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Started rereading Pratchett's discworld novels. Gosh I love his writing.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they love Pratchett’s writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43686220,
          "author": "PaulHoule",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-14T20:55:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 43685856,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What 3 Books Would You Recommend to Anyone?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43686220",
          "commentText": "I think \"life changing\" and \"universal\" are contradictory.\nA person who is ready to pick up the bar,  for instance,  would benefit from Rippetoe's Starting Strength but if you don't pick up the bar it's just another book (you might get something from just plain lifting Schwarzenegger's Modern Weighlifting though, if not the Misner, Thorne and Wheeler book Gravitation.)  Similarly Super System will change your life if you are serious about playing poker,  otherwise it's just a fun read like the D&D Monster Manual  I'd say that Ashcroft and Mermin's Solid State Physics was a great adventure even if I didn't end up doing physics in the end,  but I was a grad student in condensed matter and I took Ashcroft's class.  When I was wanting to explore the edges of applied philosophy and literature I felt Alain Badiou's Being and Event was meaningful to me but a lot of people would say it is obscurantist French trash like Derrida and if you believe that I can't change your mind.\nI'd tend to reject categorically that fiction could be life changing but maybe that's harsh.  So often people nominate books that to me are trash like Atlas Shrugged,  The Illuminati Trilogy or Hitchhiker's Guide.  From time to time though I do discover an author with a large body of work that I'm obsessed with for a few months,  like last year I rediscovered Poul Anderson (want to see Dominic Flandry have a fight with Kimball Kinnison) and got into Pratchett's Discworld.\nI think a lot of books that offer simple answers to things like books by Malcolm Gladwell and Robert Greene are often harmful and also I think Man's Search for Meaning by Frankl is absolute poison for 21st century people.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "got into Pratchett's Discworld.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they became obsessed with this author's body of work for a few months.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment mentions enjoying the series, without explicitly recommending it to others.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41175880,
          "author": "nop_slide",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T22:03:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175880",
          "commentText": "Can second this! Read Monte Cristo last year and still think about it.\nI’m also working my way through discworld chronologically, just read “Eric”. Highly recommend this series :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Highly recommend this series :)",
          "reason": "Recommends the series they are reading chronologically.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40429369,
          "author": "portaouflop",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T15:02:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40429369",
          "commentText": "Which one is the last? There are so many!\nI personally like the copper stories the best.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I personally like the copper stories the best.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they like the Discworld stories featuring the City Watch best.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40429328,
          "author": "Scarblac",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T14:58:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40429328",
          "commentText": "Monbiot's _Regenesis_, which investigates ways in which it might be possible to make global food production both sustainable and affordable, seemed very well written to me.\nFinally finished the last _Discworld_ book. The whole series is great, of course.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The whole series is great, of course.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly praises the series as a whole.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39248995,
          "author": "Verath",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T10:12:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39248995",
          "commentText": "I'm currently reading Nation by Terry Pratchett. I have previously read all of the Discworld novels and thoroughly enjoyed them. Then last year I read the Terry Pratchett biography (also worth a read, IMO!), where it is mentioned that Terry himself thought Nation was probably his best book. Had to give it a read after that! So far it's pretty good, but I do miss the characters from the Discworld universe to be honest.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I have previously read all of the Discworld novels and thoroughly enjoyed them.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they thoroughly enjoyed all the novels in the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38237932,
          "author": "TMWNN",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T06:44:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38237932",
          "commentText": "Reading:\nCraig, The Fall of Japan\nPrice, Battle of Britain Day: 15 September 1940\nPratchett, Discworld series (finished four volumes)\nRecently finished:\nCraig, Enemy at the Gates\nMacGregor, Checkpoint Charlie\nJones, Colossus (Incredibly prescient 1966 novel predicting ASI; the 1970 film adaptation is better, but the novel has more insights into the AI's similarity with LLMs)\nSuarez, Daemon\nMoss, Nineteen Weeks: America, Britain, and the Fateful Summer of 1940\nClark, Iron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia, 1600-1947\nPascal, Showstopper: The Breakneck Race to Create Windows NT",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Pratchett, Discworld series (finished four volumes)",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are currently reading the series and have finished four volumes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33851848,
          "author": "zem",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T08:49:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33851848",
          "commentText": "i embarked on a full reread of the discworld series, and really nothing can compare to pratchett!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "i embarked on a full reread of the discworld series, and really nothing can compare to pratchett!",
          "reason": "Says they are rereading the series and praises Pratchett's work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32200628,
          "author": "fredsir",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-23T05:22:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32200628",
          "commentText": "Small Gods by Terry Pratchett.\nI've heard about, and tried to get into the Discworld a few times, but it never really happened. I think I tried Guard! Guards! twice. Maybe I was in a different headspace, or maybe it was just not for me. But then I tried Small Gods, and it's the best thing I've read since (the nutrition label on the back of) sliced bread. No, really, it's lovely! I'll be done tomorrow according to my Kobos statistics, and then I just need to figure out what I'm gonna read next. Cannot wait to find out about all the things out there in the Discworld that I don't know about yet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "all the things out there in the Discworld",
          "reason": "Looks forward to exploring more of the fictional world after reading Small Gods.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31980384,
          "author": "noir_lord",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-04T18:36:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31980384",
          "commentText": "Hogfather by Sir Terry Pratchett.\nI read it a couple of days before Christmas every year without fail and have since it came out.\nI absolutely adore the discworld (Pratchett's books shaped me as a child - I wouldn't be the person I am now nor have had the career I do without him).\n> “The senior wizards of Unseen University stood and looked at the door.\n> There was no doubt that whoever had shut it wanted it to stay shut. Dozens of nails secured it to the door frame. Planks had been nailed right across. And finally it had, up until this morning, been hidden by a bookcase that had been put in front of it.\n> 'And there's the sign, Ridcully,' said the Dean. 'You have read it, I assume. You know? The sign which says \"Do not, under any circumstances, open this door\"?'\n> 'Of course I've read it,' said Ridcully. 'Why d'yer think I want it opened?'\n> 'Er ... why?' said the Lecturer in Recent Runes.\n> 'To see why they wanted it shut, of course.'\n> This exchange contains almost all you need to know about human civilization. At least, those bits of it that are now under the sea, fenced off or still smoking.”",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I absolutely adore the discworld",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly says they adore the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30735755,
          "author": "bloopernova",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:36:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735755",
          "commentText": "Dune. Specifically the parts about how a human can choose their reaction to an external event. And the ability to overcome fear.\nMan's Search For Meaning. Again, overcoming the worst situations and finding joy anywhere.\nHow to Practice. Understanding what you are feeling and why you are feeling it.\nEmotional Intelligence. How the amygdala sends signals to the brain, why it does that, and how to recognize your negative reactions.\nAnd all the Discworld books, to find joy and humour in everything. GNU Terry Pratchett.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "And all the Discworld books, to find joy and humour in everything.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the books for finding joy and humor in everything.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25848612,
          "author": "aidenn0",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T16:47:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25848612",
          "commentText": "Read the Discworld books by Terry Pratchett.  They are always funny, but not always light.\nFor the HN crowd \"going postal\" is probably a good first read.  You can mostly read them in arbitrary order.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read the Discworld books by Terry Pratchett. They are always funny, but not always light.",
          "reason": "Recommends the series and says the books are funny, though not always light.",
          "audience": "HN readers may find Going Postal a good first read.",
          "caveat": "The books are not always light; they can mostly be read in arbitrary order.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25844092,
          "author": "mech422",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T08:50:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25844092",
          "commentText": "I don't know about 'contemporary' but I always loved Heinlein\n(Stranger in a Strange Land is probably appropriate for the HN crowd)\nAlso, really can't go wrong with Terry Pratchett.\nP.S. - I have the same problem, its been years since I read for 'fun'.  Mostly all tech stuff now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also, really can't go wrong with Terry Pratchett.",
          "reason": "Recommends Terry Pratchett's work to readers seeking fiction; the specific title or series is not named.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25531480,
          "author": "dpeck",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T21:13:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25531480",
          "commentText": "Mort, by Pratchett. It is a great introduction to the Discworld and one of my favorite books ever. It is a good read over the holidays and you’ll be thinking about some of the lines in it for years to come.\n“ History isn't like that. History unravels gently, like an old sweater. It has been patched and darned many times, reknitted to suit different people, shoved in a box under the sink of censorship to be cut up for the dusters of propaganda, yet it always - eventually - manages to spring back into its old familar shape. History has a habit of changing the people who think they are changing it. History always has a few tricks up its frayed sleeve. It's been around a long time.”",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a great introduction to the Discworld",
          "reason": "Describes Mort as a great introduction to the series.",
          "audience": "Readers new to Discworld.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23472163,
          "author": "photonemitter",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T23:31:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23472163",
          "commentText": "I’ve read most Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett 3 or more times.\nFinite and Infinite Games, by James P. Carse is another philosophical favourite when it comes to getting something new each read through.\nBook of Mirdad, which is like a modern take on the Abramelin, don’t recall the author’s name, but it’s very much into the symbolic/mystic/esoteric ways and very revealing to that side without explicitly stating any “secrets”\nFirst Law trilogy, by Abercrombie. This is what Gritty Fantasy should read like. It’s got scenes in them that I want to reread the books just to get to. Really hope these would be made into a series or films, as the cinematography in them is already perfect. Without spoiling the first book as it’s revealed early on; Logan Ninefingers is essentially a Barbarian, but throughout you get the feeling he’s deeply afraid of that side. (If you’ve watched how Mike Tyson talked about his fear of that side in him on his podcast, this is essentially it...)\nThere’s been other books as well, but these are the biggest reread-able ones for me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I’ve read most Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett 3 or more times.",
          "reason": "The commenter has reread most of the novels three or more times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23472058,
          "author": "photonemitter",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T23:20:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23472058",
          "commentText": "Second this.\nIn the ongoing protests etc. I’ve realised how much the stories about Vimes have shaped my ideas of what a policeman should be.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Second this.",
          "reason": "The stories about Vimes shaped the commenter's ideas about what a policeman should be.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467731,
          "author": "Okkef",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:55:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467731",
          "commentText": "I've read all of discworld by Terry Pratchett at least three times. I'm almost finished with my second sequential reading. It's comfort food in book form for me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've read all of discworld by Terry Pratchett at least three times.",
          "reason": "The commenter has read the whole series at least three times and calls it comfort food.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22719246,
          "author": "hprotagonist",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T14:28:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22719246",
          "commentText": "see my nick, but in addition to stephenson, the books i come back to over and over again for comfort and wisdom include:\n- Lord of the Rings: The other bible. Not even the very wise can see all ends; be of good cheer.\n- A Wrinkle In Time: 9 year old me, there is such a thing as a tesseract, and there is also Mrs. Beast.\n- The Master and Margarita: apocalyptic reading from someone who knew, and a cat who always pays his way.\n- the Discworld series: Sir Terry knew our hearts better than most, and sin, young feller, is treatin’ people as things.\n- If On A Winter’s Night, A Traveler: a perfect joke that you can tell once, plus a love story.\n- Good Omens: Gaiman and Pratchett team up, what’s not to love?\n- Moby Dick: And so the universal thump is passed round, and all hands should rub each other’s shoulder-blades, and be content.\n- Lucky Jim: grad school, a survival guide. Come in on the fa la la las, there’s a good chap.\nThis doesn’t include poetry, which is also in my head constantly.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Discworld series: Sir Terry knew our hearts better than most",
          "reason": "The commenter says they return to the series for comfort and wisdom.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20988586,
          "author": "kedean",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T21:05:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20988586",
          "commentText": "I'm working my way through Steven Pinkers \"How The Mind Works\", it's a really interesting perspective on the brain and how it theoretically might produce human intelligence and consciousness. I didn't expect to be exercising my CS background while reading it, but it's very heavy on CS techniques and jargon despite being a psychology book (the author spends a solid chunk of the first chapter walking the reading through creating what turns out to basically be Prolog).\nOn the fiction side, I'm on my third Discworld book and loving them (Men At Arms).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm on my third Discworld book and loving them (Men At Arms).",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are loving the books.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy comic fantasy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20333110,
          "author": "mlang23",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T08:02:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20333110",
          "commentText": "I just read \"A hat full of stars\" yesterday evening. I can recommend all discworld books.  But this one was especially moving.  Now that I know that Terry was a advocate for assisted dying, I finally understand the  alegory at the end of the book.  Moved me to tears.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can recommend all discworld books.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends every book in the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20332888,
          "author": "KaiserPro",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T07:16:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20332888",
          "commentText": "I personally hate self improvement books/management, so here are some narrative books that I loved and got lost in\n1) The tiger's wife - To me it has a brilliant full universe. Its comprised of a overarching narrative broken up with lots of short stories.\n2) night watch/ making money / going postal - terry pratchett Fun stories with full characters.\n3) THe pigeon tunnels - john le carre, Again composed of short stories, not overly spy-y just fascinating character studies, with a bit of history.\n4) differently morphous - Yahtzee croshaw this one is a scifi comedy, 100% worth getting in audiobook form\n5) rivers of london - ben aaronovich, policeman who was all set for a life of being a desk clerk accidentally becomes a wizard policemen.\n6) harry potter, obviously :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2) night watch/ making money / going postal - terry pratchett Fun stories with full characters.",
          "reason": "Lists these as fun stories with fully realized characters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18675016,
          "author": "fdw",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-13T19:02:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18675016",
          "commentText": "> The Color of Magic - Terry Pratchett (Kinda interesting, but rather odd)\nThis is the first book on Pratchett's Discworld. It definitely has a different tone than his later works. If you've not totally annoyed by it, or if you'd like to read fantasy which strongly mirrors our world, with a dry and playful humour, I'd recommend reading some later ones. They are quite independent of one another, so that you don't have to read them in order (although there's several sets with the same protagonists).\nPersonally, I'd always recommend Going Postal, maybe Night Watch (a bit of back story could help but is not necessary), or Monstrous Regiment.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend reading some later ones.",
          "reason": "Recommends later books in the Discworld series, which can mostly be read independently.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy dry, playful humor or fantasy that mirrors the real world.",
          "caveat": "The books are quite independent; some feature recurring protagonists.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665061,
          "author": "sn41",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:11:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665061",
          "commentText": "Since no one has mentioned it so far, I recommend the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. This year, I finished (numbers in Discworld order, annotated by the series):\n9. Eric [Rincewind]\n10. Moving Pictures [Independent]\n12. Witches Abroad [Witches]\n18. Maskerade [Witches]\n19. Feet of clay [The City Watch]\n23. Carpe Jugulum [Witches]\n32. A Hat Full of Sky [Tiffany Aching]\n37. Unseen Academicals [Wizards]\n38. I Shall Wear Midnight [Tiffany Aching]\nBrilliant series, highly recommended. Whenever I feel down, I re-read one of the Witches series - I spot something I never noticed before - an immediate mood-booster!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the series and calls it brilliant and highly recommended.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a mood-boosting fantasy series.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17544903,
          "author": "NeedMoreTea",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T20:42:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17544903",
          "commentText": "Personally I found the witches arc the slowest to get in to. It's too long ago to remember why I found that, but they sat unfinished. I've read them all several times now, and enjoy them, but only after I'd thoroughly got into the rest of Discworld.\nThe City Watch sub-series is my favourite with the Death arc a close second. laurentl already made recommendation on City Watch, if you want to try the Death arc Mort is the first.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've read them all several times now, and enjoy them",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoy the books after getting into the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The witches arc was slow to get into for the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17353257,
          "author": "adamhepner",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-20T07:15:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17353257",
          "commentText": "Actually, the whole Dune series, and risking to be controversial - the extended universe with the abomination of books by Frank Herbert's son. Yes, they break the rules, yes, they are rushed and yes some explanations plain don't make sense, but ohmygod the additional tens of thousands of years added to the story just put on so much more grandure... But why I like it: I open random page, and I just enjoy falling back to the epic story and remembering small details, discovering new ones, pondering upon the small artificial quotes before the chapters. Those books have so much going on for them, and thanks to the time spans involved you can actually pretty much jump in at any moment.\nOther one is Stainless Steel Rat series by Harry Harrison, those are very funny and don't attempt to take themselves too seriously, and have the same principle - you can jump into the story at any moment and just enjoy rapid pace of events splashed with humorous commentary. Plus the protagonist is a very much self made man in a world where it doesn't come easily, so there's that bit of hope for you.\nThirdly - Discworld. I guess it does not need comment, does it?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thirdly - Discworld. I guess it does not need comment, does it?",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17338722,
          "author": "drivingmenuts",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T15:00:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17338722",
          "commentText": "I think I've read the entire series at least two times. Now I tend to pick and choose - the Death books and the Watch books are my favorites.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the entire series at least two times",
          "reason": "The commenter rereads the series and names the Death and Watch books as favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337358,
          "author": "ColinWright",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:26:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337358",
          "commentText": "I've read them all multiple times, and go back to them again and again.  As with you, I still occasionally spot new things, or get taken afresh by a turn-of-phrase.  I still laugh out loud at some points.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've read them all multiple times, and go back to them again and again.",
          "reason": "Affirms repeatedly rereading the Discworld books and enjoying their humor and turns of phrase.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337264,
          "author": "IanCal",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:08:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337264",
          "commentText": "Pratchett discworld series. Started when I was young and I still enjoy rereading them all, still spot some new things in them now and again too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pratchett discworld series. Started when I was young and I still enjoy rereading them all, still spot some new things in them now and again too.",
          "reason": "Says they still enjoy rereading the series and notice new details.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762123,
          "author": "gerdesj",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T01:28:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762123",
          "commentText": "Was this topic submitted by an AI experiment?  I've taken a quick shufti at arikr's profile and English is not a problem there.\nI will submit: anything written by Sir Terry Pratchett (may he rest in piece)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "anything written by Sir Terry Pratchett",
          "reason": "Recommends Pratchett's writing in response to the thread's request for books with broad impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15631099,
          "author": "btschaegg",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T19:28:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15631099",
          "commentText": "Hard to pinpoint. In terms of entertainment books, it'll probably come down to a tie between Douglas Adams' Last Chance to See and Walter Moers' The City of Dreaming Books, or maybe something by Terry Pratchett (although I couldn't single out a book there, either).\nThe reason for those is just that I can't imagine ever being bored reading them.\nMaybe also Flowers for Algernon (Daniel Keyes) for being a really creative concept (the way the story is told) and for being a wonderful example on how interesting modest sci-fi can be without resorting to \"LAZERZ!!!\".\nEdit: Another contestant: Friedrich Dürrenmatt's The Physicists. Grim yet humorful. I generally really like Dürrenmatt's dark endings.\nEdit 2: And another one: Measuring the World by Daniel Kehlmann, specifically for how well he got me to understand Gauss' weird reactions and motives without going into his work at all. Before I've read it, I would have sworn that a book that tries to present one of the greatest mathematicians would need loads of math in it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "something by Terry Pratchett (although I couldn't single out a book there, either)",
          "reason": "Says they cannot imagine being bored reading Pratchett, while noting they cannot pick a specific book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No individual book is identified.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15021235,
          "author": "moh_maya",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T18:58:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15021235",
          "commentText": "Absolutely. Amazing writer. His nuanced observation of human nature, his wit, his affection for his characters and their humanness.. his entire series, especially the stories that center around AM and involve Vetinari, Vimes or Moist Von Lipwig..",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "his entire series, especially the stories that center around AM and involve Vetinari, Vimes or Moist Von Lipwig..",
          "reason": "Praises the series' writing and its stories centered on Ankh-Morpork and these characters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Particular praise for stories featuring Ankh-Morpork, Vetinari, Vimes, or Moist von Lipwig.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13968701,
          "author": "GedByrne",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T15:49:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13968701",
          "commentText": "The same here.\nI so wish that Sir Terry could be here now, helping us to make sense of what is happening with some silly little stories.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The same here.",
          "reason": "Agrees with the parent’s praise and shares the wish that Pratchett were here to help make sense of current events.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249434,
          "author": "qwertyuiop924",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T11:39:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249434",
          "commentText": "I'll second The Baroque Cycle (or Cryptonomicon: it doesn't matter which). But might I also suggest the works of Terry Pratchett, particularly Discworld? Sir Pterry's work is among the best I've ever read.\nIf you're looking for something a bit fluffier than the above, then I would suggest The Dresden Files. Sure, it's mindless fluff, but man, it's good mindless fluff. The same applies to The Codex Alera (which apparently resulted from a bet that the author couldn't make a good book from an awful idea: the idea given was the lost roman legion crossed with Pokemon).\nI can also suggest Ready Player one in this category. Ready Player One is essentially geek culture (especially gaming culture) furiously... well, you know. Giving itself one. But it's a fun ride (unlike Armada. But that's another story).\nFinally, I can reccomend The Laundry Files. Do you like computing? Do you like lovecraftian nightmares? Go buy these now. The first book is okay, but has a rather nasty problem, sort of: It keeps winking at the audience incessantly. I didn't mind too much, myself, but I know others have been put off by it. Don't worry, the winking lessens to a manageable rate (although never quite fully goes away: after all, this is a series about a CS Student turned Sysadmin turned hunter of unspeakable monstrosities named Bob Oliver Francis Howard. Think about that for a second). And it is one of very few horror series that I have enjoyed. Take that as you will.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "particularly Discworld",
          "reason": "Calls Pratchett's work among the best the commenter has read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12247192,
          "author": "RegW",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T12:34:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12247192",
          "commentText": "I gave this to one son when he was about 18, along with a pretty much complete set of Discworld: http://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/discworld-reading-order/.  These were collected over many years, so a bit of a wrench.  The best of which might be: \"Wyrd Sisters\" (Shakespeare), or \"The Truth\" (Newspapers).  He can make fun of pretty much anything, while still showing it great affection.\nNeil Gaiman's \"The Graveyard Book\" is a great book for reading to younger kids. Weird, creepy, but strangely uplifting, even if it does begin with a triple murder.  I can't remember which kid took that.\nI bought Robert Silverberg's \"Nightwings\" in the 80s and read it several times.  I was going to give away but couldn't find it, so I had to buy a new copy and read it again first.  This seems to anticipate a lot that followed, from genetic modification to drastic climate change, but it is essentially about a character trying to cope in a mad world.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a pretty much complete set of Discworld",
          "reason": "Given as a gift to the commenter's son.",
          "audience": "The commenter's son, who was about 18.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12246136,
          "author": "thallian",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T08:00:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12246136",
          "commentText": "Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett + lots of the Discworld novels (also by Terry Pratchett).\nThe latter have become one of the basic building blocks of my life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "lots of the Discworld novels (also by Terry Pratchett).",
          "reason": "Recommends several novels from the series as gifts and says they became a basic building block of their life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12070961,
          "author": "veddox",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T13:42:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12070961",
          "commentText": "\"Mr Penumbra's 24 hour bookstore\" - Robin Sloan (a brilliant mix of history, mystery, humour and technology)\n\"The Cuckoo's Egg\" - Clifford Stoll (it really is as good as they always say ;-) )\n\"Winnie the Pooh\" - A.A. Milne (delightful, not only for children)\n\"Sofie's World\" - Jostein Gaarder (a novel about the history of philosophy)\nseveral Discworld novels - Terry Pratchett (a series that manages to satirize fantasy and real life at the same time)\n... as well as a few others, but those were the best.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a series that manages to satirize fantasy and real life at the same time",
          "reason": "Praises the series for satirizing fantasy and real life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10784269,
          "author": "MuEta",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T17:05:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10784269",
          "commentText": "I can see that being an issue. I'm in the same habit with LOTR, ASOIAF and Harry Potter, reading each series once every two years or so, and it crushes my ability to read a lot of new books. I've avoided rereading Discworld so far because I know that it will never be as magical as the first read through.\nBut oh god, Baroque Cycle was unparalleled from a character-building perspective. I loved every second of it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've avoided rereading Discworld so far because I know that it will never be as magical as the first read through.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was magical on their first read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They have avoided rereading it because they expect it to be less magical the second time.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783760,
          "author": "gardano",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T15:35:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783760",
          "commentText": "Baroque Cycle, for sure.\nAnd I'm stuck in a loop where I continue to read all the Discworld novels, over and over…",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "And I'm stuck in a loop where I continue to read all the Discworld novels, over and over…",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Repeated reading is mentioned without an explicit positive evaluation or recommendation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783503,
          "author": "MuEta",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:43:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783503",
          "commentText": "The Baroque Cycle - Neal Stephenson - It was 3000+ pages all told, and I LOVED it. His writing has always enthralled me, and I was hooked from the start\nEvery Discworld Novel - Terry Pratchett - Not much can be said that hasn't already been said a million times over. If you haven't read them yet, start now\nThe Theory of Poker - David Sklansky - Helped out my poker game tremendously. I'm much more ev+ now",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Every Discworld Novel - Terry Pratchett - Not much can be said that hasn't already been said a million times over. If you haven't read them yet, start now",
          "reason": "Urges readers who have not read the novels to start now.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9350946,
          "author": "sdab",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T20:51:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350946",
          "commentText": "I also recently read my first Pratchett book after reading some excerpts from around the time he died. Im 5 books in now including having read Mort. On Reaper Man now.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Im 5 books in now",
          "reason": "Refers to reading multiple books by Pratchett, identifying the Discworld series in context.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9347104,
          "author": "pjc50",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T12:47:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9347104",
          "commentText": "Just finished Nate Silver's \"The Signal and The Noise\". Interesting collection of prediction case studies, seeing what can and can't be effectively predicted. Good for correcting black-and-white thinking.\nCurrently reading \"Naples 44\", diary of an intelligence officer there just after the US landings. The author is classically trained enough to immediately fall in love with the place despite the war, so it's a strange mix of lounging around Paestum and the stark effects of war.\nNext in queue: pick one to re-read from Iain M Banks or Pratchett.\n(Presumably Clausewitz is in your reading list somewhere as well; his book is unfinished but contains both good quotes to mine and real insight into how few military problems are about actual fighting itself.)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "or Pratchett.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8944515,
          "author": "parisidau",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-25T22:31:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944515",
          "commentText": "Discworld: Going Postal, Making Money, and Raising Steam (3 books total)\nThe Lies of Locke Lamora (and sequels, 3 books total so far)\nThe Name of the Wind (and sequels, 3 books total so far)\nAncillary Justice (and sequel, 2 books total so far)\nAll of Iain M. Banks Culture series\nOld Man's War (and sequels)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Discworld: Going Postal, Making Money, and Raising Steam (3 books total)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401623,
          "author": "almog",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:48:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401623",
          "commentText": "Read: \nThe Fall of Hyperion\nReading:\nEloquent Javascript 2nd edition\nLearn You a Haskell for Great Good\nNext:\nDiscworld series\nSecrets of The Javascript Ninja",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Discworld series",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401598,
          "author": "eli_gottlieb",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:45:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401598",
          "commentText": "Recently finished:\nDown and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow -- frankly, I found it kind of boring, and also found the narrator unsympathetic.  I'm not sure if the author intended him to be an Unreliable Narrator or not.\nFacts, Values, and Norms by Peter Railton --  Gains three stars for combining serious consideration of ethical and meta-ethical issues with a completely naturalistic worldview and a genuine grappling with history and ideology. Loses two stars for being far, far too long-winded and using vague, colloquial terminology and appeals to intuition where a methodoological naturalist can and should appeal to the fruits of science. (Copy-pasta'd from my Amazon review)\nRapture of the Nerds by Charles Stross -- pretty funny, even if it made a transhuman superintelligent supercivilization look kind of... dumb.\nCurrently re-reading for fun:\nThe Wee Free Men and I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett -- It's Discworld.  Go read them.  NOW.  And read A Hat Full of Sky in the middle.\nThen there's been a lot of textbooks I've been reading, which I won't list.  Though...\nLogical Labyrinths by Raymond Smullyan -- dense, and fun, a graduate-level intro textbook to first-order logic disguised as a logic textbook.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's Discworld.  Go read them.  NOW.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends the Discworld books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8262665,
          "author": "webmaven",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-03T12:42:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8262665",
          "commentText": "Currently?\nFiction:\n* The Hollows series by Kim Harrison: https://www.goodreads.com/series/40628-the-hollows\n* Discworld series by Terry Pratchett: https://www.goodreads.com/series/40650-discworld\n* Dresden FIles by Jim Butcher: https://www.goodreads.com/series/40346-the-dresden-files\n* Wiz by Rick Cook: https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\nNon-Fiction:\n* Programming Google App Engine with Python: http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920033219.do\n* The latest additions to the Lean Series: http://shop.oreilly.com/category/series/lean.do\n* Think Stats: http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920034094.do",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "* Discworld series by Terry Pratchett",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8108001,
          "author": "Shorel",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T13:38:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8108001",
          "commentText": "I just finished this: http://www.amazon.com/The-Antidote-Happiness-Positive-Thinki... (http://www.amazon.com/The-Antidote-Happiness-Positive-Thinking/dp/0865478015)\nI think you will like it. It paints Buddhism and Stoicism in a very pragmatic light.\nI second the Discworld recomendation. The series is fantastic. Read everything Pratchett has written, it is worth it.\nAlso: Ishmael by Daniel Quinn: the only book to truly explain the genesis scripture.\nThe prophet by Khalil Gibran: One of the most beautiful books I've read.\nAnd please ignore Paulo Coelho books. Paulo Coelho is to Richard Bach what Dan Brown is to Humberto Eco.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second the Discworld recomendation. The series is fantastic. Read everything Pratchett has written, it is worth it.",
          "reason": "Seconds the recommendation and calls the series fantastic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8106956,
          "author": "yen223",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:22:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106956",
          "commentText": "I binge-read Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. If you're looking for something religious-y, start with the brilliant Small Gods.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Terry Pratchett's Discworld series",
          "reason": "Praised as a series the commenter binge-read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5869654,
          "author": "rombdn",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-12T18:21:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5869654",
          "commentText": "A Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett is usually for me a good way to step back from everyday life and work. It's funny, there are many references to scientific and nerd culture and it helps to reconsider some \"serious\" things...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett",
          "reason": "Says a Discworld novel helps them step back from everyday life and work; praises its humor and references.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Names the series rather than a specific novel.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3643442,
          "author": "railsmax",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-28T15:24:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 3643009,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-technical book you've read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3643442",
          "commentText": "Terry Pratchet 'The last continent', but it is 22-nd book of a serie 'flat world'. You should start from the begining. It's a really funny fantasy, and easy to read.\nAnother variant is 'Rework', authored 'DHH' for example - it is easy to read and usefully! Have a great vocation :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "serie 'flat world'",
          "reason": "Recommends starting at the beginning of the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The Last Continent is the 22nd book in the series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1974864,
          "author": "Nick_C",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T11:48:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974864",
          "commentText": "I'm imaging myself around 20 and missing out of a couple of decades of great reading:\nthe Aubrey/Maturin canon - Patrick O'Brian\nany book in the Discworld series - Terry Pratchett\nanything by Iain M. Banks (although, strangely, I don't find his non-SF as compelling; perhaps it is too dark for my tastes).\nand something to stimulate me to learn Lisp then instead of now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "any book in the Discworld series - Terry Pratchett",
          "reason": "Recommends any book in the series for their younger self.",
          "audience": "Their imagined 20-year-old self.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1868536,
          "author": "RiderOfGiraffes",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-04T12:15:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1868536",
          "commentText": "I'm a huge Pratchett fan.  I especially like the Watch novels, but every one of them has its merits.  You might find this useful:\nhttp://www.lspace.org/books/reading-order-guides/the-discwor... (http://www.lspace.org/books/reading-order-guides/the-discworld-reading-order-guide-20.jpg)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm a huge Pratchett fan.  I especially like the Watch novels, but every one of them has its merits.",
          "reason": "Expresses enthusiasm for Pratchett and says every Discworld novel has merits.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865051,
          "author": "jeebusroxors",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T15:13:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865051",
          "commentText": "Kurt Vonnegut has some good stuff. Slaughterhouse Five, Cats Cradle and I really liked A Man Without a Country.\nThe Discworld series (Terry Prachett) is good if you liked HHG",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Discworld series (Terry Prachett) is good if you liked HHG",
          "reason": "Recommends the series to readers who liked The Hitchhiker’s Guide.",
          "audience": "Readers who liked The Hitchhiker’s Guide.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1864716,
          "author": "RiderOfGiraffes",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T13:42:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1864716",
          "commentText": "Anything by Terry Pratchett.  There are a lot of books, and you might want to check this:\nhttp://www.lspace.org/books/reading-order-guides/the-discwor... (http://www.lspace.org/books/reading-order-guides/the-discworld-reading-order-guide-20.jpg)\nI personally loved \"Guards! Guards!\" and would recommend it.\nAlso enjoyed \"The player of Games\" by Iain M Banks.\nConsider also \"Snow Crash\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anything by Terry Pratchett. There are a lot of books",
          "reason": "Recommends Pratchett's books in response to a request for what to read next.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No individual Discworld titles are specified.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 602299,
          "author": "jpd",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-10T17:46:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 601903,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fictional books related to startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=602299",
          "commentText": "Discworld's Going Postal and Making Money by Terry Pratchett are worth checking out. They are sort-of about startups; the main character has to re-organize the Post Office and the Banking system.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Discworld's Going Postal and Making Money by Terry Pratchett are worth checking out.",
          "reason": "The two named books are identified as part of Discworld; the series is not independently recommended beyond those books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 57231,
          "author": "alex_c",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-20T03:54:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=57231",
          "commentText": "For fiction, I'm surprised no one has mentioned:\nThe Dune series by Frank Herbert.  Unlike anything else I've read, and one of the most compelling and detailed fictional universes in literature.\nThe Discworld series by Terry Pratchett.  Don't confuse it for fantasy - it's brilliant satire.  Littered with geeky references and clever wordplay, I actually enjoy it a bit more than the Hitchhiker's Guide books.  If you like Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett is a pretty safe bet.\nAnything by Stanislaw Lem - clever and funny science fiction.  A good match for my weird sense of humour.\nAll of the above can slightly change the way you see the world.\nFor non-fiction, another vote for the Mythical Man Month.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. Don't confuse it for fantasy - it's brilliant satire.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as brilliant satire.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter emphasizes its satire rather than treating it as ordinary fantasy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry Pratchett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 45,
      "threads": 35,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fantasy",
        "satire",
        "episodic series",
        "humor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fooled-by-randomness-35a6d1",
      "title": "Fooled by Randomness",
      "author": "Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46227539,
          "author": "paperplaneflyr",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-11T04:08:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 46226571,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46227539",
          "commentText": "Empire of AI by Karen Hao.\nThe whole world is going crazy for AI. This book brings the story of what actually goes on within those companies.\nFooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35929610,
          "author": "bionsystem",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T15:56:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35929610",
          "commentText": "Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About The World - And Why Things Are Better Than You Think (English Edition)\nHans Rosling, Ola Rosling, Anna Rosling Rönnlund\nI'm reading this right now and I'm quite surprised by how little I know about the most impactful data on human well-being. The writing is a little bit off sometimes but still worth looking at.\nI also liked \"Fooled by randomness\" by Nassim Taleb. His other writings are good too but I would say this one is the most impactful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also liked \"Fooled by randomness\" by Nassim Taleb.",
          "reason": "Says this is the most impactful of Taleb's writings the commenter has read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Taleb's other writings are good too, but this one was most impactful.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32938896,
          "author": "madmax108",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:04:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938896",
          "commentText": "Maybe it's just me, but I feel nearly all of Taleb's books should be blog posts instead of full length books. I first read Black Swan a long while back, and two things popped out at me. 1) The author comes across quite snobby and high-handed in his writing (which has translated over time on his Twitter as well for those who follow him on there) and 2) The essence of the book was distillable into a much smaller novella.\nPicked up Antifragile and Fooled By Randomness over time just to see if the hype is worth it, but none of the books honestly bowled me over or presented anything enlightening or explored ideas not explored in a better manner elsewhere. I feel like Taleb falls into the same fallacy he preaches about in his books to a large extent. But then again, given his popularity, maybe it's just my opinion.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Picked up Antifragile and Fooled By Randomness over time",
          "reason": "Says it did not impress them or present enlightening ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its ideas were better explored elsewhere.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31974250,
          "author": "gigantecmedia",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-04T06:59:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31974250",
          "commentText": "Incerto by Nassim Taleb. Best piece of work I've ever read. I'm re-reading it, and still... what a masterpiece, a mind-blowing piece of work. Fooled by Randomness, The Black Swan, and Antifragile remain my \"Holy Trinity\" of books. You just couldn't stop reading them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fooled by Randomness",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter’s “Holy Trinity” of books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30764235,
          "author": "haakonhr",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-22T09:37:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30764235",
          "commentText": "A good chance reflect. There are several:\n- A Conferedancy of Dunces, Peter O'Toole: tragic, hilarious and absurd\n- Fooled by Randomness, Nassim Taleb: this was my first exposure to a lot of biases and other interesting phenomena\n- The Design of Everything Things: eye-opener!\nHarry Potter, Tolkien, Dune and a lot of other sci-fi has also affected me, although I find it hard to point out one in particular. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein stands out a bit.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fooled by Randomness, Nassim Taleb: this was my first exposure to a lot of biases",
          "reason": "It introduced the commenter to cognitive biases and other interesting phenomena.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27637837,
          "author": "TheFreim",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T00:20:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27637837",
          "commentText": "Fooled By Randomness was a really great book, I second your suggestion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fooled By Randomness was a really great book, I second your suggestion.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly endorses the book and seconds the prior suggestion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27637608,
          "author": "wenc",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T23:46:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27637608",
          "commentText": "* Fooled By Randomness (NN Taleb): Taleb is a complicated personality, but this book gave me a heuristic for thinking about long-tails and uncertain events that I could never have derived myself from a probability textbook.\n* Designing Data Intensive Applications (M Kleppmann): Provided a first-principles approach for thinking about the design of modern large-scale data infrastructure. It's not just about assembling different technologies -- there are principles behind how data moves and transforms that transcend current technology, and DDIA is an articulation of those principles. After reading this, I began to notice general patterns in data infrastructure, which helped me quickly grasp how new technologies worked. (most are variations on the same principles)\n* Introduction to Statistical Learning (James et al) and Applied Predictive Modeling (Kuhn et al). These two books gave me a grand sweep of predictive modeling methods pre-deep learning, methods which continue to be useful and applicable to a wider variety of problem contexts than AI/Deep Learning. (neural networks aren't appropriate for huge classes of problems)\n* High Output Management (A Grove): oft-recommended book by former Intel CEO Andy Grove on how middle management in large corporations actually works, from promotions to meetings (as a unit of work). This was my guide to interpreting my experiences when I joined a large corporation and boy was it accurate. It gave me a language and a framework for thinking about what was happening around me. I heard this was 1 of 2 books Tobi Luetke read to understand management when he went from being a technical person to CEO of Shopify. (the other book being Cialdini's Influence). Hard Things about Hard Things (B Horowitz) is a different take that is also worth a read to understand the hidden--but intentional--managerial design of a modern tech company. These some of the very few books written by practitioners--rather than management gurus--that I've found to track pretty closely with my own real life experiences.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Fooled By Randomness (NN Taleb)",
          "reason": "The commenter says it offered a useful way to think about long tails and uncertain events.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes Taleb as a complicated personality.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23858780,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:34:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858780",
          "commentText": "The Prince - Niccolo Machiavelli\nThe 48 Rules of Power - Robert Greene\nFooled By Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nHow to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big - Scott Adams\nBasic Economics - Thomas Sowell\nThe World Is Flat - Thomas L. Friedman\nThe Penguin History of the World: Sixth Edition - J. M. Roberts and Odd Arne Westad",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fooled By Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that helped readers understand the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23858682,
          "author": "gas9S9zw3P9c",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:18:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858682",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed Fooled By Randomness. Taleb's other books are good too, but Fooled By Randomness was my favorite.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed Fooled By Randomness.",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed it and names it as their favorite among Taleb's books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Taleb's other books are good too, but this one was their favorite.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23153802,
          "author": "mitchelldeacon9",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T13:35:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23153802",
          "commentText": "In addition to the classics of cognitive psychology (Kahneman, Taleb, et al.), I would also recommend books on psychological manipulation, religious cults, and con men. The following books offer a multi-disciplinary perspective on psychological techniques to improve awareness and exploit other people, both of which are essential to enhance your perception and protect yourself against fraud and manipulation.\nCialdini, Robert (2006) Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion\nGuinn, Jeff (2017) Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple\nEkman, Paul (2007) Emotions Revealed: Recognizing Faces and Feelings to Improve Communication and Emotional Life\nKahneman, Daniel (2011) Thinking, Fast and Slow\nMitnick, Kevin and William Simon (2002) Art of Deception\nNavarro and Karlins (2008) What Every Body is Saying: Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Speed-Reading People\nNietzsche, Friedrich (1887) On the Genealogy of Morals\nRhodes, Richard (1986) Making of the Atomic Bomb\nSun Tzu (c. 400 BCE) Art of War\nTaleb, Nassim Nicholas (2005) Fooled by Randomness\nWright, Lawrence (2013) Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Taleb, Nassim Nicholas (2005) Fooled by Randomness",
          "reason": "Listed among books offering a multidisciplinary perspective on psychology.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in understanding judgment and human behavior.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22574055,
          "author": "evjan",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T08:58:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22574055",
          "commentText": "The entire Incerto book series by Taleb (which includes Fooled by Randomness and The Black Swan) are awesome and they are talking about big catastrophic events like the current one. This pandemic is a classic Black Swan event: it's a surprise, it has a major impact and lots of experts will try to say that it was easily foreseeable in hindsight.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "(which includes Fooled by Randomness and The Black Swan)",
          "reason": "Named as a book in the recommended Incerto series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21811683,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-17T08:19:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21811683",
          "commentText": "Ah, a fellow NNT fan!\nI am curious; what is your opinion of his works and the man himself? I had read (a long time ago) \"Fooled by Randomness\" and \"The Black Swan\" and the thing i remember most is his definitions of Extremistan/Mediocristan (from the latter book) and our inability to understand \"random chance\" leading to a tendency to see patterns and devise explanations where there are none (eg. Causation vs. Correlation vs. Randomness) I find his writings thought-provoking but difficult to understand (eg. Differences between Randomness, Uncertainty, Probability and Risk) and sometimes quite nihilistic.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Fooled by Randomness\" and \"The Black Swan\"",
          "reason": "The commenter describes Taleb’s works as thought-provoking but difficult to understand and sometimes nihilistic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Difficult to understand; sometimes quite nihilistic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21793190,
          "author": "ellius",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T23:39:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793190",
          "commentText": "• The Revolt of the Public: No book has done a better job of describing the current moment in history\n• Masters of Doom: Reminded me what it means to care about work and have fun doing it\n• Team of Rivals: A remarkable work of history and portrait of a man\n• The Undercover Economist\n• Fooled by Randomness\n• The Prize",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fooled by Randomness",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21464208,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T16:39:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21464208",
          "commentText": "Funny, that jibes with my perception of Taleb as well. He seems a bit smug, and I'm not sure if I'd like him or not if we met in person, but his books still seem valuable and worth reading. I would say that I'm better off for having read both The Black Swan and Fooled by Randomness.  Still waiting to get around to reading Anti-Fragile, but it's definitely on the list.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I would say that I'm better off for having read both The Black Swan and Fooled by Randomness.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are better off for having read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds Taleb smug and is unsure whether they would like him in person.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21459819,
          "author": "prabhupant",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T04:55:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21459819",
          "commentText": "Just finished reading \"Fooled by Randomness\" by Nassim Nicholas Taleb and started \"Guns, germs and steel\"",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Just finished reading \"Fooled by Randomness\" by Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19089022,
          "author": "tvladeck",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T19:47:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19089022",
          "commentText": "The Selfish Gene & The Blind Watchmaker by Dawkins\nEvolution is the reason we exist! Understanding how it happens and why it can lead to counterintuitive outcomes is very important. He also narrates his own audiobooks and is excellent at it.\nThe Blank Slate & The Better Angels of our Nature by Pinker\nBoth books counter much accepted wisdom. The second book, in particular, will make you think of humanity in a fundamentally different light.\nThe Black Swan & Fooled by Randomness by Taleb\nThe role of chance in everyday life! It plays a big role!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Black Swan & Fooled by Randomness by Taleb\nThe role of chance in everyday life! It plays a big role!",
          "reason": "The commenter points to the role of chance in everyday life as the books’ insight.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18744393,
          "author": "rtchau",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T04:16:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744393",
          "commentText": "Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Signal and the Noise by Nate Silver",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite nonfiction books read in 2018.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17049034,
          "author": "DLA",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T17:10:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17049034",
          "commentText": "Totally agree with mountbranch here.\nPrinciples is fantastic. At the same time you may read and think \"sure, common sense\" but then did you think that before you read the item -- probably not. I feel this is a book to keep for a lifetime. Can't wait for Ray's economics book.\nCool animated summary here:\nhttps://www.principles.com/principles-for-success/\nThe Dao of Capital is deeper. The chapter on Conifers (yeah, pine trees) and how they exist with and balance times of trouble versus opportunity is well worth the price of the book.\nAlso, and not least, Nassim Taleb's books: Fooled By Randomness, Black Swan, and Anti-fragile. Poetic, deep, useful, and entertaining. Fantastic. A pleasure to read and listen to in audio while driving/traveling.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Poetic, deep, useful, and entertaining. Fantastic. A pleasure to read and listen to in audio while driving/traveling.",
          "reason": "Describes the listed Taleb books as poetic, deep, useful, entertaining, and a pleasure to read or hear.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16010565,
          "author": "jonvillage",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-26T19:55:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16010565",
          "commentText": "This year I've read:\nMaxims - Epictetus\nThe road to serfdom - Friedrich Hayek\nDe officiis - Cicero\nDe divinatione - Cicero\nLives of eminent philosophers - Diogenes Laertius\nConfessions - Al ghazali\nIlliad - Homer\nOdyssey - Homer\nInfluence - Robert Cialdini\nGuns, Germs and steel - Jared Diamond\nPoor Charlie's Almanack - Charlie Munger - 2nd reading\nAndrew Carnegie's Biography - Joseph Frazier\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Taleb - 2nd reading\nBed of Procrustes - Nassim Taleb\nNever Split the Difference - Christopher Voss\nThe intelligent investor - Benjamin Graham\nAutobiography - Benjamin Franklin\nI always remember this quote:\n\"In my whole life, I have known no wise people who didn't read all the time -- none, zero.\"  Charlie Munger",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Fooled by Randomness - Nassim Taleb - 2nd reading",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says this was a second reading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14478471,
          "author": "skdotdan",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T21:01:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478471",
          "commentText": "I was going to say the exact same thing!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I was going to say the exact same thing!",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14478444,
          "author": "ssohi",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T20:54:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478444",
          "commentText": "Fooled By Randomness & The Black Swan by Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fooled By Randomness & The Black Swan by Taleb",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13969397,
          "author": "canes123456",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T16:54:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13969397",
          "commentText": "Not the black swan, but anything else is a fine intro. Antifragile or Fooled by randomness but work",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Antifragile or Fooled by randomness but work",
          "reason": "Suggested as a fine introduction.",
          "audience": "Someone asking which Taleb book to read first.",
          "caveat": "The comment ends with “but work,” so the qualification is unclear.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567240,
          "author": "hoodwink",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T15:26:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567240",
          "commentText": "The book I recently reread was Fooled by Randomness. Working in the finance industry, that book changed my life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Working in the finance industry, that book changed my life.",
          "reason": "Says the book changed their life while working in finance.",
          "audience": "People working in finance.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12584939,
          "author": "megadrive16",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-26T19:44:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12584939",
          "commentText": "Here are my recommendations. This list is optimised to teach you the fundamentals of economics and finance, give you alternative perspectives on status quo economic/financial thinking and then equip with you with tools, ideas, and concepts to come up with original investment ideas and increase the likelihood that they are going to actually make you, your clients, and your firm a lot of money without anybody getting grilled by the House Financial Services Committee, the SEC, or ending up in jail.\n1.) Get a recent copy of the CFA curriculum and do the end of chapter exercises. You can probably skip a lot of the quantitative methods material if you’re doing a degree in stats. The CFA curriculum will give you a solid understanding of all the major sub-categories of economics (micro, macro, corporate finance, security analysis, accounting, financial statement analysis, alternative investments, derivatives, portfolio management, and most importantly ethical standards for financial professionals.\n2.) Read the Economics Anti-Text Book to crush any illusion that the neoclassical economic paradigm, which the CFA curriculum is based on, is the only scholarly interpretation of how economics works in the real world. Then read it again. If you’re really a diehard scholar read some of the alternative economics papers that the book references.\n3.) Find a good book or paper that covers Rational Choice Theory in depth. Then, at least, read Kahneman and Tversky (1979). If you can, read all of Kahneman and Tversky’s papers. This should also help clear any illusion that humans being are rational agents, which is a cornerstone of neoclassical economics, and give you a foundation for thinking about how people in markets really make decisions.\n4.) Read Fooled by Randomness to get more alternative thinking on decision making and how finance and economics works in the real world vs. the textbook stuff that you’re going to learn via the CFA curriculum.\n5.) Read Business Dynamics (Sterman, 2000) to learn how to model systems the “right” way.\n6.) Read Best Practices for Equity Research Analysts (Valentine). Regardless if you want to be an equity analysis or not, this book is the best book around if you want to learn how to organise yourself to succeed working day-today in an investment decision making role. Just think about the equity specific aspects in the context of whatever category of finance you’re interested in.\n7.) The Sleuth Investor (Mandelman). A lot to people complained that some of this book’s suggestions cross an ethical line. I disagree. Again, this books will give you an alternative perspective about how economic agents gather information on the critical factors that will move the variables they’re  interested in (e.g. stock prices, bond ratings, commodity prices,  earnings, etc). It’s basic premise is get out of the building and collect HUMINT (echoing Valentine more aggressively) like a CIA case officer instead of a nerd in a cube reading the same 10K’s, sell-side research, as everybody else.\n8.) Expectations Investing (Mauboussin) is a must read for how to come up with contra-consensus investment ideas and get it right.\n9.) Investing: The Last Great Liberal Art is a must read for learning how to incorporate information from other fields (physics, biology, sociology, etc) into your economic analysis.\n10.) (Optional) Diaminds: Decoding the Mental Habits of Successful Thinkers that challenges you to think about your thinking and assess how great business thinkers think. Not a economics but definitely will help you become a better economic thinker.\nGood luck!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read Fooled by Randomness to get more alternative thinking on decision making and how finance and economics works in the real world",
          "reason": "Recommended for alternative perspectives on decision-making and real-world finance and economics.",
          "audience": "Readers learning economics and finance.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12279749,
          "author": "RachelF",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-13T01:16:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12279749",
          "commentText": "\"Fooled by Randomness\" by N.N. Taleb.\nIt showed how big a role chance plays in our lives, and how to make the most of it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It showed how big a role chance plays in our lives, and how to make the most of it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed how they understand chance and how to respond to it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144266,
          "author": "kentf",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:50:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144266",
          "commentText": "The Pragmatic Programmer, Dave Thomas, Andy Hunt\nFooled by Randomness, Taleb\nLinchpin, Seth Godin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fooled by Randomness, Taleb",
          "reason": "Named in response to a request for books that impacted a career.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785719,
          "author": "martythemaniak",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T21:18:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785719",
          "commentText": "Leave it to Psmith - 10/10\nAnna Karenina - 8/10\nThe Code of the Woosters 8/10\nFooled by Randomness 7/10\nFinding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life 8/10\nHow to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia 9/10\nReluctant Fundamentalist 9/10\nThe Sense of an Ending - Julian Barnes 8/10\nThe Last Question - Asimov - 9/10\nThe Magic of Thinking Big - 6/10\nThe catcher in the Rye 8/10\nModels 7/10\nHigh Fidelity - Nick Hornby 8/10\nThe Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman 7/10\nThe Surrender Experiment - 10/10\nUntethered Soul - 9/10\nThe Autobiography of a Yogi - 7/10\nRaja Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 7/10\nSomething Fresh, something new - 7/10\nKarma Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 8/10\nThinking, Fast and Slow - 9/10\nFierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates 10/10\nThe Pearl by John Steinbeck 7/10",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fooled by Randomness 7/10",
          "reason": "Rates the book 7/10.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785552,
          "author": "benajibayassine",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:50:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785552",
          "commentText": "1- The Emperor's Handbook by Marcus Aurelius. Jan, 10th 2015\n2- The crowd, a study of the popular mind by Gustave Le Bon. Jan, 10th 2015\n3- Remote by Jason Fried. Jan, 11th 2015\n4- The shape of the world to come by Laurent Cohen-Tanugi, Jan, 20th, 2015\n5- Post office by Charles Bukowski. Jan, 23rd 2015\n6- Gang leader for a day by Sudhir Venkatesh. Feb, 6th 2015\n7- Zen mind, beginner's mind by Shunryu Suzuki. Feb, 8th 2015\n8- The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Feb, 23rd 2015\n9- Darkness Visible by William Styron. March, 1st 2015\n10- Zero to One by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters. March, 9th 2015\n11- The Kaizen way: One small step can change your life by Robert Mauter. March, 11th 2015\n12- Time by Alexander Waugh. March, 12th 2015\n13- Max and the cats by Moacyr Scliar. March, 14th 2015\n14- Scattered by Gabor Mate. March, 20th 2015\n15- East of Eden by John Steinbeck. March, 30th 2015\n16- Crossing the unknown sea by David Whyte. April, 7th 2015\n17- Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. April, 13th 2015\n18- The World beyond your Head by Matthew Crawford. April, 22nd 2015\n19- How to Think about Exercise by Damon Young. April, 23rd 2015\n20- Solitude by Anthony Storr. May, 8th 2015\n21- Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. June, 10th 2015\n22- The bastard of Istanbul (in Arabic) by Elif Shafak. June, 21st 2015\n23- L’ordre libertaire: la vie philosophique d’Albert Camus by Michel Onfray. July, 7th 2015\n24- Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse. July, 10th 2015\n25- The arab uprisings by James Gelvin. July, 13th 2015\n26- How to worry less about money by John Armstrong. July, 13th 2015\n27- Self comes to mind by Antonio Damasio. July, 31st2015\n28- Muhammad: The First Muslim by Lesley Hazleton. August, 4th t2015\n29- Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. August, 15th 2015 \n30- Heidegger's Being and Time by William Blattner. August, 18th 2015 \n31- Heidegger and a hippo walk through those pearly gates by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. August, 19th 2015 \n32- Why nations fail by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson. October, 3rd 2015 \n33- Charlie Munger: the complete investor by Tren Griffin October, 9th 2015 \n34- The selfish gene by Richard Dawkins October, 23rd 2015\n35- The philosophical baby by Alison Gopnik October, 28th 2015\n36- The three-body problem by Cixin Liu November, 1st 2015\n37- Open letter to a young man by Andre Maurois November, 13th 2015\n38- Thinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman November, 16th 2015\n39- What do you care what people think by Richard Feynman November, 18th 2015\n40- When the body says No by Gabor Maté November, 29th 2015\n41- The truth will set you free by Alice Miller. December, 5th 2015\n42- The shallows by Nicholar Carr. December, 7th 2015\n43- What matters most byJames Hollis. December, 14th 2015\n44- Finding meaning in the second jalf of life byJames Hollis. December, 20yh2015",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "reason": "Included in a dated list of books read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10325237,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T20:31:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325237",
          "commentText": "I'm sure there are many, but a few that jump to mind, in no particular order, and spanning both fiction and non-fiction:\nThe Selfish Gene - Dawkins\nA New Kind of Science - Wolfram\nThe Singularity is Near - Kurzweil\nGödel, Escher, Bach - Hofstadter\nFluid Concepts and Creative Analogies - Hofstadter\nAtlas Shrugged - Rand\nThe Fountainhead - Rand\nNineteen Eighty-Four - Orwell\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nAmbient Findability - Peter Morville\nEmergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software - Steven Johnson\nSix Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age - Duncan Watts\nLinked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means for Business, Science, and Everyday Life - Albert-laszlo Barabasi\nArtificial Life - Steven Levy\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nThe World is Flat - Thomas Friedman\nnot a book, but the various writings of Douglas Engelbart - http://www.dougengelbart.org/library/library.html\nGlasshouse - Charles Stross\nPermutation City - Greg Egan\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nThe Shockwave Rider - John Brunner\nThe Society of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nThe Origin of Wealth: The Radical Remaking of Economics and What it Means for Business and Society - Eric Beinhocker\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nFooled By Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fooled By Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674550,
          "author": "mknits",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T13:29:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674550",
          "commentText": "Fooled By Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fooled By Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the request for a mind-blowing book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107038,
          "author": "khc",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:47:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107038",
          "commentText": "Poor Economics - Abhijit Banerjee & Esther Duflo\nThinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman\nThe Signal and The Noise - Nate Silver\nPredictably Irrational - Dan Ariely\nThis Time is Different - Carmen Reinhart & Kenneth Rogoff\nSubliminal - Leonard Mlodinow\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Taleb\nFor something more lighthearted, I also enjoyed:\nAn Economist Gets Lunch - Tyler Cowen\nInside Jokes - Matthew Hurley & others\n(mostly skipped the dense parts)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fooled by Randomness - Nassim Taleb",
          "reason": "Listed among books offered in response to the favorite-books request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8026758,
          "author": "prateek_mir",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-13T05:51:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 8025870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8026758",
          "commentText": "Fooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4530467,
          "author": "idoh",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-16T21:37:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 4530022,
          "threadTitle": "What to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4530467",
          "commentText": "Some favorites from my bookshelf: Benjamin Franklin's autobiography, Thinking Fast and Slow, Fooled by Randomness / Black Swan, SICP, Zen Mind Beginner's Mind",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fooled by Randomness",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2922008,
          "author": "actionbrandon",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-24T18:44:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 2919368,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have changed the way you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2922008",
          "commentText": "fooled by randomness - nassim taleb.\nhis books get progressively worse, but this one is excellent",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "fooled by randomness - nassim taleb.\nhis books get progressively worse, but this one is excellent",
          "reason": "The commenter calls this book excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Taleb's books get progressively worse.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2741105,
          "author": "gallerytungsten",
          "createdAt": "2011-07-08T02:24:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 2723436,
          "threadTitle": "Suggest good sites/books on probability",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2741105",
          "commentText": "That book is also good; and the Black Swan grew out of a section within it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "That book is also good",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book is good in the context of learning probability.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in learning probability through a popular author.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2330041,
          "author": "shantanubala",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-15T23:57:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 2329700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that change your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2330041",
          "commentText": "If you do a search through HN, you'll find some really good recommendations.\nRead The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb (Fooled By Randomness is also good) if you want to peer into the mind of an investor.\nRead Hesse's Siddhartha if you're thinking along the lines of culture/religion/philosophy.\nRead a few Ayn Rand books if you like libertarianism and don't really care to relate to the characters.\nRead We by Yevgheny Zamyatin if you want an interesting allegory that metaphorically compares heaven to a dystopian dictatorship.\nRead Unweaving the Rainbow by Richard Dawkins if you're very interested in the sciences.\nI remember Sebastian Marshall recommending Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa -- I'd recommend it too. It's pretty good, and I was especially interested since I've been doing marshal arts for over 10 years now.\nAnd read Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! no matter how you think. It's fantastic.\nEDIT: More Books!\nI read these when I was in elementary school, but they still hold their value:\nThe Giver by Lois Lowry if you want more dystopias.\nThe Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery if you're feeling especially playful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fooled By Randomness is also good",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is also good, in the context of books for understanding an investor’s perspective.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in investing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1754053,
          "author": "vithlani",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-04T00:03:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1754053",
          "commentText": "I agree -- FBR is a much deeper book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I agree -- FBR is a much deeper book.",
          "reason": "Calls it a much deeper book in comparison with Black Swan in the surrounding discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752927,
          "author": "serverdude",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T16:03:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752927",
          "commentText": "I am a big fan of both Fooled by Randomness and Black swan. I especially love the fallacies he discusses w.r.t. human brain!\nI also recommend Sudhir Venkatesh's \"Gang Leader For a Day\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I am a big fan of both Fooled by Randomness and Black swan.",
          "reason": "Says they are a big fan of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752666,
          "author": "ohashi",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T13:22:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752666",
          "commentText": "I am also reading Fooled by Randomness right now, enjoying it a lot.  Black Swan was good.  I didn't like outliers very much.  Tipping Point and Blink were more interesting to me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I am also reading Fooled by Randomness right now, enjoying it a lot.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are enjoying it a lot.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752655,
          "author": "kranner",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T13:09:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752655",
          "commentText": "Same here, I liked FBR better than BS. Taleb himself says he 'no longer likes' his first book (FBR), but then the guy's a bit of a contrarian, to put it mildly.\nI should add that a few traders I know recommend FBR as the first book a new recruit should read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a few traders I know recommend FBR as the first book a new recruit should read",
          "reason": "The commenter reports traders recommend it as a new recruit's first book.",
          "audience": "New traders.",
          "caveat": "The recommendation is attributed to traders the commenter knows.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752526,
          "author": "coderholic",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T11:26:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752526",
          "commentText": "Have you read the Taleb's previous book, \"Fooled by Randomness\"? I was completely blown away by it. I didn't find \"Black Swan\" to be anywhere near as interesting, but that could just be because I read it second.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I was completely blown away by it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book completely impressed them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1570734,
          "author": "mrcalzone",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T10:49:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1570734",
          "commentText": "When Genius failed, a story related to (and mentioned in) Fooled by Randomness.\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_Genius_Failed",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "mentioned in) Fooled by Randomness.",
          "reason": "Named as the book that mentions the related story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569456,
          "author": "akshayubhat",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T23:10:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569456",
          "commentText": "1. The Black Swan\n2. Fooled by Randomness\n3. The unbearable lighness of being\n4. Ahead of the Curve (Its about a student's experience at HBS)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fooled by Randomness",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226975,
          "author": "pyronicide",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T17:14:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226975",
          "commentText": "Here are some books that are a mix of psychology and economics that I think are especially suited for HN:\nBehavioral Economics:\n  Predictably Irrational - Dan Ariely\n  Nudge - Richard Thaler\n  Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard - Chip and Dan Heath\n\nEconomics:\n  The Black Swan: Impact of the Highly Improbable - Nassim Taleb\n  Fooled by Randomness - Nassim Taleb\n  Drunkard's Walk - Leonard Mlodinow\n\nPsychology:\n  Opening Skinner's Box - Lauren Slater\n\nManagement:\n  The Education of a Coach - David Halberstam",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fooled by Randomness - Nassim Taleb",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026759,
          "author": "joe_bleau",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T04:13:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026759",
          "commentText": "Influence, \nPredictably Irrational, \nFooled by Randomness, \nThe Blank Slate, \nHouse of Cards, \nand Planar Microwave Engineering come to mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fooled by Randomness,",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for great books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026420,
          "author": "coderholic",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T23:09:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026420",
          "commentText": "I finally finished \"Godel, Escher, Bach\" in 2009, after starting and giving up on it a few times previously. A great book, but it does require a lot of time and some serious thinking with a pencil and pad to do some working out (or at least it did for me).\nThe best book I read in 2009 (and possibly ever!) was \"Fooled By Randomness\" - a fantastic book that I can't recommend enough. I also read the sequel, \"Black Swans\", that was interesting but not in the same league.\n\"Made to stick\" was also a great book, with lots of great marketing advice that is simple to follow.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a fantastic book that I can't recommend enough.",
          "reason": "Calls it fantastic and says the commenter cannot recommend it enough.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876696,
          "author": "patternexon",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T13:58:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876696",
          "commentText": "I agree, after reading Fooled by Randomness, black swan was a let down, repetitive and ironically snobbish for a book thats about understanding the unknown",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "after reading Fooled by Randomness",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875922,
          "author": "paraschopra",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T03:40:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875922",
          "commentText": "Brief History of Time\nFooled by Randomness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fooled by Randomness",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 249276,
          "author": "Prrometheus",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-18T00:06:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=249276",
          "commentText": "After you've read a few books that were recommended here, but before putting down any real money, be sure to pick up a copy of Taleb's \"Fooled By Randomness\" to make sure you have a healthy amount of skepticism.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "pick up a copy of Taleb's \"Fooled By Randomness\"",
          "reason": "Recommends reading it to develop healthy skepticism before investing real money.",
          "audience": "People who have read a few investing books and are preparing to invest.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 248733,
          "author": "keven",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T17:13:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248733",
          "commentText": "Highly recommend Nassim Nicholas Taleb's Fooled by Randomness and The Black Swan.\nalso http://www.gladwell.com/2002/2002_04_29_a_blowingup.htm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Highly recommend Nassim Nicholas Taleb's Fooled by Randomness",
          "reason": "Explicitly highly recommends the book.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in investing and randomness.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 248642,
          "author": "breck",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T16:21:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248642",
          "commentText": "Invest all of it in my startup. :)\nNow for real advice:\nFirst, consider getting an online savings account from ING Direct(3%), or putting your money into PayPal(2.5%)...Better than less than 1%.\nSecond, jon_dahl's advice is spot on. The 2 tricks are to diversify and to dollar cost average(invest your money each month instead of dumping it into the market all at once)....Index funds are the way to go. Vanguard's are great...You might also want to read \"Fooled by Randomness\" which will make you feel confident that this is the right investment approach, and anything else is pretty much gambling.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You might also want to read \"Fooled by Randomness\" which will make you feel confident that this is the right investment approach",
          "reason": "Suggested as a book that can build confidence in the recommended investment approach.",
          "audience": "Readers considering index investing and diversification.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240688,
          "author": "breck",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T02:34:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240688",
          "commentText": "-Black Swan & Fooled by Randomness\n-The C Programming Language\n-The Non-Designers Design Book\n-How to Read a Book\n-Never Eat Alone\n-Art of War\n-Bill Bryson's a History of Everything(~)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Black Swan & Fooled by Randomness",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 57595,
          "author": "ctkrohn",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-20T20:48:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=57595",
          "commentText": "That book was OK, but the later parts (where he talks about CAPM and so forth) are uninformative to anyone who knows about modern mathematical finance.\nIf you're looking for pop-math/finance books that could change how you look at the world, I'd recomment Taleb's \"Fooled by Randomness\" instead.  Taleb is smug, but he makes an important point: people are way too eager to see patterns where none exist.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recomment Taleb's \"Fooled by Randomness\" instead. Taleb is smug, but he makes an important point: people are way too eager to see patterns where none exist.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for its point about people seeing patterns where none exist.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in pop mathematics and finance.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes Taleb as smug.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56763,
          "author": "adsyoung",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T07:13:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56763",
          "commentText": "Fooled By Randomness by Nassim Taleb and Seth Godin's book All Marketers Are Liars have just completely changed the way I think about the business world. \nI'm looking forward to getting to The Black Swan by Nassim Taleb.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "have just completely changed the way I think about the business world.",
          "reason": "Says the book changed how they think about business.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in business and uncertainty.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nassim Nicholas Taleb"
      ],
      "recommenders": 44,
      "threads": 38,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Psychology",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "probability",
        "risk",
        "decision making",
        "uncertainty"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-computer-programming-e04b20",
      "title": "The Art of Computer Programming",
      "author": "Donald E. Knuth",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45315745,
          "author": "markus_zhang",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-20T18:07:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 45312545,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that helped you lose weight?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45315745",
          "commentText": "The art of computer programming. Put all volumes into a custom made box, and life that 100 times every day.\n/j",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The art of computer programming.",
          "reason": "Jokingly suggests lifting all volumes as exercise.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The suggestion is a joke.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 44568427,
          "author": "jll29",
          "createdAt": "2025-07-15T06:32:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 44568054,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44568427",
          "commentText": "Torn between\nIt's a poem published in 1979 by the son of a physics Nobel prize winner, and it's about consciousness and artificial intelligence, and how they relate to mathematical proofs, music compositions (especially Baroque organ music) and visual art. It is full of self-references.\nIt's a twelve-episode science mystery called \"TAOCP\"... eagerly awaiting episode 4c! It's full of passion, hard facts, proofs, code fragments, even music scores and of course jokes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a twelve-episode science mystery called \"TAOCP\"",
          "reason": "Describes it as a science mystery with hard facts, proofs, code, music, and jokes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Eagerly awaiting episode 4c.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43612495,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T15:17:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43612495",
          "commentText": "Having been a reader approxumately all my life, approximately all the books have been worth my time.\nThough the best book is far and away Three Little Pigs which my now grown-ass-man child called “the wolf book” when requesting it at bedtime at the age of incredible. I highly recommend it — time spent with your child I mean,\nBut if you want an HNish book recommendation?…The Art of Computer Programming is well worth trying to read because it will be challenging for as long as you keep at it. Good luck.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Computer Programming is well worth trying to read because it will be challenging for as long as you keep at it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is worth trying to read.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a long-term challenge.",
          "caveat": "It remains challenging for as long as you keep at it.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43085871,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-18T03:44:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 43084739,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction/non-fiction book should everyone read on the topic of CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43085871",
          "commentText": "TAoCP is worth trying to read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "TAoCP is worth trying to read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is worth attempting to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Only an encouragement to try reading it; no stronger endorsement is stated.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40047789,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-16T02:24:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40047789",
          "commentText": "The Art of Computer Programming boxed set.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Computer Programming boxed set",
          "reason": "Listed as a book given as a gift.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40046279,
          "author": "h2odragon",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-15T22:11:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40046279",
          "commentText": "Illuminatus trilogy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Illuminatus!_Trilogy\nKnuth's TAoCP.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Knuth's TAoCP.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39057355,
          "author": "mtillman",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T16:34:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39057355",
          "commentText": "* The Art of Unix Programming\n* The Art of Computer Programming",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Computer Programming",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for engineering philosophy recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computer programming and algorithms.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37819038,
          "author": "neversaydie",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-09T10:57:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37819038",
          "commentText": "In software:\nCould plausibly have read, but also likely to blindly recommend without having read them (I've done that myself, only ever skimmed either): The Mythical Man Month, Code Complete.\nVery unlikely to have read: Knuth's Art of Computer Programming. (I'm moderately sure Donald Knuth has read these, but beyond that, dubious. Personally I've read their titles on a shelf three times now.)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Very unlikely to have read: Knuth's Art of Computer Programming.",
          "reason": "Says it is very unlikely people have read the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is moderately sure Knuth has read it, but doubts that others have.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37813315,
          "author": "approxim8ion",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-08T18:53:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37813315",
          "commentText": "CLRS or some Algorithm Design Book, but you could easily be talking about TAOCP or SICP or Clean Code or any of 1000 other books.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "TAOCP",
          "reason": "Named as one of several books people might pretend to have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36823955,
          "author": "philomath_mn",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-22T06:51:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36823955",
          "commentText": "Going to stick my neck out here: I read a lot of technical books, have a masters in math and 10+ years professional experience but man that book was too much of a slog for me (only made it a few chapters).\nIt sure _seems_ like a no-brainer to read such a classic, but I wonder how many copies languish on the shelf without ever getting finished (same goes for The Art of Computer Programming).\nDon't let this discourage you from giving it a shot, but also don't be discouraged if you aren't able to finish it. Just keep reading and challenging yourself as best you can -- a few years of that and you'll be miles ahead of 99% of devs out there.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "same goes for The Art of Computer Programming",
          "reason": "Says copies of the book may sit on shelves unfinished.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter speculates that many copies may go unfinished.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36810871,
          "author": "charlysl",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-21T07:09:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36810871",
          "commentText": "This.\nThat was my journey as a self-taught programmer who at one point realized had to learn the timeless foundations.\nAnd then MIT's 6.005 [1], where you will apply all this with a realistic language (Java, although the concepts carry to any language), and learn how to design, code and test programs that \"have no bugs, are easy to understand and ready for change\".\nAnd also learn a bit about algorithms, I don't think that one can design and understand properly without. And what is O(2^n) today will still be that in 100 years. MIT's 6.006 is amazing, both professor and TA [2].\nI've seen Knuth's TAOCP recommended around here. Don't even consider that, do a course like 6.006 first, the Everest shouldn't be the first mountain you climb. Likewise favour HtDP over SICP at first, I've been there.\nIf after all this you are still interested in LLMs, I recommend EdX's \"Large Language Models: Application through Production\" [3]\n[1] https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/6-005-software-construction-spri... (https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/6-005-software-construction-spring-2016/)\n[2] https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/6-006-introduction-to-algorithms... (https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/6-006-introduction-to-algorithms-fall-2011/)\n[3] https://www.edx.org/course/large-language-models-application... (https://www.edx.org/course/large-language-models-application-through-production)",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I've seen Knuth's TAOCP recommended around here. Don't even consider that",
          "reason": "Advises against starting with it and suggests taking an algorithms course first.",
          "audience": "Readers new to the subject, as implied by the mountain-climbing comparison.",
          "caveat": "Recommends taking a course like MIT 6.006 first.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36807764,
          "author": "JohnFen",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T22:42:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36807764",
          "commentText": "I've read and understood them both but didn't recognize them from the initials. In another comment here, someone said\n>  TAoCP (er, Knuth's \"The Art of Computer Programming\")\nI also would not have recognized TAoCP as referring to the Knuth book. Not all corners of the tech world commonly refer to tech books by their initials. That doesn't mean they have nothing useful to say about them.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "TAoCP (er, Knuth's \"The Art of Computer Programming\")",
          "reason": "Uses the title as an example of a book acronym they would not recognize.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36803984,
          "author": "cbm-vic-20",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T17:42:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36803984",
          "commentText": "Likewise, TAoCP (er, Knuth's \"The Art of Computer Programming\") is even _older_ than SICP, and will definitely not help with writing better professional Python programs, but is steeped in first-principles goodness.  Even so, I end up turning to it every once in a while; once while figuring out some tricky allocation code, and another to see if I could find a way to skip a few steps in a piece of code that needed to run in a tight loop.\nIt's certainly not required reading to be a successful programmer in the 21st century, but like SICP, it offers a different way of looking at things that may help influence some of your decisions on how to build something.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "TAoCP (er, Knuth's \"The Art of Computer Programming\")",
          "reason": "The commenter describes consulting it for tricky allocation code and optimizing tight loops.",
          "audience": "Programmers interested in first principles and algorithms.",
          "caveat": "Not required for success as a modern programmer; it may not help with professional Python programming.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35932765,
          "author": "throwaway81523",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T21:11:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35932765",
          "commentText": "If a textbook is eye-opening, that's partly due to the textbook but it's also because you were at a moment in your understanding of that subject, that your eyes were ready to be opened and just needed a trigger.  For me, TAOCP in high school was a big one.  I don't claim to have understood very much of it, but spending evenings in the library bashing through the parts I could make sense of gave a total change in perspective.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "For me, TAOCP in high school was a big one.",
          "reason": "The book gave the commenter a major change in perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they did not understand much of it.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936946,
          "author": "Yizahi",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T10:22:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936946",
          "commentText": "ITT: books programmers recommend but not really read :) . I'm guessing SICP would be recommended, Dragon book, TAOCP, some super famous philosophers centuries back and finally modern day self improvement books.\nAs for me, I can't really say that any single book was worth it in the sense - if I didn't read it, would I have been in the worse position or would I have missed some crucial and/or unique (only in that book) knowledge? Probably not.\nPS: just not to sound entirely negative, I can recommend two ideas.\nIdea 1: there are marks in Wikipedia, which denote especially good articles. And there is a meta page with a list of top10, top100, top1000 and so on pages. I made myself a personal project to read eventually through top1000 articles.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Vital_articles\nIdea 2: find a good in-depth history channel on youtube or a streaming service, explaining in-depth certain historic evens and the whole timeline. I wager a lot of things will turn out not quite as you may have remembered or imagined. It teaches a lot about social conflicts, wars, money etc. I can recommend a series of streams but they are in Russian. Don't have an English equivalent at the moment.\nhttps://www.youtube.com/user/ButKorn",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "TAOCP",
          "reason": "Named as an example of a book programmers recommend, with skeptical framing about whether they have read it.",
          "audience": "Programmers",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32790907,
          "author": "nano9",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T14:21:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790907",
          "commentText": "Neuromancer\nSnow Crash\nBlindsight\n(Just some fun fiction to bolster one's passion for their chosen profession. Obviously TAOCP, SICP, K&R, and other books in their ranks are better answers.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Obviously TAOCP, SICP, K&R, and other books in their ranks are better answers.",
          "reason": "The commenter says these are better answers to the prompt.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32790740,
          "author": "f1shy",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T14:03:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790740",
          "commentText": "Computer science: Knuth's TAOCP. And Sipser's Introduction to the Theory of Computation.\nProgramming: SICP, K&R, and Stroustrup. Siebel's Practical common lisp.\nArtificial intelligence: AI a modern approach.\nSignals and Systems: Oppenheim's book\nProbability and statistics: Probability Theory: The Logic of Science by Jaynes",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Knuth's TAOCP",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32790245,
          "author": "curious16",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T13:04:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790245",
          "commentText": "TAOCP, you have worked through the whole thing? At what point in life?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "TAOCP, you have worked through the whole thing?",
          "reason": "Asks whether the other commenter has worked through the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32790203,
          "author": "fermigier",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T12:58:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790203",
          "commentText": "Physics: Feynman's lectures on physics.\nMaths: Rudin's Real and Complex analysis.\nSoftware engineering: The Mythical Man-Month.\nComputer science: Knuth's TAOCP.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Computer science: Knuth's TAOCP.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31969111,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T16:55:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31969111",
          "commentText": "If it was TAoCP, I would always have something I didn’t understand to read. I would always be learning. And Knuth is a fine writer to boot.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If it was TAoCP, I would always have something I didn’t understand to read.",
          "reason": "Would choose it because it offers continued learning and has material they do not yet understand.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31232163,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-02T07:04:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 31166475,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Top inspiring books on crucial CS ideas?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31232163",
          "commentText": "Gee, I've read 6 or 7 and found all of them extremely inspiring. (I've not read Code or CLRS Algorithms, and only parts of SICP and TAoCP) Well ok, 'inspiring' maybe is not exactly the word for Man-Month, but it is fascinating. Looks like the list of 10 most-recommended programming books, and things don't get on that list for no reason!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "only parts of SICP and TAoCP",
          "reason": "Says they have read only parts of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has read only parts.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31168696,
          "author": "ivanmaeder",
          "createdAt": "2022-04-26T15:28:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 31166475,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Top inspiring books on crucial CS ideas?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31168696",
          "commentText": "The bot's recommendations are good, although maybe not inspiring.\n\"Programming Pearls\" might be an exception—there are some great real-life stories and problems to think through in that.\nMaybe also \"The Art of Computer Programming\" but I can't speak from experience (I'm not ready to tackle that one yet).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Maybe also \"The Art of Computer Programming\" but I can't speak from experience",
          "reason": "The commenter tentatively names it as another possible exception, while saying they have no experience with it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are not ready to tackle it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31167257,
          "author": "Parker_Powell",
          "createdAt": "2022-04-26T13:33:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 31166475,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Top inspiring books on crucial CS ideas?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31167257",
          "commentText": "No matter how long you've been a programmer, you're always looking for new ways to hone your craft and learn new techniques. One of the best ways to do that is by reading books on programming—as in, books that are actually about programming. Here's our list of 10 of the best.\n1. Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software\n2. Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship\n3. Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code\n4. The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master\n5. Don't Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability\n6. The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering\n7. Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\n8. Introduction to Algorithms (The MIT Press)\n9. Programming Pearls (2nd Edition)\n10. The Art of Computer Programming",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "10. The Art of Computer Programming",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's ten recommended programming books.",
          "audience": "Programmers looking to hone their craft and learn techniques.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30488530,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T14:07:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30488530",
          "commentText": "Despite high interest in learning to program, I was confused and bored in my first (FORTRAN) programming course. Browsing at the local bookstore I found 'The FORTRAN Coloring Book' and took it home. Kaufman's approach unlocked some kind of door for me, and the effort of going to find my own resources did as well. Forty years on,  'The Fortran Coloring Book' sits on the shelf next to 'Software Tools in Pascal' (same bookstore a few months later) and many of the other books listed in this thread (e.g. TAOCP, SICP, UPE, OSTEP.)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "TAOCP",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30486432,
          "author": "nonrandomstring",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T08:26:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486432",
          "commentText": "I still have these on my shelf looking dog-eared and well read You can\nprobably tell from these exactly which year I took CSEE :)\n- Biggs: Discrete Maths\n- Stroud: Engineering Mathematics\n- Solkolnikoff: Mathematics of Physics and Modern Engineering\n- Sommerville: Software Engineering\n- Aho: Compilers\n- Kernighan and Ritchie: The C Programming Language\n- Kernighan and Pike: The UNIX Programming Environment\n- Ben Ari: Principles of Concurrent Programming\n- Clements: Microprocessor Systems Design\n- Tannenbaum: Distributed Operating Systems\n- Dean, Allen, Aloimonos: Articficial Intelligence\n- Knuth: The Art of Computer Programming\n- Yourdon: Object Oriented Systems Design\n- Abelson and Sussman: Structure and Interpretation\nMaybe the one that ones that changed me most:\n- Polya: How to Solve it\n - Hofstadter: Godel Escher Bach",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Knuth: The Art of Computer Programming",
          "reason": "The commenter lists it among books on their shelf.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30486217,
          "author": "throwaway81523",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T07:37:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486217",
          "commentText": "If you are young and stupid enough, you don't even realize when a book is too difficult.  You just plow through it if you can make any sense of it at all.  So for me it was TAOCP, a few different theory books by Aho and Ullman, and Spivak's Calculus.  I can't say I understood everything in them, but they got me going.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "So for me it was TAOCP",
          "reason": "One of the books that got the commenter started.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they did not understand everything in it.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30485966,
          "author": "EzJBg4GS",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T06:39:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30485966",
          "commentText": "I'm starting to learn CS all over again at the old age of 40, and had the pleasure to rediscover mathematics thanks to:\n- Discrete Mathematics with Applications, by Susanna Epp, or\n- Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications, by Kenneth Rosen (both have the same content, choose the style that you prefer), and\n- Concrete Mathematics, by our lord and savior Donald Knuth.\nI don't plan on reading TAOCP anymore as I would be dead by the time I finish reading everything else, but those introductory books are very good for beginners.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I don't plan on reading TAOCP anymore",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a large undertaking the commenter does not plan to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter expects finishing it would take too long.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29316606,
          "author": "zvr",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-23T11:28:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29316606",
          "commentText": "> I haven't read any of Knuth's stuff\nYou're missing out on some of the best writing on any topic!\nNot all Knuth's books are the same: The Art of Computer Programming (TAOCP) is his mangum opus, an ever-expanding encyclopedic knowledge fire-hose of various computer science topics. But the series of books that are simply \"collected papers\" makes it easy to focus on something much narrower. For impractical, you may want to start from Selected Papers on Fun and Games.\nAnd then he has books like Surreal Numbers, which is written as a story of a couple discovering mathematical notation and deriving a whole system...",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Art of Computer Programming (TAOCP)",
          "reason": "Described as Knuth’s encyclopedic work on various computer science topics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter characterizes it as an encyclopedic knowledge fire-hose.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29307891,
          "author": "Jtsummers",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:07:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29307891",
          "commentText": "> I haven't read any of Knuth's stuff because doesn't having 7 volumes kinda imply it can't possibly be well edited?\nThat's a very bad assumption in this case. The contents of TAOCP are very well edited, just massive in scope and it's one man putting it all together. However, those aren't his only books. Concrete Mathematics is a completed text that expands on, in particular, the math in Chapter 1 of TAOCP. Literate Programming is a collection of papers on topics in programming, and is the first of eight such books. If you want interesting but mildly impractical, check out his Computers & Typesetting [0] which includes two books which are actually literate programs.\n[0] https://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/abcde.html",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The contents of TAOCP are very well edited, just massive in scope",
          "reason": "The commenter says its contents are well edited but massive in scope.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Massive in scope.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29278645,
          "author": "MalayAgr",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-19T16:09:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29278645",
          "commentText": "For algorithms, I can't think of a book better than CLRS, honestly, unless you want to read The Art of Computer Programming by Knuth. For data structures, a great book with a huge amount of detail is Data Structures Using C and C++ by Langsam and Tanenbaum.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "unless you want to read The Art of Computer Programming by Knuth",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29230832,
          "author": "dragontamer",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-15T18:36:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29230832",
          "commentText": "Well, Volume 4 was released in 2016 and is not out of date at all. Its a very good read, but on an obscure subject.\nBut Volume 1 has lots of out-of-date advice and is somewhat of a shame, because its otherwise an excellent introduction to computing + the mathematics needed to understand computing. For example, the assembly language is based on the 1960s computers, such as decimal computing and 6-bit numbers (based on the days of old, before 8-bits were standardized).\nFunctions are introduced by self-modifying code first and foremost: by rewriting \"jump\" instructions at the end of functions as a return. No one does this anymore: pretty much all compilers do the stack-thing instead. (Push return address onto a stack register).\nThe Fascicle on MMIX updates a lot of those sections to a modern-like 64-bit assembly language. However, the sections on cofunctions, arrays, garbage collection aren't part of that update... and should be updated (Knuth's discussion on these concepts is great, but are told in an \"old way\" based on 1960s tech)\nVolume2: Seminumerical Algorithms (chapter 3 / 4) is again, a decent introduction to the subject. But the RNG stuff is fully obsolete. The statistical tests may have passed muster in the 1970s or 1980s, but today's statistical tests (aka: PractRand) go above and beyond what Knuth discusses.\nThere's a lot of interesting discussions in the randomness chapters: such as the efficacy of multiplication when it comes to bit-mixing (and I feel like modern RNGs are sleeping on that tidbit), but modern RNGs are generally based on a simpler sequence of ADD / XOR / SHIFT instructions based around the concept of permutations / perfect bijections.\n----------------\nIronically, I consider the section on \"tape sorting\" to be \"suddenly up-to-date\" again. Modern RAM acts more like a tape (sequential is far faster than random), meaning that thinking of sorting problems in terms of external-sort is surprisingly relevant.\nGiven that today's cache is 768MB (see AMD's Milan-X CPUs: expected to be a ~$5000 CPU-server chip), we see that L3 cache basically serves as the RAM from Knuth's time, while today's DDR4 RAM really acts as the fast-sequential / slow-random layer that Knuth studied so much.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Well, Volume 4 was released in 2016 and is not out of date at all.",
          "reason": "Discusses the series' volumes and evaluates which material is current or outdated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some volumes and topics are described as outdated or tied to older technology.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29224874,
          "author": "56V9qtdGKWy4q8p",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-15T07:49:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29224874",
          "commentText": "Can you elaborate on \"out of date\"? I've seen a lot of books considered out of date because of their publishing date, but to what's exactly being compared to be considered so?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Can you elaborate on \"out of date\"?",
          "reason": "Asks for clarification about the criticism of the book's material as out of date.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29221178,
          "author": "dragontamer",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T22:07:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29221178",
          "commentText": "Most algorithm books don't cover the math like summations or generating functions.\nChapter one of TAOCP for better or worse, is a very rigorous mathematics introduction.\nI'm not recommending it for it's algorithms (which are unfortunately somewhat out of date). I'm recommending it because it's an incredible mathematics introduction, albeit a very difficult one.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Chapter one of TAOCP for better or worse, is a very rigorous mathematics introduction.",
          "reason": "Recommends the first chapter as a rigorous mathematics introduction, while criticizing its algorithms as somewhat out of date.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Very difficult; algorithms are described as somewhat out of date.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29220519,
          "author": "exdsq",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T20:49:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29220519",
          "commentText": "I've bought them and looked through it but if someone asks how they should go about learning algorithms for leetcode there are so many better options thank Knuth. That is years of effort to get through.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "there are so many better options thank Knuth.",
          "reason": "Says there are better options than Knuth's books for learning algorithms for LeetCode.",
          "audience": "People learning algorithms for LeetCode.",
          "caveat": "Says the series takes years of effort to get through.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29220478,
          "author": "LAIFscratch",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T20:44:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29220478",
          "commentText": "TAOCP is probably the best book if you approach it as infotainment/puzzles casual reading on the weekend reading about the history of trees and their mathematical properties kind of reading not anxiety filled interview passing cramming. Even autodiff online algorithms is in there something heavily used right now.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "TAOCP is probably the best book if you approach it as infotainment/puzzles casual reading",
          "reason": "Recommends it as casual reading about algorithms, puzzles, and mathematical properties.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Frames it as casual reading, not interview cramming.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29220185,
          "author": "exdsq",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T20:09:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29220185",
          "commentText": "AoCP is an absurdly inefficient way to learn algorithms that 99.999% of people won’t need",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "AoCP is an absurdly inefficient way to learn algorithms",
          "reason": "Calls it an inefficient way to learn algorithms that most people will not need.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29218589,
          "author": "dragontamer",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T17:13:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29218589",
          "commentText": "Art of Computer programming starts at a high school level.\nIt's very rigorous and considered one of the more difficult reads. But if you start at chapter 1 page 1, it covers all the math you'll ever need for the rest of the books (which is sufficient maths to reach masters or even PH.d level comp sci)\nI know I've recommended it to high schoolers. A lot of math is just getting used to the nomenclature and vocabulary. The sooner you get used to rigor the better",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Art of Computer programming starts at a high school level.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a rigorous way to learn the math used in computer science.",
          "audience": "Readers starting at a high school level.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is very rigorous and considered a difficult read.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29217993,
          "author": "jll29",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T16:05:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29217993",
          "commentText": "TAOCP is too detailed and too deep as a beginner's book; you first want something lighter that you can worth through end-to-end before taking on a 7-volume book that is still not even finished (volume 4b of 7 in progress at the time of writing).\nNote I am _not_ saying TAOCP isn't readable, I consider it very well written. But it's terse, hard, too deep and too detailed for a beginner, IMHO.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "TAOCP is too detailed and too deep as a beginner's book; you first want something lighter",
          "reason": "Describes it as too deep and detailed for beginners, while noting it is readable and well written.",
          "audience": "Beginners are advised to start with something lighter.",
          "caveat": "Terse, hard, deep, detailed, and unfinished; the commenter still considers it well written and readable.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29217800,
          "author": "iamsb",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T15:37:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29217800",
          "commentText": "The Art of computer programming by Donald Knuth.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of computer programming by Donald Knuth.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29217791,
          "author": "Someone",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T15:36:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29217791",
          "commentText": "If you want basics and details, the art of computer programming is a good candidate.\nUnfortunately, it isn’t done yet (1), and the completed parts have are very basic and have parts that are a bit dated (multi-tape sorting, for example)\n(1) and likely never will be. Knuth is turning 84 in two months, and isn’t even halfway writing it, after almost 60 years",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the art of computer programming is a good candidate.\nUnfortunately, it isn’t done yet (1), and the completed parts have are very basic and have parts that are a bit dated",
          "reason": "Suggested for basics and details.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Unfinished; the commenter says some completed material is basic and a bit dated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28665944,
          "author": "zzo38computer",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-27T00:42:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28665944",
          "commentText": "I like \"The Art of Computer Programming\". It uses assembly language, which is one thing I like compared with other books, but there are other things I also like about this book compared with other ones too, I think it is better written.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I like \"The Art of Computer Programming\".",
          "reason": "The commenter says they like the book and describes it as better written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21767094,
          "author": "commandlinefan",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-11T21:44:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 21765528,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fun Tech Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21767094",
          "commentText": "Hm - maybe “fun” isn’t the right word, but I do find it mostly relaxing and pleasant to work through one as long as I’m not under any time pressure.  I enjoyed TAOCP, for example, but I’ve definitely tried to read other books that I ended up giving up on, too.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed TAOCP, for example",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed working through it, though they frame dense technical reading as relaxing only without time pressure.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has also given up on other books they tried to read.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21328110,
          "author": "stiff",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-22T20:18:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21328110",
          "commentText": "Knuth is one of the founders of analysis of algorithms as an academic discipline and the original publication of TAOCP played a role in founding the field.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the original publication of TAOCP played a role in founding the field",
          "reason": "Says the original publication helped establish the academic field of algorithm analysis.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21320493,
          "author": "leemck",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-22T04:55:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21320493",
          "commentText": "In 1973 I was 26 years old and for about ten years I tried to build a library that included the fundamental computer books. Your education needs to exceed the narrow field of computer reference books only.\nFirst comment is I did get the Knuth books but I never got the college courses and problem solving work to use them. As Professor Marc Nicolet said: You have  got to do  the problems to master the subject (referring to his Caltech area of physics).\nThe second comment is computing is all binary. Go beyond that and learn about fractals, chaos,  topology and knot theory. For instance, in Kaufman's Knot Theory, there are obviously true but rigorously unproven theorems in the first chapters of the book.\nThe third comment is after Turing's paper and Godel's uncertainty arguments, all real world computer programs, no matter how carefully they employ something from a fundamental book, must be tested.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I did get the Knuth books",
          "reason": "Says they were part of the library he built, but he lacked the coursework and problem-solving practice to use them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they lacked the college courses and problem-solving work needed to use them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21317960,
          "author": "tyrust",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T22:02:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21317960",
          "commentText": "It sounds like you're referring to a specific subset of problems, namely ranking and retrieving web documents.\nThe \"searching\" section of TAoCP is about search algorithms [0].  Some of these (finding by keys, hashing, etc.) are part of what makes a search engine.\nSome parts of what make up a search engine aren't related to searching at all, though.  PageRank, for example, is about ranking.\n[0] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_algorithm",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The \"searching\" section of TAoCP is about search algorithms",
          "reason": "Identifies the series' searching section as coverage of search algorithms.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21315752,
          "author": "throwaway87378",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T18:43:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21315752",
          "commentText": "> That's pretty much what my copy does. I'm grateful the profession has TAOCP as a resource, but the reality for the majority of workaday engineers is that most of the sort of art described in that series is abstracted out into libraries.\nThe books are a collection of algorithms and commentary on them. That is not that different from a collection of algorithms in a library.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "a collection of algorithms and commentary on them",
          "reason": "Describes the series as a collection of algorithms and commentary.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21314694,
          "author": "probinso",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T17:12:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21314694",
          "commentText": "If you are going to choose Socrates for philosophy and bible for Christianity, its inline for \"The Art of Computer Programming\" for Computer Science\nThere are much better resources for philosophy and Christianity, fundamental \\neq best",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "its inline for \"The Art of Computer Programming\" for Computer Science",
          "reason": "Offered as the computer science counterpart to foundational texts in philosophy and Christianity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment says fundamental does not mean best.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21314596,
          "author": "Iwan-Zotow",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T17:04:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21314596",
          "commentText": "TAOCP",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "TAOCP",
          "reason": "Names the series in response to the thread's request for fundamental computer science books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21314264,
          "author": "bingerman",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T16:36:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21314264",
          "commentText": "This. IMO Knuth's writing is also a pleasure to read. Some concepts are hard and sometimes I just have to skip some math derivations but overall it's certainly not a dry technical reference (even though it can be used as one).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Knuth's writing is also a pleasure to read.",
          "reason": "Praises Knuth's writing and says the books are enjoyable to read overall.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some concepts are hard, and the commenter sometimes skips mathematical derivations.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21313636,
          "author": "physicsyogi",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T15:50:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21313636",
          "commentText": "I agree with a lot of this.\nThe one thing that I've found with some of these \"fundamental\" books is that there are gems of information that can be very helpful for specific problems.\nFor instance, Landau and Lifshitz's statistical mechanics book has first-rate description of entropy and multiplicity. And TAOCP has an incredibly thorough discussion of combinatorics that I found invaluable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "And TAOCP has an incredibly thorough discussion of combinatorics that I found invaluable.",
          "reason": "Says its thorough discussion of combinatorics was invaluable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21313335,
          "author": "TheRealPomax",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T15:24:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21313335",
          "commentText": "Except there are. For example, biology has \"Campbell Biology\", formerly just called \"Biology\", and it gets frequent revisions to ensure it's still relevant as the field evolves.\nThe question as posed does not strike me as one of worry, but of curiosity: what ARE the seminal works that the different fields point to as being the \"bibles\" of their discipline? Comp. Sci. has Knuth, Russel and Norvig, etc. Other fields most certainly have their own, and knowing which those are is interesting and worth getting an answer to.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Comp. Sci. has Knuth",
          "reason": "Names Knuth as an example of a seminal work in computer science.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21313164,
          "author": "madhadron",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T15:10:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21313164",
          "commentText": "> every discipline has it's most fundamental books ... e.g. philosophy -> Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, civil law -> code civil, christianity -> bible, etc. one should read to get a truly deep understanding.\nI dispute this idea. For some disciplines, this may be so. For other, such as physics, biology, chemistry, mathematics, civil engineering, poetry...actually, for most disciplines they aren't based on fundamental books. They're based on a living community of practice.\nIn these disciplines a book is important only insofar as it can be used to increase your abilities. No one goes and studies the textual details of Landau & Lifshitz as a guide to anything, any more than they do so with TAOCP.\nRather than worry about fundamental books, worry about opening up black boxes at a steady rate.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "TAOCP",
          "reason": "Says it is not studied for textual details as a guide to anything.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21313086,
          "author": "amelius",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T15:04:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21313086",
          "commentText": "The \"searching\" volume of The Art of computer programming seems a bit outdated, though, in this age of search engines.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The \"searching\" volume of The Art of computer programming seems a bit outdated",
          "reason": "Criticizes the searching volume as dated in the age of search engines.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The criticism is specifically about the searching volume.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21312573,
          "author": "javajosh",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T14:23:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21312573",
          "commentText": ">While \"The Art of Computer Programming\" is a great book, it's not a fundamental book\nAgreed. It's very much like \"Feynman's Lectures\" in this way.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The Art of Computer Programming\" is a great book",
          "reason": "Agrees that the book is great while disputing whether it is fundamental.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it is not a fundamental book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21312310,
          "author": "einpoklum",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T14:00:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21312310",
          "commentText": "While \"The Art of Computer Programming\" is a great book, it's not a fundamental book. I'd say it's more of a re-distillation plus some of Knuth's personal take on things.\nAlso, I'd add, at least:\nIntroduction to Algorithms / Cormen, Leiserson & Rivest (and recently also Stein)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it's not a fundamental book",
          "reason": "Describes it as a great book but argues that it is not fundamental.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Characterizes it as a re-distillation with Knuth’s personal perspective.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21312204,
          "author": "mschaef",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T13:50:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21312204",
          "commentText": "That's pretty much what my copy does. I'm grateful the profession has TAOCP as a resource, but the reality for the majority of workaday engineers is that most of the sort of art described in that series is abstracted out into libraries. As fun or challenging as it might be to thinking about developing your own implementation of a fundamental algorithm or data structure, you're probably far better off reusing whatever you have available to you already in your environment. This has the tendency of pushing the work to the boundaries, where engineering is more about connecting existing pieces than anything else. (Which isn't a problem... I'd hate to live in a world where every home that's built requires the builder to cut down trees and process their own lumber, etc.)\nI do least take solace in the fact that the contents of TAOCP are a lot less likely to get stale than the majority of tech books.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the contents of TAOCP are a lot less likely to get stale than the majority of tech books",
          "reason": "Acknowledges its value as a resource and says its contents are less likely to become stale than most technology books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Most of the techniques discussed are abstracted into libraries for everyday engineering work.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21311865,
          "author": "purple_ducks",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T13:14:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21311865",
          "commentText": "> The Art of Computer Programming\nI'm guessing like most people who bought it, it sits collecting dust on the shelf.\nYouthful naivety is the only reason I bought it. Completely impenetrable but look, \"I'm a real™ software engineer now\"",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The Art of Computer Programming",
          "reason": "The commenter says their copy is completely impenetrable and only bought it out of youthful naivety.",
          "audience": "Software engineers considering the book.",
          "caveat": "The commenter frames this as their personal experience and says it has sat collecting dust.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21311770,
          "author": "agentultra",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T13:03:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21311770",
          "commentText": "The Art of Computer Programming\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\nPurely Functional Data Structures\nProgramming in the 1990s\nA Logical Approach to Discrete Math",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Computer Programming",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20729789,
          "author": "anticensor",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T12:28:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20729789",
          "commentText": "You should start reading The Art of Computer Programming by Donald Knuth, and solve all exercises (including ones having difficulty level 50). If you catch up finishing all currently existing volumes before Knuth finishes, with all the exercises answered thoroughly; you can consider yourself a self-taught algorithms expert.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You should start reading The Art of Computer Programming by Donald Knuth, and solve all exercises",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a path to becoming a self-taught algorithms expert.",
          "audience": "Readers aiming to become algorithms experts.",
          "caveat": "The proposed path requires solving all exercises, including very difficult ones, across all published volumes.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17033467,
          "author": "papaf",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T20:02:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17033467",
          "commentText": "It works as a reference, just today I found out that the devops darling of anomoly detection [1] is in volume two [2].\n[1] https://www.slideshare.net/tboubez/5-things-i-learned-toufic... (https://www.slideshare.net/tboubez/5-things-i-learned-toufic-boubez-metafor-lisa2014)\n[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolmogorov%E2%80%93Smirnov_tes... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolmogorov%E2%80%93Smirnov_test)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "It works as a reference, just today I found out that the devops darling of anomoly detection [1] is in volume two [2].",
          "reason": "Says the second volume works as a reference.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17033131,
          "author": "greymeister",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T19:34:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17033131",
          "commentText": "I sort of wish my CS grad school had just been studying those books versus some of the stuff I did cover.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I sort of wish my CS grad school had just been studying those books",
          "reason": "Wishes graduate school had focused on studying the books under discussion.",
          "audience": "Computer science graduate students",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032543,
          "author": "commandlinefan",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:36:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032543",
          "commentText": "> Has anyone really read these books from page to page?\nI recently finished reading the first three, and have started on the fourth (with a detour to read \"fascicle 1.1 on MMIX\").  I started the series planning to work every single problem.  That turned out to be just a little unrealistically ambitious - I settled for _attempting_ every single problem except for the \"unsolved research problems\" (in some cases, just figuring out what the problem was asking for left me with a sense of accomplishment).  Even so, I ended up spending a year on each volume, reading/working problems for a half hour a day or so.  On the one hand, I loved these books, and really enjoyed reading/working through them, but - recommended before beginning one's software development career?  You'll need to know a fair amount of calculus to make sense of a lot of it, and it'll take quite a while to get through.  It's questionable how relevant it really is, fascinating as the subject matter is.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I recently finished reading the first three, and have started on the fourth",
          "reason": "Describes enjoying the books, but questions whether they are relevant before a software development career.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in algorithms and computer programming.",
          "caveat": "Requires substantial calculus and considerable time; the commenter questions its career relevance.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032425,
          "author": "commandlinefan",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:26:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032425",
          "commentText": "> recommend The Art of Computer Programming\nAnd, if you do decide to dive in and read them, plan to spend a few years on them.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "recommend The Art of Computer Programming\nAnd, if you do decide to dive in and read them, plan to spend a few years on them.",
          "reason": "Suggests that readers who choose to tackle the books should expect to spend years on them.",
          "audience": "Readers who decide to study the series.",
          "caveat": "The quoted excerpt frames reading as optional and notes the substantial time commitment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032407,
          "author": "bg4",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:24:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032407",
          "commentText": "The book everyone recommends but few have actually read.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The book everyone recommends but few have actually read.",
          "reason": "Calls it the book everyone recommends while implying few have read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032388,
          "author": "wilsonnb",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:22:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032388",
          "commentText": "Our field is so varied that there is no good answer to this question unless you specify what you want to focus on.\nSome people are inevitably going to recommend The Art of Computer Programming, which hardly anyone has read and isn't that relevant to the work that 99% of us are doing.\nSomeone will probably recommend The C Programming Language, also called K&R after the authors, but again it's not very useful unless you're going to be using a lot of C and even then I personally don't think it provides anything you can't get from guides on the internet. (I have actually read this one, but it's been a while)\nThere are other classic textbooks that will probably be mentioned that are only useful to those in that domain. Many of us can get by without a deep understanding of algorithms and data structures, most people don't need to read a compiler book, etc, etc.\nHowever, there are some generalized books that people often recommend like The Pragmatic Programmer and Code Complete. These are, in my opinion, good recommendations if you're looking for something to read but I wouldn't say that someone starting a career in software engineering should read them. Software engineering isn't really a field with seminal texts that should be read by everyone.\nFor example, every political scientist should have probably read The Republic by Plato and Politics by Aristotle among many other texts. I don't think software engineering has that equivalent, partially due to the relative newness of the field and partially because the primary output of our field is not written texts.\nAnother interesting question would be \"What codebases should someone starting their career in software engineering look at?\". Are there things that the average joe programmer can learn by poking around the Linux kernel or Firefox? Maybe. I don't know. I've never done it. I'd be interested in hearing from those who have, though. Maybe I'll do my own ask HN.\nedit: I feel I should clarify that this is written from the perspective of a software engineer, not an academic in computer science. For all I know there could be seminal texts that those on the academic side should all have read.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "recommend The Art of Computer Programming, which hardly anyone has read and isn't that relevant to the work that 99% of us are doing.",
          "reason": "Discusses it as a book people recommend, while saying it is rarely read and not relevant to most software work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not very relevant to the work most software engineers do.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032146,
          "author": "akshat_h",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:00:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032146",
          "commentText": "Has anyone really read these books from page to page?\nAlso, are they really relevant when you are starting your career? These seem more into the category of making you competent in the field of algorithms research, rather than something a person starting a career should read.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "These seem more into the category of making you competent in the field of algorithms research",
          "reason": "Questions whether the books are relevant to someone starting a career, describing them as suited to algorithm research.",
          "audience": "People starting a software or computer science career.",
          "caveat": "The title appears only in the parent; the target refers to the books as “these.”",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032039,
          "author": "sl956",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T17:51:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032039",
          "commentText": "1) The Art of Computer Programming\n2) The Art of Computer Programming\n3) The Art of Computer Programming\n4A) The Art of Computer Programming",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1) The Art of Computer Programming",
          "reason": "Repeated four times as an answer to a request for books to read early in a software or computer science career.",
          "audience": "People starting careers in software engineering or computer science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16758142,
          "author": "engi_nerd",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T19:34:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16758142",
          "commentText": "I keep a wide variety of references around this desk. Some of my favorites:\nManuel Lima's \"Visual Complexity\", \"The Book of Circles\", and \"The Book of Trees\". These are useful as references and as visualization inspiration.\nJacques Bertin's \"Semiology of Graphics\". Gorgeous and immensely useful.\nDesmond and Nicholas Higham's \"MATLAB Guide, 3rd Edition\", and Yair Altman's \"Accelerating MATLAB Performance\". Both are invaluable for serious MATLAB work.\nTitus A. Beu's book on Numerical Programming is very good as a reference.\nFor anyone needing to work on military simulations, \"Engineering Principles of Combat Modeling and Distributed Simulation\" by Tolk is the best reference I have found on the subject.\nAnd TAOCP and CLRS are here for reference purposes as well.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "And TAOCP and CLRS are here for reference purposes as well.",
          "reason": "Kept for reference purposes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16757541,
          "author": "CodeArtisan",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T18:31:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16757541",
          "commentText": "- Structure and interpretation of computer programs\nMore by nostalgia than by need\n- The art of computer programmming\n- Hacker's delight\nThese two are of great help when doing programming challenges. Hacker's delight is about bitwise tricks.\n- Open Data Structures\nUseful for a quick refresh on data structures.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The art of computer programmming\n- Hacker's delight\nThese two are of great help when doing programming challenges.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is of great help for programming challenges.",
          "audience": "People doing programming challenges.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16756752,
          "author": "cup-of-tea",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T17:11:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16756752",
          "commentText": "TAOCP always finds its way back to my desk. Volume 2 is here at the moment. I don't really keep any books as references, though. I have kept K&R on my desk before but these days I mostly use online documentation.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "TAOCP always finds its way back to my desk. Volume 2",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14141015,
          "author": "CreativeLicense",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T17:41:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14141015",
          "commentText": "From somebody that has actually read the first 3 of TAoCP, it isn't worth it. Don't get me wrong, it was fun and it gives some bragging rights, but I can count on one hand the number of times I'd actually have had use of the knowledge.\nI've used them to look up some details when needed though.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "From somebody that has actually read the first 3 of TAoCP, it isn't worth it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says reading the first three volumes was not worth it, though they used them to look up details.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They found it fun and useful for bragging rights, but rarely useful in practice; it can serve as a reference for details.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14139896,
          "author": "Analemma_",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T15:57:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14139896",
          "commentText": "TAoCP is called \"the Bible of computer science\" because the number of people who claim to have read it is much greater than the number who actually have ;)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "TAoCP is called \"the Bible of computer science\"",
          "reason": "The commenter refers to it as being called the Bible of computer science, with humorous skepticism about how many have read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The remark is ironic about readers' claims; it does not state the commenter recommends it.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14138949,
          "author": "garethsprice",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T14:13:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14138949",
          "commentText": "The Art of Computer Programming by Donald Knuth is probably the closest to an actual bible for computer scientists - hardly anybody's read it all the way through, people quote bits of it out of context for their own ends and it mostly sits on shelves looking impressive while gathering dust.\nThe Mythical Man-Month by Fred Brooks for tech management.\nConfessions of an Advertising Man by David Ogilvy for advertising/marketing industry.\nDesign Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software by the \"Gang of Four\" for OOP software engineering.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Art of Computer Programming by Donald Knuth is probably the closest to an actual bible for computer scientists - hardly anybody's read it all the way through, people quote bits of it out of context for their own ends and it mostly sits on shelves looking impressive while gathering dust.",
          "reason": "Called the closest thing to a computer science bible, though the commenter jokes about its limited use.",
          "audience": "Computer scientists",
          "caveat": "The commenter says hardly anybody reads it all the way through and it often gathers dust.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12145642,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T18:30:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12145642",
          "commentText": "As a reader of books, one of the good things about growing older is that the books the younger version of myself read are books that this older version of myself hasn't and there is great pleasure in rereading the books the younger version of myself read as the older person I am.\nAnd that makes this exercise impossible for me. The books I would tell the younger version of myself to read wouldn't resonate the same way (or not at all) with that other person I used to be. Picking books that might have appealed to the younger version of myself accurately would mean picking the books I actually read -- e.g. The Fifth Discipline -- and not books that the younger version of myself tried to read but couldn't but that I read and recommend today: e.g. TAoCP.\nPart of the complexity is that the world in which I read books today is radically different from that of my younger self. Today I can get a MIX interpreter from the internet [1]...there's even help on StackOverflow. My younger self couldn't because even in the time when there was an internet bandwidth was low and Google didn't exist.\nLike I said it's great to pick up a good book and realize it is better than I remember when I remember it being really good, but it's hard to see how it could have been better for my younger self.\n1. Neuromancer\n2. Blood Meridian\n3. A Pattern Language\n[1]:https://apps.ubuntu.com/cat/applications/precise/mixal/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "e.g. TAoCP",
          "reason": "Names it as a book they read and recommend today, while saying it may not have resonated with their younger self.",
          "audience": "Readers who may appreciate it later in life.",
          "caveat": "The commenter doubts it would have suited their younger self.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11235924,
          "author": "veddox",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-06T22:37:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11235924",
          "commentText": "I prefer HN Reads. Though both are good sites (and the first is aggregated automatically, which is a plus), ramiro.org only finds books that are linked to Amazon. IMO this gives a rather skewed result, as most books mentioned on HN are only mentioned by the title. (And the more famous the book, the less likely it is to be linked to Amazon, since everyone is assumed to know about it already - e.g. TAOCP, SICP, etc.)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "e.g. TAOCP, SICP, etc.",
          "reason": "Uses it as an example of a famous book mentioned by title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229918,
          "author": "Ping_2_Ur_Pong",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T16:31:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229918",
          "commentText": "Below list are some of my favorite books overall that I didn't see mentioned.\n---Non-software related\nHow to win friends and influence people -Dale Carnegie (The definitive guide to helping you work better with people, truly great book, should be required reading)\nBlink- Malcolm Gladwell\nGodel Escher, Bach -  (Recursion, but not from a software perspective.  Its a glorious book that will change the way you think about recursion.)\nHitch Hiker's guide to the galaxy, - Douglas Adams  (Glorious book that is a fun read, when you need a break pick this up and laugh hard)\nFoundation Series - Assimov (Great stories from one of the best sci-fi writers ever)\n-------------------Software related\nCode Complete\nConcrete Mathematics\nThe Art of Computer Programming\nThe Design of the Unix Operating System\nIntroduction to Algorithms -Cormen\nDesign Patterns Elements of Resusable OO Design -Gang of Four",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Computer Programming",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorite books in a response to a recommendation request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10027882,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T17:00:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027882",
          "commentText": "Even his noise is signal. He is Donald Knuth.\nThe Art of Computer Programming.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Computer Programming.",
          "reason": "Names it while praising Knuth's work as high-signal.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10027646,
          "author": "uxcn",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T16:05:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027646",
          "commentText": "Without going into heavily technical books, I'd recommend The Code Book by Simon Singh.  There's also Fermat's Last Theorem by the same author.\nOn the more technical side, it's somewhat cliche but, TAOCP really is excellent.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "TAOCP really is excellent.",
          "reason": "Calls it excellent while listing books in response to the request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes the recommendation as somewhat clichéd.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7757028,
          "author": "yarou",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:26:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7757028",
          "commentText": "TAOCP by Knuth (if you can get past the maths).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "TAOCP by Knuth (if you can get past the maths).",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that the mathematics may be a hurdle.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7579507,
          "author": "midas007",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T22:53:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7579507",
          "commentText": "Concrete Mathematics by Ronald Graham, Donald Knuth, and Oren Patashnik\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concrete_Mathematics\nAlso Knuth's TAOCP series are very formal and dense, in a good way.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Knuth's TAOCP series",
          "reason": "Described as very formal and dense in a good way.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6414406,
          "author": "dwarman",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-19T21:20:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6414406",
          "commentText": "Knuth's \"The Art of Computer Programming\" - linked lists, state machines.\nCarlos Castenada's Don Juan series (yes, I know it was fiction) - \"one has no choice but to believe. What matters is what you believe\".\nJohn C. Lilly's \"Center of the Cyclone\".\nThese three, all around early-mid 70's, ended up moving me from the UK to Los Angeles. Strangely, each adds a different understanding to the others. Together, I guess it just makes me a bit strange. But it works.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Knuth's \"The Art of Computer Programming\" - linked lists, state machines.",
          "reason": "Names the book alongside concepts the commenter associates with it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414953,
          "author": "gharbad",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T13:18:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414953",
          "commentText": "Knuth's Art of Computer Programming\nAside from that, there are typically only 1-2 extremely well regarded books in any given area. If you're going to be doing something specific, grab the appropriate book.\neg:\nCompilers - Dragon Book\nAI - Russel/Norvig's Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach\nOh.. everyone needs a whiteboard, as well - they're quite useful",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Knuth's Art of Computer Programming",
          "reason": "Names it as a book to consider alongside classics and field-specific books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414509,
          "author": "dytrivedi",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T09:58:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414509",
          "commentText": "Godel, Escher, Bach\nSICP\nArt of Computer Programming\nC Programming Language\nIntroduction to Algorithms\nLand of Lisp\n-- Extracted from my wishlist - http://flipkart.com/wishlist/dhavaltrivedi",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Art of Computer Programming",
          "reason": "Lists it among books on the commenter's wishlist in a thread asking for useful CS books.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking computer science study resources.",
          "caveat": "Listed as a wishlist item; no specific evaluation is given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752374,
          "author": "rick_2047",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T08:24:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752374",
          "commentText": "If you want to read some eye opening fiction then I would recommend cory doctorows three books, Little Brother, Makers and For The Win. I know it is stacked in the young adult fiction section but it still is good read for anybody.\n<something irrelevant> I am shocked that in 26 comments till now nobody has mentioned Godel Escher Bach by Douglas Hofstater. Apart from everything else it has accomplished it is always the best seller in the \"Nobody reads but everybody recommends\" category, or at least the close second or draw to Art Of Programming by Knuth. </something irrelevant>",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "or at least the close second or draw to Art Of Programming by Knuth.",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a close second to a book in the commenter's joking category of books nobody reads but everybody recommends.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computer programming.",
          "caveat": "The commenter jokes that nobody reads it despite its reputation as a frequently recommended book.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 408211,
          "author": "pclark",
          "createdAt": "2008-12-23T23:32:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 407067,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Let's start a Hacker News book club",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=408211",
          "commentText": "I've been enjoying the Knuth series over the past year or so. Almost done now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've been enjoying the Knuth series over the past year or so.",
          "reason": "Says they have been enjoying the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 407202,
          "author": "robertk",
          "createdAt": "2008-12-23T03:08:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 407067,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Let's start a Hacker News book club",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=407202",
          "commentText": "TAOCP? Isn't that thing like 2,000 pages long now?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "TAOCP",
          "reason": "Asks about its length.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment questions its length; it does not recommend it.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 407193,
          "author": "zitterbewegung",
          "createdAt": "2008-12-23T02:49:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 407067,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Let's start a Hacker News book club",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=407193",
          "commentText": "TAOCP ,SICP, Lisp in small pieces, Probably the upcoming clojure book comes to stuff that should be consed on the list.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "TAOCP",
          "reason": "Listed as a possible book club choice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135280,
          "author": "jey",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T17:18:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135280",
          "commentText": "It really depends what sort of hacker they are. There's a sort of hacker you buy a copy of \"Pro JavaScript Techniques\" for, a sort you buy the Dragon Book for, and another sort who you give a copy of TAOCP.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "another sort who you give a copy of TAOCP",
          "reason": "TAOCP is expanded as The Art of Computer Programming; suggested for another kind of hacker.",
          "audience": "The sort of hacker who would benefit from this book, as described by the commenter.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135245,
          "author": "tjr",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T16:46:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135245",
          "commentText": "- New Hacker's Dictionary (print version is nice for browsing)\n- The Little Schemer (or the whole series, if you really like them)\n- The Art of Computer Programming",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Computer Programming",
          "reason": "Suggested for a hacker's bookshelf.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donald E. Knuth"
      ],
      "recommenders": 44,
      "threads": 31,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "computer programming",
        "computer science",
        "data structures"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Reference",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-fountainhead-2845cf",
      "title": "The Fountainhead",
      "author": "Ayn Rand",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41770167,
          "author": "0xBDB",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T19:46:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41770167",
          "commentText": "Not the person you were responding to, but if you ignore the hundred-page speech (which isn't that difficult to do) it's a fairly serviceable pulp sci-fi romance novel. It's far from Shakespeare and far from my favorite thing I've ever read, but it'll do in a pinch.\nI don't care for the philosophy/politics, but I've read a lot of good sci-fi that I didn't care for the philosophy behind. I like Starship Troopers, which isn't as fascist as some people think but is certainly right-wing. I like Orson Scott Card, regardless of what I think of his opinions on gay people. I like the Culture novels, which are lowkey anarcho-communist. I like China Mieville, and he's an unsubtle hardcore Marxist.\nThose are all much better than Rand, but not totally out of the ballpark (I think the Fountainhead is actually much better written than Atlas Shrugged).\nI agree with the original thread comment: people who can't separate literary and political merit are usually pretty tiresome in lots of other ways.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I think the Fountainhead is actually much better written than Atlas Shrugged",
          "reason": "Compares its writing favorably with Atlas Shrugged.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The broader comment says they do not care for Rand’s philosophy and politics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40889507,
          "author": "nataliste",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-06T10:32:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40889507",
          "commentText": "Here are some books that pop bubbles, but must be read with humility to avoid becoming its own new bubble, as the world is complex and contains contradictions:\nHoward Zinn's People's History of the United States\nJared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel\nMichael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma\nAyn Rand's the Fountainhead\nThomas Sowell's Basic Economics\nJulian Jaynes's the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind\nIain McGilchrist's the Master and his Emmisary\nVarlam Sharlamov's the Kolyma Tales\nJacques Ellul's Propaganda: the Formation of Men's Attitudes (or alternatively Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ayn Rand's the Fountainhead",
          "reason": "Listed as a book that pops bubbles.",
          "audience": "Readers who want their assumptions challenged.",
          "caveat": "Read with humility; the world is complex and contains contradictions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40879158,
          "author": "JSR_FDED",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-05T00:54:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40879158",
          "commentText": "“The Fountainhead” by Ayn Rand shook me when I was younger. I know it’s popular to vilify her, but it showed how commitment to one’s own principles is admirable and at the same time not appreciated by society at large.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "“The Fountainhead” by Ayn Rand shook me when I was younger.",
          "reason": "Says the book affected them when they were younger and shaped how they viewed commitment to personal principles.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter acknowledges that Rand is often vilified.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38238144,
          "author": "vidyesh",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T07:28:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238144",
          "commentText": "Actively reading:\n- The Fountainhead\n- Project Hail Mary\n- Learning TypeScript\nPassively reading:\n- The Design of Everyday Things\n- Dive into Design Patterns\nConsidering to read - This is mostly for anyone who has read them and would like to give their opinion about it.\n- Algorithms to Live By\n- Name of the Wind\n- Malazan Book of the Fallen\n- Good Girl's guide to murder\n- The Paradox of Choice\n- Moonwalking with Einstein\n- The Boron Letters\n- Storyworthy\n-",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "- The Fountainhead",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36451089,
          "author": "JohnnyHerz",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-23T19:20:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36451089",
          "commentText": "Fountainhead is just as good and a much easier read.\nI used Fountainhead to introduce my kids to Ayn Rand and as a warm up to Atlas Shrugged.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fountainhead is just as good and a much easier read.",
          "reason": "Recommended as an equally good, easier read and as an introduction to Ayn Rand for the commenter's children.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an easier introduction to Ayn Rand, including the commenter's children.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36429783,
          "author": "maxilevi",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T09:32:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36429783",
          "commentText": "What did you think about the Fountainhead?",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "What did you think about the Fountainhead?",
          "reason": "Asks for another person's opinion of the novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34160619,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:11:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160619",
          "commentText": "This year I've put myself to the challenge to read at least one book per week which I primarily could complete by reading in the middle of the night while holding our sleeping baby in my arms. It has been an interesting challenge which gave me a lot of fulfilment and has certainly changed my mind on how I view the world. This comment became quite a long read, apologies for that.\nBooks I highly recommend:\nChurchill by Andrew Roberts (p:1105)\nA biography about one of the most interesting figures in politics and WWII. Roberts gives a very detailed description of the life of Churchill and manages to keep you interested the entire length of the book.\nThe God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (p:374)\nIn The God Delusion Dawkins gives arguments why there is no God, why we do not need a God and why religion is damaging to our society. If you are religious it might not be the book for you unless you are open to hear his arguments and line of reasoning. Dawkins will challenge your worldview.\nThe Bomb by Fred Kaplan (p:384)\nKaplan describes the policy of different US presidents on the atomic bomb and war in general. And primarily on the inability of US presidents and policy-makers to tune down its military. A chilling read which makes you appreciate a nuclear holocaust did not happen (yet)....\nPoor Economics by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo (p:320)\nBanerjee and Duflo give a gripping portrait of how poor people live. They offer an insight in the choices and decisions people make surviving on less than 1 USD a day (corrected for purchasing power). It made me completely rethink my own view on poverty and development aid; stressing even more that in order to help one need to have a complete understanding of the individual's situation and the local boundary conditions.\nProject Hail Mary  by Andy Weir (p:476)\nThis book triggered my science fiction reading. For some reason I never was interested in science fiction. Most likely triggered by reading Foundation by Asimov a few years back which apparently is not a book to my taste. But Andy Weir completely annihilated that wrong perspective on science fiction. Project Hail Mary is interesting, funny and gripping book.\nKindred by Octavia Butler  (p:287)\nThis book.... From page one I was hooked and almost read it in one go. Butler is a wonderful author and Kindred is a must-read. The book is about a woman traveling back in time to end up on a slave plantation. It's a chilling account of slavery.\nOther books I read this year, ask me anything about one of these books. I've added a + if I think its worth a recommendation\nBiography:\nNavalny by Dollbaum, Lallouet and Noble (p:280); The Man from the Future by Ananyo Bhattacharya (p:354) +\nSociology; Politics; Economics; Business:\nOnly the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove (p:224); The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli  (p:140); Winter is Coming by Garry Kasparov (p:290); Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum (p:224) +; Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl (p:164) +; We Are Bellingcat by Eliot Higgins (p:272); De Zeven Vinkjes by Joris Luyendijk (p:200); Waarom vuilnismannen meer verdienen dan bankiers by Rutger Bregman (p:104)\nComedy: The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (p:336)\nHistory:\nBand of Brothers  by Stephen E. Ambrose (p:432); The Nuclear Jihadist by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins (p:413) +; The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre (p:384) +; De Heineken Ontvoering by Peter R. de Vries (p:347); Red Famine by Anne Apllebaum (p:384); Night by Elie Wiesel (p:115) +\nScience, Technology, Mathematics:\nFermat's Enigma by Simon Singh (p:315) +; A Mathematician's Apology by G.H. Hardy (p:153); The Great Influenza by John M. Barry (p:546); The Rise and Fall of the Dinousaurs by Stephen Brusatte (p:404) ++; The Double Helix by James Watson (p:144)\nSport:\nRun or Die by Killian Jornet (p:208); The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton  (p:290) +; The Rise of the Ultra Runners by  (p:304); Tom Dumoulin by Patrick Bernhart (p:203)\nFiction:\nAnthem by Ayn Rand (p:105); Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (p:704); The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (p:566); Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (p:466); Live and Let die by Ian Fleming  (p:229)\nClassics:\nA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (p:104); The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (p:201); The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald (p:180); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (p:139); Animal Farm by George Orwell (p:122) +; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (p:227) +; The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (p:118)\nScience Fiction:\nThe Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (p:399); All Systems Red  by Martha Wells (p:144) +; A Memory Called Empire  by Arkady Martine (p:462) +; A Psalm built for the Wild by Becky Chambers (p:160); Dune by Frank Herbert (p:658); Foundation by Isaac Asimov (p:244); The Martian by Andy Weir (p:384) +;\nThe Forever War by Joe Haldeman (p:278)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Fountainhead by Ayn Rand",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33799794,
          "author": "kamaal",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T12:33:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33799794",
          "commentText": "Both Atlas Shrugged and Fountainhead, can be great creativity catalysts if read in your younger years. Though the rage fades as you age and come to grips with the reality and unfairness of life. They are still great books to read.\nFight Club is another great movie as well.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Both Atlas Shrugged and Fountainhead, can be great creativity catalysts if read in your younger years. Though the rage fades as you age and come to grips with the reality and unfairness of life.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it can catalyze creativity when read young, while noting that its rage fades with age and experience.",
          "audience": "Readers in their younger years",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its rage fades with age and coming to grips with life's reality and unfairness.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30244884,
          "author": "jiriro",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T13:57:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30244884",
          "commentText": "The Fountainhead\nby Ayn Rand\nAtlas Shrugged\nby the same author\nIt’s striking how fundamental the principles from those books are. An assembly code of the society:-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Fountainhead\nby Ayn Rand",
          "reason": "Lists it as a book whose principles the commenter finds fundamental.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23862312,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T18:41:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23862312",
          "commentText": "It's a shame you're going to get downvoted by a lot of knee-jerk \"ooh, I hate Ayn Rand\" types (most of whom have probably never read a word she wrote), but FWIW, I second your mention. Atlas Shrugged is definitely worth reading.\nI won't say it's a great book in many ways - Rand's language is a bit awkward and stilted (especially by contemporary standards), and it probably is a bit too long. But in terms of getting to the heart of the divide between those who adhere to an individualist / internal locus of control mindset, and those who don't, it's very enlightening.\nAlso, FWIW, I enjoyed The Fountainhead more than Atlas Shrugged, and usually recommend that anyone who is new to Rand start with it first.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed The Fountainhead more than Atlas Shrugged, and usually recommend that anyone who is new to Rand start with it first.",
          "reason": "The commenter prefers it to Atlas Shrugged and recommends it as a starting point for readers new to Rand.",
          "audience": "Readers new to Ayn Rand.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23155448,
          "author": "justinmeiners",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T15:57:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23155448",
          "commentText": "The major theme in the fountainhead is integrity to ones personal convictions and artistic craft and has almost no direct reference to conservative politics.\nThis also amuses me as Trump is pretty far from the Greenspan/Rand economic perspective too.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The major theme in the fountainhead is integrity to ones personal convictions and artistic craft",
          "reason": "Discusses the book’s theme and its relation to politics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23155197,
          "author": "mattbk1",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T15:42:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23155197",
          "commentText": "I found the stories in Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged to be compelling enough that I could both empathize with (some of) the characters while at the same time disagree wholeheartedly with their choices.\nThey're good books for trying to find out _why_ you agree or disagree.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found the stories in Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged to be compelling enough",
          "reason": "Finds the stories compelling and useful for examining agreement and disagreement with the characters.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in reflecting on their own beliefs.",
          "caveat": "The commenter disagrees wholeheartedly with some characters' choices.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21000961,
          "author": "bill_rr",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-17T23:03:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21000961",
          "commentText": "No, it's good. It stands alone as a piece of literature. Atlas Shrugged doesn't - it's skippable. The Fountainhead is about work, art and passion. It's also just a much better story.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Fountainhead is about work, art and passion. It's also just a much better story.",
          "reason": "Praised as a better story and as a standalone work of literature.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20981744,
          "author": "sebcat",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T07:14:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20981744",
          "commentText": "150 pages into The Fountainhead at the moment. So far, I can highly recommend it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "So far, I can highly recommend it.",
          "reason": "The commenter highly recommends the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is only 150 pages in.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20918432,
          "author": "lbj",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T14:21:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20918432",
          "commentText": "I was fortunate enough to start with Atlas Shrugged and read Fountainhead after. It does feel like Fountainhead was her runway into Atlas, her way of getting a clearer picture of the story she wanted to tell. Although I like Ayn and her philosophy I think its safe to skip Fountainhead.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I think its safe to skip Fountainhead.",
          "reason": "Advises skipping the novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16361734,
          "author": "rthomas6",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-12T20:24:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16361734",
          "commentText": "At the cost of being downvoted, I like The Fountainhead for this. Trusting your own judgement, daring to create something beautiful even if nobody else appreciates it, even if everyone else hates you for it. Because it's beautiful and because your singular vision improves the world by existing in it. And because you become a better person for daring to realize the great work that is inside of you.\nThe love story in it is kind of weird, okay really weird, but besides that I like the book. Most of the over-the-top strawman librul bad guys, and attempts to morally justify Laissez-faire capitalism mostly came from Atlas Shrugged. The Fountainhead is more focused on an individual who wants to realize greatness for its own sake.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I like The Fountainhead for this. Trusting your own judgement, daring to create something beautiful even if nobody else appreciates it",
          "reason": "Praises its message about trusting one's judgment and creating meaningful work; says the love story is weird.",
          "audience": "Readers drawn to individualism and creative ambition.",
          "caveat": "The love story is described as weird; the commenter distinguishes it from Atlas Shrugged's political arguments.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296520,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T06:34:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296520",
          "commentText": "The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nAtlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand\nThe Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins\nHow To Win Friends And Influence People - Dale Carnegie\nThe Game - Neil Strauss\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\n... among others.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296424,
          "author": "numbsafari",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T06:05:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296424",
          "commentText": "I wish I hadn’t ever read Ayn Rand’s books. They were a waste of time and a distraction for too many years. I’ll say this though, I’m glad I grew up and I’m glad that when I got to the end of the Fountainhead I had already figured out what was wrong with her. If not for that, I wouldn’t have recovered.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "when I got to the end of the Fountainhead I had already figured out what was wrong with her.",
          "reason": "Says Rand's books were a waste of time and a distraction, while noting they recognized problems by the end of this book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The criticism concerns Rand's books and their influence on the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296386,
          "author": "abtinf",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T05:47:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296386",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Fountainhead",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15790173,
          "author": "cannonedhamster",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-27T19:08:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15790173",
          "commentText": "I've read both books. I personally didn't find them to be well written, however they convey what they are trying to convey well enough. If anything, people should read them to better understand how libertarians of the Objectivist streak view the world. It would be eye-opening to say the least.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've read both books. I personally didn't find them to be well written",
          "reason": "Recommends reading them to understand how Objectivist libertarians view the world.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking to understand Objectivist libertarian perspectives.",
          "caveat": "The commenter found them poorly written.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630157,
          "author": "satyanash",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:41:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630157",
          "commentText": "The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nI don't agree with everything in it, but it is one of those books that really makes you rethink your life when read at the right time.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nI don't agree with everything in it, but it is one of those books that really makes you rethink your life when read at the right time.",
          "reason": "Says it prompted serious reflection, while noting disagreement with some of its contents.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not agree with everything in the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15019213,
          "author": "Treyno",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T15:39:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15019213",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand\nWill be reading The Fountainhead shortly afterwards!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Will be reading The Fountainhead shortly afterwards!",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a request for recent book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they plan to read it; no evaluation is given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14843121,
          "author": "__s",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-24T22:00:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14843121",
          "commentText": "Fountainhead",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fountainhead",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which books had the greatest effect on code structure.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14478905,
          "author": "smaddox",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T22:46:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478905",
          "commentText": "Non-Fiction:\n\"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" by Dale Carnegie, because it changed my understanding of people for the better.\n\"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\" by Richard Feynman, because it gave me a model for how to enjoy life.\n\"Models\" by Mark Manson, because it helped shape my understanding of heterosexual relationships.\n\"An Introduction to General Systems Thinking\" by Gerald Weinberg, because it illuminates the general laws underlying all systems.\nFiction:\n\"Stranger in a Strange Land\" by Robert A Heinlein, because it showed me a philosophy and \"spirituality\", for lack of a better word, that I could agree with.\n\"The Fountainhead\" and \"Atlas Shrugged\" by Ayn Rand, because they showed me how human systems break, and they provided human models for how to see and live in, through, and past those broken systems.\n\"Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\" by Eliezer Yudkowsky, because it set the bar (high) for all future fiction, especially when it comes to the insightful portrayal of the struggle between good and evil.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Fountainhead\" and \"Atlas Shrugged\" by Ayn Rand, because they showed me how human systems break, and they provided human models for how to see and live in, through, and past those broken systems.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the books showed how human systems break and offered models for navigating them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13972719,
          "author": "johngalt",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T23:25:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13972719",
          "commentText": "It showcases some interesting dynamics regarding businesses becoming involved with politics and power. It's a good walk through of how \"we just want the government to make companies give their fair share\" can easily turn into something darker.\nI certainly wouldn't promote objectivist an-cap policy writ large, but there are truthful elements in both Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead. I specifically like how Ayn Rand draws a link between collectivism and racism, which was truthful in the era she was writing in. A rare perspective.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "there are truthful elements in both Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book contains truthful elements.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter would not promote objectivist anarcho-capitalist policy writ large.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13970076,
          "author": "niceperson",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T17:56:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13970076",
          "commentText": "\"The Fountainhead\" by Ayn Rand.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Fountainhead\" by Ayn Rand.",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to the question about influential books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13808321,
          "author": "phs",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-07T04:42:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13808321",
          "commentText": "In my early 20s I embraced Objectivism through this and Atlas Shrugged (bad writing aside), and in my 30s I abandoned it.\nParticularly, the process of abandoning it forced me into a clearer view of my personal value system.  That in turn has made me a better person: it is hard to have integrity if one doesn't understand what they believe.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "In my early 20s I embraced Objectivism through this and Atlas Shrugged (bad writing aside), and in my 30s I abandoned it.",
          "reason": "The commenter credits engaging with the book and Objectivism with prompting reflection on their values.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter later abandoned Objectivism.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13805580,
          "author": "dominotw",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T20:02:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805580",
          "commentText": "selfish gene, fountainhead",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "fountainhead",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13804146,
          "author": "otalp",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:16:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804146",
          "commentText": "The Fountainhead is just bad writing. You hit it on the head when you said \"the protagonists are always perfect and the world around them is fundamentally flawed\".\nIts difficult to take a book seriously with such caricatured and poorly written characters. I've seen better writing in comic books.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The Fountainhead is just bad writing.",
          "reason": "Criticizes the novel’s writing and caricatured characters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13571039,
          "author": "lighttower",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-05T05:24:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13571039",
          "commentText": "The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. For motivation",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand. For motivation",
          "reason": "Names it as a book for motivation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567115,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T14:46:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567115",
          "commentText": "Agreed. In fact, I think it's about time I should start a re-read of The Fountainhead myself.  It's been a few years since I've read it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I think it's about time I should start a re-read of The Fountainhead myself.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13566838,
          "author": "AkshayD08",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T13:04:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13566838",
          "commentText": "The Fountainhead. \nMakes me a better person Everytime.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Fountainhead. \nMakes me a better person Everytime.",
          "reason": "Says rereading the book makes them a better person.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416703,
          "author": "sssilver",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T22:25:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416703",
          "commentText": "Ayn Rand's \"The Fountainhead\" changed me when I was younger.\nMalcolm Gladwell's \"Outliers\" changed me back when I got older.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ayn Rand's \"The Fountainhead\" changed me when I was younger.",
          "reason": "Says the book had a personal impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10767643,
          "author": "krp",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T17:42:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10767643",
          "commentText": "How did Atlas Shrugged change your way of thinking? I've read The Fountainhead, but felt like Officer Barbrady when I started Atlas Shrugged many years ago. Maybe it's worth another shot?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I've read The Fountainhead",
          "reason": "Mentions having read the book without evaluating it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10325237,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T20:31:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325237",
          "commentText": "I'm sure there are many, but a few that jump to mind, in no particular order, and spanning both fiction and non-fiction:\nThe Selfish Gene - Dawkins\nA New Kind of Science - Wolfram\nThe Singularity is Near - Kurzweil\nGödel, Escher, Bach - Hofstadter\nFluid Concepts and Creative Analogies - Hofstadter\nAtlas Shrugged - Rand\nThe Fountainhead - Rand\nNineteen Eighty-Four - Orwell\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nAmbient Findability - Peter Morville\nEmergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software - Steven Johnson\nSix Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age - Duncan Watts\nLinked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means for Business, Science, and Everyday Life - Albert-laszlo Barabasi\nArtificial Life - Steven Levy\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nThe World is Flat - Thomas Friedman\nnot a book, but the various writings of Douglas Engelbart - http://www.dougengelbart.org/library/library.html\nGlasshouse - Charles Stross\nPermutation City - Greg Egan\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nThe Shockwave Rider - John Brunner\nThe Society of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nThe Origin of Wealth: The Radical Remaking of Economics and What it Means for Business and Society - Eric Beinhocker\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nFooled By Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Fountainhead - Rand",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9709992,
          "author": "dylanjermiah",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-13T05:23:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9709992",
          "commentText": ">This led me to be an unapologetic jerk to everyone around me for a year or so.\nHow would that behaviour be rationalised from Foutainhead?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "How would that behaviour be rationalised from Foutainhead?",
          "reason": "Asks how the behavior described in the parent comment could be rationalized through the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9675000,
          "author": "vijayr",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T15:27:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9675000",
          "commentText": "Could you explain why you find Atlas Shrugged mind blowing? I read \"we the living\" and \"The fountainhead\" and found them quite annoying. Haven't read Atlas Shrugged, just curious if I am missing something.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "and \"The fountainhead\" and found them quite annoying.",
          "reason": "Says the commenter found it annoying.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as annoying.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8795694,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T07:00:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795694",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nPredictable Revenue - Aaron Ross, Marylou Tyler\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nThe Ultimate Question 2.0 - Fred Reichheld‎\nThe Singularity is Near - Ray Kurzweil\nMoonshot! - John Sculley\nZero To One - Peter Thiel\nRepublic - Plato\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius\nNineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell\nFahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury\nThe Mysterious Island - Jules Verne\nDiscipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy, Fred Wiersema\nFalse Memory - Dean Koontz\nNOS4A2- Joe Hill\nRevival - Stephen King\nBarbarians At The Gate - John Helyar and Bryan Burrough\nInto Thin Air - John Krakauer\nHow To Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nand any collection of the works of H.P. Lovecraft.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for impactful or liked books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109180,
          "author": "arunabh",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:29:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109180",
          "commentText": "Fountainhead",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Fountainhead",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107064,
          "author": "epynonymous",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:55:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107064",
          "commentText": "ayn rand, the fountainhead\njean jacques rousseau, the confessions\nsterling seagrave, dragon lady\nknights of king arthur's court\nromance of the three kingdoms",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "ayn rand, the fountainhead",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6388248,
          "author": "scribble73",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T06:07:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6388248",
          "commentText": "Ayn Rand's Atlas and Fountainhead are literature in the same sense that Harriet Beacher Stowe's \"uncle Tom's Cabin\" is literature.  These three pulp novels address important topics, but in shamefully oversimplified ways that almost defame the topics they present. Their authors both caught lightening in a bottle by accident.\nWest Point has no business assigning either book to any class presented to a future Army Officer.  I mean it:  None.\nI would get rid of any instructor who required students to read either Atlas or Fountainhead.  The heroes in both books behave immorally by any sane standard, in terms of what West Point Cadets are being taught in their other classes.  Howard Roark commits a violent rape in Chapter Two -- later, he blows up a sky scraper. John Galt would simply be considered a terrorist today.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "either Atlas or Fountainhead",
          "reason": "Argues that the novel oversimplifies important topics and objects to assigning it to Army officer students.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its hero commits rape and later destroys a skyscraper.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387597,
          "author": "mdellabitta",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T23:58:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387597",
          "commentText": "We read \"The Fountainhead,\" if that's anything. Doesn't mean the rest of what you said is wrong.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "We read \"The Fountainhead,\" if that's anything.",
          "reason": "Reports reading the book without evaluating it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6339366,
          "author": "rk0567",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-06T08:55:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 6329955,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which two books were the most influential on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6339366",
          "commentText": "1. The Fountainhead\n2. The Power of Habit\n3. Think and Grow Rich\n4. The 4-Hour Workweek\n5. Pragmatic Thinking and Learning",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Fountainhead",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6332451,
          "author": "maxharris",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-05T06:08:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 6329955,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which two books were the most influential on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6332451",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged\nThe Fountainhead\n(both by Ayn Rand)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Fountainhead",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5700940,
          "author": "maxharris",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-13T19:41:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5700940",
          "commentText": "The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Those are the two to start with.\nIf you like those, check out some of her nonfiction books: The Virtue of Selfishness: A New Concept of Egoism, Philosophy: Who Needs It, and Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology (these are but a few - Rand wrote a long series of nonfiction books).\nAyn Rand's Normative Ethics: The Virtuous Egoist by Tara Smith (a philosophy professor at UT-Austin) is excellent because it unpacks Ayn Rand's ethical system in an academic style. Finally, Leonard Peikoff's Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand gives a comprehensive view of Rand's entire philosophy.\nLight reading (not by Objectivist authors, and not in any particular order):\nMasters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture by David Kushner\nThe Soul of A New Machine by Tracy Kidder\nThe Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA by James Watson\nWhat Do You Care What Other People Think?: Further Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard Feynman\nSurely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard Feynman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Those are the two to start with.",
          "reason": "Names it as one of the two books to start with.",
          "audience": "Readers beginning with Ayn Rand.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5700766,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-13T19:14:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5700766",
          "commentText": "Aaaah, a couple of ones that jump to mind:\nAtlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand.  I prefer the latter, but they're both great books.  I discovered Rand later in life, after a lot of my beliefs were probably already pretty well locked in, but her outlook certainly resonates with me, and the inspiration I found in her books helps nudge me in the direction of truly to live my life more fully as my life, not someone else's idea of what my life should be.\nThe Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins.  I was already a borderline atheist anyway, although I tended to use the term agnostic to avoid arguing with friends & family, considering that I live in the Bible Belt.  But Dawkins' book showed me a counter argument to the \"irreducible complexity\" argument that made sense on a very fundamental level, and IR was one of the last things that kept even a vestige of \"mystical\" thought alive in me.  After reading this book, I felt very comfortable in being an atheist, and I also decided to quit dodging the issue and start telling people that I'm atheist, whether they like it or not.  Also, see above: I'm not interested in living a life that's about trying to please other people.  I get one crack at this, and it's fairly short.  This is my life, damnit.\nThe World Is Flat - Thomas Friedman.  Considering that I was already a libertarian leaning, pro free-markets / free-trade type, you might think that his book would have had little impact on me.  But it actually made me a lot more aware of the various implications (pro and con) of globalization.   Largely, though, it reinforced my thinking that globalization is  - over the long term - a mostly good thing.  It will hurt some individuals in the short-term, but it also creates a lot of opportunities.\nBut beyond all those, the one book that I consider the single most life-changing book of all... the book that I'd probably refer to as my Bible if I didn't get a bit queasy about even making that joke:\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank.  As an aspiring entrepreneur, I had some ideas I was working on, and some plans to do a startup a while back.  But I really had NO idea of the process of going from \"an idea\" to \"a company\" much less a profitable, growing, scalable company.\nReading TFSTTE felt like \"taking the Red pill\".  Now I see the path from \"idea\" to \"company\" far, far more clearly than I ever did before.  And while it's no guarantee of success, the process that Steve lays out feels like the closest thing you could get to a \"paint by numbers\" approach to building a business.  We've been working through the Customer Development Methodology for a while now, and I'm pretty sold on it's value.  And we haven't even always done it right (for various reasons).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I prefer the latter, but they're both great books.",
          "reason": "Calls both books great, prefers this one, and describes its outlook as resonant.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4787418,
          "author": "timmm",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:19:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787418",
          "commentText": "The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho.\nKing, Warrior, Magician, Lover by Moore and Gillette\nThe lean startup\nPaul Graham how to start a startup\nMark Hyman Ultimate Mind Solution\nTribal Leadership\nWheel of Time\nThink and Grow Rich\nSuperior Man David Deida\nThe Fountain Head\nEckhart Tolle New Earth\n50th Law\nGood to Great\nJed Mckenna\nEarl Nightengale\nLong Walk to Freedom\nOutliers\nGood to Great\nPsycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz (Self-image)\nSeven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey(Being awesome)\nWealth of Nations\nWayne Dyer The Tao\nSystem of the World\nOrigin of Species\nBrave new world\nThank you economy\nCrush it\nBuilt to Last\nWho Moved my Cheese\nStillness Speak Eckhert Tolle\nMastery George Leonard\nSteve Jobs Biography\nThe Last Lecture\nSteve Pavlina Books\nIacocca\nStriking Thoughts Bruce Lee\nCarlos Castaneda\nGhost in the Wires\nRichest Man in Babylon\nWay of the Superior Man\nLosing My Virginity\nThink and Grow Rich\nDelivering Happiness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Fountain Head",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2150710,
          "author": "Tim1776",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-28T03:47:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2150710",
          "commentText": "Other books that influence how I build software:\n\"The Biological Basis of Teleological Concepts\" by Harry Binswanger,\n\"The Fountainhead\" by Ayn Rand,\n\"The Autobiography of an Idea\" by Louis H. Sullivan,\n\"Reason and Analysis\" by Brand Blanshard",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Fountainhead\" by Ayn Rand",
          "reason": "Lists it among books that influence how they build software.",
          "audience": "Software builders.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2148113,
          "author": "maxharris",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T15:27:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2148113",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead, and Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology, by Ayn Rand.\nTo a lesser extent, The Double Helix, by James D. Watson.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Fountainhead",
          "reason": "Listed as a book that changed the commenter’s way of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2147885,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T14:28:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2147885",
          "commentText": "I can think of a handful of books that have had a major impact on me.  Off the top of my head:\nNineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell\nFahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury\nThe Game - Neil Strauss\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nAtlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand\nFour Steps to the Epiphany - Steve Blank\nBusiness @ The Speed of Thought - Bill Gates\nThe Art of the Start - Guy Kawasaki",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter says had a major impact on them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2147603,
          "author": "rfugger",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T12:51:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2147603",
          "commentText": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\nThe Fountainhead\nIshmael by Daniel Quinn\nThe Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins\nThe Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Fountainhead",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed the reader’s way of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2147222,
          "author": "subhashp",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T09:20:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2147222",
          "commentText": "Few of them are:\n- I am OK you are OK, Thomas Harris (not sure)\n- Fountain Head, Ayn Rand\n- How to win friends ..\n- Lateral Thinking, Bono",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fountain Head, Ayn Rand",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the books that changed the commenter’s way of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971329,
          "author": "sundarurfriend",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T09:47:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971329",
          "commentText": "'The Fountainhead'. It would have assured me that there were many other people with the hacker mindset (which ultimately is what the book is about), it would have helped me prepare for a world where that mindset was not the norm, and hence would probably have avoided years of agony and depression later.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Fountainhead'. It would have assured me that there were many other people with the hacker mindset (which ultimately is what the book is about), it would have helped me prepare for a world where that mindset was not the norm, and hence would probably have avoided years of agony and depression later.",
          "reason": "Says it could have helped them feel less alone and prepare for social differences.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1774945,
          "author": "keerthyv",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-09T13:01:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1774945",
          "commentText": "I'd suggest \"Gone with the Wind\", an ultimate classic. It is tagged as epic romance but I personally feel that it is more than just romance. It has changed a few perspectives of mine and I couldn't get off the story for nearly 3 months. I really enjoyed the book.\nIf you've enjoyed \"Atlas Shrugged, which I'm planning to read, try reading \"The Fountain Head\" by the same author.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "try reading \"The Fountain Head\" by the same author.",
          "reason": "Suggested to readers who enjoyed Atlas Shrugged.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752627,
          "author": "spiffworks",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T12:44:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752627",
          "commentText": "Although I completely agree with you, Rand considers herself a romanticist[1], and therefore uses her literature to portray her vision of the ideal human being. In fact, I think I read somewhere that she hated naturalism.\n[1] See The Fountainhead's introduction in one of the recent editions.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "See The Fountainhead's introduction in one of the recent editions.",
          "reason": "The commenter cites its introduction as support for a point about Ayn Rand's literary approach.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752536,
          "author": "prasanmishra",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T11:36:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752536",
          "commentText": "\"The Fountainhead\" by Ayn Rand my bible.. you definitely love it if you like Atlas Shrugged.. same author and same philosophy.. more centered towards one protagonist.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Fountainhead\" by Ayn Rand my bible.. you definitely love it if you like Atlas Shrugged.. same author and same philosophy.. more centered towards one protagonist.",
          "reason": "The commenter strongly recommends it to readers who like Atlas Shrugged.",
          "audience": "Readers who like Atlas Shrugged.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it has the same philosophy and centers on one protagonist.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752403,
          "author": "dnautics",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T09:06:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752403",
          "commentText": "Relax.  You're not alone.  I'm extremely libertarian and I hated the Fountainhead (haven't read AS).  And objectivism rubs me the wrong way.\nI think generally libertarian philosophy is inclined towards voluntarism as the broad umbrella.  In other words, altruism - I hesitate to use this word so how about charity - is not to be forced upon people by the hand of the government, which is coercive.  Personally, I believe that there are genuinely people, who through no fault of their own, are unable to help themselves.  Like the electric-wheelchair-bound multiple gunshot wound victim who was one of my low-income food-delivery clients in DC.  That could have been anyone.  And if it happened to you, you woudn't be able to care for yourself.  And you'd want someone to, out of the goodness of their hearts (or hell, for whatever screwed up reason they might have) to reach out help you.\nBut that isn't the same as someone \"putting a gun to your head\" and telling you you'd better help that person, at the threat of arrest.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I'm extremely libertarian and I hated the Fountainhead",
          "reason": "The commenter says they hated it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027538,
          "author": "julius_geezer",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T19:28:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027538",
          "commentText": "Some on this list are great, some just good:\n_The Critique of Pure Reason_--got about halfway through 30 years ago, set it aside, picked it up again. Probably shorter than <i>The Fountainhead</i> but takes a long time to read.\n_The Vindication of Tradition_, Jaroslav Pelikan, theology, very short quick read.\n_Netherland_ by Joseph O'Neill, via the neighborhood book club. Interesting picture of New York, thin characterization.\n_The Library at Night_, Alberto Manguel, actually a gift to my wife from a friend of hers. Good browsing book.\n_Untimely Thoughts_ by Nietzche. Probably not a great place to start Nietzche, but at least the first essay is interesting.\n_The Spectator Bird_, Wallace Stegner. Good novel, though maybe not my favorite Stegner.\n_Germany 1866-1945_ by Gordon Craig. Long, very readable.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Probably shorter than <i>The Fountainhead</i> but takes a long time to read.",
          "reason": "Used as a comparison for the length of Critique of Pure Reason.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876652,
          "author": "timwiseman",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T13:33:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876652",
          "commentText": "Fiction:  I am fan of The Fountainhead, though I still have fond memories of The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe from when I was younger.\nNonfiction: So many good ones, but I think Surely your joking, Mr. Feynman! is probably the top.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I am fan of The Fountainhead",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are a fan of it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876258,
          "author": "miked",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T07:38:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876258",
          "commentText": ">> would you mind writing up a comment with why you found it so profound and enjoyable?\nIt's been many years since I read it, but I can still remember the terror of identifying with its hero and his struggle against insanity and alienation. His struggle to create a connection with his son, his deep sense of caring for him and yet not being able to fully reach him.\nPirsig's genius was to get us to identify with its hero Phaedrus, a deeply damaged human being fighting to make sense of his world. Phaedrus is rather clearly an INTP/INTJ personality type, which should only deepen the identification with him by HN readers.\nHis clear explanations of the scientific method in terms of motorcycle maintenance are a big plus as well, especially for me. I worked for several years repairing electronics  and, being a philosophical type, was often struck by how similar  the process was to scientific experimentation and theory formation. Great read.\nMy books:\nThe Fountainhead, Ayn Rand -- A sharp, bitter, and ultimately soaring defense of the individual against the conformity of the compact majority, without the didacticism and moralizing that marred Rand's later novel, Atlas Shrugged.\nEcce Homo, Nietzsche (Kaufmann translation). Nietzsche's last full work, completed days before his descent into insanity. Shatteringly beautiful prose that will rearrange your soul, from one of history's most original (and misunderstood) thinkers. One of history's great fighters against political and cultural correctness. This boy could write.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Fountainhead, Ayn Rand -- A sharp, bitter, and ultimately soaring defense of the individual against the conformity of the compact majority",
          "reason": "Praises its defense of individuality and lists it among their books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Rand's later novel Atlas Shrugged is marred by didacticism and moralizing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876127,
          "author": "niyazpk",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T05:46:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876127",
          "commentText": "Two good books I read recently:\n1) Parallel Worlds: A Journey Through Creation, Higher Dimensions, and the Future of the Cosmos by Michio Kaku\n2) The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (I haven't read Atlas Shrugged yet. So cannot compare them.)\nYesterday I finished Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell and it is a very good book too.\nCurrently reading: What They Teach you at Harvard Business School: My Two Years Inside the Cauldron of Capitalism by Philip Delves Broughton",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2) The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (I haven't read Atlas Shrugged yet. So cannot compare them.)",
          "reason": "Lists it among two good books read recently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read Atlas Shrugged and cannot compare the two.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 715203,
          "author": "johng",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-20T21:07:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715203",
          "commentText": "Just got done reading 'the fountainhead' by ayn rand.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "'the fountainhead' by ayn rand.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 199727,
          "author": "rsa",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-25T21:13:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 199722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=199727",
          "commentText": "Fountain head by Ayn Rand.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fountain head by Ayn Rand.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 191979,
          "author": "gunderson",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-16T17:15:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=191979",
          "commentText": "The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand\nAtlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand\nMuch of what makes an audiobook great is the reader's grasp of the material. Both of these books are great works of literature, but the skill of the reader makes them even better as audiobooks.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Both of these books are great works of literature, but the skill of the reader makes them even better as audiobooks.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls both books great works of literature and praises their audiobook readings.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The audiobook experience depends on the reader's skill.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143127,
          "author": "sarvesh",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T05:10:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143127",
          "commentText": "Star Trek, Plays by George Bernard Shaw, Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged, Firefly",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fountainhead",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 142885,
          "author": "Prrometheus",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-21T22:49:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=142885",
          "commentText": "Some books:\n\"The Fountainhead\" - gave me the gift of self-confidence\n\"The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution\" - helps me understand where I come from and where I fit in the Biosphere\n\"The Use of Knowledge in Society\" - This, along with other pieces on economics and capitalist anarchism, gave me an appreciation for distributed non-hierarchical systems. (http://www.econlib.org/Library/Essays/hykKnw1.html)\nPaul Graham's stuff - Got me to the point where I'm quitting my job in two weeks.\nI read a ton of fantasy, sci fi, and historical fiction growing up. I'm sure that has something to do with my grand imagination, distaste for authority, and idealism.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Fountainhead\" - gave me the gift of self-confidence",
          "reason": "Says it gave them self-confidence.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135463,
          "author": "curi",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T20:30:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135463",
          "commentText": "The Fabric of Reality - David Deutsch\nGodel, Escher, Bach - Douglas Hoftstadter\nKarl Popper's books (too many to list)\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nAtlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ayn Rand"
      ],
      "recommenders": 42,
      "threads": 34,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "objectivism",
        "individualism",
        "architecture",
        "political fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "foundation-c81e94",
      "title": "Foundation",
      "author": "Isaac Asimov",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50116165,
          "author": "manarth",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T09:29:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50116165",
          "commentText": "And yes: Tolkien, Dune, Pratchett, Douglas Adams, Asimov/Foundation, McCaffrey/Pern, Janny Wurts, Raymond E Feist, and more recently Brandon Sanderson, Patrick Rothfuss, and Melissa McPhail (who sadly passed away, with the Pattern of Shadow and Light incomplete).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Asimov/Foundation",
          "reason": "Listed among authors and series read repeatedly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 49907747,
          "author": "kvgr",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T12:11:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49907747",
          "commentText": "Read: American Gods, Consider Phlebas, Neuromancer, The HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Dune 1, Nineteen Eighty-Four listened to Foundation and I definitely recommend all.\nBut for me Consider Phlebas is the best. Currently on 4th book in series, but cant get through it.\nNineteen Eighty-Four doesnt feel geek novel, just political. Also great.\nI keep reading outputs from LLMs all day and don't have energy to focus on Eng written books in the evening.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read: American Gods, Consider Phlebas, Neuromancer, The HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Dune 1, Nineteen Eighty-Four listened to Foundation and I definitely recommend all.",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter definitely recommends.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter listened to it rather than read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38566168,
          "author": "derwiki",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T06:59:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38566168",
          "commentText": "It felt similar to Foundation series, and I liked the focus on the overall ideas being presented and not any individual characters. I think I’ve heard this called philosophical science fiction but am not sure that’s the most accurate subgenre. Anyway, as OP says adjacent to this answer, I agree that books two and three are far better than book one. Like 30 plot twists per book; real page turners.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "It felt similar to Foundation series",
          "reason": "Compares the discussed books to the Foundation series and praises their focus on ideas and page-turning plots.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says books two and three are far better than book one.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021753,
          "author": "pkd",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:08:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021753",
          "commentText": "- A Fire Upon The Deep\n- Brave New World\n- The Dispossessed\n- The Sirens of Titan / Slaughterhouse 5\n- Recursion\n- Exhalation\n- There Is No Antimemetics Division\n- Foundation Series",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Foundation Series",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34160619,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:11:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160619",
          "commentText": "This year I've put myself to the challenge to read at least one book per week which I primarily could complete by reading in the middle of the night while holding our sleeping baby in my arms. It has been an interesting challenge which gave me a lot of fulfilment and has certainly changed my mind on how I view the world. This comment became quite a long read, apologies for that.\nBooks I highly recommend:\nChurchill by Andrew Roberts (p:1105)\nA biography about one of the most interesting figures in politics and WWII. Roberts gives a very detailed description of the life of Churchill and manages to keep you interested the entire length of the book.\nThe God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (p:374)\nIn The God Delusion Dawkins gives arguments why there is no God, why we do not need a God and why religion is damaging to our society. If you are religious it might not be the book for you unless you are open to hear his arguments and line of reasoning. Dawkins will challenge your worldview.\nThe Bomb by Fred Kaplan (p:384)\nKaplan describes the policy of different US presidents on the atomic bomb and war in general. And primarily on the inability of US presidents and policy-makers to tune down its military. A chilling read which makes you appreciate a nuclear holocaust did not happen (yet)....\nPoor Economics by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo (p:320)\nBanerjee and Duflo give a gripping portrait of how poor people live. They offer an insight in the choices and decisions people make surviving on less than 1 USD a day (corrected for purchasing power). It made me completely rethink my own view on poverty and development aid; stressing even more that in order to help one need to have a complete understanding of the individual's situation and the local boundary conditions.\nProject Hail Mary  by Andy Weir (p:476)\nThis book triggered my science fiction reading. For some reason I never was interested in science fiction. Most likely triggered by reading Foundation by Asimov a few years back which apparently is not a book to my taste. But Andy Weir completely annihilated that wrong perspective on science fiction. Project Hail Mary is interesting, funny and gripping book.\nKindred by Octavia Butler  (p:287)\nThis book.... From page one I was hooked and almost read it in one go. Butler is a wonderful author and Kindred is a must-read. The book is about a woman traveling back in time to end up on a slave plantation. It's a chilling account of slavery.\nOther books I read this year, ask me anything about one of these books. I've added a + if I think its worth a recommendation\nBiography:\nNavalny by Dollbaum, Lallouet and Noble (p:280); The Man from the Future by Ananyo Bhattacharya (p:354) +\nSociology; Politics; Economics; Business:\nOnly the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove (p:224); The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli  (p:140); Winter is Coming by Garry Kasparov (p:290); Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum (p:224) +; Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl (p:164) +; We Are Bellingcat by Eliot Higgins (p:272); De Zeven Vinkjes by Joris Luyendijk (p:200); Waarom vuilnismannen meer verdienen dan bankiers by Rutger Bregman (p:104)\nComedy: The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (p:336)\nHistory:\nBand of Brothers  by Stephen E. Ambrose (p:432); The Nuclear Jihadist by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins (p:413) +; The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre (p:384) +; De Heineken Ontvoering by Peter R. de Vries (p:347); Red Famine by Anne Apllebaum (p:384); Night by Elie Wiesel (p:115) +\nScience, Technology, Mathematics:\nFermat's Enigma by Simon Singh (p:315) +; A Mathematician's Apology by G.H. Hardy (p:153); The Great Influenza by John M. Barry (p:546); The Rise and Fall of the Dinousaurs by Stephen Brusatte (p:404) ++; The Double Helix by James Watson (p:144)\nSport:\nRun or Die by Killian Jornet (p:208); The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton  (p:290) +; The Rise of the Ultra Runners by  (p:304); Tom Dumoulin by Patrick Bernhart (p:203)\nFiction:\nAnthem by Ayn Rand (p:105); Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (p:704); The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (p:566); Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (p:466); Live and Let die by Ian Fleming  (p:229)\nClassics:\nA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (p:104); The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (p:201); The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald (p:180); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (p:139); Animal Farm by George Orwell (p:122) +; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (p:227) +; The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (p:118)\nScience Fiction:\nThe Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (p:399); All Systems Red  by Martha Wells (p:144) +; A Memory Called Empire  by Arkady Martine (p:462) +; A Psalm built for the Wild by Becky Chambers (p:160); Dune by Frank Herbert (p:658); Foundation by Isaac Asimov (p:244); The Martian by Andy Weir (p:384) +;\nThe Forever War by Joe Haldeman (p:278)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Foundation by Asimov",
          "reason": "Says an earlier encounter with it was probably why they had not taken to science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it was not to their taste.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32199554,
          "author": "valbaca",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-23T02:13:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32199554",
          "commentText": "Oh The Foundation is such a beautiful read. Anytime I think about the longevity of our civilization, I think of it. I'm sure the creators of Horizonte Zero Dawn were inspired by it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Foundation is such a beautiful read.",
          "reason": "Praises the book and says it comes to mind when considering civilization's longevity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32197824,
          "author": "DougMellon",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:25:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197824",
          "commentText": "Side note, has anyone watched the TV show based on it? Trailer looks amazing but haven't had the time to dig into it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Side note, has anyone watched the TV show based on it?",
          "reason": "The commenter refers to the book behind the TV adaptation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32197688,
          "author": "dimitar",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:08:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197688",
          "commentText": "Just finished the Foundation, I just couldn't put down the kindle. I don't know how I missed this gem.\nIt is really social-science fiction if that makes sense - the premise is a mathematical model that can predict the future of an intergalactic civilization, with social and technological decline, dark ages and recovery.\nThe plots are various political intrigues the characters participate in to move civilization forward.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just finished the Foundation, I just couldn't put down the kindle. I don't know how I missed this gem.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they could not put it down and calls it a gem.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26670656,
          "author": "cx42net",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-02T11:50:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26670656",
          "commentText": "I try to read every night before going to bed, and I'm trying to alternate between a technical book, and a pleasure book.\nI recently finished the whole lot of Foundation from Asimov, Zero to sold from Arvid Kahl and I'm currently reading \"The wealth of Nations\" from Adam Smith (Gotta admit, it hurts).\nThe motivation behind alternating between pleasure and technical is to try to increase my knowledge (even though I feel like I retain 1% of what I read), and to enjoy reading too (with the pleasure book)\nOn my to read next list, I have:\n- High growth Handbook (Elad Gil) (Pleaure book)\n - Utopia - Thomas More (Technical)\n - Beyond the rift - Peter Watts (Pleasure)\n - Manufacturing consent (Noam Chomsky) (Technical)\n - Children of time - Adrian Tchaikovsky",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I recently finished the whole lot of Foundation from Asimov",
          "reason": "The commenter says they finished the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25846127,
          "author": "twoquestions",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T13:25:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25846127",
          "commentText": "I'll stand by most of the other recommendations here that I've read, here are some books I liked that I haven't seen here yet:\nWe Are Legion (We Are Bob) is a pretty good and campy series.\nThe Dresden Files series is also good, I tried to get into it but I hated the mumbly voice actor on Audible unfortunately.\nIain Banks is good, especially Player of Games, Consider Phlebas and The Algebraist.  Use of Weapons put a bad taste in my mouth.\nGood luck!\nEDIT: Forgot to mention Isaac Asimov, I've yet to see anything bad by him. Still trying to get through the Foundation series.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Still trying to get through the Foundation series.",
          "reason": "The commenter mentions still trying to read the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23471522,
          "author": "me_smith",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T22:10:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23471522",
          "commentText": "The Hobbit - Tolkien\nWizard's First Rule (Sword of Truth Book 1) - Goodkind\nFaith of the Fallen (Sword of Truth Book 6) - Goodkind\nEnder's Game - Card\n1984 - Orwell\nI'm looking to read Asimov's Foundation series again. Maybe spend more time with Hyperion.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Asimov's Foundation series again",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467743,
          "author": "wazoox",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:56:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467743",
          "commentText": "The book I've reread the most is The Odyssey. For a long time, I've read it once every year.\nAnother book I've read many times is Eco's Foucault's Pendulum.\nI've read Asimov's cycle of Foundation many times. Don't know how many, actually.\nI've also read several times some philosophy classics, particularly Plato's Symposium, Phaedrus, Apology and Republic.\nThen there are many books that I've read at least twice, almost all considered classics (from 1984 to LoTR, Great expectations to Tom Sawyer, Crime and punishment to Twenty thousand leagues under the sea, etc).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've read Asimov's cycle of Foundation many times.",
          "reason": "The commenter has reread the Foundation cycle many times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22720844,
          "author": "Jkol",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T17:36:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22720844",
          "commentText": "Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy, aka Three Body Problem. Explored existential topics in a way I've never encountered anywhere else. I truly believe that decades from now this series will be viewed as the LOTR of our time.\nI've recently been reading the Foundation series, and have found the concept of The Mule character to be incredibly eye opening. I can't say directly it's had a positive impact on my life but it's definitely changing my outlook and I feel its expanded my horizons.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've recently been reading the Foundation series, and have found the concept of The Mule character to be incredibly eye opening.",
          "reason": "Says the Mule character's concept was eye opening and the series is changing their outlook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they cannot directly claim it had a positive impact on their life.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21916761,
          "author": "vforissi",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-30T21:12:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21916761",
          "commentText": "- Hpmor, from Yudkowsky the guy who created the ML Research Institute, simply one of the funniest and smartest book I ever read.\n- Martin Eden, a great tragic adventure from the late 19th century about a poor smart guy from the slums who tries to make his riches as a writer\n- The Moon is Harsh Mistress, Elon’s favorite sci-fi books\n- Foundation by Asimov\n- Homo Deus by Harari\n- Principles by Ray Dalio",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Foundation by Asimov",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list of books for the decade.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21902355,
          "author": "Rerarom",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T22:49:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902355",
          "commentText": "I also reread Foundation recently and realized an underlooked aspect of it: beyond the psychohistory and the mentalics, it is perhaps the best look at how the future of nuclear tech was perceived by the sci-fi mainstream before Hiroshima.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "beyond the psychohistory and the mentalics, it is perhaps the best look at how the future of nuclear tech was perceived by the sci-fi mainstream before Hiroshima.",
          "reason": "Praises the book as a particularly good view of pre-Hiroshima science fiction perceptions of nuclear technology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says this is an underlooked aspect of the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665304,
          "author": "mrpollo",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:37:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665304",
          "commentText": "In retrospective I wish I had read more this year.\n- The Art of Community: Building the New Age of Participation\n- Foundation series (Foundation, 2nd Foundation, Foundation and Empire, Foundations Edge, Foundation and Earth)\n- Three Body Problem (trilogy)\n- Artemis",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "- Foundation series (Foundation, 2nd Foundation, Foundation and Empire, Foundations Edge, Foundation and Earth)",
          "reason": "The series is listed among books read; no recommendation is expressed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17574228,
          "author": "maksa",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-20T11:53:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17574228",
          "commentText": "Foundation (Isaac Asimov), Hyperion (Dan Simmons) and Three Body Problem (Liu Cixin) stand out from all the SF I've read, and I've read a ton.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Foundation (Isaac Asimov)",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s standout science fiction books in response to a request for the best they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17540749,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T12:32:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17540749",
          "commentText": "Isaac Asimov’s Foundation Series is one of my all time favorites.\nLarry Niven’d Ringworld is a close second.\nPhilip K Dick has some great stuff.\nI really enjoyed William Gibson’s Neuromancer and all of his other books.\nI just picked up a 1961 copy of Stanger in a Strange Land but I cannot comment on it yet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Isaac Asimov’s Foundation Series is one of my all time favorites.",
          "reason": "Calls the series one of their all-time favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17537852,
          "author": "rektide",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T00:15:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537852",
          "commentText": "Central Station by Lavie Tidhar is an amazing charming story of a world deeply steeped old sitting baking world where new things are coming about. It is charm & delight in the purest & simplest.\nSpin by Robert Charles Wilson. \"Robert Charles Wilson is a hell of a storyteller,\" said Stephen King and this wonderful tour through time and space, humanity & people's lives is incredible.\nThe Quantum Thief series by Hannu Rajaniemi is open, scenic, wild, & so so vivid, one of the most beautiful worlds I've ever visited, & it reminds me so much of a joyous wild swashbuckling run. The mystery of the main character is enchanting.\nInfoquake series by David Louis Edelson is a gripping suspenseful rise of a star entrepreneur that redefines and radically expands the world, amid an already boisterous & full & busy beautiful world already overflowing in seamless technology everywhere. Although the plot line whips along with some suspense & tension, the scenery and the voyage is incredible.\nLathe of Heaven by Ursala Le Guin could quite easily, quite simply be the best first contact story story ever. Touching, and sincere, & simple. This world is not bright and shiny but her writing and the bonding of characters is incredible. See also the rest of the Hainish cycle.\nLeft Hand of Darkness also by Ursala Le Guin is a shifting chaotic shizmatic tale, about picking our fates. \"Well, I did it through dreams. Phil would have done it another way. But yeah, homage to Phil [K.] Dick is right.\"\n- https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/a... (https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/all/)\nFallen Dragon is an early & involved Peter Hamilton adventure book. There's leaving home, & space ships, more space ships, bad guys, fighting back the bad guys, bigger ships, and action. There is A LOT going on, all the time, & violence, but damn this book comes together into something incredible, & telling, & powerful & strong, something that easily makes it my top pick for most-underappreciated Peter Hamilton.\nDiamond Age by Neal Stephenson, which I'm providing largely as a counterweight to the Snowcrash & Sevenses recommendations here. Diamond Age is much less dark, and way more a fun tail about an incredible & mysterious primer for a young lady.\nSirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut.\nAll Systems Red series by Martha Wells is a underprivileged barely coping robot dealing with the humans she hates having to talk to & a shitty planet trying to kill them. Simple, fun, some action & violence, but the main character is a total hoot the whole time with more loner/zero/drop-out attitude & spunk than anything I've read & it's unbelievably charming.\nLords of Light by Roger Zelazny has more style, pizzaz, & spirit than I feel like any of us deserve. An interesting, storied tale from the post-singularity, with a remarkable & robust cast.\nIllium/Olympos by Dan Simmons, are, in my mind still the clear winner, far above Hyperion. The cast is charming beyond belief, stumbling through a world they both know all too much about & far far too little. Some really incredible worldbuilding here.\nRainbow's End by Vernor Vinge. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE A Fire Upon the Deep. But Rainbow's End really is our planet, sometime not far out, and Vinge has the most tour of this next place we're headed, with threads, and annotations, and group chat being the defining new technologies of humanity. And the tale of the misfit happenstance adventurers who wind up ensnared in the plot line is a fun, roving hoot of a journey, a wonderful second chance at a coming of age story.\nMedusa Chronicles by two of my favorites, Alastair Reynolds & Stephen Baxter is probably my favorite exploring the solar system book, about a guy/robot a bit apart from humanity that really wants to see what the local area has to offer. A lot of high tension conflicting societal impulses that our somewhat aloof lead stumbles through, on his personal mission of exploration. Lots of interesting robot philosophy & very varied elements of space come together with the characters to make an incredibly fun space epic, set in a delightful & intriguing alternative history\nOther's recommendations I'd +1: Dune (but super heady material), The Stars My Destination (brimming with class & substance), Mote in God's Eye (some of the best Space Colonial Marines style stuff out there), Accelerando (and Iron Sky and ... overflowing playful scifi), Blue Ant series (dripping with style), Foundation series (and much more Asimov!), Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy (simple direct exciting hunt for treasure in Star Wars), Fuzzy Nation (fun tale)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Foundation series (and much more Asimov!)",
          "reason": "Recommends the series and points to more Asimov books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536607,
          "author": "bostik",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:26:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536607",
          "commentText": "Asimov's original \"Foundation\" - it's effectively a collection of 4,5 short stories. I recommend to remain at a discreet distance from the rest of the series. While good within the universe, they are ... different.\n\"Ender's Game\" and \"Speaker for the Dead\" by O.S.Card. (Do not touch Xenocide without a hazmat suit. And if you do, burn it before reading.)\n\"Snow Crash\" by Neil Stephenson.\n\"Rendez-vouz with Rama\" by Arthur C. Clarke.\nIf you're up for some thought-provoking stuff, \"Stranger in a Strange Land\" by Heinlein. Not the easiest read but your carve-out basically rules out \"The Moon is a Harsh Mistress\".\n\"Embassytown\" by China Mieville.\nEDIT: I forgot \"Hyperion\" by Dan Simmons.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Asimov's original \"Foundation\" - it's effectively a collection of 4,5 short stories. I recommend to remain at a discreet distance from the rest of the series.",
          "reason": "Recommends the original Foundation while advising distance from the rest of the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter warns against the rest of the series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337355,
          "author": "golergka",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:25:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337355",
          "commentText": "Asimov's Foundation series. I find a story spanning centuries, different eras and characters to be deeply calming; there's a strange sense of purpose and meaningfullness when you consider events in a historic perspective.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Asimov's Foundation series. I find a story spanning centuries, different eras and characters to be deeply calming; there's a strange sense of purpose and meaningfullness when you consider events in a historic perspective.",
          "reason": "Finds the centuries-spanning story and historical perspective deeply calming.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961130,
          "author": "jamestomasino",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:05:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961130",
          "commentText": "Push on for books 2-4. They're great but take a longer investment. 5 & 6 fast-forward thousands of years, so I'd only recommend them if you enjoy things like the Foundation series where the setting and cultural movements are more important than individuals.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "if you enjoy things like the Foundation series",
          "reason": "Used as an example of a series with emphasis on setting and cultural movements.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762376,
          "author": "maxdemarzi",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T02:41:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762376",
          "commentText": "The Foundation Series by Asimov. Turned me into an optimist and helped me stop worrying about the little things.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Foundation Series by Asimov. Turned me into an optimist and helped me stop worrying about the little things.",
          "reason": "The author says it made them more optimistic and helped them worry less about small things.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15633859,
          "author": "AquiGorka",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-06T07:09:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15633859",
          "commentText": "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series.\nFoundation series.\nSnow Crash.\n2001: A space odyssey.\nWhy?\nAll are so much fun to read over and over again.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Foundation series.",
          "reason": "Says the series is fun to reread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15157281,
          "author": "wizzerking",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T17:47:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15157281",
          "commentText": "The Moon is a HArsh Mistress Robert A. Heinlein\nThe Foundation Series Isaac Asimov\nBoth books provide macro economic examples, and sound philosophy such as \"There aint no such thing as a free lunch\", and enlighted self interest",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Foundation Series Isaac Asimov",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to what books made the biggest impact on the commenter's mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13968904,
          "author": "arcanus",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T16:10:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13968904",
          "commentText": "The Foundation, by Isaac Asimov.\nGreat sci-fi, but also cast science and technology in a way that made me realize it could enable or destroy civilization.\nIntroduced me to the concept that we can approach modeling and predicting human behavior with mathematics.\nVery instrumental in pushing me towards hard sciences and computer modeling.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Foundation, by Isaac Asimov.",
          "reason": "Praises its science fiction and says it shaped their view of science, technology, and mathematical modeling.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12248577,
          "author": "sevensor",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T15:37:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12248577",
          "commentText": "By the standards of the pulpy SF magazines Foundation was published in, Asimov was a pretty brilliant prose stylist.  He's a little clunky by literary standards, but that's a pretty high bar.  The man could tell a story, though.  And he had more ideas than ten other SF authors put together.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Asimov was a pretty brilliant prose stylist. He's a little clunky by literary standards, but that's a pretty high bar. The man could tell a story, though.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises Asimov’s storytelling while qualifying his prose as clunky by literary standards.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Prose may feel clunky by literary standards.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12245707,
          "author": "skaplun",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T05:46:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12245707",
          "commentText": "I, robot would probably be easier to get into than foundation :)\nalso \"stranger in a strange land\" by Heinlein makes for a great gift",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "easier to get into than foundation :)",
          "reason": "Uses it as the comparison point for a suggested gift.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12244904,
          "author": "peckrob",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T01:31:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244904",
          "commentText": "I read a lot of Science Fiction for fun. These are a few of my favorites that I've given to other people:\n1. Vacuum Diagrams by Stephen Baxter. When I think of epic hard science fiction, the Xeelee Sequence books spring to mind. With a story line that spans millions of years (and a few dozen books), this collection of short stories is a good introduction to one of the best and most underrated sci-fi series out there. Baxter's Manifold trilogy (Manifold: Space, Manifold: Time and Manifold: Origin) are also fantastic.\n2. Foundation by Isaac Asimov. The whole Foundation series is wonderful, but this book is a landmark of sci-fi that should be on any fan's bookcase.\n3. The Martian by Andy Weir. This book is what I've been giving the last couple years to people who don't think they like sci-fi. Everyone I've given it to has loved it.\n4. Rama by Arthur C. Clarke. Another hard sci-fi staple. The rest of the Rama books he \"co-wrote\" with Gentry Lee are decent but become more space opera than hard sci-fi. I enjoyed them but many sci-fi fans find them polarizing.\n5. Silver Tower by Dale Brown. More of a military thriller than sci-fi (Flight of the Old Dog is another favorite of mine by him) and terribly dated by modern standards (it was written when the Soviet Union was still a thing). But it's the first \"adult\" sci-fi book I ever read as a kid, so it'll always have a special place for me.\nEDIT: Another one:\n6. Coyote by Allen Steele. I love stories like this one: primitive, longshot interstellar exploration and primitive, first generation colonization. Especially for  desperate reasons. The first two Coyote books were good, but I just can't get into any of the subsequent ones.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Foundation by Isaac Asimov.",
          "reason": "Listed among the writer's favorite science fiction books given to other people.",
          "audience": "Science fiction fans.",
          "caveat": "The writer says the whole Foundation series is wonderful and calls this book a landmark.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229918,
          "author": "Ping_2_Ur_Pong",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T16:31:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229918",
          "commentText": "Below list are some of my favorite books overall that I didn't see mentioned.\n---Non-software related\nHow to win friends and influence people -Dale Carnegie (The definitive guide to helping you work better with people, truly great book, should be required reading)\nBlink- Malcolm Gladwell\nGodel Escher, Bach -  (Recursion, but not from a software perspective.  Its a glorious book that will change the way you think about recursion.)\nHitch Hiker's guide to the galaxy, - Douglas Adams  (Glorious book that is a fun read, when you need a break pick this up and laugh hard)\nFoundation Series - Assimov (Great stories from one of the best sci-fi writers ever)\n-------------------Software related\nCode Complete\nConcrete Mathematics\nThe Art of Computer Programming\nThe Design of the Unix Operating System\nIntroduction to Algorithms -Cormen\nDesign Patterns Elements of Resusable OO Design -Gang of Four",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Foundation Series - Assimov (Great stories from one of the best sci-fi writers ever)",
          "reason": "Recommends the series for its great stories.",
          "audience": "Readers of science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056466,
          "author": "scyllax",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:00:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056466",
          "commentText": "Isaac Asimov Foundation (beside mangas!)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Isaac Asimov Foundation (beside mangas!)",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to the favourite sci-fi books question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8944625,
          "author": "Tycho",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-25T23:05:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944625",
          "commentText": "Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, Dune, Foundation series, Martian Chronicles & Illustrated Man, Ender's Game, Accelerando, Hyperion, The Forever War, Player of Games, Snow Crash",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Foundation series",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8795671,
          "author": "asad_ch",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T06:50:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795671",
          "commentText": "Any one book?\nMr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore, Robin Sloan\nAny one series?\nThe Foundation series, Isaac Asimov\nOther personal favourites include:\nThe Alchemist, Paulo Coelho\nThe Book of Disquet, Fernando Pessoa\nThe Count of Monte Cristo, Alexander Dumas \nExtremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Jonathan Safron Foer Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Richard Bach\nThe Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Any one series?\nThe Foundation series, Isaac Asimov",
          "reason": "Offered as the answer to the request for one series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8622265,
          "author": "dllthomas",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-18T03:42:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8622265",
          "commentText": "A single book?  Impossible.  I don't think I could even name my favorite Zelazny or PKD.  Many of the works of both are in the running.  As is \"Dune\", for sure.  Possibly \"Snow Crash\". \"Protector\" might not quite make the cut, but comes somewhat close - from my recollection it was my favorite Niven (not counting short stories)...  I'm currently finally getting around to \"The Mote In God's Eye\".  Further back, \"Foundation\" was pretty amazing, and I've a bit of a soft spot for \"Childhood's End\".  Bester's \"The Demolished Man\" is well worth a read, but I think also doesn't quite make the cut.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Further back, \"Foundation\" was pretty amazing,",
          "reason": "Calls it pretty amazing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8617286,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-17T08:04:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8617286",
          "commentText": "The Mysterious Island - Jules Verne\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nNineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell\nPerdido Street Station - China Mieville\nSnow Crash - Neal Stephenson\nEnder's Game - Orson Scott Card\nFoundation series - Asimov\namong others...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Foundation series - Asimov",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401426,
          "author": "joshfinnie",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:22:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401426",
          "commentText": "Read: Dune by Frank Herbert\nReading: Foundation by Isaac Asimov\nI have been trying to get back to science fiction after leaving it for so long. It's great so far!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Reading: Foundation by Isaac Asimov",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107005,
          "author": "sergiosgc",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:36:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107005",
          "commentText": "Come summer, my recommendation for best book I ever read shifts to Asimov's Foundation series. Light, fast paced, brilliant in the use of sci-fi to raise interesting sociological questions. It makes a great vacation read.\nAsk again in four months for the serious stuff...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "my recommendation for best book I ever read shifts to Asimov's Foundation series",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the best book they have ever read and recommends it as a vacation read.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a light, fast-paced vacation read.",
          "caveat": "The recommendation is seasonal; the commenter says to ask again for serious reading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7004875,
          "author": "meerita",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-03T10:55:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 7001282,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7004875",
          "commentText": "In no particular order:\nWhat Would Machiavelli Do? The Ends Justify the Meanness\n1984\nFarenheit 541\nFoundation (all saga)\nThe Hobbit\nThe Lord of the Rings (all saga)\nThe Prince\nDe Bello Gallico and Other Commentaries\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nThe Riverworld (an entire saga of 5 books)\nOn the Good Life\nTreatises on Friendship and Old Age\nAsimov On Numbers\nAsimov on Chemistry\nThe Roman Republic\nAnd hundreds more I cannot list.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Foundation (all saga)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6396004,
          "author": "meerita",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-16T21:24:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6396004",
          "commentText": "I read history books but also, many others. One of the best classics Sci-fi I've read ever is The Riverworld saga by Josep Filip Farmer. I barealy guess another serie can match the awesome of this story, maybe as some hackers point out, The Foundation is another great series and will entertain you a lot.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Foundation is another great series and will entertain you a lot.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great series and says it will entertain the reader.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for an entertaining classic science fiction series.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6390796,
          "author": "elehack",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T23:41:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6390796",
          "commentText": "A lot of stuff:\nAsimov's Foundation (I only recommend the trilogy, though; Foundation's Edge is good but will make you want to read Foundation and Earth, which does severe damage to the universe. Haven't read the prequels.)\nAsimov's short stories\nTolkien\nBen Hur\nThe Count of Monte Cristo (brilliant revenge story)\nA lot of Brandon Sanderson's work (The Stormlight Archive is promising to be fascinating)\nToo long a list of other stuff to put here.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Asimov's Foundation (I only recommend the trilogy, though;",
          "reason": "Recommends the original trilogy, with a caveat about later books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Only recommends the trilogy; says Foundation's Edge is good but leads to Foundation and Earth, which does severe damage to the universe.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387468,
          "author": "enra",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T23:20:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387468",
          "commentText": "After reading Game of Thrones I wanted to read more book series, so went with science fiction ones:\n  Started with: Dune, by Frank Herbert (+ 5 books in the series)\n  Continued to: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (+ 3 sequels)\n  Now reading: Foundation by Isaac Asimov (+ 5 books)\n\nAll those are pretty great in sense of that they take set in span of thousands of years, and touch bit different ideas around society, myths, religion, morals, physical and mental technologies.\nOther than that, been been enjoying some classic literature, Zen and Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, James Clavell, Haruki Murakami and books about Richard Feynman.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Foundation by Isaac Asimov (+ 5 books)",
          "reason": "Included in a series-reading list; the commenter later says all the listed series are pretty great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5833368,
          "author": "meerita",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T16:24:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5833368",
          "commentText": "I seriously recommend the Riverworld series, written by the excellent Philip José Farmer. I think after The Foundation from Asimov I cannot find anything good or exciting for fiction.\nhttp://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Jos%C3%A9_Farmer\nPD: I've read a lot, guys. Those were my favs :D",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "after The Foundation from Asimov I cannot find anything good or exciting for fiction.",
          "reason": "Says they have not found anything good or exciting for fiction after reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The surrounding wording expresses disappointment with fiction after this book, but does not clearly evaluate the book itself.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043681,
          "author": "bottlerocket",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T21:16:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043681",
          "commentText": "Just wanted to chime in that Dune & Foundation are excellent (and my personal favorite) sci-fi series.\nI really enjoyed Ringworld by Larry Niven as well.And of course, the Hitchhiker's Guide trilogy in 5 parts :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune & Foundation are excellent (and my personal favorite) sci-fi series.",
          "reason": "Calls it excellent and a personal favorite science fiction series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043506,
          "author": "mhd",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:12:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043506",
          "commentText": "Snow Crash is great. Generally I'd recommend some \"classics\", just to see who treaded some ground first, i.e. who gets copied by everyone.\nIsaac Asimov - Foundation (and the rest of the trilogy)\nRobert A. Heinlein - Stranger in a Strange Land / Starship Troopers / The Moon is a Harsh Mistress\nAlfred Bester - The Demolished Man / The Stars My Destination\nJack Vance - The Dying Earth\nPhilip K. Dick - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep / The Man in the High Castle\nLarry Niven - Ringworld\netc. etc.\nA list of Hugo Award winners[1] might come in helpful.\nAnother advantage of having read \"the greats\" is that if some critic says that new author X writes \"in the style of Y\" you have a slightly better idea if you might like it.\nTastes vary, of course. Personally I never got what's supposed to be so great about Ender's Game. Teen Mary Sue geek power fantasy with questionable morals. Then again, lots of people said similar things about Heinlein…\n[1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Award_for_Best_Novel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Isaac Asimov - Foundation (and the rest of the trilogy)",
          "reason": "Included in a list of science fiction classics recommended to explore influential works.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring science fiction classics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043481,
          "author": "wwortiz",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043481",
          "commentText": "Snow Crash and The Diamond Age are good books, especially for just starting to read again.\nUbik is my favorite PKD book followed closely by Electric Sheep.\nThe His Dark Materials isn't really sci-fi so much as fantasy but it is quite a good read (though if you didn't have a kindle it might be embarrassing buying them from the young adult section, they are quite adult though).\nI think a huge thing missing from your list is the Foundation series from Asimov (I recommend going in order of publishing, start with Foundation move onto Foundation and Empire then Second Foundation and more if you are into it).\nMy 2 cents.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend going in order of publishing, start with Foundation move onto Foundation and Empire then Second Foundation",
          "reason": "Recommends starting the Foundation series in publication order.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043451,
          "author": "Anon84",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T19:54:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043451",
          "commentText": "Depends on what you like. The Dune and Foundation sagas are excellent (although a bit dated). For a more modern feel checkout Alastair Reynolds and Peter Hamilton.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Dune and Foundation sagas are excellent (although a bit dated).",
          "reason": "Calls the saga excellent, with a caveat that it feels somewhat dated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A bit dated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1973942,
          "author": "GeneralMaximus",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T04:40:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1973942",
          "commentText": "I must say I'm not enjoying Foundation and Empire as much as the original Foundation. Foundation had me pausing every few pages to think, but I found the second book lacking in those viewpoint-altering ideas. Anyway, I'm only halfway through the second one. I hope it gets better towards the end.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Foundation had me pausing every few pages to think",
          "reason": "Praises the original's thought-provoking ideas in comparison with its sequel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1973731,
          "author": "aaronblohowiak",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T03:18:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1973731",
          "commentText": "The Foundation trilogy, because it rekindled my interests in the relationship between determinism, humanity, choice and the succession of time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Foundation trilogy",
          "reason": "The commenter says the trilogy rekindled their interest in determinism, humanity, choice, and the passage of time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865661,
          "author": "tdupree",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T17:44:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865661",
          "commentText": "I thoroughly enjoyed the Foundation Series about a year ago and since then have been reading many of the books found in Asimov's Foundation Universe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_series#List_of_books... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_series#List_of_books_within_the_Foundation_Universe)). Right now I am reading \"The Robots of Dawn\", the third book in Asimov's Robot Series. I have gone in a kind of a strange order, first reading The Complete Robot, then the Foundation Series, the Empire Series, and now the Robot Series.  I have enjoyed them all, I like Asimov's style.  I also enjoyed Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and will be reading the next book in the series \"Speaker for the Dead\" soon.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I thoroughly enjoyed the Foundation Series about a year ago and since then have been reading many of the books found in Asimov's Foundation Universe",
          "reason": "Says they thoroughly enjoyed the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1864818,
          "author": "mquander",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T14:12:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1864818",
          "commentText": "It would be nice if you provided a lot more detail.  I like recommending people books, but when all you say about your preferences is \"I like Foundation and Hitchhiker's Guide\" (like every other nerd in the universe) there's not really much space for figuring out what you would enjoy and what you wouldn't.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I like Foundation and Hitchhiker's Guide",
          "reason": "Cites the original poster's preferences while discussing how to tailor recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not an endorsement in this comment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1631983,
          "author": "maxdemarzi",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T04:07:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1631983",
          "commentText": "Isaac Asimov - Foundation Series : taught me to have no fear 'cause Hari Seldon already figured it all out and I'm gonna be alright.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Isaac Asimov - Foundation Series : taught me to have no fear 'cause Hari Seldon already figured it all out and I'm gonna be alright.",
          "reason": "Says the series gave them reassurance through Hari Seldon’s apparent foresight.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227855,
          "author": "rudders",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T23:39:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227855",
          "commentText": "I think that if you want a deep, and very enjoyable read you should try Isaac Asimov's Foundation saga. It's so complex and presents a network all of Asimov's many ideas all collected under one store. Very insightful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you should try Isaac Asimov's Foundation saga",
          "reason": "Recommends the saga as a deep, enjoyable, complex, and insightful read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140589,
          "author": "Kaizyn",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T06:02:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140589",
          "commentText": "Asimov's First Foundation book.  There's something beautiful about the notion that human behavior can become predictable when you take people in a group - Seldon's \"psychohistory\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Asimov's First Foundation book.",
          "reason": "The commenter explains what they find beautiful about psychohistory’s group-level predictions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140523,
          "author": "nickb",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T03:53:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140523",
          "commentText": "My favorites:\nChildhood's End by Clarke: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Childhood%27s_End\nFoundation series by Asimov: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Foundation_Series\nCity by Simak: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_(Clifford_D._Simak_novel)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Foundation series by Asimov",
          "reason": "Includes the series among their favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isaac Asimov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 42,
      "threads": 28,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "galactic empire",
        "psychohistory",
        "space opera",
        "future history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "daemon-d4b804",
      "title": "Daemon",
      "author": "Daniel Suarez",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47419098,
          "author": "swah",
          "createdAt": "2026-03-17T22:14:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 47315415,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47419098",
          "commentText": "I have read very few SciFi books but Daemon was such a fun read for me. If you have more suggestions on this space, let me know. I don't remember if I read Freedom tbh.. My memory is so bad I could actually just re-read Daemon.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Daemon was such a fun read for me.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it a fun read and says they might reread it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 47330727,
          "author": "dmcc7897",
          "createdAt": "2026-03-11T01:06:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 47315415,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47330727",
          "commentText": "I’ve been re-reading a couple of Daniel Suarez’s books (Daemon & Freedom) and enjoying them immensely.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "re-reading a couple of Daniel Suarez’s books (Daemon & Freedom) and enjoying them immensely.",
          "reason": "The commenter is rereading it and says they are enjoying it immensely.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46161500,
          "author": "ashtavakra",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-05T14:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46161500",
          "commentText": "I consolidated the comments for my reference later. Someone else might also find it useful:\n# Fiction Books Recommended for Programmers (HN Thread 46128404)\n## Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- *Children of Time* — Science Fiction (Evolution, Space Opera)  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)\n## Rick Cook — Wizardry Series\n- *Wizard’s Bane* — Fantasy, Programming/Magic Mashup  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112616.Wizard_s_Bane\n- *Wizardry Series (overview)*  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\n## James P. Hogan\n- *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/743568.Inherit_the_Stars\n- *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifem... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifemaker)\n- *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_Tomorrow)\n## D. F. Jones — Colossus Trilogy\n- *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806105.Colossus\n- *The Fall of Colossus* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colos... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colossus)\n- *Colossus and the Crab* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_Crab)\n## Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner)\n- *A Logic Named Joe* — Golden-Age Sci-Fi, AI Precursor  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-j... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-joe)\n## David Gerrold\n- *When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One* — AI, Classic Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_Was_One)\n## William Gibson / Bruce Sterling\n- *Neuromancer* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer\n- *The Difference Engine* — Steampunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Eng... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Engine)\n## Neal Stephenson\n- *Snow Crash* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash\n- *Cryptonomicon* — Techno-thriller, Cyber-history  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/816.Cryptonomicon\n- *Anathem* — Philosophical Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2845024-anathem\n- *The Diamond Age* — Nanopunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827.The_Diamond_Age\n## Fred Saberhagen\n- *Octagon* — AI, Techno-thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1891958.Octagon\n## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga\n- *Series Overview* — Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/40946-vorkosigan-saga\n## Richard Powers\n- *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45104.Galatea_2_2\n## Scott Meyer\n- *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-wizard)\n## Daniel Suarez\n- *Daemon* — Cyber-thriller, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665844-daemon\n## Thomas J. Ryan\n- *The Adolescence of P-1* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_o... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_of_P_1)\n## Ernest Cline\n- *Ready Player One* — Sci-Fi, Gaming, Pop-Culture Adventure  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one\n## Dennis E. Taylor\n- *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)* — Humorous Sci-Fi, AI, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-we-are-bob)\n## Ted Chiang\n- *Stories of Your Life and Others* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\n- *Exhalation* — Speculative Fiction, Philosophy, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation\n- *The Lifecycle of Software Objects* — AI, Digital Consciousness  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of-software-objects)\n## Charles Stross\n- *Laundry Files Series* — Math-based Magic, Techno-Fantasy  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files\n## Ken Liu\n- *The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menag... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories)\n- *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, AI, VR  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl-and-other-stories)\n## Ellen Ullman\n- *The Bug* — Tech Industry Literary Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/703.The_Bug\n## Cory Doctorow\n- *Radicalized* — Techno-sociopolitical Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40604122-radicalized\n## qntm (Sam Hughes)\n- *Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans-in-transit-and-other-stories)\n## Roger Williams\n- *The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect* — AI, Post-Singularity SF  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)\n## Greg Bear\n- *Eon* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/924843.Eon\n## Vernor Vinge\n- *A Deepness in the Sky* — Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the_Sky)\n## Terry Pratchett\n- *Going Postal* — Comic Fantasy, Satire of Bureaucracy & Tech  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64222.Going_Postal\n## Bruce Bethke\n- *Headcrash* — Cyber-satire  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213465.Headcrash\n## Mary Shelley\n- *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* — Classic Gothic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein\n## Douglas Adams\n- *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* — Comic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guid... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)\n## Jorge Luis Borges\n- *The Library of Babel* — Metaphysical Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-babel)\n## Greg Egan\n- *Permutation City* — Simulation Theory, Hard Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156784.Permutation_City\n## Cixin Liu\n- *The Three-Body Problem* — Hard Sci-Fi, First Contact  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- *Daemon* — Cyber-thriller, AI",
          "reason": "Lists the title in a compilation of fiction books recommended for programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46135665,
          "author": "code_Whisperer",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T15:33:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46135665",
          "commentText": "\"Galatea 2.2\" by (my all-time favorite author) Richard Powers\n\"Off to Be the Wizard\" by Scott Meyer\n\"Daemon\" by Daniel Suarez\n\"The Adolescence of P1\" (vintage) by Thomas Ryan\n\"Snow Crash\" by William Gibson\n\"Ready Player One\" by Ernest Cline\n\"We are Legion [We are Bob]\" by Dennis Taylor",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Daemon\" by Daniel Suarez",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42269753,
          "author": "vunderba",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T00:39:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42269753",
          "commentText": "The Daemon series along with the Magicians Trilogy by Lev Grossman are two of my favorite sci-fi/fantasy series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Daemon series",
          "reason": "Names it as one of their two favorite science fiction/fantasy series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42269375,
          "author": "predictand",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T23:26:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42269375",
          "commentText": "Daemon series by Daniel Suarez: I can’t believe I slept on this book for so long. It would have altered my worldview fundamentally if I had read it at a younger age.\nMind Hunter: Somehow even better than the show.\nA Brief History of Intelligence: Packed with so much knowledge about the evolution, mechanics, and different forms of intelligence. One of the best non-fiction books I have read in a long time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Daemon series by Daniel Suarez: I can’t believe I slept on this book for so long.",
          "reason": "Says they regret not reading it sooner and that it would have fundamentally altered their worldview when younger.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39249201,
          "author": "temeya",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T10:51:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249201",
          "commentText": "'The Systems Bible, 3rd Edition, by John Gall as a light introduction to Systems Theory as well as 'How Linux Works: What Every Superuser Should Know, 3rd Edition' to brush up on my Linux. \"Computer Organization and Design, 5th Edition\" after those two.\nOn the fiction front, I just finished \"Queen City Jazz\", by Kathleen Ann Goonan, and I've got \"Daemon\" by Daniel Suarez queued up as well.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Daemon\" by Daniel Suarez queued up",
          "reason": "The commenter has it queued up to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36083958,
          "author": "code_Whisperer",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-26T13:38:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36083958",
          "commentText": "Easily these (so far):\nThis is How You Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (actually now one of my all-time favorites, without regard to genre. Just amazing)\nChildren of Time - Adrian Tchaikovsky\nThe Book of Strange New Things - Michael Faber\nTed Chiang's short story collections (Exhalations and Stories of your life and others)\nDaemon - Daniel Suarez\nThe City and the City - China Miéville\nRoadside Picnic - Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (this one still haunts my dreams at times)\nWe Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse Book 1) - Dennis Taylor (just finished this series for book club)\nGalatea 2.2, The Overstory, Bewilderment, The Gold Bug Variations - 4 different books, all by Richard Powers - what can I say, the man is a genius and a treasure\nEifelheim - Michael Flynn - ok, this book can be a slog at times, but it is very rewarding for those who persevere, and has stuck in my brain for many years\nChocky - John Wyndham - A quiet, delightful surprise\nProvidence - Max Barry - This book flows like a movie. It will make a great movie. I found myself LITERALLY out of breath a couple of times\nHench: A Novel - Natalie Zina Walschots - Quirky, memorable\nThe Peacemaker's Code - Deepak Malhotra - Why hasn't this guy written more sci-fi?\nOrange World and Other Stories - Karen Russell - OK, maybe not strictly sci-fi, but this book tickles my brain\nGUILTY PLEASURE SCI-FI FAVORITE: The Vaz series by Laurence Dahners. I think I've read that series 3 times now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Daemon - Daniel Suarez",
          "reason": "Listed among favorite science fiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021727,
          "author": "atlasunshrugged",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:06:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021727",
          "commentText": "My absolute favorite is Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner, The Jagged Orbit was also excellent. Other than that, of course Snow Crash is a masterpiece, but I think my favorite Stephenson book is The Diamond Age. Another excellent one is Daemon by Daniel Suarez whose books are quite fascinating and look at generally pretty topical plotlines (I was just thinking I have to revisit his book Kill Decision about AI enabled killer drones).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another excellent one is Daemon by Daniel Suarez",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35394255,
          "author": "ckorhonen",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-31T22:01:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 35392063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Science Fiction books that predict where ChatGPT might lead us?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35394255",
          "commentText": "There are numerous science fiction books that have explored the potential impact of artificial intelligence on humanity, ranging from utopian to dystopian scenarios. Here are some of the most interesting and relevant titles that address the questions and fears you've mentioned:\n\"Neuromancer\" by William Gibson (1984): This cyberpunk classic envisions a future where AI is deeply ingrained in human society and plays a significant role in shaping it.\n\"2001: A Space Odyssey\" by Arthur C. Clarke (1968): The novel, as well as the film adaptation by Stanley Kubrick, explores the relationship between humans and AI, particularly when AI begins to develop its own goals and intentions.\n\"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?\" by Philip K. Dick (1968): This novel, which inspired the movie \"Blade Runner,\" questions the nature of humanity and consciousness as it relates to artificial beings.\n\"I, Robot\" by Isaac Asimov (1950): A collection of short stories that feature the famous \"Three Laws of Robotics\" and explore various aspects of AI and their impact on society.\n\"The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress\" by Robert A. Heinlein (1966): This novel features an AI that becomes self-aware and partners with humans in a fight for lunar independence.\n\"The Culture\" series by Iain M. Banks: This series of novels is set in a post-scarcity society managed by benevolent, hyper-intelligent AIs called Minds.\n\"The Singularity is Near\" by Ray Kurzweil (2005): Though not a novel, this non-fiction book predicts the future of AI, discussing the potential for AI to surpass human intelligence and the implications of this eventuality.\n\"Accelerando\" by Charles Stross (2005): The novel explores a future in which AI, augmented humans, and post-humans coexist, addressing various ethical and societal issues along the way.\n\"Daemon\" by Daniel Suarez (2006): This techno-thriller features an AI created by a deceased programmer that sets out to create a new world order.\n\"Altered Carbon\" by Richard K. Morgan (2002): This cyberpunk novel touches on AI's impact on society, particularly in the context of human consciousness and digital immortality.\nThese books offer thought-provoking explorations of the possible consequences, both positive and negative, of advanced AI systems like ChatGPT. While each of these works is fictional and speculative in nature, they can still provide valuable insights and stimulate important discussions about the future of AI and humanity.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Daemon\" by Daniel Suarez (2006): This techno-thriller features an AI created by a deceased programmer that sets out to create a new world order.",
          "reason": "Listed among titles addressing AI's potential effects on humanity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25845478,
          "author": "ryanmercer",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T12:11:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25845478",
          "commentText": "Right now I'm doing my annual re-listen to John Ringo's \"maple syrup trilogy\" (next I'll do my annual re-listen of The Martian, narrated by R. C. Bray not Huwill Huwheaton) https://www.goodreads.com/series/51166-troy-rising\nIt's a really fun series, basically an alien race appears in the system and installs a gate to open up trade with the system. It has some really neat ideas in it and some good challenges they work through from fuel to interstellar war, with the primary character being your run of the mill guy with tech industry experience working in a rural community fighting his way to being fantastically wealthy and arguably the primary defender of human space.\nBook 1: Live Free or Die:\n>First Contact Was Friendly\n>When aliens trundled a gate to other worlds into the solar system, the world reacted with awe, hope and fear. But the first aliens to come through, the Glatun, were peaceful traders and the world breathed a sigh of relief.\n>Who Controls the Orbitals, Controls the World\nThey're a good read, but the narrator makes them quite a good listen. I've actually bought other author's entire series purely because Mark Boyett has narrated them.\nMark Boyett, R.C. Bray, and Luke Daniels are some great narrators and all do a lot of narration in the hard science fiction space. They make the audio versions of books far superior to reading it yourself, at last in my opinion.\nDaemon and the sequel Freedom TM by Daniel Suarez are also a fun read. It uses near-future, or even at the time experimental tech, to weave a mostly believable near-future scenario.\nDaemon:\n>When the obituary of legendary computer game architect Matthew Sobol appears online, a previously dormant daemon activates, initiating a chain of events that begins to unravel our interconnected world. This daemon reads news headlines, recruits human followers, and orders assassinations. With Sobol’s secrets buried with him, and as new layers of his daemon are unleashed, it’s up to Detective Peter Sebeck to stop a self-replicating virtual killer before it achieves its ultimate purpose - one that goes far beyond anything Sebeck could have imagined....",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Daemon and the sequel Freedom TM by Daniel Suarez are also a fun read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the books fun and describes Daemon's near-future scenario as mostly believable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665379,
          "author": "catacombs",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:45:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665379",
          "commentText": "> I was introduced to sci-fi last year and pretty much stuck to it throughout 2018.\nIf you're looking for additional science fiction suggestions:\n1. American War by Omar El Akkad\n2. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel\n3. Artemis by Andy Weir\n4. Daemon by Daniel Suarez\n5. Old Man's War by John Scalzi\n6. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch\n7. Red Rising series by Pierce Brown",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "4. Daemon by Daniel Suarez",
          "reason": "Offered as an additional science fiction suggestion.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for additional science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17754148,
          "author": "raffleslodge",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T22:47:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17754148",
          "commentText": "Daemon by Daniel Suarez",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Daemon by Daniel Suarez",
          "reason": "Names it as a response to a request for similar novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17752869,
          "author": "pavel_lishin",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T19:27:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17752869",
          "commentText": "I did, yup. I was actually super mad at Daemon; I always try to get people to get both at once, to avoid the cliffhanger.\nI don't think it address it enough; it made it more plausible by admitting that it can't be completely autonomous, but I'm not entirely sold. Having said that, I still love the series, much like I love any fantasy novel :P",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I was actually super mad at Daemon; I always try to get people to get both at once, to avoid the cliffhanger.",
          "reason": "Recommends getting it together with its sequel to avoid the cliffhanger.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter was very mad at the book's cliffhanger.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17750347,
          "author": "bougiefever",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T14:30:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17750347",
          "commentText": "These are among my favorite books, and I've read thousands of books. It was written in the 90s or early 2000s, so the tech that was so futuristic now exists everywhere (IoT). You question believability? The tech is so not \"just way over acceptable\", much of it already exists. If we can suspend our belief to read about aliens, hobbits, magical schools, talking animals, etc., this hardly stretches the imagination at all.\nDon't let this guy stop you from reading these awesome books! I recently re-read it, and the first few chapters are pretty tough because it lays out all the tech premises. Stick with it. The plot will keep you engaged, and the storytelling is supurb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recently re-read it, and the first few chapters are pretty tough",
          "reason": "Defends the book against criticism and says its plot keeps readers engaged and its storytelling is superb.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The first few chapters are tough because they lay out the technical premises.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17750008,
          "author": "curiousgal",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T13:47:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17750008",
          "commentText": "Check out the Audiobook then.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Check out the Audiobook then.",
          "reason": "Suggests trying the audiobook edition in response to criticism of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17749985,
          "author": "wpietri",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T13:43:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17749985",
          "commentText": "If you don't like something, I think it's better just to say that. Daemon is demonstrably not unreadable, in that quite a lot of people did read and enjoy it. So much so that Wired did an article on how it started as an underground hit among tech-inclined people: https://www.wired.com/2008/04/pl-print-20/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Daemon is demonstrably not unreadable, in that quite a lot of people did read and enjoy it.",
          "reason": "Counters the claim that it is unreadable, citing many readers who enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "Tech-inclined readers",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17749951,
          "author": "wpietri",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T13:40:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17749951",
          "commentText": "Agreed. For my tastes, a lot of tech thrillers are a little too \"and then magic happens\" when it comes to the tech details. Daemon's rich detail in this regard was appealing to me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Daemon's rich detail in this regard was appealing to me.",
          "reason": "Says the book's detailed treatment of technology appealed to them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some tech thrillers feel as if “magic happens” with the technical details.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17749699,
          "author": "anon-anon",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T13:01:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17749699",
          "commentText": "Completely agree. Everything is possible in it. If there was indeed someone who had a far surpassed genius level of IQ and tech know how, and dedicated hours of their time to developing the stuff with an unlimited budget (which basically is what Matthew Sobol supposedly has)\nthen I could easily understand how a lot of things in that book could become reality.\nEither way - a fun read and a good book to re-visit. One of the few that I read every few years or so...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a fun read and a good book to re-visit.",
          "reason": "Calls it a fun read and good to revisit every few years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17749693,
          "author": "bovermyer",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T12:59:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17749693",
          "commentText": "I'll second Daemon. It's a really good novel.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'll second Daemon. It's a really good novel.",
          "reason": "Seconding it and explicitly calling it a really good novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17749688,
          "author": "Dowwie",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T12:57:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17749688",
          "commentText": "\"Daemon\" or \"Kill Decision\"  by Daniel Suarez\n\"Snow Crash\" by Neil Stephenson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Daemon\" or \"Kill Decision\"  by Daniel Suarez",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to a request for similar novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17749545,
          "author": "eps",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T12:33:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17749545",
          "commentText": "Daemon was virtually unreadable.\nIt's a hacker-themed fairtale for computer illiterate, basically. I had a non-techy friend borrow the book and they too couldn't finish it, because it was just way over acceptable believability limits even for them.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Daemon was virtually unreadable.",
          "reason": "Calls it unreadable and criticizes its plausibility and accessibility for nontechnical readers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says a nontechnical friend also could not finish it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17749485,
          "author": "Randin",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T12:20:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17749485",
          "commentText": "Try Daemon and Freedom™ by Daniel Suarez.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Try Daemon and Freedom™ by Daniel Suarez.",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to a request for similar novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536654,
          "author": "dochtman",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:35:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536654",
          "commentText": "Isaac Asimov is one of the classics, of course. I'm particularly fond of the robot novels (all four of the Elijah Baley ones especially) and the entire Foundation series. Of course, you also can't miss the robot short stories. Oh, and The End of Eternity!\nAt some point I found Charles Stross' Accelerando, which is freely available online (along with a bunch of other short stories), and found everything I've read (which is most of it at this point, I think) enjoyably fast-paced. In particular the Laundry series (of which I've bought every iteration as soon as they came out over the past few years) -- though arguably these maybe cross-over from SF into fantasy a bit -- and the Halting State trilogy.\nIn terms of online available work, Cory Doctorow's work is also great. Like Stross, most of his work is more near-term SF, which I have liked, and a bunch of it is available online under a Creative Commons license. It often moves fast and is also politically interesting; sometimes the activism shines through a little blatantly, but the themes are always make me thing in various ways I appreciate (but maybe will fail your lighthearted criterion even if it is fun). His latest is Walkaway, which I would recommend.\nI got into Neal Stephenson through Cryptonomicon, which is one of the greats. Stephenson has a pretty rambly, wordy style, but at least that also makes his stories last a bit longer. After that, I mostly moved on to Anathem, Reamde and Seveneves all of which are big and interesting and great reads (it took me longer than usual to get up to speed on Anathem, but it was very much worth it in the end). I tried one of the more historic ones (I think it was Quicksilver) at some point but haven't finished it. The 2017 Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. was a bit lighter, but lots of fun, too.\nWilliam Gibson has already been mentioned, which I would also recommend. I read the Sprawl trilogy a very long time ago, and it's made a lasting expression. I've started rereading it recently. I also liked the Blue Ant trilogy and The Peripheral, but have so far missed the more recent work.\nMore in the one-off category: The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell is one of my all-time favorites, and mixes deep SF with psychology and religion in interesting ways. There's a sequel, but it's not as good. I also liked The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, which is also on the softer side. I read Scalzi's Redshirts and liked it (especially if you're familiar with the Star Trek universe), it feels similar to Ready Player One in some ways. Daniel Suarez's (or Leinad Zeraus as he originally published them) Daemon is fun and easy to digest, along with its sequel Freedom. I liked Robert J. Sawyer's The Terminal Experiment, but one person I recommended it too wasn't impressed -- I still think it's fun, if not very deep. I also bought his Factoring Humanity and liked it okay.\nHope that helps. Always interested in more recommendations based on this list!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Daniel Suarez's (or Leinad Zeraus as he originally published them) Daemon is fun and easy to digest",
          "reason": "Describes it as fun and easy to digest.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15965699,
          "author": "tranvu",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T23:56:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15965699",
          "commentText": "- The Road to Character (David Brooks)\n- Code (Charles Petzold)\n- Soft Skills: The Software Developer's Life Manual (John Z. Sonmez)\n- Zero Bugs and Program Faster (Kate Thompson)\n- Daemon (Daniel Suarez)\n- Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions (Brian Christian)\n- How to Talk to Anyone: 92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships (Leil Lowndes)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Daemon (Daniel Suarez)",
          "reason": "Listed as a book read in response to a question asking which books the commenter would recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630160,
          "author": "superkuh",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:41:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630160",
          "commentText": "I don't know if it's one of my favorite books, but Daemon is really fun.\nUnlike a lot of scifi it doesn't shy away from getting deep into technical details. But unlike most writers he doesn't get tech concepts wrong or use jagon in awkward, non-standard ways. It's obvious that computer tech is is native to him.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Daemon is really fun.\nUnlike a lot of scifi it doesn't shy away from getting deep into technical details.",
          "reason": "Calls it fun and praises its technical detail and accuracy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not necessarily one of their favorite books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630030,
          "author": "BatFastard",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:17:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630030",
          "commentText": "Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss  I am not a fantasy fan in general, but this is my favorite story of all time. The story within a story within a story, characters, world just about perfect.\nDaemon - Daniel Suarez  So little of the SciFi I read is memorable. This book explores SO many topics in memorable ways that I am blown away.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book explores SO many topics in memorable ways that I am blown away.",
          "reason": "The commenter is impressed by how memorably it explores many topics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says little of the science fiction they read is memorable.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15431201,
          "author": "superkuh",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-09T02:25:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15431201",
          "commentText": "By far the best is Simon Funk's \"AfterLife\". The mystery keeps you on the edge of your seat and the tech jargon and concepts are both detailed and correct which is a rare thing for any fiction. Also,\nCharles Stross - \"Accelerando\"\nDaniel Suarez\" \"Daemon\"\nKim Stanley Robinson - \"Aurora\"\nTobias Buckell - \"System Reset\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Daniel Suarez\" \"Daemon\"",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's recommendations in response to a book request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15428754,
          "author": "bgroat",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:18:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428754",
          "commentText": "It's explicitly NOT AI (It's a distributed expert system)\nHowever, I adored Daniel Suarez's 'Daemon'",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "However, I adored Daniel Suarez's 'Daemon'",
          "reason": "Says they adored the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Clarifies that it is a distributed expert system, not explicitly AI.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15428711,
          "author": "bglusman",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:07:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428711",
          "commentText": "It's half novel, half related series of 9 short stories, but Accelerando is great.  The Martian by Andy Weir (movie based on it) was quite good.  Daemon I think also qualifies, though it's SF dressed up as a thriller.  Oh, Blood Music by Greg Bear probably counts? Except maybe the ending?\nTempted to mention The Diamond Age, but not sure that qualifies as \"Hard\", though closer than some other Stephenson maybe...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Daemon I think also qualifies, though it's SF dressed up as a thriller.",
          "reason": "Includes it as a qualifying recommendation in the hard science fiction discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is uncertain whether it qualifies and calls it SF dressed as a thriller.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567142,
          "author": "MarketingJason",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T14:53:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567142",
          "commentText": "Just finished Daemon and about to start Freedom. Great read, and it's amazing how quickly it ramps up near the end! I hadn't been hooked to a book like that since \"The Moon is a Harsh Mistress\" and \"Dune\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just finished Daemon and about to start Freedom. Great read, and it's amazing how quickly it ramps up near the end!",
          "reason": "Calls it a great read and praises how quickly the story intensifies near the end.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12991396,
          "author": "qwertyuiop924",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-19T01:12:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12991396",
          "commentText": "Daemon really needs some more recognition. It's one of the most interesting and most real sci-fi books I've read in a long time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Daemon really needs some more recognition. It's one of the most interesting and most real sci-fi books I've read in a long time.",
          "reason": "Described as one of the most interesting and realistic sci-fi books the commenter has read in a long time.",
          "audience": "Readers of science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12984164,
          "author": "BatFastard",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-18T03:52:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12984164",
          "commentText": "Daemon and Freedom by Danial Suarez\nSome amazing insights in AI, Augmented Reality, and a distributed manufacturing society.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Daemon and Freedom by Danial Suarez",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking what book was so good it was gifted.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10208213,
          "author": "aaron695",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T14:44:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10208213",
          "commentText": "Given what you've just read and a VR/AR requirement I'd suggest either -\nRainbows End - Vernor Vinge\nDaemon - Daniel Suarez\nThey are both more AR, which I suspect will be the next step rather than VR, AR novels have if anything proven to me it's more relevant than VR, for now.\nDaemon relies a bit more on AI to make the story.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Daemon - Daniel Suarez\nThey are both more AR",
          "reason": "Suggested as an AR-focused novel; the commenter notes its story relies more on AI.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The story relies a bit more on AI.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10207248,
          "author": "9ScoskEbci",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T04:43:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10207248",
          "commentText": "Daemon & Freedom by Daniel Suarez.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Daemon & Freedom by Daniel Suarez.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9349520,
          "author": "amostii",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T17:51:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9349520",
          "commentText": "+1",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1",
          "reason": "Affirms the parent comment's recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056399,
          "author": "macmac",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T11:42:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056399",
          "commentText": "Anything by Iain M. Banks. Start with \"The Player of Games\" and \"Consider Phlebas\".\nAnything by Vernor S. Vinge especially \"Zones of Thought\" series.\n\"Daemon\", \"Freedom(tm)\", \"Kill Decision\" and \"Influx\" by Daniel Suarez.\n\"The Martian\" by Andy Weir.\nAnything by Neal Stephenson, especially \"Reamde: A Novel\" and \"Cryptonomicon\".\nAnything by Hannu Rajaniemi, especially \"The Fractal Prince\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Daemon\", \"Freedom(tm)\", \"Kill Decision\" and \"Influx\" by Daniel Suarez.",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s sci-fi recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8946487,
          "author": "jeeva",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-26T11:27:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8946487",
          "commentText": "Daemon, and the follow up Freedom(tm) are a few fantastic books. \nDon't be fooled by the start - it seems like a bit of a clichéd cop procedural, but rapidly evolves to an interesting glance at near-future sci-fi and augmented reality.\n...plus it's pretty darned cool.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Daemon, and the follow up Freedom(tm) are a few fantastic books.",
          "reason": "Calls the books fantastic and describes their near-future sci-fi premise.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The opening seems like a clichéd cop procedural before the story evolves.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8944529,
          "author": "axelerator",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-25T22:35:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944529",
          "commentText": "Deamon by Daniel Suarez",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Deamon by Daniel Suarez",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6898818,
          "author": "ajford",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T03:01:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6898818",
          "commentText": "For me, it's a tie between Daemon by Daniel Suarez and The Lost Fleet series by Jack Campbell.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For me, it's a tie between Daemon by Daniel Suarez",
          "reason": "Named as one of the commenter's two best books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6388569,
          "author": "dietervds",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T09:40:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6388569",
          "commentText": "I'm a huge fan of Daemon and Freedom(tm) by Daniel Suarez. I guess you can call it a 'technology thriller', with some amazing ideas and impressions of our society. His most recent book, Kill Decision, is along similar lines and also great.\nI love reading actual sci-fi too, and was most impressed by the Lost Fleet series by Jack Campbell. Can absolutely recommend those.\nNote: I didn't come to these titles myself, they were recommended by Steve Gibson from the 'Security Now' podcast. I couldn't agree more with his taste.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm a huge fan of Daemon and Freedom(tm) by Daniel Suarez.",
          "reason": "Says they are a huge fan of the paired novels and agrees with the recommender's taste.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5832761,
          "author": "makerops",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T14:55:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5832761",
          "commentText": "Reamde by Neal Stephenson,\nDaniel Surez freedom (tm), deamon, and kill decision.\nready player one\nanything by mark twain",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "deamon",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4026596,
          "author": "tiplus",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-26T05:33:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4026596",
          "commentText": "daemon - daniel suarez,\nfreedom - daniel suarez",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "daemon - daniel suarez,",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for a great book read recently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3782911,
          "author": "lsiebert",
          "createdAt": "2012-04-01T06:03:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 3781486,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi Books for Hackers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3782911",
          "commentText": "http://textiplication.com/2009/07/13/hackers-and-hacking-in-... (http://textiplication.com/2009/07/13/hackers-and-hacking-in-science-fiction/)\nhas many of the recommendations I'd make. I especially recommend Cryptonomicon if you want some pseudocode.  I'll add a few newer books:\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ready_Player_One\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daemon_%28technothriller_series%29\nHowever, have you considered some free nonfiction?  http://www.mit.edu/hacker/hacker.html The Hacker Crackdown\nhttp://hermetic.com/bey/taz3.html#labelTAZ Temporary Autonomous Zones\nYou might also like scifi short stories: http://www.flurb.net/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daemon_(technothriller_series)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2642289,
          "author": "dbaugh",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T20:29:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2642289",
          "commentText": "These two books will be pure candy for anyone who reads this site:\nDaemon\nFreedom T.M.\nDaniel Suarez",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "These two books will be pure candy for anyone who reads this site:\nDaemon",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books described as especially appealing to the site's readers.",
          "audience": "Readers of this site.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043630,
          "author": "subelsky",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:55:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043630",
          "commentText": "Damon (plus the rest of that trilogy), Dune - those are two recent favorites off the top of my head",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Damon (plus the rest of that trilogy)",
          "reason": "Calls it one of two recent favorites; title spelling is resolved from the thread context.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1974839,
          "author": "rdl",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T11:36:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974839",
          "commentText": "SSI Open Water Diver.  Not because the book is particularly (or at all) well written, but because it was my entry into an amazing hobby -- SCUBA diving.  It's an enjoyable activity on its own, and the training model for SCUBA is actually a good way to teach a lot of things to consumers (a VC friend who just picked up diving too believes this as well).\nFor actual book as book, probably \"First In; How Seven CIA Officers Opened the War on Terror in Afghanistan\" by Gary Schroen.  They basically went in with $30mm or so and an old helicopter, 2 SF ODAs, and accomplished most of the good accomplished to date in Afghanistan within 2 months.\nFor fiction, I'd love to say Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle, but it's just too fucking long.  He needs an editor; I'm on book 3.  For unexpectedly awesome, Suarez's Daemon and Freedom.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For unexpectedly awesome, Suarez's Daemon and Freedom.",
          "reason": "Describes the books as unexpectedly awesome.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569063,
          "author": "jpdbaugh",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:03:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569063",
          "commentText": "Daemon and Freedom TM by Daniel Suarez.  It will rock your world trust me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Daemon and Freedom TM by Daniel Suarez. It will rock your world trust me.",
          "reason": "Enthusiastically recommends it as a book that will 'rock your world.'",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226850,
          "author": "keyist",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:36:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226850",
          "commentText": "Don't miss sivers's great list: http://sivers.org/book\nAs for mine,\nScience Fiction (I like these authors so I'd recommend most of their books -- listing which ones I think are a good 'starter novel' for them):\n  Charles Stross: Halting State\n  Vernor Vinge: A Fire Upon The Deep\n  Iain M. Banks: Culture novels, start with Player of Games\n  David Louis Edelman: Jump 225 Trilogy\n  Daniel Suarez: Daemon and Freedom(tm)\n  John Scalzi: Old Man's War series\n  Dan Simmons: Hyperion\n\nSelf-improvement:\n  The Talent Code\n  Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger\n  Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion\n\nNon-fiction:\n  Amusing Ourselves To Death (highly recommended)\n  The Science of Fear\n  The Black Swan\n  Tokyo Vice\n  Racing The Beam (Atari history, very cool)\n  books by Daniel Pink\n  Guns, Germs, and Steel\n  The Prize by Daniel Yergin\n\nFantasy:\nAnything by Gaiman or China Mieville, pretty much.\nEDIT: links to previews (legally) available online\nCharles Stross's Accelerando (entire book): http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelera... (http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelerando/accelerando-intro.html)\nDavid Louis Edelman's Infoquake (1st 7 chapters): http://www.davidlouisedelman.com/jump225/infoquake/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Daniel Suarez: Daemon and Freedom(tm)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Suarez"
      ],
      "recommenders": 42,
      "threads": 27,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Computing",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "cyberthriller",
        "technothriller",
        "cybercrime"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "anathem-ad74d2",
      "title": "Anathem",
      "author": "Neal Stephenson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48639970,
          "author": "db48x",
          "createdAt": "2026-06-23T03:39:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 48595560,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please recommend sci-fi books similar to \"children of time\" or \"anathem\"",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48639970",
          "commentText": "Anathem is excellent; why do you call it “so, so bad”?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anathem is excellent",
          "reason": "Calls the novel excellent while asking why another commenter disliked it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 48619415,
          "author": "jr_isidore",
          "createdAt": "2026-06-21T14:46:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 48595560,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please recommend sci-fi books similar to \"children of time\" or \"anathem\"",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48619415",
          "commentText": "Children of Time is nothing like Anathem, but both are so, so bad.  CoT was good for about a hundred pages, and then I just got sick of spiders berating each other.  Quit around the midpoint.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "both are so, so bad",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter’s criticism of both books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46402290,
          "author": "sevensor",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T14:56:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46402290",
          "commentText": "Mary Renault. Fire From Heaven. I think she was ahead of the curve in recognizing that Alexander had monstrous qualities at a time when he was still seen as a kind of superhero.\nTolkein. The Silmarillion. I’ve bounced off this book a dozen times over decades, despite deeply enjoying The Hobbit and LoTR. This time I discovered that the best way to read it is backwards, tracing connections to characters you already know.\nStephenson. Anathem. I think I’ll skip the end next time. The first time I read it, I was confused; this time I understood exactly what was happening but I thought it was a bit pointless. Still worth it for the first 3/4 of the novel.\nLots of short stories. I was expecting to like Mark Twain better, but ours is a much more earnest era, and no match for his Gilded Age cynicism. What passes for cynicism today is Twain in his sunniest mood. At any rate, I appreciate Twain, but I enjoy EM Forster, Henry James, JG Ballard, William Gibson, and lots of others I’m forgetting at the moment.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Stephenson. Anathem. I think I’ll skip the end next time. The first time I read it, I was confused; this time I understood exactly what was happening but I thought it was a bit pointless. Still worth it for the first 3/4 of the novel.",
          "reason": "Says the first three quarters were worth reading despite finding the ending pointless.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Found the ending pointless and intends to skip it next time.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46161500,
          "author": "ashtavakra",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-05T14:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46161500",
          "commentText": "I consolidated the comments for my reference later. Someone else might also find it useful:\n# Fiction Books Recommended for Programmers (HN Thread 46128404)\n## Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- *Children of Time* — Science Fiction (Evolution, Space Opera)  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)\n## Rick Cook — Wizardry Series\n- *Wizard’s Bane* — Fantasy, Programming/Magic Mashup  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112616.Wizard_s_Bane\n- *Wizardry Series (overview)*  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\n## James P. Hogan\n- *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/743568.Inherit_the_Stars\n- *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifem... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifemaker)\n- *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_Tomorrow)\n## D. F. Jones — Colossus Trilogy\n- *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806105.Colossus\n- *The Fall of Colossus* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colos... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colossus)\n- *Colossus and the Crab* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_Crab)\n## Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner)\n- *A Logic Named Joe* — Golden-Age Sci-Fi, AI Precursor  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-j... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-joe)\n## David Gerrold\n- *When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One* — AI, Classic Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_Was_One)\n## William Gibson / Bruce Sterling\n- *Neuromancer* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer\n- *The Difference Engine* — Steampunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Eng... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Engine)\n## Neal Stephenson\n- *Snow Crash* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash\n- *Cryptonomicon* — Techno-thriller, Cyber-history  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/816.Cryptonomicon\n- *Anathem* — Philosophical Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2845024-anathem\n- *The Diamond Age* — Nanopunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827.The_Diamond_Age\n## Fred Saberhagen\n- *Octagon* — AI, Techno-thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1891958.Octagon\n## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga\n- *Series Overview* — Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/40946-vorkosigan-saga\n## Richard Powers\n- *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45104.Galatea_2_2\n## Scott Meyer\n- *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-wizard)\n## Daniel Suarez\n- *Daemon* — Cyber-thriller, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665844-daemon\n## Thomas J. Ryan\n- *The Adolescence of P-1* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_o... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_of_P_1)\n## Ernest Cline\n- *Ready Player One* — Sci-Fi, Gaming, Pop-Culture Adventure  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one\n## Dennis E. Taylor\n- *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)* — Humorous Sci-Fi, AI, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-we-are-bob)\n## Ted Chiang\n- *Stories of Your Life and Others* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\n- *Exhalation* — Speculative Fiction, Philosophy, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation\n- *The Lifecycle of Software Objects* — AI, Digital Consciousness  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of-software-objects)\n## Charles Stross\n- *Laundry Files Series* — Math-based Magic, Techno-Fantasy  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files\n## Ken Liu\n- *The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menag... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories)\n- *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, AI, VR  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl-and-other-stories)\n## Ellen Ullman\n- *The Bug* — Tech Industry Literary Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/703.The_Bug\n## Cory Doctorow\n- *Radicalized* — Techno-sociopolitical Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40604122-radicalized\n## qntm (Sam Hughes)\n- *Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans-in-transit-and-other-stories)\n## Roger Williams\n- *The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect* — AI, Post-Singularity SF  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)\n## Greg Bear\n- *Eon* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/924843.Eon\n## Vernor Vinge\n- *A Deepness in the Sky* — Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the_Sky)\n## Terry Pratchett\n- *Going Postal* — Comic Fantasy, Satire of Bureaucracy & Tech  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64222.Going_Postal\n## Bruce Bethke\n- *Headcrash* — Cyber-satire  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213465.Headcrash\n## Mary Shelley\n- *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* — Classic Gothic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein\n## Douglas Adams\n- *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* — Comic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guid... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)\n## Jorge Luis Borges\n- *The Library of Babel* — Metaphysical Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-babel)\n## Greg Egan\n- *Permutation City* — Simulation Theory, Hard Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156784.Permutation_City\n## Cixin Liu\n- *The Three-Body Problem* — Hard Sci-Fi, First Contact  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- *Anathem* — Philosophical Science Fiction",
          "reason": "Lists the title in a compilation of fiction books recommended for programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46132331,
          "author": "turtleyacht",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T09:33:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46132331",
          "commentText": "Anathem and The Diamond Age too",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anathem and The Diamond Age too",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42556739,
          "author": "__rito__",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-31T05:53:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42556739",
          "commentText": "For me, some of the best books I read this year, are:\n- Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, I have seen many narratives on the fault at the core of current values and goals of human civilization, but never saw a laid out alternative. Whatever it might be, I like the book for attempting at presenting one.\n- Solaris by Stanislaw Lem, I like this book for extremely original thoughts. This books was so thin (~200 pages), yet it was grand. I also wrote a review [0].\n- The Happiness Trap by Russ Hariss, was very helpful to me in sorting through some things. Very practical book.\n- Anathem by Neal Stephenson, one of the most original book, and probably the best one by Stephenson. Very original ideas, mind expanding.\n- Permutation City by Greg Egan, this book raised the standard for possibly all SciFi book that I will read in the future. Extremely original and grand ideas.\n- The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt, another book that lays out alternatives to what is now considered mainstream.\n- Sotyi Rupkatha by Parimal Bhattacharya (Bengali), a book without any ideological or emotional baggage explaining the plight and pain of a tribal community for Aluminium mining. The way colonialism lives in mining was eye-opening. Aluminium mining, separating, etc. are done in lesser fortunate countries where huge amounts of water is wasted and the environment polluted. The West still imports that refined raw material in cheap and produces final products with lesser environmental impact and peofits by selling the finished products to the same countries in large profits. It was refreshing to see that this book did not have a Communist undertone.\n- Krishna Basudev by Bani Basu (Bengali), life of God Krishna in form of a novel in crisp prose, written maintaining authenticity of core books like Bhagavat Purana and Harivansha.\n- I am currently listening to \"The Hobbit\" audiobook narrated by Andy Serkis. This is peak audiobook for me.\n[0]: https://ritogh.substack.com/p/not-merely-a-story-of-a-man-fa... (https://ritogh.substack.com/p/not-merely-a-story-of-a-man-facing)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "one of the most original book, and probably the best one by Stephenson. Very original ideas, mind expanding.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the most original books and probably Stephenson's best, praising its mind-expanding ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41776262,
          "author": "FrustratedMonky",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-08T11:45:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41776262",
          "commentText": "\"A Canticle for Leibowitz\"\nI'd recommend also \"Anathem\" by Stephenson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend also \"Anathem\" by Stephenson",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommended.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39729464,
          "author": "bookofjoe",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T21:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729464",
          "commentText": "\"A Canticle For Leibowitz\"\n\"The Sparrow\"\n\"Lord of Light\"\n\"The Immortal\"\n\"Hyperion\"\n\"The Last Question\"\n\"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?\"\n\"Stranger in a Strange Land\"\n\"The City and the Stars\"\n\"Childhood's End\"\n\"Anathem\"\n\"Eifelheim\"\n\"A Case of Conscience\"\n\"VALIS\" trilogy\n\"The Book of Strange New Things\"\n\"Behold The Man\"\n\"The God Engines\"\n\"Book of the New Sun\"\n\"The Parable of the Sower\"\n\"The Dosadi Experiment\"\n\"Grass\"\n\"Project Pope\"\n\"Calculating God\"\n\"Factoring Humanity\"\n\"Jesus on Mars\"\n\"Surface Detail",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Anathem\"",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about books that changed perspectives on religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36022197,
          "author": "gverri",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:53:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36022197",
          "commentText": "Dragon's Egg, by Robert L. Forward\nNexus Trilogy, by Ramez Naam\nAnathem, By Neal Stephenson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anathem, By Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31977848,
          "author": "ravoori",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-04T15:08:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31977848",
          "commentText": "Neal Stephenson's Anathem",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neal Stephenson's Anathem",
          "reason": "Offered as an answer to the rereading question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28064177,
          "author": "kleer001",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T18:02:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28064177",
          "commentText": "The rare book that I've read three times. That and his Anathem, IMHO, are superlative and make up for his habit of droning on. BTW stay away from REAMDE. His action scenes are awkward and stumbling, without tension or grace.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "That and his Anathem, IMHO, are superlative",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book while noting the author's tendency to drone on.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The author has a habit of droning on.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467709,
          "author": "alanfalcon",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:53:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467709",
          "commentText": "I find myself re-listening to large portions of my audible library fairly often. I pick up so much more on additional read/listen-throughs.\nI listen to or read Snow Crash at least once a year. I just enjoy most everything about it. Anathem required a couple listens, and a third listen was just for comfort food.\nThe Altered Carbon trilogy has depth and sublime world-building that I have now enjoyed at least a half dozen times.\nI second mentions of Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (and will mention The Long, Dark Tea Time of the Soul as well).\nEnder’s Game is also comfort food for me.\nBreaking from the speculative fiction reco’s above...\nThe Power of Vulnerability (Brené Brown) is more lecture series than audiobook, but as for non fiction I’ve recently given multiple listens to, that tops the list.\nI borrowed “Landline” from the local library, read it twice and then bought it so I could continue to read it when I want to. I think I was in just the right age group and life situation for this novel to hit home for me. Your mileage may vary, but IMO read it without knowing anything about it in advance if you’re going to read it. That means don’t read the back cover etc.\n(Blind borrowing of books from the library is fun and can be eye opening, try it sometime! Most places, you can borrow eBooks and even digital audiobooks without even leaving your home as long as you have a library card.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anathem required a couple listens, and a third listen was just for comfort food.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they listened several times, including once for comfort.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23153564,
          "author": "sova",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T13:11:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23153564",
          "commentText": "Anathem by Neal Stephenson features a bifurcated world where a scholar-monk-class of mathematicians lives in walled-off areas that mingle with the rest of the world only on fixed dates.  Some every year, some every ten years, and others only every 100 years.  There is a lot more to it, but I don't want to give anything away.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anathem by Neal Stephenson features a bifurcated world",
          "reason": "The commenter describes its premise in response to a request for mind-bending books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter avoids revealing more of the story.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22724556,
          "author": "barnabee",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T02:03:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22724556",
          "commentText": "William Gibson. The Bridge trilogy and the Sprawl trilogy, at a minimum. They still feel like maps to the future even now. You have to work at it, the map is not the territory after all, but the realisations about the impact of technology, progress, and the choices we make when we let society work a certain way have been profound, for me at least.\nAlso The Peripheral, and Gibson’s essay in Wired about undersea cables, and... yeah. Having read Gibson feels like a superpower.\nAs others have said:\n- The Hitch Hiker’s Guide\n- Stepehnson’s Diamond Age, Cryptonomicon, Seveneves, Anathem (aside: totally surprised how much love there is for Anathem, I remember it not being received very kindly at the time by people around me, though I liked it.)\n- The Culture series (special shout out to The Player of Games.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Stepehnson’s Diamond Age, Cryptonomicon, Seveneves, Anathem",
          "reason": "The commenter says they liked it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter recalls that people around them did not receive it kindly.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665954,
          "author": "ryanstorm",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T17:46:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665954",
          "commentText": "I have a post at my blog here: http://westby.io/5-books-ive-read-2018-1/\nSome other books I read that I'd recommend:\n- Anathem\n- Deep Work\n- A Canticle for Leibowitz\n- Into Thin Air\n- Shoe Dog\n- Happiness Hypothesis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Anathem",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books the commenter says they would recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17574432,
          "author": "Davertron",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-20T12:30:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17574432",
          "commentText": "Cryptonomicon is one of my favorite books of all time (I'm probably due for a re-read at this point).\nI would also recommend \"Seveneves\", one of Neal Stephenson's most recent books. \"Anathem\" was also very enjoyable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Anathem\" was also very enjoyable.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they found it very enjoyable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536654,
          "author": "dochtman",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:35:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536654",
          "commentText": "Isaac Asimov is one of the classics, of course. I'm particularly fond of the robot novels (all four of the Elijah Baley ones especially) and the entire Foundation series. Of course, you also can't miss the robot short stories. Oh, and The End of Eternity!\nAt some point I found Charles Stross' Accelerando, which is freely available online (along with a bunch of other short stories), and found everything I've read (which is most of it at this point, I think) enjoyably fast-paced. In particular the Laundry series (of which I've bought every iteration as soon as they came out over the past few years) -- though arguably these maybe cross-over from SF into fantasy a bit -- and the Halting State trilogy.\nIn terms of online available work, Cory Doctorow's work is also great. Like Stross, most of his work is more near-term SF, which I have liked, and a bunch of it is available online under a Creative Commons license. It often moves fast and is also politically interesting; sometimes the activism shines through a little blatantly, but the themes are always make me thing in various ways I appreciate (but maybe will fail your lighthearted criterion even if it is fun). His latest is Walkaway, which I would recommend.\nI got into Neal Stephenson through Cryptonomicon, which is one of the greats. Stephenson has a pretty rambly, wordy style, but at least that also makes his stories last a bit longer. After that, I mostly moved on to Anathem, Reamde and Seveneves all of which are big and interesting and great reads (it took me longer than usual to get up to speed on Anathem, but it was very much worth it in the end). I tried one of the more historic ones (I think it was Quicksilver) at some point but haven't finished it. The 2017 Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. was a bit lighter, but lots of fun, too.\nWilliam Gibson has already been mentioned, which I would also recommend. I read the Sprawl trilogy a very long time ago, and it's made a lasting expression. I've started rereading it recently. I also liked the Blue Ant trilogy and The Peripheral, but have so far missed the more recent work.\nMore in the one-off category: The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell is one of my all-time favorites, and mixes deep SF with psychology and religion in interesting ways. There's a sequel, but it's not as good. I also liked The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, which is also on the softer side. I read Scalzi's Redshirts and liked it (especially if you're familiar with the Star Trek universe), it feels similar to Ready Player One in some ways. Daniel Suarez's (or Leinad Zeraus as he originally published them) Daemon is fun and easy to digest, along with its sequel Freedom. I liked Robert J. Sawyer's The Terminal Experiment, but one person I recommended it too wasn't impressed -- I still think it's fun, if not very deep. I also bought his Factoring Humanity and liked it okay.\nHope that helps. Always interested in more recommendations based on this list!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "After that, I mostly moved on to Anathem, Reamde and Seveneves all of which are big and interesting and great reads",
          "reason": "Calls it an interesting, great read, while noting it took time to get up to speed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Took longer than usual to get up to speed, but the commenter says it was worth it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337417,
          "author": "arethuza",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:38:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337417",
          "commentText": "My hardback copy of Anathem self destructed through continual re-reading of favourite parts.  However, I now also have it on Audible so I can listen to it on my jeejah... ;-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My hardback copy of Anathem self destructed through continual re-reading of favourite parts.",
          "reason": "Describes continually rereading favorite parts and keeping an audiobook copy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15428950,
          "author": "unoti",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:58:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428950",
          "commentText": "Anathem by Neal Stephenson, along with Seveneves.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anathem by Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for hard sci-fi AI novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15158049,
          "author": "stinkytaco",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T20:32:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15158049",
          "commentText": "You would probably enjoy Anathem by Neal Stephenson. It's also about deep time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You would probably enjoy Anathem by Neal Stephenson.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a book the recipient would probably enjoy, noting its deep-time theme.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15020474,
          "author": "searine",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T17:41:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15020474",
          "commentText": "Re-reading Anathem by Neal Stephenson, because it's so god damn good.\nThe Mandibles recently. It was okay. The economic ideas were interesting, but the story dragged.\nThe Accusation by Bandi was good if you like North Korea stuff.\nThe Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O - Was decent for a Stephenson novel, but definitely niche sci-fi/fantasy.\nThe Glass Bead Game by Herman Hesse. Didn't like it. Really didn't like the ending.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Re-reading Anathem by Neal Stephenson, because it's so god damn good.",
          "reason": "Rereads it because they consider it very good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10843279,
          "author": "osullivj",
          "createdAt": "2016-01-05T14:08:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 10833032,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book you've recently read and enjoyed?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10843279",
          "commentText": "Been a big Stephenson fan since Cryptonomicon. Enjoyed the Baroque Trilogy, Anathem & Reamde, but non of them are as good as Cryptonomicon. It's a bit like be an Umberto Eco fan - nothing since Name of the Rose has been quite as good. Or Wes Anderson for that matter; there's been good stuff, but nothing's touched the heights of Royal Tenenbaums.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Anathem",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not as good as Cryptonomicon.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175622,
          "author": "tsax",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:37:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175622",
          "commentText": "Anathem by Neal Stephenson",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Anathem by Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674249,
          "author": "fsloth",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T11:47:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674249",
          "commentText": "Neal Stephenson's Anathem is fairly mind blowing if read in the correct mindset.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Neal Stephenson's Anathem is fairly mind blowing if read in the correct mindset.",
          "reason": "Described as mind blowing when approached in the right mindset.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter qualifies the recommendation with “if read in the correct mindset.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9361816,
          "author": "mithras",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-12T02:16:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9361816",
          "commentText": "The two books I've read by Stephenson and really enjoyed. Never really got into the Baroque cycle because it's so long winded, but that should also be good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The two books I've read by Stephenson and really enjoyed.",
          "reason": "Says they really enjoyed the two Stephenson books named in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056624,
          "author": "JoachimS",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:42:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056624",
          "commentText": "Your opinion is very good. The \"and then something magic happens\" solution in fantasy is what really turns me off.\nBut in SF it is sometimes hard to distinct magic from plausible albeit far fetched science. Is FTL possible given the science of tomorrow, or magic?\nIf you want to have (imho) really, really good SF, chec out Ted Chiang. Very low production, but he takes science in SF very seriosly. His collection of short stories is some of the best I've ever read:\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others\nSomebody else mentioned Anathem. And if one want deep mathematics mixed with wild ideas, language theory I strongly recommend it. It is hard to get going (at least it was for me). But very rewarding. Probably the best read the last year.\nFinally, if one really wants to go the \"no magic\" route. I strongly recommend Netptunes Brood by Charles stross. The book is based on the idea that FTL is not possible, and as a consequence how the economics behind interstellar migration and stable exchange currencies works. Bitcoing and slow money. Just that somebody actually has been considering the finance structure behind generation ships makes it worth reading.\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neptune%27s_Brood",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I strongly recommend it. It is hard to get going (at least it was for me). But very rewarding.",
          "reason": "Recommended for its mix of mathematics, language theory, and imaginative ideas.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in mathematics, language theory, and speculative ideas.",
          "caveat": "The commenter found it hard to get started.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056600,
          "author": "Jedd",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:34:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056600",
          "commentText": "Doubtless there'll be lots of strong opinions, and (hopefully, usefully) lots of duplicates that you can then tote up to get a bit of a consensus.\nIain M. Banks - all his Culture books are fantastic, but I'll single out 'Excession' since you seek titles.\nNeal Stephenson's 'Anathem'\nStephen Donaldson (most famous for the Thomas Covenant tri-trilogy) wrote a 5-book 'Gap Series'.  I have very fond memories of it, though it's been two decades since I read it.\nPhilip K. Dick wrote a tonne of good stuff (and a bit of meh) but my two favourite are Clans of the Alphane Moon (the first Dick I read), and Valis (a bit more conventional to have on the favourite list)\nUrsula Le Guin also has a huge body of excellent work - Left Hand of Darkness, and The Dispossessed are my favourites.\nI really loved Roger Zelazny's Lord Of Light, though I understand it's not conventionally considered his best work.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neal Stephenson's 'Anathem'",
          "reason": "Listed among favorite science fiction titles.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056535,
          "author": "akkartik",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:20:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056535",
          "commentText": "When I read your comment I'm strongly reminded of myself ten years ago. I held almost exactly the same view on hard scifi, and was similarly obsessed with Arthur C Clarke. But I've since loosened my definition of scifi for a couple of reasons:\na) I now think of scifi as any work intended to do more than tell a story or explore a world. Focussing on just hard scifi causes great works of social and sociology fiction like The Dispossessed to be left without a clear pigeonhole. Which is a great pity, IMO.\nPerhaps the biggest chunk that gets miscategorized is cyberpunk; works like Snow Crash and Hardwired are clearly about more than whether the ending is happy or sad, or whether the hero gets the girl. Doesn't seem right to categorize them as fantasy. Better to narrow Arthur C Clarke into the sub-category of hard scifi. Loosening my uptight definition caused me to better appreciate Snow Crash in particular on a second reading a decade later. It's aged wonderfully.\nYou could even imagine a book with fantasy 'props' that feels scifi-like. I haven't seen it yet, but I have no doubt it can be done. (Any recommendations from others?)\nb) Not even everything Arthur C Clarke wrote was hard. Rama series, c'mon! Kim Stanley Robinson is a great author, but I fail to see how he's 'more hard' than Asimov or Heinlein. Somebody described the Red Mars series to me as a reality show with dune buggies, and that seems about right. You certainly couldn't call it 'more hard' than Anathem.\nAnyways, for hard scifi readers the top author today is probably Greg Egan. That I think everybody can agree on. I have other recommendations elsewhere on this thread.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "You certainly couldn't call it 'more hard' than Anathem.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056479,
          "author": "arethuza",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:04:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056479",
          "commentText": "Neal Stephenson, Anathem\nIain M Banks, Use of Weapons\nGreg Egan, Diaspora and Permutation City\nFrank Herbert, Dune\nKim Stanley Robinson, the Mars trilogy\nVernon Vinge: A Fire Upon the Deep and A Deepness in the Sky\n[Note to Hollywood: can we please have a Culture movie?]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neal Stephenson, Anathem",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for favourite sci-fi books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8944867,
          "author": "iambot",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-26T00:21:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944867",
          "commentText": "Diamond age: a young ladies illustrated primer. Anathem. Halting state. Accelerando. Rant: an oral biography of buster casey. Enders game. The laundry files.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anathem.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6392753,
          "author": "archenemy",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-16T11:46:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6392753",
          "commentText": "Anathem (especially the last third of it) is an awesome reading. It's slow-building and the first two thirds took some will to get through, but it was really worth the struggle. Incredibly high-concept (for me at least).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Anathem (especially the last third of it) is an awesome reading. It's slow-building and the first two thirds took some will to get through, but it was really worth the struggle. Incredibly high-concept",
          "reason": "Calls it an awesome, high-concept read and says the struggle was worthwhile.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Slow-building; the first two thirds took effort to get through.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6389427,
          "author": "BWStearns",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T16:01:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6389427",
          "commentText": "Haha, Sorry, wish I could edit that now. No more posting to HN after more than three beers :) . Anathema was just a typo but I changed N[ie|ea]l back and forth a few times.\nMy stupidity aside, awesome author and Anathem is definitely worth a read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anathem is definitely worth a read.",
          "reason": "Explicitly says the book is worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6388178,
          "author": "dragonwriter",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T05:13:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6388178",
          "commentText": "Pedantic, perhaps, but the author's name is Neal Stephenson, and the book is Anathem (its a blending of \"anathema\" and \"anthem\")",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the book is Anathem",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5834226,
          "author": "saturdayplace",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T18:23:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5834226",
          "commentText": "If the OP is looking for a page turner, then Stephenson's Snow Crash is another great recommendation. Anathem was slower to me, and Reamde was good. But if I was to pick up Stephenson's stuff again I go to Snow Crash, then Cryptonomicon as my one, two.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Anathem was slower to me",
          "reason": "Says it felt slower, in contrast to the recommended page turner.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter found it slower.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3650941,
          "author": "thejteam",
          "createdAt": "2012-03-01T04:40:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 3643009,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-technical book you've read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3650941",
          "commentText": "If I had to pick a personal favorite(not necessarily best) book of all time, it would be Anathem.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If I had to pick a personal favorite(not necessarily best) book of all time, it would be Anathem.",
          "reason": "Names it as a personal all-time favorite, while qualifying that it may not be the best.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Personal favorite, not necessarily the best book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3644176,
          "author": "ajdecon",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-28T18:18:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 3643009,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-technical book you've read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3644176",
          "commentText": "Finally got around to reading Anathem by Neil Stephenson. Amazing book.\nThe thing I love about Stephenson's writing is that not only am I entertained, not only do I learn something... but that the process of understanding the story actually teaches me new ways to think.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Finally got around to reading Anathem by Neil Stephenson. Amazing book.",
          "reason": "Calls it amazing and praises its entertainment and conceptual learning.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1973709,
          "author": "gchucky",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T03:13:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1973709",
          "commentText": "Neal Stephenson's \"Anathem\". Seriously one of the best novels I've ever read. He's an excellent writer, and after about the first fifty pages I couldn't put it down.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seriously one of the best novels I've ever read.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the novel and says they could not put it down after the first fifty pages.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it takes about fifty pages to get going.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1864838,
          "author": "gigawatt",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T14:17:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1864838",
          "commentText": "\"Anathem\" by Neal Stephenson is the best book I've read in years. The first 50 pages or so are a slog, but after that I couldn't put it down.\n\"What is the What\" by Dave Eggers is also phenomenal.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Anathem\" by Neal Stephenson is the best book I've read in years.",
          "reason": "Strong praise; the commenter says it is the best book they've read in years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "First 50 pages are a slog; after that, the commenter could not put it down.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569107,
          "author": "arethuza",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:13:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569107",
          "commentText": "Recent favorites of mine:\nAnathem - Neal Stephenson\nA People's Tragedy: Russian Revolution, 1891-1924 - Orlando Figes\nThe Big Short - Michael Lewis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Recent favorites of mine:\nAnathem - Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "Listed as a recent favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226793,
          "author": "jf",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:15:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226793",
          "commentText": "Anathem by Neil Stephenson (Fiction)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anathem by Neil Stephenson (Fiction)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027286,
          "author": "brown9-2",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T15:27:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027286",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction:\nCoders at Work by Peter Siebel and Founders at Work by Jessica Livingston - I loved reading about the founder's stories and first-hand perspectives of notable programmers.\nThe Pleasures and Sorrows of Work by Alain de Botton - really interesting perspective on \"work\" and various types of careers and people that find happiness in them/work itself.\nSuperfreakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner - even if you don't agree with their arguments or think that the authors are all fluff, I think that their writing style is exceptionally clear and easy to understand.\nThe Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb - some really interesting ideas and analysis, although the book could have been 1/2 as short\nFiction:\nAnathem by Neal Stephenson - starts out slow but after the first 200 pages it became a really great story that I couldn't put down.\nLife of Pi by Yann Martel - loved the main story of the book, the controversial ending didn't bother me too much because I don't feel like it takes away from the story at all.\nThe Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson - cheap fun and suspenseful\nThe Road by Cormac McCarthy - I don't think much needs to be said about this book\nWhite Tiger by Aravind Adiga - extremely interesting and gripping novel about a side of the world most of us Westerners never see\nHitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams - finally read this classic. I read the \"Ultimate Edition\" which contains all 5 of Adams' novel, loved the first one but the story felt like it started to putter out by the third.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "after the first 200 pages it became a really great story that I couldn't put down",
          "reason": "Says it becomes a great, compelling story after a slow start.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The first 200 pages start slowly.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027009,
          "author": "knv",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T09:29:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027009",
          "commentText": "Anathem, by Neal Stephenson\nConsider Phlebas, by Iain M. Banks\nSelfish Gene, by Richard Dawkins\nBusiness Stripped Bare, by Richard Branson\nProgramming Collective Intelligence, by Toby Segaran\nZen and Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert Pirsig",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anathem, by Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books others enjoyed and recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026530,
          "author": "statictype",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T01:02:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026530",
          "commentText": "Anathem started slow but ended up being one of his better efforts, I think. Like classic Stephenson, it's short on plot but long on details and interesting dialog between characters.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Anathem started slow but ended up being one of his better efforts, I think.",
          "reason": "Says it becomes one of Stephenson's better works despite a slow start.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Starts slowly.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026469,
          "author": "teeja",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T23:47:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026469",
          "commentText": "Charles Stross, 'Accelerando'\nStephenson, 'Anathem' (first 150 pages slow)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Stephenson, 'Anathem' (first 150 pages slow)",
          "reason": "Lists it as a book suggestion, while noting its slow opening.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The first 150 pages are slow.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026381,
          "author": "bayareaguy",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T22:42:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026381",
          "commentText": "Although actually released in late 2008, my favorite book for 2009 was Neal Stephenson's Anathem.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "my favorite book for 2009 was Neal Stephenson's Anathem.",
          "reason": "Names it as the commenter's favorite book for 2009.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Released in late 2008.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 877261,
          "author": "Ixiaus",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T17:52:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=877261",
          "commentText": "Dune by Frank Herbert and Anathem by Neal Stephenson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anathem by Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876634,
          "author": "jakkals",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T13:18:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876634",
          "commentText": "Right now, Anathem by Neal Stephenson is my favorite.\nI read through the comments before adding my 2 cents. I saw a lot of my favorite books, including a few by Neal Stephenson. But I did not see Anathem. Hmmm...\nI also saw a few references to James Clavell's Shogan. Excellent book. But I liked Tai Pan more, and in fact, I would say that this is my second favorite.\nJust to add another title that nobody here is likely mention, the first book that I read that blew my mind (admittedly in my very young days) was \"When the Lion feeds\" by Wilbur Smith.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anathem by Neal Stephenson is my favorite.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is their favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797635,
          "author": "arethuza",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T08:22:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797635",
          "commentText": "Just finished:\n\"The Great War for Civilisation\" - Robert Fisk\n\"Life on the Mississippi\" - Mark Twain\n\"3 Commando Brigade\" - Ewen Southby-Tailyour\n\"Anathem\" - Neal Stephenson",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Anathem\" - Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797351,
          "author": "brown9-2",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T04:10:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797351",
          "commentText": "Not only don't be put off by it's size, but don't be put off by the press it got from when it was released. The book is way better than anyone could possibly sum up in a blurb.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book is way better than anyone could possibly sum up in a blurb.",
          "reason": "Strongly praises the book and says its quality exceeds what a blurb can convey.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 715612,
          "author": "miditim",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-21T02:37:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715612",
          "commentText": "Musicophilia (too much psychiatry, not enuf music)\nb4 that\nAnathem (will read again after a few years)\nb4 that\nHalting State (cool)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Anathem (will read again after a few years)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Plans to reread it; no evaluation expressed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 715188,
          "author": "warfangle",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-20T21:02:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715188",
          "commentText": "Previous: Anathem\nCurrent: Programming in Scala",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Previous: Anathem",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neal Stephenson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 41,
      "threads": 33,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "philosophical science fiction",
        "alternate history",
        "philosophy",
        "parallel worlds"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-count-of-monte-cristo-ca1453",
      "title": "The Count of Monte Cristo",
      "author": "Alexandre Dumas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49903557,
          "author": "emmelaich",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T02:12:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49903557",
          "commentText": "... how did you both misspell the title?  It's the Count of Monte Cristo .. unless this is a different language.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "It's the Count of Monte Cristo",
          "reason": "Corrects the spelling of the title discussed in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46400871,
          "author": "mrexroad",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T10:56:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46400871",
          "commentText": "I consider myself a fairly slow reader (see other comment) and nothing on this list took very long to read, other than LotR and The Count of Monte Cristo. One of my goals for 2025 was to replace parades of endless distractions (social media, hn, Reddit) with books. I  found that if I only read even for just 5min during morning coffee, I was far, far more likely to open a book when waiting while my car got smogged, kid at dentist, school pickups, etc. Those little between moments are so easily stolen from us and monetized, and they add up to a frightful total.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Count of Monte Cristo",
          "reason": "Names it as one of the two books that took longer to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42971496,
          "author": "maxbrt",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-07T11:35:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42971496",
          "commentText": "1984, George Orwell\nPermanent Record, Edward Snowden\nMy Early Life, Winston S. Churchill\nFlowers for Algernon, Daniel Keyes\nAtlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand\nEdit: To some extent probably also:\nThe Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas\nDon Quijote, Miguel de Cervantes",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Introduced with “To some extent probably also.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42508597,
          "author": "chapliboy",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T13:02:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42508597",
          "commentText": "I finally read Count of Monte Cristo (unabridged) Fully worth the hype.\nAlso read a lot of Arabian fantasy (?). Fantasy with djinn etc.\nFavourites were Master of Djinn and the City of Brass series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I finally read Count of Monte Cristo (unabridged) Fully worth the hype.",
          "reason": "Says the unabridged novel was fully worth the hype.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41239114,
          "author": "nicbou",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-13T19:56:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41239114",
          "commentText": "The Count of Monte Cristo. Everyone loves it. It aged marvelously!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Count of Monte Cristo. Everyone loves it. It aged marvelously!",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its lasting appeal.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41177157,
          "author": "uncivilized",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T00:54:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41177157",
          "commentText": "Count has gained popularity recently and I’m glad it has.\nQuite possibly the best fiction piece ever written.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Count has gained popularity recently and I’m glad it has.\nQuite possibly the best fiction piece ever written.",
          "reason": "Calls it possibly the best work of fiction ever written and is glad it has gained popularity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41176539,
          "author": "d13",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T23:16:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41176539",
          "commentText": "The Count of Monte Christo is a wild read! The first half if about how he gets double crossed by all his friends. The second half is about how how he exacts his meticulous and glorious revenge.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Count of Monte Christo is a wild read!",
          "reason": "Calls it a wild read and describes its betrayal and revenge plot.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41176397,
          "author": "nicbou",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T23:01:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41176397",
          "commentText": "The Count of Monte Cristo. I rarely get this absorbed by a book. It was a very satisfying read.\nGrapes of Wrath stayed with me for a very long time. The Jungle too.\nThis is how you lose the time war. It was just damn unique and pleasant. Everyone who reads it loves it.\nCryptonomicon, another very entertaining read that every geek loves.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Count of Monte Cristo. I rarely get this absorbed by a book. It was a very satisfying read.",
          "reason": "Says they were unusually absorbed and found it satisfying.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41175880,
          "author": "nop_slide",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T22:03:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175880",
          "commentText": "Can second this! Read Monte Cristo last year and still think about it.\nI’m also working my way through discworld chronologically, just read “Eric”. Highly recommend this series :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Can second this! Read Monte Cristo last year and still think about it.",
          "reason": "Seconds the recommendation and says the book stayed on their mind.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41175853,
          "author": "bubblebeard",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:59:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175853",
          "commentText": "”The Count of Monte Cristo”, one of my favorites. It’s a classic the general story being jailbreak/revenge. A little slow paced at times but the writing is fantastic.\nIf you enjoy fantasy novels I would recommend ”The Wee Free Men” by Terry Pratchett, it’s outstanding.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "”The Count of Monte Cristo”, one of my favorites.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of their favorites and describes its story and writing positively.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A little slow paced at times.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31971031,
          "author": "tomduncalf",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T21:06:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31971031",
          "commentText": "Oh yeah, it’s a cracking story too! A proper journey and what a revenge.\nHope you enjoy it!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it’s a cracking story too! A proper journey and what a revenge.",
          "reason": "Affirms the story as engaging and praises its revenge plot.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31969000,
          "author": "dc-programmer",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T16:39:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31969000",
          "commentText": "That looks like it’s up my alley, I’ll check it out. Thanks!\nCount of Monte Cristo is the best revenge story ever told which is why it appeals to me, but you’re right about the immersion aspect. Maybe I would choose the unabridged version for the full experience.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Count of Monte Cristo is the best revenge story ever told",
          "reason": "Calls it the best revenge story and says that is why it appeals to them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Might choose the unabridged version for the full experience.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26652560,
          "author": "number6",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-31T20:18:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26652560",
          "commentText": "The book is extremely well written but also extremely boring. There is one who is a real opposition to Monte Christo.\nAll you do is watch him ruin the life's of his opponents in return.\nIn the end Monte Christo profited from being locked up. This doesn't justify the act of his opponents but what he does is basically the same and no one notices him or is a serious threat to him. Well as far as I read.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The book is extremely well written but also extremely boring.",
          "reason": "The commenter criticizes the book as boring and questions the protagonist's revenge.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They qualify their view with “Well as far as I read.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26640638,
          "author": "tomduncalf",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-30T21:15:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26640638",
          "commentText": "For me it was a combination of the scale of what he was getting revenge for - not just “crossed this dude” but ruined his entire life as he knew it - and that regardless of the overarching plot, it is a very well written book. Personally, I’m a fan of long books that suck you into their world, even if the story itself isn’t incredible - I’m the same with music, I tend to like slow evolving techno and ambient - I’m more interested in the atmosphere than the narrative/drama!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "regardless of the overarching plot, it is a very well written book",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the writing and says the long book creates an absorbing atmosphere.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They say the story itself may not be incredible.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26596816,
          "author": "number6",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-26T20:54:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26596816",
          "commentText": "Never got Monte Christo. I only read half of it. Yeah these guys crossed this dude and sure he can have his revenge but it's like reading about Jeff Bezos picking on his school bullies.\nWhat did I miss in this book?",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Never got Monte Christo. I only read half of it.",
          "reason": "The commenter read half and asks what they missed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They found the revenge premise unconvincing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26594771,
          "author": "fish45",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-26T17:35:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26594771",
          "commentText": "> I get my technical content during the day from the internet so don't really feel the need to read technical books, though I'll make the odd exception.\nThis is definitely where I'm at. The only two technical books I can say I've really read are The Rust Book and Crafting Interpreters, both of which I kind of skimmed, wrote some code, and read more in detail to fill in the gaps.\nCount of Monte Cristo is one of my favorites.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Count of Monte Cristo is one of my favorites.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is one of their favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26594202,
          "author": "stonecharioteer",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-26T16:45:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26594202",
          "commentText": "Monte Cristo is one of those novels you think will be slow because of its age and lengthy, but, like Les Miserables, it is highly readable and an intense page turner!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Monte Cristo is one of those novels you think will be slow because of its age and lengthy, but, like Les Miserables, it is highly readable and an intense page turner!",
          "reason": "Praises its readability and describes it as an intense page turner.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes its age and length may make it seem slow.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26593799,
          "author": "tomduncalf",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-26T16:11:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26593799",
          "commentText": "I pretty much only read fiction. I've never really got in to reading much non-fiction, though I'd like to try to get into it more. I get my technical content during the day from the internet so don't really feel the need to read technical books, though I'll make the odd exception.\nI usually read for about 30-60 minutes a day before bed, I find it helps me switch off and sleep well. I've recently been working my way through some classics which have been reissued, properly typeset etc., by Amazon on Kindle for free: https://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=18660703011. The best one I've read so far is Count of Monte Cristo - it's long but it's one of those books where you get really engrossed in its world and you're really sad when it is over!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The best one I've read so far is Count of Monte Cristo - it's long but it's one of those books where you get really engrossed in its world and you're really sad when it is over!",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the best of the classics they've read and says its world is engrossing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It's long, and the commenter was sad when it ended.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467585,
          "author": "weka",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:41:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467585",
          "commentText": "The Count of Monte Cristo (Robin Buss version)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Count of Monte Cristo (Robin Buss version)",
          "reason": "Lists it as a book reread in response to the question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Specifies the Robin Buss translation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21904655,
          "author": "folli",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T07:40:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21904655",
          "commentText": "Counterpoint: I prefer the abridged version. Dumas was originally paid by number of pages and it shows IMO.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Counterpoint: I prefer the abridged version. Dumas was originally paid by number of pages and it shows IMO.",
          "reason": "Prefers an abridged edition, saying the original’s length reflects Dumas’s page-based pay.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "This is a preference for the abridged version; the commenter gives no edition details.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21904369,
          "author": "palerdot",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T06:15:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21904369",
          "commentText": "Edit:\nI read Robin Buss Unabridged version from penguin for \"The Count of Monte Cristo\".\nAlso, some of other interesting books I forgot to mention in my original list\n- How to Change Your Mind (don't be put off by title)\n- Meditations, Marcus Aurelius (good peek into the mind of one of the greatest emperors of all time)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I read Robin Buss Unabridged version from penguin for \"The Count of Monte Cristo\".",
          "reason": "Identifies the edition of the book discussed in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter specifies an unabridged Penguin edition translated by Robin Buss.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20982080,
          "author": "ageitgey",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T08:24:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20982080",
          "commentText": "The Count of Monti Cristo is a really fun book. It was published as a serial and was kind of like the Breaking Bad or Game of Thrones of 1850s Paris that everyone was talking about at the time. It's fun to read for both the revenge story itself and for the implicit look into the history of the French Revolution and what the life of a (dramatized) high roller was like back then.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Count of Monti Cristo is a really fun book.",
          "reason": "Calls it a really fun book and praises its revenge story and historical setting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20918348,
          "author": "idoubtit",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T14:13:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20918348",
          "commentText": "Monte Cristo is also my favorite novel by Alexandre Dumas, but I enjoyed many other books he wrote — he used to have assistants that wrote part of his books, and, IIRC, one of them claimed that he was the main author of some novels.\nI'd recommend reading \"Les 3 mousquetaires\", where the Lady is one of the most interesting characters I've ever met. The book was a huge success, and is still famous in France nowadays, like its main character, D'Artagnan. The two sequences are okay, \"Vingt ans après\" and \"Le vicomte de Bragelonne\".\nOther good historical novels by Dumas are \"La reine Margot\", \"Joseph Balsamo\", \"Le collier de la reine\". For the fans, there are dozens of lesser novels, like \"La tulipe noire\" (which I know I've read, but can't remember at all).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Monte Cristo is also my favorite novel by Alexandre Dumas",
          "reason": "Names it as their favorite Dumas novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20917866,
          "author": "ComputerGuru",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T13:24:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20917866",
          "commentText": "I’m curious if it was an unabridged translation? TCMC is some 1200-1400 pages long in English depending on the binding and the translation, but there are some much shorter versions. I pretty much paused my life once I picked it up, but it took me around three or four days to complete it. (Of course I purposely took my time, cherishing every page and not wanting it to end.)\nI ask only because you owe it to yourself to read the real deal, just in case the Chinese translation you read was one of the much more common shorter versions.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you owe it to yourself to read the real deal",
          "reason": "Urges the parent commenter to read the complete original after asking whether their translation was abridged.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter warns that common shorter versions omit much of the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20917829,
          "author": "ComputerGuru",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T13:19:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20917829",
          "commentText": "It’s funny, the financial aspect stuck with me as well! I appreciated that different characters made their money in different currencies (and that everyone could convert between them) and how some currencies were more often associated with per annum revenues than others.\nI’d say it’s a pendulum that’s swung too far in correction, imho. It’s a good thing to make money off of honest hard work (a lesson TCMC does not skimp on) as compared to inheriting your riches via the aristocracy, but it definitely isn’t the end goal.\nI’ve learned long ago not to watch movies of books I love, it’s far too painfully disappointing and takes away from the world-building a great author triggers in your mind’s eye. (I’ve only ever watched one movie rendition of a classic and found it not only adequate but even superior to a book, and that was One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, probably because the book was intentionally incoherently written to reflect the works as seen through Chief’s delusional eyes.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "a lesson TCMC does not skimp on",
          "reason": "The commenter credits the book with a lesson about earning money through honest hard work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20917271,
          "author": "RobertKerans",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T11:53:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20917271",
          "commentText": "Traffic by Ruskin I reread quite a lot. For background, it's a lecture he gave when invited to speak, as the eminent architectural critic of the day, to dignitaries on the opening of a new exchange building. Was expected to talk about the architecture, but he talked about capitalism instead\n> You shall have thousands of gold pieces; - thousands of thousands - millions - mountains of gold: where will you keep them?\nMore technical, but I constantly use Ruskin's Modern Painters as art reference. Each volume has detailed chapelters on natural forms (trees, mountains, etc). The attempts at geometric drawings of the structures of cloud patterns are particularly beautiful imo. He's a phenomenal writer, anyway.\nMentioned by others elsewhere in the comments, but Candide and The Count of Monte Cristo are possibly my two favourite books. The first one feels incredibly modern, which is quite impressive given that it's basically the first European novel. Second one I've always thought is like an exceptionally good airport novel (and the sci-fi version is also one of my favourite books, and one of the best sci-fi novels ever written). Very difficult to put down.\nAlso, anything by Swift, Hazlitt, Twain I can read and reread endlessly. I read a lot of opder stuff, but I've noticed I'm often quite quick to discard it if it doesn't scan as contemporary writing -- those three I find in particular have quite modern styles",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Candide and The Count of Monte Cristo are possibly my two favourite books.",
          "reason": "Named as one of the commenter’s two possible favorite books and described as very hard to put down.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20916384,
          "author": "ainiriand",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T09:00:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20916384",
          "commentText": "A masterpiece to live through the ages. The first time I read it I was impressed that I could read something as long in such a short time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A masterpiece to live through the ages. The first time I read it I was impressed that I could read something as long in such a short time.",
          "reason": "Calls it a timeless masterpiece and praises how absorbing it was.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20916368,
          "author": "henrikeh",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T08:57:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20916368",
          "commentText": "This is going to sound weird, but...\nI remember your comment from four years ago (!) [0] and it really stuck with me. However, I could never find the thread, so when I saw this thread, I simply had to check if you wrote a comment again; and here we are! I recently began reading it and is really enjoying it. Thanks for the recommendation!\n[0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12245036",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recently began reading it and is really enjoying it. Thanks for the recommendation!",
          "reason": "Says they are really enjoying reading it and thanks the commenter for recommending it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20915896,
          "author": "v-erne",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T07:14:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20915896",
          "commentText": "I second that.\nThere's also a lot of movie and tv adaptations of this book out there(Alan Badel was probably the best Count) and I really enjoy compering them to the book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second that.",
          "reason": "Seconds the parent comment's recommendation and discusses adaptations in relation to the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20915857,
          "author": "ComputerGuru",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T07:05:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20915857",
          "commentText": "The Count of Monte Cristo, hands down. Published 1844 by Alexandre Dumas, one of the greatest writers to have ever lived.\nI’m an avid reader and I always laughed at the idea of having a “favorite” book.. until I found mine. I loved the book so much, I resolved to learn French (et je l’ai fait!) just so I could someday read it in the original French.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Count of Monte Cristo, hands down. Published 1844 by Alexandre Dumas, one of the greatest writers to have ever lived.",
          "reason": "Names it as their favorite and says they loved it enough to learn French to read the original.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20914562,
          "author": "bmmayer1",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T01:45:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914562",
          "commentText": "Economics:\n- The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith\n- Das Kapital, Karl Marx\n- That Which Is Seen, and That Which Is Not Seen, Frederic Bastiat\nPhilosophy / Politics:\n- The Republic, Plato\n- Second Treatise on Government, John Locke\n- The Law, Frederic Bastiat\n- Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes\n- Meditations, Marcus Aurelius\n- Democracy in America, Alexis de Toqueville\n- On Liberty, John Stuart Mill\nFiction:\n- The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, Mark Twain\n- The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin\n- Metamorphoses, Franz Kafka\n- Candide, Voltaire\n- The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20914527,
          "author": "iBelieve",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T01:36:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914527",
          "commentText": "The Bible.\nMysterious Island (1874), Around the World in Eighty Days (1873), and other books by Jules Verne.\nBooks by James Fenimore Cooper.\nThe Sea-Wolf (1904) by Jack London.\nThe Count of Monte Cristo (1844) by Alexandre Dumas.\nOliver Twist (1839) by Charles Dickens.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Count of Monte Cristo (1844) by Alexandre Dumas.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17341221,
          "author": "shpx",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T20:01:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17341221",
          "commentText": "I was hoping someone would mention this book. I think the less you know about it before you read it the better.\nIt's free to read on Project Gutenberg\nhttps://www.gutenberg.org/files/1184/1184-h/1184-h.htm#linkC... (https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1184/1184-h/1184-h.htm#linkC2HCH0001)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I was hoping someone would mention this book.",
          "reason": "The comment clearly responds positively to the book mentioned in the parent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Suggests knowing less before reading it is better.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17338189,
          "author": "cjoelrun",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T13:48:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17338189",
          "commentText": "The Count of Monte Cristo.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Count of Monte Cristo.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16297231,
          "author": "timellis-smith",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T11:41:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16297231",
          "commentText": "Fiction\nWar and Peace\nCrime and Punishment\nCount of Monte Christo\n1984\nGod of Small Things\nParadise lost\nDivine comedy\nNon fiction\nSelfish gene\nMeditations\nMadness explained (the best book I've encountered for explaining how the mind works)\nThe Red Queen\nTao te Ching",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Count of Monte Christo",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the question about books the commenter wishes they had read earlier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296428,
          "author": "yay_cloud2",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T06:05:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296428",
          "commentText": "Count of Monte Cristo and East of Eden.\nI'm happy to have had the chance to read these books twice (first in my early 20s, again in my late 30s), but I only wish I could compare my experiences with a first reading during my early teens or pre-teen years.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Count of Monte Cristo and East of Eden.",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to which books they wish they had read earlier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Wishes they could compare the experience with reading it in their early teens or before.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630677,
          "author": "wensheng",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T18:08:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630677",
          "commentText": "In my youth, my favorite book is The Count of Monte Cristo, in college it is The Mind's I by Hofstadter and Dennett.  (Actually for both I read their Chinese translations as I was in China).  \nMy favorite English book is The Fall of Hyperion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In my youth, my favorite book is The Count of Monte Cristo",
          "reason": "Names it as a favorite book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12264177,
          "author": "p333347",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-10T19:20:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12264177",
          "commentText": "Sedgewick's Algorithms in C++.\nI am a non CS guy who learnt C++ programming in order to do simulation for my final year project in mechanical engineering. I ended up creating a wonderful GUI (MFC) simulation complete with the diagram of the engine etc. For the next 5 years or so as a freelancer developer assisting professors and the like, I created pretty hot shot applications with nifty graphics, UI etc. I began to see myself as a master programmer and thought how easy it is for CS guys compared to Mech guys. Then I picked up this book. I had never known any of what it talked about. The very first example of union find was a revelation. My ego was completely thrashed. I was thoroughly humbled.\nAs for non technical, it would be The Count of Monte Cristo. I first read an abridged version of it as part of high school curriculum. As a young teen, I was instantly enamored by revenge and adventure. I still long to own a yacht and sail the oceans, if not get imprisoned, or find a treasure, or kill people. I am reading it again at bedtime and Dantes just got locked up at Chateau d'if.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "As a young teen, I was instantly enamored by revenge and adventure.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes being captivated by its revenge and adventure.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they still long to sail the oceans, find treasure, and kill people.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8795671,
          "author": "asad_ch",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T06:50:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795671",
          "commentText": "Any one book?\nMr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore, Robin Sloan\nAny one series?\nThe Foundation series, Isaac Asimov\nOther personal favourites include:\nThe Alchemist, Paulo Coelho\nThe Book of Disquet, Fernando Pessoa\nThe Count of Monte Cristo, Alexander Dumas \nExtremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Jonathan Safron Foer Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Richard Bach\nThe Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexander Dumas",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s personal favourites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6922331,
          "author": "brickcap",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-17T17:28:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 6921805,
          "threadTitle": "What book has inspired you the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6922331",
          "commentText": "Count of monte cristo. I know it's fictional but reading about a fellow put wrongly in prison at a young age, who manages to escape and achieve great fame never fails to pump me up.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Count of monte cristo. I know it's fictional but reading about a fellow put wrongly in prison at a young age, who manages to escape and achieve great fame never fails to pump me up.",
          "reason": "The story of a wrongfully imprisoned man who escapes and achieves fame energizes the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6898774,
          "author": "aagha",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T02:46:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6898774",
          "commentText": "I'm reading this right now (in my 30's) and LOVING it!  It's a hefty read, but the story--though I've heard the story before, seen movies, etc.--is so great it's fantastic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the story--though I've heard the story before, seen movies, etc.--is so great it's fantastic.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the story is fantastic, despite already knowing it from other versions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6898700,
          "author": "sivetic",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T02:22:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6898700",
          "commentText": "The Count of Monte Cristo .. not sure why it took me all these years to read it, but it was one of the best books I've ever read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it was one of the best books I've ever read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of the best books they have ever read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6698352,
          "author": "brickcap",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-08T19:02:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6698352",
          "commentText": "You are in for a treat man. I read it once every year (not cover to cover just my favorite parts esp the prison) just to fire myself up.\nSide note: The movie is also quite good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You are in for a treat man. I read it once every year",
          "reason": "The commenter rereads it yearly to fire themselves up.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6698332,
          "author": "kcovia",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-08T18:59:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6698332",
          "commentText": "The Count of Monte Cristo",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Count of Monte Cristo",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6390796,
          "author": "elehack",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T23:41:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6390796",
          "commentText": "A lot of stuff:\nAsimov's Foundation (I only recommend the trilogy, though; Foundation's Edge is good but will make you want to read Foundation and Earth, which does severe damage to the universe. Haven't read the prequels.)\nAsimov's short stories\nTolkien\nBen Hur\nThe Count of Monte Cristo (brilliant revenge story)\nA lot of Brandon Sanderson's work (The Stormlight Archive is promising to be fascinating)\nToo long a list of other stuff to put here.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Count of Monte Cristo (brilliant revenge story)",
          "reason": "Praised as a brilliant revenge story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5834196,
          "author": "halhelms",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T18:19:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5834196",
          "commentText": "The Count of Monte Cristo for a great, rousing yarn",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Count of Monte Cristo for a great, rousing yarn",
          "reason": "Offers it as a great, rousing story in response to the fiction recommendation question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5833505,
          "author": "stevekemp",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T16:44:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5833505",
          "commentText": "Since you're going with \"classics\" I'd add:\n* Les Liaisons dangereuses\n* The Count of Monte Cristo\nPlus my personal picks; Taltos the assassin, Chronicles of Amber, Dune & LoTR.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* The Count of Monte Cristo",
          "reason": "Adds it to the fiction recommendations in response to the discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2639619,
          "author": "masterzora",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T03:11:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639619",
          "commentText": "I'm sure there'll be plenty of sci-fi, fantasy, and tech- or entrepreneurship-related non-fiction books mentioned, so I'm specifically trying to approach from a different direction.\nThe two I've seriously got to recommend are East of Eden and The Count of Monte Cristo.  East of Eden is Steinbeck, of whom I'm usually not a fan, but it was phenomenal and definitely made me rethink my approach to life (it was high school, so this was easier to do, but it's still a nice feature in a book).  The Count of Monte Cristo is also a classic, and I'm sure I won't be the only one to recommend it, but it's absolutely brilliant through and through.  Make sure you pick up the Robin Buss translation, though (unless you're comfortable reading in French, of course).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Count of Monte Cristo is also a classic, and I'm sure I won't be the only one to recommend it, but it's absolutely brilliant through and through.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it brilliant and recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter recommends the Robin Buss translation unless reading in French.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2618480,
          "author": "imjonathanlee",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-04T00:13:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2618480",
          "commentText": "Currently reading: The girl who kicked the hornet's nest\nTop Favorites: Count of Monte Cristo, The three musketeers, Sherlock Homes and the Hound of Baskersville, Atlas Shrugged, The Client",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Top Favorites: Count of Monte Cristo",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter’s top favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Count of Monte Cristo",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752881,
          "author": "blrgeek",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T15:44:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752881",
          "commentText": "Want to blow your mind?\nFiction\nKeep an open mind, and a sense of wonder when you read these for max effect!\nHitch-hikers guide to the galaxy. I was hooked at \"The big yellow ships hung in the air just the way bricks don't.\"\nDune - what does scarcity do to a society?\nIsaac Asimov - Robot series. Foundation series. All of his short stories, esp. The Last Question, Nightfall.\nA.C. Clarke - 2001 - series, Childhood's End, The Fountains of Paradise\nThe Little Prince, The Count of Monte Cristo, Catch-22, Siddhartha, Ender's Game, Sundiver, Wodehouse.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Count of Monte Cristo",
          "reason": "Listed as fiction to read for a mind-blowing experience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1725114,
          "author": "kapilkaisare",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-24T19:48:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1725114",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n1. Life of Pi - Yann Martel\n2. The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas : An awesome closeup of revenge\n3. The complete Sherlock Holmes series : 'nuff said.\nNon fiction:\n1. Cosmos - Carl Sagan : I fell in love with science post-reading this book.\n2. October Sky - Homer Hickham : A real life story of how a group of boys in a backwater town build a rocket that changes their lives.\n3. Chariots of the Gods - Erich Von Daniken -  A real mind bender, even if you choose not to agree with his ideas.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas : An awesome closeup of revenge",
          "reason": "Calls it an awesome closeup of revenge in a list of suggested fiction.",
          "audience": "Boys.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026817,
          "author": "graywh",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T05:20:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026817",
          "commentText": "Haven't quite finished it yet, but Robin Buss' modern, unabridged translation of Alexander Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Robin Buss' modern, unabridged translation of Alexander Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo.",
          "reason": "Names the book as a current read in response to the thread's request for books read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They have not quite finished it yet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876180,
          "author": "lux",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T06:23:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876180",
          "commentText": "1. The Count of Monte Cristo\n2. The Great Gatsby\nAnd yet I read mostly non-fiction... :)\nIt's hard to say these are my absolute top two (that's probably an eight-way tie in reality), but Gatsby definitely hit me at a pivotal time and became a subtle but big influence, and Monte Cristo was just a brilliantly entertaining yet very deep and touching story.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Monte Cristo was just a brilliantly entertaining yet very deep and touching story.",
          "reason": "Calls it brilliantly entertaining, deep, and touching.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says their all-time favorites are probably an eight-way tie.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alexandre Dumas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 41,
      "threads": 25,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "revenge",
        "historical adventure",
        "adventure",
        "historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-little-schemer-267f93",
      "title": "The Little Schemer",
      "author": "Daniel P. Friedman and Matthias Felleisen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46397578,
          "author": "Barrin92",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T23:39:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46397578",
          "commentText": "Among non-fiction what stood out to me was David Bentley Hart's All Things are Full of Gods, great book also very fun to read written as a Platonic dialogue. To me one of the most compelling theologians today.\nBruno Maçães, World Builders. Good book on the impact of technology in geopolitics has been consistently interesting.\nAmong fiction re-read a lot of Lovecraft, noticed that I like the Dream Quest stories more than the horror these days which surprised me. But they're more compelling to me now because of how much you can see Lovecraft as a person in them.\nThe last three Dune books. Liked the last two about the Bene Gesserit a lot, was surprised how much I disliked God Emperor given the praise it gets, but it honestly reads like Frank Herbert posting twitter hot takes as a worm with no story\nMark Twain, The Mysterious Stranger. Among the best novellas I've ever read, very different in tone from most of his books.\nShūsaku Endō, Silence. Book about a Jesuit mission in early Edo Japan. My favorite Japanese book in a long time.\nAmong technical books, re-read The Mythical Man Month, probably more relevant than it ever was in an age of artifical man-hours added to projects. Robert Seacord Effective C, after not having written C in a long time. Really good intermediate level book for modern C. Also making my way through The Little Schemer as a replacement for advent of code in the second half of the month this year.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Also making my way through The Little Schemer as a replacement for advent of code in the second half of the month this year.",
          "reason": "The commenter is working through it as a replacement for Advent of Code.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43105795,
          "author": "hiAndrewQuinn",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-19T18:48:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 43084739,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction/non-fiction book should everyone read on the topic of CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43105795",
          "commentText": "Naming only ones I haven't seen mentioned in other comments:\n- Networking for Systems Administrators, by Michael W. Lucas. Its explicit goal is to teach you just enough about networking, from the electron up, that you can talk to an actual network engineer and not make a fool out of yourself. It's a phenomenally high-ROI read if networking isn't your strong suit.\n- The first 3 chapters of Mastering Regular Expressions. Regexes are up there with Vim keybindings in terms of sheer ubiquitous use no matter what stack you find yourself in. The rest of the book is excellent if you want to actually implement a regex engine.\n- The Art of Unix Programming. Less technical. Gives you an idea of why exactly 'nix machines are like that, especially older commands. The 18 rules of design are worth committing to memory.\n- The Linux Programming Interface. More technical. Pairs esp nicely with the above. Lots of practice C code one can run, plenty of short self-contained chapters.\n- Not a book, but an online paper: https://how.complexsystems.fail . I see echoes of this everywhere I work, and it often helps me understand what kinds of \"bad\" things are secretly highly evolved resiliency measures.\n- The Little Schemer. Just for the joy of solving problems.\nMost of the others I can think of are too specialized to be of worth to everyone, but for what it's worth, William S. Vincent's Django for Beginners, APIs, and Professionals are a lovely triptych for anyone wanting to get into backend web dev.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Schemer. Just for the joy of solving problems.",
          "reason": "Recommended for the joy of solving problems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39061225,
          "author": "troupe",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T21:11:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39061225",
          "commentText": "Two books that did for me what I think you are looking for:\n- From Mathematics to Generic Programming by Stepanov & Rose\n- Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid by Hofstadter\n- The Little Schemer / The Seasoned Schemer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Schemer",
          "reason": "Listed among books that did for the commenter what the requester is looking for.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking books that inspire an engineering outlook.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38561732,
          "author": "troupe",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T20:58:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38561732",
          "commentText": "SICP is a textbook. The Little Schemer is a tutorial. You sit down with a pen, paper, and the book. Then you cover the answer column in the book, read the question / prompt and try to write an answer on your paper. You compare your results with the books suggested answer and work your way through it question by question.\nSo it is kind of a way of create a Socratic dialog with a book. I found it to be a great way to engage with the material in a way that promotes understanding in a hands on way, but without putting a computer in the way. When you are writing your answers you have to be more intentional than just, \"well lets see if this works.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Schemer is a tutorial.",
          "reason": "Explains its question and answer approach to learning through the book.",
          "audience": "Readers working through its questions with pen and paper.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is a hands-on approach without using a computer.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36807259,
          "author": "iainctduncan",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T21:54:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36807259",
          "commentText": "It is also worth reading the Little Schemer at the same time. That will teach you to be truly comfortable in a recursive style.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It is also worth reading the Little Schemer at the same time.",
          "reason": "Recommended alongside SICP to build comfort with recursive programming.",
          "audience": "Readers studying SICP and wanting to learn recursive programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33859795,
          "author": "markshead",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-05T00:33:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33859795",
          "commentText": "A few books that I've found useful:\nThe Goal - Eli Goldratt - It is a novel about optimizing a factory, but it is immensely valuable in thinking through what are the actual constraints on your team's ability to deliver software and how do you fix it without making other things worse. The Phoenix Project is kind of a modern retelling, but I'd start with The Goal.\nThe Principles of Product Development Flow - Reinersten - Great for thinking deeply about how you deliver value through your system and the tradeoffs you are making in what you choose to focus on next. Once again it isn't specific to software, but very relevant.\nThe 5 Dysfunctions of Teams - Lencioni - Common team problems and what to do instead.\nInfluence: Science and Practice - Cialdini - How to get people into agreement so you can move forward--a skill that can be used for both good and evil.\nThe Little Schemer - Friedman and Felleisen - It is kind of hard to describe why this would be useful, but I felt it made me think more deeply about what it means to program a computer in ways that indirectly supported the topics you mentioned. Or maybe I just happened to work through it at a point in my life when I was growing in those other areas too.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Little Schemer - Friedman and Felleisen",
          "reason": "Recommends it for prompting deeper thought about what it means to program a computer.",
          "audience": "Programmers interested in deeper conceptual thinking about programming.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether its usefulness for the requested topics was timing or direct influence.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33800902,
          "author": "nobleach",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T14:05:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33800902",
          "commentText": "For many years I recommended everyone on my team (that was interested in retooling their brain in a more functional way) read \"The Little Schemer\". My only caveat is that they read it without touching a computer. Like... read it on an airplane. While I had no interest in using Scheme/Racket/Lisp for actual work, I found that it brought so much simplicity to my thinking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "read \"The Little Schemer\".",
          "reason": "The commenter says it brought simplicity to their thinking.",
          "audience": "Recommended to interested team members seeking to retool their thinking.",
          "caveat": "The commenter advises reading it without using a computer.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31168573,
          "author": "rg111",
          "createdAt": "2022-04-26T15:20:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 31166475,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Top inspiring books on crucial CS ideas?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31168573",
          "commentText": "- The Little Schemer\n- The Algorithm Design Manual\n- Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\n- Elements of Computing Systems (nand2tetris book)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The Little Schemer",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for inspiring books on computer science ideas.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computer science topics, data structures, or algorithms.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30738208,
          "author": "rmnull",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T22:40:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30738208",
          "commentText": "* Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi.\nAmong lot of books i've read this was the one that pushed me towards questioning my beliefs. \nAlthough i can't say this book made me irreligious it certainly was a gateway to a whole new world.\n* Calvin and Hobbes.\nthis is one of those things that completely changed my perspective on creativity, oh and not to mention all the things about life and philosophy in there, its in good spirit.\n* Animal Farm\nThis is arguably the best piece of satire I've read that is also fun and\neasy on the brain. It flows like water.\n* The Little Schemer.\nI hold this book dear. I've tried reading SICP twice and given up.\nAnd thought LISP was not for me. The environment was horrible,\nall those parens it was just confusing.\nThis book changed that, what it encouraged me to do is grab a pen and paper\nand try to work everything out myself[1]. It was such a fun read and i owe most of my understanding of functional programming to this book.\nFew days after finishing this book, i introduced this book to my friend\nand we spent all our days discussing life listening to sufjan stevens and working through this book, it was a sweet time.\n====\n[1] I wrote my actual scheme programs on computer long after i had worked through the book(i don't recall exactly but it was after 5th or 6th chapter). An online friend of mine recommended that i try DrRacket as i could execute scheme there. It was a much friendlier environment.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Schemer.",
          "reason": "The commenter credits it with making Lisp approachable and building their understanding of functional programming.",
          "audience": "Readers learning Lisp or functional programming.",
          "caveat": "The commenter had tried reading SICP twice and given up before this book helped.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30486599,
          "author": "cenny",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T09:09:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486599",
          "commentText": "The three books that I have appreciated the most when it comes to computer science must be:\n- Code The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software (https://www.programmingbooks.dev/#code)\n- Grokking Algorithms (https://www.programmingbooks.dev/#grokking-algorithms)\n- The Little Schemer (https://www.programmingbooks.dev/#the-little-schemer)\nThese two books I really found interesting as well:\n- Nine Algorithms That Changed the Future (https://www.programmingbooks.dev/extra/#nine-algorithms-that... (https://www.programmingbooks.dev/extra/#nine-algorithms-that-changed-the-future))\n- Good Math (https://www.programmingbooks.dev/extra/#good-math)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Schemer",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s most appreciated computer science books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28662570,
          "author": "mkchoi212",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T17:12:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28662570",
          "commentText": "The Little Schemer is my favorite by far! So easy to understand and follow. Definitely a must read if you want to get into functional programming",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Schemer is my favorite by far! So easy to understand and follow. Definitely a must read if you want to get into functional programming",
          "reason": "Calls it an easy-to-follow favorite and a must-read for getting into functional programming.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in getting into functional programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28662568,
          "author": "mkchoi212",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T17:12:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28662568",
          "commentText": "The Little Schemer is my favorite by far! so easy to understand and follow. Definitely a must read if you want to get into functional programming",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Schemer is my favorite by far! so easy to understand and follow. Definitely a must read if you want to get into functional programming",
          "reason": "Calls it an easy-to-follow favorite and a must-read for getting into functional programming.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in getting into functional programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23365227,
          "author": "ydnaclementine",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-30T22:10:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23365227",
          "commentText": "Little Schemer (216 pages)\nClassic MIT text. Pretty dense feeling though, my brain melts after a chapter or two at a time",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Little Schemer (216 pages)",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a classic MIT text.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds it dense and says their brain melts after a chapter or two at a time.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21766667,
          "author": "z5h",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-11T20:49:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 21765528,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fun Tech Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21766667",
          "commentText": "There aren't many tech books I've read front to back and done pretty much all exercises. Exceptions include \"The Little Schemer\" and \"The Seasoned Schemer\".\nImportantly, they really up one's ability to write higher order functional (and pure functional) code leaning heavily on a style that would help in any functional language with tail call optimization.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Exceptions include \"The Little Schemer\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says working through it and its exercises improved their ability to write functional code.",
          "audience": "Readers learning functional programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17913331,
          "author": "lcall",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T22:16:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17913331",
          "commentText": "Upvoted, and I would also say the Book of Mormon, with the Bible.  The BoM reinforces the Bible's teachings powerfully, and as I age and read again, sometimes in other languages, and some scholarly things about it, they both just keep getting better and better.  Including in their effect on me.  You can get a copy of either one for free.\nEdit:\nAdditionally, some which have been mentioned or not:\n- a couple of biographies of Lincoln (one is free on gutenberg.org, the other more recent by Doris Kearns Goodwin), and one of Washington whose name I forget now, but there are good ones out there.\n- the 7 Habits book (Covey), and How to Win Friends and Influence People by Carnegie.\n- Refactoring ..., by Martin Fowler.\n- some thick Scheme programming book from college (sorry, it's downstairs).  And \"The Little Schemer\", also about Scheme (one of the authors, Friedman, was also our instructor).\n- Since Cumorah, by Hugh Nibley (maybe dated now, but there is a lot of related work).  Really got me interested in related topics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Little Schemer\", also about Scheme",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17033457,
          "author": "nur0n",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T20:02:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17033457",
          "commentText": "This! The primary benefit of this book is in learning to understand recursion. Lisp just happens to be a good environment for naturally expressing recursion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This! The primary benefit of this book is in learning to understand recursion. Lisp just happens to be a good environment for naturally expressing recursion.",
          "reason": "Says the book's primary benefit is teaching readers to understand recursion naturally.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032657,
          "author": "bgutierrez",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:47:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032657",
          "commentText": "+1 for Little Schemer. Before I read it, I could write recursive methods, but after I read it I could think about recursion naturally.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "after I read it I could think about recursion naturally.",
          "reason": "Affirms the book's value for developing intuitive understanding of recursion.",
          "audience": "Readers learning recursion or Lisp.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032064,
          "author": "pcprincipal",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T17:53:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032064",
          "commentText": "Some I haven't seen mentioned here:\n1. Coders at Work\nPeter Seibel does an amazing job of asking programmers questions that make them explain their methodology. The interview with Donald Knuth is awesome; really enjoyed hearing him talk about literate programming.\n2. The Soul of a New Machine\nTracy Kidder's 1981 Pulitzer Prize winner I think is a brilliant case study on how engineers work together and the things that can go wrong and right with different personalities interacting with highly technical ideas. The project in this book starts without the consent of management, which to me shows the value of questioning the system to add business / engineering value.\n3. Little Schemer\nSmall book that will give your brain a serious workout and show you how to problem solve with Lisp like languages. Even if you never end up using a Lisp dialect, this book expands your brain.\nI have more here, all of which I recommend for software and other careers http://benbrostoff.github.io/books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this book expands your brain",
          "reason": "Praised for its problem-solving workout and for expanding readers’ thinking, even without Lisp use.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is useful even if you never use a Lisp dialect.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032050,
          "author": "nextos",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T17:52:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032050",
          "commentText": "The Little Schemer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Schemer",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a request for books to read early in a software or computer science career.",
          "audience": "People starting careers in software engineering or computer science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14491186,
          "author": "vram22",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T20:04:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14491186",
          "commentText": "The Reasoned Schemer sounds like it was part of a series, is that right? I remember reading about The Little Schemer and maybe The Seasoned Schemer. Are those all parts of the same series? Haven't read any of them yet, but hope to do so some day.\nI like reading the classics of the field. Not only because they are classics, but also because they tend be well-written and hence more readable as well (than your average text). But maybe that is a tautology :) - they are classics because they are well-written ...\nUpdate: Answering my own question - I saw here:\nhttps://mitpress.mit.edu/books/reasoned-schemer\nthat it is part of a series, which includes the books I mentioned above.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I remember reading about The Little Schemer and maybe The Seasoned Schemer.",
          "reason": "Mentions it while asking whether the named books are part of the same series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14488332,
          "author": "xyjprc",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T15:36:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14488332",
          "commentText": "Love the Little Schemer! Lots of interesting and challenging questions!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Love the Little Schemer! Lots of interesting and challenging questions!",
          "reason": "Expresses affection for the book and praises its interesting, challenging questions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14487992,
          "author": "happy-go-lucky",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T14:52:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487992",
          "commentText": "No one has mentioned The Little Schemer.\nEdit: Written in a question-answer style, it’s geared toward luring you into recursion and functional programming.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "No one has mentioned The Little Schemer.",
          "reason": "Named in response to a request for books to add to a programming library.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as using a question-and-answer style to introduce recursion and functional programming.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12243794,
          "author": "zelcon",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-07T21:36:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12243794",
          "commentText": "The Little Schemer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Schemer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12145882,
          "author": "vannevar",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T19:00:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12145882",
          "commentText": "I strongly recommend The Little Schemer to any programmer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I strongly recommend The Little Schemer to any programmer.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends it to any programmer.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144255,
          "author": "deadmik3",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:48:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144255",
          "commentText": "\"Cracking the Coding Interview\" (probably wouldn't even have a career without this book)\n\"The Little Schemer\"\n\"Stories of Cats and the Lives They Touch\" by Peggy Schaefer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Little Schemer\"",
          "reason": "Named in response to a request for books that impacted a career.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10533578,
          "author": "OopsCriticality",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T15:38:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10533578",
          "commentText": "I'm cheating a little on the date, but The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin stands out.  It was translated into english late last year, and received the Hugo this year for best story.  It's wonderful sci-fi written on a grand scale, and made all the more interesting and refreshing to me by coming from outside the Western perspective.  It's one of a trilogy: The Dark Forest english translation is out, and Death's End is coming beginning of next year.\nAlso enjoyed Seveneves by Stephenson, and H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald.  The former is likely known to the HN crowd; the latter draws comparisons to T.H. White's classic The Goshawk.\nAmong non-fiction books, I enjoyed The Little Prover by Friedman and Eastlund.  It was exactly what I expected, a gentle introduction into inductive proofs in the idiom established by The Little Schemer.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "in the idiom established by The Little Schemer.",
          "reason": "Names it as the source of the book's idiom.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9757982,
          "author": "cjpa",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T13:06:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9757982",
          "commentText": "The Little Schemer By Daniel P. Friedman and Matthias Felleisen - https://mitpress.mit.edu/index.php?q=books/little-schemer\nWhy's poignant guide to Ruby - http://mislav.uniqpath.com/poignant-guide/book/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Schemer By Daniel P. Friedman and Matthias Felleisen",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8029133,
          "author": "clark-kent",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-14T01:03:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8029133",
          "commentText": "SCIP should always be in the list as one of the best programming books ever written. Others are \n'Simply Scheme: An introduction to computer science', simply scheme is an alternative to  \"How to design Programs\", http://htdp.org/, both books are written for non-programmers but they provide a gentle introduction to many advanced topics covered in SCIP. I prefer \"Simply Scheme\".\nAnother one is the \"Little Schemer\" http://www.amazon.com/The-Little-Schemer-4th-Edition/dp/0262... (http://www.amazon.com/The-Little-Schemer-4th-Edition/dp/0262560992).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another one is the \"Little Schemer\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8001426,
          "author": "pkrumins",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T21:07:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8001426",
          "commentText": "The {Little,Reasoned,Seasoned} Schemer",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The {Little,Reasoned,Seasoned} Schemer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8001001,
          "author": "mmozuras",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T19:56:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8001001",
          "commentText": "Haven't read the original, but The Little Schemer is a more recent version of it, and really really good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Schemer is a more recent version of it, and really really good.",
          "reason": "Described as a very good, more recent version of the book under discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7762523,
          "author": "malandrew",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-18T08:21:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7762523",
          "commentText": "The Little Schemer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Schemer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7757447,
          "author": "taylodl",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T19:28:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7757447",
          "commentText": "The Little Schemer.\nFun to read, solidify knowledge of Scheme.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fun to read, solidify knowledge of Scheme.",
          "reason": "Says it is fun to read and helps solidify Scheme knowledge.",
          "audience": "Readers learning Scheme.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7756752,
          "author": "tshaddox",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T17:49:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7756752",
          "commentText": "I recently went through the later chapters of The Little Schemer again. I still find it incredibly challenging and awesome. As many have said, this is a great book to teach you to think recursively.\nhttp://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/matthias/BTLS/\nhttp://www.amazon.com/The-Little-Schemer-4th-Edition/dp/0262... (http://www.amazon.com/The-Little-Schemer-4th-Edition/dp/0262560992)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I still find it incredibly challenging and awesome. As many have said, this is a great book to teach you to think recursively.",
          "reason": "Calls it awesome and recommends its teaching of recursive thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds it challenging.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4382500,
          "author": "tjr",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-14T18:55:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 4382456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: reading list for high school students interested in CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4382500",
          "commentText": "I was about 17 when I encountered The Hacker's Dictionary. It hasn't been updated much for years, but I think it would still provide an easy-to-read gateway into the way programmers think and some interesting tidbits of history.\nReading or watching Guy Steele's Growing a Language talk could be fun.\nThe Little Schemer could be a good choice.\nVan der Linden's Expert C Programming covers some serious C topics, but is also generally educational and enjoyable.\nYou could introduce them to Knuth's writings in an easily-digestible way, like maybe having them read and implement the Easter date algorithm in Volume 1.\nMaybe have them read [excerpts from?] something like Philip and Alex's Guide to Web Publishing and put together a small database web application.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Schemer could be a good choice.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a book for students interested in computer science.",
          "audience": "High school and middle school students interested in software development",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2415714,
          "author": "charlieconroy",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T16:21:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2415714",
          "commentText": "This book like no other just makes me smile. I read this right after I graduated and started my \"real\" learning in programming and math. The intermission page list books on logic and set theory.\nFYI: it is the first book in a \"trilogy\" -- but your next book could be either of the other two (their only prereq is The Little Schemer). Listed below:\nReasoned Schemer: http://www.amazon.com/Reasoned-Schemer-Daniel-P-Friedman/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Reasoned-Schemer-Daniel-P-Friedman/dp/0262562146/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1302106654&sr=8-2)\nSeasoned Schemer: http://www.amazon.com/Seasoned-Schemer-Daniel-P-Friedman/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Seasoned-Schemer-Daniel-P-Friedman/dp/026256100X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1302106654&sr=8-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book like no other just makes me smile.",
          "reason": "Says the book is uniquely enjoyable and describes it as the start of their learning in programming and math.",
          "audience": "Readers learning programming and math.",
          "caveat": "It is the first book in a trilogy; either of the other two can follow, with The Little Schemer as their only prerequisite.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2385285,
          "author": "katieben",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-30T00:56:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 2380810,
          "threadTitle": "Best program and books to learn how to code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2385285",
          "commentText": "My boyfriend (@andjones) insists that I need to read The Little Scheme, too, there's a vote for that one. Despite my ADD about programming book reading it's on my list.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "My boyfriend (@andjones) insists that I need to read The Little Scheme, too, there's a vote for that one.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is on their reading list but does not offer an evaluation or recommendation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2381053,
          "author": "malandrew",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-29T02:15:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 2380810,
          "threadTitle": "Best program and books to learn how to code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2381053",
          "commentText": "In addition to what others have said, I would add The Little Schemer to the list. It may not seem like the most practical book, but it will make you a better programmer.\nBeyond that, I would reiterate the following suggestions put forth by others:\n-- How to Design Programs (get version 2. Racket, the IDE for this book, is practically plug-and-play, so you won't waste time prepping your development environment)\n-- Think Python by Allen Downey (i haven't read this one, but it comes very highly recommended. the excerpts I've read show that Allen communicates the concepts very clearly)\n-- Eloquent Javascript (very good introduction, all examples can be done directly in the browser with the specially-made console. This eliminates the time and confusion you will experience trying to set up a development environment with other languages.)\nOn top of those I'd also add:\n-- The C Programming Language by K&R (if you are interested in C)\n-- Dive into HTML5 (if you are interested in web development. HTML is a markup language, but you are going to need it to be able to build web stuff. This book complements Eloquent Javascript nicely)\n-- Land of Lisp\n-- DOM Scripting (Pair this book with Eloquent Javascript. It's the best introduction to the DOM that I've seen and will bridge the gap between HTML and Javascript)\nThe best books on coding are those that place equal emphasis on good prose and good programming practice and that de-emphasize syntax.\nAlso, look for books where the examples are real-world examples. i.e. things that people have actually had to implement at one time or another. Avoid books with completely imaginary examples that use made up names like foo, bar, widget, etc.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I would add The Little Schemer to the list. It may not seem like the most practical book, but it will make you a better programmer.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a way to become a better programmer.",
          "audience": "People learning programming, especially those interested in Scheme.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it may not seem practical.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1633539,
          "author": "dwwoelfel",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T17:41:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1633539",
          "commentText": "Autobiography of an unknown Indian: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/094032282X/\nLittle Schemer: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0262560992/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Little Schemer: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0262560992/",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed your life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1632026,
          "author": "dman",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T04:38:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1632026",
          "commentText": "Non technical - Autobiography of an unknown Indian.\nTechnical - Little Schemer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Little Schemer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1024012,
          "author": "elbenshira",
          "createdAt": "2009-12-31T07:43:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 1023970,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which Scheme book to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1024012",
          "commentText": "If you have little programming experience, I'd start with The Little Schemer. It's short and concise. Plus, I think you'll have more fun with The Little Schemer.\nDisclaimer: I've never read SICP.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd start with The Little Schemer. It's short and concise. Plus, I think you'll have more fun with The Little Schemer.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a starting point and praised as short, concise, and fun.",
          "audience": "Readers with little programming experience.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1024008,
          "author": "Kaizyn",
          "createdAt": "2009-12-31T07:41:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 1023970,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which Scheme book to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1024008",
          "commentText": "I would recommend you start with The Little Schemer and follow up with The Seasoned Schemer (the sequel to the other book).  These two will give you a good feel for some aspects of Scheme programming, but they will not go into the same depth about the fundamentals of computer science you'll get from SICP.  After reading them, then you should advance to either How To Design Programs as suggested before SICP or if you're feeling really ambitious jump right to SICP.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend you start with The Little Schemer",
          "reason": "Recommended as the starting point for learning Scheme.",
          "audience": "Readers learning Scheme.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1024005,
          "author": "samdk",
          "createdAt": "2009-12-31T07:38:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 1023970,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which Scheme book to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1024005",
          "commentText": "I have not read SICP, but I have read The Little Schemer. It's my favorite programming book.\nIf does a very good job of getting you comfortable with thinking recursively. It not meant to impart immediate 'practical' knowledge, and it really uses Scheme as a vehicle for teaching recursion, not the other way around. You can do the exercises in any Lisp dialect easily enough, and even in JavaScript (http://javascript.crockford.com/little.html).\nMy recommendation would be to use The Little Schemer as well as another, more practically focused book on Scheme or Lisp and work through them concurrently.\nAlso, if you're just getting started and are going to be using Scheme, the DrScheme mini-IDE makes it very easy to get started quickly. It's part of the PLT-Scheme package: http://www.plt-scheme.org/.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I have read The Little Schemer. It's my favorite programming book.",
          "reason": "Calls it their favorite programming book and recommends it alongside a more practical book.",
          "audience": "Readers beginning with Scheme or Lisp.",
          "caveat": "Suggests pairing it with a more practically focused Scheme or Lisp book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797144,
          "author": "zemariamm",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T02:09:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797144",
          "commentText": ". Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig\n. Programming Clojure\n. Little Schemer (re-reading)\n. Evidence-Based Technical Analysis: Applying the Scientific Method and Statistical Inference to Trading Signals by David Aronson",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Little Schemer (re-reading)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 767592,
          "author": "skwaddar",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-17T08:04:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=767592",
          "commentText": "You made the wrong choice, TLS would have changed your world.\nNow you're slumming it.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "You made the wrong choice, TLS would have changed your world.",
          "reason": "Criticizes the choice to read another book instead of this one.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 767415,
          "author": "jleung",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-17T05:20:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=767415",
          "commentText": "For a programmer on vacation, I wouldn't recommend a technical book. Go for something that will exercise the right side of your brain, the parts that don't get as much work day-to-day. Your left-brain is what you're trying to rest and refresh; that's why you're on vacation after all.\nI'd go for something on the far end of the spectrum; some forgotten modern classic that won't let your left-brain to kick in, like Return of the Native.\nIf you absolutely must have something technical, the aforementioned Neal Stephenson books are great, as are William Gibson books. The Little Schemer is a good book to go through while you're NOT on vacation.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Little Schemer is a good book to go through while you're NOT on vacation.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a good book, but says to read it outside vacation.",
          "audience": "Readers studying Scheme and programming concepts.",
          "caveat": "The commenter advises against reading it on vacation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 767092,
          "author": "herdrick",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-17T00:51:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=767092",
          "commentText": "TLS will break your mind in the most delicious way.  I can't recommend it enough.  As for practicality, I think that the world is trending in directions that make becoming comfortable with recursion more important.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "TLS will break your mind in the most delicious way. I can't recommend it enough.",
          "reason": "Enthusiastically recommends the book and says it helps readers become comfortable with recursion.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in recursion and programming concepts.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 767034,
          "author": "Scriptor",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-17T00:12:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=767034",
          "commentText": "It's not really meant to just teach you scheme. Scheme by itself is incredibly minimalist and simple. The exercises are more logic/math-based puzzles. Here's a list of the exercises themselves:\nhttp://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/matthias/BTLS/exercises.ps",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The exercises are more logic/math-based puzzles.",
          "reason": "Explains that the book's exercises focus on logic and math puzzles rather than simply teaching Scheme.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in logic and math-based programming exercises.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 766731,
          "author": "weaksauce",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-16T20:59:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=766731",
          "commentText": "\"Hackers and Painters\" or \"Founders at Work\" are both good books if you haven't picked them up yet. Not language learning or directly programming but interesting none the less.\nA book more directly related to programing would be \"Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\" or \"The Little Schemer.\" bring a notebook and do problems out of them like defunkt said and it will help in all your programming.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A book more directly related to programing would be \"Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\" or \"The Little Schemer.\"",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a programming book and says its problems can help across programming.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a programming book with problems to work through.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 766664,
          "author": "defunkt",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-16T20:29:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=766664",
          "commentText": "Grab The Little Schemer and a notebook. Do all exercises in the notebook with a pencil, without a computer.\nIt'll make you a better Python programmer for sure.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Grab The Little Schemer and a notebook. Do all exercises in the notebook with a pencil, without a computer.",
          "reason": "Directly recommends working through its exercises to improve Python programming.",
          "audience": "Someone learning Python who can work through exercises with pencil and paper.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240710,
          "author": "kylec",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T03:03:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240710",
          "commentText": "I thought about posting this here after a relative success asking the question on Reddit:\nhttp://www.reddit.com/info/6mikl/comments/\nbut it looks like you've beaten me to it!\nI did create a listing of the most popular books mentioned on the comment thread, if you're interested. The following were mentioned by 4 or more people:\n14 The C Programming Language\n11 Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\n8 Introduction to Algorithms\n7 Compilers: Principles, Techniques and Tools\n6 Programming Erlang\n5 The Mythical Man-Month\n5 The Pragmatic Programmer\n5 Applied Cryptography\n4 Beautiful Code\n4 The Little Schemer\n4 Programming Perl\nmore here: http://www.reddit.com/info/6mikl/comments/c04abpy",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "4 The Little Schemer",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the most frequently mentioned books in the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 136894,
          "author": "mk",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-14T16:50:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 136875,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good compiler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=136894",
          "commentText": "This is what is commonly refered to as \"the dragon book\". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compilers:_Principles,_Techniqu... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compilers:_Principles,_Techniques,_and_Tools)\nBut that may be too massive for what you are looking for. I found that Crockfords  essay http://javascript.crockford.com/tdop/tdop.html really helps if you know javascript. And reading something like tinypy http://www.philhassey.com/blog/2008/02/28/tinypy-10-mit-lice... (http://www.philhassey.com/blog/2008/02/28/tinypy-10-mit-license-and-swell-opengl-demo/)\nmay help.\nAlso not necessarily a compiler book, but The Little Schemer does have you building a basic scheme interpreter at the end of the book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Schemer does have you building a basic scheme interpreter at the end of the book.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for its hands-on interpreter exercise.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in building a basic Scheme interpreter.",
          "caveat": "Not necessarily a compiler book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135538,
          "author": "matstc",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T22:21:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135538",
          "commentText": "I'm surprised no one mentioned SICP.\nI would also add:\n  - The Little Schemer\n  - Linux in a Nutshell \n  - Unix power tools",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Schemer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135245,
          "author": "tjr",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T16:46:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135245",
          "commentText": "- New Hacker's Dictionary (print version is nice for browsing)\n- The Little Schemer (or the whole series, if you really like them)\n- The Art of Computer Programming",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Schemer (or the whole series, if you really like them)",
          "reason": "Suggested for a hacker's bookshelf; the commenter also suggests the series for readers who really like the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The series is suggested conditionally: if you really like the books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56629,
          "author": "herdrick",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T02:21:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56629",
          "commentText": "Among all books since the printing press?  Can you be more specific?\nActually, I take that back.  I do know some great ones that you ought to read no matter what your situation.\nThe Little Schemer  http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/matthias/BTLS/\nMaster and Commander  http://books.google.com/books?id=rx_yw5iMtnIC&dq=&pg... (http://books.google.com/books?id=rx_yw5iMtnIC&dq=&pg=PP1&ots=quZSkX-66f&sig=4rmlsrtPNSRNEfB8Zg6BmXiA0us&prev=http://www.google.com/search%3Fhl%3Den%26q%3Dmaster%2Band%2Bcommander%26btnG%3DGoogle%2BSearch&sa=X&oi=print&ct=title)\nLord of the Rings (you can find this one yourself)\nand probably a lot more, but I've got to run.  Good luck!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Schemer",
          "reason": "Recommended among books to read regardless of one's situation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel P. Friedman",
        "Matthias Felleisen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 40,
      "threads": 29,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "scheme",
        "functional programming",
        "recursion",
        "programming education"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "masters-of-doom-260ced",
      "title": "Masters of Doom",
      "author": "David Kushner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47028089,
          "author": "vunderba",
          "createdAt": "2026-02-15T22:00:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 47027236,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47028089",
          "commentText": "Masters of Doom for about the 100th time. It's such an engaging read about the rise of id Software.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Masters of Doom for about the 100th time. It's such an engaging read about the rise of id Software.",
          "reason": "Calls it an engaging read and says they have reread it many times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42653557,
          "author": "zooweemama",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T07:47:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42653557",
          "commentText": "I loved MoD! The audio book read by Will Wheaton is also pretty good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved MoD!",
          "reason": "Says they loved the book and praises its audiobook narration.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42623562,
          "author": "djkivi",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-07T15:42:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42623562",
          "commentText": "Masters of Doom is quite good about John Carmack and the creation of id Software.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Masters of Doom is quite good about John Carmack and the creation of id Software.",
          "reason": "Calls the book quite good and notes its coverage of Carmack and id Software’s creation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37160021,
          "author": "cpursley",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T11:29:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37160021",
          "commentText": "This was a great book (especially audible). And I’m not even a gamer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This was a great book (especially audible).",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are not a gamer.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36603062,
          "author": "rchaud",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T16:46:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36603062",
          "commentText": "The history of technology is something that's better covered in trade publications, magazines and biographies, rather than textbooks and academic journals. Here's what I'd recommend:\n- Losing the Signal (Blackberry, 1990s-2013)\n- Founders at Work (dotcom era)\n- Masters of Doom ('90s PC video game market/graphics)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Masters of Doom",
          "reason": "Listed as a recommended book about the 1990s PC video game market and graphics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36601356,
          "author": "Zelphyr",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T14:59:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601356",
          "commentText": "It's quite old and so doesn't include the rise of the Internet and subsequent innovations but, Accidental Empires is pretty good: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accidental_Empires\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late - on the creation of the Internet\nThe Soul of a New Machine - On computing in the 70's and 80's\nThe Difference Between God and Larry Ellison - On the rise of Oracle (also has the best title)\nMasters of Doom - A history of id Software\nWhat The Dormouse Said - How the 60's counterculture influenced computing\nThe New New Thing - Follows Jim Clark around while he creates SGI, Netscape, etc...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Masters of Doom",
          "reason": "Described as a history of id Software.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33800091,
          "author": "cpursley",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T13:04:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33800091",
          "commentText": "This was a great book. And the audiobook was superb. And I'm not even a gamer. I recommend it all the time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This was a great book. And the audiobook was superb. And I'm not even a gamer. I recommend it all the time.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book and audiobook and says they recommend it often.",
          "audience": "The commenter says it appealed even to someone who is not a gamer.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33799221,
          "author": "rubayeet",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T11:12:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33799221",
          "commentText": "Masters of Doom. It’s the story of two renowned game developers, John Karmack and John Romero, and how they built id Software, the video game company that profoundly changed PC gaming and graphics. I was writing software for enterprise / consulting companies at the time (early phase of my career). This book opened my eyes to the crazy/wonderful/scary world of ‘startups’, the idea that people can bring their passion into writing software and start a business or movement. I joined a startup (nothing to do gaming) and never looked back.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Masters of Doom.",
          "reason": "The author says it opened his eyes to startups and inspired him to join one.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31170869,
          "author": "is_true",
          "createdAt": "2022-04-26T18:01:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 31166475,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Top inspiring books on crucial CS ideas?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31170869",
          "commentText": "I read Masters of Doom and I really like it, I don't know why but after a couple of pages I wanna rush to the computer and write some code.\nSometimes Silicon Valley (tv) generates the same reaction on  me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read Masters of Doom and I really like it",
          "reason": "The commenter says they liked it and that it made them want to write code.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31168714,
          "author": "ivanmaeder",
          "createdAt": "2022-04-26T15:29:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 31166475,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Top inspiring books on crucial CS ideas?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31168714",
          "commentText": "Great question, I will come back to see what ideas people have. Thanks for the Turing book suggestion too.\nI have read lots of non-fiction books about programmers and engineers that have been very inspiring, they're just not technical: \"Masters of Doom\", \"Blood, Sweat, and Pixels\", \"Coders at Work\", \"The Idea Factory\", \"The Soul of a New Machine\", \"Dealers of Lightning\"...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Masters of Doom\",",
          "reason": "Listed among non-fiction books about programmers and engineers that the commenter found inspiring.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these books are inspiring but not technical.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27886778,
          "author": "b33j0r",
          "createdAt": "2021-07-19T20:11:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 27879593,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27886778",
          "commentText": "Wil Wheaton reads Masters of Doom, almost worth it for his impressions alone. “Sid Meier’s Memoir” is great along the same genre.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wil Wheaton reads Masters of Doom, almost worth it for his impressions alone.",
          "reason": "Recommends the audiobook, praising Wil Wheaton's impressions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The praise is specifically for the narration and impressions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27886471,
          "author": "snarkypixel",
          "createdAt": "2021-07-19T19:36:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 27879593,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27886471",
          "commentText": "Biographies of developers or successful/failed projects are great to listen to I.e. Masters of Doom and the like.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I.e. Masters of Doom and the like.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends developer and project biographies as audiobooks, citing this title.",
          "audience": "Listeners interested in biographies of developers or successful and failed projects.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26860917,
          "author": "chevill",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-19T09:59:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 26833319,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book for software engineers (besides the well-known ones)?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26860917",
          "commentText": "As far as reading for entertainment as opposed to reading to learn, this is one of the best books I've ever read. Very inspiring.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this is one of the best books I've ever read. Very inspiring.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of their best reads and says it was inspiring.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking entertainment.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26834409,
          "author": "bwh2",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-16T14:37:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 26833319,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book for software engineers (besides the well-known ones)?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26834409",
          "commentText": "Here's a book more people should know about: Masters of Doom.\nAwesome read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Here's a book more people should know about: Masters of Doom.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an awesome read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21856723,
          "author": "ElCapitanMarkla",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-22T12:06:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21856723",
          "commentText": "Masters of Doom is so damn good",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Masters of Doom is so damn good",
          "reason": "The commenter enthusiastically praises the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21851556,
          "author": "jdmoreira",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T15:22:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21851556",
          "commentText": "Yes!\n1. Masters of Doom\n2. Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Masters of Doom",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for good developer audiobooks.",
          "audience": "Listeners interested in the history of video game development.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804006,
          "author": "aloukissas",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:01:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804006",
          "commentText": "Oh man- thanks for the Masters of Doom pointer! I picked it up right before my most recent flight and devoured it in almost one go. Nostalgia to the max.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "thanks for the Masters of Doom pointer! I picked it up right before my most recent flight and devoured it in almost one go.",
          "reason": "The commenter thanks someone for suggesting the book and says they devoured it in almost one go.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The target comment reports another person's suggestion; it does not explicitly evaluate the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21793190,
          "author": "ellius",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T23:39:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793190",
          "commentText": "• The Revolt of the Public: No book has done a better job of describing the current moment in history\n• Masters of Doom: Reminded me what it means to care about work and have fun doing it\n• Team of Rivals: A remarkable work of history and portrait of a man\n• The Undercover Economist\n• Fooled by Randomness\n• The Prize",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Masters of Doom: Reminded me what it means to care about work and have fun doing it",
          "reason": "Says it renewed their sense of caring about work and enjoying it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20339078,
          "author": "backslash_16",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T20:22:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20339078",
          "commentText": "Masters of Doom is such a fun, good book. I ended up power reading a few summers ago.\nIf you grew up playing Doom, and all the other shareware games like Hexen, Heretic, etc... reading about Id Software's start and history is more interesting than I ever thought it would be.\nAnother book that drew me in was \"Blood, Sweat, and Pixels\". It's a collection of short-ish game creation stories packaged into a book. Really candid interviews and writing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Masters of Doom is such a fun, good book.",
          "reason": "Calls it fun and good, and describes power-reading it.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Doom, shareware games, and id Software's history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18758018,
          "author": "CSMastermind",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-25T16:53:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18758018",
          "commentText": "> Masters of DOOM: A homage from a fanboy meant for other fanboys. It definitely has its bits of brilliance but it is still a chore to finish.\nCan I recommend the audiobook?  For what it's worth I found Masters of DOOM to be great.  Mostly because the writing style _really_ does a good job of communicating the personalities of the people involved.  I'm not a video game guy, in fact I've never played DOOM, but I still enjoyed it start to finish.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found Masters of DOOM to be great.",
          "reason": "Recommends the audiobook and praises the writing for conveying the people’s personalities; says they enjoyed it throughout.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the personalities behind the game industry, even without playing DOOM.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18744250,
          "author": "Reedx",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T03:34:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744250",
          "commentText": "It's been a long time since I've read it, but... not even Carmack?",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "It's been a long time since I've read it, but... not even Carmack?",
          "reason": "Suggests including the book in a list of favorite nonfiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment does not explicitly praise the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18744179,
          "author": "JKCalhoun",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T03:17:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744179",
          "commentText": "> Masters of Doom\nNo likable \"characters\" in that one. Fun reading about the era though.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "No likable \"characters\" in that one. Fun reading about the era though.",
          "reason": "Enjoyed reading about the era despite disliking the characters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The characters were not likable.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910521,
          "author": "adventured",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:53:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910521",
          "commentText": "In no particular order.\nEmpires of Light, by Jonnes. Titan, by Chernow. The Wright Brothers, by McCullough. His Excellency, by Ellis. The Wizard of Menlo Park, by Stross. I Invented the Modern Age, by Snow. Dealers of Lightning, by Hiltzik. Margin of Safety, by Klarman. Masters of Doom, by Kushner. Andrew Carnegie, by Nasaw. Infidel, by Hirsi Ali. Buffett, by Lowenstein. Where Wizards Stay Up Late, by Hafner. Shoe Dog, by Knight. The Making of the Atomic Bomb, by Rhodes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Masters of Doom, by Kushner.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521472,
          "author": "Insanity",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T09:00:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521472",
          "commentText": "Some books that I recently read and enjoyed:\nNon-fiction\na) Sapiens (Yuval Noah Harari)\nb) Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon (Kim Zetter)\nc) Hackers: Heroes of the computer revolution (Steven Levy)\nd) Masters of Doom (David Kushner)\nFiction:\ne) The Death of Ivan Ilyich (Leo Tolstoy)\nf) Ready Player One (Ernest Cline)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Masters of Doom (David Kushner)",
          "reason": "Listed among books recently read and enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17204911,
          "author": "unmole",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T13:08:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17204911",
          "commentText": "I bought it after seeing it being recommend several times on HN. Personally, I found it rather disappointing. Sure, there are brilliant parts, but on the whole, it was a chore to finish.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "it rather disappointing. Sure, there are brilliant parts, but on the whole, it was a chore to finish.",
          "reason": "The commenter found the book disappointing and difficult to finish, despite some brilliant parts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Contains brilliant parts, but overall felt like a chore to finish.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17204841,
          "author": "pomber",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T13:00:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17204841",
          "commentText": "Masters of Doom. Great book about John Carmack and id software.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Masters of Doom. Great book about John Carmack and id software.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book about John Carmack and id Software.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in technology companies and people in tech.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15962109,
          "author": "fgandiya",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T17:48:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15962109",
          "commentText": "This year I read:\n1. The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Computer - A steampunk graphic novel about Ada Lovelace and Charlie Babbage. Fun story with loads of research to back it up. Got even better when I got to go the UK and explore the places they worked at in their livetimes\n2. The Hardware Hacker - A compilation of storis by bunnie focused on the hardware/maker(ish) ecosystem. Also discusses the Chinese manufacturing ecosystem and answers questions that most people have about it.\n3. Technically Wrong - A book about how tech can sometimes leave lots of people behind for one reason or another and how we can fix them. A very quick read.\n4. The Masters of Doom - The story of id Software, the company which spawned an entire genre with games like Doom and Wolfenstwein in its early days.\n5. Blood, Sweat and Pixels - The book looks into how video games are made and the many challenges along the way. Focuses on ten games from solo all the way to AAA titles. Really good if you want to know why video games turn out the way they do. After reading this, you'll double take whenever you hear of a delayed game, cancelled project, E3 demos and buggy releases. It also has some uplifting moments.\n6. My textbooks :).\nHopefully I can also read The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, Deep Work and CODE.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The story of id Software, the company which spawned an entire genre with games like Doom and Wolfenstwein in its early days.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No evaluation is given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238293,
          "author": "kakarot",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:29:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238293",
          "commentText": "Masters of Doom may well be the only book I've finished this year. I'm currently reading a few novels and The Snowball (Buffet's bio) but it is a slow process because of the overwhelming amount of time I spend reading news, technical resources, comics, and short stories.\nI cannot recommend Masters of Doom highly enough to anyone on this website. It's about the rise of Id games and the technological and cultural breakthroughs they made in the industry. Kushner expertly weaves a tale about video games, programming and entrepreneurship in a way that few can. His attention to detail is masterful -- not simply an overabundance of detail, but detail in all the places it belongs. I really felt like I was there with the two great Johns, just as invested in the future of Id as they were.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I cannot recommend Masters of Doom highly enough to anyone on this website.",
          "reason": "The commenter emphatically recommends it and praises its storytelling and detail.",
          "audience": "Anyone on this website.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416456,
          "author": "wepple",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:36:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416456",
          "commentText": "Hackers & Masters of Doom are two of my favourite books. And I'm not even really a gamer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hackers & Masters of Doom are two of my favourite books.",
          "reason": "Names it as one of their favourite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12246020,
          "author": "markpapadakis",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T07:31:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12246020",
          "commentText": "This may be because I have always admired John Carmack, and because I love video games - although I am drawn to all kind of different book genres, but \"Masters of Doom\" had a profound effect on me.\nI read it every few months, and I have gifted it to family and friends, and most of them loved it as well.\nIt’s not the writing, nor the story per se that stand out, it’s not just about how it beautiful highlights and highs and the lows of the Johns’s symbiotic relationship and their accomplishments, it’s not even about how their skills, strengths and weaknesses play into their success and failures (which I am sure is typical of most co-founders stories).\nIt’s about empowering the reader to believe that everything’s possible, and how smart, hard-working people can build technologies that affect the lives of many.\nThis book works wonders for when I am going through burn-outs, or I am not motivated enough to pursue a problem or a project. \nWhen I am done reading the book, I am excited and eager to get back into the game. I can’t recommend it enough.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Masters of Doom\" had a profound effect on me.",
          "reason": "Praises its impact and says it motivates them to return to challenging work; explicitly recommends it.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in video games, technology, and building things.",
          "caveat": "Says the writing and story are not what stand out.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10787117,
          "author": "brikis98",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T04:27:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787117",
          "commentText": "My full list of books, including reviews, is here: https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2015\nFrom that list, my favorite ones were:\nThe Four Steps to the Epiphany: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/827338560\nMade to Stick: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/897777811\nHow to Measure Anything: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/698402984\nThe Non-Designer's Design Book: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1170518622\nMasters of Doom: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/899580915\nThe Martian: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1136330196\nThe Mistborn Trilogy: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1388373037",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Masters of Doom",
          "reason": "Explicitly listed among the commenter's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783601,
          "author": "Jach",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T15:00:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783601",
          "commentText": "Meditations - Marcus Aurelius -- A fine classic I enjoyed.\nMight count, might not, since it finished in March but was going on before. I loved Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality - Eliezer Yudkowsky - http://hpmor.com/\nLoved Masters of Doom - David Kushner\nI liked Worm - Wildbow - https://parahumans.wordpress.com/table-of-contents/ -- but it falls short of overall greatness and I don't think it's worth its 22-average-books length if I were to go back in time and decide on rereading...\nLearn to Play Go: A Master's Guide to the Ultimate Game (Volume I) - Janice Kim -- I've been learning Go and thought this book was particularly excellent for beginners.\nThere are at least 4 other books I'm close to finishing and I might get one done before the end of the month... Volume 2 of the above Go series, Mythical Man-Month, A handbook of traditional living, or The Waking Dream.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Loved Masters of Doom - David Kushner",
          "reason": "Says they loved it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8258083,
          "author": "drtse4",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T15:25:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8258083",
          "commentText": "I found it quite \"meh\" by the end, too much details about their private lives and didn't like the hyperboles when describing more \"technical\" stuff (e.g. when they built the engine for commander keen, described as something revolutionary never done before, i don't remember it was the case...)\nRead that after the GREAT \"Commodore: A company on the edge\" and was expecting something with more gritty details (both technical and about the business) was somewhat disappointed.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Read that after the GREAT \"Commodore: A company on the edge\" and was expecting something with more gritty details",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it “meh” and says it lacked the gritty technical and business detail they expected.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Criticizes its focus on private lives and hyperbolic claims about technical work.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8257722,
          "author": "phowat",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T14:25:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257722",
          "commentText": "Masters of Doom - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masters_of_Doom\nAnd it's being an extremely fun read so far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Masters of Doom - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masters_of_Doom\nAnd it's being an extremely fun read so far.",
          "reason": "Calls it an extremely fun read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8106876,
          "author": "bubblicious",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T07:53:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106876",
          "commentText": "I just finished Masters Of Doom (http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Doom-Created-Transformed-Cultu... (http://www.amazon.com/Masters-Doom-Created-Transformed-Culture-ebook/dp/B000FBFNL0)). I read it almost non-stop. I highly recommand it to anyone who has gone through the early days of ID Software games Wolf3D / Doom.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommand it to anyone who has gone through the early days of ID Software games Wolf3D / Doom.",
          "reason": "Recommends it to readers familiar with early id Software games.",
          "audience": "People who experienced the early days of id Software games.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6975742,
          "author": "infinotize",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T18:46:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6975742",
          "commentText": "I have to name two in a tie: Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, and Masters of Doom by David Kushner.  Both Jobs and John Carmack have been huge sources of inspiration since I've read these books, and in very different ways.  And that effect has lasted long since I finished the books, which is rare.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Both Jobs and John Carmack have been huge sources of inspiration since I've read these books",
          "reason": "Says the biography and the other named book inspired them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5244919,
          "author": "a3camero",
          "createdAt": "2013-02-19T15:58:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 5244195,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 'Must read' books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5244919",
          "commentText": "-Stumbling on Happiness\n-Free Software, Free Society\n-Masters of Doom (not finished, just started reading it, great so far)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Masters of Doom (not finished, just started reading it, great so far)",
          "reason": "Says it is great so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has started it but has not finished.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4788271,
          "author": "dontstealmyname",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T12:45:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4788271",
          "commentText": "I found the book \"The definitive book of body language: How to read others's thoughts by their gestures\" by Allan and Barbara Pease to be a great read.\nThe greatest show on Earth - Richard Dawkins was an excellent read.\nSurely  you're joking Mr Feynman by Richard p.Feynman was terrific read by a very small bit can considerred offensive or  at the least dated in its outlook but if you can get past that its great!\nI recently finished a book on ID called \"Masters of doom\" by David Kushner which I rather enjoyed as well.\nI also love reading about crackers from the (mostly) 80's and I can recommend.\nCuckoo Egg by Cliff Stoll\nMasters of deception\nWe are anonymous - Inside the hacker world of lulzsec, anonymous and the global cyber insurgency  by Parmy Olson\nI loved \"Underground Hacking Madness and the obsession on the electronic frontier\" once I got past the first 2 or 3 chapters (also it was researched by Julian Assange before wikileak and has a chapter about his hacking) An Ebook copy can be found on the authors website http://www.underground-book.net/download.php3\nGhost in the wire Kevin Mitnick",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "which I rather enjoyed as well",
          "reason": "The commenter says they rather enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971251,
          "author": "loganfrederick",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T08:41:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971251",
          "commentText": "+ Hacker Ethic by Steven Levy\n+ Masters of Doom by David Kushner\n+ The Millionaire Mind by Dr. Thomas Stanley\n+ The Intelligent Investor by Ben Graham\n+ The Essays of Warren Buffet by Lawrence Cunningham\n+ Buffet by Roger Lowenstein\n+ The Knack by Norm Brodsky\n+ Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar by Thomas Cathcart, Daniel Klein\n+ The Return of the Great Depression by Vox Day\n+ Capitalism and Freedom by Milton Friedman\n+ Road to Serfdom by Hayek\n+ Iacocca:An Autobiography by Lee Iacocca",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Masters of Doom by David Kushner",
          "reason": "Listed as a book to give the commenter's younger self.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Masters of Doom",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 621491,
          "author": "xsmasher",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-22T02:27:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621491",
          "commentText": "In general, \"Revolution in the Valley\" about the making of the Macintosh. You cen feel the excitement of the team, and it goes into some fun technical details on how they created a GUI while everyone else outside research labs was still text-based.\nFor game programmers, \"Masters of Doom\" and \"Dungeons and Dreamers\". Both have a real human perspective on the people and companies they cover; they made me feel like regular humans, not gods, made games.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For game programmers, \"Masters of Doom\" and \"Dungeons and Dreamers\".",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a human perspective on the people and companies behind games.",
          "audience": "Game programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 621356,
          "author": "lackbeard",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-22T00:22:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621356",
          "commentText": "Masters of Doom",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Masters of Doom",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135906,
          "author": "fogus",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-13T12:45:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135906",
          "commentText": "Off the top of my head:\n- Soul of a New Machine\n- The Cuckoo's Egg\n- Revolution in the Valley\n- Fire in the Valley\n- Compilers by Sethi, Ullman, Aho\n- Masters of Doom\n- iWoz\n- Steve Jobs & the NeXT Big Thing\n- Crypto\n- Code\n- The Man Who Loved Only Numbers\n- The Man Who Knew Infinity\n- ANSI Common LISP\nMost of the books above are recommended because once reading them you will have an uncontrollable urge to immediately create something brilliant.  You will not be able to stop yourself.\n-m",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Masters of Doom",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter recommends for their motivating effect.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computing and creating things.",
          "caveat": "The claimed effect is an uncontrollable urge to create something brilliant.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135284,
          "author": "DarrenStuart",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T17:20:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135284",
          "commentText": "designing the obvious - a common sense approach to web application design by Robert Hoekman Jr\nThe New New Thing\nMasters of Doom (story of id software, great story)\nSmart Start-ups: How Entrepreneurs and Corporations Can Profit by Starting Online Communities\nsteven levy's Hackers and crypto also for the history.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Masters of Doom (story of id software, great story)",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great story and lists it for a hacker's bookshelf.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Kushner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 38,
      "threads": 28,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "id software",
        "video game history",
        "video games",
        "game development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-diamond-age-ada0a9",
      "title": "The Diamond Age",
      "author": "Neal Stephenson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46161500,
          "author": "ashtavakra",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-05T14:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46161500",
          "commentText": "I consolidated the comments for my reference later. Someone else might also find it useful:\n# Fiction Books Recommended for Programmers (HN Thread 46128404)\n## Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- *Children of Time* — Science Fiction (Evolution, Space Opera)  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)\n## Rick Cook — Wizardry Series\n- *Wizard’s Bane* — Fantasy, Programming/Magic Mashup  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112616.Wizard_s_Bane\n- *Wizardry Series (overview)*  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\n## James P. Hogan\n- *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/743568.Inherit_the_Stars\n- *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifem... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifemaker)\n- *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_Tomorrow)\n## D. F. Jones — Colossus Trilogy\n- *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806105.Colossus\n- *The Fall of Colossus* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colos... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colossus)\n- *Colossus and the Crab* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_Crab)\n## Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner)\n- *A Logic Named Joe* — Golden-Age Sci-Fi, AI Precursor  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-j... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-joe)\n## David Gerrold\n- *When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One* — AI, Classic Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_Was_One)\n## William Gibson / Bruce Sterling\n- *Neuromancer* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer\n- *The Difference Engine* — Steampunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Eng... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Engine)\n## Neal Stephenson\n- *Snow Crash* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash\n- *Cryptonomicon* — Techno-thriller, Cyber-history  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/816.Cryptonomicon\n- *Anathem* — Philosophical Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2845024-anathem\n- *The Diamond Age* — Nanopunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827.The_Diamond_Age\n## Fred Saberhagen\n- *Octagon* — AI, Techno-thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1891958.Octagon\n## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga\n- *Series Overview* — Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/40946-vorkosigan-saga\n## Richard Powers\n- *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45104.Galatea_2_2\n## Scott Meyer\n- *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-wizard)\n## Daniel Suarez\n- *Daemon* — Cyber-thriller, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665844-daemon\n## Thomas J. Ryan\n- *The Adolescence of P-1* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_o... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_of_P_1)\n## Ernest Cline\n- *Ready Player One* — Sci-Fi, Gaming, Pop-Culture Adventure  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one\n## Dennis E. Taylor\n- *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)* — Humorous Sci-Fi, AI, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-we-are-bob)\n## Ted Chiang\n- *Stories of Your Life and Others* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\n- *Exhalation* — Speculative Fiction, Philosophy, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation\n- *The Lifecycle of Software Objects* — AI, Digital Consciousness  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of-software-objects)\n## Charles Stross\n- *Laundry Files Series* — Math-based Magic, Techno-Fantasy  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files\n## Ken Liu\n- *The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menag... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories)\n- *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, AI, VR  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl-and-other-stories)\n## Ellen Ullman\n- *The Bug* — Tech Industry Literary Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/703.The_Bug\n## Cory Doctorow\n- *Radicalized* — Techno-sociopolitical Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40604122-radicalized\n## qntm (Sam Hughes)\n- *Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans-in-transit-and-other-stories)\n## Roger Williams\n- *The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect* — AI, Post-Singularity SF  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)\n## Greg Bear\n- *Eon* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/924843.Eon\n## Vernor Vinge\n- *A Deepness in the Sky* — Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the_Sky)\n## Terry Pratchett\n- *Going Postal* — Comic Fantasy, Satire of Bureaucracy & Tech  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64222.Going_Postal\n## Bruce Bethke\n- *Headcrash* — Cyber-satire  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213465.Headcrash\n## Mary Shelley\n- *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* — Classic Gothic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein\n## Douglas Adams\n- *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* — Comic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guid... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)\n## Jorge Luis Borges\n- *The Library of Babel* — Metaphysical Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-babel)\n## Greg Egan\n- *Permutation City* — Simulation Theory, Hard Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156784.Permutation_City\n## Cixin Liu\n- *The Three-Body Problem* — Hard Sci-Fi, First Contact  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- *The Diamond Age* — Nanopunk",
          "reason": "Lists the title in a compilation of fiction books recommended for programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46132331,
          "author": "turtleyacht",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T09:33:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46132331",
          "commentText": "Anathem and The Diamond Age too",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anathem and The Diamond Age too",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38565904,
          "author": "__rito__",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T06:03:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38565904",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- \"The Dark Forest\" by Liu Cixin and the whole Three Body Problem/Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy. Truly massive, grand SciFi. Would recommend 10/10. [HN]\n- \"Anna Karenina\" by Tolstoy. Made me face deeper parts of my mind. Attempted to answer some questions I had. Great story. Huge book. Historical fiction is something I like across languages.\n- \"Candide\" by Voltaire. Genuinely fun and entertaining, besides it being- you know- Voltaire.\n- \"The Diamond Age\" by Neal Stephenson. Very good story, world buulding, nice technology. Great thinking by the author.\nNon Fiction:\n- \"Fermat's Last Theorem\" by Simon Singh. Was very happy to see a Popular Math book where there are so many Popular Science books. Great book. Goes over FMT's solving history, with many many fun anecdotes, short biographies, etc. Truly enjoyable to read.\n- \"Code Book\" by Simon Singh. Genuinely fun and learned a lot. Cryptography's history, progress, and so much more. [HN]\nSelf-Help:\n- \"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\" by Robert Pirsig. Truly marvelous book and nice to read. This book requires the reader to be of certain kind attaining a certain level. Without that, this book will seem a fluff and overrated hugely. Fundamentally changed my thinking. [HN]\n- \"Four Thousand Weeks\" by Oliver Bourkeman. Thought this was about saner time management with some wisdom. But was much deeper than that. Will recommend.\nBengali:\n- \"Abhajaner Mahabharat\" by Mahbub Lilen. A fun and serious retelling of the Mahabharata. Goes deep, too. Really fun to read.\n- \"Khana Mihirer Dhipi\" by Bani Basu. An account of feminism in the light of female-dominated inner part of Bengali elite households- and that in the light of female dominated, fully maternalistic hunter-gatherers of early human history. Very thought provoking and unique.\n[HN]- chose primarily because recommendation in some past HN threads.\nRead 23 so far. Target is 25. Currently reading Snow Crash and Exhalation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Diamond Age\" by Neal Stephenson. Very good story, world buulding, nice technology.",
          "reason": "Praises its story, worldbuilding, technology, and ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37158789,
          "author": "javajosh",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T08:32:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37158789",
          "commentText": "With a character named Jiro Protagonist, this is a clue that perhaps it is less cyberpunk and more of a satire of cyberpunk. It's very good, of course. Also recommended from Neal Stephenson: The Diamond Age. His world building is always top-notch, never more than in that one, IMHO.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also recommended from Neal Stephenson: The Diamond Age.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends another Stephenson novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021801,
          "author": "hesdeadjim",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:14:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021801",
          "commentText": "* Greg Egan’s short story collections, Diaspora, and Permutation City. Fair warning, Egan puts the “hard” in “hard sci-fi”.\n* Haven’t finished the Expanse final trilogy, but I really enjoyed the first two.\n* The Wool series\n* Project Hail Mary, for story reasons I’d recommend the audio book.\n* We Are Bob trilogy, fourth book is garbage.\n* Old Man’s War\n* The Culture Series by Ian Banks\n* If you enjoyed Seveneves, and thus can tolerate Stephenson’s consistent habit to drop the ball in the last 20% of his books, Diamond Age is enjoyable.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Diamond Age is enjoyable.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book is enjoyable for readers who can tolerate Stephenson’s endings.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Stephenson consistently drops the ball in the last 20% of his books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021727,
          "author": "atlasunshrugged",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:06:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021727",
          "commentText": "My absolute favorite is Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner, The Jagged Orbit was also excellent. Other than that, of course Snow Crash is a masterpiece, but I think my favorite Stephenson book is The Diamond Age. Another excellent one is Daemon by Daniel Suarez whose books are quite fascinating and look at generally pretty topical plotlines (I was just thinking I have to revisit his book Kill Decision about AI enabled killer drones).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "my favorite Stephenson book is The Diamond Age",
          "reason": "The commenter names it as their favorite Stephenson book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35394026,
          "author": "Tepix",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-31T21:39:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 35392063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Science Fiction books that predict where ChatGPT might lead us?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35394026",
          "commentText": "I think in some regards we are getting close to the device imagined in Neal Stephenson's 1995 novel The Diamond Age.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the device imagined in Neal Stephenson's 1995 novel The Diamond Age.",
          "reason": "The commenter says current developments are approaching a device depicted in the novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25846738,
          "author": "Zanni",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T14:23:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25846738",
          "commentText": "Ted Chiang's Stories of Your Life and Others is the best, single-author collection of short stories I've ever read. If you like that, you might also enjoy The Lifecycle of Software Objects, an absolutely heartbreaking novella about simulated children, and his follow-up collection Exhalation.\nOrson Scott Card's Ender's Game is fantastic, and it's follow-up, Speaker for the Dead is even better, and my favorite science fiction novel of all time. They won back to back Hugo and Nebula awards. Card is a polarizing figure for his outspoken political opinions, but if ever the art should be separated from the artist, it's Speaker, which is an incredible exploration of empathy and responsibility, in addition to being a gripping, action-packed, science-literate read. Many more in this series, if you get into it.\nJohn Scalzi's Old Man's War series is fantastic, if you're into military science-fiction, or even if you're not. Smart, funny, engaging and accessible, and reminiscent of Heinlein at his prime, minus the weird incest fetish. Redshirts, a Star Trek parody, rivals Galaxy Quest and only falls short because Galaxy Quest is so goddamn brilliant. Agent to the Stars is less appreciated, but in my opinion his finest novel, rising way above its goofy premise by taking it seriously, exploring the consequences and treating the characters with empathy and respect. Also hilarious.\nSeconding Dune, which is a classic for a reason, and Stranger in a Strange Land (though I think The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is a better place to start with Heinlein). Also Neal Stephenson, though I'd suggest Cryptonomicon over Diamond Age.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "over Diamond Age",
          "reason": "Mentioned as the less preferred alternative to Cryptonomicon.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter suggests Cryptonomicon over it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25844171,
          "author": "poormystic",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T09:00:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25844171",
          "commentText": "Try Neal Stephenson's The Diamond Age :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Try Neal Stephenson's The Diamond Age :)",
          "reason": "Directly suggests the novel to someone seeking fiction.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22724556,
          "author": "barnabee",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T02:03:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22724556",
          "commentText": "William Gibson. The Bridge trilogy and the Sprawl trilogy, at a minimum. They still feel like maps to the future even now. You have to work at it, the map is not the territory after all, but the realisations about the impact of technology, progress, and the choices we make when we let society work a certain way have been profound, for me at least.\nAlso The Peripheral, and Gibson’s essay in Wired about undersea cables, and... yeah. Having read Gibson feels like a superpower.\nAs others have said:\n- The Hitch Hiker’s Guide\n- Stepehnson’s Diamond Age, Cryptonomicon, Seveneves, Anathem (aside: totally surprised how much love there is for Anathem, I remember it not being received very kindly at the time by people around me, though I liked it.)\n- The Culture series (special shout out to The Player of Games.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stepehnson’s Diamond Age, Cryptonomicon, Seveneves, Anathem",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22721542,
          "author": "tkamphefner",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T18:56:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22721542",
          "commentText": "Neal Stephenson's The Diamond Age, for a coming of age story, using nanotechnology as a futuristic concept for understanding the differences of being fed one's needs and being given the tools for meeting them.\nSteinbeck's East of Eden for coming to grips with a fundamental moral struggle of what is good and what is choice.\nAnything ever written by Kurt Vonnegut for the proper cynicism  needed to live in this world.\nOscar Wilde for that same cynicism minus the science fiction, plus more witty one liners.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neal Stephenson's The Diamond Age",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a coming-of-age story that explores needs and the tools to meet them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21459285,
          "author": "augustinel",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T02:47:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21459285",
          "commentText": "Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson: I assume a HN classic. Good read nonetheless. Crazy imaginative. Prior experience with Stephenson is limited to Snowcrash, which I found to be quite good as well.\nBenjamin Franklin - Walter Isaacson: Biographies are immensely underrated. A good biography has had the effect of raising my own aspirations by orders of magnitude. Not sure what it is exactly about them. Being reminded that accomplished figures were humans first and foremost is always good. Either way, struck by the practicality of the man -- something I'm looking to emulate in my own life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Good read nonetheless. Crazy imaginative.",
          "reason": "Calls it a good read and says it is imaginative.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17582016,
          "author": "nepalez",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-21T14:06:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17582016",
          "commentText": "\"Blindsight\" by Peter Watts\n\"Solaris\" and \"Summa Technologiae\" by Stanislav Lem\n\"Dune\" by Frank Herbert\n\"The Diamond Age\" by Neal Stephenson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Diamond Age\" by Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for the best science fiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17545605,
          "author": "wurp",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T22:10:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17545605",
          "commentText": "Aristoi is my favorite of Walter Jon Williams's work. I reread it every few years, just like Diamond Age, Stranger in a Strange Land, and Fire Upon the Deep.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "just like Diamond Age",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17537852,
          "author": "rektide",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T00:15:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537852",
          "commentText": "Central Station by Lavie Tidhar is an amazing charming story of a world deeply steeped old sitting baking world where new things are coming about. It is charm & delight in the purest & simplest.\nSpin by Robert Charles Wilson. \"Robert Charles Wilson is a hell of a storyteller,\" said Stephen King and this wonderful tour through time and space, humanity & people's lives is incredible.\nThe Quantum Thief series by Hannu Rajaniemi is open, scenic, wild, & so so vivid, one of the most beautiful worlds I've ever visited, & it reminds me so much of a joyous wild swashbuckling run. The mystery of the main character is enchanting.\nInfoquake series by David Louis Edelson is a gripping suspenseful rise of a star entrepreneur that redefines and radically expands the world, amid an already boisterous & full & busy beautiful world already overflowing in seamless technology everywhere. Although the plot line whips along with some suspense & tension, the scenery and the voyage is incredible.\nLathe of Heaven by Ursala Le Guin could quite easily, quite simply be the best first contact story story ever. Touching, and sincere, & simple. This world is not bright and shiny but her writing and the bonding of characters is incredible. See also the rest of the Hainish cycle.\nLeft Hand of Darkness also by Ursala Le Guin is a shifting chaotic shizmatic tale, about picking our fates. \"Well, I did it through dreams. Phil would have done it another way. But yeah, homage to Phil [K.] Dick is right.\"\n- https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/a... (https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/all/)\nFallen Dragon is an early & involved Peter Hamilton adventure book. There's leaving home, & space ships, more space ships, bad guys, fighting back the bad guys, bigger ships, and action. There is A LOT going on, all the time, & violence, but damn this book comes together into something incredible, & telling, & powerful & strong, something that easily makes it my top pick for most-underappreciated Peter Hamilton.\nDiamond Age by Neal Stephenson, which I'm providing largely as a counterweight to the Snowcrash & Sevenses recommendations here. Diamond Age is much less dark, and way more a fun tail about an incredible & mysterious primer for a young lady.\nSirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut.\nAll Systems Red series by Martha Wells is a underprivileged barely coping robot dealing with the humans she hates having to talk to & a shitty planet trying to kill them. Simple, fun, some action & violence, but the main character is a total hoot the whole time with more loner/zero/drop-out attitude & spunk than anything I've read & it's unbelievably charming.\nLords of Light by Roger Zelazny has more style, pizzaz, & spirit than I feel like any of us deserve. An interesting, storied tale from the post-singularity, with a remarkable & robust cast.\nIllium/Olympos by Dan Simmons, are, in my mind still the clear winner, far above Hyperion. The cast is charming beyond belief, stumbling through a world they both know all too much about & far far too little. Some really incredible worldbuilding here.\nRainbow's End by Vernor Vinge. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE A Fire Upon the Deep. But Rainbow's End really is our planet, sometime not far out, and Vinge has the most tour of this next place we're headed, with threads, and annotations, and group chat being the defining new technologies of humanity. And the tale of the misfit happenstance adventurers who wind up ensnared in the plot line is a fun, roving hoot of a journey, a wonderful second chance at a coming of age story.\nMedusa Chronicles by two of my favorites, Alastair Reynolds & Stephen Baxter is probably my favorite exploring the solar system book, about a guy/robot a bit apart from humanity that really wants to see what the local area has to offer. A lot of high tension conflicting societal impulses that our somewhat aloof lead stumbles through, on his personal mission of exploration. Lots of interesting robot philosophy & very varied elements of space come together with the characters to make an incredibly fun space epic, set in a delightful & intriguing alternative history\nOther's recommendations I'd +1: Dune (but super heady material), The Stars My Destination (brimming with class & substance), Mote in God's Eye (some of the best Space Colonial Marines style stuff out there), Accelerando (and Iron Sky and ... overflowing playful scifi), Blue Ant series (dripping with style), Foundation series (and much more Asimov!), Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy (simple direct exciting hunt for treasure in Star Wars), Fuzzy Nation (fun tale)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Diamond Age is much less dark, and way more a fun tail about an incredible & mysterious primer for a young lady.",
          "reason": "Calls it fun and praises its premise.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536840,
          "author": "pablode",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T20:18:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536840",
          "commentText": "I particularly enjoyed Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson (won the Hugo Award) and Liu Cixin's collection of short stories, The Wandering Earth.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I particularly enjoyed Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson (won the Hugo Award)",
          "reason": "The commenter says they particularly enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536437,
          "author": "gtdthrow",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T18:50:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536437",
          "commentText": "+1\nAnything Gibson, especially Sprawl Trilogy\nAnything Stephenson, though I particularly liked Diamond Age, Cryptonomicon, and Snow Crash, In the beginning was the command line.. oh, I like everything by him.\nSeriously though, In the beginning was the command line and Cryptonomicon are basically an ode to 90s hacker culture, the true neckbeard type of CS. Love that aesthetic, culture and ethics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "particularly liked Diamond Age",
          "reason": "Says this was particularly liked.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337272,
          "author": "yoodenvranx",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:11:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337272",
          "commentText": "For me it is Zodiac, Snow Crash and Diamond Age.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For me it is Zodiac, Snow Crash and Diamond Age.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337262,
          "author": "zrail",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:08:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337262",
          "commentText": "The Diamond Age by Neil Stephenson.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Diamond Age by Neil Stephenson.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15428711,
          "author": "bglusman",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:07:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428711",
          "commentText": "It's half novel, half related series of 9 short stories, but Accelerando is great.  The Martian by Andy Weir (movie based on it) was quite good.  Daemon I think also qualifies, though it's SF dressed up as a thriller.  Oh, Blood Music by Greg Bear probably counts? Except maybe the ending?\nTempted to mention The Diamond Age, but not sure that qualifies as \"Hard\", though closer than some other Stephenson maybe...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Tempted to mention The Diamond Age, but not sure that qualifies as \"Hard\", though closer than some other Stephenson maybe...",
          "reason": "Tentatively includes it in the hard science fiction discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure it qualifies as hard science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13900682,
          "author": "vasira",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T10:20:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13900682",
          "commentText": "The society of mind and the diamond age !",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the diamond age",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567164,
          "author": "iNate2000",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T15:00:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567164",
          "commentText": "The Diamond Age\nEven more than Star Trek, this novel caused me to think about a post-scarcity world. If we could have anything and everything, what should we do with it?\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Diamond_Age",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Diamond Age\nEven more than Star Trek, this novel caused me to think about a post-scarcity world.",
          "reason": "The novel prompted reflection on what people should do in a post-scarcity world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10212682,
          "author": "BatFastard",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-13T20:19:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 10211331,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10212682",
          "commentText": "Great science fiction book covering the topic.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Diamond_Age\nIdeas from that book come up once a week in conversations.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great science fiction book covering the topic.",
          "reason": "Called a great science fiction book; ideas from it come up often in conversations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10209501,
          "author": "jeo1234",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T21:49:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10209501",
          "commentText": "The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson.\nAR plays a heavy role in it (and it is my favorite Stephenson novel).\nHard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World - Haruki Murakami.\nI can't say much about it without ruining it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "AR plays a heavy role in it (and it is my favorite Stephenson novel).",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it their favorite Stephenson novel and notes AR plays a major role.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10176012,
          "author": "riffraff",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T20:52:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10176012",
          "commentText": "I liked \"snow crash\" and \"the diamond age\", but found \"cryptonomicon\" hard to get through, even though it's super popular among geeks. \nI think even if I ever get to the end of this one, I won't be reading anything from him for a while though.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and \"the diamond age\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says they liked the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9088408,
          "author": "robbdavis",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-22T05:46:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9088408",
          "commentText": "Kim Stanley Robinson's \"2312\" carries on from the Mars Trilogy. \nStephenson's \"REAMDE\", \"The Diamond Age\", \"Cryptonomicon\" and \"Snow Crash\"\nDoes alternate history count her?  If so, Robinson's \"The Years of Rice and Salt\" is great",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"The Diamond Age\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8944867,
          "author": "iambot",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-26T00:21:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944867",
          "commentText": "Diamond age: a young ladies illustrated primer. Anathem. Halting state. Accelerando. Rant: an oral biography of buster casey. Enders game. The laundry files.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Diamond age: a young ladies illustrated primer.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8622414,
          "author": "thejteam",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-18T04:50:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8622414",
          "commentText": "Diamond Age is one of those awesome books where what you get out of it depends on where you are in life. I read it both before children and after children. I enjoyed it both times. But it was a different experience.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Diamond Age is one of those awesome books",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it awesome and says it offered a different enjoyable experience when reread at different stages of life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The experience depends on where you are in life.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8613630,
          "author": "db48x",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-16T06:55:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8613630",
          "commentText": "Almost anything by Vernor Vinge. \"A Deepness in the Sky\" in particular is amazing. I was/am particularly impress by how he handles the idea of fundamental limits on the scope of human achievement, and by how he weaves that into the story so that it's there at all levels.\n\"Diaspora\" by Greg Egan has a great story, huge ideas, and probably the most cogent explanation of sentience/sapience ever written.\n\"The Diamond Age, or A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer\" and \"Accelerando\" have already been mentioned.\n\"Reteif!\" Made me laugh out loud. Larry Niven's \"Destiny's Road\" points out the difficulty of interstellar colonization. \"Ringworld\" blew my mind. Gene Wolfe's \"The Book of the New Syn\" taught me to pay attention; \"Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency\" by Douglas Adams reinforced the lesson.\nThere are a lot of good ones; I could go on for ages...",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"The Diamond Age, or A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer\" and \"Accelerando\" have already been mentioned.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8613278,
          "author": "jimsmart",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-16T02:18:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8613278",
          "commentText": "I have two ultimate faves:-\nAccelerando (Charlie Stross) - truly epic, hard-scifi, from near to far future, truly hardcore\nDiamond Age (Neal Stephenson) - awesome tale, plenty of nanotech, almost fairy-tale-esque\n[Edit: formatting]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Diamond Age (Neal Stephenson) - awesome tale, plenty of nanotech, almost fairy-tale-esque",
          "reason": "Named as one of the commenter’s two ultimate favorites and praised as an engaging tale.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7451031,
          "author": "zxexz",
          "createdAt": "2014-03-22T21:40:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 7450534,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's on your reading list? Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7451031",
          "commentText": "I advise reading good fiction, especially \"hard sci-fi\", to get your mind in a good place for the startup scene.\nLike most people on HN probably would, I recommend reading Neil Stephenson's books, especially Cryptonomicon, The Diamond Age and Snowcrash (in order descending order of subjective of relevance).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "especially Cryptonomicon, The Diamond Age and Snowcrash",
          "reason": "Recommended as hard science fiction relevant to the startup scene.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in hard science fiction and startups.",
          "caveat": "Listed as less relevant than Cryptonomicon and more relevant than Snowcrash by the commenter's subjective ranking.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7302496,
          "author": "jlees",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T02:46:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7302496",
          "commentText": "What did you like about it? I'd suggest Tad Williams' Otherland, Neal Stephenson's Diamond Age & Snow Crash, and Gibson's Pattern Recognition purely based on subject matter (gamey-cyberpunk-ARG-AI), but none is quite as lighthearted in terms of nodding towards videogame culture.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neal Stephenson's Diamond Age",
          "reason": "Suggests it based on its subject matter.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in gamey cyberpunk, ARGs, or AI.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not as lighthearted in its treatment of videogame culture.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5859387,
          "author": "cosmc",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-11T03:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 5859004,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5859387",
          "commentText": "Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4353673,
          "author": "tectonic",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-08T03:06:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 4353632,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon.  What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4353673",
          "commentText": "Ah, yes, I loved the Diamond Age also.  Actually, I think I've read almost everything by Neal Stephenson.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved the Diamond Age also",
          "reason": "The commenter says they loved the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4353656,
          "author": "LoganCale",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-08T03:03:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 4353632,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon.  What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4353656",
          "commentText": "I'd suggest The Diamond Age as a logical continuation from Snow Crash because it's also awesome and because it's very (very) loosely a sequel. It has a different tone and pace and theme, however.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd suggest The Diamond Age as a logical continuation from Snow Crash because it's also awesome",
          "reason": "Recommended as an enjoyable, loosely connected follow-up to Snow Crash.",
          "audience": "Readers of Snow Crash",
          "caveat": "Different tone, pace, and theme; only very loosely a sequel.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043481,
          "author": "wwortiz",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043481",
          "commentText": "Snow Crash and The Diamond Age are good books, especially for just starting to read again.\nUbik is my favorite PKD book followed closely by Electric Sheep.\nThe His Dark Materials isn't really sci-fi so much as fantasy but it is quite a good read (though if you didn't have a kindle it might be embarrassing buying them from the young adult section, they are quite adult though).\nI think a huge thing missing from your list is the Foundation series from Asimov (I recommend going in order of publishing, start with Foundation move onto Foundation and Empire then Second Foundation and more if you are into it).\nMy 2 cents.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Snow Crash and The Diamond Age are good books, especially for just starting to read again.",
          "reason": "Calls it a good book, especially for returning readers.",
          "audience": "People starting to read again.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1864724,
          "author": "zipdog",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T13:44:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1864724",
          "commentText": "\"The Diamond Age\" or anything else by Neal Stephenson.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Diamond Age\"",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to the request for what to read next.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569139,
          "author": "JunkDNA",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:21:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569139",
          "commentText": "It's older, but I really enjoyed Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's older, but I really enjoyed Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson.",
          "reason": "Says they really enjoyed the novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226847,
          "author": "aarongough",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:34:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226847",
          "commentText": "I'm a big fan of Sci-Fi because I feel it makes people think about what they want the future to be, as well as avoiding the re-hashing of historical and current events that many fiction books set in the present do. With that in mind a list of great books to read:\n  The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson\n  Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson\n  Gridlinked - Neal Asher\n  Neuromancer - William Gibson\n  The Reality Dysfunction - Peter F. Hamilton\n  The Dreaming Void - Peter F. Hamilton\n  Fallen Dragon - Peter F. Hamilton\n  Altered Carbon - Richard Morgan\n  Market Forces - Richard Morgan\n  Blindsight - Peter Watts\n  The Electric Church - Jeff Somers\n  Tunnel in the Sky - Robert A. Heinlein\n  The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Robert A. Heinlein\n  1984 - George Orwell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026457,
          "author": "chasingsparks",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T23:37:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026457",
          "commentText": "I'm a huge Stephenson fan, but I felt let down by the Diamond Age's ending. It felt like it was missing 30 pages.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I felt let down by the Diamond Age's ending. It felt like it was missing 30 pages.",
          "reason": "Disappointed by the ending, which felt incomplete.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026415,
          "author": "daeken",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T23:06:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026415",
          "commentText": "The Machinery of Freedom (David Friedman) -- Great book on a potential anarcho-capitalist society and how we could push the US government in that direction.\nThe Game (Neil Strauss) -- See nopassrecover's response; he explained it well.\nLittle Brother (Cory Doctorow) -- A fantastic novel about freedom and technology.\nMakers (Cory Doctorow) -- A great novel about people who create, whether technology or business models.  Perhaps the best book I read this year.\nDown and Out in the Magic Kingdom (Cory Doctorow) -- The story of a man working in Disney World, which is now part of the Bitchun Society (a post-scarcity, post-death society).  A story of love, betrayal, and death; how can you go wrong?  Worth it for the concept of Whuffie (you'll need to read it to really get it) alone.\nDiamond Age (Neal Stephenson) -- The evolution of a society towards post-scarcity, written around the story of a young girl's growth into an adult.  Best post-cyberpunk book written thus far, IMO.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Best post-cyberpunk book written thus far, IMO.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best post-cyberpunk book written to date, in the commenter's opinion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The praise is explicitly the commenter's opinion.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875691,
          "author": "jacquesm",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T01:31:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875691",
          "commentText": "only two ? tough!\nThe diamond age\nManifold: time\nedit: this thread is going to seriously mess with my productivity in the next couple of weeks.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The diamond age",
          "reason": "Named in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 767071,
          "author": "JunkDNA",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-17T00:37:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=767071",
          "commentText": "I find that reading fiction on vacation really stimulates my programming brain. There's a lot to be said for letting your mind roam free for a bit. I believe PG talks about the value of letting your mind roam in one of his essays (or possibly Hackers and Painters). In particular, I've found Neal Stephenson's books to be great for this purpose. If you haven't read Cryptonomicon, Snow Crash, or Diamond Age, I would suggest reading one of them. It will satisfy your need for some \"geek\" content on vacation, without being all business.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you haven't read Cryptonomicon, Snow Crash, or Diamond Age, I would suggest reading one of them.",
          "reason": "Recommended as fiction with geek content that can stimulate a programmer's thinking.",
          "audience": "Programmers looking for fiction on vacation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140941,
          "author": "jcl",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T17:04:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140941",
          "commentText": "I'm a fan of The Diamond Age, myself.  I found it inspirational that nanotechnology could make the fulfillment of basic needs effectively free, that creating programs could translate into creating real objects, and that an interactive device could amplify learning.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm a fan of The Diamond Age, myself. I found it inspirational",
          "reason": "Calls the novel inspirational for its imagined technologies and potential to meet needs and support learning.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in nanotechnology, creative tools, and interactive learning.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86181,
          "author": "bockris",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T02:09:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86181",
          "commentText": "Hmmm.  Diamond Age didn't do it for me for some reason.  I liked it but not nearly as much as Cryptonomicon.  But I have had several people tell me the same thing that you did wrt DA, so it just must be me.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Diamond Age didn't do it for me for some reason.  I liked it but not nearly as much as Cryptonomicon.",
          "reason": "Says it was liked, while clearly preferring another book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Liked less than Cryptonomicon.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86163,
          "author": "sspencer",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T23:52:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86163",
          "commentText": "Same, and with special emphasis on The Diamond Age.\nAlso Douglas Adams, Vernor Vinge, Richard K. Morgan, and all kinds of other stuff.  I like to read almost as much as I like to program.\nBest nonfiction I have read in a while:  \"Leaving Microsoft To Change The World\" by John Wood.  A Microsoft VP leaves to pursue his dream of changing the world with books, and ends up founding Room to Read (http://www.roomtoread.org/ .)  Highly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Same, and with special emphasis on The Diamond Age.",
          "reason": "Seconding the parent’s enthusiasm and emphasizing this title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neal Stephenson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 38,
      "threads": 28,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nanotechnology",
        "postcyberpunk",
        "cyberpunk",
        "education"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "harry-potter-and-the-methods-of-rationality-93ba94",
      "title": "Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality",
      "author": "Eliezer Yudkowsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48085463,
          "author": "rationalist",
          "createdAt": "2026-05-10T16:45:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 48084905,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci fi books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48085463",
          "commentText": "Somewhat lesser-known sci-fi novels I read in the past:\nThe Unincorporated Man (and three sequels)\nCross between science fiction and fantasy: Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality (\"HPMOR\") - the premise is that Harry Potter is raised by a good aunt and uncle, and is taught the Scientific Method and so he uses that when encountering magic.\nOld Man's War (and sequels) by John Scalzi\nRedshirts by John Scalzi\nScience-reality: Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\nRa by qntm\nThere is no Antiemetics Division by qntm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality (\"HPMOR\")",
          "reason": "Listed as a read in response to a request for science fiction books.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in a scientific-method approach to the Harry Potter premise.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as a cross between science fiction and fantasy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34183972,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-30T11:07:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34183972",
          "commentText": "Ten Steps to Nanette, Hannah Gadsby - Autobiography of an Australian comedian I like. (If you like audiobooks, she reads it herself which is a treat.)\nTrue Biz, Sara Nović - A year in the life of a boarding school for the deaf.\nUpgrade, Blake Crouch\nBlindsight: The (Mostly) Hidden Ways Marketing Reshapes Our Brains, Matt Johnson & Prince Ghuman - Interesting angle of examining neurology.\nTreasure & Dirt, and The Tilt, Chris Hammer - Good Australian rural crime fiction.\nHarry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, Eliezer Yudkowsky - Alternate fan fic depiction of Harry Potter as a hyper-rationalist. My review linked below.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60034663-ten-steps-to-na... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60034663-ten-steps-to-nanette)\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58395049-true-biz\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59838811-upgrade\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52225003-blindsight\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58520598-treasure-dirt\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61413297-the-tilt\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33951086-harry-potter-an... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33951086-harry-potter-and-the-methods-of-rationality)\n(My review) https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5124124732",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Alternate fan fic depiction of Harry Potter as a hyper-rationalist.",
          "reason": "Listed with a description in a thread asking for books read and recommended.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33850390,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T03:46:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33850390",
          "commentText": "Ten Steps to Nanette, Hannah Gadsby - Autobiography of an Australian comedian I like. (If you like audiobooks, she reads it herself which is a treat.)\nTrue Biz, Sara Nović - A year in the life of a boarding school for the deaf.\nUpgrade, Blake Crouch\nBlindsight: The (Mostly) Hidden Ways Marketing Reshapes Our Brains, Matt Johnson & Prince Ghuman - Interesting angle of examining neurology.\nTreasure & Dirt, and The Tilt, Chris Hammer - Good Australian rural crime fiction.\nHarry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, Eliezer Yudkowsky - Alternate fan fic depiction of Harry Potter as a hyper-rationalist. My review linked below.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60034663-ten-steps-to-na... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60034663-ten-steps-to-nanette)\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58395049-true-biz\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59838811-upgrade\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52225003-blindsight\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58520598-treasure-dirt\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61413297-the-tilt\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33951086-harry-potter-an... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33951086-harry-potter-and-the-methods-of-rationality)\n(My review) https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5124124732",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Alternate fan fic depiction of Harry Potter as a hyper-rationalist.",
          "reason": "Describes the story as an alternate fan fiction depicting Harry Potter as hyper-rationalist.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33806168,
          "author": "corobo",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T19:24:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33806168",
          "commentText": "Have you read it? Judging a book by its cover is kinda like judging a book by its cover.\nIt definitely makes Harry a massive arse if you enjoy the original character, but once I got past that it was actually an interesting read. A lot of the concepts have stuck with me and I've gone on to look into them further.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It definitely makes Harry a massive arse if you enjoy the original character, but once I got past that it was actually an interesting read.",
          "reason": "The commenter found the story interesting after adjusting to its portrayal of Harry.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Harry's characterization may put off readers who like the original character.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33801598,
          "author": "runald",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T14:57:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33801598",
          "commentText": "Strange, the only place I only ever see someone mention hpmor is on HN. In fact, I first heard it from here.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the only place I only ever see someone mention hpmor is on HN.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23498345,
          "author": "MaurizioPz",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-12T12:01:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23498345",
          "commentText": "Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality - great story and also quite a nice introduction to rationality. There's also an audiobook https://hpmorpodcast.com/?page_id=56",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality - great story and also quite a nice introduction to rationality.",
          "reason": "Praises the story and its introduction to rationality.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in rationality.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22724968,
          "author": "SJMosley",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T03:28:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22724968",
          "commentText": "- Harry Potter and methods of rationality by Eliezer Yudkowsky\nGreat intro to rationality, so fun to see a different take on a world you likely already know.\n- Kindred  by Octavia Butler\nSuch an interesting perspective on the psychology of what it takes to break a human being. In the worst way possible.\n- The Humans by Matt Haig\nBeing outside of the human race, the language is so jarring and alien.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Harry Potter and methods of rationality by Eliezer Yudkowsky\nGreat intro to rationality, so fun to see a different take on a world you likely already know.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a fun introduction to rationality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21916761,
          "author": "vforissi",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-30T21:12:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21916761",
          "commentText": "- Hpmor, from Yudkowsky the guy who created the ML Research Institute, simply one of the funniest and smartest book I ever read.\n- Martin Eden, a great tragic adventure from the late 19th century about a poor smart guy from the slums who tries to make his riches as a writer\n- The Moon is Harsh Mistress, Elon’s favorite sci-fi books\n- Foundation by Asimov\n- Homo Deus by Harari\n- Principles by Ray Dalio",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "simply one of the funniest and smartest book I ever read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of the funniest and smartest books they have read.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy humorous, intellectually minded fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21907905,
          "author": "qznc",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T19:31:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21907905",
          "commentText": "I read a lot of fanfiction in the last years. On the downside the writing is less polished. On the upside it is free and non-mainstream.\nI was influenced by Eliezer Yudkowsky and his take on rationality. His fanfiction \"Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\" serves as a nice introduction. http://www.hpmor.com/\nWorm by John McCrae is an epic superhero/villain story. Consider it Game of Thrones in the superhero genre. With 16 million words it is a really long story. For comparison, the Harry Potter series is 10 million words.\nThe Metropolition Man by Alexander Wales is also in the superhero genre, but turns it on its head. Lex Luthor is the hero standing up against Superman.\nThe Last Ringbearer by Kirill Yeskov does the same to Lord of the Rings. It effectively becomes a fantasy spy thriller.\nThese three are great stories that show how good and evil are a point of view. An important lesson to learn in a time when US and China are increasingly hostile. Since HN is american, China might be compared to Mordor and Xi Jinping to Lux Luthor. Fiction stories may help you to at least imagine that they consider themselves as the good guys.\nAccelerando by Charles Stross turns the concept of technological singularity into a well-written story. As the story spans a looong timespan and shows how humanity antiquates itself, it makes you feel small in a good sense.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His fanfiction \"Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\" serves as a nice introduction.",
          "reason": "Described as a nice introduction to Yudkowsky's take on rationality.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in rationality and fanfiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21903345,
          "author": "CosmicShadow",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T02:02:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21903345",
          "commentText": "These books really challenge your thinking or force you to think hard and/or see things through another lens. They are also really good reads that are very hard to put down.\nHarry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\nFirefall series by Peter Watts (Blindsight & Echopraxia)\nAxiomatic by Greg Egan\nN.N. Taleb's books\nThese are all books I had seen written about in previous HN threads like this and ended up reading, so glad I did!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter says challenge thinking and are hard to put down.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy Harry Potter fan fiction and rationalist themes.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20982706,
          "author": "kalado",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T10:35:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20982706",
          "commentText": "Non-Fiction:\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman | \nbook on human rationality and irrationality\n- An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield\nFiction:\n- Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality | \nPetunia married a professor, and Harry grew up reading science and science fiction.\nhttp://www.hpmor.com/\n-  Off to Be the Wizard (Magic 2.0 Book 1) by Scott Meyer | \nReality is defined in a text file, making the protagonist a wizard when he discovers it while hacking a company.\n-  The Magicians (series) by Lev Grossman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality",
          "reason": "Listed as a fiction recommendation with a description of its premise.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16352105,
          "author": "godelmachine",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T10:32:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16352105",
          "commentText": "Harry Potter & The Methods of Rationality - I'd to Google to see if that was really even a book.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Harry Potter & The Methods of Rationality - I'd to Google to see if that was really even a book.",
          "reason": "Names it as a suggested book, but the comment expresses uncertainty about whether it is a book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter had to check whether it was actually a book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16351633,
          "author": "conjecTech",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T07:26:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16351633",
          "commentText": "There is a class at Georgia Tech I colloquially referred to as \"making sure your coworkers don't hate you.\" It covered design patterns, software testing, and project management. I'd tack on a basic knowledge of databases to that. These are things you can gain a true functional knowledge of in a couple of weeks, and which not knowing might make senior engineers hate working with you.\nSo to mimic the class:\nThe Mythical Man Month\nDesign Patterns - Even if some of the particulars are not as relevant, it still provides a useful framework for thought.\nLessons Learned in Software Testing: A Context-Driven Approach\nI'd also add Harry Potter & The Methods of Rationality. A lot of engineers can think empirically, but its not their first reaction. Going through this book helped make it second nature for me. Can't remember if a certain data structure is immutable? Now I'll write a couple of lines of code to see rather than go looking for documentation. A lot of big problems start as false assumptions. Having the instinct to think to test them and knowing how to will prevent a lot of wasted effort, regardless of your role.\nHow to Solve It by Polya also gets an honorable mention for similar reasons.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Going through this book helped make it second nature for me.",
          "reason": "The commenter says reading it helped make empirical testing second nature.",
          "audience": "Engineers who tend to rely on assumptions",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762192,
          "author": "cm2012",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T01:48:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762192",
          "commentText": "Have to agree here. It has a unique and valuable worldview.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Have to agree here. It has a unique and valuable worldview.",
          "reason": "Agrees with the parent comment's positive description of the book's worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15017403,
          "author": "m0ck",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T12:07:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15017403",
          "commentText": "I'm reading \"Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\" by Eliezer Yudkowsky right now. Never thought I would be interested in fanfic, but this is just brilliant, give it a chance. You can get a free ebook on hpmor.com, or create your own paperback version with https://github.com/ianstormtaylor/hpmor (it cannot be sold, due to copyright issues)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Never thought I would be interested in fanfic, but this is just brilliant, give it a chance.",
          "reason": "Calls it brilliant and urges readers to give it a chance.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14480394,
          "author": "Joeri",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-04T08:17:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14480394",
          "commentText": "Rationality is good, but I found Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality to be a much more pleasant read about the same topics by the same author.\nBoth books suffer from the same problem, the lack of an editor. They could be half the size and it would make them a much more convincing and entertaining read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I found Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality to be a much more pleasant read about the same topics by the same author.",
          "reason": "Described as a more pleasant read than Rationality on the same topics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it suffers from a lack of editing and could be half the size.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14478905,
          "author": "smaddox",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T22:46:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478905",
          "commentText": "Non-Fiction:\n\"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" by Dale Carnegie, because it changed my understanding of people for the better.\n\"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\" by Richard Feynman, because it gave me a model for how to enjoy life.\n\"Models\" by Mark Manson, because it helped shape my understanding of heterosexual relationships.\n\"An Introduction to General Systems Thinking\" by Gerald Weinberg, because it illuminates the general laws underlying all systems.\nFiction:\n\"Stranger in a Strange Land\" by Robert A Heinlein, because it showed me a philosophy and \"spirituality\", for lack of a better word, that I could agree with.\n\"The Fountainhead\" and \"Atlas Shrugged\" by Ayn Rand, because they showed me how human systems break, and they provided human models for how to see and live in, through, and past those broken systems.\n\"Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\" by Eliezer Yudkowsky, because it set the bar (high) for all future fiction, especially when it comes to the insightful portrayal of the struggle between good and evil.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\" by Eliezer Yudkowsky, because it set the bar (high) for all future fiction, especially when it comes to the insightful portrayal of the struggle between good and evil.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its portrayal of the struggle between good and evil and says it set a high bar for future fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13243762,
          "author": "urza",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-23T08:57:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13243762",
          "commentText": "Highlights:\nHarry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\nWhen Three Worlds Collide\nPermutation City\nThe Story of Human Body\nIncognito: the secret life of your brain",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12099678,
          "author": "homingbrain",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T09:02:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12099678",
          "commentText": "Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman.\nAlso, strangely enough (not being a Harry Potter fan), I immensely enjoyed Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I immensely enjoyed Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they immensely enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are not a Harry Potter fan.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783601,
          "author": "Jach",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T15:00:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783601",
          "commentText": "Meditations - Marcus Aurelius -- A fine classic I enjoyed.\nMight count, might not, since it finished in March but was going on before. I loved Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality - Eliezer Yudkowsky - http://hpmor.com/\nLoved Masters of Doom - David Kushner\nI liked Worm - Wildbow - https://parahumans.wordpress.com/table-of-contents/ -- but it falls short of overall greatness and I don't think it's worth its 22-average-books length if I were to go back in time and decide on rereading...\nLearn to Play Go: A Master's Guide to the Ultimate Game (Volume I) - Janice Kim -- I've been learning Go and thought this book was particularly excellent for beginners.\nThere are at least 4 other books I'm close to finishing and I might get one done before the end of the month... Volume 2 of the above Go series, Mythical Man-Month, A handbook of traditional living, or The Waking Dream.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality",
          "reason": "Says they loved it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Might not count for the year's reading because it was finished in March but started earlier.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10765644,
          "author": "trishume",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T01:21:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10765644",
          "commentText": "https://intelligence.org/rationality-ai-zombies/ and http://hpmor.com/ gave me a great model of how to plan and think about difficult issues. Excellent (and very long, each one is the length of 5+ books) primers on rationality.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "gave me a great model of how to plan and think about difficult issues. Excellent (and very long, each one is the length of 5+ books) primers on rationality.",
          "reason": "Calls it an excellent primer that shaped how they plan and think about difficult issues.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Identified from the hpmor.com link; described as very long.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10324762,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T18:05:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10324762",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand\nHarry Potter and the Methods of Rationality by Eliezer Yudkowsky\nThese are the most intelligent and well written books I've ever read. Authors are amazing at thinking clearly, and expressing their ideas. Stories are fantastic, and the author's philosophies are amazing and mind-expanding.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "These are the most intelligent and well written books I've ever read.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the most intelligent and well-written books they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10212383,
          "author": "fisadev",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-13T18:52:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 10211331,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10212383",
          "commentText": "Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality. Don't know if \"great\", but quite interesting and fun free book at hpmor.com",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "quite interesting and fun free book",
          "reason": "Described as quite interesting and fun.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether it is great.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175615,
          "author": "Finbarr",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:35:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175615",
          "commentText": "Currently reading Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality (http://hpmor.com/). It's an alternate Harry Potter story where Harry is a genius scientist and rationalist. Hilarious and well worth a read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hilarious and well worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as hilarious and well worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674322,
          "author": "sriku",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T12:09:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674322",
          "commentText": "Gödel, Escher, Bach - An Eternal Golden Braid, by Douglas Hofstadter. Both a work of literary and technical genius.\nLe ton beau de Marot, also by Douglas Hofstadter. Was blown by his description of how making the typographical choice of starting the first word of each chapter with letters decreasing in height to the normal page font size, caused him to rethink a whole chapter (he couldn't use descenders, which limits the first word, which limits his first sentence, which constrains his first paragraph and so on).\nHarry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, by Eliezer Yudkowsky. Every single chapter is potentially mind blowing. The whole approach of trying to instruct rationality through such fiction is itself brilliant I think.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Every single chapter is potentially mind blowing.",
          "reason": "Says every chapter could be mind-blowing and calls the approach brilliant.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9612958,
          "author": "JoshTriplett",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T17:32:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9612958",
          "commentText": "Seconded.  I also recommend the podcast version, at http://www.hpmorpodcast.com/ .",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seconded.",
          "reason": "Clearly seconds the book recommendation and also recommends its podcast version.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9612236,
          "author": "jsingleton",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T15:55:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9612236",
          "commentText": "A few of these are already posted (or will be) but here you go:\n- https://www.raspberrypi.org/magpi/\n- http://www.withouthotair.com/\n- http://www.harriman-house.com/book/view/1057/business/dave-c... (http://www.harriman-house.com/book/view/1057/business/dave-coplin/the-rise-of-the-humans/)\n- http://hpmor.com/\n- http://www.linuxvoice.com/creative-commons-issues/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "http://hpmor.com/",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9612195,
          "author": "facepalm",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T15:49:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9612195",
          "commentText": "Harry Potter And The Methods Of Rationality http://hpmor.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Harry Potter And The Methods Of Rationality http://hpmor.com/",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9351498,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T22:38:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9351498",
          "commentText": "\"Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\" by Eliezer Yudkowsky - the most brilliant book I've read this year. I wish I'd read it 10 years ago.\nAnd Atlas Shrugged - controversial, I know, a lot of people here hate it for some reason, but it was incredibly influential on me, inspired my passion for entrepreneurship and science and philosophy. Still is one of the best books I am aware of.\nIf I could send 2 books back in time to the 14-year-old me - these would be it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the most brilliant book I've read this year. I wish I'd read it 10 years ago.",
          "reason": "Calls it the most brilliant book they have read this year and wishes they had read it earlier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9347895,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T14:48:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9347895",
          "commentText": "Here's my usual list of recommendations, the best books I've read in the past 5 years.\nFiction:\n- Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\nIf you know nothing about this book you might naturally hesitate to read \"Harry Potter fanfiction\" and assume that it's dumb/horrbile, but it's not. Just suspend your disbelief and read the first 5-10 chapters. Trust me, it's brilliant, hilarious, and life-changing.\n- Atlas Shrugged\nControversial, I know, a lot of people here hate it for some reason, but it was incredibly influential on me, inspired my passion for entrepreneurship and science and philosophy. Still is one of the best books I am aware of.\nNonfiction:\n- Hackers and Painters by Paul Graham\nAlso a collection of his essays that you can find on github. He is one of the most clever writers I am aware of, but I assume you know that, since you're on HN.\n- \"On Intelligence\" by Jeff Hawkins\nThis book explains in simple terms a very awesome and elegant theory on how mind works. Incredibly fascinating, I've learned a lot from it and it explains a lot of things, and will change the way you think about thinking process.\n- The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins\nEngaging and entertaining explanation of evolution, absolutely fantastic book.\n- The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli.\nDespite the stigma, and people thinking that Machhiavellian = \"evil\", I've found this book extremely clever and wise.\n- Serious Creativity by Edward De Bono\nThe best book on creativity and the process of generating ideas that I'm aware of.\n- Abundance\nThis is a very inspiring and optimistic book about the future of technology.\nEntrepreneurhsip:\n- Start Small, Stay Small\nGuide to creating your first product/business for hackers. It lays out all the basics of entrepreneurship in a very concise and clear ways, my favorite introduction to startups.\n- Rework\nVery wise and intelligent advice about startups, intelligent and witty, must read.\n- Lean Startup\nClassic book on \"lean startup methodology\", very useful.\n- 4-Hour Workweek\nDespite the silly title I think it is a great book and is very much worth reading. Many people here dislike Tim Ferris, but whatever, I think this book is cool.\nAutobiographies:\n- Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman\n- Ghost In The Wires by Kevin Mitnick\n- Catch me if you can by Abagnale\n- iWoz by Steve Wozniak\n- Losing my Virginity by Richard Branson\nAll these are fantastic and very intelligent autobiographies by the very awesome people.\nNow I'm reading \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" and \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies.\"\n\"Rationality\" is great and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. Can't say much about GEB, I've only started reading it, but everyone is saying that it is so great and the best book ever, so I think it's definitely worth checking out.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Trust me, it's brilliant, hilarious, and life-changing.",
          "reason": "Calls it brilliant, hilarious, and life-changing.",
          "audience": "Readers open to Harry Potter fanfiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter advises suspending disbelief and reading the first 5–10 chapters.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8718219,
          "author": "therealdrag0",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T18:48:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8718219",
          "commentText": "This is what I thought about posting. I've read a lot of books this year (45 books totaling 22,000 pages), the most important being: History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Silent Spring, The Feminine Mystique, The Grapes of Wrath, The Price of Inequality, The Happiness Hypothesis.\nBut, out of all that (which I had to go look up on my Goodreads), HPMOR is what came to mind, both an engaging story, thought provoking ideas, and a lot of pages to work with :).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "HPMOR is what came to mind, both an engaging story, thought provoking ideas",
          "reason": "Describes it as engaging and thought provoking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8263063,
          "author": "sushimustwrite",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-03T14:14:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8263063",
          "commentText": "I'm so behind on reading this that I barely remember lots of plot points, but at this point it might be easier to wait until the work is complete, then return.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm so behind on reading this that I barely remember lots of plot points, but at this point it might be easier to wait until the work is complete, then return.",
          "reason": "Discusses having fallen behind on reading the work and possibly returning when it is complete.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is behind and may wait until the work is complete before returning.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8257614,
          "author": "Shish2k",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T14:07:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257614",
          "commentText": "Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality -- a fanfiction with the twist that Harry was raised to believe in science; as such he applies logic to understand how magic works, to bend it to his will; IMHO it's easily on a par with the canonical stories :) --> http://hpmor.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "IMHO it's easily on a par with the canonical stories",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is on a par with the canonical stories and describes its premise approvingly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It is fanfiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7302433,
          "author": "Jach",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T02:33:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7302433",
          "commentText": "My two favorites are Permutation City by Greg Egan and The Golden Age by John C. Wright (actually that one's a trilogy).\nI hear good things about Iain M. Banks' Culture novels. I've only read one (The Player of Games) and while it was enjoyable it was still sort of meh, if that makes sense... (I've got Excession in my queue and I suspect I'll enjoy it more.)\nWhile it's more in the realm of science-fantasy, you might enjoy this alternate universe imagining of the Harry Potter story: http://hpmor.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this alternate universe imagining of the Harry Potter story: http://hpmor.com/",
          "reason": "Suggests this alternate-universe Harry Potter story for readers who might enjoy it.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in science-fantasy or an alternate-universe Harry Potter story.",
          "caveat": "Described as more science-fantasy than science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6977695,
          "author": "StavrosK",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-29T01:31:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6977695",
          "commentText": "I would also characterize Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality as \"applied Thinking: Fast and Slow\". I would strongly recommend it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would also characterize Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality as \"applied Thinking: Fast and Slow\". I would strongly recommend it.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly says they would strongly recommend it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387600,
          "author": "melloclello",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T23:59:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387600",
          "commentText": "Like yourself I resisted reading HPMOR for years. Give in to your dark side, the book is both remarkably compelling and extremely self-aware.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the book is both remarkably compelling and extremely self-aware.",
          "reason": "Calls it compelling and self-aware.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387469,
          "author": "lcedp",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T23:20:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387469",
          "commentText": "You're missing out. I'd liked HPMOR much more then original story. Thought it's quite geeky which not everyone likes.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'd liked HPMOR much more then original story. Thought it's quite geeky which not everyone likes.",
          "reason": "The commenter preferred it to the original story, with a caveat that its geekiness may not appeal to everyone.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is quite geeky, which not everyone likes.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387402,
          "author": "lars512",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T23:01:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387402",
          "commentText": "If you haven't read \"Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\", you're in for a treat: http://hpmor.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you haven't read \"Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\", you're in for a treat",
          "reason": "The commenter directly recommends reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4967018,
          "author": "StavrosK",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T20:26:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967018",
          "commentText": "Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality:\nhttp://hpmor.com/\nAnd my free ebook conversion:\nhttps://leanpub.com/hpmor/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality:",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4770509,
          "author": "nopassrecover",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-11T20:37:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 4770238,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fiction books that entertain and educate?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4770509",
          "commentText": "It's worth checking out Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality (http://hpmor.com/). I know I avoided it for too long due to fanfic stigma but it really is a great read that makes you reflect on the way you think.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it really is a great read that makes you reflect on the way you think.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as an enjoyable read that prompts reflection on one's thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that fanfiction stigma kept them from reading it for a while.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3336945,
          "author": "unignorant",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T04:46:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3336945",
          "commentText": "Reading or recently finished:\nThe Book of the New Sun: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_the_New_Sun\nInfluence: Science and Practice: http://www.amazon.com/Influence-Practice-Robert-B-Cialdini/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Influence-Practice-Robert-B-Cialdini/dp/0205609996)\nSelf-Editing for Fiction Writers: http://www.amazon.com/Self-Editing-Fiction-Writers-Second-Yo... (http://www.amazon.com/Self-Editing-Fiction-Writers-Second-Yourself/dp/0060545690/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323492182&sr=1-1)\nHarry Potter and the Methods of Rationality: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5782108/1/Harry_Potter_and_the_M... (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5782108/1/Harry_Potter_and_the_Methods_of_Rationality)\nWraeththu: http://www.amazon.com/Wraeththu-Storm-Constantine/dp/0312890... (http://www.amazon.com/Wraeththu-Storm-Constantine/dp/0312890001)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3278610,
          "author": "aik",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T23:54:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3278610",
          "commentText": "On that point, Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality is great (and entertaining) for this purpose as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality is great (and entertaining) for this purpose as well.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it great and entertaining for the stated purpose.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231266,
          "author": "Sukotto",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T17:42:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231266",
          "commentText": "Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality.\nI hesitated to start.  Partly because I found the original Harry Potter kind of boring/frustrating.  And partly because it's fanfiction, a sort of writing I do not normally enjoy.\nI'm most of the way through the 1200 pages and find it pretty enjoyable.\nHarry's portrayal seems pretty uneven (swinging between \"scientist/genius in an irrational world\" and \"arrogant prick demigod\").\nI like Drako's additional depth far better than Rowling's one dimensional jerk.\nFind it here: http://www.elsewhere.org/rationality/ (after the first few chapters I switched to the pdf version.. link on the right of that page)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'm most of the way through the 1200 pages and find it pretty enjoyable.",
          "reason": "Says they find it pretty enjoyable.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy Harry Potter fanfiction and rationalist themes.",
          "caveat": "Harry’s portrayal feels uneven; the commenter generally does not enjoy fanfiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1974543,
          "author": "Jach",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T08:48:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974543",
          "commentText": "Oh jeeze, I have to choose?\nNonfiction: QED, by Feynman. It made a large portion of quantum physics \"click\" for me intuitively and dispelled a bunch of popular notions about quantum physics that are just wrong.\nFiction: Probably the celebrated Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, for reasons others have stated over and again, or else Ass Goblins of Auschwitz for letting me explore an author's deliciously disturbing mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Probably the celebrated Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, for reasons others have stated over and again",
          "reason": "Names it as a favorite fiction choice in the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Refers to reasons others have already given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1974058,
          "author": "lionhearted",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T05:28:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974058",
          "commentText": "Fantastic book. Either that, or Eliezer Yudkowsky's fanfiction \"Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\" was the best fiction I read this year.\nhttp://www.fanfiction.net/s/5782108/1/Harry_Potter_and_the_M... (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5782108/1/Harry_Potter_and_the_Methods_of_Rationality)\nHP&TMOR didn't sound like the kind of thing I'd have liked... massively mistaken. Very good. Highly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Very good. Highly recommended.",
          "reason": "Says it was very good and highly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter initially thought it would not appeal to them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1866029,
          "author": "kevinburke",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T19:06:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1866029",
          "commentText": "Also check out Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also check out Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality too.",
          "reason": "Encourages the reader to check it out.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753069,
          "author": "alexandros",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T17:06:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753069",
          "commentText": "Since you mentioned 'eye-opening fiction' I give you my wholehearted recommendation for Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality:\nhttp://www.fanfiction.net/s/5782108/1/Harry_Potter_and_the_M... (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5782108/1/Harry_Potter_and_the_Methods_of_Rationality)\nDon't be misled by the 'fanfic' tag, it's a mere shell for a very deep piece of work, endorsed by Eric S. Raymond and David Brin. Many have accused the author for slipping in a lot of his own voice, calling it his own 'Atlas Shrugged', but seeing as you liked that, I think you'll find this a pleasure, too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Since you mentioned 'eye-opening fiction' I give you my wholehearted recommendation for Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality:",
          "reason": "Calls it a wholehearted recommendation and praises its depth.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking eye-opening fiction, especially those who liked Atlas Shrugged.",
          "caveat": "It is fan fiction based on Harry Potter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eliezer Yudkowsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 37,
      "threads": 35,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Fantasy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "rationality",
        "harry potter fan fiction",
        "fan fiction",
        "harry potter fanfiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-black-swan-15f4c6",
      "title": "The Black Swan",
      "author": "Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43611681,
          "author": "gmuslera",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T14:05:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43611681",
          "commentText": "In general the Incerto series by Nassim Taleb (Black Swan, Antifragile, and Skin in the Game) was worth it. The Selfish Gene, System thinking A primer, I am a strange loop, Sapiens are some books that I read recently that had a lasting impression.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "(Black Swan, Antifragile, and Skin in the Game)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41547521,
          "author": "gmuslera",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-15T13:53:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41547521",
          "commentText": "The Incerto series by Nassim Taleb, specially The Black Swan and Antifragile. It is hard to make predictions, specially about the future, some good heuristics may be of help.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "specially The Black Swan and Antifragile",
          "reason": "Specifically highlights it within the Incerto series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that predicting the future is difficult and heuristics may help.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41176217,
          "author": "keernan",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T22:41:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41176217",
          "commentText": "The Black Swan, Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Black Swan, Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "reason": "Names the book as an answer to the thread’s request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35170113,
          "author": "pdntspa",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T15:47:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35170113",
          "commentText": "You can get all the meaning you need from The Black Swan by just reading the first few chapters. Taleb has a nasty habit of saying the same thing over and over again and stretching it out to an entire book.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "You can get all the meaning you need from The Black Swan by just reading the first few chapters. Taleb has a nasty habit of saying the same thing over and over again and stretching it out to an entire book.",
          "reason": "Says the first chapters suffice and criticizes the book for repetition and length.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Recommends reading only the first few chapters.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35170084,
          "author": "Mizoguchi",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T15:44:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35170084",
          "commentText": "Entrepreneurship Negotiation by Dinnar and Susskind covers some of the most fundamental topics anyone wanting to become an entrepreneur must know.\nI also find Richard Thaler work (Nudge, Misbehaving) very helpful particularly if you are in the B2C domain.\nThe Black Swan by Taleb is another book I find myself going back to often; it's been of great help for decision making under lots of uncertainty.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Black Swan by Taleb is another book I find myself going back to often; it's been of great help for decision making under lots of uncertainty.",
          "reason": "Often revisited and helpful for decision making under uncertainty.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33801428,
          "author": "onlyrealcuzzo",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T14:46:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33801428",
          "commentText": "Came here to say Thinking Fast and Slow by Kahneman and The Black Swan by Taleb.\nI don't know if it's strictly applicable to OP's question - but these books shaped how I see the world more than anything in life - and I think my view is way more accurate and I'm infinitely happier as a result.\nIn these conditions, I think problem solving becomes a lot easier...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Black Swan by Taleb",
          "reason": "The commenter says it shaped how they see the world and made their view feel more accurate.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether it strictly applies to the question.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32944341,
          "author": "romanhn",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T20:40:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32944341",
          "commentText": "Not just you. I felt like Black Swan was utterly forgettable and could be summarized as \"shit happens\". The name dropping and snobbery put me off reading anything else by him.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Black Swan was utterly forgettable",
          "reason": "Criticizes it as forgettable and reducible to “shit happens.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its name dropping and snobbery put them off other books by Taleb.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32938896,
          "author": "madmax108",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:04:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938896",
          "commentText": "Maybe it's just me, but I feel nearly all of Taleb's books should be blog posts instead of full length books. I first read Black Swan a long while back, and two things popped out at me. 1) The author comes across quite snobby and high-handed in his writing (which has translated over time on his Twitter as well for those who follow him on there) and 2) The essence of the book was distillable into a much smaller novella.\nPicked up Antifragile and Fooled By Randomness over time just to see if the hype is worth it, but none of the books honestly bowled me over or presented anything enlightening or explored ideas not explored in a better manner elsewhere. I feel like Taleb falls into the same fallacy he preaches about in his books to a large extent. But then again, given his popularity, maybe it's just my opinion.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I first read Black Swan a long while back",
          "reason": "Criticizes the author's tone and argues its ideas could have been presented much more briefly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the book felt snobby and its core could fit in a novella.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31974250,
          "author": "gigantecmedia",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-04T06:59:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31974250",
          "commentText": "Incerto by Nassim Taleb. Best piece of work I've ever read. I'm re-reading it, and still... what a masterpiece, a mind-blowing piece of work. Fooled by Randomness, The Black Swan, and Antifragile remain my \"Holy Trinity\" of books. You just couldn't stop reading them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Black Swan",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter’s “Holy Trinity” of books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22576560,
          "author": "dogman144",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T16:37:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22576560",
          "commentText": "Random Walk and Black Swan are two good reads. Even if you end up not agreeing with the two's takes, they'll make you sufficiently skeptical of how well a book claims to explain the industry, which is a good position to approach it from.\nMy bias will show, but the industry routinely blows itself on sometimes small or sometimes very large scales, sometimes or often through devices of its own creation. It's important to know that the system is entirely capable of doing this to itself, and therefore the system, and those in it, may not be able to explain itself well.\nEdit: another thing worth reading is Too Big to Fail, The Big Short, and Greatest Trade Ever. All are engaging books, and really walk through how 2008 started and ended through different perspectives of the system. TBtF will cover the Fed and Tier 1. BS/GTE cover the sell side. And then when you pair GTE with what happened to it's focus, John Paulson, after 2008, in that he didn't really have a repeat 'win,' it's a good anecdote for what I said above.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Random Walk and Black Swan are two good reads.",
          "reason": "One of two books the commenter calls good reads, suggested for a skeptical view of financial explanations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes readers may not agree with its take.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22574055,
          "author": "evjan",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T08:58:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22574055",
          "commentText": "The entire Incerto book series by Taleb (which includes Fooled by Randomness and The Black Swan) are awesome and they are talking about big catastrophic events like the current one. This pandemic is a classic Black Swan event: it's a surprise, it has a major impact and lots of experts will try to say that it was easily foreseeable in hindsight.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "(which includes Fooled by Randomness and The Black Swan)",
          "reason": "Named as a book in the recommended Incerto series; the commenter relates its idea to the pandemic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21902020,
          "author": "sesuximo",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T21:52:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902020",
          "commentText": "I can't wait to read/listen to black swan",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I can't wait to read/listen to black swan",
          "reason": "Says they are eager to read or listen to it, without evaluating or recommending it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21901585,
          "author": "onlyrealcuzzo",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T20:42:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21901585",
          "commentText": "The Black Swan by Taleb and Thinking, Fast and Slow by Kahneman are two books that pretty much completely changed how I view the world, and have made me much happier as a direct result.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Black Swan by Taleb and Thinking, Fast and Slow by Kahneman are two books that pretty much completely changed how I view the world, and have made me much happier as a direct result.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book changed how they view the world and made them happier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21811683,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-17T08:19:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21811683",
          "commentText": "Ah, a fellow NNT fan!\nI am curious; what is your opinion of his works and the man himself? I had read (a long time ago) \"Fooled by Randomness\" and \"The Black Swan\" and the thing i remember most is his definitions of Extremistan/Mediocristan (from the latter book) and our inability to understand \"random chance\" leading to a tendency to see patterns and devise explanations where there are none (eg. Causation vs. Correlation vs. Randomness) I find his writings thought-provoking but difficult to understand (eg. Differences between Randomness, Uncertainty, Probability and Risk) and sometimes quite nihilistic.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Fooled by Randomness\" and \"The Black Swan\"",
          "reason": "The commenter describes Taleb’s works as thought-provoking but difficult to understand and sometimes nihilistic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Difficult to understand; sometimes quite nihilistic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21464208,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T16:39:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21464208",
          "commentText": "Funny, that jibes with my perception of Taleb as well. He seems a bit smug, and I'm not sure if I'd like him or not if we met in person, but his books still seem valuable and worth reading. I would say that I'm better off for having read both The Black Swan and Fooled by Randomness.  Still waiting to get around to reading Anti-Fragile, but it's definitely on the list.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I would say that I'm better off for having read both The Black Swan and Fooled by Randomness.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are better off for having read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds Taleb smug and is unsure whether they would like him in person.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21460177,
          "author": "ivanmaeder",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T06:23:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21460177",
          "commentText": "Adding the Taleb book to my list.\nI recently read \"The Black Swan\" which I thought was an important read in spite of how unlikeable I find the author, how long the book is, and how tangled up the ideas are. It felt like a bit of a crazy rant, but worthwhile.\nThanks!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "which I thought was an important read in spite of how unlikeable I find the author, how long the book is, and how tangled up the ideas are.",
          "reason": "The commenter considers it an important, worthwhile read despite reservations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The author is unlikeable to the commenter; the book is long and its ideas feel tangled.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17524336,
          "author": "decebalus1",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T16:26:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17524336",
          "commentText": "Not the only one. I think most of his books are actually prolonged intentionally arrogant blog posts sprinkled with pseudo-science and weightlifting metaphors with the recurrent 'fuck you money' motif.\nBlack swan, the concept which brought him in the spotlight is somewhat valid but it's worth at most a chapter in a risk management book. But he milks the black swan cow to biblical proportions.\nAntifragile is so longwinded it's an exercise in attention and patience. I think it's remarkable how he managed to fill so many pages.\nIn my view, Taleb resides close to Malcolm Gladwell and Seth Godin, the 'thought leaders' experts at rebranding/refactoring common concepts and milking the proverbial cow in publishing, speaking events, etc..",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Black swan, the concept which brought him in the spotlight is somewhat valid but it's worth at most a chapter in a risk management book.",
          "reason": "Says the concept is valid but deserves only a chapter in a risk management book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Criticizes Taleb for extending the concept far beyond its value.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16352164,
          "author": "DyslexicAtheist",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T10:58:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16352164",
          "commentText": "- Nassim N. Taleb: Black Swan and Antifragile[0]\n  - Robert Cialdini: Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion[1]\n  - Franklin Foer: World Without Mind: The Existential Threat of Big Tech[2]\n  - Herbert Marcuse: One-Dimensional Man: Studies in the Ideology of Advanced Industrial Society[3]\n\n[0] https://www.amazon.com/Black-Swan-Improbable-Robustness-Frag... (https://www.amazon.com/Black-Swan-Improbable-Robustness-Fragility/dp/081297381X)\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Rober... (https://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Robert-Cialdini/dp/006124189X)\n[2] https://www.amazon.com/World-Without-Mind-Existential-Threat... (https://www.amazon.com/World-Without-Mind-Existential-Threat/dp/1101981113)\n[3] https://www.amazon.com/One-Dimensional-Man-Ideology-Industri... (https://www.amazon.com/One-Dimensional-Man-Ideology-Industrial-Routledge/dp/0415289777)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nassim N. Taleb: Black Swan and Antifragile",
          "reason": "Listed among books for colleagues to read.",
          "audience": "Colleagues in the thread's book recommendations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14478471,
          "author": "skdotdan",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T21:01:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478471",
          "commentText": "I was going to say the exact same thing!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I was going to say the exact same thing!",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14478444,
          "author": "ssohi",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T20:54:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478444",
          "commentText": "Fooled By Randomness & The Black Swan by Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fooled By Randomness & The Black Swan by Taleb",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13969397,
          "author": "canes123456",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T16:54:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13969397",
          "commentText": "Not the black swan, but anything else is a fine intro. Antifragile or Fooled by randomness but work",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Not the black swan",
          "reason": "Explicitly ruled out as a first book to read.",
          "audience": "Someone asking which Taleb book to read first.",
          "caveat": "The commenter advises against starting with it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238048,
          "author": "thisisforyou",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T15:53:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238048",
          "commentText": "The Complete Fiction -Lovecraft, H.P.\nPilgrim at Tinker Creek -Dillard, Annie\nThe Fractalist: Memoir of a Scientific Maverick -Mandelbrot, Benoît B.\nAncient Sorceries and Other Weird Stories -Blackwood, Algernon\nFlow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience -Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly\nDeath in Venice -Mann, Thomas\nWhites -Rush, Norman\nThe Room -Selby Jr., Hubert\nBook of Numbers -Cohen, Joshua\nMaggot: Poems -Muldoon, Paul\nThe Peasant in Nineteenth-Century Russia -Vucinich, Wayne S.\nThe Mezzanine -Baker, Nicholson\nThe Museum of Unconditional Surrender -Ugrešić, Dubravka\nWhat Is Life? with Mind and Matter and Autobiographical Sketches -Schrödinger, Erwin\nDictionary of the Khazars -Pavić, Milorad\nHonored Guest -Williams, Joy\nMartyrs and Miracles -Trickey-Bapty, Carolyn\nNoa Noa -Gauguin, Paul\nTheir Eyes Were Watching God -Hurston, Zora Neale\nOrdeal by Hunger: The Story of the Donner Party -Stewart, George R.\nMoby-Dick; or, The Whale -Melville, Herman\nEileen -Moshfegh, Ottessa\nHaute Surveillance -Göransson, Johannes\nMazes and Labyrinths: Their History and Development -Matthews, W.H.\nA Higher Form of Killing: The Secret History of Chemical and Biological Warfare -Harris, Robert\nOur Lady of the Flowers -Genet, Jean\n*The House of the Dead -Dostoyevsky, Fyodor\nCurrent: \nBlack Swan, Nassim Taleb",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Black Swan, Nassim Taleb",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238029,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T15:50:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238029",
          "commentText": "I read 47 books so far:\n* Oxygen (Lane)\n* The Vital Question (Lane)\n* Mitochondria and the meaning of life (Lane)\n* Life Ascending (Lane)\n* Shoe Dog (Knight)\n* Heat (Buford)\n* Thinking Fast And Slow (Daniel K, 3rd time reading it)\n* Fluent Forever (Wyner)\n* Dark Money (Mayer)\n* Elon Musk (Vance)\n* The Black Swan (Taleb, 5th time reading it)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Black Swan (Taleb, 5th time reading it)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12561975,
          "author": "AndrewKemendo",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T02:47:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12561975",
          "commentText": "The following list will introduce you to Western Economic Philosophy as it relates to modern history specifically. This list is weighted heavily toward neo-classical economics and does not get into computational model based economics - specifically microeconomics, which comprises the bulk of economics education today:\nSchumpeter - History of economic analysis\nAdam Smith - Theory of Moral Sentiments\nKaynes - The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money\nMarx - Capital\nBenjamin Graham - The Intelligent Investor\nGalbraith - The Affluent Society\nGalbraith - The Great Crash\nMilton Friedman - Capitalism and Freedom\nNassim Taleb - Black Swan\nRon Suskind - Confidence Men\nScott Patterson - Dark Pools\nIf you want to delve into heterodox economics afterward, start with the following:\nHayek - Individualism and Economic Order\nMises - Human Action\nRothbard - Man, Economy, State",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nassim Taleb - Black Swan",
          "reason": "Included in a list described as an introduction to Western economic philosophy.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring economic thought in modern history.",
          "caveat": "The list is weighted toward neoclassical economics and excludes computational model based economics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144179,
          "author": "naboavida",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:38:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144179",
          "commentText": "Thinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman. Learn why we're fools by nature.\nIncerto - Nassim Nicholas Taleb (4 volumes, with The Black Swan as my favourite). Learn how not to be a fool, or at least, minimize its impacts.\nThe Startup Owner's Manual - Steve Blank. Learn how to find your way through the market.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "with The Black Swan as my favourite",
          "reason": "The commenter identifies it as their favorite volume in Incerto.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785552,
          "author": "benajibayassine",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:50:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785552",
          "commentText": "1- The Emperor's Handbook by Marcus Aurelius. Jan, 10th 2015\n2- The crowd, a study of the popular mind by Gustave Le Bon. Jan, 10th 2015\n3- Remote by Jason Fried. Jan, 11th 2015\n4- The shape of the world to come by Laurent Cohen-Tanugi, Jan, 20th, 2015\n5- Post office by Charles Bukowski. Jan, 23rd 2015\n6- Gang leader for a day by Sudhir Venkatesh. Feb, 6th 2015\n7- Zen mind, beginner's mind by Shunryu Suzuki. Feb, 8th 2015\n8- The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Feb, 23rd 2015\n9- Darkness Visible by William Styron. March, 1st 2015\n10- Zero to One by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters. March, 9th 2015\n11- The Kaizen way: One small step can change your life by Robert Mauter. March, 11th 2015\n12- Time by Alexander Waugh. March, 12th 2015\n13- Max and the cats by Moacyr Scliar. March, 14th 2015\n14- Scattered by Gabor Mate. March, 20th 2015\n15- East of Eden by John Steinbeck. March, 30th 2015\n16- Crossing the unknown sea by David Whyte. April, 7th 2015\n17- Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. April, 13th 2015\n18- The World beyond your Head by Matthew Crawford. April, 22nd 2015\n19- How to Think about Exercise by Damon Young. April, 23rd 2015\n20- Solitude by Anthony Storr. May, 8th 2015\n21- Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. June, 10th 2015\n22- The bastard of Istanbul (in Arabic) by Elif Shafak. June, 21st 2015\n23- L’ordre libertaire: la vie philosophique d’Albert Camus by Michel Onfray. July, 7th 2015\n24- Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse. July, 10th 2015\n25- The arab uprisings by James Gelvin. July, 13th 2015\n26- How to worry less about money by John Armstrong. July, 13th 2015\n27- Self comes to mind by Antonio Damasio. July, 31st2015\n28- Muhammad: The First Muslim by Lesley Hazleton. August, 4th t2015\n29- Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. August, 15th 2015 \n30- Heidegger's Being and Time by William Blattner. August, 18th 2015 \n31- Heidegger and a hippo walk through those pearly gates by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. August, 19th 2015 \n32- Why nations fail by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson. October, 3rd 2015 \n33- Charlie Munger: the complete investor by Tren Griffin October, 9th 2015 \n34- The selfish gene by Richard Dawkins October, 23rd 2015\n35- The philosophical baby by Alison Gopnik October, 28th 2015\n36- The three-body problem by Cixin Liu November, 1st 2015\n37- Open letter to a young man by Andre Maurois November, 13th 2015\n38- Thinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman November, 16th 2015\n39- What do you care what people think by Richard Feynman November, 18th 2015\n40- When the body says No by Gabor Maté November, 29th 2015\n41- The truth will set you free by Alice Miller. December, 5th 2015\n42- The shallows by Nicholar Carr. December, 7th 2015\n43- What matters most byJames Hollis. December, 14th 2015\n44- Finding meaning in the second jalf of life byJames Hollis. December, 20yh2015",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "reason": "Included in a dated list of books read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10325237,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T20:31:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325237",
          "commentText": "I'm sure there are many, but a few that jump to mind, in no particular order, and spanning both fiction and non-fiction:\nThe Selfish Gene - Dawkins\nA New Kind of Science - Wolfram\nThe Singularity is Near - Kurzweil\nGödel, Escher, Bach - Hofstadter\nFluid Concepts and Creative Analogies - Hofstadter\nAtlas Shrugged - Rand\nThe Fountainhead - Rand\nNineteen Eighty-Four - Orwell\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nAmbient Findability - Peter Morville\nEmergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software - Steven Johnson\nSix Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age - Duncan Watts\nLinked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means for Business, Science, and Everyday Life - Albert-laszlo Barabasi\nArtificial Life - Steven Levy\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nThe World is Flat - Thomas Friedman\nnot a book, but the various writings of Douglas Engelbart - http://www.dougengelbart.org/library/library.html\nGlasshouse - Charles Stross\nPermutation City - Greg Egan\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nThe Shockwave Rider - John Brunner\nThe Society of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nThe Origin of Wealth: The Radical Remaking of Economics and What it Means for Business and Society - Eric Beinhocker\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nFooled By Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348291,
          "author": "serve_yay",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:36:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348291",
          "commentText": "\"How to Win Friends and Influence People\", Dale Carnegie\n\"The Black Swan\", Taleb\n\"How To Be Idle: A Loafer's Manifesto\", Tom Hodgkinson\n\"The Tao Is Not Silent\", Raymond Smullyan\nIn that order.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Black Swan\", Taleb",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about books that changed one's perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8717508,
          "author": "spix",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T17:10:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8717508",
          "commentText": "Black swan Nicolas Masson taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Black swan Nicolas Masson taleb",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8716493,
          "author": "vojant",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T14:20:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8716493",
          "commentText": "Antifragile - This book change my ways of thinking about life. Also this year I've read Black Swan, another great book by the same author.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "another great book by the same author",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it another great book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6414260,
          "author": "hvass",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-19T20:59:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6414260",
          "commentText": "The Black Swan (anything by Taleb really), Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Letters from a Stoic by Seneca, Epictetus' Discourses, Fish that ate the whale by Rich Cohen, Man's Search for Meaning,  Titan, Principles by Ray Dalio (not really a book, but really worth reading, plus it's free), 4HW by Tim Ferris, The Strategy Paradox.\nAlso Teddy Roosevelt's biography has been very influential.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Black Swan",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed one's life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5865753,
          "author": "Sealy",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-12T00:49:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 5859004,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5865753",
          "commentText": "Other books that I've found helpful are the many socioeconomics books out there:\nMalcolm Gladwell - Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers\nTim Harford - The Undercover Economist\nNassim Taleb - The Black Swan\nI enjoyed the Steve Jobs book too, I liked the fact that he believed in what he was working on (no matter how crazy or disruptive) and saw so much beauty in perfection. There's a lot we can learn from his persistence and attitude towards persevering in the face of failure.\nAnd for entertainment, I like profound books: The Alchemist, The Little Prince",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nassim Taleb - The Black Swan",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter says they found helpful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5752857,
          "author": "joshux",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-22T18:35:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5752857",
          "commentText": "Talent Is Overrated - Geoff Colvin ( Theory from Anders Ericsson )\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Introvert Advantage - Marti Olsen Laney\nThe Mindful Way Through Depression - Mark Williams et al.\nSurely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4530467,
          "author": "idoh",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-16T21:37:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 4530022,
          "threadTitle": "What to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4530467",
          "commentText": "Some favorites from my bookshelf: Benjamin Franklin's autobiography, Thinking Fast and Slow, Fooled by Randomness / Black Swan, SICP, Zen Mind Beginner's Mind",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Black Swan",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395662,
          "author": "joshz",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T13:19:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395662",
          "commentText": "The one I've enjoyed the most, was probably \"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman\" but additionally read a couple that kept being mentioned on here:\n* A Random Walk Down Wall Street\n* Predictably Irrational\n* Black Swan\n* Blink\nand enjoyed those too. I've also read \"How To Make Friends and Influence People\" and started \"Lords of Finance\" but never finished.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and enjoyed those too.",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed this book, listed among several they read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395172,
          "author": "lkozma",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T08:45:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395172",
          "commentText": "Best books I read in 2011:\n* \"Salonica, City of Ghosts\" by M.Mazower. Tells the history of Thessaloniki, informative, entertaining, at times nostalgic.\n* \"The Cauchy-Schwarz Master Class\" by J.M.Steele. A guided tour of mathematical inequalities. Very entertaining and readable (for a math book) and extremely well written.\n* \"Indiscrete Thoughts\" by G-C.Rota. Irreverent anecdotes about mathematicians.\n* \"Black Swan\" by N.N.Taleb. Maybe overhyped and at times annoying and pompous, but extremely insightful nevertheless.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Black Swan\" by N.N.Taleb. Maybe overhyped and at times annoying and pompous, but extremely insightful nevertheless.",
          "reason": "Called extremely insightful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may be overhyped, annoying, and pompous.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2741105,
          "author": "gallerytungsten",
          "createdAt": "2011-07-08T02:24:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 2723436,
          "threadTitle": "Suggest good sites/books on probability",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2741105",
          "commentText": "That book is also good; and the Black Swan grew out of a section within it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the Black Swan grew out of a section within it",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2330041,
          "author": "shantanubala",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-15T23:57:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 2329700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that change your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2330041",
          "commentText": "If you do a search through HN, you'll find some really good recommendations.\nRead The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb (Fooled By Randomness is also good) if you want to peer into the mind of an investor.\nRead Hesse's Siddhartha if you're thinking along the lines of culture/religion/philosophy.\nRead a few Ayn Rand books if you like libertarianism and don't really care to relate to the characters.\nRead We by Yevgheny Zamyatin if you want an interesting allegory that metaphorically compares heaven to a dystopian dictatorship.\nRead Unweaving the Rainbow by Richard Dawkins if you're very interested in the sciences.\nI remember Sebastian Marshall recommending Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa -- I'd recommend it too. It's pretty good, and I was especially interested since I've been doing marshal arts for over 10 years now.\nAnd read Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! no matter how you think. It's fantastic.\nEDIT: More Books!\nI read these when I was in elementary school, but they still hold their value:\nThe Giver by Lois Lowry if you want more dystopias.\nThe Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery if you're feeling especially playful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "reason": "Recommended for readers who want to peer into the mind of an investor.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in investing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1974516,
          "author": "Geoooorge",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T08:38:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974516",
          "commentText": "\"The Black Swan\" by Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nTake time to walk slowly and think deeply.  Walk slow enough to forget that you're actually walking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Black Swan\" by Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the thread's question about the best book read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752927,
          "author": "serverdude",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T16:03:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752927",
          "commentText": "I am a big fan of both Fooled by Randomness and Black swan. I especially love the fallacies he discusses w.r.t. human brain!\nI also recommend Sudhir Venkatesh's \"Gang Leader For a Day\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I am a big fan of both Fooled by Randomness and Black swan.",
          "reason": "Says they are a big fan of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752666,
          "author": "ohashi",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T13:22:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752666",
          "commentText": "I am also reading Fooled by Randomness right now, enjoying it a lot.  Black Swan was good.  I didn't like outliers very much.  Tipping Point and Blink were more interesting to me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Black Swan was good.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752526,
          "author": "coderholic",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T11:26:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752526",
          "commentText": "Have you read the Taleb's previous book, \"Fooled by Randomness\"? I was completely blown away by it. I didn't find \"Black Swan\" to be anywhere near as interesting, but that could just be because I read it second.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I didn't find \"Black Swan\" to be anywhere near as interesting",
          "reason": "The commenter found it much less interesting than Fooled by Randomness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter allows that this may be because they read it second.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569456,
          "author": "akshayubhat",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T23:10:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569456",
          "commentText": "1. The Black Swan\n2. Fooled by Randomness\n3. The unbearable lighness of being\n4. Ahead of the Curve (Its about a student's experience at HBS)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Black Swan",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226850,
          "author": "keyist",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:36:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226850",
          "commentText": "Don't miss sivers's great list: http://sivers.org/book\nAs for mine,\nScience Fiction (I like these authors so I'd recommend most of their books -- listing which ones I think are a good 'starter novel' for them):\n  Charles Stross: Halting State\n  Vernor Vinge: A Fire Upon The Deep\n  Iain M. Banks: Culture novels, start with Player of Games\n  David Louis Edelman: Jump 225 Trilogy\n  Daniel Suarez: Daemon and Freedom(tm)\n  John Scalzi: Old Man's War series\n  Dan Simmons: Hyperion\n\nSelf-improvement:\n  The Talent Code\n  Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger\n  Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion\n\nNon-fiction:\n  Amusing Ourselves To Death (highly recommended)\n  The Science of Fear\n  The Black Swan\n  Tokyo Vice\n  Racing The Beam (Atari history, very cool)\n  books by Daniel Pink\n  Guns, Germs, and Steel\n  The Prize by Daniel Yergin\n\nFantasy:\nAnything by Gaiman or China Mieville, pretty much.\nEDIT: links to previews (legally) available online\nCharles Stross's Accelerando (entire book): http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelera... (http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelerando/accelerando-intro.html)\nDavid Louis Edelman's Infoquake (1st 7 chapters): http://www.davidlouisedelman.com/jump225/infoquake/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Black Swan",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027286,
          "author": "brown9-2",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T15:27:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027286",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction:\nCoders at Work by Peter Siebel and Founders at Work by Jessica Livingston - I loved reading about the founder's stories and first-hand perspectives of notable programmers.\nThe Pleasures and Sorrows of Work by Alain de Botton - really interesting perspective on \"work\" and various types of careers and people that find happiness in them/work itself.\nSuperfreakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner - even if you don't agree with their arguments or think that the authors are all fluff, I think that their writing style is exceptionally clear and easy to understand.\nThe Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb - some really interesting ideas and analysis, although the book could have been 1/2 as short\nFiction:\nAnathem by Neal Stephenson - starts out slow but after the first 200 pages it became a really great story that I couldn't put down.\nLife of Pi by Yann Martel - loved the main story of the book, the controversial ending didn't bother me too much because I don't feel like it takes away from the story at all.\nThe Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson - cheap fun and suspenseful\nThe Road by Cormac McCarthy - I don't think much needs to be said about this book\nWhite Tiger by Aravind Adiga - extremely interesting and gripping novel about a side of the world most of us Westerners never see\nHitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams - finally read this classic. I read the \"Ultimate Edition\" which contains all 5 of Adams' novel, loved the first one but the story felt like it started to putter out by the third.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "some really interesting ideas and analysis, although the book could have been 1/2 as short",
          "reason": "Finds its ideas and analysis interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter thinks the book could have been half as long.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026420,
          "author": "coderholic",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T23:09:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026420",
          "commentText": "I finally finished \"Godel, Escher, Bach\" in 2009, after starting and giving up on it a few times previously. A great book, but it does require a lot of time and some serious thinking with a pencil and pad to do some working out (or at least it did for me).\nThe best book I read in 2009 (and possibly ever!) was \"Fooled By Randomness\" - a fantastic book that I can't recommend enough. I also read the sequel, \"Black Swans\", that was interesting but not in the same league.\n\"Made to stick\" was also a great book, with lots of great marketing advice that is simple to follow.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "that was interesting but not in the same league.",
          "reason": "Finds it interesting, while judging it inferior to Fooled by Randomness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not in the same league as Fooled by Randomness.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876696,
          "author": "patternexon",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T13:58:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876696",
          "commentText": "I agree, after reading Fooled by Randomness, black swan was a let down, repetitive and ironically snobbish for a book thats about understanding the unknown",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "black swan was a let down, repetitive and ironically snobbish for a book thats about understanding the unknown",
          "reason": "The commenter found it disappointing, repetitive, and snobbish.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875776,
          "author": "lsd5you",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T02:23:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875776",
          "commentText": "I found the black swan to be unfinishable. It started very (even extremely) well, but then got a lot worse quite rapidly. His attempt to create a structure around anecdotes from his life (and of his acquaintances) does not really work and at times his writing is ego-centric to the point of vulgarity.\nThe main problem however is that it would be much better (for the reader) condensed down as a long essay. Although many books in the genre are essentially essays flanneled out into books, the problem is particularly acute in The Black Swan.\nSun Tzu, which edition/translation?",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I found the black swan to be unfinishable.",
          "reason": "Says it began well but rapidly worsened and should have been condensed into a long essay.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter found the book unfinishable and criticized its structure and writing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875750,
          "author": "gtt",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T02:07:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875750",
          "commentText": "Nassim Nicholas Taleb -- The Black Swan\nSun Tzu --  The Art of War\nLao Tzu --  Tao Te Ching",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nassim Nicholas Taleb -- The Black Swan",
          "reason": "Named in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 456461,
          "author": "geirfreysson",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T15:35:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456461",
          "commentText": "Nassim Nicholas Taleb's \"Black Swan\" had some pretty good insights into the \"unknown unknowns\" of military combat.\nhttp://www.wajapi.com/books/80",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nassim Nicholas Taleb's \"Black Swan\" had some pretty good insights into the \"unknown unknowns\" of military combat.",
          "reason": "Says it offers good insights into unknown unknowns in military combat.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in uncertainty in military combat.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 248733,
          "author": "keven",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T17:13:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248733",
          "commentText": "Highly recommend Nassim Nicholas Taleb's Fooled by Randomness and The Black Swan.\nalso http://www.gladwell.com/2002/2002_04_29_a_blowingup.htm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and The Black Swan.",
          "reason": "Included in the explicit recommendation of Taleb's books.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in risk and uncertainty.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240688,
          "author": "breck",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T02:34:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240688",
          "commentText": "-Black Swan & Fooled by Randomness\n-The C Programming Language\n-The Non-Designers Design Book\n-How to Read a Book\n-Never Eat Alone\n-Art of War\n-Bill Bryson's a History of Everything(~)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-Black Swan & Fooled by Randomness",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56763,
          "author": "adsyoung",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T07:13:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56763",
          "commentText": "Fooled By Randomness by Nassim Taleb and Seth Godin's book All Marketers Are Liars have just completely changed the way I think about the business world. \nI'm looking forward to getting to The Black Swan by Nassim Taleb.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm looking forward to getting to The Black Swan by Nassim Taleb.",
          "reason": "Says they are looking forward to reading it, without evaluating or recommending it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Anticipation alone does not express an endorsement.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nassim Nicholas Taleb"
      ],
      "recommenders": 37,
      "threads": 33,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Business",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "risk",
        "uncertainty",
        "probability",
        "decision making"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "guns-germs-and-steel-8eda42",
      "title": "Guns, Germs, and Steel",
      "author": "Jared Diamond",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40889507,
          "author": "nataliste",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-06T10:32:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40889507",
          "commentText": "Here are some books that pop bubbles, but must be read with humility to avoid becoming its own new bubble, as the world is complex and contains contradictions:\nHoward Zinn's People's History of the United States\nJared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel\nMichael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma\nAyn Rand's the Fountainhead\nThomas Sowell's Basic Economics\nJulian Jaynes's the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind\nIain McGilchrist's the Master and his Emmisary\nVarlam Sharlamov's the Kolyma Tales\nJacques Ellul's Propaganda: the Formation of Men's Attitudes (or alternatively Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel",
          "reason": "Listed as a book that pops bubbles.",
          "audience": "Readers who want their assumptions challenged.",
          "caveat": "Read with humility; the world is complex and contains contradictions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37960149,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960149",
          "commentText": "* \"On Writing\" by Stephen King (1 mention)\n    * Summary: In his guide to the craft of writing, King masterfully conveys his views on how good writing is cultivated. The book provides personal insights into the author's life while serving as a guide for aspiring writers.\n* \"The Dictionary\" (1 mention, multiple authors)\n    * Summary: A reference book containing an alphabetical list of words in a specific language, providing definitions, pronunciations, etymology, and other details. It is a valuable resource for understanding and accurately using language.\n* \"Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book chronicles Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 1914-1916 survival journey across the Antarctic. Faced with treacherous weather conditions and a lack of provisions, the men battle to stay alive, highlighting the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.\n* \"The Experience of God\" by David Bentley Hart (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A philosophical exploration of the concept of God that goes beyond specific religious doctrines. Hart articulates a vision of ultimate reality that transcends religious, philosophical, and cultural boundaries.\n* \"A Mind for Numbers\" by Barbara Oakley (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book provides practical advice on how to learn effectively in math and science areas, but the techniques are applicable across disciplines. Oakley shares techniques to overcome learning obstacles and improve comprehension and retention.\n* \"A People's History of the US\" by Howard Zinn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers an alternative exploration of American history from the perspective of ordinary people and marginalized groups rather than political leaders, emphasizing class struggles and systemic injustices.\n* \"The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science\" by Isaac Asimov (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive outline of scientific knowledge, covering fields like physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, and earth science. It communicates complex scientific concepts in a way that is accessible to non-specialist readers.\n* \"Das Kapital\" by Karl Marx (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive critique of capitalism highlighting its inherent contradictions and imbalances. Marx diagnoses the capitalist system as one in which the rich get richer at the expense of the working class. The book has been influential in shaping socialist and communist thought.\n* \"You are Not So Smart\" by David McRaney (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book explores various cognitive biases, logical fallacies, and memory missteps that humans commonly succumb to. The author uses humor and personal anecdotes to make neuroscience and psychology accessible, challenging readers to question their perceptions of the world and themselves.\n* \"Blink\" by Malcolm Gladwell (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Gladwell explores the process of quick decision-making, also known as \"thin-slicing.\" The book delves into both the potential accuracy and the pitfalls of making snap judgments. It demonstrates how our subconscious biases often override our better instincts.\n* \"How To Sell at Margins Higher Than Your Competitors\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book offers detailed advice on how to avoid price competition by creating differentiators and adding value, thereby allowing readers to compete on things other than price.\n*  \"The Surrender Experiment\" by Michael Singer (1 mention)\n    * Summary: The book chronicles the author’s journey from solitude into the business world. It explores the idea of surrendering personal preferences to allow life to guide the way, challenging conventional views about control and outcomes.\n* \"How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World\" by Harry Browne (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This self-help book offers a blueprint for finding personal freedom. It encourages readers to embrace their individual sovereignty and to not be inhibited by societal conventions, effectively teaching how to live on one's own terms.\n* \"Happy by Derren Brown\" and \"The Daily Stoic\" (1 mention, authors not specified)\n    * Summary: \"Happy\" provides a perspective on happiness using the principles of stoic philosophy, challenging modern conceptions of happiness. \"The Daily Stoic\" provides a year's worth of philosophical wisdom from ancient stoics, aimed at allowing people to better respond to life's challenges.\n* \"Guns, Germs, and Steel\" by Jared Diamond (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Diamond investigates the geographical and environmental factors that have shaped the modern world. He argues that civilizations have developed differently across the globe due to variances in geography, climate, vegetation, and animal populations, more so than due to traits inherent to different racial or ethnic groups.\n* \"The Gulag Archipelago\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Solzhenitsyn unveils the brutal reality of the Soviet Union’s forced labor camp system. It's an exploration of the human capability for evil when unchecked by moral constraints, shedding light on the mechanisms of a totalitarian regime.\n* \"Ecclesiastes\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A book from the Bible that delves into the purpose of life and the vain pursuit of earthly things. It debates the merits of wisdom, wealth, and pleasure, underscoring the transience and ultimate futility of human endeavors, and urging readers to fear God and keep his commandments.\n* \"Women hold up half the sky\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A collection of personal stories illuminating the oppression and resistance of women in developing countries. The book confronts issues like gender inequality, sexual violence, maternal mortality and economic disparity while highlighting the resilience and strength of ordinary women in overcoming them.\n* \"Spell of the Sensuous\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book offers a radical reinterpretation of our relationship with the natural world. It critiques Western civilization’s estrangement from nature, exploring indigenous cultures and offering a philosophical enquiry into human perception and its relation to the environment.\n* \"Kids and the Amiga\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A guide to using the Amiga computer, aimed at children and early-tweens. It provides a hands-on approach to learning basic computer skills by creating practical programs.\n* \"Hackers\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: The book provides a comprehensive history of hackers, tracing the evolution of hacking culture from the 1950s to the present day. It details the personalities, philosophies, and technical exploits that have defined this diverse and innovative subculture.\n* \"LSD my problem child\" by Albert Hoffmann (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book is the autobiography of Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who first synthesized LSD. It chronicles his discovery, the subsequent fallout, and his personal experiences with the drug.\n* \"Electric cool aid acid test\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book tells the story of novelist Ken Kesey and his band of Merry Pranksters. They embarked on a cross-country bus journey, experimenting with LSD and challenging societal norms, becoming pivotal figures in the psychedelic movement and the counterculture of the 1960s.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Guns, Germs, and Steel\" by Jared Diamond (1 mention)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34161496,
          "author": "psithurism",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T14:53:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161496",
          "commentText": "Sociology:\n- The Coddling of the American Mind\n- The Tao of Pooh\n- Guns, Germs, and Steel\n- Weapons of the Weak\nReligious:\n- Guru Granth Sahib\n- Bible (King James Version)\n- Q’uran\n- The Book of Mormon \n- Tipitaka\nFantasy:\n- Dawn of Wonder by Jonathan Renshaw\n- The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan \n- The Way of Kings series by Brandon Sanderson\n- Mistborn also by Brandon Sanderson\n- Red Rising by Pierce Brown\n- The Licanius trilogy by James Islington\n- Saga of the Forgotten Warrior series by Larry Correia\nBiography\n- John Adams by David McCullough",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Guns, Germs, and Steel",
          "reason": "Listed under sociology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32937915,
          "author": "Bakary",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T12:27:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937915",
          "commentText": "This book is a bit like Guns, Germs and Steel or Sapiens. Very popular, very quotable, but tends to give the false impression that the theory contained within is uncontroversially correct.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "This book is a bit like Guns, Germs and Steel or Sapiens.",
          "reason": "Uses it as a comparison while criticizing another book's potentially misleading impression of consensus.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30735764,
          "author": "jwood27",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:37:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735764",
          "commentText": "The following have all had a significant effect on my worldview. You can find more information at [1].\n- The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow\n- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\n- Crime and Punishment\n- The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York\n- Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies\n- The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity\n- Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead\n- Franny and Zooey\n- Master of the Senate\n- Atlas Shrugged\n- Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed\n- Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap?\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\n- The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics\n- The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don't\n- Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans\n- Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\n- Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World\n- Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones\n- Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow\n- Ethics in the Real World: 86 Brief Essays on Things that Matter\n- A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life\n- Humankind: A Hopeful History\n- The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think\n[1] https://jacobw.xyz/books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies",
          "reason": "Listed among books that significantly affected the commenter’s worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23858876,
          "author": "psalminen",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:44:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858876",
          "commentText": "Source? The Royal Society seemed to like it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Royal Society seemed to like it.",
          "reason": "Asks for a source in response to criticism and notes that the Royal Society seemed to like the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter presents the Royal Society's apparent approval tentatively.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23858852,
          "author": "psalminen",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:41:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858852",
          "commentText": "+1 for this recommendation.\nI'll add The Immense Journey by Loren Eiseley. It's gems are a little metaphorical, but a great read nonetheless.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for this recommendation.",
          "reason": "Explicitly endorses the parent comment's recommendation of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23858850,
          "author": "tootie",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:41:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858850",
          "commentText": "FYI that book is very poorly regarded by mainstream historians and anthropologists for being scientifically inaccurate.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "that book is very poorly regarded by mainstream historians and anthropologists for being scientifically inaccurate.",
          "reason": "Says the book is poorly regarded by mainstream historians and anthropologists for scientific inaccuracy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The criticism is attributed to mainstream historians and anthropologists.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23858841,
          "author": "glaurung_",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:40:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858841",
          "commentText": "I'd second this one!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd second this one!",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the parent comment's recommendation of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23858813,
          "author": "carterklein13",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:38:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858813",
          "commentText": "Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that helped readers understand the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467622,
          "author": "vavooom",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:44:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467622",
          "commentText": "Would recommend checking out Guns, Germs, And Steel if you liked Sapiens. More grounded in research and less hypothetical story-telling on what drove human development in history.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Would recommend checking out Guns, Germs, And Steel if you liked Sapiens.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for a more research-grounded account of the drivers of human development in history.",
          "audience": "People who liked Sapiens.",
          "caveat": "The comparison says it is less hypothetical storytelling than Sapiens.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804822,
          "author": "wnorris",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:23:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804822",
          "commentText": "Agree on this one.   Why Nations Fail is a fabulous book.  I recommend reading Guns, Germs, and Steel first if you are going to read both.  Highly recommend both.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend reading Guns, Germs, and Steel first if you are going to read both. Highly recommend both.",
          "reason": "The commenter highly recommends it and suggests reading it before Why Nations Fail.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Recommended as the first of the two books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21459819,
          "author": "prabhupant",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T04:55:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21459819",
          "commentText": "Just finished reading \"Fooled by Randomness\" by Nassim Nicholas Taleb and started \"Guns, germs and steel\"",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "started \"Guns, germs and steel\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19092390,
          "author": "secfirstmd",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-06T03:15:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19092390",
          "commentText": "I would argue \"Guns, Germs and Steel\" is actually better than Sapiens. I felt Sapiens was a bit biased in a number of points.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would argue \"Guns, Germs and Steel\" is actually better than Sapiens.",
          "reason": "The commenter considers it better than Sapiens.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19092080,
          "author": "richardw",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-06T02:09:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19092080",
          "commentText": "Guns, Germs and Steel. So many types of thinking and areas of science that I wasn't aware of. Not every part of it has to be correct for it to be incredibly interesting.\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guns,_Germs,_and_Steel",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Guns, Germs and Steel. So many types of thinking and areas of science that I wasn't aware of.",
          "reason": "Introduced the commenter to unfamiliar ways of thinking and areas of science.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says not every part needs to be correct for it to be interesting.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19087934,
          "author": "porpoisely",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T18:14:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19087934",
          "commentText": "I read Freakonomics and Guns, Germs and Steel in college and was initially 'amazed' by it. Now, I see it as mass market rubbish used to influence a particular demographic.\nBut that goes for pretty much everything really. Catcher in the Rye in high school. Carnegie's \"How to Win Friends and Influence People\".\nI think books can \"change the way you think about almost everything\" when you are younger, naive and idealistic. As you grow older, wiser and understand the world more, you leave those childish things behind.\nAlso, as einstein said : \"Reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking.\"\nI'm sure I'm not the only one that used reading as a crutch and a form of escapism and to waste time.\nBut if you want a book that left an impression on me, K&R's C Programming Language is one. It showed me that a technical book can be concise, well written and enjoyable to read.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I read Freakonomics and Guns, Germs and Steel in college and was initially 'amazed' by it. Now, I see it as mass market rubbish used to influence a particular demographic.",
          "reason": "Dismisses it as mass-market rubbish aimed at a particular demographic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19087820,
          "author": "LyndsySimon",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T18:05:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19087820",
          "commentText": "I would argue that “changing the way you think” doesn’t require the book to be factually accurate. The idea that external factors like geographical starting conditions can have a huge impact and shape things as complex as human culture is a powerful one, regardless of the conclusions drawn in the book.\nIf anything, the way it has been challenged and shown to be flawed is a lesson on and of itself - that complex systems have emergent properties, and that those starting conditions are not as deterministic as it might appear at first blush.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The idea that external factors like geographical starting conditions can have a huge impact and shape things as complex as human culture is a powerful one, regardless of the conclusions drawn in the book.",
          "reason": "Says the book’s central idea is powerful, while separating it from its conclusions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment notes that the book’s conclusions have been challenged and shown to be flawed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910252,
          "author": "myth_buster",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:29:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910252",
          "commentText": "Gun germs and steel\nThe Innovator's Dilemma\nThinking Fast and Slow\nGodel Eschel Bach\nHard Things about Hard Things",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gun germs and steel",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for favorite nonfiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17528024,
          "author": "orsenthil",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-14T00:39:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17528024",
          "commentText": "I read Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond. It will go down as the one of the best books I have read in my life. I have written the review for that book here - http://xtoinfinity.com/posts/2018/05/04/book-review-guns-ger... (http://xtoinfinity.com/posts/2018/05/04/book-review-guns-germs-and-steel.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It will go down as the one of the best books I have read in my life.",
          "reason": "Ranks it among the best books they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17049569,
          "author": "justinhj",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T18:10:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17049569",
          "commentText": "Some books have been very influential on how I see the world. Ishmael is one about an intelligent ape that explains the natural world to a guy in socratic dialogue style. Guns Germs and Steal. The Forest People, a book from the 60s by an anthropologist who lives with a pygmy tribe. These books about where we came from I find really interesting.\nFor self improvement books you can’t go wrong with 7 Habits of a highly effective people. It’s short and to the point and very practical.\nI’m half way through Zen and Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and it’s either way over my head or overrated. I don’t particularly like the narrator which does not help",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Guns Germs and Steal.",
          "reason": "Listed among books about human origins the commenter finds interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16010565,
          "author": "jonvillage",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-26T19:55:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16010565",
          "commentText": "This year I've read:\nMaxims - Epictetus\nThe road to serfdom - Friedrich Hayek\nDe officiis - Cicero\nDe divinatione - Cicero\nLives of eminent philosophers - Diogenes Laertius\nConfessions - Al ghazali\nIlliad - Homer\nOdyssey - Homer\nInfluence - Robert Cialdini\nGuns, Germs and steel - Jared Diamond\nPoor Charlie's Almanack - Charlie Munger - 2nd reading\nAndrew Carnegie's Biography - Joseph Frazier\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Taleb - 2nd reading\nBed of Procrustes - Nassim Taleb\nNever Split the Difference - Christopher Voss\nThe intelligent investor - Benjamin Graham\nAutobiography - Benjamin Franklin\nI always remember this quote:\n\"In my whole life, I have known no wise people who didn't read all the time -- none, zero.\"  Charlie Munger",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Guns, Germs and steel - Jared Diamond",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961406,
          "author": "atulatul",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:37:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961406",
          "commentText": ":) I was rather hoping that reading a single page (instead of a couple of pages) and then stopping would qualify.\nAnyway, what I meant was that the plan was tentative. (I have read Guns, Germs and Steel and a few reviews seemed to liken Sapiens to that book. So was looking for some other perspectives.)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I have read Guns, Germs and Steel",
          "reason": "The commenter mentions having read it while explaining a search for other perspectives.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment does not state an evaluation of the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15157970,
          "author": "vpribish",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T20:15:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15157970",
          "commentText": "Goedel, Escher, Bach -- If you're reading this page you will dig this book.\nGuns, Germs, and Steel -- how circumstance drove civilizations. Fun storytelling even if it's a bit too \"just-so\".  definitely trains you to look at any situation and seek it's origins with less initial judgement.\nThe Visual Display of Quantitive Information -- gets at the essence of communication and medium.  more than it seems!\nThe Alchemy of Finance -- \"reflexivity\", but if you're also interested in Soros or some finance storytelling it's worth it.\nThe Selfish Gene -- as everyone else has said.\nThe Prize -- the history of oil.  huh?  yeah.  Likely to change how you look at the history of technology, government, power, the saudis, and geopolitics.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Fun storytelling even if it's a bit too \"just-so\".",
          "reason": "The commenter says it trains readers to look for the origins of situations with less initial judgment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it can be a bit too “just-so.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15020418,
          "author": "unmole",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T17:37:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15020418",
          "commentText": "Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari is the best book I've read in a while. It's like Guns, Germs and Steel but better argued and far greater in scope.\nThe Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins was a great read too. A bit of a slog in some places but otherwise brilliant and insightful.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's like Guns, Germs and Steel but better argued and far greater in scope.",
          "reason": "Used as a comparison; the commenter favors Sapiens's argument and scope.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned as a comparison, not independently recommended.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13974192,
          "author": "mvindahl",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-28T04:55:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13974192",
          "commentText": "\"Guns, Germs, and Steel\" by Jared Diamond. When I read it in the late 90s, I had already read complete accounts of world history and thought myself well-informed on the topic, yet virtually every chapter blew my mind.\nThe book is about the patterns that drive human history, both the written history that we know and the vast period of prehistory which we have a pretty good idea about these days due to genetics and linguistics. A recurring pattern has been people moving around, displacing less fortunate people. Further, Diamond looks for root causes to explain why some tribes or nations would gain an edge over their neigbours, and a lot of the explanation is ultimately found in technology and animal farming.\nBefore I read \"Guns, Germs, and Steel\", I had been under the impression that the world was a fairly static and ecologically stable place until the European age of discovery started uprooting everything. In reality it was nothing like that. Almost every strip of land is inhabited be people whose ancestors fought off other people, and cultures expanding beyond ecological sustainability and suddenly collapsing is a common event.\nRunner-up: anything by Hunter S Thompson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "virtually every chapter blew my mind.",
          "reason": "The commenter says virtually every chapter was mind-blowing and describes the book's account of human history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12474910,
          "author": "clapas",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T18:44:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12474910",
          "commentText": "Guns, germs and steel - Jared Diamond\nHistory and evolution of man kind. Hihgly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Guns, germs and steel - Jared Diamond",
          "reason": "Explicitly calls it highly recommended.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in human history and evolution.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416091,
          "author": "snappye",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T20:37:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416091",
          "commentText": "Influence - Psychology of persuasion\nGun Germs and Steel\nHero with a thousand faces\nStarting Strength",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gun Germs and Steel",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229733,
          "author": "dontscale",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:36:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229733",
          "commentText": "Do a google search for Charlie munger reading list and you'll uncover gems like Influenc, guns germs and steel, poor Charlie's almanac",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "gems like Influenc, guns germs and steel, poor Charlie's almanac",
          "reason": "Named as a gem on Charlie Munger's reading list.",
          "audience": "Readers looking up Charlie Munger's reading list.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175598,
          "author": "robinwarren",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:30:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175598",
          "commentText": "Just finished Guns, Germs and Steel by Jarod Diamond. A bit longer than it needed to be for my purposes but he covers the material in some depth, I'd definitely recommend it.\nPrior to that I'd read Psycho Vertical by Andy Kirk Patrick which I would very strongly recommend, I don't think you need to be into climbing to enjoy it.\nI think I'm about to start reading What the doormouse said by John Markoff or finish reading Technical revolutions and financial capital by Carlota Perez. I think I'll leave the latter and restart it when I've more brain time to spend on it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'd definitely recommend it.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it, though says it was longer than needed for their purposes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A bit longer than it needed to be for my purposes.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9676435,
          "author": "mrpsbrk",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T21:41:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9676435",
          "commentText": "'Guns, Germs and Steel' is pure geographical determinism, dressed up as something else.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "'Guns, Germs and Steel' is pure geographical determinism, dressed up as something else.",
          "reason": "Criticizes the book as geographical determinism presented as something else.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674336,
          "author": "Symmetry",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T12:16:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674336",
          "commentText": "I'm just going to answer with the books that rearranged my understanding of the world the most.  In no particular order.\n\"Thinking Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman.\n\"Quantum Computing since Democritus\" by Scott Aaronson.\n\"The Strategy of Conflict\" by Thomas Schelling.\n\"Guns, Germs, and Steel\" and \"The World until Yesterday\" by Jared Diamond.\n\"The Retreat To Commitment\" by W. W. Bartley.\n\"The Myth of the Rational Voter\" by Bryan Caplan.  Despite the name it made me appreciate democracy a lot more.\n\"Wars, Guns, and Votes\" by Paul Collier.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Guns, Germs, and Steel\" and \"The World until Yesterday\" by Jared Diamond.",
          "reason": "Included among books that rearranged the commenter's understanding of the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674310,
          "author": "karuneshkaushal",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T12:04:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674310",
          "commentText": "I read 'Guns, Germs and Steel' by Jared Diamond in College and it is single handedly the most insightful book I have ever read.\nOne of these days I will buy all of Jared Diamond's and Robert Greene's books and read them multiple times.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it is single handedly the most insightful book I have ever read",
          "reason": "Calls it the most insightful book they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8259442,
          "author": "tzs",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T19:00:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8259442",
          "commentText": "I have several in-progress.\n\"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince\" by J.K. Rowling [5] (Kindle edition)\n2012-06 issue of \"Analog Science Fiction and Fact\". I'm so far behind the current issue because I switched to an electronic subscription when a few years ago. At the time, it was only available from Barnes & Noble. The Nook app on iPad was pretty terrible, and I don't like reading on iPad in bed, so I fell behind. When it became available for Kindle [6], I switched my subscription to that, and converted my Nook issues with Calibre, and am now working my way through the backlog at a casual pace.\n\"Logical Chess Move by Move\" by Irving Chernev [1].\n\"Build Up Your Chess 1: The Fundamentals\" by Artur Yusupov [2].\n\"Understanding Copyright Law\" by Marshall A. Leaffer [3] (Kindle edition).\n\"Guns, Germs, and Steel\" by Jared Diamond [4] (Kindle edition, via Kindle Owner's Lending Library)\nI've also been re-reading \"Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Novels and Stories\" by Arthur Conan Doyle [7] (Kindle). Generally what has been happening is that a PBS station here has been showing the 1984 British \"Sherlock Holmes\" TV series with Jeremy Brett as Holmes [8]. I'll watch that, and then often will re-read the corresponding Doyle story.\n[1] http://www.amazon.com/Logical-Chess-Explained-Algebraic-Edit... (http://www.amazon.com/Logical-Chess-Explained-Algebraic-Edition/dp/0713484640)\n[2] http://www.amazon.com/Build-Up-Your-Chess-Fundamentals/dp/19... (http://www.amazon.com/Build-Up-Your-Chess-Fundamentals/dp/1906552010/)\n[3] http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Copyright-Law-Marshall-L... (http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Copyright-Law-Marshall-Leaffer-ebook/dp/B008O84N12)\n[4] http://www.amazon.com/Guns-Germs-Steel-Fates-Societies-ebook... (http://www.amazon.com/Guns-Germs-Steel-Fates-Societies-ebook/dp/B000VDUWMC/)\n[5] http://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Half-Blood-Prince-Book-eb... (http://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Half-Blood-Prince-Book-ebook/dp/B00728DYEM/)\n[6] http://www.amazon.com/Analog-Science-Fiction-and-Fact/dp/B00... (http://www.amazon.com/Analog-Science-Fiction-and-Fact/dp/B000N8V3EQ/)\n[7] http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-Complete-Stories-Volum... (http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-Complete-Stories-Volumes-ebook/dp/B000QCS8YM/)\n[8] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherlock_Holmes_(1984_TV_series... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherlock_Holmes_%281984_TV_series%29)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Guns, Germs, and Steel\" by Jared Diamond",
          "reason": "Lists the book as in progress.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6976613,
          "author": "daphneokeefe",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T21:11:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976613",
          "commentText": "Guns, Germs & Steel was a real revelation about the rise of Western civilization. Ain't because we're so smart or genetically superior, sorry. Just a matter of being in the right place at the right time a few thousand years ago.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Guns, Germs & Steel was a real revelation",
          "reason": "Calls it a revelation about the rise of Western civilization.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5030163,
          "author": "australis",
          "createdAt": "2013-01-09T04:28:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 5000101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5030163",
          "commentText": "Guns, Germs and Steel\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Guns-Germs-Steel-Fates-Societies/dp/03... (http://www.amazon.com/Guns-Germs-Steel-Fates-Societies/dp/0393317552)\nLife of Pi\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Life-Pi-Yann-Martel/dp/0156027321\nBillions and Billions\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Billions-Thoughts-Death-Brink-Millenni... (http://www.amazon.com/Billions-Thoughts-Death-Brink-Millennium/dp/0345379187)\nThe Ancestor's Tale\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Ancestors-Tale-Pilgrimage-Dawn-Evoluti... (http://www.amazon.com/Ancestors-Tale-Pilgrimage-Dawn-Evolution/dp/061861916X)\nSorry for suggesting so many, I couldn't help myself",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Guns, Germs and Steel",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2639720,
          "author": "colson04",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T03:46:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639720",
          "commentText": "Fiction: tie between Of Human Bondage by W.Somerset Maugham or The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky\nNon-Fiction: Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond\nBusiness:  Rework by Jason Fried - one of the best in a long time",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond",
          "reason": "Named as the greatest nonfiction book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1999740,
          "author": "zizou",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-13T07:40:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1999740",
          "commentText": "read guns germs and steel by jared diamond if you wanna know more about why history of mankind panned out the way it has.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "read guns germs and steel by jared diamond if you wanna know more about why history of mankind panned out the way it has.",
          "reason": "Recommends it to understand the course of human history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752520,
          "author": "Kliment",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T11:22:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752520",
          "commentText": "I loved G,G&S, but found Collapse disappointing in comparison. There was a lot of unnecessary personal gushing about his home state which had no contribution to the work and undermined the credibility of the argument. It picks up after that though. It's a much more political and argumentative book than G,G&S, and seems to force a view on the reader (a view I happen to agree with, but still felt uncomfortable with the amount of persuasion in there).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved G,G&S",
          "reason": "The commenter says they loved it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752273,
          "author": "skowmunk",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T06:59:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752273",
          "commentText": "I had heard much about this book earlier :Guns, Germs and Steel ,\nBut only recently did I watch a documentary (hmm, probably on hulu.com) which was completely based on that book.\nVERY GOOD.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Guns, Germs and Steel",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the book very good after mentioning a documentary based on it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1570073,
          "author": "sr3d",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T03:59:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1570073",
          "commentText": "Not in any particular order, but I'd highly recommend these interesting books:\nHow to run a Thriving Business - Ralph Warner (the founder of Nolo book)\nThe Death of Ivan Ilyich - Leo Tolstoy (I read this based on a recommendation by a fellow HNer)\nPredictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions - Dan Ariely.\nThe Winner-Take-All Society - Robert H. Frank, et all.\nGun, Germs, and Steel - Jared Diamond.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gun, Germs, and Steel - Jared Diamond.",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the commenter’s highly recommended books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227033,
          "author": "sshumaker",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T17:34:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227033",
          "commentText": "Guns, Germs and Steel - It will change the way you think about the course of human development and the forces of history.\nThe Innovator's Dilemma can be summed up in two paragraphs but is still worth reading - it explains why giant companies fail to keep innovating.\nStumbling upon happiness - how people's perception of what makes them happy has little basis in what actually makes them happy - and why.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Guns, Germs and Steel - It will change the way you think about the course of human development and the forces of history.",
          "reason": "Says it will change how readers think about human development and history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226850,
          "author": "keyist",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:36:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226850",
          "commentText": "Don't miss sivers's great list: http://sivers.org/book\nAs for mine,\nScience Fiction (I like these authors so I'd recommend most of their books -- listing which ones I think are a good 'starter novel' for them):\n  Charles Stross: Halting State\n  Vernor Vinge: A Fire Upon The Deep\n  Iain M. Banks: Culture novels, start with Player of Games\n  David Louis Edelman: Jump 225 Trilogy\n  Daniel Suarez: Daemon and Freedom(tm)\n  John Scalzi: Old Man's War series\n  Dan Simmons: Hyperion\n\nSelf-improvement:\n  The Talent Code\n  Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger\n  Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion\n\nNon-fiction:\n  Amusing Ourselves To Death (highly recommended)\n  The Science of Fear\n  The Black Swan\n  Tokyo Vice\n  Racing The Beam (Atari history, very cool)\n  books by Daniel Pink\n  Guns, Germs, and Steel\n  The Prize by Daniel Yergin\n\nFantasy:\nAnything by Gaiman or China Mieville, pretty much.\nEDIT: links to previews (legally) available online\nCharles Stross's Accelerando (entire book): http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelera... (http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelerando/accelerando-intro.html)\nDavid Louis Edelman's Infoquake (1st 7 chapters): http://www.davidlouisedelman.com/jump225/infoquake/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Guns, Germs, and Steel",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026871,
          "author": "bugs",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T06:20:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026871",
          "commentText": "I may have to read that book again everyone seems to highly recommend it and the first pass was for a history class so my mind probably wasn't that into it.\nThe only thing that really sticks out to me about that book right now was the use of the wheel in childrens' toys where terrain and usability were not suitable.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The only thing that really sticks out to me about that book right now was the use of the wheel in childrens' toys",
          "reason": "The commenter recalls an example from the book and says a history-class reading may have affected their engagement with it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They are considering rereading it; the comment does not express a personal endorsement.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026850,
          "author": "paraschopra",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T05:51:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026850",
          "commentText": "Guns, Germs and Steel - still reading it but one of the best I 've read so far..",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "one of the best I 've read so far",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of the best books they have read so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They are still reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876506,
          "author": "zizou",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T11:39:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876506",
          "commentText": "you should probably try guns germs and steel by jared diamond,  it also is a different way to look at history and how and why it has spanned the way it has over different geographies.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you should probably try guns germs and steel by jared diamond",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as a different way to look at history and how it developed across geographies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876146,
          "author": "nikolayv",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T06:02:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876146",
          "commentText": "1. Guns, Germs, and Steel\n2. Hackers and Painters (expected to see this more here)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Guns, Germs, and Steel",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 715121,
          "author": "scott_s",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-20T20:30:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715121",
          "commentText": "Current: The Road by Cormac McCarthy.\nLast: The World Without Us by Alan Weisman.\nThe best recent: Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamon.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The best recent: Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamon.",
          "reason": "Identifies it as the best recent book they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86199,
          "author": "Darmani",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T03:31:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86199",
          "commentText": "This Perfect Day by Ira Levin (out of print, yet much more worthwhile in my opinion than other dystopic novels)\nGuns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond\nThe Books of the Fey by Kristine Kathryn Rusch\nArtemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer\nThe Deathgate Cycle by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the thread’s question about favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56777,
          "author": "Kaizyn",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T07:44:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56777",
          "commentText": "1) Musashi's Book of Five Rings\n2) Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People\n3) Machaivelli's The Prince\n4) Sun-Tzu's The Art of War\n5) Hayakawa's Language in Thought and Action\n6) Steven Johnson's Emergence\n7) Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel\n8) Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything\n9) Mark Buchanan's Nexus\n10) C. S. Lewis's The Problem of Pain\nTaken together, these books cover just about everything there is to know about the sciences, about human history, human nature and how to understand and communicate effectively with other people.  Only one other book besides these needs to be studied/read: The Bible.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list said to cover human history and the sciences.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in broad historical explanations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jared Diamond"
      ],
      "recommenders": 37,
      "threads": 30,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "geography",
        "civilization",
        "environmental history",
        "human history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-three-body-problem-9232f9",
      "title": "The Three-Body Problem",
      "author": "Liu Cixin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48618051,
          "author": "rishabhpoddar",
          "createdAt": "2026-06-21T11:46:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 48595560,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please recommend sci-fi books similar to \"children of time\" or \"anathem\"",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48618051",
          "commentText": "oh yea! three body problem is awesome! But it already has a TV show for it which i had watched",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "three body problem is awesome!",
          "reason": "Calls the book awesome while discussing its television adaptation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter had already watched the TV show.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 47027247,
          "author": "konsalexee",
          "createdAt": "2026-02-15T20:31:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 47027236,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47027247",
          "commentText": "Three Body problem, which I think it's even greater than its Netflix adaptation",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Three Body problem",
          "reason": "Sharing what the commenter is currently reading and comparing favorably with its Netflix adaptation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46128622,
          "author": "dtagames",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T00:00:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46128622",
          "commentText": "Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu, himself a programmer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu, himself a programmer.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40054882,
          "author": "Mithriil",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-16T17:39:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40054882",
          "commentText": "The Three Body Problem (Liu Cixin) for my best friend. It's some of the best sci-fi I read.\nThe Courange to Be Disliked (Ichiro Kishimi, Fumitake Koga) to a friend that was struggling with social anxiety.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Three Body Problem (Liu Cixin) for my best friend. It's some of the best sci-fi I read.",
          "reason": "Calls it some of the best science fiction they've read and says they gave it to their best friend.",
          "audience": "The commenter's best friend.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39249533,
          "author": "politelemon",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T11:51:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249533",
          "commentText": "Nice choice op, that's what got me into a spate of Chinese sci-fi. It's so different from Western sci-fi, in its focus on concepts rather than being character driven. I think that's why the book was a bit divisive when it came to the west, the lack of any distinct protagonists would have been off-putting for many people.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the book was a bit divisive when it came to the west",
          "reason": "Discusses its focus on concepts over character and suggests that limited distinct protagonists divided Western readers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38557487,
          "author": "velavar",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:34:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557487",
          "commentText": "That's okay, different people can like different things :)\nAs for myself, I liked reading about some bits of Chinese history that I was not very familiar with, and it also provides a really good foundation for the reason behind the lead character's far-reaching actions. I also do think the best parts of the story do come later in books 2 and 3 - I like the larger-than-life ideas and the imperfect characters.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I also do think the best parts of the story do come later in books 2 and 3",
          "reason": "The commenter likes the later books' larger-than-life ideas and imperfect characters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter limits the praise to parts they think are best, especially books two and three.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38557250,
          "author": "tobbe2064",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:14:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557250",
          "commentText": "What is it that draws you so much to the threebody problem?\nI honestly thought it was pretty much crap, but maybe i am missing something.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I honestly thought it was pretty much crap",
          "reason": "The commenter asks what draws others to the book and says they thought it was poor.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The criticism is qualified by asking whether they may be missing something.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38557198,
          "author": "velavar",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:09:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557198",
          "commentText": "This was the year I got my attention under enough control to be able to read voraciously again like I used to in my childhood :)\n* I'll always bring up The Three-body problem because I re-read it every year\n* Piranesi because of it's fantastical story-telling\n* The Covenant of Water - because it's a fantastic medical drama and a sweeping story spanning generations\n* Victory City - Salamn Rushdie's latest novel which is surprisingly readable\n* The Enchanted Forest/Kaikeyi/Palace of Illusions - because they cover the major Indian epics from the lens of the women characters (think Circe with an Indian background)\n* Trust - The same story told from different viewpoints with a setting in the early NY financial world, which makes it extra interesting\nI notice that I do tend to favour books with an Indian background because of my nostalgia for it as  I live in a foreign land. Maybe I'll branch out more next year!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'll always bring up The Three-body problem because I re-read it every year",
          "reason": "The commenter rereads it every year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36027381,
          "author": "deepthunder",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-22T04:13:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36027381",
          "commentText": "Thanks for your reply. Yes, Alan Dean Foster has written some of the better Star War series stuff.\nI only read a little bit of Three-body Problem a few years ago. Perhaps more character based stories are more your thing.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I only read a little bit of Three-body Problem a few years ago.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter read only a little and suggests more character-based stories may suit the other person better.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36026841,
          "author": "schmookeeg",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-22T02:40:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36026841",
          "commentText": "Half of this thread to be honest. Asimov and Dick, Stephenson and Gibson. I never liked Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett but I've read their books trying to understand the hype.\nIt was after failing to get engaged by the three-body problem (again), frustrated, and recognizing that I was dealing with unusually high professional and personal stress which likely robbed me of focus for reading \"good\" fiction, that I went looking for lighter fare and found this series. The author apparently was a ghost writer for the original star wars series. It doesn't surprise me a bit.\n$0.02 :)",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "failing to get engaged by the three-body problem",
          "reason": "The commenter says they failed to get engaged by it, even after trying again.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36020942,
          "author": "dcminter",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:00:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36020942",
          "commentText": "Fair warning, I only liked the first part of Seveneves; I thought the second part was stupid. You'll get a lot of recommendations for Liu Cixin's \"Three Body Problem\" which I personally hate (though the first part of the first book is very well written), but if you like all of Seveneves then it might suit you.\nMy personal favourites that might not already be on everyone else's lists:\nFiasco - Stanisław Lem\nThis is how you lose the time war - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone\nFeersum Endjinn - Iain Banks\nThe Dark Side of the Sun - Terry Pratchett (yes, that one)\nBlindsight - Peter Watts\nBloom - Wil McCarthy\nGood luck!",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "You'll get a lot of recommendations for Liu Cixin's \"Three Body Problem\" which I personally hate",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly says they hate it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter dislikes it, though they praise the first part of the first book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34170731,
          "author": "jasonkester",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-29T08:40:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34170731",
          "commentText": "I'm going to use my vote to vote against the Three Body Problem. If more people keep recommending it, more people will have to read it, and that would make me sad.\nBecause it's a terrible book.\nIt epitomizes the sort of sci Fi that sci Fi people keep recommending, with it's kinda interesting concept and embarrassingly bad writing. It's just hundreds of pages of unreadable.\nAnd it ends abruptly before resolving anything so it tricks you into getting the sequel. Which is somehow even more poorly written.\nSee also: children of time",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I'm going to use my vote to vote against the Three Body Problem.",
          "reason": "Calls it a terrible book, criticizing its writing and abrupt ending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says the sequel is even more poorly written.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34165479,
          "author": "spicymaki",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T20:25:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34165479",
          "commentText": "These were all wonderful books to read.\nMy top three were:\n1. Four Thousand Weeks\n2. The Book of Form and Emptiness\n3. The Three-Body Problem",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "3. The Three-Body Problem",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's top three books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34162020,
          "author": "jsenn",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T15:37:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34162020",
          "commentText": "* Three Body Problem. I've heard of it many times, but never read it. Picked it up a month or two ago, read the whole thing in a few sessions, one of my favourite sci-fi books ever. Will read the next book in the series.\n* Immune: A Journey into the Mysterious System that Keeps You Alive. Best pop-sci book I've read in a while. Strikes the right balance between including pertinent information without being overwhelming, explaining things in a digestible way without dumbing down, etc. Inspired me to read a proper immunology primer (How the Immune System Works), which was also very good.\n* How Rights Went Wrong. An excellent, level-headed take on the U.S. conception of rights, and how it leads to zero-sum thinking in supreme court cases. The author is so relentlessly reasonable that it's hard not to buy into his argument. Even though this book is about the U.S., it has lots of case studies where it contrasts with various other countries, which helped me understand my country's (Canada's) court system and system of rights better.\nLet-downs:\n* Seeing Like a State. The first few chapters are interesting, and do a good job of explaining the world-view of the author. Worth buying just for this. However, the last half or two-thirds of the book is a tedious re-hashing of the same ideas through various examples.\n* The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity. Many interesting factoids in here (killer asteroids: solved problem). However, the book's central argument failed to convince me. Many of the analyses and probability estimates were disappointingly shallow and hand-wavy, especially for the #1 risk cited in the book--unaligned AI--which he thinks has a 10% chance of ending civilization this century.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Three Body Problem. I've heard of it many times, but never read it. Picked it up a month or two ago, read the whole thing in a few sessions, one of my favourite sci-fi books ever.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of their favorite science fiction books and says they read it quickly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34160619,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:11:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160619",
          "commentText": "This year I've put myself to the challenge to read at least one book per week which I primarily could complete by reading in the middle of the night while holding our sleeping baby in my arms. It has been an interesting challenge which gave me a lot of fulfilment and has certainly changed my mind on how I view the world. This comment became quite a long read, apologies for that.\nBooks I highly recommend:\nChurchill by Andrew Roberts (p:1105)\nA biography about one of the most interesting figures in politics and WWII. Roberts gives a very detailed description of the life of Churchill and manages to keep you interested the entire length of the book.\nThe God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (p:374)\nIn The God Delusion Dawkins gives arguments why there is no God, why we do not need a God and why religion is damaging to our society. If you are religious it might not be the book for you unless you are open to hear his arguments and line of reasoning. Dawkins will challenge your worldview.\nThe Bomb by Fred Kaplan (p:384)\nKaplan describes the policy of different US presidents on the atomic bomb and war in general. And primarily on the inability of US presidents and policy-makers to tune down its military. A chilling read which makes you appreciate a nuclear holocaust did not happen (yet)....\nPoor Economics by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo (p:320)\nBanerjee and Duflo give a gripping portrait of how poor people live. They offer an insight in the choices and decisions people make surviving on less than 1 USD a day (corrected for purchasing power). It made me completely rethink my own view on poverty and development aid; stressing even more that in order to help one need to have a complete understanding of the individual's situation and the local boundary conditions.\nProject Hail Mary  by Andy Weir (p:476)\nThis book triggered my science fiction reading. For some reason I never was interested in science fiction. Most likely triggered by reading Foundation by Asimov a few years back which apparently is not a book to my taste. But Andy Weir completely annihilated that wrong perspective on science fiction. Project Hail Mary is interesting, funny and gripping book.\nKindred by Octavia Butler  (p:287)\nThis book.... From page one I was hooked and almost read it in one go. Butler is a wonderful author and Kindred is a must-read. The book is about a woman traveling back in time to end up on a slave plantation. It's a chilling account of slavery.\nOther books I read this year, ask me anything about one of these books. I've added a + if I think its worth a recommendation\nBiography:\nNavalny by Dollbaum, Lallouet and Noble (p:280); The Man from the Future by Ananyo Bhattacharya (p:354) +\nSociology; Politics; Economics; Business:\nOnly the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove (p:224); The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli  (p:140); Winter is Coming by Garry Kasparov (p:290); Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum (p:224) +; Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl (p:164) +; We Are Bellingcat by Eliot Higgins (p:272); De Zeven Vinkjes by Joris Luyendijk (p:200); Waarom vuilnismannen meer verdienen dan bankiers by Rutger Bregman (p:104)\nComedy: The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (p:336)\nHistory:\nBand of Brothers  by Stephen E. Ambrose (p:432); The Nuclear Jihadist by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins (p:413) +; The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre (p:384) +; De Heineken Ontvoering by Peter R. de Vries (p:347); Red Famine by Anne Apllebaum (p:384); Night by Elie Wiesel (p:115) +\nScience, Technology, Mathematics:\nFermat's Enigma by Simon Singh (p:315) +; A Mathematician's Apology by G.H. Hardy (p:153); The Great Influenza by John M. Barry (p:546); The Rise and Fall of the Dinousaurs by Stephen Brusatte (p:404) ++; The Double Helix by James Watson (p:144)\nSport:\nRun or Die by Killian Jornet (p:208); The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton  (p:290) +; The Rise of the Ultra Runners by  (p:304); Tom Dumoulin by Patrick Bernhart (p:203)\nFiction:\nAnthem by Ayn Rand (p:105); Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (p:704); The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (p:566); Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (p:466); Live and Let die by Ian Fleming  (p:229)\nClassics:\nA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (p:104); The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (p:201); The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald (p:180); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (p:139); Animal Farm by George Orwell (p:122) +; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (p:227) +; The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (p:118)\nScience Fiction:\nThe Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (p:399); All Systems Red  by Martha Wells (p:144) +; A Memory Called Empire  by Arkady Martine (p:462) +; A Psalm built for the Wild by Becky Chambers (p:160); Dune by Frank Herbert (p:658); Foundation by Isaac Asimov (p:244); The Martian by Andy Weir (p:384) +;\nThe Forever War by Joe Haldeman (p:278)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33853331,
          "author": "haggard_tuning",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T13:03:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33853331",
          "commentText": "The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin. So good, so so good. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin. So good, so so good.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33597278,
          "author": "ianyanusko",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-14T17:11:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33597278",
          "commentText": "The Three-Body Problem, while a fictional sci-fi trilogy, resolved the Fermi Paradox in a way that was, for me, the most convincing and terrifying way possible.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Three-Body Problem, while a fictional sci-fi trilogy",
          "reason": "The commenter says the trilogy gave them a convincing, terrifying resolution to the Fermi paradox.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes its resolution as terrifying.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33385979,
          "author": "sg47",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T17:10:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33385979",
          "commentText": "Pachinko, Three Body Problem",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Three Body Problem",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33383748,
          "author": "hnews_account_1",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T13:11:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33383748",
          "commentText": "I disagree on Three Body Problem. Especially the second book which I thought was even better than the first. The third was pretty meh and I didn't entirely like the resolution. But the first book is really great imo.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Especially the second book which I thought was even better than the first.",
          "reason": "The commenter disagrees with criticism of the series, praising the second book and calling the first great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The third book is called 'pretty meh' and the resolution was not entirely liked.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33383206,
          "author": "myth_drannon",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T11:49:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33383206",
          "commentText": "Gene Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun series. As someone who read a lot of sci-fi, I'm surprised I've discovered it only now. It's considered the Dostoevsky of scifi, very different from golden age hard scifi. Already started books of the Long Sun.\nDisappointment of the year - The three body problem. Feels like buying on amazon a product with thousand of rave reviews only to realize its all fake Chinese reviews.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Disappointment of the year - The three body problem.",
          "reason": "Called the year's disappointment and compared its rave reviews to fake product reviews.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29678347,
          "author": "qubitcoder",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T22:24:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29678347",
          "commentText": "The Three-Body Problem certainly takes a _while_ to get going. I gave up the first time reading it on my phone. But I kept hearing others sing its praises.\nYears later, I started playing the audio book on a roadtrip. At some point, I couldn't \"put it down\", so to speak--especially as the plot twist is gradually revealed. The sequels are extraordinary, and perhaps among the best sci-fi ever written.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Three-Body Problem certainly takes a _while_ to get going. I gave up the first time reading it on my phone. But I kept hearing others sing its praises.",
          "reason": "Says it takes time to get going, but later became engrossed after starting the audiobook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The opening is slow; the commenter initially gave up on it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29671892,
          "author": "hans0l074",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T09:15:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29671892",
          "commentText": "I second this. The Hail Mary Project was a great read and even made it into Barack Obama's list[1]. I am working my way through The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin and so far it's a page turner.\n[1]: https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/1471168495312420877",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I am working my way through The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin and so far it's a page turner.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is a page turner.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not finished it yet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28072509,
          "author": "d4rkp4ttern",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-05T12:03:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28072509",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed “XX” by Rian Hughes — a completely new kind of sci fi. Like my other fav sci-fi book Three Body Problem, it all starts with a signal from space, but then... very boldly imagined book and deserves much more praise than it seems to have gotten.\nAmazon.com: XX (9781419750694): Hughes, Rian: Books https://www.amazon.com/dp/1419750690",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Like my other fav sci-fi book Three Body Problem",
          "reason": "The commenter names it as another favorite science fiction book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28060072,
          "author": "markus_zhang",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T12:14:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28060072",
          "commentText": "Try \"The Three-Body Problem\". It opened my eyes when I first read it, and every re-read still mesmerized me. The original text is in Chinese but the translation to English was done very well.\nIt's a trilogy in three books. If you are not sure, just purchase the first one. But I bet you would regret about only purchasing the first one.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Try \"The Three-Body Problem\".",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it and praises its effect on them and its English translation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The original text is in Chinese; this is the first book in a trilogy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28059144,
          "author": "100011",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T09:54:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28059144",
          "commentText": "The Three-Body Problem.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Three-Body Problem.",
          "reason": "Offers it in response to a request for recent science fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for recent science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25848019,
          "author": "anthonygd",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T16:04:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25848019",
          "commentText": "I just finished The Three Body Problem. It's the best science fiction I've read in a very long time. It is a trilogy so it'll take some time, but completely worth it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I just finished The Three Body Problem. It's the best science fiction I've read in a very long time.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best science fiction they have read in a very long time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Notes that the trilogy will take some time.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24204333,
          "author": "keggi",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-18T21:05:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 24176902,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please suggest some good books you have read recently",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24204333",
          "commentText": "The Three-Body Problem",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Three-Body Problem",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467724,
          "author": "AndrewLiptak",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:54:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467724",
          "commentText": "A bunch of books: Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey (as well as several of the sequels), American Gods by Neil Gaiman, The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi, The Magicians by Lev Grossman, Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie, Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin, and a bunch of others.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21902732,
          "author": "guillem_lefait",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T23:56:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902732",
          "commentText": "Same here",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Same here",
          "reason": "Agrees with the parent comment that the book changed their perception of existence.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21039618,
          "author": "docwpipe",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-22T04:11:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21039618",
          "commentText": "It is one the best sci-fi books out there. You will love the way it ends. It brings us to realise what we know and what we presently dont understand in the field of physics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It is one the best sci-fi books out there. You will love the way it ends.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the best science fiction books and praises its ending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20982093,
          "author": "peter_chickens",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T08:28:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20982093",
          "commentText": "I recently finished The Three-Body Problem, and I think it is the best book I have read in years.\nIt held my attention all the way through and I am now starting the sequel.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think it is the best book I have read in years.",
          "reason": "Describes it as the best book they have read in years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20347727,
          "author": "uslic001",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-03T19:22:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20347727",
          "commentText": "I agree that TBP is overated and is also poorly translated.  I could not bring myself to read the next two books.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I agree that TBP is overated and is also poorly translated. I could not bring myself to read the next two books.",
          "reason": "Agrees with criticism that it is overrated and poorly translated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter did not read the next two books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20337390,
          "author": "psychometry",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T17:33:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20337390",
          "commentText": "TBP is probably the worst sci-fi book I've ever read. It's hard to say how much one should blame Cixin vs. the translator regarding the inept, wooden dialogue, but we can certainly blame Cixin for terrible character development and absurd plot points.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "TBP is probably the worst sci-fi book I've ever read. It's hard to say how much one should blame Cixin vs. the translator regarding the inept, wooden dialogue, but we can certainly blame Cixin for terrible character development and absurd plot points.",
          "reason": "Strongly criticizes the book’s dialogue, character development, and plot.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure how much to attribute the dialogue problems to the translator.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665843,
          "author": "crimsonalucard",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T17:34:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665843",
          "commentText": "I found the three body problems' representation of a computer with 30 million soldiers really stupid. I didn't read the book because of people raving about how clever that concept of the human computer is.\nhttp://linusrosskamp.com/articles/2017-08/three-body-problem... (http://linusrosskamp.com/articles/2017-08/three-body-problem-human-computer)\nGuess what.\nYou can achieve the same power of computation with 1 person, a pen, a paper and our standard number symbols 0-9.\nDo people not realize why we use gates and binary logic in electrical computer systems?",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I found the three body problems' representation of a computer with 30 million soldiers really stupid.",
          "reason": "Criticizes a specific concept in the book and says they did not read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Commenter says they did not read the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665266,
          "author": "soVeryTired",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:33:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665266",
          "commentText": "The Three Body Problem had some flashy ideas (like controlling the CMBR, and building a computer the size of a proton), but I didn't really feel like it had much depth. It had none of the great social commentary that you often get in sci-fi, and I thought the characters were kind of two-dimensional. Overall it just didn't really do it for me.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I didn't really feel like it had much depth. It had none of the great social commentary that you often get in sci-fi, and I thought the characters were kind of two-dimensional. Overall it just didn't really do it for me.",
          "reason": "The commenter criticizes its perceived lack of depth and social commentary and its two-dimensional characters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter acknowledges its flashy ideas.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18664134,
          "author": "roland35",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T14:28:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664134",
          "commentText": "whoops, thanks for that.  I want to make sure I get that correct!  I am happy to see that series on this thread a few times though, it is great!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I am happy to see that series on this thread a few times though, it is great!",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the series great while referring to the discussion about the correction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18664122,
          "author": "yboris",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T14:27:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664122",
          "commentText": "Three Body Problem is great -- consider reading the rest of the trilogy -- it gets wilder!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Three Body Problem is great",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book and suggests reading the rest of the trilogy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18664099,
          "author": "whym",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T14:24:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664099",
          "commentText": "> Three Body Problem - Ken Liu\nThis isn't entirely wrong, but it's written by Liu Cixin in Chinese originally. Ken Liu is the translator. I haven't read it yet, but I'm looking foward to it. Stories in \"Paper Menagerie\" convinced me that he could skillfully deliver different kinds of stories in different voices - and good translators need that.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Three Body Problem",
          "reason": "The commenter says they look forward to reading it after praising the translator's work on another book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They haven't read it yet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17575753,
          "author": "thomas-melville",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-20T15:27:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17575753",
          "commentText": "I thoroughly enjoyed the Three Body Problem!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I thoroughly enjoyed the Three Body Problem!",
          "reason": "The commenter says they thoroughly enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17574228,
          "author": "maksa",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-20T11:53:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17574228",
          "commentText": "Foundation (Isaac Asimov), Hyperion (Dan Simmons) and Three Body Problem (Liu Cixin) stand out from all the SF I've read, and I've read a ton.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Three Body Problem (Liu Cixin)",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s standout science fiction books in response to a request for the best they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17539642,
          "author": "sumitgs",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T08:33:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17539642",
          "commentText": "Remembrance of earth's past trilogy. There are three books in the series: 1) The Three Body Problem, 2) The Dark Forest, and 3) Death's end.  It talks about the ongoing tension between humanity and the alien race. It explores many facets of human nature and humanity. Must read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1) The Three Body Problem, 2) The Dark Forest, and 3) Death's end.",
          "reason": "Names the first book in the recommended trilogy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17520684,
          "author": "iammiles",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T05:19:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17520684",
          "commentText": "I read A Brief History of Time after the death of Stephen Hawking and recently wrapped up the Three Body Problem.  I think they make an excellent combo for anyone interested in Physics, Sci-Fi, and Computer Science",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "recently wrapped up the Three Body Problem. I think they make an excellent combo for anyone interested in Physics, Sci-Fi, and Computer Science",
          "reason": "The commenter says it pairs excellently with A Brief History of Time for readers interested in the listed subjects.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in physics, science fiction, and computer science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17520130,
          "author": "pbnjay",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T02:38:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17520130",
          "commentText": "For sci-fi recs: I recently read The Three-body Problem by Cixin Liu (a trilogy) and thought it was really good.\nAlso just started another sci-fi trilogy with A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge which has some really fun and interesting (if hand-wavy) ideas about deep space physics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recently read The Three-body Problem by Cixin Liu (a trilogy) and thought it was really good.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book was really good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Identifies this as part of a trilogy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961435,
          "author": "fragmede",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:40:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961435",
          "commentText": "These are all hard sci-fi, and much like Dark Mirror, given today's troubles, it's simultaneously entertaining while being intellectually stimulating, but in a way that feels relevant, even if not immediately actionable.\nThe first is what got me hooked, and back into reading.\nThe Wages of Humanity, is a short story by Liu Cixin. The short story used to be available by itself on Amazon, but now it's been disappeared[1]. It can be found as the last story in The Wandering Earth: Classic Science Fiction Collection.[2]\nAn assassin is being offered exorbitant sum to kill the three poorest people for some reason, and the book explores why, to a thrilling conclusion.\nSince I found it as a stand alone story I cannot comment on the rest of the books in that collection. From there I read into The Three Body Problem[3], and Dark Forest by Liu Cixin; first two books of the Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy. The only reason I don't mention I have not (yet) finished reading the third book.\n[1] This link now returns a 404: https://amazon.com/dp/B00CSW0UZI but it's what the URL my Kindle points to. Search does not find the stand alone edition.\n[2] https://amazon.com/dp/B00CXUKNA2\n[3] https://amazon.com/dp/B00IQO403K",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "From there I read into The Three Body Problem[3], and Dark Forest by Liu Cixin",
          "reason": "The commenter says they read it after finding “The Wages of Humanity.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No direct evaluation of this title.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14860234,
          "author": "eduren",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:52:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14860234",
          "commentText": "'Salems Lot by Stephen King. Just got done with his memoir/writing guide \"On Writing\" and it's given me a new appreciation for his style. Currently going back and reading the books of his that I missed in middle school.\nThe Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin. First book I'm reading on a Kindle, so not yet sure how that will effect my perception of the novel (it is helpful for footnotes I've found). Absolutely fresh SciFi is rare these days so it's wonderful so far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Absolutely fresh SciFi is rare these days so it's wonderful so far.",
          "reason": "Calls the science fiction fresh and says it is wonderful so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The reader is still unsure how reading it on a Kindle affects their perception.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14747027,
          "author": "jriot",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T19:06:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14747027",
          "commentText": "The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin. Chinese Science Fiction, really different perspective of hard questions particularly from a Western perspective.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin. Chinese Science Fiction, really different perspective of hard questions particularly from a Western perspective.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as Chinese science fiction offering a different perspective on difficult questions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13116816,
          "author": "hindsightbias",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-06T18:09:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13116816",
          "commentText": "Books 2 & 3 of Liu Cixin's Dark Forest series were translated this year. One of them will get the Hugo (book 1, the Three Body Problem won the 2015 Hugo).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "book 1, the Three Body Problem won the 2015 Hugo",
          "reason": "Mentioned as the first book in the series and the 2015 Hugo winner.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12475178,
          "author": "captn3m0",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T19:34:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12475178",
          "commentText": "My only major complain with the book is that very often it uses particle physics as hand-wavy magic to break any rules it wishes to, and that breaks suspension of disbelief for me.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "it uses particle physics as hand-wavy magic",
          "reason": "Criticizes the book's use of particle physics as a plot device that undermines suspension of disbelief.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "This criticism is framed as the reader's personal reaction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12474756,
          "author": "navbaker",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T18:19:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12474756",
          "commentText": "I'll second this, along with its follow up book. I read it close to a year ago and the description of the particle unfolding into higher dimensions has still stuck with me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'll second this",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the recommendation and says its particle imagery has stayed with them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12474680,
          "author": "maverick_iceman",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T18:05:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12474680",
          "commentText": "The Three-Body Problem - Liu Cixin\nMy first introduction to non-western sci-fi. Intriguing concept and very good translation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Three-Body Problem - Liu Cixin",
          "reason": "Calls it an intriguing concept and praises the translation.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in non-Western science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785552,
          "author": "benajibayassine",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:50:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785552",
          "commentText": "1- The Emperor's Handbook by Marcus Aurelius. Jan, 10th 2015\n2- The crowd, a study of the popular mind by Gustave Le Bon. Jan, 10th 2015\n3- Remote by Jason Fried. Jan, 11th 2015\n4- The shape of the world to come by Laurent Cohen-Tanugi, Jan, 20th, 2015\n5- Post office by Charles Bukowski. Jan, 23rd 2015\n6- Gang leader for a day by Sudhir Venkatesh. Feb, 6th 2015\n7- Zen mind, beginner's mind by Shunryu Suzuki. Feb, 8th 2015\n8- The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Feb, 23rd 2015\n9- Darkness Visible by William Styron. March, 1st 2015\n10- Zero to One by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters. March, 9th 2015\n11- The Kaizen way: One small step can change your life by Robert Mauter. March, 11th 2015\n12- Time by Alexander Waugh. March, 12th 2015\n13- Max and the cats by Moacyr Scliar. March, 14th 2015\n14- Scattered by Gabor Mate. March, 20th 2015\n15- East of Eden by John Steinbeck. March, 30th 2015\n16- Crossing the unknown sea by David Whyte. April, 7th 2015\n17- Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. April, 13th 2015\n18- The World beyond your Head by Matthew Crawford. April, 22nd 2015\n19- How to Think about Exercise by Damon Young. April, 23rd 2015\n20- Solitude by Anthony Storr. May, 8th 2015\n21- Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. June, 10th 2015\n22- The bastard of Istanbul (in Arabic) by Elif Shafak. June, 21st 2015\n23- L’ordre libertaire: la vie philosophique d’Albert Camus by Michel Onfray. July, 7th 2015\n24- Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse. July, 10th 2015\n25- The arab uprisings by James Gelvin. July, 13th 2015\n26- How to worry less about money by John Armstrong. July, 13th 2015\n27- Self comes to mind by Antonio Damasio. July, 31st2015\n28- Muhammad: The First Muslim by Lesley Hazleton. August, 4th t2015\n29- Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. August, 15th 2015 \n30- Heidegger's Being and Time by William Blattner. August, 18th 2015 \n31- Heidegger and a hippo walk through those pearly gates by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. August, 19th 2015 \n32- Why nations fail by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson. October, 3rd 2015 \n33- Charlie Munger: the complete investor by Tren Griffin October, 9th 2015 \n34- The selfish gene by Richard Dawkins October, 23rd 2015\n35- The philosophical baby by Alison Gopnik October, 28th 2015\n36- The three-body problem by Cixin Liu November, 1st 2015\n37- Open letter to a young man by Andre Maurois November, 13th 2015\n38- Thinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman November, 16th 2015\n39- What do you care what people think by Richard Feynman November, 18th 2015\n40- When the body says No by Gabor Maté November, 29th 2015\n41- The truth will set you free by Alice Miller. December, 5th 2015\n42- The shallows by Nicholar Carr. December, 7th 2015\n43- What matters most byJames Hollis. December, 14th 2015\n44- Finding meaning in the second jalf of life byJames Hollis. December, 20yh2015",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The three-body problem by Cixin Liu",
          "reason": "Included in a dated list of books read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783529,
          "author": "Symmetry",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:46:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783529",
          "commentText": "Here are the ones I'd be willing to recommend, in reverse chronological order of when I read them.  I read 59 total.  Listen to books on tape while working out has maybe doubled my reading rate.\nGenghis Khan: His Conquests, His Empire, His Legacy - Great book on how the Mongol Empire came to be, who Genghis was, and it put the whole thing in perspective for me in a useful way.\nThe Knowledge: How to Rebuild Our World from Scratch - What it says on the tin.  Actually a good overview how some important technologies interrelate.\nSuperforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction - How to be wrong less often.  Based on the Good Judgement Project results.\nThe Three-Body Problem - Decent enough science fiction but extra interesting because it's science fiction from a different culture.\nIgnition!: An informal history of liquid rocket propellants - A history of things that go boom.  Engaging writing and I learned things about chemistry.\nThe Traitor Baru Cormorant - I'm nominating this for a Hugo.  It tells you it's going to stab you in the gut but when it does you don't see it coming.  Plus high quality scheming and speculation on economics, society, and empire.\nThe Sorcerer of the Wildeeps - Excellent use of voice and an overall good book.\nBloom - Made my skin crawl in places and also was good at making you feel a radical change in perspective.\nSeeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed - An interesting perspective on certain aspects of government.  A bit too negative for the topic, the factors outlined are also why commercial economies were able to develop more centralized economies than agrarian ones in the early modern era.\nPolitical Order and Political Decay: From the Industrial Revolution to the Globalization of Democracy - Quite good book on bureaucracy though not as excellent as the previous book on the origins of states.\nLast First Snow - It's always great to read books about the struggles between people with sympathetic motivations.\nThe Unwelcome Warlock - The latest in a series of fantasy books where people use magic in creative and sensible ways.\nAsteroid Mining 101: Wealth for the New Space Economy -Mostly about all the different sorts of asteroids.\nSeveneves - Neal Stephenson's latest.  If you like his books read it but maybe skip the last 1/3 after the timeskip.\nElon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future - Wow he did a lot of cool stuff.\nStories of Your Life and Others - Brilliant and poetic short stories.\nDarwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life - Some interesting perspective on materialism.\nPower, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life - Best science book I've read in a while!  Shows why mitochondria matter, the fundamental limits of prochariotic life, and several important ways mitochondria influence again and evolution.\nBlue Remembered Earth - Awesome near futureish book that does well at imagining a future that isn't just a linear extrapolation but is still believable.\nA Key, an Egg, an Unfortunate Remark - Not enough pacifist badass grandmothers in urban fantasy.\nQuantum Computing since Democritus - I understand QM much better now.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Three-Body Problem - Decent enough science fiction but extra interesting because it's science fiction from a different culture.",
          "reason": "Calls it decent science fiction and says its different cultural perspective makes it especially interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Only described as decent enough.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10533578,
          "author": "OopsCriticality",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T15:38:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10533578",
          "commentText": "I'm cheating a little on the date, but The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin stands out.  It was translated into english late last year, and received the Hugo this year for best story.  It's wonderful sci-fi written on a grand scale, and made all the more interesting and refreshing to me by coming from outside the Western perspective.  It's one of a trilogy: The Dark Forest english translation is out, and Death's End is coming beginning of next year.\nAlso enjoyed Seveneves by Stephenson, and H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald.  The former is likely known to the HN crowd; the latter draws comparisons to T.H. White's classic The Goshawk.\nAmong non-fiction books, I enjoyed The Little Prover by Friedman and Eastlund.  It was exactly what I expected, a gentle introduction into inductive proofs in the idiom established by The Little Schemer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's wonderful sci-fi written on a grand scale, and made all the more interesting and refreshing to me by coming from outside the Western perspective.",
          "reason": "Calls it wonderful and praises its scale and perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it was translated into English late the previous year.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056520,
          "author": "mp8",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:17:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056520",
          "commentText": "Seconded! This is a fantastic book. Be warned: the English translation of the sequel is not yet released (and you will want it).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seconded! This is a fantastic book.",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the recommendation and calls the book fantastic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The English translation of the sequel was not yet released at the time of the comment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Liu Cixin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 37,
      "threads": 25,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "chinese science fiction",
        "hard science fiction",
        "alien civilizations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-martian-6c0a7e",
      "title": "The Martian",
      "author": "Andy Weir",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46400079,
          "author": "uxcolumbo",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T08:01:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46400079",
          "commentText": "Wasn’t ‘The Martian’ Andy’s first book?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Wasn’t ‘The Martian’ Andy’s first book?",
          "reason": "Asks whether it was Andy Weir's first book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 44574367,
          "author": "chistev",
          "createdAt": "2025-07-15T18:30:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 44568054,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44574367",
          "commentText": "I read \"The Martian\", found it an okay read and didn't bother to read this one. I'll reconsider.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I read \"The Martian\", found it an okay read",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as an okay read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter did not find it compelling enough to continue to the parent comment's book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42269201,
          "author": "sandy_coyote",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:59:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42269201",
          "commentText": "I caught up with some science fiction this year.\nThe Murderbot diaries books by Martha Wells - 6/10. Mixed on these. They're fun to read. The setting is cool and the worldbuilding is shallow but effective (i.e., don't read it if you want game of thrones in space). Each novella takes an afternoon to read. I think \"snarky violent droid\" is overcooked these days and lost interest after book 5.\nLight by M. John Harrison - 7/10 excellent prose; great multiple-storyline plot; the journey was better than the destination, but it kept me thinking\nFar from the Light of Heaven by Tade Thompson - 7/10 Fun. If \"near future Nigerian/British post-colonial frontier action with guns, robots, and psychic aliens\" sounds cool to you, check it out. I liked his Rosewater Trilogy just as much.\nBlindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts - tough to rate these. brilliant ideas, VERY challenging plots. I wish I didn't get so confused by the end of each book.\nProject Hail Mary by Andy Weir - 6/10 - this and the Martian read like blog posts pasted together. The grand dilemma is spelled out on page one and never gets any deeper. Pro: the plot is in your face on every page and you will never be confused when reading; Con - there is zero internal character development. Read if you like stories driven by applied science, not comparative moral decision-making.\nThe City and the City by China Miéville - 9/10 - you will invariably see something like \"Kafka meets [some affected crime novelist] to describe this book, and that ain't wrong. Kind of SF, kind of fantasy.\nRailsea by China Miéville - 8/10 - great good vs evil YA SF about, well, imagine if trains were like boats. Good character writing, tight plot.\nThe Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi - 8/10 - loved this. More \"realist\" near-future fabulism than Gibson, but if you love cyberpunk, read this.\nThe Shipbreaker Triology by Paolo Bacigalupi - 6/10 - near-future YA science fiction with a lot of blood and guns. Pretty good stories.\nRoadside Picnic by the Strugatsky brothers - 9/10 - reread. I had to go back. This gets a near perfect score because of its style, setting, and plot.\nThe Sprawl Trilogy (Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive) by William Gibson - 9/10 - I had read Neuromancer 3 times but never the next two. I was pleasantly surprised to find the second and third novel easier to read* but just as enjoyable as Neuromancer.\nThe Bridge trilogy by William Gibson - 8/10 so far. I am in the second book. Can't believe I slept on these for the last couple decades.\nnon-SF:\nOur Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981-1991 by Michael Azerrad - 9/10 - if you like punk/hardcore from the 80s, this is a great read.\n* Every time I read Neuromancer, Gibson's literary footguns --holograms, false memories, hallucinations, and drug-addled unreality--make me feel crazy for not being able to follow the plot at times. I'm okay with believing that was the intended effect.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "this and the Martian read like blog posts pasted together.",
          "reason": "Briefly criticizes its blog post-like style in comparison with Project Hail Mary.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it reads like blog posts pasted together.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40432237,
          "author": "mcphage",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T18:45:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40432237",
          "commentText": "I haven't read Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, but I did enjoy The Martian and Gödel, Escher, Bach, so maybe I should read it.  What kind of writing do you like?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I did enjoy The Martian",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40430638,
          "author": "tetris11",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T16:34:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40430638",
          "commentText": "I recently tried reading Long Way to a Small Angry Planet since a few people on HN recommended it.\nIts pretty terrible. The first few chapters involve the main character literally walking onto a ship, and then tons of exposition about how her alien teamates are all alien in their own individualistic ways that in no way contribute to an over arching story.\nYou learn nothing about the world, no intrigue, characters are superficially interesting, and to top it all off, the writing is teen fiction bad. (The book screams of Mary Sue.)\nI've been burned by HN book recommendations before. If you enjoyed the level of giddy writing shown in The Martian, Gödel, Escher, Bach, then you will probably like the giddy writing of this book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the level of giddy writing shown in The Martian",
          "reason": "Uses it as a comparison for the style of writing that readers may enjoy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned as a comparison, not endorsed here.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34165852,
          "author": "jsenn",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T20:57:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34165852",
          "commentText": "If you haven't read Ted Chiang's short stories yet, do so. His first collection (Stories of Your Life and Others) was my favourite, but his more recent one (Exhalation) was also very good (the title story, Exhalation, is gorgeous). Stories of your Life is what the movie Arrival was based on and (as ever) the story was better than the movie.\nAs far as sci-fi novels, I have pretty generic tastes for this crowd: Dune, The Dispossessed, The Martian. The Crying of Lot 49 is one of my favourite books. Not exactly sci-fi but close.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune, The Dispossessed, The Martian.",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the commenter's sci-fi favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34161923,
          "author": "linsomniac",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T15:29:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161923",
          "commentText": "I read Kurt Vonnegut's _Player_Piano_ and really enjoyed it.  It's a story about a heavily computerized society, but the computers are vacuum tube based.  \"We ran the calculation, replaced all the tubes and ran it again, so we're confident in the result\" sort of thing.\nI also really enjoyed Andy Weir's _Project_Hail_Mary_, and _The_Martian_.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and _The_Martian_.",
          "reason": "Included among the books the commenter really enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34160619,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:11:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160619",
          "commentText": "This year I've put myself to the challenge to read at least one book per week which I primarily could complete by reading in the middle of the night while holding our sleeping baby in my arms. It has been an interesting challenge which gave me a lot of fulfilment and has certainly changed my mind on how I view the world. This comment became quite a long read, apologies for that.\nBooks I highly recommend:\nChurchill by Andrew Roberts (p:1105)\nA biography about one of the most interesting figures in politics and WWII. Roberts gives a very detailed description of the life of Churchill and manages to keep you interested the entire length of the book.\nThe God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (p:374)\nIn The God Delusion Dawkins gives arguments why there is no God, why we do not need a God and why religion is damaging to our society. If you are religious it might not be the book for you unless you are open to hear his arguments and line of reasoning. Dawkins will challenge your worldview.\nThe Bomb by Fred Kaplan (p:384)\nKaplan describes the policy of different US presidents on the atomic bomb and war in general. And primarily on the inability of US presidents and policy-makers to tune down its military. A chilling read which makes you appreciate a nuclear holocaust did not happen (yet)....\nPoor Economics by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo (p:320)\nBanerjee and Duflo give a gripping portrait of how poor people live. They offer an insight in the choices and decisions people make surviving on less than 1 USD a day (corrected for purchasing power). It made me completely rethink my own view on poverty and development aid; stressing even more that in order to help one need to have a complete understanding of the individual's situation and the local boundary conditions.\nProject Hail Mary  by Andy Weir (p:476)\nThis book triggered my science fiction reading. For some reason I never was interested in science fiction. Most likely triggered by reading Foundation by Asimov a few years back which apparently is not a book to my taste. But Andy Weir completely annihilated that wrong perspective on science fiction. Project Hail Mary is interesting, funny and gripping book.\nKindred by Octavia Butler  (p:287)\nThis book.... From page one I was hooked and almost read it in one go. Butler is a wonderful author and Kindred is a must-read. The book is about a woman traveling back in time to end up on a slave plantation. It's a chilling account of slavery.\nOther books I read this year, ask me anything about one of these books. I've added a + if I think its worth a recommendation\nBiography:\nNavalny by Dollbaum, Lallouet and Noble (p:280); The Man from the Future by Ananyo Bhattacharya (p:354) +\nSociology; Politics; Economics; Business:\nOnly the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove (p:224); The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli  (p:140); Winter is Coming by Garry Kasparov (p:290); Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum (p:224) +; Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl (p:164) +; We Are Bellingcat by Eliot Higgins (p:272); De Zeven Vinkjes by Joris Luyendijk (p:200); Waarom vuilnismannen meer verdienen dan bankiers by Rutger Bregman (p:104)\nComedy: The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (p:336)\nHistory:\nBand of Brothers  by Stephen E. Ambrose (p:432); The Nuclear Jihadist by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins (p:413) +; The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre (p:384) +; De Heineken Ontvoering by Peter R. de Vries (p:347); Red Famine by Anne Apllebaum (p:384); Night by Elie Wiesel (p:115) +\nScience, Technology, Mathematics:\nFermat's Enigma by Simon Singh (p:315) +; A Mathematician's Apology by G.H. Hardy (p:153); The Great Influenza by John M. Barry (p:546); The Rise and Fall of the Dinousaurs by Stephen Brusatte (p:404) ++; The Double Helix by James Watson (p:144)\nSport:\nRun or Die by Killian Jornet (p:208); The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton  (p:290) +; The Rise of the Ultra Runners by  (p:304); Tom Dumoulin by Patrick Bernhart (p:203)\nFiction:\nAnthem by Ayn Rand (p:105); Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (p:704); The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (p:566); Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (p:466); Live and Let die by Ian Fleming  (p:229)\nClassics:\nA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (p:104); The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (p:201); The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald (p:180); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (p:139); Animal Farm by George Orwell (p:122) +; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (p:227) +; The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (p:118)\nScience Fiction:\nThe Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (p:399); All Systems Red  by Martha Wells (p:144) +; A Memory Called Empire  by Arkady Martine (p:462) +; A Psalm built for the Wild by Becky Chambers (p:160); Dune by Frank Herbert (p:658); Foundation by Isaac Asimov (p:244); The Martian by Andy Weir (p:384) +;\nThe Forever War by Joe Haldeman (p:278)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Martian by Andy Weir",
          "reason": "Marked with a plus as worth recommending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32197997,
          "author": "linsomniac",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:45:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197997",
          "commentText": "I just started The Hobbit a couple days ago.  For the last 3-4 months I've been checking out library books on the Kindle and reading as a bedtime ritual to help get me to sleep.  It's been working pretty well, I rarely lay there unable to go to sleep.\nI just finished Devolution by Max Brooks, it was good but not really in my wheelhouse.  I didn't realize when I started reading it, but he also did World War Z, which I felt the same way about, and also recently finished reading\nBefore that I finished Artemis by Andy Weir, good but not great.  Read because I had recently finished The Martian and absolutely loved it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read because I had recently finished The Martian and absolutely loved it.",
          "reason": "Says they absolutely loved it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28061444,
          "author": "code_Whisperer",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T14:32:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28061444",
          "commentText": "Agreed. I mentioned that it is 'imaginative and fun', but it is not the same style of \"The Martian\" which (in my opinion) had nearly perfect technical execution. I admit to having had some apprehension about a loved author's next effort (I'm looking at you, \"Artemis\" and \"Armada\"), but \"Hail Mary\" did not fulfill that dread for me. So... yay!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The Martian\" which (in my opinion) had nearly perfect technical execution.",
          "reason": "Praises its technical execution as a comparison with Hail Mary.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28060763,
          "author": "dcminter",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T13:27:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28060763",
          "commentText": "Honestly I found Hail Mary to be rather old fashioned, reminding me more of early Niven rather than The Martian. This isn't necessarily a bad thing; I enjoyed it! But he has quite a hill to climb to beat his first novel.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "rather than The Martian",
          "reason": "Used as a comparison for Hail Mary’s style; no recommendation is expressed here.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25845478,
          "author": "ryanmercer",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T12:11:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25845478",
          "commentText": "Right now I'm doing my annual re-listen to John Ringo's \"maple syrup trilogy\" (next I'll do my annual re-listen of The Martian, narrated by R. C. Bray not Huwill Huwheaton) https://www.goodreads.com/series/51166-troy-rising\nIt's a really fun series, basically an alien race appears in the system and installs a gate to open up trade with the system. It has some really neat ideas in it and some good challenges they work through from fuel to interstellar war, with the primary character being your run of the mill guy with tech industry experience working in a rural community fighting his way to being fantastically wealthy and arguably the primary defender of human space.\nBook 1: Live Free or Die:\n>First Contact Was Friendly\n>When aliens trundled a gate to other worlds into the solar system, the world reacted with awe, hope and fear. But the first aliens to come through, the Glatun, were peaceful traders and the world breathed a sigh of relief.\n>Who Controls the Orbitals, Controls the World\nThey're a good read, but the narrator makes them quite a good listen. I've actually bought other author's entire series purely because Mark Boyett has narrated them.\nMark Boyett, R.C. Bray, and Luke Daniels are some great narrators and all do a lot of narration in the hard science fiction space. They make the audio versions of books far superior to reading it yourself, at last in my opinion.\nDaemon and the sequel Freedom TM by Daniel Suarez are also a fun read. It uses near-future, or even at the time experimental tech, to weave a mostly believable near-future scenario.\nDaemon:\n>When the obituary of legendary computer game architect Matthew Sobol appears online, a previously dormant daemon activates, initiating a chain of events that begins to unravel our interconnected world. This daemon reads news headlines, recruits human followers, and orders assassinations. With Sobol’s secrets buried with him, and as new layers of his daemon are unleashed, it’s up to Detective Peter Sebeck to stop a self-replicating virtual killer before it achieves its ultimate purpose - one that goes far beyond anything Sebeck could have imagined....",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "my annual re-listen of The Martian, narrated by R. C. Bray not Huwill Huwheaton",
          "reason": "The commenter mentions an annual relisten and praises the audiobook narrator.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter prefers the R. C. Bray narration over Wil Wheaton's.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21911927,
          "author": "cordaciu",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-30T09:04:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21911927",
          "commentText": "1.The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time\n2.Looking for Alaska\n3.Blindness\n4.Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man's Miraculous Survival\n5.The Martian\n6.Never Let Me Go",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "5.The Martian",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorites in response to the decade's best-books discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18700988,
          "author": "henrik_w",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-17T18:43:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18700988",
          "commentText": "+1 for The Martian. Excellent!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for The Martian. Excellent!",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it excellent while seconding the recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17537661,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T23:20:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537661",
          "commentText": "Farmer in the Sky by Robert Heinlein [1]\nThe Complete Robot by Isaac Asimov [2]\nThe Wrong Unit [3] wasn't a bad little humorous tale.\nPretty much anything by Timothy Zahn (sans Star Wars novelisations) [4] or Robert Sawyer [5] floats my boat.\nThe First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North [6]\nBarsk: The Elephants’ Graveyard by Lawrence M. Schoen [7] made me care about sentient elephants.\nFuzzy Nation by John Scalzi [8] is very funny. Audiobook version narrated by Wil Wheaton.\nOf ones already mentioned:\nThe Bobiverse was surprisingly good (including the audiobook version).\nThe Expanse is good.\nWith regards to Dune, there are some like myself who only ever liked the first book in the series. (Also there is a good audiobook version out there.)\nThe Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and sequels are great world building and characters, although the plots seem to meander about with not too much purpose.\nThe Martian is great.\n[1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50851.Farmer_in_the_Sky\n[2] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50091.The_Complete_Robot\n[3] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30959279-the-wrong-unit\n[4] https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12479.Timothy_Zahn\n[5] https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/25883.Robert_J_Sawyer\n[6] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295861-the-first-fifte... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295861-the-first-fifteen-lives-of-harry-august)\n[7] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25667916-barsk\n[8] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11167622-fuzzy-nation",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Martian is great.",
          "reason": "Calls the book great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15965488,
          "author": "013",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T23:28:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15965488",
          "commentText": "Fahrenheit 451\nAnimal Farm\nThe Gene: An Intimate History\nThe Martian\nCurrently reading Sapiens: A brief history of humankind. I would recommend all these books, if you're interested in the subjects they are written about.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend all these books",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the listed books to readers interested in their subjects.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the subjects covered.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15642103,
          "author": "tcx",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-07T10:00:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15642103",
          "commentText": "Jared Diamond - \"Collapse: how societies choose to fail or succeed\" (non-fiction)\nIván Repila - \"The Boy Who Stole Attila’s Horse\": short intense novel about 2 boys who are trapped in a well\nMargaret Atwood - \"The handmaid's tale\"\nKhaled Hosseini - \"The kite runner\"\nAgatha Christie - \"The murder of Roger Ackroyd\" (very surprising plot)\nAndy Weir - \"The Martian\"\nCharles Dickens - \"David Copperfield\"\nClare Mackintosh - \"I let you go\"\nCarlos Ruiz Zafón - \"The Shadow of the Wind\"\nM.R. Carey - \"The girl with all the gifts\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Andy Weir - \"The Martian\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15459814,
          "author": "mabbo",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-12T17:53:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15459814",
          "commentText": "> I wouldn't put \"The Martian\" in the scifi AI category\nA story about a near future where a man is living on another planet. You don't think that counts as science fiction?\nOn the one hand, I disagree ('20,000 leagues under the sea' was sci-fi when it was written). On the other hang, holy crap we're so close to humans being on Mars that such a story might not count as science fiction! That's amazing!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "A story about a near future where a man is living on another planet. You don't think that counts as science fiction?",
          "reason": "Argues that its near-future setting on another planet qualifies as science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The discussion questions whether it belongs in the AI science fiction category.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15428916,
          "author": "inetsee",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:52:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428916",
          "commentText": "\"The Martian\" is really good book, and I loved the movie. I am looking forward to Andy Weir's new book. But ... I wouldn't put \"The Martian\" in the scifi AI category.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The Martian\" is really good book",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly praises the book, while saying it does not fit the sci-fi AI category.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Wouldn't put it in the sci-fi AI category.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15428902,
          "author": "mabbo",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:48:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428902",
          "commentText": "Andy Weir's \"The Martian\" is my favourite book. I've read it about 5 times, and I've never read a book twice before. The movie was a decent adaptation, but it's not near the quality that the book was.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Martian\" is my favourite book. I've read it about 5 times",
          "reason": "Calls it their favorite book and says they reread it repeatedly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The movie adaptation is not as good as the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15428711,
          "author": "bglusman",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:07:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428711",
          "commentText": "It's half novel, half related series of 9 short stories, but Accelerando is great.  The Martian by Andy Weir (movie based on it) was quite good.  Daemon I think also qualifies, though it's SF dressed up as a thriller.  Oh, Blood Music by Greg Bear probably counts? Except maybe the ending?\nTempted to mention The Diamond Age, but not sure that qualifies as \"Hard\", though closer than some other Stephenson maybe...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Martian by Andy Weir (movie based on it) was quite good.",
          "reason": "Describes it as quite good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13569455,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T22:20:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13569455",
          "commentText": "Three books I tend to re-read every 3-8 years are: Farmer in the Sky[1], The Chrysalids[2] and Dune[3][4]. Read them as a teenager and thirty years later still re-read.\nOthers I’ve re-read recently are:\n* Camouflage [5]\n* The Green And the Gray [6]\n* The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August [7]\n* The Martian [8]\n* I Am Not A Serial Killer series [9]\nI plan to re-read in the near future:\n* Touch [10]\n* The Hollow City [11]\n* Pulling Up Stakes [12]\nYes, I read a lot. [13]\n---\n[1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50851.Farmer_in_the_Sky\n[2] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/826845.The_Chrysalids\n[3] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1000049.Dune\n[4] Only the first book in the series. Really disliked all the rest. Last couple of times I’ve listened to the Audible audiobook version which is excellent.\n[5] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21607.Camouflage\n[6] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/216455.The_Green_And_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/216455.The_Green_And_the_Gray)\n[7] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295861-the-first-fifte... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295861-the-first-fifteen-lives-of-harry-august)\n[8] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18007564-the-martian\n[9] https://www.goodreads.com/series/49883-john-cleaver\n[10] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23561543-touch\n[11] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13034956-the-hollow-city\n[12] https://www.goodreads.com/series/94696-pulling-up-stakes\n[13] http://www.michevan.id.au/content/reading-habits-of-2015/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "* The Martian [8]",
          "reason": "Lists it among books reread recently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13566933,
          "author": "KingOfMyRoom",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T13:43:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13566933",
          "commentText": "The Martian\nI love it. It's about doing the impossible, one step at a time",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Martian\nI love it. It's about doing the impossible, one step at a time",
          "reason": "Expresses love for the book and describes its theme positively.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249119,
          "author": "nidx",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T08:43:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249119",
          "commentText": "I'll agree with everyone saying The Martian and add The Neanderthal Parralax (Trilogy) by Robert J Sawyer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'll agree with everyone saying The Martian",
          "reason": "The commenter agrees with others recommending the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249112,
          "author": "jaymon",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T08:37:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249112",
          "commentText": "I'll second someone else's recommendation for The Martian, that was just a really fun read you can just burn through because it is so enjoyable.\nIf you want another really fun read, Ready Player One was fantastic.\nI've also enjoyed the Old Man's War saga, there are 6 books but you can skip book 4 since it is a retelling of book 3 from the POV of another character. This is a space saga and I really like the universe he created.\nIn the hard sci-fi genre, I really enjoyed The Forever War.\nAnd for just pure world building fantasy, the Game of Thrones books (The song of Ice and Fire series) are some of the best written books I've ever read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'll second someone else's recommendation for The Martian, that was just a really fun read you can just burn through because it is so enjoyable.",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the recommendation and calls it a fun, enjoyable read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249037,
          "author": "Vanit",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T07:57:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249037",
          "commentText": "The Martian (Andy Wier)?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Martian (Andy Wier)?",
          "reason": "Offered as a fiction suggestion in response to a request for recommended reads.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking fiction.",
          "caveat": "The suggestion is tentative, marked with a question mark.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13240028,
          "author": "henrik_w",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T20:18:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13240028",
          "commentText": "+1 (+2?) for Deep Work and Ready Player One. Read both this year, and both are excellent. Also really liked The Martian.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also really liked The Martian.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really liked it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13237255,
          "author": "hackerkid",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:59:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237255",
          "commentText": "- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari\n- Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight\n- Rework by Jason Fried\n- Rocket Boys by Homer Hickam\n- Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand\n- The Martian by Andy Weir\n- Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman by Richard Feynman",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Martian by Andy Weir",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12246070,
          "author": "henrik_w",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T07:43:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12246070",
          "commentText": "+1 for The Martian - fantastic book!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for The Martian - fantastic book!",
          "reason": "Seconding the recommendation and calling it fantastic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12244904,
          "author": "peckrob",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T01:31:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244904",
          "commentText": "I read a lot of Science Fiction for fun. These are a few of my favorites that I've given to other people:\n1. Vacuum Diagrams by Stephen Baxter. When I think of epic hard science fiction, the Xeelee Sequence books spring to mind. With a story line that spans millions of years (and a few dozen books), this collection of short stories is a good introduction to one of the best and most underrated sci-fi series out there. Baxter's Manifold trilogy (Manifold: Space, Manifold: Time and Manifold: Origin) are also fantastic.\n2. Foundation by Isaac Asimov. The whole Foundation series is wonderful, but this book is a landmark of sci-fi that should be on any fan's bookcase.\n3. The Martian by Andy Weir. This book is what I've been giving the last couple years to people who don't think they like sci-fi. Everyone I've given it to has loved it.\n4. Rama by Arthur C. Clarke. Another hard sci-fi staple. The rest of the Rama books he \"co-wrote\" with Gentry Lee are decent but become more space opera than hard sci-fi. I enjoyed them but many sci-fi fans find them polarizing.\n5. Silver Tower by Dale Brown. More of a military thriller than sci-fi (Flight of the Old Dog is another favorite of mine by him) and terribly dated by modern standards (it was written when the Soviet Union was still a thing). But it's the first \"adult\" sci-fi book I ever read as a kid, so it'll always have a special place for me.\nEDIT: Another one:\n6. Coyote by Allen Steele. I love stories like this one: primitive, longshot interstellar exploration and primitive, first generation colonization. Especially for  desperate reasons. The first two Coyote books were good, but I just can't get into any of the subsequent ones.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Everyone I've given it to has loved it.",
          "reason": "Says everyone given the book has loved it, and that it is a recent recurring gift.",
          "audience": "People who don't think they like science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12070437,
          "author": "jbms",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T12:07:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12070437",
          "commentText": "Eat That Frog!  (Brian Tracy)- Lots of useful productivity tips. Motivating and practical.\nBleachers (John Grisham) - I learned a lot about the culture behind American Football and school/college sports.\nThe Wide Lens (Ron Adner) - I learned a systematic approach towards evaluating ideas and the environment around them so that I could determine what needs to change (outside of my innovations) that must be encouraged for my ideas to succeed.\nThe Martian (Andy Weir) - I got a \"feel\" for living on Mars being a reality potentially sooner than I appreciated.\nBrownlow North (K Moody Stuart) - A book about a Scottish Evangelist. It was superb to see where he started from in his preaching, how he differed from everyone else, and how that was probably the key to his startling effectiveness.\nSongs of the Spirit: The Place of Psalms in the Worship of God (Ed: Kenneth Stewart) - I learned an appreciation for the book of Psalms, though written long before it, it is clearly (by how it's written, what it discusses in the past tense, and what's only understood now) FOR the New Testament church.\nIn my Father's House (Corrie ten Boom) - a beautiful insight into what a Christian household can look like.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I got a \"feel\" for living on Mars being a reality potentially sooner than I appreciated.",
          "reason": "Says it made life on Mars feel like a nearer possibility.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10836593,
          "author": "searine",
          "createdAt": "2016-01-04T16:47:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 10833032,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book you've recently read and enjoyed?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10836593",
          "commentText": "Oh boy, you fucked up now. Here are the books I read this past year that I felt were \"Good\", starting from the most recent :\nTo Kill A Mocking Bird (Insanely good)\nTrue Grit (Insanely good)\nThe Little Friend (Good)\nPriceless (Very good, about art theft)\nThe Secret History (Insanely good)\nReady Player One (Good, nerdy)\nShadow Divers (Very good, history nerd book)\nDiary of Anne Frank (Very good)\nUnbroken (Very good, way better than the movie)\nWith The Old Breed at Peleliu and Okinawa (Very good)\nSeveneves (good, but I'm a Stephenson fanboy)\nThe Martian (Very good, but just watch the movie).\nI read a bunch of other stuff, but that's what I found really \"good\" this past year.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Martian (Very good, but just watch the movie).",
          "reason": "Described as “Very good.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter suggests watching the movie instead.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10787298,
          "author": "yetanotheracc",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T06:03:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787298",
          "commentText": "Absolutely amazing, changed the way I look at the society, will re-read:\n- George Orwell, Keep the Aspidistra Flying\nLoved:\n- Alastair Reynolds, House of Suns\n- Andy Weir, The Martian\n- Neal Stephenson, Seveneves\n- Greg Egan, Teranesia\nLiked:\n- Arthur C. Clarke, 3001: The Final Odyssey\n- Arthur C. Clarke, 2061: Odyssey Three\n- Richard Feynman, The Character of Physical Laws\n- Richard Feynman, The Pleasure of Finding Things Out\n- Jonathan Slack, Stem Cells: A Very Short Introduction\n- John Scalzi, Fuzzy Nation (bought the audiobook for Wil Wheaton's narration)\n- Ray Monk, Robert Oppenheimer: A Life Inside the Center\n- Alastair Reynolds,  Revelation Space\n- David C. Cassidy, Beyond Uncertainty: Heisenberg, Quantum Physics, and the Bomb\nFound full of BS, did not finish:\n- Noam Chomsky, Understanding Power\nTextbooks:\n- order of 10^3 pages of Open University textbooks\n- Klauber, Student Friendly Quantum Field Theory\n- Feynman & Hibbs, Quantum Mechanics and Path Integrals\n- Wald, General Relativity (5 chapters)\n- Peskin & Schroeder, An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory (5 chapters)\nNot as bad as I felt before making the list, but underwhelming in terms of quantity. I intend to read a whole lot more in 2016.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Andy Weir, The Martian",
          "reason": "Listed under books the commenter says they loved.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10787117,
          "author": "brikis98",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T04:27:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787117",
          "commentText": "My full list of books, including reviews, is here: https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2015\nFrom that list, my favorite ones were:\nThe Four Steps to the Epiphany: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/827338560\nMade to Stick: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/897777811\nHow to Measure Anything: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/698402984\nThe Non-Designer's Design Book: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1170518622\nMasters of Doom: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/899580915\nThe Martian: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1136330196\nThe Mistborn Trilogy: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1388373037",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Martian",
          "reason": "Explicitly listed among the commenter's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785727,
          "author": "ablation",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T21:19:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785727",
          "commentText": "While fairly engaging until the end, the characters in the book were pretty shallow and the story itself wasn't really that special. \"Amazing\" is extremely heavy praise for what is a decent airport sci-fi page turner.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the characters in the book were pretty shallow and the story itself wasn't really that special. \"Amazing\" is extremely heavy praise for what is a decent airport sci-fi page turner.",
          "reason": "Calls it a decent page-turner but criticizes the characters and story, rejecting stronger praise.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Acknowledges it is engaging through the ending and a decent page-turner.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785643,
          "author": "EliRivers",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T21:05:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785643",
          "commentText": "I also found it bland; it became repetitive and dull. Problem, exposition of solution, repeat. The character interaction, by the nature of the plot, was pretty minimal and almost all the problems were technical - there was very little inter-character conflict or character development. At the end of the novel, everyone was pretty much the same as they were at the beginning. The journey was entirely physical, and the dangers were personal.\nI am befuddled that you say the characters were superbly fleshed out; I found them rather two-dimensional, and some of them clearly existed only because there needed to be more people hanging around.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I also found it bland; it became repetitive and dull.",
          "reason": "Says the novel is repetitive and dull, with shallow character development.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785601,
          "author": "jharohit",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:56:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785601",
          "commentText": "you found The Martian bland ?! That's...I am...speechless. It is an amazing book. The characters are superbly fleshed out and Andy Weir's humour is par excellence. The calculations were not tedious at all. LOL - if you stuck on Mars, calculations are you best friend. I think the author has actually dumbed it down quite a lot TBH.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It is an amazing book. The characters are superbly fleshed out and Andy Weir's humour is par excellence.",
          "reason": "Calls the book amazing and praises its characters and humor.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785513,
          "author": "projektir",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:40:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785513",
          "commentText": "Daring Greatly by Brené Brown - discussion of shame culture, its effects on people, and how to combat it - pretty good book about a topic that doesn't get raised often enough, even if I don't agree with everything the author says.\nThe Sports Gene by David Epstein - how genetics may affect sport performance (and not only that); a bit of a counterpoint to Gladwell's Outliers - probably my favorite book this year.\nThe Martian by Andy Weir - a guy tries to survive on Mars - found this one rather bland. I would have liked to see more psychology and less calculations, and I am not sure how I feel about its presentation of the scientific community.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "found this one rather bland. I would have liked to see more psychology and less calculations",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter found it bland and wanted more psychology and fewer calculations.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783443,
          "author": "SuperChihuahua",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:34:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783443",
          "commentText": "I've read 33 books so I'm not going to publish the list here, but i blogged about it: http://blog.habrador.com/2015/12/books-ive-read-in-2015.html\nThe books I liked the most were:\n-  The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes - and Why\n- On Intelligence\n- The Martian\n- The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution\n- Einstein: His Life and Universe\n- Alan Turing: The Enigma\n- Neuroscience for Dummies\n- Thunder Run - (which is about the battle of Baghdad in 2003)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The Martian",
          "reason": "Includes it among the books they liked most.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10533675,
          "author": "AlwaysRock",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T15:49:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10533675",
          "commentText": "I read The Martian, Snow Crash, and Ready Player One over the course of a month or two. All three of those books have their flaws but I enjoy the style and page turning nature of them a lot.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "All three of those books have their flaws but I enjoy the style and page turning nature of them a lot.",
          "reason": "Enjoys the style and page-turning quality, while noting flaws.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says all three books have flaws.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10532909,
          "author": "jo909",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T13:37:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10532909",
          "commentText": "The Martian by Andy Weir (Fiction)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Martian by Andy Weir (Fiction)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for the best books read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175939,
          "author": "quaffapint",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T20:17:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175939",
          "commentText": "The Martian - Andy Weir\nI'm not an avid reader, but the way this book was written (mostly journal style) and the humor just pulled me in. Glad I'm almost done reading it before the movie comes out and spoils anything.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Martian - Andy Weir",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book's journal style and humor pulled them in.",
          "audience": "Readers drawn to humorous, journal-style storytelling.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is not an avid reader and is glad to finish before the movie spoils anything.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348293,
          "author": "ryanSrich",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:36:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348293",
          "commentText": "Currently I'm trudging through GEB[1]. Last month I read:\n- The Dip (super short read and has a few good points but overall I didn't really like it)[2]\n- Going Clear (great book, terrible formatting, but a great book)[3]\n- The Martian (short read, very entertaining and well researched)[4]\n1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6del,_Escher,_Bach\n2. http://sethgodin.typepad.com/the_dip/\n3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Going_Clear\n4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Martian_%28Weir_novel%29",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Martian (short read, very entertaining and well researched)",
          "reason": "The commenter found it very entertaining and well researched.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a short read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9347824,
          "author": "monk_e_boy",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T14:38:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9347824",
          "commentText": "\"Off to be the wizard\" is pretty light and fun. \"John dies at the end\" was fun, not really sci-fi, more buffy the vampire slayer esque. \"Existence\" by David Brin made me want to puke it had so many good ideas. A tiny bit dated, but very smart. \"The Martian\" I expect you've read it. Good romp, easy to read. Reminded me of a Michael Crichton. \"World War Z\" was good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Martian\" I expect you've read it. Good romp, easy to read. Reminded me of a Michael Crichton.",
          "reason": "Calls it a good romp and easy to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9347787,
          "author": "theflork",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T14:34:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9347787",
          "commentText": "Second that, reading this right now what a great book!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Second that, reading this right now what a great book!",
          "reason": "Seconding the praise for the book and calls it great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056399,
          "author": "macmac",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T11:42:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056399",
          "commentText": "Anything by Iain M. Banks. Start with \"The Player of Games\" and \"Consider Phlebas\".\nAnything by Vernor S. Vinge especially \"Zones of Thought\" series.\n\"Daemon\", \"Freedom(tm)\", \"Kill Decision\" and \"Influx\" by Daniel Suarez.\n\"The Martian\" by Andy Weir.\nAnything by Neal Stephenson, especially \"Reamde: A Novel\" and \"Cryptonomicon\".\nAnything by Hannu Rajaniemi, especially \"The Fractal Prince\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Martian\" by Andy Weir.",
          "reason": "Listed as a sci-fi recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8944475,
          "author": "coralreef",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-25T22:17:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944475",
          "commentText": "Just read 'The Martian'. I wouldn't even call it science fiction, its just science. A fictional but technical and realistic how-to guide on surviving Mars.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Just read 'The Martian'. I wouldn't even call it science fiction, its just science. A fictional but technical and realistic how-to guide on surviving Mars.",
          "reason": "Describes it as technical and realistic, like a how-to guide for surviving Mars.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401569,
          "author": "MattGrommes",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:39:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401569",
          "commentText": "I'm about a quarter of the way through \"The Martian\" by Andy Weir. It's good, geeky fun so far. Some of the dialog is clunky but the main character is interesting and fun.\nI also read \"11/22/63\" by Stephen King. An interesting twist on time travel with the usual King propulsiveness. Recommended for King fans like me who may not have read him in awhile.\n\"Geek Sublime\" by Vikram Chandra is a surprising mix of \"my career in writing\" with computation lessons and history. I took a break from it to read The Martian but it's extremely interesting. He's one of my favorite writers and I'm glad he's got something out that might expose him to a different audience.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's good, geeky fun so far. Some of the dialog is clunky but the main character is interesting and fun.",
          "reason": "Enjoys its geeky fun and interesting protagonist, while noting clunky dialogue.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some dialogue is clunky.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8106986,
          "author": "alphadevx",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:30:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106986",
          "commentText": "I just finished reading The Martian recently, inspired to write a review: http://www.alphadevx.com/a/453-Review-of-The-Martian\nCurrently reading Flash Boys by Michael Lewis, which is about High Frequency Trading in Wall Street which is interesting for the technology involved.\nFavorite book of all time is Frank Herbert's Dune, the six books are great in fact.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I just finished reading The Martian recently",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968603,
          "author": "schoen",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T00:38:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968603",
          "commentText": "Currently reading Spoken Here: Travels Among Threatened Languages by Mark Abley and The Most Human Human: What Artificial Intelligence Teaches Us About Being Alive by Brian Christian.  Just finished No Place to Hide by Glenn Greenwald, My Real Children by Jo Walton, The Martian by Andy Weir, and Toki Pona: The Language of Good by Sonja Lang (the official reference to her conlang, which I had already studied extensively from online references).\nWaiting for new chapters in the serial Ra by Sam Hughes.  Possibly about to read Engineering a Safer World by Nancy Leveson.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Martian by Andy Weir",
          "reason": "Lists it among books recently finished.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968601,
          "author": "jaymon",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T00:38:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968601",
          "commentText": "I've added it to my list of books to inspire my kids. So if they ever come to me and say, \"Dad, what is chemistry good for?\" I can just give them The Martian and say, \"read this and you'll know\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "give them The Martian and say, \"read this and you'll know\"",
          "reason": "Plans to give it to their children to show them what chemistry is good for.",
          "audience": "The commenter’s children.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968575,
          "author": "schoen",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T00:30:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968575",
          "commentText": "Just read The Martian recently.  It was recommended to me as extremely detail-oriented.\nIt is extremely detail-oriented. :-)\nFun and engrossing if you like super-hard science fiction.  (I sure seemed to, although I glossed over a few of the details in the middle.)\nI was going to say that Kerbal Space Program fans would probably like it, but actually now I really want to say that NetHack fans would probably like it.  (What is the effect of breaking a +6 wand of oxygen scrubbing?  What happens if you dip a cursed ring of radiothermal generation into a blessed potion of liquid nitrogen?  How much nutrition can you get from a partly eaten food ration?)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fun and engrossing if you like super-hard science fiction. (I sure seemed to, although I glossed over a few of the details in the middle.)",
          "reason": "The commenter found it fun and engrossing.",
          "audience": "Readers who like hard science fiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter glossed over some details in the middle.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968396,
          "author": "jaymon",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:44:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968396",
          "commentText": "I started The Martian by Andy Weir about 3 days ago and I'm really enjoying it. It's a really entertaining book that I highly recommend!\nLast week I finished The Paradox of Choice and Zero Day. I enjoyed both of them, although I don't think I'll be reading any of the sequels to Zero Day.\nBefore that I went through The Maze Runner trilogy, those were entertaining reads.\nSome other books I've read recently that I can remember off the top of my head are the Divergent series of books (eh), How Will You Measure Your Life by Clayton Christensen (great read), Ready Player One (loved, loved, loved this book), Starters (didn't bother reading any more in the series) and Moon walking With Einstein (I enjoyed it).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a really entertaining book that I highly recommend!",
          "reason": "Says it's entertaining and highly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7302333,
          "author": "toddjefferson",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T02:15:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7302333",
          "commentText": "I just finish \"The Martian: A Novel\" by Andy Weir and I really enjoyed it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I just finish \"The Martian: A Novel\" by Andy Weir and I really enjoyed it.",
          "reason": "Says they really enjoyed the book, in a thread requesting science-fiction suggestions.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for science-fiction novels.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andy Weir"
      ],
      "recommenders": 36,
      "threads": 25,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mars",
        "survival",
        "hard science fiction",
        "space survival"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "influence-the-psychology-of-persuasion-136133",
      "title": "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion",
      "author": "Robert B. Cialdini",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40438152,
          "author": "Adrig",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-22T07:10:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40438152",
          "commentText": "It's a classic, but Influence by Cialdini lived up to its expectations for me",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Influence by Cialdini lived up to its expectations for me",
          "reason": "The commenter says it lived up to their expectations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40285222,
          "author": "FL33TW00D",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T13:31:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40285222",
          "commentText": "How to win friends and influence people - Dale Carnegie.\nInfluence - Robert Cialdini.\nLike it or not, we enter into \"adversarial\" situations every day.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Influence - Robert Cialdini.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35184007,
          "author": "achenatx",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-16T16:15:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35184007",
          "commentText": "I like books that are actionable. Lots of books are inspirational but not that useful (e.g. crossing the chasm). I run a curriculum in my company which uses a few books I have read over the years.\nemyth revisited (how to think about and structure an org)\ngetting to yes (negotiation)\ninfluence the psychology of persuasion (negotiation)\nspin selling (enterprise sales, supplanted by sandler)\nYou cant teach a kid to ride a bike at a seminar (sandler sales)\n5 dysfunctions of a team (one of the best leadership books)\nfirst break all the rules (management)\naccounting for dummies\npurple cow (differentiation)\nblue ocean strategy (differentiation)\ntraction (strategy/operations)\nrocketfuel (strategy/operations)\nfor professional services:\nmanaging the professional services firm\ngetting naked",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "influence the psychology of persuasion (negotiation)",
          "reason": "Includes it in a company curriculum for negotiation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30824645,
          "author": "mk416",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-27T22:07:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30824645",
          "commentText": "\"Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion\" by Robert B. Cialdini (1984)\n\"How to Make Friends and Influence People\" by Dale Carnegie (1936)\nTwo great books that could lure a curious mind into sales. However, I recommend both to everyone.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion\" by Robert B. Cialdini (1984)",
          "reason": "Recommended as a book that could draw curious readers into sales; the commenter recommends it to everyone.",
          "audience": "Curious readers and people interested in sales.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27637608,
          "author": "wenc",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T23:46:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27637608",
          "commentText": "* Fooled By Randomness (NN Taleb): Taleb is a complicated personality, but this book gave me a heuristic for thinking about long-tails and uncertain events that I could never have derived myself from a probability textbook.\n* Designing Data Intensive Applications (M Kleppmann): Provided a first-principles approach for thinking about the design of modern large-scale data infrastructure. It's not just about assembling different technologies -- there are principles behind how data moves and transforms that transcend current technology, and DDIA is an articulation of those principles. After reading this, I began to notice general patterns in data infrastructure, which helped me quickly grasp how new technologies worked. (most are variations on the same principles)\n* Introduction to Statistical Learning (James et al) and Applied Predictive Modeling (Kuhn et al). These two books gave me a grand sweep of predictive modeling methods pre-deep learning, methods which continue to be useful and applicable to a wider variety of problem contexts than AI/Deep Learning. (neural networks aren't appropriate for huge classes of problems)\n* High Output Management (A Grove): oft-recommended book by former Intel CEO Andy Grove on how middle management in large corporations actually works, from promotions to meetings (as a unit of work). This was my guide to interpreting my experiences when I joined a large corporation and boy was it accurate. It gave me a language and a framework for thinking about what was happening around me. I heard this was 1 of 2 books Tobi Luetke read to understand management when he went from being a technical person to CEO of Shopify. (the other book being Cialdini's Influence). Hard Things about Hard Things (B Horowitz) is a different take that is also worth a read to understand the hidden--but intentional--managerial design of a modern tech company. These some of the very few books written by practitioners--rather than management gurus--that I've found to track pretty closely with my own real life experiences.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "(the other book being Cialdini's Influence)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned as a book someone else read to understand management; the commenter gives no opinion of it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25319389,
          "author": "vmurthy",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T23:17:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319389",
          "commentText": "Never split the difference : Chris Voss [0] &\nStart with No : Jim Camp [1] opened my eyes to tactics used by sales/\"business\" folks when they negotiate with me and provided some tips which  help me in my own negotiations. Case in point: A car dealer mentioned to me casually that a car whose MRP is AUD 38800 would never be discounted below 34000. I took it as a psychological \"anchor\" that had to be explored and negotiated rather than agreed upon without discussion. Started with a random figure of 32349 and ended up with getting the car for 33500 ( given that it was my first negotiation, I think it's a win :-) )\nInfluence by Cialdini is a timeless classic that helps me appreciate the fascinating world of human psychology\n[0] https://www.amazon.in/Never-Split-Difference-Negotiating-Dep... (https://www.amazon.in/Never-Split-Difference-Negotiating-Depended-ebook/dp/B018FHCPDO/ref=sr_1_1?crid=B3RBMIE3MSZX&keywords=never+split+the+difference%27+by+chris+voss&qid=1607209738&sprefix=never+split+the+%2Caps%2C418&sr=8-1)\n[1] https://www.amazon.in/Start-No-Negotiating-Tools-That/dp/060... (https://www.amazon.in/Start-No-Negotiating-Tools-That/dp/0609608002/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2BMPOVAGCR1W9&dchild=1&keywords=jim+camp+start+with+no&qid=1607209814&sprefix=jim+camp+%2Caps%2C426&sr=8-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Influence by Cialdini is a timeless classic that helps me appreciate the fascinating world of human psychology",
          "reason": "Described as a classic that helps the commenter appreciate human psychology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25209272,
          "author": "mindhash",
          "createdAt": "2020-11-25T14:01:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 25207732,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Suggest good books on bootstrapping a startup",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25209272",
          "commentText": "I was in similar state a few of years back. Read these, and used them to a good extent.\nLean analytics. (must read)\nProduct-Led growth. (must read)\n22 Laws of marketing (must)\nOne million followers\nIf you like scientific approach:\nInfluence by Robert Cialdini\nContagious (Jonah Berger)\nThis resource is also gold: https://brianbalfour.com/essays/customer-acquisition\nI am also documenting my learnings in a book [1].\n[1] https://book.amols.blog/59decisions",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Influence by Robert Cialdini",
          "reason": "Recommends it among books taking a scientific approach.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Grouped under “If you like scientific approach.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19088692,
          "author": "MikeCapone",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T19:15:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19088692",
          "commentText": "So many, and I wish I could write a long paragraph on each, but I'm unfortunately short on time. I'm posting any in case just one person who hasn't heard of those checks them out and gets value:\n-Godel, Escher, Bach (Douglas Hosfstadter)\n-The Mindbody Prescription (John E. Sarno, completely cured my long-term crippling RSI that kept me from using computers and was ruining my life)\n-Feeling Good (Dr. Burns, cognitive therapy mostly centered on depression, but I want to learn about this before I have depression so that I can avoid it and do 'maintenance' on myself)\n-The 5 Love Languages (Gary Chapman, made me understand a lot more about how people express and receive love, and the problems that arise from mismatched languages in relationships)\n-Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman (you guys probably already know this)\n-The Blank Slate (Steven Pinker)\n-The Snowball (Warren Buffett biography)\n-Influence (Robert B. Cialdini)\n-Your Money or Your Life (Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin)\n-When Heaven and Earth Changed Places: A Vietnamese Woman's Journey from War to Peace (Le Ly Hayslip)\n-The Halo Effect (Phil Rosenzweig)\n-The LessWrong.com sequences on rationality",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-Influence (Robert B. Cialdini)",
          "reason": "Listed among books offered to readers who might get value from them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17985669,
          "author": "rocgf",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-14T08:44:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17985669",
          "commentText": "Great book indeed.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great book indeed.",
          "reason": "The commenter affirms the book mentioned in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17983531,
          "author": "dorchadas",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-13T23:13:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17983531",
          "commentText": "I haven't read that one, but I read is Pre-suasion last year, and it was definitely an eyeopener. Have quite a lot of bookmarks in that one still. Need to get around to Influence too.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Need to get around to Influence too.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Plans to read it; gives no evaluation or recommendation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16352164,
          "author": "DyslexicAtheist",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T10:58:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16352164",
          "commentText": "- Nassim N. Taleb: Black Swan and Antifragile[0]\n  - Robert Cialdini: Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion[1]\n  - Franklin Foer: World Without Mind: The Existential Threat of Big Tech[2]\n  - Herbert Marcuse: One-Dimensional Man: Studies in the Ideology of Advanced Industrial Society[3]\n\n[0] https://www.amazon.com/Black-Swan-Improbable-Robustness-Frag... (https://www.amazon.com/Black-Swan-Improbable-Robustness-Fragility/dp/081297381X)\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Rober... (https://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Robert-Cialdini/dp/006124189X)\n[2] https://www.amazon.com/World-Without-Mind-Existential-Threat... (https://www.amazon.com/World-Without-Mind-Existential-Threat/dp/1101981113)\n[3] https://www.amazon.com/One-Dimensional-Man-Ideology-Industri... (https://www.amazon.com/One-Dimensional-Man-Ideology-Industrial-Routledge/dp/0415289777)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Robert Cialdini: Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion",
          "reason": "Listed among books for colleagues to read.",
          "audience": "Colleagues in the thread's book recommendations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296337,
          "author": "caseysoftware",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T05:27:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296337",
          "commentText": "Trust Me, I'm Lying by Ryan Holliday\nInfluence: The Psychology of Persuasion\nI read both a couple years ago and was fascinated (and annoyed) by how many of the little tricks and tactics I recognized in sales, in the news, and really in every day life. Reading them didn't make me immune to any of it but now I'm aware and try to think more critically about what I see and hear.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion",
          "reason": "Says they were fascinated by the tactics they recognized in sales and news, and now try to think more critically.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says reading it did not make them immune to the tactics discussed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16010565,
          "author": "jonvillage",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-26T19:55:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16010565",
          "commentText": "This year I've read:\nMaxims - Epictetus\nThe road to serfdom - Friedrich Hayek\nDe officiis - Cicero\nDe divinatione - Cicero\nLives of eminent philosophers - Diogenes Laertius\nConfessions - Al ghazali\nIlliad - Homer\nOdyssey - Homer\nInfluence - Robert Cialdini\nGuns, Germs and steel - Jared Diamond\nPoor Charlie's Almanack - Charlie Munger - 2nd reading\nAndrew Carnegie's Biography - Joseph Frazier\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Taleb - 2nd reading\nBed of Procrustes - Nassim Taleb\nNever Split the Difference - Christopher Voss\nThe intelligent investor - Benjamin Graham\nAutobiography - Benjamin Franklin\nI always remember this quote:\n\"In my whole life, I have known no wise people who didn't read all the time -- none, zero.\"  Charlie Munger",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Influence - Robert Cialdini",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15157831,
          "author": "whalesalad",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T19:44:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15157831",
          "commentText": "Influence by Robert Cialdini. Models by Mark Manson. Eloquent Ruby by Russ Olsen.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Influence by Robert Cialdini.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking which books had the biggest impact on mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156271,
          "author": "BeetleB",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T14:58:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156271",
          "commentText": "Bargaining for Advantage : Negotiation Strategies for Reasonable People\nThe Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion\nLies my teacher told me : everything your American history textbook got wrong\nInfluence: The Psychology of Persuasion\nNonviolent Communication: A Language of Life\nThinking, Fast and Slow",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which books had the biggest impact on mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14860364,
          "author": "kk3399",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T21:07:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14860364",
          "commentText": "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416833,
          "author": "cs702",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T22:54:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416833",
          "commentText": "I agree with others on the \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius.\nOff the top of my head, I would add:\n* \"The Way to Wealth,\" by Benjamin Franklin: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0918222885 (also available online for free; it's in the public domain) -- no-nonsense practical advice from a super-successful individual\n* Warren Buffett's Letters to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders: http://www.berkshirehathaway.com/letters/letters.html (also available organized by topic, in a bound book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1611637589 which some will find much easier to read)\n* \"The Intelligent Investor,\" by Benjamin Graham (specifically the chapters titled \"The Investor and Market Fluctuations\" and \"Margin of Safety\"): https://www.amazon.com/dp/0060555661\n* \"Influence: the Psychology of Persuasion,\" by Robert Cialdini: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0688128165\nAlso:\n* \"Devil Take the Hindmost,\" by Edward Chancellor: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0452281806\n* \"A Short History of Financial Euphoria,\" by John Kenneth Galbraith: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0140238565\n* \"Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds,\" by Charles Mackay: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1586635581",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Influence: the Psychology of Persuasion,\" by Robert Cialdini",
          "reason": "Includes it in the recommended reading list.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in persuasion.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416091,
          "author": "snappye",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T20:37:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416091",
          "commentText": "Influence - Psychology of persuasion\nGun Germs and Steel\nHero with a thousand faces\nStarting Strength",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Influence - Psychology of persuasion",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10234683,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T17:14:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10234683",
          "commentText": "I would recommend the following\nThinking Fast and Slow\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thinking,_Fast_and_Slow\nPredictably Irrational: \nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predictably_Irrational\nInfluence:\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Cialdini#Theory_of_infl... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Cialdini#Theory_of_influence)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Influence:",
          "reason": "Included in a list of recommendations in response to a request for sales books or videos.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10028258,
          "author": "hammeringtime",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T18:45:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10028258",
          "commentText": "* Influence by Cialdini - great overview of the psychology of human motivation and influence. You'll get the inside dirt on a lot of sales and marketing tricks.\n* Seeing like a State by James Scott - a good political history with lots of insight into many conventions in our modern society, such as even last names, were created to make society manageable by a central government.\n* Europe and the Europeans by Barzini - the closest thing I have found to being a time traveler, skipping between different places and times in Europe from 1920 to the 1970's.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Influence by Cialdini - great overview of the psychology of human motivation and influence. You'll get the inside dirt on a lot of sales and marketing tricks.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great overview and says it explains sales and marketing tactics.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in motivation, sales, or marketing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10028164,
          "author": "mildredmorgan",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T18:18:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10028164",
          "commentText": "I love \"Predictably Irrational\" by Dan Ariely and \"Influence\" by Robert Cialdini, both fascinating reads about how the mind works that yield useful insights for UI design and marketing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Influence\" by Robert Cialdini, both fascinating reads about how the mind works that yield useful insights for UI design and marketing.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it fascinating and says it offers useful insights for UI design and marketing.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in how the mind works, UI design, or marketing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10027735,
          "author": "myproductlaunch",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T16:24:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027735",
          "commentText": "\"Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion\" by Robert Cialdini\nPretty much a must-read for anyone interested in sales, marketing, or \"persuasion\". However, even if you're not in that line of work it will blow you away. Lots of good examples and not a lot of fluff (despite what you might think just based on the title).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion\" by Robert Cialdini\nPretty much a must-read for anyone interested in sales, marketing, or \"persuasion\". However, even if you're not in that line of work it will blow you away.",
          "reason": "Calls it a must-read and says it will impress readers even outside the field.",
          "audience": "People interested in sales, marketing, or persuasion; also readers outside those fields.",
          "caveat": "The title could make it seem fluffy to readers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8717862,
          "author": "hvd",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T17:56:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8717862",
          "commentText": "For me it was\n1.Influence: \nhttp://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Robert... (http://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Robert-Cialdini/dp/006124189X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418061288&sr=8-1&keywords=influence)\nIt talks about how the brain has certain preprogrammed sequences for situations.\n2.Predictably Irrational\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Predictably-Irrational-Hidden-Forces-D... (http://www.amazon.com/Predictably-Irrational-Hidden-Forces-Decisions-ebook/dp/B002C949KE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418061376&sr=8-1&keywords=predictably+irrational)\nAgain about the hidden mechanisms with which we make decisions and our reptile brain.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For me it was\n1.Influence:",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the books that changed the commenter's life in response to the thread's question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6332302,
          "author": "shreyas-satish",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-05T05:16:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 6329955,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which two books were the most influential on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6332302",
          "commentText": "1. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (No pun intended).\nThis book really turned my head around and made me realize how there are people (especially ones in the Sales & Marketing realm) out there waiting to sneak one past you. Don't be surprised (not if you can help it), if while reading the book you go \"Oh my, someone actually used that trick on me!\".\n2. The Mindbody Prescription\nI understand that some people are skeptical about the theory (TMS) that Dr John Sarno proposes (I was too at first). I'm no neuro-scientist to attest anything in the book, but empirical evidence (experiences of mine and a few others even on HN) seems to suggest the possibility of Dr Sarno getting it right. Anyway, it seemed to help me overcome a problem I had with my wrists and I'm thankful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book really turned my head around",
          "reason": "Changed the commenter’s perspective and helped them recognize persuasion tactics.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in recognizing persuasion tactics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5702682,
          "author": "mion",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-14T02:09:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5702682",
          "commentText": "Influence by Robert B. Cialdini\nYou'll learn about the several \"weapons of influence\" many people have used and still use on you (and you use on people) sometimes without even knowing. It also gives you great insight into sales.\nI highly recommend it for a technical person.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend it for a technical person.",
          "reason": "The commenter highly recommends it to technical people, noting its lessons on influence and sales.",
          "audience": "Technical people.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3995310,
          "author": "dirkdeman",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-19T07:02:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 3991620,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What PR book should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3995310",
          "commentText": "As a PR and communications major I can help you with that. I can recommend these two books:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Busine... (http://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Business-Essentials/dp/006124189X)\nAnd\nhttp://about.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=94... (http://about.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=949705369)\nDo keep in mind that PR is something different than marketing or advertisement. Those people running around, dropping names and 'generating spin'? That's just a very tiny part of PR. PR is about shaping the public opinion, not just one person's mind.\nOn a side note, I wrote my thesis on wartime propaganda. I found out that the strongest motivator for people to take action is fear. The fear of losing something, missing out, or a common enemy (think Apple-Android!) is very powerful.\nOn a second side note, I read another comment about lying. Lying isn't right of course, but there are several degrees of lying. And imagine if know how to sell a lie, how easy it would be to sell righteous truth...\nDrop me a line if you need some help or advice. I'm by no means an expert on PR in Silicon Valley, but I know a thing or two about PR.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can recommend these two books:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Busine...",
          "reason": "Recommended as one of two books for learning about PR.",
          "audience": "Someone learning about PR and communications.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3277592,
          "author": "lpolovets",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T17:30:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3277592",
          "commentText": "Category 1:\n- Simple Heuristics That Make Use Smart by Gigerenzer, et al. (http://www.amazon.com/Simple-Heuristics-That-Make-Smart/dp/0... (http://www.amazon.com/Simple-Heuristics-That-Make-Smart/dp/0195143817/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1322242265&sr=1-1)). I have heard good things about this book but have not read it yet.\nCategory 2:\n- Think Twice by Mauboussin (http://www.amazon.com/Think-Twice-Harnessing-Power-Counterin... (http://www.amazon.com/Think-Twice-Harnessing-Power-Counterintuition/dp/1422176754))\n- Influence by Cialdini (http://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Busine... (http://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Business-Essentials/dp/006124189X))\nCategory 3:\n- You already mentioned Michalko, but his other book, Thinkertoys, is also very good (http://www.amazon.com/Thinkertoys-Handbook-Creative-Thinking... (http://www.amazon.com/Thinkertoys-Handbook-Creative-Thinking-Techniques-2nd/dp/1580087736))\nCategory 5:\n- Switch by the Heath brothers is excellent (http://www.amazon.com/Switch-Change-Things-When-Hard/dp/0385... (http://www.amazon.com/Switch-Change-Things-When-Hard/dp/0385528752/))",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Influence by Cialdini",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2331188,
          "author": "goo",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-16T07:28:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 2329700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that change your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2331188",
          "commentText": "It won't win me any hipster points, but I have to recommend \"Influence: the psychology of persuasion\", by Robert B. Cialdini. This book managed to beautifully, clearly, and engagingly account for the major factors of human influence.\nDespite a degree in cognitive science and extensive personal interest in social psychology and compliance tactics, this book still proved incredibly insightful. And from a marketing and sales perspective, I would consider it a must-read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book managed to beautifully, clearly, and engagingly account for the major factors of human influence.",
          "reason": "Praises its clear, engaging account of human influence and calls it a must-read for marketing and sales.",
          "audience": "People interested in social psychology, marketing, or sales.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226850,
          "author": "keyist",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:36:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226850",
          "commentText": "Don't miss sivers's great list: http://sivers.org/book\nAs for mine,\nScience Fiction (I like these authors so I'd recommend most of their books -- listing which ones I think are a good 'starter novel' for them):\n  Charles Stross: Halting State\n  Vernor Vinge: A Fire Upon The Deep\n  Iain M. Banks: Culture novels, start with Player of Games\n  David Louis Edelman: Jump 225 Trilogy\n  Daniel Suarez: Daemon and Freedom(tm)\n  John Scalzi: Old Man's War series\n  Dan Simmons: Hyperion\n\nSelf-improvement:\n  The Talent Code\n  Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger\n  Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion\n\nNon-fiction:\n  Amusing Ourselves To Death (highly recommended)\n  The Science of Fear\n  The Black Swan\n  Tokyo Vice\n  Racing The Beam (Atari history, very cool)\n  books by Daniel Pink\n  Guns, Germs, and Steel\n  The Prize by Daniel Yergin\n\nFantasy:\nAnything by Gaiman or China Mieville, pretty much.\nEDIT: links to previews (legally) available online\nCharles Stross's Accelerando (entire book): http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelera... (http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelerando/accelerando-intro.html)\nDavid Louis Edelman's Infoquake (1st 7 chapters): http://www.davidlouisedelman.com/jump225/infoquake/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1081276,
          "author": "redsymbol",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-27T19:11:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 1080708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Marketing Books for Developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1081276",
          "commentText": "In early 2009, I got sick and tired of my incompetence with sales and marketing, and decided to learn.  So I set out to learn, even if it meant sacrificing coding for a while.\nMarketing (and its cousin, sales) has many facets, perhaps surprisingly many, with significant differences among them.  Just like compiler implementation requires skills and knowledge different from 3D graphics coding, or secure web development, for example.  At the \"high end\" of the marketing food chain, there are things like public relations.  I personally don't know much about that yet.\nInstead, I chose to focus on copywriting. Basically, the art and science of creating powerfully effective ads using only the written word.  Often this means writing sales letters, i.e. several-page-long texts that sell something.\nThis focus has proven to be a good choice.  It gives a very strong foundation that applies to other kinds of marketing and sales.  For example, Adwords ads can be viewed as extremely short sales letters.\nYou asked specifically about books.  Over the course of 2009, I worked through (not just read!) about half a dozen marketing tomes that people had recommended to me.  In descending priority, my favorite three:\n  * Hypnotic Writing by Joe Vitale\n  * The Adweek Copywriting Handbook by Joseph Sugerman\n  * Cashvertising by Drew Whitman\n\nIf you can read only three books, I'd suggest these, in the order listed.  But if you can only read one, Cashvertising might actually be the best for you.\nCAVEAT: Make sure you work through all the exercises the book has - and if it doesn't, invent them!  Sugarman's book, for example, has few explicit reader exercises.  So after each section or chapter, close the book and write an ad for your product, and/or some other product (real or imaginary), applying and exercising the principles you just learned.  Use pen and paper, or better yet, a dedicated notebook.  You'll miss out on at least 80% of the value of these books if you fail to do this!!\nAnother very good thing to do is to HAND COPY a good sales letter.  Do it in long hand, on sheets of paper, with a pen or pencil.  Why in the world, you ask?  Because it's a powerful, powerful way to drill some of the more subtle advertising patterns into your subconscious.\nSeveral important marketers - Dan Kennedy is one - famously recommend doing this with 100 long sales letters if you really want to manifest great skill in marketing.  I've done about six of them myself, so far.  Doing just the first one produced a difference in my skill that was too great to ignore.\nAlmost no one will do this, because it's so much work.  A good solid sales letter may be ten pages, which takes me about three hours to hand copy.  Let me just suggest that it's worth it, and you may want to try it out once to evaluate for yourself.  Just make sure you use a GOOD (meaning, highly financially successful) sales letter - you want to make sure you ingrain good habits, not bad ones!\nP.S. Cialdini and Collier are often recommended.  Personally, I found less value in them.  Cialdini's is good, but very, very mental and intellectual.  That can be great for a typical advertising person.  But most people reading this (programmers) need to be LESS mental, to grok marketing, not more.  Reading even a few pages of Cialdini makes me feel \"stuck in my head\".\nFor Collier, I'm personally glad I took the time to read it, but for most people in your shoes it is probably not the first priority, and IMO not even a \"must-read\" at all.\nEDIT: fixed formatting and a typo",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Cialdini's is good, but very, very mental and intellectual.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book is good, while finding its intellectual approach less suited to most programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers learning marketing.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may suit a typical advertising person better and can leave programmers feeling stuck in their heads.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1080802,
          "author": "mos1",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-27T16:19:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 1080708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Marketing Books for Developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1080802",
          "commentText": "Influence - The Psychology of Persuasion by Cialdini.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Busine... (http://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Business-Essentials/dp/006124189X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216856193&sr=8-1)\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing - Violate Them at Your Own Risk!\nhttp://www.amazon.com/22-Immutable-Laws-Marketing-Violate/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/22-Immutable-Laws-Marketing-Violate/dp/0887306667/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216858700&sr=1-1)\nDon't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to We Usability, by Steve Krug:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Me-Think-Usability/dp/032134... (http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Me-Think-Usability/dp/0321344758/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216860599&sr=1-1)\nInformation Architecture for the World Wide Web: Designing Large Scale Web Sites, by Paul Rosenfeld and Peter Morville:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Information-Architecture-World-Wide-We... (http://www.amazon.com/Information-Architecture-World-Wide-Web/dp/0596527349/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216860826&sr=1-1)\nWhy We Buy: The Science of Shopping, by Paco Underhill\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Buy-Shopping-Updated-Internet/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Buy-Shopping-Updated-Internet/dp/1416595244/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1264609112&sr=1-1)\nAnd at least one Jakob Nielsen Usability book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Influence - The Psychology of Persuasion by Cialdini.",
          "reason": "Listed as a suggestion in response to a request for marketing books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026759,
          "author": "joe_bleau",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T04:13:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026759",
          "commentText": "Influence, \nPredictably Irrational, \nFooled by Randomness, \nThe Blank Slate, \nHouse of Cards, \nand Planar Microwave Engineering come to mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Influence,",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for great books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026494,
          "author": "sivers",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T00:12:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026494",
          "commentText": "(The links here bring you to my notes from each book, and the ISBN number for each so you can find it easily at your favorite library/store/whatever.)\nHow We Decide - by Jonah Lehrer:\nBrilliant book with one clear message: our emotional brain is faster and usually smarter than our logical brain. Our emotions are trained by years of logic and experience, retaining it all for real wisdom. Many decisions are better made by going with the gut feeling. Gets a little too technical with deep brain/neuro/cortex talk, but brings it back to usable points.\nhttp://sivers.org/book/HowWeDecide\nThe Investor's Manifesto - by William J. Bernstein:\nAbsolutely my favorite author and advisor on the subject of investing. Anyone with any money to invest (or already invested) please read this book. Such clear thinking, using only facts, and using numbers not guesses. Modern portfolio theory: use passive indexes of the entire market, no speculation, no stock picking, and avoid the entire fee-sucking financial industry.\nhttp://sivers.org/book/InvestorsManifesto\nSum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives - by David Eagleman:\nFiction. Awesomely creative think-piece of 40 different short stories of what happens when you die. To be clear: the author is not pretending this is fact! The framework is inspiring for anyone: coming up with 40 different answers to any one question.\nhttp://sivers.org/book/Sum\nThe Talent Code - by Daniel Coyle:\nA great book showing that deep practice - (struggling in certain targeted ways - operating at the edges of your ability, where you make mistakes - experiences where you're forced to slow down, make errors, and correct them) - is what really makes you improve at anything.\nhttp://sivers.org/book/TalentCode\nInfluence - by Robert Cialdini:\nClassic book on the psychology of persuasion. I read it 15 years ago, thought about it ever since, and re-read it now. How to get a 700% improvement in volunteers. How to sell more by doubling your prices. How to make people feel they made a choice, when really you made it for them.\nhttp://sivers.org/book/Influence\nThe Time Paradox - by Philip Zimbardo and John Boyd:\nSee my in-depth article about this book at http://sivers.org/time\nhttp://sivers.org/book/TimeParadox",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Classic book on the psychology of persuasion. I read it 15 years ago, thought about it ever since, and re-read it now.",
          "reason": "Calls it a classic and says it stayed with them and merited rereading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 949313,
          "author": "gcheong",
          "createdAt": "2009-11-18T22:44:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 947581,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN:  What's the best first business book for a programmer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=949313",
          "commentText": "I would add \"Influence\" by Cialdini under this category .",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would add \"Influence\" by Cialdini under this category .",
          "reason": "Adds it as another suggestion in the business book discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797218,
          "author": "chrisconley",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T02:46:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797218",
          "commentText": "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 674923,
          "author": "skmurphy",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-26T03:58:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 673487,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there any good Internet marketing books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=674923",
          "commentText": "I would recommend these books for a good grounding in marketing and fostering innovation:\n   The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen\n   Crossing the Chasm and Inside the Tornado by Geoffrey Moore\n   Innovation and Entrepreneurship by Peter Drucker\n   Marketing High Technology by William Davidow\n   Four Steps to the Epiphany by Steve Blank\n   Jumpstart Your Business Brain by Doug Hall\n   E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber\n   Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim & R. Mauborgne\n   Influence The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini\n   The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries and Jack Trout\n   Secrets of Consulting by Gerald Weinberg\n\nFor an article that summarizes key concepts see http://skmurphy.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/Crucial%20Mar... (http://skmurphy.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/Crucial%20Marketing%20Concepts.pdf)\nThere is a companion slide deck here http://www.skmurphy.com/f/SDForum061211.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Influence The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini",
          "reason": "Recommended for grounding in marketing and fostering innovation.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a grounding in marketing and innovation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 569186,
          "author": "rivo",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-19T06:47:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 568556,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sales book recommendation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=569186",
          "commentText": "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Busine... (http://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Business-Essentials/dp/006124189X/)\nThe Definitive Book of Body Language\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Definitive-Book-Body-Language/dp/05538... (http://www.amazon.com/Definitive-Book-Body-Language/dp/0553804723/)\n+1 to How to Win Friends & Influence People",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Busine...",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 408020,
          "author": "gruseom",
          "createdAt": "2008-12-23T20:02:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 407067,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Let's start a Hacker News book club",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=408020",
          "commentText": "Those last three are great suggestions (I don't know #1). #2 is a classic, but I've read it a couple of times. #3 I've been meaning to read for years. #4 I'm actually in the middle of right now (I think because tptacek recommended it here) and unlike the vast majority of business books, it's superb. It's also older (pre-internet) which is actually a good thing as it focuses one's attention on fundamentals.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Those last three are great suggestions",
          "reason": "Calls it a great suggestion in response to the list of books the commenter would like to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 407275,
          "author": "jkkramer",
          "createdAt": "2008-12-23T04:26:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 407067,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Let's start a Hacker News book club",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=407275",
          "commentText": "I would be more inclined to do this if the book is non-technical. When you commit to reading a technical book, you're committing yourself to more than just the time spent reading: you're committing yourself to the time spent applying and fully understanding what you read -- installing tools, tinkering with syntax, coding, and so on. I've got enough of that now.\nWith non-technical books (literature, history, quality-of-life), most of the time will be invested into actual reading, with a bit of pondering and maybe discussing. We can have a conversation right away, and there's still knowledge and insight to be gained.\nHere are some non-technical books I'd like to read:\n* How to Read a Book - http://amazon.com/dp/0671212095\n* Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion - http://amazon.com/dp/006124189X\n* Liar's Poker - http://amazon.com/dp/0140143459\n* Growing a Business - http://amazon.com/dp/0671671642",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books the commenter says they would like to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Interest in reading it is not an endorsement.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 241098,
          "author": "tstegart",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T13:29:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=241098",
          "commentText": "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion - by Robert Cialdini. This book will pretty much change your life when it comes to figuring out marketing and why people do things, and what not to do when you're trying to get people to buy into your ideas.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book will pretty much change your life when it comes to figuring out marketing and why people do things",
          "reason": "The commenter says it can change how readers understand marketing and why people act as they do.",
          "audience": "People interested in marketing and influencing others' decisions.",
          "caveat": "The commenter warns about what not to do when trying to get people to buy into ideas.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5613,
          "author": "dropbox",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T04:36:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5613",
          "commentText": "some that haven't been mentioned:\n- the innovator's dilemma by clayton christensen\n- blue ocean strategy (kim and mauborgne) -- these two books give you a little bit more of a framework to evaluate where your idea adds value and give you examples of how/why some successful companies have been successful\n- high tech startup by nesheim -- a little dated, but lots of info\n- negotiation/people books: getting to yes (fisher, ury) and getting past no (ury), influence by cialdini\n (useful for more than just startups)\n- maybe some management books: peopleware (demarco and lister), the art of project management (berkun), first, break all the rules (buckingham)\n- founders at work (livingston) to get inspired\n+1 to crossing the chasm, and the godin & gladwell books, art of the start\nblogs: onstartups.com, fred wilson, brad feld, seth godin, etc., guy kawasaki\n-drew",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "influence by cialdini",
          "reason": "Listed among useful books for negotiation and people skills in response to the thread's request.",
          "audience": "Useful for more than startups, according to the commenter.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert B. Cialdini"
      ],
      "recommenders": 35,
      "threads": 29,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "persuasion",
        "social influence",
        "social psychology",
        "marketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "man-s-search-for-meaning-802dd8",
      "title": "Man’s Search for Meaning",
      "author": "Viktor E. Frankl",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48436117,
          "author": "Flundstrom2",
          "createdAt": "2026-06-07T16:02:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 48434230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48436117",
          "commentText": "Man's search for meaning, by Viktor Frankl.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Man's search for meaning, by Viktor Frankl.",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the thread’s request for an unknown book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46227376,
          "author": "wryoak",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-11T03:39:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 46226571,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46227376",
          "commentText": "Man’s Search For Meaning (Frankl), The Color Purple (Walker), Orbital (Harvey)\nNot specifically for the HN community but these are the only books I read this year that I would recommend without qualification.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Man’s Search For Meaning (Frankl)",
          "reason": "Recommended without qualification.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43686530,
          "author": "Uzmanali",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-14T21:30:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 43685856,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What 3 Books Would You Recommend to Anyone?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43686530",
          "commentText": "I recommend you 3 books that changed my perception and really helped me during tough times. The Power of Habit\" by charles duhigg, \"The Forty Rules of Love\" by elif shafak and \"Man's Search for Meaning\" by viktor E. frankl.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Man's Search for Meaning\" by viktor E. frankl.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as one of three books that changed their perception and helped during tough times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43686220,
          "author": "PaulHoule",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-14T20:55:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 43685856,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What 3 Books Would You Recommend to Anyone?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43686220",
          "commentText": "I think \"life changing\" and \"universal\" are contradictory.\nA person who is ready to pick up the bar,  for instance,  would benefit from Rippetoe's Starting Strength but if you don't pick up the bar it's just another book (you might get something from just plain lifting Schwarzenegger's Modern Weighlifting though, if not the Misner, Thorne and Wheeler book Gravitation.)  Similarly Super System will change your life if you are serious about playing poker,  otherwise it's just a fun read like the D&D Monster Manual  I'd say that Ashcroft and Mermin's Solid State Physics was a great adventure even if I didn't end up doing physics in the end,  but I was a grad student in condensed matter and I took Ashcroft's class.  When I was wanting to explore the edges of applied philosophy and literature I felt Alain Badiou's Being and Event was meaningful to me but a lot of people would say it is obscurantist French trash like Derrida and if you believe that I can't change your mind.\nI'd tend to reject categorically that fiction could be life changing but maybe that's harsh.  So often people nominate books that to me are trash like Atlas Shrugged,  The Illuminati Trilogy or Hitchhiker's Guide.  From time to time though I do discover an author with a large body of work that I'm obsessed with for a few months,  like last year I rediscovered Poul Anderson (want to see Dominic Flandry have a fight with Kimball Kinnison) and got into Pratchett's Discworld.\nI think a lot of books that offer simple answers to things like books by Malcolm Gladwell and Robert Greene are often harmful and also I think Man's Search for Meaning by Frankl is absolute poison for 21st century people.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Man's Search for Meaning by Frankl is absolute poison for 21st century people.",
          "reason": "The commenter strongly criticizes it as harmful for people today.",
          "audience": "People in the 21st century.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42656471,
          "author": "PaulHoule",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T15:29:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42656471",
          "commentText": "I'm fairly convinced most successful \"social\" sites have bodies buried somewhere.  The problem of launching a two-sided market is tough.\nIt was against my ethics but we sent a round of unsolicited emails to about 10,000 people in Brazil to launch a voice chat service circa 2001.  It must have been a really good list (and a different time and place) because we had close to a 40% response rate.  (Later we got a list that was so bad some of the emails didn't have '@' signs in them!)\nThere's that famous story of how reddit was initially populated with fake users too.\n---\nI've never been able to enjoy that Viktor Frankl book, Man's Search for Meaning ,since I read an essay that pointed out how pernicious it was that postmodern people like to fantasize that everyday life is like a concentration camp -- paradoxically that fantasy undermines Frankl's own thesis\nI recently read an account of a 14 year old girl (a demo that is vulnerable to Franklism,  I had one in an acting class I was in) who said she thought about the Holocaust (survived by some ancestors she'd never met) every day and experienced it as a trauma.  If that's what it means to \"remember the Holocaust\" we might be better to forget.  We hear the refrain that \"it must never happen again\" but it happens over and over again routinely\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genocide\nand if that memory makes us think it is a memory and not an ongoing crime,  it is part of the problem and not part of the solution.  You can take your own experiences of your group being persecuted and apply that to justice universally (Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner gave their lives together with African-American James Chaney in 1964 to fight racism in the U.S. South) or you can use it as an excuse to commit similar crimes (kill and displace civilians) against other people.  It's your choice.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I've never been able to enjoy that Viktor Frankl book, Man's Search for Meaning",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have never been able to enjoy it and criticizes how readers use its ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Critiques the book's reception and its use to frame ordinary life as like a concentration camp.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34162295,
          "author": "nomagicbullet",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T16:01:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34162295",
          "commentText": "Here we go:\n— Flow: The most fitting for the HN crowd. A fantastic read about the state of flow in work and leisure. Great framework for unlocking what drives the mind towards fulfillment and happiness. I liked the ideas around how \"order of thought\" relates to personal satisfaction. I wished it talked about the \"how\" not just the \"what\".\n— Man's Search For Meaning: An absolute classic. A moving but most of all inspiring book about the experience of a man in the Nazi camps. Stoic optimism. It opened my eyes to the relationship between suffering and self-actualization.\n— I Remember: A book by Joe Brainard to be found in the poetry section but written in a unique unconventional style. Accessible, playful and moving. It created a lot of noise with it came out because of its format.\n— Never Say You Can't Survive: How To Get Through Hard Times By Making Up Stories: The book I needed to read to reconnect me to writing to cultivate the spirit.\n— Carbon & Silicon: This last one is a comic book. The story is an intimate (yet grand) robot saga that expands over centuries. A battle between immortality and decay. A joy to read. It hit me hard.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Man's Search For Meaning: An absolute classic. A moving but most of all inspiring book about the experience of a man in the Nazi camps.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it opened their eyes to the relationship between suffering and self-actualization.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34160619,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:11:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160619",
          "commentText": "This year I've put myself to the challenge to read at least one book per week which I primarily could complete by reading in the middle of the night while holding our sleeping baby in my arms. It has been an interesting challenge which gave me a lot of fulfilment and has certainly changed my mind on how I view the world. This comment became quite a long read, apologies for that.\nBooks I highly recommend:\nChurchill by Andrew Roberts (p:1105)\nA biography about one of the most interesting figures in politics and WWII. Roberts gives a very detailed description of the life of Churchill and manages to keep you interested the entire length of the book.\nThe God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (p:374)\nIn The God Delusion Dawkins gives arguments why there is no God, why we do not need a God and why religion is damaging to our society. If you are religious it might not be the book for you unless you are open to hear his arguments and line of reasoning. Dawkins will challenge your worldview.\nThe Bomb by Fred Kaplan (p:384)\nKaplan describes the policy of different US presidents on the atomic bomb and war in general. And primarily on the inability of US presidents and policy-makers to tune down its military. A chilling read which makes you appreciate a nuclear holocaust did not happen (yet)....\nPoor Economics by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo (p:320)\nBanerjee and Duflo give a gripping portrait of how poor people live. They offer an insight in the choices and decisions people make surviving on less than 1 USD a day (corrected for purchasing power). It made me completely rethink my own view on poverty and development aid; stressing even more that in order to help one need to have a complete understanding of the individual's situation and the local boundary conditions.\nProject Hail Mary  by Andy Weir (p:476)\nThis book triggered my science fiction reading. For some reason I never was interested in science fiction. Most likely triggered by reading Foundation by Asimov a few years back which apparently is not a book to my taste. But Andy Weir completely annihilated that wrong perspective on science fiction. Project Hail Mary is interesting, funny and gripping book.\nKindred by Octavia Butler  (p:287)\nThis book.... From page one I was hooked and almost read it in one go. Butler is a wonderful author and Kindred is a must-read. The book is about a woman traveling back in time to end up on a slave plantation. It's a chilling account of slavery.\nOther books I read this year, ask me anything about one of these books. I've added a + if I think its worth a recommendation\nBiography:\nNavalny by Dollbaum, Lallouet and Noble (p:280); The Man from the Future by Ananyo Bhattacharya (p:354) +\nSociology; Politics; Economics; Business:\nOnly the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove (p:224); The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli  (p:140); Winter is Coming by Garry Kasparov (p:290); Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum (p:224) +; Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl (p:164) +; We Are Bellingcat by Eliot Higgins (p:272); De Zeven Vinkjes by Joris Luyendijk (p:200); Waarom vuilnismannen meer verdienen dan bankiers by Rutger Bregman (p:104)\nComedy: The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (p:336)\nHistory:\nBand of Brothers  by Stephen E. Ambrose (p:432); The Nuclear Jihadist by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins (p:413) +; The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre (p:384) +; De Heineken Ontvoering by Peter R. de Vries (p:347); Red Famine by Anne Apllebaum (p:384); Night by Elie Wiesel (p:115) +\nScience, Technology, Mathematics:\nFermat's Enigma by Simon Singh (p:315) +; A Mathematician's Apology by G.H. Hardy (p:153); The Great Influenza by John M. Barry (p:546); The Rise and Fall of the Dinousaurs by Stephen Brusatte (p:404) ++; The Double Helix by James Watson (p:144)\nSport:\nRun or Die by Killian Jornet (p:208); The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton  (p:290) +; The Rise of the Ultra Runners by  (p:304); Tom Dumoulin by Patrick Bernhart (p:203)\nFiction:\nAnthem by Ayn Rand (p:105); Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (p:704); The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (p:566); Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (p:466); Live and Let die by Ian Fleming  (p:229)\nClassics:\nA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (p:104); The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (p:201); The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald (p:180); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (p:139); Animal Farm by George Orwell (p:122) +; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (p:227) +; The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (p:118)\nScience Fiction:\nThe Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (p:399); All Systems Red  by Martha Wells (p:144) +; A Memory Called Empire  by Arkady Martine (p:462) +; A Psalm built for the Wild by Becky Chambers (p:160); Dune by Frank Herbert (p:658); Foundation by Isaac Asimov (p:244); The Martian by Andy Weir (p:384) +;\nThe Forever War by Joe Haldeman (p:278)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl",
          "reason": "Marked with a plus as worth recommending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32938264,
          "author": "alfor",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T13:05:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938264",
          "commentText": "Hardcore zen\nMan in search of meaning\nAtlas shrugged: too long winded, but popped my progressive reality buble.\nReturn to religion: made me see how most of our \nproblems(depression, anxiety, meaninglessness) are caused by our lack of transcendental\nRecently the bible, Marc, Genesis. But I saw the Peterson biblical lecture before, without that I would have not appreciated for sure.\nI see all around me that the progressives are captured by ideologies, most cannot see clearly because their religious shaped hole almost always get filled with the ideology du jour.\nThey tend to live meaningless lives, don’t have kids or very few, their couples are brittle, they run after money, travel, pleasures and then find out that it doesn’t give sustainable happiness.\nMy take is that our mind is religious even if you don’t want it to be, kind of our operating system. Better put something tested and reliable (with a few updates) than rewrite from scratch and fall in the same traps than everyone before.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Man in search of meaning",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter has read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30735755,
          "author": "bloopernova",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:36:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735755",
          "commentText": "Dune. Specifically the parts about how a human can choose their reaction to an external event. And the ability to overcome fear.\nMan's Search For Meaning. Again, overcoming the worst situations and finding joy anywhere.\nHow to Practice. Understanding what you are feeling and why you are feeling it.\nEmotional Intelligence. How the amygdala sends signals to the brain, why it does that, and how to recognize your negative reactions.\nAnd all the Discworld books, to find joy and humour in everything. GNU Terry Pratchett.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Man's Search For Meaning. Again, overcoming the worst situations and finding joy anywhere.",
          "reason": "The commenter highlights finding joy and overcoming dire situations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29816250,
          "author": "lunatuna",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-05T22:48:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29816250",
          "commentText": "I second this. Buy several copies and give them to your friends and strangers on the bus that see you reading it ;)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second this.",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the book recommendation in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29815160,
          "author": "quietthrow",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-05T21:25:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29815160",
          "commentText": "Man’s search for meaning - Viktor Frankl\nIt will change your life, dare I say.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Man’s search for meaning - Viktor Frankl\nIt will change your life, dare I say.",
          "reason": "Recommends the book and says it may change the reader's life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23859753,
          "author": "voisin",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T15:08:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859753",
          "commentText": "Night by Eli Wiesel and Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl.\nStories of how and why some people survived Auschwitz and found meaning despite their context, from two very different perspectives (a child and a psychologist).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl",
          "reason": "Paired as a story about survival in Auschwitz and finding meaning despite circumstances.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Presented from a psychologist’s perspective.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804093,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:12:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804093",
          "commentText": "Writing a Go Interpreter\nWriting a Go Compiler\nNo One Cares about Crazy People\nI Heard You Paint Houses\nUNIX: A History and a Memoir\nRed Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine\nHow Asia Works\nThe Dream Machine\nBlack Earth\nThe Fabric of Reality\nBehave (tried twice, maybe third times a charm?)\nA Short History of Nearly Everything\nStiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers\nGenius: The Life and Science Richard Feynman\nSuper Thinking\nMan's Search for Meaning\nThe Cooking Gene\nThe Vital Question: Why is Life The Way it Is (re-read)\nThe Case Against Sugar\nThe 15 Decisive Battles of the World\nThe History of the Peloponnesian War\nThe Beginning of Infinity\nThe Book of Why",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Man's Search for Meaning",
          "reason": "Listed in the commenter's planned reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21802758,
          "author": "0kl",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T13:11:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21802758",
          "commentText": "I plan to reread a couple core works for myself. Of that list the ones that I’d recommend for others are:\nAurelius (trans. Martin Hammond)\nFear and Trembling\nMan’s Search for Meaning\nTolstoy’s Confessions\nKundera’s The Art of the Novel\nAfter doing a thorough reading of “How to Read a Book” I decided to try rereading a few books to pull more out of them.\nI can’t recommend “How to Read a Book” enough - despite its anachronisms and glaring faults, it’s the only book I’ve found that has genuinely made me feel that I’ve not really read a single book in my life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Man’s Search for Meaning",
          "reason": "One of the books the commenter says they would recommend to others.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19896437,
          "author": "anhldbk",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T04:29:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19896437",
          "commentText": "\"Man's Search for Meaning\" by Viktor E. Frankl may be?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Man's Search for Meaning\" by Viktor E. Frankl may be?",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Suggested tentatively.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665933,
          "author": "Delmania",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T17:43:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665933",
          "commentText": "First hand account of being in a concentration camp.  Frankl was lucky in that he was shipped from Auschwitz, but it was still a brutal existence.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "First hand account of being in a concentration camp.",
          "reason": "Identifies the book as a first-hand account; no endorsement is expressed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18664739,
          "author": "nop_slide",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T15:35:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664739",
          "commentText": "- A Random Walk Down Wall Street: I got much more interested in personal finance this year, and definitely recommend this book as a stepping stone for learning about investing.\n- Frankenstein: Highly recommend! It is nothing like it is portrayed to be in pop culture and I thoroughly enjoyed it.\n- Unbelievable: My Front-Row Seat to the Craziest Campaign in America: It is literally unbelievable. It follows Katy Tur, a reporter tasked with following Trump leading up to the election. If you aren't already fed up with Trump, then give this a whirl.\n- Dune: 5/5 sci-fi\n- The Society of the Spectacle: I had trouble with this one. I think some things get lost in translation, and the philosophical arguments are so abstract it was a bit hard to follow along. I had a few key take-aways but to be honest it was kind of a chore to read.\n- How Not to Die: Argues for prioritizing a plant-based diet, and definitely changed my relationship with food.\n- East of Eden: My wife's favorite book and is now one of my favorites.\n- Sapiens: Very enjoyable, but some of it can feel pseudo-sciency and gets a bit nihilistic in the end.\n- Man's Search for Meaning: Also very enjoyable, a good reminder to appreciate the people and things around you.\n- A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy: Very accessible intro to Stoicism\n- Red Notice: A True Story of Finance, Murder, and One Man's Fight for Justice: Very interesting and reads like a fiction thriller. TLDR Russia doesn't fuck around",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also very enjoyable, a good reminder to appreciate the people and things around you.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds it enjoyable and says it is a useful reminder to appreciate life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18002402,
          "author": "phaus",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-17T01:15:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18002402",
          "commentText": ">no matter how bad you think you have it, it can be worse, and you can find meaning.\nI agree. I have a personality where when something bad happens I just assess my potential courses of action and act accordingly. Sometimes I get depressed, but I usually snap out of it and get back to work. However, I am married to someone with a chronic, debilitating illness. I'm struggling to help her keep hope. I think one of the tricky things to get around is that people with legitimately terrible situations don't want to hear \"It could always be worse.\" They kind of have a point. Just because there's a person that has it worse doesn't mean they aren't suffering also. I think Frankl's book might be helpful, but I wouldn't really know where to start trying to convince her that it might help.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I think Frankl's book might be helpful, but I wouldn't really know where to start trying to convince her that it might help.",
          "reason": "The commenter considers it as a possible source of help for their spouse, while expressing uncertainty about how to suggest it.",
          "audience": "A person coping with a chronic, debilitating illness",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether it would help or how to bring it up.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17982586,
          "author": "tbjohnston",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-13T21:05:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17982586",
          "commentText": "1. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius - practical advice on how to arm yourself every day.\n2. Man's Search for Meaning by Frankl - no matter how bad you think you have it, it can be worse, and you can find meaning.\n3. The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen - it's the journey (not the destination) and <i>pay attention!</i>",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Man's Search for Meaning by Frankl - no matter how bad you think you have it, it can be worse, and you can find meaning.",
          "reason": "Lists it among life-changing books and says it shows meaning can be found even in hardship.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17048763,
          "author": "sogen",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T16:40:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17048763",
          "commentText": "tbh i'd read man's search for meaning again, haven't found anything similar. \nskip herman hesse's books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "tbh i'd read man's search for meaning again, haven't found anything similar.",
          "reason": "Says they would reread it and have not found anything similar.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17047140,
          "author": "koonsolo",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T13:29:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17047140",
          "commentText": "Welcome to the club! The same happened to me 3 years ago. At that time I also started reading \"Man's search for meaning\".\nThe following book had the biggest impact on my world view:\nThe Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation, by Thich Nhat Hanh\nI personally don't believe in any religious things, and I still don't. But now I look at the world differently.\nBuddhism is know for reincarnation, which looks a bit silly to me. But as this book points out, it is not reincarnation, but rebirth in (Zen) Buddhism. Both are completely different. There is nothing silly about rebirth, and it's actually more accurate that how we, as individualistic westerners, view the world.\nAs someone who loves science, after reading this book, I have a more realistic view on the world than I had before, and than most of my rational friends right now.\nThe (Zen) Buddhism in this book is not so much a religion with believes, but more a philosophy on how to look at life and the world.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "At that time I also started reading \"Man's search for meaning\".",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16352423,
          "author": "Dowwie",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T12:34:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16352423",
          "commentText": "I am a proponent for depth over breadth.  To read is one thing but to understand is another.  Rather than read 5 books and superficially grasp their concepts, read one closely and carefully.\nThe one book I wish my colleagues would read and learn from is \"Man's Search for Meaning\" by Victor Frankl [1].\n\"Between stimulus and response lies a space. In that space lie our freedom and power to choose a response. In our response lies our growth and our happiness.\"\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/Mans-Search-Meaning-Viktor-Frankl/dp/... (https://www.amazon.com/Mans-Search-Meaning-Viktor-Frankl/dp/080701429X)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The one book I wish my colleagues would read and learn from is \"Man's Search for Meaning\" by Victor Frankl",
          "reason": "The commenter wishes colleagues would read and learn from it.",
          "audience": "Colleagues",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15977730,
          "author": "atreg_ir",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-21T10:20:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15977730",
          "commentText": "Two of the most interesting books I've read this year are:\n1. Man's search for meaning, by Viktor Frankl. \nHe was an Austrian psychiatrist who founded Logotherapy as a form of analysing one's life with the idea of finding meaning or living a purposeful life. \nAccording to Frankl, such a life would mean doing important/meaningful work, enjoying nature in all it's beauty, loving and taking care of another person and being courageous when going through hard times. These are things that I personally consider part of the common sense package I had built-in when I was born, so this book kind of talks to my soul. I would recommend it to anyone who is highly self-reflective.\n2. Stumbling on happiness, by Daniel Gilbert. This was an interesting read and the different studies described in the book made me think how would I react in a similar situation and I realised funny things about how memory works and how does our brain imagine future events.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend it to anyone who is highly self-reflective.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it to highly self-reflective readers and says it speaks to their soul.",
          "audience": "Highly self-reflective readers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15769915,
          "author": "paramk",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-24T07:24:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15769915",
          "commentText": "Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl\nThis is supposed to be the author's memoir but it is more than that. Read it and it will change the way how you look at your own life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read it and it will change the way how you look at your own life.",
          "reason": "Urges readers to read it and says it will change their perspective on life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes it as supposedly the author's memoir, while saying it is more than that.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156533,
          "author": "jeffersonheard",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:44:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156533",
          "commentText": "Getting More - Stuart Diamond. I still think this is the best book on the art of negotiation.\nGetting Things Done - David Allen. If you have adult ADHD like me, and you haven't read this, it's the first system that's really worked for productivity for me.\nMan's Search for Meaning - Victor Frankl.\nLiving Buddha, Living Christ - Thich Nhat Hanh.\nCosmos - Carl Sagan.\nThe Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. LeGuin.\nThe One who Walks Away from Omelas - U.K. LeGuin.\nWild Seed - Octavia Butler.\nThe Heike Monogatari - (tr. Helen Craig McCullough) “The sound of the Gion Shoja temple bells echoes the impermanence of all things; the color of the sala flowers reveals the truth that to flourish is to fall. The proud do not endure, like a passing dream on a night in spring; the mighty fall at last, to be no more than dust before the wind.” If you need a comparison. this is the Japanese historical equivalent of Game of Thrones combined with a bit of MacBeth. The rise and fall of two shogunate families, and an analysis of the tragic flaws of character that brought their fall about.\nLes Miserables - Victor Hugo.\nSmall Gods - Terry Pratchett.\nHeart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad.\nThe Guide - R. K. Narayan.\nEvidence - Mary Oliver.\nAll of Us - The Collected Poetry of Raymond Carver.\nSilence - Shusaku Endo.\nThe Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald.\nThe Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Murakami Haruki. This and the next four are odd choices, perhaps, since it's a surrealist book, but IMO books that force your imagination to work hard do as much for creativity and fresh ideas as any of the more popular methods.\nThe Well-Built City (The Physiognomy / Memoranda / The Beyond) Jeffery Ford - Surrealist novellas best described as about the protagonist living and achieving agency within the constructs, dreams, and nightmares of a \"Great Man's\" mind.\nSnow Crash - Neal Stephenson.\nGravity's Rainbow - Thomas Pynchon.\nDhalgren - Samuel L. \"Chip\" Delany.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Man's Search for Meaning - Victor Frankl.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15019567,
          "author": "jaypaulynice",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T16:16:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15019567",
          "commentText": "\"As A Man Thinketh\" James Allen...About to read \"Man's Search For Meaning\" next",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "About to read \"Man's Search For Meaning\" next",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14486149,
          "author": "patforna",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T08:51:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14486149",
          "commentText": "One of my favourite books. Read it many years ago and re-read it a few years later. One of the key take aways for me was that we always have a choice of how we deal with adversity and it helped me get through some tough situations.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One of my favourite books. Read it many years ago and re-read it a few years later.",
          "reason": "Calls it a favorite and says its message helped during difficult situations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13979353,
          "author": "aml183",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-28T18:38:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13979353",
          "commentText": "There aren't words to describe how good this book is. Must read!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "There aren't words to describe how good this book is. Must read!",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it exceptionally good and says it is a must-read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13968207,
          "author": "hihat",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T14:55:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13968207",
          "commentText": "I just finished this book last week. Highly recommended!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I just finished this book last week. Highly recommended!",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238413,
          "author": "aml183",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:44:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238413",
          "commentText": "When Breathe Becomes Air (https://www.amazon.com/When-Breath-Becomes-Paul-Kalanithi/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/When-Breath-Becomes-Paul-Kalanithi/dp/081298840X)) and Man's Search for Meaning (https://www.amazon.com/Mans-Search-Meaning-Viktor-Frankl/dp/... (https://www.amazon.com/Mans-Search-Meaning-Viktor-Frankl/dp/080701429X))",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Man's Search for Meaning",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10211410,
          "author": "idefine",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-13T13:57:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 10211331,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10211410",
          "commentText": "Man's Search for Meaning - Viktor Frankl\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Mans-Search-Meaning-Viktor-Frankl/dp/0... (http://www.amazon.com/Mans-Search-Meaning-Viktor-Frankl/dp/080701429X)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Man's Search for Meaning - Viktor Frankl",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9354908,
          "author": "JSeymourATL",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-10T15:21:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9354908",
          "commentText": "Indeed -  I pick up this book every few months for quick refresher.  Always good food for thought.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I pick up this book every few months for quick refresher. Always good food for thought.",
          "reason": "Says they revisit it every few months and find it consistently thought-provoking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9354607,
          "author": "shobu",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-10T14:39:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9354607",
          "commentText": "This was the book that shook me to core. After this I realised no matter how much problems you face, there is always hope. \nExcellent book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This was the book that shook me to core. After this I realised no matter how much problems you face, there is always hope.",
          "reason": "Says the book deeply affected them and helped them recognize hope amid hardship.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking perspective during difficult times.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9349730,
          "author": "JSeymourATL",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T18:16:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9349730",
          "commentText": "Man's Search for Meaning-- There is no finer book for perspective setting than Viktor Frankl's classic work>  http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4069.Man_s_Search_for_Mea... (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4069.Man_s_Search_for_Meaning)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "There is no finer book for perspective setting than Viktor Frankl's classic work",
          "reason": "Calls it unsurpassed for setting perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6976964,
          "author": "sciguy77",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T22:35:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976964",
          "commentText": "Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. Read it twice now, absolutely fantastic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read it twice now, absolutely fantastic.",
          "reason": "Calls it absolutely fantastic and says they have read it twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6414260,
          "author": "hvass",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-19T20:59:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6414260",
          "commentText": "The Black Swan (anything by Taleb really), Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Letters from a Stoic by Seneca, Epictetus' Discourses, Fish that ate the whale by Rich Cohen, Man's Search for Meaning,  Titan, Principles by Ray Dalio (not really a book, but really worth reading, plus it's free), 4HW by Tim Ferris, The Strategy Paradox.\nAlso Teddy Roosevelt's biography has been very influential.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Man's Search for Meaning",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed one's life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4535378,
          "author": "EvanKelly",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-17T23:10:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 4530022,
          "threadTitle": "What to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4535378",
          "commentText": "May be a little bit outside of the typical start-up fair, but you didn't specify.\n\"Man's Search for Meaning\" by Victor Frankl\nShort read, but great perspective from a really inspiring figure.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Man's Search for Meaning\" by Victor Frankl\nShort read, but great perspective from a really inspiring figure.",
          "reason": "Calls it a short read that offers a great perspective, and recommends it for the holiday reading request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3396077,
          "author": "mashmac2",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T15:42:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3396077",
          "commentText": "Man's Search For Meaning by Victor Frankel.\nIt was recommended by several friends, and I finally got around to reading it. Helped, along with Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance to work through my personal thought process. Highly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Man's Search For Meaning by Victor Frankel.",
          "reason": "Says it helped them work through their personal thought process and calls it highly recommended.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2919605,
          "author": "manicbovine",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-24T05:38:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 2919368,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have changed the way you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2919605",
          "commentText": "I found \"Man's Search for Meaning\" at exactly the right time in my life. It changed my life, but this might have more to do with the timing.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It changed my life, but this might have more to do with the timing.",
          "reason": "Says the book changed their life while noting that the timing may have mattered.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking reflections on meaning and life under adversity.",
          "caveat": "The commenter suggests its effect may have depended on when they found it.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2147714,
          "author": "sharadgopal",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T13:35:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2147714",
          "commentText": "Demian - Hesse\nNarcissus and Goldmund - Hesse\nMan's Search for Meaning - Viktor Frankl",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Man's Search for Meaning - Viktor Frankl",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed the reader’s way of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971334,
          "author": "hopeless",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T09:54:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971334",
          "commentText": "Probably \"Man's Search for Meaning\" by Victor Frankl... Although I'm not sure that the book will have the same impact without the accompanying life events.\nSo short of that, i'd give my 16 year old self the missing pages from the Dabs C book which I spent far too long trying to figure out!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Probably \"Man's Search for Meaning\" by Victor Frankl... Although I'm not sure that the book will have the same impact without the accompanying life events.",
          "reason": "Names it as a likely choice, while doubting its impact without related life experience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure it would have the same impact without accompanying life events.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1867477,
          "author": "peter_severin",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-04T03:04:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1867477",
          "commentText": "My latest reading list:\n* Meditations - Marcus Aurelius\n* Man's Search for Meaning - Viktor E. Frankl. This one was very good. Psychology can actually be logical and accessible.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Man's Search for Meaning - Viktor E. Frankl. This one was very good.",
          "reason": "Calls the book very good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752307,
          "author": "jseliger",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T07:24:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752307",
          "commentText": "See here: http://jseliger.com/2010/03/22/influential-books-on-me-that-... (http://jseliger.com/2010/03/22/influential-books-on-me-that-is/) for a list of influential books on me. I actually have a half-written post on books I wish I'd read when I was younger; here it is:\n1. <em>Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience</em> by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi\n2. <em>The Guide to Getting It On</em> by Paul Johannides [sp?]\n3. <em>The Mating Mind: How Sexual Choice Shaped the Evolution of Human Nature</em> by Geoffrey Miller\n4. <em>Hackers & Painters</em> by Paul Graham\n5. <em>Man's Search for Meaning</em> by Viktor Frankl\n6. <em>Stumbling on Happiness</em> by Daniel Gilbert\nIn all cases, I think these books profoundly shaped how not only I think, but I think others can learn to think too. All suddenly revealed new connections and ideas about the world I'd never experienced or expected to experience before.\nGranted, no book can be removed from its context, and its possible that if I'd read some of the books above as a younger person I wouldn't have been ready to appreciate them. But <em>Flow</em> seems by far the most valuable of the choices listed above because it engulfs more of the content of the others than any other choice.\nSteven Berlin Johnson's new book Where Ideas Come From looks promising: http://www.amazon.com/Where-Good-Ideas-Come-Innovation/dp/15... (http://www.amazon.com/Where-Good-Ideas-Come-Innovation/dp/1594487715?ie=UTF8&tag=thstsst-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957) .",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "5. <em>Man's Search for Meaning</em> by Viktor Frankl",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books the commenter says profoundly shaped their thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that age and context can affect whether a reader is ready to appreciate it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1634144,
          "author": "Arun2009",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T21:01:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1634144",
          "commentText": "Man's search for meaning, by Viktor Frankel\nThe Republic, by Plato. It introduced me to a whole new way of thinking.\nThe Gita. I later came to know about the chariot allegory in the Kathopanishad (http://www.atmajyoti.org/up_katha_upanishad_17.asp), and thought that the writer's depiction of the charioteer as Krishna and the rider as Arjuna was just brilliant.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Man's search for meaning, by Viktor Frankel",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed your life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Viktor E. Frankl"
      ],
      "recommenders": 35,
      "threads": 29,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Biography",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "holocaust memoir",
        "meaning",
        "logotherapy",
        "holocaust"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "infinite-jest-666f87",
      "title": "Infinite Jest",
      "author": "David Foster Wallace",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49900450,
          "author": "jerkstate",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-29T20:59:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49900450",
          "commentText": "Just finished a David Foster Wallace kick. I listened to the new 30th anniversary audiobook of Infinite Jest (twice) and then The Pale King (twice). Then I listened to \"Of course you end up becoming yourself\" which is a long-form interview with Wallace by David Lipsky, traveling with him on the Infinite Jest book tour.\nI had to listen to the books twice because there are a lot of details that you won't get the first time through unless you're extremely intentional and detail oriented, but I found it was worth it to listen again. I'll probably listen to Infinite Jest again sometime soon, even though it's 64 hours long. IJ is actually really great sci-fi with some important questions for our time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "IJ is actually really great sci-fi with some important questions for our time.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the novel as science fiction that raises important contemporary questions.",
          "audience": "Readers willing to listen closely; the commenter says its many details can be missed on a first pass.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they needed to listen twice to catch many details; the audiobook is 64 hours long.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40879717,
          "author": "jackstraw14",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-05T03:55:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40879717",
          "commentText": "Infinite Jest. It haunts me mostly because of the sheer density of the information in the book, it's impossible, to me so far, to fully process everything in the book. Once I feel like I have a good sense of what was going on, I remember another detail that sends me on another year or two of random daydreams trying to figure it out.\nParts of it also feel like it was written specifically for me. So that doesn't help.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Infinite Jest. It haunts me mostly because of the sheer density of the information in the book",
          "reason": "Describes the book as haunting and says its density keeps prompting further reflection.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not yet fully processed the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38238607,
          "author": "randsp",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T08:59:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238607",
          "commentText": "I have just finished “World of yesterday” by Stefan Zweig, probably one of the best books I have ever read, it gives you a picture how the world was at the beginning of 20th century and how despite of cultural and technological advances of the world, Europe turned to madness.\nNow i am starting “Infinite Jest” by David Foster Wallace.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Now i am starting “Infinite Jest” by David Foster Wallace.",
          "reason": "Says they are starting the novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31968862,
          "author": "pgoat",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T16:24:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31968862",
          "commentText": "Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace: \n  It includes so many sides of life: terrible misery and humor, both spicy and tender, sometimes simple, sometimes absurd, then politics, society, love, cynicism, - and poetry. And it predicted, by the way, shockingly many developments of today's (American) society. And the language, of course, is opulent and wild, it won't get boring any time soon.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace",
          "reason": "The commenter values its range of subjects, its language, and its predictions about American society.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30242299,
          "author": "coip",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T09:24:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30242299",
          "commentText": "Infinite Jest",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Infinite Jest",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804348,
          "author": "JonathanMerklin",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:41:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804348",
          "commentText": "Great thread. 2019 was the first time in about 7-8 years I made reading for pleasure a tertiary priority ((school+career)work/sleep/exercise+socializing+(NEW!)reading) and I got through about 20 books of varying length and difficulty, so here are the next 20 in my queue:\n- Infinite Jest (already started, will likely finish in early Jan. I love it so far.)\n- Quantum Computing Since Democritus (started in November as my nonfiction read, but took a break; I think I want to finish IJ first. Scott is an excellent writer and I was really enjoying this)\n- Building Microservices\n- The Code Book\n- How Cars Work (I want to turn the projection of a car in my brain from a black box to a gray box this year, and I don't mean by purchasing a Cybertruck)\n- To Kill a Mockingbird\n- The Personal MBA (for years I laughed off caring about the business of business and lived in my fantasy land of being satisfied with just the technical details and being focused on only implementing great software/learning how to do so. With a few years in the workforce under my belt, I realize that such an outlook was of great detriment to me. I'm open to other suggestions on similar \"catch me up to speed on general business education\" material)\n- Designing Data-Intensive Applications\n- Island (I have a copy of this but not Brave New World. Multiple friends of mine demand I try Huxley, so here we are.)\n- The Annotated Turing\n- How to Invent Everything\n- Soonish (SMBC is a daily read for me and I'm excited to get to this.)\n- How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems (ditto XKCD modulo release schedule)\n- Basic Economics\n- Thus Spoke Zarathustra\n- Seveneves\n- The Prince\n- Pacific Rims: Beermen Ballin' in Flip-Flops and the Philippines' Unlikely Love Affair with Basketball\n- Elevator Music: A Surreal History of Muzak, Easy-Listening, and Other Moodsong\n- Fahrenheit 451\nAdditionally, to tickle the part of my brain that fancies mathematics (one of my my majors in undergrad), I try to work through a chapter or two of Evan Chen's \"An Infinitely Long Napkin\" on a quarterly basis. If you don't mind a conversational tone to your math textbooks, I've found this to be an excellent resource for scraping the surface of a wide variety of topics and fields (including, well, topics like fields). I think I'll continue this habit.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I love it so far.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they love it so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They have started it but have not finished reading.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17170061,
          "author": "paridiso",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-28T01:05:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17170061",
          "commentText": "Infinite Jest. Re-opened my mind to the aesthetic beauty and raw technical skill of competitive sports, after years of repression following negative childhood experiences.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Infinite Jest. Re-opened my mind to the aesthetic beauty and raw technical skill of competitive sports",
          "reason": "Says the book reopened their appreciation for the beauty and skill of competitive sports.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17050367,
          "author": "billybatson",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T19:54:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17050367",
          "commentText": "I recommend Infinite Jest.\nIt's a deeply introspective and, at least for me, borders on being a philosophical text. I would even go so far as describing it as a philosophical text disguised as fiction.\nIt will take effort to get through, but it's one of those things where you can immediately feel that the energy put into the book is worth it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend Infinite Jest.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a deeply introspective, philosophical novel; the commenter says it takes effort to finish but is worth it.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in introspective fiction with philosophical themes.",
          "caveat": "It will take effort to get through.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14926151,
          "author": "spicylad",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-04T03:38:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14926151",
          "commentText": "In a way, I'm sad that I'm reaching the end of Infinite Jest...it's been such an enriching experience for me. Thanks for letting me know, I'm anxiously awaiting it. :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm sad that I'm reaching the end of Infinite Jest...it's been such an enriching experience for me.",
          "reason": "Calls reading it an enriching experience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is nearing the end of the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14887909,
          "author": "levimaes",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-30T21:25:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14887909",
          "commentText": "Oh my god Infinite Jest reassured me I wasn't crazy for hating the self-loathing I associate with weed. And in such a funny way. I swear re-reading a chapter or scene in that book is like a real-life dream sequence; I can't help but dissociating. I still didn't understand so much of it after I \"finished\" it, but that didn't stop me from pulling the same shit I do--jumping over chapters until it's interesting--with his other work, \"The Pale King\". You will not be disappointed by the candidness and \"raw\"-ness of the pale king, either. I almost wanted to applaud some parts of it--a familiar reflex for you, too, I'm sure.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Infinite Jest reassured me I wasn't crazy for hating the self-loathing I associate with weed. And in such a funny way.",
          "reason": "Says it offered reassurance about their feelings around weed and handled the subject humorously.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they still did not understand much of it after finishing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14879479,
          "author": "spicylad",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-29T04:29:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14879479",
          "commentText": "1. Infinite Jest\n2. The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Mathematics and Logic\n3. Garner's Modern English Usage",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "1. Infinite Jest",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13805461,
          "author": "nappy",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T19:46:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805461",
          "commentText": "\"The Essence of Decision\" - Graham Allison and Philip Zelikow\nThe easy way to think decisions is with the rational actor model. \"The United States didn't sign the TPP agreement because...\" \"Apple removed the headphone jack because...\" When the reality of large organizations is that decisions are made in the interaction of many people suborganizations. Allison and Zelikow are political scientists who massively advanced academic understanding of organization decision making... to illustrate their theories, they did original research into the Cuban missile crisis using it as an example of various models. Very accessible. It changed the way I think about how companies, governments, and the world works.\n\"Infinite Jest\" - David Foster Wallace\nIt changed my life. This book taught me empathy and the truth in ordinary things... It's brilliant and amazing and worth making your way through 1000+ pages. RIP DFW.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It changed my life. This book taught me empathy and the truth in ordinary things... It's brilliant and amazing and worth making your way through 1000+ pages.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it taught them empathy and calls it brilliant, amazing, and worth reading despite its length.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "More than 1,000 pages.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13239780,
          "author": "jdpigeon",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T19:47:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13239780",
          "commentText": "It was the second year of my \"read books like an adult\" effort and there were some great ones:\nInfinite Jest (David Foster Wallace)*\nI was blown away by how completely delightful it was to read. I went in to it with a lot of trepidation about its length and esoteric fixation, but found myself completely immersed in the book in a way that I hadn't been since I was kid. I didn't pick up any hard and fast lessons from the book (indeed, its thesis is mostly that life is hard and the easy answers that are out there are toxic), but I definitely came away from it feeling like it was a bit more acceptable to share what I really thought and felt with others. Reading the book is like entering an intimate communion with DFW's mind and it reinforced in me the importance of inter-human connection in that way.\nEvery Love Story is a Ghost Story (D.T. Max)\nDFW's biography, which I read after Infinite Jest. I highly recommend reading after IJ to get more background on where the books idea's came from. Two things I learned: 1. IJ basically took him ten years to write, 2: An incredible amount of it is drawn from personal issues and experiences, his struggles with addiction and loneliness were very real and he greatly downplayed them in his interviews.\nThe Invention of Nature (Andrea Wulf)\nThe best historical book I've ever read. Von Humbolt was one of the greatest scientists to ever live and I can't believe I'd ever heard of him before. The book itself does a great job of tying together the ideas of many great thinkers: Humboldt, Darwin, Thoreau, Muir, Goethe.\nThe Conquest of Happiness (Bertrand Russel)\nGreat little 'self-help' book from Russel. Perhaps a bit quaint in its datedness and Englishness, but a lot of the ideas still hold true. His thoughts on boredom were the high point of the book IMO.\nThe Hard Thing About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\nThe most 'make an adult of you'-feeling book I read this year. After attending an 'MBA bootcamp' style course, this book was the gritty, personal account that helped me tie all those lessons together. I got a job with a startup shortly afterwards and because I've never studied business (or worked in a real company before), I refer to the lessons in this book a lot.\nMy Struggle, first  volume (Karl Ove Knausgaard)\nStill reading this one and not entirely sure what to think. It's entertaining, heartfelt, and provides that sense of communion that good fiction needs. The book's purpose seems totally up in the air, however.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I was blown away by how completely delightful it was to read.",
          "reason": "Calls it delightful and describes feeling immersed and more willing to share thoughts and feelings after reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Long and esoteric; the commenter says it offers no hard-and-fast lessons and presents life as difficult.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238121,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:01:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238121",
          "commentText": "Last year I gave myself a Zuckerberg-style goal to read a book every two weeks. It started well, but some months were harder than others (usually when the book wasn't very good, so I would switch to podcasts for a few weeks, before getting back on track).\nHere's an unordered list of the best:\n[BUSINESS / SELF-IMPROVEMENT]\n- \"Work Rules!\" - about Google's culture and values\n- \"Search Inside Yourself\" - about mindfulness, meditation, and the impact on your life.\n- \"What got you here won't get you there\" - Liked a lot more than I expected.\n- \"Re-read Innovator's Dilemma\" - a great classic; never gets old.\n- \"How will you measure your life\" - from the same author. Also excellent.\n- \"The Best Service is No Service\" - good overview on why Amazon's customer service is so good\n- \"Crucial Conversations\" - half is common sense; half is good tips to practice everyday.\n[PROGRAMMING]\n- \"Fluent Python\" - was afraid it'd be too basic, but not really. Enjoyed it a lot.\n- \"Think Complexity\" - about algorithm complexity, data structures, etc. Great read.\n- \"Python Data Science Handbook\" - meh.\n- \"Fundamentals of Deep Learning\" - good intro. Helped me solidify some concepts from Andrew Ng's ML course\n- \"Deep Learning\" - by Goodfellow and Bengio. Just started, but really liking it.\n[STARTUPS] (all excellent; in order)\n- \"The Hard Things about Hard Things\"\n- \"Zero to One\"\n- \"The Founder's Dilemmas\"\n- \"The Launch Pad\"\n[FICTION]\n- Trilogy: \"Off to be a wizard / An Unwelcome Quest / Spell or High Water\"\n- \"Infinite Jest\" - tried but failed to finish. May try again later.\n- \"Ready Player One\" - nice, but repetitive after a while. Good read before the movie comes out.\n[NON-FICTION]\n- \"What If?\" - xkcd FTW\n- \"How to Read a Book\" - good concepts, but should be a 10 pages blog post, not a book\n- \"Spark\" - Science of the Exercise and the Brain - Long, but good\n- \"Sugar Shock\" - still reading; hopefully will help me cut my sweet cravings\n[BIOGRAPHIES]\n- \"The New New Thing\" - about Jim Clark's life, one of the very first entrepreneurs\n- \"Machines of Loving Grace\" - about the research and the rise of AI\n- \"Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution\"\n- \"The Second Coming of Steve Jobs\" - About Pixar's story. Liked more than Isaacson's biography\n- \"The Innovators\" - great summary of computer industry, from the 1800's till today\n- \"Ghost in the Wires\" - Kevin Mitnick's story. Had started years ago, but finally finished it\n- \"Idea Man\" - about Paul Allen's story. Quite an impressive man.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Infinite Jest\" - tried but failed to finish. May try again later.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter tried but did not finish it and may try again.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12981115,
          "author": "pklausler",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-17T20:21:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12981115",
          "commentText": "\"Infinite Jest,\" whose 20th anniversary of publication was celebrated this year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Infinite Jest,\" whose 20th anniversary of publication was celebrated this year.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12098726,
          "author": "pklausler",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T03:08:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12098726",
          "commentText": "Infinite Jest\nUlysses\nThe Selfish Gene\nThe Histories of Herodotus\nMoby-Dick\nGödel, Escher, Bach",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Infinite Jest",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297799,
          "author": "roymurdock",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:56:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297799",
          "commentText": "Older Stuff: The Bible/Quran, The Republic (Plato), The Social Contract (Rousseau), Tao Te Ching (Laozi), Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky), History of the Peloponnesian War (Thucydides)\nNewer Stuff: Nine Stories (Salinger), The Razor's Edge (Maugham), Nausea (Sartre), Siddartha (Hesse), Road to Serfdom (Hayek), The Book (Watts), Design of Everyday Things (Norman), Atlas Shrugged (Rand), Invisible Man (Ellison), Debunking Economics (Keen), Blood Meridian (McCarthy), The Center Cannot Hold (Saks), This Time Is Different (Reinhart/Rogoff), Infinite Jest (Wallace), Calvin and Hobbes (Watterson)\nAll of these books are well written and have given me some perspective on interesting people/situations/ways of thinking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Infinite Jest (Wallace)",
          "reason": "Listed among books said to have given the commenter perspective on interesting people, situations, and ways of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10534893,
          "author": "firstworldman",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T18:45:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10534893",
          "commentText": "Just keep going. One page at a time (easier to do if you employ 2 bookmarks in a paper book). It will begin to gel. Just focus on how funny it is, rather than what's going on. It is very much worth the effort.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It is very much worth the effort.",
          "reason": "Encourages the commenter to continue reading and says the effort is worthwhile.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The title is identified from the parent comment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10534143,
          "author": "jlewallen",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T17:00:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10534143",
          "commentText": "I love reading just about everything and I'm having the hardest time getting momentum on Infinite Jest. I think partly due to the fact that I personally only have some vague idea of what I'm getting myself into.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'm having the hardest time getting momentum on Infinite Jest. I think partly due to the fact that I personally only have some vague idea of what I'm getting myself into.",
          "reason": "Reports difficulty getting started and uncertainty about what to expect.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the book is hard to get momentum on.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10534025,
          "author": "avnfish",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T16:43:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10534025",
          "commentText": "Superintelligence - Nick Bostrom\nInfinite Jest - David Foster Wallace\n100 Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about the best books read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9706866,
          "author": "jgrzymski",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-12T16:23:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9706866",
          "commentText": "Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace\nThe Making of the Atomic Bomb - Richard Rhodes\nFoucault's Pendulum - Umberto Eco",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to the question asking for a mind-blowing book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674234,
          "author": "dietrichepp",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T11:42:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674234",
          "commentText": "If you want \"crazy-to-grasp\", you want Ulysses, To the Lighthouse, Gravity's Rainbow, Infinite Jest, Moby Dick, House of Leaves, etc.\nNot that \"crazy-to-grasp\" approximates \"good\" in any way.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If you want \"crazy-to-grasp\", you want Ulysses, To the Lighthouse, Gravity's Rainbow, Infinite Jest, Moby Dick, House of Leaves, etc.",
          "reason": "Suggested for readers seeking challenging books.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking books that are “crazy-to-grasp.”",
          "caveat": "The commenter says difficulty does not approximate quality.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8944977,
          "author": "ilzmastr",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-26T00:50:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944977",
          "commentText": "Childhoods end - Humanity takes the next step in evolution\nAnhilliation - Fish out of water like story of exploring a mysterious, horrific, environment (2 sequels drag on for too much after this one though)\nMany Ray Bradbury stories (Martian chronicles, and the Everyman collection contain the best ones)\nInfinite Jest (Alternate American future of a culture of addiction and depravity, partly mediated by technology)\nThe Circle (haven't read, but like the author, life inside the biggest tech company of the future)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Infinite Jest (Alternate American future of a culture of addiction and depravity, partly mediated by technology)",
          "reason": "Describes its imagined future and themes of addiction and depravity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401495,
          "author": "zorrb",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:30:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401495",
          "commentText": "Same here with Infinite Jest. I've started and stopped like five times. And I always start from the beginning again because there's a lot of little things to keep track of you won't remember after four-five months.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Same here with Infinite Jest. I've started and stopped like five times.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has repeatedly started and stopped; keeping track of details makes returning difficult.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401410,
          "author": "steve-benjamins",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:19:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401410",
          "commentText": "I really, really love David Foster Wallace and I've also never gotten through Infinite Jest.\nIf anyone is interested in reading DWF I'd recommend checking out his shorter fiction (Brief Interviews with Hideous Men) or non-fiction (A Supposedly Fun Thing) if Infinite Jest (rightfully) seems intimidating :)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've also never gotten through Infinite Jest.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have never finished it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They recommend the author's shorter works for readers who find it intimidating.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401400,
          "author": "achalshah",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:18:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401400",
          "commentText": "House of Leaves - Mark Z. Danielewski\nVery similar style to Infinite Jest, but the story seems much more sinister.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Very similar style to Infinite Jest",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a point of comparison for House of Leaves.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401385,
          "author": "cwal37",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:16:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401385",
          "commentText": "Currently engaged in:\n-The Bone Clocks - David Mitchell. Just a fun read. Fiction sucks me in pretty easily, and I enjoy the time-hopping.\n-Dirty, Sacred Rivers: Confronting South Asia's Water Crisis - Cheryl Colopy. Not enjoying this as much as I thought I would so far, possibly because I have too much academic experience in the topic area and the writer is a reporter. I'm a bit more pragmatic about large energy projects, not exactly bleeding heart, but I try to focus on the bigger picture. It was a free book on a table at work though from someone cleaning out their office, so not a big deal.\n-Operations Research - Hillier and Lieberman. Also a free book from work. Something I need a stronger foundation in for upcoming projects.\nPerpetual Backburner\n-Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace. I've gotten a couple hundred pages in a few times. If I get distracted at all it's so hard to go back to.\n-Capital in the 21st Century - Piketty. I blazed through the first couple hundred pages around when it came out, then I went on a long vacation. Now I sort of nibble at it when I'm in the mood. One of the most compelling economics books I've ever read.\nRecently finished\n-The Book of Basketball - Bill Simmons. Fun to read about the history of the NBA from a true fanatic. Eyes glazed over in some sections on the Celtics though.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've gotten a couple hundred pages in a few times. If I get distracted at all it's so hard to go back to.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds it difficult to resume after distractions and has repeatedly stopped after a few hundred pages.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They have not finished it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8026610,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-13T04:06:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 8025870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8026610",
          "commentText": "Fiction: Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace\nNon-Fiction / Science:  Our Mathematical Universe by Max Tegmark\nNon-Fiction / Business: Predictable Revenue by Aaron Ross\nNon-Fiction / Programming / Tech: OSGI in Action by Richard Hall, Karl Pauls, Stuart McCulloch, and David Savage",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Fiction: Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7002816,
          "author": "DonGateley",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-02T22:31:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 7001282,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7002816",
          "commentText": "Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test - Tom Wolfe\nBe Here Now - Ram Das\nWhole Earth Catalog - Stewart Brand\nInfinite Jest - David Foster Wallace\nSavage Continent - Keith Lowe\nForged - Bart D. Ehrman\nYoung Stalin - Simon Sebag Montefiore\nCourt of the Red Czar - Simon Sebag Montefiore",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6975981,
          "author": "Wonnk13",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T19:24:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6975981",
          "commentText": "Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. Took me about five months and I already want to reread it. Brilliant masterpiece. Read it right after my friend's suicide and help me think about my own addiction to success.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brilliant masterpiece.",
          "reason": "Calls the novel a brilliant masterpiece and describes its personal impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6736604,
          "author": "ivan_ah",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-14T23:44:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6736604",
          "commentText": "I recently got back to reading Infinite jest  by David Foster Wallace.\nOn a more technical, I'm reading SICP --- could you believe someone had thrown this book out (I guess left out for donation). I rescued it have been reading through it. Scheme is nice, but what is even nicer is the JS version: ivanistheone.github.io/SICPapp/ (credit Martin Henz for JS adaptation)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I recently got back to reading Infinite jest by David Foster Wallace.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have returned to reading it, without expressing an evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387908,
          "author": "xanth",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T02:20:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387908",
          "commentText": "Catch 22\nSubtext: One Hundred Years of Solitude The Infinite Jest Cryptonomicon\n:P",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "The Infinite Jest",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387610,
          "author": "macrael",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T00:02:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387610",
          "commentText": "East of Eden is my favorite book I've read in the last several years. Beautiful end to end and very moral. If you've read it it's totally worth reading Journal of a Novel: a collection of letters Steinbeck wrote to his editor every day as he was writing East of Eden. It's a fascinating window into the mind of a master deliberately creating a masterpiece.\nOther favorites: Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner, In Our Time by Hemingway, The Magus by John Fowles, 100 years of solitude, Moby Dick (perhaps a precursor to all modern fantasy?) Stranger in a Strange Land, and Infinite Jest. I've also loved both of DFW's big essay collections: Consider the Lobster and A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll never Do Again.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Infinite Jest",
          "reason": "Includes it among other favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387605,
          "author": "mdellabitta",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T00:00:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387605",
          "commentText": "Catch 22\nOne Hundred Years of Solitude\nThe Infinite Jest\nCryptonomicon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Infinite Jest",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5832627,
          "author": "thesash",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T14:31:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5832627",
          "commentText": "A few on my \"re-read every few years\" list: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Speaker for the Dead, Infinite Jest, Watchmen, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Infinite Jest",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list of books to reread every few years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5692079,
          "author": "JackGibbs",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T20:57:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5692079",
          "commentText": "Some authors and a rec or two for each.\nDFW - Infinite Jest\nPynchon - Really anything, but in particular Against the Day, V, and Gravity's Rainbow.\nRushdie - Shame and Satanic Verses, a lot of good other ones.\nNeal Stephenson - Cryptonomicon\nGaddis - JR, hence my name.\nHeller - Catch-22",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "DFW - Infinite Jest",
          "reason": "Listed as a recommendation in response to a request for good books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5401843,
          "author": "samiur1204",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-19T16:27:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 5401749,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What interesting books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5401843",
          "commentText": "Reading Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. It's an incredible novel, but very dense and over 1000 pages. It's a trek, but has been so worth it so far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Reading Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace. It's an incredible novel, but very dense and over 1000 pages. It's a trek, but has been so worth it so far.",
          "reason": "Calls it an incredible novel and says the effort has been worth it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Very dense and over 1,000 pages; reading it is a trek.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4966865,
          "author": "madamepsychosis",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T19:34:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4966865",
          "commentText": "\"Infinite Jest\" by David Foster Wallace, if you have 90 hours or so to kill\n\"On Numbers & Games\" is a fun maths book",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Infinite Jest\" by David Foster Wallace, if you have 90 hours or so to kill",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Suggests it takes about 90 hours to read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2643398,
          "author": "shadytrees",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-11T07:17:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2643398",
          "commentText": "Infinite Jest. It's hard to say anything about it that hasn't already been said a million times, so I'll abbreviate the standard one: If you trust the author for the first 100 pages and refuse to pass judgment, you will be rewarded with some of the most beautiful, human characters ever put to paper. (That being said, it's not easy reading.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Infinite Jest. It's hard to say anything about it that hasn't already been said a million times, so I'll abbreviate the standard one: If you trust the author for the first 100 pages and refuse to pass judgment, you will be rewarded with some of the most beautiful, human characters ever put to paper.",
          "reason": "Praises its characters and says patient readers will be rewarded.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not easy reading; recommends withholding judgment for the first 100 pages.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2616282,
          "author": "schrototo",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T13:41:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2616282",
          "commentText": "The Instructions by Adam Levin. Best book I've read since Infinite Jest (by David Foster Wallace, of course, also highly recommended). The characters, the story, the language, my god the language... It's all utterly fantastic. The last 300 pages had me so thoroughly gripped, I read them in one sitting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Best book I've read since Infinite Jest (by David Foster Wallace, of course, also highly recommended).",
          "reason": "Explicitly says it is highly recommended.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2529112,
          "author": "shii",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-09T15:59:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 2526568,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2529112",
          "commentText": "There's a forum[1] that got started last night for reading Infinite Jest at a leisurely pace (75 pgs/wk) over the summer and discussing it weekly starting Juneish by anons in /lit/ on 4chan, if you're at all interested.\n[1]: http://www.litinfinitejest.org/forums/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "There's a forum[1] that got started last night for reading Infinite Jest at a leisurely pace (75 pgs/wk) over the summer and discussing it weekly",
          "reason": "Mentions a forum organized around reading and discussing the novel.",
          "audience": "People interested in reading the novel together.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2526858,
          "author": "pemulis",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-08T22:27:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 2526568,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2526858",
          "commentText": "I'm on a David Foster Wallace kick right now: Working through The Pale King, his collected essays and his short stories. Already read Infinite Jest. It's hard to say what qualifies as \"essential reading\" when it's impossible for a human being to read even one tenth of the great, all-time classic books. There just isn't enough time. My advice would be to read at least a few books that have reputations for being difficult. War and Peace, Gravity's Rainbow, In Search of Lost Time, Ulysses, etc. (The reason I'm only listing near-undisputed classics here is because these books are difficult, and in some cases very, very long [looking at you, Proust], and the assurance that it is all worth it helps you keep going when your brain hurts.) These books survived despite their difficulty because reading them is a mind-expanding, sometimes life-changing experience. Reading shouldn't be essentially passive.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Already read Infinite Jest.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1866132,
          "author": "ladyada",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T19:32:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1866132",
          "commentText": "Before trying to read Infinite Jest, try to read all his other essays (and short stories). This is really helpful.\nBe OK with the fact that you really aren't going to understand what happens the first time though, like at all.  The book -must- be read twice, the first time in a bit of a haze, since even basic acronyms aren't expanded till 200 pages after they are first used. Its enjoyable the second time because there are hundreds of references you'll get from events that are expanded upon much later.\nIt really is a fantastic book, and its not nearly as confusing as most people think when read twice. :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It really is a fantastic book, and its not nearly as confusing as most people think when read twice.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it fantastic and says a second reading makes it less confusing.",
          "audience": "Readers willing to read twice and consult the author's essays and short stories first.",
          "caveat": "The first read is likely to be hazy; acronyms are explained much later.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1575728,
          "author": "Willwhatley",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-04T20:15:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1575728",
          "commentText": "While witty enough as a throwaway comment, I disagree and recommend IJ to anyone who likes nested (recursive!), variable scope humor. The experimental portions of it do not thrill me except insofar as they are amusing.\nThe novel is a sort of intersection of so funny it hurts and it hurts so much it's funny.\nThe eponym of the title is apt for one of the viewpoint characters, who is unable to communicate by the end of the story (beginning of the book), and much more so his father, who is a very type of Yorick: mute by being dead, of excellent fancy, etc.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I disagree and recommend IJ to anyone who likes nested (recursive!), variable scope humor.",
          "reason": "Recommends the novel to readers who enjoy recursive, variable scope humor.",
          "audience": "Readers who like nested, recursive humor and variable scope jokes",
          "caveat": "The experimental portions do not thrill the commenter, except where amusing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569321,
          "author": "dill_day",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T22:20:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569321",
          "commentText": "I just finished Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace.\nIt's a 1000-page kind of experimental fiction about entertainment/addiction.\nIt took me a while to read, but is something I'd recommend, anyway.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "is something I'd recommend, anyway.",
          "reason": "Despite noting its length and experimental style, the commenter says they would recommend it.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in experimental fiction about entertainment and addiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it took a while to read and is about 1,000 pages.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1240277,
          "author": "mattdennewitz",
          "createdAt": "2010-04-04T15:26:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1240277",
          "commentText": "this is possibly my all-time favorite book. i just thought \"oblivion\" itself was more appropriate this thread.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this is possibly my all-time favorite book.",
          "reason": "Calls it possibly their all-time favorite book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says \"oblivion\" itself may have been more appropriate for the thread.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227411,
          "author": "tricky",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T20:02:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227411",
          "commentText": "If you're willing to put in at least a month of hard labor, DFW's Infinite Jest is worth the read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "DFW's Infinite Jest is worth the read.",
          "reason": "Says the book is worth reading while noting it takes at least a month of hard labor.",
          "audience": "Readers willing to commit substantial time and effort.",
          "caveat": "Requires at least a month of hard labor, according to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797834,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T11:58:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797834",
          "commentText": "What do you think about IJ? Where are you at in it? I'm ~400; was doing 75 pages a day during my summer break last week, but now that I'm working I'm down to 5 or 6 a day.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "What do you think about IJ?",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797809,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T11:47:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797809",
          "commentText": "Infinite Jest (DFW)\nTrading and Exchanges (Harris)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Infinite Jest (DFW)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797128,
          "author": "JimmyL",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T01:59:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797128",
          "commentText": "Infinite Jest, as a long slow process.\nThe Girl with the Dragon Tatoo/The Girl who Played with Fire, each of which I found myself burning through in a day (the new definition of the genre of Swedish crime writing, which is amazing).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Infinite Jest, as a long slow process.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 715347,
          "author": "blazamos",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-20T22:14:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715347",
          "commentText": "In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan (excellent; recently saw Food, Inc. as well)\nThe Next 100 Years by George Friedman (amusing; was given to me as a gag gift)\nCurrently reading: Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Currently reading: Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Currently reading; no evaluation expressed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85974,
          "author": "gensym",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T16:28:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85974",
          "commentText": "The Evolution of Cooperation - Robert Axelrod\nCryptonomicon - Neal Stephenson\nJonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell - Susanna Clark\nInfinite Jest - David Foster Wallace\nThe Informant - Kurt Eichenwald\nThe Visual Display of Quantitative Information - Edward Tufte\nLiar's Poker - Michael Lewis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Foster Wallace"
      ],
      "recommenders": 35,
      "threads": 28,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "postmodern fiction",
        "satire",
        "addiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-7-habits-of-highly-effective-people-52b564",
      "title": "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People",
      "author": "Stephen R. Covey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40279216,
          "author": "jasiek-net",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-06T20:36:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40279216",
          "commentText": "Same here - Zero to one - really inspiring book!\nAnd Lean startup - far too ambitious for me at the moment, but I learned a lot from it.\n4 hour work week - I would say it’s more like a fiction book, but still fun to read.\n7 habits of highly effective people - it’s saved my life in high school, I knew some parts of it by heart.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "7 habits of highly effective people - it’s saved my life in high school, I knew some parts of it by heart.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them greatly in high school and that they knew parts by heart.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35174010,
          "author": "herodoturtle",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T20:06:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35174010",
          "commentText": "Founder of a bootstrapped 17 year-old SaaS company here.\nI've read countless books on this topic.\nThe book that helped me the most was \"Good to Great\" by Jim Collins.\nIt has memorable nuggets of advice, summarised neatly into insightful chapters.\nOnce you learn these nuggets you never forget them, and you end up leveraging them regularly in your day-to-day entrepreneurial decisions.\nIt's a bit like Covey's 7 Habits book, but geared for entrepreneurs wanting to grow a successful business.\nGood luck on your journey. It's tough, but worth it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "It's a bit like Covey's 7 Habits book, but geared for entrepreneurs wanting to grow a successful business.",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a comparison for Good to Great.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs wanting to grow a successful business.",
          "caveat": "It is a comparison, not a direct recommendation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35171836,
          "author": "ranabuzdar",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:32:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35171836",
          "commentText": "Here are some of the most popular ones:\nThe Lean Startup by Eric Ries\nZero to One by Peter Thiel\nThe 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey\nThink and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill\nThe E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber\nGood to Great by Jim Collins\nThe Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander\nThe Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz\nThe Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton Christensen\nRework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson\nThese books cover various aspects of entrepreneurship, from idea generation and innovation to leadership and management. Each one offers a unique perspective and valuable insights that can help entrepreneurs navigate the challenges and opportunities of starting and growing a business.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the books covering entrepreneurship.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32944951,
          "author": "Matake007",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T21:37:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32944951",
          "commentText": "The Millionaire Fastlane - MJ DeMarco\n12 Rules for Life - Jordan Peterson\nThe Carnivore Diet - Paul Saladino\nThe 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen Covey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen Covey",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29818447,
          "author": "jpster",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-06T02:34:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29818447",
          "commentText": "Non-violent Communication\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/71730.Nonviolent_Communi... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/71730.Nonviolent_Communication)\nThe 7 Habits of Highly Effective People\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36072.The_7_Habits_of_Hi... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36072.The_7_Habits_of_Highly_Effective_People)\nPrinciples by Ray Dalio\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34536488-principles",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People",
          "reason": "Listed as a book suggestion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24286316,
          "author": "mikece",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-26T19:32:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 24286084,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading at the moment and what do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24286316",
          "commentText": "Just books in general? Professional development? Science Fiction? Politics?\nCan't go wrong with the classics like \"Seven Habits of Highly Effective People\" along with \"How to Win Friends and Influence People.\"  For motivation: \"Can't Hurt Me\" by David Goggins... it's impossible to read that book and come up with a good excuse why you cannot achieve your goals.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Can't go wrong with the classics like \"Seven Habits of Highly Effective People\"",
          "reason": "Recommended as a classic in response to a question about what to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23153698,
          "author": "Loughla",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T13:25:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23153698",
          "commentText": "Two things -\n1. Seven habits - I can't get past Covey's personal 'experiences'. They are just seemingly so contrived and fake that they just ruin the entire thought process for me. It seems like he had to make up things that related to the covenants. Is that just me?\n2. For writing - I would also suggest 'On Writing' by Stephen King for this as a different take. It's probably the best 'how to write' book ever made. It's King's personal take on the theory of writing, with lessons sprinkled throughout. So good.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Seven habits - I can't get past Covey's personal 'experiences'.",
          "reason": "The author's personal examples feel contrived and undermine the book's ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter questions whether this reaction is personal.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21824206,
          "author": "Simmo",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-18T12:40:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21824206",
          "commentText": "I would like to start with:\nHigh Output Management Grove, Andrew S.\n7 Habits Of Highly Effective People Covey, Stephen R\nClean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship,(Robert C. Martin)\nClean Architecture: A Craftsman's Guide to Software Structure and Design (Robert C. Martin Series)\nBuilding Evolutionary Architectures: Support Constant Change by Neal Ford, Rebecca Parsons, Patrick Kua\nIf you have read any of them and you would like to share your thoughts, I will be truly happy to listen!:)\nHappy reading",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "7 Habits Of Highly Effective People Covey, Stephen R",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21793087,
          "author": "janvdberg",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T23:20:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793087",
          "commentText": "These are a few of the ones I read this year and that the average HN reader would also probably enjoy (links are to my blog):\n* Why We Sleep: https://j11g.com/2019/05/31/why-we-sleep-matthew-walker/\n* The Effective Executive: https://j11g.com/2019/03/18/the-effective-executive-peter-dr... (https://j11g.com/2019/03/18/the-effective-executive-peter-drucker/)\n* High Output Management: https://j11g.com/2019/01/29/high-output-management-andrew-s-... (https://j11g.com/2019/01/29/high-output-management-andrew-s-grove/)\n* Bad Blood: https://j11g.com/2019/01/21/bad-blood-john-carreyrou/\n* The 7 Habits (I reread this after a long time and it still holds up!) https://j11g.com/2019/09/30/the-7-habits-of-highly-effective... (https://j11g.com/2019/09/30/the-7-habits-of-highly-effective-people-stephen-covey/)\n* A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again – David Foster Wallace (This is just an amazing book and became one of my all time favorites) https://j11g.com/2019/08/08/a-supposedly-fun-thing-ill-never... (https://j11g.com/2019/08/08/a-supposedly-fun-thing-ill-never-do-again-david-foster-wallace/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I reread this after a long time and it still holds up!",
          "reason": "The commenter says it still holds up after rereading.",
          "audience": "The average Hacker News reader, as described by the commenter.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19089017,
          "author": "wnissen",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T19:46:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19089017",
          "commentText": "7 Habits made me think about certain things differently, but I had many people tell me that it really changed their life. Didn't do that for me, but \"change your life\" is a really high bar. Definitely How to Win Friends did.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "7 Habits made me think about certain things differently, but I had many people tell me that it really changed their life. Didn't do that for me",
          "reason": "The commenter says it prompted some new thoughts but did not change their life as others reported.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Its impact on the commenter was limited compared with others’ reports.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17913331,
          "author": "lcall",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T22:16:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17913331",
          "commentText": "Upvoted, and I would also say the Book of Mormon, with the Bible.  The BoM reinforces the Bible's teachings powerfully, and as I age and read again, sometimes in other languages, and some scholarly things about it, they both just keep getting better and better.  Including in their effect on me.  You can get a copy of either one for free.\nEdit:\nAdditionally, some which have been mentioned or not:\n- a couple of biographies of Lincoln (one is free on gutenberg.org, the other more recent by Doris Kearns Goodwin), and one of Washington whose name I forget now, but there are good ones out there.\n- the 7 Habits book (Covey), and How to Win Friends and Influence People by Carnegie.\n- Refactoring ..., by Martin Fowler.\n- some thick Scheme programming book from college (sorry, it's downstairs).  And \"The Little Schemer\", also about Scheme (one of the authors, Friedman, was also our instructor).\n- Since Cumorah, by Hugh Nibley (maybe dated now, but there is a lot of related work).  Really got me interested in related topics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the 7 Habits book (Covey)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17049569,
          "author": "justinhj",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T18:10:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17049569",
          "commentText": "Some books have been very influential on how I see the world. Ishmael is one about an intelligent ape that explains the natural world to a guy in socratic dialogue style. Guns Germs and Steal. The Forest People, a book from the 60s by an anthropologist who lives with a pygmy tribe. These books about where we came from I find really interesting.\nFor self improvement books you can’t go wrong with 7 Habits of a highly effective people. It’s short and to the point and very practical.\nI’m half way through Zen and Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and it’s either way over my head or overrated. I don’t particularly like the narrator which does not help",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For self improvement books you can’t go wrong with 7 Habits of a highly effective people. It’s short and to the point and very practical.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a practical, concise choice for self-improvement.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking practical self-improvement.",
          "caveat": "Described as short and to the point.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16366541,
          "author": "karlbooklover",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-13T12:16:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16366541",
          "commentText": "The book the 48 laws of power is about manipulation which I don't like. I consider Carnegie's book, The 7 habits of highly effective people excellent books to learn how to help other people through win-win situations.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 7 habits of highly effective people excellent books to learn how to help other people through win-win situations.",
          "reason": "Calls it excellent for learning to help others through win-win situations.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking constructive interpersonal influence.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16299629,
          "author": "WheelsAtLarge",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T21:02:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16299629",
          "commentText": "I have 4:\n-Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography - you can download it for free\n- Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell - A bit simplistic but it opens your eye to the fact that talent is a small part of being successful in whatever you want to achieve.\n- How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie - You need people to succeed. Making enemies or just treating people indifferently is a bad move.\n- 7 habits of highly effective people by Stephen R. Covey. People put it down because the advice seems to be common sense but it's only common sense if you know it but not everyone knows it.\n- Meditations by Marcus Aurelius- this is a lifelong guide. Read it until the pages fall apart and then get another and do the same.\nAll these books can be read multiple times and you'll learn something new so get hard copies if you can.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "7 habits of highly effective people by Stephen R. Covey. People put it down because the advice seems to be common sense but it's only common sense if you know it but not everyone knows it.",
          "reason": "Included as an earlier-life recommendation; the commenter says its seemingly obvious advice is useful to learn.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Advice may seem like common sense to some readers.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296324,
          "author": "neya",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T05:21:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296324",
          "commentText": "Right off the bat, here you go:\n1. The 7 habits of highly successful people (Stephen Covey)\n2. The Miracle Morning (Hal Elrod)\n3. Business Model Generation (Aelxander Osterwalder)\n4. The Art Of War (Sun Tzu)\n5. The E-myth, why most businesses don't work and what to do about it (Michel Gerber)\n6. Made In Japan (Founder of Sony, Akio Morita)\n7. How to win friends and influence people (Dale Carnegie)\nProbably I missed a few more, but I think these ones are a good start.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 7 habits of highly successful people (Stephen Covey)",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about books one wishes one had read earlier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15159165,
          "author": "emurs",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T01:20:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15159165",
          "commentText": "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey- Particularly for Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood chapter",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416710,
          "author": "emptybits",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T22:26:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416710",
          "commentText": "A couple of these have been named and I've upvoted them, but this is my list:\n* \"Flow\" by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi. Being fully immersed and engaged in an activity. 1) Knowing the value of this mental state, 2) being able to recognize when you're in it, and 3) setting yourself up so that you can be in this state as much as possible is really valuable. File it under living an examined life, IMO. All the popular \"don't interrupt the programmer\" and Pomodoro and other time management techniques build on this old research.\n* \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius (several translations, worth comparing for even more insight) -- this is a man who understood duty and getting things done! (Not surprising from a stoic, but somehow this collection has extra impact because I know they were primarily notes and reflections written for his own clarity, more than for an audience.) Wisdom to apply to situations. Patterns to recognize in yourself and others.\n* \"Seven Habits of Highly Effective People\" by Stephen Covey. When more sophisticated or trendy approaches to effectiveness reach their limits, you can't go wrong falling back on \"Begin with the end in mind\", \"Sharpen the saw\", classifying activities into the Four Quadrants, etc.\n* Modern (typically psychological) interpretations of Buddhism. If a single book pops into my head, I will update this, so right now I'm talking about a whole category of books on Buddhist perspectives on character traits and habits of behaviour. If you strip any paranormal nonsense from Buddhist psychology you are often left with effective ways to classify your own thoughts, words, and deeds and work on improving them. A simple example would be the Four Sublime Attitudes. If I reflect on any relationship or interaction I have with colleagues or clients or new prospects, I can almost always take direct action immediately to improve it by applying these old rules: 1) replace anger toward someone with active good will toward them, 2) replace jealousy or envy of someone else's fortune with sympathetic joy for them,  3) approach anyone's suffering as your own suffering (compassion), 4) treat all situations and people impartially without judgement of of \"good\" or \"bad\" (equanimity).\nI'm sorry these are really old! For me, these just don't go out of style and their wisdom works cross-culture.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "When more sophisticated or trendy approaches to effectiveness reach their limits, you can't go wrong falling back on \"Begin with the end in mind\", \"Sharpen the saw\", classifying activities into the Four Quadrants, etc.",
          "reason": "Endorses the book's effectiveness principles as a dependable fallback.",
          "audience": "People seeking practical approaches to effectiveness.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416546,
          "author": "sebringj",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:52:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416546",
          "commentText": "absolutely, it focuses you to what matters",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "absolutely, it focuses you to what matters",
          "reason": "Affirms the parent comment and says the book helps focus on what matters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416291,
          "author": "kapv89",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:06:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416291",
          "commentText": "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12260592,
          "author": "nanospeck",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-10T10:13:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12260592",
          "commentText": "\"7 Habits of Highly Effective People\" [1] - I listened to the audio book and it was really an eye-opener. It changed my perspective on people and personality a lot. Highly recommended. \nSame with the book \"How To Win Friends And Influence People\" [2]. It's written decades ago and still holds the principles true. \nAnother gem I found recently was : \"How to Stop Worrying and Start Living\" by the same author of [2]. It's really good if you are stressed with your lifestyle. Really gives practical advice.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"7 Habits of Highly Effective People\" [1] - I listened to the audio book and it was really an eye-opener. It changed my perspective on people and personality a lot. Highly recommended.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed their perspective and explicitly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144777,
          "author": "quantum_nerd",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T16:50:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144777",
          "commentText": "1. \"The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People\" by Stephen Covey. Taught me how to be more productive and simplify thinking about productivity. One of the books I re-read every year.\n2. \"The Bible\" - I am not too religious, but I am a spiritual person. I find the new testament to be a good blueprint on how to live a righteous life.\n3. \"The Pragmatic Programmer: from journeyman to master\" - such a timeless classic. Just get it...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Taught me how to be more productive and simplify thinking about productivity.",
          "reason": "Credits it with improving productivity and says they reread it every year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12099016,
          "author": "yma",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T04:57:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12099016",
          "commentText": "Creativity, Inc. - Ed Catmull.\nHow to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big - Scott Adams\nSkunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years of Lockheed - Ben Rich\nSeven Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen Covey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen Covey",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12098494,
          "author": "mindfulgeek",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T01:47:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12098494",
          "commentText": "The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business\nSeven Habits of Highly Effective People\nNonViolent Communication: A Language of Life",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229763,
          "author": "peterkelly",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:44:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229763",
          "commentText": "Also:\n\"The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People\", by Stephen Covey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People\", by Stephen Covey",
          "reason": "Offered as a book recommendation in the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8717380,
          "author": "MrMattWright",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T16:47:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8717380",
          "commentText": "Inspired to do: Connected \nhttp://www.amazon.com/Connected-Surprising-Networks-Friends-... (http://www.amazon.com/Connected-Surprising-Networks-Friends-Everything/dp/0316036137)\nI was utterly amazed by the concept of Social Network Analysis, how emotion travels through a network, how the 6 degrees thing works. Did you know someone you have never met can affect your weight? I was so amazed I started a company building a CRM from the ground up using graph theory. We launch in Q1 2015.\nInspired to be: The seven habits of highly effective people. A great book, which many read and sight. Forcing myself to write about my values and behaviours means you have to live up to them :)\nI read it once and now I am reading it again with my girlfriend actually doing all the exercises. You can read it in a week but to really take it all in you need to work on it over a lifetime. http://www.wikiwand.com/en/The_Seven_Habits_of_Highly_Effect... (http://www.wikiwand.com/en/The_Seven_Habits_of_Highly_Effective_People)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The seven habits of highly effective people. A great book",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great book and describes applying its exercises to their values and behavior.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They say its lessons take ongoing work to fully absorb.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5501176,
          "author": "onelovelyname",
          "createdAt": "2013-04-05T21:33:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 5501062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Business Book For a 13-year-old Girl?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5501176",
          "commentText": "I was once a 13-year-old girl and loved writing short stories and learning about business. Some books that worked for me:\n- The 4-Hour Work Week, by Tim Ferriss\n- Rich Dad, Poor Dad, by Guy Kawasaki\n- The Magic of Thinking Big, by David. J Schwartz\n- Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey\nOne not super related to business but a great short read: Vagabonding by Rolf Potts. That book taught me to think creatively about my goals and not to allow traditional expectations to stop me from accomplishing them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey",
          "reason": "Offered among books that worked for the commenter when learning about business.",
          "audience": "A young person interested in business.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5331055,
          "author": "geldedus",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-06T13:37:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 5323956,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: which are some good self-help books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5331055",
          "commentText": "Seven Habits... outdated advice",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Seven Habits... outdated advice",
          "reason": "The commenter says its advice is outdated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5325876,
          "author": "blufox",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-05T17:30:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 5323956,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: which are some good self-help books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5325876",
          "commentText": "+1 for The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5324293,
          "author": "alexhjones",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-05T13:24:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 5323956,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: which are some good self-help books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5324293",
          "commentText": "Getting Things Done http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getting_Things_Done\nThe Seven Habits of Highly Effective People http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seven_Habits_of_Highly_Effe... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seven_Habits_of_Highly_Effective_People)\nStarting Strength http://startingstrength.com/\n(controversial :-P) The Paleo solution http://www.amazon.com/Paleo-Solution-Original-Human-Diet/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Paleo-Solution-Original-Human-Diet/dp/0982565844)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2172878,
          "author": "xstaticdev",
          "createdAt": "2011-02-03T00:13:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 2172825,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: If you could recommend only three management books...",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2172878",
          "commentText": "Let's see.. heres a few I'd recommend....\nGood to Great by Jim Collins\nOne Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard\nFirst, Break All The Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman\n7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey\nIn Search of Excellence by Tom Peters",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey",
          "reason": "Lists it among books they would recommend to new managers.",
          "audience": "New managers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2147048,
          "author": "JacobAldridge",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T07:56:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2147048",
          "commentText": "Rich Dad, Poor Dad opened my eyes to some commercial realities of the world. I realised the career I was training for wasn't going to give me the life I wanted, so I began focusing more time learning about money, investements, business etc.\n7 Habits of Highly Effective People is a book I've never been able to get more than 1/3 of the way through, but its 'Circle of Control' framework made me a much happier and more content person.\nI enjoyed Dale Carnegie, but took some of the lessons on board a little too much, which got me into trouble in some social situations where I didn't have awareness (eg, using mirroring or copying techniques to build rapport, and later discovering I was standing next to my girlfriend and flirting with other women!).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've never been able to get more than 1/3 of the way through, but its 'Circle of Control' framework made me a much happier and more content person.",
          "reason": "The commenter credits its Circle of Control framework with making them happier and more content.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter never read more than a third of the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971567,
          "author": "pailar",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T13:33:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971567",
          "commentText": "I completly agree with you. It's a great book and i wish i had read it earlier and i would have done things better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a great book and i wish i had read it earlier and i would have done things better.",
          "reason": "The commenter agrees with the suggestion and praises the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971322,
          "author": "ndc",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T09:41:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971322",
          "commentText": "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. I read this book during college, but I wish I had read it earlier in my life, like when I was in junior high. This book set my priorities straight.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. I read this book during college, but I wish I had read it earlier in my life, like when I was in junior high. This book set my priorities straight.",
          "reason": "Says it set their priorities straight and wishes they had read it earlier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1867881,
          "author": "bryanwb",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-04T06:07:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1867881",
          "commentText": "Big -1 on How to Win Friends by Dale Carnegie\nI think Franklin Covey's 7 Habits is much better in this regard",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think Franklin Covey's 7 Habits is much better in this regard",
          "reason": "Offered as a better alternative to Carnegie's book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1635177,
          "author": "adammichaelc",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-26T05:38:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1635177",
          "commentText": "Business: 7 Habits, 8th Habit, Getting Things Done, 4 Steps to Epiphany, Straight from the Gut\nSpiritual: Book of Mormon, Book of Isaiah, The 4 Gospels in the New Testament\nRelationship: The 5 Love Languages, Men are from Mars Women from Venus\nPhysical: Spark, The Vitamin D Solution",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Business: 7 Habits, 8th Habit, Getting Things Done, 4 Steps to Epiphany, Straight from the Gut",
          "reason": "Included in a list answering the question about books that changed your life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143001,
          "author": "NewWorldOrder",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T01:37:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143001",
          "commentText": ":the_dip => 'by Seth Godin',\n:essays => 'by Paul Graham',\n:art_of_the_start => 'by Guy Kawasaki',\n:the_innovators_solution => 'by Clayton Christensen & Michael Raynor',\n:rich_dad_poor_dad => 'by Robert Kiyosaki',\n:seven_habits_of_highly_effective_people => 'by Stephen Covey',\n:stanford_technology_ventures_program => 'by Reid Hoffman (i.e., the session he did for STVP)'",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": ":seven_habits_of_highly_effective_people => 'by Stephen Covey',",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s influences in response to a thread asking what ideas and books influenced people.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5618,
          "author": "python_kiss",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T04:46:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5618",
          "commentText": "That is indeed an excellent book for personal development. Anyone who hasn't yet read it should certainly look into it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "That is indeed an excellent book for personal development. Anyone who hasn't yet read it should certainly look into it.",
          "reason": "Calls it an excellent personal development book and urges people to read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5617,
          "author": "fireandfury",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T04:41:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5617",
          "commentText": "7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen R. Covey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 35,
      "threads": 26,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal effectiveness",
        "leadership",
        "habits",
        "personal development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "getting-things-done-149243",
      "title": "Getting Things Done",
      "author": "David Allen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40286835,
          "author": "rdmullins1978",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T15:24:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40286835",
          "commentText": "For the last several years, I've kicked off my annual book list by re-reading Ben Franklin's _Autobiography_. I just love the conversational tone and how wide-ranging it is, and there's a surprising amount of still-practical day-to-day advice in there.\nHonorable mention to _How to Win Friends and Influence People_ (I agree with other comments that earlier editions are better) and _Getting Things Done_.\nThanks for starting this thread! Lots of good recommendations here.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "_Getting Things Done_",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40048824,
          "author": "skydhash",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-16T06:05:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40048824",
          "commentText": "Depends on the audience. Generally, it's always \"Getting Things Done\" and \"So Good They Can't Ignore You\". For fellow programmers it's \"Clean Coder\" and \"The Pragmatic Programmer\". And I always wish my managers and tech leads read \"The Mythical Man-Month\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's always \"Getting Things Done\"",
          "reason": "Says this is a book they generally give as a gift.",
          "audience": "Gift recipients generally.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33859565,
          "author": "Multicomp",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-05T00:06:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33859565",
          "commentText": "> converting asks to deliverables, managing expectations from management, enabling team members by opening communication channels across teams, time management\nThese all sound like David Allen's Getting Things Done, the art of stress free productivity.\n> converting asks to deliverables\nGTD teaches you to ask what the correct outcome is and what the next action item to get there is (and what those questions even mean) so your projects are always moving forward\n> managing expectations from management\nGTD talks about setting up project lists so you are current and keeping you current when you meet with management\n>enabling team members by opening communication channels across teams\nGTD teaches you how to brainstorm with the group and how to ensure everyone in a meeting  knows what the next step to move the project forward is\n>time management\nGTD teaches you someodels to help you best know what your time landscape is and give you reminders of what tasks need to be when and where if known otherwise it has a model of helping set priorities based on contexts available to you",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "These all sound like David Allen's Getting Things Done, the art of stress free productivity.",
          "reason": "Connects the requested work and time management topics to the book's methods.",
          "audience": "People seeking practical systems for project follow-through, meetings, and time management.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30735446,
          "author": "shafoshaf",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:01:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735446",
          "commentText": "Getting Things Done By David Allen. I feel like everything I do is a decision and not a reaction now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Getting Things Done By David Allen. I feel like everything I do is a decision and not a reaction now.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed how they approach their actions and decisions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29815592,
          "author": "mmerlin",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-05T21:56:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29815592",
          "commentText": "David Allen - Getting things done\nSteven Pressfield - The War of Art + Turning Pro\nTony Robbins - Awaken the giant within \n(maybe he's released a better book than that now, but it was impactful personally back in the 90s)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "David Allen - Getting things done",
          "reason": "Lists the book among recommendations in response to a book request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27638287,
          "author": "CPLX",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T01:43:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27638287",
          "commentText": "> Getting Things Done by David Allen\nAgree. Despite being ubiquitous and universally recommended, I think this book is still somehow underrated.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Agree. Despite being ubiquitous and universally recommended, I think this book is still somehow underrated.",
          "reason": "The commenter agrees with the recommendation and says the book is underrated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27638167,
          "author": "codemac",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T01:22:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27638167",
          "commentText": "* Getting Things Done by David Allen\nThis book taught me so much about how to manage my life, and taught me how to review my own systems.\n* SICP, On Lisp, and Let over Lambda\nIt's hard to pick one exactly, because really it's about opening your mind to radically different programming paradigms than what's popular.\nLearning lisp well enough gives you confidence to attempt to create new programming languages, through code generation, or even mentally thinking about an API as a language rather than just a series of functions.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book taught me so much about how to manage my life, and taught me how to review my own systems.",
          "reason": "Says it taught them to manage their life and review their personal systems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21914539,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-30T16:38:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21914539",
          "commentText": "Getting Things Done - the 2001 version I read two years ago, I use the general idea and it helps to have a clear head when your fighting fires daily.\nNever Split the Difference - some very practical negotiation strategies.\nMini Habits by Stephen Guise - short book but awesome method.  I am still doing the one pushup habit since last March.\nHow to Shoot Video That Doesn't Suck by Steve Stockman - I wanted to improve my video production for my programming course for kids.  I am still learning but this book has been a huge help.\nThe Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing and Thinking by Barbara Minto - huge help with improving my written communication at my job.\nThe Coaching Habit by Michael Stanier - short book but huge help when your transitioning to managing people.\nMade to Stick by Dan Heath - was a huge help in planning how I would teach elementary students last month about programming.\nThe 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch - aside from application of Pareto principle, I took away the idea that books provide the best bang for your buck for knowledge density.\nThe 4 Hour Work Week - great inspiration to start your own thing.\nThe $100 Startup - like the 4HWW but with more details.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I use the general idea and it helps to have a clear head when your fighting fires daily.",
          "reason": "Its general approach helps the commenter keep a clear head during daily emergencies.",
          "audience": "People juggling frequent urgent tasks.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19430629,
          "author": "arkovian",
          "createdAt": "2019-03-19T13:34:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 19402065,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is Getting Things Done still a book that HN recommends?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19430629",
          "commentText": "I would recommend it, but I have some remarks.\nThere are 2 things I’ve learned from the book that I still use daily/weekly:\n1. Capture everything, it keeps your head empty so you can focus on the task at hand. If something comes to mind I drop it in my Todoist Inbox to review later. \n2. Weekly review: no matter how good the method is you use, as long as you don’t regularly clean it and keep it up to date, you won’t use it for very long. It also makes sure you can trust your system.\nThe GTD system has a downside I think: you could end up implementing it perfectly and never forgetting anything and getting shit done. But the question remains if you are getting the important stuff done or just all of the small tasks in life? Just as one of the previous comments also suggests.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I would recommend it, but I have some remarks.",
          "reason": "Recommends the book for capture and weekly review practices.",
          "audience": "Readers wanting a practical system for tracking tasks and reviewing priorities.",
          "caveat": "Warns that perfect execution can still mean completing small tasks instead of important work.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19420156,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2019-03-18T11:15:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 19402065,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is Getting Things Done still a book that HN recommends?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19420156",
          "commentText": "I think the 2001 version of the book is fantastic.\nEven if you do not follow the whole system, you still come away with some gems.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think the 2001 version of the book is fantastic.",
          "reason": "Praises the 2001 version and says it contains useful insights even without following the full system.",
          "audience": "Readers who may use selected ideas rather than the complete system.",
          "caveat": "The praise is specifically for the 2001 version.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19419777,
          "author": "fernandokokocha",
          "createdAt": "2019-03-18T09:51:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 19402065,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is Getting Things Done still a book that HN recommends?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19419777",
          "commentText": "There _are_ an infinite number of _things_, but which ones are important it's up to you.\nI will be advocating GTD. It doesn't only give you the framework. Once you're done with the basics, it also allows you to make clearer decisions. A nice quote (self-translated, I wasn't reading in English): When the boat sinks, you don’t think about its course.\n\"Essentialism\" is another classic in the subject, more disciplined in rejecting unnecessary stuff, complementary to GTD in terms of your concerns.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I will be advocating GTD.",
          "reason": "Advocates the framework for clearer decision-making after learning its basics.",
          "audience": "People seeking a framework for managing tasks and making decisions.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19407778,
          "author": "miguelrochefort",
          "createdAt": "2019-03-16T13:42:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 19402065,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is Getting Things Done still a book that HN recommends?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19407778",
          "commentText": "It's my #1 favorite book.\nI don't think you need to read the entire book. Watching David Allen's talks (Google, TED) and reading the GTD cliff's notes should give you a good idea of what the methodology is all about.\nI only mastered the first step of the methodology, that is to capture everything that comes to your mind. I think it's the most important one.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's my #1 favorite book.",
          "reason": "Calls it their favorite book and describes its core capture technique.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the GTD methodology.",
          "caveat": "Suggests talks and cliff's notes may suffice instead of reading the entire book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19407476,
          "author": "cimmanom",
          "createdAt": "2019-03-16T12:23:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 19402065,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is Getting Things Done still a book that HN recommends?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19407476",
          "commentText": "I recommend it. I don’t recommend following its system to the letter. But it teaches some techniques that are useful for making sure you’re focusing on the right things and for making sure important things don’t fall through the cracks.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I recommend it.",
          "reason": "Recommends the book for techniques to focus on priorities and keep important tasks from slipping through.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking practical ways to focus and stay organized.",
          "caveat": "Does not recommend following the system to the letter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19406195,
          "author": "ioddly",
          "createdAt": "2019-03-16T03:21:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 19402065,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is Getting Things Done still a book that HN recommends?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19406195",
          "commentText": "I'm reading it right now and enjoying it. Overall the way I view these books is if I get something from them that is worth more to me than the $15 or so they cost it is of value, I don't have to agree with or implement everything in them whole hog.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm reading it right now and enjoying it.",
          "reason": "The comment says the reader is enjoying the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19405739,
          "author": "dominotw",
          "createdAt": "2019-03-16T01:02:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 19402065,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is Getting Things Done still a book that HN recommends?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19405739",
          "commentText": "sorry GTD",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "sorry GTD",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter corrects the acronym they previously gave.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19405737,
          "author": "dominotw",
          "createdAt": "2019-03-16T01:02:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 19402065,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is Getting Things Done still a book that HN recommends?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19405737",
          "commentText": "ah..crap. I messed up. Its GTD.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Its GTD.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter corrects the acronym they previously gave.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19402500,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2019-03-15T18:10:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 19402065,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is Getting Things Done still a book that HN recommends?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19402500",
          "commentText": "GTG? or GTD?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "or GTD?",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter asks whether the acronym is GTG or GTD.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17936661,
          "author": "atlas1428",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T18:44:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17936661",
          "commentText": "- The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins\n- Godel Escher Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\n- Language, Truth, and Logic by A. J. Ayer\n- Thinking in Systems: A Primer by Donella Meadows\nBooks that serve as investment philosophy guides for those who've developed a habit of saving money but are looking for the \"next step\" in building more wealth. From the mind of one of the greatest investors of all time:\n- The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham (get the annotated version with an epilogue written by Warren Buffett!)\n- The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America\nA book that discusses what matters most in your life from a resource-allocation, measurable results standpoint (family, etc.):\n- How Will You Measure Your Life by Clayton Christensen\nA book I read 10 years ago that forever changed the way I manage productivity and organization both at work and in my personal life:\n- Getting Things Done by David Allen\nBooks that show that our universe is just as crazy, if not crazier, than science fiction:\n- Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy\n- Quantum Chance: Nonlocality, Teleportation and Other Quantum Marvels\n- ..and so on with intersecting topics!\nNot to mention, I love trying to have as deep an understanding as I can by reading highly technical textbooks on cosmology, gravitation, and quantum physics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Getting Things Done by David Allen",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed how they manage productivity and organization.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156533,
          "author": "jeffersonheard",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:44:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156533",
          "commentText": "Getting More - Stuart Diamond. I still think this is the best book on the art of negotiation.\nGetting Things Done - David Allen. If you have adult ADHD like me, and you haven't read this, it's the first system that's really worked for productivity for me.\nMan's Search for Meaning - Victor Frankl.\nLiving Buddha, Living Christ - Thich Nhat Hanh.\nCosmos - Carl Sagan.\nThe Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. LeGuin.\nThe One who Walks Away from Omelas - U.K. LeGuin.\nWild Seed - Octavia Butler.\nThe Heike Monogatari - (tr. Helen Craig McCullough) “The sound of the Gion Shoja temple bells echoes the impermanence of all things; the color of the sala flowers reveals the truth that to flourish is to fall. The proud do not endure, like a passing dream on a night in spring; the mighty fall at last, to be no more than dust before the wind.” If you need a comparison. this is the Japanese historical equivalent of Game of Thrones combined with a bit of MacBeth. The rise and fall of two shogunate families, and an analysis of the tragic flaws of character that brought their fall about.\nLes Miserables - Victor Hugo.\nSmall Gods - Terry Pratchett.\nHeart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad.\nThe Guide - R. K. Narayan.\nEvidence - Mary Oliver.\nAll of Us - The Collected Poetry of Raymond Carver.\nSilence - Shusaku Endo.\nThe Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald.\nThe Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Murakami Haruki. This and the next four are odd choices, perhaps, since it's a surrealist book, but IMO books that force your imagination to work hard do as much for creativity and fresh ideas as any of the more popular methods.\nThe Well-Built City (The Physiognomy / Memoranda / The Beyond) Jeffery Ford - Surrealist novellas best described as about the protagonist living and achieving agency within the constructs, dreams, and nightmares of a \"Great Man's\" mind.\nSnow Crash - Neal Stephenson.\nGravity's Rainbow - Thomas Pynchon.\nDhalgren - Samuel L. \"Chip\" Delany.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's the first system that's really worked for productivity for me.",
          "reason": "The commenter says its productivity system has worked for them, especially in the context of adult ADHD.",
          "audience": "People with adult ADHD seeking a productivity system.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13804109,
          "author": "miguelrochefort",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:12:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804109",
          "commentText": "Getting Things Done by David Allen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Getting Things Done by David Allen",
          "reason": "Named in response to a question about books that changed how people think.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567420,
          "author": "josscrowcroft",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T16:09:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567420",
          "commentText": "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami. I'm on at least my third reading and imagine I'll read it again.\nAlso re-listened to Getting Things Done by David Allen. This could also be any number of times.\nSort-of related, currently re-watching Westworld. I burned through ten episodes in two sittings first time around and wanted to properly appreciate it this time at a more leisurely pace.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Also re-listened to Getting Things Done by David Allen. This could also be any number of times.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12258798,
          "author": "miguelrochefort",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-10T01:03:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12258798",
          "commentText": "\"Getting Things Done\" by David Allen\nI've been obsessed with productivity and mindfulness ever since.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Getting Things Done\" by David Allen",
          "reason": "Named in response to the question about the book that impacted the commenter’s life most.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229849,
          "author": "nextos",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T16:06:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229849",
          "commentText": "IMHO GTD is right in two key things i) put everything into inbox; ii) distinguish between tasks, tasks with deadlines and events (e.g. a doctor appointment).\nBut it doesn't give us some key insights needed to prioritize and to avoid getting stuck into executing unimportant things. IMHO, the kanban concept of work-in-progress limits is crucial.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "IMHO GTD is right in two key things i) put everything into inbox; ii) distinguish between tasks, tasks with deadlines and events (e.g. a doctor appointment).",
          "reason": "Discusses two GTD principles favorably, while saying it misses insights on prioritization.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it does not address prioritization or avoiding unimportant work.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229741,
          "author": "raamdev",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:39:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229741",
          "commentText": "I felt the same way about GTD for the longest time, until I decided to read the small book and see what the fuss was all about. It completely changed the way I look at productivity and getting things done. GTD is not so much about David Allen or The GTD Method, but about a logical, structured way of processing inputs into your life. The more inputs you have, the more you'll benefit from the ideas (I consider them ideas more than 'methods') presented in the book.\nI don't follow GTD exactly the way David presents it in the book, but that's just the thing: What I learned from the book was not a specific method, but how to think about task management in a way that makes sense given the limited capacity of my brain to remember a large number of transitory things.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It completely changed the way I look at productivity and getting things done.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book changed how they think about productivity and task management.",
          "audience": "People with many inputs and tasks to manage.",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not follow Allen’s method exactly.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229727,
          "author": "ceras",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:35:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229727",
          "commentText": "I'm about 100 pages in, and the concepts seem very sensible so far. It boils down to methodically keeping track of your to-do's in one list, not in your head, so you don't have those distracting \"oh right I need to do X\" moments throughout your day. The book is a collection of tips to help you do that better -- you can take bits and pieces if you want.\nI have no doubt that if I actually started doing what he says my days would be more productive and less stressful.\nThat said, so far the book is really verbose, so I'm unsure if I'd recommend it over an online summary.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "so far the book is really verbose, so I'm unsure if I'd recommend it over an online summary.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds the method sensible and expects it would make their days more productive and less stressful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "So far they find the book verbose and are unsure they'd recommend it over an online summary.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229705,
          "author": "Slix",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:27:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229705",
          "commentText": "I have always been skeptical about GTD (and haven't read the book). It seems very cultish. And apparently he just released a new version where he changes the terminology he uses for every concept, which sounds very confusing.\nOn the other hand, I see GTD principles pop up all the time on todo list apps, and a lot of it seems like a good idea.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "It seems very cultish.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the method seems cultish and questions its confusing terminology changes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They have not read the book and note that some principles seem like good ideas.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229688,
          "author": "mbrd",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:20:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229688",
          "commentText": "If you haven't already read it, \"Getting Things Done\" by David Allen is one of the best known productivity books.\nSome people I have spoken to say his method isn't for them but I've found it useful, even if I haven't implemented everything he suggests.\nI'd also recommend \"Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software\" by Charles Petzold. It starts at simple circuits and builds up a picture of how computers work. It has really helped me get my mental models of what's going on inside a computer straightened out!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've found it useful",
          "reason": "The commenter has found Allen’s productivity method useful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some people say the method isn't for them; the commenter hasn't implemented everything.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9353543,
          "author": "galfarragem",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-10T11:06:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9353543",
          "commentText": "IMHO to really change your whole life perspective, you must experience a traumatic event, not reading a book.\nAnyway I would say that a book can trigger a change of perspective on a particular aspect of your life:\n'4-hour workweek' - Tim Ferriss (on lifestyle)\n'Get Things Done' - David Allen (on organization and productivity)\n'The Way of the Superior Man' - David Deida (on relationships)\n'The prince' - Machiavelli' (on business and strategy)\n'The little prince' - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (on meaning of life)\n'The Feynman Lectures on Physics' - Richard Feynman' (to remember you to be humble)\nA lot of other books had broaden my perspective of life even if they weren't enough to trigger a change. That list would be immense.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Get Things Done' - David Allen (on organization and productivity)",
          "reason": "Lists it as a book that can trigger a change of perspective on organization and productivity.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in organization and productivity.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says books can shift a particular aspect of life, while a traumatic event is needed to change one's whole perspective.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107077,
          "author": "kilo_man",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T09:00:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107077",
          "commentText": "Just listing books that have had a big impact on me:\n* The Now Habit - http://www.amazon.com/dp/1585425524\n* Getting Things Done - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0142000280\n* Simply Christian - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061920622\n* Surprised by Hope - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061551821\n* The Great Divorce - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060652950\n* Mere Christianity - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060652926\n* The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - http://www.amazon.com/dp/048629823X\n* Tao Te Ching - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060812451\nBooks from the Bible that I like:\n* Genesis\n* Judges\n* Ruth\n* Tobit\n* Job\n* Psalms\n* Ecclesiastes\n* Sirach/Ecclesiasticus\n* Everything written by John",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Getting Things Done",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter says have had a big impact on them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5324293,
          "author": "alexhjones",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-05T13:24:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 5323956,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: which are some good self-help books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5324293",
          "commentText": "Getting Things Done http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getting_Things_Done\nThe Seven Habits of Highly Effective People http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seven_Habits_of_Highly_Effe... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seven_Habits_of_Highly_Effective_People)\nStarting Strength http://startingstrength.com/\n(controversial :-P) The Paleo solution http://www.amazon.com/Paleo-Solution-Original-Human-Diet/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Paleo-Solution-Original-Human-Diet/dp/0982565844)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Getting Things Done",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2173093,
          "author": "rvb",
          "createdAt": "2011-02-03T01:14:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 2172825,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: If you could recommend only three management books...",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2173093",
          "commentText": "Getting Things Done is a permanent resident of my bookshelf (and OmniFocus is one of all of my devices). That's exactly the sort of guide I was looking for, but for a company instead of for an individual. So I am very eager to check out your other recommendations; thank you very much.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Getting Things Done is a permanent resident of my bookshelf",
          "reason": "Says the book is exactly the kind of guide they wanted, for a company rather than an individual.",
          "audience": "People looking for a practical guide to company management.",
          "caveat": "The praise is for the kind of guide it represents; they have not yet checked out the other recommendations.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2172979,
          "author": "whatusername",
          "createdAt": "2011-02-03T00:33:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 2172825,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: If you could recommend only three management books...",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2172979",
          "commentText": "If you're planning on running a business: The E-Myth Revisited, Michael Gerber.\nIf you don't have your own shit togethor productivity wise: Getting Things Done, David Allen.\nThis: http://managinghumans.com/ might be what you're after in terms of Engineering/Development management",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Getting Things Done, David Allen.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for people seeking to improve their productivity.",
          "audience": "People seeking to improve productivity.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971631,
          "author": "osc",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T14:21:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971631",
          "commentText": "Getting Things Done - since reading it in the spring, it's changed the way I approach projects. I would have been SO much more productive when I actually had time to kill in my 20s.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "since reading it in the spring, it's changed the way I approach projects.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book changed how they approach projects and wishes they had read it earlier.",
          "audience": "People who want to be more productive with projects.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865419,
          "author": "prateekdayal",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T16:51:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865419",
          "commentText": "Getting Things Done\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Getting-Things-Done-Stress-Free-Produc... (http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Things-Done-Stress-Free-Productivity/dp/0142000280)\nSo that I can read more and do other things :)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Getting Things Done",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1635177,
          "author": "adammichaelc",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-26T05:38:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1635177",
          "commentText": "Business: 7 Habits, 8th Habit, Getting Things Done, 4 Steps to Epiphany, Straight from the Gut\nSpiritual: Book of Mormon, Book of Isaiah, The 4 Gospels in the New Testament\nRelationship: The 5 Love Languages, Men are from Mars Women from Venus\nPhysical: Spark, The Vitamin D Solution",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Business: 7 Habits, 8th Habit, Getting Things Done, 4 Steps to Epiphany, Straight from the Gut",
          "reason": "Included in a list answering the question about books that changed your life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 192108,
          "author": "DenisM",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-16T18:56:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=192108",
          "commentText": "Amazon has a wide selection of books on CD. \"Good To Great\", \"Getting Things Done\", etc.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/books/69726/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Good To Great\", \"Getting Things Done\", etc.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135423,
          "author": "hbien",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T19:45:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135423",
          "commentText": "http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3087/2325563013_d62ca9cde5.jp... (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3087/2325563013_d62ca9cde5.jpg?v=0)\nI'm a fan of \"The Pragmatic Programmer\".\nOther books I thought were a good read: getting things done, 4 hour work week, and founders at work.\nI've also got all 6 seasons of 24 on my bookshelf =/, probably not the most productive times of my life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "getting things done",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter thought were a good read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135297,
          "author": "cbthiess",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T17:29:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135297",
          "commentText": "Getting Things Done, by David Allen\nanything by Edward Tufte\nThe Singularity Is Near, by Ray Kurzweil\nDip, by Seth Godin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Getting Things Done, by David Allen",
          "reason": "Listed as a book for a hacker's bookshelf.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85950,
          "author": "jsb",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T15:16:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85950",
          "commentText": "1984 (George Orwell)\nThe Four Hour Work Week (Tim Ferriss)\nGetting Things Done (David Allen)\nDeception Point (Dan Brown)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Getting Things Done (David Allen)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 65157,
          "author": "Kaizyn",
          "createdAt": "2007-10-09T06:11:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 65153,
          "threadTitle": "Top Books for Entrepreneurs. List them.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=65157",
          "commentText": "This has come up a couple times before.  However, specifically for entrepreneurs, the books to read are:\n  1) How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie\n  2) Musashi's The Book of Five Rings\n  3) Gonzo Marketing by Christopher Locke\n  4) Getting Things Done by David Allen\n  5) What Management Is by Joan Magretta\n\nThere are other books, but less relevant in a business context.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Getting Things Done by David Allen",
          "reason": "Listed among books to read specifically for entrepreneurs.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5704,
          "author": "bhb",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T16:03:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5704",
          "commentText": "Some of these have been mentioned, but these stand out for me\nProgramming:\nGetting Real\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nHackers and Painters\nBusiness:\nGood to Great\nStart Your Own Business (I knew basically nothing about \nsmall business before I started, and it's a good intro)\nCrossing the Chasm (good so far, haven't finished)\nTechnology/Culture:\nThe Long Tail\nThe World is Flat\nProductivity/People:\nGetting Things Done\nGetting to Yes\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Getting Things Done",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5661,
          "author": "danw",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T11:59:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5661",
          "commentText": "GTD didnt work for me.\nThe bits that I did find useful were\n1) make lots of lists\n2) read your lists often",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "GTD didnt work for me.",
          "reason": "Says the method did not work for them, though they found two useful takeaways.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter found useful ideas in making lists and reading them often.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5626,
          "author": "nickb",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T05:37:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5626",
          "commentText": "There's plenty of interesting books out there and many are fairly specific for the task you're trying to solve. The book that has helped me out the most is Getting Things Done by David Allen:\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getting_Things_Done\n\nIt's better than any other personal development book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book that has helped me out the most is Getting Things Done by David Allen",
          "reason": "Says it has helped him more than other books and calls it better than any other personal development book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Allen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 34,
      "threads": 24,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "productivity",
        "task management",
        "time management",
        "personal organization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "catch-22-a124e8",
      "title": "Catch-22",
      "author": "Joseph Heller",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46431336,
          "author": "ILoveHorses",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-30T09:38:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46431336",
          "commentText": "I wanted to challenge myself in 2025 and alternate between fiction and non-fiction, so here are my highlights\n- Crime and Punishment\n - Homo Deus\n - Catch 22\n - Flash Boys\n - The Art of Strategy\n - Moby Dick (could only get halfway through though :()\n - The Great Gatsby\n - How to be Alone (couldn't get past 2 chapters)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Catch 22",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46403930,
          "author": "KaiserPro",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T18:24:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46403930",
          "commentText": "Its funny, I've tried with Catch-22 a few times. I just can't get on with it.\nI think that its all just one ginormous side note, and that Yossarian is a shit, means I can't enjoy it.\nI also suspect that I am not american enough to pick up on the satire references.\nI suspect I feel what americans feel when they read jeeves and wooster.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Its funny, I've tried with Catch-22 a few times. I just can't get on with it.",
          "reason": "Has tried the novel several times but cannot get into it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Finds the side-note structure and Yossarian off-putting, and may miss some satire references.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42269892,
          "author": "computerdork",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T01:03:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42269892",
          "commentText": "Catch 22 is one of the funniest (while still having depth) books ever! Have never looked into his other books, will have to check it out",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Catch 22 is one of the funniest (while still having depth) books ever!",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the funniest books ever, with depth.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41802421,
          "author": "xkcd-sucks",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-10T19:18:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41802421",
          "commentText": "Moby Dick, Herman Melville\nVALIS, Philip K Dick\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance + also Lila, Robert Pirsig\nNaked Lunch, William Burroughs\nImmortality, Milan Kundera\nCatch-22, Joseph Heller (pair with The Deserters, Charles Glass -- In fact a lot of the stuff in Catch-22 is actually toned down from reality)\nMastering the Core Teachings of Buddha, Daniel Ingram (but ignore 80% of it)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Catch-22, Joseph Heller",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says much of its content is toned down from reality.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41774104,
          "author": "sien",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-08T05:29:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41774104",
          "commentText": "I went back and read it after reading it as a teenager fairly recently.\nIt still worked for me. It didn't quite have the same impact and the it sags a bit in the middle but it's still a great book that well, shaped the way I see the world.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It still worked for me. It didn't quite have the same impact and the it sags a bit in the middle but it's still a great book that well, shaped the way I see the world.",
          "reason": "Says the book remains great and shaped their view of the world, though it had less impact on rereading and sags in the middle.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Less impactful on rereading; the middle sags.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30735664,
          "author": "azangru",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:27:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735664",
          "commentText": "Catch 22 has reaffirmed in me Yossarian's mindset that I didn't know I had; about how the world is mad and is out to get me over its crazy shit; and about how the received official mythologized narrative is different from the day-to-day survival concerns of an ordinary person. Thinking back, it probably was the most influential book for me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Catch 22 has reaffirmed in me Yossarian's mindset",
          "reason": "The commenter says it reaffirmed their view of a mad world and ordinary people's survival concerns.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25320463,
          "author": "austincheney",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-06T02:24:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25320463",
          "commentText": "The follow suggestions are all novels or non-fiction written as narratives\n* English rural veterinarian novels - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Herriot\n* Corporate security - The ISC2 CISSP course book https://www.amazon.com/Official-ISC-Guide-CISSP-CBK/dp/11194... (https://www.amazon.com/Official-ISC-Guide-CISSP-CBK/dp/1119423341)\n* Military - Catch 22 by Joseph Heller https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catch-22\n* Internal investigations - Airframe by Michael Chriton https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airframe_%28novel%29",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Catch 22 by Joseph Heller",
          "reason": "Suggested as a military narrative.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in military life.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23468068,
          "author": "5letters",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T16:31:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23468068",
          "commentText": "I second this one. A book good both for laughs and for a  cynical but not entirely inaccurate look at organizations and human behavior.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second this one.",
          "reason": "Seconding the parent comment's recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467732,
          "author": "jackschultz",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:55:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467732",
          "commentText": "These threads are posted a lot, but I still like reading the comments for new book recommendations if I see a match. Also, hopefully this can show people how great fiction is. I've seen comments that shun people for liking fiction compared to non.\nFor me:\nLonesome Dove\n100 Years of Solitude\nCatch-22\nThe Sellout (very relevant again)\nEast of Eden\nKafka on the Shore (and all the stories in Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Catch-22",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467694,
          "author": "vzidex",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:51:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467694",
          "commentText": "Catch-22. It's not at all related to tech, but it's the funniest book I've ever read and I feel it helps keep me grounded.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Catch-22.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the funniest book they've read and says it helps keep them grounded.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is unrelated to tech.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803978,
          "author": "jriot",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:57:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803978",
          "commentText": "I've curated my 2020 list over the last few months, eventually splitting it in two; 2021 has been started, but below is my 2020 list.\nBrave New World\nCatcher in the Rye (3rd read)\nTom Sawyer\nThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn\nWar and Peace\nCatch-22\nStranger in a Strange Lan\nThe Hobbit (3rd read)\nThe Illiad\nThe Odessey\nWalden\nLeisure, The Basis of Culture\nThe Seven Storey Mountain\nConfessions\nThe City of God\nWays of Life St Augustine\nCatechism of the Catholic Church\nThese Truths\nBattle Cry of Freedom\nThe Complete Guide to Fly Fishing\nThe Lure and Lore of Trout Fishing\nThe Duck Huntingest Gentlemen",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Catch-22",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's curated 2020 reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Part of a planned reading list.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20983882,
          "author": "silvat",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T13:40:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20983882",
          "commentText": "I tried reading catch-22 twice before successfully getting through it. I felt the same as you did. I think my problem the first 2 times was that I was looking for the 'hook' or whatever it was that people were so fanatical about. As a consequence, I think I was glossing over the dialogue and not really ingesting what was going on. The third time I decided to just take it at face value, try and enjoy the dialogue and if no bigger picture emerges, so be it. This approach turned out to be the key. It's an incredibly funny and poignant book and what happens is that while you get through all these seemingly (initally) trivial scenes, a point does in fact start to emerge. The triviality is actually central to the main point. People keep dying off for arbitrary reasons and the being part of the war is so detached from the apparent reasons for the war is actually taking place. It's one of my favorite books. I truly recommended trying to read it again.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's an incredibly funny and poignant book",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its humor and poignancy and recommends trying to read it again.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20982340,
          "author": "me_me_me",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T09:25:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20982340",
          "commentText": "It's one of my favorite books too, but I couldn't drag myself through Catch 22. And a lot of people are fanatical about it.\nDifferent type of people like different things :) no need to feel bad about it.\np.s I would use word playful instead of childish.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I couldn't drag myself through Catch 22. And a lot of people are fanatical about it.",
          "reason": "Says they could not get through it despite its popularity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that others are enthusiastic about it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19093807,
          "author": "hackerbabz",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-06T09:21:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19093807",
          "commentText": "For me it was Catch-22. I read it at around 14 and it taught me that sometimes the truth is the complete opposite from what it seems, or what you're told.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For me it was Catch-22.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book taught them that the truth can be the opposite of appearances or what people say.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337486,
          "author": "andy_boot",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:49:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337486",
          "commentText": "Catch 22. - I can re-read that over and over laughing at the silliness of their situation.\nAlso If you enjoyed Catch I recommend Vernon God Little",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Catch 22. - I can re-read that over and over laughing at the silliness of their situation.",
          "reason": "Rereads it and laughs at the characters’ situation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630186,
          "author": "projectileboy",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:46:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630186",
          "commentText": "Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis is the only book I've ever read that actually made me laugh out loud. I'm told Catch 22 is like that, but I haven't read it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm told Catch 22 is like that, but I haven't read it.",
          "reason": "Reports that others say it has the humor of Lucky Jim, but has not read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it; this is secondhand.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630111,
          "author": "jackschultz",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:32:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630111",
          "commentText": "Whenever anyone asks:\nCatch-22\nEast of Eden\nRemains of the Day\nSurely You're Joking Mr Feynman\nThese threads where people suggest multiple books are good to run through. If you see one in a comment that someone else liked, probably try to read the others they listed.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Catch-22",
          "reason": "Suggested as one of several books to try after seeing someone like another title on the list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13974115,
          "author": "mvindahl",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-28T04:36:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13974115",
          "commentText": "A favourite of mine as well. I read it when I was about 20 and it blew my mind. I later read other books by Joseph Heller but I really shouldn't have bothered. Catch 22 was really his main opus.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Catch 22 was really his main opus.",
          "reason": "Says this was Heller's main work, while stating they should not have bothered with his other books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says other books by Heller were not worth bothering with.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13967810,
          "author": "arethuza",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T14:11:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13967810",
          "commentText": "I read Catch 22 when I was about 14 or so - it was literally the first \"grown up\" novel that I read that wasn't dry science fiction and it completely enthralled me.\nWhat did I learn from it? Possibly this:\n\"The enemy is anybody who's going to get you killed, no matter which side he's on\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read Catch 22 when I was about 14 or so - it was literally the first \"grown up\" novel that I read that wasn't dry science fiction and it completely enthralled me.",
          "reason": "Says the novel completely enthralled them and shares a line they learned from it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13967677,
          "author": "macca321",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T13:50:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13967677",
          "commentText": "Catch 22. I use Yossarian's behaviour to justify my own.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Catch 22. I use Yossarian's behaviour to justify my own.",
          "reason": "Names the book as influential and says they use Yossarian's behavior to justify their own.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13804180,
          "author": "metaphorm",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:19:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804180",
          "commentText": "- The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin\n- Blindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts\n- The Tao Te Ching\n- The Gateless Gate (Koun Yamada translation/editing)\n- The Baroque Cycle (Quicksilver, The Confusion, The System of the World) by Neal Stephenson\n- The Invisibles by Grant Morrison\n- Incerto (Fooled by Randomness, The Black Swan, Antifragile, The Bed of Procrustes) by Nassim Nicholas Taleb\n- Iron John by Robert Bly\n- Catch 22 by Joseph Heller\n- The Character of Physical Law by Richard P. Feynman\n- Collected Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges\n- 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez\n- Pharmakon by Dale Pendell\n- The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss\n- Greek Mythology by Edith Hamilton\n- The Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual by Gary Gygax et al\n- Introduction to Algorithms by Charles E. Leiserson, Clifford Stein, Ronald Rivest, and Thomas H. Cormen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Catch 22 by Joseph Heller",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed how people think.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229633,
          "author": "irixusr",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T14:50:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229633",
          "commentText": "If you're about to work for the federal government. I suggest catch 22 and Kafka.\nNow that I'm working with them,I realize those books aren't fiction: they're documentaries.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I suggest catch 22 and Kafka.",
          "reason": "Suggested for people about to work for the federal government; the commenter later compares the books to documentaries.",
          "audience": "People about to work for the federal government.",
          "caveat": "The commenter uses the comparison to documentaries as a joke about government work.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674294,
          "author": "benihana",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T11:58:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674294",
          "commentText": "Catch-22.\nWe're all playing a game and most of us aren't even aware that we can choose not to play. Yossarian is one of the bravest characters in all of literature. He stays true to himself even in the face of overwhelming evidence that all of the world disagrees with him.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Yossarian is one of the bravest characters in all of literature.",
          "reason": "Praises Yossarian and describes the book's theme of refusing to play along.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8106941,
          "author": "screwt",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:16:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106941",
          "commentText": "Catch-22. In a similar vibe (but a fair bit shorter), Slaughterhouse 5. Both cover the hell of war by examining its absurdity. Catch-22 is also the funniest book you'll ever read.\nIf you're into engineering books, the best I've read is Skunk Works (Ben R Rich). It's an account of the work of Lockheed's legendary skunk works division - behind the U2 spy plane, stealth fighter and the blackbird sr-17.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Catch-22 is also the funniest book you'll ever read.",
          "reason": "Describes it as exceptionally funny and as a book about the absurdity of war.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6416411,
          "author": "seanccox",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-20T07:28:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6416411",
          "commentText": "White Teeth, Zadie Smith\nFierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates, Tom Robbins\nHomage to Catalonia, George Orwell\nCatch 22, Joseph Heller\nTimequake; Mother Night, Kurt Vonnegut Jr.\nSeven Pillars of Wisdom, TE Lawrence\nThe Histories, Tacitus\nThe Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger (caveat, it was most effective when I read it at 16)\nRedwall, Brian Jaques (got me really excited about reading when I was in the fourth grade)\nThis list could be much, much longer, but those are the most prominent 'life-changers' that come to mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Catch 22, Joseph Heller",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the most prominent life-changers that come to mind.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387908,
          "author": "xanth",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T02:20:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387908",
          "commentText": "Catch 22\nSubtext: One Hundred Years of Solitude The Infinite Jest Cryptonomicon\n:P",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Catch 22",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387605,
          "author": "mdellabitta",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T00:00:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387605",
          "commentText": "Catch 22\nOne Hundred Years of Solitude\nThe Infinite Jest\nCryptonomicon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Catch 22",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5835466,
          "author": "foobarqux",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T22:06:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5835466",
          "commentText": "> When I read something saying I've not done anything as good as Catch-22 I'm tempted to reply, \"Who has?\" -- Heller, author of Catch-22",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "as good as Catch-22",
          "reason": "Quotes a remark attributing the title to its author, without expressing a separate evaluation or recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5834195,
          "author": "saturdayplace",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T18:19:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5834195",
          "commentText": "Catch 22 is a fantastic read. I don't think I've read anything else where everything in the book is such a great illustration of its main theme. Plus, it's just plain entertaining.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Catch 22 is a fantastic read. I don't think I've read anything else where everything in the book is such a great illustration of its main theme. Plus, it's just plain entertaining.",
          "reason": "Calls it a fantastic, entertaining read and praises how it illustrates its theme.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5834022,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T17:56:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5834022",
          "commentText": "Catch 22.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Catch 22.",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the question about favorite fiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5710333,
          "author": "pizza",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-15T05:30:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5710333",
          "commentText": "The Stranger, Catch-22, Cat's Cradle",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Catch-22",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5692079,
          "author": "JackGibbs",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T20:57:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5692079",
          "commentText": "Some authors and a rec or two for each.\nDFW - Infinite Jest\nPynchon - Really anything, but in particular Against the Day, V, and Gravity's Rainbow.\nRushdie - Shame and Satanic Verses, a lot of good other ones.\nNeal Stephenson - Cryptonomicon\nGaddis - JR, hence my name.\nHeller - Catch-22",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Heller - Catch-22",
          "reason": "Listed as a recommendation in response to a request for good books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4513920,
          "author": "ohashi",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-12T23:44:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 4513324,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading currently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4513920",
          "commentText": "Re-reading Catch 22.  I just finished The Geography of Bliss which was pretty interesting and a very fun read.  I like to keep a list of books I enjoyed too (http://kevinohashi.com/books if you're curious)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Re-reading Catch 22.",
          "reason": "Says they are rereading it, without expressing an evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3666987,
          "author": "KoryFerbet",
          "createdAt": "2012-03-05T16:14:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 3643009,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-technical book you've read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3666987",
          "commentText": "The fact that someone's name is Major Major Major Major just shows the pure brilliance of this book. I feel like I'm going to have to read through it a second time shortly after finishing it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The fact that someone's name is Major Major Major Major just shows the pure brilliance of this book.",
          "reason": "Calls the book brilliant, referring to its character Major Major Major Major.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3644165,
          "author": "aorshan",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-28T18:15:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 3643009,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-technical book you've read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3644165",
          "commentText": "Major Major Major Major is one of my favorite literary characters. I definitely recommend catch 22 as a good read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I definitely recommend catch 22 as a good read.",
          "reason": "Calls it a good read and explicitly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3643660,
          "author": "KoryFerbet",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-28T16:18:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 3643009,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-technical book you've read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3643660",
          "commentText": "I've been reading \"Catch 22\" by Joseph Heller and have been amazed by how hilarious it is. Also recently finished \"Life\" by Keith Richards which was also very entertaining.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "have been amazed by how hilarious it is",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its humor.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971377,
          "author": "_b8r0",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T10:28:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971377",
          "commentText": "My younger self wouldn't have been interested in the books that interest me now. Instead I'd have to settle for some good fiction.\nGoing back in time to around 12-16, I'd send one of:\n* Brave New World - Aldous Huxley\n* 1984 - George Orwell\n* To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee\n* Catch 22 - Joe Heller\n* Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut\n* Of Mice and Men - Steinbeck\n* Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury\n* The Call of Ctulhu - H.P. Lovecraft\n* Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card\nSome of those I actually read in school and loved (but wish I read earlier), others I didn't. I think any of those books would've interested me at the time. There's plenty of time for Rich Dad, Poor Dad, SPIN Selling and all the business books later in life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Catch 22 - Joe Heller",
          "reason": "Included as a fiction choice for their younger self.",
          "audience": "Readers around ages 12–16, as suggested by the commenter.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752881,
          "author": "blrgeek",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T15:44:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752881",
          "commentText": "Want to blow your mind?\nFiction\nKeep an open mind, and a sense of wonder when you read these for max effect!\nHitch-hikers guide to the galaxy. I was hooked at \"The big yellow ships hung in the air just the way bricks don't.\"\nDune - what does scarcity do to a society?\nIsaac Asimov - Robot series. Foundation series. All of his short stories, esp. The Last Question, Nightfall.\nA.C. Clarke - 2001 - series, Childhood's End, The Fountains of Paradise\nThe Little Prince, The Count of Monte Cristo, Catch-22, Siddhartha, Ender's Game, Sundiver, Wodehouse.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Catch-22",
          "reason": "Listed as fiction to read for a mind-blowing experience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1633518,
          "author": "dwwoelfel",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T17:37:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1633518",
          "commentText": "http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0684833395/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0684833395/",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1632732,
          "author": "timruffles",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T13:16:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1632732",
          "commentText": "Great book. I took from it that life is all FUBAR'd, you'll have to make it work for yourself :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great book. I took from it that life is all FUBAR'd, you'll have to make it work for yourself :)",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book and describes a lesson they took from it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1632675,
          "author": "instakill",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T12:50:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1632675",
          "commentText": "As improbable as it may sound, Catch-22 by Joseph Heller.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Catch-22 by Joseph Heller",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Introduced as an improbable choice.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876218,
          "author": "eob",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T06:58:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876218",
          "commentText": "Sometimes a work is best appreciated as a meditation on a particular feeling, and the evolution thereof. Catch-22 was like that for me.\nIt is the same humor, told over and over, but at the beginning of the book you're laughing while at the end of the book you're crying because the humor in the situation has turned to horror at the inhumanity of it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Catch-22 was like that for me.",
          "reason": "Describes its humor evolving into a devastating meditation on inhumanity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 456339,
          "author": "mechanical_fish",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T14:08:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456339",
          "commentText": "You sound like you're looking for something like Jones' The Art of War in the Western World:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Art-War-Western-World/dp/0252069668\nOr just go there and follow Amazon \"related\" links.\nJones is of the \"very broad\" school of military history. It can be a little bit dry, but it certainly tries to be comprehensive: It's like Civilization in that it starts with phalanx and then moves slowly forward through the history of strategy and tactics.\nYou might like the works of John Keegan, another famous military historian who takes a general approach. He's got a History of Warfare that's like a lighter-weight version of Jones -- I might recommend starting with that, actually. His one-volume histories of WWI and WWII are probably decent.\nKeegan is British, so it wouldn't surprise me if his histories were heavy on the Western front. If you want the actual history of WWII you need a history that's more about the Eastern Front, which is pretty much where the war in Europe was actually decided. Unfortunately, the history on that subject lags decades behind, because the surviving Germans didn't exactly want to dwell on it and the Soviets weren't exactly forthcoming. (Many of the key Soviet figures either got disappeared by Stalin or lived under the constant fear of being disappeared by Stalin.) I'm not sure what the best current general history of the Eastern Front is, but I do know that the big Western expert on the subject is David Glantz, who has spent the last twenty years digging through formerly-sealed Soviet records of enormous battles that were covered up for years.  I'd probably start with:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Slaughterhouse-Handbook-Eastern-David-... (http://www.amazon.com/Slaughterhouse-Handbook-Eastern-David-Glantz/dp/097176509X)\nbecause I don't know any better and it comes up first on Amazon.\nIf you want something written by a gamer try the works of James Dunnigan, founder of SPI and author of a whole pile of famous simulation board games. I read most of his Dirty Little Secrets of World War II and it was interesting. A much breezier style than the heavy-duty military historians. And he's got books that cover contemporary military stuff as well as history.\nNobody should read about war at the 10,000 foot level without also reading about what it's actually like on the ground. Obviously, the great modern literary works on the subject are Slaughterhouse Five and, even more so, Catch-22. In the realm of nonfiction, Fussell's Wartime was interesting, but it led me to Eugene Sledge's With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa, which is even better: a very good book by a guy from the front lines in the Pacific who is not shy about telling you exactly what went on. Comes with an endorsement by PG! (from the last time I mentioned it on HN.)Don't read it over lunch if you're squeamish.\n(I haven't actually read some of these, but my dad is a military boardgamer and military history buff. He's got several bookshelves packed with books like these.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and, even more so, Catch-22",
          "reason": "Named as an especially great modern literary work about war.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in war's experience on the ground.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56709,
          "author": "ericb",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T04:32:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56709",
          "commentText": "How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.  It is arguably the most useful book I've ever read, albeit with the most embarassing title.\nAs inklesspen mentioned, Elements of Style is a must.\nCode Complete and the Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks.  Timeless coding wisdom.\nFor a laugh, Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, or Hitchhiker's Guide.  \nBody Language, Julius Fast. Kitschy but fascinating insights into body language.\nFabric of the Cosmos, Brian Greene.  Brian is a fluke of nature--a physicist who can explain things realy well!\nAnything by Phillip K. Dick.  Sci-fi stories that make you think.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For a laugh, Catch-22 by Joseph Heller",
          "reason": "Recommends it for a laugh.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for humorous fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph Heller"
      ],
      "recommenders": 33,
      "threads": 26,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "satire",
        "war fiction",
        "war satire",
        "war"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-phoenix-project-435b37",
      "title": "The Phoenix Project",
      "author": "Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, and George Spafford",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43085457,
          "author": "JojoFatsani",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-18T02:26:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 43084739,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction/non-fiction book should everyone read on the topic of CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43085457",
          "commentText": "The Phoenix Project.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Phoenix Project.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39266080,
          "author": "abbadadda",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-05T19:45:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39266080",
          "commentText": "> Did you think just the audiobook wasn't better or in general it wasn't as good as The Phoenix Project?\nI listened to both audiobooks. Something about the paperbacks I couldn’t get in to. Now that I think about it, I don’t want to read a novel about work when I’m not at work. Also, audiobooks lend themselves really well to a commute.\nAt any rate, the narrator of The Phoenix Project is male and the narrator of the audiobook for The Unicorn Project is female. But that’s not why I liked The Phoenix Project more. The male narrator _really_ got into the voices of the different characters, which I appreciated.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "But that’s not why I liked The Phoenix Project more.",
          "reason": "The commenter preferred its audiobook narration, especially the character voices.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They couldn't get into the paperback and prefer audiobooks for commuting.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39252836,
          "author": "andher",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T18:22:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39252836",
          "commentText": "I read The Phoenix Project a while back and really liked it, have been intending to pick up the The Unicorn Project for some time now. Did you think just the audiobook wasn't better or in general it wasn't as good as The Phoenix Project?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read The Phoenix Project a while back and really liked it",
          "reason": "The commenter says they read and really liked it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39249147,
          "author": "RyanHamilton",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T10:41:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249147",
          "commentText": "I agree on your review of both books. Phoenix project was excellent. After years of banging my head trying to change a large org, I'm not sure you can do it head on. I found either you need incentives to change, then the org changes. e.g. Rather than encourage goal X, pay or promote teams that do X and it will happen (subject to some level of faking). Or more usually use the current org structure to affect change. i.e. play their game, then use the parts you can to make change. Trying to change an org head on never worked for me and just caused myself and otehrs great unhappiness :).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Phoenix project was excellent.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39249080,
          "author": "abbadadda",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T10:29:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249080",
          "commentText": "I started listening to \"The Unicorn Project\" on audiobook. It is not as good as \"The Phoenix Project\" audiobook, but it does a decent job of describing problems from the software engineer's perspective. The problem is I need a version of these books from Sarah Molton/Steve Master's point of view (a novel about being a product manager or CEO?) to better understand what motivates that side of the org. I have been mired in \"The Core Chronic Conflict\" for years, paying down tech debt, and turns out changing an org to learn/understand/care about DevOps is Hard.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It is not as good as \"The Phoenix Project\" audiobook",
          "reason": "Mentioned as the comparison point for the audiobook being discussed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter favors its audiobook over The Unicorn Project audiobook.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39061215,
          "author": "JojoFatsani",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T21:09:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39061215",
          "commentText": "The Phoenix Project.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Phoenix Project.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37827986,
          "author": "philomath_mn",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-10T02:39:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37827986",
          "commentText": "That's the opposite of dry and long. Not exactly a page-turner but I think I read it in 3 or 4 sessions.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "That's the opposite of dry and long. Not exactly a page-turner but I think I read it in 3 or 4 sessions.",
          "reason": "Says it is not dry or long, though it is not a page-turner.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not exactly a page-turner.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37810677,
          "author": "elijahwright",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-08T14:20:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37810677",
          "commentText": "The Phoenix Project.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Phoenix Project.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37159160,
          "author": "michaelhoney",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T09:20:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37159160",
          "commentText": "Similar theme, not great literature but still a good, quick read for people who work in tech: The Phoenix Project: https://itrevolution.com/product/the-phoenix-project/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Similar theme, not great literature but still a good, quick read for people who work in tech: The Phoenix Project",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a quick read for people working in tech.",
          "audience": "People who work in tech.",
          "caveat": "Not great literature.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36432117,
          "author": "telesilla",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T13:47:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36432117",
          "commentText": "I listened to 40 hours of Moby Dick on a series of long road trips and couldn't wait to start each one, just me and Melville for a few hours every day.\nOn a business level, Critical Chain (Goldratt) and the Phoenix Project (Kim, Spafford, Behr) were necessary eye-openers once I got into top management.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Phoenix Project (Kim, Spafford, Behr)",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a necessary eye-opener after entering top management.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33859795,
          "author": "markshead",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-05T00:33:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33859795",
          "commentText": "A few books that I've found useful:\nThe Goal - Eli Goldratt - It is a novel about optimizing a factory, but it is immensely valuable in thinking through what are the actual constraints on your team's ability to deliver software and how do you fix it without making other things worse. The Phoenix Project is kind of a modern retelling, but I'd start with The Goal.\nThe Principles of Product Development Flow - Reinersten - Great for thinking deeply about how you deliver value through your system and the tradeoffs you are making in what you choose to focus on next. Once again it isn't specific to software, but very relevant.\nThe 5 Dysfunctions of Teams - Lencioni - Common team problems and what to do instead.\nInfluence: Science and Practice - Cialdini - How to get people into agreement so you can move forward--a skill that can be used for both good and evil.\nThe Little Schemer - Friedman and Felleisen - It is kind of hard to describe why this would be useful, but I felt it made me think more deeply about what it means to program a computer in ways that indirectly supported the topics you mentioned. Or maybe I just happened to work through it at a point in my life when I was growing in those other areas too.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Phoenix Project is kind of a modern retelling, but I'd start with The Goal.",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a modern retelling while recommending starting with The Goal.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a modern retelling of The Goal.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33859109,
          "author": "smcleod",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T23:16:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33859109",
          "commentText": "An absolute must from a \"how to think\" and cultural perspective is The Phoenix Project, many years on I still think back to this frequently.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An absolute must from a \"how to think\" and cultural perspective is The Phoenix Project",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends the book for its perspective on thinking and culture.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a cultural perspective relevant to software engineering.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33858182,
          "author": "mooreds",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T21:37:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33858182",
          "commentText": "Hiya,\nI'd consider these books/articles/podcasts:\n* Secrets of Consulting by Gerald Weinberg: http://geraldmweinberg.com/Site/Consulting_Secrets.html Every problem is a people problem.\n* Refactoring by Martin Fowler et. al: https://martinfowler.com/books/refactoring.html talks about how and why to refactor, as well as providing a nomenclature for the process.\n* Code Complete by Steve McConnell. https://stevemcconnell.com/books/ A bit dated (the last version I could find was from 2004) but a great overview of the entire software process, from requirements to maintenance.\n* The Mythical Man-Month by Fred Brookes: https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/mythical-man-month-the/... (https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/mythical-man-month-the/0201835959/) best practices about software development, written about a project from the 1960 and 1970s.\n* The Joel On Software Strategy Letters: https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/05/12/strategy-letter-i-... (https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/05/12/strategy-letter-i-ben-and-jerrys-vs-amazon/) is the first one. All of them (I think there are five) are great.\n* Letters to a New Developer: https://letterstoanewdeveloper.com/the-book/ Please note I wrote this, but I still think it does a good job of discussing the \"soft skills\" in an easily digestible format.\n* Pragmatic Programmer by Dave Thomas and Andy Hunt: https://pragprog.com/titles/tpp20/the-pragmatic-programmer-2... (https://pragprog.com/titles/tpp20/the-pragmatic-programmer-20th-anniversary-edition/) Haven't read the revised 20th anniversary edition, but the first one opened my eyes to the craft of software.\n* High Output Management by Andy Grove: https://bookshop.org/p/books/high-output-management-andrew-s... (https://bookshop.org/p/books/high-output-management-andrew-s-grove/6730629) a great way to think about throughput\n* The Phoenix Project by Gene Kim et. al: https://itrevolution.com/product/the-phoenix-project/ Fun novel(!) about applying lean management principles to software engineering.\n* Radical Candor (haven't read, but it's been recommended): https://www.radicalcandor.com/ About communication.\n* Good to Great by Jim Collins: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_to_Great Focuses on what great companies bring to the table. Helps me evaluate where to work.\n* Mastery Autonomy and Purpose: A great video about what people really want in work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzXXC4MZZnY\n* https://www.manager-tools.com/podcasts a podcast about managing people. You didn't say you wanted to be a people manager, but knowing what managers think about will make you more effective in any org.\n* Managing Humans by Michael Lopp: https://managinghumans.com/ The whole Rands site is work reading, but I enjoyed this book about how to manage teams and build software. See above.\n* Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug: https://sensible.com/dont-make-me-think/ Easy ways to think about usability, focusing on webapps. Short and easy.\n* Badass: Making Users Awesome, by Kathy Sierra: http://seriouspony.com/badass-users-the-book Will help you put yourself in the shoes of your users and think about how to build software they will love. Short and easy.\nHope this helps.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Phoenix Project by Gene Kim et. al",
          "reason": "Described as an enjoyable novel about applying lean management principles to software engineering.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it a novel.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33856038,
          "author": "mystickphoenix",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T18:08:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33856038",
          "commentText": "A few things come to mind along with what's already been mentioned:\nAssorted Non-Book Readings:\n- https://randsinrepose.com/dont-skip-this/\n- http://www.stilldrinking.org/programming-sucks\n- https://sysadvent.blogspot.com/2019/12/day-21-being-kind-to-... (https://sysadvent.blogspot.com/2019/12/day-21-being-kind-to-3am-you.html)\n- https://donellameadows.org/archives/leverage-points-places-t... (https://donellameadows.org/archives/leverage-points-places-to-intervene-in-a-system/)\n- https://grugbrain.dev/\n- https://changelog.com/posts/rich-hickeys-greatest-hits\n- https://github.com/papers-we-love/papers-we-love/blob/master... (https://github.com/papers-we-love/papers-we-love/blob/master/design/out-of-the-tar-pit.pdf)\n- http://www.cs.unc.edu/techreports/86-020.pdf\nBooks:\n- The Phoenix Project: Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, George Spafford\n- Deep Work: Cal Newport\n- The Art of Leadership: Michael Lopp (Rands)\n- Extreme Ownership: Jocko Willink and Leif Babin (once you get through the \nho-rah stuff it's a fantastic read)\n- Time Management for System Administrators: O'Reilly (fantastic for interrupt driven work)\n- Elements of Clojure: Zachary Tellman (not just for Clojure devs)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Phoenix Project: Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, George Spafford",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32197871,
          "author": "abbadadda",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:29:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197871",
          "commentText": "> The Phoenix Project but it just fills me with rage.\nWhy?",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "> The Phoenix Project but it just fills me with rage.\nWhy?",
          "reason": "The commenter asks why the quoted reader feels rage about the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32197730,
          "author": "slotrans",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:12:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197730",
          "commentText": "I've been trying to read The Phoenix Project but it just fills me with rage.\nI took a break to read At The Mountains Of Madness. That made me feel a little better by comparison.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I've been trying to read The Phoenix Project but it just fills me with rage.",
          "reason": "The commenter says reading it fills them with rage.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30828132,
          "author": "yourdeadneopet",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T07:41:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30828132",
          "commentText": "The Phoenix Project is a fiction novel about an IT department for a large car company that experiences management dysfunction and battles frequent technical debt, but ultimately overcomes it by adopting the best practices of DevOps.\nI first read its non-fiction companion book, the DevOps Handbook, which got me drinking the Kool-Aid, but this is also a wonderful, breezy read (no small feat for such a technical topic) that is an even more gentle introduction.\nNot only did these two books make me come to appreciate DevOps, they also taught me about Kaizen and Toyota Production Model, which DevOps began as a software translation of. Subsequently, I have also applied these principles to the field of screenwriting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Phoenix Project is a fiction novel",
          "reason": "Presented as an accessible, gentle introduction to DevOps; the commenter says it helped them appreciate the field.",
          "audience": "Readers curious about DevOps and technical operations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29679491,
          "author": "floydnoel",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-25T01:36:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29679491",
          "commentText": "I didn’t read The Phoenix Project yet, but I got a sale on its sequel, The Unicorn Project. I got a couple chapters in and found it almost repulsive. At the start a “rockstar” developer gets blamed for something that isn’t her fault, and sent to a shit team. It then gushes about how amazing the rockstar is by highlighting what text editor she uses, and how she can back up a server while it’s on fire, and how she’s the most in-demand consultant in the world, along with a million other clichés. It’s the only book I have ever returned. It’s like a manager dreamt up the “perfect” employee cog and wrote a book about it.\nI mostly bought the book because I had heard good things about TPP, but I was turned off after trying to read the sequel. Would you please elaborate on what you found valuable about it? I’d like to read it (I read a lot) if it’s actually useful, but I haven’t heard much about how or what was valuable about it. Just that people seem to enjoy it. I’d love to hear more about why, if you’re so inclined!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I mostly bought the book because I had heard good things about TPP, but I was turned off after trying to read the sequel.",
          "reason": "Says they had heard good things about it but were turned off by its sequel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27897643,
          "author": "_benj",
          "createdAt": "2021-07-20T18:50:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 27879593,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27897643",
          "commentText": "Another vote for \"The Phoenix Project\" and \"The Unicorn Project\".\nBoth of those books are technically fiction but they are incredibly insightful into what goes all around coding and how to optimize those processes.\nThe characters are very engaging and I found myself relating and taking ideas to improve my work/organization!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another vote for \"The Phoenix Project\" and \"The Unicorn Project\".",
          "reason": "Recommends it for insights into coding processes and improving work or organization.",
          "audience": "People interested in software development processes and organizational improvement.",
          "caveat": "Technically fiction.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22730767,
          "author": "craigkilgo",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T18:32:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22730767",
          "commentText": "I read Phoenix Project first and then The Goal.  I enjoyed both and I think that's the best order.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I read Phoenix Project first",
          "reason": "The commenter says they read it before The Goal and enjoyed both.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter thinks The Goal is the better reading order.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21852532,
          "author": "Just1689",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T18:19:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21852532",
          "commentText": "The Phoenix Project",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Phoenix Project",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Developers seeking audiobook recommendations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21852386,
          "author": "t3hprofit",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T17:49:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21852386",
          "commentText": "Not specifically about programming, but \"Every Tool's a Hammer\" by Adam Savage was really good. Tons of good information in here, and it tickles the Mythbusters itch.\nAre you looking for books about a programming language? or about methodologies, patters, best practices, etc.\nAs far as about specific programming languages, personally I think the internet is a far better resource. Books are better for the \"Soft\"er skills (communication, design, etc)\nHere are a few I've enjoyed:\n* The Phoenix Project\n* Accelerate\n* Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World\n* Rework\nFinally, if you've never read \"How to win Friends & Influence people\", do it now! I'm 34 and for whatever reason put off reading this until last month. I wish I had read that book 10 years ago. I'll definitely be adding it to my re-read list as there is a TON of good advice for building relationships, which is arguably more important than many technical things.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* The Phoenix Project",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Developers seeking books about software and professional skills.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21852222,
          "author": "sethammons",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T17:17:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21852222",
          "commentText": "The DevOps Handbook and The Phoenix Project",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The DevOps Handbook and The Phoenix Project",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Developers seeking audiobook recommendations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21851596,
          "author": "Hates_",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T15:29:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21851596",
          "commentText": "The Pheonix Project and The Unicorn Project are two good audiobooks centred around Devops and Software Development.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Pheonix Project and The Unicorn Project are two good audiobooks",
          "reason": "Calls it a good audiobook centered around DevOps and software development.",
          "audience": "Developers interested in DevOps and software development.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21770777,
          "author": "mihemihe",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-12T10:24:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 21765528,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fun Tech Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21770777",
          "commentText": "I had a really good time myself reading: The Phoenix Project: A Novel about IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business( https://www.amazon.com/Phoenix-Project-DevOps-Helping-Busine... (https://www.amazon.com/Phoenix-Project-DevOps-Helping-Business/dp/0988262592) )",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I had a really good time myself reading: The Phoenix Project",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21719190,
          "author": "koolhead17",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-06T04:06:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21719190",
          "commentText": "The Phoenix Project",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Phoenix Project",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21712594,
          "author": "bakenator",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T14:43:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21712594",
          "commentText": "When managing people in tech, I think it is equally as important to know how to organize as it is to know how to lead.  I would recommend \"The Phoenix Project\" and \"The Unicorn Project\" and \"The Goal\" to all tech managers.\nNo matter how good your communication/leadership skills are, your team will be severely handicapped if they are working in an inefficient/limiting environment.\nComing at the same lessons from a different perspective, I have also found \"Turn The Ship Around!\" to be a very good resource.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend \"The Phoenix Project\" and \"The Unicorn Project\" and \"The Goal\" to all tech managers.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it to all tech managers.",
          "audience": "Tech managers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20350095,
          "author": "Jtsummers",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-03T23:34:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20350095",
          "commentText": "If you've read The Phoenix Project (or haven't yet) I also recommend The Goal. Also a novel, but I think it does a better job of explaining the Theory of Constraints. The Phoenix Project worked better (for me) after reading The Goal, it connects ToC to IT work, but I don't think worked as a good introduction on its own.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "If you've read The Phoenix Project (or haven't yet) I also recommend The Goal.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17039417,
          "author": "jacksmith21006",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-10T14:59:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17039417",
          "commentText": "The Phoenix project.   Everyone should read, IMO.  I actually started with The Goal first.  Then Phoenix project and then the Google SRE book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Phoenix project. Everyone should read, IMO.",
          "reason": "The commenter says everyone should read it.",
          "audience": "Everyone, in the commenter's view.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032365,
          "author": "busterarm",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:20:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032365",
          "commentText": "In a sense, I agree with you, but TPP is specific to a software organization and I find it \"translates\" better, especially to the inexperienced.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "TPP is specific to a software organization",
          "reason": "Says its software organization setting and accessibility make it translate better for inexperienced readers.",
          "audience": "Inexperienced readers learning about organizational systems.",
          "caveat": "The comment says it is more specific to software organizations.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032349,
          "author": "poulsbohemian",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:17:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032349",
          "commentText": "FWIW, \"The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement\" by Eli Goldratt, almost certainly was the inspiration for The Phoenix Project, and is IMHO a better read. One could follow up with any of Goldratt's other books for more information about the Theory of Constraints.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "inspiration for The Phoenix Project",
          "reason": "Describes it as inspired by The Goal, while judging The Goal the better read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned as the comparison; the commenter prefers The Goal.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032286,
          "author": "organsnyder",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:12:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032286",
          "commentText": "Another vote for The Phoenix Project. It really helps to set the right mindset for identifying and addressing the multitude of non-technical challenges that quickly become the focus of many (I'd venture most) developers' careers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another vote for The Phoenix Project. It really helps to set the right mindset",
          "reason": "Says the book helps developers identify and address the nontechnical challenges that shape many careers.",
          "audience": "Developers encountering nontechnical challenges in their careers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032052,
          "author": "busterarm",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T17:52:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032052",
          "commentText": "I've read most of the recommended books, but as far as what I think has delivered immediate real value, I'm going to go with:\n1) Clean Code\n2) The Phoenix Project\n3) UNIX and Linux System Administration Handbook\nI'm sure #2 will be something folks want to fight over shrug.  If you want to sidestep years of headache it's a must-read though.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "2) The Phoenix Project",
          "reason": "Listed as a book that delivered immediate real value.",
          "audience": "People starting careers in software engineering or computer science.",
          "caveat": "The commenter expects some readers to disagree with this choice.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16569268,
          "author": "john37386",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-12T16:31:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16569268",
          "commentText": "If you want to embrace DevOp culture, where it comes from, why is it important and the reality of medium big businnesses, then you definitely want to read the Phoenix project",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you definitely want to read the Phoenix project",
          "reason": "Recommended for understanding DevOps culture, its origins, and its importance in medium and large businesses.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in DevOps and business operations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16352380,
          "author": "matfil",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T12:18:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16352380",
          "commentText": "It's certainly an interesting read.  But very oriented towards big, conservative organisations.\nTo me, the message was just how operations-focussed and, above all, anti-individualistic big chunks of our field have become.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's certainly an interesting read. But very oriented towards big, conservative organisations.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it interesting while noting its focus on large conservative organizations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Very oriented towards big, conservative organisations.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16351647,
          "author": "ozim",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T07:30:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16351647",
          "commentText": "Just finished it. It is a good book. I expected it to be more from sw dev point. But I was not disappointed.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It is a good book. I expected it to be more from sw dev point. But I was not disappointed.",
          "reason": "Positive evaluation despite expecting more software-development focus.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Expected more from a software-development perspective.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16351500,
          "author": "iamdave",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T06:36:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16351500",
          "commentText": "The Phoenix Project.\nIt's terrifying the parallels.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Phoenix Project.\nIt's terrifying the parallels.",
          "reason": "Offered as a fitting book in response to the thread’s request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds its parallels terrifying.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762067,
          "author": "busterarm",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T01:10:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762067",
          "commentText": "oddly enough...The Phoenix Project\nand\nDon't Make Me Think",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "oddly enough...The Phoenix Project",
          "reason": "Names it as an answer to the thread's request for books with broad daily-life usefulness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14488424,
          "author": "solatic",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T15:46:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14488424",
          "commentText": "Nobody recommended The Phoenix Project yet by Gene Kim?\nUnless you have some understanding of your system's architecture, how it's run in production, and why a production environment is Really Different and a Big Freaking Deal, and how operations is supposed to look like, you'll never be an effective programmer, no matter whether you run your own operations in a small start-up or work for a large enterprise with dedicated operations teams.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nobody recommended The Phoenix Project yet by Gene Kim?",
          "reason": "Offers the book in response to a request for programming book suggestions and argues understanding production operations is essential.",
          "audience": "Programmers who need to understand production systems and operations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13411803,
          "author": "krschultz",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T18:22:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13411803",
          "commentText": "I didn't love this book, it was OK. It's heavily based off The Goal, and I thought that book was a bit better. I think if you have a certain dysfunction in your team AND the mandate to fix it, then The Phoenix Project is a must read. For everyone else it's kind of a waste.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I didn't love this book, it was OK.",
          "reason": "Says it was only okay, then recommends it conditionally for teams with a dysfunction and authority to fix it.",
          "audience": "Teams with a specific dysfunction and a mandate to fix it.",
          "caveat": "For everyone else, the commenter calls it a waste.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12098897,
          "author": "fatterego",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T04:13:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12098897",
          "commentText": "The Phoenix Project by Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, George Spafford - https://www.amazon.com/Phoenix-Project-DevOps-Helping-Busine... (https://www.amazon.com/Phoenix-Project-DevOps-Helping-Business/dp/0988262592)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Phoenix Project by Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, George Spafford",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297182,
          "author": "SideburnsOfDoom",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T13:44:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297182",
          "commentText": "\"The Phoenix Project\" and an earlier one, \"The Goal\" by Goldratt https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Goal_%28novel%29",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Phoenix Project\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297118,
          "author": "mbubb",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T13:35:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297118",
          "commentText": "\"The Phoenix Project\" http://itrevolution.com/books/phoenix-project-devops-book/\nis good for understanding Devops and constant refocus on business objectives.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Phoenix Project\"",
          "reason": "Recommended for understanding DevOps and keeping business objectives in focus.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10766143,
          "author": "twunde",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T05:17:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10766143",
          "commentText": "The goal. I was really surprised by the number of new insights I had, even after reading the Phoenix project multiple times.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "even after reading the Phoenix project multiple times",
          "reason": "The commenter reports rereading it multiple times; no evaluation of the book is stated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6976918,
          "author": "mrmondo",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T22:21:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976918",
          "commentText": "The Phoenix Project - Gene Kim\nNecronomicon - Neil Stephenson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Phoenix Project - Gene Kim",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gene Kim",
        "Kevin Behr",
        "George Spafford"
      ],
      "recommenders": 33,
      "threads": 22,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "devops",
        "it management",
        "it operations",
        "software development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-four-steps-to-the-epiphany-63b8d4",
      "title": "The Four Steps to the Epiphany",
      "author": "Steve Blank",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41545928,
          "author": "code_biologist",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-15T07:43:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41545928",
          "commentText": "The first 25 pages of Steve Blank's Four Steps to the Epiphany (here's a PDF for some Stanford class [1]). Sounds very similar to The Mom Test, but presented from a much different angle. It diagnoses the startup failure mode of excessive focus on product over customer understanding. It hit me like a freight train after my first startup failed. His detailed examination of downstream consequences in other areas of the business, like sales and marketing, are just uncannily accurate to how they played out in my business.\nValidate, validate, validate. \"That's really cool\" is not validation from a customer. \"That's really cool. I want it. How much does it cost?\" is validation from a customer.\n[1] https://web.stanford.edu/group/e145/cgi-bin/winter/drupal/up... (https://web.stanford.edu/group/e145/cgi-bin/winter/drupal/upload/handouts/Four_Steps.pdf)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Steve Blank's Four Steps to the Epiphany",
          "reason": "The commenter says the opening pages diagnose startup failure from focusing on product instead of understanding customers.",
          "audience": "Startup founders seeking to understand customer development.",
          "caveat": "The commenter specifically recommends the first 25 pages.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40278808,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-06T19:54:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40278808",
          "commentText": "Offhand I can think of a few that I've read at least 2-3 times. And in a couple of cases, maybe as many as 4 or 5 times. There are probably some others that just aren't jumping to mind, but suffice it to say that these are all books I've found very valuable.\nThe Four Steps to the Epiphany - Steve Blank\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nMastering the Complex Sale - Jeff Thull\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nThe Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Four Steps to the Epiphany - Steve Blank",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35169519,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T15:10:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35169519",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps to the Epiphany - Steve Blank\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Fred Wiersema and Michael Treacy\nIt's Not the Big that Eat the Small...It's the Fast that Eat the Slow - Jason Jennings\nMastering The Complex Sale - Jeff Thull\nHow To Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Four Steps to the Epiphany - Steve Blank",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35169319,
          "author": "blowski",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T14:58:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35169319",
          "commentText": "- The Mom Test\n- 4 Steps to the Epiphany\n- The Personal MBA (Josh Kaufman)\n- Lean Analytics\n- Good Strategy Bad Strategy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "4 Steps to the Epiphany",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25216443,
          "author": "webmaven",
          "createdAt": "2020-11-26T02:56:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 25207732,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Suggest good books on bootstrapping a startup",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25216443",
          "commentText": "> - The Four Steps to the Epiphany\nGood (even great) book, but has some flaws and focuses mostly on enterprise costumers. The revised version  The Startup Owner's Manual is more polished and covers a wider range of business models.\n> - The Lean Startup\nAn excellent recommendation. The other books in the series (especially IMO Running Lean and Lean Analytics) are also worth a look:\nhttps://www.amazon.com/stores/page/7509FE4F-9888-4384-ACBC-D... (https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/7509FE4F-9888-4384-ACBC-D5B12AA08563)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Good (even great) book, but has some flaws and focuses mostly on enterprise costumers.",
          "reason": "Calls it a good book while noting flaws and its focus on enterprise customers.",
          "audience": "Readers focused on enterprise customers.",
          "caveat": "Has some flaws and focuses mostly on enterprise customers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25208434,
          "author": "saran945",
          "createdAt": "2020-11-25T12:20:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 25207732,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Suggest good books on bootstrapping a startup",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25208434",
          "commentText": "Thanks for your suggestion. I have heard about them. but did not get chance to read. started reading the third chapter of The Four Steps to the Epiphany - visionary customer Discovery, Love it.\nThanks \nSaran",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "started reading the third chapter of The Four Steps to the Epiphany - visionary customer Discovery, Love it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they started reading it and liked the chapter on visionary customer discovery.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25207887,
          "author": "Rivosa",
          "createdAt": "2020-11-25T10:51:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 25207732,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Suggest good books on bootstrapping a startup",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25207887",
          "commentText": "- The Four Steps to the Epiphany\n- The Lean Startup",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Four Steps to the Epiphany",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20984234,
          "author": "MattLeBlanc001",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T14:18:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20984234",
          "commentText": "Just finished the \"four steps to epiphany\". A must read for any startup founder. 10/10\nCurrently reading \"never split the difference\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just finished the \"four steps to epiphany\". A must read for any startup founder. 10/10",
          "reason": "Calls it a must-read and rates it 10/10.",
          "audience": "Startup founders.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19089514,
          "author": "catwell",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T20:34:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19089514",
          "commentText": "- NKS (Wolfram), among other things for the idea that sometimes reasoning backwards from what you observe cannot work.\n- I read Brave New World (Huxley) when I was young, and it didn't have such a strong impression on me at the time, but it has strongly influenced some of  my political takes over my whole life.\n- The four steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank) showed me that there can be method to the apparent madness that is entrepreneurship.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The four steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank) showed me that there can be method to the apparent madness that is entrepreneurship.",
          "reason": "Credits the book with showing them a method behind entrepreneurship.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296520,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T06:34:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296520",
          "commentText": "The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nAtlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand\nThe Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins\nHow To Win Friends And Influence People - Dale Carnegie\nThe Game - Neil Strauss\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\n... among others.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12098835,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T03:47:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12098835",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nCode by Charles Petzold\nArtificial Life - Steven Levy\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Singularity is Near - Ray Kurzweil\nSurfaces and Essences - Douglas Hofstadter\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\n-- One of my favorites is How Not to Be Wrong by Jordan Ellenbreg\nI have that on my list of \"to read real soon now\".  Sounds fascinating.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10787117,
          "author": "brikis98",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T04:27:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787117",
          "commentText": "My full list of books, including reviews, is here: https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2015\nFrom that list, my favorite ones were:\nThe Four Steps to the Epiphany: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/827338560\nMade to Stick: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/897777811\nHow to Measure Anything: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/698402984\nThe Non-Designer's Design Book: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1170518622\nMasters of Doom: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/899580915\nThe Martian: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1136330196\nThe Mistborn Trilogy: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1388373037",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "my favorite ones were:\nThe Four Steps to the Epiphany",
          "reason": "Explicitly listed among the commenter's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783311,
          "author": "ing33k",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:10:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783311",
          "commentText": "Not including technical books\n\"The Four Steps to the Epiphany\" - I got a very detailed view on customer development.\n\"Zero to One\" - got some fresh ideas on how to think differently wrt business.\n\"Dhandha: How Gujaratis Do Business\" - collection of stories , which highlight why/how Gujaratis are so successful in businesses.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I got a very detailed view on customer development.",
          "reason": "Says it gave them a very detailed view of customer development.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10325237,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T20:31:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325237",
          "commentText": "I'm sure there are many, but a few that jump to mind, in no particular order, and spanning both fiction and non-fiction:\nThe Selfish Gene - Dawkins\nA New Kind of Science - Wolfram\nThe Singularity is Near - Kurzweil\nGödel, Escher, Bach - Hofstadter\nFluid Concepts and Creative Analogies - Hofstadter\nAtlas Shrugged - Rand\nThe Fountainhead - Rand\nNineteen Eighty-Four - Orwell\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nAmbient Findability - Peter Morville\nEmergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software - Steven Johnson\nSix Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age - Duncan Watts\nLinked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means for Business, Science, and Everyday Life - Albert-laszlo Barabasi\nArtificial Life - Steven Levy\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nThe World is Flat - Thomas Friedman\nnot a book, but the various writings of Douglas Engelbart - http://www.dougengelbart.org/library/library.html\nGlasshouse - Charles Stross\nPermutation City - Greg Egan\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nThe Shockwave Rider - John Brunner\nThe Society of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nThe Origin of Wealth: The Radical Remaking of Economics and What it Means for Business and Society - Eric Beinhocker\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nFooled By Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10028566,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T20:28:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10028566",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps to the Epiphany - Steve Blank\nSteve Jobs - Walter Isaacson\nArtificial Life  - Steven Levy\nOn Writing - Stephen King\nMachine Learning for Hackers - Drew Conway and John Myles White\nHow Doctors Think - Jerome Goopman\nCholesterol Clarity: What The HDL Is Wrong With My Numbers? - Jimmy Moore & Eric C. Westman\nBarbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco - Bryan Burrough & John Helyar",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Four Steps to the Epiphany - Steve Blank",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8795694,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T07:00:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795694",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nPredictable Revenue - Aaron Ross, Marylou Tyler\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nThe Ultimate Question 2.0 - Fred Reichheld‎\nThe Singularity is Near - Ray Kurzweil\nMoonshot! - John Sculley\nZero To One - Peter Thiel\nRepublic - Plato\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius\nNineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell\nFahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury\nThe Mysterious Island - Jules Verne\nDiscipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy, Fred Wiersema\nFalse Memory - Dean Koontz\nNOS4A2- Joe Hill\nRevival - Stephen King\nBarbarians At The Gate - John Helyar and Bryan Burrough\nInto Thin Air - John Krakauer\nHow To Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nand any collection of the works of H.P. Lovecraft.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for impactful or liked books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968642,
          "author": "ggreer",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T00:57:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968642",
          "commentText": "I just started When the Air Hits Your Brain: Tales from Neurosurgery[1]. The author is a neurosurgeon and an excellent writer.\nThe last book I read was Abdel Haleem's translation of the Qur'an[2]. For an ancient religious text, it's rather short. Total reading time was maybe 16 hours over the course of a week. I'm not religious, but it was interesting to get a better idea of what Muslims believe and why. That said, the whole thing reads like a 7th-century version of Time Cube. I came away with the impression that the author was a schizophrenic who knew of parts of the Bible.\nThe most useful book I've recently read is Steve Blank's Four Steps to the Epiphany[3]. It's a more structured version of a lot of the stuff I learned in YC.\nMy favorite books of the past year are Confessions of a Yakuza[4] and Infidel[5]. The subjects of each book are as different as can be, but their stories are quite captivating. Both survived immense suffering and managed to thrive afterwards. Reading those books reminded me of how lucky I am and how insignificant my problems are.\n1. http://www.amazon.com/When-Air-Hits-Your-Brain-ebook/dp/B006... (http://www.amazon.com/When-Air-Hits-Your-Brain-ebook/dp/B006WOFB5C/)\n2. http://www.amazon.com/Quran-Oxford-Worlds-Classics-ebook/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Quran-Oxford-Worlds-Classics-ebook/dp/B001ODEPPI/)\n3. http://www.amazon.com/Four-Steps-Epiphany-Steve-Blank-ebook/... (http://www.amazon.com/Four-Steps-Epiphany-Steve-Blank-ebook/dp/B00FLZKNUQ/)\n4. http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Yakuza-Junichi-Saga-ebook/... (http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Yakuza-Junichi-Saga-ebook/dp/B003YL3PPY)\n5. http://www.amazon.com/Infidel-Ayaan-Hirsi-Ali-ebook/dp/B000N... (http://www.amazon.com/Infidel-Ayaan-Hirsi-Ali-ebook/dp/B000NY12CI/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The most useful book I've recently read is Steve Blank's Four Steps to the Epiphany[3]. It's a more structured version of a lot of the stuff I learned in YC.",
          "reason": "Calls it the most useful book they have recently read and says it structures ideas they learned in YC.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in startup practice.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5859187,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-11T02:22:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 5859004,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5859187",
          "commentText": ">> 1. What books are you currently reading?\nWell, I'm one of those people who has a bookmark in about 15 different books that I'm \"currently reading\" but some are higher priorities than others, and some will never be finished (probably) and others I'll have to start over since I've forgotten what was happening when I sat it aside, etc.  But offhand, I can think of:\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore - re-reading this one\nThe Prime Solution - Jeff Thull - 3rd Jeff Thull book on selling that I've read lately, and I'll probably reread the entire series when I finish this one\nThe New Solution Selling  - re-reading this - can you tell I'm starting to try and move into sales?\nSelling to VITO - more sales stuff.\nHow to Create A Mind - Ray Kurzweil\nGodel, Escher, Bach - Douglas Hofstadter - set this aside over a year ago; about halfway through, will probably finish it, but FSM only knows when\nA New Kind of Science - Stephen Wolfram (see above about GEB)\nMadame Bovary - Meh. May finish one day, may not.  Would have to start it over at this point.\nREAMDE - Neal Stephenson - set this aside a while back, but intend to finish it eventually.  Will probably restart from the beginning.\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Stephen Gary Blank - I'm kinda in a perpetual state of reading and re-reading sections of this book.\nThe Dispossessed - Ursula K. LeGuin - sat this aside quite some time ago, will have to start over at some point.\nThe Man In The Moss - Phil Rickman - another one that I sat aside for a while, and may or may not ever bother finishing.  Weird, because I usually really enjoy Rickman's work and just tear through his books, but I got stalled out on this one for some reason.\n>> 2. Which book has helped you the most?\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Stephen Gary Blank.\nAlso, The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki and Crossing the Chasm by Moore.\nOf all these sales books I've read lately, I'm really starting to buy into this \"Diagnostic Selling\" stuff by Jeff Thull, so I'd endorse Mastering The Complex Sale, Exceptional Selling and The Prime Solution by Thull. Also, The New Solution Selling.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Four Steps To The Epiphany - Stephen Gary Blank - I'm kinda in a perpetual state of reading and re-reading sections of this book.",
          "reason": "Later names it as the book that helped them most and describes repeatedly reading sections.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5700766,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-13T19:14:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5700766",
          "commentText": "Aaaah, a couple of ones that jump to mind:\nAtlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand.  I prefer the latter, but they're both great books.  I discovered Rand later in life, after a lot of my beliefs were probably already pretty well locked in, but her outlook certainly resonates with me, and the inspiration I found in her books helps nudge me in the direction of truly to live my life more fully as my life, not someone else's idea of what my life should be.\nThe Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins.  I was already a borderline atheist anyway, although I tended to use the term agnostic to avoid arguing with friends & family, considering that I live in the Bible Belt.  But Dawkins' book showed me a counter argument to the \"irreducible complexity\" argument that made sense on a very fundamental level, and IR was one of the last things that kept even a vestige of \"mystical\" thought alive in me.  After reading this book, I felt very comfortable in being an atheist, and I also decided to quit dodging the issue and start telling people that I'm atheist, whether they like it or not.  Also, see above: I'm not interested in living a life that's about trying to please other people.  I get one crack at this, and it's fairly short.  This is my life, damnit.\nThe World Is Flat - Thomas Friedman.  Considering that I was already a libertarian leaning, pro free-markets / free-trade type, you might think that his book would have had little impact on me.  But it actually made me a lot more aware of the various implications (pro and con) of globalization.   Largely, though, it reinforced my thinking that globalization is  - over the long term - a mostly good thing.  It will hurt some individuals in the short-term, but it also creates a lot of opportunities.\nBut beyond all those, the one book that I consider the single most life-changing book of all... the book that I'd probably refer to as my Bible if I didn't get a bit queasy about even making that joke:\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank.  As an aspiring entrepreneur, I had some ideas I was working on, and some plans to do a startup a while back.  But I really had NO idea of the process of going from \"an idea\" to \"a company\" much less a profitable, growing, scalable company.\nReading TFSTTE felt like \"taking the Red pill\".  Now I see the path from \"idea\" to \"company\" far, far more clearly than I ever did before.  And while it's no guarantee of success, the process that Steve lays out feels like the closest thing you could get to a \"paint by numbers\" approach to building a business.  We've been working through the Customer Development Methodology for a while now, and I'm pretty sold on it's value.  And we haven't even always done it right (for various reasons).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the one book that I consider the single most life-changing book of all",
          "reason": "Calls it their most life-changing book and says it clarified the path from idea to company.",
          "audience": "Aspiring entrepreneurs and people developing startups.",
          "caveat": "The process is not a guarantee of success, and the commenter says their team has not always followed it correctly.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4476568,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-04T21:12:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 4476107,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN : What are some great books an aspiring entrepreneur should read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4476568",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps to the Epiphany - Steve Blank\nThe Art of the Start - Guy Kawasaki\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nBusiness Model Generation - Alex Osterwalder\nThe Personal MBA - Josh Kaufman\nBlue Ocean Strategy - W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne\nAlso, see:\nhttp://www.quora.com/What-are-some-must-read-books-for-entre... (http://www.quora.com/What-are-some-must-read-books-for-entrepreneurs)\nhttp://www.quora.com/Business-Books/What-business-books-must... (http://www.quora.com/Business-Books/What-business-books-must-an-entrepreneur-read)\nhttp://www.quora.com/What-are-3-books-you-would-suggest-any-... (http://www.quora.com/What-are-3-books-you-would-suggest-any-entrepreneur-make-their-top-3-must-reads)\nand\nhttp://personalmba.com/best-business-books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Four Steps to the Epiphany - Steve Blank",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books aspiring entrepreneurs should read.",
          "audience": "Aspiring entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3987064,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-17T14:17:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3987064",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nBlue Ocean Strategy - W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne\nBusiness Model Generation - Alexander Osterwalder",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for a great book read recently.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in entrepreneurship and customer development.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231293,
          "author": "azharb",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T17:50:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231293",
          "commentText": "Four Steps to the Epiphany by Steve Blank, ofcourse. (still a noob)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Four Steps to the Epiphany by Steve Blank, ofcourse.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter adds that they are still a novice.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2147885,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T14:28:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2147885",
          "commentText": "I can think of a handful of books that have had a major impact on me.  Off the top of my head:\nNineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell\nFahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury\nThe Game - Neil Strauss\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nAtlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand\nFour Steps to the Epiphany - Steve Blank\nBusiness @ The Speed of Thought - Bill Gates\nThe Art of the Start - Guy Kawasaki",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Four Steps to the Epiphany - Steve Blank",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter says had a major impact on them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1975332,
          "author": "Luc",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T15:01:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1975332",
          "commentText": "\"Energy, the Subtle Concept\", a great overview of the history and physics of energy that doesn't avoid equations:  http://www.amazon.com/Energy-Subtle-Concept-discovery-Feynma... (http://www.amazon.com/Energy-Subtle-Concept-discovery-Feynmans/dp/0199546509/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1291647026&sr=8-2)\n\"The Four Steps to the Epiphany\" needs no introduction. The first couple of chapters really drove home some mistakes I have made in past projects.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The first couple of chapters really drove home some mistakes I have made in past projects.",
          "reason": "Says its opening chapters made them recognize mistakes in past projects.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment specifically mentions the first couple of chapters.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Four Steps to the Epiphany",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1635177,
          "author": "adammichaelc",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-26T05:38:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1635177",
          "commentText": "Business: 7 Habits, 8th Habit, Getting Things Done, 4 Steps to Epiphany, Straight from the Gut\nSpiritual: Book of Mormon, Book of Isaiah, The 4 Gospels in the New Testament\nRelationship: The 5 Love Languages, Men are from Mars Women from Venus\nPhysical: Spark, The Vitamin D Solution",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Business: 7 Habits, 8th Habit, Getting Things Done, 4 Steps to Epiphany, Straight from the Gut",
          "reason": "Included in a list answering the question about books that changed your life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569317,
          "author": "msuprovici1",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T22:19:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 1567456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I want to start a web company what books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569317",
          "commentText": "Free - Chris Anderson;\n4 Steps to Epiphany;\nFounders at Work;\nCrossing the Chasm;\nViral Loop;\nGroundswell;\nLoosing My Virginity - Richard Brandson;\nGood to Great - Collins;\nEntrepreneurs guide to Business Law;",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "4 Steps to Epiphany;",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1568243,
          "author": "javery",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T17:19:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 1567456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I want to start a web company what books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1568243",
          "commentText": "Agree on Four Steps and Getting Real, also check out:\nPurple Cow and The Dip by Seth Godin\nThe Long Tail and Free by Anderson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Agree on Four Steps",
          "reason": "The commenter agrees with the prior recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1568179,
          "author": "mqmouse",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T17:02:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 1567456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I want to start a web company what books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1568179",
          "commentText": "Agreed. But note that it's more like a textbook rather than an inspirational read. Don't expect to \"finish\" over a few bathroom breaks (unlike rework (which is great also (but more \"easy\"))).\nIf you search for Steve Blanks course notes, you can read the first 3 chapters for free. If you buy the book, it comes with handy dandy worksheets (as well as the rest of the book).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Agreed. But note that it's more like a textbook rather than an inspirational read. Don't expect to \"finish\" over a few bathroom breaks (unlike rework (which is great also (but more \"easy\"))).",
          "reason": "The commenter agrees with the recommendation but says it is textbook-like and less easy to finish than Rework.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "More like a textbook than an inspirational read; substantial enough not to finish in a few short breaks.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1567897,
          "author": "bgnm2000",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T15:35:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1567456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I want to start a web company what books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1567897",
          "commentText": "\"Four steps to the epiphany.\" (its about customer development). Many angel investors wont even invest in someone who hasn't read it - which is how I learned about it.\nI went to business school and that book taught me more than 4 years of wasted time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Four steps to the epiphany.\" (its about customer development). Many angel investors wont even invest in someone who hasn't read it - which is how I learned about it.\nI went to business school and that book taught me more than 4 years of wasted time.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it taught them more than four years of business school and notes investors expect founders to have read it.",
          "audience": "People learning customer development or preparing to seek angel investment.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1567869,
          "author": "arihelgason",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T15:27:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 1567456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I want to start a web company what books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1567869",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps to the Epiphany by Steve Blank - about finding product / market fit, customer development, how to manage the process. Peppered with interesting and entertaining anecdotes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Four Steps to the Epiphany by Steve Blank - about finding product / market fit, customer development, how to manage the process. Peppered with interesting and entertaining anecdotes.",
          "reason": "Describes product-market fit, customer development, and managing the process, with entertaining anecdotes.",
          "audience": "People learning customer development and product-market fit.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226905,
          "author": "olalonde",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:50:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226905",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps to the Epiphany by Steven Gary Blank is an excellent book about startup engineering.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Four Steps to the Epiphany by Steven Gary Blank is an excellent book about startup engineering.",
          "reason": "Described as an excellent book about startup engineering.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1080886,
          "author": "Alex3917",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-27T16:48:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 1080708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Marketing Books for Developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1080886",
          "commentText": "All Marketers are Liars, Permission Marketing, Crossing the Chasm, Positioning, 4 steps to the epiphany\nThat's probably enough for a while. And if you haven't already read Getting Real then read that too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "4 steps to the epiphany",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for marketing book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1080804,
          "author": "icey",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-27T16:20:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 1080708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Marketing Books for Developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1080804",
          "commentText": "4 Steps is a GREAT book, but you may want to take a Xanax before reading it if poor editing causes you to nerdrage.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "4 Steps is a GREAT book, but you may want to take a Xanax before reading it if poor editing causes you to nerdrage.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book, with a caveat about poor editing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Poor editing may frustrate readers sensitive to editing quality.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1080794,
          "author": "bhousel",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-27T16:17:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 1080708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Marketing Books for Developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1080794",
          "commentText": "Steve Blank's 4 Steps to the Epiphany is a must read for all developers and entrepreneurs.  Lots of great info about creating a marketing plan that fits your product and your customers.  http://www.amazon.com/Four-Steps-Epiphany-Steven-Blank/dp/09... (http://www.amazon.com/Four-Steps-Epiphany-Steven-Blank/dp/0976470705)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Steve Blank's 4 Steps to the Epiphany is a must read for all developers and entrepreneurs.",
          "reason": "Calls it a must-read and praises its information on marketing plans.",
          "audience": "Developers and entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 947676,
          "author": "daleharvey",
          "createdAt": "2009-11-18T02:32:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 947581,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN:  What's the best first business book for a programmer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=947676",
          "commentText": "I would go for 4 steps to the epiphany, it gives you practical steps to follow to avoid that process of sitting down as a programmer and deciding magically what everyone wants. (then being dissapointed when you spend x time coding it and finding out they dont)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would go for 4 steps to the epiphany",
          "reason": "Recommends it for practical steps to avoid building a product without finding out what customers want.",
          "audience": "Programmers starting a business or developing a product.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797415,
          "author": "dawie",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T04:51:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797415",
          "commentText": "Me too. I am struggeling to get through it though.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Me too. I am struggeling to get through it though.",
          "reason": "The reader is struggling to get through the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 674923,
          "author": "skmurphy",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-26T03:58:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 673487,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there any good Internet marketing books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=674923",
          "commentText": "I would recommend these books for a good grounding in marketing and fostering innovation:\n   The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen\n   Crossing the Chasm and Inside the Tornado by Geoffrey Moore\n   Innovation and Entrepreneurship by Peter Drucker\n   Marketing High Technology by William Davidow\n   Four Steps to the Epiphany by Steve Blank\n   Jumpstart Your Business Brain by Doug Hall\n   E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber\n   Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim & R. Mauborgne\n   Influence The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini\n   The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries and Jack Trout\n   Secrets of Consulting by Gerald Weinberg\n\nFor an article that summarizes key concepts see http://skmurphy.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/Crucial%20Mar... (http://skmurphy.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/Crucial%20Marketing%20Concepts.pdf)\nThere is a companion slide deck here http://www.skmurphy.com/f/SDForum061211.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Four Steps to the Epiphany by Steve Blank",
          "reason": "Recommended for grounding in marketing and fostering innovation.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a grounding in marketing and innovation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 673945,
          "author": "mattjung",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-25T16:29:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 673487,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there any good Internet marketing books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=673945",
          "commentText": "Does anybody know how to get that book (\"Four steps to Epiphany\") in Europe - either as paperback or E-Book?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Does anybody know how to get that book (\"Four steps to Epiphany\") in Europe",
          "reason": "Asks where to obtain the book; this does not express an evaluation or recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter asks about availability in Europe.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 673897,
          "author": "jamiequint",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-25T16:08:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 673487,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there any good Internet marketing books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=673897",
          "commentText": "For the marketing process I also recommend 4 Steps to the Epiphany. For more depth on the online advertising industry itself I don't think you'll find much print material that is good (Its still changing too fast). One of the best in-depth blogs on the subject that I have found is http://www.jayweintraub.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For the marketing process I also recommend 4 Steps to the Epiphany.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommended for understanding the marketing process.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in marketing processes.",
          "caveat": "For online advertising industry depth, the commenter says good print material is hard to find.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 673593,
          "author": "dmix",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-25T13:37:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 673487,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there any good Internet marketing books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=673593",
          "commentText": "Four Steps to the Epiphany - Steve Blank\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Four-Steps-Epiphany-Steven-Blank/dp/09... (http://www.amazon.com/Four-Steps-Epiphany-Steven-Blank/dp/0976470705/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245936971&sr=8-1)\nI've read tons of marketing books and went to school for business, but this one is the best for tech startups hands down.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this one is the best for tech startups hands down.",
          "reason": "Described as the best marketing book for tech startups, based on the commenter's extensive reading and business education.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in marketing for tech startups.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 601157,
          "author": "ochiba",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-09T17:40:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 600953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on the nuts and bolts of starting up",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=601157",
          "commentText": "I second this -- I think it's what the OP is looking for.\nIt's published by CafePress, so the fastest and cheapest option is to get it directly from them: http://www.cafepress.com/kandsranch\nAmazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0976470705",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second this -- I think it's what the OP is looking for.",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the recommendation in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "People seeking practical startup advice.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 601124,
          "author": "deyan",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-09T17:12:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 600953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on the nuts and bolts of starting up",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=601124",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps to Epiphany by Steven Blank - a great manual for creating a successful, data-driven, hypothesis-based, and iterative-heavy startup.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Four Steps to Epiphany by Steven Blank - a great manual for creating a successful, data-driven, hypothesis-based, and iterative-heavy startup.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great manual for building a startup using a data-driven, iterative approach.",
          "audience": "People creating a startup.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143070,
          "author": "skmurphy",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T03:34:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143070",
          "commentText": "in no particular order:\nMyers-Brigs Model for Personality\n\"Four Steps to the Epiphany\" by Steve Blank\nJohn Boyd's OODA Loop as a model for competitive decision making\nDecision Analysis techniques: in particular decision trees, expected value of perfect information, and good decision bad outcome\nBATNA (best alternative to a negotiated agreement) concept for negotiation planning\n\"Secrets of Consulting\" by Gerald M. Weinberg\n\"Bionomics\" by Michael Rothschild\nSimCity computer game\nAnalysis of Competing Hypotheses methodology\nwiki (social process) model for small team collaborative document development\ncommunity of practice model for knowledge management\n\"The Moon is a Harsh Mistress\" by Robert Heinlein (in particular TANSTAAFL)\nactivation energy, catalyst, and phase change concepts from physics/chemistry\nAmplify Positive Deviance model from Jerry Sternin (Save the Children)\n\"The Empowered Manager\" by Peter Block, in particular his trust vs. agreement matrix\n\"Crossing the Chasm\" & \"Inside the Tornado\" by Geoffrey Moore\n\"Maneuver Warfare Handbook\" by William Lind\n\"Change Your Brain, Change Your Life\" by Daniel Amen\n\"Micromotives and Macrobehavior\" by Thomas Schelling\nAppreciative Inquiry Techniques",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Four Steps to the Epiphany\" by Steve Blank",
          "reason": "Listed among the ideas and concepts that influenced the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 65155,
          "author": "chadboyda",
          "createdAt": "2007-10-09T06:04:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 65153,
          "threadTitle": "Top Books for Entrepreneurs. List them.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=65155",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps to the Epiphany - Steven Gary Blank",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Four Steps to the Epiphany - Steven Gary Blank",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for top books for entrepreneurs.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve Blank"
      ],
      "recommenders": 32,
      "threads": 29,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "customer development",
        "startups",
        "entrepreneurship",
        "product market fit"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "permutation-city-5b030b",
      "title": "Permutation City",
      "author": "Greg Egan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46400087,
          "author": "constantinum",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T08:03:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46400087",
          "commentText": "- Permutation City — Greg Egan\n- She Said — Jodi Kantor & Megan Twohey\n- Conclave — Robert Harris\n- First You Write a Sentence — Joe Moran\n- Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine — Gail Honeyman\n- The Master and Margarita — Mikhail Bulgakov\nMore books here -> https://pastebin.com/XVeacpHM",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Permutation City — Greg Egan",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46206202,
          "author": "topologie",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-09T15:47:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46206202",
          "commentText": "I have a couple I would highly recommend:\nThe first is Stanislaw Lem's \"Imaginary Magnitude.\"\nMost stories there are written as sort of prefaces to non-existent technical/scientific books, papers, articles, etc. The last one, Golem XIV, goes a bit beyond and includes an entire lecture.\nThe content is incredibly detailed and technical, Lem knew his Technology and Science for sure, so sometimes it's incredibly accurate and prophetic. Even though it was written in the 1970's, Lem was already describing things that look uncannily like neural networks, emergent communication systems, and machine-generated literature, decades before they existed.\nAnd... most of them are also really really funny.\nHere are small summaries that ChatGPT helped me write for some of the stories there:\n---- Eruntics ----\nA faux-scientific introduction to a field studying “erunts”: biological (or semi-biological) agents, think bacteria/neural colonies, that can learn to read, write, and communicate.\nThese bacterial colonies learn to communicate through several learning iterations across many mutations and generations, much like, say, Neural Networks, and they even develop their own proto-language as they evolve.\nEruntics is a sort of \"meditation\" on emergent intelligence and how writing or meaning might arise in nonhuman systems.\n---- A History of Bitic Literature ----\nPurports to be a critical history of literature produced not by humans, but by machines or other non-human authors, the fictional discipline of bitistics.\nIt treats computer-generated texts as a full literary tradition, with schools, tropes, and structural analysis.\nIt also goes into detail on how at a certain point Bitic Literature required models to read what other models had generated and \"validate\" what they had written, since the complexity they reach in terms of things like neologisms, subtext, and interconnectedness to other texts and ideas, becomes so absurdly high that no human being can even attempt to read them or make sense of them.\n---- Golem XIV ----\nThis is like half of the book, and oh boy...\nIt presents itself first as a report/lecture series from a U.S.-military supercomputer, framed with forewords, editorial notes, “instructions,” etc, but it quickly shifts into the machine’s own philosophical monologues about humanity, evolution, intelligence gradients, and existential insignificance/significance.\nIt contains some really iconic phrases, in particular during Golem's \"Lecture\":\n\" 'The meaning of the transmitter is the transmission' [...] To be sure, the corollary holds: 'The meaning of the transmission is the transmitter.' But the two members are not symmetrical.\"\n\" 'The construction is less perfect than what constructs' [...] Let us give it more substance: 'In evolution, a negative gradient operates in the perfecting of structural solutions'\"\nGolem XIV becomes a genuine “book within a book,” a hard, speculative essay on what a post-human intellect might think.\nThe second set of \"books\" that I would recommend are kinda related, even in tone:\nMasamune Shirow's \"Ghost in The Shell\" and its sequel \"Ghost in the Shell: Man-Machine Interface.\"\nChatGPT summaries:\n--- Ghost in the Shell ---\nAt its core, the original Ghost in the Shell manga is a cyberpunk procedural about identity in a hyper-connected world.\nIt follows Major Motoko Kusanagi, a fully cybernetic government operative working for Public Security Section 9, a counter-cyberterrorism and intelligence unit. The cases involve:\n- cyberbrains and identity hacking\n- political corruption\n- AI autonomy\n- blurred boundaries between human and machine\n- networks where memories, skills, and consciousness can be stolen or overwritten\nThe central philosophical arc centers on Project 2501, the “Puppet Master,” an emergent artificial consciousness born from networked information systems rather than human intention. It challenges the legal, biological, and metaphysical definitions of “life.”\nThe manga’s key concern:\nWhen minds become software, what counts as a person?\nWhat counts as being alive?\nIt’s high-speed political action wrapped around deep questions about autonomy, embodiment, and consciousness.\n--- Ghost in the Shell 2: Man-Machine Interface ---\nMan-Machine Interface is not a continuation in the conventional sense, but more of a \"post-human\" sequel.\nHere, Motoko Kusanagi, the main character from Ghost in The Shell, no longer exists as a single embodied entity. After merging with the Puppet Master at the end of the original story, Motoko becomes something new: a distributed, multi-bodied, evolving posthuman intelligence often referred to as Motoko Aramaki or Motoko 2.0.\nThe sequel follows her as:\n- a partially decoupled consciousness running across networks\n- an entity capable of switching avatars, bodies, and instantiations\n- a mind that operates above nation-states, legal frameworks, and even human-scale cognition\nPlot-wise, it deals with:\n- AI-industrial warfare\n- megacorporations fighting over distributed intelligences\n- metaphysics of identity in a world of multiple selves\n- data-ecologies and collective minds\n- the emergence of “post-persons”\nBut the real shift is tone and philosophy.\nWhere the first manga explores the crisis of identity, the sequel explores post-identity.\nIts main question:\nWhat does “self” mean when consciousness is fluid, redundant, multi-threaded, and no longer tied to one body or one narrative?\nMan-Machine Interface is dense, maximalist, metaphysical, and sometimes abstract , much closer to Lem’s Golem XIV in its treatment of posthuman consciousness than the first part.\nThird, another set, Peter Watts’ Blindsight and its sequel Echopraxia.\n--- Blindsight ---\nHard sci-fi first-contact novel about a crew sent to investigate an alien signal. The aliens they encounter demonstrate astonishing intelligence and adaptability, but seemingly zero consciousness. The book’s central question is brutal:\nDoes consciousness provide any evolutionary advantage at all?\nOr is it an expensive, unnecessary hack?\nIt’s one of the most rigorous modern explorations of intelligence without awareness, cognition without qualia, and post-biological life. Also features resurrected vampires as humanity’s most efficient problem-solvers.\n--- Echopraxia ---\nA follow-up set in the same universe, focusing more on Earth, zombies, hive-minds, military religious cults, and what Watts calls baseline humans becoming obsolete. It complements Blindsight by following the implications of a world where non-conscious “intelligence engines” outperform conscious humans.\nFinally...\n--- Greg Egan's Permutation City ---\nAt its core:\nA group of people upload themselves as software (“Copies”) into a virtual environment where consciousness is implemented as a computational process. But Egan pushes the idea far past “mind uploading” into deep mathematical and philosophical territory.\nThe central premise:\nIf consciousness depends only on logical consistency, not computation performed in real time, then a simulated mind does not require a universe running on stable physics or an external computer at all.\nEgan calls this the Dust Theory.\nWhat the novel explores:\n1. Copies — software persons\n- Human consciousness is scanned and instantiated as a digital mind. These Copies struggle with:\n- psychological trauma from being disposable\n- questions about their moral status\n- fears of erasure\n- pressure to perform labor for “real” biological humans\nThey are conscious, but economically and ontologically precarious.\n2. The “Autoverse”\nA lifelike world governed by artificial chemistry and evolution. It explores how complexity and life can arise from arbitrary rules, not carbon-based biology.\n3. Dust Theory\nA mind is simply a pattern, not a process.\nIf any arrangement of matter in the multiverse instantiates that pattern, even for a moment, consciousness exists.\nThis implies that a mind could “run” without a computer — as long as the pattern exists somewhere, even scattered across physical chaos (“dust”).\nPermutation City becomes a sandbox for minds that no longer require a substrate.\n4. “Permutation City” itself\nThe ultimate simulation, constructed to be self-sustaining in a way that breaks free from dependence on any external reality. Inside it, Copies evolve new forms of existence beyond human constraints.\nWhy it’s important:\nIt’s one of the most serious, mathematically grounded attempts in fiction to grapple with:\n- the ontology of simulated minds\n- the meaning (or irrelevance) of physical reality\n- identity as a computational equivalence class\n- consciousness divorced from biology or substrate\n- universes that exist because their patterns are self-consistent\nIt anticipates debates around:\n- substrate independence\n- functionalism\n- consciousness as pattern-matching\n- AI personhood\n- anthropic reasoning\n- simulation theory\nBefore most of those ideas entered mainstream discussion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Finally...\n--- Greg Egan's Permutation City ---",
          "reason": "Recommends it and explains its speculative treatment of simulated minds, consciousness, and reality.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computation, consciousness, and mathematical or philosophical ideas.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46161500,
          "author": "ashtavakra",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-05T14:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46161500",
          "commentText": "I consolidated the comments for my reference later. Someone else might also find it useful:\n# Fiction Books Recommended for Programmers (HN Thread 46128404)\n## Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- *Children of Time* — Science Fiction (Evolution, Space Opera)  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)\n## Rick Cook — Wizardry Series\n- *Wizard’s Bane* — Fantasy, Programming/Magic Mashup  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112616.Wizard_s_Bane\n- *Wizardry Series (overview)*  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\n## James P. Hogan\n- *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/743568.Inherit_the_Stars\n- *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifem... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifemaker)\n- *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_Tomorrow)\n## D. F. Jones — Colossus Trilogy\n- *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806105.Colossus\n- *The Fall of Colossus* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colos... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colossus)\n- *Colossus and the Crab* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_Crab)\n## Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner)\n- *A Logic Named Joe* — Golden-Age Sci-Fi, AI Precursor  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-j... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-joe)\n## David Gerrold\n- *When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One* — AI, Classic Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_Was_One)\n## William Gibson / Bruce Sterling\n- *Neuromancer* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer\n- *The Difference Engine* — Steampunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Eng... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Engine)\n## Neal Stephenson\n- *Snow Crash* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash\n- *Cryptonomicon* — Techno-thriller, Cyber-history  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/816.Cryptonomicon\n- *Anathem* — Philosophical Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2845024-anathem\n- *The Diamond Age* — Nanopunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827.The_Diamond_Age\n## Fred Saberhagen\n- *Octagon* — AI, Techno-thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1891958.Octagon\n## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga\n- *Series Overview* — Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/40946-vorkosigan-saga\n## Richard Powers\n- *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45104.Galatea_2_2\n## Scott Meyer\n- *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-wizard)\n## Daniel Suarez\n- *Daemon* — Cyber-thriller, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665844-daemon\n## Thomas J. Ryan\n- *The Adolescence of P-1* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_o... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_of_P_1)\n## Ernest Cline\n- *Ready Player One* — Sci-Fi, Gaming, Pop-Culture Adventure  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one\n## Dennis E. Taylor\n- *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)* — Humorous Sci-Fi, AI, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-we-are-bob)\n## Ted Chiang\n- *Stories of Your Life and Others* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\n- *Exhalation* — Speculative Fiction, Philosophy, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation\n- *The Lifecycle of Software Objects* — AI, Digital Consciousness  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of-software-objects)\n## Charles Stross\n- *Laundry Files Series* — Math-based Magic, Techno-Fantasy  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files\n## Ken Liu\n- *The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menag... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories)\n- *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, AI, VR  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl-and-other-stories)\n## Ellen Ullman\n- *The Bug* — Tech Industry Literary Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/703.The_Bug\n## Cory Doctorow\n- *Radicalized* — Techno-sociopolitical Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40604122-radicalized\n## qntm (Sam Hughes)\n- *Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans-in-transit-and-other-stories)\n## Roger Williams\n- *The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect* — AI, Post-Singularity SF  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)\n## Greg Bear\n- *Eon* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/924843.Eon\n## Vernor Vinge\n- *A Deepness in the Sky* — Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the_Sky)\n## Terry Pratchett\n- *Going Postal* — Comic Fantasy, Satire of Bureaucracy & Tech  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64222.Going_Postal\n## Bruce Bethke\n- *Headcrash* — Cyber-satire  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213465.Headcrash\n## Mary Shelley\n- *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* — Classic Gothic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein\n## Douglas Adams\n- *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* — Comic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guid... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)\n## Jorge Luis Borges\n- *The Library of Babel* — Metaphysical Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-babel)\n## Greg Egan\n- *Permutation City* — Simulation Theory, Hard Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156784.Permutation_City\n## Cixin Liu\n- *The Three-Body Problem* — Hard Sci-Fi, First Contact  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- *Permutation City* — Simulation Theory, Hard Sci-Fi",
          "reason": "Lists the title in a compilation of fiction books recommended for programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46139970,
          "author": "andyjohnson0",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T20:52:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46139970",
          "commentText": "Permutation City by Greg Egan.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Permutation City by Greg Egan.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42556739,
          "author": "__rito__",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-31T05:53:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42556739",
          "commentText": "For me, some of the best books I read this year, are:\n- Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, I have seen many narratives on the fault at the core of current values and goals of human civilization, but never saw a laid out alternative. Whatever it might be, I like the book for attempting at presenting one.\n- Solaris by Stanislaw Lem, I like this book for extremely original thoughts. This books was so thin (~200 pages), yet it was grand. I also wrote a review [0].\n- The Happiness Trap by Russ Hariss, was very helpful to me in sorting through some things. Very practical book.\n- Anathem by Neal Stephenson, one of the most original book, and probably the best one by Stephenson. Very original ideas, mind expanding.\n- Permutation City by Greg Egan, this book raised the standard for possibly all SciFi book that I will read in the future. Extremely original and grand ideas.\n- The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt, another book that lays out alternatives to what is now considered mainstream.\n- Sotyi Rupkatha by Parimal Bhattacharya (Bengali), a book without any ideological or emotional baggage explaining the plight and pain of a tribal community for Aluminium mining. The way colonialism lives in mining was eye-opening. Aluminium mining, separating, etc. are done in lesser fortunate countries where huge amounts of water is wasted and the environment polluted. The West still imports that refined raw material in cheap and produces final products with lesser environmental impact and peofits by selling the finished products to the same countries in large profits. It was refreshing to see that this book did not have a Communist undertone.\n- Krishna Basudev by Bani Basu (Bengali), life of God Krishna in form of a novel in crisp prose, written maintaining authenticity of core books like Bhagavat Purana and Harivansha.\n- I am currently listening to \"The Hobbit\" audiobook narrated by Andy Serkis. This is peak audiobook for me.\n[0]: https://ritogh.substack.com/p/not-merely-a-story-of-a-man-fa... (https://ritogh.substack.com/p/not-merely-a-story-of-a-man-facing)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this book raised the standard for possibly all SciFi book that I will read in the future. Extremely original and grand ideas.",
          "reason": "Says it set a high standard for future science fiction reading and praises its original, grand ideas.",
          "audience": "Science fiction readers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41176934,
          "author": "paviva",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T00:13:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41176934",
          "commentText": "Permutation city, Greg Egan\nDictionnaire philosophique, Voltaire\nThe Road to Serfdom, Friedrich Hayek\nThe ICU Book, Paul Marino",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Permutation city, Greg Egan",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36022537,
          "author": "etrautmann",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T16:32:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36022537",
          "commentText": "Perhaps a standard list but: Hyperion, Deepness in the Sky, Snow crash, Permutation City, Exhalation and other Ted Chiang",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Permutation City",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021801,
          "author": "hesdeadjim",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:14:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021801",
          "commentText": "* Greg Egan’s short story collections, Diaspora, and Permutation City. Fair warning, Egan puts the “hard” in “hard sci-fi”.\n* Haven’t finished the Expanse final trilogy, but I really enjoyed the first two.\n* The Wool series\n* Project Hail Mary, for story reasons I’d recommend the audio book.\n* We Are Bob trilogy, fourth book is garbage.\n* Old Man’s War\n* The Culture Series by Ian Banks\n* If you enjoyed Seveneves, and thus can tolerate Stephenson’s consistent habit to drop the ball in the last 20% of his books, Diamond Age is enjoyable.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Permutation City",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter warns that Egan’s work is hard science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021564,
          "author": "moondistance",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:53:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021564",
          "commentText": "A few lesser known but great sci-if books:\n-Permutation City\n-Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect\n-The Egg (Andy Weir short story)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Permutation City",
          "reason": "Listed as a lesser-known science fiction book in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35396884,
          "author": "rakejake",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-01T03:42:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 35392063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Science Fiction books that predict where ChatGPT might lead us?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35396884",
          "commentText": "Greg Egan's works, mainly permutation City and Distress. These books go far beyond just LLMs and Greg Egan's novels really put the \"hard\" in hard sci-fi. But they describe a world where compute is extremely important. The first half of Permutation city especially covers this very well. Distress delves more into biotech and particle physics, but has its share of AI stuff.\nFWIW, Egan has a Twitter account and is mostly not that gung-ho about the current LLMs.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The first half of Permutation city especially covers this very well.",
          "reason": "Explores the importance of computing in a world where compute is extremely important.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31973767,
          "author": "helloworld11",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-04T05:31:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31973767",
          "commentText": "What an existentially depressing book though, at least for me. It was wonderful, and worth reading more than once simply because it helps absorb more of its deeply complex aspects, but without a doubt it creates an unusual emotional impact.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It was wonderful, and worth reading more than once simply because it helps absorb more of its deeply complex aspects, but without a doubt it creates an unusual emotional impact.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is worth rereading and praises its complexity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The book had an existentially depressing emotional impact for the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23156216,
          "author": "andrewflnr",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T16:52:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23156216",
          "commentText": "I believe that's Permutation City. I don't remember the exact details from the book but there's definitely some similar things in it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I believe that's Permutation City.",
          "reason": "Identifies the likely book containing a similar idea.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether this is the exact book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23153361,
          "author": "tgb",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T12:48:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23153361",
          "commentText": "Greg Egan's an impressively good author even though he's writing about the kinds of sci-fi setups that usually come hand-in-hand with bad dialogue and poor characters. I actually think Quarantine is my favorite of his that I've read so far, though the sci-fi parts are less strong than Permutation City, some of it's philosophical aspects about identity feel like they're more immediately relevant.\nAlso take a trip to his website [1] if you haven't yet.\n[1] https://www.gregegan.net/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the sci-fi parts are less strong than Permutation City",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Used as a comparison for the strength of the science-fiction elements.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17537317,
          "author": "axplusb",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T21:57:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537317",
          "commentText": "Solaris by Stanislaw Lem\nPermutation City by Greg Egan\nUbik by Philip K. Dick",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Permutation City by Greg Egan",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15642879,
          "author": "piahoo",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-07T12:45:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15642879",
          "commentText": "of course Permutation City, I am confused why anyone named that book yet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "of course Permutation City, I am confused why anyone named that book yet.",
          "reason": "Offers the title as an answer to the favorite-books question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15429199,
          "author": "Udik",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T18:01:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15429199",
          "commentText": "Permutation City is probably the best hard sci-fi novel I've ever read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Permutation City is probably the best hard sci-fi novel I've ever read.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best hard sci-fi novel they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15428724,
          "author": "mansr",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:09:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428724",
          "commentText": "His Permutation City is also good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His Permutation City is also good.",
          "reason": "Calls the book good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13243762,
          "author": "urza",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-23T08:57:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13243762",
          "commentText": "Highlights:\nHarry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\nWhen Three Worlds Collide\nPermutation City\nThe Story of Human Body\nIncognito: the secret life of your brain",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Permutation City",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785543,
          "author": "birdperson",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:47:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785543",
          "commentText": "> Blindsight is on my Kobo right now, but after reading Permutation City I'm scared to start reading it because I don't want to reach halfway and want to chuck it like I did Permutation City.\nI read Blindsight before Permutation City. The way he describes the situations and the way his characters are often extremely confusing. But you get used to it at some point along the way. The story line itself and the Aliens are somewhat off the left field which makes the story very interesting. I personally liked it.\nPermutation City is, on the other hand, simply boring as hell. Drier than ye olde Abstract Algebra textbook.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Permutation City is, on the other hand, simply boring as hell.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter found it boring.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785337,
          "author": "stuxnet79",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:07:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785337",
          "commentText": "Permutation City has a brilliant premise but I found sections of it mostly unreadable and I can't say I enjoyed it very much. Egan would have been better served presenting the content in an essay format.\nEgan's more unforgiving stories are an acquired taste IMO. I started out with his short stories and found them enjoyable when there wasn't so much pretentious info-dumping and preaching. Permutation City felt like one of his harder to parse short stories stretched to the length of a novel.\nBlindsight is on my Kobo right now, but after reading Permutation City I'm scared to start reading it because I don't want to reach halfway and want to chuck it like I did Permutation City.\nOn a more positive note, I just want to say that I liked how prescient the novel was in foretelling AWS.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Permutation City has a brilliant premise but I found sections of it mostly unreadable and I can't say I enjoyed it very much.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter liked the premise but found parts unreadable and did not enjoy it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783600,
          "author": "Hortinstein",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T15:00:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783600",
          "commentText": "I read quite a few others that have been mentioned here, but I finally read two that hard sci-fi books that should appeal to the Hacker News crowd\nPermutation City:  People can run simulations of themselves or entirely migrate their consciousness into computer programs, but existence is often limited to the amount of computation that you can afford, leading to slow existences that stretch time into fractions of realtime.  That premise had me hooked, but the book has fantastic thought provoking plot points throughout.  Highly recommended.    \nhttp://www.amazon.com/Permutation-City-Novel-Greg-Egan/dp/15... (http://www.amazon.com/Permutation-City-Novel-Greg-Egan/dp/1597805394)\nBlindsight: Amazing first alien encounter book that should be read by everyone that is a fan of the genre.  Memorable cast of characters...the Vampires are really interesting.  All kinds of introductory scientific concepts throughout.  Entertaining and educational.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Blindsight-Peter-Watts/dp/0765319640/r... (http://www.amazon.com/Blindsight-Peter-Watts/dp/0765319640/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1450882718&sr=1-1&keywords=blindsite)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Permutation City:  People can run simulations of themselves or entirely migrate their consciousness into computer programs, but existence is often limited to the amount of computation that you can afford, leading to slow existences that stretch time into fractions of realtime.  That premise had me hooked, but the book has fantastic thought provoking plot points throughout.  Highly recommended.",
          "reason": "The premise hooked the commenter; they praise its thought-provoking plot and highly recommend it.",
          "audience": "Fans of hard science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10325237,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T20:31:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325237",
          "commentText": "I'm sure there are many, but a few that jump to mind, in no particular order, and spanning both fiction and non-fiction:\nThe Selfish Gene - Dawkins\nA New Kind of Science - Wolfram\nThe Singularity is Near - Kurzweil\nGödel, Escher, Bach - Hofstadter\nFluid Concepts and Creative Analogies - Hofstadter\nAtlas Shrugged - Rand\nThe Fountainhead - Rand\nNineteen Eighty-Four - Orwell\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nAmbient Findability - Peter Morville\nEmergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software - Steven Johnson\nSix Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age - Duncan Watts\nLinked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means for Business, Science, and Everyday Life - Albert-laszlo Barabasi\nArtificial Life - Steven Levy\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nThe World is Flat - Thomas Friedman\nnot a book, but the various writings of Douglas Engelbart - http://www.dougengelbart.org/library/library.html\nGlasshouse - Charles Stross\nPermutation City - Greg Egan\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nThe Shockwave Rider - John Brunner\nThe Society of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nThe Origin of Wealth: The Radical Remaking of Economics and What it Means for Business and Society - Eric Beinhocker\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nFooled By Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Permutation City - Greg Egan",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10325078,
          "author": "Udik",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T19:40:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325078",
          "commentText": "My two cents:\nThe selfish gene by Richard Dawkins - makes you look at living beings as software, and at the world as an immense optimization algorithm.\nPermutation City by Greg Egan - the perfectly rational idea that the mind is computable is rife with apparently unsolvable paradoxes.\nGödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter. Maths, logic, patterns, artificial intelligence, beauty, art and self-referentiality.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the perfectly rational idea that the mind is computable is rife with apparently unsolvable paradoxes.",
          "reason": "Highlights the paradoxes raised by the idea that the mind is computable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10213260,
          "author": "loqi",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-14T00:49:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10213260",
          "commentText": "Greg Egan's Permutation City plays some novel games with reality.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Greg Egan's Permutation City plays some novel games with reality.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes its treatment of reality as novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10176323,
          "author": "hokkos",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T23:05:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10176323",
          "commentText": "Permutation City by Greg Egan\nA 1994 science fiction novel that explores many concepts, including quantum ontology, via various philosophical aspects of artificial life and simulated reality.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permutation_City\nI was impressed that the book begin with a description of the concept of Fovea Rendering that is all the rage now with Virtual Reality.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foveated_imaging",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I was impressed that the book begin with a description of the concept of Fovea Rendering that is all the rage now with Virtual Reality.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book impressed them with its early discussion of foveated rendering.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9676626,
          "author": "ValleyOfTheMtns",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T22:56:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9676626",
          "commentText": "Yes, the first few chapters were mind-bogglingly good. Loses its punch towards the end, but the first two thirds floored me.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Loses its punch towards the end, but the first two thirds floored me.",
          "reason": "The opening two thirds impressed the commenter, though the book loses impact toward the end.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The book loses its punch toward the end.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9675594,
          "author": "bencoder",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T17:45:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9675594",
          "commentText": "Permutation City, by Greg Egan. It's one of my favourites.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Permutation City, by Greg Egan. It's one of my favourites.",
          "reason": "Names it as one of the commenter's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9349999,
          "author": "blackle",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T18:48:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9349999",
          "commentText": "Permutation City by Greg Egan really changed my personal cosmology",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Permutation City by Greg Egan really changed my personal cosmology",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed their personal cosmology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056494,
          "author": "bobcostas55",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:08:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056494",
          "commentText": "Greg Egan - Permutation City\nPeter Watts - Blindsight",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Greg Egan - Permutation City",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about favorite science fiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056479,
          "author": "arethuza",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:04:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056479",
          "commentText": "Neal Stephenson, Anathem\nIain M Banks, Use of Weapons\nGreg Egan, Diaspora and Permutation City\nFrank Herbert, Dune\nKim Stanley Robinson, the Mars trilogy\nVernon Vinge: A Fire Upon the Deep and A Deepness in the Sky\n[Note to Hollywood: can we please have a Culture movie?]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and Permutation City",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for favourite sci-fi books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8717188,
          "author": "agentultra",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T16:18:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8717188",
          "commentText": "Permutation City by Greg Egan takes the cake this year in fiction. Although a very close second would be the Hardcover Penguin Classic's edition of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley mainly for it's deftly abridged version and preface which gave a new dimension to the story for me.\nNon-fiction would either be Mortality by the late Christopher Hitchens or \"On Numbers and Games\" by John H. Conway.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Permutation City by Greg Egan takes the cake this year in fiction.",
          "reason": "Named as the commenter's top fiction book of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7302433,
          "author": "Jach",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T02:33:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7302433",
          "commentText": "My two favorites are Permutation City by Greg Egan and The Golden Age by John C. Wright (actually that one's a trilogy).\nI hear good things about Iain M. Banks' Culture novels. I've only read one (The Player of Games) and while it was enjoyable it was still sort of meh, if that makes sense... (I've got Excession in my queue and I suspect I'll enjoy it more.)\nWhile it's more in the realm of science-fantasy, you might enjoy this alternate universe imagining of the Harry Potter story: http://hpmor.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My two favorites are Permutation City by Greg Egan",
          "reason": "Names it as one of the commenter’s two favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043537,
          "author": "lukev",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:21:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043537",
          "commentText": "For mind-expanding, post-singularity hard sci-fi consider anything by Greg Egan. I'd start with Permutation City, or one of his short story collections.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd start with Permutation City",
          "reason": "Suggests this as a starting point for mind-expanding, post-singularity hard science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1864870,
          "author": "revorad",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T14:27:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1864870",
          "commentText": "Permutation City by Greg Egan",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Permutation City by Greg Egan",
          "reason": "Suggested as a next read in response to the thread’s request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140918,
          "author": "gojomo",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T16:36:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140918",
          "commentText": "Second Egan, for 'Permutation City' and his short stories (in 'Axiomatic', especially).\nAlso, Greg Bear's 'Blood Music' inspired me both with its vision and its jumbling of genres, especially given its publication date (1985).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Second Egan, for 'Permutation City'",
          "reason": "Seconding the prior praise of Egan and naming this novel as an example.",
          "audience": "Readers drawn to idea-driven science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140666,
          "author": "ews",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T08:41:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140666",
          "commentText": "I came directly by searching Egan in the comment tree :)\nPermutation city (or any of the Egan's short stories such as 'Closer') is probably the one of the most intense mind blowing experiences I ever had (at least regarding books), it shouldn't even be called \"SciFi\" it is... something else\nBTW: Diaspora is the next book in my list.... I hope not to be dissapointed.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Permutation city (or any of the Egan's short stories such as 'Closer') is probably the one of the most intense mind blowing experiences I ever had (at least regarding books)",
          "reason": "Describes it as an intensely mind-blowing reading experience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140585,
          "author": "aoeuid",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T05:59:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140585",
          "commentText": "I can't imagine why nobody even mentioned Greg Egan so far.\nReading Permutation City left me in a dazzled state for days because of the sheer number of reality-altering concepts it throws at you in such a short span.\nIf by inspiring, you mean something that will give even the most ardent SF addict future shock, then his books are absolutely what you're looking for. His BS in Math and background in programming give him a great perspective on some of the most challenging mysteries of the universe -- and his work still manages to be the hardest SF I've read.\nCheck out Diaspora if you like what you see in Permutation City.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Reading Permutation City left me in a dazzled state for days because of the sheer number of reality-altering concepts it throws at you in such a short span.",
          "reason": "The commenter was dazzled by its many reality-altering concepts.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking challenging science fiction and big ideas.",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it the hardest SF they have read.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Greg Egan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 32,
      "threads": 23,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consciousness",
        "simulation",
        "digital consciousness",
        "mind uploading"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "accelerando-2ea490",
      "title": "Accelerando",
      "author": "Charles Stross",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39249086,
          "author": "TheAceOfHearts",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T10:30:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249086",
          "commentText": "A few days back I finished reading Accelerando by Charles Stross. It's really interested, the premise basically explores what a potential posthuman technologically advanced future could look like.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I finished reading Accelerando by Charles Stross.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes its premise as exploring a technologically advanced posthuman future.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021500,
          "author": "eterps",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:49:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021500",
          "commentText": "- Project Hail Mary\n- Children of Time\n- Accelerando\n- The Forever War\n- Axiomatic",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Accelerando",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for science fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35394255,
          "author": "ckorhonen",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-31T22:01:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 35392063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Science Fiction books that predict where ChatGPT might lead us?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35394255",
          "commentText": "There are numerous science fiction books that have explored the potential impact of artificial intelligence on humanity, ranging from utopian to dystopian scenarios. Here are some of the most interesting and relevant titles that address the questions and fears you've mentioned:\n\"Neuromancer\" by William Gibson (1984): This cyberpunk classic envisions a future where AI is deeply ingrained in human society and plays a significant role in shaping it.\n\"2001: A Space Odyssey\" by Arthur C. Clarke (1968): The novel, as well as the film adaptation by Stanley Kubrick, explores the relationship between humans and AI, particularly when AI begins to develop its own goals and intentions.\n\"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?\" by Philip K. Dick (1968): This novel, which inspired the movie \"Blade Runner,\" questions the nature of humanity and consciousness as it relates to artificial beings.\n\"I, Robot\" by Isaac Asimov (1950): A collection of short stories that feature the famous \"Three Laws of Robotics\" and explore various aspects of AI and their impact on society.\n\"The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress\" by Robert A. Heinlein (1966): This novel features an AI that becomes self-aware and partners with humans in a fight for lunar independence.\n\"The Culture\" series by Iain M. Banks: This series of novels is set in a post-scarcity society managed by benevolent, hyper-intelligent AIs called Minds.\n\"The Singularity is Near\" by Ray Kurzweil (2005): Though not a novel, this non-fiction book predicts the future of AI, discussing the potential for AI to surpass human intelligence and the implications of this eventuality.\n\"Accelerando\" by Charles Stross (2005): The novel explores a future in which AI, augmented humans, and post-humans coexist, addressing various ethical and societal issues along the way.\n\"Daemon\" by Daniel Suarez (2006): This techno-thriller features an AI created by a deceased programmer that sets out to create a new world order.\n\"Altered Carbon\" by Richard K. Morgan (2002): This cyberpunk novel touches on AI's impact on society, particularly in the context of human consciousness and digital immortality.\nThese books offer thought-provoking explorations of the possible consequences, both positive and negative, of advanced AI systems like ChatGPT. While each of these works is fictional and speculative in nature, they can still provide valuable insights and stimulate important discussions about the future of AI and humanity.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Accelerando\" by Charles Stross (2005): The novel explores a future in which AI, augmented humans, and post-humans coexist, addressing various ethical and societal issues along the way.",
          "reason": "Listed among titles addressing AI's potential effects on humanity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35393739,
          "author": "KRAKRISMOTT",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-31T21:13:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 35392063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Science Fiction books that predict where ChatGPT might lead us?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35393739",
          "commentText": "Accelerando by Charles Stress\nhttps://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/acceler... (https://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelerando/accelerando-intro.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Accelerando by Charles Stress",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30242859,
          "author": "vertis",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T10:34:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30242859",
          "commentText": "This is an often overlooked book. Definitely worth the read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is an often overlooked book.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is worth reading, referring to the parent comment's book title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23163818,
          "author": "goldenshale",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-13T05:40:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23163818",
          "commentText": "Accelerando by Charles Stross: Be there to receive a phone call from a sentient hive lobster consciousness that escaped from the lab, and watch the singularity happen in a hilarious and mind bending fast take off.\nA Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge: explore the far future in a space opera dreamed up by a computer science professor turned sci-fi author.  This book literally inspired the first IoT sensor \"motes\" created, and we haven't come close to achieving the vision he explores just as texture in this rich book with fascinating characters.  Not my favorite wordsmith, but one of my favorite idea-smiths.\nGodel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter: create a new mathematics from the axioms up, while strolling along with a wise tortoise and a hare who share fascinating ideas and connections from art and music to number theory, incompleteness, and consciousness.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Accelerando by Charles Stross: Be there to receive a phone call from a sentient hive lobster consciousness that escaped from the lab, and watch the singularity happen in a hilarious and mind bending fast take off.",
          "reason": "Presented as a mind-bending science-fiction recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22722019,
          "author": "weavejester",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T19:43:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22722019",
          "commentText": "Accelerando by Charles Stross. It's an early work and not his best book, but it came at turning point in my life. It made me reconsider my definition of success, and is probably the one book that's had the most impact on my life.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Accelerando by Charles Stross. It's an early work and not his best book, but it came at turning point in my life. It made me reconsider my definition of success, and is probably the one book that's had the most impact on my life.",
          "reason": "Says the book changed how they thought about success and had a major personal impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is an early work and not the author's best book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21907905,
          "author": "qznc",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T19:31:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21907905",
          "commentText": "I read a lot of fanfiction in the last years. On the downside the writing is less polished. On the upside it is free and non-mainstream.\nI was influenced by Eliezer Yudkowsky and his take on rationality. His fanfiction \"Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\" serves as a nice introduction. http://www.hpmor.com/\nWorm by John McCrae is an epic superhero/villain story. Consider it Game of Thrones in the superhero genre. With 16 million words it is a really long story. For comparison, the Harry Potter series is 10 million words.\nThe Metropolition Man by Alexander Wales is also in the superhero genre, but turns it on its head. Lex Luthor is the hero standing up against Superman.\nThe Last Ringbearer by Kirill Yeskov does the same to Lord of the Rings. It effectively becomes a fantasy spy thriller.\nThese three are great stories that show how good and evil are a point of view. An important lesson to learn in a time when US and China are increasingly hostile. Since HN is american, China might be compared to Mordor and Xi Jinping to Lux Luthor. Fiction stories may help you to at least imagine that they consider themselves as the good guys.\nAccelerando by Charles Stross turns the concept of technological singularity into a well-written story. As the story spans a looong timespan and shows how humanity antiquates itself, it makes you feel small in a good sense.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Accelerando by Charles Stross turns the concept of technological singularity into a well-written story.",
          "reason": "Praised as a well-written story about the technological singularity.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in science fiction and technological change.",
          "caveat": "It spans a very long timespan.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17579852,
          "author": "brensmith",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-20T23:35:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17579852",
          "commentText": "Accelerando available online. http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelera... (http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelerando/accelerando-intro.html)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Accelerando available online.",
          "reason": "The comment identifies the book and points out that it is available online.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17538161,
          "author": "senectus1",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T01:37:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17538161",
          "commentText": "Charles Stross' Accelerando",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Charles Stross' Accelerando",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17537852,
          "author": "rektide",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T00:15:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537852",
          "commentText": "Central Station by Lavie Tidhar is an amazing charming story of a world deeply steeped old sitting baking world where new things are coming about. It is charm & delight in the purest & simplest.\nSpin by Robert Charles Wilson. \"Robert Charles Wilson is a hell of a storyteller,\" said Stephen King and this wonderful tour through time and space, humanity & people's lives is incredible.\nThe Quantum Thief series by Hannu Rajaniemi is open, scenic, wild, & so so vivid, one of the most beautiful worlds I've ever visited, & it reminds me so much of a joyous wild swashbuckling run. The mystery of the main character is enchanting.\nInfoquake series by David Louis Edelson is a gripping suspenseful rise of a star entrepreneur that redefines and radically expands the world, amid an already boisterous & full & busy beautiful world already overflowing in seamless technology everywhere. Although the plot line whips along with some suspense & tension, the scenery and the voyage is incredible.\nLathe of Heaven by Ursala Le Guin could quite easily, quite simply be the best first contact story story ever. Touching, and sincere, & simple. This world is not bright and shiny but her writing and the bonding of characters is incredible. See also the rest of the Hainish cycle.\nLeft Hand of Darkness also by Ursala Le Guin is a shifting chaotic shizmatic tale, about picking our fates. \"Well, I did it through dreams. Phil would have done it another way. But yeah, homage to Phil [K.] Dick is right.\"\n- https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/a... (https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/all/)\nFallen Dragon is an early & involved Peter Hamilton adventure book. There's leaving home, & space ships, more space ships, bad guys, fighting back the bad guys, bigger ships, and action. There is A LOT going on, all the time, & violence, but damn this book comes together into something incredible, & telling, & powerful & strong, something that easily makes it my top pick for most-underappreciated Peter Hamilton.\nDiamond Age by Neal Stephenson, which I'm providing largely as a counterweight to the Snowcrash & Sevenses recommendations here. Diamond Age is much less dark, and way more a fun tail about an incredible & mysterious primer for a young lady.\nSirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut.\nAll Systems Red series by Martha Wells is a underprivileged barely coping robot dealing with the humans she hates having to talk to & a shitty planet trying to kill them. Simple, fun, some action & violence, but the main character is a total hoot the whole time with more loner/zero/drop-out attitude & spunk than anything I've read & it's unbelievably charming.\nLords of Light by Roger Zelazny has more style, pizzaz, & spirit than I feel like any of us deserve. An interesting, storied tale from the post-singularity, with a remarkable & robust cast.\nIllium/Olympos by Dan Simmons, are, in my mind still the clear winner, far above Hyperion. The cast is charming beyond belief, stumbling through a world they both know all too much about & far far too little. Some really incredible worldbuilding here.\nRainbow's End by Vernor Vinge. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE A Fire Upon the Deep. But Rainbow's End really is our planet, sometime not far out, and Vinge has the most tour of this next place we're headed, with threads, and annotations, and group chat being the defining new technologies of humanity. And the tale of the misfit happenstance adventurers who wind up ensnared in the plot line is a fun, roving hoot of a journey, a wonderful second chance at a coming of age story.\nMedusa Chronicles by two of my favorites, Alastair Reynolds & Stephen Baxter is probably my favorite exploring the solar system book, about a guy/robot a bit apart from humanity that really wants to see what the local area has to offer. A lot of high tension conflicting societal impulses that our somewhat aloof lead stumbles through, on his personal mission of exploration. Lots of interesting robot philosophy & very varied elements of space come together with the characters to make an incredibly fun space epic, set in a delightful & intriguing alternative history\nOther's recommendations I'd +1: Dune (but super heady material), The Stars My Destination (brimming with class & substance), Mote in God's Eye (some of the best Space Colonial Marines style stuff out there), Accelerando (and Iron Sky and ... overflowing playful scifi), Blue Ant series (dripping with style), Foundation series (and much more Asimov!), Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy (simple direct exciting hunt for treasure in Star Wars), Fuzzy Nation (fun tale)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Accelerando (and Iron Sky and ... overflowing playful scifi)",
          "reason": "Includes it among playful science-fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536654,
          "author": "dochtman",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:35:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536654",
          "commentText": "Isaac Asimov is one of the classics, of course. I'm particularly fond of the robot novels (all four of the Elijah Baley ones especially) and the entire Foundation series. Of course, you also can't miss the robot short stories. Oh, and The End of Eternity!\nAt some point I found Charles Stross' Accelerando, which is freely available online (along with a bunch of other short stories), and found everything I've read (which is most of it at this point, I think) enjoyably fast-paced. In particular the Laundry series (of which I've bought every iteration as soon as they came out over the past few years) -- though arguably these maybe cross-over from SF into fantasy a bit -- and the Halting State trilogy.\nIn terms of online available work, Cory Doctorow's work is also great. Like Stross, most of his work is more near-term SF, which I have liked, and a bunch of it is available online under a Creative Commons license. It often moves fast and is also politically interesting; sometimes the activism shines through a little blatantly, but the themes are always make me thing in various ways I appreciate (but maybe will fail your lighthearted criterion even if it is fun). His latest is Walkaway, which I would recommend.\nI got into Neal Stephenson through Cryptonomicon, which is one of the greats. Stephenson has a pretty rambly, wordy style, but at least that also makes his stories last a bit longer. After that, I mostly moved on to Anathem, Reamde and Seveneves all of which are big and interesting and great reads (it took me longer than usual to get up to speed on Anathem, but it was very much worth it in the end). I tried one of the more historic ones (I think it was Quicksilver) at some point but haven't finished it. The 2017 Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. was a bit lighter, but lots of fun, too.\nWilliam Gibson has already been mentioned, which I would also recommend. I read the Sprawl trilogy a very long time ago, and it's made a lasting expression. I've started rereading it recently. I also liked the Blue Ant trilogy and The Peripheral, but have so far missed the more recent work.\nMore in the one-off category: The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell is one of my all-time favorites, and mixes deep SF with psychology and religion in interesting ways. There's a sequel, but it's not as good. I also liked The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, which is also on the softer side. I read Scalzi's Redshirts and liked it (especially if you're familiar with the Star Trek universe), it feels similar to Ready Player One in some ways. Daniel Suarez's (or Leinad Zeraus as he originally published them) Daemon is fun and easy to digest, along with its sequel Freedom. I liked Robert J. Sawyer's The Terminal Experiment, but one person I recommended it too wasn't impressed -- I still think it's fun, if not very deep. I also bought his Factoring Humanity and liked it okay.\nHope that helps. Always interested in more recommendations based on this list!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I found Charles Stross' Accelerando, which is freely available online",
          "reason": "Mentions finding the book; the following praise refers to the works they have read generally.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630006,
          "author": "senectus1",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:12:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630006",
          "commentText": "accelerando - Charles Stross\nIt blew my mind from beginning to end. Loved every shred of concept and potential.\nGlasshouse is close 2nd\nDemon Haunted World is a solid 3rd",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It blew my mind from beginning to end. Loved every shred of concept and potential.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it blew their mind and they loved its concepts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15445026,
          "author": "nathanasmith",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-10T20:21:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15445026",
          "commentText": "A few of my favorites like Accelerando and Neuromancer have been mentioned but I’ll add Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge. It’s set in the near future but features general AI, lots of intrigue and conspiring governments and corporations. Really a great story.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A few of my favorites like Accelerando and Neuromancer have been mentioned",
          "reason": "Includes it among the commenter's favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15431201,
          "author": "superkuh",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-09T02:25:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15431201",
          "commentText": "By far the best is Simon Funk's \"AfterLife\". The mystery keeps you on the edge of your seat and the tech jargon and concepts are both detailed and correct which is a rare thing for any fiction. Also,\nCharles Stross - \"Accelerando\"\nDaniel Suarez\" \"Daemon\"\nKim Stanley Robinson - \"Aurora\"\nTobias Buckell - \"System Reset\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Charles Stross - \"Accelerando\"",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's recommendations in response to a book request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15430216,
          "author": "wj",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T21:57:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15430216",
          "commentText": "Accelerando is one of the most thought provoking things I have ever read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Accelerando is one of the most thought provoking things I have ever read.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the most thought-provoking works they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15428945,
          "author": "inetsee",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:58:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428945",
          "commentText": "My favorite: \"Neuromancer\" by William Gibson. A close second: \"Accelerando\" by Charles Stross.\n(I met Charles Stross once. He told me that \"Accelerando\" was not his favorite of the books he's written.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A close second: \"Accelerando\" by Charles Stross.",
          "reason": "Named as the commenter's close second favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Stross said it was not his favorite among his own books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15428711,
          "author": "bglusman",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:07:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428711",
          "commentText": "It's half novel, half related series of 9 short stories, but Accelerando is great.  The Martian by Andy Weir (movie based on it) was quite good.  Daemon I think also qualifies, though it's SF dressed up as a thriller.  Oh, Blood Music by Greg Bear probably counts? Except maybe the ending?\nTempted to mention The Diamond Age, but not sure that qualifies as \"Hard\", though closer than some other Stephenson maybe...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Accelerando is great.",
          "reason": "Calls it great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Half novel, half a related series of nine short stories.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13250967,
          "author": "tarboreus",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T18:23:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13250967",
          "commentText": "I second Accelerando and Book of the New Sun. Both challenging in their own ways.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second Accelerando",
          "reason": "Seconding the recommendation; describes it as challenging.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Challenging.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249664,
          "author": "gpderetta",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T13:14:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249664",
          "commentText": "It seems that everybody has been recommending sci fi and fantasy... Well, so will I.\n- The Lies of Locke Lamora: fantasy (think fantastic Renaissance Venice), fairly light read, very well written, great characters.\n- Accelerando: from our own cstross. Postuhumanist episodic scifi, pretty much a required read for the average HN reader.\n- The Book of the New Sun: fantasy (or is it?), On the surface episodic adventures of an executioner, but it is built on multiple layers. Not an easy read, but masterfully written. Might require multiple reads. Long series.\n- Blindsight, bleak diamond hard scifi, about first contact, consciousness and life. Not an easy read, but strongly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Accelerando: from our own cstross. Postuhumanist episodic scifi, pretty much a required read for the average HN reader.",
          "reason": "Calls it a required read in a list of fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "Average HN reader.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12474808,
          "author": "xaa",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T18:30:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12474808",
          "commentText": "Anything by Charlie Stross, especially Accelerando (great futurism)\nCosmos by Witold Gombrowicz (reading this book WILL make you feel like you're on drugs)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "especially Accelerando (great futurism)",
          "reason": "Singles it out for its futurism.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in futurism.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10324794,
          "author": "walterbell",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T18:12:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10324794",
          "commentText": "Nine Hundred Grandmothers, by R.A. Lafferty (out of print except for \"The Books of Sand\")\nLast and First Men, by Olaf Stapledon, free at http://www.feedbooks.com/book/2028/last-and-first-men\nAccelerando, by Charles Stross, free at http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelera... (http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelerando/accelerando.html)\nThe Doubter's Companion, by John Ralston Saul, http://www.amazon.com/The-Doubters-Companion-Dictionary-Aggr... (http://www.amazon.com/The-Doubters-Companion-Dictionary-Aggressive/dp/0743236602)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Accelerando, by Charles Stross",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes a free online edition.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10210042,
          "author": "anon987",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-13T01:39:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10210042",
          "commentText": "Everyone on HN should read this book - 11/10",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Everyone on HN should read this book - 11/10",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends it to everyone on Hacker News and rates it 11/10.",
          "audience": "Everyone on Hacker News",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10207944,
          "author": "wj",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T12:47:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10207944",
          "commentText": "Most recently Accelerando by Charles Stross has been occupying an outsized portion of my contemplations.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Most recently Accelerando by Charles Stross has been occupying an outsized portion of my contemplations.",
          "reason": "It has occupied a large share of the commenter's thoughts recently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9646393,
          "author": "Stoo",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-02T15:19:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 9636361,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9646393",
          "commentText": "Accelerando by Charles Stross (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accelerando). I'm mostly enjoying his look into humanity's near and not so near future and his views on business, economics and technology. It's interesting and I like his writing style but sometimes it doesn't feel like much is going on story-wise.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'm mostly enjoying his look into humanity's near and not so near future and his views on business, economics and technology. It's interesting and I like his writing style but sometimes it doesn't feel like much is going on story-wise.",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoys its future-facing ideas and writing style, though sometimes finds the story lacks momentum.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Sometimes it doesn't feel like much is going on story-wise.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056616,
          "author": "aaronem",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:40:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056616",
          "commentText": "Accelerando is not hard SF.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Accelerando is not hard SF.",
          "reason": "Comments on its subgenre; gives no evaluation of the book itself.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it is not hard science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056450,
          "author": "everyone",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T11:55:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056450",
          "commentText": "I have strong opinions about this. My criteria for a book being science fiction and not fantasy is that is must be based on scientific thinking. The author must have done some work to determine whether whats happening in his book is at least plausible according to real science, and then work out the details of how it would actually function. So I regard most \"science fiction\" books and almost all \"science fiction\" films as really being fantasy. Essentially they are works of fantasy or dramatic fiction re-skinned with lasers and aliens instead of magic and goblins (to a great or lesser extent).\nSo dune is a great book but it is 90% fantasy, there is only a little bit of research done by the author on desert ecosystems.\nMy favourite real science fiction author is Arthur C clarke. some good books by him...\nearthlight\nthe fountains of paradise\nislands in the sky\nthe sands of mars\nrama\nsongs of distant earth\nAlso would recommend accelerando by Charles Stross and the mars series by Kim Stanley Robinson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also would recommend accelerando by Charles Stross",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends this novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8944867,
          "author": "iambot",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-26T00:21:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944867",
          "commentText": "Diamond age: a young ladies illustrated primer. Anathem. Halting state. Accelerando. Rant: an oral biography of buster casey. Enders game. The laundry files.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Accelerando.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8944625,
          "author": "Tycho",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-25T23:05:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944625",
          "commentText": "Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, Dune, Foundation series, Martian Chronicles & Illustrated Man, Ender's Game, Accelerando, Hyperion, The Forever War, Player of Games, Snow Crash",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Accelerando",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8613630,
          "author": "db48x",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-16T06:55:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8613630",
          "commentText": "Almost anything by Vernor Vinge. \"A Deepness in the Sky\" in particular is amazing. I was/am particularly impress by how he handles the idea of fundamental limits on the scope of human achievement, and by how he weaves that into the story so that it's there at all levels.\n\"Diaspora\" by Greg Egan has a great story, huge ideas, and probably the most cogent explanation of sentience/sapience ever written.\n\"The Diamond Age, or A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer\" and \"Accelerando\" have already been mentioned.\n\"Reteif!\" Made me laugh out loud. Larry Niven's \"Destiny's Road\" points out the difficulty of interstellar colonization. \"Ringworld\" blew my mind. Gene Wolfe's \"The Book of the New Syn\" taught me to pay attention; \"Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency\" by Douglas Adams reinforced the lesson.\nThere are a lot of good ones; I could go on for ages...",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"The Diamond Age, or A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer\" and \"Accelerando\" have already been mentioned.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8613278,
          "author": "jimsmart",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-16T02:18:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8613278",
          "commentText": "I have two ultimate faves:-\nAccelerando (Charlie Stross) - truly epic, hard-scifi, from near to far future, truly hardcore\nDiamond Age (Neal Stephenson) - awesome tale, plenty of nanotech, almost fairy-tale-esque\n[Edit: formatting]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I have two ultimate faves:-\nAccelerando (Charlie Stross)",
          "reason": "Named as one of the commenter’s two ultimate favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7304177,
          "author": "turbojerry",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T11:13:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7304177",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed Halting State, and Accelerando, and also the MaddAddam Trilogy by Margaret Atwood as well as Philip K. Dicks works, Valis in particular.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and Accelerando",
          "reason": "Says they really enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4415802,
          "author": "letterj00",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-22T02:37:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 4353632,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon.  What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4415802",
          "commentText": "This is one of my favorites. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accelerando_%28novel%29",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is one of my favorites.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the book one of their favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1866769,
          "author": "dwwoelfel",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T22:17:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1866769",
          "commentText": "Accelerando is available for free online: http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelera... (http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelerando/accelerando-intro.html)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Accelerando is available for free online:",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865977,
          "author": "ctkrohn",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T18:57:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865977",
          "commentText": "Awesome.  I'm a huge fan of Stross.  \"Missile Gap\" was my favorite story in that collection.\n\"Accelerando\" is his best novel by far, IMO.  Check it out if you haven't already.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Accelerando\" is his best novel by far, IMO. Check it out if you haven't already.",
          "reason": "Calls it his best novel and encourages readers to check it out.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865860,
          "author": "freemanindia",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T18:30:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865860",
          "commentText": "Charles Stross and Ian McDonald are my new favorite sci-fi authors. I just finished Accelerando by Stross which had lots of great ideas played out over the next several centuries. Cyberabad by McDonald is a collection of short stories that push at the fantastic edges of where tech could be going.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I just finished Accelerando by Stross which had lots of great ideas played out over the next several centuries.",
          "reason": "Praises its ideas and their development across several centuries.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1571838,
          "author": "inetsee",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T17:01:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1571838",
          "commentText": "I'm a huge fan of Charles Stross's \"Accelerando\".\nI also love (most) of what William Gibson has written, including his\nnon-science-fiction stuff like \"Pattern Recognition\" and \"Spook Country\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm a huge fan of Charles Stross's \"Accelerando\".",
          "reason": "Expresses strong enthusiasm for the novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226850,
          "author": "keyist",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:36:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226850",
          "commentText": "Don't miss sivers's great list: http://sivers.org/book\nAs for mine,\nScience Fiction (I like these authors so I'd recommend most of their books -- listing which ones I think are a good 'starter novel' for them):\n  Charles Stross: Halting State\n  Vernor Vinge: A Fire Upon The Deep\n  Iain M. Banks: Culture novels, start with Player of Games\n  David Louis Edelman: Jump 225 Trilogy\n  Daniel Suarez: Daemon and Freedom(tm)\n  John Scalzi: Old Man's War series\n  Dan Simmons: Hyperion\n\nSelf-improvement:\n  The Talent Code\n  Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger\n  Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion\n\nNon-fiction:\n  Amusing Ourselves To Death (highly recommended)\n  The Science of Fear\n  The Black Swan\n  Tokyo Vice\n  Racing The Beam (Atari history, very cool)\n  books by Daniel Pink\n  Guns, Germs, and Steel\n  The Prize by Daniel Yergin\n\nFantasy:\nAnything by Gaiman or China Mieville, pretty much.\nEDIT: links to previews (legally) available online\nCharles Stross's Accelerando (entire book): http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelera... (http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelerando/accelerando-intro.html)\nDavid Louis Edelman's Infoquake (1st 7 chapters): http://www.davidlouisedelman.com/jump225/infoquake/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Charles Stross's Accelerando (entire book)",
          "reason": "The comment supplies a link to a legal preview of the entire book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026884,
          "author": "Daniel_Newby",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T06:33:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026884",
          "commentText": "Redliners by David Drake. Burned out soldiers are sent to baby-sit a planetary colonization. Fortunately for the story it turns out to be a planet full of monsters. Baen Free Library.\nAccelerando, Iron Sunrise, and Singularity Sky by Charles Stross.  Singularity stories.\nHouse of Leaves by Mark Danielewski.  Supernatural meta-fiction with half the story in the footnotes.  Reminiscent of the movie Donnie Darko.\nCrooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis.  Private eye gets retained by the White House to track down the other U.S. Constitution.  To quote William Gibson, \"Stop It. You're frightening me.\"\nHurry Down Sunshine by Michael Greenberg.  Story of his teenage daughter's descent into manic psychosis.\nA Hat Full of Sky and Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett.  Kids' stories, so they have wall-to-wall story, unlike some of his more situational adult books.\nJames H. Schmitz science fiction stories. Available from the Baen Free Library of digital books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Accelerando, Iron Sunrise, and Singularity Sky by Charles Stross.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026469,
          "author": "teeja",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T23:47:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026469",
          "commentText": "Charles Stross, 'Accelerando'\nStephenson, 'Anathem' (first 150 pages slow)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Charles Stross, 'Accelerando'",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a thread asking for books read and recommended.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876428,
          "author": "mortenoffline",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T10:29:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876428",
          "commentText": "Accelerando - Charles Stross. Has the fast speed feel of \"the flow\" coding throughout half the book. Really good for keeping motivated.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Really good for keeping motivated.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises it as motivating, comparing its pace to the flow of coding.",
          "audience": "Readers who want motivation while coding.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 715559,
          "author": "spk",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-21T01:48:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715559",
          "commentText": "I've almost finished Accelerando.\nI can't remember which was the previous one..",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I've almost finished Accelerando.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Nearly finished reading; no evaluation expressed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 715196,
          "author": "jacquesm",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-20T21:05:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715196",
          "commentText": "The big switch\nbefore that\nAccelerando",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Accelerando",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Stross"
      ],
      "recommenders": 31,
      "threads": 24,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "posthumanism",
        "technological singularity",
        "singularity",
        "artificial intelligence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tao-te-ching-a5005b",
      "title": "Tao Te Ching",
      "author": "Laozi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50119582,
          "author": "pmpmpmpm",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T15:25:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50119582",
          "commentText": "I can’t resist an invocation:)\nMost of these are old since I’ve been reading more articles these days but here are a few good books or series I’ve read more than twice: The Hobbit, LOTR, the Silmarillion, Neuromancer, the Chronicles of Narnia, Hong Lou Meng, The Heart Sutra, The Bhagavad Gita, The Tao De Ching, The Wheel of Time series, No country for old men, Persuasion, Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice, The Way of Kings, The Talisman, the Dark Tower Series, and The Prophet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Tao De Ching",
          "reason": "Included among good books read more than twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 50119414,
          "author": "NishanStepak",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T15:13:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50119414",
          "commentText": "Frank Herbert Dune, book, there is a graphic novel of the latest edition which I glanced through.\nMachiavelli The Prince\nSun Tzu The Art of War\nEpictetus The Enchiridion\nTao Te Ching- different editions\nThe Odyssey in variety of formats, illustrated, graphic novel, book\nThe King James Bible-- Different pieces at various points. Proverbs many times.\nLewis Carroll-- Alices Adventures In Wonderland, book, annotated edition",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tao Te Ching- different editions",
          "reason": "Listed among books read repeatedly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42967215,
          "author": "DataDaoDe",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-06T22:37:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42967215",
          "commentText": "The Old Man and the sea - Hemmingway - so many things, with every reread I find something new.\nThe Heart of the Buddhas Teaching - Thich Nhat Hanh, useful prayers, concepts for understanding and dealing with life and a moral compass for going through it.\nThe Way of Zen - Alan Watts, opened my eyes to different forms of religious experience\nAlso a lot of psychology and philosophy books in undergrad were foundational to my thinking. The Moral Animal, the Moral Landscape, The Blank Slate, The Republic and Plato’s writings on Socrates, Tao te Ching, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, the Tanakh and parts of the Talmud, but many of these were more academic, still holistically they have shaped my thinking and moral compass.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tao te Ching",
          "reason": "Lists it among books and writings that shaped their thinking and moral compass.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Grouped with academic works.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41772841,
          "author": "hackable_sand",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-08T01:11:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41772841",
          "commentText": "Tao Teh Chingh\nEasy and accessible\nWill take me my whole life to read",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tao Teh Chingh\nEasy and accessible\nWill take me my whole life to read",
          "reason": "Named as a favorite and described as accessible yet lifelong to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it will take a lifetime to read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40053263,
          "author": "paulcole",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-16T15:27:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40053263",
          "commentText": "Tao Te Ching - short enough to be read by anyone in one sitting and potentially very meaningful",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tao Te Ching - short enough to be read by anyone in one sitting and potentially very meaningful",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a short, potentially meaningful gift.",
          "audience": "Anyone; the commenter says it can be read in one sitting.",
          "caveat": "Described as potentially meaningful.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39057606,
          "author": "stared",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T16:51:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39057606",
          "commentText": "Tao Te Ching, seriously\nThere is a lot of emphasis on simplicity and that things are the best when they work seamlessly.\nChapter 17, from the translation by Derek Lin, which I wholeheartedly recommend:\n    The highest rulers, people do not know they have them\n    The next level, people love them and praise them\n    The next level, people fear them\n    The next level, people despise them",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tao Te Ching, seriously",
          "reason": "Recommended for its emphasis on simplicity and things working seamlessly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter specifically recommends Derek Lin's translation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937038,
          "author": "xekul",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:19:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937038",
          "commentText": "Language in Thought and Action by S.I. Hayakawa\nMetaphors We Live By by Lakoff and Johnson\nThe Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan\nThe Denial of Death by Ernest Becker\nTao Te Ching (various translators)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tao Te Ching (various translators)",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a major impact on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Translation varies.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32939632,
          "author": "methusala8",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:52:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32939632",
          "commentText": "+1. Amazing book. Derek Lin has a good translation of this book too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1. Amazing book. Derek Lin has a good translation of this book too.",
          "reason": "Endorses the book and recommends Derek Lin's translation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31974861,
          "author": "jesterson",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-04T08:36:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31974861",
          "commentText": "Tao Te Ching. Keeps me in balance, probably had reread it countless times.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tao Te Ching. Keeps me in balance, probably had reread it countless times.",
          "reason": "Says it helps maintain balance and has reread it countless times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30741660,
          "author": "roeles",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T11:02:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30741660",
          "commentText": "Yes, very much this.\nI listened to the Stephen Mitchell audiobook during a week of patiently sanding something down.\nThat was the seed for a slow but radical change of perspective on life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I listened to the Stephen Mitchell audiobook",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30735475,
          "author": "ISL",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:05:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735475",
          "commentText": "The Tao Te Ching has given me more contemplative moments per page than anything else I've read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Tao Te Ching has given me more contemplative moments per page than anything else I've read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it has prompted many contemplative moments.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20918705,
          "author": "momentmaker",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T14:50:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20918705",
          "commentText": "Tao Te Ching",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tao Te Ching",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20918022,
          "author": "michael-ax",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T13:39:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20918022",
          "commentText": "Witter Bynner's Translation is truly the one. Its complemented in me by\nMartin Fischer's Translation of Baltasar Gracian's \"The Art of Worldly Wisdom\". (Amazon seems to have a few)\nQuoth Nietzsche: \"Europe has never produced anything finer or more complicated in matters of moral subtlety.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Witter Bynner's Translation is truly the one.",
          "reason": "Calls Bynner's translation the definitive one.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20915037,
          "author": "jesterson",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T03:37:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20915037",
          "commentText": "Tao Te Ching by Lao-Tzu. Short, concise and applicable to modern world.\nNot an essay per se or book though.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tao Te Ching by Lao-Tzu. Short, concise and applicable to modern world.",
          "reason": "Calls it concise and applicable to the modern world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not an essay per se or a book, though names it as a text.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19091008,
          "author": "clay_the_ripper",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T23:05:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19091008",
          "commentText": "Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life by Wayne Dyer\nAlthough it sounds like a self help book, it’s actually a fascinating interpretation and explanation of the Tao de Ching which was written 2500 years ago by Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu.\nIt really helped me understand the wisdom of that text, which without the accompanying interpretation by Dyer is a bit like reading Shakespeare without the notes.\nI think about this book almost every day, and it truly did change my life. highly recommended.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "which without the accompanying interpretation by Dyer is a bit like reading Shakespeare without the notes.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as difficult to understand without Dyer's explanatory interpretation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is hard to understand without accompanying notes or interpretation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521441,
          "author": "sdevoid",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T08:52:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521441",
          "commentText": "I read The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed at the beginning of the year, just before she passed away. This summer I the first four books of the Earthsea series and will probably read The Other Wind and Tales soon. I've really enjoyed both universes--with Earthsea I keep wishing someone would make a game with this kind of magic system. The Lathe of Heaven is such a wonderful title, I'm looking forward to reading that as well.\nI read her translation of Tao Te Ching while waiting in 2 hours of traffic for a ferry and it was wonderful and really informs the rest of her works.\nI'm currently reading Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner, on the history of U.S. water policy in the West. Frustratingly dry.\nAlso re-reading On the Road but unlike 16 years ago I'm reading the 'Original Scroll Edition' this time: no chapters, paragraph breaks, invented character names, censors, etc. The book you read in high school is, in fact, the novelization of the original, which Kerouac wrote in twenty days. I've kept my beat-up paperback copy of the 'novel' nearby and I've preferred the scroll edition for the most part.\nOn the nightstand:\n- Annals of the Former World by John McPhee 300 pages into it, but I got a bit tired of the redundancy inherent in combining multiple books into one.\n- The Vulgar Tongue by Jonathon Green. 40 pages in. I've been looking for a copy of the dictionary.\n- The Path to the Nest of Spiders by Italo Calvino.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read her translation of Tao Te Ching while waiting in 2 hours of traffic for a ferry and it was wonderful",
          "reason": "Calls Le Guin's translation wonderful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter refers specifically to Le Guin's translation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16297231,
          "author": "timellis-smith",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T11:41:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16297231",
          "commentText": "Fiction\nWar and Peace\nCrime and Punishment\nCount of Monte Christo\n1984\nGod of Small Things\nParadise lost\nDivine comedy\nNon fiction\nSelfish gene\nMeditations\nMadness explained (the best book I've encountered for explaining how the mind works)\nThe Red Queen\nTao te Ching",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tao te Ching",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the question about books the commenter wishes they had read earlier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14746663,
          "author": "jotjotzzz",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T18:27:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14746663",
          "commentText": "I'm sure a lot of people have read it, but it's the best book for me. The Tao Te Ching (I have the Stephen Mitchell translation).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's the best book for me. The Tao Te Ching (I have the Stephen Mitchell translation).",
          "reason": "Calls it their best book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Specifies the Stephen Mitchell translation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13971644,
          "author": "scandinavegan",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T20:50:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13971644",
          "commentText": "Tao Te Ching (Daodejing) by Lao-tse (Laozi). This is my favorite translation:\nhttp://www.wright-house.com/religions/taoism/tao-te-ching.ht... (http://www.wright-house.com/religions/taoism/tao-te-ching.html)\nThe text gives advice on both how to behave on a personal level and how to lead (and therefore what to expect from a good leader). It promotes the idea that ambition leads to strife and conflict and that the path to happiness is to be content with what you have. It also promotes the abandonment of pride and ego: Do your work and walk away, do not concern yourself with getting credit for what's been achieved. Be like water and flow around problems instead of butting your head against them. Be malleable, do your thing, and don't worry about what others are doing around you.\nWhen it comes to how to lead, it says you should micro manage, and that the best leader is invisible. They make the group members think that they achieved it all themselves.\nA lot of the things go against the current climate of ambition, greed, and always being visible in social media. How can you increase your salary without taking credit for all the good things you do? How can you be productive, and show others how productive you are, if you abandon ambition and are content? I still find that it calms me to think about the ideas, and that it feels like someone has my back when I don't want to become the center of attention. I just want to do my work and my hobbies, being happy with what I have, and not trying to maximize my salary or social standing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tao Te Ching (Daodejing) by Lao-tse (Laozi). This is my favorite translation:",
          "reason": "Calls it a favorite translation and says its ideas are calming and supportive.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Notes that its advice conflicts with modern ambition and visibility.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13804180,
          "author": "metaphorm",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:19:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804180",
          "commentText": "- The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin\n- Blindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts\n- The Tao Te Ching\n- The Gateless Gate (Koun Yamada translation/editing)\n- The Baroque Cycle (Quicksilver, The Confusion, The System of the World) by Neal Stephenson\n- The Invisibles by Grant Morrison\n- Incerto (Fooled by Randomness, The Black Swan, Antifragile, The Bed of Procrustes) by Nassim Nicholas Taleb\n- Iron John by Robert Bly\n- Catch 22 by Joseph Heller\n- The Character of Physical Law by Richard P. Feynman\n- Collected Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges\n- 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez\n- Pharmakon by Dale Pendell\n- The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss\n- Greek Mythology by Edith Hamilton\n- The Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual by Gary Gygax et al\n- Introduction to Algorithms by Charles E. Leiserson, Clifford Stein, Ronald Rivest, and Thomas H. Cormen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Tao Te Ching",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed how people think.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12246564,
          "author": "roylez",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T10:10:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12246564",
          "commentText": "I was about to say the same. Recommended it to a few friends. It is a life changing book, even more enjoyable than original Chinese version.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Recommended it to a few friends. It is a life changing book, even more enjoyable than original Chinese version.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it to friends and calls it life changing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter prefers this translation to the original Chinese version.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297799,
          "author": "roymurdock",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:56:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297799",
          "commentText": "Older Stuff: The Bible/Quran, The Republic (Plato), The Social Contract (Rousseau), Tao Te Ching (Laozi), Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky), History of the Peloponnesian War (Thucydides)\nNewer Stuff: Nine Stories (Salinger), The Razor's Edge (Maugham), Nausea (Sartre), Siddartha (Hesse), Road to Serfdom (Hayek), The Book (Watts), Design of Everyday Things (Norman), Atlas Shrugged (Rand), Invisible Man (Ellison), Debunking Economics (Keen), Blood Meridian (McCarthy), The Center Cannot Hold (Saks), This Time Is Different (Reinhart/Rogoff), Infinite Jest (Wallace), Calvin and Hobbes (Watterson)\nAll of these books are well written and have given me some perspective on interesting people/situations/ways of thinking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tao Te Ching (Laozi)",
          "reason": "Listed among books said to have given the commenter perspective on interesting people, situations, and ways of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9613358,
          "author": "codyb",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T18:27:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9613358",
          "commentText": "The Tao Te Ching is available for free [0].\nIt's the basis for the Eastern philosophy of Taoism. Religious or spiritual or not, I find this collection of verses to encourage different forms of lateral and vertical thinking that I may otherwise miss.\nAnyways, might not be for everyone, but I enjoy it.\n[0] - http://www.taoism.net/ttc/complete.htm",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Tao Te Ching is available for free [0].",
          "reason": "Says its verses encourage forms of lateral and vertical thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Might not be for everyone; the commenter enjoys it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8529987,
          "author": "bromone4",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-29T21:10:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 8528058,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Book Has the Most Page-for-Page Wisdom?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8529987",
          "commentText": "Dhammapada or Tao The Ching.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dhammapada or Tao The Ching.",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to the question about page-for-page wisdom.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107077,
          "author": "kilo_man",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T09:00:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107077",
          "commentText": "Just listing books that have had a big impact on me:\n* The Now Habit - http://www.amazon.com/dp/1585425524\n* Getting Things Done - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0142000280\n* Simply Christian - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061920622\n* Surprised by Hope - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061551821\n* The Great Divorce - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060652950\n* Mere Christianity - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060652926\n* The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - http://www.amazon.com/dp/048629823X\n* Tao Te Ching - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060812451\nBooks from the Bible that I like:\n* Genesis\n* Judges\n* Ruth\n* Tobit\n* Job\n* Psalms\n* Ecclesiastes\n* Sirach/Ecclesiasticus\n* Everything written by John",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tao Te Ching",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter says have had a big impact on them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5000268,
          "author": "IgorP",
          "createdAt": "2013-01-03T00:20:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 5000101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5000268",
          "commentText": "http://www.amazon.com/Tao-Te-Ching-Lao-Tzu/dp/1613822421/?_e... (http://www.amazon.com/Tao-Te-Ching-Lao-Tzu/dp/1613822421/?_encoding=UTF8&keywords=Tao%20Te%20Ching&tag=produc05-20&linkCode=ur2&qid=1357172353&camp=1789&sr=8-1&creative=9325)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tao-Te-Ching-Lao-Tzu",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2919397,
          "author": "njharman",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-24T03:59:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 2919368,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have changed the way you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2919397",
          "commentText": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tao_Te_Ching\nThe translations vary greatly. (from making it sound like new age mumbo jumbo, to mystic mumbo jumbo, to a profound philosophy), need to find one that's right for you.\n\"The C Programming Language\" by K&R (I read this very young 12-13, it's life changing aspects probably had a lot to do with my age)\n\"The Hobbit\" by J.R.R. Tolkien\n\"Welcome to the Monkey House\" by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tao_Te_Ching\nThe translations vary greatly. (from making it sound like new age mumbo jumbo, to mystic mumbo jumbo, to a profound philosophy), need to find one that's right for you.",
          "reason": "Offers the book as a candidate and notes that its effect depends on the translation.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in its philosophical ideas.",
          "caveat": "Translations vary greatly; the commenter says to find one that suits you.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1763268,
          "author": "naradaellis",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-06T09:24:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 1763111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Anyone read Tibetan Book of Living and Dying?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1763268",
          "commentText": "I also think that the Tao Te Ching (and Chuang Tzu in the same vein, and Alan Watts for a modern take) is amazingly applicable to life today and is surprisingly not that New Age-y.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Tao Te Ching (and Chuang Tzu in the same vein, and Alan Watts for a modern take) is amazingly applicable to life today and is surprisingly not that New Age-y.",
          "reason": "Says it is amazingly applicable to life today.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Surprisingly not that New Age-y.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752555,
          "author": "chegra",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T11:59:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752555",
          "commentText": "These books, although some now I might not endorse some of their teaching but they have help me to see the world in a different light:\nThe Mystery Method -  Erik Von Markovik[Social Engineering at its best]\nRich Dad Poor Dad: Guide to Investing - Robert Kiyoski\nThe Thoughtworks Anthology: Essays on Software Technology and Innovation (Pragmatic Programmers)\nBible - First class book in teaching how to behave towards others, especially proverbs.\nTao Te Ching - For this two verse you should read it:\n\"When people see some things as beautiful,\nother things become ugly.\nWhen people see some things as good,\nother things become bad.\nBeing and non-being create each other.\nDifficult and easy support each other.\nLong and short define each other.\nHigh and low depend on each other.\nBefore and after follow each other\"\nCyropaedia - \"Along with the The prince this book was required reading by all former statesmen.\"",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Tao Te Ching - For this two verse you should read it:",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly recommends reading it for the quoted verses.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they may no longer endorse some of the books' teachings.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1633511,
          "author": "dwwoelfel",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T17:35:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1633511",
          "commentText": "1984: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0451524934\nCosmos: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0345331354\nTao Teh Ching: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0877735425",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Tao Teh Ching: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0877735425",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1632744,
          "author": "timruffles",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T13:21:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1632744",
          "commentText": "I still can't get anything out of the Tao, finding it totally inscrutable :|",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I still can't get anything out of the Tao, finding it totally inscrutable",
          "reason": "Says they cannot get anything out of it and find it inscrutable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1632470,
          "author": "kksm19820117",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T10:32:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1632470",
          "commentText": "1984 - turned me from a die hard socialist to a rabid anti authoritarian.\nCosmos - helped me fall in love with Physics, and the sciences.\nTao Teh Ching - If I could tell you how it influenced me, we'd both have the wrong impression.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Tao Teh Ching - If I could tell you how it influenced me, we'd both have the wrong impression.",
          "reason": "Says it influenced them, while suggesting the effect is difficult to explain.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says explaining its influence would give the wrong impression.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503873,
          "author": "joshuacc",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T16:16:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503873",
          "commentText": "Since it looks like skeptical philosophy is covered pretty well, here are some books from religious philosophy that you'd probably do well to read:\nThe Tao te Ching\nThe Summa Theologica by Thomas Aquinas\nAn Essay in Aid of a Grammar of Assent by John Henry Newman\nEither/Or by Kierkegaard",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Tao te Ching",
          "reason": "Suggested among books on religious philosophy in response to a request for philosophical books.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in religious philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143121,
          "author": "Fuca",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T04:56:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143121",
          "commentText": "Tao te ching, Shakespeare, and the pharse \"Your will only have 2 friends: your dad and a dollar in your pocket\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tao te ching",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Laozi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 30,
      "threads": 27,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "taoism",
        "classical chinese philosophy",
        "daoism",
        "ancient chinese philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-alchemist-7edfaa",
      "title": "The Alchemist",
      "author": "Paulo Coelho",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50155375,
          "author": "Maximilian_Bet",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-19T17:38:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50155375",
          "commentText": "Paulo Coelho: The Alchemist",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Paulo Coelho: The Alchemist",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32938290,
          "author": "greatbuckleroo",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T13:08:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938290",
          "commentText": "* The Alchemist - Paulo Coehlo\n* East of Eden - John Steinbeck\n* How to Avoid a Climate Disaster - Bill Gates",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Alchemist - Paulo Coehlo",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25537089,
          "author": "striker_axel",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-25T15:50:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25537089",
          "commentText": "The Alchemist and Eleven Minutes from Paulo Coelho\nThese books taught me to take risk and importance of being different.\n“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.” — Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist\n“Everything tells me that I am about to make a wrong decision, but making mistakes is just part of life. What does the world want of me? Does it want me to take no risks, to go back to where I came from because I didn't have the courage to say \"yes\" to life?”\n― Paulo Coelho, Eleven Minutes",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Alchemist",
          "reason": "The commenter says it taught them to take risks and value being different.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22723986,
          "author": "6nf",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T00:13:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22723986",
          "commentText": "The Alchemist of course!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Alchemist of course!",
          "reason": "Offers it as an answer to the fiction recommendation question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21911224,
          "author": "cdr6934",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-30T06:17:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21911224",
          "commentText": "Here are my favorites for the decade:\nNever Split the Difference - https://amzn.to/2sAfLGj\nBad Blood - https://amzn.to/2F4IW71\nThe Alchemist - https://amzn.to/356NRyV\nThe Hard Thing About Hard Things - https://amzn.to/39mLs6t",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Alchemist - https://amzn.to/356NRyV",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's favorites of the decade.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17170605,
          "author": "Arete31415",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-28T04:31:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17170605",
          "commentText": "I had a very The Alchmist experience while I was reading The Alchemist. I was reading the book on the bus and and was so engrossed that I missed my bus stop. Then I decided that since it was a nice day, I'd take a walk around the neighborhood I ended up in. At the guitar store, there was an amazing Martin guitar that I couldn't put down. I still have it 15 years later. Kismet.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I had a very The Alchmist experience while I was reading The Alchemist.",
          "reason": "Describes an engrossing reading experience that led to a memorable walk and finding a guitar.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17169055,
          "author": "TheAlchemist",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T20:55:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17169055",
          "commentText": "Surprised it's not mentioned yet -> \"The Alchemist\" by Paulo Coelho.\nThis book is pure gold, however one has to approach it with a right mindset. It's not the best literature, per se, you will ever read, but if you take a deeper look, it's very simple, yet very profound. It somehow reminds me of the quote from Charlie Munger (Warren Buffett long time associate, and one of the wisest man alive) - \"Take a simple idea, and take it seriously\"",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "This book is pure gold, however one has to approach it with a right mindset. It's not the best literature, per se, you will ever read, but if you take a deeper look, it's very simple, yet very profound.",
          "reason": "Calls the book profound and valuable when approached with the right mindset.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not the best literature and that the reader needs the right mindset.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13970753,
          "author": "sonabinu",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T19:14:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13970753",
          "commentText": "The alchemist",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The alchemist",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13258390,
          "author": "alc90",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-26T14:47:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13258390",
          "commentText": "My goal for this year was to read 10 books. Not a huge challenge but I'm happy I managed to complete it. I'm currently at my 16th book - so I might say that's pretty good.\nHere's my 2016 reading list:\n#1. Zero to One - Peter Thiel - 3.5*\n#2. The Alchemis - Paulo Coelho - 3.5*\n#3. Founders at Work - Jessica Livingston - 3*\n#4. Traction - Gabriel Weinberg - 4.5*\n#5. How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie -4*\n#6. Reinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations... - Frederic Laloux, Ken Wilber - 4*\n#7. Daily Rituals: How Artists Work - Mason Currey - 3*\n#8. Rich Dad, Poor Dad - Robert T. Kiyosak - 3*\n#9. The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs... - Eric Ries - 4.5*\n#10. Meaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly - Bernadette Jiwa - 3*\n#11. Elon Musk: Inventing the Future - Ashlee Vance - 4*\n#12. Rework - Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson - 4.5*\n#13. Anything You Want - Derek Sivers - 4.5*\n#14. South of the Border, West of the Sun - Haruki Murakami - 3.5*\n#15. As A Man Thinketh / The Path Of Prosperity - James Allen - 4*\nCurrently I'm reading If This Is a Man / The Truce by Primo Levi - and so far it seems to be one of the top 3 books I've read this year - definitely a 4+* book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "#2. The Alchemis - Paulo Coelho - 3.5*",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12275912,
          "author": "rgera",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-12T14:27:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12275912",
          "commentText": "The Alchemist by Paul Coehlo. Inspired me to go after my dreams.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Alchemist by Paul Coehlo. Inspired me to go after my dreams.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it inspired them to pursue their dreams.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12244245,
          "author": "sonabinu",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-07T23:06:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244245",
          "commentText": "The Alchemist",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Alchemist",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674180,
          "author": "afshinmeh",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T11:17:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674180",
          "commentText": "The alchemist - Paulo Coelho\nI've read it several times and each time I found something interesting that I didn't notice.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've read it several times and each time I found something interesting that I didn't notice.",
          "reason": "Repeated readings keep revealing something new.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9350136,
          "author": "pariya",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T19:05:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350136",
          "commentText": "\"The War of Art\" by Steven Pressfield (good read if you want to learn how to quit procrastinating!)\n\"The Greatest Salesman on Earth\" by Og Mandino\n\"The Zahir\" by Paolo Coelho is about challenging tradition, highly recommend.\n\"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" by Dale Carnegie\nWhen I was in high school-\n\"The Alchemist\" by Paolo Coelho",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Alchemist\" by Paolo Coelho",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348533,
          "author": "habosa",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:05:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348533",
          "commentText": "There are many, but the one off the top of my head is \"The Alchemist\".\nI have read it at least ten times (it only takes about two hours).  It's something like meditation in a book for me, it allows me to reset my mind and gain perspective whenever I am overly stressed or anxious.\nEdit: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's something like meditation in a book for me, it allows me to reset my mind and gain perspective whenever I am overly stressed or anxious.",
          "reason": "Says rereading it helps them reset and gain perspective when stressed or anxious.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes a personal effect and says the book takes about two hours to read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348299,
          "author": "humanarity",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:37:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348299",
          "commentText": "Meditations (Marcus Aurelius) - incredibly clear ideas probably clear-up 80% of issues you have with everyday life\nThe Bible (& The Gnostic Gospels) - I love the idea that Jesus was a real guy who (literally) petrified his childhood playmates because they \"vexed\" him by dispersing his anti-gravity water :)\nAtlas Shrugged - no excuses\nSelf and Others - personal pyschology\nSeth Speaks - a lady channels an interdimensional being\nThe Road Less Travelled - a psychoanalyst's memoirs\nLetters to a Young Artist - encouragement for going your own way, a series of letters\nThe Alchemist - help you read the signs from the heart of the World for your own path\nAn Introduction to Zen Buddhism, et al (T. Suzuki) - really interesting, non-duality, higher third unification of opposites\nHear the Wind Sing (Murakami) - really bizarre and pure, his first one written late nights at kitchen table after working in a bar, before he became famous\nRich Dad Poor Dad - solid advice\nDiscrete Maths (Rosen) - interesting and very learnable, a great reference\nAn Imaginary Life (Malouf) - great clarity of writing\nThe Solid Mandala (Patrick White) - amazing observation of people",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Alchemist - help you read the signs from the heart of the World for your own path",
          "reason": "Presented as guidance for finding signs and following one's own path.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348195,
          "author": "chimmychonga",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:25:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348195",
          "commentText": "The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. I had to read it back in high as part of my AP Lit course. It's not a very long book but it is very well written and teaches you to enjoy life and live out your dreams.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it is very well written and teaches you to enjoy life and live out your dreams.",
          "reason": "Praises the writing and says the book encourages enjoying life and pursuing dreams.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8795671,
          "author": "asad_ch",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T06:50:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795671",
          "commentText": "Any one book?\nMr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore, Robin Sloan\nAny one series?\nThe Foundation series, Isaac Asimov\nOther personal favourites include:\nThe Alchemist, Paulo Coelho\nThe Book of Disquet, Fernando Pessoa\nThe Count of Monte Cristo, Alexander Dumas \nExtremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Jonathan Safron Foer Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Richard Bach\nThe Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s personal favourites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107027,
          "author": "charlie_vill",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:43:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107027",
          "commentText": "The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to the thread's request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8106989,
          "author": "cellover",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:32:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106989",
          "commentText": "I like understanding where I am located in space and time, that is why I love reading about science & science fiction ; it is indirectly related to religion in the sense that it makes you think about your world, about yourself.\nBuddhism / Religion / ... :\n- Siddartha - Hermann Hesse\n- The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho\nScience:\n- A brief history of time - Stephen Hawking (space, time)\n- The Blind Watchmaker - Richard Dawkins (evolution)\n- Le cerveau intime - Marc Jeannerod (in french only)\nScience-fiction:\n- The Road - Cormack Mc Carthy\n- City - Clifford D. Simack\n- Time is the simplest thing - Clifford D. Simack\n- Ringworld - Larry Niven",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7008527,
          "author": "timonv",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-03T22:01:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 7001282,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7008527",
          "commentText": "In no particular order:\nPolitics and philosophy:\nIshmael - Daniel Quinn (even though in the end, it's just a cute, in essence a softies introduction to anarchist communism)\nOn property - Proudhon (Meta, ye oldist anarchy)\nDas Kapital (If you read Marx, also read on Marx, can't stress this enough)\nBeyond good and evil (but in his thought in general) - Nietzsche (Mainly for showing there are no absolutes, moral is what we make of it, and in that moral we can excel)\nAnd so, so many others, philosophy really adds up, just keep on reading, there's fundamental books for sure, but every publication adds up in some respect.\nSports and nutrition:\nStarting Strength (for making me bad ass strong in the last couple years)\n'Paleo' diet (for showing an extreme solution for a more simple problem, that actually worked and made me not fat anymore)\nSome random books that made a huge impression the last years:\nThe Alchemist, for showing how humble you can experience the wonders of life\nSiddhartha, same really.\nA short summer of anarchy (biography of Durrutti, rise of \nanarchism in 30s Spain, out of print)\nCrime and Punishment and Karamazov (There's beauty in the darkest corners of the human spirit, and so much more)\nThe Prince\nButler (For using Nietzsche's deconstruction to argue against 'genetic' discrimination, controversial, but very good)\nMetamorphosis - Kafka (I don't have a one liner to summarize this. Just read it, it's < 100 pages)\nFunny enough, as far as Tech and Business goes, I skim books to get some details, but at the end of the day most value comes from hacking around. For both.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Alchemist, for showing how humble you can experience the wonders of life",
          "reason": "Cited for showing how to experience life's wonders with humility.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6938875,
          "author": "dougk7",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-19T23:51:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 6921805,
          "threadTitle": "What book has inspired you the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6938875",
          "commentText": "The Bible\nHow to win friends and influence people\nThe Alchemist\nThe Charisma Myth",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Alchemist",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that inspired the reader.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6924531,
          "author": "davidsmith8900",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-17T22:46:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 6921805,
          "threadTitle": "What book has inspired you the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6924531",
          "commentText": "- The Alchemist.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The Alchemist.",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the question about books that inspired the reader.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6460473,
          "author": "ChrisC215",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-28T01:13:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6460473",
          "commentText": "The Creature from Jekyll Island,\nEasy Reads: Alchemist, The Giver, The Greatest Salesman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Alchemist",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6413969,
          "author": "brd",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-19T20:17:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6413969",
          "commentText": "Siddhartha\nThe Alchemist\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Alchemist",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about books that changed one's life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6413949,
          "author": "fananta",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-19T20:13:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6413949",
          "commentText": "The Alchemist was a really interesting read. I would recommend. It allows you to reflect a lot.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Alchemist was a really interesting read. I would recommend. It allows you to reflect a lot.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it as an interesting, reflective read.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy reflective books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5865753,
          "author": "Sealy",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-12T00:49:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 5859004,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5865753",
          "commentText": "Other books that I've found helpful are the many socioeconomics books out there:\nMalcolm Gladwell - Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers\nTim Harford - The Undercover Economist\nNassim Taleb - The Black Swan\nI enjoyed the Steve Jobs book too, I liked the fact that he believed in what he was working on (no matter how crazy or disruptive) and saw so much beauty in perfection. There's a lot we can learn from his persistence and attitude towards persevering in the face of failure.\nAnd for entertainment, I like profound books: The Alchemist, The Little Prince",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Alchemist",
          "reason": "Lists it among profound books the commenter likes for entertainment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4787418,
          "author": "timmm",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:19:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787418",
          "commentText": "The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho.\nKing, Warrior, Magician, Lover by Moore and Gillette\nThe lean startup\nPaul Graham how to start a startup\nMark Hyman Ultimate Mind Solution\nTribal Leadership\nWheel of Time\nThink and Grow Rich\nSuperior Man David Deida\nThe Fountain Head\nEckhart Tolle New Earth\n50th Law\nGood to Great\nJed Mckenna\nEarl Nightengale\nLong Walk to Freedom\nOutliers\nGood to Great\nPsycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz (Self-image)\nSeven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey(Being awesome)\nWealth of Nations\nWayne Dyer The Tao\nSystem of the World\nOrigin of Species\nBrave new world\nThank you economy\nCrush it\nBuilt to Last\nWho Moved my Cheese\nStillness Speak Eckhert Tolle\nMastery George Leonard\nSteve Jobs Biography\nThe Last Lecture\nSteve Pavlina Books\nIacocca\nStriking Thoughts Bruce Lee\nCarlos Castaneda\nGhost in the Wires\nRichest Man in Babylon\nWay of the Superior Man\nLosing My Virginity\nThink and Grow Rich\nDelivering Happiness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1990422,
          "author": "alatkins",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-10T03:08:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1990422",
          "commentText": "Could you recommend some of these other writers? Because I quite liked The Alchemist, though I'm dubious of some of Paulo Coelho's philosophical ideas at times.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I quite liked The Alchemist, though I'm dubious of some of Paulo Coelho's philosophical ideas at times.",
          "reason": "The commenter liked the book but expresses reservations about Coelho's philosophical ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is dubious of some of Coelho's philosophical ideas.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1975386,
          "author": "sydd",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T15:15:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1975386",
          "commentText": "I hated this book.\nIt was like a kitschy, easy digestable, consumer friendly version of other (much) better south american writers.\nIt was like a Borghes book told by the author of Harry Potter.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I hated this book.",
          "reason": "Strongly dislikes the book, calling it a kitschy, easily digestible version of better South American writers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Compares it unfavorably to other South American writers and describes it as kitschy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1974477,
          "author": "naradaellis",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T08:23:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974477",
          "commentText": "Yeah, brilliant. A great illustration of gumption and willingness to pursue self-knowledge giving rise to amazing opportunities.\nAlong the same lines, Siddartha by Herman Hesse was my favorite book this year. Quite similar to the Alchemist really, viz. understanding yourself and being conscious and receptive to your environment.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Quite similar to the Alchemist really",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Alchemist",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1635027,
          "author": "danielzarick",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-26T04:00:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1635027",
          "commentText": "Definitely all three of these...\nPlus recently \"Made to Stick\" has really changed how I think about ideas and sharing them with others. http://www.amazon.com/Made-Stick-Ideas-Survive-Others/dp/140... (http://www.amazon.com/Made-Stick-Ideas-Survive-Others/dp/1400064287/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1282795235&sr=1-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Definitely all three of these...",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly seconds the three books listed in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1634501,
          "author": "sandipagr",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T23:29:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1634501",
          "commentText": "The Alchemist http://www.amazon.com/Alchemist-Fable-About-Following-Dream/... (http://www.amazon.com/Alchemist-Fable-About-Following-Dream/dp/0062502182)\nZen and the art of motorcycle maintenance http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Art-Motorcycle-Maintenance-Inquiry... (http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Art-Motorcycle-Maintenance-Inquiry/dp/0688002307/)\nHow to win friends an Influence people http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/14... (http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/1439167346)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Alchemist http://www.amazon.com/Alchemist-Fable-About-Following-Dream/...",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed your life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 142935,
          "author": "ambition",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-21T23:55:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=142935",
          "commentText": "More than any books or articles, I've been influenced directly by the people in my life, especially friends, mentors, family, and girls I wanted to impress.\nPG & Joel Spolsky, the Alchemist, the Little Prince.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "PG & Joel Spolsky, the Alchemist, the Little Prince.",
          "reason": "Names it among influences in response to a question about what shaped them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No evaluation or recommendation is expressed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86007,
          "author": "shayan",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T18:13:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86007",
          "commentText": "Unfortunately I can't read fiction too much, I feel like what I read must directly help me with what I do, so I feel a lot better reading either technical stuff or business related (I love business).  Since we are excluding technical, most of the following are business related, or helps you in dealing with people and solving problems)\nNetscape Time - Jim Clark (very educational for those interested in startups, good piece of Internet history, interesting insights to the culture of the first Internet companies)\nHow To Win Friends And Influence People - Dale Carnegie (found it through YC recommendations, THANK YOU.  one of the best educational books I have ever read, it will teach you how to make friends, be a good leader, get along at home, encourage people, make them follow you and so much more...)\nFounders at Work -  Jessica Livingston (I found it relevant to what I am doing, good lessons, and interesting insights)\nGetting to Yes - Roger Fisher, William L. Ury (teaches you how to negotiate and how to get the best out of each situation for yourself and the other part, will be useful both at work and personal life, a bit dry)\nWinning - Jack Welch (great advices on leadership, might be more useful to someone that is running a big company)\nLeadership Is an Art - Max Depree (great leadership advices, it will give you the right mindset of how to be a great leader) \n-----------\nAnimal Farm (George Orwell), Alchemist (Paulo Coelho), Interpreting Your Dreams(Freud)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Alchemist (Paulo Coelho)",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85957,
          "author": "dottertrotter",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T15:49:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85957",
          "commentText": "Rebel Without a Crew (Robert Rodriguez),\nThe Alchemist (Paulo Coelho),\nSherlock Holmes (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Alchemist (Paulo Coelho),",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paulo Coelho"
      ],
      "recommenders": 30,
      "threads": 21,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fable",
        "personal journey",
        "personal legend",
        "personal quest"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-philosophy-of-software-design-192cbc",
      "title": "A Philosophy of Software Design",
      "author": "John Ousterhout",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49907850,
          "author": "ankkalinna",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T12:21:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49907850",
          "commentText": "I've been re-reading 1Q84 by Murakami. It left a very light and magical impression on me in high school, but I couldn't remember much at all of it anymore so decided to pick it up again and dust it off.\nI'm also trying to transition into software development and have been watching John Ousterhout's talks and just yesterday started reading \"A Philosophy of Software Design\" - enjoying it so far.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "just yesterday started reading \"A Philosophy of Software Design\" - enjoying it so far.",
          "reason": "The commenter has just started it and is enjoying it so far.",
          "audience": "People transitioning into software development.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has only just started reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46484826,
          "author": "vismit2000",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-04T04:13:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 46483863,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading list for being a better engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46484826",
          "commentText": "'A Philosophy of Software Design' by John Ousterhout - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37975558",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "'A Philosophy of Software Design' by John Ousterhout",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46484785,
          "author": "ahussain",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-04T04:06:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 46483863,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading list for being a better engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46484785",
          "commentText": "A philosophy of software design by John Ousterhout is the best software book I have read.\nBut, from your post it’s not clear specifically what you are looking for. If you think you will level up by learning how to apply numerical modelling techniques, then it’s probably best to focus on that.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A philosophy of software design by John Ousterhout is the best software book I have read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the best software book they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 45956850,
          "author": "bencornia",
          "createdAt": "2025-11-17T19:08:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 45947737,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45956850",
          "commentText": "- Philosophy of Software Design by John Ousterhout\n- Leviathan Wakes by James Corey\n- UNIX: A History and a Memoir by Brian Kernighan\n- Efficient Linux at the Command Line by Daniel Barrett",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Philosophy of Software Design by John Ousterhout",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43085063,
          "author": "asaiacai",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-18T01:21:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 43084739,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction/non-fiction book should everyone read on the topic of CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43085063",
          "commentText": "John Ousterhout's \"A Philosophy of Software Design\" I liked. It was supposed to be assigned reading for Berkeley's data structures class CS61B, and I don't think I really internalized the lessons within, but after re-reading it recently, I appreciated it a lot more and found the material transcends how to write code but also how to architect things as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "John Ousterhout's \"A Philosophy of Software Design\" I liked.",
          "reason": "The commenter liked it and found its lessons on code writing and architecture more meaningful after rereading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The lessons did not fully sink in on the first reading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41416626,
          "author": "hiAndrewQuinn",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-01T12:55:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41416626",
          "commentText": "A Philosophy of Software Design - John Ousterhout",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Philosophy of Software Design - John Ousterhout",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41415604,
          "author": "RoyalSloth",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-01T10:00:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41415604",
          "commentText": "Deep APIs were mentioned in \"A Philosophy of Software Design\" (John Ousterhout)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Deep APIs were mentioned in \"A Philosophy of Software Design\" (John Ousterhout)",
          "reason": "Cites the book as a source discussing deep APIs.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41394254,
          "author": "akkad33",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T19:06:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41394254",
          "commentText": "I read A philosophy of.. and I might as well be reading Philosophy because I didn't understand what the book was saying",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A philosophy of..",
          "reason": "The commenter says they did not understand the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter found the book difficult to understand.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41387931,
          "author": "thehappyfellow",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T06:29:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387931",
          "commentText": "I’ll have two recommendations.\n1. A Philosophy of Software Design is very good. Not the whole of it but it’s short and to the point.\n2. Fiction, as diverse as possible. I apologise for making assumptions but many software engineers are secretly lacking in understanding other people, what kind of of life experiences that have, how they think about the world, what is important for them. If you work with people it is going to be useful.\nAlso, it’ll enrich your life and you’ll have more to talk about during coffee breaks :)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A Philosophy of Software Design is very good. Not the whole of it but it’s short and to the point.",
          "reason": "Recommends the book, while noting that only part of it is useful to them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not the whole book; it’s short and to the point.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41387850,
          "author": "weinzierl",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T06:11:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387850",
          "commentText": "\"A Philosophy of Software Design\" by Stanford's John Ousterhout is excellent.\nIt is quite concise (about 190 pages), but in my opinion, it includes all the essential information that the other books in that category would teach you. It leaves out a lot of cruft that over the years turned out to be non-issues (code styling, problems that come with object oriented programming, etc.) but occasionally - when the topic is popular and widespread (e.g. Uncle Bob advice) - addresses them as alternative opinions. It was first published in 2018 and is therefore not in the out-of-date category.\nSo I would recommend it as essential read, hands down.\nIf you want something a bit more elaborate: \"The Pragmatic Programmer\" has a 20th Anniversary Edition. It is a timeless classic, worth reading at any rate.\nThat being said, I wish there was a  single consistent resource[1] that summarizes truly modern software design philosophy in the sense that it leaves the object orientation inspired ideas behind that did not turn out to be useful and focusses on typed functional programming. Maybe with examples in Typescript and Rust.\n[1] Possibly a book, but not necessarily. For me it would be important that it presents a consistent opinion, so it should be from a single author or small group of authors. The information I have in mind is mostly there, but spread out over many blog posts from people with slightly different takes and ideas about them. The overwhelming majority of recommendations in this thread  are from authors I'd consider part of the founding generation. I'd love to read about software design from the perspective of a younger generation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"A Philosophy of Software Design\" by Stanford's John Ousterhout is excellent.",
          "reason": "Calls it excellent and recommends it as essential reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter wants a consistent modern design resource focused on typed functional programming, which they say this book does not fully provide.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41387633,
          "author": "rado_stankov",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T05:24:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387633",
          "commentText": "The top book imho is The Pragmatic Programer.\nHere some other recomendations\n- Designing Data-Intensive Applications\n- Tidy First?: A Personal Exercise in Empirical Software Design\n- A Philosophy of Software Design\n- Refactoring UI\n- The Software Engineer's Guidebook\n- https://blog.rstankov.com/programing-books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Philosophy of Software Design",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41387187,
          "author": "TheAlchemist",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T04:04:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387187",
          "commentText": "2 books I consider excellent:\n- A Philosophy of Software Design by John Ousterhout\n- Domain-driven Design: Tackling Complexity in the Heart of Software by Eric Evans\nThey both manage to explain some ideas that are really important, in a very simple way (which makes me feel like an idiot).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Philosophy of Software Design by John Ousterhout",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it excellent and says it explains important ideas simply.",
          "audience": "Software engineers seeking to improve.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39063683,
          "author": "Darmani",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-20T01:23:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39063683",
          "commentText": "To people who are experienced in writing out the full interface of modules, ie their assumptions and guarantees, it's quite clear that being a \"deep module\" in Ousterhout's sense is quite rare and often undesirable, and that Ousterhout's examples of deep modules are actually shallow. See https://www.pathsensitive.com/2018/10/book-review-philosophy... (https://www.pathsensitive.com/2018/10/book-review-philosophy-of-software.html?m=1)\nHe gets a lot of other stuff right though. Love his writing on comments",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Ousterhout's sense",
          "reason": "Criticizes the book’s concept of deep modules and says its examples are actually shallow, while praising its writing on comments.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Ousterhout gets a lot of other things right.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39063390,
          "author": "__loam",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-20T00:40:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39063390",
          "commentText": "Most so the book is meant to be taken as a rule of thumb. I personally think simple interface hiding deep functionality is a really good one. I was looking at the langchain codebase last year after having read the book and the point was struck home. Many of the functions in Langchain are one line wrappers of other functions. I try to think of functions as atomic units of knowledge. Very short functions are a good indicator that you're not organizing that knowledge effectively. When you have a simple interface with deep logic, you're encapsulating logic in a single place. This is very good for reducing the cognitive load of a developer. Shallow functions fragment that knowledge across multiple classes/functions/files. The developer needs to hold more of the world in their head to make sense of things. This increases complexity.\nAdditionally, you can sort of intuit this by looking at very successful commercial products like Google Search, the iPhone, and ChatGPT. Search is a single text input. The iPhone is a screen with a very small number of buttons. Chatgpt has a simple chat interface. All of these systems are incredibly complex, but they're able to present a simple interface to the public to allow most people to leverage that complexity without having to think about it.\nJust my 2 cents.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "after having read the book",
          "reason": "Builds on the book’s idea of simple interfaces hiding deep functionality and applies it to software design examples.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39063064,
          "author": "ATMLOTTOBEER",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T23:54:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39063064",
          "commentText": "His idea to keep interfaces small and powerful bothered me - I don’t think it expresses any truth about programming despite being a good rule of thumb. I kept feeling frustrated while reading. The lambda calculus has the best interface to functionality ratio possible but you don’t see humans using it to program. This objection led me to the conclusion that a better heuristic would be: programs should try to communicate intent primarily to another reader, and then to the computer. He does touch on this a little by saying aim for ease of reading over ease of writing, but I don’t think it was a main point. I agreed with almost everything else he had to say including the “taking it too far” chapter (I don’t actually think we should be using lambda calculus to program lol). Curious to know which parts you disagreed with. I am only 2yoe",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "while reading",
          "reason": "Discusses the book’s claim about small interfaces and argues for a different heuristic centered on communicating intent to readers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter found the book frustrating, though they agreed with almost everything else.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39060265,
          "author": "RyanHamilton",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T19:57:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39060265",
          "commentText": "I can recommend a Philosophy of Software Design Paperback by John Ousterhout. I've been programming for 15 years and it closely parallels my own current beliefs about programming. He stands above the lower aspects of programming/code/modules, raising the discussion to a conceptual level, that you seem to be wanting. I think there were only 2 areas out of approximately 10 that I thought I had a few better ideas but a)He may have simplifying it to more easily allow explanation. b) His explanations are much better than mine and if I tried to explain it, maybe I'd fail.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I can recommend a Philosophy of Software Design Paperback by John Ousterhout.",
          "reason": "Recommended for its conceptual discussion of programming, which the commenter says closely parallels their beliefs.",
          "audience": "Someone seeking a conceptual perspective on programming.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they had better ideas in two of roughly ten areas, while acknowledging the author's explanations are better.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39059054,
          "author": "kesavvaranasi",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T18:20:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39059054",
          "commentText": "For software engineering, I recommend A Philosophy of Software Design. It has principles that I think translate well to other engineering fields.\nFor engineering in general:\nTo Engineer is Human - Henry Petroski\nThe Art of Doing Science and Engineering - Richard Hamming\nStructures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down - J.E. Gordon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend A Philosophy of Software Design.",
          "reason": "Recommended for software engineering principles that may translate to other engineering fields.",
          "audience": "Software engineers and engineers in other fields.",
          "caveat": "The recommendation is specifically for software engineering; its principles are said to translate well.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39057920,
          "author": "mcbishop",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T17:11:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39057920",
          "commentText": "A Philosophy of Software Design by John Ousterhout. The principles / approaches (e.g. problem disaggregation) apply to other engineering disciplines.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Philosophy of Software Design by John Ousterhout.",
          "reason": "Recommended for principles and approaches such as problem disaggregation that apply across engineering disciplines.",
          "audience": "Engineers in disciplines beyond software.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38237921,
          "author": "_ixdf",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T06:42:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38237921",
          "commentText": "I struggle to stay interested in one book until the end because many books that are designed to teach you something have made their point in the first chapter and then spend the rest of the book hammering it in.\nCurrently been reading Make It Stick for a year and I'm probably going to drop it because it's not that interesting.\nAlso have these opened:\n  - The Hobbit\n  - A Philosophy of Software Design\n  - Bhagavad Gita",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "- A Philosophy of Software Design",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter has open; they say they often struggle to finish books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33856473,
          "author": "leetrout",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T18:55:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33856473",
          "commentText": "A Philosophy of Software Design\nhttps://web.stanford.edu/~ouster/cgi-bin/book.php\nRighting Software\nhttps://rightingsoftware.org/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Philosophy of Software Design",
          "reason": "Lists the book in response to a request for suggested reading.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking material on software engineering.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33855802,
          "author": "cauthon",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T17:43:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33855802",
          "commentText": "A Philosophy of Software Design by John Ousterhout is good reading",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Philosophy of Software Design by John Ousterhout is good reading",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is good reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28457037,
          "author": "vendiddy",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-08T13:57:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 28450555,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that impacted your work that few other people seem to care about?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28457037",
          "commentText": "I recommend reading A Philosophy of Software Design. Gets into some fundamental principles of writing software without getting too prescriptive.\nA part of the book covers balancing the cost of abstraction with the amount of complexity it is hiding. The ideal is: simple interface (DSL in this context) and lot of hidden complexity.\nI agree with your point, but the threshold for writing a DSL needs to be carefully considered.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I recommend reading A Philosophy of Software Design.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for fundamental software-writing principles, noting that it avoids being too prescriptive.",
          "audience": "Software developers.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the threshold for writing a DSL needs careful consideration.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26838420,
          "author": "avmich",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-16T19:57:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 26833319,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book for software engineers (besides the well-known ones)?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26838420",
          "commentText": "Funny :) . I remember a comment \"The next line is empty to improve readability\".\nWith all that, John Ousterhout is a very knowledgeable person, so maybe the book deserves some close look.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "so maybe the book deserves some close look.",
          "reason": "The commenter suggests giving the discussed book closer consideration.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment responds to criticism of the book's lengthy-comment advice.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26838022,
          "author": "Jtsummers",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-16T19:22:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 26833319,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book for software engineers (besides the well-known ones)?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26838022",
          "commentText": "Fair enough. I was also a bit underwhelmed after all the hype it had received here and in a couple other places. I still thought it was a worthwhile read and will probably include it in a list of books I'd recommend to a mentee in the future. I guess my second reading of it will either confirm that for me or get it moved off that list.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I still thought it was a worthwhile read and will probably include it in a list of books I'd recommend to a mentee in the future.",
          "reason": "The commenter considers it worthwhile and may recommend it to a mentee, though a second reading could change their view.",
          "audience": "A software engineering mentee.",
          "caveat": "The commenter was underwhelmed after the hype and plans to reread it before deciding.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26837789,
          "author": "bwh2",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-16T19:04:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 26833319,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book for software engineers (besides the well-known ones)?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26837789",
          "commentText": "I was underwhelmed by A Philosophy of Software Design. The first 100 pages are solid, but the last 70 didn't resonate with me at all.\nIn those last 70 pages, the author advocates strongly for lengthy comments which felt excessive and often unnecessary to me. Here's an example from page 124:\n  // Controls cursor blinking: true means the cursor is visible,\n  // false means the cursor is not displayed.\n  private boolean cursorVisible = true;",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I was underwhelmed by A Philosophy of Software Design.",
          "reason": "The commenter found the first 100 pages solid but the last 70 did not resonate.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The lengthy-comment advice felt excessive and often unnecessary.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26836813,
          "author": "sumnole",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-16T17:34:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 26833319,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book for software engineers (besides the well-known ones)?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26836813",
          "commentText": "Code Complete\nSoftware Design For Flexibility\nA Philosophy of Software Design",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Philosophy of Software Design",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Software engineers",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26835188,
          "author": "girishso",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-16T15:36:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 26833319,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book for software engineers (besides the well-known ones)?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26835188",
          "commentText": "Second A Philosophy of Software Design it's a very good book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Second A Philosophy of Software Design",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the recommendation and calls it a very good book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26834528,
          "author": "Jtsummers",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-16T14:46:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 26833319,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book for software engineers (besides the well-known ones)?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26834528",
          "commentText": "The Psychology of Computer Programming by Gerald Weinberg. Some dated language (which he calls out himself in the 25th anniversary edition), but overall very good.\nA Philosophy of Software Design by John Ousterhout, short book, quick read. I'll be rereading it once I figure out which bookshelf my wife hid it on (she doesn't like my bookstack approach to \"organizing\" and moved many things to shelves while I wasn't paying attention).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Philosophy of Software Design by John Ousterhout",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it short and a quick read, and plans to reread it.",
          "audience": "Software engineers",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24384830,
          "author": "timclark",
          "createdAt": "2020-09-05T16:35:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 24383180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Suggestions for books about API design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24384830",
          "commentText": "A philosophy of software design - John Ousterhout\nThis has an interesting generic discussion of API design which is technology agnostic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A philosophy of software design - John Ousterhout",
          "reason": "Described as discussing technology-agnostic API design.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23412072,
          "author": "afarrell",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-04T03:29:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23412072",
          "commentText": "I think that would be better off in a different book rather than as a part of this book.\nIt is better to provide a clear and memorable picture that is only slightly wrong than a hedging and muddled picture that is still slightly wrong.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I think that would be better off in a different book rather than as a part of this book. It is better to provide a clear and memorable picture that is only slightly wrong than a hedging and muddled picture that is still slightly wrong.",
          "reason": "Argues that the book should handle the topic differently, while favoring a clear, memorable presentation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The surrounding discussion describes the book's view as opinionated and narrow.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23366614,
          "author": "gregfjohnson",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-31T02:12:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23366614",
          "commentText": "This book brilliantly illuminates the deepest issues at the core of software development.  It is a well-written, gentle read.  I have been programming for close to 50 years now, and this is probably the best and most insightful book I have ever read on software development.  Its deceptive simplicity is such that a first-year programmer would benefit from it.  Read it once per decade!  You will get more out of it each time as you mature as a developer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book brilliantly illuminates the deepest issues at the core of software development.  It is a well-written, gentle read.  I have been programming for close to 50 years now, and this is probably the best and most insightful book I have ever read on software development.",
          "reason": "The commenter strongly recommends the book and says it rewards rereading as a developer matures.",
          "audience": "Beginners through experienced developers; the commenter specifically mentions first-year programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23366344,
          "author": "diab0lic",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-31T01:12:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23366344",
          "commentText": "I came here to recommend this one, very digestible and has had a significant impact on the quality of the software I write.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I came here to recommend this one, very digestible and has had a significant impact on the quality of the software I write.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly recommends the referenced book and says it improved their software.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23366115,
          "author": "code_biologist",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-31T00:30:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23366115",
          "commentText": "I came into this thread hoping to find the suggestion near the top.\nBeyond his credibility as the creator of Tcl, in the talk he gave at Google about the book [1] he describes the course he teaches that was the inspiration for the book. The course is to write a word processor with a team and extended it with features over the semester, swapping codebases between teams so occasionally you have to work with other's code. Essentially the largest possible code project you can fit in one semester. Along the way, Ousterhout will give a deep code review of the each project. I think it must be very insightful to see the same project implemented so many ways, and to see what works in terms of simplicity and extensibility.\n[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmSAYlu0NcY",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I came into this thread hoping to find the suggestion near the top.",
          "reason": "Says they hoped to find the book's suggestion and describes its course inspiration and code reviews.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23366093,
          "author": "shoulderfake",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-31T00:25:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23366093",
          "commentText": "An absolute must have I agree, amazing book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An absolute must have I agree, amazing book.",
          "reason": "Calls it an absolute must-have and an amazing book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23365969,
          "author": "numbsafari",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-31T00:01:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23365969",
          "commentText": "This is a great book. Highly recommended for inclusion in a “thin” bookshelf.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is a great book.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book and recommends it for a thin bookshelf.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23364049,
          "author": "afarrell",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-30T19:51:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23364049",
          "commentText": "A Philosophy of Software Design.\nVery well-written. At 190 pages, quite likely finish-able in a weekend. But if you get 70% of the way through it, that is still very valuable. It makes sense as an underlying set of principles that explain why you would use design patterns.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A Philosophy of Software Design.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a concise book on software design principles and design patterns.",
          "audience": "Software developers",
          "caveat": "The commenter says even reading 70% of it is valuable.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Ousterhout"
      ],
      "recommenders": 30,
      "threads": 11,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software design",
        "software architecture",
        "software engineering",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-short-history-of-nearly-everything-b93562",
      "title": "A Short History of Nearly Everything",
      "author": "Bill Bryson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50119288,
          "author": "chistev",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T15:05:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50119288",
          "commentText": "1. Animal Farm by George Orwell\n2. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes [1]\n3. Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley\n4. I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette Mccurdy\n5. Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris\n6. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe [2]\n7. Cosmos by Carl Sagan\n8. The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution by Richard Dawkins [3]\n9. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson\n10. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander [4]\n11. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka\n12. Billions and Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium by Carl Sagan [5][6][7]\n13. Outgrowing God: A Beginner’s Guide to Atheism by Richard Dawkins\n[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50076596\n[2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47452253\n[3] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48326741\n[4] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49539535\n[5] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49751771\n[6] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49740712\n[7] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49739256",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson",
          "reason": "Listed among books read repeatedly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 44574451,
          "author": "chistev",
          "createdAt": "2025-07-15T18:40:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 44568054,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44574451",
          "commentText": "Hard to choose for myself who made the post.\nBut some of my favorites are -\n1. God: The Failed Hypothesis\nBook by Victor J. Stenger\n2. The God Delusion\nBook by Richard Dawkins\n3. Berlin: The Downfall 1945\nBook by Antony Beevor\n4. A Song of Ice and Fire\nNovel series by George R.R. Martin\n5. A Short History of Nearly Everything\nBook by Bill Bryson\n6. Billions and Billions\nBook by Carl Sagan\n7. Flowers for Algernon\nShort story by Daniel Keyes\n8. I'm Glad My Mom Died\nBook by Jennette McCurdy\n9. Manhunt: The Ten-Year Search for Bin Laden--from 9/11 to Abbottabad\nBook by Peter Bergen\n10. Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space\nBook by Carl Sagan\n11. The Metamorphosis\nNovella by Franz Kafka\n12. The Selfish Gene\nBook by Richard Dawkins\nGun to my head, pick one? The God Delusion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Short History of Nearly Everything",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41175693,
          "author": "dcminter",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:41:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175693",
          "commentText": "\"Best\" is always too hard - here are a handful that I love.\nPride & Prejudice - Jane Austen\nJonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - Susannah Clarke\nThe Crow Road - Iain Banks\nEqual Rites - Terry Pratchett\nThree Men in a Boat - Jerome K. Jerome\nA Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson\nBlack Holes & Time Warps - Kip Thorne\nThe Inventions of Daedalus - David E H Jones\nThe Cuckoo's Egg - Cliff Stoll\nI hope one or two of those float your boat!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson",
          "reason": "Offers it as one of a handful of books the commenter loves in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says choosing the “best” is too hard.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40053752,
          "author": "fruity231",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-16T16:05:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40053752",
          "commentText": "A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson.",
          "reason": "Listed as a book given as a gift.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36601421,
          "author": "ChillyWater",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:04:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601421",
          "commentText": "Definitely not serious, but super fun: \"A Short History of Nearly Everything\" by Bill Bryson",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"A Short History of Nearly Everything\" by Bill Bryson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not serious, but very fun.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36433672,
          "author": "DamnInteresting",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T15:29:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36433672",
          "commentText": "Another vote for A Short History of Nearly Everything. Eighteen years ago, I enjoyed that book so thoroughly that I started researching and writing my own nonfiction. The pay is terrible, but the work is fulfilling.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another vote for A Short History of Nearly Everything.",
          "reason": "The commenter says enjoying the book led them to research and write nonfiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The work it inspired pays poorly, though the commenter finds it fulfilling.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36428088,
          "author": "robswc",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T04:45:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36428088",
          "commentText": "This one is really hard tbh.  I don't think I could name one.  There was a period where I worked in a warehouse and listened to audio books and college lectures and all those together allowed me to make connections I don't think I would have made otherwise.\nA very meaningful book I read was \"A Short History of Nearly Everything\" just because it showed me how much to the world there was to discover.  It made me very optimistic.\nI haven't finished \"The Brothers Karamazov\" and I don't think I would call it a \"meaningful contribution\" to my life _but_ I do think so far it is one of the only books that has made me say \"wow.\"  Every sentence seems to be crafted to perfection and connect with you on a deeper level.  I can't personally relate to it too well but I would say everyone should get to experience a bit of it.\nBesides those, I read a few auto/biographies which where interesting, I could relate to and gave me motivation and discipline.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A very meaningful book I read was \"A Short History of Nearly Everything\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says it showed how much there was to discover and made them optimistic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23860670,
          "author": "joshvm",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T16:35:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23860670",
          "commentText": "> This is not a Sapiens-style retelling of the history of mankind.\nAlthough he did write that one as well! A Short History of Nearly Everything",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "A Short History of Nearly Everything",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23858788,
          "author": "benbruscella",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:35:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858788",
          "commentText": "A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson",
          "reason": "Offered in response to a question about books that helped readers understand the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804093,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:12:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804093",
          "commentText": "Writing a Go Interpreter\nWriting a Go Compiler\nNo One Cares about Crazy People\nI Heard You Paint Houses\nUNIX: A History and a Memoir\nRed Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine\nHow Asia Works\nThe Dream Machine\nBlack Earth\nThe Fabric of Reality\nBehave (tried twice, maybe third times a charm?)\nA Short History of Nearly Everything\nStiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers\nGenius: The Life and Science Richard Feynman\nSuper Thinking\nMan's Search for Meaning\nThe Cooking Gene\nThe Vital Question: Why is Life The Way it Is (re-read)\nThe Case Against Sugar\nThe 15 Decisive Battles of the World\nThe History of the Peloponnesian War\nThe Beginning of Infinity\nThe Book of Why",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Short History of Nearly Everything",
          "reason": "Listed in the commenter's planned reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18663282,
          "author": "bun_at_work",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:22:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663282",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction:\n- Factfulness by Hans Rosling\n- The War on Science by Shawn Otto\n- Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell\n- A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson\n- The Storm Before the Storm by Mike Duncan\n- The Enigma of Reason by Hugo Mercier\nFiction:\n- And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie\n- The Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson\n- The Magicians by Lev Grossman\nThe non-fiction books were all incredible and highly recommended. I especially appreciate The War on Science as it is highly relevant in today's polarized and emotional political climate.\nThe fiction books were good, for the most part. However, The Magicians might be the worst book I have ever read, not limited to fiction or fantasy. For more on that, ask.\nI managed to read significantly more books this year due to joining an at-work book club, which has been very nice.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The non-fiction books were all incredible and highly recommended.",
          "reason": "Included among the nonfiction books the commenter calls incredible and highly recommended.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17944708,
          "author": "nphadke",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-09T06:53:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17944708",
          "commentText": "Oh yes! A Short History of Nearly Everything is really good. I thoroughly enjoyed it (Bill Bryson can write funnier than anyone I've read, apart from P.G. Wodehouse). I would just add a caveat that I read it first in junior high and it blew my mind. Maybe for someone who is read up a bit more, it might not be as mindblowing.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A Short History of Nearly Everything is really good. I thoroughly enjoyed it",
          "reason": "The commenter says they thoroughly enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may be less mind-blowing for readers who already know the material.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17913514,
          "author": "clinth",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T22:46:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17913514",
          "commentText": "A Short History of Nearly Everything, by Bill Bryson -- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21.A_Short_History_of_Ne... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21.A_Short_History_of_Nearly_Everything)\nFirst half of the book changed my life, and second half is merely good. I wrote a full review [0], and eight years later, that first half has become one of my favorite reads ever.\n[0]: http://www.spaceponies.com/review-of-a-short-history-of-near... (http://www.spaceponies.com/review-of-a-short-history-of-nearly-everything-by-bill-bryson.html)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A Short History of Nearly Everything, by Bill Bryson",
          "reason": "Says the first half changed their life and became one of their favorite reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the second half is merely good.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521167,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T07:42:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521167",
          "commentText": "Here are the best books I've read over the last few months:\n- Lost and Founder - the founder of Moz shares his advice and experience from building a 40M/year company. I found the things he says about building a startup extremely insightful and practically useful. Reading it feels like having a dinner with a friend who shares with you the things he has learned in a very honest, down to earth way. Highly recommend it.\n- Rationality from AI to Zombies - probably the most influential book I've read in my life, profoundly changed the way I think. It's a collection of LessWrong essays on science and rationality. (recently they've released an an audio version by the way).\n- \"A Short History of Nearly Everything\" and \"Our Mathematical Universe\" - two general popular science books I'm enjoying a lot. Haven't finished reading them yet, but so far they're brilliant(and very easy to understand, authors do an amazing job explaining complicated things in a simple, accessible way).\n- Hacking Growth - an AMAZING book on \"growth hacking\". It provides a framework for marketing a startup, gives a ton of practical advice and specific tactics. It breaks down step by step how  startups and big tech companies grow their products. Most of the books I've read on the subject were bullshit, but this one is absolutely fantastic, can't recommend it enough.\nOther great books I should mention:  This Idea is Brilliant, Actionable Gamification, The Design of Everyday Things, The Master Algorithm (great overview of machine learning techniqes), Springfield Confidential (fun behind the scenes from one of the writers on Simpsons), Homo Deus(from the author of Sapiens).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "so far they're brilliant(and very easy to understand, authors do an amazing job explaining complicated things in a simple, accessible way).",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it brilliant and accessible while still explaining complicated ideas.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking accessible popular science.",
          "caveat": "The commenter had not finished reading it.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296352,
          "author": "sndean",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T05:35:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296352",
          "commentText": "A Short History of Nearly Everything\nI read it at ~18 and can easily draw a direct line between it and going into research, but I wish I had read it a few years earlier and became interested in science sooner. Maybe I would've actually done my homework in high school.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Short History of Nearly Everything\nI read it at ~18 and can easily draw a direct line between it and going into research",
          "reason": "Connects the book to their interest in science and later research career.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in science and its history.",
          "caveat": "The commenter wishes they had read it earlier and become interested in science sooner.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14859987,
          "author": "dfischer",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:29:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859987",
          "commentText": "I read a short history of nearly everything earlier this year. It was quite insightful!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read a short history of nearly everything earlier this year. It was quite insightful!",
          "reason": "Calls it insightful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14859827,
          "author": "DarkTree",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:13:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859827",
          "commentText": "A Short History of Nearly Everything (Bill Bryson).\nIt's a cursory overview of all of history (title) from the dawn of time to the evolution of humans. It seems to be only slightly dated in some information, but really interesting to learn how the knowledge we assume is true today came to fruition over time.\nBefore that,\nSkunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed (Ben R. Rich)\nSuch an awesome book about not only the engineering feats achieved by  Lockheed Martin during the Cold War Era, but the incredible ability to keep developments secret from the mostly everyone. If you want to know more about the purpose of Area51, check it out.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "really interesting to learn how the knowledge we assume is true today came to fruition over time.",
          "reason": "Finds it interesting as an account of how current knowledge developed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some information seems slightly dated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14478617,
          "author": "xparadigm",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T21:33:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478617",
          "commentText": "A Short History of Nearly Everything -- Bill Bryson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Short History of Nearly Everything -- Bill Bryson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12243907,
          "author": "feiss",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-07T21:59:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12243907",
          "commentText": "\"A short history of nearly everything\" by Bill Bryson. The best science book I've ever read, recommended for anyone.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The best science book I've ever read, recommended for anyone.",
          "reason": "Called the best science book the commenter has read and recommended for anyone.",
          "audience": "Anyone",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175678,
          "author": "scott_s",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:51:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175678",
          "commentText": "I adore \"A Short History of Nearly Everything\". I have re-read it more times than I can count, by just picking it up, flipping to a random page, and reading from there. All of his books are good, but that book has a special appeal for anyone who appreciates science.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I adore \"A Short History of Nearly Everything\".",
          "reason": "The commenter says they adore the book and have reread it many times.",
          "audience": "Anyone who appreciates science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175637,
          "author": "joepvd",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:39:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175637",
          "commentText": "Bill Bryson - A short history of nearly everything\nExcellent popular science intro to, well, nearly everything.\nDaniel Kahneman - Thinking, fast and slow\nAbsolute recommendation. Is changing my perspective on myself and the world with every chapter.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Excellent popular science intro to, well, nearly everything.",
          "reason": "Calls it an excellent popular science introduction.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a broad introduction to science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10027510,
          "author": "mckoss",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T15:28:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027510",
          "commentText": "A Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books with a high signal-to-noise ratio.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401346,
          "author": "himanshuy",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:10:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401346",
          "commentText": "Read:\nA short history of nearly everything. - Bill Bryson\nBought, but yet not read :\nMy Struggle: Book 1 - Karl Ove Knausgaard",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "A short history of nearly everything. - Bill Bryson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968872,
          "author": "markbao",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T02:24:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968872",
          "commentText": "I'm currently reading This Explains Everything: Deep, Beautiful, and Elegant Theories of How the World Works, a regretfully titled yet excellent book. [0]\nEdge.org, in its annual question to prominent scientists and 'thought leaders', asked them \"What is your favorite deep, elegant, or beautiful explanation?\" My favorite ones so far include the many offshoots of natural selection and evolution, plus all of the stuff about the brain.\nI recently finished The Cold War: A New History, a great primer to how we got to the geopolitical situation we are in now (at least the major western/eastern powers), and A Short History of Nearly Everything, which was an awesome birds-eye view of modern science. ★★★★☆ to both.\nMy next book is going to be about AI; let me know if you have any recommendations. (I'm not sure I'm ready for GEB.)\n[0] http://www.amazon.com/dp/0062230174/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "which was an awesome birds-eye view of modern science. ★★★★☆ to both.",
          "reason": "Calls it an awesome broad overview of modern science.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a broad overview of modern science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5702280,
          "author": "Avalaxy",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-14T00:08:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5702280",
          "commentText": "Permission Marketing - Seth Godin, made me think about what he calls interruption marketing.\nPurple Cow - Seth Godin, made me think about standing out.\nThe Lean Startup - Eric Ries, really changed the way I think about... Well, nearly everything that costs effort.\nThe God Delusion - Richard Dawkins, good theory about why God most probably doesn't exist.\nThe magic of reality - Richard Dawkins, great story about evolution, religion, etc.\nA short history of nearly everything - Bill Bryson, brilliant book. Perfect summary of our scientific advancements during the last centuries. He made me think about possible natural disasters.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A short history of nearly everything - Bill Bryson, brilliant book. Perfect summary of our scientific advancements during the last centuries. He made me think about possible natural disasters.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it brilliant and praises its summary of scientific advances.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2639728,
          "author": "sente",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T03:49:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639728",
          "commentText": "A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson",
          "reason": "Named in response to a question about the greatest book ever read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2147898,
          "author": "jacquesm",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T14:32:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2147898",
          "commentText": "I've never read a book, no matter how weird or even badly written that didn't have a bit in it somewhere that stuck. There is gold to be found just about everywhere. A single book that has changed your way of thinking, and I would assume that you meant 'in a positive way'?\nFor me if I had to point at a single book it would have to be Bill Bryson, A short history of nearly everything.\nIt shows besides being a very compact overview of how we got where we are today how often we repeat our mistakes and how easy it would be to make this world a much better place than it is today and which forces are holding that back. It changed maybe not my way of thinking but definitely my view of the world in a way that changed how I lie my life. I used to be an idealist thinking that we could achieve some lofty goal of human accomplishment during my lifetime (for instance, an end to wars of commerce) but now I realize that we may not realize that goal ever.\nSo, effectively this book freed me from fighting windmills and freed my resources to try to improve the lives of those directly around me instead of on a larger scale. The effects have been pretty dramatic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bill Bryson, A short history of nearly everything.",
          "reason": "Says it changed their view of the world and redirected their efforts toward improving lives nearby.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it changed their view more than their way of thinking.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865976,
          "author": "zoomzoom",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T18:57:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865976",
          "commentText": "Just want to second ASHNE by Bryson. This is one of those books that you see in a lot of people's backpacks when you travel to hostels - meaning that when you cannot carry tons of stuff, people choose this book...Thought-provoking and interesting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just want to second ASHNE by Bryson.",
          "reason": "Seconding the recommendation; calls it thought-provoking and interesting.",
          "audience": "People who travel and want a book to carry.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865554,
          "author": "codypo",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T17:21:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865554",
          "commentText": "Currently reading A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson.  So far, it's a really charming history of science (and well, everything else), starting from the Big Bang.  Bryson has never let me down before.\nI just finished Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson.  That was an intense book!  If you like deep sea adventure or anything U-boat, it's a worthy read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Currently reading A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. So far, it's a really charming history of science (and well, everything else), starting from the Big Bang. Bryson has never let me down before.",
          "reason": "Calls it a charming history of science and expresses confidence in Bryson.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Assessment is provisional: the commenter is currently reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227384,
          "author": "Element_",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T19:55:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227384",
          "commentText": "A Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson\nA Briefer History of Time - Stephen Hawking",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 191852,
          "author": "yossren",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-16T15:22:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=191852",
          "commentText": "\"A Short History of Nearly Everything\" by Bill Bryson.  It's not a technically a business book, but it's incredibly interesting for anyone who enjoys science.  It does have one good business-related concept - it reinforces the idea that just having the best idea doesn't always make you successful or rich - it's the execution that counts.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"A Short History of Nearly Everything\" by Bill Bryson. It's not a technically a business book, but it's incredibly interesting for anyone who enjoys science.",
          "reason": "Calls it incredibly interesting and recommends it to science enthusiasts.",
          "audience": "Anyone who enjoys science.",
          "caveat": "Not technically a business book.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56777,
          "author": "Kaizyn",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T07:44:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56777",
          "commentText": "1) Musashi's Book of Five Rings\n2) Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People\n3) Machaivelli's The Prince\n4) Sun-Tzu's The Art of War\n5) Hayakawa's Language in Thought and Action\n6) Steven Johnson's Emergence\n7) Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel\n8) Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything\n9) Mark Buchanan's Nexus\n10) C. S. Lewis's The Problem of Pain\nTaken together, these books cover just about everything there is to know about the sciences, about human history, human nature and how to understand and communicate effectively with other people.  Only one other book besides these needs to be studied/read: The Bible.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list said to cover the sciences and human history.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in accessible science writing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Bryson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 29,
      "threads": 25,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "popular science",
        "history of science",
        "natural history",
        "science history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-war-3dc4f5",
      "title": "The Art of War",
      "author": "Sun Tzu",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50119414,
          "author": "NishanStepak",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T15:13:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50119414",
          "commentText": "Frank Herbert Dune, book, there is a graphic novel of the latest edition which I glanced through.\nMachiavelli The Prince\nSun Tzu The Art of War\nEpictetus The Enchiridion\nTao Te Ching- different editions\nThe Odyssey in variety of formats, illustrated, graphic novel, book\nThe King James Bible-- Different pieces at various points. Proverbs many times.\nLewis Carroll-- Alices Adventures In Wonderland, book, annotated edition",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sun Tzu The Art of War",
          "reason": "Listed among books read repeatedly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33800480,
          "author": "iancmceachern",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T13:36:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33800480",
          "commentText": "The art of war",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The art of war",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33799426,
          "author": "mantas",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T11:42:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33799426",
          "commentText": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Good take on what is quality vs function and form.\nArt of War. Good example of a creature to last a damn long time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Art of War.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as a durable example.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30738762,
          "author": "lurker137",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T00:13:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30738762",
          "commentText": "The War of Art, Steven Pressfield\nIt's written in the same concise format as The Art of War by Sun Tzu, and it's just as dense with insights. I would encourage anyone to spend just 5 min reading the first few pages of Book Two here: https://aimeeknight.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/the-war-of-a... (https://aimeeknight.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/the-war-of-art_fastpencil_pbo.pdf)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Art of War by Sun Tzu",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a comparison for The War of Art's concise format.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30241379,
          "author": "Shared404",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T07:22:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241379",
          "commentText": "Not for everyone, but those who it is for very much should read this - but not without understanding that it can be quite triggering at times. :\n  The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma   \n  -Bessel van der Kolk\n\nIt's not an easy read for said people, but very worthwhile. Was introduced at a friends place and got a little ways in, waiting to pick up my own copy now.\nEdit:\nAlso \"The Art of War\" is fun. It mostly boils down to common sense, but it's interesting to see application of first principles to ancient warfare.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Also \"The Art of War\" is fun.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a fun read and interesting application of first principles to ancient warfare.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it mostly boils down to common sense.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26323845,
          "author": "willcipriano",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-03T02:08:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 26321793,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books made you the most money?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26323845",
          "commentText": "Sun Tzu - The Art of War\nFrom negotiations to strategy my boy Sun Tzu has never let me down.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sun Tzu - The Art of War\nFrom negotiations to strategy my boy Sun Tzu has never let me down.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it has helped with negotiations and strategy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23153802,
          "author": "mitchelldeacon9",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T13:35:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23153802",
          "commentText": "In addition to the classics of cognitive psychology (Kahneman, Taleb, et al.), I would also recommend books on psychological manipulation, religious cults, and con men. The following books offer a multi-disciplinary perspective on psychological techniques to improve awareness and exploit other people, both of which are essential to enhance your perception and protect yourself against fraud and manipulation.\nCialdini, Robert (2006) Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion\nGuinn, Jeff (2017) Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple\nEkman, Paul (2007) Emotions Revealed: Recognizing Faces and Feelings to Improve Communication and Emotional Life\nKahneman, Daniel (2011) Thinking, Fast and Slow\nMitnick, Kevin and William Simon (2002) Art of Deception\nNavarro and Karlins (2008) What Every Body is Saying: Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Speed-Reading People\nNietzsche, Friedrich (1887) On the Genealogy of Morals\nRhodes, Richard (1986) Making of the Atomic Bomb\nSun Tzu (c. 400 BCE) Art of War\nTaleb, Nassim Nicholas (2005) Fooled by Randomness\nWright, Lawrence (2013) Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sun Tzu (c. 400 BCE) Art of War",
          "reason": "Listed among books offering a multidisciplinary perspective on psychological techniques.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in strategy and human behavior.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21715087,
          "author": "bryanmgreen",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T18:52:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21715087",
          "commentText": "Most of my responses are covered already, and I know this is cliche, but Art of War by Sun Tzu.\nOne thing that has always stayed with me about leadership is his five traits that define a great leader.\n1) Wisdom\n2) Courage\n3) Sincerity\n4) Benevolence\n5) Discipline\n--------------\nAnd on a side note, I love seeing the increased submissions around leadership!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Art of War by Sun Tzu",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to a question seeking leadership books.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in leadership principles.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20914713,
          "author": "rammy1234",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T02:21:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914713",
          "commentText": "Meditations by Marcus Aurelius\nArt of war",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Art of war",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite old books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20914681,
          "author": "cbanek",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T02:14:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914681",
          "commentText": "The Prince by Machiavelli, 1532\nChuang-tzu, 4th century BC\nThe Art of War by Sun Tzu, 5th century BC\nRomance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong, 14th century AD",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of War by Sun Tzu, 5th century BC",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite old books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18663414,
          "author": "r34",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:47:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663414",
          "commentText": "Ernst Jünger: Annäherungen. Drogen und Rausch (not transleted to english? I've read it in polish). Great piece of essay.\nThe Art of War by Sun Tzu - bit sad\n2 books by Greg Egan: Distress & Teranesia\nThe Invention of Nature : Alexander Von Humboldt's New World\nDMT: The spirit molecule\nOne Hundred Years of Solitude by Marquez (WOW)\nThe book of dead philosophers by Simon Critchley (funny!)\n& some more (I have to start noting it down :P)\nCurrently: The Systems View of the World by Ervin Laszlo",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Art of War by Sun Tzu - bit sad",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as a bit sad.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as “bit sad.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17915725,
          "author": "SpecialistEMT",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-05T07:20:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17915725",
          "commentText": "I liked the Art of War in high school. Feel like it helped me a lot with stuff like negotiating salary in my early years.\nLater -- The Book of the Courtier by Baldassare Castiglione -- same topic as Art of War I'd say.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I liked the Art of War in high school. Feel like it helped me a lot with stuff like negotiating salary in my early years.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they liked it and found it useful for negotiating salary.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17031978,
          "author": "cbanek",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T17:45:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17031978",
          "commentText": "1. Mythical Man Month - obvious reasons\n2. Deathmarch: The Complete Software Developer's Guide to Surviving 'Mission Impossible' Projects- also a classic.\n3. Thinking fast and slow - a great introduction to biases that will affect your thinking in any project.\n4. The Art of War - strategy and tactics for attacking any problem.  My personal favorite translation is by Thomas Cleary.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of War - strategy and tactics for attacking any problem.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it for strategy and tactics for approaching problems.",
          "audience": "People starting careers in software engineering or computer science.",
          "caveat": "The commenter prefers Thomas Cleary’s translation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16758227,
          "author": "fotbr",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T19:41:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16758227",
          "commentText": "Sun Tzu's The Art of War, O'Reilly's SQL Pocket Guide, Numerical Recipes in C++, an old GW-Basic manual, and a reprint of the first edition of Machinery's Handbook.\nMost of my work is boring old enterprise apps in java, c# or c++; the GW-Basic manual is a relic from my first computer that I keep around for sentimental reasons.  Numerical Recipes is referred to on occasion, as is the SQL pocket guide, the other two are good for taking a 5 minute break from things.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Sun Tzu's The Art of War",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296324,
          "author": "neya",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T05:21:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296324",
          "commentText": "Right off the bat, here you go:\n1. The 7 habits of highly successful people (Stephen Covey)\n2. The Miracle Morning (Hal Elrod)\n3. Business Model Generation (Aelxander Osterwalder)\n4. The Art Of War (Sun Tzu)\n5. The E-myth, why most businesses don't work and what to do about it (Michel Gerber)\n6. Made In Japan (Founder of Sony, Akio Morita)\n7. How to win friends and influence people (Dale Carnegie)\nProbably I missed a few more, but I think these ones are a good start.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art Of War (Sun Tzu)",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about books one wishes one had read earlier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762254,
          "author": "g0tham-",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T02:01:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762254",
          "commentText": "In terms of near-universal applicability, Sun Tzu's 'The Art of War' comes to mind. You could substitute every occurrence of the words 'war'/ 'opponent' /'enemy' with just about anything you are looking to master / defeat.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sun Tzu's 'The Art of War' comes to mind. You could substitute every occurrence of the words 'war'/ 'opponent' /'enemy' with just about anything you are looking to master / defeat.",
          "reason": "Presented as nearly universally applicable, with its language adaptable to many goals.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15160659,
          "author": "pbhjpbhj",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T10:16:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15160659",
          "commentText": "The synoptic gospels and NT, but to choose one book from the NT, ...\nThe Epistle of James - as it has some strong counterpoints to other parts of the NT particularly the contrast of Pauline notions of grace with charity/works.\nEmperor's New Mind, Penrose - probably my biggest take away from it was to consider how human perception works alongside, and co-mingles with, physics.\nWeb of Life, Capra - considering holistic nature of life, one's connection to the World at large; emergent patterns, complex structure birthing from simplicity (goes well with what I recall of Gleick's Chaos).\nZen and the Art ... - what is value, what is valuable to me, whither/whence/wherefore value; how should I relate to my children (long before i had any) and how to challenge them philosophically.\nRepublic, Plato - the first book that really set me thinking about the structure of society, about inequalities. And of course about stepping out of The Cave.\nKoran & Hadith (partial readings, ie whole sections; couple of major hadith only) - [redacted]; but greater understanding of Islam and of religion in general; taught me to watchfully avoid being tainted by the labels people give themselves and look instead to their actions.\nMein Kampf (partial reading) - ideas have intrinsic moral value, that we should judge ideas on their merits and not by who has them; we should be careful about tarring people by simple association.\nArt of War - preparedness, looking to supply lines, avoiding conflicts, not entering \"battles\" you know you'll lose (which I'd take as 'learn nothing from').\nChristianarchy - what it means to be a Christian, who is and isn't \"in\".\nAgrarian Justice, Paine - what is my place politically and economically in the world, whence do I derive the 'rights' to own what I do, whether such ownership is good.\nWorth noting here that the ideas and impressions I got are unlikely to be what you will get, we react to books based on who we are, our frame of mind, moods, etc.. Most of these books I read as a late teenager, that at least in part boosts their impact. The impact is not necessarily the purpose of the book, quite the opposite in some cases.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Art of War - preparedness, looking to supply lines, avoiding conflicts",
          "reason": "Named for lessons about preparedness, supply lines, and avoiding unwinnable conflicts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13970233,
          "author": "pagutierrezn",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T18:15:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13970233",
          "commentText": "1- The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli. Specially the edition commented by Napoleon Buonaparte.\n2-Diffusion of Innovations by Everett M. Rogers. This book makes \"Crossing the chasm\" a simplistic introduction for laggards\n3-The Art of War by Sun Tzu\n4-If Nature Is the Answer, What Was the Question? By Jorge Wagensberg\n5-Sacred hoops by Phil Jackson\n6-Fear from freedom by Erich Fromm\n7-Michelangelo biography of a genious\n8-Blindness by Jose Saramago\n9-On writing by Stephen King",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "3-The Art of War by Sun Tzu",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13968442,
          "author": "skdotdan",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T15:22:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13968442",
          "commentText": "The Art of War. Honestly, I re-read it every year!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of War. Honestly, I re-read it every year!",
          "reason": "Selects it as the book that influenced them most and rereads it annually.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12419211,
          "author": "endswapper",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-03T13:59:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12419211",
          "commentText": "The Tao of Power by R.L. Wing\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Tao-Power-Leadership-Excellence-trans... (https://www.amazon.com/Tao-Power-Leadership-Excellence-translation/dp/0385196377)\nIt's like The Art of War, but for life in a business/leadership context.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "It's like The Art of War, but for life in a business/leadership context.",
          "reason": "Used as a comparison to describe The Tao of Power; not independently recommended or evaluated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12142578,
          "author": "r2r",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T09:35:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12142578",
          "commentText": "1. \"Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance\" by Robert Pirsig\n2. \"The art of war\" by Sun Tzu\n3. \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The art of war\" by Sun Tzu",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10027904,
          "author": "hga",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T17:06:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027904",
          "commentText": "The Selfish Gene is wonderfully tight, indeed very little noise and a whole lot of signal.\nHere's two books if you want to learn about math you might want to learn about: The Facts on File Dictionary on Mathematics by Gibson, and Foundations and Fundamental Concepts of Mathematics by Howard Eves, which takes a historical approach, but is not a history per se.  More like \"this is what the Greeks did, in this period the use of calculus was pretty loose and look at this equation that  Euler thought was right, these are the steps that brought rigor to it\" etc.\nSusan Wise Bauer has been writing a series of history books solely focused on \"politics\", i.e. no coverage of the arts besides occasional mentions; that can be a very useful framework to then hang study of things like the arts off of.  Also no wild speculation like Guns, Germs and Steel is filled with, if it wasn't written down and passed down to us, it gets only brief mention.  Here's the first one: http://www.susanwisebauer.com/books/history-of-the-ancient-w... (http://www.susanwisebauer.com/books/history-of-the-ancient-world/)\nSamuel Eliot Morison wrote a series of book on the History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, they're focused on what happened in detail, with charts of the movement of the ships in various battles and so on.  The TV series Victory at Sea was based on them, and they're a good framework to then hang more detailed study of the war off of: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_United_States_Naval... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_United_States_Naval_Operations_in_World_War_II)\nAs Wikipedians put it, This History of U.S. Naval Operations also intentionally avoided a certain amount of analysis, for instance deferring to other works for the causes of the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor. The intended audience for the work, to quote from the preface, was \"the general reader rather than the professional sailor.\"\nThere are two very tight and short books on self-defense, Jeff Cooper Principles of Personal Defense and Massad Ayoob's In the Gravest Extreme, The Role of the Firearm in Personal Protection, \"Just the facts, ma'am\", firearm centric but wonderfully focused.\nADDED: Sun Tzu's The Art of War is itself very focused (the media on which it was written strongly encourages that!), although the commentary, traditional and what modern translators add, can wander into fluff.  A lot of it is relevant to modern non-violent life, and don't forget that \"You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you\".  I recommend  Samuel B. Griffith's translation, he was a professional military officer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sun Tzu's The Art of War is itself very focused",
          "reason": "Praises its focus and says much of it is relevant to modern nonviolent life.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in strategy applied to nonviolent life.",
          "caveat": "The commenter warns that traditional and modern commentary can wander into fluff.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6976788,
          "author": "vowelless",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T21:50:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976788",
          "commentText": "Its density and breadth took me by surprise. He does a great job analyzing various wars, battles, political campaigns, career trajectories and finding common themes among them all. The book, ultimately, is about the importance of balanced strategy, and how it has been applied and should be applied in the the real world.\nI've heard people compare it to Art of War, but that comparison is not proper. This book is driven by Greene's interpretation of actual historical events and literature (Art of War is indeed heavily quoted).\nI think this quote by Helmuth von Moltke in the book describes the book's motivation best:\n> [Strategy] is more than a science: it is the application of knowledge to practical life, the development of thought capable of modifying the original guiding idea in the light of ever-changing situations; it is the art of acting under the pressure of the most difficult conditions.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I've heard people compare it to Art of War, but that comparison is not proper.",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a comparison the commenter considers improper.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6417016,
          "author": "jlengrand",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-20T11:11:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6417016",
          "commentText": "Sun Tzu - the art of war\nMachiavel - The prince",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sun Tzu - the art of war",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1866358,
          "author": "solost",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T20:29:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1866358",
          "commentText": "I just finished The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss and started Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch.  For those of you reading Ice and Fire or who have finished all of the current work I recommend both of these series.\nI also look at The Book of 5 Rings and The Art of War on a regular basis.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I also look at The Book of 5 Rings and The Art of War on a regular basis.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753458,
          "author": "hendler",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T19:55:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753458",
          "commentText": "I haven't read the fictional works of Musashi, but his own warrior manual \"The Book of Five Rings\" is quite good, like \"The Art of War\". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_Five_Rings",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "like \"The Art of War\".",
          "reason": "Named as a comparison; the comment does not evaluate or recommend it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1725179,
          "author": "Willwhatley",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-24T20:02:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1725179",
          "commentText": "Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson.\nAlice in Wonderland iff still young enough not to think girls are gross. Otherwise you must sneak up on him with the poetry, then introduce the book. (I've had success with reciting 'Jabberwocky' and 'The Walrus and the Carpenter.')\nLearn 'If,' by Kipling, by heart. Then teach it slowly and patiently.\nAs an aside, quite a lot of Kipling is truly excellently boy friendly.\nThe Proverbs of Solomon, et al. Found in any Bible or Talmud. Bears repeated reading, as most eastern 'wisdom' literature does (The Book of Five Rings, The Art of War, etc.).\nWhile we're at, why not the Narnia books? I loved them, and I'd no idea the Lion was apparently Jesus until I was nine or so.\nBut by far do not DO NOT forget Michel Ende's marvelous 'The Neverending Story.'\nIf you're only familiar with it from a movie, you've missed the best part, when the boy 'Bastian must take up arms and become the adventurer he has read about and loved.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Book of Five Rings, The Art of War, etc.",
          "reason": "Includes it among wisdom literature that bears repeated reading.",
          "audience": "Boys.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227174,
          "author": "Mongoose",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T18:25:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227174",
          "commentText": "The Art of War is definitely worth at least one read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of War is definitely worth at least one read.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommended as worth reading at least once.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875857,
          "author": "slig",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T03:09:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875857",
          "commentText": "1984 and \"the art of war\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"the art of war\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875776,
          "author": "lsd5you",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T02:23:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875776",
          "commentText": "I found the black swan to be unfinishable. It started very (even extremely) well, but then got a lot worse quite rapidly. His attempt to create a structure around anecdotes from his life (and of his acquaintances) does not really work and at times his writing is ego-centric to the point of vulgarity.\nThe main problem however is that it would be much better (for the reader) condensed down as a long essay. Although many books in the genre are essentially essays flanneled out into books, the problem is particularly acute in The Black Swan.\nSun Tzu, which edition/translation?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Sun Tzu, which edition/translation?",
          "reason": "Asks which edition or translation the parent meant; this is a neutral reference.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875750,
          "author": "gtt",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T02:07:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875750",
          "commentText": "Nassim Nicholas Taleb -- The Black Swan\nSun Tzu --  The Art of War\nLao Tzu --  Tao Te Ching",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sun Tzu --  The Art of War",
          "reason": "Named in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 457944,
          "author": "uuilly",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-30T10:15:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=457944",
          "commentText": "I've been waiting years for someone to ask this question :)\nWishlited this last night on amazon:\nCarnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise to Western Power by Victor Davis Hanson\nHave read these and enjoyed these:\nGeneral Warfare theory:\nHistory of Warfare by Keegan\nIntel:\nIntelligence and War by Keegan\nCounterinsurgency:\n\"Ghost Wars\" by Steve Coll.  For a really enjoyable experience read \"The Great Game\"  by Hopkirk first.\nThe Civil War deserves it's own category. Watch the PBS dvds, actually buy them.  If you're hungry for more dig into \"The Civil War\" by Shelby Foote is hefty but it's satisfying.\n1776 is a classic.\n\"Blind mans bluff\" is a great book about submarine warfare.\nFor more current stuff Robert Kagan is probably the most informed pundit on war and military strategy.\nWW-II\n\"The Last Lion\" books 1 and 2 are about Churchill and they involve lots of military strategy.  You should also check out \"The gathering storm + the other six books Churchill wrote on WWII.\nMan I could go on forever.  I have \"Panzer General\" and \"Caesar's Conquest of Gaul\" on my nightstand...\nEnjoy...\nPS:  Once you're well versed you'll hear people referring to Clauswitz a lot.  When you're sick of hearing his name and you want more than the wikipedia entry go read \"On War.\"  Art of War goes w/o saying as well...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Art of War goes w/o saying as well...",
          "reason": "The commenter includes it among recommended books on military strategy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 456347,
          "author": "pskomoroch",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T14:15:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456347",
          "commentText": "I used to have a lot more time for non CS reading and actually made an Amazon list on this topic back in 2005:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/2INJSM38... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/2INJSM38IDMDZ/ref=cm_sw_r_de_lm)\n1.  On War (Everyman's Library (Cloth)) by Carl Von Clausewitz\n2.  Leadership: The Warrior's Art by Barry R. McCaffrey\n3.  Small Unit Leadership: A Commonsense Approach by Dandridge M. Malone\n4.  The Defense of Hill 781: An Allegory of Modern Mechanized Combat by James R. McDonough\n5.  The Art of Maneuver: Maneuver-Warfare Theory and AirLand Battle by Robert Leonhard\n6.  Strategy: Second Revised Edition (Meridian) by B. H. Liddell Hart\n7.  The Art of War by Niccolò Machiavelli\n8.  Hagakure: The Book of the Samauri by Tsunetomo Yamamoto\n9.  The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius\n10.  The Art of War (Shambhala classics) by Sun Tzu\n11.  The Prince (Bantam Classics) by Niccolo Machiavelli\n12.  Evolutionary Game Theory by Jörgen W. Weibull\n13.  On Guerrilla Warfare by Mao Tse-tung\n14.  The History of the Peloponnesian War: Revised Edition (Penguin Classics) by Thucydides\n15.  The Histories (Penguin Classics) by Herodotus\n16.  The Persian Expedition (Penguin Classics) by Xenophon\n17.  Plutarch: Lives of Noble Grecians and Romans (Modern Library Series, Vol. 1) by Plutarch\n18.  Plutarch's Lives, Volume 2 (Modern Library Classics) by Plutarch\n19.  Livy: The Early History of Rome, Books I-V (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 1-5) by Titus Livy\n20.  The History of Rome from Its Foundation, Books XXI-XXX: The War with Hannibal (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 21-30) by Titus Livius Livy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "10.  The Art of War (Shambhala classics) by Sun Tzu",
          "reason": "Included in a list of military strategy books answering the thread's request.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking books about military strategy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 456335,
          "author": "hedgehog",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T14:06:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456335",
          "commentText": "\"The Art Of War\" is great, I read this version when I was 13 but I would still recommend it as a good place to start before getting another translation or other books:\n\"Sunzi Speaks: The Art of War\"\nTsai Chih Chung\nhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/0385472587\nSome online reading that you might find interesting:\nhttp://www.ingber.com/combat97_cmi.ps.gz\nhttp://www.ndu.edu/inss/Symposia/joint2008/papers/Hoffman%20... (http://www.ndu.edu/inss/Symposia/joint2008/papers/Hoffman%20Paper_Panel%203.pdf)\nhttp://www.ndu.edu/inss/Symposia/joint2008/papers/Warden%20P... (http://www.ndu.edu/inss/Symposia/joint2008/papers/Warden%20Paper_Panel%203.pdf)\nhttp://www.dodccrp.org/files/Smith_Complexity.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Art Of War\" is great",
          "reason": "Calls it great and recommends this version as a good place to start.",
          "audience": "Readers starting with The Art of War.",
          "caveat": "Recommends this version before trying another translation or other books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240688,
          "author": "breck",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T02:34:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240688",
          "commentText": "-Black Swan & Fooled by Randomness\n-The C Programming Language\n-The Non-Designers Design Book\n-How to Read a Book\n-Never Eat Alone\n-Art of War\n-Bill Bryson's a History of Everything(~)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Art of War",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143295,
          "author": "hs",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T14:05:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143295",
          "commentText": "when i was a kid:KOEI historical games - got me into using hex editors to change the stats :D\nthe games exposed me to sun tzu art of war\nlocal book about python and unix - i used python around 2004 and beat the courses assignments ('beating the avg' reminds me of those days) ... later pg's great hacker on slashdot and then lisp - settled with newlisp now\niBookG4 exposed me to unix, designs, hardwares and most importantly, woz and jobs ... later my ibook was broken.  I am very happy with OpenBSD now\nchemistry (and later internet recipes): now i bath using soda ash and citric acid at very low conc - eliminate the need to restore soap and shampoo (great time and $ saving for me) ... i also make my own fertilizer for aquarium use\namong other things:\nopen source, MIT+BSD license\nstatistics, design of experiments, bayes, simulation\nwikipedia and generic drugs\nlow calorie for longevity\nvegetarian dog, vegan, glycemic index\nno television\nvim, jquery\npg essays esp how to make wealth and the other road ahead\nWild animals are beautiful because they have hard lives\n\"The less confident you are, the more serious you have to act.\"\nperhaps these things teach me that having great control at raw level (source code, chemical, generic drug etc) gives me power to go vertically (own hardware, os, language) as well as horizontally (own tweaks, foss libraries) without much dependencies",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the games exposed me to sun tzu art of war",
          "reason": "The commenter credits the games with exposing them to the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135250,
          "author": "marcus",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T16:49:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135250",
          "commentText": "Programming Collective Intelligence - O'Reilly Media Toby Segaran\nArt of the start - Guy Kawasaki\nThe art of war - Sun Tzu",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The art of war - Sun Tzu",
          "reason": "Suggested for a hacker's bookshelf.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56777,
          "author": "Kaizyn",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T07:44:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56777",
          "commentText": "1) Musashi's Book of Five Rings\n2) Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People\n3) Machaivelli's The Prince\n4) Sun-Tzu's The Art of War\n5) Hayakawa's Language in Thought and Action\n6) Steven Johnson's Emergence\n7) Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel\n8) Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything\n9) Mark Buchanan's Nexus\n10) C. S. Lewis's The Problem of Pain\nTaken together, these books cover just about everything there is to know about the sciences, about human history, human nature and how to understand and communicate effectively with other people.  Only one other book besides these needs to be studied/read: The Bible.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sun-Tzu's The Art of War",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of books said to collectively cover a broad range of subjects.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in military strategy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sun Tzu"
      ],
      "recommenders": 29,
      "threads": 25,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military strategy",
        "ancient china",
        "strategy",
        "ancient chinese texts"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-moon-is-a-harsh-mistress-992edd",
      "title": "The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress",
      "author": "Robert A. Heinlein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43688546,
          "author": "PaulHoule",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-15T02:47:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 43685856,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What 3 Books Would You Recommend to Anyone?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43688546",
          "commentText": "Dahlgren is at least a based choice of a sci-fi novel.  Beats Moon as a Harsh Mistress,  I've never convinced anyone that Haldeman's Worlds deserves such status.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Beats Moon as a Harsh Mistress,",
          "reason": "The commenter says Dhalgren beats it as a choice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40046285,
          "author": "Doctor-R",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-15T22:11:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40046285",
          "commentText": "1. Winnie the Pooh to kids on their third or fourth or fifth birthday.\n2. The Mythical Man Month to non-tech bosses.\n3. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress to girlfriends (it's a test).\n4. \"Get It Together: Organize Your Records So Your Family Won't Have To\" to 70+ old friend (single) and 70+ old sister (single).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress to girlfriends (it's a test).",
          "reason": "The commenter gives it to girlfriends as a test.",
          "audience": "Girlfriends.",
          "caveat": "The commenter frames it as “a test.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35401954,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-01T17:08:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 35392063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Science Fiction books that predict where ChatGPT might lead us?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35401954",
          "commentText": "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress?",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Suggested tentatively as a question.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35394255,
          "author": "ckorhonen",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-31T22:01:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 35392063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Science Fiction books that predict where ChatGPT might lead us?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35394255",
          "commentText": "There are numerous science fiction books that have explored the potential impact of artificial intelligence on humanity, ranging from utopian to dystopian scenarios. Here are some of the most interesting and relevant titles that address the questions and fears you've mentioned:\n\"Neuromancer\" by William Gibson (1984): This cyberpunk classic envisions a future where AI is deeply ingrained in human society and plays a significant role in shaping it.\n\"2001: A Space Odyssey\" by Arthur C. Clarke (1968): The novel, as well as the film adaptation by Stanley Kubrick, explores the relationship between humans and AI, particularly when AI begins to develop its own goals and intentions.\n\"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?\" by Philip K. Dick (1968): This novel, which inspired the movie \"Blade Runner,\" questions the nature of humanity and consciousness as it relates to artificial beings.\n\"I, Robot\" by Isaac Asimov (1950): A collection of short stories that feature the famous \"Three Laws of Robotics\" and explore various aspects of AI and their impact on society.\n\"The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress\" by Robert A. Heinlein (1966): This novel features an AI that becomes self-aware and partners with humans in a fight for lunar independence.\n\"The Culture\" series by Iain M. Banks: This series of novels is set in a post-scarcity society managed by benevolent, hyper-intelligent AIs called Minds.\n\"The Singularity is Near\" by Ray Kurzweil (2005): Though not a novel, this non-fiction book predicts the future of AI, discussing the potential for AI to surpass human intelligence and the implications of this eventuality.\n\"Accelerando\" by Charles Stross (2005): The novel explores a future in which AI, augmented humans, and post-humans coexist, addressing various ethical and societal issues along the way.\n\"Daemon\" by Daniel Suarez (2006): This techno-thriller features an AI created by a deceased programmer that sets out to create a new world order.\n\"Altered Carbon\" by Richard K. Morgan (2002): This cyberpunk novel touches on AI's impact on society, particularly in the context of human consciousness and digital immortality.\nThese books offer thought-provoking explorations of the possible consequences, both positive and negative, of advanced AI systems like ChatGPT. While each of these works is fictional and speculative in nature, they can still provide valuable insights and stimulate important discussions about the future of AI and humanity.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress\" by Robert A. Heinlein (1966): This novel features an AI that becomes self-aware and partners with humans in a fight for lunar independence.",
          "reason": "Listed among titles addressing AI's potential effects on humanity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30764235,
          "author": "haakonhr",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-22T09:37:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30764235",
          "commentText": "A good chance reflect. There are several:\n- A Conferedancy of Dunces, Peter O'Toole: tragic, hilarious and absurd\n- Fooled by Randomness, Nassim Taleb: this was my first exposure to a lot of biases and other interesting phenomena\n- The Design of Everything Things: eye-opener!\nHarry Potter, Tolkien, Dune and a lot of other sci-fi has also affected me, although I find it hard to point out one in particular. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein stands out a bit.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein stands out a bit.",
          "reason": "It stands out among the commenter’s science fiction reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25846738,
          "author": "Zanni",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T14:23:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25846738",
          "commentText": "Ted Chiang's Stories of Your Life and Others is the best, single-author collection of short stories I've ever read. If you like that, you might also enjoy The Lifecycle of Software Objects, an absolutely heartbreaking novella about simulated children, and his follow-up collection Exhalation.\nOrson Scott Card's Ender's Game is fantastic, and it's follow-up, Speaker for the Dead is even better, and my favorite science fiction novel of all time. They won back to back Hugo and Nebula awards. Card is a polarizing figure for his outspoken political opinions, but if ever the art should be separated from the artist, it's Speaker, which is an incredible exploration of empathy and responsibility, in addition to being a gripping, action-packed, science-literate read. Many more in this series, if you get into it.\nJohn Scalzi's Old Man's War series is fantastic, if you're into military science-fiction, or even if you're not. Smart, funny, engaging and accessible, and reminiscent of Heinlein at his prime, minus the weird incest fetish. Redshirts, a Star Trek parody, rivals Galaxy Quest and only falls short because Galaxy Quest is so goddamn brilliant. Agent to the Stars is less appreciated, but in my opinion his finest novel, rising way above its goofy premise by taking it seriously, exploring the consequences and treating the characters with empathy and respect. Also hilarious.\nSeconding Dune, which is a classic for a reason, and Stranger in a Strange Land (though I think The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is a better place to start with Heinlein). Also Neal Stephenson, though I'd suggest Cryptonomicon over Diamond Age.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is a better place to start with Heinlein",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a better starting point for Heinlein than Stranger in a Strange Land.",
          "audience": "Readers starting with Heinlein.",
          "caveat": "Presented as a better starting point than Stranger in a Strange Land.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25540639,
          "author": "wizzerking",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-26T01:38:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25540639",
          "commentText": "The moon is a harsh mistress; \nSpeculation about AI, and how we would react and use the AI",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The moon is a harsh mistress",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467660,
          "author": "anoonmoose",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:48:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467660",
          "commentText": "\"The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress\" by Robert Heinlein\n\"Neuromancer\" and sequels by William Gibson\n\"Slaughterhouse 5\" by Kurt Vonnegut\nI've read all of them dozens of times over.  Hard to explain why, they speak my language, and help me understand myself and the world around me, kind of like my favorite bands do.  Hard to put into words.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress\" by Robert Heinlein",
          "reason": "The commenter has reread it dozens of times and says it speaks to them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21916761,
          "author": "vforissi",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-30T21:12:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21916761",
          "commentText": "- Hpmor, from Yudkowsky the guy who created the ML Research Institute, simply one of the funniest and smartest book I ever read.\n- Martin Eden, a great tragic adventure from the late 19th century about a poor smart guy from the slums who tries to make his riches as a writer\n- The Moon is Harsh Mistress, Elon’s favorite sci-fi books\n- Foundation by Asimov\n- Homo Deus by Harari\n- Principles by Ray Dalio",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Moon is Harsh Mistress, Elon’s favorite sci-fi books",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's books for the decade; described as a favorite of Elon.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in science fiction.",
          "caveat": "The stated favorite is attributed to Elon.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19088918,
          "author": "hcoyote",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T19:36:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19088918",
          "commentText": "Mine was The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, read around the same age (took me awhile to get through SiaSL).\nThe ideas around TANSTAAFL were what really drove me to believe in the value of hard work and being wary of the easy path to \"success\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The ideas around TANSTAAFL were what really drove me to believe in the value of hard work and being wary of the easy path to \"success\".",
          "reason": "The commenter credits the book’s ideas with shaping their views on hard work and success.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17544650,
          "author": "diffuzed",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T20:09:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17544650",
          "commentText": "Robert Heinlein “the moon is a harsh mistress”. A 1966 masterpiece about sentient computer, politics and the making of a revolution to create a new free country. I’ve reread this one 3 times in a row, better every time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A 1966 masterpiece about sentient computer, politics and the making of a revolution to create a new free country. I’ve reread this one 3 times in a row, better every time.",
          "reason": "Calls it a masterpiece and says each rereading made it better.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in sentient computers, politics, and revolution.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536607,
          "author": "bostik",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:26:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536607",
          "commentText": "Asimov's original \"Foundation\" - it's effectively a collection of 4,5 short stories. I recommend to remain at a discreet distance from the rest of the series. While good within the universe, they are ... different.\n\"Ender's Game\" and \"Speaker for the Dead\" by O.S.Card. (Do not touch Xenocide without a hazmat suit. And if you do, burn it before reading.)\n\"Snow Crash\" by Neil Stephenson.\n\"Rendez-vouz with Rama\" by Arthur C. Clarke.\nIf you're up for some thought-provoking stuff, \"Stranger in a Strange Land\" by Heinlein. Not the easiest read but your carve-out basically rules out \"The Moon is a Harsh Mistress\".\n\"Embassytown\" by China Mieville.\nEDIT: I forgot \"Hyperion\" by Dan Simmons.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "your carve-out basically rules out \"The Moon is a Harsh Mistress\".",
          "reason": "Mentioned as excluded by the requester's preferences, not recommended.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment says the requester's preference rules it out.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15431768,
          "author": "terminalcommand",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-09T05:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15431768",
          "commentText": "The Moon is a harsh mistress, covers the invention of an AI by a computer technician to free the colony on the moon. If you're interested in Anarchy and AI, it's a good book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Moon is a harsh mistress, covers the invention of an AI by a computer technician to free the colony on the moon. If you're interested in Anarchy and AI, it's a good book.",
          "reason": "Calls it a good book for readers interested in anarchy and AI.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in anarchy and AI.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15428792,
          "author": "jlebar",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:26:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428792",
          "commentText": "Surprised nobody has mentioned Heinlein, \"The Moon is a Harsh Mistress\".  I would say it's harder sci-fi than \"I, Robot\" (which I also love).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Moon is a Harsh Mistress\"",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to a request for hard sci-fi AI novels and described as harder sci-fi than I, Robot.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15157281,
          "author": "wizzerking",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T17:47:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15157281",
          "commentText": "The Moon is a HArsh Mistress Robert A. Heinlein\nThe Foundation Series Isaac Asimov\nBoth books provide macro economic examples, and sound philosophy such as \"There aint no such thing as a free lunch\", and enlighted self interest",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Moon is a HArsh Mistress Robert A. Heinlein",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to what books made the biggest impact on the commenter's mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567142,
          "author": "MarketingJason",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T14:53:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567142",
          "commentText": "Just finished Daemon and about to start Freedom. Great read, and it's amazing how quickly it ramps up near the end! I hadn't been hooked to a book like that since \"The Moon is a Harsh Mistress\" and \"Dune\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I hadn't been hooked to a book like that since \"The Moon is a Harsh Mistress\"",
          "reason": "Names it as a previous book that hooked the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12982956,
          "author": "gravypod",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-17T23:47:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12982956",
          "commentText": "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348848,
          "author": "mgarfias",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:37:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348848",
          "commentText": "Heinlein: The Moon is a Harsh Mistress\nRobert Coram: Boyd\nMark Donohue (w/Paul Van Valkenburgh): The Unfair Advantage\nCarroll Smith: XXX To Win (its a series of books)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Heinlein: The Moon is a Harsh Mistress",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9057136,
          "author": "secstate",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T15:01:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9057136",
          "commentText": "Just finished reading \"Fiasco\" by Stanislaw Lem. Between that \"Cyberiad\" I feel like Lem doesn't get enough credit. Maybe part of it is not being in the Western European writer's camp?\nAt any rate, I would say:\nMoon is a Harsh Mistress, Heinlein\nThe Dispossessed, Le Guin\nThe Stars My Destination, Bester\nChildhood's End, Clarke\nStand out as some of my favorites. I'm pretty terrible at making top-5 lists, but those stand out as ones that I would read again in a heartbeat if there weren't already 50 books on the floor next to my bed waiting for me :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Heinlein",
          "reason": "Includes it among favorites answering the thread question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056662,
          "author": "aaronem",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:53:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056662",
          "commentText": "Peter Watts's Blindsight - easily the best SF novel I've read in the last decade. I haven't got round to Echopraxia yet, but I doubt it'll fail to live up to its predecessor.\nAlso, while I have no use whatsoever for Stross's \"Singularity\" stuff, his Laundry Files series excels, especially for an inveterate old Lovecraft fan such as myself. If you want a taste, there are some shorts available online -- \"Overtime\" and \"Funny Farm\" are good places to start; \"Equoid\" is the most recent, but it's not representative, and it's also the weakest entry in the series as a whole due to its poor characterization and reliance on shock and gruesomeness rather than the more insidious sort of horror in which the rest of the series specializes.\nI'm sort of surprised to see that no one has yet mentioned Heinlein; I know he's a politically divisive figure in the fandom, to say the least, but he's also the great granddaddy of the modern field, and such prominence deserves recognition. (Hell, he was pushing the Rapture of the Nerds before any of its modern adherents was even born!) Granted that his later works tend to bog down in self-referentiality and author tracts on the evils of Communism and the benefits of casual nudism; in his prime, though, he was an author and storyteller practically beyond compare.\nIn particular, his The Moon is a Harsh Mistress remains a classic among classics; The Puppet Masters even more so, to the extent of spawning practically a whole subgenre of second-rate imitations; and, for a lighter entry, his oft-overlooked The Door into Summer is a sweet story in which all's well that ends well and the importance of feline companionship in a well-rounded life is not overlooked.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "remains a classic among classics",
          "reason": "Described as a classic by an author the commenter considers a major storyteller.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment notes Heinlein's political divisiveness and criticizes his later works.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056639,
          "author": "Bzomak",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:47:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056639",
          "commentText": "Some which I have re-read recently and still enjoyed:\n  William Gibson's Sprawl trilogy\n\n  Frank Herbert's Dune series\n\n  Isaac Asimov's Foundation series\n\n  Frederik Pohl's \"Gateway\"\n\n  Robert Heinlein's \"The Moon is a harsh Mistress\"\n\nSome which I remember liking when I read them many years ago as a teenager:\n  E.E. Doc Smith's Lensman series\n\n  David Brin's Uplift series\n\n  Peter F. Hamilton's Greg Mandel trilogy and The Night's \nDawn trilogy\n  Orson Scott Card's \"Ender's Game\"\n\n  George R. Dickson's \"Dorsai!\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Robert Heinlein's \"The Moon is a harsh Mistress\"",
          "reason": "Listed among science fiction works the commenter has reread recently and still enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056610,
          "author": "mattkevan",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:38:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056610",
          "commentText": "Anything by Alastair Reynolds - his Revelation Space series is great, and House of Suns is a fantastic one-off. He's probably the  closest to Ian Banks in creating galaxy-spanning civilisations across eons of time.\nIan MacDonald is another good one. My favourite of his is The Dervish House, but his others are definitely worth reading.\nCharles Stross is good. Didn't get on with Accelerando, but his Laundry books are a fun mix of HP Lovecraft/Len Deighton/IT Crowd. Halting State and Rule 34 are good explorations of pervasive augmented reality and intelligent algorithms. Also Glasshouse as an exploration of post-singularity society. Never managed to finish a Cory Doctorow book though.\nI found William Gibson's Bigend trilogy a slog, but I really enjoyed The Peripheral - it's a fun read.\nEnders Game and Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card are fantastic, but the remaining books suffer from diminishing returns (with the possible exception of Ender's Shadow). There are a lot of books in the series, but basically, the series finishes wherever you get bored reading it.\nAnything by China Mieville is well worth your time.\nOh, I also really enjoyed Elizabeth Bear's Jacobs Ladder trilogy, set on a generation ship where the inhabitants have forgotten who they are and where they're going.\nFor some older stuff:\nThe Stars my Destination by Alfred Bester – I was surprised at how good it is and how well it stands up. I couldn't believe it was written nearly 50 years ago.\nThe Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein - possibly my favourite of his. I want to start a lunar revolution with a sentient mainframe...\nI'm currently working my way through all the Hugo Award winners, from 1953 up, and there's some real gems there.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "possibly my favourite of his.",
          "reason": "Calls it possibly their favorite Heinlein novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says “possibly.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8946127,
          "author": "dwarman",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-26T09:13:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8946127",
          "commentText": "Stand on Zanzibar, Snow Crash, Cryptonomicon, Childhood's End, A Cantilce for St Leibowitz, The Stars My Destination, Midnight At The Well of Souls, Nine Princes in Amber, Halting State, Strnger In A Strange Land, The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8629448,
          "author": "rajacombinator",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-19T11:40:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8629448",
          "commentText": "\"The Golden Age\" by John C. Wright - just awesome, and I agree with the values of the main character\n\"Chronicles of Amber\" by Roger Zelazny - for imagination and badassery\nFavorite short story is \"Understand\" by Ted Chiang - mind-expanding ;)\nAlso in general the lesser known Heinlein books are amazing. Not a fan of Stranger in a Strange Land. Named my current company after a reference to The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Named my current company after a reference to The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.",
          "reason": "The commenter mentions the book as the source of a company name, without evaluating or recommending it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7337398,
          "author": "rainmaking",
          "createdAt": "2014-03-03T23:36:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7337398",
          "commentText": "Of course, \"The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress\" if you like it down and dirty, a tale of a \"Computerman\" working for the man but secretly using his machine to subvert the powers that be up until the final showdown.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Of course, \"The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress\" if you like it down and dirty",
          "reason": "Offers it as a science fiction recommendation with a gritty tone.",
          "audience": "Readers who like gritty science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6923250,
          "author": "angersock",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-17T19:25:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 6921805,
          "threadTitle": "What book has inspired you the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6923250",
          "commentText": "Not a book, but the essay \"Conscience of a Hacker\" has never been far from my mind.\nIn middle-school, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and Starship Troopers started a fairly strong libertarian bend as well as a somewhat antiauthortarian\nIn high-school, Atlas Shrugged gave me a clear vision of how important it was to create things with the skills I'd learned, and how naked self-interest could shape a society.\nIn college, Pump Six illustrated the failings of \"In the future, it's going to be even more awesome to be rich and white\".\nAfter college, The Jungle showed me both the importance of social safety nets and how easily people who say \"I'll just work harder\" get screwed by the system--any system. Makers gave me a better appreciation for taking care of my self and my body.\n~\nIt's important, I think, to constantly be reading new things and taking in new ideas; had I stopped with Atlas Shrugged, for example, I'd probably be a lot different (and more naive) than I am today.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In middle-school, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and Starship Troopers started a fairly strong libertarian bend as well as a somewhat antiauthortarian",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped shape their libertarian and somewhat antiauthoritarian outlook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2527540,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-09T04:15:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 2526568,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2527540",
          "commentText": "I recently have been reading Hugo Award Novels and recommend Roger Zelazny's This Immortal which is good enough to have shared the award with Dune in 1965. Lord of Light is also a great read and won a Hugo in 1968. Clifford Simak's Way Station, Phillip K. Dick's Man in the High Castle, and Walter Miller's Canticle for Leibowitz are other great Hugo novels from the early 1960's that tend to be overshadowed by more famous authors from that period such as Heinlein (not that I wouldn't recommend The Moon is a Harsh Mistress if you haven't read it).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "not that I wouldn't recommend The Moon is a Harsh Mistress if you haven't read it",
          "reason": "Explicitly says they would recommend the novel to readers who have not read it.",
          "audience": "Science fiction readers who have not read it.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2147198,
          "author": "atgm",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T09:06:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2147198",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand), In Memory Yet Green/In Joy Still Felt (Isaac Asimov), The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (Robert Heinlein).\nThose books are probably what made me into a self-sufficient human being who wants to stand on his own and keep living the best he can.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (Robert Heinlein). Those books are probably what made me into a self-sufficient human being who wants to stand on his own and keep living the best he can.",
          "reason": "The commenter credits the listed books with helping shape their independence and self-sufficiency.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043506,
          "author": "mhd",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:12:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043506",
          "commentText": "Snow Crash is great. Generally I'd recommend some \"classics\", just to see who treaded some ground first, i.e. who gets copied by everyone.\nIsaac Asimov - Foundation (and the rest of the trilogy)\nRobert A. Heinlein - Stranger in a Strange Land / Starship Troopers / The Moon is a Harsh Mistress\nAlfred Bester - The Demolished Man / The Stars My Destination\nJack Vance - The Dying Earth\nPhilip K. Dick - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep / The Man in the High Castle\nLarry Niven - Ringworld\netc. etc.\nA list of Hugo Award winners[1] might come in helpful.\nAnother advantage of having read \"the greats\" is that if some critic says that new author X writes \"in the style of Y\" you have a slightly better idea if you might like it.\nTastes vary, of course. Personally I never got what's supposed to be so great about Ender's Game. Teen Mary Sue geek power fantasy with questionable morals. Then again, lots of people said similar things about Heinlein…\n[1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Award_for_Best_Novel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress",
          "reason": "Included in a list of science fiction classics recommended to explore influential works.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring science fiction classics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865228,
          "author": "ww520",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T16:05:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865228",
          "commentText": "If you like Foundation, you might like the Ringworld series by Larry Niven.  Ringworld is a classic.\nRobert Heinlein's books are great.  Some come to mine are The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, Starship Troopers (much better than the movies), Stranger in a Strange Land, Double Stars, and The Puppet Masters.\nUrsula K. Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness is amazing.  The Earthsea series are fun read if you want to get beyond SciFi.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Some come to mine are The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress",
          "reason": "Listed among Heinlein books described as great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753309,
          "author": "danilocampos",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:49:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753309",
          "commentText": "I didn't love Stranger, but I blame Heinlein's stroke on that. Mid-way through writing it, he had a stroke – and you can tell because there's this huge break in the direction of the narrative.\nMoon feels much more cohesive and internally consistent. It's my favorite work of Heinlein's. Citizen of the Galaxy is also outstanding, even though it was written for the \"juvenile\" market.\nThe neatest thing about Bryson is that he's a travel writer. It works out really well for a science book, though, because he takes nothing for granted and describes everything with such loving flourish. It's a travelogue through the history of science and it's funny, and fun, while still respecting the subject matter.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Moon feels much more cohesive and internally consistent. It's my favorite work of Heinlein's.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it Heinlein's favorite work and praises its cohesion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753293,
          "author": "mp_cnb",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:41:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753293",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction\n- 'The Selfish Gene' - Richard Dawkins\nGrokking the concept changed the way I thought about life forever.\n- 'Quantum Reality' - Nick Herbert\nOne of the best introductory level books on quantum physics mysteries. No nonsense.\n- Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert Pirsig\nThe book that introduced me to Kant, Hume and philosophy of science. Just for that, I'm forever indebted to it.\nSome favorite fiction books -\n- Cryptonomicon - Neal Stephenson\nLoved 'Snowcrash' too.\n- 'The Moon is a Harsh Mistress' - Robert Heinlein\n- Anything by Kurt Vonnegut, Milan Kundera, Somerset Maugham",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- 'The Moon is a Harsh Mistress' - Robert Heinlein",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226847,
          "author": "aarongough",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:34:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226847",
          "commentText": "I'm a big fan of Sci-Fi because I feel it makes people think about what they want the future to be, as well as avoiding the re-hashing of historical and current events that many fiction books set in the present do. With that in mind a list of great books to read:\n  The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson\n  Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson\n  Gridlinked - Neal Asher\n  Neuromancer - William Gibson\n  The Reality Dysfunction - Peter F. Hamilton\n  The Dreaming Void - Peter F. Hamilton\n  Fallen Dragon - Peter F. Hamilton\n  Altered Carbon - Richard Morgan\n  Market Forces - Richard Morgan\n  Blindsight - Peter Watts\n  The Electric Church - Jeff Somers\n  Tunnel in the Sky - Robert A. Heinlein\n  The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Robert A. Heinlein\n  1984 - George Orwell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Robert A. Heinlein",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143070,
          "author": "skmurphy",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T03:34:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143070",
          "commentText": "in no particular order:\nMyers-Brigs Model for Personality\n\"Four Steps to the Epiphany\" by Steve Blank\nJohn Boyd's OODA Loop as a model for competitive decision making\nDecision Analysis techniques: in particular decision trees, expected value of perfect information, and good decision bad outcome\nBATNA (best alternative to a negotiated agreement) concept for negotiation planning\n\"Secrets of Consulting\" by Gerald M. Weinberg\n\"Bionomics\" by Michael Rothschild\nSimCity computer game\nAnalysis of Competing Hypotheses methodology\nwiki (social process) model for small team collaborative document development\ncommunity of practice model for knowledge management\n\"The Moon is a Harsh Mistress\" by Robert Heinlein (in particular TANSTAAFL)\nactivation energy, catalyst, and phase change concepts from physics/chemistry\nAmplify Positive Deviance model from Jerry Sternin (Save the Children)\n\"The Empowered Manager\" by Peter Block, in particular his trust vs. agreement matrix\n\"Crossing the Chasm\" & \"Inside the Tornado\" by Geoffrey Moore\n\"Maneuver Warfare Handbook\" by William Lind\n\"Change Your Brain, Change Your Life\" by Daniel Amen\n\"Micromotives and Macrobehavior\" by Thomas Schelling\nAppreciative Inquiry Techniques",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"The Moon is a Harsh Mistress\" by Robert Heinlein (in particular TANSTAAFL)",
          "reason": "Listed among the ideas and concepts that influenced the commenter, especially its TANSTAAFL concept.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140499,
          "author": "anupamkapoor",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T03:13:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140499",
          "commentText": "i like heinlein's \"moon is a harsh mistress\" and alfred-bester's \"tiger-tiger / stars-my-destination\". kinda old school though.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "i like heinlein's \"moon is a harsh mistress\"",
          "reason": "Says they like the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes it as old school.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert A. Heinlein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 29,
      "threads": 25,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "lunar colony",
        "political science fiction",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "political revolution"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "brave-new-world-29b920",
      "title": "Brave New World",
      "author": "Aldous Huxley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49902578,
          "author": "sotix",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T00:04:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49902578",
          "commentText": "It's a great read and fun to pair with 1984, Brave New World, and Fahrenheit 451.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984, Brave New World, and Fahrenheit 451.",
          "reason": "Recommends pairing the book under discussion with these dystopian novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021753,
          "author": "pkd",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:08:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021753",
          "commentText": "- A Fire Upon The Deep\n- Brave New World\n- The Dispossessed\n- The Sirens of Titan / Slaughterhouse 5\n- Recursion\n- Exhalation\n- There Is No Antimemetics Division\n- Foundation Series",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brave New World",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32791257,
          "author": "wunderlust",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T15:04:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32791257",
          "commentText": "My field of study (what I really like to think and learn about) isn't my field of work, but I like the question so I'll spill some thoughts.\nI spend a lot of time thinking about philosophical-ish stuff, so here are some books that have had the strongest residual effects (whether that's changing how I think, changing what I think about, changing my values, or simply getting the thought ball rolling faster):\nIshmael (Daniel Quinn)\n1984 (George Orwell)\nBrave New World (Aldous Huxley)\nGodel, Escher, Bach (Douglas Hofstadter)\nThe Republic [imp. \"the allegory of the cave\"] (Plato)\nThe Genealogy of Morals (Friedrich Nietzsche)\nThe Social Construction of Reality (Peter L. Berger, Thomas Luckmann)\nTractatus Logico-Philosophicus (L. Wittgenstein)\nDissemination [imp. \"The Pharmakon\"] (Jacques Derrida)\nThe Quest for Reality (Barry Stroud)\nLanguages of Art (Nelson Goodman)\nThe Structure of Scientific Revolutions (Thomas Kuhn)\nConcepts (Jerry Fodor)\nThe Web of Life (Fritjof Capra)\nFoucault's Pendulum (Umberto Eco)\nNaming and Necessity (Saul Kripke)\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Robert Pirsig)\nThere are others, and a lot of essays (by thinkers like Bertrand Russell, Carl Hempel, Hilary Putnam, WVO Quine, Karl Popper, Alfred Tarski, Gottlob Frege, David Chalmers, Daniel Dennett, Michel Foucault, Jean Baudrillard, Mikhail Bakunin, CS Peirce, and David Hume, among many others), but these seem apropos as they most readily came to mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)",
          "reason": "Listed among books with strong residual effects on the commenter’s thinking and values.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31968834,
          "author": "boddhi",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T16:21:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31968834",
          "commentText": "Brave New World",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brave New World",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30241861,
          "author": "keyme",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T08:26:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241861",
          "commentText": "Brave new world",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brave new world",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22719338,
          "author": "sdedovic",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T14:38:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22719338",
          "commentText": "- Anna Karenina: Tolstoy knows people better than they know themselves\n- Brave New World: Aldous Huxley is a genius and a wordsmith\n- Dune: a sci-fi masterpiece, highly recommended to anyone into sci-fi\n- Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: not purely fiction but an amazing book I will surely re-read during my lifetime",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brave New World: Aldous Huxley is a genius and a wordsmith",
          "reason": "Praises Huxley's writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804348,
          "author": "JonathanMerklin",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:41:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804348",
          "commentText": "Great thread. 2019 was the first time in about 7-8 years I made reading for pleasure a tertiary priority ((school+career)work/sleep/exercise+socializing+(NEW!)reading) and I got through about 20 books of varying length and difficulty, so here are the next 20 in my queue:\n- Infinite Jest (already started, will likely finish in early Jan. I love it so far.)\n- Quantum Computing Since Democritus (started in November as my nonfiction read, but took a break; I think I want to finish IJ first. Scott is an excellent writer and I was really enjoying this)\n- Building Microservices\n- The Code Book\n- How Cars Work (I want to turn the projection of a car in my brain from a black box to a gray box this year, and I don't mean by purchasing a Cybertruck)\n- To Kill a Mockingbird\n- The Personal MBA (for years I laughed off caring about the business of business and lived in my fantasy land of being satisfied with just the technical details and being focused on only implementing great software/learning how to do so. With a few years in the workforce under my belt, I realize that such an outlook was of great detriment to me. I'm open to other suggestions on similar \"catch me up to speed on general business education\" material)\n- Designing Data-Intensive Applications\n- Island (I have a copy of this but not Brave New World. Multiple friends of mine demand I try Huxley, so here we are.)\n- The Annotated Turing\n- How to Invent Everything\n- Soonish (SMBC is a daily read for me and I'm excited to get to this.)\n- How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems (ditto XKCD modulo release schedule)\n- Basic Economics\n- Thus Spoke Zarathustra\n- Seveneves\n- The Prince\n- Pacific Rims: Beermen Ballin' in Flip-Flops and the Philippines' Unlikely Love Affair with Basketball\n- Elevator Music: A Surreal History of Muzak, Easy-Listening, and Other Moodsong\n- Fahrenheit 451\nAdditionally, to tickle the part of my brain that fancies mathematics (one of my my majors in undergrad), I try to work through a chapter or two of Evan Chen's \"An Infinitely Long Napkin\" on a quarterly basis. If you don't mind a conversational tone to your math textbooks, I've found this to be an excellent resource for scraping the surface of a wide variety of topics and fields (including, well, topics like fields). I think I'll continue this habit.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Multiple friends of mine demand I try Huxley",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a book the commenter does not have; friends urged them to try Huxley.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not have a copy and does not explicitly say this is the book they plan to read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803978,
          "author": "jriot",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:57:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803978",
          "commentText": "I've curated my 2020 list over the last few months, eventually splitting it in two; 2021 has been started, but below is my 2020 list.\nBrave New World\nCatcher in the Rye (3rd read)\nTom Sawyer\nThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn\nWar and Peace\nCatch-22\nStranger in a Strange Lan\nThe Hobbit (3rd read)\nThe Illiad\nThe Odessey\nWalden\nLeisure, The Basis of Culture\nThe Seven Storey Mountain\nConfessions\nThe City of God\nWays of Life St Augustine\nCatechism of the Catholic Church\nThese Truths\nBattle Cry of Freedom\nThe Complete Guide to Fly Fishing\nThe Lure and Lore of Trout Fishing\nThe Duck Huntingest Gentlemen",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Brave New World",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's curated 2020 reading list in response to a book suggestions question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Part of a planned reading list.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21460084,
          "author": "Maxtylor",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T06:01:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21460084",
          "commentText": "\"Brave New World \" Aldous Leonard Huxley\nThis book is a wonderful book that anticipates the present future.\nNot all of this book foretells, but I am reading it because I want to be able to have such foresight.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book is a wonderful book that anticipates the present future.",
          "reason": "Praised for anticipating the present.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says not all of it foretells.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19089514,
          "author": "catwell",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T20:34:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19089514",
          "commentText": "- NKS (Wolfram), among other things for the idea that sometimes reasoning backwards from what you observe cannot work.\n- I read Brave New World (Huxley) when I was young, and it didn't have such a strong impression on me at the time, but it has strongly influenced some of  my political takes over my whole life.\n- The four steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank) showed me that there can be method to the apparent madness that is entrepreneurship.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it has strongly influenced some of my political takes over my whole life.",
          "reason": "Says the novel has strongly influenced some of their political views.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It did not make a strong impression when they first read it young.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665060,
          "author": "billybatson",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:11:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665060",
          "commentText": "A Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley: Decent. I think this book would best be read in conjunction while working through a textbook. I will admit that it did do quite a bit to help relieve math anxiety, but the nature of the book is practicality.\nBrave New World by Aldous Huxley: A reread. A bit depressing considering the state of the world today. I found myself wondering which reality would be preferable.\nLetters to a Young Mathematician by Ian Stewart: Easy, but fruitful read. I've struggled a lot with math confidence, and this helped alleviate a lot of that.\nHow to Speak, How to Listen by Mortimer J. Adler: A lot of practical advice. My biggest takeaway was this: if it's worth talking about, even if the conversation sucks or the other person doesn't understand, any bit of advancement and understanding is worth the effort. Really helped me increase my patience when talking to people.\nQuack This Way by David Foster Wallace and Bryan Garner: Super useful and practical discussion between two lovers of language. I keep a copy with me at all times.\nThe Autobiography of Gucci Mane: Just a fun read while on vacation. \"If Gucci can do it, you can do it\".\nJesus' Son by Denis Johnson: A nice if brutal read. It was my first foray in DJ. I felt Cormac McCarthyish vibes.\nBlood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy: A classic. The Judge.\nThinking About Mathematics by Stuart Shapiro: Highly recommended for anyone interested in the philosophical questions of mathematics. Shapiro writes clearly, concisely, and in a manner that is easy to read.\nThe Liars' Club by Mary Karr: Pretty great but brutal.\nThe Broom of the System by David Foster Wallace: I really enjoyed it. It's ode to Wittgenstein and it helped me cope with a lot of questions that I felt after studying LW.\nThe Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: I think we've all been in Werther's shoes. Though I hope that nobody comes to the same conclusion he came to.\nManage Your Day-To-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, & Sharpen Your Creative Mind: A pretty great book. I find myself writing a book report on it to make sure I internalize a lot of the lessons. If you're having trouble doing creative work while working, read this.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A reread. A bit depressing considering the state of the world today. I found myself wondering which reality would be preferable.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the reread was depressing and prompted reflection on reality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a bit depressing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14485830,
          "author": "lorenzorhoades",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T07:18:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14485830",
          "commentText": "Great list! I love alot of the books you put on this list. I see Brave New World on alot of book lists. I get that it is a groundbreaking work at the time of its publication, but is it really that great nowadays? I've tried to read it on multiple occassions and i find it almost impossible to completely get through the book. his writing style is absolutely maddening (I think its partly because of my OCD, but at certain points the author is carrying on multiple conversations at one time, line by line. Nothing is Particularly surprising to me about this book, and I found it rather boring. I understand that it kind of predicted classical conditioning, but thats all obvious now. I understand that it inspired 1984, but i read 1984 before i tried to read brave new world, so nothing was suprising. Am i missing something here?",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I've tried to read it on multiple occassions and i find it almost impossible to completely get through the book.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds the writing style maddening and the book boring.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Acknowledges its historical influence and ideas about classical conditioning.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13568153,
          "author": "unicornporn",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T18:21:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13568153",
          "commentText": "\"We were keeping our eye on 1984. When the year came and the prophecy didn't, thoughtful Americans sang softly in praise of themselves. The roots of liberal democracy had held. Wherever else the terror had happened, we, at least, had not been visited by Orwellian nightmares.\nBut we had forgotten that alongside Orwell's dark vision, there was another - slightly older, slightly less well known, equally chilling: Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. Contrary to common belief even among the educated, Huxley and Orwell did not prophesy the same thing. Orwell warns that we will be overcome by an externally imposed oppression. But in Huxley's vision, no Big Brother is required to deprive people of their autonomy, maturity and history. As he saw it, people will come to love their oppression, to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think.\nWhat Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies, the orgy porgy, and the centrifugal bumblepuppy. As Huxley remarked in Brave New World Revisited, the civil libertarians and rationalists who are ever on the alert to oppose tyranny \"failed to take into account man's almost infinite appetite for distractions.\" In 1984, Orwell added, people are controlled by inflicting pain. In Brave New World, they are controlled by inflicting pleasure. In short, Orwell feared that what we fear will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we desire will ruin us.\"\n— Neil Postman (Author of Amusing Ourselves to Death)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "But in Huxley's vision, no Big Brother is required to deprive people of their autonomy, maturity and history.",
          "reason": "Contrasts Huxley's account of control through pleasure with Orwell's account.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567412,
          "author": "merryandrew",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T16:07:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567412",
          "commentText": "1984, followed directly by Brave New World. Our world resembles a lot from each of these books. Much like in 1984, we have devices and companies constantly monitoring us (iOS, Android, Facebook, etc.), we have “news programs” and websites seemingly modeled after the “two minutes hate”, and we clearly have some Ministry of Truth-like misinformation getting spread around while accurate information gets lost or ignored. Much like in Brave New World, we have soma-like drugs, distractions and trivialities occupying people while they accept the world as it is and even shy away from wanting to change things. Really, we live in a world that blends together much of what was described in 1984 and Brave New World. Neither book predicted the future accurately, but together the picture these books painted is pretty damn accurate, and disturbing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Much like in Brave New World, we have soma-like drugs, distractions and trivialities occupying people",
          "reason": "Connects the novel's themes of distraction and social acceptance to the present.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says neither book predicted the future accurately.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11557546,
          "author": "dudul",
          "createdAt": "2016-04-23T21:42:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 11556470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your favorite dystopian novel and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11557546",
          "commentText": "The thing with \"Brave New World\" is that it's not a sad future.  Everyone is happy.  Everyone is conditioned to be happy with their situation.  Alphas are happy to be alphas and enjoy a lot of privileges, Betas are happy to be betas and not have to deal with as many responsibilities as Alphas, etc.  And this is the scariest part to me in the book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The thing with \"Brave New World\" is that it's not a sad future.",
          "reason": "Discusses how the novel's conditioned happiness makes its world frightening.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11556570,
          "author": "dudul",
          "createdAt": "2016-04-23T17:53:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 11556470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your favorite dystopian novel and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11556570",
          "commentText": "By far \"1984\".  I re-read it once in while, and am always terrified to see that each time, it looks a little more like our actual world.\nI like \"Brave New World\" as well.  It is interesting to see how our present is a mix of both Huxley's and Orwell's worlds.  http://postimg.org/image/ue0pdq56r/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I like \"Brave New World\" as well.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they like the novel and relates its world to the present.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in dystopian fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9677633,
          "author": "tmej",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-08T07:19:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9677633",
          "commentText": "Brave New World - Aldous Huxley\nOpened my mind and put into writing some of the things I'd been contemplating.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Opened my mind and put into writing some of the things I'd been contemplating.",
          "reason": "Says the book opened their mind and articulated ideas they had been contemplating.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9646704,
          "author": "Jacqued",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-02T15:56:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 9636361,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9646704",
          "commentText": "BNW has always seemed much more alien to me than 1984. When I first read it as a teenager it seemed incomprehensible and somewhat insane.\nNow as I get older and get to better understand (still very modestly!) people in general and the structures of power, it seems like a much better informed take on our society",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "When I first read it as a teenager it seemed incomprehensible and somewhat insane.",
          "reason": "Says its view of society seems better informed with age.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Initially found it incomprehensible and somewhat insane.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9637999,
          "author": "classicsnoot",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-01T12:23:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 9636361,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9637999",
          "commentText": "How do you feel about Aldous Huxley's Brave New World? A juxtaposition between BNW and 1984 is very interesting in terms of what actually happened vs. what the authors portrayed.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "How do you feel about Aldous Huxley's Brave New World?",
          "reason": "The commenter asks for the other person's opinion of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Asked as a question; no evaluation or recommendation is expressed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056570,
          "author": "elorant",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:27:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056570",
          "commentText": "Everything from Asimov.\nThe Mars trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson.\nThe Culture books from Iain Banks.\nThe Rama series from Clarke although it got tiresome after a while.\nThe Sparrow and Children of God from Mary Doria Russell.\nContact by Sagan which by the way is one of the very few sci-fi books that were successfully depicted in movies.\nBrave new world from Huxley. Old one but still highly relevant.\nThe first ones from Gibson.\nThe Enter series by Orson Scott Card.\nBradbury's Farhenheit 451. This one is a classic.\nRevelation Space from Alaistair Reynolds who writes the most hardcore sci-fi I've ever come across.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Brave new world from Huxley. Old one but still highly relevant.",
          "reason": "Calls the book still highly relevant.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as an old book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8947112,
          "author": "user_235711",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-26T14:25:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8947112",
          "commentText": "Invasion of the Body Snatchers by Jack Finney\n2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke\nBrave New World by Aldous Huxley\nMission of Gravity by Hal Clement\nThe Song and the Pendant by Magnus Von Black",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brave New World by Aldous Huxley",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8944625,
          "author": "Tycho",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-25T23:05:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944625",
          "commentText": "Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, Dune, Foundation series, Martian Chronicles & Illustrated Man, Ender's Game, Accelerando, Hyperion, The Forever War, Player of Games, Snow Crash",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brave New World",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8944477,
          "author": "poopchute",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-25T22:18:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944477",
          "commentText": "- Brave New World (dystopia/utopia, short read)\n- Pandora's Star (futuristic (2380), humans are immortal through rejuvenation and are colonizing new worlds using worm hole tech(I think they have 50 or so worlds), long read - lots of sequels if you enjoy the universe)\n- Ender's game (futuristic, the movie cuts off  1/2 the book that revolves around Ender's 2 siblings, both also are geniuses, short read - lots of sequels if you enjoy the universe)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brave New World (dystopia/utopia, short read)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a short dystopian or utopian read.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107093,
          "author": "mrcdima",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T09:05:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107093",
          "commentText": "Some titles I've recently read or at least have placed on my reading list.\n--------------------\nPhilosohpy\nLetters from a Stoic: Epistulae Morales Ad Lucilium - Seneca\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius (must read)\nThe Republic - Plato\n--------------------\nHistory\nFive Chimneys - Olga Lengyel\nThe Gulag Archipelago - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (must read)\nThe Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank\n--------------------\nFiction\n(particularly dystopian) 1984, Brave New World, Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451\n(crime/action) Child 44, The Secret Speech, Agent 6 - Tom Rob Smith\n--------------------\nEconomics\nCapital in the Twenty-First Century - Thomas Piketty\nPoor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty - Banerjee, Duflo\nWhy Nations Fail - Robinson\n--------------------\nEconomics/Decision making/Psychology\nUndercover Economist, Freakonomics, Nudge, Thinking Fast and Slow\n--------------------\nRandom titles\nThe Selfish Gene, Self-Reliance, The Elements of Style (about writing), Slaughterhouse-Five\n--------------------\nSome links to inspire your reading (though you may want to checkout the websites first to get an idea of the topics they cover)\nhttp://www.gatesnotes.com/Books\nhttp://bookpickings.brainpickings.org/\nhttp://www.farnamstreetblog.com/reading/\nhttp://www.ryanholiday.net/reading-newsletter\nI’m just a working-class guy trying to take part in the conversation that all the smart people are having. What books should I read? - http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-cl... (http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-class-guy-trying-to-take-part-in-the-conversation-that-all-the-smart-people-are-having-what-books-should-i-read/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brave New World",
          "reason": "Listed as a title in response to the thread's request for book suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5691391,
          "author": "bloodorange",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T17:53:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5691391",
          "commentText": "\"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland\" - Lewis Carroll\n\"Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There\" - Lewis Carroll\n\"Dracula\" - Bram Stoker\n\"Frankenstein\" - Mary Shelly\n\"On Education\" - Bertrand Russell\n\"The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy\" - Douglas Adams\n\"Animal Farm\" - George Orwell\n\"1984\" - George Orwell\n\"Lord of The Flies\" - William Golding\n\"Brave New World\" - Aldous Huxley\n\"Gulliver's Travels\" - Jonathan Swift\n\"The Selfish Gene\" - Richard Dawkins",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Brave New World\" - Aldous Huxley",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for good book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4787418,
          "author": "timmm",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:19:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787418",
          "commentText": "The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho.\nKing, Warrior, Magician, Lover by Moore and Gillette\nThe lean startup\nPaul Graham how to start a startup\nMark Hyman Ultimate Mind Solution\nTribal Leadership\nWheel of Time\nThink and Grow Rich\nSuperior Man David Deida\nThe Fountain Head\nEckhart Tolle New Earth\n50th Law\nGood to Great\nJed Mckenna\nEarl Nightengale\nLong Walk to Freedom\nOutliers\nGood to Great\nPsycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz (Self-image)\nSeven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey(Being awesome)\nWealth of Nations\nWayne Dyer The Tao\nSystem of the World\nOrigin of Species\nBrave new world\nThank you economy\nCrush it\nBuilt to Last\nWho Moved my Cheese\nStillness Speak Eckhert Tolle\nMastery George Leonard\nSteve Jobs Biography\nThe Last Lecture\nSteve Pavlina Books\nIacocca\nStriking Thoughts Bruce Lee\nCarlos Castaneda\nGhost in the Wires\nRichest Man in Babylon\nWay of the Superior Man\nLosing My Virginity\nThink and Grow Rich\nDelivering Happiness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brave new world",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971377,
          "author": "_b8r0",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T10:28:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971377",
          "commentText": "My younger self wouldn't have been interested in the books that interest me now. Instead I'd have to settle for some good fiction.\nGoing back in time to around 12-16, I'd send one of:\n* Brave New World - Aldous Huxley\n* 1984 - George Orwell\n* To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee\n* Catch 22 - Joe Heller\n* Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut\n* Of Mice and Men - Steinbeck\n* Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury\n* The Call of Ctulhu - H.P. Lovecraft\n* Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card\nSome of those I actually read in school and loved (but wish I read earlier), others I didn't. I think any of those books would've interested me at the time. There's plenty of time for Rich Dad, Poor Dad, SPIN Selling and all the business books later in life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Brave New World - Aldous Huxley",
          "reason": "Included as a fiction choice for their younger self.",
          "audience": "Readers around ages 12–16, as suggested by the commenter.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1635259,
          "author": "lotusleaf1987",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-26T06:34:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1635259",
          "commentText": "Brave New World, 1984, The Metamorphosis, The Stranger, and...possibly Les Miserables if you have A LOT of free time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brave New World",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed your life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1632742,
          "author": "timruffles",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T13:20:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1632742",
          "commentText": "1984 has a lot to teach, and you could argue we've not learned them as history is rewritten, thoughts outlawed and truth redefined by our politicians and media.\nBut I'd agree that BNW has more to teach us about today - lots of us are losing/have lost the ability to think much beyond our next pleasurable experience.\nhttp://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2PAuup/www.recombinantrecords.... (http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2PAuup/www.recombinantrecords.net/docs/2009-05-Amusing-Ourselves-to-Death.html/r:t)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "BNW has more to teach us about today",
          "reason": "Says it has more to teach about the present, especially loss of attention to anything beyond immediate pleasure.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1632624,
          "author": "fbnt",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T12:30:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1632624",
          "commentText": "If you havent read it yet, I'd suggest you to read Huxley's Brave New World, as opposed to 1984.\nGiven it was written in 1932 it surprisingly exposes present-day concerns.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd suggest you to read Huxley's Brave New World",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a counterpoint to Nineteen Eighty-Four and says it speaks to present-day concerns.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Presented as an alternative to 1984.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876835,
          "author": "narag",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T15:07:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876835",
          "commentText": "Star Diaries +1 (what a surprise that you... :-))\nBrave New World.\nI read those when I was 12... then everything I could find by Lem and Huxley too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brave New World.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876510,
          "author": "walesmd",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T11:42:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876510",
          "commentText": "1984 and A Brave New World",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Brave New World",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to the thread’s request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 141191,
          "author": "SwellJoe",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T22:19:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=141191",
          "commentText": "Read the whole set:\nWe\n1984\nAnthem\nBrave New World\nI love dystopias, and these four have always seemed to work together, to me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anthem\nBrave New World\nI love dystopias",
          "reason": "Lists it as part of a set of dystopias the commenter loves.",
          "audience": "Readers who love dystopian fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140369,
          "author": "brentr",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T00:22:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140369",
          "commentText": "Brave New World, by Huxley\nI read this book in the eighth grade. I was fascinated by the classes the society was divided into. In the book you were born into a certain class, and I saw many similarities to today's world. It was not the most inspiring, but definitely it was the most interesting.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It was not the most inspiring, but definitely it was the most interesting.",
          "reason": "Names it as the most interesting book read, while qualifying that it was not the most inspiring.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it was not the most inspiring.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86041,
          "author": "oditogre",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T19:03:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86041",
          "commentText": "- Brave New World\n- Night\n- Hitchhiker's Guide series\n- Dark Tower series (Mostly just the first 4, though)\n- Eats, Shoots & Leaves\n- Just about any George Carlin or Patrick F. McManus books\n- Wheel of Time Series\n- Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brave New World",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Aldous Huxley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 29,
      "threads": 23,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopian fiction",
        "dystopia",
        "social control",
        "social conditioning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-lean-startup-8053c0",
      "title": "The Lean Startup",
      "author": "Eric Ries",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41546991,
          "author": "submeta",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-15T12:06:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41546991",
          "commentText": "I highly recommend \"The Lean Startup\" by Eric Ries, which offers good insights into building a successful startup through continuous innovation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend \"The Lean Startup\" by Eric Ries",
          "reason": "Recommends it for insights into building a startup through continuous innovation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41546328,
          "author": "mklepaczewski",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-15T09:21:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41546328",
          "commentText": "It depends on your startup's stage. If it doesn't exist yet (and based on your submissions, it doesn't), you can start after reading The Mom Test. You might also want to read The Lean Startup.\nHowever, you can read a dozen books and still be stuck in the research phase. Reading alone doesn't create your startup. If you understand The Mom Test and apply its knowledge, you're ready to start.\nBe cautious of advice from people who have read hundreds of books on starting a startup - they may not have had the time to actually create one.\nGo validate your idea, and (hopefully) start building. Good luck!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "You might also want to read The Lean Startup.",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a possible read for someone whose startup does not exist yet.",
          "audience": "People whose startup does not exist yet.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says reading alone does not create a startup.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41545895,
          "author": "anssip",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-15T07:35:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41545895",
          "commentText": "I would recommend The Lean Startup by Eric Ries. It’s a classic that introduced the MVP concept to the world.\nAnd for a bit of different approach, Make by Pieter Levels. This also recommends trying a lot of ideas and seeking what sticks, but perhaps with a more straightforward approach.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Lean Startup by Eric Ries",
          "reason": "Recommended as a classic that introduced the MVP concept.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40284907,
          "author": "xucian",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T12:56:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40284907",
          "commentText": "Zero to one\nThe lean startup\nThe 4-hour workweek\nThe subtle art of not giving a f*ck\n--\nWhat I've found out, biographies are the best thing for me because I always want to know what happens next, but I also learn invaluable lessons from the biographee (just googled this term now and it exists!), so it's a nice mix of story and self-help",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The lean startup",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40279216,
          "author": "jasiek-net",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-06T20:36:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40279216",
          "commentText": "Same here - Zero to one - really inspiring book!\nAnd Lean startup - far too ambitious for me at the moment, but I learned a lot from it.\n4 hour work week - I would say it’s more like a fiction book, but still fun to read.\n7 habits of highly effective people - it’s saved my life in high school, I knew some parts of it by heart.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "And Lean startup - far too ambitious for me at the moment, but I learned a lot from it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they learned a lot from it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is too ambitious for them at the moment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35174088,
          "author": "pedalpete",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T20:13:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35174088",
          "commentText": "The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function. - Scott Fitzgerald\nI disagree that the two ideas are completely opposed. They both describe tools in building something. Though if I think about how Zero to One is approached, I feel it's more of a manifesto on overcoming challenges, and doing challenging things. Lean Startup focuses on how to run small experiments.\nNobody says building something challenging isn't just the process of running lots of experiments to find what works.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Lean Startup focuses on how to run small experiments.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes its focus as running small experiments and argues this can coexist with ambitious challenges.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment argues it is compatible with Zero to One, despite the parent comment's claim of contradiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35173907,
          "author": "samhsmith",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T20:00:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35173907",
          "commentText": "I don't understand how people here are recommending Zero to One and Lean Startup at the same time. They contradict each other. And in fact the Lean Startup is full of the kind of foolish post dotcom-crash thinking that Zero to One warns against.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I don't understand how people here are recommending Zero to One and Lean Startup at the same time. They contradict each other.",
          "reason": "The commenter objects to recommending it alongside Zero to One, calling its approach foolish post-dot-com-crash thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Explicitly says it contradicts Zero to One.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35171836,
          "author": "ranabuzdar",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:32:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35171836",
          "commentText": "Here are some of the most popular ones:\nThe Lean Startup by Eric Ries\nZero to One by Peter Thiel\nThe 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey\nThink and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill\nThe E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber\nGood to Great by Jim Collins\nThe Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander\nThe Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz\nThe Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton Christensen\nRework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson\nThese books cover various aspects of entrepreneurship, from idea generation and innovation to leadership and management. Each one offers a unique perspective and valuable insights that can help entrepreneurs navigate the challenges and opportunities of starting and growing a business.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Lean Startup by Eric Ries",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the books covering entrepreneurship.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936319,
          "author": "el_shmc",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T08:46:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936319",
          "commentText": "Lean Startup series\nIt know better understand the importance of testing ideas before investing time and money.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lean Startup series",
          "reason": "The commenter says the series helped them better understand the importance of testing ideas before investing time and money.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25216443,
          "author": "webmaven",
          "createdAt": "2020-11-26T02:56:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 25207732,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Suggest good books on bootstrapping a startup",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25216443",
          "commentText": "> - The Four Steps to the Epiphany\nGood (even great) book, but has some flaws and focuses mostly on enterprise costumers. The revised version  The Startup Owner's Manual is more polished and covers a wider range of business models.\n> - The Lean Startup\nAn excellent recommendation. The other books in the series (especially IMO Running Lean and Lean Analytics) are also worth a look:\nhttps://www.amazon.com/stores/page/7509FE4F-9888-4384-ACBC-D... (https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/7509FE4F-9888-4384-ACBC-D5B12AA08563)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Lean Startup\nAn excellent recommendation.",
          "reason": "Explicitly called an excellent recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25207887,
          "author": "Rivosa",
          "createdAt": "2020-11-25T10:51:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 25207732,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Suggest good books on bootstrapping a startup",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25207887",
          "commentText": "- The Four Steps to the Epiphany\n- The Lean Startup",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Lean Startup",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21793492,
          "author": "ronyfadel",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-15T00:33:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793492",
          "commentText": "Nonfiction I’ve read this year and enjoyed greatly:\n- How to change your mind by Michael Pollan\n- The Lean Startup\n- Company of One",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Lean Startup",
          "reason": "Includes it among nonfiction books read and greatly enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21713941,
          "author": "jppope",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T17:01:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21713941",
          "commentText": "Here's my shortlist:\n- The Art of the Advantage (33 stratagems)\n- Winning By Jack Welch\n- Tribal Leadership\n- Creativity Inc\n- The Lean Startup (~leadership in the face of uncertainty)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Lean Startup (~leadership in the face of uncertainty)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16354094,
          "author": "rookiemaverick",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T18:51:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16354094",
          "commentText": "The lean startup and from zero to one.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The lean startup",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961294,
          "author": "vo1d",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:27:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961294",
          "commentText": "- The Innovator's Dilemma by Clay Christensen\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman\n- A Briefer History of Time by Stephen Hawking\n- The Lean Startup by Eric Ries\n- Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson\n- The Industries of the Future by Alec Ross\n- Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss\n- Start with No by Jim Camp\n- How Google Works by Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg\n- The Everything Store by Brad Stone\n- The Inevitable by Kevin Kelly",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Lean Startup by Eric Ries",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15159707,
          "author": "edpichler",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T04:31:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15159707",
          "commentText": "- The Lean Startup, by Eric Rives\n- The Long Tail, by Chris Anderson\n- The Blue Ocean Strategy, by W. Chan Kim\n- On the shortness of life, by Seneca\n- 1984, by George Orwell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Lean Startup, by Eric Rives",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14478612,
          "author": "edpichler",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T21:32:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478612",
          "commentText": "Lean Startup.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lean Startup.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13258390,
          "author": "alc90",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-26T14:47:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13258390",
          "commentText": "My goal for this year was to read 10 books. Not a huge challenge but I'm happy I managed to complete it. I'm currently at my 16th book - so I might say that's pretty good.\nHere's my 2016 reading list:\n#1. Zero to One - Peter Thiel - 3.5*\n#2. The Alchemis - Paulo Coelho - 3.5*\n#3. Founders at Work - Jessica Livingston - 3*\n#4. Traction - Gabriel Weinberg - 4.5*\n#5. How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie -4*\n#6. Reinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations... - Frederic Laloux, Ken Wilber - 4*\n#7. Daily Rituals: How Artists Work - Mason Currey - 3*\n#8. Rich Dad, Poor Dad - Robert T. Kiyosak - 3*\n#9. The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs... - Eric Ries - 4.5*\n#10. Meaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly - Bernadette Jiwa - 3*\n#11. Elon Musk: Inventing the Future - Ashlee Vance - 4*\n#12. Rework - Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson - 4.5*\n#13. Anything You Want - Derek Sivers - 4.5*\n#14. South of the Border, West of the Sun - Haruki Murakami - 3.5*\n#15. As A Man Thinketh / The Path Of Prosperity - James Allen - 4*\nCurrently I'm reading If This Is a Man / The Truce by Primo Levi - and so far it seems to be one of the top 3 books I've read this year - definitely a 4+* book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "#9. The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs... - Eric Ries - 4.5*",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12415751,
          "author": "tsaprailis",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T19:46:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12415751",
          "commentText": "Thanks a lot for these. The lean startup is already on my list, will check the rest.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The lean startup is already on my list, will check the rest.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12150875,
          "author": "de107549",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-23T20:24:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12150875",
          "commentText": "There were different book that impacted different stages of my career:\nAs a programmer :\n1. The C++ Programming Language by Bjarne Stroustrup.\n2. Operating System Concepts by Silberschatz\n3. Compilers by Aho\nAs an agile software developer:\n1. eXtreme Programming by Kent Beck\n2. Pragmatic Programmer by Hunt and Thomas\n3. Continuous Delivery by Jez Humble\nAs an architect:\n1. Domain Driven Design by Evans\n2. Pattern-Oriented Software Architecture by Buschmann\n3. Envisioning Information by Edward Tufte\nAs a CEO:\n1. Good To Great by Collins\n2. Lean Startup by Eric Ries\n3. Beyond Budgeting by Pfläging",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lean Startup by Eric Ries",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144793,
          "author": "brikis98",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T16:52:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144793",
          "commentText": "1. \"The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes\" by Arthur Conan Doyle.\nThis may sound like an odd one, but years ago, I almost never took the time to read. My girlfriend, who knew that I loved Sherlock Holmes books when I was younger, convinced me to try this book as an audiobook while I did my ~40 minute commute to work. I was skeptical, but within days, I was hooked. It made my work commute much more interesting (a British person was reading me Sherlock Holmes!); then I started listening to audiobooks during all my driving (instead of wasting time, I can learn!); then I got an iPod, put audiobooks on that, and started listening to them during all sorts of odd chores (e.g. cleaning, walking, biking); after that, I was so hooked on books, that I started making time to read them too. This had a profoundly transformative effect on my career.\n2. \"The Lean Startup\" by Eric Ries.\nI got a copy of this book when I went to a talk by Eric Ries. Eric seemed like a humble, down-to-earth person and helped dispel the notion that to be a successful entrepreneur, you need to be a prescient, superhero, god-like visionary. Instead, what you need to do is to treat your startup and product ideas as hypotheses and test them, as quickly and cheaply as you can (i.e. lean development, MVPs, etc). This fit very well with what I had seen in the real world and with how I thought about problem solving as a software engineer, and gave me a lot of confidence to try out many of my ideas. Since then, I've used these ideas to start a company (http://www.gruntwork.io/) and written quite a bit on what I learned, including an article on The Macro about MVPs (http://themacro.com/articles/2016/01/minimum-viable-product-... (http://themacro.com/articles/2016/01/minimum-viable-product-process/)).\n3. \"On Writing Well\" by William Zinsser.\nIf Conan Doyle taught me about the fun of reading, then William Zinsser taught me about the fun of writing. If you want to learn how to write, what it's like to write, or why you should write (\"Writing is not a special language owned by the English teacher. Writing is thinking on paper.\"), it's hard to find a better guide. This book significantly improved my writing skills and even gave me the confidence to write a book (http://www.hello-startup.net/).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This fit very well with what I had seen in the real world and with how I thought about problem solving as a software engineer, and gave me a lot of confidence",
          "reason": "Says its ideas fit their experience and gave them confidence to try their own ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144365,
          "author": "kozak",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T16:01:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144365",
          "commentText": "1. \"The Lean Startup\" by Eric Ries\n2. \"Insanely Simple\" by Ken Segall\n3. \"How to Measure Anything\" by Douglas W. Hubbard",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Lean Startup\" by Eric Ries",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which books impacted the commenter's career.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229612,
          "author": "jakegarelick",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T14:42:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229612",
          "commentText": "My recent favorites: Jobs, The Hard Thing About Hard Things, High Output Management, Innovator's Dilemma, Lean Startup, On The Shortness Of Life, How Google Works, Zero To One, Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Power of Habit, Things Fall Apart, Stoner",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lean Startup",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's recent favorites in response to a book recommendation request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9347895,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T14:48:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9347895",
          "commentText": "Here's my usual list of recommendations, the best books I've read in the past 5 years.\nFiction:\n- Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\nIf you know nothing about this book you might naturally hesitate to read \"Harry Potter fanfiction\" and assume that it's dumb/horrbile, but it's not. Just suspend your disbelief and read the first 5-10 chapters. Trust me, it's brilliant, hilarious, and life-changing.\n- Atlas Shrugged\nControversial, I know, a lot of people here hate it for some reason, but it was incredibly influential on me, inspired my passion for entrepreneurship and science and philosophy. Still is one of the best books I am aware of.\nNonfiction:\n- Hackers and Painters by Paul Graham\nAlso a collection of his essays that you can find on github. He is one of the most clever writers I am aware of, but I assume you know that, since you're on HN.\n- \"On Intelligence\" by Jeff Hawkins\nThis book explains in simple terms a very awesome and elegant theory on how mind works. Incredibly fascinating, I've learned a lot from it and it explains a lot of things, and will change the way you think about thinking process.\n- The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins\nEngaging and entertaining explanation of evolution, absolutely fantastic book.\n- The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli.\nDespite the stigma, and people thinking that Machhiavellian = \"evil\", I've found this book extremely clever and wise.\n- Serious Creativity by Edward De Bono\nThe best book on creativity and the process of generating ideas that I'm aware of.\n- Abundance\nThis is a very inspiring and optimistic book about the future of technology.\nEntrepreneurhsip:\n- Start Small, Stay Small\nGuide to creating your first product/business for hackers. It lays out all the basics of entrepreneurship in a very concise and clear ways, my favorite introduction to startups.\n- Rework\nVery wise and intelligent advice about startups, intelligent and witty, must read.\n- Lean Startup\nClassic book on \"lean startup methodology\", very useful.\n- 4-Hour Workweek\nDespite the silly title I think it is a great book and is very much worth reading. Many people here dislike Tim Ferris, but whatever, I think this book is cool.\nAutobiographies:\n- Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman\n- Ghost In The Wires by Kevin Mitnick\n- Catch me if you can by Abagnale\n- iWoz by Steve Wozniak\n- Losing my Virginity by Richard Branson\nAll these are fantastic and very intelligent autobiographies by the very awesome people.\nNow I'm reading \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" and \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies.\"\n\"Rationality\" is great and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. Can't say much about GEB, I've only started reading it, but everyone is saying that it is so great and the best book ever, so I think it's definitely worth checking out.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Classic book on \"lean startup methodology\", very useful.",
          "reason": "Calls it a useful classic on lean startup methodology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401490,
          "author": "keithba",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:30:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401490",
          "commentText": "The Goal is one my favorite books to recommend to anyone joining a startup, but also for product management types. I first read it around the same time I read The Lean Startup, and I found the two to be very complementary.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I first read it around the same time I read The Lean Startup, and I found the two to be very complementary.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it complements The Goal.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7451089,
          "author": "ASquare",
          "createdAt": "2014-03-22T22:01:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 7450534,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's on your reading list? Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7451089",
          "commentText": "Lean Startup is a great starting point to understand the what and why of it.\nRunning Lean is the how.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lean Startup is a great starting point to understand the what and why of it.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a starting point for understanding what a startup is and why it works.",
          "audience": "Readers learning about startups.",
          "caveat": "The comment distinguishes this book's focus from Running Lean's focus on how.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7450587,
          "author": "compass-seeker",
          "createdAt": "2014-03-22T19:53:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 7450534,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's on your reading list? Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7450587",
          "commentText": "Awesome. Just added it to my plan to read list. How does it compare to Lean Startup by Ries?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "How does it compare to Lean Startup by Ries?",
          "reason": "Asks how it compares to this title; no evaluation or recommendation is stated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6415835,
          "author": "147",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-20T03:58:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6415835",
          "commentText": "The Lean Startup. I just randomly got it and read it. I was going to go into game development then after reading it I totally changed what I was going to do.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Lean Startup. I just randomly got it and read it. I was going to go into game development then after reading it I totally changed what I was going to do.",
          "reason": "Says reading it changed their career plans.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6130177,
          "author": "krmmalik",
          "createdAt": "2013-07-30T21:28:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 6130006,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read re marketing for my website?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6130177",
          "commentText": "1. Positioning by Al Trout\n2. Lean Startup by Eric Ries\nPS - I help startups with marketing so if you need any advice let me know.\nContact details and bio on my website (see my profile)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lean Startup by Eric Ries",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5702280,
          "author": "Avalaxy",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-14T00:08:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5702280",
          "commentText": "Permission Marketing - Seth Godin, made me think about what he calls interruption marketing.\nPurple Cow - Seth Godin, made me think about standing out.\nThe Lean Startup - Eric Ries, really changed the way I think about... Well, nearly everything that costs effort.\nThe God Delusion - Richard Dawkins, good theory about why God most probably doesn't exist.\nThe magic of reality - Richard Dawkins, great story about evolution, religion, etc.\nA short history of nearly everything - Bill Bryson, brilliant book. Perfect summary of our scientific advancements during the last centuries. He made me think about possible natural disasters.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Lean Startup - Eric Ries, really changed the way I think about... Well, nearly everything that costs effort.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed how they think about nearly everything that takes effort.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4787418,
          "author": "timmm",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:19:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787418",
          "commentText": "The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho.\nKing, Warrior, Magician, Lover by Moore and Gillette\nThe lean startup\nPaul Graham how to start a startup\nMark Hyman Ultimate Mind Solution\nTribal Leadership\nWheel of Time\nThink and Grow Rich\nSuperior Man David Deida\nThe Fountain Head\nEckhart Tolle New Earth\n50th Law\nGood to Great\nJed Mckenna\nEarl Nightengale\nLong Walk to Freedom\nOutliers\nGood to Great\nPsycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz (Self-image)\nSeven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey(Being awesome)\nWealth of Nations\nWayne Dyer The Tao\nSystem of the World\nOrigin of Species\nBrave new world\nThank you economy\nCrush it\nBuilt to Last\nWho Moved my Cheese\nStillness Speak Eckhert Tolle\nMastery George Leonard\nSteve Jobs Biography\nThe Last Lecture\nSteve Pavlina Books\nIacocca\nStriking Thoughts Bruce Lee\nCarlos Castaneda\nGhost in the Wires\nRichest Man in Babylon\nWay of the Superior Man\nLosing My Virginity\nThink and Grow Rich\nDelivering Happiness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The lean startup",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4597178,
          "author": "orangethirty",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-01T14:33:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 4596721,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4597178",
          "commentText": "The Lean Startup for the third time in a row. :)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Lean Startup for the third time in a row. :)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4513380,
          "author": "zama",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-12T21:37:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 4513324,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading currently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4513380",
          "commentText": "The Lean startup just started reading and finish the power of habits.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Lean startup just started reading",
          "reason": "Says they just started reading it; no evaluation or recommendation is expressed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3417770,
          "author": "cstejerean",
          "createdAt": "2012-01-02T23:01:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3417770",
          "commentText": "There's definitely some self promotion in the book, and at times it can be a little repetitive. It's also fairly introductory and the information in it can perhaps be found on various blogs, etc.\nIt's a good introduction however for anyone looking to move beyond a trial and error approach to startups.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's a good introduction however for anyone looking to move beyond a trial and error approach to startups.",
          "reason": "Calls it a good introduction for moving beyond trial and error in startups.",
          "audience": "People looking for a more deliberate approach to startups.",
          "caveat": "The book includes self-promotion, can be repetitive, and some information is available on blogs.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395837,
          "author": "fduran",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T14:37:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395837",
          "commentText": "\"The snowball: Warren Buffett and the business of life\"\n\"The autobiography of Benjamin Franklin\"\n\"The toilet paper entrepreneur\"\n\"The lean startup\"\n\"Anything you want\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The lean startup\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395272,
          "author": "iamandrus",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T09:36:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395272",
          "commentText": "The Lean Startup by Eric Ries. It's a really good book for starting entrepreneurs.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a really good book for starting entrepreneurs.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a really good book for starting entrepreneurs.",
          "audience": "Starting entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3338061,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T18:15:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3338061",
          "commentText": "Just bought a (physical) Kindle; it has:\n_Wolf Hall_ (http://www.amazon.com/Wolf-Hall-Novel-Booker-Prize/dp/080508... (http://www.amazon.com/Wolf-Hall-Novel-Booker-Prize/dp/0805080686))\n_Tree of Smoke_ (http://www.amazon.com/Tree-Smoke-Novel-Denis-Johnson/dp/0374... (http://www.amazon.com/Tree-Smoke-Novel-Denis-Johnson/dp/0374279128))\n(I'm about halfway through both; I'm trying to get better about reading fiction).\n_The Lean Startup_ (http://www.amazon.com/Lean-Startup-Entrepreneurs-Continuous-... (http://www.amazon.com/Lean-Startup-Entrepreneurs-Continuous-Innovation/dp/0307887898/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323540517&sr=1-1))\n(Having trouble getting myself propelled into this one)\n_Imbibe!_ (http://www.amazon.com/Imbibe-Absinthe-Cocktail-Professor-Fea... (http://www.amazon.com/Imbibe-Absinthe-Cocktail-Professor-Featuringthe/dp/0399532870/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323540560&sr=1-1))\n(Probably the best book on booze ever written, my favorite thing I've read all year)\n_Bitters_ (http://www.amazon.com/Bitters-Spirited-Cure-All-Cocktails-Fo... (http://www.amazon.com/Bitters-Spirited-Cure-All-Cocktails-Formulas/dp/1580083595/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323540592&sr=1-1))\n(The Atlantic liked this book, but I found it slight --- although we're going to make bitters from this book in our office, so maybe I'll appreciate it more later)\nFinally, I didn't read this \"recently\", but I'll take the opportunity to STRONGLY RECOMMEND IT TO EVERYONE:\n_Ideas in Food_ (http://www.amazon.com/Ideas-Food-Great-Recipes-They/dp/03077... (http://www.amazon.com/Ideas-Food-Great-Recipes-They/dp/0307717402/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323540682&sr=1-1))\nThis book blew my freaking head off. The authors are modernist (\"molecular\", gag) consultant/chefs with a very popular blog; the book adapts the stuff on their blog to home and professional cooking.\nWhat's amazing about it is that they did such a great job translating modernist techniques not just to home kitchens but to home cooking, so that the same concepts that give you wanking spherification and foam dishes in restaurants give you hands-free bulletproof risotto at home. I could go on and on about this thing. It is simultaneously the geekiest and most useful food book I've ever bought. Own it immediately.\n(Do audiobooks count? If so, add to the list _Thinking Fast And Slow_ by Daniel Kahneman, _Blood, Bones & Butter_ by Gabrielle Hamilton, and Caro's _Power Broker_).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "_The Lean Startup_",
          "reason": "The commenter is having trouble getting started with it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They have trouble getting themselves into the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3336532,
          "author": "renownedmedia",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T01:23:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3336532",
          "commentText": "The Lean Startup and Crossing The Chasm",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Lean Startup",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Ries"
      ],
      "recommenders": 29,
      "threads": 21,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "startups",
        "entrepreneurship",
        "lean startup",
        "product development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "seveneves-9f7883",
      "title": "Seveneves",
      "author": "Neal Stephenson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41769414,
          "author": "cambaceres",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T18:39:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41769414",
          "commentText": "I read The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and Les Misérables by Victor Hugo and I loved both of them, can recommend.\nSeveneves is an amazing book, just make sure you skip the last part.\nIf you are into history I can recommend The last days of the Incas by Kim MaqQuarrie, it's just an insanely interesting description on how the Incas was conquered, it feels like you're there man.\nIf you like evolutionary biology/phsycology then check out The Red Queen - Sex and the evolution of human Nature by Matt Ridley.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Seveneves is an amazing book, just make sure you skip the last part.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter advises skipping the last part.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38238280,
          "author": "renke1",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T07:58:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238280",
          "commentText": "Seveneves was really good. Almost feeling the urge to read it again!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seveneves was really good. Almost feeling the urge to read it again!",
          "reason": "The commenter found it very good and is tempted to reread it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38238211,
          "author": "lepisma",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T07:45:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238211",
          "commentText": "Seveneves by Neal Stephenson. Also got a few print issues of Lapham's Quarterly, so checking those out.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Seveneves by Neal Stephenson.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021482,
          "author": "BlackjackCF",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:48:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021482",
          "commentText": "I loved the first part of Seveneves. The second part… felt like a different book?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I loved the first part of Seveneves. The second part… felt like a different book?",
          "reason": "The commenter loved the first part but found the second part felt like a different book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Positive about the first part; expresses reservation about the second.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36020942,
          "author": "dcminter",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:00:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36020942",
          "commentText": "Fair warning, I only liked the first part of Seveneves; I thought the second part was stupid. You'll get a lot of recommendations for Liu Cixin's \"Three Body Problem\" which I personally hate (though the first part of the first book is very well written), but if you like all of Seveneves then it might suit you.\nMy personal favourites that might not already be on everyone else's lists:\nFiasco - Stanisław Lem\nThis is how you lose the time war - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone\nFeersum Endjinn - Iain Banks\nThe Dark Side of the Sun - Terry Pratchett (yes, that one)\nBlindsight - Peter Watts\nBloom - Wil McCarthy\nGood luck!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I only liked the first part of Seveneves; I thought the second part was stupid.",
          "reason": "The commenter liked only the first part and disliked the second.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Only the first part appealed to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34176258,
          "author": "sershe",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-29T18:48:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34176258",
          "commentText": "1) Chris Moriarty. Spin State - relatively-hard sci-fi with decent non sci-fi elements (i.e. characters and stuff), which I think is rare.\n2) Ralph Ellison. Invisible Man. I really enjoyed the writing, among other things, and how he captures short moments and scenes with sort of a hard-to-describe quality of a visual art, almost.\n3) Ilya Somin. Free To Move. To me most of the book was \"duh\" but I think it would be a good read for people on the fence about immigration and private vs public institutions.\n4) Vaclav Smil. Energy And Civilization; possibly How the World Really Works, still reading that one. Really dense and detailed examination of energy history of mankind for the former, and infrastructure of technological civilization for the latter.\n5) Pluckrose & Lindsday. Cynical Theories. Good 101 on CRT and modern woke movement.\n6) Alexander. New Jim Crow. Good 101 on war on drugs, although some broader social arguments the book makes straightforwardly don't seem to follow, or are contradicted by, its factual base IMHO.\n7) Stephenson. Seveneves - really good hard sci-fi imho, although felt very, very long.\n8) Orwell. Down and Out in Paris and London. A good book about poverty only 70-100 years ago. Also a good perspective for modern complaints about poverty - I have some non-US background for that, so I think many US readers might benefit more.\nOn the fence. \n1) I want to plug Seleukid Royal Economy, just for the hell of it, if you are interested in ancient economy :)\n2) Galef. Scout Mindset - on the fence about this one, but it seemed like it was way too long for what it offers. Maybe I've just read a lot of the same stuff ago.\n3) Okorafor. Binti - not bad as a YA book, but sci-fi aspects are remarkably bad.\nA few more I'm too lazy to type out ;)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "really good hard sci-fi imho, although felt very, very long.",
          "reason": "Praised as very good hard science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Felt very, very long.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28058949,
          "author": "ccakes",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T09:23:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28058949",
          "commentText": "Seveneves by Neal Stephenson is a great one",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seveneves by Neal Stephenson is a great one",
          "reason": "Calls it a great choice in response to a request for recent science fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for recent science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22726603,
          "author": "Dowwie",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T10:07:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22726603",
          "commentText": "Seveneves until the fast forward was engaging but I stopped reading shortly after.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Seveneves until the fast forward was engaging but I stopped reading shortly after.",
          "reason": "Found it engaging up to the time jump, then stopped reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter stopped reading shortly after the fast forward.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22724556,
          "author": "barnabee",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T02:03:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22724556",
          "commentText": "William Gibson. The Bridge trilogy and the Sprawl trilogy, at a minimum. They still feel like maps to the future even now. You have to work at it, the map is not the territory after all, but the realisations about the impact of technology, progress, and the choices we make when we let society work a certain way have been profound, for me at least.\nAlso The Peripheral, and Gibson’s essay in Wired about undersea cables, and... yeah. Having read Gibson feels like a superpower.\nAs others have said:\n- The Hitch Hiker’s Guide\n- Stepehnson’s Diamond Age, Cryptonomicon, Seveneves, Anathem (aside: totally surprised how much love there is for Anathem, I remember it not being received very kindly at the time by people around me, though I liked it.)\n- The Culture series (special shout out to The Player of Games.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stepehnson’s Diamond Age, Cryptonomicon, Seveneves, Anathem",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22720918,
          "author": "rsync",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T17:44:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22720918",
          "commentText": "He is, perhaps, my favorite contemporary author.\nI have a fairly predictable \"best novels ever written\" list which includes _War and Peace_, _Anna Karinina_, _Brothers Karamazov_ and _Dune_ ... but I would also place _SevenEves_ on that list.\nI found _Fall Or: Dodge in Hell_ to be terrible, however.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would also place _SevenEves_ on that list.",
          "reason": "Places it on their list of best novels ever written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804348,
          "author": "JonathanMerklin",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:41:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804348",
          "commentText": "Great thread. 2019 was the first time in about 7-8 years I made reading for pleasure a tertiary priority ((school+career)work/sleep/exercise+socializing+(NEW!)reading) and I got through about 20 books of varying length and difficulty, so here are the next 20 in my queue:\n- Infinite Jest (already started, will likely finish in early Jan. I love it so far.)\n- Quantum Computing Since Democritus (started in November as my nonfiction read, but took a break; I think I want to finish IJ first. Scott is an excellent writer and I was really enjoying this)\n- Building Microservices\n- The Code Book\n- How Cars Work (I want to turn the projection of a car in my brain from a black box to a gray box this year, and I don't mean by purchasing a Cybertruck)\n- To Kill a Mockingbird\n- The Personal MBA (for years I laughed off caring about the business of business and lived in my fantasy land of being satisfied with just the technical details and being focused on only implementing great software/learning how to do so. With a few years in the workforce under my belt, I realize that such an outlook was of great detriment to me. I'm open to other suggestions on similar \"catch me up to speed on general business education\" material)\n- Designing Data-Intensive Applications\n- Island (I have a copy of this but not Brave New World. Multiple friends of mine demand I try Huxley, so here we are.)\n- The Annotated Turing\n- How to Invent Everything\n- Soonish (SMBC is a daily read for me and I'm excited to get to this.)\n- How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems (ditto XKCD modulo release schedule)\n- Basic Economics\n- Thus Spoke Zarathustra\n- Seveneves\n- The Prince\n- Pacific Rims: Beermen Ballin' in Flip-Flops and the Philippines' Unlikely Love Affair with Basketball\n- Elevator Music: A Surreal History of Muzak, Easy-Listening, and Other Moodsong\n- Fahrenheit 451\nAdditionally, to tickle the part of my brain that fancies mathematics (one of my my majors in undergrad), I try to work through a chapter or two of Evan Chen's \"An Infinitely Long Napkin\" on a quarterly basis. If you don't mind a conversational tone to your math textbooks, I've found this to be an excellent resource for scraping the surface of a wide variety of topics and fields (including, well, topics like fields). I think I'll continue this habit.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seveneves",
          "reason": "Listed in the commenter's planned reading queue.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17752091,
          "author": "samuel",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T17:55:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17752091",
          "commentText": "I wholeheartedly agree. I only finished it because it was his, but I feared he could be «losing it».\nFortunately seveneves was again spectacular.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fortunately seveneves was again spectacular.",
          "reason": "Calls the book spectacular.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17574432,
          "author": "Davertron",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-20T12:30:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17574432",
          "commentText": "Cryptonomicon is one of my favorite books of all time (I'm probably due for a re-read at this point).\nI would also recommend \"Seveneves\", one of Neal Stephenson's most recent books. \"Anathem\" was also very enjoyable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would also recommend \"Seveneves\"",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536697,
          "author": "spapas82",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:43:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536697",
          "commentText": "Here are a couple I like :\n- Seveneves: A really great hard sci-fi. Very thought provoking ideas and excellent plot! Warning this is a heavy themed book. Also keep in mind that at about 3/4 in the novel there's a conclusion to the main story; the rest of the novel feels rushed and doesnt keep up; you won't miss anything if you just skip it.\n- The Expanse series (starting with Leviathan wakes). A very good series. It has a light tone and mainly focuses on characters. Some books are better than the others. If you liked the 1st one then you wont regret reading the others. Not much philosofy of hard sci-fi ideas so probably near to your liking.\n- Rendezvous with Rama: Probably my favorite Arthur Clarke novel. The plot may not be so interesting but the ideas presented make up for it.\n- Red rising series: This is a great read, the plot feels something like a GoT of scifi; although the setting could also be considered a fantasy one. This is a plot intensive series but not many scifi philosophical ideas. Probably good for your linking.\n- The three body problem trilogy: This is not so light-hearted; it is serious sci-fi presenting some excellent ideas that would blow your mind. Especially after I read the 2nd one (The Dark Forest) I kept it in my mind for a long time; thinking over the things presented there. This is sci-fi at its best.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A really great hard sci-fi. Very thought provoking ideas and excellent plot! Warning this is a heavy themed book.",
          "reason": "Praises its ideas and plot, while warning that it is thematically heavy and the ending section feels rushed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the final quarter feels rushed and suggests it can be skipped; thematically heavy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536657,
          "author": "dejawu",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:35:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536657",
          "commentText": "Seveneves. The first sentence is, \"The moon blew up suddenly and without warning.\" Everything is near-future sci-fi and as grounded and accurate as possible. If you liked The Martian, this will scratch the same itch.\nSnow Crash is great too. Probably a bit problematic now, but fantastic world building. A bit more gritty and dystopia though.\nBoth are by Neal Stephenson.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seveneves. The first sentence is, \"The moon blew up suddenly and without warning.\" Everything is near-future sci-fi and as grounded and accurate as possible. If you liked The Martian, this will scratch the same itch.",
          "reason": "Recommends it to readers who liked The Martian, praising its grounded near-future science fiction.",
          "audience": "Readers who liked The Martian.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536654,
          "author": "dochtman",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:35:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536654",
          "commentText": "Isaac Asimov is one of the classics, of course. I'm particularly fond of the robot novels (all four of the Elijah Baley ones especially) and the entire Foundation series. Of course, you also can't miss the robot short stories. Oh, and The End of Eternity!\nAt some point I found Charles Stross' Accelerando, which is freely available online (along with a bunch of other short stories), and found everything I've read (which is most of it at this point, I think) enjoyably fast-paced. In particular the Laundry series (of which I've bought every iteration as soon as they came out over the past few years) -- though arguably these maybe cross-over from SF into fantasy a bit -- and the Halting State trilogy.\nIn terms of online available work, Cory Doctorow's work is also great. Like Stross, most of his work is more near-term SF, which I have liked, and a bunch of it is available online under a Creative Commons license. It often moves fast and is also politically interesting; sometimes the activism shines through a little blatantly, but the themes are always make me thing in various ways I appreciate (but maybe will fail your lighthearted criterion even if it is fun). His latest is Walkaway, which I would recommend.\nI got into Neal Stephenson through Cryptonomicon, which is one of the greats. Stephenson has a pretty rambly, wordy style, but at least that also makes his stories last a bit longer. After that, I mostly moved on to Anathem, Reamde and Seveneves all of which are big and interesting and great reads (it took me longer than usual to get up to speed on Anathem, but it was very much worth it in the end). I tried one of the more historic ones (I think it was Quicksilver) at some point but haven't finished it. The 2017 Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. was a bit lighter, but lots of fun, too.\nWilliam Gibson has already been mentioned, which I would also recommend. I read the Sprawl trilogy a very long time ago, and it's made a lasting expression. I've started rereading it recently. I also liked the Blue Ant trilogy and The Peripheral, but have so far missed the more recent work.\nMore in the one-off category: The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell is one of my all-time favorites, and mixes deep SF with psychology and religion in interesting ways. There's a sequel, but it's not as good. I also liked The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, which is also on the softer side. I read Scalzi's Redshirts and liked it (especially if you're familiar with the Star Trek universe), it feels similar to Ready Player One in some ways. Daniel Suarez's (or Leinad Zeraus as he originally published them) Daemon is fun and easy to digest, along with its sequel Freedom. I liked Robert J. Sawyer's The Terminal Experiment, but one person I recommended it too wasn't impressed -- I still think it's fun, if not very deep. I also bought his Factoring Humanity and liked it okay.\nHope that helps. Always interested in more recommendations based on this list!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "After that, I mostly moved on to Anathem, Reamde and Seveneves all of which are big and interesting and great reads",
          "reason": "Calls it an interesting, great read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15428950,
          "author": "unoti",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:58:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428950",
          "commentText": "Anathem by Neal Stephenson, along with Seveneves.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "along with Seveneves.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for hard sci-fi AI novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15428810,
          "author": "thedoops",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:31:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428810",
          "commentText": "Most of the other books I'd recommend in this area are mentioned already, but I'll add Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson. The primary narrative is from the pov of a generation ship's A.I.. You get to see it learn over time and with it it's vocabulary. Since it's a ship it gives KSR the opportunity to do some very fun info-dumps on the situation.\nProbably one of the most thought provoking pieces of scifi I've read.\nI'll also recommend Accelerondo, and Seveneves.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and Seveneves",
          "reason": "Part of the list of books recommended in this discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15428633,
          "author": "hackeraccount",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T15:50:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428633",
          "commentText": "David Brin's Uplift Trilogy.  Also, Not really an amazing book but Seveneves by Neal Stephenson was pretty technical.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Not really an amazing book but Seveneves by Neal Stephenson was pretty technical.",
          "reason": "Describes it as technically detailed while qualifying its overall quality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not really an amazing book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13570142,
          "author": "Dowwie",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-05T01:09:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13570142",
          "commentText": "The last part of seveneves is horrible.  I refused to finish it.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The last part of seveneves is horrible. I refused to finish it.",
          "reason": "Criticizes the ending and says they stopped reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The criticism is specifically about the last part.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567555,
          "author": "Mtinie",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T16:34:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567555",
          "commentText": "Seveneves was the book that reminded me why I really enjoyed Stephenson's writing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seveneves was the book that reminded me why I really enjoyed Stephenson's writing.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it renewed their enjoyment of Stephenson's writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567448,
          "author": "tio00",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T16:13:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567448",
          "commentText": "Seveneves by Neal Stephenson https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seveneves\nOne of the few books, that when I'm finished, I just want to turn it over a start again.\nCovers a wide range of important and relevant topics in technology, biology/genetics, ethics. My only problem is it is too short! Could easily have been a triology like the Baroque Cycle (another favorite) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Baroque_Cycle",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One of the few books, that when I'm finished, I just want to turn it over a start again.\nCovers a wide range of important and relevant topics in technology, biology/genetics, ethics. My only problem is it is too short!",
          "reason": "The commenter wants to reread it and praises its scope, calling it too short.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter wishes it were longer.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13251109,
          "author": "jordonwii",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T18:52:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13251109",
          "commentText": "Another \"hard sci-fi\" suggestion: Seveneves by Neal Stephenson. Goes into a lot of detail about some potentially interesting things (moon science and orbital mechanics come to mind), if you enjoy that. I learned that I don't, but still really enjoyed it for the great story.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Another \"hard sci-fi\" suggestion: Seveneves by Neal Stephenson. Goes into a lot of detail about some potentially interesting things (moon science and orbital mechanics come to mind), if you enjoy that. I learned that I don't, but still really enjoyed it for the great story.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as hard science fiction and says the story was very enjoyable.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in a detailed treatment of moon science and orbital mechanics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter did not enjoy the detailed science content.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249378,
          "author": "iKenshu",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T11:20:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249378",
          "commentText": "I read 'Ready player one' and I really enjoy it.\nRight now I am reading 'Seveneves' recommendend by Bill Gates.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Right now I am reading 'Seveneves' recommendend by Bill Gates.",
          "reason": "The commenter reports reading it and that Bill Gates recommended it; they give no evaluation or endorsement themselves.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The recommendation is attributed to Bill Gates.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13118206,
          "author": "headcanon",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-06T20:50:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13118206",
          "commentText": "Besides Kill Process and Seveneves (mentioned elsewhere on this thread), I'm going through the Hyperion Cantos right now, and I can't recommend it enough. Apparently Bradley Cooper is heading up production of a series as well, so good times ahead for that IP.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Besides Kill Process and Seveneves (mentioned elsewhere on this thread)",
          "reason": "Mentions the title in passing without expressing an opinion about it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13118052,
          "author": "RandomOpinion",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-06T20:33:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13118052",
          "commentText": "I read Seveneves this year as well but came away disappointed.  Some of the science was good (orbital mechanics, genetic engineering) but the rest of the science and engineering was fairly poor[0].  Couple that with the questionable decisions routinely made by many characters and it's a very weak novel overall.\n[0] In particular, they did not (and physically could not) have launched a broad enough manufacturing capability for the remnants of humanity to have had a realistic chance of long-term survival.  The practicality of the Seveneves themselves did was also at best dubious from a biological and other standpoints.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I read Seveneves this year as well but came away disappointed.",
          "reason": "Calls the novel weak overall and criticizes its science, engineering, and character decisions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some science, including orbital mechanics and genetic engineering, is praised.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13117432,
          "author": "pavel_lishin",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-06T19:19:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13117432",
          "commentText": "This is by far the most Stephenson book that he's written. Hopefully without giving away any spoilers, the Engineer-types are the most enlightened good guys, the Soft-Sciences folks are about as evil as it's possible to get, and the book ends very abruptly not once, but twice.\nIf you like Stephenson, read this, but if you've never read one of his books before, I would not recommend this as a first.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If you like Stephenson, read this, but if you've never read one of his books before, I would not recommend this as a first.",
          "reason": "Recommends the book for readers already familiar with Stephenson, but not as a first book by him.",
          "audience": "Readers who already like Stephenson.",
          "caveat": "Not recommended as a first Stephenson book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13117377,
          "author": "BillSaysThis",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-06T19:13:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13117377",
          "commentText": "Seveneves by Neil Stephenson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seveneves by Neil Stephenson",
          "reason": "Named as the commenter's answer to the thread's question about the best sci-fi read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10836593,
          "author": "searine",
          "createdAt": "2016-01-04T16:47:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 10833032,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book you've recently read and enjoyed?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10836593",
          "commentText": "Oh boy, you fucked up now. Here are the books I read this past year that I felt were \"Good\", starting from the most recent :\nTo Kill A Mocking Bird (Insanely good)\nTrue Grit (Insanely good)\nThe Little Friend (Good)\nPriceless (Very good, about art theft)\nThe Secret History (Insanely good)\nReady Player One (Good, nerdy)\nShadow Divers (Very good, history nerd book)\nDiary of Anne Frank (Very good)\nUnbroken (Very good, way better than the movie)\nWith The Old Breed at Peleliu and Okinawa (Very good)\nSeveneves (good, but I'm a Stephenson fanboy)\nThe Martian (Very good, but just watch the movie).\nI read a bunch of other stuff, but that's what I found really \"good\" this past year.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Seveneves (good, but I'm a Stephenson fanboy)",
          "reason": "Described as “good.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes they are a Stephenson fan.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10787298,
          "author": "yetanotheracc",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T06:03:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787298",
          "commentText": "Absolutely amazing, changed the way I look at the society, will re-read:\n- George Orwell, Keep the Aspidistra Flying\nLoved:\n- Alastair Reynolds, House of Suns\n- Andy Weir, The Martian\n- Neal Stephenson, Seveneves\n- Greg Egan, Teranesia\nLiked:\n- Arthur C. Clarke, 3001: The Final Odyssey\n- Arthur C. Clarke, 2061: Odyssey Three\n- Richard Feynman, The Character of Physical Laws\n- Richard Feynman, The Pleasure of Finding Things Out\n- Jonathan Slack, Stem Cells: A Very Short Introduction\n- John Scalzi, Fuzzy Nation (bought the audiobook for Wil Wheaton's narration)\n- Ray Monk, Robert Oppenheimer: A Life Inside the Center\n- Alastair Reynolds,  Revelation Space\n- David C. Cassidy, Beyond Uncertainty: Heisenberg, Quantum Physics, and the Bomb\nFound full of BS, did not finish:\n- Noam Chomsky, Understanding Power\nTextbooks:\n- order of 10^3 pages of Open University textbooks\n- Klauber, Student Friendly Quantum Field Theory\n- Feynman & Hibbs, Quantum Mechanics and Path Integrals\n- Wald, General Relativity (5 chapters)\n- Peskin & Schroeder, An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory (5 chapters)\nNot as bad as I felt before making the list, but underwhelming in terms of quantity. I intend to read a whole lot more in 2016.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Neal Stephenson, Seveneves",
          "reason": "Listed under books the commenter says they loved.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10787171,
          "author": "wycx",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T04:55:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787171",
          "commentText": "All consumed as audiobooks.\nAmerican Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America - Colin Woodard;\nI learned much about early US history.\nWhere Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman - Jon Krakauer\nFind Me - Laura van den Berg\nStation Eleven - Emily St. John Mandel\nThe Dog Stars - Peter Heller\nEndurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage - Alfred Lansing;\nI was fortunate enough to read this right before Seveneves, so the references made immediate sense. Endurance looks to be popular on this list/this year. How many were inspired by Seveneves?\nSeveneves - Neal Stephenson\nThe Years of Rice and Salt - Kim Stanley Robinson\nCrystal Fire: The Birth of the Information Age - Michael Riordan, Lillian Hoddeson;\nI highly recommend this book. Like The Making of the Atomic Bomb, but for the transistor. Lots of background on John Bardeen, William Shockley and Walter Brattain. I was unaware of the great legacy of John Bardeen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bardeen\nThe Making of the Atomic Bomb - Richard Rhodes;\nIf you have not read this book, read it, just for the summary of discoveries that lead to the atomic bomb.\nAlas, Babylon - Pat Frank\nThe Man Who Ate His Boots: The Tragic History of the Search for the Northwest Passage - Anthony Brandt\nThe Worst Journey in the World - Apsley Cherry-Garrard\nThe Last Viking: The Life of Roald Amundsen - Stephen R. Bown\nI am looking for other books similar to Crystal Fire and The Making of the Atomic Bomb, that cover the history of scientific and technological discoveries. Any recommendations?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Seveneves - Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785428,
          "author": "ycom13__",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:23:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785428",
          "commentText": "Here are all the ones I read this year\n  A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire) by George R. R. Martin\n  A Feast for Crows: A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) by George R.R. Martin\n  The Confident Speaker: Beat Your Nerves and Communicate at Your Best in Any Situation by Harrison Monarth\n  House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewsk\n  To the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War by Jeff Shaara \n  Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson\n  Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader by Brent Schlender\n  George Washington's Secret Six: The Spy Ring That Saved the American Revolution by Brian Kilmeade\n  Think Like a Freak: The Authors of Freakonomics Offer to Retrain Your Brain by Steven D. Levitt\n  Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance\n  Finders Keepers: A Novel by Stephen King\n  The Guns of August: The Pulitzer Prize-Winning Classic About the Outbreak of World War I by Barbara W. Tuchman\n  The Wright Brothers by David McCullough\n  Seveneves: A Novel by Neal Stephenson\n  The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson\n  Hitler's Last Day: Minute by Minute by Emma Craigie\n  The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins\n  Robopocalypse: A Novel (Vintage Contemporaries) by Daniel H. Wilson\n  Robogenesis by Daniel H. Wilson\n  In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick\n\n\n\nMy 5 favorite ones from that list are\n  In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick\n  Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance\n  To the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War by Jeff Shaara \n  Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson\n  The Wright Brothers by David McCullough",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Seveneves: A Novel by Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10784101,
          "author": "skorgu",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:39:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10784101",
          "commentText": "I was on a sf kick this year apparently.\nFull list (why can't amazon show me the read dates of my kindle books?!):\n- Ancillary Sword\n- The Magician's Land\n- The Three Body Problem (incomplete)\n- Libriomancer, Codex Born, Unbound\n- Thank You, Jeeves\n- Omon Ra (incomplete)\n- Stations of the Tide\n- 1Q84 (staggeringly incomplete)\n- The Desert Spear (incomplete)\n- The Lost Fleet: {Dauntless,Fearless,Courageous} (third \none incomplete)\n- Superintelligence\n- Nexus, Crux (incomplete)\n- Another Fine Myth\n- The Annihilation Score\n- The Man with the Golden Torc, Daemons are Forever\n- The Fractal Prince (incomplete)\n- Crooked\n- Ancillary Mercy\n- The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet\n- The Traitor Baru Cormarant\n- Excession\n- Hive Mind\n- Seveneves",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "- Seveneves",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed in a reading list; no evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783529,
          "author": "Symmetry",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:46:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783529",
          "commentText": "Here are the ones I'd be willing to recommend, in reverse chronological order of when I read them.  I read 59 total.  Listen to books on tape while working out has maybe doubled my reading rate.\nGenghis Khan: His Conquests, His Empire, His Legacy - Great book on how the Mongol Empire came to be, who Genghis was, and it put the whole thing in perspective for me in a useful way.\nThe Knowledge: How to Rebuild Our World from Scratch - What it says on the tin.  Actually a good overview how some important technologies interrelate.\nSuperforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction - How to be wrong less often.  Based on the Good Judgement Project results.\nThe Three-Body Problem - Decent enough science fiction but extra interesting because it's science fiction from a different culture.\nIgnition!: An informal history of liquid rocket propellants - A history of things that go boom.  Engaging writing and I learned things about chemistry.\nThe Traitor Baru Cormorant - I'm nominating this for a Hugo.  It tells you it's going to stab you in the gut but when it does you don't see it coming.  Plus high quality scheming and speculation on economics, society, and empire.\nThe Sorcerer of the Wildeeps - Excellent use of voice and an overall good book.\nBloom - Made my skin crawl in places and also was good at making you feel a radical change in perspective.\nSeeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed - An interesting perspective on certain aspects of government.  A bit too negative for the topic, the factors outlined are also why commercial economies were able to develop more centralized economies than agrarian ones in the early modern era.\nPolitical Order and Political Decay: From the Industrial Revolution to the Globalization of Democracy - Quite good book on bureaucracy though not as excellent as the previous book on the origins of states.\nLast First Snow - It's always great to read books about the struggles between people with sympathetic motivations.\nThe Unwelcome Warlock - The latest in a series of fantasy books where people use magic in creative and sensible ways.\nAsteroid Mining 101: Wealth for the New Space Economy -Mostly about all the different sorts of asteroids.\nSeveneves - Neal Stephenson's latest.  If you like his books read it but maybe skip the last 1/3 after the timeskip.\nElon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future - Wow he did a lot of cool stuff.\nStories of Your Life and Others - Brilliant and poetic short stories.\nDarwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life - Some interesting perspective on materialism.\nPower, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life - Best science book I've read in a while!  Shows why mitochondria matter, the fundamental limits of prochariotic life, and several important ways mitochondria influence again and evolution.\nBlue Remembered Earth - Awesome near futureish book that does well at imagining a future that isn't just a linear extrapolation but is still believable.\nA Key, an Egg, an Unfortunate Remark - Not enough pacifist badass grandmothers in urban fantasy.\nQuantum Computing since Democritus - I understand QM much better now.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Seveneves - Neal Stephenson's latest. If you like his books read it but maybe skip the last 1/3 after the timeskip.",
          "reason": "Recommends it to readers who like Stephenson's books, with a suggestion to skip the final third.",
          "audience": "Readers who like Neal Stephenson's books.",
          "caveat": "Suggests skipping the last third after the timeskip.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783512,
          "author": "MuEta",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:44:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783512",
          "commentText": "Just started Seveneves (still in part one), and, as usual, I am blown away by Stephenson's world-building and character development. I freaking love his stuff.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Just started Seveneves (still in part one), and, as usual, I am blown away by Stephenson's world-building and character development. I freaking love his stuff.",
          "reason": "Says Stephenson's world-building and character development have impressed them, and that they love his work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They have only started it and are still in part one.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10533578,
          "author": "OopsCriticality",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T15:38:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10533578",
          "commentText": "I'm cheating a little on the date, but The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin stands out.  It was translated into english late last year, and received the Hugo this year for best story.  It's wonderful sci-fi written on a grand scale, and made all the more interesting and refreshing to me by coming from outside the Western perspective.  It's one of a trilogy: The Dark Forest english translation is out, and Death's End is coming beginning of next year.\nAlso enjoyed Seveneves by Stephenson, and H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald.  The former is likely known to the HN crowd; the latter draws comparisons to T.H. White's classic The Goshawk.\nAmong non-fiction books, I enjoyed The Little Prover by Friedman and Eastlund.  It was exactly what I expected, a gentle introduction into inductive proofs in the idiom established by The Little Schemer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also enjoyed Seveneves by Stephenson",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10216977,
          "author": "Jemaclus",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-14T19:33:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 10211331,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10216977",
          "commentText": "Just recently finished \"Seveneves\" by Neal Stephenson. It's sci-fi, but fantastic.\nFor non-sci-fi, my favorite fantasy book I've read recently was \"The Lies of Locke Lamora\" (and its sequels) by Scott Lynch. Another is \"Dirty Jobs\" by Christopher Moore, a bit on the Pratchett-inspired side of things.\nI also recently finished Felicia Day's memoir, \"You're Never Weird on the Internet,\" which I highly recommend.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's sci-fi, but fantastic.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it fantastic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10177092,
          "author": "rffn",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-06T08:18:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10177092",
          "commentText": "Sevenenves - Neal Stephenson",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Sevenenves - Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neal Stephenson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 29,
      "threads": 17,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hard science fiction",
        "near future science fiction",
        "space",
        "space colonization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-brothers-karamazov-302865",
      "title": "The Brothers Karamazov",
      "author": "Fyodor Dostoevsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49904169,
          "author": "saonnet",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T03:51:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49904169",
          "commentText": "The Brothers Karamazov",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Brothers Karamazov",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42509574,
          "author": "pmdulaney",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T16:35:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42509574",
          "commentText": "I started The Brothers Karamazov four times through the years, but would quit each time after 50 pages or so. I finally realized that I was repulsed by the story because the father reminded me of the worst aspects of myself. Once I accepted that I was able to read on and finish the book, and now I look upon it as one of my favorite novels.\nI would have given up on it early on, but when I was going to Berkeley in the late 1970s, I attended First Presbyterian Church, where Earl Palmer was pastor. He extolled The Brothers Karamazov, Sheldon Vanauken's book A Severe Mercy, and Star Wars from the pulpit. His favorite part of TBK was the Grand Inquisitor chapter; I had to slog through that, but overall found the book quite rewarding, not least of all because it is a window into the Russian soul, which I think remains to this day a different beast than our own.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I started The Brothers Karamazov four times through the years",
          "reason": "Ultimately calls it one of their favorite novels and finds it rewarding.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter struggled to get through the opening and found the Grand Inquisitor chapter a slog.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42509178,
          "author": "greenie_beans",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T15:17:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42509178",
          "commentText": "the brother's karamazov by dostoyevsky",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the brother's karamazov by dostoyevsky",
          "reason": "Named as a standout read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41237565,
          "author": "markus_zhang",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-13T17:40:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41237565",
          "commentText": "Anything by Dostoevsky, but specifically \"Notes from Underground\" and \"The Brothers Karamazov\".\n\"Jean-Christophe\" by Romain Rolland.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Brothers Karamazov\"",
          "reason": "Specifically named among the author's works in response to a request for favorite classic books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40878889,
          "author": "hnthrowaway0328",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-04T23:40:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40878889",
          "commentText": "\"Brother Karamazov\" and \"Notes from underground\".",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Brother Karamazov\"",
          "reason": "Names it as an answer to which books affected the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39730094,
          "author": "recursivedoubts",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T22:35:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39730094",
          "commentText": "The Brothers Karamazov",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Brothers Karamazov",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39252511,
          "author": "sarang23592",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T17:50:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39252511",
          "commentText": "I am halfway into The Crossing By Cormac Mcarthy and it is a fantastic read till now. The section between the priest and the heretic has me going again and again and thinking a lot about it. I am looking forward to the rest of the book. After this the next in queue is The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoyevsky and I am pretty excited for that as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "After this the next in queue is The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoyevsky and I am pretty excited for that as well.",
          "reason": "The commenter is looking forward to reading it next.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38239021,
          "author": "kaladin_1",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T10:26:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38239021",
          "commentText": "For tooling, I am currently reading Practical Vim by Drew Neil. Vim has been my primary editing tool for a couple of years now but I know that I am not close to maxing its capacity. I would like to supercharge my vim skill with more advanced macros and less keystrokes.\nFiction: I am currently reading the Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. I love the way the book plays with logic in a fictional style. The dialogues with the little demon, Wormwood, are super interesting. More like psycho analysis in fictional form. It reminds me about reading Brothers Karamazov where you find a lot about you in characters in the book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "It reminds me about reading Brothers Karamazov where you find a lot about you in characters in the book.",
          "reason": "The commenter compares its character-driven self-reflection to The Screwtape Letters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37818081,
          "author": "dwd",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-09T07:58:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37818081",
          "commentText": "Literature: Brothers Karamozov\nConstantly recommended on Twitter and I really wonder how many of those recommending it have actually read it.\nHeart of Darkness is a short easy read in comparison. Moby Dick was another hard read and a real slog with only the occasional memorable passage to reward enduring the tedium.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Literature: Brothers Karamozov\nConstantly recommended on Twitter and I really wonder how many of those recommending it have actually read it.",
          "reason": "Notes that it is frequently recommended, while doubting recommenders have read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter questions whether people recommending it have actually read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37160206,
          "author": "pallas_athena",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T11:51:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37160206",
          "commentText": "Since his death, I've been reading (or re-reading) all his books.\nRarely I have enjoyed so many books from a single author. I also think Blood Meridian is one the greatest books of all time.\nAccording to [1] \"his list of great novels stops at four: Ulysses, The Brothers Karamazov, The Sound and the Fury and his favorite, Moby-Dick\".\nThey all are a good addition to this thread.\n[1] https://web.archive.org/web/20140629023902/http://74.220.215... (https://web.archive.org/web/20140629023902/http://74.220.215.94/~davidkus/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=61:cormac-mccarthys-apocalypse-&catid=35:articles&Itemid=54)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "According to [1] \"his list of great novels stops at four: Ulysses, The Brothers Karamazov, The Sound and the Fury and his favorite, Moby-Dick\".",
          "reason": "Listed as one of another person's four great novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter attributes this ranking to a cited source and says the books are a good addition to the thread.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36433238,
          "author": "markus_zhang",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T15:05:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36433238",
          "commentText": "\"Brother Karamazov\", \"Jean-Christophe\" and \"Athens and Jerusalem\".\nI come back to these books from time to time. All three give me some kind of inner peace or more mental strength.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Brother Karamazov\"",
          "reason": "The commenter returns to the book for inner peace or mental strength.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36428088,
          "author": "robswc",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T04:45:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36428088",
          "commentText": "This one is really hard tbh.  I don't think I could name one.  There was a period where I worked in a warehouse and listened to audio books and college lectures and all those together allowed me to make connections I don't think I would have made otherwise.\nA very meaningful book I read was \"A Short History of Nearly Everything\" just because it showed me how much to the world there was to discover.  It made me very optimistic.\nI haven't finished \"The Brothers Karamazov\" and I don't think I would call it a \"meaningful contribution\" to my life _but_ I do think so far it is one of the only books that has made me say \"wow.\"  Every sentence seems to be crafted to perfection and connect with you on a deeper level.  I can't personally relate to it too well but I would say everyone should get to experience a bit of it.\nBesides those, I read a few auto/biographies which where interesting, I could relate to and gave me motivation and discipline.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I haven't finished \"The Brothers Karamazov\"",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its sentences and emotional resonance, while saying they have not finished it.",
          "audience": "The commenter says everyone should experience a bit of it.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not finished it and cannot relate to it very well.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29674178,
          "author": "rory",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T15:10:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29674178",
          "commentText": "As a PSA: this book is old enough to be public domain, the audiobook is (legally) available for free on LibriVox: https://librivox.org/the-brothers-karamazov-by-fyodor-dostoy... (https://librivox.org/the-brothers-karamazov-by-fyodor-dostoyevsky/) . The written version is available on Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/28054 .\nI listened to it while swimming laps. The readers have great, rhythmic pacing.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I listened to it while swimming laps. The readers have great, rhythmic pacing.",
          "reason": "Shares free audiobook and ebook availability and describes listening to it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22720918,
          "author": "rsync",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T17:44:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22720918",
          "commentText": "He is, perhaps, my favorite contemporary author.\nI have a fairly predictable \"best novels ever written\" list which includes _War and Peace_, _Anna Karinina_, _Brothers Karamazov_ and _Dune_ ... but I would also place _SevenEves_ on that list.\nI found _Fall Or: Dodge in Hell_ to be terrible, however.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "_War and Peace_, _Anna Karinina_, _Brothers Karamazov_ and _Dune_",
          "reason": "Includes it on their list of best novels ever written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803908,
          "author": "andreilys",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:50:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803908",
          "commentText": "Well here are the books I’m currently reading (physical, kindle, and audible). I bounce around a lot. Sometimes it takes me a week to finish a book, other times I take a few months. Sometimes I never finish. But these are the ones I have some progress on so far:\n1. Faust by goethe\n2. I am That\n3. Book of why\n4. The gift by hafiz\n5. Simulacra and simulation\n6. Candide by Voltaire\n7. Meeting the shadow: the hidden power of the dark side of human nature\n8. Nonviolent communication\n9. After the ecstasy, the laundry\n10. Watchmen\n11. Noble heart by Pena chodron\n12. Developer hegemony\n13. Brothers karamazov",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Brothers karamazov",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20915499,
          "author": "rsync",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T05:46:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20915499",
          "commentText": "I second the votes for War and Peace, Anna Karenina and Brothers Karamazov ... but I think I can add a unique (and very special to me) entry with:\nChesterfield's Letters to His Son:\n\"Begun in the 1737 and continued until the death of his son in 1768, Chesterfield wrote mostly instructive communications about geography, history, and classical literature, – with later letters focusing on politics and diplomacy – and the letters themselves were written in French, English, and Latin, in order to refine his son's grasp of the languages.\"[1]\n[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Stanhope,_4th_Earl_of_C... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Stanhope,_4th_Earl_of_Chesterfield#Letters_to_His_Son)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second the votes for War and Peace, Anna Karenina and Brothers Karamazov",
          "reason": "Seconds votes for the book in a thread asking for favorite old books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20914676,
          "author": "hristov",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T02:12:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914676",
          "commentText": "Victory - Joseph Conrad\nNotes from the Underground - Dostoyevsky\nBrothers Karamazov - Dostoyevsky (there is a bunch of other brilliant Dostoyevsky books)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brothers Karamazov - Dostoyevsky",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite old books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20914450,
          "author": "033803throwaway",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T01:18:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914450",
          "commentText": "Progress & Poverty (1879) by Henry George\nOrthodoxy (1908) by G.K. Chesterton\nThe Brothers Karamazov (1880) by Fyodor Dostoevsky",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Brothers Karamazov (1880) by Fyodor Dostoevsky",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20334576,
          "author": "Machado117",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T13:04:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20334576",
          "commentText": "Good luck with Ulysses.\nI tried several times but I always find myself with no idea of what I just read after reading a few pages.\nMight try again one day.\nI read Brothers Karamazov some years ago and I find impressive how I still think about it regularly.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read Brothers Karamazov some years ago and I find impressive how I still think about it regularly.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book still makes a strong impression years after reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20334460,
          "author": "playing_colours",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T12:46:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20334460",
          "commentText": "I decided to try reading the classic literature this year. The books that stood the test of time. I started with\n  Brothers Karamazov by F.Dostoyevsky\n  Middlemarch by G.Eliot\n\nAfter that I plan to continue with\n  East of Eden by J.Steinbeck\n  Ulysses by J.Joyce\n\nThey all have incredible characters, deep thoughts, delicious language. Sure, not an easy read after contemporary fiction, but I noticed that the more classic literature I read the better I understand and enjoy it. Also, I own Folio Society's copies of last three titles, and it's an an additional pleasure to hold, touch, and read physical books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "They all have incredible characters, deep thoughts, delicious language.",
          "reason": "Included among the classics the commenter is reading; they praise the titles together for their characters, ideas, and language.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in classic literature.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says classic literature can be challenging after contemporary fiction.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19092489,
          "author": "robin_reala",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-06T03:35:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19092489",
          "commentText": "Can’t edit the original comment, but Karamazov went through review at SE and is now available at https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/fyodor-dostoevsky/the-brot... (https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/fyodor-dostoevsky/the-brothers-karamazov/constance-garnett)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Karamazov went through review at SE and is now available",
          "reason": "Shares that the edition has completed review and is available.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337326,
          "author": "peter3731",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:21:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337326",
          "commentText": "bros. karamazov",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "bros. karamazov",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168524,
          "author": "ziotom78",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:05:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168524",
          "commentText": "The Brothers Karamazov, by Dostoevsky, without doubt. Seriously, the chapter with the Legend of the Great Inquisitor forced me to ask myself what was the meaning of \"freedom\", and this in turns urged me to reconsider a lot of beliefs I had hold before.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Brothers Karamazov, by Dostoevsky, without doubt.",
          "reason": "Its chapter on the Great Inquisitor prompted reflection on freedom and a reconsideration of beliefs.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12244876,
          "author": "danbolt",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T01:22:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244876",
          "commentText": "I've received The Brothers Karamazov, and found it to be my new favourite book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've received The Brothers Karamazov, and found it to be my new favourite book.",
          "reason": "Calls it their new favorite book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297799,
          "author": "roymurdock",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:56:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297799",
          "commentText": "Older Stuff: The Bible/Quran, The Republic (Plato), The Social Contract (Rousseau), Tao Te Ching (Laozi), Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky), History of the Peloponnesian War (Thucydides)\nNewer Stuff: Nine Stories (Salinger), The Razor's Edge (Maugham), Nausea (Sartre), Siddartha (Hesse), Road to Serfdom (Hayek), The Book (Watts), Design of Everyday Things (Norman), Atlas Shrugged (Rand), Invisible Man (Ellison), Debunking Economics (Keen), Blood Meridian (McCarthy), The Center Cannot Hold (Saks), This Time Is Different (Reinhart/Rogoff), Infinite Jest (Wallace), Calvin and Hobbes (Watterson)\nAll of these books are well written and have given me some perspective on interesting people/situations/ways of thinking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky)",
          "reason": "Listed among books said to have given the commenter perspective on interesting people, situations, and ways of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10216756,
          "author": "atmosx",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-14T18:55:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 10211331,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10216756",
          "commentText": "Brothers Karamazov by FD",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brothers Karamazov by FD",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9355950,
          "author": "pmdulaney",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-10T17:51:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9355950",
          "commentText": "I was that way with The Brothers Karamazov. But it was worth it in the end.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I was that way with The Brothers Karamazov. But it was worth it in the end.",
          "reason": "Says the effort of reading it was worthwhile.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The praise is brief and refers to the reading experience being worthwhile.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401548,
          "author": "wahnfrieden",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:36:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401548",
          "commentText": "Last read: Hard to Be a God\nReading: The Karamazov Brothers",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Reading: The Karamazov Brothers",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5408473,
          "author": "manoji",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-20T16:53:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 5401749,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What interesting books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5408473",
          "commentText": "The Brothers Karamazov . Incredible insight into human psyche .",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Brothers Karamazov . Incredible insight into human psyche .",
          "reason": "Praises its insight into the human psyche.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2919742,
          "author": "the_decider",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-24T06:59:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 2919368,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have changed the way you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2919742",
          "commentText": "Brothers Karamazov\nGravity's Rainbow\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintanance",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brothers Karamazov",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about books that changed the way people think.",
          "audience": "Readers of philosophical literary fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2639721,
          "author": "gcv",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T03:47:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639721",
          "commentText": "King Lear (Shakespeare).\nDisgrace (Coetzee).\nThe Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky).\nТихий Дон (Sholohov's name is on the cover; there are several translations under various titles as Quiet Don or something like that).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky).",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about the greatest book ever read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2639720,
          "author": "colson04",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T03:46:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639720",
          "commentText": "Fiction: tie between Of Human Bondage by W.Somerset Maugham or The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky\nNon-Fiction: Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond\nBusiness:  Rework by Jason Fried - one of the best in a long time",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky",
          "reason": "Named as a tie for the greatest fiction book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1868596,
          "author": "robertk",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-04T12:42:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1868596",
          "commentText": "The Brothers Karamazov - Fyodor Dostoevsky\nThe Sun Also Rises - Ernest Hemingway\nChess Openings for Black, Explained",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Brothers Karamazov - Fyodor Dostoevsky",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1866506,
          "author": "lylejohnson",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T21:01:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1866506",
          "commentText": "My wife and I are reading Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins.\nI am also reading The Brothers Karamazov on my Kindle. I kept seeing so many references to it in other things I was reading and I took that as a sign.\nAlso just started reading Being Geek by Michael Lopp (of the \"Rands in Repose\" blog). O'Reilly had the ebook on sale the other day and I couldn't pass it up!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I am also reading The Brothers Karamazov on my Kindle.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753667,
          "author": "radicaldreamer",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T21:31:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753667",
          "commentText": "I can't believe that in a thread about good books with 135 comments nobody has mentioned The Brothers Karamazov.\nEspecially since the bherms mentioned Atlas Shrugged, I think BK would be a great book to explore humanity illuminated in a much different way.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Brothers Karamazov.\nEspecially since the bherms mentioned Atlas Shrugged, I think BK would be a great book to explore humanity illuminated in a much different way.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a way to explore humanity from a very different perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503745,
          "author": "harscoat",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T15:09:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503745",
          "commentText": "It depends if you want to be knowledgeable \"about\" philosophy and knowledge or if you want to apply it to you life.\n* K.Popper (in both cases;): _Open society and its ennemies_ http://www.archive.org/stream/opensocietyandit033120mbp#page... (http://www.archive.org/stream/opensocietyandit033120mbp#page/n7/mode/2up)\nfor \"Ars Vitae\" (applicable to one's life)\n* Plato: _Gorgias_\n* Marc Aurélius: _Meditations_\n* Friedrich Nietzsche: _Beyond good & evil_\nI agree with others on Hume, Russell, Husserl.\nAnother great thinker while he does not pretend to be a philosopher is Dan Sperber, I think of 2 books\n* Dan Sperber (with Deirdre Wilson) _Relevance. Communication and Cognition_ (Blackwell, 1986)\n* Sperber, Dan (1996) Explaining culture: _A naturalistic approach._ (Oxford: Blackwell)\nFinally philosophical literature: \n* Doistoievski: _The Brothers Karamazov_ (question of God is asked)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Doistoievski: _The Brothers Karamazov_ (question of God is asked)",
          "reason": "Suggested as philosophical literature, noting its engagement with the question of God.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in philosophical literature and questions of God.",
          "caveat": "The commenter distinguishes it as philosophical literature.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876853,
          "author": "dschobel",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T15:11:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876853",
          "commentText": "The Brothers Karamazov - Dostoevsky\nAll Quiet on the Western Front - Remarque",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Brothers Karamazov - Dostoevsky",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875839,
          "author": "jackdawjack",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T02:59:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875839",
          "commentText": "The Brothers Karamazov\nGravity's Rainbow",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Brothers Karamazov",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797296,
          "author": "dill_day",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T03:32:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797296",
          "commentText": "I just finished The Brothers Karamazov. It was excellent.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I just finished The Brothers Karamazov. It was excellent.",
          "reason": "Calls the book excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797161,
          "author": "electronslave",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T02:18:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797161",
          "commentText": "The Brothers Karamazov.  Awesome, if only for the casually violent Russian realism that I loved in Преступление и Наказание.\nAs far as learning goes, I'm chugging through the FARs and the Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge.  I'm about to solo.\nAs far as computer tech stuff goes, I haven't picked up a book with hype (plus requisite clipart/bad drawings/abuse of color space) on the cover in years.\nEdit: What's up with all the Ayn Rand?  Misogyny, xenophobia and unvarnished greed aren't exactly admirable characteristics, and her books read like an apologist's how-to manual.  My favorite example of a Rand fanboy now works (when last I checked) at a bowling alley in Santa Barbara, after loudly and memorably insisting that he didn't need liberal pansy friends like me, because he'd be the wealthiest tycoon alive.\nYeah.\nI guess he has a stovepipe hat and a monocle now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Brothers Karamazov. Awesome",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it awesome.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fyodor Dostoevsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 28,
      "threads": 23,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "russian literature",
        "family drama",
        "moral philosophy",
        "classic literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-deepness-in-the-sky-fa870d",
      "title": "A Deepness in the Sky",
      "author": "Vernor Vinge",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48595627,
          "author": "db48x",
          "createdAt": "2026-06-19T06:58:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 48595560,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please recommend sci-fi books similar to \"children of time\" or \"anathem\"",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48595627",
          "commentText": "A Deepness in the Sky, by Vernor Vinge\nDune, by Frank Herbert\nDiaspora, by Greg Egan\nThe Clockwork Rocket, by Greg Egan\nThe Book of the New Sun, by Gene Wolfe\nProject Hail Mary, by Andy Weir",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Deepness in the Sky, by Vernor Vinge",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for similar science fiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46161500,
          "author": "ashtavakra",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-05T14:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46161500",
          "commentText": "I consolidated the comments for my reference later. Someone else might also find it useful:\n# Fiction Books Recommended for Programmers (HN Thread 46128404)\n## Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- *Children of Time* — Science Fiction (Evolution, Space Opera)  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)\n## Rick Cook — Wizardry Series\n- *Wizard’s Bane* — Fantasy, Programming/Magic Mashup  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112616.Wizard_s_Bane\n- *Wizardry Series (overview)*  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\n## James P. Hogan\n- *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/743568.Inherit_the_Stars\n- *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifem... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifemaker)\n- *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_Tomorrow)\n## D. F. Jones — Colossus Trilogy\n- *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806105.Colossus\n- *The Fall of Colossus* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colos... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colossus)\n- *Colossus and the Crab* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_Crab)\n## Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner)\n- *A Logic Named Joe* — Golden-Age Sci-Fi, AI Precursor  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-j... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-joe)\n## David Gerrold\n- *When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One* — AI, Classic Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_Was_One)\n## William Gibson / Bruce Sterling\n- *Neuromancer* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer\n- *The Difference Engine* — Steampunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Eng... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Engine)\n## Neal Stephenson\n- *Snow Crash* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash\n- *Cryptonomicon* — Techno-thriller, Cyber-history  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/816.Cryptonomicon\n- *Anathem* — Philosophical Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2845024-anathem\n- *The Diamond Age* — Nanopunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827.The_Diamond_Age\n## Fred Saberhagen\n- *Octagon* — AI, Techno-thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1891958.Octagon\n## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga\n- *Series Overview* — Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/40946-vorkosigan-saga\n## Richard Powers\n- *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45104.Galatea_2_2\n## Scott Meyer\n- *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-wizard)\n## Daniel Suarez\n- *Daemon* — Cyber-thriller, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665844-daemon\n## Thomas J. Ryan\n- *The Adolescence of P-1* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_o... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_of_P_1)\n## Ernest Cline\n- *Ready Player One* — Sci-Fi, Gaming, Pop-Culture Adventure  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one\n## Dennis E. Taylor\n- *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)* — Humorous Sci-Fi, AI, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-we-are-bob)\n## Ted Chiang\n- *Stories of Your Life and Others* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\n- *Exhalation* — Speculative Fiction, Philosophy, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation\n- *The Lifecycle of Software Objects* — AI, Digital Consciousness  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of-software-objects)\n## Charles Stross\n- *Laundry Files Series* — Math-based Magic, Techno-Fantasy  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files\n## Ken Liu\n- *The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menag... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories)\n- *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, AI, VR  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl-and-other-stories)\n## Ellen Ullman\n- *The Bug* — Tech Industry Literary Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/703.The_Bug\n## Cory Doctorow\n- *Radicalized* — Techno-sociopolitical Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40604122-radicalized\n## qntm (Sam Hughes)\n- *Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans-in-transit-and-other-stories)\n## Roger Williams\n- *The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect* — AI, Post-Singularity SF  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)\n## Greg Bear\n- *Eon* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/924843.Eon\n## Vernor Vinge\n- *A Deepness in the Sky* — Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the_Sky)\n## Terry Pratchett\n- *Going Postal* — Comic Fantasy, Satire of Bureaucracy & Tech  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64222.Going_Postal\n## Bruce Bethke\n- *Headcrash* — Cyber-satire  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213465.Headcrash\n## Mary Shelley\n- *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* — Classic Gothic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein\n## Douglas Adams\n- *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* — Comic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guid... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)\n## Jorge Luis Borges\n- *The Library of Babel* — Metaphysical Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-babel)\n## Greg Egan\n- *Permutation City* — Simulation Theory, Hard Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156784.Permutation_City\n## Cixin Liu\n- *The Three-Body Problem* — Hard Sci-Fi, First Contact  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- *A Deepness in the Sky* — Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera",
          "reason": "Lists the title in a compilation of fiction books recommended for programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46135790,
          "author": "austin-cheney",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T15:44:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46135790",
          "commentText": "It gets slow after the merging of the two competing factions at the beginning and then builds momentum after the anti-hero's back story half way through.  It just might be my most favorite book.  I found the building dominance of the anti-hero to be similar but less epic than that of Raistlin Majere from DragonLance.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It just might be my most favorite book.",
          "reason": "Calls it a favorite after describing its pacing and anti-hero.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it gets slow before building momentum.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46135711,
          "author": "torstenvl",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T15:38:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46135711",
          "commentText": "I'm finding A Deepness in the Sky pretty drudging to be honest.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I'm finding A Deepness in the Sky pretty drudging to be honest.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds the book drudging.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The criticism is the commenter's personal reading experience.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46132828,
          "author": "austin-cheney",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T10:31:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46132828",
          "commentText": "Eon by Greg Bear.\nA Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41177119,
          "author": "noitpmeder",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T00:48:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41177119",
          "commentText": "A Deepness in the Sky, hands down. Also worth reading is its companion A Fire Upon the Deep. Both are the pinnacle of SciFi.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Deepness in the Sky, hands down.",
          "reason": "Names it as their top choice and says it is among the pinnacle of science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36022537,
          "author": "etrautmann",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T16:32:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36022537",
          "commentText": "Perhaps a standard list but: Hyperion, Deepness in the Sky, Snow crash, Permutation City, Exhalation and other Ted Chiang",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Deepness in the Sky",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021231,
          "author": "hunterjrj",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:29:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021231",
          "commentText": "The Zones of Thought series by Vernor Vinge, and A Deepness in the Sky in particular.\nIf you check the series out, and I highly recommend you do, read it in order. Which would mean starting with A Fire Upon the Deep, which is excellent.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and A Deepness in the Sky in particular.",
          "reason": "Specifically highlighted as a standout within the recommended series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter advises reading the series in order, beginning with A Fire Upon the Deep.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467588,
          "author": "navbaker",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:41:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467588",
          "commentText": "I tend to re-read my favorites every few years or so, my latest re-read was \"A Deepness in the Sky\" by Vernor Vinge. Lots to dig into in that book, but my favorite aspect of it is actually how he writes the two different cultures' points of view to skew the reader's perception of the (very) alien culture, only revealing exactly how uncomfortable humans would be around them late in the book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "my latest re-read was \"A Deepness in the Sky\" by Vernor Vinge",
          "reason": "Rereads it for its contrasting cultural perspectives and the gradual reveal of how humans perceive the alien culture.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23163818,
          "author": "goldenshale",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-13T05:40:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23163818",
          "commentText": "Accelerando by Charles Stross: Be there to receive a phone call from a sentient hive lobster consciousness that escaped from the lab, and watch the singularity happen in a hilarious and mind bending fast take off.\nA Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge: explore the far future in a space opera dreamed up by a computer science professor turned sci-fi author.  This book literally inspired the first IoT sensor \"motes\" created, and we haven't come close to achieving the vision he explores just as texture in this rich book with fascinating characters.  Not my favorite wordsmith, but one of my favorite idea-smiths.\nGodel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter: create a new mathematics from the axioms up, while strolling along with a wise tortoise and a hare who share fascinating ideas and connections from art and music to number theory, incompleteness, and consciousness.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge: explore the far future in a space opera dreamed up by a computer science professor turned sci-fi author.  This book literally inspired the first IoT sensor \"motes\" created, and we haven't come close to achieving the vision he explores just as texture in this rich book with fascinating characters.  Not my favorite wordsmith, but one of my favorite idea-smiths.",
          "reason": "Praised for its far-future ideas, world, and characters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Vinge is not their favorite wordsmith.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23157218,
          "author": "Agathos",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T17:53:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23157218",
          "commentText": "I loved A Fire Upon the Deep, but I thought Deepness was a little disappointing because the aliens aren't alien enough. They seem like regular people who happen to look like bugs and who sometimes need to hibernate because of how their sun works. Ironically, it seems like the all-human Emergency is Vinge's vehicle to explore an alien way of thinking.\nA Fire Upon the Deep has a much bigger scope and includes a menagerie of truly weird aliens.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I thought Deepness was a little disappointing",
          "reason": "Finds the aliens insufficiently alien, though notes the human characters explore an alien way of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter found it disappointing compared with A Fire Upon the Deep.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22721101,
          "author": "nnlsoccer",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T18:02:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22721101",
          "commentText": "His other book A Deepness in the Sky is amazing as well",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His other book A Deepness in the Sky is amazing as well",
          "reason": "Calls the book amazing, echoing the positive discussion in the reply context.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18744617,
          "author": "austincheney",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T05:32:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744617",
          "commentText": "* A Deepness in the Sky - Vernor Vinge\nI read it again this year.  I read it for the first time about 9 years ago and its who I wanted to be when I grew up.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Deepness in the Sky - Vernor Vinge\nI read it again this year.  I read it for the first time about 9 years ago and its who I wanted to be when I grew up.",
          "reason": "Says the book shaped who they wanted to become.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17751123,
          "author": "beat",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T16:06:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17751123",
          "commentText": "In a hard SF rather than contemporary context, A Deepness in the Sky, by Vernor Vinge, is an absolute delight (and a Hugo winner for best novel). Vinge was a mathematics and computer science professor, and very much knows what he's talking about.\nPart of the fun is that, on a 5000 year old spaceship set arbitrarily far in our future, long past the end of Moore's Law, all the systems are still running Unix. And one of the jobs on board is \"Programmer-Archeologist\", digging through generations of code to try to find useful bits from the past. But story-wise, there's some outstanding hacking ideas going.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Deepness in the Sky, by Vernor Vinge, is an absolute delight",
          "reason": "Calls it an absolute delight and praises its hacking ideas and technically informed setting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Recommended as hard science fiction rather than a contemporary cybercrime story.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536808,
          "author": "gattr",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T20:12:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536808",
          "commentText": "Love both of these. Perhaps more so \"A Deepness in the Sky\", with its darker tone, very thoughtful programming-related remarks, and the reversed \"alien invasion\" concept.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Love both of these. Perhaps more so \"A Deepness in the Sky\", with its darker tone, very thoughtful programming-related remarks, and the reversed \"alien invasion\" concept.",
          "reason": "Praised for its thoughtful programming remarks and reversed alien-invasion concept.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in thoughtful science fiction with a darker tone.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536656,
          "author": "bhouston",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:35:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536656",
          "commentText": "His books are great, I loved both \"fire upon deep\" and a \"deepness in the sky\".  It is unfortunate he inspired the Singularity movement which I find full of bullshit and religious overtones.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved both \"fire upon deep\" and a \"deepness in the sky\".",
          "reason": "Says they loved the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536558,
          "author": "jamesRaybould",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:17:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536558",
          "commentText": "I'm fond of \"A Fire Upon the Deep\" by Vernor Vinge, and its kind of prequel \"A Deepness in the Sky\", they both contain some great ideas and I love the fact they have some very alien aliens!\nOh and if you haven't read any Douglas Adams \"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\" is fantastic",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "its kind of prequel \"A Deepness in the Sky\", they both contain some great ideas and I love the fact they have some very alien aliens!",
          "reason": "Praised alongside A Fire Upon the Deep for its ideas and alien species.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521710,
          "author": "arethuza",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T10:10:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521710",
          "commentText": "Not sure that \"plausible\" is the word I would use - they are both set explicitly in the same universe with the same \"physics\" - Deepness just being a bit more subtle about it as the characters don't know about the Zones of Thought - but the Zones are central to the book and the ending.\nEdit: Having said that, the concept of \"focus\" in Deepness is utterly terrifying - particularly as it seems very plausible and, as is noted in the book, some people might willingly submit to it (relevant to HN!).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the book and the ending",
          "reason": "Discusses its setting and ending, including the concept of focus.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521158,
          "author": "davedx",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T07:40:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521158",
          "commentText": "I really liked the concepts of the story in Deepness, but it took so long to progress I got bored of it. :(",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I really liked the concepts of the story in Deepness, but it took so long to progress I got bored of it.",
          "reason": "The commenter liked its concepts but became bored by the slow progression.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The slow pacing caused the commenter to lose interest.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249464,
          "author": "renke1",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T11:50:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249464",
          "commentText": "Science fiction:\n- House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds\n- A Deepness in the Sky and A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge\nAll of which were recommended here on HN and I really love them, especially House of Suns.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Deepness in the Sky",
          "reason": "Listed among science-fiction books the commenter says they really love.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056546,
          "author": "TheLoneWolfling",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:22:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056546",
          "commentText": "I enjoy The Queendom of Sol series, by Wil McCarthy.\nAlso, A Fire Upon the Deep / A Deepness in the Sky.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Fire Upon the Deep / A Deepness in the Sky.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite sci-fi books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056499,
          "author": "iloveyouocean",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:09:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056499",
          "commentText": "A Fire Upon the Deep\nA Deepness in the Sky\nboth by Vernor Vinge",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Deepness in the Sky",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about favorite science fiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056479,
          "author": "arethuza",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:04:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056479",
          "commentText": "Neal Stephenson, Anathem\nIain M Banks, Use of Weapons\nGreg Egan, Diaspora and Permutation City\nFrank Herbert, Dune\nKim Stanley Robinson, the Mars trilogy\nVernon Vinge: A Fire Upon the Deep and A Deepness in the Sky\n[Note to Hollywood: can we please have a Culture movie?]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and A Deepness in the Sky",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for favourite sci-fi books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8795504,
          "author": "pizza",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T05:21:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795504",
          "commentText": "Books I imagine will have 'tremendous' (what a prior, lol) effect\nNon-fiction;\nSlavoj Zizek's Absolute Recoil: Towards a New Foundation of Dialectical Materialism\nEvgeny Morozov's To Save Everything Click Here: The Folly of Technological Solutionism\nFiction;\nWilliam Gibson's Neuromancer\nVernor Vinge's A Deepness in the Sky (Zones of Thought)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Vernor Vinge's A Deepness in the Sky (Zones of Thought)",
          "reason": "Listed among fiction the commenter expects to have a tremendous effect.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8613977,
          "author": "nl",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-16T11:15:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8613977",
          "commentText": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Fire_Upon_the_Deep\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Deepness_in_the_Sky\nIt's easy to categorise these as wonderful and well written space opera, but that undersells them. Their author (Venor Vinge) invented the idea of the Singularity, and worked as a computer science professor. Both won both the Hugo Award.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ender's_Game\nAs good as people say it is.\nMost of Richard Morgan's works (esp the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takeshi_Kovacs series). Not his fantasy books though.\nFor fantasy books, Patrick Rothfuss is doing good stuff. The Kingkiller Chronicles is excellent. Read his other books before \"Slow Regard of Silent Things\", though, because that is one weird story.\nFrom more recent SciFi books:\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Windup_Girl is excellent.\nI'm currently reading Ancillary Justice and I'm really enjoying it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancillary_Justice",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Fire_Upon_the_Deep\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Deepness_in_the_Sky\nIt's easy to categorise these as wonderful and well written space opera, but that undersells them.",
          "reason": "Calls both books wonderful and well written, while saying the space opera label undersells them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the space opera label undersells it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8613630,
          "author": "db48x",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-16T06:55:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8613630",
          "commentText": "Almost anything by Vernor Vinge. \"A Deepness in the Sky\" in particular is amazing. I was/am particularly impress by how he handles the idea of fundamental limits on the scope of human achievement, and by how he weaves that into the story so that it's there at all levels.\n\"Diaspora\" by Greg Egan has a great story, huge ideas, and probably the most cogent explanation of sentience/sapience ever written.\n\"The Diamond Age, or A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer\" and \"Accelerando\" have already been mentioned.\n\"Reteif!\" Made me laugh out loud. Larry Niven's \"Destiny's Road\" points out the difficulty of interstellar colonization. \"Ringworld\" blew my mind. Gene Wolfe's \"The Book of the New Syn\" taught me to pay attention; \"Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency\" by Douglas Adams reinforced the lesson.\nThere are a lot of good ones; I could go on for ages...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"A Deepness in the Sky\" in particular is amazing.",
          "reason": "Calls it amazing and discusses its treatment of limits on human achievement.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4662005,
          "author": "bdunbar",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-16T21:38:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 4661261,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite Science Fiction book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4662005",
          "commentText": "A Deepness in the Sky, Vernor Vinge.\nBecause 'unix epoch' is why.  Also: it feels like a future where the details are right, but largely hidden unless needed.\nStar Fraction, Ken MacLeod.\nA romping good read, is why.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also: it feels like a future where the details are right, but largely hidden unless needed.",
          "reason": "Praises the convincing future setting and its restrained presentation of details.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043913,
          "author": "wildwood",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T22:52:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043913",
          "commentText": "The only book I ever force on people is \"A Deepness in the Sky\", by Vernor Vinge.  If you haven't read it, please do.\nI've really been enjoying David Weber's Honor Harrington series, if you're open to military sci-fi.  It's not on the Amazon site, but it's easy to get from the Baen Webscriptions site.\nIain M. Banks - \"Algebraist\" was a lot of fun, easily the best visualization of a gas-giant alien society I've ever read.  I read \"Matter\" a while ago, and keep feeling pulled back to re-read it sometime soon.\nFor classic sci-fi, I would recommend Bester's \"The Stars My Destination\" and Miller's \"Canticle for Leibowitz\".\nDon't forget to check out all the free public domain books that are available in the Kindle Store.  All the Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, etc that you can eat, at no charge.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The only book I ever force on people is \"A Deepness in the Sky\"",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends it, saying to read it if you have not.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865156,
          "author": "deafmetal",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T15:42:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865156",
          "commentText": "I recommend \"A Fire Upon The Deep\" and \"A Deepness In The Sky\" by Vernor Vinge. They're epic, emotional, and gripping, but also have some quite excellent hard science and future culture speculation. Also his book \"Rainbows End\" for something a little closer to home... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernor_Vinge",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and \"A Deepness In The Sky\" by Vernor Vinge.",
          "reason": "Recommended alongside A Fire Upon the Deep; described as epic, emotional, and gripping.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in hard science and speculation about future cultures.",
          "caveat": "Includes quite excellent hard science and future culture speculation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1864835,
          "author": "CWuestefeld",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T14:16:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1864835",
          "commentText": "RiderOfGiraffes also suggested Snow Crash; both would be excellent choices. I'd add to this Cryptonomicon, which is an interesting story, interesting thematic matter (relevant to software folks, and presented intelligently), and just full of different ways of looking at things (the scene that describes the Hindenburg disaster, or eating Captain Crunch cereal, were both perfectly clear, yet told in ways that took me some time to sync with what they were actually referring to.\nAlso consider most anything from Vernor Vinge. Some of my favorites from him are A Deepness in the Sky, Rainbows End, and A Fire Upon the Deep. Since he's a Comp Sci professor, he handles technology issues (and especially computer-related stuff) very realistically.\nAnd if you're looking back into the classics, consider Larry Niven's \"Known Space\" books, particularly Ringworld.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Some of my favorites from him are A Deepness in the Sky",
          "reason": "Names it as one of the commenter's favorites in a recommendation list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026940,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T07:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026940",
          "commentText": "I got myself a Sony Reader mid-2009 and started reading about twice more than I had been before. 2009 was also the first year in which I wasn't too lazy to document which books I read (I'm really glad I wasn't). Here're some of the favourites this year:\nClassics:\nKafka's The Process and America - both stunning novels that deserve to be read as much as his most famous, The Castle.\nJan Potocki, The Manuscript Found in Saragossa - a trippy collection of tales organised in multiple nested frames.\nScott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby.\nLeo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina. Still as breathtaking as I'd remembered it from the previous reading five years ago.\nScience Fiction:\nGene Wolfe, The Book of the New Sun. Wolfe, whom I hadn't read before, turns out to be in a class of his own. It's literary SF, overwhelmingly masterful and beautiful in its prose and characters, yet it could give any hardcore SF novel a run in terms of its ideas. It demands and richly rewards a close reading. I'll be reading more Wolfe in 2010.\nTed Chiang, collected stories. Chiang writes only stories, and has written just a few of them, but nearly every one is a gem. Read Understand on the web (http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/stories/under.htm) to see if you like his style - I do.\nVernor Vinge, A Deepness in the Sky, The Peace War, Marooned in Realtime. All great novels, but start from A Fire Upon the Deep (I read that in 2008) if you haven't read Vinge before, it's the best introduction.\nGreg Egan, Diaspora, Quarantine, Distress. Egan is the best hardcore SF author out there. _Diaspora_ is a fascinating take on shared simulated reality that's very different from the usual fare. Quarantine will appeal to your inner quantum mechanical geek.\nContemporary fiction:\nPynchon, V. Pynchon is the best novelist we've got. I recommend The Crying of the Lot 49 as the best Pynchon to start from; V is more difficult and much longer, but rewards the patience. I still can't get over the fact that Pynchon wrote and published this novel when he was 26.\nOrhan Pamuk, The Black Book.\nAnnie Proulx, Fine Just The Way It Is. A new collection of stories from the best writer about rural America out there. Three are extraordinary, two so-so, the rest very good.\nNon-fiction:\nW. Sidney Allen, Vox Graeca and Vox Latina. If you want to know how ancient Greek and Latin sounded, these are the books to read.\nElizabeth Lloyd. The Case Of The Female Orgasm. An interesting study into how available evolutionary explanations of female orgasm fail in various ways. This is a book about evolutionary biology and its methodological soundness as much as it is about explaining female orgasm.\nComputer-related:\nPeter Seibel, Coders at Work. A fantastic collection of interview with great programmers. The one 2009 book no hacker should be without.\nSqueak by Example. Does a great job of explaining Smalltalk in general and Squeak in particular.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All great novels, but start from A Fire Upon the Deep",
          "reason": "The commenter calls these novels great and recommends starting with A Fire Upon the Deep.",
          "audience": "Readers new to Vernor Vinge.",
          "caveat": "The commenter recommends beginning with A Fire Upon the Deep, which they read in 2008.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026444,
          "author": "xorphy",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T23:29:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026444",
          "commentText": "I basically discovered Vernor Vinge.\nA Fire Upon the Deep, by Vernor Vinge\nA Deepness in the Sky, by Vernor Vinge\nThe Peace War, by Vernor Vinge\nMarooned in Realtime, by Vernor Vinge\nHyperion, by Dan Simmons\nMrs. Perkins's Electric Quilt, a fun book about some math and physics problems",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Deepness in the Sky, by Vernor Vinge",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86171,
          "author": "akkartik",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T00:41:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86171",
          "commentText": "Indeed. I think his best book is A deepness in the sky.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Indeed. I think his best book is A deepness in the sky.",
          "reason": "Calls it the author's best book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vernor Vinge"
      ],
      "recommenders": 28,
      "threads": 20,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "first contact",
        "alien civilizations",
        "hard science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-algorithms-e7338f",
      "title": "Introduction to Algorithms",
      "author": "Thomas H. Cormen, Charles E. Leiserson, Ronald L. Rivest, and Clifford Stein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37813315,
          "author": "approxim8ion",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-08T18:53:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37813315",
          "commentText": "CLRS or some Algorithm Design Book, but you could easily be talking about TAOCP or SICP or Clean Code or any of 1000 other books.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "CLRS",
          "reason": "Named as one of several books people might pretend to have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35930285,
          "author": "wffurr",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T17:01:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35930285",
          "commentText": "I found CRLS dry and difficult.  Skiena’s Algorithm Design Manual was much more approachable for me.  That was my go to during interview practice.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I found CRLS dry and difficult.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it dry and difficult.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment contrasts it with Skiena’s book as more approachable.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35929363,
          "author": "Brigand",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T15:34:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35929363",
          "commentText": "Cormen, Introduction to algorithms",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cormen, Introduction to algorithms",
          "reason": "Names the book in response to a question about eye-opening textbooks.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31232163,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-02T07:04:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 31166475,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Top inspiring books on crucial CS ideas?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31232163",
          "commentText": "Gee, I've read 6 or 7 and found all of them extremely inspiring. (I've not read Code or CLRS Algorithms, and only parts of SICP and TAoCP) Well ok, 'inspiring' maybe is not exactly the word for Man-Month, but it is fascinating. Looks like the list of 10 most-recommended programming books, and things don't get on that list for no reason!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "(I've not read Code or CLRS Algorithms, and only parts of SICP and TAoCP)",
          "reason": "Lists it among books the commenter has not read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have not read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31167257,
          "author": "Parker_Powell",
          "createdAt": "2022-04-26T13:33:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 31166475,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Top inspiring books on crucial CS ideas?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31167257",
          "commentText": "No matter how long you've been a programmer, you're always looking for new ways to hone your craft and learn new techniques. One of the best ways to do that is by reading books on programming—as in, books that are actually about programming. Here's our list of 10 of the best.\n1. Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software\n2. Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship\n3. Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code\n4. The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master\n5. Don't Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability\n6. The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering\n7. Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\n8. Introduction to Algorithms (The MIT Press)\n9. Programming Pearls (2nd Edition)\n10. The Art of Computer Programming",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "8. Introduction to Algorithms (The MIT Press)",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's ten recommended programming books.",
          "audience": "Programmers looking to hone their craft and learn techniques.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30486233,
          "author": "lpolovets",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T07:41:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486233",
          "commentText": "Math: Art of Problem Solving (read in jr high)\nComputer Science: CLR Algorithms book and Skiena's Algorithm Design Manual (read both in college)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "CLR Algorithms book",
          "reason": "The commenter says they read it in college as part of their computer science learning.",
          "audience": "College students studying computer science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29220975,
          "author": "morty_s",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T21:38:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29220975",
          "commentText": "CLRS does about 5 pages on linked lists. If you want more, my advice would be to implement one in your language of choice, then look at the API for the standard lib impl of a linked list in your language of choice (if there is one).\nOtherwise, for more reading on linked lists, read through adlist.c from redis, by antirez.\nNext, one of the best books (IMO) on algorithmic thinking is SICP. Get through a few chapters, do the exercises, grok recursion, etc.\nIn no particular order:\nAlgorithm Design Manual, Skiena\nAlgorithm Design, by Kleinberg/Tardos\nAlgorithms, Sedgwick 4th ed. (also Algorithms in C)\nIf you find you need or would like more math:\nDiscrete Mathematics (Epp is an easier read, Rosen seems more verbose)\nMathematical Proofs, Charrand\nFor interview prep:\nElements of Programming Interviews (EPI)\nDesigning Data Intensive Applications",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "CLRS does about 5 pages on linked lists.",
          "reason": "Notes its coverage of linked lists while suggesting implementation and source code for more detail.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29220846,
          "author": "truly",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T21:22:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29220846",
          "commentText": "It really depends. It is a bit difficult to answer this question without understanding your background first. What CS lectures have you already taken? What related courses (e.g., math) have you done?\nFor example, the Stack data structure that you bring into discussion is quite simple (but interesting and important), so I am not surprised it is treated speedily. Introduction to Algorithms typically has more difficult content.\nDepending on this, I could recommend for example that you follow the lectures on the excellent MIT OCW YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/c/mitocw). But you could also do one of the numerous algorithms and data structures courses on coursera/edx. It all depends on what you know so far and what your goal is.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Introduction to Algorithms typically has more difficult content.",
          "reason": "Describes its content as typically more difficult.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29219140,
          "author": "laxmena",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T18:14:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29219140",
          "commentText": "Introduction to Algorithms -Thomas H. Cormen\nGrokking Algorithms -Aditya Bhargava\nCracking the Coding Interview\nBook by Gayle Laakmann McDowell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Introduction to Algorithms -Thomas H. Cormen",
          "reason": "Lists it as an answer to the thread's book request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29219127,
          "author": "bsuvc",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T18:12:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29219127",
          "commentText": "CLRS is pretty accessible for beginners, at least as far as computer science textbooks go.\nPerhaps you would benefit from pairing it with a MOOC like MIT's Introduction to Algorithms.\nhttps://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electrical-engineering-and-compu... (https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electrical-engineering-and-computer-science/6-006-introduction-to-algorithms-fall-2011/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "CLRS is pretty accessible for beginners, at least as far as computer science textbooks go.",
          "reason": "Describes CLRS as accessible for beginners.",
          "audience": "Beginners studying computer science.",
          "caveat": "The commenter qualifies its accessibility relative to other computer science textbooks.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29217601,
          "author": "linux_devil",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T15:11:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29217601",
          "commentText": "CLRS + ocw mit course should be good in my opinion. Really helped me a lot",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "CLRS + ocw mit course should be good in my opinion. Really helped me a lot",
          "reason": "Recommends CLRS alongside the MIT course and says it helped a lot.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29217578,
          "author": "curtainvase",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T15:08:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29217578",
          "commentText": "I read CLRS in the fashion you described, mostly cover to cover, as a textbook with exercises. I found it extremely helpful. It gives both intuitive and mathematical proofs for each of the algorithms and data structures.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read CLRS in the fashion you described, mostly cover to cover, as a textbook with exercises. I found it extremely helpful.",
          "reason": "Says reading it cover to cover as a textbook was extremely helpful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24596483,
          "author": "josejorgexl",
          "createdAt": "2020-09-26T04:43:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 24582669,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24596483",
          "commentText": "I would recommend \"Introduction to algorithms\" in the case you wanted to learn about data structures and algorithms.\nIf you want to learn a new great programming language while getting valuable insights about software development you should take a look at Paul Graham's books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend \"Introduction to algorithms\"",
          "reason": "Recommends it for learning data structures and algorithms.",
          "audience": "Readers learning data structures and algorithms.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23430033,
          "author": "jeffreyrogers",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-05T16:02:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23430033",
          "commentText": "The Dasgupta algorithms book is great. I read through it on my own a few years ago. Much easier to follow than CLRS (and much more manageable in size, though it obviously leaves out a lot of the stuff they cover). It strikes a good balance between rigor and clarity. Also has one of the better explanations of dynamic programming that I've seen if I remember correctly.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Much easier to follow than CLRS (and much more manageable in size, though it obviously leaves out a lot of the stuff they cover).",
          "reason": "Used as a comparison; the commenter says it is harder to follow and more expansive than Dasgupta's book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21319349,
          "author": "ykevinator",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-22T01:04:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21319349",
          "commentText": "Clr is probably the bible",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Clr is probably the bible",
          "reason": "Describes the book as the field's “bible.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21311847,
          "author": "amirathi",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T13:12:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21311847",
          "commentText": "Introduction to Algorithms by Cormen et al.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Introduction to Algorithms by Cormen et al.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20731810,
          "author": "p_l",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T18:09:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20731810",
          "commentText": "I found \"Introduction to Algorithms\" to be _waaay_ too dry to deal with in beginning, though I'd welcome something else to get through the detail.\nPersonally I'd use Cormen as \"dictionary\" to get into detail of stuff I first read in A.D.M.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I found \"Introduction to Algorithms\" to be _waaay_ too dry to deal with in beginning",
          "reason": "The commenter found it too dry to work through at the beginning, but uses it to look up details.",
          "audience": "Readers beginning to study algorithms.",
          "caveat": "The commenter uses it as a reference for details after first reading a topic elsewhere.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20731798,
          "author": "p_l",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T18:07:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20731798",
          "commentText": "If by \"Introduction to Algorithms\" we mean the infamous book by Cormen et al...\nWhen I propose to use it to prevent sea rise by drying the sea I only half jest. It's IMO one of the worst books to use except as reference when you already have a good grounding.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "It's IMO one of the worst books to use except as reference when you already have a good grounding.",
          "reason": "The commenter considers it unsuitable for learning except as a reference for readers with a strong foundation.",
          "audience": "Readers who already have a good grounding in algorithms.",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it one of the worst books to use for learning.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20731429,
          "author": "non-entity",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T17:08:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20731429",
          "commentText": "> Do not touch \"Introduction to Algorithms\" until you are in a dream job\nAny idea why? Its unlikely I'll ever land my \"dream job\" butnim curious as to the reasoning.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Any idea why? Its unlikely I'll ever land my \"dream job\" butnim curious as to the reasoning.",
          "reason": "Asks why the previous commenter warned against the book; does not express an opinion about it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20731227,
          "author": "resouer",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T16:35:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20731227",
          "commentText": "For CS theory, I would rather suggest you to focus on classic CS courses, here's my list:\n0. Do not touch \"Introduction to Algorithms\" until you are in a dream job.\n1. CS 61A: The Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\nhttps://cs61a.org/\n2. CS61B: Data Structures\nhttp://datastructur.es/sp16/\n3. Coursera: Princeton Algorithm\nhttps://coursera.org/learn/algorithms-part1\n4. CMU 15213 CSAPP\nhttps://courses.cs.washington.edu/courses/cse351/16sp/videos... (https://courses.cs.washington.edu/courses/cse351/16sp/videos.html)\n5. Keep moving.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Do not touch \"Introduction to Algorithms\" until you are in a dream job.",
          "reason": "Advises readers to avoid the book until they are in a dream job.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment does not explain the reason for the warning.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20729737,
          "author": "charlescearl",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T12:14:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20729737",
          "commentText": "Go ahead and get your free copy of Avi Wigderson's Mathematics and Computation https://www.math.ias.edu/avi/book.\nBroadly speaking there are two types of \"CS Theory\":\n1. \"What is computation and what can be computed?\" That's what Wigderson's book is about. Complexity theory.\n2. \"What's the best way to compute something?\" covered by \"Introduction to Algorithms\" and the like -- sth people ask on interview questions. In addition to the references here, http://people.cs.uchicago.edu/~laci/17discrete/ gives some good puzzles to work through.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "covered by \"Introduction to Algorithms\" and the like",
          "reason": "Cited as a book covering ways to compute something effectively.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in algorithms.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17052655,
          "author": "telltruth",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-12T05:50:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17052655",
          "commentText": "This might sound either obvious or naive but if you are not a CS major, I would really emphasize reading CS textbooks such as CLRS, Programming Pearls, Dragonbook and most importantly textbooks on statistics m probability, linear algebra. There is a pyramid of skills for developers. People who haven’t studied throughly above stuff usually ends up at bottom (aka “enterprise” or “web” or “database” developers). They spend their lives in trivialities of patterns and plumbing and only very rarely doing something interesting such as distributed computing, game programming, systems programming, ML/AI.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "reading CS textbooks such as CLRS",
          "reason": "Named as a computer science textbook the commenter recommends reading, especially for non-CS majors.",
          "audience": "Developers without a computer science major.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17034843,
          "author": "tomdre",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T22:34:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17034843",
          "commentText": "\"Introduction to Algorithms\" by Cormen et al. is one of my favorite books. It gave me a deep understanding of algorithms and data structures.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Introduction to Algorithms\" by Cormen et al. is one of my favorite books. It gave me a deep understanding of algorithms and data structures.",
          "reason": "Names it as a favorite and credits it with providing a deep understanding of algorithms and data structures.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16763584,
          "author": "mathieubordere",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-05T10:47:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16763584",
          "commentText": "Introduction to Algorithms (CLRS) and The Linux Programming Interface (Kerrisk)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Introduction to Algorithms (CLRS)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about frequently referred-to books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16758142,
          "author": "engi_nerd",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T19:34:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16758142",
          "commentText": "I keep a wide variety of references around this desk. Some of my favorites:\nManuel Lima's \"Visual Complexity\", \"The Book of Circles\", and \"The Book of Trees\". These are useful as references and as visualization inspiration.\nJacques Bertin's \"Semiology of Graphics\". Gorgeous and immensely useful.\nDesmond and Nicholas Higham's \"MATLAB Guide, 3rd Edition\", and Yair Altman's \"Accelerating MATLAB Performance\". Both are invaluable for serious MATLAB work.\nTitus A. Beu's book on Numerical Programming is very good as a reference.\nFor anyone needing to work on military simulations, \"Engineering Principles of Combat Modeling and Distributed Simulation\" by Tolk is the best reference I have found on the subject.\nAnd TAOCP and CLRS are here for reference purposes as well.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "And TAOCP and CLRS are here for reference purposes as well.",
          "reason": "Kept for reference purposes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16080568,
          "author": "justin66",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-05T18:40:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16080568",
          "commentText": "Introduction to Algorithms (CLRS). With the caveat that I'm not sure I've ever \"read\" a textbook, but I've referred to a lot of them.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Introduction to Algorithms (CLRS).",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to a question asking for the best textbook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure they have ever read a textbook, though they have referred to many.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14487722,
          "author": "pjmlp",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T14:15:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487722",
          "commentText": "A few ones:\n\"Algorithms and Data Structures\" from Niklaus Wirth.\n\"Introduction to Algorithms, 3rd Edition\" from Thomas H. Cormen, Charles E. Leiserson, Ronald L. Rivest, Clifford Stein.\n\"The Garbage Collection Handbook: The Art of Automatic Memory Management\" from Richard Jones and Antony Hosking\n\"Code Complete\" from Steve McConnell\n\"From Mathematics to Generic Programming\" from Alexander Stepanov and Daniel Rose",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Introduction to Algorithms, 3rd Edition\" from Thomas H. Cormen, Charles E. Leiserson, Ronald L. Rivest, Clifford Stein",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books to add to a programming library.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14487288,
          "author": "mathnode",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T13:04:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487288",
          "commentText": "- The Pragmatic Programmer\n- The Practice of Programming\n- The Mythical Man Month\n- The Cathedral and the Bazaar\n- The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\n- Introduction to Algorithms\n- Hackers and Painters\nSome of these do contain mixed language code examples, but they are expressed in a way to be agnostic. A problem is a problem; in any language.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Introduction to Algorithms",
          "reason": "Included in a list answering a request for language-agnostic programming books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13804180,
          "author": "metaphorm",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:19:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804180",
          "commentText": "- The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin\n- Blindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts\n- The Tao Te Ching\n- The Gateless Gate (Koun Yamada translation/editing)\n- The Baroque Cycle (Quicksilver, The Confusion, The System of the World) by Neal Stephenson\n- The Invisibles by Grant Morrison\n- Incerto (Fooled by Randomness, The Black Swan, Antifragile, The Bed of Procrustes) by Nassim Nicholas Taleb\n- Iron John by Robert Bly\n- Catch 22 by Joseph Heller\n- The Character of Physical Law by Richard P. Feynman\n- Collected Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges\n- 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez\n- Pharmakon by Dale Pendell\n- The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss\n- Greek Mythology by Edith Hamilton\n- The Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual by Gary Gygax et al\n- Introduction to Algorithms by Charles E. Leiserson, Clifford Stein, Ronald Rivest, and Thomas H. Cormen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Introduction to Algorithms by Charles E. Leiserson, Clifford Stein, Ronald Rivest, and Thomas H. Cormen",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed how people think.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12158028,
          "author": "EnderMB",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-25T11:57:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12158028",
          "commentText": "I've picked up quite a few over the years, with my favourite being Algorithms by Sedgewick.\nWith that being said, I've tried to teach myself about the most important data structures and algorithms, but I find that I'm not \"really\" understanding them, and am purely just remembering the gist of what I need to know.\nPerhaps it's imposter syndrome, but despite being a passable developer, there's a part of me that feels that I need to be able to read the CLRS book and actually understand what's going on, because until I can read that book I don't feel that I know the ins-and-outs of these algorithms.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I need to be able to read the CLRS book and actually understand what's going on",
          "reason": "The commenter feels understanding this book would show they know the ins and outs of algorithms.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12143808,
          "author": "EnderMB",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T14:43:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12143808",
          "commentText": "1) Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell: I bought this book after it was referenced in one of Alex Ferguson's books. It's a fascinating tale of how people became to be successful by being the right person in the right environment at the right time, from how Bill Gates dominated the world of software, to how The Beatles became one of the best bands in the world. It's a great reminder that a mixture of hard work, the right environment, and dumb luck will help you do well.\n2) C# in Depth by Jon Skeet: Buying and reading this book is what led me to continue down the deep rabbit hole of .NET development, and following the C# language from version 1 onwards via the book is a great way to appreciate the language, as well as use it. As someone that writes C# daily this is the main book I recommend to existing devs.\n3) Introduction to Algorithms by CLRS: This is a bit of a cheat, because I've only glanced at various pages of this book. I have a degree in Computer Science, but my maths knowledge is lacking (to put it kindly), so despite my degree I have only a practical understanding of a lot of the algorithms talked about in the book. It's been my goal for years to build up my knowledge of maths to the point where I can read this book cover-to-cover and actually understand what's going on. I'm still not there, but hopefully one day I'll make it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's been my goal for years to build up my knowledge of maths to the point where I can read this book cover-to-cover and actually understand what's going on.",
          "reason": "The commenter has only glanced at it and hopes to study it in depth.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says their math knowledge is currently insufficient to understand it fully.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229918,
          "author": "Ping_2_Ur_Pong",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T16:31:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229918",
          "commentText": "Below list are some of my favorite books overall that I didn't see mentioned.\n---Non-software related\nHow to win friends and influence people -Dale Carnegie (The definitive guide to helping you work better with people, truly great book, should be required reading)\nBlink- Malcolm Gladwell\nGodel Escher, Bach -  (Recursion, but not from a software perspective.  Its a glorious book that will change the way you think about recursion.)\nHitch Hiker's guide to the galaxy, - Douglas Adams  (Glorious book that is a fun read, when you need a break pick this up and laugh hard)\nFoundation Series - Assimov (Great stories from one of the best sci-fi writers ever)\n-------------------Software related\nCode Complete\nConcrete Mathematics\nThe Art of Computer Programming\nThe Design of the Unix Operating System\nIntroduction to Algorithms -Cormen\nDesign Patterns Elements of Resusable OO Design -Gang of Four",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Introduction to Algorithms -Cormen",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorite books in a response to a recommendation request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9045201,
          "author": "tsax",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-13T16:42:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 9044833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I have $2k for books, training and confs. What should I spend it on?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9045201",
          "commentText": "I would find out the medium term goals of the organization, and find all the resources I would need to accomplish some of them - people (on LinkedIn, Meetup.com), courses (Udacity Nanodegree, Coursera Specialization, Thinkful, etc), books (Such as Intro to Algorithms, etc).\nAnd then draft a comprehensive plan to make this happen. If you do this, then you will become truly irreplaceable for your organization.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "books (Such as Intro to Algorithms, etc).",
          "reason": "Included as an example resource for a plan to meet organizational goals.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9045180,
          "author": "fredleblanc",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-13T16:39:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 9044833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I have $2k for books, training and confs. What should I spend it on?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9045180",
          "commentText": "Don't forget that you can stretch $2k a lot further on something like half.com instead of buying new books: http://product.half.ebay.com/Introduction-to-Algorithms-by-C... (http://product.half.ebay.com/Introduction-to-Algorithms-by-Clifford-Stein-Ronald-L-Rivest-Thomas-H-Cormen-and-Charles-E-Leiserson-2009-Hardcover/73175956&tg=info)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "http://product.half.ebay.com/Introduction-to-Algorithms-by-C...",
          "reason": "Uses the book as an example of a title that can be bought secondhand.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9045122,
          "author": "Slartibreakfast",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-13T16:27:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 9044833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I have $2k for books, training and confs. What should I spend it on?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9045122",
          "commentText": "I know how I'd spend the first $100:\nhttp://mitpress.mit.edu/books/introduction-algorithms\nI don't know about the other $1.9K.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I know how I'd spend the first $100:\nhttp://mitpress.mit.edu/books/introduction-algorithms",
          "reason": "Suggested as a use for the first $100 of the budget.",
          "audience": "Readers studying algorithms.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3565071,
          "author": "chwahoo",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-08T04:38:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 3564256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best programming books for someone in prison?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3565071",
          "commentText": "I find it shocking that \"technical/instructive/informative\" books are disallowed.  I can't begin to fathom a reasonable explanation for that.\nTo be more helpful, a mathy algorithms text, like CLR (http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Algorithms-Thomas-H-Corme... (http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Algorithms-Thomas-H-Cormen/dp/0262033844/)) might slip through the censors and be a good option--depending on whether your friend is comfortably enough with thinking about code abstractly.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "a mathy algorithms text, like CLR",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a possible option that might pass censorship.",
          "audience": "Someone comfortable thinking about code abstractly.",
          "caveat": "Might slip through the censors; suitability depends on comfort with abstract code.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2416880,
          "author": "rshepherd",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T20:45:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2416880",
          "commentText": "This response is late that I doubt will even be read by the poster, but I will throw this out there anyway.\nI was (am?) a self-taught programmer, I guess I am transitioning away of that label. I am a bit less than halfway through the MSCS program at the moment. I really cannot recommend it enough.\nI think I was a pretty good software engineer prior to getting some formal education, but I cannot tell you how often in class the light from heaven just shines right down.. \"oh so that's why x is y\". If you enjoy the work, its a real pleasure (albeit a painful amount of work at times).\nSo finally I get to the point. I can see that you have already received a lot of good recommendations. I think most of them are quite good. However, I have a couple of  observations about specific books.\nIntro to Algorithms - Cormen etc.\nIf you feel you need a discrete math course, then this book is probably not a good place to start with algorithms. It is a rigorous treatment of the subject. However, if you lack mathematical sophistication, this book can be tough. I aced my discrete course prior to taking an algorithms course taught with this book, and I struggled mightily to get an A-. I found the proofs in the book difficult to understand on many occasions.\nModern Operating Systems - Tannenbaum\nThis book is very easy to understand and provided me with so many \"A HA!\" moments. A real pleasure. I am not sure what your current work is, but the only pre-req on this book is a modest amount of C/C++ programming. The reason I say this is because I found that having that, this book allowed me to finally understand what is happening from compile time down to the CPU at runtime. A really rewarding journey.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If you feel you need a discrete math course, then this book is probably not a good place to start with algorithms.",
          "reason": "Says it is a rigorous treatment but not a good starting point for someone who needs discrete math first.",
          "audience": "Readers who already have mathematical sophistication and discrete mathematics background.",
          "caveat": "The commenter found its proofs difficult and struggled despite doing well in a discrete math course.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414395,
          "author": "T-R",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T08:57:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414395",
          "commentText": "It really depends on what you feel you're missing and what you're hoping to do (definitions of \"daily work\" vary widely). If you're looking to get up on theory by doing your own program of sorts, you could do worse than start with these (in roughly this order):\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs - Abelson, Sussman, and Sussman\nIntroduction to Algorithms - Cormen, Leiserson, Rivest, and Stein\nThe Art of Assembly Language - Hyde\na digital logic book (not sure which is most recommended), and an architecture book (see reply by tftfmacedo)\nModern Operating Systems - Tanenbaum\nIntroduction to the Theory of Computation - Sipser\nCompilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools - Aho, Lam, Sethi, and Ullman (a.k.a. \"Dragon Book\")\nProgramming Language Pragmatics - Scott\nA database design book (one that covers Relational Algebra, not just a book on SQL), and maybe a book on Networks. Also, Roy Fielding's paper on REST is both academic and applicable (and more approachable than you'd expect of a Ph.D paper). If you want to go all the way, an undergraduate program usually also has Calculus, Discrete Math, Linear Algebra, and Statistics. Some schools would also require Physics and Differential Equations. I'm sure I'm missing some topics, too, particularly electives.\nIf you can get through those and the associated problem sets, you'll have a better foundation than most.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Introduction to Algorithms - Cormen, Leiserson, Rivest, and Stein",
          "reason": "Included in a suggested sequence for studying computer science theory.",
          "audience": "Readers studying computer science theory independently.",
          "caveat": "The list is conditional on what the reader feels they are missing and hopes to do.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240710,
          "author": "kylec",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T03:03:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240710",
          "commentText": "I thought about posting this here after a relative success asking the question on Reddit:\nhttp://www.reddit.com/info/6mikl/comments/\nbut it looks like you've beaten me to it!\nI did create a listing of the most popular books mentioned on the comment thread, if you're interested. The following were mentioned by 4 or more people:\n14 The C Programming Language\n11 Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\n8 Introduction to Algorithms\n7 Compilers: Principles, Techniques and Tools\n6 Programming Erlang\n5 The Mythical Man-Month\n5 The Pragmatic Programmer\n5 Applied Cryptography\n4 Beautiful Code\n4 The Little Schemer\n4 Programming Perl\nmore here: http://www.reddit.com/info/6mikl/comments/c04abpy",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "8 Introduction to Algorithms",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the most frequently mentioned books in the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135457,
          "author": "jorgeortiz85",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T20:25:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135457",
          "commentText": "Introduction to Algorithms - Cormen/Leiserson/Rivest/Stein (CLRS)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Introduction to Algorithms - Cormen/Leiserson/Rivest/Stein (CLRS)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56025,
          "author": "cellis",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-18T01:39:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 55372,
          "threadTitle": "Question: What are the best books on algorithms?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56025",
          "commentText": "Introduction to Algorithms - MIT Press",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Introduction to Algorithms - MIT Press",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for recommended books on algorithms.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an algorithms book.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 55562,
          "author": "elad",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-17T05:42:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 55372,
          "threadTitle": "Question: What are the best books on algorithms?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=55562",
          "commentText": "Second that!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Second that!",
          "reason": "The comment clearly seconds the parent's favorable recommendation.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a theoretical college algorithms text.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas H. Cormen",
        "Charles E. Leiserson",
        "Ronald L. Rivest",
        "Clifford Stein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 28,
      "threads": 20,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "data structures",
        "computer science",
        "textbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ready-player-one-874f5e",
      "title": "Ready Player One",
      "author": "Ernest Cline",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46161500,
          "author": "ashtavakra",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-05T14:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46161500",
          "commentText": "I consolidated the comments for my reference later. Someone else might also find it useful:\n# Fiction Books Recommended for Programmers (HN Thread 46128404)\n## Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- *Children of Time* — Science Fiction (Evolution, Space Opera)  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)\n## Rick Cook — Wizardry Series\n- *Wizard’s Bane* — Fantasy, Programming/Magic Mashup  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112616.Wizard_s_Bane\n- *Wizardry Series (overview)*  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\n## James P. Hogan\n- *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/743568.Inherit_the_Stars\n- *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifem... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifemaker)\n- *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_Tomorrow)\n## D. F. Jones — Colossus Trilogy\n- *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806105.Colossus\n- *The Fall of Colossus* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colos... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colossus)\n- *Colossus and the Crab* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_Crab)\n## Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner)\n- *A Logic Named Joe* — Golden-Age Sci-Fi, AI Precursor  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-j... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-joe)\n## David Gerrold\n- *When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One* — AI, Classic Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_Was_One)\n## William Gibson / Bruce Sterling\n- *Neuromancer* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer\n- *The Difference Engine* — Steampunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Eng... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Engine)\n## Neal Stephenson\n- *Snow Crash* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash\n- *Cryptonomicon* — Techno-thriller, Cyber-history  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/816.Cryptonomicon\n- *Anathem* — Philosophical Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2845024-anathem\n- *The Diamond Age* — Nanopunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827.The_Diamond_Age\n## Fred Saberhagen\n- *Octagon* — AI, Techno-thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1891958.Octagon\n## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga\n- *Series Overview* — Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/40946-vorkosigan-saga\n## Richard Powers\n- *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45104.Galatea_2_2\n## Scott Meyer\n- *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-wizard)\n## Daniel Suarez\n- *Daemon* — Cyber-thriller, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665844-daemon\n## Thomas J. Ryan\n- *The Adolescence of P-1* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_o... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_of_P_1)\n## Ernest Cline\n- *Ready Player One* — Sci-Fi, Gaming, Pop-Culture Adventure  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one\n## Dennis E. Taylor\n- *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)* — Humorous Sci-Fi, AI, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-we-are-bob)\n## Ted Chiang\n- *Stories of Your Life and Others* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\n- *Exhalation* — Speculative Fiction, Philosophy, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation\n- *The Lifecycle of Software Objects* — AI, Digital Consciousness  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of-software-objects)\n## Charles Stross\n- *Laundry Files Series* — Math-based Magic, Techno-Fantasy  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files\n## Ken Liu\n- *The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menag... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories)\n- *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, AI, VR  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl-and-other-stories)\n## Ellen Ullman\n- *The Bug* — Tech Industry Literary Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/703.The_Bug\n## Cory Doctorow\n- *Radicalized* — Techno-sociopolitical Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40604122-radicalized\n## qntm (Sam Hughes)\n- *Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans-in-transit-and-other-stories)\n## Roger Williams\n- *The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect* — AI, Post-Singularity SF  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)\n## Greg Bear\n- *Eon* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/924843.Eon\n## Vernor Vinge\n- *A Deepness in the Sky* — Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the_Sky)\n## Terry Pratchett\n- *Going Postal* — Comic Fantasy, Satire of Bureaucracy & Tech  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64222.Going_Postal\n## Bruce Bethke\n- *Headcrash* — Cyber-satire  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213465.Headcrash\n## Mary Shelley\n- *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* — Classic Gothic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein\n## Douglas Adams\n- *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* — Comic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guid... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)\n## Jorge Luis Borges\n- *The Library of Babel* — Metaphysical Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-babel)\n## Greg Egan\n- *Permutation City* — Simulation Theory, Hard Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156784.Permutation_City\n## Cixin Liu\n- *The Three-Body Problem* — Hard Sci-Fi, First Contact  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- *Ready Player One* — Sci-Fi, Gaming, Pop-Culture Adventure",
          "reason": "Lists the title in a compilation of fiction books recommended for programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46135665,
          "author": "code_Whisperer",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T15:33:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46135665",
          "commentText": "\"Galatea 2.2\" by (my all-time favorite author) Richard Powers\n\"Off to Be the Wizard\" by Scott Meyer\n\"Daemon\" by Daniel Suarez\n\"The Adolescence of P1\" (vintage) by Thomas Ryan\n\"Snow Crash\" by William Gibson\n\"Ready Player One\" by Ernest Cline\n\"We are Legion [We are Bob]\" by Dennis Taylor",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Ready Player One\" by Ernest Cline",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021948,
          "author": "jillesvangurp",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:30:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021948",
          "commentText": "Anything Neal Stephenson. I've read them all. Multiple times.\nBut some other stuff that people haven't yet mentioned that I enjoyed:\n- Matt Haig: The Humans, How to Stop Time\n- Richard Morgan: Altered Carbon trilogy\n- Ramez Naam: Nexus Trilogy\n- Hugh Howie: Silo series\n- Ann Leckie: Ancillary Justice\n- Ernest Cline: Ready Player 1",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ready Player 1",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22722534,
          "author": "Balgair",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T20:43:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22722534",
          "commentText": "Nearly every time the USMC list goes up on HN, the reaction is the same: Why the heck is Ready Player One on the list?\nThanks for diving a bit deeper into the selection.\nTo add a bit more context, the USMCRL has this in addition to the categorization:\n\"2044. Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes this depressing reality by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia where you can be anything you want to be, where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets...\"\nAs the selection is in the 'Primary Level - Enlisted' alongside Ender's Game and Rifleman Dodd, I think it is there to showcase initiative and intelligence for young enlisted marines.\nStill, I'll admit, it is a strange choice.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Why the heck is Ready Player One on the list?",
          "reason": "Questions why the book appears on the USMC reading list and later calls it a strange choice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter suggests it may showcase initiative and intelligence for young enlisted Marines, but still finds it a strange choice.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803711,
          "author": "Balgair",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:29:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803711",
          "commentText": "USMC Commandant's 2020 Reading List.\nThis year I am finishing up the Harvard Classics and am looking for a new view point. https://www.myharvardclassics.com/categories/20120612_1\nUnfortunately, the military only publish on New Years Day (traditionally as a sort of holiday gift to those under command), so the 2020 list is not out yet. Every title is free via either the base library or the Navy Digital Library. Most have free audio book narration. There are discussion guides also provided for free. The website is very easy to use and poke around in, I'd suggest looking at it from a Dev standpoint alone. That said, the 2019 list is here: https://grc-usmcu.libguides.com/usmc-reading-list\nThere are a LOT of titles so here are the Poolee through PFC levels:\nPoolee:\nBATTLE CRY by Leon Uris\nCORPS VALUES by Zell Miller\nGATES OF FIRE: AN EPIC NOVEL OF THE BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE by Steven Pressfield\nGRIT: THE POWER OF PASSION AND PERSEVERANCE by Angela Duckworth\nSTARSHIP TROOPERS by Robert A. Heinlein\nPFC through Lance Corporal:\nCHESTY by Jon T. Hoffman\nENDER'S GAME by Orson Scott Card\nTHE LAST STAND OF FOX COMPANY: A TRUE STORY OF U.S. MARINES IN COMBAT by Bob Drury\nTHE MARINES OF MONTFORD POINT: AMERICA'S FIRST BLACK MARINES by Melton Alonza McLaurin\nON CALL IN HELL by Richard Jadick; Thomas Hayden\nREADY PLAYER ONE by Ernest Cline\nRIFLEMAN DODD: A NOVEL OF THE PENINSULAR CAMPAIGN by C. S. Forester\nTHE WARRIOR ETHOS by Steven Pressfield\nThe 2020 list should have some froth in it (Greitens likely won't stay, but who knows, judge the art not the artist). I think it'll be a good look into a Corps that has been punched for a long time in Afghanistan. Still, some great titles in there.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "READY PLAYER ONE by Ernest Cline",
          "reason": "Listed as a title in the USMC Commandant's reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17532472,
          "author": "ohmatt",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-14T21:26:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17532472",
          "commentText": "I also really enjoyed this book, despite being born in 89. But, at the same time, it felt like the book was just him writing out lists of references, and just saying what was happening. The author is not the best \"writer\". That being said, the book is good, and ridiculously addicting to read. I read the whole thing over two days and couldn't put it down.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I also really enjoyed this book",
          "reason": "Calls the book good and ridiculously addicting, while criticizing the writing style.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The author is not the best \"writer\".",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521532,
          "author": "nobrains",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T09:18:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521532",
          "commentText": "Ready Player One.\nRead it before seeing the movie.\nIf you were born in late 70s or 80s, you will enjoy the references.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read it before seeing the movie.",
          "reason": "Recommends reading it before watching the film and says readers born in the late 1970s or 1980s will enjoy its references.",
          "audience": "Readers born in the late 1970s or 1980s.",
          "caveat": "Enjoyment of the references is tied to familiarity with that era.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521472,
          "author": "Insanity",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T09:00:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521472",
          "commentText": "Some books that I recently read and enjoyed:\nNon-fiction\na) Sapiens (Yuval Noah Harari)\nb) Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon (Kim Zetter)\nc) Hackers: Heroes of the computer revolution (Steven Levy)\nd) Masters of Doom (David Kushner)\nFiction:\ne) The Death of Ivan Ilyich (Leo Tolstoy)\nf) Ready Player One (Ernest Cline)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ready Player One (Ernest Cline)",
          "reason": "Listed among books recently read and enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15963577,
          "author": "wink",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T19:52:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15963577",
          "commentText": "1. Off to Be the Wizard (Scott Meyer) - Very good.\n2. Ready Player One (Ernest Cline) - I liked it although it's kinda ridiculous and one-sided.\n3. The Bloodline Feud (Charles Stross) - Actually part 1&2 of a series. Really need to continue, very good. I'd say this was not \"oh I know what will happen next\" which is kinda rare.\n4. The Graveyard Book (Neil Gaiman) - It's ok, but not as good as I had hoped.\n5. Coraline (Neil Gaiman) - It's a children's book, and very short, but I liked it a lot.\n6. Accelerated C++ (Koening/Moo) - Not finished, I was under the impression it's \"C++ for programmers well-versed in other languages\" and for that it's a bit slow-starting, but not bad I guess\nI really need to read more. :|",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I liked it although it's kinda ridiculous and one-sided.",
          "reason": "Says they liked it, with reservations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as ridiculous and one-sided.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961140,
          "author": "maephisto",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:06:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961140",
          "commentText": "Worth mentioning:\n1. Ready Player One\n2. On The Road (re-read)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1. Ready Player One",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter’s “Worth mentioning” list in the book discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630223,
          "author": "Panino",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:53:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630223",
          "commentText": "* Johnny Got His Gun, by Dalton Trumbo. Powerful anti-war story.\n  * Vagabonding, by Rolf Potts. Shaped my views on hard work and travel.\n  * 1984, by George Orwell. Brilliant and terrifying.\n  * The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle. Overcoming mental pain through consciousness. \n  * Planetwalker, by John Francis. Inspired me to walk and put myself into things more.\n  * Pure enjoyment: Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson), Ready Player One (Ernest Cline), Watchmen (Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons), Red Rising trilogy (Pierce Brown).\n\nHonorable mention: The Water Knife (Paolo Bacigalupi).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pure enjoyment: Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson), Ready Player One (Ernest Cline)",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of books read for pure enjoyment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13568982,
          "author": "jimmahoney",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T20:52:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13568982",
          "commentText": "Ready Player One.\nThough the recent second time was as an audio book on a long car trip.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Ready Player One.\nThough the recent second time was as an audio book on a long car trip.",
          "reason": "Reports rereading it as an audiobook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249434,
          "author": "qwertyuiop924",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T11:39:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249434",
          "commentText": "I'll second The Baroque Cycle (or Cryptonomicon: it doesn't matter which). But might I also suggest the works of Terry Pratchett, particularly Discworld? Sir Pterry's work is among the best I've ever read.\nIf you're looking for something a bit fluffier than the above, then I would suggest The Dresden Files. Sure, it's mindless fluff, but man, it's good mindless fluff. The same applies to The Codex Alera (which apparently resulted from a bet that the author couldn't make a good book from an awful idea: the idea given was the lost roman legion crossed with Pokemon).\nI can also suggest Ready Player one in this category. Ready Player One is essentially geek culture (especially gaming culture) furiously... well, you know. Giving itself one. But it's a fun ride (unlike Armada. But that's another story).\nFinally, I can reccomend The Laundry Files. Do you like computing? Do you like lovecraftian nightmares? Go buy these now. The first book is okay, but has a rather nasty problem, sort of: It keeps winking at the audience incessantly. I didn't mind too much, myself, but I know others have been put off by it. Don't worry, the winking lessens to a manageable rate (although never quite fully goes away: after all, this is a series about a CS Student turned Sysadmin turned hunter of unspeakable monstrosities named Bob Oliver Francis Howard. Think about that for a second). And it is one of very few horror series that I have enjoyed. Take that as you will.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can also suggest Ready Player one",
          "reason": "Suggested as a fun ride centered on geek and gaming culture.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in geek and gaming culture.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249378,
          "author": "iKenshu",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T11:20:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249378",
          "commentText": "I read 'Ready player one' and I really enjoy it.\nRight now I am reading 'Seveneves' recommendend by Bill Gates.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read 'Ready player one' and I really enjoy it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoy the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249112,
          "author": "jaymon",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T08:37:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249112",
          "commentText": "I'll second someone else's recommendation for The Martian, that was just a really fun read you can just burn through because it is so enjoyable.\nIf you want another really fun read, Ready Player One was fantastic.\nI've also enjoyed the Old Man's War saga, there are 6 books but you can skip book 4 since it is a retelling of book 3 from the POV of another character. This is a space saga and I really like the universe he created.\nIn the hard sci-fi genre, I really enjoyed The Forever War.\nAnd for just pure world building fantasy, the Game of Thrones books (The song of Ice and Fire series) are some of the best written books I've ever read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you want another really fun read, Ready Player One was fantastic.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a fantastic, fun read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13240028,
          "author": "henrik_w",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T20:18:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13240028",
          "commentText": "+1 (+2?) for Deep Work and Ready Player One. Read both this year, and both are excellent. Also really liked The Martian.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and Ready Player One. Read both this year, and both are excellent.",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconded as an excellent book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13239328,
          "author": "WereBooks",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T18:41:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13239328",
          "commentText": "SO many! But some notables were Lincoln Farish's 'Vampire of Rome' and Ernest Cline's 'Ready Player One'",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "'Ready Player One'",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238121,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:01:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238121",
          "commentText": "Last year I gave myself a Zuckerberg-style goal to read a book every two weeks. It started well, but some months were harder than others (usually when the book wasn't very good, so I would switch to podcasts for a few weeks, before getting back on track).\nHere's an unordered list of the best:\n[BUSINESS / SELF-IMPROVEMENT]\n- \"Work Rules!\" - about Google's culture and values\n- \"Search Inside Yourself\" - about mindfulness, meditation, and the impact on your life.\n- \"What got you here won't get you there\" - Liked a lot more than I expected.\n- \"Re-read Innovator's Dilemma\" - a great classic; never gets old.\n- \"How will you measure your life\" - from the same author. Also excellent.\n- \"The Best Service is No Service\" - good overview on why Amazon's customer service is so good\n- \"Crucial Conversations\" - half is common sense; half is good tips to practice everyday.\n[PROGRAMMING]\n- \"Fluent Python\" - was afraid it'd be too basic, but not really. Enjoyed it a lot.\n- \"Think Complexity\" - about algorithm complexity, data structures, etc. Great read.\n- \"Python Data Science Handbook\" - meh.\n- \"Fundamentals of Deep Learning\" - good intro. Helped me solidify some concepts from Andrew Ng's ML course\n- \"Deep Learning\" - by Goodfellow and Bengio. Just started, but really liking it.\n[STARTUPS] (all excellent; in order)\n- \"The Hard Things about Hard Things\"\n- \"Zero to One\"\n- \"The Founder's Dilemmas\"\n- \"The Launch Pad\"\n[FICTION]\n- Trilogy: \"Off to be a wizard / An Unwelcome Quest / Spell or High Water\"\n- \"Infinite Jest\" - tried but failed to finish. May try again later.\n- \"Ready Player One\" - nice, but repetitive after a while. Good read before the movie comes out.\n[NON-FICTION]\n- \"What If?\" - xkcd FTW\n- \"How to Read a Book\" - good concepts, but should be a 10 pages blog post, not a book\n- \"Spark\" - Science of the Exercise and the Brain - Long, but good\n- \"Sugar Shock\" - still reading; hopefully will help me cut my sweet cravings\n[BIOGRAPHIES]\n- \"The New New Thing\" - about Jim Clark's life, one of the very first entrepreneurs\n- \"Machines of Loving Grace\" - about the research and the rise of AI\n- \"Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution\"\n- \"The Second Coming of Steve Jobs\" - About Pixar's story. Liked more than Isaacson's biography\n- \"The Innovators\" - great summary of computer industry, from the 1800's till today\n- \"Ghost in the Wires\" - Kevin Mitnick's story. Had started years ago, but finally finished it\n- \"Idea Man\" - about Paul Allen's story. Quite an impressive man.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Ready Player One\" - nice, but repetitive after a while. Good read before the movie comes out.",
          "reason": "Described as nice and a good read before the film.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it becomes repetitive after a while.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12474679,
          "author": "gmays",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T18:04:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12474679",
          "commentText": "Sapiens\nMastery\nThe Geography of Genius\nReady Player One",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Ready Player One",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12069186,
          "author": "acabrahams",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T06:10:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12069186",
          "commentText": "1. The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu\n2. One L by Scott Turow\n3. The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu\n4. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells\n5. Believer: My Forty Years in Politics by David Axelrod\n6. The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells\n7. Augustus: First Emperor of Rome by Adrian Goldsworthy\n8. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (re-read)\n9. I, Claudius by Robert Graves\n10. Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks\n11. The Fear Index by Robert Harris\n12. Red Dragon by Thomas Harris (re-read)\n13. The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris (re-read)\n14. Hannibal by Thomas Harris (re-read)\n15. Game Change by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin (re-read)\n16. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (re-read)\n17. Claudius the God by Robert Graves\nRe-reads take hardly any time at all, so I'm not sure whether to count them. If you're not, then 11 books read so far.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (re-read)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Reread; the commenter questions whether rereads should count.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10836593,
          "author": "searine",
          "createdAt": "2016-01-04T16:47:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 10833032,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book you've recently read and enjoyed?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10836593",
          "commentText": "Oh boy, you fucked up now. Here are the books I read this past year that I felt were \"Good\", starting from the most recent :\nTo Kill A Mocking Bird (Insanely good)\nTrue Grit (Insanely good)\nThe Little Friend (Good)\nPriceless (Very good, about art theft)\nThe Secret History (Insanely good)\nReady Player One (Good, nerdy)\nShadow Divers (Very good, history nerd book)\nDiary of Anne Frank (Very good)\nUnbroken (Very good, way better than the movie)\nWith The Old Breed at Peleliu and Okinawa (Very good)\nSeveneves (good, but I'm a Stephenson fanboy)\nThe Martian (Very good, but just watch the movie).\nI read a bunch of other stuff, but that's what I found really \"good\" this past year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ready Player One (Good, nerdy)",
          "reason": "Described as “Good, nerdy.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10787209,
          "author": "theologic",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T05:16:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787209",
          "commentText": "Got a new job in May so slowed me down, but got through around 8 this year.\nI'm a Lencioni fan:\nDeath by Meeting --  Describes 3 types of meetings\nGetting Naked -- Describes how to consult\nI'm also a Marshall Goldsmith fan:\nWhat Got You Here Won't Get You There -  Once you get beyond a Director level with some mistakes, read this book\nMojo, How to Get It, How To Keep It - Another \"look yourself in the mirror\" book\nAlso:\n21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership  - John Maxwell. A little prod to act more like a leader.\nReady Player One -- Ernest Cline, Great Young Adult Book.  Escapist fantasy.\nEvery Shot Counts -- Mark Broady, Statistical Look At Golf, but has some smell of Kahnemann\nTo Kill A Mockingbird -- Timeless Classic I Never Got To.  Loved Atticus.  I won't read a Watchman if it spoils my view of what Atticus was all about.\nStarted But Not Finished:\nBusiness Dynamics Thinking -- Sterman (out of MIT). I need to take off work to read this 'cause it is so massive.  Basically it is control theory applied to business modelling.  However, I am convinced if somebody can apply these models, it really is the best competitive advantage.  However, too people willing to stick with it.\nHow to Measure Anything -- Douglas Hubbard.  Sort of makes me mad because it is so commonsense, yet most businesses don't apply this commonsense approach.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great Young Adult Book. Escapist fantasy.",
          "reason": "Described as a great young adult book and escapist fantasy.",
          "audience": "Young adult readers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785820,
          "author": "nkzednan",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T21:37:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785820",
          "commentText": "Riyria Revelations trilogy - quite good. Follows two thieves for hire. Read the books in publication order\nReady player one - liked it\nsamurai's garden\nExpanse series by James Corey entertaining\nSteelheart and Firefight by Sanderson- good but like Mistborn better\nWorm online serial parahumans good\nNonfiction I read: Delivering happiness, Drive, Power of Habit, Power of full engagement",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ready player one - liked it",
          "reason": "Says they liked the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783776,
          "author": "noxToken",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T15:40:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783776",
          "commentText": "Was light year for me:\nConfessions of a D-List Supervillain - Jim Bernheimer\nOrigins of a D-List Supervillain - Jim Bernheimer\nThe second is a prequel of the first. I haven't read the third in the series. Light reading about a guy's descent into villainy.\nYes Please - Amy Poehler: I love memoirs. I just didn't love this one. It read a lot like Leslie Knope was the author, but there was an obscene amount of name dropping that kept interrupting the flow of the book for me.\nFresh Off the Boat: A Memoir - Eddie Huang: Like I said, I'm a sucker for these things. Picked it up, because the series reminded me of a 90s Asian version of Everybody Hates Chris. The absurdity and random profanity was a little off-putting at first. Remembering how I felt as a black boy doing some of the same dumb things in the 90s really put it into perspective though.\nThe Serpent of Venice: A Novel - Christopher Moore: The follow up to Fool. It's a different take on Shakespearian story-telling. I can't recommend his novels enough.\nQuantum Lens - Douglas E. Richards: I read this solely because I liked Wired and Amped. No-frills action with a sci-fi element. You probably won't get engrossed, but you will be entertained.\nSpell or High Water & An Unwelcome Quest - Scott Meyer: Books 2 & 3 in a series about a group of guys who can manipulate reality through writing scripts. Good, but not my favorite.\nArmada: A Novel - Ernest Cline: Ah yes. The long awaited sophomore effort from the author of Ready Player One. This book fell harder than it deserved to, because people where expecting it to be analogous to Ready Player One. Spoiler: it's not. The novel does have its short-comings. Repetitive dialogue, shoe-horned classic pop-culture references and shallow writing plague this book. If you've got time for a short novel, give it a whirl, but don't expect anything amazing.\nWords of Radiance - Brandon Sanderson: Book 2 of the Stormlight Archives. If it's an epic by Sanderson, do yourself a favor and board the hype train. You won't be disappointed. It's everything you want in a long fantasy novel without being bogged down with side-plots and details.\nWarbreaker - Brandon Sanderson: This is a standalone novel with a tie-on to Words of Radiance. I'm only halfway through it. Would recommend so far, especially since it's free from the author.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "people where expecting it to be analogous to Ready Player One. Spoiler: it's not.",
          "reason": "Used as a comparison point for Armada; no evaluation here.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783593,
          "author": "fmax30",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:59:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783593",
          "commentText": "I had read zero books by April 2015.\nHave read the following since then.\n1. 1984 by Orwell\n2. Animal Farm by Orwell\n3. 40 Rules of Love by Elif Shafak\n4. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline\n5. The Man in the high castle by Philip k Dic\n6. Tuesdays with morrie by Mitch Albom\n7. Broken Verses by Kamila Shamsie\n8. The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell\n9. Veronica Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho\n10. The Little Prince by antoine saint exupery\n11. A Monster calls by Patrick ness\nBooks that I am currently reading very very slowly ( 1-3 chapters per week )\n1. The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking\n2. The Wind Up Bird Chronicles by Murakami (I am really enjoying the slow reading here)\n3. Zen and art of motorcycle by Robert Pirsig\nEdit: Formatting",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "4. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783367,
          "author": "nothingpersonal",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:21:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783367",
          "commentText": "Do audio books count? If so my favorites from this year would be Snow Crash by Neil Stephenson, and Armada by Ernest Cline.\nBooks I actually read which were good:\nThe Informationist by Taylor Stevens\nReady Player One by Ernest Cline",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Ready Player One by Ernest Cline",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783283,
          "author": "6footgeek",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:04:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783283",
          "commentText": "Ready Player One. by Ernest Cline.\nBrilliant geeky read (fiction) :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brilliant geeky read (fiction) :)",
          "reason": "Calls it a brilliant, geeky read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10533675,
          "author": "AlwaysRock",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T15:49:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10533675",
          "commentText": "I read The Martian, Snow Crash, and Ready Player One over the course of a month or two. All three of those books have their flaws but I enjoy the style and page turning nature of them a lot.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "All three of those books have their flaws but I enjoy the style and page turning nature of them a lot.",
          "reason": "Enjoys the style and page-turning quality, while noting flaws.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says all three books have flaws.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175538,
          "author": "netcraft",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:16:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175538",
          "commentText": "I am finishing up the magic 2.0 series (fun, fantasy, goes well with RPO and the like) and about to start Dune next I think.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "goes well with RPO and the like",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a comparison for the Magic 2.0 series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401304,
          "author": "darrennix",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:03:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401304",
          "commentText": "Just finished: \nReady Player One and\nThe Riftwar Saga (both very enjoyable)\nReading: Predictably Irrational (more substance than most business books I've read)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "both very enjoyable",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as very enjoyable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8258393,
          "author": "numo16",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T16:09:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8258393",
          "commentText": "Finishing up \"Ready Player One\" on Audible right now and just started \"Neuromancer\" the other day.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Finishing up \"Ready Player One\" on Audible right now",
          "reason": "Reports finishing the audiobook; no evaluation or recommendation is expressed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8257572,
          "author": "piratebroadcast",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T14:01:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257572",
          "commentText": "Awesome book - The Postmortal - http://www.amazon.com/The-Postmortal-Drew-Magary/dp/01431198... (http://www.amazon.com/The-Postmortal-Drew-Magary/dp/0143119826)\nSee also Ready Player One. http://www.amazon.com/Ready-Player-One-A-Novel/dp/0307887448",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "See also Ready Player One.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968396,
          "author": "jaymon",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:44:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968396",
          "commentText": "I started The Martian by Andy Weir about 3 days ago and I'm really enjoying it. It's a really entertaining book that I highly recommend!\nLast week I finished The Paradox of Choice and Zero Day. I enjoyed both of them, although I don't think I'll be reading any of the sequels to Zero Day.\nBefore that I went through The Maze Runner trilogy, those were entertaining reads.\nSome other books I've read recently that I can remember off the top of my head are the Divergent series of books (eh), How Will You Measure Your Life by Clayton Christensen (great read), Ready Player One (loved, loved, loved this book), Starters (didn't bother reading any more in the series) and Moon walking With Einstein (I enjoyed it).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ready Player One (loved, loved, loved this book)",
          "reason": "Expresses strong enthusiasm for the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7308127,
          "author": "blinkdaddy",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T21:42:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7308127",
          "commentText": "I too just finished Ready Player One. Such a great read. I tend to lean on Good Reads lately for recommendations. But picked up Atopia Chronicles (http://amzn.com/B00DUK1RKY) after browsing popular sci-fi on amazon's best-sellers list. It has great similarities to Ready Player One - virtual presences, future VR challenges, etc. but a very different kind of book (split into multiple story lines, not one continuous story). But that said, if you've not read Snow Crash then drop everything and read that next!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Such a great read.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book as a great read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6976024,
          "author": "pawn",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T19:31:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976024",
          "commentText": "I'll 2nd Ready Player One as a great book.  It and The Sentinels by James Layton were my two favorite reads this year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'll 2nd Ready Player One as a great book.",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the praise and calls it a great book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6898852,
          "author": "brotchie",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T03:11:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6898852",
          "commentText": "I make note of the books I read in 1-2 sittings because I can't put them down. This year these were:\n    Five Billion Years of Solitude - Lee Billings\n    Ready Player One - Ernest Cline\n    Grand Ambition: An Extraordinary Yacht, the People Who Built It, and the Millionaire Who Can't Really Afford It - G. Bruce Knecht",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ready Player One - Ernest Cline",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter read in one or two sittings because they could not put them down.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5832761,
          "author": "makerops",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T14:55:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5832761",
          "commentText": "Reamde by Neal Stephenson,\nDaniel Surez freedom (tm), deamon, and kill decision.\nready player one\nanything by mark twain",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "ready player one",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4967406,
          "author": "jlees",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T23:12:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967406",
          "commentText": "I wouldn't class Ready Player One as the best book of 2012, but it was certainly enjoyable (when I read it in 2011). I prefer This Is Not A Game and Pattern Recognition in this genre; also worth checking out is Tad Williams' Otherland series.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I wouldn't class Ready Player One as the best book of 2012, but it was certainly enjoyable",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was enjoyable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not among the best books of 2012; read in 2011.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4966926,
          "author": "charliepark",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T19:55:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4966926",
          "commentText": "Ready Player One was the best book I read this year, and the best in recent memory. My wife — who isn't into video games or much of 80's culture — loved it as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ready Player One was the best book I read this year, and the best in recent memory.",
          "reason": "The commenter names it their best book of the year and best in recent memory.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in video games and 1980s culture; the comment also says their wife, who lacks those interests, loved it.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4966862,
          "author": "Urgo",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T19:33:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4966862",
          "commentText": "I read a number of good books but hands down my favorite that I read in 2012 was Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.\nThis is from Amazon:\nAt once wildly original and stuffed with irresistible nostalgia, READY PLAYER ONE is a spectacularly genre-busting, ambitious, and charming debut—part quest novel, part love story, and part virtual space opera set in a universe where spell-slinging mages battle giant Japanese robots, entire planets are inspired by Blade Runner, and flying DeLoreans achieve light speed.\nIt’s the year 2044, and the real world is an ugly place.\nLike most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes his grim surroundings by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia that lets you be anything you want to be, a place where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets.\nAnd like most of humanity, Wade dreams of being the one to discover the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this virtual world. For somewhere inside this giant networked playground, OASIS creator James Halliday has hidden a series of fiendish puzzles that will yield massive fortune—and remarkable power—to whoever can unlock them.\nFor years, millions have struggled fruitlessly to attain this prize, knowing only that Halliday’s riddles are based in the pop culture he loved—that of the late twentieth century. And for years, millions have found in this quest another means of escape, retreating into happy, obsessive study of Halliday’s icons. Like many of his contemporaries, Wade is as comfortable debating the finer points of John Hughes’s oeuvre, playing Pac-Man, or reciting Devo lyrics as he is scrounging power to run his OASIS rig.\nAnd then Wade stumbles upon the first puzzle.\nSuddenly the whole world is watching, and thousands of competitors join the hunt—among them certain powerful players who are willing to commit very real murder to beat Wade to this prize. Now the only way for Wade to survive and preserve everything he knows is to win. But to do so, he may have to leave behind his oh-so-perfect virtual existence and face up to life—and love—in the real world he’s always been so desperate to escape.\nA world at stake.\nA quest for the ultimate prize.\nAre you ready?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "hands down my favorite that I read in 2012 was Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.",
          "reason": "Calls it their hands-down favorite book read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4353804,
          "author": "SinFulNard",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-08T03:53:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 4353632,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon.  What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4353804",
          "commentText": "Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan - highly. highly. Recommend. Ready Player One... meh. Much preferred MetaGame (only $2!). Otherwise - The Quantum Thief was a great mind blower. Haven't heard of Daemon, loved Snow Crash. Will look into.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Ready Player One... meh.",
          "reason": "The commenter expresses a dismissive reaction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3782911,
          "author": "lsiebert",
          "createdAt": "2012-04-01T06:03:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 3781486,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi Books for Hackers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3782911",
          "commentText": "http://textiplication.com/2009/07/13/hackers-and-hacking-in-... (http://textiplication.com/2009/07/13/hackers-and-hacking-in-science-fiction/)\nhas many of the recommendations I'd make. I especially recommend Cryptonomicon if you want some pseudocode.  I'll add a few newer books:\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ready_Player_One\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daemon_%28technothriller_series%29\nHowever, have you considered some free nonfiction?  http://www.mit.edu/hacker/hacker.html The Hacker Crackdown\nhttp://hermetic.com/bey/taz3.html#labelTAZ Temporary Autonomous Zones\nYou might also like scifi short stories: http://www.flurb.net/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ready_Player_One",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3336877,
          "author": "happyrichpinoy",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T04:00:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3336877",
          "commentText": "Ready Player One http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/030788743X/ref=as_li_qf_sp_... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/030788743X/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=hapricpin-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=030788743X)\nThe Wise Man's Fear http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0756404738/ref=as_li_qf_sp_... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0756404738/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=hapricpin-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0756404738)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Ready Player One",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ernest Cline"
      ],
      "recommenders": 28,
      "threads": 18,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "virtual reality",
        "pop culture",
        "gaming",
        "video games"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "crossing-the-chasm-1fcfa7",
      "title": "Crossing the Chasm",
      "author": "Geoffrey A. Moore",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41732659,
          "author": "noashavit",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-03T17:10:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 41693844,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good essays/books/advice about software sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41732659",
          "commentText": "Crossing the chasm, repeatable revenue the challenger sale, start with why",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crossing the chasm",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41708249,
          "author": "mannyv",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-01T13:40:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 41693844,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good essays/books/advice about software sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41708249",
          "commentText": "Chasm is more about the meta process of sales and product. It's not really about sales per se.\nIt's worth a read just to understand it, but it won't help you with sales. It might help when your sales dry up, but 'traction' would also help because maybe the issue is your channel has dried up and you need another one.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Chasm is more about the meta process of sales and product.",
          "reason": "Says it explains the broader sales and product process, though not sales itself.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it won't help with sales directly.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41704035,
          "author": "mikesabat",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-01T02:04:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 41693844,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good essays/books/advice about software sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41704035",
          "commentText": "This book really nails it. If you're selling for any startup or fast-growing company this book will have insights.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book really nails it.",
          "reason": "Endorses the book discussed in the parent comment and says it offers insights for startups and fast-growing companies.",
          "audience": "People selling for a startup or fast-growing company.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41703349,
          "author": "gwbas1c",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-01T00:00:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 41693844,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good essays/books/advice about software sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41703349",
          "commentText": "Crossing the Chasm: Geoffrey A. Moore\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossing_the_Chasm\nBasically, there's a lot more to sales than just \"generate leads.\" You need to pick a \"right-sized\" market, tailor the product to the market (but not too much, so you can go after other markets,) and then as you grow, move to bigger markets.\nThe markets you go after when your company is small are very different than when your company is established. Furthermore, small differences in your product are critical: A tiny feature or option might be critical in a tiny niche that you need to get started; but a completely different feature or option is needed when you're able to target a larger audience.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crossing the Chasm: Geoffrey A. Moore",
          "reason": "Recommended for understanding market selection, product positioning, and moving into larger markets as a company grows.",
          "audience": "People building or growing a company.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35220079,
          "author": "ohjeez",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-19T15:39:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35220079",
          "commentText": "I came here to make sure Crossing the Chasm was on the list.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I came here to make sure Crossing the Chasm was on the list.",
          "reason": "Affirms that the book belongs on the recommendation list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35172037,
          "author": "jacktribe",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:47:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172037",
          "commentText": "As someone who is more interested in building the product than marketing it, I found the following recent reads helpful in achieving a balance:\n1. Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey A. Moore - making your product work for the masses\n2. The Cold Start Problem by Andrew Chen - achieving escape velocity, getting viral referral traffic\n3. Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss - it might seem a bit gimmicky but negotiation always comes off gimmicky\nMotivational stories:\n4. The Almanack Of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson\n5. The Founders by Jimmy Soni\n6. The Upstarts by Brad Stone\n7. Hatching Twitter by Nick Bilton\n8. That Will Never Work by Marc Randolph\n9. Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald's by Ray Kroc\nCan't skip:\n10. Zero To One by Peter Thiel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey A. Moore - making your product work for the masses",
          "reason": "Helpful for making a product work for the masses.",
          "audience": "People building products, especially those focused on product over marketing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35171590,
          "author": "fidrelity",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:18:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35171590",
          "commentText": "* Crossing the Chasm\n* The Mom Test\n* The Almanack of Naval Ravikant\n* The Cold Start Problem",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crossing the Chasm",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35170321,
          "author": "wpietri",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T15:59:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35170321",
          "commentText": "I second E-Myth and Founders at Work. And let me add Crossing the Chasm, which totally shaped my understanding of who buys what when.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "And let me add Crossing the Chasm, which totally shaped my understanding of who buys what when.",
          "reason": "Shaped the commenter's understanding of who buys products and when.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21902182,
          "author": "dustingetz",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T22:15:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902182",
          "commentText": "For founders: #1 is Oren Klaff Pitch Anything. Then: Crossing the Chasm, Zero to One, Blitzscaling, Never Split the Difference, Oversubscribed: A Founders Guide to Seed Fundraising, Exactly What To Say: The Magic Words for Influence and Impact, Miracle Morning, 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crossing the Chasm",
          "reason": "Listed as a book for founders.",
          "audience": "Founders",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762368,
          "author": "wpietri",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T02:39:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762368",
          "commentText": "Franz de Waal's \"Chimpanzee Politics\". It's nominally about the social relationships of a chimp colony in a Dutch zoo. But it made me see the extent to which humans are just another great ape, and a lot of human dynamics are really primate dynamics, especially around social power.\nJohnstone's \"Impro\". It's about improvisational theater, and mainly meant for people learning improv. But the section on status transactions helped me see a lot about how we express those primate dominance dynamics. There's also great material on the nature of creativity.\n\"Getting to Yes\" is a great book about business negotiation, but is lessons about shifting discussions from zero-sum to positive-sum are things I use a lot.\nBraitenberg's \"Vehicles: Experiments in Synthetic Psychology\" is a way of thinking about psychology (and our inference of mind) by examining imaginary robots.\n\"The Toyota Way\" and other books on Lean Manufacturing are about running extremely effective manufacturing operations. But they have deeply changed how I think about systems of making software and running businesses. Other great books in this category include \"Toyota Kata\" and \"Principles of Product Development Flow\".\n\"Crossing the Chasm\" is about how tech products get adopted. But its mindset around segmenting audiences and building credibility taught me a lot about any sort of social change.\n\"Why Does He Do That? Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men\" is nominally about abuse in romantic relationships. But its insights about power and control have  been useful to me way beyond that. E.g., so much behavior in large corporations is inexplicable if you look at it in business terms, and perfectly sensible if you think about if from the perspective of, \"What would a person with abusive tendencies gain from this situation?\"\nAlso, hearty +1s for books \"Design of Everyday Things\", \"Finite and Infinite Games\", and \"Punished by Rewards\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Crossing the Chasm\" is about how tech products get adopted. But its mindset around segmenting audiences and building credibility taught me a lot about any sort of social change.",
          "reason": "Its approach to audience segmentation and credibility taught the author lessons about social change.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13236372,
          "author": "n3on_net",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T10:47:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13236372",
          "commentText": "Here is my list of 2016:\n- The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory\n- The 48 Laws Of Power\n- Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything\n- Crossing the Chasm\n- The Richest Man in Babylon\n- Confessions of an Economic Hit Man\n- Europe: A History\n- The Penguin History of Europe\n- The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon\n- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\nEvery of the books was awesome. The only thing is that I haven't finished Europe: A History from Norman and read The Penguin History of Europe instead because the Norman book was just too long for me. But It has way more details.\nI switch between business-related books and non-business related (it can be everything from philosophy to language history to hardcore science) but I don't read fiction (The Richest Man in Babylon is fictional, but still the focus is on self-development).\nHope you could see some titles that might interest you.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Every of the books was awesome.",
          "reason": "The commenter says every listed book was awesome.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5859187,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-11T02:22:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 5859004,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5859187",
          "commentText": ">> 1. What books are you currently reading?\nWell, I'm one of those people who has a bookmark in about 15 different books that I'm \"currently reading\" but some are higher priorities than others, and some will never be finished (probably) and others I'll have to start over since I've forgotten what was happening when I sat it aside, etc.  But offhand, I can think of:\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore - re-reading this one\nThe Prime Solution - Jeff Thull - 3rd Jeff Thull book on selling that I've read lately, and I'll probably reread the entire series when I finish this one\nThe New Solution Selling  - re-reading this - can you tell I'm starting to try and move into sales?\nSelling to VITO - more sales stuff.\nHow to Create A Mind - Ray Kurzweil\nGodel, Escher, Bach - Douglas Hofstadter - set this aside over a year ago; about halfway through, will probably finish it, but FSM only knows when\nA New Kind of Science - Stephen Wolfram (see above about GEB)\nMadame Bovary - Meh. May finish one day, may not.  Would have to start it over at this point.\nREAMDE - Neal Stephenson - set this aside a while back, but intend to finish it eventually.  Will probably restart from the beginning.\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Stephen Gary Blank - I'm kinda in a perpetual state of reading and re-reading sections of this book.\nThe Dispossessed - Ursula K. LeGuin - sat this aside quite some time ago, will have to start over at some point.\nThe Man In The Moss - Phil Rickman - another one that I sat aside for a while, and may or may not ever bother finishing.  Weird, because I usually really enjoy Rickman's work and just tear through his books, but I got stalled out on this one for some reason.\n>> 2. Which book has helped you the most?\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Stephen Gary Blank.\nAlso, The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki and Crossing the Chasm by Moore.\nOf all these sales books I've read lately, I'm really starting to buy into this \"Diagnostic Selling\" stuff by Jeff Thull, so I'd endorse Mastering The Complex Sale, Exceptional Selling and The Prime Solution by Thull. Also, The New Solution Selling.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore - re-reading this one",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4966795,
          "author": "napoleond",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T19:15:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4966795",
          "commentText": "These are the ones I remember, but not necessarily for being the best.\nSteve Jobs - Walter Isaacson. I thought it was interesting; an honest attempt at cataloguing the life of a fascinating and complex person.\nHow To Win Friends And Influence People - Dale Carnegie. I'd skimmed through it in high school, and decided it was full of obvious/cheesy platitudes, but was somehow convinced to take another look this year and I'm very glad I did. It is mostly full of very basic \"don't be an ass\" advice, but I needed it.\nNever Eat Alone - Keith Ferrazzi. I'm not sure what to think of this one. It's pretty low on actionable advice, but it did help me (together with HTWFAIF, above) reframe the way I approach interpersonal relationships.\nThe Cat's Table - Michael Ondaatje. I haven't finished this one yet, but it's part of a recent concerted effort to read more fiction. I've always loved Ondaatje's work, and this latest novel is no different.\nFreakonomics - Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner. I just started reading this last night, and I'm already 100 pages in. It's an addicting read, and is already causing me to re-evaluate the incentive systems that are everywhere.\nNapoleon Bonaparte - Alan Schom. I've been reading this one slowly for a while (it's a hefty book). It's a very well written account of Napoleon's entire life story--highly recommended.\nCrossing the Chasm - Geoffrey Moore. Just started this one last night as well (Christmas presents!) and so far it seems like it will live up to the hype.\nThe Education of Millionaires - Michael Ellsberg. This one, I can't recommend. As always, though, YMMV :)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Crossing the Chasm - Geoffrey Moore. Just started this one last night as well (Christmas presents!) and so far it seems like it will live up to the hype.",
          "reason": "Says it seems likely to live up to the hype so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has only just started reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4476568,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-04T21:12:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 4476107,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN : What are some great books an aspiring entrepreneur should read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4476568",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps to the Epiphany - Steve Blank\nThe Art of the Start - Guy Kawasaki\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nBusiness Model Generation - Alex Osterwalder\nThe Personal MBA - Josh Kaufman\nBlue Ocean Strategy - W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne\nAlso, see:\nhttp://www.quora.com/What-are-some-must-read-books-for-entre... (http://www.quora.com/What-are-some-must-read-books-for-entrepreneurs)\nhttp://www.quora.com/Business-Books/What-business-books-must... (http://www.quora.com/Business-Books/What-business-books-must-an-entrepreneur-read)\nhttp://www.quora.com/What-are-3-books-you-would-suggest-any-... (http://www.quora.com/What-are-3-books-you-would-suggest-any-entrepreneur-make-their-top-3-must-reads)\nand\nhttp://personalmba.com/best-business-books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books aspiring entrepreneurs should read.",
          "audience": "Aspiring entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3336532,
          "author": "renownedmedia",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T01:23:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3336532",
          "commentText": "The Lean Startup and Crossing The Chasm",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Crossing The Chasm",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1570617,
          "author": "harscoat",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T09:25:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 1567456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I want to start a web company what books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1570617",
          "commentText": "\"Crossing the Chasm\" - Geoffrey Moore (for company in general, can apply to web co)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Crossing the Chasm\" - Geoffrey Moore (for company in general, can apply to web co)",
          "reason": "Suggested for companies generally, with an application to web companies.",
          "audience": "People starting a web company.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it applies to web companies, though it is for companies in general.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569317,
          "author": "msuprovici1",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T22:19:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 1567456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I want to start a web company what books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569317",
          "commentText": "Free - Chris Anderson;\n4 Steps to Epiphany;\nFounders at Work;\nCrossing the Chasm;\nViral Loop;\nGroundswell;\nLoosing My Virginity - Richard Brandson;\nGood to Great - Collins;\nEntrepreneurs guide to Business Law;",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crossing the Chasm;",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1080902,
          "author": "sgdesign",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-27T16:52:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 1080708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Marketing Books for Developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1080902",
          "commentText": "I didn't like that book. At least I don't think its theories apply to most projects and companies discussed here.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I didn't like that book. At least I don't think its theories apply to most projects and companies discussed here.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they did not like the book and doubts its theories apply to most projects and companies discussed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The criticism is limited to the projects and companies discussed in this thread.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1080886,
          "author": "Alex3917",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-27T16:48:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 1080708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Marketing Books for Developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1080886",
          "commentText": "All Marketers are Liars, Permission Marketing, Crossing the Chasm, Positioning, 4 steps to the epiphany\nThat's probably enough for a while. And if you haven't already read Getting Real then read that too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crossing the Chasm",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for marketing book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1080835,
          "author": "solost",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-27T16:30:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 1080708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Marketing Books for Developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1080835",
          "commentText": "I recommend Crossing the Chasm.  It is older but still relevan especially if you still find marketing a technology start up challenging.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Crossing-Chasm-Marketing-High-Tech-Mai... (http://www.amazon.com/Crossing-Chasm-Marketing-High-Tech-Mainstream/dp/0066620023)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I recommend Crossing the Chasm. It is older but still relevan especially if you still find marketing a technology start up challenging.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as relevant for people facing technology startup marketing challenges.",
          "audience": "People finding marketing a technology startup challenging.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that the book is older.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 948462,
          "author": "blender",
          "createdAt": "2009-11-18T15:51:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 947581,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN:  What's the best first business book for a programmer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=948462",
          "commentText": "+1 The examples are a bit dated but this book still nails it!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "this book still nails it!",
          "reason": "Endorses the book, adding that its examples are somewhat dated but its insights remain strong.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The examples are a bit dated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 947665,
          "author": "renkeyes",
          "createdAt": "2009-11-18T02:22:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 947581,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN:  What's the best first business book for a programmer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=947665",
          "commentText": "I'd recommend \"Crossing the Chasm\" by Geoffrey A. Moore. It almost perfectly describes the lifecycle and challenges faced by the two software-product-based startups that I've worked for.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend \"Crossing the Chasm\" by Geoffrey A. Moore.",
          "reason": "Recommends it based on its description of the lifecycle and challenges of software product startups.",
          "audience": "People building software product startups.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 715636,
          "author": "nopassrecover",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-21T02:57:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715636",
          "commentText": "Last: Crossing the Chasm\nCurrent: Managing Humans",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Last: Crossing the Chasm",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as the last book read; no evaluation expressed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 674923,
          "author": "skmurphy",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-26T03:58:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 673487,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there any good Internet marketing books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=674923",
          "commentText": "I would recommend these books for a good grounding in marketing and fostering innovation:\n   The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen\n   Crossing the Chasm and Inside the Tornado by Geoffrey Moore\n   Innovation and Entrepreneurship by Peter Drucker\n   Marketing High Technology by William Davidow\n   Four Steps to the Epiphany by Steve Blank\n   Jumpstart Your Business Brain by Doug Hall\n   E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber\n   Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim & R. Mauborgne\n   Influence The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini\n   The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries and Jack Trout\n   Secrets of Consulting by Gerald Weinberg\n\nFor an article that summarizes key concepts see http://skmurphy.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/Crucial%20Mar... (http://skmurphy.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/Crucial%20Marketing%20Concepts.pdf)\nThere is a companion slide deck here http://www.skmurphy.com/f/SDForum061211.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crossing the Chasm and Inside the Tornado by Geoffrey Moore",
          "reason": "Recommended for grounding in marketing and fostering innovation.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a grounding in marketing and innovation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 568632,
          "author": "davidw",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-18T19:26:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 568556,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sales book recommendation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=568632",
          "commentText": "Crossing the Chasm is a good book, but as a sales book for a freelancer?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Crossing the Chasm is a good book, but as a sales book for a freelancer?",
          "reason": "Calls it a good book while questioning its fit as a sales book for freelancers.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in sales books for freelancers.",
          "caveat": "The commenter questions its relevance to freelance sales.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 568577,
          "author": "mooders",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-18T18:39:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 568556,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sales book recommendation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=568577",
          "commentText": "Geoffrey Moore's Crossing the Chasm\nBosworth/Holland's Customer-Centric Selling",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Geoffrey Moore's Crossing the Chasm",
          "reason": "Listed as a response to the question asking for sales book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 193621,
          "author": "nostrademons",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-18T21:12:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 193308,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What books on marketing do you recomend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=193621",
          "commentText": "Crossing the Chasm is mostly useful as a reality check for startup founders, i.e. just because you're on TechCrunch doesn't mean you're successful.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Crossing the Chasm is mostly useful as a reality check for startup founders",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is useful as a reality check for startup founders.",
          "audience": "Startup founders",
          "caveat": "Mostly useful as a reality check; the comment gives one specific use.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 193539,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-18T19:25:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 193308,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What books on marketing do you recomend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=193539",
          "commentText": "Another good book where I'm not sure I know of too many people actually accomplishing something practical as a result of reading it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Another good book where I'm not sure I know of too many people actually accomplishing something practical as a result of reading it.",
          "reason": "Calls the book good but questions its practical results.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether many readers accomplish something practical from it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 193450,
          "author": "Flemlord",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-18T16:54:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 193308,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What books on marketing do you recomend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=193450",
          "commentText": "Crossing the Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Crossing-Chasm-Geoffrey-Moore/dp/00605... (http://www.amazon.com/Crossing-Chasm-Geoffrey-Moore/dp/0060517123/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crossing the Chasm - Geoffrey Moore",
          "reason": "Named in response to a request for marketing book recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for marketing books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 193360,
          "author": "davidw",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-18T14:24:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 193308,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What books on marketing do you recomend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=193360",
          "commentText": "Many of the ones that have been summarized here are pretty good:\nhttp://www.squeezedbooks.com (currently undergoing a server upgrade, sorry for random bits of downtime).\nSome favorites include \"20 years of high tech marketing disasters\", \"crossing the chasm\", \"innovator's dilemma\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Some favorites include \"20 years of high tech marketing disasters\", \"crossing the chasm\", \"innovator's dilemma\".",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorite marketing books.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for marketing books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143070,
          "author": "skmurphy",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T03:34:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143070",
          "commentText": "in no particular order:\nMyers-Brigs Model for Personality\n\"Four Steps to the Epiphany\" by Steve Blank\nJohn Boyd's OODA Loop as a model for competitive decision making\nDecision Analysis techniques: in particular decision trees, expected value of perfect information, and good decision bad outcome\nBATNA (best alternative to a negotiated agreement) concept for negotiation planning\n\"Secrets of Consulting\" by Gerald M. Weinberg\n\"Bionomics\" by Michael Rothschild\nSimCity computer game\nAnalysis of Competing Hypotheses methodology\nwiki (social process) model for small team collaborative document development\ncommunity of practice model for knowledge management\n\"The Moon is a Harsh Mistress\" by Robert Heinlein (in particular TANSTAAFL)\nactivation energy, catalyst, and phase change concepts from physics/chemistry\nAmplify Positive Deviance model from Jerry Sternin (Save the Children)\n\"The Empowered Manager\" by Peter Block, in particular his trust vs. agreement matrix\n\"Crossing the Chasm\" & \"Inside the Tornado\" by Geoffrey Moore\n\"Maneuver Warfare Handbook\" by William Lind\n\"Change Your Brain, Change Your Life\" by Daniel Amen\n\"Micromotives and Macrobehavior\" by Thomas Schelling\nAppreciative Inquiry Techniques",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Crossing the Chasm\" & \"Inside the Tornado\" by Geoffrey Moore",
          "reason": "Listed among the ideas and concepts that influenced the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 137920,
          "author": "Flemlord",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-16T03:18:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=137920",
          "commentText": "High Tech Start Up - John L. Nesheim\nCrossing the Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nOne Minute Manager (but only if you've never had management experience)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crossing the Chasm - Geoffrey Moore",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5725,
          "author": "nostrademons",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T17:07:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5725",
          "commentText": "My list, categorized:\nBusiness & Management\n1. Innovator's Dilemma and Innovator's Solution by Clayton Christensen\n2. Built to Last and Good to Great by Jim Collins.  Built to Last is more applicable for startups.\n3. Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks.  Anyone who has to manage a team of programmers and hasn't read this will fail utterly, unless they've already failed before (or been on a failing team).  There's a lot that's counterintuitive about software project management.\n4. Peter Drucker's work.  Kinda long and repetitive, but some good insights.\nMarketing\n1. All Marketers are Liars by Seth Godin.  I like this better than Purple Cow, Guerilla Marketer's Handbook, and The Big Red Fez.  Most of those have fairly obvious stuff.\n2. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell\n3. Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore\nTechnical\n1. Building Scalable Websites by Cal Henderson\n2. High Performance MySQL by Jeremy Zawodny\n3. Pragmatic Programmer by...well, it's mentioned elsewhere here.\nThere are lots of other technical books I like, but most of them aren't directly relevant to the startup I'm building",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore",
          "reason": "Listed as a helpful book in response to a request for startup book recommendations.",
          "audience": "Startup founders",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5704,
          "author": "bhb",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T16:03:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5704",
          "commentText": "Some of these have been mentioned, but these stand out for me\nProgramming:\nGetting Real\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nHackers and Painters\nBusiness:\nGood to Great\nStart Your Own Business (I knew basically nothing about \nsmall business before I started, and it's a good intro)\nCrossing the Chasm (good so far, haven't finished)\nTechnology/Culture:\nThe Long Tail\nThe World is Flat\nProductivity/People:\nGetting Things Done\nGetting to Yes\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Crossing the Chasm (good so far, haven't finished)",
          "reason": "Says it has been good so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not finished it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5613,
          "author": "dropbox",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T04:36:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5613",
          "commentText": "some that haven't been mentioned:\n- the innovator's dilemma by clayton christensen\n- blue ocean strategy (kim and mauborgne) -- these two books give you a little bit more of a framework to evaluate where your idea adds value and give you examples of how/why some successful companies have been successful\n- high tech startup by nesheim -- a little dated, but lots of info\n- negotiation/people books: getting to yes (fisher, ury) and getting past no (ury), influence by cialdini\n (useful for more than just startups)\n- maybe some management books: peopleware (demarco and lister), the art of project management (berkun), first, break all the rules (buckingham)\n- founders at work (livingston) to get inspired\n+1 to crossing the chasm, and the godin & gladwell books, art of the start\nblogs: onstartups.com, fred wilson, brad feld, seth godin, etc., guy kawasaki\n-drew",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 to crossing the chasm",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds a recommendation of the book in the thread.",
          "audience": "Startup founders.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5574,
          "author": "python_kiss",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T02:11:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5574",
          "commentText": "About 14 months ago, I had little knowledge of how to execute a startup. In particular, I wasn't familiar with any online marketing tactics. The following books helped me a lot in that respective, and more:\n\n1. Positioning, 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing/Branding, Focus, Marketing Warfare\n2. Purple Cow, All Marketers are Liars, Permission Marketing (I didn't like \"The Big Moo\", \"Free prize inside\" or \"Small is the new Big\").\n3. Founters At Work\n4. Wikinomics, Wisdom of Crowds, The Tipping Point (Blink! was alright). I am looking forward to reading \"The Long Tail\" and \"The starfish and the spider\"...has anyone read them yet?\n6. Why We Buy\n7. Hackers and Painters\n8. The E-Myth revisited\n9. The Art of the Start\n10. On War, The Art of War by Machiavelli and Sun Tzu (not exactly for startups, but definitely useful)\n11. Crossing the Chasm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crossing the Chasm",
          "reason": "Listed among books that helped the commenter learn startup execution and online marketing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Geoffrey A. Moore"
      ],
      "recommenders": 28,
      "threads": 16,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "technology marketing",
        "product adoption",
        "market adoption",
        "technology adoption"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "don-t-make-me-think-19f118",
      "title": "Don't Make Me Think",
      "author": "Steve Krug",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33858182,
          "author": "mooreds",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T21:37:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33858182",
          "commentText": "Hiya,\nI'd consider these books/articles/podcasts:\n* Secrets of Consulting by Gerald Weinberg: http://geraldmweinberg.com/Site/Consulting_Secrets.html Every problem is a people problem.\n* Refactoring by Martin Fowler et. al: https://martinfowler.com/books/refactoring.html talks about how and why to refactor, as well as providing a nomenclature for the process.\n* Code Complete by Steve McConnell. https://stevemcconnell.com/books/ A bit dated (the last version I could find was from 2004) but a great overview of the entire software process, from requirements to maintenance.\n* The Mythical Man-Month by Fred Brookes: https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/mythical-man-month-the/... (https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/mythical-man-month-the/0201835959/) best practices about software development, written about a project from the 1960 and 1970s.\n* The Joel On Software Strategy Letters: https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/05/12/strategy-letter-i-... (https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/05/12/strategy-letter-i-ben-and-jerrys-vs-amazon/) is the first one. All of them (I think there are five) are great.\n* Letters to a New Developer: https://letterstoanewdeveloper.com/the-book/ Please note I wrote this, but I still think it does a good job of discussing the \"soft skills\" in an easily digestible format.\n* Pragmatic Programmer by Dave Thomas and Andy Hunt: https://pragprog.com/titles/tpp20/the-pragmatic-programmer-2... (https://pragprog.com/titles/tpp20/the-pragmatic-programmer-20th-anniversary-edition/) Haven't read the revised 20th anniversary edition, but the first one opened my eyes to the craft of software.\n* High Output Management by Andy Grove: https://bookshop.org/p/books/high-output-management-andrew-s... (https://bookshop.org/p/books/high-output-management-andrew-s-grove/6730629) a great way to think about throughput\n* The Phoenix Project by Gene Kim et. al: https://itrevolution.com/product/the-phoenix-project/ Fun novel(!) about applying lean management principles to software engineering.\n* Radical Candor (haven't read, but it's been recommended): https://www.radicalcandor.com/ About communication.\n* Good to Great by Jim Collins: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_to_Great Focuses on what great companies bring to the table. Helps me evaluate where to work.\n* Mastery Autonomy and Purpose: A great video about what people really want in work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzXXC4MZZnY\n* https://www.manager-tools.com/podcasts a podcast about managing people. You didn't say you wanted to be a people manager, but knowing what managers think about will make you more effective in any org.\n* Managing Humans by Michael Lopp: https://managinghumans.com/ The whole Rands site is work reading, but I enjoyed this book about how to manage teams and build software. See above.\n* Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug: https://sensible.com/dont-make-me-think/ Easy ways to think about usability, focusing on webapps. Short and easy.\n* Badass: Making Users Awesome, by Kathy Sierra: http://seriouspony.com/badass-users-the-book Will help you put yourself in the shoes of your users and think about how to build software they will love. Short and easy.\nHope this helps.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug",
          "reason": "Recommended for practical usability guidance focused on web applications.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is short and easy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33856434,
          "author": "chiefalchemist",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T18:51:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33856434",
          "commentText": "+1 for the Norman book. A bit verbose, but in the end worth it.\nKrug's \"Don't Make Me Think\", while more UI / UX is a solid compliment to \"Everyday Things.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Krug's \"Don't Make Me Think\", while more UI / UX is a solid compliment to \"Everyday Things.\"",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a complement to The Design of Everyday Things.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in UI and UX.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it focuses more on UI/UX.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32791535,
          "author": "nicbou",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T15:33:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32791535",
          "commentText": "In a similar vein, Don't Make Me Think about simple website usability is a good place to start.\nI also like The Best Interface Is No Interface, although the original article was sufficient.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Don't Make Me Think about simple website usability is a good place to start.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a starting point for learning about simple website usability.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30823316,
          "author": "2bitlobster",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-27T19:34:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30823316",
          "commentText": "Don’t Make Me Think, by Steve Krug. I used it for years as a required text in pretty  much every UX related class I taught. Entertaining, super digestable and very nutritious.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Don’t Make Me Think, by Steve Krug.",
          "reason": "The commenter used it for years as a required text in UX classes and describes it as entertaining and digestible.",
          "audience": "Students in UX related classes.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18669004,
          "author": "codyb",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-13T00:49:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 18662992,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on modern UI/UX?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18669004",
          "commentText": "I can attest to those two books being fantastic resources on UI/UX design. They're the only two books I've read on the matter and I'm consistently praised as one of the more user experience focused engineers in any team I work on.\nAlthough, I can't walk through half the doors in the world it seems without going \"why the hell does this pull door have a push handle!!\", so there is that side effect.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "those two books being fantastic resources on UI/UX design",
          "reason": "Calls it one of two fantastic resources and connects the books to being praised for user experience focus.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18667816,
          "author": "kokokokoko",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T21:13:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 18662992,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on modern UI/UX?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18667816",
          "commentText": "In reality design for the web and phone applications ends up being largely about typography. So a good foundations book on typography like \"Designing with Type\" or any other of the usual suspects is a good start. That said, some applications have very little text so this is not always true anymore in UI/UX.\n\"Don't Make Me Think\" is a good read, but the direct info is not really as important as the point it is trying to make. Aggressively reducing friction and decisions for the user at all points. If reading that book helps get that point across then it's worth the read. On how to do that...\nIf you are new to design, just pickup a used intro textbook on design. Something like \"Design Basics\" by Lauer and Pentak. Or really any intro book on design. They all cover the same basic concepts you'll need for UI/UX design. Fundamental stuff like visual hierarchy and composition. Honestly, just go find a used one for $8 and read through it. Most of them are pretty quick reads.\nAfter that, although no one really goes out and tells you this, it involves a lot of following the trends and looking at past work and pulling in ideas and pieces together to create a new design. Another comment in this thread talks about how they don't write books and this is pretty accurate. A designer rarely just sits at a blank screen and starts from nothing. They usually have a list, whether formally or informally, of examples and ideas to start with. Then through iteration, critique and testing they mold something into a complete design/interface. But one typically needs some background learning in the basic fundamentals of design and typography to piece everything together. Remember, part of good UX is doing what the user expects. Which often means using conventions and design elements the user has already seen.\nSo pick up a book on typography and basic design and then find some design blogs that seem well written. For example Airbnb has a fairly nice one https://airbnb.design/. Best of luck!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Don't Make Me Think\" is a good read",
          "reason": "Called a good read for conveying the principle of reducing user friction and decisions.",
          "audience": "People learning UI/UX design.",
          "caveat": "The direct information matters less than the point it conveys; reading it is worthwhile if it gets that point across.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18667723,
          "author": "lugg",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T21:01:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 18662992,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on modern UI/UX?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18667723",
          "commentText": "I personally question anyone 1-2 degrees away from software that hasn't read \"Don't make me think.\"\nIts a short and easy 2 hour read but the level of paradigm change you receive if you're being exposed to hci for the first time is immense.\nI even found its thinking useful from the developer side of things, as in, writing software libraries that were obvious and easy to use.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I personally question anyone 1-2 degrees away from software that hasn't read \"Don't make me think.\"",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends it, praising its paradigm-shifting effect and usefulness for software developers.",
          "audience": "People in or near software, including developers writing libraries.",
          "caveat": "Described as a short, easy read.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18667615,
          "author": "tiago_simoes",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T20:48:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 18662992,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on modern UI/UX?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18667615",
          "commentText": "Don’t Make Me Think\nhttp://sensible.com/dmmt.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Don’t Make Me Think",
          "reason": "Named as an answer in a discussion asking for UI/UX book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18667418,
          "author": "alistairSH",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T20:23:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18662992,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on modern UI/UX?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18667418",
          "commentText": "Design of Everyday Things & Don't Make Me Think are both likely to be in your employer's library, or on a co-worker's shelf. Not quite free, but I bet you can find a hard-copy to borrow.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Design of Everyday Things & Don't Make Me Think are both likely to be in your employer's library",
          "reason": "The commenter suggests borrowing copies from an employer's library or coworker.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are not quite free.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18667244,
          "author": "jasonhong",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T19:59:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 18662992,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on modern UI/UX?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18667244",
          "commentText": "(For background, I'm a faculty at Carnegie Mellon University in the Human-Computer Interaction Institute)\nFor best books, it depends on if you want to understand users or do implementation. But generally, I'd highly recommend Don Norman's The Design of Everyday Things to improve how you look at the world, and Steve Krug's Don't Make Me Think for simple and practical design tips.\nFor tools, the best is paper prototyping, where you have your team just draw it out on paper and simulate the UI. It's simple, fast, and cheap, and from a cognitive perspective, you can explore more of the design space (think breadth-first search instead of depth-first), and you don't get overly attached to your designs.\nIn my course on UX design, we also use Balsamiq and InVision, though other tools seem fine (e.g. Marvel, Figma, etc). One of our alums created this great chart comparing different prototyping tools: https://www.cooper.com/prototyping-tools\nFor schools, some to check out would be Georgia Tech, University of Washington's Master's of HCI, Indiana University, University of Michigan iSchool, and (of course) Carnegie Mellon's Master's of HCI.\nAnd lastly, here's a slide deck I put together and used at my startup several years ago. It was intended as a short 1-hour crash course. \nhttps://www.slideshare.net/jas0nh0ng/01-1hourcrashcourseuxhc... (https://www.slideshare.net/jas0nh0ng/01-1hourcrashcourseuxhci)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Steve Krug's Don't Make Me Think for simple and practical design tips",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it for practical design tips.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032240,
          "author": "busterarm",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:06:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032240",
          "commentText": "Don't Make Me Think is a good one, but I always felt like its lessons could have been summed up in an infographic...though I guess that would be missing the context to get people over that hill.  I guess if you don't know that intuitively, you're the kind of person that needs that book.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Don't Make Me Think is a good one",
          "reason": "Calls it a good book, while saying its lessons could fit in an infographic for readers who already understand them.",
          "audience": "Readers who need help understanding interface usability.",
          "caveat": "The commenter feels its lessons could be summarized in an infographic and says intuitive readers may not need it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032210,
          "author": "_hardwaregeek",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:04:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032210",
          "commentText": "Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug and The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman.\nWhile they're not strictly software or programming related, I really like the concepts of making interfaces that require minimal thought to use and empathizing with your users. I've seen an unfortunate amount of \"programming machismo\" where a confusing or poorly engineered system is used and accepted because \"that's just how things work in the real world\". And whenever someone struggles with the process, it's obviously because they're wrong, not the system. But more often than not, if more than one person has trouble understanding your system, whether it's an API, a website, a build process, the design is the issue.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really like the concepts of making interfaces that require minimal thought to use",
          "reason": "Praises the book’s ideas about easy-to-use interfaces and empathy for users.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is not strictly about software or programming.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16351454,
          "author": "take4",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T06:18:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16351454",
          "commentText": "Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability.\nThe chapter about “religious debates” in particular was hilariously accurate, about how teams of people will argue about strongly held personal beliefs about things that can’t be proven.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability.\nThe chapter about “religious debates” in particular was hilariously accurate",
          "reason": "Says the chapter on “religious debates” was hilariously accurate.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16297124,
          "author": "amorphous",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T10:57:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16297124",
          "commentText": "Would you recommend reading it even if not particularly interested in web usability?",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Would you recommend reading it even if not particularly interested in web usability?",
          "reason": "Asks whether the book is worth reading without particular interest in web usability.",
          "audience": "Readers without particular interest in web usability.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296583,
          "author": "garganzol",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T07:00:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296583",
          "commentText": "\"Don't Make Me Think\" by Steve Krug, Second Edition\nThe book changed the course of my life. It allowed me to build a sustainable business, that at some point became my full-time job.\nThe magic of that book comes from the fact that it allows you to gradually develop a compassion.  For your customers, prospects and all other living beings in this world.\nHaving that compassion embedded, you start to see a lot of subtle things.  The most impactful experience for me was to comprehend that the world is a place full of pain and hardships. Not only for me, but for all others too.\nOnce you see it, you immediately understand there is plenty of space where you can bring the value to others.\nBut that's not all. The story does not end there. It turns out that bringing the value to others brings value to you.\nPeople start to write you things like: \"you are legend\", \"if you ever come to Chicago give me a call\", \"here take my money\". And this is a tipping point where things start to work as a good business. It starts to shape your life. At some point it becomes evident that you should charge a prime for your product and develop the whole thing even further. While helping other living beings along the way.\nThat's an awesome position to be in. I thank Steve Krug, the author of the book, for bringing his findings to other people like me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book changed the course of my life. It allowed me to build a sustainable business",
          "reason": "Credits the book with changing their life and helping them build a sustainable business.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762067,
          "author": "busterarm",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T01:10:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762067",
          "commentText": "oddly enough...The Phoenix Project\nand\nDon't Make Me Think",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Don't Make Me Think",
          "reason": "Names it as an answer to the thread's request for books with broad daily-life usefulness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12712780,
          "author": "akie",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-15T04:59:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12712780",
          "commentText": "I still really like and would strongly recommend Steve Krug's \"Don't make me think\" (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0321344758)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I still really like and would strongly recommend Steve Krug's \"Don't make me think\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says they like it and strongly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12711304,
          "author": "jordanlev",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-14T21:41:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12711304",
          "commentText": "Joel Spolsky's \"User Interface Design for Programmers\" is concise, educational, entertaining... and free (even an easy-to-read all-in-one HTML page):\nhttp://www.joelonsoftware.com/uibook/fog0000000249.html\nAlso highly recommend Steve Krug's \"Don't Make Me Think\" (as others have already commented): http://www.sensible.com/dmmt.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also highly recommend Steve Krug's \"Don't Make Me Think\"",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12711195,
          "author": "Mz",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-14T21:24:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12711195",
          "commentText": "Don't make me think is awesome and I believe you can get a free PDF version of it online. (Possibly an older edition, but it is just a great book.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Don't make me think is awesome",
          "reason": "Calls the book awesome.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The free PDF may be an older edition.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12711177,
          "author": "meritt",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-14T21:22:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12711177",
          "commentText": "Don't Make Me Think - Steve Krug\nInformation Dashboard Design - Stephen Few",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Don't Make Me Think - Steve Krug",
          "reason": "Lists the book in response to a request for design books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416102,
          "author": "tracker1",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T20:39:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416102",
          "commentText": "I would look at a few design and user experience books... \"Don't make me think\", \"Thinking fast and slow\" and \"Designed for use\" come to mind.\nAs developers, and even PMs we will tend to overload our users with too much... simplification, structure, clarity come to mind.  Another deep issue, and I don't have any books to recommend center around nomenclature...  Too many projects don't take the time to concentrate on naming things from a high level...  From project features to user roles and the language/platform that integrate them, there's often confusion and blurred lines with the same names used in different contexts.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Don't make me think\", \"Thinking fast and slow\" and \"Designed for use\" come to mind.",
          "reason": "Names it as a design and user experience book relevant to simplifying interfaces.",
          "audience": "Developers and product managers working on user experience.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6976558,
          "author": "ramgp",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T21:01:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976558",
          "commentText": "Software development related reads with a strong focus on proven practices that enhance software quality in terms of readability and maintainability (and other software ~ilities) to ease the process of changing the software later on.\nThe Art of Readable Code by  Dustin Boswell & Trevor Foucher\nDon't Make Me Think 2ed by Steve Krug\nRemote: Office not Required by Jason Fried & DHH\nThe Art of Unit Testing by Roy Osherove\nCode Complete 2 by Steve McConnell\nRefactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code by Martin Fowler\nThe Practice of Programming by Brian Kernighan & Rob Pike\nJavaScript: The Good Parts by Douglas Crockford\nCode Simplicity by Max Kanat-Alexander\nAn Introduction to Programming in Go by Caleb Doxsey at http://www.golang-book.com/\nAlso read: How To Be Black by Baratunde Thurston",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Don't Make Me Think 2ed by Steve Krug",
          "reason": "Listed as a software development read focused on proven practices and software quality.",
          "audience": "Software developers interested in readable, maintainable software.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3401009,
          "author": "dholowiski",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-28T19:32:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3401009",
          "commentText": "Don't make me think was the best book I made someone else read in 2011. It changed my boss's view of our web site, and now he's on my 'side'.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Don't make me think was the best book I made someone else read in 2011. It changed my boss's view of our web site, and now he's on my 'side'.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best book they got someone else to read and says it changed their boss's view of the website.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Don't Make me Think!",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1080802,
          "author": "mos1",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-27T16:19:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 1080708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Marketing Books for Developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1080802",
          "commentText": "Influence - The Psychology of Persuasion by Cialdini.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Busine... (http://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Business-Essentials/dp/006124189X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216856193&sr=8-1)\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing - Violate Them at Your Own Risk!\nhttp://www.amazon.com/22-Immutable-Laws-Marketing-Violate/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/22-Immutable-Laws-Marketing-Violate/dp/0887306667/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216858700&sr=1-1)\nDon't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to We Usability, by Steve Krug:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Me-Think-Usability/dp/032134... (http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Me-Think-Usability/dp/0321344758/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216860599&sr=1-1)\nInformation Architecture for the World Wide Web: Designing Large Scale Web Sites, by Paul Rosenfeld and Peter Morville:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Information-Architecture-World-Wide-We... (http://www.amazon.com/Information-Architecture-World-Wide-Web/dp/0596527349/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216860826&sr=1-1)\nWhy We Buy: The Science of Shopping, by Paco Underhill\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Buy-Shopping-Updated-Internet/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Buy-Shopping-Updated-Internet/dp/1416595244/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1264609112&sr=1-1)\nAnd at least one Jakob Nielsen Usability book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to We Usability, by Steve Krug:",
          "reason": "Listed as a suggestion in response to a request for marketing books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 296376,
          "author": "ad",
          "createdAt": "2008-09-05T22:52:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 295871,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HC: Which books on user interface design do you wish your CEO/Cofounders would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=296376",
          "commentText": "If you're short on time:\nhttp://joelonsoftware.com/uibook/chapters/fog0000000057.html\nSpolsky's work is light and easy to read.  This work is geared towards \"progammers\", although that is not mutually exclusive with the word \"CEO\".  It'll help you avoid more obvious mistakes.  Nielson and About Face are more thorough.  I haven't read Don't Make Me Think but I've heard good things (and lots of comments here, so obviously I should read that one...)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've heard good things (and lots of comments here, so obviously I should read that one...)",
          "reason": "The commenter has heard good things and says they should read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Positive assessment is secondhand.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 296236,
          "author": "nir",
          "createdAt": "2008-09-05T19:54:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 295871,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HC: Which books on user interface design do you wish your CEO/Cofounders would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=296236",
          "commentText": "One really cool thing about \"Don't make me think\" is that it is short and highly readable. For some reason books of this genre often seem like Russian novels of the 19th century in thickness. Probably the most usable book about usability out there.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Probably the most usable book about usability out there.",
          "reason": "Praised as highly readable and especially usable for learning about usability.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 296116,
          "author": "jyothi",
          "createdAt": "2008-09-05T18:07:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 295871,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HC: Which books on user interface design do you wish your CEO/Cofounders would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=296116",
          "commentText": "I second. I read \"The Inmates are Running the Asylum\" after I read \"Don't Make me Think.\" \nThese are 2 books I not only reread but recommend every person involved with development or design around web to read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "These are 2 books I not only reread but recommend every person involved with development or design around web to read.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly recommends it to everyone involved in web development or design.",
          "audience": "People involved with web development or design.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 295905,
          "author": "dshah",
          "createdAt": "2008-09-05T15:09:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 295871,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HC: Which books on user interface design do you wish your CEO/Cofounders would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=295905",
          "commentText": "Not only is the book great, Steve Krug is an all around nice guy and fun to listen to.  Just heard him speak yesterday at the Business of Software conference.  If you ever get a chance to hear him in person, I'd take it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the book great, Steve Krug is an all around nice guy",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book as great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 295884,
          "author": "UandIblog",
          "createdAt": "2008-09-05T14:52:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 295871,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HC: Which books on user interface design do you wish your CEO/Cofounders would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=295884",
          "commentText": "Thanks Fiaz, I'm on it! Perhaps there is something else I should read when I finish the Steve Krug book? I'm a blank canvas..",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the Steve Krug book",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are starting the suggested Steve Krug book and asks what to read afterward.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 295874,
          "author": "fiaz",
          "createdAt": "2008-09-05T14:38:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 295871,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HC: Which books on user interface design do you wish your CEO/Cofounders would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=295874",
          "commentText": "Don't Make Me Think\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Me-Think-Usability/dp/032134... (http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Me-Think-Usability/dp/0321344758/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1220625482&sr=8-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Don't Make Me Think",
          "reason": "Offered as a book recommendation in a discussion asking which UI design books to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve Krug"
      ],
      "recommenders": 28,
      "threads": 15,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Computing",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "usability",
        "web usability",
        "user experience",
        "user interface design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "moby-dick-534e1a",
      "title": "Moby-Dick",
      "author": "Herman Melville",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46431336,
          "author": "ILoveHorses",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-30T09:38:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46431336",
          "commentText": "I wanted to challenge myself in 2025 and alternate between fiction and non-fiction, so here are my highlights\n- Crime and Punishment\n - Homo Deus\n - Catch 22\n - Flash Boys\n - The Art of Strategy\n - Moby Dick (could only get halfway through though :()\n - The Great Gatsby\n - How to be Alone (couldn't get past 2 chapters)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Moby Dick (could only get halfway through though :()",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Could only get halfway through.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 45284626,
          "author": "shawn_w",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-18T02:48:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 45283087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45284626",
          "commentText": "Currently: Moby-Dick and Termination Shock. (That the former gets brought up a lot in the latter is a coincidence.)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Currently: Moby-Dick",
          "reason": "Says they are currently reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41802421,
          "author": "xkcd-sucks",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-10T19:18:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41802421",
          "commentText": "Moby Dick, Herman Melville\nVALIS, Philip K Dick\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance + also Lila, Robert Pirsig\nNaked Lunch, William Burroughs\nImmortality, Milan Kundera\nCatch-22, Joseph Heller (pair with The Deserters, Charles Glass -- In fact a lot of the stuff in Catch-22 is actually toned down from reality)\nMastering the Core Teachings of Buddha, Daniel Ingram (but ignore 80% of it)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Moby Dick, Herman Melville",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40878238,
          "author": "slibhb",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-04T21:35:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40878238",
          "commentText": "I've never really felt like Kafka seems to have and I read a lot, mostly novels. For what it's worth, I don't love Kafka's novels: I think he wanted them burned for a reason -- they're meandering failures. Very clever but they don't go anywhere. His short stories, though, are excellent.\nOff the top of my head, the most moving books I've read are The First Circle, any long Dostoevsky novel, The Master and Margarita, The Tartar Steppe, any Elena Ferrante, any Cormac McCarthy, some Murakami (Ryu and Haruki), Gene Wolf (The Book of the New Sun), 2666, parts of Moby Dick, any Alice Munro. All well known \"good books\".",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "parts of Moby Dick",
          "reason": "Includes parts of it among the commenter’s most moving books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Only parts of the book are cited.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39249198,
          "author": "photonthug",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T10:50:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249198",
          "commentText": "Hitting some classics I missed.. Moby Dick and the narrative of Arthur Gordon pym. Also in nonfiction thanks to recent HN.. only the paranoid survive",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Moby Dick",
          "reason": "Listed among classics the commenter is reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37818114,
          "author": "defrost",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-09T08:04:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37818114",
          "commentText": "Moby Dick is enhanced by perspective, it's sublime when dwindled to a 3.5 minute LitRap clip.\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=al5-bU8DUAg",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Moby Dick is enhanced by perspective, it's sublime when dwindled to a 3.5 minute LitRap clip.",
          "reason": "Playfully praises a short LitRap adaptation of the novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The praise is for its perspective in a very short clip.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37818081,
          "author": "dwd",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-09T07:58:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37818081",
          "commentText": "Literature: Brothers Karamozov\nConstantly recommended on Twitter and I really wonder how many of those recommending it have actually read it.\nHeart of Darkness is a short easy read in comparison. Moby Dick was another hard read and a real slog with only the occasional memorable passage to reward enduring the tedium.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Moby Dick was another hard read and a real slog with only the occasional memorable passage to reward enduring the tedium.",
          "reason": "Describes it as difficult and tedious, with occasional memorable passages.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it was a hard read and a slog.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37160206,
          "author": "pallas_athena",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T11:51:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37160206",
          "commentText": "Since his death, I've been reading (or re-reading) all his books.\nRarely I have enjoyed so many books from a single author. I also think Blood Meridian is one the greatest books of all time.\nAccording to [1] \"his list of great novels stops at four: Ulysses, The Brothers Karamazov, The Sound and the Fury and his favorite, Moby-Dick\".\nThey all are a good addition to this thread.\n[1] https://web.archive.org/web/20140629023902/http://74.220.215... (https://web.archive.org/web/20140629023902/http://74.220.215.94/~davidkus/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=61:cormac-mccarthys-apocalypse-&catid=35:articles&Itemid=54)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "According to [1] \"his list of great novels stops at four: Ulysses, The Brothers Karamazov, The Sound and the Fury and his favorite, Moby-Dick\".",
          "reason": "Listed as another person's favorite novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter attributes this ranking to a cited source and says the books are a good addition to the thread.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36429339,
          "author": "smackeyacky",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T08:15:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36429339",
          "commentText": "America made no sense to me until I read Faulkners \"Light In August\".  Its almost 100 years old but those themes persist.\nOtherwise I would really recommend Moby Dick.  Its a rollicking adventure, a wonderful technical description of bygone whaling and ultimately a starting point for introspection on some questions you may be asking yourself.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_in_August#:~:text=Light%... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_in_August#:~:text=Light%20in%20August%20is%20a,gothic%20and%20modernist%20literary%20genres).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Otherwise I would really recommend Moby Dick. Its a rollicking adventure, a wonderful technical description of bygone whaling and ultimately a starting point for introspection on some questions you may be asking yourself.",
          "reason": "Recommended for its adventure, whaling detail, and potential to prompt introspection.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35173062,
          "author": "scop",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:56:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35173062",
          "commentText": "I was going to suggest Moby Dick…also not joking!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I was going to suggest Moby Dick…also not joking!",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Suggested jokingly in response to a parent recommending The Divine Comedy and The Prince, then clarified as not a joke.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32197596,
          "author": "dvt",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:00:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197596",
          "commentText": "Moby Dick & Children of Time, both since May-ish. Slowly going through them, since my book club is temporarily on hiatus and I'm being lazy.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Moby Dick",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31968968,
          "author": "kthejoker2",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T16:36:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31968968",
          "commentText": "Tough choices ..\nMoby Dick has so much to offer .. Gulliver's Travels ... Tristam Shandy ... Essays by Montaigne.. Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man ....\nProbably the collected works of Shaw? Things with dialogue feel freah every time you read them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Moby Dick has so much to offer",
          "reason": "Says it has much to offer as a reread choice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30243015,
          "author": "laumars",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T10:52:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30243015",
          "commentText": "I’m not disputing the historical significance of the Bible. I’m disputing the need to learn it to understand modern literature. And again I reference that generations of kids have managed just fine without reading the Bible.\nIt is entirely possible to explain as phrase without reading its original source material.\nTo give another example of this: Star Trek does exactly this with Picard and others referencing Moby Dick. I understand exactly what that dialogue is about and yet I’ve never read that specific book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I understand exactly what that dialogue is about and yet I’ve never read that specific book.",
          "reason": "Uses the book as an example of a literary reference that can be understood without reading its source.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has never read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25846715,
          "author": "dawg-",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T14:21:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25846715",
          "commentText": "Amazing book and you totally nailed the reason why it's my all-time favorite. It's a monster story where the book itself is the monster. Instead of seeing the monster through the words of the characters, the reader holds it in their own hands. In our insane pursuit of reading and understanding this monstrous book we become a little bit like Ahab himself by the end. It gives you an impression of something huge lurking behind the pages, something bigger than your comprehension. The pursuit of God, or the Truth, or whatever big universal thing you believe in, is such a huge and terrifying endeavor that it will break a human being if we are too honest about it. Moby Dick is truly an awe-inspiring experience. Also, don't skip the whaling chapters. They are secretly the best parts of the book.\nAnother book that gives off very similar vibes is Don DeLillo's Underworld.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Moby Dick is truly an awe-inspiring experience. Also, don't skip the whaling chapters.",
          "reason": "Praises the novel's scale and themes, and recommends reading the whaling chapters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25846461,
          "author": "jressey",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T13:56:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25846461",
          "commentText": "Everyone should read Moby Dick . If the traditional praise is not enough, it is about how hard it is to understand. Code, tech, government, whales, or anything large. I identified with Ahab, mostly because he vacillates between confidence of knowing and fear of unknowing. It is just like working on a large software project.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Everyone should read Moby Dick",
          "reason": "Recommends it for its challenging ideas and relates its themes to working on a large software project.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It can be hard to understand.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467573,
          "author": "trts",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:40:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467573",
          "commentText": "For many books that I find myself thinking about for years, or just that I enjoyed very much, I will revisit them later.  They can be very revealing in how my perspective has changed or that I'll identify with completely different characters, or be awed by a passage that my earlier self overlooked.\nSeveral that come to mind are\nHeart of Darkness\nMoby Dick\nRobinson Crusoe\nPretty much any Chekhov story\nCathedral by Raymond Carver",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Moby Dick",
          "reason": "Names it among works revisited over the years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23156575,
          "author": "noufalibrahim",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T17:16:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23156575",
          "commentText": "Moby Dick and Blood Meridian both have a certain biblical feel to them which really hits hard. Can't say they were mind bending but both were nice trips.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Moby Dick",
          "reason": "Says it has a biblical feel and was a nice trip to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it was not mind bending.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22719246,
          "author": "hprotagonist",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T14:28:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22719246",
          "commentText": "see my nick, but in addition to stephenson, the books i come back to over and over again for comfort and wisdom include:\n- Lord of the Rings: The other bible. Not even the very wise can see all ends; be of good cheer.\n- A Wrinkle In Time: 9 year old me, there is such a thing as a tesseract, and there is also Mrs. Beast.\n- The Master and Margarita: apocalyptic reading from someone who knew, and a cat who always pays his way.\n- the Discworld series: Sir Terry knew our hearts better than most, and sin, young feller, is treatin’ people as things.\n- If On A Winter’s Night, A Traveler: a perfect joke that you can tell once, plus a love story.\n- Good Omens: Gaiman and Pratchett team up, what’s not to love?\n- Moby Dick: And so the universal thump is passed round, and all hands should rub each other’s shoulder-blades, and be content.\n- Lucky Jim: grad school, a survival guide. Come in on the fa la la las, there’s a good chap.\nThis doesn’t include poetry, which is also in my head constantly.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Moby Dick: And so the universal thump is passed round",
          "reason": "Lists it among books the commenter returns to for comfort and wisdom.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20990117,
          "author": "hirundo",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-17T00:56:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20990117",
          "commentText": "I was surprised nobody told me about (spoiler) the quite sincere same-sex interracial marriage early in the book, in which the one groom gives half of his worldly wealth to the other, and then they sleep together. Even if it isn't about sex, I'd think that scene would be better known if more than a few nerds like me read the book. It's in one of the greatest American novels, we've just gone through a great debate around marriage freedom, but actually reading it was the first time I came across it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "It's in one of the greatest American novels",
          "reason": "Discusses a scene in the novel and calls it one of the greatest American novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20982054,
          "author": "ageitgey",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T08:19:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20982054",
          "commentText": "This is an amazing book, though I jokingly like to describe it as the best beginning and ending prose ever written with 100 chapters of whalefacts.tumblr.com sandwiched in between.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is an amazing book, though I jokingly like to describe it as the best beginning and ending prose ever written with 100 chapters of whalefacts.tumblr.com sandwiched in between.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it amazing, while joking that many chapters are whale facts between excellent opening and ending prose.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The description of the whale chapters is joking.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20981775,
          "author": "louismerlin",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T07:21:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20981775",
          "commentText": "Moby Dick\nFinally got around to reading it, I was amazed at how modern it felt for a book written in 1850.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I was amazed at how modern it felt for a book written in 1850.",
          "reason": "The commenter was amazed by how modern the book felt.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20916602,
          "author": "voldacar",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T09:36:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20916602",
          "commentText": "The Odyssey\nThe Iliad\nMoby-Dick\nAnything by Dostoevsky",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Moby-Dick",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the thread asking for favorite old books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296533,
          "author": "clarkmoody",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T06:40:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296533",
          "commentText": "I read it earlier in life, and I don't think I got as much out of it as if I'd read it later.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I read it earlier in life, and I don't think I got as much out of it as if I'd read it later.",
          "reason": "Says they got less out of reading the novel earlier in life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They believe it would have been more rewarding to read it later.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296463,
          "author": "defen",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T06:17:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296463",
          "commentText": "Moby Dick\nI'm halfway through it. I'd held off on reading it for years just due to its reputation but I'm finding it incredibly enjoyable, humorous, and in many ways not at all what I was expecting.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'm halfway through it. I'd held off on reading it for years just due to its reputation but I'm finding it incredibly enjoyable, humorous, and in many ways not at all what I was expecting.",
          "reason": "The reader finds the novel incredibly enjoyable and humorous.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The reader is still halfway through.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12098726,
          "author": "pklausler",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T03:08:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12098726",
          "commentText": "Infinite Jest\nUlysses\nThe Selfish Gene\nThe Histories of Herodotus\nMoby-Dick\nGödel, Escher, Bach",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Moby-Dick",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783726,
          "author": "mjhoy",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T15:28:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783726",
          "commentText": "My reading slowed to a crawl this year. Here were a few:\n- Chronicles Vol 1, Bob Dylan. Inspiring, I felt very open to the world after. I loved his descriptions of Dave Van Ronk: \"No puppet strings on him ever. He was big, sky high, and I looked up to him. He came from the land of giants.\"\n- Peregrine, J.A. Baker. Intense, spiritual, like some sort of modern Moby Dick, but sparse, focused, elemental.\nNext year I hope to read more Roberto Bolaño and start Elena Ferrante.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "like some sort of modern Moby Dick",
          "reason": "Used as a comparison for The Peregrine; no evaluation of Moby-Dick itself.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10767516,
          "author": "jrumbut",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T17:00:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10767516",
          "commentText": "Atomic Accidents\nThis is a series of detailed retelling of accidents involving nuclear power, weapons, and radioactive materials generally. It starts with some 19th century hunters wandering into a cave full of radon and ends with Fukushima. The twist here is that the author is a major proponent of nuclear energy and research. It's fascinating to see someone take an in depth look at the flaws of a cause they support, it has just the right amount of technical detail for me, and it really sheds light on how the wildest bugs get into any system.\nDept. of Speculation\nA mostly unflinching look at a difficult modern relationship from a woman's perspective. There are some hard truths in it that are surprisingly easy to swallow.\nMoby Dick\nI read this novel in high school but it didn't have much impact on me then. It is an unbelievably rich experience now, filled with all the wonder, terror, joy, and boredom that comes from trying to find your own meaning.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It is an unbelievably rich experience now, filled with all the wonder, terror, joy, and boredom that comes from trying to find your own meaning.",
          "reason": "Describes rereading it as an unbelievably rich experience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It had little impact when the commenter read it in high school.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10534162,
          "author": "schlagetown",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T17:01:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10534162",
          "commentText": "Watchmen (Alan Moore)\nOrigins of Form (Christopher Williams)\nStarship & The Canoe (Kenneth Brower)\nThe Size of Lumber (Nicholson Baker)\nZen Mind, Beginner's Mind (Shunryu Suzuki)\nDeschooling Society (Ivan Illich)\nMoby Dick (Herman Melville)\nBolo'Bolo (P.M.)\nLe Ton beau de Marot (Douglas Hofstadter)\nGaia: A New Look at Life on Earth (James Lovelock)\nMouse or Rat: Translation as Negotiation (Umberto Eco)\nNeuromancer (William Gibson)\nThe Intelligent Investor (Benjamin Graham)\nDon Quixote (Miguel Cervantes)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Moby Dick (Herman Melville)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about the best books read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674234,
          "author": "dietrichepp",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T11:42:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674234",
          "commentText": "If you want \"crazy-to-grasp\", you want Ulysses, To the Lighthouse, Gravity's Rainbow, Infinite Jest, Moby Dick, House of Leaves, etc.\nNot that \"crazy-to-grasp\" approximates \"good\" in any way.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If you want \"crazy-to-grasp\", you want Ulysses, To the Lighthouse, Gravity's Rainbow, Infinite Jest, Moby Dick, House of Leaves, etc.",
          "reason": "Suggested for readers seeking challenging books.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking books that are “crazy-to-grasp.”",
          "caveat": "The commenter says difficulty does not approximate quality.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109201,
          "author": "gatesphere",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:31:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109201",
          "commentText": "Moby Dick - Herman Melville\nA Gamut of Games - Sid Sackson\nGood Math - Mark Chu-Carroll",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Moby Dick - Herman Melville",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8062426,
          "author": "brickcap",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-21T03:53:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 8025870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8062426",
          "commentText": "I just finished Right ho Jeeves by PG wodehouse[1].\nI am reading essays in the art of writing by RL stevenson.[2]\nI want to read an adventure story next. Moby dick[3] seems to be one of the most popular ones on gutenberg so it will probably be my next choice.\n[1]http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10554\n[2]http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/492\n[3]http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2701",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Moby dick[3] seems to be one of the most popular ones on gutenberg so it will probably be my next choice.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968505,
          "author": "keehun",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T00:13:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968505",
          "commentText": "Moby Dick... About time.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Moby Dick... About time.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387610,
          "author": "macrael",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T00:02:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387610",
          "commentText": "East of Eden is my favorite book I've read in the last several years. Beautiful end to end and very moral. If you've read it it's totally worth reading Journal of a Novel: a collection of letters Steinbeck wrote to his editor every day as he was writing East of Eden. It's a fascinating window into the mind of a master deliberately creating a masterpiece.\nOther favorites: Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner, In Our Time by Hemingway, The Magus by John Fowles, 100 years of solitude, Moby Dick (perhaps a precursor to all modern fantasy?) Stranger in a Strange Land, and Infinite Jest. I've also loved both of DFW's big essay collections: Consider the Lobster and A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll never Do Again.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Moby Dick (perhaps a precursor to all modern fantasy?)",
          "reason": "Includes it among other favorites and suggests it may have influenced modern fantasy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The proposed connection to modern fantasy is tentative.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5833494,
          "author": "mast",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T16:42:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5833494",
          "commentText": "It's so hard to recommend something without a frame of reference.  Personally, I've found myself re-reading The Lord of the Rings lately.\nBut, if I had to pick one book that was my favourite, I might say Moby Dick.  (I'll admit that I actually read it first after seeing the Wrath of Khan as a kid)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I might say Moby Dick.",
          "reason": "Names it as a possible choice for their favorite book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter hedges: “I might say.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4966535,
          "author": "yread",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T18:00:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4966535",
          "commentText": "Melville's Moby Dick, Crockford's Javascript: the good parts, Vonnegut's short stories, Defoe's Adventures and Piracies of captain Singleton (not about the design pattern), Amsterdam in the 70s. Not a single new release though.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Melville's Moby Dick",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865864,
          "author": "Vivtek",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T18:31:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865864",
          "commentText": "Right now, Charlie Stross Wireless, a short story collection.  However, what I'm going to read very shortly will be Moby-Dick for the third time; my daughter just read it in her high school English class and it became clear to me that it's time to read it again.  Good Lord, that man could turn a phrase.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "what I'm going to read very shortly will be Moby-Dick for the third time; my daughter just read it in her high school English class and it became clear to me that it's time to read it again. Good Lord, that man could turn a phrase.",
          "reason": "Says Melville was exceptionally skilled with language.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227294,
          "author": "zwieback",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T19:18:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227294",
          "commentText": "Moby Dick is one of my all time favorite classics. Should appeal to engineers and entrepreneurs as well as being a great read. The form is very unlike other classics of its period.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Moby Dick is one of my all time favorite classics. Should appeal to engineers and entrepreneurs as well as being a great read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a favorite and says it should appeal to engineers and entrepreneurs.",
          "audience": "Engineers and entrepreneurs, according to the commenter.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875726,
          "author": "KC8ZKF",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T01:54:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875726",
          "commentText": "_Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid_  --Douglas Hofstadter\n_Moby-Dick_ --Herman Melville",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "_Moby-Dick_ --Herman Melville",
          "reason": "Named in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875717,
          "author": "jsackmann",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T01:49:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875717",
          "commentText": "Moby-Dick\nThe Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Moby-Dick",
          "reason": "Named in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Herman Melville"
      ],
      "recommenders": 27,
      "threads": 24,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american literature",
        "sea adventure",
        "classic literature",
        "whaling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-fire-upon-the-deep-c25674",
      "title": "A Fire Upon the Deep",
      "author": "Vernor Vinge",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41177119,
          "author": "noitpmeder",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T00:48:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41177119",
          "commentText": "A Deepness in the Sky, hands down. Also worth reading is its companion A Fire Upon the Deep. Both are the pinnacle of SciFi.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also worth reading is its companion A Fire Upon the Deep.",
          "reason": "Calls it worth reading and its companion novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021753,
          "author": "pkd",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:08:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021753",
          "commentText": "- A Fire Upon The Deep\n- Brave New World\n- The Dispossessed\n- The Sirens of Titan / Slaughterhouse 5\n- Recursion\n- Exhalation\n- There Is No Antimemetics Division\n- Foundation Series",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Fire Upon The Deep",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021231,
          "author": "hunterjrj",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:29:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021231",
          "commentText": "The Zones of Thought series by Vernor Vinge, and A Deepness in the Sky in particular.\nIf you check the series out, and I highly recommend you do, read it in order. Which would mean starting with A Fire Upon the Deep, which is excellent.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "starting with A Fire Upon the Deep, which is excellent.",
          "reason": "Recommended as the first book to read in the series; called excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Read the series in order, beginning here.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23157218,
          "author": "Agathos",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T17:53:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23157218",
          "commentText": "I loved A Fire Upon the Deep, but I thought Deepness was a little disappointing because the aliens aren't alien enough. They seem like regular people who happen to look like bugs and who sometimes need to hibernate because of how their sun works. Ironically, it seems like the all-human Emergency is Vinge's vehicle to explore an alien way of thinking.\nA Fire Upon the Deep has a much bigger scope and includes a menagerie of truly weird aliens.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved A Fire Upon the Deep,",
          "reason": "Expresses strong enjoyment and praises its broad scope and unusual aliens.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17545605,
          "author": "wurp",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T22:10:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17545605",
          "commentText": "Aristoi is my favorite of Walter Jon Williams's work. I reread it every few years, just like Diamond Age, Stranger in a Strange Land, and Fire Upon the Deep.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Fire Upon the Deep",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17537852,
          "author": "rektide",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T00:15:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537852",
          "commentText": "Central Station by Lavie Tidhar is an amazing charming story of a world deeply steeped old sitting baking world where new things are coming about. It is charm & delight in the purest & simplest.\nSpin by Robert Charles Wilson. \"Robert Charles Wilson is a hell of a storyteller,\" said Stephen King and this wonderful tour through time and space, humanity & people's lives is incredible.\nThe Quantum Thief series by Hannu Rajaniemi is open, scenic, wild, & so so vivid, one of the most beautiful worlds I've ever visited, & it reminds me so much of a joyous wild swashbuckling run. The mystery of the main character is enchanting.\nInfoquake series by David Louis Edelson is a gripping suspenseful rise of a star entrepreneur that redefines and radically expands the world, amid an already boisterous & full & busy beautiful world already overflowing in seamless technology everywhere. Although the plot line whips along with some suspense & tension, the scenery and the voyage is incredible.\nLathe of Heaven by Ursala Le Guin could quite easily, quite simply be the best first contact story story ever. Touching, and sincere, & simple. This world is not bright and shiny but her writing and the bonding of characters is incredible. See also the rest of the Hainish cycle.\nLeft Hand of Darkness also by Ursala Le Guin is a shifting chaotic shizmatic tale, about picking our fates. \"Well, I did it through dreams. Phil would have done it another way. But yeah, homage to Phil [K.] Dick is right.\"\n- https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/a... (https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/all/)\nFallen Dragon is an early & involved Peter Hamilton adventure book. There's leaving home, & space ships, more space ships, bad guys, fighting back the bad guys, bigger ships, and action. There is A LOT going on, all the time, & violence, but damn this book comes together into something incredible, & telling, & powerful & strong, something that easily makes it my top pick for most-underappreciated Peter Hamilton.\nDiamond Age by Neal Stephenson, which I'm providing largely as a counterweight to the Snowcrash & Sevenses recommendations here. Diamond Age is much less dark, and way more a fun tail about an incredible & mysterious primer for a young lady.\nSirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut.\nAll Systems Red series by Martha Wells is a underprivileged barely coping robot dealing with the humans she hates having to talk to & a shitty planet trying to kill them. Simple, fun, some action & violence, but the main character is a total hoot the whole time with more loner/zero/drop-out attitude & spunk than anything I've read & it's unbelievably charming.\nLords of Light by Roger Zelazny has more style, pizzaz, & spirit than I feel like any of us deserve. An interesting, storied tale from the post-singularity, with a remarkable & robust cast.\nIllium/Olympos by Dan Simmons, are, in my mind still the clear winner, far above Hyperion. The cast is charming beyond belief, stumbling through a world they both know all too much about & far far too little. Some really incredible worldbuilding here.\nRainbow's End by Vernor Vinge. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE A Fire Upon the Deep. But Rainbow's End really is our planet, sometime not far out, and Vinge has the most tour of this next place we're headed, with threads, and annotations, and group chat being the defining new technologies of humanity. And the tale of the misfit happenstance adventurers who wind up ensnared in the plot line is a fun, roving hoot of a journey, a wonderful second chance at a coming of age story.\nMedusa Chronicles by two of my favorites, Alastair Reynolds & Stephen Baxter is probably my favorite exploring the solar system book, about a guy/robot a bit apart from humanity that really wants to see what the local area has to offer. A lot of high tension conflicting societal impulses that our somewhat aloof lead stumbles through, on his personal mission of exploration. Lots of interesting robot philosophy & very varied elements of space come together with the characters to make an incredibly fun space epic, set in a delightful & intriguing alternative history\nOther's recommendations I'd +1: Dune (but super heady material), The Stars My Destination (brimming with class & substance), Mote in God's Eye (some of the best Space Colonial Marines style stuff out there), Accelerando (and Iron Sky and ... overflowing playful scifi), Blue Ant series (dripping with style), Foundation series (and much more Asimov!), Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy (simple direct exciting hunt for treasure in Star Wars), Fuzzy Nation (fun tale)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Don't get me wrong, I LOVE A Fire Upon the Deep.",
          "reason": "Explicitly says they love the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536765,
          "author": "madeofmeat",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T20:01:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536765",
          "commentText": "Seconding \"A Fire Upon the Deep\": a fast-paced, high-stakes action adventure in a zany, 5th Element-esque space opera universe.  Explores the idea of strong AI in a unique and interesting way.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seconding \"A Fire Upon the Deep\": a fast-paced, high-stakes action adventure in a zany, 5th Element-esque space opera universe.",
          "reason": "Seconds the recommendation, praising its pace, adventure, and distinctive space opera setting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536656,
          "author": "bhouston",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:35:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536656",
          "commentText": "His books are great, I loved both \"fire upon deep\" and a \"deepness in the sky\".  It is unfortunate he inspired the Singularity movement which I find full of bullshit and religious overtones.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved both \"fire upon deep\" and a \"deepness in the sky\".",
          "reason": "Says they loved the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536558,
          "author": "jamesRaybould",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:17:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536558",
          "commentText": "I'm fond of \"A Fire Upon the Deep\" by Vernor Vinge, and its kind of prequel \"A Deepness in the Sky\", they both contain some great ideas and I love the fact they have some very alien aliens!\nOh and if you haven't read any Douglas Adams \"The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\" is fantastic",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm fond of \"A Fire Upon the Deep\" by Vernor Vinge",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are fond of it and highlights its alien aliens and ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17520130,
          "author": "pbnjay",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T02:38:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17520130",
          "commentText": "For sci-fi recs: I recently read The Three-body Problem by Cixin Liu (a trilogy) and thought it was really good.\nAlso just started another sci-fi trilogy with A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge which has some really fun and interesting (if hand-wavy) ideas about deep space physics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge which has some really fun and interesting (if hand-wavy) ideas about deep space physics.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes its ideas as fun and interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The deep space physics ideas are described as hand-wavy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15429033,
          "author": "briga",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T17:20:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15429033",
          "commentText": "Like others have mentioned, a Fire Upon the Deep is great. Vinge has got to be the most visionary sci-fi writer I've read since Olaf Stapledon.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a Fire Upon the Deep is great.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly calls the book great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15428918,
          "author": "ChuckMcM",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:52:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428918",
          "commentText": "+1 on \"A Fire Upon the Deep\" I really enjoyed that one.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 on \"A Fire Upon the Deep\" I really enjoyed that one.",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the recommendation and says they enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15428795,
          "author": "bradleyjg",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:27:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428795",
          "commentText": "The first Expanse book and most elements of A Darkness in the Sky are fairly hard, but the later Expanse books and A Fire Upon the Deep, I wouldn't consider hard SciFi.\nThat said, A Fire Upon the Deep is one of my favorite all time SciFi books and I'd highly recommend it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A Fire Upon the Deep is one of my favorite all time SciFi books and I'd highly recommend it.",
          "reason": "Calls it a favorite and explicitly highly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Wouldn't consider it hard sci-fi.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15428783,
          "author": "incomplete",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:23:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428783",
          "commentText": "i'm surprised no one has mentioned 'the expanse' series of books yet.  also, 'a fire upon the deep' and 'a darkness in the sky' by vernor vinge.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'a fire upon the deep'",
          "reason": "Named as a suggestion in response to a request for hard sci-fi AI novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249464,
          "author": "renke1",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T11:50:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249464",
          "commentText": "Science fiction:\n- House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds\n- A Deepness in the Sky and A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge\nAll of which were recommended here on HN and I really love them, especially House of Suns.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge",
          "reason": "Listed among science-fiction books the commenter says they really love.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056546,
          "author": "TheLoneWolfling",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:22:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056546",
          "commentText": "I enjoy The Queendom of Sol series, by Wil McCarthy.\nAlso, A Fire Upon the Deep / A Deepness in the Sky.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Fire Upon the Deep / A Deepness in the Sky.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite sci-fi books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056499,
          "author": "iloveyouocean",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:09:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056499",
          "commentText": "A Fire Upon the Deep\nA Deepness in the Sky\nboth by Vernor Vinge",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Fire Upon the Deep",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about favorite science fiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056479,
          "author": "arethuza",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:04:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056479",
          "commentText": "Neal Stephenson, Anathem\nIain M Banks, Use of Weapons\nGreg Egan, Diaspora and Permutation City\nFrank Herbert, Dune\nKim Stanley Robinson, the Mars trilogy\nVernon Vinge: A Fire Upon the Deep and A Deepness in the Sky\n[Note to Hollywood: can we please have a Culture movie?]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Vernon Vinge: A Fire Upon the Deep and A Deepness in the Sky",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for favourite sci-fi books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8613977,
          "author": "nl",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-16T11:15:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8613977",
          "commentText": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Fire_Upon_the_Deep\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Deepness_in_the_Sky\nIt's easy to categorise these as wonderful and well written space opera, but that undersells them. Their author (Venor Vinge) invented the idea of the Singularity, and worked as a computer science professor. Both won both the Hugo Award.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ender's_Game\nAs good as people say it is.\nMost of Richard Morgan's works (esp the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takeshi_Kovacs series). Not his fantasy books though.\nFor fantasy books, Patrick Rothfuss is doing good stuff. The Kingkiller Chronicles is excellent. Read his other books before \"Slow Regard of Silent Things\", though, because that is one weird story.\nFrom more recent SciFi books:\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Windup_Girl is excellent.\nI'm currently reading Ancillary Justice and I'm really enjoying it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancillary_Justice",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Fire_Upon_the_Deep\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Deepness_in_the_Sky\nIt's easy to categorise these as wonderful and well written space opera, but that undersells them.",
          "reason": "Calls both books wonderful and well written, while saying the space opera label undersells them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the space opera label undersells it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6388456,
          "author": "Nekorosu",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T08:16:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6388456",
          "commentText": "Everything from Vernor Vinge is top notch. Start with A Fire Upon the Deep. If you like it read the other two books of the trilogy. It's a space opera by degree of events but it never gets cheesy. The amount of ideas put into these books never cease to amaze me.\nRudy Rucker's Postsingular followed by Hylozoic are great books. It's a rather humorous view on postsingular way of life. It's hard to describe his books and Rucker's writing style is not everyone's cup of tea but William Gibson likes it.\nAlso if you haven't read anything from Michael Swanwick you should give his books a try. It's not strictly science fiction because he likes to slide into more psychedelic and surreal areas of fiction. But I consider that his charm. Start with The Iron Dragon's Daughter.\nI also have to mention Cory Doctorow's Down and Out In the Magic Kingdom. I actually don't really like Doctorow's works. Some of them are boring. But this particular book is an exception and absolutely worth reading. A lot of interesting ideas are in play there including reputation based currency, eternal life (through ability to backup/restore body and memories) and extreme transhumanism.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Everything from Vernor Vinge is top notch. Start with A Fire Upon the Deep.",
          "reason": "Calls Vinge's work top notch and suggests starting with this book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3782997,
          "author": "db48x",
          "createdAt": "2012-04-01T06:55:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 3781486,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi Books for Hackers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3782997",
          "commentText": "A Fire Upon the Deep, by Vernor Vinge. It's all about the nature of computation vs thought, usenet, and truly evocative aliens. Not much actual code though.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A Fire Upon the Deep, by Vernor Vinge. It's all about the nature of computation vs thought, usenet, and truly evocative aliens. Not much actual code though.",
          "reason": "Suggests it for its themes and aliens, with the caveat that it contains little actual code.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking science fiction with computational ideas.",
          "caveat": "Not much actual code.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043561,
          "author": "rst",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:30:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043561",
          "commentText": "Vernor Vinge --- A Fire Upon the Deep.  (Also worth seeking out is the hugely influential novella \"True Names\", but you'd probably have to dig it out of a library someplace.)\nNeal Stephenson --- Cryptonomicon.  (Present day setting, but with an SF sensibility; ties into his literally epic Baroque Cycle.)\nCharles Stross --- Halting State.  (Investigation of an MMORPG bank breakin spills out into real-world skulduggery.)\nAnd an oddball that folks here may not have encountered:\nMary Gentle --- Ash, A Secret History.  (Starts off with interleaved narratives of a Joan of Arc figure in a strangely different medieval Europe, and a present-day Ph.D. researcher who's investigating her, and finding out that his sources literally don't say the same thing day to day.  Then it gets... weirder.  Quirky, brilliant, and kind of hard to find in the U.S.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Vernor Vinge --- A Fire Upon the Deep.",
          "reason": "Lists it among suggested science fiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865156,
          "author": "deafmetal",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T15:42:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865156",
          "commentText": "I recommend \"A Fire Upon The Deep\" and \"A Deepness In The Sky\" by Vernor Vinge. They're epic, emotional, and gripping, but also have some quite excellent hard science and future culture speculation. Also his book \"Rainbows End\" for something a little closer to home... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernor_Vinge",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend \"A Fire Upon The Deep\"",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it and describes it as epic, emotional, and gripping.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in hard science and speculation about future cultures.",
          "caveat": "Includes quite excellent hard science and future culture speculation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1864835,
          "author": "CWuestefeld",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T14:16:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1864835",
          "commentText": "RiderOfGiraffes also suggested Snow Crash; both would be excellent choices. I'd add to this Cryptonomicon, which is an interesting story, interesting thematic matter (relevant to software folks, and presented intelligently), and just full of different ways of looking at things (the scene that describes the Hindenburg disaster, or eating Captain Crunch cereal, were both perfectly clear, yet told in ways that took me some time to sync with what they were actually referring to.\nAlso consider most anything from Vernor Vinge. Some of my favorites from him are A Deepness in the Sky, Rainbows End, and A Fire Upon the Deep. Since he's a Comp Sci professor, he handles technology issues (and especially computer-related stuff) very realistically.\nAnd if you're looking back into the classics, consider Larry Niven's \"Known Space\" books, particularly Ringworld.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and A Fire Upon the Deep.",
          "reason": "Names it as one of the commenter's favorites in a recommendation list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226850,
          "author": "keyist",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:36:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226850",
          "commentText": "Don't miss sivers's great list: http://sivers.org/book\nAs for mine,\nScience Fiction (I like these authors so I'd recommend most of their books -- listing which ones I think are a good 'starter novel' for them):\n  Charles Stross: Halting State\n  Vernor Vinge: A Fire Upon The Deep\n  Iain M. Banks: Culture novels, start with Player of Games\n  David Louis Edelman: Jump 225 Trilogy\n  Daniel Suarez: Daemon and Freedom(tm)\n  John Scalzi: Old Man's War series\n  Dan Simmons: Hyperion\n\nSelf-improvement:\n  The Talent Code\n  Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger\n  Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion\n\nNon-fiction:\n  Amusing Ourselves To Death (highly recommended)\n  The Science of Fear\n  The Black Swan\n  Tokyo Vice\n  Racing The Beam (Atari history, very cool)\n  books by Daniel Pink\n  Guns, Germs, and Steel\n  The Prize by Daniel Yergin\n\nFantasy:\nAnything by Gaiman or China Mieville, pretty much.\nEDIT: links to previews (legally) available online\nCharles Stross's Accelerando (entire book): http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelera... (http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelerando/accelerando-intro.html)\nDavid Louis Edelman's Infoquake (1st 7 chapters): http://www.davidlouisedelman.com/jump225/infoquake/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Vernor Vinge: A Fire Upon The Deep",
          "reason": "Listed as a good starter novel for the author.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026940,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T07:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026940",
          "commentText": "I got myself a Sony Reader mid-2009 and started reading about twice more than I had been before. 2009 was also the first year in which I wasn't too lazy to document which books I read (I'm really glad I wasn't). Here're some of the favourites this year:\nClassics:\nKafka's The Process and America - both stunning novels that deserve to be read as much as his most famous, The Castle.\nJan Potocki, The Manuscript Found in Saragossa - a trippy collection of tales organised in multiple nested frames.\nScott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby.\nLeo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina. Still as breathtaking as I'd remembered it from the previous reading five years ago.\nScience Fiction:\nGene Wolfe, The Book of the New Sun. Wolfe, whom I hadn't read before, turns out to be in a class of his own. It's literary SF, overwhelmingly masterful and beautiful in its prose and characters, yet it could give any hardcore SF novel a run in terms of its ideas. It demands and richly rewards a close reading. I'll be reading more Wolfe in 2010.\nTed Chiang, collected stories. Chiang writes only stories, and has written just a few of them, but nearly every one is a gem. Read Understand on the web (http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/stories/under.htm) to see if you like his style - I do.\nVernor Vinge, A Deepness in the Sky, The Peace War, Marooned in Realtime. All great novels, but start from A Fire Upon the Deep (I read that in 2008) if you haven't read Vinge before, it's the best introduction.\nGreg Egan, Diaspora, Quarantine, Distress. Egan is the best hardcore SF author out there. _Diaspora_ is a fascinating take on shared simulated reality that's very different from the usual fare. Quarantine will appeal to your inner quantum mechanical geek.\nContemporary fiction:\nPynchon, V. Pynchon is the best novelist we've got. I recommend The Crying of the Lot 49 as the best Pynchon to start from; V is more difficult and much longer, but rewards the patience. I still can't get over the fact that Pynchon wrote and published this novel when he was 26.\nOrhan Pamuk, The Black Book.\nAnnie Proulx, Fine Just The Way It Is. A new collection of stories from the best writer about rural America out there. Three are extraordinary, two so-so, the rest very good.\nNon-fiction:\nW. Sidney Allen, Vox Graeca and Vox Latina. If you want to know how ancient Greek and Latin sounded, these are the books to read.\nElizabeth Lloyd. The Case Of The Female Orgasm. An interesting study into how available evolutionary explanations of female orgasm fail in various ways. This is a book about evolutionary biology and its methodological soundness as much as it is about explaining female orgasm.\nComputer-related:\nPeter Seibel, Coders at Work. A fantastic collection of interview with great programmers. The one 2009 book no hacker should be without.\nSqueak by Example. Does a great job of explaining Smalltalk in general and Squeak in particular.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "start from A Fire Upon the Deep (I read that in 2008) if you haven't read Vinge before, it's the best introduction.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it Vinge’s best introduction for new readers.",
          "audience": "Readers who have not read Vinge before.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026444,
          "author": "xorphy",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T23:29:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026444",
          "commentText": "I basically discovered Vernor Vinge.\nA Fire Upon the Deep, by Vernor Vinge\nA Deepness in the Sky, by Vernor Vinge\nThe Peace War, by Vernor Vinge\nMarooned in Realtime, by Vernor Vinge\nHyperion, by Dan Simmons\nMrs. Perkins's Electric Quilt, a fun book about some math and physics problems",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Fire Upon the Deep, by Vernor Vinge",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86126,
          "author": "jimbokun",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T22:19:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86126",
          "commentText": "Vernor Vinge:  A Fire Upon the Deep\nhttp://books.google.com/books?id=UGAKB3r0sZQC&dq=Vernor+... (http://books.google.com/books?id=UGAKB3r0sZQC&dq=Vernor+Vinge&prev=http://www.google.com/search%3Fq%3Dvernor%2Bvinge%26ie%3Dutf-8%26oe%3Dutf-8%26aq%3Dt%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26client%3Dfirefox-a&sa=X&oi=print&ct=result&cd=3&cad=author-navigational)\nI'm sure his other books are good, too, but this is the only one I've read.  I've never seen anyone else able to extrapolate the consequences of entire races advancing past the Singularity and how mortals manage to get by in such a galaxy (if you're able to accept faster-than-light travel as a premise, but he has a very interesting take on even that).  A ton of innovative sci-fi ideas in one novel.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Vernor Vinge:  A Fire Upon the Deep",
          "reason": "Praises the novel for its imaginative extrapolation and innovative science fiction ideas.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy big scale science fiction and speculative ideas.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that its faster-than-light premise may need to be accepted.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vernor Vinge"
      ],
      "recommenders": 27,
      "threads": 16,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "first contact",
        "alien civilizations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "clean-code-58e4ae",
      "title": "Clean Code",
      "author": "Robert C. Martin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42720323,
          "author": "muzani",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-16T02:31:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 42686034,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read regarding software development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42720323",
          "commentText": "This sounds like a hallucination tbh. If you look from the other lists, something like Clean Code is hardly recommended and gets criticized quite a bit. It's not something that stands to the test of time.\nIt's not a bad book, but it's the type of book a good list in 2025 should filter for.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's not a bad book, but it's the type of book a good list in 2025 should filter for.",
          "reason": "Says it is not bad, but should be excluded from a good current list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it has not stood the test of time and should be filtered from 2025 lists.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41415742,
          "author": "intelVISA",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-01T10:34:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41415742",
          "commentText": "It's like reading books in order to get better at writing them... sure it kinda works but not really. You get better at SWE by building things!!\nThe field has a lot of gurus who trick newcomers into falacies like 'clean code' when, instead, they should be out there banging together rocks like a JavaScript caveman seeking fire (Lisps).",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "gurus who trick newcomers into falacies like 'clean code'",
          "reason": "Uses Clean Code as an example of advice that can mislead newcomers.",
          "audience": "Newcomers to software engineering.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41415675,
          "author": "nextaccountic",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-01T10:17:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41415675",
          "commentText": "Thank you for posting that!\nJust for context, this was posted to Github by the author of Clean Code himself, Robert C. Martin, while exchanging messages with Casey Muratory [0]. They talk about performance, about testing, and maybe other stuff (I'm at less than half of it)\n[0] of Handmade Hero fame, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2dxjOjWHxQ",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the author of Clean Code himself, Robert C. Martin",
          "reason": "Identifies Robert C. Martin as the author of Clean Code while discussing his exchange with Casey Muratori.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41388440,
          "author": "scrapheap",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T08:04:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41388440",
          "commentText": "I suspect that one of the main reasons is that people read it and think they have to adopt all of it.\nPersonally I still recommend it to people but with the caveat that they need to think about what aspects from it they adopt and which don't make sense for them in their environment. E.g. if function calls are expensive in the language they use and its compiler doesn't optimize their code by inline the ones it can, then they probably don't want to break things down to the level that Clean Code recommends.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I still recommend it to people but with the caveat that they need to think about what aspects from it they adopt",
          "reason": "Recommends the book conditionally, advising readers to judge which practices fit their environment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some recommendations may not suit the reader’s language, compiler, or environment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41387972,
          "author": "curtis3389",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T06:38:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387972",
          "commentText": "I also love Clean Code and think it unfairly gets a bad rap, but here's a great, sometimes hostile, conversation with the author that touches on the issues:\nhttps://github.com/unclebob/cmuratori-discussion/blob/main/c... (https://github.com/unclebob/cmuratori-discussion/blob/main/cleancodeqa.md)\nThe linked video is also a good watch.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also love Clean Code and think it unfairly gets a bad rap",
          "reason": "Defends the book and says they love it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41387909,
          "author": "PaulRobinson",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T06:25:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387909",
          "commentText": "One of the problems I have with it is the advice comes down to unhelpful abstractions that tries to wave away mechanical empathy.\nI spent years writing Ruby and found clean code OK, but preferred Sandi Metz’s writing. Then I started doing some Go and Bill Kennedy made me think about mechanical empathy more. Recently I’ve been diving back into my old haunt of C, particularly more modern C idioms and the C23 standard as I need very fine grained control for latency and memory efficiency reasons for the apps I’m writing (in a very different space to where I worked in Ruby). It’s kind of blown away a lot of the advice from clean code for me.\nThe thing you’re programming has a CPU with registers. There’s a stack. There’s a heap. The choices you make choose how those things are used by the language implementation you’re using. Languages and methods that try to pretend none of that is happening can lead to very inefficient code that makes everyone sad.\nYes, your code needs to be readable. It has to be maintainable, but the clean code way of doing things doesn’t seem to do that very well AND introduces patterns that can make it hard for compilers and interpreters to optimise.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "a lot of the advice from clean code for me",
          "reason": "Says later experience with C and performance needs undermined much of its advice for them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter values readability and maintainability, while criticizing patterns that can impair performance and optimization.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41387901,
          "author": "NicoJuicy",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T06:21:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387901",
          "commentText": "This isn't the general opinion. Clean code is great.\nBut sometimes, what you want to do is so complex. You'll want one big file with few methods and a lot of comments.\nI think the \"perception shift\" happened together with public discussions of sqllite.\nThe tldr would be: just don't consider it a Bible ;)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Clean code is great.",
          "reason": "Says the book is great but cautions against treating it as a Bible.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Complex tasks may call for one large file with few methods and many comments; do not treat it as a Bible.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41387885,
          "author": "elric",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T06:17:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387885",
          "commentText": "\"Clean code\", when not applied judiciously, tends to result in overly complex code with a lot of repetition. This may be desirable when very strict decoupling is needed in complex projects, but in many projects it makes things worse rather than better.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "\"Clean code\", when not applied judiciously",
          "reason": "Says its advice can produce overly complex, repetitive code when applied without judgment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says this approach may suit projects needing very strict decoupling, but often makes things worse.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41387844,
          "author": "ImPleadThe5th",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T06:10:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387844",
          "commentText": "I think it depends. For me, I can see how it helps a brand new developer get a feel for code style.\nThat being said, some of the advice in the book is simply dated, some of it seems to break code down arbitrarily instead of on responsibility.\nOn top of this, you get people who pedantically follow it and don't let a team of experienced engineers develop a style that works for them it's really annoying and it can make the codebase a bitch to work on.\nIn the end, it should be a guide. And you should be thinking about what bits to take. But what ends up happening is \"uncle Bob says...\".",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "some of the advice in the book is simply dated",
          "reason": "Says some advice is dated and some code decomposition is arbitrary.",
          "audience": "Brand new developers may get a feel for code style.",
          "caveat": "Can encourage rigid adherence that frustrates teams and makes codebases harder to work on.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41387771,
          "author": "dimgl",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T05:56:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387771",
          "commentText": "I keep seeing this online. Why? Clean Code was instrumental in my improvement as an engineer.\nIs there a reason why this is the opinion nowadays?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Clean Code was instrumental in my improvement as an engineer.",
          "reason": "Says the book was instrumental in their improvement.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41387763,
          "author": "anonymoushn",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T05:53:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387763",
          "commentText": "It's probably useful to un-read Clean Code, though I don't really have a recommendation for a good replacement. The replacement is something like \"Make a lot of mistakes and develop good taste based on your experience.\"\nIf you're interested in performance, you can read https://algorithmica.org/ and https://people.freebsd.org/~lstewart/articles/cpumemory.pdf",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "un-read Clean Code",
          "reason": "Suggests un-reading it and offers no replacement recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have no good replacement recommendation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37835557,
          "author": "moomoo11",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-10T18:20:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37835557",
          "commentText": "Clean code.\nTheir actual work output suggests otherwise.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Clean code.\nTheir actual work output suggests otherwise.",
          "reason": "Uses the title to criticize others' work as inconsistent with its principles.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37813315,
          "author": "approxim8ion",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-08T18:53:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37813315",
          "commentText": "CLRS or some Algorithm Design Book, but you could easily be talking about TAOCP or SICP or Clean Code or any of 1000 other books.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Clean Code",
          "reason": "Named as one of several books people might pretend to have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33862079,
          "author": "cokeandpepsi",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-05T06:11:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33862079",
          "commentText": "I don't hate everything he does and I'd imagine he's probably an interesting guy to chat with\nthere is a subset of 'clean code' fanatics who treat his work as religious text and tend to produce some of the most bloated unmanagable code bases I've run into\nI wouldn't even say his work is valueless but it's a horrible starting point and shouldn't be a destiation",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "there is a subset of 'clean code' fanatics who treat his work as religious text",
          "reason": "Says some adherents apply the work dogmatically and produce bloated code; calls it a poor starting point.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the work has some value.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33861877,
          "author": "astrange",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-05T05:41:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33861877",
          "commentText": "Most of these books are so trivial that if you’re already a professional you should be surprised if you learn anything from them.\nExcept for the Bob Martin one, which you just shouldn’t read since he is not good at programming and his advice is bad.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Except for the Bob Martin one, which you just shouldn’t read since he is not good at programming and his advice is bad.",
          "reason": "Says to avoid the book because the author's programming and advice are poor.",
          "audience": "Professional software developers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33861685,
          "author": "Tomis02",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-05T05:02:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33861685",
          "commentText": "There's A LOT I could write about Robert Martin and Clean Code, but in short:\n- focused on the readability of small functions rather than the readability of the whole program. This gives you unreadable programs containing lots of small readable blocks of code. I argue this is wrong. We care about programs first and foremost.\n- arbitrary rules (\"ideal function should have zero arguments\", \"functions should be two to fours lines long\"). He hasn't run studies, he hasn't provided any proofs. Nothing scientific, it's just some guy's opinions.\n- his code examples speak for themselves, in a bad way. Check out the link posted in a sibling comment. They show a person who's trying to put their ideas in code for the first time (or, at the very least, first time trying to write non-trivial code) and it's becoming obvious that those ideas don't work. But the person persists and publishes the book regardless.\n- he hasn't really achieved anything in software apart from selling books and consultancy services. Name one impressive piece of software that he wrote, like a version control system, or a database, or a high performance JSON parser. All he's done is (as far as I can tell) CRUD software. That's not even enough for an \"appeal to authority\" argument.\nIn the words of a classic, Robert Martin is a \"self-appointed expert\". I would be very skeptical about following his advice.\n> A few people I respect have told me they got a lot out of it\nI don't mean to offend you. If I had to guess, these people you respect work on trivial software, just like me or Robert Martin. It's software you can write using almost any ideas or methodology. It doesn't matter what you use, because the task is so simple. Read data from a frontend, write to a DB, read from a DB, send back to frontend. You can do this using assembly x86, Fortran, OOP (whichever flavour), FP, whatever P.\nSo when people say \"they got a lot out of it\", I take it this means \"I do things a lot like Robert Martin (as opposed to a mythical idea of <<spaghetti code>> that's meant to make the code unmaintainable), and it seems to work; I deliver features and I get paid\". And that's fine, I guess. You can make your life harder by following Robert Martin's advice and still achieve your goal.\nThe problems begin when you need to start writing \"real\" code (rather than CRUD/plumbing), like anything that's supposed to have good performance, or actual CS problems like TSP, path finding, and so on. Robert Martin proved he can't write a readable prime number generator even when performance is not an issue.\nMy advice is to keep respecting the people you respect but focus on the CS and mathematics fundamentals instead. IMO there's little to nothing in Clean Code that will make you a better developer.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "There's A LOT I could write about Robert Martin and Clean Code",
          "reason": "Argues the book's rules lack evidence, its examples are poor, and its advice is harmful for complex software.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The criticism allows that its ideas may work for simple CRUD software.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33861664,
          "author": "soheil",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-05T04:58:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33861664",
          "commentText": "There are many books, articles, and other resources that can help you to become a better software engineer. Some popular choices include \"Clean Code\" by Robert C. Martin, \"The Pragmatic Programmer\" by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas, and \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell. These books provide practical advice and guidance on a range of topics, including design, testing, debugging, and refactoring.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Some popular choices include \"Clean Code\" by Robert C. Martin",
          "reason": "Lists it as a popular choice in response to a request for reading material.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33861358,
          "author": "guitarbill",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-05T04:10:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33861358",
          "commentText": "IMO, the advice is all over the place. Sometimes it's good or almost, but often obvious or accepted (maybe a sign of the times?). Sometimes it's bad or ambiguous. If you can make that call, you are likely experienced enough to not need it. If not, how would you know what to follow, and what to ignore?\nThere's also a shocking lack of evidence that applying \"clean\" code rules actually leads to, well, \"better\" code (more maintainable, or even just more readable). In fact, in some cases, the rules kinda clash.\nSo in the best case, you read it, think about it, and maybe pick up one or two new things. In the worst case, it leads to pointless zealotry that can be quite toxic, especially when forced onto other people.\nIn short, save your money. Clean code is a grift, like many self-help books. You do have to give to Uncle Bob, he recognised that in a gold rush it's better to sell shovels (as the saying goes).\nThis has been linked elsewhere already, but is a better critique than I could do in a comment: https://qntm.org/clean",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Clean code is a grift, like many self-help books.",
          "reason": "Criticizes the book's advice as inconsistent and unsupported, and says it can encourage toxic zealotry.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Acknowledges that readers may reflect on it and pick up one or two useful ideas.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33860866,
          "author": "Semaphore1",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-05T02:50:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33860866",
          "commentText": "Can you expand on why you feel that way? A few people I respect have told me they got a lot out of it, so I'm curious to hear what you think is wrong with it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "A few people I respect have told me they got a lot out of it",
          "reason": "Asks why others found the book valuable and what is wrong with it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33859871,
          "author": "Tomis02",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-05T00:43:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33859871",
          "commentText": "It shouldn't. The fact that it recommended Clean Code goes to show it's literally aggregating a bunch of books that are commonly recommended. Clean Code is really not the way you want people writing code, especially judging by the code examples in the last half of the book.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Clean Code is really not the way you want people writing code",
          "reason": "Criticizes its guidance and code examples.",
          "audience": "Software developers considering its coding advice.",
          "caveat": "The criticism is based especially on the code examples in the latter half.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33857751,
          "author": "Chris_Newton",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T20:51:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33857751",
          "commentText": "Someone wrote a lengthy and detailed critique of Clean Code a little while back:\nhttps://qntm.org/clean\nAs someone who also recommends against improving developers reading Clean Code, I think the arguments in that piece are generally on point.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "against improving developers reading Clean Code",
          "reason": "The commenter agrees with a critique of the book and recommends against reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33856481,
          "author": "summertime42",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T18:55:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33856481",
          "commentText": "I have all of these on my shelf. Fantastic reads.\n* Extreme Programming Explained by Kent Beck\n* Clean Code and The Clean Coder by Robert C. Martin\n* Soft Skills by John Sonmez (1st edition)\n* Pragmatic Programmer by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas\n* Working Effectively with Legacy Code by Michael Feathers\n* The Mythical Man-Month by Frederick Brooks\n(Selfish plug) Additionally, I wrote my own book concerning the entire industry, from just starting out to becoming a self employed consultant when you get sick of fulltime work - all soft skills from my decade or so of the industry, as well - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B43V1JJW",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Clean Code and The Clean Coder by Robert C. Martin",
          "reason": "Includes it among books they describe as fantastic reads.",
          "audience": "Software engineers seeking guidance on writing code.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30488554,
          "author": "Ologn",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T14:10:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30488554",
          "commentText": "Code Complete has chapters on classes, functions, then several chapters on statements and several on variables.  McConnell also refers to studies throughout - for example, he says studies show it is not necessarily that long functions are bad in and of themselves, but that the longer a function is, the more odds it will introduce more variables, and using too many variables in one function is bad.  Somewhat dry, academic, great detail about the topics I mentioned with references to studies.\nI also like Clean Code by Bob Martin.  It covers similar ground to Code Complete but it is more opinionated, and was an easy read for me and has a narrative drive. As opposed to the more academic Code Complete which covers things thoroughly, and with references to studies.  Both are good books, covering similar ground, I like them both.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also like Clean Code by Bob Martin.",
          "reason": "The commenter likes it and describes it as an easy read with a narrative drive.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "More opinionated than Code Complete.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28663628,
          "author": "macando",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T19:07:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28663628",
          "commentText": "Most influential - Clean Code and The Joy of C (the first programming book I've read)\nMost informative - Effective Java\nFunniest - Learn You a Haskell for Great Good!\nBest written - Eloquent Ruby\nMost useful - Data Modeling Essentials",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Most influential - Clean Code",
          "reason": "Listed as the most influential book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27629115,
          "author": "Jtsummers",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T10:49:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27629115",
          "commentText": "Eric Evans' Domain-Driven Design. I've heard enough about DDD over the years that I figured I'd just go to the source. Liking it so far, I have some good takeaways but we'll see how effectively I'm able to use the ideas over the next couple years.\nMartin Kleppmann's Designing Data-Intensive Applications. Based on the frequent praise it receives here, haven't gotten far yet. I have some project ideas (for personal and professional projects) that could benefit from reading through it.\nMartin Fowler's 2018 update to Refactoring. I read the original one a long time ago. In context, we have a work lunch & learn series and I'm interested in doing some presentations on the topic of refactoring (why, how, and when in particular) so it seemed appropriate to refresh my memory on some specific terminology from the book as well as to see if it's an appropriate book to recommend to colleagues. My recollection of the first edition is that I'd recommend it to colleagues, but it's been so long I'd rather read it once more before actually recommending it.\nI reread Robert C. Martin's Clean Code based on some recent discussion here where it was rather strongly dismissed by a fair number of people. I didn't recall it being bad, my reread confirmed it is not, in fact, bad. Java-heavy, which is now an unpopular style of OOP, but otherwise a very good book. I'd still recommend it to junior colleagues paired with some caveats about avoiding seeing the world in black & white. There is no singular Way of Programming, but learn various ways and find what works for you and your team.\nThere are some more, but it's almost 5am and I haven't been able to sleep so I don't recall everything that's in the book stack or ebook queue. These are the ones I'm most interested in at present.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'd still recommend it to junior colleagues paired with some caveats about avoiding seeing the world in black & white.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is not bad and recommends it to junior colleagues with caveats.",
          "audience": "Junior colleagues.",
          "caveat": "Java-heavy; avoid treating its advice as the singular way to program. Learn varied approaches and find what works for the team.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27628571,
          "author": "geoelkh",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T09:09:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27628571",
          "commentText": "Building a Career in Software is a good one I read recently.\nDid not finish Clean Code yet but enjoying it so far too.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Did not finish Clean Code yet but enjoying it so far too.",
          "reason": "Enjoying it so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not finished it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21822231,
          "author": "derangedHorse",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-18T05:54:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21822231",
          "commentText": "Code Complete seemed to be a book with a lot of dense, redundant content. Reading what was written had me feeling like I was reading information that could have been written by myself. Clean Code on the other hand (along with Refactoring by Martin Fowler) changed the way I write code for the better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Clean Code on the other hand (along with Refactoring by Martin Fowler) changed the way I write code for the better.",
          "reason": "The commenter says this book changed the way they write code for the better.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17033368,
          "author": "ozim",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T19:54:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17033368",
          "commentText": "You start career. If you already have been programming like in high school or something and finished CS university don't focus much on technical books. Learn how to work with people not computers and listen. I assume you know objects, ifs, for loops. It is enough for technical start. I don't expect more from junior. \"The pragmatic programmer\" is quite good start on it.\nIf you lack technical background and have problems with structure because you have not worked through university/school in structured way then \"Code complete\", \"Clean code\".\nPick also something in depth for your specific area you are going to start, for C# good would be \"C# in depth\" to get really details of tech you will be working on. Get details in one programming language really well then you can pick up some other tech.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If you lack technical background and have problems with structure because you have not worked through university/school in structured way then \"Code complete\", \"Clean code\".",
          "reason": "Suggests it for readers lacking technical background or structured learning.",
          "audience": "Readers lacking technical background or structured learning",
          "caveat": "Suggested conditionally for readers with those gaps.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032052,
          "author": "busterarm",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T17:52:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032052",
          "commentText": "I've read most of the recommended books, but as far as what I think has delivered immediate real value, I'm going to go with:\n1) Clean Code\n2) The Phoenix Project\n3) UNIX and Linux System Administration Handbook\nI'm sure #2 will be something folks want to fight over shrug.  If you want to sidestep years of headache it's a must-read though.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1) Clean Code",
          "reason": "The commenter says it delivered immediate real value and calls it a must-read for avoiding years of headache.",
          "audience": "People starting careers in software engineering or computer science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16757707,
          "author": "vollmond",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T18:50:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16757707",
          "commentText": "After Clean Code, also check out The Clean Coder. Less technical, more career/project focused.\nThere's also Clean Architecture, but I haven't read that one yet.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "After Clean Code, also check out The Clean Coder.",
          "reason": "The commenter suggests reading it before The Clean Coder.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16757386,
          "author": "gradyj",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T18:15:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16757386",
          "commentText": "- Programming Interviews Exposed\n- Head First Design Patterns\n- Clean Code\nI'm a junior in my first job and I've had these books in my personal library for a while now. Incredible helpful",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Clean Code",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the books in the list incredibly helpful.",
          "audience": "A junior software developer in a first job.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16756711,
          "author": "mmumma",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T17:06:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16756711",
          "commentText": "Clean Code and Clean Architecture",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Clean Code",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16376408,
          "author": "framebit",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-14T15:28:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16376408",
          "commentText": "2340 (the mandatory group project course) also covered a lot of this stuff, though not in as much detail.\nThe suggested reading for that course is a book that blew my mind when I first saw it as an undergrad: Clean Code by Robert Cecil Martin. I believe the examples are all Java, but the lessons are applicable to any language. Stuff like naming your variables more carefully than you name your children.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Clean-Code-Handbook-Software-Craftsma... (https://www.amazon.com/Clean-Code-Handbook-Software-Craftsmanship/dp/0132350882)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The suggested reading for that course is a book that blew my mind when I first saw it as an undergrad: Clean Code by Robert Cecil Martin.",
          "reason": "Describes it as mind-blowing and says its lessons apply across programming languages.",
          "audience": "Engineers and programmers; examples are in Java.",
          "caveat": "The examples are all Java, according to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16351905,
          "author": "fdw",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T09:16:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16351905",
          "commentText": "It isn't easy, but so far I've had luck with my co-workers. If they were more dogmatic, I think I would see Clean Code more critical too. But as it stands, I still recommend the book to new colleagues, and our culture takes care that we don't follow each \"law\" to its letter.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I still recommend the book to new colleagues, and our culture takes care that we don't follow each \"law\" to its letter.",
          "reason": "Recommends it to new colleagues while cautioning against following its rules literally.",
          "audience": "New colleagues.",
          "caveat": "Their team avoids following each rule to the letter.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16351657,
          "author": "raverbashing",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T07:33:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16351657",
          "commentText": "CC seems to be Design Patterns meets Moral Harassment\nIt turns development teams into a judgemental arena, demeaning of other colleagues and a race to see who follows \"the gospel\" closer to the letter\nWho says their code is clean? Who says that's the best way of doing things? In all cases?\nIt just reeks of \"I'm better than the rest\", which is already a problem in the industry.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "It just reeks of \"I'm better than the rest\", which is already a problem in the industry.",
          "reason": "Criticizes Clean Code’s perceived dogmatic and judgmental influence.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15017866,
          "author": "auganov",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T13:13:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15017866",
          "commentText": "The classic Clean Code by Robert C. Martin <- probably won't learn much new, but worth it, just to let the concepts reenter your consciousness.\nThe Secret War Against the Jews by John Loftus <- Changed the way I think about inner workings of the government. But at the same time, many claims are hard to verify.\nThe life changing magic of cleaning up by Marie Kondo <- not life changing but decent and a quick, 2-3 day read.\nNassim Taleb books, pretty sure everyone on here read it or plans to so, don't need my description.\nHalfway through The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis at the moment, it's pretty good, a joint biography of Kahneman and Tversky (of the \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\", which I guess is another HN classic).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "probably won't learn much new, but worth it, just to let the concepts reenter your consciousness.",
          "reason": "Recommends revisiting it to refresh its concepts, while expecting little new learning.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Probably won't learn much new.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14853247,
          "author": "chinhodado",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T01:55:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14853247",
          "commentText": "The problem with Clean Code is, just as the post you replied on said, it's very dogmatic. A problem I often see people who quote Clean Code do is that they take its principles to the extreme.\nAn example is tons of tiny methods of 1-3 lines each. Sure splitting up methods is good practice but it's painful to read code where you continuously have to \"go to definition\". There is an article written about this by John Carmack here http://number-none.com/blow/john_carmack_on_inlined_code.htm... (http://number-none.com/blow/john_carmack_on_inlined_code.html)\nAnother example is the \"comment are a failure\" mindset. Sure I don't need comments that say this code is doing an addition between two numbers, but a piece of code doing some complex business logic definitely benefits from a comment explaining what the hell it's doing. No amount of function-splitting and function-naming can replace such comments. Yet all too often people who read Clean Code treat comments as some sort of abominations that has to be avoided at all cost.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The problem with Clean Code is, just as the post you replied on said, it's very dogmatic.",
          "reason": "Criticizes the book's principles as dogmatic and says readers can take them to extremes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter acknowledges that splitting up methods and avoiding redundant comments can be good practice.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14843728,
          "author": "newlog",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-24T23:34:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14843728",
          "commentText": "Go for Clean Code!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Go for Clean Code!",
          "reason": "Recommends Clean Code in response to a question about which queued book to read first.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14842614,
          "author": "gt_",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-24T20:56:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14842614",
          "commentText": "Slightly kidding ofc. I have already skimmed sections of each.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I have already skimmed sections of each.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The parent identifies the books as Clean Code and Code Complete; this comment refers to them collectively without naming either.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14842592,
          "author": "gt_",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-24T20:54:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14842592",
          "commentText": "As a programmer in training who has both Clean Code and Code Complete in a queue on the edge of my desk, I'm following this thread to decide which goes first, or if they both get sold in mint condition.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "both Clean Code and Code Complete in a queue on the edge of my desk",
          "reason": "The commenter has it queued and is following the discussion to decide whether to read it first.",
          "audience": "Programmers in training.",
          "caveat": "Owning or queuing the book does not express an evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14842456,
          "author": "breck",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-24T20:39:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14842456",
          "commentText": "Clean Code",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Clean Code",
          "reason": "Names it in response to a question about books that shaped code structure.",
          "audience": "Programmers interested in code structure.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14486936,
          "author": "timclark",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T11:52:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14486936",
          "commentText": "Domain Driven Design by Eric Evans\nImplementing Domain Driven Design by Vaughn Vernon\nClean Code by Robert Martin\nI think you will find some code in all of the books but the ideas are applicable almost everywhere.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Clean Code by Robert Martin",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books to add to the library.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9758519,
          "author": "cfeduke",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T14:27:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758519",
          "commentText": "Any book written by Charles Petzold is an enjoyable read, though particularly the non-MS specific titles Code and The Annotated Turing.\nJava Concurrency in Practice (2006) is older but relevant and clearly describes concurrency on the JVM. A must read for any Java, Scala, Clojure, etc. software engineer; well-written, enjoyable, concise.\nPractical Object Oriented Design in Ruby by Sandi Metz is a fun read packed with good principles for working in Ruby that are applicable in general to object oriented programming.\nSmalltalk Best Practice Patterns by Kent Beck is worth a read because the general principles are applicable to any OOP language.\nClean Code by Robert Martin is excellent but a time commitment. (If you had to pick between SICP and Clean Code because time is at a premium I'd err on the side of Clean Code for practicality. Writing maintainable code is paramount.)\nThe Joy of Clojure (Fogus/Houser) is excellent and mentally digestable even if you have no Lisp or Clojure background.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Clean Code by Robert Martin is excellent but a time commitment.",
          "reason": "Calls it excellent and favors it over SICP when practicality is the priority.",
          "audience": "Software engineers focused on maintainable code.",
          "caveat": "Requires a time commitment; the commenter favors it over SICP when time is limited and practicality matters.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9758029,
          "author": "vollmond",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T13:13:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758029",
          "commentText": "Clean Code -- Robert C. Martin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Clean Code -- Robert C. Martin",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401391,
          "author": "ggambetta",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:17:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401391",
          "commentText": "Currently read and recently read, in no particular order:\nModern C++ Design (Andrei Alexandrescu)\nThe Screenwriter's Bible (David Trottier)\nClean Code (Robert Cecil Martin)\nIl Codice da Vinci (Dan Brown)\nThe Anatomy of Story (John Truby)\nA Random Walk Down Wall Street (Burton Malkiel)\nThe Power of Habit (Charles Duhigg)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Clean Code (Robert Cecil Martin)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8000602,
          "author": "eddie_31003",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T18:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8000602",
          "commentText": "For me, there have been more than one. I'll list them in the order I read them. I have them all in an eBook form to read in my Kindle App on my Nexus 7. \n1) Clean Code\n2) Pragmatic Programmer\n3) Patterns for Enterprise Application Architecture\nThere's some overlap in contents, but I feel they complement each other very well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1) Clean Code\n2) Pragmatic Programmer\n3) Patterns for Enterprise Application Architecture\nThere's some overlap in contents, but I feel they complement each other very well.",
          "reason": "Lists it among technical ebooks and says the books complement each other well.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7756880,
          "author": "DanielBMarkham",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:11:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7756880",
          "commentText": "Clean Code, by Robert Martin. Excellent book that dives in deep on how to write solid code. It's like having the ultimate code review in book form.\nShameless plug: I just finished writing the first in a series of books about Backlogs. Good backlogs can make programming a lot easier. Conversely, horribly formed backlogs can turn coding into a death march. http://bit.ly/1fJd5Gg",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Excellent book that dives in deep on how to write solid code. It's like having the ultimate code review in book form.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it excellent and praises its guidance on writing solid code.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797098,
          "author": "DanielBMarkham",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T01:40:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797098",
          "commentText": "I got books like sheiks got oil. I'm swimming in them. I try to read a little from at least four books every day. (You'll have to look up these links yourself)\n-----------------------------------------------------------\nOn my Kindle:\nAnna Karenina, Tolstoy; Clean Code, Uncle Bob; Palm WebOS; Antoninus Meditations, Marcus Aurelius, Emperor; Never Eat Alone, and Other Secrets to Success, Ferrazzi\n-----------------------------------------------------------\nIn my stack:\nDaniel-X, James Patterson; Born To Run, Christopher McDougall; The Existential Jesus, John Carroll; Fear and Trembling - Repetition, Soren Kierkegaard\n-----------------------------------------------------------\nOn the way in from Amazon:\nThe Trusted Advisor, Maister; Secrets of Consulting: A Guide to Giving and Getting Advice Successfully, Weinberg; Rain Making: Attract New Clients No Matter What Your Field, Harding\n-----------------------------------------------------------\nI'm thinking about growing another pair of eyeballs so I can read two books at once. I'll let you know how the genetic engineering goes. (grin)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Clean Code, Uncle Bob",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert C. Martin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 27,
      "threads": 16,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software craftsmanship",
        "code quality",
        "software engineering",
        "clean code"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-design-programs-03c0f2",
      "title": "How to Design Programs",
      "author": "Matthias Felleisen, Robert Bruce Findler, Matthew Flatt, and Shriram Krishnamurthi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36811000,
          "author": "noob_eng",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-21T07:26:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36811000",
          "commentText": "Yes.\nHtDP more so. It builds a thinking and problem solving framework for your mind. That is recursive thinking based on the data structure.\nOnce you can think that way you can code in any programming language with its niche syntax or constructs.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "HtDP more so. It builds a thinking and problem solving framework for your mind.",
          "reason": "Says it is particularly worthwhile for developing recursive thinking and problem-solving.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36810871,
          "author": "charlysl",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-21T07:09:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36810871",
          "commentText": "This.\nThat was my journey as a self-taught programmer who at one point realized had to learn the timeless foundations.\nAnd then MIT's 6.005 [1], where you will apply all this with a realistic language (Java, although the concepts carry to any language), and learn how to design, code and test programs that \"have no bugs, are easy to understand and ready for change\".\nAnd also learn a bit about algorithms, I don't think that one can design and understand properly without. And what is O(2^n) today will still be that in 100 years. MIT's 6.006 is amazing, both professor and TA [2].\nI've seen Knuth's TAOCP recommended around here. Don't even consider that, do a course like 6.006 first, the Everest shouldn't be the first mountain you climb. Likewise favour HtDP over SICP at first, I've been there.\nIf after all this you are still interested in LLMs, I recommend EdX's \"Large Language Models: Application through Production\" [3]\n[1] https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/6-005-software-construction-spri... (https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/6-005-software-construction-spring-2016/)\n[2] https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/6-006-introduction-to-algorithms... (https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/6-006-introduction-to-algorithms-fall-2011/)\n[3] https://www.edx.org/course/large-language-models-application... (https://www.edx.org/course/large-language-models-application-through-production)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Likewise favour HtDP over SICP at first, I've been there.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as the better starting point compared with SICP.",
          "audience": "Readers starting with programming foundations.",
          "caveat": "Suggests choosing it before SICP, at first.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36810277,
          "author": "mario-main",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-21T05:22:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36810277",
          "commentText": "Would you recommend HtDP to a non-beginner? Like SICP, it seems to cover fairly basic concepts and aimed at first-year CS students.\nI always feel like I'm missing out on some sort of magical programming secrets that will expand my mind like a spiritual retreat when I'm in these threads. But it's just CS 101 except you use Lisp? I don't get it.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Would you recommend HtDP to a non-beginner?",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "A non-beginner, as posed in the question.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is asking whether it is suitable, not recommending it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36807430,
          "author": "omnicognate",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T22:10:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36807430",
          "commentText": "I've read SICP cover to cover and completed every exercise, so I recognised that one. I had to look HtDP up.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I had to look HtDP up.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they had to look up the book's acronym.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36807366,
          "author": "sn9",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T22:04:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36807366",
          "commentText": "For those interested in working through all three, the order to do so would be HTDP -> SICP -> CTMCP.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the order to do so would be HTDP",
          "reason": "Named as the first book in a suggested sequence for working through all three.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in working through all three books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36806559,
          "author": "teh_klev",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T20:49:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36806559",
          "commentText": "In good writing you should ideally use the full name of the thing you're going to abbreviate with the acronym in parenthesis after the initial \"expanded\" version. e.g.\n\"My article is about How to Design Programs (HtDP)...\"\nThen later the article: \"In the HtDP book it mentions....\"\nThis makes life easier for those less familiar with the subject matter.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "My article is about How to Design Programs (HtDP)...",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36804592,
          "author": "neilv",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T18:27:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36804592",
          "commentText": "Try SICP at some point, no matter what else you learn.\nHtDP is also worth taking a look at, and is much easier than SICP.\nLLMs will mostly statistically plagiarize code.  (Some people will rationalize \"The tool generates the boilerplate, so that I can focus on the harder problems, because I am a mental giant who is above mere coding, and this is totally not open source code laundering\", and then slap the code into a Git commit with their name on it, while making \"cha-ching\" cash register sounds.)\nInstead of LLM, if you want to learn from other people's open source code, you can just read it in the original form (and not pretend you wrote it).\nYou can also practice writing your own code.  Find things you want to do, and instead of using an LLM or Googling for something to copy&paste, work through the problem yourself, and build that understanding and mental machinery.\nAnd when that starts getting routine, experiment with different approaches within the same language, as well as with different languages.  You will add to your toolkit of approaches, and start to build up a feel for when they are appropriate, and various implications.\nAdvanced, once you have some basic programming skills: Start building things that have to work reliably and securely, have to be maintainable and evolvable at a good cadence, have to be done in the context of a team where everyone is working towards product success, etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "HtDP is also worth taking a look at, and is much easier than SICP.",
          "reason": "Recommends taking a look at HtDP and says it is easier than SICP.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as much easier than SICP.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36803777,
          "author": "wk_end",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T17:28:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36803777",
          "commentText": "SICP is a great and mind-expanding book; but I came to it fairly late, at a time when (I think, I hope) I was already decent at \"elegant\" programming, so it's hard for me to say if it'd help you program elegantly. Probably, but I don't think that's one of its chief concerns.\nOn the other hand - HtDP is explicitly focused on teaching you patterns of thought that will help you create well-structured programs. It's also significantly easier, so I'd recommend it for your purposes full-throatedly.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "HtDP is explicitly focused on teaching you patterns of thought that will help you create well-structured programs.",
          "reason": "Recommended for learning to create well-structured programs.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking to write elegant, well-structured programs.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is significantly easier than SICP.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36803636,
          "author": "scns",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T17:18:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36803636",
          "commentText": "Second that recommendation. Kiczales is a great teacher, IMHO.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregor_Kiczales?wprov=sfla1",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Second that recommendation.",
          "reason": "The commenter endorses the recommendation in the parent, which includes How to Design Programs.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36803621,
          "author": "omnicognate",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T17:17:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36803621",
          "commentText": "Since, astonishingly, neither full title is mentioned in the post or the comments:\nSICP = Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs: https://mitp-content-server.mit.edu/books/content/sectbyfn/b... (https://mitp-content-server.mit.edu/books/content/sectbyfn/books_pres_0/6515/sicp.zip/index.html)\nHtDP = How to Design Programs: https://htdp.org/\nSometimes I think gratuitous use of acronyms (initialisms for the pedants) has been the biggest impediment to learning throughout my career.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "HtDP = How to Design Programs: https://htdp.org/",
          "reason": "Expands the HtDP acronym to its full title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36803010,
          "author": "bmitc",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T16:34:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36803010",
          "commentText": "The concepts in SICP are timeless. There's nothing to be lost going through that book.\nThere are video lectures you can use to accompany the book: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLE18841CABEA24090\nAlso, I highly recommend the courses How to Code: Simple Data amd How to Code: Complex Data on edX that are based on HtDP.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "courses How to Code: Simple Data amd How to Code: Complex Data on edX that are based on HtDP.",
          "reason": "Recommends courses based on HtDP, in response to a question about the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36803000,
          "author": "starside",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T16:33:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36803000",
          "commentText": "I think so.  Let me ask you this, what changed that would make it irrelevant?  There have not been any earth shattering advances in language design that make it obsolete.\nIt may not align with your ambitions as a programmer, but math and functional programming still apply.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think so.",
          "reason": "Affirms that the books remain relevant in response to the question about SICP and HtDP.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36802979,
          "author": "LoganDark",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T16:32:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36802979",
          "commentText": "there are a couple reasons to read those books, but the most important reason is simply to expand your wealth of knowledge. will you be writing scheme? probably not. will you benefit from knowing all the algorithms and practices that were used back when scheme was more common? almost definitely. because even if you don't use those algorithms and practices, they will surely inform your opinion of which algorithms and practices you do want to use.\ni say this as someone who has not read either of those books and doesn't even know what the acronyms refer to: knowledge is good. it'll take you many years to re-learn the knowledge that is already written in those books if you don't read them.\nthere is a practical limit to how much knowledge you can just throw into your brain, but these surely must be some important and well-renowned books if you throw out the acronyms without clarification, so i doubt the ROI could possibly be negative",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "i say this as someone who has not read either of those books",
          "reason": "Argues that reading the books builds useful knowledge, while noting the commenter has not read them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have not read either book.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35931039,
          "author": "adamddev1",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T18:12:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35931039",
          "commentText": "Yes, big second from me. HTDP taught me how to how to work with through complex data structures/problems in a really clear and simple way.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "HTDP taught me how to how to work with through complex data structures/problems in a really clear and simple way.",
          "reason": "Says it taught them to work through complex data structures and problems clearly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35930008,
          "author": "wffurr",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T16:35:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35930008",
          "commentText": "How to Design Programs: https://htdp.org/\nI already had a strong programming background in Java, C, JavaScript and PHP.  I thought an introductory programming class at the Master’s level would be a waste of time.  Going through rigorous program design in Racket was a mind expanding experience.  I was amazed how much programming we did before reaching the assignment statement (set!) otherwise the first thing taught in typical introductory programming courses.\nThe format of the class was a big part of the experience though: all assignments pair programmed and then presented to a panel by a randomly chosen member of the pair.\nA close second would be PLAI: https://www.plai.org/. As experienced through the Brown University online version of the Design and Implementation of Programming Languages: https://cs.brown.edu/courses/info/csci1730/\nIt gave me a very thorough and engaging grounding in the various programming language idioms and constructs and how they actually work.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Design Programs: https://htdp.org/",
          "reason": "The commenter describes rigorous program design in Racket as a mind-expanding experience.",
          "audience": "Experienced programmers seeking rigorous program design foundations.",
          "caveat": "The class format also contributed to the experience.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28662704,
          "author": "wly_cdgr",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T17:25:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28662704",
          "commentText": "Bjarne Stroustrup's\nProgramming - Principles and Practice Using C++. Unparalleled combination of real-world pragmatism and rigor. Plus, since you learn C++, this book prepares you better than most for more advanced books/courses on compilers, operating systems, computer architecture\nHon. mentions: HtDP and accompanying Simple Data and Complex Data courses on edX; Part I of Sedgewick & Wayne's Computer Science book and accompanying booksite and free Coursera course",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hon. mentions: HtDP and accompanying Simple Data and Complex Data courses on edX",
          "reason": "Lists it as an honorable mention, alongside accompanying courses.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28660429,
          "author": "allenleein",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T12:40:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28660429",
          "commentText": "1. SICP\n2. How to Design Programs\n3. Software Design for Flexibility: How to Avoid Programming Yourself Into a Corner",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Design Programs",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the best programming books the commenter has read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21375861,
          "author": "cben",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-28T11:02:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21375861",
          "commentText": "You don't really need much math for SICP.  You can learn a few random pieces of math from SICP, and without background that will be harder and you might feel like you're missing out, but these are just examples; you can just trust the math works and focus on how they implement it in code, it's structure of the code they want to teach you about.\nAnd, it gets better, IIRC from chapter 2 there is much less math.\nWhat happens in the first chapter, is that SICP is exploring various control structures (and abstractions over them) before teaching any compound data structures at all.  So all it has to work with is numbers.\nBut as number theory teaches us, numbers actually have a rich internal structure, and SICP uses that to make \"interesting\" examples!\n(This aspect of SICP is one of the big critiques in the paper http://cs.brown.edu/~sk/Publications/Papers/Published/fffk-h... (http://cs.brown.edu/~sk/Publications/Papers/Published/fffk-htdp-vs-sicp-journal/paper.pdf)\nwhich explains the motivations beyond HtDP textbook.  In particular, HtDP shows compound data structures first, and uses those to start with explicit methodology for data-directed design of code.\nThese are smart programmers and smart educators, and I trust they made a better intro course.  I won't recommend SICP for people who don't know any programming at all.  But I feel SICP has a magical voice about the art of programming that HtDP didn't replicate — though I haven't read HtDP, only leafed through it a bit.)\nSo I don't recommend to to cram algebra/calculus before you begin SICP journey!  Just start on SICP, and look up math stuff if/as you want.\nAt the beginning, IIRC you'll encounter: prime vs composite integers; base-2 representation of integers; some calculus but it's enough to understand derivative = slope.\nThere is some symbolic algebra stuff later that's maybe trickier, but I think (hope?) SICP is actually a great book to demystify that.\n---\nIf you do want to learn math relevant to CS, but mainly for the purpose of learning math:\n- If you're comfortable with code more than math: \n  A Programmer’s Introduction to Mathematics by Jeremy Kun.\n- \"Concrete Math\" by Knuth/Oren/Patashnik is wonderful.  \n  Don't feel you have to finish it!  I stopped ~60%.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "These are smart programmers and smart educators, and I trust they made a better intro course. I won't recommend SICP for people who don't know any programming at all. But I feel SICP has a magical voice about the art of programming that HtDP didn't replicate",
          "reason": "The commenter trusts its authors made a better introductory course, while noting they have not read it.",
          "audience": "People seeking an introductory programming course.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have not read it, only leafed through it.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17082710,
          "author": "skfist",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-16T14:35:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17082710",
          "commentText": "How To Design Programs pursues a similar goal. Esp. 2nd edition has largely been rewritten and uses a more modern programming language. Maybe give it a try?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How To Design Programs pursues a similar goal. Esp. 2nd edition has largely been rewritten and uses a more modern programming language. Maybe give it a try?",
          "reason": "Suggested as another book pursuing a similar goal, with a rewritten second edition using a more modern language.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156301,
          "author": "nur0n",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:02:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156301",
          "commentText": "How to Design Programs. It helped make explicit the very concept of mental models.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Design Programs. It helped make explicit the very concept of mental models.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped make the concept of mental models explicit.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567048,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T14:22:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567048",
          "commentText": "Most notably, Blood Meridian. It had probably been more than fifteen years since I last reread it. What was unusual was that as soon as I reread it, I turned around and reread it again.\n[edit] Among programming books: How to Design Programs...I've got a print copy. There's a lot of sophistication and relevant experience behind its programming fundamentals content (e.g. tests and documentation before (2002) tests and documentation became the new black).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "There's a lot of sophistication and relevant experience behind its programming fundamentals content",
          "reason": "Praises the depth and practical experience behind its programming fundamentals content.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9614020,
          "author": "ericssmith",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T20:16:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9614020",
          "commentText": "Thanks for pointing this out. I was interested to see they credit Paul Hudak's \"Haskell School of Expression\" for inspiration. I will have to take a fresh look at that given my newfound appreciation of HTDP (due to stumbling across Norman Ramsey's assessment of it). Also need to look deeper into Hudak's FRP now that I think about it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "my newfound appreciation of HTDP",
          "reason": "Refers positively to the book using its common abbreviation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9611840,
          "author": "ericssmith",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T15:02:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9611840",
          "commentText": "How to Design Programs 2E\nhttp://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/matthias/HtDP2e/\nThis book is much more than the intro to programming that it appears to be. It is a foundational approach for producing robust programs, regardless of your implementation language or level of experience.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book is much more than the intro to programming that it appears to be. It is a foundational approach for producing robust programs, regardless of your implementation language or level of experience.",
          "reason": "Praises its foundational approach to producing robust programs.",
          "audience": "Readers learning programming, regardless of experience or implementation language.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8029133,
          "author": "clark-kent",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-14T01:03:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8029133",
          "commentText": "SCIP should always be in the list as one of the best programming books ever written. Others are \n'Simply Scheme: An introduction to computer science', simply scheme is an alternative to  \"How to design Programs\", http://htdp.org/, both books are written for non-programmers but they provide a gentle introduction to many advanced topics covered in SCIP. I prefer \"Simply Scheme\".\nAnother one is the \"Little Schemer\" http://www.amazon.com/The-Little-Schemer-4th-Edition/dp/0262... (http://www.amazon.com/The-Little-Schemer-4th-Edition/dp/0262560992).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "both books are written for non-programmers but they provide a gentle introduction to many advanced topics covered in SCIP.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a gentle introduction to advanced topics covered in SICP.",
          "audience": "Non-programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8001050,
          "author": "baumbart",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T20:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8001050",
          "commentText": "Well thats an interesting question. Among the best is certainly \"How to design Programs\", http://htdp.org/ It's about Scheme. It does a better job than SICP I think, even though it still needs some endurance to get through.\nGenerally, there are plenty of good books, you get some ideas usually by combining knowledge from different books...\nEven though this may sound a bit old-fashioned, simply in terms of quality and self-containedness, \"The C Programming Language\" by K&R is by far the best technical book I've read. You can certainly download it as PDF somewhere.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Among the best is certainly \"How to design Programs\", http://htdp.org/ It's about Scheme. It does a better job than SICP I think",
          "reason": "Named among the best; the commenter says it does a better job than SICP.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Requires endurance to get through.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7760449,
          "author": "cenazoic",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-17T15:46:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7760449",
          "commentText": "I'm attempting some self-taught coding (my degree is in  history), and after much dithering, have started with How to Design Programs (htdp.org).  SICP is beyond me at this point, and I wanted to get a good grounding in general concepts and good design before jumping into some other more (theoretically lucrative)language.\nHtDP is wonderful at what it does, and while perhaps a tad dry in writing style, it is, for me, a page turner in terms of engagement and presentation of new ideas.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "HtDP is wonderful at what it does, and while perhaps a tad dry in writing style, it is, for me, a page turner in terms of engagement and presentation of new ideas.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its presentation of new ideas and calls it engaging.",
          "audience": "Self-taught programmers seeking grounding in general concepts and design",
          "caveat": "The writing style may feel a little dry.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3399945,
          "author": "kung-fu-master",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-28T15:11:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 3380141,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Intro Programming Book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3399945",
          "commentText": "Why not HTDP or SICP?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Why not HTDP or SICP?",
          "reason": "Suggests it as an introductory programming book for the questioner's nephew.",
          "audience": "A 17-year-old beginner learning programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2381053,
          "author": "malandrew",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-29T02:15:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 2380810,
          "threadTitle": "Best program and books to learn how to code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2381053",
          "commentText": "In addition to what others have said, I would add The Little Schemer to the list. It may not seem like the most practical book, but it will make you a better programmer.\nBeyond that, I would reiterate the following suggestions put forth by others:\n-- How to Design Programs (get version 2. Racket, the IDE for this book, is practically plug-and-play, so you won't waste time prepping your development environment)\n-- Think Python by Allen Downey (i haven't read this one, but it comes very highly recommended. the excerpts I've read show that Allen communicates the concepts very clearly)\n-- Eloquent Javascript (very good introduction, all examples can be done directly in the browser with the specially-made console. This eliminates the time and confusion you will experience trying to set up a development environment with other languages.)\nOn top of those I'd also add:\n-- The C Programming Language by K&R (if you are interested in C)\n-- Dive into HTML5 (if you are interested in web development. HTML is a markup language, but you are going to need it to be able to build web stuff. This book complements Eloquent Javascript nicely)\n-- Land of Lisp\n-- DOM Scripting (Pair this book with Eloquent Javascript. It's the best introduction to the DOM that I've seen and will bridge the gap between HTML and Javascript)\nThe best books on coding are those that place equal emphasis on good prose and good programming practice and that de-emphasize syntax.\nAlso, look for books where the examples are real-world examples. i.e. things that people have actually had to implement at one time or another. Avoid books with completely imaginary examples that use made up names like foo, bar, widget, etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Design Programs (get version 2. Racket, the IDE for this book, is practically plug-and-play",
          "reason": "Suggested for learners; its Racket environment is described as easy to set up.",
          "audience": "People learning programming with Racket.",
          "caveat": "The commenter specifically recommends version 2.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2380997,
          "author": "stray",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-29T01:51:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 2380810,
          "threadTitle": "Best program and books to learn how to code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2380997",
          "commentText": "You could try starting with \"How to Design Programs\" at http://htdp.org (or buy the dead tree version). That book has been very helpful for some people.  The programming language environment used in HTDP can be downloaded from http://racket-lang.org.\nIf you'd prefer Python, a real gem of a book is Core Python Programming by Westley Chun.  Python btw, is an excellent choice for a first programming language.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "That book has been very helpful for some people.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it has helped some learners.",
          "audience": "People learning programming with Racket.",
          "caveat": "The recommendation is qualified as helpful for some people.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1025257,
          "author": "fadmmatt",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T00:23:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 1023970,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which Scheme book to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1025257",
          "commentText": "SICP and HtDP are good for starting out.\nI often use Scheme when I teach compilers, and I've got a few Scheme-related blog posts designed for the curious student:\n* Church encodings: http://matt.might.net/articles/church-encodings-demo-in-sche... (http://matt.might.net/articles/church-encodings-demo-in-scheme/)\n* Macro-generating macros: http://matt.might.net/articles/implementation-of-scheme-vect... (http://matt.might.net/articles/implementation-of-scheme-vector-struct-in-syntax-rules/)\n* Programming with continuations: http://matt.might.net/articles/programming-with-continuation... (http://matt.might.net/articles/programming-with-continuations--exceptions-backtracking-search-threads-generators-coroutines/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SICP and HtDP are good for starting out.",
          "reason": "Explicitly calls both books good for starting out.",
          "audience": "Readers starting to learn programming and Scheme.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1024008,
          "author": "Kaizyn",
          "createdAt": "2009-12-31T07:41:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 1023970,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which Scheme book to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1024008",
          "commentText": "I would recommend you start with The Little Schemer and follow up with The Seasoned Schemer (the sequel to the other book).  These two will give you a good feel for some aspects of Scheme programming, but they will not go into the same depth about the fundamentals of computer science you'll get from SICP.  After reading them, then you should advance to either How To Design Programs as suggested before SICP or if you're feeling really ambitious jump right to SICP.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "advance to either How To Design Programs as suggested before SICP",
          "reason": "Offered as a next step before SICP.",
          "audience": "Readers learning Scheme.",
          "caveat": "One suggested route is to use it before SICP.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1024003,
          "author": "prakash",
          "createdAt": "2009-12-31T07:37:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 1023970,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which Scheme book to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1024003",
          "commentText": "+1 for HtDP, after which the schemer series, followed by SICP.\nAlso, read this: http://norvig.com/21-days.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for HtDP",
          "reason": "Endorsed, then placed before the Schemer series and SICP in a suggested sequence.",
          "audience": "Readers learning Scheme.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1023976,
          "author": "dragonquest",
          "createdAt": "2009-12-31T07:03:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 1023970,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which Scheme book to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1023976",
          "commentText": "From my own personal experiences, try \"How to Design Programs\" (HTDP) by Felleisen et al as an introduction to Scheme. Its a great educational book which really prepares you for SICP.\nAlso if you want to give Common Lisp a try, I'd highly recommend \"Common Lisp: A Gentle Introduction to Symbolic Computation\" by David S. Touretzky. Its an old book but well worth its price in gold. It is the simplest way to really get Common Lisp and its concepts.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "try \"How to Design Programs\" (HTDP) by Felleisen et al as an introduction to Scheme",
          "reason": "Recommended as an introduction to Scheme; called a great educational book.",
          "audience": "Readers learning Scheme.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthias Felleisen",
        "Robert Bruce Findler",
        "Matthew Flatt",
        "Shriram Krishnamurthi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 27,
      "threads": 13,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming education",
        "program design",
        "functional programming",
        "computer science education"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rework-a1b2d1",
      "title": "Rework",
      "author": "Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35219113,
          "author": "tmcdos",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-19T14:14:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35219113",
          "commentText": "I am not an entrepreneur (yet) but I still want to share a few titles with you:\n- \"Maverick or The seven day weekend\" by Ricardo Semler\n- \"Rework\" by Jason Fried and David Hansson\n- \"Startup - an insider's guide to launching and running a business\" by Kevin Ready\n- \"Bookkeeping and Cost Accounting for Factories\" by William Kent (1918)\n- \"Practice what you preach\" by David Maister\n- \"Don't oil the squeaky wheel\" by Wolf Rinke\n- \"Selling The Wheel: Choosing The Best Way To Sell For You Your Company Your Customers\" by Jeff Cox\n- \"The power of stupidity\" by Giancarlo Livraghi\n- \"How to write a good advertisement\" by Victor Schwab\n- \"How to Make Money Out of Thin Air\" by Brian Sher\n- \"Good manners and business etiquette. Illustrated Guide\" by Elena Ber\n- \"Don't just roll the dice: A usefully short guide to software pricing\" by Neil Davidson\n- \"Message to Garcia\" by Elbert Hubbard\n- the TopLeaf course of 36 video lectures on management by dr. Izhak Adizes can be purchased on https://vimeo.com/ondemand/topleaf or found on ru tracker (if you have access)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Rework\" by Jason Fried and David Hansson",
          "reason": "Shares the title among several books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are not yet an entrepreneur.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35171836,
          "author": "ranabuzdar",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:32:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35171836",
          "commentText": "Here are some of the most popular ones:\nThe Lean Startup by Eric Ries\nZero to One by Peter Thiel\nThe 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey\nThink and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill\nThe E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber\nGood to Great by Jim Collins\nThe Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander\nThe Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz\nThe Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton Christensen\nRework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson\nThese books cover various aspects of entrepreneurship, from idea generation and innovation to leadership and management. Each one offers a unique perspective and valuable insights that can help entrepreneurs navigate the challenges and opportunities of starting and growing a business.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the books covering entrepreneurship.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21852386,
          "author": "t3hprofit",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T17:49:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21852386",
          "commentText": "Not specifically about programming, but \"Every Tool's a Hammer\" by Adam Savage was really good. Tons of good information in here, and it tickles the Mythbusters itch.\nAre you looking for books about a programming language? or about methodologies, patters, best practices, etc.\nAs far as about specific programming languages, personally I think the internet is a far better resource. Books are better for the \"Soft\"er skills (communication, design, etc)\nHere are a few I've enjoyed:\n* The Phoenix Project\n* Accelerate\n* Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World\n* Rework\nFinally, if you've never read \"How to win Friends & Influence people\", do it now! I'm 34 and for whatever reason put off reading this until last month. I wish I had read that book 10 years ago. I'll definitely be adding it to my re-read list as there is a TON of good advice for building relationships, which is arguably more important than many technical things.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Rework",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Developers seeking books about software and professional skills.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21713334,
          "author": "rusk",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T15:56:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21713334",
          "commentText": "I think \"Team Geek\" [0] is probably worth a mention in this light.\nIt's written in that infuriating cutesy techy-language that seems to infuse a lot of the \"hipper\" books of this genre but there really is some good advice in there.\nFYI these are the guys that did Subversion, which was a pretty successful project for a while, back in the day. This same writing style pervades the SVN docs as well. Yeuch.\nIn the same vein, I also enjoyed \"rework\" by Jason Fried [1] though that's more about modern work, than purely management. Also kind of \"hip\" in style, but not so insufferable ;-)\n[0] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14514115-team-geek\n[1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6732019-rework",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I also enjoyed \"rework\" by Jason Fried [1] though that's more about modern work, than purely management.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed it, while noting it focuses more on modern work than management.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "More about modern work than purely management; its style is somewhat hip.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910210,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:25:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910210",
          "commentText": "- \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies\" - probably the most influential book I've read in my life, profoundly changed the way I think. It's a collection of LessWrong essays on science and rationality.\n- \"On Intelligence\" and \"I am a Strange Loop\" - how mind works.\n- \"Rework\", \"Zero to One\", \"Start Small, Stay Small\" - insightful startup advice.\n- Fun autobiographies: Ghost in the Wires (Kevin Mitnick), iWoz (Steve Wozniak), Catch me if you can (Frank Abagnale), Just for Fun (Linus Torvalds), Elon Musk, Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\n- How companies work: Creativity Inc (Pixar), In the Plex (Google)\n- On writing: Art of fiction/nonfiction by Ayn Rand, Story by Robert McKee, Save the Cat, Step by Step to Standup Comedy.\n- Other: The Selfish Gene, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Serious Creativity, Hackers & Painters, Hacking Growth, Angel (on angel investing, by Jason Calacanis).\nAlso collections of essays by Paul Graham [1] and Scott Alexander [2]:\n[1] https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%20Complete%20Essays.epub?dl=0)\n[2] https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of%20Scott%20Alexandria%20-%20Scott%20Alexander.epub?dl=0)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Rework\", \"Zero to One\", \"Start Small, Stay Small\" - insightful startup advice.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes the listed books as insightful startup advice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910192,
          "author": "itpragmatik",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:24:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910192",
          "commentText": "1. Sapiens - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23692271-sapiens\n2. The Gene: An Intimate History - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27276428-the-gene\n3. I Contain Multitudes - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29083367-i-contain-multi... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29083367-i-contain-multitudes)\n4. Stuff Matters - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19553030-stuff-matters\n5. Rework - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6732019-rework",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "5. Rework",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for favorite nonfiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16577453,
          "author": "wjr",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-13T16:38:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16577453",
          "commentText": "ReWork by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson (good reference on good principles)\nTraction by Gino Wickman (how to create SOPs & scale)\nAuthority by Nathan Barry (how to develop an audience)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "(good reference on good principles)",
          "reason": "Listed as a useful reference on business principles in response to the thread’s request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13258390,
          "author": "alc90",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-26T14:47:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13258390",
          "commentText": "My goal for this year was to read 10 books. Not a huge challenge but I'm happy I managed to complete it. I'm currently at my 16th book - so I might say that's pretty good.\nHere's my 2016 reading list:\n#1. Zero to One - Peter Thiel - 3.5*\n#2. The Alchemis - Paulo Coelho - 3.5*\n#3. Founders at Work - Jessica Livingston - 3*\n#4. Traction - Gabriel Weinberg - 4.5*\n#5. How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie -4*\n#6. Reinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations... - Frederic Laloux, Ken Wilber - 4*\n#7. Daily Rituals: How Artists Work - Mason Currey - 3*\n#8. Rich Dad, Poor Dad - Robert T. Kiyosak - 3*\n#9. The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs... - Eric Ries - 4.5*\n#10. Meaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly - Bernadette Jiwa - 3*\n#11. Elon Musk: Inventing the Future - Ashlee Vance - 4*\n#12. Rework - Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson - 4.5*\n#13. Anything You Want - Derek Sivers - 4.5*\n#14. South of the Border, West of the Sun - Haruki Murakami - 3.5*\n#15. As A Man Thinketh / The Path Of Prosperity - James Allen - 4*\nCurrently I'm reading If This Is a Man / The Truce by Primo Levi - and so far it seems to be one of the top 3 books I've read this year - definitely a 4+* book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "#12. Rework - Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson - 4.5*",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12473901,
          "author": "wirddin",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T15:47:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12473901",
          "commentText": "Rework By Jason Friend & DHH / Basecamp. Ignored it for quite some time now, but got hooked to it, and finished it up in a weekend.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rework By Jason Friend & DHH / Basecamp. Ignored it for quite some time now, but got hooked to it, and finished it up in a weekend.",
          "reason": "Says they got hooked and finished it in a weekend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297403,
          "author": "xchaotic",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:10:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297403",
          "commentText": "Rework.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rework.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10767627,
          "author": "krp",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T17:36:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10767627",
          "commentText": "The 48 Laws of Power - Robert Greene.\nI began reading it with a \"know your enemy\" frame of mind, similar to why I read some Ayn Rand, hoping that I'd better understand why some people behave certain ways.\nAs I got further into the book I began reflecting upon the past, becoming consciously aware of all the faux pas I've made over the years.\nI started identifying with all the honest, outspoken historical figures that would speak their mind and end up without a head.\nI used to pride myself on my honesty above all else way of life, thinking how virtuous it was to be like Socrates or Galileo. Now I realize that more often than not, I'd just seem like a dick, and probably wouldn't have a head if the guillotine were still in use. Now I put more energy into understanding others points of view, and understand others better as a result. Much of my old behavior was childish.\nOthers that changed my way of thinking in some way or another:\nRework, Getting Real, and the recent Reconsider post - DHH & Jason Fried:\nI'd always considered external funding as the best way to grow things I've built in the past, and wrote off the few bad experiences with this approach as being outliers. After also reading others' bad experiences throughout the year, now I'm wondering if my experiences were perhaps representative of the industry as a whole. Confirmation bias? Maybe. I'm sure there are the rare few good angel/VC's somewhere out there (no doubt someone will reply with \"YC\"). However, after watching several things I'd passionately built over significant amounts of time be driven to failure by others, I'd much rather bootstrap future projects. I learned a lot from each failure, but trial and error is a shitty way to spend years of your life. Far better to learn what worked from those who succeeded.\nBusiness Adventures - John Brooks:\nUntil this book, reading about businesses was one of the most boring things I could imagine. Some of it is dated, but there are also many valuable gems that still hold true 50 years later. I now see that with a good storyteller, even seemingly boring subjects can be fascinating.\nFreshbooks: Breaking the Time Barrier - McDerment & Cowper:\nThis tiny book (free from their website) helped me think of new ways to improve my consulting services and emphasize value instead of focusing on hourly rates, which made it easier to make more money.\nVarious online sales & marketing resources: My viewpoint on the importance of sales & marketing has also completely flipped since the beginning of the year. I used to have the mental image of a used car salesman whenever I heard the word sales, and of Mad Men when I heard marketing. Now I understand that if you don't market what you build, nobody will know that it exists. If you don't experiment with different sales tactics, you'll miss out on a huge amount of users who would otherwise love using your product, but who avoid it because it's priced wrong, or you're unable to convince them of why they'd want to use it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rework, Getting Real, and the recent Reconsider post - DHH & Jason Fried:",
          "reason": "Included among works that changed the commenter's thinking about business funding and bootstrapping.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10541418,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-10T18:49:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10541418",
          "commentText": "The Shepherd's Crown by Terry Pratchett. His last work. \nPhoebe and Her Unicorn by Dana Simpson (I'd recommend this to families with young children)\nCSS Secrets: Better Solutions to Everyday Web Design Problems by Lea Verou. I'm not really a front in person so this was an interesting look into CSS3\nPenetration Testing: A Hands-On Introduction to Hacking\nGeorgia Weidman\nI'm starting next on Rework, as I've heard a lot about it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm starting next on Rework, as I've heard a lot about it.",
          "reason": "Says they plan to read it, without expressing an evaluation or recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has only heard about it and is starting it next.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9347895,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T14:48:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9347895",
          "commentText": "Here's my usual list of recommendations, the best books I've read in the past 5 years.\nFiction:\n- Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\nIf you know nothing about this book you might naturally hesitate to read \"Harry Potter fanfiction\" and assume that it's dumb/horrbile, but it's not. Just suspend your disbelief and read the first 5-10 chapters. Trust me, it's brilliant, hilarious, and life-changing.\n- Atlas Shrugged\nControversial, I know, a lot of people here hate it for some reason, but it was incredibly influential on me, inspired my passion for entrepreneurship and science and philosophy. Still is one of the best books I am aware of.\nNonfiction:\n- Hackers and Painters by Paul Graham\nAlso a collection of his essays that you can find on github. He is one of the most clever writers I am aware of, but I assume you know that, since you're on HN.\n- \"On Intelligence\" by Jeff Hawkins\nThis book explains in simple terms a very awesome and elegant theory on how mind works. Incredibly fascinating, I've learned a lot from it and it explains a lot of things, and will change the way you think about thinking process.\n- The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins\nEngaging and entertaining explanation of evolution, absolutely fantastic book.\n- The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli.\nDespite the stigma, and people thinking that Machhiavellian = \"evil\", I've found this book extremely clever and wise.\n- Serious Creativity by Edward De Bono\nThe best book on creativity and the process of generating ideas that I'm aware of.\n- Abundance\nThis is a very inspiring and optimistic book about the future of technology.\nEntrepreneurhsip:\n- Start Small, Stay Small\nGuide to creating your first product/business for hackers. It lays out all the basics of entrepreneurship in a very concise and clear ways, my favorite introduction to startups.\n- Rework\nVery wise and intelligent advice about startups, intelligent and witty, must read.\n- Lean Startup\nClassic book on \"lean startup methodology\", very useful.\n- 4-Hour Workweek\nDespite the silly title I think it is a great book and is very much worth reading. Many people here dislike Tim Ferris, but whatever, I think this book is cool.\nAutobiographies:\n- Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman\n- Ghost In The Wires by Kevin Mitnick\n- Catch me if you can by Abagnale\n- iWoz by Steve Wozniak\n- Losing my Virginity by Richard Branson\nAll these are fantastic and very intelligent autobiographies by the very awesome people.\nNow I'm reading \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" and \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies.\"\n\"Rationality\" is great and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. Can't say much about GEB, I've only started reading it, but everyone is saying that it is so great and the best book ever, so I think it's definitely worth checking out.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Very wise and intelligent advice about startups, intelligent and witty, must read.",
          "reason": "Praises its startup advice and calls it a must read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6922228,
          "author": "padseeker",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-17T17:13:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 6921805,
          "threadTitle": "What book has inspired you the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6922228",
          "commentText": "Getting Real by 37 Signals. Rework wasn't as interesting having read Getting Real first. It's more developer centric too.\nhttp://gettingreal.37signals.com/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Rework wasn't as interesting having read Getting Real first.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it less interesting after reading Getting Real first.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6922078,
          "author": "yawz",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-17T16:47:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 6921805,
          "threadTitle": "What book has inspired you the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6922078",
          "commentText": "Agreed. Rework is a great book. Fried's new book \"Remote\" is out, by the way.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Agreed. Rework is a great book.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6921910,
          "author": "krrishd",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-17T16:19:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 6921805,
          "threadTitle": "What book has inspired you the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6921910",
          "commentText": "Rework by Jason Fried. Totally made me rethink modern management.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rework by Jason Fried. Totally made me rethink modern management.",
          "reason": "It changed the commenter's thinking about modern management.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5324208,
          "author": "mrlithic",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-05T13:00:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 5323956,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: which are some good self-help books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5324208",
          "commentText": "Rework - http://37signals.com/rework/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rework",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5244925,
          "author": "PankajGhosh",
          "createdAt": "2013-02-19T15:59:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 5244195,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 'Must read' books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5244925",
          "commentText": "Rework: http://37signals.com/rework/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rework: http://37signals.com/rework/",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4597108,
          "author": "dwj",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-01T14:22:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 4596721,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4597108",
          "commentText": "Very good book about the tech industry: \"rework\" by the 37 signals guys.\nOther very good non-tech book I've read recently: Walk the Amazon.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Very good book about the tech industry: \"rework\" by the 37 signals guys.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a very good book about the tech industry.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the tech industry.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4476256,
          "author": "chadbartels",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-04T20:00:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 4476107,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN : What are some great books an aspiring entrepreneur should read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4476256",
          "commentText": "Rework",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rework",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books aspiring entrepreneurs should read.",
          "audience": "Aspiring entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3643442,
          "author": "railsmax",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-28T15:24:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 3643009,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-technical book you've read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3643442",
          "commentText": "Terry Pratchet 'The last continent', but it is 22-nd book of a serie 'flat world'. You should start from the begining. It's a really funny fantasy, and easy to read.\nAnother variant is 'Rework', authored 'DHH' for example - it is easy to read and usefully! Have a great vocation :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Rework', authored 'DHH'",
          "reason": "Recommends it as easy to read and useful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395189,
          "author": "amrnt",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T08:55:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395189",
          "commentText": "Rework",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rework",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2645512,
          "author": "colson04",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-12T02:52:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2645512",
          "commentText": "I briefly checked out the first 20 or 30 reviews on Amazon and was not surprised by the comments, but by the ratings.  My take on the comments?  True:  if you are a long time follower of the signal vs. noise blog then you will have seen some of the material before.  \nTrue:  some of the advice is ambiguous, but necessarily so - this is not a \"how to start a web company\" step-by-step manual.  It is an aid to seeing business from a total non-traditional platform.  \nTrue:  the book is short on pages and word-count - you can easily read it in an afternoon.  Every other page is an illustration (no informational value) of some kind taking away from actual information space - I did feel I was mislead by this.  \nTrue:  They do use their own company as an example quite a lot which took away credibility.  Their biz is the extreme example in a few ways but it is very interesting how they embrace obstacles that others run from i.e. having globally spread employees.\nI got over my own negativities when I read the book for the second time three months later.  The book is written in such a way that, to me, the message will adapt and be meaningful regardless of the current situation.  Kind of like the bookd Who Moved My Cheese is still taught and changes meaning for each reader, each time they read it.\nIn my opinion it's definitely worth reading - take that for what you will.\nOther suggestions?  I've got plenty if you want 'em.  I read a book or two a week.  Here's two more of my fav business-type books.\nSeeking Wisdom by Peter Bevelin &\nThe E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber - a classic\nHere's a short cut to the best reading on business and entrepreneurship - take the following links and cross reference.  If a book is on both lists it's usually very good.\nhttp://sivers.org/book\nhttp://personalmba.com/best-business-books/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "In my opinion it's definitely worth reading",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book's message adapts and remains meaningful across situations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They found its advice ambiguous, illustrations uninformative, and frequent use of the authors' company as an example hurt credibility.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2640789,
          "author": "creativeone",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T13:39:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2640789",
          "commentText": "I checked out Rework on Amazon and saw some really mixed reviews, now im not sure about getting it.  What do you like about it, and do you suggest anything else?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I checked out Rework on Amazon and saw some really mixed reviews, now im not sure about getting it.",
          "reason": "The commenter is undecided after seeing mixed reviews and asks what others like about it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mixed reviews leave the commenter unsure about getting it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2639720,
          "author": "colson04",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T03:46:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639720",
          "commentText": "Fiction: tie between Of Human Bondage by W.Somerset Maugham or The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky\nNon-Fiction: Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond\nBusiness:  Rework by Jason Fried - one of the best in a long time",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rework by Jason Fried - one of the best in a long time",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the best business books in a long time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2330440,
          "author": "riskish",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-16T02:29:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 2329700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that change your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2330440",
          "commentText": "I have found these books to be very influential in my thinking on web startups and building things in general:\n1) Hackers & Painters - PG\n2) Smart & Get Things Done - Joel Spolsky\n3) Rework - Jason Fried\n4) Getting Real - Jason Fried\n5) Founders at Work - Jessica Livingston\n6) Joel on Software - Joel Spolsky\nThese are by far some of my favorites.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "3) Rework - Jason Fried",
          "reason": "Includes it among books they found influential and among their favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2087524,
          "author": "maguay",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T04:51:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2087524",
          "commentText": "Mine are cliché, but they really did help me in 2010 and hopefully will continue helping me in 2011 and beyond:\nRework - Jason Fried and David Hansson\nLinchpin: Are You Indispensable? - Seth Godin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rework - Jason Fried and David Hansson",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them in 2010 and expects it to keep helping them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1973798,
          "author": "middlegeek",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T03:48:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1973798",
          "commentText": "Reworked by the 37Signals guys.\nIt fit with what I needed at the time. It gave me some great new ideas and confirmed others I had already been both coming up with on my own and brewing from others around me. I will probably re-read it again soon.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It gave me some great new ideas and confirmed others I had already been both coming up with on my own and brewing from others around me.",
          "reason": "Says it offered great ideas and confirmed ideas they already had.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They say its fit depended on what they needed at the time.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1568428,
          "author": "PaulJoslin",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T18:02:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 1567456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I want to start a web company what books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1568428",
          "commentText": "While I'm at it. I'll tell you about some other's I have read.\n- Getting Real by 37 Signals http://gettingreal.37signals.com/\n- Rework by 37 Signals http://37signals.com/rework/\nThese are great and really get your mind thinking about alternatives to what most people believe.\n- Sarah Lacy's Once your lucky, twice you're good. http://www.amazon.com/Once-Youre-Lucky-Twice-Good/dp/1592403... (http://www.amazon.com/Once-Youre-Lucky-Twice-Good/dp/1592403824)\nThis isn't a technical book, but can really get you motivated to succeed reading the stories of previous successes! It also gives a bit of an insight into the internal workings of a start up in the early stages. It highlights networking as an important factor!\n- Start up success guide - http://www.amazon.com/Startup-Success-Guide-Books-Profession... (http://www.amazon.com/Startup-Success-Guide-Books-Professionals/dp/1430219858/)\nThis book was quite good, but felt a bit dated in comparison to Rob Walling's 'Start up book'.\nFinally 'Founders at work' is definitely worth a read. http://www.amazon.com/Founders-Work-Stories-Startups-Problem... (http://www.amazon.com/Founders-Work-Stories-Startups-Problem-Solution/dp/1430210788/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "These are great and really get your mind thinking about alternatives to what most people believe.",
          "reason": "Praises the books for prompting different ways of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1567922,
          "author": "robertg",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T15:42:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 1567456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I want to start a web company what books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1567922",
          "commentText": "http://37signals.com/rework/\nI really like this book.  It helps put things into perspective, especially for smaller companies.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really like this book.  It helps put things into perspective, especially for smaller companies.",
          "reason": "The commenter likes it and says it helps put things into perspective for smaller companies.",
          "audience": "People at smaller companies.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jason Fried",
        "David Heinemeier Hansson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 26,
      "threads": 21,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "management",
        "startups",
        "small business"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-4-hour-workweek-420266",
      "title": "The 4-Hour Workweek",
      "author": "Timothy Ferriss",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40284907,
          "author": "xucian",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T12:56:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40284907",
          "commentText": "Zero to one\nThe lean startup\nThe 4-hour workweek\nThe subtle art of not giving a f*ck\n--\nWhat I've found out, biographies are the best thing for me because I always want to know what happens next, but I also learn invaluable lessons from the biographee (just googled this term now and it exists!), so it's a nice mix of story and self-help",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 4-hour workweek",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40279216,
          "author": "jasiek-net",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-06T20:36:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40279216",
          "commentText": "Same here - Zero to one - really inspiring book!\nAnd Lean startup - far too ambitious for me at the moment, but I learned a lot from it.\n4 hour work week - I would say it’s more like a fiction book, but still fun to read.\n7 habits of highly effective people - it’s saved my life in high school, I knew some parts of it by heart.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "4 hour work week - I would say it’s more like a fiction book, but still fun to read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is fun to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is more like a fiction book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38066928,
          "author": "Cosuper",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-30T08:33:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38066928",
          "commentText": "I have 3 books that have made me a before and after in my life:\n- the 4 hour work week\n- 48 laws of power\n- 12 rules for life",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- the 4 hour work week",
          "reason": "Listed among three books the commenter says changed their life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36429550,
          "author": "anthony_franco",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T08:50:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36429550",
          "commentText": "The 4-Hour Workweek - motivated me to start my own business and now I have a lot of flexibility in my life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 4-Hour Workweek - motivated me to start my own business",
          "reason": "Credits the book with motivating them to start a business and gain flexibility.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21914539,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-30T16:38:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21914539",
          "commentText": "Getting Things Done - the 2001 version I read two years ago, I use the general idea and it helps to have a clear head when your fighting fires daily.\nNever Split the Difference - some very practical negotiation strategies.\nMini Habits by Stephen Guise - short book but awesome method.  I am still doing the one pushup habit since last March.\nHow to Shoot Video That Doesn't Suck by Steve Stockman - I wanted to improve my video production for my programming course for kids.  I am still learning but this book has been a huge help.\nThe Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing and Thinking by Barbara Minto - huge help with improving my written communication at my job.\nThe Coaching Habit by Michael Stanier - short book but huge help when your transitioning to managing people.\nMade to Stick by Dan Heath - was a huge help in planning how I would teach elementary students last month about programming.\nThe 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch - aside from application of Pareto principle, I took away the idea that books provide the best bang for your buck for knowledge density.\nThe 4 Hour Work Week - great inspiration to start your own thing.\nThe $100 Startup - like the 4HWW but with more details.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "great inspiration to start your own thing.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was great inspiration to start a business or independent venture.",
          "audience": "People considering starting their own venture.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21902928,
          "author": "mke",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T00:33:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902928",
          "commentText": "In defense of self-help books; you latch to the one that finds you.\nThe 4-hour workweek provided me a useful foil to Gladwell’s “10,000” hours. It might take 10k to master, but you sure as hell can move fast if you get to 80% in 10 hours.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The 4-hour workweek provided me a useful foil to Gladwell’s “10,000” hours.",
          "reason": "The commenter values it as a useful counterpoint to the idea that mastery requires 10,000 hours.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Presented as a foil to the 10,000-hours idea, not an unqualified endorsement.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17982889,
          "author": "nexus2045",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-13T21:39:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17982889",
          "commentText": "Interestingly, the biggest eye-opener of reading the 4HWW is the part when Ferriss defines the word muse. I used to only think that it was a dichotomy of 1) boring 9-5 selling out your soul for the rest of your life, or 2) VC-backed startup scaling like mad and ending in a 7+ figure acquisition, but never considered the option in between: lifestyle businesses that are \"automated\", so you can actually do other things with your life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "reading the 4HWW is the part when Ferriss defines the word muse.",
          "reason": "Discusses its idea of automated lifestyle businesses as an eye-opener.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17982320,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-13T20:38:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17982320",
          "commentText": "I would second the 4-Hour Workweek,  yet I am still searching for a profitable idea.  How long did it take you from reading the book to reaching the ability to quit your job?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would second the 4-Hour Workweek",
          "reason": "Seconding a book presented as life-changing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Still searching for a profitable idea.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17912909,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T21:19:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17912909",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed  Never Split the Difference.  It has helped me with negotiation in life.\nI enjoyed 4 Hour Work Week when I first read it.  I am still trying to create a profitable side hustle.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed 4 Hour Work Week when I first read it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed it when they first read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They are still trying to create a profitable side hustle.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910382,
          "author": "criveros",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:41:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910382",
          "commentText": "1. The power of now\n2. Models\n3. The 4-hour workweek",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "3. The 4-hour workweek",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for favorite nonfiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296468,
          "author": "graeme",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T06:19:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296468",
          "commentText": "The Four Hour Workweek. It showed me:\n1. How to make a business without \"experience\"\n2. A model of how to make an automated business\nChanged my life and led me to create a mostly automated business that is still going seven years on.\nNote: this book often rubs people the wrong way, and requires caveats.\nThe four hours refers to maintenance work, in my interpretation. I could maintain my business on four hours. But, it would gradually atrophy. So, I grow it. But, with the liberty to take a lof of time off, when I want.\nFor those allergic to Tim Ferriss, Start Small, Stay Small by Rob Walling is an excellent read.\nBut, the four hour week was the book that hit me like a ton of bricks and changed the course of my life.\nThe business, if anyone is curious: https://lsathacks.com",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "But, the four hour week was the book that hit me like a ton of bricks and changed the course of my life.",
          "reason": "Says the book changed the course of their life and describes how it helped them build an automated business.",
          "audience": "People interested in starting or running a mostly automated business.",
          "caveat": "Often rubs people the wrong way; the author interprets its four-hour claim as maintenance time, and says the business would gradually atrophy without growth.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15159779,
          "author": "orthoganol",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T05:04:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15159779",
          "commentText": "Wow, The Game I had totally forgotten about. Along with the 4 Hour Work Week, those are two books that gave me totally new measuring devices for success and attractiveness when I was in my early 20s. 4HWW redefined 'elite' as young entrepreneurial globe trotters (location freedom), and was probably the main igniter of the digital nomad movement, while The Game redefined attractiveness (for men) as a predominantly behavioral thing - boldness, non neediness, confidence etc. - not a wealth, credentials, or even primarily physical attributes thing (and pretty much ruined going out to bars for half a decade). Agree or disagree, those books really, really impacted thinking for millennials.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "4HWW redefined 'elite' as young entrepreneurial globe trotters",
          "reason": "Says it redefined success as location freedom and helped ignite the digital nomad movement.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13972522,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T22:47:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13972522",
          "commentText": "4 Hour Work Week\nit gave me the idea that you could start something on the side while doing your day job.\nThe productivity tips have been super useful in all aspects of my life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "4 Hour Work Week\nit gave me the idea that you could start something on the side while doing your day job.\nThe productivity tips have been super useful in all aspects of my life.",
          "reason": "It inspired the idea of starting a side project and its productivity advice has been useful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416558,
          "author": "hoodwink",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:54:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416558",
          "commentText": "I was similarly impacted by both books -- Four Hour Work Week led me to Vagabonding which is much better. If you haven't already, you should read the inspiration for Vagabonding: Walden by Thoreau.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Four Hour Work Week led me to Vagabonding",
          "reason": "Says it prompted them to read Vagabonding.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in lifestyle change and travel.",
          "caveat": "Says Vagabonding is much better.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416503,
          "author": "mikejames16",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:45:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416503",
          "commentText": "Depends on what you're after. If you like the 4 hour work week and want to change your lifestyle then I'd read inspiration for the four hour work week; vagabonding by Ralf Potts and more recently the obstacle is the way by Ryan Holiday. At the end of this month I'll be heading off on a round the world trip with no return ticket starting in india. I have the four hour work week to thank for that, I changed my job to one where I was able to work remote, started my own product gocaller.co.uk whether it's going to bring income to support long term travel will be interesting to see, nevertheless it's a fun ride. I feel more confident now that I can go back to doing what im doing now I love software development and the interesting people I've had the pleasure of working with",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I have the four hour work week to thank for that",
          "reason": "Credits the book with inspiring a lifestyle change and remote work.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in changing their lifestyle or working remotely.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7975263,
          "author": "jordsmi",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-02T04:53:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7975263",
          "commentText": "Current recently finished/upcoming list: four hour workweek, getting results the agile way, rich dad poor dad, the talent code",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "four hour workweek",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Included in a finished/upcoming list without an evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6415498,
          "author": "phaus",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-20T01:40:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6415498",
          "commentText": "I know you mentioned that he's part scummy, used car salesman, but when does that part go away? You really shouldn't open a book that you actually want people to finish with 50 pages of boasting about how naturally awesome you are at literally everything, and how your life is a perpetual cycle of falling ass-backwards into giant piles of money and women. There are actually a ton of books that start like this and most of them don't contain anything of value, so I assumed that this one was the same.\nSeriously though, does it get any better?",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "this one",
          "reason": "Criticizes the book's boastful opening and questions whether it improves.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter assumes it may contain little of value and asks whether it gets better.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6414260,
          "author": "hvass",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-19T20:59:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6414260",
          "commentText": "The Black Swan (anything by Taleb really), Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Letters from a Stoic by Seneca, Epictetus' Discourses, Fish that ate the whale by Rich Cohen, Man's Search for Meaning,  Titan, Principles by Ray Dalio (not really a book, but really worth reading, plus it's free), 4HW by Tim Ferris, The Strategy Paradox.\nAlso Teddy Roosevelt's biography has been very influential.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "4HW by Tim Ferris",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed one's life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6414021,
          "author": "cgore",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-19T20:23:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6414021",
          "commentText": "The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss.  He is some weird combination of crazy person, scummy used-car salesman, and genius.  The best idea from the book is his \"dreamline\" idea, and I have been doing it since around 2009.  It really helps you focus your effort, and get rid of tasks that don't accomplish your goals.\n[And from your Jahreslisten: the Bible.]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss. He is some weird combination of crazy person, scummy used-car salesman, and genius. The best idea from the book is his \"dreamline\" idea, and I have been doing it since around 2009. It really helps you focus your effort, and get rid of tasks that don't accomplish your goals.",
          "reason": "Praises the dreamline idea and says the book helps focus effort and eliminate unproductive tasks.",
          "audience": "Readers looking to focus effort on goals.",
          "caveat": "Describes Ferriss as a mix of a crazy person, scummy used-car salesman, and genius.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6339366,
          "author": "rk0567",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-06T08:55:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 6329955,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which two books were the most influential on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6339366",
          "commentText": "1. The Fountainhead\n2. The Power of Habit\n3. Think and Grow Rich\n4. The 4-Hour Workweek\n5. Pragmatic Thinking and Learning",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 4-Hour Workweek",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4970445,
          "author": "wito",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T19:21:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4970445",
          "commentText": "\"4 hour workweek\" it rocks.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"4 hour workweek\" it rocks.",
          "reason": "Says the book “rocks.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4539731,
          "author": "dholowiski",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-18T18:32:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 4530022,
          "threadTitle": "What to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4539731",
          "commentText": ">if it counts as non-fiction\nBarely, but I still think it's a great read. Along the same lines but less fiction is the art of non conformity, since it talks about a similar subject, without going too off-the-rails crazy.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": ">if it counts as non-fiction\nBarely, but I still think it's a great read.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great read while saying it barely counts as nonfiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it barely counts as nonfiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4530125,
          "author": "msh",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-16T19:47:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 4530022,
          "threadTitle": "What to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4530125",
          "commentText": "4 hour work week, if it counts as non-fiction (there are quite a bit of bullshit in it, but it makes you think differently about things most people takes for granted).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "4 hour work week, if it counts as non-fiction (there are quite a bit of bullshit in it, but it makes you think differently about things most people takes for granted).",
          "reason": "Says it prompts readers to rethink things people take for granted.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it contains quite a bit of bullshit and questions whether it counts as nonfiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2147255,
          "author": "ajushi",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T09:34:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2147255",
          "commentText": "Four Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferris. My life was never the same again.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Four Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferris. My life was never the same again.",
          "reason": "Says the book profoundly changed their life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026346,
          "author": "nopassrecover",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T22:20:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026346",
          "commentText": "Some books that stood out this year (many not for their intended reasons)\nThe 4 Hour Work Week (Tim Ferriss)\n- In parts entertaining, interesting, self-promoting, educational, inspirational, attractive and undesirable. Definitely worth the read and a great call to action. Will make you consider what you want and how you can achieve it.\nThe Game (Neil Strauss)\n- Truly interesting story and an interesting view on human dynamics and hacking one of the more important systems (dating). A great view on what is most important - ends or means. Will make you consider how people work, what motivates them and whether success cures emptiness.\nLosing my Virginity (Richard Branson)\n- The awesome and entertaining story of Virgin with lots of great advice and startup David vs Goliath inspiration. Will make you consider what determination and the little guy can achieve.\nBusiness Stripped Bare (Richard Branson)\n- Branson's more focused take on business advice and patches on bits of the Virgin story since the first book. Will make you consider the power of being genuine and growing a company with people treated as smart humans.\nOn Writing (Stephen King)\n- Most inspirational and compelling book on writing I've read. Half writing advice half King biography all awesome. Will make you consider becoming a novelist.\nCoders at Work (Peter Siebel)\n- Haven't finished yet but great interviews of leading coders. I didn't enjoy Founders at Work (personally found it a bit indirect/not deep enough) but in Coders at Work you really feel the connection between interviewer and interviewee while at the same time getting a lot of incidental startup advice as these coders have all had decent roles to play in Silicon Valley etc. history. Will make you consider if you're actually a better coder than you thought.\nThink and Grow Rich (Napoleon Hill)\n- Reads a bit like a bad Internet ad at times but that's because they stole that technique from here. This book summarizes the techniques that lead to success based on numerous interviews of most of the greatest leaders of the early 20th century. Pretty good bits in here and again inspiration fuel. Will make you consider how you can take charge of your self and your life.\nLetters From a Stoic (Seneca)\n- Decent musings on living life and mastering oneself. As relevant today as 2 thousand years ago. Will make you consider how you can master your self and what you will let affect you.\nHere Comes Everybody (Clay Shirky)\n- The best book on online community I've read. Shirky makes you want to make a difference and communicates his enthusiasm for the power of the masses with ease. Will make you consider how to enable communities to achieve unthought of goals.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Definitely worth the read and a great call to action.",
          "reason": "Calls it worth reading and says it prompts readers to consider their goals and how to achieve them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes it as entertaining, interesting, self-promoting, educational, inspirational, attractive, and undesirable in parts.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 947774,
          "author": "zavulon",
          "createdAt": "2009-11-18T04:31:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 947581,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN:  What's the best first business book for a programmer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=947774",
          "commentText": "I'm going to go ahead and recommend \"4 Hour work week\" by Tim Ferris, BUT - you have to take that book with a big grain of salt. Some of the stuff he's talking about is fluff, and he's gotten some fair criticism over it - but he has some invaluable, very practical advice on automation of certain areas of a business, passive income streams, etc. Personally, I found it very helpful in moving from \"full time job, but want to start my own business\" stage to geting there and doing it full time.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "recommend \"4 Hour work week\" by Tim Ferris, BUT - you have to take that book with a big grain of salt.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for practical advice on business automation and passive income, while cautioning that some material is fluff and has drawn fair criticism.",
          "audience": "People moving from a full-time job toward starting a business.",
          "caveat": "Some content is fluff and has received fair criticism.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 687138,
          "author": "teknician1",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-04T13:15:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 687066,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on getting rich?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=687138",
          "commentText": "Agree with The Richest Man in Babylon and Think and Grow Rich.\nI recommend: 4 Hour Work Week, Mommy Millionaire, and The Millionaire Next Door, Gorilla Marketing, and Execution.\nLOL, if I had to choose two, they would be Think and Grow Rich and 4 Hour Work Week.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend: 4 Hour Work Week",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it and later names it as one of two choices.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 407301,
          "author": "charlesju",
          "createdAt": "2008-12-23T05:14:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 407067,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Let's start a Hacker News book club",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=407301",
          "commentText": "I think that we should do all 4 categories and create a discussion thread the first of each month for each 4 categories so everyone can talk about what they want to talk about it.\nI really like 2 and 3, personally.\nCan I suggest our first book be \"4 Hour Workweek\"? I am reading it right now, very interesting book and concepts, I would love to get everyone's opinion on it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Can I suggest our first book be \"4 Hour Workweek\"?",
          "reason": "Suggested as the book for the club to read first.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135427,
          "author": "semigeek",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T19:50:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135427",
          "commentText": "The 4-Hour Work Week",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 4-Hour Work Week",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135423,
          "author": "hbien",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T19:45:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135423",
          "commentText": "http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3087/2325563013_d62ca9cde5.jp... (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3087/2325563013_d62ca9cde5.jpg?v=0)\nI'm a fan of \"The Pragmatic Programmer\".\nOther books I thought were a good read: getting things done, 4 hour work week, and founders at work.\nI've also got all 6 seasons of 24 on my bookshelf =/, probably not the most productive times of my life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "4 hour work week",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter thought were a good read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85950,
          "author": "jsb",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T15:16:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85950",
          "commentText": "1984 (George Orwell)\nThe Four Hour Work Week (Tim Ferriss)\nGetting Things Done (David Allen)\nDeception Point (Dan Brown)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Four Hour Work Week (Tim Ferriss)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Timothy Ferriss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 26,
      "threads": 21,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "productivity",
        "entrepreneurship",
        "lifestyle design",
        "remote work"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Change perspective",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "slaughterhouse-five-941c0f",
      "title": "Slaughterhouse-Five",
      "author": "Kurt Vonnegut",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47318530,
          "author": "habitmaxer",
          "createdAt": "2026-03-10T02:43:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 47315415,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47318530",
          "commentText": "I use Claude Opus to rip thru books. It points out the fluff paragraphs so I skip them. Finished stuff I prob never would've touched: Slaughterhouse Five, The Three-Body Problem. I make quick Anki cards from the Opus reading sessions so I don't forget plot bits. I try to get Opus to quiz me on the sections it told me to focus on reading.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Finished stuff I prob never would've touched: Slaughterhouse Five",
          "reason": "Named as a book the commenter finished using Claude to get through reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42967492,
          "author": "foxandmouse",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-06T23:20:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42967492",
          "commentText": "Here are a few books that come to mind:\n    Siddhartha – I highly recommend doing some background reading to get the most out of it. Everything in the book is a metaphor. For example, the question of whether to take the \"Big Boat or Small Boat?\" down the river is actually a deeper reflection on personal choices in the pursuit of nirvana or enlightenment.\n\n    When You Hear Hoofbeats, Think of a Zebra\n\n    Slaughterhouse-Five – Honestly, just read some Kurt Vonnegut. He’s probably the greatest American writer of all time.\n\nAlso, here's a great list: https://i.redd.it/cjuf9k91d6g71.jpg .I’m sure I’ve missed some of my favorites, but I just wanted to share because reading has given me so much perspective on the world. I’m really grateful it’s something I enjoy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Slaughterhouse-Five – Honestly, just read some Kurt Vonnegut.",
          "reason": "Recommends reading the book and Vonnegut generally.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42665608,
          "author": "tetris11",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-11T13:07:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42665608",
          "commentText": "> America is the wealthiest nation on Earth, but its people are mainly poor, and poor Americans are urged to hate themselves. To quote the American humorist Kin Hubbard, 'It ain’t no disgrace to be poor, but it might as well be.' It is in fact a crime for an American to be poor, even though America is a nation of poor. Every other nation has folk traditions of men who were poor but extremely wise and virtuous, and therefore more estimable than anyone with power and gold. No such tales are told by the American poor. They mock themselves and glorify their betters. The meanest eating or drinking establishment, owned by a man who is himself poor, is very likely to have a sign on its wall asking this cruel question: 'if you’re so smart, why ain’t you rich?' There will also be an American flag no larger than a child’s hand – glued to a lollipop stick and flying from the cash register.\n> Americans, like human beings everywhere, believe many things that are obviously untrue. Their most destructive untruth is that it is very easy for any American to make money. They will not acknowledge how in fact hard money is to come by, and, therefore, those who have no money blame and blame and blame themselves. This inward blame has been a treasure for the rich and powerful, who have had to do less for their poor, publicly and privately, than any other ruling class since, say Napoleonic times. Many novelties have come from America. The most startling of these, a thing without precedent, is a mass of undignified poor. They do not love one another because they do not love themselves.\n~ Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "~ Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41175653,
          "author": "taylodl",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:37:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175653",
          "commentText": "- Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Pirsig)\n- Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid (Hofstadter)\n- Shadows of the Mind: A Search for the Missing Science of Consciousness (Penrose)\n- Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind (Suzuki)\n- Demian (Hesse)\n- The Stranger (Camus)\n- Slaughterhouse-Five (Vonnegut)\n- Another Roadside Attraction (Robbins)\nI have read many books that have had an impact on me for a time, but these are the books that have had an enduring impact going on now for decades.\nAnd yes, one of these books, Another Roadside Attraction, is unlike the others. You can substitute any Tom Robbins book, or read them all!, but this is the book that started it all for me. Tom Robbins' books taught me to not take life so seriously.\nDemian and The Stranger may be fiction, but let's just say their purpose is to get across a philosophical point.\nFinally, with regards to Slaughterhouse-Five, you'll just have to read it.\nEnjoy!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Finally, with regards to Slaughterhouse-Five, you'll just have to read it.",
          "reason": "Lists it among books that have had an enduring impact for decades.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36449387,
          "author": "kleer001",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-23T16:50:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36449387",
          "commentText": "Slaughterhouse 5.\nIt taught me a light hearted nihilism that I found useful to buoy up against the storms in my adolescent life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Slaughterhouse 5.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book's lighthearted nihilism helped them through adolescence.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021753,
          "author": "pkd",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:08:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021753",
          "commentText": "- A Fire Upon The Deep\n- Brave New World\n- The Dispossessed\n- The Sirens of Titan / Slaughterhouse 5\n- Recursion\n- Exhalation\n- There Is No Antimemetics Division\n- Foundation Series",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Slaughterhouse 5",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29818156,
          "author": "2OEH8eoCRo0",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-06T01:59:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29818156",
          "commentText": "Read good fiction.\nJack Kerouac - On The Road\nKurt Vonnegut - Slaughterhouse-Five\nCharles Bukowski - Post Office",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kurt Vonnegut - Slaughterhouse-Five",
          "reason": "Listed as an example of good fiction to read.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for good fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467660,
          "author": "anoonmoose",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:48:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467660",
          "commentText": "\"The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress\" by Robert Heinlein\n\"Neuromancer\" and sequels by William Gibson\n\"Slaughterhouse 5\" by Kurt Vonnegut\nI've read all of them dozens of times over.  Hard to explain why, they speak my language, and help me understand myself and the world around me, kind of like my favorite bands do.  Hard to put into words.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Slaughterhouse 5\" by Kurt Vonnegut",
          "reason": "The commenter has reread it dozens of times and says it speaks to them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803341,
          "author": "agentultra",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T14:48:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803341",
          "commentText": "Going to finish Crime and Punishment, Year of the Monkey (Patti Smith), The Children of Húrin (along with many cross references and letters) (Tolkien), re-reading A Game of Thrones for fun... as for 2020 I might read Slaughterhouse 5 again and work through George Sand.\nTechnical things I am working through are the:\n- https://www.extension.harvard.edu/open-learning-initiative/a... (https://www.extension.harvard.edu/open-learning-initiative/abstract-algebra) along with the Artin text, writing proofs out by hand and in Lean.\n- Seven Sketches in Compositionality: https://arxiv.org/abs/1803.05316",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "read Slaughterhouse 5 again",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17169741,
          "author": "mm321",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T23:27:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17169741",
          "commentText": "Don't know about changing my life, but these books changed the way i look at things:\nThe Tao of Pooh: Benjamin Hoff\nSlaughterhouse-Five, or The Children's Crusade by Kurt Vonnegut\nTI 99/4a basic reference manual\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, by Abelson, Sussman\nObject Oriented Analysis and Design by Grady Booch\nDarkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler\nThieves in the Night by Arthur Koestler\nAll the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren\nThe Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck\nThe Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.\nWar and Peace by L.N.Tolstoy\nChapaev and the void by Pelevin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Slaughterhouse-Five, or The Children's Crusade by Kurt Vonnegut",
          "reason": "Listed among books that changed how the commenter looks at things.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296441,
          "author": "adjkant",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T06:09:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296441",
          "commentText": "Slaughterhouse-Five, Galapagos, Sirens of Titan\nBasically, any Kurt Vonnegut book that isn't Cat's Cradle (good but overrated).\nBias note: I'm still young, but these shaped me easily.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Slaughterhouse-Five, Galapagos, Sirens of Titan",
          "reason": "Includes it among books said to have shaped the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes they are still young.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11557755,
          "author": "fatimafouda",
          "createdAt": "2016-04-23T22:51:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 11556470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your favorite dystopian novel and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11557755",
          "commentText": "SPOILER ALERT: \"But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother.\" - 1984\nHaunting last line. All struggle is futile; acceptance is inevitable. So yeah, pretty bleak, but favorite book nonetheless.\nI also love Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse 5, which while not classically dystopian, still manages to elicit dystopian stoic despair against the backdrop of a seemingly normal world (our very own time and age). It automatically coaxs readers to draw parallels..maybe dystopia is not something imagined. Maybe it's more familiar than we think.\nLastly, Robert A. Heinlein needs to be mentioned at least once in this thread; Farnham's Freehold and a Stranger in a Strange Land.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I also love Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse 5",
          "reason": "The commenter says they love it and discusses its dystopian themes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is not classically dystopian.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10786739,
          "author": "hackerbloos",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T02:19:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786739",
          "commentText": "I've just updated my list of books I read this year. Scores are out of 5. If there is a + it means I found it to be extra special for some reason or other.\n= Jan =\nSmarter Than You Think - Clive Thompson 3\nThe positives of tech and the internet.\n= Feb =\nSuper Sad True Love Story - Gary Shteyngart 4\nScience fiction set in the not too distant future. Main themes include life extension and surveillance.\n= Mar =\nThe HitchHiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams 4\nThe Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams 3\nHad never read this series, thought it might be about time.\n= Apr =\nWhat does it all Mean? - Thomas Nagel 2 (though it is kind of meant for people who have never done any Philosophy, ever, so would recommend to someone like that. Will pass it on to someone taking an interest in the subject)\nAn introduction to Philosophy.\nEarth - David Brin 5+\nScience fiction set in the not too distant future, written in the 90s. Really interesting themes / vision of post climate change world.\nSlaughterHouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut 5\nSemi autobiographical account of the bombing of Dresden in WW2. Really funny and clever ideas. Very good.\n= May =\nNick Cohen - What’s Left? 4\nAccount of how the left has degenerated since the collapse of the hard left and the winning of liberal battles e.g. LGBT rights. Basic premise is that those on the left hate the West and the status quo so much they stoop to allying themselves with anyone who also opposes the status quo.\n= June =\nPlato at the Googleplex: Why Philosophy won’t go away - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 5+\nPlato has somehow appeared in the 21st century and is doing a talk at Google! A really enjoyable account of how Plato’s philosophy could be applied to modern issues. Really good. I want to go to Athens.\n= July =\nThe Mind Body Problem - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 4\nNovel about a female philosophy student shagging around and philosophising about it.\nBelieving Bullshit - Stephen Law 4\nBook detailing the various tricks / schemes played by charlatans and how to avoid being taken in by them.\n= August =\n36 Arguments for the Existence of God: a work of fiction - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 3\nNovel about an academic and his mentor. It was ok.\n= September =\nThe Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams 3\nThink I’m done reading these for now, don’t feel the urge to finish the set.\nKafka - The Trial 5\nReally good. Love the surrealism - the nightmarish / dreamish-ness of it. Saw it in the Theatre as well after reading it, thought that was great too.\n= October =\n= November =\nExistence - David Brin 3\nNot as good as Earth. Glad I read that first. Interesting imagining of what form contact from alien life could take though. Also interesting look at existential risks. The main part I didn’t like was how it skipped forward in time 3 decades about 3/4s of the way through, I had thought the characters were a little weak in general up until then anyway, and then they were pretty much gone entirely at that point.\n= December =\nAlone Together - Sherry Turtle 4\nThe negatives of tech, robotics and the internet. Interesting and important read.\nImperium - Robert Harris 5\nFirst in the semi-fictional trilogy accounting the fall of the Roman Republic, told through the eyes of Cicero’s secretary, Tiro. Really good. The politics, the corruption, the ancient city really brought to life. Enhanced by having visited Rome in the Summer.\nAlso currently reading ‘Reclaiming Conversation’ by Sherry Turkle, an account of the negative affect being permanently tethered to the internet has on our conversations, our capacity for empathy and our relationships, and Nietzsche’s 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra'.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SlaughterHouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut 5",
          "reason": "Rated 5 and described as very good, funny, and clever.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10207264,
          "author": "mmonihan",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T04:51:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10207264",
          "commentText": "Believe it or not: Slaughterhouse V by Kurt Vonnegut and No. 44 The Mysterious Stranger by Mark Twain. The first for the idea of being \"unstuck\" in time, and the second for introducing the concept of nihilism.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Slaughterhouse V by Kurt Vonnegut",
          "reason": "Introduces the idea of being “unstuck” in time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107093,
          "author": "mrcdima",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T09:05:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107093",
          "commentText": "Some titles I've recently read or at least have placed on my reading list.\n--------------------\nPhilosohpy\nLetters from a Stoic: Epistulae Morales Ad Lucilium - Seneca\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius (must read)\nThe Republic - Plato\n--------------------\nHistory\nFive Chimneys - Olga Lengyel\nThe Gulag Archipelago - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (must read)\nThe Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank\n--------------------\nFiction\n(particularly dystopian) 1984, Brave New World, Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451\n(crime/action) Child 44, The Secret Speech, Agent 6 - Tom Rob Smith\n--------------------\nEconomics\nCapital in the Twenty-First Century - Thomas Piketty\nPoor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty - Banerjee, Duflo\nWhy Nations Fail - Robinson\n--------------------\nEconomics/Decision making/Psychology\nUndercover Economist, Freakonomics, Nudge, Thinking Fast and Slow\n--------------------\nRandom titles\nThe Selfish Gene, Self-Reliance, The Elements of Style (about writing), Slaughterhouse-Five\n--------------------\nSome links to inspire your reading (though you may want to checkout the websites first to get an idea of the topics they cover)\nhttp://www.gatesnotes.com/Books\nhttp://bookpickings.brainpickings.org/\nhttp://www.farnamstreetblog.com/reading/\nhttp://www.ryanholiday.net/reading-newsletter\nI’m just a working-class guy trying to take part in the conversation that all the smart people are having. What books should I read? - http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-cl... (http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-class-guy-trying-to-take-part-in-the-conversation-that-all-the-smart-people-are-having-what-books-should-i-read/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Slaughterhouse-Five",
          "reason": "Listed as a title in response to the thread's request for book suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8106941,
          "author": "screwt",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:16:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106941",
          "commentText": "Catch-22. In a similar vibe (but a fair bit shorter), Slaughterhouse 5. Both cover the hell of war by examining its absurdity. Catch-22 is also the funniest book you'll ever read.\nIf you're into engineering books, the best I've read is Skunk Works (Ben R Rich). It's an account of the work of Lockheed's legendary skunk works division - behind the U2 spy plane, stealth fighter and the blackbird sr-17.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In a similar vibe (but a fair bit shorter), Slaughterhouse 5.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as similar to Catch-22 and shorter, with a focus on the absurdity of war.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in war stories that examine absurdity.",
          "caveat": "Described as similar to Catch-22 but shorter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6388577,
          "author": "od2m",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T09:47:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6388577",
          "commentText": "Vonnegut (Cat's Cradle, Slaughterhouse 5), Bukowski (Postman). Steinbeck (Tortilla flat). All their stuff is good, but those are my favorites :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cat's Cradle, Slaughterhouse 5",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5832430,
          "author": "zlbrooks",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T13:58:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5832430",
          "commentText": "Slaughterhouse 5,\nSnowcrash,\nHitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Slaughterhouse 5",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3644169,
          "author": "aorshan",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-28T18:16:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 3643009,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-technical book you've read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3644169",
          "commentText": "If you haven't read a Kurt Vonnegut book, I highly recommend that you do. The Sirens of Titan, Mother Night, Breakfast of Champions, and Slaughterhouse 5 are all great places to start.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Sirens of Titan, Mother Night, Breakfast of Champions, and Slaughterhouse 5 are all great places to start.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a great starting point for Vonnegut.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395576,
          "author": "Confusion",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T12:29:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395576",
          "commentText": "Professionally, The Art of Project Management did the most for me.\nPrivately, general-fiction-wise, The Wind-up Bird Chronicles by Haruki Murakami did the most for me.\nPrivately, SF-wise, three books by Kurt Vonnegut: Cat's Cradle, Slaughterhouse-five and The Sirens of Titan",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "three books by Kurt Vonnegut: Cat's Cradle, Slaughterhouse-five and The Sirens of Titan",
          "reason": "Listed among the three books that stood out most in the commenter's science fiction reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2615877,
          "author": "kaeluka",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T11:04:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2615877",
          "commentText": "Just now I'm reading something I wanted to read for a long time: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The next will be Through the Looking Glass, same author.\nAmongst the last few books I read, I recommend Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five, Marlen Haushofer - The Wall (although this will be too kafkaesque for some), Fahrenheit 451.\nI do love Jules Verne as well.\nAtlas Shrugged should be known to anyone around here, I guess.. Relating to Atlas Shrugged: Nietzsche - Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Both books were very influential to me when I was younger.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five",
          "reason": "Explicitly included in the author's recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971377,
          "author": "_b8r0",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T10:28:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971377",
          "commentText": "My younger self wouldn't have been interested in the books that interest me now. Instead I'd have to settle for some good fiction.\nGoing back in time to around 12-16, I'd send one of:\n* Brave New World - Aldous Huxley\n* 1984 - George Orwell\n* To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee\n* Catch 22 - Joe Heller\n* Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut\n* Of Mice and Men - Steinbeck\n* Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury\n* The Call of Ctulhu - H.P. Lovecraft\n* Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card\nSome of those I actually read in school and loved (but wish I read earlier), others I didn't. I think any of those books would've interested me at the time. There's plenty of time for Rich Dad, Poor Dad, SPIN Selling and all the business books later in life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut",
          "reason": "Included as a fiction choice for their younger self.",
          "audience": "Readers around ages 12–16, as suggested by the commenter.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865051,
          "author": "jeebusroxors",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T15:13:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865051",
          "commentText": "Kurt Vonnegut has some good stuff. Slaughterhouse Five, Cats Cradle and I really liked A Man Without a Country.\nThe Discworld series (Terry Prachett) is good if you liked HHG",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Slaughterhouse Five",
          "reason": "Offered as an example of Vonnegut’s good work in response to a book recommendation request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753060,
          "author": "bherms",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T17:04:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753060",
          "commentText": "Every one of those is on my list :)\nI've read Watchmen, Everything is Illuminated, and Slaughterhouse Five.  All were fantastic.  The film adaptation of Everything is Illuminated was actually very good too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've read Watchmen, Everything is Illuminated, and Slaughterhouse Five. All were fantastic.",
          "reason": "Includes it among books they found fantastic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752646,
          "author": "Hovertruck",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T13:03:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752646",
          "commentText": "I thought Slaughterhouse Five was great, but I think I found myself left thinking more after reading Breakfast of Champions.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I thought Slaughterhouse Five was great",
          "reason": "The commenter says they thought it was great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 456339,
          "author": "mechanical_fish",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T14:08:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456339",
          "commentText": "You sound like you're looking for something like Jones' The Art of War in the Western World:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Art-War-Western-World/dp/0252069668\nOr just go there and follow Amazon \"related\" links.\nJones is of the \"very broad\" school of military history. It can be a little bit dry, but it certainly tries to be comprehensive: It's like Civilization in that it starts with phalanx and then moves slowly forward through the history of strategy and tactics.\nYou might like the works of John Keegan, another famous military historian who takes a general approach. He's got a History of Warfare that's like a lighter-weight version of Jones -- I might recommend starting with that, actually. His one-volume histories of WWI and WWII are probably decent.\nKeegan is British, so it wouldn't surprise me if his histories were heavy on the Western front. If you want the actual history of WWII you need a history that's more about the Eastern Front, which is pretty much where the war in Europe was actually decided. Unfortunately, the history on that subject lags decades behind, because the surviving Germans didn't exactly want to dwell on it and the Soviets weren't exactly forthcoming. (Many of the key Soviet figures either got disappeared by Stalin or lived under the constant fear of being disappeared by Stalin.) I'm not sure what the best current general history of the Eastern Front is, but I do know that the big Western expert on the subject is David Glantz, who has spent the last twenty years digging through formerly-sealed Soviet records of enormous battles that were covered up for years.  I'd probably start with:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Slaughterhouse-Handbook-Eastern-David-... (http://www.amazon.com/Slaughterhouse-Handbook-Eastern-David-Glantz/dp/097176509X)\nbecause I don't know any better and it comes up first on Amazon.\nIf you want something written by a gamer try the works of James Dunnigan, founder of SPI and author of a whole pile of famous simulation board games. I read most of his Dirty Little Secrets of World War II and it was interesting. A much breezier style than the heavy-duty military historians. And he's got books that cover contemporary military stuff as well as history.\nNobody should read about war at the 10,000 foot level without also reading about what it's actually like on the ground. Obviously, the great modern literary works on the subject are Slaughterhouse Five and, even more so, Catch-22. In the realm of nonfiction, Fussell's Wartime was interesting, but it led me to Eugene Sledge's With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa, which is even better: a very good book by a guy from the front lines in the Pacific who is not shy about telling you exactly what went on. Comes with an endorsement by PG! (from the last time I mentioned it on HN.)Don't read it over lunch if you're squeamish.\n(I haven't actually read some of these, but my dad is a military boardgamer and military history buff. He's got several bookshelves packed with books like these.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the great modern literary works on the subject are Slaughterhouse Five",
          "reason": "Named as a great modern literary work about war.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in war's experience on the ground.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140414,
          "author": "noodle",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T01:23:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140414",
          "commentText": "i can't narrow this down to one.  some of these are already named:\nCryptonomicon,\nSnow Crash,\n\"The Last Question\",\nEnder's Game/Shadow,\nDune,\nSlaughterhouse 5,\nRingworld",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Slaughterhouse 5,",
          "reason": "Lists it among several choices in response to a request for inspiring science fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85894,
          "author": "anupamkapoor",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T11:06:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85894",
          "commentText": "- use of weapons (ian m banks)\n- surely you are joking mr feynman (rpf)\n- origin of order (stuart kauffman)\n- slaughter house five (kurt vonnegut)\n- goedel escher bach (douglas hofstadter)\n- theta-magical memas errr metamagical themas (dogulas hofsta)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "slaughter house five (kurt vonnegut)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kurt Vonnegut"
      ],
      "recommenders": 25,
      "threads": 23,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "satire",
        "antiwar fiction",
        "time travel",
        "war"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-book-of-the-new-sun-5b98ce",
      "title": "The Book of the New Sun",
      "author": "Gene Wolfe",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48595627,
          "author": "db48x",
          "createdAt": "2026-06-19T06:58:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 48595560,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please recommend sci-fi books similar to \"children of time\" or \"anathem\"",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48595627",
          "commentText": "A Deepness in the Sky, by Vernor Vinge\nDune, by Frank Herbert\nDiaspora, by Greg Egan\nThe Clockwork Rocket, by Greg Egan\nThe Book of the New Sun, by Gene Wolfe\nProject Hail Mary, by Andy Weir",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Book of the New Sun, by Gene Wolfe",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for similar science fiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42511502,
          "author": "dartos",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T22:10:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42511502",
          "commentText": "It was a tough read, but I really liked it.\nI’m going through the rest of the book of the new sun now.\nIm sure it’ll be rewarding to read it again after finishing the series.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I’m going through the rest of the book of the new sun now.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are continuing through the series and expect rereading it to be rewarding.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They found the first book a tough read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40878238,
          "author": "slibhb",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-04T21:35:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40878238",
          "commentText": "I've never really felt like Kafka seems to have and I read a lot, mostly novels. For what it's worth, I don't love Kafka's novels: I think he wanted them burned for a reason -- they're meandering failures. Very clever but they don't go anywhere. His short stories, though, are excellent.\nOff the top of my head, the most moving books I've read are The First Circle, any long Dostoevsky novel, The Master and Margarita, The Tartar Steppe, any Elena Ferrante, any Cormac McCarthy, some Murakami (Ryu and Haruki), Gene Wolf (The Book of the New Sun), 2666, parts of Moby Dick, any Alice Munro. All well known \"good books\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gene Wolf (The Book of the New Sun)",
          "reason": "Includes the series among the commenter’s most moving books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39729944,
          "author": "slowmovintarget",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T22:13:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729944",
          "commentText": "The Book of the New Sun is an amazing set of books, from the language (Gene Wolfe uses the conceit that the account comes from the far future and must be translated into English) to the ideas.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Book of the New Sun is an amazing set of books, from the language (Gene Wolfe uses the conceit that the account comes from the far future and must be translated into English) to the ideas.",
          "reason": "Praised for its language and ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39729464,
          "author": "bookofjoe",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T21:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729464",
          "commentText": "\"A Canticle For Leibowitz\"\n\"The Sparrow\"\n\"Lord of Light\"\n\"The Immortal\"\n\"Hyperion\"\n\"The Last Question\"\n\"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?\"\n\"Stranger in a Strange Land\"\n\"The City and the Stars\"\n\"Childhood's End\"\n\"Anathem\"\n\"Eifelheim\"\n\"A Case of Conscience\"\n\"VALIS\" trilogy\n\"The Book of Strange New Things\"\n\"Behold The Man\"\n\"The God Engines\"\n\"Book of the New Sun\"\n\"The Parable of the Sower\"\n\"The Dosadi Experiment\"\n\"Grass\"\n\"Project Pope\"\n\"Calculating God\"\n\"Factoring Humanity\"\n\"Jesus on Mars\"\n\"Surface Detail",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Book of the New Sun\"",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about books that changed perspectives on religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33383437,
          "author": "jiggawatts",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T12:22:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33383437",
          "commentText": "I can second the New Sun series. The bizarre thing about this series is that it is a hole in my memory. I can remember reading it, I can remember liking it, and I can remember little snippets, but I can't remember most of the specifics. I've read the series twice, but even the second reading hasn't resolved this failure to recollect.\nIronically -- likely on purpose -- that's the point. The series centres on an unreliable narrator, which is a part of the charm.\nYou forget moments because the narrator wasn't clear.\nThe narrator wasn't clear because the he didn't understand what he was seeing.\nYou have to re-read the series, perhaps several times, to figure out what's truly going on.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can second the New Sun series.",
          "reason": "Seconds the series and praises its reread value, unreliable narrator, and obscured events.",
          "audience": "Readers willing to reread and piece together an unreliable narrator's account.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says much of the series is hard to remember and may take several rereads to understand.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33383206,
          "author": "myth_drannon",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T11:49:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33383206",
          "commentText": "Gene Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun series. As someone who read a lot of sci-fi, I'm surprised I've discovered it only now. It's considered the Dostoevsky of scifi, very different from golden age hard scifi. Already started books of the Long Sun.\nDisappointment of the year - The three body problem. Feels like buying on amazon a product with thousand of rave reviews only to realize its all fake Chinese reviews.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gene Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun series.",
          "reason": "Called a surprising discovery for a science fiction reader and compared to Dostoevsky; distinguished from Golden Age hard science fiction.",
          "audience": "Readers of science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31971420,
          "author": "jdmoreira",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T22:05:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31971420",
          "commentText": "I read BotNS + Urth this year and followed the chapter by chapter analysis at Alzabo Soup.\nIt was one of the best experiences of my life. No doubt.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read BotNS + Urth this year",
          "reason": "Describes reading it as part of one of the best experiences of their life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22094899,
          "author": "atombender",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T23:28:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22094899",
          "commentText": "I mean the story, sorry, not the style. It's one of Banks' few self-contained sci-fi novels, and it's set in a rather odd universe that fits into the \"dying Earth\" tradition of dystopian sci-fi (Wolfe's New Sun/Short Sun/Long Sun sequence, Vance's Dying Earth, etc.) more than in Banks' more utopian/panoramic Culture novels. His other standalones, Against a Dark Background and The Algebraist, are much closer to his Culture novels, for example.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Wolfe's New Sun/Short Sun/Long Sun sequence",
          "reason": "Named as part of a sequence associated with the dying Earth tradition.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19090108,
          "author": "nathias",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T21:39:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090108",
          "commentText": "Plato - Meno, Symposium, Parmenides, Gorgias, Protagoras\nPlotinus -Enneads\nMarkus Aurelius - Meditations\nDescartes - On method\nDescartes - Meditations\nSpinoza - On the improvement of Understanding\nLeibniz - Monadology\nLeibniz - Grace\nVoltaire - Candid\nDiderot - D'Alembert's Dream\nKant - How to orient oneself in thinking\nKant - Critique of Pure Reason\nKant - Critique of Judgment\nHegel - Phenomenology of Spirit\nHegel - Logic\nvon Kleist - Marionette Theatre\nKierkegaard - The Sickness Unto Death\nHeidegger - Being and Time\nSartre - Being and Nothingness\nSartre - Flies\nSartre - Nausea\nDeleuze - Difference and Repetition\nKafka - Metamorphosis\nKafka - The Castle\nLem - Magellan Nebula\nLem - His Master's Voice\nCioran - A Short History of Decay\nPessoa - Book Of Despair\nWolfe -  New Sun tetralogy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wolfe -  New Sun tetralogy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536550,
          "author": "sleepydog",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:15:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536550",
          "commentText": "Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun series is great",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun series is great",
          "reason": "Calls the series great and suggests it in the recommendation thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17523232,
          "author": "erikbye",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T14:30:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17523232",
          "commentText": "Gene Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun. A four-part science fantasy novel included in the Fantasy Masterworks series. Quote from The Guardian: \"science fiction's Ulysses?\"\nI can also recommend J.G. Ballard. A well-known and venerated writer, but who seems under-read, especially in the U.S. I generally like his short stories and a few of his novels.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gene Wolfe's The Book of the New Sun.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a science fantasy work, with a comparison to Ulysses in a Guardian quote.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The Ulysses comparison is quoted from The Guardian.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15763105,
          "author": "taohansen",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T05:50:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15763105",
          "commentText": "here's another fiction book for you: The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe. a professional torturer is exiled for showing mercy to a client. what it's really about is love, self, and how self relates to other. if you'd think this covers the whole spectrum of what it means to be human, you wouldn't be far off.\ni have read and re-read this book in great lengths of leisure, frequently leaving my paperback copies with friends wherever i travel before finding another in some dusty second-hand store. i have grown up with its main character, Severian, and can no longer tell you how much of me is him. my ethics, my perspectives, how i ruminate and how i love someone can all find some trace of impression in this masterwork.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a masterwork that shaped their ethics, perspectives, and understanding of love and self.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in fiction exploring love, identity, ethics, and human experience.",
          "caveat": "The comment also says reading and rereading it over many years shaped the commenter personally.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15632444,
          "author": "sgtnasty",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T23:32:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15632444",
          "commentText": "Hyperion by Dan Simmons. I put this book off for years because I hated the covers of them. Amazing read, best sci-fi I ever read.\nThe Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe. Must read for a sci-fi fan.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe. Must read for a sci-fi fan.",
          "reason": "Says it is a must read for a science fiction fan.",
          "audience": "Science fiction fans",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15157242,
          "author": "observation",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T17:39:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15157242",
          "commentText": "One book more than any other: The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe.\nWhy?\nDarwin opens up the door of Deep Time when he explained his discovery. An appreciation of the immensity of time happens to be linked to explanations of how and why things are. Wolfe also deals with Deep Time but in the context of society.\nWhat Gene Wolfe does is he creates books where you need to read between the lines, you need to create hypotheses to understand what's going on. I won't describe it further because it may lose some of the import, it's probably the most important fiction book written in the 20th century.\nWhat I'd like is a photograph of Peter Thiel's library, I'm fascinated by the range of ideas, the meta-ideas he explores. Maybe @sama can smuggle in a camera or we could hijack a roomba.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe.",
          "reason": "Describes it as the most important fiction book written in the 20th century and explains its themes and reading experience.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in layered fiction, deep time, and interpreting clues between the lines.",
          "caveat": "The commenter declines to describe it further, saying that doing so may diminish its impact.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14750498,
          "author": "observation",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-12T06:17:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14750498",
          "commentText": "Ha! You read two essays but won't read the first chapter of the book? :-)\nThe reviewer is kind of wrong. I can think of high probability answers to half the questions that he posed and I've read the volumes just once. The observation on text stability is one that all books with unreliable narrators have, not just the Book of the New Sun, but I don't think we're about to throw out all that literature. More important I think is that the reason to have an unreliable narrator is because it is more realistic - the world around us, its people, its ideas, its history, it's all unreliable on a good day. That's part of why I like Gene Wolfe's wriing: it's multi-layered and multi-faceted, that is why I said it feels real. People with the Wolfe Gene aren't part of a mystery cult, most things I can think of in the text have answers, only perhaps you need to have read widely e.g. greek myth, dark age/enlightenment philosophy to get at all of it. If you have a bad habit of scanning text very quickly, like many readers of science fiction with their enormous multi-thousand pageturners, then you shall inevitably lose resolution on what's going on, I think that happens to quite a few readers new to Wolfe.\ntldr; The Book of the New Sun is not Lost the TV show.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Book of the New Sun is not Lost the TV show.",
          "reason": "Discusses its unreliable narrator and layered, realistic storytelling.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy layered fiction and close reading.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14749248,
          "author": "solipsism",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-12T00:33:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14749248",
          "commentText": "Ugh. Because you've piqued my curiosity I read http://www.waggish.org/2007/gene-wolfe-the-book-of-the-new-s... (http://www.waggish.org/2007/gene-wolfe-the-book-of-the-new-sun/)\nThe reviewer disagrees that all the questions are answered. Unanswered mysteries for the sake of nothing? Not sure I can stomach it.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Unanswered mysteries for the sake of nothing? Not sure I can stomach it.",
          "reason": "The commenter is put off by a reviewer's claim that the book leaves questions unanswered.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The criticism is based on a review the commenter read, not their own reading of the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14749210,
          "author": "observation",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-12T00:22:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14749210",
          "commentText": "Possible spoiler alert:\nCan think of two examples.\nI am readying myself for a reread (including Urth, as yet unread), so this is all IIRC, but there is a paragraph mentioning how Erebus or Abaia have influence in the world - likely through a computer network similar to the Internet (as telegraph to Net, Net to ...) but unimaginably more sophisticated e.g. embedded into everything, like the IoT. Of course there are other entities with access to infrastructure that the peasants are either ignorant of or dimly aware of e.g. cacogens, Father Inire.\nAnother example is Jonas's past life as a sailor. I believe at first he is a sailor, but later... very poetic.\nThe bit that is bugging me about BOTNS is part of the final book, where a young woman is seen by Sevarian in an old part of the city - it's beautifully written and this feels familiar but I can't place it, I know there's something I'm missing about that experience.\nThat has settled it, next time I take notes ;-)\nGreat moments for me include:\nSevarian's explanation of his craft's morality (which he later discounts!)\nThe battle of the flowers. I could see it.\nRealizing Agia's betrayal.\nRethinking everything I've read after the gemstone, and then again after the nature of Sevarian's role is uncovered, and again as I realize the meaning of a Autarch.\nThe Ascians!\nSo much more. Often I'll realize something about it hours or days later after reading.\nNote: if you read this past the spoiler alert, do not be afraid, read the book!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Note: if you read this past the spoiler alert, do not be afraid, read the book!",
          "reason": "The commenter urges readers to read it and recounts memorable scenes and discoveries.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Contains spoilers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14748794,
          "author": "gasbag",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T23:00:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14748794",
          "commentText": "You're right, I'm sure it's possible.  And it would definitely be the more visually stunning of the two: the variety of places and buildings and artifacts and creatures that we'd get to see would unquestionably outstrip those of Long Sun.\nI hadn't thought about who would be good to produce/direct it, but either pair of brothers would be a great choice.  They'd certainly have enough material to work with.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "it would definitely be the more visually stunning of the two",
          "reason": "The commenter discusses the series as a possible television adaptation and anticipates its visual settings and creatures.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14747823,
          "author": "gasbag",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T20:35:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14747823",
          "commentText": "Yes, this tetralogy* is spellbinding.  The world is vast and cannot be fully comprehended.  As you said, it feels quite real, and everything that happens around Severian hints at so much more.  This book ought to be at the top of every SF aficionado's reading list.  It's that good.  I'm glad yours is the top comment right now.\nI have been thinking about how the trend in long-form television would be very favorable for translating some of Wolfe's books into film and exposing them to a broader audience.  There are so many things in New Sun that would make for compelling television, and we have the technology to do the special effects right--that is, not a CG-fest, but (mostly) subtle and in service of the story.  His fuligin cloak alone I would love to see in motion.  Though I think the way the story is told would have to change drastically, unless they were to keep the narration--which is a tricky prospect.  Part of the book's charm is that you never know if what you are imagining based on what the narrator says really happened that way, and people put enough faith in what they see to lose that aspect.\nFor that reason, and because a film translation would have to expose a number of the puzzles that Gene put into New Sun for us, I've latched onto the idea of a TV series for Book of the Long Sun instead.  It is just as imaginative, the world (or should I say the whorl) just as vast, and the book follows almost as grand an adventure.  Patera Silk, in my opinion, makes for an even more compelling protagonist than Severian, and the other characters are even more human than those in New Sun.  On the surface it is not as dramatic, or fantastic, but the interactions of the gods of the Whorl with the humans gets at one of those central philosophical and technological questions, as does Silk's enlightenment (which happens on page one, so I'm not giving anything away) among other things.\nSo if anyone here happens to be a producer, or knows one, get the first book of either series into their hands.  They'll get the rest on their own.  And hurry up, please--Gene's getting up there in age and you'll want his help.\n* though of course there is Urth of the New Sun...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book ought to be at the top of every SF aficionado's reading list. It's that good.",
          "reason": "Calls the series spellbinding, vast, and worthy of every science fiction fan's reading list.",
          "audience": "Science fiction aficionados.",
          "caveat": "The story's layered narration leaves readers unsure what really happened.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14747426,
          "author": "observation",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T19:53:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14747426",
          "commentText": "If you get another opportunity to write, I'd like to ask Wolfe whether there exists an allegory with the present world Wolfe lived through e.g. The Oil Shocks in the 70s, the esotericization of Nuclear Energy, the half century unvisited moon. I want to know whether the \"New Sun\" is symbolic of nuclear power in the present. I wondered reading the book whether Gene Wolfe was writing of a Dark Age in the present because the very first few words out of Sevarian's record are \"presentiments of the future\", which I thought to be kind of telling given the historical circumstances Wolfe has lived, especially since he obviously has the mind of an engineer.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I want to know whether the \"New Sun\" is symbolic of nuclear power in the present.",
          "reason": "Discusses possible allegorical meaning and the historical context of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14747341,
          "author": "observation",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T19:44:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14747341",
          "commentText": "Typically I'd agree. I don't mean the text has no answers or is subjective - the text does contain the answers to nearly every puzzling thing within it, if you can see it. Wolfe is an engineer and the pieces fit together. Neil Gaiman has a nice essay on how to read it properly (Gene Wolfe is the favorite author of many famous authors you've heard of):\nhttps://www.sfsite.com/fsf/2007/gwng0704.htm\nThe main character is an unreliable narrator.\nHowever consider all the veils that would have to be cast aside to understand reality:\n1. The narrator could be lying to you.\n2. The narrator could not understand what is truly happening.\n3. The narrator may have mental models which are not accurate.\n4. The narrator may be passing on inaccurate information or lies.\n5. The narrator may be using words in a way that you think you understand, but do not.\n6. The narrator may be expecting you to implicitly understand something that you do not e.g. we make certain assumptions about information because the Internet now exists, something similar exists in the world of the New Sun.\n7. The narrator may be using the language of metaphor to describe something that is quite real but not what we think it is.\n8. The narrator may not be one person. This won't make sense until you read the book.\n9. The narrator could be telling you the truth, but you merely do not understand what he is really saying.\n10. The narrator may not be lying at all, merely leaving out information that makes him look bad.\nI could go on for many more points. I found thinking of Vernadsky's theories useful while reading it. If reading Gene Wolfe does not fire up your neurons, nothing will.\nAgain: the answers are in the text, it is not subjective in my experience, but you're going to have to think real hard on many different levels. Your understanding of the New Sun's world will be in flux for the duration of the book. Gene Wolfe gives you the answer, but he gives it once so you have to pay close attention. If something puzzles you, tuck it away and keep reading.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If reading Gene Wolfe does not fire up your neurons, nothing will.",
          "reason": "The commenter explains its layered narration and says it demands careful thought.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy intricate, demanding fiction.",
          "caveat": "Understanding it requires close attention and thought on many levels.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14747071,
          "author": "Finnucane",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T19:10:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14747071",
          "commentText": "The conceit is that the narrator has an eidetic memory, or at least claims to. And at the same time, it is apparent that he is not always a reliable or honest narrator, not does he always fully understand what is going on in front of him. The narrator is also being manipulated by alien powers beyond his control. The relationships of the characters are weird and complicated. And it is true--Wolfe deliberately constructed the books so that rereading them would make these connections apparent in different ways. (I should say that Shadow of the Torturer was published when I was 17, and  over the next decade I must have gone through the series four or five times, even taking up a correspondence with Gene, who was actually pretty good about answering questions).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Wolfe deliberately constructed the books so that rereading them would make these connections apparent in different ways.",
          "reason": "Explains the series' layered construction and describes rereading it several times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14746041,
          "author": "observation",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T17:24:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14746041",
          "commentText": "The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe.\nIt's hard to describe. Rather, the story is easy to describe: it concerns the travel of a man from a future age. Nothing is what it seems.\nThere was a moment when I realized \"Oh shit. This is real.\" The book may be fiction but almost nothing about it is fake. The Big Questions, in History, in Philosophy, in Politics, in Theology, in Technological Progress, in interpreting reality, it's all there.\nMost non-fiction work of fiction I've ever read, and the best one, above Tolkien, above the Bible, it towers above all texts I have read.\nIt will take multiple reads to understand what it is saying, different parts will appeal to you each time.\nIn terms of the people you know: imagine that Stewart Brand, Peter Thiel and Christopher Nolan somehow had a lovechild - it would be The Book of the New Sun.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it towers above all texts I have read.",
          "reason": "Called the best book the commenter has read, praised for its layered themes and reread value.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy complex fiction with philosophical, historical, political, theological, and technological themes.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it takes multiple reads to understand.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13250967,
          "author": "tarboreus",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T18:23:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13250967",
          "commentText": "I second Accelerando and Book of the New Sun. Both challenging in their own ways.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and Book of the New Sun. Both challenging in their own ways.",
          "reason": "Seconding the recommendation; describes it as challenging.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Challenging.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249664,
          "author": "gpderetta",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T13:14:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249664",
          "commentText": "It seems that everybody has been recommending sci fi and fantasy... Well, so will I.\n- The Lies of Locke Lamora: fantasy (think fantastic Renaissance Venice), fairly light read, very well written, great characters.\n- Accelerando: from our own cstross. Postuhumanist episodic scifi, pretty much a required read for the average HN reader.\n- The Book of the New Sun: fantasy (or is it?), On the surface episodic adventures of an executioner, but it is built on multiple layers. Not an easy read, but masterfully written. Might require multiple reads. Long series.\n- Blindsight, bleak diamond hard scifi, about first contact, consciousness and life. Not an easy read, but strongly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Book of the New Sun: fantasy (or is it?), On the surface episodic adventures of an executioner, but it is built on multiple layers. Not an easy read, but masterfully written. Might require multiple reads. Long series.",
          "reason": "Praised as masterfully written in a list of fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not an easy read; might require multiple reads. The commenter notes it is a long series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13117072,
          "author": "prions",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-06T18:35:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13117072",
          "commentText": "Definitely The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Definitely The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe.",
          "reason": "Named as the commenter's answer to the thread's question about the best sci-fi read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674473,
          "author": "brown-dragon",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T12:59:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674473",
          "commentText": "\"The Gods Themselves\" is a easy to read but truly mind blowing book. Asimov's characters are a bit wooden but the ideas in the book really got me to look at the world differently.\nThe line \"I have an idea, a simple idea, based on the quite obvious fact that the number two is ridiculous and can't exist.\" has stayed with me for over a decade now as has the surprising lovemaking of the aliens.\nFor a hard read that you may enjoy I'd suggest \"The Book of the New Sun\".  I'm re-reading it for the fourth time and it just gets better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For a hard read that you may enjoy I'd suggest \"The Book of the New Sun\".  I'm re-reading it for the fourth time and it just gets better.",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a hard read and says it gets better with rereading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a hard read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8946832,
          "author": "jinpa_zangpo",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-26T13:19:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8946832",
          "commentText": "Not much fantasy here yet, so Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun tetralogy, republished as two books: Shadow & Claw and Sword & Citadel.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun tetralogy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Republished as two books: Shadow & Claw and Sword & Citadel.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8613630,
          "author": "db48x",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-16T06:55:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8613630",
          "commentText": "Almost anything by Vernor Vinge. \"A Deepness in the Sky\" in particular is amazing. I was/am particularly impress by how he handles the idea of fundamental limits on the scope of human achievement, and by how he weaves that into the story so that it's there at all levels.\n\"Diaspora\" by Greg Egan has a great story, huge ideas, and probably the most cogent explanation of sentience/sapience ever written.\n\"The Diamond Age, or A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer\" and \"Accelerando\" have already been mentioned.\n\"Reteif!\" Made me laugh out loud. Larry Niven's \"Destiny's Road\" points out the difficulty of interstellar colonization. \"Ringworld\" blew my mind. Gene Wolfe's \"The Book of the New Syn\" taught me to pay attention; \"Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency\" by Douglas Adams reinforced the lesson.\nThere are a lot of good ones; I could go on for ages...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gene Wolfe's \"The Book of the New Syn\" taught me to pay attention;",
          "reason": "Says it taught them to pay attention.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3783897,
          "author": "latch",
          "createdAt": "2012-04-01T15:28:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 3781486,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi Books for Hackers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3783897",
          "commentText": "Non-developer specific good sci-fi books:\n-Dune\n-Hyperion + The Fall of Hyperion\n-The Book Of The New Sun\n-Ilium + Olympos\n-Takeshi Kovacs trilogy\n-The Culture Series (meh..)\n-The Demolished Man\nMore dev-oriented:\n-Reamde (which I hated, but I seem to be in a minority)\n-Neuromancer\nI'll always have a special place in my heart for Calculating God (not science fiction), because its the book that got me into reading seriously.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-The Book Of The New Sun",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for science fiction book recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking science fiction, including developer oriented fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3336945,
          "author": "unignorant",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T04:46:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3336945",
          "commentText": "Reading or recently finished:\nThe Book of the New Sun: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_the_New_Sun\nInfluence: Science and Practice: http://www.amazon.com/Influence-Practice-Robert-B-Cialdini/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Influence-Practice-Robert-B-Cialdini/dp/0205609996)\nSelf-Editing for Fiction Writers: http://www.amazon.com/Self-Editing-Fiction-Writers-Second-Yo... (http://www.amazon.com/Self-Editing-Fiction-Writers-Second-Yourself/dp/0060545690/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323492182&sr=1-1)\nHarry Potter and the Methods of Rationality: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5782108/1/Harry_Potter_and_the_M... (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5782108/1/Harry_Potter_and_the_Methods_of_Rationality)\nWraeththu: http://www.amazon.com/Wraeththu-Storm-Constantine/dp/0312890... (http://www.amazon.com/Wraeththu-Storm-Constantine/dp/0312890001)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Book of the New Sun",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2527340,
          "author": "latch",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-09T02:40:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 2526568,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2527340",
          "commentText": "I read a ton since getting a Kindle (and dumping my TV). Almost purely sci-fi.\nFinished the Culture series, Hyperios Cantos, Ilium/Olympos, Book of the New sun. Gonna re-read the original 6 dune books at some point. Anything by Paolo Bacigalupi (up and coming) or Larry Niven.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Book of the New sun",
          "reason": "Lists the series among books finished; gives no evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1864905,
          "author": "mzl",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T14:38:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1864905",
          "commentText": "As others have said, with just foundation and hhgg as guiding points, it is not that easy to give good recommendations. Stephenson has fun ideas, geek themes, and interesting scope. Pratchett is enormously entertaining, and very easy to read.\nOne book series that I really love is The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe. It is a speculative fiction in a (hopefully alternative) far future. They are not too long, but incredibly packed with interesting stuff which makes them a bit of a slow (but rewarding) read. The first time I read the books I was blown away, and my immediate reaction was \"Wow, that was cool. I have to read them again right now\". Once I was hooked, I had to read all of Gene Wolfe's other stuff as well :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One book series that I really love is The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a series they love and says it is rewarding.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy speculative fiction with layered details.",
          "caveat": "A slow read, though the commenter finds it rewarding.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026940,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T07:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026940",
          "commentText": "I got myself a Sony Reader mid-2009 and started reading about twice more than I had been before. 2009 was also the first year in which I wasn't too lazy to document which books I read (I'm really glad I wasn't). Here're some of the favourites this year:\nClassics:\nKafka's The Process and America - both stunning novels that deserve to be read as much as his most famous, The Castle.\nJan Potocki, The Manuscript Found in Saragossa - a trippy collection of tales organised in multiple nested frames.\nScott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby.\nLeo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina. Still as breathtaking as I'd remembered it from the previous reading five years ago.\nScience Fiction:\nGene Wolfe, The Book of the New Sun. Wolfe, whom I hadn't read before, turns out to be in a class of his own. It's literary SF, overwhelmingly masterful and beautiful in its prose and characters, yet it could give any hardcore SF novel a run in terms of its ideas. It demands and richly rewards a close reading. I'll be reading more Wolfe in 2010.\nTed Chiang, collected stories. Chiang writes only stories, and has written just a few of them, but nearly every one is a gem. Read Understand on the web (http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/stories/under.htm) to see if you like his style - I do.\nVernor Vinge, A Deepness in the Sky, The Peace War, Marooned in Realtime. All great novels, but start from A Fire Upon the Deep (I read that in 2008) if you haven't read Vinge before, it's the best introduction.\nGreg Egan, Diaspora, Quarantine, Distress. Egan is the best hardcore SF author out there. _Diaspora_ is a fascinating take on shared simulated reality that's very different from the usual fare. Quarantine will appeal to your inner quantum mechanical geek.\nContemporary fiction:\nPynchon, V. Pynchon is the best novelist we've got. I recommend The Crying of the Lot 49 as the best Pynchon to start from; V is more difficult and much longer, but rewards the patience. I still can't get over the fact that Pynchon wrote and published this novel when he was 26.\nOrhan Pamuk, The Black Book.\nAnnie Proulx, Fine Just The Way It Is. A new collection of stories from the best writer about rural America out there. Three are extraordinary, two so-so, the rest very good.\nNon-fiction:\nW. Sidney Allen, Vox Graeca and Vox Latina. If you want to know how ancient Greek and Latin sounded, these are the books to read.\nElizabeth Lloyd. The Case Of The Female Orgasm. An interesting study into how available evolutionary explanations of female orgasm fail in various ways. This is a book about evolutionary biology and its methodological soundness as much as it is about explaining female orgasm.\nComputer-related:\nPeter Seibel, Coders at Work. A fantastic collection of interview with great programmers. The one 2009 book no hacker should be without.\nSqueak by Example. Does a great job of explaining Smalltalk in general and Squeak in particular.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's literary SF, overwhelmingly masterful and beautiful in its prose and characters, yet it could give any hardcore SF novel a run in terms of its ideas.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its prose, characters, and ideas, calling it masterful and beautiful.",
          "audience": "Readers of literary or idea-driven science fiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it demands close reading, though it richly rewards one.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876098,
          "author": "jfarmer",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T05:28:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876098",
          "commentText": "The Great Gatsby and The Book of the New Sun",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Book of the New Sun",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86512,
          "author": "tel",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-06T05:10:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86512",
          "commentText": "V. by Thomas Pynchon\nThe Life of Pi by Yann Martel\nthe McSweeney's Quarterly Concern (Not a book per se, but  \nvery enjoyable)\nShakespeare (Everything, I'm surprised he's only been mentioned once so far)\nThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald\nThe Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe\nShogun by James Clavell\n\nThen, of course, the regular hodgepodge of Card, Asimov, Adams, Gaiman, Pratchet, Stephenson, Feynman, and that LOTR guy, Tolkey or sommat. (In all seriousness, though, all of these authors are phenomenal, if well-known for being such)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gene Wolfe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 25,
      "threads": 23,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dying earth",
        "literary science fiction",
        "unreliable narrator",
        "science fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stranger-in-a-strange-land-e29ce4",
      "title": "Stranger in a Strange Land",
      "author": "Robert A. Heinlein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39729464,
          "author": "bookofjoe",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T21:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729464",
          "commentText": "\"A Canticle For Leibowitz\"\n\"The Sparrow\"\n\"Lord of Light\"\n\"The Immortal\"\n\"Hyperion\"\n\"The Last Question\"\n\"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?\"\n\"Stranger in a Strange Land\"\n\"The City and the Stars\"\n\"Childhood's End\"\n\"Anathem\"\n\"Eifelheim\"\n\"A Case of Conscience\"\n\"VALIS\" trilogy\n\"The Book of Strange New Things\"\n\"Behold The Man\"\n\"The God Engines\"\n\"Book of the New Sun\"\n\"The Parable of the Sower\"\n\"The Dosadi Experiment\"\n\"Grass\"\n\"Project Pope\"\n\"Calculating God\"\n\"Factoring Humanity\"\n\"Jesus on Mars\"\n\"Surface Detail",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Stranger in a Strange Land\"",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about books that changed perspectives on religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36024753,
          "author": "Gud",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T21:13:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36024753",
          "commentText": "Stranger in a strange land by Heinlein",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stranger in a strange land by Heinlein",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25846738,
          "author": "Zanni",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T14:23:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25846738",
          "commentText": "Ted Chiang's Stories of Your Life and Others is the best, single-author collection of short stories I've ever read. If you like that, you might also enjoy The Lifecycle of Software Objects, an absolutely heartbreaking novella about simulated children, and his follow-up collection Exhalation.\nOrson Scott Card's Ender's Game is fantastic, and it's follow-up, Speaker for the Dead is even better, and my favorite science fiction novel of all time. They won back to back Hugo and Nebula awards. Card is a polarizing figure for his outspoken political opinions, but if ever the art should be separated from the artist, it's Speaker, which is an incredible exploration of empathy and responsibility, in addition to being a gripping, action-packed, science-literate read. Many more in this series, if you get into it.\nJohn Scalzi's Old Man's War series is fantastic, if you're into military science-fiction, or even if you're not. Smart, funny, engaging and accessible, and reminiscent of Heinlein at his prime, minus the weird incest fetish. Redshirts, a Star Trek parody, rivals Galaxy Quest and only falls short because Galaxy Quest is so goddamn brilliant. Agent to the Stars is less appreciated, but in my opinion his finest novel, rising way above its goofy premise by taking it seriously, exploring the consequences and treating the characters with empathy and respect. Also hilarious.\nSeconding Dune, which is a classic for a reason, and Stranger in a Strange Land (though I think The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is a better place to start with Heinlein). Also Neal Stephenson, though I'd suggest Cryptonomicon over Diamond Age.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seconding Dune, which is a classic for a reason, and Stranger in a Strange Land",
          "reason": "Includes it among the titles being seconded.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Suggests The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress as a better place to start with Heinlein.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25844092,
          "author": "mech422",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T08:50:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25844092",
          "commentText": "I don't know about 'contemporary' but I always loved Heinlein\n(Stranger in a Strange Land is probably appropriate for the HN crowd)\nAlso, really can't go wrong with Terry Pratchett.\nP.S. - I have the same problem, its been years since I read for 'fun'.  Mostly all tech stuff now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "(Stranger in a Strange Land is probably appropriate for the HN crowd)",
          "reason": "Recommended as likely suitable for the audience seeking fiction.",
          "audience": "HN readers who are looking to get back into fiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it may not be contemporary.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23472593,
          "author": "gao8a",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-10T00:31:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23472593",
          "commentText": "Stranger in a strange land - Robert Heinlein",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stranger in a strange land - Robert Heinlein",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17545605,
          "author": "wurp",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T22:10:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17545605",
          "commentText": "Aristoi is my favorite of Walter Jon Williams's work. I reread it every few years, just like Diamond Age, Stranger in a Strange Land, and Fire Upon the Deep.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Stranger in a Strange Land",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17540749,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T12:32:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17540749",
          "commentText": "Isaac Asimov’s Foundation Series is one of my all time favorites.\nLarry Niven’d Ringworld is a close second.\nPhilip K Dick has some great stuff.\nI really enjoyed William Gibson’s Neuromancer and all of his other books.\nI just picked up a 1961 copy of Stanger in a Strange Land but I cannot comment on it yet.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I just picked up a 1961 copy of Stanger in a Strange Land but I cannot comment on it yet.",
          "reason": "Mentions picking up a copy but says they cannot comment on it yet.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read or evaluated it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536607,
          "author": "bostik",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:26:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536607",
          "commentText": "Asimov's original \"Foundation\" - it's effectively a collection of 4,5 short stories. I recommend to remain at a discreet distance from the rest of the series. While good within the universe, they are ... different.\n\"Ender's Game\" and \"Speaker for the Dead\" by O.S.Card. (Do not touch Xenocide without a hazmat suit. And if you do, burn it before reading.)\n\"Snow Crash\" by Neil Stephenson.\n\"Rendez-vouz with Rama\" by Arthur C. Clarke.\nIf you're up for some thought-provoking stuff, \"Stranger in a Strange Land\" by Heinlein. Not the easiest read but your carve-out basically rules out \"The Moon is a Harsh Mistress\".\n\"Embassytown\" by China Mieville.\nEDIT: I forgot \"Hyperion\" by Dan Simmons.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Stranger in a Strange Land\" by Heinlein. Not the easiest read",
          "reason": "Suggested for thought-provoking fiction, with a note that it is not the easiest read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not the easiest read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17528807,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-14T04:20:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17528807",
          "commentText": "I finished Never Split the Difference a month back.  Fantastic read.\nI am almost finished with Thinking Fast and Slow.  I kinda wish I had read it years back given all the useful insights.\nI just bought a copy of the 1961 version of Stranger in a Strange land.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I just bought a copy of the 1961 version of Stranger in a Strange land.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14478905,
          "author": "smaddox",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T22:46:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478905",
          "commentText": "Non-Fiction:\n\"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" by Dale Carnegie, because it changed my understanding of people for the better.\n\"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\" by Richard Feynman, because it gave me a model for how to enjoy life.\n\"Models\" by Mark Manson, because it helped shape my understanding of heterosexual relationships.\n\"An Introduction to General Systems Thinking\" by Gerald Weinberg, because it illuminates the general laws underlying all systems.\nFiction:\n\"Stranger in a Strange Land\" by Robert A Heinlein, because it showed me a philosophy and \"spirituality\", for lack of a better word, that I could agree with.\n\"The Fountainhead\" and \"Atlas Shrugged\" by Ayn Rand, because they showed me how human systems break, and they provided human models for how to see and live in, through, and past those broken systems.\n\"Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\" by Eliezer Yudkowsky, because it set the bar (high) for all future fiction, especially when it comes to the insightful portrayal of the struggle between good and evil.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Stranger in a Strange Land\" by Robert A Heinlein, because it showed me a philosophy and \"spirituality\", for lack of a better word, that I could agree with.",
          "reason": "It showed the commenter a philosophy and spirituality they could agree with.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12983366,
          "author": "Alexqw85",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-18T00:57:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12983366",
          "commentText": "Neither are new books, but this year I both read and subsequently gifted\n* 1491 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1491:_New_Revelations_of_the_A... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1491:_New_Revelations_of_the_Americas_Before_Columbus)\n* Stranger in a Strange Land (the \"Original, Uncut version\") https://www.amazon.com/Stranger-Strange-Land-Robert-Heinlein... (https://www.amazon.com/Stranger-Strange-Land-Robert-Heinlein/dp/1442005831)\n1491 is about the societies in the Americas prior to European contact. And if anyone knows of any books on the topic that have been written since then (and thus are even more up-to-date with the current state of the field), I'm very, very interested.\nStranger in a Strange Land is just... excellent. I really appreciate Heinlein and I like his world view. Though I've never read the traditional \"cut\" version, I've talked with people who have read both and I'm sold on the unabridged version. As an aside, if you enjoy Heinlein, then I also recommend reading \"For Us, The Living: A Comedy of Customs.\" It was Heinlein's first book, but was never published (until recently, of course). It's not polished, but it is very interesting to see how he had already formed in the 1930s a lot of the ideas that would dominate his writing for the rest of his career. A good and enjoyable read.\n---Alex",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Stranger in a Strange Land (the \"Original, Uncut version\")",
          "reason": "The commenter read and gifted this edition and says they are sold on the unabridged version.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read the traditional cut version.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12245707,
          "author": "skaplun",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T05:46:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12245707",
          "commentText": "I, robot would probably be easier to get into than foundation :)\nalso \"stranger in a strange land\" by Heinlein makes for a great gift",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"stranger in a strange land\" by Heinlein makes for a great gift",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a great gift.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11557755,
          "author": "fatimafouda",
          "createdAt": "2016-04-23T22:51:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 11556470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your favorite dystopian novel and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11557755",
          "commentText": "SPOILER ALERT: \"But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother.\" - 1984\nHaunting last line. All struggle is futile; acceptance is inevitable. So yeah, pretty bleak, but favorite book nonetheless.\nI also love Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse 5, which while not classically dystopian, still manages to elicit dystopian stoic despair against the backdrop of a seemingly normal world (our very own time and age). It automatically coaxs readers to draw parallels..maybe dystopia is not something imagined. Maybe it's more familiar than we think.\nLastly, Robert A. Heinlein needs to be mentioned at least once in this thread; Farnham's Freehold and a Stranger in a Strange Land.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a Stranger in a Strange Land",
          "reason": "Named as a book worth mentioning in response to a favorite dystopian novel question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783485,
          "author": "louisrochal",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:40:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783485",
          "commentText": "\"Thus Spoke Zarathustra\" - Nietzsche (French Translation) - 5/5 An absolute Must read.\n\"1984\" - Orwell - 5/5 French law on surveillance made me want to read it again\n\"Fahrenheit 451\" - Ray Bradbury - 4/5\n\"La zone du dehors\" - Alain Damasio - 4/5\n\"The name of the wind\" - Patrick Rothfuss - 4/5 A great fantasy story. It's a big book, there is a lot of details, but very well written.\n\"Stranger in a Strange Land\" - Robert A. Heinlein - 3/5 Awesome concept, but very slow\n\"The Inverted World\" - Christopher Priest - 4/5 Great short book",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Stranger in a Strange Land\" - Robert A. Heinlein - 3/5 Awesome concept, but very slow",
          "reason": "Praises its concept, but says it is very slow.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Very slow; rated 3/5.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8946127,
          "author": "dwarman",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-26T09:13:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8946127",
          "commentText": "Stand on Zanzibar, Snow Crash, Cryptonomicon, Childhood's End, A Cantilce for St Leibowitz, The Stars My Destination, Midnight At The Well of Souls, Nine Princes in Amber, Halting State, Strnger In A Strange Land, The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Strnger In A Strange Land",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8629448,
          "author": "rajacombinator",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-19T11:40:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8629448",
          "commentText": "\"The Golden Age\" by John C. Wright - just awesome, and I agree with the values of the main character\n\"Chronicles of Amber\" by Roger Zelazny - for imagination and badassery\nFavorite short story is \"Understand\" by Ted Chiang - mind-expanding ;)\nAlso in general the lesser known Heinlein books are amazing. Not a fan of Stranger in a Strange Land. Named my current company after a reference to The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Not a fan of Stranger in a Strange Land.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly says they are not a fan of this book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The criticism is a brief statement of personal taste.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8625189,
          "author": "partisan",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-18T17:58:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8625189",
          "commentText": "Very good book and the one that got me started on Heinlein. I probably own most of his hard sci-fi books now as a result.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Very good book and the one that got me started on Heinlein.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it very good and credits it with starting their interest in Heinlein.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8623991,
          "author": "mattivc",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-18T14:39:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8623991",
          "commentText": "A great one that haven't already been mentioned is \"Stranger in a Strange Land\" by Robert Heinlein.\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stranger_in_a_Strange_Land\nIt's one of those books that just takes a while to digest after you are done reading it. I highly recommend it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend it.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly recommends this book as a great choice in the sci-fi/fantasy discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It takes a while to digest after finishing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8257554,
          "author": "philangist",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T13:58:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257554",
          "commentText": "Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7337381,
          "author": "rainmaking",
          "createdAt": "2014-03-03T23:33:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7337381",
          "commentText": "Stranger In A Strange Land.\nEdgier than Star Trek but has that same feel of charming naivite; think 400 pages of Lt. Commander Data on a love potion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Edgier than Star Trek but has that same feel of charming naivite",
          "reason": "Recommends it by describing its tone and comparison to Star Trek.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387654,
          "author": "waterhouse",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T00:15:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387654",
          "commentText": "Isaac Asimov's robot series (start with \"I, Robot\" and \"The Caves of Steel\") is good, as is his Foundation series.  Ender's Game is also good; I've heard other people complain about the other novels in that universe (Speaker for the Dead and sequels, Ender's Shadow and sequels), but I liked them fine.  Cryptonomicon is rich, fascinating, and entertaining.  Dune is rich and pretty fascinating.  Heinlein's \"Stranger in a Strange Land\" and \"Time Enough for Love\" are somewhat scandalous, but I thoroughly enjoyed them.\nOutside science fiction: P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster novels, as well as what of his other books I've read, are hilarious and brilliant; I would suggest \"Right Ho, Jeeves\" as a starting point.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I thoroughly enjoyed them.",
          "reason": "Says they thoroughly enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as somewhat scandalous.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387610,
          "author": "macrael",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T00:02:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387610",
          "commentText": "East of Eden is my favorite book I've read in the last several years. Beautiful end to end and very moral. If you've read it it's totally worth reading Journal of a Novel: a collection of letters Steinbeck wrote to his editor every day as he was writing East of Eden. It's a fascinating window into the mind of a master deliberately creating a masterpiece.\nOther favorites: Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner, In Our Time by Hemingway, The Magus by John Fowles, 100 years of solitude, Moby Dick (perhaps a precursor to all modern fantasy?) Stranger in a Strange Land, and Infinite Jest. I've also loved both of DFW's big essay collections: Consider the Lobster and A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll never Do Again.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stranger in a Strange Land",
          "reason": "Includes it among other favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4662872,
          "author": "lsiebert",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-17T02:04:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 4661261,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite Science Fiction book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4662872",
          "commentText": "Hmm... Favorite is hard.  Maybe Cryptonomicon Because it was funny, meditative, and the research into WWII crypto was interesting.  Or Maybe Stranger in a Strange Land, for the insights into correct action, the nature of humor, love, and understanding, and for giving us 'grok'.  Or Maybe the Illuminatus Trilogy, for crazy awesomeness insight into the 1970's.  I've loaned out all three, and I couldn't consider a book a favorite unless I'd tried to get people to read it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "for the insights into correct action, the nature of humor, love, and understanding",
          "reason": "Named as a possible favorite for its insights into action, humor, love, and understanding.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231352,
          "author": "Fargren",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T18:09:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231352",
          "commentText": "A Game of Thrones and A Hitchhikers guide to teh galaxy. I've been using this past few months to read up a few things that I shyould have read long ago. Next up is Stranger in a Strange Land",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Next up is Stranger in a Strange Land",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2335611,
          "author": "tastefulwords",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-17T10:03:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 2329700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that change your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2335611",
          "commentText": "Stranger in a Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein\nFlatland, by Edwin Abbott\nGang Leader for a Day, by Sudhir Venkatesh\nThe Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stranger in a Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043506,
          "author": "mhd",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:12:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043506",
          "commentText": "Snow Crash is great. Generally I'd recommend some \"classics\", just to see who treaded some ground first, i.e. who gets copied by everyone.\nIsaac Asimov - Foundation (and the rest of the trilogy)\nRobert A. Heinlein - Stranger in a Strange Land / Starship Troopers / The Moon is a Harsh Mistress\nAlfred Bester - The Demolished Man / The Stars My Destination\nJack Vance - The Dying Earth\nPhilip K. Dick - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep / The Man in the High Castle\nLarry Niven - Ringworld\netc. etc.\nA list of Hugo Award winners[1] might come in helpful.\nAnother advantage of having read \"the greats\" is that if some critic says that new author X writes \"in the style of Y\" you have a slightly better idea if you might like it.\nTastes vary, of course. Personally I never got what's supposed to be so great about Ender's Game. Teen Mary Sue geek power fantasy with questionable morals. Then again, lots of people said similar things about Heinlein…\n[1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Award_for_Best_Novel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Robert A. Heinlein - Stranger in a Strange Land / Starship Troopers / The Moon is a Harsh Mistress",
          "reason": "Included in a list of science fiction classics recommended to explore influential works.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring science fiction classics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865813,
          "author": "scottyallen",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T18:19:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865813",
          "commentText": "- Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein\n- Zodiac by Neal Stephenson (rereading for the nth time)\n- The E-Myth by Michael Gerber",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865228,
          "author": "ww520",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T16:05:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865228",
          "commentText": "If you like Foundation, you might like the Ringworld series by Larry Niven.  Ringworld is a classic.\nRobert Heinlein's books are great.  Some come to mine are The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, Starship Troopers (much better than the movies), Stranger in a Strange Land, Double Stars, and The Puppet Masters.\nUrsula K. Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness is amazing.  The Earthsea series are fun read if you want to get beyond SciFi.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stranger in a Strange Land",
          "reason": "Listed among Heinlein books described as great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865010,
          "author": "JSig",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T15:04:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865010",
          "commentText": "Stranger In A Strange Land is probably my favorite book. Vonnegut is my favorite author. By the way, if I had the money I would love to buy one of the screen prints here http://www.vonnegut.com/art.asp",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stranger In A Strange Land is probably my favorite book.",
          "reason": "Calls it probably their favorite book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753309,
          "author": "danilocampos",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:49:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753309",
          "commentText": "I didn't love Stranger, but I blame Heinlein's stroke on that. Mid-way through writing it, he had a stroke – and you can tell because there's this huge break in the direction of the narrative.\nMoon feels much more cohesive and internally consistent. It's my favorite work of Heinlein's. Citizen of the Galaxy is also outstanding, even though it was written for the \"juvenile\" market.\nThe neatest thing about Bryson is that he's a travel writer. It works out really well for a science book, though, because he takes nothing for granted and describes everything with such loving flourish. It's a travelogue through the history of science and it's funny, and fun, while still respecting the subject matter.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I didn't love Stranger, but I blame Heinlein's stroke on that.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter didn't love it and attributes that to Heinlein's stroke during writing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753085,
          "author": "bherms",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T17:13:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753085",
          "commentText": "Haha, I have played Bioshock.  Twice.  Incredible game in every sense: art, story, gameplay, etc.  I still need to try the second.  I picked up Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land on recommendation from a good friend, but I've yet to read it.  I'll have to check out Bryson as I really enjoy reading about science, especially from different perspectives.  You never learn as much about something from a single point of view -- life is 3-d.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I picked up Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land on recommendation from a good friend, but I've yet to read it.",
          "reason": "Reports picking it up on a friend's recommendation; has not read it yet.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it; the endorsement is attributed to a friend.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140747,
          "author": "albertcardona",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T12:01:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140747",
          "commentText": "\"The Forever War\" by Joe Haldeman, among others.\nThe book will put the timeline of your life into context, outline your limitations, and provide a grandiose example on the importance of communication.\n(\"Ender's Game\" and \"Stranger in a Stranger Land\" are among my top 5, but I thought the gem described above deserves attention.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Ender's Game\" and \"Stranger in a Stranger Land\" are among my top 5",
          "reason": "Names it among their top five books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86223,
          "author": "icky",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:37:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86223",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- The Time Machine (still holds up very well, and seems strangely eerie and prescient in places)... (H. G. Wells)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Hobbit (and LotR) (Tolkien)\n- Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n- Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties (I picked up Idoru first, so I haven't yet read Virtual Light) (also Gibson)\n- The Difference Engine (Gibson, Sterling)\n- Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n- Cryptonomicon (\" \")\n- Circuit of Heaven, End of Days (Dennis Danvers)\n- All of the \"Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser\" stories and novels. (Fritz Leiber)\n- The Earthsea trilogy (Ursula K. LeGuin)\n- 'salem's Lot (Stephen King)\n- Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein)\n- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)\n- the Coldfire trilogy (C. S. Friedman)\n- various Cory Doctorow short stories\n- Kamikaze L'Amour (Richard Kadrey)\n- Lightpaths (Howard V. Hendrix)\n- A Canticle For Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)\n- Moonwar, Venus (Ben Bova)\n- the Stainless Steel Rat series (Harry Harrison)\n- Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)\n- Ringworld (Larry Niven)\n- Cthon (Piers Anthony) -- Trippiness level approaching Philip Jose Farmer ;-)\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (Douglas Adams)\n- The Black Company (Glen Cook)\n- there's one particularly good post-cyberpunk series that takes place in a world in which Canada emerged as a major world power, but for the life of me I can't rememeber the title.\n- the 1632 series (Eric Flint)... see also S. M. Stirling's Nantucket series (\"Island in the Sea of Time\", et al.), and H. Beam Piper's novel Kalvan of Otherwhen\nNon-fiction:\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (Hume)\n- the surviving words and works of Epicurus, and Diogenes the Cynic\n- Freakonomics (Levitt, Dubner)\n- The Gay Science (Nietzsche)\n- The Jefferson Bible (Christ, Jefferson (ed.))\n- The Devil's Dictionary (Bierce)\n- Brain Droppings (George Carlin)\n- anything by P. J. O'Rourke\n- anything by Dave Barry",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein)",
          "reason": "Listed under fiction in response to the thread’s question about favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert A. Heinlein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 25,
      "threads": 21,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "social satire",
        "social science fiction",
        "religion",
        "first contact"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-e-myth-revisited-f47758",
      "title": "The E-Myth Revisited",
      "author": "Michael E. Gerber",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35184007,
          "author": "achenatx",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-16T16:15:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35184007",
          "commentText": "I like books that are actionable. Lots of books are inspirational but not that useful (e.g. crossing the chasm). I run a curriculum in my company which uses a few books I have read over the years.\nemyth revisited (how to think about and structure an org)\ngetting to yes (negotiation)\ninfluence the psychology of persuasion (negotiation)\nspin selling (enterprise sales, supplanted by sandler)\nYou cant teach a kid to ride a bike at a seminar (sandler sales)\n5 dysfunctions of a team (one of the best leadership books)\nfirst break all the rules (management)\naccounting for dummies\npurple cow (differentiation)\nblue ocean strategy (differentiation)\ntraction (strategy/operations)\nrocketfuel (strategy/operations)\nfor professional services:\nmanaging the professional services firm\ngetting naked",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "emyth revisited (how to think about and structure an org)",
          "reason": "Includes it in a company curriculum for thinking about and structuring an organization.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35171836,
          "author": "ranabuzdar",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:32:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35171836",
          "commentText": "Here are some of the most popular ones:\nThe Lean Startup by Eric Ries\nZero to One by Peter Thiel\nThe 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey\nThink and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill\nThe E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber\nGood to Great by Jim Collins\nThe Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander\nThe Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz\nThe Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton Christensen\nRework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson\nThese books cover various aspects of entrepreneurship, from idea generation and innovation to leadership and management. Each one offers a unique perspective and valuable insights that can help entrepreneurs navigate the challenges and opportunities of starting and growing a business.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the books covering entrepreneurship.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35171381,
          "author": "benjaminwootton",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:07:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35171381",
          "commentText": "The E-Myth is the only business book which ever left a lasting impression on me.  It's about \"working on your business rather than in it\" and systematising everything.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The E-Myth is the only business book which ever left a lasting impression on me.",
          "reason": "Its idea of working on the business rather than in it and systematizing everything stayed with the commenter.",
          "audience": "Business owners.",
          "caveat": "The target shortens the title to “The E-Myth.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32790497,
          "author": "ghoomketu",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T13:37:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790497",
          "commentText": "Ihe e-myth book by michael gerber. It hits you right in the face when you're a.. what he calls the Technician masquerading as an Entrepreneur.\nIt's truly an eye opening book and really helps you see the systems in everything from a bakery to the hotel chains as soon as you've read it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ihe e-myth book by michael gerber.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is eye opening and helps readers see systems in businesses.",
          "audience": "Technicians who are acting as entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21902042,
          "author": "sivers",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T21:56:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902042",
          "commentText": "Since 2007, I've taken detailed notes on every book I've read, then posted them on my site with my top recommendations up top:\nhttps://sivers.org/book\nMy top recommendations here for the Hacker News crowd - with a nudge for the under-rated, are:\nThe Time Paradox - by Philip Zimbardo and John Boyd\nhttps://sivers.org/book/TimeParadox\nProfound idea that everyone has a primary time focus: either Future-focused, Present-focused, or Past-focused. Fascinating implications of each. Because I'm so future-focused, reading this book helped me understand people who are very present-focused. Also great advice on shifting your focus when needed. I read it 7 years ago, but still think about it almost every day.\n--\nMindwise: How We Understand What Others Think, Believe, Feel, and Want - by Nicholas Epley\nhttps://sivers.org/book/Mindwise\nMany new brilliant insights, especially about over-estimating the differences between you and others, thereby separating into us-vs-them tribalism. Scan to the end of my notes, to see. If you know more books like this, please recommend them to me. I adore this subject.\n--\nThe War of Art - by Steven Pressfield\nhttps://sivers.org/book/WarOfArt\nHave you experienced a vision of the person you might become, the work you could accomplish, the realized being you were meant to be? Are you a writer who doesn’t write, a painter who doesn’t paint, an entrepreneur who never starts a venture? Then you know what “Resistance” is. This book is about that. Read it.\n--\nE-Myth Revisited - by Michael Gerber\nhttps://sivers.org/book/EMythRevisited\nAbsolutely everyone who is an entrepreneur or wants to be one needs to read this book. I first read it after 10 years of successfully running my company, and was still blown away and totally humbled by its wisdom. Re-reading it today, I'm amazed how my view of business was completely changed by this one little book. See my notes for examples, but definitely read the book itself to get the real impact.\n--\nThe Courage to Be Disliked - by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga\nhttps://sivers.org/book/Disliked\nWow. A profound little philosophy book from Japan, communicating the psychology of Alfred Adler - a rival of Freud. Told as a conversation between an angry student and a patient teacher. A little book so good that I rushed home from other activites to keep reading it, and finished in a day. A surprisingly fresh perspective on how to live. (The “disliked” part is not the point, so don’t let the title distract you.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "E-Myth Revisited - by Michael Gerber",
          "reason": "Calls it essential for entrepreneurs and says it changed their view of business.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16297868,
          "author": "reboog711",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T15:04:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16297868",
          "commentText": "+1 for the E-myth, a must read for anyone who wants to run a business.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for the E-myth, a must read for anyone who wants to run a business.",
          "reason": "Calls it a must read for anyone who wants to run a business.",
          "audience": "Anyone who wants to run a business.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296324,
          "author": "neya",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T05:21:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296324",
          "commentText": "Right off the bat, here you go:\n1. The 7 habits of highly successful people (Stephen Covey)\n2. The Miracle Morning (Hal Elrod)\n3. Business Model Generation (Aelxander Osterwalder)\n4. The Art Of War (Sun Tzu)\n5. The E-myth, why most businesses don't work and what to do about it (Michel Gerber)\n6. Made In Japan (Founder of Sony, Akio Morita)\n7. How to win friends and influence people (Dale Carnegie)\nProbably I missed a few more, but I think these ones are a good start.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The E-myth, why most businesses don't work and what to do about it (Michel Gerber)",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about books one wishes one had read earlier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15671440,
          "author": "gravidor",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-10T17:33:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15671440",
          "commentText": "The Name of the Wind - For all the reasons mentioned above, is one of my absolute favorite fiction books.  Its not just the characters, its Rothfuss' use of language.  I've never kept track of so many quotable phrases in a book.\nEnders Shadow Series by Orson Scott Card - I loved the majority of the Ender's Game series was disappointed when it was over.  Throughout those books, Bean was always my favorite character and it was a great day when I discovered the Ender's Shadow series which chronicles Bean's life over several books. The thing I loved most about Bean were his powers of analysis and he taught me to think more about scenario outcomes and think about multiple ways of achieving my goals.\nDune - A pattern is emerging here.  I love the books where the hero CHOOSES to ascend and works to get there.  Paul Atredies starts out a boy against harsh conditions and rises to the challenge.\nThe Stand by Stephen King - I read this book when I was 14 or 15 on summer break in a week.  I fell in from the start and read for entire days until it was done and when it was over I was in awe at the size (1000+ pages) and scope of what King accomplished.\nThe Alpha Strategy by John Pugsley - Its an interesting book and look at economics and wealth preservation in layman's terms.  Its funny because this book was written in the 80s and when I read it, it was immediately applicable.  I grew up in a pretty liberal household and this book made me start to pay attention to what liberals and conservatives were saying and form my own opinions.\nAtlas Shrugged - I read this right after the book above and the two in combination really caused a mindeset shift for me. It wasn't so much that everyone is out to get me or against me, but more I am responsible for my outcomes and I need to invest in myself.\nE-Myth Revisited By Michael Gerber - Piqued my interest in systems and where I started to learn the value of systems and making success repeatable.\nWorking the System By Sam Carpenter - More of the \"how-to\" book E-Myth Revisited should have been.\nDaemon Series - This one has been mentioned and while it didn't have the impact on my that the other books did, I did enjoy the world the author created.\nThieves Emporium by Max Hernandez - This was a quick read and appealed to my love of technical fiction.  Similar to Daemon, its use of technology in the story is interesting and not that far off from the real world at this point.  [WARNING: GRAPHIC SCENES]\nI was unambitious and coasted through life until after college, and it wasn't until I was in my late 20s that I started really reading books like these.  Over the past few years, I've become almost a completely different person.  I read a tremendous amount and can say its had a huge impact on my \"mental models\" and how I approach life.\nBooks I'm interested in reading next include: \n- Meditations\n- Works on mental models\n- Elon Musk biography (the amount he's able to accomplish quickly is staggering)\nI don't read as much fiction as I used to, instead choosing to focus on technical books, but fiction has definitely had an impact on my development as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "where I started to learn the value of systems and making success repeatable.",
          "reason": "Credits it with sparking their interest in systems and repeatable success.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13805672,
          "author": "kabalweg",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T20:13:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805672",
          "commentText": "1. Mindset - changed how I view new things/ideas I encounter or things I want to learn. I have introduced this to my wife and she loved it. She has now adapted the growth mindset (what the book teaches about).\n2. e-Myth Revisited - changed how I view and run business.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "e-Myth Revisited - changed how I view and run business.",
          "reason": "Says it changed how they view and run a business.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10786160,
          "author": "wushupork",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T22:57:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786160",
          "commentText": "Traction by Justin Mares, Gabriel Weinberg - would probably reread\nGrowth Hacker Marketing by Ryan Holiday\nHow to Fail at Almost Everything by Scott Adams - great read\nScaling Up By Verne Harnish\nGreat By Choice by Jim Collins - love the whole series\nThe Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes - probably worth a reread\nHow to Win at the Sport of Business By Mark Cuban - good read\nElon Mush by Ashlee Vance - need I say more\nThe Hard Thing about Hard Things By Ben Horowitz\nThe Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg - probably need to deeply absorb this - a lot of good stuff\nCopy This! By Paul Orfalea - another good \"small business\" entrepreneur book\nThe E-Myth Revisited By Michael Gerber - 2nd time read. Got more out of it this time.\nThe People's Tycoon (Ford) by Steven Watts - I love reading about businessmen from this age\nScrum by JJ Sutherland Jeff Sutherland - good read for development teams",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The E-Myth Revisited By Michael Gerber - 2nd time read. Got more out of it this time.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they gained more from a second reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10028133,
          "author": "hga",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T18:08:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10028133",
          "commentText": "Ah, for startups in general, you should look at The E-Myth by Michael Gerber, no matter what you're doing it'll have some essential advice, and you should examine your business model in the light of his general thesis that you should make your business \"franchiseble\".  At the very least, observe the principles of leverage, \"no one ever got rich typing\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you should look at The E-Myth by Michael Gerber, no matter what you're doing it'll have some essential advice",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it for startups and says it offers essential advice.",
          "audience": "People starting or running a business.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9353551,
          "author": "olifante",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-10T11:10:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9353551",
          "commentText": "Recently read:\n* “Disciplined Minds” by Jeff Schmidt. A mind-opening book that shows how both academia and business select for conformity.\n* “Go It Alone: The Streetwise Secrets of Self Employment” by Geoff Burch. Great read, witty and savvy author.\n* “The E-Myth Revisited” by Michael E. Gerber.\n* “Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life” by William Deresiewicz.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "“The E-Myth Revisited” by Michael E. Gerber.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5507276,
          "author": "nekopa",
          "createdAt": "2013-04-07T14:21:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 5501062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Business Book For a 13-year-old Girl?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5507276",
          "commentText": "I recommend 'The E-Myth Revisited' by Michael Gerber. An oldie but a goldie.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend 'The E-Myth Revisited' by Michael Gerber. An oldie but a goldie.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it and calls it “an oldie but a goldie.”",
          "audience": "A 13-year-old interested in business, in the context of the question.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4478424,
          "author": "dangrossman",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-05T08:04:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 4476107,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN : What are some great books an aspiring entrepreneur should read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4478424",
          "commentText": "The E-Myth Revisited",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The E-Myth Revisited",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to a request for books aspiring entrepreneurs should read.",
          "audience": "Aspiring entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3396046,
          "author": "zavulon",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T15:32:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3396046",
          "commentText": "E-Myth revisited\nhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/B0051QVESA/\nI've read it early in the year, and it made me think about my business in a totally new way. Way too many parts me had me nodding sadly \"yes, this happens to me too\". A must for any business owners",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "E-Myth revisited",
          "reason": "Says it changed how they think about their business and calls it a must-read for business owners.",
          "audience": "Business owners.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2645512,
          "author": "colson04",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-12T02:52:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2645512",
          "commentText": "I briefly checked out the first 20 or 30 reviews on Amazon and was not surprised by the comments, but by the ratings.  My take on the comments?  True:  if you are a long time follower of the signal vs. noise blog then you will have seen some of the material before.  \nTrue:  some of the advice is ambiguous, but necessarily so - this is not a \"how to start a web company\" step-by-step manual.  It is an aid to seeing business from a total non-traditional platform.  \nTrue:  the book is short on pages and word-count - you can easily read it in an afternoon.  Every other page is an illustration (no informational value) of some kind taking away from actual information space - I did feel I was mislead by this.  \nTrue:  They do use their own company as an example quite a lot which took away credibility.  Their biz is the extreme example in a few ways but it is very interesting how they embrace obstacles that others run from i.e. having globally spread employees.\nI got over my own negativities when I read the book for the second time three months later.  The book is written in such a way that, to me, the message will adapt and be meaningful regardless of the current situation.  Kind of like the bookd Who Moved My Cheese is still taught and changes meaning for each reader, each time they read it.\nIn my opinion it's definitely worth reading - take that for what you will.\nOther suggestions?  I've got plenty if you want 'em.  I read a book or two a week.  Here's two more of my fav business-type books.\nSeeking Wisdom by Peter Bevelin &\nThe E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber - a classic\nHere's a short cut to the best reading on business and entrepreneurship - take the following links and cross reference.  If a book is on both lists it's usually very good.\nhttp://sivers.org/book\nhttp://personalmba.com/best-business-books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber - a classic",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorite business books and called a classic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2172979,
          "author": "whatusername",
          "createdAt": "2011-02-03T00:33:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 2172825,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: If you could recommend only three management books...",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2172979",
          "commentText": "If you're planning on running a business: The E-Myth Revisited, Michael Gerber.\nIf you don't have your own shit togethor productivity wise: Getting Things Done, David Allen.\nThis: http://managinghumans.com/ might be what you're after in terms of Engineering/Development management",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The E-Myth Revisited, Michael Gerber.",
          "reason": "Recommends it to people planning to run a business.",
          "audience": "People planning to run a business.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971280,
          "author": "inovica",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T09:06:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971280",
          "commentText": "I discovered this book very late on, but it has been invaluable.  In addition to this my own two personal favourites are:\n- The e-Myth Revisited\n- Rich Dad, Poor Dad\nI've found these very useful in terms of how money works and also about the value of passive income",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The e-Myth Revisited",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s personal favorites and found useful for understanding money and passive income.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865813,
          "author": "scottyallen",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T18:19:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865813",
          "commentText": "- Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein\n- Zodiac by Neal Stephenson (rereading for the nth time)\n- The E-Myth by Michael Gerber",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The E-Myth by Michael Gerber",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1571125,
          "author": "MerkavaVentures",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T14:01:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1567456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I want to start a web company what books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1571125",
          "commentText": "I read this book years ago and it still has a lasting impression.  I agree that this is a fantastic and almost essential choice.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I agree that this is a fantastic and almost essential choice.",
          "reason": "Agrees that the book is a fantastic and almost essential choice.",
          "audience": "People starting a business.",
          "caveat": "The book is described in the parent comment as not specifically web related.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569056,
          "author": "lionhearted",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:01:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569056",
          "commentText": "I just started \"The Ultimate Sales Machine\" - looks really, really promising. Author gives good general advice you might've already heard before (sell to current clients, have a good training program, consistency and processes), but he actually takes the time to write about how much \"pigheaded discipline and determination\" a given policy is going to take to implement. It's been a good read so far, very synergistic with E-Myth for those who like E-Myth.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "very synergistic with E-Myth for those who like E-Myth.",
          "reason": "Mentions it as a complementary book for readers who like it.",
          "audience": "Readers who like E-Myth.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1568135,
          "author": "zzzmarcus",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T16:48:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 1567456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I want to start a web company what books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1568135",
          "commentText": "The E-Myth Revisited. It's not specifically web related, but it's a great book (with a cheesy pie shop metaphor) on how to start a business that is a system you own rather than a business that owns you.\nCheck out the Amazon reviews, they're telling:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/E-Myth-Revisited-Small-Businesses-Abou... (http://www.amazon.com/E-Myth-Revisited-Small-Businesses-About/dp/0887307280)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's a great book (with a cheesy pie shop metaphor) on how to start a business that is a system you own rather than a business that owns you.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great book about building a business as a system you own.",
          "audience": "People starting a business.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its pie shop metaphor is cheesy and that it is not specifically web-related.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227073,
          "author": "lionhearted",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T17:48:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227073",
          "commentText": "If you're talented and get frustrated with stupid people, you have to read \"Musashi\" by Eiji Yoshikawa. I mean, you have to.\nMusashi was one of the greatest (maybe the greatest) swordsman of all time. He invented a Japanese longblade/shortblade mixed style of swordsmanship, at one point fighting himself out of an ambush when he was attacked by over 30 men. He was undefeated in over 60 duels, including defeating arguably the second best swordsman in Japan at the time while fighting with a wooden oar he carved into a rough swordlike shape.\nHere's Musashi's Wikipedia page:\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miyamoto_Musashi\nThe book by Eiji Yoshikawa is historical fiction - it's period accurate and follows all of Musashi's most well known story. It fills in some other details we don't know of Musashi's life - how he might have trained, some minor scuffles with bandits of the day, and it added a love story.\nThe book is exceptional. Musashi has immense amounts of raw talent, but is in conflict with himself in the world, arrogant, keeps getting into problems and trouble until he comes to more mastery and wisdom. Seriously, I read a lot, and this is hands-down my favorite book of all time. It's a hell of an enjoyable read, really pleasant and beautiful, fun and adventurous, but also filled with deep wisdom. It's a great swashbuckling story, but also teaches you about thinking critically, tactics, strategy, training, tradeoffs, and so on. Just a masterpiece. Easily the most influential book of my life.\nNo affiliate link:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Musashi-Eiji-Yoshikawa/dp/4770019572\nWhilst on subject, I'll also recommend Husain Haddawy's translation of Arabian Nights, which is uproariously funny and also contains a lot of wisdom, and \"The E-Myth Revisited\" by Michael Gerber, which I consider the Bible of small business. I buy a copy of E-Myth and make anyone I'm going to partner with read it before I'll do business with them.\nArabian Nights:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Arabian-Nights-Norton-Critical-Edition... (http://www.amazon.com/Arabian-Nights-Norton-Critical-Editions/dp/039392808X)\nE-Myth:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/E-Myth-Revisited-Small-Businesses-Abou... (http://www.amazon.com/E-Myth-Revisited-Small-Businesses-About/dp/0887307280)\nEdit: Wow, that's quite a few upvotes pretty quickly. If you pick a copy of one of these and enjoy it, feel free to shoot me an email if you want to chat about it. These books have been huge for my life, and not enough people read, so I don't get to talk books as much as I'd like. Also, people with similar tastes feel free to make recommendations either commenting here or by email. Lurkers too! I'm always looking for great books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The E-Myth Revisited\" by Michael Gerber, which I consider the Bible of small business.",
          "reason": "Calls it the Bible of small business and says they require prospective business partners to read it.",
          "audience": "Small business owners and prospective business partners.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 948929,
          "author": "HeyLaughingBoy",
          "createdAt": "2009-11-18T19:35:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 947581,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN:  What's the best first business book for a programmer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=948929",
          "commentText": "Three of my favorites are How Much Should I Charge Don't remember the author, but she reinforces the point that most small businesses are undercharging for their product/service and shows how to solve the problem.\nThe E-Myth Revisited kinda starts where the above one ends in that it points out the tragic flaw in many entrepreneurs: they want to practice their \"craft\" to the detriment of the actual business.\nGrowing A Business my copy of this disappeared over 10 years ago, but I still consider it one of the most important business books I've ever read.\nAnd pick up one of the many editions of The Portable MBA at a used bookstore. Good, basic foundations in Finance, Accounting, Marketing and HR.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The E-Myth Revisited kinda starts where the above one ends",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a follow-on, describing its point about entrepreneurs neglecting the business while practicing their craft.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs focused heavily on their craft.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 947718,
          "author": "jason_tko",
          "createdAt": "2009-11-18T03:19:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 947581,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN:  What's the best first business book for a programmer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=947718",
          "commentText": "Absolutely yes.  Really makes a huge difference to think about things in the Entrepreneur/Technician/Manager frame, and things make a lot more sense.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Absolutely yes. Really makes a huge difference to think about things in the Entrepreneur/Technician/Manager frame",
          "reason": "Affirms the book's value for understanding the Entrepreneur/Technician/Manager frame.",
          "audience": "People building or working in a business.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 947685,
          "author": "lionhearted",
          "createdAt": "2009-11-18T02:44:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 947581,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN:  What's the best first business book for a programmer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=947685",
          "commentText": "> The E-Myth (the E stands for Entrepreneur): http://www.amazon.com/E-Myth-Revisited-Small-Businesses-Abou... (http://www.amazon.com/E-Myth-Revisited-Small-Businesses-Abou..).\nA thousand times yes. I make everyone I'm going to work with read it before working with them. It really gets to the heart of what businesses do right and wrong, and how to build an organization correctly based on systems instead of based on personality. Very important.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A thousand times yes. I make everyone I'm going to work with read it before working with them. It really gets to the heart of what businesses do right and wrong",
          "reason": "Strongly endorses it for understanding how to build an organization around systems.",
          "audience": "People building or working in a business.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 674923,
          "author": "skmurphy",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-26T03:58:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 673487,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there any good Internet marketing books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=674923",
          "commentText": "I would recommend these books for a good grounding in marketing and fostering innovation:\n   The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen\n   Crossing the Chasm and Inside the Tornado by Geoffrey Moore\n   Innovation and Entrepreneurship by Peter Drucker\n   Marketing High Technology by William Davidow\n   Four Steps to the Epiphany by Steve Blank\n   Jumpstart Your Business Brain by Doug Hall\n   E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber\n   Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim & R. Mauborgne\n   Influence The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini\n   The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries and Jack Trout\n   Secrets of Consulting by Gerald Weinberg\n\nFor an article that summarizes key concepts see http://skmurphy.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/Crucial%20Mar... (http://skmurphy.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/Crucial%20Marketing%20Concepts.pdf)\nThere is a companion slide deck here http://www.skmurphy.com/f/SDForum061211.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber",
          "reason": "Recommended for grounding in marketing and fostering innovation.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a grounding in marketing and innovation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 657984,
          "author": "lionhearted",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-15T05:19:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 657892,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite management books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=657984",
          "commentText": "My favorite is Michael Gerber's \"E-Myth Revisited\". It lays down the foundation of a good business in a way most entrepreneurs connect with. Very well-written, simple, gets points across concisely, very valuable.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/E-Myth-Revisited-Small-Businesses-Abou... (http://www.amazon.com/E-Myth-Revisited-Small-Businesses-About/dp/0887307280)\n(no affiliate link there)\nGreat book - my most highly recommended and most frequently gifted business book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great book - my most highly recommended and most frequently gifted business book.",
          "reason": "Describes it as valuable and highly recommends it.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs; says its explanation connects with most entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9660,
          "author": "Mistone",
          "createdAt": "2007-04-06T18:17:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 9614,
          "threadTitle": "What books have you found to be helpful in starting your business?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9660",
          "commentText": "The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber - its all about vision, systems, and building a business that can scale.\nSmall Giants by Bo Burlingham",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber - its all about vision, systems, and building a business that can scale.",
          "reason": "Describes it as covering vision, systems, and building a scalable business.",
          "audience": "People building a business",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5574,
          "author": "python_kiss",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T02:11:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5574",
          "commentText": "About 14 months ago, I had little knowledge of how to execute a startup. In particular, I wasn't familiar with any online marketing tactics. The following books helped me a lot in that respective, and more:\n\n1. Positioning, 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing/Branding, Focus, Marketing Warfare\n2. Purple Cow, All Marketers are Liars, Permission Marketing (I didn't like \"The Big Moo\", \"Free prize inside\" or \"Small is the new Big\").\n3. Founters At Work\n4. Wikinomics, Wisdom of Crowds, The Tipping Point (Blink! was alright). I am looking forward to reading \"The Long Tail\" and \"The starfish and the spider\"...has anyone read them yet?\n6. Why We Buy\n7. Hackers and Painters\n8. The E-Myth revisited\n9. The Art of the Start\n10. On War, The Art of War by Machiavelli and Sun Tzu (not exactly for startups, but definitely useful)\n11. Crossing the Chasm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The E-Myth revisited",
          "reason": "Listed among books that helped the commenter learn startup execution and online marketing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael E. Gerber"
      ],
      "recommenders": 25,
      "threads": 21,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "small business",
        "business systems",
        "organizational design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dispossessed-13a69f",
      "title": "The Dispossessed",
      "author": "Ursula K. Le Guin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46398558,
          "author": "ImaCake",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T02:38:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46398558",
          "commentText": "I read/listened/sampled a lot this year but a few have reached out into my life and changed me at least a little bit.\n- In Defense of Food - Michael Pollan. A brilliant \"not diet\" book about not eating crap and enjoying chocolate cake with your friends. I followed this up with Ultra Processed People to arm myself with the facts to defend not eating the junk people call food.\n- The Dispossesed - Ursula Le Guin: recommended in previous year's HN what did you reads. An absolutely triumph for how it manages to portray a believable anarchist society.\n- Adult Children of Alcoholics: useful to the multitude of us who grew up with an alcoholic parent(s). I used this to identify the common patterns I share with others who grew up like me. You are not alone!\n- The Invention of Clouds (not finished): I really like the context of \"dissenting science\" which the author conveys brilliantly. Turns out Dark Academia and Bro Science are not new.\n- The Art of Frugal Hedonism: Irreverant although it comes off a little pious. This book has helped me accept that I have enough stuff already.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An absolutely triumph for how it manages to portray a believable anarchist society.",
          "reason": "Praises its convincing portrayal of an anarchist society.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40878586,
          "author": "suranyami",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-04T22:31:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40878586",
          "commentText": "This is gonna sound a bit corny, but it impacted me for reasons that will become clear: \"1984\", by George Orwell.\nI was 13 at the time, and I was lucky enough to have a passionate English teacher that gave us challenging books to review. I chose \"1984\". It was the first book I'd read, up to that point, that didn't have a \"Hollywood ending\". The hero didn't save the day and get the girl… just the victory of tyranny over individualism. Admittedly, I had read a lot of crap, up till then.\nAs the leader directly tells Winston (i.e. you, the reader): \"If you want a picture of the future, think of a boot stamping on a human face - forever.\"\nI was gripped by the writing up till the very last words, then a panic set in… I thought that there were pages missing… I literally checked that someone hadn't torn out the last chapter where everything is made right again. No. There was no liberation. I sat stunned for the better part of an hour.\n\"The Dispossessed\" by Ursula le Guin: never have I experienced the idea of a working anarchism described in such a genuinely coherent form.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Dispossessed\" by Ursula le Guin",
          "reason": "Praises its coherent depiction of a working anarchism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39252024,
          "author": "jkmcf",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T17:05:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39252024",
          "commentText": "This past week I started Ursula Le Guin's \"Worlds of Exile and Illusion: Three Complete Novels of the Hainish Series in One Volume--Rocannon's World; Planet of Exile; City of Illusions\"\nThese are her earliest, published novels. The introduction is a bit odd as the author hasn't read much le Guin including her most popular, award winning books other than The Wizard of Earthsea.\nI'm not much of a critical reader, but these definitely do not have the philosophical depth (or I don't have the philosophical depth to pic up on it) of The Dispossessed and friends, but they are interesting and well written.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Worlds-Exile-Illusion-Rocannons-Illus... (https://www.amazon.com/Worlds-Exile-Illusion-Rocannons-Illusions-ebook/dp/B01MQIG9PL)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "of The Dispossessed and friends",
          "reason": "Used as a comparison for the philosophical depth of Le Guin's later work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021753,
          "author": "pkd",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:08:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021753",
          "commentText": "- A Fire Upon The Deep\n- Brave New World\n- The Dispossessed\n- The Sirens of Titan / Slaughterhouse 5\n- Recursion\n- Exhalation\n- There Is No Antimemetics Division\n- Foundation Series",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dispossessed",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34165852,
          "author": "jsenn",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T20:57:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34165852",
          "commentText": "If you haven't read Ted Chiang's short stories yet, do so. His first collection (Stories of Your Life and Others) was my favourite, but his more recent one (Exhalation) was also very good (the title story, Exhalation, is gorgeous). Stories of your Life is what the movie Arrival was based on and (as ever) the story was better than the movie.\nAs far as sci-fi novels, I have pretty generic tastes for this crowd: Dune, The Dispossessed, The Martian. The Crying of Lot 49 is one of my favourite books. Not exactly sci-fi but close.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune, The Dispossessed, The Martian.",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the commenter's sci-fi favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33382065,
          "author": "hgibbs",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T08:15:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382065",
          "commentText": "Earthsea is great. Ursula also wrote a lot of amazing science fiction: left hand of darkness, the dispossessed, the lathe of heaven, the word for world is forest etc. All are worth reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the dispossessed",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29817989,
          "author": "akeck",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-06T01:38:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29817989",
          "commentText": "Unfortunately, I haven't gotten to reading Solarpunk fiction yet. I've heard Le Guin's \"The Dispossessed\" is recommended as a proto-Solarpunk novel. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solarpunk#Literature for more fiction suggestions.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've heard Le Guin's \"The Dispossessed\" is recommended as a proto-Solarpunk novel.",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a novel reportedly recommended as proto-Solarpunk.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking Solarpunk fiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not yet read Solarpunk fiction and reports this recommendation secondhand.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29672345,
          "author": "lotsofcows",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T10:22:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29672345",
          "commentText": "...then you didn't read it. Try again, it's a brilliant reflection of human nature and really digs into the dystopia / utopia thing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "...then you didn't read it. Try again, it's a brilliant reflection of human nature and really digs into the dystopia / utopia thing.",
          "reason": "The commenter urges the other person to try it and praises its reflection on human nature and utopia.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment responds to someone who stopped after about 30 pages.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29669288,
          "author": "jjj123",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T02:23:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29669288",
          "commentText": "I also read the dispossessed this year. So, so good. I was shocked at how nuanced the book’s politics were too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also read the dispossessed this year. So, so good. I was shocked at how nuanced the book’s politics were too.",
          "reason": "Calls it very good and praises the nuance of its politics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24289321,
          "author": "Jtsummers",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-27T01:35:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 24286084,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading at the moment and what do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24289321",
          "commentText": "Fiction, English\n\nListening: Swords in the Mist, Fritz Leiber. Third in the Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser collections.\nReading: The Dispossessed, Ursula Le Guin.\n  Fiction, Spanish\n\nI’m trying to learn Spanish. I’ve picked up a few Spanish language fiction books, presently starting on Harry Potter y la piedra filosofal. I’ve tried reading other books, like Jorge Luis Borges’ Ficciones, but I’ve found it to be above my present level. I’ve restarted four or five times and made it further each time, but always stalled out.\n  Non-fiction\n\nThe Design of Everyday Things, Don Norman.\nI have other books started lying around the house, but these are the ones I’ve been actively engaged with in the last couple weeks. When I can type properly again (two to three weeks) I’ll resume Lisp in Small Pieces, Christian Queinnec. And at the office I have The Pragmatic Programmer, I’ll be back there next week and bring it home so I can continue with it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Reading: The Dispossessed, Ursula Le Guin.",
          "reason": "Mentioned as currently being read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467740,
          "author": "ckarmann",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:55:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467740",
          "commentText": "The Dispossessed - Ursula K. Le Guin\nHarry Potter - JK Rowling (re-read it all when the last book came out)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dispossessed - Ursula K. Le Guin",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter reread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22722246,
          "author": "AlexCoventry",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T20:09:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22722246",
          "commentText": "I loved The Dispossessed, as a teenager. Had a huge influence on me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved The Dispossessed, as a teenager. Had a huge influence on me.",
          "reason": "Shares a strong personal attachment and influence from reading the novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22718825,
          "author": "lazylizard",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T13:27:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22718825",
          "commentText": "Dispossessed. le guin.\nMon. Grass by the wayside. And then. Soseki.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dispossessed. le guin.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19092692,
          "author": "erikpukinskis",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-06T04:23:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19092692",
          "commentText": "The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Leguin.\nBefore I read it, I thought anarchism was just punk-ish people who want to run around Mad Max style with no rules. Reading The Dispossessed helped me to see it's actually a fully fleshed out political system, with many rules, that could work well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Leguin.",
          "reason": "The novel helped the commenter see anarchism as a fully developed political system that could work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18664837,
          "author": "hypertexthero",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T15:46:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664837",
          "commentText": "The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin. Surprised at the amount of wisdom about life succinctly communicated on so many of the pages. Recommended.\nInvisible Cities by Italo Calvino.\nFrankenstein: The 1818 Text by Mary Shelley.\nWhat I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Surprised at the amount of wisdom about life succinctly communicated on so many of the pages. Recommended.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its wisdom about life and explicitly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521441,
          "author": "sdevoid",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T08:52:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521441",
          "commentText": "I read The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed at the beginning of the year, just before she passed away. This summer I the first four books of the Earthsea series and will probably read The Other Wind and Tales soon. I've really enjoyed both universes--with Earthsea I keep wishing someone would make a game with this kind of magic system. The Lathe of Heaven is such a wonderful title, I'm looking forward to reading that as well.\nI read her translation of Tao Te Ching while waiting in 2 hours of traffic for a ferry and it was wonderful and really informs the rest of her works.\nI'm currently reading Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner, on the history of U.S. water policy in the West. Frustratingly dry.\nAlso re-reading On the Road but unlike 16 years ago I'm reading the 'Original Scroll Edition' this time: no chapters, paragraph breaks, invented character names, censors, etc. The book you read in high school is, in fact, the novelization of the original, which Kerouac wrote in twenty days. I've kept my beat-up paperback copy of the 'novel' nearby and I've preferred the scroll edition for the most part.\nOn the nightstand:\n- Annals of the Former World by John McPhee 300 pages into it, but I got a bit tired of the redundancy inherent in combining multiple books into one.\n- The Vulgar Tongue by Jonathon Green. 40 pages in. I've been looking for a copy of the dictionary.\n- The Path to the Nest of Spiders by Italo Calvino.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I read The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed at the beginning of the year",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned as read, without evaluation here.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521303,
          "author": "jboynyc",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T08:16:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521303",
          "commentText": "I recently read The Dispossessed and The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin, and will continue reading her stuff over the summer for sure. It's really great. (HN discussion about her obituary: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16218439)\nThe other day I started Pictures of a Gone City, a book about the Bay Area by critical geographer Richard Walker. It was recently discussed here (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17473141). I'm only about fifty pages in, but I can tell this is going to be worthwhile.\nI'm also still finishing Kids These Days: Human Capital and the Making of Millennials by Malcolm Harris. It's a very compelling account of the crises and pressures confronting today's young adults (among which I can still, just barely, count myself).\nOther books I've got lined up for the summer:\n• The Boy Kings: A Journey Into the Heart of the Social Network, by Kate Losse. This memoir by an early Facebook employee came out a few years ago, and I finally want to read it.\n• Social Creature, by Tara Isabella Burton. Recently published novel that's been getting rave reviews. It's been described as \"a literary novel about social media.\"\n• Surveys, by Natasha Stagg. A novel about microcelebrity/instafame that came out in 2016.\nPS: LitHub runs a \"Rotten Tomatoes for Book Reviews\" site at https://bookmarks.reviews/ that I'm finding to be a useful resource to discover new books coming out. That's how I found out about the Burton and Stagg books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recently read The Dispossessed and The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin",
          "reason": "Says it was really great and plans to continue reading Le Guin over the summer.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567942,
          "author": "david-given",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T17:44:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567942",
          "commentText": "They're not really a series --- just a shared setting that gives her an excuse to have curious but almost human aliens visit strange worlds populated by almost humans. In fact, the Ekumen barely get a cameo in _Dispossed_.\nRead it; it's really good, and works well as a pair with _The Left Hand of Darkness_.\nOh, yeah --- the Old Hainish were Not Nice People.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read it; it's really good, and works well as a pair with _The Left Hand of Darkness_.",
          "reason": "Calls it really good and recommends reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567617,
          "author": "libraryatnight",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T16:47:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567617",
          "commentText": "The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin\n“A child free from the guilt of ownership and the burden of economic competition will grow up with the will to do what needs doing and the capacity for joy in doing it. It is useless work that darkens the heart. The delight of the nursing mother, of the scholar, of the successful hunter, of the good cook, of the skilful maker, of anyone doing needed work and doing it well, - this durable joy is perhaps the deepest source of human affection and of sociality as a whole.”",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin\n“A child free from the guilt of ownership and the burden of economic competition will grow up with the will to do what needs doing",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249940,
          "author": "kijin",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T14:46:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249940",
          "commentText": "Thanks for the chuckle, but if Le Guin and Atwood sound SJWish to you, I think you and I have very different definitions of what it means to be SJWish. They are the last two people I can imagine who would agree to the blatant censorship that is taking place in today's academic and literary circles in the name of SJWish-ness.\nThe Dispossessed does get preachy, as does the MaddAddam trilogy, but only because their worlds are chock full of preachy people, each with their own stash of dirty laundry. That's kinda the point that those books are trying to make. I would read them any day over some blogger trying to be preachy about the One True Javascript Framework.\nSo how about I tolerate the anarcho-capitalist stuff that some of the other suggestions not-so-subtly drool all over, and you tolerate a bit of preaching in the other direction.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Dispossessed does get preachy, as does the MaddAddam trilogy",
          "reason": "Acknowledges that the novel can be preachy while defending its point.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it gets preachy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249776,
          "author": "mordant",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T14:01:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249776",
          "commentText": ">If you're into left-wing politics, Ursula Le Guin wrote several novels that combine sci-fi with left-wing preachiness in a package that feels extremely overbearing. My favorite are The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed. Meanwhile, a more recent novel of hers, Lavinia, is an SJWish mockery of ancient Roman epic fantasy.\n>Margaret Atwood is another author who doesn't get mentioned a lot around here but whose works of SF(she prefers \"speculative fiction\" to \"sci-fi\") I've enjoyed a lot. Her MaddAddam trilogy is weird and preachy. You'll probably hate it. Her other works focus on SJW ranting about issues of sex and gender in various past and future settings, some fictional, some historical.\n>Of course, I as well as a lot of other commenters in this thread are assuming that you'll be into ham-handed  left-wing message fiction, because that's what we like.\n>Le Guin and Atwood are typical ur-SJWs, so you might find them pretentious and tendentious.\nFTFY.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favorite are The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed.",
          "reason": "Quoted as a favorite in the target comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249504,
          "author": "kijin",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T12:11:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249504",
          "commentText": "If you're into social issues, Ursula Le Guin wrote several novels that combine sci-fi with social and political philosophy in a package that feels somewhat non-fiction-y. My favorite are The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed. Meanwhile, a more recent novel of hers, Lavinia, is a fascinating reinterpretation of ancient Roman epic fantasy.\nMargaret Atwood is another author who doesn't get mentioned a lot around here but whose works of SF(she prefers \"speculative fiction\" to \"sci-fi\") I've enjoyed a lot. Her MaddAddam trilogy is weird but entertaining. You'll probably either love it or hate it. Many of her other works focus on issues of sex and gender in various past and future settings, some fictional, some historical.\nOf course, I as well as a lot of other commenters in this thread are assuming that you'll be into sci-fi and fantasy, because that's what most computer geeks like. But even if you aren't a sci-fi fan, Le Guin and Atwood aren't typical sci-fi, so you might find them interesting anyhow.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed.",
          "reason": "Named among the author's favorites; her novels are described as combining science fiction with social and political philosophy.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in social issues and political philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783915,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:06:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783915",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction, best to worst:\nHenry Marsh, Do No Harm. A brilliant memoir by a neurosurgeon about his work, the nature of his profession, successes and mistakes (especially the latter). Frequently touches or verges into the personal. Not morbid, but often sad.\nKeith Johnstone, Impro for Storytellers. \nViola Spolin, Improvisation for the Theater\nTwo very good books about improvisation, although Spolin's is too dry and theory-laden for me (it's meant for teachers more than practitioners). Both, however, pale compared to Keith Johnstone's earlier Impro: Improvisation and the Theater, which is a life-changing book about what improvisation can teach us about spontaneous creativity and relationships between people. I recommend that one first and foremost if you know nothing about improvisation and are curious.\nMartinus J G Veltman, Facts and Mysteries in Elementary Particle Physics. A readable account - necessarily simplified, of course - of the current state of affairs in elementary particles and much of the last 50 years of history, by one of the participants (a Nobel prize winner). Not as organized and methodical as I thought it would be, and half a year later I forgot most of the physical explanations, but it was an interesting read.\nRobert B. Edgerton, Sick Societies. A thorough examination of the hundreds of horrible examples when \"natural\" societies studied by anthropologists have customs that are not only bad from our modern Western point of view, but arguably fail in achieving their own objectives. The whole book exists to counter lazy cultural relativism of the \"maybe we don't like X, but if they do it, it must be for a good reason and it must be a useful adaptation for them\" kind.\nMichael Harris, Mathematics Without Apologies. A very eclectic and idiosyncratic book by a mathematician on the sociology and epistemology of mathematics as a discipline. To be appreciated for its wealth of ideas and references to other interesting books and theories, rather than for any particular argument or thread.\nMilton Rokeach, The Three Christs of Ypsilanti. A story on what happened when a psychologist tried to bring three psychiatric patients, each believing themselves to be Christ, together and to talk it out amongst themselves. Happened in the 1960s. The idea is more interesting than the outcome.\nFiction, best to worst:\nPatrick O'Brian, The Hundred Days. The penultimate book in the series of the best historical novels (the Aubrey-Maturin series) ever written, by a huge margin. The series transcend the genre and I count the Aubrey-Maturin books among the very best books I read in the last decade.\nDodie Smith, I Capture the Castle. A brilliantly written coming-of-age story about a girl growing up in an impoverished family occupying a decaying castle in the English countryside, set in the 1930s. Reminded me in many ways of Rebecca West's The Fountain Overflows, a novel in the similar genre (but with a younger protagonist) that's known much less than it deserves.\nJuan Rulfo, Pedro Paramo. If you read and liked Garcia Marquez's A Hundred Years of Solitude, this one is shorter, darker, involves many more dead people, and you may want to give it a try.\nAlfred Hayes, In Love. A story of a man obsessed by love in a mid-century NYC. Unexpectedly touching, very convincing psychologically.\nIain M. Banks, Against a Dark Background. SF, a grand heist novel set in a advanced civilization living in a star system located unimaginably far away from any other stars and galaxies, and so doomed to a lone struggle with its own long history. A wealth of technological and social ideas you'd expect from Banks. The ending felt a bit forced.\nGene Wolfe, There Are Doors. Gene Wolfe, Nightsite of the Long Sun/Lake of the Long Sun.\nGene Wolfe is the best writer American science fiction produced in the last half-century. \"There are Doors\" is a pretty weird fantasy novel about an alternate world where men die after their first intercourse (as some spiders do in ours), and the hero travels back and forth between that world and ours. It's good, but not as strong as Wolfe's best, which to my taste is the Book of the New Sun tetralogy, the novellas in the Fifth Head of Cerberus collection, and many of his short stories (well-collected in The Best of Gene Wolfe). The other two are the first half of the \"Book of the Long Sun\" series that I'm still reading through.\nUrsula K. Le Guin, The Dispossessed. Superb political SF about an imagined anarchist [anti-]utopia. A serious attempt to describe a human society with no central power structures and no ownership. The hero is a physicist born and raised in that society who escapes to a sibling planet with the more typical modern states. This novel took all the awards in the 1970s when it was published, and deservedly so.\n[cont'd]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ursula K. Le Guin, The Dispossessed. Superb political SF about an imagined anarchist [anti-]utopia. A serious attempt to describe a human society with no central power structures and no ownership. The hero is a physicist born and raised in that society who escapes to a sibling planet with the more typical modern states. This novel took all the awards in the 1970s when it was published, and deservedly so.",
          "reason": "Calls it superb and says its awards were deserved.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9057136,
          "author": "secstate",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T15:01:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9057136",
          "commentText": "Just finished reading \"Fiasco\" by Stanislaw Lem. Between that \"Cyberiad\" I feel like Lem doesn't get enough credit. Maybe part of it is not being in the Western European writer's camp?\nAt any rate, I would say:\nMoon is a Harsh Mistress, Heinlein\nThe Dispossessed, Le Guin\nThe Stars My Destination, Bester\nChildhood's End, Clarke\nStand out as some of my favorites. I'm pretty terrible at making top-5 lists, but those stand out as ones that I would read again in a heartbeat if there weren't already 50 books on the floor next to my bed waiting for me :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dispossessed, Le Guin",
          "reason": "Includes it among favorites answering the thread question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056600,
          "author": "Jedd",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:34:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056600",
          "commentText": "Doubtless there'll be lots of strong opinions, and (hopefully, usefully) lots of duplicates that you can then tote up to get a bit of a consensus.\nIain M. Banks - all his Culture books are fantastic, but I'll single out 'Excession' since you seek titles.\nNeal Stephenson's 'Anathem'\nStephen Donaldson (most famous for the Thomas Covenant tri-trilogy) wrote a 5-book 'Gap Series'.  I have very fond memories of it, though it's been two decades since I read it.\nPhilip K. Dick wrote a tonne of good stuff (and a bit of meh) but my two favourite are Clans of the Alphane Moon (the first Dick I read), and Valis (a bit more conventional to have on the favourite list)\nUrsula Le Guin also has a huge body of excellent work - Left Hand of Darkness, and The Dispossessed are my favourites.\nI really loved Roger Zelazny's Lord Of Light, though I understand it's not conventionally considered his best work.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Left Hand of Darkness, and The Dispossessed are my favourites.",
          "reason": "Named among the commenter's favorite Le Guin works.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056583,
          "author": "antimagic",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:29:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056583",
          "commentText": "Those are my favourite two Ursula Le Guin novels too :)  Very well thought-through effects of technology on culture.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Those are my favourite two Ursula Le Guin novels too :)  Very well thought-through effects of technology on culture.",
          "reason": "Calls the two novels their favorites and praises their treatment of technology's effects on culture.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056535,
          "author": "akkartik",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:20:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056535",
          "commentText": "When I read your comment I'm strongly reminded of myself ten years ago. I held almost exactly the same view on hard scifi, and was similarly obsessed with Arthur C Clarke. But I've since loosened my definition of scifi for a couple of reasons:\na) I now think of scifi as any work intended to do more than tell a story or explore a world. Focussing on just hard scifi causes great works of social and sociology fiction like The Dispossessed to be left without a clear pigeonhole. Which is a great pity, IMO.\nPerhaps the biggest chunk that gets miscategorized is cyberpunk; works like Snow Crash and Hardwired are clearly about more than whether the ending is happy or sad, or whether the hero gets the girl. Doesn't seem right to categorize them as fantasy. Better to narrow Arthur C Clarke into the sub-category of hard scifi. Loosening my uptight definition caused me to better appreciate Snow Crash in particular on a second reading a decade later. It's aged wonderfully.\nYou could even imagine a book with fantasy 'props' that feels scifi-like. I haven't seen it yet, but I have no doubt it can be done. (Any recommendations from others?)\nb) Not even everything Arthur C Clarke wrote was hard. Rama series, c'mon! Kim Stanley Robinson is a great author, but I fail to see how he's 'more hard' than Asimov or Heinlein. Somebody described the Red Mars series to me as a reality show with dune buggies, and that seems about right. You certainly couldn't call it 'more hard' than Anathem.\nAnyways, for hard scifi readers the top author today is probably Greg Egan. That I think everybody can agree on. I have other recommendations elsewhere on this thread.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "great works of social and sociology fiction like The Dispossessed",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056461,
          "author": "auggierose",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T11:59:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056461",
          "commentText": "Philip K. Dick (Ubik, Man in the high castle, Flow my tears the police man said)\nFrederik Pohl (Gateway, the Space Merchants)\nUrsula K. Le Guin (The Dispossessed, Left Hand of Darkness)\nIain M. Banks (Culture novels)\nYou will find many Sci-Fi treasures by just going through http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SF_Masterworks",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ursula K. Le Guin (The Dispossessed, Left Hand of Darkness)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for favourite sci-fi books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5859187,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-11T02:22:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 5859004,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5859187",
          "commentText": ">> 1. What books are you currently reading?\nWell, I'm one of those people who has a bookmark in about 15 different books that I'm \"currently reading\" but some are higher priorities than others, and some will never be finished (probably) and others I'll have to start over since I've forgotten what was happening when I sat it aside, etc.  But offhand, I can think of:\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore - re-reading this one\nThe Prime Solution - Jeff Thull - 3rd Jeff Thull book on selling that I've read lately, and I'll probably reread the entire series when I finish this one\nThe New Solution Selling  - re-reading this - can you tell I'm starting to try and move into sales?\nSelling to VITO - more sales stuff.\nHow to Create A Mind - Ray Kurzweil\nGodel, Escher, Bach - Douglas Hofstadter - set this aside over a year ago; about halfway through, will probably finish it, but FSM only knows when\nA New Kind of Science - Stephen Wolfram (see above about GEB)\nMadame Bovary - Meh. May finish one day, may not.  Would have to start it over at this point.\nREAMDE - Neal Stephenson - set this aside a while back, but intend to finish it eventually.  Will probably restart from the beginning.\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Stephen Gary Blank - I'm kinda in a perpetual state of reading and re-reading sections of this book.\nThe Dispossessed - Ursula K. LeGuin - sat this aside quite some time ago, will have to start over at some point.\nThe Man In The Moss - Phil Rickman - another one that I sat aside for a while, and may or may not ever bother finishing.  Weird, because I usually really enjoy Rickman's work and just tear through his books, but I got stalled out on this one for some reason.\n>> 2. Which book has helped you the most?\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Stephen Gary Blank.\nAlso, The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki and Crossing the Chasm by Moore.\nOf all these sales books I've read lately, I'm really starting to buy into this \"Diagnostic Selling\" stuff by Jeff Thull, so I'd endorse Mastering The Complex Sale, Exceptional Selling and The Prime Solution by Thull. Also, The New Solution Selling.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Dispossessed - Ursula K. LeGuin - sat this aside quite some time ago",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Set aside; would have to start over at some point.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2639700,
          "author": "trefn",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T03:38:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639700",
          "commentText": "The Dispossessed, by Ursula Le Guin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dispossessed, by Ursula Le Guin",
          "reason": "Named as the commenter's answer to the greatest book question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140659,
          "author": "tibia",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T08:30:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140659",
          "commentText": "The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin made me aware that the way society is organised is not permanent and can be changed",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin made me aware that the way society is organised is not permanent and can be changed",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed their view of society’s capacity for change.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ursula K. Le Guin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 25,
      "threads": 19,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "utopian fiction",
        "anarchism",
        "utopia",
        "political science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "harry-potter-e3e421",
      "title": "Harry Potter",
      "author": "J. K. Rowling",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50039390,
          "author": "jep888",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T02:53:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50039390",
          "commentText": "The Narnia series, the Harry Potter series, Alice in Wonderland, Wind in the Willows,the Sherlock Holmes series (there are great versions of these made slightly easier for children to read), and of course all of Roald Dahl's books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Harry Potter series",
          "reason": "Named in a list of children’s books.",
          "audience": "Children.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 50037902,
          "author": "atlgator",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-10T22:40:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50037902",
          "commentText": "Chronicles of Narnia and Harry Potter were my favorite children's series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Chronicles of Narnia and Harry Potter were my favorite children's series.",
          "reason": "The commenter names it among their favorite children's series.",
          "audience": "Children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41769222,
          "author": "allturtles",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T18:23:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41769222",
          "commentText": "> These threads often end up, with everyone trying to prove they are literary scholars\nI see a wide variety of answers ITT. Some are very \"literary\" fiction e.g. Ulysses, others are lighter fare like Harry Potter, there's also a wide variety of non-fiction works from self-help to electronics manuals to philosophy. Have you considered that other people might actually have different tastes than you, and aren't trying to \"prove\" anything?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "like Harry Potter",
          "reason": "Cited as an example of lighter fiction in a range of tastes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41423129,
          "author": "gugug6",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-02T06:37:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41423129",
          "commentText": "harry potter \nlord of the rings\ndune \ngame of thrones\nberserk\nvinland saga\nrobinson curso\n                 : happy reading time!!!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "harry potter",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31968716,
          "author": "srvmshr",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T16:06:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31968716",
          "commentText": "1. Hackers: Heroes of the computer revolution.\n2. Kernighan & Ritchie C (I learn/interpret either something new about C or marvel the art of precise writing)\n3. Harry Potter series",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Harry Potter series",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30764235,
          "author": "haakonhr",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-22T09:37:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30764235",
          "commentText": "A good chance reflect. There are several:\n- A Conferedancy of Dunces, Peter O'Toole: tragic, hilarious and absurd\n- Fooled by Randomness, Nassim Taleb: this was my first exposure to a lot of biases and other interesting phenomena\n- The Design of Everything Things: eye-opener!\nHarry Potter, Tolkien, Dune and a lot of other sci-fi has also affected me, although I find it hard to point out one in particular. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein stands out a bit.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Harry Potter",
          "reason": "The commenter says it affected them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds it hard to identify one particular book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26800750,
          "author": "lnwlebjel",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-13T23:16:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26800750",
          "commentText": "Mo Willems is awesome (Pigeon series, Elephant and Piggy). Some of the Dr. Suess books are still great and fun to read (I can read with my eyes shut, One fish two fish). The book with no pictures, the day the crayons quit, dragons love tacos, and the princess and the dragon by Audrey Wood are all books that I've probably read 100 times and still enjoy.\nAs my kids got a bit older the Box Car children series was compelling, and the girls loved the Rainbow Magic books. Capt. Underpants and Dog man are hilarious and just subversive enough that a 7-9 yr old feel like they are getting away with something. Then on to Mysterious Benedict Society, Harry Potter, Rick Riordan, and Keeper of the Lost Cities.\nOur M.O. was to max out our Library card on a regular basis with just about everything possible and then iterate from there on the authors the kids enjoyed. I feel like reading is one of the things we've gotten right so far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Harry Potter",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Older children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24295200,
          "author": "Jtsummers",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-27T16:19:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 24286084,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading at the moment and what do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24295200",
          "commentText": "Thanks for the encouragement.\nI selected Harry Potter because I know the stories decently (read the books whenever book 7 came out, saw all the movies at least once each, maybe twice for a couple). But I’m not familiar enough to be able to read the Spanish version and really just be recalling the English version (why I’m avoiding translations of my favorite authors, I know the books too well).\nAnd yeah, I’m skipping the dictionary while reading. I tried that, it was awful. I’m identifying words (sometimes asking my wife) and looking them up after finishing a chapter. I plan to reread the book (possibly restart before completing) to see how much of what’s new has stuck. I already have homework since I’m working through a college Spanish textbook and have signed up for online courses (weekly, but it’s practice and I’m getting to hear the Argentine accent which is the one I need to understand most, my wife is from there).\nAfter this book, I’ll probably continue picking up the rest of the series (we want a bilingual library anyways for when we have kids), and then some non-fiction. Ideally I want to find some non-fiction histories or technical content in Spanish by native Spanish writers. I’m also trying to read Spanish-language news, but I haven’t made it a regular habit yet.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I’ll probably continue picking up the rest of the series",
          "reason": "Plans to continue reading the series in Spanish.",
          "audience": "Spanish learners; the commenter also mentions a future bilingual family library.",
          "caveat": "The comment describes a personal reading plan, not an explicit recommendation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23734617,
          "author": "aoki",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-04T20:11:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23734617",
          "commentText": "The books by Tent are mathematically at a 4th or 5th grade level. They’re sort of like Jean Lee Latham’s bio of Nathaniel Bowditch (you learn a fictionalized life story but you can’t really grok the person’s contribution). Of course, most mathematicians lead far more boring lives than Bowditch did in his youth, so the kind of kid who is reading Harry Potter by 4th or 5th grade is going to find them very dry.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the kind of kid who is reading Harry Potter by 4th or 5th grade is going to find them very dry.",
          "reason": "Uses it as an example of what an advanced young reader might read.",
          "audience": "Children reading above grade level.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23469992,
          "author": "BrandoElFollito",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T19:36:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23469992",
          "commentText": "Harry Potter.\nI read most of the tomes a few times and some parts as well.\nI do not like everything but the overall atmosphere (especially in the first few books) is amazing.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Harry Potter.\nI read most of the tomes a few times",
          "reason": "The commenter reread most of the books and praises the atmosphere, especially in the first few.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They do not like everything about the series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467740,
          "author": "ckarmann",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:55:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467740",
          "commentText": "The Dispossessed - Ursula K. Le Guin\nHarry Potter - JK Rowling (re-read it all when the last book came out)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Harry Potter - JK Rowling (re-read it all when the last book came out)",
          "reason": "The commenter reread the series when its final book came out.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467724,
          "author": "AndrewLiptak",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:54:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467724",
          "commentText": "A bunch of books: Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey (as well as several of the sequels), American Gods by Neil Gaiman, The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi, The Magicians by Lev Grossman, Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie, Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin, and a bunch of others.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467690,
          "author": "cududa",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:51:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467690",
          "commentText": "Triumph And Tragedy of Lyndon B Johnson (his effectiveness to pass legislation fascinated me)\nHarry Potter (comfort series)\nCharlie Wilson’s War (it’s hilarious and informative),\nGame Change (a sobering reminder of the 2008 election and how we got to today),\nLincoln’s Melancholy (on his depression).\nI’ve read lots of books twice, but the above are the only I can find in my library I’ve read 3 or more times. Outside of Harry Potter, I view the figures in those books most responsible for turning points in our nations history.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Harry Potter (comfort series)",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as a comfort series and has read it at least three times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22719366,
          "author": "dreamer7",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T14:42:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22719366",
          "commentText": "Harry Potter!! The writing is simple but the wisdom is profound. Everytime I have reread one of the books in the series, I discovered something new.\nOne particular scene made such a strong impression on me about being calm in difficult situations. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, when Harry is flinging Dumbledore's precious instruments around, Dumbledore remains monk-like still.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Harry Potter!! The writing is simple but the wisdom is profound.",
          "reason": "Praises the series' writing and wisdom, and says rereading it reveals new things.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter refers to rereading the books in the series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20332888,
          "author": "KaiserPro",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T07:16:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20332888",
          "commentText": "I personally hate self improvement books/management, so here are some narrative books that I loved and got lost in\n1) The tiger's wife - To me it has a brilliant full universe. Its comprised of a overarching narrative broken up with lots of short stories.\n2) night watch/ making money / going postal - terry pratchett Fun stories with full characters.\n3) THe pigeon tunnels - john le carre, Again composed of short stories, not overly spy-y just fascinating character studies, with a bit of history.\n4) differently morphous - Yahtzee croshaw this one is a scifi comedy, 100% worth getting in audiobook form\n5) rivers of london - ben aaronovich, policeman who was all set for a life of being a desk clerk accidentally becomes a wizard policemen.\n6) harry potter, obviously :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "6) harry potter, obviously :)",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of narrative books the commenter loved.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665491,
          "author": "catacombs",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:58:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665491",
          "commentText": "> Harry Potter #1 (too low of a reading level)\nThe series is great and worth a read, even for your superior reading level.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The series is great and worth a read, even for your superior reading level.",
          "reason": "Calls the series great and worth reading.",
          "audience": "Readers concerned the books are below their reading level.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337501,
          "author": "oh-moses",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:51:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337501",
          "commentText": "I'm also in the Harry Potter generation; I was 8 years old when the first book came out. I remember my grandma recommending it to me at the time. It sounded like \"kid stuff\", so I didn't pay much attention to it and went back to reading Asimov.\nI finally read this \"kid stuff\" years later, in my mid-twenties, and I liked it very much!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I finally read this \"kid stuff\" years later, in my mid-twenties, and I liked it very much!",
          "reason": "Says they liked it very much after reading it as an adult.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Initially dismissed it as “kid stuff.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337441,
          "author": "chatmasta",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:42:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337441",
          "commentText": "I’m surprised only one other comment mentions Harry Potter, which is definitely my answer. I was part of that “Harry Potter” generation that was right around his “age.” Those books really were incredible for spurring reading in children, and they definitely stimulated my imagination more than many activities in my childhood. Reading them now is comforting not because of the content of the book, but because of the feelings of nostalgia for and positive associations with my childhood that come with it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "which is definitely my answer",
          "reason": "Recommends the series as a comfort read and praises its effect on children's reading and imagination.",
          "audience": "Readers nostalgic for childhood or looking for imaginative children's fiction.",
          "caveat": "The comfort comes from nostalgia and positive childhood associations, not the book's content.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337362,
          "author": "formatkaka",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:27:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337362",
          "commentText": "Harry potter. First and the last part",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Harry potter. First and the last part",
          "reason": "Names Harry Potter as a comfort read, specifying the first and last parts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17046256,
          "author": "godelmachine",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T10:55:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17046256",
          "commentText": "1) All of Robin Sharma's books - especially The Monk who sold his Ferrari\n2) The Conquest of Happiness by Bertrand Russell\n3) Self Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson\n4) The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius\n5) Barking up the wrong tree by Eric Barker\n6) This might be strange - but Harry Potter series also teach us a lot, especially about Courage and Conviction.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Harry Potter series also teach us a lot, especially about Courage and Conviction.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the series teaches lessons about courage and conviction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it may seem like a strange choice.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630201,
          "author": "goodroot",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:49:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630201",
          "commentText": "* Harry Potter!\n* A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy: Taught me much about myself and reinforced a healthy pattern of practicing will power.\n* The End of Your World: After discovering spirituality and meditation I had lingering questions. This is a frank book on the trappings of the spiritual journey. The break-down of abiding vs. un-abiding enlightenment helped me navigate through fascinating times.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Harry Potter!",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13967895,
          "author": "sandworm101",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T14:20:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13967895",
          "commentText": "Is sci-fi \"technology\"?\nI've taken much from Dune (see the name) but also Clark's books.  Comics and the bible have also helped me understand much of US pop culture in a way that i wouldn't without.  Realizing the religious overtones in the marvel movies, or the STD metaphor in HarryPotter, is great fun.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the STD metaphor in HarryPotter",
          "reason": "Mentions the series as an example of a metaphor they find fun to recognize.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12250883,
          "author": "eitland",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T21:07:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12250883",
          "commentText": "The former has stood multiple tests of time and is my number one as well.\nAlso, FWIW, while Harry Potter is complete fiction, the former is at least partly a history lesson as well.\nThat said, I enjoyed both and I think some concepts are easier to grasp in Harry Potter.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "That said, I enjoyed both and I think some concepts are easier to grasp in Harry Potter.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the series and finds some concepts easier to grasp in it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes only that some concepts are easier to grasp.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12250710,
          "author": "rimantas",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T20:40:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12250710",
          "commentText": "Harry Potter has better story and better lessons.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Harry Potter has better story and better lessons.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its story and lessons in comparison with the Bible.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12247122,
          "author": "rsfern",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T12:22:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12247122",
          "commentText": "I'll second the Harry Potter books -- I've been reading the Sorcerer's Stone (electronically) in Portuguese after working through Duolingo. It's nice because I am familiar with the story and there's loads of new vocabulary, which I look up (after guessing) by switching to a translation app.\nIf you're on iOS, the built-in dictionary app will give you Spanish->English.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'll second the Harry Potter books",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the recommendation and describes using the books to learn Portuguese vocabulary.",
          "audience": "Portuguese learners familiar with the story.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10784269,
          "author": "MuEta",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T17:05:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10784269",
          "commentText": "I can see that being an issue. I'm in the same habit with LOTR, ASOIAF and Harry Potter, reading each series once every two years or so, and it crushes my ability to read a lot of new books. I've avoided rereading Discworld so far because I know that it will never be as magical as the first read through.\nBut oh god, Baroque Cycle was unparalleled from a character-building perspective. I loved every second of it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm in the same habit with LOTR, ASOIAF and Harry Potter, reading each series once every two years or so",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Rereading is mentioned as a habit without an explicit evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348252,
          "author": "awalGarg",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:31:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348252",
          "commentText": "I am somewhat new to programming (<1.5yr, age 17). Recently read the book Seven Languages in Seven Weeks. It was a very sweet read. Have read some HP books and skimmed through rest (1, 2 and 6 were my favorite reads). I will give some more time to read books soon though :)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Have read some HP books and skimmed through rest (1, 2 and 6 were my favorite reads).",
          "reason": "Names Harry Potter books and identifies volumes 1, 2, and 6 as favorite reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they skimmed the rest.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6698228,
          "author": "brickcap",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-08T18:47:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6698228",
          "commentText": "I did that with harry potter. Wanted to do the same with eragon but they never made any more movies :(",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I did that with harry potter.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6388137,
          "author": "b3b0p",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T04:43:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6388137",
          "commentText": "My favorite fiction book is Shadows of the Empire by Steve Perry. I am not a fan of the Star Wars books nor am I a hardcore Star Wars fan, but this book captures me every time.\nOther favorites, not including those mentioned by others already are Jurassic Park and the Harry Potter series. I like to go back and read these often.\nFor fun, my favorite, far and away is Foxtrot by Bill Amend.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and the Harry Potter series. I like to go back and read these often.",
          "reason": "Lists the series among favorites and says they reread it often.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387394,
          "author": "deletes",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T22:59:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387394",
          "commentText": "Harry Potter; Tales of Pirx the Pilot (Stanislaw Lem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Harry Potter",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2616756,
          "author": "tokenadult",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T15:40:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2616756",
          "commentText": "I just finished reading the entire Harry Potter series of novels for the first time, as my third son was reading it for the second time. My daughter will finish the series soon.\nI also read selected parts of The Good Book: A Humanist Bible\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Good-Book-Humanist-Bible/dp/0802717373... (http://www.amazon.com/Good-Book-Humanist-Bible/dp/0802717373/)\nbefore I had to return it to the library yesterday. I especially like the section \"Proverbs,\" which I read in full. I was able to find the section that quotes Confucius and Mencius extensively just before I returned the book. It's an interesting concept, but some parts of The Good Book: A Humanist Bible are extremely dull reading.\nI am likely to read Quotology\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Quotology-Stages-Willis-Goth-Regier/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/Quotology-Stages-Willis-Goth-Regier/dp/0803217528/)\nnext, to learn more about how quotations are traced after being misattributed, a subject I own another book about.\nI agree with the OP that A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is well worth reading.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I just finished reading the entire Harry Potter series of novels for the first time",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1731343,
          "author": "squidsoup",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-27T11:38:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1731343",
          "commentText": "I'm reading the Harry Potter series to my 5 year old at a somwhat slow pace; slow, as we typically only have time for half a chapter per night and he seems to ask questions every odd sentence! I think he's managing to follow the story though - he just requires a bit of processing time and the odd query to keep it in order.\nYou can never go wrong with Roald Dahl of course - my son loved the BFG and Fantastic Mr. Fox.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm reading the Harry Potter series to my 5 year old",
          "reason": "The commenter is reading the series aloud but does not express an evaluation or recommendation.",
          "audience": "A five-year-old listener, with time for questions and discussion.",
          "caveat": "The commenter reads slowly because the child asks frequent questions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1724786,
          "author": "tokenadult",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-24T18:32:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1724786",
          "commentText": "My children like the George R. R. Martin books, the Philip Pullman books, the Harry Potter series, and other books much in that genre category. They also read \"classic\" literature as they get older, for example Oliver Twist or Tom Sawyer. Two of my sons have really liked A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (which I have never read) and I really liked The Chosen by Chaim Potok (which I reread a few years ago, and still thought was very good).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the Harry Potter series",
          "reason": "Says their children like the series, in a discussion of books for boys.",
          "audience": "Children.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875815,
          "author": "chrischen",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T02:47:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875815",
          "commentText": "The Lost World - Michael Crichton\nHarry Potter -",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Harry Potter -",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 407426,
          "author": "swombat",
          "createdAt": "2008-12-23T09:31:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 407067,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Let's start a Hacker News book club",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=407426",
          "commentText": "EDIT3: If we're going to go with fiction, this looks like a good list to pick from:\nhttp://www.goodreads.com/list/show/6.Best_Books_of_the_20th_... (http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/6.Best_Books_of_the_20th_Century)\nPersonally, I've read almost none of these!\n1) How can you have read none of these? Get started already! And don't wait for others to tell you which books to read!\n2) That list is very suspect... I don't know how they compiled it, but it's a bit strange that it does contain some good books but then simultaneously allocates several positions to enjoyable but trashy books such as Harry Potter. Also gives several position to LotR (one is warranted, no more!), including one for the Silmarillion (wtf? I enjoyed it, but \"best book of the 20th century\"? no way!) Memoirs of a Geisha is also nice but hardly a thought leader. And it seems to be completely missing immortal masterpieces such as Narziss & Goldmund (Herman Hesse), Joseph and his Brothers (Thomas Mann), The Trial (Kafka), and many others.\nAn \"OK\" starting point, but not even the shadow of a definitive list.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "enjoyable but trashy books such as Harry Potter",
          "reason": "Says it is enjoyable while criticizing its inclusion among the best books of the 20th century.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it trashy and disputes its place on the list.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 407069,
          "author": "vaksel",
          "createdAt": "2008-12-23T00:48:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 407067,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Let's start a Hacker News book club",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=407069",
          "commentText": "What kind of book? Coding related? Business related? Harry Potter?",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Harry Potter?",
          "reason": "Named as a possible book type for the proposed book club.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Posed as a question rather than a recommendation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. K. Rowling"
      ],
      "recommenders": 25,
      "threads": 17,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "magic",
        "coming of age",
        "young adult fantasy",
        "children s fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "peopleware-productive-projects-and-teams-9ad4e1",
      "title": "Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams",
      "author": "Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40284561,
          "author": "JackMorgan",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T12:14:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40284561",
          "commentText": "Wow, this is interesting, very few books I've read more than once! Even fewer are non fiction, but they sure do explain a lot about me:\n- Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving by Pete Walker helped me process a number of assaults that happened to me as a child\n- Designing Data Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann helped me understand intuitively how databases work and how to use eventual consistency to handle workloads\n- The Highly Sensitive Person: How To Thrive when the World Overwhelms You by Elaine Aron this helped me process my and my families neurodivergence.\n- Structure And Interpretation of Computer Programs by Ableson and Sussman. Great book, it's how I learned to love Lisp. I felt like I grew 10x in skill from completing all the homework.\n- Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training by Mark Rippetoe. This is the book that got me into powerlifting  as a regular part of my fitness. I used this to heal my back, neck, and wrist pain. Changed my life.\n- Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter by James Gurney. The GOAT of plein air painting himself teaches so much about how light works on complex forms. I've dog-eared this book.\n- Reinventing Organizations by Frederic Laloux. A great look into how to build and run a self organizing team. Very insightful for when I was leading several teams and needed inspiration for something other than the typical chain of command.\n- The Classroom Management Book by Harry Wong. This book taught me so much about how humans work. I still apply lessons from this book 20 years later.\n- Real World Haskell by O'Sullivan, Goerzen, Stewart. This taught me a lot about Haskell, and got me into all the neat effects needed to make a function pure but still handle IO/async, etc.\n- Peopleware by DeMarco, Lister. My go to book for people management and a philosophy of project management\n- Science of Trust: Emotional Attunement for Couples by Gottman. I love this book for teaching me how to be a better spouse and friend.\n- The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing by Larimore, Lindauer. A great guide to building a permanent portfolio that will return consistent gains with the market. Simple in hindsight, thanks to this book. Best book on investing I've ever read.\n- How to Take Smart Notes by Ahrens. Introduces the zettlekasten system for thinking and creativity. Very inspiring, got me to start a personal file that I keep going to this day, five years later.\n- Twenty Small Sailboats to Take you Anywhere by Vigor. I read this book over and over, dreaming of buying a small boat and sailing around the world. Maybe this year...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Peopleware by DeMarco, Lister. My go to book for people management and a philosophy of project management",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it their go-to for people management and project management.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35930473,
          "author": "vl",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T17:20:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35930473",
          "commentText": "Peopleware and Mythical Man-Month",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Peopleware",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33857433,
          "author": "pkoird",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T20:21:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33857433",
          "commentText": "So I asked this same question to ChatGPT, here's its response. This thing really does have the potential to be a good recommendation tool for books/resources.\n\"Here are a few books that may be helpful for improving your skills as a software engineer:\n\"The Pragmatic Programmer\" by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas: This book offers practical advice on a wide range of topics, including how to write clean and maintainable code, how to work effectively with others, and how to manage your time and priorities.\n\"Clean Code\" by Robert C. Martin: This book focuses on the importance of writing code that is easy to read and understand, and provides specific guidance on how to write clean and maintainable code.\n\"Peopleware\" by Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister: This book discusses the human side of software development, including how to create effective teams and work environments, and how to avoid common pitfalls such as overwork and burnout.\n\"Agile Software Development\" by Alistair Cockburn: This book provides an introduction to agile software development methodologies, which are designed to help teams deliver high-quality software quickly and efficiently.\nIn addition to these books, there are many excellent blog posts and online resources on these topics. Some websites that may be helpful include the Pragmatic Programmer blog, the Agile Alliance website, and the ACM SIGSOFT Software Engineering Notes journal.\nAnother helpful resource may be attending conferences and workshops on software engineering and related topics. These can provide opportunities to learn from experts in the field, network with other professionals, and stay up to date on the latest trends and best practices. Many conferences and workshops also offer certification programs, which can be a valuable way to demonstrate your knowledge and expertise to potential employers. Some well-known conferences in the software engineering field include the ACM SIGSOFT International Symposium on the Foundations of Software Engineering (FSE), the ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (CHI), and the International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE).\n\"",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Peopleware\" by Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister: This book discusses the human side of software development",
          "reason": "Quoted recommendation describes its discussion of effective teams, work environments, overwork, and burnout.",
          "audience": "Software engineers.",
          "caveat": "This is presented as ChatGPT’s response, not the commenter’s own assessment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33856891,
          "author": "vl",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T19:33:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33856891",
          "commentText": "Peopleware and Mythical Man-Month are fundamental to understanding larger software projects and teams.\nThey often state obvious things, but I didn’t guess them myself.\nMythical Man-Month also provides important historical perspective.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Peopleware and Mythical Man-Month are fundamental",
          "reason": "Described as fundamental to understanding larger software projects and teams.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the books can state obvious things, though they had not inferred those things themselves.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33856675,
          "author": "hardwaregeek",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T19:14:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33856675",
          "commentText": "I’m currently reading Peopleware which is simultaneously very insightful and very obvious. It’s also a bit of a marker in time of how software development worked. I’d say a lot has improved with remote work, at least for some companies.\nI found The Mom Test pretty helpful for honing a product mindset. I’ve fallen into the trap of writing code simply because I find it less daunting than talking to users. The Mom Test is a good reminder on priorities.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I’m currently reading Peopleware",
          "reason": "Offers insight into software development and teams, though some points feel obvious and dated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds it insightful but also obvious, and says it reflects an earlier era of software development.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33856215,
          "author": "loloquwowndueo",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T18:27:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33856215",
          "commentText": "I got a ton of value out of “Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams”. Even if you’re not a manager that can directly follow the advice, as an engineer it will provide great clues on how to ensure environment and team dynamics can greatly influence efficiency and chances of success.\nOf course my all time favorite is The Mythical Man-Month. But that’s already mentioned elsewhere in this thread.\nI haven’t read “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us” but some of the concepts it talks about are also of interest (on how to ensure workers are motivated and I’m not talking about “the beatings will continue until morale improves” :) )",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I got a ton of value out of “Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams”.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for understanding how environment and team dynamics affect project success.",
          "audience": "Engineers interested in team dynamics and productive work environments.",
          "caveat": "Some advice may be difficult to apply without being a manager.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27630948,
          "author": "beckingz",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T14:09:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27630948",
          "commentText": "Going to be reading:\n- Staff Engineer\n- Thinking in Systems: a Primer\n- Team Topologies\nAnd for fiction:\n- The Master and Margarita\nMight re-read peopleware again as well.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Might re-read peopleware again as well.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned as a possible reread.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21714856,
          "author": "johncoogan",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T18:32:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21714856",
          "commentText": "Agreed, Peopleware is great. Very good for engineering leadership specifically.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Agreed, Peopleware is great. Very good for engineering leadership specifically.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it great and particularly useful for engineering leadership.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032171,
          "author": "Slansitartop",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:02:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032171",
          "commentText": "Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams (https://www.amazon.com/Peopleware-Productive-Projects-Teams-... (https://www.amazon.com/Peopleware-Productive-Projects-Teams-3rd/dp/0321934113/))\nIt talks about what makes a good team, how powerful they can be, and also gives some insight on team dysfunction.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It talks about what makes a good team, how powerful they can be, and also gives some insight on team dysfunction.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes its useful coverage of effective teams and team dysfunction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16351763,
          "author": "odiroot",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T08:24:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16351763",
          "commentText": "Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams\nI mostly wish this to my ex and future managers, but colleagues wouldn't hurt as well.\nWorking in Berlin I'm constantly baffled how ignorant of the \"old\" research people are. Time and again.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams\nI mostly wish this to my ex and future managers, but colleagues wouldn't hurt as well.",
          "reason": "Wishes managers and colleagues had read it.",
          "audience": "Managers and colleagues.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16351686,
          "author": "uber1geek",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T07:47:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16351686",
          "commentText": "1. Peopleware\n2. Code Complete 2",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1. Peopleware",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16351533,
          "author": "sledgehammers",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T06:49:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16351533",
          "commentText": "Peopleware.\nHow about not stuffing people into open offices.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Peopleware.\nHow about not stuffing people into open offices.",
          "reason": "The title is paired with an objection to open offices.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14487352,
          "author": "ryan-allen",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T13:15:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487352",
          "commentText": "One of the first books I read that led me on to craploads of other books. It mentioned Peopleware, Mythical Man Month and just opened up a whole world of books about programming and being a programmer that were not 'do this then that to achieve Y'.\nGonna have to pick that one up again and see what else I can glean from it years later :)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "It mentioned Peopleware, Mythical Man Month",
          "reason": "The commenter says the discussed book mentioned it; no endorsement of this title is expressed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14486956,
          "author": "g051051",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T11:59:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14486956",
          "commentText": "\"Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams\" by DeMarco and Lister.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams\" by DeMarco and Lister.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books to add to the library.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567842,
          "author": "winter_blue",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T17:26:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567842",
          "commentText": "Peopleware — Productive Projects and Teams\nhttps://amazon.com/Peopleware-Productive-Projects-Tom-DeMarc... (https://amazon.com/Peopleware-Productive-Projects-Tom-DeMarco-ebook/dp/B00DY5A8X2/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Peopleware — Productive Projects and Teams",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144305,
          "author": "g051051",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:55:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144305",
          "commentText": "1. Peopleware\n2. The C Programming Language\n3. Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software\nHonorable mention: Compiler Design in C",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Peopleware",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books that impacted a career.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11298870,
          "author": "GFischer",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T17:06:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11298870",
          "commentText": "I second that observation. I wish the manager at my day job read ANYTHING, at the very least some informercial-laden industry publication.\nIn my case, I'd like him to read Fred Brooks' \"The Mythical Man-Month\", to make him understand how a programming system costs a lot more than a simple module.\nSummary: http://javatroopers.com/Mythical_Man_Month.html\nIn second place, I'd place \"Peopleware\", so he'd understand the importance of communications, and how the current office arrangement is losing the company a lot of money:\nSummary: http://javatroopers.com/Peopleware.html\nAmazon link to both:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/The-Mythical-Man-Month-Engineering-Ann... (http://www.amazon.com/The-Mythical-Man-Month-Engineering-Anniversary/dp/0201835959)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Peopleware-Productive-Projects-Second-... (http://www.amazon.com/Peopleware-Productive-Projects-Second-Edition/dp/0932633439)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In second place, I'd place \"Peopleware\", so he'd understand the importance of communications",
          "reason": "Recommended to help the manager understand the importance of communication at work.",
          "audience": "Managers responsible for software teams.",
          "caveat": "The commenter also says the current office arrangement is losing the company money.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297827,
          "author": "Tcepsa",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:59:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297827",
          "commentText": "I am both a manager and a programmer and just read it last month.  I fully agree that it has valuable insights for both.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I fully agree that it has valuable insights for both.",
          "reason": "The comment agrees that the book offers valuable insights for managers and programmers.",
          "audience": "Managers and programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297105,
          "author": "jlhonora",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T13:33:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297105",
          "commentText": "Peopleware has great insights for both managers and programmers. Recommended read for both.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Peopleware has great insights for both managers and programmers. Recommended read for both.",
          "reason": "Praised for its insights and directly recommended to managers and programmers.",
          "audience": "Managers and programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7757071,
          "author": "scrabble",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:31:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7757071",
          "commentText": "Got about 20 pages left in the Peopleware third edition. Excellent book even if you aren't a manager.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Got about 20 pages left in the Peopleware third edition. Excellent book even if you aren't a manager.",
          "reason": "Explicitly calls it an excellent book, including for non-managers.",
          "audience": "Managers and readers who are not managers.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is near the end of the third edition.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7756716,
          "author": "playing_colours",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T17:42:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7756716",
          "commentText": "\"Peopleware\" http://www.amazon.com/Peopleware-Productive-Projects-Second-... (http://www.amazon.com/Peopleware-Productive-Projects-Second-Edition/dp/0932633439) , a lot of insights and ideas how to build great teams. Great to read for developers, team leads and managers.\n\"The art of multiprocessor programming\", excellent book on parallel programming theory with code explanations:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0123705916?ie=UTF8&tag=nirs... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0123705916?ie=UTF8&tag=nirshavitshom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0123705916)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a lot of insights and ideas how to build great teams. Great to read for developers, team leads and managers.",
          "reason": "Praises its insights on building teams and recommends it to developers, team leads, and managers.",
          "audience": "Developers, team leads, and managers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7756703,
          "author": "franze",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T17:39:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7756703",
          "commentText": "Peopleware\npretty much the most important programming book a programmer who works with / in teams can / should / must read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "pretty much the most important programming book a programmer who works with / in teams can / should / must read.",
          "reason": "Calls it an essential book for programmers working in teams.",
          "audience": "Programmers who work with or in teams.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7048938,
          "author": "elviejo",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-13T04:35:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 7048683,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best development book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7048938",
          "commentText": "Peopleware.. to understand taeam dynamics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Peopleware.. to understand taeam dynamics",
          "reason": "Offers the book in response to a question asking for recommended development books.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in team dynamics in software work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5704008,
          "author": "joelmaat",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-14T10:44:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5704008",
          "commentText": "The Way of The Superior Man\nThe Art of Learning\nAs a Man Thinketh\nThinking, Fast and Slow\nThink and Grow Rich!\nPsycho-Cybernet​ics\nPeopleware: Productive Projects and Teams\nRich Dad, Poor Dad",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5406714,
          "author": "grn",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-20T12:09:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 5401749,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What interesting books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5406714",
          "commentText": "Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams by Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister - a great book about software projects management\nFounders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days by Jessica Livingstone - fascinating stories of founders of companies both young and old",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams by Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister - a great book about software projects management",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book about managing software projects.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3338211,
          "author": "gruseom",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T19:17:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3338211",
          "commentText": "I love Pattern Language and use ideas from it all the time. It, and Alexander, are much more interesting than the mechanistic stuff that software people reduced him to. I think Chris Alexander is one of those rare cases where it's possible to see that an individual is right and an entire field is wrong.\nGrowing a Business I read because you recommended it on HN a few years ago!\nPeopleware I remember as being pretty enlightened in spirit and ahead of its time for software projects, but one of those once-you-get-it-you-get-it things. Also, they totally made shit up in that book (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=333694).\nGEB, meh. Hofstadter always struck me as the pseudo-profound type. Perhaps I am unfair.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Peopleware I remember as being pretty enlightened in spirit and ahead of its time for software projects",
          "reason": "Praises its ideas about software projects while criticizing the authors for making things up.",
          "audience": "People working on software projects.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the authors made things up.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3338040,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T18:05:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3338040",
          "commentText": "I read Cialdini years ago because Joel Spolsky recommended it here:\nhttp://www.joelonsoftware.com/navLinks/fog0000000262.html\nFrom that list, I also highly recommend:\n* Peopleware (get your cofounders to read it too)\n* Godel Escher Bach\n* A Pattern Language (but don't bother reading it straight through)\n* Growing A Business",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also highly recommend:\n* Peopleware",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it and suggests cofounders read it too.",
          "audience": "Cofounders and people working on software projects.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240672,
          "author": "rdoherty",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T02:21:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240672",
          "commentText": "* The Pragmatic Programmer\n* Becoming a Technical Leader\n* In Search of Stupidity\n* Hackers & Painters\n* Blockbusters\n* Joel on Software: And on Diverse and Occasionally Related Matters That Will Prove of Interest to Software Developers, Designers, and Managers, and to Those Who, Whether by Good Fortune or Ill Luck, Work with Them in Some Capacity\n* The Best Software Writing I\n* Behind Closed Doors\n* Managing Humans\n* The Mythical Man-Month\n* Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams\n* The Non-Designers Design Book\n* Founders at Work\n* Good to Great\n* Dreaming in Code\n* The Art of the Start\n* Maverick\n* The Design of Everyday Things\n* The Art of Project Management\n* The Art of Innovation",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom DeMarco",
        "Timothy Lister"
      ],
      "recommenders": 25,
      "threads": 17,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software teams",
        "project management",
        "software management",
        "software project management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-hard-thing-about-hard-things-1e4e82",
      "title": "The Hard Thing About Hard Things",
      "author": "Ben Horowitz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41607923,
          "author": "shansense",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-21T06:28:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41607923",
          "commentText": "My list:\n1. The mom test (already mentioned) - idea validation \n2. Zero to one by Thiel - contrarian original thinking \n3. The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz - Operating lessons\n4. Paul Grahams essays and pretty much all content put out by YC\nBeyond this it’s all about the nature of the founder and where /how you see value",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "3. The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz - Operating lessons",
          "reason": "Listed for operating lessons.",
          "audience": "Founders seeking lessons on running a company.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41546739,
          "author": "atlasunshrugged",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-15T11:06:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41546739",
          "commentText": "I second The Hard Thing About Hard Things",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second The Hard Thing About Hard Things",
          "reason": "Seconds the recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41546057,
          "author": "statictype",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-15T08:13:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41546057",
          "commentText": "The Hard Thing About Hard Things - Ben Horowitz\nThis is probably one of the best\nShoe Dog - Phil Knight. \nA great read about the struggles of how Nike started. But was left unsatisfied as the book ends with the company going public but doesnt cover its ascension in the late 80s/90s and how that went down.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hard Thing About Hard Things - Ben Horowitz\nThis is probably one of the best",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the best.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40047166,
          "author": "mooreds",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-16T00:31:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40047166",
          "commentText": "I've given a few:\n* the hard thing about hard things (by Horowitz)\n* climate wars (dwyer)\n* ender's game",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the hard thing about hard things (by Horowitz)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35173669,
          "author": "rgbrenner",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T19:42:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35173669",
          "commentText": "It's a good book, but the part where he says to collude with your friends on hiring (no poaching, no cold calling, informing the other when someone applies, etc)... that's what Google/Adobe/Apple/etc were sued for a while back. Don't do that.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's a good book, but the part where he says to collude with your friends on hiring",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a good book but warns against its advice to collude with other companies on hiring.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Criticizes the hiring advice as conduct that led to lawsuits; says not to do it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35171836,
          "author": "ranabuzdar",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:32:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35171836",
          "commentText": "Here are some of the most popular ones:\nThe Lean Startup by Eric Ries\nZero to One by Peter Thiel\nThe 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey\nThink and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill\nThe E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber\nGood to Great by Jim Collins\nThe Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander\nThe Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz\nThe Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton Christensen\nRework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson\nThese books cover various aspects of entrepreneurship, from idea generation and innovation to leadership and management. Each one offers a unique perspective and valuable insights that can help entrepreneurs navigate the challenges and opportunities of starting and growing a business.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the books covering entrepreneurship.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35170377,
          "author": "jonbischke",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T16:02:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35170377",
          "commentText": "The Hard Thing About Hard Things. We bought a copy for every employee at my last company to help convey the messages that startups are not designed to be tons of fun but rather a tough (yet rewarding) grind. This was especially important for people who were coming from bigger companies to understand.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hard Thing About Hard Things. We bought a copy for every employee at my last company to help convey the messages that startups are not designed to be tons of fun but rather a tough (yet rewarding) grind.",
          "reason": "Used to explain the tough, rewarding grind of startups to employees.",
          "audience": "Employees, especially those coming from bigger companies.",
          "caveat": "Frames startups as a tough grind rather than tons of fun.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27637608,
          "author": "wenc",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T23:46:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27637608",
          "commentText": "* Fooled By Randomness (NN Taleb): Taleb is a complicated personality, but this book gave me a heuristic for thinking about long-tails and uncertain events that I could never have derived myself from a probability textbook.\n* Designing Data Intensive Applications (M Kleppmann): Provided a first-principles approach for thinking about the design of modern large-scale data infrastructure. It's not just about assembling different technologies -- there are principles behind how data moves and transforms that transcend current technology, and DDIA is an articulation of those principles. After reading this, I began to notice general patterns in data infrastructure, which helped me quickly grasp how new technologies worked. (most are variations on the same principles)\n* Introduction to Statistical Learning (James et al) and Applied Predictive Modeling (Kuhn et al). These two books gave me a grand sweep of predictive modeling methods pre-deep learning, methods which continue to be useful and applicable to a wider variety of problem contexts than AI/Deep Learning. (neural networks aren't appropriate for huge classes of problems)\n* High Output Management (A Grove): oft-recommended book by former Intel CEO Andy Grove on how middle management in large corporations actually works, from promotions to meetings (as a unit of work). This was my guide to interpreting my experiences when I joined a large corporation and boy was it accurate. It gave me a language and a framework for thinking about what was happening around me. I heard this was 1 of 2 books Tobi Luetke read to understand management when he went from being a technical person to CEO of Shopify. (the other book being Cialdini's Influence). Hard Things about Hard Things (B Horowitz) is a different take that is also worth a read to understand the hidden--but intentional--managerial design of a modern tech company. These some of the very few books written by practitioners--rather than management gurus--that I've found to track pretty closely with my own real life experiences.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Hard Things about Hard Things (B Horowitz)",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a different take that is worth reading to understand managerial design in modern tech companies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it offers a different take from the preceding practitioner-written management books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27334458,
          "author": "bwh2",
          "createdAt": "2021-05-30T16:40:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 27326937,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good book on companies/individuals failure stories?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27334458",
          "commentText": "The Hard Thing About Hard Things isn't exactly what you're asking for but close because rather than describing the good times, Ben Horowitz writes mostly about the bad times. You can read some of it online like Peacetime CEO / Wartime CEO.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Hard Thing About Hard Things isn't exactly what you're asking for but close",
          "reason": "Offers accounts of the bad times in business.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for company failure stories.",
          "caveat": "Not exactly what the asker is looking for; focuses mostly on bad times rather than describing failure stories.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23153491,
          "author": "cik",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T13:03:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23153491",
          "commentText": "At random\nAtlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand. Love her or hate her, she makes you think.\nThe Hard Thing About Hard Things - This is a great book about building businesses, and business in general.\nCapital in the 21st Century - One of the greatest books about economics and capital written ever - let alone in the last decade.\nThe Intelligent Investor - This is Buffet's favourite book, and regardless of how many times I read it, I still learn more.  One can never digest it in full.\nPredictably Irrational - This excellent tome makes behavioural economics digestible outside of economics. It's enlightening, though provoking, and turns several accepted truths on its head, purely by being written at all.\nNexus (Ramez Naam) - This science fiction book explores transhumanism and would it could mean in the near future. It's both light and pulpy, but at the same time makes you think about the outcomes of technological progression.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hard Thing About Hard Things - This is a great book about building businesses, and business in general.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a book about building and running businesses.",
          "audience": "People building or running businesses.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21911224,
          "author": "cdr6934",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-30T06:17:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21911224",
          "commentText": "Here are my favorites for the decade:\nNever Split the Difference - https://amzn.to/2sAfLGj\nBad Blood - https://amzn.to/2F4IW71\nThe Alchemist - https://amzn.to/356NRyV\nThe Hard Thing About Hard Things - https://amzn.to/39mLs6t",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hard Thing About Hard Things - https://amzn.to/39mLs6t",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's favorites of the decade.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21902980,
          "author": "baristaGeek",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T00:46:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902980",
          "commentText": "Best business books:\n-Secrets of Sandhill Road\n-Hackers and Painters\n-The Great CEO within\n-Venture Deals\n-Predictable Revenue\n-Zero to One\n-The Hard Thing About Hard Things\n-Lean customer development\n-Lost and founder\n-Lean B2B\n-From Impossible to Inevitable\n-Traction\nBest computer science books:\n-Competitive programming 3\n-Structure and interpretation of computer programs\nBest for fun (non-fiction):\n-Meditations\n-Sapiens\n-How to win friends and influence people\n-A brief history of time\n-Self-reliance\n-Frente a la estrella polar",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-The Hard Thing About Hard Things",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s best business books in response to a question about influential books.",
          "audience": "Founders and managers facing company-building challenges.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18745636,
          "author": "jordz",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T11:56:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18745636",
          "commentText": "Since setting up a business in 2016, I needed to better understand how to build a business:\nPrinciples by Ray Dalio - I found this really motivating to ensure our business sticks to and has a set of principles that evolve based on mistakes made (sounds obvious).\nHard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz - I loved listening to this (audible) because being a CEO can be lonely and hearing other peoples thoughts and advice based on their experience (that you can relate to) is really uplifting.\n2018 has been a great year for us and I do think these books have helped me get through the roller coaster that is building a technology startup.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz - I loved listening to this (audible) because being a CEO can be lonely and hearing other peoples thoughts and advice based on their experience (that you can relate to) is really uplifting.",
          "reason": "Loved the audiobook’s relatable advice and found it uplifting when building a company as a CEO.",
          "audience": "CEOs and people building a technology startup.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910252,
          "author": "myth_buster",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:29:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910252",
          "commentText": "Gun germs and steel\nThe Innovator's Dilemma\nThinking Fast and Slow\nGodel Eschel Bach\nHard Things about Hard Things",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hard Things about Hard Things",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for favorite nonfiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961696,
          "author": "Tehchops",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T17:10:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961696",
          "commentText": "Currently reading: Hyperion.\n* Peak: Secretes From the New Science of Expertise\n* The Hard Thing About Hard Things\n* American Gods\n* The Dark Tower\n* Children of Time\n* Sapiens\n* The Lies of Locke Lamora: Gentleman Bastards #1\n* Red Seas Under Red Skies: Gentleman Bastards #2\n* Dark Matter\n* The Dark Tower #1\n* Guns of The Dawn\n* The Hunter Killers\n* Snow Crash",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Hard Thing About Hard Things",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as a book in the commenter's list; no evaluation is given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13581895,
          "author": "jcahill84",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-06T17:41:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13581895",
          "commentText": "The Hard thing About Hard Things, but Ben Horowitz. Before that was The Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton M. Christensen. I've been on a business book kick lately, but currently took a break and am reading Amy Schumer's book for kicks.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Hard thing About Hard Things, but Ben Horowitz.",
          "reason": "Mentions the book while describing recent reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Reading it is not presented as an endorsement.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238121,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:01:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238121",
          "commentText": "Last year I gave myself a Zuckerberg-style goal to read a book every two weeks. It started well, but some months were harder than others (usually when the book wasn't very good, so I would switch to podcasts for a few weeks, before getting back on track).\nHere's an unordered list of the best:\n[BUSINESS / SELF-IMPROVEMENT]\n- \"Work Rules!\" - about Google's culture and values\n- \"Search Inside Yourself\" - about mindfulness, meditation, and the impact on your life.\n- \"What got you here won't get you there\" - Liked a lot more than I expected.\n- \"Re-read Innovator's Dilemma\" - a great classic; never gets old.\n- \"How will you measure your life\" - from the same author. Also excellent.\n- \"The Best Service is No Service\" - good overview on why Amazon's customer service is so good\n- \"Crucial Conversations\" - half is common sense; half is good tips to practice everyday.\n[PROGRAMMING]\n- \"Fluent Python\" - was afraid it'd be too basic, but not really. Enjoyed it a lot.\n- \"Think Complexity\" - about algorithm complexity, data structures, etc. Great read.\n- \"Python Data Science Handbook\" - meh.\n- \"Fundamentals of Deep Learning\" - good intro. Helped me solidify some concepts from Andrew Ng's ML course\n- \"Deep Learning\" - by Goodfellow and Bengio. Just started, but really liking it.\n[STARTUPS] (all excellent; in order)\n- \"The Hard Things about Hard Things\"\n- \"Zero to One\"\n- \"The Founder's Dilemmas\"\n- \"The Launch Pad\"\n[FICTION]\n- Trilogy: \"Off to be a wizard / An Unwelcome Quest / Spell or High Water\"\n- \"Infinite Jest\" - tried but failed to finish. May try again later.\n- \"Ready Player One\" - nice, but repetitive after a while. Good read before the movie comes out.\n[NON-FICTION]\n- \"What If?\" - xkcd FTW\n- \"How to Read a Book\" - good concepts, but should be a 10 pages blog post, not a book\n- \"Spark\" - Science of the Exercise and the Brain - Long, but good\n- \"Sugar Shock\" - still reading; hopefully will help me cut my sweet cravings\n[BIOGRAPHIES]\n- \"The New New Thing\" - about Jim Clark's life, one of the very first entrepreneurs\n- \"Machines of Loving Grace\" - about the research and the rise of AI\n- \"Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution\"\n- \"The Second Coming of Steve Jobs\" - About Pixar's story. Liked more than Isaacson's biography\n- \"The Innovators\" - great summary of computer industry, from the 1800's till today\n- \"Ghost in the Wires\" - Kevin Mitnick's story. Had started years ago, but finally finished it\n- \"Idea Man\" - about Paul Allen's story. Quite an impressive man.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Hard Things about Hard Things\"",
          "reason": "Listed among four startup books described as excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12475769,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T21:12:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12475769",
          "commentText": "Here's the best books I've read in the last year or so:\n>> Computer History & biographies:\nThe New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story, Michael Lewis\nThe Second Coming of Steve Jobs, by Alan Deutschman\nMachines of Loving Grace, by John Markoff\nThe Innovators, by Walter Isaacson\nGhost in the Wires, by Kevin Mitnick\nIdea Man: A Memoir by the Cofounder of Microsoft, by Paul Allen\nCreativity, Inc, by Ed Catmull (reading)\n>> Startups:\nThe Hard Thing About Hard Things, by Ben Horowitz\nThe Founder's Dilemmas, Noam Wasserman\nThe Launch Pad, by Randall Stross\n>> Other books:\nTrilogy: Off to Be the Wizard (series), by Scott Meyer\nSearch Inside Yourself, Chade-Meng Tan\nJoy on Demand, Chade-Meng Tan (reading)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hard Thing About Hard Things, by Ben Horowitz",
          "reason": "Included in the writer's list of best books read over the past year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12430886,
          "author": "adidash",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-05T15:50:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12430886",
          "commentText": "the hard thing about hard things & zero to one",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the hard thing about hard things",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144524,
          "author": "samblr",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T16:23:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144524",
          "commentText": "If I were to go back and be young - I would dedicate myself to read plenty of books and probably find three genres which would appeal. A measure of a good book is how likely will it lead you to read another great book or how likely is that it changes the perception of another book/knowledge or makes you question-argue fundamental value systems. Wish there was kind of backlink algorithm to measure a book like that. I've found below genre-and-author that appeal more over time and you keep going back to them.\n> Tech : C - Kernighan & Ritchie (may be a good python/nodejs book today).\n> About tech people : Made in Japan - The Google Speaks - The Everything store - Hatching Twitter - Steve Jobs - Zero to One - Hard things about hard things.\n> About non-tech people : Founding fathers - Obama - Einstein - Darwin - Feyman - Teresa - Montessori - Gandhi - Mandela - Che Guevera - Churchill.\n> Last but important: Tolstoy - Plato - Enlightenment-Era-Books - Religions(all) - Military fitness.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Hard things about hard things",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books about technology people that appeal to the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment gives no specific evaluation of this title.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12097922,
          "author": "ruler88",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-14T23:17:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12097922",
          "commentText": "the hard thing about hard things - Ben is an amazing story teller, very personable, and great lessons",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the hard thing about hard things - Ben is an amazing story teller, very personable, and great lessons",
          "reason": "Praises the author's storytelling and lessons in a favorite-books thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229784,
          "author": "my5thaccount",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:50:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229784",
          "commentText": "Zero to One by Peter Thiel\nThe Hard Thing about Hard Things by Ben Horowitz\nStrategy Rules - Five Timeless Lessons from Bill Gates, Andy Grove, and Steve Jobs by David B. Yoffie, Michael A. Cusumano\nThese are all timely books and recently written.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hard Thing about Hard Things by Ben Horowitz",
          "reason": "Listed as a book suggestion in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls the listed books timely and recently written.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229612,
          "author": "jakegarelick",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T14:42:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229612",
          "commentText": "My recent favorites: Jobs, The Hard Thing About Hard Things, High Output Management, Innovator's Dilemma, Lean Startup, On The Shortness Of Life, How Google Works, Zero To One, Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Power of Habit, Things Fall Apart, Stoner",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hard Thing About Hard Things",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's recent favorites in response to a book recommendation request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10787625,
          "author": "aws_ls",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T09:09:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787625",
          "commentText": "1) Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree - Rating 3/5 - Got an idea about the times in receding Muslim powers, at the end of the 15th Century, in Spain -  The author is an historian so positive point is that fiction rooted in history. But some of the fictional narratives could have been better, as he was not a fiction writer when he started out.\n2) Zero to One - Rating 4/5 - Thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. Insights into and anecdotal examples of Paypal mafia, among the numerous over there.\n3) Liar's Poker - Rating 4/5 - The first of several best seller's by Michael Lewis, gives insights into the working of Investment Finance business, and in a very interesting way (lots of humor)\n4) Devotion of Suspect X - Rating 4/5 - Work of fiction by the Japanese best seller author Keigo Higashino. Enjoyable read - contrasts a Physicist and a Mathematician trying to out think each other in a crime context (reference to Maths/Physics are just pop-level so don't expect too much)\n5) 'Digital Gold...' by Nathaniel Popper - Currently reading (very enjoyable at around 41%) - Captures the history of evolution of Bitcoin. Also made me sad for various people for different reasons, e.g. Hal Finney, who was the first adopter of Satoshi Nakamoto's idea. Reading this book made me appreciate why not knowing who is SN is important. I am no longer curious.\n6) Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond - Rating 5/5 - A perspective changing book, if there can be one. Had picked it up from Gates notes' reading list couple years back. After reading this, my entire perspective on religions, politics, culture changed and I view everything from the reference point of when we started to do agriculture some 20,000 years ago, and of course geographical perspective.\nSome others in my to-read list (hope to pick one before the turn of the year):\n1) Emperor of all maladies - book on cancer research\n2) Ashley Vance's book on Elon Musk\n3) 100 years of solitude\n4) The selfish gene\n5) The hard thing about hard things\n6) Or, if I see any other book: either on this page, or on Gates Notes or on HN reading share the other day. Am a big fan of exchanging/sharing reading lists.\nEdit: Formatting. HN post editor needs two new lines ('\\n') to display one\nEdit 2: Had wrongly named book #4 as Salvation of a saint (which is another book, I read earlier by the same author)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "5) The hard thing about hard things",
          "reason": "Lists it as a possible future read without evaluating it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It is on the to-read list.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10786160,
          "author": "wushupork",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T22:57:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786160",
          "commentText": "Traction by Justin Mares, Gabriel Weinberg - would probably reread\nGrowth Hacker Marketing by Ryan Holiday\nHow to Fail at Almost Everything by Scott Adams - great read\nScaling Up By Verne Harnish\nGreat By Choice by Jim Collins - love the whole series\nThe Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes - probably worth a reread\nHow to Win at the Sport of Business By Mark Cuban - good read\nElon Mush by Ashlee Vance - need I say more\nThe Hard Thing about Hard Things By Ben Horowitz\nThe Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg - probably need to deeply absorb this - a lot of good stuff\nCopy This! By Paul Orfalea - another good \"small business\" entrepreneur book\nThe E-Myth Revisited By Michael Gerber - 2nd time read. Got more out of it this time.\nThe People's Tycoon (Ford) by Steven Watts - I love reading about businessmen from this age\nScrum by JJ Sutherland Jeff Sutherland - good read for development teams",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Hard Thing about Hard Things By Ben Horowitz",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348264,
          "author": "beachstartup",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:32:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348264",
          "commentText": "the hard thing about hard things, horowitz.\nit gave me a significant confidence boost about the startup i'm doing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it gave me a significant confidence boost about the startup i'm doing.",
          "reason": "Says the book gave them a significant confidence boost about their startup.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9045684,
          "author": "fandawg195",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-13T17:45:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 9044833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I have $2k for books, training and confs. What should I spend it on?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9045684",
          "commentText": "> # The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz\nthis is an excellent book! also i would have to recommend How Google Works. its fairly new.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this is an excellent book!",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly praises the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9045612,
          "author": "Yadi",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-13T17:38:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 9044833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I have $2k for books, training and confs. What should I spend it on?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9045612",
          "commentText": "I would buy and look into the following books:\n# HTTP: The Definitive Guide - O'Reilly Media\n# Algorithms by Sedgewick\n# Introduction to Algorithms by Cormen.\nCheck out some Machine Learning books:\n# Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning\n# Computer Networks (5th Edition)\nI would look at the following book if you wanted more Q&A and interview questions:\n# Cracking the Coding Interview: 150 Programming Questions ...\nTutorial memberships:\n# I would buy a Tuts+ account, they have been very slow in releasing new content (too bad), however they have lots of great Web Development stuff.\nI would read some other non-technical books:\n# Hackers & Painters: Big Ideas from the Computer Age by Paul Graham\n# The Hard Thing About Hard Things by  Ben Horowitz\n# The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book That Will Change The Way You Do Business by Clayton M. Christenen,\n# Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman\n# How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie\nIf you wanted to understand some Cloud stuff, look into the Whitepapers from Amazon Web Services:\n# https://aws.amazon.com/whitepapers/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8257592,
          "author": "chirau",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T14:04:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257592",
          "commentText": "The Hard Thing About Hard Things - Ben Horowitz",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Hard Thing About Hard Things - Ben Horowitz",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109087,
          "author": "eldude",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:16:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109087",
          "commentText": "The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horrowitz.\nIt's pretty good, though I personally find his view of business management to be dated and out of touch like his view of title inflation vs Facebook's title normalization. Still a good and insightful read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's pretty good, though I personally find his view of business management to be dated and out of touch",
          "reason": "Finds it good and insightful, while criticizing its dated, out-of-touch view of business management.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in business management and company leadership.",
          "caveat": "The author’s management views may feel dated and out of touch.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8106959,
          "author": "austenallred",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:22:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106959",
          "commentText": "The hard thing about hard things is by Ben Horowitz :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The hard thing about hard things is by Ben Horowitz",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8106953,
          "author": "joshmlewis",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:20:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106953",
          "commentText": "Just got done reading Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz, most if it was pretty insightful, especially the stories in the beginning. The executive management parts I skimmed over in the middle and some parts were really irrelevant for early stage companies but overall it was a good read and informative.\nPeter Thiel's book Zero To One is on pre-order, but you can pre-order and then get a pre-print edition mailed to you. It's based around the class notes in his Stanford startup class. I don't agree with everything but it's a very good perspective. It really helped me get out of the perspective of shitty ideas and to think bigger.\nEdit: Ops, got Marc and Ben confused. ;)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "most if it was pretty insightful, especially the stories in the beginning.",
          "reason": "Calls much of it insightful, especially its opening stories.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter skimmed the middle management sections and found some parts irrelevant for early-stage companies.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ben Horowitz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 25,
      "threads": 17,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "startups",
        "startup management",
        "leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Navigate life",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "shogun-4c4e4d",
      "title": "Shōgun",
      "author": "James Clavell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268850,
          "author": "satvikpendem",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:05:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268850",
          "commentText": "Shogun, after having watched the show. I also read the other books in Clavell's series, I thought Tai Pan and Gai Jin were interesting but not as much as Shogun. Gai Jin in particular felt like it had lots of filler.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shogun, after having watched the show.",
          "reason": "Says they read it after watching the show.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31972575,
          "author": "Prophasi",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-04T01:28:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31972575",
          "commentText": "Shogun's a milestone in my reading history - it's so extraordinarily engrossing. It deflated me more than any other book as I turned each of the final, waning pages because I didn't want to leave its world behind.\nI was briefly elated to see there are \"sequels\" but just as quickly disappointed to learn they're set centuries apart; it ended up feeling like I was clinging to the only album ever made by an amazing band. I've yet to read the other books in the saga, but I should circle back and fix that.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shogun's a milestone in my reading history - it's so extraordinarily engrossing.",
          "reason": "Calls it a reading milestone and says it is extraordinarily engrossing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Disappointed that the sequels are set centuries apart; has yet to read the other books in the saga.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31970022,
          "author": "WheelsAtLarge",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T18:52:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31970022",
          "commentText": "It's a very good book. I read the book and watched the 1970's TV series. I think it's a great candidate for a redo in the streaming era. It has adventure, political intrigue, romance, and on and on...\nIt's definitely worth reading more than once.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a very good book. I read the book and watched the 1970's TV series.",
          "reason": "Calls the book very good and says it is worth reading more than once.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31968919,
          "author": "lcuff",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T16:30:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31968919",
          "commentText": "James Clavell's Shogun:  The contrast between the Japanese and European cultures in 1600 are delicious, the characters and plot both well developed. I've read it at least a dozen times over four decades.  As I age, I find I experience it very differently.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "James Clavell's Shogun",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its cultural contrast, characters, and plot, and says they have reread it many times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter experiences it differently with age.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21924430,
          "author": "WheelsAtLarge",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-31T20:25:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21924430",
          "commentText": "There is a 70s TV mini series that did a good adaptation of the Shogun book. So I decided to read the book, it was well worth it. At 1000+ pages I wish it could have been longer. I loved it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says reading it was well worth it and loved it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "At 1000+ pages, the commenter wished it could have been longer.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21914514,
          "author": "Psyladine",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-30T16:36:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21914514",
          "commentText": "If by 'inescapably' you mean trapped in sprawling meandering threads with no meaning or relevance to the story that must be read out to completion before you realize you've been had, sure.\nThe sword buried in earthquake and the samurai-wife subplots come to mind even all these years later.\nStill, it was riveting compared to the shaggy dog that was Tai-Pan, the only book I've had the distinction of hurling at the wall in disgust at its non-conclusion.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "If by 'inescapably' you mean trapped in sprawling meandering threads with no meaning or relevance to the story that must be read out to completion before you realize you've been had, sure.",
          "reason": "Criticizes its sprawling, meandering threads as irrelevant and a frustrating reading experience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20989911,
          "author": "Mobius01",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-17T00:22:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20989911",
          "commentText": "Shogun is such a great book. I like to escape to it every year or so.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shogun is such a great book. I like to escape to it every year or so.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book and says they return to it every year or so.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20982283,
          "author": "abhijat",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T09:13:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20982283",
          "commentText": "I just finished Shogun and The Terror one after the other.\nThe reason I liked these is that I found the dogged determination of the respective captains in the face of adversity (especially in The Terror) inspirational.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I just finished Shogun and The Terror one after the other.",
          "reason": "Says the captains' determination in the books was inspirational.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12147276,
          "author": "rabboRubble",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T22:38:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12147276",
          "commentText": "1) Shogun\n2) Noble House\n3) Excel by Que Publishing",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1) Shogun",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10767368,
          "author": "3solarmasses",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T16:07:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10767368",
          "commentText": "I agree with you about Shogun. I think the transformative properties of that book relate to the Samurai mindset.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I agree with you about Shogun. I think the transformative properties of that book relate to the Samurai mindset.",
          "reason": "Agrees that the book is transformative and connects its effect to the samurai mindset.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10766651,
          "author": "lamby",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T10:12:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10766651",
          "commentText": "Curious, although not altogether unsurprising, to find so few fiction books being mentioned. :)\nFor me, it would be a toss-up between James Clavell's «Shogun» (but I wouldn't really be able to explain how or why), and then perhaps «Waking Up» by Sam Harris (a bit more obvious).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "James Clavell's «Shogun» (but I wouldn't really be able to explain how or why)",
          "reason": "Names it as one of two possible books that affected their thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter cannot explain how or why it affected them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175704,
          "author": "a3n",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:57:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175704",
          "commentText": "I read both in the 70s, in the Navy. They're both fascinating. You get to do a lot of reading on a deployed ship.\nKing Rat was a pretty good movie too. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Rat_%28film%29",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I read both in the 70s, in the Navy.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175624,
          "author": "Finbarr",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:37:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175624",
          "commentText": "Just finished reading this myself and would highly recommend it. Both Shogun and Tai Pan were thoroughly enjoyable reads. Deeply woven plots with rich characters and historical intrigue.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Both Shogun and Tai Pan were thoroughly enjoyable reads.",
          "reason": "The commenter says both novels were thoroughly enjoyable and recommends them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6397823,
          "author": "kyzyl",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-17T05:55:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6397823",
          "commentText": "Yeah the Asian Saga includes King Rat, Shogun, Noble House, Taipan as well as Gai-gin, The Whirlwind. They're all pretty good books but I believe Taipan, Noble House and Shogun are considered Clavell's best work, in that order (personally I like Noble House best).\nThanks for the recommendation though.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "King Rat, Shogun, Noble House, Taipan as well as Gai-gin, The Whirlwind.",
          "reason": "Includes it among the saga books the commenter considers pretty good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387616,
          "author": "kyzyl",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T00:04:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387616",
          "commentText": "As has already been mentioned elsewhere in this thread, most of Neil Stephenson's work is just great. Cryptonomicon is my favorite, but The Baroque Cycle (three books) is very good as well.\nIf you're into crime/mystery fiction, the recently deceased Elmore Leonard was one of the best. A few of his books have been made into movies (Get Shorty, Jackie Brown, The Big Bounce) with mixed results, but I do I highly recommend reading the books, which are numerous.\nFor a different sort of fiction, James Clavell's Shogun, Taipan, and Noble House are great. In fact, Noble House very well be my favorite book. It's a long (~1400 page) book about business dealings, political intrigue, and more. All set in the context of 1963 Hong Kong.\nThose who like a touch of historical fiction could take a look at Conn Uggulden. One of his series, The Conqueror, which is about the rise and fall of the Mongol empire is pretty interesting. The books are a light read, and not particularly complicated, but it's entertaining and has some neat historical bits.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "James Clavell's Shogun, Taipan, and Noble House are great.",
          "reason": "Calls the named novels great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4969039,
          "author": "theballwatcher",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T12:30:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4969039",
          "commentText": "Shogun is a great read. It got me started on the whole historical fiction genre. The rest of the books in Clavell's Asian Saga are pretty good too except for maybe Gai-jin. I also enjoyed reading Gore Vidal's Lincoln and Burr from his Narratives of the Empire series - very entertaining and definitely not run-of-the-mill biographic portrayals.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shogun is a great read. It got me started on the whole historical fiction genre.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great read and says it sparked interest in historical fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4967310,
          "author": "arram",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T22:39:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967310",
          "commentText": "I read 27 books in 2012. Here are some of the more interesting ones:\nShogun - James Clavel. 'Epic' is the best word I can use to describe this historical fiction. I first read it in 2009 and have reread all 1100 pages multiple times since. The first English pilot to reach the Japans discovers a culture that, while strange, is in many ways far more advanced than his own. The fictional Lord Toranaga is based on the historical Tokugawa Ieyasu, a brilliant strategist who founded a dynasty that lasted 268 years. The book is full of the real Tokugawa's writings, which can be very profound. For anyone familiar with the 'marshmallow test' for determining how well 5 year olds will do later in life, Tokugawa had it figured out 370 years before Walter Mischel:\n\"The strong manly ones in life are those who understand the meaning of the word patience. Patience means restraining one's inclinations. There are seven emotions: joy, anger, anxiety, adoration, grief, fear, and hate, and if a man does not give way to these he can be called patient. I am not as strong as I might be, but I have long known and practiced patience. And if my descendants wish to be as I am, they must study patience.\"\nLieutenant Hornblower - C.S. Forrester. Shogun taught me that reading historical fiction made regular history much more interesting, which made me seek out more historical fiction. This is a series of 12 books covering the career of a British navel man during the Napoleonic Wars. Gene Roddenberry based the character of Jean Luc Picard on its protagonist. My recommendation won't be as strong as these gentlemen though: \"I find Hornblower admirable.\" -Winston Churchill, and \"I recommend Forester to everyone literate I know,\" -Ernest Hemingway\nThe Sparrow - Mary Doria Russell. I found this through another Hacker News book thread. I enjoyed it so much that after reading the sequel I immediately went back and read the first book again. SETI discovers music coming from Alpha Centauri and the Jesuits are the first to launch an expedition to investigate. It's science fiction, but unlike most science fiction, the story is more about the characters and their relationships than it is about exploring the consequences of an interesting premise.\nCall Me Ted - Ted Turner. At the peak (before the AOL-Time Warner merger debacle) Ted Turner was worth $10 Billion. His autobiography is a great look into the sort of exceptional personality that creates that kind of exceptional result. Everything from growing up in the south and almost being lynched in school when someone started a rumor that he'd badmouthed General Robert E. Lee, to transforming his dad's billboard company several times until it was a media empire with TV channels like CNN, TNT, and Cartoon Network. Here's a great excerpt from a section written by a friend of his:\n\"And you know what I’m going to do next after I have the fourth network?” I said, “No, Ted, what’s that?” “I’m going to run for president and be elected.” Now I thought to myself, “This guy is absolutely nuts— and I’ve just agreed to lend him all this money!” I said to Ted, “Oh, Ted, don’t tell anybody else about that, okay?” And he said, “Cuz, your trouble is you don’t understand the power of television. Let me show you.” He pulled a little book of matches out of his desk drawer and he said, “Okay, it’s Saturday morning at 7: 30 and it’s Captain Teddy’s Kiddy Hour, and I come on television and I say, ‘Hey kids, today we’re going to play a game and it’s going to be so much fun. Now, don’t tell Mommy and Daddy, this is our secret between Captain Teddy and you. Now, everybody go get some matches. See Captain Teddy’s matches? Go get some just like this.’” Then he goes over to his window he says, “All right kids, everybody got your match? Go to the window and strike your match and light the curtain or the drape,” at which point he struck his match right near the old cheesecloth thing he had hanging in front of his window and then he flung the window open and he said to me, “At that point, I’d look out over Atlanta and watch it burn.” It was an incredible performance.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Epic' is the best word I can use to describe this historical fiction.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it epic and says they have reread it multiple times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395886,
          "author": "codypo",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T14:51:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395886",
          "commentText": "On the fiction side, I absolutely loved Shogun by Clavell. I didn't know what to expect, and I found an epic that was captivating in many ways.  I also started Neil Gaiman's Sandman series. I realize I'm about 10 years behind everyone else, and I've found it most deserving of all of the hubbub.\nWith respect to nonfiction, I enjoyed Schroeder's recent biography of Warren Buffett, entitled the Snowball. It was much less of a hagiography than much of what you read on him. He's a fascinating, complex man.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I absolutely loved Shogun by Clavell. I didn't know what to expect, and I found an epic that was captivating in many ways.",
          "reason": "Says they absolutely loved it and found it captivating.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2643818,
          "author": "systemtrigger",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-11T13:09:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2643818",
          "commentText": "Don Quixote by Cervantes, or Shogun by Clavell.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shogun by Clavell",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1974036,
          "author": "ramidarigaz",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T05:19:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974036",
          "commentText": "Likewise. Noble House was a good read, but Shogun was much better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shogun was much better.",
          "reason": "Explicitly rates it above Noble House.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1973895,
          "author": "avinashv",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T04:23:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1973895",
          "commentText": "I've read only Noble House. It's quite rich on the culture--maybe not so much as Shogun--and captures the setting quite well, but I didn't find it nearly as entrancing as Shogun.\nWorth a read, still.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I didn't find it nearly as entrancing as Shogun.",
          "reason": "Uses it as a favorable comparison to Noble House.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1973886,
          "author": "bonsaitree",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T04:21:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1973886",
          "commentText": "Indeed.  After I finished it, I was sad for weeks.  I just missed being in that world with those people.\nNone of Clavell's other endeavors even comes close (though Tai-Pan was, relatively speaking, a fun modern romp).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "After I finished it, I was sad for weeks. I just missed being in that world with those people.",
          "reason": "Expresses a strong attachment to the book's world and characters after finishing it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1973741,
          "author": "boyter",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T03:23:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1973741",
          "commentText": "I read that about 10 years ago. I need to revisit it again since I don't think I have ever managed to finish it without long periods of rest inbetween parts.\nThat said I totally agree. Excellent book.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Excellent book.",
          "reason": "The commenter agrees with the praise, though they found it hard to finish without long breaks.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not managed to finish it without long periods between parts.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1973679,
          "author": "joe6pack",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T03:05:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1973679",
          "commentText": "I finished this recently and could not agree more. I've just started the 1980's miniseries via Netflix (no streaming, unfortunately) - I'm only two hours in, but so far it is a great retelling.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I finished this recently and could not agree more.",
          "reason": "The commenter agrees with the praise in the parent comment and says they finished the book recently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753450,
          "author": "hendler",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T19:52:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753450",
          "commentText": "+1 for Shogun and Tai Pan.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for Shogun",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the parent’s recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753386,
          "author": "alinajaf",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T19:17:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753386",
          "commentText": "I am a total whore for historical fiction:\n'Shogun' by James Clavell was the first book I read that had me glued to it for hours and hours at a time. Tai Pan is also a classic.\nI also found the original three Courtney books by Wilbur Smith (starting with 'The Sound of Thunder') were a guilty pleasure. They are pure trash, with thin characters and a predictable plot but epic adventure nonetheless.\nMore recently I've topped off the 'Emperor' series (chronicling Julius Ceasars life) and have started the 'Conqueror' series (same thing, but its about Genghis Khan). Both by Conn Iggulden.\nNot quite at the same literary level as some of the other suggestions here but I was wondering if I was the only one.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Shogun' by James Clavell was the first book I read that had me glued to it for hours and hours at a time.",
          "reason": "It kept the commenter absorbed for hours.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876634,
          "author": "jakkals",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T13:18:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876634",
          "commentText": "Right now, Anathem by Neal Stephenson is my favorite.\nI read through the comments before adding my 2 cents. I saw a lot of my favorite books, including a few by Neal Stephenson. But I did not see Anathem. Hmmm...\nI also saw a few references to James Clavell's Shogan. Excellent book. But I liked Tai Pan more, and in fact, I would say that this is my second favorite.\nJust to add another title that nobody here is likely mention, the first book that I read that blew my mind (admittedly in my very young days) was \"When the Lion feeds\" by Wilbur Smith.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Excellent book.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an excellent book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876216,
          "author": "knv",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T06:55:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876216",
          "commentText": "+1 for Shogun. It's one hell of a book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for Shogun. It's one hell of a book.",
          "reason": "Endorses the prior recommendation and calls it an outstanding book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875855,
          "author": "systemtrigger",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T03:09:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875855",
          "commentText": "Don Quixote\nShogun",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shogun",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86512,
          "author": "tel",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-06T05:10:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86512",
          "commentText": "V. by Thomas Pynchon\nThe Life of Pi by Yann Martel\nthe McSweeney's Quarterly Concern (Not a book per se, but  \nvery enjoyable)\nShakespeare (Everything, I'm surprised he's only been mentioned once so far)\nThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald\nThe Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe\nShogun by James Clavell\n\nThen, of course, the regular hodgepodge of Card, Asimov, Adams, Gaiman, Pratchet, Stephenson, Feynman, and that LOTR guy, Tolkey or sommat. (In all seriousness, though, all of these authors are phenomenal, if well-known for being such)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shogun by James Clavell",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Clavell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 25,
      "threads": 15,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "feudal japan",
        "japan",
        "historical novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-elements-of-style-86f330",
      "title": "The Elements of Style",
      "author": "William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37960142,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:06:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960142",
          "commentText": "I ran this thread through GPT-4 to extract mentions and summarize them in markdown. Sharing if it's helpful for others too.\n* \"Manufacturing Consent\" by Chomsky and Herman (2 mentions)\n    * Summary: This book investigates and criticizes the media's role in promoting and sustaining powerful interests. Chomsky frames the media as a system that safeguards the power of the elite by shaping public opinion.\n* \"On Palestine\" by Chomsky (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers an insightful view of one of the most enduring and intractable conflicts of our time. Chomsky explores the historical origins, developments, and politics surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict.\n* \"Requiem for the American Dream\" by Noam Chomsky (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book discusses the concentration of wealth in the hands of the few and its effects on democracy in America. It highlights the decline of the middle class and the widening wealth gap.\n* \"The Design of Everyday Things\" by Don Norman (2 mentions)\n    * Summary: The book details the science behind our interaction with everyday items. It scrutinizes the design process and explores the relationship between users and the products they use, urging designers to think deeply about how their designs influence user behavior.\n* \"The Better Angels of Our Nature\" by Steven Pinker (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book challenges the belief that society is becoming increasingly violent, arguing instead that violence has declined over historical time periods. It explores the psychological and societal mechanisms that have led to this decrease.\n* \"Factfulness\" by Hans Rosling (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Factfulness emphasizes a more optimistic view of global human progress. It challenges the notion that the world is worse off today than it was in the past by providing facts and statistics that argue the contrary.\n* \"Phenomenology of Spirit\" by Hegel (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This is a central work of German philosophy in which Hegel explores the concept of 'spirit'. He examines the relationship between consciousness and its objects, eventually leading to a discussion about the nature of freedom and the unfolding of history.\n* \"The Righteous Mind\" by Jonathan Haidt (2 mentions)\n    * Summary: The book delves into the world of moral psychology and its impact on politics and religion. Haidt proposes that morality is not a product of rational thought but is driven by intuitive reactions, challenging conventional understandings of morality.\n* \"How To Build A Car\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: The book offers a captivating analysis of Formula 1 car design and the precision engineering involved in creating these high-performance vehicles. It provides insights into the processes followed by a renowned designer.\n* \"Factfulness\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: Factfulness emphasizes a more optimistic view of global human progress. It challenges notions that the world is getting worse by presenting an array of facts that argue the contrary.\n* \"Strunk and White The Elements of Style\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A guide to English language usage and writing style that covers topics such as conciseness, clarity, and simplicity of expression. It is considered a seminal work on English composition and is widely used in American English writing.\n* \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book explores the concept of how symbols, patterns and loops manifest in the fields of mathematics, art and music. It also discusses aspects of cognition and consciousness and how our minds perceive and understand the world.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Strunk and White The Elements of Style\" (1 mention, author not specified)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37941774,
          "author": "D13Fd",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T12:11:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37941774",
          "commentText": "Seconded on Strunk and White, although you also need to know not to follow some of its outdated advice.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Seconded on Strunk and White, although you also need to know not to follow some of its outdated advice.",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the recommendation while noting that some advice is outdated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some of its advice is outdated and should not be followed.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937012,
          "author": "LeonB",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:15:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937012",
          "commentText": "I’d like to say\n- Factfulness or\n- Sapiens or\n- Richard Feynman’s various writings\n…but the most measurable impact was probably from something like\n- “Strunk and white The Elements of Style” or\n- “How to win friends and influence people” or\n- “Oh! Pascal!” Or\n- “the dictionary” or\n- some specific bus timetable that enabled a pivotal moment in my life",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Strunk and white The Elements of Style”",
          "reason": "Named as a book with measurable impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35711199,
          "author": "_0xik",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-26T09:14:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 35710671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell still a recommended read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35711199",
          "commentText": "What? Tons of books get new editions. It happens constantly. For example, Strunk & White [0] has been updated in 1918, 1959, 1999, and 2009. Authors release different versions of their own books. I just wrote a review of a book [1] that had a 2nd edition released in 2022 after the first edition was released in 2014. J.R.R. Tolkein retconned The Hobbit after publication of Lord of the Rings. [2] (I realize this isn't really the same thing but I wanted to give an example in fiction)\nAnyway, point is, tons of books are changed after publication. I don't see why The Mythical Man Month shouldn't be; the technology is out of date and the gender issues are out of date.\n[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Elements_of_Style\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/Everybody-Writes-Improved-Go-Ridiculo... (https://www.amazon.com/Everybody-Writes-Improved-Go-Ridiculously/dp/1119854164)\n[2] https://birthmoviesdeath.com/2012/12/13/how-jrr-tolkien-pull... (https://birthmoviesdeath.com/2012/12/13/how-jrr-tolkien-pulled-a-george-lucas-on-the-hobbit)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Strunk & White [0] has been updated in 1918, 1959, 1999, and 2009.",
          "reason": "Uses it as an example of a book receiving new editions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32790333,
          "author": "BMc2020",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T13:17:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790333",
          "commentText": "Electromagnatic Compatibility Engineering, Henry Ott\nThe Elements of Style, Strunk and White\nThe Hardest (working) Man in Showbiz, Ron Jeremy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Elements of Style, Strunk and White",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32357602,
          "author": "muchas_gracias",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-05T15:31:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32357602",
          "commentText": "The Elements of Style by Strunk and White is a short book of \"rules\" about style which boil down to making every word, letter, and punctuation mark \"tell.\" I believe it to be essential to begin writing clearly and effectively.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Elements of Style by Strunk and White is a short book of \"rules\" about style",
          "reason": "Calls it essential for beginning to write clearly and effectively.",
          "audience": "People beginning to write clearly and effectively.",
          "caveat": "The rules are described as boiling down to making every word, letter, and punctuation mark tell.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32349662,
          "author": "MarinaMichaels",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-04T23:35:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32349662",
          "commentText": "\"Writing well\" can mean two things: Putting together clear, concise, grammatically correct sentences that are pleasant to read; and organizing your content in a useful, rational way.\nTechnical writing needs to do both, and it also needs to teach well.\nTeaching well doesn't always mean you're writing well, and vice versa.\nTeaching well means using what cognitive and learning scientists have discovered about how best to teach adults.\nBooks like Strunk & White's Elements of Style are good resources for putting together good sentences. Fewer books teach organizing your content, and even fewer teach how to teach well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Books like Strunk & White's Elements of Style are good resources for putting together good sentences.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a resource for writing clear, concise sentences.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32345453,
          "author": "dont__panic",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-04T17:01:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32345453",
          "commentText": "Commenting because I don't know a great way to find this comment in the future otherwise.\nI have a decent learning & development stipend at my job, and I've been looking to buy some hard copies of technical writing books so I can refer to them easily during the workday. And to intimidate my enemies on Zoom, of course. So far my go-tos are \"Docs for Developers\" and the classic \"Elements of Style\", which complement each other well, covering the newest documentation strategies and the oldest nonfiction writing strategies, respectively. I'd really like to start posting reviews to my blog as I read more and build out my own library.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and the classic \"Elements of Style\"",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's go-to books on nonfiction writing.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in nonfiction writing strategies.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32343855,
          "author": "sstevenshang",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-04T15:04:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32343855",
          "commentText": "Good technical writing is good writing. Just learn how to write well in general. I recommend going through The Elements of Style and basically any college level writing course materials.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend going through The Elements of Style",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a resource for learning to write well.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32343612,
          "author": "scruple",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-04T14:47:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32343612",
          "commentText": "I keep a copy on my desk and thumb through it occasionally when I need help with my writing. Next to that book is also a copy of Williams and Colomb's Style: Toward Clarity and Grace. I've also read the USAF Tongue and Quill. There are good lessons in all 3 of these books for technical writers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Williams and Colomb's Style: Toward Clarity and Grace",
          "reason": "Says the three books offer good lessons for technical writers.",
          "audience": "Technical writers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32343436,
          "author": "EddieDante",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-04T14:33:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32343436",
          "commentText": "Strunk & White's The Elements of Style is a classic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Strunk & White's The Elements of Style is a classic.",
          "reason": "Described as a classic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23374800,
          "author": "chemicalnovae",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-01T01:42:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23374800",
          "commentText": "I was first put onto this book by my PhD supervisor while writing up my dissertation. Revolutionised the way I wrote English for the better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I was first put onto this book by my PhD supervisor while writing up my dissertation. Revolutionised the way I wrote English for the better.",
          "reason": "Says the book substantially improved their writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23371893,
          "author": "WalterBright",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-31T19:20:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23371893",
          "commentText": "> 1920s book on English writing style inspiring your coding style.\nAbsolutely. It is surprising (but not really once you think about it) how applicable it is.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Absolutely. It is surprising (but not really once you think about it) how applicable it is.",
          "reason": "Affirms that the book's ideas apply to programming practices.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23370038,
          "author": "xtiansimon",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-31T15:11:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23370038",
          "commentText": "?? You mean this book-- \"The Elements of Style is an American English writing style guide in numerous editions. The original was composed by William Strunk Jr. in 1918, and published by Harcourt in 1920...\" [1]\nCool! 1920s book on English writing style inspiring your coding style.\nMy first reaction to the 'positive form' was to recall a conversation I had once with a retired programmer about flow control diagrams. They relayed how the normal form for these required, for example, the boolean nodes to exit True in one direction and False in another--but all similar nodes had to exit in the same direction.\nI wondered if a paper-based design, once translated into code, might not include conditionals such as the example which seem awkward once the paper design is lost and forgotten.\nNow I don't know which detail is more interesting--\nHow design methodology effects the comprehensibility of written code.\nHow I was inspired to apply natural language writing principles as programming best practices.\n[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Elements_of_Style",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Elements of Style is an American English writing style guide",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23367025,
          "author": "WalterBright",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-31T03:47:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23367025",
          "commentText": "\"The Elements of Style\", by Strunk & White. 92 pages.\nFor example, page 19: \"Put statements in positive form.\"\nCode is improved if booleans are put in positive form, such as replace:\n    if (!featureIsDisabled()) ...\n\nwith:\n    if (hasFeature()) ...\n\nYou might laugh, but I see the first form all the time. Sometimes I go on a refactoring mission to remove as many negations, nots, and bangs from the code as possible.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Elements of Style\", by Strunk & White. 92 pages.",
          "reason": "Cited as a short book whose advice to use positive phrasing can improve code.",
          "audience": "Software developers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23366088,
          "author": "ziyao_w",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-31T00:25:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23366088",
          "commentText": "Finally picked up Strunk and White after years of procrastination and so far it has been a tour-de-force consolidating/spelling out the knowledge I picked up along the way (ESL). I found mentally swapping out words about writing for words about programming to be fun.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Strunk and White",
          "reason": "Describes the book as consolidating writing knowledge and says applying its ideas to programming was fun.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23154814,
          "author": "combatentropy",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T15:10:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23154814",
          "commentText": "Mere Christianity, by C. S. Lewis. Any of his nonfiction works have a style of writing that I seldom find. He has a dedication to reason and a step-by-step approach.\nThe Elements of Style, by William Strunk and E. B. White. I liked writing since I learned how to. I didn't find this book until I was 17, and it unlocked me to write in a way that better helped others.\nThe Language Instinct, by Steven Pinker. I guess I like writing and language. Like C. S. Lewis, Steven Pinker has a way of writing about hard things that makes them easy to understand, even enjoyable. The subject matter is also news to most people, I think, who don't appreciate just how much that language is built in to the human mind from conception.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Elements of Style, by William Strunk and E. B. White. I liked writing since I learned how to. I didn't find this book until I was 17, and it unlocked me to write in a way that better helped others.",
          "reason": "Says it helped them write in a way that better served readers.",
          "audience": "People who want to improve their writing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17914850,
          "author": "combatentropy",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-05T03:36:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17914850",
          "commentText": "The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E. B. White\nThe Language Instinct by Steven Pinker\nThe Problem of Pain by C. S. Lewis\nThe Mac Is Not a Typewriter by Robin Williams\nGetting Real by 37 Signals",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E. B. White",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite nonfiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14487476,
          "author": "Cerium",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T13:37:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487476",
          "commentText": "Elements of Style, also referred to as \"Strunk and White\" is a gem of a style guide. It can be read every few years to get back on track.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Elements of Style, also referred to as \"Strunk and White\" is a gem of a style guide. It can be read every few years to get back on track.",
          "reason": "Praises it as a style guide and recommends rereading it periodically.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12476851,
          "author": "marmot777",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-12T02:38:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12476851",
          "commentText": "\"Everybody Writes\"\nNot that I follow all the great advice yet but I aspire to get there someday. I have it on my shelf next to \"Elements of Style.\"",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I have it on my shelf next to \"Elements of Style.\"",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a book on the commenter's shelf.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12245413,
          "author": "anonbiocoward",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T03:55:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12245413",
          "commentText": "Strunk and White. I put my email and phone number in the inside cover. Only for good friends. Have gotten contacts from people I haven't seen in 10 years.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Strunk and White. I put my email and phone number in the inside cover.",
          "reason": "Named as a book the commenter gives to close friends in a thread about gift books.",
          "audience": "Only for good friends.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12244439,
          "author": "SwellJoe",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-07T23:47:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244439",
          "commentText": "Is there a more correct book that is similarly concise and similarly well-written? I would love to read it, if so.\nEdit: I found this blog post that lists some alternatives http://thewritingresource.net/2011/09/22/forget-everything-s... (http://thewritingresource.net/2011/09/22/forget-everything-strunk-white-told-you/)\nAbout half of the titles are punny or plays on words, which I'm somewhat suspicious of (even though I like puns). And, all are at least twice the size of Strunk and White. I understand that some subjects are bigger than a ~100 page book can cover, but despite having spent a lot of my life writing (and having published a book), I've never been able to plod through a big grammar book. I can read Elements of Style in an afternoon without feeling like it's a chore. As noted in some of the reviews, if it's wrong it's not worth even that much effort. But, I never thought it was predominantly wrong or predominantly misleading. And, it usually reminds me about one or more of my negative writing habits, and I correct it for a while until I forget again.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I can read Elements of Style in an afternoon without feeling like it's a chore.",
          "reason": "Says it is concise and readable, and that it prompts the commenter to correct writing habits.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter questions whether the book is accurate or misleading.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144210,
          "author": "GeneWilburn",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:44:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144210",
          "commentText": "The C Programming Language, Kernighan and Ritchie, for its simple elegance.\nThe Elements of Style, Strunk & White. On clear writing.\nHitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (series), Douglas Adams. So you don't take yourself too seriously.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Elements of Style, Strunk & White. On clear writing.",
          "reason": "Named as a career-impacting book about clear writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144006,
          "author": "combatentropy",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:11:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144006",
          "commentText": "1. The Bible. It encourages me to live in a way that's also good for others, especially when I'm feeling selfish and cynical, and it teaches me how to interact with them in a healthy way (e.g. the book of Proverbs).\n2. The Elements of Style. I always enjoyed writing, but at first school taught me to write in a flowery, longwinded way. This was the book that cracked the code for me to good writing. It dispelled a lot of self-serving and ultimately self-defeating habits and paved the way to clean, helpful English. When I finally got into programming in my late twenties, I found that many of the same principles make good code.\n3. The Visual Display of Quantitative Information. This is like the Elements of Style but for graphs. Again, it encouraged me to cut through the hype and deliver the content as clearly and succinctly as possible --- to serve the reader, not stroke my ego.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This was the book that cracked the code for me to good writing.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them write clearly and apply similar principles to code.",
          "audience": "Writers and programmers seeking clear writing and code.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10028883,
          "author": "mkempe",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T22:53:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10028883",
          "commentText": "\"The Elements of Style\" by Strunk & White.\n\"The biological basis of teleological concepts\" by Harry Binswanger.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Elements of Style\" by Strunk & White.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107093,
          "author": "mrcdima",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T09:05:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107093",
          "commentText": "Some titles I've recently read or at least have placed on my reading list.\n--------------------\nPhilosohpy\nLetters from a Stoic: Epistulae Morales Ad Lucilium - Seneca\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius (must read)\nThe Republic - Plato\n--------------------\nHistory\nFive Chimneys - Olga Lengyel\nThe Gulag Archipelago - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (must read)\nThe Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank\n--------------------\nFiction\n(particularly dystopian) 1984, Brave New World, Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451\n(crime/action) Child 44, The Secret Speech, Agent 6 - Tom Rob Smith\n--------------------\nEconomics\nCapital in the Twenty-First Century - Thomas Piketty\nPoor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty - Banerjee, Duflo\nWhy Nations Fail - Robinson\n--------------------\nEconomics/Decision making/Psychology\nUndercover Economist, Freakonomics, Nudge, Thinking Fast and Slow\n--------------------\nRandom titles\nThe Selfish Gene, Self-Reliance, The Elements of Style (about writing), Slaughterhouse-Five\n--------------------\nSome links to inspire your reading (though you may want to checkout the websites first to get an idea of the topics they cover)\nhttp://www.gatesnotes.com/Books\nhttp://bookpickings.brainpickings.org/\nhttp://www.farnamstreetblog.com/reading/\nhttp://www.ryanholiday.net/reading-newsletter\nI’m just a working-class guy trying to take part in the conversation that all the smart people are having. What books should I read? - http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-cl... (http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-class-guy-trying-to-take-part-in-the-conversation-that-all-the-smart-people-are-having-what-books-should-i-read/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Elements of Style (about writing)",
          "reason": "Listed as a title in response to the thread's request for book suggestions.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in writing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3565927,
          "author": "revorad",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-08T09:50:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 3564256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best programming books for someone in prison?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3565927",
          "commentText": "Here's another idea: Since your friend is coming out in 9 months anyway and there's so much risk involved in trying to sneak in a programming book, he should probably spend his time developing another equally useful skill: writing well.\nAs many other successful programmers have noted (Spolsky, Yegge) and demonstrated, effective communication, especially through writing, is a very useful and necessary skill for a programmer. So, maybe you should send him just some good books on writing well.\nIn general books, I can think of Strunk and White, On Writing (by Stephen King). But some examples of good writing about programming could also help:\nThe Best Software Writing (edited by Spolsky)\nJoel on Software (the best articles from his blog)\nSteve Yegge's blog posts (others might disagree but I think he is an excellent writer).\nPaul Graham's essays\nraganwald's old blog - http://weblog.raganwald.com/\nJames Hague's blog - http://prog21.dadgum.com/\nRands in Repose - http://randsinrepose.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In general books, I can think of Strunk and White",
          "reason": "Suggested as a book on writing well for a programmer.",
          "audience": "Programmers looking to improve their writing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1965200,
          "author": "0s30s1s",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-03T08:41:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 1965039,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books for English writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1965200",
          "commentText": "Elements of Style is full of little nuggets of good writing. Start a blog/journal to continuously practice the techniques in the book",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Elements of Style is full of little nuggets of good writing.",
          "reason": "Praises the book's useful writing advice and encourages practice using its techniques.",
          "audience": "People seeking to improve their writing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876549,
          "author": "lsd5you",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T12:10:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876549",
          "commentText": "Elements of Style, is well written and thoughtful, but it should not be taken as an prescriptive authority - as it commonly is - on grammatical minutiae. Or in other words Strunk & White, a.k.a Drunken Shite (only when discussing grammar rules!!).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Elements of Style, is well written and thoughtful, but it should not be taken as an prescriptive authority - as it commonly is - on grammatical minutiae.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds it well written and thoughtful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Should not be treated as a prescriptive authority on grammatical minutiae.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875812,
          "author": "ekpyrotic",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T02:45:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875812",
          "commentText": "'Elements of Style', Strunk & White.\nIt has changed my life. For the last two years I have endeavoured to simplify my thoughts/ideas, so they can be communicated precisely. It's hard, painful work.\nThat aim has recoloured my being: music; literature; art. Philip Glass. Hemingway. Mondrian.\nI am not the same person.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Elements of Style', Strunk & White.\nIt has changed my life.",
          "reason": "Says it changed their life and helped them pursue precise, simpler communication.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The work of simplifying thoughts and ideas is hard and painful.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56709,
          "author": "ericb",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T04:32:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56709",
          "commentText": "How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.  It is arguably the most useful book I've ever read, albeit with the most embarassing title.\nAs inklesspen mentioned, Elements of Style is a must.\nCode Complete and the Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks.  Timeless coding wisdom.\nFor a laugh, Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, or Hitchhiker's Guide.  \nBody Language, Julius Fast. Kitschy but fascinating insights into body language.\nFabric of the Cosmos, Brian Greene.  Brian is a fluke of nature--a physicist who can explain things realy well!\nAnything by Phillip K. Dick.  Sci-fi stories that make you think.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Elements of Style is a must.",
          "reason": "Calls the book a must.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56671,
          "author": "inklesspen",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T03:31:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56671",
          "commentText": "In fiction:\nBridge of Birds, by Barry Hughart. Easily some of the best storytelling I've ever read. 1/3 comedy, 2/3 adventure, in an ancient China that never was. http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0345321383/\nHomer's epics. I prefer the translation by W.H.D. Rouse, which you can find at http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0451527372/ and http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0451527364/\nHeading even further back in time, I love this rendition of Gilgamesh: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0618275649/ Even in 2000 BCE they thought the world was ancient.\nLady of Mazes by Karl Schroeder has one of the best treatments of post-singularity life (and what makes life in general worth living) that I've ever read: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0765350785/\nNonfiction:\nThe Mythical Man-Month. A little dated (it's directed at mainframe developers and their managers) but still relevant.\nThe Elements of Style (Strunk and White). Learn to write clearly -- it's valuable no matter what you do.\nProgramming Erlang: Software for a Concurrent World. Easily the best programming text I've read in the last year, and it's sold me on Erlang.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Learn to write clearly -- it's valuable no matter what you do.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a way to learn clear writing, which the commenter says is valuable in any field.",
          "audience": "Anyone who wants to write clearly.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Strunk Jr.",
        "E. B. White"
      ],
      "recommenders": 25,
      "threads": 15,
      "topics": [
        "Writing",
        "Learning",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "style guide",
        "grammar",
        "style",
        "clear writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Reference",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "think-and-grow-rich-35dded",
      "title": "Think and Grow Rich",
      "author": "Napoleon Hill",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37943351,
          "author": "lmorandi",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T14:25:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37943351",
          "commentText": "Think and Grow Rich written by Napoleon Hill is the book that had the biggest impact on me. By the name you would think that only talks about money and finance, but the real message is about the power of desire. I loved it and really changed my mind and the way of doing things. Really recommend it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Think and Grow Rich written by Napoleon Hill is the book that had the biggest impact on me.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed their outlook and way of doing things, and explicitly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Despite its title, the commenter says its real message is about desire, not just money and finance.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35171836,
          "author": "ranabuzdar",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:32:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35171836",
          "commentText": "Here are some of the most popular ones:\nThe Lean Startup by Eric Ries\nZero to One by Peter Thiel\nThe 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey\nThink and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill\nThe E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber\nGood to Great by Jim Collins\nThe Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander\nThe Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz\nThe Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton Christensen\nRework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson\nThese books cover various aspects of entrepreneurship, from idea generation and innovation to leadership and management. Each one offers a unique perspective and valuable insights that can help entrepreneurs navigate the challenges and opportunities of starting and growing a business.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the books covering entrepreneurship.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17983360,
          "author": "daphneokeefe",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-13T22:43:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17983360",
          "commentText": "No doubt this book has been an inspiration to many (including myself), but what I find most fascinating about it is the author.\nHere's a quote from the link below: \"Napoleon Hill is the most famous conman you’ve probably never heard of. Born into poverty in rural Virginia at the end of the 19th century, Hill went on to write one of the most successful self-help books of the 20th century: Think and Grow Rich. In fact, he helped invent the genre. But it’s the untold story of Hill’s fraudulent business practices, tawdry sex life, and membership in a New York cult that makes him so fascinating...\"\nhttps://paleofuture.gizmodo.com/the-untold-story-of-napoleon... (https://paleofuture.gizmodo.com/the-untold-story-of-napoleon-hill-the-greatest-self-he-1789385645)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "one of the most successful self-help books of the 20th century: Think and Grow Rich.",
          "reason": "Discusses the book while highlighting the author's fascinating background.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Focus is on Hill's alleged fraud and personal history; does not recommend the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17982574,
          "author": "hello_newman",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-13T21:05:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17982574",
          "commentText": "Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. It really opened my mind to so many fascinating mental constructs. I’ve probably read a half a dozen times and take something new from it each time I re-read it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. It really opened my mind to so many fascinating mental constructs.",
          "reason": "Says it opened their mind to fascinating mental constructs and yields new insights on rereading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16301863,
          "author": "akulbe",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-04T07:57:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16301863",
          "commentText": "My five year old is a voracious reader. I feel like this is one of the most important educational tools you can give anyone. We stress to her that if you can read, and comprehend, there's nothing you cannot learn. That's why I included the first two on this list.\nHow to Read a Book - Mortimer Adler\nHow to Read Slowly - James Sire\nThe Personal MBA - Josh Kaufman\nThe Intelligent Investor - Benjamin Graham\nThink and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Think and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the question about books to read earlier in life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12152350,
          "author": "homoSapiens",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-24T05:42:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12152350",
          "commentText": "1. Think and grow rich: Thought me about goal setting, opened my eyes to the fact that a man can rise from his humble beginnings to any height he want's to attain if he is willing to work for it.\n2. PHP for dummies: My first exposure to the world of programming, since then I've never looked back.\n3. Rich Dad, Poor Dad: Changed my thinking about finance, I don't know how I would have handled my finances if I hadn't come across this book as a teenager, I feel so lucky to have read this book. I would have been stuck in society's harmful way of handling finance.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Think and grow rich: Thought me about goal setting, opened my eyes to the fact that a man can rise from his humble beginnings to any height he want's to attain if he is willing to work for it.",
          "reason": "The commenter credits it with teaching goal setting and changing their view of what they could achieve.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12098333,
          "author": "throwaway26960",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T00:56:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12098333",
          "commentText": "The Inner Game of Tennis\nThink And Grow Rich - I based my cover letter off of some of the concepts in this book and it has worked remarkably well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Think And Grow Rich - I based my cover letter off of some of the concepts in this book and it has worked remarkably well.",
          "reason": "The commenter says concepts from the book helped make their cover letter remarkably effective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8106947,
          "author": "tomp",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:17:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106947",
          "commentText": "Buddhism (and better living): Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Siddhartha (by Hermann Hesse), The Way of Zen (by Alan Watts - I learned a lot about meditation and satori).\nAlso: Think and Grow Rich (by Napoleon Hill, the original self-improvement book)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also: Think and Grow Rich (by Napoleon Hill, the original self-improvement book)",
          "reason": "Recommends it as an original self-improvement book in response to a request for suggestions.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in self-improvement.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6921868,
          "author": "_ud4a",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-17T16:13:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 6921805,
          "threadTitle": "What book has inspired you the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6921868",
          "commentText": "Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6899094,
          "author": "tyrelb",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T04:38:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6899094",
          "commentText": "Think & Grow Rich",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Think & Grow Rich",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for the best book read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6339366,
          "author": "rk0567",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-06T08:55:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 6329955,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which two books were the most influential on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6339366",
          "commentText": "1. The Fountainhead\n2. The Power of Habit\n3. Think and Grow Rich\n4. The 4-Hour Workweek\n5. Pragmatic Thinking and Learning",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Think and Grow Rich",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6330144,
          "author": "ryduh",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-04T20:12:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 6329955,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which two books were the most influential on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6330144",
          "commentText": "Think & Grow Rich\nHow to Win Friends & Influence People",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Think & Grow Rich",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5704008,
          "author": "joelmaat",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-14T10:44:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5704008",
          "commentText": "The Way of The Superior Man\nThe Art of Learning\nAs a Man Thinketh\nThinking, Fast and Slow\nThink and Grow Rich!\nPsycho-Cybernet​ics\nPeopleware: Productive Projects and Teams\nRich Dad, Poor Dad",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Think and Grow Rich!",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5329297,
          "author": "farabove",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-06T04:21:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 5323956,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: which are some good self-help books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5329297",
          "commentText": "Think And Grow Rich",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Think And Grow Rich",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4787418,
          "author": "timmm",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:19:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787418",
          "commentText": "The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho.\nKing, Warrior, Magician, Lover by Moore and Gillette\nThe lean startup\nPaul Graham how to start a startup\nMark Hyman Ultimate Mind Solution\nTribal Leadership\nWheel of Time\nThink and Grow Rich\nSuperior Man David Deida\nThe Fountain Head\nEckhart Tolle New Earth\n50th Law\nGood to Great\nJed Mckenna\nEarl Nightengale\nLong Walk to Freedom\nOutliers\nGood to Great\nPsycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz (Self-image)\nSeven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey(Being awesome)\nWealth of Nations\nWayne Dyer The Tao\nSystem of the World\nOrigin of Species\nBrave new world\nThank you economy\nCrush it\nBuilt to Last\nWho Moved my Cheese\nStillness Speak Eckhert Tolle\nMastery George Leonard\nSteve Jobs Biography\nThe Last Lecture\nSteve Pavlina Books\nIacocca\nStriking Thoughts Bruce Lee\nCarlos Castaneda\nGhost in the Wires\nRichest Man in Babylon\nWay of the Superior Man\nLosing My Virginity\nThink and Grow Rich\nDelivering Happiness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Think and Grow Rich",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2147174,
          "author": "marilyn",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T08:54:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2147174",
          "commentText": "Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226915,
          "author": "edo",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:54:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226915",
          "commentText": "Think & Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill\nTaiko - Eiji Yoshikawa\nAlexander of Macedon - Peter Green\nand +1 for Staunch's choice:\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Think & Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026346,
          "author": "nopassrecover",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T22:20:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026346",
          "commentText": "Some books that stood out this year (many not for their intended reasons)\nThe 4 Hour Work Week (Tim Ferriss)\n- In parts entertaining, interesting, self-promoting, educational, inspirational, attractive and undesirable. Definitely worth the read and a great call to action. Will make you consider what you want and how you can achieve it.\nThe Game (Neil Strauss)\n- Truly interesting story and an interesting view on human dynamics and hacking one of the more important systems (dating). A great view on what is most important - ends or means. Will make you consider how people work, what motivates them and whether success cures emptiness.\nLosing my Virginity (Richard Branson)\n- The awesome and entertaining story of Virgin with lots of great advice and startup David vs Goliath inspiration. Will make you consider what determination and the little guy can achieve.\nBusiness Stripped Bare (Richard Branson)\n- Branson's more focused take on business advice and patches on bits of the Virgin story since the first book. Will make you consider the power of being genuine and growing a company with people treated as smart humans.\nOn Writing (Stephen King)\n- Most inspirational and compelling book on writing I've read. Half writing advice half King biography all awesome. Will make you consider becoming a novelist.\nCoders at Work (Peter Siebel)\n- Haven't finished yet but great interviews of leading coders. I didn't enjoy Founders at Work (personally found it a bit indirect/not deep enough) but in Coders at Work you really feel the connection between interviewer and interviewee while at the same time getting a lot of incidental startup advice as these coders have all had decent roles to play in Silicon Valley etc. history. Will make you consider if you're actually a better coder than you thought.\nThink and Grow Rich (Napoleon Hill)\n- Reads a bit like a bad Internet ad at times but that's because they stole that technique from here. This book summarizes the techniques that lead to success based on numerous interviews of most of the greatest leaders of the early 20th century. Pretty good bits in here and again inspiration fuel. Will make you consider how you can take charge of your self and your life.\nLetters From a Stoic (Seneca)\n- Decent musings on living life and mastering oneself. As relevant today as 2 thousand years ago. Will make you consider how you can master your self and what you will let affect you.\nHere Comes Everybody (Clay Shirky)\n- The best book on online community I've read. Shirky makes you want to make a difference and communicates his enthusiasm for the power of the masses with ease. Will make you consider how to enable communities to achieve unthought of goals.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Pretty good bits in here and again inspiration fuel.",
          "reason": "Finds parts of it pretty good and calls it inspirational.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "At times it reads like a bad Internet ad.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 687918,
          "author": "il",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-05T04:35:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 687066,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on getting rich?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=687918",
          "commentText": "Think and Grow Rich, old as it is, is still the best book on getting rich I've ever read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Think and Grow Rich, old as it is, is still the best book on getting rich I've ever read.",
          "reason": "Explicitly calls it the best book on getting rich the commenter has read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Acknowledges that it is old.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 687860,
          "author": "nickfox",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-05T02:56:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 687066,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on getting rich?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=687860",
          "commentText": "Think and Grow Rich\nAvailable for free here (it's no longer under copyright)\nhttp://www.4shared.com/file/63815169/6ed4bf95/ThinkandGrowRi... (http://www.4shared.com/file/63815169/6ed4bf95/ThinkandGrowRich.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Think and Grow Rich",
          "reason": "Offered as a title in response to a request for favorite books on getting rich.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 687197,
          "author": "ig1",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-04T14:58:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 687066,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on getting rich?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=687197",
          "commentText": "The above. Also Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill",
          "reason": "Listed as a response in a thread asking for favorite books on getting rich.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 687138,
          "author": "teknician1",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-04T13:15:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 687066,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on getting rich?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=687138",
          "commentText": "Agree with The Richest Man in Babylon and Think and Grow Rich.\nI recommend: 4 Hour Work Week, Mommy Millionaire, and The Millionaire Next Door, Gorilla Marketing, and Execution.\nLOL, if I had to choose two, they would be Think and Grow Rich and 4 Hour Work Week.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Agree with The Richest Man in Babylon and Think and Grow Rich.",
          "reason": "Includes it among titles the commenter agrees with in response to a request for favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 687100,
          "author": "apsurd",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-04T12:04:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 687066,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on getting rich?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=687100",
          "commentText": "Think and Grow Rich",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Think and Grow Rich",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85881,
          "author": "Prabakeryc",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T09:49:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85881",
          "commentText": "Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.\nShantaram by Gregory David Roberts (bit of a beast, but well worth it).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9626,
          "author": "zaidf",
          "createdAt": "2007-04-06T16:53:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 9614,
          "threadTitle": "What books have you found to be helpful in starting your business?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9626",
          "commentText": "Think and Grow Rich - by Napoleon Hill \n-Zaid",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Think and Grow Rich - by Napoleon Hill",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for helpful business books.",
          "audience": "People starting a business",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Napoleon Hill"
      ],
      "recommenders": 24,
      "threads": 19,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal development",
        "success",
        "wealth building",
        "success literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hyperion-3dabb0",
      "title": "Hyperion",
      "author": "Dan Simmons",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46398332,
          "author": "ecliptik",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T01:44:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46398332",
          "commentText": "I've read 51 books this year (just finished Hyperion) which is 50 more than 2024.\nI attribute this increase to a few things,\n1. Borrowing from Libby puts a 21 day time limit to finish a book, encouraging me to read it before it's due.\n2. Not discriminating from reading on my phone. Kindle app syncs between devices, and makes it easier to read a few pages here and there instead of waiting for uninterrupted sessions with my Kindle.\n3. Continually updating a To Read list, mostly by going to Barnes and Noble, taking pictures of featured book tables, then adding the interesting ones to my Libby hold list.\n4. Borrowing with Libby makes it easier to bail out of a book that doesn't intrigue me. Instead of forcing myself to finish something I spent $ on, I can just return it and move onto something else, feeling 0 guilt.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "just finished Hyperion",
          "reason": "Reports having finished it this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46397495,
          "author": "jaimefjorge",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T23:26:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46397495",
          "commentText": "All fiction.\n- The Great Gatsby. Really enjoyed it and seemed fitting with the current times.\n- Buddenbrooks, Thomas Mann. Generational wealth come and gone. Good for putting things into perspective.\n- Things Fall Apart, Achebe.\n- The Pearl, John Steinbeck\n- Hyperion (first book), Dan Simmons. Great sci-fi. Bought the second book and look forward to reading it.\n- Stoner, John Williams. Incredibly well written book\n- One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez. Still finishing but I hope to finish in time for next year",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hyperion (first book), Dan Simmons. Great sci-fi. Bought the second book and look forward to reading it.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it great science fiction and looks forward to its sequel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter had only bought the second book and was looking forward to reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43687016,
          "author": "howard941",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-14T22:32:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 43685856,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What 3 Books Would You Recommend to Anyone?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43687016",
          "commentText": "Hyperion\nDahlgren\nWhat to do when there is no Doctor",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hyperion",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39729464,
          "author": "bookofjoe",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T21:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729464",
          "commentText": "\"A Canticle For Leibowitz\"\n\"The Sparrow\"\n\"Lord of Light\"\n\"The Immortal\"\n\"Hyperion\"\n\"The Last Question\"\n\"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?\"\n\"Stranger in a Strange Land\"\n\"The City and the Stars\"\n\"Childhood's End\"\n\"Anathem\"\n\"Eifelheim\"\n\"A Case of Conscience\"\n\"VALIS\" trilogy\n\"The Book of Strange New Things\"\n\"Behold The Man\"\n\"The God Engines\"\n\"Book of the New Sun\"\n\"The Parable of the Sower\"\n\"The Dosadi Experiment\"\n\"Grass\"\n\"Project Pope\"\n\"Calculating God\"\n\"Factoring Humanity\"\n\"Jesus on Mars\"\n\"Surface Detail",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Hyperion\"",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about books that changed perspectives on religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37160454,
          "author": "harshreality",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T12:18:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37160454",
          "commentText": "I read that after reading Gladstone's scifi book[1]. I liked the poetic and emotional nature of it, but I thought it tried too hard to be both that and a science fiction story.  When I tried to grasp at the scifi aspect, it felt like I was grasping at air.\n[1] _Empress of Forever_, while not poetic, I thought had interesting ideas that were more fleshed out.  A lack of focus kept it out of top-tier scifi like Simmons' Hyperion for me, but it's worth a read if you like high-concept scifi like that.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "A lack of focus kept it out of top-tier scifi like Simmons' Hyperion for me, but it's worth a read if you like high-concept scifi like that.",
          "reason": "Used as a comparison for top-tier science fiction.",
          "audience": "Readers who like high-concept science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36033699,
          "author": "will_wright",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-22T16:44:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36033699",
          "commentText": "I second Hyperion and Neuromancer -- both are amazing book and a great representation of modern and classic sci-fi",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second Hyperion",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36023446,
          "author": "kcartlidge",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T18:20:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36023446",
          "commentText": "Multiple re-reads:\n- Saga of the Exiles by Julian May, which merges science fiction with folklore/fantasy in Pliocene Earth\n- Hyperion by Dan Simmons, excellent SF with a feel of the Canterbury Tales about it\n- Neuromancer by William Gibson, plus the follow-ups (all the Sprawl) are very good too\n- The Sheep Look Up by John Brunner, about the eco collapse of the US in the 1980s (10 years after it was written) and which William Gibson called a \"brilliant novel\"\nAnd a couple of guilty pleasures:\n- Venus Equilateral by George O Smith, 1940s stories based around a three mile long space station at the L4 point in space, a bit like Babylon 5 meets DS9 in the era of vacuum tubes\n- Necrotech by KC Alexander, a brutal and obscene body-mod cyberpunk dystopia (the sequel of which, Nanoshock, has a superbly offensive opening sentence)\n- Halcyon Drift by Brian Stableford, about a corporate dystopia and a pilot who hooks up his body to merge with his ship (a bit blase now but less so then, especially as I had read far less at the time)\n- Bio of a Space Tyrant by Piers Anthony, a 6 book series following the rise of a refugee to becoming the Tyrant of Jupiter",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hyperion by Dan Simmons, excellent SF with a feel of the Canterbury Tales about it",
          "reason": "Calls it excellent science fiction and compares its structure to The Canterbury Tales.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36022537,
          "author": "etrautmann",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T16:32:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36022537",
          "commentText": "Perhaps a standard list but: Hyperion, Deepness in the Sky, Snow crash, Permutation City, Exhalation and other Ted Chiang",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hyperion",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021531,
          "author": "baggy_trough",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:51:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021531",
          "commentText": "Hyperion\nRingworld\nTitan",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hyperion",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for science fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23471522,
          "author": "me_smith",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T22:10:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23471522",
          "commentText": "The Hobbit - Tolkien\nWizard's First Rule (Sword of Truth Book 1) - Goodkind\nFaith of the Fallen (Sword of Truth Book 6) - Goodkind\nEnder's Game - Card\n1984 - Orwell\nI'm looking to read Asimov's Foundation series again. Maybe spend more time with Hyperion.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Maybe spend more time with Hyperion.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Considering spending more time with it; no explicit evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17574228,
          "author": "maksa",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-20T11:53:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17574228",
          "commentText": "Foundation (Isaac Asimov), Hyperion (Dan Simmons) and Three Body Problem (Liu Cixin) stand out from all the SF I've read, and I've read a ton.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hyperion (Dan Simmons)",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s standout science fiction books in response to a request for the best they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17537359,
          "author": "Automatic_Jack",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T22:10:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537359",
          "commentText": "Martian Chronicles, Crystal Express+Cysmatrix, Neuromancer,Hyperion, Portico...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hyperion",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536607,
          "author": "bostik",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:26:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536607",
          "commentText": "Asimov's original \"Foundation\" - it's effectively a collection of 4,5 short stories. I recommend to remain at a discreet distance from the rest of the series. While good within the universe, they are ... different.\n\"Ender's Game\" and \"Speaker for the Dead\" by O.S.Card. (Do not touch Xenocide without a hazmat suit. And if you do, burn it before reading.)\n\"Snow Crash\" by Neil Stephenson.\n\"Rendez-vouz with Rama\" by Arthur C. Clarke.\nIf you're up for some thought-provoking stuff, \"Stranger in a Strange Land\" by Heinlein. Not the easiest read but your carve-out basically rules out \"The Moon is a Harsh Mistress\".\n\"Embassytown\" by China Mieville.\nEDIT: I forgot \"Hyperion\" by Dan Simmons.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I forgot \"Hyperion\" by Dan Simmons.",
          "reason": "Added as a recommendation in the comment's list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536584,
          "author": "mattnewton",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:22:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536584",
          "commentText": "Dune. Definitely Dune. \nThe most epic sci-fi world that is so far in the future it feels like it could be middle earth. Politics, mysticism, prescience, intergalactic travel build an amazing world that feels utterly alien but still relatable.\nIt’s like reading about modern battles between oil, culture and money, but in countless years and star system into the future.\nHonorable mentions for Hyperion and Neuromancer for my favorites :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Honorable mentions for Hyperion and Neuromancer for my favorites :)",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's favorite science fiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961696,
          "author": "Tehchops",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T17:10:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961696",
          "commentText": "Currently reading: Hyperion.\n* Peak: Secretes From the New Science of Expertise\n* The Hard Thing About Hard Things\n* American Gods\n* The Dark Tower\n* Children of Time\n* Sapiens\n* The Lies of Locke Lamora: Gentleman Bastards #1\n* Red Seas Under Red Skies: Gentleman Bastards #2\n* Dark Matter\n* The Dark Tower #1\n* Guns of The Dawn\n* The Hunter Killers\n* Snow Crash",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Currently reading: Hyperion.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is currently reading it; no evaluation is given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15632444,
          "author": "sgtnasty",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T23:32:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15632444",
          "commentText": "Hyperion by Dan Simmons. I put this book off for years because I hated the covers of them. Amazing read, best sci-fi I ever read.\nThe Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe. Must read for a sci-fi fan.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hyperion by Dan Simmons. I put this book off for years because I hated the covers of them. Amazing read, best sci-fi I ever read.",
          "reason": "Calls it an amazing read and the best science fiction they have read.",
          "audience": "Science fiction readers",
          "caveat": "The commenter initially avoided it because of the covers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056542,
          "author": "huhtenberg",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:22:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056542",
          "commentText": "Lord of the Light\nDune\nNeuromancer\nHyperion\nSnow Crash\nUse of Weapons\nPandora's Star / Judas Unchained",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hyperion",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite sci-fi books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8953318,
          "author": "nayshins",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-27T15:08:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8953318",
          "commentText": "Second all of these choices, and I will add Hyperion and its sequels to the list.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I will add Hyperion and its sequels to the list.",
          "reason": "Adds it and its sequels in answer to a favorite books question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8944625,
          "author": "Tycho",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-25T23:05:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944625",
          "commentText": "Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, Dune, Foundation series, Martian Chronicles & Illustrated Man, Ender's Game, Accelerando, Hyperion, The Forever War, Player of Games, Snow Crash",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hyperion",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7302531,
          "author": "nayshins",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T02:52:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7302531",
          "commentText": "\"Old Man's War\" by John Scalzi\n\"Hyperion\" by Dan Simmons",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Hyperion\" by Dan Simmons",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for science-fiction suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6418333,
          "author": "bpizzi",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-20T15:30:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6418333",
          "commentText": "Well I'm definitely into sci-fi literature.\nThere's simply nothing else nowadays (being in my early thirties) which can caught my attention and limited free time.\nIt's hard to sum it up to a couple of favorites... \nIf you prefer hardcore sci-fi over the rest - as I do, those are definitely first choices:\n- Iain M. Banks Culture books (\"Excession\" being the best of all to me)\n- Simmon's \"Hyperion\" and \"Fall of Hyperion\"\nSome authors managed to bring some good pieces of space-opera without being too much cheesy:\n- Hamilton and his Void books,\n- and, of course, Herbert and the Dune stuff.\nBut I must warn the casual reader here: those kind of books can get really massive.\nSecond choices - but still really good books, would be stuff written by great guys like Asimov (\"Foundation\"), OS Card (\"Enders game\") or RC Wilson (\"Spin\").",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Simmon's \"Hyperion\"",
          "reason": "Listed among first choices for hardcore science fiction.",
          "audience": "Readers who prefer hardcore science fiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter warns that these books can be very long.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6388015,
          "author": "tartuffe78",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T03:23:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6388015",
          "commentText": "Dan Simmons Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion are two of the best novels I've read. I read a lot of scifi, and I think they have held up very well compared to some other works that came out in the 80s through the early 90s.\nThey present a lot of challenges that mankind may face in the future as our technology exceeds us, but they are also very entertaining.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion are two of the best novels I've read.",
          "reason": "Calls both novels among the best they've read and says they have held up well.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4968686,
          "author": "nhebb",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T09:11:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4968686",
          "commentText": "I read Hyperion a few months ago, and I only read to the end so that I wouldn't be left with that nagging feeling of leaving a book unfinished. Much like the Grammy's and the Emmy's, I've found that book awards may be a good indicator of what other people like, but often not a good indicator of what I like.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I read Hyperion a few months ago, and I only read to the end so that I wouldn't be left with that nagging feeling of leaving a book unfinished.",
          "reason": "Describes finishing the book but does not express a positive evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they continued only to avoid leaving it unfinished.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4668220,
          "author": "S4M",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-18T11:03:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 4661261,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite Science Fiction book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4668220",
          "commentText": "Thanks for posting this thread, I can see in the other comments lots of books that I now want to read.\nFor me I don't have a one favorite book, but my take would be:\n- 1984 from Orwell\n- the Foundation series, from Isaac Asimov (and basically, in my taste any book from Asimov has some good chances to be good)\n- Hyperion, from Dan Simmons (a good scifi writer as well).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hyperion, from Dan Simmons (a good scifi writer as well).",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite in response to the thread's question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395705,
          "author": "dbalatero",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T13:41:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395705",
          "commentText": "+1 for \"Hyperion\" + \"Fall of Hyperion\" – both are amazing books that I just finished.\nAlso, \"Glasshouse\" by Charles Stross was pretty rad too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for \"Hyperion\" + \"Fall of Hyperion\" – both are amazing books",
          "reason": "Calls it an amazing book and seconds its recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226850,
          "author": "keyist",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:36:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226850",
          "commentText": "Don't miss sivers's great list: http://sivers.org/book\nAs for mine,\nScience Fiction (I like these authors so I'd recommend most of their books -- listing which ones I think are a good 'starter novel' for them):\n  Charles Stross: Halting State\n  Vernor Vinge: A Fire Upon The Deep\n  Iain M. Banks: Culture novels, start with Player of Games\n  David Louis Edelman: Jump 225 Trilogy\n  Daniel Suarez: Daemon and Freedom(tm)\n  John Scalzi: Old Man's War series\n  Dan Simmons: Hyperion\n\nSelf-improvement:\n  The Talent Code\n  Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger\n  Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion\n\nNon-fiction:\n  Amusing Ourselves To Death (highly recommended)\n  The Science of Fear\n  The Black Swan\n  Tokyo Vice\n  Racing The Beam (Atari history, very cool)\n  books by Daniel Pink\n  Guns, Germs, and Steel\n  The Prize by Daniel Yergin\n\nFantasy:\nAnything by Gaiman or China Mieville, pretty much.\nEDIT: links to previews (legally) available online\nCharles Stross's Accelerando (entire book): http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelera... (http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelerando/accelerando-intro.html)\nDavid Louis Edelman's Infoquake (1st 7 chapters): http://www.davidlouisedelman.com/jump225/infoquake/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dan Simmons: Hyperion",
          "reason": "Listed as a good starter novel for the author.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026444,
          "author": "xorphy",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T23:29:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026444",
          "commentText": "I basically discovered Vernor Vinge.\nA Fire Upon the Deep, by Vernor Vinge\nA Deepness in the Sky, by Vernor Vinge\nThe Peace War, by Vernor Vinge\nMarooned in Realtime, by Vernor Vinge\nHyperion, by Dan Simmons\nMrs. Perkins's Electric Quilt, a fun book about some math and physics problems",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hyperion, by Dan Simmons",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140691,
          "author": "demallien",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T09:17:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140691",
          "commentText": "Hyperion by Dan Simmons.  It starts off with separate storylines touching on all the great sci-fi clichés - time travel, FTL travel, computer nets, out-of-control AIs, lost civilisations, humanity scindered into two estranged parts, mysterious monsters, strange maladies, it has everything.  Except, at first, this pastiche just feels disjointed.  But then, near the end, all of this wierd stuff, that you never really understand, gets pulled together into one, cohesive whole.\nHyperion is basically just a brilliant story, very enjoyable to read.\nThat said, if I was to criticise Hyperion, it would be that it doesn't fulfill very well one of the important functions of science fiction - the examination of the impact of technology on society.\nWhich leads to my second recommendation - The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula Le Guin.  Le Guin in general is excellent for examining in depth the effects that small changes in technology may have on human society - it follows naturally I guess from the fact that her father was an anthropologist...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Hyperion by Dan Simmons. It starts off with separate storylines touching on all the great sci-fi clichés",
          "reason": "Calls it a brilliant, very enjoyable story, though says it does not examine technology's impact on society very well.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Criticizes its limited examination of technology's impact on society.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86442,
          "author": "Tichy",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T23:48:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86442",
          "commentText": "Some more SF/Fantasy yarns:\n- Hyperion by Dan Simmons\n- 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear and all the other Zamonien books (only know german version)\n- Pollen by Jeff Noon\n- Otherland by Tad Williams\n- Ubik by PK Dick",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hyperion by Dan Simmons",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Simmons"
      ],
      "recommenders": 24,
      "threads": 17,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "literary science fiction",
        "pilgrimage",
        "time travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "effective-java-9cde35",
      "title": "Effective Java",
      "author": "Joshua Bloch",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41387801,
          "author": "optymizer",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T06:00:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387801",
          "commentText": "I would split the books into two categories: those that improve the way you structure your code and deliver a software solution, and those that improve your technical understanding of the software platform and the computer you're using.\nThe first are books like Pragmatic Programmer, Mythical Man Month, Code Complete, Design Patterns, talks by Alan Kay on software systems and OOP, even Game Engine Architecture etc. A lot of the content there is distilled experience which is much faster to learn from a book than gain the hard way on the job.\nThe other books are practical deep dives. Here I would recommend a variety of books like Inside the Machine by Stokes, Computer Architecture by Hennessy, 21st Century C by Klemens, Crafting Interpreters by Nystrom, Compilers by Aho, Effective Java, Nature of Code by Shiffman, Ray Tracing Challenge by Buck, Hands on Hacking by Hickey, and others, depending on your interest and area of focus.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Effective Java",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a practical deep dive into software platforms and computers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28663628,
          "author": "macando",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T19:07:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28663628",
          "commentText": "Most influential - Clean Code and The Joy of C (the first programming book I've read)\nMost informative - Effective Java\nFunniest - Learn You a Haskell for Great Good!\nBest written - Eloquent Ruby\nMost useful - Data Modeling Essentials",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Most informative - Effective Java",
          "reason": "Listed as the most informative book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28661279,
          "author": "furstenheim",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T14:46:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28661279",
          "commentText": "Effective Java by Joshua Bloch is really good. Some of the learnings only apply to Java, but most apply to any language.\nAll the tips are very focused on how the code, APIs and even the languages evolve, trying to understand how your changes could confuse other developers. Compared to clean code, it's clear that it's written by someone who has done a lot of coding and seen the evolution, with a very pragmatic approach. Not just theoretical like Clean Code",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Effective Java by Joshua Bloch is really good.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its practical guidance on APIs, evolving code, and how changes may confuse other developers.",
          "audience": "Java programmers and readers seeking programming advice applicable across languages.",
          "caveat": "Some lessons apply only to Java.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26836644,
          "author": "grolle",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-16T17:21:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 26833319,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book for software engineers (besides the well-known ones)?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26836644",
          "commentText": "Effective Java (taught me way, way more than just java)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Effective Java",
          "reason": "The commenter says it taught them much more than Java.",
          "audience": "Java programmers",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26339154,
          "author": "michalbcz",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-04T06:00:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 26321793,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books made you the most money?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26339154",
          "commentText": "Effective Java : Joshua Bloch\nIn my 23s (2008) when I started my career as a Java Developer it was Effective Java. Applying that rules and talking about them with other colleagues makes me better and self-confident developer which other noticed. That leads to better salary negotiations in the future (and my job made me most money). After 10+ years it still helps, because I work mostly in enterprise environments when maturity is way lower and at the same time nowadays lot of juniors joining java community and they are even more junior than I was back in my start of career.\nFor me there is no better way for your wealth building than real knowledge. Learn hard skills, nurture soft skills, work smart. Lot of investment opportunities are just gambling (with money of naive people), choose wisely.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Effective Java : Joshua Bloch",
          "reason": "The commenter says applying its rules improved their work and helped build knowledge that led to better salary negotiations.",
          "audience": "Java developers, especially those working in enterprise environments.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16757120,
          "author": "microtonal",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T17:48:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16757120",
          "commentText": "I rely mostly on hypertext for referencing, mostly through Dash for macOS and man pages. Books that I still occasionally reference:\n- Speech and Language Processing, Jurafsky & Martin\n- K&R\n- Sedgewick & Wayne, but more for teaching than anything else.\nIn a previous life:\n- The C++ Standard Library, Nicolai Josuttis,\n- C++ GUI Programming with Qt 4, Jasmin Blanchette and Mark Summerfield\n- The C++ Programming Language, Bjarne Stroustrup\n- Effective Java, Joshua Bloch\n- Scott Meyers' Effective C++ books.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Effective Java, Joshua Bloch",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned as a book from a previous phase of the commenter's life.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16351863,
          "author": "olavgg",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T09:02:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16351863",
          "commentText": "That book is awesome, should be read by every Java developer! Discussions and examples from this book is often on Stack Overflow too, where the discussions go deeper and may be clearer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "That book is awesome, should be read by every Java developer!",
          "reason": "Calls it awesome and recommends it to every Java developer.",
          "audience": "Java developers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16351516,
          "author": "mustardo",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T06:43:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16351516",
          "commentText": "Effective Java by Joshua Bloch",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Effective Java by Joshua Bloch",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the thread’s request for books colleagues should have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14746157,
          "author": "nayuki",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T17:38:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14746157",
          "commentText": "Understanding good idioms in Java, instead of learning from scattered pieces of folk knowledge:\n* http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/effectivejava-136174.... (http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/effectivejava-136174.html)\n* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1vQf4qyMXg (a talk by the author)\nCorner cases in the Java programming language:\n* http://www.javapuzzlers.com/\n* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbp-3BJWsU8 (a talk by the author)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Understanding good idioms in Java, instead of learning from scattered pieces of folk knowledge:",
          "reason": "Listed as a resource for learning good Java idioms.",
          "audience": "Java programmers",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14486806,
          "author": "einpoklum",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T11:28:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14486806",
          "commentText": "Although I liked Effective Java a lot, and it does contain a lot of advice relevant to many OO languages - it is the opposite of language agnostic: It's very Java-specific. Much of the content is irrelevant except in Java itself; and some of it is the opposite of \"Effective language X\". For example, it has a section named \"Prefer lists to Arrays\"; any C++ programmer will tell you the opposite (and that goes down to some of the arguments, such as Java not supporting generic arrays while C++ supports them).\nSo - good book, but not for this purpose.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Although I liked Effective Java a lot",
          "reason": "The commenter liked the book but says it is Java-specific and unsuitable for the language-agnostic purpose.",
          "audience": "Java programmers seeking object-oriented programming advice.",
          "caveat": "Much of its content is Java-specific or does not apply to other languages.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12263573,
          "author": "neves",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-10T17:50:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 12262586,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are good reads for designing APIs?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12263573",
          "commentText": "Don't miss Joshua Bloch (from \"Effective Java\" fame) great presentation:\nHow to design a good API and why it matters\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAb7hSCtvGw\nand the accompanying slides:\nhttp://static.googleusercontent.com/media/research.google.co... (http://static.googleusercontent.com/media/research.google.com/pt-BR//pubs/archive/32713.pdf)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Joshua Bloch (from \"Effective Java\" fame)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10182798,
          "author": "organsnyder",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-07T20:01:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10182798",
          "commentText": "I found Effective Java to be very enlightening—not just for Java, but for any language. It's especially at providing patterns for writing APIs with a guide toward future maintainability.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found Effective Java to be very enlightening—not just for Java, but for any language.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it enlightening and says its API design patterns apply beyond Java.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in writing maintainable APIs across programming languages.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10182122,
          "author": "jbuss",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-07T16:59:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10182122",
          "commentText": "Effective Java\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Effective-Java-2nd-Joshua-Bloch/dp/032... (http://www.amazon.com/Effective-Java-2nd-Joshua-Bloch/dp/0321356683/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1441645120&sr=8-1&keywords=effective+java)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Effective Java",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9758011,
          "author": "more_original",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T13:10:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758011",
          "commentText": "\"Effective Java\" by Joshua Bloch is very good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Effective Java\" by Joshua Bloch is very good.",
          "reason": "Calls the book very good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7999580,
          "author": "galephico",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T16:19:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7999580",
          "commentText": "Hackers in-depth interviews: « Coders at Work »\nGeneral topic: « The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master »\nJava and more: « Effective Java » 2nd edition\nAbout unit testing with Java tools: « Practical Unit Testing with Mockito and JUnit »",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Java and more: « Effective Java » 2nd edition",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7757338,
          "author": "will_work4tears",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T19:11:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7757338",
          "commentText": "I've got this right at the top of my wish list.  Got a list of other books I gotta finish first though, lol:\nCode Complete 2, The Web Application Hacker's Handbook, Algorithms in a Nutshell, and Code.\nNot to mention an Arduino book - but I'll probably get Effective Java and read it first.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "but I'll probably get Effective Java and read it first.",
          "reason": "Says they will probably get and read it first.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7756971,
          "author": "why-el",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:20:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7756971",
          "commentText": "Effective Java. A very succinct collection of wonderful practices and ideas on how to code great software that you can finish in a couple of days, even if you are on a working schedule. Don't mind the \"Java\" in the title; I read the book regularly and it applies to pretty much any language capable of some OO.\nCheck the table of contents, it will give you an idea of what to expect from the book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A very succinct collection of wonderful practices and ideas on how to code great software",
          "reason": "Praised for concise, useful software practices and ideas.",
          "audience": "Developers using Java or other object-oriented languages.",
          "caveat": "Despite the title, the commenter says it applies to nearly any language capable of object-oriented programming.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7756669,
          "author": "espinchi",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T17:32:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7756669",
          "commentText": "It depends heavily on what stage of your career as a programmer you are.\nI strongly suggest most junior programmers I work with to read Effective Java and Head First Design Patterns. To me, it's a great combination to help you write code that's easy to understand and maintain.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I strongly suggest most junior programmers I work with to read Effective Java",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends it to junior programmers.",
          "audience": "Junior programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3611502,
          "author": "frenchfries",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-20T06:16:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 3570099,
          "threadTitle": "Best book to study Java",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3611502",
          "commentText": "+1 for head first java, I also recommend effective Java once you've read hfj",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also recommend effective Java once you've read hfj",
          "reason": "Recommends it after Head First Java.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Suggested after reading Head First Java.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3575069,
          "author": "pk137",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-10T09:09:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 3570099,
          "threadTitle": "Best book to study Java",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3575069",
          "commentText": "Java Precisely (Sestoft) gives you the crispiest syntax.\nEffective Java (Bloch) gives the best practices.\nCore Java (vol 1, 8th ed) gives you a pro-C++, no-nonsense comprehensive coverage.\nOfficial Java Tutorial is the best intro, save it's not a book!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Effective Java (Bloch) gives the best practices.",
          "reason": "Recommended for learning Java best practices.",
          "audience": "Java programmers seeking best practices.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3570268,
          "author": "limanoit",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-09T08:30:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 3570099,
          "threadTitle": "Best book to study Java",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3570268",
          "commentText": "If you come from C background, you already have basic java syntax. You just need to know the library. \nI think you should read \"Effective Java\". Imho, It is one of the best books I have ever read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think you should read \"Effective Java\". Imho, It is one of the best books I have ever read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of the best books they have read and recommends it for learning Java's library.",
          "audience": "Java learners who already know basic syntax.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395527,
          "author": "Cardinal",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T12:06:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395527",
          "commentText": "It has to be Java Concurrency in Practice. Even though it has Java in its name I think every programmer should read this.\nOther books I absolutely loved are Effective Java 2 and Programming Interviews Exposed. I'm waiting for Amazon to ship me the second edition of the latter.\nHackers and Painters is a classic I default to whenever I'm looking for inspiration.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Other books I absolutely loved are Effective Java 2",
          "reason": "Says they absolutely loved it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2524447,
          "author": "andrewcooke",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-07T20:01:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 2524205,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books for soon to be Software Engineers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2524447",
          "commentText": "seconding effective java, in particular.\nseems like there should be a good book on how to manage your boss / client but i don't know of one.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "seconding effective java, in particular.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly seconds the recommendation.",
          "audience": "Software engineers programming in Java.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2524297,
          "author": "sage_joch",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-07T18:56:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 2524205,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books for soon to be Software Engineers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2524297",
          "commentText": "If you will be programming in Java, these books will serve you incredibly well:\n  * Effective Java\n  * Java Concurrency in Practice\n  * Head First Design Patterns",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Effective Java",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Software engineers programming in Java.",
          "caveat": "Recommendation is conditional on programming in Java.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Effective Java",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 221375,
          "author": "jm4",
          "createdAt": "2008-06-19T00:17:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 221097,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Best book for Java",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=221375",
          "commentText": "While slightly off topic, albertcardona may have a point here. This deserves some clarification. It may be that they specifically need Java if they're going to have some in house programmers maintain the application later, but if all they're really interested in is the JVM then you've got some options you may want to consider. I don't want to stray too far here, but one thing I've noticed about many Java people is that they have very narrow views of what's good. (Don't flame me. I'm a Java developer myself.) Maybe they're just playing it safe. It seems to be a common theme with Java. Basically, for several years now the prevailing attitude has been that Struts is the only game in town, but there is a world of other good options for the JVM.\nAnyway, back on topic... If you must go the Struts route do yourself a favor and use Struts 2. It's been a little while since I've been in the Java web development world, but when I was keeping up with it a lot of developers still hadn't moved on yet. It's light years ahead of Struts 1 and really not so bad to work with as far as Java web development is concerned.\nSome others have mentioned 'Thinking in Java'. It's a great book for those new to Java and especially object oriented programming. A seasoned programmer may find it a little verbose. Either way it's free to read online so it's probably worth checking out. If you're looking for something a little smaller to digest you might want to check out Sun's tutorials, and the Java API docs are invaluable. The language itself is simple; it's knowledge of the standard libraries that separates a good Java developer from a mediocre one.\n'Effective Java' and 'Hardcore Java' (specifically the chapter on the Collections API) should be mandatory reading for Java developers as well so you may want to check those out once you get up to speed with the language.\nFor learning Struts, I'd check out the online docs first. Last time I checked they were pretty good. If you still want a book, I've found the 'In Action' series from Manning Press to be good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "should be mandatory reading for Java developers",
          "reason": "Says Java developers should read it.",
          "audience": "Java developers.",
          "caveat": "Suggested after getting up to speed with Java.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 221355,
          "author": "hello_moto",
          "createdAt": "2008-06-18T23:52:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 221097,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Best book for Java",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=221355",
          "commentText": "Kashif:\n1) Head First Java 5\n1) Effective Java\nThe strategy here is to study both interchange; once you learned a topic from HF Java 5, check the best practice in Effective Java.\n2) Head First JSP/Servlet\n2) Any Struts 2 book\nYou can start with the basic few chapters from HF JSP/Servlet and move on to Struts 2. If you found alien concepts in Struts 2, check back HF JSP/Servlet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Effective Java",
          "reason": "Listed as a Java learning book in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "Java learners seeking best practices.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 221180,
          "author": "pbnaidu",
          "createdAt": "2008-06-18T21:16:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 221097,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Best book for Java",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=221180",
          "commentText": "I would also read Effective Java along with Struts related text book. Here's the link to the book http://www.amazon.com/Effective-Java-2nd-Joshua-Bloch/dp/032... (http://www.amazon.com/Effective-Java-2nd-Joshua-Bloch/dp/0321356683/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1213823747&sr=8-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would also read Effective Java along with Struts related text book.",
          "reason": "Recommends reading it alongside a Struts textbook.",
          "audience": "Java learners working with Struts.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joshua Bloch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 24,
      "threads": 15,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "java",
        "software development",
        "java programming",
        "software design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-intelligent-investor-b6e6ff",
      "title": "The Intelligent Investor",
      "author": "Benjamin Graham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40055639,
          "author": "constantinum",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-16T18:39:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40055639",
          "commentText": "Intelligent investor — Benjamin graham",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Intelligent investor — Benjamin graham",
          "reason": "Listed as a book given as a gift.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35931132,
          "author": "whiplash451",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T18:22:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35931132",
          "commentText": "The intelligent investor, by Benjamin Graham.\nTook me off the hook of retail trading for the rest of my life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The intelligent investor, by Benjamin Graham.",
          "reason": "Says it got them out of retail trading for good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26368797,
          "author": "mettamage",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-06T17:09:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 26321793,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books made you the most money?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26368797",
          "commentText": "> It isn't a modern book by any means and there might be much better alternatives\nIt allowed me to buy value stocks around March 2020, because I believed they were undervalued. So I'd say his methodology is as relevant as ever during market crashes.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'd say his methodology is as relevant as ever during market crashes.",
          "reason": "Says the book’s methodology remains relevant during market crashes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26326478,
          "author": "thiago_fm",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-03T09:52:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 26321793,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books made you the most money?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26326478",
          "commentText": "Benjamin Graham - Intelligent Investor\nIt's what got me into fundamental analysis, which after investing for more than a decade had definitely a positive impact on how I allocate money etc.\nIt isn't a modern book by any means and there might be much better alternatives, but I've started to build some reasoning around assets and get excited about investing.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Benjamin Graham - Intelligent Investor",
          "reason": "Introduced the commenter to fundamental analysis and helped shape how they allocate money.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not modern and there may be better alternatives.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25539972,
          "author": "fiftyacorn",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-25T23:29:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25539972",
          "commentText": "Bogleheads and intelligent investor",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "intelligent investor",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467840,
          "author": "starpilot",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T16:07:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467840",
          "commentText": "Anna Karenina, 3x in two translations\nSkunk Works\nIntelligent Investor\nMan Who Was Thursday",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Intelligent Investor",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter reread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23153491,
          "author": "cik",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T13:03:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23153491",
          "commentText": "At random\nAtlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand. Love her or hate her, she makes you think.\nThe Hard Thing About Hard Things - This is a great book about building businesses, and business in general.\nCapital in the 21st Century - One of the greatest books about economics and capital written ever - let alone in the last decade.\nThe Intelligent Investor - This is Buffet's favourite book, and regardless of how many times I read it, I still learn more.  One can never digest it in full.\nPredictably Irrational - This excellent tome makes behavioural economics digestible outside of economics. It's enlightening, though provoking, and turns several accepted truths on its head, purely by being written at all.\nNexus (Ramez Naam) - This science fiction book explores transhumanism and would it could mean in the near future. It's both light and pulpy, but at the same time makes you think about the outcomes of technological progression.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Intelligent Investor - This is Buffet's favourite book, and regardless of how many times I read it, I still learn more.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they continue to learn from repeated readings.",
          "audience": "Investors.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it cannot be fully digested.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22574472,
          "author": "kriro",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T11:10:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22574472",
          "commentText": "I think the first question that you will face is if you agree with the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) and the random walk. Basically they say that prices reflect all available information and that you cannot \"beat\" the market (there's a subtle difference between EMH and random walk). The return on an investment is a direct reflection of the risk.\nGood reading to get an understanding for this are \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" and papers by Eugene Fama (EMH will be covered by any intro to finance book as well). For a good overview of EMH, I like this paper: http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/fileadmin/UCL-CS/images/Research_Stu... (http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/fileadmin/UCL-CS/images/Research_Student_Information/RN_11_04.pdf)\nThe investment takeaway is that you should invest in passive index funds with low management cost (typically ETFs).\nThere's different contrasting points of view most notably behavioral finance. The EMH argument is basically the market is an aggregation of all available information. Due to the power of averaging it is going to be correct (if one person overestimates, another will underestimate and it will all cancel out). The behavioral counterargument is that there are certain human biases that lead to all parties being wrong in the same direction (such as risk aversion).\nAnother POV that is aligned with the behavioral view is that the theory of evolution provides a good framework for thinking about markets. I like the book \"Adaptive Markets\" which also gives a good overview of EMH and behavioral finance so I'll recommend that as a reference. I think together with \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" you're set for \"general framework of thought\" material.\nPersonally, I am a value investor so I can only recommend books from that school of thought. The basic idea is that you look at the fundamentals of a company and the stock market can misprice them. The holy grail is finding a company where the sum of (current) assets is worth more than the current market valuation via the stock price because in essence that means if the company would be liquidated and everything would be sold off, you'd still walk away with a profit. In essence, you're trying to buy 1$ for < 1$.\nThis is Buffett's philosophy and he has done really well with it. I'd recommend \"Value Investing\" by Greenwald, Kahn, Sonkin and van Biema as a good intro book that summarizes everything and has some easy to follow examples (because you can't usually just take the assets face value but have to discount them etc.). The classics are \"The Intelligent Investor\" and \"Security Analysis\" (more academic but for me this is the gold standard).\nIf you need a quick \"how to read balance sheets/income statement/cash flow statements\" I'd recommend \"Warren Buffett Accounting Book\"\nI think the best essay that describes what markets are good for is \"The use of Knowledge in Society\" by Hayek. At least it makes sense for me that they serve the function of aggregating local and specialized information.\nIf you're interested, it's also a decent idea to research the different theories of the business cycle. Keynesian, Real Business Cycle, Austrian etc.\ntl;dr:\n- A Random Walk Down Wall Street\n- Adaptive Markets\n- Value Investing (+ Warren Buffett Accounting Book)\nEdit: I'm assuming you want a \"quick overview\". Otherwise, get some mainstream Finance and Behavioral Finance textbooks :D",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The classics are \"The Intelligent Investor\"",
          "reason": "Named as a classic in value investing.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in value investing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804932,
          "author": "ludwigvan",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:32:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804932",
          "commentText": "The Intelligent Investor – Benjamin Graham",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Intelligent Investor – Benjamin Graham",
          "reason": "Named as a book in response to the thread's request for books to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17936661,
          "author": "atlas1428",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T18:44:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17936661",
          "commentText": "- The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins\n- Godel Escher Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\n- Language, Truth, and Logic by A. J. Ayer\n- Thinking in Systems: A Primer by Donella Meadows\nBooks that serve as investment philosophy guides for those who've developed a habit of saving money but are looking for the \"next step\" in building more wealth. From the mind of one of the greatest investors of all time:\n- The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham (get the annotated version with an epilogue written by Warren Buffett!)\n- The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America\nA book that discusses what matters most in your life from a resource-allocation, measurable results standpoint (family, etc.):\n- How Will You Measure Your Life by Clayton Christensen\nA book I read 10 years ago that forever changed the way I manage productivity and organization both at work and in my personal life:\n- Getting Things Done by David Allen\nBooks that show that our universe is just as crazy, if not crazier, than science fiction:\n- Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy\n- Quantum Chance: Nonlocality, Teleportation and Other Quantum Marvels\n- ..and so on with intersecting topics!\nNot to mention, I love trying to have as deep an understanding as I can by reading highly technical textbooks on cosmology, gravitation, and quantum physics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham (get the annotated version with an epilogue written by Warren Buffett!)",
          "reason": "Presented as an investment philosophy guide for building wealth.",
          "audience": "People who save and want to build more wealth.",
          "caveat": "The commenter recommends the annotated version with Warren Buffett's epilogue.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16301863,
          "author": "akulbe",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-04T07:57:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16301863",
          "commentText": "My five year old is a voracious reader. I feel like this is one of the most important educational tools you can give anyone. We stress to her that if you can read, and comprehend, there's nothing you cannot learn. That's why I included the first two on this list.\nHow to Read a Book - Mortimer Adler\nHow to Read Slowly - James Sire\nThe Personal MBA - Josh Kaufman\nThe Intelligent Investor - Benjamin Graham\nThink and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Intelligent Investor - Benjamin Graham",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the question about books to read earlier in life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16010565,
          "author": "jonvillage",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-26T19:55:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16010565",
          "commentText": "This year I've read:\nMaxims - Epictetus\nThe road to serfdom - Friedrich Hayek\nDe officiis - Cicero\nDe divinatione - Cicero\nLives of eminent philosophers - Diogenes Laertius\nConfessions - Al ghazali\nIlliad - Homer\nOdyssey - Homer\nInfluence - Robert Cialdini\nGuns, Germs and steel - Jared Diamond\nPoor Charlie's Almanack - Charlie Munger - 2nd reading\nAndrew Carnegie's Biography - Joseph Frazier\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Taleb - 2nd reading\nBed of Procrustes - Nassim Taleb\nNever Split the Difference - Christopher Voss\nThe intelligent investor - Benjamin Graham\nAutobiography - Benjamin Franklin\nI always remember this quote:\n\"In my whole life, I have known no wise people who didn't read all the time -- none, zero.\"  Charlie Munger",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The intelligent investor - Benjamin Graham",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12564401,
          "author": "kingmanaz",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T13:28:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12564401",
          "commentText": "\"Fail Safe Investing\" by Harry Browne and \"The Intelligent Investor\" by Benjamin Graham.\nDiscussion of the former here:\nhttp://www.gyroscopicinvesting.com/forum",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Intelligent Investor\" by Benjamin Graham",
          "reason": "Listed as a book in response to a request for must-read economics and finance books.",
          "audience": "Someone new to economics and finance, per the question.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12562001,
          "author": "haney",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T02:54:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12562001",
          "commentText": "I'd highly recommend The Intelligent Investor.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd highly recommend The Intelligent Investor.",
          "reason": "The commenter highly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12561975,
          "author": "AndrewKemendo",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T02:47:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12561975",
          "commentText": "The following list will introduce you to Western Economic Philosophy as it relates to modern history specifically. This list is weighted heavily toward neo-classical economics and does not get into computational model based economics - specifically microeconomics, which comprises the bulk of economics education today:\nSchumpeter - History of economic analysis\nAdam Smith - Theory of Moral Sentiments\nKaynes - The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money\nMarx - Capital\nBenjamin Graham - The Intelligent Investor\nGalbraith - The Affluent Society\nGalbraith - The Great Crash\nMilton Friedman - Capitalism and Freedom\nNassim Taleb - Black Swan\nRon Suskind - Confidence Men\nScott Patterson - Dark Pools\nIf you want to delve into heterodox economics afterward, start with the following:\nHayek - Individualism and Economic Order\nMises - Human Action\nRothbard - Man, Economy, State",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Benjamin Graham - The Intelligent Investor",
          "reason": "Included in a list described as an introduction to Western economic philosophy.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring economic thought in modern history.",
          "caveat": "The list is weighted toward neoclassical economics and excludes computational model based economics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416833,
          "author": "cs702",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T22:54:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416833",
          "commentText": "I agree with others on the \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius.\nOff the top of my head, I would add:\n* \"The Way to Wealth,\" by Benjamin Franklin: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0918222885 (also available online for free; it's in the public domain) -- no-nonsense practical advice from a super-successful individual\n* Warren Buffett's Letters to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders: http://www.berkshirehathaway.com/letters/letters.html (also available organized by topic, in a bound book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1611637589 which some will find much easier to read)\n* \"The Intelligent Investor,\" by Benjamin Graham (specifically the chapters titled \"The Investor and Market Fluctuations\" and \"Margin of Safety\"): https://www.amazon.com/dp/0060555661\n* \"Influence: the Psychology of Persuasion,\" by Robert Cialdini: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0688128165\nAlso:\n* \"Devil Take the Hindmost,\" by Edward Chancellor: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0452281806\n* \"A Short History of Financial Euphoria,\" by John Kenneth Galbraith: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0140238565\n* \"Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds,\" by Charles Mackay: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1586635581",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Intelligent Investor,\" by Benjamin Graham (specifically the chapters titled \"The Investor and Market Fluctuations\" and \"Margin of Safety\")",
          "reason": "Includes it in the recommended reading list, highlighting two chapters.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in investing.",
          "caveat": "Specifically highlights the chapters on market fluctuations and margin of safety.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10534162,
          "author": "schlagetown",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T17:01:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10534162",
          "commentText": "Watchmen (Alan Moore)\nOrigins of Form (Christopher Williams)\nStarship & The Canoe (Kenneth Brower)\nThe Size of Lumber (Nicholson Baker)\nZen Mind, Beginner's Mind (Shunryu Suzuki)\nDeschooling Society (Ivan Illich)\nMoby Dick (Herman Melville)\nBolo'Bolo (P.M.)\nLe Ton beau de Marot (Douglas Hofstadter)\nGaia: A New Look at Life on Earth (James Lovelock)\nMouse or Rat: Translation as Negotiation (Umberto Eco)\nNeuromancer (William Gibson)\nThe Intelligent Investor (Benjamin Graham)\nDon Quixote (Miguel Cervantes)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Intelligent Investor (Benjamin Graham)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about the best books read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9647081,
          "author": "0xCMP",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-02T16:44:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 9636361,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9647081",
          "commentText": "The Intelligent Investor[1] is my current focus after reading How I Lost a Million Dollars[2] both on Kindle.\n[1] http://www.amazon.com/Intelligent-Investor-Collins-Business-... (http://www.amazon.com/Intelligent-Investor-Collins-Business-Essentials-ebook/dp/B000FC12C8/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=)\n[2] http://www.amazon.com/What-Learned-Losing-Million-Dollars-eb... (http://www.amazon.com/What-Learned-Losing-Million-Dollars-ebook/dp/B00MNMHBA0/ref=sr_1_1_twi_2_kin?ie=UTF8&qid=1433263440&sr=8-1&keywords=how+i+lost+a+million+dollars)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Intelligent Investor[1] is my current focus",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Currently focused on reading it; no evaluation given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401532,
          "author": "tustlem",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:34:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401532",
          "commentText": "Read:\nDeep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why by Laurence Gonzales (This was a great read),\nThe Painter by Peter Heller (Interesting novel),\nEssentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown (Good ideas and content, repeats a lot)\nCurrently reading:\nThe Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham,\nA Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William Irvine,\nInto Thin Air by Jon Krakauer\nEdit: reformatted for clarity.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Currently reading:\nThe Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5702562,
          "author": "orangethirty",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-14T01:31:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5702562",
          "commentText": "The intelligent investor by Benjamin Graham. Read it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The intelligent investor by Benjamin Graham. Read it.",
          "reason": "The commenter directly urges readers to read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395781,
          "author": "vm",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T14:17:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395781",
          "commentText": "* Steve Jobs biography. I couldn't put it down and I'm shocked there aren't more fans on HN\nFor those who liked Malkiel's Random Walk, read:\n* Ben Graham's Intelligent Investor\n* Philip Fisher's Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits\nThey counter Malkiel's thesis (yup, he's wrong) and Warren Buffet credits both men for teaching him how to invest. True classics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Ben Graham's Intelligent Investor",
          "reason": "Recommended to readers who liked Malkiel's book; called a true classic.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in investing.",
          "caveat": "Said to counter Malkiel's thesis.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971251,
          "author": "loganfrederick",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T08:41:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971251",
          "commentText": "+ Hacker Ethic by Steven Levy\n+ Masters of Doom by David Kushner\n+ The Millionaire Mind by Dr. Thomas Stanley\n+ The Intelligent Investor by Ben Graham\n+ The Essays of Warren Buffet by Lawrence Cunningham\n+ Buffet by Roger Lowenstein\n+ The Knack by Norm Brodsky\n+ Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar by Thomas Cathcart, Daniel Klein\n+ The Return of the Great Depression by Vox Day\n+ Capitalism and Freedom by Milton Friedman\n+ Road to Serfdom by Hayek\n+ Iacocca:An Autobiography by Lee Iacocca",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Intelligent Investor by Ben Graham",
          "reason": "Listed as a book to give the commenter's younger self.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 248702,
          "author": "nostrademons",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T16:48:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248702",
          "commentText": "#1 for me would be The Intelligent Investor, by Benjamin Graham.  Also read all of Warren Buffett's Letters from the Chairman - they're all up on the Berkshire Hathaway website.  Peter Lynch's books are good too.\nI see a lot of people here recommending A Random Walk Down Wall Street, which is a good book, but you're going to finish it and say \"This investing stuff is too complicated for me.  I think I'll just put my money in index funds.\"  Which is perfectly sensible investment advice, but if that's all you want, I can tell you \"Go invest in index funds\" right now and save you a couple hours of reading. ;-)\nJeremy Siegel's Stocks for the Long Run is like Random Walk - it's decent, but the conclusion is basically \"go invest in a stock index fund and don't worry about it\".  I'm not even sure that's great advice right now - he bases a lot of his argument on historical performance, but when an asset class has done well over the recent past, that usually means it'll do poorly in the near future.  Read neither or both - Random Walk gives you good perspective for understanding Stocks for the Long Run.\nFinally, if you do get into investing, make sure you start small.  I've made some wonderful investment decisions and some truly terrible ones.  The wonderful ones more than compensated, but they looked very similar at the time, and if I'd put all my money into the terrible one there wouldn't be any capital available for the wonderful one.\nActually, I'd recommend doing some dry-runs: pretend that you're putting money in a stock, and then track how well you'd have done over time if it were real.  Read all the 10-Ks for the stock (they're up in the EDGAR database at the SEC's website), research all the fundamentals, and listen to the analyst conference calls (Yahoo Finance webcasts them live whenever earnings come out).  That'll give you a sense of what questions to ask and what events affect the stock price.\nI did some of those dry runs and lost hypothetical money on a lot of them, which makes me very glad that they're just dry runs. ;-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "#1 for me would be The Intelligent Investor, by Benjamin Graham.",
          "reason": "Names it as the commenter's top recommendation.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking investing guidance.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 248626,
          "author": "timae",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T16:12:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248626",
          "commentText": "I second Bogleheads. Also second the \"Intelligent Investor,\" but that one might be a little too much depth for what you're after.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Also second the \"Intelligent Investor,\" but that one might be a little too much depth for what you're after.",
          "reason": "Seconds the recommendation, while noting it may be too detailed for the reader's needs.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking investing guidance, particularly those comfortable with depth.",
          "caveat": "Might be too much depth for what you're after.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 248548,
          "author": "Xichekolas",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T15:12:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248548",
          "commentText": "I've read The Intelligent Investor and The Theory of Investment Value and Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits. All three were quite good.\nTo summarize the first two (very roughly): The market isn't perfect and there are a lot of undervalued companies that are great. You have to find these companies at a significant discount to what they are really worth, and then you have to be patient enough for everyone else to realize their error.\nThe third would IMHO be more geared towards someone that wanted to be a professional. Fisher talks extensively about ways to interview management/competitors/clients for information not found on a balance sheet, and prefers to look for new technology companies with huge potential upsides. He admits himself that most of his success was due to a half dozen huge wins in his entire life, and he tries to document how to find such wins.\nRealize that with Buffet's reading list you are going to end up wanting to invest like Buffet/Graham/Fisher, which means patience and a lot of due diligence on what you buy.\nIf you don't have 100 hours a week to research/interview prospects, Buffet and Graham would both recommend that you set a good allocation and buy index funds. Fisher would probably tell you the same, as he makes it very clear that he never buys a single stock without knowing the company like it was his own (which often included knowing the management on a first name basis).\nAnd remember, the key to allocation-based investing is rebalancing, so you periodically lock in gains and don't get overly concentrated in one thing over time.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Intelligent Investor",
          "reason": "The comment discusses reading and summarizing its investing ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the summary is very rough.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 248542,
          "author": "simplyauser",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T15:09:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248542",
          "commentText": "I have read many of the recommend books. Here are my two pence.\nBooks on Wealth\n    1. \"Rich Dad Poor Dad\"\n     and find out exactly why someone becomes rich.\n    (if you like this one, at some point you may also\n     want to quickly scan through \"Cashflow Quadrant\n     Rich Dad's Guide to Financial Freedom\".)\n\n     2. Also \"chapter 6 - How to make wealth\"\n     from \"Hackers and Painters's chapter 6 - \"\n\n     3. \"The Way to Wealth by Benjamin Franklin\"\n\n\nInvesting books in this order\n    1. Peter Lynch's One Up on wall street\n    2. The Intelligent Investor  (Ben Graham)\n    3. Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits\n    4. Security Analysis (Ben Graham)\n    5. The Warren Buffet Way is a famous business read not exceptional but read it if you have some time left\n    6. A Random Walk Down Wall Street (Read it for a good laugh)\n\n\nDo NOT read\n    1. AA- The Motley Fool Money Guide\n    2. How Gerge Soros Knows What He Knows\n    3. Investing Online For Dummies\n    4. Malkiel Burton - A Random Walk Down Wall Street\n    5. Cracking the millionaire code\n    6. Joel Greenblatt - You Can Be A Stock Market Genius",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Intelligent Investor  (Ben Graham)",
          "reason": "Listed in the suggested reading order for investing books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 138044,
          "author": "falsestprophet",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-16T06:36:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=138044",
          "commentText": "The New New Thing\nFounders at Work\nHackers and Painters\nHow To Get Rich\nCompetitive Strategies\nThe Intelligent Investor (or Security Analysis)\nLiar's Poker",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Intelligent Investor (or Security Analysis)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Benjamin Graham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 23,
      "threads": 18,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "value investing",
        "investing",
        "personal finance",
        "finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-solve-it-0d9896",
      "title": "How to Solve It",
      "author": "George Pólya",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43624561,
          "author": "jotux",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-08T17:51:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 43572949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books written on “How to think”?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43624561",
          "commentText": "It's math-centric, but How to Solve It (Polya) is a good book on how to think critically and approach problems methodically.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Solve It (Polya) is a good book on how to think critically and approach problems methodically.",
          "reason": "Recommended for critical thinking and methodical problem solving.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it is math-centric.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937200,
          "author": "tiffanyg",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:40:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937200",
          "commentText": "Ah, a literalist.\nI see your literality, and raise:\nenabled a pivotal moment in my life\nLike that time you beat Archimedes to the punch and moved the world with a cantilever?\nTo not just 'standup philosopher'-post: Gödel, Escher, Bach (already mentioned by another I see); Euclid's Elements; Polya's How To Solve It; The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich; Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats - clearly non-fiction, if you know cats. :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Polya's How To Solve It",
          "reason": "Listed among books with a pivotal impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35954262,
          "author": "vram22",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-15T20:46:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35954262",
          "commentText": "Not all of the ones below may be textbooks, sorry, but IMO they are all very good. I cut my programming teeth on some of them, and read others at different times later in my career.\nHow to Solve It, by Georg Polya. \nA famous Hungarian mathematician. \nA text on general problem solving principles or techniques. A classic.\nHow to Solve It by Computer, by Dromey, an AU CS professor. In the same spirit as the Polya book, but applied to iteratively working out algorithms and pseudocode for common important programming problems.\nThe K&R C book. What to say.\nThe Unix Programming Environment, by Kernighan and Pike. Ditto.\nProgramming Pearls, and More Programming Pearls, by Jon Bentley.\nAmong many other things, some clever / advanced uses of awk.\nWriting Efficient Programs, also by Bentley. I had mentioned it on HN earlier, and someone replied saying they had used it in real life, and it was gold.\nSQL for Professionals, by authors whose names I forget.\nThe Object Primer, by can't remember who, but good.\nA Unix book by Kochan, IIRC.\nObject-Oriented Software Construction, by Bertrand Meyer, creator of the Eiffel programming language.\nA book on object-oriented analysis / design, can't remember the name, by Rebecca Wirfs-Brock (?) and others. Learned about CRC  cards from it. Very cool concept and technique.\nA book on Object-Oriented Design, by Grady Booch, from a time before he co-invented UML. Forget the exact name.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Solve It, by Georg Polya.",
          "reason": "Described as a classic text on general problem-solving principles and techniques.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34441306,
          "author": "adamsmith143",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T15:27:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34441306",
          "commentText": "A lot of comments about textbooks that helped in specific topics but I don't think that answers the spirit of OP's question. Sure working through ANY Linear Algebra textbook is going to improve your Linear Algebra skills.\nIn the spirit of OP's question:\nHow to Solve it by G. Polya\nSolving Mathematical Problems by Terrence Tao\nIntroduction to Mathematical Thinking by Keith Devlin\nAre all amazing, How to Solve it in particular is an all time classic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Solve it by G. Polya",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an all-time classic and lists it among books they find amazing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34441116,
          "author": "steppi",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T15:11:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34441116",
          "commentText": "Some favorites below. Books 0-3 are accessible. The remaining books are more difficult but I'd highly recommend them to math students.\n0. Jan Gullberg, Mathematics, From the Birth of Numbers. A highly accessible popular survey on different branches of higher mathematics. I read this over the Summer between high school and starting my undergraduate degree. It's what made me want to study math. Previously I'd wanted to be a guitar player, but had to find a new ambition after an injury left me unable to play.\n1. The high school mathematics series by Israel Gelfand. Algebra, Trigonometry, The Method of Coordinates, and Functions and Graphs. I\ndidn't have much mathematics background in high school, but working through these really solidified my grasp on the basics.\n2. George Polya. How to Solve it. A short book giving excellent high level advice on mathematical problem solving.\n3. George E. Andrews, Number Theory. I worked through this freshman year contemporaneously with my first proof based class on simple logic and set theory. A very beautiful and accessible introduction to basic number theory. The combinatorial/geometric proofs of Fermat's Little Theorem and Wilson's Theorem are lovely. It also includes a very nice proof of Chebyshev's theorem on the asymptotic density of primes and even the Rogers-Ramanujan identities for integer partitions.\n4. Vladimir Arnold, Ordinary Differential Equations: Undergrad ODE classes are often taught in a cookbook fashion and if so, don't offer much enlightenment. This book explains what's going on at geometrical level. I didn't appreciate ODEs until I read this. See https://www.uni-muenster.de/Physik.TP/~munsteg/arnold.html for Arnold's views on teaching mathematics.\n5. E.C. Titchmarsh The Theory of Functions: Recommended by my undergraduate advisor because he noticed that I liked reading older books. It contains sections on complex analysis and real analysis with measure theory, but I've only read the complex analysis sections. It's not for everyone, if I recall correctly, there is not a single picture, but it is very lively and has a lot of material you won't find in a standard complex analysis book, including Dirichlet series. Excellent as a supplement to a standard complex analysis book.\n6. George Polya. Mathematics and Plausible Reasoning. An excellent expansion on Polya's ideas on How to Solve it. While the goal is to seek rigorous proofs, to get there it's powerful to be able to think based on intuition, heuristics, and plausible reasoning. A lot of math exposition is theorem/proof based and doesn't help develop these skills. In a similar vein, see also Terence Tao's classic post There's more to mathematics than rigour and proofs https://terrytao.wordpress.com/career-advice/theres-more-to-... (https://terrytao.wordpress.com/career-advice/theres-more-to-mathematics-than-rigour-and-proofs/).\n7. H.S.M Coxeter, An Introduction to Geometry. A book of very beautiful classical geometry. Something typically not touched on at all in a typical mathematics curriculum.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "George Polya. How to Solve it.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as a short book with excellent high-level advice on mathematical problem solving.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33803151,
          "author": "mzd348",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T16:31:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33803151",
          "commentText": "Haven't seen this mentioned yet, so How to Solve It (1945) by George Pólya?  I haven't read it myself so I can't comment (I'm a muddy thinker and rubbish problem solver), but I think it was mentioned in a good light in one of Hofstadter's \"Metamagical Themas\" pieces.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Haven't seen this mentioned yet, so How to Solve It (1945) by George Pólya? I haven't read it myself so I can't comment",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to the thread's request for books that improve thinking and problem solving.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it and cannot comment from personal experience.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33801921,
          "author": "yboris",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T15:20:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33801921",
          "commentText": "A classic in the Math field is How to Solve It by Georg Polya\nhttps://www.amazon.com/How-Solve-Mathematical-Princeton-Scie... (https://www.amazon.com/How-Solve-Mathematical-Princeton-Science/dp/069111966X)\nAnd for improving statistical thinking, the classic How to Lie With Statistics by Darrell Huff\nhttps://www.amazon.com/How-Lie-Statistics-Darrell-Huff-ebook... (https://www.amazon.com/How-Lie-Statistics-Darrell-Huff-ebook/dp/B00351DSX2/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A classic in the Math field is How to Solve It by Georg Polya",
          "reason": "Recommended as a classic in mathematics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31491152,
          "author": "Beltiras",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T12:34:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31491152",
          "commentText": "The book that opened my eyes to what Math really was is a biography on Paul Erdös, The man who loved only numbers. Another really invaluable resource for me was How to solve it by Polya.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to solve it by Polya.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an invaluable resource.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31489732,
          "author": "Thursday24",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T09:12:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31489732",
          "commentText": "George Polya's \"How to solve it\" taught me how to think better, in engineering, mathematics & problem solving. After going through the whole thing, and solving a few of the exercises, I feel like I get stuck less compared to before.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "George Polya's \"How to solve it\" taught me how to think better, in engineering, mathematics & problem solving.",
          "reason": "The commenter credits the book with improving their thinking and problem-solving.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30486432,
          "author": "nonrandomstring",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T08:26:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486432",
          "commentText": "I still have these on my shelf looking dog-eared and well read You can\nprobably tell from these exactly which year I took CSEE :)\n- Biggs: Discrete Maths\n- Stroud: Engineering Mathematics\n- Solkolnikoff: Mathematics of Physics and Modern Engineering\n- Sommerville: Software Engineering\n- Aho: Compilers\n- Kernighan and Ritchie: The C Programming Language\n- Kernighan and Pike: The UNIX Programming Environment\n- Ben Ari: Principles of Concurrent Programming\n- Clements: Microprocessor Systems Design\n- Tannenbaum: Distributed Operating Systems\n- Dean, Allen, Aloimonos: Articficial Intelligence\n- Knuth: The Art of Computer Programming\n- Yourdon: Object Oriented Systems Design\n- Abelson and Sussman: Structure and Interpretation\nMaybe the one that ones that changed me most:\n- Polya: How to Solve it\n - Hofstadter: Godel Escher Bach",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Polya: How to Solve it",
          "reason": "The commenter says it may have changed them most.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23727569,
          "author": "jacobolus",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T20:57:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23727569",
          "commentText": "Instead of How To Solve It, which is organized dictionary–style with short sections on particular named problem solving topics, and is somewhat hard to interpret for novices without guidance, let me recommend Polya’s other two books (each 2 volumes), Mathematical Discovery and Mathematics and Plausible Reasoning.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Instead of How To Solve It, which is organized dictionary–style with short sections on particular named problem solving topics, and is somewhat hard to interpret for novices without guidance",
          "reason": "Discusses the book's organization and says it can be hard for novices to interpret without guidance.",
          "audience": "Novices may need guidance to interpret it.",
          "caveat": "Dictionary-style organization with short topic sections; somewhat hard to interpret for novices without guidance.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23727502,
          "author": "montalbano",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T20:51:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23727502",
          "commentText": "Spivak is an excellent choice but may be too advanced depending on his level. I would also strongly recommend any of the books in the Art of Problem Solving series:\nhttps://artofproblemsolving.com/store/list/aops-curriculum\nI've got a PhD in bioengineering but I'm currently going through Introduction to Counting and Probability and I'm really enjoying it.\nSome others (not AOPS series):\nNelsen - Proofs Without Words\nPolya - How to Solve it\nStrogatz - Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Polya - How to Solve it",
          "reason": "Lists it among additional book suggestions in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21350449,
          "author": "jonbarker",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-25T00:06:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21350449",
          "commentText": "More general purpose problem solving but written by a mathematician and one of the best books I've ever read! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Solve_It",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "More general purpose problem solving but written by a mathematician and one of the best books I've ever read!",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the best books the commenter has read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19898148,
          "author": "rom16384",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T11:29:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19898148",
          "commentText": "One book that is often recommended is Pólya's \"How to solve it\" [1], although it's more directed at solving mathematical problems than general mental models.\n[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Solve_It",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "One book that is often recommended is Pólya's \"How to solve it\"",
          "reason": "The comment identifies it as a commonly recommended book, while noting its focus is narrower than general mental models.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in mathematical problem-solving.",
          "caveat": "More directed at solving mathematical problems than general mental models.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16572498,
          "author": "null000",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-12T23:06:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16572498",
          "commentText": "\"How to Solve it\" was great for me from an abstract problem solving point of view. It helped me get better at seeing which abstractions help solve an otherwise difficult problem, which is a useful skill to have for coding interviews and, really, most technically difficult problems encountered during the work day.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How to Solve it\" was great for me from an abstract problem solving point of view.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its value for abstract problem solving and describes skills they gained from it.",
          "audience": "People seeking problem-solving skills useful for coding interviews and technical work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16351633,
          "author": "conjecTech",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T07:26:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16351633",
          "commentText": "There is a class at Georgia Tech I colloquially referred to as \"making sure your coworkers don't hate you.\" It covered design patterns, software testing, and project management. I'd tack on a basic knowledge of databases to that. These are things you can gain a true functional knowledge of in a couple of weeks, and which not knowing might make senior engineers hate working with you.\nSo to mimic the class:\nThe Mythical Man Month\nDesign Patterns - Even if some of the particulars are not as relevant, it still provides a useful framework for thought.\nLessons Learned in Software Testing: A Context-Driven Approach\nI'd also add Harry Potter & The Methods of Rationality. A lot of engineers can think empirically, but its not their first reaction. Going through this book helped make it second nature for me. Can't remember if a certain data structure is immutable? Now I'll write a couple of lines of code to see rather than go looking for documentation. A lot of big problems start as false assumptions. Having the instinct to think to test them and knowing how to will prevent a lot of wasted effort, regardless of your role.\nHow to Solve It by Polya also gets an honorable mention for similar reasons.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Solve It by Polya also gets an honorable mention for similar reasons.",
          "reason": "Gets an honorable mention for encouraging empirical problem-solving instincts.",
          "audience": "Engineers",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14480299,
          "author": "myle",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-04T07:35:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14480299",
          "commentText": "\"How to solve it\" because it encourages you to not just mechanically follow steps, but think critically and solve a problem.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How to solve it\" because it encourages you to not just mechanically follow steps, but think critically and solve a problem.",
          "reason": "Praises its encouragement to think critically while solving problems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14138611,
          "author": "jabv",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T13:28:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14138611",
          "commentText": "When I studied cello performance in college, my professor would joke that the 40 David Popper etudes were my new bible. However, I think a copy of Bach's six cello suites is a better match.\nIn my work in math education, there are many possibilities, but I think Polya's \"How to Solve It\" is a strong contender.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Polya's \"How to Solve It\" is a strong contender",
          "reason": "Described as a strong contender for a math education bible.",
          "audience": "Readers in math education",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10027402,
          "author": "saltylicorice",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T15:03:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027402",
          "commentText": "How to Solve It, by Polya.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Solve It, by Polya.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books with a high signal-to-noise ratio.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4967140,
          "author": "sb",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T21:26:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967140",
          "commentText": "This year I either read, or started to read the following interesting books:\nMathematics: Form and Function by Saunders Mac Lane. This is one of my favorite books concerning the \"build-up\" of mathematics (it also contains nice diagrams of \"relatedness\" of subjects). On HN somebody once recommended Mathematics: Its contents, methods, and meaning (from Russian mathematicians in the 50s) which is similar but without the cross references.\nProofs and Refutations by Imre Lakatos. I have started reading this only recently and have to say that I find the approach and idea excellent. It would be great if we had something comparable for CS theory as well.\nNotes on Introductory Combinatorics by Polya, Tarjan, and Woods. Have not read this exhaustively, but the introduction with Pascal's triangle and some of Polya' legendary problem solving insights (paraphrased from my memory: \"you are on to something once you find a pattern\") are definitely highlights in this book.\nMathematical Discovery: On Understanding, Learning and Teaching Problem Solving by George Polya. Based on the previous book and my fond memories of reading \"How to Solve it\", I got this one from the library. Again I can't attest for all of the contents, but AFAICT now it's another gem from Polya.\nFrom HN advice in previous years I read The Tibetan Book on Living and Dying, which I can heartily recommend, too. It is an anti-thesis to Christian theology and I find it to contain many insightful comments and different views on leading a good, meaningful life. I disagree with some of the church-y comments on that it really is important to have a master and that only the master can do certain things, but that's probably just me being an atheist all along.\nI actually read some other books, but the list is already kind of long and might hold interesting pointers for other mathematically inclined readers, too. I for one am always fascinated on how much advice on problem solving in mathematics translates to CS.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Based on the previous book and my fond memories of reading \"How to Solve it\"",
          "reason": "The commenter refers to fond memories of reading it as background for choosing another Pólya book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Past positive memories are mentioned, without an explicit recommendation here.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 760095,
          "author": "MaysonL",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-13T05:45:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=760095",
          "commentText": "The World of Mathematics edited by James Newman (a four-volume anthology) may give you a feel for and an interest in exploring math further. It's a great collection ranging from mathematical curiousities and puzzles to memoirs of mathematicians to a very moving short story by Aldous Huxley.\nAlso, One, Two, Three, Infinity by George Gamow (a great physicist) is a great intro.\nSecond the How To Solve It recommendations.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Second the How To Solve It recommendations.",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the existing recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 756003,
          "author": "revertts",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T18:55:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=756003",
          "commentText": "How To Solve It is a great recommendation.\nI had a physics professor that did an amazing job of teaching problem solving; even though the class wasn't directly to my major, it was probably the single most useful class I ever took.  Next semester I read How To Solve It and realized that the way he taught followed closely to what Polya lays out.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How To Solve It is a great recommendation.",
          "reason": "Explicitly calls it a great recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 755718,
          "author": "billswift",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T17:18:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755718",
          "commentText": "How to Solve It seems to be aimed at math teachers, but it is useful for almost anyone wanting to learn more math since it gives ideas about how to think about maths.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "How to Solve It seems to be aimed at math teachers, but it is useful for almost anyone wanting to learn more math",
          "reason": "Says it is useful for almost anyone wanting to learn more math.",
          "audience": "Math teachers and people wanting to learn more math.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it seems aimed at math teachers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 755562,
          "author": "zppx",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T16:16:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755562",
          "commentText": "That's depends on what you want to learn and for why, well, some people want to understand the formalism of a theory, as theoretical computer science or theoretical physics where others are only interested in applications, so I will take a generalist approach in the topics, yes topics not books, that I will advise you to learn. Unless the book is awful (and there are many out there that are) it will makes no difference which book you pick, you generally will not \"read\" a math book, the only case in which you will is when it's a book for divulgation (as Polya's \"How To Solve It\"). For me the basics is:\nStatistics (Descriptive and some Probability),\nCalculus, the idea of Limits, Derivatives and Integrals (for Multiple Variables) and applications,\nLinear Algebra and also some Applications (there are many), numerical Linear Algebra is totally necessary if you want to apply it in the real world,\na basics in Differential Equations,\nsome Numerical Analysis.\nIf you want to learn things closer to computer science then learn something of Number Theory, some Enumerative Combinatorics and Graph Theory as well.\nThe list is extensive because I come from a mathematical background. If you learn at least a bit of these topics them the next step will be apparent for you.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "(as Polya's \"How To Solve It\")",
          "reason": "Mentions it as an example of a book for popular exposition, without endorsing it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 755163,
          "author": "babyboy808",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T13:42:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755163",
          "commentText": "Fantastic reply, thank you.\nAn Introduction to Mathematical Reasoning loks good, just going to read some reviews on Amazon first.\nWould 'How To Solve It' be aimed at someone like myself?",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Would 'How To Solve It' be aimed at someone like myself?",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Asks whether it is suitable for them; gives no evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 755071,
          "author": "mahmud",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T12:34:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755071",
          "commentText": "\"An Introduction to Mathematical Reasoning\" by Peter J Eccels. Teaches the vocabulary of mathematics, just the basics you need to think like a mathematician, not a mathematics user like most science texts.\n\"How To Solve It\" George Polya. Heurists and problem solving skills, by a great mathematician.\nDo a google search, specially in the sci.math newsgroup. Again, read books by mathematicians for mathematicians; they're often far more enjoyable and actually far more straightforward (I was often confused by the examples in my school work; I didn't care for \"vehicle moving at speed X\" or \"object falling at from height Y\". We all have a different internal visual mind and I tended to think in abstract patterns, usually colors, lines or nested bodies, without real physical objects distracting me.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How To Solve It\" George Polya. Heurists and problem solving skills, by a great mathematician.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for heuristics and problem-solving skills.",
          "audience": "Readers developing mathematical problem-solving skills.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Pólya"
      ],
      "recommenders": 23,
      "threads": 17,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "problem solving",
        "heuristics",
        "mathematical reasoning",
        "math education"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "javascript-the-good-parts-591e0f",
      "title": "JavaScript: The Good Parts",
      "author": "Douglas Crockford",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37328816,
          "author": "locallost",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-30T20:44:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 37325594,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books to learn web development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37328816",
          "commentText": "Crockford's book is very short, but dense in information. I would not recommend it to somebody just learning the language, even though I think Crockford writes and expresses himself very clearly.\nYou don't know JS series didn't sit well with me. It tries to lead the reader through some a-ha moments, except those are pretty individual. But it might work for someone else.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Crockford's book is very short, but dense in information.",
          "reason": "Says the book is concise and information-dense, but advises against it for someone just learning JavaScript.",
          "audience": "Readers already beyond the language's basics.",
          "caveat": "Not recommended for someone just learning the language.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37326179,
          "author": "id00",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-30T17:58:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 37325594,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books to learn web development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37326179",
          "commentText": "I remember \"JavaScript: The Good Parts\" by Douglas Crockford touched some parts in depth.\nAlso \"You Don't Know JS Yet\" has some depth in it\nhttps://github.com/getify/You-Dont-Know-JS",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"JavaScript: The Good Parts\" by Douglas Crockford",
          "reason": "Mentions it as a book that covers some topics in depth.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26322882,
          "author": "draw_down",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-02T23:50:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 26321793,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books made you the most money?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26322882",
          "commentText": "\"JavaScript: The Good Parts\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"JavaScript: The Good Parts\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14846210,
          "author": "CalRobert",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T08:49:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14846210",
          "commentText": "Javascript: The Good Parts",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Javascript: The Good Parts",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the thread's question about influential books on code structure.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in JavaScript.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14845165,
          "author": "frik",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T04:41:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14845165",
          "commentText": "JavaScript, the Good Parts",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "JavaScript, the Good Parts",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14470360,
          "author": "rammy1234",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-02T14:59:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14470360",
          "commentText": "I used this books. \nSecrets of javascript Ninja - \nhttps://www.manning.com/books/secrets-of-the-javascript-ninj... (https://www.manning.com/books/secrets-of-the-javascript-ninja)\njavascript : good parts - \nhttps://www.amazon.com/JavaScript-Good-Parts-Douglas-Crockfo... (https://www.amazon.com/JavaScript-Good-Parts-Douglas-Crockford/dp/0596517742)",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "javascript : good parts",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14466842,
          "author": "wand3r",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-02T01:51:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14466842",
          "commentText": "Do learn JavaScript the hard way on Zed's website. Once you know syntax read addy osmanis book on design patterns; Google engineer gives great examples.\nAlso; JavaScript the good parts",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also; JavaScript the good parts",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14462373,
          "author": "abraves10001",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-01T17:23:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14462373",
          "commentText": "I honestly don't know.  Maybe read one of the books mentioned here, eloquent or the good parts, and enroll in a course specific to a framework (i got a free subscription to front-end masters, that has a few good courses) and go from there.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Maybe read one of the books mentioned here, eloquent or the good parts",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14462169,
          "author": "ajeet_dhaliwal",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-01T17:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14462169",
          "commentText": "Agreed, I own this book and it was great several years ago but it does not include ES5, 6 and now 2016, 2017. I think you're better off learning online. Or to get started read it and then add to the knowledge here: http://es6-features.org/#Constants (whoever set up that site is great, it's helped me out).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I own this book and it was great several years ago but it does not include ES5, 6 and now 2016, 2017.",
          "reason": "Says it was great, while noting it is outdated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Does not include ES5, ES6, or the 2016 and 2017 updates.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14462034,
          "author": "ameliaquining",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-01T16:56:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14462034",
          "commentText": "One warning: Although it's a good book, it was published in 2008 and a lot has been added to the language since then. It will give you a solid understanding of the core of the language, but for modern best practices you'll have to look elsewhere.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Although it's a good book, it was published in 2008 and a lot has been added to the language since then.",
          "reason": "Calls it a good book and says it provides a solid grasp of the language's core.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Published in 2008; modern best practices require other sources.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14461830,
          "author": "fredophile",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-01T16:36:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14461830",
          "commentText": "I found JavaScript: The Good Parts useful. It's very short and gets right to the point. The author focuses on the parts of the language people tend to use every day and highlights some gotchas and common mistakes that you might not expect (like == vs ===) if you're coming in from other languages.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found JavaScript: The Good Parts useful. It's very short and gets right to the point.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it useful and praises its concise focus on commonly used language features and gotchas.",
          "audience": "JavaScript learners, especially those coming from other programming languages.",
          "caveat": "It focuses on the language features people use every day.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14136514,
          "author": "mrskitch",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T04:34:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14136514",
          "commentText": "Not the Bible in its typical sense, but Crockfords \"JavaScript: The Good Parts\". It's like the Bible in that I seem to learn something new on every read through, and it's fairly quick to do so",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's like the Bible in that I seem to learn something new on every read through, and it's fairly quick to do so",
          "reason": "The commenter says each reread teaches them something new and that it is quick to read.",
          "audience": "JavaScript practitioners.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10182479,
          "author": "lalwanivikas",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-07T18:37:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10182479",
          "commentText": "JavaScript - \"JavaScript: The Good Parts\"\nhttp://shop.oreilly.com/product/9780596517748.do\nCan anyone please suggest more good books for JavaScript? - for beginner, intermediate and advanced levels? Thanks in advance :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "JavaScript - \"JavaScript: The Good Parts\"",
          "reason": "Listed as a JavaScript book in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9758484,
          "author": "mdm_",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T14:22:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758484",
          "commentText": "My favorite is Javascript: The Good Parts by Douglas Crockford. It's clear, concise, the railroad diagrams are super helpful, and from what I've seen of Crockford's lectures on YouTube, it also really captures his voice.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favorite is Javascript: The Good Parts by Douglas Crockford. It's clear, concise, the railroad diagrams are super helpful",
          "reason": "Calls it their favorite and praises its clarity, concision, and diagrams.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8026364,
          "author": "Ryel",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-13T01:47:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 8025870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8026364",
          "commentText": "Just finished \"Eloquent Ruby\"\nI usually re-read chapters of Crockford's \"Javascript: The Good Parts\" until I find another book to get into.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I usually re-read chapters of Crockford's \"Javascript: The Good Parts\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7756871,
          "author": "michaelchum",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:10:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7756871",
          "commentText": "JavaScript: The Good Parts. Made me see JS in a much more elegant way. Coding JS is not trivial. I did use JS in webdev in general, and APIs. But really, I would have never known the mysteries behind it such as prototypal inheritance.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Made me see JS in a much more elegant way.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed how they see JavaScript, highlighting its elegance.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that coding JavaScript is not trivial.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6976558,
          "author": "ramgp",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T21:01:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976558",
          "commentText": "Software development related reads with a strong focus on proven practices that enhance software quality in terms of readability and maintainability (and other software ~ilities) to ease the process of changing the software later on.\nThe Art of Readable Code by  Dustin Boswell & Trevor Foucher\nDon't Make Me Think 2ed by Steve Krug\nRemote: Office not Required by Jason Fried & DHH\nThe Art of Unit Testing by Roy Osherove\nCode Complete 2 by Steve McConnell\nRefactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code by Martin Fowler\nThe Practice of Programming by Brian Kernighan & Rob Pike\nJavaScript: The Good Parts by Douglas Crockford\nCode Simplicity by Max Kanat-Alexander\nAn Introduction to Programming in Go by Caleb Doxsey at http://www.golang-book.com/\nAlso read: How To Be Black by Baratunde Thurston",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "JavaScript: The Good Parts by Douglas Crockford",
          "reason": "Listed as a software development read focused on proven practices and software quality.",
          "audience": "Software developers seeking to improve software quality.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5859029,
          "author": "auslegung",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-11T01:48:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 5859004,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5859029",
          "commentText": "Currently:\n1. Javascript: The Good Parts\n2. Eloquent Javascript\n3. The New Testament and the People of God by NT Wright",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Javascript: The Good Parts",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4966535,
          "author": "yread",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T18:00:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4966535",
          "commentText": "Melville's Moby Dick, Crockford's Javascript: the good parts, Vonnegut's short stories, Defoe's Adventures and Piracies of captain Singleton (not about the design pattern), Amsterdam in the 70s. Not a single new release though.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crockford's Javascript: the good parts",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2415613,
          "author": "jollyjerry",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T15:59:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2415613",
          "commentText": "3 books that I helped me tie my daily work back to more abstract computer science concepts are:\n- Ruby Best Practices\n- Javascript, the Good Parts\n- Higher Order Perl\nI recommend picking these up after you've done work in the languages they're about.  They assume that you're already comfortable with the language, but then go back to show how that language uses CS concepts.  They highlight how functional programming, and other classic introductory CS concepts, but stays practical.  None of them are long reads, and there are clear take aways that make you better at programming.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Javascript, the Good Parts",
          "reason": "Included in a set of books said to connect daily programming work to computer science concepts and improve programming.",
          "audience": "JavaScript programmers already comfortable with the language.",
          "caveat": "The commenter recommends reading it after gaining experience with JavaScript.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1465233,
          "author": "tlrobinson",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T08:43:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 1463717,
          "threadTitle": "Need best Javascript books suggestion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1465233",
          "commentText": "I learned JavaScript from The Definitive Guide before The Good Parts came out, so maybe my opinion is skewed, but I don't think Good Parts covers enough material to be useful on it's own (Good Parts doesn't cover DOM APIs at all, for example).\nI can tell you Definitive Guide also sat next to my desk to serve as a reference for a long time, though most of the same material can be found on https://developer.mozilla.org/en/JavaScript http://www.w3schools.com/js/default.asp and many other websites.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I don't think Good Parts covers enough material to be useful on it's own (Good Parts doesn't cover DOM APIs at all, for example).",
          "reason": "Says it lacks enough material to be useful on its own and omits DOM APIs.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says their opinion may be skewed because they learned from The Definitive Guide first.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1465006,
          "author": "irahul",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T05:31:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 1463717,
          "threadTitle": "Need best Javascript books suggestion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1465006",
          "commentText": "My personal experience is \"Javascript: The Definitive Guide\" feels like a tome. It's a big, dry book. It doesn't stimulate my mind and I skimmed through most of it(chapters dedicated to looping syntax et al.).\n\"Javascript: The Good Parts\" worked wonders for me. I understand the language and I use JQuery for dom manipulation. I understand ground-level DOM and can use it when required. Do you think \"Javascript: The Definitive Guide\" adds something good which \"Javascript: The Good Parts\" skips? There are many things but I am talking things which make you a better Javascripter.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Javascript: The Good Parts\" worked wonders for me.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them understand the language.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1464163,
          "author": "miguelpais",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-26T19:44:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1463717,
          "threadTitle": "Need best Javascript books suggestion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1464163",
          "commentText": "The book is very concise and probably one of the books with higher ratio of relevant content per page. It also teaches you the grammar of JavaScript in one of the most simple and unambiguous ways I ever seen in a book (railroad diagrams).\nOn the other hand it was one of the shortest book I ever read in which I had to reread and go back more times. JavaScript can be a bit confusing at times and the book only says things once and in a succinct way.\nEverything was going fine until Prototypes and Constructors and the very bad 'new' operator, that somewhat surprisingly was used in the good function which achieved Prototype Inheritance (example in here: http://javascript.crockford.com/prototypal.html), but after a while I got it. ;)\nIt's the only book I've read about JavaScript yet. I consider it very good if you already are proficient in other programming languages, but it doesn't really show you what to do with it (and it wasn't supposed to), so I'm now planing to buy JavaScript the Definitive Guide.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The book is very concise and probably one of the books with higher ratio of relevant content per page.",
          "reason": "Praises its concise, relevant content and clear explanation of JavaScript grammar.",
          "audience": "Readers already proficient in other programming languages.",
          "caveat": "Requires rereading; can be confusing, and does not show what to do with JavaScript.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1463998,
          "author": "mk",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-26T18:01:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 1463717,
          "threadTitle": "Need best Javascript books suggestion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1463998",
          "commentText": "Crockford's Javascript: The Good Parts, Stoyan Stefanov's books, and Zakas's High Performance Javascript. Also don't forget about http://developer.yahoo.com/yui/theater/. There are a ton of good video lectures to learn from.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crockford's Javascript: The Good Parts",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1463930,
          "author": "Kevin_M_Miller",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-26T17:10:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 1463717,
          "threadTitle": "Need best Javascript books suggestion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1463930",
          "commentText": "Check here.  It's a rating of what people consider the best JavaScript books:\nhttp://stackoverflow.com/questions/74884/good-javascript-boo... (http://stackoverflow.com/questions/74884/good-javascript-books/74903)\nBut personally, I like Crockford's book the good parts.  The Oreilly definitive guide isn't bad either.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I like Crockford's book the good parts",
          "reason": "Says the commenter likes the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1463838,
          "author": "tlrobinson",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-26T16:10:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 1463717,
          "threadTitle": "Need best Javascript books suggestion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1463838",
          "commentText": "\"JavaScript: The Good Parts\" by Crockford and \"JavaScript: The Definitive Guide\" by Flanagan are all you need, at least for the language itself",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"JavaScript: The Good Parts\" by Crockford",
          "reason": "Says it is one of the books needed to learn JavaScript.",
          "audience": "People learning JavaScript.",
          "caveat": "Only for the language itself.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1463747,
          "author": "kls",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-26T14:56:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 1463717,
          "threadTitle": "Need best Javascript books suggestion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1463747",
          "commentText": "JavaScript: The Good Parts\nAbsolutely, it is really the 101 of JavaScript and helps you avoid a lot of the pitfalls that gave the language a bad name for so many years.\nJavaScript: the definitive guide, is also a good book.\nObject-Oriented JavaScript: Create scalable, reusable high-quality JavaScript applications and libraries.\nAs well most all of John Resig books are good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Absolutely, it is really the 101 of JavaScript and helps you avoid a lot of the pitfalls that gave the language a bad name for so many years.",
          "reason": "Praises it as a foundational JavaScript book that helps avoid common pitfalls.",
          "audience": "JavaScript learners.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1463726,
          "author": "_0ffh",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-26T14:34:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 1463717,
          "threadTitle": "Need best Javascript books suggestion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1463726",
          "commentText": "It's probably not quite what you requested, but everyone who is seriously into JavaScript ought to pick up Douglas Crockford's \"JavaScript: The Good Parts\"!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "everyone who is seriously into JavaScript ought to pick up Douglas Crockford's \"JavaScript: The Good Parts\"!",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the book to people seriously interested in JavaScript.",
          "audience": "People seriously into JavaScript.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may not quite match the requested books.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Crockford"
      ],
      "recommenders": 23,
      "threads": 12,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "javascript",
        "programming",
        "programming languages",
        "programming language design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "calculus-40c438",
      "title": "Calculus",
      "author": "Michael Spivak",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35934401,
          "author": "replicant",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-14T01:10:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35934401",
          "commentText": "Not the person you are responding, but I also used Spivak for single variable. For multivariable calculus I used Marsden and Tromba.\nThe other Spivak is a great book, but maybe too much for a first approach to the subject.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I also used Spivak for single variable.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they used Spivak's calculus text for single variable calculus.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35930357,
          "author": "dangwhy",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T17:08:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35930357",
          "commentText": "spivak calculus opened my eyes to what exactly truth is and how to prove truth by build proofs from parts.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "spivak calculus opened my eyes to what exactly truth is",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed how they think about truth and constructing proofs.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34443134,
          "author": "jsenn",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T17:41:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34443134",
          "commentText": "* The Art of Probability by Hamming. An opinionated, slightly quirky text on probability. Unlike the text used in my university course its explanations were clear and rigourous without being pedantic. The exercises were both interesting and enlightening. The only book in this list that taught skills I've actually used in the real world.\n* Calculus by Spivak. This was used in my intro calculus course in university. It's very much a bottom-up, first-principles construction of calculus. Very proof-based, so you have to be into that. Tons of exercises, including some that sneakily introduce pretty advanced concepts not explicitly covered in the main text. This book, along with the course, rearranged by brain. Not sure how useful it would be for self-study though.\n* Measurement by Lockhart. I haven't read the whole thing, but have enjoyed working through some of the exercises. A good book for really grokking geometric proofs and understanding \"mathematical beauty\", rather than just cranking through algebraic proofs step by step.\n* Naive Set Theory by Halmos. Somewhat spare, but a nice, concise introduction to axiomatic set theory. Brings you from nothing up to the Continuum Hypothesis. I read this somewhere around my first year in university and it was another brain-rearranger.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Calculus by Spivak.",
          "reason": "A first-principles, proof-based treatment with many exercises; the commenter says it changed their thinking.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy proofs.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure how useful it would be for self-study.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34442534,
          "author": "mythhouse",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T16:55:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34442534",
          "commentText": "spivak calculus",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "spivak calculus",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34442367,
          "author": "VyseofArcadia",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T16:44:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34442367",
          "commentText": "Seconding all of Spivak's books. My favorite treatment of differential geometry.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seconding all of Spivak's books.",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds all of Spivak’s books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31709751,
          "author": "gww",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-12T00:03:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31709751",
          "commentText": "Would Hubbard and Hubbard be too difficult if I found Spivaks calculus too difficult?\nI have been struggling to find a linear algebra book that isn't too abstract or too verbose. I did take LA and calculus a decade ago and I am trying to build up a background strong enough for probability and statistics.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "if I found Spivaks calculus too difficult",
          "reason": "Cites difficulty with the book as a point of comparison for choosing a linear algebra text.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31499196,
          "author": "sn9",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-25T00:28:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31499196",
          "commentText": "The other benefit is that all of the AoPS books have extremely complete solutions manuals so you'll get immediate feedback on the quality of your solution, or you can just look if you've been banging your head against something for a while.\nSolutions manuals are the autodidact's best friend.\nOther high quality books with complete solutions included or in separate solutions manuals include Spivak's Calculus, Hubbard and Hubbard's Vector Calculus, Tenenbaum and Pollard's Ordinary Differential Equations (a really cheap Dover text from the 60s!), and Knuth et. al's Concrete Mathematics.\nGoing through the AoPS books and the above will give you an extremely solid foundation to learn any further math you might need as a software engineer as needed.\nIf you have a career spanning 3-4 decades, spending a few years mastering this material can be extremely useful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Spivak's Calculus",
          "reason": "Names it among high-quality books with complete solutions available.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31491314,
          "author": "laichzeit0",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T12:49:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31491314",
          "commentText": "Supposing you have at least high school mathematics under the belt:\n1. Book of Proof by Hammack [1]\n2. Tom Apostol Calculus Vol 1 (stop at Linear Algebra)\n3. Linear Algebra by Insel, Spence & Friedberg\n4. Understanding Analysis by Stephen Abbott\n5. Tom Apostol Calculus Vol 2\nThese are books with excellent exposition, and solution manuals are available when needed. You are absolutely required to do all the exercises.  To learn mathematics is to do mathematics.\nTwo other excellent books are Spivak - Calculus, the problems in this book are very good, but much more difficult than Apostol.  For more advanced analysis there's Walter Rudin's Principles of Mathematical Analysis (baby Rudin), which on its own is too difficult as a first exposure to analysis, but there's a cool professor that recorded an entire semester of baby Rudin lecture videos [2].  This is as close as it gets without being enrolled in a university.\n[1] https://www.people.vcu.edu/~rhammack/BookOfProof/\n[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab41LEw9oiI&list=PLun8-Z_lTk... (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab41LEw9oiI&list=PLun8-Z_lTkC6qJF1sVh3_Hx7aL6FPd0IN) (the first video is a bit blurry, it gets better)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Spivak - Calculus",
          "reason": "The commenter says its problems are very good, but harder than Apostol's.",
          "audience": "Readers with at least high-school mathematics",
          "caveat": "Problems are much more difficult than Apostol's.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31488800,
          "author": "kajecounterhack",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T06:47:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31488800",
          "commentText": "Spivak's Calculus! (It's really a book about real analysis.)  It's extremely well written and starts by rebuilding your understanding of your fundamental mathematical building blocks, only using things you can prove. It also teaches you how to prove them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Spivak's Calculus!",
          "reason": "Recommended for its explanations and proof-based development of mathematical foundations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter characterizes it as really a book about real analysis.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30490459,
          "author": "faangiq",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T17:29:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30490459",
          "commentText": "Spivak Calculus. Fantastic book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Spivak Calculus. Fantastic book.",
          "reason": "Calls it fantastic in response to a question asking which book sparked their interest.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30486217,
          "author": "throwaway81523",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T07:37:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486217",
          "commentText": "If you are young and stupid enough, you don't even realize when a book is too difficult.  You just plow through it if you can make any sense of it at all.  So for me it was TAOCP, a few different theory books by Aho and Ullman, and Spivak's Calculus.  I can't say I understood everything in them, but they got me going.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Spivak's Calculus",
          "reason": "One of the books that got the commenter started.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they did not understand everything in it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23735412,
          "author": "bmitc",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-04T22:44:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23735412",
          "commentText": "Since you mention analysis, I recommend Yet Another Introduction to Analysis and Metric Spaces by Victor Bryant. They should be at the right level and a lot of fun.\nAnother analysis suggestion is Creative Mathematics by H.S. Wall. It is a book that walks a high school level student through creating the proofs themselves. The topic covered is a stripped down version of analysis, calculus, and later even differential geometry. It's really brilliant. Going slow and having fun when you're a teen would be much more productive than going fast and burning out.\nThe Spivak book is a good suggestion and might be a little difficult depending on their actual background. The books by Gelfand mentioned by someone else (there's actually a series of them that cover algebra, functions, coordinates, trigonometry, etc.) would help provide the needed background.\nThe book Conceptual Mathematics is claimed to be aimed at high school students. Maybe give it a whirl and see what happens. If they know calculus, then Advanced Calculus: A Differential Forms Approach by Harold Edwards is a gem. The first three chapters should be readable, as they give heuristic discussions of the topic.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Spivak book is a good suggestion and might be a little difficult depending on their actual background.",
          "reason": "Calls it a good suggestion.",
          "audience": "A teenager studying mathematics.",
          "caveat": "Might be difficult depending on the reader's background.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23734670,
          "author": "R3G1R",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-04T20:22:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23734670",
          "commentText": "There are many books on that front, particularly the ones related to recreational math or intro higher math (see https://mathvault.ca/books for instance). Spivak's Calculus as an intro would be an interesting start, though Stewart's Calculus is dense but more accessible.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Spivak's Calculus as an intro would be an interesting start",
          "reason": "Suggests it as an interesting introduction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23729747,
          "author": "secabeen",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-04T03:10:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23729747",
          "commentText": "A group of us maintain an annotated bibliography of math textbooks used at the University of Chicago.  The entry level ones (like Spivak's Calculus) would be good to check out:\nhttps://github.com/ystael/chicago-ug-math-bib",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "like Spivak's Calculus",
          "reason": "Listed as an example of an entry-level math textbook to check out.",
          "audience": "Entry-level undergraduate math students.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23727980,
          "author": "enriquto",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T21:55:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23727980",
          "commentText": "The princeton companion is nice to have around, but you do not really read it end to end.\nSpivak's calculus you bring to the beach and read it between swim and swim.\nEDIT: Also, some books by Hilbert are breathtakingly beautiful: Geometry and the Imagination (just the chapter on synthetic differential geometry is worth more than 10 other great books), and the Methods of Mathematical Physics is also great.  It begins by giving three proofs of cauchy-schwartz inequality, and then goes on to give several different definitions of the eigenvectors of a matrix.  Both of those make great beach readings for this summer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Spivak's calculus you bring to the beach and read it between swim and swim.",
          "reason": "Suggested as enjoyable beach reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23726824,
          "author": "bhntr3",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T19:38:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23726824",
          "commentText": "I'm neither bright nor a teenager but I have been enjoying working through Spivak's Calculus. I picked it up because it was recommended as a good intro to pure mathematical thinking for someone who knows calculus. I've found it challenging but it has delivered on that promise.\nThere are many good recommendations here but I do think it will be good for them to gain some exposure to pure mathematics. It's different than what's typically taught in high school so they can start to get an idea whether they actually want to be a mathematician or instead focus on applied math in an engineering discipline.\nAlso you're probably going to get a computing bias here. I found the threads on physicsforums.com helpful so you might ask there as well if you want a different bias. (https://www.physicsforums.com/forums/science-and-math-textbo... (https://www.physicsforums.com/forums/science-and-math-textbooks.21/))",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I have been enjoying working through Spivak's Calculus.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as an introduction to pure mathematical thinking for someone who knows calculus.",
          "audience": "Someone who already knows calculus and wants exposure to pure mathematics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter found it challenging.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21350454,
          "author": "Mugwort",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-25T00:07:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21350454",
          "commentText": "There are some really good suggestions here.  I would like to add that learning calculus properly is of the utmost importance.  It's no exaggeration when I say that this is unquestionably the single best, most profitable action you can take.  Any one of these books can change your life.\n1. Spivak Calculus\n2. Apostol Calculus vol. I and II\n3.  Courant and Johns, Introduction to Calculus and Analysis vol. I, IIA and IIB\nFor the more casual computer science or physics major, I'd go with choice 3 which resembles the Feynmann lectures the most. All the rigour of the other two is there but in a more digestible form.  It's hard for someone not accustomed to hard maths to digest long proofs, it could give you a bad case of indigestion.  It's more a function of patience.  Courant and Johns get to the point much more quickly while Spivak and Apostol take their time to do everything thoroughly.  Courant and Johns does do everything thoroughly but they are kinder to the reader and delay lengthy rigoourous proofs as long as possible while giving plenty of motivation and intuition.\nAlso I strongly recommend any books by Ray Smullyan particularly his introduction to mathematical logic.\n\"A Beginner's Guide to Mathematical Logic\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1. Spivak Calculus",
          "reason": "Recommends it as one of three calculus options.",
          "audience": "Casual computer science or physics majors are directed to choice 3 instead.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says lengthy proofs can be hard to digest without patience.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21346843,
          "author": "jordigh",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T17:21:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21346843",
          "commentText": "Spivak's Calculus.\nIt's \"just\" calculus... but it's also everything else leading up to it.\nIt's a wonderful book, written in a very engaging style, and it shows you how mathematicians think and how they play. It shows you why we have proofs, why things go wrong, and all that had to happen before we came up with a definition of derivatives and integrals that we're happy with (and of course, all of the things we can do with our newfound definitions).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a wonderful book, written in a very engaging style",
          "reason": "Praises its engaging style and explains how it develops mathematical thinking and calculus.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an engaging introduction to calculus and mathematical reasoning.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it is “just” calculus while emphasizing its broader foundations.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21346685,
          "author": "dilap",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T17:10:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21346685",
          "commentText": "seconded. this book is fantastic!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "seconded. this book is fantastic!",
          "reason": "Affirms the parent recommendation and calls the book fantastic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21346420,
          "author": "aportnoy",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T16:51:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21346420",
          "commentText": "Calculus by Michael Spivak",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Calculus by Michael Spivak",
          "reason": "Offered in response to a request for accessible, fundamental mathematics books.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a mathematics book comparable to Feynman's physics lectures.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21315153,
          "author": "playing_colours",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T17:51:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21315153",
          "commentText": "Focusing on mathematics, I think about two kinds of foundational books.\n1. Historically foundational: books that brought important ideas, introduced a new branch, progressed the maths significantly. You can read them these days, but their content, proofs, language, etc. is not up to date. Examples: Elements by Euclid, Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica by Newton, Disquisitiones Arithmeticae by Gauss.\n2. Modern foundational books: The ones that can be used for studying now. Books that are clearly written, popular, cover their subject well. Examples: Visual Complex Analysis, Spivak’s Calculus, Linear Algebra Done Right, Hardy’s \nAn Introduction to the Theory of Numbers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Spivak’s Calculus",
          "reason": "Named as a modern foundational book for studying mathematics now.",
          "audience": "People studying mathematics today.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16085664,
          "author": "badpun",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-06T15:37:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16085664",
          "commentText": "Spivak's \"Calculus\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Spivak's \"Calculus\".",
          "reason": "Names it as an answer to the question asking for the best textbook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7578348,
          "author": "dominotw",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T16:51:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578348",
          "commentText": "Spivak's Calculus is like SICP.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Spivak's Calculus is like SICP.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a math book comparable to SICP.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7578198,
          "author": "nextos",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T16:04:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578198",
          "commentText": "Thanks. Axler's LADR is indeed fantastic, I have already worked through 1/2 of it. I'm really happy to see my opinion seconded. It's really short and precise. Some people seem to prefer Halmos' Finite Dimensional Vector Spaces, but I found the presentation less didactic. Perhaps it's also more of an upper division text, and I'm not there yet.\nI was looking for a real analysis companion, perhaps baby Rudin. I was also wondering whether it'd make sense to proceed directly to real analysis, or to step down a bit and read something like Spivak's Calculus.\nI'd also like to hear about recommendations at undergrad level in the fields of logic and set theory, geometry, combinatorics, and probability theory. Those would complete my basic math curriculum.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "whether it'd make sense to proceed directly to real analysis, or to step down a bit and read something like Spivak's Calculus",
          "reason": "Raised as a possible step before real analysis, without an evaluation or recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7578126,
          "author": "cabacon",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T15:42:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578126",
          "commentText": "I clicked on this topic in order to make this suggestion.  To expand on it a little bit, I was a math major and read Spivak's 'Calculus' after I had already taken real analysis.  I found it delightful - it really approaches the topics from first principles and unlike many calculus textbooks actually goes through the effort of presenting proofs of the theorems.  Highly recommended.\nAs some recreational reading, less suiting the original request, I very much enjoyed David Foster Wallace's 'Everything and More: A Compact History of Infinity' (http://www.amazon.com/Everything-More-Compact-History-Infini... (http://www.amazon.com/Everything-More-Compact-History-Infinity/dp/0393339289/)).  DFW is not for everyone, but I enjoyed it a lot.  Maybe just check it out of the library first to see if it's for you.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found it delightful - it really approaches the topics from first principles",
          "reason": "Highly recommended for its first-principles approach and proofs of theorems.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a rigorous calculus text.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7578063,
          "author": "gms",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T15:23:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578063",
          "commentText": "It's difficult to find what you are looking for, since maths is a much older field. However, Spivak's 'Calculus' is pretty close: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0914098918.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Spivak's 'Calculus' is pretty close",
          "reason": "Suggested as a close match to the rigorous, synthesis-oriented math books the questioner seeks.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking rigorous undergraduate mathematics books.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is only a close match because mathematics is a much older field.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231082,
          "author": "nicklovescode",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T16:40:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231082",
          "commentText": "Calculus - Michael Spivak\nSalt: A World History - Mark Kurlansky",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Calculus - Michael Spivak",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 756950,
          "author": "travisjeffery",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-12T00:45:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=756950",
          "commentText": "I'm pretty at Mathematics and doing that takes a lot of work. And the Mathematics books for noobs are no good.\nThe better approach is to get a theoretical book, something like Spivak's Calculus or Linear Algebra by Friedberg, Insel and Spence. And then from there whenever you have difficulty with the material spread out laterally and you really start to gradually grow an understanding of mathematics.\nAnd then perhaps, one day you'll be up for Spivak's Calculus on Manifolds!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The better approach is to get a theoretical book, something like Spivak's Calculus",
          "reason": "Recommends a theoretical text as a better approach for learning mathematics.",
          "audience": "Learners ready for a theoretical approach to mathematics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says mathematics books for beginners are no good and this approach takes work.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Spivak"
      ],
      "recommenders": 23,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Learning",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "calculus",
        "proofs",
        "mathematical proofs",
        "proof based mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mom-test-287477",
      "title": "The Mom Test",
      "author": "Rob Fitzpatrick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43748521,
          "author": "quocanh34",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-21T04:34:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 43723077,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on talking to users?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43748521",
          "commentText": "the mom test actually",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the mom test actually",
          "reason": "Offers the book as a recommendation in response to the request for books on talking to users.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43732510,
          "author": "terrellbm",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-18T22:43:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 43723077,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on talking to users?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43732510",
          "commentText": "Great, super helpful hearing your takeaways from each book\nThank you",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Great, super helpful hearing your takeaways from each book",
          "reason": "Thanks the commenter for sharing takeaways about the books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43731311,
          "author": "kingkongjaffa",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-18T19:50:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 43723077,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on talking to users?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43731311",
          "commentText": "Continuous discovery habits by Teresa Torres\nhttps://www.producttalk.org/2021/05/continuous-discovery-hab... (https://www.producttalk.org/2021/05/continuous-discovery-habits/)\nAnd\nThe mom test\nAre the ones I’ve used the most as a product manager trying to talk to customers every week.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The mom test",
          "reason": "Names it among the books they have used most while talking to customers weekly.",
          "audience": "Product managers talking to customers regularly.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43729985,
          "author": "rozenmd",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-18T17:14:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 43723077,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on talking to users?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43729985",
          "commentText": "I think The Mom Test stands out as a favorite just because it really made me realize I had no idea what I was doing.\nMaking Users Awesome guided me towards the mindset shift needed to build product better, and Deploy Empathy gave me the exact questions to ask in customer interviews when I was stuck.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mom Test stands out as a favorite just because it really made me realize I had no idea what I was doing.",
          "reason": "Calls it a favorite and says it changed their understanding of how to talk to users.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43729695,
          "author": "terrellbm",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-18T16:41:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 43723077,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on talking to users?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43729695",
          "commentText": "Have heard so many good things about the mom test\nDefinitely will give it a read! :)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Have heard so many good things about the mom test",
          "reason": "The commenter has heard positive reports and intends to read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Their opinion is based on what they have heard; they have not yet read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43725748,
          "author": "rozenmd",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-18T07:09:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 43723077,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on talking to users?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43725748",
          "commentText": "- The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick\n- Deploy Empathy by Michele Hansen\n- Badass: Making Users Awesome by Kathy Sierra",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "People looking to improve user interviewing and communication.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43725449,
          "author": "gbertb",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-18T06:05:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 43723077,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on talking to users?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43725449",
          "commentText": "2nd mom test. Such a classic",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2nd mom test. Such a classic",
          "reason": "Seconds the earlier suggestion and calls it a classic.",
          "audience": "People looking for books on talking to users.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43724327,
          "author": "tejonutella",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-18T02:21:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 43723077,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on talking to users?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43724327",
          "commentText": "“The mom test” maybe?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "“The mom test” maybe?",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to the request for books on talking to users.",
          "audience": "People developing user interviewing skills.",
          "caveat": "Tentative suggestion (“maybe”).",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41705503,
          "author": "vismit2000",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-01T07:16:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 41693844,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good essays/books/advice about software sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41705503",
          "commentText": "Interesting recent discussion on The Mom Test: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41545926",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Interesting recent discussion on The Mom Test",
          "reason": "Points to a recent discussion of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41702919,
          "author": "perpil",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-30T22:45:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 41693844,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good essays/books/advice about software sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41702919",
          "commentText": "The Mom Test teaches you how to ask the right questions to make sure potential customers actually have a need for and will pay for what you are building vs. lying to be polite.  The Mom Test: How to talk to customers & learn if your business is a good idea when everyone is lying to you https://a.co/d/8rxZlJ7",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mom Test teaches you how to ask the right questions to make sure potential customers actually have a need for and will pay for what you are building",
          "reason": "Teaches customer interview questions to assess demand and willingness to pay.",
          "audience": "People evaluating a business idea or what they are building.",
          "caveat": "Potential customers may lie to be polite.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41607923,
          "author": "shansense",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-21T06:28:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41607923",
          "commentText": "My list:\n1. The mom test (already mentioned) - idea validation \n2. Zero to one by Thiel - contrarian original thinking \n3. The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz - Operating lessons\n4. Paul Grahams essays and pretty much all content put out by YC\nBeyond this it’s all about the nature of the founder and where /how you see value",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1. The mom test (already mentioned) - idea validation",
          "reason": "Listed as a key startup book for idea validation.",
          "audience": "Founders validating a startup idea.",
          "caveat": "Already mentioned in the discussion.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41546668,
          "author": "lbriner",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-15T10:52:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41546668",
          "commentText": "I think you need to be careful thinking that the books will be the most valuable input you can get as a Startup. The most basic skill of any business is to \"Sell what people want to buy\", as Paul Graham puts it.\nIf you just sit and think about that, it encapsulates almost everything that is important about a business: To sell, people need to know about the product/business (marketing), you have to build it (development) and you have to sell it (sales). But you put good people in those roles and they will do their jobs but still not make much money. Why? People need to want to buy it and the main driver for that is a balance of a Customer-focussed Product Manager as well as a DNA of what the company is about and what it is offering. You want to make things customers want but they don't always know what they want and you might be selling something different, in which case your marketing message might be off.\nThe books might say \"Always be closing\" or \"Marketing is everything\" or \"Deliver junk and iterate\" and these are all partial truths but they can also come at a cost to other more effective parts of the business.\nAs the CEO, your job is to supervise those various levers/teams/departments so you need to know enough about them to understand if they are working, if the person running them is the right person and whether the changes you need to make are big and small!\np.s. I enjoyed the Mom Test but I think if you have an open mind, a lot of that stuff you would work out just from experience.\nGood luck.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed the Mom Test",
          "reason": "Enjoyed it, while noting much of its advice can be worked out through experience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A lot of its advice may be apparent from experience.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41546541,
          "author": "smogg",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-15T10:15:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41546541",
          "commentText": "Strong +1 - the book is also very concise and full of practical advice. I wish we've put the learnings into practice even earlier in the process of building fragmentapp.io",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Strong +1 - the book is also very concise and full of practical advice.",
          "reason": "Strongly agrees with the recommendation and praises its concise, practical advice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter wishes they had applied its lessons earlier.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41546328,
          "author": "mklepaczewski",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-15T09:21:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41546328",
          "commentText": "It depends on your startup's stage. If it doesn't exist yet (and based on your submissions, it doesn't), you can start after reading The Mom Test. You might also want to read The Lean Startup.\nHowever, you can read a dozen books and still be stuck in the research phase. Reading alone doesn't create your startup. If you understand The Mom Test and apply its knowledge, you're ready to start.\nBe cautious of advice from people who have read hundreds of books on starting a startup - they may not have had the time to actually create one.\nGo validate your idea, and (hopefully) start building. Good luck!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you can start after reading The Mom Test",
          "reason": "Says the reader can start once they understand and apply its knowledge.",
          "audience": "People whose startup does not exist yet.",
          "caveat": "Reading alone does not create a startup; apply the book's lessons.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41546121,
          "author": "brumar",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-15T08:29:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41546121",
          "commentText": "I second this recommendation for early startups. We learn from tons of lean books that customer discovery is crucial to not build the wrong thing, but this book gives very practical ways to do that well. Most recent useful read for me. Still in the lean canon, a great complementary read could be lean marketing, as validating your sales channel is of an equal importance of validating your PMF.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second this recommendation for early startups.",
          "reason": "Seconds the book recommendation and describes it as practical for customer discovery.",
          "audience": "Early startups.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41545926,
          "author": "sebastiennight",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-15T07:42:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41545926",
          "commentText": "I was going to mention The Mom Test when I saw the title of your Ask HN, so I'll dive a bit deeper because it's IMHO the most important book I read when starting my current startup[0] and it's what took us to first sale before the MVP was even available.\n> before investing in your idea, talk to potential customers to see if anyone wants it or not.\nI would reframe this a bit, otherwise someone not familiar with the book will take from your quote the exact opposite lesson from the one taught in The Mom Test. I believe the main lesson from the book is:\n- Don't talk to people about your ideas\n- Ask people about their actual use cases and frustrations\n- Figure out where they're struggling, investing effort and money. Let them talk\n- Don't ask people about your idea and don't ask them if they want it or not. You're only trying to validate the problem.\nQuestions to ask:\n    What's the hardest thing about [doing this thing]?\n    Tell me about the last time you encountered that problem...\n    Why was that hard?\n    What, if anything, have you done to try to solve the problem?\n    What don't you love about the solutions you've tried?\n\n\n[0]: https://www.onetake.ai (an autonomous AI video editor for SMBs)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's IMHO the most important book I read when starting my current startup",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped their startup reach its first sale before the MVP was available and explains its customer interview lessons.",
          "audience": "People validating a startup problem with potential customers.",
          "caveat": "Don't ask people whether they like or want your idea; focus on their real use cases and frustrations.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35173604,
          "author": "mdorazio",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T19:37:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35173604",
          "commentText": "I also think this is a must-read for would-be entrepreneurs. Probably nine times out of ten when someone tells me about their startup idea looking for advice I point them to this book first because they haven't done the basic validation yet and want to jump right into building something that no one actually wants.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this is a must-read for would-be entrepreneurs",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as a first read for founders whose startup idea has not been basically validated.",
          "audience": "Would-be entrepreneurs with an unvalidated startup idea.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35171590,
          "author": "fidrelity",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:18:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35171590",
          "commentText": "* Crossing the Chasm\n* The Mom Test\n* The Almanack of Naval Ravikant\n* The Cold Start Problem",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mom Test",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35171091,
          "author": "jereze",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T16:49:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35171091",
          "commentText": "I absolutely recommend it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I absolutely recommend it.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly recommends the book referred to in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35170627,
          "author": "andrewmutz",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T16:19:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35170627",
          "commentText": "I can't recommend this book enough.  Even if you have a lot of experience with early stage customer development, you'll learn things from The Mom Test",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can't recommend this book enough. Even if you have a lot of experience with early stage customer development, you'll learn things from The Mom Test",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends it, saying even experienced readers can learn from it.",
          "audience": "People with experience in early-stage customer development as well as beginners.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35169319,
          "author": "blowski",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T14:58:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35169319",
          "commentText": "- The Mom Test\n- 4 Steps to the Epiphany\n- The Personal MBA (Josh Kaufman)\n- Lean Analytics\n- Good Strategy Bad Strategy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mom Test",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33857223,
          "author": "randomsearch",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T20:00:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33857223",
          "commentText": "Everyone even thinking about creating a startup should read \"The Mom Test\" first.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Everyone even thinking about creating a startup should read \"The Mom Test\" first.",
          "reason": "Recommended as essential reading for anyone considering creating a startup.",
          "audience": "People thinking about creating a startup.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33856675,
          "author": "hardwaregeek",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T19:14:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33856675",
          "commentText": "I’m currently reading Peopleware which is simultaneously very insightful and very obvious. It’s also a bit of a marker in time of how software development worked. I’d say a lot has improved with remote work, at least for some companies.\nI found The Mom Test pretty helpful for honing a product mindset. I’ve fallen into the trap of writing code simply because I find it less daunting than talking to users. The Mom Test is a good reminder on priorities.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mom Test is a good reminder on priorities.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it helpful for honing a product mindset and prioritizing conversations with users.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25218464,
          "author": "talvi",
          "createdAt": "2020-11-26T09:49:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 25207732,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Suggest good books on bootstrapping a startup",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25218464",
          "commentText": "You should read the book that was recommended. Mom Test is about how to talk to customers without doing what you did.\nIt’s also the most practical business book I’ve ever read. It actually tells you how to execute the ideas than just the ideas.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mom Test is about how to talk to customers without doing what you did.",
          "reason": "Described as practical guidance on how to talk to customers and execute ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25209228,
          "author": "serjester",
          "createdAt": "2020-11-25T13:56:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 25207732,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Suggest good books on bootstrapping a startup",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25209228",
          "commentText": "Besides all the typical startup recommendation, I’ll advocate for something about talking to customers. Everything else is secondary.\n- Mom Test",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Mom Test",
          "reason": "Recommends the book about talking to customers as the key startup resource.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment says other startup advice is secondary to talking with customers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23366686,
          "author": "nadu",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-31T02:33:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23366686",
          "commentText": "Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick. Found it to be a very well written book with simple but useful todos.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick. Found it to be a very well written book with simple but useful todos.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its writing and says it offers useful practical tasks.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rob Fitzpatrick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 23,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "customer interviews",
        "customer discovery",
        "user research",
        "product discovery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-goal-078123",
      "title": "The Goal",
      "author": "Eliyahu M. Goldratt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37940974,
          "author": "gidorah",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T10:39:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37940974",
          "commentText": "Whilst not strictly non-fiction, I'm going with The Goal bg Eli Goldratt. It's a novel about accounting. Specifically, Goldratt's Theory of Constraints.\nIt presents the idea that manufacturing accounting is wrong.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Whilst not strictly non-fiction, I'm going with The Goal bg Eli Goldratt. It's a novel about accounting.",
          "reason": "The commenter names it as their choice and describes its focus on the Theory of Constraints.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it is a novel, not strictly nonfiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37170073,
          "author": "kimchidude",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-18T00:21:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37170073",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed that book and how it attempts to simplify the nature of common supply chain constraints.\nYou probably know this already, but if not: Eli Goldratt (the guy that wrote that book) wrote an equally brilliant academic paper on the same subject - I think the title was ‘Standing on the shoulders of giants’. Just passing it on in the event you’re looking for a good follow-up read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed that book",
          "reason": "Explicitly says they enjoyed the book discussed in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33891489,
          "author": "rjha",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-07T07:00:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33891489",
          "commentText": "+1 for \"The Goal\" - This book is so timeless!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for \"The Goal\" - This book is so timeless!",
          "reason": "Seconds the recommendation and calls the book timeless.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33861120,
          "author": "joeriddles",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-05T03:31:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33861120",
          "commentText": "The audiobook version of The Goal is the best audiobook I have listened to! Each character is voiced by someone else, which sometimes doesn’t work well for audiobooks, but in this case I think they knocked it out of the park. The main voice actor in particular is phenomenal. I have tried to figure out who voiced Alex, but all credits for the audiobook simply say “ensemble cast” or “unknown”.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The audiobook version of The Goal is the best audiobook I have listened to!",
          "reason": "Highly praises the audiobook performance and its voice acting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment praises the audiobook, not specifically the book's content.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33859795,
          "author": "markshead",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-05T00:33:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33859795",
          "commentText": "A few books that I've found useful:\nThe Goal - Eli Goldratt - It is a novel about optimizing a factory, but it is immensely valuable in thinking through what are the actual constraints on your team's ability to deliver software and how do you fix it without making other things worse. The Phoenix Project is kind of a modern retelling, but I'd start with The Goal.\nThe Principles of Product Development Flow - Reinersten - Great for thinking deeply about how you deliver value through your system and the tradeoffs you are making in what you choose to focus on next. Once again it isn't specific to software, but very relevant.\nThe 5 Dysfunctions of Teams - Lencioni - Common team problems and what to do instead.\nInfluence: Science and Practice - Cialdini - How to get people into agreement so you can move forward--a skill that can be used for both good and evil.\nThe Little Schemer - Friedman and Felleisen - It is kind of hard to describe why this would be useful, but I felt it made me think more deeply about what it means to program a computer in ways that indirectly supported the topics you mentioned. Or maybe I just happened to work through it at a point in my life when I was growing in those other areas too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Goal - Eli Goldratt",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a useful novel for identifying and addressing constraints in software delivery.",
          "audience": "People seeking to understand constraints in team and software delivery.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is about optimizing a factory rather than software.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29672782,
          "author": "skinkestek",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T11:40:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29672782",
          "commentText": "Probably \"The Goal\".\nAfter reading \"the Phoenix project\" a couple of years ago a good deal of it was predictable but that doesn't prevent it from being very interesting.\n(To be completely honest I listened to it instead of reading it myself, but I still think it counts.)\nAnother interesting audiobook is \"The Minuteman\" maybe only available through Audible. It is a story of part of the fight against nazism in America.\nOnly annoying thing about it is the author at a couple of places tries to equate that fight with todays antifa, which leaves a rather sour taste there and then but is forgotten a minute or to later because the book is otherwise really interesting and I enjoy stories of nazis getting punched and otherwise punished and people getting away with it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Probably \"The Goal\".",
          "reason": "The commenter names it as their likely best book of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They listened to the audiobook rather than reading it; prior familiarity with The Phoenix Project made parts predictable.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29032266,
          "author": "xupybd",
          "createdAt": "2021-10-28T21:29:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 29030285,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29032266",
          "commentText": "> What are you reading and why? \nAudiobooks are a special case for me. They help fill the time when I'm driving to work, mowing the lawn or doing dishes. If I consume my entertainment during these productive times, I find I'm less drawn to television and other mindless distractions. They also help me to be motivated to do tasks that I otherwise find dull. The better alternative is to find a friend to share these tasks with, but that is not always a practical option.\nWhile I do read for entertainment, I really enjoy non-fiction as long as it's light. If I want to explore a topic and truly learn something, I often need to find a text version. That said, I have found some great audiobooks that I have learnt from:\n-The Goal\n-Pragmatic Programmer\n-Designing Data-Intensive Applications\n-Thinking Fast and Slow\n-Ultralearning\nThe best entertainment so far have been\n-Dune\n-The Expanse series\n-The Bobiverse series\n-The Expeditionary force series.\nI asked this question so broadly as I wanted to try something that I wouldn't usually go for. I have a heavy bias towards sci-fi and wouldn't mind exploring other genres. I love good non-fiction but have also found a lot of trash non-fiction out there that I regret wasting time on.\nI have a log of recommendations but not of books read. It sounds like a good idea.\nI'll add How to Read a Book to my list :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I have found some great audiobooks that I have learnt from:\n-The Goal",
          "reason": "Includes it among audiobooks the commenter learned from.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27629002,
          "author": "xupybd",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T10:29:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27629002",
          "commentText": "https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Goal_%28novel%29\nNot so technical but it's interesting and engaging.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Goal_(novel)\nNot so technical but it's interesting and engaging.",
          "reason": "Described as interesting and engaging.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an engaging, less technical read.",
          "caveat": "Not especially technical.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25844112,
          "author": "kesor",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T08:53:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25844112",
          "commentText": "Read Eliyahu Goldratt's books, these are novels that explain business ideas - but hardly can be called tech books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read Eliyahu Goldratt's books, these are novels that explain business ideas",
          "reason": "Recommends Goldratt's novels as fiction that explains business ideas; no specific title is named.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for fiction with business ideas.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they can hardly be called tech books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22730767,
          "author": "craigkilgo",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T18:32:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22730767",
          "commentText": "I read Phoenix Project first and then The Goal.  I enjoyed both and I think that's the best order.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and then The Goal. I enjoyed both and I think that's the best order.",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed it and thinks it works best after The Phoenix Project.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter recommends reading The Phoenix Project first.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21878476,
          "author": "t3hprofit",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-25T13:52:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21878476",
          "commentText": "I agree, totally worth reading, but when I read it in grad school I found it exceedingly dry. kinda had to choke it down. Certainly worth it and I'll probably listen to the Audible recording for a refresher when I need another book",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I agree, totally worth reading, but when I read it in grad school I found it exceedingly dry. kinda had to choke it down.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is worth reading but found it very dry.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter found it exceedingly dry and difficult to get through.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21854033,
          "author": "mrefish",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T23:44:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21854033",
          "commentText": "Having recently listened to The Goal on Audible, it may be worth noting that it has multiple voice actors as well as ambient background sounds. Definitely adds some color to an already impressive novel.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it has multiple voice actors as well as ambient background sounds. Definitely adds some color to an already impressive novel.",
          "reason": "Calls the novel impressive and praises the audiobook's voice actors and sound.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21853781,
          "author": "bwaine",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T22:50:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21853781",
          "commentText": "The Goal\nNovel by Eliyahu M. Goldratt\nA business fiction book that describes \"The Theory of Constraints\" a process initially applied in manufacturing that deals with optimizing production line systems.\nI found the sections on identifying a bottle neck in a system, focusing on optimizing the system around this point and re-evaluating system performance afterwards very applicable to software engineering.\nEverything from CICD pipelines, the flow of work through your team to or performance optimizing a service oriented architecture.\nVery much a fore father to books like Phoenix Project mentioned by others here.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found the sections on identifying a bottle neck in a system, focusing on optimizing the system around this point and re-evaluating system performance afterwards very applicable to software engineering.",
          "reason": "Finds its lessons on bottlenecks and system performance very applicable to software engineering.",
          "audience": "Software engineers and people improving team or service workflows.",
          "caveat": "The book is business fiction about the Theory of Constraints.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21712594,
          "author": "bakenator",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T14:43:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21712594",
          "commentText": "When managing people in tech, I think it is equally as important to know how to organize as it is to know how to lead.  I would recommend \"The Phoenix Project\" and \"The Unicorn Project\" and \"The Goal\" to all tech managers.\nNo matter how good your communication/leadership skills are, your team will be severely handicapped if they are working in an inefficient/limiting environment.\nComing at the same lessons from a different perspective, I have also found \"Turn The Ship Around!\" to be a very good resource.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend \"The Phoenix Project\" and \"The Unicorn Project\" and \"The Goal\" to all tech managers.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it to all tech managers.",
          "audience": "Tech managers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20350095,
          "author": "Jtsummers",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-03T23:34:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20350095",
          "commentText": "If you've read The Phoenix Project (or haven't yet) I also recommend The Goal. Also a novel, but I think it does a better job of explaining the Theory of Constraints. The Phoenix Project worked better (for me) after reading The Goal, it connects ToC to IT work, but I don't think worked as a good introduction on its own.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I also recommend The Goal.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a novel that explains the Theory of Constraints; says The Phoenix Project worked better for them after reading it, though it is not as good an introduction on its own.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the Theory of Constraints and its application to IT work.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says The Phoenix Project connects the theory to IT work, and The Goal is not as good an introduction on its own.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19899526,
          "author": "kesor",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T14:25:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19899526",
          "commentText": "\"The Goal\" by Eliyahu Goldratt, and other of his books are great books to learn how to think.\nIt is a more concrete example of Systems Thinking that is applied to various environments, manufacturing in \"The Goal\", marketing and strategy in \"It's Not Luck\", projects in \"Critical Chain\", retail in \"Isn't it Obvious\", and personal improvement in \"The Choice\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Goal\" by Eliyahu Goldratt, and other of his books are great books to learn how to think.",
          "reason": "Described as a great book for learning how to think.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in systems thinking applied to manufacturing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416403,
          "author": "jhh",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:27:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416403",
          "commentText": "\"The Goal\" by Eliyahu Goldratt, while set in a traditional manufacturing world, does a great job in clarifying the role of constraints in any team effort. It's written in the form of a novel.\nIt is not perfect. I think it hase some sexist undertones, is generally just super-eighties and kind of self serving as a novel. But it has definitely changed the way I think about business in a deep way.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It is not perfect. I think it hase some sexist undertones, is generally just super-eighties and kind of self serving as a novel. But it has definitely changed the way I think about business in a deep way.",
          "reason": "Says it deeply changed their thinking about business.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes sexist undertones, an dated feel, and self-serving elements.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144321,
          "author": "scottlilly",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:56:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144321",
          "commentText": "\"The Goal\" - Started my interest in Lean principles, along with how to apply them to programming - imagining my programs as little data \"factories\", that need to be made efficient and efficiently.\n\"How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World\" - Taught me I don't need to follow the standard path that \"everyone else does\", and to focus on how I can actively change my world - instead of waiting for someone else to to change it for me.\n\"Code Complete\" - Get it. Read it. Live it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Goal\" - Started my interest in Lean principles",
          "reason": "Credits it with sparking interest in Lean principles and applying them to programming.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12075312,
          "author": "bbcbasic",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T22:29:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12075312",
          "commentText": "How did you find the goal? I worked somewhere where they implemented buffer management, theory of constraints etc. I never read the book tho.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I never read the book tho.",
          "reason": "Says they have not read the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12067228,
          "author": "balnaphone",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-10T20:55:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12067228",
          "commentText": "\"The Art of Profitability\" by Adrian Slywotzky\n\"The Myth of the Rational Voter\" by Bryan Caplan\n\"Fanatical Prospecting\" by Jeb Blount\n\"Fooling Some of the People All of the Time\" by David Einhorn\n\"Confidence Game\" by Christine Richard\n\"Mouth Matters; How Your Mouth Ages Your Body and What YOU Can Do About It\" by Carol Vander Stoep\n\"Adventures in Stochastic Processes\" by Sidney & Resnick\n\"The Great Deformation\" by David Stockman\n\"Efficient Electrical Systems Design Handbook\" by Thumann & Franz\n\"The Goal\" by Eliyahu Goldratt\n\"Notes on Discrete Mathematics\" by Miguel Lerma\n\"Stochastic Calculus with Infinitesimals\" by Frederik S. Herzberg\n\"Information Theory, Inference, and Learning Algorithms\" by David Mackay\n\"Coming Apart\" by Charles Murray\n\"The Collapse of Complex Societies\" by Joseph Tainter\n\"In Other Words: The Science And Psychology Of Second-language Acquisition\" by Ellen Bialystok and Kenji Hakuta",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"The Goal\" by Eliyahu Goldratt",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11231200,
          "author": "scottlilly",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T21:35:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11231200",
          "commentText": "I was going to add, \"The Goal\". I just received two more copies of it from Amazon today. I've given away more copies of that book that I can count (and will give away another one to a co-worker on Monday).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I was going to add, \"The Goal\". I just received two more copies of it from Amazon today. I've given away more copies of that book that I can count",
          "reason": "The commenter repeatedly gives copies away, signaling a recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229409,
          "author": "twunde",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T13:14:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229409",
          "commentText": "The Goal.\nIf you're interested in project management, Making Things Happen is good.\nI've just started High Output Management and so far it seems good. Of course there are always the classics like Good to Great, What Color Is Your Parachute, etc",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Goal.",
          "reason": "Listed as a book recommendation in response to a request for books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10766143,
          "author": "twunde",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T05:17:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10766143",
          "commentText": "The goal. I was really surprised by the number of new insights I had, even after reading the Phoenix project multiple times.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The goal. I was really surprised by the number of new insights I had",
          "reason": "Reports being surprised by the new insights gained, even after rereading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4771529,
          "author": "AutoCorrect",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-12T03:55:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 4770238,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fiction books that entertain and educate?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4771529",
          "commentText": "The Goal, by Eliyahu Goldratt.  It's a great book on manufacturing clothed in a fictional story.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a great book on manufacturing clothed in a fictional story.",
          "reason": "Presents ideas about manufacturing through a fictional story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3277742,
          "author": "billswift",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T18:12:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3277742",
          "commentText": "I will definitely second Atul Gawande's Checklist Manifesto.\nEliyahu Goldratt's books (I have read Critical Chain and It's Not Luck as well as The Goal) are not as original as often claimed.  They are very readable introductions, but a good project management text will cover most of what they do and more.  The project management book that I have found most helpful is Project Management With Cpm, Pert and Precedence Diagramming; despite its age (1983) it covers a wider variety of techniques with more detail and less extraneous crud than any of the others I have seen (note I am still researching this area, anyone who has a favorite book can leave it in a comment).  http://www.amazon.com/Project-Management-Pert-Precedence-Dia... (http://www.amazon.com/Project-Management-Pert-Precedence-Diagramming/dp/0442254156/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322244392&sr=8-1)\nJonathan Baron's Thinking and Deciding is one of the best books on improving your thinking in general that I have ever read.  http://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Deciding-Jonathan-Baron/dp/05... (http://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Deciding-Jonathan-Baron/dp/0521680433/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322244137&sr=8-1)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "as well as The Goal",
          "reason": "The commenter says Goldratt's books are readable introductions, while criticizing their originality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says the books are not as original as often claimed and that a project management text covers more.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 602111,
          "author": "aytekin",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-10T14:04:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 601903,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fictional books related to startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=602111",
          "commentText": "The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt is pretty good. It is a business fiction book, so although it is not about startups, it applies well to start ups.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Goal-Process-Ongoing-Improvement/dp/08... (http://www.amazon.com/Goal-Process-Ongoing-Improvement/dp/0884270610)\nThe book explains Theory of Constraints(TOC) in a novel. TOC is basically similar to profiling software, but instead of software, you profile a business. Find the bottlenecks in the system and work on them. Improving other things has very low return, and usually just waste of time. Improving bottlenecks improves the throughput of the whole system.\nHere are my other recommended business fiction books:\nhttp://atank.interlogy.com/blog/?p=15",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt is pretty good.",
          "reason": "Called it pretty good and explained its relevance to startups.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Business fiction; not about startups directly.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 191754,
          "author": "tylercarbone",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-16T13:34:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=191754",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed \"The Goal\" as an audiobook. It makes a good audiobook because it's structured as a novel. Definitely one of my favorite business books.\n(it's nominally about running a manufacturing plant, but I think a lot of the takeaways apply just as well to startups)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed \"The Goal\" as an audiobook. It makes a good audiobook because it's structured as a novel. Definitely one of my favorite business books.",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed it and calls it one of their favorite business books.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in business or startups.",
          "caveat": "Nominally about running a manufacturing plant; the commenter says many takeaways apply to startups.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 142947,
          "author": "bumbledraven",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T00:16:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=142947",
          "commentText": "Free 10-day Buddhist meditation retreats, incl. room & board, at one of the many Vipassana Meditation Centers world-wide (http://www.dhamma.org). Very old-school; the real deal.\nThe Goal, by Eliyahu Goldratt (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0884270610). Most real-world systems have a single constraint that limit the system's ability to achieve goal units. The best way to improve the system is to (0) define the system's owners and their goal for the system, (1) identify the constraint (2) improve the situation at the constraint in a way that does not require significant investment; (3) if the improvement resulting from the previous is not sufficient, decide how to improve the constraint in a way that does require significant investment; (4) subordinate everything else in the system to the decision arrived at in the previous step; (5) start over at step 1.\nThe Game, by Neil Strauss (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060554738)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Goal, by Eliyahu Goldratt (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0884270610). Most real-world systems have a single constraint that limit the system's ability to achieve goal units.",
          "reason": "Explains the book's constraint-based approach to improving systems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eliyahu M. Goldratt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 22,
      "threads": 21,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Fiction",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "theory of constraints",
        "operations management",
        "manufacturing",
        "business novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hackers-heroes-of-the-computer-revolution-bf213f",
      "title": "Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution",
      "author": "Steven Levy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40289299,
          "author": "themadturk",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T18:04:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40289299",
          "commentText": "The Soul Of A New Machine, by Tracy Kidder - \nThe history of computing fascinates me, and this is one of my favorite books on the topic.\nHackers, by Steven Levy -\nAgain, computing history, and especially relevant to me because I started personal computing in the mid-80s and like reading about the stuff I missed. Levy is always fun to read. There are a lot of good books on the microcomputer revolution, this one is just my favorite.\nBird By Bird, by Anne Lamott -\nIt's not just a book about writing, but a book about living. Lamott is a born storyteller, and every one of her non-fiction books is inspiring and highly readable.\nOn Writing, by Stephen King -\nI am not a King fan. The only fiction piece he's written I come back to is The Stand. But the story of how he became a writer, and his life as a writer, gives me hope for my own writing. And his advice is valuable; even if I don't like his books, I can't argue with his success.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hackers, by Steven Levy",
          "reason": "Names it as a favorite account of the microcomputer revolution.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that there are many other good books on the topic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39059849,
          "author": "NegatioN",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T19:24:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39059849",
          "commentText": "I'm not sure if these books really are what you're looking for, because each of them is a mix of engineering history, and the description of how a group of people end up doing amazing things.\nIn each of the books, there were nuggets of wisdom that I've tried to bring along with me in my job (as best I can).\nLike:\n- Doing things as simply as possible to start off\n- Keeping iteration time to a minimum, for maximum exploration of ideas\n- Being willing to think outside the box\nMy takeaways above, hardly do these books justice, but they are as follows:\n- Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed [0]\n- Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution. [1]\n- The Dream Machine: J.C.R. Licklider and the Revolution That Made Computing Personal [2]\n[0]: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/101438.Skunk_Works\n[1]: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56829.Hackers\n[2]: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/722412.The_Dream_Machine",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution.",
          "reason": "Included among the books that offered practical lessons about simplicity, iteration, and thinking beyond conventional approaches.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the books are a mix of engineering history and accounts of how people accomplished ambitious work.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937151,
          "author": "tiahura",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:34:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937151",
          "commentText": "Kids and the Amiga\nHackers",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hackers",
          "reason": "Listed as a book that had a major impact on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36581482,
          "author": "conz",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-04T02:30:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36581482",
          "commentText": "In no order in particular, these are good books:\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/722412.The_Dream_Machine\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackers:_Heroes_of_the_Compute... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackers:_Heroes_of_the_Computer_Revolution)\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12625589-turing-s-cathed... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12625589-turing-s-cathedral)\nhttps://openlibrary.org/books/OL27198205M/Fire_in_the_valley",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackers:_Heroes_of_the_Compute...",
          "reason": "Listed as a good book on the history of technology.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the history of technology.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31968716,
          "author": "srvmshr",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T16:06:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31968716",
          "commentText": "1. Hackers: Heroes of the computer revolution.\n2. Kernighan & Ritchie C (I learn/interpret either something new about C or marvel the art of precise writing)\n3. Harry Potter series",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hackers: Heroes of the computer revolution.",
          "reason": "Listed as a book the commenter would reread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22710883,
          "author": "leoc",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T13:02:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22710883",
          "commentText": "Crypto is likely even better than Hackers, in fact.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Crypto is likely even better than Hackers, in fact.",
          "reason": "Says Crypto is likely even better than Hackers, referring to the book discussed in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22708939,
          "author": "gonehome",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T03:23:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22708939",
          "commentText": "I also think it's a great book, but partly because it is technical.\nCharles is great at explaining how computers actually work with circuit diagrams from the ground up in a way that's articulate, clear, and engaging. I think I learned more from this book than I did in my CS architecture class.\nThe historical context he puts it in helps with clarity since it's easier to understand when you know how each successive step built on the previous one.\nIn addition to the Dream Machine, I'd also mention Steven Levy's Hackers as an obvious one to read.\nSome others I've read:\n- What the dormouse said (this one was just okay, but interesting to see some of the cultural context at the time).\n- Crypto (about the history of cryptography). I really liked this one, but people I've recommended it to found it dry.\n- In the Plex (history of Google)\n- Masters of Doom (John Carmack, John Romero and Id Software)\nRelated Fiction:\n- Microserfs\n- The Soul of a New Machine\n- The Phoenix Project (fiction paired with the Dev Ops Handbook)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd also mention Steven Levy's Hackers as an obvious one to read.",
          "reason": "Named as an obvious computer history book to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22707127,
          "author": "Insanity",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T21:35:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22707127",
          "commentText": "some that I read and recommend:\n- Turing's cathedral\n- Hackers: heroes of the computer revolution\n- masters of doom (game dev history more than cs)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Hackers: heroes of the computer revolution",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter says they read and recommend.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computer history and hacker culture.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21853938,
          "author": "saasdev",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T23:24:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21853938",
          "commentText": "I agree that it’s tough to truly grok technical material in purely audio format. With that said, I think you can learn a ton by learning about the history, trends, and other software companies. Here are some of my favorites:\nThe Dream Machine\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer a Revolution\nHow the Internet Happened\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nAI Superpowers\nPlatform Revolution\nThe Everything Store",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hackers: Heroes of the Computer a Revolution",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of favorites answering an audiobook request.",
          "audience": "Listeners interested in computing history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21851556,
          "author": "jdmoreira",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T15:22:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21851556",
          "commentText": "Yes!\n1. Masters of Doom\n2. Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for good developer audiobooks.",
          "audience": "Listeners interested in the history of computing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21458541,
          "author": "endemic",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T00:31:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21458541",
          "commentText": "Hackers by Steven Levy.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Hackers by Steven Levy.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521472,
          "author": "Insanity",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T09:00:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521472",
          "commentText": "Some books that I recently read and enjoyed:\nNon-fiction\na) Sapiens (Yuval Noah Harari)\nb) Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon (Kim Zetter)\nc) Hackers: Heroes of the computer revolution (Steven Levy)\nd) Masters of Doom (David Kushner)\nFiction:\ne) The Death of Ivan Ilyich (Leo Tolstoy)\nf) Ready Player One (Ernest Cline)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hackers: Heroes of the computer revolution (Steven Levy)",
          "reason": "Listed among books recently read and enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17205403,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T14:04:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205403",
          "commentText": "Maybe not perfect matches, but a few titles I'm familiar with that you might like:\nDreaming in Code - covers Mitch Kapor's post Lotus effort to build Chandler.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreaming_in_Code\nEveryone Else Must Fail - all about Larry Ellison and Oracle\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Everyone-Else-Must-Fail-Unvarnished/d... (https://www.amazon.com/Everyone-Else-Must-Fail-Unvarnished/dp/0712621482)\nWinners, Losers & Microsoft - title says it all\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Winners-Losers-Microsoft-Competition-... (https://www.amazon.com/Winners-Losers-Microsoft-Competition-Technology/dp/0945999844)\nTwo books by Bill Gates:\nBusiness At The Speed of Thought\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Business-Speed-Thought-Succeeding-Dig... (https://www.amazon.com/Business-Speed-Thought-Succeeding-Digital/dp/0446525685/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1527861952&sr=1-1&keywords=business+at+the+speed+of+thought)\nand\nThe Road Ahead\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Road-Ahead-Completely-Up-Date/dp/0140... (https://www.amazon.com/Road-Ahead-Completely-Up-Date/dp/0140260404/ref=pd_sbs_14_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0140260404&pd_rd_r=ZRRXQ50NEK3EPWVC9FM9&pd_rd_w=q6Fr8&pd_rd_wg=iFPgv&psc=1&refRID=ZRRXQ50NEK3EPWVC9FM9)\nAlso:\nMCI: Failure Is Not An Option\nhttps://www.amazon.com/MCI-Failure-Invented-Competition-Tele... (https://www.amazon.com/MCI-Failure-Invented-Competition-Telecommunications/dp/1888232412/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1527861809&sr=1-1&keywords=failure+is+not+an+option+mci)\nAlready mentioned, but I feel obligated to add another +1 for these three:\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Kidder\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Levy\nThe Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation - Gertner\nAlso, if you enjoy this kind of stuff, you might enjoy the AMC series Halt and Catch Fire. Yes it's fiction and highly dramatized, but it captures a lot of the spirit of the times from the beginnings of the PC era up through the Dot Com Bubble era.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Levy",
          "reason": "The commenter adds another endorsement for the book.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in hacker culture and computer history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17205161,
          "author": "rpeden",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T13:38:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205161",
          "commentText": "You might enjoy Steven Levy's Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution[1]. It's not too focused on specific people or companies, although you'll encounter some well known people like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Richard Stallman in the book. It's an interesting read because it gives you a great background that helps you understand how we ended up with the tech culture and environment we have today.\nIn the reply to another comment, I also mentioned Coders at Work[2]. I found that it provided some great insight into the early days of some fascinating companies from a technical perspective.\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/Hackers-Computer-Revolution-Steven-Le... (https://www.amazon.com/Hackers-Computer-Revolution-Steven-Levy/dp/1449388396)\n[2] https://www.amazon.com/Coders-Work-Reflections-Craft-Program... (https://www.amazon.com/Coders-Work-Reflections-Craft-Programming/dp/1430219483)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's an interesting read because it gives you a great background",
          "reason": "Recommended as an interesting read that helps explain the origins of modern tech culture.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in how today’s tech culture developed.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not too focused on specific people or companies.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238121,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:01:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238121",
          "commentText": "Last year I gave myself a Zuckerberg-style goal to read a book every two weeks. It started well, but some months were harder than others (usually when the book wasn't very good, so I would switch to podcasts for a few weeks, before getting back on track).\nHere's an unordered list of the best:\n[BUSINESS / SELF-IMPROVEMENT]\n- \"Work Rules!\" - about Google's culture and values\n- \"Search Inside Yourself\" - about mindfulness, meditation, and the impact on your life.\n- \"What got you here won't get you there\" - Liked a lot more than I expected.\n- \"Re-read Innovator's Dilemma\" - a great classic; never gets old.\n- \"How will you measure your life\" - from the same author. Also excellent.\n- \"The Best Service is No Service\" - good overview on why Amazon's customer service is so good\n- \"Crucial Conversations\" - half is common sense; half is good tips to practice everyday.\n[PROGRAMMING]\n- \"Fluent Python\" - was afraid it'd be too basic, but not really. Enjoyed it a lot.\n- \"Think Complexity\" - about algorithm complexity, data structures, etc. Great read.\n- \"Python Data Science Handbook\" - meh.\n- \"Fundamentals of Deep Learning\" - good intro. Helped me solidify some concepts from Andrew Ng's ML course\n- \"Deep Learning\" - by Goodfellow and Bengio. Just started, but really liking it.\n[STARTUPS] (all excellent; in order)\n- \"The Hard Things about Hard Things\"\n- \"Zero to One\"\n- \"The Founder's Dilemmas\"\n- \"The Launch Pad\"\n[FICTION]\n- Trilogy: \"Off to be a wizard / An Unwelcome Quest / Spell or High Water\"\n- \"Infinite Jest\" - tried but failed to finish. May try again later.\n- \"Ready Player One\" - nice, but repetitive after a while. Good read before the movie comes out.\n[NON-FICTION]\n- \"What If?\" - xkcd FTW\n- \"How to Read a Book\" - good concepts, but should be a 10 pages blog post, not a book\n- \"Spark\" - Science of the Exercise and the Brain - Long, but good\n- \"Sugar Shock\" - still reading; hopefully will help me cut my sweet cravings\n[BIOGRAPHIES]\n- \"The New New Thing\" - about Jim Clark's life, one of the very first entrepreneurs\n- \"Machines of Loving Grace\" - about the research and the rise of AI\n- \"Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution\"\n- \"The Second Coming of Steve Jobs\" - About Pixar's story. Liked more than Isaacson's biography\n- \"The Innovators\" - great summary of computer industry, from the 1800's till today\n- \"Ghost in the Wires\" - Kevin Mitnick's story. Had started years ago, but finally finished it\n- \"Idea Man\" - about Paul Allen's story. Quite an impressive man.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution\"",
          "reason": "Included in the comment’s unordered list of best books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416456,
          "author": "wepple",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:36:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416456",
          "commentText": "Hackers & Masters of Doom are two of my favourite books. And I'm not even really a gamer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hackers & Masters of Doom are two of my favourite books.",
          "reason": "Names it as one of their favourite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12243860,
          "author": "randcraw",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-07T21:49:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12243860",
          "commentText": "\"At Home\" by Bill Bryson.\n\"Quiet\" by Susan Cain.\n\"Hackers\" by Steven Levy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Hackers\" by Steven Levy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9349862,
          "author": "aestetix",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T18:34:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9349862",
          "commentText": "For such a community of hackers, I'm surprised nobody has brought up \"Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution\" by Steven Levy. Maybe you've all read it already ;)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution\" by Steven Levy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "For readers interested in the hacker community and its history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875709,
          "author": "cesare",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T01:43:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875709",
          "commentText": "- Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig\n- Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution by Steven Levy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution by Steven Levy",
          "reason": "Named in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797114,
          "author": "mkramlich",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T01:49:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797114",
          "commentText": "Hackers is an excellent book, probably should be required reading for anyone into the programmer/entrepreneur lifestyle, or wannabe.\nIt gave me my first moment where I was reading a book and thought, \"Yes. That's what I want to be doing. What they're doing. But me,\" when reading about some of the first computer game companies like Sierra, early Electronic Arts, early Apple, etc. Especially the story of Ken and Roberta Williams.\nAs a kid, I was using the software and hardware made by the folks described in those stories and felt that when I grew up I also wanted to be my own boss, and make and sell my own stuff. Make, sell, repeat. All other BS minimized.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hackers is an excellent book, probably should be required reading for anyone into the programmer/entrepreneur lifestyle, or wannabe.",
          "reason": "Calls it excellent and says it should be required reading for aspiring programmers and entrepreneurs.",
          "audience": "People interested in the programmer or entrepreneur lifestyle.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 621338,
          "author": "davidmathers",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-22T00:11:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621338",
          "commentText": "Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution by Steven Levy\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackers_Heroes_of_the_Computer_... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackers_Heroes_of_the_Computer_Revolution)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution by Steven Levy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 621289,
          "author": "jf",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-21T23:29:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621289",
          "commentText": "Hackers, by Steven Levy is a great book too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hackers, by Steven Levy is a great book too.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 176991,
          "author": "mechanical_fish",
          "createdAt": "2008-04-29T21:03:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 176803,
          "threadTitle": "Which is your favorite 70-80s computer book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=176991",
          "commentText": "\"Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution\" by Steven Levy.\nIt's not technical, but it is very much about computers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution\" by Steven Levy.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is nontechnical but very much about computers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not technical.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86106,
          "author": "comatose_kid",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T21:27:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86106",
          "commentText": "Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution, Steven Levy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution, Steven Levy",
          "reason": "Named as a favorite in the thread's book discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Levy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 22,
      "threads": 19,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hacker culture",
        "computer history",
        "computing history",
        "personal computing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-pearls-6d237d",
      "title": "Programming Pearls",
      "author": "Jon Bentley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41388166,
          "author": "noufalibrahim",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T07:13:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41388166",
          "commentText": "I think it makes sense to create a book list and have a yearly target for them. One book a month is reasonable for medium sized books. HEre are some that I found useful.\n1. The Practice of Programming\n2. Programming Pearls\n3. Go Programming Language\n4. Architecture of Open Source applications - https://aosabook.org/en/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2. Programming Pearls",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter found useful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35954262,
          "author": "vram22",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-15T20:46:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35954262",
          "commentText": "Not all of the ones below may be textbooks, sorry, but IMO they are all very good. I cut my programming teeth on some of them, and read others at different times later in my career.\nHow to Solve It, by Georg Polya. \nA famous Hungarian mathematician. \nA text on general problem solving principles or techniques. A classic.\nHow to Solve It by Computer, by Dromey, an AU CS professor. In the same spirit as the Polya book, but applied to iteratively working out algorithms and pseudocode for common important programming problems.\nThe K&R C book. What to say.\nThe Unix Programming Environment, by Kernighan and Pike. Ditto.\nProgramming Pearls, and More Programming Pearls, by Jon Bentley.\nAmong many other things, some clever / advanced uses of awk.\nWriting Efficient Programs, also by Bentley. I had mentioned it on HN earlier, and someone replied saying they had used it in real life, and it was gold.\nSQL for Professionals, by authors whose names I forget.\nThe Object Primer, by can't remember who, but good.\nA Unix book by Kochan, IIRC.\nObject-Oriented Software Construction, by Bertrand Meyer, creator of the Eiffel programming language.\nA book on object-oriented analysis / design, can't remember the name, by Rebecca Wirfs-Brock (?) and others. Learned about CRC  cards from it. Very cool concept and technique.\nA book on Object-Oriented Design, by Grady Booch, from a time before he co-invented UML. Forget the exact name.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming Pearls, and More Programming Pearls, by Jon Bentley.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35726409,
          "author": "warrenm",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-27T11:24:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 35710671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell still a recommended read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35726409",
          "commentText": "In my opinion, it's as much a \"recommended read\" as a lot of other so-called \"classics\":\n- Rapid Application Development (also by McConnell)\n- Soul of a New Machine by Kidder\n- Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks\n- Programming Pearls by John Bentley\n- Applied Cryptography (2e) by Bruce Schneier\n- The Cuckoo's Egg by Cliff Stohl\n- Structured Computer Organization by Tanenbaum & Todd\n- Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software by Gamma, Helm, etc\n- A New Kind of Science by Wolfram\nAnd many more could be added to this list\nSure, some of them use acronyms or reference technology that you've either never heard of or has been supplanted\nBut you could [nearly] do a find-and-replace on those \"outdated\" terms with a \"current\" term, and the books would [effectively] be up-to-date\nDon't get hung-up on specific examples - they're just there to illustrate the problem domain",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Programming Pearls by John Bentley",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed among classics that may use outdated acronyms or technology references.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35714062,
          "author": "warrenm",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-26T14:19:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35710671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell still a recommended read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35714062",
          "commentText": "I find it surprising that you thought Mythical Man Month was \"brutally outdated\"\nBentley's Programming Pearls, by that standard, is also \"brutally outdated\" - but the point of the book is not \"how do I make this work in early 1980s technology\"\nThe point of PP is \"ask the right question\"\nThe point of MMM is \"add resources when necessary; be brutally minimalistic about how many resources are added\"",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Bentley's Programming Pearls, by that standard, is also \"brutally outdated\"",
          "reason": "Uses it as a comparison when discussing whether older examples make a book outdated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31168696,
          "author": "ivanmaeder",
          "createdAt": "2022-04-26T15:28:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 31166475,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Top inspiring books on crucial CS ideas?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31168696",
          "commentText": "The bot's recommendations are good, although maybe not inspiring.\n\"Programming Pearls\" might be an exception—there are some great real-life stories and problems to think through in that.\nMaybe also \"The Art of Computer Programming\" but I can't speak from experience (I'm not ready to tackle that one yet).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Programming Pearls\" might be an exception—there are some great real-life stories and problems to think through in that.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it may be an exception to their view that the recommendations are not inspiring, citing stories and problems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they cannot speak from experience about The Art of Computer Programming.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31167257,
          "author": "Parker_Powell",
          "createdAt": "2022-04-26T13:33:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 31166475,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Top inspiring books on crucial CS ideas?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31167257",
          "commentText": "No matter how long you've been a programmer, you're always looking for new ways to hone your craft and learn new techniques. One of the best ways to do that is by reading books on programming—as in, books that are actually about programming. Here's our list of 10 of the best.\n1. Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software\n2. Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship\n3. Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code\n4. The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master\n5. Don't Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability\n6. The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering\n7. Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\n8. Introduction to Algorithms (The MIT Press)\n9. Programming Pearls (2nd Edition)\n10. The Art of Computer Programming",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "9. Programming Pearls (2nd Edition)",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's ten recommended programming books.",
          "audience": "Programmers looking to hone their craft and learn techniques.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29311159,
          "author": "jcynix",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T20:21:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29311159",
          "commentText": "Programming Pearls and More Programming Pearls by Jon Bentley contain short articles \"in the realm of insight and creativity.\" These articles appeared during the 80s in Communications of the ACM, but I think they are still mostly relevant and inspiring today.\nThe second edition from 2000 is online available at https://archive.org/details/ProgrammingPearls2ndEditionJonBe... (https://archive.org/details/ProgrammingPearls2ndEditionJonBentley)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming Pearls and More Programming Pearls by Jon Bentley",
          "reason": "The comment says the essays remain mostly relevant and inspiring.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The essays appeared in the 1980s; the commenter says they are still mostly relevant.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23366671,
          "author": "HumblyTossed",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-31T02:29:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23366671",
          "commentText": "Hmmm... Glancing at my shelf. That's not easy.  Two that are close are:\nProgramming Pearls 2e (239 pgs)\nPractice of Programming (267 pgs)\nI see Algorighms + Data Structures = Programs, but I know that's well into 300 pgs w/out looking.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Programming Pearls 2e (239 pgs)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is 239 pages.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23365308,
          "author": "binarymax",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-30T22:21:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23365308",
          "commentText": "Programming Pearls is short and very good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming Pearls is short and very good.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as short and very good.",
          "audience": "Software developers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22706993,
          "author": "elipsey",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T21:18:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22706993",
          "commentText": "Bentley, Jon., Bell Labs. \"Programming Pearls\" 1986. --Coding excercises, advice, and annecdotes about problem solving. Get up on grandpa's knee and listen to a bunch of stories about UNIX.\nStephenson, Neal. \"In the Beginning...Was the Command Line\" 1999. --History of the evolution of UI's and their impact on people, culture, productivity, especially 80's and 90's.\nVan Wyk, Christopher J., Bell Labs. \"Data Structures and C Programs\" 1988. --D & A textbook, 80's style. Like Bently, more focus than we are now used to on things like space time trade offs, resource constraints, in-place operations, etc.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Programming Pearls\" 1986. --Coding excercises, advice, and annecdotes about problem solving.",
          "reason": "The comment describes it as covering coding exercises, advice, and problem-solving anecdotes.",
          "audience": "Programmers interested in coding exercises and problem solving.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20730712,
          "author": "carapace",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T15:23:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20730712",
          "commentText": "Bentley, \"Programming Pearls\"\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52084.Programming_Pearls",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bentley, \"Programming Pearls\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17052655,
          "author": "telltruth",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-12T05:50:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17052655",
          "commentText": "This might sound either obvious or naive but if you are not a CS major, I would really emphasize reading CS textbooks such as CLRS, Programming Pearls, Dragonbook and most importantly textbooks on statistics m probability, linear algebra. There is a pyramid of skills for developers. People who haven’t studied throughly above stuff usually ends up at bottom (aka “enterprise” or “web” or “database” developers). They spend their lives in trivialities of patterns and plumbing and only very rarely doing something interesting such as distributed computing, game programming, systems programming, ML/AI.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming Pearls",
          "reason": "Named as a computer science textbook the commenter recommends reading, especially for non-CS majors.",
          "audience": "Developers without a computer science major.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032345,
          "author": "mfrw",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:17:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032345",
          "commentText": "My take on some which I think should be atleast read once:\n  1) The unix programming environment\n  2) The design of the unix operating system\n  3) The Pragmatic Programmer\n  4) Programming Pearls\n  5) Computer Systems: A Programmers Prespective\n  6) K & R C\n  7) The art of Unix Programming.\n\nPS: I admit my bias towards systems.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming Pearls",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books the commenter thinks should be read at least once.",
          "audience": "People starting careers in software engineering or computer science, as implied by the thread question.",
          "caveat": "The commenter admits a bias toward systems.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16352122,
          "author": "emmelaich",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T10:40:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16352122",
          "commentText": "All in no particular order....\nAs a Unix systems engineer, I would choose\n    1. W.R. Stevens books on Unix and Tcp/ip.\n    2. Rochkind's Advanced UNIX Programming.\n    3. Most of the Unix/Linux manual pages.\n    4. Bash FAQ\n\nAs a Unix systems programmer I would choose\n    1. Mythical Man Month\n    2. Jon Bentley's Programming Pearls.\n    3. K&R C and Stroustrup C++\n    4. A recent Java reference and Bloch's Java Puzzlers\n    5. a reference and cookbook for the language of your choice -- Python, Ruby, Perl, etc.\n    6. Google's style guides",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jon Bentley's Programming Pearls.",
          "reason": "Included among the author's choices for a Unix systems programmer.",
          "audience": "Unix systems programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14486917,
          "author": "petercooper",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T11:48:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14486917",
          "commentText": "Programming Pearls by Joe Bentley. And its followup. It's old but it does get you thinking about things.\nI'd also recommend The Linux Programming Interface by Michael Kerrisk as it teaches so much about what makes modern Unix what it is but.. it's arguably quite oriented around C by necessity. It's not a \"C book\" by any means though.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming Pearls by Joe Bentley. And its followup.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a programming book; commenter says it gets you thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Old; the comment also recommends its follow-up without naming it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13408981,
          "author": "vram22",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T09:19:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13408981",
          "commentText": "Yes, and the same goes for More Programming Pearls - all 3 by Bentley (for those who don't know).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "all 3 by Bentley",
          "reason": "The commenter groups this title with the praised More Programming Pearls and identifies three related books by Bentley.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9761340,
          "author": "brg",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T21:30:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9761340",
          "commentText": "Seconding Programming Pearls by Jon Bentley.  Although a bit dated, I reread this book for its insight in to problem solving.  It is a great primer for programming problem interviews.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Seconding Programming Pearls by Jon Bentley. Although a bit dated, I reread this book for its insight in to problem solving. It is a great primer for programming problem interviews.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for problem-solving insights and as a primer for programming interviews.",
          "audience": "Readers preparing for programming problem interviews.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it is a bit dated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9757881,
          "author": "Sukotto",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T12:50:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9757881",
          "commentText": "Programming Pearls: Jon Bentley\nThe Pragmatic Programmer: Hunt and Thomas\nThe C Programming Language: Kernighan and Ritchie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming Pearls: Jon Bentley",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9045382,
          "author": "rb2k_",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-13T17:10:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 9044833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I have $2k for books, training and confs. What should I spend it on?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9045382",
          "commentText": "I can recommend \"Programming Pearls\":\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Programming-Pearls-2nd-Edition-Bentley... (http://www.amazon.com/Programming-Pearls-2nd-Edition-Bentley/dp/0201657880)\nIt hasn't a lot of algorithms per se, but it has a lot of examples of how a different view on a problem can lead to an easier/more performant solution. It also does a good job at explaining tradeoffs. I think it's great for people that have had some basic introduction already.\n[Ref link if anyone feels like it: http://amzn.to/1CnQUQ7]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can recommend \"Programming Pearls\"",
          "reason": "Recommended for its examples of reframing problems and explaining tradeoffs.",
          "audience": "People with some basic introduction to algorithms.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it has few algorithms per se.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7756798,
          "author": "truncate",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T17:59:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7756798",
          "commentText": "Currently reading Programming Pearls by Jon Bentley. Interesting small case studies that gives insight on how to tackle problems and think about programming.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Interesting small case studies that gives insight on how to tackle problems and think about programming.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds its case studies interesting and says they offer insight into problem solving and programming.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are currently reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2524351,
          "author": "beagle3",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-07T19:18:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 2524205,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books for soon to be Software Engineers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2524351",
          "commentText": "If you will be programming in Java, my condolences. (yes, I'm ready for the downvotes).\nI'm sure there's some nice Java code out there. I recently agreed to do a Java project, and the 6 months I was at it sucked the joy of programming out of me.\nI've spent the last few years doing Python, C and K, and in comparison, Java is so bureaucratic that I felt like 10% of my work was advancing towards my goal, and 90% was bureaucracy (compared to 20% bureaucracy in C, 5% in Python and 0.001% in K)\nAnd as for books, I recommend Jon Bentley's \"Programming Pearls\" series, Steve McConnell's \"Software Project Survival Guide\" and DeMarco and Lister's \"PeopleWare\". The last two have more to do with project (and people) management than with software engineering - but you will need these skills much earlier than you'd expect, perhaps even in your first couple of months of work. And PeopleWare is a short and enjoyable read, you could put it in the \"leisure\" pile.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend Jon Bentley's \"Programming Pearls\" series",
          "reason": "Recommends the series for new software engineers.",
          "audience": "New software engineers; the comment highlights skills useful in the first months of work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming Pearls",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797697,
          "author": "warewolfe",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T09:37:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797697",
          "commentText": "Last three books I read were; \nAtlas Shrugged,\nCode Complete,\nThe Mythical Man Month,\nThe three books I'm currently reading;\nflex and bison,\nMastering Algorithms in C\nExpert C programming,\nThe next three books on the \"to read\" stack are;\nCyptonomicom,\nThe definitive guide to GCC,\nManaging projects with GNU make,\nDid anyone else find \"Code Complete\" to be a bit repetitive, in places a bit redundant, and sometimes repetitive? \nI think the \"pragmatic programmer\" was a better read, and I could not put down \"programming pearls\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I could not put down \"programming pearls\"",
          "reason": "Says they could not put the book down.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 766715,
          "author": "dimarco",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-16T20:49:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=766715",
          "commentText": "Programming Pearls is nice to read while traveling. Doesn't really require a computer, essays are short.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming Pearls is nice to read while traveling. Doesn't really require a computer, essays are short.",
          "reason": "Calls it nice travel reading and notes that its short essays do not require a computer.",
          "audience": "Readers who want programming-related travel reading without a computer.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 766598,
          "author": "SwellJoe",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-16T19:53:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=766598",
          "commentText": "Try some fiction, instead.  It's a vacation. I just finished The Road by Cormac McCarthy a couple of weeks ago. It's really good.\nThat said, if you're going to read programming books, you might want narrative texts rather than \"practical\" books, since the practical ones require you to also have a computer, and work through the examples and such. Books like Programming Pearls, Beautiful Code, etc. tell stories about code, rather than just show you code (though there are probably moments in either book where the best course of action is to try applying what you've read about).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Books like Programming Pearls, Beautiful Code, etc. tell stories about code, rather than just show you code",
          "reason": "Included as an example of a narrative programming book suited to vacation reading.",
          "audience": "Readers wanting programming books that can be read without working through examples on a computer.",
          "caveat": "May still include moments where applying what you read would be useful.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 176964,
          "author": "jbum",
          "createdAt": "2008-04-29T20:34:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 176803,
          "threadTitle": "Which is your favorite 70-80s computer book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=176964",
          "commentText": "\"Programming Pearls\" by Jon Bentley.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Programming Pearls\" by Jon Bentley.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jon Bentley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 22,
      "threads": 19,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "programming",
        "problem solving",
        "programming problem solving"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-glass-bead-game-7efd1a",
      "title": "The Glass Bead Game",
      "author": "Hermann Hesse",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41770117,
          "author": "creature_x",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T19:42:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41770117",
          "commentText": "I actually started with The Glass Bead Game, but I found it too dense. Perhaps I'll give it another try!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I actually started with The Glass Bead Game, but I found it too dense. Perhaps I'll give it another try!",
          "reason": "Found it too dense on the first attempt but may try it again.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The first read was too dense for them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41769994,
          "author": "WillAdams",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T19:30:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41769994",
          "commentText": "Not sure how I feel about the on-going vanishing of efforts to create The Glass Bead Game as a computer interface/programming methodology.\nI want it to be something workable which helps folks in their use of computers, but the more I work with node programming interfaces and so forth, the more I worry that the fact that there is no universally agreed-upon answer to the question:\n>What does an algorithm look like?\nand that such systems are strongly-bounded complexity-wise by screen size, that they simply aren't workable beyond small/toy problems and educational usage, i.e., Blockly.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the fact that there is no universally agreed-upon answer to the question:\n>What does an algorithm look like?",
          "reason": "Discusses adapting the book’s idea into a computer interface or programming methodology.",
          "audience": "People exploring node programming interfaces and computer use.",
          "caveat": "Worries such systems are constrained by screen size and complexity, limiting them to small or educational problems.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41768831,
          "author": "flenserboy",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T17:53:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41768831",
          "commentText": "Give his Glass Bead Game a try; it is dense, delightful, & its content would appeal much to the denizens of this site.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Give his Glass Bead Game a try; it is dense, delightful, & its content would appeal much to the denizens of this site.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it delightful and says its content may appeal to this site's readers.",
          "audience": "Readers of this site.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as dense.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41175841,
          "author": "montgomery_r",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:58:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175841",
          "commentText": "Aargh, Formatting! Try 2 :\nFor the value of ‘best’ that includes\n(a) had a deep and long lasting impact on how I think about the world and\n(b) I consider beautiful pieces of writing in their own right,\nhere are some in no particular order:\nThe Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins\nThinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nNaming and Necessity, Saul Kripke\nTractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein\n(These you might want to approach via a gentle introduction if you did not study Philosophy to degree level)\nThe Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle\nDarkness at Noon, Arthur Koestler\nThe Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse\nA Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh\nDiaries, Samuel Pepys\nFalling Off the Map, Pico Iyer\nA Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor\nThe Lonely Sea and the Sky, Francis Chichester\nThe Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope\nBevis, Richard Jeffries\nThe Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith\nThe Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse\nHitch-22, essays, Christopher Hitchens\nCollected Essays, William Hazlitt\nVenice, Martin Gayford\nThe Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski\nThe Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch\nToo obvious a list, perhaps, but some gems for all that! Happy reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse",
          "reason": "Includes the title among books considered impactful and beautifully written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41175718,
          "author": "montgomery_r",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:45:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175718",
          "commentText": "For the value of ‘best’ that includes  (a) had a deep and long lasting impact on how I think about the world and (b) I consider beautiful pieces of writing in their own right, here are some in no particular order: \nThe Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins \nThinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nNaming and Necessity, Saul Kripke\nTractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein\n(These you might want to approach via a gentle introduction if you did not study Philosophy to degree level) \nThe Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle\nDarkness at Noon,\nArthur Koestler\nThe Glass Bead Game,\nHermann Hesse\nA Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh\nDiaries, Samuel Pepys\nFalling Off the Map, Pico Iyer\nA Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor\nThe Lonely Sea and the Sky,\nFrancis Chichester\nThe Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope\nBevis, Richard Jeffries\nThe Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith\nThe Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse\nHitch-22, essaysChristopher Hitchens \nCollected Essays, William Hazlitt\nVenice, Martin Gayford\nThe Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski\nThe Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch\nToo obvious a list, perhaps, but some gems for all that! Happy reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Glass Bead Game,\nHermann Hesse",
          "reason": "Includes it among books with lasting impact on how they think and that they consider beautiful writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38564728,
          "author": "sirohsis144",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T02:35:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38564728",
          "commentText": "The Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse\nThe Road, Cormac McCarthy\nSometimes a Great Notion, Ken Kesey\nSlouching Towards Bethlehem, Joan Didion",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32800504,
          "author": "andrewlgood",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-11T15:34:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32800504",
          "commentText": "I read Magister Ludi or The Glass Bead Game several times in my younger days.  I was a Hermann Hesse fan.  I echo the recommendation but would add what I found most appealing about it is the idea that all knowledge is related.  Once players study for years, they realize mathematics and music theory are related.  Architecture and geometry are related.  By analogy all knowledge is related and one can glide from one concept to another (in a Glass Bead Game) and tell interesting stories.  Very influential to me on universality of learning and knowledge.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read Magister Ludi or The Glass Bead Game several times in my younger days.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they read it repeatedly and found its idea of interconnected knowledge influential.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32794529,
          "author": "lioeters",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T20:57:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32794529",
          "commentText": "The Planiverse: Computer contact with a two-dimensional world - by A.K. Dewdney\n> A mind-bending, paradigm shifting visit with Yedred, a denizen of the 2 dimensional Universe. It is written so that the physics comes through very easily for those without science training. A university student discovers that this being Yendred is communicating with him through his computer. There begins a lively dialog as both the 2D Yendred and the 3D author struggle to explain and understand each others worlds.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Planiverse\n---\nThe Glass Bead Game - by Hermann Hesse\n> The Glass Bead Game takes place at an unspecified date centuries in the future. Hesse suggested that he imagined the book's narrator writing around the start of the 25th century.\n> The setting is a fictional province of central Europe called Castalia, which was reserved by political decision for the life of the mind.. Castalia is home to an austere order of intellectuals with a twofold mission: to run boarding schools, and to cultivate and play the Glass Bead Game, whose exact nature remains elusive and whose devotees occupy a special school in Castalia known as Waldzell.\n> The rules of the game are only alluded to — they are so sophisticated that they are not easy to imagine. Playing the game well requires years of hard study of music, mathematics, and cultural history. The game is essentially an abstract synthesis of all arts and sciences.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Glass_Bead_Game\n---\nThe World as Will and Representation - by Arthur Schopenhauer\n> The phrase \"Tat Tvam Asi\" ('thou art that'), one of the Mahāvākyas of the Upanishads, displayed on an Indian temple. Schopenhauer uses this Sanskrit phrase to express a foundational tenet of his ethics: 'the will is the in-itself of every appearance, and as such is itself free from the form of appearance, and thus from all multiplicity'.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_as_Will_and_Represen... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_as_Will_and_Representation)\n---\nThe Shape of Ancient Thought: Comparative Studies in Greek and Indian Philosophies - by Thomas McEvilley\n> Spanning thirty years of intensive research, this book proves what many scholars could not explain: that today’s Western world must be considered the product of both Greek and Indian thought — Western and Eastern philosophies.\n> Thomas McEvilley explores how trade, imperialism, and migration currents allowed cultural philosophies to intermingle freely throughout India, Egypt, Greece, and the ancient Near East. This groundbreaking reference will stir relentless debate among philosophers, art historians, and students.\n---\nTemporary Autonomous Zone - by Hakim Bey\n    1. Pirate Utopias\n    2. Waiting for the Revolution\n    3. The Psychotopology of Everyday Life\n    4. The Net and the Web\n    5. Gone to Croatan\n    6. Music as an Organizational Principle\n    7. The Will To Power as Disappearance\n    8. Ratholes in the Babylon of Information\n\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temporary_Autonomous_Zone\n---\nNature of Code - by Daniel Shiffman\nhttps://natureofcode.com/\n> How can we capture the unpredictable evolutionary and emergent properties of nature in software? How can understanding the mathematical principles behind our physical world help us to create digital worlds?\n> This book focuses on a range of programming strategies and techniques behind computer simulations of natural systems, from elementary concepts in mathematics and physics to more advanced algorithms that enable sophisticated visual results.\n> Readers will progress from building a basic physics engine to creating intelligent moving objects and complex systems, setting the foundation for further experiments in generative design. Subjects covered include forces, trigonometry, fractals, cellular automata, self-organization, and genetic algorithms.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Glass Bead Game - by Hermann Hesse",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22719526,
          "author": "kidintech",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T15:00:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22719526",
          "commentText": "YMMV. I'm a big Hesse fan, and I tried reading The Glass Bead Game twice; couldn't get past 30-40% of it in either try, it was just too boring.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I tried reading The Glass Bead Game twice; couldn't get past 30-40% of it in either try, it was just too boring.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it too boring to finish on two attempts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21901935,
          "author": "pmoriarty",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T21:38:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21901935",
          "commentText": "Narcissus and Goldmund is probably my favorite of Hesse's novels, but also great is The Glass Bead Game.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "but also great is The Glass Bead Game.",
          "reason": "Calls it great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19088461,
          "author": "onemoresoop",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T18:55:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19088461",
          "commentText": "Seneca - Letters from a stoic;\nHerman Hesse - Steppenwolf , Siddhartha and The glass bead game (Magister Ludi)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Herman Hesse - Steppenwolf , Siddhartha and The glass bead game (Magister Ludi)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18666158,
          "author": "eli_gottlieb",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T18:06:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18666158",
          "commentText": "Ongoing reads:\n* Principles of Neural Design by Peter Sterling\n* What Science Offers the Humanities by Edward Slingerland\n* Category Theory for Programmers by Bartosz Milewski\n* How Do You Feel? by Bud Craig\nCompleted reads:\n* The Book of Why by Judea Pearl\n* Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor by Yossi Klein Halevi\n* The Glass Bead Game by Herman Hesse\n* The Next Revolution by Murray Bookchin\n* Democratic Confederalism by Abdullah Ocalan\n* A bunch of trashy pulp scifi",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "* The Glass Bead Game by Herman Hesse",
          "reason": "Listed as completed; no evaluation or recommendation is expressed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18050766,
          "author": "juanuys",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-23T12:23:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18050766",
          "commentText": "I would love it if you could elaborate on how the book saved you from decades of game playing. (If not here, email in profile.)\nI've started this book now, but also an avid gamer and hobbyist game maker.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I've started this book now",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "An avid gamer and hobbyist game maker seeking an explanation of the book's effect.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17169107,
          "author": "omgwtfpmr",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T21:05:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17169107",
          "commentText": "Seconded. I didn't enjoy reading it, but it made a tremendous impression on me nonetheless.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Seconded. I didn't enjoy reading it, but it made a tremendous impression on me nonetheless.",
          "reason": "Seconding the prior mention and saying the book made a tremendous impression.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they did not enjoy reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032296,
          "author": "cmrdporcupine",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:12:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032296",
          "commentText": "The Glass Bead Game by Herman Hesse.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Glass Bead Game by Herman Hesse.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630270,
          "author": "gtycomb",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:01:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630270",
          "commentText": "Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann. The first time it was slow read, but I went back the book several times later in life and it has much to tell.\nThe Glass Beads Game by Herman Hess.\nSeveral books by Steinbeck - Travels with Charley, Log from the Sea of Cortez.\nThe Toilers of the Sea by Victor Hugo. A recent penguin translation is superb. Among the saddest and most memorable love stories.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Glass Beads Game by Herman Hess.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15020474,
          "author": "searine",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T17:41:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15020474",
          "commentText": "Re-reading Anathem by Neal Stephenson, because it's so god damn good.\nThe Mandibles recently. It was okay. The economic ideas were interesting, but the story dragged.\nThe Accusation by Bandi was good if you like North Korea stuff.\nThe Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O - Was decent for a Stephenson novel, but definitely niche sci-fi/fantasy.\nThe Glass Bead Game by Herman Hesse. Didn't like it. Really didn't like the ending.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Didn't like it. Really didn't like the ending.",
          "reason": "The commenter disliked the book, especially its ending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Strong dislike of the ending.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9676496,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T22:08:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9676496",
          "commentText": "Love that Bulgakov book (apparently the translation you pick matters a lot, but I wouldn't know, since my sister gave it to me as a gift).\nI like the Hesse book a lot, although the metaphor is more powerful to me than the book, which is probably not the first Hesse book I'd suggest.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I like the Hesse book a lot, although the metaphor is more powerful to me than the book",
          "reason": "Likes the book, while finding its metaphor more powerful than the book itself.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Probably not the first Hesse book the commenter would suggest.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348476,
          "author": "fmstephe",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:59:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348476",
          "commentText": "The Glass Bead Game - Herman Hesse\nRead when I was about 14. I just remember the way it excited my mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Glass Bead Game - Herman Hesse\nRead when I was about 14. I just remember the way it excited my mind.",
          "reason": "Recalls that it excited their mind when they read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they only remember the excitement it gave them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8258168,
          "author": "drtse4",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T15:39:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8258168",
          "commentText": "_dt47, if you like it read everything else from Hesse (continue with Steppenwolf, Narcissus and Goldmund, The Glass Bead Game).\nRight now, as late night reading, i'm in the midst of the sprawl trilogy of Gibson, i read Neuromancer more than a few years ago and now i'm checking out the rest.\nOther than this, i started \"Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies\", but i'm quickly getting bored.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "continue with Steppenwolf, Narcissus and Goldmund, The Glass Bead Game",
          "reason": "Recommends continuing with Hesse’s other works after Siddhartha.",
          "audience": "Readers who like Siddhartha or Hesse.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8257741,
          "author": "stevedh",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T14:28:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257741",
          "commentText": "Hesse's \"The Glass Bead Game\" is well worth reading if a little enigmatic.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Hesse's \"The Glass Bead Game\" is well worth reading if a little enigmatic.",
          "reason": "Says it is well worth reading, with the caveat that it is a little enigmatic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A little enigmatic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387513,
          "author": "bsenftner",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T23:35:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387513",
          "commentText": "Herman Hesse \"The Glass Bead Game\" is incredible. For great mind fucks, check out the crime fiction of Jim Thompson: 1st person, you're a petty crook, dumb & scared, people trying to kill you are right behind you, and most the books end with you being caught and killed in the last sentence. It takes a day or two to shake off his books' reality.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Glass Bead Game\" is incredible.",
          "reason": "Calls the book incredible.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5692169,
          "author": "bloodorange",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T21:32:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5692169",
          "commentText": "Adding more:\nSiddhartha - Hermen Hesse\nNarcissus and Goldmund - Herman Hesse\nThe Glass Bead Game - Herman Hesse\nThe Consolations of Philosophy - Alain de Botton\nA Brief History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson\nPolitics and The English Lanaguage (essay) - George Orwell\nA Modest Proposal (essay) - Jonathan Swift",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Glass Bead Game - Herman Hesse",
          "reason": "Listed in a response to a request for good books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752867,
          "author": "lispm",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T15:35:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752867",
          "commentText": "The Glass Bead Game is mostly about useless academics that play a useless game and are remote from reality.\nThe main character tries to find true meaning, then dies a sudden death, unfit for life when confronted with it.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The Glass Bead Game is mostly about useless academics that play a useless game and are remote from reality.",
          "reason": "The commenter criticizes the academics and game at the center of the novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752443,
          "author": "swombat",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T09:56:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752443",
          "commentText": "Most books by Hermann Hesse, really... Narziss&Goldmund changed my perspective on life. If you have anything artistic in you, it's a must-read. Steppenwolf, Siddharta and the Glass Bead Game are other must-reads.\nGabriel Garcia Marques, One hundred years of solitude.\nPractically all of Jorge Luis Borges' short stories. Mind-bending.\nMilan Kundera's Unbearable Lightness of Being.\nMichael Ende's Never Ending Story.\nEnjoy!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Steppenwolf, Siddharta and the Glass Bead Game are other must-reads.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a must-read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752338,
          "author": "kranner",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T07:44:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752338",
          "commentText": "Hermann Hesse's novel \"The Glass Bead Game\".\nOstensibly it's about this sophisticated game played in a monastery that abstracts over the sum of human knowledge. To me it presented a very potent argument for the value of academia in a commercially-driven world.\nIf nothing else, it nicely counterbalances the monomaniacal ambition and stress of tech startup land in a way that us geeks can appreciate.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hermann Hesse's novel \"The Glass Bead Game\". Ostensibly it's about this sophisticated game played in a monastery that abstracts over the sum of human knowledge. To me it presented a very potent argument for the value of academia in a commercially-driven world.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it makes a potent case for the value of academia.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in academia and the role of knowledge in society.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1570875,
          "author": "c1sc0",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T12:24:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1570875",
          "commentText": "\"East of Eden\" or anything Steinbeck. The art of storytelling is vastly underestimated in the startup world. If you know how to tell a good story, writing blog posts, doing marketing copywriting etc ... suddenly becomes much easier. Reading world-class fiction teaches you this skill. For a slightly geekier read: \"The Glass Bead Game\" by Hermann Hesse.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For a slightly geekier read: \"The Glass Bead Game\" by Hermann Hesse.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a slightly geekier read in response to a summer reading request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a slightly geekier read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876339,
          "author": "theblackbox",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T09:15:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876339",
          "commentText": "I would Second ANYTHING by Hesse, not got round to a thorough read of Siddhartha yet, but Damien is most excellent and The Glass Bead Games is a revelation for anyone who feels there is something just a little bit ill with the mind and motion of our modern age.\nOh, and something along the lines of The Neverending Story (The Silmarillion/LotR), because it's something to lose yourself in with kids and doesn't even have to be read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Glass Bead Games is a revelation",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a revelation for readers troubled by modern life.",
          "audience": "Readers who feel something is wrong with the mind and motion of the modern age.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 200157,
          "author": "ovi256",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-26T12:47:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 199722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=200157",
          "commentText": "I can also recommend Magister Ludi, or The Glass Bead Game. Wonderful book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can also recommend Magister Ludi, or The Glass Bead Game.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommended and called a wonderful book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143329,
          "author": "Alex3917",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T15:09:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143329",
          "commentText": "I just read A Mathematician's Apology. Really interesting, it really puts Hesse's Glass Bead Game in context.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Hesse's Glass Bead Game",
          "reason": "The commenter says reading A Mathematician's Apology puts this book in context.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140538,
          "author": "FleursDuMal",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T04:15:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140538",
          "commentText": "The Glass Bead Game by Herman Hesse",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Glass Bead Game by Herman Hesse",
          "reason": "Given as an answer to which sci-fi book was most inspiring.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hermann Hesse"
      ],
      "recommenders": 22,
      "threads": 19,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "intellectual fiction",
        "utopia",
        "german literature",
        "intellectual life"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-hobbit-3cad16",
      "title": "The Hobbit",
      "author": "J. R. R. Tolkien",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50119582,
          "author": "pmpmpmpm",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T15:25:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50119582",
          "commentText": "I can’t resist an invocation:)\nMost of these are old since I’ve been reading more articles these days but here are a few good books or series I’ve read more than twice: The Hobbit, LOTR, the Silmarillion, Neuromancer, the Chronicles of Narnia, Hong Lou Meng, The Heart Sutra, The Bhagavad Gita, The Tao De Ching, The Wheel of Time series, No country for old men, Persuasion, Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice, The Way of Kings, The Talisman, the Dark Tower Series, and The Prophet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hobbit",
          "reason": "Included among good books read more than twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 49902504,
          "author": "Ancalagon",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-29T23:55:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49902504",
          "commentText": "Finally getting around to reading the LOTR trilogy. I've read the Hobbit and the Silmarillion, just never got around to the main story.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I've read the Hobbit",
          "reason": "Mentions having already read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 47027249,
          "author": "iparaskev",
          "createdAt": "2026-02-15T20:31:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 47027236,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47027249",
          "commentText": "The hobbit!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The hobbit!",
          "reason": "Listed as a current read in response to what people are reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46402290,
          "author": "sevensor",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T14:56:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46402290",
          "commentText": "Mary Renault. Fire From Heaven. I think she was ahead of the curve in recognizing that Alexander had monstrous qualities at a time when he was still seen as a kind of superhero.\nTolkein. The Silmarillion. I’ve bounced off this book a dozen times over decades, despite deeply enjoying The Hobbit and LoTR. This time I discovered that the best way to read it is backwards, tracing connections to characters you already know.\nStephenson. Anathem. I think I’ll skip the end next time. The first time I read it, I was confused; this time I understood exactly what was happening but I thought it was a bit pointless. Still worth it for the first 3/4 of the novel.\nLots of short stories. I was expecting to like Mark Twain better, but ours is a much more earnest era, and no match for his Gilded Age cynicism. What passes for cynicism today is Twain in his sunniest mood. At any rate, I appreciate Twain, but I enjoy EM Forster, Henry James, JG Ballard, William Gibson, and lots of others I’m forgetting at the moment.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "despite deeply enjoying The Hobbit and LoTR.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they deeply enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42556739,
          "author": "__rito__",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-31T05:53:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42556739",
          "commentText": "For me, some of the best books I read this year, are:\n- Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, I have seen many narratives on the fault at the core of current values and goals of human civilization, but never saw a laid out alternative. Whatever it might be, I like the book for attempting at presenting one.\n- Solaris by Stanislaw Lem, I like this book for extremely original thoughts. This books was so thin (~200 pages), yet it was grand. I also wrote a review [0].\n- The Happiness Trap by Russ Hariss, was very helpful to me in sorting through some things. Very practical book.\n- Anathem by Neal Stephenson, one of the most original book, and probably the best one by Stephenson. Very original ideas, mind expanding.\n- Permutation City by Greg Egan, this book raised the standard for possibly all SciFi book that I will read in the future. Extremely original and grand ideas.\n- The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt, another book that lays out alternatives to what is now considered mainstream.\n- Sotyi Rupkatha by Parimal Bhattacharya (Bengali), a book without any ideological or emotional baggage explaining the plight and pain of a tribal community for Aluminium mining. The way colonialism lives in mining was eye-opening. Aluminium mining, separating, etc. are done in lesser fortunate countries where huge amounts of water is wasted and the environment polluted. The West still imports that refined raw material in cheap and produces final products with lesser environmental impact and peofits by selling the finished products to the same countries in large profits. It was refreshing to see that this book did not have a Communist undertone.\n- Krishna Basudev by Bani Basu (Bengali), life of God Krishna in form of a novel in crisp prose, written maintaining authenticity of core books like Bhagavat Purana and Harivansha.\n- I am currently listening to \"The Hobbit\" audiobook narrated by Andy Serkis. This is peak audiobook for me.\n[0]: https://ritogh.substack.com/p/not-merely-a-story-of-a-man-fa... (https://ritogh.substack.com/p/not-merely-a-story-of-a-man-facing)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I am currently listening to \"The Hobbit\" audiobook narrated by Andy Serkis. This is peak audiobook for me.",
          "reason": "Calls the Andy Serkis audiobook a peak audiobook experience.",
          "audience": "Audiobook listeners.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41175347,
          "author": "iambateman",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:02:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175347",
          "commentText": "Great recommendation, thanks!\nUnfortunately for me, they’re probably my favorite books of all time. :)\nCheers!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "they’re probably my favorite books of all time",
          "reason": "Affirms the parent comment's recommendation and says these are among their favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41175303,
          "author": "talldayo",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T20:58:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175303",
          "commentText": "The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings both stand alone as unparalleled fantasy novels. Buy a version with no foreword or footnotes and just, immerse yourself.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings both stand alone as unparalleled fantasy novels.",
          "reason": "Recommends immersing yourself in the novel, preferably in an edition without foreword or footnotes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Suggests choosing a version without foreword or footnotes.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39250782,
          "author": "p0d",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T15:13:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39250782",
          "commentText": "Impossible Creatures, Katherine Rundell. I am 52 and haven't had as much fun since reading The Hobbit, 40 years ago.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "since reading The Hobbit, 40 years ago",
          "reason": "Uses it as a positive comparison for the fun of reading Impossible Creatures.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38570166,
          "author": "v-erne",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T15:28:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38570166",
          "commentText": ">> username checks out\nOnly tentatively :)\nThorin is from Hobbit and was long gone when plot of LOTR started.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Thorin is from Hobbit",
          "reason": "The commenter identifies Thorin as a character from the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38237921,
          "author": "_ixdf",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T06:42:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38237921",
          "commentText": "I struggle to stay interested in one book until the end because many books that are designed to teach you something have made their point in the first chapter and then spend the rest of the book hammering it in.\nCurrently been reading Make It Stick for a year and I'm probably going to drop it because it's not that interesting.\nAlso have these opened:\n  - The Hobbit\n  - A Philosophy of Software Design\n  - Bhagavad Gita",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "- The Hobbit",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter has open; they say they often struggle to finish books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36432828,
          "author": "specproc",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T14:38:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36432828",
          "commentText": "I think I was about 9 when I read the Hobbit. It absolutely blew my mind, and gave me a very different sense of what was cool to my peers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "when I read the Hobbit. It absolutely blew my mind",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed their sense of what was cool to their peers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35711199,
          "author": "_0xik",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-26T09:14:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 35710671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell still a recommended read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35711199",
          "commentText": "What? Tons of books get new editions. It happens constantly. For example, Strunk & White [0] has been updated in 1918, 1959, 1999, and 2009. Authors release different versions of their own books. I just wrote a review of a book [1] that had a 2nd edition released in 2022 after the first edition was released in 2014. J.R.R. Tolkein retconned The Hobbit after publication of Lord of the Rings. [2] (I realize this isn't really the same thing but I wanted to give an example in fiction)\nAnyway, point is, tons of books are changed after publication. I don't see why The Mythical Man Month shouldn't be; the technology is out of date and the gender issues are out of date.\n[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Elements_of_Style\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/Everybody-Writes-Improved-Go-Ridiculo... (https://www.amazon.com/Everybody-Writes-Improved-Go-Ridiculously/dp/1119854164)\n[2] https://birthmoviesdeath.com/2012/12/13/how-jrr-tolkien-pull... (https://birthmoviesdeath.com/2012/12/13/how-jrr-tolkien-pulled-a-george-lucas-on-the-hobbit)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "J.R.R. Tolkein retconned The Hobbit after publication of Lord of the Rings.",
          "reason": "Gives it as an example of a book changed after publication.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the example is not really the same thing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32197997,
          "author": "linsomniac",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:45:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197997",
          "commentText": "I just started The Hobbit a couple days ago.  For the last 3-4 months I've been checking out library books on the Kindle and reading as a bedtime ritual to help get me to sleep.  It's been working pretty well, I rarely lay there unable to go to sleep.\nI just finished Devolution by Max Brooks, it was good but not really in my wheelhouse.  I didn't realize when I started reading it, but he also did World War Z, which I felt the same way about, and also recently finished reading\nBefore that I finished Artemis by Andy Weir, good but not great.  Read because I had recently finished The Martian and absolutely loved it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I just started The Hobbit a couple days ago.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30735796,
          "author": "Maursault",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:39:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735796",
          "commentText": "The Hobbit, or There and Back Again. Changed my life by opening my imagination and getting me off of Judy Blume.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hobbit, or There and Back Again.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it opened their imagination.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23471522,
          "author": "me_smith",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T22:10:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23471522",
          "commentText": "The Hobbit - Tolkien\nWizard's First Rule (Sword of Truth Book 1) - Goodkind\nFaith of the Fallen (Sword of Truth Book 6) - Goodkind\nEnder's Game - Card\n1984 - Orwell\nI'm looking to read Asimov's Foundation series again. Maybe spend more time with Hyperion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hobbit - Tolkien",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467601,
          "author": "playingchanges",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:42:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467601",
          "commentText": "The Razors Edge - Somerset Maugham\nSiddhartha - Herman Hesse\nThe Hobbit - Tolkien",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hobbit - Tolkien",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467507,
          "author": "mathattack",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:32:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467507",
          "commentText": "Hobbit and Lord of the Rings - 3 or 4, including very recently.  The latest time I appreciated his background as a writer and the stories behind the story much more. They’re worth a reread as adults.\nOn the business side I read Deming’s Out of the Crisis several times. The ideas are profound but the writing is mediocre so it took a few times for it to stick.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hobbit and Lord of the Rings - 3 or 4, including very recently.",
          "reason": "Reports rereading it three or four times and says rereads are worthwhile as an adult.",
          "audience": "Adults revisiting the story",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22736937,
          "author": "vmilner",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-31T12:43:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22736937",
          "commentText": "I went through what I suspect is a common experience in that I had The Hobbit read to me at school at about 8, then read LOTR to get more hobbits. Even though the vocabulary was far too difficult for me, the experience of getting through a 1000 page book at that age, gave a massive boost to my reading and writing ability.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I went through what I suspect is a common experience in that I had The Hobbit read to me at school at about 8",
          "reason": "Being read the book at school helped build the commenter’s reading and writing ability.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the vocabulary was far too difficult at the time.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803978,
          "author": "jriot",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:57:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803978",
          "commentText": "I've curated my 2020 list over the last few months, eventually splitting it in two; 2021 has been started, but below is my 2020 list.\nBrave New World\nCatcher in the Rye (3rd read)\nTom Sawyer\nThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn\nWar and Peace\nCatch-22\nStranger in a Strange Lan\nThe Hobbit (3rd read)\nThe Illiad\nThe Odessey\nWalden\nLeisure, The Basis of Culture\nThe Seven Storey Mountain\nConfessions\nThe City of God\nWays of Life St Augustine\nCatechism of the Catholic Church\nThese Truths\nBattle Cry of Freedom\nThe Complete Guide to Fly Fishing\nThe Lure and Lore of Trout Fishing\nThe Duck Huntingest Gentlemen",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Hobbit (3rd read)",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's curated 2020 reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Part of a planned reading list; the commenter has read it twice before.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18662208,
          "author": "earthicus",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T08:09:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18662208",
          "commentText": "Ofer Gal - Baroque Science. A highly academic history of the scientific revolution, not the most readable book. It focused quite a bit on mathematization, especially in optics (and Kepler's optics revolution in particular), and also in observation via instrumentation like telescopes and microscopes.\nPaul Nahin - The Logician and the Engineer. About Boole and Shannon's work; I had already learned the material so i skimmed part of it and returned it to the library.\nIan Mortimer - The time traveler's guide to medieval england. Talks about what daily life was like for different social classes in 14th century England eg towns & cities, food, clothes, housing, employment, travel etc. I got about halfway through and lost interest in the subject matter.\nLucio Russo - The forgotten Revolution. A very readable academic history of the development of science in ptolomaic egypt (eg euclid, archimedes, etc). This was certainly the most surprising book I read all year. This time period has been almost completely deleted from history, which jumps straight from aristotle to the renaissance (with a quick stop in the islamic world if you're being spoiled), and their achievements were incredibly impressive!\nJim al-Khalili - The House of Wisdom. A pop-history book about arabic science that i got from the library. I was wary because it's written by a particle physicist and not a historian, and sure enough it is filled with so much nonsense that I through it down in disgust after a few chapters.\nColin Pask - Magnificent Principia. A brief tour of some of the highlights of Newton's Principia, using both newton's geometric diagrams and modern notation. Following the modern notation of course assumes some basic calculus. Highly recommended - it made me want to learn old fashioned celestial mechanics! Perhaps in 2019...\nRandall Munroe - What if. A fun light read about whimsical scenarios.\nSigmund - Exact thinking in demented times. About the vienna circle, the philosophical group associated with logical positivism.\nNewman [ed] - The world of mathematics vol 1. A varied Collection of mathematical writings, both contemporary and historical.\nRichard J Evans - The Coming of the Third Reich. Evans has recently written a three volume treatment of the third Reich. this is of course the first and starts with the origins of the modern form of antisemitism in the late 19th century. I hope to read the next two in 2019!\nRobert Harper - Practical foundations for programming languages. I've mostly just skimmed it so my understanding is quite superficial, maybe in a year or two I'll go through and do all the exercises. I liked that he avoided 'paradigms' and developed the subject more systematically. The book's table of contents is absolutely irresistible!\nTolkien - the Hobbit. I finally got around to reading it... I didn't care for it. I started the lord of the rings but i don't think i'm going to finish it.\nMichael Chriton - Jurassic Park. The movie was better.\nAgatha Christie - Murder on the Orient Express. I think i just don't like fiction. The few years before this I tried reading more fancy literature and i didn't like that, so this year I tried more popular literature... Recently i heard someone say they thought that history spoiled fiction for them. I think I've suffered the same problem.\nFindlay & O'Rourke - Power and Plenty. (in progress) An economic history of the 2nd millennium, absolutely fascinating so far. The discussion of the black death was particularly memorable. It's become something of a meme to point out how the peasant survivors were economically better off than their parents and grandparents. In fact that effect was limited to western europe. In eastern europe the economics were different and feudalism deepened, and in the arab world the reaction was different still: (if i remember my reading correctly) it was certain sects of military men who came out on top. I'm bringing it up because it is a perfect reminder that reality is more complicated than memes.\nRobert Harper - Programming in Standard ML. (in progress) Online notes about functional programming.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I didn't care for it.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter did not care for it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17981705,
          "author": "thorin",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-13T19:37:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17981705",
          "commentText": "Travels - Michael Crichton, got me into travelling, the outdoors and an interest in inner travel\nThe hobbit - came with the adventure game that my aunty had on her c64 got me into computers and reading aged about 7\nFear - Thich nhat hahn, read repeatably during recent hard times. Might need to re-read again soon...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The hobbit - came with the adventure game that my aunty had on her c64 got me into computers and reading aged about 7",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped get them into computers and reading as a child.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337335,
          "author": "auslegung",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:22:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337335",
          "commentText": "The Bible, Hobbit, LOTR series, Narnia, Catcher in the Rye, 1984, Papa Hemingway, these are all books that I’ve had to buy multiple times because they fall apart over the years. Never realized until just now how many comfort books I have...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hobbit",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567525,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T16:28:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567525",
          "commentText": "I re-read 'The Hobbit', which made me marvel again at such a delightful, thoughtful story, the world and characters that Tolkien wrought, and the morals of self-discovery and self-sacrifice... and sad for what the movie(s) could have been instead of what they were.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I re-read 'The Hobbit', which made me marvel again at such a delightful, thoughtful story, the world and characters that Tolkien wrought, and the morals of self-discovery and self-sacrifice",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the story, world, characters, and themes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter criticizes the film adaptations.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12069376,
          "author": "josefdlange",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T07:17:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12069376",
          "commentText": "I've read, at the behest of my spouse, The Hobbit and the trilogy of the Lord of the Rings. As someone who was never really \"into\" the whole world Tolkien had created, I must say I was won over by the end. Who wouldn't want to be a hobbit? At least, a hobbit who is not Frodo.\nEvery year or two I give a light reading to Andy Hertzfeld's compilation \"Revolution in the Valley\", which is a print edition of many (and probably some extras) of the stories available on www.folklore.org\nI am also midway through \"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\" (Robert M. Pirsig) and I must recommend it. It's got a lot of philosophy in it that I think is both accessible and transcendent all at once. It's actively changing my world view.\nIn terms of skills acquired, I don't typically read for that purpose. I learn skills primarily by active work, not passive ingestion of information.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Hobbit",
          "reason": "Says the story won them over by the end.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Read at the spouse's behest.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674226,
          "author": "atirip",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T11:38:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674226",
          "commentText": "Hobbit. I was young then. No book after that came close.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hobbit. I was young then. No book after that came close.",
          "reason": "The commenter says no later book came close to its impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter read it when young.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8613353,
          "author": "partisan",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-16T03:22:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8613353",
          "commentText": "Hard to say... had you asked me this question 15 years ago, I would have answered without hesitation, The Hobbit and Ender's Game.\nToday, it's a bit less clear, but here is what comes to mind.\nRendezvous with Rama - Arthur C. Clarke\nWorthing Saga - Orson Scott Card",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I would have answered without hesitation, The Hobbit and Ender's Game.",
          "reason": "Named as a former favorite in response to the question about favorite sci-fi or fantasy books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it would have been their answer 15 years ago.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8110192,
          "author": "sogen",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T18:49:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8110192",
          "commentText": "* Anything by Cortázar.\n* Trainspotting,\n* Fight Club\n* Anything by Carl Sagan, specially Contact\n* Lord of the Rings\n* The Hobbit\n* And finally:\nAnything by Michael Ende:\nThe Neverending Story,\nMomo (one of my faves).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hobbit",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a request for book suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7004875,
          "author": "meerita",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-03T10:55:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 7001282,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7004875",
          "commentText": "In no particular order:\nWhat Would Machiavelli Do? The Ends Justify the Meanness\n1984\nFarenheit 541\nFoundation (all saga)\nThe Hobbit\nThe Lord of the Rings (all saga)\nThe Prince\nDe Bello Gallico and Other Commentaries\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nThe Riverworld (an entire saga of 5 books)\nOn the Good Life\nTreatises on Friendship and Old Age\nAsimov On Numbers\nAsimov on Chemistry\nThe Roman Republic\nAnd hundreds more I cannot list.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Hobbit",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4788155,
          "author": "kaipakartik",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T12:03:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4788155",
          "commentText": "I quite liked the following\n1) Angelmaker\n2) Gone away world\n3) The Hobbit\n4) Fables the comic seriers\nNon fiction\n1) Steve Jobs\n2) Thinking fast and slow\nHave a look http://blog.kaipakartik.com for the books I enjoyed reading",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "3) The Hobbit",
          "reason": "Listed after the commenter says they quite liked the following books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2919397,
          "author": "njharman",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-24T03:59:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 2919368,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have changed the way you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2919397",
          "commentText": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tao_Te_Ching\nThe translations vary greatly. (from making it sound like new age mumbo jumbo, to mystic mumbo jumbo, to a profound philosophy), need to find one that's right for you.\n\"The C Programming Language\" by K&R (I read this very young 12-13, it's life changing aspects probably had a lot to do with my age)\n\"The Hobbit\" by J.R.R. Tolkien\n\"Welcome to the Monkey House\" by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Hobbit\" by J.R.R. Tolkien",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about books that changed the way people think.",
          "audience": "Readers of fantasy adventure.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876886,
          "author": "TrevorJ",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T15:20:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876886",
          "commentText": "The Hobbit,\nI, Robot",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hobbit,",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797265,
          "author": "hexis",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T03:16:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797265",
          "commentText": "Parting the Waters : America in the King Years 1954-63 by Taylor Branch\nThe Hobbit\nSailing the Wine-Dark Sea: Why the Greeks Matter by Thomas Cahill\nI track my reading on Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/enkrates",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Hobbit",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86223,
          "author": "icky",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:37:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86223",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- The Time Machine (still holds up very well, and seems strangely eerie and prescient in places)... (H. G. Wells)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Hobbit (and LotR) (Tolkien)\n- Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n- Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties (I picked up Idoru first, so I haven't yet read Virtual Light) (also Gibson)\n- The Difference Engine (Gibson, Sterling)\n- Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n- Cryptonomicon (\" \")\n- Circuit of Heaven, End of Days (Dennis Danvers)\n- All of the \"Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser\" stories and novels. (Fritz Leiber)\n- The Earthsea trilogy (Ursula K. LeGuin)\n- 'salem's Lot (Stephen King)\n- Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein)\n- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)\n- the Coldfire trilogy (C. S. Friedman)\n- various Cory Doctorow short stories\n- Kamikaze L'Amour (Richard Kadrey)\n- Lightpaths (Howard V. Hendrix)\n- A Canticle For Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)\n- Moonwar, Venus (Ben Bova)\n- the Stainless Steel Rat series (Harry Harrison)\n- Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)\n- Ringworld (Larry Niven)\n- Cthon (Piers Anthony) -- Trippiness level approaching Philip Jose Farmer ;-)\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (Douglas Adams)\n- The Black Company (Glen Cook)\n- there's one particularly good post-cyberpunk series that takes place in a world in which Canada emerged as a major world power, but for the life of me I can't rememeber the title.\n- the 1632 series (Eric Flint)... see also S. M. Stirling's Nantucket series (\"Island in the Sea of Time\", et al.), and H. Beam Piper's novel Kalvan of Otherwhen\nNon-fiction:\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (Hume)\n- the surviving words and works of Epicurus, and Diogenes the Cynic\n- Freakonomics (Levitt, Dubner)\n- The Gay Science (Nietzsche)\n- The Jefferson Bible (Christ, Jefferson (ed.))\n- The Devil's Dictionary (Bierce)\n- Brain Droppings (George Carlin)\n- anything by P. J. O'Rourke\n- anything by Dave Barry",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hobbit (and LotR) (Tolkien)",
          "reason": "Listed under fiction in response to the thread’s question about favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. R. R. Tolkien"
      ],
      "recommenders": 22,
      "threads": 19,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "high fantasy",
        "adventure",
        "adventure fantasy",
        "coming of age"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-making-of-the-atomic-bomb-98fcdc",
      "title": "The Making of the Atomic Bomb",
      "author": "Richard Rhodes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42659834,
          "author": "searine",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T20:32:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42659834",
          "commentText": "This was a life-changing book for me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This was a life-changing book for me.",
          "reason": "The commenter says this book had a life-changing impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42651517,
          "author": "antisthenes",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T01:14:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42651517",
          "commentText": "I haven't personally read it, but The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes seems to fit the bill.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes seems to fit the bill.",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a fit for the request about how hard things got done.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not personally read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42268897,
          "author": "christudor",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:13:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268897",
          "commentText": "The Making of the Atomic Bomb is in my top three non-fiction books I have ever read.\nWill I like The Dawn of Everything if I didn't like Harari's Sapiens? (I loved Graeber's Debt: The First 5000 Years)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Making of the Atomic Bomb is in my top three non-fiction books I have ever read.",
          "reason": "Ranks it among their three best nonfiction books ever.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42268867,
          "author": "fredoliveira",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:08:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268867",
          "commentText": "Read a lot this year — a lot more than most years. A few highlights:\nThe making of the atomic bomb by Richard Rhodes was probably the best of the bunch. I read it because I see some parallels between the discovery of atomic power and the search for AGI, and wanted an insight on the ethics and decision making of the time. It didn't disappoint.\nThe dawn of everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow was a solid read and retelling of how civilization began and evolved.\nThe message by Ta-Nehisi Coates, I read in two sittings — it was that impactful. A reminder of how the oppressed becomes the oppressor again and again. \"As it happens, you can See the world but never see the people in it\"\nOther highlights: The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt; re-read Thinking in Systems by Daniella Meadows; re-read Wherever You Go There You Are by Jon Kabat Zinn; The light eaters by Zoe Schlanger; I don't want to talk about it, by Terrence Real.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The making of the atomic bomb by Richard Rhodes was probably the best of the bunch.",
          "reason": "Calls it probably the best book they read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42218938,
          "author": "adastra22",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T03:10:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42218938",
          "commentText": "\"The Alchemy of Air\" by Thomas Hager. This covers the discovery of fertilizer, its strategic implications (it was the oil of its day), the creation in Germany of the Haber-Bosch process for producing fertilizer and gunpowder precursors from air, and how it fueled two world wars. An incredible story that is not widely known these days.\n\"The Making of the Atomic Bomb\" by Richard Rhodes. This is an old one, but still a classic. The first half is like a scientific detective story about the discovery and development of quantum theory itself, in Germany and Denmark, and can be read by itself as an engaging history of physics. Then Hitler rises to power, we learn how most of the characters we've met so far escape to England and the USA, and the others except Bohr become part of the German nuclear project. It then becomes an engineering management history of the Manhattan project, and a fascinating look at the challenges they overcame. The final chapter is a sobering play by play description of what happened to the people of Hiroshima, and was hardest but necessary to read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The Making of the Atomic Bomb\" by Richard Rhodes.",
          "reason": "Calls it a classic and praises its accounts of quantum theory, the Manhattan Project, and Hiroshima.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The final chapter's account of Hiroshima was difficult but necessary for the commenter to read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39060825,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T20:39:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39060825",
          "commentText": "Seconded, phenomenal book and suggestion.\nIMO in a similar vein is 'The Making of the Atomic Bomb', Richard Rhodes, another industry- and world-reshaping project.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Making of the Atomic Bomb', Richard Rhodes",
          "reason": "Suggested as being in a similar vein to the parent-mentioned book, describing another industry- and world-reshaping project.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937207,
          "author": "mashygpig",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:41:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937207",
          "commentText": "I’ll echo the Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan.\nRecently, I finished the making of the atomic bomb by Richard Rhodes. It’s quite long, but a fascinating view on physics, weapon development, and then the politics of the bomb. It’s a good exercise to compare with the current state of AI and see what things are similar and what are different.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the making of the atomic bomb by Richard Rhodes. It’s quite long, but a fascinating view on physics, weapon development, and then the politics of the bomb.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes its coverage of physics, weapons development, and politics, and suggests comparing it with AI.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it is quite long.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37157023,
          "author": "jryb",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T03:59:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37157023",
          "commentText": "Just finished my third reading of The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes. It really ruined most other history books for me by setting the bar so high.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just finished my third reading of The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes. It really ruined most other history books for me by setting the bar so high.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its high standard compared with other history books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36606004,
          "author": "matthewmcg",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T19:41:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36606004",
          "commentText": "The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes",
          "reason": "Given as a response to the request for technology history books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33800047,
          "author": "mitchelldeacon9",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T13:01:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33800047",
          "commentText": "Here are some classics in cognitive psychology with direct quotes that illustrate some of the main themes:\nRichard Rhodes (1986) Making of the Atomic Bomb\n\"In scientific work, creative thinking demands seeing things not seen previously, or in ways not previously imagined; and this necessitates jumping off from 'normal' positions, and taking risks by departing from reality. The difference between the thinking of the paranoid patient and the scientist comes from the latter's ability and willingness to test out his fantasies or grandiose conceptualizations through the systems of checks and balances science has established – and to give up those schemes that are shown not to be valid on the basis of these scientific checks. It is specifically because science provides such a framework of rules and regulations to control and set bounds to paranoid thinking that a scientist can feel comfortable about taking the paranoid leaps. Without this structuring, the threat of such unrealistic, illogical, and even bizarre thinking to overall thought and personality organization in general would be too great to permit the scientist the freedom of such fantasying.\" (p. 151)\nDaniel Kahneman (2011) Thinking, Fast and Slow\n\"In the current view of how associative memory works, a great deal happens at once. An idea that has been activated does not merely evoke one other idea. It activates many ideas, which in turn activate others. Furthermore, only a few of the activated ideas will register in consciousness; most of the work of associative thinking is silent, hidden from our conscious selves. The notion that we have limited access to the workings of our minds is difficult to accept because, naturally, it is alien to our experience, but it is true: you know far less about yourself than you feel you do.\" (p. 52)\nThomas Kuhn (1962) Structure of Scientific Revolutions\n\"One suspects that something like a paradigm is prerequisite to perception itself. What a man sees depends both upon what he looks at and also upon what his previous visual-conceptual experience has taught him to see. In the absence of such training there can only be... a 'bloomin’ buzzin’ confusion'\" (p. 113)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Richard Rhodes (1986) Making of the Atomic Bomb",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23153802,
          "author": "mitchelldeacon9",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T13:35:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23153802",
          "commentText": "In addition to the classics of cognitive psychology (Kahneman, Taleb, et al.), I would also recommend books on psychological manipulation, religious cults, and con men. The following books offer a multi-disciplinary perspective on psychological techniques to improve awareness and exploit other people, both of which are essential to enhance your perception and protect yourself against fraud and manipulation.\nCialdini, Robert (2006) Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion\nGuinn, Jeff (2017) Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple\nEkman, Paul (2007) Emotions Revealed: Recognizing Faces and Feelings to Improve Communication and Emotional Life\nKahneman, Daniel (2011) Thinking, Fast and Slow\nMitnick, Kevin and William Simon (2002) Art of Deception\nNavarro and Karlins (2008) What Every Body is Saying: Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Speed-Reading People\nNietzsche, Friedrich (1887) On the Genealogy of Morals\nRhodes, Richard (1986) Making of the Atomic Bomb\nSun Tzu (c. 400 BCE) Art of War\nTaleb, Nassim Nicholas (2005) Fooled by Randomness\nWright, Lawrence (2013) Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rhodes, Richard (1986) Making of the Atomic Bomb",
          "reason": "Listed among books offering a multidisciplinary perspective.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the history of science and technology.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20983115,
          "author": "jfrd",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T11:48:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20983115",
          "commentText": "I read Cuckoo’s Egg and also liked “The Soul of a New Machine”, “SkunkWorks”, and “The Making of the Atomic Bomb”.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“The Making of the Atomic Bomb”",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter says they liked.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910521,
          "author": "adventured",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:53:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910521",
          "commentText": "In no particular order.\nEmpires of Light, by Jonnes. Titan, by Chernow. The Wright Brothers, by McCullough. His Excellency, by Ellis. The Wizard of Menlo Park, by Stross. I Invented the Modern Age, by Snow. Dealers of Lightning, by Hiltzik. Margin of Safety, by Klarman. Masters of Doom, by Kushner. Andrew Carnegie, by Nasaw. Infidel, by Hirsi Ali. Buffett, by Lowenstein. Where Wizards Stay Up Late, by Hafner. Shoe Dog, by Knight. The Making of the Atomic Bomb, by Rhodes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Making of the Atomic Bomb, by Rhodes.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910419,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:44:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910419",
          "commentText": "Offhand...\n1. 'The Making of the Atomic Bomb', R. Rhodes\n2. 'Apollo: Race to the Moon', C. Murray, C. Cox\n3. 'The Prize', D. Yergin\n4. 'Are Your Lights On?', D. Gause, G. Weinberg\n5. 'Becoming A Technical Leader', G. Weinberg",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Making of the Atomic Bomb', R. Rhodes",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17522624,
          "author": "nickvanhoog",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T13:13:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17522624",
          "commentText": "The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein and The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes were both great.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein and The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes were both great.",
          "reason": "Calls both named books great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521125,
          "author": "krtkush",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T07:32:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521125",
          "commentText": "Read a lot of books from Indian Authors or books about India -\n1. Delhi: A novel\n2. The modern architecture of New Delhi\n3. Train to Pakistan\n4. Maximum City: Bombay Lost & Found\n5. City of Djinns: A Year in Delhi\nCurrently reading -\n1. Bauhas\n2. Dark Sun: The Making of the Hydrogen Bomb (Though, I think I should read Making of the Atomic Bomb first)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I think I should read Making of the Atomic Bomb first",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17205925,
          "author": "stevenmays",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T15:04:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205925",
          "commentText": "Currently reading \"The Making Of The Atomic Bomb\" and it's so comprehensive.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Currently reading \"The Making Of The Atomic Bomb\" and it's so comprehensive.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its comprehensiveness while describing their current reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17204914,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T13:08:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17204914",
          "commentText": "Not software books, but 'Apollo: Race to the Moon' by Murray and Cox, and 'The Making of The Atomic Bomb', Rhodes are my two favorite books about engineering projects and the people behind them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Making of The Atomic Bomb', Rhodes",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s two favorite books about engineering projects and the people behind them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not a software book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762748,
          "author": "charlysl",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T04:31:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762748",
          "commentText": "1984 - because it was the first book in English that I read front to cover, with a dictionary by my side, and learned so much recurring essential vocabulary that after that effort I could read anything; by now I have read much more from the much larger pool of writings in English than in my mother language. And, of course, it made me look differently at so many things.\nThings Fall Appart - because it helped me understand how religions like Christianity  and other initially subversive beliefs spread, and the sudden impact of Western culture on other cultures.\nAnthropology (Marvin Harris) - because it impacted the way I look at humanity, society and history, and also helped me understand that marxism is much more than an arguably failed political doctrine.\nThe Bernstein Tapes about Critique of Pure Reason - I am still working through this, but has already impacted my conception of what knowledge is\nHistory of Western Philosophy (Bertrand Russel) - because it made me understand the interwining between ideas and history. A desert island book\nConcepts Techniques Models of Computer Programming - still working through it, because ir is making me realize I had no clue about programming and design. Best programming book I have come across\nThe Prince (Maquiavelli) - because it completely changed the way I look at politics and society\nThe Making of The Atomic Bomb - because it is a great way to see the incremental progress of science, and made me realize how much those at the leading edge extract from a few crumbles of information. Also the starkest description of the impact of industrialized killing in WW1,",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Making of The Atomic Bomb - because it is a great way to see the incremental progress of science",
          "reason": "Calls it a great way to see the incremental progress of science and describes its account of industrialized killing in World War I as stark.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10787171,
          "author": "wycx",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T04:55:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787171",
          "commentText": "All consumed as audiobooks.\nAmerican Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America - Colin Woodard;\nI learned much about early US history.\nWhere Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman - Jon Krakauer\nFind Me - Laura van den Berg\nStation Eleven - Emily St. John Mandel\nThe Dog Stars - Peter Heller\nEndurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage - Alfred Lansing;\nI was fortunate enough to read this right before Seveneves, so the references made immediate sense. Endurance looks to be popular on this list/this year. How many were inspired by Seveneves?\nSeveneves - Neal Stephenson\nThe Years of Rice and Salt - Kim Stanley Robinson\nCrystal Fire: The Birth of the Information Age - Michael Riordan, Lillian Hoddeson;\nI highly recommend this book. Like The Making of the Atomic Bomb, but for the transistor. Lots of background on John Bardeen, William Shockley and Walter Brattain. I was unaware of the great legacy of John Bardeen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bardeen\nThe Making of the Atomic Bomb - Richard Rhodes;\nIf you have not read this book, read it, just for the summary of discoveries that lead to the atomic bomb.\nAlas, Babylon - Pat Frank\nThe Man Who Ate His Boots: The Tragic History of the Search for the Northwest Passage - Anthony Brandt\nThe Worst Journey in the World - Apsley Cherry-Garrard\nThe Last Viking: The Life of Roald Amundsen - Stephen R. Bown\nI am looking for other books similar to Crystal Fire and The Making of the Atomic Bomb, that cover the history of scientific and technological discoveries. Any recommendations?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you have not read this book, read it, just for the summary of discoveries that lead to the atomic bomb.",
          "reason": "Directly urges readers to read it for its account of discoveries behind the atomic bomb.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the history of scientific and technological discoveries.",
          "caveat": "The commenter specifically highlights its summary of discoveries leading to the atomic bomb.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10027885,
          "author": "Luc",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T17:01:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027885",
          "commentText": "Concur. That book is something to chew on. The author doesn't oversimplify the science. I finished reading it 6 months ago and still often think about it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The author doesn't oversimplify the science. I finished reading it 6 months ago and still often think about it.",
          "reason": "Says the author handles the science without oversimplifying and the book remained thought-provoking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10027780,
          "author": "asmithmd1",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T16:35:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027780",
          "commentText": "The Making of Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes, he stars with the science of the atom as it was figured out in the late 19th century and continues through the end of World War II",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Making of Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes",
          "reason": "Offers it as a book spanning the science of the atom through World War II.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9706866,
          "author": "jgrzymski",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-12T16:23:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9706866",
          "commentText": "Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace\nThe Making of the Atomic Bomb - Richard Rhodes\nFoucault's Pendulum - Umberto Eco",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Making of the Atomic Bomb - Richard Rhodes",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to the question asking for a mind-blowing book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348434,
          "author": "kabdib",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:55:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348434",
          "commentText": "\"Godel, Escher, Bach\" by Douglas Hopfstadter. I was in high school when it came out, and it really opened my eyes up to the field of computability. The philosophy was interesting, too.\n\"Holy the Firm\" by Annie Dillard. Not really about religion, more about our relationship to the world. A beautifully written little book.\n\"The Making of the Atomic Bomb\" by Richard Rhodes. This one works on me at several levels: The physics (which are explained well), the sheer titanic scope of the Manhattan project, and the meta-knowledge that someone was able to write a book this good.\n\"The C Programming Language\", by Kernighan and Ritchie. Probably the single most influential book on programming that I've read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Making of the Atomic Bomb\" by Richard Rhodes. This one works on me at several levels: The physics (which are explained well), the sheer titanic scope of the Manhattan project, and the meta-knowledge that someone was able to write a book this good.",
          "reason": "Praises its explanations of physics, scope, and overall quality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8716681,
          "author": "Bdiem",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T14:56:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8716681",
          "commentText": "\"Lord of the Rings\" by Tolkien. Tried to read it for years, but always got distracted by other books (e.g. \"The Making of the Atomic Bomb\" by Richard Rhodes - found in a HN). Lo! This year, after I purchased a e-book version I finally concluded the quest and cast the ... I mean I read it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"The Making of the Atomic Bomb\" by Richard Rhodes - found in a HN",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a book that distracted the commenter from reading The Lord of the Rings.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107664,
          "author": "declancostello",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T12:26:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107664",
          "commentText": "The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes",
          "reason": "Listed as a response to a request for book suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797286,
          "author": "mronge",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T03:27:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797286",
          "commentText": "Making of the Atomic Bomb",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Making of the Atomic Bomb",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135273,
          "author": "moog",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T17:13:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135273",
          "commentText": "The Feynman Lectures on Physics\nThe Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes\nOryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood\nHeart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad\nA Latin/English dictionary for new company names",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books for a hacker's bookshelf.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Rhodes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 22,
      "threads": 19,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "manhattan project",
        "nuclear history",
        "nuclear weapons",
        "nuclear physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "design-patterns-elements-of-reusable-object-oriented-software-703efc",
      "title": "Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software",
      "author": "Erich Gamma, Richard Helm, Ralph Johnson, and John Vlissides",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42785287,
          "author": "caviv",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-21T21:15:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 42686034,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read regarding software development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42785287",
          "commentText": "Design Patterns by Erich Gamma (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design_Patterns)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Design Patterns by Erich Gamma",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42690354,
          "author": "Fyid",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-13T22:28:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 42686034,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read regarding software development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42690354",
          "commentText": "Game programmer here. The book Game Programming Patterns by Robert Nystrom is a great book that expands upon some of those in Design Patterns, and even teaches about additional ones that are very core to game development. It's a great read; I own physical copies of both books I find them so valuable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "physical copies of both books",
          "reason": "Named as one of two valuable books the commenter owns physical copies of.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41415691,
          "author": "remixff2400",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-01T10:22:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41415691",
          "commentText": "I think that some of the advice hasn't aged well into modern language features and computer power, similar to the GoF Design Patterns book. Rather than an entry level book, this would be better for a budding intermediate who can parse what is good and bad about it.\nBut, even then, other resources are better IMO. (Metz, Ousterhout, Kay, PragProg, language-specific design patterns books, etc.)\nThe experience of doing things wrong is valuable, but I think you also don't want to get quagmired there. It just depends on how voraciously/quickly you read and seek out better patterns.\n(Also, elephant in the room, Uncle Bob has been very vocal and opinionated on the internet about various things and it hasn't endeared many to him because of it)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "similar to the GoF Design Patterns book",
          "reason": "Says some advice has aged poorly, comparing it to this book.",
          "audience": "Budding intermediate readers who can assess what is useful and what is not.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says other resources are better and that some advice has not aged well.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41387801,
          "author": "optymizer",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T06:00:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387801",
          "commentText": "I would split the books into two categories: those that improve the way you structure your code and deliver a software solution, and those that improve your technical understanding of the software platform and the computer you're using.\nThe first are books like Pragmatic Programmer, Mythical Man Month, Code Complete, Design Patterns, talks by Alan Kay on software systems and OOP, even Game Engine Architecture etc. A lot of the content there is distilled experience which is much faster to learn from a book than gain the hard way on the job.\nThe other books are practical deep dives. Here I would recommend a variety of books like Inside the Machine by Stokes, Computer Architecture by Hennessy, 21st Century C by Klemens, Crafting Interpreters by Nystrom, Compilers by Aho, Effective Java, Nature of Code by Shiffman, Ray Tracing Challenge by Buck, Hands on Hacking by Hickey, and others, depending on your interest and area of focus.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Design Patterns",
          "reason": "Lists it among books on structuring code and delivering software.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35726409,
          "author": "warrenm",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-27T11:24:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 35710671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell still a recommended read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35726409",
          "commentText": "In my opinion, it's as much a \"recommended read\" as a lot of other so-called \"classics\":\n- Rapid Application Development (also by McConnell)\n- Soul of a New Machine by Kidder\n- Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks\n- Programming Pearls by John Bentley\n- Applied Cryptography (2e) by Bruce Schneier\n- The Cuckoo's Egg by Cliff Stohl\n- Structured Computer Organization by Tanenbaum & Todd\n- Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software by Gamma, Helm, etc\n- A New Kind of Science by Wolfram\nAnd many more could be added to this list\nSure, some of them use acronyms or reference technology that you've either never heard of or has been supplanted\nBut you could [nearly] do a find-and-replace on those \"outdated\" terms with a \"current\" term, and the books would [effectively] be up-to-date\nDon't get hung-up on specific examples - they're just there to illustrate the problem domain",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software by Gamma, Helm, etc",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed among classics that may use outdated acronyms or technology references.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35711009,
          "author": "radicalbyte",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-26T08:48:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 35710671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell still a recommended read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35711009",
          "commentText": "It's in the same group as Pragmatic Programmer, Refactoring, Patterns of Application Architecture and the Gang-of-Four book for me. Still recommended for junior programmers as they're all teaching the core of good design.\nHowever seeing as the better frameworks/languages/IDEs have internalised a lot of the learnings and that the specific conventions may be outdated - so just follow the recommendations for your platform/framework.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the Gang-of-Four book",
          "reason": "Lists it among books teaching core software design.",
          "audience": "Junior programmers",
          "caveat": "Specific conventions may be outdated; follow the recommendations for your platform or framework.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804730,
          "author": "crimsonalucard",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:15:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804730",
          "commentText": "Times have changed where few non-greenfield projects use these patterns as well. Languages like Go and javascript will rarely have these patterns. I would avoid depending on the programming language.\nIf you are working with Java or C++ these are the two languages where these patterns will appear, even in greenfield projects due to developer loyalty. If you are working with languages other than this, then you are more likely not to encounter these patterns that often.\nThus avoid the book unless you want to become an expert in Java. Also these patterns can be learned without the GoF book just off of quick scans of articles on the internet.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "avoid the book unless you want to become an expert in Java. Also these patterns can be learned without the GoF book",
          "reason": "The commenter advises avoiding it unless seeking Java expertise, saying its patterns can be learned from online articles.",
          "audience": "People working with Java or C++ who encounter these patterns.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the patterns appear less often in Go or JavaScript and can be learned elsewhere.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21315105,
          "author": "tabtab",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T17:47:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21315105",
          "commentText": "I have to say the \"GOF\" book was giant fraud, or at least a big mistake. It has no clear rules on when to use what pattern over another. This resulted in ambitious but naive programmers throwing design patterns at everything in ways that appeared haphazard to those not owning the coder's mind, creating \"spaghetti objects\". I went round and round in online forums trying to clarify the \"rules\" for pattern selection. It never resulted in anything definitive or fruitful. It's horrifically vague. The \"art\" had a cult-like quality to it.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "the \"GOF\" book was giant fraud, or at least a big mistake. It has no clear rules on when to use what pattern over another.",
          "reason": "Criticizes the book for lacking clear guidance on choosing patterns and for encouraging haphazard use.",
          "audience": "Programmers considering or applying design patterns.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the book is horrifically vague and describes its surrounding culture as cult-like.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21313721,
          "author": "mfer",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T15:56:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21313721",
          "commentText": "\"Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software\" by the Gang of Four. It has sold over 500k copies and has been translated to numerous languages.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Design_Patterns",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software\" by the Gang of Four.",
          "reason": "Offered as an answer to the thread's request for fundamental computer science books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19896264,
          "author": "apo",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T03:33:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19896264",
          "commentText": "Design Patterns by Gamma et al. would be an example from software architecture. It catalogs a couple of dozen patterns that recur in projects regardless of their specific domains.\nOpen Source Software Licensing by Rosen is another. It identifies two broad categories of open source licenses and shows how various licenses fit into each.\nThese two books gave me a framework for thinking about large areas that had until I read them been quite confusing. They turn a chaotic jumble of special cases into a simple framework for forming hypotheses and making predictions.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Design Patterns by Gamma et al. would be an example from software architecture.",
          "reason": "Catalogs recurring software architecture patterns and provides a framework for forming hypotheses and predictions.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking mental models for software architecture.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19088003,
          "author": "afandian",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T18:19:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19088003",
          "commentText": "On the surface, it's about how to have conversations about difficult topics. Often these are conflict resolution type conversations. These range all the way from \"you never take the bins out\" to marriage breakups to large international political conflicts. These conversations can often go off the rails and conflicts are made worse, not solved. Whatever the scale, these kinds of conversations tend to follow familiar routes.\nIf you dispair at the way that conversations tend to devolve into personal attacks in national politics, office politics or your day-to-day interactions, this book is a very insightful handbook.\nThe book is the result of a big study at Harvard Business School of a large number of case studies. It spots the patterns that humans tend toward. In each case it identifies the pattern, why it happens, what the result can be (usually negative) and how to spot it coming and mitigate it. It also has snippets of conversation as case studies.\nIt's been a while, so I can't remember each item. But one example is that people tend to connect their identity to the point they are trying to argue. You challenge the point but to your conversation partner it feels like a direct personal attack. If you can find a way to acknowledge that connection, gently separate it from the identity, you have a much better chance of resolving the conflict.\nI find a particularly strong parallel in the Gang of Four Design Patterns book. These are the broad problems that people try to solve with software, the structures that tend to emerge as people solve problems.\nAnd, like design patterns, some things are deeply insightful and some things are obvious. E.g. of course 'iterators' are a thing. But development is so much better for having vocabulary to talk about them.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I find a particularly strong parallel in the Gang of Four Design Patterns book.",
          "reason": "Uses it as a positive comparison for how naming patterns helps people discuss recurring problems.",
          "audience": "Software developers.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says some patterns are deeply insightful and others obvious.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17524074,
          "author": "kevas",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T16:01:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17524074",
          "commentText": "For me...\n1. Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets by John Murphy\n2. Options as a Strategic Investment by Lawrence G. McMillan\n3. [just finished] The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right By Atul Gawande\n4. [finished last week] Dealers of Lightning by Michael A. Hiltzik\n5. [currently working on] Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software By GOF\n6. [currently working on] Dan Appleman's Visual Basic Programmer's Guide to the Win32 API by Dan Appleman\n7. [next on the list] Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed by Ben Rich, Leo Janos",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software By GOF",
          "reason": "Listed as currently in progress.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter provides no evaluation of the book.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16758274,
          "author": "KeepTalking",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T19:45:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16758274",
          "commentText": "Deep C Secrets \n50 Effective C++ tips  \nDesign patterns Elements of ReUsable OO software \nSeveral short sentences about writing \nThe official Ted guide to speaking",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Design patterns Elements of ReUsable OO software",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16353730,
          "author": "kabdib",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T17:50:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16353730",
          "commentText": "DPs were over-used by architecture astronauts. For a while I was encountering Factories nested several levels deep, and everybody was making Singleton objects for things that didn't need to be singletons. Ask ten people what a Visitor was and you'd get ten different answers, and there were a bunch of things named Visitor floating around that you needed to read the code of before using, because they were all traps.\nI heard of shops that were forbidding code that couldn't be shoehorned into one of the patterns already enshrined within the Gang-of-Four book (even though the book says repeatedly that it is not an exhaustive collection of patterns).\nSo DPs are bad because, on average, they tend to be an indicator of bad engineering practices, such as cargo-culting and political games. They can be used for good, but if you are considering a position in a pattern-heavy shop it's probably worthwhile doing research into what their engineering org is like.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "the Gang-of-Four book",
          "reason": "Describes the book as an overly prescriptive pattern collection used in some shops to forbid code outside its patterns.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The book itself says it is not an exhaustive collection of patterns.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16351633,
          "author": "conjecTech",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T07:26:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16351633",
          "commentText": "There is a class at Georgia Tech I colloquially referred to as \"making sure your coworkers don't hate you.\" It covered design patterns, software testing, and project management. I'd tack on a basic knowledge of databases to that. These are things you can gain a true functional knowledge of in a couple of weeks, and which not knowing might make senior engineers hate working with you.\nSo to mimic the class:\nThe Mythical Man Month\nDesign Patterns - Even if some of the particulars are not as relevant, it still provides a useful framework for thought.\nLessons Learned in Software Testing: A Context-Driven Approach\nI'd also add Harry Potter & The Methods of Rationality. A lot of engineers can think empirically, but its not their first reaction. Going through this book helped make it second nature for me. Can't remember if a certain data structure is immutable? Now I'll write a couple of lines of code to see rather than go looking for documentation. A lot of big problems start as false assumptions. Having the instinct to think to test them and knowing how to will prevent a lot of wasted effort, regardless of your role.\nHow to Solve It by Polya also gets an honorable mention for similar reasons.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it still provides a useful framework for thought.",
          "reason": "Despite some outdated particulars, the commenter says it provides a useful framework for thought.",
          "audience": "Software developers",
          "caveat": "Some particulars are no longer as relevant.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14846482,
          "author": "BJanecke",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T09:59:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14846482",
          "commentText": "* Douglas Hofstadter - Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid\n* Fred Brooks -  Design Of Design\n* Fred Brooks - The Mythical Man month\n* Eric J. Evans - Domain Driven Design\n* Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software\n* Kent Beck - Extreme Programming Explained\n* Kent Beck - Planning Extreme Programming\n*  Michael C. Feathers - Working Effectively with Legacy Code\n* Daniel Kahneman - Thinking, Fast and Slow\n[EDIT] Correct the author for legacy code",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software",
          "reason": "Included in a list answering which books affected how the commenter structures code.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14846298,
          "author": "robinphilip1989",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T09:08:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14846298",
          "commentText": "Head First Design Patterns by Eric Freeman\nDesign patterns by GoF \nCode Complete by Steve McConnel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Design patterns by GoF",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the thread's question about books that shaped code structure.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in software design patterns.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14843787,
          "author": "usmannk",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-24T23:47:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14843787",
          "commentText": "They meant the book Design Patterns https://www.amazon.com/Design-Patterns-Elements-Reusable-Obj... (https://www.amazon.com/Design-Patterns-Elements-Reusable-Object-Oriented/dp/0201633612)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "They meant the book Design Patterns",
          "reason": "Clarifies that the other commenter meant the book Design Patterns.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14843667,
          "author": "vram22",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-24T23:26:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14843667",
          "commentText": "I'm not the person you asked, and not a patterns expert, but will try to answer, using the Template Method Pattern (a GoF book pattern) [1] as an example:\n- In Java [2] or C++, to implement that pattern, you may have to define an abstract class, or a class with some abstract and some concrete methods, and subclass it, and in the subclass, redefine some of the abstract methods (of the superclass) concretely. (Maybe interfaces can be used here instead of abstract classes/methods - in Java. Haven't used Java for a while, so not sure right now.)\n- In Python, you can just do:\ndef transform(input, output):\n    # Code here to read data from input, transform it, and \n    # write the transformed data to output.\n\nNow let's say the code in the transform function does input.read() and output.write() (with maybe some way to indicate when the end of input is reached, like the null string is used in Python). In other words, methods like those of Python file objects are used for reading and writing. Given all this, you can now pass objects of any types as arguments for the input and output parameters, as long as they implement a read and a write method respectively, and the code will just work.\nThis has been described as \"smooth seamless polymorphism\" in Python. It's also known as duck typing.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duck_typing\n[1] The Template Method Pattern is one of the ways in which frameworks (as opposed to libraries) are implemented. The abstract methods of the framework are implemented concretely by your code that the framework then calls, using the Hollywood principle - Don't call me, I'll call you, a.k.a. Inversion of Control (IoC).\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template_method_pattern\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inversion_of_control\n[2] Note that what I wrote is based on knowledge of older versions of Java - newer versions may have features that make the pattern simpler to implement, maybe without abstract classes/methods.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "using the Template Method Pattern (a GoF book pattern) [1] as an example:",
          "reason": "Identifies Template Method as a pattern from the Gang of Four book, without evaluating the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14843545,
          "author": "btilly",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-24T23:03:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14843545",
          "commentText": "I'm nearing 50 so I'm hardly a youth.\nhttp://www.perlmonks.org/?node_id=133399 does a very good job of explaining why Design Patterns is a book to be careful with.  By contrast Code Complete won't steer people wrong.\nSee https://steve-yegge.blogspot.com/2006/03/execution-in-kingdo... (https://steve-yegge.blogspot.com/2006/03/execution-in-kingdom-of-nouns.html) for a cautionary tale about how a pursuit of OO purity can result in great verbosity, hiding intent behind a barrage of patterns.  Resulting in code that I, for one, would rather not work with.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "why Design Patterns is a book to be careful with.",
          "reason": "Cautions readers about the book, contrasting it with Code Complete.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment says it should be approached carefully but does not specify the book's shortcomings.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14843536,
          "author": "fusiongyro",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-24T23:01:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14843536",
          "commentText": "A Mentoring Course in Smalltalk[0]. I was really surprised, after reading and really loving Design Patterns, that there was still so much to say about OO design.\nI did love Design Patterns a lot though. Purely Functional Data Structures by Chris Okasaki was also really useful for Haskell, as was Real World Haskell.\nProgramming Prolog probably had a bigger influence on my Prolog than the other books, even though I read Art of Prolog and Prolog Programming in Depth first. Especially the latest edition, it's a really beautiful book.\n[0]: http://www.lulu.com/us/en/shop/andres-valloud/a-mentoring-co... (http://www.lulu.com/us/en/shop/andres-valloud/a-mentoring-course-on-smalltalk/paperback/product-3788890.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "after reading and really loving Design Patterns",
          "reason": "Explicitly says they really loved the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14843241,
          "author": "dragonwriter",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-24T22:15:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14843241",
          "commentText": "> Design patterns exist because common solutions to problems exist, not because OO has serious problems\nImplementation-recipe design patterns only need to exist (or, rather, only need to be part of the active, day-to-day awareness of more than a small number of programmers per language) when the target language does not support implementing the common solutions as reusable code modules because doing so would require a kind of abstraction the language does not support.\nThis has nothing to do with the OOP paradigm particularly; there's no reason OOP languages can't support powerful abstractions that reduce the need for that type of design patterns; the GoF book just emerged when the most popular industrial languages were both OOP and lacking in those facilities.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the GoF book just emerged",
          "reason": "Discusses the book's context in a point about how language abstractions affect the need for design patterns.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14843146,
          "author": "sideshowb",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-24T22:03:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14843146",
          "commentText": "Are Design Patterns really so out of fashion with the youth of today that nobody here mentions Design Patterns as their answer?\nBecause it is mine, for better or worse. It took me from understanding OO to understanding how to build large systems with OO, writing maintainable code and using proper encapsulation. A much deeper work than Code Complete (though the latter is worth reading too).\nI have used functional languages as well (ML, Lisp; not Haskell yet though I think I get what monads are; plus I write a lot of Python, C++, JS in functional style) but I have yet to use them for any project as big. I hope I get the chance to one day. But for now Design Patterns gets my vote.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Design Patterns gets my vote.",
          "reason": "The commenter credits it with teaching them to build large OO systems and maintainable code, and names it as their vote.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says “for better or worse.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14843022,
          "author": "gnaritas",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-24T21:47:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14843022",
          "commentText": "Smalltalk Best Practice Patterns by Kent Beck.\nRefactoring by Martin Fowler. Design Patterns by the Gang of Four. Domain Driven Design by Eric Evans.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Design Patterns by the Gang of Four.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that shaped code structure.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14138949,
          "author": "garethsprice",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T14:13:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14138949",
          "commentText": "The Art of Computer Programming by Donald Knuth is probably the closest to an actual bible for computer scientists - hardly anybody's read it all the way through, people quote bits of it out of context for their own ends and it mostly sits on shelves looking impressive while gathering dust.\nThe Mythical Man-Month by Fred Brooks for tech management.\nConfessions of an Advertising Man by David Ogilvy for advertising/marketing industry.\nDesign Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software by the \"Gang of Four\" for OOP software engineering.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software by the \"Gang of Four\" for OOP software engineering.",
          "reason": "Named as a candidate bible for object-oriented software engineering.",
          "audience": "Software engineers using object-oriented design",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144305,
          "author": "g051051",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:55:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144305",
          "commentText": "1. Peopleware\n2. The C Programming Language\n3. Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software\nHonorable mention: Compiler Design in C",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books that impacted a career.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229918,
          "author": "Ping_2_Ur_Pong",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T16:31:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229918",
          "commentText": "Below list are some of my favorite books overall that I didn't see mentioned.\n---Non-software related\nHow to win friends and influence people -Dale Carnegie (The definitive guide to helping you work better with people, truly great book, should be required reading)\nBlink- Malcolm Gladwell\nGodel Escher, Bach -  (Recursion, but not from a software perspective.  Its a glorious book that will change the way you think about recursion.)\nHitch Hiker's guide to the galaxy, - Douglas Adams  (Glorious book that is a fun read, when you need a break pick this up and laugh hard)\nFoundation Series - Assimov (Great stories from one of the best sci-fi writers ever)\n-------------------Software related\nCode Complete\nConcrete Mathematics\nThe Art of Computer Programming\nThe Design of the Unix Operating System\nIntroduction to Algorithms -Cormen\nDesign Patterns Elements of Resusable OO Design -Gang of Four",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Design Patterns Elements of Resusable OO Design -Gang of Four",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorite books in a response to a recommendation request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9758856,
          "author": "talles",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T15:11:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758856",
          "commentText": "Maybe it's a matter of taste, but I found the GoF book really boring (and a little self hyped TBH).",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I found the GoF book really boring (and a little self hyped TBH).",
          "reason": "Says the book was boring and self-hyped.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says this may be a matter of taste.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9758294,
          "author": "jrochkind1",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T13:54:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758294",
          "commentText": "Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software http://www.amazon.com/Design-Patterns-Elements-Reusable-Obje... (http://www.amazon.com/Design-Patterns-Elements-Reusable-Object-Oriented/dp/0201633612/)\nPractical Object-Oriented Design in Ruby by Sandi Metz. http://www.poodr.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9757995,
          "author": "revskill",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T13:07:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9757995",
          "commentText": "The Design Patterns book",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Design Patterns book",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9631404,
          "author": "wonjun",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-30T19:15:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9631404",
          "commentText": "I'm giving away \"Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software\" book for anyone who wants to pay shipping, http://www.shareprogrammingbooks.com/books/0201633612",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software\"",
          "reason": "Offers a copy to anyone willing to pay shipping.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Recipient pays shipping.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7761684,
          "author": "enterx",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-18T00:40:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7761684",
          "commentText": "Suggestion : Invert the order. :)\nRead Refactoring first than read Design Patterns(GoF).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read Refactoring first than read Design Patterns(GoF).",
          "reason": "Recommends it after Refactoring.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 81039,
          "author": "herdrick",
          "createdAt": "2007-11-17T23:10:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 80845,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC:  What is the most embarrassing technical book that you have ever owned?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=81039",
          "commentText": "I'm going to say GoF.  Flame me.\nAlso \"Learn Java\" (1996) and \"Enterprise Java Beans\" (2000).",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "I'm going to say GoF.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Erich Gamma",
        "Richard Helm",
        "Ralph Johnson",
        "John Vlissides"
      ],
      "recommenders": 22,
      "threads": 13,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "object oriented programming",
        "design patterns",
        "object oriented design",
        "software design patterns"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "project-hail-mary-4de752",
      "title": "Project Hail Mary",
      "author": "Andy Weir",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48595627,
          "author": "db48x",
          "createdAt": "2026-06-19T06:58:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 48595560,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please recommend sci-fi books similar to \"children of time\" or \"anathem\"",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48595627",
          "commentText": "A Deepness in the Sky, by Vernor Vinge\nDune, by Frank Herbert\nDiaspora, by Greg Egan\nThe Clockwork Rocket, by Greg Egan\nThe Book of the New Sun, by Gene Wolfe\nProject Hail Mary, by Andy Weir",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for similar science fiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 47431393,
          "author": "dmcc7897",
          "createdAt": "2026-03-18T21:00:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 47315415,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47431393",
          "commentText": "It’s a hot topic right now because of the movie, but Project Hail Mary is one of my all time favourites.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Project Hail Mary is one of my all time favourites.",
          "reason": "The commenter names it as one of their all-time favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes the current attention around the movie.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46396899,
          "author": "billwashere",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T22:14:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46396899",
          "commentText": "Completed books:\nProject Hail Marry by Andy Weir\nDungeon Crawler Carl (Books 1-7) by Matt Dinniman\nI'm currently reading:\nCareless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn-Williams",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Project Hail Marry by Andy Weir",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 44573946,
          "author": "saluki",
          "createdAt": "2025-07-15T17:52:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 44568054,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44573946",
          "commentText": "Project Hail Mary, I laughed out loud and mocked the premise of the book but it was a great read, one of my best reads ever. Very well done.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Project Hail Mary, I laughed out loud and mocked the premise of the book but it was a great read, one of my best reads ever.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great read and one of their best ever.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Initially mocked the premise.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42570504,
          "author": "firesteelrain",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-02T00:29:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42570504",
          "commentText": "I put the Children of Time into my Libby list. Thanks!\nProject Hail Mary is very good. All of Weir’s stuff is good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Project Hail Mary is very good. All of Weir’s stuff is good.",
          "reason": "Calls the book very good and recommends Weir’s other works as well.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42508365,
          "author": "Alex-Programs",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T11:54:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42508365",
          "commentText": "It's between Adrian Tchaikovsky's Children of Time and Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary",
          "reason": "Names it as one of two standout reads in response to the question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says the choice is between this and Children of Time.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42269201,
          "author": "sandy_coyote",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:59:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42269201",
          "commentText": "I caught up with some science fiction this year.\nThe Murderbot diaries books by Martha Wells - 6/10. Mixed on these. They're fun to read. The setting is cool and the worldbuilding is shallow but effective (i.e., don't read it if you want game of thrones in space). Each novella takes an afternoon to read. I think \"snarky violent droid\" is overcooked these days and lost interest after book 5.\nLight by M. John Harrison - 7/10 excellent prose; great multiple-storyline plot; the journey was better than the destination, but it kept me thinking\nFar from the Light of Heaven by Tade Thompson - 7/10 Fun. If \"near future Nigerian/British post-colonial frontier action with guns, robots, and psychic aliens\" sounds cool to you, check it out. I liked his Rosewater Trilogy just as much.\nBlindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts - tough to rate these. brilliant ideas, VERY challenging plots. I wish I didn't get so confused by the end of each book.\nProject Hail Mary by Andy Weir - 6/10 - this and the Martian read like blog posts pasted together. The grand dilemma is spelled out on page one and never gets any deeper. Pro: the plot is in your face on every page and you will never be confused when reading; Con - there is zero internal character development. Read if you like stories driven by applied science, not comparative moral decision-making.\nThe City and the City by China Miéville - 9/10 - you will invariably see something like \"Kafka meets [some affected crime novelist] to describe this book, and that ain't wrong. Kind of SF, kind of fantasy.\nRailsea by China Miéville - 8/10 - great good vs evil YA SF about, well, imagine if trains were like boats. Good character writing, tight plot.\nThe Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi - 8/10 - loved this. More \"realist\" near-future fabulism than Gibson, but if you love cyberpunk, read this.\nThe Shipbreaker Triology by Paolo Bacigalupi - 6/10 - near-future YA science fiction with a lot of blood and guns. Pretty good stories.\nRoadside Picnic by the Strugatsky brothers - 9/10 - reread. I had to go back. This gets a near perfect score because of its style, setting, and plot.\nThe Sprawl Trilogy (Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive) by William Gibson - 9/10 - I had read Neuromancer 3 times but never the next two. I was pleasantly surprised to find the second and third novel easier to read* but just as enjoyable as Neuromancer.\nThe Bridge trilogy by William Gibson - 8/10 so far. I am in the second book. Can't believe I slept on these for the last couple decades.\nnon-SF:\nOur Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981-1991 by Michael Azerrad - 9/10 - if you like punk/hardcore from the 80s, this is a great read.\n* Every time I read Neuromancer, Gibson's literary footguns --holograms, false memories, hallucinations, and drug-addled unreality--make me feel crazy for not being able to follow the plot at times. I'm okay with believing that was the intended effect.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir - 6/10 - this and the Martian read like blog posts pasted together.",
          "reason": "Criticizes its blog post-like style and lack of character development; recommends it for science driven plots.",
          "audience": "Readers who like stories driven by applied science.",
          "caveat": "The dilemma is stated early and character development is absent.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42268930,
          "author": "k__",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:19:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268930",
          "commentText": "My reads this year with my personal ratings:\nGreg Egan, Diaspora (7/10)\nDan Simmons, Hyperion 1-4 (9/10)\nJames S.A. Corey, Leviathan Wakes (6/10)\nScott Alexander, Unsong (7/10)\nQtmn, Ra (7/10)\nQtmn, Fine Structure (6/10)\nAndy Weir, Project Hail Mary (6/10)\nWildbow, Worm (8/10)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Andy Weir, Project Hail Mary (6/10)",
          "reason": "Rates it 6 out of 10.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38238144,
          "author": "vidyesh",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T07:28:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238144",
          "commentText": "Actively reading:\n- The Fountainhead\n- Project Hail Mary\n- Learning TypeScript\nPassively reading:\n- The Design of Everyday Things\n- Dive into Design Patterns\nConsidering to read - This is mostly for anyone who has read them and would like to give their opinion about it.\n- Algorithms to Live By\n- Name of the Wind\n- Malazan Book of the Fallen\n- Good Girl's guide to murder\n- The Paradox of Choice\n- Moonwalking with Einstein\n- The Boron Letters\n- Storyworthy\n-",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "- Project Hail Mary",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021858,
          "author": "agonmon",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:20:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021858",
          "commentText": "I loved all of Seveneves, and hate Three Body Problem.\nThe biggest difference in theme being, optimism that humanity can overcome any obstacle and flourish. \nIf you want more in that vein, see:\nAurora - Kim Stanley Robinson\nProject Hail Mary - Andy Weir\nDelta-V - Daniel Suarez",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir",
          "reason": "Suggested as an optimistic story about humanity overcoming obstacles and flourishing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021801,
          "author": "hesdeadjim",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:14:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021801",
          "commentText": "* Greg Egan’s short story collections, Diaspora, and Permutation City. Fair warning, Egan puts the “hard” in “hard sci-fi”.\n* Haven’t finished the Expanse final trilogy, but I really enjoyed the first two.\n* The Wool series\n* Project Hail Mary, for story reasons I’d recommend the audio book.\n* We Are Bob trilogy, fourth book is garbage.\n* Old Man’s War\n* The Culture Series by Ian Banks\n* If you enjoyed Seveneves, and thus can tolerate Stephenson’s consistent habit to drop the ball in the last 20% of his books, Diamond Age is enjoyable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Project Hail Mary, for story reasons I’d recommend the audio book.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the audiobook for story reasons.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The recommendation specifically favors the audiobook.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021500,
          "author": "eterps",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:49:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021500",
          "commentText": "- Project Hail Mary\n- Children of Time\n- Accelerando\n- The Forever War\n- Axiomatic",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Project Hail Mary",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for science fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34162567,
          "author": "gbro3n",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T16:26:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34162567",
          "commentText": "Am 90 pct through Project Hail Mary and agree this book is brilliant. If you're technically / sci-fi inclined you'll love this. The author ties together a great story with scientific knowledge which must have taken significant research. Children of Time is my next audio book coincidentally.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "agree this book is brilliant. If you're technically / sci-fi inclined you'll love this.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book and recommends it to technically or science-fiction inclined readers.",
          "audience": "Technically minded and science-fiction inclined readers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34162369,
          "author": "ad-astra",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T16:08:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34162369",
          "commentText": "If you’re into Science Fiction:\n(Note: I listed to these all via the Audible audiobooks, they were all very well narrated and I’d highly recommend listening this way.)\n#1: The Children of Time series by Adrian Tchaikovsky.\nThis is amazingly fascinating from beginning to end, if you like speculative evolution zenofiction space operas, you’re in for a real treat. I feel like these books were written for me. I went the audiobook route and chugged through each (roughly 600 page) book, neglecting focus to almost anything else in my life. I would be playing Tetris on my phone (via the Tappy app) while listening at 1.1x speed, which is the perfect amount of mental stimulation to have massive amounts of time go by without noticing.\n#2: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.\nI don’t want to spoil too much, but this is a must-read for engineer-brain nerds like me that yearn to understand complex systems recreationally. Enough said. Mandatory. I read Artemis by Andy Weir afterwards and enjoyed it too, but Hail Mary is my fave.\n#3: The Final Architecture series by Adrian Tchaikovsky.\nAfter obsessively finishing the Children of Time series there was a huge hole in my heart, so I started this series. I didn’t really latch on until 15% through the first book, but once I did I was once again obsessively hooked.\n#4 (Bonus) I’m now reading Dragon’s Egg by Robert L. Forward and am very excited to report back when I eventually finish. It involves alien life that evolved in the atomic strata of neutron stars (nerd drool).\nI’ve now mostly taken a break from reading as it became all-consuming. But it was very worth it overall, best reading year in my life so far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this is a must-read for engineer-brain nerds like me that yearn to understand complex systems recreationally.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a must-read and says it is their favorite Andy Weir book.",
          "audience": "Technically minded science-fiction readers interested in complex systems.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34161923,
          "author": "linsomniac",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T15:29:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161923",
          "commentText": "I read Kurt Vonnegut's _Player_Piano_ and really enjoyed it.  It's a story about a heavily computerized society, but the computers are vacuum tube based.  \"We ran the calculation, replaced all the tubes and ran it again, so we're confident in the result\" sort of thing.\nI also really enjoyed Andy Weir's _Project_Hail_Mary_, and _The_Martian_.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also really enjoyed Andy Weir's _Project_Hail_Mary_",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34160619,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:11:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160619",
          "commentText": "This year I've put myself to the challenge to read at least one book per week which I primarily could complete by reading in the middle of the night while holding our sleeping baby in my arms. It has been an interesting challenge which gave me a lot of fulfilment and has certainly changed my mind on how I view the world. This comment became quite a long read, apologies for that.\nBooks I highly recommend:\nChurchill by Andrew Roberts (p:1105)\nA biography about one of the most interesting figures in politics and WWII. Roberts gives a very detailed description of the life of Churchill and manages to keep you interested the entire length of the book.\nThe God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (p:374)\nIn The God Delusion Dawkins gives arguments why there is no God, why we do not need a God and why religion is damaging to our society. If you are religious it might not be the book for you unless you are open to hear his arguments and line of reasoning. Dawkins will challenge your worldview.\nThe Bomb by Fred Kaplan (p:384)\nKaplan describes the policy of different US presidents on the atomic bomb and war in general. And primarily on the inability of US presidents and policy-makers to tune down its military. A chilling read which makes you appreciate a nuclear holocaust did not happen (yet)....\nPoor Economics by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo (p:320)\nBanerjee and Duflo give a gripping portrait of how poor people live. They offer an insight in the choices and decisions people make surviving on less than 1 USD a day (corrected for purchasing power). It made me completely rethink my own view on poverty and development aid; stressing even more that in order to help one need to have a complete understanding of the individual's situation and the local boundary conditions.\nProject Hail Mary  by Andy Weir (p:476)\nThis book triggered my science fiction reading. For some reason I never was interested in science fiction. Most likely triggered by reading Foundation by Asimov a few years back which apparently is not a book to my taste. But Andy Weir completely annihilated that wrong perspective on science fiction. Project Hail Mary is interesting, funny and gripping book.\nKindred by Octavia Butler  (p:287)\nThis book.... From page one I was hooked and almost read it in one go. Butler is a wonderful author and Kindred is a must-read. The book is about a woman traveling back in time to end up on a slave plantation. It's a chilling account of slavery.\nOther books I read this year, ask me anything about one of these books. I've added a + if I think its worth a recommendation\nBiography:\nNavalny by Dollbaum, Lallouet and Noble (p:280); The Man from the Future by Ananyo Bhattacharya (p:354) +\nSociology; Politics; Economics; Business:\nOnly the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove (p:224); The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli  (p:140); Winter is Coming by Garry Kasparov (p:290); Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum (p:224) +; Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl (p:164) +; We Are Bellingcat by Eliot Higgins (p:272); De Zeven Vinkjes by Joris Luyendijk (p:200); Waarom vuilnismannen meer verdienen dan bankiers by Rutger Bregman (p:104)\nComedy: The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (p:336)\nHistory:\nBand of Brothers  by Stephen E. Ambrose (p:432); The Nuclear Jihadist by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins (p:413) +; The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre (p:384) +; De Heineken Ontvoering by Peter R. de Vries (p:347); Red Famine by Anne Apllebaum (p:384); Night by Elie Wiesel (p:115) +\nScience, Technology, Mathematics:\nFermat's Enigma by Simon Singh (p:315) +; A Mathematician's Apology by G.H. Hardy (p:153); The Great Influenza by John M. Barry (p:546); The Rise and Fall of the Dinousaurs by Stephen Brusatte (p:404) ++; The Double Helix by James Watson (p:144)\nSport:\nRun or Die by Killian Jornet (p:208); The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton  (p:290) +; The Rise of the Ultra Runners by  (p:304); Tom Dumoulin by Patrick Bernhart (p:203)\nFiction:\nAnthem by Ayn Rand (p:105); Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (p:704); The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (p:566); Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (p:466); Live and Let die by Ian Fleming  (p:229)\nClassics:\nA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (p:104); The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (p:201); The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald (p:180); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (p:139); Animal Farm by George Orwell (p:122) +; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (p:227) +; The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (p:118)\nScience Fiction:\nThe Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (p:399); All Systems Red  by Martha Wells (p:144) +; A Memory Called Empire  by Arkady Martine (p:462) +; A Psalm built for the Wild by Becky Chambers (p:160); Dune by Frank Herbert (p:658); Foundation by Isaac Asimov (p:244); The Martian by Andy Weir (p:384) +;\nThe Forever War by Joe Haldeman (p:278)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Project Hail Mary  by Andy Weir",
          "reason": "Calls it interesting, funny, and gripping, and says it sparked their interest in science fiction.",
          "audience": "Readers new to science fiction may find it an inviting entry point.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33852370,
          "author": "once_inc",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T10:36:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33852370",
          "commentText": "Project Hail Mary is such an awesome book. Great buildup, an intriguing plot slowly unfolding with an inquisitive problem solver caught in the middle. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Project Hail Mary is such an awesome book. Great buildup, an intriguing plot slowly unfolding with an inquisitive problem solver caught in the middle. I would recommend this book to anyone and everyone.",
          "reason": "Praises the buildup and unfolding plot, and recommends it to anyone.",
          "audience": "Anyone and everyone.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33852080,
          "author": "Triangle9349",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T09:42:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33852080",
          "commentText": "not released this year, but quite new:\nBobiverse Series by Dennis Taylor\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/series/192752-bobiverse\nProject Hail Mary by Weir Andy\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54493401-project-hail-ma... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54493401-project-hail-mary)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Project Hail Mary",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not released this year, but quite new.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33850149,
          "author": "JamesBrooks",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T03:05:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33850149",
          "commentText": "Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir (top recommendation of the year)\nSanderson's Skyward Flight series (a few things came out this year, it's young-adult but thoughtfully enjoyable and easy to consume).\nI read a few Asimov's this year I hadn't gotten around to, but the two that really stood out were 'The Gods Themselve's and 'The End of Eternity'.\n(I primarily read to sci-fi/fantasy)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "top recommendation of the year",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33383017,
          "author": "tomviner",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T11:18:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33383017",
          "commentText": "The audiobook is worth a listen just for that one special character. Even if you've already read the book",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The audiobook is worth a listen just for that one special character.",
          "reason": "Recommends the audiobook, especially for a particular character.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment does not identify the character.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32200252,
          "author": "ylee",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-23T04:06:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32200252",
          "commentText": "Currently actively reading:\nThe Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War by Clark\nThe Napoleonic Wars: A Global History by Mikaberidze\nAn Introduction to Programming in Emacs Lisp by Chassell\nThe Girl from the Channel Islands by Lecoat\nRecently completed:\nLeviathan Falls by Corey\nIron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia, 1600-1947 by Clark\nShowstopper! the Breakneck Race to Create Windows NT and the Next Generation at Microsoft by Zachary\nMercury Rising: John Glenn, John Kennedy, and the New Battleground of the Cold War by Shesol\nSeeking Love in Modern Britain: Gender, Dating and the Rise of 'the Single' by Strimpel\nThe Club: Johnson, Boswell, and the Friends Who Shaped an Age by Damrosch\nCome Fly with Us: NASA's Payload Specialist Program by Croft\nAerial Warfare: The Battle for the Skies by Ledwidge\nDe Gaulle by Jackson\n1913: The Year Before the Storm by Illies\nVichy France by Paxton\nYear Zero by Reid\nAnd the Show Went On: Cultural Life in Nazi-occupied Paris by Riding\nThe Kinsman Saga by Bova\nThe Triumph of William McKinley: Why the Election of 1896 Still Matters by Rove\nLa Place De La Concorde Suisse by McPhee\nEnd of a Berlin Diary by Shirer\nSeizing the Enigma: The Race to Break the German U-Boat Codes, 1933-1945 by Kahn\nHell and Good Company: The Spanish Civil War and the World it Made by Rhodes\nThe Forgotten Depression: 1921 : The Crash that Cured Itself by Grant\nBernard Baruch by Grant\nWool by Howey\nProject Hail Mary by Weir",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Project Hail Mary by Weir",
          "reason": "Listed among recently completed books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29672316,
          "author": "pvsukale3",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T10:17:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29672316",
          "commentText": "Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir\nBy far the best sci-fi book I have read in a long time",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir\nBy far the best sci-fi book I have read in a long time",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the best science-fiction book they have read in a long time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29671892,
          "author": "hans0l074",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T09:15:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29671892",
          "commentText": "I second this. The Hail Mary Project was a great read and even made it into Barack Obama's list[1]. I am working my way through The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin and so far it's a page turner.\n[1]: https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/1471168495312420877",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hail Mary Project was a great read",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28068006,
          "author": "the__alchemist",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T23:58:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28068006",
          "commentText": "Thanks for the tip on REAMDE - it and Dodo are the ones I haven't read.\nI'll add Fall; or, Dodge in Hell. It's Stephenson's most recent book, and has nice scifi and (HN-crowd-relevant) societal concepts. Beware of a very slow opening.\nAlso: Project Hail Mary. Similar to The Martian in the right ways. More ambitious, with all its benefits and plausibility traps.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Also: Project Hail Mary.",
          "reason": "Recommended as ambitious, with similarities to The Martian.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter mentions plausibility traps.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28061444,
          "author": "code_Whisperer",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T14:32:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28061444",
          "commentText": "Agreed. I mentioned that it is 'imaginative and fun', but it is not the same style of \"The Martian\" which (in my opinion) had nearly perfect technical execution. I admit to having had some apprehension about a loved author's next effort (I'm looking at you, \"Artemis\" and \"Armada\"), but \"Hail Mary\" did not fulfill that dread for me. So... yay!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Hail Mary\" did not fulfill that dread for me.",
          "reason": "Says the book did not disappoint despite apprehension about the author’s next effort.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says The Martian had nearly perfect technical execution, which Hail Mary does not match stylistically.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28060763,
          "author": "dcminter",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T13:27:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28060763",
          "commentText": "Honestly I found Hail Mary to be rather old fashioned, reminding me more of early Niven rather than The Martian. This isn't necessarily a bad thing; I enjoyed it! But he has quite a hill to climb to beat his first novel.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "found Hail Mary to be rather old fashioned",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed it despite finding its style old fashioned.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Reminded the commenter of early Niven more than The Martian.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28060631,
          "author": "code_Whisperer",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T13:14:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28060631",
          "commentText": "The one that sticks in my head the most (and which I did not think I would enjoy based on the book jacket blurb) is \"Children of Time\" by Adrian Tchaikovsky. I highly recommend to anyone who listens. I also recently encountered \"The Fifth Science\" by someone named 'Exurb1a' and enjoyed it so much that I am now reading another of his books named \"Geometry for Ocelots\"\nAndy Weir's \"Hail Mary\" is an imaginative and fun read, as is \"The Startup Wife\" by Tahmima Anam. Oh! And \"The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet' (or almost anything else) by Becky Chambers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Andy Weir's \"Hail Mary\"",
          "reason": "Describes it as an imaginative and fun read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andy Weir"
      ],
      "recommenders": 22,
      "threads": 11,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space exploration",
        "first contact",
        "hard science fiction",
        "space survival"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "anna-karenina-9e9cec",
      "title": "Anna Karenina",
      "author": "Leo Tolstoy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42509533,
          "author": "delichon",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T16:29:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42509533",
          "commentText": "I put The Hunchback of Notre-Dame in that category, a pleasure to read from front to back. The association with work made it take me decades to get to some of the books assigned for class in high school, like these. A few were so good that I tried to read Anna Karenina again. Maybe in a few decades more I'll like that one too.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I tried to read Anna Karenina again. Maybe in a few decades more I'll like that one too.",
          "reason": "Mentions trying to reread it, while suggesting it may appeal later.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not currently expect to like it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39249217,
          "author": "gryzzly",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T10:53:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249217",
          "commentText": "Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. It even talks about what is the best way for a worker - capitalist relationship, among everything else.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.",
          "reason": "The commenter notes that the novel discusses worker-capitalist relations among other subjects.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38565904,
          "author": "__rito__",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T06:03:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38565904",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- \"The Dark Forest\" by Liu Cixin and the whole Three Body Problem/Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy. Truly massive, grand SciFi. Would recommend 10/10. [HN]\n- \"Anna Karenina\" by Tolstoy. Made me face deeper parts of my mind. Attempted to answer some questions I had. Great story. Huge book. Historical fiction is something I like across languages.\n- \"Candide\" by Voltaire. Genuinely fun and entertaining, besides it being- you know- Voltaire.\n- \"The Diamond Age\" by Neal Stephenson. Very good story, world buulding, nice technology. Great thinking by the author.\nNon Fiction:\n- \"Fermat's Last Theorem\" by Simon Singh. Was very happy to see a Popular Math book where there are so many Popular Science books. Great book. Goes over FMT's solving history, with many many fun anecdotes, short biographies, etc. Truly enjoyable to read.\n- \"Code Book\" by Simon Singh. Genuinely fun and learned a lot. Cryptography's history, progress, and so much more. [HN]\nSelf-Help:\n- \"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\" by Robert Pirsig. Truly marvelous book and nice to read. This book requires the reader to be of certain kind attaining a certain level. Without that, this book will seem a fluff and overrated hugely. Fundamentally changed my thinking. [HN]\n- \"Four Thousand Weeks\" by Oliver Bourkeman. Thought this was about saner time management with some wisdom. But was much deeper than that. Will recommend.\nBengali:\n- \"Abhajaner Mahabharat\" by Mahbub Lilen. A fun and serious retelling of the Mahabharata. Goes deep, too. Really fun to read.\n- \"Khana Mihirer Dhipi\" by Bani Basu. An account of feminism in the light of female-dominated inner part of Bengali elite households- and that in the light of female dominated, fully maternalistic hunter-gatherers of early human history. Very thought provoking and unique.\n[HN]- chose primarily because recommendation in some past HN threads.\nRead 23 so far. Target is 25. Currently reading Snow Crash and Exhalation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Anna Karenina\" by Tolstoy. Made me face deeper parts of my mind.",
          "reason": "Says it prompted self-reflection, addressed personal questions, and tells a great story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They note it is a huge book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30244154,
          "author": "mihaic",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T12:55:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30244154",
          "commentText": "Anna Karenina would be my recommendation. I had a lower oppinion on novels in general before reading this, but Tolstoy is just phenomenal with his characters.\nIt made me realize how great books should help improve your empathy towards others, and being more understanding to behaviour you'd normally just vilify.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anna Karenina would be my recommendation.",
          "reason": "Recommends the novel, praising Tolstoy’s characterization and its effect on empathy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23859204,
          "author": "sdedovic",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T14:17:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859204",
          "commentText": "Anna Karenina - I'm an eastern european raised in the US. It was really eye opening.\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anna Karenina - I'm an eastern european raised in the US. It was really eye opening.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was eye opening, drawing on their experience as an Eastern European raised in the US.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467840,
          "author": "starpilot",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T16:07:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467840",
          "commentText": "Anna Karenina, 3x in two translations\nSkunk Works\nIntelligent Investor\nMan Who Was Thursday",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anna Karenina, 3x in two translations",
          "reason": "The commenter has read it three times, in two translations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467700,
          "author": "clairity",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:52:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467700",
          "commentText": "i recently re-read the wisdom of crowds, ~15 years now since i first read it. still good, still relevant. there's even a section on how quickly SARS was identified in international collaboration despite no central, coordinating entity.\nit's covertly a book about statistical reasoning, but with no dry statistical language, subversive in a way. we need more statistical reasoning in the world, particularly around risk assessment, to subdue fear and panic.\nedit: as for fiction,\njames clavell's asian saga[0] series is entertaining historical fiction, which i've read twice.\npat conroy's southern portraits, particularly the lords of discipline and the prince of tides, both wrenching, haunting, and beautiful.\nalso in the historical/cultural fiction realm: anna karenina, crime and punishment, a tale of two cities, les miserables.\n[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Asian_Saga",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "anna karenina",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22722478,
          "author": "grayed-down",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T20:36:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22722478",
          "commentText": "If by positive impact you mean most enjoyable, then:\nThe Godfather, Mario Puzo (Film good, Novel excellent)\nAnna Karenin, Leo Tolstoy (Best novelist ever IMO)\nRendezvous With Rama Series, Arthur Clarke (Great)\nReplay, Ken Grimley? (Cool story)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anna Karenin, Leo Tolstoy (Best novelist ever IMO)",
          "reason": "Lists it as an enjoyable book and praises Tolstoy as a novelist.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22720918,
          "author": "rsync",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T17:44:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22720918",
          "commentText": "He is, perhaps, my favorite contemporary author.\nI have a fairly predictable \"best novels ever written\" list which includes _War and Peace_, _Anna Karinina_, _Brothers Karamazov_ and _Dune_ ... but I would also place _SevenEves_ on that list.\nI found _Fall Or: Dodge in Hell_ to be terrible, however.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "_War and Peace_, _Anna Karinina_, _Brothers Karamazov_ and _Dune_",
          "reason": "Includes it on their list of best novels ever written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22719338,
          "author": "sdedovic",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T14:38:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22719338",
          "commentText": "- Anna Karenina: Tolstoy knows people better than they know themselves\n- Brave New World: Aldous Huxley is a genius and a wordsmith\n- Dune: a sci-fi masterpiece, highly recommended to anyone into sci-fi\n- Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: not purely fiction but an amazing book I will surely re-read during my lifetime",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anna Karenina: Tolstoy knows people better than they know themselves",
          "reason": "Praises Tolstoy's insight into people.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20916387,
          "author": "mtts",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T09:01:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20916387",
          "commentText": "A solid contender for the title \"best book of the 19th century\".\nTogether with Madame Bovary.\nWhich wins, IMHO. But still: great book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A solid contender for the title \"best book of the 19th century\".",
          "reason": "Calls it a strong contender for the best book of the 19th century.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20915499,
          "author": "rsync",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T05:46:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20915499",
          "commentText": "I second the votes for War and Peace, Anna Karenina and Brothers Karamazov ... but I think I can add a unique (and very special to me) entry with:\nChesterfield's Letters to His Son:\n\"Begun in the 1737 and continued until the death of his son in 1768, Chesterfield wrote mostly instructive communications about geography, history, and classical literature, – with later letters focusing on politics and diplomacy – and the letters themselves were written in French, English, and Latin, in order to refine his son's grasp of the languages.\"[1]\n[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Stanhope,_4th_Earl_of_C... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Stanhope,_4th_Earl_of_Chesterfield#Letters_to_His_Son)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second the votes for War and Peace, Anna Karenina and Brothers Karamazov",
          "reason": "Seconds votes for the book in a thread asking for favorite old books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20915436,
          "author": "lukewrites",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T05:34:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20915436",
          "commentText": "Anna Karenina\nFor a lighter, but still interesting read, anything by Saki is good - Sredni Vashtar was the first story of his I read and I still come back to it decades later.\nhttp://www.classicshorts.com/stories/vashtar.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anna Karenina",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite old books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20332963,
          "author": "EliRivers",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T07:30:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20332963",
          "commentText": "Anna Karenina.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anna Karenina.",
          "reason": "A title offered in response to the request for a summer book recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17049127,
          "author": "lacker",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T17:20:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17049127",
          "commentText": "If you liked War and Peace you would probably also like Anna Karenina. Although I might not need to tell you that ;-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you liked War and Peace you would probably also like Anna Karenina.",
          "reason": "Recommends it to readers who liked War and Peace.",
          "audience": "Readers who liked War and Peace.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16352312,
          "author": "EliRivers",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T11:53:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16352312",
          "commentText": "Anna Karenina and a selection of other classics. Anything from David Mitchell. At least a couple of the more well-known Haruki Murakami novels. Some history from the more scholarly end of the layman accessible works. Little bit of classic philosophy. More of my colleagues speak two (or more) languages than are monolingual, but if that weren't the case, I'd wish more of them read in another language.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anna Karenina",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter wishes colleagues had read.",
          "audience": "Colleagues",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961269,
          "author": "calebm",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:24:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961269",
          "commentText": "* The Unconsoled (Kazuo Ishiguro)\n* Never Let Me Go (Kazuo Ishiguro)\n* Influx (Daniel Suarex)\n* Sputnik Sweetheart (Haruki Murakami)\n* Apex (Ramez Naam)\n* One Second After (William R. Forstchen)\n* Anna Karanina (Leo Tolstoy)\n* Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n* A Farewell to Arms (Ernest Hemingway)\n* Crux (Ramez Naam)\n* A Moveable Feast (Ernest Hemingway)\n* Hardboiled Wonderland and The End of the World (Haruki Murakami)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Anna Karanina (Leo Tolstoy)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14481539,
          "author": "balladeer",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-04T13:44:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14481539",
          "commentText": "Anna Karenina, A Suitable Boy, and the like. Excellent books but after college it's been difficult to start and keep at them in a acceptable period of time given the time (or lack of it) is an issue now. I also wanted to read Ulysses. I am stuck around the ~20% of Dostoyevsky's Idiot since a long time. Off late I've had better success with shortner ones.\nFor me the reason is simple - it's just the daunting number of pages and it is a shame that I have not read/finished these books.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Anna Karenina, A Suitable Boy, and the like. Excellent books but after college it's been difficult to start and keep at them in a acceptable period of time given the time (or lack of it) is an issue now.",
          "reason": "Called an excellent book, though the commenter finds it difficult to make time for long books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says time constraints make it difficult to start and finish.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785719,
          "author": "martythemaniak",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T21:18:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785719",
          "commentText": "Leave it to Psmith - 10/10\nAnna Karenina - 8/10\nThe Code of the Woosters 8/10\nFooled by Randomness 7/10\nFinding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life 8/10\nHow to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia 9/10\nReluctant Fundamentalist 9/10\nThe Sense of an Ending - Julian Barnes 8/10\nThe Last Question - Asimov - 9/10\nThe Magic of Thinking Big - 6/10\nThe catcher in the Rye 8/10\nModels 7/10\nHigh Fidelity - Nick Hornby 8/10\nThe Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman 7/10\nThe Surrender Experiment - 10/10\nUntethered Soul - 9/10\nThe Autobiography of a Yogi - 7/10\nRaja Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 7/10\nSomething Fresh, something new - 7/10\nKarma Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 8/10\nThinking, Fast and Slow - 9/10\nFierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates 10/10\nThe Pearl by John Steinbeck 7/10",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anna Karenina - 8/10",
          "reason": "Rates the book 8/10.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9350062,
          "author": "grey-area",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T18:56:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350062",
          "commentText": "I first read it when quite young, so probably it provided an emotional education, but also a lesson that literature can be more than just a clever plot - it's full of wonderful observations of human character, even characters that Tolstoy was not particularly sympathetic to (e.g. Stiva, who chooses his opinions as he chooses his hat, from the selection available, or Anna, the tragic focal point of the novel) - there are no villains and no heroes, only bumbling humans dealing with problems entirely of their own creation.\nI also liked Madame Bovary from the same period, another riff on doomed attempts to escape unhappy circumstances - perhaps all happy novels are alike, whereas every unhappy novel is unhappy in its own interesting way?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "characters that Tolstoy was not particularly sympathetic to",
          "reason": "Discusses the novel's observations of human character and its complex, flawed people.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348917,
          "author": "plongeur",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:46:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348917",
          "commentText": "I also read Anna Karenina (I am a big fan of Russian literature) - but none the less (or maybe rather b/c of that) I am curious to learn how this book did change your perspective on your life?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I also read Anna Karenina (I am a big fan of Russian literature)",
          "reason": "Says they are a big fan of Russian literature.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348769,
          "author": "bandless55",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:28:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348769",
          "commentText": "Anna Karenina by Lev Tolstoy. Absolutely amazing, I highly recommend it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anna Karenina by Lev Tolstoy. Absolutely amazing, I highly recommend it.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it amazing and explicitly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348419,
          "author": "grey-area",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:53:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348419",
          "commentText": "Meditations by Marcus Aurelius - a wonderfully simple explanation of what is truly important in life.\nThe Order of Things or Madness and Civilisation by Michel Foucault - a look at how our culture and time limit the horizons of our world view.\nAnna Karenina by Tolstoy - a complicated set of love stories set in 19C Russia - brilliantly observed.\nGodel, Escher, Bach by Hofstadter - an exhilarating skip through the wonderland of western maths, art, music and philosophy.\nFounders at Work by Jessica Livingston - a great insight into the first computer revolution - interviews with a lot of very interesting people.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anna Karenina by Tolstoy - a complicated set of love stories set in 19C Russia - brilliantly observed.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls its love stories brilliantly observed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a complicated set of love stories.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5832811,
          "author": "stuffchunk",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T15:02:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5832811",
          "commentText": "Anna Karenina by Lev Tolstoj",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anna Karenina by Lev Tolstoj",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4968193,
          "author": "imrehg",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T04:58:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4968193",
          "commentText": "Gravity's Rainbow - took 4 months out of my year, but and it's still mostly a whoosh, but every time I started reading another book after that, it was just amazing how much better Pyncheon writes. Will revisit it for sure, though not very soon.\nAnna Karenina - just a whole different level, Tolstoy's writing in a way I don't feel many contemporary writes could. Feels creepy how similar the people's lives in the 19th Century was to ours. Creepy but fun too.\nIf On A Winter's Night A Traveller - Italo Calvino will just punch you in the face, this is a book for people who love reading books.\nThe Magicians - adult magic fiction, and somehow it feels that if magic was indeed real, it would be like it is depicted here, not like anything in Harry Potter's (no matter how much I loved the storytelling, the magic theory was just so full of plotholes).\nThe Casual Vacancy - JKRowling's not-Harry-Potter-book. It's very gritty, and feels very real. Still having my cold shivers thinking of small-town living after this.\n(Except for the last one the others are older releases, don't usually jump into the newest ones, I just take it casual)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anna Karenina - just a whole different level, Tolstoy's writing in a way I don't feel many contemporary writes could.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls Tolstoy's writing a whole different level and notes how relatable the characters' lives feel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4778075,
          "author": "murtza",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-13T14:21:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 4770238,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fiction books that entertain and educate?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4778075",
          "commentText": "Here are two fiction books that I really enjoyed and learned from:\n1) Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes. This book is an emotional roller coaster. After reading it, you will better understand what life is like for the mentally challenged.\n2) Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. You will get a glimpse into the life of Russian aristocracy in the 19th century. More importantly, you will learn about love and human relationships.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You will get a glimpse into the life of Russian aristocracy in the 19th century. More importantly, you will learn about love and human relationships.",
          "reason": "Provides historical context and explores love and human relationships.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027097,
          "author": "impeachgod",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T11:24:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027097",
          "commentText": "Translated from Russian: I would be interested in reading your reviews of Karenina and Gatsby. I am curious what do you find remarkable in these books.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Karenina",
          "reason": "Asks what the other commenter finds remarkable in the book; no endorsement is expressed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027061,
          "author": "navi03",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T10:33:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027061",
          "commentText": "Интересно было бы прочесть Ваши отзывы на Каренину и Гетсби. Мне, например, очень любопытно, что Вам в этих романах кажется примечательным.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Интересно было бы прочесть Ваши отзывы на Каренину и Гетсби.",
          "reason": "Asks to read the other commenter’s review of Anna Karenina; does not express an opinion or recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026940,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T07:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026940",
          "commentText": "I got myself a Sony Reader mid-2009 and started reading about twice more than I had been before. 2009 was also the first year in which I wasn't too lazy to document which books I read (I'm really glad I wasn't). Here're some of the favourites this year:\nClassics:\nKafka's The Process and America - both stunning novels that deserve to be read as much as his most famous, The Castle.\nJan Potocki, The Manuscript Found in Saragossa - a trippy collection of tales organised in multiple nested frames.\nScott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby.\nLeo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina. Still as breathtaking as I'd remembered it from the previous reading five years ago.\nScience Fiction:\nGene Wolfe, The Book of the New Sun. Wolfe, whom I hadn't read before, turns out to be in a class of his own. It's literary SF, overwhelmingly masterful and beautiful in its prose and characters, yet it could give any hardcore SF novel a run in terms of its ideas. It demands and richly rewards a close reading. I'll be reading more Wolfe in 2010.\nTed Chiang, collected stories. Chiang writes only stories, and has written just a few of them, but nearly every one is a gem. Read Understand on the web (http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/stories/under.htm) to see if you like his style - I do.\nVernor Vinge, A Deepness in the Sky, The Peace War, Marooned in Realtime. All great novels, but start from A Fire Upon the Deep (I read that in 2008) if you haven't read Vinge before, it's the best introduction.\nGreg Egan, Diaspora, Quarantine, Distress. Egan is the best hardcore SF author out there. _Diaspora_ is a fascinating take on shared simulated reality that's very different from the usual fare. Quarantine will appeal to your inner quantum mechanical geek.\nContemporary fiction:\nPynchon, V. Pynchon is the best novelist we've got. I recommend The Crying of the Lot 49 as the best Pynchon to start from; V is more difficult and much longer, but rewards the patience. I still can't get over the fact that Pynchon wrote and published this novel when he was 26.\nOrhan Pamuk, The Black Book.\nAnnie Proulx, Fine Just The Way It Is. A new collection of stories from the best writer about rural America out there. Three are extraordinary, two so-so, the rest very good.\nNon-fiction:\nW. Sidney Allen, Vox Graeca and Vox Latina. If you want to know how ancient Greek and Latin sounded, these are the books to read.\nElizabeth Lloyd. The Case Of The Female Orgasm. An interesting study into how available evolutionary explanations of female orgasm fail in various ways. This is a book about evolutionary biology and its methodological soundness as much as it is about explaining female orgasm.\nComputer-related:\nPeter Seibel, Coders at Work. A fantastic collection of interview with great programmers. The one 2009 book no hacker should be without.\nSqueak by Example. Does a great job of explaining Smalltalk in general and Squeak in particular.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Still as breathtaking as I'd remembered it from the previous reading five years ago.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it remains breathtaking on rereading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797098,
          "author": "DanielBMarkham",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T01:40:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797098",
          "commentText": "I got books like sheiks got oil. I'm swimming in them. I try to read a little from at least four books every day. (You'll have to look up these links yourself)\n-----------------------------------------------------------\nOn my Kindle:\nAnna Karenina, Tolstoy; Clean Code, Uncle Bob; Palm WebOS; Antoninus Meditations, Marcus Aurelius, Emperor; Never Eat Alone, and Other Secrets to Success, Ferrazzi\n-----------------------------------------------------------\nIn my stack:\nDaniel-X, James Patterson; Born To Run, Christopher McDougall; The Existential Jesus, John Carroll; Fear and Trembling - Repetition, Soren Kierkegaard\n-----------------------------------------------------------\nOn the way in from Amazon:\nThe Trusted Advisor, Maister; Secrets of Consulting: A Guide to Giving and Getting Advice Successfully, Weinberg; Rain Making: Attract New Clients No Matter What Your Field, Harding\n-----------------------------------------------------------\nI'm thinking about growing another pair of eyeballs so I can read two books at once. I'll let you know how the genetic engineering goes. (grin)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Anna Karenina, Tolstoy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leo Tolstoy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 21,
      "threads": 18,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "russian literature",
        "realist novel",
        "literary fiction",
        "classic novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "remembrance-of-earth-s-past-790d68",
      "title": "Remembrance of Earth's Past",
      "author": "Liu Cixin",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49909371,
          "author": "bichiliad",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T14:19:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49909371",
          "commentText": "I opened this thread to post about Dungeon Crawler Carl. I just finished the fantastic Three Body Problem series, and reading something so pulpy in contrast feels like cheating, but it’s making me happy and that’s what I’m looking for anyways.\nSome other bits I’ve read recently that I’ve loved:\n- Ken Liu’s “The Paper Menagerie” is a beautiful short story by the Three Body Problem’s translator\n- Cryptonomicon feels like a great balance between heady reading (it goes into WWII-era crypto thinking) and pulpy humor. I loved reading it. \n- “Stoner” by John Williams (not the Stoner you think, and also not the John Williams you think) is kinda in a different direction, but it’s a really well paced and beautifully written book about a farmer’s son who falls in love with literature. It’s one of those books that’s hard to sell in a sentence, but is effortless to read and makes you think a lot in a non-engineering-brained way.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I just finished the fantastic Three Body Problem series",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the series fantastic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 48619433,
          "author": "jr_isidore",
          "createdAt": "2026-06-21T14:48:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 48595560,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please recommend sci-fi books similar to \"children of time\" or \"anathem\"",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48619433",
          "commentText": "Well, then you didn't do it right.  The TV show is garbage, the books were sublime (although like LoTR, their pacing was backloaded, so you had to suffer though the first half of each book.  The third book is more uniformly paced).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the books were sublime",
          "reason": "Praises the books while contrasting them with the TV adaptation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says the first half of each book requires patience; the third is more uniformly paced.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 48596430,
          "author": "satvikpendem",
          "createdAt": "2026-06-19T08:58:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 48595560,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please recommend sci-fi books similar to \"children of time\" or \"anathem\"",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48596430",
          "commentText": "Remembrance of Earth's Past, often called by its initial work's name, The Three-Body Problem.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Remembrance of Earth's Past, often called by its initial work's name, The Three-Body Problem.",
          "reason": "Identifies the series by its commonly used name in a thread seeking similar science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46396586,
          "author": "shmoe",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T21:40:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46396586",
          "commentText": "Did you read the rest of the 3 body problem books? Some of the best scifi i've read in a looong time for sure.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Did you read the rest of the 3 body problem books? Some of the best scifi i've read in a looong time for sure.",
          "reason": "Asks whether the other books were read and praises the science fiction series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42569137,
          "author": "weakfish",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-01T20:44:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42569137",
          "commentText": "I personally enjoyed the dark forest the most of the series - I just really loved the wallfacer concept, I think.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the dark forest the most of the series",
          "reason": "Identifies The Dark Forest as part of the series without separately evaluating the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42566753,
          "author": "edferda",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-01T15:54:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42566753",
          "commentText": "Death's End, the third book in the Remembrance of Earth’s Past series.\nThe book has so many great concepts and touches upon many of the fundamental questions of life itself. I fully recommend it if you’re into space sci fi.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Death's End, the third book in the Remembrance of Earth’s Past series.",
          "reason": "Names the series while identifying Death's End as its third book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42511878,
          "author": "undopamine",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T23:20:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42511878",
          "commentText": "The 3-body problem trilogy (Rememberance of the Earth's past). My first sci-fi novels ever - the Netflix show sold me and these novels compelled me on a whole new hard sci-fi rabbit hole.\nPresumed Innocent (preceeded by the Apple TV show of same name). Murder mystery. Loved it.\nTie-in novels from videogame franchise:\n- Deus Ex: Black Light\n- Devil May Cry: before the nightmare\nI've also started Marvel Comics in anticipation of Fantastic Four and the whole Secret Wars storyline it will build up.\nCouldn't finish a single non-fiction this year, but enjoyable so far:\n- Zero to One\n- When I say no, I feel guilty\n- Designing data-intensive applications",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 3-body problem trilogy (Rememberance of the Earth's past).",
          "reason": "The novels drew the commenter into a hard science fiction rabbit hole.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41176442,
          "author": "harryquach",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T23:05:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41176442",
          "commentText": "Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy. The most incredible, mind bending adventure I have taken, in a book.\n(The Netflix show although generally true to story does not do the books justice)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy.",
          "reason": "Calls the trilogy an incredible, mind-bending adventure.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the Netflix show does not do the books justice.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39257576,
          "author": "vidyesh",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-05T05:08:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39257576",
          "commentText": "Thats exciting! I might read the Remembrance this year.\nMurderbot is exciting! There is very little world building, you are thrown into the world and you slowly figure things out. Each novella is a new adventure, but as a whole(the series) its a lot more; an android seeing and understanding humans in a very different way.\nIt also explores how a world of robots would have various bots with each having a different personality(they develop) based on their lifelong assigned task.\nThe Muderbot itself is sulky, tired of incompetent humans and its dry behavior adds humor to the narration. Plus it addicted to watching soap operas so it has a very unique understanding of human creativity and reality.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I might read the Remembrance this year.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they might read the series this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They only say they might read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38565904,
          "author": "__rito__",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T06:03:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38565904",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- \"The Dark Forest\" by Liu Cixin and the whole Three Body Problem/Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy. Truly massive, grand SciFi. Would recommend 10/10. [HN]\n- \"Anna Karenina\" by Tolstoy. Made me face deeper parts of my mind. Attempted to answer some questions I had. Great story. Huge book. Historical fiction is something I like across languages.\n- \"Candide\" by Voltaire. Genuinely fun and entertaining, besides it being- you know- Voltaire.\n- \"The Diamond Age\" by Neal Stephenson. Very good story, world buulding, nice technology. Great thinking by the author.\nNon Fiction:\n- \"Fermat's Last Theorem\" by Simon Singh. Was very happy to see a Popular Math book where there are so many Popular Science books. Great book. Goes over FMT's solving history, with many many fun anecdotes, short biographies, etc. Truly enjoyable to read.\n- \"Code Book\" by Simon Singh. Genuinely fun and learned a lot. Cryptography's history, progress, and so much more. [HN]\nSelf-Help:\n- \"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\" by Robert Pirsig. Truly marvelous book and nice to read. This book requires the reader to be of certain kind attaining a certain level. Without that, this book will seem a fluff and overrated hugely. Fundamentally changed my thinking. [HN]\n- \"Four Thousand Weeks\" by Oliver Bourkeman. Thought this was about saner time management with some wisdom. But was much deeper than that. Will recommend.\nBengali:\n- \"Abhajaner Mahabharat\" by Mahbub Lilen. A fun and serious retelling of the Mahabharata. Goes deep, too. Really fun to read.\n- \"Khana Mihirer Dhipi\" by Bani Basu. An account of feminism in the light of female-dominated inner part of Bengali elite households- and that in the light of female dominated, fully maternalistic hunter-gatherers of early human history. Very thought provoking and unique.\n[HN]- chose primarily because recommendation in some past HN threads.\nRead 23 so far. Target is 25. Currently reading Snow Crash and Exhalation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the whole Three Body Problem/Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy",
          "reason": "Recommends the trilogy, calling it massive and grand science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38557240,
          "author": "beretguy",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:13:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557240",
          "commentText": "Remembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy by Liu Cixin. Sci-fi.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Remembrance of Earth’s Past trilogy by Liu Cixin. Sci-fi.",
          "reason": "Identified as a science fiction trilogy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36030286,
          "author": "ianyanusko",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-22T12:03:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36030286",
          "commentText": "1) Three-Body Problem series\n2) Hyperion series (first two books especially)\n3) Cryptonomicon \n4) Cloud Atlas\n5) Wandering Earth (collection of short stories)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1) Three-Body Problem series",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34170731,
          "author": "jasonkester",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-29T08:40:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34170731",
          "commentText": "I'm going to use my vote to vote against the Three Body Problem. If more people keep recommending it, more people will have to read it, and that would make me sad.\nBecause it's a terrible book.\nIt epitomizes the sort of sci Fi that sci Fi people keep recommending, with it's kinda interesting concept and embarrassingly bad writing. It's just hundreds of pages of unreadable.\nAnd it ends abruptly before resolving anything so it tricks you into getting the sequel. Which is somehow even more poorly written.\nSee also: children of time",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "it tricks you into getting the sequel. Which is somehow even more poorly written.",
          "reason": "Says the sequel is even more poorly written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34162020,
          "author": "jsenn",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T15:37:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34162020",
          "commentText": "* Three Body Problem. I've heard of it many times, but never read it. Picked it up a month or two ago, read the whole thing in a few sessions, one of my favourite sci-fi books ever. Will read the next book in the series.\n* Immune: A Journey into the Mysterious System that Keeps You Alive. Best pop-sci book I've read in a while. Strikes the right balance between including pertinent information without being overwhelming, explaining things in a digestible way without dumbing down, etc. Inspired me to read a proper immunology primer (How the Immune System Works), which was also very good.\n* How Rights Went Wrong. An excellent, level-headed take on the U.S. conception of rights, and how it leads to zero-sum thinking in supreme court cases. The author is so relentlessly reasonable that it's hard not to buy into his argument. Even though this book is about the U.S., it has lots of case studies where it contrasts with various other countries, which helped me understand my country's (Canada's) court system and system of rights better.\nLet-downs:\n* Seeing Like a State. The first few chapters are interesting, and do a good job of explaining the world-view of the author. Worth buying just for this. However, the last half or two-thirds of the book is a tedious re-hashing of the same ideas through various examples.\n* The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity. Many interesting factoids in here (killer asteroids: solved problem). However, the book's central argument failed to convince me. Many of the analyses and probability estimates were disappointingly shallow and hand-wavy, especially for the #1 risk cited in the book--unaligned AI--which he thinks has a 10% chance of ending civilization this century.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Will read the next book in the series.",
          "reason": "The commenter plans to continue with the series after enjoying the first book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29678347,
          "author": "qubitcoder",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T22:24:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29678347",
          "commentText": "The Three-Body Problem certainly takes a _while_ to get going. I gave up the first time reading it on my phone. But I kept hearing others sing its praises.\nYears later, I started playing the audio book on a roadtrip. At some point, I couldn't \"put it down\", so to speak--especially as the plot twist is gradually revealed. The sequels are extraordinary, and perhaps among the best sci-fi ever written.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The sequels are extraordinary, and perhaps among the best sci-fi ever written.",
          "reason": "Strongly praises the sequels as among the best science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28059505,
          "author": "Funkhauser",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T10:50:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28059505",
          "commentText": "I second that! also the rest of the Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second that! also the rest of the Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy",
          "reason": "Seconding the recommendation and endorsing the rest of the trilogy.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22729761,
          "author": "pchristensen",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T17:00:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22729761",
          "commentText": "I read all three of those books, plus Ball Lightning by the same author. I found them very difficult reading, partly because I wasn't familiar with Chinese names and had trouble keeping them straight. Also, the material was dense and required a lot of background. But the ideas and some of the images stand out more than dozens of other books I've read over the time period. For each book, it took me about 3 months to get through the first 40%, then 3 days to get through the other 60%, once I had bootstrapped enough to get into them. Not easy, but highly recommended.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I read all three of those books, plus Ball Lightning by the same author. I found them very difficult reading",
          "reason": "The commenter found the trilogy demanding but says its ideas and images stood out and recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Difficult reading, dense material, and background knowledge were obstacles for the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22729619,
          "author": "palerdot",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T16:47:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22729619",
          "commentText": "I'm considering start reading TBP. So my question to you is why did you progress through the trilogy if you find it kind of substandard? Meaning, once you are done with first or even the second book what made you consider reading the next books in the trilogy?\nThis is an honest question as someone who is seriously considering reading TBP in near future.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm considering start reading TBP. So my question to you is why did you progress through the trilogy",
          "reason": "The commenter is considering reading the trilogy and asks what kept another reader going.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22725927,
          "author": "zumu",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T07:29:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22725927",
          "commentText": "What specific existential topics? I did find not TBP particularly deep. It felt like a Hollywood movie, but set in China.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I did find not TBP particularly deep. It felt like a Hollywood movie, but set in China.",
          "reason": "Says they found the series shallow and compared its feel to a Hollywood movie set in China.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21051088,
          "author": "Breza",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-23T17:22:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21051088",
          "commentText": "I made it through all three books and really enjoyed them (especially book 2). But I have to admit that I don't know how to feel about the ending. Definitely not the ending I anticipated.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I made it through all three books and really enjoyed them (especially book 2). But I have to admit that I don't know how to feel about the ending. Definitely not the ending I anticipated.",
          "reason": "Enjoyed all three books, especially the second, but feels uncertain about the ending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The ending was unexpected and left the commenter unsure how to feel.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21029358,
          "author": "whichquestion",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-20T17:48:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21029358",
          "commentText": "The sequels are as excellent as the first in the series, so if you read the first and really like it, read the others too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The sequels are as excellent as the first in the series, so if you read the first and really like it, read the others too.",
          "reason": "Says the sequels are excellent and recommends reading them if the first is enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Recommends the sequels conditional on liking the first book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20332889,
          "author": "sho",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T07:16:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20332889",
          "commentText": "I mainly read SF to relax (biased towards hard space opera) and have accumulated a \"best of the best\" list of my own:\nLeviathan Wakes - James S. A. Corey (TV show The Expanse is loosely based on this, but IMO doesn't even come close)\nRevelation Space - Alastair Reynolds\nThree Body Problem (all 3 books) - Liu Cixin\nConsider Phlebas - Iain M. Banks (your gateway drug into the Culture universe)\nGenuinely wish I could experience all the above for the first time again. And looking forward to checking out some of the others mentioned here.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Three Body Problem (all 3 books) - Liu Cixin",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the three-book science fiction series as part of their personal “best of the best” list.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy hard space opera.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18666997,
          "author": "asplake",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T19:34:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18666997",
          "commentText": "Read/heard and thoroughly enjoyed all of those except Binti which is new to me. Wishlisted, thanks!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read/heard and thoroughly enjoyed all of those",
          "reason": "The commenter says they thoroughly enjoyed the listed books, including this series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18666187,
          "author": "dacox",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T18:09:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18666187",
          "commentText": "The translator for volume 1 and 3 addressed this in an AMA, actually.\nhttps://www.reddit.com/r/SF_Book_Club/comments/30xhj0/three_... (https://www.reddit.com/r/SF_Book_Club/comments/30xhj0/three_im_ken_liu_translator_for_the_threebody/)\nI enjoyed the 3 books. After reading the first one I was intrigued but it didn't blow me away. After reading all of them I am very appreciative of the epic scope, and while the it seemed to have less character development, the ideas more than made up for it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed the 3 books. After reading the first one I was intrigued but it didn't blow me away.",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed the trilogy and appreciated its epic scope and ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Notes that it seemed to have less character development.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665304,
          "author": "mrpollo",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:37:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665304",
          "commentText": "In retrospective I wish I had read more this year.\n- The Art of Community: Building the New Age of Participation\n- Foundation series (Foundation, 2nd Foundation, Foundation and Empire, Foundations Edge, Foundation and Earth)\n- Three Body Problem (trilogy)\n- Artemis",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "- Three Body Problem (trilogy)",
          "reason": "The trilogy is listed among books read; no recommendation is expressed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17539642,
          "author": "sumitgs",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T08:33:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17539642",
          "commentText": "Remembrance of earth's past trilogy. There are three books in the series: 1) The Three Body Problem, 2) The Dark Forest, and 3) Death's end.  It talks about the ongoing tension between humanity and the alien race. It explores many facets of human nature and humanity. Must read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Remembrance of earth's past trilogy.",
          "reason": "Calls the trilogy a must read and describes its human-alien conflict and exploration of human nature.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in humanity's relationship with alien life and human nature.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961435,
          "author": "fragmede",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:40:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961435",
          "commentText": "These are all hard sci-fi, and much like Dark Mirror, given today's troubles, it's simultaneously entertaining while being intellectually stimulating, but in a way that feels relevant, even if not immediately actionable.\nThe first is what got me hooked, and back into reading.\nThe Wages of Humanity, is a short story by Liu Cixin. The short story used to be available by itself on Amazon, but now it's been disappeared[1]. It can be found as the last story in The Wandering Earth: Classic Science Fiction Collection.[2]\nAn assassin is being offered exorbitant sum to kill the three poorest people for some reason, and the book explores why, to a thrilling conclusion.\nSince I found it as a stand alone story I cannot comment on the rest of the books in that collection. From there I read into The Three Body Problem[3], and Dark Forest by Liu Cixin; first two books of the Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy. The only reason I don't mention I have not (yet) finished reading the third book.\n[1] This link now returns a 404: https://amazon.com/dp/B00CSW0UZI but it's what the URL my Kindle points to. Search does not find the stand alone edition.\n[2] https://amazon.com/dp/B00CXUKNA2\n[3] https://amazon.com/dp/B00IQO403K",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "first two books of the Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy.",
          "reason": "The commenter identifies the trilogy containing the two books they read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15428855,
          "author": "wlkr",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:39:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428855",
          "commentText": "Other than those already listed I absolutely loved the Remembrance of Earth's Past [0] trilogy (2008, 2008, 2010) by Liu Cixin. Whilst I wouldn't consider it 'hard' science fiction the Takeshi Kovacs series [1] (2002, 2003, 2005) by Richard K. Morgan is also outstanding, although perhaps more cyberpunk.\n[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remembrance_of_Earth%27s_Past\n[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takeshi_Kovacs",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "absolutely loved the Remembrance of Earth's Past [0] trilogy",
          "reason": "Says they absolutely loved the trilogy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14747117,
          "author": "elyrly",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T19:17:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14747117",
          "commentText": "Wonderful series",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wonderful series",
          "reason": "Praises the series referenced in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10533578,
          "author": "OopsCriticality",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T15:38:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10533578",
          "commentText": "I'm cheating a little on the date, but The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin stands out.  It was translated into english late last year, and received the Hugo this year for best story.  It's wonderful sci-fi written on a grand scale, and made all the more interesting and refreshing to me by coming from outside the Western perspective.  It's one of a trilogy: The Dark Forest english translation is out, and Death's End is coming beginning of next year.\nAlso enjoyed Seveneves by Stephenson, and H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald.  The former is likely known to the HN crowd; the latter draws comparisons to T.H. White's classic The Goshawk.\nAmong non-fiction books, I enjoyed The Little Prover by Friedman and Eastlund.  It was exactly what I expected, a gentle introduction into inductive proofs in the idiom established by The Little Schemer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's one of a trilogy: The Dark Forest english translation is out, and Death's End is coming beginning of next year.",
          "reason": "Identifies The Three-Body Problem as part of this trilogy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment says Death's End was expected in English the following year.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Liu Cixin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 21,
      "threads": 18,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "chinese science fiction",
        "hard science fiction",
        "cosmic sociology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "predictably-irrational-143f4e",
      "title": "Predictably Irrational",
      "author": "Dan Ariely",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33801890,
          "author": "yboris",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T15:18:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33801890",
          "commentText": "I read many books in field of psychology focusing on rationality / irrationality. I think some of the best are:\nMindware by Richard Nisbett - a researcher focusing on this for decades distills his best insight in a recent book.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Mindware-Tools-Thinking-Richard-Nisbe... (https://www.amazon.com/Mindware-Tools-Thinking-Richard-Nisbett-ebook/dp/B00SSAXRCW)\nPredictably Irrational by Dan Ariely - a classic book in the field.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Predictably-Irrational-Revised-Expand... (https://www.amazon.com/Predictably-Irrational-Revised-Expanded-Decisions/dp/0061353248)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely - a classic book in the field.",
          "reason": "Described as a classic in psychology focused on rationality and irrationality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23858983,
          "author": "jakozaur",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:53:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858983",
          "commentText": "Forward looking:\nDisunited Nations: The Scramble for Power in an Ungoverned World\nDoughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist\nAI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order\nHistorical:\nThe Birth of Plenty: How the Prosperity of the Modern World was Created\nWhy Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty\nGeneral:\nPredictably Irrational, Revised and Expanded Edition: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions\nThe Square and the Tower: Networks and Power, from the Freemasons to Facebook",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Predictably Irrational, Revised and Expanded Edition: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23153491,
          "author": "cik",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T13:03:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23153491",
          "commentText": "At random\nAtlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand. Love her or hate her, she makes you think.\nThe Hard Thing About Hard Things - This is a great book about building businesses, and business in general.\nCapital in the 21st Century - One of the greatest books about economics and capital written ever - let alone in the last decade.\nThe Intelligent Investor - This is Buffet's favourite book, and regardless of how many times I read it, I still learn more.  One can never digest it in full.\nPredictably Irrational - This excellent tome makes behavioural economics digestible outside of economics. It's enlightening, though provoking, and turns several accepted truths on its head, purely by being written at all.\nNexus (Ramez Naam) - This science fiction book explores transhumanism and would it could mean in the near future. It's both light and pulpy, but at the same time makes you think about the outcomes of technological progression.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Predictably Irrational - This excellent tome makes behavioural economics digestible outside of economics.",
          "reason": "Recommended for making behavioral economics accessible and challenging accepted truths.",
          "audience": "Readers without an economics background.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156236,
          "author": "mikesabat",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T14:51:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156236",
          "commentText": "I'm on a streak of reading Neuromarketing/behavioral economic type books. \n1. Predictably irrational is particularly good. Especially the first half. \n2. The Confidence Game explains the steps of how con trick people to fool themselves. \n3. Buyology is very focused on purchases/retail. \n4. Brainfluence. I'm halfway through it. Mostly bite-sized chapters  and it's similar to Buyology, but I prefer this book.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Predictably irrational is particularly good. Especially the first half.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it particularly good, especially its first half.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter singles out the first half as especially good.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10325295,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T20:47:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325295",
          "commentText": "http://jakeseliger.com/2010/03/22/influential-books-on-me-that-is\n\nSome good stuff there indeed.  The Game, Predictably Irrational, The Mating Mind, and Lord of the Rings stand out to me as excellent suggestions.  I'm just now starting book 12 of Jordan's Wheel of Time series, and while I've enjoyed it so far, I'm not sure I'd cite it as \"thought provoking\".  Entertaining, yes, and certainly worth reading, but the series doesn't stand out to me in that way.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Game, Predictably Irrational, The Mating Mind, and Lord of the Rings stand out to me as excellent suggestions.",
          "reason": "Calls it an excellent suggestion from the linked list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10234683,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T17:14:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10234683",
          "commentText": "I would recommend the following\nThinking Fast and Slow\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thinking,_Fast_and_Slow\nPredictably Irrational: \nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predictably_Irrational\nInfluence:\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Cialdini#Theory_of_infl... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Cialdini#Theory_of_influence)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Predictably Irrational:",
          "reason": "Included in a list of recommendations in response to a request for sales books or videos.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10028164,
          "author": "mildredmorgan",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T18:18:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10028164",
          "commentText": "I love \"Predictably Irrational\" by Dan Ariely and \"Influence\" by Robert Cialdini, both fascinating reads about how the mind works that yield useful insights for UI design and marketing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I love \"Predictably Irrational\" by Dan Ariely",
          "reason": "The commenter says they love it and describes it as a fascinating read with useful insights.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in how the mind works, UI design, or marketing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9649287,
          "author": "blabla_blublu",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-02T21:55:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 9636361,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9649287",
          "commentText": "[1] Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely (almost through with this one - highly recommend it)\n[2] Quantum Enigma by Bruce Rosenblum, et.al",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "highly recommend it",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401304,
          "author": "darrennix",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:03:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401304",
          "commentText": "Just finished: \nReady Player One and\nThe Riftwar Saga (both very enjoyable)\nReading: Predictably Irrational (more substance than most business books I've read)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "more substance than most business books I've read",
          "reason": "The commenter says it has more substance than most business books they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107038,
          "author": "khc",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:47:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107038",
          "commentText": "Poor Economics - Abhijit Banerjee & Esther Duflo\nThinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman\nThe Signal and The Noise - Nate Silver\nPredictably Irrational - Dan Ariely\nThis Time is Different - Carmen Reinhart & Kenneth Rogoff\nSubliminal - Leonard Mlodinow\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Taleb\nFor something more lighthearted, I also enjoyed:\nAn Economist Gets Lunch - Tyler Cowen\nInside Jokes - Matthew Hurley & others\n(mostly skipped the dense parts)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Predictably Irrational - Dan Ariely",
          "reason": "Listed among books offered in response to the favorite-books request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3990212,
          "author": "steventruong",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-18T03:12:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3990212",
          "commentText": "I think you meant Predictably Irrational. I haven't heard of Practical Irrationality.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I think you meant Predictably Irrational. I haven't heard of Practical Irrationality.",
          "reason": "Corrects the title; offers no evaluation or recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395662,
          "author": "joshz",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T13:19:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395662",
          "commentText": "The one I've enjoyed the most, was probably \"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman\" but additionally read a couple that kept being mentioned on here:\n* A Random Walk Down Wall Street\n* Predictably Irrational\n* Black Swan\n* Blink\nand enjoyed those too. I've also read \"How To Make Friends and Influence People\" and started \"Lords of Finance\" but never finished.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and enjoyed those too.",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed this book, listed among several they read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2095421,
          "author": "fakelvis",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-12T08:10:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2095421",
          "commentText": "Of the twenty-three books I read in 2010, these seven really stand out:\n- Predictably Irrational. Everyone here knows this book, right? It had been on my reading list for too long, and I'm glad I eventually managed to read it. Much more enjoyable that I expected it to be, even given the fact that much of the material is well-known already. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predictably_Irrational\n- Longitude follows John Harrison's fascinating, painful and lengthy quest to win the Longitude Prize by creating a clock that was accurate enough to determine longitude at sea. Dava Sobel is a great writer and makes this topic totally engaging (aside: Sobel started her writing career as a technical writer at IBM). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longitude_%28book%29\n- Bad Science is Ben Goldacre's essential and extensive criticism of the media's health care reportage and of various health-related issues (vaccinations, placebos, etc.). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Science_%28book%29\n- Sum has had a fair bit of press over the last few months. It's a collection of forty stories on the afterlife, by David Eagleman. It's a novel exercise in philosophy, and I thoroughly enjoyed five or six of the stories. It's a very creative and original book (and short, too) and is a good lesson in constrained thinking.\n- The PayPal Wars is the story of PayPal's early years from the viewpoint of former PayPal marketing executive, Eric Jackson. I found it a riveting read on the trials and tribulations of a startup in a difficult market. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_PayPal_Wars\n- Made to Stick is interesting in many ways (such as marketing, psychology and rhetoric, to name a few) and is extremely well-written. Chip and Dan Heath really know their subject and explain how to make ideas or concepts memorable in this captivating book. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Made_to_Stick Tip: Read the extensive excerpts on the official website — http://www.madetostick.com/excerpts/ — and, if you enjoy them, read the full book.\n- Lolita is one of those books everyone knows about, even if they haven't read it. I decided to sit down with this beast of a book and am glad I did. It's a great story and will really get your moral cogs ticking over. As well as that, Nabokov has an amazing way with the English language, and from very near the beginning I become a lifelong fan of his style. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lolita",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Much more enjoyable that I expected it to be, even given the fact that much of the material is well-known already.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was more enjoyable than expected.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that much of the material was already well known.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1465541,
          "author": "pragmatic",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T14:57:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1465541",
          "commentText": "I might recommend some behavioral finance: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavioral_economics.  Predictably Irrational is good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Predictably Irrational is good.",
          "reason": "Described as good and suggested alongside behavioral finance.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1464990,
          "author": "NeilCJames",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T05:21:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1464990",
          "commentText": "For an overview of mainstream modern econ, if you read nothing else, read Naked Economics by Charles Wheelan. For a good introduction to the major economic schools of thought check out Economics as Religion by Robert Nelson (he has written a new one on the same subject that I haven't yet read). To get into behavioral economics, I'd recommend Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely and The Winner's Curse by Richard Thaler.\nTread carefully, there is a lot of polemic posing as economics on bookstore shelves.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "To get into behavioral economics, I'd recommend Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely",
          "reason": "Recommended as a way to get into behavioral economics.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in behavioral economics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227156,
          "author": "MikeCapone",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T18:20:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227156",
          "commentText": "A few that I've read recently and liked:\nPredictably Irrational by Dan Ariely\nMostly about cognitive biases. Helps you think better by knowing your shortcomings.\nWhole Earth Discipline by Stewart Brand\nAbout protecting the environment, but with interesting takes on nuclear power, GMOs, cities and slums, etc.\nGood Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes\nMade me re-think a lot of things about food. Despite the \"pop-science\" title, this is a well researched book that looks at countless studies from the past 150 years.\nAmerican Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheier by Martin Sherwin and Kai Bird\nA biography of Robert Oppenheimer. Fascinating man.\nThe Blank Slate by Steven Pinker\nA must read. Evolutionary psychology.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A few that I've read recently and liked:",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter has read and liked; described as helping readers think better about cognitive biases.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227112,
          "author": "MichaelGG",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T18:01:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227112",
          "commentText": "Predictably Irrational is just a \"popular\" summarized version of work in this area of psychology. If you like it, consider looking at some of the work by Daniel Kahneman:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Heuristics-Biases-Psychology-Intuitive... (http://www.amazon.com/Heuristics-Biases-Psychology-Intuitive-Judgment/dp/0521796792/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269885519&sr=8-1)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Predictably Irrational is just a \"popular\" summarized version of work in this area of psychology.",
          "reason": "Described as a popular summary of research in psychology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment implies that the book summarizes work in the field rather than presenting it in depth.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226975,
          "author": "pyronicide",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T17:14:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226975",
          "commentText": "Here are some books that are a mix of psychology and economics that I think are especially suited for HN:\nBehavioral Economics:\n  Predictably Irrational - Dan Ariely\n  Nudge - Richard Thaler\n  Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard - Chip and Dan Heath\n\nEconomics:\n  The Black Swan: Impact of the Highly Improbable - Nassim Taleb\n  Fooled by Randomness - Nassim Taleb\n  Drunkard's Walk - Leonard Mlodinow\n\nPsychology:\n  Opening Skinner's Box - Lauren Slater\n\nManagement:\n  The Education of a Coach - David Halberstam",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Predictably Irrational - Dan Ariely",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226892,
          "author": "RyanMcGreal",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:46:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226892",
          "commentText": "Some recent engaging reads:\n* Dan Ariely, Predictably Irrational\n* Christopher McDougall, Born to Run\n* Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers\n* Jeb Brugman, Welcome to the Urban Revolution\n* Richard Florida, Who's Your City?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dan Ariely, Predictably Irrational",
          "reason": "Included among recent engaging reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026869,
          "author": "zackattack",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T06:14:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026869",
          "commentText": "Gangleader for a Day - Sudhir Venkatesh's illuminating story about the housing projects, crack gangs and community dynamics of south side chicago in the '90s.\nPredictably Irrational - Dan Ariely explains a lot of the idiosyncracies in everyday human behavior\nThoughts Without a Thinker - Mark Epstein's enjoyable tale about buddhism and psychotherapy\nWorst:\nSuperFreakonomics - Superficial, poorly written, overly patriotic cocktail party factoids",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dan Ariely explains a lot of the idiosyncracies in everyday human behavior",
          "reason": "The commenter says it explains many quirks of everyday human behavior.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026759,
          "author": "joe_bleau",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T04:13:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026759",
          "commentText": "Influence, \nPredictably Irrational, \nFooled by Randomness, \nThe Blank Slate, \nHouse of Cards, \nand Planar Microwave Engineering come to mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Predictably Irrational,",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for great books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 191784,
          "author": "coglethorpe",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-16T14:12:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=191784",
          "commentText": "1. \"The Wisdom of Crowds\" by James Surowiecki\n2. \"Predictably Irrational\" by Dan Ariely\n3. \"The Search\" by John Battelle\n4. \"Made to Stick\" by Chip Heath and Dan Heath\n5. \"The Tipping Point\" by Malcolm Gladwell\nThat should cover your trip. I've listened to all of them and really liked all of them.  \"Blink\" by Gladwell is also good, but not as business related.\nI would love to hear any other suggestions people have in this category.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Predictably Irrational\" by Dan Ariely",
          "reason": "Included in a list of suggested audiobooks; the commenter says they listened to and liked all the listed titles.",
          "audience": "Listeners interested in business related books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Ariely"
      ],
      "recommenders": 21,
      "threads": 16,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Economics",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "behavioral economics",
        "decision making",
        "cognitive biases"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-bible-e95aaa",
      "title": "The Bible",
      "author": "Various authors",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43612524,
          "author": "AnimalMuppet",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T15:20:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43612524",
          "commentText": "The Bible.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bible.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36433866,
          "author": "HarrisonForest",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T15:40:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36433866",
          "commentText": "The Bible; I know people usually assume it means I'm religious, but that's simply not the case. It's an interesting book in its own right, and it has had the most meaningful contribution to my life because it's one of the most influential books of all time. Reading it grants one better insight into art, cinema, literature, music, etc. etc. etc. Even creations that disagree with it have been influenced by it - obviously, since they disagree with it - so reading it allows you to understand why someone disliked the book. You also expand your vocabulary by reading it. And the stories in it are generally very interesting; it has its dry parts obviously.\nI believe it's the most bang for your buck, or I guess bang per number of pages.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bible; I know people usually assume it means I'm religious, but that's simply not the case.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it for understanding its influence on art and culture, expanding vocabulary, and enjoying its stories.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it has dry parts and clarifies that reading it does not mean they are religious.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33804041,
          "author": "alfor",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T17:22:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33804041",
          "commentText": "Bible as an atheist (with Jordan Peterson biblical lecture on youtube as an introduction)\nWe live a story and to make society work that story has to be shared.\nThe goal of life would be to be in self-sacrifice in service of truth and love, in a sense it’s similar to the stoic philosophy but with more dept.\nSo much of our humans problems and pitfalls are outlined perfectly, but we have to find a way to read it without prejudice, with the intention of discovering what we don’t know.\nThere is a deeper meaning than the bearded magician in the sky, but it’s a process for a scientifically minded person to be open to what is there (we have been taught that it’s a bunch of lies and superstitions)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bible as an atheist (with Jordan Peterson biblical lecture on youtube as an introduction)",
          "reason": "The commenter describes reading it with an open, scientifically minded approach to find deeper meaning.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter identifies as an atheist and recommends a lecture as an introduction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33619401,
          "author": "zentr1c",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-16T05:52:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33619401",
          "commentText": "I choose atheism when 16 and rediscovered religion at 35. How? whats the difference between a religion and believing in atheism, psychology, social science? in this sense i overcame atheism and started looking at the interesting concepts of religions, introduced geografically and sequentially in time. naturally i decided to dig deeper in my cultures religion at hand instead of idealising the grass is greener far away. my conclusion is that sciences and religions is just a approach to understand and model the world. it would be stupid to ignore the knowledge embeeded in both and there are wrong conclusions embedded that are not easy to identify in both. maybe it seems easier to identify them with! science but still social \"science\" nowadays seems to me not much more like a new cult trying new approaches challenging thousand year old cults and knowledge embedded in their religion. Like a kid who challenges the parents. In the end it's a natural selection process that will decide what knowledge / models survive through  time. Isn't it a beautiful creation process. No need to condemn either approach. The Bible teaches, you shouldnt use gods name in vain. Exodus 20:7. Isnt it true for science, too?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Bible teaches, you shouldnt use gods name in vain.",
          "reason": "Cites the Bible's teaching about using God's name in vain.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936496,
          "author": "memling",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T09:13:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936496",
          "commentText": "> The Bible is not exactly .. readable?\nI can appreciate why people might say this, but modern translations are not that hard, and large parts are narrative and relatively straightforward. Probably a bit of an explainer is helpful, just like any other major work of literature.\nAs to whether OP would find it worthwhile reading, that obviously depends. But as others point out it is the most important book in shaping Western civilization as we know it...so there is probably some value.\nOn that subject Luc Ferry's Brief History of Thought has perspectives on several major thought streams. I don't know how accessible it is, but when I read it a few years ago, I found it reasonable, and I don't know much about philosophy.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it is the most important book in shaping Western civilization as we know it...so there is probably some value.",
          "reason": "Sees value in reading it for its influence on Western civilization.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Whether it is worthwhile depends on the reader; an explainer may help.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936375,
          "author": "Ligma123",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T08:54:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936375",
          "commentText": "You're not meant to read it like a regular book, front to back, like it's a romance or text book.\nIs something you're meant to read through out your life, not in one sitting.\n>then what\nwhat what?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You're not meant to read it like a regular book, front to back",
          "reason": "Says it should be read over a lifetime rather than in one sitting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29818761,
          "author": "omosubi",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-06T03:05:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29818761",
          "commentText": "Agreed - like it or not it's the foundation of our civilization and not having read it is more of a hindrance than anything",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Agreed - like it or not it's the foundation of our civilization",
          "reason": "Agrees with the parent comment's recommendation to read the Christian Bible.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter acknowledges that opinions about it may differ.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29815741,
          "author": "wchandler",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-05T22:08:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29815741",
          "commentText": "Read the Christian Bible. Even if you are not religious its worthwhile to read it from cover to cover.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read the Christian Bible.",
          "reason": "Recommends reading it cover to cover, including for nonreligious readers.",
          "audience": "Nonreligious readers are explicitly included.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27637863,
          "author": "leephillips",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T00:24:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27637863",
          "commentText": "I have no interest in the “god” concept and I think the Bible is the most overrated book around. Also, I know it’s bad form to talk about comment voting, and I’ve never done it before. But I saw the greyed-out vanitas comment and gave it my upvote to undo a bit of the damage. I mean, come on.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I think the Bible is the most overrated book around.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the Bible overrated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23476867,
          "author": "2rsf",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-10T13:38:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23476867",
          "commentText": "If you are into that, try learning Hebrew and join a Rabbi there are endless books and discussion interpreting the bible.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "interpreting the bible.",
          "reason": "Suggests studying Hebrew and joining a rabbi for ongoing biblical interpretation.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in biblical interpretation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23476814,
          "author": "hwj",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-10T13:32:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23476814",
          "commentText": "Bible.\nEven rereading the same chapter sometimes makes me discover something a wasn't aware of when reading the text before.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bible.",
          "reason": "The commenter notices things they missed on earlier readings.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467533,
          "author": "xamuel",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:35:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467533",
          "commentText": "The Bible (technically working on my 2nd cover-to-cover readthrough, but have read individual books in it many times, especially the Gospel of Matthew).\nAll of Kafka's novels, but especially \"The Castle\".\nSeveral of PKD's novels: \"The Man in the High Castle\", \"Through a Scanner Darkly\", \"Ubiq\"\n\"The Silmarillion\" (when I was a young adult)\nDouglas Adams' \"Dirk Gentley's Holistic Detective Agency\" (when I was a teenager)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bible (technically working on my 2nd cover-to-cover readthrough, but have read individual books in it many times, especially the Gospel of Matthew).",
          "reason": "Reports a second cover-to-cover read and repeated reading of individual books, especially Matthew.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337561,
          "author": "veddox",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T12:01:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337561",
          "commentText": "Yeah, you chose one of the absolute worst passages for that ;-)\nI read the Bible every day, a habit that is very important to me. But I don't just \"pick specific passages I like\", I take a book and read it through sequentially, then move on to the next. I find much of it intensely practical and applicable to my life; it challenges, comforts and teaches me. Of course, some parts are of a more historical interest, yet others (like the one you quote) can be really tough to make sense of. But I believe that the Bible is one of the main ways in which God communicates with people, so I want to read and think about all of it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read the Bible every day, a habit that is very important to me.",
          "reason": "Says it is practical and applicable to life, and that it challenges, comforts, and teaches them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some parts are of more historical interest; others can be tough to make sense of.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168734,
          "author": "joobus",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:41:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168734",
          "commentText": "The Bible",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bible",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17049151,
          "author": "rgbrenner",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T17:23:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17049151",
          "commentText": "this definitely depends on where you are. In the US, 1 in 4 are evangelical [0].. and 24% believe the bible is the literal word of god [1].\n0. Pew paper, no longer available.. so wayback machine: https://web.archive.org/web/20090304020453/http://pewforum.o... (https://web.archive.org/web/20090304020453/http://pewforum.org/publications/surveys/green-full.pdf)\nThere's probably more up to date poll on this somewhere though.\n1. http://news.gallup.com/poll/210704/record-few-americans-beli... (http://news.gallup.com/poll/210704/record-few-americans-believe-bible-literal-word-god.aspx)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "24% believe the bible is the literal word of god",
          "reason": "Mentions survey results about belief in the Bible's literal truth.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17048672,
          "author": "react_burger38",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T16:31:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17048672",
          "commentText": "I recommend the Book of Mormon as it is one of the most introspective books you can find.\nIt comes across much clearer than many other religious books like the Bible (even though the Bible I recommend as well) because it has a common narrator who fills in the gaps for you and helps you understand the links between stories.\nIt also is fairly scientific in its premise-- if you do an experiment by reading some of it and asking God if it is true, you can receive an answer from God if you ask Him sincerely and are willing to act upon the answer you receive. See Moroni 10:3-5 [1]\nThe Book of Mormon also answers questions like why am I here? [2]\nand where am I going after I die? [3]\nA key idea of the Book of Mormon that is reflected many times is the cycle of \"pride\", where a group of people first humbles themselves, then prospers, then becomes prideful and makes poor choices, forgets love for others, and then falls, then causing the people to humble themselves again and repeat the cycle.\nOverall I heartily recommend this book. Reading it will make you feel great.\n[1] https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/moro/10?lang=eng\n[2] https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/2?lang=eng\n[3] https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/alma/40?lang=eng",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "because it has a common narrator who fills in the gaps for you and helps you understand the links between stories.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the Bible as well, while comparing it unfavorably with the Book of Mormon's narrative clarity.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in religious reflection.",
          "caveat": "Says it is less clear than the Book of Mormon.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17048386,
          "author": "WhompingWindows",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T16:02:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17048386",
          "commentText": "You're a practicing Christian, I don't know many, can you indulge my curiosity? Do you believe in the literal truth of the bible, creationism, the big bang? I am a scientist and I doubt I'd ever be convinced to follow a religion whose followers believe in some stories and myths that are essentially anti-scientific. I don't mean to be harsh or barbed, I'm just saying I'd view the book as a mythological artifact from 2000 years ago, and not set of morals for viewing the world, especially when that set of morals includes stoning adulterers or not wearing a diverse set of fabrics in my clothes. Maybe it's possible to pick and choose things like be kind to others, golden rule, don't focus on possessions and wealth, focus on making good. But how is that exclusive to the Christian faith? To me, I find those moral goods very easy to employ with absolutely no faith in the less credible activities going on in the bible.\nI hope this a not mean response, I just view the Bible as an inherently different document than most Christians, I think, and I want to establish dialogue outside of my little bubble.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I just view the Bible as an inherently different document than most Christians",
          "reason": "Discusses the Bible skeptically, describing it as a mythological artifact and questioning its morals.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416898,
          "author": "anotherarray",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T23:14:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416898",
          "commentText": "The Bible provides a solid moral background for a very successful career in the long-term.\nI'd ask material atheists to go beyond the realms of Genesis and focus on the true revolutions it has brought about. Go ahead and read about Rene Girard.\n\"Thou shall not covet or kill\" is not a self-evident concept for Humanity.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bible provides a solid moral background for a very successful career in the long-term.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a source of moral grounding for a successful career.",
          "audience": "Readers considering the Bible's moral and historical influence.",
          "caveat": "Suggests going beyond Genesis and reading about René Girard.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12250883,
          "author": "eitland",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T21:07:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12250883",
          "commentText": "The former has stood multiple tests of time and is my number one as well.\nAlso, FWIW, while Harry Potter is complete fiction, the former is at least partly a history lesson as well.\nThat said, I enjoyed both and I think some concepts are easier to grasp in Harry Potter.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Also, FWIW, while Harry Potter is complete fiction, the former is at least partly a history lesson as well.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is partly a history lesson and that they enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as only partly a history lesson.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12250450,
          "author": "bjourne",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T19:57:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12250450",
          "commentText": "The Bible. Probably has impacted the society I live in more than any other book and society in turn has impacted me. It's well-worth reading for a lot of reasons.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bible. Probably has impacted the society I live in more than any other book and society in turn has impacted me. It's well-worth reading for a lot of reasons.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is well worth reading and influential in society.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12146699,
          "author": "gregn",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T20:56:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12146699",
          "commentText": "Pretty sad this got flagged. Honestly, I would flag the Bible before it. I think I understand your reasoning. While I don't agree with it, it's no worse than Ayn Rand or Timothy Ferris.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I would flag the Bible before it.",
          "reason": "Says they would flag it, in comparison with the book being discussed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Comparison is made in a disagreement about flagging.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348299,
          "author": "humanarity",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:37:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348299",
          "commentText": "Meditations (Marcus Aurelius) - incredibly clear ideas probably clear-up 80% of issues you have with everyday life\nThe Bible (& The Gnostic Gospels) - I love the idea that Jesus was a real guy who (literally) petrified his childhood playmates because they \"vexed\" him by dispersing his anti-gravity water :)\nAtlas Shrugged - no excuses\nSelf and Others - personal pyschology\nSeth Speaks - a lady channels an interdimensional being\nThe Road Less Travelled - a psychoanalyst's memoirs\nLetters to a Young Artist - encouragement for going your own way, a series of letters\nThe Alchemist - help you read the signs from the heart of the World for your own path\nAn Introduction to Zen Buddhism, et al (T. Suzuki) - really interesting, non-duality, higher third unification of opposites\nHear the Wind Sing (Murakami) - really bizarre and pure, his first one written late nights at kitchen table after working in a bar, before he became famous\nRich Dad Poor Dad - solid advice\nDiscrete Maths (Rosen) - interesting and very learnable, a great reference\nAn Imaginary Life (Malouf) - great clarity of writing\nThe Solid Mandala (Patrick White) - amazing observation of people",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Bible (& The Gnostic Gospels) - I love the idea that Jesus was a real guy",
          "reason": "The commenter says they love the idea of Jesus as a real historical person.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6938875,
          "author": "dougk7",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-19T23:51:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 6921805,
          "threadTitle": "What book has inspired you the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6938875",
          "commentText": "The Bible\nHow to win friends and influence people\nThe Alchemist\nThe Charisma Myth",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bible",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that inspired the reader.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395244,
          "author": "jasondrowley",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T09:20:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395244",
          "commentText": "I'm going to be on the receiving end of a great deal of vitriol for saying The Bible and the Koran, but sitting down and reading those two books—for the first time in my 21-year existence—was a really interesting experience.\nI'm not going to turn this into a personal essay. I realized—after reading both books with a critical eye—that there are a lot of trumped-up claims made about each books' contents that ultimately fail to bear themselves out. But there's a great deal to learn from each, and I say this as a nontheist.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Bible and the Koran, but sitting down and reading those two books—for the first time in my 21-year existence—was a really interesting experience.",
          "reason": "Reading it was described as a really interesting experience, with a great deal to learn.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter read it with a critical eye and identifies as a nontheist.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971456,
          "author": "smallhands",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T11:33:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971456",
          "commentText": "the holy bible i mean all de answers are there in black and white for questions like how 2 run a sucessfully enterprise to personal stuff",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the holy bible",
          "reason": "Offered as a source of answers about running an enterprise and personal matters.",
          "audience": "People seeking guidance on business and personal questions.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56777,
          "author": "Kaizyn",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T07:44:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56777",
          "commentText": "1) Musashi's Book of Five Rings\n2) Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People\n3) Machaivelli's The Prince\n4) Sun-Tzu's The Art of War\n5) Hayakawa's Language in Thought and Action\n6) Steven Johnson's Emergence\n7) Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel\n8) Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything\n9) Mark Buchanan's Nexus\n10) C. S. Lewis's The Problem of Pain\nTaken together, these books cover just about everything there is to know about the sciences, about human history, human nature and how to understand and communicate effectively with other people.  Only one other book besides these needs to be studied/read: The Bible.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Only one other book besides these needs to be studied/read: The Bible.",
          "reason": "Says it is the one other book that needs to be read.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a foundational religious text.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 21,
      "threads": 16,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christianity",
        "religion",
        "scripture",
        "religious text"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-master-and-margarita-35ea4a",
      "title": "The Master and Margarita",
      "author": "Mikhail Bulgakov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46400087,
          "author": "constantinum",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T08:03:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46400087",
          "commentText": "- Permutation City — Greg Egan\n- She Said — Jodi Kantor & Megan Twohey\n- Conclave — Robert Harris\n- First You Write a Sentence — Joe Moran\n- Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine — Gail Honeyman\n- The Master and Margarita — Mikhail Bulgakov\nMore books here -> https://pastebin.com/XVeacpHM",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Master and Margarita — Mikhail Bulgakov",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41775421,
          "author": "dagw",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-08T09:44:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41775421",
          "commentText": "It's 'obscure' in the sense that something like To Kill a Mockingbird is 'obscure' (The only reason I know it is due to the prevalence of US pop-culture and it being referenced there). Sure everybody in the US probably knows about it and many read it in school, but outside of the US it's pretty rare to meet someone who has read it. I'd be willing to bet a lot more people in Europe have read The Master and Maragrita than To Kill a Mockingbird for example.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "a lot more people in Europe have read The Master and Maragrita than To Kill a Mockingbird",
          "reason": "Used as a comparison for how familiar a book is in Europe versus the US.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40878238,
          "author": "slibhb",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-04T21:35:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40878238",
          "commentText": "I've never really felt like Kafka seems to have and I read a lot, mostly novels. For what it's worth, I don't love Kafka's novels: I think he wanted them burned for a reason -- they're meandering failures. Very clever but they don't go anywhere. His short stories, though, are excellent.\nOff the top of my head, the most moving books I've read are The First Circle, any long Dostoevsky novel, The Master and Margarita, The Tartar Steppe, any Elena Ferrante, any Cormac McCarthy, some Murakami (Ryu and Haruki), Gene Wolf (The Book of the New Sun), 2666, parts of Moby Dick, any Alice Munro. All well known \"good books\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Master and Margarita",
          "reason": "Includes it among the commenter’s most moving books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27630948,
          "author": "beckingz",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T14:09:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27630948",
          "commentText": "Going to be reading:\n- Staff Engineer\n- Thinking in Systems: a Primer\n- Team Topologies\nAnd for fiction:\n- The Master and Margarita\nMight re-read peopleware again as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Master and Margarita",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22721896,
          "author": "elliotpo",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T19:31:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22721896",
          "commentText": "it's a fantastic book, philosophical and silly, beautiful and funny and sad, & arguably made more moving by the fact that bulgakov left it in a drawer when he died, broke and obscure. it's one of my all time favorite books and perfect for rn. sidenote, here's a pretty (non-spoiler-y) animation that someone made about it:\n https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BrA-XHXZ07E",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's a fantastic book, philosophical and silly, beautiful and funny and sad",
          "reason": "Praises the book and describes its tone; the reply context identifies it as The Master and Margarita.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter recommends looking for a translation with plenty of footnotes because historical context matters.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22719688,
          "author": "hprotagonist",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T15:20:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22719688",
          "commentText": "The burgin and o’connor translation is by far the most excellent english version.\nchapter end-notes that tell you all the soviet jokes you missed.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The burgin and o’connor translation is by far the most excellent english version.",
          "reason": "Recommends the Burgin and O'Connor translation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22719246,
          "author": "hprotagonist",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T14:28:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22719246",
          "commentText": "see my nick, but in addition to stephenson, the books i come back to over and over again for comfort and wisdom include:\n- Lord of the Rings: The other bible. Not even the very wise can see all ends; be of good cheer.\n- A Wrinkle In Time: 9 year old me, there is such a thing as a tesseract, and there is also Mrs. Beast.\n- The Master and Margarita: apocalyptic reading from someone who knew, and a cat who always pays his way.\n- the Discworld series: Sir Terry knew our hearts better than most, and sin, young feller, is treatin’ people as things.\n- If On A Winter’s Night, A Traveler: a perfect joke that you can tell once, plus a love story.\n- Good Omens: Gaiman and Pratchett team up, what’s not to love?\n- Moby Dick: And so the universal thump is passed round, and all hands should rub each other’s shoulder-blades, and be content.\n- Lucky Jim: grad school, a survival guide. Come in on the fa la la las, there’s a good chap.\nThis doesn’t include poetry, which is also in my head constantly.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Master and Margarita: apocalyptic reading from someone who knew, and a cat who always pays his way.",
          "reason": "Lists it among books the commenter returns to for comfort and wisdom.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21805646,
          "author": "trenning",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T18:34:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21805646",
          "commentText": "I've seen The Master & Margarita mentioned a few times in this thread and for anyone who might pick it up, you'll want to familiarize yourself with popular historical Christian names and events first.\nI was not raised Catholic and was a bit lost reading through some of it because I had no idea who some of the characters were or what the references meant. Made for some fun conversations with my girlfriend who read it first and was familiar with all those names and their historical context.\nIt was a fun book to read though. Got a bit boring for a while but the ending is great so I'm glad I stuck with it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It was a fun book to read though. Got a bit boring for a while but the ending is great so I'm glad I stuck with it.",
          "reason": "Enjoyed the book overall and thought the ending was great.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy literary fiction and can benefit from historical context about Christianity.",
          "caveat": "Some references may be confusing without familiarity with historical Christian names and events; parts felt boring.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21805184,
          "author": "jbn",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:55:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21805184",
          "commentText": "I, for one, found it unbearable to read. I wouldn't recommend it. Maybe someone with the right background and who can read it in the original language could find some appreciation for it. I did not, but YMMV.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I, for one, found it unbearable to read. I wouldn't recommend it.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it unbearable and advises against it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They suggest someone with the right background and access to the original language might appreciate it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20334222,
          "author": "stepvhen",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T12:09:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20334222",
          "commentText": "i actually just finished reading it last night. probably one of the best bits of fiction ive read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "i actually just finished reading it last night. probably one of the best bits of fiction ive read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of the best works of fiction they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20333865,
          "author": "rdeboo",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T10:55:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20333865",
          "commentText": "I started reading \"The Master and Margarita\" this year after seeing this title pop up on HN so often. I could not finish it, I found it rather boring. I'm curious, am I the only one? What does everyone find so great about this book?",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I could not finish it, I found it rather boring.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they could not finish it and found it boring.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19089251,
          "author": "plants",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T20:08:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19089251",
          "commentText": "This is disappointing to hear, but to anyone who is deterred by this comment from reading it in English, don't be. Even in English, the book was undoubtedly one of the best books I have ever read. There's something about it that makes you go \"What happens next?!\" for all 400 odd pages of it, and before you know it, you're at the end. It's truly a masterpiece - Bulgakov spent 10 years writing the final version of the novel after burning his initial manuscript twelve years prior in 1928, but as you will come to learn, manuscripts don't burn ;)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the book was undoubtedly one of the best books I have ever read",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the best books they have read and praises its suspense and craftsmanship.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18663308,
          "author": "ivanmaeder",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:27:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663308",
          "commentText": "My highlights from this year:\n1. \"How to Measure Anything\" (Douglas Hubbard)\nPresents a few simple techniques (confidence intervals, Monte Carlo simulations, regression analysis, Bayes, etc) to help with decision-making. E.g., should we build this feature or spend the same money on marketing?\nI put it alongside \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" (Daniel Kahneman), \"Superforecasting\" (Philip Tetlock), \"The Art of Thinking Clearly\" (Rolf Dobelli), etc. These books explain how our thinking is often flawed; \"How to Measure Anything\" gives you some tools to avoid flawed thinking.\nNote: if you already know the math (a lot of people on HN would), you might not get that much out of it.\n2. \"Why We Sleep\" (Matthew Walker)\nAs I read this book I kept thinking about all the people I knew who would benefit from it: family and friends whom I want to have healthy happy lives, managers who believe that they'll get more out of people by pushing them to work crazy hours… and lots of people who think they’ll get more out of themselves if they sleep less.\nWith references to studies, the book explains the different factors that influence sleep, what your body does during sleep and the different phases of sleep, how your body—mostly the brain—benefits, etc.\nFor days after reading it I kept telling friends about things I'd learnt from it. One of my favourite was how certain types of bird are able to sleep: they line themselves up in a row, with the birds on each end putting only half their brain to sleep. This way they can keep one of their eyes open—the one furthest to the end—so they can keep watch. Then after a while the birds on the end will turn around and sleep the other side of their brain.\nFascinating!\nMy only complaint is that it very rarely mentions the actual numbers behind studies. E.g., there might be a mention of a lack of sleep and an increased risk of diabetes or depression or heart attacks, but there's no reference to the amount the risks increase by.\n3. \"Shoe Dog\" (Phil Knight)\nThe story of Nike, told by the founder. I honestly don't care about Nike but that's not the takeaway—it's not about shoes or T-shirts or Michael Jordan. It's about a guy trying to keep a business alive: almost from day one there no let-up, the company is continually under threat.\nAlso the early employees are a really fun bunch.\n4. \"The Master and Margarita\" (Mikhail Bulgakov)\nFiction. It took me a while to warm up to this but I'm glad I stuck it out. I think the charm is in the language and the crazy mix of characters, the way religion is dealt with in a very human way; the tension, the fun…\nI really struggle to describe this book.\n5. \"Shantaram\" (David Gregory Roberts)\nFiction. I was looking for a book about India. I've never been, and I thought I might learn something and get a feeling of what it's like to be there.\nI didn't. Not in the same way that I could feel the heat in \"Heart of Darkness\" (Joseph Conrad) or the sun and the trees in \"From the Holy Mountain\" (William Dalrymple) or the weight of the world in \"Suttree\" (Cormac McCarthy).\nBut it's a good ride of a story.\n6. \"In Dreams Begin Responsibilities and Other Stories\" (Delmore Schwartz)\nI knew this book from university. And then a few weeks ago: I needed a break from the world of tech and productivity and work, and this did the trick. It is so far away from that. Think: creative types working on books and poems and plays during the depression, struggling, self-conscious, observant, talkative…",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'm glad I stuck it out. I think the charm is in the language and the crazy mix of characters",
          "reason": "The commenter is glad they persisted and praises its language, characters, and human treatment of religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It took the commenter a while to warm up to it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17384022,
          "author": "reducesuffering",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T23:26:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17384022",
          "commentText": "Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and Bulgakov's Master and Margarita are all renowned in the US. They pop up in this thread and in pop culture references like in Tron and Seinfeld.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Bulgakov's Master and Margarita",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a renowned book in the US.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17382170,
          "author": "defen",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T17:05:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17382170",
          "commentText": "I loved this book. Everyone has a different opinion on what the best translation is, so it’s worth briefly scanning a few different ones to see which you like best. I had a really hard time getting into the Ginsburg translation, but really enjoyed the Pevear/Volokhonsky one.\nAlso, this site: http://masterandmargarita.eu/en/ is a great resource if you’re not familiar with 1930s Soviet history and the Gospels (both canonical and apocryphal). Without knowledge of those things you won’t get nearly as much out of the book as you could.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved this book.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they loved the book and compares translations, while noting that background knowledge can deepen the experience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter found the Ginsburg translation hard to get into and says Soviet history and the Gospels help readers get more out of it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17381963,
          "author": "rixrax",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T16:27:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17381963",
          "commentText": "Agreed. A worthy read[1]\n[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Master_and_Margarita",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A worthy read",
          "reason": "Calls the book a worthy read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17381925,
          "author": "kjrose",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T16:19:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17381925",
          "commentText": "Yes. This book is fantastic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Yes. This book is fantastic.",
          "reason": "Clearly affirms the parent comment's praise of the named book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168677,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:31:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168677",
          "commentText": "I can't give just one, but here are a few that had a strong influence on me: \n\"12 Rules for Life\" by Jordan Peterson, \"Why Switzerland?\" Jonathan Steinberg, \"Little Book of Common Sense Investing\" by John C. Bogle, \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" by Butron Malkiel, \"Liberalismus\" by Ludwig von Mises, \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann, \"Walden\" by Henry David Thoreau, \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"A Treatise on Political Economy\" by Jean-Baptiste Say, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy\" by Joseph Alois Schumpeter, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"My Correct Views on Everything\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"The Captive Mind\" Czesław Miłosz, \"One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, \"The House of the Dead\" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, \"Conversations with an Executioner\" by Kazimierz Moczarski, \"Diary 1954\" by Leopold Tyrmand, \"The Master and Margarita\" by Mikhail Bulgakov, \"A World Apart: A Memoir of the Gulag\" by Gustaw Herling-Grudziński",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Master and Margarita\" by Mikhail Bulgakov",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a strong influence on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14479778,
          "author": "sthielen",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-04T03:39:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14479778",
          "commentText": "+1. An absolutely wonderful read. I've found myself constantly gifting copies. To anyone looking to purchase, the Alma Books[0] translation is the one I would recommend.\n[0] - https://www.amazon.com/Master-Margarita-Mikhail-Bulgakov/dp/... (https://www.amazon.com/Master-Margarita-Mikhail-Bulgakov/dp/1847492428/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1496547526&sr=1-6&keywords=master+and+margarita)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An absolutely wonderful read. I've found myself constantly gifting copies. To anyone looking to purchase, the Alma Books[0] translation is the one I would recommend.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a wonderful read, frequently gifts copies, and recommends the Alma Books translation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The endorsement of a specific translation is qualified to Alma Books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14478503,
          "author": "tjalfi",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T21:08:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478503",
          "commentText": "Autobiography/Memoirs:\n  Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! - Richard Feynman\n  What Do You Care What Other People Think? - Richard Feynman\n  Crime and Guilt: Stories - Ferdinand von Schirach\n\nFiction:\n  The Master and Margarita - Mikhail Bulgakov\n\nTechnical:\n  Bulldog: A Compiler for VLIW Architectures - John Ellis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Master and Margarita - Mikhail Bulgakov",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567953,
          "author": "madhadron",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T17:46:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567953",
          "commentText": "I separate my books into levels. Level 0 are the books that I reread steadily over the years (also the ones that I pack in my suitcase when I'm moving as opposed to shipping), so I'll just post that list here, in no particular order: 'Good Poems' edited by Garrison Keiller; 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen; 'Persuasion' by Jane Austen; Fitzgerald's translation of 'The Rubaiyat'; Ford Madox Ford's 'Parade's End'; Hafiz, 'The Gift'; Modesitt, 'Gravity Dreams'; Heinlein, 'Time Enough for Love'; Bulgakov, 'Master and Margarita'; 'Ovid in Love' (Guy Lee's translation of the Amores).\nI've been revisiting a lot of Le Guin's novellas ('The Found and the Lost' is a great collection) and Borges's stories since the election. They have been a source of great comfort.\nI find that I don't reread nonfiction. I'll reference something I remember in it, but I can't think of a work of nonfiction I've reread in the past few years.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bulgakov, 'Master and Margarita'",
          "reason": "Lists it among books reread steadily over the years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9683064,
          "author": "eveningcoffee",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-08T23:01:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9683064",
          "commentText": "This is \"a little\" off topic but I wanted to share experience. I have been lucky to have been seen Simon McBurney's interpretation of The Master and Margarita in the theatre. The tram scene with Pontius Pilate just blew me away.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Simon McBurney's interpretation of The Master and Margarita in the theatre",
          "reason": "Describes being deeply impressed by a stage interpretation of the novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The praise is for the stage interpretation, not explicitly for the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9676496,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T22:08:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9676496",
          "commentText": "Love that Bulgakov book (apparently the translation you pick matters a lot, but I wouldn't know, since my sister gave it to me as a gift).\nI like the Hesse book a lot, although the metaphor is more powerful to me than the book, which is probably not the first Hesse book I'd suggest.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Love that Bulgakov book",
          "reason": "Expresses affection for the book and comments that the translation can matter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The translation you pick apparently matters a lot.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674313,
          "author": "dikaiosune",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T12:07:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674313",
          "commentText": "The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov. The core story is one of stalinist Faust but the whole arc is much better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The core story is one of stalinist Faust but the whole arc is much better.",
          "reason": "Says the novel's full story is better than its Faust-like core suggests.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348359,
          "author": "carsongross",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:45:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348359",
          "commentText": "\"Orthodoxy\" - GK Chesterton\n\"The Abolition of Man\" - CS Lewis\n\"The Master and Margarita\" - Mikhail Bulgakov\n\"The Brothers Karamazov\" - Fyodor Dostoyevsky",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Master and Margarita\" - Mikhail Bulgakov",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3987855,
          "author": "yolesaber",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-17T16:50:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3987855",
          "commentText": "Petersburg is exactly what I wanted to read once school ends. All this CS and math work makes me want to just discorporate myself into a ridiculous, subjective work.\nWhich translation would you recommend?\nAlso, if you enjoyed the darker parts of The Master and Margarita, I highly recommend Blaise Cendras' Moravagine (http://www.amazon.com/Moravagine-York-Review-Books-Classics/... (http://www.amazon.com/Moravagine-York-Review-Books-Classics/dp/1590170636)).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "if you enjoyed the darker parts of The Master and Margarita",
          "reason": "Uses it as a comparison when recommending Moravagine.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoyed the darker parts of the novel.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3987214,
          "author": "mixonic",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-17T14:51:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3987214",
          "commentText": "I don't tend to read biz books, but recently I've read a ton of great Russian texts.\nThe Master & Margarita\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Master_and_Margarita\nGoethe's Faust & the story of Pontius Pilate retold in 1930s Russia. Really, I mean really damn good. Very readable.\nBooks 1 & 2 of The Gulag Archipelago\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gulag_Archipelago\nAn expansive history of the Soviet prison camp system, almost a folk history.\nPetersburg\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petersburg_%28novel%29\nThink Joyce writing about a revolutionary plot in the Petersburg of 1910-something, involving patricide and a time-bomb set for 24 hours from now. Yeah.\nThat and slowly working through Proust (book 5). I'm not sure if I really recommend it, but I'd be interested to hear thoughts from other smarty-pants HN people.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Really, I mean really damn good. Very readable.",
          "reason": "Calls it exceptionally good and very readable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2526794,
          "author": "m0nastic",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-08T21:51:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 2526568,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2526794",
          "commentText": "I'm not sure about \"essential reading\", but I like most anything besides Science Fiction or Fantasy (probably the opposite of most folks here)\nSome of my top choices would be:\nAnything by Bulgakov (Heart of a Dog and Master and Margerita are both pretty widely available in English)\nBerlin Stories by Christopher Isherwood\nBurmese Days by George Orwell\nCakes and Ale by Somerset Maugham\nColor of Summer by Reinaldo Arenas\nWilliwaw by Gore Vidal\nThe Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Master and Margerita",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s top choices.",
          "audience": "Readers who like fiction outside science fiction and fantasy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569555,
          "author": "anr",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T23:49:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569555",
          "commentText": "The Master and Margarita is very good, but you have to take care with which translation you pick up.\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Master_and_Margarita#Englis... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Master_and_Margarita#English_translations)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Master and Margarita is very good, but you have to take care with which translation you pick up.",
          "reason": "Calls it very good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Choose the translation carefully.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569030,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T20:52:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569030",
          "commentText": "Things you can easily read on the beach:\nA Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace.\nThe Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov.\nMedium Raw by Anthony Bourdain (but read Kitchen Confidential first if you haven't already).\nAlso recommend FiveBooks.com, which does interviews with various academics and \"thinkers\" each recommending 5 books on a particular subject. It's a bit slanted towards politics but has a fair bit of hard science as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov.",
          "reason": "Suggests it as an easy beach read.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a beach read.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mikhail Bulgakov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 21,
      "threads": 16,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Fantasy",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "satire",
        "russian literature",
        "magical realism",
        "satirical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "blood-meridian-b7f007",
      "title": "Blood Meridian",
      "author": "Cormac McCarthy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45292888,
          "author": "wara23arish",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-18T18:04:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 45283087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45292888",
          "commentText": "reading Blood Meridian now, honestly it just flows for me.\nI grew up reading arabic and sentences are just feel longer so maybe thats why Im not struggling with it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "reading Blood Meridian now, honestly it just flows for me.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book flows well for them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that others may find the sentences difficult, possibly due to their experience reading Arabic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38243788,
          "author": "fullstick",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T20:27:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38243788",
          "commentText": "Nonfiction:\n- Is Math Real? by Eugene Cheng\n- Here to There: Radio Wave Propagation by AARL\nFiction:\n- Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy\n- Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37160206,
          "author": "pallas_athena",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T11:51:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37160206",
          "commentText": "Since his death, I've been reading (or re-reading) all his books.\nRarely I have enjoyed so many books from a single author. I also think Blood Meridian is one the greatest books of all time.\nAccording to [1] \"his list of great novels stops at four: Ulysses, The Brothers Karamazov, The Sound and the Fury and his favorite, Moby-Dick\".\nThey all are a good addition to this thread.\n[1] https://web.archive.org/web/20140629023902/http://74.220.215... (https://web.archive.org/web/20140629023902/http://74.220.215.94/~davidkus/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=61:cormac-mccarthys-apocalypse-&catid=35:articles&Itemid=54)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also think Blood Meridian is one the greatest books of all time.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of the greatest books of all time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31985192,
          "author": "pramit",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-05T06:58:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31985192",
          "commentText": "Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. For the language and the story.\nThe Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. For the language and the story.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. For the language and the story.",
          "reason": "Named as a rereading choice for its language and story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29670075,
          "author": "dcolkitt",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T04:10:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29670075",
          "commentText": "Blood Meridian",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blood Meridian",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26594717,
          "author": "dfxm12",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-26T17:30:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26594717",
          "commentText": "Fiction, yes. I've recently read and recommend Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami (which in a way is a blend of sci fi and fantasy), Cannery Row by John Steinbeck, and Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut.\nOn Deck, I have Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy, Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "On Deck, I have Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy",
          "reason": "The commenter lists it as a book they plan to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24200901,
          "author": "smarri",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-18T16:42:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 24176902,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please suggest some good books you have read recently",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24200901",
          "commentText": "Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy and Letters to a Young Contrarian by Christopher Hitches. Both terrific writers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23156575,
          "author": "noufalibrahim",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T17:16:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23156575",
          "commentText": "Moby Dick and Blood Meridian both have a certain biblical feel to them which really hits hard. Can't say they were mind bending but both were nice trips.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Blood Meridian",
          "reason": "Says it has a biblical feel and was a nice trip to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it was not mind bending.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22094383,
          "author": "kkwteh",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T21:54:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22094383",
          "commentText": "Reminds me a bit of Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy, which is an incredible book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Reminds me a bit of Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy, which is an incredible book.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an incredible book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665397,
          "author": "dwags",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:47:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665397",
          "commentText": "I had to start it a couple different times - It is a hard read no doubt but truly truly worth it!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It is a hard read no doubt but truly truly worth it!",
          "reason": "Says the difficult read is truly worth continuing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a hard read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665060,
          "author": "billybatson",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:11:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665060",
          "commentText": "A Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley: Decent. I think this book would best be read in conjunction while working through a textbook. I will admit that it did do quite a bit to help relieve math anxiety, but the nature of the book is practicality.\nBrave New World by Aldous Huxley: A reread. A bit depressing considering the state of the world today. I found myself wondering which reality would be preferable.\nLetters to a Young Mathematician by Ian Stewart: Easy, but fruitful read. I've struggled a lot with math confidence, and this helped alleviate a lot of that.\nHow to Speak, How to Listen by Mortimer J. Adler: A lot of practical advice. My biggest takeaway was this: if it's worth talking about, even if the conversation sucks or the other person doesn't understand, any bit of advancement and understanding is worth the effort. Really helped me increase my patience when talking to people.\nQuack This Way by David Foster Wallace and Bryan Garner: Super useful and practical discussion between two lovers of language. I keep a copy with me at all times.\nThe Autobiography of Gucci Mane: Just a fun read while on vacation. \"If Gucci can do it, you can do it\".\nJesus' Son by Denis Johnson: A nice if brutal read. It was my first foray in DJ. I felt Cormac McCarthyish vibes.\nBlood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy: A classic. The Judge.\nThinking About Mathematics by Stuart Shapiro: Highly recommended for anyone interested in the philosophical questions of mathematics. Shapiro writes clearly, concisely, and in a manner that is easy to read.\nThe Liars' Club by Mary Karr: Pretty great but brutal.\nThe Broom of the System by David Foster Wallace: I really enjoyed it. It's ode to Wittgenstein and it helped me cope with a lot of questions that I felt after studying LW.\nThe Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: I think we've all been in Werther's shoes. Though I hope that nobody comes to the same conclusion he came to.\nManage Your Day-To-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, & Sharpen Your Creative Mind: A pretty great book. I find myself writing a book report on it to make sure I internalize a lot of the lessons. If you're having trouble doing creative work while working, read this.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A classic. The Judge.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a classic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17381914,
          "author": "asimpletune",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T16:17:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17381914",
          "commentText": "Foreign:\n* Life: a users manual by George s Perec.\n* Too Loud a Solitude by Bohumil Hrabal\n* Auto-da-fe by Elias Canetti\nDomestic:\nThese are harder because I feel like they’re all pretty well known, but maybe they’re not actually read. Like, known bc people have heard the name, but are not read as much anymore.\n* Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson\n* Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon\n* Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy\nActually unknown (but super good) domestic:\n* Stuff by Larry McMurtry (only famous for lonesome dove)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy",
          "reason": "Includes it among domestic books that may be known by name but less often read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may be known by name but not read as much anymore.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337551,
          "author": "moretai",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T12:00:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337551",
          "commentText": "Blood Meridian is also worth a read. Very comforting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blood Meridian is also worth a read. Very comforting.",
          "reason": "Calls it worth reading and comforting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630495,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:35:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630495",
          "commentText": "Blood Meridian. Beautifully written. The violence of technological disruption as the central theme.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blood Meridian. Beautifully written. The violence of technological disruption as the central theme.",
          "reason": "Praises the writing and describes its central theme.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630260,
          "author": "mabub24",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:59:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630260",
          "commentText": "I've always had a soft spot for Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian. Here's what I wrote about it:\nBlood Meridian - Cormac McCarthy.\nWorth reading for the landscape descriptions alone, McCarthy transforms the American west into a hellscape of inhuman violence, savagery, and evil; and yet, it's a beautiful descent into madness.\nHis character of the Judge is as captivating as he is horrifying. Some choice quotes from him:\n> \"Whatever in creation exists without my knowledge exists without my consent.\"\n> \"War is the ultimate game because war is at last a forcing of the unity of existence. War is god.\"\n> \"Moral law is an invention of mankind for the disenfranchisement of the powerful in favor of the weak. Historical law subverts it at every turn. A moral view can never be proven right or wrong by any ultimate test. A man falling dead in a duel is not thought thereby to be proven in error as to his views. His very involvement in such a trial gives evidence of a new and broader view.\"\n> \"The freedom of birds is an insult to me. I'd have them all in zoos.\"\n> \"All progressions from a higher to a lower order are marked by ruins and mystery and a residue of nameless rage.\"\nJust be prepared for McCarthy's writing style if you decide to read him. He uses long sentences for effect; the long sentences where words seem to tumble over one another in an endless rush evokes movement and the distant horizon of the open desert as well as traditional oral ways of storytelling. His diction is also...archaic.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Worth reading for the landscape descriptions alone",
          "reason": "Recommends it for its landscape descriptions and vivid, haunting portrayal of violence.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "McCarthy's long sentences and archaic diction may take getting used to.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630216,
          "author": "mabub24",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:52:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630216",
          "commentText": "Blood Meridian - Cormac McCarthy.\nWorth reading for the landscape descriptions alone, McCarthy transforms the American west into a hellscape of inhuman violence, savagery, and evil; and yet, it's a beautiful descent into madness.\nHis character of the Judge is as captivating as he is horrifying. Some choice quotes from him:\n> \"Whatever in creation exists without my knowledge exists without my consent.\"\n> \"War is the ultimate game because war is at last a forcing of the unity of existence. War is god.\"\n> \"Moral law is an invention of mankind for the disenfranchisement of the powerful in favor of the weak. Historical law subverts it at every turn. A moral view can never be proven right or wrong by any ultimate test. A man falling dead in a duel is not thought thereby to be proven in error as to his views. His very involvement in such a trial gives evidence of a new and broader view.\"\n> \"The freedom of birds is an insult to me. I'd have them all in zoos.\"\n> \"All progressions from a higher to a lower order are marked by ruins and mystery and a residue of nameless rage.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blood Meridian - Cormac McCarthy.\nWorth reading for the landscape descriptions alone, McCarthy transforms the American west into a hellscape of inhuman violence, savagery, and evil; and yet, it's a beautiful descent into madness.",
          "reason": "Strongly praises its landscape descriptions, prose, and harrowing portrayal of violence and madness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes intense violence, savagery, and evil.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13804150,
          "author": "cgh",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:16:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804150",
          "commentText": "I'm not sure what \"fundamentally\" means in this context, but these certainly made a lasting impact upon my young mind:\nGodel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter\nDune by Frank Herbert\nPost Office by Charles Bukowski\nV. by Thomas Pynchon\nBlood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy\nPretty much everything by JL Borges",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a lasting impact on the commenter’s young mind.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567048,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T14:22:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567048",
          "commentText": "Most notably, Blood Meridian. It had probably been more than fifteen years since I last reread it. What was unusual was that as soon as I reread it, I turned around and reread it again.\n[edit] Among programming books: How to Design Programs...I've got a print copy. There's a lot of sophistication and relevant experience behind its programming fundamentals content (e.g. tests and documentation before (2002) tests and documentation became the new black).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Most notably, Blood Meridian.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12145642,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T18:30:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12145642",
          "commentText": "As a reader of books, one of the good things about growing older is that the books the younger version of myself read are books that this older version of myself hasn't and there is great pleasure in rereading the books the younger version of myself read as the older person I am.\nAnd that makes this exercise impossible for me. The books I would tell the younger version of myself to read wouldn't resonate the same way (or not at all) with that other person I used to be. Picking books that might have appealed to the younger version of myself accurately would mean picking the books I actually read -- e.g. The Fifth Discipline -- and not books that the younger version of myself tried to read but couldn't but that I read and recommend today: e.g. TAoCP.\nPart of the complexity is that the world in which I read books today is radically different from that of my younger self. Today I can get a MIX interpreter from the internet [1]...there's even help on StackOverflow. My younger self couldn't because even in the time when there was an internet bandwidth was low and Google didn't exist.\nLike I said it's great to pick up a good book and realize it is better than I remember when I remember it being really good, but it's hard to see how it could have been better for my younger self.\n1. Neuromancer\n2. Blood Meridian\n3. A Pattern Language\n[1]:https://apps.ubuntu.com/cat/applications/precise/mixal/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2. Blood Meridian",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11706297,
          "author": "nekopa",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-16T14:04:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11706297",
          "commentText": "That is an excellent, though fucking brutal book.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "That is an excellent, though fucking brutal book.",
          "reason": "Calls it excellent, while warning that it is brutal.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Fucking brutal.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11701626,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-15T16:55:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11701626",
          "commentText": "Reread Blood Meridian. The newness of good books twenty years later is one of the benefits of getting older.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Reread Blood Meridian. The newness of good books twenty years later is one of the benefits of getting older.",
          "reason": "The commenter frames rereading it as an example of the enduring freshness of good books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297799,
          "author": "roymurdock",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:56:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297799",
          "commentText": "Older Stuff: The Bible/Quran, The Republic (Plato), The Social Contract (Rousseau), Tao Te Ching (Laozi), Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky), History of the Peloponnesian War (Thucydides)\nNewer Stuff: Nine Stories (Salinger), The Razor's Edge (Maugham), Nausea (Sartre), Siddartha (Hesse), Road to Serfdom (Hayek), The Book (Watts), Design of Everyday Things (Norman), Atlas Shrugged (Rand), Invisible Man (Ellison), Debunking Economics (Keen), Blood Meridian (McCarthy), The Center Cannot Hold (Saks), This Time Is Different (Reinhart/Rogoff), Infinite Jest (Wallace), Calvin and Hobbes (Watterson)\nAll of these books are well written and have given me some perspective on interesting people/situations/ways of thinking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blood Meridian (McCarthy)",
          "reason": "Listed among books said to have given the commenter perspective on interesting people, situations, and ways of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5691600,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T18:40:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5691600",
          "commentText": "Blood Meridian, Cormac McCarthy.\nPhilosphical Investigations, Ludwig Witgenstein.\nThe Analects.\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, Ableson and Sussman.\nThe Hamet and The Town and The Mansion, William Faulkner.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blood Meridian, Cormac McCarthy.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for good book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3990338,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-18T04:17:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3990338",
          "commentText": "I recently reread Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses.\nI was prompted to do so by another book discussion. Not his best book - I think Blood Meridian and The Road are better - but McCarthy is a great writer.\nFor nerd non-fiction, I just read Jim Lovell's Lost Moon which though not a great book, is a good solid book about greatness.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think Blood Meridian and The Road are better",
          "reason": "The commenter ranks it above All the Pretty Horses and calls McCarthy a great writer.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231177,
          "author": "prophetjohn",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T17:08:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231177",
          "commentText": "The Ruby Programming Language - Flanagan, Matsumoto\nRuby on Rails 3 Tutorial: Learn Rails by Example - Hartl\nBlood Meridian - McCarthy",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Blood Meridian - McCarthy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026553,
          "author": "jdlegg",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T01:32:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026553",
          "commentText": "\"Blood Meridian\" by Cormac McCarthy\n\"War and Peace\" by Leo Tolstoy\n\"What to Listen For in Music\" by Aaron Copland",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Blood Meridian\" by Cormac McCarthy",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a thread asking for books read and recommended.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876620,
          "author": "prawn",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T13:08:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876620",
          "commentText": "Haven't got to that one yet, but Blood Meridian was incredible and so I plan on buying the rest of his work. I also really liked The Road - have read it twice, each time in 1-2 days (I normally struggle to make time to read).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blood Meridian was incredible",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it incredible.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875920,
          "author": "prawn",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T03:39:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875920",
          "commentText": "Just one for now:\nBlood Meridian, Cormac McCarthy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blood Meridian, Cormac McCarthy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 766752,
          "author": "johnbender",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-16T21:11:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=766752",
          "commentText": "Blood Meridian made me a McCarthy fan.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blood Meridian made me a McCarthy fan.",
          "reason": "Says the book made the commenter a fan of McCarthy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 766699,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-16T20:44:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=766699",
          "commentText": "Cormac McCarthy is a depressing motherfucker. I'm halfway through Blood Meridian and ready to slit my wrists. Good programmer read: A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again, by David Foster Wallace.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I'm halfway through Blood Meridian and ready to slit my wrists.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes the book as intensely depressing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds it deeply depressing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85880,
          "author": "brianmckenzie",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T09:43:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85880",
          "commentText": "LOTR\nKafka on the Shore (Haruki Murakami)\nBlood Meridian (Cormac McCarthy)\nDevil in the White City (Erik Larson)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blood Meridian (Cormac McCarthy)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cormac McCarthy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 20,
      "threads": 21,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "western",
        "literary fiction",
        "american west",
        "historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-song-of-ice-and-fire-1bd7e1",
      "title": "A Song of Ice and Fire",
      "author": "George R. R. Martin",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47332059,
          "author": "chistev",
          "createdAt": "2026-03-11T05:43:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 47315415,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47332059",
          "commentText": "The game of thrones books are great. I know this is cliche to say, but the books are better than the show.\nThe third book is so amazing. I read the books after seeing the show, and maybe that helped me form a mental model of the world and the characters.\nSuch a shame GRRM likely won't complete it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The game of thrones books are great.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the books, says they are better than the show, and especially likes the third book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter doubts the series will be completed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 47330488,
          "author": "devrundown",
          "createdAt": "2026-03-11T00:26:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 47315415,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47330488",
          "commentText": "Just finished up the first two Game of Thrones book. Before continuing wanted to check out a couple of other books.\nRead Shadow Divers which was really good. Saw it suggested a lot and it did not disappoint.\nNow reading The Pearl by Steinbeck and Red Dwarf: Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers by Grant Naylor.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the first two Game of Thrones book",
          "reason": "The commenter has read the first two books in the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 45314291,
          "author": "chistev",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-20T15:40:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 45312545,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that helped you lose weight?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45314291",
          "commentText": "Waiting for A Song of Ice and Fire.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Waiting for A Song of Ice and Fire.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 44574451,
          "author": "chistev",
          "createdAt": "2025-07-15T18:40:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 44568054,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44574451",
          "commentText": "Hard to choose for myself who made the post.\nBut some of my favorites are -\n1. God: The Failed Hypothesis\nBook by Victor J. Stenger\n2. The God Delusion\nBook by Richard Dawkins\n3. Berlin: The Downfall 1945\nBook by Antony Beevor\n4. A Song of Ice and Fire\nNovel series by George R.R. Martin\n5. A Short History of Nearly Everything\nBook by Bill Bryson\n6. Billions and Billions\nBook by Carl Sagan\n7. Flowers for Algernon\nShort story by Daniel Keyes\n8. I'm Glad My Mom Died\nBook by Jennette McCurdy\n9. Manhunt: The Ten-Year Search for Bin Laden--from 9/11 to Abbottabad\nBook by Peter Bergen\n10. Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space\nBook by Carl Sagan\n11. The Metamorphosis\nNovella by Franz Kafka\n12. The Selfish Gene\nBook by Richard Dawkins\nGun to my head, pick one? The God Delusion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Song of Ice and Fire",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41423129,
          "author": "gugug6",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-02T06:37:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41423129",
          "commentText": "harry potter \nlord of the rings\ndune \ngame of thrones\nberserk\nvinland saga\nrobinson curso\n                 : happy reading time!!!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "game of thrones",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38237803,
          "author": "alexmolas",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T06:19:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38237803",
          "commentText": "Re-reading \"A song of ice and fire\" saga with the hope that \"Winds of winter\" arrives just when I finish",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"A song of ice and fire\" saga",
          "reason": "The commenter is rereading the series and hopes the next book arrives before they finish.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Hopes The Winds of Winter arrives in time.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33399202,
          "author": "therealdrag0",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-30T21:54:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33399202",
          "commentText": "I get what you’re saying. But I still read because it’s such a habit and part of my identity or something lol. There were some years I was hitting 50-75 books (and not small ones! GoT and godel Escher Bach etc) but now I’m down to a more sustainable pace of around 20 a year, and I’m pretty liberal about quitting books. If I’m getting a sense that it’s a 3/5 book then I just quit and move on. But even then I feel like I’m having an unquenched thirst for an absolute banger like Dune and Enders game. I’ve been thinking about doing a full year of just rereading books I loved like that from decades ago.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "GoT and godel Escher Bach etc",
          "reason": "References GoT among books they read during high-volume reading years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936760,
          "author": "pkszg",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T09:54:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936760",
          "commentText": "I like to read a wide variety of genre from fiction to human psychology.\nFor the mind:\nNonviolent Communication by  Marshall Rosenberg - A great book on how to communcate more effectively with others.\nThinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman -He is the only psychologist ever to recieve the Nobel Prize if I remember correctly. This book scientifically digests human biases and errors and how they influence our every day lives and decision making. Sometimes it a bit too technical for my taste and I like mostly the first part. (its not an easy read) I rarely had so many Aha-moments.\nA random walk down on wall street - For investing your income in stocks. What to do and what no to do. Simple, with facts.\nSapiens by Harari -Interesting, I remember it was a great read and fun read. Connecting a lot of dots :)\nOn programming:\nDesigning Data-Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann - I am failry a junior web dev, so any material that is clear and explains well is a great source of information and inspiration. This is such a book.\nComputer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective by Randal E. Bryant and David R. O'Hallaron - Teaches CS from the basics, which for me is a great source since I don't have a CS degree. I complement it with other materials from the internet (such as Harvard's CS50) for learning the fundamentals paralell working in my daily web dev job. Its a long book, so It will take a couple of months, years to go thorugh, but definitely worth the effort.\nFictions I love, without much introduction:\nLord of the Rings\nDune (first book)\nGame of thrones books\nFor me JRRs storytelling is outstanding, the books are better than the serires IMO.\nSpiritual Books:\n(I am not a religous person by any means and I do not follow traditions)\nSpirituality for me means a deeper connection with the universe.\nIf I really want to dig deeper than everyday work-life stuff I listen/read these books. Usually when there is a great emotional upheaval in my life or when I feel my daily distractions failed on me.\nPower of now by Eckhart Tolle - This book gives me the occasional goosebumps, a great summary of all spiritual teachings (before becoming religions) in a really simple way. If you are interested in such, I highly recommend it.\nMeditations by Marcus Aurelius - I see it mentioned here already, no intro needed.\nLetters by Seneca - This book is a proof for me that the essential human experience, the core of what makes us human does not change over time. Seneca was a great stoic thinker, who is very relatable by anyone even today (and probably will be for many millenia)\nZen Mind, Beginners Mind by Suzuki Roshi - All true spiritual teaching have the same source, but all are expressed differently. This is a great, simple powerful book to read if you lean towards buddhism.\nA Course in Miracles (no official author) -Now this is a heavy read. It has a textbook with daily practices also. This is definitely not a book for everyone.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Game of thrones books",
          "reason": "Lists the books among the fiction they love.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21000692,
          "author": "mattmanser",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-17T22:22:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21000692",
          "commentText": "I found the Malazan books quite frustrating, every book he introduced a new character and storyline and left so many previous ones unfinished. Too many balls. And the end was just a bit silly for me.\nI thought they were pretty good, but I'm enjoying GoT more.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm enjoying GoT more.",
          "reason": "Says they are enjoying it more than Malazan.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Enjoyed more than Malazan; no specific praise beyond that comparison.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17384979,
          "author": "nojvek",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-24T04:44:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17384979",
          "commentText": "Mahabharata has some fiction and plot twists. However I have to say George R R Martin ruined it for me with Game of Thrones. Nothing beats his plot twists and story telling.\nThe Weiss brothers and HBO did a decent job with the series as well. It kind of connects and entire generation of viewers and book readers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nothing beats his plot twists and story telling.",
          "reason": "Praises Martin's plotting and storytelling in reference to Game of Thrones.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249112,
          "author": "jaymon",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T08:37:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249112",
          "commentText": "I'll second someone else's recommendation for The Martian, that was just a really fun read you can just burn through because it is so enjoyable.\nIf you want another really fun read, Ready Player One was fantastic.\nI've also enjoyed the Old Man's War saga, there are 6 books but you can skip book 4 since it is a retelling of book 3 from the POV of another character. This is a space saga and I really like the universe he created.\nIn the hard sci-fi genre, I really enjoyed The Forever War.\nAnd for just pure world building fantasy, the Game of Thrones books (The song of Ice and Fire series) are some of the best written books I've ever read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Game of Thrones books (The song of Ice and Fire series) are some of the best written books I've ever read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the series some of the best written books they have read.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in fantasy world-building.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12098713,
          "author": "chrisabrams",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T03:02:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12098713",
          "commentText": "A Song of Fire and Ice\nZennis\nWheel of Time\nQuiet\nLord of the Rings\nIrrational Exuberance",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Song of Fire and Ice",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10784269,
          "author": "MuEta",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T17:05:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10784269",
          "commentText": "I can see that being an issue. I'm in the same habit with LOTR, ASOIAF and Harry Potter, reading each series once every two years or so, and it crushes my ability to read a lot of new books. I've avoided rereading Discworld so far because I know that it will never be as magical as the first read through.\nBut oh god, Baroque Cycle was unparalleled from a character-building perspective. I loved every second of it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm in the same habit with LOTR, ASOIAF and Harry Potter, reading each series once every two years or so",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Rereading is mentioned as a habit without an explicit evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175669,
          "author": "jlhonora",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:48:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175669",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand. Really enjoying it. Interesting how certain times can shape the perspective of the roles of society, companies and government.\nBefore that I read the entire Game of Thrones series. Not really worth the time invested if you ask me, but it was fun nonetheless. Might be one of those few books where watching their TV version is more enjoyable (disclosure: haven't watched the series).\nOn the technical side, I'm trying to read Google's   papers once in a while. Good mixture of theoretical background with practical approaches.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Before that I read the entire Game of Thrones series. Not really worth the time invested if you ask me, but it was fun nonetheless.",
          "reason": "Says the series was not worth the time, though it was fun.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The television adaptation was said to be more enjoyable, but the commenter has not watched it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348890,
          "author": "chops",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:42:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348890",
          "commentText": "After years of only reading technical, business, and philosophical books, I finally decided to take the plunge and read some fiction about 2 years ago.\nSince then, I've caught up with Song of Ice and Fire, read the first 11 books of Sword of Truth, and did the first 2 Dune books.\nMost recently, I finished Stephen King's Dark Tower series, and I'm currently going through a bunch of HP Lovecraft (it feels good to finally understand the Cthulhu mythos and all that it implies).\nWhen I finish that, I'm going to finish up the Sword of Truth series (the most recent 3 books), and I'm eagerly awaiting the 6th book in A Song of Ice and Fire.\nThese days, I don't actually read all that much, as I've picked up an appreciation for audiobooks and how you can read your stories while doing other things like driving, cooking, and shopping.  So I don't read in freetime anymore, but instead just rock the audiobooks in the \"between\" times.\nObviously, audiobooks don't work with technical books so much.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "caught up with Song of Ice and Fire",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348782,
          "author": "moron4hire",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:29:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348782",
          "commentText": "A lot of good suggestions. To try to avoid repeating what others have said too much, here are some from a different perspective.\n# \"JPod\" by Douglas Coupland helped me realize that it was corporatism, not me, that was broken.\n# Benjamin Franklin's autobiography showed me a history that was made of people, a people no different than me and mine, and that success comes from standing up and going your own way.\n# \"Time Enough for Love\" by Robert Heinlein taught me that, while culture is arbitrary and we should be free to try to make it what we wish, that doesn't make it fake or ignorable.\n# \"Sherlock Holmes\" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, re-read as an adult, taught me the importance of formula in consistency and how much a market of fans love predictability.\n# \"Game of Thrones\" by George R.R. Martin taught me that the movie can be a lot better than the book and that there is a problem with modern generations making an affectation out of book reading.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Game of Thrones\" by George R.R. Martin taught me that the movie can be a lot better than the book",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed their view of adaptations and book reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the movie can be much better than the book and criticizes modern book-reading affectations.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9347936,
          "author": "teekert",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T14:53:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9347936",
          "commentText": "Spam Nation by Brian Krebs.\nIt's nice but I started reading other books while being half way in. A sign that I experience it more as a study book than a relaxing read (ok, I did the same with Game of Thrones). I'll finish it at some point, it is quite fascinating to read about the world of spam, the Russians and the high quality of illegal online pharmacies.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "(ok, I did the same with Game of Thrones).",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned as another book the commenter also left unfinished for a time.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8125548,
          "author": "Ecio78",
          "createdAt": "2014-08-02T18:30:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 8125375,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I save for offline reading during 5 weeks without Internet?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8125548",
          "commentText": "+1 for Wikipedia, not just for reading something but as a reference if you want to verify something as the old Encyclopedias we used to use.\nTo just fill the hours, I would suggest some nice book, even better good series, like Foundation and Robot Series by Isaac Asimov, A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) by George R.R. Martin etc..\nWith those I think those 5 weeks will fly..",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) by George R.R. Martin",
          "reason": "Suggested as a good series to fill the hours and make the five weeks fly by.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for an entertaining series.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8106927,
          "author": "lawn",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:13:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106927",
          "commentText": "A Song of Ice and Fire and I don't even like fantasy.\nThe Millenium series by Stieg Larsson are very good as well.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A Song of Ice and Fire and I don't even like fantasy.",
          "reason": "Recommends the series despite not liking fantasy.",
          "audience": "Readers who may not usually enjoy fantasy.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they do not like fantasy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7969623,
          "author": "russgray",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T08:12:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7969623",
          "commentText": "I caved and started reading A Song Of Ice And Fire after Game of Thrones S4 finished broadcasting. First book was good, and I'm just starting the second. I've also been binging on cheap self-published horror and apocalypse ebook collections from Amazon (just can't resist those 99p anthologies), and my ongoing 'serious' book is Work by Studs Terkel. Like a couple of other books mentioned in this thread, this is a real eye-opener that reminds me how lucky I am.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I caved and started reading A Song Of Ice And Fire after Game of Thrones S4 finished broadcasting.",
          "reason": "Says they started the series and found the first book good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387611,
          "author": "PankajGhosh",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T00:03:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387611",
          "commentText": "Last 3 books: Game of thrones (1, 2, 3)\nCurrently reading: The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich (one of the comprehensive and popular works on the topic)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Game of thrones (1, 2, 3)",
          "reason": "Lists the first three books as recently read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387354,
          "author": "speakr",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T22:41:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387354",
          "commentText": "A Song of Ice and Fire",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Song of Ice and Fire",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5832599,
          "author": "michael_fine",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T14:27:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5832599",
          "commentText": "A Song of Ice and Fire",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Song of Ice and Fire",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3643271,
          "author": "gadders",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-28T14:37:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 3643009,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-technical book you've read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3643271",
          "commentText": "The whole series of Game of Thrones novels. Started out slow, but gets very engrossing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The whole series of Game of Thrones novels.",
          "reason": "Recommends the series and says it becomes engrossing after a slow start.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The series starts slowly.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395257,
          "author": "wr1472",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T09:26:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395257",
          "commentText": "I've read a lot of books this year, some have already been mentioned (eg. Gawande, Gombrich). I've been devouring the Game of Thrones books since summer, and as no one has mentioned it yet, I'll point it out.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've been devouring the Game of Thrones books since summer, and as no one has mentioned it yet, I'll point it out.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have been devouring the series and points it out in response to the best book question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1575706,
          "author": "Willwhatley",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-04T20:09:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1575706",
          "commentText": "While I agree that Martin is excellent, be aware that this is a book in a series that has not been (may not be) finished yet.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "be aware that this is a book in a series that has not been (may not be) finished yet.",
          "reason": "The commenter warns that the series may remain unfinished.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The series was unfinished and might not be completed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227143,
          "author": "blue1",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T18:13:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227143",
          "commentText": "\"finished\" the part published so far, that is. Many are doubting that Martin will be able to finish it, given his pace and the huge scope of the story. But I second the recommendation, read it anyway!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I second the recommendation, read it anyway!",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly seconds the recommendation and urges readers to read the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The series is unfinished, and the commenter notes doubt about whether Martin will complete it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226994,
          "author": "ckopec",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T17:18:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226994",
          "commentText": "I just finished 'A song of ice and fire' series by George R.R. Martin and it's an amazing read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I just finished 'A song of ice and fire' series by George R.R. Martin and it's an amazing read.",
          "reason": "Describes the series as an amazing read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George R. R. Martin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 20,
      "threads": 20,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "political intrigue",
        "political fantasy",
        "dragons"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "war-and-peace-55e12a",
      "title": "War and Peace",
      "author": "Leo Tolstoy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46397641,
          "author": "LeonardoTolstoy",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T23:46:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46397641",
          "commentText": "I read close to 40 books this year which I assume is up from the previous year, and way more than I used to read prior to starting to do the Rochester Library reading challenge (which I've done for the past two years). I won't get into a lot of it, but after reading Middlemarch three years ago, Napoleon: A Life two years ago, and The Power Broker last year I decided to read two \"big\" books.\nIn the first half of the year War and Peace, which obviously was excellent, although I liked Middlemarch more.\nIn the second half of the year David Copperfield which was very excellent. Just beautifully written. I still think I probably like Middlemarch more... but it might now require a re-read to know for sure.\nThis year is going to be Tom's Crossing to start as I just got that for Christmas.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "War and Peace, which obviously was excellent, although I liked Middlemarch more.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it excellent, while saying they preferred Middlemarch.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They preferred Middlemarch.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46172552,
          "author": "rasulkireev",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-06T11:41:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46172552",
          "commentText": "I didn't expect this, but I'm really enjoying War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm really enjoying War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy.",
          "reason": "Says they are really enjoying the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 45295815,
          "author": "mattmanser",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-18T22:30:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 45283087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45295815",
          "commentText": "It's really good. A story that still pops into my mind occasionally today. As a Brit I'd never really thought about Napoleon's invasion of Russia. The retreat in the book is evocative and really left an impression.\nBut I read it when I had far more free time than now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The retreat in the book is evocative and really left an impression.",
          "reason": "Describes the book’s depiction of Napoleon’s retreat from Russia.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter read it when they had more free time.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 45291873,
          "author": "constantinum",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-18T16:45:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 45283087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45291873",
          "commentText": "War and peace - third attempt",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "War and peace - third attempt",
          "reason": "The commenter is making a third attempt to read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not yet finished it after two attempts.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43614491,
          "author": "readthenotes1",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T18:33:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43614491",
          "commentText": "A relative had to pass a \"non Western\" book for a high school class. She came to me because I was a known reader.\nI suggested Siddhartha. Her friend picked War and Peace.\nMy credibility went waaaay up:)\n(Siddhartha is very thin, like the book)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Her friend picked War and Peace.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned as the friend's selection, not the commenter's recommendation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32937598,
          "author": "cetahfh14615",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T11:51:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937598",
          "commentText": "> Arthur Schopenhauer - The World as Will and Representation.\nActually just ordered this about a week ago. Read a couple articles about him and got the impression that he shares a lot with early Christianity (and also Buddhism)\n> Marcel Proust - In Search of Lost Time. Exceptionally rich and a beautiful study of love. Reading it is like living another life.\nHaven't read the Proust but I'd say the same for War and Peace",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Haven't read the Proust but I'd say the same for War and Peace",
          "reason": "The commenter applies the preceding description of a rich, beautiful study of love to War and Peace.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26609375,
          "author": "approxim8ion",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-28T11:13:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26609375",
          "commentText": "Pevear+Volokhonsky are usually pretty great. I haven't read War and Peace, but their Dostoyevsky translations are very good.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I haven't read War and Peace",
          "reason": "The commenter mentions the book while answering a question about its translation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26593687,
          "author": "rangibaby",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-26T16:03:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26593687",
          "commentText": "Which translation of War and Peace?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Which translation of War and Peace?",
          "reason": "Asks which translation of the named novel to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26593674,
          "author": "fjaved",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-26T16:02:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26593674",
          "commentText": "I read all the time—fiction and nonfiction.\nCurrently reading nonfiction: Stewart Brand’s Whole Earth Catalog.\nCurrently reading fiction: The Lord of the Rings trilogy by JRR Tolkien.\nFinished Tolstoy’s War and Peace in 2020 (pandemic silver lining). Life changing book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Finished Tolstoy’s War and Peace in 2020 (pandemic silver lining). Life changing book.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a life-changing book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22720918,
          "author": "rsync",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T17:44:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22720918",
          "commentText": "He is, perhaps, my favorite contemporary author.\nI have a fairly predictable \"best novels ever written\" list which includes _War and Peace_, _Anna Karinina_, _Brothers Karamazov_ and _Dune_ ... but I would also place _SevenEves_ on that list.\nI found _Fall Or: Dodge in Hell_ to be terrible, however.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "includes _War and Peace_, _Anna Karinina_, _Brothers Karamazov_ and _Dune_ ... but I would also place _SevenEves_ on that list.",
          "reason": "Includes it on their predictable list of best novels ever written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21860321,
          "author": "ElFitz",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-22T23:19:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21860321",
          "commentText": "But which one? There are more than one translation out there",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "But which one? There are more than one translation out there",
          "reason": "The commenter asks which translation is meant.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21851714,
          "author": "skilesare",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T15:52:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21851714",
          "commentText": "War and Peace will help you better understand and deal with the constant change in your requirements and why you are right that management has no fucking clue. Also, great value for your audible credit.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "War and Peace will help you better understand and deal with the constant change in your requirements",
          "reason": "Suggests it can help developers cope with changing requirements and clueless management.",
          "audience": "Developers dealing with changing requirements and management.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803978,
          "author": "jriot",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:57:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803978",
          "commentText": "I've curated my 2020 list over the last few months, eventually splitting it in two; 2021 has been started, but below is my 2020 list.\nBrave New World\nCatcher in the Rye (3rd read)\nTom Sawyer\nThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn\nWar and Peace\nCatch-22\nStranger in a Strange Lan\nThe Hobbit (3rd read)\nThe Illiad\nThe Odessey\nWalden\nLeisure, The Basis of Culture\nThe Seven Storey Mountain\nConfessions\nThe City of God\nWays of Life St Augustine\nCatechism of the Catholic Church\nThese Truths\nBattle Cry of Freedom\nThe Complete Guide to Fly Fishing\nThe Lure and Lore of Trout Fishing\nThe Duck Huntingest Gentlemen",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "War and Peace",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's curated 2020 reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Part of a planned reading list.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20915499,
          "author": "rsync",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T05:46:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20915499",
          "commentText": "I second the votes for War and Peace, Anna Karenina and Brothers Karamazov ... but I think I can add a unique (and very special to me) entry with:\nChesterfield's Letters to His Son:\n\"Begun in the 1737 and continued until the death of his son in 1768, Chesterfield wrote mostly instructive communications about geography, history, and classical literature, – with later letters focusing on politics and diplomacy – and the letters themselves were written in French, English, and Latin, in order to refine his son's grasp of the languages.\"[1]\n[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Stanhope,_4th_Earl_of_C... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Stanhope,_4th_Earl_of_Chesterfield#Letters_to_His_Son)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second the votes for War and Peace",
          "reason": "Seconds votes for the book in a thread asking for favorite old books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20335279,
          "author": "juergenkuebler",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T14:12:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20335279",
          "commentText": "War and Peace from Leo Tolstoij is a book that you will have to read once in your lifetime.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "War and Peace from Leo Tolstoij is a book that you will have to read once in your lifetime.",
          "reason": "Says it is a book everyone should read at least once.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19088544,
          "author": "jesusofsuburbia",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T19:01:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19088544",
          "commentText": "War and peace by Tolstoi.\nIt made me aware that someone as successful and powerful as Napoleon himself was by a large extent only a product of the people and the mood at the time. What I mean is that it wasn't him who inspired the people; it rather was just the Zeitgeist he was the perfect person for.\nI'm not a native speaker and can't really put it into words, but it completely changed my view of the amount of influence we really can have in this world, and how much we are a product of our time.\nNarziß und Goldmund by Hesse.\nAgain a lack of words from my side.\nWhoever is looking for meaning in life should read this book.\nThe last sentence of this book is (at least in German) the literary most perfect and awakening phrase I've ever read. I couldn't sleep for days afterwards.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It made me aware that someone as successful and powerful as Napoleon himself was by a large extent only a product of the people and the mood at the time.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the novel changed their view of individual influence and historical forces.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17514539,
          "author": "timwaagh",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-12T13:53:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17514539",
          "commentText": "War and Peace by Tolstoy. it is far from 'recent' but i read it only this year. it is particularly interesting because it is not overly intellectual in nature yet still written around the time it portrays.\nRobin Hobbs latest Fitz and the Fool trilogy are also great books i read this year. as are all her works really.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "War and Peace by Tolstoy.",
          "reason": "The commenter names it as a book they read this year and found particularly interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Far from recent.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17169741,
          "author": "mm321",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T23:27:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17169741",
          "commentText": "Don't know about changing my life, but these books changed the way i look at things:\nThe Tao of Pooh: Benjamin Hoff\nSlaughterhouse-Five, or The Children's Crusade by Kurt Vonnegut\nTI 99/4a basic reference manual\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, by Abelson, Sussman\nObject Oriented Analysis and Design by Grady Booch\nDarkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler\nThieves in the Night by Arthur Koestler\nAll the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren\nThe Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck\nThe Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.\nWar and Peace by L.N.Tolstoy\nChapaev and the void by Pelevin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "War and Peace by L.N.Tolstoy",
          "reason": "Listed among books that changed how the commenter looks at things.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17048482,
          "author": "coleifer",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T16:10:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17048482",
          "commentText": "War and Peace, Tolstoy. There are some tedious passages where Tolstoy develops a theory of history, but the realness of the characters, and their struggles to find themselves, is described better than any other book I've read. It's a beautiful story.\nThe Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. Don't need to be an alcoholic to see that our efforts to run and order our lives often can end up making us more miserable. Read the first 164 pages.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the realness of the characters, and their struggles to find themselves, is described better than any other book I've read. It's a beautiful story.",
          "reason": "Praises its characters and their struggles to find themselves, calling it a beautiful story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds some passages about Tolstoy's theory of history tedious.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16297231,
          "author": "timellis-smith",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T11:41:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16297231",
          "commentText": "Fiction\nWar and Peace\nCrime and Punishment\nCount of Monte Christo\n1984\nGod of Small Things\nParadise lost\nDivine comedy\nNon fiction\nSelfish gene\nMeditations\nMadness explained (the best book I've encountered for explaining how the mind works)\nThe Red Queen\nTao te Ching",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "War and Peace",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the question about books the commenter wishes they had read earlier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15026365,
          "author": "ideonexus",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-16T10:28:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15026365",
          "commentText": "This was Louise and Aylmer Maude. I'm afraid I don't know much about the different translations. I do think I would like to read this book again one day, knowing the character arcs. I just learned the Pevear and Volokhonsky version leaves the French untranslated, which is how Tolstoy wanted it. That sounds like a great translation to read next.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I do think I would like to read this book again one day",
          "reason": "The commenter plans to reread it and says the Pevear and Volokhonsky translation sounds great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15022760,
          "author": "HenryTheHorse",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T21:24:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15022760",
          "commentText": "Which translation was this? Pevear and Volokhonsky?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Which translation was this? Pevear and Volokhonsky?",
          "reason": "Asks which translation of the book the previous commenter read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15019797,
          "author": "ideonexus",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T16:40:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15019797",
          "commentText": "I just finished Tolstoy's War and Peace. I think it deserves both the hype as a masterpiece and the jokes as a sprawling verbose epic. He's like Jane Goodall observing and deconstructing human beings at all social levels from the serfs and peasants to the Russian aristocracy and Napoleon himself. His characters are so real and their motives so transparent in the way he describes them, and they are this microcosm living individual lives inside the macrocosm of the French invasion of Russia. Throughout all of it are the rambling philosophical speculations of the author that are filled with brilliant insights but always seem fuzzy on making any strong points.\nWhat I loved most about the book was how it conveys the complexity of life and the absurdity of historical analysis and the focus on \"Great Men\" against such complexity, which he compares to physicists trying to understand macro-phenomenon without taking into account the micro-phenomenon that add up to the macro effect. The whole books is an illustration of this through the many lives it follows in the major historical events taking place around them.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I just finished Tolstoy's War and Peace. I think it deserves both the hype as a masterpiece and the jokes as a sprawling verbose epic.",
          "reason": "Praises its portrayal of human complexity while noting its sprawling length and fuzzy philosophical arguments.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as sprawling and verbose, with philosophical speculations that can feel fuzzy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416715,
          "author": "crdb",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T22:27:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416715",
          "commentText": "The first scene in Tolstoy's War and Peace should be required reading for engineering graduates, particularly the hyper-rational Sheldon types. I'm referring specifically to the impact Pierre has on the people at the party, the importance of manners, why small talk, etc. War and Peace is generally a great book because of how much it captures about human nature and power plays and it is still relevant today. It has a reputation for length but I found it much more readable than, say, Lord of the Rings.\nDelta Force by Col. Charlie Beckwith. Think your company has red tape? Try the US Army post-Vietnam. It's a great example of someone moving through bureaucracy to achieve great things and taught me to stop making excuses based on organisational behaviour. The Phantom Major by Virginia Cowles is in the same vein with some phenomenal hustling lessons. I still think of both men whenever I think whatever I'm doing is hard.\nDynamic Hedging by Taleb was written whilst he was a pit trader and is the most intuitive introduction to thinking about options I've read. It informs my thinking about decision making in terms of probability, path dependency and higher order greeks, and helps me take risks in a smart manner. I recommend it to a lot of people but nobody takes it up because (I'm guessing) it's only available as a second hand paper copy, and people think trading options has nothing to do with their life.\nLegionnaire by Simon Murray was recommended to me by my thesis supervisor shortly before graduation. I respected his opinion so I read the thing and it blew my mind in what people were capable of doing when pushed to the edge. Murray went on to have multiple interesting careers and set records as a helicopter pilot.\nThere are two books that were lessons in what they did not teach me.\nClayton Christensen's Innovator's Dilemma/Solution presents a very enticing idea but I think the core explanation for what it covers is much better set forward in Marc Bloch's Strange Defeat. There are regular sub-threads on the book on HN so I won't go into it further.\nI also read a couple of Jack Welch books and thought, wow, this guy knows what he is talking about. This was before 2007. After 2007, I heard from a few people - including very smart investors - who basically put GE's success down to the 30 year bull market and to the growth of GE Capital which became something like 60% of the company and indeed did almost take down GE with it after Lehman. It introduced the possibility that some famous leaders and gurus might not be as competent as they are branded to be and it's important to check for confounding variables.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "War and Peace is generally a great book because of how much it captures about human nature and power plays and it is still relevant today.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great, still relevant study of human nature and power dynamics.",
          "audience": "Engineering graduates, especially highly rational readers.",
          "caveat": "The comment says it is long, though more readable than The Lord of the Rings.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5832459,
          "author": "david927",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T14:04:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5832459",
          "commentText": "Crime and Punishment, Les Miserables, War and Peace",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "War and Peace",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2616400,
          "author": "webgambit",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T14:18:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2616400",
          "commentText": "Audiobook:\nI just finished Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. I highly recommend it if you're into fantasy type novels. It has a unique magic system and is very well written. I've been off and on with War and Peace for a while. Kind of dry so far.\nKindle:\nThe Law by Frederic Bastiat, extremely good book describing the fundamental purpose of law and government.\nDead Tree:\nEssence of Discrete Mathematics by Neville Dean, seems to be pretty good book, just haven't devoted enough time to reading it.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I've been off and on with War and Peace for a while. Kind of dry so far.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it has been kind of dry so far.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2526858,
          "author": "pemulis",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-08T22:27:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 2526568,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2526858",
          "commentText": "I'm on a David Foster Wallace kick right now: Working through The Pale King, his collected essays and his short stories. Already read Infinite Jest. It's hard to say what qualifies as \"essential reading\" when it's impossible for a human being to read even one tenth of the great, all-time classic books. There just isn't enough time. My advice would be to read at least a few books that have reputations for being difficult. War and Peace, Gravity's Rainbow, In Search of Lost Time, Ulysses, etc. (The reason I'm only listing near-undisputed classics here is because these books are difficult, and in some cases very, very long [looking at you, Proust], and the assurance that it is all worth it helps you keep going when your brain hurts.) These books survived despite their difficulty because reading them is a mind-expanding, sometimes life-changing experience. Reading shouldn't be essentially passive.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My advice would be to read at least a few books that have reputations for being difficult. War and Peace",
          "reason": "Advises readers to try difficult books and says the experience can be mind-expanding and life-changing.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking challenging, active reading.",
          "caveat": "Long and demanding.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026553,
          "author": "jdlegg",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T01:32:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026553",
          "commentText": "\"Blood Meridian\" by Cormac McCarthy\n\"War and Peace\" by Leo Tolstoy\n\"What to Listen For in Music\" by Aaron Copland",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"War and Peace\" by Leo Tolstoy",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a thread asking for books read and recommended.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876630,
          "author": "richieb",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T13:13:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876630",
          "commentText": "\"War and Peace\"  Tolstoy\n\"Wind< Sand and Stars\" Saint Exupery",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"War and Peace\"  Tolstoy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leo Tolstoy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 20,
      "threads": 20,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "russian literature",
        "historical novel",
        "historical fiction",
        "napoleonic wars"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-innovator-s-dilemma-fd80f4",
      "title": "The Innovator’s Dilemma",
      "author": "Clayton M. Christensen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38557152,
          "author": "a_c",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:05:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557152",
          "commentText": "How Will You Measure Your Life by Clayton Christensen\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13425570-how-will-you-me... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13425570-how-will-you-measure-your-life)\nI always feel uneasy with the notion of work-life balance. At the same time I always want more time and attention with my family. Family is part of life, work is part of life, everything you do is part of life. Why the two often appear to be opposing each other? The book offers much counsel on family, parenting and profession. Many of the business examples appeared in the book Innovation Dilemma and a talk at google https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rHdS_4GsKmg",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Many of the business examples appeared in the book Innovation Dilemma",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a source of business examples that also appear in the discussed book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35171863,
          "author": "nukenuke",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:34:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35171863",
          "commentText": "As a technical founder this book on negotiation was highly valuable: \"Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It\". Negotiation is a skill you need as a startup founder that is not necessarily needed for technical work.\n\"Innovators Dilemma\" - helps put in perspective acceptable state of early products and good strategies for deploying new innovative products",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Innovators Dilemma\" - helps put in perspective acceptable state of early products and good strategies for deploying new innovative products",
          "reason": "Helps frame the acceptable state of early products and strategies for deploying innovations.",
          "audience": "Startup founders working on innovative products.",
          "caveat": "The target omits the article in the title.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35171836,
          "author": "ranabuzdar",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:32:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35171836",
          "commentText": "Here are some of the most popular ones:\nThe Lean Startup by Eric Ries\nZero to One by Peter Thiel\nThe 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey\nThink and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill\nThe E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber\nGood to Great by Jim Collins\nThe Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander\nThe Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz\nThe Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton Christensen\nRework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson\nThese books cover various aspects of entrepreneurship, from idea generation and innovation to leadership and management. Each one offers a unique perspective and valuable insights that can help entrepreneurs navigate the challenges and opportunities of starting and growing a business.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton Christensen",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the books covering entrepreneurship.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32201167,
          "author": "hbogert",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-23T07:19:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32201167",
          "commentText": "The black Swan\nPrevious book was the innovators dilemma. Both are kind of cliche books, good reads though which pull me out of the IT technical stuff which one has to read nowadays to keep up.\nOf course there's my eternal struggle to read an \"eternal golden braid\". But that has stalled due to a chapter being incredibly meta it just hurts the brain\nShout out to my boox note Ereader. That thing has been a godsend.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the innovators dilemma",
          "reason": "Says it was the previous book and calls it a good read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes it as somewhat clichéd.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27647507,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T00:55:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27647507",
          "commentText": "Another good pairing to GTD is \"How will you measure your Life?\" [1], by Prof. Clayton Christensen (also author of \"Innovator's Dilemma\", another excellent book).\nIt gives you a framework to think about life and your value system, which is a great complement to GTD.\n[1] https://hbr.org/2010/07/how-will-you-measure-your-life",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "another excellent book",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an excellent book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19895854,
          "author": "wintercarver",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T01:43:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19895854",
          "commentText": "Has been on my list for a while! Thanks for the nudge. BTW, as a fan of Christensen's classic The Innovator's Dilemma, I thought Loonshots was quite good as an alternative perspective where Product-type and Strategy-type innovations are discussed in comparison to Christensen's sustaining vs disruptive innovations.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "as a fan of Christensen's classic The Innovator's Dilemma",
          "reason": "Calls it a classic and says they are a fan.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18475621,
          "author": "laurentl",
          "createdAt": "2018-11-17T14:24:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 18473561,
          "threadTitle": "Best book/paper you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18475621",
          "commentText": "The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen (the book itself is 20 years old but I only read it recently). It’s a fantastic analysis of why successful companies get displaced by disruptive technologies —or, the other way around, why it’s so complicated to innovate in successful companies.\nThe underlying reasons exposed by the book are timeless and universal. As I read the book (which, again, is 20 years old and focuses on the hard drive industry) I recognized all the pitfalls my previous company went through as it was trying to adapt to public Cloud.\nThis book is a powerful lens to look at disruptive innovation, well-written and very thoroughly researched. A must read if you’re working in technology IMO.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It’s a fantastic analysis of why successful companies get displaced by disruptive technologies",
          "reason": "Calls it a fantastic, timeless analysis and a must-read for people working in technology.",
          "audience": "People working in technology, especially those interested in disruptive innovation.",
          "caveat": "It focuses on the hard drive industry, though the commenter says its lessons are universal.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910252,
          "author": "myth_buster",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:29:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910252",
          "commentText": "Gun germs and steel\nThe Innovator's Dilemma\nThinking Fast and Slow\nGodel Eschel Bach\nHard Things about Hard Things",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Innovator's Dilemma",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for favorite nonfiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961294,
          "author": "vo1d",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:27:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961294",
          "commentText": "- The Innovator's Dilemma by Clay Christensen\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman\n- A Briefer History of Time by Stephen Hawking\n- The Lean Startup by Eric Ries\n- Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson\n- The Industries of the Future by Alec Ross\n- Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss\n- Start with No by Jim Camp\n- How Google Works by Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg\n- The Everything Store by Brad Stone\n- The Inevitable by Kevin Kelly",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Innovator's Dilemma by Clay Christensen",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15159229,
          "author": "johnsimer",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T01:39:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15159229",
          "commentText": "Innovator's dilemma & Innovator's solution- why big companies almost always get beaten by startups and how to overcome this\n10x Rule by Grant Cardone - you must take 10x more action than you think to get success\nAwaken the Giant Within - you can motivate yourself to do anything via the \"Pain Pleasure Principle\"\nBold: How to go big, make wealth, and change the world - some strategies from Musk, Bezos, Diamandis/Singularity U\nThe Art of Profitability - Coca-cola from a 2-Liter costs $.02/oz , Coca-cola from a restaurant costs $.20/oz\nmy full list here: https://goo.gl/9SD8b6",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Innovator's dilemma",
          "reason": "Explains why large companies are often beaten by startups.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13581895,
          "author": "jcahill84",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-06T17:41:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13581895",
          "commentText": "The Hard thing About Hard Things, but Ben Horowitz. Before that was The Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton M. Christensen. I've been on a business book kick lately, but currently took a break and am reading Amy Schumer's book for kicks.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Before that was The Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton M. Christensen.",
          "reason": "Mentions the book while describing recent reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Reading it is not presented as an endorsement.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238121,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:01:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238121",
          "commentText": "Last year I gave myself a Zuckerberg-style goal to read a book every two weeks. It started well, but some months were harder than others (usually when the book wasn't very good, so I would switch to podcasts for a few weeks, before getting back on track).\nHere's an unordered list of the best:\n[BUSINESS / SELF-IMPROVEMENT]\n- \"Work Rules!\" - about Google's culture and values\n- \"Search Inside Yourself\" - about mindfulness, meditation, and the impact on your life.\n- \"What got you here won't get you there\" - Liked a lot more than I expected.\n- \"Re-read Innovator's Dilemma\" - a great classic; never gets old.\n- \"How will you measure your life\" - from the same author. Also excellent.\n- \"The Best Service is No Service\" - good overview on why Amazon's customer service is so good\n- \"Crucial Conversations\" - half is common sense; half is good tips to practice everyday.\n[PROGRAMMING]\n- \"Fluent Python\" - was afraid it'd be too basic, but not really. Enjoyed it a lot.\n- \"Think Complexity\" - about algorithm complexity, data structures, etc. Great read.\n- \"Python Data Science Handbook\" - meh.\n- \"Fundamentals of Deep Learning\" - good intro. Helped me solidify some concepts from Andrew Ng's ML course\n- \"Deep Learning\" - by Goodfellow and Bengio. Just started, but really liking it.\n[STARTUPS] (all excellent; in order)\n- \"The Hard Things about Hard Things\"\n- \"Zero to One\"\n- \"The Founder's Dilemmas\"\n- \"The Launch Pad\"\n[FICTION]\n- Trilogy: \"Off to be a wizard / An Unwelcome Quest / Spell or High Water\"\n- \"Infinite Jest\" - tried but failed to finish. May try again later.\n- \"Ready Player One\" - nice, but repetitive after a while. Good read before the movie comes out.\n[NON-FICTION]\n- \"What If?\" - xkcd FTW\n- \"How to Read a Book\" - good concepts, but should be a 10 pages blog post, not a book\n- \"Spark\" - Science of the Exercise and the Brain - Long, but good\n- \"Sugar Shock\" - still reading; hopefully will help me cut my sweet cravings\n[BIOGRAPHIES]\n- \"The New New Thing\" - about Jim Clark's life, one of the very first entrepreneurs\n- \"Machines of Loving Grace\" - about the research and the rise of AI\n- \"Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution\"\n- \"The Second Coming of Steve Jobs\" - About Pixar's story. Liked more than Isaacson's biography\n- \"The Innovators\" - great summary of computer industry, from the 1800's till today\n- \"Ghost in the Wires\" - Kevin Mitnick's story. Had started years ago, but finally finished it\n- \"Idea Man\" - about Paul Allen's story. Quite an impressive man.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Re-read Innovator's Dilemma\" - a great classic; never gets old.",
          "reason": "Called a great classic that never gets old.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416715,
          "author": "crdb",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T22:27:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416715",
          "commentText": "The first scene in Tolstoy's War and Peace should be required reading for engineering graduates, particularly the hyper-rational Sheldon types. I'm referring specifically to the impact Pierre has on the people at the party, the importance of manners, why small talk, etc. War and Peace is generally a great book because of how much it captures about human nature and power plays and it is still relevant today. It has a reputation for length but I found it much more readable than, say, Lord of the Rings.\nDelta Force by Col. Charlie Beckwith. Think your company has red tape? Try the US Army post-Vietnam. It's a great example of someone moving through bureaucracy to achieve great things and taught me to stop making excuses based on organisational behaviour. The Phantom Major by Virginia Cowles is in the same vein with some phenomenal hustling lessons. I still think of both men whenever I think whatever I'm doing is hard.\nDynamic Hedging by Taleb was written whilst he was a pit trader and is the most intuitive introduction to thinking about options I've read. It informs my thinking about decision making in terms of probability, path dependency and higher order greeks, and helps me take risks in a smart manner. I recommend it to a lot of people but nobody takes it up because (I'm guessing) it's only available as a second hand paper copy, and people think trading options has nothing to do with their life.\nLegionnaire by Simon Murray was recommended to me by my thesis supervisor shortly before graduation. I respected his opinion so I read the thing and it blew my mind in what people were capable of doing when pushed to the edge. Murray went on to have multiple interesting careers and set records as a helicopter pilot.\nThere are two books that were lessons in what they did not teach me.\nClayton Christensen's Innovator's Dilemma/Solution presents a very enticing idea but I think the core explanation for what it covers is much better set forward in Marc Bloch's Strange Defeat. There are regular sub-threads on the book on HN so I won't go into it further.\nI also read a couple of Jack Welch books and thought, wow, this guy knows what he is talking about. This was before 2007. After 2007, I heard from a few people - including very smart investors - who basically put GE's success down to the 30 year bull market and to the growth of GE Capital which became something like 60% of the company and indeed did almost take down GE with it after Lehman. It introduced the possibility that some famous leaders and gurus might not be as competent as they are branded to be and it's important to check for confounding variables.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "presents a very enticing idea but I think the core explanation for what it covers is much better set forward in Marc Bloch's Strange Defeat.",
          "reason": "Acknowledges its appeal but argues another book explains its subject better.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment prefers Marc Bloch's explanation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229612,
          "author": "jakegarelick",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T14:42:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229612",
          "commentText": "My recent favorites: Jobs, The Hard Thing About Hard Things, High Output Management, Innovator's Dilemma, Lean Startup, On The Shortness Of Life, How Google Works, Zero To One, Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Power of Habit, Things Fall Apart, Stoner",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Innovator's Dilemma",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's recent favorites in response to a book recommendation request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9045612,
          "author": "Yadi",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-13T17:38:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 9044833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I have $2k for books, training and confs. What should I spend it on?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9045612",
          "commentText": "I would buy and look into the following books:\n# HTTP: The Definitive Guide - O'Reilly Media\n# Algorithms by Sedgewick\n# Introduction to Algorithms by Cormen.\nCheck out some Machine Learning books:\n# Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning\n# Computer Networks (5th Edition)\nI would look at the following book if you wanted more Q&A and interview questions:\n# Cracking the Coding Interview: 150 Programming Questions ...\nTutorial memberships:\n# I would buy a Tuts+ account, they have been very slow in releasing new content (too bad), however they have lots of great Web Development stuff.\nI would read some other non-technical books:\n# Hackers & Painters: Big Ideas from the Computer Age by Paul Graham\n# The Hard Thing About Hard Things by  Ben Horowitz\n# The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book That Will Change The Way You Do Business by Clayton M. Christenen,\n# Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman\n# How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie\nIf you wanted to understand some Cloud stuff, look into the Whitepapers from Amazon Web Services:\n# https://aws.amazon.com/whitepapers/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book That Will Change The Way You Do Business by Clayton M. Christenen",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8110177,
          "author": "sogen",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T18:46:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8110177",
          "commentText": "The Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton Christensen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton Christensen",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a request for book suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6335887,
          "author": "nsp",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-05T18:23:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 6329955,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which two books were the most influential on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6335887",
          "commentText": "1. Naked economics. This is essentially a primer on Econ, I read it when I was 17 or so and it taught me 90% of what I was taught getting ivy Econ degree. Short, easy, intuitive read, can't recommend it enough. \n2. Innovators dilemma. This is where the now-meaningless-buzzword 'disrupt' comes from.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "This is where the now-meaningless-buzzword 'disrupt' comes from.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls “disrupt” a now-meaningless buzzword.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4611623,
          "author": "orrenkt",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-04T10:12:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 4596721,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4611623",
          "commentText": "I just read 'The Innovator's Dilemma' by Clayton Christensen and it's awesome.\nThere's all this talk of \"disrupting\" everything in the tech world right now and a lot of it is really bullshit. This guy is the one who coined the term disruptive technology, and when you dig into it it's a really interesting concept that he actually backs up with great research on the disk drive industry.\nThe core of the idea is that 'disruptive' technologies are underdog technologies that actually have worse performance than the leading technologies of their time, but also some other attributes (smaller, lighter, etc) that make them valuable to customers in niche, less profitable markets the big guys aren't interested in. Since technology progresses much faster than our demand for it, those cheaper, crappier technologies improve over time and end up killing the big, expensive players who originally dominated the market.\nReally great read",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I just read 'The Innovator's Dilemma' by Clayton Christensen and it's awesome.",
          "reason": "Praises the book and explains its account of disruptive technologies, backed by research on the disk drive industry.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227033,
          "author": "sshumaker",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T17:34:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227033",
          "commentText": "Guns, Germs and Steel - It will change the way you think about the course of human development and the forces of history.\nThe Innovator's Dilemma can be summed up in two paragraphs but is still worth reading - it explains why giant companies fail to keep innovating.\nStumbling upon happiness - how people's perception of what makes them happy has little basis in what actually makes them happy - and why.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Innovator's Dilemma can be summed up in two paragraphs but is still worth reading - it explains why giant companies fail to keep innovating.",
          "reason": "Says it is still worth reading and summarizes its subject.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Can be summed up in two paragraphs.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 193360,
          "author": "davidw",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-18T14:24:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 193308,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What books on marketing do you recomend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=193360",
          "commentText": "Many of the ones that have been summarized here are pretty good:\nhttp://www.squeezedbooks.com (currently undergoing a server upgrade, sorry for random bits of downtime).\nSome favorites include \"20 years of high tech marketing disasters\", \"crossing the chasm\", \"innovator's dilemma\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"crossing the chasm\", \"innovator's dilemma\".",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorite marketing books.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for marketing books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 138005,
          "author": "larryfreeman",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-16T05:32:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=138005",
          "commentText": "1) Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell (very interesting ideas)\n2) Innovator's Dilemma (for understanding what can work well)\n3) Inside Intuit (for a great business story)\n4) Eric Sink on the Business of Software",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Innovator's Dilemma (for understanding what can work well)",
          "reason": "Listed as a book for understanding what can work well.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5725,
          "author": "nostrademons",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T17:07:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5725",
          "commentText": "My list, categorized:\nBusiness & Management\n1. Innovator's Dilemma and Innovator's Solution by Clayton Christensen\n2. Built to Last and Good to Great by Jim Collins.  Built to Last is more applicable for startups.\n3. Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks.  Anyone who has to manage a team of programmers and hasn't read this will fail utterly, unless they've already failed before (or been on a failing team).  There's a lot that's counterintuitive about software project management.\n4. Peter Drucker's work.  Kinda long and repetitive, but some good insights.\nMarketing\n1. All Marketers are Liars by Seth Godin.  I like this better than Purple Cow, Guerilla Marketer's Handbook, and The Big Red Fez.  Most of those have fairly obvious stuff.\n2. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell\n3. Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore\nTechnical\n1. Building Scalable Websites by Cal Henderson\n2. High Performance MySQL by Jeremy Zawodny\n3. Pragmatic Programmer by...well, it's mentioned elsewhere here.\nThere are lots of other technical books I like, but most of them aren't directly relevant to the startup I'm building",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Innovator's Dilemma and Innovator's Solution by Clayton Christensen",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5613,
          "author": "dropbox",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T04:36:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5613",
          "commentText": "some that haven't been mentioned:\n- the innovator's dilemma by clayton christensen\n- blue ocean strategy (kim and mauborgne) -- these two books give you a little bit more of a framework to evaluate where your idea adds value and give you examples of how/why some successful companies have been successful\n- high tech startup by nesheim -- a little dated, but lots of info\n- negotiation/people books: getting to yes (fisher, ury) and getting past no (ury), influence by cialdini\n (useful for more than just startups)\n- maybe some management books: peopleware (demarco and lister), the art of project management (berkun), first, break all the rules (buckingham)\n- founders at work (livingston) to get inspired\n+1 to crossing the chasm, and the godin & gladwell books, art of the start\nblogs: onstartups.com, fred wilson, brad feld, seth godin, etc., guy kawasaki\n-drew",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the innovator's dilemma by clayton christensen",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the thread asking which books founders found most helpful.",
          "audience": "Startup founders evaluating business ideas and sources of value.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Clayton M. Christensen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 20,
      "threads": 18,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "disruptive innovation",
        "innovation",
        "business strategy",
        "management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "walden-a6d460",
      "title": "Walden",
      "author": "Henry David Thoreau",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49905541,
          "author": "haritha-j",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T07:20:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49905541",
          "commentText": "Walden, by Henry David Therou. Written by a man who got tired of modern life and decided to live in a hut in the woods. Written in the 1850s.\nFull of lovely lines such as “I hear they’re building a telegraph line from Maine to Texas. Have they stopped to ask, does Texas have anything to say to Maine?”",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Walden, by Henry David Therou.",
          "reason": "Presents it as a book about leaving modern life to live in a hut in the woods and quotes a favorite line.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 45652075,
          "author": "andsoitis",
          "createdAt": "2025-10-21T03:18:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 45651938,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45652075",
          "commentText": "Walden, by Henry David Thoreau",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Walden, by Henry David Thoreau",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42972561,
          "author": "disjunct",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-07T13:58:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42972561",
          "commentText": "I was hoping to see Thoreau here. I'd also recommend his book Walking, maybe even to be read before Walden. It identifies and preempts a lot of what the 'mindfulness' industry deals with and reorients it all around an idea of wilderness.\nBut I'd also be careful reading Walden. I don't think it's a literal instruction manual as some have taken it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "But I'd also be careful reading Walden. I don't think it's a literal instruction manual",
          "reason": "Discusses how Walden is interpreted.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter cautions that it should not be treated as a literal instruction manual.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42970496,
          "author": "unfixed",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-07T08:05:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42970496",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand\n1984, by Orwell\nWalden, by Thoreau\nSiddhartha, by Hermann Hesse\nBut really, the one that had most direct impact in my life was Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall. Not in my vision of the world but in my lifestyle.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Walden, by Thoreau",
          "reason": "Listed among books that influenced the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42965389,
          "author": "k310",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-06T19:01:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42965389",
          "commentText": "Walden, by Thoreau\nThe Myth of the Machine, by Lewis Mumford\nCloud Hidden, by Alan Watts\nComputer Lib/Dream Machines, by Ted Nelson (Technology purpose and arrow)\nThe Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, by William L. Shirer\nSmall is Beautiful, by E. F. Schumacher",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Walden, by Thoreau",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41775133,
          "author": "billwear",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-08T08:50:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41775133",
          "commentText": "there are two: Pirsig's \"Zen...\" and Thoreau's \"Walden....\" the quality which is defined is not the quality, and the sun is but a morning star. iykyk. no posturing intended, just answering the d*n question.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thoreau's \"Walden....\"",
          "reason": "Named as one of two answers to the question about the best book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40281810,
          "author": "sotix",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T02:44:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40281810",
          "commentText": "Walden, in which the author, Henry David Thoreau, builds a cabin in the woods and lives there for two years, two months, and two days. He gives up many of modern life’s luxuries and makes some incredibly profound observations on how much unnecessary bloat we have in modern life. It was published in 1854 yet remains relevant.\nHenry David Thoreau was part of the Transcendentalist movement, so the book reflects a lot of that philosophy. I am revisiting it after first reading it a decade ago and am finding it really fascinating now that I’m older and have spent a bit of time in the workforce and in society.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Walden, in which the author, Henry David Thoreau, builds a cabin in the woods and lives there for two years, two months, and two days.",
          "reason": "Reflects on simplifying modern life and offers observations the commenter finds profound and still relevant.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes its Transcendentalist philosophy and says they are revisiting it after a decade.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34161483,
          "author": "Ilasky",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T14:51:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161483",
          "commentText": "I just visited a Getaway [0] and read the founders’ book “How to Get Away”. It is about how to balance technology in our lives, not necessarily remove it, but how to not forget how to be human, in a sense. Interesting read.\nIn a similar vein, I’m reading Walden now after having been to Walden Pond, seeing Thoreau’s cabin spot, and wondering if I could do the same, maybe to a lesser extreme.\nAlso interested in reading Before the Coffee Gets Cold.\n[0] https://getaway.house/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I’m reading Walden now",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is currently reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30739312,
          "author": "2OEH8eoCRo0",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T01:55:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30739312",
          "commentText": "Walden - Thoreau\nMeditations - Aurelius\nSimply existing can be exhilarating.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Walden - Thoreau",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803978,
          "author": "jriot",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:57:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803978",
          "commentText": "I've curated my 2020 list over the last few months, eventually splitting it in two; 2021 has been started, but below is my 2020 list.\nBrave New World\nCatcher in the Rye (3rd read)\nTom Sawyer\nThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn\nWar and Peace\nCatch-22\nStranger in a Strange Lan\nThe Hobbit (3rd read)\nThe Illiad\nThe Odessey\nWalden\nLeisure, The Basis of Culture\nThe Seven Storey Mountain\nConfessions\nThe City of God\nWays of Life St Augustine\nCatechism of the Catholic Church\nThese Truths\nBattle Cry of Freedom\nThe Complete Guide to Fly Fishing\nThe Lure and Lore of Trout Fishing\nThe Duck Huntingest Gentlemen",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Walden",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's curated 2020 reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Part of a planned reading list.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803155,
          "author": "tonyedgecombe",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T14:23:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803155",
          "commentText": "The Wizard and the Prophet by Charles Mann, it covers two different approaches to the environmental problems we face. Whether we can use technology to extract ourselves from these problems or restraint and a simpler life.\nAfter that I'll probably read Walden again.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "After that I'll probably read Walden again.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168677,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:31:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168677",
          "commentText": "I can't give just one, but here are a few that had a strong influence on me: \n\"12 Rules for Life\" by Jordan Peterson, \"Why Switzerland?\" Jonathan Steinberg, \"Little Book of Common Sense Investing\" by John C. Bogle, \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" by Butron Malkiel, \"Liberalismus\" by Ludwig von Mises, \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann, \"Walden\" by Henry David Thoreau, \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"A Treatise on Political Economy\" by Jean-Baptiste Say, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy\" by Joseph Alois Schumpeter, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"My Correct Views on Everything\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"The Captive Mind\" Czesław Miłosz, \"One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, \"The House of the Dead\" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, \"Conversations with an Executioner\" by Kazimierz Moczarski, \"Diary 1954\" by Leopold Tyrmand, \"The Master and Margarita\" by Mikhail Bulgakov, \"A World Apart: A Memoir of the Gulag\" by Gustaw Herling-Grudziński",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Walden\" by Henry David Thoreau",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a strong influence on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15763441,
          "author": "zapperdapper",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T07:20:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15763441",
          "commentText": "+1 for Walden. You don't have to go live in a cabin in the woods to get a ton of benefit from that book. One of the books that helped me see the world with new eyes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for Walden. You don't have to go live in a cabin in the woods to get a ton of benefit from that book.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book offers substantial benefit and helped them see the world differently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762506,
          "author": "megaman22",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T03:23:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762506",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged is one of those books that is often life-changing. Whether that is positive or not depends wildly upon the reader and their situation.\nOther books I'd put in that category are Fight Club and Walden",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Other books I'd put in that category are Fight Club and Walden",
          "reason": "Placed in the category of books that can be life-changing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13805659,
          "author": "mattlody",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T20:11:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805659",
          "commentText": "\"Walden\" by Henry David Thoreau. Truly did change the way I think about the world, the fundamentals of what is required for a free life, and how humankind so often tethers itself to a life of misery. Consider, for example, this quote: \"The farmer is endeavoring to solve the problem of a livelihood by a formula more complicated than the problem itself. To get his shoestrings he speculates in herds of cattle. With consummate skill he has set his trap with a hair spring to catch comfort and independence, and then, as he turned away, got his own leg into it.\"\nOr perhaps this: \"I see young men, my townsmen, whose misfortune it is to have inherited farms, houses, barns, cattle, and farming tools; for these are more easily acquired than got rid of. Better if they had been born in the open pasture and suckled by a wolf [...] Why should they eat their sixty acres, when man is condemned to eat only his peck of dirt? Why should they begin digging their graves as soon as they are born? They have got to live a man's life, pushing all these things before them, and get on as well as they can. How many a poor immortal soul have I met well-nigh crushed and smothered under its load, creeping down the road of life, pushing before it a barn seventy-five feet by forty, its Augean stables never cleansed, and one hundred acres of land, tillage, mowing, pasture, and woodlot!\"\nI loved it, and I thank him constantly for reminding me of what it is to be born free.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Walden\" by Henry David Thoreau. Truly did change the way I think about the world, the fundamentals of what is required for a free life",
          "reason": "Says it changed their thinking about the world and what a free life requires; they loved it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416558,
          "author": "hoodwink",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:54:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416558",
          "commentText": "I was similarly impacted by both books -- Four Hour Work Week led me to Vagabonding which is much better. If you haven't already, you should read the inspiration for Vagabonding: Walden by Thoreau.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you should read the inspiration for Vagabonding: Walden by Thoreau",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it as inspiration for Vagabonding.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in travel and simple living.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10207557,
          "author": "tonyedgecombe",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T07:40:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10207557",
          "commentText": "Walden, not because I want to go and live in the woods, but because it helped me question many of the \"truths\" I had come to believe.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Walden, not because I want to go and live in the woods, but because it helped me question many of the \"truths\" I had come to believe.",
          "reason": "It helped the commenter question beliefs they had accepted as truths.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The recommendation is not about living in the woods.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674196,
          "author": "tonyedgecombe",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T11:25:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674196",
          "commentText": "Walden by Thoreau\nNot mind blowing in that there was any startling revelations in it, rather that reading and absorbing it changed my outlook on many things.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Not mind blowing in that there was any startling revelations in it, rather that reading and absorbing it changed my outlook on many things.",
          "reason": "Reading and absorbing it changed the commenter's outlook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not startling for its revelations.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348932,
          "author": "wankel",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:47:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348932",
          "commentText": "The only reason anyone needs to never read anything by Dan Brown is Dan Brown's writing.\nI'm terrible at random-access, on-demand list building like this, but I strongly agree about a few of the other things mentioned here:\nMeditations by Marcus Aurelius\nGodel, Escher, Bach by Hofstadter\nOrthodoxy by GK Chesterton\nThe Abolition of Man by CS Lewis\nWalden by Thoreau\nA few of the better and more philosophical bits out of the bible (especially in a good modern translation), including Ecclesiastes and 1 Corinthians 13\nTo this list, I would also add Ralph Waldo Emerson's classic essays, including Self-Reliance and Experience",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Walden by Thoreau",
          "reason": "Strongly agrees with the book being included in a list of perspective-changing books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348605,
          "author": "gmu3",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:13:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348605",
          "commentText": "I like these posts as much as everyone else, but this is literally at least the third one this week.  Maybe it could become a recurring monthly thing like the hiring posts.\nWalden: \"Society is commonly too cheap. We meet at very short intervals, not having had time to acquire any new value for each other. We meet at meals three times a day, and give each other a new taste of that old musty cheese that we are. We have had to agree on a certain set of rules, called etiquette and politeness, to make this frequent meeting tolerable and that we need not come to open war. We meet at the post-office, and at the sociable, and about the fireside every night; we live thick and are in each other's way, and stumble over one another, and I think that we thus lose some respect for one another. Certainly less frequency would suffice for all important and hearty communications.\"\nPart of the reason I'm off fb.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Walden: \"Society is commonly too cheap. We meet at very short intervals, not having had time to acquire any new value for each other.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8106942,
          "author": "dirktheman",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:16:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106942",
          "commentText": "- Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance was a real eye-opener to me.\n- Last year, I read both Das Kapital by Karl Marx and The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money by John Maynard Keynes.\n- Walden by Henry David Thoreau\nNote that these are classic works (Zen is the newest, from 1974), but they haven't lost their relevance yet. Zen is a journey in your mind, disguised as a journey by motorcycle by a father and his son. Das Kapital and GToEIM offer deeper insight in why our economy works the way it does, and I especially liked the contrast between the two books. Walden is difficult to classify. It changed the way I look at things, but I can't say exactly how. Sometimes I encounter a situation and a quote or scene from the book pops up in my head. Highly recommended!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It changed the way I look at things, but I can't say exactly how.",
          "reason": "Says it changed how they see things and that lines or scenes come to mind in situations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter cannot say exactly how it changed their perspective.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5324687,
          "author": "expralitemonk",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-05T14:42:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 5323956,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: which are some good self-help books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5324687",
          "commentText": "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/148\nMeditations by Marcus Aurelius http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2680\nHe wasn't the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, but he was Emperor of Rome. ;)\nWalden http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/205\nMost of the big problems in life have already been pondered eons ago.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Walden",
          "reason": "The commenter points to it as an example of people pondering life's problems long ago.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1867251,
          "author": "secret",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-04T01:42:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1867251",
          "commentText": "Walden by Henry David Thoreau. It's public domain, so you can get it free. I challenge anyone here to read the first page and not immediately want to read the whole thing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I challenge anyone here to read the first page and not immediately want to read the whole thing.",
          "reason": "Urges readers to try the first page and says it will make them want to continue.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875838,
          "author": "mynameishere",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T02:59:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875838",
          "commentText": "I don't have any favorites, but the books I've read the most are \"Notes from the Underground\" and Walden.  The last time I read Walden I didn't enjoy it much, so maybe I shouldn't mention it...\nThe first should be read by everyone though http://www.gutenberg.org/files/600/600.txt",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The last time I read Walden I didn't enjoy it much, so maybe I shouldn't mention it...",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter did not enjoy the most recent reading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143310,
          "author": "jlk",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T14:46:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143310",
          "commentText": "Ulysses by James Joyce\nCode Complete by Steve McConnell\nWalden by Henry David Thoreau\nBreakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.\nWatermelon Sugar by Richard Brautigan\nMurphy by Samuel Beckett\nGravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Walden by Henry David Thoreau",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85938,
          "author": "jraines",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T14:35:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85938",
          "commentText": "1984\nThe Silmarillion\nThe Hero With A Thousand Faces\nDune\nWalden (about half the chapters anyway)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Walden (about half the chapters anyway)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they liked about half the chapters.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Henry David Thoreau"
      ],
      "recommenders": 20,
      "threads": 18,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Philosophy",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "simple living",
        "transcendentalism",
        "nature writing",
        "american transcendentalism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "flowers-for-algernon-d3dd86",
      "title": "Flowers for Algernon",
      "author": "Daniel Keyes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50119424,
          "author": "chistev",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T15:13:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50119424",
          "commentText": "Flowers for Algernon is the most mentioned book in this thread thus far. I listed it too in my comment.\nHighly recommended to those who haven't read it!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Flowers for Algernon is the most mentioned book in this thread thus far.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it highly recommended for people who have not read it.",
          "audience": "People who have not read the book.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 50119292,
          "author": "chistev",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T15:05:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50119292",
          "commentText": "I mentioned this in my comment!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I mentioned this in my comment!",
          "reason": "The reply clearly refers to the parent’s book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 50119288,
          "author": "chistev",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T15:05:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50119288",
          "commentText": "1. Animal Farm by George Orwell\n2. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes [1]\n3. Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley\n4. I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette Mccurdy\n5. Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris\n6. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe [2]\n7. Cosmos by Carl Sagan\n8. The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution by Richard Dawkins [3]\n9. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson\n10. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander [4]\n11. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka\n12. Billions and Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium by Carl Sagan [5][6][7]\n13. Outgrowing God: A Beginner’s Guide to Atheism by Richard Dawkins\n[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50076596\n[2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47452253\n[3] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48326741\n[4] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49539535\n[5] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49751771\n[6] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49740712\n[7] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49739256",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes [1]",
          "reason": "Listed among books read repeatedly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 50117823,
          "author": "drakonka",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T12:57:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50117823",
          "commentText": "A few:\n- Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (thrice)\n- The Color of Distance by Amy Thomson (twice)\n- Fox 8 by George Saunders (twice)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (thrice)",
          "reason": "The commenter reports reading it three times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 50115944,
          "author": "pitifulsurround",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T09:03:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50115944",
          "commentText": "Flowers for Algernon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Flowers for Algernon",
          "reason": "Given as an answer to which books the commenter has read at least twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 47318512,
          "author": "chistev",
          "createdAt": "2026-03-10T02:41:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 47315415,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47318512",
          "commentText": "Great book. I read it first in 2022, then re-read it last year and it still held up!\nWrote about it on my blog (don't open until you're done with it!\"\nhttps://www.rxjourney.net/list-of-books-i-finished-reading-i... (https://www.rxjourney.net/list-of-books-i-finished-reading-in-2025)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great book. I read it first in 2022, then re-read it last year and it still held up!",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book and says it held up on rereading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 47317076,
          "author": "PennyTee",
          "createdAt": "2026-03-09T23:14:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 47315415,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47317076",
          "commentText": "Flowers for Algernon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Flowers for Algernon",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 44574451,
          "author": "chistev",
          "createdAt": "2025-07-15T18:40:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 44568054,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44574451",
          "commentText": "Hard to choose for myself who made the post.\nBut some of my favorites are -\n1. God: The Failed Hypothesis\nBook by Victor J. Stenger\n2. The God Delusion\nBook by Richard Dawkins\n3. Berlin: The Downfall 1945\nBook by Antony Beevor\n4. A Song of Ice and Fire\nNovel series by George R.R. Martin\n5. A Short History of Nearly Everything\nBook by Bill Bryson\n6. Billions and Billions\nBook by Carl Sagan\n7. Flowers for Algernon\nShort story by Daniel Keyes\n8. I'm Glad My Mom Died\nBook by Jennette McCurdy\n9. Manhunt: The Ten-Year Search for Bin Laden--from 9/11 to Abbottabad\nBook by Peter Bergen\n10. Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space\nBook by Carl Sagan\n11. The Metamorphosis\nNovella by Franz Kafka\n12. The Selfish Gene\nBook by Richard Dawkins\nGun to my head, pick one? The God Delusion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Flowers for Algernon",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42971496,
          "author": "maxbrt",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-07T11:35:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42971496",
          "commentText": "1984, George Orwell\nPermanent Record, Edward Snowden\nMy Early Life, Winston S. Churchill\nFlowers for Algernon, Daniel Keyes\nAtlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand\nEdit: To some extent probably also:\nThe Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas\nDon Quijote, Miguel de Cervantes",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Flowers for Algernon, Daniel Keyes",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22723040,
          "author": "markdog12",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T21:44:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22723040",
          "commentText": "Read it in one go, couldn't put it down. Profound.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read it in one go, couldn't put it down. Profound.",
          "reason": "Says they read it in one sitting and found it profound.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22722761,
          "author": "avip",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T21:09:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22722761",
          "commentText": "Who has time for books nowadays? Some lovely tales so short u can read'em over coffee:\n- Asimov's Profession, his best short story IMHO\n- Mimsy Were the Borogoves - just reread it, it's as great as it was when I was a teen!\n- Flowers to Algernon is sad, but a must\n- Everything from Lem's Cyberiad\n- Everything from Borjes` Fictions",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Flowers to Algernon is sad, but a must",
          "reason": "Calls it a must-read while noting that it is sad.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as sad.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22721540,
          "author": "cnorthwood",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T18:56:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22721540",
          "commentText": "Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes.\nWild by Cheryl Strayed - not strictly fiction but it could be read as such. Opened my mind to areas of society I wasn't aware of.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes.",
          "reason": "Listed as a fiction recommendation in response to the thread’s request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17993373,
          "author": "sdx23",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-15T07:19:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17993373",
          "commentText": "Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes. I'm surprised nobody mentioned it yet. It made me reconsider quite a few things.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes. I'm surprised nobody mentioned it yet. It made me reconsider quite a few things.",
          "reason": "The commenter names it in response to the thread asking which book changed your life and says it prompted reconsideration.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17169337,
          "author": "btschaegg",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T22:02:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17169337",
          "commentText": "Happy to see this mentioned here. While I can't claim that it was \"lifechanging\" for me, I still maintain it to be one of the best SciFi novels I've ever read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I still maintain it to be one of the best SciFi novels I've ever read.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the best science fiction novels they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They say it did not change their life.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961419,
          "author": "legohead",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:38:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961419",
          "commentText": "* Currently reading: Edgedancer\n* Flowers for Algernon\n* Going Rogue: Spells, Swords, & Stealth\n* Split the Party: Spells, Swords, & Stealth\n* NPCs\n* Children of Time\n* Death's End\n* The Shining\n* IT\n* All 7+1 books of The Dark Tower",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Flowers for Algernon",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed among books read, with no evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15766086,
          "author": "__ka",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T16:31:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15766086",
          "commentText": "Flowers for Algernon from David Keyes",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Flowers for Algernon from David Keyes",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15631099,
          "author": "btschaegg",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T19:28:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15631099",
          "commentText": "Hard to pinpoint. In terms of entertainment books, it'll probably come down to a tie between Douglas Adams' Last Chance to See and Walter Moers' The City of Dreaming Books, or maybe something by Terry Pratchett (although I couldn't single out a book there, either).\nThe reason for those is just that I can't imagine ever being bored reading them.\nMaybe also Flowers for Algernon (Daniel Keyes) for being a really creative concept (the way the story is told) and for being a wonderful example on how interesting modest sci-fi can be without resorting to \"LAZERZ!!!\".\nEdit: Another contestant: Friedrich Dürrenmatt's The Physicists. Grim yet humorful. I generally really like Dürrenmatt's dark endings.\nEdit 2: And another one: Measuring the World by Daniel Kehlmann, specifically for how well he got me to understand Gauss' weird reactions and motives without going into his work at all. Before I've read it, I would have sworn that a book that tries to present one of the greatest mathematicians would need loads of math in it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Maybe also Flowers for Algernon (Daniel Keyes) for being a really creative concept (the way the story is told) and for being a wonderful example on how interesting modest sci-fi can be",
          "reason": "Praises its creative storytelling and as an example of engaging modest science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15157235,
          "author": "lolive",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T17:39:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15157235",
          "commentText": "Oh, and Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14481458,
          "author": "feignix",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-04T13:26:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14481458",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n1. Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes\nbecause it's so beautifully written and made me experience a flood of emotions.\n2. The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry\nAgain, a very touching, charming book about a little kid's world(universe?) view, told through his adventures.\nNon-fiction:\n1. The subtle art of not giving a F*ck - Mark Manson\nOpened my eyes to what I was possibly doing wrong with my life.\n2. Radical Acceptance - Tara Brach\nStill currently reading it, but I wish I'd found it earlier.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "because it's so beautifully written and made me experience a flood of emotions.",
          "reason": "Praised for beautiful writing and emotional impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12251019,
          "author": "cableshaft",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T21:30:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12251019",
          "commentText": "Pretty much the only book that's made me cry uncontrollably.\nIt was the relationship between biology and intelligence that got me, too, not really on the disability and how he was treated, which was mainly what they focused on in school.\nReally made me reflect afterwards. Totally worth it, one of my favorites, and I'm way overdue to reread it again.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pretty much the only book that's made me cry uncontrollably.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a favorite and says it made them reflect.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12250407,
          "author": "Jasamba",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T19:49:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12250407",
          "commentText": "Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes. This is easily the most moved I have been by a book that was equal parts a theory of intelligence and equal parts a realization of how important of an ingredient intelligence is to enable one to be aware of the fact of being 'alive', to have been given a variable amount of intelligence to process this fact for the next 80 years or so and that this variability in intelligence influences how that turns out.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes. This is easily the most moved I have been by a book",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as the book that moved them most and reflects on its themes of intelligence and awareness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12244450,
          "author": "miduil",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-07T23:48:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244450",
          "commentText": "This Saturday as a birthday present for a 14 year old friend of mine, who haven't been reading so much lately:\n* Persepolis, first version\n* Dark Angel, by David Klass\nI've just started reading \"Flowers for Algernon\", I guess this can also be a good birthday present. I think gifting books is something very difficult, in my experience I never wanted to get books for present.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've just started reading \"Flowers for Algernon\", I guess this can also be a good birthday present.",
          "reason": "Considers it a possible birthday gift.",
          "audience": "A 14-year-old friend",
          "caveat": "The commenter has just started reading it and is uncertain whether it would make a good gift.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11556656,
          "author": "Mormal1",
          "createdAt": "2016-04-23T18:16:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 11556470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your favorite dystopian novel and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11556656",
          "commentText": "I don't know if it counts as dystopian but you should check out Flowers for Algernon - it's on similar lines.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "you should check out Flowers for Algernon",
          "reason": "Suggested as a book to check out for someone interested in dystopian novels.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in dystopian fiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether it counts as dystopian.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7303307,
          "author": "mohaps",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T06:24:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7303307",
          "commentText": "Personal favorites: \"Flowers for Algernon\", \"Snow Crash\" and \"Schild's Ladder\" #YMMV",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Personal favorites: \"Flowers for Algernon\"",
          "reason": "Names it among the commenter’s personal favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4778075,
          "author": "murtza",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-13T14:21:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 4770238,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fiction books that entertain and educate?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4778075",
          "commentText": "Here are two fiction books that I really enjoyed and learned from:\n1) Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes. This book is an emotional roller coaster. After reading it, you will better understand what life is like for the mentally challenged.\n2) Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. You will get a glimpse into the life of Russian aristocracy in the 19th century. More importantly, you will learn about love and human relationships.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book is an emotional roller coaster. After reading it, you will better understand what life is like for the mentally challenged.",
          "reason": "Offers an emotional story and insight into the lives of people with intellectual disabilities.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2927017,
          "author": "katherinehague",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-26T01:27:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 2919368,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have changed the way you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2927017",
          "commentText": "Flowers for Algernon. It made me realize that my greatest fear is to leave the world and have it be as though I had never existed at all. I don't necessarily think that was the moral, but it is certainly what lasted with me the longest.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Flowers for Algernon. It made me realize that my greatest fear is to leave the world and have it be as though I had never existed at all. I don't necessarily think that was the moral, but it is certainly what lasted with me the longest.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it prompted a lasting reflection on their fear of being forgotten.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says this may not be the book's intended moral.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Keyes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 20,
      "threads": 17,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "psychological science fiction",
        "intellectual disability",
        "intelligence",
        "literary science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hyperion-cantos-ebeb37",
      "title": "Hyperion Cantos",
      "author": "Dan Simmons",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42303836,
          "author": "nbernard",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-03T07:43:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42303836",
          "commentText": "More a \"must try\" than a \"must read\". I enjoy reading SF, and didn't like the Hyperion and Endymion series...",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "didn't like the Hyperion and Endymion series",
          "reason": "Says they did not enjoy the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter prefers reading science fiction but disliked these series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42268930,
          "author": "k__",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:19:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268930",
          "commentText": "My reads this year with my personal ratings:\nGreg Egan, Diaspora (7/10)\nDan Simmons, Hyperion 1-4 (9/10)\nJames S.A. Corey, Leviathan Wakes (6/10)\nScott Alexander, Unsong (7/10)\nQtmn, Ra (7/10)\nQtmn, Fine Structure (6/10)\nAndy Weir, Project Hail Mary (6/10)\nWildbow, Worm (8/10)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dan Simmons, Hyperion 1-4 (9/10)",
          "reason": "Rates books 1 through 4 as 9 out of 10.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38557233,
          "author": "tsujamin",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:13:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557233",
          "commentText": "A pair of books I’d recommend for 2024, which I didn’t get the chance to reread this year, would be:\n- The Ocean at the End of the Lane (Gaiman), which is beautiful in a way I can’t quite describe\n- Century Rain (Reynolds), which is best described as a hard boiled 1930’s noir hard science fiction novel.\nBooks I read this year which I really enjoyed:’\n- Exploding The Phone (Lapsley): Super engrossing description of the phone phreak scene almost from its start to its end\n- Hyperion and sequels (Simmons): Probably one of my favourite science fiction series now, and I’ve already felt the need to go back and re-read passages from it. Also really enjoy how each part of the series (Hyperion, then Fall of Hyperion, then the Endymion books) re-invent the style and the story.\n- The Annotated American Gods (Gaiman, Klinger): 1000’s of footnotes is a great way to revisit the story :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Probably one of my favourite science fiction series now",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of their favorite science fiction series and enjoys its changing styles and stories.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36030286,
          "author": "ianyanusko",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-22T12:03:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36030286",
          "commentText": "1) Three-Body Problem series\n2) Hyperion series (first two books especially)\n3) Cryptonomicon \n4) Cloud Atlas\n5) Wandering Earth (collection of short stories)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "2) Hyperion series (first two books especially)",
          "reason": "The commenter particularly recommends the first two books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The first two books are especially singled out.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35393705,
          "author": "idleproc",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-31T21:10:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 35392063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Science Fiction books that predict where ChatGPT might lead us?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35393705",
          "commentText": "The TechnoCore[0] in the Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons comes to mind.\n0: https://hyperioncantos.fandom.com/wiki/TechnoCore",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The TechnoCore[0] in the Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons comes to mind.",
          "reason": "The commenter recalls the series' AI collective as relevant to the question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32937464,
          "author": "saiya-jin",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T11:31:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937464",
          "commentText": "Hyperion cantos - sci-fi, basically 7 very different stories tied together explaining why things are happening and how characters are tied together. 1st book is excellent, 2nd is a must to understand how things continue. I liked all 4, I think it lost the steam slightly around 3rd book but all are excellent experience.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Hyperion cantos - sci-fi, basically 7 very different stories tied together explaining why things are happening and how characters are tied together. 1st book is excellent, 2nd is a must to understand how things continue. I liked all 4, I think it lost the steam slightly around 3rd book but all are excellent experience.",
          "reason": "Praises the first two and overall experience, while saying the series loses some steam around the third book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it loses some steam around the third book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536678,
          "author": "aequitas",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:39:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536678",
          "commentText": "Wool aka Silo series https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silo_%28series%29\nA dystopian future where people live in a Silo (a skyscraper but underground). What I found especially nice is how the author tried to make it realistic and portray people and work fields (machinist, IT, etc) as they really are without to much buffing.\nThe IT department in this story plays a really big role and it is portrayed as I've seen real IT departments, with the old, stubborn, autistic 'this is my kingdom' sysadmin boss down to the 'stupid' intern. It's just to real.\nThe first chapters are a little off compared to the rest of the books as it was released as novella's at first via Kindle and later written into 3 books. But every bit is as awesome as the other.\nEdit: I think this mismatches on your fun/non-dystopian critaria that I just now read. But a good read anyways. Otherwise definitely Hyperion cantos as already mentioned. Although also not without drama it sure is a hell lot of mindboggling world's to plunge into!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Otherwise definitely Hyperion cantos as already mentioned.",
          "reason": "Recommends the series as an alternative, praising its worlds and ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not without drama.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536640,
          "author": "gmuslera",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:32:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536640",
          "commentText": "Fully agreed with that. Along with LOTR are the series that I did read most times. The first book can also be seen as an antology of short stories, each one superb, but the total is far more than the sum of the parts.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Along with LOTR are the series that I did read most times.",
          "reason": "In context, identifies Hyperion Cantos as a series the commenter has reread many times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536623,
          "author": "thetruepickle5",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:28:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536623",
          "commentText": "Another recommendation from me too. This series takes you to some magical places and ideas.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This series takes you to some magical places and ideas.",
          "reason": "Adds a recommendation for the series, praising its settings and ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536570,
          "author": "aresant",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:19:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536570",
          "commentText": "I am just finishing reading the Hyperion Cantos which is an absolutely inspired masterwork by Dan Simmons.\nI can’t stand rereading / rewatching anything, this series is so rich that it feels like reading fresh material all over again.\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperion_Cantos",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Hyperion Cantos which is an absolutely inspired masterwork by Dan Simmons.",
          "reason": "Calls the series an inspired masterwork and says its richness makes rereading feel fresh.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15428616,
          "author": "erikj",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T15:45:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428616",
          "commentText": "Is Dan Simmons' Hyperion Cantos hard enough?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Is Dan Simmons' Hyperion Cantos hard enough?",
          "reason": "Raises it as a possible fit for the hard science fiction request.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking hard science fiction.",
          "caveat": "Questions whether it is sufficiently hard science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13118206,
          "author": "headcanon",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-06T20:50:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13118206",
          "commentText": "Besides Kill Process and Seveneves (mentioned elsewhere on this thread), I'm going through the Hyperion Cantos right now, and I can't recommend it enough. Apparently Bradley Cooper is heading up production of a series as well, so good times ahead for that IP.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm going through the Hyperion Cantos right now, and I can't recommend it enough.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends the series while currently reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12100481,
          "author": "tartuffe78",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T12:30:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12100481",
          "commentText": "Big science fiction fan\n1. Revelation Space\n2. Hyperion\n3. The Postman\n4. The Day of the Triffids\n5. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\n[1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revelation_Space\n[2] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperion_Cantos\n[3] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Postman\n[4] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_of_the_Triffids\n[5]  - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hitchhiker%27s_Guide_to_th... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hitchhiker%27s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2. Hyperion",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter’s favorite science fiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674757,
          "author": "dmux",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T14:35:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674757",
          "commentText": "His last name is Simmons. And the Hyperion Cantos is an excellent series. His other books are worth reading too: Summer of Night, The Terror.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Hyperion Cantos is an excellent series.",
          "reason": "Calls it an excellent series while correcting the author’s surname.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056503,
          "author": "rootlocus",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:11:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056503",
          "commentText": "The Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons.",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about favorite science fiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8944509,
          "author": "misiogames",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-25T22:29:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944509",
          "commentText": "The Hyperion series by Dan Simmons, nice mixture of sci-fi topics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hyperion series by Dan Simmons, nice mixture of sci-fi topics.",
          "reason": "Calls it a nice mixture of science fiction topics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8619100,
          "author": "lastofus",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-17T17:06:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8619100",
          "commentText": "Hyperion Cantos is my personal favorite.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hyperion Cantos is my personal favorite.",
          "reason": "Calls the series their personal favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4968199,
          "author": "ericfrenkiel",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T05:00:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4968199",
          "commentText": "I'm a huge fan of Dan Simmons, and his Hyperion series is well worth the time. Once you make it beyond the first few pages of Hyperion, I guarantee you'll be hooked. There are a total of 4 books in the series and each is truly a masterpiece in science fiction.\nI would also recommend \"The Terror,\" which is a historical fiction piece loosely based on the first expedition to the North Pole.\nSimmons has won multiple awards in Science Fiction and leaps across categories with aplomb. I highly recommend any of his work!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "his Hyperion series is well worth the time. Once you make it beyond the first few pages of Hyperion, I guarantee you'll be hooked.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the four-book series is well worth the time and guarantees readers will be hooked after the opening pages.",
          "audience": "Science fiction readers willing to get past the opening pages.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says to get beyond the first few pages before expecting to be hooked.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3783897,
          "author": "latch",
          "createdAt": "2012-04-01T15:28:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 3781486,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi Books for Hackers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3783897",
          "commentText": "Non-developer specific good sci-fi books:\n-Dune\n-Hyperion + The Fall of Hyperion\n-The Book Of The New Sun\n-Ilium + Olympos\n-Takeshi Kovacs trilogy\n-The Culture Series (meh..)\n-The Demolished Man\nMore dev-oriented:\n-Reamde (which I hated, but I seem to be in a minority)\n-Neuromancer\nI'll always have a special place in my heart for Calculating God (not science fiction), because its the book that got me into reading seriously.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-Hyperion + The Fall of Hyperion",
          "reason": "The two named titles are presented as a recommended science fiction pairing.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking science fiction, including developer oriented fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2639661,
          "author": "pwang",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T03:27:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639661",
          "commentText": "Best overall: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, and its less well-known sequel, Lila\nBest fantasy in terms of most imaginative and full of wonder: The Neverending Story by Michael Ende.  (I know, everyone saw the crappy movie; it simply does not do the book justice.)\nBest Scifi: The Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Best Scifi: The Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons",
          "reason": "Named as the commenter's choice for best science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2527340,
          "author": "latch",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-09T02:40:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 2526568,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2527340",
          "commentText": "I read a ton since getting a Kindle (and dumping my TV). Almost purely sci-fi.\nFinished the Culture series, Hyperios Cantos, Ilium/Olympos, Book of the New sun. Gonna re-read the original 6 dune books at some point. Anything by Paolo Bacigalupi (up and coming) or Larry Niven.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Hyperios Cantos",
          "reason": "Lists the series among books finished; gives no evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140490,
          "author": "nazgulnarsil",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T02:59:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140490",
          "commentText": "depends on the subgenre :)\nSuperhuman:\nSlan by A.E. Van Vogt\nMore Than Human by Theodore STurgeon\nOdd John by Olaf Stapledon\nPost Apocalyptic:\nThe Day of The Triffids by John Whyndham\nEarth Abides by George R. Stewart\nA Canticle for Lebowitz by...don't remember\nSpace Opera/Adventure:\nany of The Culture novels by Iain M. Banks\nThe Reality Dysfunction series by ...don't remember\nHyperion series by Dan Simmons\nTo Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer\nDystopian:\nWe by Yevgeny Zamyatin <---highly overlooked, predates 1984 and Brave New World\nBut the Absolute Best would be anything by:\nStanislaw Lem (Cyberiad, Futurological Congress, Solaris)\nAlfred Bester (The STars my Destination, The Demolished Man)\nor Samuel R. Delany (Babel-17, Dhalgren, Trtion, Nova)\noh and Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light and This Immortal are both great.\nSome of Philip K. Dick's stuff is great, but everyone recommends him. :)\nalmost forgot John Brunner, check out Steel Beach, The Sheep Look Up, and Stand on Zanzibar.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hyperion series by Dan Simmons",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Simmons"
      ],
      "recommenders": 20,
      "threads": 17,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "literary science fiction",
        "far future fiction",
        "time"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "deep-work-f7aaef",
      "title": "Deep Work",
      "author": "Cal Newport",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43614682,
          "author": "to-too-two",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T18:55:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43614682",
          "commentText": "What did you get from it? I read it, but like most self-help books - I felt like it could've been 1/4 the size. The book could've been 10-20 pages.\nOnce the message is clear, they become a slog IMO. The author was smart in coming up with something catchy like \"deep work\" to mean, you get shit done and do some of your best work and learning when you have time set aside being distraction free.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Once the message is clear, they become a slog IMO. The author was smart in coming up with something catchy like \"deep work\"",
          "reason": "The commenter criticizes the book as overly long and says its message could fit in 10–20 pages.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They found the book to be a slog after its message became clear.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43612610,
          "author": "never_inline",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T15:27:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43612610",
          "commentText": "Deep work by cal newport.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Deep work by cal newport.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41546657,
          "author": "l5870uoo9y",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-15T10:51:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41546657",
          "commentText": "I recently read Deep Work by Cal Newport and while it isn't specifically about startups it does offer a crucial insights into doing work that is valuable (potentially also monetary valuable). Startups can be run in 1000s different ways, in particular solo-startups, but common for them is that they solve a difficult problem, and that requires deep work.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I recently read Deep Work by Cal Newport and while it isn't specifically about startups it does offer a crucial insights into doing work that is valuable",
          "reason": "Says it offers useful insight into doing valuable work, while noting it is not specifically about startups.",
          "audience": "Startup founders, including solo founders.",
          "caveat": "It is not specifically about startups.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33856167,
          "author": "rubicon33",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T18:23:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33856167",
          "commentText": "Recommend this book, but honestly you don't need to read it:\nDeep Work: Cal Newport\nWhat you need to know from this book is that to write good software (both quality and quantity) you need to go deep.  You need to fully absorb and understand the problem in your mind, BEFORE you begin writing code.  And then, you need quiet undistracted time to map the thoughts in your mind, to code on paper.\nThis process of turning a mental model in your mind, into a well designed code model, takes more focus than you think (if you want to do it well).  Give yourself a quiet room with no visual distractions.  Just you, and your code.  Set aside a few hours.\nMost importantly of all - Remove the possibility in your mind, that a distraction could happen.  I cannot emphasize this enough.  Your mind will not go deep if, even on a subconscious level, you think a distraction could come.  A text message, a spouse walking in, a co-worker asking a question, etc.  These all need to be (as reasonably as possible) NOT possible so that your mind can go quiet, and you can take on the work.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Recommend this book, but honestly you don't need to read it:\nDeep Work: Cal Newport",
          "reason": "Recommends it for learning to focus deeply on software work, while saying the key takeaway can be summarized.",
          "audience": "Software engineers seeking to improve focus and work quality.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says you don't need to read the book; they summarize its main lesson instead.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33856038,
          "author": "mystickphoenix",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T18:08:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33856038",
          "commentText": "A few things come to mind along with what's already been mentioned:\nAssorted Non-Book Readings:\n- https://randsinrepose.com/dont-skip-this/\n- http://www.stilldrinking.org/programming-sucks\n- https://sysadvent.blogspot.com/2019/12/day-21-being-kind-to-... (https://sysadvent.blogspot.com/2019/12/day-21-being-kind-to-3am-you.html)\n- https://donellameadows.org/archives/leverage-points-places-t... (https://donellameadows.org/archives/leverage-points-places-to-intervene-in-a-system/)\n- https://grugbrain.dev/\n- https://changelog.com/posts/rich-hickeys-greatest-hits\n- https://github.com/papers-we-love/papers-we-love/blob/master... (https://github.com/papers-we-love/papers-we-love/blob/master/design/out-of-the-tar-pit.pdf)\n- http://www.cs.unc.edu/techreports/86-020.pdf\nBooks:\n- The Phoenix Project: Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, George Spafford\n- Deep Work: Cal Newport\n- The Art of Leadership: Michael Lopp (Rands)\n- Extreme Ownership: Jocko Willink and Leif Babin (once you get through the \nho-rah stuff it's a fantastic read)\n- Time Management for System Administrators: O'Reilly (fantastic for interrupt driven work)\n- Elements of Clojure: Zachary Tellman (not just for Clojure devs)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Deep Work: Cal Newport",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33382564,
          "author": "itcrowd",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T09:58:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382564",
          "commentText": "Having read Newports work, I feel his books are mostly in the category of books-that-could-have-been-blogposts. What are your thoughts on this?",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Having read Newports work, I feel his books are mostly in the category of books-that-could-have-been-blogposts.",
          "reason": "The commenter criticizes Newport's books as content that could have been blog posts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27638010,
          "author": "muzani",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T00:51:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27638010",
          "commentText": "I didn't get anything from the book. What was the best insight you got from the book?",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I didn't get anything from the book.",
          "reason": "Says the book did not provide them anything.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27637687,
          "author": "wry_discontent",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T23:58:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27637687",
          "commentText": "I've had a copy of this book for so long, but it reeks to me of something that should be a blog post I can read in 5 minutes, and so I've never been able to muster the interest to crack it open.\nHow seriously would you recommend it?",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "How seriously would you recommend it?",
          "reason": "The commenter asks how strongly the parent commenter recommends the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it and doubts its content merits a full book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27637322,
          "author": "fezzez",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T23:04:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27637322",
          "commentText": "Deep work by Cal Newport.\nIt helped me learn how to be vastly more productive in the same amount of effort and time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Deep work by Cal Newport.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them become much more productive with the same effort and time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21901784,
          "author": "drngdds",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T21:17:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21901784",
          "commentText": "Deep Work by Cal Newport was great.\nIf only I could actually apply its principles at my job in an open office with an IM chat system.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Deep Work by Cal Newport was great.",
          "reason": "Calls the book great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its principles are hard to apply in their open office with IM chat.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665954,
          "author": "ryanstorm",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T17:46:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665954",
          "commentText": "I have a post at my blog here: http://westby.io/5-books-ive-read-2018-1/\nSome other books I read that I'd recommend:\n- Anathem\n- Deep Work\n- A Canticle for Leibowitz\n- Into Thin Air\n- Shoe Dog\n- Happiness Hypothesis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Deep Work",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books the commenter says they would recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18664246,
          "author": "yboris",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T14:40:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664246",
          "commentText": "Deep Work is excellent and likely a very useful read for most of the programmers / engineers / (data) scientists ... pretty much any \"information worker\"!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Deep Work is excellent and likely a very useful read for most of the programmers / engineers / (data) scientists ... pretty much any \"information worker\"!",
          "reason": "Calls it excellent and useful for information workers.",
          "audience": "Programmers, engineers, data scientists, and other information workers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910593,
          "author": "amrrs",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:58:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910593",
          "commentText": "1. Born a Crime (audiobook) by Trevor Noah is an entertaining yet thought-provoking listen\n2. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (just gives a different perception to success all together, at least did for me)\n3. Mastery (Robert Greene) - can be dismissed as Anecdotes but really powerful ones\n4. Deep Work (Cal Newport) - a guy who doesn't like to be on social media and I found reading about him and stumbled upon this and it's absolutely an insightful read\n5. The subtle art of not giving a fk - This is a short, beautiful and an amazing read even if you aren't looking for self improvement",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's absolutely an insightful read",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an insightful read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17522854,
          "author": "murrayb",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T13:39:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17522854",
          "commentText": "There are a lot of really great suggestions here. I would recommend putting all of them aside and read Deep Work by Cal Newport and then re assess.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "read Deep Work by Cal Newport and then re assess",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends reading it before reassessing the other suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16569250,
          "author": "jefflombardjr",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-12T16:29:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16569250",
          "commentText": "For a non-cs book, checkout Deep Work by Cal Newport. It's been a little while since I read, but what struck me most is the mindset to avoid distractions.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For a non-cs book, checkout Deep Work by Cal Newport. It's been a little while since I read, but what struck me most is the mindset to avoid distractions.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for its mindset of avoiding distractions.",
          "audience": "Readers looking to reduce distractions and focus at work.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it has been a little while since they read it.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296414,
          "author": "ArslanAtajanov",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T05:58:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296414",
          "commentText": "\"Letters from a Stoic\" by Seneca\n\"The Selfish Gene\" by Richard Dawkins\n\"Deep Work\" by Cal Newport\n\"Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed\" by Jared Diamond",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Deep Work\" by Cal Newport",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15965933,
          "author": "harigov",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-20T00:38:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15965933",
          "commentText": "I agree with your assessment about \"Deep Work\" but I still recommend folks to read it, just to reiterate what you probably already know. I think it helps us remind ourselves to focus on our life, when there are so many distractions.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I still recommend folks to read it",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the book as a reminder to focus amid distractions.",
          "audience": "People seeking reminders to focus on their lives despite distractions.",
          "caveat": "The commenter agrees with a critical assessment and says the book reiterates what readers probably already know.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15963444,
          "author": "csnewb",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T19:40:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15963444",
          "commentText": "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck is a cringy read, I couldn't get past the first chapter. Deep Work as a whole can be summarized in a sentence. My interpretation is: put away distractions and focus on getting things done. There's other advice there but none of it is anything you haven't heard of before. CODE is great on the other hand. Just skip the nonsense self-help stuff.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Deep Work as a whole can be summarized in a sentence.",
          "reason": "Says its advice is familiar and could be summarized briefly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Acknowledges there is other advice but says none is new.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15962109,
          "author": "fgandiya",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T17:48:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15962109",
          "commentText": "This year I read:\n1. The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Computer - A steampunk graphic novel about Ada Lovelace and Charlie Babbage. Fun story with loads of research to back it up. Got even better when I got to go the UK and explore the places they worked at in their livetimes\n2. The Hardware Hacker - A compilation of storis by bunnie focused on the hardware/maker(ish) ecosystem. Also discusses the Chinese manufacturing ecosystem and answers questions that most people have about it.\n3. Technically Wrong - A book about how tech can sometimes leave lots of people behind for one reason or another and how we can fix them. A very quick read.\n4. The Masters of Doom - The story of id Software, the company which spawned an entire genre with games like Doom and Wolfenstwein in its early days.\n5. Blood, Sweat and Pixels - The book looks into how video games are made and the many challenges along the way. Focuses on ten games from solo all the way to AAA titles. Really good if you want to know why video games turn out the way they do. After reading this, you'll double take whenever you hear of a delayed game, cancelled project, E3 demos and buggy releases. It also has some uplifting moments.\n6. My textbooks :).\nHopefully I can also read The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, Deep Work and CODE.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Hopefully I can also read The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, Deep Work and CODE.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter hopes to read it; no evaluation is given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14478659,
          "author": "tedmiston",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T21:43:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478659",
          "commentText": "Thanks for sharing the summary.  Deep Work was recommended to me recently so this is super helpful.  It seems consistent with common thinking that attention is a muscle to be strength trained regularly.\nI've been gathering my own book notes in a GitHub repo [1] and added a link back to your post for when I read the book.\n[1]: https://github.com/tedmiston/notes",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Deep Work was recommended to me recently so this is super helpful.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds a summary of the book helpful and says it aligns with the idea that attention can be strengthened.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13571680,
          "author": "quickpost",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-05T10:04:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13571680",
          "commentText": "On my first run through this book and I already want to re-read it again.  It has had an amazing effect on helping me re-focus on my work and re-familiarize myself with the value of deep focus / work.\nGreat book - highly recommend it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It has had an amazing effect on helping me re-focus on my work and re-familiarize myself with the value of deep focus / work.\nGreat book - highly recommend it.",
          "reason": "Credits it with helping them refocus and explicitly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13566891,
          "author": "evplv",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T13:28:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13566891",
          "commentText": "Deep Work by Cal Newport.\nhttp://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25744928-deep-work\nEye opening reading for everyone who works in IT, science or any industry that requires long chunks of deep attention.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Eye opening reading for everyone who works in IT, science or any industry that requires long chunks of deep attention.",
          "reason": "Calls it eye opening and recommends it to people whose work requires sustained attention.",
          "audience": "People in IT, science, or fields requiring long stretches of focused attention.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13240028,
          "author": "henrik_w",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T20:18:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13240028",
          "commentText": "+1 (+2?) for Deep Work and Ready Player One. Read both this year, and both are excellent. Also really liked The Martian.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 (+2?) for Deep Work",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconded as an excellent book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13237188,
          "author": "kranner",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:44:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237188",
          "commentText": "- Tetris: The Games People Play by Box Brown\n- Tibet, Tibet by Patrick French\n- Maya: A Novel by CW Huntington, Jr\n- The Science of Enlightenment by Shinzen Young\n- Flask Web Development by Miguel Grinberg\n- Buddha's Diet by Tara Cottrell\n- A Feast of Vultures by Josy Joseph\n- Genghis Khan: Life, Death and Resurrection by John Man\n- Chasing the Scream by Johann Hari\n- Cuckold by Kiran Nagarkar\n- Goliath by Tom Gauld\n- This Will Never Happen Again by David Cain\n- Cure by Jo Marchant\n- If It’s Monday It Must Be Madurai: A Conducted Tour of India by Srinath Perur\n- Deep Work by Cal Newport\n- Enduring Love by Ian McEwan\n- The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery\n- The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt\n- The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion\nand a few others that aren't worth recommending; all the above are.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "all the above are.",
          "reason": "The commenter includes the listed books among those worth recommending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12990862,
          "author": "charlesroper",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-18T23:18:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12990862",
          "commentText": "Team of Teams by General Stanley McChrystal.\nFundamentally about being agile, adaptable, transparent, collaborative and decentralised. You could say it's about digital transformation but on a military scale. An excellent companion to some other books mentioned here, such as Deep Work (this book is a constructive counterpoint in many ways), Extreme Ownership, and Ego is the Enemy.\nhttps://mcchrystalgroup.com/teamofteams/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Deep Work",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned as a comparison, not endorsed here.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416046,
          "author": "kentt",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T20:30:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416046",
          "commentText": "Deep Work has been one of the most influential books about productivity.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Deep-Work-Focused-Success-Distracted/... (https://www.amazon.com/Deep-Work-Focused-Success-Distracted/dp/1455586692)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Deep Work has been one of the most influential books about productivity.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the most influential books about productivity.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in productivity.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11705802,
          "author": "taphangum",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-16T12:24:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11705802",
          "commentText": "reading this one now, very good book!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "reading this one now, very good book!",
          "reason": "Says the book they are reading is very good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11702897,
          "author": "pramodbiligiri",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-15T21:40:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11702897",
          "commentText": "\"Deep Work\" by Cal Newport. He emphasizes the need for deep intellectual work to prosper in the knowledge economy and suggests ways to practice getting to that level of work.\nIt is part rumination and part self help. I highly recommend it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend it.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly highly recommends it and describes its advice on deep intellectual work.",
          "audience": "People seeking to prosper in the knowledge economy and practice deep intellectual work.",
          "caveat": "The commenter characterizes it as part rumination and part self-help.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cal Newport"
      ],
      "recommenders": 20,
      "threads": 15,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "productivity",
        "focus",
        "deep work",
        "focused work"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-cuckoo-s-egg-d82aa8",
      "title": "The Cuckoo's Egg",
      "author": "Clifford Stoll",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43095574,
          "author": "mooreds",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-18T21:50:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 43084739,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction/non-fiction book should everyone read on the topic of CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43095574",
          "commentText": "Came here to say this.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Came here to say this.",
          "reason": "Echoes the parent comment's recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43085089,
          "author": "ggm",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-18T01:23:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 43084739,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction/non-fiction book should everyone read on the topic of CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43085089",
          "commentText": "The Cuckoo's Egg (Clifford Stoll, 1989)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Cuckoo's Egg (Clifford Stoll, 1989)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35726409,
          "author": "warrenm",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-27T11:24:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 35710671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell still a recommended read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35726409",
          "commentText": "In my opinion, it's as much a \"recommended read\" as a lot of other so-called \"classics\":\n- Rapid Application Development (also by McConnell)\n- Soul of a New Machine by Kidder\n- Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks\n- Programming Pearls by John Bentley\n- Applied Cryptography (2e) by Bruce Schneier\n- The Cuckoo's Egg by Cliff Stohl\n- Structured Computer Organization by Tanenbaum & Todd\n- Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software by Gamma, Helm, etc\n- A New Kind of Science by Wolfram\nAnd many more could be added to this list\nSure, some of them use acronyms or reference technology that you've either never heard of or has been supplanted\nBut you could [nearly] do a find-and-replace on those \"outdated\" terms with a \"current\" term, and the books would [effectively] be up-to-date\nDon't get hung-up on specific examples - they're just there to illustrate the problem domain",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Cuckoo's Egg by Cliff Stohl",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed among classics that may use outdated acronyms or technology references.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30823657,
          "author": "Random_BSD_Geek",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-27T20:13:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30823657",
          "commentText": "The Cuckoo's Egg by Clifford Stoll.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Cuckoo's Egg by Clifford Stoll.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25533362,
          "author": "underseacables",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-25T01:26:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25533362",
          "commentText": "No Cuckoos Egg????",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "No Cuckoos Egg????",
          "reason": "Suggests this book as another title in response to a list of life-changing books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21767126,
          "author": "hprotagonist",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-11T21:48:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 21765528,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fun Tech Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21767126",
          "commentText": "you'll never see a pack of benson and hedges and think of anything else again.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "you'll never see a pack of benson and hedges and think of anything else again.",
          "reason": "The comment adds a memorable detail about the book's association with Benson & Hedges cigarettes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21766934,
          "author": "marmot777",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-11T21:22:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 21765528,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fun Tech Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21766934",
          "commentText": "Thats an absolute classic that reads like a spy novel detective story, and, at times, Unix manual. Perfect.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thats an absolute classic that reads like a spy novel detective story, and, at times, Unix manual. Perfect.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises it as a classic with the feel of a spy novel and detective story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "At times it reads like a Unix manual.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20983115,
          "author": "jfrd",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T11:48:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20983115",
          "commentText": "I read Cuckoo’s Egg and also liked “The Soul of a New Machine”, “SkunkWorks”, and “The Making of the Atomic Bomb”.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read Cuckoo’s Egg and also liked",
          "reason": "The commenter says they liked the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17750343,
          "author": "suff",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T14:30:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17750343",
          "commentText": "The Cuckoo's Egg\ntrue story",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Cuckoo's Egg\ntrue story",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to a request for similar cybercrime novels, with the caveat that it is a true story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "True story, not a novel.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17206106,
          "author": "smussell",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T15:20:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17206106",
          "commentText": "There’s a ton of great suggestions here.  Here are a couple I haven’t seen mentioned.\nDocumentaries:\n- Silicon Cowboys - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4938484/\nIt covers the creation of Compaq\n- American Experience: Silicon Velley - http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/silicon/\nAbout how Silicon Valley came to be.\n- Naughty Dog 30th Anniversary - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cdr7THH0zo8\nKind of a PR video, but interesting and free. Covers the history of Naughty Dog games.\nBooks:\n- Cukoo’s Egg - https://www.amazon.com/Cuckoos-Egg-Tracking-Computer-Espiona... (https://www.amazon.com/Cuckoos-Egg-Tracking-Computer-Espionage/dp/1416507787)\nHas some interesting technical detail, and gives perspective on a very different time on the internet.\n- Revolution in the Valley - https://www.amazon.com/Revolution-Valley-Insanely-Great-Stor... (https://www.amazon.com/Revolution-Valley-Insanely-Great-Story/dp/1449316247)\nYou can read these stories on folklore.org, but I enjoyed the collected book. Covers the creation of the Macintosh.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Has some interesting technical detail, and gives perspective on a very different time on the internet.",
          "reason": "Described as technically interesting and offering perspective on an earlier internet.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the history of technology and the internet.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14489150,
          "author": "hyperdeficit",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T16:57:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14489150",
          "commentText": "Seconded. This is also a great read on how to track down a deep problem, going through all of the steps required to figure out where it was coming from. That's on top of it being an entertaining view of early computer networking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seconded. This is also a great read on how to track down a deep problem, going through all of the steps required to figure out where it was coming from. That's on top of it being an entertaining view of early computer networking.",
          "reason": "Seconds the recommendation, praising its account of problem investigation and early networking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249965,
          "author": "qwertyuiop924",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T14:51:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249965",
          "commentText": "LoTR is not something I can recommend. When I read it, it was a miserable trek, and I read obsessively. It was a book written by somebody who cares more about the language then they do they story, and it shows.\nThat's not necessarily bad, but unless you share that point of view, I'd give it a miss.\nAnyways, in the same vein as Ghost in the Wires, I recommend The Cuckoo's Egg and Exploding the phone, which are both fantastic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend The Cuckoo's Egg and Exploding the phone, which are both fantastic.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it and calls it fantastic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249554,
          "author": "DanBC",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T12:34:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249554",
          "commentText": "> You might also be interested in stories which are based on non-fiction, but are written in a story telling kind of way, greatly adding to suspense. In that category I read the books Ghost in the Wires by Kevin Mitnick and Kingpin by Kevin Poulsen [1]. If you're interested in following a suspenseful hacker story I can recommend them both.\nAnother excellent book along those lines is \"The Cuckoos Egg\" by Clifford Stoll. (And he's awesome person too.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another excellent book along those lines is \"The Cuckoos Egg\" by Clifford Stoll.",
          "reason": "Calls it excellent and suggests it as a similar book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12244506,
          "author": "iandioch",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T00:04:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244506",
          "commentText": "I am just on the final few pages of The Cuckoo's Egg, and was planning on finishing it tonight. I too would say that it is a fantastically written page-turner, and it has taught me a lot about the old-school networking scene.\nHow do the other two books you mentioned compare?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I too would say that it is a fantastically written page-turner, and it has taught me a lot about the old-school networking scene.",
          "reason": "Praises it as a well-written page-turner that taught the commenter about early networking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12084282,
          "author": "tonyedgecombe",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-13T06:37:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12084282",
          "commentText": "I re-read The Cuckoo's Egg every couple of years, it is a fantastic book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I re-read The Cuckoo's Egg every couple of years, it is a fantastic book.",
          "reason": "Calls it fantastic and says they reread it every few years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12070961,
          "author": "veddox",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T13:42:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12070961",
          "commentText": "\"Mr Penumbra's 24 hour bookstore\" - Robin Sloan (a brilliant mix of history, mystery, humour and technology)\n\"The Cuckoo's Egg\" - Clifford Stoll (it really is as good as they always say ;-) )\n\"Winnie the Pooh\" - A.A. Milne (delightful, not only for children)\n\"Sofie's World\" - Jostein Gaarder (a novel about the history of philosophy)\nseveral Discworld novels - Terry Pratchett (a series that manages to satirize fantasy and real life at the same time)\n... as well as a few others, but those were the best.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it really is as good as they always say",
          "reason": "Affirms that the book is as good as its reputation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5401875,
          "author": "duggieawesome",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-19T16:31:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 5401749,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What interesting books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5401875",
          "commentText": "The Cuckoo's Egg. It's Clifford Stoll's story of chasing a hacker who broke through LBL during the late 80's.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Cuckoo's Egg. It's Clifford Stoll's story of chasing a hacker who broke through LBL during the late 80's.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4414562,
          "author": "rrival",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-21T20:15:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 4353632,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon.  What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4414562",
          "commentText": "Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive. The Cukoo's Egg is good as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Cukoo's Egg is good as well.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book is good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Cuckoo's Egg",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 622488,
          "author": "ca98am79",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-22T18:28:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=622488",
          "commentText": "I vote up this book - especially for sysadmins.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I vote up this book - especially for sysadmins.",
          "reason": "Recommends the book, especially to sysadmins.",
          "audience": "Sysadmins.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 621605,
          "author": "whalesalad",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-22T04:43:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621605",
          "commentText": "LOVED this book! I wouldn't consider myself a reader, but I literally could not put it down once I started.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "LOVED this book! I wouldn't consider myself a reader, but I literally could not put it down once I started.",
          "reason": "Says they loved it and could not put it down.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 621257,
          "author": "wmf",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-21T23:03:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621257",
          "commentText": "The Cuckoo's Egg: a true crime hacker espionage thriller.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Cuckoo's Egg: a true crime hacker espionage thriller.",
          "reason": "Named as a title in response to a request for favorite true-story technology books.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in true crime and hacker espionage.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Clifford Stoll"
      ],
      "recommenders": 20,
      "threads": 15,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer security",
        "cybercrime",
        "hacker history",
        "computer espionage"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-visual-display-of-quantitative-information-97c275",
      "title": "The Visual Display of Quantitative Information",
      "author": "Edward R. Tufte",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32345757,
          "author": "curtis3389",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-04T17:27:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32345757",
          "commentText": "Since nobody has mentioned it yet, for charts and graphs there's The Visual Display of Quantitative Information by Edward R. Tufte: https://amazon.com/Visual-Display-Quantitative-Information/d... (https://amazon.com/Visual-Display-Quantitative-Information/dp/0961392142/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Since nobody has mentioned it yet, for charts and graphs there's The Visual Display of Quantitative Information by Edward R. Tufte",
          "reason": "Suggested for learning about charts and graphs.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27638150,
          "author": "lanstin",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T01:19:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27638150",
          "commentText": "Metamathematics by Kleene. On Lisp by Graham. The Visual Display of Quantitative Information by Tufte.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Visual Display of Quantitative Information by Tufte.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18667881,
          "author": "mt3ck",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T21:22:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 18662992,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on modern UI/UX?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18667881",
          "commentText": "definitely second Tufte, lots of good info on consolidation and creating coherent charts and maps from large datasets",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "definitely second Tufte",
          "reason": "Seconding the prior recommendation of Tufte's work for information on charts and maps.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18667711,
          "author": "tonycoco",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T20:59:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 18662992,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on modern UI/UX?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18667711",
          "commentText": "The Visual Display of Quantitative Information: Edward R. Tufte\nWays to Connect: On Interface and Product Design, Ryan Singer\nSomething on color theory\nDesign language books (Bauhaus, etc)\nThe entire Google design team has quite a few open resources: https://material.io/design/ and https://design.google",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Visual Display of Quantitative Information: Edward R. Tufte",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16758302,
          "author": "icc97",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T19:47:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16758302",
          "commentText": "Joe Celko's SQL for Smarties.\nTufte's Visual Display of Quantitive Information.\nDonald Norman's Design of Everyday Things.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Tufte's Visual Display of Quantitive Information.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15157970,
          "author": "vpribish",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T20:15:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15157970",
          "commentText": "Goedel, Escher, Bach -- If you're reading this page you will dig this book.\nGuns, Germs, and Steel -- how circumstance drove civilizations. Fun storytelling even if it's a bit too \"just-so\".  definitely trains you to look at any situation and seek it's origins with less initial judgement.\nThe Visual Display of Quantitive Information -- gets at the essence of communication and medium.  more than it seems!\nThe Alchemy of Finance -- \"reflexivity\", but if you're also interested in Soros or some finance storytelling it's worth it.\nThe Selfish Gene -- as everyone else has said.\nThe Prize -- the history of oil.  huh?  yeah.  Likely to change how you look at the history of technology, government, power, the saudis, and geopolitics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Visual Display of Quantitive Information -- gets at the essence of communication and medium. more than it seems!",
          "reason": "The commenter says it gets at the essence of communication and medium.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14137439,
          "author": "azeirah",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T09:32:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14137439",
          "commentText": "Godel Escher Bach is fairly bible-ish if you ask me\nAnother set of books I consider to be \"one\" bible are Edward Tufte's (1) The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, (2) Envisioning Information, (3) Visual Explanations and (4) Beautiful Evidence.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Visual Display of Quantitative Information",
          "reason": "Included in a set of books the commenter considers one bible.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144006,
          "author": "combatentropy",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:11:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144006",
          "commentText": "1. The Bible. It encourages me to live in a way that's also good for others, especially when I'm feeling selfish and cynical, and it teaches me how to interact with them in a healthy way (e.g. the book of Proverbs).\n2. The Elements of Style. I always enjoyed writing, but at first school taught me to write in a flowery, longwinded way. This was the book that cracked the code for me to good writing. It dispelled a lot of self-serving and ultimately self-defeating habits and paved the way to clean, helpful English. When I finally got into programming in my late twenties, I found that many of the same principles make good code.\n3. The Visual Display of Quantitative Information. This is like the Elements of Style but for graphs. Again, it encouraged me to cut through the hype and deliver the content as clearly and succinctly as possible --- to serve the reader, not stroke my ego.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Again, it encouraged me to cut through the hype and deliver the content as clearly and succinctly as possible",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them present information clearly and succinctly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4477081,
          "author": "murz",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-04T23:32:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 4476107,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN : What are some great books an aspiring entrepreneur should read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4477081",
          "commentText": "Have you checked out the handful of books listed on the YCombinator \"Startup Library\" page (http://ycombinator.com/lib.html)?:\nDale Carnegie: How to Win Friends and Influence People\nEdward Tufte: The Visual Display of Quantitative Information\nPaul Graham: Hackers and Painters\nJessica Livingston: Founders at Work",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Edward Tufte: The Visual Display of Quantitative Information",
          "reason": "Listed as a book on the Startup Library page, in response to a request for recommended books.",
          "audience": "Aspiring entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3338865,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-11T00:10:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3338865",
          "commentText": "Is Beautiful Evidence good?\nVDQA is an all-time favorite of mine, and I've even paid to see him talk live about this stuff, but I've found his books got fuzzier and increasingly subjective over time, so that I really don't even remember what Visual Explanations was trying to say anymore.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "VDQA is an all-time favorite of mine",
          "reason": "Calls it an all-time favorite and says they paid to hear Tufte speak about the subject.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3338248,
          "author": "euroclydon",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T19:30:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3338248",
          "commentText": "The Confusion - Neal Stephenson\n(I'm starting to tire a little of the female hero character who's in all his books, but on the whole, The Baroque Cycle, which this is the second volume of, has been very educational and always entertaining)\nThe Visual Display of Quantative Information, Envisioning Information, Visual Explanations, and Beautiful Evidence\n(I picked up all four books by Edward Tufte at his one day training course.  At the 2011 SVG Open, I was blown away by Mike Bostock's D3 demo, and Niel Fraser told me to read all of Tuftes books to see where these revolutionary ways of displaying information came from)\nESV Bible, actually hoping to find time to get my Python script running so I can download the audio, chapter by chapter, because the audio version I bought is nigh impossible to navigate.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Visual Display of Quantative Information",
          "reason": "Included among Tufte's books the commenter picked up after being told to read them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1267695,
          "author": "JunkDNA",
          "createdAt": "2010-04-15T13:19:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 1265091,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good books on graphing/charting/visualization?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1267695",
          "commentText": "For pure data visualization, Tufte is absolutely the brilliant and helps you avoid a whole raft of bad behavior that leads to sloppy, hard to understand graphics. I can't second your suggestion enough.\nI would add that his one day course is a great way to get started reading his books (especially if you can get your employer to pay for it). He's a great speaker and you get all the books as part of the course. I wish all the makers of charting libraries, toolkits, and data analysis software were more familiar with his work. It would save us from some truly awful junk.\nOne area where I disagree with him frequently is when he strays from data visualization into user interface design. In general, I find his user interface preferences result in UI's that are too cluttered. One of his main rules is that data presentations should be very dense. However, I disagree that this approach works as well for user interfaces as it does when visualizing data. If you look at his web site (http://www.edwardtufte.com/) you can see his UI philosophy on display. I find Don Norman to be much better in this area than Tufte.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can't second your suggestion enough.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly seconds the parent comment's recommendation of Tufte's book.",
          "audience": "People seeking data visualization guidance.",
          "caveat": "The commenter disagrees with Tufte's user-interface design preferences.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1265362,
          "author": "watmough",
          "createdAt": "2010-04-14T16:48:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 1265091,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good books on graphing/charting/visualization?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1265362",
          "commentText": "Yes, the books are excellent, great reads, though the first one as you say is the essential one.\nOnce you read these, you will start seeing 'Data Ducks' everywhere! I speak from experience.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the first one as you say is the essential one",
          "reason": "Agrees with the parent’s praise of Tufte’s first book as essential.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1265353,
          "author": "gruseom",
          "createdAt": "2010-04-14T16:42:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 1265091,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good books on graphing/charting/visualization?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1265353",
          "commentText": "I attended a one-day seminar of Tufte's one time and agree that it was pretty good. But he was by no means \"giving away\" his books; they were built into the (considerable) price of the event. I also recall being amazed at how many people showed up. This was in a large hotel ballroom in SF and we were jam packed in there.\nAnother fun fact: when he couldn't get his first book (VDQI) published the way he wanted, he mortgaged his house and published it himself. Respect.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "how many people showed up",
          "reason": "Refers to Tufte’s first book by its abbreviation, VDQI, and mentions its self-publication.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1265254,
          "author": "dca",
          "createdAt": "2010-04-14T16:02:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 1265091,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good books on graphing/charting/visualization?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1265254",
          "commentText": "> Edward Tufte's book The Visual Display of Quantitative Information is a monumental book.\nAgreed, its absolutely excellent. Thanks to Y Combinator for listing it in the book list.\n> Additionally, if I were you, I'd stay way from statistical approaches to displaying information...\nNot agreed. In my opinion you might have missed what I felt was a main point of that book: Always learn the appropriate statistics required to understand the data, choose a correct visualization method to communicate those statistics effectively, and once you've understood it fully, confirmed the results, and removed all the cruft, then publish it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Agreed, its absolutely excellent.",
          "reason": "Explicitly agrees with praise of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1265219,
          "author": "wdewind",
          "createdAt": "2010-04-14T15:52:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 1265091,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good books on graphing/charting/visualization?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1265219",
          "commentText": "Tufte is great, but he's extremely heavy and a bit dated.  He is about 80% brilliant 20% completely missing the point.  It's very strange.\nIf you are looking for a smaller book I've found the WSJ Guide to Information Graphics by Dona Wong to be pretty decent and pretty straight forward, and it's about 100 pages.  It's not too focused on finance either, although that's what I got it for (I do front end development for financial analysis company - lots of charting).\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Street-Journal-Guide-Information-Graph... (http://www.amazon.com/Street-Journal-Guide-Information-Graphics/dp/0393072959)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Tufte is great, but he's extremely heavy and a bit dated.",
          "reason": "Offers mixed praise, calling Tufte great while describing his work as heavy and dated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as heavy and a bit dated; the commenter says some of it misses the point.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1265187,
          "author": "j-g-faustus",
          "createdAt": "2010-04-14T15:42:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 1265091,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good books on graphing/charting/visualization?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1265187",
          "commentText": "The Tufte books are brilliant. For dynamic charts, his first book (The Visual Display of Quantitative Information) is the most relevant, it covers the theory  - how to tell a good representation from a bad one - and the basics.\nReadings in Information Visualization ( http://www.amazon.co.uk/Readings-Information-Visualization-I... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Readings-Information-Visualization-Interactive-Technologies/dp/1558605339/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271259347&sr=8-1) ) is a collection of papers covering a wide range of techniques for a wide range of tasks.\nApart from that, it's mostly a matter of picking up interesting ideas wherever you find them. flowingdata.com is nice, same with http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "his first book (The Visual Display of Quantitative Information) is the most relevant",
          "reason": "Identifies it as the most relevant Tufte book for dynamic charts and describes its theory and basics.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in dynamic charts.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1265163,
          "author": "alilja",
          "createdAt": "2010-04-14T15:36:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 1265091,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good books on graphing/charting/visualization?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1265163",
          "commentText": "Edward Tufte's book The Visual Display of Quantitative Information is a monumental book. He writes not about how to make your graphs look pretty, but how to display vast quantities of data and distill them down into useful graphics that communicate themselves effectively.\nHe provides examples of good and bad graphs, but more importantly, explains what exactly it is that makes those examples good and bad, and further generalizes it so you understand how to make good visualizations. If you don't want to shell out the money for it, it's probably at your library (remember those?).\nAdditionally, if I were you, I'd stay way from statistical approaches to displaying information unless you have some background or are willing to learn about it -- it tends to be highly technical and is probably too complex for what you're trying to do. Basic stats might help you, but not as much as Tufte will.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Edward Tufte's book The Visual Display of Quantitative Information is a monumental book.",
          "reason": "Strongly praises the book and explains its value for communicating data effectively.",
          "audience": "Readers learning to create effective data visualizations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1265159,
          "author": "evgen",
          "createdAt": "2010-04-14T15:35:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 1265091,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good books on graphing/charting/visualization?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1265159",
          "commentText": "Visualizing Data is a good choice, but I would also suggest you note the recent string of critiques of content-free visualization on flowingdata and start out with Tufte if you are new to the field.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "start out with Tufte if you are new to the field",
          "reason": "Recommends Tufte as a starting point for newcomers.",
          "audience": "Readers new to data visualization.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1265157,
          "author": "mcantor",
          "createdAt": "2010-04-14T15:34:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 1265091,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good books on graphing/charting/visualization?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1265157",
          "commentText": "I've read The Visual Display of Quantitative Information by Tufte, and I think it would benefit you even though you are not talking about manually generating charts.  For example, he talks about how it's easy to be misleading with a chart based on how you calibrate the axes, which is something you'd still need to do even with dynamically generated visualizations.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've read The Visual Display of Quantitative Information by Tufte, and I think it would benefit you",
          "reason": "Recommends it for learning chart design, including how axis calibration can mislead.",
          "audience": "Readers creating dynamic visualizations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 296083,
          "author": "radley",
          "createdAt": "2008-09-05T17:36:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 295871,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HC: Which books on user interface design do you wish your CEO/Cofounders would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=296083",
          "commentText": "Tufte books are awesome, but overkill for website UI.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Tufte books are awesome, but overkill for website UI.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises Tufte's books but considers them excessive for website UI.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Overkill for website UI.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85974,
          "author": "gensym",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T16:28:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85974",
          "commentText": "The Evolution of Cooperation - Robert Axelrod\nCryptonomicon - Neal Stephenson\nJonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell - Susanna Clark\nInfinite Jest - David Foster Wallace\nThe Informant - Kurt Eichenwald\nThe Visual Display of Quantitative Information - Edward Tufte\nLiar's Poker - Michael Lewis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Visual Display of Quantitative Information - Edward Tufte",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5607,
          "author": "notabel",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T04:04:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5607",
          "commentText": "I had long pined to read Tufte's The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint, but couldn't convince myself to spend the money; when I arrived at university, I immediately found a copy, and greatly appreciated it (not to say I agreed with every point).  I thence read Visual Display of Quantitative Information, and found it fascinating--for anyone who's ever taken an interest in typography, visualization, or the theory of communication, it's an excellent read.  Even if none of that interests you, you'd still benefit from the book: it shows you how to think analytically about human factors, which is a relatively rare discipline.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "found it fascinating--for anyone who's ever taken an interest in typography, visualization, or the theory of communication, it's an excellent read",
          "reason": "Calls it fascinating and an excellent read, and says readers can benefit from it.",
          "audience": "People interested in typography, visualization, communication theory, or analytical thinking about human factors.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5584,
          "author": "pg",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T02:44:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5584",
          "commentText": "Tufte's Visual Display of Quantitative Information and Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Tufte's Visual Display of Quantitative Information",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward R. Tufte"
      ],
      "recommenders": 20,
      "threads": 12,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Mathematics",
        "Art"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data visualization",
        "information design",
        "statistical graphics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-prince-c87272",
      "title": "The Prince",
      "author": "Niccolò Machiavelli",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50119414,
          "author": "NishanStepak",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T15:13:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50119414",
          "commentText": "Frank Herbert Dune, book, there is a graphic novel of the latest edition which I glanced through.\nMachiavelli The Prince\nSun Tzu The Art of War\nEpictetus The Enchiridion\nTao Te Ching- different editions\nThe Odyssey in variety of formats, illustrated, graphic novel, book\nThe King James Bible-- Different pieces at various points. Proverbs many times.\nLewis Carroll-- Alices Adventures In Wonderland, book, annotated edition",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Machiavelli The Prince",
          "reason": "Listed among books read repeatedly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35169150,
          "author": "im_down_w_otp",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T14:49:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35169150",
          "commentText": "The Divine Comedy and The Prince. Not joking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Divine Comedy and The Prince. Not joking.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34160619,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:11:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160619",
          "commentText": "This year I've put myself to the challenge to read at least one book per week which I primarily could complete by reading in the middle of the night while holding our sleeping baby in my arms. It has been an interesting challenge which gave me a lot of fulfilment and has certainly changed my mind on how I view the world. This comment became quite a long read, apologies for that.\nBooks I highly recommend:\nChurchill by Andrew Roberts (p:1105)\nA biography about one of the most interesting figures in politics and WWII. Roberts gives a very detailed description of the life of Churchill and manages to keep you interested the entire length of the book.\nThe God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (p:374)\nIn The God Delusion Dawkins gives arguments why there is no God, why we do not need a God and why religion is damaging to our society. If you are religious it might not be the book for you unless you are open to hear his arguments and line of reasoning. Dawkins will challenge your worldview.\nThe Bomb by Fred Kaplan (p:384)\nKaplan describes the policy of different US presidents on the atomic bomb and war in general. And primarily on the inability of US presidents and policy-makers to tune down its military. A chilling read which makes you appreciate a nuclear holocaust did not happen (yet)....\nPoor Economics by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo (p:320)\nBanerjee and Duflo give a gripping portrait of how poor people live. They offer an insight in the choices and decisions people make surviving on less than 1 USD a day (corrected for purchasing power). It made me completely rethink my own view on poverty and development aid; stressing even more that in order to help one need to have a complete understanding of the individual's situation and the local boundary conditions.\nProject Hail Mary  by Andy Weir (p:476)\nThis book triggered my science fiction reading. For some reason I never was interested in science fiction. Most likely triggered by reading Foundation by Asimov a few years back which apparently is not a book to my taste. But Andy Weir completely annihilated that wrong perspective on science fiction. Project Hail Mary is interesting, funny and gripping book.\nKindred by Octavia Butler  (p:287)\nThis book.... From page one I was hooked and almost read it in one go. Butler is a wonderful author and Kindred is a must-read. The book is about a woman traveling back in time to end up on a slave plantation. It's a chilling account of slavery.\nOther books I read this year, ask me anything about one of these books. I've added a + if I think its worth a recommendation\nBiography:\nNavalny by Dollbaum, Lallouet and Noble (p:280); The Man from the Future by Ananyo Bhattacharya (p:354) +\nSociology; Politics; Economics; Business:\nOnly the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove (p:224); The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli  (p:140); Winter is Coming by Garry Kasparov (p:290); Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum (p:224) +; Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl (p:164) +; We Are Bellingcat by Eliot Higgins (p:272); De Zeven Vinkjes by Joris Luyendijk (p:200); Waarom vuilnismannen meer verdienen dan bankiers by Rutger Bregman (p:104)\nComedy: The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (p:336)\nHistory:\nBand of Brothers  by Stephen E. Ambrose (p:432); The Nuclear Jihadist by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins (p:413) +; The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre (p:384) +; De Heineken Ontvoering by Peter R. de Vries (p:347); Red Famine by Anne Apllebaum (p:384); Night by Elie Wiesel (p:115) +\nScience, Technology, Mathematics:\nFermat's Enigma by Simon Singh (p:315) +; A Mathematician's Apology by G.H. Hardy (p:153); The Great Influenza by John M. Barry (p:546); The Rise and Fall of the Dinousaurs by Stephen Brusatte (p:404) ++; The Double Helix by James Watson (p:144)\nSport:\nRun or Die by Killian Jornet (p:208); The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton  (p:290) +; The Rise of the Ultra Runners by  (p:304); Tom Dumoulin by Patrick Bernhart (p:203)\nFiction:\nAnthem by Ayn Rand (p:105); Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (p:704); The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (p:566); Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (p:466); Live and Let die by Ian Fleming  (p:229)\nClassics:\nA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (p:104); The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (p:201); The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald (p:180); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (p:139); Animal Farm by George Orwell (p:122) +; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (p:227) +; The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (p:118)\nScience Fiction:\nThe Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (p:399); All Systems Red  by Martha Wells (p:144) +; A Memory Called Empire  by Arkady Martine (p:462) +; A Psalm built for the Wild by Becky Chambers (p:160); Dune by Frank Herbert (p:658); Foundation by Isaac Asimov (p:244); The Martian by Andy Weir (p:384) +;\nThe Forever War by Joe Haldeman (p:278)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30242052,
          "author": "jldugger",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T08:57:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30242052",
          "commentText": "Man, this is a book that really needs to be paired with an explainer, or you will miss the subtext and come across the exact opposite conclusions: The Prince is a _satire_, a gift to the Medici family that arrested, tortured and exiled him. Everything it praises should be avoided, especially the hypocrisy and corruption of Italy. It dwells on the virtue of a guy who was appointed to lead the papal armies after his dad(!) was elected Pope. It should be obvious its not a straight book by the time you get to the part where it recommends nobles arm the populace, but we see countless \"Machiavelli for the boardroom\" books that didn't quite pick that up.\nIt was published posthumously, but was banned by the Church. Ostensibly because it recommended nobles behave awfully while pretending to be pious, but more likely because it pointed out the church was corrupt and its patrons more so.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Prince is a _satire_, a gift to the Medici family that arrested, tortured and exiled him.",
          "reason": "Argues readers can miss the book's satirical subtext and reach the opposite conclusions without an explainer.",
          "audience": "Readers interpreting the book's political advice.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it should be read as satire and argues its praise should not be taken at face value.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25557136,
          "author": "commonturtle",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-28T06:11:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 25554464,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books for dealing with workplace politics and dishonesty?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25557136",
          "commentText": "Machiavelli's The Prince :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Machiavelli's The Prince :)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23858780,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:34:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858780",
          "commentText": "The Prince - Niccolo Machiavelli\nThe 48 Rules of Power - Robert Greene\nFooled By Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nHow to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big - Scott Adams\nBasic Economics - Thomas Sowell\nThe World Is Flat - Thomas L. Friedman\nThe Penguin History of the World: Sixth Edition - J. M. Roberts and Odd Arne Westad",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Prince - Niccolo Machiavelli",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that helped readers understand the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21902581,
          "author": "benjaminsuch",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T23:30:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902581",
          "commentText": "Niccolo Machiavelli - The Prince",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Niccolo Machiavelli - The Prince",
          "reason": "Named in response to a question about influential books read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804348,
          "author": "JonathanMerklin",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:41:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804348",
          "commentText": "Great thread. 2019 was the first time in about 7-8 years I made reading for pleasure a tertiary priority ((school+career)work/sleep/exercise+socializing+(NEW!)reading) and I got through about 20 books of varying length and difficulty, so here are the next 20 in my queue:\n- Infinite Jest (already started, will likely finish in early Jan. I love it so far.)\n- Quantum Computing Since Democritus (started in November as my nonfiction read, but took a break; I think I want to finish IJ first. Scott is an excellent writer and I was really enjoying this)\n- Building Microservices\n- The Code Book\n- How Cars Work (I want to turn the projection of a car in my brain from a black box to a gray box this year, and I don't mean by purchasing a Cybertruck)\n- To Kill a Mockingbird\n- The Personal MBA (for years I laughed off caring about the business of business and lived in my fantasy land of being satisfied with just the technical details and being focused on only implementing great software/learning how to do so. With a few years in the workforce under my belt, I realize that such an outlook was of great detriment to me. I'm open to other suggestions on similar \"catch me up to speed on general business education\" material)\n- Designing Data-Intensive Applications\n- Island (I have a copy of this but not Brave New World. Multiple friends of mine demand I try Huxley, so here we are.)\n- The Annotated Turing\n- How to Invent Everything\n- Soonish (SMBC is a daily read for me and I'm excited to get to this.)\n- How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems (ditto XKCD modulo release schedule)\n- Basic Economics\n- Thus Spoke Zarathustra\n- Seveneves\n- The Prince\n- Pacific Rims: Beermen Ballin' in Flip-Flops and the Philippines' Unlikely Love Affair with Basketball\n- Elevator Music: A Surreal History of Muzak, Easy-Listening, and Other Moodsong\n- Fahrenheit 451\nAdditionally, to tickle the part of my brain that fancies mathematics (one of my my majors in undergrad), I try to work through a chapter or two of Evan Chen's \"An Infinitely Long Napkin\" on a quarterly basis. If you don't mind a conversational tone to your math textbooks, I've found this to be an excellent resource for scraping the surface of a wide variety of topics and fields (including, well, topics like fields). I think I'll continue this habit.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Prince",
          "reason": "Listed in the commenter's planned reading queue.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20914681,
          "author": "cbanek",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T02:14:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914681",
          "commentText": "The Prince by Machiavelli, 1532\nChuang-tzu, 4th century BC\nThe Art of War by Sun Tzu, 5th century BC\nRomance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong, 14th century AD",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Prince by Machiavelli, 1532",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite old books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18662508,
          "author": "amuresan",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T09:26:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18662508",
          "commentText": "1. La peste (Albert Camus) - entertaining if you're into French existentialism\n2. Linked (Barabasi) - insightful and useful to understand that most phenomenon we see in real life follow a power law and what that means\n3. Leonardo da Vinci (Walter Isaacson) - surprising how little of da Vinci's real personality is reflected in his modern image\n4. Matrix computations – third edition (Gene Golub, Charles van Loan) - good read if you're into linear algebra\n5. Giving effective feedback (Harvard business review) - useful for getting an understanding on how to handle human interaction\n6. The old man and the sea (Ernest Hemingway) - enjoyed it a lot, a reflection of Hemingway's romantic spirit. Also, a quick read.\n7. Screwjack (Hunter S. Thompson) - didn't resonate with me although I am a fan of existentialism\n8. Sun and steel (Yukio Mishima) - raw and intimate. before reading this book I'd recommend reading up on Mishima's life\n9. Stranger than fiction (Chuck Palahniuck) - somewhat entertaining, more so because it served as a glimpse into Palahniuck's creative process\n10. Thinking in Systems: A Primer (Dana Meadows) - useful for understanding that in modern life we have complex systems at work with emergent behavior that we didn't expect. Trying to isolate / model a single component of one of these systems is a flawed approach.\n11. Chaos monkeys (Antonio Garcia Martinez) - entertaining, but quite long\n12. Weapons of math destruction (Cathy O'Neil) - in a way, similar to Thinking in systems, but at an applied level. Shows how rules in modern society can have unintended negative consequences when hidden negative feedback loops emerge from the complex system they are embedded in.\n13. Lolita (Nabokov) - a brilliant novel from many points of view. Although the topic is controversial, it is a book that had to be written.\n14. The prince (Machiavelli) - an interesting read. It was intended as a guide to the young price Cesare Borgia from his teacher Machiavelli. The secret to enjoying it is not to judge it by modern morality.\n15. Give and take (Adam Grant) - psychology research about giving / taking / matching personality types presented in a book for the masses. I would not read it again; watching a presentation online should be enough to get the point across.\n16. Mécanique (Landau, Lifchitz) - refresh of mechanics\n17. Do androids dream of electric sheep (Philip K. Dick) - enjoyable and entertaining! I'm surprised how different the feel of the book is compared to the Blade runner films. In the book androids are purely rational beings, whereas the film wraps them in an aura of romanticism.\n18. How we learn (Benedict Carey) - decades of learning research condensed in a book\n19. Advanced Calculus: A Differential Forms Approach (Harold M. Edwards) - the best math book I've read so far! For me it was eye-opening in a fundamental way. Edwards is truly a gifted teacher.\n20. Three men in a boat (Jerome K. Jerome) - enjoyable and amusing\n21. Getting to yes (Roger Fisher, William Ury) - negotiation book, nicely written and structured\n22. Without a word (Zhang Jie) - historical novel by one of China's most acclaimed modern writers. I don't have a good reference to compare against since this was my first Chinese novel, but overall I did enjoy it. It felt real and raw.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "an interesting read. It was intended as a guide to the young price Cesare Borgia from his teacher Machiavelli.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an interesting read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter advises not judging it by modern morality.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762748,
          "author": "charlysl",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T04:31:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762748",
          "commentText": "1984 - because it was the first book in English that I read front to cover, with a dictionary by my side, and learned so much recurring essential vocabulary that after that effort I could read anything; by now I have read much more from the much larger pool of writings in English than in my mother language. And, of course, it made me look differently at so many things.\nThings Fall Appart - because it helped me understand how religions like Christianity  and other initially subversive beliefs spread, and the sudden impact of Western culture on other cultures.\nAnthropology (Marvin Harris) - because it impacted the way I look at humanity, society and history, and also helped me understand that marxism is much more than an arguably failed political doctrine.\nThe Bernstein Tapes about Critique of Pure Reason - I am still working through this, but has already impacted my conception of what knowledge is\nHistory of Western Philosophy (Bertrand Russel) - because it made me understand the interwining between ideas and history. A desert island book\nConcepts Techniques Models of Computer Programming - still working through it, because ir is making me realize I had no clue about programming and design. Best programming book I have come across\nThe Prince (Maquiavelli) - because it completely changed the way I look at politics and society\nThe Making of The Atomic Bomb - because it is a great way to see the incremental progress of science, and made me realize how much those at the leading edge extract from a few crumbles of information. Also the starkest description of the impact of industrialized killing in WW1,",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Prince (Maquiavelli) - because it completely changed the way I look at politics and society",
          "reason": "Says it completely changed how they view politics and society.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15160127,
          "author": "galfarragem",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T07:27:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15160127",
          "commentText": "I would add also:\nThe prince -- Machiavelli (to loose ingenuity)\nThe little prince -- Saint-Exupéry (to recover some ingenuity)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The prince -- Machiavelli (to loose ingenuity)",
          "reason": "Listed as a book that could affect mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14140468,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T16:55:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14140468",
          "commentText": "Ten Books of Architecture which, for better or worse and perhaps suggestive of the level scientific basis for contemporary architectural practice, was written contemporaneously with many of the events later described in the Christian Bible...though from a practical standpoint of running a firm, The Prince might be more apropos.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Prince might be more apropos.",
          "reason": "Suggested as potentially more relevant from the practical standpoint of running an architecture firm.",
          "audience": "People concerned with running an architecture firm.",
          "caveat": "Offered as a tentative practical alternative to Ten Books of Architecture.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13970233,
          "author": "pagutierrezn",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T18:15:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13970233",
          "commentText": "1- The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli. Specially the edition commented by Napoleon Buonaparte.\n2-Diffusion of Innovations by Everett M. Rogers. This book makes \"Crossing the chasm\" a simplistic introduction for laggards\n3-The Art of War by Sun Tzu\n4-If Nature Is the Answer, What Was the Question? By Jorge Wagensberg\n5-Sacred hoops by Phil Jackson\n6-Fear from freedom by Erich Fromm\n7-Michelangelo biography of a genious\n8-Blindness by Jose Saramago\n9-On writing by Stephen King",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "1- The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli. Specially the edition commented by Napoleon Buonaparte.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13568166,
          "author": "audace",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T18:23:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13568166",
          "commentText": "The Prince by Machiavelli",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Prince by Machiavelli",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13237695,
          "author": "agentultra",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T15:11:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237695",
          "commentText": "The Hidden Keys by André Alexis\nThe Nightmare Stacks by Charles Stross\nThe Jungle Books by Rudyard Kipling\nThe Prince by Machiavelli\nWilliam S Borroughs: A Life by Barry Miles\nProgramming in the 1990s by Edward Cohen\nOn Numbers and Games (again) by John H. Conway",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Prince by Machiavelli",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9353543,
          "author": "galfarragem",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-10T11:06:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9353543",
          "commentText": "IMHO to really change your whole life perspective, you must experience a traumatic event, not reading a book.\nAnyway I would say that a book can trigger a change of perspective on a particular aspect of your life:\n'4-hour workweek' - Tim Ferriss (on lifestyle)\n'Get Things Done' - David Allen (on organization and productivity)\n'The Way of the Superior Man' - David Deida (on relationships)\n'The prince' - Machiavelli' (on business and strategy)\n'The little prince' - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (on meaning of life)\n'The Feynman Lectures on Physics' - Richard Feynman' (to remember you to be humble)\nA lot of other books had broaden my perspective of life even if they weren't enough to trigger a change. That list would be immense.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The prince' - Machiavelli' (on business and strategy)",
          "reason": "Lists it as a book that can trigger a change of perspective on business and strategy.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in business and strategy.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says books can shift a particular aspect of life, while a traumatic event is needed to change one's whole perspective.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348267,
          "author": "pmcpinto",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:33:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348267",
          "commentText": "I've started The Prince of Niccolo Machiavelli, but I wasn't in the best mood for that kind of book :) \nI have to try that one again",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I've started The Prince of Niccolo Machiavelli, but I wasn't in the best mood for that kind of book :) \nI have to try that one again",
          "reason": "The commenter has started the book but gives no positive evaluation or recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter was not in the mood for it and plans to try again.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9347895,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T14:48:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9347895",
          "commentText": "Here's my usual list of recommendations, the best books I've read in the past 5 years.\nFiction:\n- Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\nIf you know nothing about this book you might naturally hesitate to read \"Harry Potter fanfiction\" and assume that it's dumb/horrbile, but it's not. Just suspend your disbelief and read the first 5-10 chapters. Trust me, it's brilliant, hilarious, and life-changing.\n- Atlas Shrugged\nControversial, I know, a lot of people here hate it for some reason, but it was incredibly influential on me, inspired my passion for entrepreneurship and science and philosophy. Still is one of the best books I am aware of.\nNonfiction:\n- Hackers and Painters by Paul Graham\nAlso a collection of his essays that you can find on github. He is one of the most clever writers I am aware of, but I assume you know that, since you're on HN.\n- \"On Intelligence\" by Jeff Hawkins\nThis book explains in simple terms a very awesome and elegant theory on how mind works. Incredibly fascinating, I've learned a lot from it and it explains a lot of things, and will change the way you think about thinking process.\n- The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins\nEngaging and entertaining explanation of evolution, absolutely fantastic book.\n- The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli.\nDespite the stigma, and people thinking that Machhiavellian = \"evil\", I've found this book extremely clever and wise.\n- Serious Creativity by Edward De Bono\nThe best book on creativity and the process of generating ideas that I'm aware of.\n- Abundance\nThis is a very inspiring and optimistic book about the future of technology.\nEntrepreneurhsip:\n- Start Small, Stay Small\nGuide to creating your first product/business for hackers. It lays out all the basics of entrepreneurship in a very concise and clear ways, my favorite introduction to startups.\n- Rework\nVery wise and intelligent advice about startups, intelligent and witty, must read.\n- Lean Startup\nClassic book on \"lean startup methodology\", very useful.\n- 4-Hour Workweek\nDespite the silly title I think it is a great book and is very much worth reading. Many people here dislike Tim Ferris, but whatever, I think this book is cool.\nAutobiographies:\n- Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman\n- Ghost In The Wires by Kevin Mitnick\n- Catch me if you can by Abagnale\n- iWoz by Steve Wozniak\n- Losing my Virginity by Richard Branson\nAll these are fantastic and very intelligent autobiographies by the very awesome people.\nNow I'm reading \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" and \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies.\"\n\"Rationality\" is great and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. Can't say much about GEB, I've only started reading it, but everyone is saying that it is so great and the best book ever, so I think it's definitely worth checking out.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've found this book extremely clever and wise.",
          "reason": "Calls it extremely clever and wise.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that the book carries a stigma and is often associated with evil.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7008527,
          "author": "timonv",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-03T22:01:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 7001282,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7008527",
          "commentText": "In no particular order:\nPolitics and philosophy:\nIshmael - Daniel Quinn (even though in the end, it's just a cute, in essence a softies introduction to anarchist communism)\nOn property - Proudhon (Meta, ye oldist anarchy)\nDas Kapital (If you read Marx, also read on Marx, can't stress this enough)\nBeyond good and evil (but in his thought in general) - Nietzsche (Mainly for showing there are no absolutes, moral is what we make of it, and in that moral we can excel)\nAnd so, so many others, philosophy really adds up, just keep on reading, there's fundamental books for sure, but every publication adds up in some respect.\nSports and nutrition:\nStarting Strength (for making me bad ass strong in the last couple years)\n'Paleo' diet (for showing an extreme solution for a more simple problem, that actually worked and made me not fat anymore)\nSome random books that made a huge impression the last years:\nThe Alchemist, for showing how humble you can experience the wonders of life\nSiddhartha, same really.\nA short summer of anarchy (biography of Durrutti, rise of \nanarchism in 30s Spain, out of print)\nCrime and Punishment and Karamazov (There's beauty in the darkest corners of the human spirit, and so much more)\nThe Prince\nButler (For using Nietzsche's deconstruction to argue against 'genetic' discrimination, controversial, but very good)\nMetamorphosis - Kafka (I don't have a one liner to summarize this. Just read it, it's < 100 pages)\nFunny enough, as far as Tech and Business goes, I skim books to get some details, but at the end of the day most value comes from hacking around. For both.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Prince",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7004875,
          "author": "meerita",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-03T10:55:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 7001282,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7004875",
          "commentText": "In no particular order:\nWhat Would Machiavelli Do? The Ends Justify the Meanness\n1984\nFarenheit 541\nFoundation (all saga)\nThe Hobbit\nThe Lord of the Rings (all saga)\nThe Prince\nDe Bello Gallico and Other Commentaries\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nThe Riverworld (an entire saga of 5 books)\nOn the Good Life\nTreatises on Friendship and Old Age\nAsimov On Numbers\nAsimov on Chemistry\nThe Roman Republic\nAnd hundreds more I cannot list.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Prince",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6417016,
          "author": "jlengrand",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-20T11:11:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6417016",
          "commentText": "Sun Tzu - the art of war\nMachiavel - The prince",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Machiavel - The prince",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4016411,
          "author": "otr4reddit",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-24T02:07:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 3991620,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What PR book should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4016411",
          "commentText": "the Prince by Machiavelli",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Prince by Machiavelli",
          "reason": "Offered as a book suggestion in response to the thread's request for a PR book.",
          "audience": "Someone seeking a book related to PR.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752555,
          "author": "chegra",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T11:59:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752555",
          "commentText": "These books, although some now I might not endorse some of their teaching but they have help me to see the world in a different light:\nThe Mystery Method -  Erik Von Markovik[Social Engineering at its best]\nRich Dad Poor Dad: Guide to Investing - Robert Kiyoski\nThe Thoughtworks Anthology: Essays on Software Technology and Innovation (Pragmatic Programmers)\nBible - First class book in teaching how to behave towards others, especially proverbs.\nTao Te Ching - For this two verse you should read it:\n\"When people see some things as beautiful,\nother things become ugly.\nWhen people see some things as good,\nother things become bad.\nBeing and non-being create each other.\nDifficult and easy support each other.\nLong and short define each other.\nHigh and low depend on each other.\nBefore and after follow each other\"\nCyropaedia - \"Along with the The prince this book was required reading by all former statesmen.\"",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Along with the The prince this book was required reading by all former statesmen.",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a book historically read by statesmen, in a list of books that helped the commenter see the world differently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they may no longer endorse some of the books' teachings.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 456347,
          "author": "pskomoroch",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T14:15:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456347",
          "commentText": "I used to have a lot more time for non CS reading and actually made an Amazon list on this topic back in 2005:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/2INJSM38... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/2INJSM38IDMDZ/ref=cm_sw_r_de_lm)\n1.  On War (Everyman's Library (Cloth)) by Carl Von Clausewitz\n2.  Leadership: The Warrior's Art by Barry R. McCaffrey\n3.  Small Unit Leadership: A Commonsense Approach by Dandridge M. Malone\n4.  The Defense of Hill 781: An Allegory of Modern Mechanized Combat by James R. McDonough\n5.  The Art of Maneuver: Maneuver-Warfare Theory and AirLand Battle by Robert Leonhard\n6.  Strategy: Second Revised Edition (Meridian) by B. H. Liddell Hart\n7.  The Art of War by Niccolò Machiavelli\n8.  Hagakure: The Book of the Samauri by Tsunetomo Yamamoto\n9.  The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius\n10.  The Art of War (Shambhala classics) by Sun Tzu\n11.  The Prince (Bantam Classics) by Niccolo Machiavelli\n12.  Evolutionary Game Theory by Jörgen W. Weibull\n13.  On Guerrilla Warfare by Mao Tse-tung\n14.  The History of the Peloponnesian War: Revised Edition (Penguin Classics) by Thucydides\n15.  The Histories (Penguin Classics) by Herodotus\n16.  The Persian Expedition (Penguin Classics) by Xenophon\n17.  Plutarch: Lives of Noble Grecians and Romans (Modern Library Series, Vol. 1) by Plutarch\n18.  Plutarch's Lives, Volume 2 (Modern Library Classics) by Plutarch\n19.  Livy: The Early History of Rome, Books I-V (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 1-5) by Titus Livy\n20.  The History of Rome from Its Foundation, Books XXI-XXX: The War with Hannibal (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 21-30) by Titus Livius Livy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "11.  The Prince (Bantam Classics) by Niccolo Machiavelli",
          "reason": "Included in a list of military strategy books answering the thread's request.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking books about military strategy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 192464,
          "author": "nmeyer",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-17T04:48:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=192464",
          "commentText": "Check out http://www.librivox.org. They have a HUGE catalogue of audio recordings of public-domain works. Grab a list of the 100 classic books of all time and download them.  Don Quixote, The Prince, Picture of Dorian Grey, Pride and Prejudice...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Don Quixote, The Prince, Picture of Dorian Grey, Pride and Prejudice...",
          "reason": "Listed as a classic to download in response to an audiobook recommendation question.",
          "audience": "Listeners seeking classic books in the public domain.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56777,
          "author": "Kaizyn",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T07:44:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56777",
          "commentText": "1) Musashi's Book of Five Rings\n2) Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People\n3) Machaivelli's The Prince\n4) Sun-Tzu's The Art of War\n5) Hayakawa's Language in Thought and Action\n6) Steven Johnson's Emergence\n7) Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel\n8) Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything\n9) Mark Buchanan's Nexus\n10) C. S. Lewis's The Problem of Pain\nTaken together, these books cover just about everything there is to know about the sciences, about human history, human nature and how to understand and communicate effectively with other people.  Only one other book besides these needs to be studied/read: The Bible.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Machaivelli's The Prince",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of books said to collectively cover a broad range of subjects.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in political thought and strategy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Niccolò Machiavelli"
      ],
      "recommenders": 19,
      "threads": 20,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political philosophy",
        "statecraft",
        "political thought",
        "renaissance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-player-of-games-670e88",
      "title": "The Player of Games",
      "author": "Iain M. Banks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49915629,
          "author": "ericol",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T23:05:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49915629",
          "commentText": "Both Player of Games and Use of Weapons are incredible good books.\nI was actually surprised when I finished UoW regarding how different it was from PoG, while maintaining the quality (If not better, but PoG IS THAT GOOD anyway).\nFor the record, the series was recommended to be by Claude of all things, and it told me that Phlebas was not up to quality but I gave it a shot just for the sake of completeness of the series. Nop, not worth it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Both Player of Games and Use of Weapons are incredible good books.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an incredible book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29815773,
          "author": "camjw",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-05T22:10:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29815773",
          "commentText": "The Player of Games by Iain M Banks.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Player of Games by Iain M Banks.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22724556,
          "author": "barnabee",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T02:03:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22724556",
          "commentText": "William Gibson. The Bridge trilogy and the Sprawl trilogy, at a minimum. They still feel like maps to the future even now. You have to work at it, the map is not the territory after all, but the realisations about the impact of technology, progress, and the choices we make when we let society work a certain way have been profound, for me at least.\nAlso The Peripheral, and Gibson’s essay in Wired about undersea cables, and... yeah. Having read Gibson feels like a superpower.\nAs others have said:\n- The Hitch Hiker’s Guide\n- Stepehnson’s Diamond Age, Cryptonomicon, Seveneves, Anathem (aside: totally surprised how much love there is for Anathem, I remember it not being received very kindly at the time by people around me, though I liked it.)\n- The Culture series (special shout out to The Player of Games.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "special shout out to The Player of Games.",
          "reason": "The commenter gives it a special shout out.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803389,
          "author": "cryoshon",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T14:55:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803389",
          "commentText": "agreed re: consider phlebas. i'd agree with your choice of starting points -- player of games is probably the best way to understand what the culture is in contrast with other cultures in one book. definitely leave inversions for after you've read three other books, imo, as it's quite subtle.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "player of games is probably the best way to understand what the culture is in contrast with other cultures in one book",
          "reason": "Described as the best way to understand the Culture's contrast with other cultures in one book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "This is the commenter's opinion about a starting point.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803200,
          "author": "Loughla",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T14:28:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803200",
          "commentText": ">\"Consider Phlebas,\" and maybe the rest of The Culture series of novels, by Iain Banks\nOh man, this will start a shitstorm, because it's so subjective, but Consider Phlebas isn't the best intro to the culture series. I would start with Either Player of Games or Use of Weapons.\nNow let's hear from everyone who disagrees with me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would start with Either Player of Games",
          "reason": "Suggested as one of the better starting points for the Culture series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter acknowledges the choice is subjective.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20333706,
          "author": "isaachawley",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T10:15:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20333706",
          "commentText": "If you bounce off of Consider Phlebas, try Player of Games. I think it's an easier place to start the Culture novels.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "try Player of Games",
          "reason": "Recommended as an easier place to start the Culture novels if the reader does not enjoy Consider Phlebas.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for an accessible entry point to the Culture novels.",
          "caveat": "The suggestion is conditional on bouncing off Consider Phlebas.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536588,
          "author": "mft_",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:22:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536588",
          "commentText": "I'd recommend \"The Player of Games\".\nNot light-hearted, but definitely pretty fun in places. And a cracking story - I go back to it and dip in randomly every few months.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend \"The Player of Games\".\nNot light-hearted, but definitely pretty fun in places. And a cracking story",
          "reason": "Recommended as a fun, compelling story, with a caveat that it is not lighthearted.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not lighthearted, though fun in places.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630308,
          "author": "roryisok",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:09:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630308",
          "commentText": "Day of the Triffids - John Wyndham - everyone goes blind and a bunch of sentient plants start eating people. one of the first science fiction books I ever read, and the one that introduced me to post apocalyptic fiction. Giant plants might sound silly, but its no more silly than walking corpses. And in fact the walking dead and 28 days later owe a lot to this book.\nJonathan Strange and Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke - beautifully inventive fantasy novel about two magicians bringing magic back to Britain during the Napoleonic wars. Fab read.\nGateway - Frederick Pohl - pulp sf at its best. Humans discover a hollowed out asteroid worth ftl ships preprogrammed with unknown destinations. Prospectors pack as much food as they can and hit 'launch' in the hopes that they'll discover something valuable and not land on a star or starve to death.\nThe Forever War - Joe Haldeman - more great pulp sci-fi about the first interstellar war. Old man's war by John Scalzi is very similar and almost as good.\nMost things by Iain (m) banks. Crow Road, Wasp Factory, The Bridge, Consider Phlebas, Use of Weapons, Player of Games etc. Song of stone was awful though, they're not all winners",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Most things by Iain (m) banks. Crow Road, Wasp Factory, The Bridge, Consider Phlebas, Use of Weapons, Player of Games etc.",
          "reason": "Names it among works by an author the commenter generally recommends.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says not everything by Iain Banks is a winner.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13804639,
          "author": "mdekkers",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T18:09:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804639",
          "commentText": "The Player of Games - Iain. M. Banks.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Player of Games - Iain. M. Banks.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12278547,
          "author": "boznz",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-12T20:27:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12278547",
          "commentText": "A Friend lent me this and I never gave it back (Sorry Tony!) The first chapter was so hard going I didnt read it for two years then wham! What an awesome book, sex, violence, deception, robots and starships with a bloody good ending to boot, definitely in my top five novels of any genre.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "What an awesome book, sex, violence, deception, robots and starships with a bloody good ending to boot, definitely in my top five novels of any genre.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it awesome and places it among their top five novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056569,
          "author": "macmac",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:27:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056569",
          "commentText": "I couldn't agree more. \"The Player of Games\" also only improved for me with time and depth of context provided by the subsequent Culture novels.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The Player of Games\" also only improved for me with time and depth of context provided by the subsequent Culture novels.",
          "reason": "Says the novel improved with time and context from later novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056488,
          "author": "Tomte",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:07:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056488",
          "commentText": "I've just finished the first three Culture novels.\nConsider Phlebas starts great, but loses a lot during the rest of the book.\nThe Player of Games is okay, but by far not as good as people told me.\nUse of Weapons is excellent. I'll have to re-read it in a few months.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Player of Games is okay, but by far not as good as people told me.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds it okay but below expectations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it did not live up to others' praise.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056399,
          "author": "macmac",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T11:42:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056399",
          "commentText": "Anything by Iain M. Banks. Start with \"The Player of Games\" and \"Consider Phlebas\".\nAnything by Vernor S. Vinge especially \"Zones of Thought\" series.\n\"Daemon\", \"Freedom(tm)\", \"Kill Decision\" and \"Influx\" by Daniel Suarez.\n\"The Martian\" by Andy Weir.\nAnything by Neal Stephenson, especially \"Reamde: A Novel\" and \"Cryptonomicon\".\nAnything by Hannu Rajaniemi, especially \"The Fractal Prince\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Start with \"The Player of Games\" and \"Consider Phlebas\".",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends starting with this novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8944625,
          "author": "Tycho",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-25T23:05:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944625",
          "commentText": "Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, Dune, Foundation series, Martian Chronicles & Illustrated Man, Ender's Game, Accelerando, Hyperion, The Forever War, Player of Games, Snow Crash",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Player of Games",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109090,
          "author": "Jach",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:16:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109090",
          "commentText": "Recently finished Robert Cialdini's Influence: Science and Practice, a great horrifying psychology book. Now I've started Iain Banks' Excession, giving his Culture universe another go. (Player of Games was good, but not great.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Player of Games was good, but not great.",
          "reason": "Says it was good, though not great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The praise is qualified: good, but not great.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7302433,
          "author": "Jach",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T02:33:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7302433",
          "commentText": "My two favorites are Permutation City by Greg Egan and The Golden Age by John C. Wright (actually that one's a trilogy).\nI hear good things about Iain M. Banks' Culture novels. I've only read one (The Player of Games) and while it was enjoyable it was still sort of meh, if that makes sense... (I've got Excession in my queue and I suspect I'll enjoy it more.)\nWhile it's more in the realm of science-fantasy, you might enjoy this alternate universe imagining of the Harry Potter story: http://hpmor.com/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've only read one (The Player of Games) and while it was enjoyable it was still sort of meh",
          "reason": "Says it was enjoyable, but only mildly so.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as “sort of meh.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395633,
          "author": "metachris",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T13:02:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395633",
          "commentText": "I thoroughly enjoyed Iain M. Banks 'Culture' novels [1] (sci-fi), in particular 'Surface Detail',  'Matter' and 'The Player of Games'.\n[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Culture",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Player of Games'",
          "reason": "Names it as a particular favorite among the Culture novels they thoroughly enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2087738,
          "author": "InclinedPlane",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T06:47:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2087738",
          "commentText": "\"Worlds of Exile and Illusion\" (Hainish cycle collection) and \"The Left Hand of Darkness\" by Ursula K Le Quin\n\"Singularity Sky\" by Charles Stross\n\"The Player of Games\" by Iain M Banks",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Player of Games\" by Iain M Banks",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1973663,
          "author": "adriand",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T03:00:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1973663",
          "commentText": "\"The Player of Games\" by Iain M. Banks.  I love serious literature, I love non-fiction, and I love business & tech books, but I decided to give sci-fi a shot again and a friend leant me this book: wow.  Fascinating, rip-roaring, mind-bending read!  If you want to read something but don't want to fall asleep, I highly recommend this book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend this book.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it fascinating, rip-roaring, and mind-bending, and explicitly recommends it.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for an engaging science fiction book.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1864716,
          "author": "RiderOfGiraffes",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T13:42:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1864716",
          "commentText": "Anything by Terry Pratchett.  There are a lot of books, and you might want to check this:\nhttp://www.lspace.org/books/reading-order-guides/the-discwor... (http://www.lspace.org/books/reading-order-guides/the-discworld-reading-order-guide-20.jpg)\nI personally loved \"Guards! Guards!\" and would recommend it.\nAlso enjoyed \"The player of Games\" by Iain M Banks.\nConsider also \"Snow Crash\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also enjoyed \"The player of Games\" by Iain M Banks.",
          "reason": "Recommended in response to the request for what to read next.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143367,
          "author": "macmac",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T16:08:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143367",
          "commentText": "The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert M. Pirsig\nLila: An Inquiry into Morals - Robert M. Pirsig\nThe Open Society and its Enemies - Karl. R. Popper\nThe Player of Games - Iain M. Banks\nPale Blue Dot - Carl Sagan\nThe God Delusion - Richard Dawkins\n\"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—\t\nI took the one less traveled by,\t\nAnd that has made all the difference.\" from \"The Road not Taken\" by Robert Frost",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Player of Games - Iain M. Banks",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140434,
          "author": "Flemlord",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T01:51:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140434",
          "commentText": "Anything by Ian M. Banks. His Culture books are about a post-singularity universe where humans and superintelligences live in harmony. I'd recommend starting with Player of Games.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend starting with Player of Games.",
          "reason": "Recommends this as a starting point for the Culture books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Iain M. Banks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 19,
      "threads": 19,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "culture series",
        "games",
        "far future"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ishmael-d03087",
      "title": "Ishmael",
      "author": "Daniel Quinn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43614020,
          "author": "jinjin2",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T17:45:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43614020",
          "commentText": "Ishmael, by Daniel Quinn.\nOne of the few books where you look so differently at the world after reading it that you literally feel like a different person.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ishmael, by Daniel Quinn. One of the few books where you look so differently at the world after reading it",
          "reason": "The commenter says reading it can make you see the world differently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42966492,
          "author": "kingkongjaffa",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-06T21:05:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42966492",
          "commentText": "Ishmael by Daniel Quinn\n> the world doesn't belong to man, man belongs to the world.\nand\nThe Little Book of Humanism",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ishmael by Daniel Quinn",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42556739,
          "author": "__rito__",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-31T05:53:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42556739",
          "commentText": "For me, some of the best books I read this year, are:\n- Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, I have seen many narratives on the fault at the core of current values and goals of human civilization, but never saw a laid out alternative. Whatever it might be, I like the book for attempting at presenting one.\n- Solaris by Stanislaw Lem, I like this book for extremely original thoughts. This books was so thin (~200 pages), yet it was grand. I also wrote a review [0].\n- The Happiness Trap by Russ Hariss, was very helpful to me in sorting through some things. Very practical book.\n- Anathem by Neal Stephenson, one of the most original book, and probably the best one by Stephenson. Very original ideas, mind expanding.\n- Permutation City by Greg Egan, this book raised the standard for possibly all SciFi book that I will read in the future. Extremely original and grand ideas.\n- The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt, another book that lays out alternatives to what is now considered mainstream.\n- Sotyi Rupkatha by Parimal Bhattacharya (Bengali), a book without any ideological or emotional baggage explaining the plight and pain of a tribal community for Aluminium mining. The way colonialism lives in mining was eye-opening. Aluminium mining, separating, etc. are done in lesser fortunate countries where huge amounts of water is wasted and the environment polluted. The West still imports that refined raw material in cheap and produces final products with lesser environmental impact and peofits by selling the finished products to the same countries in large profits. It was refreshing to see that this book did not have a Communist undertone.\n- Krishna Basudev by Bani Basu (Bengali), life of God Krishna in form of a novel in crisp prose, written maintaining authenticity of core books like Bhagavat Purana and Harivansha.\n- I am currently listening to \"The Hobbit\" audiobook narrated by Andy Serkis. This is peak audiobook for me.\n[0]: https://ritogh.substack.com/p/not-merely-a-story-of-a-man-fa... (https://ritogh.substack.com/p/not-merely-a-story-of-a-man-facing)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I like the book for attempting at presenting one.",
          "reason": "Values its attempt to present an alternative to current civilization's values and goals.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Notes that the proposed alternative is only an attempt.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40878205,
          "author": "hluska",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-04T21:30:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40878205",
          "commentText": "That’s another good one. Sadly, I’ve learned not to talk about Ishmael (or Daniel Quinn) online but yeah, if you know you know.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I’ve learned not to talk about Ishmael (or Daniel Quinn) online",
          "reason": "The commenter refers to Ishmael as a book that is difficult to discuss online.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40878176,
          "author": "UmWhatever",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-04T21:26:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40878176",
          "commentText": "Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. As for why it bit and stung me: IYKYK, I guess? Any reasons more than that tend to start flame wars.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ishmael by Daniel Quinn.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter avoids elaborating because it could start flame wars.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37160197,
          "author": "uoaei",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T11:51:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37160197",
          "commentText": "Ishmael by Daniel Quinn\nThe titular Ishmael is a gorilla who learns to communicate with humans (telepathically) and seeks to teach humanity how to see the underlying cultural narratives that we are captive to, and that define our entire worldview. It's set up as a Socratic dialogue so the character of the pupil can be a bit annoying in his boneheadedness (a device used by the author to advance his points) but otherwise an excellent read.\nIts main lesson is that culture tells us there is only one way for civilization to act in the world and that we cannot examine this imposition -- because of the \"fish asks 'what's water?'\" situation we're in -- until we really unpack what narratives are driving people to act and think in the ways they do. These narratives were never independently developed by the people acting through them but rather largely inherited from what is said (how topics are conceptualized) and what's not said (how topics are avoided) that keeps these narratives self-propagating through society.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Ishmael by Daniel Quinn\nThe titular Ishmael is a gorilla who learns to communicate with humans (telepathically) and seeks to teach humanity how to see the underlying cultural narratives that we are captive to",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an excellent read and describes its lesson about cultural narratives shaping civilization.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The pupil character can be annoying in his boneheadedness.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32791257,
          "author": "wunderlust",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T15:04:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32791257",
          "commentText": "My field of study (what I really like to think and learn about) isn't my field of work, but I like the question so I'll spill some thoughts.\nI spend a lot of time thinking about philosophical-ish stuff, so here are some books that have had the strongest residual effects (whether that's changing how I think, changing what I think about, changing my values, or simply getting the thought ball rolling faster):\nIshmael (Daniel Quinn)\n1984 (George Orwell)\nBrave New World (Aldous Huxley)\nGodel, Escher, Bach (Douglas Hofstadter)\nThe Republic [imp. \"the allegory of the cave\"] (Plato)\nThe Genealogy of Morals (Friedrich Nietzsche)\nThe Social Construction of Reality (Peter L. Berger, Thomas Luckmann)\nTractatus Logico-Philosophicus (L. Wittgenstein)\nDissemination [imp. \"The Pharmakon\"] (Jacques Derrida)\nThe Quest for Reality (Barry Stroud)\nLanguages of Art (Nelson Goodman)\nThe Structure of Scientific Revolutions (Thomas Kuhn)\nConcepts (Jerry Fodor)\nThe Web of Life (Fritjof Capra)\nFoucault's Pendulum (Umberto Eco)\nNaming and Necessity (Saul Kripke)\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Robert Pirsig)\nThere are others, and a lot of essays (by thinkers like Bertrand Russell, Carl Hempel, Hilary Putnam, WVO Quine, Karl Popper, Alfred Tarski, Gottlob Frege, David Chalmers, Daniel Dennett, Michel Foucault, Jean Baudrillard, Mikhail Bakunin, CS Peirce, and David Hume, among many others), but these seem apropos as they most readily came to mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ishmael (Daniel Quinn)",
          "reason": "Listed among books with strong residual effects on the commenter’s thinking and values.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23859647,
          "author": "voisin",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T14:59:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859647",
          "commentText": "Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. It is short, and written in a Socratic dialogue, and helped me understand how and why society appears to be destroying itself.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ishmael by Daniel Quinn.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them understand how and why society appears to be destroying itself.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Short; written as a Socratic dialogue.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23562235,
          "author": "thorin",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-18T12:01:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 23561163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book that nobody you know has heard of?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23562235",
          "commentText": "Travels, by Michael Crichton - a sort of autobiography with some excellent lessons on life. I've never met anyone else who's read it for some reason.\nIshmael - recommended on here but doesn't seem well known in the UK. Everyone I've recommended to has enjoyed\nThe Ragged Trousered Philanthropists - Proof that politics hasn't changed much in 100 years\nJonathon Livingston Seagull - again well known on here, but not so much generally",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Ishmael - recommended on here but doesn't seem well known in the UK.",
          "reason": "Mentions that it was recommended elsewhere; gives no personal endorsement.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22098690,
          "author": "thorin",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T13:41:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22098690",
          "commentText": "Not sure if these books are unknown or fallen out of favor, but I've never spoken to anyone else who's read them without me passing them on first:\nTravels - Michael Crichton - a number of useful life lessons I'm only just catching up on\nhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Travels-Vintage-Departures-Michael-... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Travels-Vintage-Departures-Michael-Crichton/dp/0804171270/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3E8SW874CLAC8&keywords=travels+michael+crichton&qid=1579527486&sprefix=travels+micha%2Caps%2C292&sr=8-1)\nThe Ragged Trousered Philanthropists\nhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Ragged-Trousered-Philanthropists-Wo... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ragged-Trousered-Philanthropists-Wordsworth-Classics/dp/184022682X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1DN57D10PVLZS&keywords=ragged+trousered+philanthropist&qid=1579527544&sprefix=ragged+tr%2Caps%2C170&sr=8-1)\nIshmael\nhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Ishmael-Novel-Book-1-ebook/dp/B000S... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ishmael-Novel-Book-1-ebook/dp/B000SEFH6A/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=ismael&qid=1579527572&sr=8-1)\nAnother thought, Robert Heinlein doesn't seem well known in the UK these days but I think he might be better thought of in the UK although may be considered dated and sexist. I often see him quoted on here.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ishmael",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21902291,
          "author": "voisin",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T22:35:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902291",
          "commentText": "Ishmael by Daniel Quinn.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ishmael by Daniel Quinn.",
          "reason": "Named in response to a question about the most influential books read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21901968,
          "author": "type0",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T21:42:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21901968",
          "commentText": "Ishmael  by Daniel Quinn",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ishmael by Daniel Quinn",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20917560,
          "author": "lbj",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T12:43:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20917560",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged had the most profound impact on me. Ishmael was a funny, short and enlightening read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ishmael was a funny, short and enlightening read.",
          "reason": "Described as funny, short, and enlightening.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17049569,
          "author": "justinhj",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T18:10:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17049569",
          "commentText": "Some books have been very influential on how I see the world. Ishmael is one about an intelligent ape that explains the natural world to a guy in socratic dialogue style. Guns Germs and Steal. The Forest People, a book from the 60s by an anthropologist who lives with a pygmy tribe. These books about where we came from I find really interesting.\nFor self improvement books you can’t go wrong with 7 Habits of a highly effective people. It’s short and to the point and very practical.\nI’m half way through Zen and Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and it’s either way over my head or overrated. I don’t particularly like the narrator which does not help",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ishmael is one about an intelligent ape that explains the natural world to a guy in socratic dialogue style.",
          "reason": "Listed among books about human origins the commenter finds interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13970113,
          "author": "andrei_says_",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T17:59:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13970113",
          "commentText": "I am That -- transcribed talks with Nisargadatta Maharaj\nShifted my sense of self in ways I cannot describe. It is logical but not intellectual and transformative in a strange way.\nEnlightenment is Not What You Think by Wayne Liquorman, a contemporary Advaita teacher.\nIshmael by Daniel Queen.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Ishmael by Daniel Queen.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13805409,
          "author": "e_tm_",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T19:40:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805409",
          "commentText": "Understanding Media - Marshall McLuhan\nThe Book: on the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are - Alan Watts\nThe Limits to Growth - Donella Meadows\nIshmael - Daniel Quinn",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ishmael - Daniel Quinn",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13804336,
          "author": "xemoka",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:38:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804336",
          "commentText": "- Ishmael and Story of B by Daniel Quinn\nHis thoughts on religion and interpretation of religion as propaganda and how we've framed our taker society very much influenced my young mind.\n- 1491 and 1493 by Charles C. Mann\nThe way we look at the new world and how vastly different standard teachings and what actually happened are.\n- A Guide to the Good Life by William Irvine\nPut to words what I already mostly practise, it identified my issues I had with buddhism.\n- A Dictators Handbook by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita\nAn interesting flip on politics, it made me stop worrying so much about the here-and-now of it, and quelled my anger with the (further?) realisation that it is a game. If we want to fix what's happening we need to fix the rules, not the players.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ishmael and Story of B by Daniel Quinn",
          "reason": "The commenter says Quinn’s ideas influenced their thinking about religion and society.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8108644,
          "author": "xemoka",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T15:11:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8108644",
          "commentText": "I'm currently reading 1491 by Charles C. Mann, excellent book about the Americas before Columbus and how much of what we have been taught is either incorrect or misinformed. A follow up to this is 1943, what happened in the Americas after the arrival of Columbus. A great pair of books.\nI'll also say Ishmael by Daniel Quinn and The Story of B are two of my favourite books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'll also say Ishmael by Daniel Quinn and The Story of B are two of my favourite books.",
          "reason": "Names it among the commenter's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8108001,
          "author": "Shorel",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T13:38:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8108001",
          "commentText": "I just finished this: http://www.amazon.com/The-Antidote-Happiness-Positive-Thinki... (http://www.amazon.com/The-Antidote-Happiness-Positive-Thinking/dp/0865478015)\nI think you will like it. It paints Buddhism and Stoicism in a very pragmatic light.\nI second the Discworld recomendation. The series is fantastic. Read everything Pratchett has written, it is worth it.\nAlso: Ishmael by Daniel Quinn: the only book to truly explain the genesis scripture.\nThe prophet by Khalil Gibran: One of the most beautiful books I've read.\nAnd please ignore Paulo Coelho books. Paulo Coelho is to Richard Bach what Dan Brown is to Humberto Eco.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ishmael by Daniel Quinn: the only book to truly explain the genesis scripture.",
          "reason": "Presents it as an unusually compelling explanation of Genesis.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8106964,
          "author": "ibz",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:24:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106964",
          "commentText": "Ishmael\n(from Wikipedia) Ishmael is a 1992 philosophical novel by Daniel Quinn. It examines the mythological thinking at the heart of modern civilization, its effect on ethics, and how this relates to sustainability and societal collapse on the global scale.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishmael_%28novel%29",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Ishmael is a 1992 philosophical novel by Daniel Quinn.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7008527,
          "author": "timonv",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-03T22:01:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 7001282,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7008527",
          "commentText": "In no particular order:\nPolitics and philosophy:\nIshmael - Daniel Quinn (even though in the end, it's just a cute, in essence a softies introduction to anarchist communism)\nOn property - Proudhon (Meta, ye oldist anarchy)\nDas Kapital (If you read Marx, also read on Marx, can't stress this enough)\nBeyond good and evil (but in his thought in general) - Nietzsche (Mainly for showing there are no absolutes, moral is what we make of it, and in that moral we can excel)\nAnd so, so many others, philosophy really adds up, just keep on reading, there's fundamental books for sure, but every publication adds up in some respect.\nSports and nutrition:\nStarting Strength (for making me bad ass strong in the last couple years)\n'Paleo' diet (for showing an extreme solution for a more simple problem, that actually worked and made me not fat anymore)\nSome random books that made a huge impression the last years:\nThe Alchemist, for showing how humble you can experience the wonders of life\nSiddhartha, same really.\nA short summer of anarchy (biography of Durrutti, rise of \nanarchism in 30s Spain, out of print)\nCrime and Punishment and Karamazov (There's beauty in the darkest corners of the human spirit, and so much more)\nThe Prince\nButler (For using Nietzsche's deconstruction to argue against 'genetic' discrimination, controversial, but very good)\nMetamorphosis - Kafka (I don't have a one liner to summarize this. Just read it, it's < 100 pages)\nFunny enough, as far as Tech and Business goes, I skim books to get some details, but at the end of the day most value comes from hacking around. For both.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Ishmael - Daniel Quinn (even though in the end, it's just a cute, in essence a softies introduction to anarchist communism)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a cute, soft introduction to anarchist communism.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2330490,
          "author": "andrewce",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-16T02:45:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 2329700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that change your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2330490",
          "commentText": "\"Ishmael\" by Daniel Quinn (as well as \"My Ishmael\") changed how I view the world and how I characterize contemporary issues. The Takers/Leavers dichotomy, while a tad simplistic, was jaw-dropping at the time.\n\"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\" had a similar effect, though with the Classicist/Romanticist split more than any other part of the book. Also: \"Itty-bitty rules for itty-bitty people\" made quite a few things make sense.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Ishmael\" by Daniel Quinn (as well as \"My Ishmael\") changed how I view the world and how I characterize contemporary issues.",
          "reason": "Says it changed how they view the world and contemporary issues.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The Takers/Leavers dichotomy is described as somewhat simplistic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2147603,
          "author": "rfugger",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T12:51:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2147603",
          "commentText": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\nThe Fountainhead\nIshmael by Daniel Quinn\nThe Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins\nThe Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ishmael by Daniel Quinn",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed the reader’s way of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752494,
          "author": "dantle",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T10:58:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752494",
          "commentText": "Ishmael by Daniel Quinn.\nExplains an ethical viewpoint in a very clear style.  Changed the way I think about human progress.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ishmael by Daniel Quinn.\nExplains an ethical viewpoint in a very clear style. Changed the way I think about human progress.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its clear explanation and says it changed their thinking about human progress.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1588654,
          "author": "mslate",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-09T17:30:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1588654",
          "commentText": "That's too bad--some of the most interesting parts of the book are analysis of Western religions and their common conclusions about the role humanity plays in the universe. Pretty eye-opening stuff",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "some of the most interesting parts of the book are analysis of Western religions and their common conclusions about the role humanity plays in the universe. Pretty eye-opening stuff",
          "reason": "Praises the book’s analysis of religion and humanity’s role in the universe.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1582362,
          "author": "sr3d",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-06T21:24:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1582362",
          "commentText": "I had to write a book analysis on Ishmael for my Composition 110 class.  I was a freshman, and it was my first year in the US.  I had the worst time reading and understanding it (though I think the professor cut me some slacks and I managed to get an A in the class).  I haven't re-read it ever since, bad first impression.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I had to write a book analysis on Ishmael for my Composition 110 class.",
          "reason": "Describes difficulty reading and understanding it and a bad first impression.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter struggled to read and understand it as a freshman; has not reread it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569758,
          "author": "mslate",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T01:28:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569758",
          "commentText": "Ishmael by Daniel Quinn--a novel about the most basic of assumptions civilization makes about humanity's manifest destiny. Eye-opening.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ishmael by Daniel Quinn--a novel about the most basic of assumptions civilization makes about humanity's manifest destiny. Eye-opening.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it eye-opening and describes its challenge to assumptions about civilization and humanity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Quinn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 19,
      "threads": 18,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "environmental philosophy",
        "civilization",
        "civilization critique",
        "parable"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-expanse-74756f",
      "title": "The Expanse",
      "author": "James S. A. Corey",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49909186,
          "author": "LaffertyDev",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T14:05:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49909186",
          "commentText": "> The Expanse have been great, but I think I will be good and ready to say good bye when I'm done with the mainline novels.\nThe novellas are fantastic and more bite sized. They published the anthology for the expanse ones that I read after book 9. Even if you're burned out on the main series, I feel like I'd still recommend the novellas.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The novellas are fantastic and more bite sized. They published the anthology for the expanse ones that I read after book 9. Even if you're burned out on the main series, I feel like I'd still recommend the novellas.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the novellas fantastic and recommends them even to readers burned out on the main series.",
          "audience": "Readers who want shorter installments or feel burned out on the main novels.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is discussing the novellas rather than recommending the main novels.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 49903352,
          "author": "tastyfreeze",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T01:42:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49903352",
          "commentText": "Dungeon Crawler Carl book 7.  Started the series in January. Most books I've read in a year since I read the Expanse series.\nHistorical books that are great... Empire of the Summer Moon, Undaunted Courage, Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "since I read the Expanse series.",
          "reason": "Names a series they read more of in a year than any other.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 49903001,
          "author": "patrickdavey",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T00:52:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49903001",
          "commentText": "Thanks for that.  Dune used to be my favourite sci-fi, but, The Expanse maybe trumps that now.  I'll definitely check these out once I finish The Long Earth :)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Expanse maybe trumps that now.",
          "reason": "Says The Expanse may now be a favorite over Dune.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 49902384,
          "author": "CajaVacia",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-29T23:41:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49902384",
          "commentText": "Abaddon´s Gate, James S.A. Cory.\nFrom the Expanse thrilogy.\nVery very good scy-fi",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "From the Expanse thrilogy.",
          "reason": "Identifies Abaddon's Gate as part of The Expanse series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 48091164,
          "author": "tim-tday",
          "createdAt": "2026-05-11T04:51:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 48084905,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci fi books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48091164",
          "commentText": "The latest dungeon crawler Carl book comes out on Tuesday. That’s a fun series.\nI’m also reading the new James SA  Corey series (the expanse). The first one is called “the mercy of gods”.\nI also received the recommendation of “what moves the dead” but I haven’t read it yet.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I’m also reading the new James SA Corey series (the expanse).",
          "reason": "Mentions reading the authors' new series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46391881,
          "author": "Mossy9",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T13:40:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46391881",
          "commentText": "Humble Bundle has spoiled me and my ebook library has grown by around a 100 books this year...\nTech book recommendations: 'Secure by Design', 'Designing Data-Intensive Applications', 'Building Secure and Reliable Systems' and 'Fundamentals of Software Architecture'.\nFor scifi: 'Murderbot Diaries' and 'The Expanse' - both are just great entertainment",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Expanse'",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it great entertainment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37158554,
          "author": "spoiler",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T07:58:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37158554",
          "commentText": "The Cradle series by Will Wight. It's a Wuxia adapted for Western audiences. He has other great series; I liked the parallel Sea/Shadow trilogies a lot. Traveler's Gate series I enjoyed, but not as much as the rest. He recently also started a new series called Last Horizon; it's about space wizards and it's a bit whimsical, but fun.\nThe Expanse series is great, but I reckon people already mentioned it elsewhere in the thread.\nJames Islington's Licanius trilogy is one of my favourite fantasy book series probably. He recently started a new series called Hierarchy, which I also recommend. They're very \"grounded\" fantasy, and the magic systems is very woven into society and its structure. The human relationships in his books are pretty nuanced, which is why I like his works so much.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Expanse series is great",
          "reason": "Calls the series great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36026772,
          "author": "andrei_says_",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-22T02:30:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36026772",
          "commentText": "Galactic North - Alastair Reynolds\nHouse of Suns  - Alastair Reynolds\nLilith’s Brood - Octavia Butler\nThe Expanse",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Expanse",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021801,
          "author": "hesdeadjim",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:14:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021801",
          "commentText": "* Greg Egan’s short story collections, Diaspora, and Permutation City. Fair warning, Egan puts the “hard” in “hard sci-fi”.\n* Haven’t finished the Expanse final trilogy, but I really enjoyed the first two.\n* The Wool series\n* Project Hail Mary, for story reasons I’d recommend the audio book.\n* We Are Bob trilogy, fourth book is garbage.\n* Old Man’s War\n* The Culture Series by Ian Banks\n* If you enjoyed Seveneves, and thus can tolerate Stephenson’s consistent habit to drop the ball in the last 20% of his books, Diamond Age is enjoyable.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Haven’t finished the Expanse final trilogy, but I really enjoyed the first two.",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed the first two books of the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter hasn’t finished the final trilogy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021694,
          "author": "spoiler",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:02:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021694",
          "commentText": "The Expanse books are great. The TV show is a pretty good adaptation too, but I love the portrayal of the characters in the books.\nA recent thing I started reading (first book release this month) is The Last Horizon series by Will Wight (author of Cradle, and Elder Empire books). This one's more of a sci-fi and fantasy blend, if you're into that sort of thing. In a nutshell, it's magic-as-technology, but with space travel.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Expanse books are great.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the books great and praises the portrayal of their characters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29032266,
          "author": "xupybd",
          "createdAt": "2021-10-28T21:29:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 29030285,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29032266",
          "commentText": "> What are you reading and why? \nAudiobooks are a special case for me. They help fill the time when I'm driving to work, mowing the lawn or doing dishes. If I consume my entertainment during these productive times, I find I'm less drawn to television and other mindless distractions. They also help me to be motivated to do tasks that I otherwise find dull. The better alternative is to find a friend to share these tasks with, but that is not always a practical option.\nWhile I do read for entertainment, I really enjoy non-fiction as long as it's light. If I want to explore a topic and truly learn something, I often need to find a text version. That said, I have found some great audiobooks that I have learnt from:\n-The Goal\n-Pragmatic Programmer\n-Designing Data-Intensive Applications\n-Thinking Fast and Slow\n-Ultralearning\nThe best entertainment so far have been\n-Dune\n-The Expanse series\n-The Bobiverse series\n-The Expeditionary force series.\nI asked this question so broadly as I wanted to try something that I wouldn't usually go for. I have a heavy bias towards sci-fi and wouldn't mind exploring other genres. I love good non-fiction but have also found a lot of trash non-fiction out there that I regret wasting time on.\nI have a log of recommendations but not of books read. It sounds like a good idea.\nI'll add How to Read a Book to my list :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The best entertainment so far have been\n-Dune\n-The Expanse series",
          "reason": "Names it among the best entertainment audiobooks so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26593508,
          "author": "navbaker",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-26T15:49:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26593508",
          "commentText": "I am eagerly awaiting the last book in the series! Supposedly it's due out at some point this year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I am eagerly awaiting the last book in the series!",
          "reason": "The commenter is eagerly awaiting the series' final book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25907390,
          "author": "yosefjaved1",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T19:14:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25907390",
          "commentText": ">> Principles by Ray Dalio\n>> The Expanse (novel series) - I was introduced to it several years ago and have been meaning to get to it for awhile. I heard it now has a TV series and the next book in the series is supposed to come out this.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Expanse (novel series) - I was introduced to it several years ago and have been meaning to get to it for awhile.",
          "reason": "Has been meaning to read the series after being introduced to it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Has not yet started the books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24182557,
          "author": "andrei_says_",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-17T00:20:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 24176902,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please suggest some good books you have read recently",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24182557",
          "commentText": "The Expanse series is incredibly rich, textured, deep and fulfilling. Highly recommended if you’re into sci-fi",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Expanse series",
          "reason": "Calls the series rich, textured, deep, and fulfilling; recommends it to sci-fi fans.",
          "audience": "Readers into science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467724,
          "author": "AndrewLiptak",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:54:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467724",
          "commentText": "A bunch of books: Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey (as well as several of the sequels), American Gods by Neil Gaiman, The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi, The Magicians by Lev Grossman, Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie, Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin, and a bunch of others.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "as well as several of the sequels",
          "reason": "The commenter also reread several sequels to Leviathan Wakes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18708770,
          "author": "rexaliquid",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-18T17:57:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18708770",
          "commentText": "Some fiction from this year I would recommend:\nLeviathan Wakes (The Expanse #1) by James S. A. Corey - I enjoyed this whole series. I like that the physics of space travel is respected among the politics/mystery. Each book in the series is a bit of a different genre set in the universe.\nSpinning Silver by Naomi Novak - Eastern European folk tale akin to Rumplestiltskin.\nAn Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green - Contemporary fiction with a scifi bent. Ultimately hopeful, it explores the consequences of viral fame.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed this whole series.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the series, praising its treatment of space travel physics and its varied genres.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Each book in the series is a bit of a different genre.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17537661,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T23:20:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537661",
          "commentText": "Farmer in the Sky by Robert Heinlein [1]\nThe Complete Robot by Isaac Asimov [2]\nThe Wrong Unit [3] wasn't a bad little humorous tale.\nPretty much anything by Timothy Zahn (sans Star Wars novelisations) [4] or Robert Sawyer [5] floats my boat.\nThe First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North [6]\nBarsk: The Elephants’ Graveyard by Lawrence M. Schoen [7] made me care about sentient elephants.\nFuzzy Nation by John Scalzi [8] is very funny. Audiobook version narrated by Wil Wheaton.\nOf ones already mentioned:\nThe Bobiverse was surprisingly good (including the audiobook version).\nThe Expanse is good.\nWith regards to Dune, there are some like myself who only ever liked the first book in the series. (Also there is a good audiobook version out there.)\nThe Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and sequels are great world building and characters, although the plots seem to meander about with not too much purpose.\nThe Martian is great.\n[1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50851.Farmer_in_the_Sky\n[2] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50091.The_Complete_Robot\n[3] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30959279-the-wrong-unit\n[4] https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12479.Timothy_Zahn\n[5] https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/25883.Robert_J_Sawyer\n[6] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295861-the-first-fifte... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295861-the-first-fifteen-lives-of-harry-august)\n[7] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25667916-barsk\n[8] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11167622-fuzzy-nation",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Expanse is good.",
          "reason": "Calls the series good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536697,
          "author": "spapas82",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:43:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536697",
          "commentText": "Here are a couple I like :\n- Seveneves: A really great hard sci-fi. Very thought provoking ideas and excellent plot! Warning this is a heavy themed book. Also keep in mind that at about 3/4 in the novel there's a conclusion to the main story; the rest of the novel feels rushed and doesnt keep up; you won't miss anything if you just skip it.\n- The Expanse series (starting with Leviathan wakes). A very good series. It has a light tone and mainly focuses on characters. Some books are better than the others. If you liked the 1st one then you wont regret reading the others. Not much philosofy of hard sci-fi ideas so probably near to your liking.\n- Rendezvous with Rama: Probably my favorite Arthur Clarke novel. The plot may not be so interesting but the ideas presented make up for it.\n- Red rising series: This is a great read, the plot feels something like a GoT of scifi; although the setting could also be considered a fantasy one. This is a plot intensive series but not many scifi philosophical ideas. Probably good for your linking.\n- The three body problem trilogy: This is not so light-hearted; it is serious sci-fi presenting some excellent ideas that would blow your mind. Especially after I read the 2nd one (The Dark Forest) I kept it in my mind for a long time; thinking over the things presented there. This is sci-fi at its best.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Expanse series (starting with Leviathan wakes). A very good series.",
          "reason": "Calls it a very good series and praises its character focus and light tone.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some books are better than others; not much philosophical hard science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13237020,
          "author": "Jemaclus",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:13:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237020",
          "commentText": "I keep an active list of books I've read, along with my reviews at my book review website, https://books.brianseitel.com. One of the benefits of this is that my favorite books automatically populate on the left. In 2016, I read over 60 books. My top 10 for 2016 (so far) are, in rough order of favorite-ness:\n- \"All the Birds in the Sky\" by Charlie Jane Anders\n- \"The Shards of Heaven\" and its sequel \"The Gates of Hell\" by Michael Livingston (fictional story set in Roman times)\n- \"The Last Breath\" by Charlie Magee\n- \"The Guns of Empire\" by Django Wexler (Book 4 of The Shadow Campaigns series, which I highly recommend)\n- \"The King's Traitor\" by Jeff Wheeler (original take on Arthurian legend)\n- \"Uprooted\" by Naomi Novik\n- \"End Game\" by Lindsay Buroker (Book 8 of her sci-fi series, The Fallen Empire, which is a pretty fun series overall. Short and sweet adventures.)\n- \"Soulblade\" by Lindsay Buroker (Book 8 of her fantasy series, Dragon Blood, which is another great series. All of Buroker's books are good, imo.)\n- \"Ghost Talkers\" by Mary Robinette Kowal (It's WWII, ghosts are real... and they're spies.)\nThis year I also read books 1-3 of The Expanse, and I think they would also be in this list, except I haven't reviewed them yet. I'm currently reading Book 4, with the recently published book, Babylon's Ashes, in the queue. I fully expect these to make it into the top 10.\nObviously, I enjoy sci-fi / fantasy the most, but across a wide range of sub-genres. For non-sci-fi, my top read was \"I Will Teach You To Be Rich\" by Ramit Sethi, which really changed the way I organize my finances.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I also read books 1-3 of The Expanse",
          "reason": "The commenter says the books would have made the year's top 10 and expects the series to continue ranking highly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not reviewed the first three books and has book 4 in progress.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13119380,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-07T00:03:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13119380",
          "commentText": "The Wayfarers books The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and A Closed and Common Orbit were quite good. Fantastic world building and characters, although the plots seem to meander about with not too much purpose.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/series/170872-wayfarers\nRecently ploughed through The Expanse series.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/series/56399-the-expanse\nDark Matter was a good read if you like parallel universes.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27833670-dark-matter\nThe Rho Agenda series was a surprisingly good read.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/series/61746-the-rho-agenda\nQuantum Night was something a bit different from Robert Sawyer.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25734179-quantum-night\nAnd Barsk: The Elephants’ Graveyard would probably have to be rated my favourite for the year.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25667916-barsk",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Recently ploughed through The Expanse series.",
          "reason": "Reports reading through the series without evaluating it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13116605,
          "author": "davidw",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-06T17:47:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13116605",
          "commentText": "I've been reading the \"Expanse\" series.  I liked the earlier books a bit more. The latest one drops today.\nAnyone watched the show they made from it?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've been reading the \"Expanse\" series. I liked the earlier books a bit more.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they liked the earlier books, while noting they liked them more than the latest one.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The latest installment is less favored than the earlier books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785820,
          "author": "nkzednan",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T21:37:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785820",
          "commentText": "Riyria Revelations trilogy - quite good. Follows two thieves for hire. Read the books in publication order\nReady player one - liked it\nsamurai's garden\nExpanse series by James Corey entertaining\nSteelheart and Firefight by Sanderson- good but like Mistborn better\nWorm online serial parahumans good\nNonfiction I read: Delivering happiness, Drive, Power of Habit, Power of full engagement",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Expanse series by James Corey entertaining",
          "reason": "Describes the series as entertaining.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056837,
          "author": "TimSchumann",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T13:41:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056837",
          "commentText": "Haven't seen it mentioned, so I thought I'd chime in. My favorite new series has been 'The Expanse' by James S.A. Corey.\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Abraham_(author)#The_Exp... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Abraham_%28author%29#The_Expanse)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favorite new series has been 'The Expanse' by James S.A. Corey.",
          "reason": "Calls it a favorite series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401544,
          "author": "musgravepeter",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:35:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401544",
          "commentText": "Read: Expanse Series by J.S.A. Corry (decently diverting space opera)\nReading: Galaxy Formation and Evolution",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Read: Expanse Series by J.S.A. Corry (decently diverting space opera)",
          "reason": "Calls the space opera decently diverting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109224,
          "author": "MattGrommes",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:34:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109224",
          "commentText": "Currently reading Cibola Burn - the 4th in the Expanse series by James SA Corey. Very good hard-ish SF series.\nI also just finished Creativity Inc., Ed Catmull's book about Pixar. Extremely valuable insights about running a creative organization.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Very good hard-ish SF series.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the series very good.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in hard-ish science fiction.",
          "caveat": "Described as hard-ish SF.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107033,
          "author": "INTPenis",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:45:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107033",
          "commentText": "I really liked the Wool series, Wool, Shift, Dust.\nThe Expanse series is fast paced, hollywood-style action, sci-fi but gets sort of repetitive in the 4th book.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Expanse series is fast paced, hollywood-style action, sci-fi but gets sort of repetitive in the 4th book.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as fast-paced action science fiction, with a caveat about repetition in book four.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy fast-paced, Hollywood-style science fiction action.",
          "caveat": "Gets sort of repetitive in the fourth book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6700006,
          "author": "sparktree",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-09T00:19:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6700006",
          "commentText": "Abaddon's Gate (Expanse, #3) - James S.A. Corey - Its a pretty amazing series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Abaddon's Gate (Expanse, #3) - James S.A. Corey - Its a pretty amazing series.",
          "reason": "Explicitly calls the series pretty amazing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James S. A. Corey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 19,
      "threads": 18,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "political intrigue",
        "political thriller",
        "political science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-war-of-art-b9b977",
      "title": "The War of Art",
      "author": "Steven Pressfield",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35182955,
          "author": "bhu1st",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-16T15:09:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35182955",
          "commentText": "The concept of Resistance put forward by Pressfield in the book The War of Art is very profound and practical. I have this book summary hanging on my wall. Gets me up every time I feel like not wanting to do the grunt work.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The concept of Resistance put forward by Pressfield in the book The War of Art is very profound and practical. I have this book summary hanging on my wall. Gets me up every time I feel like not wanting to do the grunt work.",
          "reason": "Praises its practical account of Resistance and says its summary helps motivate them to do difficult work.",
          "audience": "People who struggle to start or persist with difficult work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35170702,
          "author": "bikeformind",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T16:24:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35170702",
          "commentText": "Here are some suggestions on the more creative and less tactical spectrum.\nHow To Get Rich: Felix Dennis\nDon’t be fooled by the title. A lifetime of insights and experience from a pioneering publishing magnate condensed into a light enjoyable read.\nCreativity Inc by Ed Catmull\ngoes into great detail about the early days of Pixar. So many actionable lessons about entrepreneurship and operating a creative organization.\nThe War of Art by Steven Pressfield\nNot just for artists this book is a bible for anyone who has difficulty getting out of their own way. provides useful frameworks to understand the concept of resistance and recognize negative self defeating thought patterns that many entrepreneurs struggle with.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Not just for artists this book is a bible for anyone who has difficulty getting out of their own way.",
          "reason": "Offers frameworks for understanding resistance and recognizing self-defeating thought patterns.",
          "audience": "People who struggle to get out of their own way, including entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32942444,
          "author": "chiefalchemist",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T18:00:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32942444",
          "commentText": "I didn't see it mentioned yet:\n\"The War of Art\" by Steven Pressfield.\nDon't let the title fool you. Its insights aren't limited to art. And very readable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The War of Art\" by Steven Pressfield.",
          "reason": "Recommended as insightful and readable, with insights beyond art.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Despite the title, its insights aren't limited to art.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30738762,
          "author": "lurker137",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T00:13:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30738762",
          "commentText": "The War of Art, Steven Pressfield\nIt's written in the same concise format as The Art of War by Sun Tzu, and it's just as dense with insights. I would encourage anyone to spend just 5 min reading the first few pages of Book Two here: https://aimeeknight.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/the-war-of-a... (https://aimeeknight.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/the-war-of-art_fastpencil_pbo.pdf)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The War of Art, Steven Pressfield\nIt's written in the same concise format as The Art of War by Sun Tzu, and it's just as dense with insights.",
          "reason": "Presented as a life-changing book and praised for its concise format and insights.",
          "audience": "Anyone, according to the commenter.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29815592,
          "author": "mmerlin",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-05T21:56:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29815592",
          "commentText": "David Allen - Getting things done\nSteven Pressfield - The War of Art + Turning Pro\nTony Robbins - Awaken the giant within \n(maybe he's released a better book than that now, but it was impactful personally back in the 90s)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Steven Pressfield - The War of Art + Turning Pro",
          "reason": "Lists the book among recommendations in response to a book request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27640267,
          "author": "godmode2019",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T08:46:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27640267",
          "commentText": "* Thinking fast and slow - how to think and make decision and how to consider bias.\n* Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth - specialisation is for insects.\n* Propaganda - 1928 book by the inventor of public relations and modern media. Know how they influence you.\n* The war of art - being a professional. Honesty I don't think this book was written by a human this book completely changed my life and any other person I for to read this book had a similar experience.\nI have more but I don't want to information overload anyone.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* The war of art - being a professional.",
          "reason": "Says it changed their life and describes a similar experience in others.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467623,
          "author": "chrisa",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:44:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467623",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\nThe Inimitable Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse\nNon-fiction:\nThe War of Art by Steven Pressfield",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The War of Art by Steven Pressfield",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21902042,
          "author": "sivers",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T21:56:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902042",
          "commentText": "Since 2007, I've taken detailed notes on every book I've read, then posted them on my site with my top recommendations up top:\nhttps://sivers.org/book\nMy top recommendations here for the Hacker News crowd - with a nudge for the under-rated, are:\nThe Time Paradox - by Philip Zimbardo and John Boyd\nhttps://sivers.org/book/TimeParadox\nProfound idea that everyone has a primary time focus: either Future-focused, Present-focused, or Past-focused. Fascinating implications of each. Because I'm so future-focused, reading this book helped me understand people who are very present-focused. Also great advice on shifting your focus when needed. I read it 7 years ago, but still think about it almost every day.\n--\nMindwise: How We Understand What Others Think, Believe, Feel, and Want - by Nicholas Epley\nhttps://sivers.org/book/Mindwise\nMany new brilliant insights, especially about over-estimating the differences between you and others, thereby separating into us-vs-them tribalism. Scan to the end of my notes, to see. If you know more books like this, please recommend them to me. I adore this subject.\n--\nThe War of Art - by Steven Pressfield\nhttps://sivers.org/book/WarOfArt\nHave you experienced a vision of the person you might become, the work you could accomplish, the realized being you were meant to be? Are you a writer who doesn’t write, a painter who doesn’t paint, an entrepreneur who never starts a venture? Then you know what “Resistance” is. This book is about that. Read it.\n--\nE-Myth Revisited - by Michael Gerber\nhttps://sivers.org/book/EMythRevisited\nAbsolutely everyone who is an entrepreneur or wants to be one needs to read this book. I first read it after 10 years of successfully running my company, and was still blown away and totally humbled by its wisdom. Re-reading it today, I'm amazed how my view of business was completely changed by this one little book. See my notes for examples, but definitely read the book itself to get the real impact.\n--\nThe Courage to Be Disliked - by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga\nhttps://sivers.org/book/Disliked\nWow. A profound little philosophy book from Japan, communicating the psychology of Alfred Adler - a rival of Freud. Told as a conversation between an angry student and a patient teacher. A little book so good that I rushed home from other activites to keep reading it, and finished in a day. A surprisingly fresh perspective on how to live. (The “disliked” part is not the point, so don’t let the title distract you.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The War of Art - by Steven Pressfield",
          "reason": "Lists it among their top recommendations and urges readers to read it.",
          "audience": "Writers, artists, and entrepreneurs facing creative resistance",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16577547,
          "author": "turingcompeteme",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-13T16:53:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16577547",
          "commentText": "Wow, that video was much better than the book in my opinion. The book spends chapters and chapters repeating the exact same thing over and over. And then the last third of the book is about divine inspiration and other things I just couldn't get into.\nI always thought the book would have been better as a blog post or two, but the video format was perfect. It presented the ideas and gave advice on how to achieve them. I took a lot more from that video than I did from the book.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The book spends chapters and chapters repeating the exact same thing over and over.",
          "reason": "The commenter criticizes the book as repetitive and says they took more from a video adaptation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they could not get into the book’s final third about divine inspiration.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16570351,
          "author": "tombrm",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-12T18:43:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16570351",
          "commentText": "Have you seen this video? It is basically the war of art book illustrated with movie scenes: https://youtu.be/1lTcgSzf0AQ",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "It is basically the war of art book illustrated with movie scenes",
          "reason": "Describes a video as an illustration of the book; no evaluation or recommendation is expressed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16569661,
          "author": "fiskeben",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-12T17:19:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16569661",
          "commentText": "The War of Art - about overcoming that nagging resistance to getting stuff done that we all feel.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The War of Art - about overcoming that nagging resistance to getting stuff done that we all feel.",
          "reason": "Describes the book as addressing resistance to getting things done.",
          "audience": "People struggling with resistance to starting or completing creative work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296535,
          "author": "Gatsky",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T06:41:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296535",
          "commentText": "Wish I read earlier:\nThe War of Art, by Steven Pressfield\nMusashi, by Eiji Yoshikawa",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The War of Art, by Steven Pressfield",
          "reason": "Listed as a book the commenter wishes they had read earlier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15763383,
          "author": "Zanni",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T07:09:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15763383",
          "commentText": "The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. This is the book I've recommended more than any other, and have been thanked by people I've recommended it to disproportionately. He's got a few other books--Do The Work, Turning Pro--that cover similar ground, but The War of Art is the best of them by far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. This is the book I've recommended more than any other",
          "reason": "Says it is the book they have recommended most and that it is the best of Pressfield's similar books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says Do the Work and Turning Pro cover similar ground, but are not as good.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12145526,
          "author": "devilsavocado",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T18:16:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12145526",
          "commentText": "Can you explain what you liked about The War of Art? I read it because I have seen it mentioned on this site many times, but I did not enjoy it at all. I found that the first two sections contained very little useful information, and the third got somewhat silly when it started evoking angels and muses. I could see it being a motivational read for some?\nI find it strange that it's mentioned in the same context as your #1 and #3, which I think are absolutely essential.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I did not enjoy it at all. I found that the first two sections contained very little useful information, and the third got somewhat silly",
          "reason": "Criticizes its usefulness and says the later section felt silly.",
          "audience": "May work as a motivational read for some.",
          "caveat": "The commenter did not enjoy it and found little useful information.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12142564,
          "author": "saasinator",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T09:32:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12142564",
          "commentText": "I'll add my current three,\n    1) \"How to Win Friends and Influence People\"\n    2) \"The War of Art\" \n    3) \"The Pragmatic Programmer\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2) \"The War of Art\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10766474,
          "author": "tonyedgecombe",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T08:23:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10766474",
          "commentText": "I couldn't get on with that book, there seemed to be a lack of anything useful in it, for me anyway.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "that book",
          "reason": "Says the book lacked anything useful for them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter refers to it by \"that book\" in reply to a parent mentioning The War of Art.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9350136,
          "author": "pariya",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T19:05:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350136",
          "commentText": "\"The War of Art\" by Steven Pressfield (good read if you want to learn how to quit procrastinating!)\n\"The Greatest Salesman on Earth\" by Og Mandino\n\"The Zahir\" by Paolo Coelho is about challenging tradition, highly recommend.\n\"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" by Dale Carnegie\nWhen I was in high school-\n\"The Alchemist\" by Paolo Coelho",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The War of Art\" by Steven Pressfield (good read if you want to learn how to quit procrastinating!)",
          "reason": "Suggested as a good read for learning to overcome procrastination.",
          "audience": "Readers wanting to address procrastination.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8736239,
          "author": "seizethecheese",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-11T18:19:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8736239",
          "commentText": "I read this as well. The author bundles up most problems into something called \"resistance\" and then encourages you to fight \"resistance.\" To me, this was pseudo religious nonsense, and I could never fully buy the concept.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "To me, this was pseudo religious nonsense, and I could never fully buy the concept.",
          "reason": "The commenter rejects the book's framing of problems as “resistance.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8716577,
          "author": "netcan",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T14:34:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8716577",
          "commentText": "The War of Art by Steven Pressfield\nIt's written for writers but is relevant broadly. The message is pretty simple and you don't really need to read the whole book to get it. It's one of those keep-driving-the-message self help-ish books.\nBasically the point is to name and shame \"resistance,\" a catch all term for procrastination, fear and everything else that prevents a writer from writing a book. It also applies to starting a startup, a career, a family, an exercise regime… Like I said, the point is simple and the information could be conveyed in a short essay.\nThe reason for the repetition is to actually realize how big a demonic bottleneck this resistance is and that overcoming it will take effort and more importantly, strategy. It's probably going to derail your plans unless you plan for it. Personifying  (or demonifying) it is part of the approach.\nThis is getting further from the book's actual content but the analogy for me is addiction. Say you are an alcoholic. It's not enough to decide to stop drinking, this is a fight. You need to realize that addiction will probably win if you fight stupid. You need a plan to beat addiction. It will fight back. You need to put time and resources into it. Everyone knows this and former alcoholics will start pushing you straight into two things, making sure you realize the scale of the problem and making sure you have a plan. They'll probably recommend AA which gives you a formulaic strategy.\nResistance might not be the bottleneck for everyone, but it is for many. For us, we need to make war on it",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The War of Art by Steven Pressfield\nIt's written for writers but is relevant broadly.",
          "reason": "Explains how the book frames resistance and strategies for overcoming it.",
          "audience": "Writers and people facing procrastination or fear while starting work or pursuing goals.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the message is simple and the book repetitive; a short essay could convey it.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107058,
          "author": "danschuller",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:53:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107058",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed \"The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles\".\nI've have it recommended a few times but the title sounded a bit self help-like so I avoided it. Eventually I did ready and it's pretty great. It covers how people manage to get work done, which is pretty important for everyone.\nLast year I read The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt. It's non-fiction, though I believe the central premise is a little tongue in cheek. An ancient Roman manuscript that's rediscovered and helps set off the enlightenment and our modern culture.\nFor Buddhism I enjoyed Zen Flesh, Zen Bones by Paul Reps, mainly a collection of translated koans. If you've never it I recommend Godel Escher Bach : An Eternal Golden Braid, as it also likes to play with Buddhism. It's a book that tends to get a bit of hate but I found it quite fun and playful.\nNon-fiction for sci-fi and fantasy: Robin Hobb and Vernor Vinge.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed \"The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles\".",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed it and describes its subject as useful.",
          "audience": "People interested in getting creative work done.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6977013,
          "author": "siegs",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T22:47:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6977013",
          "commentText": "Steven Pressfield's 'The War of Art' helped me view my own work in a new light and get shit done by removing my ego from the outcome. It's very complimentary to modern startup ethos in that it is better to focus on the art of production than to become mired in the outcome of one attempt.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "helped me view my own work in a new light and get shit done",
          "reason": "Says it changed how they view their work and helped them get things done.",
          "audience": "People who want to make creative work or overcome resistance to producing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3396186,
          "author": "rasmus4200",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T16:12:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3396186",
          "commentText": "The War of Art\nhttp://www.stevenpressfield.com/the-war-of-art/\nBreak through the blocks and win your inner creative battles.\nMany books mentioned here are good, this is the only I haven't seen referenced. But this one book really helped me deal with resistance and get stuff done. Seth Godin is a big fan and references it a lot in his material.\nSteven Pressfield also wrote 'The Legend of Bagger Vance' and Gates of Fire (Spartan 300 kind of book but way deeper).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "But this one book really helped me deal with resistance and get stuff done.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them overcome resistance and get things done.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227139,
          "author": "NEPatriot",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T18:11:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227139",
          "commentText": "The War of Art - Stephen Pressfield - how to overcome yourself\nGates of Fire - same as above, the story of the stand at Thermopylae\nAgincourt & 3 part series Archer's tale - Bernard Cornwell - accounts of medievil warfare\nStrengthsFinder 2.0 - Tom Rath - take a test and discover your strengths/things you love to do, focus on on doing those",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The War of Art - Stephen Pressfield - how to overcome yourself",
          "reason": "Listed as a suggestion for overcoming personal obstacles.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026362,
          "author": "adamhowell",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T22:29:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026362",
          "commentText": "The War of Art (again) - I reread this book at least once a year. IMHO one of the best books ever written on the creative process, no matter what you're creating.\nIn Defense of Food - Best criticism of the problems with reductionist \"nutrition-ism\" I've read.\nThey Made America - Good, quick history of some of America's most revolutionary inventors, businessmen and women.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "IMHO one of the best books ever written on the creative process, no matter what you're creating.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the best books on the creative process.",
          "audience": "People creating any kind of work.",
          "caveat": "The commenter rereads it at least once a year.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Pressfield"
      ],
      "recommenders": 19,
      "threads": 18,
      "topics": [
        "Writing",
        "Art",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "procrastination",
        "creative resistance",
        "creative work",
        "creativity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "debt-the-first-5-000-years-a105d2",
      "title": "Debt: The First 5,000 Years",
      "author": "David Graeber",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43612700,
          "author": "ta12653421",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T15:36:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43612700",
          "commentText": "\"Debt - the first 5000 years\"\nby Prof. D. Graeber (unfortunately, he died some years ago at a young age)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Debt - the first 5000 years\"\nby Prof. D. Graeber",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36432782,
          "author": "dilippkumar",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T14:35:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36432782",
          "commentText": "A couple of books here.\n1. Caesar by Adrian Goldsworthy.\nThis is a biography of Julius Ceasar. There’s a story in here about a teenage Ceasar, with no institutional authority and effectively a student at this point, raising a navy to go capture pirates who had previously kidnapped him. \nI spent many years thinking about influence without any authority after reading this story and it’s probably had a significant shift in how I see the world and my role in it.\n2. The WEIRDest people in the world  by Joseph Henrich\nI grew up in India. This book helped me understand so much of the cultural differences between American culture and what I grew up with that it is easily one of the most valuable books for any immigrant or anyone from America who has to work across cultures.\n3. Debt - The first 5,000 years by David Greber.\nThe single most valuable thing I took away from this book came pretty early in the book - Buying stocks in a company is effectively loaning money to the company. This book shifted my perspective significantly- I use to see the world as a network of power relationships. Now I see the world as a network of debt relationships. I can not recommend it enough.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Debt - The first 5,000 years by David Greber.",
          "reason": "It shifted the commenter's view from power relationships to debt relationships; they strongly recommend it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33854006,
          "author": "unmole",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T14:32:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33854006",
          "commentText": "> The purpose of the book is to make the general-audience reader realize the problems with the conceptual-historical framework of neoliberal economics and politics\nAnd misrepresenting mainstream economics is the way to do that?\n> (I am not an expert so I wouldn't know either way). But what he successfully\nThis is a bizzare take. It's  like claiming Graeber gets the premises wrong but somehow the conclusions he draws are correct?\n> that there are many many different economic systems practiced throughout history, and many of them very highly sophisticated (and not quaint as you suggest).\nBut somehow these grand sophisticated economic systems did not find takers outside their niches. This is what makes rui stones and cloth bolts quaint curiosities compared to coinage and credit when discussing the 5000 years of debt.\n> And once the reader realizes this, there is only a short step to the question, \"is neoliberalism really the best we can do or one of the other systems better for us?\"\nToo bad he spins nonsensical conspiracy theories to do that.\nAnd you agree that it's a work of political rhetoric and not dispassionate scholarship.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "This is what makes rui stones and cloth bolts quaint curiosities compared to coinage and credit when discussing the 5000 years of debt.",
          "reason": "Criticizes the book's account of historical economic systems and calls its argument political rhetoric rather than dispassionate scholarship.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The criticism concerns its portrayal of historical economic systems and its political rhetoric.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33853965,
          "author": "unmole",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T14:26:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33853965",
          "commentText": "I think Debt is a terrible book but that's not a convincing or even substantive review. Even more bizzare is the author admitting to dunking on the book without even having read it!",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I think Debt is a terrible book",
          "reason": "Calls the book terrible and says the review is not convincing or substantive.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The criticism is not backed by a convincing or substantive review, according to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33851897,
          "author": "abdullahkhalids",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T09:01:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33851897",
          "commentText": "The purpose of the book is to make the general-audience reader realize the problems with the conceptual-historical framework of neoliberal economics and politics. David Graeber rightfully argues that Neoliberalism sells itself to the masses by constructing this \"quaint\" tale of uncivilized barter-practicing foraging tribes turning into coin/money using farmers into debt based industrial-financial empires.\nI am sure there are many factual inaccuracies in the book (I am not an expert so I wouldn't know either way). But what he successfully manages to do is show the reader that there are many many different economic systems practiced throughout history, and many of them very highly sophisticated (and not quaint as you suggest). And once the reader realizes this, there is only a short step to the question, \"is neoliberalism really the best we can do or one of the other systems better for us?\"",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The purpose of the book is to make the general-audience reader realize the problems with the conceptual-historical framework of neoliberal economics and politics.",
          "reason": "Argues that it shows readers the range and sophistication of economic systems across history.",
          "audience": "General-audience readers",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the book may contain factual inaccuracies.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33851619,
          "author": "sien",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T08:06:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33851619",
          "commentText": "Another one by Noah Smith, again another left wing economist on why Debt is a poor book :\nhttp://noahpinionblog.blogspot.com/2014/11/book-review-debt-... (http://noahpinionblog.blogspot.com/2014/11/book-review-debt-first-5000-years.html?m=1)",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "why Debt is a poor book",
          "reason": "Refers to the book as poor and links to a critical review of it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936895,
          "author": "vishnugupta",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T10:14:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936895",
          "commentText": "Debt: The First 5000 Years by great late David Graeber.\nIt opened up my mind to a whole new reality which was hidden in plain sight.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It opened up my mind to a whole new reality which was hidden in plain sight.",
          "reason": "Says it opened their mind to a previously hidden reality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29816049,
          "author": "contingencies",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-05T22:32:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29816049",
          "commentText": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_and_Civilisation_in_Ch... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_and_Civilisation_in_China)\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TCP/IP_Illustrated#Volume_1:_T... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TCP/IP_Illustrated#Volume_1:_The_Protocols)\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debt:_The_First_5000_Years\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_Not_Being_Governed",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debt:_The_First_5000_Years",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23859027,
          "author": "q-base",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:57:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859027",
          "commentText": "Debt: The first 5000 years\nAnd then I have not yet read it myself, although I have it on the shelf, but others recommended it for the exact same question as yours:\nUnderstanding Power by Noam Chomsky",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Debt: The first 5000 years",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22864766,
          "author": "mempko",
          "createdAt": "2020-04-14T11:44:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 22861452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading to make sense of the economy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22864766",
          "commentText": "This website from Ray Dalio is excellent. https://economicprinciples.org/\nRead Debt the first 5000 years from David Graeber.\nRead Money in the Modern Economy from the Bank of England. https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.bankofengland.co.uk... (https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/quarterly-bulletin/2014/q1/money-in-the-modern-economy-an-introduction&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwjd46nn6ufoAhUHvJ4KHSo-BjMQFjAAegQIChAB&usg=AOvVaw3dYvxxGs_C7rcXWYBjP3Cp)\nWhy these? You have to understand money and credit. Economics ignores money and credit which would be like physics ignoring atoms and gravity.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read Debt the first 5000 years from David Graeber.",
          "reason": "Recommended for understanding money and credit.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22577489,
          "author": "ramblenode",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T18:34:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22577489",
          "commentText": "Debt makes some particularly interesting observations about currency before fractional reserve banking, which I imagine most other books treat as a starting point. The hypothesized relationships between minting precious metals, war, slavery, and mining were thought-provoking.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Debt makes some particularly interesting observations about currency before fractional reserve banking",
          "reason": "Discusses what the book covers and finds its observations thought-provoking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22575420,
          "author": "jonahbenton",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T14:16:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22575420",
          "commentText": "Huge, huge topic. You will have to pick a path through the enormous jungle.\nThe starting point I would recommend is bottom up, through accounting and financial statements. Core knowledge, of both practical and intellectual value. Tons of books here, I particularly like\nThomas Ittelson - Financial Statements\nAccessible, straightforward, friendly.\nAfter that, any of the collections of\nWarren Buffett's Letters to Shareholders\nare both entertaining and intellectually valuable, and provide great insight. Read forward, eg, from his first letters in the 1960s, to now.\nOne of the realizations in the journey is that there are, and have been, a lot of different kinds of money- credit money and exchange money and asset money and so forth. A relatively abstract/intellectual but immensely useful survey is\nThe Nature of Money - Geoffrey Ingham\nThe concept of an asset is critical to the functioning of the financial system. New kinds of assets are created all the time. One of the best written books I have read recently goes into venture capital and debt asset creation:\nThe Code Of Capital - Katharina Pistor\nThe role of different kinds of money in history, especially US history, is absolutely fascinating. I am in the middle of\nAmerican Bonds - Sarah Quinn\nand can recommend.\nI do not especially recommend the Dalio books or Graeber's Debt or Ferguson's books. They are fine but I did not find them helping me build understanding. Not quite junk food, but definitely not protein.\nI unfortunately have not found any of the books I have seen about the Federal Reserve to be worthy of recommending. My wife works there and so I have perhaps a unique perspective. But nothing conveys the challenge and the mechanics of what they do. Still looking. The papers the various Fed banks publish, as well as the papers published by the Bank of England, are uniformly outstanding.\nFinally, some of the bitcoin people have written about money. Tho I am a believer in bitcoin I absolutely recommend against most of them, especially Saifedean Ammous's book. Do not read.\nGood luck!",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Graeber's Debt",
          "reason": "The commenter did not find it helpful for building understanding.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Called fine, but not especially recommended.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22574176,
          "author": "Cro_on",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T09:35:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22574176",
          "commentText": "Debt: The First 5000 Years\nhttps://libcom.org/files/__Debt__The_First_5_000_Years.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Debt: The First 5000 Years",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22573713,
          "author": "akga",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T07:11:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22573713",
          "commentText": "For understanding how money works, I’d recommend Debt: The First 5000 Years by David Graeber.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I’d recommend Debt: The First 5000 Years by David Graeber.",
          "reason": "Recommended for understanding how money works.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking historical and anthropological perspectives on money and debt.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19088570,
          "author": "sinkpoint",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T19:04:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19088570",
          "commentText": "\"Debt: The first 5000 years\" completely changed the way I view money, society, and relationships.\n\"The selfish gene\" changed the way I define life, opened my eyes to virtual life, and morality of selfishness vs. altruism.\n\"Into the Cool: Energy Flow, Thermodynamics, and Life\" changed the way I view the life and material existence. Whereas before I viewed them as two separate domains, after I see them as a spectrum.\nChinese classic taoism treaties: \"Dao De Jing\", and \"Zhuan Zi\", offers a via-negativa way of thinking and view of existence, the values are beyond words.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Debt: The first 5000 years\" completely changed the way I view money, society, and relationships.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book changed how they view money, society, and relationships.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17048476,
          "author": "fallingfrog",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T16:10:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17048476",
          "commentText": "Debt: the first 5000 years by David graeber.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Debt: the first 5000 years by David graeber.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630924,
          "author": "mbrock",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T18:57:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630924",
          "commentText": "Gödel, Escher, Bach awakened my intellectual curiosity about formal systems and other autistic modes of beauty as a teenager. After \"The Selfish Gene\" it was the first book I bought and read on my own volition, so I have to credit it as a major influence.\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs for showing that you can think rigorously and compose beautiful programs out of simple pieces.\nContingency, Irony, and Solidarity by Richard Rorty for showing that it's possible to think and feel about politics while maintaining a profoundly ironic and groundless mind.\nThe Body in Pain by Elaine Scarry for its beautiful view of civilization as materialized caring and of the inflicting of pain as metaphysically destructive.\nBeing-in-the-world by Dreyfus for introducing me to Heidegger and showing how continental philosophy inspired by Heidegger was a major force in the evolution of AI and how AI researchers tended to be influenced by rationalist philosophy in the vein of Descartes which leads to huge misunderstandings of the nature of being.\nDhammapada translated by Gil Fronsdal because it's a beautiful exposition of early Buddhist poetry and clearly shows the worldview of south east Asian Buddhism.\nDebt by David Graeber for making me interested in money and credit systems from an anthropological point of view.\nA Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace for being hilarious and sad and buzzing with neurotic perceptive overeducated thought in a way that mirrored my own precocious self-consciousness and made me feel less \"marooned in my own skull.\"\nThe Uses of Disorder by Richard Sennett for giving a defense of the anarchy of urban life that views conflict as necessary for growth.\nAfter Virtue by Alisdair MacIntyre for showing the contemporary situation in thought and ethics as profoundly abnormal and difficult, being the aftermath of the Enlightenment project's failure to ground morality in objective reason, and pointing to virtue within traditions as the only way to live coherently.\nThe Teachings of Huang-bo for being a merciless and hilarious attack on sanctimonious and ritualistic Buddhism, displaying the role of sarcasm and wit in spirituality, and generally just shouting \"wake up, lazy pretentious idiot\" on every page.\nFanged Noumena by Nick Land for diving deeply into amphetaminic insanity thus accurately mirroring the schizophrenia of postmodern capitalism.\nThe letters of Van Gogh.\nPhillip Lopate's personal essays.\nHyperobjects by Timothy Morton.\nOn the Origins of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Debt by David Graeber for making me interested in money and credit systems from an anthropological point of view.",
          "reason": "Says it sparked interest in money and credit systems from an anthropological perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156913,
          "author": "RealityNow",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T16:41:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156913",
          "commentText": "Debt, the first 5,000 Years (David Graeber) - Learned that most of history has been communist (eg. hunter gatherer societies), shops of the past were run on credit (eg. tally sticks), money/capitalism tended to emerge with the rise of the state, taxing to feed soldiers for war, and that the drive to pay off one's debt fueled a lot of the cruelty of mankind (eg. Hernan Cortez, Casimir).\n21 Things they don't tell you about Capitalism, Bad Samaritans (Ha Joon Chang) - Learned that free trade is generally bad for developing countries, countries need to build out high productivity industries to grow their economy in the long term and avoid a balance of payments deficit (unless blessed with oil or something), manufacturing is vital to a country's economy and its service sector, \"free markets\" are a constantly evolving political definition with numerous inherent double standards, the only reason most of us in first world countries are paid well has nothing to do with our own superior ability (eg. bus driver in India vs. Norway), but due to immigration control and the institutions we inherit.\nAlso looking for more book recommendations, so feel free to send some my way!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Debt, the first 5,000 Years (David Graeber) - Learned that most of history has been communist",
          "reason": "Lists the book as a source of ideas learned about debt, money, and history in response to a question about impactful books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156714,
          "author": "yodsanklai",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T16:13:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156714",
          "commentText": "> Debt, the first 5,000 years\nIt's often cited on HN, but I've found it very dense and difficult to read.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "It's often cited on HN, but I've found it very dense and difficult to read.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds the book dense and difficult to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter found it very dense and difficult to read.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15021315,
          "author": "hitekker",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T19:07:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15021315",
          "commentText": "\"Debt\" by John Graber is a book of big ideas.\nNot always accurate in the details, and somewhat biased in its conclusions. Nonetheless it made me rethink the underpinnings of our financial system.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Debt\" by John Graber is a book of big ideas.\nNot always accurate in the details, and somewhat biased in its conclusions. Nonetheless it made me rethink the underpinnings of our financial system.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it prompted them to rethink the financial system.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says some details are inaccurate and the conclusions are somewhat biased.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13839518,
          "author": "xitrium",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-10T15:56:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13839518",
          "commentText": "Going along with this sort of fundamentally changed worldview theme - I loved Debt: The First 5,000 Years but for me it was equally important to read a book called The Worldly Philosophers: The Lives, Times and Ideas of the Great Economic Thinkers by Robert L. Heilbroner. This book summarizes the entirety of major paradigms in the history of economic thought, complete with great little biosketches of the authors and their times, from Adam Smith to Joseph Schumpeter. Highly recommended, especially as a counterpoint if you are already a little much in the David Graeber camp as I was.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved Debt: The First 5,000 Years",
          "reason": "The commenter says they loved the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13803959,
          "author": "yesbabyyes",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T16:59:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13803959",
          "commentText": "Fundamentally changed are so big words but these were pretty cool:\n- Douglas Hofstadter's GEB: An Eternal Golden Braid\n- Debt: The First 5,000 Years by David Graeber\n- Ursula K. LeGuin's The Word for World is Forest\n- Propaganda by Edward Bernays\n- Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond\n-  Empires: The Logic of World Domination from Ancient Rome to the United States by Herfried Münkler\n- Smedley D. Butler's War is a Racket (more of an exposé)\n- In Praise of Idleness by Bertrand Russell (ditto)\n- Neuromancer by William Gibson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Debt: The First 5,000 Years by David Graeber",
          "reason": "Listed among books that changed the way the commenter thinks about the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12562316,
          "author": "contingencies",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T04:29:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12562316",
          "commentText": "I also came to recommend this: it's possibly the most interesting book I've ever read.  (Maybe save TCP/IP Illustrated Volume 1: The Protocols)\nIt cops a lot of flak from some conservative established economists though, probably because most of the book is dedicated to disassembling economic myth from the perspective of history and anthropology.\nGreat case study of a fresh pair of eyes and an example of someone from one field applying different thinking to another field and coming to some very different conclusions. Can't recommend it enough.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also came to recommend this: it's possibly the most interesting book I've ever read.",
          "reason": "Calls it possibly the most interesting book they have read and says they cannot recommend it enough.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It gets flak from some conservative established economists.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12562107,
          "author": "techbio",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T03:24:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12562107",
          "commentText": "\"Debt\"'s troubling passage on Jubilee is archaic.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "\"Debt\"'s troubling passage on Jubilee is archaic.",
          "reason": "The commenter criticizes its treatment of Jubilee as archaic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10786987,
          "author": "jaylitt",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T03:40:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786987",
          "commentText": "\"Debt: The First 5000 Years\" David Graeber\n\"Kokoro\" Natsume Soseki\n\"The Politics of Dialogical Imagination\" Hirano Katsuya\n\"History and Repetition\" Karatani Kojin\n\"The Structure of World History\" Karatani Kojin\n\"Anti-Oedipus\" Gilles Deleuze & Felix Guattari\n\"Before the Dawn: Recovering the Lost History of Our Ancestors\" Nicholas Wade\n\"Capital, Volume I\" Karl Marx\nThese books have been the most informative and thought-provoking for me this year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Debt: The First 5000 Years\" David Graeber",
          "reason": "Included among the year's most informative and thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395524,
          "author": "adnam",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T12:04:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395524",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed \"Debt: The First 5,000 Years\" by David Graeber, an anthropoligical look at the history of money, morality and the nature of debt.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed \"Debt: The First 5,000 Years\" by David Graeber",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed it and describes its anthropological look at money, morality, and debt.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Graeber"
      ],
      "recommenders": 19,
      "threads": 17,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "debt",
        "economic anthropology",
        "anthropology of debt",
        "economic history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rich-dad-poor-dad-c25840",
      "title": "Rich Dad Poor Dad",
      "author": "Robert T. Kiyosaki",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41562205,
          "author": "muzani",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-16T23:16:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41562205",
          "commentText": "If you've read the right books, you will be motivated. I started a startup after binging through Paul Graham's essays and The Startup Owner's Manual; it made the whole idea of a startup seem like an easy step-by-step process. Some people do the same after reading CTCI and applying for FAANG.\nI'd argue too many read the simple books. You have to slog through the tough content, actually apply the content to your work, and find a book that fixes the next problem you hit.\nAction is the spark that ignites the fire, but knowledge is the fuel. I've worked almost 10 years in startups and I wish the people who ran them read books other than Rich Dad Poor Dad.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I wish the people who ran them read books other than Rich Dad Poor Dad.",
          "reason": "Suggests startup leaders should read other books instead.",
          "audience": "People running startups.",
          "caveat": "The commenter implies this is not a suitable choice for startup leaders.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40045886,
          "author": "atlgator",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-15T21:33:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40045886",
          "commentText": "Rich Dad, Poor Dad",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rich Dad, Poor Dad",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33389443,
          "author": "mbrodersen",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-30T00:25:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33389443",
          "commentText": "Rich Dad Poor Dad. It completely changed how I view the world of personal finance and has already changed my future for the better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rich Dad Poor Dad. It completely changed how I view the world of personal finance",
          "reason": "Says the book changed their perspective on personal finance and their future.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32946766,
          "author": "mbrodersen",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-23T01:09:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32946766",
          "commentText": "“Rich Dad Poor Dad”. The most impactful book I have ever read. It completely changed how I handle my personal finances and think about money. It also made me deeply understand why high earning rich people go broke all the time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Rich Dad Poor Dad”.",
          "reason": "Says it changed how they handle personal finances and think about money.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32796362,
          "author": "mbrodersen",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-11T02:35:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32796362",
          "commentText": "“Rich Dad Poor Dad”. Not my field of study (finance) but it can be argued that it is relevant to anybody who cares about their long term financial health. It completely changed how I spend money and build for the future. It is a small book and easy to read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Rich Dad Poor Dad”. Not my field of study (finance) but it can be argued that it is relevant to anybody who cares about their long term financial health.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed how they spend money and plan for the future.",
          "audience": "People concerned about long-term financial health.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is outside their field of study.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29872395,
          "author": "kratom_sandwich",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-10T09:38:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29872395",
          "commentText": "Full disclosure: I haven't read the book, but reading the \"Criticism\"-Section on Wikipedia I would be very cautious. While investing and building wealth is certainly an important issue, there's just so much mischief going on with investing-related \"advice\".\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rich_Dad_Poor_Dad#Criticism",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I haven't read the book, but reading the \"Criticism\"-Section on Wikipedia I would be very cautious.",
          "reason": "Urges caution about the book after reading its Wikipedia criticism section.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read the book and warns about investing advice.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29848782,
          "author": "muzani",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-08T05:04:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29848782",
          "commentText": "I had it at 18. Still not a millionaire. Also learning that a lot of it is false. I've been all over the ESBI quadrant. You have to adjust it to your situation.\nRight now, the employed quadrant pays unrealistically high. This wasn't always the case, but Rich Dad Poor Dad over the years made it such that architect and doctors quit their jobs to become stock traders and bakery owners. So there's a lot more demand for people who are willing to sit in an office. It's definitely an Employee's market, at least in 2021, and you'll wear yourself thin trying to hire. Sam Altman also said a few years back that more people wanted to be investors than start startups, so as a beginner investor, you're very likely to end up with bad deals.\nI wouldn't say it's a bad book, but read it and apply concepts of economics to it. It gives you a piece of the puzzle but it's incomplete.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Rich Dad Poor Dad over the years made it such that architect and doctors quit their jobs to become stock traders and bakery owners.",
          "reason": "Discusses the book's influence and says its concepts should be read alongside economics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says much of it is false, incomplete, and must be adjusted to one's situation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29817878,
          "author": "cultofmetatron",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-06T01:25:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29817878",
          "commentText": "I'd highly recommend \"rich dad poor dad.\"\nAt 18, you're probably too broke to use the information in it but it will lay down a strategy for building wealth as soon as you start getting income. IF I had it 15 years ago, I'd be a millionaire today. There's a lot of decisions I would have done differently had I read it at the time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd highly recommend \"rich dad poor dad.\"",
          "reason": "Recommended for a strategy to build wealth once the reader starts earning income.",
          "audience": "Someone around 18 who expects to begin earning income.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says an 18-year-old may be too broke to use its information.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26343365,
          "author": "croo",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-04T15:12:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 26321793,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books made you the most money?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26343365",
          "commentText": "I'm sorry but no. I read a lot of books where the narrative is a lie in order to tell a story. It does not make the message wrong.\nI also read Rich/Poor dad around 18 and it had a profound impact. I understood how should I think about money, I understood what cashflow is, how companies different from simple humans in terms of tax and a tonns of stuff like that. It's just a good introduction to basic finance for those who don't have a clue.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I also read Rich/Poor dad around 18 and it had a profound impact.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it shaped their understanding of money, cash flow, and basic finance.",
          "audience": "People new to basic finance.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its narrative is a lie, but that this does not make its message wrong.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26324622,
          "author": "millstone",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-03T04:06:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 26321793,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books made you the most money?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26324622",
          "commentText": "Steer clear of Rich Dad, Poor Dad. It is a fun read, and it does contain some good advice. But the author lies about his past, and the origin and quantity of his wealth, and the book also contains dangerous and illegal advice.\nI suggest The Millionaire Next Door as a better book.\nA good takedown of Rich Dad from John T Reed:\nhttps://johntreed.com/blogs/john-t-reed-s-real-estate-invest... (https://johntreed.com/blogs/john-t-reed-s-real-estate-investment-blog/61651011-john-t-reeds-analysis-of-robert-t-kiyosakis-book-rich-dad-poor-dad-part-1)",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Steer clear of Rich Dad, Poor Dad.",
          "reason": "Warns readers against the book, alleging the author lies about his past and wealth and that it gives dangerous, illegal advice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter acknowledges it is a fun read and contains some good advice.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26324221,
          "author": "tacostakohashi",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-03T03:04:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 26321793,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books made you the most money?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26324221",
          "commentText": "Rich Dad, Poor Dad\nIt's by no means a great book, but it covers the basics, it's accessible, and I read it at just about the right time around 18 years of age.\nSomething better / more modern might be:\nhttps://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/317640/the-index-ca... (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/317640/the-index-card-by-helaine-olen-and-harold-pollack/9780143130529/)\nLearning the basics of accounting goes a long way too.\nUnfortunately, you also need to read up a little bit on the gory details of taxes and deductions, pension schemes, etc in your country, and that stuff changes all the time, so the books and knowledge rapidly gets out of date - you want to try not to get distracted by the minutiae of that, and focus on accounting, assets and liabilities, income and expenses.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Rich Dad, Poor Dad",
          "reason": "Says it covers the basics and was accessible, but qualifies it as not a great book.",
          "audience": "Readers learning basic personal finance.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is by no means a great book; later they warn that its advice can become outdated.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25531552,
          "author": "iKlsR",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T21:22:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25531552",
          "commentText": "Rich Dad Poor Dad is a classic. If you want to live comfortably, you need multiple income streams.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rich Dad Poor Dad is a classic.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a classic and connects it with building multiple income streams.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22574198,
          "author": "rootsudo",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T09:41:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22574198",
          "commentText": "Actually - any college level book. There are tons, they're cheap on ebay, look for pearson or mcgraw hill. If you're creative, you can probably find a epub/pdf.\nBut even the DK Eye Witness have a good idea - how business works, how money works.\nFinancial system, economics, monetary policy become very simple with pictures, and even easier on an spreadsheet. Even more so is how many people don't know how much the government does in collecting statistics to analyze and examine the health of the economy - The BLS https://www.bls.gov/ is a great resource and once you have a basic understanding (or know healthy or \"safe\" numbers) you can explore other country economic numbers and see if they make sense (or not!) e.g. https://psa.gov.ph/ for Philippine Statistics.\nContemporary Financial Management is great -\nAccounting Princicpals are also great (can you read a PL sheet? Do you know GAAP? How about Compliance regulations?)\nJust \"money\" is one piece of the puzzle - money is a tool and that tool has been transformed into different pieces that fit what we do finance in life -\nA basic book would be rich dad, poor dad - it's quite cliche but it's a good introduction to \"wealth\" and assets vs liability == net worth.\n---\ntl;dr I ranted, I can go on - the DK Eyewitness books are a good starting point and then you can dig deep - but mostly it really runs quite simple for most things and then gatekeeped by interesting vocabulary.\nHow Money Works: The Facts Visually Explained (How Things Work) Hardcover – March 14, 2017\nby DK  (Author)\n.\nHow Business Works: A Graphic Guide to Business Success Hardcover – 2015\nby Dk (Author)\nThe Economics Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained Paperback – February 6, 2018\nThe Business Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained Paperback – November 20, 2018\nHow Business Works: The Facts Visually Explained (How Things Work) Hardcover – April 14, 2015\nDK Eyewitness Books: Money: Discover the Fascinating Story of Money from Silver Ingots to Smart Cards Paperback – June 14, 2016",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A basic book would be rich dad, poor dad - it's quite cliche but it's a good introduction to \"wealth\" and assets vs liability == net worth.",
          "reason": "Presented as a basic introduction to wealth, assets, and liabilities.",
          "audience": "Beginners seeking a basic grounding in wealth and net worth.",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it quite clichéd.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19093799,
          "author": "bayesian_horse",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-06T09:19:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19093799",
          "commentText": "There are also at the very least rumors about the Author being somewhat fraudulent. At the very least the story is not genuine. Doesn't mean it doesn't have valid points to teach.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "There are also at the very least rumors about the Author being somewhat fraudulent. At the very least the story is not genuine.",
          "reason": "The commenter questions the author's credibility and says the story is not genuine, while allowing the book may still have valid points.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may still have valid points to teach.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19093724,
          "author": "gtsteve",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-06T08:59:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19093724",
          "commentText": "About 10 years ago I read a book called \"Rich Dad, Poor Dad\". In summary, it describes a different way of thinking about money and wealth and the mindset of a successful person versus one who struggles with money.\nFor a long time I had wanted to start a business but after reading that book I truly believed I could. It was a long journey but I now run my own software business and I honestly would not have started on this path had my friend not recommended it to me.\nTo be honest, I'm almost embarrassed to admit it. It is not high-brow literature, and I don't even think it's considered to be a good book on being an entrepreneur, but it was a very important part of my story.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "after reading that book I truly believed I could.",
          "reason": "The book helped the commenter believe they could start a business, a path they say they would not have pursued otherwise.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not highbrow literature and may not be considered a good book on entrepreneurship.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13804044,
          "author": "jbuss",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:07:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804044",
          "commentText": "I found \"Rich Dad, Poor Dad\" to be horrible.  He said he built a lot of wealth by camping outside bankruptcy lawyers' offices and buying the houses from people filing for bankruptcy for super cheap.  Then he'd turn around and sell them for full value.  He seems like a total charlatan.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I found \"Rich Dad, Poor Dad\" to be horrible.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly calls the book horrible and describes the author's real estate story as evidence of charlatanism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13258390,
          "author": "alc90",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-26T14:47:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13258390",
          "commentText": "My goal for this year was to read 10 books. Not a huge challenge but I'm happy I managed to complete it. I'm currently at my 16th book - so I might say that's pretty good.\nHere's my 2016 reading list:\n#1. Zero to One - Peter Thiel - 3.5*\n#2. The Alchemis - Paulo Coelho - 3.5*\n#3. Founders at Work - Jessica Livingston - 3*\n#4. Traction - Gabriel Weinberg - 4.5*\n#5. How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie -4*\n#6. Reinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations... - Frederic Laloux, Ken Wilber - 4*\n#7. Daily Rituals: How Artists Work - Mason Currey - 3*\n#8. Rich Dad, Poor Dad - Robert T. Kiyosak - 3*\n#9. The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs... - Eric Ries - 4.5*\n#10. Meaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly - Bernadette Jiwa - 3*\n#11. Elon Musk: Inventing the Future - Ashlee Vance - 4*\n#12. Rework - Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson - 4.5*\n#13. Anything You Want - Derek Sivers - 4.5*\n#14. South of the Border, West of the Sun - Haruki Murakami - 3.5*\n#15. As A Man Thinketh / The Path Of Prosperity - James Allen - 4*\nCurrently I'm reading If This Is a Man / The Truce by Primo Levi - and so far it seems to be one of the top 3 books I've read this year - definitely a 4+* book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "#8. Rich Dad, Poor Dad - Robert T. Kiyosak - 3",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12152350,
          "author": "homoSapiens",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-24T05:42:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12152350",
          "commentText": "1. Think and grow rich: Thought me about goal setting, opened my eyes to the fact that a man can rise from his humble beginnings to any height he want's to attain if he is willing to work for it.\n2. PHP for dummies: My first exposure to the world of programming, since then I've never looked back.\n3. Rich Dad, Poor Dad: Changed my thinking about finance, I don't know how I would have handled my finances if I hadn't come across this book as a teenager, I feel so lucky to have read this book. I would have been stuck in society's harmful way of handling finance.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rich Dad, Poor Dad: Changed my thinking about finance, I don't know how I would have handled my finances if I hadn't come across this book as a teenager, I feel so lucky to have read this book.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed their thinking about finance and they feel lucky to have read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144339,
          "author": "lazyjones",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:59:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144339",
          "commentText": "First part of the question (actual influences):\n1) Philip and Alex's Guide to Web Publishing (not strictly a book). http://philip.greenspun.com/panda/\n2) The \"Dragon Book\" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principles_of_Compiler_Design\n3) Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach\nSecond part (at hindsight):\n1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rich_Dad_Poor_Dad (cheesy, but useful)\n2) http://toddkashdan.com/upside.php\n3) https://www.schranner.com/de/news/2012/04/16/-verhandeln-im-... (https://www.schranner.com/de/news/2012/04/16/-verhandeln-im-grenzbereich-und-teure-fehler-jetzt-auch-im-apple-ibook-store) - German book about negotiations written by an experienced hostage negotiator.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rich_Dad_Poor_Dad (cheesy, but useful)",
          "reason": "Calls it cheesy but useful in hindsight.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as cheesy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348844,
          "author": "samora",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:36:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348844",
          "commentText": "Rich Dad, Poor Dad - Robert Kiyosaki",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rich Dad, Poor Dad - Robert Kiyosaki",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348299,
          "author": "humanarity",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:37:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348299",
          "commentText": "Meditations (Marcus Aurelius) - incredibly clear ideas probably clear-up 80% of issues you have with everyday life\nThe Bible (& The Gnostic Gospels) - I love the idea that Jesus was a real guy who (literally) petrified his childhood playmates because they \"vexed\" him by dispersing his anti-gravity water :)\nAtlas Shrugged - no excuses\nSelf and Others - personal pyschology\nSeth Speaks - a lady channels an interdimensional being\nThe Road Less Travelled - a psychoanalyst's memoirs\nLetters to a Young Artist - encouragement for going your own way, a series of letters\nThe Alchemist - help you read the signs from the heart of the World for your own path\nAn Introduction to Zen Buddhism, et al (T. Suzuki) - really interesting, non-duality, higher third unification of opposites\nHear the Wind Sing (Murakami) - really bizarre and pure, his first one written late nights at kitchen table after working in a bar, before he became famous\nRich Dad Poor Dad - solid advice\nDiscrete Maths (Rosen) - interesting and very learnable, a great reference\nAn Imaginary Life (Malouf) - great clarity of writing\nThe Solid Mandala (Patrick White) - amazing observation of people",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rich Dad Poor Dad - solid advice",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it solid advice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7975263,
          "author": "jordsmi",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-02T04:53:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7975263",
          "commentText": "Current recently finished/upcoming list: four hour workweek, getting results the agile way, rich dad poor dad, the talent code",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "rich dad poor dad",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Included in a finished/upcoming list without an evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5704008,
          "author": "joelmaat",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-14T10:44:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5704008",
          "commentText": "The Way of The Superior Man\nThe Art of Learning\nAs a Man Thinketh\nThinking, Fast and Slow\nThink and Grow Rich!\nPsycho-Cybernet​ics\nPeopleware: Productive Projects and Teams\nRich Dad, Poor Dad",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rich Dad, Poor Dad",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5701299,
          "author": "joelmaat",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-13T20:48:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5701299",
          "commentText": "Rich Dad, Poor Dad. That was my mass-market pop introduction to assets over liabilities, paying yourself first, and building value (long-term and tangible) over submitting to short-term lazy don't-rock-the-boat thinking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "That was my mass-market pop introduction to assets over liabilities, paying yourself first, and building value",
          "reason": "The commenter credits it with introducing them to personal finance concepts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a mass-market pop introduction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2147048,
          "author": "JacobAldridge",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T07:56:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2147048",
          "commentText": "Rich Dad, Poor Dad opened my eyes to some commercial realities of the world. I realised the career I was training for wasn't going to give me the life I wanted, so I began focusing more time learning about money, investements, business etc.\n7 Habits of Highly Effective People is a book I've never been able to get more than 1/3 of the way through, but its 'Circle of Control' framework made me a much happier and more content person.\nI enjoyed Dale Carnegie, but took some of the lessons on board a little too much, which got me into trouble in some social situations where I didn't have awareness (eg, using mirroring or copying techniques to build rapport, and later discovering I was standing next to my girlfriend and flirting with other women!).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rich Dad, Poor Dad opened my eyes to some commercial realities of the world.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it opened their eyes to commercial realities and influenced their career focus.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971280,
          "author": "inovica",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T09:06:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971280",
          "commentText": "I discovered this book very late on, but it has been invaluable.  In addition to this my own two personal favourites are:\n- The e-Myth Revisited\n- Rich Dad, Poor Dad\nI've found these very useful in terms of how money works and also about the value of passive income",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Rich Dad, Poor Dad\nI've found these very useful in terms of how money works and also about the value of passive income",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s personal favorites and found useful for understanding money and passive income.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 687425,
          "author": "dkokelley",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-04T18:48:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 687066,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on getting rich?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=687425",
          "commentText": "RDPR isn't really as much about getting rich as it is about being rich. Getting rich requires skill, luck, etc. Being rich requires a different mindset in order to continue being rich. Rich people don't buy fancy cars. They buy things that turn a profit so that they can get fancy cars. That's what RDPD is about. I don't know about the rest of the series of the MLM stuff.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "RDPR isn't really as much about getting rich as it is about being rich.",
          "reason": "The commenter explains what they see as the book's focus: maintaining wealth through a different mindset.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure about the rest of the series and its MLM associations.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 687244,
          "author": "charlesju",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-04T16:06:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 687066,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on getting rich?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=687244",
          "commentText": "Why? What advice does he give that isn't genuine?\nFrom what I remember, the book's premise is about using money to make more money and that true wealth is a derivative of investing wisely. Sure, maybe for you this is a no-brainer, but for the average American and perhaps the average hacker this concept can be life-changing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the book's premise is about using money to make more money and that true wealth is a derivative of investing wisely.",
          "reason": "The commenter defends the book's advice as potentially life-changing for average readers.",
          "audience": "Average Americans and hackers unfamiliar with investing wisely.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 687218,
          "author": "Arun2009",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-04T15:33:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 687066,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on getting rich?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=687218",
          "commentText": "My key takeaway from RDPD was a confidence that getting rich is not as hard as the typical middle class person is often led to believe. His entire attitude towards money is infectious. That alone makes the book worth the read.\nAlso that fact that it's a very small book, which means the time investment required to read it is very low. I love little books for this reason.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My key takeaway from RDPD was a confidence that getting rich is not as hard as the typical middle class person is often led to believe.",
          "reason": "The commenter says its takeaway and infectious attitude make the book worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 248659,
          "author": "dionidium",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T16:30:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248659",
          "commentText": "Rich Dad, Poor Dad is a truly terrible book full of mostly questionable advice, platitudes, and poor writing.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Rich Dad, Poor Dad is a truly terrible book full of mostly questionable advice, platitudes, and poor writing.",
          "reason": "Criticizes the book as poorly written and full of questionable advice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls its advice mostly questionable.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 248542,
          "author": "simplyauser",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T15:09:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248542",
          "commentText": "I have read many of the recommend books. Here are my two pence.\nBooks on Wealth\n    1. \"Rich Dad Poor Dad\"\n     and find out exactly why someone becomes rich.\n    (if you like this one, at some point you may also\n     want to quickly scan through \"Cashflow Quadrant\n     Rich Dad's Guide to Financial Freedom\".)\n\n     2. Also \"chapter 6 - How to make wealth\"\n     from \"Hackers and Painters's chapter 6 - \"\n\n     3. \"The Way to Wealth by Benjamin Franklin\"\n\n\nInvesting books in this order\n    1. Peter Lynch's One Up on wall street\n    2. The Intelligent Investor  (Ben Graham)\n    3. Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits\n    4. Security Analysis (Ben Graham)\n    5. The Warren Buffet Way is a famous business read not exceptional but read it if you have some time left\n    6. A Random Walk Down Wall Street (Read it for a good laugh)\n\n\nDo NOT read\n    1. AA- The Motley Fool Money Guide\n    2. How Gerge Soros Knows What He Knows\n    3. Investing Online For Dummies\n    4. Malkiel Burton - A Random Walk Down Wall Street\n    5. Cracking the millionaire code\n    6. Joel Greenblatt - You Can Be A Stock Market Genius",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Rich Dad Poor Dad\"",
          "reason": "Included in the comment's wealth book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143139,
          "author": "tonyvt2005",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T05:45:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143139",
          "commentText": "Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143001,
          "author": "NewWorldOrder",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T01:37:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143001",
          "commentText": ":the_dip => 'by Seth Godin',\n:essays => 'by Paul Graham',\n:art_of_the_start => 'by Guy Kawasaki',\n:the_innovators_solution => 'by Clayton Christensen & Michael Raynor',\n:rich_dad_poor_dad => 'by Robert Kiyosaki',\n:seven_habits_of_highly_effective_people => 'by Stephen Covey',\n:stanford_technology_ventures_program => 'by Reid Hoffman (i.e., the session he did for STVP)'",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": ":rich_dad_poor_dad => 'by Robert Kiyosaki',",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s influences in response to a thread asking what ideas and books influenced people.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert T. Kiyosaki"
      ],
      "recommenders": 19,
      "threads": 17,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal finance",
        "wealth building",
        "financial literacy",
        "entrepreneurship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-48-laws-of-power-02f564",
      "title": "The 48 Laws of Power",
      "author": "Robert Greene",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38068164,
          "author": "daemon_9009",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-30T11:41:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38068164",
          "commentText": "if you want to read modern philosophy, go for 48 laws of power, and human laws by robert Greene. These two books are better than any self help books collectively which are available today!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "48 laws of power",
          "reason": "Recommended for reading modern philosophy; the commenter says it is better than available self-help books.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in modern philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38066928,
          "author": "Cosuper",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-30T08:33:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38066928",
          "commentText": "I have 3 books that have made me a before and after in my life:\n- the 4 hour work week\n- 48 laws of power\n- 12 rules for life",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- 48 laws of power",
          "reason": "Listed among three books the commenter says changed their life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33802653,
          "author": "kilroy123",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T16:03:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33802653",
          "commentText": "After reading that book, I look at influential people so differently now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "After reading that book, I look at influential people so differently now.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book changed how they view influential people.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936875,
          "author": "brandall10",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T10:10:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936875",
          "commentText": "Robert Greene’s books, in particular 48 Laws of Power and Art of Seduction.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Robert Greene’s books, in particular 48 Laws of Power",
          "reason": "Names it among Robert Greene's books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25555146,
          "author": "artfulhippo",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-27T23:30:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 25554464,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books for dealing with workplace politics and dishonesty?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25555146",
          "commentText": "48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23862369,
          "author": "heymijo",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T18:45:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23862369",
          "commentText": "I put off reading the 48 Laws of Power for a long time for reasons similar to OP.\nProbably should have read it sooner but at least I had plenty of experience to compare against it when I finally did suck it up and read it.\nI will add Dictator's Handbook to my queue and raise my hand and 4th the 48 Laws of Power",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I will add Dictator's Handbook to my queue and raise my hand and 4th the 48 Laws of Power",
          "reason": "The commenter says they plan to read The Dictator's Handbook and seconds The 48 Laws of Power.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23860726,
          "author": "blaser-waffle",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T16:40:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23860726",
          "commentText": "I'll 3rd the Dictator's Handbook.\nAlso the 48 Laws of Power.  Once you start seeing things through that lens, the world looks like both a darker, meaner, but at times surprisingly nicer, place.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also the 48 Laws of Power.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the book as a lens that changes how the world looks.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23859020,
          "author": "geori",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:55:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859020",
          "commentText": "48 Laws of Power\nThe Power Broker\nHistory of Western Philosophy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "48 Laws of Power",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23858780,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:34:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858780",
          "commentText": "The Prince - Niccolo Machiavelli\nThe 48 Rules of Power - Robert Greene\nFooled By Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nHow to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big - Scott Adams\nBasic Economics - Thomas Sowell\nThe World Is Flat - Thomas L. Friedman\nThe Penguin History of the World: Sixth Edition - J. M. Roberts and Odd Arne Westad",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 48 Rules of Power - Robert Greene",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that helped readers understand the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23154015,
          "author": "geori",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T13:56:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23154015",
          "commentText": "48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21907859,
          "author": "nevf1",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T19:23:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21907859",
          "commentText": "Fantastic list, and thanks for the links.\nPersonally, I would put \"Sapiens - A brief History of Humankind\"[0] in the list rather than it's successor \"21 Lessons for the 21st Century\".\nWhile some people have some gripes about The 48 Laws of Power and Robert Greene's other books, in my opinion, they serve as a really valuable tool for understanding how most medium and large companies work. And for anyone interested, a great way to dip your toes into it is by having a look at Derek Sivers' book notes - https://sivers.org/book/48LawsOfPower\n[0] https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sapiens-Humankind-Yuval-Noah-Harari... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sapiens-Humankind-Yuval-Noah-Harari/dp/0099590085)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "in my opinion, they serve as a really valuable tool for understanding how most medium and large companies work.",
          "reason": "The commenter says Greene's books provide a valuable way to understand how companies work.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in how medium and large companies operate.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that some people have gripes with the books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16366541,
          "author": "karlbooklover",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-13T12:16:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16366541",
          "commentText": "The book the 48 laws of power is about manipulation which I don't like. I consider Carnegie's book, The 7 habits of highly effective people excellent books to learn how to help other people through win-win situations.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The book the 48 laws of power is about manipulation which I don't like.",
          "reason": "Rejects its focus on manipulation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they dislike its manipulative approach.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762568,
          "author": "muzani",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T03:41:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762568",
          "commentText": "The 33 Strategies of War & The 48 Laws of Power.\nBoth of these are history books, but don't expect just the cliches of Napoleon and Genghis Khan. Robert Greene covers case studies throughout history, from Roosevelt to Gandhi, to some much lesser known figures of history.\nBasically a lot of us deal with conflict. One book covers how to deal with politically, and the other one more directly. It's not all about attacking, but rather strategies around war - defense, deterrence, motivating your side, keeping the (moral) high ground, getting your adversaries to work for you.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 33 Strategies of War & The 48 Laws of Power.",
          "reason": "Presented as a book about dealing with conflict politically.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in strategies for conflict and dealing with adversaries.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13970383,
          "author": "NumberCruncher",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T18:30:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13970383",
          "commentText": "The 48 laws of power by Robert Greene and How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World by Harry Browne. The two sides of the same coin: how the game of power is played and how to get immune to it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 48 laws of power by Robert Greene",
          "reason": "Listed as one side of the coin: how power is played.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13804068,
          "author": "ravenstine",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:09:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804068",
          "commentText": "The 48 Laws of Power, by Robert Greene.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 48 Laws of Power, by Robert Greene.",
          "reason": "Named in response to a question about books that changed how people think.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13236372,
          "author": "n3on_net",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T10:47:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13236372",
          "commentText": "Here is my list of 2016:\n- The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory\n- The 48 Laws Of Power\n- Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything\n- Crossing the Chasm\n- The Richest Man in Babylon\n- Confessions of an Economic Hit Man\n- Europe: A History\n- The Penguin History of Europe\n- The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon\n- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\nEvery of the books was awesome. The only thing is that I haven't finished Europe: A History from Norman and read The Penguin History of Europe instead because the Norman book was just too long for me. But It has way more details.\nI switch between business-related books and non-business related (it can be everything from philosophy to language history to hardcore science) but I don't read fiction (The Richest Man in Babylon is fictional, but still the focus is on self-development).\nHope you could see some titles that might interest you.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Every of the books was awesome.",
          "reason": "The commenter says every listed book was awesome.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10767627,
          "author": "krp",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T17:36:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10767627",
          "commentText": "The 48 Laws of Power - Robert Greene.\nI began reading it with a \"know your enemy\" frame of mind, similar to why I read some Ayn Rand, hoping that I'd better understand why some people behave certain ways.\nAs I got further into the book I began reflecting upon the past, becoming consciously aware of all the faux pas I've made over the years.\nI started identifying with all the honest, outspoken historical figures that would speak their mind and end up without a head.\nI used to pride myself on my honesty above all else way of life, thinking how virtuous it was to be like Socrates or Galileo. Now I realize that more often than not, I'd just seem like a dick, and probably wouldn't have a head if the guillotine were still in use. Now I put more energy into understanding others points of view, and understand others better as a result. Much of my old behavior was childish.\nOthers that changed my way of thinking in some way or another:\nRework, Getting Real, and the recent Reconsider post - DHH & Jason Fried:\nI'd always considered external funding as the best way to grow things I've built in the past, and wrote off the few bad experiences with this approach as being outliers. After also reading others' bad experiences throughout the year, now I'm wondering if my experiences were perhaps representative of the industry as a whole. Confirmation bias? Maybe. I'm sure there are the rare few good angel/VC's somewhere out there (no doubt someone will reply with \"YC\"). However, after watching several things I'd passionately built over significant amounts of time be driven to failure by others, I'd much rather bootstrap future projects. I learned a lot from each failure, but trial and error is a shitty way to spend years of your life. Far better to learn what worked from those who succeeded.\nBusiness Adventures - John Brooks:\nUntil this book, reading about businesses was one of the most boring things I could imagine. Some of it is dated, but there are also many valuable gems that still hold true 50 years later. I now see that with a good storyteller, even seemingly boring subjects can be fascinating.\nFreshbooks: Breaking the Time Barrier - McDerment & Cowper:\nThis tiny book (free from their website) helped me think of new ways to improve my consulting services and emphasize value instead of focusing on hourly rates, which made it easier to make more money.\nVarious online sales & marketing resources: My viewpoint on the importance of sales & marketing has also completely flipped since the beginning of the year. I used to have the mental image of a used car salesman whenever I heard the word sales, and of Mad Men when I heard marketing. Now I understand that if you don't market what you build, nobody will know that it exists. If you don't experiment with different sales tactics, you'll miss out on a huge amount of users who would otherwise love using your product, but who avoid it because it's priced wrong, or you're unable to convince them of why they'd want to use it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 48 Laws of Power - Robert Greene.",
          "reason": "Describes how the book prompted reflection and helped them understand others' points of view.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter began reading it to understand behavior they viewed as adversarial.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9350151,
          "author": "selleck",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T19:07:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350151",
          "commentText": "A.M. Train Ride - Creative Thinkering\n- Just okay\nP.M. Train Ride - Counter Hack Reloaded\n- so far so good. a little dated but a good intro to security.\nAudiobook - 48 Laws of Power\n- I love the history lessons in it. Very engaging. You don't have to be power-hungry to read it.\nDigital Book at work - The Art of Software Security Assessment\n- Just started, I will let you know next month.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I love the history lessons in it. Very engaging. You don't have to be power-hungry to read it.",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoys its history lessons and finds it engaging.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in its history lessons; no need to be power-hungry.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968417,
          "author": "personjerry",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:50:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968417",
          "commentText": "\"48 Laws of Power\" and \"No More Mr Nice Guy\".\nLaws of Power: Not for everyone but the book is damn useful if you're ambitious and can translate examples and vague concepts into your own situations in life.\nNo More Mr Nice Guy: Not very far into it but it's almost cathartic if it applies to you and I feel like its a huge step in social/emotional development for me.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Laws of Power: Not for everyone but the book is damn useful if you're ambitious and can translate examples and vague concepts into your own situations in life.",
          "reason": "Calls it useful for ambitious readers who can apply its examples and concepts.",
          "audience": "Ambitious readers able to translate its examples and vague concepts into their own lives.",
          "caveat": "Says it is not for everyone; usefulness depends on applying its ideas to one's own situations.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6698711,
          "author": "desmondrd",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-08T19:57:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6698711",
          "commentText": "48 Laws of Power by Robert Greeene.  It's a Machiavellian approach to managing your life in order to maximize your personal power and influence.  Although I don't plan on becoming the Prince himself, it's a quick, interesting read written from a unique perspective.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "48 Laws of Power by Robert Greeene. It's a Machiavellian approach to managing your life in order to maximize your personal power and influence.",
          "reason": "Calls it a quick, interesting read with a unique perspective; notes its Machiavellian approach to power.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they do not plan to become the Prince himself.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 715628,
          "author": "il",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-21T02:49:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715628",
          "commentText": "Robert Greene- 48 Laws of Power",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Robert Greene- 48 Laws of Power",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 456781,
          "author": "jedi_stannis",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T17:59:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456781",
          "commentText": "I'm reading The 33 Strategies of War by Robert Greene now and am enjoying it,  I have also previously read the 48 Laws of Power by him which is written in a similar fashion.  Very extensive and uses a lot of historical examples from both military and other fields such as politics and business.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I have also previously read the 48 Laws of Power by him which is written in a similar fashion.",
          "reason": "Mentions having read it and says it is written in a similar fashion to the book they are enjoying.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in historical examples from politics and business.",
          "caveat": "The positive evaluation is explicit for The 33 Strategies of War; this title is described only as similar in style.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56855,
          "author": "samson",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T13:41:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56855",
          "commentText": "Here are three books that I have loved reading\n1. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie\nI know its been mentioned already, but truly this is a book worth mentioning twice. For the introverted or the arugmentative type and for anyone else, this book hits alot critical and sometimes overlooked human traits that everyone should be aware of in their daily interactions with other people.\nA few quotes by Carnegie.\nAvoid arguments\n\"you can't win an argument, because if you win it you lose it, and if you lose...well you lose it.\"\n\"few people think of themselves as bad people\"\n-means regardless of how they look,dress or talk, most people are appproachable with a smile and a \"hi\".\n\"people will always strive to justify themselves\".\nAll three of these quotes are connected.\n2. The Innovators Solution - Christensen and Raynor\nIf you've ever heard the quote \"First they ignore you,... then they fight you, then you win.\" by Gandhi. This book puts it in perspective in relation to how small companies over take large companies. \n3.The 48 Laws of Power _ Robert Greene.\n Go Go read if you haven't yet. This is a great book! It pullls lessons which you can learn from various types of people throughout history from painters,generals to presidents.\nMy favorite was Law 28: \"Enter action with boldness\". Be bold in your ideas, be bold in how your carry yourself in life.\nI know I said three 3, but Seth Godin still deserves some mention with All marketers are liars. Which simply I take to mean for us here is if your developing a startup, make sure it has a good...no a great story to tell.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is a great book!",
          "reason": "Praises the book's lessons drawn from people across history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Greene"
      ],
      "recommenders": 19,
      "threads": 16,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "power dynamics",
        "strategy",
        "power",
        "manipulation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "east-of-eden-5b0fd6",
      "title": "East of Eden",
      "author": "John Steinbeck",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41238701,
          "author": "tra3",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-13T19:20:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41238701",
          "commentText": "East of Eden by Steinbeck is great. I found it very approachable, and the characters very familiar.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "East of Eden by Steinbeck is great. I found it very approachable, and the characters very familiar.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book and finds it approachable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32938290,
          "author": "greatbuckleroo",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T13:08:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938290",
          "commentText": "* The Alchemist - Paulo Coehlo\n* East of Eden - John Steinbeck\n* How to Avoid a Climate Disaster - Bill Gates",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "East of Eden - John Steinbeck",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31974256,
          "author": "supersrdjan",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-04T06:59:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31974256",
          "commentText": "I had read it only once but since then I frequently recall episodes from it more so than from any other novel I read",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I had read it only once but since then I frequently recall episodes from it more so than from any other novel I read",
          "reason": "Says memorable episodes from it come to mind more often than those from any other novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31970899,
          "author": "scruple",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T20:50:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31970899",
          "commentText": "East of Eden by John Steinbeck. My favorite piece of literature. I re-read it every few years.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "East of Eden by John Steinbeck. My favorite piece of literature. I re-read it every few years.",
          "reason": "Calls it a favorite and says they reread it every few years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23469798,
          "author": "loganwedwards",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T19:17:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23469798",
          "commentText": "I read East of Eden by Steinbeck twice. It's a long read, but a great story. In fact, I don't really remember any of the story, so perhaps a third read is in my future.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read East of Eden by Steinbeck twice. It's a long read, but a great story.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It's a long read; the commenter does not remember much of the story.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467732,
          "author": "jackschultz",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:55:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467732",
          "commentText": "These threads are posted a lot, but I still like reading the comments for new book recommendations if I see a match. Also, hopefully this can show people how great fiction is. I've seen comments that shun people for liking fiction compared to non.\nFor me:\nLonesome Dove\n100 Years of Solitude\nCatch-22\nThe Sellout (very relevant again)\nEast of Eden\nKafka on the Shore (and all the stories in Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "East of Eden",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467535,
          "author": "snide",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:35:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467535",
          "commentText": "I read East of Eden every couple years. I find it settles me and makes me believe in the goodness of Humans every time I read it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read East of Eden every couple years. I find it settles me and makes me believe in the goodness of Humans every time I read it.",
          "reason": "Rereads it every couple of years and says it is comforting and renews faith in human goodness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22721542,
          "author": "tkamphefner",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T18:56:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22721542",
          "commentText": "Neal Stephenson's The Diamond Age, for a coming of age story, using nanotechnology as a futuristic concept for understanding the differences of being fed one's needs and being given the tools for meeting them.\nSteinbeck's East of Eden for coming to grips with a fundamental moral struggle of what is good and what is choice.\nAnything ever written by Kurt Vonnegut for the proper cynicism  needed to live in this world.\nOscar Wilde for that same cynicism minus the science fiction, plus more witty one liners.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Steinbeck's East of Eden",
          "reason": "Recommends it for coming to grips with moral struggle, goodness, and choice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20334460,
          "author": "playing_colours",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T12:46:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20334460",
          "commentText": "I decided to try reading the classic literature this year. The books that stood the test of time. I started with\n  Brothers Karamazov by F.Dostoyevsky\n  Middlemarch by G.Eliot\n\nAfter that I plan to continue with\n  East of Eden by J.Steinbeck\n  Ulysses by J.Joyce\n\nThey all have incredible characters, deep thoughts, delicious language. Sure, not an easy read after contemporary fiction, but I noticed that the more classic literature I read the better I understand and enjoy it. Also, I own Folio Society's copies of last three titles, and it's an an additional pleasure to hold, touch, and read physical books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "They all have incredible characters, deep thoughts, delicious language.",
          "reason": "Included among the classics the commenter plans to read; they praise the titles together for their characters, ideas, and language.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in classic literature.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says classic literature can be challenging after contemporary fiction.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18664739,
          "author": "nop_slide",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T15:35:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664739",
          "commentText": "- A Random Walk Down Wall Street: I got much more interested in personal finance this year, and definitely recommend this book as a stepping stone for learning about investing.\n- Frankenstein: Highly recommend! It is nothing like it is portrayed to be in pop culture and I thoroughly enjoyed it.\n- Unbelievable: My Front-Row Seat to the Craziest Campaign in America: It is literally unbelievable. It follows Katy Tur, a reporter tasked with following Trump leading up to the election. If you aren't already fed up with Trump, then give this a whirl.\n- Dune: 5/5 sci-fi\n- The Society of the Spectacle: I had trouble with this one. I think some things get lost in translation, and the philosophical arguments are so abstract it was a bit hard to follow along. I had a few key take-aways but to be honest it was kind of a chore to read.\n- How Not to Die: Argues for prioritizing a plant-based diet, and definitely changed my relationship with food.\n- East of Eden: My wife's favorite book and is now one of my favorites.\n- Sapiens: Very enjoyable, but some of it can feel pseudo-sciency and gets a bit nihilistic in the end.\n- Man's Search for Meaning: Also very enjoyable, a good reminder to appreciate the people and things around you.\n- A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy: Very accessible intro to Stoicism\n- Red Notice: A True Story of Finance, Murder, and One Man's Fight for Justice: Very interesting and reads like a fiction thriller. TLDR Russia doesn't fuck around",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "is now one of my favorites.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it became one of their favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Initially identifies it as their wife's favorite.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18662924,
          "author": "badpun",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T11:16:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18662924",
          "commentText": "> John Steinbeck - Cannery Row. This book is about a poor community in Monterey, Califor ia during the Great Depression. I didn't like this book as much as Grapes of Wrath, but there are some memorable parts near the end. 4/5\nIf you like Steinbeck, try \"East of Eden\". For me it was his best.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For me it was his best.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it Steinbeck's best work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296428,
          "author": "yay_cloud2",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T06:05:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296428",
          "commentText": "Count of Monte Cristo and East of Eden.\nI'm happy to have had the chance to read these books twice (first in my early 20s, again in my late 30s), but I only wish I could compare my experiences with a first reading during my early teens or pre-teen years.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Count of Monte Cristo and East of Eden.",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to which books they wish they had read earlier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Wishes they could compare the experience with reading it in their early teens or before.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630793,
          "author": "srge",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T18:33:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630793",
          "commentText": "East of Eden. It is to me THE American Novel. A great read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "East of Eden. It is to me THE American Novel. A great read.",
          "reason": "Calls it the American novel and a great read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630111,
          "author": "jackschultz",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:32:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630111",
          "commentText": "Whenever anyone asks:\nCatch-22\nEast of Eden\nRemains of the Day\nSurely You're Joking Mr Feynman\nThese threads where people suggest multiple books are good to run through. If you see one in a comment that someone else liked, probably try to read the others they listed.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "East of Eden",
          "reason": "Suggested as one of several books to try after seeing someone like another title on the list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785552,
          "author": "benajibayassine",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:50:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785552",
          "commentText": "1- The Emperor's Handbook by Marcus Aurelius. Jan, 10th 2015\n2- The crowd, a study of the popular mind by Gustave Le Bon. Jan, 10th 2015\n3- Remote by Jason Fried. Jan, 11th 2015\n4- The shape of the world to come by Laurent Cohen-Tanugi, Jan, 20th, 2015\n5- Post office by Charles Bukowski. Jan, 23rd 2015\n6- Gang leader for a day by Sudhir Venkatesh. Feb, 6th 2015\n7- Zen mind, beginner's mind by Shunryu Suzuki. Feb, 8th 2015\n8- The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Feb, 23rd 2015\n9- Darkness Visible by William Styron. March, 1st 2015\n10- Zero to One by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters. March, 9th 2015\n11- The Kaizen way: One small step can change your life by Robert Mauter. March, 11th 2015\n12- Time by Alexander Waugh. March, 12th 2015\n13- Max and the cats by Moacyr Scliar. March, 14th 2015\n14- Scattered by Gabor Mate. March, 20th 2015\n15- East of Eden by John Steinbeck. March, 30th 2015\n16- Crossing the unknown sea by David Whyte. April, 7th 2015\n17- Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. April, 13th 2015\n18- The World beyond your Head by Matthew Crawford. April, 22nd 2015\n19- How to Think about Exercise by Damon Young. April, 23rd 2015\n20- Solitude by Anthony Storr. May, 8th 2015\n21- Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. June, 10th 2015\n22- The bastard of Istanbul (in Arabic) by Elif Shafak. June, 21st 2015\n23- L’ordre libertaire: la vie philosophique d’Albert Camus by Michel Onfray. July, 7th 2015\n24- Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse. July, 10th 2015\n25- The arab uprisings by James Gelvin. July, 13th 2015\n26- How to worry less about money by John Armstrong. July, 13th 2015\n27- Self comes to mind by Antonio Damasio. July, 31st2015\n28- Muhammad: The First Muslim by Lesley Hazleton. August, 4th t2015\n29- Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. August, 15th 2015 \n30- Heidegger's Being and Time by William Blattner. August, 18th 2015 \n31- Heidegger and a hippo walk through those pearly gates by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. August, 19th 2015 \n32- Why nations fail by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson. October, 3rd 2015 \n33- Charlie Munger: the complete investor by Tren Griffin October, 9th 2015 \n34- The selfish gene by Richard Dawkins October, 23rd 2015\n35- The philosophical baby by Alison Gopnik October, 28th 2015\n36- The three-body problem by Cixin Liu November, 1st 2015\n37- Open letter to a young man by Andre Maurois November, 13th 2015\n38- Thinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman November, 16th 2015\n39- What do you care what people think by Richard Feynman November, 18th 2015\n40- When the body says No by Gabor Maté November, 29th 2015\n41- The truth will set you free by Alice Miller. December, 5th 2015\n42- The shallows by Nicholar Carr. December, 7th 2015\n43- What matters most byJames Hollis. December, 14th 2015\n44- Finding meaning in the second jalf of life byJames Hollis. December, 20yh2015",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "East of Eden by John Steinbeck",
          "reason": "Included in a dated list of books read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10534280,
          "author": "stevesearer",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T17:17:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10534280",
          "commentText": "East of Eden and Grapes of Wrath are on my upcoming list of titles to read. A few others I've read since high school that I ought to have then are Red Badge of Courage, All Quiet On The Western Front, and Of Mice and Men.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "East of Eden and Grapes of Wrath are on my upcoming list of titles to read.",
          "reason": "Plans to read it; gives no evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10534103,
          "author": "jlewallen",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T16:53:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10534103",
          "commentText": "I found myself in a similar position recently. I've gone back and read books usually assigned in high school and really enjoyed returning to them after all these years. Anything Vonnegut, East of Eden, and The Things They Carried, to name a few.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anything Vonnegut, East of Eden, and The Things They Carried, to name a few.",
          "reason": "Names it among books the commenter really enjoyed returning to.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401272,
          "author": "dasboth",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T15:58:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401272",
          "commentText": "Recently finished Freakonomics (S Dubner & S Levitt) and East of Eden (Steinbeck). Highly recommend the latter, but Freakonomics was a bit of a disappointment, possibly because it was overhyped to me beforehand. Worth a read, though.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Highly recommend the latter",
          "reason": "The commenter highly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6698566,
          "author": "hashtree",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-08T19:35:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6698566",
          "commentText": "Just finished East of Eden and then started up a goodreads account. Without trying, I now have 37 in queue. Pretty excited to find out about goodreads and get solid recommendations/reviews.\nIf anyone wants to friend up there: https://www.goodreads.com/rockymadden",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Just finished East of Eden",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387610,
          "author": "macrael",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T00:02:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387610",
          "commentText": "East of Eden is my favorite book I've read in the last several years. Beautiful end to end and very moral. If you've read it it's totally worth reading Journal of a Novel: a collection of letters Steinbeck wrote to his editor every day as he was writing East of Eden. It's a fascinating window into the mind of a master deliberately creating a masterpiece.\nOther favorites: Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner, In Our Time by Hemingway, The Magus by John Fowles, 100 years of solitude, Moby Dick (perhaps a precursor to all modern fantasy?) Stranger in a Strange Land, and Infinite Jest. I've also loved both of DFW's big essay collections: Consider the Lobster and A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll never Do Again.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "East of Eden is my favorite book I've read in the last several years. Beautiful end to end and very moral.",
          "reason": "Calls it a favorite and praises its beauty and moral qualities.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2639619,
          "author": "masterzora",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T03:11:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639619",
          "commentText": "I'm sure there'll be plenty of sci-fi, fantasy, and tech- or entrepreneurship-related non-fiction books mentioned, so I'm specifically trying to approach from a different direction.\nThe two I've seriously got to recommend are East of Eden and The Count of Monte Cristo.  East of Eden is Steinbeck, of whom I'm usually not a fan, but it was phenomenal and definitely made me rethink my approach to life (it was high school, so this was easier to do, but it's still a nice feature in a book).  The Count of Monte Cristo is also a classic, and I'm sure I won't be the only one to recommend it, but it's absolutely brilliant through and through.  Make sure you pick up the Robin Buss translation, though (unless you're comfortable reading in French, of course).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The two I've seriously got to recommend are East of Eden",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it phenomenal and says it made them rethink their approach to life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is usually not a fan of Steinbeck.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752631,
          "author": "jet",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T12:48:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752631",
          "commentText": "The first chapter of East of Eden is the most gorgeous chapter I've ever read!\nWhat do you mean it starts slow!?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The first chapter of East of Eden is the most gorgeous chapter I've ever read!",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its opening chapter as the most gorgeous they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1570875,
          "author": "c1sc0",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T12:24:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1570875",
          "commentText": "\"East of Eden\" or anything Steinbeck. The art of storytelling is vastly underestimated in the startup world. If you know how to tell a good story, writing blog posts, doing marketing copywriting etc ... suddenly becomes much easier. Reading world-class fiction teaches you this skill. For a slightly geekier read: \"The Glass Bead Game\" by Hermann Hesse.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"East of Eden\" or anything Steinbeck.",
          "reason": "Recommended as an example of world-class storytelling that can teach storytelling skills.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking to learn storytelling for writing and marketing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Steinbeck"
      ],
      "recommenders": 19,
      "threads": 15,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "family saga",
        "american literature",
        "literary fiction",
        "classic literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "1984-32759b",
      "title": "1984",
      "author": "George Orwell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50116569,
          "author": "steven_noble",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T10:21:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50116569",
          "commentText": "\"How To Make A Good Script Great\", \"Slow Motion: Changing Men, Changing Masculinities\", \"Cryptonomicon\", \"1984\", \"Lord Of The Rings\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984",
          "reason": "Listed in response to which books the commenter read at least twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 49902578,
          "author": "sotix",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T00:04:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49902578",
          "commentText": "It's a great read and fun to pair with 1984, Brave New World, and Fahrenheit 451.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "pair with 1984, Brave New World, and Fahrenheit 451.",
          "reason": "Recommends pairing the book under discussion with these dystopian novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40893058,
          "author": "cwover",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-06T20:36:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40893058",
          "commentText": "My immediate thought after reading the question was also the very last sentence of 1984. It was the first time that a book caused me to feel a deeply visceral, lasting emotional response. Reading through the first 99% of the book, I found it a well written and engaging book, but all of that just lead up to the very last sentence. It absolutely hit me like a truck. I also just sat stunned after finishing the book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the very last sentence of 1984",
          "reason": "Described as causing a deeply visceral, lasting emotional response.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30254581,
          "author": "ImaCake",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-08T03:26:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30254581",
          "commentText": ">1984 is not boring\nMaybe not for you. But it was for me. I am not sure how claiming that it is not boring for all people could be true (implied by your comment). Much easier to defend the counterfactual that all topics are boring to at least one person.\nIt's not like I was not interested in the ideas in the book. Merely I had seen them explored elsewhere before I bothered to try and read 1984.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "read 1984.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they were interested in its ideas but found those ideas explored elsewhere before reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Found it boring and had already encountered its ideas elsewhere.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30241553,
          "author": "ImaCake",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T07:45:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241553",
          "commentText": "I know people love 1984 but I found it exceedingly boring when I tried to read it. But it does have some very interesting ideas. My issue with 1984 may have been prior exposure to it's best ideas elsewhere.\nOrwell is a great writer, highly recommend both \"Homage to Catalonia\" and \"Animal Farm\". Complex topics written in an accessible style.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I know people love 1984 but I found it exceedingly boring when I tried to read it.",
          "reason": "Discusses the book but says they found it boring.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it has interesting ideas, but prior exposure may have diminished their impact.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23471522,
          "author": "me_smith",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T22:10:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23471522",
          "commentText": "The Hobbit - Tolkien\nWizard's First Rule (Sword of Truth Book 1) - Goodkind\nFaith of the Fallen (Sword of Truth Book 6) - Goodkind\nEnder's Game - Card\n1984 - Orwell\nI'm looking to read Asimov's Foundation series again. Maybe spend more time with Hyperion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984 - Orwell",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168677,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:31:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168677",
          "commentText": "I can't give just one, but here are a few that had a strong influence on me: \n\"12 Rules for Life\" by Jordan Peterson, \"Why Switzerland?\" Jonathan Steinberg, \"Little Book of Common Sense Investing\" by John C. Bogle, \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" by Butron Malkiel, \"Liberalismus\" by Ludwig von Mises, \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann, \"Walden\" by Henry David Thoreau, \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"A Treatise on Political Economy\" by Jean-Baptiste Say, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy\" by Joseph Alois Schumpeter, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"My Correct Views on Everything\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"The Captive Mind\" Czesław Miłosz, \"One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, \"The House of the Dead\" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, \"Conversations with an Executioner\" by Kazimierz Moczarski, \"Diary 1954\" by Leopold Tyrmand, \"The Master and Margarita\" by Mikhail Bulgakov, \"A World Apart: A Memoir of the Gulag\" by Gustaw Herling-Grudziński",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"1984\" by George Orwell",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a strong influence on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630223,
          "author": "Panino",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:53:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630223",
          "commentText": "* Johnny Got His Gun, by Dalton Trumbo. Powerful anti-war story.\n  * Vagabonding, by Rolf Potts. Shaped my views on hard work and travel.\n  * 1984, by George Orwell. Brilliant and terrifying.\n  * The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle. Overcoming mental pain through consciousness. \n  * Planetwalker, by John Francis. Inspired me to walk and put myself into things more.\n  * Pure enjoyment: Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson), Ready Player One (Ernest Cline), Watchmen (Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons), Red Rising trilogy (Pierce Brown).\n\nHonorable mention: The Water Knife (Paolo Bacigalupi).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984, by George Orwell. Brilliant and terrifying.",
          "reason": "Calls it brilliant and terrifying.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as terrifying.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13568153,
          "author": "unicornporn",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T18:21:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13568153",
          "commentText": "\"We were keeping our eye on 1984. When the year came and the prophecy didn't, thoughtful Americans sang softly in praise of themselves. The roots of liberal democracy had held. Wherever else the terror had happened, we, at least, had not been visited by Orwellian nightmares.\nBut we had forgotten that alongside Orwell's dark vision, there was another - slightly older, slightly less well known, equally chilling: Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. Contrary to common belief even among the educated, Huxley and Orwell did not prophesy the same thing. Orwell warns that we will be overcome by an externally imposed oppression. But in Huxley's vision, no Big Brother is required to deprive people of their autonomy, maturity and history. As he saw it, people will come to love their oppression, to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think.\nWhat Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies, the orgy porgy, and the centrifugal bumblepuppy. As Huxley remarked in Brave New World Revisited, the civil libertarians and rationalists who are ever on the alert to oppose tyranny \"failed to take into account man's almost infinite appetite for distractions.\" In 1984, Orwell added, people are controlled by inflicting pain. In Brave New World, they are controlled by inflicting pleasure. In short, Orwell feared that what we fear will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we desire will ruin us.\"\n— Neil Postman (Author of Amusing Ourselves to Death)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "In 1984, Orwell added, people are controlled by inflicting pain.",
          "reason": "Discusses Orwell's warning about control through pain.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567733,
          "author": "pdog",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T17:06:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567733",
          "commentText": "> Our world resembles a lot from each of these books. Much like in 1984, we have devices and companies constantly monitoring us (iOS, Android, Facebook, etc.), we have “news programs” and websites seemingly modeled after the “two minutes hate”, and we clearly have some Ministry of Truth-like misinformation getting spread around while accurate information gets lost or ignored.\nIs this a joke? Having recently reread Orwell's 1984, you can't seriously believe our society resembles Oceania in the slightest. The world may have some problems today, but the world in 1984 is war-torn, totaliarian hellscape from which no one can escape.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Having recently reread Orwell's 1984, you can't seriously believe our society resembles Oceania in the slightest.",
          "reason": "Argues that modern society does not resemble the novel’s dystopian world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13237193,
          "author": "roninb",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:45:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237193",
          "commentText": "I reread 1984 this year and it gave me trouble sleeping for a few weeks afterward. The writing is so perfectly concise that your mind adds visceral details that fill everything in for you. It makes the environment (political, physical, economic, etc.) and everything Winston goes through so much more real.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The writing is so perfectly concise that your mind adds visceral details that fill everything in for you.",
          "reason": "Praised for concise writing and vivid, unsettling atmosphere.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The rereading caused the commenter trouble sleeping for weeks.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783593,
          "author": "fmax30",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:59:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783593",
          "commentText": "I had read zero books by April 2015.\nHave read the following since then.\n1. 1984 by Orwell\n2. Animal Farm by Orwell\n3. 40 Rules of Love by Elif Shafak\n4. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline\n5. The Man in the high castle by Philip k Dic\n6. Tuesdays with morrie by Mitch Albom\n7. Broken Verses by Kamila Shamsie\n8. The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell\n9. Veronica Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho\n10. The Little Prince by antoine saint exupery\n11. A Monster calls by Patrick ness\nBooks that I am currently reading very very slowly ( 1-3 chapters per week )\n1. The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking\n2. The Wind Up Bird Chronicles by Murakami (I am really enjoying the slow reading here)\n3. Zen and art of motorcycle by Robert Pirsig\nEdit: Formatting",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "1. 1984 by Orwell",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107093,
          "author": "mrcdima",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T09:05:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107093",
          "commentText": "Some titles I've recently read or at least have placed on my reading list.\n--------------------\nPhilosohpy\nLetters from a Stoic: Epistulae Morales Ad Lucilium - Seneca\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius (must read)\nThe Republic - Plato\n--------------------\nHistory\nFive Chimneys - Olga Lengyel\nThe Gulag Archipelago - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (must read)\nThe Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank\n--------------------\nFiction\n(particularly dystopian) 1984, Brave New World, Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451\n(crime/action) Child 44, The Secret Speech, Agent 6 - Tom Rob Smith\n--------------------\nEconomics\nCapital in the Twenty-First Century - Thomas Piketty\nPoor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty - Banerjee, Duflo\nWhy Nations Fail - Robinson\n--------------------\nEconomics/Decision making/Psychology\nUndercover Economist, Freakonomics, Nudge, Thinking Fast and Slow\n--------------------\nRandom titles\nThe Selfish Gene, Self-Reliance, The Elements of Style (about writing), Slaughterhouse-Five\n--------------------\nSome links to inspire your reading (though you may want to checkout the websites first to get an idea of the topics they cover)\nhttp://www.gatesnotes.com/Books\nhttp://bookpickings.brainpickings.org/\nhttp://www.farnamstreetblog.com/reading/\nhttp://www.ryanholiday.net/reading-newsletter\nI’m just a working-class guy trying to take part in the conversation that all the smart people are having. What books should I read? - http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-cl... (http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-class-guy-trying-to-take-part-in-the-conversation-that-all-the-smart-people-are-having-what-books-should-i-read/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984",
          "reason": "Listed as a title in response to the thread's request for book suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4668220,
          "author": "S4M",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-18T11:03:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 4661261,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite Science Fiction book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4668220",
          "commentText": "Thanks for posting this thread, I can see in the other comments lots of books that I now want to read.\nFor me I don't have a one favorite book, but my take would be:\n- 1984 from Orwell\n- the Foundation series, from Isaac Asimov (and basically, in my taste any book from Asimov has some good chances to be good)\n- Hyperion, from Dan Simmons (a good scifi writer as well).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984 from Orwell",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite in response to the thread's question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4663638,
          "author": "rendeiro",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-17T08:43:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 4661261,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite Science Fiction book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4663638",
          "commentText": "I will pick more than 1:\nUbik by Philip K. Dick (it's hard to cherry pick his best work though, ask me a different day and I will choose The Three Stigmata or Do Androids Dream or something else)\nThe Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester (simply a good story and a great background)\n1984 by George Orwell.\nWhat all these books share is the idea that sci-fi is about social, cultural and economic dynamics, not ships or time travel.\nThat is my definition of sci-fi: An on-going essay about the evolution of the dynamics of society, using exotic technology/science merely as a catalyst.\nRunner up: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card\nCould never finish (can't recommend):\n- Neuromancer \n- Cryptonomicon (Does the author feel entitled to mock the homosexuality of Alan Turing? Found that somewhat arrogant and in bad taste.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984 by George Orwell.",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865957,
          "author": "zoomzoom",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T18:51:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865957",
          "commentText": "There are very few books that redefine the way people view the world. This book is one of them. It is one of those books we all get assigned in high school and then think we have read due to its ubiquity, but never really read. We should.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "There are very few books that redefine the way people view the world.",
          "reason": "Says the book can redefine how people view the world and urges people to read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1633511,
          "author": "dwwoelfel",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T17:35:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1633511",
          "commentText": "1984: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0451524934\nCosmos: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0345331354\nTao Teh Ching: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0877735425",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "1984: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0451524934",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226847,
          "author": "aarongough",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:34:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226847",
          "commentText": "I'm a big fan of Sci-Fi because I feel it makes people think about what they want the future to be, as well as avoiding the re-hashing of historical and current events that many fiction books set in the present do. With that in mind a list of great books to read:\n  The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson\n  Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson\n  Gridlinked - Neal Asher\n  Neuromancer - William Gibson\n  The Reality Dysfunction - Peter F. Hamilton\n  The Dreaming Void - Peter F. Hamilton\n  Fallen Dragon - Peter F. Hamilton\n  Altered Carbon - Richard Morgan\n  Market Forces - Richard Morgan\n  Blindsight - Peter Watts\n  The Electric Church - Jeff Somers\n  Tunnel in the Sky - Robert A. Heinlein\n  The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Robert A. Heinlein\n  1984 - George Orwell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984 - George Orwell",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876510,
          "author": "walesmd",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T11:42:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876510",
          "commentText": "1984 and A Brave New World",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to the thread’s request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876308,
          "author": "ErrantX",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T08:41:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876308",
          "commentText": "Brother in the Land, Danny Swindells\nThat needs explaining. It's a teenagers book I read about when I was 16. Of all the books I've ever read it is the one that sticks with me most strongly - it is about passion, anger, compassion and loss. I always think it captured humanity really well.\nEDIT: for the plot think \"Day of the Triffids\" style end of the world, but bleaker and more realistic.\nI suspect it was just my age and I have given the book more weight than it deserves - but it affected me strongly.\nThe other book is probably 1984, Orwell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The other book is probably 1984, Orwell",
          "reason": "Named as one of the commenter’s two favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876285,
          "author": "ComputerGuru",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T08:05:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876285",
          "commentText": "1. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand\n1. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury\nAnd, sorry, but I have 3 \"number 1 fav\" books:\n1. 1984 by George Orwell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1. 1984 by George Orwell",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 141191,
          "author": "SwellJoe",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T22:19:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=141191",
          "commentText": "Read the whole set:\nWe\n1984\nAnthem\nBrave New World\nI love dystopias, and these four have always seemed to work together, to me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "We\n1984\nAnthem",
          "reason": "Lists it as part of a set of dystopias the commenter loves.",
          "audience": "Readers who love dystopian fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140387,
          "author": "karthikv",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T00:49:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140387",
          "commentText": "I love 1984. I wouldn't say it was inspiring (its dystopian) but rather an eye-opening experience. It made me change the way I look at security and privacy.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I love 1984. I wouldn't say it was inspiring (its dystopian) but rather an eye-opening experience.",
          "reason": "Says the book was eye-opening and changed how they view security and privacy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it was not inspiring because it is dystopian.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140378,
          "author": "rms",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T00:30:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140378",
          "commentText": "I consider this to be the greatest sci-fi short story of all time.\nhttp://www.multivax.com/last_question.html\nI'm a big fan of the book 1984, along with the full length works of Asimov.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm a big fan of the book 1984",
          "reason": "Says they are a big fan of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86342,
          "author": "wbornor",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T18:01:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86342",
          "commentText": "1984 (George Orwell)\nFountains of Paradise (Arthur C Clarke, Space Elevator SciFi)\nDune Series (Herbert)\nEnder Series (Orson Scott Card)\n2001 Series (Arthur C Clarke)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984 (George Orwell)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Orwell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 19,
      "threads": 14,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopian fiction",
        "dystopia",
        "political fiction",
        "surveillance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "crafting-interpreters-63aad1",
      "title": "Crafting Interpreters",
      "author": "Robert Nystrom",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47730897,
          "author": "stevekemp",
          "createdAt": "2026-04-11T14:24:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 47728352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on building a programming language",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47730897",
          "commentText": "Crafting Interpreters is a good recommendation, and in the same spirit \"Writing an Interpreter in Go\" (and it's followup about writing a virtual machine) is a good addition.\nA lot of the complexity and front-work of these kinda things is the parsing step though, so you can follow MAL (or any other make a lisp tutorial) though that won't necessarily help with other languages it frees you to jump to the interesting parts.\nFORTH, mentioned in another comment, has that same appeal.  I wrote a quick tutorial here, back in the day:\nhttps://github.com/skx/foth",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crafting Interpreters is a good recommendation",
          "reason": "Endorses it as a good recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 47729765,
          "author": "markus_zhang",
          "createdAt": "2026-04-11T11:48:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 47728352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on building a programming language",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47729765",
          "commentText": "Crafting interpreters. Very well written and free of cost, but ofc I’d recommend purchasing a copy.\nIf you find it a bit hard to chew, there is a simpler book using Python: https://www.amazon.ca/Anthony-J-Dos-Reis/e/B001KE4SU8/ref=dp... (https://www.amazon.ca/Anthony-J-Dos-Reis/e/B001KE4SU8/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1)\nAnother book: Game Scripting Mastery.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crafting interpreters. Very well written and free of cost, but ofc I’d recommend purchasing a copy.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a well-written, free resource; the commenter also recommends purchasing a copy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter recommends buying a copy despite its free availability.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43612542,
          "author": "wduquette",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T15:21:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43612542",
          "commentText": "Crafting Interpreters, by Robert Nystrom.  One of the best, perhaps the best, programming text I've read--and I started reading them in the late 70's.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One of the best, perhaps the best, programming text I've read",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of the best programming texts they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42699737,
          "author": "nadis",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-14T16:43:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 42686034,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read regarding software development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42699737",
          "commentText": "The Goodreads summary for Crafting Interpreters looks fascinating - I've never read anything like that!\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58661468-crafting-interp... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58661468-crafting-interpreters)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Goodreads summary for Crafting Interpreters looks fascinating",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book looks fascinating.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42694351,
          "author": "purple-leafy",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-14T06:25:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 42686034,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read regarding software development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42694351",
          "commentText": "C Programming: A Modern Approach (K N King) that I recently finished, has been great.\nPrior to that, JavaScript the Definitive Guide.\nAlso cracked into Crafting Interpreters (was great) but got sidetracked.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Also cracked into Crafting Interpreters (was great) but got sidetracked.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book was great but they stopped reading it partway through.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter got sidetracked before finishing.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42520522,
          "author": "fullofdev",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-27T07:26:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42520522",
          "commentText": "Thank you for the reference! glad the web version is available!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Thank you for the reference! glad the web version is available!",
          "reason": "Thanks the previous commenter for the reference and notes that a web version is available.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42508484,
          "author": "SwiftyBug",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T12:27:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42508484",
          "commentText": "Crafting Intepreters, by Robert Nystrom.\nI didn't realise how simple it can be to design a simple programming language. I'm having a lot of fun doing it.\nhttps://craftinginterpreters.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crafting Intepreters, by Robert Nystrom.\nI didn't realise how simple it can be to design a simple programming language.",
          "reason": "Recommends the book after finding it made language design feel approachable and fun.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41387801,
          "author": "optymizer",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T06:00:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387801",
          "commentText": "I would split the books into two categories: those that improve the way you structure your code and deliver a software solution, and those that improve your technical understanding of the software platform and the computer you're using.\nThe first are books like Pragmatic Programmer, Mythical Man Month, Code Complete, Design Patterns, talks by Alan Kay on software systems and OOP, even Game Engine Architecture etc. A lot of the content there is distilled experience which is much faster to learn from a book than gain the hard way on the job.\nThe other books are practical deep dives. Here I would recommend a variety of books like Inside the Machine by Stokes, Computer Architecture by Hennessy, 21st Century C by Klemens, Crafting Interpreters by Nystrom, Compilers by Aho, Effective Java, Nature of Code by Shiffman, Ray Tracing Challenge by Buck, Hands on Hacking by Hickey, and others, depending on your interest and area of focus.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crafting Interpreters by Nystrom",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a practical deep dive into software platforms and computers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35929283,
          "author": "nindalf",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T15:26:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35929283",
          "commentText": "The books that taught me computer science\n- Operating Systems: Three Easy Pieces ( https://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~remzi/OSTEP/)\n- Designing Data Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann (https://dataintensive.net)\n- Crafting Interpreters by Robert Nystrom (http://craftinginterpreters.com)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crafting Interpreters by Robert Nystrom",
          "reason": "Lists the book among those that taught the commenter computer science.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34417386,
          "author": "dgb23",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-17T19:27:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 34412069,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach programming by building a series of small projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34417386",
          "commentText": "I have done the same thing! Read Crafting Interpreters but wrote the first half in Clojure instead of Java.\nI think it's a good method for experienced programmers, who are self-taught (like me) or just want to brush up some skills and knowledge.\nYes, you stay engaged, but there is also something to be said about porting code between different languages. The differences, strengths, weaknesses etc. stand out more, similarities become more clear and things that seem different, but are analogous emerge.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read Crafting Interpreters",
          "reason": "The commenter read the first half while implementing it in Clojure instead of Java.",
          "audience": "Experienced programmers who are self-taught or want to brush up skills and knowledge.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33384218,
          "author": "agomez314",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T14:17:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33384218",
          "commentText": "A New History of Modern Computing gave me a huge perspective on computers that I felt I lacked vs others who are older.\nCrafting Interpreters (Nystrom) makes compilers/interpreters not spooky and fun.\nOperating Systems: 3 Easy pieces and the xv6 OS manual are also great introductory books that got me interested in OS dev.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crafting Interpreters (Nystrom) makes compilers/interpreters not spooky and fun.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it makes compilers and interpreters approachable and fun.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33131850,
          "author": "AlexeyBrin",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T12:44:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33131850",
          "commentText": "Second part of \"Crafting Interpreters\" shows how to write a bytecode interpreter in C. But the book assumes you know some C.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Second part of \"Crafting Interpreters\" shows how to write a bytecode interpreter in C.",
          "reason": "Describes the book's second part as a resource for writing a bytecode interpreter in C.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in implementing an interpreter in C.",
          "caveat": "The book assumes you already know some C.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32197768,
          "author": "sg47",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:16:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197768",
          "commentText": "2022:\nThe Ministry for the Future, Rise and Fall of Third Reich, Benjamin Franklin's biography by Walter Isaacson, Leonardo Da Vinci's biography, Crafting Interpreters, The Overstory",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Crafting Interpreters",
          "reason": "Listed among books read in 2022.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29311990,
          "author": "guilhermeasg",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T21:54:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29311990",
          "commentText": "The Feynman Lectures on Computation, Goedel's Proof, maybe Crafting Interpreters?\nI've been following the development of http://browser.engineering/ and it's so much fun to go through. Highly recommended!\nMazes for Programmers is on my bookshelf. I've gone through the first few chapters coding along in Go and going on weird diversions. It's totally pointless, and I love it. There's also \"The Ray Tracer Challenge\" by the same author, which looks phenomenal.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "maybe Crafting Interpreters?",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Presented tentatively as a possible suggestion.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29307830,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:01:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29307830",
          "commentText": "It's been on my list to read for a while! I wonder if it really is one of the best books on interpreters or if it just hit the right spot of being free online and in a mainstream language (i.e. not Haskell, OCaml, or Scheme) and with code you could actually run whereas most PL _textbooks_ stay too abstract and don't walk you through building a working thing.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I wonder if it really is one of the best books on interpreters",
          "reason": "Questions whether its reputation reflects the book itself or its free online access and runnable examples.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in interpreters and programming language implementation.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether it is among the best books on interpreters.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29307723,
          "author": "cloogshicer",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T15:53:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29307723",
          "commentText": "If you're interested in compilers and programming language design, I highly recommend Bob Nystrom's \"Crafting Interpreters\". One of the best written programming books I've read.\nFree to read online:\nhttp://craftinginterpreters.com/contents.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend Bob Nystrom's \"Crafting Interpreters\". One of the best written programming books I've read.",
          "reason": "Highly recommends it for readers interested in compilers and programming language design, praising its writing.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in compilers and programming language design.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28479679,
          "author": "KineticLensman",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-10T10:31:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 28478751,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach you programming languages via systems projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28479679",
          "commentText": "Concur with this recommendation. Coincidentally, I started this project just recently, having really enjoyed completing Make a Lisp [0] a couple of years ago, and now needing something to do while I recover from a medical condition. I'm really impressed with Nystrom's writing style and Interpreter development process.\nMy long term goal - which should keep me going for absolutely ages - is to use something like Nystrom's byte-code virtual machine as a basis for having another go at MAL. I completed MAL using C#, and am currently using Visual Studio / C# to complete Nystrom's stuff (rather than the Java / C combo that he uses). But I'm just about to restart Nystrom using a different language (again, perhaps Rust) to give myself more of a challenge.\n[0] https://github.com/kanaka/mal/blob/master/process/guide.md",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Concur with this recommendation.",
          "reason": "Agrees with the recommendation and describes working through the material in C# and planning to try another language.",
          "audience": "Readers building interpreters and seeking a programming challenge.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is still working through it and plans to restart in another language.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28479120,
          "author": "tompark",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-10T08:42:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 28478751,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach you programming languages via systems projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28479120",
          "commentText": "It's possible to work through Bob Nystrom's Crafting Interpreters[1] using any language you want. On GitHub just search for \"crafting interpreters\"[2] and add a filter for the programming language you're interested in, and you'll find at least a couple repos for the entire book. There are over a dozen complete repos in Rust. Since everyone breaks out each chapter in a separate folder, it's easy to follow along with the book, even though the book's first interpreter is written in Java and the second compiler was written in C. I did this, it's basically how I learned Rust.\n[1] https://www.craftinginterpreters.com \n[2] https://github.com/search?q=crafting+interpreters",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's possible to work through Bob Nystrom's Crafting Interpreters[1] using any language you want.",
          "reason": "Describes following the book in another language and says the approach helped them learn Rust.",
          "audience": "Readers who want to study interpreters while using a language other than Java or C.",
          "caveat": "The book's examples use Java and C.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27630090,
          "author": "koonsolo",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T12:49:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27630090",
          "commentText": "'Crafting Interpreters' by Bob Nystrom is such a joy to read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Crafting Interpreters' by Bob Nystrom is such a joy to read.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the reading experience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27629992,
          "author": "divtiwari",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T12:40:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27629992",
          "commentText": "I would recommend reading/implementing the below:\n1. 'Write a Interpreter in Go' by Thorsten Ball\n2. 'Write a Compiler in Go' by Thorsten Ball\n3. 'Crafting Interpreters' by Bob Nystrom\n4. 'Ruby under a Microscope' by Pat Shaughnessy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Crafting Interpreters' by Bob Nystrom",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends reading and implementing it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27628645,
          "author": "nindalf",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T09:20:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27628645",
          "commentText": "I'm planning to read\n- Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (SICP). A classic.\n- Crafting Interpreters. Intro to compilers for me.\n- Deep Learning for Coders with Fastai and PyTorch.\nThere's some other books in there too, but I'd be really happy if I finished these. I don't have a degree in CS, and most of what I know is self taught. My goal here is to fill in gaps in my knowledge as best I can.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crafting Interpreters. Intro to compilers for me.",
          "reason": "Planned reading to learn about compilers.",
          "audience": "A self-taught reader seeking to fill gaps in computer science knowledge.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as an introduction for them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26594771,
          "author": "fish45",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-26T17:35:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26594771",
          "commentText": "> I get my technical content during the day from the internet so don't really feel the need to read technical books, though I'll make the odd exception.\nThis is definitely where I'm at. The only two technical books I can say I've really read are The Rust Book and Crafting Interpreters, both of which I kind of skimmed, wrote some code, and read more in detail to fill in the gaps.\nCount of Monte Cristo is one of my favorites.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The only two technical books I can say I've really read are The Rust Book and Crafting Interpreters",
          "reason": "Names it as one of the two technical books the commenter has read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they skimmed it, wrote some code, and read details to fill gaps.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22301271,
          "author": "arawde",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-11T18:44:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22301271",
          "commentText": "On a smiliar note, but with Java and C, \"Crafting Interpreters\" - https://craftinginterpreters.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Crafting Interpreters\"",
          "reason": "Suggested as a similar hands-on book covering Java and C.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21458820,
          "author": "cocoa19",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T01:19:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21458820",
          "commentText": "1. Wealth of Nations. finished book #1, and now taking a break since it's tough to read it, but very rewarding to do it.\n2. Crafting Interpreters. Would recommend this to people curious about compilers/Interpreters over the dragon book. Much much easier to read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crafting Interpreters. Would recommend this to people curious about compilers/Interpreters over the dragon book. Much much easier to read.",
          "reason": "Recommends it to people curious about compilers and interpreters, saying it is much easier to read than the Dragon Book.",
          "audience": "People curious about compilers and interpreters.",
          "caveat": "The comparison is specifically with the Dragon Book.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14488079,
          "author": "demircancelebi",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T15:02:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14488079",
          "commentText": "I have been reading Game Programming Patterns lately. It explains the design patterns with examples from games, and it is really well written by an engineer at Google (Bob Nystrom): http://gameprogrammingpatterns.com/\nAfter I complete this book, I think I'll read his other book: Crafting Interpreters. This one teaches about implementing a programming language from scratch, once in Java and a second time in C.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "After I complete this book, I think I'll read his other book: Crafting Interpreters.",
          "reason": "Plans to read it and says it teaches language implementation from scratch; no explicit evaluation yet.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in implementing a programming language.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not yet read the book.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Nystrom"
      ],
      "recommenders": 19,
      "threads": 13,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "interpreters",
        "programming languages",
        "interpreter implementation",
        "compiler construction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-algorithm-design-manual-b4074d",
      "title": "The Algorithm Design Manual",
      "author": "Steven S. Skiena",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39255260,
          "author": "md1348",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T22:38:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39255260",
          "commentText": "\"The Algorithm Design Manual\" by Skiena to prep for algo interviews, in case hiring picks up again.\n\"The Two Towers\" by Tolkien, I last read them in high school and wanted to revisit Middle-earth.\n\"Python Distilled\" by Beazley - I'm using it to iron out some of my knowledge gaps with the language. It's well-written and informative!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Algorithm Design Manual\" by Skiena to prep for algo interviews",
          "reason": "The commenter is using it to prepare for algorithm interviews.",
          "audience": "People preparing for algorithm interviews.",
          "caveat": "The commenter frames this as preparation in case hiring picks up again.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35930285,
          "author": "wffurr",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T17:01:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35930285",
          "commentText": "I found CRLS dry and difficult.  Skiena’s Algorithm Design Manual was much more approachable for me.  That was my go to during interview practice.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Skiena’s Algorithm Design Manual was much more approachable for me.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it more approachable and used it during interview practice.",
          "audience": "Readers practicing for interviews.",
          "caveat": "The comparison is specific to the commenter’s experience.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31168573,
          "author": "rg111",
          "createdAt": "2022-04-26T15:20:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 31166475,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Top inspiring books on crucial CS ideas?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31168573",
          "commentText": "- The Little Schemer\n- The Algorithm Design Manual\n- Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\n- Elements of Computing Systems (nand2tetris book)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The Algorithm Design Manual",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for inspiring books on computer science ideas.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computer science topics, data structures, or algorithms.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30486233,
          "author": "lpolovets",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T07:41:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486233",
          "commentText": "Math: Art of Problem Solving (read in jr high)\nComputer Science: CLR Algorithms book and Skiena's Algorithm Design Manual (read both in college)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Skiena's Algorithm Design Manual",
          "reason": "The commenter says they read it in college as part of their computer science learning.",
          "audience": "College students studying computer science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29308142,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:25:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29308142",
          "commentText": "Maybe Clever Algorithms: Nature-Inspired Programming Recipes[1]. These techniques might not be useful to everybody, all the time, but they can be very handy in places.\nEdit:\nA couple of other suggestions.\nManaging Gigabytes: Compressing and Indexing Documents and Images[2]\nMining of Massive Datasets[3]\nAlgorithm Design Manual[4]\nNetwork Algorithmics[5]\nNeural Network Design[6]\nI think all of these fall into the category of \"Won't be applicable to everyone, but can be good for those who need this kind of stuff.\"\n[1]: https://github.com/clever-algorithms/CleverAlgorithms\n[2]: https://people.eng.unimelb.edu.au/ammoffat/mg/\n[3]: http://www.mmds.org/\n[4]: https://www.amazon.com/Algorithm-Design-Manual-Steven-Skiena... (https://www.amazon.com/Algorithm-Design-Manual-Steven-Skiena/dp/1849967202)\n[5]: https://www.amazon.com/Network-Algorithmics-Interdisciplinar... (https://www.amazon.com/Network-Algorithmics-Interdisciplinary-Designing-Networking/dp/0120884771)\n[6]: https://hagan.okstate.edu/NNDesign.pdf",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Algorithm Design Manual",
          "reason": "Listed as one of several suggested books for readers who need this subject matter.",
          "audience": "Readers who need this kind of material.",
          "caveat": "May not apply to everyone.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29290530,
          "author": "jsonjason",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-20T18:26:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29290530",
          "commentText": "Another vote for Tim Roughgarden’s work. As someone who recently became a software engineer without a cs degree, his Stanford Algorithms I & II lectures (similar content to his books) have been the best instruction I’ve had on DS&A. I’ve dabbled with Skiena’s book, Grokking Algorithms, CTCI, and I now also have a copy CLRS that I use for reference or to go deeper on certain things. But I revisit Tim’s work all the time. Can’t recommend him enough.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I’ve dabbled with Skiena’s book",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a book the commenter has tried.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29226965,
          "author": "MonkeyClub",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-15T13:16:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29226965",
          "commentText": "I came here precisely to suggest Skiena. Excellent book that gives you a good grounding in both theory and practice, and opens the road for further study, if you're so inclined.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I came here precisely to suggest Skiena. Excellent book that gives you a good grounding in both theory and practice",
          "reason": "Recommends the book for grounding in theory and practice and as a path to further study.",
          "audience": "Readers who want foundations in algorithms and may continue studying.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29224998,
          "author": "musicale",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-15T08:15:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29224998",
          "commentText": "> The Algorithm Design Manual by Steven Skiena\nAnd his CSE 373 course lectures: https://www3.cs.stonybrook.edu/~skiena/373/videos/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "> The Algorithm Design Manual by Steven Skiena",
          "reason": "Repeats the book title as a response in a thread requesting book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29220975,
          "author": "morty_s",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T21:38:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29220975",
          "commentText": "CLRS does about 5 pages on linked lists. If you want more, my advice would be to implement one in your language of choice, then look at the API for the standard lib impl of a linked list in your language of choice (if there is one).\nOtherwise, for more reading on linked lists, read through adlist.c from redis, by antirez.\nNext, one of the best books (IMO) on algorithmic thinking is SICP. Get through a few chapters, do the exercises, grok recursion, etc.\nIn no particular order:\nAlgorithm Design Manual, Skiena\nAlgorithm Design, by Kleinberg/Tardos\nAlgorithms, Sedgwick 4th ed. (also Algorithms in C)\nIf you find you need or would like more math:\nDiscrete Mathematics (Epp is an easier read, Rosen seems more verbose)\nMathematical Proofs, Charrand\nFor interview prep:\nElements of Programming Interviews (EPI)\nDesigning Data Intensive Applications",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Algorithm Design Manual, Skiena",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29219789,
          "author": "clumsysmurf",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T19:23:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29219789",
          "commentText": "Note, there seems to be a 3rd Edition in 2020\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Algorithm-Design-Manual-Computer-Scie... (https://www.amazon.com/Algorithm-Design-Manual-Computer-Science/dp/3030542556)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Note, there seems to be a 3rd Edition in 2020",
          "reason": "Notes that a third edition appears to have been published in 2020.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29218148,
          "author": "dhanna",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T16:26:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29218148",
          "commentText": "Yes there’s lots of algorithm books! Too many to learn them all. I had an anxiety attack and bought most of the introductory algo books mentioned in CLRS chapter 1.\nI liked ALGS4 by Sedgewick as my introduction to Algorithms. I still refer to the Coursera course.  I actually started with CLRS and doubled back to ALGS4. I wish I did it in reverse order but it was still useful reading CLRS and refreshing my math skills.\nI would say grab a few and see which ones you like. CLRS, ALGS4, Algorithm Design Manual, and Algorithm Design by Kleinberg and Tardos are a good start. You can look in the bibliography of each books for more suggestions from the experts themselves.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "CLRS, ALGS4, Algorithm Design Manual, and Algorithm Design by Kleinberg and Tardos are a good start.",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter suggests as a starting point.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29217709,
          "author": "ioli",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T15:24:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29217709",
          "commentText": "The Algorithm Design Manual by Steven Skiena\nAmazing book. Very readable. I highly recommend it. The book has a section call \"War story\" at the end of each chapter in which Skiena shares his real life experience of when the contents from that particular chapter came in handy for him.\nGo through it. You won't regret\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Algorithm-Design-Manual-Steven-Skiena... (https://www.amazon.com/Algorithm-Design-Manual-Steven-Skiena/dp/1849967202)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Algorithm Design Manual by Steven Skiena\nAmazing book. Very readable. I highly recommend it.",
          "reason": "Praised for readability and real-life “War story” sections at each chapter’s end.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21313374,
          "author": "guiraldelli",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T15:27:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21313374",
          "commentText": "I don't think there is a definitive answer for your question because computer science is a relative new area of knowledge and “fundamental books” are still being published.\nIf I had to say one text that is the fundamental one, I would go with a paper: “On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem” [1], by Alan Turing.\n---\nBut if you just started your course in Computer Science, then I will give you some “bookshelf advice\" based on my experience. I had the pleasure to study all the books I am going to recommend you, and most of them I was able to read cover-to-cover during the university years. And they are also in my bookshelf for reference.\nThe book order does not represent rank of importance.\n* “Introduction to the Theory of Computation”, by Michael Sipser.\n    * I also recommend the “Elements of the Theory of Computation”, by Christos Papadimitriou.\n\n    * Another good complement is “Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages and Computation”, by Hopcroft and Ullman. (Thanks, @reacweb, for the reminder.)\n\n* “Graph Theory”, by Reinhard Diestel.\n    * If you feel you want to go deeper, and like a book which you cannot skip a single word, I strongly recommend “Modern Graph Theory”, by Béla Bollobás: it is one of my favorite textbooks ever!\n\n* “The Algorithm Design Manual”, by Steven Skiena.\n    * While a lot of people seems to praise either the Cormen et al. or the Sedgewick books, I have the feeling that “Algorithms” by Dasgupta, Papadimitriou  and Vazirani is my choice for “fundamental” book. But I decided to\n\n* “Computer Architecture: a Quantitative Approach”, by Hennessy and Patterson.\n* “Modern Operating Systems”, by Andrew Tanenbaum.\n* “Artificial Intelligence: a Modern Approach”, by Russel and Norvig.\n* “Modern Compiler Implementation (in ML)”, by Andrew Appel.\nI would like to also recommend “Concrete Mathematics”, by Graham, Knuth and Patashnik, but I remember to not feel it the most pedagogical book on the subject.\nGood luck!\n---\n[1]: https://www.cs.virginia.edu/~robins/Turing_Paper_1936.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“The Algorithm Design Manual”, by Steven Skiena",
          "reason": "Includes it among the books recommended for a CS bookshelf.",
          "audience": "People starting a computer science course.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20729447,
          "author": "probably_wrong",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T10:44:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20729447",
          "commentText": "I'm going to disagree slightly with your choice (which was also my choice at first). While A.D.M. has all the topics you would be interested in, I think the book assumes that you have already groked the fundamentals behind, say, why a linked list is different from an array. For an absolute beginner, I would suggest the type of book that forces you to go through every step of deleting an item from a list, which is something Skiena's book (luckily) doesn't do. The book is great for learning new ways to think about problems, but IMHO a beginner should learn the basic ways first.\n\"Introduction to Algorithms\" by CLRS seems to be the default choice, and it seems to me to be a step in the right direction (based on the TOC).\nI would also like to second your point that CS is more than algorithms and data structures. I feel Dijkstra would not approve of thinking about CS as \"that thing you do after learning a programming language\".",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The book is great for learning new ways to think about problems",
          "reason": "The commenter praises it for helping readers think about problems in new ways.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it assumes familiarity with fundamentals and suggests beginners learn basic methods first.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20729402,
          "author": "andyljones",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T10:31:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20729402",
          "commentText": "Skiena's Algorithm Design Manual:\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Algorithm-Design-Manual-Steven-Skiena... (https://www.amazon.com/Algorithm-Design-Manual-Steven-Skiena/dp/1849967202)\nFar more readable than the usual text (Cormen), the first half is a guide on how to select and design algorithms for the problems you encounter, and the second half is a whistle-stop tour of hundreds of well-known algorithms. The tour helped me a lot with X->Y esque issues where I was building bad solutions because I didn't know anything better could exist.\nIncidentally, there's a lot more to CS theory than algorithms and data structures, but if you're asking on HN for a generic CS theory book, I reckon it's most likely an algorithms and data structures book that you're after.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The tour helped me a lot with X->Y esque issues where I was building bad solutions because I didn't know anything better could exist.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book helped them find better solutions to problems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20729383,
          "author": "bcherny",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T10:26:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20729383",
          "commentText": "I’m a fan of Algorithm Design Manual. It’s also what Google and FB recommend for interview prep.\nhttps://smile.amazon.com/Algorithm-Design-Manual-Steven-Skie... (https://smile.amazon.com/Algorithm-Design-Manual-Steven-Skiena/dp/1849967202)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I’m a fan of Algorithm Design Manual.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are a fan of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13410396,
          "author": "abglassman",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T15:17:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13410396",
          "commentText": "I love this book for how approachable, readable, and even enjoyable it is. Skiena does a great job of motivating each of the algorithmic techniques. I recommend this one widely.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I love this book for how approachable, readable, and even enjoyable it is. Skiena does a great job of motivating each of the algorithmic techniques. I recommend this one widely.",
          "reason": "Praises its readability and motivation of algorithmic techniques, and says it is widely recommended.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348856,
          "author": "oskarth",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:38:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348856",
          "commentText": "I am currently reading Skiena, Algorithm Design Manual and Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War.\nNext up is Cipolla, Clocks and Culture and Chiusano and Bjarnason, Functional Programming in Scala.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Skiena, Algorithm Design Manual",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401558,
          "author": "dneronique",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:37:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401558",
          "commentText": "The Algorithm Design Manual\nMy 'technical non-fiction' read to help keep my mind sharp.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B8139Z8/ref=oh_aui_d_det... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00B8139Z8/ref=oh_aui_d_detailpage_o00_?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\nThe Disaster Artist\nMy 'non-technical non-fiction' read to help keep me interesting around non-tech folk. The making of 'The Room,' complete with lots of weird Tommy Wiseau moments and behind the scenes insanity.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BSAZ6LE/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl... (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BSAZ6LE/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=1OHHR3E8POWSY&coliid=I3NWCBWNSAIPVW)\nNeuromancer\nMy fiction read to help keep my mind young.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000O76ON6/ref=oh_aui_d_det... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000O76ON6/ref=oh_aui_d_detailpage_o02_?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\nEdit: formatting",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Algorithm Design Manual\nMy 'technical non-fiction' read to help keep my mind sharp.",
          "reason": "Names it as their technical nonfiction read for keeping their mind sharp.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401296,
          "author": "vyshane",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:03:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401296",
          "commentText": "Recently read:\nProgramming Elixir - Dave Thomas\nIntroducing Elixir - Simon St. Laurent and J. David Eisenberg\nThe Swift Programming Language - Apple\nCurrently reading:\nFunctional Programming in Swift - Chris Eidhof, Florian Kugler, and Wouter Swierstra\nRecently purchased but not started:\nThe Algorithm Design Manual - Steven S Skiena\nSipping from time to time:\nInverting The Pyramid: The History of Football Tactics - Jonathan Wilson",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Algorithm Design Manual - Steven S Skiena",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401208,
          "author": "selleck",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T15:49:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401208",
          "commentText": "Currently reading:\nA Guide to the Good Life: Ancient Art of Stoic Joy - William B. Irvine\nAlgorithm Design Manual - Steven S Skiena\nBlah Blah Blah: What To Do When Words Don't Work - Dan Roam\nHighly recommend the first 2, Blah Blah Blah is a rehash with a twist on Back of the Napkin.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Highly recommend the first 2",
          "reason": "Included among the first two books, which the commenter highly recommends.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3338997,
          "author": "m0nastic",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-11T01:18:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3338997",
          "commentText": "So far, Dark Market is a little too \"Dateline expose\" for my taste, but I'm only about a third of the way in (maybe it gets better).\nI actually picked up Skiena purely from your recommendation of it on here. I wanted to go back to algo fundamentals, and I was irrationally opposed to buying CLRS for the second time (having bought and then sold it back in college), so I figured I'd give it a try.  I like the presentation of material a lot better, but I've just been a lazy git about plowing through it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I like the presentation of material a lot better",
          "reason": "Likes its presentation better than CLRS, though they have been too lazy to read much further.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They have made slow progress and have not read much of it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3338870,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-11T00:12:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3338870",
          "commentText": "I read Misha Glenny's _McMafia_ and it kind of left a bad taste, even before they got to the cybercrime stuff where I knew some of his sources were just making things up. How's _Dark Markets_?\nLove that Skiena book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Love that Skiena book.",
          "reason": "Expresses strong approval of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3338494,
          "author": "m0nastic",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T21:02:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3338494",
          "commentText": "Right now I'm reading:\nFiction-\n- Reamde (Bought it when it came out, but had to wait to start until I finished some other stuff on my list)\n- The Big Blowdown by George Pelecanos\nNonfiction-\n- Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopedia (Volume 1) -- primarily for research, but it's fascinating.\n- Dark Markets by Misha Glenny\n- How to Live on Mars by robert Zubrin\n- The Lightness of Being by Frank Wilczek\n- This is Your Brain on Music by Daniel Levitin\n- Towards a New Architecture by Le Corbusier\n- and Strange Things Happen by Stewart Copeland\nTechnical-\n- Tangled Web (I saw someone else mention it, and it's really really good so far)\n- Skiena's Algorithms book (making slower progress than I'd like).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Skiena's Algorithms book (making slower progress than I'd like).",
          "reason": "Lists it among books they are reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Making slower progress than they would like.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1872097,
          "author": "util",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-05T04:56:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1872097",
          "commentText": "\"Pattern Recognition\" by William Gibson\n\"The Algorithm Design Manual\" by Steve Skiena",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"The Algorithm Design Manual\" by Steve Skiena",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Algorithm Design Manual",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 55485,
          "author": "ambition",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-17T02:25:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 55372,
          "threadTitle": "Question: What are the best books on algorithms?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=55485",
          "commentText": "It depends on what you want to get out of them. \nIf all you do is build a library, you'll never get anything out of it, since you actually need to study the books for that. :P\nIf you want a reference, then by all means take aston and Hexayurt's excellent suggestions. Especially CLRS.\nIf you don't know much about algorithms right now, then you'll find Cormen et al. very challenging to start with.\nIf you're like me, you want to be able to use algorithms as a tool to solve real problems. \nTo practice that, I have a few suggestions, if I may be so bold. \nPick up a copy of the Algorithm Design Manual and Programming Challenges, by Steven Skiena. Programming Challenges will introduce you to the ACM-ICPC repository of programming problems, which is a great low-pressure area to build some top-notch skill in algorithms. You'll want to get into TopCoder as well. \nFor a slightly different taste, pick up Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach, by Stuart Russell and Peter Norvig, also known as AIMA or the Green Book. Its discussion of search algorithms is unrivaled.\nGood luck!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pick up a copy of the Algorithm Design Manual and Programming Challenges, by Steven Skiena.",
          "reason": "Suggests it for practicing algorithms as a tool for solving real problems.",
          "audience": "Readers who want to use algorithms to solve practical problems.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven S. Skiena"
      ],
      "recommenders": 19,
      "threads": 13,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "algorithm design",
        "data structures",
        "technical interviews"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-electronics-4614a1",
      "title": "The Art of Electronics",
      "author": "Paul Horowitz and Winfield Hill",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41176989,
          "author": "mikewarot",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T00:25:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41176989",
          "commentText": "1632 by Eric Flint - it became a series. I can read them over and over. - Alternate history, contemplative of everything that makes modern civilization possible and keeps it going.\nThe Art of Electronics  - Horowitz and Hill - All the nitty gritty details you'll need if you're to be a good electronics designer\nThe adolescence of P-1 - Thomas Joseph Ryan - Introduced me to the idea of random walks leading to AI.\nComputer Lib/Dream Machines - Ted Nelson -- Quite a bit of ideas about computers, I read it decades ago.\nDiary of an Early American Boy: Noah Blake 1805 -- By Eric Sloane -- Early Americans really knew their shit, we tend to think of them as simpler people, this book dispelled me of that stupid notion.\nBoys Second Book of Electronics - Alfred Morgan, 1957 -- Introduced me to the idea that I could make my own radio or anything electronic I wanted to make.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Electronics  - Horowitz and Hill - All the nitty gritty details you'll need if you're to be a good electronics designer",
          "reason": "Presents it as a detailed resource for electronics designers.",
          "audience": "People aiming to become good electronics designers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937722,
          "author": "tshirttime",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T02:48:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937722",
          "commentText": "Dense, wordy, incomprehensible.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Dense, wordy, incomprehensible.",
          "reason": "The commenter characterizes the book as dense, wordy, and incomprehensible.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937230,
          "author": "smoyer",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:44:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937230",
          "commentText": "\"The art of electronics\" by Horowitz and Hill",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The art of electronics\" by Horowitz and Hill",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32790492,
          "author": "pyb",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T13:36:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790492",
          "commentText": "The Art of Electronics, Horowitz and Hill",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Electronics, Horowitz and Hill",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27628776,
          "author": "ollran",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T09:40:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27628776",
          "commentText": "The Art of Electronics is on my technical reading list as well.\nIf you are into Clojure, you will probably enjoy Elements of Clojure by Zachary Tellman. It is not a tutorial, it's more like an attempt to bring tacit knowledge of idiomatic programming practices into light.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Art of Electronics is on my technical reading list as well.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is on their technical reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23155109,
          "author": "jeffreyrogers",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T15:36:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23155109",
          "commentText": "I took a course that used it in college. It is really excellent, but probably hard for a first exposure to electronics unless you are very committed.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It is really excellent, but probably hard for a first exposure to electronics unless you are very committed.",
          "reason": "Calls it excellent while noting it may be difficult as a first electronics resource.",
          "audience": "Electronics learners with strong commitment, especially beginners willing to work through a challenging resource.",
          "caveat": "May be hard for a first exposure to electronics.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910984,
          "author": "TeMPOraL",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T17:34:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910984",
          "commentText": "> I'm not sure if it's aged well. There are a bunch of people on HN who still do electronic work who could recommend better newer books.\nNot a professional in this area, but between various HN comments I've read and YouTube channels like EEVblog, I've seen the third edition of this book recommended multiple times as the best book. It's actually sitting on my to-buy list because of that.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've seen the third edition of this book recommended multiple times as the best book. It's actually sitting on my to-buy list because of that.",
          "reason": "Reports that the third edition is repeatedly recommended as the best book and says it is on their to-buy list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910437,
          "author": "DanBC",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:46:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910437",
          "commentText": "Bomber Command by Max Hastings. This book explained the change in Allies attitudes around bombing during WWII from \"only barbarians bomb civillians\" to the mass fire bombing of heavily populated cities. It was also eye-opening to read about the massive death rate in bomber command. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bomber-Command-Pan-Military-Classic... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bomber-Command-Pan-Military-Classics/dp/0330513613/)\nThe Art of Electronics, and especially the student manual that accompanies it. I read these a long time ago, and at the time it was a pretty good introductionto electronics, especially if you bought some cheap second hand test equipment and had a few breadboards and components to do the lab work. I'm not sure if it's aged well. There are a bunch of people on HN who still do electronic work who could recommend better newer books.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "at the time it was a pretty good introductionto electronics",
          "reason": "The commenter found it a good introduction to electronics at the time, while questioning whether it has aged well.",
          "audience": "Readers learning electronics, especially those able to do lab work.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether it has aged well and notes that newer books may be better.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16757384,
          "author": "matthewwiese",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T18:15:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16757384",
          "commentText": "A few immediately come to mind:\n- Garner's Modern American Usage\n- The Hardware Hacker (I am a huge fan of bunnie)\n- The Art of Electronics (Horowitz and Hill)\nI don't really have \"reference\" books on my desk. Most rotate out quite frequently depending on what I'm researching and writing about. These can range from Raizman's History of Modern Design to Lewis Carroll's Symbolic Logic.\nIn addition I make plenty use of thesauruses. I have a few old ratty copies but mostly do a quick flit over my keyboard to pull up synonyms. When a word is on the tip of your tongue, looking up another that you know is related to it in a thesaurus is the best way to efficiently jog your memory.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Art of Electronics (Horowitz and Hill)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16757348,
          "author": "PoachedSausage",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T18:10:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16757348",
          "commentText": "The Art of Electronics, Third Edition by Horowitz & Hill",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Art of Electronics, Third Edition by Horowitz & Hill",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16757106,
          "author": "ddingus",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T17:46:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16757106",
          "commentText": "Machinists handbook from the 60's era.  I value it for the pre computer ways of thinking.  Lots of gold in that one.\nMOS 6502 series data book.\nMoto 6809 Programmers Reference.\nI actually had someone take me to the local Motorola office to get the 6809 book.  Docs were free for the asking, and a kid asking was quite the event.  Aspects of that conversation were important to my life.\nI still have occasion to do paid work, and enjoy fun projects with both chips, and or variants seen today.  These are few and far between, but very enjoyable.  Mostly perspective and nostalgia in these.  It's my roots.\nThe One Minute Manager parable has served me well mentoring and leading.\nOn Writing by Stephen King.  Being able to tell a story with clarity has far more utility than one would expect.  Besides, I want to write a novel one day.\nThe Art of Electronics, second edition.  Probably need to update that one.\nA Tektronix \"How to use an Oscilloscope\" book, well matched to my old, analog 400Mhz, 4 channel scope.\nANSI / ASME  geometric dimensioning, tolerancing, standards books.  2D technical communication remains significant in my life.\nRecent addition:  Mold making Handbook.\nI need a good primer and a good polymer tech reference.  Any suggestions?\n\"Pirates of the Asteroids\", childhood sci-fi.  Again, perspective.  Was the first one I really read through and got as a kid.  Kept it, because asshole reminder.  'Nuff said.  It's just a personal totem.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Art of Electronics, second edition.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they probably need to update their edition.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16081928,
          "author": "matt_the_bass",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-05T21:39:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16081928",
          "commentText": "The Art of Electronics by Horowitz and Hill\nIt covers nearly all aspects of electronics both theory and practice. It’s still relevant after all these years.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Electronics by Horowitz and Hill\nIt covers nearly all aspects of electronics both theory and practice. It’s still relevant after all these years.",
          "reason": "Praises its broad coverage of electronics theory and practice and says it remains relevant.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15629958,
          "author": "cjsuk",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:03:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15629958",
          "commentText": "The Art of electronics. Learned more from that than I did doing an EE degree at university. It gets used to this day even though I bought this copy in 1995. I have the latest edition arriving today.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of electronics. Learned more from that than I did doing an EE degree at university.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it taught them more than their university electrical engineering degree.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14480413,
          "author": "kabdib",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-04T08:30:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14480413",
          "commentText": "_The Art of Electronics_. As a software guy who sometimes is involved in embedded systems, having a good understanding of what's going on at the resistor/capacitor/transistor level would have helped a lot. I did a bunch of hobby electronics as a teenager, but never had circuit theory. I knew a lot about digital design, but not the analog stuff that the whole world ultimately rests on.\nSo now, when I hear a switching power supply whine in protest, I will think of it as the squeals of pain of the engineers whose life I turned into a living hell because of my lack of appreciation for P = IV. I’m truly sorry. I wasn’t thinking. (And this is just the first chapter of that book).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "_The Art of Electronics_. As a software guy who sometimes is involved in embedded systems, having a good understanding of what's going on at the resistor/capacitor/transistor level would have helped a lot.",
          "reason": "The commenter says earlier knowledge from it would have helped with embedded systems.",
          "audience": "Software developers involved in embedded systems.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14138405,
          "author": "itamarst",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T12:58:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14138405",
          "commentText": "I took the class at Harvard created by the authors of this. As they pointed out, it's not a textbook, it's a reference book. So it's very hard to learn electronics by reading it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it's not a textbook, it's a reference book. So it's very hard to learn electronics by reading it.",
          "reason": "Describes the book as a reference and says it is difficult to learn electronics from it.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an electronics reference",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is very hard to learn electronics by reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14137035,
          "author": "VenkiPhy6",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T07:19:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14137035",
          "commentText": "The Art of electronics by Hill & Horowitz for electronics\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of electronics by Hill & Horowitz for electronics",
          "reason": "Named as a candidate for electronics’ bible.",
          "audience": "Electronics readers",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10040689,
          "author": "danesparza",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-11T13:07:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10040689",
          "commentText": "==For electronics:\nThe Art of Electronics 3rd Edition (interview with the one of the authors, if you're unconvinced: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCI3B5eT9NA )\n==For finances:\nThe Millionaire Next Door (filled with a lot of interesting facts and habits from extensive research)\n==For food/cooking:\nAlton Brown's Gear for Your Kitchen\nBakeWise: The Hows and Whys of Successful Baking",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Electronics 3rd Edition",
          "reason": "Recommended for electronics; the commenter says an interview with an author may convince readers.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in electronics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10029788,
          "author": "DanBC",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-09T07:34:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10029788",
          "commentText": "The Art of Electronics and the accompanying student manual.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Electronics",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8257633,
          "author": "checker659",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T14:09:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257633",
          "commentText": "I wonder how much it applies to digital electronics though.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I wonder how much it applies to digital electronics though.",
          "reason": "Asks whether the book's content applies to digital electronics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8257611,
          "author": "majke",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T14:07:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257611",
          "commentText": "Pretty pricey on amazon. How to get it?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Pretty pricey on amazon. How to get it?",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is pricey and asks how to get it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8257581,
          "author": "kabdib",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T14:02:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257581",
          "commentText": "The Art of Electronics - Horowitz and Hill\nI'm a software guy, with a bunch of firmware experience, but I sometimes do data-center wrangling when I'm not slinging C++ and PHP around. It's really good to have a grounding in electronics and how things work under the hood, so you can have an appreciation for how (say) twisted pairs work, or how really fast serial cables work. Just knowing what's involved in pushing a signal from point A to point B in a rack or on a long-haul wire will help you make better decisions about what to buy, or decide to rip out.\nAoE is a great practical introduction to how a lot of modern electronics stuff works. It has me tinkering with transistors and diodes again, and I may have to tell the wife I want an oscilloscope for Christmas . . .",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "AoE is a great practical introduction to how a lot of modern electronics stuff works.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great practical introduction and describes using it to build electronics knowledge.",
          "audience": "Software and firmware practitioners seeking a grounding in electronics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 359267,
          "author": "codehd7",
          "createdAt": "2008-11-10T15:21:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 358490,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's a good book to learn electronics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=359267",
          "commentText": "It might be worthwhile to note that third edition of the book is in the works (supposedly). Given that the current (2nd) edition was published almost 20 years ago, I'm waiting to get the 3rd one. This page claims it's scheduled to be published in February 2009: http://isbn.nu/0521809266",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "third edition of the book is in the works (supposedly).",
          "reason": "Discusses the forthcoming third edition of the book previously mentioned in the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the publication is supposedly in the works and is waiting for it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 358923,
          "author": "tomsaffell",
          "createdAt": "2008-11-10T05:35:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 358490,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's a good book to learn electronics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=358923",
          "commentText": "I think everything you have said is true, but it does not address the original question:\n\"What's a good book to teach me the basics of electronics, e.g., why do circuits need resistors, when do I use a capacitor, etc?\"\nI.e. he wants to learn how analog electronics work, amongst other things.\nI own The Art of Electronics, but find it a bit theoretical. If you just starting out you might even wants something aimed at high-school kids (no offense intended)\nIf you like to learn by being taught (vs. self-taught) then sign up for class at a local school, or if you don't have the time/money then try sneaking into some lectures at your local university (I don't know how illegal / difficult that is in the US, so beware). If you do want to be self-taught then see if you can borrow the lecture notes from someone who has taken electronic engineering.\nOr try this http://www.varsitynotes.com/electrical_engineering/electroni... (http://www.varsitynotes.com/electrical_engineering/electronics.html)\nI would highly recommend buying a kit (lots have been mentioned) and if necessary supplementing it with components from your local electronic components store. And take things apart,\nI'd also recommend building something that has an interest to you outside of electronics, e.g. if you're into cars then build a radio controlled car.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I own The Art of Electronics, but find it a bit theoretical.",
          "reason": "Describes the book as a bit theoretical.",
          "audience": "Beginners may want something aimed at high-school students.",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds it a bit theoretical.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 358759,
          "author": "dkd",
          "createdAt": "2008-11-10T02:12:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 358490,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's a good book to learn electronics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=358759",
          "commentText": "I'll 2nd on Art of electronics.. But knowing the basics before touching it would be better",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'll 2nd on Art of electronics",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds a prior recommendation in the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Knowing the basics first would be better.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 358570,
          "author": "ra",
          "createdAt": "2008-11-09T22:32:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 358490,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's a good book to learn electronics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=358570",
          "commentText": "Art of Electronics is a very good book, but if you want to learn from a fun / programming point of view I highly recommend \"Making Things Talk\", by Tom Igoe.\nhttp://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596510510/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Art of Electronics is a very good book",
          "reason": "Explicitly praises the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 358547,
          "author": "comatose_kid",
          "createdAt": "2008-11-09T21:56:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 358490,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's a good book to learn electronics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=358547",
          "commentText": "the art of electronics is cool, but the ARRL handbook is even better.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the art of electronics is cool",
          "reason": "Briefly praises the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 358534,
          "author": "agarren",
          "createdAt": "2008-11-09T21:42:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 358490,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's a good book to learn electronics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=358534",
          "commentText": "I've wondered about this myself and have found that the most common responses usually reference, \"The Art of Electonics\". Great book, sure, and very heavy on theory.\nThere are a few books out now that touch on the Arduino platform - the Make/O'Reilly site has a few. Additionally, there are a couple of folks using a Sanguino/Arduino for building a rep rap, so it might be a good start.\nI've found \"Electronics - Self Teaching Guide\" by Harry Kybett to be a decent introduction to electronics in general. I also picked up \"Embedded C Programming and the Atmel AVR\" which is regularly recommended for the AVR platform.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Great book, sure, and very heavy on theory.",
          "reason": "Positive assessment, with a caveat that it is theory-heavy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Very heavy on theory.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 358529,
          "author": "Anon84",
          "createdAt": "2008-11-09T21:39:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 358490,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's a good book to learn electronics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=358529",
          "commentText": "For me, electronics only started to make sense after this book:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Art-Electronics-Paul-Horowitz/dp/05213... (http://www.amazon.com/Art-Electronics-Paul-Horowitz/dp/0521370957)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "electronics only started to make sense after this book",
          "reason": "Credits the book with making electronics understandable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 358526,
          "author": "sigstoat",
          "createdAt": "2008-11-09T21:38:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 358490,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's a good book to learn electronics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=358526",
          "commentText": "When you're ready for a bit of theory, the Art of Electronics is good stuff, with broad coverage.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Art of Electronics is good stuff, with broad coverage",
          "reason": "Recommended as a broad electronics book with some theory.",
          "audience": "Readers ready for some electronics theory.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 149605,
          "author": "mdakin",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-29T19:33:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 149317,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Learning circuit/hardware; lab book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=149605",
          "commentText": "Digital and analog circuit design are art-like activities and doing them with grace requires knowledge of many other levels of abstraction all the way down to physics.\nIt is possible to lack these fundamentals and become a decent designer by doing design and filling in the gaps as you go but that is the exception and not the rule.  And I have only ever seen this exception happen with the help of a real-life mentor and access to some fancy lab equipment.\nIt should be possible to formulate the teaching of EE into a more project-oriented manner but you need to realize this would be a nontraditional approach.  When I studied for my EE degree we followed a program that has been roughly constant since the 1960s, starts close to the bottom and expands in both directions at the same time.  They sprinkle design in the whole time but you do not get to do full designs until junior and senior year.\nSo finding this book might be tricky because EE is traditionally taught in a completely different way than you would like to approach it.\nOne thing worth looking into would be a class at a local college taught for either local motivated/gifted HS students or for physics majors which teaches you a bunch of practical EE stuff.  The class would be lab oriented.  Teach you the use of test equipment, building and debugging circuits, some theory.  Objective is to get you into a place where you would have some hope of being able to come up with designs and make them work without having all that \"foundation\" knowledge.  This would help you get to the point described above as you would have your mentor and access to the equipment (at least for the duration of the class-- make the most of it!)\nIf you are local to Boston the Harvard Extension School used to offer two such courses-- one for digital and one for analog.  I believe the courses were designed by the author of \"The Art of Electronics\" and in fact used that text. (I did not take them but a friend of mine did.)\nNeato, you can still take those classes; poke around http://www.extension.harvard.edu/ for:\n* PHYS E-123a Laboratory Electronics: Analog Circuit Design\n* ENSC E-123 Laboratory Electronics: Digital Circuit Design\nHappy hacking!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "in fact used that text",
          "reason": "Identifies the course text as The Art of Electronics, but gives no evaluation of the book itself.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned as the text used in the courses described.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 149498,
          "author": "comatose_kid",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-29T17:04:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 149317,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Learning circuit/hardware; lab book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=149498",
          "commentText": "One of the best resources for getting a practical handle on electronics is the ARRL Handbook.  They've released a version every year for many years now.\nhttp://www.arrl.org/catalog/?item=no-hb2008\nBy the way, The Art Of Electronics has a pretty nice lab manual that goes with it....",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Art Of Electronics has a pretty nice lab manual that goes with it",
          "reason": "Praises the companion lab manual, implying a positive assessment of the associated book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The praise is specifically about the accompanying lab manual.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Horowitz",
        "Winfield Hill"
      ],
      "recommenders": 19,
      "threads": 13,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "electronics",
        "circuit design",
        "circuit theory",
        "electrical engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "principles-of-mathematical-analysis-9d52d2",
      "title": "Principles of Mathematical Analysis",
      "author": "Walter Rudin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34446891,
          "author": "williamscales",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T23:06:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34446891",
          "commentText": "The three for me were:\n- Principles of Mathematical Analysis by Walter Rudin (aka “Little Rudin”)\n- Linear Algebra and its Applications by David Strang\n- Elementary Differential Equations and Boundary Value Problems by Boyce and Diprima",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Principles of Mathematical Analysis by Walter Rudin (aka “Little Rudin”)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34440876,
          "author": "wannabebarista",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T14:51:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34440876",
          "commentText": "I jumped into the first analysis class (using baby Rudin) completely unprepared and this course saved me!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "using baby Rudin",
          "reason": "The commenter says the course helped after starting analysis unprepared.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32791934,
          "author": "irchans",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T16:16:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32791934",
          "commentText": "\"Best Approximation in Inner Product Spaces\" by Frank Deutsch.\nThis book is about the following problem,\n\"Given a point P and a set S in a vector space, find the point in S closest to P.\"\n(The most common example of a vector space is the Cartesian Coordinate Plane which is also called R^2 because every point is of the form (x,y) where x and y are real numbers.)\nThis book is very simply written.  All the details of the proofs are provided.  Also, Professor Deutsch covers the history of many of the theorems in the book.  Applications to Linear Regression, Interpolation, and Control Systems are given.  The main prerequisite for reading the book is a course in mathematical analysis (Rudin or Royden) and a course in matrices or linear algebra.  The book is based on the graduate level Approximation Theory course which Dr. Deutsch taught for several years.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The main prerequisite for reading the book is a course in mathematical analysis (Rudin or Royden)",
          "reason": "Mentioned as one possible prerequisite text for mathematical analysis.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32791633,
          "author": "mananaysiempre",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T15:43:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32791633",
          "commentText": "It’s true that most people will probably drown if you throw them into Rudin first thing (although I’ve known a couple who held their breath, swam the whole length, jumped out and asked for more).\nThe thing is, “analysis” in (English) mathematical vernacular covers a lot more than were dreamt of in Newton’s philosophy, and that in turn is a lot more than is habitually included in a course entitled “calculus”.\nOn the other hand, most calculus courses cover (badly and shallowly) many things that are properly from other places (commutative algera [field axioms], order theory [Dedekind completion], general topology [limits and opens], set theory [cardinals]) but just can’t be avoided when talking about the reals.\nSo, what do you not get in a standard first course in calculus that still goes under “analysis” (but is not a research topic)?\n- Filters and/or nets (a coherent viewpoint on all the limits)\n- (Multiple) derivatives as objects of (multi)linear algebra (no more horrific “Jacobians” and “Hessians”)\n- Implicit / inverse function theorem (local normal form under smooth change of coordinates, cf Morse’s lemma as well)\n- All of that in the infinite-dimensional setting (for a decent theory of ordinary differential equations)\n- Exponential / trig functions as solutions of ODEs (all other definitions obtained from various solution approximations, requires previous point to be nice and unforced)\n- Fourier-Laplace decomposition (take previous point up to eleven, solve all linear ODEs in existence at once, including every passive electric circuit)\n- Distributions aka generalized functions (you can, technically, do the previous point without that, but it’s a complete mess; this instead requires a rather advanced theory of infinite-dimensional spaces)\n- Differentiation and integration as continuous and smooth operators on infinite-dimensional spaces of functions, infinite-dimensional-vector-valued integrals (you can make do with the classical theory of “differentiating under the integral sign”, but it’s Lovecraftian levels of horrible, better not)\n- Integration by residues (together with the previous point, makes the two most powerful methods for computing indefinite integrals when the definite one is intractable and/or inexpressible)\n- Functions of a complex variable (required for the preceding to even make sense, unlike mere complex-valued functions is essentially a completely different theory closer to algebra if anything)\n- Power series (don’t make sense without the preceding point even if you’re interested in the reals; why I called exponentials and trig the same thing above)\n- Lebesgue integration (because Riemann integration sucks for all of the above even if you can make do)\n- Stokes theorem (the theorem of multidimensional integration, like Barrow/Newton–Leibnitz is for the one-dimensional case; you did learn multilinear algebra didn’t you?)\n- More?\nI’m not saying Rudin covers all of that, but no one book does. I’ve also omitted (a lot of) hooks into what are usually considered other disciplines (manifolds, speed of convergence, solution in radicals, probability measures, ...).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I’m not saying Rudin covers all of that, but no one book does.",
          "reason": "The commenter says Rudin does not cover all the listed analysis topics and that no single book covers them all.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Does not cover all the listed material; the commenter says no one book does.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31493146,
          "author": "bell-cot",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T15:11:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31493146",
          "commentText": "+1, but nitpicking:  There are situations where baby Rudin (\"Principles of Mathematical Analysis\") can be very good for a first course...but those are corner cases, that you'd want a really good, experienced instructor to sign off on.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "baby Rudin (\"Principles of Mathematical Analysis\") can be very good for a first course",
          "reason": "Says it can work well as a first course in some situations.",
          "audience": "Students taking a first course in mathematical analysis.",
          "caveat": "Only in corner cases, with sign-off from a really good, experienced instructor.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31492387,
          "author": "eyphka",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T14:14:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31492387",
          "commentText": "Books that are given nicknames by grad students. :) For a foundational understanding of Calculus, and just becoming a better mathematician, a good start would be ->\nBaby Rudin (Principles of Mathematical Analysis, Walter Rudin)\nPapa Rudin (Real and Complex Analysis, Walter Rudin)\nGrandpa Rudin (Functional Analysis, Walter Rudin)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Baby Rudin (Principles of Mathematical Analysis, Walter Rudin)",
          "reason": "Recommended as a starting point for foundational calculus understanding and becoming a better mathematician.",
          "audience": "People building a foundation in calculus and mathematics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31491923,
          "author": "graycat",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T13:38:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31491923",
          "commentText": "Bluntly, with only occasional exceptions, have to learn from the books.  Period.  No biggie:  Once are in grad school or a prof, have to learn from papers, and the good books are typically MUCH easier to read than the papers!\nFor first calculus, read one of the well respected books.  In my experience and opinion, don't need high school advanced placement calculus -- regard it as a waste of time.  Also the last time I looked at Khan Academy, I concluded that it was a waste or worse and by people who didn't have a good background in calculus.  Generally the Internet sources are too elementary.  Solution:  Just use some good books.  Protter and Morrey is good (I taught from it), but it is a bit elementary.  I learned from Johnson and Kiokmeister; I like it.  At the time it was also being used at Harvard.  The exercises are especially good.  It's old, but calculus hasn't changed much since 1950 or so about when it gave up on teaching infinitesimals.\nBut might check out the Maxima software for symbolic indefinite integration -- as I recall, its algorithms are so good they do any indefinite integration that can be done in closed form.\nFor linear algebra, sure, Nering (a student of E. Artin at Princeton) and then Halmos (a finite dimensional introduction to Hilbert space and written when Halmos was an assistant to von Neumann, office not far from Einstein), etc.  For still more, R. Bellman has a good book -- he went all over active and put in everything including the kitchen sink.  Then for numerical work, old but a start, Forsythe and\nMoler and/or the documentation of LINPAK.\nFor multivariate calculus through the divergence theorem and as needed, e.g., for Maxwell's equations, start with the most elementary treatments of vector analysis and f'get about the lack of proofs.  Actually notice, can see via a Google search, that the divergence theorem on a box is just a dirt simple application of the fundamental theorem of freshman calculus.  Then the difficulty is proving the thing on other shapes.  Then do multivariate calculus again via, say, Apostol, Mathematical Analysis: A Modern Approach to Advanced Calculus.  That he uses the Jordan curve theorem is a bit much but just go with the flow.  Fleming's Functions of Several Variables does it with both measure theory and exterior algebra.  Or W. Rudin's, as I recall, third edition, Principles of Mathematical Analysis.  For calculus done via Lebesgue's measure theory, Royden's Real Analysis and/or the first half of Rudin's Real and Complex Analysis.\nMy favorite author on ordinary differential equations is Coddington, and his elementary An Introduction to Ordinary\nDifferential Equations is nicely done and likely enough for nearly any applications might encounter.  Will want some of this if do A/C circuit theory or deterministic optimal control.\nFor basic abstract algebra Herstein, Topics in Algebra should usually be enough and is well written.  With that will be well prepared for, say, algebraic coding theory which actually has some important applications.\nOnce have a background in measure theory, for probability, of course, Loeve or either of his students Breiman or Neveu.  Breiman is really nice to read. Neveu is a good candidate for  the most polished and elegantly done math book or writing of any kind in all of civilization.   Be sure to get to the good stuff on the Radon-Nikodym theorem, conditional expectation, martingales, and ergodic processes.\nFor relatively good results, better than hardly any students get just from courses, study the theorems and proofs until can do them yourself and can also explain them to any common man in the street and also explain where they fit in more generally.  Also be able to do the exercises.  E.g., Rudin's Principles has the inverse and implicit function theorems as exercises!  Fleming applies them to Lagrange multipliers. These two theorems are the main prerequisites of differential geometry -- some parts of physics, now popular, touch on this math!\nIn my Ph.D. program I led the class in 4 of the five qualifying exams, and for the analysis and linear algebra exams, the books above were the secret.  After I did that, the department tried to have the students do better by offering a course from Rudin's Principles; the course didn't work; that book is too hard for a course and needs weeks of quiet time where a student can chew on the text slowly line by line. Rudin has some of the most precise presentations on Fourier theory.  So when physics uses Fourier theory or engineers use the fast Fourier transform, you will likely know Fourier theory quite a lot better than they do.  Right, the uncertainty principle in quantum mechanics is just a basic result in Fourier theory.  With Fourier theory and linearity, Schroedinger's equation starts to make sense.  A good exercise in early measure theory is differentiation under the integral sign, Leibniz's rule -- be sure to cover that with a good proof.\nWith the background from the books above will be well prepared for a wide range of more narrow topics in pure and applied math.\nNearly all these books are available used in nearly new condition for low prices.  In a move I lost some of my library and rebuilt with used copies.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "W. Rudin's, as I recall, third edition, Principles of Mathematical Analysis.",
          "reason": "Suggested for multivariate calculus and praised for precise presentations of Fourier theory.",
          "audience": "People studying mathematical analysis.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is too hard for a course and needs slow, sustained study.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31491100,
          "author": "Koshkin",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T12:28:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31491100",
          "commentText": "Agree, Rudin is excellent as a second course on real analysis, but as a first one it is absolutely terrible.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Agree, Rudin is excellent as a second course on real analysis, but as a first one it is absolutely terrible.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it for a second course in real analysis.",
          "audience": "Students taking a second course in real analysis",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is terrible as a first course.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31490291,
          "author": "moomin",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T10:40:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31490291",
          "commentText": "Came here to say Rudin. His presentation is “odd” in that he introduces powerful concepts and whacks large numbers of problems on the head with them, whereas the usual pedagogical approach is to teach techniques that correspond to these concepts but never explain the concept.\nI also really liked Herstein on algebra but I believe it’s out of print now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Came here to say Rudin.",
          "reason": "In context, the commenter seconds the recommendation of Rudin's book for learning analysis.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30489564,
          "author": "edanm",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T15:59:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30489564",
          "commentText": "Baby Rudin is indeed awesome.\nI feel like Linear Algebra Done Right is a great book, but it is a better second book about Linear Algebra, rather than a good first book.\nActually, I think the whole subject deserves a fairly mechanical treatment first, and only then an explanation of the underlying math. I think it would make sense to introduce Matrix multiplication and related concepts to students in high school, so they become completely mechanical - much like we teach students how to differentiate functions as a purely mechanical process.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Baby Rudin is indeed awesome.",
          "reason": "Agrees with the prior comment's positive assessment of Baby Rudin.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30489438,
          "author": "dkarl",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T15:44:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30489438",
          "commentText": "Baby Rudin, Principles of Mathematical Analysis, was that book for me. It was that book for a lot of people, which I guess means it felt \"perfect\" for people with a broad range of backgrounds.\nI never found a book like that for algebra. Algebra felt opaque, simultaneously hard and boring, and linear algebra felt dry and mechanical, more like a vocational skill than like mathematics. If I had encountered Axler's Linear Algebra Done Right in undergrad, I might have been more interested in algebra.\nBy the time I encountered \"computer science\" in my mid-twenties, I don't think the quality of textbook mattered as much to me, but I wish I could remember the name of the formal languages and automata textbook I used to have. It was short and probably not very advanced, but the concepts are still vivid in my head. I see state machines everywhere, and things feel easy to me when I can tackle them as state machines.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Baby Rudin, Principles of Mathematical Analysis, was that book for me. It was that book for a lot of people",
          "reason": "Identifies the book as pivotal for them and notes that many others found it similarly effective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30486961,
          "author": "ekkeke",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T10:24:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486961",
          "commentText": "+1 for baby Rudin, while I wouldn't say it was THE book for me, it was certainly one that gave me a proper understanding of mathematical proofs as opposed the mroe applied mathematics books I had read until then. And the exercises are excellent!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "+1 for baby Rudin, while I wouldn't say it was THE book for me, it was certainly one that gave me a proper understanding of mathematical proofs",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them understand mathematical proofs.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not the single defining book for the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30486740,
          "author": "FiberBundle",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T09:38:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486740",
          "commentText": "SICP for CS and programming. That book (and its exercises) really instilled in me the thought patterns that drastically improved my programming skills and made me realize how important fundamental CS knowledge is to being a good programmer. What I learned from that book was: becoming comfortable with recursion, realizing the importance of abstractions, functional programming concepts and it gave me insights into how interpreters and the machine work.\nI studied math in university and the book that really improved me mathematically was baby rudin. I really struggled with this the first time I worked through it and had to also fall back on Abott's analysis book, but after my first analysis course I worked through Rudin again and it just clicked. The exercises are really well chosen and the text is just so on point. Every sentence in the book is extremely carefully chosen and of fundamental importance to what Rudin wants to teach you.\nIt's really rare that you find textbooks that almost kind of have a certain magic to them, like you are directly taught by one of the greatest minds in that field. These two books definitely meet that criteria.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "baby rudin",
          "reason": "The commenter says working through it improved their mathematical ability and found its exercises and concise teaching effective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter initially struggled and used Abbott’s analysis book as a fallback.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29218866,
          "author": "mathhh",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T17:44:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29218866",
          "commentText": "> You can work through the concepts and delude yourself into thinking you understand something when really you're just hand waving it\nI keep seeing this and I don't quite understand how this one works.\nIf I were studying math on my own (which I've done and still do), I'd do the following:\n1. Pick a book. Say, Rudin's Principles of Mathematical Analysis[0]. Read a section, then attempt problems. Pick a problem. Say, \"prove {1/n: n is natural} U{0} is compact directly from the definition(not using Heine-Borel)\". It's guaranteed your \"proof\" is not a proof.\n2. Compare your solution to existing solution manuals or ask a question on MSE[1]. Since the given book by Rudin is super-massively famous, each question has probably been asked/answered about a bagillion times each on MSE, so just searching MSE alone would likely to spit out many answers to your questions. People on MSE will tell you exactly why your \"solution\" is wrong and where you tripped up. Sometimes even the clarifying answers are hard to understand. But then you can ask new questions, think more, correct your misconceptions until it all finally clicks. Do that with all  the rest of the problems[2].\nI don't see how the process above is delusional.\n[0] This book is not a realistic fit for a novice, though. Instead, one would start with books like [3], [4], [5], [6] to learn how to prove things and think like a mathematician would.\n[1] https://math.stackexchange.com/\n[2] In reality, the more math you see and do, the more mathematically mature and less dependent on others(to check your work) you become. In fact, if you can solve any problem in \"B@by Rudin\" and some famous abstract algebra textbook (say, Dummit & Foote's \"Abstract Algebra\") cold, you're way ahead of most any undergrad math major in the world! Because standards on undergrad math majors are not that high, nor that brutal the world over no matter what they say. If, additionally, you can solve any given problem in a book like, say, Hatcher's \"Algebraic Topology\" or any other famous grad level textbooks on, say, differential geometry or, uhh, functional analysis, you're officially in the big leagues. Again, if you're worried about being delusional about your proofs, you can always present them on MSE.\n[3] \"Book of Proof\" by Richard Hammach. It's online free.\nhttps://www.people.vcu.edu/~rhammack/BookOfProof/\n[4] \"Discrete Math\" by Susanna Epp\nhttps://www.google.com/books/edition/Discrete_Mathematics_wi... (https://www.google.com/books/edition/Discrete_Mathematics_with_Applications/_341EAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover)\n[5] \"How to Think About Analysis\" by Lara Alcock\nhttps://www.google.com/books/edition/How_to_Think_about_Anal... (https://www.google.com/books/edition/How_to_Think_about_Analysis/n0tuBAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover)\n[6] \"Linear Algebra\" by Kuldeep Singh\nhttps://www.google.com/books/edition/Linear_Algebra/BJNoAgAA... (https://www.google.com/books/edition/Linear_Algebra/BJNoAgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Pick a book. Say, Rudin's Principles of Mathematical Analysis[0].",
          "reason": "Used as an example of a book for independent study.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not a realistic fit for a novice.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23728159,
          "author": "graycat",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T22:24:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23728159",
          "commentText": "Linear algebra, and more than one such book.\nIMHO long and still the best linear algebra book is\nHalmos, Finite Dimensional Vector Spaces (FDVS).\nIt was written in 1942 when Halmos was an \"assistant\" to John von Neumann at the Institute for Advanced Study.  It is intended to be finite dimensional vector spaces but done with the techniques of Hilbert space.  The central result in the book, according to Halmos, is the spectral decomposition.  One result at a time, the quality of von Neumann comes through.  Commonly physicists have been given that book as their introduction to Hilbert space for quantum mechanics.\nBut FDVS is a little too much for a first book on linear algebra, or maybe even a second book, should be maybe a third one.\nAlso high quality is Nering, Linear Algebra and Matrix Theory.  Again, the quality comes through:  Nering was a student of Artin at Princeton.  There Nering does most of linear algebra on just finite fields, not just the real and complex fields; finite fields in linear algebra are important in error correcting codes.  So, that finite field work is a good introduction to abstract algebra.\nFor a first book on linear algebra, I'd recommend something easy.  The one I used was\nMurdoch,\nLinear Algebra for Undergraduates.\nIt's still okay if can find it.\nFor a first book, likely the one by Strang at MIT is good.  Just use it as a first book and don't take it too seriously since are going to cover all of it and more again later.\nI can recommend the beginning sections on vector spaces, convexity, and the inverse and implicit function theorems in\nFleming, Functions of Several Variables\nFleming was long at the Brown University Division of Applied Math. The later chapters are on measure theory, the Lebesgue integral, and the exterior algebra of differential forms, and there are better treatments.\nAlso there is now\nStephen Boyd and Lieven Vandenberghe, Introduction to Applied Linear Algebra – Vectors, Matrices, and Least Squares\nat\nhttp://vmls-book.stanford.edu/vmls.pdf\nSince the book is new, I've only       looked through it -- it looks like a good selection and arrangement of topics.  And Boyd is good, wrote a terrific book, maybe, IMHO likely, the best in the world, on convexity, which is in a sense is half of linearity.\nSome course slides are available at\nhttp://vmls-book.stanford.edu/\nFor reference for more, have a copy of\nRichard Bellman,\nIntroduction to Matrix Analysis:\nSecond Edition.\nBellman was famous for dynamic programming.\nFor computations in linear algebra, consider\nGeorge E. Forsythe and\nCleve B. Moler,\nComputer Solution of Linear Algebraic Systems\nalthough now the Linpack materials might be a better starting point for numerical linear algebra.  Numerical linear algebra is now a well developed specialized field, and the Linpack materials might be a good start on the best of the field.  Such linear algebra is apparently the main yardstick in evaluating the highly parallel supercomputers.\nAfter linear algebra go through\nRudin, Principles of Mathematical Analysis, Third Edition.\nHe does the Riemann integral very carefully, Fourier series, vector analysis via exterior algebra, and has the inverse and implicit function theorems (key to differential geometry, e.g., for relativity theory) as exercises.\nAll of this material is to get to the main goals of measure theory, the Lebesgue integral, Fourier theory, Hilbert space and Banach space as in, say, the first, real (not complex) half of\nRudin, Real and Complex Analysis\nBut for that I would start with\nRoyden, Real Analysis\nsweetheart writing on that math.\nDepending on the math department, those books might be enough to pass the Ph.D. qualifying exam in Analysis.  It was for me:  From those books I did the best in the class on that exam.\nMoreover, from independent study of Halmos, Nering, Fleming, Forsythe, linearity in statistics, and some more, I totally blew away all the students in a challenging second (maybe intentionally flunk out), advanced course in linear algebra and, then, did the best in the class on the corresponding qualifying exam, that is, where that second course was my first formal course in linear algebra.\nLesson:  Just self study of those books can give a really good background in linear algebra and its role in the rest of pure and applied math.\nNo joke, linear algebra, and the associated vector spaces, is one of the most important courses for more work in pure and applied math, engineering, and likely the future of computing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rudin, Principles of Mathematical Analysis, Third Edition.",
          "reason": "Recommended as the next step after linear algebra.",
          "audience": "Readers pursuing advanced analysis.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21351488,
          "author": "math_phd_to_dev",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-25T03:08:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21351488",
          "commentText": "I think that those who are down-voting people suggesting Rudin are missing the forest for the trees. The level is not as low as Feynman's lectures, but if you want a text that has the hallmarks of a true master at work, Rudin fits the bill. I personally always felt that what made Feynman's lectures what they are were, was that the man actually understood the subjects on such a deep level that his mind was able to hone in on those little simple thought experiments and ways of looking at things that gave you huge insight into what he was lecturing on. Rudin comes at analysis with the same level of understanding and that's why Real & Complex and Baby Rudin are still the gold standard for analysis texts. It is impossible to convey the sense of elegance that mathematicians speak about until you've seen it and been blown away by it. Rudin will do that and leave you speechless, he's the master. I can tell you that my first encounter with Real & Complex leaving me thinking that Rudin was on a fundamentally higher plane than any author I had read before, it was like watching a magician. If you're looking for a real Feynman in mathematics, IMHO Rudin is your man.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rudin is your man",
          "reason": "Praised as an exceptionally insightful, elegant analysis text and a strong mathematical counterpart to Feynman.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking masterful mathematical exposition.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its level is not as low as Feynman's lectures.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21347672,
          "author": "ska",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T18:30:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21347672",
          "commentText": "Rudin (and baby Rudin) don't really fit the request here, a Feynman-like approach.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Rudin (and baby Rudin) don't really fit the request here",
          "reason": "Says it does not fit the request for a Feynman-like approach.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10324787,
          "author": "nyc_cyn",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T18:10:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10324787",
          "commentText": "Principles of Mathematical Analysis by Walter Rudin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Principles of Mathematical Analysis by Walter Rudin",
          "reason": "Offered as an answer to the thread's request for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7579991,
          "author": "mahmud",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-13T02:49:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7579991",
          "commentText": "Run, don't walk, and get \"An Introduction to Mathematical Reasoning\"by Peter Eccles. That will open your eyes to mathematics, as done by mathematicians.\nAfter that, anything by Serge Lang. He is a first-rate mathematician and a fine educator. A master of mathematical exposition, a rare talent.\nI started with two books: \"Principles of Mathematical Analysis\" by Walter Rudin, and \"Abstract Algebra\" by Israel Herstein. Keyword is \"started\". Nearly every paragraph of either book sent me to a goose-chase of research and reading up on supporting materials. Safe to say that by the time I was nearly done with either, I have acquired about 50 other math books and had about zero social life ;-)\nGood news is that good math books are cheap, compared to anything computing. You can find classics for $1-$5 in most yard sales and 2nd hand bookstores. The trick is to buy thin math books; the giant, multi-color text books they use in schools are highly confusing, at least to me. It's 200 pages of math stretched to 1200, with a similar jump in price.\nMathematics is both style and substance. Once you get the hang of the basic language, the succinct delivery style, the proofs and generalizations, how notation is introduced and then elided when it becomes too apparent .. all these will add up to help you navigate more \"advanced\" texts. You will come to recognize what is a well-posed mathematical problem, and what is not, even if you don't understand the domain itself.\nFinally, if you have the option to study this formally at an institution, do it. The 2nd best option is to find a friend that shares this interest and discuss things. I didn't study it formally, but I was a barista at a coffee shop with plenty of mathphile customers. I had a lot of 1:1 instruction for highly qualified people on my 10 minute breaks :-)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I started with two books: \"Principles of Mathematical Analysis\" by Walter Rudin, and \"Abstract Algebra\" by Israel Herstein.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7579726,
          "author": "karamazov",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-13T00:41:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7579726",
          "commentText": "I'm a big fan of SICP. I'd describe it as \"hard-core\": requiring hard work, but extremely rewarding for the people who take the time and effort to go through it.\nI'd recommend the following three books to similarly cover the three main areas of higher mathematics (analysis, algebra, and topology):\n1. Principles of Mathematical Analysis by Rudin (http://www.amazon.com/Principles-Mathematical-Analysis-Inter... (http://www.amazon.com/Principles-Mathematical-Analysis-International-Mathematics/dp/007054235X))\n2. Algebra by Artin (http://www.amazon.com/Algebra-2nd-Featured-Titles-Abstract/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Algebra-2nd-Featured-Titles-Abstract/dp/0132413779))\n3. Topology by Munkres (http://www.amazon.com/Topology-2nd-James-Munkres/dp/01318162... (http://www.amazon.com/Topology-2nd-James-Munkres/dp/0131816292))\nWorking through all three (including the exercises!) will give you a solid understanding of the basis of modern mathematics. If you don't have experience with proofwriting, you might find them difficult at first - the activity is very different from performing calculations or solving equations. It's also best to have someone trained in mathematics talk to you about the proofs, until you develop a feel for the needed level of logical rigor.\nRudin, in particular, leaves a lot of work to the reader; going through that book is the most intellectually difficult work I've ever done. If you find it hard-going (which is completely natural), you might want to try Artin first, especially since you have some background in algebra.\n(Incidentally, these are the three books used to teach analysis, algebra, and topology to MIT mathematics majors. You can look up the assignments and exams for the three courses - 18.100B, 18.701, and 18.901 - for a good list of exercises to work through.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "1. Principles of Mathematical Analysis by Rudin",
          "reason": "Recommended as one of three books covering analysis, algebra, and topology.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a solid grounding in modern mathematics.",
          "caveat": "Leaves much work to the reader and is described as intellectually difficult; proofwriting experience helps.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7578787,
          "author": "kliao",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T19:02:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578787",
          "commentText": "I like Pugh too. All three are sitting on my bookshelf :). Coming from very little formal math training, and trying to self-study analysis, I would bounce from Rudin if I got stuck, go to Abbott for a confidence boost, and try out some Pugh for a different viewpoint. Pugh might have been just right in terms of rigor and accessibility.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I would bounce from Rudin if I got stuck",
          "reason": "Describes using Rudin as a reference when stuck, without evaluating it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7578439,
          "author": "daffodil2",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T17:20:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578439",
          "commentText": "I've tried reading Rudin a couple times, but it's a bit of a slog. There are easier analysis texts. Abbott's Understanding Analysis is good, though a bit basic. I'm currently reading Terence Tao's Analysis I, which is very good if you're in the right frame of mind for it. The first 150 pages are spent building the real numbers from scratch, starting with set theory and the Peano axioms. You successively construct the naturals, the integers, the rationals, and then the reals (as equivalence classes of Cauchy sequences of rationals). It's fun to see how the sausage is made, but I can also admit that when I was just starting out in math I might have found this book unbearably tedious.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I've tried reading Rudin a couple times, but it's a bit of a slog.",
          "reason": "Describes reading it as a slog.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7578358,
          "author": "dominotw",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T16:53:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578358",
          "commentText": "Baby Rudin still gives me nightmares.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Baby Rudin still gives me nightmares.",
          "reason": "The commenter expresses a negative personal reaction to the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7578242,
          "author": "jjoonathan",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T16:18:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578242",
          "commentText": "I third the recommendation on Axler's LADR.\nI'd actually like to hear about alternatives to Rudin. My undergrad analysis class used it, but it's lack of diagrams was particularly bothersome. I'd spend an hour digesting a rat's nest of a paragraph only to discover that the underlying concept was simple enough that even a rough sketch ought to be able to get the gist of it across in seconds.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "My undergrad analysis class used it, but it's lack of diagrams was particularly bothersome",
          "reason": "The commenter criticizes its lack of diagrams and says the prose could obscure simple concepts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7578198,
          "author": "nextos",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T16:04:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578198",
          "commentText": "Thanks. Axler's LADR is indeed fantastic, I have already worked through 1/2 of it. I'm really happy to see my opinion seconded. It's really short and precise. Some people seem to prefer Halmos' Finite Dimensional Vector Spaces, but I found the presentation less didactic. Perhaps it's also more of an upper division text, and I'm not there yet.\nI was looking for a real analysis companion, perhaps baby Rudin. I was also wondering whether it'd make sense to proceed directly to real analysis, or to step down a bit and read something like Spivak's Calculus.\nI'd also like to hear about recommendations at undergrad level in the fields of logic and set theory, geometry, combinatorics, and probability theory. Those would complete my basic math curriculum.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I was looking for a real analysis companion, perhaps baby Rudin",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a possible analysis companion, without an evaluation or recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7578089,
          "author": "kliao",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T15:31:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578089",
          "commentText": "Echo the above. Pairing little Rudin with a more user-friendly book like Understanding Analysis by Abbott is a great way to learn the material if you get stuck.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pairing little Rudin with a more user-friendly book like Understanding Analysis by Abbott is a great way to learn the material",
          "reason": "Recommended as a companion to a more approachable analysis book.",
          "audience": "Readers who get stuck with the material.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7578078,
          "author": "jvreeland",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T15:28:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578078",
          "commentText": "It's not nearly as easy to work through as SICP is but Principles of Mathematical Analysis by Walter Rudin (sometimes referred to as little Rudin) is a great place to start if you're interested in analysis. It's a hard book, but it's pretty much the standard for undergrad analysis.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Principles of Mathematical Analysis by Walter Rudin (sometimes referred to as little Rudin) is a great place to start",
          "reason": "Recommended as a starting point for analysis; described as hard and a standard undergraduate text.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in analysis.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is hard to work through.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2734410,
          "author": "NY_Entrepreneur",
          "createdAt": "2011-07-06T15:46:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 2723436,
          "threadTitle": "Suggest good sites/books on probability",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2734410",
          "commentText": "\"Can you please suggest on-line resource to learn great beginning and advanced probability concepts?\"\nYup!  The subject at the level you ask is a major topic in applied math but is not very popular in US universities.  So, you will not get many good answers.  In particular, the 'computer science' community, with 'machine learning' and 'artificial' this, Bayesian that, likely won't have good answers.\nYour \"on-line\" part is asking a bit much; I can give you references to books but not all on-line.  There may be some PDF files on-line, from TeX, that have such material; try some Google searching with the keywords used here.\nThe intuitive foundations of probability went back to gambling.\n'Probability' is a field of 'applied' math and as such is well defined:\nAbout 100 years ago, E. Borel student H. Lebesgue invented 'measure theory' which essentially 'rewrote' classic calculus, especially the part about integration.  For the simple cases, what Lebesgue did gets the same numerical values as the classic Riemann integral.  The difference is that in theoretical work Lebesgue's integral is much more general and much better 'behaved'.\nBut 'measure theory' has to do with, intuitively, 'length', 'area', 'volume' and various generalizations of these.  Well, in probability, for probability P and event A, the 'probability' of A is P(A) and is a number in [0,1] and acts much like the 'area' of A. The connection is so close that, in the end, we have to accept that the foundations of probability are measure theory.\nThen\nA. N. Kolmogorov, 'Foundations of the Theory of Probability, Second English Edition', Chelsea Publishing Company, New York, 1956.  English translation of the original German '\"Grundbegriffe der Wahrscheinlichkeitrechnung,\"' 'Ergebnisse Der Mathematik', 1933.\napplied Lebesgue's work to make probability a solid field of math.  Since then Kolmogorov's foundations have been nearly the only one taken seriously in any 'modern' or 'advanced' work in probability, stochastic processes, or mathematical statistics.\nA good start on a good text in stochastic processes was:\nJ. L. Doob, 'Stochastic Processes', John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1953.\nDoob was long at University of Illinois.  One of his students was P. Halmos who was later an assistant to von Neumann at the Institute for Advanced Study and in about 1942 wrote the first version of the still standard:\nPaul R. Halmos, 'Finite-Dimensional Vector Spaces, Second Edition', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, New Jersey, 1958.\nLater he wrote:\nPaul R. Halmos, 'Measure Theory', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, NJ, 1950.\nwith at the end a NICE introduction to probability and stochastic processes based on measure theory.\nLikely the first rock solid, quite comprehensive, highly polished presentation of 'modern' probability was the first edition of:\nM. Loeve, 'Probability Theory, I and II, 4th Edition', Springer-Verlag, New York, 1977.\nLoeve was long at Berkeley.  One of his students did:\nJacques Neveu, 'Mathematical Foundations of the Calculus of Probability', Holden-Day, San Francisco, 1965.\nand another did:\nLeo Breiman, 'Probability', ISBN 0-89871-296-3, SIAM, Philadelphia, 1992.\nEither of these two can be regarded as a more succinct presentation of the more important material in Loeve.  Breiman is the more 'practical' and 'accessible'; Neveu is a crown jewel of elegance and succinctness but not always easy to read.\nOther good presentations of much the same material include:\nKai Lai Chung, 'A Course in Probability Theory, Second Edition', ISBN 0-12-174650-X, Academic Press, New York, 1974.\nand\nYuan Shih Chow and Henry Teicher, 'Probability Theory:  Independence, Interchangeability, Martingales', ISBN 0-387-90331-3, Springer-Verlag, New York, 1978.\nIn total, those texts nail down 'probability' at all four corners and make it a rock solid topic in applied math.  Good knowledge of, say, Breiman is a necessary and sufficient condition for knowing 'probability' at a serious level, that is, without being watered down for 'general audiences'.\nFor more, proceed with stochastic processes, stochastic optimal control, mathematical statistics, etc.\nFor learning probability, minimal prerequisites (more would be helpful) would be abstract algebra, linear algebra, 'analysis', measure theory, and functional analysis.\nFor abstract algebra, there are many texts.  Sufficient is\nI. N. Herstein, 'Topics in Algebra', Blaisdell, New York, 1964.\nbut can consider S. Lang, etc.\nFor linear algebra, there are many texts, but the old:\nPaul R. Halmos, 'Finite-Dimensional Vector Spaces, Second Edition', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, New Jersey, 1958.\nremains a good 'second' text.  It is also an introduction to functional analysis.\nThe main text for 'analysis' is just:\nWalter Rudin, 'Principles of Mathematical Analysis', McGraw-Hill, New York.\nin whatever is the latest edition.\nCan skip the material on exterior algebra or just get it from the original source, now in English:\nHenri Cartan, 'Differential Forms', ISBN 0-486-45010-4, Dover, Mineola, NY, 2006.\nFor measure theory and functional analysis, the standards are:\nH. L. Royden, 'Real Analysis:  Second Edition', Macmillan, New York.\nand the first (real) half of:\nWalter Rudin, 'Real and Complex Analysis', ISBN 07-054232-5, McGraw-Hill, New York.\nActually, Loeve also covers much of this material.  Neveu slips in quite a lot.\nThen you will be ready for Breiman, Neveu, Chung, Chow and Teicher, or Loeve.\nYou will discover:\nThe start of probability theory is a 'probability space'.  For that, there are three parts, (1) the 'sample space', (2) the 'events', and (3) the 'probability measure'.\nThe 'sample space' is just a set of points; to support any reasonably serious work in probability, the sample space has to be uncountably infinite.  In all our work, we do some one 'trial', and that corresponds to some one point in the sample space.  The other points in the sample space are what 'might' have been our trial.\nAn 'event' is a set of trials.  We ask that the collection of all events have some 'closure' properties to make that collection a 'sigma algebra'.  So, briefly, the collection of events has as one event the whole sample space and is closed under relative complements and countable unions.\nIn terms of measure theory, the sample space and the sigma algebra of events form a 'measurable space'.  A 'probability measure' is just a positive measure with total 'mass' 1. Thank you Lebesgue and measure theory.\nOn the reals R, we can take the open sets and, then, the Borel sets, that is, the smallest sigma algebra that contains the open sets.  A 'random variable' is a function from the probability space to the reals that is 'measurable', that is, the inverse image of a Borel set is an event.\nAs an alternative, we can ask that the inverse image of the Lebesgue measurable sets of R be events.\nIf X is such a random variable, then its 'expectation' E[X] is just the Lebesgue ('abstract') integral of X over the probability space.  For E[X] to exist, we need only that X be measurable and that the integral of both the positive and the negative parts of X not be infinite (we don't want to subtract one infinity from another).  E.g., Lebesgue integration is very 'general':  All we need is measurability and not subtract one infinity from another.\nBy a change of variable, we can also write the expectation as a Lebesgue integral over the real line with respect to the 'distribution' of X on R. Or, X 'induces' a probability measure on R.\nWe can discuss convergence of random variables -- in distribution, probability, mean square, and almost surely.\nThen we can define independence for events, sigma algebras, and random variables.  E.g., with this approach, if X and Y are independent random variables and f and g are functions, then f(X) and g(Y) are independent random variables.  Don't try to prove this the elementary way!\nWith independent random variables, we can cover the classic limit theorems -- central limit theorem, weak and strong laws of large numbers, and the law of the iterated logarithm.\nUsing the Radon-Nikodym theorem of measure theory, for random variables X and Y we can define their 'conditional expectation' E[Y|X].\nWith such 'conditioning' we can discuss Markov processes, martingales, and the martingale convergence theorem.\nWe can also move on to ergodic theory and, say, Poincare recurrence (keep stirring the coffee and the cream will separate back, close to where it was when it was poured in).\nThose are the previews of coming attractions.\nNote:  This material is not very popular in US universities.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The main text for 'analysis' is just:\nWalter Rudin, 'Principles of Mathematical Analysis', McGraw-Hill, New York.",
          "reason": "Named as the main text for analysis preparation.",
          "audience": "Readers preparing for advanced probability.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says to use the latest edition.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Walter Rudin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 19,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "real analysis",
        "mathematical analysis",
        "mathematical proofs",
        "textbooks"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "eloquent-javascript-6b4a0c",
      "title": "Eloquent JavaScript",
      "author": "Marijn Haverbeke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40853724,
          "author": "purple-leafy",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-02T05:07:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 40840658,
          "threadTitle": "Books to Dive in into Fullstack Development",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40853724",
          "commentText": "Please, people need to stop recommending eloquent JavaScript. It’s fine for 6 chapters then it becomes absolute garbage, with the worst explanation for promises and async that I have ever seen in my life. “Crow networks” wtf! Stupid contrived example, I own the bloody book and it’s one of the only programming books I own that I NEVER RECOMMEND TO ANYONE",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Please, people need to stop recommending eloquent JavaScript.",
          "reason": "The commenter strongly advises against recommending the book, criticizing its later chapters and explanations of promises and async.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says the book is fine for six chapters, then calls it poor, especially its promises and async explanations.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40850155,
          "author": "fallinditch",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-01T20:15:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 40840658,
          "threadTitle": "Books to Dive in into Fullstack Development",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40850155",
          "commentText": "Books are ok but I think it's better to learn with websites that use live coding examples and exercises.\nhttps://www.freecodecamp.org/ is good, the Responsive Web Design and JavaScript courses are a good place to start, there's a great community of learners and tutors to help.\nThe MDN developer resources is a useful site to keep open while you learn. https://developer.mozilla.org\nNow pick a framework to start learning and building with. React is the most used but I chose Svelte because it is powerful yet has simpler syntax and is easier to learn, also supposed to be more performant.\nThe Svelte tutorial is an excellent learning resource, nicely detailed and structured. I also found it to be a useful refresher for JavaScript in a more practical real world context. https://svelte.dev/\nWhile doing the Svelte tutorial, and in fact all the time now, I have a tab open for an AI chat bot. I find Perplexity to be particularly useful for explaining syntax and code snippets.\nIf you want to get more into JavaScript then a good book is Eloquent JavaScript https://eloquentjavascript.net/\nOther posters have pointed out the complexity of the back end stuff and devops, etc. You can simplify this aspect by using a service like Supabase or Firebase.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a good book is Eloquent JavaScript",
          "reason": "Suggested for learning more JavaScript.",
          "audience": "Readers who want to get more into JavaScript.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37351937,
          "author": "im_lince",
          "createdAt": "2023-09-01T15:18:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 37325594,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books to learn web development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37351937",
          "commentText": "I learned HTML and CSS from W3 schools and Javascript from eloquent javascript by Marijn Haverbeke https://eloquentjavascript.net/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Javascript from eloquent javascript by Marijn Haverbeke",
          "reason": "Says they learned JavaScript from it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37331746,
          "author": "darepublic",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-31T02:22:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 37325594,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books to learn web development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37331746",
          "commentText": "A long time ago I read secrets of the JavaScript ninja. I feel like perhaps that is outdated though.  I would probably recommend eloquent JavaScript at this point or googling for online materials",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would probably recommend eloquent JavaScript",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as a current JavaScript book choice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37330163,
          "author": "rabbits_2002",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-30T22:48:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 37325594,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books to learn web development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37330163",
          "commentText": "I loved Eloquent Javascript, I even bought a printed copy. Mozilla also has amazing documentation in all aspects of web dev.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved Eloquent Javascript, I even bought a printed copy.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they loved it and bought a printed copy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37326873,
          "author": "johnsonjo",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-30T18:40:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 37325594,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books to learn web development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37326873",
          "commentText": "I learned HTML and CSS mainly from MDN, so that's where I suggest you look. As for stuff I use in css most often I can only recommend a few articles and such. Learn how to use Flexbox and CSS Grid though for sure (as those are the two most modern ways to layout an HTML page) as well as CSS Positioning [0] (which is some of the older ways to lay things out).\n[0]: https://alistapart.com/article/css-positioning-101/\nFor JS there are some online books that are gold mines the problem is finding them. One is Eloquent JavaScript which is available to read online for free here [1].\n[1]: https://eloquentjavascript.net/\nThough I've never actually finished the whole thing it does a pretty great job explaining JS to the uninitiated.\nMy other favorite books in JS are actually all from the same person Axel Rauschmayer. All of his books are available online for free here [2]. He has a really good way of explaining in my opinion and his books kind of take out all the fluff.\n[2]: https://exploringjs.com/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "One is Eloquent JavaScript which is available to read online for free here",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a resource that explains JavaScript well to newcomers.",
          "audience": "People new to JavaScript.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not finished the whole book.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37326037,
          "author": "code_primer",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-30T17:50:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 37325594,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books to learn web development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37326037",
          "commentText": "A textbook which gives a good introduction to Web Development is:\n1) Fundamentals of Web Development (Randy Connolly and Ricardo Hoar).\nI have the 2nd Ed but the 3rd Ed is out and is more contemporary.\nSpecific books for HTML and CSS are:\n1) HTML and CSS - The Comprehensive Guide (decent contemporary introduction)\n2) CSS in Depth\n3) CSS The Definite Guide - 5th Ed - Reference\nSpecific books for JavaScript.\n1) Javascript - The Comprehensive Guide (decent contemporary introduction)\n2) Eloquent JavaScript - 3rd Ed\n3) Javascipt - The Definite Guide - 7th Ed",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Eloquent JavaScript - 3rd Ed",
          "reason": "Lists it among specific books for JavaScript.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34414662,
          "author": "bpesquet",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-17T16:36:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 34412069,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach programming by building a series of small projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34414662",
          "commentText": "I beg to differ: for all its qualities, Eloquent JavaScript is not a very beginner-friendly book. It goes quite deep into many JS intricaties and contains a lot of challenging tasks for people just discovering programming.\nMore beginner-focused alternatives are https://www.freecodecamp.org and https://thejsway.net.\nDisclaimer: I've been teaching programming professionally for 15+ years and wrote the latter.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Eloquent JavaScript is not a very beginner-friendly book.",
          "reason": "Criticizes its suitability for beginners, citing deep material and challenging tasks.",
          "audience": "People just discovering programming.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it goes deep into JavaScript intricacies and has challenging tasks.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34412901,
          "author": "modernerd",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-17T14:43:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 34412069,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach programming by building a series of small projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34412901",
          "commentText": "For Swift:\nhttps://www.apple.com/swift/playgrounds/ (I've had more success introducing programming with this than with any of the links below; it's a very compelling intro for those who already own an iPad/Mac, and the core concepts are generalisable to other languages/environments even if it's specific to Apple's APIs and hardware.)\n~~~\nFor Python:\nhttps://automatetheboringstuff.com\nhttps://nostarch.com/big-book-small-python-projects\n~~~\nFor JS:\nhttps://eloquentjavascript.net (project-based and for beginners)\nhttps://javascript30.com (not for total beginners or self-study, would need a friend/tutor)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://eloquentjavascript.net (project-based and for beginners)",
          "reason": "Describes it as project-based and for beginners.",
          "audience": "Beginners learning JavaScript.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34412355,
          "author": "werber",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-17T13:54:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 34412069,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach programming by building a series of small projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34412355",
          "commentText": "https://eloquentjavascript.net/ is nice and project based, it builds up from 0",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://eloquentjavascript.net/ is nice and project based, it builds up from 0",
          "reason": "Recommended as a project-based introduction that builds from the basics.",
          "audience": "People learning JavaScript.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14521795,
          "author": "ciw1973",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-09T14:53:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14521795",
          "commentText": "\"Eloquent Javascript\" (http://eloquentjavascript.net/) definitely gets my vote, as it starts with concepts that someone new to programming would need to understand before diving into the specifics of the language. Available to read online for free, although well worth spending money on a physical copy to thumb through, but it may be a little too slow to get going for someone who already has experience with other languages.\nFor developers, I'd recommend Kyle Simpson's \"You Don't Know JS\" books, in particular \"This & Object Prototypes\", followed by \"Scopes & Closures\". Well written, with plenty of example code, these are deep dives into specific areas which make Javascript different/weird. They're available to read in his Github repo (https://github.com/getify/You-Dont-Know-JS), but consider buying them, as he deserves to get paid.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Eloquent Javascript\" (http://eloquentjavascript.net/) definitely gets my vote",
          "reason": "Recommends it for newcomers because it introduces programming concepts before JavaScript specifics.",
          "audience": "Someone new to programming.",
          "caveat": "May be too slow for someone experienced with other languages.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14469386,
          "author": "appleiigs",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-02T12:39:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14469386",
          "commentText": "He's talking about recursion - a function calling itself. I find it's funny that factorials are understood easily in high school, but then recursion is mind blowing in front of a computer. Just like factorials, it can be understood best by walking through it with paper and pencil.\nThe examples in Eloquent Javascript need to be studied by the reader to get the most out of that book. I think people just glance at them with out typing them up and running them.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The examples in Eloquent Javascript need to be studied by the reader",
          "reason": "Says its examples should be studied and run to get the most out of it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14466225,
          "author": "paultopia",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-02T00:02:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14466225",
          "commentText": "FWIW, I started with Eloquent Javascript and moved on to You Don't Know JS.  For me (self-taught type but with some experience, mostly use Python and Clojure) that seemed to do the trick, I'm working on a small Vue.js learning-type project right now and it isn't horribly blowing up, I feel lots more comfortable than I used to with JS, etc.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "I started with Eloquent Javascript",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14463910,
          "author": "old_chap",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-01T19:55:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14463910",
          "commentText": "I'm learning Javascript. I can safely say im comfortable with most fundemental programming concepts...then the book starts talking about recursive functions.\nSuffice to say once I hit that section I went back to codeacademy finished the course (which never brought them up and I'm not sure if that's good or bad) now I'm back in Eloquent Javascript...it get's really hard really fast.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "now I'm back in Eloquent Javascript",
          "reason": "The commenter says they returned to the book while learning JavaScript.",
          "audience": "JavaScript learners comfortable with basic programming concepts.",
          "caveat": "Says it gets hard quickly, especially at recursive functions.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14462373,
          "author": "abraves10001",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-01T17:23:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14462373",
          "commentText": "I honestly don't know.  Maybe read one of the books mentioned here, eloquent or the good parts, and enroll in a course specific to a framework (i got a free subscription to front-end masters, that has a few good courses) and go from there.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Maybe read one of the books mentioned here, eloquent or the good parts",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14461705,
          "author": "thinkxl",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-01T16:27:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14461705",
          "commentText": "These:\n- Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja by John Resig (my favorite)\n- Eloquent JavaScript by Marijn Haverbeke",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Eloquent JavaScript by Marijn Haverbeke",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the question asking for a JavaScript book.",
          "audience": "People learning JavaScript.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14461626,
          "author": "spraak",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-01T16:19:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14461626",
          "commentText": "I think this is the best beginners book for sure. In case anyone is wondering, it doesn't teach ES6, but it does teach veey grounded Javascript ideas and it won't be difficult to catch up with the latest changes to JS after learning from this book. It's also free!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it does teach veey grounded Javascript ideas and it won't be difficult to catch up with the latest changes to JS after learning from this book",
          "reason": "Recommended as a beginner's book for grounded JavaScript fundamentals; notes that it does not teach ES6.",
          "audience": "Beginners learning JavaScript fundamentals.",
          "caveat": "It does not teach ES6.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14461232,
          "author": "petercooper",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-01T15:41:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14461232",
          "commentText": "Depends on what your level is going in.\nFor an absolute beginner, JavaScript and jQuery by Jon Duckett is extremely accessible. Sure, it covers jQuery but it's so well aimed at total beginners it's not a bad path.\nAt the lower intermediate level, Eloquent JavaScript (mentioned elsewhere) is fantastic.\nAt higher levels/if you know other languages and are comfortable learning new ones: Effective JavaScript, YDKJS, and Speaking JavaScript all fantastic and complement each other in various ways.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Eloquent JavaScript (mentioned elsewhere) is fantastic.",
          "reason": "Praised for learners at the lower intermediate level.",
          "audience": "Lower intermediate learners.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14461046,
          "author": "peterchon",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-01T15:25:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14461046",
          "commentText": "Eloquent javascript is also fantastic.\nhttp://eloquentjavascript.net/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Eloquent javascript is also fantastic.",
          "reason": "Explicitly praised in response to a request for a JavaScript learning book.",
          "audience": "JavaScript learners.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13661145,
          "author": "r_singh",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-16T16:23:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13661145",
          "commentText": "Eloquent Javascript - http://eloquentjavascript.net/\nYou build 5 projects through the book - a programming language, paint program, a dom game and a skill sharing website using node js.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Eloquent Javascript - http://eloquentjavascript.net/ You build 5 projects through the book",
          "reason": "Listed as a project-based book, with five projects built throughout.",
          "audience": "Readers learning JavaScript through projects.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9758344,
          "author": "hbharadwaj",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T14:02:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758344",
          "commentText": "Eloquent JavaScript by Written by Marijn Haverbeke",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Eloquent JavaScript by Written by Marijn Haverbeke",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9612014,
          "author": "hanief",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T15:25:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9612014",
          "commentText": "Eloquent JavaScript. A delightful introduction to JavaScript and programming in general. http://eloquentjavascript.net",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Eloquent JavaScript. A delightful introduction to JavaScript and programming in general.",
          "reason": "Calls it a delightful introduction to JavaScript and programming.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8597246,
          "author": "bzalasky",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-12T18:31:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 8595745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommended books for beginner web developer",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8597246",
          "commentText": "Here's a great collection of resources (compiled by Zed Shaw) for learning about programming, software and web development:\n- http://programming-motherfucker.com/become.html\nYou'll find resources on Zed's site that will help you learn the web development toolchain as well. You'll want a good editor, an understanding of git and version control, as well as the command line (apologies if you're acquainted with these already but looking to get into web development).\nAnother thing to remember is that once you grasp the basics, you can learn a lot from reading other people's code (especially libraries) and the associated documentation.\nSome other resources that helped me out immensely when I was getting started (or that I wish I'd read):\nA great overview of JavaScript.\n- http://eloquentjavascript.net/\nOnce you get the basics of JS down, this book will help you learn how to organize your code better.\n- http://addyosmani.com/resources/essentialjsdesignpatterns/bo... (http://addyosmani.com/resources/essentialjsdesignpatterns/book/)\nAn overview of HTML5.\n- http://fortuito.us/diveintohtml5/\nWhile it's from 2010, most of it is probably still applicable. This was the intro to CSS that helped me grasp the box model and DOM.\n- https://code.tutsplus.com/tutorials/css-noob-to-ninja--net-1... (https://code.tutsplus.com/tutorials/css-noob-to-ninja--net-12186)\nThis is a great book for learning how to organize SASS/CSS files in a large project.\n- https://smacss.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A great overview of JavaScript.",
          "reason": "Listed as a resource for learning JavaScript.",
          "audience": "People getting started with programming and web development.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401623,
          "author": "almog",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:48:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401623",
          "commentText": "Read: \nThe Fall of Hyperion\nReading:\nEloquent Javascript 2nd edition\nLearn You a Haskell for Great Good\nNext:\nDiscworld series\nSecrets of The Javascript Ninja",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Eloquent Javascript 2nd edition",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5859029,
          "author": "auslegung",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-11T01:48:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 5859004,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5859029",
          "commentText": "Currently:\n1. Javascript: The Good Parts\n2. Eloquent Javascript\n3. The New Testament and the People of God by NT Wright",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Eloquent Javascript",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2385686,
          "author": "malandrew",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-30T03:29:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 2380810,
          "threadTitle": "Best program and books to learn how to code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2385686",
          "commentText": "You can't go wrong with any of those books.\nGiven your interest in mobile/web apps, my recommendation is to start with Eloquent Javascript then Dive into HTML5 and then DOM Scripting. With those three, you'll have a solid base for what the next 5 years of what technology trends will throw at you.\nEventually you'll need to start working more with stuff on the server side. Once that time comes, you'll know enough to choose the server side language that makes the most sense for you (my bet is that you'll probably end up choosing between Javascript, Python, Ruby or Clojure in that order).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "my recommendation is to start with Eloquent Javascript then Dive into HTML5 and then DOM Scripting",
          "reason": "Recommended as the first book in a learning sequence for mobile and web apps.",
          "audience": "Learners interested in mobile or web apps.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2381053,
          "author": "malandrew",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-29T02:15:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 2380810,
          "threadTitle": "Best program and books to learn how to code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2381053",
          "commentText": "In addition to what others have said, I would add The Little Schemer to the list. It may not seem like the most practical book, but it will make you a better programmer.\nBeyond that, I would reiterate the following suggestions put forth by others:\n-- How to Design Programs (get version 2. Racket, the IDE for this book, is practically plug-and-play, so you won't waste time prepping your development environment)\n-- Think Python by Allen Downey (i haven't read this one, but it comes very highly recommended. the excerpts I've read show that Allen communicates the concepts very clearly)\n-- Eloquent Javascript (very good introduction, all examples can be done directly in the browser with the specially-made console. This eliminates the time and confusion you will experience trying to set up a development environment with other languages.)\nOn top of those I'd also add:\n-- The C Programming Language by K&R (if you are interested in C)\n-- Dive into HTML5 (if you are interested in web development. HTML is a markup language, but you are going to need it to be able to build web stuff. This book complements Eloquent Javascript nicely)\n-- Land of Lisp\n-- DOM Scripting (Pair this book with Eloquent Javascript. It's the best introduction to the DOM that I've seen and will bridge the gap between HTML and Javascript)\nThe best books on coding are those that place equal emphasis on good prose and good programming practice and that de-emphasize syntax.\nAlso, look for books where the examples are real-world examples. i.e. things that people have actually had to implement at one time or another. Avoid books with completely imaginary examples that use made up names like foo, bar, widget, etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Eloquent Javascript (very good introduction, all examples can be done directly in the browser",
          "reason": "Praised as a very good introduction with examples that run in the browser.",
          "audience": "People learning JavaScript, especially those who want to avoid setting up a development environment.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2380986,
          "author": "greglockwood",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-29T01:46:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 2380810,
          "threadTitle": "Best program and books to learn how to code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2380986",
          "commentText": "If you want to do front end web dev, learn these languages in this order:\nHTML - http://www.w3schools.com/html/\nCSS - http://www.w3schools.com/css/default.asp\nJavascript - http://eloquentjavascript.net/contents.html\nAnd then pick one of the following two:\nPHP - http://www.tuxradar.com/practicalphp\nor \nRails - http://ruby.railstutorial.org/ruby-on-rails-tutorial-book\nThere are many languages that you can learn for front end other than RoR and PHP, but they are two of the most popular right now, and will almost certainly suit your needs. Good luck, and stick with it when it gets frustrating, learning how to code is definitely worth it!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Javascript - http://eloquentjavascript.net/contents.html",
          "reason": "Recommended as part of a learning path for front-end web development.",
          "audience": "People learning front-end web development.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marijn Haverbeke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 19,
      "threads": 9,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "javascript",
        "programming",
        "web development",
        "project based learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hackers-painters-1aaea7",
      "title": "Hackers & Painters",
      "author": "Paul Graham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910210,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:25:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910210",
          "commentText": "- \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies\" - probably the most influential book I've read in my life, profoundly changed the way I think. It's a collection of LessWrong essays on science and rationality.\n- \"On Intelligence\" and \"I am a Strange Loop\" - how mind works.\n- \"Rework\", \"Zero to One\", \"Start Small, Stay Small\" - insightful startup advice.\n- Fun autobiographies: Ghost in the Wires (Kevin Mitnick), iWoz (Steve Wozniak), Catch me if you can (Frank Abagnale), Just for Fun (Linus Torvalds), Elon Musk, Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\n- How companies work: Creativity Inc (Pixar), In the Plex (Google)\n- On writing: Art of fiction/nonfiction by Ayn Rand, Story by Robert McKee, Save the Cat, Step by Step to Standup Comedy.\n- Other: The Selfish Gene, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Serious Creativity, Hackers & Painters, Hacking Growth, Angel (on angel investing, by Jason Calacanis).\nAlso collections of essays by Paul Graham [1] and Scott Alexander [2]:\n[1] https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%20Complete%20Essays.epub?dl=0)\n[2] https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of%20Scott%20Alexandria%20-%20Scott%20Alexander.epub?dl=0)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hackers & Painters",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9347895,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T14:48:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9347895",
          "commentText": "Here's my usual list of recommendations, the best books I've read in the past 5 years.\nFiction:\n- Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\nIf you know nothing about this book you might naturally hesitate to read \"Harry Potter fanfiction\" and assume that it's dumb/horrbile, but it's not. Just suspend your disbelief and read the first 5-10 chapters. Trust me, it's brilliant, hilarious, and life-changing.\n- Atlas Shrugged\nControversial, I know, a lot of people here hate it for some reason, but it was incredibly influential on me, inspired my passion for entrepreneurship and science and philosophy. Still is one of the best books I am aware of.\nNonfiction:\n- Hackers and Painters by Paul Graham\nAlso a collection of his essays that you can find on github. He is one of the most clever writers I am aware of, but I assume you know that, since you're on HN.\n- \"On Intelligence\" by Jeff Hawkins\nThis book explains in simple terms a very awesome and elegant theory on how mind works. Incredibly fascinating, I've learned a lot from it and it explains a lot of things, and will change the way you think about thinking process.\n- The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins\nEngaging and entertaining explanation of evolution, absolutely fantastic book.\n- The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli.\nDespite the stigma, and people thinking that Machhiavellian = \"evil\", I've found this book extremely clever and wise.\n- Serious Creativity by Edward De Bono\nThe best book on creativity and the process of generating ideas that I'm aware of.\n- Abundance\nThis is a very inspiring and optimistic book about the future of technology.\nEntrepreneurhsip:\n- Start Small, Stay Small\nGuide to creating your first product/business for hackers. It lays out all the basics of entrepreneurship in a very concise and clear ways, my favorite introduction to startups.\n- Rework\nVery wise and intelligent advice about startups, intelligent and witty, must read.\n- Lean Startup\nClassic book on \"lean startup methodology\", very useful.\n- 4-Hour Workweek\nDespite the silly title I think it is a great book and is very much worth reading. Many people here dislike Tim Ferris, but whatever, I think this book is cool.\nAutobiographies:\n- Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman\n- Ghost In The Wires by Kevin Mitnick\n- Catch me if you can by Abagnale\n- iWoz by Steve Wozniak\n- Losing my Virginity by Richard Branson\nAll these are fantastic and very intelligent autobiographies by the very awesome people.\nNow I'm reading \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" and \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies.\"\n\"Rationality\" is great and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. Can't say much about GEB, I've only started reading it, but everyone is saying that it is so great and the best book ever, so I think it's definitely worth checking out.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "He is one of the most clever writers I am aware of, but I assume you know that, since you're on HN.",
          "reason": "Praises the author's writing, though the comment gives no specific evaluation of this book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentions a collection of essays on GitHub as well.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8001335,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T20:54:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8001335",
          "commentText": "> \"Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach\"\nI think it is one of the best books written on any topic ever period.\nIt is kinda advanced but also brilliant, and was a turning point in my decision to master hacking.\n> Now I am reading \"Two Scoops of Django\" and enjoying it A LOT.\nIt's closer to a beginner/intermediate level, and it brings me a lot of joy and excitement about programming.\n> Another one is \"Hackers & Painters\", of course. PG is brilliant, nuff said.\nHis book \"ANSI Common Lisp\" is definitely on the top of my reading list, I've already started and it is great.\n> Just to mention, a little less technical book is \"Ghost In The Wires\" by Kevin Mitnick, a famous hacker.\nI'm listening the audiobook now and it is really inspiring, entertaining and fantastic.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Another one is \"Hackers & Painters\", of course. PG is brilliant, nuff said.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4477081,
          "author": "murz",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-04T23:32:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 4476107,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN : What are some great books an aspiring entrepreneur should read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4477081",
          "commentText": "Have you checked out the handful of books listed on the YCombinator \"Startup Library\" page (http://ycombinator.com/lib.html)?:\nDale Carnegie: How to Win Friends and Influence People\nEdward Tufte: The Visual Display of Quantitative Information\nPaul Graham: Hackers and Painters\nJessica Livingston: Founders at Work",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Paul Graham: Hackers and Painters",
          "reason": "Listed as a book on the Startup Library page, in response to a request for recommended books.",
          "audience": "Aspiring entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395527,
          "author": "Cardinal",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T12:06:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395527",
          "commentText": "It has to be Java Concurrency in Practice. Even though it has Java in its name I think every programmer should read this.\nOther books I absolutely loved are Effective Java 2 and Programming Interviews Exposed. I'm waiting for Amazon to ship me the second edition of the latter.\nHackers and Painters is a classic I default to whenever I'm looking for inspiration.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hackers and Painters is a classic I default to whenever I'm looking for inspiration.",
          "reason": "Calls it a classic and turns to it for inspiration.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395249,
          "author": "largepuma",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T09:22:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395249",
          "commentText": "My choice is \"Hackers and Painters\" in Chinese edition, though it is first pressed in 2004.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My choice is \"Hackers and Painters\" in Chinese edition",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231105,
          "author": "tcarney",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T16:49:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231105",
          "commentText": "hacker news required reading of course:\nHackers & Painters - pg",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hackers & Painters - pg",
          "reason": "Presented as Hacker News required reading.",
          "audience": "Hacker News readers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2330440,
          "author": "riskish",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-16T02:29:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 2329700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that change your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2330440",
          "commentText": "I have found these books to be very influential in my thinking on web startups and building things in general:\n1) Hackers & Painters - PG\n2) Smart & Get Things Done - Joel Spolsky\n3) Rework - Jason Fried\n4) Getting Real - Jason Fried\n5) Founders at Work - Jessica Livingston\n6) Joel on Software - Joel Spolsky\nThese are by far some of my favorites.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1) Hackers & Painters - PG",
          "reason": "Includes it among books they found influential and among their favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752307,
          "author": "jseliger",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T07:24:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752307",
          "commentText": "See here: http://jseliger.com/2010/03/22/influential-books-on-me-that-... (http://jseliger.com/2010/03/22/influential-books-on-me-that-is/) for a list of influential books on me. I actually have a half-written post on books I wish I'd read when I was younger; here it is:\n1. <em>Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience</em> by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi\n2. <em>The Guide to Getting It On</em> by Paul Johannides [sp?]\n3. <em>The Mating Mind: How Sexual Choice Shaped the Evolution of Human Nature</em> by Geoffrey Miller\n4. <em>Hackers & Painters</em> by Paul Graham\n5. <em>Man's Search for Meaning</em> by Viktor Frankl\n6. <em>Stumbling on Happiness</em> by Daniel Gilbert\nIn all cases, I think these books profoundly shaped how not only I think, but I think others can learn to think too. All suddenly revealed new connections and ideas about the world I'd never experienced or expected to experience before.\nGranted, no book can be removed from its context, and its possible that if I'd read some of the books above as a younger person I wouldn't have been ready to appreciate them. But <em>Flow</em> seems by far the most valuable of the choices listed above because it engulfs more of the content of the others than any other choice.\nSteven Berlin Johnson's new book Where Ideas Come From looks promising: http://www.amazon.com/Where-Good-Ideas-Come-Innovation/dp/15... (http://www.amazon.com/Where-Good-Ideas-Come-Innovation/dp/1594487715?ie=UTF8&tag=thstsst-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957) .",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "4. <em>Hackers & Painters</em> by Paul Graham",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books the commenter says profoundly shaped their thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that age and context can affect whether a reader is ready to appreciate it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1032181,
          "author": "adam-_-",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-05T10:31:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1032181",
          "commentText": "Flat Earth News - Nick Davies: An interesting discussion about falsehood and PR in newspapers and the media generally.\nHackers & Painters - Paul Graham: Read it this year and enjoyed it a lot.\nShantaram - Gregory David Roberts: Awe inspiring \"true\" story about a convict who escaped to India.  Really made me want to take a trip to India.  Perhaps not the highest quality prose but a gripping story never-the-less.\nA Simple Act of Violence - R J Ellory: I'm reading this right now and it's the first book in a while that has really grabbed me.  Well written crime/thriller type book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hackers & Painters - Paul Graham: Read it this year and enjoyed it a lot.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed it a lot.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 766731,
          "author": "weaksauce",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-16T20:59:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=766731",
          "commentText": "\"Hackers and Painters\" or \"Founders at Work\" are both good books if you haven't picked them up yet. Not language learning or directly programming but interesting none the less.\nA book more directly related to programing would be \"Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\" or \"The Little Schemer.\" bring a notebook and do problems out of them like defunkt said and it will help in all your programming.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Hackers and Painters\" or \"Founders at Work\" are both good books",
          "reason": "Describes it as a good book.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computing beyond language instruction or direct programming.",
          "caveat": "Not language learning or directly programming.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 248542,
          "author": "simplyauser",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T15:09:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248542",
          "commentText": "I have read many of the recommend books. Here are my two pence.\nBooks on Wealth\n    1. \"Rich Dad Poor Dad\"\n     and find out exactly why someone becomes rich.\n    (if you like this one, at some point you may also\n     want to quickly scan through \"Cashflow Quadrant\n     Rich Dad's Guide to Financial Freedom\".)\n\n     2. Also \"chapter 6 - How to make wealth\"\n     from \"Hackers and Painters's chapter 6 - \"\n\n     3. \"The Way to Wealth by Benjamin Franklin\"\n\n\nInvesting books in this order\n    1. Peter Lynch's One Up on wall street\n    2. The Intelligent Investor  (Ben Graham)\n    3. Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits\n    4. Security Analysis (Ben Graham)\n    5. The Warren Buffet Way is a famous business read not exceptional but read it if you have some time left\n    6. A Random Walk Down Wall Street (Read it for a good laugh)\n\n\nDo NOT read\n    1. AA- The Motley Fool Money Guide\n    2. How Gerge Soros Knows What He Knows\n    3. Investing Online For Dummies\n    4. Malkiel Burton - A Random Walk Down Wall Street\n    5. Cracking the millionaire code\n    6. Joel Greenblatt - You Can Be A Stock Market Genius",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Hackers and Painters's chapter 6 - \"",
          "reason": "Recommends chapter 6 on how to make wealth.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The recommendation is for chapter 6, not necessarily the whole book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240672,
          "author": "rdoherty",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T02:21:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240672",
          "commentText": "* The Pragmatic Programmer\n* Becoming a Technical Leader\n* In Search of Stupidity\n* Hackers & Painters\n* Blockbusters\n* Joel on Software: And on Diverse and Occasionally Related Matters That Will Prove of Interest to Software Developers, Designers, and Managers, and to Those Who, Whether by Good Fortune or Ill Luck, Work with Them in Some Capacity\n* The Best Software Writing I\n* Behind Closed Doors\n* Managing Humans\n* The Mythical Man-Month\n* Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams\n* The Non-Designers Design Book\n* Founders at Work\n* Good to Great\n* Dreaming in Code\n* The Art of the Start\n* Maverick\n* The Design of Everyday Things\n* The Art of Project Management\n* The Art of Innovation",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Hackers & Painters",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 138044,
          "author": "falsestprophet",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-16T06:36:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=138044",
          "commentText": "The New New Thing\nFounders at Work\nHackers and Painters\nHow To Get Rich\nCompetitive Strategies\nThe Intelligent Investor (or Security Analysis)\nLiar's Poker",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hackers and Painters",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135262,
          "author": "klocksib",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T16:59:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135262",
          "commentText": "Hmmm, here's a list of books I really like:\nMemory as a Programming Concept in C and C++ by Frenck\nThe Design and Implementation of the FreeBSD Operating System by McKusick/Neville-Neil\nLearning GNU Emacs by Cameron, et al.\nPractical Common Lisp by Seibel\nThe C Programming Language by K&R\nThe C++ Programming Language Stroustrup\nThe Design and Analysis of Algorithms by Leviten\nAssembly Language Programming for the IBM PC Family by Jones\nEssays/Collections:\nHackers & Painters by PG\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman by Feynman\nWhat Do You Care What Other People Think by Feynman\nThe Cathedral & The Bazaar by Raymond\nNovels:\nThe Soul of a New Machine by Kidder\nWhere Wizards Stay up Late by Hafner",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hackers & Painters by PG",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books the commenter really likes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5704,
          "author": "bhb",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T16:03:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5704",
          "commentText": "Some of these have been mentioned, but these stand out for me\nProgramming:\nGetting Real\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nHackers and Painters\nBusiness:\nGood to Great\nStart Your Own Business (I knew basically nothing about \nsmall business before I started, and it's a good intro)\nCrossing the Chasm (good so far, haven't finished)\nTechnology/Culture:\nThe Long Tail\nThe World is Flat\nProductivity/People:\nGetting Things Done\nGetting to Yes\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hackers and Painters",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5663,
          "author": "raju",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T12:03:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5663",
          "commentText": "Founders at Work\nHackers and Painters\n(Disclaimer - I am moonlighting on my startup idea, but have these books to be a huge source of inspiration. Also, Joel's list is highly recommended. Another book, and it may seem off-topic is Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. It helps to study the lives of those who have managed to pull off very successful businesses)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "these books to be a huge source of inspiration",
          "reason": "Names it among books that are a huge source of inspiration.",
          "audience": "Startup founders",
          "caveat": "The commenter is moonlighting on a startup idea.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5608,
          "author": "notabel",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T04:13:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5608",
          "commentText": "\"Hackers and Painters\" had an immense impact on me a couple of years ago.  Like pg, I multiplex art and hackery (I suck at painting though--sculpture, printmaking, and theatrical design are my areas), so to read a book that validated and supported that duality was to find a good bit of clarity regarding my course in life.  I still go back to H&P every few months, when I get worried about such things.\nJust yesterday I started reading \"Founders at Work\", and from what I've gotten through, it's going to be great.  More on that later, if this thread last.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Hackers and Painters\" had an immense impact on me a couple of years ago.",
          "reason": "Says it had an immense impact and gave clarity about the commenter's life direction.",
          "audience": "Readers who combine art and programming or are considering their direction in life.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5605,
          "author": "python_kiss",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T03:56:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5605",
          "commentText": "Dan, thank you for sharing that awesome list. Joel's recommended books are great; in fact, back when I was developing a micro ISV, I used to turn to Joel's website for advice. That is where I discovered Paul Graham's \"Hackers and Painters\". Since then, I have shifted my allegiance to a new mentor :) I think the book brought three major changes in how I think:\n1. Think big: Since I was developing a micro ISV, I had never really considered scaling the business to millions of customers (aka users). \"Hackers and Painters\" entered my life just a few weeks before I was about to launch my product; and I realized I had to develop something that can scale. I took a leap of faith and decided to instead pursue web startups; the opportunities for growth were many times in magnitude.\n2. There are others like me: Toronto, Canada is not exactly a Silicon Valley. So uptil then, I didn't know there were so many other young entrepreneurs pursuing the same goals as me. Eventhough I wasn't acquainted with other hackers, I could at least gain a sense of security that I am not alone.\n3. The Art of the Start: The single most valuable lesson I learned from Paul's book was the governing dynamics of web startups. Before reading it, there was not much inspiration or reason to think big because even if I did venture into online startups, I wouldn't know what to do.\n\nWhile I have read some excellent books, I can credit Paul's work for watering the first seeds.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "That is where I discovered Paul Graham's \"Hackers and Painters\".",
          "reason": "Credits the book with changing the commenter's outlook on scaling and startup opportunities.",
          "audience": "Readers developing a micro ISV or considering a web startup.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5590,
          "author": "danw",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T02:51:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5590",
          "commentText": "Hackers and Painters is on my list three times :)\nI'm going to have to check out Cal Hendersons book sometime but first I have to make a good site then I can worry about scaling it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Hackers and Painters is on my list three times",
          "reason": "Says it appears repeatedly on their list; no evaluation is stated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5574,
          "author": "python_kiss",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T02:11:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5574",
          "commentText": "About 14 months ago, I had little knowledge of how to execute a startup. In particular, I wasn't familiar with any online marketing tactics. The following books helped me a lot in that respective, and more:\n\n1. Positioning, 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing/Branding, Focus, Marketing Warfare\n2. Purple Cow, All Marketers are Liars, Permission Marketing (I didn't like \"The Big Moo\", \"Free prize inside\" or \"Small is the new Big\").\n3. Founters At Work\n4. Wikinomics, Wisdom of Crowds, The Tipping Point (Blink! was alright). I am looking forward to reading \"The Long Tail\" and \"The starfish and the spider\"...has anyone read them yet?\n6. Why We Buy\n7. Hackers and Painters\n8. The E-Myth revisited\n9. The Art of the Start\n10. On War, The Art of War by Machiavelli and Sun Tzu (not exactly for startups, but definitely useful)\n11. Crossing the Chasm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hackers and Painters",
          "reason": "Listed among books that helped the commenter learn startup execution and online marketing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Graham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 18,
      "threads": 15,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Writing",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "essays",
        "startups",
        "programming",
        "programming culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "children-of-time-cee838",
      "title": "Children of Time",
      "author": "Adrian Tchaikovsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48619415,
          "author": "jr_isidore",
          "createdAt": "2026-06-21T14:46:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 48595560,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please recommend sci-fi books similar to \"children of time\" or \"anathem\"",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48619415",
          "commentText": "Children of Time is nothing like Anathem, but both are so, so bad.  CoT was good for about a hundred pages, and then I just got sick of spiders berating each other.  Quit around the midpoint.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Children of Time is nothing like Anathem, but both are so, so bad. CoT was good for about a hundred pages, and then I just got sick of spiders berating each other. Quit around the midpoint.",
          "reason": "The commenter criticizes the book and says they quit around the midpoint.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They found the first hundred pages good, then disliked the rest and stopped midway.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46161500,
          "author": "ashtavakra",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-05T14:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46161500",
          "commentText": "I consolidated the comments for my reference later. Someone else might also find it useful:\n# Fiction Books Recommended for Programmers (HN Thread 46128404)\n## Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- *Children of Time* — Science Fiction (Evolution, Space Opera)  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)\n## Rick Cook — Wizardry Series\n- *Wizard’s Bane* — Fantasy, Programming/Magic Mashup  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112616.Wizard_s_Bane\n- *Wizardry Series (overview)*  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\n## James P. Hogan\n- *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/743568.Inherit_the_Stars\n- *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifem... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifemaker)\n- *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_Tomorrow)\n## D. F. Jones — Colossus Trilogy\n- *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806105.Colossus\n- *The Fall of Colossus* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colos... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colossus)\n- *Colossus and the Crab* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_Crab)\n## Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner)\n- *A Logic Named Joe* — Golden-Age Sci-Fi, AI Precursor  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-j... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-joe)\n## David Gerrold\n- *When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One* — AI, Classic Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_Was_One)\n## William Gibson / Bruce Sterling\n- *Neuromancer* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer\n- *The Difference Engine* — Steampunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Eng... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Engine)\n## Neal Stephenson\n- *Snow Crash* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash\n- *Cryptonomicon* — Techno-thriller, Cyber-history  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/816.Cryptonomicon\n- *Anathem* — Philosophical Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2845024-anathem\n- *The Diamond Age* — Nanopunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827.The_Diamond_Age\n## Fred Saberhagen\n- *Octagon* — AI, Techno-thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1891958.Octagon\n## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga\n- *Series Overview* — Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/40946-vorkosigan-saga\n## Richard Powers\n- *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45104.Galatea_2_2\n## Scott Meyer\n- *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-wizard)\n## Daniel Suarez\n- *Daemon* — Cyber-thriller, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665844-daemon\n## Thomas J. Ryan\n- *The Adolescence of P-1* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_o... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_of_P_1)\n## Ernest Cline\n- *Ready Player One* — Sci-Fi, Gaming, Pop-Culture Adventure  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one\n## Dennis E. Taylor\n- *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)* — Humorous Sci-Fi, AI, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-we-are-bob)\n## Ted Chiang\n- *Stories of Your Life and Others* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\n- *Exhalation* — Speculative Fiction, Philosophy, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation\n- *The Lifecycle of Software Objects* — AI, Digital Consciousness  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of-software-objects)\n## Charles Stross\n- *Laundry Files Series* — Math-based Magic, Techno-Fantasy  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files\n## Ken Liu\n- *The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menag... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories)\n- *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, AI, VR  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl-and-other-stories)\n## Ellen Ullman\n- *The Bug* — Tech Industry Literary Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/703.The_Bug\n## Cory Doctorow\n- *Radicalized* — Techno-sociopolitical Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40604122-radicalized\n## qntm (Sam Hughes)\n- *Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans-in-transit-and-other-stories)\n## Roger Williams\n- *The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect* — AI, Post-Singularity SF  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)\n## Greg Bear\n- *Eon* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/924843.Eon\n## Vernor Vinge\n- *A Deepness in the Sky* — Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the_Sky)\n## Terry Pratchett\n- *Going Postal* — Comic Fantasy, Satire of Bureaucracy & Tech  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64222.Going_Postal\n## Bruce Bethke\n- *Headcrash* — Cyber-satire  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213465.Headcrash\n## Mary Shelley\n- *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* — Classic Gothic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein\n## Douglas Adams\n- *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* — Comic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guid... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)\n## Jorge Luis Borges\n- *The Library of Babel* — Metaphysical Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-babel)\n## Greg Egan\n- *Permutation City* — Simulation Theory, Hard Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156784.Permutation_City\n## Cixin Liu\n- *The Three-Body Problem* — Hard Sci-Fi, First Contact  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "## Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- *Children of Time*",
          "reason": "Includes it in a collection of fiction books recommended for programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46160959,
          "author": "davidkuda",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-05T13:25:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46160959",
          "commentText": "In \"Children of Time\" by Adrian Tchaikovsky you will encounter a very fascinating form of computation. :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In \"Children of Time\" by Adrian Tchaikovsky you will encounter a very fascinating form of computation.",
          "reason": "Points to an interesting form of computation in the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 45294160,
          "author": "bodantogat",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-18T19:50:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 45283087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45294160",
          "commentText": "I mostly read science fiction and fantasy, and I’ve just started Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky. It follows a scientist sentenced to a prison camp on a planet teeming with bizarre lifeforms. So far, it hasn’t drawn me in the way Children of Time did, though I’m only about a quarter of the way through.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "though I’m only about a quarter of the way through.",
          "reason": "Used as a comparison for the appeal of Alien Clay.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42570504,
          "author": "firesteelrain",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-02T00:29:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42570504",
          "commentText": "I put the Children of Time into my Libby list. Thanks!\nProject Hail Mary is very good. All of Weir’s stuff is good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I put the Children of Time into my Libby list. Thanks!",
          "reason": "Adds the title to their reading list in response to a recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42508365,
          "author": "Alex-Programs",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T11:54:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42508365",
          "commentText": "It's between Adrian Tchaikovsky's Children of Time and Andy Weir's Project Hail Mary.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Adrian Tchaikovsky's Children of Time",
          "reason": "Names it as one of two standout reads in response to the question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says the choice is between this and Project Hail Mary.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40878641,
          "author": "nathants",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-04T22:44:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40878641",
          "commentText": "children of time, adrian tchaikovsky.\nimpossible to communicate the experience. run, don’t walk.\nprefer the audiobook.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "children of time, adrian tchaikovsky.\nimpossible to communicate the experience. run, don’t walk.\nprefer the audiobook.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends the book and prefers its audiobook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38238739,
          "author": "titaniumtown",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T09:31:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238739",
          "commentText": "Children of Time is a really good novel. Was scrolling through the comments to see if anyone was going to mention it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Children of Time is a really good novel.",
          "reason": "Calls the novel really good while noting they were checking whether anyone would mention it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36083958,
          "author": "code_Whisperer",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-26T13:38:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36083958",
          "commentText": "Easily these (so far):\nThis is How You Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (actually now one of my all-time favorites, without regard to genre. Just amazing)\nChildren of Time - Adrian Tchaikovsky\nThe Book of Strange New Things - Michael Faber\nTed Chiang's short story collections (Exhalations and Stories of your life and others)\nDaemon - Daniel Suarez\nThe City and the City - China Miéville\nRoadside Picnic - Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (this one still haunts my dreams at times)\nWe Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse Book 1) - Dennis Taylor (just finished this series for book club)\nGalatea 2.2, The Overstory, Bewilderment, The Gold Bug Variations - 4 different books, all by Richard Powers - what can I say, the man is a genius and a treasure\nEifelheim - Michael Flynn - ok, this book can be a slog at times, but it is very rewarding for those who persevere, and has stuck in my brain for many years\nChocky - John Wyndham - A quiet, delightful surprise\nProvidence - Max Barry - This book flows like a movie. It will make a great movie. I found myself LITERALLY out of breath a couple of times\nHench: A Novel - Natalie Zina Walschots - Quirky, memorable\nThe Peacemaker's Code - Deepak Malhotra - Why hasn't this guy written more sci-fi?\nOrange World and Other Stories - Karen Russell - OK, maybe not strictly sci-fi, but this book tickles my brain\nGUILTY PLEASURE SCI-FI FAVORITE: The Vaz series by Laurence Dahners. I think I've read that series 3 times now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Children of Time - Adrian Tchaikovsky",
          "reason": "Listed among favorite science fiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021500,
          "author": "eterps",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:49:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021500",
          "commentText": "- Project Hail Mary\n- Children of Time\n- Accelerando\n- The Forever War\n- Axiomatic",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Children of Time",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for science fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34170731,
          "author": "jasonkester",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-29T08:40:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34170731",
          "commentText": "I'm going to use my vote to vote against the Three Body Problem. If more people keep recommending it, more people will have to read it, and that would make me sad.\nBecause it's a terrible book.\nIt epitomizes the sort of sci Fi that sci Fi people keep recommending, with it's kinda interesting concept and embarrassingly bad writing. It's just hundreds of pages of unreadable.\nAnd it ends abruptly before resolving anything so it tricks you into getting the sequel. Which is somehow even more poorly written.\nSee also: children of time",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "See also: children of time",
          "reason": "Uses it as another example in a critical comment about science fiction writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34162567,
          "author": "gbro3n",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T16:26:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34162567",
          "commentText": "Am 90 pct through Project Hail Mary and agree this book is brilliant. If you're technically / sci-fi inclined you'll love this. The author ties together a great story with scientific knowledge which must have taken significant research. Children of Time is my next audio book coincidentally.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Children of Time is my next audio book coincidentally.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is their next audiobook, without giving an opinion on it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34162369,
          "author": "ad-astra",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T16:08:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34162369",
          "commentText": "If you’re into Science Fiction:\n(Note: I listed to these all via the Audible audiobooks, they were all very well narrated and I’d highly recommend listening this way.)\n#1: The Children of Time series by Adrian Tchaikovsky.\nThis is amazingly fascinating from beginning to end, if you like speculative evolution zenofiction space operas, you’re in for a real treat. I feel like these books were written for me. I went the audiobook route and chugged through each (roughly 600 page) book, neglecting focus to almost anything else in my life. I would be playing Tetris on my phone (via the Tappy app) while listening at 1.1x speed, which is the perfect amount of mental stimulation to have massive amounts of time go by without noticing.\n#2: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.\nI don’t want to spoil too much, but this is a must-read for engineer-brain nerds like me that yearn to understand complex systems recreationally. Enough said. Mandatory. I read Artemis by Andy Weir afterwards and enjoyed it too, but Hail Mary is my fave.\n#3: The Final Architecture series by Adrian Tchaikovsky.\nAfter obsessively finishing the Children of Time series there was a huge hole in my heart, so I started this series. I didn’t really latch on until 15% through the first book, but once I did I was once again obsessively hooked.\n#4 (Bonus) I’m now reading Dragon’s Egg by Robert L. Forward and am very excited to report back when I eventually finish. It involves alien life that evolved in the atomic strata of neutron stars (nerd drool).\nI’ve now mostly taken a break from reading as it became all-consuming. But it was very worth it overall, best reading year in my life so far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Children of Time series by Adrian Tchaikovsky.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes being fascinated and obsessively hooked by the books.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy speculative evolution and space operas.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34162127,
          "author": "alfonsogi",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T15:47:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34162127",
          "commentText": "Children of Time is a great scifi novel. I like scifi but sometimes Im annoyed by great world buildings that are poorly explored or with a lousy story, CoT was a pager turner since day one and I couldn’t recommend it more. No details for no spoilers",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Children of Time is a great scifi novel.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises it as a page-turning science fiction novel and says they could not recommend it more.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No details are given to avoid spoilers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33382608,
          "author": "disillusioned",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T10:05:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382608",
          "commentText": "Mostly science fiction, and most Adrian Tchaikovsky science fiction at that:\n* Elder Race - Tchaikovsky's Hugo-nominated novella does this really neat thing where it tells the same story from two different perspectives, which happen to perfectly meld fantasy with hard scifi in a super clever conceit.\n* Children of Time - A hard scifi-meets-entomology-study take on how shifting perspectives work and the no-stone-left-unturned world building he does just really works. Its sequel Children of Ruin was great too, and the final in the trilogy comes out next month.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Children of Time - A hard scifi-meets-entomology-study take on how shifting perspectives work and the no-stone-left-unturned world building he does just really works.",
          "reason": "Praises its perspective shifts and detailed worldbuilding.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32198133,
          "author": "Elof",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:59:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32198133",
          "commentText": "The follow up to Children of Time, Children of Ruin, is also fantastic and a third book is slated to come out this year!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The follow up to Children of Time, Children of Ruin",
          "reason": "Identifies Children of Ruin as its follow-up.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32197596,
          "author": "dvt",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:00:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197596",
          "commentText": "Moby Dick & Children of Time, both since May-ish. Slowly going through them, since my book club is temporarily on hiatus and I'm being lazy.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Children of Time",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28060631,
          "author": "code_Whisperer",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T13:14:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28060631",
          "commentText": "The one that sticks in my head the most (and which I did not think I would enjoy based on the book jacket blurb) is \"Children of Time\" by Adrian Tchaikovsky. I highly recommend to anyone who listens. I also recently encountered \"The Fifth Science\" by someone named 'Exurb1a' and enjoyed it so much that I am now reading another of his books named \"Geometry for Ocelots\"\nAndy Weir's \"Hail Mary\" is an imaginative and fun read, as is \"The Startup Wife\" by Tahmima Anam. Oh! And \"The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet' (or almost anything else) by Becky Chambers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend to anyone who listens.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is the book that stuck with them most and highly recommends it.",
          "audience": "Anyone who listens.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26670656,
          "author": "cx42net",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-02T11:50:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26670656",
          "commentText": "I try to read every night before going to bed, and I'm trying to alternate between a technical book, and a pleasure book.\nI recently finished the whole lot of Foundation from Asimov, Zero to sold from Arvid Kahl and I'm currently reading \"The wealth of Nations\" from Adam Smith (Gotta admit, it hurts).\nThe motivation behind alternating between pleasure and technical is to try to increase my knowledge (even though I feel like I retain 1% of what I read), and to enjoy reading too (with the pleasure book)\nOn my to read next list, I have:\n- High growth Handbook (Elad Gil) (Pleaure book)\n - Utopia - Thomas More (Technical)\n - Beyond the rift - Peter Watts (Pleasure)\n - Manufacturing consent (Noam Chomsky) (Technical)\n - Children of time - Adrian Tchaikovsky",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Children of time - Adrian Tchaikovsky",
          "reason": "Listed on the commenter's to-read list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21903974,
          "author": "Maximus9000",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T04:36:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21903974",
          "commentText": "Not much fiction in here:\n* Ender's game\n* Children of time\n* Kingkiller Chronicle (series)\n* Skyward",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Children of time",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about influential books.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21461088,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T09:54:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21461088",
          "commentText": "Currently:\nThrough a Camel's Eye by Dorothy Johnston although admit I'm having trouble getting into it. Will give it another 50 pages before I decide.\nAnd today started listening to Dune Messiah on audiobook. I loved the first book which I've reread many times, but didn't enjoy the following books at all when I read them years and years ago. Decided to give them another try.\nRecommend:\nThe First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North for beautiful prose, charming writing and an inventive story. Her first and best book under that pseudonym.\nBarsk: The Elephants' Graveyard and The Moons of Barsk by Lawrence M. Schoen for making me care about anthropomorphic elephants.\nChildren of Time and Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky for almost making me care about non-anthropomorphic spiders.\nI Am Not a Serial Killer and sequels by Dan Wells for tricking me into reading a horror novel when I at first thought it was a thriller, but really enjoying it anyway.\nThe Lost Man by Jane Harper for being similar but so far a lot better than Through a Camel's Eye.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Children of Time and Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky for almost making me care about non-anthropomorphic spiders.",
          "reason": "Recommended for nearly making the commenter care about non-anthropomorphic spiders.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20334095,
          "author": "KineticLensman",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T11:49:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20334095",
          "commentText": "> I'd recommend Children of Time\nI agree! Like the Vinge books mentioned by the GP, the interactions between aliens and humans are well written, and nicely bring out the quirks of the different species.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend Children of Time",
          "reason": "The commenter agrees with the recommendation and praises how the book portrays interactions between humans and aliens.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17539205,
          "author": "kmarc",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T06:36:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17539205",
          "commentText": "I absolutely loved \"Children of time\" [1] - you can tell the writer is a scientist, or at least very seasoned in natural sciences, mainly biology. The story is not the best but how Tchaikovsky reasons shows how much he is able to think outside the box.\n[1]: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I absolutely loved \"Children of time\"",
          "reason": "Says they absolutely loved the book and praises the author's scientific reasoning.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in biology and unconventional ways of thinking.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the story is not the best.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17520639,
          "author": "ryanSrich",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T05:04:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17520639",
          "commentText": "Books finished in June:\n\"How to Change Your Mind\" by Michael Pollan. A fascinating look into the world and science of psychedelic drugs.\n\"Rendezvous with Rama\" by Arthur C. Clarke. One of, if not Clarke's best. It's short for a sci-fi book and almost impossible not to like.\n\"The Hydrogen Sonata\" By Iain M. Banks. It certainly wasn't my favorite culture entry, but it's worth a read none the less. If you haven't read the others in the series I wouldn't suggest starting with it.\n\"Children of Time\" by Adrian Tchaikovsky. It took me a bit to get into this book, but once I did, I really enjoyed it. If you're into long timelines and human existential crisis this is your book.\nAs far as July goes, I'm digging into \"Matterhorn\" by Karl Marlantes and \"The Origins of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind\" by Julian Jaynes.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "once I did, I really enjoyed it. If you're into long timelines and human existential crisis this is your book.",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed it after a slow start and recommends it to readers drawn to its themes.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in long timelines and human existential crises.",
          "caveat": "It took the commenter a while to get into the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961696,
          "author": "Tehchops",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T17:10:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961696",
          "commentText": "Currently reading: Hyperion.\n* Peak: Secretes From the New Science of Expertise\n* The Hard Thing About Hard Things\n* American Gods\n* The Dark Tower\n* Children of Time\n* Sapiens\n* The Lies of Locke Lamora: Gentleman Bastards #1\n* Red Seas Under Red Skies: Gentleman Bastards #2\n* Dark Matter\n* The Dark Tower #1\n* Guns of The Dawn\n* The Hunter Killers\n* Snow Crash",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Children of Time",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as a book in the commenter's list; no evaluation is given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961619,
          "author": "Tehchops",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T17:02:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961619",
          "commentText": "Children of Time was one of my favorites this year as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Children of Time was one of my favorites this year as well.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of their favorites that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961419,
          "author": "legohead",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:38:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961419",
          "commentText": "* Currently reading: Edgedancer\n* Flowers for Algernon\n* Going Rogue: Spells, Swords, & Stealth\n* Split the Party: Spells, Swords, & Stealth\n* NPCs\n* Children of Time\n* Death's End\n* The Shining\n* IT\n* All 7+1 books of The Dark Tower",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Children of Time",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed among books read, with no evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961051,
          "author": "hukola",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T15:57:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961051",
          "commentText": "1. How to Win Friends and Influence People - I recommend because I apply every day at work and reap the results as well, somebody should have recommended this book to me ten years ago;\n2. Children of Time - a science fiction book that I enjoyed, I notice that fiction, in general, helps me deal with stressful work, as I disconnect easier and put myself in an imaginary world while reading;\n3. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius - this isn't a book you read cover to cover, I catch myself thinking long even after reading a single sentence;\n1) and 3) I've come across on HN, but 2) was the unexpected random hit.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a science fiction book that I enjoyed",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adrian Tchaikovsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 18,
      "threads": 14,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolution",
        "first contact",
        "evolutionary science fiction",
        "generation ship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "good-to-great-974276",
      "title": "Good to Great",
      "author": "Jim Collins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42968080,
          "author": "austin-cheney",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-07T00:47:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42968080",
          "commentText": "* A Thousand Splendid Suns\n* Foundation and Empire\n* On Liberty\n* Good to Great\nThose books shaped how I interact with other people, which is:\n* I will move forward. I am not waiting for you to make a decision. If you need time then it’s on your own time and can catch up at your liability, otherwise it’s absolute empathy and self-sacrifice in all things.\n* As for other people I want to avoid people that state firm conclusions lacking evidence or measures. I consider that stupidity but it could just be bias or autism. Either way it’s a problem. If people do that and can’t help but talk about themselves then they are definitely either autistic or a sociopath. If those people are charming then they are definitely sociopaths.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Good to Great",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter says shaped how they interact with other people.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35174010,
          "author": "herodoturtle",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T20:06:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35174010",
          "commentText": "Founder of a bootstrapped 17 year-old SaaS company here.\nI've read countless books on this topic.\nThe book that helped me the most was \"Good to Great\" by Jim Collins.\nIt has memorable nuggets of advice, summarised neatly into insightful chapters.\nOnce you learn these nuggets you never forget them, and you end up leveraging them regularly in your day-to-day entrepreneurial decisions.\nIt's a bit like Covey's 7 Habits book, but geared for entrepreneurs wanting to grow a successful business.\nGood luck on your journey. It's tough, but worth it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book that helped me the most was \"Good to Great\" by Jim Collins.",
          "reason": "The commenter says its memorable advice has informed day-to-day entrepreneurial decisions.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs growing a business.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Good to Great (Jim Collins)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35171836,
          "author": "ranabuzdar",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:32:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35171836",
          "commentText": "Here are some of the most popular ones:\nThe Lean Startup by Eric Ries\nZero to One by Peter Thiel\nThe 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey\nThink and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill\nThe E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber\nGood to Great by Jim Collins\nThe Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander\nThe Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz\nThe Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton Christensen\nRework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson\nThese books cover various aspects of entrepreneurship, from idea generation and innovation to leadership and management. Each one offers a unique perspective and valuable insights that can help entrepreneurs navigate the challenges and opportunities of starting and growing a business.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Good to Great by Jim Collins",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the books covering entrepreneurship.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33858182,
          "author": "mooreds",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T21:37:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33858182",
          "commentText": "Hiya,\nI'd consider these books/articles/podcasts:\n* Secrets of Consulting by Gerald Weinberg: http://geraldmweinberg.com/Site/Consulting_Secrets.html Every problem is a people problem.\n* Refactoring by Martin Fowler et. al: https://martinfowler.com/books/refactoring.html talks about how and why to refactor, as well as providing a nomenclature for the process.\n* Code Complete by Steve McConnell. https://stevemcconnell.com/books/ A bit dated (the last version I could find was from 2004) but a great overview of the entire software process, from requirements to maintenance.\n* The Mythical Man-Month by Fred Brookes: https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/mythical-man-month-the/... (https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/mythical-man-month-the/0201835959/) best practices about software development, written about a project from the 1960 and 1970s.\n* The Joel On Software Strategy Letters: https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/05/12/strategy-letter-i-... (https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/05/12/strategy-letter-i-ben-and-jerrys-vs-amazon/) is the first one. All of them (I think there are five) are great.\n* Letters to a New Developer: https://letterstoanewdeveloper.com/the-book/ Please note I wrote this, but I still think it does a good job of discussing the \"soft skills\" in an easily digestible format.\n* Pragmatic Programmer by Dave Thomas and Andy Hunt: https://pragprog.com/titles/tpp20/the-pragmatic-programmer-2... (https://pragprog.com/titles/tpp20/the-pragmatic-programmer-20th-anniversary-edition/) Haven't read the revised 20th anniversary edition, but the first one opened my eyes to the craft of software.\n* High Output Management by Andy Grove: https://bookshop.org/p/books/high-output-management-andrew-s... (https://bookshop.org/p/books/high-output-management-andrew-s-grove/6730629) a great way to think about throughput\n* The Phoenix Project by Gene Kim et. al: https://itrevolution.com/product/the-phoenix-project/ Fun novel(!) about applying lean management principles to software engineering.\n* Radical Candor (haven't read, but it's been recommended): https://www.radicalcandor.com/ About communication.\n* Good to Great by Jim Collins: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_to_Great Focuses on what great companies bring to the table. Helps me evaluate where to work.\n* Mastery Autonomy and Purpose: A great video about what people really want in work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzXXC4MZZnY\n* https://www.manager-tools.com/podcasts a podcast about managing people. You didn't say you wanted to be a people manager, but knowing what managers think about will make you more effective in any org.\n* Managing Humans by Michael Lopp: https://managinghumans.com/ The whole Rands site is work reading, but I enjoyed this book about how to manage teams and build software. See above.\n* Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug: https://sensible.com/dont-make-me-think/ Easy ways to think about usability, focusing on webapps. Short and easy.\n* Badass: Making Users Awesome, by Kathy Sierra: http://seriouspony.com/badass-users-the-book Will help you put yourself in the shoes of your users and think about how to build software they will love. Short and easy.\nHope this helps.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Good to Great by Jim Collins",
          "reason": "The commenter says it focuses on what great companies bring and helps them evaluate where to work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19402243,
          "author": "pieterr",
          "createdAt": "2019-03-15T17:49:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 19402065,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is Getting Things Done still a book that HN recommends?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19402243",
          "commentText": "You mean the book by Jim Collins?\nhttps://www.jimcollins.com/books.html#good-to-great",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "You mean the book by Jim Collins?",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is asking whether this is the intended book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15761767,
          "author": "j45",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T00:03:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15761767",
          "commentText": "Good to Great - Jim Collins\nThe Man who Mistook his job for a life\nAn Open Heart - Dalai Lama",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Good to Great - Jim Collins",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question asking for books useful across areas of daily life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12150875,
          "author": "de107549",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-23T20:24:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12150875",
          "commentText": "There were different book that impacted different stages of my career:\nAs a programmer :\n1. The C++ Programming Language by Bjarne Stroustrup.\n2. Operating System Concepts by Silberschatz\n3. Compilers by Aho\nAs an agile software developer:\n1. eXtreme Programming by Kent Beck\n2. Pragmatic Programmer by Hunt and Thomas\n3. Continuous Delivery by Jez Humble\nAs an architect:\n1. Domain Driven Design by Evans\n2. Pattern-Oriented Software Architecture by Buschmann\n3. Envisioning Information by Edward Tufte\nAs a CEO:\n1. Good To Great by Collins\n2. Lean Startup by Eric Ries\n3. Beyond Budgeting by Pfläging",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Good To Great by Collins",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229409,
          "author": "twunde",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T13:14:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229409",
          "commentText": "The Goal.\nIf you're interested in project management, Making Things Happen is good.\nI've just started High Output Management and so far it seems good. Of course there are always the classics like Good to Great, What Color Is Your Parachute, etc",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Of course there are always the classics like Good to Great, What Color Is Your Parachute, etc",
          "reason": "Named among classic books in a response to a book recommendation request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4787418,
          "author": "timmm",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:19:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787418",
          "commentText": "The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho.\nKing, Warrior, Magician, Lover by Moore and Gillette\nThe lean startup\nPaul Graham how to start a startup\nMark Hyman Ultimate Mind Solution\nTribal Leadership\nWheel of Time\nThink and Grow Rich\nSuperior Man David Deida\nThe Fountain Head\nEckhart Tolle New Earth\n50th Law\nGood to Great\nJed Mckenna\nEarl Nightengale\nLong Walk to Freedom\nOutliers\nGood to Great\nPsycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz (Self-image)\nSeven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey(Being awesome)\nWealth of Nations\nWayne Dyer The Tao\nSystem of the World\nOrigin of Species\nBrave new world\nThank you economy\nCrush it\nBuilt to Last\nWho Moved my Cheese\nStillness Speak Eckhert Tolle\nMastery George Leonard\nSteve Jobs Biography\nThe Last Lecture\nSteve Pavlina Books\nIacocca\nStriking Thoughts Bruce Lee\nCarlos Castaneda\nGhost in the Wires\nRichest Man in Babylon\nWay of the Superior Man\nLosing My Virginity\nThink and Grow Rich\nDelivering Happiness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Good to Great",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2173110,
          "author": "rvb",
          "createdAt": "2011-02-03T01:20:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 2172825,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: If you could recommend only three management books...",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2173110",
          "commentText": "I loved Good to Great, especially the data-oriented nature of it. And, of course, Seven Habits is a classic. I look forward to checking out the others. Thank you",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved Good to Great, especially the data-oriented nature of it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they loved its data-oriented approach.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2172878,
          "author": "xstaticdev",
          "createdAt": "2011-02-03T00:13:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 2172825,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: If you could recommend only three management books...",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2172878",
          "commentText": "Let's see.. heres a few I'd recommend....\nGood to Great by Jim Collins\nOne Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard\nFirst, Break All The Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman\n7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey\nIn Search of Excellence by Tom Peters",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Good to Great by Jim Collins",
          "reason": "Lists it among books they would recommend to new managers.",
          "audience": "New managers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1570549,
          "author": "adaptives",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T08:48:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1570549",
          "commentText": "Good to great - Jim Collins",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Good to great - Jim Collins",
          "reason": "Listed as a response to a request for summer reading recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569317,
          "author": "msuprovici1",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T22:19:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 1567456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I want to start a web company what books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569317",
          "commentText": "Free - Chris Anderson;\n4 Steps to Epiphany;\nFounders at Work;\nCrossing the Chasm;\nViral Loop;\nGroundswell;\nLoosing My Virginity - Richard Brandson;\nGood to Great - Collins;\nEntrepreneurs guide to Business Law;",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Good to Great - Collins;",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240672,
          "author": "rdoherty",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T02:21:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240672",
          "commentText": "* The Pragmatic Programmer\n* Becoming a Technical Leader\n* In Search of Stupidity\n* Hackers & Painters\n* Blockbusters\n* Joel on Software: And on Diverse and Occasionally Related Matters That Will Prove of Interest to Software Developers, Designers, and Managers, and to Those Who, Whether by Good Fortune or Ill Luck, Work with Them in Some Capacity\n* The Best Software Writing I\n* Behind Closed Doors\n* Managing Humans\n* The Mythical Man-Month\n* Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams\n* The Non-Designers Design Book\n* Founders at Work\n* Good to Great\n* Dreaming in Code\n* The Art of the Start\n* Maverick\n* The Design of Everyday Things\n* The Art of Project Management\n* The Art of Innovation",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Good to Great",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 192108,
          "author": "DenisM",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-16T18:56:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=192108",
          "commentText": "Amazon has a wide selection of books on CD. \"Good To Great\", \"Getting Things Done\", etc.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/bestsellers/books/69726/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Good To Great\", \"Getting Things Done\", etc.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135237,
          "author": "davidw",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T16:42:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135237",
          "commentText": "It's not bad, but it's free on the web.  And in terms of \"getting real\", they could stand to make a real book out of it by getting an ISBN number for it with all the money they made off of people throwing their money at them.\nAnd of course I'll add the obligatory mention of Squeezed Books, which is more or less based on business books I've bought and enjoyed (although there are also others like Good to Great that I wouldn't recommend).",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Good to Great that I wouldn't recommend",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter explicitly says they would not recommend it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 57066,
          "author": "nradov",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T21:07:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=57066",
          "commentText": "I second the nomination of \"Good to Great\" by Jim Collins <http://www.jimcollins.com/lib/books.html>. It's the best general business book I've read. Most popular business books were written by one manager who was successful one time at one company, but often their advice isn't generally applicable. \"Good to Great\" is actually based on quantitative economic and sociological research across many companies and it shows compelling evidence for how certain factors often lead to success.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second the nomination of \"Good to Great\" by Jim Collins",
          "reason": "Calls it the best general business book they have read and praises its research and evidence.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Notes that popular business books often give advice that may not apply broadly; says this book's research supports more general conclusions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5725,
          "author": "nostrademons",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T17:07:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5725",
          "commentText": "My list, categorized:\nBusiness & Management\n1. Innovator's Dilemma and Innovator's Solution by Clayton Christensen\n2. Built to Last and Good to Great by Jim Collins.  Built to Last is more applicable for startups.\n3. Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks.  Anyone who has to manage a team of programmers and hasn't read this will fail utterly, unless they've already failed before (or been on a failing team).  There's a lot that's counterintuitive about software project management.\n4. Peter Drucker's work.  Kinda long and repetitive, but some good insights.\nMarketing\n1. All Marketers are Liars by Seth Godin.  I like this better than Purple Cow, Guerilla Marketer's Handbook, and The Big Red Fez.  Most of those have fairly obvious stuff.\n2. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell\n3. Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore\nTechnical\n1. Building Scalable Websites by Cal Henderson\n2. High Performance MySQL by Jeremy Zawodny\n3. Pragmatic Programmer by...well, it's mentioned elsewhere here.\nThere are lots of other technical books I like, but most of them aren't directly relevant to the startup I'm building",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Built to Last and Good to Great by Jim Collins.",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books offered in response to a request for helpful startup books.",
          "audience": "Startup founders",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5704,
          "author": "bhb",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T16:03:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5704",
          "commentText": "Some of these have been mentioned, but these stand out for me\nProgramming:\nGetting Real\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nHackers and Painters\nBusiness:\nGood to Great\nStart Your Own Business (I knew basically nothing about \nsmall business before I started, and it's a good intro)\nCrossing the Chasm (good so far, haven't finished)\nTechnology/Culture:\nThe Long Tail\nThe World is Flat\nProductivity/People:\nGetting Things Done\nGetting to Yes\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Good to Great",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jim Collins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 18,
      "threads": 14,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "business strategy",
        "organizational performance",
        "business leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "old-man-s-war-4c248e",
      "title": "Old Man's War",
      "author": "John Scalzi",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48085463,
          "author": "rationalist",
          "createdAt": "2026-05-10T16:45:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 48084905,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci fi books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48085463",
          "commentText": "Somewhat lesser-known sci-fi novels I read in the past:\nThe Unincorporated Man (and three sequels)\nCross between science fiction and fantasy: Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality (\"HPMOR\") - the premise is that Harry Potter is raised by a good aunt and uncle, and is taught the Scientific Method and so he uses that when encountering magic.\nOld Man's War (and sequels) by John Scalzi\nRedshirts by John Scalzi\nScience-reality: Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\nRa by qntm\nThere is no Antiemetics Division by qntm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Old Man's War (and sequels) by John Scalzi",
          "reason": "Listed as a science fiction read in response to a request for recent books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes sequels.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40436163,
          "author": "cableshaft",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-22T00:53:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40436163",
          "commentText": "Just checked out Old Man's War from the library. First book of his I'll be reading.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Just checked out Old Man's War from the library. First book of his I'll be reading.",
          "reason": "Reports checking out the book and planning to read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it yet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36020997,
          "author": "throwaway019254",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:07:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36020997",
          "commentText": "Bobiverse series (Dennis E. Taylor)\nOld Man's War series (John Scalzi)\nThe Murderbot Diaries (Martha Wells)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Old Man's War series (John Scalzi)",
          "reason": "Listed as a science fiction series in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25848745,
          "author": "ck425",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T16:56:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25848745",
          "commentText": "+1 for John Scalzi. His mix of SciFi, political observation, characterisation and wit is brilliant.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for John Scalzi.",
          "reason": "Seconding the parent’s recommendation of John Scalzi’s books, specifically the named series in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665379,
          "author": "catacombs",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:45:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665379",
          "commentText": "> I was introduced to sci-fi last year and pretty much stuck to it throughout 2018.\nIf you're looking for additional science fiction suggestions:\n1. American War by Omar El Akkad\n2. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel\n3. Artemis by Andy Weir\n4. Daemon by Daniel Suarez\n5. Old Man's War by John Scalzi\n6. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch\n7. Red Rising series by Pierce Brown",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "5. Old Man's War by John Scalzi",
          "reason": "Offered as an additional science fiction suggestion.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for additional science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17537632,
          "author": "mud_dauber",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T23:15:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537632",
          "commentText": "Old Man's War is my perennial favorite. Truly an awesome story.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Old Man's War is my perennial favorite. Truly an awesome story.",
          "reason": "Calls it a perennial favorite and an awesome story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17537426,
          "author": "xteze",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T22:26:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537426",
          "commentText": "For fun and/or lighthearted, I enjoyed: \nStanislaw Lem: Cyberiad, The Futurological Congress, Tales of Pirx the Pilot;\nSteven Paul Leiva: Traveling in Space;\nTed Chiang: Stories of your Life;\nJohn Scalzi: Old Man's War (and sequels)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "John Scalzi: Old Man's War (and sequels)",
          "reason": "Suggested as a fun or lighthearted read.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for fun or lighthearted fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536620,
          "author": "CrazedGeek",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:28:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536620",
          "commentText": "John Scalzi's Old Man's War series is really enjoyable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "John Scalzi's Old Man's War series is really enjoyable.",
          "reason": "Calls the series really enjoyable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630308,
          "author": "roryisok",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:09:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630308",
          "commentText": "Day of the Triffids - John Wyndham - everyone goes blind and a bunch of sentient plants start eating people. one of the first science fiction books I ever read, and the one that introduced me to post apocalyptic fiction. Giant plants might sound silly, but its no more silly than walking corpses. And in fact the walking dead and 28 days later owe a lot to this book.\nJonathan Strange and Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke - beautifully inventive fantasy novel about two magicians bringing magic back to Britain during the Napoleonic wars. Fab read.\nGateway - Frederick Pohl - pulp sf at its best. Humans discover a hollowed out asteroid worth ftl ships preprogrammed with unknown destinations. Prospectors pack as much food as they can and hit 'launch' in the hopes that they'll discover something valuable and not land on a star or starve to death.\nThe Forever War - Joe Haldeman - more great pulp sci-fi about the first interstellar war. Old man's war by John Scalzi is very similar and almost as good.\nMost things by Iain (m) banks. Crow Road, Wasp Factory, The Bridge, Consider Phlebas, Use of Weapons, Player of Games etc. Song of stone was awful though, they're not all winners",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "almost as good.",
          "reason": "Says it is very similar to The Forever War and almost as good.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in military science fiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter ranks it below The Forever War.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249112,
          "author": "jaymon",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T08:37:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249112",
          "commentText": "I'll second someone else's recommendation for The Martian, that was just a really fun read you can just burn through because it is so enjoyable.\nIf you want another really fun read, Ready Player One was fantastic.\nI've also enjoyed the Old Man's War saga, there are 6 books but you can skip book 4 since it is a retelling of book 3 from the POV of another character. This is a space saga and I really like the universe he created.\nIn the hard sci-fi genre, I really enjoyed The Forever War.\nAnd for just pure world building fantasy, the Game of Thrones books (The song of Ice and Fire series) are some of the best written books I've ever read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've also enjoyed the Old Man's War saga, there are 6 books but you can skip book 4",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the saga and likes the universe it creates.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says book 4 can be skipped because it retells book 3 from another character's point of view.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783459,
          "author": "Sherlock",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:37:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783459",
          "commentText": "\"The Magicians\", \"The Magician King\", \"The Magician's Land\" - Lev Grossman. 4/5\n\"Inside Job\" - Connie Willis. 4/5\n\"Norwegian Wood (Tokio Blues)\" - Haruki Murakami. 4/5\n\"Old Man's War\" - John Scalzi. 5/5\n\"Persepolis\" - Marjane Satrapi. 5/5\nNon fiction:\n\"The 10,000 year explosion\" about recent evolution. 3/5 ton of evidence for their thesis, but lacks predictions.\n\"What if\" well known by HN. 5/5\n\"The nurture assumption\" about education, 2/5. Maybe a 4/5 when it was published, but now their ideas are in the water supply.\n\"The man who mistook his wife for a hat\", by Oliver Sacks 4/5. Several stories about neurological deficits.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Old Man's War\" - John Scalzi. 5/5",
          "reason": "Rated 5/5.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056550,
          "author": "tckr",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:23:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056550",
          "commentText": "Everything from John Scalzi,\nstart with Old Man's War\nand then read through everything else.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "start with Old Man's War and then read through everything else.",
          "reason": "Directly recommends starting with this novel and continuing through the author's other work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8944693,
          "author": "conorgil145",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-25T23:24:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944693",
          "commentText": "Old Man's War series by John Scalzi",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Old Man's War series by John Scalzi",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8944515,
          "author": "parisidau",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-25T22:31:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944515",
          "commentText": "Discworld: Going Postal, Making Money, and Raising Steam (3 books total)\nThe Lies of Locke Lamora (and sequels, 3 books total so far)\nThe Name of the Wind (and sequels, 3 books total so far)\nAncillary Justice (and sequel, 2 books total so far)\nAll of Iain M. Banks Culture series\nOld Man's War (and sequels)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Old Man's War (and sequels)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8402022,
          "author": "totalrobe",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T17:51:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8402022",
          "commentText": "Comedic sci fi is getting me back into it:\nJohn Scalzi writes a kickass tale- Old Man's War series\nRobert Kroese just hilarious - Starship Grifters\nRead a while ago and couldn't put it down - Avogadro Corp: The Singularity is Closer than it Appers by William Hertling",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "John Scalzi writes a kickass tale- Old Man's War series",
          "reason": "The commenter praises Scalzi's storytelling.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109779,
          "author": "squeee",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T17:40:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109779",
          "commentText": "Just finished Tower Lord, it's the sequel to Blood Song, by Anthony Ryan.  Blood Song stands pretty strong all on its own, I'm not even sure if he ever planned for this to become a series.  But book two (Tower Lord) makes it quite clear that this is now a Game of Thrones esq series.\nJust started Old Mans War last night, haven't gotten far enough into it to form an opinion.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Just started Old Mans War last night, haven't gotten far enough into it to form an opinion.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read enough to form an opinion.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7302531,
          "author": "nayshins",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T02:52:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7302531",
          "commentText": "\"Old Man's War\" by John Scalzi\n\"Hyperion\" by Dan Simmons",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Old Man's War\" by John Scalzi",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for science-fiction suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3987323,
          "author": "robotmay",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-17T15:13:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3987323",
          "commentText": "I'd highly recommend any Scalzi book. The Old Man's War trilogy is great, but if you're after something more light-hearted then The Android's Dream or Agent to the Stars are also great.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Old Man's War trilogy is great",
          "reason": "Calls the trilogy great.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3987225,
          "author": "latch",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-17T14:53:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3987225",
          "commentText": "Old Man's War - John Scalzi",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Old Man's War - John Scalzi",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for a great book read recently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226850,
          "author": "keyist",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:36:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226850",
          "commentText": "Don't miss sivers's great list: http://sivers.org/book\nAs for mine,\nScience Fiction (I like these authors so I'd recommend most of their books -- listing which ones I think are a good 'starter novel' for them):\n  Charles Stross: Halting State\n  Vernor Vinge: A Fire Upon The Deep\n  Iain M. Banks: Culture novels, start with Player of Games\n  David Louis Edelman: Jump 225 Trilogy\n  Daniel Suarez: Daemon and Freedom(tm)\n  John Scalzi: Old Man's War series\n  Dan Simmons: Hyperion\n\nSelf-improvement:\n  The Talent Code\n  Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger\n  Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion\n\nNon-fiction:\n  Amusing Ourselves To Death (highly recommended)\n  The Science of Fear\n  The Black Swan\n  Tokyo Vice\n  Racing The Beam (Atari history, very cool)\n  books by Daniel Pink\n  Guns, Germs, and Steel\n  The Prize by Daniel Yergin\n\nFantasy:\nAnything by Gaiman or China Mieville, pretty much.\nEDIT: links to previews (legally) available online\nCharles Stross's Accelerando (entire book): http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelera... (http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelerando/accelerando-intro.html)\nDavid Louis Edelman's Infoquake (1st 7 chapters): http://www.davidlouisedelman.com/jump225/infoquake/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "John Scalzi: Old Man's War series",
          "reason": "Explicitly listed as a series recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Scalzi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 18,
      "threads": 14,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military science fiction",
        "space opera",
        "space colonization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "economics-in-one-lesson-97b7c9",
      "title": "Economics in One Lesson",
      "author": "Henry Hazlitt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33803064,
          "author": "n0ot",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T16:26:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33803064",
          "commentText": "I'll add Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt. It provides an introduction to economics from an Austrian point of view, and dispells many common economic fallacies. A big takeaway for me is that the consequences of policies, such as providing loans to certain groups of farmers, have consequences that we cannot forsee.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Economics-One-Lesson-Shortest-Underst... (https://www.amazon.com/Economics-One-Lesson-Shortest-Understand/dp/0517548232)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'll add Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt. It provides an introduction to economics from an Austrian point of view, and dispells many common economic fallacies.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as an introduction to economics and economic fallacies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Presents economics from an Austrian point of view.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22866765,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2020-04-14T14:55:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 22861452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading to make sense of the economy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22866765",
          "commentText": "I have really enjoyed simple economics texts.\nI highly recommend Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt. It is a very approachable book that can be read in one sitting.\nIt illustrates the seen and unseen effects of action from Frédéric Bastiat.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt.",
          "reason": "Recommended as an approachable introduction to economics.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for an approachable economics book that can be read in one sitting.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22574378,
          "author": "zanezone",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T10:38:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22574378",
          "commentText": "Get some conflicting ideas. Two great, short books are The Mystery of Banking by Rothbard (available for free here: https://mises.org/library/mystery-banking) and Economics in One Lesson by Hazlitt (free here: https://fee.org/resources/economics-in-one-lesson/). They both conflict quite substantially with the mainstream and might open up a whole new line of inquiry for you.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "and Economics in One Lesson by Hazlitt",
          "reason": "Recommended as a short book presenting ideas that conflict with the mainstream.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking perspectives that challenge mainstream views.",
          "caveat": "Its ideas conflict substantially with the mainstream.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17169039,
          "author": "sdfin",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T20:53:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17169039",
          "commentText": "> when dealing with complex sociological questions there are always negative externalities and the case can always be made that there are additional hidden externalities we don't fully understand yet. And therefore the correct solution to all these sociological problems according to Hazlitt is to do nothing.\nHow can he propose to do something about what's not understood? Both action or inaction have consequences and those consequences once understood would motivate a new action or inaction. I'm not criticizing, I ask this because I didn't understand well the argument in its abstract form.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "How can he propose to do something about what's not understood?",
          "reason": "Asks how Hazlitt's argument handles consequences that are not yet understood; explicitly says they are not criticizing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168900,
          "author": "gizmo",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T20:16:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168900",
          "commentText": "This is one of those books where if you know only a little about economics after reading it you'll know even less.\nEconomics in one lesson is heavy on rhetoric and light on substance. The lesson is \"look for hidden externalities\". Which is by itself totally fair: we should indeed be mindful of externalities.\nHowever when dealing with complex sociological questions there are always negative externalities and the case can always be made that there are additional hidden externalities we don't fully understand yet. And therefore the correct solution to all these sociological problems according to Hazlitt is to do nothing. Because only the externalities of action are considered, not the externalities of inaction. That's the slight of hand applied throughout the book. So the solutions are the same libertarian nonsense we're all familiar with: no government, no taxes, no minimum wages, no unions, no tariffs, etc.\n\"Economics in one lesson\" is by no means a good book, but it's pleasantly written, freely available online, and it can be read in an afternoon. Additionally it makes the reader feel smart because it provides a very simple solution to a multitude of very complex problems. So that explains the appeal. If people want to learn basic economics they should study a reputable college textbook instead.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "\"Economics in one lesson\" is by no means a good book, but it's pleasantly written, freely available online, and it can be read in an afternoon.",
          "reason": "The commenter criticizes its arguments as simplistic and libertarian, while acknowledging its pleasant style and accessibility.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not a good book and recommends a reputable college textbook for basic economics.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168621,
          "author": "filleokus",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:21:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168621",
          "commentText": "Economics in One Lesson by Hazlitt.\nIt's old but many of the lessons he teaches are still relevant today. It opened my eyes to the danger of only thinking about the things that are easily observable, and ignoring the \"unseen\" things.\n> The art of economics consists in looking not merely at the immediate but at the longer effects of any act or policy; it consists in tracing the consequences of that policy not merely for one group but for all groups.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Economics in One Lesson by Hazlitt.\nIt's old but many of the lessons he teaches are still relevant today.",
          "reason": "The commenter says its lessons remain relevant and that it changed how they think about economic consequences.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The book is old.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12569626,
          "author": "frankyo",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-24T05:43:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12569626",
          "commentText": "Economics in one lesson by Henry Hazlitt changed my life. If you want to read one book only, read this one. It's sort, easy to understand and ruthlessly logical.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Economics in one lesson by Henry Hazlitt changed my life. If you want to read one book only, read this one.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends it as the one economics book to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12563538,
          "author": "mikecb",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T10:33:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12563538",
          "commentText": "EIOL is a representation of one school of economic thought up to a certain time. It includes many of the principles taught to high school and 101-level college students, but it may mislead readers who are unaware that there are other models, and other conclusions, that more recent research have uncovered. In other words, it's much like recommending a book that includes the Aristotelian and Galilean theories of gravity: yes, it's useful to know, but only in an historical context.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it's much like recommending a book that includes the Aristotelian and Galilean theories of gravity: yes, it's useful to know, but only in an historical context.",
          "reason": "Says the book is useful for historical context but may mislead readers unaware of other models and newer research.",
          "audience": "Readers learning economic thought and policy.",
          "caveat": "The commenter considers its coverage historically limited and warns that it may mislead without context.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12563391,
          "author": "geff82",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T09:42:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12563391",
          "commentText": "\"Economics in one lesson\" is a classic worth reading and thinking about. While you don't necessary have to follow the libertarian way of thinking it guides you to, it still shapes your critical thinking about economic policies a lot.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Economics in one lesson\" is a classic worth reading and thinking about.",
          "reason": "Calls it a classic worth reading and thinking about.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring economic policy and ideas.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it may guide readers toward libertarian thinking and says they need not follow that outlook.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12068003,
          "author": "motxilo",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T00:25:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12068003",
          "commentText": "Blindsight (Watts)\nBetween the World and Me (Coates)\nEconomics in One Lesson (Hazlitt)\nCorporate Confidential: 50 Secrets Your Company Doesn't Want You to Know---and What to Do About Them (Shapiro)\nLos últimos españoles de Mauthausen (Hernández de Miguel)\nDistributed Systems for Fun and Profit (Takada)\nThe Knowledge: How to Rebuild Civilization in the Aftermath of a Cataclysm (Dartnell)\nHistoria mínima de España (Fusi)\nTurn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders (Marquet)\nWhat I Learned Losing A Million Dollars (Moynihan)\nSite Reliability Engineering: How Google Runs Production Systems (Google)\nAdventures in Human Being: A Grand Tour from the Cranium to the Calcaneum (Francis)\nOperating Systems: Three Easy Pieces (Arpaci-Dusseau)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Economics in One Lesson (Hazlitt)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8721219,
          "author": "tiatia",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-09T05:35:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8721219",
          "commentText": "For the sake of Jesus, read this posts and use your brain:\n\"There is No Steady State Economy (except at a very basic level)\"\nhttp://ourfiniteworld.com/2011/02/21/there-is-no-steady-stat... (http://ourfiniteworld.com/2011/02/21/there-is-no-steady-state-economy-except-at-a-very-basic-level/)\nLimits to Growth–At our doorstep, but not recognized\nhttp://www.resilience.org/stories/2014-02-12/limits-to-growt... (http://www.resilience.org/stories/2014-02-12/limits-to-growth-at-our-doorstep-but-not-recognized)\nWealth And Energy Consumption Are Inseparable\nhttp://www.declineoftheempire.com/2012/01/wealth-and-energy-... (http://www.declineoftheempire.com/2012/01/wealth-and-energy-consumption-are-inseparable.html)\nGalactic-Scale Energy\nhttp://physics.ucsd.edu/do-the-math/2011/07/galactic-scale-e... (http://physics.ucsd.edu/do-the-math/2011/07/galactic-scale-energy/)\nI have not read \"Economics in One Lesson\" but if I remember right, it is Austrian and takes ideas from good ol' Ludwing van. Today I must say, Mises views were often very short sighted, he had little understanding of money and in the end also a limited understanding what capitalism is (and why it will end).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I have not read \"Economics in One Lesson\"",
          "reason": "The commenter names the book but says they have not read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No evaluation is given; the commenter only speculates about its intellectual influences.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3446327,
          "author": "uast23",
          "createdAt": "2012-01-10T09:31:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 3439607,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best Economics read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3446327",
          "commentText": "Pretty small text :). Going to begin with it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Going to begin with it.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3439763,
          "author": "SuperChihuahua",
          "createdAt": "2012-01-08T15:58:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 3439607,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best Economics read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3439763",
          "commentText": "I think it is Economics in one lesson you should begin with. Its available for free here: http://mises.org/books/economics_in_one_lesson_hazlitt.pdf\nIt's a classic and easy to read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think it is Economics in one lesson you should begin with. Its available for free here:",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a starting point and calls it a classic that is easy to read.",
          "audience": "People beginning to study economics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1465391,
          "author": "hga",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T12:12:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1465391",
          "commentText": "Indeed, that's the single best book to start with.  E.g. the very first chapter, the \"One Lesson\" (on the Broken window fallacy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broken_window_fallacy) will right off explain to you why \"Cash For Clunkers\" was such a clunker.\n(Ignoring the solid principle that accelerating future economic activity fails when the future inevitably arrives, something we're seeing right now in US residential real estate.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Indeed, that's the single best book to start with.",
          "reason": "Calls it the single best book to start learning economics.",
          "audience": "Beginners learning economics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1465297,
          "author": "adamcrowe",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T09:59:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1465297",
          "commentText": "General and fallacy debunking:\n'Economics In One Lesson' by Henry Hazlitt\nhttp://jim.com/econ\nLand and rent analysis (missing in almost all textbooks):\n'The New Road to Serfdom: An Illustrated Guide to the Coming Real Estate Collapse' by Dr. Michael Hudson\nhttp://michael-hudson.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/RoadToS... (http://michael-hudson.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/RoadToSerfdom.pdf)\n'The Chaos Makers: The Dreamers & The Deceived' by Fred Harrison\nhttp://renegadeeconomist.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/the-... (http://renegadeeconomist.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/the-chaos-makers.pdf)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Economics In One Lesson' by Henry Hazlitt",
          "reason": "Listed as a recommendation for learning economics.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an introduction to economics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1465036,
          "author": "Shmulkey",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T05:49:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1465036",
          "commentText": "Economics in One Lesson by Hazlitt: http://jim.com/econ/, http://www.fee.org/pdf/books/Economics_in_one_lesson.pdf\nBasic Economics by Thomas Sowell\nApplied Economics by Thomas Sowell\nFree to Choose by Milton Friedman (video series, too)\nUse of Knowledge in Society by Hayek (short, non-technical paper which is full of brilliant insights): http://www.econlib.org/library/Essays/hykKnw1.html\nNot a book, but the Econtalk podcast is fantastic: http://www.econtalk.org/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Economics in One Lesson by Hazlitt",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1465026,
          "author": "roobaron",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T05:38:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1465026",
          "commentText": "To grok the subject, it will take a while.\nSearch for a good undergraduate economics course and follow that. \nI second Hazlitt \"Economics in One Lesson\".\nBut if you truly want to understand this, you will need to start with one book and then note all the books and theories which come before, going back a long way 200 years or more. Read or read summaries of those as well.\nIn that way, you will get a firm foundation and understand how some \"new\" stuff is just old stuff with a new name.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second Hazlitt \"Economics in One Lesson\".",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the recommendation of this book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1464817,
          "author": "frognibble",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T03:22:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1464817",
          "commentText": "My favorite book is \"Economics in One Lesson\".  It's available free online and in print from major book sellers (see the top search results on the Google). This book does not represent mainstream economic thought, but that's a good thing given the track record of mainstream economists in the current crisis.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "My favorite book is \"Economics in One Lesson\".",
          "reason": "Names it as the commenter's favorite book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it does not represent mainstream economic thought.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1028480,
          "author": "ArturSoler",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-03T13:08:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1028480",
          "commentText": "I second \"Economics in One Lesson\" recommendation. Economics explained in an understandable way for non-economists.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second \"Economics in One Lesson\" recommendation.",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the recommendation and says the economics are explained understandably for non-economists.",
          "audience": "Non-economists.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027344,
          "author": "acj",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T16:37:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027344",
          "commentText": "The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin\nEconomics in One Lesson, by Henry Hazlitt.\nThe Baroque Cycle, by Neal Stephenson.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Economics in One Lesson, by Henry Hazlitt.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books enjoyed and recommended.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 180819,
          "author": "pchivers",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-04T14:46:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 180589,
          "threadTitle": "Good book for economics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=180819",
          "commentText": "The book that got me started was Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt (http://www.amazon.com/Economics-One-Lesson-Shortest-Understa... (http://www.amazon.com/Economics-One-Lesson-Shortest-Understand/dp/0517548232)).  Published in 1946, and still considered a classic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book that got me started was Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt",
          "reason": "Identifies the book as the one that got the commenter started and calls it a classic.",
          "audience": "Someone looking for an introduction to economics.",
          "caveat": "Published in 1946.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 180786,
          "author": "ludwikg",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-04T13:18:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 180589,
          "threadTitle": "Good book for economics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=180786",
          "commentText": "I would start with this one: http://www.amazon.com/Economics-One-Lesson-Shortest-Understa... (http://www.amazon.com/Economics-One-Lesson-Shortest-Understand/dp/0517548232), or free online at http://jim.com/econ/contents.html.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would start with this one",
          "reason": "Suggested as a starting point for the economics book request.",
          "audience": "Someone looking for an introduction to economics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 57494,
          "author": "axiom",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-20T17:44:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=57494",
          "commentText": "Economics in One Lesson is not right wing, it's libertarian. Today, right wing means big government and religion.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Economics in One Lesson is not right wing, it's libertarian.",
          "reason": "Discusses the book's political classification.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 57306,
          "author": "davidmathers",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-20T08:15:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=57306",
          "commentText": "[Right Wing] Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt is primarily a 1940's take on the 1840's essay What is Seen and What is Not Seen by Frederic Bastiat. You can read the original here: http://www.econlib.org/library/Bastiat/basEss1.html",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt is primarily a 1940's take on the 1840's essay What is Seen and What is Not Seen by Frederic Bastiat.",
          "reason": "Compares the book with Bastiat's earlier essay without expressing an evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56703,
          "author": "axiom",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T04:20:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56703",
          "commentText": "It's pretty tragic how little most people understand about basic economics. Not just with respect to how societies function, but basic concepts like incentives and the law of supply and demand. Oh, and of course No Free Lunch. \nSo in that spirit, here are a couple of economics books that I quite seriously believe everyone should be forced to read.\nEconomics in One Lesson, by Hazlitt \nFree to Choose: A Personal Statement, by Milton and Rose Friedman\nFreakonomics, by Levitt and Dubner (this book is just so damn fun to read)\n\nand for the hackers:\nThe God of the Machine, by Paterson\n(Think engineering principles as applied to economics, history and politics. Probably one of the most interesting books I've read in my entire life, even if I don't entirely agree with the thesis.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Economics in One Lesson, by Hazlitt",
          "reason": "Included in a list of economics books the commenter believes everyone should read.",
          "audience": "The commenter advocates that everyone read it.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Henry Hazlitt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 18,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic principles",
        "austrian economics",
        "economic policy",
        "economic fallacies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bobiverse-dc5945",
      "title": "Bobiverse",
      "author": "Dennis E. Taylor",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49909383,
          "author": "dan-bailey",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T14:20:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49909383",
          "commentText": "I can see where Dungeon Crawler could go that way -- I just did the newest Bobiverse book on Audible, and it's just so goddamned repetitive.  I'm not sure I can slog through another one.  I feel like Dungeon Crawler is doing a really good job of setting up and laying the groundwork for more _meaningful_ conflict in future books.  But I'm only on Book 3, so who knows?  Ask me again 2 books from now.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "the newest Bobiverse book on Audible",
          "reason": "Finds the latest installment repetitive and is unsure about continuing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The series feels repetitive; the commenter may not continue.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42268718,
          "author": "grujicd",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T21:44:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268718",
          "commentText": "It's just a first one, there are more books in Bobiverse series.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "there are more books in Bobiverse series",
          "reason": "Notes that the first book is part of a longer series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36083958,
          "author": "code_Whisperer",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-26T13:38:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36083958",
          "commentText": "Easily these (so far):\nThis is How You Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (actually now one of my all-time favorites, without regard to genre. Just amazing)\nChildren of Time - Adrian Tchaikovsky\nThe Book of Strange New Things - Michael Faber\nTed Chiang's short story collections (Exhalations and Stories of your life and others)\nDaemon - Daniel Suarez\nThe City and the City - China Miéville\nRoadside Picnic - Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (this one still haunts my dreams at times)\nWe Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse Book 1) - Dennis Taylor (just finished this series for book club)\nGalatea 2.2, The Overstory, Bewilderment, The Gold Bug Variations - 4 different books, all by Richard Powers - what can I say, the man is a genius and a treasure\nEifelheim - Michael Flynn - ok, this book can be a slog at times, but it is very rewarding for those who persevere, and has stuck in my brain for many years\nChocky - John Wyndham - A quiet, delightful surprise\nProvidence - Max Barry - This book flows like a movie. It will make a great movie. I found myself LITERALLY out of breath a couple of times\nHench: A Novel - Natalie Zina Walschots - Quirky, memorable\nThe Peacemaker's Code - Deepak Malhotra - Why hasn't this guy written more sci-fi?\nOrange World and Other Stories - Karen Russell - OK, maybe not strictly sci-fi, but this book tickles my brain\nGUILTY PLEASURE SCI-FI FAVORITE: The Vaz series by Laurence Dahners. I think I've read that series 3 times now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "(just finished this series for book club)",
          "reason": "Says they just finished the series for book club.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021828,
          "author": "jillesvangurp",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:17:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021828",
          "commentText": "Just finished part 4 of the Bobiverse. It's a nice read. And it seems to be getting better as the series progresses.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just finished part 4 of the Bobiverse. It's a nice read. And it seems to be getting better as the series progresses.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a nice read and says the series improves as it progresses.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021801,
          "author": "hesdeadjim",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:14:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021801",
          "commentText": "* Greg Egan’s short story collections, Diaspora, and Permutation City. Fair warning, Egan puts the “hard” in “hard sci-fi”.\n* Haven’t finished the Expanse final trilogy, but I really enjoyed the first two.\n* The Wool series\n* Project Hail Mary, for story reasons I’d recommend the audio book.\n* We Are Bob trilogy, fourth book is garbage.\n* Old Man’s War\n* The Culture Series by Ian Banks\n* If you enjoyed Seveneves, and thus can tolerate Stephenson’s consistent habit to drop the ball in the last 20% of his books, Diamond Age is enjoyable.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "We Are Bob trilogy, fourth book is garbage.",
          "reason": "The commenter mentions enjoying the trilogy but strongly dislikes the fourth book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the fourth book is garbage.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021702,
          "author": "michaelbuckbee",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:03:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021702",
          "commentText": "Roger Ebert always tried to review movies on what they were trying to do and not on an absolutist scale of good/bad.\nIMO the Bobiverse books are trying to have a fun go at a few different big sci-fi concepts and on that basis I think they're fairly successful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Bobiverse books",
          "reason": "The commenter thinks the books are fairly successful at having fun with several major science fiction concepts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021594,
          "author": "joe_hills",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:55:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021594",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed the Bobiverse books, but could understand why folks who favor authoritarian theocracies as a government structure might feel that the novels don’t convey zealots that start planet-destroying conflicts optimistically.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the Bobiverse books",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed the books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "May frustrate readers who want a more optimistic portrayal of zealots starting planet-destroying conflicts.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021237,
          "author": "dcminter",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:30:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021237",
          "commentText": "I haven't read any of the Bobiverse books, but I recall reading a review that stated something like \"I realise this isn't going into what's so bad about it, but I honestly don't know where to start. It would be like explaining why murder was bad.\" :D\nAnnoyingly I can't find the original any more, but I do note that most of the 1 star reviewers are angry about anti-religious tone, so perhaps that was the bee in their bonnet?\nI've read and enjoyed the other two as amusing romps (albeit of otherwise quite different tone). So you might possibly enjoy the Lady Astronaut Universe Series by Mary Robinette Kowal. Just a thought.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I haven't read any of the Bobiverse books",
          "reason": "The commenter has not read them and relays a harsh review they recall.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read the books; the negative judgment is attributed to a reviewer.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36020997,
          "author": "throwaway019254",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:07:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36020997",
          "commentText": "Bobiverse series (Dennis E. Taylor)\nOld Man's War series (John Scalzi)\nThe Murderbot Diaries (Martha Wells)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bobiverse series (Dennis E. Taylor)",
          "reason": "Listed as a science fiction series in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33872433,
          "author": "randomcarbloke",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-05T21:53:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33872433",
          "commentText": "I've been meaning to read this just to see if he's plagiarising Roger Williams but with humour added in.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've been meaning to read this just to see if he's plagiarising Roger Williams but with humour added in.",
          "reason": "Expresses interest in reading it to investigate a possible humorous plagiarism of Roger Williams.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter suspects plagiarism; they do not endorse the series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33858195,
          "author": "sockaddr",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T21:38:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33858195",
          "commentText": "The Bobiverse series by Dennis E. Taylor.\n https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01L082SCI?plink=uiGaVWnYtvU9VuSn&... (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01L082SCI?plink=uiGaVWnYtvU9VuSn&ref_=adblp13nvvxx_0_1_im)\nEver dream of being a post-human computer with a free mandate to explore the galaxy as a Von Neumann probe? Then read this series.\nNot only is the setting interesting, his character development is really well done too.\nI hate recommending an Audible book (terrible business practices) but Dennis has an exclusivity agreement with them (he’s a new author) and it is actually a really great way to consume his books. They’re narrated by Ray Porter and he really does a fantastic job.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bobiverse series by Dennis E. Taylor.",
          "reason": "Recommended for its post-human explorer premise and character development.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in a post-human computer exploring the galaxy.",
          "caveat": "The commenter dislikes recommending Audible because of its business practices, though they say the narration is excellent and Audible is exclusive to the books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33852262,
          "author": "ssijak",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T10:14:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33852262",
          "commentText": "The first bobiverse book was cool and unique, others were just juicing the same thing with no real plot twists and great ideas",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The first bobiverse book was cool and unique, others were just juicing the same thing with no real plot twists and great ideas",
          "reason": "Praises the first book as cool and unique but says later entries repeat the same premise without real plot twists or great ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Criticism applies to the later books in the series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33852080,
          "author": "Triangle9349",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T09:42:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33852080",
          "commentText": "not released this year, but quite new:\nBobiverse Series by Dennis Taylor\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/series/192752-bobiverse\nProject Hail Mary by Weir Andy\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54493401-project-hail-ma... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54493401-project-hail-mary)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bobiverse Series by Dennis Taylor",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not released this year, but quite new.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32198097,
          "author": "Elof",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:55:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32198097",
          "commentText": "I'm on book 4 of the Bobiverse series and am really enjoying it, easy reads started the series last week! Read Blake Crouch's latest Upgrade over a weekend and would reccomend as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm on book 4 of the Bobiverse series and am really enjoying it",
          "reason": "Says they are really enjoying the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28074328,
          "author": "johntdaly",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-05T14:38:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28074328",
          "commentText": "The concepts where novel in all books by Denis E. Taylor so far, or at least I find the way he presents them in a new or unique way. The Singularity Trap sticks out to me as a rather unique way to tell the first contact story but I found the story itself less enjoyable than his other works.\nI liked the first 3 books of the Bobiverse series but book 4 wasn’t as enjoyable as the rest for me.\nBy favorite book by Denis E. Taylor was Outland, it reminded me of some of the better works of Michael Crichton. To bad he has writer's block when it comes to continuing the story.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I liked the first 3 books of the Bobiverse series but book 4 wasn’t as enjoyable as the rest for me.",
          "reason": "The commenter liked the first three books, but found the fourth less enjoyable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The fourth book was less enjoyable than the first three.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28070835,
          "author": "dbish",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-05T07:20:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28070835",
          "commentText": "Bobiverse was good from a ‘new concepts’ point of view, at least the first book. Really fun read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Bobiverse was good from a ‘new concepts’ point of view, at least the first book.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its concepts and says the first book was fun.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The positive assessment is limited to at least the first book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28059025,
          "author": "johntdaly",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T09:35:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28059025",
          "commentText": "SciFi\nThe Bobiverse Series by Dennis E. Taylor\nThe Singularity Trap and Outland, also by Dennis E. Taylor\nThe Interdependency Series by John Scalzi\nSciFi + Comedy\nExpeditionary Force Series by Craig Alanson\nMilitary SciFi\nThe Lost Fleet Series by Jack Campbell\nThe Palladium Wars Series by Marko Kloos\nA bit of all of the above\nMurderbot Diaries Series by Martha Wells\nSciFi/SciFantasy + Comedy\nMagic 2.0 by Scott Mayer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bobiverse Series by Dennis E. Taylor",
          "reason": "Lists the series as a science fiction recommendation.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25845573,
          "author": "ryanmercer",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T12:22:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25845573",
          "commentText": "Heinlein is always great.\nCheck out B. V. Larson's Swarm and Undying Mercenaries series, Dennis E. Taylor Bobiverse series, and Craig Alanson's Expeditionary Force.\nAlso what I mentioned to OP, what I'm doing my annual re-listen of https://www.goodreads.com/series/51166-troy-rising\nThey're not Heinlein by any means but they're fairly good hard science fiction. The audiobook versions all have fantastic narrators too if one has a commute.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Dennis E. Taylor Bobiverse series",
          "reason": "Suggested among science fiction series the commenter describes as fairly good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these series are not Heinlein by any means.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17537661,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T23:20:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537661",
          "commentText": "Farmer in the Sky by Robert Heinlein [1]\nThe Complete Robot by Isaac Asimov [2]\nThe Wrong Unit [3] wasn't a bad little humorous tale.\nPretty much anything by Timothy Zahn (sans Star Wars novelisations) [4] or Robert Sawyer [5] floats my boat.\nThe First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North [6]\nBarsk: The Elephants’ Graveyard by Lawrence M. Schoen [7] made me care about sentient elephants.\nFuzzy Nation by John Scalzi [8] is very funny. Audiobook version narrated by Wil Wheaton.\nOf ones already mentioned:\nThe Bobiverse was surprisingly good (including the audiobook version).\nThe Expanse is good.\nWith regards to Dune, there are some like myself who only ever liked the first book in the series. (Also there is a good audiobook version out there.)\nThe Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and sequels are great world building and characters, although the plots seem to meander about with not too much purpose.\nThe Martian is great.\n[1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50851.Farmer_in_the_Sky\n[2] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50091.The_Complete_Robot\n[3] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30959279-the-wrong-unit\n[4] https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12479.Timothy_Zahn\n[5] https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/25883.Robert_J_Sawyer\n[6] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295861-the-first-fifte... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295861-the-first-fifteen-lives-of-harry-august)\n[7] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25667916-barsk\n[8] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11167622-fuzzy-nation",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bobiverse was surprisingly good (including the audiobook version).",
          "reason": "Says the series was surprisingly good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536575,
          "author": "geuis",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:20:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536575",
          "commentText": "I highly recommend Off to be the Wizard, https://audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/Off-to-Be-the-Wizard-A... (https://audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/Off-to-Be-the-Wizard-Audiobook/B00IIS32NI). It’s fun and lighthearted.\nAlso the Bobiverse series. https://mobile.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/We-Are-Legion-W... (https://mobile.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/We-Are-Legion-We-Are-Bob-Audiobook/B01L082HJ2)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also the Bobiverse series.",
          "reason": "Offered as an additional recommendation in response to a request for fiction suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17520529,
          "author": "jjcm",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T04:34:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17520529",
          "commentText": "If you're into sci-fi, the Bobiverse trilogy was an absolute pleasure to read. Kinda a silly name, but really tickled me in a similar way that The Martian did. Good mix of entertainment plus some more heady things to leave you thinking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Bobiverse trilogy was an absolute pleasure to read",
          "reason": "The commenter found it entertaining and thought-provoking.",
          "audience": "Sci-fi readers.",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls the name silly.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15428883,
          "author": "flopunctro",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:45:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428883",
          "commentText": "Surprised nobody mentioned Dennis Taylor's Bobiverse. While it's a bit on the light side / vacation read (novels aren't very long, the storyline isn't complex), the author is a programmer, the series' universe is refreshingly plausible and consistent, and the humor is suprisingly good.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Surprised nobody mentioned Dennis Taylor's Bobiverse.",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to the request for hard sci-fi AI novels; praises its plausibility and humor.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as light and a vacation read, with a simple storyline.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13568523,
          "author": "snowpalmer",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T19:24:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13568523",
          "commentText": "I've read two books recently:\n* Contact \n  by Carl Sagan\nI had previously seen the movie. The book (or rather the movie) takes a bit of a departure. The backgrounds on all the different characters as well as the political parts weren't that interesting to me. But overall the book was great.\n* We Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse) \n  by Dennis Taylor\nI'd suggest listening to it on Audiobook. Excellent read. Makes me want to buy the book and read through it again. I can't wait until the next one comes out in (March?)\n[0] https://www.amazon.com/Contact-Carl-Sagan/dp/0671004107/ref=... (https://www.amazon.com/Contact-Carl-Sagan/dp/0671004107/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486236067&sr=8-1&keywords=contact+book)\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/We-Are-Legion-Bob-Bobiverse/dp/168068... (https://www.amazon.com/We-Are-Legion-Bob-Bobiverse/dp/1680680323/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486235995&sr=8-1&keywords=we+are+legion+we+are+bob)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "We Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dennis E. Taylor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 18,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space exploration",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "space opera",
        "digital consciousness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "letters-from-a-stoic-fc04a6",
      "title": "Letters from a Stoic",
      "author": "Seneca",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40284922,
          "author": "yungporko",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T12:58:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40284922",
          "commentText": "seneca's letters from a stoic, marcus aurelius' meditations, the pragmatic programmer by david thomas & andrew hunt",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "seneca's letters from a stoic",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936760,
          "author": "pkszg",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T09:54:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936760",
          "commentText": "I like to read a wide variety of genre from fiction to human psychology.\nFor the mind:\nNonviolent Communication by  Marshall Rosenberg - A great book on how to communcate more effectively with others.\nThinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman -He is the only psychologist ever to recieve the Nobel Prize if I remember correctly. This book scientifically digests human biases and errors and how they influence our every day lives and decision making. Sometimes it a bit too technical for my taste and I like mostly the first part. (its not an easy read) I rarely had so many Aha-moments.\nA random walk down on wall street - For investing your income in stocks. What to do and what no to do. Simple, with facts.\nSapiens by Harari -Interesting, I remember it was a great read and fun read. Connecting a lot of dots :)\nOn programming:\nDesigning Data-Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann - I am failry a junior web dev, so any material that is clear and explains well is a great source of information and inspiration. This is such a book.\nComputer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective by Randal E. Bryant and David R. O'Hallaron - Teaches CS from the basics, which for me is a great source since I don't have a CS degree. I complement it with other materials from the internet (such as Harvard's CS50) for learning the fundamentals paralell working in my daily web dev job. Its a long book, so It will take a couple of months, years to go thorugh, but definitely worth the effort.\nFictions I love, without much introduction:\nLord of the Rings\nDune (first book)\nGame of thrones books\nFor me JRRs storytelling is outstanding, the books are better than the serires IMO.\nSpiritual Books:\n(I am not a religous person by any means and I do not follow traditions)\nSpirituality for me means a deeper connection with the universe.\nIf I really want to dig deeper than everyday work-life stuff I listen/read these books. Usually when there is a great emotional upheaval in my life or when I feel my daily distractions failed on me.\nPower of now by Eckhart Tolle - This book gives me the occasional goosebumps, a great summary of all spiritual teachings (before becoming religions) in a really simple way. If you are interested in such, I highly recommend it.\nMeditations by Marcus Aurelius - I see it mentioned here already, no intro needed.\nLetters by Seneca - This book is a proof for me that the essential human experience, the core of what makes us human does not change over time. Seneca was a great stoic thinker, who is very relatable by anyone even today (and probably will be for many millenia)\nZen Mind, Beginners Mind by Suzuki Roshi - All true spiritual teaching have the same source, but all are expressed differently. This is a great, simple powerful book to read if you lean towards buddhism.\nA Course in Miracles (no official author) -Now this is a heavy read. It has a textbook with daily practices also. This is definitely not a book for everyone.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Letters by Seneca - This book is a proof for me that the essential human experience, the core of what makes us human does not change over time.",
          "reason": "Says it illustrates the enduring nature of human experience and praises Seneca as relatable.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Stoic thought.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25905301,
          "author": "FlyingSnake",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T16:45:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25905301",
          "commentText": "Finished Range and Siddhartha, and now reading Seneca's letters from a stoic.\nRange is a great book that extols the virtues of playing around and dabbling with multiple skills. Immensely readable.\nSiddhartha, is a fascinating take on advaita vedanta, Sramana, and Buddhism. As someone familiar with these 3 philosophies, I liked Hesse's take on them. The story is really simple and can be finished in 2-3 sittings.\nLetters from a stoic is full to the brim of wisdom and I've never filled a book with so many bookmarks and notes before. Seneca writes like a straight arrow and doesn't mince words. No wonder the book is still around, one of the best examples of Lindy effect.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Letters from a stoic is full to the brim of wisdom and I've never filled a book with so many bookmarks and notes before.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it full of wisdom and especially engaging to annotate.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Stoic philosophy and practical wisdom.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23859039,
          "author": "omreaderhn",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:58:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859039",
          "commentText": "Fooled by Randomness - Nassim Taleb\nLetters from a Stoic - Seneca\nThe Bible\nBeyond Good and Evil - Nietzsche\nPsychological Types - Carl Jung",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Letters from a Stoic - Seneca",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20917383,
          "author": "brunoarine",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T12:13:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20917383",
          "commentText": "'Letters from a Stoic' is indeed a masterpiece, and I've found that the Penguin Book's translation is fantastic. It made me feel like I was reading my own grandpa's letters with warm-hearted instructions on how to be a good person when I become a grown-up.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Letters from a Stoic' is indeed a masterpiece",
          "reason": "Calls it a masterpiece and praises the translation’s warmth and guidance.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in warm-hearted guidance on how to live well.",
          "caveat": "The praise of the translation applies specifically to the Penguin edition.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20333866,
          "author": "0kl",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T10:55:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20333866",
          "commentText": "I have always been of the opinion that you ought to read the stoics in the order of:\n1. Epictetus (foundational with the enchiridion) [trans Robert Dobbin]\n2. Seneca’s letters (eloquent exhortations from one person to another) [trans Robin Campbell]\n3. Aurelius’s meditations (powerful self-reflections not meant for publication) [trans Martin Hammond]\nI found that, going back, both Seneca or Epictetus were lesser reads than Aurelius, but I’m still glad I read them.\n[These are my preferred translations, but I did see this comment and just ordered the translation mentioned https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8717216]",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Seneca’s letters (eloquent exhortations from one person to another)",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's suggested reading order; described as eloquent exhortations.",
          "audience": "Readers following the commenter's suggested order for reading the Stoics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Seneca was a lesser read than Aurelius, though they are glad they read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19088461,
          "author": "onemoresoop",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T18:55:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19088461",
          "commentText": "Seneca - Letters from a stoic;\nHerman Hesse - Steppenwolf , Siddhartha and The glass bead game (Magister Ludi)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seneca - Letters from a stoic;",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18755056,
          "author": "madrafi",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-25T00:21:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18755056",
          "commentText": "- Rationality From AI to Zombies (huge collection of essays about (rationality,intelligence,quantum physics,bayesian probability,philosophy...) that can be read on lesswrong.com)\n-Intuition Pumps and other Thinking Tools\n-Sapiens\n-Edward.O Wilson Letters to a young scientist\n-Cédric Villani Birth of a Theorem\n-Emanuel Derman Models Behaving Badly\n-Letters From A Stoic by Seneca\n-Mathematics it's contents methods 3 Volumes (Aleksandrov et al.)\n-Nick Bostrom Superinteligence\n-The Moral Animal by Robert Wright",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Letters From A Stoic by Seneca",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite nonfiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17984316,
          "author": "dbs",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-14T02:29:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17984316",
          "commentText": "Demon Haunted World (Sagan). The art of baloney detection and scientific thinking.\nLetters from a Stoic (Seneca). The pursuit of happiness is meaningless, focus on the pursuit of wisdom.\nPoor Charlie's Almanac (Charles T. Munger). A library of mental/thinking models can take you a long way.\nOf Human Bondage (Maugham). What is the meaning of life?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Letters from a Stoic (Seneca). The pursuit of happiness is meaningless, focus on the pursuit of wisdom.",
          "reason": "Connects the book to a lesson about pursuing wisdom in a list answering the life-changing-book question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17049217,
          "author": "Balgair",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T17:29:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17049217",
          "commentText": "Peterson is very good at speaking and lecturing (practice makes perfect!) and I enjoy his work. That said, his tack is largely an updated stoic philosophy. A good idea, don't get me wrong. Still, if you liked his book, I'd go back and read more about stoicism. Here are some suggestion, but if anyone else has others, please chime in:\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Meditations-Thrift-Editions-Marcus-Au... (https://www.amazon.com/Meditations-Thrift-Editions-Marcus-Aurelius/dp/048629823X)\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Senecas-Letters-Stoic-Thrift-Editions... (https://www.amazon.com/Senecas-Letters-Stoic-Thrift-Editions/dp/0486811247/ref=pd_sim_14_7?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0486811247&pd_rd_r=MY1XXP4DKN8QNDBGPYMR&pd_rd_w=bcmaG&pd_rd_wg=LyiNS&psc=1&refRID=MY1XXP4DKN8QNDBGPYMR)\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoicism",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://www.amazon.com/Senecas-Letters-Stoic-Thrift-Editions...",
          "reason": "Suggested as further reading on Stoicism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296414,
          "author": "ArslanAtajanov",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T05:58:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296414",
          "commentText": "\"Letters from a Stoic\" by Seneca\n\"The Selfish Gene\" by Richard Dawkins\n\"Deep Work\" by Cal Newport\n\"Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed\" by Jared Diamond",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Letters from a Stoic\" by Seneca",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14860010,
          "author": "bawigga",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:30:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14860010",
          "commentText": "I've just recently become fascinated with Stoicism after reading the Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck!\nI've since read through Meditations, Letters from a Stoic and The Art of Living, and am really enjoying The Daily Stoic every morning before work. r/stoicism is also great.\nDo you have any other books/resources you recommend on the subject?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Letters from a Stoic",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11700120,
          "author": "drikerf",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-15T09:15:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11700120",
          "commentText": "Letters from a Stoic\nGetting Real\nCambodia Noir\nVagabonding\nAll great reads!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Letters from a Stoic\nGetting Real\nCambodia Noir\nVagabonding\nAll great reads!",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter calls great reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8533086,
          "author": "infiniteseeker",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-30T14:25:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 8528058,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Book Has the Most Page-for-Page Wisdom?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8533086",
          "commentText": "- The Enchihirdion by Epictetus\n- Meditations by Marcus Aurelius\n- Letters of a Stoic by Seneca\n- Dhammapada (various translations)\n- Bhagavad Gita (various translations)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Letters of a Stoic by Seneca",
          "reason": "Listed as a book fitting the thread's request for page-for-page wisdom.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109016,
          "author": "mychaelangelo",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:06:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109016",
          "commentText": "Re-reading what I consider to be the best book on Stoic philosophy - Letters from a Stoic: Epistulae Morales Ad Lucilium by Seneca",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Re-reading what I consider to be the best book on Stoic philosophy - Letters from a Stoic: Epistulae Morales Ad Lucilium by Seneca",
          "reason": "Calls it the best book on Stoic philosophy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107093,
          "author": "mrcdima",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T09:05:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107093",
          "commentText": "Some titles I've recently read or at least have placed on my reading list.\n--------------------\nPhilosohpy\nLetters from a Stoic: Epistulae Morales Ad Lucilium - Seneca\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius (must read)\nThe Republic - Plato\n--------------------\nHistory\nFive Chimneys - Olga Lengyel\nThe Gulag Archipelago - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (must read)\nThe Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank\n--------------------\nFiction\n(particularly dystopian) 1984, Brave New World, Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451\n(crime/action) Child 44, The Secret Speech, Agent 6 - Tom Rob Smith\n--------------------\nEconomics\nCapital in the Twenty-First Century - Thomas Piketty\nPoor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty - Banerjee, Duflo\nWhy Nations Fail - Robinson\n--------------------\nEconomics/Decision making/Psychology\nUndercover Economist, Freakonomics, Nudge, Thinking Fast and Slow\n--------------------\nRandom titles\nThe Selfish Gene, Self-Reliance, The Elements of Style (about writing), Slaughterhouse-Five\n--------------------\nSome links to inspire your reading (though you may want to checkout the websites first to get an idea of the topics they cover)\nhttp://www.gatesnotes.com/Books\nhttp://bookpickings.brainpickings.org/\nhttp://www.farnamstreetblog.com/reading/\nhttp://www.ryanholiday.net/reading-newsletter\nI’m just a working-class guy trying to take part in the conversation that all the smart people are having. What books should I read? - http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-cl... (http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-class-guy-trying-to-take-part-in-the-conversation-that-all-the-smart-people-are-having-what-books-should-i-read/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Letters from a Stoic: Epistulae Morales Ad Lucilium - Seneca",
          "reason": "Listed as a title in response to the thread's request for book suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6699352,
          "author": "hvass",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-08T21:42:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6699352",
          "commentText": "Starting Washington by Paul Johnson and rereading a lot of favorites: John Boyd's biography by Coram & Seneca's Letters from a Stoic.\nOn the side, I am trying to finish Eisenhower's biography - 500/700 pages.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Seneca's Letters from a Stoic",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6414260,
          "author": "hvass",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-19T20:59:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6414260",
          "commentText": "The Black Swan (anything by Taleb really), Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Letters from a Stoic by Seneca, Epictetus' Discourses, Fish that ate the whale by Rich Cohen, Man's Search for Meaning,  Titan, Principles by Ray Dalio (not really a book, but really worth reading, plus it's free), 4HW by Tim Ferris, The Strategy Paradox.\nAlso Teddy Roosevelt's biography has been very influential.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Letters from a Stoic by Seneca",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed one's life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026346,
          "author": "nopassrecover",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T22:20:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026346",
          "commentText": "Some books that stood out this year (many not for their intended reasons)\nThe 4 Hour Work Week (Tim Ferriss)\n- In parts entertaining, interesting, self-promoting, educational, inspirational, attractive and undesirable. Definitely worth the read and a great call to action. Will make you consider what you want and how you can achieve it.\nThe Game (Neil Strauss)\n- Truly interesting story and an interesting view on human dynamics and hacking one of the more important systems (dating). A great view on what is most important - ends or means. Will make you consider how people work, what motivates them and whether success cures emptiness.\nLosing my Virginity (Richard Branson)\n- The awesome and entertaining story of Virgin with lots of great advice and startup David vs Goliath inspiration. Will make you consider what determination and the little guy can achieve.\nBusiness Stripped Bare (Richard Branson)\n- Branson's more focused take on business advice and patches on bits of the Virgin story since the first book. Will make you consider the power of being genuine and growing a company with people treated as smart humans.\nOn Writing (Stephen King)\n- Most inspirational and compelling book on writing I've read. Half writing advice half King biography all awesome. Will make you consider becoming a novelist.\nCoders at Work (Peter Siebel)\n- Haven't finished yet but great interviews of leading coders. I didn't enjoy Founders at Work (personally found it a bit indirect/not deep enough) but in Coders at Work you really feel the connection between interviewer and interviewee while at the same time getting a lot of incidental startup advice as these coders have all had decent roles to play in Silicon Valley etc. history. Will make you consider if you're actually a better coder than you thought.\nThink and Grow Rich (Napoleon Hill)\n- Reads a bit like a bad Internet ad at times but that's because they stole that technique from here. This book summarizes the techniques that lead to success based on numerous interviews of most of the greatest leaders of the early 20th century. Pretty good bits in here and again inspiration fuel. Will make you consider how you can take charge of your self and your life.\nLetters From a Stoic (Seneca)\n- Decent musings on living life and mastering oneself. As relevant today as 2 thousand years ago. Will make you consider how you can master your self and what you will let affect you.\nHere Comes Everybody (Clay Shirky)\n- The best book on online community I've read. Shirky makes you want to make a difference and communicates his enthusiasm for the power of the masses with ease. Will make you consider how to enable communities to achieve unthought of goals.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Decent musings on living life and mastering oneself. As relevant today as 2 thousand years ago.",
          "reason": "Calls its reflections decent and still relevant.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Seneca"
      ],
      "recommenders": 17,
      "threads": 17,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "History",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "stoicism",
        "letters",
        "ancient philosophy",
        "classical philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "consider-phlebas-fbca9f",
      "title": "Consider Phlebas",
      "author": "Iain M. Banks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49915629,
          "author": "ericol",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T23:05:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49915629",
          "commentText": "Both Player of Games and Use of Weapons are incredible good books.\nI was actually surprised when I finished UoW regarding how different it was from PoG, while maintaining the quality (If not better, but PoG IS THAT GOOD anyway).\nFor the record, the series was recommended to be by Claude of all things, and it told me that Phlebas was not up to quality but I gave it a shot just for the sake of completeness of the series. Nop, not worth it.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Phlebas was not up to quality but I gave it a shot just for the sake of completeness of the series. Nop, not worth it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was not worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 49907747,
          "author": "kvgr",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T12:11:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49907747",
          "commentText": "Read: American Gods, Consider Phlebas, Neuromancer, The HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Dune 1, Nineteen Eighty-Four listened to Foundation and I definitely recommend all.\nBut for me Consider Phlebas is the best. Currently on 4th book in series, but cant get through it.\nNineteen Eighty-Four doesnt feel geek novel, just political. Also great.\nI keep reading outputs from LLMs all day and don't have energy to focus on Eng written books in the evening.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read: American Gods, Consider Phlebas, Neuromancer, The HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Dune 1, Nineteen Eighty-Four listened to Foundation and I definitely recommend all.",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter definitely recommends; they call it the best of the group.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they cannot get through the fourth book in its series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46416728,
          "author": "jharohit",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-29T02:15:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46416728",
          "commentText": "sharing a few books I recommended in my annual list (recommend reading!)\nhttps://rohitjha.com/blog/reading-highlights-2025/\nNon Fiction:\n- Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future by Dan Wang (2025)\n- How to Live an Extraordinary Life by Anthony Pompliano (2024)\nFiction:\n- The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester (1956)\n- Consider Phlebas (Culture Series #1) by Iain M. Banks (1987)\n- The Way of Kings (2010, Stormlight #1) & Words of Radiance (2014, Stormlight #2) by Brandon Sanderson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Consider Phlebas (Culture Series #1) by Iain M. Banks",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021892,
          "author": "doo_daa",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:23:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021892",
          "commentText": "Rendezvous with Rama. Arthur C Clarke\nConsider Phlebas. Iain M Banks\nDune. Frank Herbert\nKiteworld. Keith Roberts\nThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.\n Douglas Adams",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Consider Phlebas. Iain M Banks",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25846127,
          "author": "twoquestions",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T13:25:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25846127",
          "commentText": "I'll stand by most of the other recommendations here that I've read, here are some books I liked that I haven't seen here yet:\nWe Are Legion (We Are Bob) is a pretty good and campy series.\nThe Dresden Files series is also good, I tried to get into it but I hated the mumbly voice actor on Audible unfortunately.\nIain Banks is good, especially Player of Games, Consider Phlebas and The Algebraist.  Use of Weapons put a bad taste in my mouth.\nGood luck!\nEDIT: Forgot to mention Isaac Asimov, I've yet to see anything bad by him. Still trying to get through the Foundation series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Iain Banks is good, especially Player of Games, Consider Phlebas and The Algebraist.",
          "reason": "The commenter highlights it as especially good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25846016,
          "author": "paulz_",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T13:15:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25846016",
          "commentText": "I'm currently finishing up The Culture series by Iain M. Banks. The first novel is called Consider Phlebas.\nIt's my favorite sci-fi universe of any book, movie, or game. Feels a bit like Star Trek if the Federation were more advanced.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The first novel is called Consider Phlebas.",
          "reason": "Identified as the first novel in the series the commenter praises.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803389,
          "author": "cryoshon",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T14:55:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803389",
          "commentText": "agreed re: consider phlebas. i'd agree with your choice of starting points -- player of games is probably the best way to understand what the culture is in contrast with other cultures in one book. definitely leave inversions for after you've read three other books, imo, as it's quite subtle.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "agreed re: consider phlebas",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803200,
          "author": "Loughla",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T14:28:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803200",
          "commentText": ">\"Consider Phlebas,\" and maybe the rest of The Culture series of novels, by Iain Banks\nOh man, this will start a shitstorm, because it's so subjective, but Consider Phlebas isn't the best intro to the culture series. I would start with Either Player of Games or Use of Weapons.\nNow let's hear from everyone who disagrees with me.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Consider Phlebas isn't the best intro to the culture series",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is not the best entry point to the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not the best introduction to the series, in the commenter's view.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803166,
          "author": "john-radio",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T14:24:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803166",
          "commentText": "\"And Then There Were None\" by Agatha Christie\n\"The Left Hand of Darkness\" by Ursula Le Guin\n\"This Is How You Lose The Time War\" by Amal El-Mohtar\n\"Priestdaddy\" by Patricia Lockwood\n\"Black Leopard, Red Wolf\" by Marlon James\n\"Consider Phlebas,\" and maybe the rest of The Culture series of novels, by Iain Banks",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Consider Phlebas,\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20333706,
          "author": "isaachawley",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T10:15:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20333706",
          "commentText": "If you bounce off of Consider Phlebas, try Player of Games. I think it's an easier place to start the Culture novels.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Consider Phlebas",
          "reason": "Suggested as an alternative starting point if the reader bounces off the other Culture novel.",
          "audience": "Readers starting the Culture novels who find Consider Phlebas hard to get into.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20332889,
          "author": "sho",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T07:16:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20332889",
          "commentText": "I mainly read SF to relax (biased towards hard space opera) and have accumulated a \"best of the best\" list of my own:\nLeviathan Wakes - James S. A. Corey (TV show The Expanse is loosely based on this, but IMO doesn't even come close)\nRevelation Space - Alastair Reynolds\nThree Body Problem (all 3 books) - Liu Cixin\nConsider Phlebas - Iain M. Banks (your gateway drug into the Culture universe)\nGenuinely wish I could experience all the above for the first time again. And looking forward to checking out some of the others mentioned here.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Consider Phlebas - Iain M. Banks (your gateway drug into the Culture universe)",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter’s personal “best of the best” SF list and described as an entry point to the Culture universe.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy hard space opera.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337244,
          "author": "hardlianotion",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:04:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337244",
          "commentText": "I keep coming back this book and I think it's wonderful, but calling this a comfort book seems wrong somehow.\nI think I would say Consider Phlebas.  Flamboyant space opera.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I think I would say Consider Phlebas. Flamboyant space opera.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they keep returning to it and calls it wonderful, while questioning whether it counts as a comfort book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They say calling it a comfort book seems wrong.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630308,
          "author": "roryisok",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:09:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630308",
          "commentText": "Day of the Triffids - John Wyndham - everyone goes blind and a bunch of sentient plants start eating people. one of the first science fiction books I ever read, and the one that introduced me to post apocalyptic fiction. Giant plants might sound silly, but its no more silly than walking corpses. And in fact the walking dead and 28 days later owe a lot to this book.\nJonathan Strange and Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke - beautifully inventive fantasy novel about two magicians bringing magic back to Britain during the Napoleonic wars. Fab read.\nGateway - Frederick Pohl - pulp sf at its best. Humans discover a hollowed out asteroid worth ftl ships preprogrammed with unknown destinations. Prospectors pack as much food as they can and hit 'launch' in the hopes that they'll discover something valuable and not land on a star or starve to death.\nThe Forever War - Joe Haldeman - more great pulp sci-fi about the first interstellar war. Old man's war by John Scalzi is very similar and almost as good.\nMost things by Iain (m) banks. Crow Road, Wasp Factory, The Bridge, Consider Phlebas, Use of Weapons, Player of Games etc. Song of stone was awful though, they're not all winners",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Most things by Iain (m) banks. Crow Road, Wasp Factory, The Bridge, Consider Phlebas, Use of Weapons, Player of Games etc.",
          "reason": "Names it among works by an author the commenter generally recommends.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says not everything by Iain Banks is a winner.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12069186,
          "author": "acabrahams",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T06:10:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12069186",
          "commentText": "1. The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu\n2. One L by Scott Turow\n3. The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu\n4. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells\n5. Believer: My Forty Years in Politics by David Axelrod\n6. The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells\n7. Augustus: First Emperor of Rome by Adrian Goldsworthy\n8. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (re-read)\n9. I, Claudius by Robert Graves\n10. Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks\n11. The Fear Index by Robert Harris\n12. Red Dragon by Thomas Harris (re-read)\n13. The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris (re-read)\n14. Hannibal by Thomas Harris (re-read)\n15. Game Change by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin (re-read)\n16. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (re-read)\n17. Claudius the God by Robert Graves\nRe-reads take hardly any time at all, so I'm not sure whether to count them. If you're not, then 11 books read so far.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056689,
          "author": "dghf",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:59:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056689",
          "commentText": "If that means we get Jean Reno as Bora Horza Gobuchul, I'm in.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "If that means we get Jean Reno as Bora Horza Gobuchul, I'm in.",
          "reason": "Responds positively to the idea of an adaptation featuring a character from the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056617,
          "author": "arethuza",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:40:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056617",
          "commentText": "Actually, I always wanted to see Luc Besson (Fifth Element) direct a movie of Consider Phlebas.\nEdit: On the subject of Banks movies - one scene I would love to see (in addition to the CAT escaping from The Ends of Invention) is the scene with the Ethnarch and Zakalwe in UoW, might make a splendid cold open.\n\"I,\" said the man, \"am called Cheradine Zakalwe.\" He leveled the gun at Ethnarch's nose.  \"You are called dead.\"\nI just realised how carefully worded that is...",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "a movie of Consider Phlebas",
          "reason": "Imagines it as a movie adaptation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056544,
          "author": "dghf",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:22:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056544",
          "commentText": "> [Note to Hollywood: can we please have a Culture movie?]\nThe only one I can think of where they might be able to stay more or less true to the source is Consider Phlebas, wherein the 'hero' fights for a monotheistic alien race against a bunch of godless communists.\nPlus I would dearly love to see the Clear Air Turbulence's escape from the depths of that GSV rendered on the big screen.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The only one I can think of where they might be able to stay more or less true to the source is Consider Phlebas",
          "reason": "Discusses the novel as a possible faithful adaptation for a Culture movie.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056488,
          "author": "Tomte",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:07:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056488",
          "commentText": "I've just finished the first three Culture novels.\nConsider Phlebas starts great, but loses a lot during the rest of the book.\nThe Player of Games is okay, but by far not as good as people told me.\nUse of Weapons is excellent. I'll have to re-read it in a few months.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Consider Phlebas starts great, but loses a lot during the rest of the book.",
          "reason": "The commenter likes the opening but finds the rest disappointing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The positive impression of the start fades over the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056399,
          "author": "macmac",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T11:42:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056399",
          "commentText": "Anything by Iain M. Banks. Start with \"The Player of Games\" and \"Consider Phlebas\".\nAnything by Vernor S. Vinge especially \"Zones of Thought\" series.\n\"Daemon\", \"Freedom(tm)\", \"Kill Decision\" and \"Influx\" by Daniel Suarez.\n\"The Martian\" by Andy Weir.\nAnything by Neal Stephenson, especially \"Reamde: A Novel\" and \"Cryptonomicon\".\nAnything by Hannu Rajaniemi, especially \"The Fractal Prince\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Start with \"The Player of Games\" and \"Consider Phlebas\".",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends starting with this novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8125530,
          "author": "mbillie1",
          "createdAt": "2014-08-02T18:23:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 8125375,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I save for offline reading during 5 weeks without Internet?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8125530",
          "commentText": "I've always enjoyed fiction in situations like yours. Iain M. Banks has some accessible but interesting sci-fi (recommendations: Consider Phlebas, Use of Weapons), and it's hard to go wrong with anything Jose Saramago wrote (recommendations: All the Names, Blindness, Death With Interruptions).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "recommendations: Consider Phlebas, Use of Weapons",
          "reason": "Suggested as accessible, interesting science fiction for offline reading.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking accessible science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2527478,
          "author": "latch",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-09T03:42:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 2526568,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2527478",
          "commentText": "I'm just curious, why you wouldn't upvote me? (I don't mind, I'm just genuinely curious). It is possible you did upvote me and someone else downvoted..so apologies ahead of time if my assumptions are wrong.\nCulture was meh...By the 2nd or 3rd book you realize that the Culture is so powerful that nothing presents a risk. It's like Superman without Kryptonite (or his lack of pragmatism). Aside from the first book, Consider Phlebas, Excession was probably the best - largely because it focused on ships rather than people. Just my $0.02 of course.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Aside from the first book, Consider Phlebas, Excession was probably the best",
          "reason": "Names it as an exception to the broader criticism of the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment criticizes the Culture series overall.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2087883,
          "author": "bkudria",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T08:27:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2087883",
          "commentText": "Reposted from my site: (http://ben.kudria.net/post/2548785108/my-favorite-books-of-2... (http://ben.kudria.net/post/2548785108/my-favorite-books-of-2010)). Affiliate links there, for those inclined.\n===\nIn 2010, every single book I read, I read on my Kindle. Buying a Kindle has been the best thing I have ever done for my reading addiction. I recently upgraded to a Kindle 3, and I wholeheartedly recommended you get one as well, even if you currently have a Kindle 2.\nHere are the top books I enjoyed in 2010, and you will enjoy also.\n- The His Dark Materials Trilogy. Start with The Golden Compass.\n- The City & The City by China Miéville. Quite the post-modern detective story. (Read also his novel Perdido Street Station)\n- Surface Detail, the new novel by Iain M. Banks, who has quickly catapulted to the very top of my “Favorite Sci-Fi Authors” list. Surface Detail may not be the best novel for a Banks-unfamiliar reader, however — you may wish to start with something like Consider Phlebas or Look To Windward.\n- I re-read Robert M. Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Read this book carefully and it will change your life. (N.B. It’s not really about Zen, although it kinda is.)\n- The true story Zeitoun, by Dave Eggers, about Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a Syrian-born painting contractor in New Orleans. What Zeitoun does for the people of New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina is heartwarming and truly American, and what the US Government does to him and his family is terrifying and utterly infuriating.\n- The Wind-up Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi is a fun Thai cyber/gene-punk yarn. Bacigalupi is a new author, and I look forward to reading more of his stuff.\n- Dan Simmons’ Song Of Kali has an invasive and palpable stench of suspense. This horror novel set in Calcutta is an excruciating, brutal, and brilliant read.\n- Kafka On the Shore by Haruki Murakami. I’ve always been a fan of Murakami’s works, but this novel from 2002 is, in my opinion, one of his greatest. It’s beautiful, haunting, and superbly thought-provoking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you may wish to start with something like Consider Phlebas",
          "reason": "Suggested as a starting point for readers unfamiliar with Banks.",
          "audience": "Readers new to Iain M. Banks.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043747,
          "author": "SpikeGronim",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T21:47:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043747",
          "commentText": "Any of the The Culture novels by Iain M. Banks. You can start with the first, \"Consider Phlebas\". They're space opera with a lot of dark wit.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You can start with the first, \"Consider Phlebas\".",
          "reason": "Suggested as a starting point for the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569219,
          "author": "mqmouse",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:49:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569219",
          "commentText": "If you like SciFi, I really recommend Ian M. Banks and his Culture Series.\nHere is a link to the \"first\" in the series:\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consider_Phlebas\nBasically to give you a flavour, imagine a utopian society where energy is basically free and run by super intelligent benevolent AIs. So basically the citizens have nothing to do but live a completely hedonistic life.\nWhenever they encounter \"primitive\" societies, they try to make them more human and civilized. Basically the opposite of the \"prime directive\". The organization responsible for that is called Contact. Unfortunately, in order to make these societies more humane they sometimes have to resort to some dirty tricks (like assassinating evil dictators, instigating civil wars, etc etc). The organization responsible for that is called \"Special Circumstances\".\nAnother author I find great is Sheri Tepper.\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheri_S._Tepper\nSciFi with a feminist bent. Examples are Grass / and the Margarets.\nIf you want something more acid, anything by Victor Pelevin. Buddha's little finger is brilliant.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Here is a link to the \"first\" in the series:",
          "reason": "Identifies the first book in the recommended Culture series.",
          "audience": "Readers who like science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027009,
          "author": "knv",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T09:29:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027009",
          "commentText": "Anathem, by Neal Stephenson\nConsider Phlebas, by Iain M. Banks\nSelfish Gene, by Richard Dawkins\nBusiness Stripped Bare, by Richard Branson\nProgramming Collective Intelligence, by Toby Segaran\nZen and Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert Pirsig",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Consider Phlebas, by Iain M. Banks",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books others enjoyed and recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Iain M. Banks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 17,
      "threads": 14,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "culture series",
        "far future",
        "the culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-baroque-cycle-87b4ee",
      "title": "The Baroque Cycle",
      "author": "Neal Stephenson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31968942,
          "author": "flint",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T16:33:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31968942",
          "commentText": "The Baroque Cycle - Neal Stephenson. Newton, Leibnitz, the birth of the Royal Society - and pirates!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Baroque Cycle - Neal Stephenson.",
          "reason": "The commenter names the series as their choice and points to its historical topics and pirates.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13804180,
          "author": "metaphorm",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:19:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804180",
          "commentText": "- The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin\n- Blindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts\n- The Tao Te Ching\n- The Gateless Gate (Koun Yamada translation/editing)\n- The Baroque Cycle (Quicksilver, The Confusion, The System of the World) by Neal Stephenson\n- The Invisibles by Grant Morrison\n- Incerto (Fooled by Randomness, The Black Swan, Antifragile, The Bed of Procrustes) by Nassim Nicholas Taleb\n- Iron John by Robert Bly\n- Catch 22 by Joseph Heller\n- The Character of Physical Law by Richard P. Feynman\n- Collected Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges\n- 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez\n- Pharmakon by Dale Pendell\n- The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss\n- Greek Mythology by Edith Hamilton\n- The Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual by Gary Gygax et al\n- Introduction to Algorithms by Charles E. Leiserson, Clifford Stein, Ronald Rivest, and Thomas H. Cormen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Baroque Cycle (Quicksilver, The Confusion, The System of the World) by Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "Named as a series that changed the commenter’s thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567076,
          "author": "kmichaels",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T14:31:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567076",
          "commentText": "Just started re-reading the Baroque cycle and plan to follow with Cryptonomicon. Re-reading really reveals a lot that was a bit of a mystery the first time.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Just started re-reading the Baroque cycle",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249434,
          "author": "qwertyuiop924",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T11:39:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249434",
          "commentText": "I'll second The Baroque Cycle (or Cryptonomicon: it doesn't matter which). But might I also suggest the works of Terry Pratchett, particularly Discworld? Sir Pterry's work is among the best I've ever read.\nIf you're looking for something a bit fluffier than the above, then I would suggest The Dresden Files. Sure, it's mindless fluff, but man, it's good mindless fluff. The same applies to The Codex Alera (which apparently resulted from a bet that the author couldn't make a good book from an awful idea: the idea given was the lost roman legion crossed with Pokemon).\nI can also suggest Ready Player one in this category. Ready Player One is essentially geek culture (especially gaming culture) furiously... well, you know. Giving itself one. But it's a fun ride (unlike Armada. But that's another story).\nFinally, I can reccomend The Laundry Files. Do you like computing? Do you like lovecraftian nightmares? Go buy these now. The first book is okay, but has a rather nasty problem, sort of: It keeps winking at the audience incessantly. I didn't mind too much, myself, but I know others have been put off by it. Don't worry, the winking lessens to a manageable rate (although never quite fully goes away: after all, this is a series about a CS Student turned Sysadmin turned hunter of unspeakable monstrosities named Bob Oliver Francis Howard. Think about that for a second). And it is one of very few horror series that I have enjoyed. Take that as you will.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'll second The Baroque Cycle",
          "reason": "Seconded as a suggestion in response to a request for fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249157,
          "author": "nekopa",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T09:15:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249157",
          "commentText": "The Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson. This trilogy is a great mash up of science history and sci-Fi (almost)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson. This trilogy is a great mash up of science history and sci-Fi (almost)",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the trilogy a great blend of science, history, and science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter qualifies the science fiction element with “almost.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10843279,
          "author": "osullivj",
          "createdAt": "2016-01-05T14:08:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 10833032,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book you've recently read and enjoyed?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10843279",
          "commentText": "Been a big Stephenson fan since Cryptonomicon. Enjoyed the Baroque Trilogy, Anathem & Reamde, but non of them are as good as Cryptonomicon. It's a bit like be an Umberto Eco fan - nothing since Name of the Rose has been quite as good. Or Wes Anderson for that matter; there's been good stuff, but nothing's touched the heights of Royal Tenenbaums.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Enjoyed the Baroque Trilogy",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not as good as Cryptonomicon.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10784269,
          "author": "MuEta",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T17:05:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10784269",
          "commentText": "I can see that being an issue. I'm in the same habit with LOTR, ASOIAF and Harry Potter, reading each series once every two years or so, and it crushes my ability to read a lot of new books. I've avoided rereading Discworld so far because I know that it will never be as magical as the first read through.\nBut oh god, Baroque Cycle was unparalleled from a character-building perspective. I loved every second of it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "But oh god, Baroque Cycle was unparalleled from a character-building perspective. I loved every second of it.",
          "reason": "Calls its character-building unparalleled and says they loved every second.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783760,
          "author": "gardano",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T15:35:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783760",
          "commentText": "Baroque Cycle, for sure.\nAnd I'm stuck in a loop where I continue to read all the Discworld novels, over and over…",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Baroque Cycle, for sure.",
          "reason": "Affirms it as a choice in response to the parent’s list of books read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783503,
          "author": "MuEta",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:43:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783503",
          "commentText": "The Baroque Cycle - Neal Stephenson - It was 3000+ pages all told, and I LOVED it. His writing has always enthralled me, and I was hooked from the start\nEvery Discworld Novel - Terry Pratchett - Not much can be said that hasn't already been said a million times over. If you haven't read them yet, start now\nThe Theory of Poker - David Sklansky - Helped out my poker game tremendously. I'm much more ev+ now",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Baroque Cycle - Neal Stephenson - It was 3000+ pages all told, and I LOVED it. His writing has always enthralled me, and I was hooked from the start",
          "reason": "Says they loved it and were hooked from the start.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "More than 3,000 pages.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9361816,
          "author": "mithras",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-12T02:16:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9361816",
          "commentText": "The two books I've read by Stephenson and really enjoyed. Never really got into the Baroque cycle because it's so long winded, but that should also be good.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Never really got into the Baroque cycle because it's so long winded, but that should also be good.",
          "reason": "Thinks the series should be good despite not getting into it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They found it long-winded and did not get into it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387616,
          "author": "kyzyl",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T00:04:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387616",
          "commentText": "As has already been mentioned elsewhere in this thread, most of Neil Stephenson's work is just great. Cryptonomicon is my favorite, but The Baroque Cycle (three books) is very good as well.\nIf you're into crime/mystery fiction, the recently deceased Elmore Leonard was one of the best. A few of his books have been made into movies (Get Shorty, Jackie Brown, The Big Bounce) with mixed results, but I do I highly recommend reading the books, which are numerous.\nFor a different sort of fiction, James Clavell's Shogun, Taipan, and Noble House are great. In fact, Noble House very well be my favorite book. It's a long (~1400 page) book about business dealings, political intrigue, and more. All set in the context of 1963 Hong Kong.\nThose who like a touch of historical fiction could take a look at Conn Uggulden. One of his series, The Conqueror, which is about the rise and fall of the Mongol empire is pretty interesting. The books are a light read, and not particularly complicated, but it's entertaining and has some neat historical bits.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Baroque Cycle (three books) is very good as well.",
          "reason": "Praises the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5872697,
          "author": "tqh",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-13T07:07:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5872697",
          "commentText": "The Baroque cycle: Quicksilver, The Confusion and System of the World is awesome as well. \nWho doesn't want to read fiction about The Royal Society, Isaac Newton and Liebniz mixed in with phrases in the line with \"In memory of Englands greatest swordsman, beaten to death with a club by an Irishman\". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Baroque_Cycle",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Baroque cycle: Quicksilver, The Confusion and System of the World is awesome as well.",
          "reason": "Calls the series awesome and describes its historical setting and characters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4669222,
          "author": "nekopa",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-18T15:31:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 4661261,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite Science Fiction book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4669222",
          "commentText": "This may seem strange,  but I have to recommend the baroque trilogy by Neal Stephenson. It made me imagine how scifi would have looked like in the 1600s.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I have to recommend the baroque trilogy by Neal Stephenson.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly recommends the trilogy for its imaginative take on how science fiction might have appeared in the 1600s.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4414353,
          "author": "smartician",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-21T19:38:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 4353632,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon.  What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4414353",
          "commentText": "I had the endurance to read through Cryptonomicon, it was long but still enjoyable.\nThen I bought all three volumes of the Baroque Cycle, but gave up halfway through volume 1 and sold them. It was just too much.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "bought all three volumes of the Baroque Cycle, but gave up halfway through volume 1 and sold them. It was just too much.",
          "reason": "The commenter found the first volume too much and stopped reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter gave up halfway through volume 1.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3338754,
          "author": "pettinato",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T23:15:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3338754",
          "commentText": "I'm just finishing the last book of the The Baroque Cycle, and it's pretty good.  I recommend making it through.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm just finishing the last book of the The Baroque Cycle, and it's pretty good. I recommend making it through.",
          "reason": "Recommends finishing the series and says it is pretty good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3338248,
          "author": "euroclydon",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T19:30:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3338248",
          "commentText": "The Confusion - Neal Stephenson\n(I'm starting to tire a little of the female hero character who's in all his books, but on the whole, The Baroque Cycle, which this is the second volume of, has been very educational and always entertaining)\nThe Visual Display of Quantative Information, Envisioning Information, Visual Explanations, and Beautiful Evidence\n(I picked up all four books by Edward Tufte at his one day training course.  At the 2011 SVG Open, I was blown away by Mike Bostock's D3 demo, and Niel Fraser told me to read all of Tuftes books to see where these revolutionary ways of displaying information came from)\nESV Bible, actually hoping to find time to get my Python script running so I can download the audio, chapter by chapter, because the audio version I bought is nigh impossible to navigate.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Baroque Cycle, which this is the second volume of, has been very educational and always entertaining",
          "reason": "Says the series has been educational and entertaining overall.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Starting to tire of the female hero character in Stephenson's books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3336461,
          "author": "aestetix_",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T00:59:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3336461",
          "commentText": "The Baroque Cycle. It's absolutely brilliant, I recommend it to anyone with an interest in security or economics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's absolutely brilliant, I recommend it to anyone with an interest in security or economics.",
          "reason": "Calls it brilliant and recommends it to readers interested in security or economics.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in security or economics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2615880,
          "author": "arethuza",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T11:04:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2615880",
          "commentText": "I've just started listening again to the unabridged Audible version of Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle - I couldn't get into the book form but the audio book version is great.\nLast few Kindle books I've read were:\nSee No Evil by Bob Baer, the experiences of a CIA case officer in the Middle East (which influenced the movie Syriana).\nLiar's Poker by Michael Lewis, about the Big Swinging Dicks of Wall Street.\nDecline and Fall by Chris Mullin, the diaries of one of the more decent members of the former Labour Government here in the UK.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the unabridged Audible version of Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle - I couldn't get into the book form but the audio book version is great.",
          "reason": "Praises the audiobook version, while saying the print form did not work for them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Could not get into the book form; praise is specifically for the audiobook.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043561,
          "author": "rst",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:30:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043561",
          "commentText": "Vernor Vinge --- A Fire Upon the Deep.  (Also worth seeking out is the hugely influential novella \"True Names\", but you'd probably have to dig it out of a library someplace.)\nNeal Stephenson --- Cryptonomicon.  (Present day setting, but with an SF sensibility; ties into his literally epic Baroque Cycle.)\nCharles Stross --- Halting State.  (Investigation of an MMORPG bank breakin spills out into real-world skulduggery.)\nAnd an oddball that folks here may not have encountered:\nMary Gentle --- Ash, A Secret History.  (Starts off with interleaved narratives of a Joan of Arc figure in a strangely different medieval Europe, and a present-day Ph.D. researcher who's investigating her, and finding out that his sources literally don't say the same thing day to day.  Then it gets... weirder.  Quirky, brilliant, and kind of hard to find in the U.S.)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "ties into his literally epic Baroque Cycle",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a related series connected to Cryptonomicon.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1974839,
          "author": "rdl",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T11:36:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974839",
          "commentText": "SSI Open Water Diver.  Not because the book is particularly (or at all) well written, but because it was my entry into an amazing hobby -- SCUBA diving.  It's an enjoyable activity on its own, and the training model for SCUBA is actually a good way to teach a lot of things to consumers (a VC friend who just picked up diving too believes this as well).\nFor actual book as book, probably \"First In; How Seven CIA Officers Opened the War on Terror in Afghanistan\" by Gary Schroen.  They basically went in with $30mm or so and an old helicopter, 2 SF ODAs, and accomplished most of the good accomplished to date in Afghanistan within 2 months.\nFor fiction, I'd love to say Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle, but it's just too fucking long.  He needs an editor; I'm on book 3.  For unexpectedly awesome, Suarez's Daemon and Freedom.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "For fiction, I'd love to say Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle, but it's just too fucking long. He needs an editor; I'm on book 3.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is too long and needs an editor.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027344,
          "author": "acj",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T16:37:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027344",
          "commentText": "The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin\nEconomics in One Lesson, by Henry Hazlitt.\nThe Baroque Cycle, by Neal Stephenson.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Baroque Cycle, by Neal Stephenson.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books enjoyed and recommended.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140583,
          "author": "lee",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T05:59:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140583",
          "commentText": "His Baroque Trilogy I found to be the most inspiring read in the last few years - while it's easy to argue that it isn't strictly science fiction. Since it sets up characters who appear in Cryptonomicon, I feel I can get away with it.\nWhat the trilogy has in common with inspiring sci-fi is that it changes the way I look at the present - drastically. His characters are present for the beginnings of what we call science, the current economy and also on slave and pirate ships. He has brilliant physicists who are also alchemists and at war with themselves over not being able to resolve their own contradictions. (Newton) It's fiction about the history of science - and it's weirder and whackier and grander than anything else I've ever read. (Take THAT Tolstoy!( (you hack!)\nOf course, I'll also second Snowcrash as a must-read. Same with Cryptonomicon.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His Baroque Trilogy I found to be the most inspiring read in the last few years",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it their most inspiring read in recent years and says it changed how they see the present.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may not be strictly science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85940,
          "author": "bockris",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T14:43:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85940",
          "commentText": "All of William Gibson and all of Neal Stephenson (especially Cryptonomicon and Baroque cycle series)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Baroque cycle series",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neal Stephenson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 17,
      "threads": 14,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "early modern europe",
        "17th century",
        "early modern history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-left-hand-of-darkness-e73fae",
      "title": "The Left Hand of Darkness",
      "author": "Ursula K. Le Guin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43074528,
          "author": "jwagon19",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-17T02:54:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43074528",
          "commentText": "The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33382065,
          "author": "hgibbs",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T08:15:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382065",
          "commentText": "Earthsea is great. Ursula also wrote a lot of amazing science fiction: left hand of darkness, the dispossessed, the lathe of heaven, the word for world is forest etc. All are worth reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "left hand of darkness",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32197266,
          "author": "jsherrard",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T21:22:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197266",
          "commentText": "Treasure Island - since last week - just started\nThe Left hand of Darkness - since two weeks\nSeven Brief Lessons on Physics - since three weeks nearly finished\nBreakfast of Champions - since a month - can't find the damn thing to finish the last chapter\nSpace 2069 - since two months - half way\nSnow Crash - since three weeks - first chapter\nLeonardo Da Vinci - Walter Isaacson - two months - nearly finished\nI've finished a bunch this year but you didn't ask about those...",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Left hand of Darkness - since two weeks",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29669558,
          "author": "legobmw99",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T03:01:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29669558",
          "commentText": "Highly recommend Left Hand of Darkness if you haven’t read it yet",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Highly recommend Left Hand of Darkness if you haven’t read it yet",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Conditional on whether the reader has already read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803166,
          "author": "john-radio",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T14:24:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803166",
          "commentText": "\"And Then There Were None\" by Agatha Christie\n\"The Left Hand of Darkness\" by Ursula Le Guin\n\"This Is How You Lose The Time War\" by Amal El-Mohtar\n\"Priestdaddy\" by Patricia Lockwood\n\"Black Leopard, Red Wolf\" by Marlon James\n\"Consider Phlebas,\" and maybe the rest of The Culture series of novels, by Iain Banks",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"The Left Hand of Darkness\" by Ursula Le Guin",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17537852,
          "author": "rektide",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T00:15:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537852",
          "commentText": "Central Station by Lavie Tidhar is an amazing charming story of a world deeply steeped old sitting baking world where new things are coming about. It is charm & delight in the purest & simplest.\nSpin by Robert Charles Wilson. \"Robert Charles Wilson is a hell of a storyteller,\" said Stephen King and this wonderful tour through time and space, humanity & people's lives is incredible.\nThe Quantum Thief series by Hannu Rajaniemi is open, scenic, wild, & so so vivid, one of the most beautiful worlds I've ever visited, & it reminds me so much of a joyous wild swashbuckling run. The mystery of the main character is enchanting.\nInfoquake series by David Louis Edelson is a gripping suspenseful rise of a star entrepreneur that redefines and radically expands the world, amid an already boisterous & full & busy beautiful world already overflowing in seamless technology everywhere. Although the plot line whips along with some suspense & tension, the scenery and the voyage is incredible.\nLathe of Heaven by Ursala Le Guin could quite easily, quite simply be the best first contact story story ever. Touching, and sincere, & simple. This world is not bright and shiny but her writing and the bonding of characters is incredible. See also the rest of the Hainish cycle.\nLeft Hand of Darkness also by Ursala Le Guin is a shifting chaotic shizmatic tale, about picking our fates. \"Well, I did it through dreams. Phil would have done it another way. But yeah, homage to Phil [K.] Dick is right.\"\n- https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/a... (https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/all/)\nFallen Dragon is an early & involved Peter Hamilton adventure book. There's leaving home, & space ships, more space ships, bad guys, fighting back the bad guys, bigger ships, and action. There is A LOT going on, all the time, & violence, but damn this book comes together into something incredible, & telling, & powerful & strong, something that easily makes it my top pick for most-underappreciated Peter Hamilton.\nDiamond Age by Neal Stephenson, which I'm providing largely as a counterweight to the Snowcrash & Sevenses recommendations here. Diamond Age is much less dark, and way more a fun tail about an incredible & mysterious primer for a young lady.\nSirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut.\nAll Systems Red series by Martha Wells is a underprivileged barely coping robot dealing with the humans she hates having to talk to & a shitty planet trying to kill them. Simple, fun, some action & violence, but the main character is a total hoot the whole time with more loner/zero/drop-out attitude & spunk than anything I've read & it's unbelievably charming.\nLords of Light by Roger Zelazny has more style, pizzaz, & spirit than I feel like any of us deserve. An interesting, storied tale from the post-singularity, with a remarkable & robust cast.\nIllium/Olympos by Dan Simmons, are, in my mind still the clear winner, far above Hyperion. The cast is charming beyond belief, stumbling through a world they both know all too much about & far far too little. Some really incredible worldbuilding here.\nRainbow's End by Vernor Vinge. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE A Fire Upon the Deep. But Rainbow's End really is our planet, sometime not far out, and Vinge has the most tour of this next place we're headed, with threads, and annotations, and group chat being the defining new technologies of humanity. And the tale of the misfit happenstance adventurers who wind up ensnared in the plot line is a fun, roving hoot of a journey, a wonderful second chance at a coming of age story.\nMedusa Chronicles by two of my favorites, Alastair Reynolds & Stephen Baxter is probably my favorite exploring the solar system book, about a guy/robot a bit apart from humanity that really wants to see what the local area has to offer. A lot of high tension conflicting societal impulses that our somewhat aloof lead stumbles through, on his personal mission of exploration. Lots of interesting robot philosophy & very varied elements of space come together with the characters to make an incredibly fun space epic, set in a delightful & intriguing alternative history\nOther's recommendations I'd +1: Dune (but super heady material), The Stars My Destination (brimming with class & substance), Mote in God's Eye (some of the best Space Colonial Marines style stuff out there), Accelerando (and Iron Sky and ... overflowing playful scifi), Blue Ant series (dripping with style), Foundation series (and much more Asimov!), Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy (simple direct exciting hunt for treasure in Star Wars), Fuzzy Nation (fun tale)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Left Hand of Darkness also by Ursala Le Guin is a shifting chaotic shizmatic tale, about picking our fates.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a tale about choices and fate.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521441,
          "author": "sdevoid",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T08:52:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521441",
          "commentText": "I read The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed at the beginning of the year, just before she passed away. This summer I the first four books of the Earthsea series and will probably read The Other Wind and Tales soon. I've really enjoyed both universes--with Earthsea I keep wishing someone would make a game with this kind of magic system. The Lathe of Heaven is such a wonderful title, I'm looking forward to reading that as well.\nI read her translation of Tao Te Ching while waiting in 2 hours of traffic for a ferry and it was wonderful and really informs the rest of her works.\nI'm currently reading Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner, on the history of U.S. water policy in the West. Frustratingly dry.\nAlso re-reading On the Road but unlike 16 years ago I'm reading the 'Original Scroll Edition' this time: no chapters, paragraph breaks, invented character names, censors, etc. The book you read in high school is, in fact, the novelization of the original, which Kerouac wrote in twenty days. I've kept my beat-up paperback copy of the 'novel' nearby and I've preferred the scroll edition for the most part.\nOn the nightstand:\n- Annals of the Former World by John McPhee 300 pages into it, but I got a bit tired of the redundancy inherent in combining multiple books into one.\n- The Vulgar Tongue by Jonathon Green. 40 pages in. I've been looking for a copy of the dictionary.\n- The Path to the Nest of Spiders by Italo Calvino.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I read The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed at the beginning of the year",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned as read, without evaluation here.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156533,
          "author": "jeffersonheard",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:44:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156533",
          "commentText": "Getting More - Stuart Diamond. I still think this is the best book on the art of negotiation.\nGetting Things Done - David Allen. If you have adult ADHD like me, and you haven't read this, it's the first system that's really worked for productivity for me.\nMan's Search for Meaning - Victor Frankl.\nLiving Buddha, Living Christ - Thich Nhat Hanh.\nCosmos - Carl Sagan.\nThe Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. LeGuin.\nThe One who Walks Away from Omelas - U.K. LeGuin.\nWild Seed - Octavia Butler.\nThe Heike Monogatari - (tr. Helen Craig McCullough) “The sound of the Gion Shoja temple bells echoes the impermanence of all things; the color of the sala flowers reveals the truth that to flourish is to fall. The proud do not endure, like a passing dream on a night in spring; the mighty fall at last, to be no more than dust before the wind.” If you need a comparison. this is the Japanese historical equivalent of Game of Thrones combined with a bit of MacBeth. The rise and fall of two shogunate families, and an analysis of the tragic flaws of character that brought their fall about.\nLes Miserables - Victor Hugo.\nSmall Gods - Terry Pratchett.\nHeart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad.\nThe Guide - R. K. Narayan.\nEvidence - Mary Oliver.\nAll of Us - The Collected Poetry of Raymond Carver.\nSilence - Shusaku Endo.\nThe Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald.\nThe Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Murakami Haruki. This and the next four are odd choices, perhaps, since it's a surrealist book, but IMO books that force your imagination to work hard do as much for creativity and fresh ideas as any of the more popular methods.\nThe Well-Built City (The Physiognomy / Memoranda / The Beyond) Jeffery Ford - Surrealist novellas best described as about the protagonist living and achieving agency within the constructs, dreams, and nightmares of a \"Great Man's\" mind.\nSnow Crash - Neal Stephenson.\nGravity's Rainbow - Thomas Pynchon.\nDhalgren - Samuel L. \"Chip\" Delany.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. LeGuin.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13804180,
          "author": "metaphorm",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:19:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804180",
          "commentText": "- The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin\n- Blindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts\n- The Tao Te Ching\n- The Gateless Gate (Koun Yamada translation/editing)\n- The Baroque Cycle (Quicksilver, The Confusion, The System of the World) by Neal Stephenson\n- The Invisibles by Grant Morrison\n- Incerto (Fooled by Randomness, The Black Swan, Antifragile, The Bed of Procrustes) by Nassim Nicholas Taleb\n- Iron John by Robert Bly\n- Catch 22 by Joseph Heller\n- The Character of Physical Law by Richard P. Feynman\n- Collected Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges\n- 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez\n- Pharmakon by Dale Pendell\n- The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss\n- Greek Mythology by Edith Hamilton\n- The Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual by Gary Gygax et al\n- Introduction to Algorithms by Charles E. Leiserson, Clifford Stein, Ronald Rivest, and Thomas H. Cormen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed how people think.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567942,
          "author": "david-given",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T17:44:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567942",
          "commentText": "They're not really a series --- just a shared setting that gives her an excuse to have curious but almost human aliens visit strange worlds populated by almost humans. In fact, the Ekumen barely get a cameo in _Dispossed_.\nRead it; it's really good, and works well as a pair with _The Left Hand of Darkness_.\nOh, yeah --- the Old Hainish were Not Nice People.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "works well as a pair with _The Left Hand of Darkness_.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a companion read to The Dispossessed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249776,
          "author": "mordant",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T14:01:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249776",
          "commentText": ">If you're into left-wing politics, Ursula Le Guin wrote several novels that combine sci-fi with left-wing preachiness in a package that feels extremely overbearing. My favorite are The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed. Meanwhile, a more recent novel of hers, Lavinia, is an SJWish mockery of ancient Roman epic fantasy.\n>Margaret Atwood is another author who doesn't get mentioned a lot around here but whose works of SF(she prefers \"speculative fiction\" to \"sci-fi\") I've enjoyed a lot. Her MaddAddam trilogy is weird and preachy. You'll probably hate it. Her other works focus on SJW ranting about issues of sex and gender in various past and future settings, some fictional, some historical.\n>Of course, I as well as a lot of other commenters in this thread are assuming that you'll be into ham-handed  left-wing message fiction, because that's what we like.\n>Le Guin and Atwood are typical ur-SJWs, so you might find them pretentious and tendentious.\nFTFY.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favorite are The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed.",
          "reason": "Quoted as a favorite in the target comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249504,
          "author": "kijin",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T12:11:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249504",
          "commentText": "If you're into social issues, Ursula Le Guin wrote several novels that combine sci-fi with social and political philosophy in a package that feels somewhat non-fiction-y. My favorite are The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed. Meanwhile, a more recent novel of hers, Lavinia, is a fascinating reinterpretation of ancient Roman epic fantasy.\nMargaret Atwood is another author who doesn't get mentioned a lot around here but whose works of SF(she prefers \"speculative fiction\" to \"sci-fi\") I've enjoyed a lot. Her MaddAddam trilogy is weird but entertaining. You'll probably either love it or hate it. Many of her other works focus on issues of sex and gender in various past and future settings, some fictional, some historical.\nOf course, I as well as a lot of other commenters in this thread are assuming that you'll be into sci-fi and fantasy, because that's what most computer geeks like. But even if you aren't a sci-fi fan, Le Guin and Atwood aren't typical sci-fi, so you might find them interesting anyhow.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favorite are The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed.",
          "reason": "Named among the author's favorites; her novels are described as combining science fiction with social and political philosophy.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in social issues and political philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10833466,
          "author": "dllthomas",
          "createdAt": "2016-01-04T01:06:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 10833032,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book you've recently read and enjoyed?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10833466",
          "commentText": "Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10786419,
          "author": "goddess_divine",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T00:21:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786419",
          "commentText": "i read a shit ton of books, but only keep the ones i'd like enough to read again. New to my library this year:\nthe checklist manifesto\nfriday\nthe left hand of darkness\nbanker for the poor\niq52\nthe pragmatic programmer\nstar diaries\ncat's cradle\nthe dead mountainer's inn\nspanner darkley",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the left hand of darkness",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10786407,
          "author": "dllthomas",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T00:15:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786407",
          "commentText": "Off the top of my head: reread \"The Left Hand Of Darkness\", \"The Mythical Man-Month\", and the end of \"A Mote In God's Eye\"; read \"A Night In The Lonesome October\".\nAll worth reading, the last probably the least enduring.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "reread \"The Left Hand Of Darkness\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056600,
          "author": "Jedd",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:34:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056600",
          "commentText": "Doubtless there'll be lots of strong opinions, and (hopefully, usefully) lots of duplicates that you can then tote up to get a bit of a consensus.\nIain M. Banks - all his Culture books are fantastic, but I'll single out 'Excession' since you seek titles.\nNeal Stephenson's 'Anathem'\nStephen Donaldson (most famous for the Thomas Covenant tri-trilogy) wrote a 5-book 'Gap Series'.  I have very fond memories of it, though it's been two decades since I read it.\nPhilip K. Dick wrote a tonne of good stuff (and a bit of meh) but my two favourite are Clans of the Alphane Moon (the first Dick I read), and Valis (a bit more conventional to have on the favourite list)\nUrsula Le Guin also has a huge body of excellent work - Left Hand of Darkness, and The Dispossessed are my favourites.\nI really loved Roger Zelazny's Lord Of Light, though I understand it's not conventionally considered his best work.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Left Hand of Darkness, and The Dispossessed are my favourites.",
          "reason": "Named among the commenter's favorite Le Guin works.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056583,
          "author": "antimagic",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:29:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056583",
          "commentText": "Those are my favourite two Ursula Le Guin novels too :)  Very well thought-through effects of technology on culture.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Those are my favourite two Ursula Le Guin novels too :)  Very well thought-through effects of technology on culture.",
          "reason": "Calls the two novels their favorites and praises their treatment of technology's effects on culture.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056461,
          "author": "auggierose",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T11:59:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056461",
          "commentText": "Philip K. Dick (Ubik, Man in the high castle, Flow my tears the police man said)\nFrederik Pohl (Gateway, the Space Merchants)\nUrsula K. Le Guin (The Dispossessed, Left Hand of Darkness)\nIain M. Banks (Culture novels)\nYou will find many Sci-Fi treasures by just going through http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SF_Masterworks",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Left Hand of Darkness",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for favourite sci-fi books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401554,
          "author": "Joeri",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:36:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401554",
          "commentText": "I'm working my way through the novels that were joint winners of the Hugo and nebula awards. Every book has been fantastic, although The Left Hand of Darkness was the high note of the books I hadn't read before.\nhttp://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_joint_winners_of_the_... (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_joint_winners_of_the_Hugo_and_Nebula_awards)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Left Hand of Darkness was the high note of the books I hadn't read before.",
          "reason": "Calls it the standout among the books they had not read before.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2087738,
          "author": "InclinedPlane",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T06:47:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2087738",
          "commentText": "\"Worlds of Exile and Illusion\" (Hainish cycle collection) and \"The Left Hand of Darkness\" by Ursula K Le Quin\n\"Singularity Sky\" by Charles Stross\n\"The Player of Games\" by Iain M Banks",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Left Hand of Darkness\" by Ursula K Le Quin",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865228,
          "author": "ww520",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T16:05:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865228",
          "commentText": "If you like Foundation, you might like the Ringworld series by Larry Niven.  Ringworld is a classic.\nRobert Heinlein's books are great.  Some come to mine are The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, Starship Troopers (much better than the movies), Stranger in a Strange Land, Double Stars, and The Puppet Masters.\nUrsula K. Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness is amazing.  The Earthsea series are fun read if you want to get beyond SciFi.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Left Hand of Darkness is amazing.",
          "reason": "Explicitly praised as amazing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140691,
          "author": "demallien",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T09:17:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140691",
          "commentText": "Hyperion by Dan Simmons.  It starts off with separate storylines touching on all the great sci-fi clichés - time travel, FTL travel, computer nets, out-of-control AIs, lost civilisations, humanity scindered into two estranged parts, mysterious monsters, strange maladies, it has everything.  Except, at first, this pastiche just feels disjointed.  But then, near the end, all of this wierd stuff, that you never really understand, gets pulled together into one, cohesive whole.\nHyperion is basically just a brilliant story, very enjoyable to read.\nThat said, if I was to criticise Hyperion, it would be that it doesn't fulfill very well one of the important functions of science fiction - the examination of the impact of technology on society.\nWhich leads to my second recommendation - The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula Le Guin.  Le Guin in general is excellent for examining in depth the effects that small changes in technology may have on human society - it follows naturally I guess from the fact that her father was an anthropologist...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "my second recommendation - The Left Hand of Darkness, by Ursula Le Guin.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for examining how technology changes affect human society.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ursula K. Le Guin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 17,
      "threads": 14,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "gender",
        "anthropology",
        "first contact",
        "anthropological science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-stormlight-archive-77faf6",
      "title": "The Stormlight Archive",
      "author": "Brandon Sanderson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46416728,
          "author": "jharohit",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-29T02:15:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46416728",
          "commentText": "sharing a few books I recommended in my annual list (recommend reading!)\nhttps://rohitjha.com/blog/reading-highlights-2025/\nNon Fiction:\n- Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future by Dan Wang (2025)\n- How to Live an Extraordinary Life by Anthony Pompliano (2024)\nFiction:\n- The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester (1956)\n- Consider Phlebas (Culture Series #1) by Iain M. Banks (1987)\n- The Way of Kings (2010, Stormlight #1) & Words of Radiance (2014, Stormlight #2) by Brandon Sanderson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stormlight #1",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46391813,
          "author": "ThouYS",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T13:32:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46391813",
          "commentText": "I got deep into the stormlight archive by brandon sanderson. great escapism!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I got deep into the stormlight archive by brandon sanderson. great escapism!",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the series as great escapism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42569159,
          "author": "weakfish",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-01T20:46:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42569159",
          "commentText": "The Stormlight Archive, by Brandon Sanderson. Started in January, just finished the latest which conveniently released earlier this month. Liked it so much I got a tattoo from it on my arm, lol.\nVery well written magic systems that are internally consistent with very powerful themes of mental health.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Stormlight Archive, by Brandon Sanderson. Started in January, just finished the latest which conveniently released earlier this month.",
          "reason": "Shares it as a standout series and praises its writing, consistent magic systems, and mental health themes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42268855,
          "author": "Hikikomori",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:06:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268855",
          "commentText": "Haven't read it yet as it comes out in a week but it will be Wind of truth, book 5 in stormlight archive series.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "book 5 in stormlight archive series",
          "reason": "Identifies the book as the fifth entry in the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41768950,
          "author": "loufe",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T18:02:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41768950",
          "commentText": "I second the Black Company. I recently turned some friends onto it and got back in as a consequence. It was such a great twist on how a dark fantasy reads. Totally agree for Garret PI.\nI'll have to add my other fantasy favourites : The Kingkiller Chronicles (though be prepared to be left hanging) and the Stormlight Archives are truly excellent.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Stormlight Archives are truly excellent.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the series as a favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38566342,
          "author": "cptn_brittish",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T07:32:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38566342",
          "commentText": "My brother has coined the term Depression Olympics between this and The Stormlight Archives for what the characters go through and Farseer makes Stormlight look like childsplay",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "between this and The Stormlight Archives",
          "reason": "Mentioned in a comparison of the hardships characters endure.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38557015,
          "author": "TheAceOfHearts",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T14:54:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557015",
          "commentText": "Vita Nostra because it has an interesting magic system. Piranesi because it also has a weird magic system.\nI didn't read it this past year, but the first one that came to mind was Tigana. That book was rather weird for me, because the process of reading it wasn't very enjoyable, but after finishing I loved it.\nIf anyone has suggestions for fantasy or sci-fi books with weird or non-standard magic systems I'd love to hear em. I've already read most of the big names like Sanderson.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I've already read most of the big names like Sanderson.",
          "reason": "Mentions Sanderson among the big names the commenter has read while asking for fantasy or sci-fi suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No specific title is named.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38253918,
          "author": "beezlebroxxxxxx",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-13T19:10:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38253918",
          "commentText": "> Would I be at a disadvantage of not knowing anything about Malazan world or its tabletop RPG?\nNo. My understanding is the RPG world was entirely private and there is no published campaign or book about the specific RPG world at all. It was just what Erikson made before he started the Malazan series. It's not required at all.\nMalazan is decidedly more demanding as a reader though than Stormlight. I would say if you find Stormlight complicated or demanding then you might not enjoy Malazan, which is operating on a fundamentally more complex (on sheer number of characters, for an example) and mature level than Stormlight on almost every level. There is a reason Malazan is often brought up when discussing the greatest fantasy series of all time.\n(I still would put neither Malazan or Stormlight as really complex books though. They're fairly straightforward compared to more creative and formally interesting books like Ulysses or Finnegan's Wake, for instance. In general people who read fantasy tend to be rather hyperbolic when it comes to how complex the books are.)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "if you find Stormlight complicated or demanding then you might not enjoy Malazan",
          "reason": "Used as a comparison for Malazan's complexity and demands on the reader.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter suggests readers who find it complicated may not enjoy Malazan.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38252421,
          "author": "beezlebroxxxxxx",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-13T17:05:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38252421",
          "commentText": "Stormlight is significantly easier to read than Malazan and, at least in my opinion, significantly simpler in almost every way.\nMalazan is really a narrative tour-de-force with an extremely satisfying way of bringing a number of storylines together and to conclusion in each book. It's also an interesting meditation on history, regret, and the arc of empires over time. The complexity and in media res nature of the beginning throws a lot of people off but you just have to keep reading. It's written in a way that has no handholding; the world is already built and ancient and you're dropped into it, while Sanderson, honestly, seems to be kind of making it up as you go along. (This is, in part, because Erikson had the entire Malazan world as a tabletop RPG before writing the books.)\nSanderson's books, in comparison, are more like Marvel movies. They're entertaining, but I don't find that they reinvent the wheel or do anything too interesting. Stormlight is also much less grim and mature in many ways than Malazan, which is either a pro or a con for some people.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Stormlight is significantly easier to read than Malazan",
          "reason": "Compared with Malazan, it is significantly easier to read and simpler.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is less grim and mature than Malazan.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38239436,
          "author": "vidyesh",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T12:01:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38239436",
          "commentText": "Dude! Thank you. But slow down for me will you?\nDo you mean to say The Stormlight Archive are better in your opinion than the Malazan book of the Fallen series? And KKC is the best of those three series?\nSidenote: Reading about KKC from other comments, seems like I might drop the idea of reading it for reason you too highlighted.\nI also checked out the Malazan Book for Fallen series properly, I was aware it was a series of 10 books but just now discovered Steven Erikson is a beast, that series including the prequels is a set of possibly 26 books! That is so exciting!\nOkay so I ask again, worth getting into? And some advice to survive the 1st book as you mentioned its the most difficult read?\nOR is The Stormlight series easier or first to read?",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "worth getting into? And some advice to survive the 1st book",
          "reason": "Asks whether the series is worth starting and whether it is easier to read than Malazan.",
          "audience": "Potential new readers comparing epic fantasy series.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has heard the first Malazan book is especially difficult.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38238289,
          "author": "subtra3t",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T07:59:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238289",
          "commentText": "Malazan is amazing, possibly the best fantasy series I've ever read after Stormlight Archives (KKC would be on the list if not for the author's attitude towards the 3rd book). That said, it's really common for newcomers to the series to abandon the book even after a couple hundred pages.\nThink of it as being akin to being dropped in a completely foreign country, with no kind of guidance or language experience. The 1st book is the hardest to really \"get\" but if you do manage to get into it you'll have a really great time.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "after Stormlight Archives",
          "reason": "Names it as a comparison point for their favorite fantasy series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33385896,
          "author": "DoingSomeThings",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T17:03:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33385896",
          "commentText": "Fiction - I started reading the Cosmere universe by Brandon Sanderson.\nMistborn Trilogy, Stormlight Archives, and Warbreaker.\nPick 1 - Start with Warbreaker or Mistborn.\nI'm new to fantasy fiction and his writing totally hooked me. I think of \"hard\" fantasy as a puzzle. The world has a unique physics and the plot of the story is based around characters figuring out how to operate inside of those physics... what are the bounds, how can it be manipulated, etc?\nWhat I've loved about Sanderson is the plot turns are never Ex Machina. Every new development fits inside the rules of the world and deepens your understanding of what can be.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stormlight Archives",
          "reason": "Named among the Cosmere works the commenter has started reading.",
          "audience": "Someone new to fantasy fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30742617,
          "author": "Bhilai",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T13:56:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30742617",
          "commentText": "+1 I loved Stormlight Archive so much that I read it twice and I would probably read some chapters over and over. The struggles of various characters with past failures and the way they overcome it gives me hope for myself. Not only the mental health angle is really meaningful, the whole storyline is super interesting. Anyway, I can keep going on and on about these books. You have to read them at least twice to appreciate the intricacies and subplots.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved Stormlight Archive so much that I read it twice",
          "reason": "The characters' struggles and recoveries give the commenter hope; the story and intricate subplots keep them engaged.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it takes at least two reads to appreciate its intricacies and subplots.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26593495,
          "author": "navbaker",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-26T15:48:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26593495",
          "commentText": "Yes, I spend at least the last hour before bed reading. I alternate every other book fiction and non-fiction. I actually just finished the latest Stormlight book and loved it. Currently re-reading Stalingrad by Anthony Beevor.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I actually just finished the latest Stormlight book and loved it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they loved the latest book in the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25906011,
          "author": "adamhp",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T17:29:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25906011",
          "commentText": "I'm still in progress on Brandon Sanderson's Rhythm of War, the fourth book in the Stormlight Archives series. I've been reading a lot of business and indie hacker related non-fiction, so it has been nice to read something a little lighter.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the fourth book in the Stormlight Archives series",
          "reason": "Identifies Rhythm of War as the series’ fourth book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25860261,
          "author": "skydhash",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-21T16:02:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25860261",
          "commentText": "My favorite current series is \"The stormlight archive\". The world building is very good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favorite current series is \"The stormlight archive\". The world building is very good.",
          "reason": "Names it as their favorite current series and praises its worldbuilding.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25846417,
          "author": "kaladin_1",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T13:52:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25846417",
          "commentText": "Stormlight Archives (Way of Kings) by Brandon Sanderson.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stormlight Archives (Way of Kings) by Brandon Sanderson.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25845884,
          "author": "mdn0420",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T13:00:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25845884",
          "commentText": "The Stormlight Archives",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Stormlight Archives",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467651,
          "author": "hpoe",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:47:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467651",
          "commentText": "Man's Search  for Meaning - Viktor Frankel, it is his experience of how he managed to survive the concentration camps.\nBook of Mormon\nThe Stormlight Archive series (Way of Kings, Words of Radience, Oathbringer) - Brandon Sanderson, I've heard it compared to the Kingkiller Chronicles in terms of depth, intricacies and overall masterfully executed plot but Sanderson is also one of the best authors at making characters real and captivating that I've ever met.\nMistborn Series (The Final Empire, Well of Ascension, Hero of Ages) by the same author as The Stormlight Archives and for the same reasons.\nThe Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis, even if you aren't religious it has helped me see so much clearly the tactics and obstacles that prevent me from being the person I want to be.\nI've read quite a few more books more often but these are the books that I have reread multiple times because they have changed who I am and helped me recognize that each time I fall I can rise again a better man.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Stormlight Archive series",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the series for depth, intricacy, plot, and captivating characters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22720383,
          "author": "stevekemp",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T16:44:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22720383",
          "commentText": "Agreed.  No specific book has every \"changed my life\", or specifically been the source of positive impacts.\nBut reading stories is fun, and something I do constantly.  Currently I'm re-reading Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive.  Every year or two I re-read Dune, Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Amber, and Steven Brust's Taltos series.  Always a pleasure.\nMy recommendations would probably echo those already posted, with the addition of small random stories that I remember fondly because they were just fun, interesting, or surprising  (e.g. H. G. Wells: The Door in the Wall, or the original Mary Poppins books recently completed after finishing the Dresden Files for the first time.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Currently I'm re-reading Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive.",
          "reason": "Says they are currently rereading the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803565,
          "author": "matsemann",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:15:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803565",
          "commentText": "Well, I still read them almost every christmas. At least a few of them.\nI'd also recommend Brandon Sanderson. Mistborn series is very good, and Stormligh Archive is good so far. I really like his world-building, and I think the way he uses magic is something most HNers would approve of. It's often well defined, and the characters try to exploit it the same way a reader would.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Stormligh Archive is good so far.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is good so far and praises Sanderson's world-building and magic.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in world-building and clearly defined magic systems.",
          "caveat": "The commenter qualifies the praise with “so far.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13239771,
          "author": "theflork",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T19:46:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13239771",
          "commentText": "I recommend Stormlight to everyone new to fantasy. Such interesting yet easy to read books. With Sanderson writing, reading is fun.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend Stormlight to everyone new to fantasy. Such interesting yet easy to read books.",
          "reason": "Recommends it to fantasy newcomers, praising the books as interesting and easy to read.",
          "audience": "Readers new to fantasy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783776,
          "author": "noxToken",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T15:40:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783776",
          "commentText": "Was light year for me:\nConfessions of a D-List Supervillain - Jim Bernheimer\nOrigins of a D-List Supervillain - Jim Bernheimer\nThe second is a prequel of the first. I haven't read the third in the series. Light reading about a guy's descent into villainy.\nYes Please - Amy Poehler: I love memoirs. I just didn't love this one. It read a lot like Leslie Knope was the author, but there was an obscene amount of name dropping that kept interrupting the flow of the book for me.\nFresh Off the Boat: A Memoir - Eddie Huang: Like I said, I'm a sucker for these things. Picked it up, because the series reminded me of a 90s Asian version of Everybody Hates Chris. The absurdity and random profanity was a little off-putting at first. Remembering how I felt as a black boy doing some of the same dumb things in the 90s really put it into perspective though.\nThe Serpent of Venice: A Novel - Christopher Moore: The follow up to Fool. It's a different take on Shakespearian story-telling. I can't recommend his novels enough.\nQuantum Lens - Douglas E. Richards: I read this solely because I liked Wired and Amped. No-frills action with a sci-fi element. You probably won't get engrossed, but you will be entertained.\nSpell or High Water & An Unwelcome Quest - Scott Meyer: Books 2 & 3 in a series about a group of guys who can manipulate reality through writing scripts. Good, but not my favorite.\nArmada: A Novel - Ernest Cline: Ah yes. The long awaited sophomore effort from the author of Ready Player One. This book fell harder than it deserved to, because people where expecting it to be analogous to Ready Player One. Spoiler: it's not. The novel does have its short-comings. Repetitive dialogue, shoe-horned classic pop-culture references and shallow writing plague this book. If you've got time for a short novel, give it a whirl, but don't expect anything amazing.\nWords of Radiance - Brandon Sanderson: Book 2 of the Stormlight Archives. If it's an epic by Sanderson, do yourself a favor and board the hype train. You won't be disappointed. It's everything you want in a long fantasy novel without being bogged down with side-plots and details.\nWarbreaker - Brandon Sanderson: This is a standalone novel with a tie-on to Words of Radiance. I'm only halfway through it. Would recommend so far, especially since it's free from the author.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If it's an epic by Sanderson, do yourself a favor and board the hype train. You won't be disappointed.",
          "reason": "Enthusiastically recommends Sanderson's epic novels, including the named series title Words of Radiance identifies.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy long epic fantasy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6390796,
          "author": "elehack",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T23:41:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6390796",
          "commentText": "A lot of stuff:\nAsimov's Foundation (I only recommend the trilogy, though; Foundation's Edge is good but will make you want to read Foundation and Earth, which does severe damage to the universe. Haven't read the prequels.)\nAsimov's short stories\nTolkien\nBen Hur\nThe Count of Monte Cristo (brilliant revenge story)\nA lot of Brandon Sanderson's work (The Stormlight Archive is promising to be fascinating)\nToo long a list of other stuff to put here.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Stormlight Archive is promising to be fascinating",
          "reason": "Expresses positive anticipation for the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is promising to be fascinating, rather than describing a completed reading experience.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brandon Sanderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 17,
      "threads": 14,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "high fantasy",
        "magic systems",
        "accessible fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stories-of-your-life-and-others-e4ad62",
      "title": "Stories of Your Life and Others",
      "author": "Ted Chiang",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49904900,
          "author": "steve_adams_86",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T05:55:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49904900",
          "commentText": "Thinking In Systems: A Primer by Donella Meadows\nMy 17 year old son bought it for me for my birthday. I've been enjoying it a lot. I do in fact like thinking in systems and learning more about it, and reading it in a more generalized fashion than I tend to in the computer science world has provided a refreshing perspective. It's all very approachable, nothing very complex, but gives names and discreet patterns to things I intuitively understood but previously wouldn't articulate easily. Definitely one of my favourite gifts in a long time.\nStories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang\nI read bits of this to my wife at night occasionally. One of the first trips we went on together was camping on a little island, and I had Kafka on the Shore (Haruki Murakami) with me which I suggested I read to her in the evening. She really liked it and I've done it since. I wish I did it more often. Anyway, Stories of Your Life and Others is a wonderful collection. I've read it a few times, not always completely, and I enjoy it. Story of your life is the standout. It's what the movie Arrival is based on, which I consider one of the best scifi movies of all time. It's a beautiful story.\nSilo series by Hugh Howey\nI've been watching the show and decided the books deserve a shot. If the show is as good as it is, the books must be great, right?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stories of Your Life and Others is a wonderful collection.",
          "reason": "Calls the collection wonderful and says they enjoy rereading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They have not always read the collection completely.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 49901665,
          "author": "simpaticoder",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-29T22:29:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49901665",
          "commentText": "Isn't it called Stories of your life and other stories? Ted Chiang is my favorite living science fiction author. Everything I've read by him ranges from very good to sublime.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Isn't it called Stories of your life and other stories?",
          "reason": "Corrects the collection title while discussing Chiang's work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46161500,
          "author": "ashtavakra",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-05T14:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46161500",
          "commentText": "I consolidated the comments for my reference later. Someone else might also find it useful:\n# Fiction Books Recommended for Programmers (HN Thread 46128404)\n## Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- *Children of Time* — Science Fiction (Evolution, Space Opera)  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)\n## Rick Cook — Wizardry Series\n- *Wizard’s Bane* — Fantasy, Programming/Magic Mashup  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112616.Wizard_s_Bane\n- *Wizardry Series (overview)*  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\n## James P. Hogan\n- *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/743568.Inherit_the_Stars\n- *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifem... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifemaker)\n- *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_Tomorrow)\n## D. F. Jones — Colossus Trilogy\n- *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806105.Colossus\n- *The Fall of Colossus* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colos... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colossus)\n- *Colossus and the Crab* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_Crab)\n## Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner)\n- *A Logic Named Joe* — Golden-Age Sci-Fi, AI Precursor  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-j... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-joe)\n## David Gerrold\n- *When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One* — AI, Classic Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_Was_One)\n## William Gibson / Bruce Sterling\n- *Neuromancer* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer\n- *The Difference Engine* — Steampunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Eng... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Engine)\n## Neal Stephenson\n- *Snow Crash* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash\n- *Cryptonomicon* — Techno-thriller, Cyber-history  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/816.Cryptonomicon\n- *Anathem* — Philosophical Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2845024-anathem\n- *The Diamond Age* — Nanopunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827.The_Diamond_Age\n## Fred Saberhagen\n- *Octagon* — AI, Techno-thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1891958.Octagon\n## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga\n- *Series Overview* — Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/40946-vorkosigan-saga\n## Richard Powers\n- *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45104.Galatea_2_2\n## Scott Meyer\n- *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-wizard)\n## Daniel Suarez\n- *Daemon* — Cyber-thriller, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665844-daemon\n## Thomas J. Ryan\n- *The Adolescence of P-1* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_o... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_of_P_1)\n## Ernest Cline\n- *Ready Player One* — Sci-Fi, Gaming, Pop-Culture Adventure  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one\n## Dennis E. Taylor\n- *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)* — Humorous Sci-Fi, AI, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-we-are-bob)\n## Ted Chiang\n- *Stories of Your Life and Others* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\n- *Exhalation* — Speculative Fiction, Philosophy, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation\n- *The Lifecycle of Software Objects* — AI, Digital Consciousness  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of-software-objects)\n## Charles Stross\n- *Laundry Files Series* — Math-based Magic, Techno-Fantasy  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files\n## Ken Liu\n- *The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menag... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories)\n- *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, AI, VR  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl-and-other-stories)\n## Ellen Ullman\n- *The Bug* — Tech Industry Literary Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/703.The_Bug\n## Cory Doctorow\n- *Radicalized* — Techno-sociopolitical Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40604122-radicalized\n## qntm (Sam Hughes)\n- *Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans-in-transit-and-other-stories)\n## Roger Williams\n- *The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect* — AI, Post-Singularity SF  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)\n## Greg Bear\n- *Eon* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/924843.Eon\n## Vernor Vinge\n- *A Deepness in the Sky* — Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the_Sky)\n## Terry Pratchett\n- *Going Postal* — Comic Fantasy, Satire of Bureaucracy & Tech  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64222.Going_Postal\n## Bruce Bethke\n- *Headcrash* — Cyber-satire  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213465.Headcrash\n## Mary Shelley\n- *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* — Classic Gothic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein\n## Douglas Adams\n- *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* — Comic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guid... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)\n## Jorge Luis Borges\n- *The Library of Babel* — Metaphysical Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-babel)\n## Greg Egan\n- *Permutation City* — Simulation Theory, Hard Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156784.Permutation_City\n## Cixin Liu\n- *The Three-Body Problem* — Hard Sci-Fi, First Contact  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- *Stories of Your Life and Others* — Speculative Fiction",
          "reason": "Lists the title in a compilation of fiction books recommended for programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46132236,
          "author": "vismit2000",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T09:21:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46132236",
          "commentText": "'Stories of your Life and Others' and 'Exhalation' - by Ted Chiang.\nIn his short stories, he introduces advanced concepts from mathematics, philosophy, and computer science in a way that’s subtly woven into captivating narratives.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Stories of your Life and Others' and 'Exhalation' - by Ted Chiang.",
          "reason": "Listed as a fiction recommendation; the stories weave advanced concepts into narratives.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41759319,
          "author": "aireo",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-06T19:04:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41759319",
          "commentText": "Several immediately come to mind.\nShort stories: The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories (Ken Liu); Stories of Your Life and Others and Exhalation (Ted Chiang); The Martian Chronicles (Ray Bradbury)\nNovels: The Monk (Matthew Gregory Lewis); Frankenstein (Mary Shelley)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stories of Your Life and Others",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36083958,
          "author": "code_Whisperer",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-26T13:38:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36083958",
          "commentText": "Easily these (so far):\nThis is How You Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (actually now one of my all-time favorites, without regard to genre. Just amazing)\nChildren of Time - Adrian Tchaikovsky\nThe Book of Strange New Things - Michael Faber\nTed Chiang's short story collections (Exhalations and Stories of your life and others)\nDaemon - Daniel Suarez\nThe City and the City - China Miéville\nRoadside Picnic - Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (this one still haunts my dreams at times)\nWe Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse Book 1) - Dennis Taylor (just finished this series for book club)\nGalatea 2.2, The Overstory, Bewilderment, The Gold Bug Variations - 4 different books, all by Richard Powers - what can I say, the man is a genius and a treasure\nEifelheim - Michael Flynn - ok, this book can be a slog at times, but it is very rewarding for those who persevere, and has stuck in my brain for many years\nChocky - John Wyndham - A quiet, delightful surprise\nProvidence - Max Barry - This book flows like a movie. It will make a great movie. I found myself LITERALLY out of breath a couple of times\nHench: A Novel - Natalie Zina Walschots - Quirky, memorable\nThe Peacemaker's Code - Deepak Malhotra - Why hasn't this guy written more sci-fi?\nOrange World and Other Stories - Karen Russell - OK, maybe not strictly sci-fi, but this book tickles my brain\nGUILTY PLEASURE SCI-FI FAVORITE: The Vaz series by Laurence Dahners. I think I've read that series 3 times now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stories of your life and others",
          "reason": "Names one of the author's short story collections.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021731,
          "author": "qbasic_forever",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:06:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021731",
          "commentText": "Ted Chiang's sci-fi short story collections like Stories Of Your Life and Others is fantastic.  It features the story that the feature length film Arrival from a few years ago was based on, among other great stories.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ted Chiang's sci-fi short story collections like Stories Of Your Life and Others",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the collection fantastic and notes it includes the story adapted into Arrival.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021607,
          "author": "smithza",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:56:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021607",
          "commentText": "I heartily second Ted Chiang. He is an expert at the craft of the short story despite it being his first whole compilation that was published.\nShort stories have historically been the way science fiction was popularized starting in the early 1900s. Novels and series would develop out of those successful shorts or if an author becomes successful enough.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I heartily second Ted Chiang.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly seconds the parent comment's Ted Chiang recommendation; the parent names this collection.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021193,
          "author": "beckingz",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:26:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021193",
          "commentText": "Revelation Space - Alastair Reynolds\nWireless - Charles Stross\nStories of your life and others - Ted Chiang\nMoonrise - Ben Bova\nLast Plane to Heaven - Jay Lake\nBest of Greg Egan - Greg Egan",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stories of your life and others - Ted Chiang",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for science fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34165852,
          "author": "jsenn",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T20:57:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34165852",
          "commentText": "If you haven't read Ted Chiang's short stories yet, do so. His first collection (Stories of Your Life and Others) was my favourite, but his more recent one (Exhalation) was also very good (the title story, Exhalation, is gorgeous). Stories of your Life is what the movie Arrival was based on and (as ever) the story was better than the movie.\nAs far as sci-fi novels, I have pretty generic tastes for this crowd: Dune, The Dispossessed, The Martian. The Crying of Lot 49 is one of my favourite books. Not exactly sci-fi but close.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His first collection (Stories of Your Life and Others) was my favourite",
          "reason": "The commenter names this as their favorite collection and recommends reading Chiang's stories.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25846738,
          "author": "Zanni",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T14:23:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25846738",
          "commentText": "Ted Chiang's Stories of Your Life and Others is the best, single-author collection of short stories I've ever read. If you like that, you might also enjoy The Lifecycle of Software Objects, an absolutely heartbreaking novella about simulated children, and his follow-up collection Exhalation.\nOrson Scott Card's Ender's Game is fantastic, and it's follow-up, Speaker for the Dead is even better, and my favorite science fiction novel of all time. They won back to back Hugo and Nebula awards. Card is a polarizing figure for his outspoken political opinions, but if ever the art should be separated from the artist, it's Speaker, which is an incredible exploration of empathy and responsibility, in addition to being a gripping, action-packed, science-literate read. Many more in this series, if you get into it.\nJohn Scalzi's Old Man's War series is fantastic, if you're into military science-fiction, or even if you're not. Smart, funny, engaging and accessible, and reminiscent of Heinlein at his prime, minus the weird incest fetish. Redshirts, a Star Trek parody, rivals Galaxy Quest and only falls short because Galaxy Quest is so goddamn brilliant. Agent to the Stars is less appreciated, but in my opinion his finest novel, rising way above its goofy premise by taking it seriously, exploring the consequences and treating the characters with empathy and respect. Also hilarious.\nSeconding Dune, which is a classic for a reason, and Stranger in a Strange Land (though I think The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is a better place to start with Heinlein). Also Neal Stephenson, though I'd suggest Cryptonomicon over Diamond Age.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ted Chiang's Stories of Your Life and Others is the best, single-author collection of short stories I've ever read.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best single-author short story collection they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803515,
          "author": "lghh",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:10:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803515",
          "commentText": "Leisure Stuff:\nBoom Town: The Fantastical Saga Of Oklahoma City, It's Chaotic Founding... by Sam Anderson\nMidnight In Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham\nDune by Frank Herbert\nThe Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu (tried it this year and stopped, want to give it another go)\nStories of Your Life and Others - Ted Chiang (just finished Exhalation and I think it's great)\nAn Ursula K. Le Guin novel, have not picked one out yet\nA book related to basketball (possibly Dream Team, but IDK yet)\nLess Leisure Stuff:\nLocked In: The True Causes of Mass Incarceration and How to Achieve Real Reform by John Pfaff\nEvicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond\nThe End Of Policing by Alex S Vitale\nEither Manufacturing Consent or Understanding Power by Chomsky\nThe Annotated Turing by Charles Petzold\nWork:\nCode Complete 2 by Steve McConnell\nThe Web Application Hacker's Handbook: Finding and Exploiting Security Flaws by Dafydd Stuttard,  Marcus Pinto\nFinish Writing An Interpreter In Go by Thorsten Ball\nIf I can get through all of these, I will be very pleased. Throw in a book or two at recommendation from friends and I think I'm full for the year.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Stories of Your Life and Others - Ted Chiang (just finished Exhalation and I think it's great)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The praise is for Exhalation, not this collection.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17537426,
          "author": "xteze",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T22:26:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537426",
          "commentText": "For fun and/or lighthearted, I enjoyed: \nStanislaw Lem: Cyberiad, The Futurological Congress, Tales of Pirx the Pilot;\nSteven Paul Leiva: Traveling in Space;\nTed Chiang: Stories of your Life;\nJohn Scalzi: Old Man's War (and sequels)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ted Chiang: Stories of your Life",
          "reason": "Suggested as a fun or lighthearted read.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for fun or lighthearted fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14859977,
          "author": "mrexroad",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:27:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859977",
          "commentText": "Stories of Your Life and Others (Ted Chiang)",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Stories of Your Life and Others (Ted Chiang)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14859682,
          "author": "r3bl",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T19:58:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859682",
          "commentText": "Deep Thinking really sounds fun! I agree, The Dictator's Handbook is really good, but sometimes really repetitive and it takes a bit of dedication to finish it.\nAs for my current one, I'm really enjoying Ted Chiang's Stories of Your Life and Others.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm really enjoying Ted Chiang's Stories of Your Life and Others.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are really enjoying it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13117398,
          "author": "pavel_lishin",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-06T19:16:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13117398",
          "commentText": "This is a little more Lovecraftian Horror than science fiction, but I loved Matt Ruff's \"Lovecraft Country\". Equal parts what you'd expect, with an exploration of how shitty America was for black people in the 1950s.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25109947-lovecraft-count... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25109947-lovecraft-country)\nTed Chiang's \"Stories of your Life\" have been recommended here a bunch, since Arrival was based on one of the stories in the collection.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\nPeter Watts' Blindsight and Echopraxia are both excellent explorations of the human mind and consciousness.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48484.Blindsight and https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18490708-echopraxia\nBonus: Echopraxia comes with an optional audiovisual component that stands alone quite well: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL30ED0756E00786E2\nAnd don't let the mention of Vampires scare you off; this isn't a Twilight wannabe, and it's very likely not a take on Vampires you've seen before.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Ted Chiang's \"Stories of your Life\" have been recommended here a bunch",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a collection that has been recommended in the discussion; the commenter gives no personal evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783529,
          "author": "Symmetry",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:46:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783529",
          "commentText": "Here are the ones I'd be willing to recommend, in reverse chronological order of when I read them.  I read 59 total.  Listen to books on tape while working out has maybe doubled my reading rate.\nGenghis Khan: His Conquests, His Empire, His Legacy - Great book on how the Mongol Empire came to be, who Genghis was, and it put the whole thing in perspective for me in a useful way.\nThe Knowledge: How to Rebuild Our World from Scratch - What it says on the tin.  Actually a good overview how some important technologies interrelate.\nSuperforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction - How to be wrong less often.  Based on the Good Judgement Project results.\nThe Three-Body Problem - Decent enough science fiction but extra interesting because it's science fiction from a different culture.\nIgnition!: An informal history of liquid rocket propellants - A history of things that go boom.  Engaging writing and I learned things about chemistry.\nThe Traitor Baru Cormorant - I'm nominating this for a Hugo.  It tells you it's going to stab you in the gut but when it does you don't see it coming.  Plus high quality scheming and speculation on economics, society, and empire.\nThe Sorcerer of the Wildeeps - Excellent use of voice and an overall good book.\nBloom - Made my skin crawl in places and also was good at making you feel a radical change in perspective.\nSeeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed - An interesting perspective on certain aspects of government.  A bit too negative for the topic, the factors outlined are also why commercial economies were able to develop more centralized economies than agrarian ones in the early modern era.\nPolitical Order and Political Decay: From the Industrial Revolution to the Globalization of Democracy - Quite good book on bureaucracy though not as excellent as the previous book on the origins of states.\nLast First Snow - It's always great to read books about the struggles between people with sympathetic motivations.\nThe Unwelcome Warlock - The latest in a series of fantasy books where people use magic in creative and sensible ways.\nAsteroid Mining 101: Wealth for the New Space Economy -Mostly about all the different sorts of asteroids.\nSeveneves - Neal Stephenson's latest.  If you like his books read it but maybe skip the last 1/3 after the timeskip.\nElon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future - Wow he did a lot of cool stuff.\nStories of Your Life and Others - Brilliant and poetic short stories.\nDarwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life - Some interesting perspective on materialism.\nPower, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life - Best science book I've read in a while!  Shows why mitochondria matter, the fundamental limits of prochariotic life, and several important ways mitochondria influence again and evolution.\nBlue Remembered Earth - Awesome near futureish book that does well at imagining a future that isn't just a linear extrapolation but is still believable.\nA Key, an Egg, an Unfortunate Remark - Not enough pacifist badass grandmothers in urban fantasy.\nQuantum Computing since Democritus - I understand QM much better now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stories of Your Life and Others - Brilliant and poetic short stories.",
          "reason": "Calls the stories brilliant and poetic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9350032,
          "author": "loudmax",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T18:52:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350032",
          "commentText": "Stories of Your Life and Others is a collection of short stories by Ted Chiang.  The stories explore wildly different topics, but every one of them is amazing.\nSomeone on HN had recommended The Box by Marc Levinson.  It's a history of the shipping container.  That sounds dreadfully prosaic, but the book is well written and the shipping container's influence on our modern global economy cannot be overstated.\nNot reading per se, but Dan Carlin's WWI podcasts on the Hardcore History blog are well worth listening to.  http://www.dancarlin.com/hardcore-history-series/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "every one of them is amazing.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises every story in the collection.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056624,
          "author": "JoachimS",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:42:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056624",
          "commentText": "Your opinion is very good. The \"and then something magic happens\" solution in fantasy is what really turns me off.\nBut in SF it is sometimes hard to distinct magic from plausible albeit far fetched science. Is FTL possible given the science of tomorrow, or magic?\nIf you want to have (imho) really, really good SF, chec out Ted Chiang. Very low production, but he takes science in SF very seriosly. His collection of short stories is some of the best I've ever read:\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others\nSomebody else mentioned Anathem. And if one want deep mathematics mixed with wild ideas, language theory I strongly recommend it. It is hard to get going (at least it was for me). But very rewarding. Probably the best read the last year.\nFinally, if one really wants to go the \"no magic\" route. I strongly recommend Netptunes Brood by Charles stross. The book is based on the idea that FTL is not possible, and as a consequence how the economics behind interstellar migration and stable exchange currencies works. Bitcoing and slow money. Just that somebody actually has been considering the finance structure behind generation ships makes it worth reading.\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neptune%27s_Brood",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His collection of short stories is some of the best I've ever read",
          "reason": "Calls the collection some of the best they've read and praises Chiang's treatment of science in science fiction.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in science-focused science fiction.",
          "caveat": "The comment refers to the collection without naming it; the linked title identifies it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5832592,
          "author": "joe8756438",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T14:27:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5832592",
          "commentText": "a couple favorites:\nclassic: The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brian \nrecent scifi: Stories of your life and others (short stories) by Ted Chiang",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "recent scifi: Stories of your life and others (short stories) by Ted Chiang",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A short story collection.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stories of Your Life and Others",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ted Chiang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 17,
      "threads": 13,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories",
        "speculative fiction",
        "philosophical science fiction",
        "first contact"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-power-of-habit-408968",
      "title": "The Power of Habit",
      "author": "Charles Duhigg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21904178,
          "author": "diego_moita",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T05:35:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21904178",
          "commentText": "* Information: A history, a theory, a flood - James Gleick\n* Sapiens - Yuval Harari\n* Thinking, fast and slow - Daniel Kahneman\n* Power of Habit - Charles Duhig",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Power of Habit - Charles Duhig",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18825734,
          "author": "rando444",
          "createdAt": "2019-01-04T17:19:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 18824130,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What article/book do you recommend for my next flight?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18825734",
          "commentText": "American Kingpin was a really good read.  It's the story of Ross Ulbricht, the guy that built the silk road.\nIt reads like fiction, but is a true story, and hits all the right buttons for me (technology, entrepreneurial spirit, understanding how to (or how not to) learn from your mistakes, etc.).\nIt's well written and hard to put down.\n-----\nThe power of habit was also a really good read if you hadn't read it already.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The power of habit was also a really good read",
          "reason": "Calls it a really good read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter adds, “if you hadn't read it already.”",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18678867,
          "author": "koolhead17",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-14T06:28:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18678867",
          "commentText": "Read \"The Power of Habit\" so feels like \"Atomic Habits\" will not be much different.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Read \"The Power of Habit\" so feels like",
          "reason": "Says prior reading of this book makes them expect Atomic Habits to be similar.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665707,
          "author": "growtofill",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T17:20:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665707",
          "commentText": "On the last one: why not?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "On the last one: why not?",
          "reason": "Asks why the parent commenter does not recommend the book; gives no evaluation of their own.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17983694,
          "author": "dangwu",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-13T23:47:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17983694",
          "commentText": "“The Power of Habit”, by Charles Duhigg.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“The Power of Habit”, by Charles Duhigg.",
          "reason": "Named in response to a question asking for a life-changing book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16757595,
          "author": "tcopeland",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T18:37:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16757595",
          "commentText": "Interesting, that's on the Army Advanced Situational Awareness reading list (http://www.benning.army.mil/armor/316thCav/ASA/ReadingList.h... (http://www.benning.army.mil/armor/316thCav/ASA/ReadingList.html)).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "that's on the Army Advanced Situational Awareness reading list",
          "reason": "The commenter notes that the book is on the Army Advanced Situational Awareness reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioning its appearance on a reading list does not express a personal recommendation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16569850,
          "author": "tombrm",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-12T17:41:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16569850",
          "commentText": "The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that helped professionally.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15960931,
          "author": "alexwilde",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T15:45:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15960931",
          "commentText": "1. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\n2. Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! (Adventures of a Curious Character)\n3. The Loyal: The Story of Atwood and the Second Civil War (disclosure - my father wrote this book)\n4. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business\n5. Grit\nI thoroughly enjoyed all of these. It was interesting to see how Grit and The Power of Habit played off each other.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I thoroughly enjoyed all of these.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they thoroughly enjoyed it and notes its interplay with Grit.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229907,
          "author": "latishsehgal",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T16:26:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229907",
          "commentText": "My top 4 recommendations (full list and notes at http://www.dotnetsurfers.com/books/)\nThe Power of Habit,\nSearch Inside Yourself,\nThe Willpower Instinct,\nZero to One",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My top 4 recommendations (full list and notes at http://www.dotnetsurfers.com/books/) The Power of Habit,",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's top four recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229635,
          "author": "toumhi",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T14:51:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229635",
          "commentText": "Self-help/personal development/philosophy:\n- The obstacle is the way (Ryan Holiday)\n- Meditations (Marcus Aurelius)\n- Level up your life: how to unlock adventure and happiness by becoming the hero of your own story\n- the six pillars of self-esteem\n- so good they can’t ignore you\n- the power of habit\n- how to fail at almost everything and still win big\nBusiness:\n- soft sell: the new art of selling\n- essentialism: the disciplined pursuit of less\n- the magic of thinking big\n- everything is negotiable\n- making things happen\n- lean customer development\n- what customers want\n- inspired: how to create products customers love\n- delivering happiness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the power of habit",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229612,
          "author": "jakegarelick",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T14:42:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229612",
          "commentText": "My recent favorites: Jobs, The Hard Thing About Hard Things, High Output Management, Innovator's Dilemma, Lean Startup, On The Shortness Of Life, How Google Works, Zero To One, Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Power of Habit, Things Fall Apart, Stoner",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Power of Habit",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's recent favorites in response to a book recommendation request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10786160,
          "author": "wushupork",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T22:57:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786160",
          "commentText": "Traction by Justin Mares, Gabriel Weinberg - would probably reread\nGrowth Hacker Marketing by Ryan Holiday\nHow to Fail at Almost Everything by Scott Adams - great read\nScaling Up By Verne Harnish\nGreat By Choice by Jim Collins - love the whole series\nThe Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes - probably worth a reread\nHow to Win at the Sport of Business By Mark Cuban - good read\nElon Mush by Ashlee Vance - need I say more\nThe Hard Thing about Hard Things By Ben Horowitz\nThe Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg - probably need to deeply absorb this - a lot of good stuff\nCopy This! By Paul Orfalea - another good \"small business\" entrepreneur book\nThe E-Myth Revisited By Michael Gerber - 2nd time read. Got more out of it this time.\nThe People's Tycoon (Ford) by Steven Watts - I love reading about businessmen from this age\nScrum by JJ Sutherland Jeff Sutherland - good read for development teams",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg - probably need to deeply absorb this - a lot of good stuff",
          "reason": "The commenter says it contains a lot of good material.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785820,
          "author": "nkzednan",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T21:37:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785820",
          "commentText": "Riyria Revelations trilogy - quite good. Follows two thieves for hire. Read the books in publication order\nReady player one - liked it\nsamurai's garden\nExpanse series by James Corey entertaining\nSteelheart and Firefight by Sanderson- good but like Mistborn better\nWorm online serial parahumans good\nNonfiction I read: Delivering happiness, Drive, Power of Habit, Power of full engagement",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Delivering happiness, Drive, Power of Habit, Power of full engagement",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175649,
          "author": "JoeAcchino",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:43:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175649",
          "commentText": "I'm reading How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life by Scott Adams and I'm about to start The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg.\nI'm also reading again Comme un roman by Danil Pennac, a beautiful essay about the joys of reading.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm about to start The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg.",
          "reason": "Plans to start reading it; no evaluation or recommendation is given.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401391,
          "author": "ggambetta",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:17:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401391",
          "commentText": "Currently read and recently read, in no particular order:\nModern C++ Design (Andrei Alexandrescu)\nThe Screenwriter's Bible (David Trottier)\nClean Code (Robert Cecil Martin)\nIl Codice da Vinci (Dan Brown)\nThe Anatomy of Story (John Truby)\nA Random Walk Down Wall Street (Burton Malkiel)\nThe Power of Habit (Charles Duhigg)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Power of Habit (Charles Duhigg)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401235,
          "author": "lincolnpark",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T15:54:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401235",
          "commentText": "Reading:\nBe As You Are - Ramana Maharshi\nPower of Habit - Charles Duhigg\nApplied Security Visualization - Raffael Marty",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Power of Habit - Charles Duhigg",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8108992,
          "author": "nicknorena",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:03:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8108992",
          "commentText": "The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. I can honestly say it's not only impacted the way I think about habits, but it's impacted my actual habits as well, and for the better I might add! Leisure read turned life hack textbook :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. I can honestly say it's not only impacted the way I think about habits, but it's impacted my actual habits as well, and for the better I might add!",
          "reason": "Says it improved both their thinking about habits and their actual habits.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6977279,
          "author": "sieva",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T23:59:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6977279",
          "commentText": "The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. Game changing. Humans are creatures of habit, and we need to be able to recognize these habits to successfully control them",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. Game changing.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the book game-changing and explains its insight about recognizing habits.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6976640,
          "author": "radex",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T21:16:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976640",
          "commentText": "Oh and the thing that impressed me is that it's not just the typical BS-filled self-help book. The Power of Habit appears to be very well-researched and doesn't promise wonders, just shows you how habits work and how you can influence them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Power of Habit appears to be very well-researched and doesn't promise wonders",
          "reason": "Praises its research and measured claims about how habits work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it does not promise wonders.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6976625,
          "author": "radex",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T21:14:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976625",
          "commentText": "The one that made the biggest impression (and, hopefully, impact) on me was definitely The Power of Habit. tl;dr: on a fundamental level, habits of all sorts shape much of our days and lives. It's like setting up automation scripts — it takes some time, but makes your life better and easier once you do. And they're like a sharp knife — a powerful tool, but be careful not to cut yourself. Good habits make you do things right without any effort, bad habits will ruin you. The book shows you how.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The one that made the biggest impression (and, hopefully, impact) on me was definitely The Power of Habit.",
          "reason": "Says it made the biggest impression and explains how it shows habits work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Warns that habits can be a powerful tool but also cause harm.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6975940,
          "author": "venomsnake",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T19:18:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6975940",
          "commentText": "The power of habit is amazing - thanks to it I am finally getting fit - managed to make it from 60 to 180 pounds on the benchpress in two months just by creating a habit of getting to the gym.\nAlso I have now a cleaner desk.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The power of habit is amazing - thanks to it I am finally getting fit",
          "reason": "Credits the book with helping create a gym habit and improve fitness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6901085,
          "author": "adidash",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T15:49:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6901085",
          "commentText": "Power of Habit - Charles Duhigg\nLean Analytics - Alistair Croll and Ben Yoskovitz\nServe to win - Novak Djokovic\nHonorable mention: Sell More Software - Patrick Mckenzie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Power of Habit - Charles Duhigg",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for the best book read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6339366,
          "author": "rk0567",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-06T08:55:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 6329955,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which two books were the most influential on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6339366",
          "commentText": "1. The Fountainhead\n2. The Power of Habit\n3. Think and Grow Rich\n4. The 4-Hour Workweek\n5. Pragmatic Thinking and Learning",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Power of Habit",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5325890,
          "author": "blufox",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-05T17:31:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 5323956,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: which are some good self-help books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5325890",
          "commentText": "I am currently reading The Power of Habit. Great book indeed.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I am currently reading The Power of Habit. Great book indeed.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4787382,
          "author": "khetarpal",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:07:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787382",
          "commentText": "The power of habit by Charles Duhigg.\nWhether its getting up early in the morning, going to the gym, learning new skills - it all comes down how good a person is in forming new habits and sticking to them.\nThis book helps get into the mechanics of how habits are formed, and the elements that will help make them stick.\nThe best part is that the book is loaded with specific case studies for both personal use as well as case studies relevant for product-based organization.\nI loved it! Not that I'm going to the gym any more regularly though :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved it! Not that I'm going to the gym any more regularly though :)",
          "reason": "The commenter loved the book and describes its account of habit formation and case studies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it has not helped them go to the gym more regularly.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4513380,
          "author": "zama",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-12T21:37:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 4513324,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading currently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4513380",
          "commentText": "The Lean startup just started reading and finish the power of habits.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "finish the power of habits",
          "reason": "Says they finished reading it; no evaluation or recommendation is expressed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Duhigg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 17,
      "threads": 13,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Learning",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "habit formation",
        "behavior change",
        "habits"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Navigate life",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-random-walk-down-wall-street-c98de8",
      "title": "A Random Walk Down Wall Street",
      "author": "Burton G. Malkiel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43612391,
          "author": "daft_pink",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T15:07:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43612391",
          "commentText": "Learned Helplessness - Martin Seligman\nA Random Walk Down Wall Street - Malkiel\nThe Millionaire Next Door - Stanley\nAtlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand\nSecond the Incerto series by Nassim Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Random Walk Down Wall Street - Malkiel",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books worth the time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43415880,
          "author": "firefax",
          "createdAt": "2025-03-19T18:49:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 43402403,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book/course/resource for personal finance or financial literacy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43415880",
          "commentText": "Random Walk Down Wall Street",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Random Walk Down Wall Street",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for personal finance and financial literacy resources.",
          "audience": "People learning personal finance.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936760,
          "author": "pkszg",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T09:54:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936760",
          "commentText": "I like to read a wide variety of genre from fiction to human psychology.\nFor the mind:\nNonviolent Communication by  Marshall Rosenberg - A great book on how to communcate more effectively with others.\nThinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman -He is the only psychologist ever to recieve the Nobel Prize if I remember correctly. This book scientifically digests human biases and errors and how they influence our every day lives and decision making. Sometimes it a bit too technical for my taste and I like mostly the first part. (its not an easy read) I rarely had so many Aha-moments.\nA random walk down on wall street - For investing your income in stocks. What to do and what no to do. Simple, with facts.\nSapiens by Harari -Interesting, I remember it was a great read and fun read. Connecting a lot of dots :)\nOn programming:\nDesigning Data-Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann - I am failry a junior web dev, so any material that is clear and explains well is a great source of information and inspiration. This is such a book.\nComputer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective by Randal E. Bryant and David R. O'Hallaron - Teaches CS from the basics, which for me is a great source since I don't have a CS degree. I complement it with other materials from the internet (such as Harvard's CS50) for learning the fundamentals paralell working in my daily web dev job. Its a long book, so It will take a couple of months, years to go thorugh, but definitely worth the effort.\nFictions I love, without much introduction:\nLord of the Rings\nDune (first book)\nGame of thrones books\nFor me JRRs storytelling is outstanding, the books are better than the serires IMO.\nSpiritual Books:\n(I am not a religous person by any means and I do not follow traditions)\nSpirituality for me means a deeper connection with the universe.\nIf I really want to dig deeper than everyday work-life stuff I listen/read these books. Usually when there is a great emotional upheaval in my life or when I feel my daily distractions failed on me.\nPower of now by Eckhart Tolle - This book gives me the occasional goosebumps, a great summary of all spiritual teachings (before becoming religions) in a really simple way. If you are interested in such, I highly recommend it.\nMeditations by Marcus Aurelius - I see it mentioned here already, no intro needed.\nLetters by Seneca - This book is a proof for me that the essential human experience, the core of what makes us human does not change over time. Seneca was a great stoic thinker, who is very relatable by anyone even today (and probably will be for many millenia)\nZen Mind, Beginners Mind by Suzuki Roshi - All true spiritual teaching have the same source, but all are expressed differently. This is a great, simple powerful book to read if you lean towards buddhism.\nA Course in Miracles (no official author) -Now this is a heavy read. It has a textbook with daily practices also. This is definitely not a book for everyone.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A random walk down on wall street - For investing your income in stocks. What to do and what no to do. Simple, with facts.",
          "reason": "Presents guidance on investing income in stocks.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30241673,
          "author": "olalonde",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T08:01:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241673",
          "commentText": "It's hard to pick only one but \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" by Burton Gordon Malkiel gave me some much needed financial literacy in my 20s.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" by Burton Gordon Malkiel gave me some much needed financial literacy in my 20s.",
          "reason": "Credits the book with providing much-needed financial literacy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26322090,
          "author": "aynyc",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-02T22:38:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 26321793,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books made you the most money?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26322090",
          "commentText": "A Random Walk Down Wall Street.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Random Walk Down Wall Street.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22574472,
          "author": "kriro",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T11:10:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22574472",
          "commentText": "I think the first question that you will face is if you agree with the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) and the random walk. Basically they say that prices reflect all available information and that you cannot \"beat\" the market (there's a subtle difference between EMH and random walk). The return on an investment is a direct reflection of the risk.\nGood reading to get an understanding for this are \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" and papers by Eugene Fama (EMH will be covered by any intro to finance book as well). For a good overview of EMH, I like this paper: http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/fileadmin/UCL-CS/images/Research_Stu... (http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/fileadmin/UCL-CS/images/Research_Student_Information/RN_11_04.pdf)\nThe investment takeaway is that you should invest in passive index funds with low management cost (typically ETFs).\nThere's different contrasting points of view most notably behavioral finance. The EMH argument is basically the market is an aggregation of all available information. Due to the power of averaging it is going to be correct (if one person overestimates, another will underestimate and it will all cancel out). The behavioral counterargument is that there are certain human biases that lead to all parties being wrong in the same direction (such as risk aversion).\nAnother POV that is aligned with the behavioral view is that the theory of evolution provides a good framework for thinking about markets. I like the book \"Adaptive Markets\" which also gives a good overview of EMH and behavioral finance so I'll recommend that as a reference. I think together with \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" you're set for \"general framework of thought\" material.\nPersonally, I am a value investor so I can only recommend books from that school of thought. The basic idea is that you look at the fundamentals of a company and the stock market can misprice them. The holy grail is finding a company where the sum of (current) assets is worth more than the current market valuation via the stock price because in essence that means if the company would be liquidated and everything would be sold off, you'd still walk away with a profit. In essence, you're trying to buy 1$ for < 1$.\nThis is Buffett's philosophy and he has done really well with it. I'd recommend \"Value Investing\" by Greenwald, Kahn, Sonkin and van Biema as a good intro book that summarizes everything and has some easy to follow examples (because you can't usually just take the assets face value but have to discount them etc.). The classics are \"The Intelligent Investor\" and \"Security Analysis\" (more academic but for me this is the gold standard).\nIf you need a quick \"how to read balance sheets/income statement/cash flow statements\" I'd recommend \"Warren Buffett Accounting Book\"\nI think the best essay that describes what markets are good for is \"The use of Knowledge in Society\" by Hayek. At least it makes sense for me that they serve the function of aggregating local and specialized information.\nIf you're interested, it's also a decent idea to research the different theories of the business cycle. Keynesian, Real Business Cycle, Austrian etc.\ntl;dr:\n- A Random Walk Down Wall Street\n- Adaptive Markets\n- Value Investing (+ Warren Buffett Accounting Book)\nEdit: I'm assuming you want a \"quick overview\". Otherwise, get some mainstream Finance and Behavioral Finance textbooks :D",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Random Walk Down Wall Street",
          "reason": "Recommended as part of a general framework for thinking about markets.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a quick overview of markets.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22574256,
          "author": "jayflux",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T09:55:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22574256",
          "commentText": "Ascent of Money - Niall Ferguson will start you from the very beginning, and does cover all the subjects you mentioned.\nRandom walk down wall street is good, but the angle is more “so you want to get into investing?” It won’t go into too much detail of underlying systems like fiat currency.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Random walk down wall street is good, but the angle is more “so you want to get into investing?”",
          "reason": "Recommended for readers interested in investing.",
          "audience": "People who want to get into investing.",
          "caveat": "Focuses on investing and does not go into much detail on underlying systems such as fiat currency.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18664739,
          "author": "nop_slide",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T15:35:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664739",
          "commentText": "- A Random Walk Down Wall Street: I got much more interested in personal finance this year, and definitely recommend this book as a stepping stone for learning about investing.\n- Frankenstein: Highly recommend! It is nothing like it is portrayed to be in pop culture and I thoroughly enjoyed it.\n- Unbelievable: My Front-Row Seat to the Craziest Campaign in America: It is literally unbelievable. It follows Katy Tur, a reporter tasked with following Trump leading up to the election. If you aren't already fed up with Trump, then give this a whirl.\n- Dune: 5/5 sci-fi\n- The Society of the Spectacle: I had trouble with this one. I think some things get lost in translation, and the philosophical arguments are so abstract it was a bit hard to follow along. I had a few key take-aways but to be honest it was kind of a chore to read.\n- How Not to Die: Argues for prioritizing a plant-based diet, and definitely changed my relationship with food.\n- East of Eden: My wife's favorite book and is now one of my favorites.\n- Sapiens: Very enjoyable, but some of it can feel pseudo-sciency and gets a bit nihilistic in the end.\n- Man's Search for Meaning: Also very enjoyable, a good reminder to appreciate the people and things around you.\n- A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy: Very accessible intro to Stoicism\n- Red Notice: A True Story of Finance, Murder, and One Man's Fight for Justice: Very interesting and reads like a fiction thriller. TLDR Russia doesn't fuck around",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "definitely recommend this book as a stepping stone for learning about investing.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as an accessible first step for learning about investing.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in personal finance.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168677,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:31:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168677",
          "commentText": "I can't give just one, but here are a few that had a strong influence on me: \n\"12 Rules for Life\" by Jordan Peterson, \"Why Switzerland?\" Jonathan Steinberg, \"Little Book of Common Sense Investing\" by John C. Bogle, \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" by Butron Malkiel, \"Liberalismus\" by Ludwig von Mises, \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann, \"Walden\" by Henry David Thoreau, \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"A Treatise on Political Economy\" by Jean-Baptiste Say, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy\" by Joseph Alois Schumpeter, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"My Correct Views on Everything\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"The Captive Mind\" Czesław Miłosz, \"One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, \"The House of the Dead\" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, \"Conversations with an Executioner\" by Kazimierz Moczarski, \"Diary 1954\" by Leopold Tyrmand, \"The Master and Margarita\" by Mikhail Bulgakov, \"A World Apart: A Memoir of the Gulag\" by Gustaw Herling-Grudziński",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" by Butron Malkiel",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a strong influence on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14480310,
          "author": "wdr1",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-04T07:39:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14480310",
          "commentText": "A Random Walk Down Wall Street.  Helped me understand investing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Random Walk Down Wall Street. Helped me understand investing.",
          "reason": "Says it helped them understand investing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401391,
          "author": "ggambetta",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:17:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401391",
          "commentText": "Currently read and recently read, in no particular order:\nModern C++ Design (Andrei Alexandrescu)\nThe Screenwriter's Bible (David Trottier)\nClean Code (Robert Cecil Martin)\nIl Codice da Vinci (Dan Brown)\nThe Anatomy of Story (John Truby)\nA Random Walk Down Wall Street (Burton Malkiel)\nThe Power of Habit (Charles Duhigg)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "A Random Walk Down Wall Street (Burton Malkiel)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395662,
          "author": "joshz",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T13:19:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395662",
          "commentText": "The one I've enjoyed the most, was probably \"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman\" but additionally read a couple that kept being mentioned on here:\n* A Random Walk Down Wall Street\n* Predictably Irrational\n* Black Swan\n* Blink\nand enjoyed those too. I've also read \"How To Make Friends and Influence People\" and started \"Lords of Finance\" but never finished.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and enjoyed those too.",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed this book, listed among several they read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 248809,
          "author": "brianlash",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T17:58:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248809",
          "commentText": "jon_dahl is dead on. Understand Malkiel's Random Walk and the rest is details.\nBut for a really thorough discussion of those details check Investments by Bodie, Kane and Marcus (http://www.amazon.com/Investments-Zvi-Bodie/dp/007293414X/re... (http://www.amazon.com/Investments-Zvi-Bodie/dp/007293414X/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216317813&sr=8-2)).  My corporate finance prof encouraged me to look into it, then it was required reading for an economics course I took later.  I understand it's the standard-bearer in most finance departments, so there's no going wrong if you're willing to work through the technical parts.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Understand Malkiel's Random Walk",
          "reason": "Calls it essential to understand before learning the other details.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 248542,
          "author": "simplyauser",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T15:09:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248542",
          "commentText": "I have read many of the recommend books. Here are my two pence.\nBooks on Wealth\n    1. \"Rich Dad Poor Dad\"\n     and find out exactly why someone becomes rich.\n    (if you like this one, at some point you may also\n     want to quickly scan through \"Cashflow Quadrant\n     Rich Dad's Guide to Financial Freedom\".)\n\n     2. Also \"chapter 6 - How to make wealth\"\n     from \"Hackers and Painters's chapter 6 - \"\n\n     3. \"The Way to Wealth by Benjamin Franklin\"\n\n\nInvesting books in this order\n    1. Peter Lynch's One Up on wall street\n    2. The Intelligent Investor  (Ben Graham)\n    3. Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits\n    4. Security Analysis (Ben Graham)\n    5. The Warren Buffet Way is a famous business read not exceptional but read it if you have some time left\n    6. A Random Walk Down Wall Street (Read it for a good laugh)\n\n\nDo NOT read\n    1. AA- The Motley Fool Money Guide\n    2. How Gerge Soros Knows What He Knows\n    3. Investing Online For Dummies\n    4. Malkiel Burton - A Random Walk Down Wall Street\n    5. Cracking the millionaire code\n    6. Joel Greenblatt - You Can Be A Stock Market Genius",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A Random Walk Down Wall Street (Read it for a good laugh)",
          "reason": "Recommends it for a laugh, implying a critical view of its investing advice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment separately lists a matching entry under “Do NOT read.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 248527,
          "author": "ltbarcly",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T14:54:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248527",
          "commentText": "Random walk down Wall Street, then the Graham books (look for things that are written by the people who taught Warren Buffet).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Random walk down Wall Street",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for investing books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 248495,
          "author": "dionidium",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T14:19:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248495",
          "commentText": "A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton Malkiel\nIt starts with a brief history of market bubbles, moves to an explanation of the the most popular theories of stock forecasting (and why you probably can't use them to beat the market), explains and argues (quite convincingly) for the efficient market hypothesis, and concludes with lots of practical personal investment advice.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton Malkiel",
          "reason": "The comment explains the book's coverage of markets and practical personal investment advice.",
          "audience": "Someone learning about investing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 248494,
          "author": "jon_dahl",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T14:19:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248494",
          "commentText": "The first and best book on investing that you should read: A Random Walk Down Wall Street (http://www.amazon.com/Random-Walk-Down-Wall-Street/dp/039306... (http://www.amazon.com/Random-Walk-Down-Wall-Street/dp/0393062457)). This book has great investing advice; is funny, interesting, and well-written; and clearly explains what's going on behind different investment approaches. In other words, it doesn't just answer the \"what\" question, it answers \"why\" and \"how\".\nAs for specific advice, investing isn't that difficult. The best approach is to be lazy: decide on an asset allocation (e.g. 50% US stocks, 30% international stocks, 20% bonds), buy index funds, and rebalance to these percentages every now and then. Vanguard (https://personal.vanguard.com/us/home) is probably the most respected provider of index funds; give them a shot.\nCheck out David Swensen's lazy portfolio if you want something more advanced: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6203264.\nFor investing discussion, try http://www.bogleheads.org/.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The first and best book on investing that you should read: A Random Walk Down Wall Street",
          "reason": "Called the first and best investing book to read; praised for its advice and clear explanations.",
          "audience": "Someone learning about investing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 180647,
          "author": "noelchurchill",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-04T04:38:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 180589,
          "threadTitle": "Good book for economics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=180647",
          "commentText": "A Random Walk Down Wall Street.  http://www.amazon.com/Random-Walk-Down-Wall-Street/dp/039331... (http://www.amazon.com/Random-Walk-Down-Wall-Street/dp/0393315290)\nRequired reading for one of my economics classes in college.  This is an excellent book covering the efficiency of markets.  Extensively backed by real world data, this book boils down to some of the best and most prudent investment advice you can get.  I re-read it after graduating just because it's a great book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is an excellent book covering the efficiency of markets.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises it as an excellent book and says it offers prudent investment advice.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in market efficiency and investment advice.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Burton G. Malkiel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 17,
      "threads": 12,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "investing",
        "personal finance",
        "efficient market hypothesis",
        "financial markets"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "coders-at-work-dc614e",
      "title": "Coders at Work",
      "author": "Peter Seibel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42694852,
          "author": "ebcode",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-14T08:00:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 42686034,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read regarding software development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42694852",
          "commentText": "highly recommend “Coders at Work”",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "highly recommend “Coders at Work”",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommended by the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31971493,
          "author": "llaolleh",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T22:19:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31971493",
          "commentText": "Coders at Work was also very good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Coders at Work was also very good.",
          "reason": "Describes the book as very good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31170838,
          "author": "richardthornton",
          "createdAt": "2022-04-26T17:59:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 31166475,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Top inspiring books on crucial CS ideas?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31170838",
          "commentText": "Great question, I'm definitely going to check out some of the other books here.\nFor me:\n1. Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs. It's a very challenging book (currently 2 years into reading it with a couple of friends), but really helps demystify the different layers of the stack.\n2. Coders at Work. Really interesting to hear how they think about programming (and their differing opinions from each other). I found the audiobook really good",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Coders at Work. Really interesting to hear how they think about programming",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as interesting insight into how programmers think and their differing opinions.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in programmers’ perspectives on programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31168714,
          "author": "ivanmaeder",
          "createdAt": "2022-04-26T15:29:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 31166475,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Top inspiring books on crucial CS ideas?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31168714",
          "commentText": "Great question, I will come back to see what ideas people have. Thanks for the Turing book suggestion too.\nI have read lots of non-fiction books about programmers and engineers that have been very inspiring, they're just not technical: \"Masters of Doom\", \"Blood, Sweat, and Pixels\", \"Coders at Work\", \"The Idea Factory\", \"The Soul of a New Machine\", \"Dealers of Lightning\"...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Coders at Work\",",
          "reason": "Listed among non-fiction books about programmers and engineers that the commenter found inspiring.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these books are inspiring but not technical.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27629689,
          "author": "samuell",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T12:05:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27629689",
          "commentText": "I'm a lot into how to streamline data architectures, especially around ML solutions, so some titles related to that.\nI'm already reading Kleppman's book right now. Tons of very useful knowledge, although quite detailed, and a lot of details around distributed computing, consensus algorithms etc (Part II), which I'm not sure I will need and which make the book rather long. Still, surely worth pressing through.\nSome titles I would like to dive into in the summer:\n- \"The Art of Immutable Architecture\" by Michael Perry.\nPossibly also:\n- \"Machine Learning Design Patterns\" by by Valliappa Lakshmanan et al.\n- \"Building Secure and Reliable Systems\" by by Heather Adkins et al.\nAnd perhaps something lighter, more inspirational for the day to day work:\n- \"Coders at work\" by Peter Seibel",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Coders at work\" by Peter Seibel",
          "reason": "The commenter would like something lighter and more inspirational for day-to-day work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26836462,
          "author": "rboyd",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-16T17:05:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 26833319,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book for software engineers (besides the well-known ones)?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26836462",
          "commentText": "Coders at Work",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Coders at Work",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18745400,
          "author": "henrik_w",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T10:30:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18745400",
          "commentText": "+1 for Coders at Work! Excellent, long interviews with really famous developers and computer scientists.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for Coders at Work! Excellent, long interviews with really famous developers and computer scientists.",
          "reason": "Praises the book’s interviews with prominent developers and computer scientists.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in developers and computer science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032252,
          "author": "humbleMouse",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:07:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032252",
          "commentText": "+1 to Coders at Work.  That book does an excellent job of showing the human side of programming.\nI think too many people approach the industry thinking programmers are god-like deities who have an unlimited amount of time and brain power.  Coders at Work does a great job breaking down the \"imposter syndrome\" plaguing new people coming into the industry.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "That book does an excellent job of showing the human side of programming.",
          "reason": "Explicitly endorses it for showing the human side of programming and addressing imposter syndrome.",
          "audience": "People new to the software industry.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032064,
          "author": "pcprincipal",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T17:53:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032064",
          "commentText": "Some I haven't seen mentioned here:\n1. Coders at Work\nPeter Seibel does an amazing job of asking programmers questions that make them explain their methodology. The interview with Donald Knuth is awesome; really enjoyed hearing him talk about literate programming.\n2. The Soul of a New Machine\nTracy Kidder's 1981 Pulitzer Prize winner I think is a brilliant case study on how engineers work together and the things that can go wrong and right with different personalities interacting with highly technical ideas. The project in this book starts without the consent of management, which to me shows the value of questioning the system to add business / engineering value.\n3. Little Schemer\nSmall book that will give your brain a serious workout and show you how to problem solve with Lisp like languages. Even if you never end up using a Lisp dialect, this book expands your brain.\nI have more here, all of which I recommend for software and other careers http://benbrostoff.github.io/books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Coders at Work",
          "reason": "The author says it does an amazing job eliciting programmers’ methodologies and praises the Knuth interview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14487471,
          "author": "emodendroket",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T13:36:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487471",
          "commentText": "Yes, this book is really interesting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Yes, this book is really interesting.",
          "reason": "Affirms the parent comment's positive assessment of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416019,
          "author": "p333347",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T20:26:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416019",
          "commentText": "Coders At Work and Founders At Work. Immensely inspirational.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Coders At Work and Founders At Work. Immensely inspirational.",
          "reason": "Describes both books as immensely inspirational.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10786609,
          "author": "FatalBaboon",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T01:34:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786609",
          "commentText": "I've been trying to up my game on reading:\n- Founders at Work: Jessica Livingston. Good. Less repetitive than Coders at Work.\n- Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage. Awfuly boring. But I don't care at all about sailing (it was a gift).\n- Terre des Hommmes: Antoine de St Exupéry. Brilliant, the chapter with the 2 girls made me decide to read all his work in 2016.\n- Practical Common Lisp: Peter Siebel. Had to start Lisp!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Less repetitive than Coders at Work.",
          "reason": "Used as a comparison; no evaluation of this title is directly stated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8106928,
          "author": "tdubhro1",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:13:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106928",
          "commentText": "Buddhism: Not Always So, and anything else by Shunryu Suzuki, What Buddha Taught, by Rahula\nSmarter: A Mathematical Bridge by Stephen Hewson, it will make you grok the real structure of mathematics even if you're starting with fairly basic undergraduate level math, and it will make it immensely easier to tackle new areas of mathematics.\nPattern recognition and machine learning by Bishop\nPopular: Coders at Work, Founders at Work, Behind the Cloud",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Popular: Coders at Work",
          "reason": "Listed under “Popular” in response to a request for reading suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7999580,
          "author": "galephico",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T16:19:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7999580",
          "commentText": "Hackers in-depth interviews: « Coders at Work »\nGeneral topic: « The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master »\nJava and more: « Effective Java » 2nd edition\nAbout unit testing with Java tools: « Practical Unit Testing with Mockito and JUnit »",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Hackers in-depth interviews: « Coders at Work »",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4476588,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-04T21:18:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 4476107,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN : What are some great books an aspiring entrepreneur should read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4476588",
          "commentText": "There are several other good books in the \"X at work\" series as well.  CIOs at Work, Venture Capitalists at Work, Coders at Work, etc.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Coders at Work",
          "reason": "Names it as another book in the \"X at work\" series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231155,
          "author": "thomas11",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T17:01:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231155",
          "commentText": "Artificial Intelligence, a Modern Approach (Russell & Norvig), while doing ai-class.com. Great writing for a text book.\nCoders at Work (Seibel).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Coders at Work (Seibel).",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2091061,
          "author": "JoshCole",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-11T05:47:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2091061",
          "commentText": "My favorite book was probably \"Surely Your Joking Mr. Feynman.\" I liked it, because it was fun to read, especially when he played a practical joke.\nA bit farther down the list would be the newest Wheel of Time books. Brandon Sanderson annoyed me at first, but once I got over that I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it had a very similar style to the original. I enjoyed it immensely.\nSomewhere after that are a few of the slightly more technical books I read. Maybe Coders At Work? It gave me a better sense of the history of the industry, but I don't think you should read it if your goal is to learn how to be a better hacker.\nFinally there is The Bible, which I would recommend to anyone.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It gave me a better sense of the history of the industry, but I don't think you should read it if your goal is to learn how to be a better hacker.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it provides a better sense of the industry's history.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the history of the software industry.",
          "caveat": "Not recommended for learning how to become a better hacker.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2087784,
          "author": "kunday",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T07:11:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2087784",
          "commentText": "Dreaming in Code by Scott Rosenberg, Coder's At Work by Peter Siebel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Coder's At Work by Peter Siebel",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1866020,
          "author": "ronnieCA",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T19:04:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1866020",
          "commentText": "I'm currently reading Coders at Work by Peter Seibel and psyching myself up to start working through Concrete Mathematics - Knuth, Graham, & Patashnik",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm currently reading Coders at Work by Peter Seibel",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Coders at Work",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027286,
          "author": "brown9-2",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T15:27:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027286",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction:\nCoders at Work by Peter Siebel and Founders at Work by Jessica Livingston - I loved reading about the founder's stories and first-hand perspectives of notable programmers.\nThe Pleasures and Sorrows of Work by Alain de Botton - really interesting perspective on \"work\" and various types of careers and people that find happiness in them/work itself.\nSuperfreakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner - even if you don't agree with their arguments or think that the authors are all fluff, I think that their writing style is exceptionally clear and easy to understand.\nThe Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb - some really interesting ideas and analysis, although the book could have been 1/2 as short\nFiction:\nAnathem by Neal Stephenson - starts out slow but after the first 200 pages it became a really great story that I couldn't put down.\nLife of Pi by Yann Martel - loved the main story of the book, the controversial ending didn't bother me too much because I don't feel like it takes away from the story at all.\nThe Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson - cheap fun and suspenseful\nThe Road by Cormac McCarthy - I don't think much needs to be said about this book\nWhite Tiger by Aravind Adiga - extremely interesting and gripping novel about a side of the world most of us Westerners never see\nHitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams - finally read this classic. I read the \"Ultimate Edition\" which contains all 5 of Adams' novel, loved the first one but the story felt like it started to putter out by the third.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved reading about the founder's stories and first-hand perspectives of notable programmers.",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of books the commenter enjoyed and loved reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026940,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T07:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026940",
          "commentText": "I got myself a Sony Reader mid-2009 and started reading about twice more than I had been before. 2009 was also the first year in which I wasn't too lazy to document which books I read (I'm really glad I wasn't). Here're some of the favourites this year:\nClassics:\nKafka's The Process and America - both stunning novels that deserve to be read as much as his most famous, The Castle.\nJan Potocki, The Manuscript Found in Saragossa - a trippy collection of tales organised in multiple nested frames.\nScott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby.\nLeo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina. Still as breathtaking as I'd remembered it from the previous reading five years ago.\nScience Fiction:\nGene Wolfe, The Book of the New Sun. Wolfe, whom I hadn't read before, turns out to be in a class of his own. It's literary SF, overwhelmingly masterful and beautiful in its prose and characters, yet it could give any hardcore SF novel a run in terms of its ideas. It demands and richly rewards a close reading. I'll be reading more Wolfe in 2010.\nTed Chiang, collected stories. Chiang writes only stories, and has written just a few of them, but nearly every one is a gem. Read Understand on the web (http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/stories/under.htm) to see if you like his style - I do.\nVernor Vinge, A Deepness in the Sky, The Peace War, Marooned in Realtime. All great novels, but start from A Fire Upon the Deep (I read that in 2008) if you haven't read Vinge before, it's the best introduction.\nGreg Egan, Diaspora, Quarantine, Distress. Egan is the best hardcore SF author out there. _Diaspora_ is a fascinating take on shared simulated reality that's very different from the usual fare. Quarantine will appeal to your inner quantum mechanical geek.\nContemporary fiction:\nPynchon, V. Pynchon is the best novelist we've got. I recommend The Crying of the Lot 49 as the best Pynchon to start from; V is more difficult and much longer, but rewards the patience. I still can't get over the fact that Pynchon wrote and published this novel when he was 26.\nOrhan Pamuk, The Black Book.\nAnnie Proulx, Fine Just The Way It Is. A new collection of stories from the best writer about rural America out there. Three are extraordinary, two so-so, the rest very good.\nNon-fiction:\nW. Sidney Allen, Vox Graeca and Vox Latina. If you want to know how ancient Greek and Latin sounded, these are the books to read.\nElizabeth Lloyd. The Case Of The Female Orgasm. An interesting study into how available evolutionary explanations of female orgasm fail in various ways. This is a book about evolutionary biology and its methodological soundness as much as it is about explaining female orgasm.\nComputer-related:\nPeter Seibel, Coders at Work. A fantastic collection of interview with great programmers. The one 2009 book no hacker should be without.\nSqueak by Example. Does a great job of explaining Smalltalk in general and Squeak in particular.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A fantastic collection of interview with great programmers. The one 2009 book no hacker should be without.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a fantastic interview collection and says no hacker should be without it.",
          "audience": "Programmers and hackers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026346,
          "author": "nopassrecover",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T22:20:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026346",
          "commentText": "Some books that stood out this year (many not for their intended reasons)\nThe 4 Hour Work Week (Tim Ferriss)\n- In parts entertaining, interesting, self-promoting, educational, inspirational, attractive and undesirable. Definitely worth the read and a great call to action. Will make you consider what you want and how you can achieve it.\nThe Game (Neil Strauss)\n- Truly interesting story and an interesting view on human dynamics and hacking one of the more important systems (dating). A great view on what is most important - ends or means. Will make you consider how people work, what motivates them and whether success cures emptiness.\nLosing my Virginity (Richard Branson)\n- The awesome and entertaining story of Virgin with lots of great advice and startup David vs Goliath inspiration. Will make you consider what determination and the little guy can achieve.\nBusiness Stripped Bare (Richard Branson)\n- Branson's more focused take on business advice and patches on bits of the Virgin story since the first book. Will make you consider the power of being genuine and growing a company with people treated as smart humans.\nOn Writing (Stephen King)\n- Most inspirational and compelling book on writing I've read. Half writing advice half King biography all awesome. Will make you consider becoming a novelist.\nCoders at Work (Peter Siebel)\n- Haven't finished yet but great interviews of leading coders. I didn't enjoy Founders at Work (personally found it a bit indirect/not deep enough) but in Coders at Work you really feel the connection between interviewer and interviewee while at the same time getting a lot of incidental startup advice as these coders have all had decent roles to play in Silicon Valley etc. history. Will make you consider if you're actually a better coder than you thought.\nThink and Grow Rich (Napoleon Hill)\n- Reads a bit like a bad Internet ad at times but that's because they stole that technique from here. This book summarizes the techniques that lead to success based on numerous interviews of most of the greatest leaders of the early 20th century. Pretty good bits in here and again inspiration fuel. Will make you consider how you can take charge of your self and your life.\nLetters From a Stoic (Seneca)\n- Decent musings on living life and mastering oneself. As relevant today as 2 thousand years ago. Will make you consider how you can master your self and what you will let affect you.\nHere Comes Everybody (Clay Shirky)\n- The best book on online community I've read. Shirky makes you want to make a difference and communicates his enthusiasm for the power of the masses with ease. Will make you consider how to enable communities to achieve unthought of goals.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "in Coders at Work you really feel the connection between interviewer and interviewee while at the same time getting a lot of incidental startup advice",
          "reason": "Praises the interviews and their rapport, and notes the incidental startup advice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not finished it yet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Seibel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 17,
      "threads": 12,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programmer interviews",
        "software engineering",
        "programming interviews",
        "software development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-get-rich-bc13d1",
      "title": "How to Get Rich",
      "author": "Felix Dennis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35170702,
          "author": "bikeformind",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T16:24:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35170702",
          "commentText": "Here are some suggestions on the more creative and less tactical spectrum.\nHow To Get Rich: Felix Dennis\nDon’t be fooled by the title. A lifetime of insights and experience from a pioneering publishing magnate condensed into a light enjoyable read.\nCreativity Inc by Ed Catmull\ngoes into great detail about the early days of Pixar. So many actionable lessons about entrepreneurship and operating a creative organization.\nThe War of Art by Steven Pressfield\nNot just for artists this book is a bible for anyone who has difficulty getting out of their own way. provides useful frameworks to understand the concept of resistance and recognize negative self defeating thought patterns that many entrepreneurs struggle with.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A lifetime of insights and experience from a pioneering publishing magnate condensed into a light enjoyable read.",
          "reason": "Presents a publishing magnate's insights and experience in an enjoyable read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment cautions not to be fooled by the title.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35170399,
          "author": "throwaway4good",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T16:03:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35170399",
          "commentText": "How to get rich by Felix Dennis - at least it is entertaining.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "How to get rich by Felix Dennis - at least it is entertaining.",
          "reason": "Described as entertaining.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The only stated positive is that it is entertaining.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26324434,
          "author": "segmondy",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-03T03:38:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 26321793,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books made you the most money?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26324434",
          "commentText": "How To Get Rich - by Felix Dennis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How To Get Rich - by Felix Dennis",
          "reason": "Named as a response to the thread’s question about books that helped make money.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13570300,
          "author": "bubbleRefuge",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-05T01:47:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13570300",
          "commentText": "He kind of trashes Steve Jobs in the book basically predicting Steve's hubris will lead to the downfall of Apple. Quote:\nBut with Steve Jobs, Apple will always attempt to mould\nthe universe to fit Steve's vision of Apple, and will pay the price again and again and again\nFeels like he wrote this just before the IPhone. Another excerpt:\nWithout Jobs, Apple could never have risen from obscurity to become a world-class brand. But  with Steve Jobs, Apple will always attempt to mould the universe to fit Steve's vision of Apple, and will pay the price again and again and again. 'Lesser' companies and men will filch their ideas, connect,connect, connect, and beat Apple at its own game.\nSteve Jobs is not a monster. He is an all-American maverick and a world-class marketing genius. But until a man or woman as powerful as he is arrives at Apple (over his dead body), who is determined to break the cycle he has indulged in for so many years, Apple will remain merely an icon of awe. It\nwill not become a company of the size that truly could (and \nshould)  'bury' monsters like IBM.\nNot quite Nostradamus there but give him credit for trying.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "He kind of trashes Steve Jobs in the book basically predicting Steve's hubris will lead to the downfall of Apple.",
          "reason": "Discusses the book's prediction about Steve Jobs and Apple's future.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says the prediction was not quite accurate.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567193,
          "author": "Jugurtha",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T15:09:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567193",
          "commentText": "For those put off by the title, Felix Dennis is/was a billionaire and makes a point of differentiating himself from people becoming wealthy giving advice about how to become wealthy.\nHe dropped out of high-school and bummed cigarettes and crashed at friends, apparently. He talks about several lessons and how he remained associated with several people who've helped him when he was \"nothing\". The case of a banker who agreed to open a bank account for him despite being broke out of sympathy/pity.\nDennis likes to write poetry and some of the passages are intense and tear worthy (van Gogh passage). The style is to the point, tells it as it is (He doesn't hesitate to state that his employees are not likely to become wealthy working for him and that he encourages them to fly on their own. He also talks about the less flattering aspects of doing business and says that even between friends, they were on good terms because none of them depended on the venture to survive. He also says never to give shares of your company to anyone and to remain in control).\nIn his subsequent book, 88, he states that people didn't get that \"How to Get Rich\" was a cautionary tale about what it takes to become wealthy, which is obvious from many passages in the book. [One of which is when he says he'd rather have stopped at £30 million and wrote poetry while young, instead of pursuing becoming rich at an old age).\nIt's a worthy read in style and content.\nDennis is buying forests the Government can't take care of in a philanthropic effort to save them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a worthy read in style and content.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a worthy read for its style and content.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a cautionary tale about what it takes to become wealthy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13566887,
          "author": "SyneRyder",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T13:26:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13566887",
          "commentText": "The Audible version of this is excellent, one of my favorite Audible purchases.  The narration reminds me of British comedies and sets the right tone for the book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Audible version of this is excellent, one of my favorite Audible purchases.",
          "reason": "Praises the audiobook's narration and says it is a favorite purchase.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3987129,
          "author": "klaut",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-17T14:33:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3987129",
          "commentText": "How To Get Rich - Felix Dennis\nAccidental Genius - Mark Levy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How To Get Rich - Felix Dennis",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for a great book read recently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2331445,
          "author": "taphangum",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-16T09:59:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 2329700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that change your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2331445",
          "commentText": "This book inspired me more than any other.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book inspired me more than any other.",
          "reason": "Says the book inspired them more than any other.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2331251,
          "author": "albahk",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-16T08:02:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 2329700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that change your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2331251",
          "commentText": "How to get Rich - by Felix Dennis\nHe writes in a direct, no-nonsense way about how he made his millions and he appears to honestly reflect on both the positive and negative results of his wealth. The title betrays the content slightly as it is more about how he got rich.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "He writes in a direct, no-nonsense way about how he made his millions and he appears to honestly reflect on both the positive and negative results of his wealth.",
          "reason": "Praises its direct style and honest reflection on the effects of wealth.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the title slightly misrepresents the content, which focuses on how the author got rich.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2173838,
          "author": "whatusername",
          "createdAt": "2011-02-03T06:08:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 2172825,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: If you could recommend only three management books...",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2173838",
          "commentText": "How to Get Rich is a great book.  It's a fun read and is not at all scammy in the way it's title might imply.\nAnd I just noticed that Felix Dennis has a new book out. 88 THE NARROW ROAD.  To quote from that:\n\"Tunnel vision helps. Being a bit of a sh*t helps. A thick skin helps. Stamina is crucial, as is the capacity to work so hard that your best friends mock you, your lovers despair and your rivals and acquaintances watch furtively from the sidelines, half in awe and half in contempt.\nSelf-confidence helps, but can be simulated or acquired along the way. Tenacity is an absolute requirement. Luck helps, but only if you do not waste time seeking it,\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Get Rich is a great book.  It's a fun read and is not at all scammy in the way it's title might imply.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it great and fun to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The title may sound scammy, but the commenter says the book is not.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2173556,
          "author": "farout",
          "createdAt": "2011-02-03T04:14:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 2172825,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: If you could recommend only three management books...",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2173556",
          "commentText": "The books others have suggested are very good. However here are 3 that will challenge you to produce:\n\"QBQ! The Question Behind the Question\":\nas the review says:aimed at purging the \"blame, complaining, and procrastination\" from the workplace\n\"The Ant and the Elephant\":\nI read about several hundred nonfiction books mainly marketing or programming annually - this book is profound on motivating yourself. The idea that before you start your journey - imagine the milestones then imagine the ways you fail and NOW imagine what will do you when this happens  is stunning. It is rehearsing for the worst so when the worst happens you you feel sad and then immediately move on.\nFinally, I just loved this book \"How to Get Rich\" especially the section about hiring and keeping talent and negotiating the sale of your business.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I just loved this book \"How to Get Rich\" especially the section about hiring and keeping talent and negotiating the sale of your business.",
          "reason": "The commenter loved it, especially its sections on hiring, retaining talent, and selling a business.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 947882,
          "author": "paraschopra",
          "createdAt": "2009-11-18T06:12:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 947581,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN:  What's the best first business book for a programmer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=947882",
          "commentText": "Nobody mentioned 'How to Get Rich' by Felix Dennis yet? It is an absolute must!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'How to Get Rich' by Felix Dennis yet? It is an absolute must!",
          "reason": "Calls it an absolute must in response to a request for business book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797233,
          "author": "jerryji",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T02:53:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797233",
          "commentText": "\"How to Get Rich\" by Felix Dennis ( http://www.amazon.com/How-Get-Rich-Felix-Dennis/dp/009191265... (http://www.amazon.com/How-Get-Rich-Felix-Dennis/dp/0091912652) ) THE best get rich how-to guides that I've read (not that I've read too many of them, though :)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "THE best get rich how-to guides that I've read",
          "reason": "Calls it the best get-rich how-to guide they have read, while qualifying that they have not read many.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have not read many such guides.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 687212,
          "author": "damir",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-04T15:20:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 687066,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on getting rich?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=687212",
          "commentText": "i've read both and imo they are just what you're lookig for, especially How to get rich by Dennis Felix.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "especially How to get rich by Dennis Felix.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have read both books and that this is especially what the asker is looking for.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 687093,
          "author": "jsackmann",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-04T11:55:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 687066,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on getting rich?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=687093",
          "commentText": "How to Get Rich, by Felix Dennis\nA lot of the book is biographical, but that part is very entertaining.  Dennis is very upfront about drive, sacrifice, and luck required.  Definitely not warm and fuzzy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Get Rich, by Felix Dennis\nA lot of the book is biographical, but that part is very entertaining.  Dennis is very upfront about drive, sacrifice, and luck required.  Definitely not warm and fuzzy.",
          "reason": "Calls the biographical parts entertaining and says the book is candid about the demands and luck involved.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Much of the book is biographical, and it is not warm and fuzzy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 658061,
          "author": "mooders",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-15T07:03:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 657892,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite management books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=658061",
          "commentText": "Three books that really show the good, bad and ugly about building businesses from scratch and scaling them to significance:\n1. How to Get Rich (http://bit.ly/xGdV8)\n2. Small Giants (http://bit.ly/WpvGa)\n3. The Knack (http://bit.ly/OcKa9)\n[no affiliate links]\nA warning though - many 'start-up to success' books are, in my view, hampered by what I consider exceptional circumstances in the story. So you'll find a sentence/paragraph/page that basically says \"so then I managed to raise $350,000 from XYZ to get me started\", or \"then I got stuck in a lift with Jeff Bezos for 72 hours and managed to convince him to invest\". Which is great for their story, but it may or may not reflect your story.\nSo if you are going to try to learn lessons from the stories of others, and just to be clear let me say I believe this is a good way of learning, make sure you understand the differences between their story and yours and how those differences change the dynamics of starting and scaling a business.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Three books that really show the good, bad and ugly about building businesses from scratch and scaling them to significance:\n1. How to Get Rich",
          "reason": "Included in a list offered as books that show the realities of building and scaling businesses.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter warns that startup success stories can hinge on exceptional circumstances that may not apply to the reader.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 137933,
          "author": "edw519",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-16T03:42:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=137933",
          "commentText": "Art of the Start - Guy Kawasaki\nHow to Get Rich - Felix Dennis\nDifferentiate or Die - Jack Trout\nand of course...\nFounders at Work - Jessica Livingston\nHackers and Painters - Paul Graham",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Get Rich - Felix Dennis",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5669,
          "author": "zkinion",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T13:08:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5669",
          "commentText": "Founders at Work :)\nand Felix Dennis' \"How To Get Rich\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Felix Dennis' \"How To Get Rich\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Felix Dennis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 17,
      "threads": 12,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "wealth",
        "wealth building",
        "apple"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-great-gatsby-4049c3",
      "title": "The Great Gatsby",
      "author": "F. Scott Fitzgerald",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46431336,
          "author": "ILoveHorses",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-30T09:38:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46431336",
          "commentText": "I wanted to challenge myself in 2025 and alternate between fiction and non-fiction, so here are my highlights\n- Crime and Punishment\n - Homo Deus\n - Catch 22\n - Flash Boys\n - The Art of Strategy\n - Moby Dick (could only get halfway through though :()\n - The Great Gatsby\n - How to be Alone (couldn't get past 2 chapters)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Great Gatsby",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46402434,
          "author": "huhkerrf",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T15:16:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46402434",
          "commentText": "The tragedy of The Great Gatsby is that we all read it in high school, when we haven't yet enough life experiences to truly be moved by it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The tragedy of The Great Gatsby is that we all read it in high school, when we haven't yet enough life experiences to truly be moved by it.",
          "reason": "Says the novel is more moving with greater life experience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "High school readers may not yet have enough life experience to be moved by it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46397495,
          "author": "jaimefjorge",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T23:26:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46397495",
          "commentText": "All fiction.\n- The Great Gatsby. Really enjoyed it and seemed fitting with the current times.\n- Buddenbrooks, Thomas Mann. Generational wealth come and gone. Good for putting things into perspective.\n- Things Fall Apart, Achebe.\n- The Pearl, John Steinbeck\n- Hyperion (first book), Dan Simmons. Great sci-fi. Bought the second book and look forward to reading it.\n- Stoner, John Williams. Incredibly well written book\n- One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez. Still finishing but I hope to finish in time for next year",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Great Gatsby. Really enjoyed it and seemed fitting with the current times.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed it and found it fitting with current times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42274699,
          "author": "paulcole",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T15:57:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42274699",
          "commentText": "Audiobooks very rarely. Only if I’ve heard the “performance” of it is good. The last couple I remember were Great Gatsby read by Jake Gyllenhaal and Devolution read by Judy Greer. I live in the Pacific Northwest and listened to that one while trail running.\nI do really like podcasts though and am at 360 hours listened this year, almost exclusively while running, walking, or doing chores around the apartment.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Great Gatsby read by Jake Gyllenhaal",
          "reason": "Mentioned as an audiobook the commenter listened to.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34160619,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:11:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160619",
          "commentText": "This year I've put myself to the challenge to read at least one book per week which I primarily could complete by reading in the middle of the night while holding our sleeping baby in my arms. It has been an interesting challenge which gave me a lot of fulfilment and has certainly changed my mind on how I view the world. This comment became quite a long read, apologies for that.\nBooks I highly recommend:\nChurchill by Andrew Roberts (p:1105)\nA biography about one of the most interesting figures in politics and WWII. Roberts gives a very detailed description of the life of Churchill and manages to keep you interested the entire length of the book.\nThe God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (p:374)\nIn The God Delusion Dawkins gives arguments why there is no God, why we do not need a God and why religion is damaging to our society. If you are religious it might not be the book for you unless you are open to hear his arguments and line of reasoning. Dawkins will challenge your worldview.\nThe Bomb by Fred Kaplan (p:384)\nKaplan describes the policy of different US presidents on the atomic bomb and war in general. And primarily on the inability of US presidents and policy-makers to tune down its military. A chilling read which makes you appreciate a nuclear holocaust did not happen (yet)....\nPoor Economics by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo (p:320)\nBanerjee and Duflo give a gripping portrait of how poor people live. They offer an insight in the choices and decisions people make surviving on less than 1 USD a day (corrected for purchasing power). It made me completely rethink my own view on poverty and development aid; stressing even more that in order to help one need to have a complete understanding of the individual's situation and the local boundary conditions.\nProject Hail Mary  by Andy Weir (p:476)\nThis book triggered my science fiction reading. For some reason I never was interested in science fiction. Most likely triggered by reading Foundation by Asimov a few years back which apparently is not a book to my taste. But Andy Weir completely annihilated that wrong perspective on science fiction. Project Hail Mary is interesting, funny and gripping book.\nKindred by Octavia Butler  (p:287)\nThis book.... From page one I was hooked and almost read it in one go. Butler is a wonderful author and Kindred is a must-read. The book is about a woman traveling back in time to end up on a slave plantation. It's a chilling account of slavery.\nOther books I read this year, ask me anything about one of these books. I've added a + if I think its worth a recommendation\nBiography:\nNavalny by Dollbaum, Lallouet and Noble (p:280); The Man from the Future by Ananyo Bhattacharya (p:354) +\nSociology; Politics; Economics; Business:\nOnly the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove (p:224); The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli  (p:140); Winter is Coming by Garry Kasparov (p:290); Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum (p:224) +; Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl (p:164) +; We Are Bellingcat by Eliot Higgins (p:272); De Zeven Vinkjes by Joris Luyendijk (p:200); Waarom vuilnismannen meer verdienen dan bankiers by Rutger Bregman (p:104)\nComedy: The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (p:336)\nHistory:\nBand of Brothers  by Stephen E. Ambrose (p:432); The Nuclear Jihadist by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins (p:413) +; The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre (p:384) +; De Heineken Ontvoering by Peter R. de Vries (p:347); Red Famine by Anne Apllebaum (p:384); Night by Elie Wiesel (p:115) +\nScience, Technology, Mathematics:\nFermat's Enigma by Simon Singh (p:315) +; A Mathematician's Apology by G.H. Hardy (p:153); The Great Influenza by John M. Barry (p:546); The Rise and Fall of the Dinousaurs by Stephen Brusatte (p:404) ++; The Double Helix by James Watson (p:144)\nSport:\nRun or Die by Killian Jornet (p:208); The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton  (p:290) +; The Rise of the Ultra Runners by  (p:304); Tom Dumoulin by Patrick Bernhart (p:203)\nFiction:\nAnthem by Ayn Rand (p:105); Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (p:704); The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (p:566); Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (p:466); Live and Let die by Ian Fleming  (p:229)\nClassics:\nA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (p:104); The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (p:201); The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald (p:180); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (p:139); Animal Farm by George Orwell (p:122) +; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (p:227) +; The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (p:118)\nScience Fiction:\nThe Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (p:399); All Systems Red  by Martha Wells (p:144) +; A Memory Called Empire  by Arkady Martine (p:462) +; A Psalm built for the Wild by Becky Chambers (p:160); Dune by Frank Herbert (p:658); Foundation by Isaac Asimov (p:244); The Martian by Andy Weir (p:384) +;\nThe Forever War by Joe Haldeman (p:278)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32198101,
          "author": "Surfactant7",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:55:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32198101",
          "commentText": "Old Man and the Sea. Was forced to read it in high school and promptly forgot it. Read it again and it's amazing. A short but big story about wants vs. needs with a surprising but inevitable ending.\nBefore that, The Great Gatsby. Same thing - forced to read earlier, then decided to read again. I missed so much about it the first time around.\nIt's kind of sad how education can tarnish classics in this way.\nTo re-iterate another commenter, Code by Prezold is surprisingly good (based on first few dozen pages). I had low expectations based on what seemed like hype, but so far it's holding up. It reminds me of the way that James Burke in his series Connections wove what seemed to be entirely disconnected technological threads together.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Before that, The Great Gatsby. Same thing - forced to read earlier, then decided to read again.",
          "reason": "Says rereading it revealed much they missed the first time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30242281,
          "author": "samwillis",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T09:22:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30242281",
          "commentText": "I don’t think I can suggest a singular book everyone should read, but I can say which book probably had the biggest effect on my way of reading.\nI’m dyslexic and growing up reading was always a challenge, despite doing well at school and university I was a slow and uncritical reader. My girlfriend (now wife) was teaching The Great Gatsby to a class and practically made me read it. The process of reading that book and discussing it with her completely changed the way I read, it was an enlightening and incredibly enjoyable experience. It was as much about the discussions we had about the book as the book itself.\nSo my recommendation is find a book that you can read and discuss in depth with someone else. For me it has become a delight for us to both read a book and then talk in depth about it. You gain so much more insight.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The process of reading that book and discussing it with her completely changed the way I read, it was an enlightening and incredibly enjoyable experience.",
          "reason": "Describes reading and discussing it as an enlightening, enjoyable experience that changed how they read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they cannot suggest one singular book for everyone.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27638771,
          "author": "hughdbrown",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T03:21:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27638771",
          "commentText": "Yes, there's much to reflect on in The Great Gatsby. In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since. Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, he told me, just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "there's much to reflect on in The Great Gatsby",
          "reason": "Says the novel offers much to reflect on.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27637760,
          "author": "readflaggedcomm",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T00:06:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27637760",
          "commentText": "The Great Gatsby taught me the folly of silent sentimentalism.\nAwareness of your emotional state is like a super power, or a Cassandra complex. Awareness that you've arranged your fortunes around a one-sided attachment to an illusion is the last bulwark against self destruction, especially when the marketing department eggs you on. Being able to identify it in others can be useful and alienating.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Great Gatsby taught me the folly of silent sentimentalism.",
          "reason": "The commenter credits the novel with teaching awareness of one-sided attachment and its risks.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Recognizing these patterns in others can be useful but alienating.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156533,
          "author": "jeffersonheard",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:44:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156533",
          "commentText": "Getting More - Stuart Diamond. I still think this is the best book on the art of negotiation.\nGetting Things Done - David Allen. If you have adult ADHD like me, and you haven't read this, it's the first system that's really worked for productivity for me.\nMan's Search for Meaning - Victor Frankl.\nLiving Buddha, Living Christ - Thich Nhat Hanh.\nCosmos - Carl Sagan.\nThe Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. LeGuin.\nThe One who Walks Away from Omelas - U.K. LeGuin.\nWild Seed - Octavia Butler.\nThe Heike Monogatari - (tr. Helen Craig McCullough) “The sound of the Gion Shoja temple bells echoes the impermanence of all things; the color of the sala flowers reveals the truth that to flourish is to fall. The proud do not endure, like a passing dream on a night in spring; the mighty fall at last, to be no more than dust before the wind.” If you need a comparison. this is the Japanese historical equivalent of Game of Thrones combined with a bit of MacBeth. The rise and fall of two shogunate families, and an analysis of the tragic flaws of character that brought their fall about.\nLes Miserables - Victor Hugo.\nSmall Gods - Terry Pratchett.\nHeart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad.\nThe Guide - R. K. Narayan.\nEvidence - Mary Oliver.\nAll of Us - The Collected Poetry of Raymond Carver.\nSilence - Shusaku Endo.\nThe Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald.\nThe Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Murakami Haruki. This and the next four are odd choices, perhaps, since it's a surrealist book, but IMO books that force your imagination to work hard do as much for creativity and fresh ideas as any of the more popular methods.\nThe Well-Built City (The Physiognomy / Memoranda / The Beyond) Jeffery Ford - Surrealist novellas best described as about the protagonist living and achieving agency within the constructs, dreams, and nightmares of a \"Great Man's\" mind.\nSnow Crash - Neal Stephenson.\nGravity's Rainbow - Thomas Pynchon.\nDhalgren - Samuel L. \"Chip\" Delany.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249070,
          "author": "mlacks",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T08:14:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249070",
          "commentText": "I'm a little partial to The Great Gatsby. F. Scott Fitzgerald writes as though painting through the forrest with a brush made of wind.\nI've never seen the movie,  and I don't intend to; the writing in this book takes the imagination on a ride like I've never felt before or since",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm a little partial to The Great Gatsby. F. Scott Fitzgerald writes as though painting through the forrest with a brush made of wind.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the writing and says the book takes the imagination on a uniquely powerful ride.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has never seen the movie and does not intend to.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10533303,
          "author": "stevesearer",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T14:53:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10533303",
          "commentText": "The books I've enjoyed reading most this year are ones I ought to have read in high school some 15 years ago, but just never did because I didn't enjoy reading and never made the effort: The Great Gatsby, As I Lay Dying, and am currently reading Cry, The Beloved Country",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Great Gatsby",
          "reason": "Names it among the books enjoyed most this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5859293,
          "author": "Sealy",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-11T02:44:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 5859004,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5859293",
          "commentText": "I just saw the film this weekend and loved it. I'll be buying myself a copy of the book soon.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I just saw the film this weekend and loved it. I'll be buying myself a copy of the book soon.",
          "reason": "Loved the film adaptation and plans to buy the book; this does not establish a positive evaluation of the book itself.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The praise is for the film, not explicitly the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5859038,
          "author": "Noel_V",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-11T01:49:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 5859004,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5859038",
          "commentText": "The Great Gatsby",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Great Gatsby",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5693444,
          "author": "gruseom",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-12T07:08:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5693444",
          "commentText": "It depends on what you like. Flannery O'Connor's fiction is extraordinary. I bet you'd like Nabokov based on what you've said so far; I like his earlier Russian novels best (which have excellent English translations), like The Defense, for example. If you want to go whole hog into postmodernism then try Pynchon or Gaddis.\nThe 19th century Russians from Gogol to Chekhov are pretty much can't-lose. Turgenev's Fathers and Sons is beautiful and captures the spirit of youth.\nFord Madox Ford's The Good Soldier is a short masterpiece. The Great Gatsby is as good as its reputation says. Read Dickens if you want the essence of the English language and character. Read Kafka for the strangest articulation of modernity. Bruno Schulz is more whimsical. Borges is another whom your list suggests you should try.\nIf you really want to go down a rabbit hole, find Martin Seymour-Smith's Guide to Modern World Literature and browse through it to blow your mind. It covers everything and seems impossible, except it exists so it can't be.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Great Gatsby is as good as its reputation says.",
          "reason": "Affirms that it is as good as its reputation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569066,
          "author": "lionhearted",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:03:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569066",
          "commentText": "> The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald\nI read Gatsby and came away with two thoughts:\n1. How incredibly well constructed. Almost every paragraph weaves a story together that starts off slow and then accelerates incredibly rapidly.\n2. I think it's so popular because it paints a picture of rich people as actually unsuccessful at what really matters to them, depraved, inconsiderate, immoral, and miserable and hollow on the inside. Note how frequently the book is recommended by English professors with no money who generally hate wealthy people - it's like, \"see, they're like us, just even worse!\"\nWorth reading, though, at the very least to see what the fuss is about. It is incredibly well-constructed from a writing standpoint.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Worth reading, though, at the very least to see what the fuss is about. It is incredibly well-constructed from a writing standpoint.",
          "reason": "Praised for its construction and as worth reading, while criticizing the way it portrays wealth.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter criticizes the book’s depiction of wealthy people and the way it is recommended by some English professors.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1568997,
          "author": "SandB0x",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T20:45:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1568997",
          "commentText": "Two of my favourite summer books:\nThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald\nGeneration X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture by Douglas Coupland\nAny friend of Gatsby is a friend of mine.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Two of my favourite summer books:\nThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald",
          "reason": "Names it among their favorite summer books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027097,
          "author": "impeachgod",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T11:24:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027097",
          "commentText": "Translated from Russian: I would be interested in reading your reviews of Karenina and Gatsby. I am curious what do you find remarkable in these books.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Gatsby",
          "reason": "Asks what the other commenter finds remarkable in the book; no endorsement is expressed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027061,
          "author": "navi03",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T10:33:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027061",
          "commentText": "Интересно было бы прочесть Ваши отзывы на Каренину и Гетсби. Мне, например, очень любопытно, что Вам в этих романах кажется примечательным.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Интересно было бы прочесть Ваши отзывы на Каренину и Гетсби.",
          "reason": "Asks to read the other commenter’s review of Gatsby; does not express an opinion or recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026940,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T07:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026940",
          "commentText": "I got myself a Sony Reader mid-2009 and started reading about twice more than I had been before. 2009 was also the first year in which I wasn't too lazy to document which books I read (I'm really glad I wasn't). Here're some of the favourites this year:\nClassics:\nKafka's The Process and America - both stunning novels that deserve to be read as much as his most famous, The Castle.\nJan Potocki, The Manuscript Found in Saragossa - a trippy collection of tales organised in multiple nested frames.\nScott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby.\nLeo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina. Still as breathtaking as I'd remembered it from the previous reading five years ago.\nScience Fiction:\nGene Wolfe, The Book of the New Sun. Wolfe, whom I hadn't read before, turns out to be in a class of his own. It's literary SF, overwhelmingly masterful and beautiful in its prose and characters, yet it could give any hardcore SF novel a run in terms of its ideas. It demands and richly rewards a close reading. I'll be reading more Wolfe in 2010.\nTed Chiang, collected stories. Chiang writes only stories, and has written just a few of them, but nearly every one is a gem. Read Understand on the web (http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/stories/under.htm) to see if you like his style - I do.\nVernor Vinge, A Deepness in the Sky, The Peace War, Marooned in Realtime. All great novels, but start from A Fire Upon the Deep (I read that in 2008) if you haven't read Vinge before, it's the best introduction.\nGreg Egan, Diaspora, Quarantine, Distress. Egan is the best hardcore SF author out there. _Diaspora_ is a fascinating take on shared simulated reality that's very different from the usual fare. Quarantine will appeal to your inner quantum mechanical geek.\nContemporary fiction:\nPynchon, V. Pynchon is the best novelist we've got. I recommend The Crying of the Lot 49 as the best Pynchon to start from; V is more difficult and much longer, but rewards the patience. I still can't get over the fact that Pynchon wrote and published this novel when he was 26.\nOrhan Pamuk, The Black Book.\nAnnie Proulx, Fine Just The Way It Is. A new collection of stories from the best writer about rural America out there. Three are extraordinary, two so-so, the rest very good.\nNon-fiction:\nW. Sidney Allen, Vox Graeca and Vox Latina. If you want to know how ancient Greek and Latin sounded, these are the books to read.\nElizabeth Lloyd. The Case Of The Female Orgasm. An interesting study into how available evolutionary explanations of female orgasm fail in various ways. This is a book about evolutionary biology and its methodological soundness as much as it is about explaining female orgasm.\nComputer-related:\nPeter Seibel, Coders at Work. A fantastic collection of interview with great programmers. The one 2009 book no hacker should be without.\nSqueak by Example. Does a great job of explaining Smalltalk in general and Squeak in particular.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026727,
          "author": "hajrice",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T03:51:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026727",
          "commentText": "\"Great Gatsby\" by F.S.Fitzgerald. Really awesome book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Great Gatsby\" by F.S.Fitzgerald. Really awesome book.",
          "reason": "Calls it a really awesome book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876180,
          "author": "lux",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T06:23:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876180",
          "commentText": "1. The Count of Monte Cristo\n2. The Great Gatsby\nAnd yet I read mostly non-fiction... :)\nIt's hard to say these are my absolute top two (that's probably an eight-way tie in reality), but Gatsby definitely hit me at a pivotal time and became a subtle but big influence, and Monte Cristo was just a brilliantly entertaining yet very deep and touching story.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gatsby definitely hit me at a pivotal time and became a subtle but big influence",
          "reason": "Says it had a lasting influence at a pivotal time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says their all-time favorites are probably an eight-way tie.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876098,
          "author": "jfarmer",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T05:28:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876098",
          "commentText": "The Great Gatsby and The Book of the New Sun",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Great Gatsby",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86512,
          "author": "tel",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-06T05:10:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86512",
          "commentText": "V. by Thomas Pynchon\nThe Life of Pi by Yann Martel\nthe McSweeney's Quarterly Concern (Not a book per se, but  \nvery enjoyable)\nShakespeare (Everything, I'm surprised he's only been mentioned once so far)\nThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald\nThe Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe\nShogun by James Clavell\n\nThen, of course, the regular hodgepodge of Card, Asimov, Adams, Gaiman, Pratchet, Stephenson, Feynman, and that LOTR guy, Tolkey or sommat. (In all seriousness, though, all of these authors are phenomenal, if well-known for being such)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86192,
          "author": "modulus",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T02:54:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86192",
          "commentText": "Confessions of an Economic Hitman,\nThe Wealth of Nations,\nThe Great Gatsby,\nSee No Evil,\nHannibal",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Great Gatsby,",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite in response to the thread’s book question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "F. Scott Fitzgerald"
      ],
      "recommenders": 17,
      "threads": 12,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american literature",
        "jazz age",
        "american classic",
        "american novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "shoe-dog-e49c8b",
      "title": "Shoe Dog",
      "author": "Phil Knight",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41546057,
          "author": "statictype",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-15T08:13:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41546057",
          "commentText": "The Hard Thing About Hard Things - Ben Horowitz\nThis is probably one of the best\nShoe Dog - Phil Knight. \nA great read about the struggles of how Nike started. But was left unsatisfied as the book ends with the company going public but doesnt cover its ascension in the late 80s/90s and how that went down.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Shoe Dog - Phil Knight. \nA great read about the struggles of how Nike started. But was left unsatisfied as the book ends with the company going public but doesnt cover its ascension in the late 80s/90s and how that went down.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great read about Nike's beginnings.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The book ends at Nike's IPO and omits its later rise in the late 1980s and 1990s.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35169576,
          "author": "jvaqueiro",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T15:14:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35169576",
          "commentText": "Looking back my too three are:\nHooked by Nir Eyal\nViral Loop by Adam L. Penenberg\nShoe Dog by Phil Knight",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shoe Dog by Phil Knight",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33382648,
          "author": "saint_angels",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T10:12:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382648",
          "commentText": "- The Network State, by Balaji S. Srinivasan\n- The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One, 1929-1964\n- The Minimalist Entrepreneur, by Sahil Lavingia\n- Shoe Dog, by Phil Knight",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Shoe Dog, by Phil Knight",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467569,
          "author": "justinzollars",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:39:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467569",
          "commentText": "Jewish Wisdom for Business Success, Dune, Shoe Dog, On The Road",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shoe Dog",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to the question about books read more than once.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21469724,
          "author": "panjaro",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-07T02:01:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21469724",
          "commentText": "Shoe Dog: Phil Knight",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Shoe Dog: Phil Knight",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20334490,
          "author": "lelima",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T12:51:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20334490",
          "commentText": "I read it this year, one of my favorites for sure.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read it this year, one of my favorites for sure.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book is one of their favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18696898,
          "author": "greenido",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-17T04:30:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18696898",
          "commentText": "Some books I've enjoyed in the past year:\nWish to laugh?\n* Born a Crime, by Trevor Noah\n* Yes please! by Amy Poehler\nThink?\n* Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell\n* Where Good Ideas Come from, by Steven Johnson\n* The Emperor of All Maladies and The Gene: An Intimate History both by Mukherjee Siddhartha\nLearn (more) about great thinkers?\n* Einstein or Leonardo da Vinci or Steve Jobs, by Walter Isaacson\n* Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike, by Phil Knight\nYuval Noah Harari 3 good ones:\n* Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow\n* Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\n* 21 lessons for the 21st century\nFrom time to time, I try to put some good ones over here: https://greenido.wordpress.com/?s=book",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike, by Phil Knight",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Readers who want to learn about great thinkers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665954,
          "author": "ryanstorm",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T17:46:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665954",
          "commentText": "I have a post at my blog here: http://westby.io/5-books-ive-read-2018-1/\nSome other books I read that I'd recommend:\n- Anathem\n- Deep Work\n- A Canticle for Leibowitz\n- Into Thin Air\n- Shoe Dog\n- Happiness Hypothesis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Shoe Dog",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books the commenter says they would recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665209,
          "author": "PostPost",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:26:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665209",
          "commentText": "Sorry for the wall of text.\n1. Bourne (The language and world of this novel are extraordinary - everything is falling apart yet brimming with life. Strangely moving)\n2. The Design of Everyday things (Essential for anyone in UI/UX)\n3. All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (Highly engaging, entertaining sci-fi novella series, from an author that can write a very decent robot protagonist)\n4. The Power (Interesting story with sci-fi elements on the dynamics of power, sex, and gender roles. I didn't care for the book, but the first 3/4 of the book are amazing)\n5. Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days\n6. 7 brief Lessons on Physics\n7. The Last Lecture (The energy and positivity coming from a man knowing he's about to die is infectious. Great read)\n8. A wizard of Earthsea (Move over Harry Potter, this is the essential children's story about wizards)\n9. Exploring diabetes with owls (Funny, irreverent)\n10. Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children (Made an effort to read more YA this year - this was the best in this series, but I still hated it. There's a host of better YA series out there.)\n11. A Wizard of Earthsea: The Tombs of Atuan (See 8.)\n12. The Girl in the Dark (Interesting book about a skin condition I had never heard of, and the trials of living with a very rare condition)\n13. The Phantom Tollbooth (Clever children's book)\n14. Black hole blues and songs from outer space (Informative book about the study of space,  the political and economic forces standing in the way of science, and the incredible individuals working in this field)\n15. Welcome to Night Vale (Hugely entertaining, clever and weird)\n16. You need a budget (Basic economics book explaining how to budget in a way that lets you do more with your money)\n17. To fight Against This Age (Incredibly pretentious, \nIvory Tower philosophizing)\n18. Infinity Gauntlet (Half the Universe dying because Thanos wanted to sleep with Lady Death will never not be ridiculous)\n19. The Right and Wrong Stuff (Great read explaining how to anticipate and avoid career pitfalls)\n20. Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children: Hollow City (pretty shitty)\n21. The Farthest Shore (Ursula K. Le Guin was the biggest loss this year)\n22. Miss peregrine's home for Peculiar Children: Library of Souls (I hate this book and all its characters)\n23. Every Good Endevour (Religious book about a Christian worldview and the value of labor - not a bad read)\n24. When to Rob a Bank and 131 warped suggestions… (interesting, funny, from the writers of Freakonomics)\n25. Weapons of Math Destruction (Probably the most useful book on this list, if you're reading this on \"hackernews\")\n26. Holes (Perfect summer paperback read)\n27. Silver Screen Sirens (Essential for film geeks)\n28. A full life: reflections at 90 (I gained a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter: he lived an incredible life and does great things)\n29. Call Me by your name (Very good romance novel to send to your bigoted relatives at Christmas)\n30. Hyperbole and a half (Incredibly entertaining, very distinctive art style)\n31. The Murderbot diaries: Artificial Condition (See 3.)\n32. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Best children's book, fight me)\n33. Less (Exceptionally well-written)\n34. Resilience (Great book, especially for those that have gone through extremely difficult circumstances)\n35. The Strange Bird (Dark, bleak, full of life, see 1.)\n36. The Murderbot diaries: Rogue Protocol (See 3.)\n37. His Dark Materials: The subtle knife (See 32.)\n38. Tap Dancing to Work (Very dry, some stories/articles are fantastic, others very, very boring for people that do not care about finance)\n39. So Good They Can't Ignore You (Pretty good)\n40. His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass (Amazing YA, see 32.)\n41. Uncontainable (Inspirational book about conscious capitalism)\n42. The Emperor of All Maladies (Pretty much everything you'll ever want to know about Cancer, written in a very engaging way)\n43. Blind Spot\n44. Shoe dog (Great story, see madmax108's comment, totally agree)\n45. The Faithful Spy (Beautiful artwork describing a Christian pastor's fight against fascism during WW2)\n46. Zero to One\n47. You'll grow out of it\n48. The Happiness advantage (Really fantastic book about the value of positive psychology)\n49. Dreams from my father (Enlightening look into Obama's \nearly days)\n50. Ayoade on Ayoade (Entertaining, extremely scatter-brained, not as funny as his interviews or tv programs)\n51. The Diabolic (badly written YA Sci-Fi)\n52. The Physics of Everyday Things (surprisingly informative, recommended for non science-people interested in the way things work)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great story, see madmax108's comment, totally agree",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great story and agrees with the earlier praise.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18664771,
          "author": "ColinWielga",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T15:39:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664771",
          "commentText": "+1 for Bad Blood and Shoe Dog",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for Bad Blood and Shoe Dog",
          "reason": "Seconding the title recommended in the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18663308,
          "author": "ivanmaeder",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:27:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663308",
          "commentText": "My highlights from this year:\n1. \"How to Measure Anything\" (Douglas Hubbard)\nPresents a few simple techniques (confidence intervals, Monte Carlo simulations, regression analysis, Bayes, etc) to help with decision-making. E.g., should we build this feature or spend the same money on marketing?\nI put it alongside \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" (Daniel Kahneman), \"Superforecasting\" (Philip Tetlock), \"The Art of Thinking Clearly\" (Rolf Dobelli), etc. These books explain how our thinking is often flawed; \"How to Measure Anything\" gives you some tools to avoid flawed thinking.\nNote: if you already know the math (a lot of people on HN would), you might not get that much out of it.\n2. \"Why We Sleep\" (Matthew Walker)\nAs I read this book I kept thinking about all the people I knew who would benefit from it: family and friends whom I want to have healthy happy lives, managers who believe that they'll get more out of people by pushing them to work crazy hours… and lots of people who think they’ll get more out of themselves if they sleep less.\nWith references to studies, the book explains the different factors that influence sleep, what your body does during sleep and the different phases of sleep, how your body—mostly the brain—benefits, etc.\nFor days after reading it I kept telling friends about things I'd learnt from it. One of my favourite was how certain types of bird are able to sleep: they line themselves up in a row, with the birds on each end putting only half their brain to sleep. This way they can keep one of their eyes open—the one furthest to the end—so they can keep watch. Then after a while the birds on the end will turn around and sleep the other side of their brain.\nFascinating!\nMy only complaint is that it very rarely mentions the actual numbers behind studies. E.g., there might be a mention of a lack of sleep and an increased risk of diabetes or depression or heart attacks, but there's no reference to the amount the risks increase by.\n3. \"Shoe Dog\" (Phil Knight)\nThe story of Nike, told by the founder. I honestly don't care about Nike but that's not the takeaway—it's not about shoes or T-shirts or Michael Jordan. It's about a guy trying to keep a business alive: almost from day one there no let-up, the company is continually under threat.\nAlso the early employees are a really fun bunch.\n4. \"The Master and Margarita\" (Mikhail Bulgakov)\nFiction. It took me a while to warm up to this but I'm glad I stuck it out. I think the charm is in the language and the crazy mix of characters, the way religion is dealt with in a very human way; the tension, the fun…\nI really struggle to describe this book.\n5. \"Shantaram\" (David Gregory Roberts)\nFiction. I was looking for a book about India. I've never been, and I thought I might learn something and get a feeling of what it's like to be there.\nI didn't. Not in the same way that I could feel the heat in \"Heart of Darkness\" (Joseph Conrad) or the sun and the trees in \"From the Holy Mountain\" (William Dalrymple) or the weight of the world in \"Suttree\" (Cormac McCarthy).\nBut it's a good ride of a story.\n6. \"In Dreams Begin Responsibilities and Other Stories\" (Delmore Schwartz)\nI knew this book from university. And then a few weeks ago: I needed a break from the world of tech and productivity and work, and this did the trick. It is so far away from that. Think: creative types working on books and poems and plays during the depression, struggling, self-conscious, observant, talkative…",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's about a guy trying to keep a business alive: almost from day one there no let-up, the company is continually under threat.",
          "reason": "The commenter values its account of the founder trying to keep a business alive and the early employees.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the takeaway is not about Nike, shoes, or T-shirts.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18496680,
          "author": "thisisrajat",
          "createdAt": "2018-11-20T19:07:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 18473561,
          "threadTitle": "Best book/paper you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18496680",
          "commentText": "Shoe Dog by Phil Knight (founder of Nike).\nHands down the best autobiography I have read. I personally learned a lot about how a brand is created rather than a business. How businesses were built even before VC capital was a thing. And how life is all about making tradeoffs.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hands down the best autobiography I have read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the best autobiography they have read and says they learned about brand building, business history, and tradeoffs.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18475829,
          "author": "pbamotra",
          "createdAt": "2018-11-17T15:17:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 18473561,
          "threadTitle": "Best book/paper you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18475829",
          "commentText": "Shoe dog by Phil Knight. It's a memoir by the co-founder of Nike. This is one of my favorite books till now. The biggest reason being that it's a perfect combo of personal and business story of company that started with $50 and is now selling over $30B of goods annually. It's motivational, lucid, and keeps you on your toes. Phil is a great story-teller and I almost felt as if I was part of the story. A definite 5/5.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is one of my favorite books till now.",
          "reason": "Calls it a favorite, motivational, lucid, and a definite 5/5.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in memoirs and the story of building a business.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910521,
          "author": "adventured",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:53:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910521",
          "commentText": "In no particular order.\nEmpires of Light, by Jonnes. Titan, by Chernow. The Wright Brothers, by McCullough. His Excellency, by Ellis. The Wizard of Menlo Park, by Stross. I Invented the Modern Age, by Snow. Dealers of Lightning, by Hiltzik. Margin of Safety, by Klarman. Masters of Doom, by Kushner. Andrew Carnegie, by Nasaw. Infidel, by Hirsi Ali. Buffett, by Lowenstein. Where Wizards Stay Up Late, by Hafner. Shoe Dog, by Knight. The Making of the Atomic Bomb, by Rhodes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shoe Dog, by Knight.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17046842,
          "author": "aizatto",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T12:39:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17046842",
          "commentText": "I can say I've got through something similar.\nA book that made me very introspective was David Brook's The Road To Character . It made me ask my self a lot of questions which I have documented here https://www.deepthoughtapp.com/packages/55/david-brooks-humi... (https://www.deepthoughtapp.com/packages/55/david-brooks-humility-code-from-the-road-to-character/)\nAnother book was Paul Kalanathi's When Breath Becomes Air I also copied some quotes, questions, and answers here  https://www.deepthoughtapp.com/packages/135/paul-kalanithis-... (https://www.deepthoughtapp.com/packages/135/paul-kalanithis-when-breath-becomes-air/)\nI'd recommend reading biographies because they can help you give perspective about how a person leads their life. The ones I found thoroughly fun was Trevor Noah's Born a Crime, Phil Knight's Shoe Dog.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Phil Knight's Shoe Dog.",
          "reason": "Included among biographies the commenter found thoroughly fun.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15964246,
          "author": "matchmike1313",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T21:05:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15964246",
          "commentText": "1. 10% Happier\n2. Traction\n3. Unshakable\n4. Shoe Dog (This has been my favorite book thus far of 2017, I did not think it would of left such a lasting impression on me about life and success and business)\n5. Start with Why\n6. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*uck",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shoe Dog (This has been my favorite book thus far of 2017, I did not think it would of left such a lasting impression on me about life and success and business)",
          "reason": "Calls it their favorite book of the year and says it left a lasting impression.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13258475,
          "author": "atollstat",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-26T15:16:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13258475",
          "commentText": "I'm a historical fiction nut & as it just so happened the Sharpe series from Bernard Cornwell (21 books) had been too long on my wish list, waiting to be read. Finally, got around to finishing it this year.\nUsually, I'm real bad at reading & finishing non-software non-fiction; but managed ~10 of those this year.\nEnjoyed reading Shoe Dog by Phil Knight & I contain multitudes by Ed Yong. I keep going back to Learned Optimism by Martin Seligman quite a bit. Need to read more in 2017.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Enjoyed reading Shoe Dog by Phil Knight",
          "reason": "Explicitly says the commenter enjoyed reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238029,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T15:50:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238029",
          "commentText": "I read 47 books so far:\n* Oxygen (Lane)\n* The Vital Question (Lane)\n* Mitochondria and the meaning of life (Lane)\n* Life Ascending (Lane)\n* Shoe Dog (Knight)\n* Heat (Buford)\n* Thinking Fast And Slow (Daniel K, 3rd time reading it)\n* Fluent Forever (Wyner)\n* Dark Money (Mayer)\n* Elon Musk (Vance)\n* The Black Swan (Taleb, 5th time reading it)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Shoe Dog (Knight)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Phil Knight"
      ],
      "recommenders": 17,
      "threads": 11,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "nike",
        "memoir",
        "company history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "basic-economics-1fd944",
      "title": "Basic Economics",
      "author": "Thomas Sowell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40889507,
          "author": "nataliste",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-06T10:32:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40889507",
          "commentText": "Here are some books that pop bubbles, but must be read with humility to avoid becoming its own new bubble, as the world is complex and contains contradictions:\nHoward Zinn's People's History of the United States\nJared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel\nMichael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma\nAyn Rand's the Fountainhead\nThomas Sowell's Basic Economics\nJulian Jaynes's the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind\nIain McGilchrist's the Master and his Emmisary\nVarlam Sharlamov's the Kolyma Tales\nJacques Ellul's Propaganda: the Formation of Men's Attitudes (or alternatively Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thomas Sowell's Basic Economics",
          "reason": "Listed as a book that pops bubbles.",
          "audience": "Readers who want their assumptions challenged.",
          "caveat": "Read with humility; the world is complex and contains contradictions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36436385,
          "author": "throwaway32448",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T18:14:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36436385",
          "commentText": "From chapter 17 of Basic Economics:\n“Economic decisions made through the marketplace are not always better than decisions that governments can make. Much depends on whether those market transactions accurately reflect both the costs and the benefits which result. Under some conditions, they do not.\nWhen someone buys a table or a tractor, the question as to whether it is worth what it cost is answered by the actions of the purchaser who made the decision to buy it. However, when an electric utility company buys coal to burn to generate electricity, a significant part of the cost of the electricity-generating process is paid by people who breathe the smoke that results from the burning of the coal and whose homes and cars are dirtied by the soot. Cleaning, repainting and medical costs paid by these people are not taken into account in the marketplace, because these people do not participate in the transactions between the coal producer and the utility company.\nSuch costs are called “external costs” by economists because such costs fall outside the parties to the transaction which creates these costs. External costs are therefore not taken into “account in the marketplace, even when these are very substantial costs, which can extend beyond monetary losses to include bad health and premature death. While there are many decisions that can be made more efficiently through the marketplace than by government, this is one of those decisions that can be made more efficiently by government than by the marketplace. Clean air laws can reduce harmful emissions by legislation and regulations. Clean water laws and laws against disposing of toxic wastes where they will harm people can likewise force decisions to be made in ways that take into account the external costs that would otherwise be ignored by those transacting in the marketplace.”\nHe goes on to spend the rest of the chapter talking about limitations of the market. Maybe you should try reading the book before you criticize it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "From chapter 17 of Basic Economics:",
          "reason": "The commenter quotes the book to challenge a criticism and says to read it before criticizing it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23858780,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:34:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858780",
          "commentText": "The Prince - Niccolo Machiavelli\nThe 48 Rules of Power - Robert Greene\nFooled By Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nHow to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big - Scott Adams\nBasic Economics - Thomas Sowell\nThe World Is Flat - Thomas L. Friedman\nThe Penguin History of the World: Sixth Edition - J. M. Roberts and Odd Arne Westad",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Basic Economics - Thomas Sowell",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that helped readers understand the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22864528,
          "author": "ekianjo",
          "createdAt": "2020-04-14T10:52:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 22861452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading to make sense of the economy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22864528",
          "commentText": "Thomas Sowell - he has many great books about economical principles - \"Basic Economics\" itself is extremely educational, and is regularly updated with examples of recent History.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Basic Economics\" itself is extremely educational",
          "reason": "Presents it as an educational book on economic principles.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is regularly updated with historical examples.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804924,
          "author": "entropyneur",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:31:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804924",
          "commentText": "> If anyone has read any and has feedback/notes, I'm looking forward to hearing them!\nThe wisdom of insecurity: very very good if you are at all interested in the matters it explores\nZero to one: the whole genre of business wisdom books is crap IMHO,  but at least this one is short\nBasic economics (Thomas Sowell): total must read",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Basic economics (Thomas Sowell): total must read",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a must read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804348,
          "author": "JonathanMerklin",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:41:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804348",
          "commentText": "Great thread. 2019 was the first time in about 7-8 years I made reading for pleasure a tertiary priority ((school+career)work/sleep/exercise+socializing+(NEW!)reading) and I got through about 20 books of varying length and difficulty, so here are the next 20 in my queue:\n- Infinite Jest (already started, will likely finish in early Jan. I love it so far.)\n- Quantum Computing Since Democritus (started in November as my nonfiction read, but took a break; I think I want to finish IJ first. Scott is an excellent writer and I was really enjoying this)\n- Building Microservices\n- The Code Book\n- How Cars Work (I want to turn the projection of a car in my brain from a black box to a gray box this year, and I don't mean by purchasing a Cybertruck)\n- To Kill a Mockingbird\n- The Personal MBA (for years I laughed off caring about the business of business and lived in my fantasy land of being satisfied with just the technical details and being focused on only implementing great software/learning how to do so. With a few years in the workforce under my belt, I realize that such an outlook was of great detriment to me. I'm open to other suggestions on similar \"catch me up to speed on general business education\" material)\n- Designing Data-Intensive Applications\n- Island (I have a copy of this but not Brave New World. Multiple friends of mine demand I try Huxley, so here we are.)\n- The Annotated Turing\n- How to Invent Everything\n- Soonish (SMBC is a daily read for me and I'm excited to get to this.)\n- How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems (ditto XKCD modulo release schedule)\n- Basic Economics\n- Thus Spoke Zarathustra\n- Seveneves\n- The Prince\n- Pacific Rims: Beermen Ballin' in Flip-Flops and the Philippines' Unlikely Love Affair with Basketball\n- Elevator Music: A Surreal History of Muzak, Easy-Listening, and Other Moodsong\n- Fahrenheit 451\nAdditionally, to tickle the part of my brain that fancies mathematics (one of my my majors in undergrad), I try to work through a chapter or two of Evan Chen's \"An Infinitely Long Napkin\" on a quarterly basis. If you don't mind a conversational tone to your math textbooks, I've found this to be an excellent resource for scraping the surface of a wide variety of topics and fields (including, well, topics like fields). I think I'll continue this habit.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Basic Economics",
          "reason": "Listed in the commenter's planned reading queue.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18663282,
          "author": "bun_at_work",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:22:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663282",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction:\n- Factfulness by Hans Rosling\n- The War on Science by Shawn Otto\n- Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell\n- A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson\n- The Storm Before the Storm by Mike Duncan\n- The Enigma of Reason by Hugo Mercier\nFiction:\n- And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie\n- The Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson\n- The Magicians by Lev Grossman\nThe non-fiction books were all incredible and highly recommended. I especially appreciate The War on Science as it is highly relevant in today's polarized and emotional political climate.\nThe fiction books were good, for the most part. However, The Magicians might be the worst book I have ever read, not limited to fiction or fantasy. For more on that, ask.\nI managed to read significantly more books this year due to joining an at-work book club, which has been very nice.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The non-fiction books were all incredible and highly recommended.",
          "reason": "Included among the nonfiction books the commenter calls incredible and highly recommended.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168639,
          "author": "jumbopapa",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:25:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168639",
          "commentText": "An absolutely excellent book. Read this when first starting to think about economics and followed it up with Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "followed it up with Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell.",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a follow-up after beginning to think about economics.",
          "audience": "Readers starting to think about economics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1465307,
          "author": "billswift",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T10:13:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1465307",
          "commentText": "Sowell's Basic Economics is the easiest to read one I have seen, and for the math phobic it has no equations.\nAnother really good, if idiosyncratic, book is David Friedman's Hidden Order: The Economics of Everyday Life.\nAlso Thomas Sowell's Knowledge and Decisions covers roughly the same ground as Hayek's Use of Knowledge in Society, but is newer and more readable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sowell's Basic Economics is the easiest to read one I have seen, and for the math phobic it has no equations.",
          "reason": "Praised as especially easy to read and equation-free.",
          "audience": "Readers new to economics and people who dislike math.",
          "caveat": "No equations.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1465130,
          "author": "mkramlich",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T07:10:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1465130",
          "commentText": "I've seen a few recommendations for that in this discussion.  Never read any books by him, but in my experience reading newspapers over the years, reading oped articles by him, it seemed clear to me where his political affiliation lies, at least with respect to the main two US political parties. Did you see any of his political slant in this book? Or did he seem to stay neutral/impartial?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Did you see any of his political slant in this book? Or did he seem to stay neutral/impartial?",
          "reason": "Asks whether the book displays the author's political slant or stays impartial.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment asks for others' assessment and gives no judgment of its own.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1465038,
          "author": "jackv",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T05:50:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1465038",
          "commentText": "This should be required reading everywhere.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This should be required reading everywhere.",
          "reason": "Says the book should be required reading everywhere.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1465036,
          "author": "Shmulkey",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T05:49:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1465036",
          "commentText": "Economics in One Lesson by Hazlitt: http://jim.com/econ/, http://www.fee.org/pdf/books/Economics_in_one_lesson.pdf\nBasic Economics by Thomas Sowell\nApplied Economics by Thomas Sowell\nFree to Choose by Milton Friedman (video series, too)\nUse of Knowledge in Society by Hayek (short, non-technical paper which is full of brilliant insights): http://www.econlib.org/library/Essays/hykKnw1.html\nNot a book, but the Econtalk podcast is fantastic: http://www.econtalk.org/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1465031,
          "author": "mikeleeorg",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T05:43:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1465031",
          "commentText": "Here's another vote for Basic Economics. It's a great (and fairly thorough) overview, written in a down-to-earth manner. Lots of real-life examples are used to explain basic economic principles, making this subject understandable and even enjoyable (for me, at least).\nHere is a direct link to it on Amazon (reviewers here gave it high ratings as well):\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Basic-Economics-3rd-Ed-Economy/dp/0465... (http://www.amazon.com/Basic-Economics-3rd-Ed-Economy/dp/0465002609)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Here's another vote for Basic Economics. It's a great (and fairly thorough) overview",
          "reason": "Calls it a great, thorough overview that makes basic economic principles understandable and enjoyable.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an accessible overview of basic economics.",
          "caveat": "Enjoyability is framed as personal experience.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1464948,
          "author": "te_platt",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T04:55:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1464948",
          "commentText": "Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 180992,
          "author": "ovi256",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-04T21:40:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 180589,
          "threadTitle": "Good book for economics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=180992",
          "commentText": "For those who want a taste: \nwww.altfeldinc.com/pdfs/BASICECONOMICS.pdf\nNot the complete book though.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Not the complete book though.",
          "reason": "Clarifies that the linked PDF is only an excerpt from the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The PDF is incomplete.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 180901,
          "author": "freikwcs",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-04T18:22:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 180589,
          "threadTitle": "Good book for economics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=180901",
          "commentText": "Not much else to add except I would recommend picking up two books as well.\n1.  A standard price theory text that will give you the basic tools of economists.\n2.  A book that provides real-world applications illustrating how these tools are used.  (I agree - Basic Economics by Sowell is a great place to start.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Basic Economics by Sowell is a great place to start.",
          "reason": "Endorses it as a strong starting point for learning economics.",
          "audience": "Someone beginning to learn economics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 180861,
          "author": "elidourado",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-04T16:46:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 180589,
          "threadTitle": "Good book for economics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=180861",
          "commentText": "Current econ PhD student here.  Sowell is great.  There's a 3rd edition out now.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Basic-Economics-3rd-Ed-Economy/dp/0465... (http://www.amazon.com/Basic-Economics-3rd-Ed-Economy/dp/0465002609/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sowell is great. There's a 3rd edition out now.",
          "reason": "Affirms the prior recommendation and notes a newer edition.",
          "audience": "Someone starting to learn economics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 180681,
          "author": "dangrover",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-04T06:25:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 180589,
          "threadTitle": "Good book for economics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=180681",
          "commentText": "I second this recommendation. I learned a lot about economics from this book...and felt my liberal latte-drinking hippy self shifting a good deal towards the right :).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second this recommendation.",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the parent comment's recommendation and says they learned a lot from the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 180666,
          "author": "jackdied",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-04T05:34:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 180589,
          "threadTitle": "Good book for economics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=180666",
          "commentText": "If you are asking for introductory economics +1 for \"Basic Economics\" by Sowell and \"Free to Choose\" by Milton Friedman (Sowell is one of Friedman's proteges).\nPBS made \"Free to Choose\" into a series back in the 1980s.  You can find all the episodes on YouTube.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for \"Basic Economics\" by Sowell",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the recommendation for an introductory economics request.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking introductory economics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 180633,
          "author": "dfens",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-04T03:50:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 180589,
          "threadTitle": "Good book for economics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=180633",
          "commentText": "I highly recommend Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell. The title is not very imaginative but I found it a great place to start before looking at more complicated concepts.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Basic-Economics-2nd-Ed-Citizens/dp/046... (http://www.amazon.com/Basic-Economics-2nd-Ed-Citizens/dp/0465081452/ref=sip_rech_dp_10)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell.",
          "reason": "The commenter highly recommends it as a place to start before more complicated concepts.",
          "audience": "Readers beginning to study economics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds the title unimaginative.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Sowell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 17,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic principles",
        "economics fundamentals",
        "popular economics",
        "economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "animal-farm-9527bd",
      "title": "Animal Farm",
      "author": "George Orwell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50119288,
          "author": "chistev",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T15:05:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50119288",
          "commentText": "1. Animal Farm by George Orwell\n2. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes [1]\n3. Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley\n4. I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette Mccurdy\n5. Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris\n6. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe [2]\n7. Cosmos by Carl Sagan\n8. The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution by Richard Dawkins [3]\n9. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson\n10. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander [4]\n11. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka\n12. Billions and Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium by Carl Sagan [5][6][7]\n13. Outgrowing God: A Beginner’s Guide to Atheism by Richard Dawkins\n[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50076596\n[2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47452253\n[3] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48326741\n[4] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49539535\n[5] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49751771\n[6] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49740712\n[7] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49739256",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Animal Farm by George Orwell",
          "reason": "Listed among books read repeatedly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 45951150,
          "author": "chistev",
          "createdAt": "2025-11-17T05:55:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 45947737,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45951150",
          "commentText": "Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker\nNuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen\nAnimal Farm by George Orwell (a reread)\nNight by Elie Wiesel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Animal Farm by George Orwell (a reread)",
          "reason": "Listed as a book read this year; the commenter reread it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 44570119,
          "author": "HenryBemis",
          "createdAt": "2025-07-15T11:41:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 44568054,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44570119",
          "commentText": "Books:\n  Siddartha: to think about myself and my changes/voyage through life.\n  Half-time: to think what-the-hell-comes-next (only if you are 40+)(it won't resonate with a 20yo)\n\n  Systemantics, Nexus: if you work in mega-big-corpos this will save your life\n\n  Hold on to your kids, The anxious generation: if you got kids\n\n  Strong Fathers Strong Daughters: (and mothers/sons) if you got kids (too Christian-y for my taste but an amazing 'manual' to manage the relationship with your kid(s))\n\n  1984, Animal Farm, Gulag Archipelago: ...\n\n  Light on Yoga: (also do practice yoga, it's good for most-if-not-all)\n\n\nYou asked for \"one book\"... but.. life.. is not 'one' thing. Systemantics (and Dilbert) have helped me stay afloat at work. Siddartha gave me a perspective in live about myself, the different 'people' I have been throughout my life.\nAll the listed ones are books I read and read again every few years. They shaped me the first time I read them, keep me 'grounded'/taking stock/thinking the 'change' in me and my life. I see them as a 'check-diff' and how I have changed/evolved/devolved since the last time I read it/them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984, Animal Farm, Gulag Archipelago: ...",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of books they reread every few years and say shaped them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43695194,
          "author": "hulitu",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-15T16:30:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 43685856,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What 3 Books Would You Recommend to Anyone?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43695194",
          "commentText": "1984, Animal farm by George Orwell\nGod Emperor of Dune by Frank Herbert.\nThey fit very good to present time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Animal farm by George Orwell",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39249318,
          "author": "lnxg33k1",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T11:08:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249318",
          "commentText": "So far in 2024 I’ve finished a dissertation(?) of Schopenhauer work which is in italian and doesn’t exist in English, the name can be translated like “The art of not giving a fuck about other’s judgement”, then animal farm and another italian book “Leonardo Sciascia - Una storia semplice”, then in the same area of “recreational” reading I’ve started “Thinking fast and slow”, and in terms of books needed professionally I’m reading “Math for programmers”",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "then animal farm",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34160619,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:11:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160619",
          "commentText": "This year I've put myself to the challenge to read at least one book per week which I primarily could complete by reading in the middle of the night while holding our sleeping baby in my arms. It has been an interesting challenge which gave me a lot of fulfilment and has certainly changed my mind on how I view the world. This comment became quite a long read, apologies for that.\nBooks I highly recommend:\nChurchill by Andrew Roberts (p:1105)\nA biography about one of the most interesting figures in politics and WWII. Roberts gives a very detailed description of the life of Churchill and manages to keep you interested the entire length of the book.\nThe God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (p:374)\nIn The God Delusion Dawkins gives arguments why there is no God, why we do not need a God and why religion is damaging to our society. If you are religious it might not be the book for you unless you are open to hear his arguments and line of reasoning. Dawkins will challenge your worldview.\nThe Bomb by Fred Kaplan (p:384)\nKaplan describes the policy of different US presidents on the atomic bomb and war in general. And primarily on the inability of US presidents and policy-makers to tune down its military. A chilling read which makes you appreciate a nuclear holocaust did not happen (yet)....\nPoor Economics by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo (p:320)\nBanerjee and Duflo give a gripping portrait of how poor people live. They offer an insight in the choices and decisions people make surviving on less than 1 USD a day (corrected for purchasing power). It made me completely rethink my own view on poverty and development aid; stressing even more that in order to help one need to have a complete understanding of the individual's situation and the local boundary conditions.\nProject Hail Mary  by Andy Weir (p:476)\nThis book triggered my science fiction reading. For some reason I never was interested in science fiction. Most likely triggered by reading Foundation by Asimov a few years back which apparently is not a book to my taste. But Andy Weir completely annihilated that wrong perspective on science fiction. Project Hail Mary is interesting, funny and gripping book.\nKindred by Octavia Butler  (p:287)\nThis book.... From page one I was hooked and almost read it in one go. Butler is a wonderful author and Kindred is a must-read. The book is about a woman traveling back in time to end up on a slave plantation. It's a chilling account of slavery.\nOther books I read this year, ask me anything about one of these books. I've added a + if I think its worth a recommendation\nBiography:\nNavalny by Dollbaum, Lallouet and Noble (p:280); The Man from the Future by Ananyo Bhattacharya (p:354) +\nSociology; Politics; Economics; Business:\nOnly the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove (p:224); The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli  (p:140); Winter is Coming by Garry Kasparov (p:290); Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum (p:224) +; Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl (p:164) +; We Are Bellingcat by Eliot Higgins (p:272); De Zeven Vinkjes by Joris Luyendijk (p:200); Waarom vuilnismannen meer verdienen dan bankiers by Rutger Bregman (p:104)\nComedy: The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (p:336)\nHistory:\nBand of Brothers  by Stephen E. Ambrose (p:432); The Nuclear Jihadist by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins (p:413) +; The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre (p:384) +; De Heineken Ontvoering by Peter R. de Vries (p:347); Red Famine by Anne Apllebaum (p:384); Night by Elie Wiesel (p:115) +\nScience, Technology, Mathematics:\nFermat's Enigma by Simon Singh (p:315) +; A Mathematician's Apology by G.H. Hardy (p:153); The Great Influenza by John M. Barry (p:546); The Rise and Fall of the Dinousaurs by Stephen Brusatte (p:404) ++; The Double Helix by James Watson (p:144)\nSport:\nRun or Die by Killian Jornet (p:208); The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton  (p:290) +; The Rise of the Ultra Runners by  (p:304); Tom Dumoulin by Patrick Bernhart (p:203)\nFiction:\nAnthem by Ayn Rand (p:105); Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (p:704); The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (p:566); Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (p:466); Live and Let die by Ian Fleming  (p:229)\nClassics:\nA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (p:104); The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (p:201); The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald (p:180); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (p:139); Animal Farm by George Orwell (p:122) +; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (p:227) +; The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (p:118)\nScience Fiction:\nThe Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (p:399); All Systems Red  by Martha Wells (p:144) +; A Memory Called Empire  by Arkady Martine (p:462) +; A Psalm built for the Wild by Becky Chambers (p:160); Dune by Frank Herbert (p:658); Foundation by Isaac Asimov (p:244); The Martian by Andy Weir (p:384) +;\nThe Forever War by Joe Haldeman (p:278)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Animal Farm by George Orwell",
          "reason": "Marked with a plus as worth recommending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31973327,
          "author": "lawgimenez",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-04T03:51:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31973327",
          "commentText": "Animal Farm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Animal Farm",
          "reason": "Selected as the book to reread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30738208,
          "author": "rmnull",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T22:40:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30738208",
          "commentText": "* Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi.\nAmong lot of books i've read this was the one that pushed me towards questioning my beliefs. \nAlthough i can't say this book made me irreligious it certainly was a gateway to a whole new world.\n* Calvin and Hobbes.\nthis is one of those things that completely changed my perspective on creativity, oh and not to mention all the things about life and philosophy in there, its in good spirit.\n* Animal Farm\nThis is arguably the best piece of satire I've read that is also fun and\neasy on the brain. It flows like water.\n* The Little Schemer.\nI hold this book dear. I've tried reading SICP twice and given up.\nAnd thought LISP was not for me. The environment was horrible,\nall those parens it was just confusing.\nThis book changed that, what it encouraged me to do is grab a pen and paper\nand try to work everything out myself[1]. It was such a fun read and i owe most of my understanding of functional programming to this book.\nFew days after finishing this book, i introduced this book to my friend\nand we spent all our days discussing life listening to sufjan stevens and working through this book, it was a sweet time.\n====\n[1] I wrote my actual scheme programs on computer long after i had worked through the book(i don't recall exactly but it was after 5th or 6th chapter). An online friend of mine recommended that i try DrRacket as i could execute scheme there. It was a much friendlier environment.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Animal Farm\nThis is arguably the best piece of satire I've read that is also fun and\neasy on the brain.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its satire and says it is fun and easy to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30737366,
          "author": "hulitu",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T20:35:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30737366",
          "commentText": "1984 and Animal farm - George Orwell.\nDune - Frank Herbert.\nAntimemoire - André Malraux",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984 and Animal farm - George Orwell.",
          "reason": "Listed among books that changed the commenter’s life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30241971,
          "author": "strzibny",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T08:44:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241971",
          "commentText": "I think Animal Farm is better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think Animal Farm is better.",
          "reason": "Says it is better than the book being discussed in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30241553,
          "author": "ImaCake",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T07:45:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241553",
          "commentText": "I know people love 1984 but I found it exceedingly boring when I tried to read it. But it does have some very interesting ideas. My issue with 1984 may have been prior exposure to it's best ideas elsewhere.\nOrwell is a great writer, highly recommend both \"Homage to Catalonia\" and \"Animal Farm\". Complex topics written in an accessible style.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "highly recommend both \"Homage to Catalonia\" and \"Animal Farm\".",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it as accessible writing on complex topics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29845100,
          "author": "jjice",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-07T21:30:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29845100",
          "commentText": "I'll double down on this one. Easy, quick read. Pick it up at the local library and you can finish it in the day, or you can find an audio book on YouTube. Keep in mind that Orwell wrote this during WWII, before much of what he describes took place in full effect in the soviet union.\nIf anyone knows a capitalist equivalent, I'd be very interested.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'll double down on this one.",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the recommendation in the parent comment and adds that it is a quick read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Orwell wrote it during World War II, before much of what it describes took place in the Soviet Union.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29821415,
          "author": "mobilio",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-06T09:46:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29821415",
          "commentText": "Without doubts - \"Animal Farm\" and \"1984\" from Orwell.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Animal Farm\"",
          "reason": "Recommended alongside 1984.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15965488,
          "author": "013",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T23:28:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15965488",
          "commentText": "Fahrenheit 451\nAnimal Farm\nThe Gene: An Intimate History\nThe Martian\nCurrently reading Sapiens: A brief history of humankind. I would recommend all these books, if you're interested in the subjects they are written about.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend all these books",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the listed books to readers interested in their subjects.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the subjects covered.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249371,
          "author": "hbk1966",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T11:16:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249371",
          "commentText": "I read Non-Fiction also, but in school I remember really enjoying Animal Farm. Basically I felt it was basically a Non-Fiction book with a Fictional story to get the points across.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "in school I remember really enjoying Animal Farm.",
          "reason": "The commenter remembers enjoying it and explains that its fictional story conveys ideas in a nonfiction-like way.",
          "audience": "Readers who usually read nonfiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783593,
          "author": "fmax30",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:59:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783593",
          "commentText": "I had read zero books by April 2015.\nHave read the following since then.\n1. 1984 by Orwell\n2. Animal Farm by Orwell\n3. 40 Rules of Love by Elif Shafak\n4. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline\n5. The Man in the high castle by Philip k Dic\n6. Tuesdays with morrie by Mitch Albom\n7. Broken Verses by Kamila Shamsie\n8. The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell\n9. Veronica Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho\n10. The Little Prince by antoine saint exupery\n11. A Monster calls by Patrick ness\nBooks that I am currently reading very very slowly ( 1-3 chapters per week )\n1. The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking\n2. The Wind Up Bird Chronicles by Murakami (I am really enjoying the slow reading here)\n3. Zen and art of motorcycle by Robert Pirsig\nEdit: Formatting",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "2. Animal Farm by Orwell",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107093,
          "author": "mrcdima",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T09:05:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107093",
          "commentText": "Some titles I've recently read or at least have placed on my reading list.\n--------------------\nPhilosohpy\nLetters from a Stoic: Epistulae Morales Ad Lucilium - Seneca\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius (must read)\nThe Republic - Plato\n--------------------\nHistory\nFive Chimneys - Olga Lengyel\nThe Gulag Archipelago - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (must read)\nThe Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank\n--------------------\nFiction\n(particularly dystopian) 1984, Brave New World, Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451\n(crime/action) Child 44, The Secret Speech, Agent 6 - Tom Rob Smith\n--------------------\nEconomics\nCapital in the Twenty-First Century - Thomas Piketty\nPoor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty - Banerjee, Duflo\nWhy Nations Fail - Robinson\n--------------------\nEconomics/Decision making/Psychology\nUndercover Economist, Freakonomics, Nudge, Thinking Fast and Slow\n--------------------\nRandom titles\nThe Selfish Gene, Self-Reliance, The Elements of Style (about writing), Slaughterhouse-Five\n--------------------\nSome links to inspire your reading (though you may want to checkout the websites first to get an idea of the topics they cover)\nhttp://www.gatesnotes.com/Books\nhttp://bookpickings.brainpickings.org/\nhttp://www.farnamstreetblog.com/reading/\nhttp://www.ryanholiday.net/reading-newsletter\nI’m just a working-class guy trying to take part in the conversation that all the smart people are having. What books should I read? - http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-cl... (http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-class-guy-trying-to-take-part-in-the-conversation-that-all-the-smart-people-are-having-what-books-should-i-read/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Animal Farm",
          "reason": "Listed as a title in response to the thread's request for book suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5691391,
          "author": "bloodorange",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T17:53:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5691391",
          "commentText": "\"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland\" - Lewis Carroll\n\"Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There\" - Lewis Carroll\n\"Dracula\" - Bram Stoker\n\"Frankenstein\" - Mary Shelly\n\"On Education\" - Bertrand Russell\n\"The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy\" - Douglas Adams\n\"Animal Farm\" - George Orwell\n\"1984\" - George Orwell\n\"Lord of The Flies\" - William Golding\n\"Brave New World\" - Aldous Huxley\n\"Gulliver's Travels\" - Jonathan Swift\n\"The Selfish Gene\" - Richard Dawkins",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Animal Farm\" - George Orwell",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for good book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4242661,
          "author": "bazookaBen",
          "createdAt": "2012-07-14T00:47:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 4239104,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read & liked in 2012 till now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4242661",
          "commentText": "might be old school, but 1984 and Animal Farm by Orwell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Animal Farm by Orwell",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books read and liked.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it old school.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86007,
          "author": "shayan",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T18:13:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86007",
          "commentText": "Unfortunately I can't read fiction too much, I feel like what I read must directly help me with what I do, so I feel a lot better reading either technical stuff or business related (I love business).  Since we are excluding technical, most of the following are business related, or helps you in dealing with people and solving problems)\nNetscape Time - Jim Clark (very educational for those interested in startups, good piece of Internet history, interesting insights to the culture of the first Internet companies)\nHow To Win Friends And Influence People - Dale Carnegie (found it through YC recommendations, THANK YOU.  one of the best educational books I have ever read, it will teach you how to make friends, be a good leader, get along at home, encourage people, make them follow you and so much more...)\nFounders at Work -  Jessica Livingston (I found it relevant to what I am doing, good lessons, and interesting insights)\nGetting to Yes - Roger Fisher, William L. Ury (teaches you how to negotiate and how to get the best out of each situation for yourself and the other part, will be useful both at work and personal life, a bit dry)\nWinning - Jack Welch (great advices on leadership, might be more useful to someone that is running a big company)\nLeadership Is an Art - Max Depree (great leadership advices, it will give you the right mindset of how to be a great leader) \n-----------\nAnimal Farm (George Orwell), Alchemist (Paulo Coelho), Interpreting Your Dreams(Freud)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Animal Farm (George Orwell)",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Orwell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 16,
      "threads": 15,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political satire",
        "allegory",
        "totalitarianism",
        "political allegory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "made-to-stick-4bd1f8",
      "title": "Made to Stick",
      "author": "Chip Heath and Dan Heath",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45954201,
          "author": "bicepjai",
          "createdAt": "2025-11-17T15:03:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 45947737,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45954201",
          "commentText": "1. Talking to My Daughter About the Economy: or, How Capitalism Works--and How It Fails\n2. Writing to learn. People who are scared of writing like me must listen to this every year :)\n3. Made to stick\n4. Million dollar weekend\n5. Surrounded by idiots",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Made to stick",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21914539,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-30T16:38:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21914539",
          "commentText": "Getting Things Done - the 2001 version I read two years ago, I use the general idea and it helps to have a clear head when your fighting fires daily.\nNever Split the Difference - some very practical negotiation strategies.\nMini Habits by Stephen Guise - short book but awesome method.  I am still doing the one pushup habit since last March.\nHow to Shoot Video That Doesn't Suck by Steve Stockman - I wanted to improve my video production for my programming course for kids.  I am still learning but this book has been a huge help.\nThe Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing and Thinking by Barbara Minto - huge help with improving my written communication at my job.\nThe Coaching Habit by Michael Stanier - short book but huge help when your transitioning to managing people.\nMade to Stick by Dan Heath - was a huge help in planning how I would teach elementary students last month about programming.\nThe 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch - aside from application of Pareto principle, I took away the idea that books provide the best bang for your buck for knowledge density.\nThe 4 Hour Work Week - great inspiration to start your own thing.\nThe $100 Startup - like the 4HWW but with more details.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "was a huge help in planning how I would teach elementary students last month about programming.",
          "reason": "The book helped the commenter plan programming lessons for elementary students.",
          "audience": "People designing lessons or communicating ideas clearly.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10787117,
          "author": "brikis98",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T04:27:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787117",
          "commentText": "My full list of books, including reviews, is here: https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2015\nFrom that list, my favorite ones were:\nThe Four Steps to the Epiphany: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/827338560\nMade to Stick: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/897777811\nHow to Measure Anything: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/698402984\nThe Non-Designer's Design Book: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1170518622\nMasters of Doom: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/899580915\nThe Martian: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1136330196\nThe Mistborn Trilogy: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1388373037",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Made to Stick",
          "reason": "Explicitly listed among the commenter's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10240701,
          "author": "tsattersten",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-18T17:39:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10240701",
          "commentText": "Our selections from The 100 Best Business Books of All Time were:\n-Selling The Invisible by Harry Beckwith (great look at selling services)\n-Secrets of Closing The Sale by Zig Ziglar (gets you prepared for objections)\n-How to Become A Rainmaker by Jeffrey Fox (shortcuts to better sales techniques)\n-The Little Red Book of Selling by Jeffrey Gitomer (best first book for first time salespeople)\nAs mentioned in other posts, I would also add SPIN Selling, Mastering the Complex Sale and The Referral Engine.\n\"Smart\" books in the sales space include Influence, Made To Stick, To Sell Is Human.\nFor motivation, read more Zig, Tony Robbins, and Dale Carnegie.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Made To Stick",
          "reason": "Listed among smart books in the sales space.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9355742,
          "author": "robodale",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-10T17:17:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9355742",
          "commentText": "I just read Smartcuts, Made to Stick, and Traction - a great trio of books to get your mind in the right spot as you pursue a market to create a product.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I just read Smartcuts, Made to Stick, and Traction - a great trio of books to get your mind in the right spot as you pursue a market to create a product.",
          "reason": "Recommended as part of a trio for pursuing a product market.",
          "audience": "People pursuing a market to create a product.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4476202,
          "author": "dmix",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-04T19:47:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 4476107,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN : What are some great books an aspiring entrepreneur should read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4476202",
          "commentText": "Pricing for Profit\nStartup Owners Manual\nMade to Stick\nGetting Real (37signals first book)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Made to Stick",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books aspiring entrepreneurs should read.",
          "audience": "Aspiring entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2095421,
          "author": "fakelvis",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-12T08:10:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2095421",
          "commentText": "Of the twenty-three books I read in 2010, these seven really stand out:\n- Predictably Irrational. Everyone here knows this book, right? It had been on my reading list for too long, and I'm glad I eventually managed to read it. Much more enjoyable that I expected it to be, even given the fact that much of the material is well-known already. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predictably_Irrational\n- Longitude follows John Harrison's fascinating, painful and lengthy quest to win the Longitude Prize by creating a clock that was accurate enough to determine longitude at sea. Dava Sobel is a great writer and makes this topic totally engaging (aside: Sobel started her writing career as a technical writer at IBM). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longitude_%28book%29\n- Bad Science is Ben Goldacre's essential and extensive criticism of the media's health care reportage and of various health-related issues (vaccinations, placebos, etc.). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Science_%28book%29\n- Sum has had a fair bit of press over the last few months. It's a collection of forty stories on the afterlife, by David Eagleman. It's a novel exercise in philosophy, and I thoroughly enjoyed five or six of the stories. It's a very creative and original book (and short, too) and is a good lesson in constrained thinking.\n- The PayPal Wars is the story of PayPal's early years from the viewpoint of former PayPal marketing executive, Eric Jackson. I found it a riveting read on the trials and tribulations of a startup in a difficult market. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_PayPal_Wars\n- Made to Stick is interesting in many ways (such as marketing, psychology and rhetoric, to name a few) and is extremely well-written. Chip and Dan Heath really know their subject and explain how to make ideas or concepts memorable in this captivating book. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Made_to_Stick Tip: Read the extensive excerpts on the official website — http://www.madetostick.com/excerpts/ — and, if you enjoy them, read the full book.\n- Lolita is one of those books everyone knows about, even if they haven't read it. I decided to sit down with this beast of a book and am glad I did. It's a great story and will really get your moral cogs ticking over. As well as that, Nabokov has an amazing way with the English language, and from very near the beginning I become a lifelong fan of his style. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lolita",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "is interesting in many ways (such as marketing, psychology and rhetoric, to name a few) and is extremely well-written.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it interesting and extremely well written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter suggests reading excerpts first and getting the full book if you enjoy them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1635027,
          "author": "danielzarick",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-26T04:00:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1635027",
          "commentText": "Definitely all three of these...\nPlus recently \"Made to Stick\" has really changed how I think about ideas and sharing them with others. http://www.amazon.com/Made-Stick-Ideas-Survive-Others/dp/140... (http://www.amazon.com/Made-Stick-Ideas-Survive-Others/dp/1400064287/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1282795235&sr=1-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Plus recently \"Made to Stick\" has really changed how I think about ideas and sharing them with others.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed how they think about ideas and sharing them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1083676,
          "author": "parka",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-28T13:15:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 1080708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Marketing Books for Developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1083676",
          "commentText": "I love this book.\nNot really a marketing book but the principles are really practical to lots of situations in life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I love this book.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they love the book and notes its principles apply to many situations in life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not really a marketing book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1081396,
          "author": "JangoSteve",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-27T19:36:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1080708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Marketing Books for Developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1081396",
          "commentText": "Not a marketing book per se, but probably the book that has had the most profound effect on my marketing efforts (and the way I communicate in general) is Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath.\nAnother good book I'd recommend is Hot Button Marketing by Barry Feig.\nI've read quite a few others, but none that really jump out that would be a great read for someone who's not a marketing person.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the book that has had the most profound effect on my marketing efforts (and the way I communicate in general) is Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it had the most profound effect on their marketing efforts and communication.",
          "audience": "People seeking marketing ideas, including readers outside marketing.",
          "caveat": "Not strictly a marketing book, according to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1081222,
          "author": "systemtrigger",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-27T18:59:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 1080708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Marketing Books for Developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1081222",
          "commentText": "I dug Made to Stick. http://madetostick.com",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I dug Made to Stick.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they liked the book in response to a request for marketing book recommendations.",
          "audience": "People seeking marketing ideas applicable to startups.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 947710,
          "author": "jason_tko",
          "createdAt": "2009-11-18T03:08:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 947581,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN:  What's the best first business book for a programmer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=947710",
          "commentText": "Great question.\nFirstly, the more I've gotten involved in business over the years, the more I've come to realise that for any kind of sale requiring human contact, personal relationships are absolutely paramount.\nThis is fairly straightforward, but it bears repeating.  People will buy from people who they like.  In a situation where a customer can choose between Vendor A and Vendor B who have similar products and prices, they will choose the likable Vendor A who is friendly and who they enjoy getting a call from.  This is 100 times more powerful than Vendor B who has 3 additional features that are really great, but who has made no attempt to establish any kind of relationship with the customer.\nAs such, the first book I would recommend would be the classic \"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" by Dale Carnegie.\nOnce you've got a handle on that, \"Ready, Fire, Aim\" by Michael Masterson talks about the value of moving quickly, selling quickly, and figuring out the finer details as you're moving along.  This was invaluable for me, since I used to want to have everything pretty much perfect before moving.  This was negative because it took a long time to get anything to market, and also because theory rarely survives direct contact with reality - the adjustment period in the first stage of operations is critical to the overall success of the project.  This book also has plenty of enjoyable personal stories and business anecdotes that make it very readable.\nI second \"Made to Stick\" as a great study on what makes things popular, and how they become popular.\nIt's really hard to narrow down more book recommendations actually - I've read hundreds of books over the years on a variety of topics.  What I found I needed to do, was continuously seek out good books and learn about topics as they arose.\nGenerally when it comes to book learning and business, I would recommend this : figure out your basic plan, and get started.\nOnce you encounter your first problem, seek help (ideally from both a mentor and some books).\nFor instance, you've built a product, now you want to sell it.  You hop on Google Ads and put down $400.  You've got a solid click through rate, and 2 weeks later, zero sales.\nTime to learn about marketing.  Seek out some good marketing books (Your Marketing Sucks is very good), buy them, read them, and ask your mentor about them.\nNow you're making some sales, and a Sales guy approaches you.  He bought your product, and he likes it.  He's interested to become your salesperson.  Next you need to find some good books on negotiation (Getting To Yes).  Of course, you're also going to need to get some advice from a lawyer or a mentor to ensure that the deal you do is fair and economically sustainable.\nDifferent books will provide all sorts of different benefits and insights depending on the stage of your business and your level of experience.  Book selection should be a continual process.\nHope this is helpful and best of luck.  Please feel free to contact me if you need anything else.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second \"Made to Stick\" as a great study on what makes things popular, and how they become popular.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a study of what makes ideas or products popular.",
          "audience": "People interested in marketing and popularity.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 673569,
          "author": "sivers",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-25T13:02:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 673487,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there any good Internet marketing books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=673569",
          "commentText": "To get fundamentals and theory foundation, drop the \"internet\" part of your requirement.  The internet is just another way to connect people.\nAll successful marketing comes down to a fundamental understanding of people, how we like to be spoken to, what captures our attention, and what messages stick.\nRead my notes and excerpts on some of these books to get an idea if they're what you're looking for:\n==\nSmall is the New Big - by Seth Godin\nA \"best-of\" collection of small essays about marketing. Seth writes in general terms meant to give you perspective, change the way you think about marketing, and inspire you to actions, no matter how small, that make all the difference.  Read anything by Seth Godin (as others here have said), but this is his best overview.\nhttp://sivers.org/book/SmallIsTheNewBig\n==\nMade to Stick - by Chip Heath and Dan Heath\nA deep analysis of what makes certain ideas or stories memorable.\nhttp://sivers.org/book/MadeToStick\n==\nYou, Inc - The Art of Selling Yourself - by Harry Beckwith\nHarry Beckwith is amazing. Read everything by him. This is just his newest. He's the best at reminding you how basic human consideration translates into marketing.\nhttp://sivers.org/book/YouInc\n==\nGetting Everything You Can Out of All You've Got - by Jay Abraham\nJay Abraham is an absolute marketing genius from an angle the others here don't cover.  This gets you into his mindset, seeing profitable aspects in your business you never noticed before, and how to communicate them to your audience.  Sorry I don't have notes on this one:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/0312284543",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A deep analysis of what makes certain ideas or stories memorable.",
          "reason": "Recommended in a list of marketing books; described as analyzing what makes ideas or stories memorable.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in why ideas and stories are memorable.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240850,
          "author": "trotzke",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T06:28:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240850",
          "commentText": "On my desk:\nGetting Real (37Signals),\nHardball (Chris Mathews),\nPrioritizing Web Usability (Jakob Nielsen)\nNearby shelf:\nThe Design of Everyday Things,\nMaverick,\nFounders at work,\nA Brief History of Time,\nA Pattern Language,\nPeopleware,\nMade to stick,\nWeb Standards Solutions,\nDesigning Interactions,\nThe Pragmatic Programmer,\nThe Mythical Man-Month,\nOh, the Places You'll Go!\nOther good reads:\nBlink,\nTipping Point,\nLong Tail,\nFreakonomics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Made to stick,",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for recommended books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 193345,
          "author": "unfoldedorigami",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-18T13:42:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 193308,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What books on marketing do you recomend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=193345",
          "commentText": "Of all the books and research we've read, these are the ones we've found the most useful information from and influenced a large part of our redesign at Wufoo :\nCall to Action \nhttp://www.calltoactionbook.com/\n(how to think about landing pages and navigation)\nLanding Page Optimization\nhttp://landingpageoptimizationbook.com/\n(best technical book on how to measure landing pages, do not buy SEO books, they're all terrible and rehash what you see on most blogs)\nWord of Mouth Marketing\nhttp://wordofmouthbook.com/\n(sometimes great marketing has nothing to do with what you do on the web)\nMade to Stick\nhttp://www.madetostick.com/\n(just a great read on how you should shape your copy and ideas so they have maximum sticking power)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Made to Stick",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great read on shaping copy and ideas so they stick.",
          "audience": "Readers shaping marketing copy and ideas.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135307,
          "author": "NoBSWebDesign",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T17:35:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135307",
          "commentText": "Made to Stick\nI've won several marketing competitions, an elevator pitch contest, and made countless connections with others, using ideas from this book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Made to Stick\nI've won several marketing competitions, an elevator pitch contest, and made countless connections with others, using ideas from this book.",
          "reason": "The commenter credits ideas from the book with helping achieve marketing and networking successes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chip Heath",
        "Dan Heath"
      ],
      "recommenders": 16,
      "threads": 14,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "communication",
        "ideas",
        "marketing",
        "memorable ideas"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mistborn-ce9fbf",
      "title": "Mistborn",
      "author": "Brandon Sanderson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41771002,
          "author": "dartharva",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T21:01:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41771002",
          "commentText": "> Fiction: The Mistborn Trilogy - Brandon Sanderson. Best fantasy books ever, IMO.\nI highly recommend listening to the GraphicAudio adaptation of this series. It's what got me into audiobooks.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend listening to the GraphicAudio adaptation of this series.",
          "reason": "Recommends the series' GraphicAudio adaptation and says it sparked an interest in audiobooks.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41770261,
          "author": "_gabe_",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T19:55:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41770261",
          "commentText": "I’m reading the mistborn books right now. I was up until 2 in the morning finishing the first book in the trilogy the other night. These books are fantastic!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I’m reading the mistborn books right now. I was up until 2 in the morning finishing the first book in the trilogy the other night. These books are fantastic!",
          "reason": "Enthusiastically praises the books and describes staying up late to finish the first one.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34161496,
          "author": "psithurism",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T14:53:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161496",
          "commentText": "Sociology:\n- The Coddling of the American Mind\n- The Tao of Pooh\n- Guns, Germs, and Steel\n- Weapons of the Weak\nReligious:\n- Guru Granth Sahib\n- Bible (King James Version)\n- Q’uran\n- The Book of Mormon \n- Tipitaka\nFantasy:\n- Dawn of Wonder by Jonathan Renshaw\n- The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan \n- The Way of Kings series by Brandon Sanderson\n- Mistborn also by Brandon Sanderson\n- Red Rising by Pierce Brown\n- The Licanius trilogy by James Islington\n- Saga of the Forgotten Warrior series by Larry Correia\nBiography\n- John Adams by David McCullough",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Mistborn also by Brandon Sanderson",
          "reason": "Listed under fantasy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33385896,
          "author": "DoingSomeThings",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T17:03:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33385896",
          "commentText": "Fiction - I started reading the Cosmere universe by Brandon Sanderson.\nMistborn Trilogy, Stormlight Archives, and Warbreaker.\nPick 1 - Start with Warbreaker or Mistborn.\nI'm new to fantasy fiction and his writing totally hooked me. I think of \"hard\" fantasy as a puzzle. The world has a unique physics and the plot of the story is based around characters figuring out how to operate inside of those physics... what are the bounds, how can it be manipulated, etc?\nWhat I've loved about Sanderson is the plot turns are never Ex Machina. Every new development fits inside the rules of the world and deepens your understanding of what can be.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mistborn Trilogy",
          "reason": "The commenter suggests starting with Warbreaker or Mistborn.",
          "audience": "Someone new to fantasy fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25905446,
          "author": "brokenintuition",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T16:52:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25905446",
          "commentText": "This is mine as well, I'll probably start it this week. I just finished Well of Ascension and really enjoying the series so far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "really enjoying the series so far",
          "reason": "Says they are enjoying the series so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25905072,
          "author": "yurishimo",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T16:31:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25905072",
          "commentText": "The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson is next up on my list. Really enjoying Mistborn so far. Still working my way through the second book.\nI've also read a lot of his other work as well as the Wheel of Time. If anyone has recommendations for other fantasy novels/epics, I'm all ears!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Really enjoying Mistborn so far. Still working my way through the second book.",
          "reason": "Says they are enjoying the series while reading its second book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467651,
          "author": "hpoe",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:47:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467651",
          "commentText": "Man's Search  for Meaning - Viktor Frankel, it is his experience of how he managed to survive the concentration camps.\nBook of Mormon\nThe Stormlight Archive series (Way of Kings, Words of Radience, Oathbringer) - Brandon Sanderson, I've heard it compared to the Kingkiller Chronicles in terms of depth, intricacies and overall masterfully executed plot but Sanderson is also one of the best authors at making characters real and captivating that I've ever met.\nMistborn Series (The Final Empire, Well of Ascension, Hero of Ages) by the same author as The Stormlight Archives and for the same reasons.\nThe Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis, even if you aren't religious it has helped me see so much clearly the tactics and obstacles that prevent me from being the person I want to be.\nI've read quite a few more books more often but these are the books that I have reread multiple times because they have changed who I am and helped me recognize that each time I fall I can rise again a better man.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mistborn Series",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it for the same reasons given for the Stormlight Archive.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803565,
          "author": "matsemann",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:15:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803565",
          "commentText": "Well, I still read them almost every christmas. At least a few of them.\nI'd also recommend Brandon Sanderson. Mistborn series is very good, and Stormligh Archive is good so far. I really like his world-building, and I think the way he uses magic is something most HNers would approve of. It's often well defined, and the characters try to exploit it the same way a reader would.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mistborn series is very good",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the series very good and praises its world-building and magic system.",
          "audience": "HN readers who enjoy clearly defined magic systems and world-building.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17520151,
          "author": "freehunter",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T02:44:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17520151",
          "commentText": "I have to agree: Mistborn is an amazing experience.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I have to agree: Mistborn is an amazing experience.",
          "reason": "The commenter agrees with the parent’s favorable assessment and calls it an amazing experience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15967078,
          "author": "peelle",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-20T04:35:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15967078",
          "commentText": "This year I read 31 books. Only 8 were non-fiction. I'm hoping to finish another 2 before the year ends.\nMy top 3 were.\n1. The Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson. This series did a good job of balancing big and little picture, while givings us a neat form of magic to learn about.\n2. Stock Market Cash Flow from the RDPD series. In 2016 I had read several books on fundamental(or value) investing, and this book helped me bust out of the thinking that, that style is the only way to look at, and earn in the stock market.\n3. Snow Crash. This book was just fun. The characters were enjoyable to watch, and there was some clever stuff in this book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson. This series did a good job of balancing big and little picture, while givings us a neat form of magic to learn about.",
          "reason": "Praises the series' balance of broad and personal scope and its magic system.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785820,
          "author": "nkzednan",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T21:37:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785820",
          "commentText": "Riyria Revelations trilogy - quite good. Follows two thieves for hire. Read the books in publication order\nReady player one - liked it\nsamurai's garden\nExpanse series by James Corey entertaining\nSteelheart and Firefight by Sanderson- good but like Mistborn better\nWorm online serial parahumans good\nNonfiction I read: Delivering happiness, Drive, Power of Habit, Power of full engagement",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "like Mistborn better",
          "reason": "Says they like Mistborn better than Steelheart and Firefight.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Only comparative praise is provided.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9068194,
          "author": "zblesk",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-18T12:46:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9068194",
          "commentText": "Oh, I love some good world-building, and especially when there is a set of rules that's followed to their consequences.  [Ayuc sums it up nicely in this comment. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056594 ]\nIf you look at it this way, it CAN be done in fantasy. Check out Brandon Sanderson's Warbreaker (a great one-off), or the Mistborn series. (There are quite a few similarities between them.)\nOr Max Brooks' World War Z was great in this way, I think. Although it's been quite a while since I read that.\n(I know this is an older thread, so I hope you'll find this comment. Made a HN account for this. :D )",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "or the Mistborn series.",
          "reason": "Recommends the series as an example of rule-based fantasy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment notes similarities to Warbreaker.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8029075,
          "author": "cmaxwe",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-14T00:36:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 8025870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8029075",
          "commentText": "I'm also eagerly awaiting the next Patrick Rothfuss Kingkiller Chronicle book\nMe too. The first two were great. Looking forward to the next book in the Mistborn series from Sanderson too.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Looking forward to the next book in the Mistborn series from Sanderson too.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2616400,
          "author": "webgambit",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T14:18:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2616400",
          "commentText": "Audiobook:\nI just finished Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. I highly recommend it if you're into fantasy type novels. It has a unique magic system and is very well written. I've been off and on with War and Peace for a while. Kind of dry so far.\nKindle:\nThe Law by Frederic Bastiat, extremely good book describing the fundamental purpose of law and government.\nDead Tree:\nEssence of Discrete Mathematics by Neville Dean, seems to be pretty good book, just haven't devoted enough time to reading it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend it if you're into fantasy type novels. It has a unique magic system and is very well written.",
          "reason": "Highly recommends it for fantasy readers, praising its magic system and writing.",
          "audience": "People into fantasy novels.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1869027,
          "author": "jasonlotito",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-04T14:36:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1869027",
          "commentText": "You won't be disappointed.  The WoKings was a bit odd at the start.  He dumps you right into the middle, and I was somewhat confused by everything changing so fast, but you quickly realise this is in a way intentional, and works well in the long run.\nAlso, if you haven't read the Mistborn trilogy, I highly suggest it.  It's a great, unique setting, and I had a great time with it.\nFinally, his other books are great as well.  Elantris and Warbreaker, each different, and great for single novel stories.  I'm a big fan of the long arcs of great epics, but these one-off's were well worth the time invested.\nBasically, he's an author that will require me to buy everything he writes for as long as he's writing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "if you haven't read the Mistborn trilogy, I highly suggest it.  It's a great, unique setting, and I had a great time with it.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends the trilogy and praises its distinctive setting and enjoyable reading experience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026904,
          "author": "boundlessdreamz",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T06:58:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026904",
          "commentText": "1. Shantaram (Gregory David Roberts): So good that mom stayed up until 3AM to finish it.\n2. Mistborn trilogy (brandon sanderson): Gripping storytelling and by far one of the best fantasy books i've ever read.\n3. Millennium trilogy (steig larsson): Hard to slot this book. On its face it is a thriller but the book is merely the medium through which the author lashes out against crimes toward women and corruption.In 2008, he was the second-best selling author in the world\n4. American Shaolin (Matthew Polly): An exciting read but still do not know what is fact and what is fiction. .",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gripping storytelling and by far one of the best fantasy books i've ever read.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its gripping storytelling and calls it one of the best fantasy books they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 715377,
          "author": "Evgeny",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-20T22:41:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715377",
          "commentText": "Last fiction - The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross\nBefore that - The Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson (recommended to all fantasy fans)\nLast technical - AntiPatterns: Refactoring Software, Architectures, and Projects in Crisis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson (recommended to all fantasy fans)",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the trilogy to fantasy fans.",
          "audience": "Fantasy fans.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brandon Sanderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 16,
      "threads": 14,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "magic systems",
        "heist fantasy",
        "allomancy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "red-rising-3eb017",
      "title": "Red Rising",
      "author": "Pierce Brown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46399668,
          "author": "dandano",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T06:37:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46399668",
          "commentText": "The Will of the Many. I’m about to start Red Rising series as it’s similar to it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I’m about to start Red Rising series as it’s similar to it.",
          "reason": "Says they plan to start the series because it is similar to the other title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38574429,
          "author": "croo",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T21:08:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38574429",
          "commentText": "The Red Rising saga is something I stumbled on by chance and slowly consuming it for relaxation. It is a great and often extremely fast paced pop sci-fi (if there is a genre called that). Lots of action, interesting world and hierarchy with political maneuvers often turning into bloodbaths. There is a big quality improvement starting from book 4, where the focus goes from the constant action to flesh out the characters still alive.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Red Rising saga is something I stumbled on by chance",
          "reason": "Read for relaxation; praised as fast-paced pop sci-fi with action, an interesting world, and political maneuvering.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes a quality improvement from book four, with more focus on character development.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37179087,
          "author": "leandot",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-18T17:27:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37179087",
          "commentText": "WoT is great, albeit a bit slow in the middle. But the last three books are just amazing, Brandon Sanderson was hired to finish the series and he did it expertly.\nA great series I can recommend is Red Rising from Pierce Brown (book 6 just came out, one more to go).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A great series I can recommend is Red Rising from Pierce Brown",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Book 6 has just come out, with one more to go.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36028090,
          "author": "omnimus",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-22T06:23:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36028090",
          "commentText": "Red Rising is guily pleasure. First three books are for teens so it’s a bit naive but then it turns to be more serious…\nAnyway i loved it more than i probably should have. For some reason one cant stop put these down.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Red Rising is guily pleasure.",
          "reason": "The commenter loved the series, while describing its initial books as naive.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The first three books are for teens and feel a bit naive; later it becomes more serious.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34161496,
          "author": "psithurism",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T14:53:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161496",
          "commentText": "Sociology:\n- The Coddling of the American Mind\n- The Tao of Pooh\n- Guns, Germs, and Steel\n- Weapons of the Weak\nReligious:\n- Guru Granth Sahib\n- Bible (King James Version)\n- Q’uran\n- The Book of Mormon \n- Tipitaka\nFantasy:\n- Dawn of Wonder by Jonathan Renshaw\n- The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan \n- The Way of Kings series by Brandon Sanderson\n- Mistborn also by Brandon Sanderson\n- Red Rising by Pierce Brown\n- The Licanius trilogy by James Islington\n- Saga of the Forgotten Warrior series by Larry Correia\nBiography\n- John Adams by David McCullough",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Red Rising by Pierce Brown",
          "reason": "Listed under fantasy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29696800,
          "author": "mckirk",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-26T22:00:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29696800",
          "commentText": "I agree! One of the few books I picked up and knew after the first few pages that I'd like it a lot.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I agree! One of the few books I picked up and knew after the first few pages that I'd like it a lot.",
          "reason": "The commenter agrees with praise for the book and says they liked it from the first few pages.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29674536,
          "author": "fullstackchris",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T15:48:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29674536",
          "commentText": "Red Rising is great, I love the whole capture-the-flag esque storyline - it might be my most favorite out of the whole series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Red Rising is great, I love the whole capture-the-flag esque storyline",
          "reason": "Praises the book’s capture-the-flag-like storyline.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22720301,
          "author": "thebetrayer",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T16:35:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22720301",
          "commentText": "the feed: A Novel had a big impact on me as a teen, it's a relatively short read\nAmazon has turned it into a Prime Video Original, which I have yet to watch since Episode 1 didn't strike me as great.\nEdit: I think the best sci-fi fiction book I have ever read is Red Rising, it is a newer book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think the best sci-fi fiction book I have ever read is Red Rising, it is a newer book.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best science fiction book they have ever read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes it as a newer book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665379,
          "author": "catacombs",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:45:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665379",
          "commentText": "> I was introduced to sci-fi last year and pretty much stuck to it throughout 2018.\nIf you're looking for additional science fiction suggestions:\n1. American War by Omar El Akkad\n2. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel\n3. Artemis by Andy Weir\n4. Daemon by Daniel Suarez\n5. Old Man's War by John Scalzi\n6. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch\n7. Red Rising series by Pierce Brown",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "7. Red Rising series by Pierce Brown",
          "reason": "Offered as an additional science fiction suggestion.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for additional science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536697,
          "author": "spapas82",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:43:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536697",
          "commentText": "Here are a couple I like :\n- Seveneves: A really great hard sci-fi. Very thought provoking ideas and excellent plot! Warning this is a heavy themed book. Also keep in mind that at about 3/4 in the novel there's a conclusion to the main story; the rest of the novel feels rushed and doesnt keep up; you won't miss anything if you just skip it.\n- The Expanse series (starting with Leviathan wakes). A very good series. It has a light tone and mainly focuses on characters. Some books are better than the others. If you liked the 1st one then you wont regret reading the others. Not much philosofy of hard sci-fi ideas so probably near to your liking.\n- Rendezvous with Rama: Probably my favorite Arthur Clarke novel. The plot may not be so interesting but the ideas presented make up for it.\n- Red rising series: This is a great read, the plot feels something like a GoT of scifi; although the setting could also be considered a fantasy one. This is a plot intensive series but not many scifi philosophical ideas. Probably good for your linking.\n- The three body problem trilogy: This is not so light-hearted; it is serious sci-fi presenting some excellent ideas that would blow your mind. Especially after I read the 2nd one (The Dark Forest) I kept it in my mind for a long time; thinking over the things presented there. This is sci-fi at its best.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "This is a great read, the plot feels something like a GoT of scifi",
          "reason": "Calls the series a great read and compares its plot to Game of Thrones in science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Plot intensive, with relatively few philosophical science fiction ideas; setting may feel like fantasy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17520558,
          "author": "jamesbui",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T04:43:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17520558",
          "commentText": "Recently finished the Red Rising trilogy and would recommend to anybody who likes fantasy. Not as well developed as Brandon Sanderson's works but definitely a trilogy to follow if you've caught up with Sanderson's works and want something to scratch that fantasy itch while you're waiting for the next book of his many series.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Recently finished the Red Rising trilogy and would recommend to anybody who likes fantasy.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the trilogy to fantasy fans.",
          "audience": "People who like fantasy, especially Brandon Sanderson readers waiting for his next book.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not as well developed as Sanderson's works.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961427,
          "author": "jamesrcole",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:40:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961427",
          "commentText": "I hadn't heard of this, and for anyone else wondering, it's a sci-fi novel\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Red-Rising-Pierce-Brown/dp/034553980X",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "it's a sci-fi novel",
          "reason": "The commenter identifies the book as a science fiction novel in reply to someone asking what it is.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "This is a clarification, not an endorsement.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961280,
          "author": "ryanolsonx",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:25:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961280",
          "commentText": "I would recommend Red Rising. A very good read!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend Red Rising. A very good read!",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly recommends it and calls it a very good read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630223,
          "author": "Panino",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:53:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630223",
          "commentText": "* Johnny Got His Gun, by Dalton Trumbo. Powerful anti-war story.\n  * Vagabonding, by Rolf Potts. Shaped my views on hard work and travel.\n  * 1984, by George Orwell. Brilliant and terrifying.\n  * The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle. Overcoming mental pain through consciousness. \n  * Planetwalker, by John Francis. Inspired me to walk and put myself into things more.\n  * Pure enjoyment: Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson), Ready Player One (Ernest Cline), Watchmen (Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons), Red Rising trilogy (Pierce Brown).\n\nHonorable mention: The Water Knife (Paolo Bacigalupi).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Red Rising trilogy (Pierce Brown).",
          "reason": "Includes the trilogy in a list of books read for pure enjoyment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13240233,
          "author": "leandot",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T20:44:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13240233",
          "commentText": "Tech: Relevant Search, Clojure for the Brave and True\nPersonal: The Subtle Art of not Giving a f*ck\nSci-Fi: Red Rising\nFantasy: Powder Mage, Age of Myth\nAnd a plug, but on topic - book mentions on HN: http://hackernewsbooks.com",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Sci-Fi: Red Rising",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13239927,
          "author": "JamesLeonis",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T20:04:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13239927",
          "commentText": "I ripped through Red Rising and Golden Sun last month based on a buddy's recommendation. Morning Star is my early Christmas gift. It's an absolute page-turner of a series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I ripped through Red Rising",
          "reason": "The commenter read it on a friend's recommendation and calls the series an absolute page-turner.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13237921,
          "author": "bennyg",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T15:39:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237921",
          "commentText": "I second this my goodman. Fantastic \"story\" books, not really literature. But amazing books nonetheless.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second this",
          "reason": "Affirms the parent comment’s praise of the Red Rising trilogy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13116953,
          "author": "alex-",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-06T18:20:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13116953",
          "commentText": "The final red rising book was published this year: https://www.amazon.com/Red-Rising-Trilogy-Book/dp/B0159URANK\nI really enjoyed the first 15 lives of Harry August (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECE9OD4/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?... (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECE9OD4/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1)) I only found it in 2016 although it was published in 2014.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "The final red rising book was published this year",
          "reason": "Named as a series whose final book was published that year, in response to a question about the best sci-fi read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10533353,
          "author": "monroepe",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T15:03:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10533353",
          "commentText": "Red Rising and Golden Son by Pierce Brown (fiction)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Red-Rising-The-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B... (http://www.amazon.com/Red-Rising-The-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B00CVS2J80)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Red Rising and Golden Son by Pierce Brown (fiction)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about the best books read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pierce Brown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 16,
      "threads": 14,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "dystopian fiction",
        "dystopian",
        "dystopian science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-wheel-of-time-e4968e",
      "title": "The Wheel of Time",
      "author": "Robert Jordan",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50119582,
          "author": "pmpmpmpm",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T15:25:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50119582",
          "commentText": "I can’t resist an invocation:)\nMost of these are old since I’ve been reading more articles these days but here are a few good books or series I’ve read more than twice: The Hobbit, LOTR, the Silmarillion, Neuromancer, the Chronicles of Narnia, Hong Lou Meng, The Heart Sutra, The Bhagavad Gita, The Tao De Ching, The Wheel of Time series, No country for old men, Persuasion, Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice, The Way of Kings, The Talisman, the Dark Tower Series, and The Prophet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Wheel of Time series",
          "reason": "Included among good books or series read more than twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 49899641,
          "author": "nonethewiser",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-29T20:11:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49899641",
          "commentText": "The Wheel of Time.\nI was very happy to find this. I heard complaints that it's just a Tolkien clone and Jordan doesn't portray women well. But what I found was kind of a relic. It's an excellent fantasy series that probably couldn't be written again. Wish we had more like it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's an excellent fantasy series that probably couldn't be written again. Wish we had more like it.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises it as an excellent fantasy series and wishes there were more like it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter mentions complaints about Tolkien comparisons and Jordan's portrayal of women, but describes the series positively.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41761378,
          "author": "Sabinus",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-06T23:48:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41761378",
          "commentText": "Sorry, series instead of books.\nBest Sci-fi: The Commonwealth Saga\nBest Fantasy: The Wheel of Time",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Best Fantasy: The Wheel of Time",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34171600,
          "author": "crackedbassoon",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-29T11:30:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34171600",
          "commentText": "In my opinion, not worth it. There are much better and shorter fantasy series out there.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "There are much better and shorter fantasy series out there.",
          "reason": "Says it is not worth reading and compares it unfavorably with shorter fantasy series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34161496,
          "author": "psithurism",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T14:53:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161496",
          "commentText": "Sociology:\n- The Coddling of the American Mind\n- The Tao of Pooh\n- Guns, Germs, and Steel\n- Weapons of the Weak\nReligious:\n- Guru Granth Sahib\n- Bible (King James Version)\n- Q’uran\n- The Book of Mormon \n- Tipitaka\nFantasy:\n- Dawn of Wonder by Jonathan Renshaw\n- The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan \n- The Way of Kings series by Brandon Sanderson\n- Mistborn also by Brandon Sanderson\n- Red Rising by Pierce Brown\n- The Licanius trilogy by James Islington\n- Saga of the Forgotten Warrior series by Larry Correia\nBiography\n- John Adams by David McCullough",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan",
          "reason": "Listed under fantasy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26595012,
          "author": "fish45",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-26T17:59:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26595012",
          "commentText": "I'm on book 5 of Wheel of Time right now. Honestly I haven't liked it as much as anything Cosmere so far but I'm hoping that will change.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'm on book 5 of Wheel of Time right now. Honestly I haven't liked it as much as anything Cosmere so far",
          "reason": "The commenter is reading book five but has liked it less than the Cosmere so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter hopes their opinion will change.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26594957,
          "author": "jakebasile",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-26T17:53:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26594957",
          "commentText": "The Wheel of Time series is intimidating to me. I have a bad habit of putting books down midway and forcing myself to restart them later on. I think it would take me a decade to get through Wheel of Time!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Wheel of Time series is intimidating to me.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds the series intimidating because of its length and their habit of abandoning books midway.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They expect it could take a decade to finish.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26593788,
          "author": "Kratisto",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-26T16:10:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26593788",
          "commentText": "I'm really into the Dresden novels as well.  Also read all of the Cosmere, and I highly recommend.  1/3rd of the way through Wheel of Time right now.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "1/3rd of the way through Wheel of Time right now.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25905661,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T17:04:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25905661",
          "commentText": "It really is a good series. I still have the final book left to read, but the journey up to this point has been well worth the effort.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It really is a good series. I still have the final book left to read, but the journey up to this point has been well worth the effort.",
          "reason": "Calls the series good and says reading it has been worthwhile.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not yet read the final book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25905072,
          "author": "yurishimo",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T16:31:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25905072",
          "commentText": "The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson is next up on my list. Really enjoying Mistborn so far. Still working my way through the second book.\nI've also read a lot of his other work as well as the Wheel of Time. If anyone has recommendations for other fantasy novels/epics, I'm all ears!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I've also read a lot of his other work as well as the Wheel of Time.",
          "reason": "Mentions having read the series as part of their reading history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25904875,
          "author": "frockington1",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T16:15:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25904875",
          "commentText": "Great book series, I've read through it twice now. There is a stretch in the middle though that is notoriously slow but overall it is incredible. The world building is the best I have ever seen.\nIf you like them, I would also recommend Brandon Sanderson. He writes books almost as fast as I can read them",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Great book series, I've read through it twice now.",
          "reason": "Praises the series after reading it twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A stretch in the middle is notoriously slow.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25904814,
          "author": "_RedPanda",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T16:10:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25904814",
          "commentText": "gonna start reading the wheel of time today. heard many positive things about it and I just needed something that's not about technology to get my mind off work.\nI kinda stopped reading as much as I used to since I got my first smartphone two years ago, but I am trying to change that",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "gonna start reading the wheel of time today.",
          "reason": "Plans to start the series to get their mind off work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803482,
          "author": "zer0faith",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:07:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803482",
          "commentText": "Wheel Of Time is quite honestly the best adventure and most gratifying book series I have ever had the pleasure to read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wheel Of Time is quite honestly the best adventure and most gratifying book series I have ever had the pleasure to read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the best adventure and most gratifying series they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Personal assessment by the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13237121,
          "author": "mattherman",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:30:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237121",
          "commentText": "I've spent most of 2016 chipping away at the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. Almost done!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I've spent most of 2016 chipping away at the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan.",
          "reason": "The commenter reports spending much of the year reading the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No evaluation or recommendation is stated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12098713,
          "author": "chrisabrams",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T03:02:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12098713",
          "commentText": "A Song of Fire and Ice\nZennis\nWheel of Time\nQuiet\nLord of the Rings\nIrrational Exuberance",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wheel of Time",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11705928,
          "author": "monroepe",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-16T12:52:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11705928",
          "commentText": "I started the Wheel of Time series and am currently through book 3 and I am loving it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I started the Wheel of Time series and am currently through book 3 and I am loving it.",
          "reason": "Says they are loving the series while reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10325295,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T20:47:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325295",
          "commentText": "http://jakeseliger.com/2010/03/22/influential-books-on-me-that-is\n\nSome good stuff there indeed.  The Game, Predictably Irrational, The Mating Mind, and Lord of the Rings stand out to me as excellent suggestions.  I'm just now starting book 12 of Jordan's Wheel of Time series, and while I've enjoyed it so far, I'm not sure I'd cite it as \"thought provoking\".  Entertaining, yes, and certainly worth reading, but the series doesn't stand out to me in that way.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "while I've enjoyed it so far, I'm not sure I'd cite it as \"thought provoking\". Entertaining, yes, and certainly worth reading",
          "reason": "The commenter has enjoyed the series and considers it entertaining and worth reading, with reservations about its thought-provoking quality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure it is thought-provoking.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10226072,
          "author": "monroepe",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-16T12:36:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 10211331,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10226072",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed The Eye of the World. I can't wait to start book 2. I have heard the series slows down considerably later on.But so far I love it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I can't wait to start book 2. I have heard the series slows down considerably later on.",
          "reason": "They are eager to continue, though they have heard it slows later.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They have heard the series slows down considerably later on.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10217169,
          "author": "partisan",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-14T20:08:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 10211331,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10217169",
          "commentText": "I read through the first three books of the Wheel of Time, but couldn't make it further. I may try again at some point. Did you also love Eye of the World?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I read through the first three books of the Wheel of Time, but couldn't make it further.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they could not continue past the first three books and may try again.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter couldn't make it beyond the first three books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10209523,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T21:56:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10209523",
          "commentText": "Sounds good.  I'm on book 12 of the \"Wheel of Time\" series by Jordan now, plus all the non-fiction I'm reading.  But maybe after I finish WoT I'll binge on PKD for a while.  I did enjoy VALIS quite a lot, even though it was pretty f'in weird.  :-)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm on book 12 of the \"Wheel of Time\" series by Jordan now",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is currently reading the series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8026416,
          "author": "tempestn",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-13T02:14:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 8025870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8026416",
          "commentText": "One thing to be aware of with that series is that the pace and.. quality take a serious dip around books 6 to 9. If you find yourself getting bored or bogged down at that point, it's worth skimming, reading synopses, whatever, to keep with it, then pick it back up around book 10. Or just be aware that it gets better again. (Although the first few books were still the strongest IMO, except for possibly some of the Sanderson stuff. Here's a guide: http://jasonrpeters.com/2012/12/11/the-complete-guide-to-rer... (http://jasonrpeters.com/2012/12/11/the-complete-guide-to-rereading-wheel-of-time-before-a-memory-of-light/)",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "the pace and.. quality take a serious dip around books 6 to 9",
          "reason": "Criticizes the pacing and quality around books 6–9, while saying it improves again around book 10.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the first few books were strongest, with possible exceptions among the Sanderson books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8026085,
          "author": "cmaxwe",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-12T23:19:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 8025870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8026085",
          "commentText": "http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/233649.The_Great_Hunt\nBook two of the wheel of time.\nHave never read them before...it is a lot of books.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Book two of the wheel of time.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have never read the books before and notes it is a long series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6388134,
          "author": "thejulielogan",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T04:41:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6388134",
          "commentText": "Robert Jordan's \"Wheel of Time\" series is rather epic, as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Robert Jordan's \"Wheel of Time\" series is rather epic, as well.",
          "reason": "Describes the series as epic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4787418,
          "author": "timmm",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:19:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787418",
          "commentText": "The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho.\nKing, Warrior, Magician, Lover by Moore and Gillette\nThe lean startup\nPaul Graham how to start a startup\nMark Hyman Ultimate Mind Solution\nTribal Leadership\nWheel of Time\nThink and Grow Rich\nSuperior Man David Deida\nThe Fountain Head\nEckhart Tolle New Earth\n50th Law\nGood to Great\nJed Mckenna\nEarl Nightengale\nLong Walk to Freedom\nOutliers\nGood to Great\nPsycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz (Self-image)\nSeven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey(Being awesome)\nWealth of Nations\nWayne Dyer The Tao\nSystem of the World\nOrigin of Species\nBrave new world\nThank you economy\nCrush it\nBuilt to Last\nWho Moved my Cheese\nStillness Speak Eckhert Tolle\nMastery George Leonard\nSteve Jobs Biography\nThe Last Lecture\nSteve Pavlina Books\nIacocca\nStriking Thoughts Bruce Lee\nCarlos Castaneda\nGhost in the Wires\nRichest Man in Babylon\nWay of the Superior Man\nLosing My Virginity\nThink and Grow Rich\nDelivering Happiness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wheel of Time",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569397,
          "author": "johngunderman",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T22:49:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569397",
          "commentText": "I've been following the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan (RIP) which is one of the most famous fantasy series of the past 50 years, and all of Peter F. Hamilton's novels, which can only be described as epic space operas. Both authors are worth reading, but be forewarned that getting through the (currently) 12 books in WoT will take quite a bit of your time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Both authors are worth reading, but be forewarned that getting through the (currently) 12 books in WoT will take quite a bit of your time.",
          "reason": "Says the author is worth reading and warns that the series takes considerable time to get through.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in fantasy.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it currently has 12 books and takes quite a bit of time.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797489,
          "author": "tremendo",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T05:48:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797489",
          "commentText": "A third of the way in. While I find it definitely entertaining, and like both the military adventures and geeky bits, I do not—so far—feel actually engaged with it. However this could be because it's hard to read while in bed: tiny type and bulky (at 900+ pages).\nRecently read \"On Intelligence\" by Jeff Hawkins. The middle part was quite dense for me, but in the end I gained new appreciation for the AI field, which before really seemed like much pie in the sky nonsense, and after reading this book I am a believer.\nGearing up for something completely different now as the 12th installment of the WoT series is coming out in a few weeks.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the 12th installment of the WoT series is coming out in a few weeks",
          "reason": "Mentions the upcoming twelfth installment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Jordan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 16,
      "threads": 14,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "high fantasy",
        "long series",
        "magic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ubik-34150b",
      "title": "Ubik",
      "author": "Philip K. Dick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50115941,
          "author": "johncoltrane",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T09:03:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50115941",
          "commentText": "J.R.R. Tolkien: The lord of the Rings (lost count)\nPhilip K. Dick: Ubik, Flow My Tears The Policeman Said, A Scanner Darkly, etc. too many to count (many more than twice)\nWilliam Gibson: everything at least twice\nNeal Stephenson: Snow crash (three times, I think)\nClifford D. Simak: City\nH. P. Lovecraft: everything at least twice. There is a French compilation of The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, The Silver Key, and Through the Gates of the Silver Key that I've read countless times. I've used two editions and I'm at my third.\nMaurice G. Dantec: Babylon Babies (three times)\nPossibly many others.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Philip K. Dick: Ubik, Flow My Tears The Policeman Said, A Scanner Darkly",
          "reason": "Listed among Philip K. Dick books the commenter has read many times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 47984579,
          "author": "johncoltrane",
          "createdAt": "2026-05-02T08:35:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 47984463,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47984579",
          "commentText": "A bunch of William Gibsons.\nPhilip K. Dick's Ubik, A Scanner Darkly, and Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said.\nClifford D. Simak's City.\nClassics.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Philip K. Dick's Ubik",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36022420,
          "author": "Maelcum",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T16:18:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36022420",
          "commentText": "Many of Philip K. Dick books and short stories, but Ubik and A Maze of Death are my favorites.\nWilliam Gibson's Sprawl trilogy (Neuromancer, Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive)\nDouglas N. Adams - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\nFrank Herbert's Dune books\nTheodore Sturgeon's More Than Human\nRobert A. Heinlein - Citizen of the Galaxy\nRobert Charles Wilson's Spin trilogy\nFrederik Pohl's Heechee books",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ubik and A Maze of Death are my favorites.",
          "reason": "The commenter names it as one of their favorite works.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29669613,
          "author": "0xdeadb00f",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T03:09:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29669613",
          "commentText": "Definitely Ubik by Phillip K. Dick",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Definitely Ubik by Phillip K. Dick",
          "reason": "Names it as a definite choice in response to the best book question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467533,
          "author": "xamuel",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:35:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467533",
          "commentText": "The Bible (technically working on my 2nd cover-to-cover readthrough, but have read individual books in it many times, especially the Gospel of Matthew).\nAll of Kafka's novels, but especially \"The Castle\".\nSeveral of PKD's novels: \"The Man in the High Castle\", \"Through a Scanner Darkly\", \"Ubiq\"\n\"The Silmarillion\" (when I was a young adult)\nDouglas Adams' \"Dirk Gentley's Holistic Detective Agency\" (when I was a teenager)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Ubiq\"",
          "reason": "Lists it among novels reread several times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22778673,
          "author": "agustinl",
          "createdAt": "2020-04-04T15:12:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22778673",
          "commentText": "I started in the world of sci-fi books with Nightfall from Asimov, short but extremely interesting. Then I followed with Ubik from Philip Dick, I recommend it 100%.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ubik from Philip Dick, I recommend it 100%",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17586008,
          "author": "jcubic",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-22T09:36:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17586008",
          "commentText": "My Favorite Sci-Fi book is Neuromancer by William Gibson. Also Philip K. Dick books like Ubik or his short stories are awesome.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "like Ubik",
          "reason": "Included among Philip K. Dick's works that the commenter calls awesome.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17537317,
          "author": "axplusb",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T21:57:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537317",
          "commentText": "Solaris by Stanislaw Lem\nPermutation City by Greg Egan\nUbik by Philip K. Dick",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ubik by Philip K. Dick",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536668,
          "author": "thetruepickle5",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:37:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536668",
          "commentText": "I would recommend Ubik by Phillip K Dick.\nIt reads like a thriller and a mind bender. It sort of has the feel of the movie Inception if you liked that. It's not too long or hard to read, and it's completely self contained. The more I read by Phillip K Dick the more I appreciate his ideas.\nI also second a recommendation for A Player of Games someone noted above.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend Ubik by Phillip K Dick.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15962640,
          "author": "rlease",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T18:34:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15962640",
          "commentText": "The full list: https://gitlab.com/rlease/Books\nMy list lines up with a lot of books that people have recommended here, so I'll try to add a few favorites that haven't been mentioned so far.\nFiction:\n1. Ubik - I read a bunch of Philip K. Dick this year, but this was my favorite. It's delightfully mind bending and left me thinking about it long after the book was done.\n2. All the Pretty Horses - Beautifully written. McCarthy has an uncanny ability to paint with words.\n3. Cannery Row - Short, witty, and full of interesting characters.\nNonfiction:\n1. The Idea Factory - A dive into how Bell Labs became such an innovation powerhouse and gives a rounded picture of the figureheads that brought it so much fame.\n2. Moonwalking with Einstein - A fun read about a journalist who took researching a memory competition a bit too seriously.\n3. Countdown to Zero Day - A fascinating look at the development and deployment of Stuxnet -- the virus built to set Iran's nuclear program back.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's delightfully mind bending and left me thinking about it long after the book was done.",
          "reason": "Calls it delightfully mind bending and says it stayed with them after reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10209169,
          "author": "V-2",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T20:09:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10209169",
          "commentText": "I know the pain. Well, it would be worth your while once you get to it - as I said, \"Ubik\" is pretty awesome. \"The Man in the High Castle\" too, although it's different, not that much of \"pure\" s-f element, it's political fiction, but still very Dickesque (it depicts a world where nazis won the war - where certain writer gains fame for his alternative history novel in which they actually lost :) ).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Ubik\" is pretty awesome.",
          "reason": "Calls the novel “pretty awesome.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10208113,
          "author": "V-2",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T14:08:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10208113",
          "commentText": "I agree, but it's not just VALIS. Probably most of his prose dealt with this theme. Personally I liked \"Ubik\" better.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Personally I liked \"Ubik\" better.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they liked it better than VALIS.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comparison expresses preference over VALIS, without an explicit recommendation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9708974,
          "author": "teenie",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-12T22:32:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9708974",
          "commentText": "TIE!!! \n\"The Crying of Lot 49\" by Pynchon // \"The Demolished Man\" by Bester // \"Ubik\" by Dick\n!!!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Ubik\" by Dick",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056461,
          "author": "auggierose",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T11:59:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056461",
          "commentText": "Philip K. Dick (Ubik, Man in the high castle, Flow my tears the police man said)\nFrederik Pohl (Gateway, the Space Merchants)\nUrsula K. Le Guin (The Dispossessed, Left Hand of Darkness)\nIain M. Banks (Culture novels)\nYou will find many Sci-Fi treasures by just going through http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SF_Masterworks",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Philip K. Dick (Ubik, Man in the high castle, Flow my tears the police man said)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for favourite sci-fi books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8613248,
          "author": "pmoriarty",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-16T01:59:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8613248",
          "commentText": "Ubik by Philip K Dick.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ubik by Philip K Dick.",
          "reason": "Given as an answer to the question asking for a favorite sci-fi or fantasy book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4663638,
          "author": "rendeiro",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-17T08:43:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 4661261,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite Science Fiction book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4663638",
          "commentText": "I will pick more than 1:\nUbik by Philip K. Dick (it's hard to cherry pick his best work though, ask me a different day and I will choose The Three Stigmata or Do Androids Dream or something else)\nThe Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester (simply a good story and a great background)\n1984 by George Orwell.\nWhat all these books share is the idea that sci-fi is about social, cultural and economic dynamics, not ships or time travel.\nThat is my definition of sci-fi: An on-going essay about the evolution of the dynamics of society, using exotic technology/science merely as a catalyst.\nRunner up: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card\nCould never finish (can't recommend):\n- Neuromancer \n- Cryptonomicon (Does the author feel entitled to mock the homosexuality of Alan Turing? Found that somewhat arrogant and in bad taste.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ubik by Philip K. Dick",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043481,
          "author": "wwortiz",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043481",
          "commentText": "Snow Crash and The Diamond Age are good books, especially for just starting to read again.\nUbik is my favorite PKD book followed closely by Electric Sheep.\nThe His Dark Materials isn't really sci-fi so much as fantasy but it is quite a good read (though if you didn't have a kindle it might be embarrassing buying them from the young adult section, they are quite adult though).\nI think a huge thing missing from your list is the Foundation series from Asimov (I recommend going in order of publishing, start with Foundation move onto Foundation and Empire then Second Foundation and more if you are into it).\nMy 2 cents.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ubik is my favorite PKD book followed closely by Electric Sheep.",
          "reason": "Names it as the commenter's favorite Philip K. Dick book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043450,
          "author": "gnosis",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T19:54:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043450",
          "commentText": "* Heretics of Dune\n\n  * Chapterhouse: Dune\n\n  * Lem's Cyberiad\n\n  * PKD's Ubik, Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldrich, and Martian Time-Slip\n\n  * The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\n\n  * The Illuminatus Trilogy",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "PKD's Ubik, Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldrich, and Martian Time-Slip",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86442,
          "author": "Tichy",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T23:48:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86442",
          "commentText": "Some more SF/Fantasy yarns:\n- Hyperion by Dan Simmons\n- 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear and all the other Zamonien books (only know german version)\n- Pollen by Jeff Noon\n- Otherland by Tad Williams\n- Ubik by PK Dick",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ubik by PK Dick",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip K. Dick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 16,
      "threads": 14,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "reality and perception",
        "psychological science fiction",
        "reality",
        "philosophical science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "computer-systems-a-programmer-s-perspective-435cb5",
      "title": "Computer Systems: A Programmer’s Perspective",
      "author": "Randal E. Bryant and David R. O’Hallaron",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33131172,
          "author": "Trex_Egg",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T10:19:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33131172",
          "commentText": "I recommend \"Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective\", as it also give a good explanation about how a computer works under the hoods.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend \"Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective\"",
          "reason": "Recommended for its explanation of how a computer works under the hood.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936760,
          "author": "pkszg",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T09:54:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936760",
          "commentText": "I like to read a wide variety of genre from fiction to human psychology.\nFor the mind:\nNonviolent Communication by  Marshall Rosenberg - A great book on how to communcate more effectively with others.\nThinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman -He is the only psychologist ever to recieve the Nobel Prize if I remember correctly. This book scientifically digests human biases and errors and how they influence our every day lives and decision making. Sometimes it a bit too technical for my taste and I like mostly the first part. (its not an easy read) I rarely had so many Aha-moments.\nA random walk down on wall street - For investing your income in stocks. What to do and what no to do. Simple, with facts.\nSapiens by Harari -Interesting, I remember it was a great read and fun read. Connecting a lot of dots :)\nOn programming:\nDesigning Data-Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann - I am failry a junior web dev, so any material that is clear and explains well is a great source of information and inspiration. This is such a book.\nComputer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective by Randal E. Bryant and David R. O'Hallaron - Teaches CS from the basics, which for me is a great source since I don't have a CS degree. I complement it with other materials from the internet (such as Harvard's CS50) for learning the fundamentals paralell working in my daily web dev job. Its a long book, so It will take a couple of months, years to go thorugh, but definitely worth the effort.\nFictions I love, without much introduction:\nLord of the Rings\nDune (first book)\nGame of thrones books\nFor me JRRs storytelling is outstanding, the books are better than the serires IMO.\nSpiritual Books:\n(I am not a religous person by any means and I do not follow traditions)\nSpirituality for me means a deeper connection with the universe.\nIf I really want to dig deeper than everyday work-life stuff I listen/read these books. Usually when there is a great emotional upheaval in my life or when I feel my daily distractions failed on me.\nPower of now by Eckhart Tolle - This book gives me the occasional goosebumps, a great summary of all spiritual teachings (before becoming religions) in a really simple way. If you are interested in such, I highly recommend it.\nMeditations by Marcus Aurelius - I see it mentioned here already, no intro needed.\nLetters by Seneca - This book is a proof for me that the essential human experience, the core of what makes us human does not change over time. Seneca was a great stoic thinker, who is very relatable by anyone even today (and probably will be for many millenia)\nZen Mind, Beginners Mind by Suzuki Roshi - All true spiritual teaching have the same source, but all are expressed differently. This is a great, simple powerful book to read if you lean towards buddhism.\nA Course in Miracles (no official author) -Now this is a heavy read. It has a textbook with daily practices also. This is definitely not a book for everyone.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Teaches CS from the basics, which for me is a great source since I don't have a CS degree.",
          "reason": "Uses it to learn computer science fundamentals alongside other materials.",
          "audience": "Readers learning computer science without a CS degree.",
          "caveat": "Long; the commenter expects it may take months or years to get through.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31970116,
          "author": "fm2606",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T19:05:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31970116",
          "commentText": "This is a great book that we used in Comp Sys 1 and 2.  I had every intention of reading it after class / graduating but I have yet to do it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "This is a great book that we used in Comp Sys 1 and 2.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book and says it was used in two computer systems courses.",
          "audience": "Students taking introductory computer systems courses.",
          "caveat": "They intended to read it after class but have not yet done so.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31969614,
          "author": "ericfrazier",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T17:58:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31969614",
          "commentText": "Computer Systems - A Programmer's Perspective\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Computer-Systems-Programmers-Perspect... (https://www.amazon.com/Computer-Systems-Programmers-Perspective-3rd/dp/013409266X)\nOr, any discrete math book because it will take me a lifetime to understand it.\nIf I choose an OS book, my life will be short indeed.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Computer Systems - A Programmer's Perspective",
          "reason": "Names it as a book they would choose to reread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30828547,
          "author": "billfruit",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T08:45:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30828547",
          "commentText": "Some books from a few different domains which may be of the type OP is asking for:\n1. The Trivium: The Liberal Arts of Logic, Grammar, and Rhetoric : Understanding the Nature and Function of Language by Sister Miriam Joseph.\n2. Introduction to Logic by Irving Copi.\n3. Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective by Randall Bryant and others.\n5. Prolog Programming by Ivan Bratko.\n6. Information Theory, Inference and Learning Algorithms by David MacKay\n7. Geometry by Brennan.\n8. Understanding Poetry by Robert Penn Warren and Cleanth Brookes",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective by Randall Bryant and others.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28479911,
          "author": "easytiger",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-10T11:10:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 28478751,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach you programming languages via systems projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28479911",
          "commentText": "Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective\nby Randal E. Bryant (Author), David R. O'Hallaron (Author)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective\nby Randal E. Bryant (Author), David R. O'Hallaron (Author)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26836842,
          "author": "yakubin",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-16T17:36:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 26833319,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book for software engineers (besides the well-known ones)?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26836842",
          "commentText": "Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective by Randal E. Bryant and David R. O'Hallaron\nA bit of a look into how your computer works as a whole, from the CPU, through assembly, how C is translated into this assembly, a bit about caches, Amdahl's law, virtual memory, processes, threads, I/O and a dozen other things.\n<https://www.pearson.com/store/p/computer-systems-a-programme... (https://www.pearson.com/store/p/computer-systems-a-programmer-s-perspective/P100002502659?format=MASTERING)>",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective by Randal E. Bryant and David R. O'Hallaron",
          "reason": "An overview of how a computer works, from CPU and assembly through memory, processes, threads, and I/O.",
          "audience": "Programmers",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21311639,
          "author": "qntty",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T12:48:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21311639",
          "commentText": "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs is frequently recommended here. I would especially recommend understanding section 3.2, which I've found very helpful for understanding the environment model of other languages.\nComputer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective has a lot of good explanations of hardware/os subsystems that can be hard to find detailed explanations of elsewhere. I especially like the sections on virtual memory.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective has a lot of good explanations of hardware/os subsystems that can be hard to find detailed explanations of elsewhere.",
          "reason": "Praises its explanations of hardware and operating system subsystems, especially virtual memory.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking detailed explanations of computer systems.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17033710,
          "author": "travmatt",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T20:26:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17033710",
          "commentText": "I’m halfway through the 5 and its an amazing resource.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I’m halfway through the 5 and its an amazing resource.",
          "reason": "Calls the book an amazing resource while describing reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032345,
          "author": "mfrw",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:17:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032345",
          "commentText": "My take on some which I think should be atleast read once:\n  1) The unix programming environment\n  2) The design of the unix operating system\n  3) The Pragmatic Programmer\n  4) Programming Pearls\n  5) Computer Systems: A Programmers Prespective\n  6) K & R C\n  7) The art of Unix Programming.\n\nPS: I admit my bias towards systems.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Computer Systems: A Programmers Prespective",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books the commenter thinks should be read at least once.",
          "audience": "People starting careers in software engineering or computer science, as implied by the thread question.",
          "caveat": "The commenter admits a bias toward systems.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13804126,
          "author": "hashslingrz",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:15:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804126",
          "commentText": "Gravity's Rainbow, Thomas Pynchon (1973). The Platonic ideal of the Postmodern novel that combines a deep understanding of modernity with deep understanding and pessimistic view of technology.\nPurgatory, Dante (1320). No other work so elegantly grasps Christian Sanctification and it's true difficulties.\nPhilosophical Investigations, Ludwig Wittgenstin (1953). Like Pynchon, Wittgenstein understood quite well the exhausting pedantic nature of modern life. A book that can stand on it's own without having read much philosophy, this work attacks the foundations of most of \"Modern\" (I would label this as post Medieval philosophy ). \nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, Abelsson, Sussman, Sussman (1985). For me, the definitive \"Programming is what exactly?\" book.\nComputer Systems, a Programmer's Perspective, Bryant & O'Hallaron (2012). The Concrete Systems yin to SICP's abstract yang. \nBattleCry of Freedom, McPhearson (1988). The best Civil War history in the past generation that also lays bear how much of  what we view as modern crisis in the U.S. ( partisanship, horrendous propagandized media coverage, etc ) is as old as the country itself.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Concrete Systems yin to SICP's abstract yang.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a concrete complement to SICP’s abstract approach.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9758414,
          "author": "lurdawg",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T14:12:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758414",
          "commentText": "Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective\nby Randal E. Bryant, David R. O'Hallaron\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Computer-Systems-Programmers-Perspecti... (http://www.amazon.com/Computer-Systems-Programmers-Perspective-Edition/dp/013409266X)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective\nby Randal E. Bryant, David R. O'Hallaron",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9244411,
          "author": "troydj",
          "createdAt": "2015-03-21T22:14:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 9242384,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on debugging?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9244411",
          "commentText": "Nice recommendation.  Looks like the 3rd edition was just published this month.  Bryant's blog describes the updates to the 3rd edition here:  http://csappbook.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-third-edition-will... (http://csappbook.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-third-edition-will-be-out-march-11.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nice recommendation. Looks like the 3rd edition was just published this month.",
          "reason": "Affirms the recommendation and notes that a new edition was published.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9242550,
          "author": "arihant",
          "createdAt": "2015-03-21T12:22:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 9242384,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on debugging?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9242550",
          "commentText": "While there are great options mentioned here, I would actually be suggesting that you stick to a very good systems book. A standing knowledge of lower level systems and instruction code will give great depth to your debugging skills. Nothing teaches reverse engineering better than experience.\nAt CMU, we used CS:APP (Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective). It's written by Randy Bryant, the same professor who used to teach it. I still have that book, it's updated for Ivy Bridge, and I truly believe that this book changed my approach towards debugging more than any other text. It will push you to the next curve.\nTowards the end of the book you'd find some programming labs. I highly suggest you do them religiously. Many great men have failed at them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "At CMU, we used CS:APP (Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective).",
          "reason": "Recommends the book as a foundation for stronger debugging skills.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7766038,
          "author": "kirang1989",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-19T06:52:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7766038",
          "commentText": "Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective and NAND2Tetris: Elements of Computing Systems are the best books to learn the internals of computer hardware and solidify your understanding of how a computer works.\nThe Pragmatic Programmer - My all time favorite. Awesome book to learn best practices of various aspects in programming.\nThe Code Book: The Evolution Of Secrecy From Mary, Queen Of Scots To Quantum Cryptography, if you have a thing for cryptography.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective and NAND2Tetris: Elements of Computing Systems are the best books to learn the internals of computer hardware and solidify your understanding of how a computer works.",
          "reason": "Named among the best books for learning computer hardware and how computers work.",
          "audience": "Readers learning computer systems",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7757171,
          "author": "tathastu",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:43:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7757171",
          "commentText": "Computer Systems: A programmer's perspective\nGreat look at under-the-hood of what happens when a program runs.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great look at under-the-hood of what happens when a program runs.",
          "reason": "Praises its explanation of what happens when a program runs.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Randal E. Bryant",
        "David R. O’Hallaron"
      ],
      "recommenders": 16,
      "threads": 12,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer systems",
        "systems programming",
        "computer architecture",
        "computer science fundamentals"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "foundation-series-231d44",
      "title": "Foundation series",
      "author": "Isaac Asimov",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36024356,
          "author": "MattPalmer1086",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T20:20:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36024356",
          "commentText": "There are many different genres of sci fi.  Seveneves is pretty much hard science fiction, in that it deals with plausible physics, which is also one of my favourite genres.\nI particularly recommend the Xeelee Sequence (a series of novels) by Stephen Baxter if you like mind bending sci fi over cosmological time).\nMore classically, The Foundation series by Isaac Asimov is a great (and shorter) read.\nFirst contact novels can also be interesting (meeting aliens for the first time).  Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke is great.  Also, Blindsight by Peter Watts.\nSo many others!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Foundation series by Isaac Asimov is a great (and shorter) read.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great, relatively short read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as shorter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36022242,
          "author": "vivegi",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:58:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36022242",
          "commentText": "My intro to Asimov's work was through the short story, The Fun They Had. It was part of our English Reader at class.\nAfter I grew up, I picked up the Robot Series and Foundation Series. I didn't find any fictional work of his to be uninteresting. So, perhaps this comes down to individual preferences.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Foundation Series",
          "reason": "The commenter says they picked up the series after growing up.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that preferences are individual.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536654,
          "author": "dochtman",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:35:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536654",
          "commentText": "Isaac Asimov is one of the classics, of course. I'm particularly fond of the robot novels (all four of the Elijah Baley ones especially) and the entire Foundation series. Of course, you also can't miss the robot short stories. Oh, and The End of Eternity!\nAt some point I found Charles Stross' Accelerando, which is freely available online (along with a bunch of other short stories), and found everything I've read (which is most of it at this point, I think) enjoyably fast-paced. In particular the Laundry series (of which I've bought every iteration as soon as they came out over the past few years) -- though arguably these maybe cross-over from SF into fantasy a bit -- and the Halting State trilogy.\nIn terms of online available work, Cory Doctorow's work is also great. Like Stross, most of his work is more near-term SF, which I have liked, and a bunch of it is available online under a Creative Commons license. It often moves fast and is also politically interesting; sometimes the activism shines through a little blatantly, but the themes are always make me thing in various ways I appreciate (but maybe will fail your lighthearted criterion even if it is fun). His latest is Walkaway, which I would recommend.\nI got into Neal Stephenson through Cryptonomicon, which is one of the greats. Stephenson has a pretty rambly, wordy style, but at least that also makes his stories last a bit longer. After that, I mostly moved on to Anathem, Reamde and Seveneves all of which are big and interesting and great reads (it took me longer than usual to get up to speed on Anathem, but it was very much worth it in the end). I tried one of the more historic ones (I think it was Quicksilver) at some point but haven't finished it. The 2017 Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. was a bit lighter, but lots of fun, too.\nWilliam Gibson has already been mentioned, which I would also recommend. I read the Sprawl trilogy a very long time ago, and it's made a lasting expression. I've started rereading it recently. I also liked the Blue Ant trilogy and The Peripheral, but have so far missed the more recent work.\nMore in the one-off category: The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell is one of my all-time favorites, and mixes deep SF with psychology and religion in interesting ways. There's a sequel, but it's not as good. I also liked The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, which is also on the softer side. I read Scalzi's Redshirts and liked it (especially if you're familiar with the Star Trek universe), it feels similar to Ready Player One in some ways. Daniel Suarez's (or Leinad Zeraus as he originally published them) Daemon is fun and easy to digest, along with its sequel Freedom. I liked Robert J. Sawyer's The Terminal Experiment, but one person I recommended it too wasn't impressed -- I still think it's fun, if not very deep. I also bought his Factoring Humanity and liked it okay.\nHope that helps. Always interested in more recommendations based on this list!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and the entire Foundation series.",
          "reason": "Lists the full series among the works they particularly like.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536607,
          "author": "bostik",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:26:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536607",
          "commentText": "Asimov's original \"Foundation\" - it's effectively a collection of 4,5 short stories. I recommend to remain at a discreet distance from the rest of the series. While good within the universe, they are ... different.\n\"Ender's Game\" and \"Speaker for the Dead\" by O.S.Card. (Do not touch Xenocide without a hazmat suit. And if you do, burn it before reading.)\n\"Snow Crash\" by Neil Stephenson.\n\"Rendez-vouz with Rama\" by Arthur C. Clarke.\nIf you're up for some thought-provoking stuff, \"Stranger in a Strange Land\" by Heinlein. Not the easiest read but your carve-out basically rules out \"The Moon is a Harsh Mistress\".\n\"Embassytown\" by China Mieville.\nEDIT: I forgot \"Hyperion\" by Dan Simmons.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I recommend to remain at a discreet distance from the rest of the series.",
          "reason": "The commenter advises keeping away from the remaining series books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are different, despite being good within the universe.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249033,
          "author": "GlassOuroboros",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T07:54:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249033",
          "commentText": "While I cannot recommend any particular books, I can recommend that you look into the \"Hard Science Fiction\" genre. They are very realistic, yet still have a cool aspect of fiction. The Wikipedia page for Hard Science Fiction has a list of good books in the genre.\nBesides that, off the top of my head, I would say books by Isaac Asimov (Foundation series) or Arthur C. Clarke (Space Odyssey series).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would say books by Isaac Asimov (Foundation series)",
          "reason": "Suggested as a fiction option in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking fiction, especially hard science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12244904,
          "author": "peckrob",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T01:31:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244904",
          "commentText": "I read a lot of Science Fiction for fun. These are a few of my favorites that I've given to other people:\n1. Vacuum Diagrams by Stephen Baxter. When I think of epic hard science fiction, the Xeelee Sequence books spring to mind. With a story line that spans millions of years (and a few dozen books), this collection of short stories is a good introduction to one of the best and most underrated sci-fi series out there. Baxter's Manifold trilogy (Manifold: Space, Manifold: Time and Manifold: Origin) are also fantastic.\n2. Foundation by Isaac Asimov. The whole Foundation series is wonderful, but this book is a landmark of sci-fi that should be on any fan's bookcase.\n3. The Martian by Andy Weir. This book is what I've been giving the last couple years to people who don't think they like sci-fi. Everyone I've given it to has loved it.\n4. Rama by Arthur C. Clarke. Another hard sci-fi staple. The rest of the Rama books he \"co-wrote\" with Gentry Lee are decent but become more space opera than hard sci-fi. I enjoyed them but many sci-fi fans find them polarizing.\n5. Silver Tower by Dale Brown. More of a military thriller than sci-fi (Flight of the Old Dog is another favorite of mine by him) and terribly dated by modern standards (it was written when the Soviet Union was still a thing). But it's the first \"adult\" sci-fi book I ever read as a kid, so it'll always have a special place for me.\nEDIT: Another one:\n6. Coyote by Allen Steele. I love stories like this one: primitive, longshot interstellar exploration and primitive, first generation colonization. Especially for  desperate reasons. The first two Coyote books were good, but I just can't get into any of the subsequent ones.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The whole Foundation series is wonderful",
          "reason": "Calls the whole series wonderful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9350357,
          "author": "edge17",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T19:31:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350357",
          "commentText": "Can someone enlighten me about how to read the Foundation series? Do you read them in the order of publication or the chronology of the story?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Can someone enlighten me about how to read the Foundation series?",
          "reason": "Asks whether to read the series in publication order or story chronology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348026,
          "author": "prezjordan",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:05:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348026",
          "commentText": "Twice-recommended, I'll check it out - thanks :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Twice-recommended, I'll check it out - thanks :)",
          "reason": "Accepts the recommendation and says they will check it out.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056667,
          "author": "crazychrome",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:54:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056667",
          "commentText": "For 22+ years I believed Foundation series by Issac Asimov was unparalleled, since first read when I was 10.  It changed after the Three Body Problem, especially the 2nd and 3rd installments, The dark forest, The forever death. I don't expect to add more to the list in my life span.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Foundation series by Issac Asimov was unparalleled",
          "reason": "The commenter once considered it unparalleled, but later found the Three-Body Problem more compelling.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Its status as unparalleled changed after reading the Three-Body Problem.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056639,
          "author": "Bzomak",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:47:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056639",
          "commentText": "Some which I have re-read recently and still enjoyed:\n  William Gibson's Sprawl trilogy\n\n  Frank Herbert's Dune series\n\n  Isaac Asimov's Foundation series\n\n  Frederik Pohl's \"Gateway\"\n\n  Robert Heinlein's \"The Moon is a harsh Mistress\"\n\nSome which I remember liking when I read them many years ago as a teenager:\n  E.E. Doc Smith's Lensman series\n\n  David Brin's Uplift series\n\n  Peter F. Hamilton's Greg Mandel trilogy and The Night's \nDawn trilogy\n  Orson Scott Card's \"Ender's Game\"\n\n  George R. Dickson's \"Dorsai!\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Isaac Asimov's Foundation series",
          "reason": "Listed among science fiction works the commenter has reread recently and still enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056451,
          "author": "pelario",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T11:56:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056451",
          "commentText": "Most of Asimov's books, specially:\n* Foundation Series / Robot Series / Empire Series\n* The Gods Themselves",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Foundation Series / Robot Series / Empire Series",
          "reason": "Provided as an answer to the request for favourite sci-fi books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8257617,
          "author": "bstamour",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T14:08:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257617",
          "commentText": "I have two on the go. In the middle of moving houses so it's been about a week or so since I've picked up either :S\n1. Prelude to Foundation by Asimov\n2. The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene\nI've read the Foundation series in the past, and I'm going through them again since it's been years. As for Greene, I've always had an interest in Physics, though I studied Computer Science. It's a nice introduction to String Theory that is approachable enough to be read during my leisure time.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I've read the Foundation series in the past, and I'm going through them again since it's been years.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8125548,
          "author": "Ecio78",
          "createdAt": "2014-08-02T18:30:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 8125375,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I save for offline reading during 5 weeks without Internet?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8125548",
          "commentText": "+1 for Wikipedia, not just for reading something but as a reference if you want to verify something as the old Encyclopedias we used to use.\nTo just fill the hours, I would suggest some nice book, even better good series, like Foundation and Robot Series by Isaac Asimov, A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) by George R.R. Martin etc..\nWith those I think those 5 weeks will fly..",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "like Foundation and Robot Series by Isaac Asimov",
          "reason": "Suggested as a good series to fill the hours and make the five weeks fly by.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for an entertaining series.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8026111,
          "author": "resist_futility",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-12T23:33:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 8025870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8026111",
          "commentText": "iOS Programming: BNR\nFoundation series by Asimov",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Foundation series by Asimov",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6418333,
          "author": "bpizzi",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-20T15:30:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6418333",
          "commentText": "Well I'm definitely into sci-fi literature.\nThere's simply nothing else nowadays (being in my early thirties) which can caught my attention and limited free time.\nIt's hard to sum it up to a couple of favorites... \nIf you prefer hardcore sci-fi over the rest - as I do, those are definitely first choices:\n- Iain M. Banks Culture books (\"Excession\" being the best of all to me)\n- Simmon's \"Hyperion\" and \"Fall of Hyperion\"\nSome authors managed to bring some good pieces of space-opera without being too much cheesy:\n- Hamilton and his Void books,\n- and, of course, Herbert and the Dune stuff.\nBut I must warn the casual reader here: those kind of books can get really massive.\nSecond choices - but still really good books, would be stuff written by great guys like Asimov (\"Foundation\"), OS Card (\"Enders game\") or RC Wilson (\"Spin\").",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Asimov (\"Foundation\")",
          "reason": "Listed among second choices, but described as really good.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy science fiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter ranks these as second choices.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387654,
          "author": "waterhouse",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T00:15:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387654",
          "commentText": "Isaac Asimov's robot series (start with \"I, Robot\" and \"The Caves of Steel\") is good, as is his Foundation series.  Ender's Game is also good; I've heard other people complain about the other novels in that universe (Speaker for the Dead and sequels, Ender's Shadow and sequels), but I liked them fine.  Cryptonomicon is rich, fascinating, and entertaining.  Dune is rich and pretty fascinating.  Heinlein's \"Stranger in a Strange Land\" and \"Time Enough for Love\" are somewhat scandalous, but I thoroughly enjoyed them.\nOutside science fiction: P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster novels, as well as what of his other books I've read, are hilarious and brilliant; I would suggest \"Right Ho, Jeeves\" as a starting point.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "as is his Foundation series.",
          "reason": "Says the series is good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4668220,
          "author": "S4M",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-18T11:03:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 4661261,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite Science Fiction book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4668220",
          "commentText": "Thanks for posting this thread, I can see in the other comments lots of books that I now want to read.\nFor me I don't have a one favorite book, but my take would be:\n- 1984 from Orwell\n- the Foundation series, from Isaac Asimov (and basically, in my taste any book from Asimov has some good chances to be good)\n- Hyperion, from Dan Simmons (a good scifi writer as well).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Foundation series, from Isaac Asimov",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite series in response to the thread's question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752881,
          "author": "blrgeek",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T15:44:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752881",
          "commentText": "Want to blow your mind?\nFiction\nKeep an open mind, and a sense of wonder when you read these for max effect!\nHitch-hikers guide to the galaxy. I was hooked at \"The big yellow ships hung in the air just the way bricks don't.\"\nDune - what does scarcity do to a society?\nIsaac Asimov - Robot series. Foundation series. All of his short stories, esp. The Last Question, Nightfall.\nA.C. Clarke - 2001 - series, Childhood's End, The Fountains of Paradise\nThe Little Prince, The Count of Monte Cristo, Catch-22, Siddhartha, Ender's Game, Sundiver, Wodehouse.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Foundation series.",
          "reason": "Listed in a fiction recommendation list under “Want to blow your mind?”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1633870,
          "author": "blinkit",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T19:34:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1633870",
          "commentText": "Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse.\nFoundation Series by Isaac Asimov.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Foundation Series by Isaac Asimov.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed your life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 141209,
          "author": "SwellJoe",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T22:36:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=141209",
          "commentText": "Asimov's two big universes, found in the Robots series and the Foundation series, (which turned out to be the same when he revisited them in the 70's and 80's) are simply wonderful.  By far my favorite sci-fi, and among the most enduring works in the genre.  I read them both every two or three years, and sometimes grab one off the shelf when I just want something to read.  The early Foundation is sort of a future history version of \"The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire\" (I seem to recall that was intentional, actually).  Asimov's autobiographies and the posthumous book of his correspondence are all fantastic and insightful.  I learned a lot from them, and my admiration for the man increased even more upon reading them.\nDune is also astoundingly good, though after the first three, the quality goes downhill (slowly, but surely).  Definitely lots to think about.\nRendezvous with Rama left me breathless...and I could not put it down until I'd read the last page.  I've returned to it a couple of times, and loved it every single time.  The later Rama books are deeply flawed, and should have never happened (they were not written by Clarke, and it shows), as they make Rama seem...hmmm, I can't really think of the right word that expresses it.  Cheap, dinky, small, something bad.  But Rendezvous is a must read for everyone.\nDouglas Adams, of course.  The whole Hitchhikers' series is a must, while the Dirk Gently stuff is also funny, but not sci-fi and not mandatory.\nI mentioned in another thread my love of dystopias, and one of the best ever is The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.  She's one of the best sci-fi writers alive (she doesn't exclusively write sci-fi, however).  Oryx and Crake is also fascinating.\nCat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut.  I enjoy all of Vonnegut's work, but Cat's Cradle is a magical perfect novel.\nI don't know if everyone would agree that it's sci-fi, but Mark Twain's Letters from the Earth was an eye opener for me when I was a kid (I went on a Mark Twain kick when I was in elementary school...no one ever told me that all of his books weren't kids books, so I read everything I could get my hands on after being hooked by Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn).  Turns out Mark Twain was seditious, heretical, and quite the troublemaker all around.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and the Foundation series",
          "reason": "Praises Asimov's Robots and Foundation universes as enduring favorites.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in future history and large-scale social change.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the early Foundation works resemble a future history of Rome.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isaac Asimov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 16,
      "threads": 12,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "galactic empire",
        "space opera",
        "psychohistory",
        "future history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "artificial-intelligence-a-modern-approach-e1cb77",
      "title": "Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach",
      "author": "Stuart Russell and Peter Norvig",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32790740,
          "author": "f1shy",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T14:03:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790740",
          "commentText": "Computer science: Knuth's TAOCP. And Sipser's Introduction to the Theory of Computation.\nProgramming: SICP, K&R, and Stroustrup. Siebel's Practical common lisp.\nArtificial intelligence: AI a modern approach.\nSignals and Systems: Oppenheim's book\nProbability and statistics: Probability Theory: The Logic of Science by Jaynes",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "AI a modern approach",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25905593,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T17:00:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25905593",
          "commentText": "At any given time I have somewhere around 50 books \"in flight\" in the sense that I've read at least a few pages and put it in \"currently reading\" status on Goodreads. But there's usually one (or two) that are getting the bulk of my attention. Right now the main book I'm focusing on is Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach by Norvig and Russell. I'd had this on my shelf for years and never got serious about working my way through the entire thing until recently. And I have to say, I now really regret not starting this project sooner. There's so much great stuff in this book.\nI'm not just \"reading\" it like a novel though. I \"just read\" up to a certain point (basically the end of the section on inference using FOL) and now I'm going back to a certain point (the beginning of the section on logic based agents) and going back through and doing exercises, implementing the algorithms myself, etc. Once I've satisfied myself that I have done all I need to do with this area, I'll pick back up with the section that starts talking about Uncertainty and repeat the process.\nAnd I'll keep picking through a couple of these other 49 books in random moments of idle time here and there. I'll probably finish Behind The Cloud by Marc Benioff soon.\nReading frequency? Not sure what you mean. I read everyday with few exceptions, but since books vary in length and density, I can't say \"I read two books a week\" or anything like that. But FWIW, I log my reading with Goodreads, and over the last 10 years or so of my life, I've averaged finishing somewhere between 35-50 or so books per year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I now really regret not starting this project sooner. There's so much great stuff in this book.",
          "reason": "Strongly praises the material and describes working through its explanations, exercises, and algorithms.",
          "audience": "Readers studying artificial intelligence who want to work through exercises and implement algorithms.",
          "caveat": "The commenter studies it intensively, including exercises and implementations.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20676595,
          "author": "wpmoradi",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T15:56:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20676595",
          "commentText": "I recommend reading http://aima.cs.berkeley.edu/ . Has great intro and goes into the details.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend reading http://aima.cs.berkeley.edu/",
          "reason": "Recommended for its introduction and detailed coverage.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an introduction to artificial intelligence.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16085282,
          "author": "ayushgp",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-06T14:04:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16085282",
          "commentText": "It's actually not all that useful for Machine learning and is more focused on other aspects of AI. It talks a lot about propositional logic, knowledge representation, etc.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "It's actually not all that useful for Machine learning and is more focused on other aspects of AI.",
          "reason": "The commenter criticizes its usefulness for machine learning and describes its focus on other AI topics.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for machine learning material.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it covers topics such as propositional logic and knowledge representation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16082060,
          "author": "bobosha",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-05T21:55:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16082060",
          "commentText": "AI - A modern approach by Russell & Norvig.\nhttp://aima.cs.berkeley.edu/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "AI - A modern approach by Russell & Norvig.",
          "reason": "Names it as an answer to the question about the best textbook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13902183,
          "author": "radicality",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T16:57:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13902183",
          "commentText": "Statistical learning is only one part of AI. If the person wants to learn about AI, wouldn't starting with something like \"AI: A modern approach\" he a better start?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "starting with something like \"AI: A modern approach\" he a better start?",
          "reason": "Suggests the book as a better starting point for learning AI broadly.",
          "audience": "Someone seeking to learn about AI.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13901370,
          "author": "danielam",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T14:25:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13901370",
          "commentText": "I wouldn't exaggerate the \"detailed analysis\" here. For example, I found the philosophical parts quite weak and superficial.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I found the philosophical parts quite weak and superficial.",
          "reason": "The commenter criticizes the book’s philosophical sections.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Criticism is limited to the philosophical parts.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13900970,
          "author": "nextos",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T12:24:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13900970",
          "commentText": "I love Paradigms of Artificial Intelligence by Peter Norvig much more than AIMA, which I found excessively encyclopedic and shallow.\nWhile some will argue it is dated, I think it presents many timeless ideas that will get in vogue soon with little tweaks to their inference schemes.\nSame for The Art of Prolog.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "AIMA, which I found excessively encyclopedic and shallow",
          "reason": "The commenter found it excessively encyclopedic and shallow.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13900933,
          "author": "cowpig",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T12:12:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13900933",
          "commentText": "AI: A Modern Approach (Russell, Norvig) and Deep Learning (Goodfellow, Bengio) have been mentioned already.\nI'd also recommend:\nGodel, Escher Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid\nby Douglas Hofstadter. Might not be exactly what you're looking for (it's all over the place, touching music theory, math, art, philosophy...), but it's fun and enjoyable to read. Also very dense.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "AI: A Modern Approach (Russell, Norvig)",
          "reason": "Listed among books answering the request for AI book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13900717,
          "author": "arihant",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T10:39:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13900717",
          "commentText": "You cannot really go practical in AI without academic rigor. You can do recipes of what's already been done using a TensorFlow book, but that's how far one can go. If one is serious in getting in AI today, a great way to do is read the following books, in order:\n1. AI: A Modern Approach by Stuart Russell and Peter Norvig.\n2. Deep Learning by Ian Goodfellow and Yoshua Bengio.\nIt is amazing how approachable both books are for beginners, but you will be diving a lot into academic stuff as you go along.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "AI: A Modern Approach by Stuart Russell and Peter Norvig.",
          "reason": "Recommended as the first book in an ordered path for studying AI.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The path involves academic material; both books are described as approachable for beginners.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13900331,
          "author": "brogrammer2",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T07:37:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13900331",
          "commentText": "Though it is an academic book, Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach by Stuart Russell and Peter Norvig.\nThe first chapter in the book provides a detailed analysis of how other disciplines contribute to the idea of AI - from Philosophy to Psychology, Biology to Computer Science. Makes for an interesting read, even for a non-tech reader.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Though it is an academic book, Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach by Stuart Russell and Peter Norvig.",
          "reason": "Offers the title in response to a request for AI book recommendations and notes that it is academic.",
          "audience": "Nontechnical readers may find the first chapter interesting.",
          "caveat": "Academic rather than mostly practical.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13408839,
          "author": "JotForm",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T08:37:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13408839",
          "commentText": "Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach is a great read!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach is a great read!",
          "reason": "Calls it a great read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8001351,
          "author": "presty",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T20:56:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8001351",
          "commentText": "edit: forget my answer. I didn't read them as ebooks\nfor plain books:\nWindows Internals by Solomon and Russinovich\nAI: A modern Approach by Russell and Norvig",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "AI: A modern Approach by Russell and Norvig",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as a print book, not an ebook.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8001335,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T20:54:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8001335",
          "commentText": "> \"Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach\"\nI think it is one of the best books written on any topic ever period.\nIt is kinda advanced but also brilliant, and was a turning point in my decision to master hacking.\n> Now I am reading \"Two Scoops of Django\" and enjoying it A LOT.\nIt's closer to a beginner/intermediate level, and it brings me a lot of joy and excitement about programming.\n> Another one is \"Hackers & Painters\", of course. PG is brilliant, nuff said.\nHis book \"ANSI Common Lisp\" is definitely on the top of my reading list, I've already started and it is great.\n> Just to mention, a little less technical book is \"Ghost In The Wires\" by Kevin Mitnick, a famous hacker.\nI'm listening the audiobook now and it is really inspiring, entertaining and fantastic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think it is one of the best books written on any topic ever period.",
          "reason": "Called one of the best books on any topic; described as brilliant and a turning point in the commenter's decision to master hacking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it advanced.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231232,
          "author": "ekm2",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T17:31:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231232",
          "commentText": "An introduction to Probability by William Feller\nCode(By Charles Petzold)\nFeynman Lectures Vol1\nArtificial Intelligence,A Modern Approach By Norvig\nBlink By Malcolm Gladwell.\nConcurrently.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Artificial Intelligence,A Modern Approach By Norvig",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231155,
          "author": "thomas11",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T17:01:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231155",
          "commentText": "Artificial Intelligence, a Modern Approach (Russell & Norvig), while doing ai-class.com. Great writing for a text book.\nCoders at Work (Seibel).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Artificial Intelligence, a Modern Approach (Russell & Norvig)",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its writing as great for a textbook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026868,
          "author": "Xichekolas",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T06:13:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026868",
          "commentText": "Programming in Haskell by Graham Hutton\nA.I. A Modern Approach (ch 13-16) by Russell and Norvig\nA Tunnel In The Sky by Robert Heinlein\nThe Revelation Space series (3 of the 5 books) by Alistair Reynolds\nEon/Eternity (both by Greg Bear)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A.I. A Modern Approach (ch 13-16) by Russell and Norvig",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter specifies chapters 13–16.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 79649,
          "author": "queensnake",
          "createdAt": "2007-11-14T04:22:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 79359,
          "threadTitle": "Can anyone recommend good books, articles or essays that introduce machine learning?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=79649",
          "commentText": "This is kind of moot, truthfully I'd go, now (or look first at, but they're both getting praise so...) for Chris Bishop or Ethem Alpaydin's new books. But between Norvig and Mitchell, Norvig has 138 pages on learning vs Mitchell's ~390, but, Mitchell's is from a different era, Norvig is easier to read - larger pages, more diagrams, better writing, and you know where you are better - and fresher material. To each his own. But like I say, I'd probably go with one of the even newer ones. For a while Mitchell was all there was, then Norvig came along, and now there're a few to choose from.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Norvig is easier to read - larger pages, more diagrams, better writing, and you know where you are better - and fresher material.",
          "reason": "Praised for readability, diagrams, writing, and fresher material in comparison with Mitchell's book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 79590,
          "author": "neilc",
          "createdAt": "2007-11-14T00:19:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 79359,
          "threadTitle": "Can anyone recommend good books, articles or essays that introduce machine learning?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=79590",
          "commentText": "I've seen the Norvig book recommended by others on this site for ML, but I don't understand why: the Norvig book is an AI book, not an ML book. It only has a few chapters on learning, and IIRC much of that is on reinforcement learning. Obviously the Norvig book is very well-written and is good background for learning about ML, but I don't think it is a sufficient ML book as such.\nAs far as ML goes, I found the \"Programming Collective Intelligence\" book to very readable and practical, but very light on the theoretical foundations (which is intentional, of course). I've got a copy of the Witten ML book (\"Data Mining: Practical Machine Learning Tools and Techniques\"), but to be honest I haven't gotten much from it yet, either: it doesn't seem to discuss SVMs in any detail, nor random forests or neural networks. But I haven't really dug into it yet.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the Norvig book is an AI book, not an ML book.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a well-written AI book and useful background, but insufficient as an ML book by itself.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking background before studying machine learning.",
          "caveat": "Only a few chapters cover learning, and the commenter says it is not sufficient as an ML book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 79563,
          "author": "queensnake",
          "createdAt": "2007-11-13T23:17:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 79359,
          "threadTitle": "Can anyone recommend good books, articles or essays that introduce machine learning?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=79563",
          "commentText": "I disagree wrt Mitchell; too dry and out-of-date. In its place I'd recommend the Norvig book which covers everything Mitchell does (IIRC) except 'Probably Approximately Correct' (PAC) learning. And, it's more up-to-date (Support Vector Machines) and is much more readable. Also, I haven't read it except a flip-through at a bookstore, but Christopher Bishop's one I'd look at (perhaps the Amazon comments).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend the Norvig book which covers everything Mitchell does (IIRC) except 'Probably Approximately Correct' (PAC) learning.",
          "reason": "Recommended as more up to date and readable, while noting it omits PAC learning.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it does not cover PAC learning.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 79454,
          "author": "wastedbrains",
          "createdAt": "2007-11-13T19:50:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 79359,
          "threadTitle": "Can anyone recommend good books, articles or essays that introduce machine learning?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=79454",
          "commentText": "Artificial Intelligence A Modern Approach SE, by Stuart Russell and Peter Norvig.\nI am a big fan of Peter Norvig in particular, he has a ton of great essays and code available online: http://norvig.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Artificial Intelligence A Modern Approach SE, by Stuart Russell and Peter Norvig.",
          "reason": "Listed as a book suggestion in response to a request for introductory machine learning resources.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring machine learning and artificial intelligence.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stuart Russell",
        "Peter Norvig"
      ],
      "recommenders": 16,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "machine learning",
        "ai textbooks",
        "algorithms"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bad-blood-bcb46d",
      "title": "Bad Blood",
      "author": "John Carreyrou",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26593482,
          "author": "avgDev",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-26T15:47:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26593482",
          "commentText": "I'm all about nonfiction. Technical books, mostly programming, investing, true crime and books about some events. I really enjoyed \"Bad blood\" and a recent book about Chernobyl explosion but I cannot remember it's name.\nI read a few times a week tops.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed \"Bad blood\"",
          "reason": "Says they really enjoyed the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21911224,
          "author": "cdr6934",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-30T06:17:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21911224",
          "commentText": "Here are my favorites for the decade:\nNever Split the Difference - https://amzn.to/2sAfLGj\nBad Blood - https://amzn.to/2F4IW71\nThe Alchemist - https://amzn.to/356NRyV\nThe Hard Thing About Hard Things - https://amzn.to/39mLs6t",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bad Blood - https://amzn.to/2F4IW71",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's favorites of the decade.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21795877,
          "author": "Auslaender",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-15T12:22:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21795877",
          "commentText": "This.\nI read this book January this year and it was terrific. It reads like a hollywood movie. Some people in that book are just insane.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read this book January this year and it was terrific.",
          "reason": "Calls the book terrific and says it reads like a Hollywood movie.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20989471,
          "author": "JimmyAustin",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T23:10:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20989471",
          "commentText": "I'll recommend this as well. Another great book in the \"company exploding in a case of massive fraud\" genre is Billion Dollar Whale by Tom Wright and Bradley Hope, which goes into the 1MDB scandal.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'll recommend this as well.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the book discussed in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20984200,
          "author": "MattLeBlanc001",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T14:15:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20984200",
          "commentText": "I Recommend this too.\nRead this back in January. 10/10",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I Recommend this too.",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the recommendation in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20982476,
          "author": "marshallbananas",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T09:50:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20982476",
          "commentText": "Bad Blood by John Carreyrou, a book about the infamous blood testing startup Theranos. I couldn't put it down. Read the whole thing in a day and a half.\nIt's basically a gripping thriller set in Silicon Valley. The story focuses on what went on within the company since its inception. It's completely mind boggling how and why it all happened.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bad Blood by John Carreyrou, a book about the infamous blood testing startup Theranos. I couldn't put it down.",
          "reason": "Calls it a gripping thriller and says they couldn't put it down.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18849549,
          "author": "MattLeBlanc001",
          "createdAt": "2019-01-07T20:18:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 18824130,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What article/book do you recommend for my next flight?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18849549",
          "commentText": "Reading this right now. God this book is soo good, it's a must read for any startup founder.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Reading this right now. God this book is soo good, it's a must read for any startup founder.",
          "reason": "Calls it a must-read for startup founders.",
          "audience": "Startup founders.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18829760,
          "author": "randycupertino",
          "createdAt": "2019-01-05T03:41:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 18824130,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What article/book do you recommend for my next flight?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18829760",
          "commentText": "I just finished the audiobook of American Kingpin and LOVED IT.  Nonfiction that reads like a thriller.  Very well done and the narration was also excellent (which also comes into play a lot for audiobooks!).\nBad Blood by John Carreyrou about the rise and fall of Theranos is very similar feel to American Kingpin, if you enjoyed one you will probably love the other; I thought both were equally fantastic, probably my best reads of 2018.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bad Blood by John Carreyrou about the rise and fall of Theranos is very similar feel to American Kingpin, if you enjoyed one you will probably love the other; I thought both were equally fantastic",
          "reason": "Says readers who enjoyed American Kingpin will probably love it and calls both books fantastic.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoyed American Kingpin.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18825377,
          "author": "x0x0",
          "createdAt": "2019-01-04T16:43:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 18824130,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What article/book do you recommend for my next flight?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18825377",
          "commentText": "Bad Blood by John Carreyrou.  John is the WSJ reporter whose investigation of Theranos brought to light their behavior.\nEvery chapter you read there will be at least one \"Holy shit.  I can't believe someone did that\" moment.\nBill Gates concurs https://www.gatesnotes.com/Books/Bad-Blood",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bad Blood by John Carreyrou.",
          "reason": "Recommends the book and highlights the revelations in each chapter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18745760,
          "author": "srge",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T12:38:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18745760",
          "commentText": "Yes it’s a great book, non-fiction but riveting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Yes it’s a great book, non-fiction but riveting.",
          "reason": "Affirms that the book is great and riveting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18744047,
          "author": "taleodor",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T02:36:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744047",
          "commentText": "thanks for mentioning Bad Blood - truly great book, possibly best in 2018",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "thanks for mentioning Bad Blood - truly great book, possibly best in 2018",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book and possibly the best of 2018.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says “possibly” the best, expressing some uncertainty.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18664771,
          "author": "ColinWielga",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T15:39:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664771",
          "commentText": "+1 for Bad Blood and Shoe Dog",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for Bad Blood",
          "reason": "Seconding the title recommended in the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18664368,
          "author": "adenadel",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T14:53:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664368",
          "commentText": "The best books that I read this year were\nBad Blood by John Carreyrou (this book is about Theranos and is absolutely insane, it reads like a thriller)\nEducated by Tara Westover (this is a fascinating memoir about a woman who was raised by fundamentalists and \"escaped\" to BYU)\nThe Undoing Proect by Michael Lewis (about the relationship between Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky and their research together)\nThe Rise and Fall of DODO by Neal Stephenson (I love all of his books)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bad Blood by John Carreyrou (this book is about Theranos and is absolutely insane, it reads like a thriller)",
          "reason": "Named among the commenter's best books of the year and described as gripping.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18474351,
          "author": "kfrog10101010",
          "createdAt": "2018-11-17T06:52:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 18473561,
          "threadTitle": "Best book/paper you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18474351",
          "commentText": "Bad Blood.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bad Blood.",
          "reason": "Names it as an answer to the question about the best book or paper read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18474349,
          "author": "kfrog10101010",
          "createdAt": "2018-11-17T06:51:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 18473561,
          "threadTitle": "Best book/paper you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18474349",
          "commentText": "Bad Blood",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bad Blood",
          "reason": "Names it as an answer to the question about the best book or paper read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17751036,
          "author": "preslavrachev",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T15:58:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17751036",
          "commentText": "I was just going to mention \"Bad Blood\" as well. I am currently reading it and just can't stop.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I am currently reading it and just can't stop.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they cannot stop reading it, expressing strong positive engagement.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17750009,
          "author": "wpietri",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T13:47:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17750009",
          "commentText": "This isn't quite in the category, but John Carreyrou's nonfiction book \"Bad Blood\", which covered the rise and fall of Theranos, satisfied me in a similar way. There's plenty of crime, although it's really about pretending to be high-tech rather than actually being high tech. For people in tech who love a good fraud story, I highly recommend it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "John Carreyrou's nonfiction book \"Bad Blood\", which covered the rise and fall of Theranos",
          "reason": "Highly recommends it as a satisfying fraud story.",
          "audience": "People in tech who enjoy a good fraud story",
          "caveat": "Nonfiction, and focused on fraud rather than cybercrime.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17537609,
          "author": "divan",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T23:09:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537609",
          "commentText": "I also couldn't stop reading it, and devoured it in one day. Amazing read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also couldn't stop reading it, and devoured it in one day. Amazing read.",
          "reason": "Says they could not stop reading it and calls it an amazing read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17523345,
          "author": "zilchers",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T14:46:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17523345",
          "commentText": "1. Measure What Matters - John Doers book about OKR’s is awesome, best business book since Lean Startup\n2. Bad Blood - Just started it and it reads like John Grisham\n3. The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaur - Narrative about dinosaurs, I’m excited\n4. Cork Dork - Great book about wine and Sommeliers\n5. Waterloo: The History of Four Days - Everyone talks about Napolean’s defeat, but I honestly know nothing about it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Just started it and it reads like John Grisham",
          "reason": "The commenter has just started it and compares its reading experience to John Grisham's writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has only just started reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Carreyrou"
      ],
      "recommenders": 16,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "theranos",
        "investigative journalism",
        "corporate fraud",
        "startup fraud"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "why-we-sleep-aac0b1",
      "title": "Why We Sleep",
      "author": "Matthew Walker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42218912,
          "author": "rashidae",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T03:06:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42218912",
          "commentText": "I’ve been getting into self-optimization lately, and sleep has been a game-changer. Two books that really opened my eyes are Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker and Outlive by Peter Attia. Walker breaks down why sleep is so critical, while Attia ties it into the bigger picture of health and longevity. Also been exploring Bryan Johnson’s Blueprint Protocol.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Two books that really opened my eyes are Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker",
          "reason": "The commenter says it opened their eyes to why sleep is critical.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40969998,
          "author": "nonameiguess",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-15T17:53:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 40962582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most accurate scientific book on human sleep?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40969998",
          "commentText": "The long and short of it is that it's basically impossible to do interventional studies on sleep deprivation in which you can see longitudinal as opposed to acute outcomes. Interventional studies are all short duration because no research subject is going to be willing or probably even able to comply with long-term sleep deprivation, and interventional studies on the order of decades over which things like cancer and death tend to happen are rare anyway simply because you can't intervene in a research subject's life for that long a span of time.\nSo understand the limitations of observational epidemiology studies. Correlations are observed between some outcome of interest (i.e. cancer and death) and a variable or variables these may or may not be impacted by (i.e. duration, quality, and regularity of sleep). If you observe a positive correlation, well, what causes it? Maybe poor sleep gives you cancer. Maybe cancer gives you poor sleep. Maybe a life full of terrible stress gives you both poor sleep and cancer. The researchers can't possibly know. This type of research is done to find interesting correlations that can then be investigated further by conducting interventional studies.\nThis is what the public doesn't seem to understand. Observational studies in nutrition and exercise science and what not are always being posted to Hacker News, but these are not really meant for public consumption. They're meant to suggest avenues of further research by other scientists. You see the same thing with various classifications by standards bodies, for instance, the IARC carcinogen thing. They classify compounds as possibly carcinogenic not to warn people off of using them, but to suggest to other researchers what they should bother and not bother looking into.\nUnfortunately, as I stated in the first paragraph, it is hard to go further with sleep science. The problem with the book \"Why We Sleep,\" caveating here that I haven't read it personally, is I'm pretty sure it goes beyond what the evidence warrants in order to state with far too much certainty that losing sleep causes a whole lot of bad outcomes when we do not know that to be true. My engagement with this largely goes back to the earlier Hacker News threads about this book and the Barbell Medicine and Stronger by Science podcasts going into fairly detailed debunkings of it and breakdowns of what we really know about sleep deprivation and poor sleep.\nTreating insomnia is a different matter. People with insomnia will definitel consent to interventions, including long-term interventions. Whether or not any evidence exists for various interventions other than pharmaceutical sleep aids, I'm not all that aware of. Out of all the over the counter supplements people recommend, I'm pretty sure melatonin is the only one known to work, but it has drawbacks in that it tends to leave you drowsy when you wake and some people report wild and disturbing dreams. I'm sure it's worth trying, though.\nThere is plenty of pop sleep hygiene advice out there. I have no idea what sort of evidence other than anecdote it really has behind it, either, but it's also harmless to try. The standard keep your room cool, remove all lights, commit to a regular schedule, be in bed 30 minutes before you plan to sleep, all that that I'm sure you've heard before. I know my wife is trying a bunch. I'm not sure how well it's working. I used to be an insomniac when I was a kid. Now I'm not. I didn't really do anything. That seems to be common as well, or at least a lot of podcast hosts reported the same thing. They were insomniacs. Now they're not.\nGranted, I run 60 miles a week, lift four days a week, and rock climb three days a week. I'm sure a lot of people will just say that much exercise is going to make you tired. I do believe evidence suggests that, but I was just as active as a kid.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The problem with the book \"Why We Sleep,\" caveating here that I haven't read it personally",
          "reason": "Questions the book's certainty about sleep deprivation causing harmful outcomes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it personally and says it may overstate the evidence.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40968345,
          "author": "sabrina_ramonov",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-15T14:47:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 40962582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most accurate scientific book on human sleep?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40968345",
          "commentText": "reading Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art helped me more than Why We Sleep and other sleep books. I have sleep apnea and have tried many solutions, including mandibular devices. Putting on mouth tape to force myself to breath through my nose did the trick. No sleep doctor or sleep dentist ever mentioned this inexpensive solution to try.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "helped me more than Why We Sleep and other sleep books.",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a comparison; the commenter says Breath helped more.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40967222,
          "author": "softwaredoug",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-15T12:27:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 40962582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most accurate scientific book on human sleep?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40967222",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed \"The Sleep Solution\" by Chris Winter\nIt's less catastrophizing about bad sleep than Why We Sleep, has a good sense of humor, lots of great information about Insomnia and other problems. Unlike \"Why We Sleep\", Dr. Winter is a practicing sleep doctor so has perhaps more practical perspective.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Sleep-Solution-Why-Your-Broken/dp/039... (https://www.amazon.com/Sleep-Solution-Why-Your-Broken/dp/0399583602)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "It's less catastrophizing about bad sleep than Why We Sleep",
          "reason": "Used as a comparison for the recommended book; no direct endorsement or criticism is stated here.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40965036,
          "author": "darby_nine",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-15T03:25:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 40962582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most accurate scientific book on human sleep?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40965036",
          "commentText": "> are kind of like a junk food version of science\nWhile I have long agreed with this sentiment, I'd like to gently push back against the idea that \"science\" is itself coherent, reliable, monolithic, or able to be digested by a single human at all.  I suspect what you're actually comparing to is in-depth reading of published papers from which you draw your own conclusions—reliable or not—drawn arbitrarily from a pool where there's basically zero way to actually verify the quality of the papers you're reading. In this light I don't think it's a bad thing that people are given a glimpse of scientific understanding through pop-literature because the vast majority of people—even those that read papers—grossly overestimate the certainty of knowledge that they have not specifically specialized in.\nThis is a long-winded way of saying basically nobody interacts with \"science\" directly. It all comes down to trust, and I strongly suspect that the trust in a give pop-literature writer isn't that much worse-placed than the average person writing the academic papers in the first place—outside the topic of the paper, of course. It's incredibly difficult to aggregate knowledge without serious evidence about how trustworthy the publishers and writers are, and sadly credentials and brand prestige tend to be piss-poor evidence.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I suspect what you're actually comparing to is in-depth reading of published papers",
          "reason": "Uses the book as an example of popular science while arguing that pop literature can offer a glimpse of scientific understanding.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40964843,
          "author": "gandalfgreybeer",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-15T02:33:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 40962582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most accurate scientific book on human sleep?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40964843",
          "commentText": "Might be relevant but there was this old submission [1] debunking the facts behind \"Why We Sleep\"\n1. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21546850",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "debunking the facts behind \"Why We Sleep\"",
          "reason": "Links to a submission debunking claims made in the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40964603,
          "author": "Aurornis",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-15T01:31:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 40962582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most accurate scientific book on human sleep?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40964603",
          "commentText": "Books like “Why We Sleep” and podcasts like Huberman Lab are kind of like a junk food version of science: They deliver some bits of information that can be helpful, but they’re so coated in stretched truth, overconfidence, and stories crafted more to sound good than to be accurate that it’s not really accurate science material.\nIn a case like yours (difficulty sleeping) that might actually be fine, to be honest. A lot of people find relief from simply feeling like they understand a subject, rather than from having absolute accuracy of information. The confidence begets a feeling of control, which diminishes anxiety, which indirectly leads to better sleep.\nThese podcasts and materials often follow a pattern of suggesting some specific protocol based on loose interpretations of some underpowered study. The actual power of these supplements on routines is almost always much lower than the host says (Huberman is one of the worst at this) but the confidence with which the protocol is prescribed is often enough to convince people that it will work. The protocols and supplements turn into rituals and routines, which are cues for sleep, indirectly establishing a healthier sleep cycle with cues for relaxation.\nOn the other hand, some people get more anxious after consuming this material because they feel like not sleeping well is killing them, which creates more anxiety, which then worsens sleep.\nI’ll let you decide which category you’re in.\nFor actual material on the subject: Sleep science and research isn’t as much about practical lifestyle tips as you might expect. The material that would be more helpful, practically speaking, is to pursue therapy-like modalities and relaxation techniques. You will find much more material about practically improving sleep from the therapy angle than you will from reading deep science on sleep architecture.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Books like “Why We Sleep” and podcasts like Huberman Lab are kind of like a junk food version of science",
          "reason": "Criticizes the book as overstating certainty and relying on stretched truth.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40963922,
          "author": "pedalpete",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-14T23:11:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 40962582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most accurate scientific book on human sleep?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40963922",
          "commentText": "Why We Sleep has some issues, but for a primer, it's a good intro.\nI read that before I got into working in the neurotech/sleeptech space.\nThe Cambridge textbook The Neuroscience of Sleep and Dreams[1] I found surprisingly approachable. I've long had an interest in neuroscience, so it wasn't a completely new subject to me, but it wasn't a bad read.\nI'm a life-long insomniac, you didn't go into the details of your sleep problems, and I initially read Why We Sleep because I was trying to understand sleep and fix my own problem. Unfortunately, I it's still all the same CBT-I stuff, sleep hygiene, etc etc.\nWe're not working in insomnia, I haven't found anything in the peer-reviewed literature which is convincing that anyone is near a solution in this space.\n[1](https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/neuroscience-of-sleep-a... (https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/neuroscience-of-sleep-and-dreams/B4E0F0EC7C52BF82B205E83E9CC30A59))",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Why We Sleep has some issues, but for a primer, it's a good intro.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a useful primer while noting issues.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an introduction to sleep.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it has some issues and does not address their insomnia.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40963687,
          "author": "bwb",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-14T22:30:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 40962582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most accurate scientific book on human sleep?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40963687",
          "commentText": "Try:\nhttps://shepherd.com/book/why-we-sleep (even though it is general it is still great imp).\nOr, this book by this scientist on sleep: https://shepherd.com/best-books/the-science-of-dreams\nIt is heavily about dreams but touches on so much more.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "https://shepherd.com/book/why-we-sleep",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to a question seeking a book about sleep.",
          "audience": "Someone seeking to learn about human sleep.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it is general.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37163078,
          "author": "alexilliamson",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T15:21:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37163078",
          "commentText": "There is some good content in the book, but beware that Matthew Walker is a bit of an intellectual fraudster https://statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2020/03/24/why-we-sle... (https://statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2020/03/24/why-we-sleep-a-tale-of-institutional-failure/)",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Matthew Walker is a bit of an intellectual fraudster",
          "reason": "Warns readers about the author while discussing the book’s claims.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls Walker an intellectual fraudster.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21906494,
          "author": "biophysboy",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T15:56:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21906494",
          "commentText": "Hey Guzey, thanks for hopping in. I like your blog.\nWalker's book is sloppy. The graph you mention last is egregious. No disagreements here. Honestly I agree with you at least partly on all of your points.\nSo why did I miss your points? I was trying to give better evidence/info relevant to the topic of each point. My hope was people would read it and continue to respect sleep as an open and very interesting biological question. Maybe it came off as ignoring the points. I understand that. But honestly I don't care about Walker that much - I care about sleep. Its really weird, and we don't understand it.\nOut of curiosity, what is your current stance on sleep?\nEDIT: after re-reading this comment, I realized it might seem a bit disingenuous, because I did criticize your arguments as bad faith. Clearly I care a little about your take-down of Walker.\nI said this because you found claims in Walker's book, found errors in his evidence, and then denied the general claims in your bold-font headings. It seemed like you were dismissing the putative importance of sleep along with dismissing Walker the author. I felt this was uncharitable to the topic, so I gave you the \"bad faith\" charge.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Walker's book is sloppy. The graph you mention last is egregious.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the book sloppy and criticizes one of its graphs.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21901872,
          "author": "sgdpk",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T21:29:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21901872",
          "commentText": "Reading \"Why we sleep\" right now and enjoying it very much. It covers a lot of research, and Walker manages to tell a story and get you the bird's eye view of what the research means. Definitely recommend.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Reading \"Why we sleep\" right now and enjoying it very much.",
          "reason": "Says they are enjoying the book and praises how it presents the research.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21801896,
          "author": "guzey",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T09:34:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21801896",
          "commentText": ">i've read both the book and the Guzey piece and i think the most substantial insight in his rebuttal is that oversleeping can increase mortality risk\nYou're misreading my piece. It never claimed that oversleeping can increase mortality risk.\nHowever, I do show that Walker repeatedly misrepresents important evidence, makes stuff up, lacks basic understanding of biology etc. etc.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Walker repeatedly misrepresents important evidence, makes stuff up, lacks basic understanding of biology",
          "reason": "The commenter criticizes the book's treatment of evidence and biology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21801889,
          "author": "guzey",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T09:33:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21801889",
          "commentText": ">there's a few issues that the author of that blog post has with some small assertions made by Matthew Walker.\nThis is not true. I point out that within the first 10 pages of the book, Walker misrepresents serious facts (the longevity and the cancer thing), makes stuff up (the WHO sleep epidemic thing), shows lack of understanding of basic sleep facts (the FFI thing), etc.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "within the first 10 pages of the book, Walker misrepresents serious facts",
          "reason": "The commenter alleges factual misrepresentation, fabrication, and misunderstanding of sleep science.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21797785,
          "author": "muffa",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-15T18:12:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21797785",
          "commentText": "Why we sleep - Deep-dive in why we sleep and what to do to sleep better\nBorn a crime - Follow Trevor Noah in his early life in South Africa.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Why we sleep - Deep-dive in why we sleep and what to do to sleep better",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21795316,
          "author": "tonyedgecombe",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-15T09:34:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21795316",
          "commentText": "It's still an interesting read even if you do sleep well. If nothing else it will help you have some empathy for people who struggle or just have a different pattern to yourself.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's still an interesting read even if you do sleep well.",
          "reason": "Says it is interesting even for good sleepers and may build empathy for people with different sleep patterns.",
          "audience": "People who sleep well, and people seeking to understand others’ sleep difficulties or patterns.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21794564,
          "author": "benjohnson",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-15T05:02:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21794564",
          "commentText": "If you have good sleep habits you don't need to read the book. If you think of sleep as an annoyance or not worthwhile then I highly recommend it",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend it",
          "reason": "Recommends the book to people who see sleep as an annoyance or unimportant.",
          "audience": "People who undervalue sleep.",
          "caveat": "Says people with good sleep habits do not need to read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21793061,
          "author": "greentrust",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T23:16:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793061",
          "commentText": "\"almost complete bullshit\" is a bit strong. i've read both the book and the Guzey piece and i think the most substantial insight in his rebuttal is that oversleeping can increase mortality risk, otherwise it seems like a lot of “he cited this wrong” or <nasally-voice>well technically…</nasally-voice>. most of the broader themes in walkers book still stand.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "i've read both the book and the Guzey piece",
          "reason": "Discusses the book’s rebuttal and argues its broader themes still stand.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says oversleeping can increase mortality risk and that some rebuttal points concern citation errors or technicalities.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21792933,
          "author": "fcarraldo",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T22:55:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21792933",
          "commentText": "Is it, though? The first link is just the HN thread on the third link, which contains some debate about whether the criticisms from the third are accurate, and the Independent _cites_ \"Why We Sleep\" throughout - not debunks it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the Independent _cites_ \"Why We Sleep\" throughout - not debunks it.",
          "reason": "Discusses the book while disputing the claim that the cited article debunks it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter challenges the parent’s characterization of criticism of the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21792840,
          "author": "bsmitty5000",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T22:39:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21792840",
          "commentText": "Wow this is the first time I've ever seen a contrarian opinion on this book. I've never read Why We Sleep but I see it pop up in threads really often.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I've never read Why We Sleep but I see it pop up in threads really often.",
          "reason": "The commenter notes they have not read it and have seen it mentioned often.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21792392,
          "author": "chupa-chups",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T21:28:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21792392",
          "commentText": "\"Why we sleep\" is, according to independent research, almost complete bullshit:\nhttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21546850\nhttps://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families... (https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/sleep-myths-debunked-coffee-tips-snoring-tired-dreams-a8240456.html)\nhttps://guzey.com/books/why-we-sleep/",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "\"Why we sleep\" is, according to independent research, almost complete bullshit:",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the book almost complete bullshit, citing independent research.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Criticism is attributed to independent research.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21792342,
          "author": "sushid",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T21:21:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21792342",
          "commentText": "Why We Sleep",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Why We Sleep",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21458613,
          "author": "dandruffhead",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T00:44:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21458613",
          "commentText": "Why We Sleep is really good. It really changed my view on sleep.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Why We Sleep is really good. It really changed my view on sleep.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book and says it changed their view on sleep.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21458536,
          "author": "boboTea",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T00:30:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21458536",
          "commentText": "Why We Sleep\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34466963-why-we-sleep\nFirelfy Lane\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1472878.Firefly_Lane",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Why We Sleep",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20332799,
          "author": "pps",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T06:54:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20332799",
          "commentText": "If you don't sleep 8+ hours every night: Matthew Walker - Why We Sleep",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Matthew Walker - Why We Sleep",
          "reason": "Offers it as a recommendation for people who do not sleep eight or more hours nightly.",
          "audience": "People who do not sleep 8+ hours every night.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18744183,
          "author": "crazygringo",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T03:19:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744183",
          "commentText": "Michael Pollan: How to Change Your Mind [1]\nNot just about an utterly fascinating topic (psychadelic drugs), in terms of history (LSD turning from a scientific wonder drug to illegal), his personal experiences, and the neuroscience behind it, but also just extremely well-written -- a real page-turner. A crazy potent combination of science, spirituality (from a skeptic), and narrative. I expect his book will be a significant part of why psychadelic drugs will be legalized in the near future specifically for therapeutic purposes.\nAlso +1 for 2017's Why We Sleep [2]. After reading it, I couldn't believe how shockingly ignorant I'd been of how I spend a full third of my life, and how much it affects the other two-thirds -- and the degree to which a lack of sleep prevents us from perceiving the effects of lack of sleep, in a kind of vicious cycle.\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/Change-Your-Mind-Consciousness-Transc... (https://www.amazon.com/Change-Your-Mind-Consciousness-Transcendence/dp/1594204225)\n[2] https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501... (https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501144324)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "After reading it, I couldn't believe how shockingly ignorant I'd been of how I spend a full third of my life",
          "reason": "Says the book changed their understanding of sleep and its effects.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18663451,
          "author": "jger15",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:54:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663451",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction:\n7 Powers: The Foundations of Business Strategy - Hamilton Helmer\nAmerican Wolf - Nate Blakeslee\nAtomic Habits - James Clear\nConspiracy - Ryan Holiday\nCourage To Be Disliked - Ichiro Kishimi\nHow To Change Your Mind - Michael Pollan\nOpen - Andre Agassi\nWhy We Sleep - Matthew Walker\nWorld After Capital - Albert Wenger\nFiction:\nChocky - John Wyndham\nConvenience Store Woman - Sayaka Murata\nThe Eight Mountains - Paolo Cognetti\nThe Invisibility Cloak - Ge Fei\nThe Midnight Fox - Betsy Byars\nSuch Small Hands - Andres Barba\nThe Thief - Fuminori Nakamura\nTies - Domenico Starnone\nTrick - Domenico Starnone",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Why We Sleep - Matthew Walker",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18663308,
          "author": "ivanmaeder",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:27:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663308",
          "commentText": "My highlights from this year:\n1. \"How to Measure Anything\" (Douglas Hubbard)\nPresents a few simple techniques (confidence intervals, Monte Carlo simulations, regression analysis, Bayes, etc) to help with decision-making. E.g., should we build this feature or spend the same money on marketing?\nI put it alongside \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" (Daniel Kahneman), \"Superforecasting\" (Philip Tetlock), \"The Art of Thinking Clearly\" (Rolf Dobelli), etc. These books explain how our thinking is often flawed; \"How to Measure Anything\" gives you some tools to avoid flawed thinking.\nNote: if you already know the math (a lot of people on HN would), you might not get that much out of it.\n2. \"Why We Sleep\" (Matthew Walker)\nAs I read this book I kept thinking about all the people I knew who would benefit from it: family and friends whom I want to have healthy happy lives, managers who believe that they'll get more out of people by pushing them to work crazy hours… and lots of people who think they’ll get more out of themselves if they sleep less.\nWith references to studies, the book explains the different factors that influence sleep, what your body does during sleep and the different phases of sleep, how your body—mostly the brain—benefits, etc.\nFor days after reading it I kept telling friends about things I'd learnt from it. One of my favourite was how certain types of bird are able to sleep: they line themselves up in a row, with the birds on each end putting only half their brain to sleep. This way they can keep one of their eyes open—the one furthest to the end—so they can keep watch. Then after a while the birds on the end will turn around and sleep the other side of their brain.\nFascinating!\nMy only complaint is that it very rarely mentions the actual numbers behind studies. E.g., there might be a mention of a lack of sleep and an increased risk of diabetes or depression or heart attacks, but there's no reference to the amount the risks increase by.\n3. \"Shoe Dog\" (Phil Knight)\nThe story of Nike, told by the founder. I honestly don't care about Nike but that's not the takeaway—it's not about shoes or T-shirts or Michael Jordan. It's about a guy trying to keep a business alive: almost from day one there no let-up, the company is continually under threat.\nAlso the early employees are a really fun bunch.\n4. \"The Master and Margarita\" (Mikhail Bulgakov)\nFiction. It took me a while to warm up to this but I'm glad I stuck it out. I think the charm is in the language and the crazy mix of characters, the way religion is dealt with in a very human way; the tension, the fun…\nI really struggle to describe this book.\n5. \"Shantaram\" (David Gregory Roberts)\nFiction. I was looking for a book about India. I've never been, and I thought I might learn something and get a feeling of what it's like to be there.\nI didn't. Not in the same way that I could feel the heat in \"Heart of Darkness\" (Joseph Conrad) or the sun and the trees in \"From the Holy Mountain\" (William Dalrymple) or the weight of the world in \"Suttree\" (Cormac McCarthy).\nBut it's a good ride of a story.\n6. \"In Dreams Begin Responsibilities and Other Stories\" (Delmore Schwartz)\nI knew this book from university. And then a few weeks ago: I needed a break from the world of tech and productivity and work, and this did the trick. It is so far away from that. Think: creative types working on books and poems and plays during the depression, struggling, self-conscious, observant, talkative…",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For days after reading it I kept telling friends about things I'd learnt from it.",
          "reason": "The commenter kept sharing what they learned and describes detailed information about sleep and health.",
          "audience": "Friends, managers, and people who think they can benefit by sleeping less.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it rarely gives the actual numbers behind cited studies.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18474096,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2018-11-17T05:19:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 18473561,
          "threadTitle": "Best book/paper you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18474096",
          "commentText": "\"Why We Sleep\", by Matthew Walker [1]. I've read a lot about sleep over the years, but I still found it fascinating and comprehensive.\nI've mentioned the book on several other threads [2], so I'll avoid repeating here.\nAlong the same lines of expanding the ability of your body/mind, one that I'm currently reading is \"What doesn't kill us\" [3]. Pretty fascinating to think that we have a lot more control over our immune system than originally thought.\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501... (https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501144324/)\n[2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17606274\n[3] https://www.amazon.com/What-Doesnt-Kill-Environmental-Condit... (https://www.amazon.com/What-Doesnt-Kill-Environmental-Conditioning/dp/1623366909)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I still found it fascinating and comprehensive.",
          "reason": "Found the book fascinating and comprehensive despite having read a lot about sleep.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17996351,
          "author": "davidandgoliath",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-15T22:36:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17996351",
          "commentText": "Why we sleep has given me an immense amount of respect for sleep, something I rather apparently knew so little about. I've put off sleep for decades, and amidst this book I've come to understand that it's been a really stupid approach to realizing my goals.\nI still don't understand sleep, but, Walker breaks down sleeps benefits & shows the data to back up why we should be getting a full night's rest. He has given me a newfound respect for something I wantonly would throw away at my next personal whim. Silly me, it's been working against me the whole time.\nFewer late nights learning to code, and I'm making much better progress already in the memory department.\nAs for Cavey's book: Cavey takes a really interesting look at Jesus through a historical lens, coupled with all these little things I had missed in my own reading of the New Testament. It's full of goodies, and is one of those books I've got 20 copies of in my library to hand out like candy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Why we sleep has given me an immense amount of respect for sleep",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book changed their view of sleep and supports the benefits of getting a full night's rest with data.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthew Walker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 16,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sleep",
        "sleep science",
        "popular science",
        "sleep health"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-little-prince-0541d6",
      "title": "The Little Prince",
      "author": "Antoine de Saint-Exupéry",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43656758,
          "author": "ravish0007",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-11T18:19:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43656758",
          "commentText": "The Little Prince",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Prince",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34635156,
          "author": "ROTMetro",
          "createdAt": "2023-02-03T00:00:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 34634274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books your kids like most",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34635156",
          "commentText": "Yeah love it but super torn on the Giving Tree.\nI'll ad 'The Little Prince' as one my kids liked.\nBut separate from reading books spend time telling stories about a character you make up with your child. Get them to love story telling and being creative. For my family it was 'A pig named Nelson' who did things like wear his halloween costume to school and accidentally get mistaken as a super hero when things went down, or who loved spaghetti and ate and ate until he threw up so much it flooded the whole house. The best was when my kids were adamant things go the nice happy way where Nelson didn't get into trouble, but nope, my story had him start to go the other way and my kids could see what was coming and would bury their heads under the pillows. You can also slip upcoming things into the stories so that the kids can prepare for them (low key non-preachy parenting in advance).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Little Prince'",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly adds it as one their kids liked.",
          "audience": "Children.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30735602,
          "author": "thatjoeoverthr",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:20:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735602",
          "commentText": "Jacob’s Room, Virginia Woolf\nBefore this book I generally did not read, unless it was a Star Trek branded airport novel. I had just got an iPad and was rummaging around the Project Gutenberg texts they’d dumped into iBooks. I chose it impulsively.\nThis book set my brain and heart on fire and opened the world of literature for me. It’s very specific, though, and I can’t -recommend- it to anyone.\nThere is little spackle in this book, as if every sentence and scene is cropped a bit beyond the point of readability. But reading aloud it flows well. There is effectively no plot and a great deal of its merit is at the sentence level. Furthermore, this book in particular resonated with me emotionally.\nI was thirsty for more and read other classics. My favorites; To the Lighthouse, Picture of Dorian Grey and Thus Spake Zarathustra (the translation they have on Gutenberg).\nThis hobby dominated my attention for years. What displaced it was I had to learn Polish. At first I tried to combine these; I read Charlotte’s Web, the Little Prince and Pulp (bukowski) in Polish. But it really wasn’t an effective way to continue and Polish was the priority. All other hobbies had to go.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I read Charlotte’s Web, the Little Prince and Pulp (bukowski) in Polish.",
          "reason": "Mentioned as one of the books the commenter read while learning Polish.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says combining reading with Polish study was not an effective way to continue.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30243857,
          "author": "fsloth",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T12:29:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30243857",
          "commentText": "I agree kids should be read books that open their minds, that are written for the young mind.\nFor international audiences I would perhaps suggest books with a large number of translated languages as kids usually prefer to be read in a language they speak. One such \"universal\" book could be  \"The Little Prince\" by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. For me it's magical at every age you read it.\nAt least in my native language (Finnish) Seuss is completely untranslated.\nHence in general, for this topic, \"english books for adults\" is maybe the safer categorization as I presume the intended audience is happy reading text in english, even though their kids don't speak english.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One such \"universal\" book could be  \"The Little Prince\" by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a broadly accessible book for children and international readers.",
          "audience": "Children and readers across languages.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23489659,
          "author": "thanato0s",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-11T15:06:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23489659",
          "commentText": "The little prince. I don't count how many read anymore.\nI'm not kidding either. Best book ever.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The little prince.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best book ever and says they have lost count of rereads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337199,
          "author": "ljw1001",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T10:54:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337199",
          "commentText": "Travels with Charlie, Blue Highways, The Little Prince.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Prince",
          "reason": "Listed as a comfort book in response to the thread question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17169741,
          "author": "mm321",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T23:27:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17169741",
          "commentText": "Don't know about changing my life, but these books changed the way i look at things:\nThe Tao of Pooh: Benjamin Hoff\nSlaughterhouse-Five, or The Children's Crusade by Kurt Vonnegut\nTI 99/4a basic reference manual\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, by Abelson, Sussman\nObject Oriented Analysis and Design by Grady Booch\nDarkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler\nThieves in the Night by Arthur Koestler\nAll the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren\nThe Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck\nThe Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.\nWar and Peace by L.N.Tolstoy\nChapaev and the void by Pelevin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.",
          "reason": "Listed among books that changed how the commenter looks at things.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032254,
          "author": "jiveturkey",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:07:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032254",
          "commentText": "Le Petit Prince. Certainly you’ve read this but it should be reread on occasion and starting a career is a good time.\neg “You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed”",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it should be reread on occasion and starting a career is a good time.",
          "reason": "Says it is worth rereading, especially when starting a career.",
          "audience": "People starting their careers.",
          "caveat": "The commenter assumes the reader has already read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15160127,
          "author": "galfarragem",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T07:27:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15160127",
          "commentText": "I would add also:\nThe prince -- Machiavelli (to loose ingenuity)\nThe little prince -- Saint-Exupéry (to recover some ingenuity)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The little prince -- Saint-Exupéry (to recover some ingenuity)",
          "reason": "Listed as a book that could affect mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14481458,
          "author": "feignix",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-04T13:26:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14481458",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n1. Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes\nbecause it's so beautifully written and made me experience a flood of emotions.\n2. The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry\nAgain, a very touching, charming book about a little kid's world(universe?) view, told through his adventures.\nNon-fiction:\n1. The subtle art of not giving a F*ck - Mark Manson\nOpened my eyes to what I was possibly doing wrong with my life.\n2. Radical Acceptance - Tara Brach\nStill currently reading it, but I wish I'd found it earlier.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Again, a very touching, charming book about a little kid's world(universe?) view, told through his adventures.",
          "reason": "Described as touching and charming.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13968622,
          "author": "AngeloAnolin",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T15:41:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13968622",
          "commentText": "The Little Prince\nAlways have had a profound impact on how I view and understand things.\nRead it with an open mind like a child and see the wonders.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Prince",
          "reason": "Says it has profoundly influenced how they view and understand things, and encourages reading it with an open mind.",
          "audience": "Readers approaching it with an open mind, like a child.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13805931,
          "author": "nosuchthing",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T20:48:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805931",
          "commentText": "Codemasters - Game Genie NES Codebook\n  Aldous Huxley - Collected Essays\n  Guy Debord - Society of the Spectacle\n  Antonie de Saint-Exupery - The Little Prince\n\nAlso worth mentioning, is everything by Dr Seuss.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Antonie de Saint-Exupery - The Little Prince",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783593,
          "author": "fmax30",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:59:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783593",
          "commentText": "I had read zero books by April 2015.\nHave read the following since then.\n1. 1984 by Orwell\n2. Animal Farm by Orwell\n3. 40 Rules of Love by Elif Shafak\n4. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline\n5. The Man in the high castle by Philip k Dic\n6. Tuesdays with morrie by Mitch Albom\n7. Broken Verses by Kamila Shamsie\n8. The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell\n9. Veronica Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho\n10. The Little Prince by antoine saint exupery\n11. A Monster calls by Patrick ness\nBooks that I am currently reading very very slowly ( 1-3 chapters per week )\n1. The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking\n2. The Wind Up Bird Chronicles by Murakami (I am really enjoying the slow reading here)\n3. Zen and art of motorcycle by Robert Pirsig\nEdit: Formatting",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "10. The Little Prince by antoine saint exupery",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9353543,
          "author": "galfarragem",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-10T11:06:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9353543",
          "commentText": "IMHO to really change your whole life perspective, you must experience a traumatic event, not reading a book.\nAnyway I would say that a book can trigger a change of perspective on a particular aspect of your life:\n'4-hour workweek' - Tim Ferriss (on lifestyle)\n'Get Things Done' - David Allen (on organization and productivity)\n'The Way of the Superior Man' - David Deida (on relationships)\n'The prince' - Machiavelli' (on business and strategy)\n'The little prince' - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (on meaning of life)\n'The Feynman Lectures on Physics' - Richard Feynman' (to remember you to be humble)\nA lot of other books had broaden my perspective of life even if they weren't enough to trigger a change. That list would be immense.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The little prince' - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (on meaning of life)",
          "reason": "Lists it as a book that can trigger a change of perspective on the meaning of life.",
          "audience": "Readers reflecting on the meaning of life.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says books can shift a particular aspect of life, while a traumatic event is needed to change one's whole perspective.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5865753,
          "author": "Sealy",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-12T00:49:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 5859004,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5865753",
          "commentText": "Other books that I've found helpful are the many socioeconomics books out there:\nMalcolm Gladwell - Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers\nTim Harford - The Undercover Economist\nNassim Taleb - The Black Swan\nI enjoyed the Steve Jobs book too, I liked the fact that he believed in what he was working on (no matter how crazy or disruptive) and saw so much beauty in perfection. There's a lot we can learn from his persistence and attitude towards persevering in the face of failure.\nAnd for entertainment, I like profound books: The Alchemist, The Little Prince",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Prince",
          "reason": "Lists it among profound books the commenter likes for entertainment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2330041,
          "author": "shantanubala",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-15T23:57:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 2329700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that change your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2330041",
          "commentText": "If you do a search through HN, you'll find some really good recommendations.\nRead The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb (Fooled By Randomness is also good) if you want to peer into the mind of an investor.\nRead Hesse's Siddhartha if you're thinking along the lines of culture/religion/philosophy.\nRead a few Ayn Rand books if you like libertarianism and don't really care to relate to the characters.\nRead We by Yevgheny Zamyatin if you want an interesting allegory that metaphorically compares heaven to a dystopian dictatorship.\nRead Unweaving the Rainbow by Richard Dawkins if you're very interested in the sciences.\nI remember Sebastian Marshall recommending Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa -- I'd recommend it too. It's pretty good, and I was especially interested since I've been doing marshal arts for over 10 years now.\nAnd read Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! no matter how you think. It's fantastic.\nEDIT: More Books!\nI read these when I was in elementary school, but they still hold their value:\nThe Giver by Lois Lowry if you want more dystopias.\nThe Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery if you're feeling especially playful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery if you're feeling especially playful.",
          "reason": "Recommended for readers in a playful mood.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a playful read.",
          "caveat": "The commenter read it in elementary school.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1972578,
          "author": "mohsen",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T20:30:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1972578",
          "commentText": "The Little Prince",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Prince",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752881,
          "author": "blrgeek",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T15:44:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752881",
          "commentText": "Want to blow your mind?\nFiction\nKeep an open mind, and a sense of wonder when you read these for max effect!\nHitch-hikers guide to the galaxy. I was hooked at \"The big yellow ships hung in the air just the way bricks don't.\"\nDune - what does scarcity do to a society?\nIsaac Asimov - Robot series. Foundation series. All of his short stories, esp. The Last Question, Nightfall.\nA.C. Clarke - 2001 - series, Childhood's End, The Fountains of Paradise\nThe Little Prince, The Count of Monte Cristo, Catch-22, Siddhartha, Ender's Game, Sundiver, Wodehouse.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Prince",
          "reason": "Listed as fiction to read for a mind-blowing experience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 142935,
          "author": "ambition",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-21T23:55:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=142935",
          "commentText": "More than any books or articles, I've been influenced directly by the people in my life, especially friends, mentors, family, and girls I wanted to impress.\nPG & Joel Spolsky, the Alchemist, the Little Prince.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "PG & Joel Spolsky, the Alchemist, the Little Prince.",
          "reason": "Names it among influences in response to a question about what shaped them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No evaluation or recommendation is expressed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Antoine de Saint-Exupéry"
      ],
      "recommenders": 15,
      "threads": 16,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s literature",
        "fable",
        "allegory",
        "coming of age"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "antifragile-b9cc1f",
      "title": "Antifragile",
      "author": "Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43611681,
          "author": "gmuslera",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T14:05:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43611681",
          "commentText": "In general the Incerto series by Nassim Taleb (Black Swan, Antifragile, and Skin in the Game) was worth it. The Selfish Gene, System thinking A primer, I am a strange loop, Sapiens are some books that I read recently that had a lasting impression.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Antifragile",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41547521,
          "author": "gmuslera",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-15T13:53:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41547521",
          "commentText": "The Incerto series by Nassim Taleb, specially The Black Swan and Antifragile. It is hard to make predictions, specially about the future, some good heuristics may be of help.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "specially The Black Swan and Antifragile",
          "reason": "Specifically highlights it within the Incerto series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that predicting the future is difficult and heuristics may help.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937338,
          "author": "jekude",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:56:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937338",
          "commentText": "The Road to Wigan Pier - Orwell\nAntifragile - Taleb\nWhat is Life? - Schrodinger\nStructure and Interpretations of Computer Programs - Abelson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Antifragile - Taleb",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33858797,
          "author": "jshen",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T22:43:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33858797",
          "commentText": "Become a better story teller and persuader, and learn how to make better decisions and manage risk. A few books that helped me in no particular order …\nThe Science of Storytelling - Will Storr\nInfluence - Robert Cialdini\nThinking Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman\nAntifragile - Nassim Taleb\nHow Innovation Works - Natt Ridley\nThe One Thing You Need to Know - Marcus Buckingham\nTeam of Teams - General Stanley McChrystal",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Antifragile - Nassim Taleb",
          "reason": "Listed among books that helped the commenter.",
          "audience": "People seeking to learn about managing risk.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33801454,
          "author": "camjohnson26",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T14:47:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33801454",
          "commentText": "“Out of the Crisis” by Demming: helped me see the best way to manage projects isn’t always about fixing problems, it starts with reducing uncertainty.\n“Seeing like a state”, “Knowledge and Power”, and “Antifragile”, top down control of a system always clashes with bottom up understanding, so experts in a field need humility when working with a new system and need to learn from the people who work with it every day.\n“Critique of Pure Reason”, there are things we can’t know using only logic, so don’t try to use it to understand everything.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Antifragile”",
          "reason": "The commenter says top-down control clashes with bottom-up understanding and that experts should learn from people working within a system.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32938896,
          "author": "madmax108",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:04:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938896",
          "commentText": "Maybe it's just me, but I feel nearly all of Taleb's books should be blog posts instead of full length books. I first read Black Swan a long while back, and two things popped out at me. 1) The author comes across quite snobby and high-handed in his writing (which has translated over time on his Twitter as well for those who follow him on there) and 2) The essence of the book was distillable into a much smaller novella.\nPicked up Antifragile and Fooled By Randomness over time just to see if the hype is worth it, but none of the books honestly bowled me over or presented anything enlightening or explored ideas not explored in a better manner elsewhere. I feel like Taleb falls into the same fallacy he preaches about in his books to a large extent. But then again, given his popularity, maybe it's just my opinion.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Picked up Antifragile and Fooled By Randomness over time",
          "reason": "Says it did not impress them or present enlightening ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its ideas were better explored elsewhere.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31974250,
          "author": "gigantecmedia",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-04T06:59:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31974250",
          "commentText": "Incerto by Nassim Taleb. Best piece of work I've ever read. I'm re-reading it, and still... what a masterpiece, a mind-blowing piece of work. Fooled by Randomness, The Black Swan, and Antifragile remain my \"Holy Trinity\" of books. You just couldn't stop reading them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Antifragile",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter’s “Holy Trinity” of books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23863638,
          "author": "omosubi",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T20:46:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23863638",
          "commentText": "I haven't read any others but anti-fragility is the book that has made me think more than any other I've read in the past few years. If you can get past the childish name calling it's worth it - I'll have to read his others next",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "anti-fragility is the book that has made me think more than any other I've read in the past few years. If you can get past the childish name calling it's worth it",
          "reason": "Says it prompted more thought than other recent reading and is worth reading despite its name calling.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The author’s childish name calling may be off-putting.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21901687,
          "author": "santa_boy",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T20:58:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21901687",
          "commentText": "The Mind Illuminated (from HN), Non-Violent Communication, Antifragile, Atomic Habits and The Growth Mindset come to my mind immediately",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Antifragile",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21464208,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T16:39:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21464208",
          "commentText": "Funny, that jibes with my perception of Taleb as well. He seems a bit smug, and I'm not sure if I'd like him or not if we met in person, but his books still seem valuable and worth reading. I would say that I'm better off for having read both The Black Swan and Fooled by Randomness.  Still waiting to get around to reading Anti-Fragile, but it's definitely on the list.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Still waiting to get around to reading Anti-Fragile, but it's definitely on the list.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21461550,
          "author": "omosubi",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T11:38:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21461550",
          "commentText": "Wow this rings so true. I just read antifragile and while I like the ideas I can't imagine how insufferable the author is in person",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I just read antifragile and while I like the ideas I can't imagine how insufferable the author is in person",
          "reason": "The commenter likes the ideas in the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter imagines the author would be insufferable in person.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20333395,
          "author": "raguinb4u",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T09:04:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20333395",
          "commentText": "Antifragile",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Antifragile",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910625,
          "author": "EngineerBetter",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T17:01:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910625",
          "commentText": "Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb has implications that I find impact very disparate areas. It's hard work in places though.\nThe Quark and the Jaguar by Murray Gell-Mann is a wonderfully readable and accessible intro to complexity, which again is a topic that seems to crop up all over the place.\nDelusions of Gender by Cordelia Fine cites a shedload of research to dispel gender-related myths. It should be taught in schools, in my opinion.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's hard work in places though.",
          "reason": "The commenter says its implications reach across disparate areas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is hard work in places.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17524336,
          "author": "decebalus1",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T16:26:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17524336",
          "commentText": "Not the only one. I think most of his books are actually prolonged intentionally arrogant blog posts sprinkled with pseudo-science and weightlifting metaphors with the recurrent 'fuck you money' motif.\nBlack swan, the concept which brought him in the spotlight is somewhat valid but it's worth at most a chapter in a risk management book. But he milks the black swan cow to biblical proportions.\nAntifragile is so longwinded it's an exercise in attention and patience. I think it's remarkable how he managed to fill so many pages.\nIn my view, Taleb resides close to Malcolm Gladwell and Seth Godin, the 'thought leaders' experts at rebranding/refactoring common concepts and milking the proverbial cow in publishing, speaking events, etc..",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Antifragile is so longwinded it's an exercise in attention and patience.",
          "reason": "Criticizes the book as long-winded.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes reading it as an exercise in attention and patience.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337011,
          "author": "maneesh",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T10:14:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337011",
          "commentText": "Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "reason": "Named as the commenter's comfort book in response to the thread question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17047589,
          "author": "monster_group",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T14:38:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17047589",
          "commentText": "I thought of buying this book but it seems very similar to 'Antifragile' - so I am not sure if it is worth reading. In fact I think all his books are very similar. Now he is just milking his success by churning out books with the same message.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "it seems very similar to 'Antifragile'",
          "reason": "Says the book seems too similar to Antifragile and criticizes the author's later books as repetitive.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The other book being compared is unnamed in the target comment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16352164,
          "author": "DyslexicAtheist",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T10:58:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16352164",
          "commentText": "- Nassim N. Taleb: Black Swan and Antifragile[0]\n  - Robert Cialdini: Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion[1]\n  - Franklin Foer: World Without Mind: The Existential Threat of Big Tech[2]\n  - Herbert Marcuse: One-Dimensional Man: Studies in the Ideology of Advanced Industrial Society[3]\n\n[0] https://www.amazon.com/Black-Swan-Improbable-Robustness-Frag... (https://www.amazon.com/Black-Swan-Improbable-Robustness-Fragility/dp/081297381X)\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Rober... (https://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Robert-Cialdini/dp/006124189X)\n[2] https://www.amazon.com/World-Without-Mind-Existential-Threat... (https://www.amazon.com/World-Without-Mind-Existential-Threat/dp/1101981113)\n[3] https://www.amazon.com/One-Dimensional-Man-Ideology-Industri... (https://www.amazon.com/One-Dimensional-Man-Ideology-Industrial-Routledge/dp/0415289777)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Black Swan and Antifragile",
          "reason": "Listed among books for colleagues to read.",
          "audience": "Colleagues in the thread's book recommendations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13969397,
          "author": "canes123456",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T16:54:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13969397",
          "commentText": "Not the black swan, but anything else is a fine intro. Antifragile or Fooled by randomness but work",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Antifragile or Fooled by randomness but work",
          "reason": "Suggested as a fine introduction.",
          "audience": "Someone asking which Taleb book to read first.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13969327,
          "author": "simonsarris",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T16:48:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13969327",
          "commentText": "IMO start with antifragile.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "IMO start with antifragile.",
          "reason": "Recommended as the first Taleb book to read.",
          "audience": "Someone asking which Taleb book to read first.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10786010,
          "author": "1812Overture",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T22:18:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786010",
          "commentText": "Dune by Frank Herbert- I'm one of the few people on Earth who enjoys the David Lynch adaptation so I finally had to get around to reading the book. Kind of awkward stylistically and structurally but a lot of fun.\nDevelopment as Freedom by Amartya Sen - It's seemed to me that there are political philosophies that focus on economic needs and those that focus on personal freedom. This is the best I've read at uniting those concepts.\nSurely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! - A blast to read and great insight into the thinking of a great mind.\nThe LA Quartet by James Ellroy (The Black Dahlia, The Big Nowhere, LA Confidential, White Jazz) - Really the pinnacle of dark gritty noir. If you like that I can't recommend highly enough.\nThe Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett - I like a lot of Hammett's other work but this seemed to have a lot of wheel spinning.\nCity of Quartz by Mike Davis - As an Angeleno this gave me so much insight into the city I love. I have no idea if it would be of any interest to an outsider.\nAntifragile by Nassim Taleb - Nassim Taleb is great and I've definitely been influenced a lot by his ideas, but he's getting too in love with the smell of his own farts.\nVarious books/textbooks on programming and databases - Nothing thrilling in this category. Gotta eat your vegetables.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Nassim Taleb is great and I've definitely been influenced a lot by his ideas, but he's getting too in love with the smell of his own farts.",
          "reason": "Expresses influence from Taleb's ideas but criticizes his self-regard; no book-specific evaluation is clear.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Criticism targets the author generally, not clearly this book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785552,
          "author": "benajibayassine",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:50:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785552",
          "commentText": "1- The Emperor's Handbook by Marcus Aurelius. Jan, 10th 2015\n2- The crowd, a study of the popular mind by Gustave Le Bon. Jan, 10th 2015\n3- Remote by Jason Fried. Jan, 11th 2015\n4- The shape of the world to come by Laurent Cohen-Tanugi, Jan, 20th, 2015\n5- Post office by Charles Bukowski. Jan, 23rd 2015\n6- Gang leader for a day by Sudhir Venkatesh. Feb, 6th 2015\n7- Zen mind, beginner's mind by Shunryu Suzuki. Feb, 8th 2015\n8- The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Feb, 23rd 2015\n9- Darkness Visible by William Styron. March, 1st 2015\n10- Zero to One by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters. March, 9th 2015\n11- The Kaizen way: One small step can change your life by Robert Mauter. March, 11th 2015\n12- Time by Alexander Waugh. March, 12th 2015\n13- Max and the cats by Moacyr Scliar. March, 14th 2015\n14- Scattered by Gabor Mate. March, 20th 2015\n15- East of Eden by John Steinbeck. March, 30th 2015\n16- Crossing the unknown sea by David Whyte. April, 7th 2015\n17- Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. April, 13th 2015\n18- The World beyond your Head by Matthew Crawford. April, 22nd 2015\n19- How to Think about Exercise by Damon Young. April, 23rd 2015\n20- Solitude by Anthony Storr. May, 8th 2015\n21- Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. June, 10th 2015\n22- The bastard of Istanbul (in Arabic) by Elif Shafak. June, 21st 2015\n23- L’ordre libertaire: la vie philosophique d’Albert Camus by Michel Onfray. July, 7th 2015\n24- Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse. July, 10th 2015\n25- The arab uprisings by James Gelvin. July, 13th 2015\n26- How to worry less about money by John Armstrong. July, 13th 2015\n27- Self comes to mind by Antonio Damasio. July, 31st2015\n28- Muhammad: The First Muslim by Lesley Hazleton. August, 4th t2015\n29- Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. August, 15th 2015 \n30- Heidegger's Being and Time by William Blattner. August, 18th 2015 \n31- Heidegger and a hippo walk through those pearly gates by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. August, 19th 2015 \n32- Why nations fail by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson. October, 3rd 2015 \n33- Charlie Munger: the complete investor by Tren Griffin October, 9th 2015 \n34- The selfish gene by Richard Dawkins October, 23rd 2015\n35- The philosophical baby by Alison Gopnik October, 28th 2015\n36- The three-body problem by Cixin Liu November, 1st 2015\n37- Open letter to a young man by Andre Maurois November, 13th 2015\n38- Thinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman November, 16th 2015\n39- What do you care what people think by Richard Feynman November, 18th 2015\n40- When the body says No by Gabor Maté November, 29th 2015\n41- The truth will set you free by Alice Miller. December, 5th 2015\n42- The shallows by Nicholar Carr. December, 7th 2015\n43- What matters most byJames Hollis. December, 14th 2015\n44- Finding meaning in the second jalf of life byJames Hollis. December, 20yh2015",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "reason": "Included in a dated list of books read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10325276,
          "author": "zafka",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T20:43:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325276",
          "commentText": "Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance\nGodel Escher Bach\nTime enough for love - Heinlein\nIllusions -Richard Bach\nA wrinkle in time\nStranger from the depths\nSidartha and all the other books by Hess\nZen MInd Beginners mind\nMOre to come\nBooks by Bradbury\nBooks by asimov\nJust starting Antifragile and it might make the list",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Just starting Antifragile and it might make the list",
          "reason": "The commenter is just beginning it and says it might qualify for their list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No evaluation yet; the commenter says it might make the list.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8716493,
          "author": "vojant",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T14:20:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8716493",
          "commentText": "Antifragile - This book change my ways of thinking about life. Also this year I've read Black Swan, another great book by the same author.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book change my ways of thinking about life.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed how they think about life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8716409,
          "author": "q-base",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T14:04:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8716409",
          "commentText": "Antifragile or The Obstacle Is The Way - are probably the most influential",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Antifragile or The Obstacle Is The Way - are probably the most influential",
          "reason": "Named as one of the books the commenter considers most influential in response to the life-changing-book question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter presents it as one of two possibilities.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8125674,
          "author": "spindritf",
          "createdAt": "2014-08-02T19:11:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 8125375,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I save for offline reading during 5 weeks without Internet?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8125674",
          "commentText": "Read books you always wanted but wouldn't get around to with all the distractions available at home. Be it classics, political theory, maybe something light and scientific? Generally, whatever doesn't require additional materials.\nHere are some titles of that kind I enjoyed.\nAnabasis by Xenophon\nHeart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad\nAntifragile by Nassim Taleb\nLearned Optimism by Martin Seligman\nThe Son also Rises by Gregory Clark",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Antifragile by Nassim Taleb",
          "reason": "Included among titles the commenter says they enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nassim Nicholas Taleb"
      ],
      "recommenders": 15,
      "threads": 14,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Business",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "risk",
        "uncertainty",
        "resilience",
        "decision making"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "diaspora-53cc0e",
      "title": "Diaspora",
      "author": "Greg Egan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48595627,
          "author": "db48x",
          "createdAt": "2026-06-19T06:58:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 48595560,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please recommend sci-fi books similar to \"children of time\" or \"anathem\"",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48595627",
          "commentText": "A Deepness in the Sky, by Vernor Vinge\nDune, by Frank Herbert\nDiaspora, by Greg Egan\nThe Clockwork Rocket, by Greg Egan\nThe Book of the New Sun, by Gene Wolfe\nProject Hail Mary, by Andy Weir",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Diaspora, by Greg Egan",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for similar science fiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46391858,
          "author": "nmora",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T13:38:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46391858",
          "commentText": "I read a decent amount of books but the ones that stood out are:\n- Anatomy of the State (Murray N. Rothbard)\n- Diaspora (Greg Egan)\n- The Freeze-Frame Revolution (Peter Watts)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Diaspora (Greg Egan)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42268930,
          "author": "k__",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:19:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268930",
          "commentText": "My reads this year with my personal ratings:\nGreg Egan, Diaspora (7/10)\nDan Simmons, Hyperion 1-4 (9/10)\nJames S.A. Corey, Leviathan Wakes (6/10)\nScott Alexander, Unsong (7/10)\nQtmn, Ra (7/10)\nQtmn, Fine Structure (6/10)\nAndy Weir, Project Hail Mary (6/10)\nWildbow, Worm (8/10)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Greg Egan, Diaspora (7/10)",
          "reason": "Rates it 7 out of 10.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37158044,
          "author": "mrexroad",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T06:42:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37158044",
          "commentText": "Diaspora [0] by Greg Egan. A fun dive into post-human civilization published in late ‘90s. Great read if you like hard sci-fi.\nTao of Wu [1] by RZA. Because, perspective.\n[0]https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diaspora_%28novel%29\n[1]https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tao_of_Wu",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Diaspora [0] by Greg Egan. A fun dive into post-human civilization published in late ‘90s. Great read if you like hard sci-fi.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a fun dive into post-human civilization and a great read for hard science fiction fans.",
          "audience": "Readers who like hard science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021801,
          "author": "hesdeadjim",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:14:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021801",
          "commentText": "* Greg Egan’s short story collections, Diaspora, and Permutation City. Fair warning, Egan puts the “hard” in “hard sci-fi”.\n* Haven’t finished the Expanse final trilogy, but I really enjoyed the first two.\n* The Wool series\n* Project Hail Mary, for story reasons I’d recommend the audio book.\n* We Are Bob trilogy, fourth book is garbage.\n* Old Man’s War\n* The Culture Series by Ian Banks\n* If you enjoyed Seveneves, and thus can tolerate Stephenson’s consistent habit to drop the ball in the last 20% of his books, Diamond Age is enjoyable.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Diaspora",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter warns that Egan’s work is hard science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536756,
          "author": "Jotto999",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T20:00:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536756",
          "commentText": "You're right, it's the wrong book for the OP.  Let them be warned:\nGreg Egan's Diaspora is diamond-hard scifi.  If you aren't well-read in a variety of scientific concepts, aren't comfortable doing on-the-fly physics thought experiments while reading a novel, or won't be comfortable reading an extremely high vocabulary, then Greg Egan is not a good fit.\nBut if you can read it, the reward is great.  Magnificent, alien, profound.  It made me realize I don't like soft-scifi.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Greg Egan's Diaspora is diamond-hard scifi.",
          "reason": "Warns it is extremely hard science fiction, then praises its reward as magnificent, alien, and profound.",
          "audience": "Readers comfortable with scientific concepts, physics thought experiments, and advanced vocabulary.",
          "caveat": "A poor fit without that background or comfort; the commenter says they may not enjoy it if they prefer soft science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536567,
          "author": "Jotto999",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:19:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536567",
          "commentText": "Greg Egan's Diaspora was very good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Greg Egan's Diaspora was very good.",
          "reason": "Explicitly praises it as very good in response to a request for science fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17523434,
          "author": "adamch",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T14:57:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17523434",
          "commentText": "1: Diaspora (Greg Egan). Brilliant sci-fi where computer science concepts like cellular automata, computation complexity etc are major plot points. Starts with a highly detailed explanation of AI personality creation. Super geeky and a brilliant plot.\n2: High Performance Browser Networking. Really explained a lot of modern networking. I was already familiar with the basics of the OSI stack, but this explained a lot of newer ideas, optimizations, and HTTP2. Really comprehensive guide to how the internet works.\n3: The Shock Doctrine (Naomi Klein): A history of how the CIA has shot down democratic regimes to enforce small-government-free-market policy in developing countries when these policies are rejected in polls. Explains a lot of the crises in Latin America and Russia.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brilliant sci-fi where computer science concepts like cellular automata, computation complexity etc are major plot points.",
          "reason": "Praised for its science fiction plot, which makes computer science concepts central.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in science fiction and computer science concepts.",
          "caveat": "The opening includes a highly detailed explanation of AI personality creation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15432013,
          "author": "Udik",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-09T07:00:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15432013",
          "commentText": "You mean yourself or the plot?\nI think that in the third act Egan added some weaker elements both as a corollary of the idea being explored and as a way of introducing some traditional action, in a novel that is otherwise mostly the setup of an elaborate thought experiment.\nNonetheless, I think the result is extraordinary, because the problems posed, the paradoxes highlighted, and some brilliant insights, are new and valid outside the fictional world created in the novel.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I think that in the third act Egan added some weaker elements both as a corollary of the idea being explored and as a way of introducing some traditional action, in a novel that is otherwise mostly the setup of an elaborate thought experiment.\nNonetheless, I think the result is extraordinary, because the problems posed, the paradoxes highlighted, and some brilliant insights, are new and valid outside the fictional world created in the novel.",
          "reason": "Calls the novel extraordinary for its problems, paradoxes, and insights, while noting weaker elements in the third act.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in elaborate science fiction thought experiments.",
          "caveat": "The third act includes weaker elements and traditional action.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15428590,
          "author": "d-crane",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T15:38:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428590",
          "commentText": "Greg Egan's Diaspora starts with the details of what it's like for a new AI to be brought into existence in a society of advanced AIs, and jumps off from there. Definitely one of the more original hard sci-fi novels I've read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Greg Egan's Diaspora starts with the details of what it's like for a new AI to be brought into existence",
          "reason": "Recommends it as an original hard science fiction novel centered on AI.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking hard science fiction about AI.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10210787,
          "author": "oldsj",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-13T09:21:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10210787",
          "commentText": "Diaspora was pretty amazing\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diaspora_%28novel%29",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Diaspora was pretty amazing",
          "reason": "Described as pretty amazing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10210043,
          "author": "anon987",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-13T01:40:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10210043",
          "commentText": "I had to put this one down but I plan to pick it up later.  His ideas can be super dense at times and it makes fun reading feel like work.  It definitely doesn't \"cool down\" my brain at the end of the day.\n/r/printsf always has good suggestions",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I had to put this one down but I plan to pick it up later. His ideas can be super dense at times and it makes fun reading feel like work.",
          "reason": "Says its dense ideas made reading feel like work and they had to put it down.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Plans to return to it later; says it does not make for relaxing end-of-day reading.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10207335,
          "author": "solipsism",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T05:22:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10207335",
          "commentText": "Diaspora by Greg Egan will twist the way you think of perception",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Diaspora by Greg Egan will twist the way you think of perception",
          "reason": "The commenter says it will change how you think about perception.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175643,
          "author": "wicker",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:42:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175643",
          "commentText": "I've just discovered Greg Egan, so I've read Diaspora, Quarantine, and I just finished Distress. I'm working on Axiomatic, which is a collection of his short stories. His characters are a little flat and his endings feel a little odd, but I love the worldbuilding and the ideas.\nI'm having trouble finding other people who've read him and want to talk about his books, though.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I've just discovered Greg Egan, so I've read Diaspora, Quarantine, and I just finished Distress.",
          "reason": "Discusses having read it as part of discovering Egan.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056479,
          "author": "arethuza",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:04:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056479",
          "commentText": "Neal Stephenson, Anathem\nIain M Banks, Use of Weapons\nGreg Egan, Diaspora and Permutation City\nFrank Herbert, Dune\nKim Stanley Robinson, the Mars trilogy\nVernon Vinge: A Fire Upon the Deep and A Deepness in the Sky\n[Note to Hollywood: can we please have a Culture movie?]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Greg Egan, Diaspora and Permutation City",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for favourite sci-fi books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8613630,
          "author": "db48x",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-16T06:55:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8613630",
          "commentText": "Almost anything by Vernor Vinge. \"A Deepness in the Sky\" in particular is amazing. I was/am particularly impress by how he handles the idea of fundamental limits on the scope of human achievement, and by how he weaves that into the story so that it's there at all levels.\n\"Diaspora\" by Greg Egan has a great story, huge ideas, and probably the most cogent explanation of sentience/sapience ever written.\n\"The Diamond Age, or A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer\" and \"Accelerando\" have already been mentioned.\n\"Reteif!\" Made me laugh out loud. Larry Niven's \"Destiny's Road\" points out the difficulty of interstellar colonization. \"Ringworld\" blew my mind. Gene Wolfe's \"The Book of the New Syn\" taught me to pay attention; \"Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency\" by Douglas Adams reinforced the lesson.\nThere are a lot of good ones; I could go on for ages...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Diaspora\" by Greg Egan has a great story, huge ideas, and probably the most cogent explanation of sentience/sapience ever written.",
          "reason": "Praises its story, ideas, and explanation of sentience and sapience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6332780,
          "author": "brotchie",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-05T07:56:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 6329955,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which two books were the most influential on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6332780",
          "commentText": "1) Diaspora - Greg Egan. Absolutely changed my world view regarding our place in the universe, the nature of conscious minds, and the potential for post-biological life.\n2) Paul Wilmott Introduces Quantitative Finance. Pulled this off the shelf at random in a book store 3-4 years ago and found out that modern Finance involves a bunch of mathematics and programming. Started me on a course of learning everything I could learn about the subject and changed my \"life arc\" very much for the better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Absolutely changed my world view regarding our place in the universe",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed their worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043627,
          "author": "Adaptive",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:54:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043627",
          "commentText": "I really liked Egan's Diaspora, but I didn't find it available for Kindle, unfortunately.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really liked Egan's Diaspora",
          "reason": "Says they really liked it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not available for Kindle, according to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026940,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T07:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026940",
          "commentText": "I got myself a Sony Reader mid-2009 and started reading about twice more than I had been before. 2009 was also the first year in which I wasn't too lazy to document which books I read (I'm really glad I wasn't). Here're some of the favourites this year:\nClassics:\nKafka's The Process and America - both stunning novels that deserve to be read as much as his most famous, The Castle.\nJan Potocki, The Manuscript Found in Saragossa - a trippy collection of tales organised in multiple nested frames.\nScott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby.\nLeo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina. Still as breathtaking as I'd remembered it from the previous reading five years ago.\nScience Fiction:\nGene Wolfe, The Book of the New Sun. Wolfe, whom I hadn't read before, turns out to be in a class of his own. It's literary SF, overwhelmingly masterful and beautiful in its prose and characters, yet it could give any hardcore SF novel a run in terms of its ideas. It demands and richly rewards a close reading. I'll be reading more Wolfe in 2010.\nTed Chiang, collected stories. Chiang writes only stories, and has written just a few of them, but nearly every one is a gem. Read Understand on the web (http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/stories/under.htm) to see if you like his style - I do.\nVernor Vinge, A Deepness in the Sky, The Peace War, Marooned in Realtime. All great novels, but start from A Fire Upon the Deep (I read that in 2008) if you haven't read Vinge before, it's the best introduction.\nGreg Egan, Diaspora, Quarantine, Distress. Egan is the best hardcore SF author out there. _Diaspora_ is a fascinating take on shared simulated reality that's very different from the usual fare. Quarantine will appeal to your inner quantum mechanical geek.\nContemporary fiction:\nPynchon, V. Pynchon is the best novelist we've got. I recommend The Crying of the Lot 49 as the best Pynchon to start from; V is more difficult and much longer, but rewards the patience. I still can't get over the fact that Pynchon wrote and published this novel when he was 26.\nOrhan Pamuk, The Black Book.\nAnnie Proulx, Fine Just The Way It Is. A new collection of stories from the best writer about rural America out there. Three are extraordinary, two so-so, the rest very good.\nNon-fiction:\nW. Sidney Allen, Vox Graeca and Vox Latina. If you want to know how ancient Greek and Latin sounded, these are the books to read.\nElizabeth Lloyd. The Case Of The Female Orgasm. An interesting study into how available evolutionary explanations of female orgasm fail in various ways. This is a book about evolutionary biology and its methodological soundness as much as it is about explaining female orgasm.\nComputer-related:\nPeter Seibel, Coders at Work. A fantastic collection of interview with great programmers. The one 2009 book no hacker should be without.\nSqueak by Example. Does a great job of explaining Smalltalk in general and Squeak in particular.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "_Diaspora_ is a fascinating take on shared simulated reality that's very different from the usual fare.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a fascinating and unusual take on shared simulated reality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140666,
          "author": "ews",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T08:41:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140666",
          "commentText": "I came directly by searching Egan in the comment tree :)\nPermutation city (or any of the Egan's short stories such as 'Closer') is probably the one of the most intense mind blowing experiences I ever had (at least regarding books), it shouldn't even be called \"SciFi\" it is... something else\nBTW: Diaspora is the next book in my list.... I hope not to be dissapointed.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Diaspora is the next book in my list.... I hope not to be dissapointed.",
          "reason": "Says it is next on their reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They have not read it yet and hope it will not disappoint.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140585,
          "author": "aoeuid",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T05:59:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140585",
          "commentText": "I can't imagine why nobody even mentioned Greg Egan so far.\nReading Permutation City left me in a dazzled state for days because of the sheer number of reality-altering concepts it throws at you in such a short span.\nIf by inspiring, you mean something that will give even the most ardent SF addict future shock, then his books are absolutely what you're looking for. His BS in Math and background in programming give him a great perspective on some of the most challenging mysteries of the universe -- and his work still manages to be the hardest SF I've read.\nCheck out Diaspora if you like what you see in Permutation City.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Check out Diaspora if you like what you see in Permutation City.",
          "reason": "Recommended to readers who like Permutation City.",
          "audience": "Readers who like Permutation City.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Greg Egan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 15,
      "threads": 13,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "posthumanism",
        "hard science fiction",
        "consciousness",
        "artificial intelligence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "quiet-the-power-of-introverts-in-a-world-that-can-t-stop-talking-aee049",
      "title": "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking",
      "author": "Susan Cain",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23154972,
          "author": "JoeAltmaier",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T15:25:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23154972",
          "commentText": "That's a good book.\nThat 'identical demographics' part is perhaps a tautology? They're mostly male, because they're mostly male?\nOf course we understand there are 1000 reasons for the disparity, discussed elsewhere.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "That's a good book.",
          "reason": "Affirms the book discussed in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23154918,
          "author": "Miraste",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T15:19:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23154918",
          "commentText": "Someone suggested Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, which is by Susan Cain. Your point stands, though. HN's userbase is massively male-a survey a few years ago put it at 94% [0]. This is presumably because the high-tech startup crowd has identical demographics. These books are mostly related to tech or business, so while the skew is notable, it's an artifact of the broader issue.\n[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5520342",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Someone suggested Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, which is by Susan Cain.",
          "reason": "Identifies the book as one suggested in the discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not state an opinion about the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21457991,
          "author": "Insanity",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-05T23:26:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21457991",
          "commentText": "Recently read \"Quiet\" by Susan Cain, about introverts and extroverts. Highly recommended :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Highly recommended :)",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly recommends the book about introverts and extroverts.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in introversion and extroversion.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17993817,
          "author": "vickychijwani",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-15T11:01:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17993817",
          "commentText": "Quiet has been the one life-changing book for me. I read it at a time when I thought of myself as unsocial (because I didn't like parties) and was uncomfortable expressing myself even among a large group of friends. After reading that book and realizing how widespread introversion is, I became more and more comfortable in my own skin. Ironically I also started enjoying more at parties because I wasn't judging myself constantly, which helped me become more of a pseudo-extrovert when I needed to be.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Quiet has been the one life-changing book for me.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it life-changing and describes becoming more comfortable with introversion after reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17046447,
          "author": "jpamata",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T11:35:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17046447",
          "commentText": "1. A Guide to the Good Life by William Irvine\n-my first introduction to stoicism.\n2. Mastery by Robert Greene\n-stories about the lives of luminaries such as Henry Ford, Michael Faraday, and Da Vinci on what it takes to be successful.\n3. Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story by Arnold Schwarzenegger\n-for providing me a new mental framework on building discipline and confidence.\n4. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain\n-for giving me a paradigm shift on how to think about myself and others.\n5. Seeking Wisdom From Darwin to Munger by Peter Bevelin\n-a compendium of cognitive biases and mental models.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain",
          "reason": "The commenter says it shifted how they think about themselves and others.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13982332,
          "author": "motxilo",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-29T00:53:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13982332",
          "commentText": "\"Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking\" by Susan Cain. This book made me think about my own thinking and social behavior patterns.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book made me think about my own thinking and social behavior patterns.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book prompted reflection on their thinking and social behavior.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12243860,
          "author": "randcraw",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-07T21:49:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12243860",
          "commentText": "\"At Home\" by Bill Bryson.\n\"Quiet\" by Susan Cain.\n\"Hackers\" by Steven Levy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Quiet\" by Susan Cain",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12098713,
          "author": "chrisabrams",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T03:02:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12098713",
          "commentText": "A Song of Fire and Ice\nZennis\nWheel of Time\nQuiet\nLord of the Rings\nIrrational Exuberance",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Quiet",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10176071,
          "author": "captn3m0",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T21:21:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10176071",
          "commentText": "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking [0]. This is surprisingly full of citations and references.\nAssassin's Quest by Robin Hobb [1]. Stock fantasy at its best.\nRendezvous with Rama by Arthur C Clarke [2]. Been stuck at halfway for too long, it gets boring in places.\n[0]: http://www.amazon.com/Quiet-Power-Introverts-World-Talking/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Quiet-Power-Introverts-World-Talking/dp/0307352153/)\n[1]: http://www.amazon.com/Assassins-Quest-Farseer-Trilogy-Book/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Assassins-Quest-Farseer-Trilogy-Book/dp/0553565699)\n[2]: http://www.amazon.com/Rendezvous-Rama-Arthur-C-Clarke-ebook/... (http://www.amazon.com/Rendezvous-Rama-Arthur-C-Clarke-ebook/dp/B00AHIP8ZM)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking [0]. This is surprisingly full of citations and references.",
          "reason": "The commenter notes it is surprisingly full of citations and references.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9349169,
          "author": "eldavido",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T17:14:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9349169",
          "commentText": "I'm about halfway through it. The first half surveys how many powerful institutions including churches, the US education system, and companies encourage/reward extroversion, perhaps without realizing it.\nI'm somewhere in the middle of the E/I spectrum and the book has made me reconsider how workplaces, etc. should be structured to avoid excluding people. According to the author, something like 10-30% of the US population are more on the \"I\" end of the spectrum, including many of the most creative people, so it seems a terrible mistake to encourage practices that exclude such a huge number of people from contributing.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the book has made me reconsider how workplaces, etc. should be structured to avoid excluding people.",
          "reason": "Says it prompted reconsideration of how workplaces should include introverted people.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The description is attributed to the author; the commenter is halfway through.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348831,
          "author": "andrea_sdl",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:35:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348831",
          "commentText": "Quiet by Susan Cain, great book about introversion and why we have the \"Extrovert Ideal\".\nIt's really fascinating to see how introverts have their qualities and how\nZen and the art of motorcycle maintenance - Robert Pirsig:\nFantastic book that talks about philosophy in a new way and goes deeper into discovering what's \"Quality\" and what are the main 2 ways of interacting/reading the world around us.\nAdam Smith, theory of moral sentiments: Just began the book under ryan holiday advice, but can't really say more about it.\nGame of thrones, 1st volume, I suppose this book doesn't need any explanation :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Quiet by Susan Cain, great book about introversion and why we have the \"Extrovert Ideal\".",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great book about introversion and the cultural ideal of extroversion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7487497,
          "author": "compass-seeker",
          "createdAt": "2014-03-28T14:36:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 7450534,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's on your reading list? Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7487497",
          "commentText": "I've actually read that one. Very interesting book!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Very interesting book!",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the book very interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7478705,
          "author": "vktheitgirl",
          "createdAt": "2014-03-27T05:02:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 7450534,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's on your reading list? Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7478705",
          "commentText": "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking",
          "reason": "Offered as a book in response to a request for reading recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6953914,
          "author": "user_235711",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-23T12:01:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6953914",
          "commentText": "\"Quiet\" http://www.thepowerofintroverts.com/about-the-book/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Quiet\"",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question asking for the best book read in 2013.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4968080,
          "author": "weisser",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T03:47:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4968080",
          "commentText": "Very interested in checking out the beta.  My contact is in my profile.  Thanks.\nGreat list too.  I'm an extrovert but I look forward to checking out Quiet.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "I look forward to checking out Quiet.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4967179,
          "author": "nichodges",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T21:42:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967179",
          "commentText": "A few highlights for me...\nAbundance - Peter H. Diamandis, Steven Kotler.\nDiamandis has an almost infectiously positive way of looking at the world. And a hope that's not just based on a philosophical belief but is backed up with hard data.\nDistrust That Particular Flavor - William Gibson.\nI never got into Gibson as a fiction writer, but this collection of essays, articles and talks immediately made me appreciate him as an amazing thinker, observer, and truly brilliant writer. This book is worthwhile for the pieces on Japan alone, but every single piece is wonderful.\nFinite and Infinite Games - James Carse.\nAn old book but one I only just discovered. No book has every so subtly had an impact on my life every day. The finite vs. infinite way of looking at the world has changed the way I think and act completely on the inside, yet it's probably hardly noticable on the outside. An amazingly easy book to read, couldn't recommend it highly enough.\nHow Music Works - David Byrne\nA unique and refreshing take on creating music that can be applied to the creation of anything. Byrne leaves the mysterious & ethereal world of 'creativity' for dead, and looks at how he creates music, and how the industry works, in a grounded and logical way. A brilliant book for anyone who creates anything.\nThe Plenitude: Creativity, Innovation, and Making Stuff - Rich Gold\nAnother old(er) book, but one I can't believe I only just found. Rich Gold's outlook on how and why we make things should be required reading for anyone who plans on thrusting their big idea into the world.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking - Susan Cain\nIt's had a lot of press, but I'm going to recommend it anyway. HN undoubtedly has a higher than average number of introverts who truly operate in an extroverted world. This book was absolutely eye opening in how it deconstructs different situations and personalities in a useful and positive way. I wouldn't say it's 'changed my life', but it has made a few relationships with close friends and colleagues a lot better.\nAnd a quick plug - for any avid Kindle readers out there, I've built a web app for viewing/sharing/organising Kindle highlights. If any HN'ers want early access sign up at http://kindred.it/ and I'll ping you a beta login.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm going to recommend it anyway.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was eye opening and improved relationships with friends and colleagues.",
          "audience": "HN readers, especially introverts navigating an extroverted world.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it did not change their life.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3643556,
          "author": "seanlerner",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-28T15:55:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 3643009,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-technical book you've read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3643556",
          "commentText": "I'm currently reading through 'Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking' by Susan Cain. It is pretty interesting/an easy read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking'",
          "reason": "Calls it pretty interesting and an easy read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Susan Cain"
      ],
      "recommenders": 15,
      "threads": 13,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "introversion",
        "personality",
        "relationships",
        "social behavior"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-power-of-now-905c6c",
      "title": "The Power of Now",
      "author": "Eckhart Tolle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47984526,
          "author": "ankitg12",
          "createdAt": "2026-05-02T08:24:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 47984463,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47984526",
          "commentText": "The Power of Now\nAtomic Habits",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Power of Now",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40280984,
          "author": "interbased",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T00:21:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40280984",
          "commentText": "The Power of Now - Eckhart Tolle\nLetting Go - David R Hawkins\nBoth books provide amazing reminders for the best ways to approach life and handle stress.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Power of Now - Eckhart Tolle",
          "reason": "Provides reminders for approaching life and handling stress.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40047124,
          "author": "interbased",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-16T00:23:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40047124",
          "commentText": "The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936760,
          "author": "pkszg",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T09:54:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936760",
          "commentText": "I like to read a wide variety of genre from fiction to human psychology.\nFor the mind:\nNonviolent Communication by  Marshall Rosenberg - A great book on how to communcate more effectively with others.\nThinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman -He is the only psychologist ever to recieve the Nobel Prize if I remember correctly. This book scientifically digests human biases and errors and how they influence our every day lives and decision making. Sometimes it a bit too technical for my taste and I like mostly the first part. (its not an easy read) I rarely had so many Aha-moments.\nA random walk down on wall street - For investing your income in stocks. What to do and what no to do. Simple, with facts.\nSapiens by Harari -Interesting, I remember it was a great read and fun read. Connecting a lot of dots :)\nOn programming:\nDesigning Data-Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann - I am failry a junior web dev, so any material that is clear and explains well is a great source of information and inspiration. This is such a book.\nComputer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective by Randal E. Bryant and David R. O'Hallaron - Teaches CS from the basics, which for me is a great source since I don't have a CS degree. I complement it with other materials from the internet (such as Harvard's CS50) for learning the fundamentals paralell working in my daily web dev job. Its a long book, so It will take a couple of months, years to go thorugh, but definitely worth the effort.\nFictions I love, without much introduction:\nLord of the Rings\nDune (first book)\nGame of thrones books\nFor me JRRs storytelling is outstanding, the books are better than the serires IMO.\nSpiritual Books:\n(I am not a religous person by any means and I do not follow traditions)\nSpirituality for me means a deeper connection with the universe.\nIf I really want to dig deeper than everyday work-life stuff I listen/read these books. Usually when there is a great emotional upheaval in my life or when I feel my daily distractions failed on me.\nPower of now by Eckhart Tolle - This book gives me the occasional goosebumps, a great summary of all spiritual teachings (before becoming religions) in a really simple way. If you are interested in such, I highly recommend it.\nMeditations by Marcus Aurelius - I see it mentioned here already, no intro needed.\nLetters by Seneca - This book is a proof for me that the essential human experience, the core of what makes us human does not change over time. Seneca was a great stoic thinker, who is very relatable by anyone even today (and probably will be for many millenia)\nZen Mind, Beginners Mind by Suzuki Roshi - All true spiritual teaching have the same source, but all are expressed differently. This is a great, simple powerful book to read if you lean towards buddhism.\nA Course in Miracles (no official author) -Now this is a heavy read. It has a textbook with daily practices also. This is definitely not a book for everyone.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you are interested in such, I highly recommend it.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a simple summary of spiritual teachings.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in spirituality.",
          "caveat": "The commenter turns to it during emotional upheaval or when daily distractions fail.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30739716,
          "author": "StopDarkPattern",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T03:08:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30739716",
          "commentText": "How to tell someone is trying to trash something. Unnecessary abbreviations. Its literally everywhere. The Power of Now is a transformational book and is extremely enlightening. Everyone should read it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Power of Now is a transformational book and is extremely enlightening. Everyone should read it.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it transformational and says everyone should read it.",
          "audience": "Everyone, according to the commenter.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30739161,
          "author": "carabiner",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T01:27:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30739161",
          "commentText": "I liked PON but it did seem to fall under the \"thanks I'm cured\" or \"happiness is a choice\" school of personal development. It works for some people, maybe those who sometimes fall under a bad mood once in a while, but doesn't do much for real mental illness. It's like telling a lifelong alcoholic that drinking is a choice or an overweight person that eating is just a choice. How do you stay on that horse if you fall off it nearly every waking hour?",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I liked PON but it did seem to fall under the \"thanks I'm cured\" or \"happiness is a choice\" school of personal development. It works for some people, maybe those who sometimes fall under a bad mood once in a while, but doesn't do much for real mental illness.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it may help some people with occasional low moods but not people with real mental illness.",
          "audience": "People who sometimes have a bad mood.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it does little for real mental illness.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30738126,
          "author": "rthomas6",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T22:29:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30738126",
          "commentText": "For what it's worth, that book is probably most to blame for shoving me hard from Christianity to secular agnosticism. I grew up being able to feel God's presence and love. The Power of Now helped me look at where that feeling originates (internally), how it is connected to me, and how universal it is across various traditions and religions throughout time. What is it? I don't know. But calling it God and being done with it doesn't describe it well. It's a part of you and your brain is involved in the process.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Power of Now helped me look at where that feeling originates (internally), how it is connected to me, and how universal it is across various traditions and religions throughout time.",
          "reason": "The commenter credits it with helping them reconsider spiritual experience and move toward secular agnosticism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the experience is difficult to define and does not know what it is.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910382,
          "author": "criveros",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:41:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910382",
          "commentText": "1. The power of now\n2. Models\n3. The 4-hour workweek",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1. The power of now",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for favorite nonfiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17046129,
          "author": "madads",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T10:25:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17046129",
          "commentText": "The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.\nPromoting “breathing” without thinking and not taking your thoughts too seriously has got me through a lot of emotional turmoil and “life situations”.\nIncredible even 5 years later.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle.",
          "reason": "The commenter says its approach helped them through emotional turmoil and difficult life situations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630223,
          "author": "Panino",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:53:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630223",
          "commentText": "* Johnny Got His Gun, by Dalton Trumbo. Powerful anti-war story.\n  * Vagabonding, by Rolf Potts. Shaped my views on hard work and travel.\n  * 1984, by George Orwell. Brilliant and terrifying.\n  * The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle. Overcoming mental pain through consciousness. \n  * Planetwalker, by John Francis. Inspired me to walk and put myself into things more.\n  * Pure enjoyment: Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson), Ready Player One (Ernest Cline), Watchmen (Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons), Red Rising trilogy (Pierce Brown).\n\nHonorable mention: The Water Knife (Paolo Bacigalupi).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle. Overcoming mental pain through consciousness.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a book about overcoming mental pain through consciousness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14486243,
          "author": "K0SM0S",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T09:15:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14486243",
          "commentText": "Meditations by Marcus Aurelius.\nStoicism is by far the best philosophy I've ever encountered. Some people call it \"the best operating system for the mind\", and I very much agree with that statement.\nIt changed my life more than any other corpus of ideas. I can't overstate how much better I feel now that my brain is running on a 'Stoic OS', especially on an emotional level --which was the hardest to deal with as I'm rather hyper-sensitive; now my emotions have truly become an almost entirely positive force in my experience of life, regardless of their nature, good or bad, of said emotions; in fact I no longer even qualify emotions on this scale; and the same goes true for an overwhelming majority of my thinking.\nThis book is the personal journal of one of the greatest roman emperors, leader of the (western) world at the time. A rare enough occurrence in the history of leaders, he was deemed 'worthy of his position' on a human and philosophical level by most people who knew him.\nA couple remarks: \"philosophy\" as seen by ancient authors and thinkers is not a strictly intellectual or abstract endeavor, not a scholarly matter, at least not at its core. Philosophy is the closest equivalent they had to what we'd call \"self-development\" today. It's very down to earth, 'life recipes' of sorts, simply to educate and help people deal with this elusive brain of ours. Seneca's and Epictetus writings are also excellent food for thought, food for one's mind. Imho, philosophy, litterally the \"love of wisdom\", is something we should deeply reappropriate, both as individuals and whole societies.\nRelatingly, Stoicism used to be taught from childhood throughout most of human history in the western world (and it could be argued that Asia has its own equivalent philosophies). For some reason, we ceased teaching philosophy to children around the turn of of the 20th century, which leaves most people with a lack of means to deal with their emotional circumstances. I'm one of those who consider this to be a dire pity, especially in our day and age. I think it sorely shows in public discourse and interpersonal relationships, and the end result is too much suffering that is entirely preventable.\nMeditations is easy enough to read, but if you want something more modern, I found The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday to be a very good introduction to Stoicism.\n____\nAs A Man Thinketh by James Allen. It's as short as it is good for the mind, the building/making of one's persona. Well worth a read at least once in your life, there are many 20th and 21st century self-development books (e.g. How to Win Friends and Influence People) that I believe drew some of their teachings from this 1903 classic.\n____\nThe Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. Regardless of where you find the information contained in this book (there are many works on the topic, both modern and throughout history), this book helps understanding that living in the present moment is critically important, and a key to happiness. Notwithstanding the 'wu-wu' aspects of Tolle's particular take, it just works. If you find yourself constantly dwelling on the past, or being a 'nostalgic of the future' (as I both used to do), knowing the value of living 'in the now' may be the difference between chronic depression and a fulfilling experience of life. It certainly is for me.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "this book helps understanding that living in the present moment is critically important, and a key to happiness.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helps readers understand the value of living in the present.",
          "audience": "People who dwell on the past or anticipate the future.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes the book’s particular take has 'wu-wu' aspects and says similar information appears in other works.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14484877,
          "author": "mattbettinson",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T02:07:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14484877",
          "commentText": "The power of now changed my life. Hard to describe without sounding hokey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The power of now changed my life.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book changed their life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Hard to describe the impact without sounding hokey.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12148584,
          "author": "Rainymood",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-23T06:20:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12148584",
          "commentText": ">3) As cliche as it is, 'The Power of Now' is a great source to return to in times of personal and professional woes.\nI tried reading The Power of Now but sometimes I felt it became really mumbo jumbo with all the spirituality. Would you advise me to just power through it?",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I tried reading The Power of Now but sometimes I felt it became really mumbo jumbo with all the spirituality.",
          "reason": "Says its spirituality sometimes felt like mumbo jumbo and asks whether to continue.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not finished reading it and is unsure whether to continue.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12142466,
          "author": "l33tbro",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T09:00:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12142466",
          "commentText": "Practical skills are easily acquired.  Personal skills  and greater self-awareness are what really fast-track you.\n1) Scott Adams 'How to fail at almost everything' for life strategy.\n2) Robert Glover's 'No more Mr Nice Guy' for assertiveness and being your authentic self no matter what.\n3) As cliche as it is, 'The Power of Now' is a great source to return to in times of personal and professional woes.\nGood luck and Godspeed in your career(s).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "'The Power of Now' is a great source to return to in times of personal and professional woes.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great resource to revisit during personal or professional difficulties.",
          "audience": "People experiencing personal or professional difficulties.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that recommending it is clichéd.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10212290,
          "author": "BlackLamb",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-13T18:28:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 10211331,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10212290",
          "commentText": "Power of Now - Eckhart Tolle.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Power of Now - Eckhart Tolle.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8716945,
          "author": "gregd",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T15:39:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8716945",
          "commentText": "Two books that aren't mentioned, surprisingly, are:\nThe Power of Now - Eckhart Tolle\nThe Four Agreements - Don Miguel Ruiz\nIn my humble opinion, these two books alone, have the ability to change one's life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Power of Now - Eckhart Tolle",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book has the ability to change one's life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The claim is framed as the commenter's humble opinion.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7008654,
          "author": "deadfall",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-03T22:23:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 7001282,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7008654",
          "commentText": "Ram Das has such great lectures. I have yet to read his books. I am reading The Power of Now and I wonder how different it is to Be Here Now.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I am reading The Power of Now and I wonder how different it is to Be Here Now.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6923762,
          "author": "deadfall",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-17T20:36:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 6921805,
          "threadTitle": "What book has inspired you the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6923762",
          "commentText": "\"The Four Agreements\" has forever changed the way I view my actions and the actions around me.\n\"The Power of Now\" is a great book about spiritual enlightenment. It opens up your mind to a different way of thought related to no stress, no pain, no anxiety, no past, no future, etc...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Power of Now\" is a great book about spiritual enlightenment.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book about spiritual enlightenment and a different way of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2148020,
          "author": "fylox",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T15:04:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2148020",
          "commentText": "I completely agree. One of those books which was in some passages extremely hard (or even painful) to read is \"Thou shall prosper\" from Daniel Lipman, a (right wing) Rabbi! It changed the way I look at business. Some arguments convinced me, others I still can't accept. But it showed me that axioms which seem counter-intuitive to me can build a very practical world view.\nAnother book which is rather on the extreme side is Eckart Tolle's \"The Power of now!\". Again, I sometimes couldn't stand his opinion. For example whenever he quotes Jesus and explains that most people get it wrong but in fact it would be like this or that.\nBut the book showed me that I was worrying and thinking way too much and that this is at best useless and sometimes even dangerous.\nOften books don't even tell you something new. And I think even this is worthwhile as long as the author explains what you already know in a very different way.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Eckart Tolle's \"The Power of now!\"",
          "reason": "Says the book showed them that excessive worry and thinking can be useless or dangerous.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter sometimes could not stand the author’s opinions, including his interpretations of Jesus.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2147603,
          "author": "rfugger",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T12:51:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2147603",
          "commentText": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\nThe Fountainhead\nIshmael by Daniel Quinn\nThe Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins\nThe Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed the reader’s way of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875880,
          "author": "wgj",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T03:22:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875880",
          "commentText": "Reflections on the Art of Living: A Joseph Campbell Companion\nThe Power of Now",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Power of Now",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eckhart Tolle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 15,
      "threads": 13,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mindfulness",
        "spirituality",
        "living in the present",
        "personal development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "zero-to-one-8c0d38",
      "title": "Zero to One",
      "author": "Peter Thiel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41553023,
          "author": "mumer101",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-16T05:28:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41553023",
          "commentText": "I read it very long ago. However, my feeling was that it's for VC funded companies and only companies who are looking to become a billion dollars corporation whereas personally, I would have been happy with the multi-million business",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I read it very long ago. However, my feeling was that it's for VC funded companies and only companies who are looking to become a billion dollars corporation",
          "reason": "The commenter feels it is aimed at VC funded companies pursuing billion dollar scale.",
          "audience": "VC funded companies pursuing very large scale.",
          "caveat": "The commenter would have been happy with a multi-million dollar business.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41546181,
          "author": "Toine",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-15T08:42:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41546181",
          "commentText": "0 to 1",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "0 to 1",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40278733,
          "author": "DarrenDev",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-06T19:46:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40278733",
          "commentText": "- Zero to One, Peter Thiel\nAlways makes me feel that I’m not ambitious enough. And that too many smart people are in the wrong industry (finance).\n- The Dip, Seth Godin\nDon’t give up. Unless you’re in a cul-de-sac.\n- Obviously Awesome, April Dunford\nYour competitor is often not who you think it is.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zero to One, Peter Thiel",
          "reason": "Listed as a nonfiction book the commenter rereads; says it makes them feel insufficiently ambitious and questions smart people working in finance.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it makes them feel they are not ambitious enough.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35171836,
          "author": "ranabuzdar",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:32:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35171836",
          "commentText": "Here are some of the most popular ones:\nThe Lean Startup by Eric Ries\nZero to One by Peter Thiel\nThe 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey\nThink and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill\nThe E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber\nGood to Great by Jim Collins\nThe Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander\nThe Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz\nThe Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton Christensen\nRework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson\nThese books cover various aspects of entrepreneurship, from idea generation and innovation to leadership and management. Each one offers a unique perspective and valuable insights that can help entrepreneurs navigate the challenges and opportunities of starting and growing a business.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zero to One by Peter Thiel",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the books covering entrepreneurship.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18744346,
          "author": "sandeepvk",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T04:05:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744346",
          "commentText": "Zero to One\nCapitalism in America\nEnough",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zero to One",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite nonfiction books read in 2018.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16762038,
          "author": "georgewsinger",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-05T05:25:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16762038",
          "commentText": "By far the #1 book I keep referring to and re-reading: Zero to One.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "By far the #1 book I keep referring to and re-reading: Zero to One.",
          "reason": "Calls it the book they refer to and reread most often.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13264594,
          "author": "ud0",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-27T17:43:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13264594",
          "commentText": "CSS Mastery - Andy Budd\nCSS: The definitive guide - Eric Meyer\nHTML & CSS design - Jon Ducket\nZero to One - Peter Theil. (Started reading it early this year, still on it.)\nI've a self-taught developer coding professionally for 4 years now and I'm looking to fill knowledge gaps and understand how things work under the hood.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Zero to One - Peter Theil. (Started reading it early this year, still on it.)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has started reading it but is still reading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13258390,
          "author": "alc90",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-26T14:47:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13258390",
          "commentText": "My goal for this year was to read 10 books. Not a huge challenge but I'm happy I managed to complete it. I'm currently at my 16th book - so I might say that's pretty good.\nHere's my 2016 reading list:\n#1. Zero to One - Peter Thiel - 3.5*\n#2. The Alchemis - Paulo Coelho - 3.5*\n#3. Founders at Work - Jessica Livingston - 3*\n#4. Traction - Gabriel Weinberg - 4.5*\n#5. How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie -4*\n#6. Reinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations... - Frederic Laloux, Ken Wilber - 4*\n#7. Daily Rituals: How Artists Work - Mason Currey - 3*\n#8. Rich Dad, Poor Dad - Robert T. Kiyosak - 3*\n#9. The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs... - Eric Ries - 4.5*\n#10. Meaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly - Bernadette Jiwa - 3*\n#11. Elon Musk: Inventing the Future - Ashlee Vance - 4*\n#12. Rework - Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson - 4.5*\n#13. Anything You Want - Derek Sivers - 4.5*\n#14. South of the Border, West of the Sun - Haruki Murakami - 3.5*\n#15. As A Man Thinketh / The Path Of Prosperity - James Allen - 4*\nCurrently I'm reading If This Is a Man / The Truce by Primo Levi - and so far it seems to be one of the top 3 books I've read this year - definitely a 4+* book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "#1. Zero to One - Peter Thiel - 3.5*",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12992285,
          "author": "erinyong",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-19T05:54:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12992285",
          "commentText": "Zero to One by Peter Thiel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zero to One by Peter Thiel",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12473765,
          "author": "kaushikt",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T15:19:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12473765",
          "commentText": "zero to one - Peter thiel -  good read\nold man and the sea - Hemingway - good read\nsapiens (currently reading) - Yuval Noah Harari - fantastic till now\nWhat if (still reading) - Randall Munroe - an interesting read",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "zero to one - Peter thiel -  good read",
          "reason": "Describes it as a good read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12430886,
          "author": "adidash",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-05T15:50:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12430886",
          "commentText": "the hard thing about hard things & zero to one",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "zero to one",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229784,
          "author": "my5thaccount",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:50:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229784",
          "commentText": "Zero to One by Peter Thiel\nThe Hard Thing about Hard Things by Ben Horowitz\nStrategy Rules - Five Timeless Lessons from Bill Gates, Andy Grove, and Steve Jobs by David B. Yoffie, Michael A. Cusumano\nThese are all timely books and recently written.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zero to One by Peter Thiel",
          "reason": "Listed as a book suggestion in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls the listed books timely and recently written.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785652,
          "author": "orky56",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T21:08:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785652",
          "commentText": "Just curious why you found \"Zero to One\" to be a philosophy book? Despite its academic approach, it was surprisingly practical even if not many startups/entrepreneurs would find it accessible right away in their first venture.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Just curious why you found \"Zero to One\" to be a philosophy book?",
          "reason": "Asks why the book was categorized as philosophy, noting it is surprisingly practical.",
          "audience": "Startups and entrepreneurs",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may not be accessible right away to people in their first venture.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783311,
          "author": "ing33k",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:10:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783311",
          "commentText": "Not including technical books\n\"The Four Steps to the Epiphany\" - I got a very detailed view on customer development.\n\"Zero to One\" - got some fresh ideas on how to think differently wrt business.\n\"Dhandha: How Gujaratis Do Business\" - collection of stories , which highlight why/how Gujaratis are so successful in businesses.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "got some fresh ideas on how to think differently wrt business.",
          "reason": "Says it offered fresh ideas for thinking differently about business.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783309,
          "author": "rodolphoarruda",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:09:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783309",
          "commentText": "Disclaimer: I am a manager.\nNo Hero - M. Owen;\nZero to One - P. Thiel;\nThe 7 Principles of Professional Services - S. Anastasi.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Zero to One - P. Thiel;",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10028028,
          "author": "samsolomon",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T17:40:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10028028",
          "commentText": "If you're into technology startups—I assume you are—Zero to One is absolutely what you're looking for.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zero to One is absolutely what you're looking for.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends it to readers interested in technology startups.",
          "audience": "People interested in technology startups.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348164,
          "author": "ing33k",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:23:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348164",
          "commentText": "currently reading - Zero To One - Peter Thiel",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "currently reading - Zero To One - Peter Thiel",
          "reason": "Names a book currently being read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8718101,
          "author": "reubensutton",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T18:31:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8718101",
          "commentText": "\"Zero to One\" by Peter Thiel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Zero to One\" by Peter Thiel",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8402553,
          "author": "keithba",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T19:23:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8402553",
          "commentText": "I thought it was worth the read. It's short and quick. I don't agree with everything, but it's compelling and entertaining, and thought provoking.\nI also read Blake Master's blog entries back when he first wrote them, and found the book a better superset.\nThanks for the rec on Synthesis of Form!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I thought it was worth the read. It's short and quick. I don't agree with everything, but it's compelling and entertaining, and thought provoking.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds it compelling, entertaining, and thought provoking, while disagreeing with some of it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not agree with everything in the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401556,
          "author": "ComNik",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:36:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401556",
          "commentText": "Would also recommend Christopher Alexander's \"Notes on the Synthesis of Form\".\nIs Zero to One worth the read?",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Is Zero to One worth the read?",
          "reason": "Asks whether the book is worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401543,
          "author": "mrfusion",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:35:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401543",
          "commentText": "I don't remember reading about Ayn Rand in Zero to One.  Could you tell me where?  (Hoping the Kindle version wasn't abridged or something)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I don't remember reading about Ayn Rand in Zero to One.",
          "reason": "Asks where Ayn Rand is discussed in the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401512,
          "author": "keithba",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:31:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401512",
          "commentText": "Just completed: Zero to One.\nAlways reading: Christopher Alexander's The Nature of Order: The Phenomenon of Life.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Just completed: Zero to One.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401472,
          "author": "bg4",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:28:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401472",
          "commentText": "The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement\nEliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox\nHighly recommend\nNext up: Zero to One - Peter Thiel",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Next up: Zero to One - Peter Thiel",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401429,
          "author": "espitia",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:22:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401429",
          "commentText": "Zero To One - Peter Thiel\nTribes - Seth Godin\nThe Four Agreements - Miguel Angel Ruiz (life changing) The\nSeven Spiritual Laws of Success - Deepak Chopra\nThese are some that I am reading/read recently.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Zero To One - Peter Thiel",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401378,
          "author": "milhous",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:16:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401378",
          "commentText": "Read: \"Einstein: His Life and Universe\" by Walter Isaacson\nCurrently reading:\n\"Zero to One\" by Peter Thiel\n\"Discover Meteor: Building Real-Time JavaScript Web Apps\" by Tom Coleman & Sacha Greif\nReading next:\n\"Benjamin Franklin: An American Life\" by Walter Isaacson\nOverall, I like Isaacson's writing style, and for someone with a non-scientific background, did a pretty good job at describing physical concepts such as a relativity and space-time.\nIt was exciting to read his bio on Steve Jobs the day it came out, but in retrospect seemed to lack depth. I'm not sure if I learned anything new about him as a person, than just someone following Apple and his career over the years.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Zero to One\" by Peter Thiel",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401259,
          "author": "dangerlibrary",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T15:57:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401259",
          "commentText": "Rand gets some things right. She takes hero worship to a whole new level, though.\nPeter Thiel's take on her in Zero to One is pretty good.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Peter Thiel's take on her in Zero to One is pretty good.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises Thiel's take on Rand in the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401106,
          "author": "maresca",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T15:29:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401106",
          "commentText": "Read:\nZero to One - Peter Thiel\nTraction Book -  Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares\nCurrently Reading:\nHow to win friends and influence people - Dale Carnegie",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Zero to One - Peter Thiel",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8112901,
          "author": "xiaoma",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-31T07:47:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8112901",
          "commentText": "Yes, it's an entire book. It has a better organized superset of the material from the lectures. Many things missing from the lectures are in the book and many things explained briefly in the lectures are explained in detail in the book.\nIf I can scrounge up the time, I'll write a review soon.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It has a better organized superset of the material from the lectures.",
          "reason": "Says the book is better organized and covers more than the lectures.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The review has not yet been written.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109882,
          "author": "rahimnathwani",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T17:57:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109882",
          "commentText": "Does it have much content beyond the CS183 class notes on Blake Masters' web site?\nI saw a pre-release copy on sale on abebooks but wanted to wait for the reviews.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Does it have much content beyond the CS183 class notes on Blake Masters' web site?",
          "reason": "Asks whether the book adds material beyond the CS183 notes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Waiting for reviews before buying.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109064,
          "author": "xiaoma",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:12:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109064",
          "commentText": "I just finished Zero to One.\nIt's the most thought provoking book I've ever read on entrepreneurship and some of Peter Theil's stories are jaw-dropping. It's the first book that has had me thinking I'm actually a pretty conventional thinker and not nearly ambitious enough.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's the most thought provoking book I've ever read on entrepreneurship",
          "reason": "Calls it thought provoking and says it challenged their view of their own ambition.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in entrepreneurship.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8106953,
          "author": "joshmlewis",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:20:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106953",
          "commentText": "Just got done reading Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz, most if it was pretty insightful, especially the stories in the beginning. The executive management parts I skimmed over in the middle and some parts were really irrelevant for early stage companies but overall it was a good read and informative.\nPeter Thiel's book Zero To One is on pre-order, but you can pre-order and then get a pre-print edition mailed to you. It's based around the class notes in his Stanford startup class. I don't agree with everything but it's a very good perspective. It really helped me get out of the perspective of shitty ideas and to think bigger.\nEdit: Ops, got Marc and Ben confused. ;)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's based around the class notes in his Stanford startup class. I don't agree with everything but it's a very good perspective.",
          "reason": "Calls it a very good perspective and says it helped them think bigger.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in startups and entrepreneurial ideas.",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not agree with everything in it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968587,
          "author": "chewxy",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T00:34:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968587",
          "commentText": "Just finished Zero to One a few days ago. It's pretty much Peter Thiel's talks summarized into one book. Not really an 'action' book, more of a \"here's what a different view of the startup world is like\" (not that it's really different from my personal views)\nAlso, here's a list of books I read and recommend in 2014: http://blog.chewxy.com/books/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Just finished Zero to One a few days ago. It's pretty much Peter Thiel's talks summarized into one book. Not really an 'action' book, more of a \"here's what a different view of the startup world is like\"",
          "reason": "Describes it as a summary of Thiel’s talks and a different view of the startup world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it is not really an action book and not very different from their personal views.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Thiel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 15,
      "threads": 13,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "startups",
        "innovation",
        "entrepreneurship",
        "venture capital"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "getting-real-8cef92",
      "title": "Getting Real",
      "author": "37signals",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41704633,
          "author": "notpushkin",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-01T04:36:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 41693844,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good essays/books/advice about software sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41704633",
          "commentText": "Not about sales, but if you haven’t yet, try Getting Real by 37signals (Basecamp, HEY).\nIt’s for anybody working on software, whether building a SaaS or working for a client or anything in between. A ton of solid advice on project management, client relationships, interface design, code and more.\nFree to read online (and a free PDF): https://basecamp.com/books/getting-real",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "try Getting Real by 37signals",
          "reason": "Recommended for advice on software work, including project management, client relationships, and interface design.",
          "audience": "People building software, working for clients, or working on a SaaS.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not about sales.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41553019,
          "author": "mumer101",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-16T05:27:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41553019",
          "commentText": "It's a bit outdated but still very Relevant",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's a bit outdated but still very Relevant",
          "reason": "Described as still relevant despite being a bit outdated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A bit outdated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41546090,
          "author": "dkekenflxlf",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-15T08:22:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41546090",
          "commentText": "Getting Real, 37signals",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Getting Real, 37signals",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41545866,
          "author": "qprofyeh",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-15T07:28:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41545866",
          "commentText": "On my phone but: The Business Model Canvas,  Getting Real.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Getting Real",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30746251,
          "author": "kcartlidge",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T20:24:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30746251",
          "commentText": "- Total Freedom by Jiddu Krishnamurti.\nInitially this came across as shallow truths masquerading as profundity, especially with his unwillingness/inability to explain himself during discussions. Finally I read enough that some things just 'clicked' into place and my perspectives shifted along with my outlook on life.\n- Letters from the Desert by Carlo Carretto (first half).\nI was brought up a protestant so was never really exposed to catholic thought in my formative years. When I finally started exploring the classics for myself I found them often overly wordy and mystical, so I moved on to more modern (relatively speaking) works like this and the Way of the Pilgrim too. The simplicity of the writing and the clarity of the thoughts in the first few chapters of Letters from the Desert hit me hard.\n- The Quran\nA wonderfully phrased book that captures its times very well. Ideally to be read alongside something like Islam: A Short History or Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet, both by Karen Armstrong, to provide the context.\nAs an aside the Qu'ran is available for free online in audio format both as interlinear English/Arabic but also as Arabic only, and as a non-speaker of Arabic I often find listening to it being chanted a very calming and uplifting experience despite having no clue what is being said.\n- Getting Real by 37 Signals.\nAs a programmer/developer/engineer since the late 1980s this was a revelation, bringing a clarity to my own thoughts and feelings about much of the world of enterprise software development. Very obvious points in retrospect that nobody ever (including me) seemed to have realised during my entire career before then.\n- Web Copy that Sells by Maria Veloso.\nA strange choice, given that there is nothing 'profound' in here. What it is, though, is a very well written book on persuasion which finally got me to see that I'd spent years avoiding 'sales' as something that wasn't for me whereas in reality it's for everyone and we do it all the time.\n- The Body by Charles Colson.\nColson was jailed for his part in the Nixon stuff, then became a Christian. It's an incredibly moving book which is not his autobiography but an analysis of what is going wrong with the church. The impact comes from the stories he relates at the start of the chapters (especially the opening ones about 9/11). Those tales gave me an understanding of the potential 'greatness' in people.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Getting Real by 37 Signals.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it clarified their thinking about enterprise software development.",
          "audience": "Programmers, developers, and engineers.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the points seem obvious in retrospect.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17914850,
          "author": "combatentropy",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-05T03:36:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17914850",
          "commentText": "The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E. B. White\nThe Language Instinct by Steven Pinker\nThe Problem of Pain by C. S. Lewis\nThe Mac Is Not a Typewriter by Robin Williams\nGetting Real by 37 Signals",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Getting Real by 37 Signals",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite nonfiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168653,
          "author": "stephenson",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:26:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168653",
          "commentText": "Getting Real by 37Signals - https://basecamp.com/books/getting-real\nGot me started building my first business.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Got me started building my first business.",
          "reason": "The commenter credits it with helping them start their first business.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14478668,
          "author": "WillPostForFood",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T21:44:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478668",
          "commentText": "Getting Real - got me out of the corporate grind\nSICP - got me out of the OO grind\nEach one had a significant positive impact on my life. And both a free online!\nhttps://gettingreal.37signals.com/\nhttp://sarabander.github.io/sicp/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Getting Real - got me out of the corporate grind",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them leave the corporate grind.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6335318,
          "author": "AtTheLast",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-05T17:01:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 6329955,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which two books were the most influential on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6335318",
          "commentText": "1) The Burn Collector by All Burian\n2) Getting Real by 37 Signals",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Getting Real by 37 Signals",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4476202,
          "author": "dmix",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-04T19:47:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 4476107,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN : What are some great books an aspiring entrepreneur should read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4476202",
          "commentText": "Pricing for Profit\nStartup Owners Manual\nMade to Stick\nGetting Real (37signals first book)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Getting Real (37signals first book)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books aspiring entrepreneurs should read.",
          "audience": "Aspiring entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1571121,
          "author": "MerkavaVentures",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T14:00:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 1567456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I want to start a web company what books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1571121",
          "commentText": "Getting Real by 37signals: http://gettingreal.37signals.com/toc.php",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Getting Real by 37signals",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books that helped with starting a web company.",
          "audience": "People starting a web company.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1568428,
          "author": "PaulJoslin",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T18:02:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 1567456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I want to start a web company what books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1568428",
          "commentText": "While I'm at it. I'll tell you about some other's I have read.\n- Getting Real by 37 Signals http://gettingreal.37signals.com/\n- Rework by 37 Signals http://37signals.com/rework/\nThese are great and really get your mind thinking about alternatives to what most people believe.\n- Sarah Lacy's Once your lucky, twice you're good. http://www.amazon.com/Once-Youre-Lucky-Twice-Good/dp/1592403... (http://www.amazon.com/Once-Youre-Lucky-Twice-Good/dp/1592403824)\nThis isn't a technical book, but can really get you motivated to succeed reading the stories of previous successes! It also gives a bit of an insight into the internal workings of a start up in the early stages. It highlights networking as an important factor!\n- Start up success guide - http://www.amazon.com/Startup-Success-Guide-Books-Profession... (http://www.amazon.com/Startup-Success-Guide-Books-Professionals/dp/1430219858/)\nThis book was quite good, but felt a bit dated in comparison to Rob Walling's 'Start up book'.\nFinally 'Founders at work' is definitely worth a read. http://www.amazon.com/Founders-Work-Stories-Startups-Problem... (http://www.amazon.com/Founders-Work-Stories-Startups-Problem-Solution/dp/1430210788/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "These are great and really get your mind thinking about alternatives to what most people believe.",
          "reason": "Praises the books for prompting different ways of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 715643,
          "author": "firefoxman1",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-21T03:04:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715643",
          "commentText": "Getting Real by 37 signals.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Getting Real by 37 signals.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 138377,
          "author": "davidw",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-16T20:20:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=138377",
          "commentText": "It's definitely worth reading, but not worth paying for since you can read it for free on their site.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's definitely worth reading, but not worth paying for",
          "reason": "Says it is worth reading, while noting it is available free on the site.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not worth paying for; available free on the site.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135237,
          "author": "davidw",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T16:42:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135237",
          "commentText": "It's not bad, but it's free on the web.  And in terms of \"getting real\", they could stand to make a real book out of it by getting an ISBN number for it with all the money they made off of people throwing their money at them.\nAnd of course I'll add the obligatory mention of Squeezed Books, which is more or less based on business books I've bought and enjoyed (although there are also others like Good to Great that I wouldn't recommend).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's not bad, but it's free on the web.",
          "reason": "Calls it not bad, while criticizing its availability as a paid book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is free on the web.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135228,
          "author": "Glimjaur",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T16:35:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135228",
          "commentText": "I would add \"Getting Real\" by 37Signals, for starters.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would add \"Getting Real\" by 37Signals, for starters.",
          "reason": "Suggested for a hacker's bookshelf.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9615,
          "author": "chendy",
          "createdAt": "2007-04-06T16:21:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 9614,
          "threadTitle": "What books have you found to be helpful in starting your business?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9615",
          "commentText": "I'm trying to get some recommendations for books that might be helpful for a web startup.  Personally, I have really found \"The Tipping Point\" by Malcolm Gladwell and \"Getting Real\" by the 37signals folks to be really helpful.  I've read lots of great articles via news.YC, and I'm hoping you can all recommend some good offline reading as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I have really found \"The Tipping Point\" by Malcolm Gladwell and \"Getting Real\" by the 37signals folks to be really helpful.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it has been really helpful for starting a business.",
          "audience": "People starting a web startup",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "37signals"
      ],
      "recommenders": 15,
      "threads": 12,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "product development",
        "startups",
        "web startups",
        "entrepreneurship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-culture-1bfad1",
      "title": "The Culture",
      "author": "Iain M. Banks",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49915629,
          "author": "ericol",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T23:05:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49915629",
          "commentText": "Both Player of Games and Use of Weapons are incredible good books.\nI was actually surprised when I finished UoW regarding how different it was from PoG, while maintaining the quality (If not better, but PoG IS THAT GOOD anyway).\nFor the record, the series was recommended to be by Claude of all things, and it told me that Phlebas was not up to quality but I gave it a shot just for the sake of completeness of the series. Nop, not worth it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the series was recommended to be by Claude of all things",
          "reason": "The commenter says Claude recommended the series and discusses reading its books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Consider Phlebas was not worth reading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 49907747,
          "author": "kvgr",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T12:11:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49907747",
          "commentText": "Read: American Gods, Consider Phlebas, Neuromancer, The HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Dune 1, Nineteen Eighty-Four listened to Foundation and I definitely recommend all.\nBut for me Consider Phlebas is the best. Currently on 4th book in series, but cant get through it.\nNineteen Eighty-Four doesnt feel geek novel, just political. Also great.\nI keep reading outputs from LLMs all day and don't have energy to focus on Eng written books in the evening.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Currently on 4th book in series, but cant get through it.",
          "reason": "The commenter is reading the series but cannot get through its fourth book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The fourth book is a struggle for the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41770167,
          "author": "0xBDB",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T19:46:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41770167",
          "commentText": "Not the person you were responding to, but if you ignore the hundred-page speech (which isn't that difficult to do) it's a fairly serviceable pulp sci-fi romance novel. It's far from Shakespeare and far from my favorite thing I've ever read, but it'll do in a pinch.\nI don't care for the philosophy/politics, but I've read a lot of good sci-fi that I didn't care for the philosophy behind. I like Starship Troopers, which isn't as fascist as some people think but is certainly right-wing. I like Orson Scott Card, regardless of what I think of his opinions on gay people. I like the Culture novels, which are lowkey anarcho-communist. I like China Mieville, and he's an unsubtle hardcore Marxist.\nThose are all much better than Rand, but not totally out of the ballpark (I think the Fountainhead is actually much better written than Atlas Shrugged).\nI agree with the original thread comment: people who can't separate literary and political merit are usually pretty tiresome in lots of other ways.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I like the Culture novels, which are lowkey anarcho-communist.",
          "reason": "Says they like the novels while noting their political outlook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes them as lowkey anarcho-communist.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36032058,
          "author": "ThinkBeat",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-22T14:40:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36032058",
          "commentText": "Neal Asher writes (mostly) about The Polity:\nWhich is similar in concept to Ian M Banks The Culture series.\n(which I also love).\nAsher tends to be darker and more violent. \nI dont think he is for everyone.\nI would start with GridLinked.\nHis books are not a progressive timeline. \nSome take place in earlier times, some farther into the future of the Polity.\nI dont think it is intended så read them based on the timeline though.\n(Cut and paste)\nThe Polity is a far-future society run by artificial intelligences. In the early years of space travel, as we spread out into the solar system, the political make-up of humanity is a mixture of national and world (or moon) governments, and large corporations. However, these separate political entities – polities – employ AI for gain. During this time Iverus Skaidon, a scientist, directly links his mind to the AI Craystein Computer and invents underspace travel, just before his mind blows like a fuse. The invention of this faster-than-light travel results in a diaspora from the Solar System.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ian M Banks The Culture series.\n(which I also love).",
          "reason": "Compares The Polity to a series the commenter loves.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021801,
          "author": "hesdeadjim",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:14:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021801",
          "commentText": "* Greg Egan’s short story collections, Diaspora, and Permutation City. Fair warning, Egan puts the “hard” in “hard sci-fi”.\n* Haven’t finished the Expanse final trilogy, but I really enjoyed the first two.\n* The Wool series\n* Project Hail Mary, for story reasons I’d recommend the audio book.\n* We Are Bob trilogy, fourth book is garbage.\n* Old Man’s War\n* The Culture Series by Ian Banks\n* If you enjoyed Seveneves, and thus can tolerate Stephenson’s consistent habit to drop the ball in the last 20% of his books, Diamond Age is enjoyable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Culture Series by Ian Banks",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35394255,
          "author": "ckorhonen",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-31T22:01:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 35392063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Science Fiction books that predict where ChatGPT might lead us?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35394255",
          "commentText": "There are numerous science fiction books that have explored the potential impact of artificial intelligence on humanity, ranging from utopian to dystopian scenarios. Here are some of the most interesting and relevant titles that address the questions and fears you've mentioned:\n\"Neuromancer\" by William Gibson (1984): This cyberpunk classic envisions a future where AI is deeply ingrained in human society and plays a significant role in shaping it.\n\"2001: A Space Odyssey\" by Arthur C. Clarke (1968): The novel, as well as the film adaptation by Stanley Kubrick, explores the relationship between humans and AI, particularly when AI begins to develop its own goals and intentions.\n\"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?\" by Philip K. Dick (1968): This novel, which inspired the movie \"Blade Runner,\" questions the nature of humanity and consciousness as it relates to artificial beings.\n\"I, Robot\" by Isaac Asimov (1950): A collection of short stories that feature the famous \"Three Laws of Robotics\" and explore various aspects of AI and their impact on society.\n\"The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress\" by Robert A. Heinlein (1966): This novel features an AI that becomes self-aware and partners with humans in a fight for lunar independence.\n\"The Culture\" series by Iain M. Banks: This series of novels is set in a post-scarcity society managed by benevolent, hyper-intelligent AIs called Minds.\n\"The Singularity is Near\" by Ray Kurzweil (2005): Though not a novel, this non-fiction book predicts the future of AI, discussing the potential for AI to surpass human intelligence and the implications of this eventuality.\n\"Accelerando\" by Charles Stross (2005): The novel explores a future in which AI, augmented humans, and post-humans coexist, addressing various ethical and societal issues along the way.\n\"Daemon\" by Daniel Suarez (2006): This techno-thriller features an AI created by a deceased programmer that sets out to create a new world order.\n\"Altered Carbon\" by Richard K. Morgan (2002): This cyberpunk novel touches on AI's impact on society, particularly in the context of human consciousness and digital immortality.\nThese books offer thought-provoking explorations of the possible consequences, both positive and negative, of advanced AI systems like ChatGPT. While each of these works is fictional and speculative in nature, they can still provide valuable insights and stimulate important discussions about the future of AI and humanity.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Culture\" series by Iain M. Banks: This series of novels is set in a post-scarcity society managed by benevolent, hyper-intelligent AIs called Minds.",
          "reason": "Listed among titles addressing AI's potential effects on humanity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25846016,
          "author": "paulz_",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T13:15:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25846016",
          "commentText": "I'm currently finishing up The Culture series by Iain M. Banks. The first novel is called Consider Phlebas.\nIt's my favorite sci-fi universe of any book, movie, or game. Feels a bit like Star Trek if the Federation were more advanced.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm currently finishing up The Culture series by Iain M. Banks.",
          "reason": "The commenter is reading the series and calls its universe their favorite in science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22094899,
          "author": "atombender",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T23:28:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22094899",
          "commentText": "I mean the story, sorry, not the style. It's one of Banks' few self-contained sci-fi novels, and it's set in a rather odd universe that fits into the \"dying Earth\" tradition of dystopian sci-fi (Wolfe's New Sun/Short Sun/Long Sun sequence, Vance's Dying Earth, etc.) more than in Banks' more utopian/panoramic Culture novels. His other standalones, Against a Dark Background and The Algebraist, are much closer to his Culture novels, for example.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Banks' more utopian/panoramic Culture novels",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a group of novels by Banks.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803200,
          "author": "Loughla",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T14:28:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803200",
          "commentText": ">\"Consider Phlebas,\" and maybe the rest of The Culture series of novels, by Iain Banks\nOh man, this will start a shitstorm, because it's so subjective, but Consider Phlebas isn't the best intro to the culture series. I would start with Either Player of Games or Use of Weapons.\nNow let's hear from everyone who disagrees with me.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the culture series",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803166,
          "author": "john-radio",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T14:24:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803166",
          "commentText": "\"And Then There Were None\" by Agatha Christie\n\"The Left Hand of Darkness\" by Ursula Le Guin\n\"This Is How You Lose The Time War\" by Amal El-Mohtar\n\"Priestdaddy\" by Patricia Lockwood\n\"Black Leopard, Red Wolf\" by Marlon James\n\"Consider Phlebas,\" and maybe the rest of The Culture series of novels, by Iain Banks",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the rest of The Culture series of novels",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20332971,
          "author": "m0zg",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T07:31:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20332971",
          "commentText": "If you haven't read it yet, read the Culture series by Iain Banks. It's not a \"book\" but a series of books, but once you start you won't be able to put it down. Just the thing after a long day of manual labor. You'll also understand where Elon Musk gets names for his barges.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Culture_%28series%29",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "read the Culture series by Iain Banks. It's not a \"book\" but a series of books, but once you start you won't be able to put it down.",
          "reason": "Directly recommends the series as an absorbing read after a long day of manual labor.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for an absorbing read after a long day of manual labor.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17522620,
          "author": "Jedd",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T13:12:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17522620",
          "commentText": "I discovered these books (and the author) entirely by accident - at an airport, back in 2009 - I think it was Matter.  Was hooked, and then read the entire series (inasmuch as they're a series) over the next twelve months.\nBanks was an author with a truly singular style.  He is sorely missed.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I discovered these books (and the author) entirely by accident - at an airport, back in 2009 - I think it was Matter. Was hooked, and then read the entire series",
          "reason": "Says discovering Matter hooked them and they read the entire series; praises Banks's distinctive style.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure which book they first discovered.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15428832,
          "author": "flopunctro",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:36:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428832",
          "commentText": "Though i wouldn't call it \"hard scifi\", the Culture series is indeed a classic and i second the recommendation.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the Culture series is indeed a classic and i second the recommendation",
          "reason": "Calls the series a classic and seconds the recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Wouldn't call it hard sci-fi.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13116985,
          "author": "warfangle",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-06T18:25:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13116985",
          "commentText": "The Culture Series by Iain Banks. Love his style, love the setting, and love the stories. Really fascinating look at a post-scarcity galaxy spanning anarchist society facilitated by extra dimensional artificial intelligences.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Culture Series by Iain Banks. Love his style, love the setting, and love the stories.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the author's style, setting, and stories in response to the thread's request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8947159,
          "author": "Amat",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-26T14:38:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8947159",
          "commentText": "Iain M. Banks \"The Culture\" series. \nI only just found out about these books this summer and have not been able to put them down. Currently on book 9 of 10 and could not recommend them enough. I just can't get enough of the universe that Mr. Banks has created.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Iain M. Banks \"The Culture\" series.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they could not recommend the series enough.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They had only recently discovered the books and were on book 9 of 10.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395633,
          "author": "metachris",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T13:02:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395633",
          "commentText": "I thoroughly enjoyed Iain M. Banks 'Culture' novels [1] (sci-fi), in particular 'Surface Detail',  'Matter' and 'The Player of Games'.\n[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Culture",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I thoroughly enjoyed Iain M. Banks 'Culture' novels",
          "reason": "Says they thoroughly enjoyed the novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Especially recommends Surface Detail, Matter, and The Player of Games.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140490,
          "author": "nazgulnarsil",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T02:59:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140490",
          "commentText": "depends on the subgenre :)\nSuperhuman:\nSlan by A.E. Van Vogt\nMore Than Human by Theodore STurgeon\nOdd John by Olaf Stapledon\nPost Apocalyptic:\nThe Day of The Triffids by John Whyndham\nEarth Abides by George R. Stewart\nA Canticle for Lebowitz by...don't remember\nSpace Opera/Adventure:\nany of The Culture novels by Iain M. Banks\nThe Reality Dysfunction series by ...don't remember\nHyperion series by Dan Simmons\nTo Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer\nDystopian:\nWe by Yevgeny Zamyatin <---highly overlooked, predates 1984 and Brave New World\nBut the Absolute Best would be anything by:\nStanislaw Lem (Cyberiad, Futurological Congress, Solaris)\nAlfred Bester (The STars my Destination, The Demolished Man)\nor Samuel R. Delany (Babel-17, Dhalgren, Trtion, Nova)\noh and Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light and This Immortal are both great.\nSome of Philip K. Dick's stuff is great, but everyone recommends him. :)\nalmost forgot John Brunner, check out Steel Beach, The Sheep Look Up, and Stand on Zanzibar.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "any of The Culture novels by Iain M. Banks",
          "reason": "Recommends any of the Culture novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140434,
          "author": "Flemlord",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T01:51:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140434",
          "commentText": "Anything by Ian M. Banks. His Culture books are about a post-singularity universe where humans and superintelligences live in harmony. I'd recommend starting with Player of Games.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His Culture books are about a post-singularity universe where humans and superintelligences live in harmony.",
          "reason": "Recommends the Culture books and suggests where to start.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Iain M. Banks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 15,
      "threads": 12,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "post scarcity",
        "post scarcity society",
        "artificial intelligence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-power-broker-21968d",
      "title": "The Power Broker",
      "author": "Robert A. Caro",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49916053,
          "author": "asdfqwertzxcv",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-01T00:03:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49916053",
          "commentText": "The Power Broker is very good but his LBJ series is phenomenal. When I recommend it to people I say it's like The Odyssey of American History and Politics. It's the best non-fiction series I've ever read and I almost exclusively read NF.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Power Broker is very good",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book is very good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 49899705,
          "author": "aaronbrethorst",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-29T20:15:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49899705",
          "commentText": "I’ve been reading about bureaucracy, power, and civic engagement:\nThe Power Broker by Robert Caro.\nRecoding America by Jennifer Pahlka.\nThe Time Tax by Annie Lowrey.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Power Broker by Robert Caro.",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter is reading about bureaucracy, power, and civic engagement.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46397641,
          "author": "LeonardoTolstoy",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T23:46:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46397641",
          "commentText": "I read close to 40 books this year which I assume is up from the previous year, and way more than I used to read prior to starting to do the Rochester Library reading challenge (which I've done for the past two years). I won't get into a lot of it, but after reading Middlemarch three years ago, Napoleon: A Life two years ago, and The Power Broker last year I decided to read two \"big\" books.\nIn the first half of the year War and Peace, which obviously was excellent, although I liked Middlemarch more.\nIn the second half of the year David Copperfield which was very excellent. Just beautifully written. I still think I probably like Middlemarch more... but it might now require a re-read to know for sure.\nThis year is going to be Tom's Crossing to start as I just got that for Christmas.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Power Broker last year",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40467880,
          "author": "cotechdama",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-24T16:39:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40467880",
          "commentText": "The 99% Invisible podcast is doing a book club on The Power Broker that is absolutely delightful, even (and maybe especially?) if you haven't read the book.\nhttps://99percentinvisible.org/club/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The 99% Invisible podcast is doing a book club on The Power Broker",
          "reason": "The podcast's book club is discussing the book; the commenter finds it delightful even without having read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter may especially enjoy it without having read the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40430651,
          "author": "romanhn",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T16:35:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40430651",
          "commentText": "Another vote for The Power Broker. A fascinating, if daunting, book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another vote for The Power Broker. A fascinating, if daunting, book.",
          "reason": "Adds a vote for the book and calls it fascinating.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as daunting.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40429436,
          "author": "codyro",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T15:07:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40429436",
          "commentText": "You may find The Power Broker (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Power_Broker) by him interesting as well :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You may find The Power Broker (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Power_Broker) by him interesting as well :)",
          "reason": "Suggests the book to the other commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33811058,
          "author": "a_bonobo",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-01T01:34:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33811058",
          "commentText": "Robert Caro's The Path To Power.\nIt's the first volume of a set of biographies of Lyndon B. Johnson, but it's so much more an exploration of how power works and shapes. Caro is obsessed with power (thus the other classic: Caro's The Power Broker). Learning how Johnson learned how to wield power made me see the impact of power in my daily work and interactions, and hopefully, taught me how to predict how 'upstairs' reacts. It's all about power.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Caro's The Power Broker",
          "reason": "Mentioned as another classic by an author described as obsessed with power.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned in passing; no direct assessment of this book is given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30735764,
          "author": "jwood27",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:37:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735764",
          "commentText": "The following have all had a significant effect on my worldview. You can find more information at [1].\n- The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow\n- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\n- Crime and Punishment\n- The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York\n- Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies\n- The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity\n- Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead\n- Franny and Zooey\n- Master of the Senate\n- Atlas Shrugged\n- Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed\n- Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap?\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\n- The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics\n- The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don't\n- Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans\n- Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\n- Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World\n- Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones\n- Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow\n- Ethics in the Real World: 86 Brief Essays on Things that Matter\n- A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life\n- Humankind: A Hopeful History\n- The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think\n[1] https://jacobw.xyz/books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York",
          "reason": "Listed among books that significantly affected the commenter’s worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23859020,
          "author": "geori",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:55:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859020",
          "commentText": "48 Laws of Power\nThe Power Broker\nHistory of Western Philosophy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Power Broker",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19090800,
          "author": "RoboTeddy",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T22:45:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090800",
          "commentText": "'The Power Broker' by Robert Caro is ostensibly a biography, but it's actually about how power works. The protagonist starts out employing idealistic methods, but falls flat on his face, and comes to delight in any means of achievement. I found that once I understood the protagonist's raw goal-seeking, and the dynamics that emerge from it, I started to recognize similar dynamics at many levels of society and government.\nBarack Obama read it at 22 and said it was mesmerizing and that it shaped how he thinks about politics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Power Broker' by Robert Caro is ostensibly a biography, but it's actually about how power works.",
          "reason": "Explains how the book illuminated power dynamics in society and government.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17919337,
          "author": "TheTrotters",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-05T16:17:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17919337",
          "commentText": "The Power Broker and all volumes of The Years of Lyndon Johnson by Robert Caro. The best books I've ever read. I effectively re-read them all every year or two.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The best books I've ever read. I effectively re-read them all every year or two.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls these the best books they've read and rereads them regularly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961428,
          "author": "jamestimmins",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:40:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961428",
          "commentText": "Recommend:\n1) The Power Broker - About Robert Moses, the most powerful city planner in New York from the 1930s to the 1960s. Great if you're interested in city planning, how people gain and exercise power, and the real politik of government.\n2) The Jungle - Remembered as an exposé of meatpacking, but really more than that. Phenomenal story about early 20th immigrants to Chicago trying to take part in the American Dream but struggling to survive. Surprisingly relevant today.\n3) The Big Con - Fascinating look at con artists in the first half of the 20th century.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Power Broker - About Robert Moses, the most powerful city planner in New York from the 1930s to the 1960s.",
          "reason": "Recommended for readers interested in city planning, power, and government.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in city planning, power, and government.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15017250,
          "author": "omosubi",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T11:42:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15017250",
          "commentText": "+1 - one of my favorite books and one of the best books on the use of power in american government that currently exists. His series on Lyndon Johnson is also incredible.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "one of my favorite books and one of the best books on the use of power in american government that currently exists.",
          "reason": "Calls it a favorite and one of the best books on power in American government.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15016977,
          "author": "playing_colours",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T10:42:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15016977",
          "commentText": "\"The Power Broker\" by Robert Caro, great bio of Robert Moses, a man who had a tremendous influence on how NYC looks now, it's a great study of power, politics, and the history of NYC.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's a great study of power, politics, and the history of NYC.",
          "reason": "Praises it as a study of power, politics, and New York City history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14859638,
          "author": "ronald_raygun",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T19:54:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859638",
          "commentText": "I'm reading a few. The Power Broker (really good, but really long). The dictators handbook (good, but repetitive). Deep thinking (easy and enjoyable if you're interested in AI). Investment Science (very good if you're interested in math finance).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Power Broker (really good, but really long).",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it really good, while noting it is really long.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Really long.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13968864,
          "author": "cponeill",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T16:06:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13968864",
          "commentText": "I just ordered this book from Amazon a few days ago after constantly reading recommendations to read it. I am looking forward to cracking it open.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I just ordered this book from Amazon a few days ago",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Ordered after seeing recommendations; has not yet read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13968122,
          "author": "Spooky23",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T14:45:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13968122",
          "commentText": "\"The Power Broker\" by Robert Caro.\nNobody has ever captured the nature of power on an individual level to the depth and breadth that Caro did on this book. (except perhaps his epic treatment of Lyndon Johnson)\nOver something like 1,100 pages you get to track the career of an aspiring reformer as he transitions to skilled and trusted government official, to someone who manages to grow to the point that he is more powerful than the Governor and Mayor of New York during NY's economic peak -- despite never having been elected to anything. Then you get to witness his decline and ultimate fall.\nThis is probably the best biography ever written. It may take you six months to read, but its time well spent.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Power Broker\" by Robert Caro.",
          "reason": "Calls it probably the best biography ever written and says its time is well spent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "May take six months to read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416554,
          "author": "rckrd",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:54:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416554",
          "commentText": "I recently finished this book and I have to agree.  An exceptionally well written historical artifact.  A critical, but not prescriptive, description of power.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An exceptionally well written historical artifact.  A critical, but not prescriptive, description of power.",
          "reason": "Praises the writing and calls it a critical, non-prescriptive account of power.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in power and history.",
          "caveat": "Describes power critically without prescribing what to do.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416505,
          "author": "ktamura",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:45:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416505",
          "commentText": "\"The Power Broker\" by Robert Caro.\nAt first glance, it's a 1,000-page, detailed biography of a (in)famously effective city planner Robert Moses. At its core, it's a lucid examination of the anatomy of power. It has completely changed how I think about power, where it comes from (whether it's at work or in the greater market/world) and how it is retained and lost.\nIt's also a great antithesis to junk-food journalism and online reading that we've become addicted to. Caro's research is thorough and his writing is inspiring.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's also a great antithesis to junk-food journalism and online reading that we've become addicted to. Caro's research is thorough and his writing is inspiring.",
          "reason": "Praises Caro's research and writing and says the book changed how they think about power.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in power, politics, or detailed biography.",
          "caveat": "About 1,000 pages.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229731,
          "author": "euroclydon",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:36:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229731",
          "commentText": "Robert Caro's The Power Broker about Robert Moses, the most powerful unelected government official in U.S. history.\nCaro, a Pulitzer winning journalist, is a wiz at writing, so you'll enjoy each page. But more importantly, even though Robert Moses was a bad buy, you don't have to be bad to learn to get what you want, in an organization, by ignoring superficial power structures, and focusing on the real ones.\nPlus you'll learn a ton about how NYC was built out in the depression.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Caro, a Pulitzer winning journalist, is a wiz at writing, so you'll enjoy each page.",
          "reason": "Praised for Caro’s writing and for lessons on influence and how New York City was built.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in organizational power, Robert Moses, and New York City history.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes Moses as a bad guy and says readers need not emulate him to learn from the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3338061,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T18:15:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3338061",
          "commentText": "Just bought a (physical) Kindle; it has:\n_Wolf Hall_ (http://www.amazon.com/Wolf-Hall-Novel-Booker-Prize/dp/080508... (http://www.amazon.com/Wolf-Hall-Novel-Booker-Prize/dp/0805080686))\n_Tree of Smoke_ (http://www.amazon.com/Tree-Smoke-Novel-Denis-Johnson/dp/0374... (http://www.amazon.com/Tree-Smoke-Novel-Denis-Johnson/dp/0374279128))\n(I'm about halfway through both; I'm trying to get better about reading fiction).\n_The Lean Startup_ (http://www.amazon.com/Lean-Startup-Entrepreneurs-Continuous-... (http://www.amazon.com/Lean-Startup-Entrepreneurs-Continuous-Innovation/dp/0307887898/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323540517&sr=1-1))\n(Having trouble getting myself propelled into this one)\n_Imbibe!_ (http://www.amazon.com/Imbibe-Absinthe-Cocktail-Professor-Fea... (http://www.amazon.com/Imbibe-Absinthe-Cocktail-Professor-Featuringthe/dp/0399532870/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323540560&sr=1-1))\n(Probably the best book on booze ever written, my favorite thing I've read all year)\n_Bitters_ (http://www.amazon.com/Bitters-Spirited-Cure-All-Cocktails-Fo... (http://www.amazon.com/Bitters-Spirited-Cure-All-Cocktails-Formulas/dp/1580083595/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323540592&sr=1-1))\n(The Atlantic liked this book, but I found it slight --- although we're going to make bitters from this book in our office, so maybe I'll appreciate it more later)\nFinally, I didn't read this \"recently\", but I'll take the opportunity to STRONGLY RECOMMEND IT TO EVERYONE:\n_Ideas in Food_ (http://www.amazon.com/Ideas-Food-Great-Recipes-They/dp/03077... (http://www.amazon.com/Ideas-Food-Great-Recipes-They/dp/0307717402/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323540682&sr=1-1))\nThis book blew my freaking head off. The authors are modernist (\"molecular\", gag) consultant/chefs with a very popular blog; the book adapts the stuff on their blog to home and professional cooking.\nWhat's amazing about it is that they did such a great job translating modernist techniques not just to home kitchens but to home cooking, so that the same concepts that give you wanking spherification and foam dishes in restaurants give you hands-free bulletproof risotto at home. I could go on and on about this thing. It is simultaneously the geekiest and most useful food book I've ever bought. Own it immediately.\n(Do audiobooks count? If so, add to the list _Thinking Fast And Slow_ by Daniel Kahneman, _Blood, Bones & Butter_ by Gabrielle Hamilton, and Caro's _Power Broker_).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Caro's _Power Broker_",
          "reason": "Included as an additional audiobook the commenter has read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No evaluation or recommendation is stated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865600,
          "author": "bretthopper",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T17:29:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865600",
          "commentText": "The Power Broker by Robert A. Caro",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Power Broker by Robert A. Caro",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert A. Caro"
      ],
      "recommenders": 15,
      "threads": 12,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "urban politics",
        "urban planning",
        "political biography",
        "political power"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-wealth-of-nations-e71046",
      "title": "The Wealth of Nations",
      "author": "Adam Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41787743,
          "author": "throw0101b",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-09T13:26:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41787743",
          "commentText": "> How is Wealth of Nations surprising for a modern reader?\nMost people haven't read it, and tend to only reference things like \"invisible hand\", and skim/skip over a lot of Smith's 'moralizing'. His book before Wealth was after all The Theory of Moral Sentiments:\n* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Theory_of_Moral_Sentiments\nIf you don't want to read Ye Olde English, perhaps see Glory Liu's book Adam Smith’s America:\n> Drawing on a trove of illuminating archival materials, Liu tells the story of how an unassuming Scottish philosopher captured the American imagination and played a leading role in shaping American economic and political ideas. She shows how Smith became known as the father of political economy in the nineteenth century and was firmly associated with free trade, and how, in the aftermath of the Great Depression, the Chicago School of Economics transformed him into the preeminent theorist of self-interest and the miracle of free markets. Liu explores how a new generation of political theorists and public intellectuals has sought to recover Smith’s original intentions and restore his reputation as a moral philosopher.\n* https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60015569-adam-smith-s-am... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60015569-adam-smith-s-america)\nInterview:\n* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbQjDpUfJrs\nShe goes into the \"Adam Smith Problem\"; one paper on it:\n> Adam Smith is best known for his economic theories that extoll the free market and individual self-interest. These ideas are the focus of Smith's second book, The Wealth of Nations. However, Smith also made large contributions to the fields of ethics and moral philosophy. Nearly 20 years prior to the publication of The Wealth of Nations, Smith first became a renowned moral philosopher when he published The Theory of Moral Sentiments. In The Theory of Moral Sentiments, Smith outlines the nature of morality. This morality, for Smith, places an emphasis upon sympathy and compassion, which are felt by imagining the plight of others through the impartial spectator. This impartial spectator is a mode of thinking that allows for one to adjudge the actions of others in relation to society's general attitudes toward that said action. Despite Smith's consummate rumination in both books, there seems to be a disconnect between Smith's moral philosophy, found within The Theory of Moral Sentiments, and his economic philosophy, found within The Wealth of Nations. How can Smith eulogize compassion and fellow feeling in one writing, while also holding that self-interest is necessary for the advancement of society in another? This disconnect is known as the Adam Smith Problem. The purpose of this project is to acknowledge the existence of The Adam Smith Problem by seeing it not as an attempt to undermine Smith's intellectual continuity, but as a challenge to reconcile the self-interested nature of humanity with higher moral standards accomplished through compassion. This reconciliation is accomplished through the notion of a liberal society in which an individual is both free to do anything that does not harm another and can expect society to maintain a higher set of moral standards through a justice system. Both wealth proliferation through self-interest and the upholding of higher values through compassion are predicates of this liberal society: the culmination of Smith's philosophy.\n* https://quod.lib.umich.edu/u/umurj/16481002.0014.007/--adam-... (https://quod.lib.umich.edu/u/umurj/16481002.0014.007/--adam-smith-problem-integrating-self-interest-with-justice?rgn=main;view=fulltext)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Most people haven't read it, and tend to only reference things like \"invisible hand\"",
          "reason": "Discussed as a book many people reference without reading closely.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34167137,
          "author": "than3",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T22:54:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34167137",
          "commentText": "The Wealth of Nations (Adam Smith), and its follow-up The Wealth and Poverty of Nations (Landis).\nHaving been written in 1778 it still stands prominent with regard to its descriptions of how markets work, and the importance of the division of labor.\nThe latter book, also describes common pitfalls, often unknown to those living in the northern hemispheres with regard to Civilization development in tropical regions, and why Africa and Latin America are not more developed, and by extension what we can expect as climate change drives those tropical climates north.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Wealth of Nations (Adam Smith)",
          "reason": "Says it remains prominent for its descriptions of markets and the division of labor.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33853381,
          "author": "ZeroGravitas",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T13:10:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33853381",
          "commentText": "I've not the read Greaber's book, though I intend to, but Adam Smith is regularly misinterpreted in an extreme right-wing way (e.g. the Adam Smith Institute) so it's possibly to disagree with that interpretation without disagreeing with Adam Smith.\nhttps://aeon.co/essays/we-should-look-closely-at-what-adam-s... (https://aeon.co/essays/we-should-look-closely-at-what-adam-smith-actually-believed)\n> The context of Smith’s intervention in The Wealth of Nations was what he called ‘the mercantile system’. By this Smith meant the network of monopolies that characterised the economic affairs of early modern Europe. Under such arrangements, private companies lobbied governments for the right to operate exclusive trade routes, or to be the only importers or exporters of goods, while closed guilds controlled the flow of products and employment within domestic markets.\n> As a result, Smith argued, ordinary people were forced to accept inflated prices for shoddy goods, and their employment was at the mercy of cabals of bosses. Smith saw this as a monstrous affront to liberty, and a pernicious restriction on the capacity of each nation to increase its collective wealth. Yet the mercantile system benefited the merchant elites, who had worked hard to keep it in place. Smith pulled no punches in his assessment of the bosses as working against the interests of the public. As he put it in The Wealth of Nations: ‘People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or in some contrivance to raise prices.’\n> The merchants had spent centuries securing their position of unfair advantage. In particular, they had invented and propagated the doctrine of ‘the balance of trade’, and had succeeded in elevating it into the received wisdom of the age. The basic idea was that each nation’s wealth consisted in the amount of gold that it held. Playing on this idea, the merchants claimed that, in order to get rich, a nation had to export as much, and import as little, as possible, thus maintaining a ‘favourable’ balance. They then presented themselves as servants of the public by offering to run state-backed monopolies that would limit the inflow, and maximise the outflow, of goods, and therefore of gold. But as Smith’s lengthy analysis showed, this was pure hokum: what were needed instead were open trading arrangements, so that productivity could increase generally, and collective wealth would grow for the benefit of all",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The context of Smith’s intervention in The Wealth of Nations was what he called ‘the mercantile system’.",
          "reason": "Cited while discussing Adam Smith's ideas and how he is interpreted.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29818198,
          "author": "lxxpxlxxxx",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-06T02:03:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29818198",
          "commentText": "Das Kapital\nAnd\nThe Wealth of Nations",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Wealth of Nations",
          "reason": "Listed as a book suggestion in response to the request for a book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26670656,
          "author": "cx42net",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-02T11:50:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26670656",
          "commentText": "I try to read every night before going to bed, and I'm trying to alternate between a technical book, and a pleasure book.\nI recently finished the whole lot of Foundation from Asimov, Zero to sold from Arvid Kahl and I'm currently reading \"The wealth of Nations\" from Adam Smith (Gotta admit, it hurts).\nThe motivation behind alternating between pleasure and technical is to try to increase my knowledge (even though I feel like I retain 1% of what I read), and to enjoy reading too (with the pleasure book)\nOn my to read next list, I have:\n- High growth Handbook (Elad Gil) (Pleaure book)\n - Utopia - Thomas More (Technical)\n - Beyond the rift - Peter Watts (Pleasure)\n - Manufacturing consent (Noam Chomsky) (Technical)\n - Children of time - Adrian Tchaikovsky",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'm currently reading \"The wealth of Nations\" from Adam Smith",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are currently reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it hurts to read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467655,
          "author": "cecja",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:47:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467655",
          "commentText": "The Art of Electronics\nThe Hitchhiker\nThe Idiot\nThe Wealth of Nations\nand sadly Concrete Mathematics... not because it is a bad book but because I suck at math.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Wealth of Nations",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22872476,
          "author": "dredmorbius",
          "createdAt": "2020-04-14T22:55:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 22861452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading to make sense of the economy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22872476",
          "commentText": "This confounds multiple factors.\nAs W. Brian Arthur has observed, vrtually all of economics ultimately boils down to questions of policy.  There is effectively no theoretical (as opposed to policy-oriented) economics, let alone a truly experimental sort.  This applies not just to orthodoxy, but many heterodoxies as well.\nThe notion that science is of necessity experimental is fundamentally false.  Experiments are useful, but the core of science is that it is observational, you might call it experiential, with hypotheses and observational tests (of which experiments are one subclass) being used to form theories and models.\nThe scope of, say, experimental cosmology, meterology, geology, paleontology, evolutionary biology, and ecology are ... fairly small.  Though not entirely nonexistent.  Famous proofs, or validations, of Einsteins theory of general relativity were observational, based on star positions during solar eclipses and of Mercury's orbit.  Neither of which lend themselves readily to laboratory experiments.\nSimilarly, simulations are a powerful tool in many disciplines.\nGeology is an interesting case on several counts.\nIt's among the oldest of the natural sciences, dating back thousands of years, to at least ancient Greece (Theophrastus, 372–287 BCE, Peri Lithon).  It has been almost entirely observational, rather than experimental.  As recently as the late 18th century, the Earth was thoght to be unknowably old (James Hutton, I believe), and through the 20th, informed and scientific views differed by orders of magnitude.  It wasn't until the 1st decade of the 20th century that early radiometric dating suggested even approximately the right range.  The actual. value, plus or minus 1%, wasn't determined until the 1950s.  And the central organising principle of a study dating back 2,400 years wasn't. finally accepted until 1965, having been proposed in modern form in 1912.  That is, it's only 55 of 2,200+ years that geologists have formally had the foggiest notion of how their study actually works.\nAnd even. still, in one major application, earthquake prediction, the field remains conspicuously incapable, at least where timing is concerned.  Criminally so according to Italian courts:  https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/italian-scientist... (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/italian-scientists-get/)\nWe've an exceptionally good idea of where earth movements are likely to occur, what landforms are especially vulnerable, and what construction methods most resilient.  But precise timing eludes us -- at human scales events are effectively random.\nEconomics prides itself on its reliance on maths, dating to Alfred Marshall, to which I can only commend this Reddit thread:\nhttps://old.reddit.com/r/AskEconomics/comments/bevb7u/why_is... (https://old.reddit.com/r/AskEconomics/comments/bevb7u/why_is_economics_so_mathematical_compared_to/el97wx9/?context=3)\nEconomics, my own course of academic study, remains mired in wishful thinking, false models, self-serving theory, and rejection and suppression of well-grounded alternative or additional concepts.  It specifically rejects thermodynamics (Georgescu-Roegen, Daly, Ayres, Hall, Keen, and others), evolution (Veblen), complexity (Arthur and others), and limits (John Stuart Mill, William Stanley Jevons, Kenneth Boulding, Meadows et al, and others).  Even where at leaast some elements of the mainstream have resumed rational behaviour, policy and public discourse frequently have not.\nEpistemic progress and ideology are all but incompatible.  If not entirely.  Until economics entirely rejects ideology it will not progress.  Given its foundations in moral philosophy and the inherent self-serving dynamics of wealth -- \"Wealth, as Mr Hobbes says is power\" notes Smith. in one of the shortest and clearest sentences of Wealth of Nations, a book generally given to neither -- this seems a formidable challenge.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Wealth of Nations, a book generally given to neither",
          "reason": "Quoted as a book exemplifying a clear, concise sentence about wealth and power.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803544,
          "author": "keiferski",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:13:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803544",
          "commentText": "They aren't too bad, really. Each volume is something like 500 pages, so roughly 70 pages per day. If you can dedicate an hour or two per weekday and three hours per weekend day, it's very doable.\nAnd as far as a deeper understanding of the work in question, I plan to listen to podcasts or lectures during my commute or when I'm getting ready in the morning. For example, Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations has a plethora of free lectures on YouTube.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations has a plethora of free lectures on YouTube.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21458820,
          "author": "cocoa19",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T01:19:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21458820",
          "commentText": "1. Wealth of Nations. finished book #1, and now taking a break since it's tough to read it, but very rewarding to do it.\n2. Crafting Interpreters. Would recommend this to people curious about compilers/Interpreters over the dragon book. Much much easier to read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Wealth of Nations. finished book #1, and now taking a break since it's tough to read it, but very rewarding to do it.",
          "reason": "Calls it rewarding, while noting it is tough to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is taking a break because it is tough to read.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20917175,
          "author": "protomyth",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T11:38:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20917175",
          "commentText": "If you are going to read Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations, then you should probably read The Theory of Moral Sentiments first.  It helps with the understanding.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If you are going to read Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations",
          "reason": "Recommends reading it alongside The Theory of Moral Sentiments for better understanding.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter suggests reading The Theory of Moral Sentiments first.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20914562,
          "author": "bmmayer1",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T01:45:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914562",
          "commentText": "Economics:\n- The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith\n- Das Kapital, Karl Marx\n- That Which Is Seen, and That Which Is Not Seen, Frederic Bastiat\nPhilosophy / Politics:\n- The Republic, Plato\n- Second Treatise on Government, John Locke\n- The Law, Frederic Bastiat\n- Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes\n- Meditations, Marcus Aurelius\n- Democracy in America, Alexis de Toqueville\n- On Liberty, John Stuart Mill\nFiction:\n- The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, Mark Twain\n- The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin\n- Metamorphoses, Franz Kafka\n- Candide, Voltaire\n- The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238083,
          "author": "vegancap",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T15:57:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238083",
          "commentText": "Adam Smith's 'Wealth of Nations'. Very old, very heavy, but very eye opening. A must read for anyone interested in economics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Adam Smith's 'Wealth of Nations'. Very old, very heavy, but very eye opening. A must read for anyone interested in economics.",
          "reason": "Called eye opening and a must read for people interested in economics.",
          "audience": "Anyone interested in economics.",
          "caveat": "Described as very old and very heavy.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12565777,
          "author": "marmot777",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T16:23:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12565777",
          "commentText": "These are important books but obviously not a comprehensive list.\n* John Locke's Two Treatises of Government - It's political philosophy but it's hard to understand Classical Liberalism without having read some Locke.\n* Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations - He and Locke are the two main guys to read for a solid start on Classical Liberalism, which is completely different than modern political liberalism. It's like having two features in an app with nearly the same name. Confusing as fuck.\n* E. F. Schumacher's Small Is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered - This book will shift your perspective, useful to avoid becoming an a mindless advocate for one school of thought or another.\n* Marx is a tough one as Capital is massive and unreadable and The Communist Manifesto is a propaganda pamphlet but I think you need to at least find some articles that summarize the basics.\n* Keynes and Hayek - This hip hop battle is a decent start:\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0nERTFo-Sk\nthen read Keynes' The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money and Hayek's The Road to Serfdom.\n* Milton Friedman's - Yes, read Capitalism and Freedom. I hesitated to include it as the guy's so good at making the case that it can turn you into a market advocate bot. Please resist that.\nCan someone help me on this, is there a book balance Hayek and a book to balance Friedman? I'm sorry but Keynes doesn't do it for me. Look at the difference in titles between Hayek and Keynes. It's hard to motivate to read the Keynes book but nobody ever has trouble reading Hayek.\nI see a lot of these ideas come up on HN a lot. What I don't like so much is when someone becomes an advocate for a particular ism. To me, all isms are rubbish. All of them. Understand but do not become a shill for an ideology.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations - He and Locke are the two main guys to read for a solid start on Classical Liberalism",
          "reason": "Recommended as a foundation for understanding classical liberalism.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a solid start on classical liberalism.",
          "caveat": "The commenter distinguishes classical liberalism from modern political liberalism.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12563793,
          "author": "Dowwie",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T11:35:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12563793",
          "commentText": "Why finance?  Finance was the major viable option for people with your background but that's not the case anymore.  Every industry needs people with your background -- more than ever!\nHowever, if you're hell bent on going into finance and you're going to read one economics book, read Thomas Piketty, \"Capital for 21st Century\".\nThese are the classic economics tomes that you'd read over a lifetime:\nKarl Marx, \"Capital\"\nAdam Smith, \"The Theory of Moral Sentiments\"\nAdam Smith, \"The Wealth of Nations\"\nFA Hayek, \"The Road to Serfdom\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Adam Smith, \"The Wealth of Nations\"",
          "reason": "Lists it among classic economics works to read over a lifetime.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring classic economics texts.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12556565,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-22T13:12:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12556565",
          "commentText": "Capital\nWealth of Nations",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wealth of Nations",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for must-read economics and finance books.",
          "audience": "A reader seeking to learn economics and finance.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4787418,
          "author": "timmm",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:19:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787418",
          "commentText": "The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho.\nKing, Warrior, Magician, Lover by Moore and Gillette\nThe lean startup\nPaul Graham how to start a startup\nMark Hyman Ultimate Mind Solution\nTribal Leadership\nWheel of Time\nThink and Grow Rich\nSuperior Man David Deida\nThe Fountain Head\nEckhart Tolle New Earth\n50th Law\nGood to Great\nJed Mckenna\nEarl Nightengale\nLong Walk to Freedom\nOutliers\nGood to Great\nPsycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz (Self-image)\nSeven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey(Being awesome)\nWealth of Nations\nWayne Dyer The Tao\nSystem of the World\nOrigin of Species\nBrave new world\nThank you economy\nCrush it\nBuilt to Last\nWho Moved my Cheese\nStillness Speak Eckhert Tolle\nMastery George Leonard\nSteve Jobs Biography\nThe Last Lecture\nSteve Pavlina Books\nIacocca\nStriking Thoughts Bruce Lee\nCarlos Castaneda\nGhost in the Wires\nRichest Man in Babylon\nWay of the Superior Man\nLosing My Virginity\nThink and Grow Rich\nDelivering Happiness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wealth of Nations",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1464932,
          "author": "cbare",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T04:38:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1464932",
          "commentText": "Wealth of Nations is a great read, if only to appreciate how much of modern economics Adam Smith either foreshadowed or invented and how misrepresented his ideas typically are. There's a certain amount of slogging but it's well worth the time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wealth of Nations is a great read",
          "reason": "Calls it a great read and says it is worthwhile despite some slogging.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that parts involve slogging.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 658060,
          "author": "sarvesh",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-15T07:02:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 657892,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite management books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=658060",
          "commentText": "Wealth of Nations, although it won't teach you anything directly about management it is good introduction to economics which is essential in any management role. Best of all it is free!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it is good introduction to economics which is essential in any management role.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as an introduction to economics relevant to management.",
          "audience": "People in management roles.",
          "caveat": "Says it does not teach management directly.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86192,
          "author": "modulus",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T02:54:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86192",
          "commentText": "Confessions of an Economic Hitman,\nThe Wealth of Nations,\nThe Great Gatsby,\nSee No Evil,\nHannibal",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Wealth of Nations,",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite in response to the thread’s book question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adam Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 15,
      "threads": 12,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political economy",
        "classical economics",
        "classical liberalism",
        "division of labor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "zen-mind-beginner-s-mind-e08c02",
      "title": "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind",
      "author": "Shunryu Suzuki",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41175653,
          "author": "taylodl",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:37:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175653",
          "commentText": "- Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Pirsig)\n- Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid (Hofstadter)\n- Shadows of the Mind: A Search for the Missing Science of Consciousness (Penrose)\n- Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind (Suzuki)\n- Demian (Hesse)\n- The Stranger (Camus)\n- Slaughterhouse-Five (Vonnegut)\n- Another Roadside Attraction (Robbins)\nI have read many books that have had an impact on me for a time, but these are the books that have had an enduring impact going on now for decades.\nAnd yes, one of these books, Another Roadside Attraction, is unlike the others. You can substitute any Tom Robbins book, or read them all!, but this is the book that started it all for me. Tom Robbins' books taught me to not take life so seriously.\nDemian and The Stranger may be fiction, but let's just say their purpose is to get across a philosophical point.\nFinally, with regards to Slaughterhouse-Five, you'll just have to read it.\nEnjoy!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind (Suzuki)",
          "reason": "Lists it among books that have had an enduring impact for decades.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936760,
          "author": "pkszg",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T09:54:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936760",
          "commentText": "I like to read a wide variety of genre from fiction to human psychology.\nFor the mind:\nNonviolent Communication by  Marshall Rosenberg - A great book on how to communcate more effectively with others.\nThinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman -He is the only psychologist ever to recieve the Nobel Prize if I remember correctly. This book scientifically digests human biases and errors and how they influence our every day lives and decision making. Sometimes it a bit too technical for my taste and I like mostly the first part. (its not an easy read) I rarely had so many Aha-moments.\nA random walk down on wall street - For investing your income in stocks. What to do and what no to do. Simple, with facts.\nSapiens by Harari -Interesting, I remember it was a great read and fun read. Connecting a lot of dots :)\nOn programming:\nDesigning Data-Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann - I am failry a junior web dev, so any material that is clear and explains well is a great source of information and inspiration. This is such a book.\nComputer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective by Randal E. Bryant and David R. O'Hallaron - Teaches CS from the basics, which for me is a great source since I don't have a CS degree. I complement it with other materials from the internet (such as Harvard's CS50) for learning the fundamentals paralell working in my daily web dev job. Its a long book, so It will take a couple of months, years to go thorugh, but definitely worth the effort.\nFictions I love, without much introduction:\nLord of the Rings\nDune (first book)\nGame of thrones books\nFor me JRRs storytelling is outstanding, the books are better than the serires IMO.\nSpiritual Books:\n(I am not a religous person by any means and I do not follow traditions)\nSpirituality for me means a deeper connection with the universe.\nIf I really want to dig deeper than everyday work-life stuff I listen/read these books. Usually when there is a great emotional upheaval in my life or when I feel my daily distractions failed on me.\nPower of now by Eckhart Tolle - This book gives me the occasional goosebumps, a great summary of all spiritual teachings (before becoming religions) in a really simple way. If you are interested in such, I highly recommend it.\nMeditations by Marcus Aurelius - I see it mentioned here already, no intro needed.\nLetters by Seneca - This book is a proof for me that the essential human experience, the core of what makes us human does not change over time. Seneca was a great stoic thinker, who is very relatable by anyone even today (and probably will be for many millenia)\nZen Mind, Beginners Mind by Suzuki Roshi - All true spiritual teaching have the same source, but all are expressed differently. This is a great, simple powerful book to read if you lean towards buddhism.\nA Course in Miracles (no official author) -Now this is a heavy read. It has a textbook with daily practices also. This is definitely not a book for everyone.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is a great, simple powerful book to read if you lean towards buddhism.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a simple, powerful read for readers inclined toward Buddhism.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Buddhism.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30735875,
          "author": "WallyFunk",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:47:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735875",
          "commentText": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_Mind%2C_Beginner's_Mind",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Zen_Mind%2C_Beginner's_Mind",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27638274,
          "author": "CPLX",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T01:41:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27638274",
          "commentText": "I became interested through books but ultimately if it’s something you’re interested in pursuing you’d want to find a temple or community and practice with those that have more experience.\nTwo books I read early on that I recommend are The Tantric Distinction and Zen Mind Beginners Mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen Mind Beginners Mind",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as one of two books they read early on.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20989329,
          "author": "wurp",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T22:46:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20989329",
          "commentText": "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind is blowing my mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind is blowing my mind.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book is blowing their mind.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20983032,
          "author": "nestorherre",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T11:34:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20983032",
          "commentText": "Zen mind, beginner's mind. It's the first book that I've read about Buddhism and found it quite insightful, will keep on reading more books on the topic.\nIt introduced me to Zen meditation, which I started practicing a few days ago and find useful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen mind, beginner's mind. It's the first book that I've read about Buddhism and found it quite insightful",
          "reason": "The commenter found it insightful and says it introduced them to Zen meditation, which they find useful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17523282,
          "author": "jackstraw14",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T14:37:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17523282",
          "commentText": "Yes, pick this one up. The Mind Illuminated is also a good one.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Yes, pick this one up.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly endorses the book recommended in the preceding comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17522719,
          "author": "oldpond",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T13:25:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17522719",
          "commentText": "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind is a good place to start.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind is a good place to start.",
          "reason": "Suggested as an entry point for mindfulness or meditation reading.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a place to start with mindfulness or meditation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168623,
          "author": "westiseast",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:21:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168623",
          "commentText": "Yeah, fantastic book - I remember specifically the section about his wife teasing him because he hadn’t experienced nirvana or something.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Yeah, fantastic book - I remember specifically the section about his wife teasing him because he hadn’t experienced nirvana or something.",
          "reason": "Calls it a fantastic book and recalls a section about the author's wife teasing him.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168575,
          "author": "aphextron",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:13:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168575",
          "commentText": "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, by Shunryu Suzuki\nI was 19 and living in a van, camping under bridge overpasses in Colorado so I could just ski all day every day. My naive uneducated mind was formulating some sort of psuedo-hippy philosophy around the state of ecstasy reached in the perfect ride down a mountain through powder. Little did I know the \"no-thought\" mantra I had been inculcating was just a pale impression of this thousands year old tradition of mindfulness. When I picked this book up at a library I just sat down reading page after page being blown away by how he would describe the exact same sensibilities I had been reaching for. It was my first spiritual awakening as an adult.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "When I picked this book up at a library I just sat down reading page after page being blown away by how he would describe the exact same sensibilities I had been reaching for.",
          "reason": "The book articulated sensibilities the commenter had been seeking and led to a spiritual awakening.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16301345,
          "author": "rasengan0",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-04T04:28:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16301345",
          "commentText": "This is ongoing practice: \nZen mind, Beginner's mind\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_Mind,_Beginner%27s_Mind",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen mind, Beginner's mind\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_Mind,_Beginner%27s_Mind",
          "reason": "Names it as an ongoing practice in response to the thread's request for books one wishes they had followed more closely.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15767431,
          "author": "ivm",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T19:53:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15767431",
          "commentText": "I find his books a bit wordy and boring but his \"Out of Your Mind\" lectures are amazing.\nThough \"Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind\" by Shunryu Suzuki is a much better introduction to the topic – Watts had a scholarly approach to it and lacked the actual practice.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind\" by Shunryu Suzuki is a much better introduction to the topic",
          "reason": "Explicitly calls it a much better introduction to the topic.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an introduction to Zen.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785552,
          "author": "benajibayassine",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:50:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785552",
          "commentText": "1- The Emperor's Handbook by Marcus Aurelius. Jan, 10th 2015\n2- The crowd, a study of the popular mind by Gustave Le Bon. Jan, 10th 2015\n3- Remote by Jason Fried. Jan, 11th 2015\n4- The shape of the world to come by Laurent Cohen-Tanugi, Jan, 20th, 2015\n5- Post office by Charles Bukowski. Jan, 23rd 2015\n6- Gang leader for a day by Sudhir Venkatesh. Feb, 6th 2015\n7- Zen mind, beginner's mind by Shunryu Suzuki. Feb, 8th 2015\n8- The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Feb, 23rd 2015\n9- Darkness Visible by William Styron. March, 1st 2015\n10- Zero to One by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters. March, 9th 2015\n11- The Kaizen way: One small step can change your life by Robert Mauter. March, 11th 2015\n12- Time by Alexander Waugh. March, 12th 2015\n13- Max and the cats by Moacyr Scliar. March, 14th 2015\n14- Scattered by Gabor Mate. March, 20th 2015\n15- East of Eden by John Steinbeck. March, 30th 2015\n16- Crossing the unknown sea by David Whyte. April, 7th 2015\n17- Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. April, 13th 2015\n18- The World beyond your Head by Matthew Crawford. April, 22nd 2015\n19- How to Think about Exercise by Damon Young. April, 23rd 2015\n20- Solitude by Anthony Storr. May, 8th 2015\n21- Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. June, 10th 2015\n22- The bastard of Istanbul (in Arabic) by Elif Shafak. June, 21st 2015\n23- L’ordre libertaire: la vie philosophique d’Albert Camus by Michel Onfray. July, 7th 2015\n24- Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse. July, 10th 2015\n25- The arab uprisings by James Gelvin. July, 13th 2015\n26- How to worry less about money by John Armstrong. July, 13th 2015\n27- Self comes to mind by Antonio Damasio. July, 31st2015\n28- Muhammad: The First Muslim by Lesley Hazleton. August, 4th t2015\n29- Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. August, 15th 2015 \n30- Heidegger's Being and Time by William Blattner. August, 18th 2015 \n31- Heidegger and a hippo walk through those pearly gates by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. August, 19th 2015 \n32- Why nations fail by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson. October, 3rd 2015 \n33- Charlie Munger: the complete investor by Tren Griffin October, 9th 2015 \n34- The selfish gene by Richard Dawkins October, 23rd 2015\n35- The philosophical baby by Alison Gopnik October, 28th 2015\n36- The three-body problem by Cixin Liu November, 1st 2015\n37- Open letter to a young man by Andre Maurois November, 13th 2015\n38- Thinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman November, 16th 2015\n39- What do you care what people think by Richard Feynman November, 18th 2015\n40- When the body says No by Gabor Maté November, 29th 2015\n41- The truth will set you free by Alice Miller. December, 5th 2015\n42- The shallows by Nicholar Carr. December, 7th 2015\n43- What matters most byJames Hollis. December, 14th 2015\n44- Finding meaning in the second jalf of life byJames Hollis. December, 20yh2015",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Zen mind, beginner's mind by Shunryu Suzuki",
          "reason": "Included in a dated list of books read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10534162,
          "author": "schlagetown",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T17:01:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10534162",
          "commentText": "Watchmen (Alan Moore)\nOrigins of Form (Christopher Williams)\nStarship & The Canoe (Kenneth Brower)\nThe Size of Lumber (Nicholson Baker)\nZen Mind, Beginner's Mind (Shunryu Suzuki)\nDeschooling Society (Ivan Illich)\nMoby Dick (Herman Melville)\nBolo'Bolo (P.M.)\nLe Ton beau de Marot (Douglas Hofstadter)\nGaia: A New Look at Life on Earth (James Lovelock)\nMouse or Rat: Translation as Negotiation (Umberto Eco)\nNeuromancer (William Gibson)\nThe Intelligent Investor (Benjamin Graham)\nDon Quixote (Miguel Cervantes)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind (Shunryu Suzuki)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about the best books read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10325276,
          "author": "zafka",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T20:43:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325276",
          "commentText": "Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance\nGodel Escher Bach\nTime enough for love - Heinlein\nIllusions -Richard Bach\nA wrinkle in time\nStranger from the depths\nSidartha and all the other books by Hess\nZen MInd Beginners mind\nMOre to come\nBooks by Bradbury\nBooks by asimov\nJust starting Antifragile and it might make the list",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen MInd Beginners mind",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7972883,
          "author": "adambware",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T19:17:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7972883",
          "commentText": "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind — Shunryu Suzuki [1]\nBody by Science — Doug McGuff, MD and John Little [2]\n1. http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Mind-Beginners-Shunryu-Suzuki/dp/1... (http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Mind-Beginners-Shunryu-Suzuki/dp/1590308492)\n2. http://www.amazon.com/Body-Science-Research-Strength-Trainin... (http://www.amazon.com/Body-Science-Research-Strength-Training/dp/0071597174)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind — Shunryu Suzuki",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed without an evaluation or recommendation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4787229,
          "author": "GuiA",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T05:18:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787229",
          "commentText": "A varied assortment:\n---\nThe Lifecycle of Software Objects\nZen Mind, Beginner's Mind\nWhat Is Property\nThe City of Dreaming Books\nBorn to Run\nGödel, Escher, Bach",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4530467,
          "author": "idoh",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-16T21:37:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 4530022,
          "threadTitle": "What to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4530467",
          "commentText": "Some favorites from my bookshelf: Benjamin Franklin's autobiography, Thinking Fast and Slow, Fooled by Randomness / Black Swan, SICP, Zen Mind Beginner's Mind",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen Mind Beginner's Mind",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1764101,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-06T14:46:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1763111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Anyone read Tibetan Book of Living and Dying?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1764101",
          "commentText": "Not yet.  I bought a copy over a year ago, but it's still in my queue.  My only real exposure to Eastern thought, Buddhism, etc. have been the books \"Introduction to Zen Buddhism\" and \"Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind.\"",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind.\"",
          "reason": "Named as part of the commenter's prior exposure to Eastern thought.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Reading experience alone does not indicate endorsement.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Shunryu Suzuki"
      ],
      "recommenders": 15,
      "threads": 12,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "zen buddhism",
        "meditation",
        "mindfulness",
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rendezvous-with-rama-36b01d",
      "title": "Rendezvous with Rama",
      "author": "Arthur C. Clarke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36024356,
          "author": "MattPalmer1086",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T20:20:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36024356",
          "commentText": "There are many different genres of sci fi.  Seveneves is pretty much hard science fiction, in that it deals with plausible physics, which is also one of my favourite genres.\nI particularly recommend the Xeelee Sequence (a series of novels) by Stephen Baxter if you like mind bending sci fi over cosmological time).\nMore classically, The Foundation series by Isaac Asimov is a great (and shorter) read.\nFirst contact novels can also be interesting (meeting aliens for the first time).  Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke is great.  Also, Blindsight by Peter Watts.\nSo many others!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke is great.",
          "reason": "Calls the novel great in a discussion of first-contact stories.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in first-contact novels.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021892,
          "author": "doo_daa",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:23:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021892",
          "commentText": "Rendezvous with Rama. Arthur C Clarke\nConsider Phlebas. Iain M Banks\nDune. Frank Herbert\nKiteworld. Keith Roberts\nThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.\n Douglas Adams",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rendezvous with Rama. Arthur C Clarke",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17538466,
          "author": "facorreia",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T03:01:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17538466",
          "commentText": "Rendez-vouz with Rama is in my top 10 favorite books but I wouldn't say it's fun and lighthearted.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Rendez-vouz with Rama is in my top 10 favorite books",
          "reason": "Includes it among their ten favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not fun and lighthearted.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536697,
          "author": "spapas82",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:43:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536697",
          "commentText": "Here are a couple I like :\n- Seveneves: A really great hard sci-fi. Very thought provoking ideas and excellent plot! Warning this is a heavy themed book. Also keep in mind that at about 3/4 in the novel there's a conclusion to the main story; the rest of the novel feels rushed and doesnt keep up; you won't miss anything if you just skip it.\n- The Expanse series (starting with Leviathan wakes). A very good series. It has a light tone and mainly focuses on characters. Some books are better than the others. If you liked the 1st one then you wont regret reading the others. Not much philosofy of hard sci-fi ideas so probably near to your liking.\n- Rendezvous with Rama: Probably my favorite Arthur Clarke novel. The plot may not be so interesting but the ideas presented make up for it.\n- Red rising series: This is a great read, the plot feels something like a GoT of scifi; although the setting could also be considered a fantasy one. This is a plot intensive series but not many scifi philosophical ideas. Probably good for your linking.\n- The three body problem trilogy: This is not so light-hearted; it is serious sci-fi presenting some excellent ideas that would blow your mind. Especially after I read the 2nd one (The Dark Forest) I kept it in my mind for a long time; thinking over the things presented there. This is sci-fi at its best.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Probably my favorite Arthur Clarke novel. The plot may not be so interesting but the ideas presented make up for it.",
          "reason": "Calls it their favorite Clarke novel and praises its ideas despite a less engaging plot.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the plot may not be very interesting.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536607,
          "author": "bostik",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:26:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536607",
          "commentText": "Asimov's original \"Foundation\" - it's effectively a collection of 4,5 short stories. I recommend to remain at a discreet distance from the rest of the series. While good within the universe, they are ... different.\n\"Ender's Game\" and \"Speaker for the Dead\" by O.S.Card. (Do not touch Xenocide without a hazmat suit. And if you do, burn it before reading.)\n\"Snow Crash\" by Neil Stephenson.\n\"Rendez-vouz with Rama\" by Arthur C. Clarke.\nIf you're up for some thought-provoking stuff, \"Stranger in a Strange Land\" by Heinlein. Not the easiest read but your carve-out basically rules out \"The Moon is a Harsh Mistress\".\n\"Embassytown\" by China Mieville.\nEDIT: I forgot \"Hyperion\" by Dan Simmons.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Rendez-vouz with Rama\" by Arthur C. Clarke.",
          "reason": "Listed as a recommendation in the comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17522977,
          "author": "sizzzzlerz",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T13:53:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17522977",
          "commentText": "Rama is a great read and shows off Clarke's skill in merging science and fiction into a believable narrative. Its been years since I last read it but I still can remember the anticipation I felt, waiting for the story to explain things.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rama is a great read and shows off Clarke's skill in merging science and fiction into a believable narrative.",
          "reason": "Praised for Clarke's skill at blending science and fiction into a believable story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it has been years since they last read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17520691,
          "author": "talonx",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T05:21:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17520691",
          "commentText": "Rendezvous with Rama stands high up among my Clarke favourites. I cannot say the same about the sequels that he wrote with Gentry Lee - too much religious overtone - and for what exactly, is unclear.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rendezvous with Rama stands high up among my Clarke favourites.",
          "reason": "The commenter names it among their favorite Clarke books.",
          "audience": "Science-fiction readers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17520639,
          "author": "ryanSrich",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T05:04:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17520639",
          "commentText": "Books finished in June:\n\"How to Change Your Mind\" by Michael Pollan. A fascinating look into the world and science of psychedelic drugs.\n\"Rendezvous with Rama\" by Arthur C. Clarke. One of, if not Clarke's best. It's short for a sci-fi book and almost impossible not to like.\n\"The Hydrogen Sonata\" By Iain M. Banks. It certainly wasn't my favorite culture entry, but it's worth a read none the less. If you haven't read the others in the series I wouldn't suggest starting with it.\n\"Children of Time\" by Adrian Tchaikovsky. It took me a bit to get into this book, but once I did, I really enjoyed it. If you're into long timelines and human existential crisis this is your book.\nAs far as July goes, I'm digging into \"Matterhorn\" by Karl Marlantes and \"The Origins of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind\" by Julian Jaynes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One of, if not Clarke's best. It's short for a sci-fi book and almost impossible not to like.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of Clarke's best and says it is hard not to like.",
          "audience": "Science-fiction readers.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is short for a sci-fi book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13118374,
          "author": "Grangar",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-06T21:11:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13118374",
          "commentText": "An old one, Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke. It can be fairly slow at times but it's such an inspiring read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It can be fairly slow at times but it's such an inspiring read.",
          "reason": "Calls the book inspiring, despite its slow stretches.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Can be fairly slow at times.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12475158,
          "author": "captn3m0",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T19:30:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12475158",
          "commentText": "It took me a huge time to get through Rendezvous with Rama. (I stopped reading and then finished it almost an year later). Even though it is a pretty short book. For me, it just too much hard-SF with none of the character development. The ending doesn't help with that either.\nBut then, I didn't like Eon either (Greg Bear), so maybe hard-SF isn't really for me.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "It took me a huge time to get through Rendezvous with Rama.",
          "reason": "Reports difficulty finishing and criticizes the lack of character development and the ending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment says hard science fiction may not suit the reader.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12474611,
          "author": "imh",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T17:53:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12474611",
          "commentText": "Rendezvous with Rama - Arthur C. Clarke\nSet in the near-ish future, a big asteroid comes whizzing into the solar system. Looks weird, so we investigate. It's a total page turner, and reads like an adventure/mystery. Highly recommended.\n---------\nThe Malazan Book of the Fallen series - Steven Erikson\nA fantasy series, set in a really unique setting. It's an epic fantasy series with a huge ensemble cast and a bunch of parallel plots that break a lot of the usual tropes. It's tough to describe, but if you like epic fantasy it's a must read. I'm on book five of ten and loving it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a total page turner, and reads like an adventure/mystery. Highly recommended.",
          "reason": "Calls it a page turner and highly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12070873,
          "author": "mroll",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T13:30:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12070873",
          "commentText": "Long After Midnight, Ray Bradbury\nRendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarke\nThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams\nThieves' World, Robert Asprin\nTales From the Vulgar Unicorn, Robert Asprin\nRestaurant at the End of the Universe, Douglas Adams\nQuantum Computing Since Democritus, Scott Aaronson\nReamde, Neal Stephenson\nFool's Assassin, Robin Hobb\nBig Planet, Jack Vance",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Rendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarke",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10176071,
          "author": "captn3m0",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T21:21:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10176071",
          "commentText": "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking [0]. This is surprisingly full of citations and references.\nAssassin's Quest by Robin Hobb [1]. Stock fantasy at its best.\nRendezvous with Rama by Arthur C Clarke [2]. Been stuck at halfway for too long, it gets boring in places.\n[0]: http://www.amazon.com/Quiet-Power-Introverts-World-Talking/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Quiet-Power-Introverts-World-Talking/dp/0307352153/)\n[1]: http://www.amazon.com/Assassins-Quest-Farseer-Trilogy-Book/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Assassins-Quest-Farseer-Trilogy-Book/dp/0553565699)\n[2]: http://www.amazon.com/Rendezvous-Rama-Arthur-C-Clarke-ebook/... (http://www.amazon.com/Rendezvous-Rama-Arthur-C-Clarke-ebook/dp/B00AHIP8ZM)",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C Clarke [2]. Been stuck at halfway for too long, it gets boring in places.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it gets boring in places.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has been stuck halfway through for a long time.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056450,
          "author": "everyone",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T11:55:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056450",
          "commentText": "I have strong opinions about this. My criteria for a book being science fiction and not fantasy is that is must be based on scientific thinking. The author must have done some work to determine whether whats happening in his book is at least plausible according to real science, and then work out the details of how it would actually function. So I regard most \"science fiction\" books and almost all \"science fiction\" films as really being fantasy. Essentially they are works of fantasy or dramatic fiction re-skinned with lasers and aliens instead of magic and goblins (to a great or lesser extent).\nSo dune is a great book but it is 90% fantasy, there is only a little bit of research done by the author on desert ecosystems.\nMy favourite real science fiction author is Arthur C clarke. some good books by him...\nearthlight\nthe fountains of paradise\nislands in the sky\nthe sands of mars\nrama\nsongs of distant earth\nAlso would recommend accelerando by Charles Stross and the mars series by Kim Stanley Robinson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "rama",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s good books by Clarke.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8613353,
          "author": "partisan",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-16T03:22:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8613353",
          "commentText": "Hard to say... had you asked me this question 15 years ago, I would have answered without hesitation, The Hobbit and Ender's Game.\nToday, it's a bit less clear, but here is what comes to mind.\nRendezvous with Rama - Arthur C. Clarke\nWorthing Saga - Orson Scott Card",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Rendezvous with Rama - Arthur C. Clarke",
          "reason": "Listed among the books that come to mind as the commenter’s current favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says their current favorite is less clear.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8106919,
          "author": "omnibrain",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:10:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106919",
          "commentText": "Arthur C. Clarke - Rendezvous with Rama is one of the most imaginative and inspiring books I've ever read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "is one of the most imaginative and inspiring books I've ever read.",
          "reason": "Praises it as imaginative and inspiring.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3782341,
          "author": "read_wharf",
          "createdAt": "2012-04-01T02:02:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 3781486,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi Books for Hackers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3782341",
          "commentText": "No code in these two, but lots of problem solving:\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_34_%28novel%29\nI recently read Rule 34 by HNer Charles Stross. I liked it a lot.\nThanks Charles.\nIf you want to go old school, Rendezvous With Rama is great.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rendezvous_with_Rama",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you want to go old school, Rendezvous With Rama is great.",
          "reason": "Calls it great and suggests it as an option for the reader.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 716498,
          "author": "secret",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-21T16:45:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=716498",
          "commentText": "Just finished: Childhood's End and Rendezvous with Rama",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Rendezvous with Rama",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 141209,
          "author": "SwellJoe",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T22:36:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=141209",
          "commentText": "Asimov's two big universes, found in the Robots series and the Foundation series, (which turned out to be the same when he revisited them in the 70's and 80's) are simply wonderful.  By far my favorite sci-fi, and among the most enduring works in the genre.  I read them both every two or three years, and sometimes grab one off the shelf when I just want something to read.  The early Foundation is sort of a future history version of \"The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire\" (I seem to recall that was intentional, actually).  Asimov's autobiographies and the posthumous book of his correspondence are all fantastic and insightful.  I learned a lot from them, and my admiration for the man increased even more upon reading them.\nDune is also astoundingly good, though after the first three, the quality goes downhill (slowly, but surely).  Definitely lots to think about.\nRendezvous with Rama left me breathless...and I could not put it down until I'd read the last page.  I've returned to it a couple of times, and loved it every single time.  The later Rama books are deeply flawed, and should have never happened (they were not written by Clarke, and it shows), as they make Rama seem...hmmm, I can't really think of the right word that expresses it.  Cheap, dinky, small, something bad.  But Rendezvous is a must read for everyone.\nDouglas Adams, of course.  The whole Hitchhikers' series is a must, while the Dirk Gently stuff is also funny, but not sci-fi and not mandatory.\nI mentioned in another thread my love of dystopias, and one of the best ever is The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.  She's one of the best sci-fi writers alive (she doesn't exclusively write sci-fi, however).  Oryx and Crake is also fascinating.\nCat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut.  I enjoy all of Vonnegut's work, but Cat's Cradle is a magical perfect novel.\nI don't know if everyone would agree that it's sci-fi, but Mark Twain's Letters from the Earth was an eye opener for me when I was a kid (I went on a Mark Twain kick when I was in elementary school...no one ever told me that all of his books weren't kids books, so I read everything I could get my hands on after being hooked by Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn).  Turns out Mark Twain was seditious, heretical, and quite the troublemaker all around.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rendezvous with Rama left me breathless...and I could not put it down",
          "reason": "Says the novel left them breathless, was hard to put down, and is a must read.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in science fiction and first contact.",
          "caveat": "The commenter strongly criticizes the later Rama books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur C. Clarke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 15,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "space exploration",
        "alien artifact",
        "generation ship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-information-a-history-a-theory-a-flood-7f0592",
      "title": "The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood",
      "author": "James Gleick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38685840,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-18T17:53:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38685840",
          "commentText": "'The Path To Power', Caro, first volume of his LBJ biography. Elsewhere ('Working'), Caro has explained that his career in writing is to make clear how power is acquired and used. I think he achieves this goal here and am looking forward to the remaining volumes.\n'Spiritual Formation', Henri Nouwen. A deep, Catholic, thinker with much to offer those who are looking in this direction.\n'In A Sunburned Country', Bryson. Bryson is an ideal travel companion.\n'The Information', Gleick. A tour of the ideas and technologies underneath how we became so dependent on bits.\n'Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons'... the most worthwhile part was how my son and I bonded over working through the lessons.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Information', Gleick. A tour of the ideas and technologies underneath how we became so dependent on bits.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a tour of the ideas and technologies behind our dependence on bits.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36666587,
          "author": "HamptonFounders",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-10T14:01:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36666587",
          "commentText": "Not sure if this is helpful, but a friend fed this conversation through ChatGPT and had it summarize for easier reading:\n-The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy -Bigger by Marc Levinson\n-The Machine That Changed the World: The Story of Lean Production-- Toyota's Secret Weapon in the Global Car Wars That Is Now Revolutionizing World Industry by James P. Womack, Daniel T. Jones, and Daniel Roos\n-Empires of the Sky: Zeppelins, Airplanes, and Two Men's Epic Duel to Rule the World by Erik Larson\n-Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America by Richard -White\n-The Arms of Krupp: The Rise and Fall of the Industrial Dynasty that Armed Germany at War by William Manchester\n-Edison by Edmund Morris\n-Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow\n-The People's Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century by Steven Watts\n-Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler\n-The Victorian Internet by Tom Standage\n-The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood by James Gleick\n-Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age by Michael S. Malone\n-The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester\n-The Innovators by Walter Isaacson\n-Medieval Technology and Social Change by Lynn White Jr.\n-The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation by Jon Gertner\n-Electricity in the 17th and 18th Centuries: A Study of Early Modern Physics by Eric H. Chaney\n-Early Electrical Communication by A. F. Marland\n-Bibliographical History of Electricity and Magnetism by Silvanus P. Thompson\n-Electric Science: Its History, Phenomena, and Applications by J. J. Fahie\n-The History and Present State of Electricity by Andrew Ure\n-https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/\n-De Re Metallica by Georgius Agricola",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood by James Gleick",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books offered in response to the history of technology question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36601712,
          "author": "hhh",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:25:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601712",
          "commentText": "+1 for The Information. Spectacular book",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for The Information. Spectacular book",
          "reason": "Calls it a spectacular book and seconds the recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36601493,
          "author": "iammjm",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:09:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601493",
          "commentText": "I very much liked Information by a James Gleick, but it’s rather pop",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I very much liked Information by a James Gleick, but it’s rather pop",
          "reason": "The commenter liked the book but considers it rather popular in style.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Rather pop.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36601491,
          "author": "soulbadguy",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:09:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601491",
          "commentText": "+1 for \"The Information\".\ni can here specifically to recommend this book. Such a great read, i would even venture are saying a must read for anybody even remotely interested in computer science.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "i can here specifically to recommend this book. Such a great read, i would even venture are saying a must read for anybody even remotely interested in computer science.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends it as a must read for anyone interested in computer science.",
          "audience": "Anyone even remotely interested in computer science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36601396,
          "author": "topherjaynes",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:02:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601396",
          "commentText": "Have you looked for online courses? Here are a few of the books I'd go through around computers, but are you thinking more extensive history of \"technology?\" Like how we've grown from printing press as innovation?\nSoul of a New Machine is a great non-fiction but reads like a fiction account of trying to overtake the Vax by building one of the first 32-bit machines https://www.amazon.com/Soul-New-Machine-Tracy-Kidder/dp/0316... (https://www.amazon.com/Soul-New-Machine-Tracy-Kidder/dp/0316491977)\nA Biography of the Pixel https://www.amazon.com/Biography-Pixel-Leonardo-Alvy-Smith/d... (https://www.amazon.com/Biography-Pixel-Leonardo-Alvy-Smith/dp/0262542455) great overview of the innovation and math that pushed graphics forwrard\nThe Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood https://www.amazon.com/Information-History-Theory-Flood/dp/1... (https://www.amazon.com/Information-History-Theory-Flood/dp/1400096235) walks through information theory and how we got to the internet\nDealers of lightning: https://www.amazon.com/Dealers-of-Lightning-audiobook/dp/B00... (https://www.amazon.com/Dealers-of-Lightning-audiobook/dp/B0000546R7/) how a lot of modenr computing grew out of Xerox",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood",
          "reason": "Described as covering information theory and how it led toward the Internet.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35929974,
          "author": "dmbche",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T16:31:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35929974",
          "commentText": "Interesting! I'll look into that. I'm about 1/3 into The Information, from the same author - also a good read for anyone interested!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm about 1/3 into The Information, from the same author - also a good read for anyone interested!",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a good read for anyone interested.",
          "audience": "Anyone interested in the subject.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is about one-third of the way through.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30486537,
          "author": "servytor",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T08:56:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486537",
          "commentText": "The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood by James Gleick.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood by James Gleick.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22707666,
          "author": "didgeoridoo",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T22:59:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22707666",
          "commentText": "Top five, summaries easy enough to find via Amazon:\n- Turings’s Cathedral\n- The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood\n- A Mind at Play\n- The Victorian Internet\n- Dawn of the New Everything\nPlus two that I haven’t read but hear amazing things:\n- Mindstorms\n- Dream Machine",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22707192,
          "author": "westurner",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T21:45:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22707192",
          "commentText": "\"The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood\" starts with \"1 | Drums That Talk\" re: African drum messaging; a complex coding scheme:\n> Here was a messaging system that outpaced the best couriers, the fastest horses on good roads with way stations and relays.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Information:_A_History,_a_... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Information:_A_History,_a_Theory,_a_Flood)\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8701960-the-information\nFrom \"Polynesian People Used Binary Numbers 600 Years Ago\" https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/polynesian-people... (https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/polynesian-people-used-binary-numbers-600-years-ago/) :\n> Binary arithmetic, the basis of all virtually digital computation today, is usually said to have been invented at the start of the eighteenth century by the German mathematician Gottfried Leibniz. But a study now shows that a kind of binary system was already in use 300 years earlier among the people of the tiny Pacific island of Mangareva in French Polynesia.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood\" starts with \"1 | Drums That Talk\"",
          "reason": "Describes the book's opening discussion of African drum messaging and coding.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21904178,
          "author": "diego_moita",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T05:35:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21904178",
          "commentText": "* Information: A history, a theory, a flood - James Gleick\n* Sapiens - Yuval Harari\n* Thinking, fast and slow - Daniel Kahneman\n* Power of Habit - Charles Duhig",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Information: A history, a theory, a flood - James Gleick",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296923,
          "author": "fiddyschmitt",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T09:37:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296923",
          "commentText": "The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood. An easily digestible summary of information and key figures in its history.\nTuring's Cathedral (or as my brothers call it: Von Neumann's Cathedral). An awesome account of the history of computation, and the obstacles that had to be overcome.\nCryptonomicon. Hilarious\nThe Strangest Man, by Graham Farmelo. A biography of delightfully awkward Paul Dirac.\nThe Library of Babel, by Jorge Luis Borges. Thought provoking and profound.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood. An easily digestible summary of information and key figures in its history.",
          "reason": "Calls it an easily digestible summary of information and its history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11699559,
          "author": "adam419",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-15T05:21:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11699559",
          "commentText": "Currently reading: \"The Information - A History, A Theory, a Flood\"\nI like it so far.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Currently reading: \"The Information - A History, A Theory, a Flood\"\nI like it so far.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they like it so far while reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They are still reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4513579,
          "author": "27182818284",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-12T22:22:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 4513324,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading currently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4513579",
          "commentText": "The book that I wanted to write until I found out not only that it was written, but that it does a better job on the subject that I could have\nhttp://www.amazon.com/The-Information-History-Theory-Flood/d... (http://www.amazon.com/The-Information-History-Theory-Flood/dp/0375423729)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book that I wanted to write until I found out not only that it was written, but that it does a better job on the subject that I could have",
          "reason": "Says the book covers their intended subject better than they could have, expressing clear praise.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395625,
          "author": "jfager",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T12:57:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395625",
          "commentText": "Seconded.  The last few chapters were unsatisfying to me, but overall a really fun read that does a good job of tying together a bunch of different threads of science around information theory.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Seconded. The last few chapters were unsatisfying to me, but overall a really fun read that does a good job of tying together a bunch of different threads of science around information theory.",
          "reason": "Seconding the recommendation and calls it a fun read that connects ideas around information theory.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The last few chapters were unsatisfying.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395299,
          "author": "rahulrg",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T09:48:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395299",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed James Gleick's The Information. Wonderful book from one of the best science writers around.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed James Gleick's The Information. Wonderful book",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed it and calls it a wonderful book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Gleick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 15,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "History",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "information theory",
        "history of communication",
        "history of computing",
        "communication"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "extreme-ownership-701276",
      "title": "Extreme Ownership",
      "author": "Jocko Willink and Leif Babin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37816309,
          "author": "babyeater9000",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-09T02:23:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37816309",
          "commentText": "Extreme Ownership",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Extreme Ownership",
          "reason": "Names the book as an answer to the thread’s question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33856038,
          "author": "mystickphoenix",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T18:08:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33856038",
          "commentText": "A few things come to mind along with what's already been mentioned:\nAssorted Non-Book Readings:\n- https://randsinrepose.com/dont-skip-this/\n- http://www.stilldrinking.org/programming-sucks\n- https://sysadvent.blogspot.com/2019/12/day-21-being-kind-to-... (https://sysadvent.blogspot.com/2019/12/day-21-being-kind-to-3am-you.html)\n- https://donellameadows.org/archives/leverage-points-places-t... (https://donellameadows.org/archives/leverage-points-places-to-intervene-in-a-system/)\n- https://grugbrain.dev/\n- https://changelog.com/posts/rich-hickeys-greatest-hits\n- https://github.com/papers-we-love/papers-we-love/blob/master... (https://github.com/papers-we-love/papers-we-love/blob/master/design/out-of-the-tar-pit.pdf)\n- http://www.cs.unc.edu/techreports/86-020.pdf\nBooks:\n- The Phoenix Project: Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, George Spafford\n- Deep Work: Cal Newport\n- The Art of Leadership: Michael Lopp (Rands)\n- Extreme Ownership: Jocko Willink and Leif Babin (once you get through the \nho-rah stuff it's a fantastic read)\n- Time Management for System Administrators: O'Reilly (fantastic for interrupt driven work)\n- Elements of Clojure: Zachary Tellman (not just for Clojure devs)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Extreme Ownership: Jocko Willink and Leif Babin (once you get through the \nho-rah stuff it's a fantastic read)",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a fantastic read after getting through the author's militaristic style.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says readers must get through the “ho-rah stuff.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23473482,
          "author": "alexpotato",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-10T03:05:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23473482",
          "commentText": "Disclaimer: I have no military experience.\nYour points on the lessons he mention are very valid. The particular part of the book that matched your description of \"this might not work for non SEALs\" was when Jocko described how he took full responsibility for a near friendly fire incident. He goes on to say that he earned a lot of respect for being the type of leader that would take accountability. He points out, IIRC, that this respect was gained from both the enlisted men and the officers.\nI remember reading that passage and thinking \"I've been in plenty of orgs where if someone did that, sure, the 'enlisted' aka line employees might respect that but the 'officers' aka middle managers would immediately think: 'Ah ha! Here is some noble minded fool we can dump our problems on!' \"\nI'm exaggerating somewhat but only to reinforce the point that I think the book is excellent and agree with you that the lessons taught don't ALWAYS apply.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I think the book is excellent and agree with you that the lessons taught don't ALWAYS apply.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it excellent and discusses its leadership lessons.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The lessons taught do not always apply.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23470253,
          "author": "phaus",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T20:00:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23470253",
          "commentText": "Extreme ownership is a great book with lots of sound advice. However, I don't find the approach flawless at all.\nThese guys had the benefit of being leaders in an organization that is set up to rapidly show you the door if you under-perform. Furthermore, everyone that's on a SEAL team desperately wants to be there. To some extent, extreme ownership falls apart in a regular, non-combat focused military unit and also in many civilian organizations.\nIf you're a Soldier, the military's authority is an illusion. Don't assume that my next statement means that punishment is my first tool for attempting to remedy under-performance, but at some point with some people it becomes necessary. In those extreme cases, even that's not effective because of the way the military operates. Half of the punishments for being lazy/ineffective at your job only work if you voluntarily participate in being a part of the military. Examples: exercise as punishment only works when people choose to exercise. Putting people on punitive details like picking cigarettes up and raking lines in sand for 12 hours a day only work if the people voluntarily do the work. Some people don't show up at all and some only show up to laugh in your face and tell you to go fuck yourself in front of your superiors.\nEven the punishments that don't require participation still do require voluntary participation in a way. In the military if you give someone nonjudicial punishment, typically they lose half of their pay for a month or so, and in extreme cases they'll get permanently demoted in addition to that. So you take their money away. However, for the kind of people that aren't doing their job and don't intend to, that doesn't really matter much. You are giving them 3 meals a day and a place to stay. You don't have the power to take that away from them without kicking them out of the military, which in a regular unit often takes well over a year and always requires leadership support, which may not exist given the fact that most units are operating with less people than they need.\nIt may be hard to see where I'm going, but my point is this. There are people in the military that don't intend to do their jobs. All of us have run into the same type of people in a civilian workplace. You can't inspire them because they don't want to be inspired. You can't lead them to do what they are supposed to do because not doing it is the only control they feel they have over their lives. The only viable option for some people is to remove them or ignore them and spend your precious time on the people that are getting the mission accomplished. In many cases, the latter is your only option.\nI'm no Jocko Willink or Leif Babin in terms of being a Soldier or a leader. However, I spent almost 2 decades in  the military and helped numerous Soldiers go from under-performing to be very successful. I learned that in some cases, usually when someone regrets joining the military, that you just have to move on. Sometimes, in spite of what extreme ownership claims, things really aren't your fault. As a leader, most things are your fault though, so I do agree with the overall message even if extreme ownership isn't a magic bullet.\nSimilar people exist in a civilian context.\nHopefully people won't read the above and assume that I avoid responsibility for my mistakes. On the contrary, I was known in the military and in my civilian job as a person that was honest and forthcoming almost to a fault.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "extreme ownership isn't a magic bullet.",
          "reason": "Agrees with the overall message but says the approach has limits in ordinary military units and civilian workplaces.",
          "audience": "Leaders in military and civilian organizations.",
          "caveat": "Some people cannot be inspired or led to perform; sometimes the only options are removing or ignoring them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23469262,
          "author": "GioM",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T18:29:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23469262",
          "commentText": "I started that book, got about 60% of the way through, and had to put it down. It seemed like Jocko was re-teaching the same lesson over and over again from slightly different angles.\nMaybe I missed something big, but that's just the way it felt to me.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I started that book, got about 60% of the way through, and had to put it down.",
          "reason": "The commenter found that it repeated the same lesson from slightly different angles.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They may have missed something, but this was their impression.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467501,
          "author": "fourseventy",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:31:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467501",
          "commentText": "Good Night Moon - 187 times\nThe Cat In The Hat - 200 times\nThe Very Hungry Caterpillar - 85 times\nBut seriously, im on my third re-read of Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin, In my opinion its the best book about leadership ever written.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "im on my third re-read of Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin, In my opinion its the best book about leadership ever written.",
          "reason": "The commenter is rereading it for a third time and calls it the best book about leadership.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21905544,
          "author": "matwood",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T12:26:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21905544",
          "commentText": "Musashi - This is the classic Samurai novel. The lessons about life and finding my path shaped me probably more than any book I've ever read.\nExtreme Ownership - As I have advanced in my career, it became clear that leadership and communication are the keys to success. EO (and related books by the same author) provides so many varied benefits, but the largest for me was to detach, check my ego, and control my emotions. Thinking in this manner has literally changed every relationship I have for the better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Extreme Ownership - As I have advanced in my career, it became clear that leadership and communication are the keys to success. EO (and related books by the same author) provides so many varied benefits",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book provides varied benefits and describes positive effects on relationships.",
          "audience": "People interested in leadership and communication.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21718821,
          "author": "actf",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-06T02:40:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21718821",
          "commentText": "> The military demands that soldiers immediately and unquestioningly follow commands given by their superiors (particularly during combat).\nI don't think the way you've phrased this is quite accurate, although I understand what you're getting at.\nIn the book the author discusses how it is the responsibility of leaders to plan missions and to ensure that all voices and concerns are heard during planning. It's also the leader's responsibility to ensure that a decision about how to proceed is reached. Once a decision is reached though the expectation is that it will be carried out without question (I don't have any quotes handy unfortunately).\nThis sounds awfully similar to Amazon's principle of disagree and commit. I think this principle is congruent with the way the way the book suggests that leaders should operate.\nFrom my own personal experience I think this is actually a really important principle. I find nothing more frustrating in a team environment than when one member of the team disagrees with a decision and decides to take it upon themselves to head off in their own chosen direction. It's very frustrating to have team members not following a plan.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "In the book the author discusses how it is the responsibility of leaders to plan missions",
          "reason": "Discusses the book's leadership approach and compares it with Amazon's disagree-and-commit principle.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment does not explicitly recommend the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21718803,
          "author": "antoncohen",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-06T02:36:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21718803",
          "commentText": "\"Extreme Ownership\" by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin. I highly recommend the audiobook, it is narrated by the authors and is very engaging.\nSome of the comments in this thread say that military orders and life and death situations don't apply in the business world. But that isn't what this book is about, the advice is really the opposite of giving orders the must be followed without question. And the lessons are explained in ways that clearly relate to business management.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend the audiobook",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a book about leadership lessons that relate to business management.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in business management and leadership.",
          "caveat": "The commenter recommends the audiobook, narrated by the authors.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21713702,
          "author": "runjake",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T16:38:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21713702",
          "commentText": "Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink -> https://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Ownership-U-S-Navy-SEALs-eboo... (https://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Ownership-U-S-Navy-SEALs-ebook/dp/B0739PYQSS)\nLeaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek -> https://www.amazon.com/Leaders-Eat-Last-Together-Others/dp/B... (https://www.amazon.com/Leaders-Eat-Last-Together-Others/dp/B00HQ3K34M)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21712732,
          "author": "snorberhuis",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T14:55:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21712732",
          "commentText": "Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink & Leif Babin\nThis book is about the lessons learned on leadership by two Navy Seal Officers and how they are applied in business. It learned me to take ownership on what is happening, always work together, keep it simple, focus on a single priority, and give ownership.\nTurn the ship around! by L. David Marquet\nThis book tells the story of a submarine captain that turns his subordinates into leaders and his submarine goes on becoming the best submarine in the US Navy. It learned me to move authority to information, train competence, and the power of clear communication.\nYou can find more good books at https://www.norberhuis.nl/books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink & Leif Babin\nThis book is about the lessons learned on leadership by two Navy Seal Officers and how they are applied in business. It learned me to take ownership on what is happening, always work together, keep it simple, focus on a single priority, and give ownership.",
          "reason": "Describes leadership lessons and says it taught them practical principles for working together and taking ownership.",
          "audience": "People interested in applying leadership lessons to business.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21712632,
          "author": "gbersac",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T14:46:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21712632",
          "commentText": "Extreme ownership is awesome.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Extreme ownership is awesome.",
          "reason": "Calls the book awesome.",
          "audience": "People interested in leadership.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21712513,
          "author": "Bumerang",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T14:33:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21712513",
          "commentText": "Everything by Simon Sinek, but most important for me is \"Leaders Eat Last\" [0]. I haven't read the last one (The Infinite Game), but I've heard it's pretty good as well.\nAlso Extreme Ownership [1] and Dichotomy of Leadership [2] by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin.\nAll of these books had tremendous impact on me as a leader and I highly recommend them.\n[0]: https://www.amazon.com/Leaders-Eat-Last-Together-Others/dp/B... (https://www.amazon.com/Leaders-Eat-Last-Together-Others/dp/B00HQ3K34M/)\n[1]: https://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Ownership-U-S-Navy-SEALs-eboo... (https://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Ownership-U-S-Navy-SEALs-ebook/dp/B00VE4Y0Z2)\n[2]: https://www.amazon.com/Dichotomy-Leadership-Balancing-Challe... (https://www.amazon.com/Dichotomy-Leadership-Balancing-Challenges-Ownership/dp/B07BN5NGQ5/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also Extreme Ownership [1] and Dichotomy of Leadership [2] by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin.",
          "reason": "Includes it in a set of books the commenter says had a tremendous impact and highly recommends.",
          "audience": "People interested in leadership.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21712377,
          "author": "fsloth",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T14:13:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21712377",
          "commentText": "It is. It is also filled with gratuitous disregard for human life and cruelty towards animals. But that's what war is about, and having a book about military leadership without actual examples of conflict would be kind of vacuous.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "It is also filled with gratuitous disregard for human life and cruelty towards animals.",
          "reason": "Acknowledges the book while criticizing its depictions of war and cruelty.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in military leadership.",
          "caveat": "Contains depictions of disregard for human life and cruelty towards animals.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21712349,
          "author": "lawn",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T14:09:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21712349",
          "commentText": "Extreme Ownership is an excellent book on the topic (or so peoole tell me, I started reading it today actually).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Extreme Ownership is an excellent book on the topic (or so peoole tell me, I started reading it today actually).",
          "reason": "Describes it as excellent, while qualifying that this is what others say.",
          "audience": "People interested in leadership.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has only just started reading it and attributes the praise to others.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18746329,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T14:49:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18746329",
          "commentText": "Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss, it taugh me very important negotiation skills that I use everyday.\nExtreme Ownership by Willink and Babin has taught me about good leadership.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Extreme Ownership by Willink and Babin has taught me about good leadership.",
          "reason": "Says the book taught the commenter about good leadership.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18666320,
          "author": "getsomeboi",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T18:24:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18666320",
          "commentText": "Extreme Ownership - Jocko/Babin\nDichotomy of Leadership - Jocko/Babin\nEvery Little Step: My Story - Bobby Brown\nThe Art and Science of Respect - J. Prince",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Extreme Ownership - Jocko/Babin",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18664248,
          "author": "33W",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T14:40:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664248",
          "commentText": "Freakonomics - good “everything you know is wrong”\nPromote yourself - meh “just become an influencer and pick a new job”\nExtreme Ownership - good “navy seal war story -> leadership principle -> business application” x12\nRise - good “wow I have an easy life”\nDrive - good “some people like doing stuff just because”\nThe Accounting Game - good “money explained to a kid to make you feel vetter about not understanding money”",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Extreme Ownership - good",
          "reason": "Listed as good in response to the thread's request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12990862,
          "author": "charlesroper",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-18T23:18:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12990862",
          "commentText": "Team of Teams by General Stanley McChrystal.\nFundamentally about being agile, adaptable, transparent, collaborative and decentralised. You could say it's about digital transformation but on a military scale. An excellent companion to some other books mentioned here, such as Deep Work (this book is a constructive counterpoint in many ways), Extreme Ownership, and Ego is the Enemy.\nhttps://mcchrystalgroup.com/teamofteams/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Extreme Ownership",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned as an example of a companion book; no evaluation here.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416052,
          "author": "boothead",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T20:31:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416052",
          "commentText": "Extreme Ownership by Joko Wilink\nTeam of teams by Gen. Stan McChrystal\nBoth of these are required reading for understanding how humans work together.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Both of these are required reading for understanding how humans work together.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as required reading for understanding how people work together.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking to understand teamwork.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jocko Willink",
        "Leif Babin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 15,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Biography",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "military leadership",
        "management",
        "accountability"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dream-machine-j-c-r-licklider-and-the-revolution-that-made-co-40d1c3",
      "title": "The Dream Machine: J.C.R. Licklider and the Revolution That Made Computing Personal",
      "author": "M. Mitchell Waldrop",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39059849,
          "author": "NegatioN",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T19:24:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39059849",
          "commentText": "I'm not sure if these books really are what you're looking for, because each of them is a mix of engineering history, and the description of how a group of people end up doing amazing things.\nIn each of the books, there were nuggets of wisdom that I've tried to bring along with me in my job (as best I can).\nLike:\n- Doing things as simply as possible to start off\n- Keeping iteration time to a minimum, for maximum exploration of ideas\n- Being willing to think outside the box\nMy takeaways above, hardly do these books justice, but they are as follows:\n- Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed [0]\n- Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution. [1]\n- The Dream Machine: J.C.R. Licklider and the Revolution That Made Computing Personal [2]\n[0]: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/101438.Skunk_Works\n[1]: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56829.Hackers\n[2]: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/722412.The_Dream_Machine",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dream Machine: J.C.R. Licklider and the Revolution That Made Computing Personal",
          "reason": "Included among the books that offered practical lessons about simplicity, iteration, and thinking beyond conventional approaches.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the books are a mix of engineering history and accounts of how people accomplished ambitious work.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36601586,
          "author": "ash",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:16:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601586",
          "commentText": "The Dream Machine by M. Mitchell Waldrop. Weaves fascinating history of personal computing and internet through J.C.R. “Lick” Licklider biography.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dream Machine by M. Mitchell Waldrop. Weaves fascinating history of personal computing and internet through J.C.R. “Lick” Licklider biography.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a fascinating history of personal computing and the internet.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22708498,
          "author": "khaledh",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T01:40:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22708498",
          "commentText": "The Dream Machine: J.C.R. Licklider and the Revolution That Made Computing Personal\nIt's an extremely well written book, starting from the very beginning at the time of WWII, tracing people, ideas, struggles, and achievements of great milestones in computer history. It's not your typical dry historical material, but somehow the author made it personal through the eyes of key people that influenced important computer science progresses, and in particular J.C.R. Licklider (Lick), who galvanized a lot efforts across the U.S. in the sixties that resulted in making computing interactive and ultimately personal, rather than batch and business-focused. Many important milestones are discussed, starting with the early days of mechanical computers, vacuum tubes, relays, ENIAC, UNIVAC, through MIT's various efforts during the cold war to help with real-time computing with Whirlwind and the SAGE project; IBM's mainframes dominance in the fifties, and the hacker culture that arose against it at MIT to build interactive computers like the TX-0 and TX-2, to the spin-off of DEC and its minicomputers that changed the game; to building time-sharing systems, and the groundbreaking inventions of Douglas Engelbart and his team at SRI; the rise of the ARPA network; the many great ideas developed at Xerox PARC; and ultimately the personal computer revolution and the Internet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dream Machine: J.C.R. Licklider and the Revolution That Made Computing Personal",
          "reason": "Traces people, ideas, and milestones that led to interactive and personal computing.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computer history.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not typical dry historical material, but does not specify further caveats.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22707666,
          "author": "didgeoridoo",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T22:59:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22707666",
          "commentText": "Top five, summaries easy enough to find via Amazon:\n- Turings’s Cathedral\n- The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood\n- A Mind at Play\n- The Victorian Internet\n- Dawn of the New Everything\nPlus two that I haven’t read but hear amazing things:\n- Mindstorms\n- Dream Machine",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "- Dream Machine",
          "reason": "Included among two books the commenter has not read but has heard good things about.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it and reports only hearsay.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22707314,
          "author": "dkislyuk",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T22:01:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22707314",
          "commentText": "The Dream Machine is a fantastic and thorough history of the early days of computing, woven together as a partial autobiography of J. C. R. Licklider, though the scope of the book is substantially grander.\nIt’s a long read, and I opted to do the audiobook option, which I found entertaining and captivating. It covers the origins of computing from the WWII days, to the early debates in the computing world, to ARPA and all of its resulting projects, Xerox PARC formation, and finally the emergence of microcomputers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dream Machine is a fantastic and thorough history of the early days of computing",
          "reason": "Praises its thorough history of early computing and says the audiobook was entertaining and captivating.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as a long read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22706500,
          "author": "monk_the_dog",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T20:24:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22706500",
          "commentText": "Two lesser known books that I enjoyed: 1) \"Colossus: The secrets of Bletchley Park's code-breaking computers\", and 2) \"The Dream Machine: J.C.R. Licklider and the Revolution That Made Computing Personal\".\nOne thing I learned from the \"Colossus\" book was the contribution of British engineers to early computers (Tommy Flowers in particular). They didn't get the credit they deserved because their work was kept secret for so long.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and 2) \"The Dream Machine: J.C.R. Licklider and the Revolution That Made Computing Personal\".",
          "reason": "Listed among two books the commenter enjoyed.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the history of personal computing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21793028,
          "author": "csallen",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T23:12:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793028",
          "commentText": "I second The Dream Machine. Not only is it an entertaining and informative read, but it's also super impressive. I can't imagine all the work that went into putting that book together.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second The Dream Machine. Not only is it an entertaining and informative read, but it's also super impressive.",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the recommendation and calls the book entertaining, informative, and impressive.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21792957,
          "author": "sl8r",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T22:59:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21792957",
          "commentText": "* \"the dream machine\" is an fascinating, joyful account of jr licklider's work in interactive computing\n* \"hard landing\" makes the airline industry seem tumultuous and exciting\n* \"a man for all markets\" is the autobiography of ed thorpe, father of card counting and quant hedge funds\n* \"unix: a history and a memoir\" is a mischievous first hand account from brian kernighan (of unix / c / awk fame)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"the dream machine\" is an fascinating, joyful account of jr licklider's work in interactive computing",
          "reason": "Called a fascinating, joyful account of Licklider’s work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20336219,
          "author": "justin66",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T15:46:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20336219",
          "commentText": "The Dream Machine: J.C.R. Licklider and the Revolution That Made Computing Personal.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dream Machine: J.C.R. Licklider and the Revolution That Made Computing Personal.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19556406,
          "author": "sbolt",
          "createdAt": "2019-04-02T17:14:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 19556208,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on the early history of the Internet and/or Web?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19556406",
          "commentText": "The Dream Machine is a good read about the vision of J.C.R. Licklider, a man who instigated the work that led to the internet. It's a very well written book and gives great insight into the pre-web era of networking\nAmazon link (non affiliate): https://www.amazon.com/dp/1732265119",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a very well written book and gives great insight into the pre-web era of networking",
          "reason": "Praises the writing and says it offers insight into pre-Web networking.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the people and ideas behind early networking.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19556396,
          "author": "jongold",
          "createdAt": "2019-04-02T17:12:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 19556208,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on the early history of the Internet and/or Web?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19556396",
          "commentText": "The Dream Machine by M. Mitchell Waldrop",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dream Machine by M. Mitchell Waldrop",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17205315,
          "author": "chubot",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T13:55:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205315",
          "commentText": "- Paypal Wars.  I read this twice -- once back in 2006 or so, before I really knew who any of the people were (Thiel, Musk, etc.).  And then once a few years ago.\n- Chaos Monkeys -- about Facebook circa 2010, touches on YC a few years before that.  Somewhat controversial, but a good book.\n- Weaving the Web by Tim Berners-Lee -- talks about the story from CERN to MIT, etc.\nEchoing some other posts:\n- The Idea Factory\n- The Dream Machine (probably the densest and most informative computer history book I've read)\n- Masters of Doom\n- The Supermen (about Seymour Cray) -- I didn't know anything about this side of the industry!  Interesting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The Dream Machine (probably the densest and most informative computer history book I've read)",
          "reason": "Called the most informative computer history book the commenter has read.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computer history.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as dense.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17204838,
          "author": "fsloth",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T13:00:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17204838",
          "commentText": "'The Dream Machine: J. C. R. Licklider and the Revolution That Made Computing Personal' by M. Mitchell Waldrop was an amazing historical vertical slice from the beginnings of computation, through various military industrial escapades, through the ultimate demo to finally to Xeroc Parc.\nIt answers the question \"where did the personal computer come from\" and the answer is not some garage in silicon valley, but is far more interesting and complex.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Dream Machine: J. C. R. Licklider and the Revolution That Made Computing Personal' by M. Mitchell Waldrop was an amazing historical vertical slice",
          "reason": "Calls it an amazing account tracing the origins of personal computing.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computing history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 621879,
          "author": "ahoyhere",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-22T11:47:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621879",
          "commentText": "Seconded. Cringely is the only one who doesn't make everything seem ooh-ahh-magical-brains! predetermined.\nAltho that tell-all on the Segway (Code Name Ginger) was pretty cool for all the flaws it pointed out.\nWhere the Wizards Stay Up Late was a book I did an interactive presentation on in 7th grade, so it always has a special place in my heart. In retrospect, it's not fun to read, but at the time, I devoured it. It's boring and nothing really happens, which really is a good metaphor for the most exciting technical change.\nOoh, and \"The Dream Machine: J.C.R. Licklider and the Revolution That Made Computing Personal.\" Especially if you're into UI and unsung heroes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Especially if you're into UI and unsung heroes.",
          "reason": "Suggests it especially to readers interested in UI and overlooked computing pioneers.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in UI and unsung heroes.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 621490,
          "author": "grosales",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-22T02:27:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621490",
          "commentText": "The Dream Machine: J.C.R. Licklider and the Revolution That Made Computing Personal by M. Mitchell Waldrop. It's a very fun, easy, and interesting read of the origins of modern computing, the people who worked day and night to make their vision a reality, and the passion that carried their dreams to reality (the book, besides mentioning Joseph Carl Robnett Licklider, also names people from Grace Hopper to Steve Jobs and Bill Gates).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a very fun, easy, and interesting read of the origins of modern computing",
          "reason": "Describes it as fun, easy, and interesting, and explains its subject.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "M. Mitchell Waldrop"
      ],
      "recommenders": 15,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "j c r licklider",
        "computing history",
        "personal computing",
        "computer history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-cuckoo-s-egg-4e5244",
      "title": "The Cuckoo's Egg",
      "author": "Cliff Stoll",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41176663,
          "author": "a_bonobo",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T23:36:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41176663",
          "commentText": ">The Cuckoo's Egg - Cliff Stoll\nThis is such a nerd-snipe book, I absolutely loved it. A personal account of one of the first cases of (attempted) military espionage via the internet? A system administrator thwarting intruders with his keys? Government agencies not knowing who's responsible for network-based intruders? Hackers from the Chaos Computer Club spying for the Soviets? Written by the Numberphile guy who's selling all those Acme Klein Bottles? Sign me up.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Cuckoo's Egg - Cliff Stoll\nThis is such a nerd-snipe book, I absolutely loved it.",
          "reason": "Says they absolutely loved this account of an early internet espionage case.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41175693,
          "author": "dcminter",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:41:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175693",
          "commentText": "\"Best\" is always too hard - here are a handful that I love.\nPride & Prejudice - Jane Austen\nJonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - Susannah Clarke\nThe Crow Road - Iain Banks\nEqual Rites - Terry Pratchett\nThree Men in a Boat - Jerome K. Jerome\nA Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson\nBlack Holes & Time Warps - Kip Thorne\nThe Inventions of Daedalus - David E H Jones\nThe Cuckoo's Egg - Cliff Stoll\nI hope one or two of those float your boat!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Cuckoo's Egg - Cliff Stoll",
          "reason": "Offers it as one of a handful of books the commenter loves in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says choosing the “best” is too hard.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467715,
          "author": "p4bl0",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:53:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467715",
          "commentText": "The Campus Trilogy (Changing Places, Small World, Nice Work), by David Lodge.\nDO IT!: Scenarios of the Revolution, by Jerry Rubin.\nThe Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking A Spy Through The Maze Of Computer Espionage, by Cliff Stoll.\nThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams.\nLogicomix, by Apóstolos K. Doxiàdis and Christos Papadimitriou.\nOther books that I strongly recommend can be found here (some of them are in French): https://pablo.rauzy.name/miscellaneous.html#books\nUpdate: Pirates de tous les pays, by Marcus Rediker is a translation of Villains of All Nations: Atlantic Pirates in the Golden Age which you can thus read in English :). It really is an awesome read! After I finished it I immidiately ordered 5 more copies to give them to friends.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking A Spy Through The Maze Of Computer Espionage, by Cliff Stoll.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17750154,
          "author": "severine",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T14:06:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17750154",
          "commentText": "This? http://gen.lib.rus.ec/book/index.php?md5=5A8FE70517FD734D720... (http://gen.lib.rus.ec/book/index.php?md5=5A8FE70517FD734D720A183A24ABBF9D)\nTitle: \tUnderground: Tales of Hacking, Madness, and Obsession on the Electronic Frontier\nAuthor(s):\tSuelette Dreyfuss\nPublisher:\tMandarin Australia\nYear:\t1997\nISBN:\t9781863305952, 1863305955\n>> This book provides a great overview of a number of computer intrusion incidents and links them throught not only the technical nature of the activity but the persons behind them. UNDERGROUND provides an excellent overview of intrustion activities focusing on the UK, Australia, and the United States. It covers the late 80's to the early nineties with stories on incidents such as the WANK Worm outbreak and 8lgm's activities. The stand out attribute of this book is that it examines what happened to the intruders after their activity rather than focusing on the activity itself. It also examines the interrelationships between intruders worldwide giving some insight into how the culture allows for several key persons to be involved in or have siginficant knowledge of many different activities. A must have to include in your library along with other staples such as Cuckoo's Egg, Masters of Deception, Fugitive Game, and Hacker Crackdown. However, like the other books noted, there are apt to be a few points that persons will take exception too with regard to accuracy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "staples such as Cuckoo's Egg, Masters of Deception, Fugitive Game, and Hacker Crackdown",
          "reason": "Lists it as a staple alongside other books on hacking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The blurb says there may be points readers take exception to regarding accuracy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17750038,
          "author": "edanm",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T13:50:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17750038",
          "commentText": "Indeed a great book.\nAnd (tiny spoiler-alert): a small easter-egg (though not intended as such) for people on HN: the founders of HN/YC show up in the book, admittedly in a very minor capacity.\nBtw, I recently discovered that Cliff Stoll is one of the awesome guys who appears on the Numberphile YouTube channel, so if you watch that, know that it's him :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Indeed a great book.",
          "reason": "Calls the book great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Contains a minor spoiler about HN/YC founders appearing briefly.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17750035,
          "author": "tyu100",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T13:50:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17750035",
          "commentText": "The OG of true crime hacking books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The OG of true crime hacking books.",
          "reason": "Describes the parent-mentioned book as the original true-crime hacking book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17749958,
          "author": "0x445442",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T13:41:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17749958",
          "commentText": "Fantastic book!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fantastic book!",
          "reason": "Calls the book fantastic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17749734,
          "author": "hestefisk",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T13:08:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17749734",
          "commentText": "Second this.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Second this.",
          "reason": "Seconding the parent comment's recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17749669,
          "author": "preya2k",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T12:55:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17749669",
          "commentText": "Second this. Fantastic book about true events. If you like the story, there is also a movie which covers the same events as the book. The movie is called \"23\" and is available in German and English.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Second this. Fantastic book about true events.",
          "reason": "Seconding the book recommendation and calling it fantastic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17749411,
          "author": "GavinMcG",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T11:57:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17749411",
          "commentText": "The Cuckoo's Egg, by Cliff Stoll.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Cuckoo's Egg, by Cliff Stoll.",
          "reason": "Offered as a book suggestion in response to a request for similar cybercrime novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The book is nonfiction rather than a novel.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630256,
          "author": "Overtonwindow",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:58:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630256",
          "commentText": "The Cuckoos Egg by Cliff Stoll\nIt's a wonderfully easy read about the early days of the Internet and hacking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a wonderfully easy read about the early days of the Internet and hacking.",
          "reason": "Praises it as an easy read about early Internet history and hacking.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the early Internet and hacking.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12992498,
          "author": "happy-go-lucky",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-19T07:41:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12992498",
          "commentText": "+1. It's a page turner.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1. It's a page turner.",
          "reason": "Called a page-turner.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12991418,
          "author": "qwertyuiop924",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-19T01:16:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12991418",
          "commentText": "The Cuckoo's Egg.\nI always say this if I can, but I reread it again, and it's still great.\nFor those of you who don't know, it's a story about chasing down a hacker at the dawn of the computing era (mid 80s, AFAIK). It's riveting, and absolutely true.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's still great",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is still great and riveting, and calls it an absolutely true story of chasing a hacker.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in true stories about early computing and hacking.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4788271,
          "author": "dontstealmyname",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T12:45:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4788271",
          "commentText": "I found the book \"The definitive book of body language: How to read others's thoughts by their gestures\" by Allan and Barbara Pease to be a great read.\nThe greatest show on Earth - Richard Dawkins was an excellent read.\nSurely  you're joking Mr Feynman by Richard p.Feynman was terrific read by a very small bit can considerred offensive or  at the least dated in its outlook but if you can get past that its great!\nI recently finished a book on ID called \"Masters of doom\" by David Kushner which I rather enjoyed as well.\nI also love reading about crackers from the (mostly) 80's and I can recommend.\nCuckoo Egg by Cliff Stoll\nMasters of deception\nWe are anonymous - Inside the hacker world of lulzsec, anonymous and the global cyber insurgency  by Parmy Olson\nI loved \"Underground Hacking Madness and the obsession on the electronic frontier\" once I got past the first 2 or 3 chapters (also it was researched by Julian Assange before wikileak and has a chapter about his hacking) An Ebook copy can be found on the authors website http://www.underground-book.net/download.php3\nGhost in the wire Kevin Mitnick",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cuckoo Egg by Cliff Stoll",
          "reason": "Included in a list the commenter says they can recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135906,
          "author": "fogus",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-13T12:45:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135906",
          "commentText": "Off the top of my head:\n- Soul of a New Machine\n- The Cuckoo's Egg\n- Revolution in the Valley\n- Fire in the Valley\n- Compilers by Sethi, Ullman, Aho\n- Masters of Doom\n- iWoz\n- Steve Jobs & the NeXT Big Thing\n- Crypto\n- Code\n- The Man Who Loved Only Numbers\n- The Man Who Knew Infinity\n- ANSI Common LISP\nMost of the books above are recommended because once reading them you will have an uncontrollable urge to immediately create something brilliant.  You will not be able to stop yourself.\n-m",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The Cuckoo's Egg",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter recommends for their motivating effect.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computing and creating things.",
          "caveat": "The claimed effect is an uncontrollable urge to create something brilliant.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cliff Stoll"
      ],
      "recommenders": 15,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer security",
        "cybercrime",
        "cybersecurity",
        "hacking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fahrenheit-451-cd4a11",
      "title": "Fahrenheit 451",
      "author": "Ray Bradbury",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49902578,
          "author": "sotix",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T00:04:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49902578",
          "commentText": "It's a great read and fun to pair with 1984, Brave New World, and Fahrenheit 451.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brave New World, and Fahrenheit 451.",
          "reason": "Recommends pairing the book under discussion with these dystopian novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34160619,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:11:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160619",
          "commentText": "This year I've put myself to the challenge to read at least one book per week which I primarily could complete by reading in the middle of the night while holding our sleeping baby in my arms. It has been an interesting challenge which gave me a lot of fulfilment and has certainly changed my mind on how I view the world. This comment became quite a long read, apologies for that.\nBooks I highly recommend:\nChurchill by Andrew Roberts (p:1105)\nA biography about one of the most interesting figures in politics and WWII. Roberts gives a very detailed description of the life of Churchill and manages to keep you interested the entire length of the book.\nThe God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (p:374)\nIn The God Delusion Dawkins gives arguments why there is no God, why we do not need a God and why religion is damaging to our society. If you are religious it might not be the book for you unless you are open to hear his arguments and line of reasoning. Dawkins will challenge your worldview.\nThe Bomb by Fred Kaplan (p:384)\nKaplan describes the policy of different US presidents on the atomic bomb and war in general. And primarily on the inability of US presidents and policy-makers to tune down its military. A chilling read which makes you appreciate a nuclear holocaust did not happen (yet)....\nPoor Economics by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo (p:320)\nBanerjee and Duflo give a gripping portrait of how poor people live. They offer an insight in the choices and decisions people make surviving on less than 1 USD a day (corrected for purchasing power). It made me completely rethink my own view on poverty and development aid; stressing even more that in order to help one need to have a complete understanding of the individual's situation and the local boundary conditions.\nProject Hail Mary  by Andy Weir (p:476)\nThis book triggered my science fiction reading. For some reason I never was interested in science fiction. Most likely triggered by reading Foundation by Asimov a few years back which apparently is not a book to my taste. But Andy Weir completely annihilated that wrong perspective on science fiction. Project Hail Mary is interesting, funny and gripping book.\nKindred by Octavia Butler  (p:287)\nThis book.... From page one I was hooked and almost read it in one go. Butler is a wonderful author and Kindred is a must-read. The book is about a woman traveling back in time to end up on a slave plantation. It's a chilling account of slavery.\nOther books I read this year, ask me anything about one of these books. I've added a + if I think its worth a recommendation\nBiography:\nNavalny by Dollbaum, Lallouet and Noble (p:280); The Man from the Future by Ananyo Bhattacharya (p:354) +\nSociology; Politics; Economics; Business:\nOnly the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove (p:224); The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli  (p:140); Winter is Coming by Garry Kasparov (p:290); Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum (p:224) +; Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl (p:164) +; We Are Bellingcat by Eliot Higgins (p:272); De Zeven Vinkjes by Joris Luyendijk (p:200); Waarom vuilnismannen meer verdienen dan bankiers by Rutger Bregman (p:104)\nComedy: The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (p:336)\nHistory:\nBand of Brothers  by Stephen E. Ambrose (p:432); The Nuclear Jihadist by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins (p:413) +; The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre (p:384) +; De Heineken Ontvoering by Peter R. de Vries (p:347); Red Famine by Anne Apllebaum (p:384); Night by Elie Wiesel (p:115) +\nScience, Technology, Mathematics:\nFermat's Enigma by Simon Singh (p:315) +; A Mathematician's Apology by G.H. Hardy (p:153); The Great Influenza by John M. Barry (p:546); The Rise and Fall of the Dinousaurs by Stephen Brusatte (p:404) ++; The Double Helix by James Watson (p:144)\nSport:\nRun or Die by Killian Jornet (p:208); The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton  (p:290) +; The Rise of the Ultra Runners by  (p:304); Tom Dumoulin by Patrick Bernhart (p:203)\nFiction:\nAnthem by Ayn Rand (p:105); Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (p:704); The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (p:566); Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (p:466); Live and Let die by Ian Fleming  (p:229)\nClassics:\nA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (p:104); The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (p:201); The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald (p:180); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (p:139); Animal Farm by George Orwell (p:122) +; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (p:227) +; The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (p:118)\nScience Fiction:\nThe Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (p:399); All Systems Red  by Martha Wells (p:144) +; A Memory Called Empire  by Arkady Martine (p:462) +; A Psalm built for the Wild by Becky Chambers (p:160); Dune by Frank Herbert (p:658); Foundation by Isaac Asimov (p:244); The Martian by Andy Weir (p:384) +;\nThe Forever War by Joe Haldeman (p:278)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury",
          "reason": "Marked with a plus as worth recommending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804348,
          "author": "JonathanMerklin",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:41:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804348",
          "commentText": "Great thread. 2019 was the first time in about 7-8 years I made reading for pleasure a tertiary priority ((school+career)work/sleep/exercise+socializing+(NEW!)reading) and I got through about 20 books of varying length and difficulty, so here are the next 20 in my queue:\n- Infinite Jest (already started, will likely finish in early Jan. I love it so far.)\n- Quantum Computing Since Democritus (started in November as my nonfiction read, but took a break; I think I want to finish IJ first. Scott is an excellent writer and I was really enjoying this)\n- Building Microservices\n- The Code Book\n- How Cars Work (I want to turn the projection of a car in my brain from a black box to a gray box this year, and I don't mean by purchasing a Cybertruck)\n- To Kill a Mockingbird\n- The Personal MBA (for years I laughed off caring about the business of business and lived in my fantasy land of being satisfied with just the technical details and being focused on only implementing great software/learning how to do so. With a few years in the workforce under my belt, I realize that such an outlook was of great detriment to me. I'm open to other suggestions on similar \"catch me up to speed on general business education\" material)\n- Designing Data-Intensive Applications\n- Island (I have a copy of this but not Brave New World. Multiple friends of mine demand I try Huxley, so here we are.)\n- The Annotated Turing\n- How to Invent Everything\n- Soonish (SMBC is a daily read for me and I'm excited to get to this.)\n- How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems (ditto XKCD modulo release schedule)\n- Basic Economics\n- Thus Spoke Zarathustra\n- Seveneves\n- The Prince\n- Pacific Rims: Beermen Ballin' in Flip-Flops and the Philippines' Unlikely Love Affair with Basketball\n- Elevator Music: A Surreal History of Muzak, Easy-Listening, and Other Moodsong\n- Fahrenheit 451\nAdditionally, to tickle the part of my brain that fancies mathematics (one of my my majors in undergrad), I try to work through a chapter or two of Evan Chen's \"An Infinitely Long Napkin\" on a quarterly basis. If you don't mind a conversational tone to your math textbooks, I've found this to be an excellent resource for scraping the surface of a wide variety of topics and fields (including, well, topics like fields). I think I'll continue this habit.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fahrenheit 451",
          "reason": "Listed in the commenter's planned reading queue.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21460325,
          "author": "goose847",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T06:57:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21460325",
          "commentText": "I just started this yesterday! Thoroughly enjoying it. Another great one is Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. It's main idea is that we decided to destroy all possibility of disagreement to make us all more comfortable by banning and burning books. Really takes you to the discussions of censorship taking place today! Highly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another great one is Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. It's main idea is that we decided to destroy all possibility of disagreement to make us all more comfortable by banning and burning books. Really takes you to the discussions of censorship taking place today! Highly recommended.",
          "reason": "Highly recommended for its treatment of censorship and present-day discussions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15965488,
          "author": "013",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T23:28:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15965488",
          "commentText": "Fahrenheit 451\nAnimal Farm\nThe Gene: An Intimate History\nThe Martian\nCurrently reading Sapiens: A brief history of humankind. I would recommend all these books, if you're interested in the subjects they are written about.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend all these books",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the listed books to readers interested in their subjects.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the subjects covered.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13568020,
          "author": "CoryG89",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T17:56:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13568020",
          "commentText": "I re-read Fahrenheit 451 recently. I had read it only once when I was young.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I re-read Fahrenheit 451 recently. I had read it only once when I was young.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11715435,
          "author": "vkb",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-17T17:23:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11715435",
          "commentText": "The more I read, the more I realize that fiction has a way of teaching the same lessons as nonfiction, only in a better, humane way that is not like someone lecturing at you from a podium, but more like a friend sitting down for a heart-to-heart conversation with you.\nIn this vein, I've started catching up on all the classics I haven't read yet, and there are a lot of them. At first, I was hesitant to dive into classics, because I thought they were hard to read and highbrow. This has mostly not been the case (with the exception of Wuthering Heights, which I found impossible to get through).\nTo wit, the best books I've read this year include:\nA Tale of Two Cities - Impossible to get through the first several chapters, but after that, you're off to the races between France and England in the 18th century. Dickens used historical books as reference, but recreated the mood entirely from imagination. A better primer than anything in the news about Anglo-French relations, learning trust, and sacrifice.\nNo Country for Old Men - Want to understand the current fear of the Mexican border that has so bolstered Trump's popularity, as well as the ramifications of having a country full of veterans who don't have any medical support or care?   Read this book.\nFarenheit 451, A Clockwork Orange, Handmaid's Tale - Much better and scarier than any news clipping today about the possible future path for government interference in thought and action. Takes things to their logical conclusions.\nAnd one non-fiction book that I did enjoy, Bringing Up Bebe, which is about the contrasts between child-rearing in France and America, but on a much larger scale, about the different things that seem culturally obvious to us, but are completely different to other cultures. This book made me really re-examine American food culture in a way Michael Pollan's diatribes have not.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Farenheit 451, A Clockwork Orange, Handmaid's Tale - Much better and scarier than any news clipping today",
          "reason": "Calls these books more compelling and frightening than current news about government interference.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783485,
          "author": "louisrochal",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:40:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783485",
          "commentText": "\"Thus Spoke Zarathustra\" - Nietzsche (French Translation) - 5/5 An absolute Must read.\n\"1984\" - Orwell - 5/5 French law on surveillance made me want to read it again\n\"Fahrenheit 451\" - Ray Bradbury - 4/5\n\"La zone du dehors\" - Alain Damasio - 4/5\n\"The name of the wind\" - Patrick Rothfuss - 4/5 A great fantasy story. It's a big book, there is a lot of details, but very well written.\n\"Stranger in a Strange Land\" - Robert A. Heinlein - 3/5 Awesome concept, but very slow\n\"The Inverted World\" - Christopher Priest - 4/5 Great short book",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Fahrenheit 451\" - Ray Bradbury - 4/5",
          "reason": "Rated 4/5.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056570,
          "author": "elorant",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:27:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056570",
          "commentText": "Everything from Asimov.\nThe Mars trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson.\nThe Culture books from Iain Banks.\nThe Rama series from Clarke although it got tiresome after a while.\nThe Sparrow and Children of God from Mary Doria Russell.\nContact by Sagan which by the way is one of the very few sci-fi books that were successfully depicted in movies.\nBrave new world from Huxley. Old one but still highly relevant.\nThe first ones from Gibson.\nThe Enter series by Orson Scott Card.\nBradbury's Farhenheit 451. This one is a classic.\nRevelation Space from Alaistair Reynolds who writes the most hardcore sci-fi I've ever come across.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bradbury's Farhenheit 451. This one is a classic.",
          "reason": "Calls it a classic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8944625,
          "author": "Tycho",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-25T23:05:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944625",
          "commentText": "Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, Dune, Foundation series, Martian Chronicles & Illustrated Man, Ender's Game, Accelerando, Hyperion, The Forever War, Player of Games, Snow Crash",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fahrenheit 451",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8795694,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T07:00:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795694",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nPredictable Revenue - Aaron Ross, Marylou Tyler\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nThe Ultimate Question 2.0 - Fred Reichheld‎\nThe Singularity is Near - Ray Kurzweil\nMoonshot! - John Sculley\nZero To One - Peter Thiel\nRepublic - Plato\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius\nNineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell\nFahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury\nThe Mysterious Island - Jules Verne\nDiscipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy, Fred Wiersema\nFalse Memory - Dean Koontz\nNOS4A2- Joe Hill\nRevival - Stephen King\nBarbarians At The Gate - John Helyar and Bryan Burrough\nInto Thin Air - John Krakauer\nHow To Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nand any collection of the works of H.P. Lovecraft.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for impactful or liked books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107093,
          "author": "mrcdima",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T09:05:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107093",
          "commentText": "Some titles I've recently read or at least have placed on my reading list.\n--------------------\nPhilosohpy\nLetters from a Stoic: Epistulae Morales Ad Lucilium - Seneca\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius (must read)\nThe Republic - Plato\n--------------------\nHistory\nFive Chimneys - Olga Lengyel\nThe Gulag Archipelago - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (must read)\nThe Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank\n--------------------\nFiction\n(particularly dystopian) 1984, Brave New World, Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451\n(crime/action) Child 44, The Secret Speech, Agent 6 - Tom Rob Smith\n--------------------\nEconomics\nCapital in the Twenty-First Century - Thomas Piketty\nPoor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty - Banerjee, Duflo\nWhy Nations Fail - Robinson\n--------------------\nEconomics/Decision making/Psychology\nUndercover Economist, Freakonomics, Nudge, Thinking Fast and Slow\n--------------------\nRandom titles\nThe Selfish Gene, Self-Reliance, The Elements of Style (about writing), Slaughterhouse-Five\n--------------------\nSome links to inspire your reading (though you may want to checkout the websites first to get an idea of the topics they cover)\nhttp://www.gatesnotes.com/Books\nhttp://bookpickings.brainpickings.org/\nhttp://www.farnamstreetblog.com/reading/\nhttp://www.ryanholiday.net/reading-newsletter\nI’m just a working-class guy trying to take part in the conversation that all the smart people are having. What books should I read? - http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-cl... (http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-class-guy-trying-to-take-part-in-the-conversation-that-all-the-smart-people-are-having-what-books-should-i-read/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fahrenheit 451",
          "reason": "Listed as a title in response to the thread's request for book suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2615877,
          "author": "kaeluka",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T11:04:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2615877",
          "commentText": "Just now I'm reading something I wanted to read for a long time: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The next will be Through the Looking Glass, same author.\nAmongst the last few books I read, I recommend Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five, Marlen Haushofer - The Wall (although this will be too kafkaesque for some), Fahrenheit 451.\nI do love Jules Verne as well.\nAtlas Shrugged should be known to anyone around here, I guess.. Relating to Atlas Shrugged: Nietzsche - Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Both books were very influential to me when I was younger.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fahrenheit 451.",
          "reason": "The comment lists it among books recommended in response to the reading question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2147885,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T14:28:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2147885",
          "commentText": "I can think of a handful of books that have had a major impact on me.  Off the top of my head:\nNineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell\nFahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury\nThe Game - Neil Strauss\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nAtlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand\nFour Steps to the Epiphany - Steve Blank\nBusiness @ The Speed of Thought - Bill Gates\nThe Art of the Start - Guy Kawasaki",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter says had a major impact on them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971377,
          "author": "_b8r0",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T10:28:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971377",
          "commentText": "My younger self wouldn't have been interested in the books that interest me now. Instead I'd have to settle for some good fiction.\nGoing back in time to around 12-16, I'd send one of:\n* Brave New World - Aldous Huxley\n* 1984 - George Orwell\n* To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee\n* Catch 22 - Joe Heller\n* Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut\n* Of Mice and Men - Steinbeck\n* Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury\n* The Call of Ctulhu - H.P. Lovecraft\n* Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card\nSome of those I actually read in school and loved (but wish I read earlier), others I didn't. I think any of those books would've interested me at the time. There's plenty of time for Rich Dad, Poor Dad, SPIN Selling and all the business books later in life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury",
          "reason": "Included as a fiction choice for their younger self.",
          "audience": "Readers around ages 12–16, as suggested by the commenter.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876285,
          "author": "ComputerGuru",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T08:05:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876285",
          "commentText": "1. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand\n1. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury\nAnd, sorry, but I have 3 \"number 1 fav\" books:\n1. 1984 by George Orwell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ray Bradbury"
      ],
      "recommenders": 14,
      "threads": 15,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "censorship",
        "dystopia",
        "dystopian fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "flow-the-psychology-of-optimal-experience-4f4752",
      "title": "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience",
      "author": "Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34162295,
          "author": "nomagicbullet",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T16:01:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34162295",
          "commentText": "Here we go:\n— Flow: The most fitting for the HN crowd. A fantastic read about the state of flow in work and leisure. Great framework for unlocking what drives the mind towards fulfillment and happiness. I liked the ideas around how \"order of thought\" relates to personal satisfaction. I wished it talked about the \"how\" not just the \"what\".\n— Man's Search For Meaning: An absolute classic. A moving but most of all inspiring book about the experience of a man in the Nazi camps. Stoic optimism. It opened my eyes to the relationship between suffering and self-actualization.\n— I Remember: A book by Joe Brainard to be found in the poetry section but written in a unique unconventional style. Accessible, playful and moving. It created a lot of noise with it came out because of its format.\n— Never Say You Can't Survive: How To Get Through Hard Times By Making Up Stories: The book I needed to read to reconnect me to writing to cultivate the spirit.\n— Carbon & Silicon: This last one is a comic book. The story is an intimate (yet grand) robot saga that expands over centuries. A battle between immortality and decay. A joy to read. It hit me hard.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Flow: The most fitting for the HN crowd. A fantastic read about the state of flow in work and leisure.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its framework for understanding fulfillment and happiness.",
          "audience": "The commenter says it may especially fit the Hacker News crowd.",
          "caveat": "The commenter wished it explained how to achieve flow, rather than only what it is.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29843397,
          "author": "ultrasounder",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-07T19:11:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29843397",
          "commentText": "Why not buy three?\n1. Should be Required reading for any rising senior at High School- Psychocybernetics by Dr. Maxwell Maltz. I got this for my 43 birthday and you will have a huge head start over others.\n2. Flow- Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi masterclass in writing exposition. Essentially how to find happiness in everything in life\n3. The Millionaire Fastlane: Crack the Code to Wealth and Live Rich for a Lifetime- cringy title but packed with practical nuggets on how to earn a living and create wealth outside of the scripted 9-5/30 years of employment. Very in your face but I am trying hard to apply what this book teaches.\nGood luck!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Flow- Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi masterclass in writing exposition.",
          "reason": "Listed among books to buy; described as a masterclass in writing exposition and as explaining how to find happiness.",
          "audience": "An 18-year-old interested in nonfiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29670272,
          "author": "ultrasounder",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T04:39:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29670272",
          "commentText": "Posted on a previous thread\nFlow mihaly csikszentmihalyi\nPsycho cybernetics by Dr. Maltz. Helped me grapple with my midlife crisis and gave me true purpose- to achieve my goals on my own terms. No something set by the society’s concept of achievement. Highly recommend reading it and not audible listening",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Flow mihaly csikszentmihalyi",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26323437,
          "author": "vicmgon",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-03T01:07:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 26321793,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books made you the most money?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26323437",
          "commentText": "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience - made me fall in love with deep work.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience - made me fall in love with deep work.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it made them fall in love with deep work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910210,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:25:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910210",
          "commentText": "- \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies\" - probably the most influential book I've read in my life, profoundly changed the way I think. It's a collection of LessWrong essays on science and rationality.\n- \"On Intelligence\" and \"I am a Strange Loop\" - how mind works.\n- \"Rework\", \"Zero to One\", \"Start Small, Stay Small\" - insightful startup advice.\n- Fun autobiographies: Ghost in the Wires (Kevin Mitnick), iWoz (Steve Wozniak), Catch me if you can (Frank Abagnale), Just for Fun (Linus Torvalds), Elon Musk, Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\n- How companies work: Creativity Inc (Pixar), In the Plex (Google)\n- On writing: Art of fiction/nonfiction by Ayn Rand, Story by Robert McKee, Save the Cat, Step by Step to Standup Comedy.\n- Other: The Selfish Gene, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Serious Creativity, Hackers & Painters, Hacking Growth, Angel (on angel investing, by Jason Calacanis).\nAlso collections of essays by Paul Graham [1] and Scott Alexander [2]:\n[1] https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%20Complete%20Essays.epub?dl=0)\n[2] https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of%20Scott%20Alexandria%20-%20Scott%20Alexander.epub?dl=0)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15159040,
          "author": "RockyMcNuts",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T00:36:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15159040",
          "commentText": "Well Pirsig's Zen and the other ones related to eastern religions and science, are around the idea that there is no locus of reality or meaning, the reality is how everything interrelates. It's kind of like word2vec, the context of other words and real-world situations in which each word is used tells you everything about what it means. Take away a particle's charge and mass and the other numbers we associate with it, and is it still a particle? Those numbers describe how it interacts and all we can really say about it is how it interacts. Plato was off the mark when he talked about the ideal form of different objects. There is no ideal form of a chair, except that chairness is an abstract idea about how things (asses and furniture) interact.\nThen I think that Grammatical Man and Penrose are around the nature of information, and what can be communicated and understood. And I sort of think that question is at the top of the tree of abstraction about what we think about. Then comes computer science and math which are about any symbolic systems or formal systems that can be computed and reasoned about. Then most everything else is applying those systems to various problems.\nThen I think The Naked Ape and Hayek and Flow are around the notion that humans are their own thing. They are tribal and hierarchical and territorial and violent and not nearly as self-aware or even aware of our surroundings as we think we are. You get a lot more mileage out of just observing what they do than about listening to the rationalizations of why they say did it, things like God and blood and soil, i.e. superstitions and us-and-them-ing arbitrary physical features of a pack of mongrels and arbitrary lines on maps. Invitation to Sociology by Berger was another big one on those lines.\nAnd the Heilbroner and Durant are basically inventories of major mental models that people have come up with in philosophy and economics.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Flow",
          "reason": "Groups it with books about human behavior and self-awareness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156316,
          "author": "RockyMcNuts",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:05:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156316",
          "commentText": "The Emperor's New Mind, by Roger Penrose\nThe Tao of Physics, by Fritjof Capra\nDancing Wu Li Masters, by Gary Zukav\nThe Naked Ape, by Desmond Morris\nThe Road to Serfdom, by Friedrich Hayek\nThe Worldly Philosophers, by Robert Heilbroner\nThe Story of Philosophy, by Will Durant\nGrammatical Man, by Jeremy Campbell\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert M. Pirsig\nFlow, by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Flow, by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which books had the biggest impact on mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14478591,
          "author": "minouye",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T21:28:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478591",
          "commentText": "Flow\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Flow-Psychology-Experience-Perennial-... (https://www.amazon.com/Flow-Psychology-Experience-Perennial-Classics/dp/0061339202)\nAntifragile\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Ince... (https://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Incerto/dp/0812979680)\nHigh Output Management\nhttps://www.amazon.com/High-Output-Management-Andrew-Grove/d... (https://www.amazon.com/High-Output-Management-Andrew-Grove/dp/0679762884)\nThe Master Switch\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Master-Switch-Rise-Information-Empire... (https://www.amazon.com/Master-Switch-Rise-Information-Empires/dp/0307390993)\nThinking Fast and Slow\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-Kahneman/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-Kahneman/dp/0374533555)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Flow",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238048,
          "author": "thisisforyou",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T15:53:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238048",
          "commentText": "The Complete Fiction -Lovecraft, H.P.\nPilgrim at Tinker Creek -Dillard, Annie\nThe Fractalist: Memoir of a Scientific Maverick -Mandelbrot, Benoît B.\nAncient Sorceries and Other Weird Stories -Blackwood, Algernon\nFlow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience -Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly\nDeath in Venice -Mann, Thomas\nWhites -Rush, Norman\nThe Room -Selby Jr., Hubert\nBook of Numbers -Cohen, Joshua\nMaggot: Poems -Muldoon, Paul\nThe Peasant in Nineteenth-Century Russia -Vucinich, Wayne S.\nThe Mezzanine -Baker, Nicholson\nThe Museum of Unconditional Surrender -Ugrešić, Dubravka\nWhat Is Life? with Mind and Matter and Autobiographical Sketches -Schrödinger, Erwin\nDictionary of the Khazars -Pavić, Milorad\nHonored Guest -Williams, Joy\nMartyrs and Miracles -Trickey-Bapty, Carolyn\nNoa Noa -Gauguin, Paul\nTheir Eyes Were Watching God -Hurston, Zora Neale\nOrdeal by Hunger: The Story of the Donner Party -Stewart, George R.\nMoby-Dick; or, The Whale -Melville, Herman\nEileen -Moshfegh, Ottessa\nHaute Surveillance -Göransson, Johannes\nMazes and Labyrinths: Their History and Development -Matthews, W.H.\nA Higher Form of Killing: The Secret History of Chemical and Biological Warfare -Harris, Robert\nOur Lady of the Flowers -Genet, Jean\n*The House of the Dead -Dostoyevsky, Fyodor\nCurrent: \nBlack Swan, Nassim Taleb",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience -Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416710,
          "author": "emptybits",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T22:26:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416710",
          "commentText": "A couple of these have been named and I've upvoted them, but this is my list:\n* \"Flow\" by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi. Being fully immersed and engaged in an activity. 1) Knowing the value of this mental state, 2) being able to recognize when you're in it, and 3) setting yourself up so that you can be in this state as much as possible is really valuable. File it under living an examined life, IMO. All the popular \"don't interrupt the programmer\" and Pomodoro and other time management techniques build on this old research.\n* \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius (several translations, worth comparing for even more insight) -- this is a man who understood duty and getting things done! (Not surprising from a stoic, but somehow this collection has extra impact because I know they were primarily notes and reflections written for his own clarity, more than for an audience.) Wisdom to apply to situations. Patterns to recognize in yourself and others.\n* \"Seven Habits of Highly Effective People\" by Stephen Covey. When more sophisticated or trendy approaches to effectiveness reach their limits, you can't go wrong falling back on \"Begin with the end in mind\", \"Sharpen the saw\", classifying activities into the Four Quadrants, etc.\n* Modern (typically psychological) interpretations of Buddhism. If a single book pops into my head, I will update this, so right now I'm talking about a whole category of books on Buddhist perspectives on character traits and habits of behaviour. If you strip any paranormal nonsense from Buddhist psychology you are often left with effective ways to classify your own thoughts, words, and deeds and work on improving them. A simple example would be the Four Sublime Attitudes. If I reflect on any relationship or interaction I have with colleagues or clients or new prospects, I can almost always take direct action immediately to improve it by applying these old rules: 1) replace anger toward someone with active good will toward them, 2) replace jealousy or envy of someone else's fortune with sympathetic joy for them,  3) approach anyone's suffering as your own suffering (compassion), 4) treat all situations and people impartially without judgement of of \"good\" or \"bad\" (equanimity).\nI'm sorry these are really old! For me, these just don't go out of style and their wisdom works cross-culture.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Flow\" by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi. Being fully immersed and engaged in an activity.",
          "reason": "Calls the ideas about recognizing and cultivating flow really valuable.",
          "audience": "People seeking focused engagement in their activities.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9707586,
          "author": "gt565k",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-12T18:10:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9707586",
          "commentText": "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Flow-Psychology-Experience-Perennial-C... (http://www.amazon.com/Flow-Psychology-Experience-Perennial-Classics/dp/0061339202)\nIt really has opened my eyes about how to deal with having a negative attitude and understanding the driving forces behind being in the \"flow\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It really has opened my eyes about how to deal with having a negative attitude and understanding the driving forces behind being in the \"flow\"",
          "reason": "Says it gave them insight into negative attitudes and the experience of flow.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752307,
          "author": "jseliger",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T07:24:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752307",
          "commentText": "See here: http://jseliger.com/2010/03/22/influential-books-on-me-that-... (http://jseliger.com/2010/03/22/influential-books-on-me-that-is/) for a list of influential books on me. I actually have a half-written post on books I wish I'd read when I was younger; here it is:\n1. <em>Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience</em> by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi\n2. <em>The Guide to Getting It On</em> by Paul Johannides [sp?]\n3. <em>The Mating Mind: How Sexual Choice Shaped the Evolution of Human Nature</em> by Geoffrey Miller\n4. <em>Hackers & Painters</em> by Paul Graham\n5. <em>Man's Search for Meaning</em> by Viktor Frankl\n6. <em>Stumbling on Happiness</em> by Daniel Gilbert\nIn all cases, I think these books profoundly shaped how not only I think, but I think others can learn to think too. All suddenly revealed new connections and ideas about the world I'd never experienced or expected to experience before.\nGranted, no book can be removed from its context, and its possible that if I'd read some of the books above as a younger person I wouldn't have been ready to appreciate them. But <em>Flow</em> seems by far the most valuable of the choices listed above because it engulfs more of the content of the others than any other choice.\nSteven Berlin Johnson's new book Where Ideas Come From looks promising: http://www.amazon.com/Where-Good-Ideas-Come-Innovation/dp/15... (http://www.amazon.com/Where-Good-Ideas-Come-Innovation/dp/1594487715?ie=UTF8&tag=thstsst-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957) .",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1. <em>Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience</em> by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi",
          "reason": "The commenter says it profoundly shaped their thinking and calls it the most valuable choice on the list.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in psychology and how people think.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that age and context can affect whether a reader is ready to appreciate it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569283,
          "author": "lemming",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T22:08:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569283",
          "commentText": "On a \"what makes us tick\" non-fiction bent:\n1. Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (http://tinyurl.com/33kv6te) - fascinating look at the author's theory of Flow, the state of total absorption that accompanies total concentration - so called \"optimal experience\". Anyone who programs knows this feeling. Really excellent book.\n2. Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert (http://tinyurl.com/38lvdzc) - not the self-help book it sounds like, but an interesting look at why we're so bad at working out what will make us happy.\n3. The Tiger that isn't by Andrew Dilnot (http://tinyurl.com/38hntqx) - interesting guide to our instinctive interpretation of statistics and how the media manipulates it.\n4. Bad Science by Ben Goldacre (http://tinyurl.com/3yk8woz) - at once amusing and horrifying look at various aspects of pseudoscience, especially as applied to healthcare.\nFiction:\n1. Anything by Iain Banks, especially the sci-fi.\n2. If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things by Jon McGregor (http://tinyurl.com/3496d34) - worth reading just for the language he uses.\n3. American Gods by Neil Gaiman (http://tinyurl.com/3xyr65w) - great fantasy with a darkly humorous side.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Really excellent book.",
          "reason": "Calls it an excellent book and describes it as a fascinating look at the author's theory of flow.",
          "audience": "People interested in concentration and optimal experience; the commenter notes programmers may recognize the feeling.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227163,
          "author": "kingsley_20",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T18:22:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227163",
          "commentText": "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi\nAMZN blurb: You have heard about how a musician loses herself in her music, how a painter becomes one with the process of painting. In work, sport, conversation or hobby, you have experienced, yourself, the suspension of time, the freedom of complete absorption in activity. This is \"flow,\" an experience that is at once demanding and rewarding--an experience that Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi demonstrates is one of the most enjoyable and valuable experiences a person can have. The exhaustive case studies, controlled experiments and innumerable references to historical figures, philosophers and scientists through the ages prove Csikszentmihalyi's point that flow is a singularly productive and desirable state. But the implications for its application to society are what make the book revolutionary.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the implications for its application to society are what make the book revolutionary.",
          "reason": "The quoted description presents flow as valuable and desirable, with broad implications for society.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875795,
          "author": "mjfern",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T02:35:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875795",
          "commentText": "\"Into to Thin Air\" by John Krakauer and \"Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience\" by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience\" by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875743,
          "author": "pgbovine",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T02:03:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875743",
          "commentText": "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Flow-Psychology-Experience-Mihaly-Csik... (http://www.amazon.com/Flow-Psychology-Experience-Mihaly-Csikszentmihalyi/dp/0060920432)\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Design-Everyday-Things-Donald-Norman/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Design-Everyday-Things-Donald-Norman/dp/0385267746)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience",
          "reason": "Named in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 715349,
          "author": "stepherm",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-20T22:16:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715349",
          "commentText": "Last: What is a Designer: Things, Places, Messages by Potter.\nCurrent: Flow: The psychology of optimal experience by Csikszentmihalyi",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Current: Flow: The psychology of optimal experience by Csikszentmihalyi",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as currently reading; no evaluation expressed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86220,
          "author": "diversityhire",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:14:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86220",
          "commentText": "Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's Flow: the Psychology of Optimal Experience\nWilliam Faulkner's As I Lay Dying &amp; The Sound and the Fury\nJulian Jaynes' The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind\nPeter Medawar's The Art of the Soluable\nDesigned by Peter Saville\nNietzsche's Twilight of the Idols\nBloom County Babylon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's Flow: the Psychology of Optimal Experience",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the thread’s question about favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 14,
      "threads": 14,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "flow state",
        "optimal experience",
        "flow",
        "happiness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "freedomtm-db8f7b",
      "title": "Freedom™",
      "author": "Daniel Suarez",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47419098,
          "author": "swah",
          "createdAt": "2026-03-17T22:14:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 47315415,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47419098",
          "commentText": "I have read very few SciFi books but Daemon was such a fun read for me. If you have more suggestions on this space, let me know. I don't remember if I read Freedom tbh.. My memory is so bad I could actually just re-read Daemon.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "I don't remember if I read Freedom tbh..",
          "reason": "The commenter is unsure whether they have read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not remember if they read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 47330727,
          "author": "dmcc7897",
          "createdAt": "2026-03-11T01:06:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 47315415,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47330727",
          "commentText": "I’ve been re-reading a couple of Daniel Suarez’s books (Daemon & Freedom) and enjoying them immensely.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "re-reading a couple of Daniel Suarez’s books (Daemon & Freedom) and enjoying them immensely.",
          "reason": "The commenter is rereading it and says they are enjoying it immensely.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25845478,
          "author": "ryanmercer",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T12:11:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25845478",
          "commentText": "Right now I'm doing my annual re-listen to John Ringo's \"maple syrup trilogy\" (next I'll do my annual re-listen of The Martian, narrated by R. C. Bray not Huwill Huwheaton) https://www.goodreads.com/series/51166-troy-rising\nIt's a really fun series, basically an alien race appears in the system and installs a gate to open up trade with the system. It has some really neat ideas in it and some good challenges they work through from fuel to interstellar war, with the primary character being your run of the mill guy with tech industry experience working in a rural community fighting his way to being fantastically wealthy and arguably the primary defender of human space.\nBook 1: Live Free or Die:\n>First Contact Was Friendly\n>When aliens trundled a gate to other worlds into the solar system, the world reacted with awe, hope and fear. But the first aliens to come through, the Glatun, were peaceful traders and the world breathed a sigh of relief.\n>Who Controls the Orbitals, Controls the World\nThey're a good read, but the narrator makes them quite a good listen. I've actually bought other author's entire series purely because Mark Boyett has narrated them.\nMark Boyett, R.C. Bray, and Luke Daniels are some great narrators and all do a lot of narration in the hard science fiction space. They make the audio versions of books far superior to reading it yourself, at last in my opinion.\nDaemon and the sequel Freedom TM by Daniel Suarez are also a fun read. It uses near-future, or even at the time experimental tech, to weave a mostly believable near-future scenario.\nDaemon:\n>When the obituary of legendary computer game architect Matthew Sobol appears online, a previously dormant daemon activates, initiating a chain of events that begins to unravel our interconnected world. This daemon reads news headlines, recruits human followers, and orders assassinations. With Sobol’s secrets buried with him, and as new layers of his daemon are unleashed, it’s up to Detective Peter Sebeck to stop a self-replicating virtual killer before it achieves its ultimate purpose - one that goes far beyond anything Sebeck could have imagined....",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Daemon and the sequel Freedom TM by Daniel Suarez are also a fun read.",
          "reason": "The commenter includes it in a pair they call fun reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17751222,
          "author": "jefurii",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T16:19:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17751222",
          "commentText": "Did you read Freedom(TM)?  It's a \"sequel\" but is really the second half of the novel.  Addresses your critique in a very interesting way.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Did you read Freedom(TM)?",
          "reason": "Asks whether the other commenter read this sequel, describing it as the second half of the novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter puts “sequel” in quotation marks and says it is really the second half of the novel.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17749485,
          "author": "Randin",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T12:20:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17749485",
          "commentText": "Try Daemon and Freedom™ by Daniel Suarez.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Try Daemon and Freedom™ by Daniel Suarez.",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to a request for similar novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536654,
          "author": "dochtman",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:35:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536654",
          "commentText": "Isaac Asimov is one of the classics, of course. I'm particularly fond of the robot novels (all four of the Elijah Baley ones especially) and the entire Foundation series. Of course, you also can't miss the robot short stories. Oh, and The End of Eternity!\nAt some point I found Charles Stross' Accelerando, which is freely available online (along with a bunch of other short stories), and found everything I've read (which is most of it at this point, I think) enjoyably fast-paced. In particular the Laundry series (of which I've bought every iteration as soon as they came out over the past few years) -- though arguably these maybe cross-over from SF into fantasy a bit -- and the Halting State trilogy.\nIn terms of online available work, Cory Doctorow's work is also great. Like Stross, most of his work is more near-term SF, which I have liked, and a bunch of it is available online under a Creative Commons license. It often moves fast and is also politically interesting; sometimes the activism shines through a little blatantly, but the themes are always make me thing in various ways I appreciate (but maybe will fail your lighthearted criterion even if it is fun). His latest is Walkaway, which I would recommend.\nI got into Neal Stephenson through Cryptonomicon, which is one of the greats. Stephenson has a pretty rambly, wordy style, but at least that also makes his stories last a bit longer. After that, I mostly moved on to Anathem, Reamde and Seveneves all of which are big and interesting and great reads (it took me longer than usual to get up to speed on Anathem, but it was very much worth it in the end). I tried one of the more historic ones (I think it was Quicksilver) at some point but haven't finished it. The 2017 Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. was a bit lighter, but lots of fun, too.\nWilliam Gibson has already been mentioned, which I would also recommend. I read the Sprawl trilogy a very long time ago, and it's made a lasting expression. I've started rereading it recently. I also liked the Blue Ant trilogy and The Peripheral, but have so far missed the more recent work.\nMore in the one-off category: The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell is one of my all-time favorites, and mixes deep SF with psychology and religion in interesting ways. There's a sequel, but it's not as good. I also liked The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, which is also on the softer side. I read Scalzi's Redshirts and liked it (especially if you're familiar with the Star Trek universe), it feels similar to Ready Player One in some ways. Daniel Suarez's (or Leinad Zeraus as he originally published them) Daemon is fun and easy to digest, along with its sequel Freedom. I liked Robert J. Sawyer's The Terminal Experiment, but one person I recommended it too wasn't impressed -- I still think it's fun, if not very deep. I also bought his Factoring Humanity and liked it okay.\nHope that helps. Always interested in more recommendations based on this list!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "along with its sequel Freedom.",
          "reason": "Includes the sequel in a positive description of the books as fun and easy to digest.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15642784,
          "author": "BatFastard",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-07T12:23:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15642784",
          "commentText": "Sequel was great!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sequel was great!",
          "reason": "Says the sequel was great, referring to Freedom™ in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15633384,
          "author": "bobcat9",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-06T04:08:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15633384",
          "commentText": "The sequel to Daemon was even better imo... Freedom TM",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The sequel to Daemon was even better imo... Freedom TM",
          "reason": "Says the sequel was even better than Daemon.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567142,
          "author": "MarketingJason",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T14:53:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567142",
          "commentText": "Just finished Daemon and about to start Freedom. Great read, and it's amazing how quickly it ramps up near the end! I hadn't been hooked to a book like that since \"The Moon is a Harsh Mistress\" and \"Dune\"",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Just finished Daemon and about to start Freedom.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12984164,
          "author": "BatFastard",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-18T03:52:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12984164",
          "commentText": "Daemon and Freedom by Danial Suarez\nSome amazing insights in AI, Augmented Reality, and a distributed manufacturing society.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Daemon and Freedom by Danial Suarez",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking what book was so good it was gifted.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10207248,
          "author": "9ScoskEbci",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T04:43:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10207248",
          "commentText": "Daemon & Freedom by Daniel Suarez.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Daemon & Freedom by Daniel Suarez.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056399,
          "author": "macmac",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T11:42:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056399",
          "commentText": "Anything by Iain M. Banks. Start with \"The Player of Games\" and \"Consider Phlebas\".\nAnything by Vernor S. Vinge especially \"Zones of Thought\" series.\n\"Daemon\", \"Freedom(tm)\", \"Kill Decision\" and \"Influx\" by Daniel Suarez.\n\"The Martian\" by Andy Weir.\nAnything by Neal Stephenson, especially \"Reamde: A Novel\" and \"Cryptonomicon\".\nAnything by Hannu Rajaniemi, especially \"The Fractal Prince\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Daemon\", \"Freedom(tm)\", \"Kill Decision\" and \"Influx\" by Daniel Suarez.",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s sci-fi recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8946487,
          "author": "jeeva",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-26T11:27:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8946487",
          "commentText": "Daemon, and the follow up Freedom(tm) are a few fantastic books. \nDon't be fooled by the start - it seems like a bit of a clichéd cop procedural, but rapidly evolves to an interesting glance at near-future sci-fi and augmented reality.\n...plus it's pretty darned cool.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Daemon, and the follow up Freedom(tm) are a few fantastic books.",
          "reason": "Calls the books fantastic and describes their near-future sci-fi premise.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The opening seems like a clichéd cop procedural before the story evolves.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6388569,
          "author": "dietervds",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T09:40:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6388569",
          "commentText": "I'm a huge fan of Daemon and Freedom(tm) by Daniel Suarez. I guess you can call it a 'technology thriller', with some amazing ideas and impressions of our society. His most recent book, Kill Decision, is along similar lines and also great.\nI love reading actual sci-fi too, and was most impressed by the Lost Fleet series by Jack Campbell. Can absolutely recommend those.\nNote: I didn't come to these titles myself, they were recommended by Steve Gibson from the 'Security Now' podcast. I couldn't agree more with his taste.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm a huge fan of Daemon and Freedom(tm) by Daniel Suarez.",
          "reason": "Says they are a huge fan of the paired novels and agrees with the recommender's taste.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4026596,
          "author": "tiplus",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-26T05:33:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4026596",
          "commentText": "daemon - daniel suarez,\nfreedom - daniel suarez",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "freedom - daniel suarez",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for a great book read recently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2642289,
          "author": "dbaugh",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T20:29:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2642289",
          "commentText": "These two books will be pure candy for anyone who reads this site:\nDaemon\nFreedom T.M.\nDaniel Suarez",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Freedom T.M.",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books described as especially appealing to the site's readers.",
          "audience": "Readers of this site.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569063,
          "author": "jpdbaugh",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:03:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569063",
          "commentText": "Daemon and Freedom TM by Daniel Suarez.  It will rock your world trust me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Daemon and Freedom TM by Daniel Suarez. It will rock your world trust me.",
          "reason": "Enthusiastically recommends it as part of the paired reading suggestion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226850,
          "author": "keyist",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:36:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226850",
          "commentText": "Don't miss sivers's great list: http://sivers.org/book\nAs for mine,\nScience Fiction (I like these authors so I'd recommend most of their books -- listing which ones I think are a good 'starter novel' for them):\n  Charles Stross: Halting State\n  Vernor Vinge: A Fire Upon The Deep\n  Iain M. Banks: Culture novels, start with Player of Games\n  David Louis Edelman: Jump 225 Trilogy\n  Daniel Suarez: Daemon and Freedom(tm)\n  John Scalzi: Old Man's War series\n  Dan Simmons: Hyperion\n\nSelf-improvement:\n  The Talent Code\n  Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger\n  Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion\n\nNon-fiction:\n  Amusing Ourselves To Death (highly recommended)\n  The Science of Fear\n  The Black Swan\n  Tokyo Vice\n  Racing The Beam (Atari history, very cool)\n  books by Daniel Pink\n  Guns, Germs, and Steel\n  The Prize by Daniel Yergin\n\nFantasy:\nAnything by Gaiman or China Mieville, pretty much.\nEDIT: links to previews (legally) available online\nCharles Stross's Accelerando (entire book): http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelera... (http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelerando/accelerando-intro.html)\nDavid Louis Edelman's Infoquake (1st 7 chapters): http://www.davidlouisedelman.com/jump225/infoquake/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Daemon and Freedom(tm)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Suarez"
      ],
      "recommenders": 14,
      "threads": 14,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Computing",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "cyberthriller",
        "technology thriller",
        "augmented reality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "prometheus-rising-9b764b",
      "title": "Prometheus Rising",
      "author": "Robert Anton Wilson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36441973,
          "author": "SirensOfTitan",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-23T02:09:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36441973",
          "commentText": "Prometheus Rising by Robert Anton Wilson, surprised to be the first to mention him in this thread, but in high school his ideas changed how I think about everything from mysticism to subjectivity to how I engage with ideas and being wrong.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Prometheus Rising by Robert Anton Wilson",
          "reason": "The commenter says its ideas changed how they think about several subjects.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28451625,
          "author": "davidwf",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-08T00:47:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 28450555,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that impacted your work that few other people seem to care about?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28451625",
          "commentText": "I'm reluctant to even mention it, but I'll bite. :-)\nI found the first half of \"Prometheus Rising\" by Robert Anton Wilson to be incredibly useful for understanding human dynamics -- I use the framework presented there every day. The core of this is in my opinion just a very straightforward computer-focused analogy that gives me insight into the behaviour of other people and myself that I haven't found elsewhere.\nOf course, outside the core is a LOT of wild new age, Crowley-Leary-Regardie syncretism that provokes strong negative throw-the-book-across-the-room reactions in most people. A lot of very reasonable people would look at the wikipedia page or the cover of this book and not only think that the book is crap, but also that I'm a crazy hippie for even considering reading it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Prometheus Rising\" by Robert Anton Wilson",
          "reason": "The author says its first half helps him understand human dynamics and that he uses its framework daily.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a framework for understanding human dynamics.",
          "caveat": "The author warns that the book also contains extensive new age syncretism that may put readers off.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27676684,
          "author": "100011_100001",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-29T14:54:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27676684",
          "commentText": "Prometheus rising was such an instrumental book for me. At that point of my life I was dabbling into the occult which is why I ended up getting the book. In made me realize that there are multiple side to any story and you can easily get stuck in echo chambers that re-inforce your own pre-conceptions.\nIronically it's the book that drove me away from the occult. It also create a lot of uncertainty in my life, which at times even today, 20 years  later bothers me. I am never 100% sure about anything, because it's all a \"maybe\". It has also led to a constant evolution of my thinking process because I am always open to new ideas and mindsets.\nI remember the last section of the book was totally unrelatable to me. Still own the book, I should probably re-read it, twenty years later.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Prometheus rising was such an instrumental book for me.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it prompted reflection on multiple perspectives and helped move them away from the occult.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It created lasting uncertainty; the commenter says the last section was unrelatable.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27638265,
          "author": "SirensOfTitan",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T01:39:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27638265",
          "commentText": "Most books by Bob Wilson, particularly Prometheus Rising, which set off a world of self-discovery when I picked it up first in high school.\nNowadays, on weird books or ideas, I’d say:\n* The technique of Focusing by Eugene Gendlin\n* Shinzen Young’s writing on his See-Hear-Feel noting meditation technique\n* Or, similar to focusing but much, much weirder: Jack Willis’s Reichian Therapy for Home Use (available free on the internet)\nEvery single book here has its own issues, but they all elaborate on listening to the body, and the subtle ways we hold stress in our bodies. They’ve helped me understand too that there’s a difference between being emotionally fat and emotionally expressive: the former is like a McDonald’s meal, the latter like a fine dining meal.\nI’ve struggled with generalized anxiety all my life, and this stuff has really helped me deal with it without pushing it away. On the actual real reduction-of anxiety I still feel fairly clueless.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Most books by Bob Wilson, particularly Prometheus Rising",
          "reason": "The commenter says it sparked a period of self-discovery.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says every book listed has its own issues.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23156584,
          "author": "maxwell",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T17:16:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23156584",
          "commentText": "Prometheus Rising by Robert Anton Wilson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Prometheus Rising by Robert Anton Wilson",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for mind bending books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21901584,
          "author": "SirensOfTitan",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T20:42:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21901584",
          "commentText": "Probably Robert Anton Wilson’s Cosmic Trigger or Prometheus Rising back in 2010. The “reality tunnel” concept has defined much of my personal and intellectual exploration of the past 10 years.\n“ When we meet somebody whose separate tunnel-reality is obviously far different from ours, we are a bit frightened and always disoriented. We tend to think they are mad, or that they are crooks trying to con us in some way, or that they are hoaxers playing a joke. Yet it is neurologically obvious that no two brains have the same genetically-programmed hard wiring, the same imprints, the same conditioning, the same learning experiences. We are all living in separate realities. That is why communication fails so often, and misunderstandings and resentments are so common. I say \"meow\" and you say \"Bow-wow,\" and each of us is convinced the other is a bit dumb.”",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Probably Robert Anton Wilson’s Cosmic Trigger or Prometheus Rising back in 2010.",
          "reason": "Named as one of the books that most influenced the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter presents it as one of two possibilities.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19909295,
          "author": "enkiv2",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-14T13:36:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19909295",
          "commentText": "I second the recommendation of Intuition Pumps.\nTo that, I would add Metamagical Themas by Douglas Hofstader & Prometheus Rising by Robert Anton Wilson. (Wilson gets a little hippieish, but he does a better job of knocking down unjustified tunnel-vision than Hofstader or Dennett do.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "& Prometheus Rising by Robert Anton Wilson. (Wilson gets a little hippieish, but he does a better job of knocking down unjustified tunnel-vision than Hofstader or Dennett do.)",
          "reason": "Recommended for challenging unjustified tunnel vision.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it gets a little hippieish.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19088145,
          "author": "jamesakirk",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T18:28:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19088145",
          "commentText": "RAW's Cosmic Trigger and Prometheus Rising for me: I read both when I was 13 and was a recently-converted Southern Baptist. I quickly shifted my entire understanding of epistemology and the nature of reality.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "RAW's Cosmic Trigger and Prometheus Rising for me: I read both when I was 13 and was a recently-converted Southern Baptist. I quickly shifted my entire understanding of epistemology and the nature of reality.",
          "reason": "Names it among books that shifted their understanding of epistemology and reality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12255400,
          "author": "cableshaft",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-09T15:50:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12255400",
          "commentText": "That's pretty much what I thought about Prometheus Rising also. First few chapters were very interesting, but the rest was just okay.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "First few chapters were very interesting, but the rest was just okay.",
          "reason": "The commenter found the opening chapters interesting but judged the rest only okay.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The positive assessment is limited to the first few chapters.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8718533,
          "author": "egypturnash",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T19:33:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8718533",
          "commentText": "Decrypting Rita, the graphic novel I've been working on since April 2011.\nhttp://egypt.urnash.com/rita/\nI made a major mistake in the prepress process and had to eat it, losing all profits from the Kickstarter from the second volume. It has also gotten kind words from more than one Hugo winner. On a productive month, its Patreon is starting to pay about half of my rent; I feel like the push of publicity for the final volume (somewhere around April 2014 if all goes well) will do some pretty interesting things to my career as a comics creator, with my bills quite possibly being paid entirely by the fraction of my fan base that chooses to support me on Patreon somewhere around next winter. Assuming they don't vanish en masse when I start the next project, which will be very different in tone and subject matter...\nI know you were mostly looking for books to read. But none of the fiction or non-fiction I've read this year has really done much of anything to my worldview. I think the last one that did that was probably Robert Anton Wilson's Prometheus Rising, which basically turned me into an occasional magician.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Robert Anton Wilson's Prometheus Rising, which basically turned me into an occasional magician.",
          "reason": "Says it changed their worldview and led them to become an occasional magician.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3285519,
          "author": "etherdoc",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-28T12:00:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3285519",
          "commentText": "It was meant to be humorous. I enjoyed the book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed the book.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the book, referring to Prometheus Rising in the preceding comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3283082,
          "author": "omarchowdhury",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-27T19:01:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3283082",
          "commentText": "I find this comment to be mocking -- there is a wide range of topics that can be discussed regarding Prometheus Rising, but you pick a petty one.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "regarding Prometheus Rising",
          "reason": "The commenter discusses the book, without expressing a view of it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3278037,
          "author": "omarchowdhury",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T19:54:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3278037",
          "commentText": "Prometheus Rising by Robert Anton Wilson - http://www.amazon.com/Prometheus-Rising-Robert-Anton-Wilson/... (http://www.amazon.com/Prometheus-Rising-Robert-Anton-Wilson/dp/1561840564)\nA proposition offered by Wilson on the nature of the human mind - \"Whatever the Thinker thinks, the Prover proves.\"\n\"Of course it is fairly easy to see that other peoples minds operate this way; it is comparatively much harder to become aware that one's own mind is working that way also.\"\nRealize that when you think X, all of your successive thoughts attempt to reconcile or solidify the notion of X. In this way, we are the artists of our realities, everyone's reality being different than others since all of it is based on conceptions. Your conceptions and ideas rule you, from who you think you are to what you think the world or your environment is about. It is how you make sense of all sensory data. Not everyone organizes their reality in the same way you do, because they all went through a difficult accumulation of sense data (and subsequent reaction to and organization of said data) throughout their lives to get to where they are.\nMore: http://deoxy.org/wiki/The_Thinker_and_the_Prover\nThe question then becomes, can we then transcend our conceptions and perceive reality as it is? We may have to consult the Buddha on this one.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Prometheus Rising by Robert Anton Wilson",
          "reason": "Offered as a book exploring how beliefs shape thought and perception.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2923957,
          "author": "salemh",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-25T06:25:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 2919368,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have changed the way you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2923957",
          "commentText": "Reality Tansurfing 1: The Space of Variations\n\"Choosing\" your own reality, positive mind frames, philosophy and actionable steps for goal attainment (no \"Secret\" wish fulfillment).\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1846941229/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1846941229/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1846941229)\n\" Some of Zeeland's techniques are very simple and practical; e.g. his methods of combining rational thinking with intuition for making practical decisions.  Other \"tools\" require a high degree of control over one's thoughts and/or emotions.\n    Zeeland also advocates reducing the amount of mental self-talk in favour of listening to one's intuition, which has some similarity with the teachings of Eckhart Tolle [[2]].\"\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vadim_Zeeland\nThe Tibetan Book of Living and Dying\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062508342/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062508342/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0062508342)\nThis novel has been of great help to me and family with recent deaths. Overall life outlook, happiness, and the like.\nEnders Game\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812550706/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812550706/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0812550706)\nI have read this novel over 15 years roughly 8 times. I get more, and a different perspective (which is interesting just examining my own reaction to re-reads based on my life and age at reading / re-reading).\nPrometheus Rising\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1561840564/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1561840564/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1561840564)\n\"Hacking\" reality, your mind, alternate viewpoints of reality and \"living\" accordingly (or not :D)\nPandora's Star\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345479211/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345479211/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0345479211)\nFascinating \"space opera\" wherein humanity masters worm-hole technology (and space colonization), ever lasting life (downloading / uploading) and a lovely read with a dose of astrophysics (though, the number of plot lines and characters gets far too muddled much of the time, symptomatic of Hamilton's books). Great \"look\" at a potential future of these potential advancements.\nNeuropath\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0765361574/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0765361574/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0765361574)\nScience fiction novel set in near-future based on new advanced in neuroscience; psychopath / serial killer thriller (one night read)on the brain as a chemical machine (and free-will arguments) with brutal thriller violence. This sticks with you for a number of weeks. Sending this to my sister was reacted with \"it was really good, fascinating..why the f* did you send this to me?\"\nThe Darkness That Comes Before (The Prince of Nothing, Book 1)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1841494089/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1841494089/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=1841494089)\nFantasy, philosophy, linguistics in Magic..dark, dark and a very old world. Brilliant, the best fantasy series this decade.\nTitan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400077303/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400077303/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1400077303)\nFrom dirt (literally), to one of the richest men in history, a genius accountant, inventor, process engineer, capitalist, competitive monster (crusher), also spawning much of modern medicine research centers (while he himself was a more holistic man who distrusted \"modern medicine). An incredible biography (oft cited by other novels on various Baron's / dynastic biographies) on the idiocyncrocies and the incredible desire for wealth and power, while abhoring lavish displays of wealth. From his rise, to consolidation, to \"war\" with the Rothschilds to the ultimate breakup of Standard Oil.\n1,000 Dollars and an Idea: Entrepreneur to Billionaire: Expanded Edition\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1557048487/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1557048487/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1557048487)\nSam Wyly, on building businesses to last, 15-20 years to \"flip\" or keep. Nuggets of wisdom for all industries and verticals.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Prometheus Rising\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1561840564/ref=as_li_ss_tl?...\n\"Hacking\" reality, your mind, alternate viewpoints of reality and \"living\" accordingly",
          "reason": "Presented as a book about changing one's view of reality and mind.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971315,
          "author": "forkrulassail",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T09:34:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971315",
          "commentText": "Prometheus Rising - Robert Anton Wilson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Prometheus Rising - Robert Anton Wilson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1754096,
          "author": "brunoc",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-04T00:29:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1754096",
          "commentText": "Robert Anton Wilson's \"Illuminatus Trilogy\", \"Prometheus Rising\".\nAleister Crowley's \"Book of lies\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Prometheus Rising\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86161,
          "author": "david",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T23:36:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86161",
          "commentText": "- What the Dormouse Said, John Markoff\n- Alongside Night, J Neil Schulman,\n- Prometheus Rising, Robert Anton Wilson\n- Anything by Doug Rushkoff, Get Back in the Box is a good one for business/entrepreneurship\n- The Dubliners, James Joyce\n- The Elements of Typographic Style, by Robert Bringhurst",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Prometheus Rising, Robert Anton Wilson",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Anton Wilson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 14,
      "threads": 14,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "belief systems",
        "consciousness",
        "self help",
        "cognitive models"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-canticle-for-leibowitz-864bc8",
      "title": "A Canticle for Leibowitz",
      "author": "Walter M. Miller Jr.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46400114,
          "author": "thesumofall",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T08:09:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46400114",
          "commentText": "My best reads this year:\nNon-fiction:\n- The Power Broker by Robert Caro\nFantasy:\n- The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson\nSci-fi:\n- Sun Eater series by Christopher Ruocchio\n- A Canticle For Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr\n- Ra by qntm\n- Jean le Flambeur series by Hannu Rajaniemi\n- Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer (didn’t like the subsequent books of the series so much)\nOther novels:\n- Woodcutters by Thomas Bernhard",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "A Canticle For Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41776262,
          "author": "FrustratedMonky",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-08T11:45:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41776262",
          "commentText": "\"A Canticle for Leibowitz\"\nI'd recommend also \"Anathem\" by Stephenson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Canticle for Leibowitz",
          "reason": "Named as one of the commenter's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41175818,
          "author": "dcminter",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:55:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175818",
          "commentText": "It's a bit too bleak for me, but it's certainly beautifully written.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it's certainly beautifully written",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book is beautifully written but too bleak for them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Too bleak for the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41175690,
          "author": "z303",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:41:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175690",
          "commentText": "A Canticle for Leibowitz\nI ended up staying up all night reading most of the book",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Canticle for Leibowitz\nI ended up staying up all night reading most of the book",
          "reason": "Says the book kept them reading most of the night.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39729464,
          "author": "bookofjoe",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T21:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729464",
          "commentText": "\"A Canticle For Leibowitz\"\n\"The Sparrow\"\n\"Lord of Light\"\n\"The Immortal\"\n\"Hyperion\"\n\"The Last Question\"\n\"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?\"\n\"Stranger in a Strange Land\"\n\"The City and the Stars\"\n\"Childhood's End\"\n\"Anathem\"\n\"Eifelheim\"\n\"A Case of Conscience\"\n\"VALIS\" trilogy\n\"The Book of Strange New Things\"\n\"Behold The Man\"\n\"The God Engines\"\n\"Book of the New Sun\"\n\"The Parable of the Sower\"\n\"The Dosadi Experiment\"\n\"Grass\"\n\"Project Pope\"\n\"Calculating God\"\n\"Factoring Humanity\"\n\"Jesus on Mars\"\n\"Surface Detail",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"A Canticle For Leibowitz\"",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about books that changed perspectives on religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36022939,
          "author": "zoenolan",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T17:15:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36022939",
          "commentText": "Many of the books already mentioned plus A Canticle for Leibowitz",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Canticle for Leibowitz",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665954,
          "author": "ryanstorm",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T17:46:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665954",
          "commentText": "I have a post at my blog here: http://westby.io/5-books-ive-read-2018-1/\nSome other books I read that I'd recommend:\n- Anathem\n- Deep Work\n- A Canticle for Leibowitz\n- Into Thin Air\n- Shoe Dog\n- Happiness Hypothesis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- A Canticle for Leibowitz",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books the commenter says they would recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337039,
          "author": "zgniatacz",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T10:19:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337039",
          "commentText": "A Canticle for Leibowitz",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Canticle for Leibowitz",
          "reason": "Named as the commenter's comfort book in response to the thread question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13240800,
          "author": "cicero",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T22:06:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13240800",
          "commentText": "A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter Miller (recommended SF classic)\nThe Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis (an old favorite, recommended)\nThe Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco (some interesting parts, but overall a disappointment)\nTheology and Sanity - Frank Sheed (recommended; a very written description of the Catholic faith; weaknesses are it's long and it's aimed to a mid 20th c. audience)\nChristianity for Modern Pagans: Pascal's Pensees - Peter Kreeft (recommended; a good exposition of Blaise Pascal's thought)\nCatholicism: A journey to the heart of the faith - Robert Barron (recommended; a good explanation of Catholicism for the common person)\nHis Master's Voice - Stanislaw Lem (recommended; very intellectual look at the problem of first contact)\nThe Industries of the Future - Alec Ross (the robotics chapter is best; other parts are more light-weight; easy read)\nClouds of Witnesses - Dorothy Sayers (not my favorite Sayers mystery, but enjoyable)\nA Study in Scarlet - Arthur Conan Doyle (recommended)\nWhy Gender Matters - Leonard Sax (recommended; most of the book is based on good science, but he does go out on a limb a time or two.)\nOld School - Tobias Wolff (recommended; a world before widespread TV where high school boys actually got excited about literature)\nInfinite Space, Infinite God - Karina and Robert Fabian editors (story quality varies; I enjoyed some of them)\nThe Sign of Four - Arthur Conan Doyle (recommended)\nOn Stranger Tides - Tim Powers (recommended; I love Powers, but Anubis Gates and Last Call are better. Still, if you like pirates you should like this)\nThe Art of Worldly Wisdom - Baltasar Gracian (interesting)\nAquinas at Prayer: the Bible, Mysticism, and Poetry - Paul Murray (recommended; this shows a different side of Thomas Aquinas)\nAristotle for Everybody: Difficult Thought Made Easy - Mortimer Adler (recommended; I almost think this should be required reading)\nThe Pilgrim's Regress - C.S. Lewis (I enjoyed it, but the ideas Lewis argues against are somewhat dated.)\nEdit for formatting",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter Miller (recommended SF classic)",
          "reason": "Listed as a recommended science fiction classic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8946127,
          "author": "dwarman",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-26T09:13:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8946127",
          "commentText": "Stand on Zanzibar, Snow Crash, Cryptonomicon, Childhood's End, A Cantilce for St Leibowitz, The Stars My Destination, Midnight At The Well of Souls, Nine Princes in Amber, Halting State, Strnger In A Strange Land, The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Cantilce for St Leibowitz",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8026058,
          "author": "dangrossman",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-12T23:06:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 8025870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8026058",
          "commentText": "A Canticle for Leibowitz\n> In the depths of the Utah desert, long after the Flame Deluge has scoured the earth clean, a monk of the Order of Saint Leibowitz has made a miraculous discovery: holy relics from the life of the great saint himself, including the blessed blueprint, the sacred shopping list, and the hallowed shrine of the Fallout Shelter. In a terrifying age of darkness and decay, these artifacts could be the keys to mankind's salvation. But as the mystery at the core of this groundbreaking novel unfolds, it is the search itself—for meaning, for truth, for love—that offers hope for humanity's rebirth from the ashes.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Canticle-Leibowitz-Walter-Miller-Jr/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/Canticle-Leibowitz-Walter-Miller-Jr/dp/0553273817)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "A Canticle for Leibowitz",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2527540,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-09T04:15:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 2526568,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2527540",
          "commentText": "I recently have been reading Hugo Award Novels and recommend Roger Zelazny's This Immortal which is good enough to have shared the award with Dune in 1965. Lord of Light is also a great read and won a Hugo in 1968. Clifford Simak's Way Station, Phillip K. Dick's Man in the High Castle, and Walter Miller's Canticle for Leibowitz are other great Hugo novels from the early 1960's that tend to be overshadowed by more famous authors from that period such as Heinlein (not that I wouldn't recommend The Moon is a Harsh Mistress if you haven't read it).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Canticle for Leibowitz",
          "reason": "Includes it among other great Hugo novels.",
          "audience": "Science fiction readers interested in Hugo Award novels.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043913,
          "author": "wildwood",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T22:52:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043913",
          "commentText": "The only book I ever force on people is \"A Deepness in the Sky\", by Vernor Vinge.  If you haven't read it, please do.\nI've really been enjoying David Weber's Honor Harrington series, if you're open to military sci-fi.  It's not on the Amazon site, but it's easy to get from the Baen Webscriptions site.\nIain M. Banks - \"Algebraist\" was a lot of fun, easily the best visualization of a gas-giant alien society I've ever read.  I read \"Matter\" a while ago, and keep feeling pulled back to re-read it sometime soon.\nFor classic sci-fi, I would recommend Bester's \"The Stars My Destination\" and Miller's \"Canticle for Leibowitz\".\nDon't forget to check out all the free public domain books that are available in the Kindle Store.  All the Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, etc that you can eat, at no charge.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Miller's \"Canticle for Leibowitz\"",
          "reason": "Explicitly included among classic science fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Canticle for Leibowitz",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140490,
          "author": "nazgulnarsil",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T02:59:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140490",
          "commentText": "depends on the subgenre :)\nSuperhuman:\nSlan by A.E. Van Vogt\nMore Than Human by Theodore STurgeon\nOdd John by Olaf Stapledon\nPost Apocalyptic:\nThe Day of The Triffids by John Whyndham\nEarth Abides by George R. Stewart\nA Canticle for Lebowitz by...don't remember\nSpace Opera/Adventure:\nany of The Culture novels by Iain M. Banks\nThe Reality Dysfunction series by ...don't remember\nHyperion series by Dan Simmons\nTo Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer\nDystopian:\nWe by Yevgeny Zamyatin <---highly overlooked, predates 1984 and Brave New World\nBut the Absolute Best would be anything by:\nStanislaw Lem (Cyberiad, Futurological Congress, Solaris)\nAlfred Bester (The STars my Destination, The Demolished Man)\nor Samuel R. Delany (Babel-17, Dhalgren, Trtion, Nova)\noh and Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light and This Immortal are both great.\nSome of Philip K. Dick's stuff is great, but everyone recommends him. :)\nalmost forgot John Brunner, check out Steel Beach, The Sheep Look Up, and Stand on Zanzibar.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Canticle for Lebowitz by...don't remember",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not remember the author.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86223,
          "author": "icky",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:37:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86223",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- The Time Machine (still holds up very well, and seems strangely eerie and prescient in places)... (H. G. Wells)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Hobbit (and LotR) (Tolkien)\n- Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n- Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties (I picked up Idoru first, so I haven't yet read Virtual Light) (also Gibson)\n- The Difference Engine (Gibson, Sterling)\n- Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n- Cryptonomicon (\" \")\n- Circuit of Heaven, End of Days (Dennis Danvers)\n- All of the \"Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser\" stories and novels. (Fritz Leiber)\n- The Earthsea trilogy (Ursula K. LeGuin)\n- 'salem's Lot (Stephen King)\n- Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein)\n- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)\n- the Coldfire trilogy (C. S. Friedman)\n- various Cory Doctorow short stories\n- Kamikaze L'Amour (Richard Kadrey)\n- Lightpaths (Howard V. Hendrix)\n- A Canticle For Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)\n- Moonwar, Venus (Ben Bova)\n- the Stainless Steel Rat series (Harry Harrison)\n- Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)\n- Ringworld (Larry Niven)\n- Cthon (Piers Anthony) -- Trippiness level approaching Philip Jose Farmer ;-)\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (Douglas Adams)\n- The Black Company (Glen Cook)\n- there's one particularly good post-cyberpunk series that takes place in a world in which Canada emerged as a major world power, but for the life of me I can't rememeber the title.\n- the 1632 series (Eric Flint)... see also S. M. Stirling's Nantucket series (\"Island in the Sea of Time\", et al.), and H. Beam Piper's novel Kalvan of Otherwhen\nNon-fiction:\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (Hume)\n- the surviving words and works of Epicurus, and Diogenes the Cynic\n- Freakonomics (Levitt, Dubner)\n- The Gay Science (Nietzsche)\n- The Jefferson Bible (Christ, Jefferson (ed.))\n- The Devil's Dictionary (Bierce)\n- Brain Droppings (George Carlin)\n- anything by P. J. O'Rourke\n- anything by Dave Barry",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Canticle For Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)",
          "reason": "Listed under fiction in response to the thread’s question about favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Walter M. Miller Jr."
      ],
      "recommenders": 14,
      "threads": 13,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "post apocalyptic",
        "religion",
        "hugo award",
        "monastic life"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "freakonomics-9f0f79",
      "title": "Freakonomics",
      "author": "Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47325335,
          "author": "nicbou",
          "createdAt": "2026-03-10T16:21:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 47315415,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47325335",
          "commentText": "Invisible Women\nIf you liked Freakonomics, you will like this. It's not a rant, just one example after another of how we fail to account for half of the population.\nI just finished The God of Small Things. The writing is phenomenal, but it was not quite my kind of book, so it took me a bit of effort to finish.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "If you liked Freakonomics, you will like this.",
          "reason": "Used as a comparison for readers considering Invisible Women.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29670278,
          "author": "gordon_freeman",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T04:40:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29670278",
          "commentText": "I think The Goal is one of those books that has had a profound positive impact on my life. Another one is Freakonomics. There are no books that would teach us concepts such as Theory of constraints and economic incentives in the fun and simple way like these books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another one is Freakonomics. There are no books that would teach us concepts such as Theory of constraints and economic incentives in the fun and simple way like these books.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its accessible, enjoyable treatment of economic incentives.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23858641,
          "author": "scastiel",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:14:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858641",
          "commentText": "I loved Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner!",
          "reason": "Says they loved the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19087934,
          "author": "porpoisely",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T18:14:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19087934",
          "commentText": "I read Freakonomics and Guns, Germs and Steel in college and was initially 'amazed' by it. Now, I see it as mass market rubbish used to influence a particular demographic.\nBut that goes for pretty much everything really. Catcher in the Rye in high school. Carnegie's \"How to Win Friends and Influence People\".\nI think books can \"change the way you think about almost everything\" when you are younger, naive and idealistic. As you grow older, wiser and understand the world more, you leave those childish things behind.\nAlso, as einstein said : \"Reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking.\"\nI'm sure I'm not the only one that used reading as a crutch and a form of escapism and to waste time.\nBut if you want a book that left an impression on me, K&R's C Programming Language is one. It showed me that a technical book can be concise, well written and enjoyable to read.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I read Freakonomics and Guns, Germs and Steel in college and was initially 'amazed' by it. Now, I see it as mass market rubbish used to influence a particular demographic.",
          "reason": "Dismisses it as mass-market rubbish aimed at a particular demographic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18664248,
          "author": "33W",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T14:40:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664248",
          "commentText": "Freakonomics - good “everything you know is wrong”\nPromote yourself - meh “just become an influencer and pick a new job”\nExtreme Ownership - good “navy seal war story -> leadership principle -> business application” x12\nRise - good “wow I have an easy life”\nDrive - good “some people like doing stuff just because”\nThe Accounting Game - good “money explained to a kid to make you feel vetter about not understanding money”",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Freakonomics - good “everything you know is wrong”",
          "reason": "Listed as good in response to the thread's request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13236391,
          "author": "khorchanov",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T10:50:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13236391",
          "commentText": "Quran, a very superior all in one book, I have never seen a book as expressive as this one, I invite anyone just to \"try\" it ;)\nFreakonomics, is a good one about economy from a new angle of view",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Freakonomics, is a good one about economy from a new angle of view",
          "reason": "Praised as a good book offering a new angle on economics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12562045,
          "author": "colechristensen",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T03:08:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12562045",
          "commentText": ">I read Dubner and Levitt's Freakonomics in 2005. It's lame to say that a pop-science book changed my life, but since then I've thought about economics every day.\nDon't believe everything you read in Freakonomics.  Unfortunately it's written to be entertaining (which it is) but isn't always the most rigorous representation of the truth (which is disappointing)\nhttp://www.americanscientist.org/issues/pub/freakonomics-wha... (http://www.americanscientist.org/issues/pub/freakonomics-what-went-wrong/99999)",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Don't believe everything you read in Freakonomics.",
          "reason": "The commenter warns that it is entertaining but not always rigorous or truthful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter acknowledges that the book is entertaining.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416396,
          "author": "cwbrandsma",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:25:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416396",
          "commentText": "* Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell\n* Freakenomics\n* Slideology\n* The Checklist Manifesto",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Freakenomics",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785453,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:27:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785453",
          "commentText": "I'll skip some mentioned already by others. Books I really enjoyed this year:\nThe Wright Brothers, David McCullough - wonderful book on the Wright Brothers, easy to read, shows that persistence and logic thinking pays out. 5/5\nThe autobiography of Malcom X, Malcolm X - Nice bio, a bit repetitive sometimes. 3/5\nAtlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand - Although the book has more than 1200 pages it really kept me going. I read this book to get a better understanding of the ideology of some republicans. Fun read. 4.5/5\nFreakonomics, Steven D. Levitt - Levitt studies all kind of different everyday questions using economics. 4/5, short, easy to read\nGuantanamo Diary, Mohamedou Ould Slahi - Diary of a Guantanamo prisoner who has been imprisoned since 2002. The US has never charged him with a crime. Profound and disturbing. 5/5\nNo place to hide, Glenn Greenwald - Story on Edward Snowden, probably read by most of HN. Enjoyed it, that's it. 4/5\nHow to lie with statistics, Darrel Huff - Short book on statistics, easy to read and fun. 4/5",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "4/5, short, easy to read",
          "reason": "The commenter rates it 4/5 and describes it as short and easy to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401272,
          "author": "dasboth",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T15:58:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401272",
          "commentText": "Recently finished Freakonomics (S Dubner & S Levitt) and East of Eden (Steinbeck). Highly recommend the latter, but Freakonomics was a bit of a disappointment, possibly because it was overhyped to me beforehand. Worth a read, though.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Freakonomics was a bit of a disappointment",
          "reason": "The commenter found it disappointing, possibly due to prior hype, but still says it is worth a read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Disappointing, possibly because it was overhyped.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107093,
          "author": "mrcdima",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T09:05:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107093",
          "commentText": "Some titles I've recently read or at least have placed on my reading list.\n--------------------\nPhilosohpy\nLetters from a Stoic: Epistulae Morales Ad Lucilium - Seneca\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius (must read)\nThe Republic - Plato\n--------------------\nHistory\nFive Chimneys - Olga Lengyel\nThe Gulag Archipelago - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (must read)\nThe Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank\n--------------------\nFiction\n(particularly dystopian) 1984, Brave New World, Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451\n(crime/action) Child 44, The Secret Speech, Agent 6 - Tom Rob Smith\n--------------------\nEconomics\nCapital in the Twenty-First Century - Thomas Piketty\nPoor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty - Banerjee, Duflo\nWhy Nations Fail - Robinson\n--------------------\nEconomics/Decision making/Psychology\nUndercover Economist, Freakonomics, Nudge, Thinking Fast and Slow\n--------------------\nRandom titles\nThe Selfish Gene, Self-Reliance, The Elements of Style (about writing), Slaughterhouse-Five\n--------------------\nSome links to inspire your reading (though you may want to checkout the websites first to get an idea of the topics they cover)\nhttp://www.gatesnotes.com/Books\nhttp://bookpickings.brainpickings.org/\nhttp://www.farnamstreetblog.com/reading/\nhttp://www.ryanholiday.net/reading-newsletter\nI’m just a working-class guy trying to take part in the conversation that all the smart people are having. What books should I read? - http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-cl... (http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-class-guy-trying-to-take-part-in-the-conversation-that-all-the-smart-people-are-having-what-books-should-i-read/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Freakonomics",
          "reason": "Listed as a title in response to the thread's request for book suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4966795,
          "author": "napoleond",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T19:15:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4966795",
          "commentText": "These are the ones I remember, but not necessarily for being the best.\nSteve Jobs - Walter Isaacson. I thought it was interesting; an honest attempt at cataloguing the life of a fascinating and complex person.\nHow To Win Friends And Influence People - Dale Carnegie. I'd skimmed through it in high school, and decided it was full of obvious/cheesy platitudes, but was somehow convinced to take another look this year and I'm very glad I did. It is mostly full of very basic \"don't be an ass\" advice, but I needed it.\nNever Eat Alone - Keith Ferrazzi. I'm not sure what to think of this one. It's pretty low on actionable advice, but it did help me (together with HTWFAIF, above) reframe the way I approach interpersonal relationships.\nThe Cat's Table - Michael Ondaatje. I haven't finished this one yet, but it's part of a recent concerted effort to read more fiction. I've always loved Ondaatje's work, and this latest novel is no different.\nFreakonomics - Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner. I just started reading this last night, and I'm already 100 pages in. It's an addicting read, and is already causing me to re-evaluate the incentive systems that are everywhere.\nNapoleon Bonaparte - Alan Schom. I've been reading this one slowly for a while (it's a hefty book). It's a very well written account of Napoleon's entire life story--highly recommended.\nCrossing the Chasm - Geoffrey Moore. Just started this one last night as well (Christmas presents!) and so far it seems like it will live up to the hype.\nThe Education of Millionaires - Michael Ellsberg. This one, I can't recommend. As always, though, YMMV :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Freakonomics - Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner. I just started reading this last night, and I'm already 100 pages in. It's an addicting read, and is already causing me to re-evaluate the incentive systems that are everywhere.",
          "reason": "Calls it an addicting read that is changing how they think about incentives.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has only just started reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240850,
          "author": "trotzke",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T06:28:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240850",
          "commentText": "On my desk:\nGetting Real (37Signals),\nHardball (Chris Mathews),\nPrioritizing Web Usability (Jakob Nielsen)\nNearby shelf:\nThe Design of Everyday Things,\nMaverick,\nFounders at work,\nA Brief History of Time,\nA Pattern Language,\nPeopleware,\nMade to stick,\nWeb Standards Solutions,\nDesigning Interactions,\nThe Pragmatic Programmer,\nThe Mythical Man-Month,\nOh, the Places You'll Go!\nOther good reads:\nBlink,\nTipping Point,\nLong Tail,\nFreakonomics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Freakonomics",
          "reason": "Listed among other good reads in response to a request for recommended books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 180971,
          "author": "lacker",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-04T21:04:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 180589,
          "threadTitle": "Good book for economics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=180971",
          "commentText": "I don't know a good book but I can recommend an excellent blog, Marginal Revolution:\nhttp://www.marginalrevolution.com/\nNot the intro-topics sort of material, but very interesting. Closer to Freakonomics style.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Closer to Freakonomics style.",
          "reason": "Uses the title as a comparison for the blog's style; does not express an opinion about the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135395,
          "author": "amohr",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T19:19:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135395",
          "commentText": "The Design of Everyday Things - Don Norman\nI know he's gotten some flak lately for ripping on 37signals, but this book seriously changed how I look at the world... especially doors.\nFreakonomics - Steven Levitt\nGood for understanding the value of taking another perspective.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Freakonomics - Steven Levitt\nGood for understanding the value of taking another perspective.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for understanding the value of taking another perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86223,
          "author": "icky",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:37:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86223",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- The Time Machine (still holds up very well, and seems strangely eerie and prescient in places)... (H. G. Wells)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Hobbit (and LotR) (Tolkien)\n- Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n- Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties (I picked up Idoru first, so I haven't yet read Virtual Light) (also Gibson)\n- The Difference Engine (Gibson, Sterling)\n- Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n- Cryptonomicon (\" \")\n- Circuit of Heaven, End of Days (Dennis Danvers)\n- All of the \"Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser\" stories and novels. (Fritz Leiber)\n- The Earthsea trilogy (Ursula K. LeGuin)\n- 'salem's Lot (Stephen King)\n- Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein)\n- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)\n- the Coldfire trilogy (C. S. Friedman)\n- various Cory Doctorow short stories\n- Kamikaze L'Amour (Richard Kadrey)\n- Lightpaths (Howard V. Hendrix)\n- A Canticle For Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)\n- Moonwar, Venus (Ben Bova)\n- the Stainless Steel Rat series (Harry Harrison)\n- Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)\n- Ringworld (Larry Niven)\n- Cthon (Piers Anthony) -- Trippiness level approaching Philip Jose Farmer ;-)\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (Douglas Adams)\n- The Black Company (Glen Cook)\n- there's one particularly good post-cyberpunk series that takes place in a world in which Canada emerged as a major world power, but for the life of me I can't rememeber the title.\n- the 1632 series (Eric Flint)... see also S. M. Stirling's Nantucket series (\"Island in the Sea of Time\", et al.), and H. Beam Piper's novel Kalvan of Otherwhen\nNon-fiction:\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (Hume)\n- the surviving words and works of Epicurus, and Diogenes the Cynic\n- Freakonomics (Levitt, Dubner)\n- The Gay Science (Nietzsche)\n- The Jefferson Bible (Christ, Jefferson (ed.))\n- The Devil's Dictionary (Bierce)\n- Brain Droppings (George Carlin)\n- anything by P. J. O'Rourke\n- anything by Dave Barry",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Freakonomics (Levitt, Dubner)",
          "reason": "Listed under nonfiction in response to the thread’s question about favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86046,
          "author": "paulgb",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T19:17:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86046",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed The Undercover Economist. I especially recommend it if you liked Freakonomics.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "if you liked Freakonomics",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a comparison for recommending The Undercover Economist.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not endorse or evaluate this title.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56965,
          "author": "axiom",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T17:40:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56965",
          "commentText": "There is definitely some of that. After all the book is targeted towards a popular audience. But that being said there are a couple of remarkably original ideas.\nFor example, going from least to most intersting:\n1. Statistically speaking a child is much more likely to drown in a swimming pool than be killed by a gun (of course, corrected for socioeconomic status and all the standard stuff.) Yet we see countless campaigns against gun violence with the argument that x number of kids get killed due to guns, and none for \"swimming pool safety\" or a host of other things that are far more likely to kill you.\n2. There is a study of a daycare center where a problem they were dealing with was parents picking up kids late. So the daycare instituted fines. The result was more parents picking up their kids late. Why? because after conducting interviews they found that the guilt associated with being late was more of a motivator than the small fine. Having paid the fine, the parents no longer felt as bad about being late. That's a very conterintuitive result if you ask me.\n3. The famous abortion-crime link. The idea being that the legalization of abortion in the 70s is what caused the massive decrease in violent crime in the 90s. Very convincingly argued. And certainly presents a better theory than The Tipping Point.\nAnyway. There's more where that came from.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The famous abortion-crime link.",
          "reason": "Describes its abortion-crime argument as very convincing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56862,
          "author": "axiom",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T14:16:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56862",
          "commentText": "Freakonomics is a great book because it introduces fundamental principles of economics on intuitive grounds. So you're not talking about incentives with respect to society or some other abstract entity, but with respect to specific cases. \nPlus, as I mentioned above, it's an extremely fun read. Very well written and the ideas presented are definitely compelling. I'd recommend to go as far as to read the original research papers that the book is based on. Especially the abortion-crime one.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Freakonomics is a great book",
          "reason": "Praises its intuitive explanations of economic principles, engaging style, and compelling ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56799,
          "author": "Tichy",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T09:23:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56799",
          "commentText": "I think several of the stories in it have been debunked. I remember at least reading that the story about the drug dealer turned out to be a hoax - unknown to the authors of the book, but I was disappointed to not at least find a statement regarding the issue on their homepage.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I think several of the stories in it have been debunked. I remember at least reading that the story about the drug dealer turned out to be a hoax",
          "reason": "Raises concerns that several stories in the book were debunked, including one described as a hoax.",
          "audience": "Readers assessing the reliability of the book's claims.",
          "caveat": "The commenter recalls reading about the issue and notes the authors may have been unaware of the hoax.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56749,
          "author": "yters",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T06:33:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56749",
          "commentText": "Is freakonomics pretty credible?  It seemed intriguing, but also smelt a bit of marketing obvious ideas when I flipped through it in the store.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It seemed intriguing, but also smelt a bit of marketing obvious ideas when I flipped through it in the store.",
          "reason": "Finds the book intriguing but questions whether it dresses obvious ideas in marketing.",
          "audience": "Readers weighing whether the book's economic arguments are credible.",
          "caveat": "The concern is based on flipping through it in a store.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56703,
          "author": "axiom",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T04:20:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56703",
          "commentText": "It's pretty tragic how little most people understand about basic economics. Not just with respect to how societies function, but basic concepts like incentives and the law of supply and demand. Oh, and of course No Free Lunch. \nSo in that spirit, here are a couple of economics books that I quite seriously believe everyone should be forced to read.\nEconomics in One Lesson, by Hazlitt \nFree to Choose: A Personal Statement, by Milton and Rose Friedman\nFreakonomics, by Levitt and Dubner (this book is just so damn fun to read)\n\nand for the hackers:\nThe God of the Machine, by Paterson\n(Think engineering principles as applied to economics, history and politics. Probably one of the most interesting books I've read in my entire life, even if I don't entirely agree with the thesis.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Freakonomics, by Levitt and Dubner (this book is just so damn fun to read)",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books the commenter believes everyone should read and praised as fun to read.",
          "audience": "The commenter advocates that everyone read it.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven D. Levitt",
        "Stephen J. Dubner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 14,
      "threads": 13,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "behavioral economics",
        "popular economics",
        "applied economics",
        "incentives"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gravity-s-rainbow-cd8f7b",
      "title": "Gravity's Rainbow",
      "author": "Thomas Pynchon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41176997,
          "author": "nbonaparte",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T00:26:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41176997",
          "commentText": "Gene Wolfe’s Solar Cycle and Gravity’s Rainbow",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gravity’s Rainbow",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41176867,
          "author": "nimih",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T00:03:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41176867",
          "commentText": "Paradise Lost, Gravity's Rainbow, Middlemarch, and 2666.\nedit: The short stories which have stuck with me the most over the years are probably Joyce's \"The Dead,\" O'Connor's \"Good Country People,\" and a solid half of Borges's \"Ficciones.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gravity's Rainbow",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38238171,
          "author": "nbonaparte",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T07:35:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238171",
          "commentText": "Just finished The Song of the Cell, currently reading Gravity’s Rainbow (lol) and starting The Horse, the Wheel, and Language.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "currently reading Gravity’s Rainbow",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31968885,
          "author": "xwdv",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T16:27:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31968885",
          "commentText": "Being able to say you’ve read this book pays dividends that go far beyond just the experience of reading the contents. It will give you instant credibility among important and highly intellectual individuals, and could lead to great job offers or securing strong investments. The prestige and recognition you carry amongst peers is priceless. Even just owning the book without reading it already puts you a step ahead of other people. The right people can be blown away just seeing it on your shelf. Read the book, yearly.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The prestige and recognition you carry amongst peers is priceless.",
          "reason": "The comment sarcastically frames owning and reading the book as a route to prestige and career advantage.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23154170,
          "author": "clairity",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T14:13:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23154170",
          "commentText": "that book left me feeling like i’d wrestled a bear to a draw, and it was still staring at me contemplating a round 2.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "that book left me feeling like i’d wrestled a bear to a draw",
          "reason": "The book left the commenter with a difficult, intense reading experience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment describes the experience without explicitly recommending it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20988805,
          "author": "chelmzy",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T21:35:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20988805",
          "commentText": "Gravity's Rainbow",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gravity's Rainbow",
          "reason": "Listed as a book in response to a question asking for good recent reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17381914,
          "author": "asimpletune",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T16:17:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17381914",
          "commentText": "Foreign:\n* Life: a users manual by George s Perec.\n* Too Loud a Solitude by Bohumil Hrabal\n* Auto-da-fe by Elias Canetti\nDomestic:\nThese are harder because I feel like they’re all pretty well known, but maybe they’re not actually read. Like, known bc people have heard the name, but are not read as much anymore.\n* Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson\n* Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon\n* Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy\nActually unknown (but super good) domestic:\n* Stuff by Larry McMurtry (only famous for lonesome dove)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon",
          "reason": "Includes it among domestic books that may be known by name but less often read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may be known by name but not read as much anymore.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156533,
          "author": "jeffersonheard",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:44:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156533",
          "commentText": "Getting More - Stuart Diamond. I still think this is the best book on the art of negotiation.\nGetting Things Done - David Allen. If you have adult ADHD like me, and you haven't read this, it's the first system that's really worked for productivity for me.\nMan's Search for Meaning - Victor Frankl.\nLiving Buddha, Living Christ - Thich Nhat Hanh.\nCosmos - Carl Sagan.\nThe Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. LeGuin.\nThe One who Walks Away from Omelas - U.K. LeGuin.\nWild Seed - Octavia Butler.\nThe Heike Monogatari - (tr. Helen Craig McCullough) “The sound of the Gion Shoja temple bells echoes the impermanence of all things; the color of the sala flowers reveals the truth that to flourish is to fall. The proud do not endure, like a passing dream on a night in spring; the mighty fall at last, to be no more than dust before the wind.” If you need a comparison. this is the Japanese historical equivalent of Game of Thrones combined with a bit of MacBeth. The rise and fall of two shogunate families, and an analysis of the tragic flaws of character that brought their fall about.\nLes Miserables - Victor Hugo.\nSmall Gods - Terry Pratchett.\nHeart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad.\nThe Guide - R. K. Narayan.\nEvidence - Mary Oliver.\nAll of Us - The Collected Poetry of Raymond Carver.\nSilence - Shusaku Endo.\nThe Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald.\nThe Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Murakami Haruki. This and the next four are odd choices, perhaps, since it's a surrealist book, but IMO books that force your imagination to work hard do as much for creativity and fresh ideas as any of the more popular methods.\nThe Well-Built City (The Physiognomy / Memoranda / The Beyond) Jeffery Ford - Surrealist novellas best described as about the protagonist living and achieving agency within the constructs, dreams, and nightmares of a \"Great Man's\" mind.\nSnow Crash - Neal Stephenson.\nGravity's Rainbow - Thomas Pynchon.\nDhalgren - Samuel L. \"Chip\" Delany.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Gravity's Rainbow - Thomas Pynchon.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Included among surreal books the commenter calls odd choices that can stimulate imagination and creativity.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13804126,
          "author": "hashslingrz",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:15:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804126",
          "commentText": "Gravity's Rainbow, Thomas Pynchon (1973). The Platonic ideal of the Postmodern novel that combines a deep understanding of modernity with deep understanding and pessimistic view of technology.\nPurgatory, Dante (1320). No other work so elegantly grasps Christian Sanctification and it's true difficulties.\nPhilosophical Investigations, Ludwig Wittgenstin (1953). Like Pynchon, Wittgenstein understood quite well the exhausting pedantic nature of modern life. A book that can stand on it's own without having read much philosophy, this work attacks the foundations of most of \"Modern\" (I would label this as post Medieval philosophy ). \nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, Abelsson, Sussman, Sussman (1985). For me, the definitive \"Programming is what exactly?\" book.\nComputer Systems, a Programmer's Perspective, Bryant & O'Hallaron (2012). The Concrete Systems yin to SICP's abstract yang. \nBattleCry of Freedom, McPhearson (1988). The best Civil War history in the past generation that also lays bear how much of  what we view as modern crisis in the U.S. ( partisanship, horrendous propagandized media coverage, etc ) is as old as the country itself.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Platonic ideal of the Postmodern novel that combines a deep understanding of modernity with deep understanding and pessimistic view of technology.",
          "reason": "Praised as a postmodern novel with a deep, pessimistic view of technology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674234,
          "author": "dietrichepp",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T11:42:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674234",
          "commentText": "If you want \"crazy-to-grasp\", you want Ulysses, To the Lighthouse, Gravity's Rainbow, Infinite Jest, Moby Dick, House of Leaves, etc.\nNot that \"crazy-to-grasp\" approximates \"good\" in any way.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If you want \"crazy-to-grasp\", you want Ulysses, To the Lighthouse, Gravity's Rainbow, Infinite Jest, Moby Dick, House of Leaves, etc.",
          "reason": "Suggested for readers seeking challenging books.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking books that are “crazy-to-grasp.”",
          "caveat": "The commenter says difficulty does not approximate quality.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348062,
          "author": "blwsk",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:10:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348062",
          "commentText": "Forty Stories by Donald Barthelme - a collection of short stories\nGravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon - an encyclopedic novel, to say the least",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon - an encyclopedic novel, to say the least",
          "reason": "Listed as a book being read in response to the thread question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5692079,
          "author": "JackGibbs",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T20:57:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5692079",
          "commentText": "Some authors and a rec or two for each.\nDFW - Infinite Jest\nPynchon - Really anything, but in particular Against the Day, V, and Gravity's Rainbow.\nRushdie - Shame and Satanic Verses, a lot of good other ones.\nNeal Stephenson - Cryptonomicon\nGaddis - JR, hence my name.\nHeller - Catch-22",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gravity's Rainbow",
          "reason": "Listed among the author's particular recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4968193,
          "author": "imrehg",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T04:58:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4968193",
          "commentText": "Gravity's Rainbow - took 4 months out of my year, but and it's still mostly a whoosh, but every time I started reading another book after that, it was just amazing how much better Pyncheon writes. Will revisit it for sure, though not very soon.\nAnna Karenina - just a whole different level, Tolstoy's writing in a way I don't feel many contemporary writes could. Feels creepy how similar the people's lives in the 19th Century was to ours. Creepy but fun too.\nIf On A Winter's Night A Traveller - Italo Calvino will just punch you in the face, this is a book for people who love reading books.\nThe Magicians - adult magic fiction, and somehow it feels that if magic was indeed real, it would be like it is depicted here, not like anything in Harry Potter's (no matter how much I loved the storytelling, the magic theory was just so full of plotholes).\nThe Casual Vacancy - JKRowling's not-Harry-Potter-book. It's very gritty, and feels very real. Still having my cold shivers thinking of small-town living after this.\n(Except for the last one the others are older releases, don't usually jump into the newest ones, I just take it casual)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Gravity's Rainbow - took 4 months out of my year, but and it's still mostly a whoosh",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was difficult to absorb and that Pynchon's writing seemed far better than other books afterward.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy demanding literary fiction.",
          "caveat": "It took four months and still mostly felt like a whoosh; the commenter plans to revisit it later.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2919742,
          "author": "the_decider",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-24T06:59:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 2919368,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have changed the way you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2919742",
          "commentText": "Brothers Karamazov\nGravity's Rainbow\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintanance",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gravity's Rainbow",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about books that changed the way people think.",
          "audience": "Readers of experimental literary fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2526858,
          "author": "pemulis",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-08T22:27:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 2526568,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2526858",
          "commentText": "I'm on a David Foster Wallace kick right now: Working through The Pale King, his collected essays and his short stories. Already read Infinite Jest. It's hard to say what qualifies as \"essential reading\" when it's impossible for a human being to read even one tenth of the great, all-time classic books. There just isn't enough time. My advice would be to read at least a few books that have reputations for being difficult. War and Peace, Gravity's Rainbow, In Search of Lost Time, Ulysses, etc. (The reason I'm only listing near-undisputed classics here is because these books are difficult, and in some cases very, very long [looking at you, Proust], and the assurance that it is all worth it helps you keep going when your brain hurts.) These books survived despite their difficulty because reading them is a mind-expanding, sometimes life-changing experience. Reading shouldn't be essentially passive.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gravity's Rainbow",
          "reason": "Advises readers to try difficult books and says the experience can be mind-expanding and life-changing.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking challenging, active reading.",
          "caveat": "Difficult.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752362,
          "author": "metamemetics",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T08:13:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752362",
          "commentText": "Gravity's Rainbow (Pynchon)\nThe Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge (Rilke)\nThe Age of Extremes: A History of the World, 1914-1991 (Hobsbawm)\nBhagavad Gita\nUpanishads\nCrimes Against Logic: Exposing the Bogus Arguments of Politicians, Priests, Journalists, and Other Serial Offenders (Whyte)\nTractatus Logico-Philosophicus (Wittgenstein)\nedit: added 2 more & author names",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gravity's Rainbow (Pynchon)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875839,
          "author": "jackdawjack",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T02:59:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875839",
          "commentText": "The Brothers Karamazov\nGravity's Rainbow",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gravity's Rainbow",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143310,
          "author": "jlk",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T14:46:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143310",
          "commentText": "Ulysses by James Joyce\nCode Complete by Steve McConnell\nWalden by Henry David Thoreau\nBreakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.\nWatermelon Sugar by Richard Brautigan\nMurphy by Samuel Beckett\nGravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Pynchon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 14,
      "threads": 13,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "postmodern fiction",
        "postmodern literature",
        "historical fiction",
        "postmodernism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "one-hundred-years-of-solitude-f1d956",
      "title": "One Hundred Years of Solitude",
      "author": "Gabriel García Márquez",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46397495,
          "author": "jaimefjorge",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T23:26:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46397495",
          "commentText": "All fiction.\n- The Great Gatsby. Really enjoyed it and seemed fitting with the current times.\n- Buddenbrooks, Thomas Mann. Generational wealth come and gone. Good for putting things into perspective.\n- Things Fall Apart, Achebe.\n- The Pearl, John Steinbeck\n- Hyperion (first book), Dan Simmons. Great sci-fi. Bought the second book and look forward to reading it.\n- Stoner, John Williams. Incredibly well written book\n- One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez. Still finishing but I hope to finish in time for next year",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez. Still finishing but I hope to finish in time for next year",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter was still reading it and hoped to finish by the next year.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42569663,
          "author": "nihzm",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-01T21:58:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42569663",
          "commentText": "My favourite (fiction) book this year was One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez. An amazingly intricate storyline with a perfect ending.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favourite (fiction) book this year was One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez.",
          "reason": "Names it as the commenter’s favorite fiction book of the year and praises its intricate storyline and ending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41761526,
          "author": "kylecazar",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T00:12:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41761526",
          "commentText": "100 Years of Solitude is my favorite. I majored in Spanish literature in college, that was my first exposure to Gabriel García Márquez (I read it in the original Spanish, but I'm told the English translation is faithful and very good).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "100 Years of Solitude is my favorite.",
          "reason": "Calls it a favorite and says it was their first exposure to García Márquez.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter read it in Spanish and has heard the English translation is faithful and very good.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41238584,
          "author": "__rito__",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-13T19:10:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41238584",
          "commentText": "Does it have to be old to be a \"classic\"?\nIf not, by far, One Hundred Years of Solitude by Marquez is my favorite novel by a Nobel winner. It's great, epic, and lovely to read.\nIf you include epics, Mahabharata is actually a grand, epic book with war, friendship, love, sex, politics, realpolitik, strategy, and has a reach story line with scores of great side-stories.\nI also genuinely enjoyed Iliad and Aenied.\nI was also surprised at how good Candide by Voltaire was to read. Had a ton of fun reading it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One Hundred Years of Solitude by Marquez is my favorite novel by a Nobel winner. It's great, epic, and lovely to read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a favorite and praises the reading experience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39249854,
          "author": "nihzm",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T13:00:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249854",
          "commentText": "Right now, One hundred years of solitude by Gabriel García. I have been taking a break from scifi and nonfiction to enjoy some classics. The latest book I've read just before this one were\n1. The Dictator's Handbook by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Alastair Smith. They present a compelling argument for their framework to understand political structure and action based on the size of the coalition. The book is actually a condensed, much more readable version of the academic research of both authors. It was both a depressing and exhilarating read (as implied by the title, the whole book has a very sarcastic tone). It was also very interesting many of their arguments also apply in corporate environments just as they do in \"normal politics\"; the corporate power structure is not that far removed from the royal palaces of the kingdom or more generally from a dictatorship. Recommended read.\n2. Social Acceleration by Hartmut Rosa. This one was a though read, but absolutely illuminating. It presents an extremely clear analytic analysis on why we increasingly feel like like \"we don't have enough time\".\nIt starts by arguing how the preception of time in the preindustrial age was slower than the industrialized one (in short, mostly because in the preindustrialized society major sociotechnological change took longer than thee generations to occurr, making your life look not that different than from those of your parents and grandparents), and then it discusses the age of industrialization (standardization of national time, introduction of schedules for factory working hours) which by necessity introduced \"temporal structures\" to coordinate these new massive social structures. Also, the rate of technological progress became such that your life was no longer like your parents and grandparent's one, i.e. there were major inter-generational sociotechnological changes; Further, compounded on top of that was the secularization of western society and the romantic belief that enjoying more wordly experiences (as opposed to the afterlife) implied living a fuller or \"more complete\" life, introducing the need to experience more and faster to the masses (cf. mass tourism etc.).\nFinally it reaches the (post)modern age where the author argues that the introduction of instant worldwide communication (& internet) began eroding the temporal structure of the 20th century since they are no longer needed, as the technology now allows for (nearly) instantaneous coordination (eg. home working, international firms, etc). Moreover, technological progress is also accelerated as the internet allows for faster global exchange of ideas between more people.\nHowever, even though we are freed from the \"temporal structures\" of the 20th century we are not going back to the preindustrial slower perception of time. On the contrary, because we still have these structures and can now bring about major changes even faster there is intra-generational sociotechnological change, i.e. society can change by a lot more than before within your own lifetime. So even though we have supposedly \"more time\" thanks to the efficiency introduced by technological advancements, we actually end up feeling like we have less because of how fast change occurrs. And this is does not refer only to greater social change, but also to the life of the individual that is increasingly filled with last minute rescheduling and planning changes that reach them outside of working hours.\nParallel to all of this, the internet also allows to experience more, faster than any other technology before. This latches on the romatic idea of the previous century and naturally leads to the current \"attention span crisis\" induced by the exploitation of this myth by tech companies. All of this, of course, is not good for your psyche as people need to have some constants in their lives, and the author concludes with a warning on the effects of indefinitely sustained social acceleration.\nSo that was the gist of it, more or less. The book has a lot more (eg. connections to the capitalist economic model, the problem(s) all of this causes to the construction your own identity) but as I said it is rather though to read because of its academic style of writing. Not recommended unless you're motivated, but I wanted to share the author's ideas, since reading this book really helped me to find more time in my life by seeing _why_ I felt like I had none.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "One hundred years of solitude by Gabriel García.",
          "reason": "Names it as the book they are reading now.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467732,
          "author": "jackschultz",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:55:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467732",
          "commentText": "These threads are posted a lot, but I still like reading the comments for new book recommendations if I see a match. Also, hopefully this can show people how great fiction is. I've seen comments that shun people for liking fiction compared to non.\nFor me:\nLonesome Dove\n100 Years of Solitude\nCatch-22\nThe Sellout (very relevant again)\nEast of Eden\nKafka on the Shore (and all the stories in Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "100 Years of Solitude",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18663414,
          "author": "r34",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:47:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663414",
          "commentText": "Ernst Jünger: Annäherungen. Drogen und Rausch (not transleted to english? I've read it in polish). Great piece of essay.\nThe Art of War by Sun Tzu - bit sad\n2 books by Greg Egan: Distress & Teranesia\nThe Invention of Nature : Alexander Von Humboldt's New World\nDMT: The spirit molecule\nOne Hundred Years of Solitude by Marquez (WOW)\nThe book of dead philosophers by Simon Critchley (funny!)\n& some more (I have to start noting it down :P)\nCurrently: The Systems View of the World by Ervin Laszlo",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One Hundred Years of Solitude by Marquez (WOW)",
          "reason": "The commenter reacts with “WOW.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17381911,
          "author": "jxub",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T16:17:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17381911",
          "commentText": "From where I stand, Hispanic and Slavic literature is fairly unknown and underrated on the other side of the pond.\nRamón del Valle Inclán's \"Lights of Bohemia\": A great portrait of Madrid and the dirty guts of the Spain from 100 years ago, written in a gorgeously precise, dark and multifaceted range of vocabulary.\nOrtega y Gasset's \"Rebellion of the Masses\". It is centered in the individual \"I am me and my circumstances\" and its evolution since the enlightenment.\nSapkowski's \"Witcher\". Look for a good translation, lots of Slavic mythology tidbits and wonderfully juicy curse words.\nStanislaw Lem's \"The Star Diaries\". Nice if you like to fantasize about buying pieces for your spaceship in a shopping centre or think about chair-like aliens with 11 different sexes (in the book).\nGabriel Garcia Marquez's \"A hundred years of solitude\". The book is all about \"realismo fantástico\", joining the real and imaginary words in an unforgettable blend.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gabriel Garcia Marquez's \"A hundred years of solitude\". The book is all about \"realismo fantástico\", joining the real and imaginary words in an unforgettable blend.",
          "reason": "Describes its blend of real and imaginary worlds as unforgettable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13804180,
          "author": "metaphorm",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:19:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804180",
          "commentText": "- The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin\n- Blindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts\n- The Tao Te Ching\n- The Gateless Gate (Koun Yamada translation/editing)\n- The Baroque Cycle (Quicksilver, The Confusion, The System of the World) by Neal Stephenson\n- The Invisibles by Grant Morrison\n- Incerto (Fooled by Randomness, The Black Swan, Antifragile, The Bed of Procrustes) by Nassim Nicholas Taleb\n- Iron John by Robert Bly\n- Catch 22 by Joseph Heller\n- The Character of Physical Law by Richard P. Feynman\n- Collected Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges\n- 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez\n- Pharmakon by Dale Pendell\n- The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss\n- Greek Mythology by Edith Hamilton\n- The Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual by Gary Gygax et al\n- Introduction to Algorithms by Charles E. Leiserson, Clifford Stein, Ronald Rivest, and Thomas H. Cormen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed how people think.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10787625,
          "author": "aws_ls",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T09:09:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787625",
          "commentText": "1) Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree - Rating 3/5 - Got an idea about the times in receding Muslim powers, at the end of the 15th Century, in Spain -  The author is an historian so positive point is that fiction rooted in history. But some of the fictional narratives could have been better, as he was not a fiction writer when he started out.\n2) Zero to One - Rating 4/5 - Thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. Insights into and anecdotal examples of Paypal mafia, among the numerous over there.\n3) Liar's Poker - Rating 4/5 - The first of several best seller's by Michael Lewis, gives insights into the working of Investment Finance business, and in a very interesting way (lots of humor)\n4) Devotion of Suspect X - Rating 4/5 - Work of fiction by the Japanese best seller author Keigo Higashino. Enjoyable read - contrasts a Physicist and a Mathematician trying to out think each other in a crime context (reference to Maths/Physics are just pop-level so don't expect too much)\n5) 'Digital Gold...' by Nathaniel Popper - Currently reading (very enjoyable at around 41%) - Captures the history of evolution of Bitcoin. Also made me sad for various people for different reasons, e.g. Hal Finney, who was the first adopter of Satoshi Nakamoto's idea. Reading this book made me appreciate why not knowing who is SN is important. I am no longer curious.\n6) Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond - Rating 5/5 - A perspective changing book, if there can be one. Had picked it up from Gates notes' reading list couple years back. After reading this, my entire perspective on religions, politics, culture changed and I view everything from the reference point of when we started to do agriculture some 20,000 years ago, and of course geographical perspective.\nSome others in my to-read list (hope to pick one before the turn of the year):\n1) Emperor of all maladies - book on cancer research\n2) Ashley Vance's book on Elon Musk\n3) 100 years of solitude\n4) The selfish gene\n5) The hard thing about hard things\n6) Or, if I see any other book: either on this page, or on Gates Notes or on HN reading share the other day. Am a big fan of exchanging/sharing reading lists.\nEdit: Formatting. HN post editor needs two new lines ('\\n') to display one\nEdit 2: Had wrongly named book #4 as Salvation of a saint (which is another book, I read earlier by the same author)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "3) 100 years of solitude",
          "reason": "Lists it as a possible future read without evaluating it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It is on the to-read list.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783915,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:06:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783915",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction, best to worst:\nHenry Marsh, Do No Harm. A brilliant memoir by a neurosurgeon about his work, the nature of his profession, successes and mistakes (especially the latter). Frequently touches or verges into the personal. Not morbid, but often sad.\nKeith Johnstone, Impro for Storytellers. \nViola Spolin, Improvisation for the Theater\nTwo very good books about improvisation, although Spolin's is too dry and theory-laden for me (it's meant for teachers more than practitioners). Both, however, pale compared to Keith Johnstone's earlier Impro: Improvisation and the Theater, which is a life-changing book about what improvisation can teach us about spontaneous creativity and relationships between people. I recommend that one first and foremost if you know nothing about improvisation and are curious.\nMartinus J G Veltman, Facts and Mysteries in Elementary Particle Physics. A readable account - necessarily simplified, of course - of the current state of affairs in elementary particles and much of the last 50 years of history, by one of the participants (a Nobel prize winner). Not as organized and methodical as I thought it would be, and half a year later I forgot most of the physical explanations, but it was an interesting read.\nRobert B. Edgerton, Sick Societies. A thorough examination of the hundreds of horrible examples when \"natural\" societies studied by anthropologists have customs that are not only bad from our modern Western point of view, but arguably fail in achieving their own objectives. The whole book exists to counter lazy cultural relativism of the \"maybe we don't like X, but if they do it, it must be for a good reason and it must be a useful adaptation for them\" kind.\nMichael Harris, Mathematics Without Apologies. A very eclectic and idiosyncratic book by a mathematician on the sociology and epistemology of mathematics as a discipline. To be appreciated for its wealth of ideas and references to other interesting books and theories, rather than for any particular argument or thread.\nMilton Rokeach, The Three Christs of Ypsilanti. A story on what happened when a psychologist tried to bring three psychiatric patients, each believing themselves to be Christ, together and to talk it out amongst themselves. Happened in the 1960s. The idea is more interesting than the outcome.\nFiction, best to worst:\nPatrick O'Brian, The Hundred Days. The penultimate book in the series of the best historical novels (the Aubrey-Maturin series) ever written, by a huge margin. The series transcend the genre and I count the Aubrey-Maturin books among the very best books I read in the last decade.\nDodie Smith, I Capture the Castle. A brilliantly written coming-of-age story about a girl growing up in an impoverished family occupying a decaying castle in the English countryside, set in the 1930s. Reminded me in many ways of Rebecca West's The Fountain Overflows, a novel in the similar genre (but with a younger protagonist) that's known much less than it deserves.\nJuan Rulfo, Pedro Paramo. If you read and liked Garcia Marquez's A Hundred Years of Solitude, this one is shorter, darker, involves many more dead people, and you may want to give it a try.\nAlfred Hayes, In Love. A story of a man obsessed by love in a mid-century NYC. Unexpectedly touching, very convincing psychologically.\nIain M. Banks, Against a Dark Background. SF, a grand heist novel set in a advanced civilization living in a star system located unimaginably far away from any other stars and galaxies, and so doomed to a lone struggle with its own long history. A wealth of technological and social ideas you'd expect from Banks. The ending felt a bit forced.\nGene Wolfe, There Are Doors. Gene Wolfe, Nightsite of the Long Sun/Lake of the Long Sun.\nGene Wolfe is the best writer American science fiction produced in the last half-century. \"There are Doors\" is a pretty weird fantasy novel about an alternate world where men die after their first intercourse (as some spiders do in ours), and the hero travels back and forth between that world and ours. It's good, but not as strong as Wolfe's best, which to my taste is the Book of the New Sun tetralogy, the novellas in the Fifth Head of Cerberus collection, and many of his short stories (well-collected in The Best of Gene Wolfe). The other two are the first half of the \"Book of the Long Sun\" series that I'm still reading through.\nUrsula K. Le Guin, The Dispossessed. Superb political SF about an imagined anarchist [anti-]utopia. A serious attempt to describe a human society with no central power structures and no ownership. The hero is a physicist born and raised in that society who escapes to a sibling planet with the more typical modern states. This novel took all the awards in the 1970s when it was published, and deservedly so.\n[cont'd]",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "If you read and liked Garcia Marquez's A Hundred Years of Solitude",
          "reason": "Used as a comparison and condition for recommending Pedro Páramo.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783528,
          "author": "mlent",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:46:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783528",
          "commentText": "\"The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared\"\nby Jonas Jonasson\n(Love it -- hilarious, witty, a pleasure to read)\n\"Kafka on the Shore\" \nby Haruki Murakami\n(Strange good -- but I'm not sure if I liked it as much as liked \"The Wild Sheep Chase\")\n\"One hundred years of solitude\"\nby Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez\n(Very slow, had a hard time honestly)\n\"Gone Girl\"\nby Gillian Flynn\n(A fast, exciting read but found the ending unsatisfying. But would recommend)\n\"Still Life with Woodpecker\"\nby Tom Robbins\n(Fantastic prose, fantastical characters and situations. Will read more from him)\nAnd for technical books, I read \"The Art of Agile Development\". Was alright.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "(Very slow, had a hard time honestly)",
          "reason": "Says it was very slow and difficult for them to get through.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Found it very slow and had a hard time reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10534025,
          "author": "avnfish",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T16:43:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10534025",
          "commentText": "Superintelligence - Nick Bostrom\nInfinite Jest - David Foster Wallace\n100 Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "100 Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about the best books read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6903456,
          "author": "khangsile",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T23:19:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6903456",
          "commentText": "100 Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "100 Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for the best book read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387908,
          "author": "xanth",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T02:20:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387908",
          "commentText": "Catch 22\nSubtext: One Hundred Years of Solitude The Infinite Jest Cryptonomicon\n:P",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "One Hundred Years of Solitude",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387610,
          "author": "macrael",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T00:02:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387610",
          "commentText": "East of Eden is my favorite book I've read in the last several years. Beautiful end to end and very moral. If you've read it it's totally worth reading Journal of a Novel: a collection of letters Steinbeck wrote to his editor every day as he was writing East of Eden. It's a fascinating window into the mind of a master deliberately creating a masterpiece.\nOther favorites: Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner, In Our Time by Hemingway, The Magus by John Fowles, 100 years of solitude, Moby Dick (perhaps a precursor to all modern fantasy?) Stranger in a Strange Land, and Infinite Jest. I've also loved both of DFW's big essay collections: Consider the Lobster and A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll never Do Again.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "100 years of solitude",
          "reason": "Includes it among other favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387605,
          "author": "mdellabitta",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T00:00:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387605",
          "commentText": "Catch 22\nOne Hundred Years of Solitude\nThe Infinite Jest\nCryptonomicon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One Hundred Years of Solitude",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395210,
          "author": "armandososa",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T09:05:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395210",
          "commentText": "This year I read again '100 years of solitude' (in spanish, of course) and I enjoyed every bit of it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'100 years of solitude'",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed every bit of rereading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1993186,
          "author": "Kutta",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-10T21:05:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1993186",
          "commentText": "Borges and Marquez are the two I latin americans I'm acquainted with and they are overall the most famous too. Borges is always very brainy and philosophical in a very good way; sometimes he even ventures into flat-out mindfuck territories. He mostly wrote short stories that are consistently good. Marquez has a lovely vivid and very visual prose and writes either in a realist or slightly magical realist style. \"One Hundred Years of Solitude\" and \"Love in the Time of Cholera\" are the pivotal points of his bibliography.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"One Hundred Years of Solitude\" and \"Love in the Time of Cholera\" are the pivotal points of his bibliography.",
          "reason": "Identified as a pivotal work in Márquez's bibliography.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752443,
          "author": "swombat",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T09:56:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752443",
          "commentText": "Most books by Hermann Hesse, really... Narziss&Goldmund changed my perspective on life. If you have anything artistic in you, it's a must-read. Steppenwolf, Siddharta and the Glass Bead Game are other must-reads.\nGabriel Garcia Marques, One hundred years of solitude.\nPractically all of Jorge Luis Borges' short stories. Mind-bending.\nMilan Kundera's Unbearable Lightness of Being.\nMichael Ende's Never Ending Story.\nEnjoy!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gabriel Garcia Marques, One hundred years of solitude.",
          "reason": "Listed as a book suggestion in response to a request for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1633506,
          "author": "dwwoelfel",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T17:34:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1633506",
          "commentText": "http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0060929790/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0060929790/",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1632855,
          "author": "secret",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T14:08:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1632855",
          "commentText": "One Hundred Years of Solitude- The English translation is some of the most beautiful writing I've ever read. The story is amazing and its understanding of people is unlike any I've encountered before, but the writing alone gave me a completely new understanding of what literature should really be.\nIt's been described as \"the first piece of literature since the Book of Genesis that should be required reading for the entire human race.\" [1]\n[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriel_Garc%C3%ADa_M%C3%A1rque... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriel_Garc%C3%ADa_M%C3%A1rquez#cite_note-46)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The story is amazing and its understanding of people is unlike any I've encountered before",
          "reason": "Praises the story, its insight into people, and the translation's writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Praise specifically refers to the English translation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gabriel García Márquez"
      ],
      "recommenders": 14,
      "threads": 13,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "magical realism",
        "family saga",
        "latin american literature",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-autobiography-of-benjamin-franklin-003466",
      "title": "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin",
      "author": "Benjamin Franklin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42219077,
          "author": "Brajeshwar",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T03:54:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42219077",
          "commentText": "This year, I decided to read more fiction, and I like it.[1] Here are some of the interesting non-fiction books I liked;\n- Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology by Chris Miller\n- How We Got to Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World by Steven Johnson\n- The Accidental Masterpiece: On the Art of Life and Vice Versa by Michael Kimmelman\n- The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin\n- The TATAS: How a Family Built a Business and a Nation by Girish Kuber\n1. https://brajeshwar.com/2024/books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin",
          "reason": "Included among the non-fiction books the commenter liked.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40286835,
          "author": "rdmullins1978",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T15:24:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40286835",
          "commentText": "For the last several years, I've kicked off my annual book list by re-reading Ben Franklin's _Autobiography_. I just love the conversational tone and how wide-ranging it is, and there's a surprising amount of still-practical day-to-day advice in there.\nHonorable mention to _How to Win Friends and Influence People_ (I agree with other comments that earlier editions are better) and _Getting Things Done_.\nThanks for starting this thread! Lots of good recommendations here.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "re-reading Ben Franklin's _Autobiography_",
          "reason": "The commenter rereads it annually and values its conversational tone and practical advice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16299629,
          "author": "WheelsAtLarge",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T21:02:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16299629",
          "commentText": "I have 4:\n-Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography - you can download it for free\n- Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell - A bit simplistic but it opens your eye to the fact that talent is a small part of being successful in whatever you want to achieve.\n- How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie - You need people to succeed. Making enemies or just treating people indifferently is a bad move.\n- 7 habits of highly effective people by Stephen R. Covey. People put it down because the advice seems to be common sense but it's only common sense if you know it but not everyone knows it.\n- Meditations by Marcus Aurelius- this is a lifelong guide. Read it until the pages fall apart and then get another and do the same.\nAll these books can be read multiple times and you'll learn something new so get hard copies if you can.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography - you can download it for free",
          "reason": "Included among the books the commenter wishes they had read earlier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296370,
          "author": "maroonblazer",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T05:41:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296370",
          "commentText": "\"The Logic of Failure\" by Dietrich Dorner. Sort of an applied \"Heuristics and Biases\".\n\"The Moral Animal\" by Robert Wright. It unlocked the reasons why my impulses and aspirations were at such odds.\n\"The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin\". Very practical advice for how to better oneself.\nCaveat: Reading them earlier is one thing. Appreciating them is another.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin\". Very practical advice for how to better oneself.",
          "reason": "Calls its advice on self-improvement very practical.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16010565,
          "author": "jonvillage",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-26T19:55:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16010565",
          "commentText": "This year I've read:\nMaxims - Epictetus\nThe road to serfdom - Friedrich Hayek\nDe officiis - Cicero\nDe divinatione - Cicero\nLives of eminent philosophers - Diogenes Laertius\nConfessions - Al ghazali\nIlliad - Homer\nOdyssey - Homer\nInfluence - Robert Cialdini\nGuns, Germs and steel - Jared Diamond\nPoor Charlie's Almanack - Charlie Munger - 2nd reading\nAndrew Carnegie's Biography - Joseph Frazier\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Taleb - 2nd reading\nBed of Procrustes - Nassim Taleb\nNever Split the Difference - Christopher Voss\nThe intelligent investor - Benjamin Graham\nAutobiography - Benjamin Franklin\nI always remember this quote:\n\"In my whole life, I have known no wise people who didn't read all the time -- none, zero.\"  Charlie Munger",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Autobiography - Benjamin Franklin",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630081,
          "author": "Noxchi",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:26:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630081",
          "commentText": "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin - he goes a little bit into how he did the stuff he did.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "he goes a little bit into how he did the stuff he did.",
          "reason": "The commenter points to its account of how Franklin accomplished things.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12419015,
          "author": "threesixandnine",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-03T12:56:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12419015",
          "commentText": "Big impact for me both professionally and personally : The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Big impact for me both professionally and personally : The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book had a big impact on them professionally and personally.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10234196,
          "author": "davemel37",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T16:13:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10234196",
          "commentText": "My runner up sales books are:\nBe My Guest by Conrad Hilton \nThe Success System That Never Fails by W. clement stone\nThe Ultimate Sales Letter by Dan Kennedy\nThe Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin\nWatch all of Brene Browns TED talks about vulnerability. \nSales requires trust and trust is built on connection and connection is built by being vulnerable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin",
          "reason": "Lists it among the commenter's runner-up sales books.",
          "audience": "People interested in sales, trust, and connection.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348782,
          "author": "moron4hire",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:29:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348782",
          "commentText": "A lot of good suggestions. To try to avoid repeating what others have said too much, here are some from a different perspective.\n# \"JPod\" by Douglas Coupland helped me realize that it was corporatism, not me, that was broken.\n# Benjamin Franklin's autobiography showed me a history that was made of people, a people no different than me and mine, and that success comes from standing up and going your own way.\n# \"Time Enough for Love\" by Robert Heinlein taught me that, while culture is arbitrary and we should be free to try to make it what we wish, that doesn't make it fake or ignorable.\n# \"Sherlock Holmes\" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, re-read as an adult, taught me the importance of formula in consistency and how much a market of fans love predictability.\n# \"Game of Thrones\" by George R.R. Martin taught me that the movie can be a lot better than the book and that there is a problem with modern generations making an affectation out of book reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Benjamin Franklin's autobiography showed me a history that was made of people, a people no different than me and mine",
          "reason": "The commenter says the autobiography changed how they understood history and personal possibility.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8257532,
          "author": "dabent",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T13:55:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257532",
          "commentText": "\"The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin\" -- one of the books pg recommends.  I've just started, so I can't provide a review.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin\" -- one of the books pg recommends.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has just started it and cannot yet provide a review.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8125672,
          "author": "lancewiggs",
          "createdAt": "2014-08-02T19:10:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 8125375,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I save for offline reading during 5 weeks without Internet?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8125672",
          "commentText": "Great question, and one that I asked just before going to Mozambique for 10 weeks a few years back. I'd just bought a kindle, which were not available outside the USA back then, and asked a few interesting folks I was chatting to at Foo. Here are my resulting first few kindle purchases:\nThe Match King\nHeros Die (I bought the rest of them)\nThe city and the city\nEvery patient tells a story\nBlindsight\nBorn to Run\nHot, Flat & Crowded\nThe Autobiography of Ben Franklin\nThe Hunger Games (!)\nAnd on it went - asking for recommendations was a fantastic thing to do.  I'd asked for fiction as I was going there to work and would be too exhausted at first to do much else.\nSo I do encourage everyone to give some names of books. And yes - do take a good camera, do take binoculars - Leica if you can afford them, and embrace the experience.\nA few years later I went to Antarctica on a boat for 30 days offline. By then I had hundreds of books on kindle, and several devices to read them. This is basically a solved problem now. I did take Wikipedia in offline state, which was useful.\nIn decades previous when traveling I cared about weight and price per word and focused on \"good\" books - books that you know you should read but which need a bit of effort. When you are off the grid and in countries where there are few English books then it was a great way to read great books. \nBut now the Internet is everywhere. It might be flaky, and it might be painful to access, but you'll be able to find access to buy and download books relatively easily.\nThree recommendations, aside from the above which I enjoyed a lot.\nBill Aulet: Disciplined Entrepreneurship, covers the topic very well and generously references everything else.\nThe Circle by Dave Eggers paints a picture that's creepily familiar already.\nLeague of Denial will have you shake your head gently and sadly at NFL and other contact sports.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Autobiography of Ben Franklin",
          "reason": "Listed among the books the commenter bought for offline reading, later described as books they enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5324687,
          "author": "expralitemonk",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-05T14:42:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 5323956,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: which are some good self-help books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5324687",
          "commentText": "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/148\nMeditations by Marcus Aurelius http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2680\nHe wasn't the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, but he was Emperor of Rome. ;)\nWalden http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/205\nMost of the big problems in life have already been pondered eons ago.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin",
          "reason": "The commenter points to it as an example of people pondering life's problems long ago.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4530467,
          "author": "idoh",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-16T21:37:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 4530022,
          "threadTitle": "What to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4530467",
          "commentText": "Some favorites from my bookshelf: Benjamin Franklin's autobiography, Thinking Fast and Slow, Fooled by Randomness / Black Swan, SICP, Zen Mind Beginner's Mind",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Benjamin Franklin's autobiography",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395837,
          "author": "fduran",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T14:37:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395837",
          "commentText": "\"The snowball: Warren Buffett and the business of life\"\n\"The autobiography of Benjamin Franklin\"\n\"The toilet paper entrepreneur\"\n\"The lean startup\"\n\"Anything you want\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The autobiography of Benjamin Franklin\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2616033,
          "author": "jbogan",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T12:19:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2616033",
          "commentText": "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the reading recommendation question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 203016,
          "author": "rms",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T05:18:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=203016",
          "commentText": "The auto-biography of Benjamin Franklin! Incredibly relevant to entrepreneurship.\nhttp://www.earlyamerica.com/lives/franklin/ or\nhttp://www.gutenberg.org/etext/148",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The auto-biography of Benjamin Franklin! Incredibly relevant to entrepreneurship.",
          "reason": "Recommended as highly relevant to entrepreneurship.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in entrepreneurship.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85859,
          "author": "kirse",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T07:45:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85859",
          "commentText": "The Bible\nAutobiography of Ben Franklin\nMastering the Winds of Change (solid self-improvement book)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Autobiography of Ben Franklin",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Benjamin Franklin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 14,
      "threads": 13,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "autobiography",
        "american history",
        "entrepreneurship",
        "founding fathers"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ulysses-e77f42",
      "title": "Ulysses",
      "author": "James Joyce",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41770120,
          "author": "A4ET8a8uTh0",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T19:42:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41770120",
          "commentText": "<< But it also intimidates folks into not sharing some really good stuff.\nThat is probably the saddest part that good things don't have enough time/chance to spread. I like to think that there are more Adams, Pratchetts out there, but they remain largely undiscovered due to this society pre-approved list of things you can 'consume'.\nAnd good here does not automatically mean \"Ulysses\" ( which I hated -- and quite possibly misunderstood ). Some stuff can be just lazy popculture level navel gazing, but it does not mean it can't be fun as it revels in excess at the same time ( Rick and Morty comes to mind -- yes, it is not a book, but I am making a point.. how many kids you see reading for fun ).\n<< People are trying to posture and prove all kinds of things.\nAgreed, but it still does not seem as bad as other internet locales. And maybe it comes with socialization. At certain point we learn no one really cares. I know I stated some mildly pretentious stuff before. Seemed like a big deal then; now it is just an amusing memory.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "good here does not automatically mean \"Ulysses\" ( which I hated -- and quite possibly misunderstood )",
          "reason": "Says they hated Ulysses, while allowing they may have misunderstood it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They hated it and may have misunderstood it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41769222,
          "author": "allturtles",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T18:23:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41769222",
          "commentText": "> These threads often end up, with everyone trying to prove they are literary scholars\nI see a wide variety of answers ITT. Some are very \"literary\" fiction e.g. Ulysses, others are lighter fare like Harry Potter, there's also a wide variety of non-fiction works from self-help to electronics manuals to philosophy. Have you considered that other people might actually have different tastes than you, and aren't trying to \"prove\" anything?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "e.g. Ulysses",
          "reason": "Cited as an example of literary fiction in a range of tastes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41758539,
          "author": "twoodfin",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-06T17:13:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41758539",
          "commentText": "Taking “best” to mean, “About to be banished to a small, rocky island in the North Atlantic, can pack one book”: Ulysses, and it’s not particularly close.\nThe book is fractally intricate and intellectually puzzling in the best sense—something new and special to notice every time you pick it up.\nBut it also wears like old\nleather, and I find myself returning to favorite chapters simply to sink indulgently into the characters, dialog, and setting.\nAnybody who says no one has actually read Ulysses is unknowingly half-right: You can certainly get to a point where you’ll never finish reading it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ulysses, and it’s not particularly close.",
          "reason": "Calls it their clear choice for a one-book desert island and values its intricacy and rereadability.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says finishing it is not necessary to keep finding new things in it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41240816,
          "author": "bikenaga",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-13T23:14:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41240816",
          "commentText": "Someone else mentioned Thomas Hardy's \"The Mayor of Casterbirdge\". It's the one of his 5 major novels I haven't read. \"Far From the Madding Crowd\" and \"Return of the Native\" are okay, but the two that really are magnificent are:\n\"Jude the Obscure\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/153\n\"Tess of the D'Urbervilles\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/110\nYou can sense his fury at the society he was depicting. You might not want to read either of these, particularly \"Tess\", if you're prone to depression.\nFrederick Jackson Turner, \"The Frontier in American History\" (1921) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/22994\nThis collection leads off with Turner's essay \"The Significance of the Frontier in American History\" (1893). It's considered by some the most influential historical essay about America ever written. Historians went back and forth on his claims for decades, and people pointed out many issues with them. It seems like the critics predominate now. But it's still worth reading, particularly since (right or wrong) his ideas influenced the way we think of ourselves. Turner was a very good writer - he was a noted orator, and his essays have an oratorical quality - and the other essays in the collection are pretty good, too.\nOwen Wister, \"The Virginian\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1298\nZane Grey, \"Riders of the Purple Sage\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1300\nAnd the sequel: \"The Rainbow Trail\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/5067\n\"The Virginian\" (1902) and \"Riders\" (1912) established many of the themes and tropes for the \"standard\" western, and they're still fun to read. But the genre comprises many other kinds of writing - e.g. A. B. Guthrie, Elmer Kelton, and the next writer.\nWilla Cather's novels:\nThe \"plains trilogy\" (the stories are set in Nebraska and Colorado, but otherwise unrelated):\n\"O Pioneers!\" (1913) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/24\n\"The Song of the Lark\" (1915) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/44\n\"My Ántonia\" (1918) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19810\nAnd not quite a hundred years ago, but a wonderful novel:\n\"Death Comes for the Archbishop\" (1927) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/69730\nA few brief mentions: James Joyce's \"Ulysses\", though I had a tough time getting through it; some of Nathaniel Hawthorne's short stories (e.g. \"The Minister's Black Veil\"); \"Njal's Saga\" (I liked the Penguin edition with the translation by Magnusson and Pallson); the great works of classic fantasy (Lord Dunsany, E. R. Eddison, William Morris, Arthur Machen); the essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "James Joyce's \"Ulysses\", though I had a tough time getting through it",
          "reason": "Briefly recommends it while noting it was difficult for the commenter to finish.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter had a tough time getting through it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38253918,
          "author": "beezlebroxxxxxx",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-13T19:10:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38253918",
          "commentText": "> Would I be at a disadvantage of not knowing anything about Malazan world or its tabletop RPG?\nNo. My understanding is the RPG world was entirely private and there is no published campaign or book about the specific RPG world at all. It was just what Erikson made before he started the Malazan series. It's not required at all.\nMalazan is decidedly more demanding as a reader though than Stormlight. I would say if you find Stormlight complicated or demanding then you might not enjoy Malazan, which is operating on a fundamentally more complex (on sheer number of characters, for an example) and mature level than Stormlight on almost every level. There is a reason Malazan is often brought up when discussing the greatest fantasy series of all time.\n(I still would put neither Malazan or Stormlight as really complex books though. They're fairly straightforward compared to more creative and formally interesting books like Ulysses or Finnegan's Wake, for instance. In general people who read fantasy tend to be rather hyperbolic when it comes to how complex the books are.)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "more creative and formally interesting books like Ulysses or Finnegan's Wake",
          "reason": "Cited as an example of more formally interesting and complex books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37160206,
          "author": "pallas_athena",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T11:51:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37160206",
          "commentText": "Since his death, I've been reading (or re-reading) all his books.\nRarely I have enjoyed so many books from a single author. I also think Blood Meridian is one the greatest books of all time.\nAccording to [1] \"his list of great novels stops at four: Ulysses, The Brothers Karamazov, The Sound and the Fury and his favorite, Moby-Dick\".\nThey all are a good addition to this thread.\n[1] https://web.archive.org/web/20140629023902/http://74.220.215... (https://web.archive.org/web/20140629023902/http://74.220.215.94/~davidkus/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=61:cormac-mccarthys-apocalypse-&catid=35:articles&Itemid=54)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "According to [1] \"his list of great novels stops at four: Ulysses, The Brothers Karamazov, The Sound and the Fury and his favorite, Moby-Dick\".",
          "reason": "Listed as one of another person's four great novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter attributes this ranking to a cited source and says the books are a good addition to the thread.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31973607,
          "author": "blockwriter",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-04T04:54:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31973607",
          "commentText": "In the sense of a piece of writing that was meant to be a book, Ulysses. Otherwise, the collected works of Shakespeare.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Ulysses.",
          "reason": "Selected on the condition that it is a work intended as a book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter distinguishes it from collected works that were not originally intended as a book.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22727526,
          "author": "Cro_on",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T12:40:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22727526",
          "commentText": "Ulysses.\nSurprised I haven't seen it mentioned yet, as it normally is in book threads on HN.\nThe reason that it had, and still has, such a positive influence on my life is the plethora of literary tools which it possesses. It allows for infinite play and imagination, while still being the apparent product of extreme dedication and earned mastery.\nIn fact, I prefer Portrait of The Artist as a Young Man as a novel, and I'm sure that the Wake is a perfect encyclopedia of language, cryptography, history, et al. But Ulysses takes it as an (humerous, profound, tricky, psychoanalytic, poetic, radical) example of the process of artistic experiment, the practically infinite range of the possible, and the unforgiving merit of deep study and eclectic knowledge.\nI go back every so often to bounce my own ideas and troubling sentences off of it, more often than not just to get a little bit of validation.\nNext would be Hesiod - Theogany, a 900 line 'epic' poem from the dawn of written literature. He is considered to be the first economist, though at that point of course it is simply philosophy. It explained for me the concept of emergent consciousness in a very biblical way, and let me realise the notion that religious works are just misunderstood metaphors; products of an imperfect language. It's unsurprising I suppose that something so short, that was written almost 3000 years ago, has such incredible lessons and timeless human value.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The reason that it had, and still has, such a positive influence on my life is the plethora of literary tools which it possesses.",
          "reason": "The commenter says its literary techniques and imaginative possibilities have had a lasting positive influence.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20334576,
          "author": "Machado117",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T13:04:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20334576",
          "commentText": "Good luck with Ulysses.\nI tried several times but I always find myself with no idea of what I just read after reading a few pages.\nMight try again one day.\nI read Brothers Karamazov some years ago and I find impressive how I still think about it regularly.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I tried several times but I always find myself with no idea of what I just read after reading a few pages.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes repeatedly struggling to follow the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter may try again one day.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20334460,
          "author": "playing_colours",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T12:46:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20334460",
          "commentText": "I decided to try reading the classic literature this year. The books that stood the test of time. I started with\n  Brothers Karamazov by F.Dostoyevsky\n  Middlemarch by G.Eliot\n\nAfter that I plan to continue with\n  East of Eden by J.Steinbeck\n  Ulysses by J.Joyce\n\nThey all have incredible characters, deep thoughts, delicious language. Sure, not an easy read after contemporary fiction, but I noticed that the more classic literature I read the better I understand and enjoy it. Also, I own Folio Society's copies of last three titles, and it's an an additional pleasure to hold, touch, and read physical books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "They all have incredible characters, deep thoughts, delicious language.",
          "reason": "Included among the classics the commenter plans to read; they praise the titles together for their characters, ideas, and language.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in classic literature.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says classic literature can be challenging after contemporary fiction.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19091194,
          "author": "0898",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T23:29:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19091194",
          "commentText": "I couldn't get past the first three pages. I had no idea what was happening. Am I thick? Or is it a difficult text?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I couldn't get past the first three pages. I had no idea what was happening.",
          "reason": "The commenter found the opening pages difficult to follow and asks whether the text is difficult.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter did not get past the first three pages and is unsure if the difficulty is theirs or the text's.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14481539,
          "author": "balladeer",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-04T13:44:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14481539",
          "commentText": "Anna Karenina, A Suitable Boy, and the like. Excellent books but after college it's been difficult to start and keep at them in a acceptable period of time given the time (or lack of it) is an issue now. I also wanted to read Ulysses. I am stuck around the ~20% of Dostoyevsky's Idiot since a long time. Off late I've had better success with shortner ones.\nFor me the reason is simple - it's just the daunting number of pages and it is a shame that I have not read/finished these books.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I also wanted to read Ulysses.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they wanted to read it, without expressing an evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12098726,
          "author": "pklausler",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T03:08:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12098726",
          "commentText": "Infinite Jest\nUlysses\nThe Selfish Gene\nThe Histories of Herodotus\nMoby-Dick\nGödel, Escher, Bach",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ulysses",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674234,
          "author": "dietrichepp",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T11:42:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674234",
          "commentText": "If you want \"crazy-to-grasp\", you want Ulysses, To the Lighthouse, Gravity's Rainbow, Infinite Jest, Moby Dick, House of Leaves, etc.\nNot that \"crazy-to-grasp\" approximates \"good\" in any way.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If you want \"crazy-to-grasp\", you want Ulysses, To the Lighthouse, Gravity's Rainbow, Infinite Jest, Moby Dick, House of Leaves, etc.",
          "reason": "Suggested for readers seeking challenging books.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking books that are “crazy-to-grasp.”",
          "caveat": "The commenter says difficulty does not approximate quality.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5832481,
          "author": "leephillips",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T14:08:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5832481",
          "commentText": "Some favorites:\nPale Fire by Nabokov\nUlysses by Joyce\nEt Tu, Babe by Leyner\nMetamorphosis by Kafka (more a long story)\nThings Fall Apart by Achebe\nHamlet and Coriolanus by Shakespeare\nThe Code of the Woosters by Wodehouse\nThe Doorbell Rang by Stout",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ulysses by Joyce",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5000264,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2013-01-03T00:19:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 5000101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5000264",
          "commentText": "James Joyce, Ulysses.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "James Joyce, Ulysses.",
          "reason": "Offers it as a response to a request for a book that gives a new perspective on an old problem.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4597065,
          "author": "arunabh",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-01T14:15:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 4596721,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4597065",
          "commentText": "1. Ulysses \n2. The Dilbert Principle",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Ulysses",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2526858,
          "author": "pemulis",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-08T22:27:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 2526568,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2526858",
          "commentText": "I'm on a David Foster Wallace kick right now: Working through The Pale King, his collected essays and his short stories. Already read Infinite Jest. It's hard to say what qualifies as \"essential reading\" when it's impossible for a human being to read even one tenth of the great, all-time classic books. There just isn't enough time. My advice would be to read at least a few books that have reputations for being difficult. War and Peace, Gravity's Rainbow, In Search of Lost Time, Ulysses, etc. (The reason I'm only listing near-undisputed classics here is because these books are difficult, and in some cases very, very long [looking at you, Proust], and the assurance that it is all worth it helps you keep going when your brain hurts.) These books survived despite their difficulty because reading them is a mind-expanding, sometimes life-changing experience. Reading shouldn't be essentially passive.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ulysses",
          "reason": "Advises readers to try difficult books and says the experience can be mind-expanding and life-changing.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking challenging, active reading.",
          "caveat": "Difficult.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753801,
          "author": "barrkel",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T22:23:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753801",
          "commentText": "I don't think lispm was expressing a judgement on The Glass Bead Game, but rather pointing out the subtext of the book. The parallel with Ulysses is not applicable, IMHO; a day of a man's life is just the ostensible surface of the book, not its subtext.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The parallel with Ulysses is not applicable, IMHO",
          "reason": "The comment rejects a comparison; it offers no evaluation of the book itself.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876017,
          "author": "jeremyw",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T04:39:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876017",
          "commentText": "Unalone's enjoyment of Finnegans Wake notwithstanding, deciphering the footnotes and expository ultimately doesn't have the upside that learning the English of Shakespeare and Chaucer do.\nI'd suggest readers try Joyce's wonderful short stories, then making an assault on Ulysses.  Nabokov, a Joyce admirer, called Wake, \"that petrified superpun.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "making an assault on Ulysses",
          "reason": "The commenter suggests readers try it after Joyce's short stories.",
          "audience": "Readers willing to work through a challenging novel.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797263,
          "author": "darkxanthos",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T03:13:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797263",
          "commentText": "Just finished The Time Traveler's Wife... Working on GEB, and Ulysses (also a simple French reader and Le Petit Prince since I'm just learning French).\nI also got a book about Ulysses to help me glean as much as possible out of this intellectual and physical monstrosity of a book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "and Ulysses",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797225,
          "author": "tel",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T02:48:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797225",
          "commentText": "Ulysses, haha.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Ulysses, haha.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143310,
          "author": "jlk",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T14:46:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143310",
          "commentText": "Ulysses by James Joyce\nCode Complete by Steve McConnell\nWalden by Henry David Thoreau\nBreakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.\nWatermelon Sugar by Richard Brautigan\nMurphy by Samuel Beckett\nGravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ulysses by James Joyce",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Joyce"
      ],
      "recommenders": 14,
      "threads": 13,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "modernist literature",
        "stream of consciousness",
        "modernist novel",
        "classic literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "finite-and-infinite-games-6ae530",
      "title": "Finite and Infinite Games",
      "author": "James P. Carse",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37937756,
          "author": "thunderbong",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T02:54:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937756",
          "commentText": "Finite and Infinite Games - James P. Carse",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Finite and Infinite Games - James P. Carse",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35174106,
          "author": "pedalpete",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T20:13:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35174106",
          "commentText": "Finite and Infinite Games - James P. Chase",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Finite and Infinite Games - James P. Chase",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31973374,
          "author": "johnthescott",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-04T04:04:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31973374",
          "commentText": "\"finite and infinite games\" by james carse",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"finite and infinite games\" by james carse",
          "reason": "Selected as the book to reread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23858918,
          "author": "seitzej",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:47:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858918",
          "commentText": "Thinking in Systems - Donella Meadows\nFinite and Infinite Games - James Carse",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Finite and Infinite Games - James Carse",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23472163,
          "author": "photonemitter",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T23:31:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23472163",
          "commentText": "I’ve read most Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett 3 or more times.\nFinite and Infinite Games, by James P. Carse is another philosophical favourite when it comes to getting something new each read through.\nBook of Mirdad, which is like a modern take on the Abramelin, don’t recall the author’s name, but it’s very much into the symbolic/mystic/esoteric ways and very revealing to that side without explicitly stating any “secrets”\nFirst Law trilogy, by Abercrombie. This is what Gritty Fantasy should read like. It’s got scenes in them that I want to reread the books just to get to. Really hope these would be made into a series or films, as the cinematography in them is already perfect. Without spoiling the first book as it’s revealed early on; Logan Ninefingers is essentially a Barbarian, but throughout you get the feeling he’s deeply afraid of that side. (If you’ve watched how Mike Tyson talked about his fear of that side in him on his podcast, this is essentially it...)\nThere’s been other books as well, but these are the biggest reread-able ones for me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Finite and Infinite Games, by James P. Carse is another philosophical favourite when it comes to getting something new each read through.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds something new on each rereading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23468786,
          "author": "booknobook",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T17:35:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23468786",
          "commentText": "I and Thou by Martin Buber\nFinite and Infinite Games by James P. Carse\nOn Having No Head by Douglas E. Harding",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Finite and Infinite Games by James P. Carse",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19090814,
          "author": "lolptdr",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T22:46:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090814",
          "commentText": "Awesome, was hoping this book would show up. I only had to read the first 2 pages to know the whole of my philosophy summed up. It is not easy to read since it requires many analogous references to really apply it, but worth the effort. Definitely re-readable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Awesome, was hoping this book would show up. I only had to read the first 2 pages to know the whole of my philosophy summed up.",
          "reason": "Says the book sums up their philosophy and is worth rereading despite requiring many analogous references to apply.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not easy to read; applying it requires many analogous references.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168782,
          "author": "uvesten",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:51:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168782",
          "commentText": "Finite and Infinite Games by James P. Carse\nTruly a mind-expanding book, which can help remove a lot of contraints on ones’ thinking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Finite and Infinite Games by James P. Carse\nTruly a mind-expanding book, which can help remove a lot of contraints on ones’ thinking.",
          "reason": "Praised as mind-expanding and helpful for loosening constraints on thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17047781,
          "author": "z5h",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T15:05:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17047781",
          "commentText": "I've bought, read, given \"Finite and Infinite Games\" several times. I actually remember the day I bought it (first copy), nearly 20 years ago!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I've bought, read, given \"Finite and Infinite Games\" several times.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17047379,
          "author": "kyoob",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T14:09:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17047379",
          "commentText": "\"Finite and Infinite Games\" by James Carse. Makes me think a lot about the rat race versus a life lived for a higher purpose. My copy is pretty worn out from my carrying it around a rereading it.\nIf you like graphic novels, the ending of \"Asterios Polyp\" made me gasp and put the book down and walk outside to mull it all over.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Makes me think a lot about the rat race versus a life lived for a higher purpose.",
          "reason": "Says the book prompts reflection on work and purpose.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762368,
          "author": "wpietri",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T02:39:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762368",
          "commentText": "Franz de Waal's \"Chimpanzee Politics\". It's nominally about the social relationships of a chimp colony in a Dutch zoo. But it made me see the extent to which humans are just another great ape, and a lot of human dynamics are really primate dynamics, especially around social power.\nJohnstone's \"Impro\". It's about improvisational theater, and mainly meant for people learning improv. But the section on status transactions helped me see a lot about how we express those primate dominance dynamics. There's also great material on the nature of creativity.\n\"Getting to Yes\" is a great book about business negotiation, but is lessons about shifting discussions from zero-sum to positive-sum are things I use a lot.\nBraitenberg's \"Vehicles: Experiments in Synthetic Psychology\" is a way of thinking about psychology (and our inference of mind) by examining imaginary robots.\n\"The Toyota Way\" and other books on Lean Manufacturing are about running extremely effective manufacturing operations. But they have deeply changed how I think about systems of making software and running businesses. Other great books in this category include \"Toyota Kata\" and \"Principles of Product Development Flow\".\n\"Crossing the Chasm\" is about how tech products get adopted. But its mindset around segmenting audiences and building credibility taught me a lot about any sort of social change.\n\"Why Does He Do That? Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men\" is nominally about abuse in romantic relationships. But its insights about power and control have  been useful to me way beyond that. E.g., so much behavior in large corporations is inexplicable if you look at it in business terms, and perfectly sensible if you think about if from the perspective of, \"What would a person with abusive tendencies gain from this situation?\"\nAlso, hearty +1s for books \"Design of Everyday Things\", \"Finite and Infinite Games\", and \"Punished by Rewards\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Finite and Infinite Games\"",
          "reason": "Included in the author's hearty endorsements.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762108,
          "author": "laktek",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T01:22:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762108",
          "commentText": "Currently reading Finite and Infinite Games by James Carse and it already helped me form a simple model to approach many different problems in life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Currently reading Finite and Infinite Games by James Carse and it already helped me form a simple model to approach many different problems in life.",
          "reason": "Says it has already helped form a model for approaching many different problems in life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is currently reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674889,
          "author": "mjklin",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T15:03:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674889",
          "commentText": "Finite and Infinite Games by James Carse",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Finite and Infinite Games by James Carse",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the request for a mind-blowing book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4967179,
          "author": "nichodges",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T21:42:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967179",
          "commentText": "A few highlights for me...\nAbundance - Peter H. Diamandis, Steven Kotler.\nDiamandis has an almost infectiously positive way of looking at the world. And a hope that's not just based on a philosophical belief but is backed up with hard data.\nDistrust That Particular Flavor - William Gibson.\nI never got into Gibson as a fiction writer, but this collection of essays, articles and talks immediately made me appreciate him as an amazing thinker, observer, and truly brilliant writer. This book is worthwhile for the pieces on Japan alone, but every single piece is wonderful.\nFinite and Infinite Games - James Carse.\nAn old book but one I only just discovered. No book has every so subtly had an impact on my life every day. The finite vs. infinite way of looking at the world has changed the way I think and act completely on the inside, yet it's probably hardly noticable on the outside. An amazingly easy book to read, couldn't recommend it highly enough.\nHow Music Works - David Byrne\nA unique and refreshing take on creating music that can be applied to the creation of anything. Byrne leaves the mysterious & ethereal world of 'creativity' for dead, and looks at how he creates music, and how the industry works, in a grounded and logical way. A brilliant book for anyone who creates anything.\nThe Plenitude: Creativity, Innovation, and Making Stuff - Rich Gold\nAnother old(er) book, but one I can't believe I only just found. Rich Gold's outlook on how and why we make things should be required reading for anyone who plans on thrusting their big idea into the world.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking - Susan Cain\nIt's had a lot of press, but I'm going to recommend it anyway. HN undoubtedly has a higher than average number of introverts who truly operate in an extroverted world. This book was absolutely eye opening in how it deconstructs different situations and personalities in a useful and positive way. I wouldn't say it's 'changed my life', but it has made a few relationships with close friends and colleagues a lot better.\nAnd a quick plug - for any avid Kindle readers out there, I've built a web app for viewing/sharing/organising Kindle highlights. If any HN'ers want early access sign up at http://kindred.it/ and I'll ping you a beta login.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "couldn't recommend it highly enough.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed how they think and act and strongly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1974799,
          "author": "pmichaud",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T11:03:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974799",
          "commentText": "\"Finite and Infinite Games\" - James Carse\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Finite-Infinite-Games-Vision-Possibili... (http://www.amazon.com/Finite-Infinite-Games-Vision-Possibility/dp/0345341848)\nMindblowing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Finite and Infinite Games\" - James Carse\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Finite-Infinite-Games-Vision-Possibili...\nMindblowing.",
          "reason": "Calls the book mind-blowing in response to a best-book question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James P. Carse"
      ],
      "recommenders": 14,
      "threads": 12,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "game theory",
        "meaning",
        "life philosophy",
        "life purpose"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-read-a-book-28c446",
      "title": "How to Read a Book",
      "author": "Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49478636,
          "author": "treetalker",
          "createdAt": "2026-08-28T14:01:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 49464764,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: If I am 16 what should I learn? Which books should read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49478636",
          "commentText": "> I'm probably not in the position of educating teenagers as my life has not been a success.\nNot true! The OP should learn not only about (and from) models but also anti-models!\nAddressing OP:\nOn anti-models, read NN Taleb's books (the Incerto) and Charlie Munger (his speech on inversion / thinking about what you would do, and how you would do it, in order to ensure a miserable life — and then not doing those things). Read statements from the elderly / terminally ill about what they regret having done or not done in their lifetimes.\nA lesson I wish I had learned at your age: for most things in life, B– quality or \"80% of the perfect performance/solution\" is almost always more than enough, and can be accomplished quickly. (E.g., it's easy and fast to sweep the floor so that it's mostly clean / 80% of optimal cleanliness. You feel better about your surroundings, you clear your head, and fewer future problems arise.) This is the 80/20 principle at work. Get to 80% on everything fast, and then only spend time polishing/perfecting what really matters. (I was raised in a perfectionist family/environment/culture — to my detriment, in many ways.) Similarly, it's OK (and probably beneficial) to do most of your workout sessions (~80%!) at 80% effort. You don't need to go HAM / 6th gear all the time.\nLearn that questions are often more important than answers. And learn to ask better questions.\nLearn basic probability and expected value, and apply those principles to your own daily life. It's easy to do several times a day in normal situations.\nLearn to take (and avoid) repeated, small actions in order to put yourself in a slightly better position with regard to your future. (Increase your optionality; take repeated beneficial actions.) Pick up that dirty cup on your way to the kitchen. Don't drink two beers every day. Don't smoke.\nAsk yourself: \"If I do (or avoid doing) this same thing 1,000 times (or days) in a row, where will I end up?\" (That helps you develop consistency and the habit of repeated actions/practice, and it magnifies the effects of your daily choices.)\nRemind yourself: \"What I do today, I do every day. What I do now, I choose to do every time I have the choice.\"\nRead real books, not Internet stuff. Read particularly from (long) before 2022 (avoid LLM-generated text). Read as much as you can and develop a maintainable note-taking system.\nLearn other languages and read the greatest books from other countries, cultures, and eras.\nTaleb's general rule is not to read anything written in the last 10 years. Take that with a grain of salt.\nOn reading (and not reading) books in general, and in a meta-reading sense, I strongly urge you to read How to Read a Book (by Adler & Doren) and How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read (by Pierre Bayard).\nYou'll also find no shortage of suggested reading and lists of books of all sorts here on HN.\nDaily exercise, good eating, sleep, hygiene, and overall mental health and self-care are table stakes. Personally, I've found that my optimal amount of physical activity is much higher than one would think: 2–3 hours per day, 5–6 days per week. (That's my experience, not a prescription for you.) Taking care of myself has required life- and work-organization choices and sacrifices to make it happen. Everything is about trade-offs.\nThe most important thing is that it's better to consistently practice implementing a single piece of advice than to collect or merely think about or imagine implementing lists of advice. You'll find lots of great advice everywhere. But EXECUTION IS EVERYTHING.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I strongly urge you to read How to Read a Book",
          "reason": "Strongly urged as a guide to reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43612577,
          "author": "wduquette",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T15:25:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43612577",
          "commentText": "_How to Read a Book_ is excellent.  I don't apply Adler's method precisely in my reading, but many of his notions are simply now part of my mental toolkit, particularly his notion of \"coming to terms\", AKA \"make sure you understand how the author is using the words he's using, and what precisely he means by them.\"\nThis is especially important when reading philosophical or technical material, especially material from another era.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "_How to Read a Book_ is excellent.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it excellent and says its ideas became part of their mental toolkit.",
          "audience": "Readers of philosophical or technical material, especially from another era.",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not apply Adler's method precisely.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43612522,
          "author": "treetalker",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T15:20:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43612522",
          "commentText": "Peter Bevelin's Seeking Wisdom.\nThe other day someone on here recommended The Philosopher's Toolkit, and I ordered a copy based on that recommendation. I've only started to dip into various parts, but I can already confirm that it is a good introductory compendium of the basics of philosophy, logic, and argumentation. In the same vein is Daniel Dennett's Intuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking.\nA personal favorite is Frances  Yates's The Art of Memory (think: intersection of rhetoric, mnemonic systems, philosophical systems, and the occult during the Renaissance).\nMatthew Butterick's Practical Typography and Typography for Lawyers. Bryan Garner's The Winning Brief.\nUmberto Eco's How to Write a Thesis. Adler's How to Read a Book. Pierre Bayard's How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read.\nI could go on. Book posts are my favorite posts on HN, but they always lighten my wallet and at home I'm surrounded with ever-growing piles of great material.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Adler's How to Read a Book.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33801569,
          "author": "coolguysamt",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T14:56:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33801569",
          "commentText": "How to Read a Book by Adler. It describes a systematic way of reading, interpreting, criticizing, and judging the value of non-fiction.\nAn Introduction to Philosophical Analysis by Hospers. Provides an approach to thinking about different types of philosophical problems.\nBoth are accessible and will make you super genius.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Read a Book by Adler. It describes a systematic way of reading, interpreting, criticizing, and judging the value of non-fiction.",
          "reason": "Describes a systematic approach to reading and evaluating nonfiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29032266,
          "author": "xupybd",
          "createdAt": "2021-10-28T21:29:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 29030285,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29032266",
          "commentText": "> What are you reading and why? \nAudiobooks are a special case for me. They help fill the time when I'm driving to work, mowing the lawn or doing dishes. If I consume my entertainment during these productive times, I find I'm less drawn to television and other mindless distractions. They also help me to be motivated to do tasks that I otherwise find dull. The better alternative is to find a friend to share these tasks with, but that is not always a practical option.\nWhile I do read for entertainment, I really enjoy non-fiction as long as it's light. If I want to explore a topic and truly learn something, I often need to find a text version. That said, I have found some great audiobooks that I have learnt from:\n-The Goal\n-Pragmatic Programmer\n-Designing Data-Intensive Applications\n-Thinking Fast and Slow\n-Ultralearning\nThe best entertainment so far have been\n-Dune\n-The Expanse series\n-The Bobiverse series\n-The Expeditionary force series.\nI asked this question so broadly as I wanted to try something that I wouldn't usually go for. I have a heavy bias towards sci-fi and wouldn't mind exploring other genres. I love good non-fiction but have also found a lot of trash non-fiction out there that I regret wasting time on.\nI have a log of recommendations but not of books read. It sounds like a good idea.\nI'll add How to Read a Book to my list :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'll add How to Read a Book to my list :)",
          "reason": "Plans to add it to their reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29031439,
          "author": "dredmorbius",
          "createdAt": "2021-10-28T20:25:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 29030285,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29031439",
          "commentText": "As with other questions of book recommendations:\n- What are you reading and why?\n- Do you have an goals in reading, or is it merely entertainment / distraction?\n- In the latter case, the Cheshire Cat's advice to Alice is appropriate.  https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~rgs/alice-VI.html\n- I'd strongly recommend keeping a reading diary or log, which includes not just book read, but books recommended or suggested, either by others or your own past reading.  This can include incidental mentions within books (occasional in fiction) or footnoted or bibliographic references (nonfiction).\n- Mortimer Adler's How to Read a Book concludes with a list of 137 classics.  Most of those should have public-domain audio versions.  (His book itself is recommended reading, and an HN perennial.)\n- Podcasts are another alternative to audiobooks.  There are podcasts of book reviews themselves.  I'm more familiar with academic ones including the New Books Network, and reviews from the LSE, Yale University, Princeton University Press, etc.  Author interviews can be amongst the best available, though production quality (notably for NBN) can vary greatly.\n- Long-running podcast series such as the History of Philosophy (now in Western, Indian, and African traditions, with a Chinese tradition forthcoming), or histories of Rome, Byzantium, or China, can also be illuminating.  There are years-long back catalogs.\n- If you have a visual or reading disability, or live with someone who does, the US Library of Congress's BARD is exceptional, and free.\n- The Internet Archive, Open Library, and Libre Vox have numerous audio presentations available for download.\n- You can create a library of YouTube content through downloaders such as youbtube-dl, or by streaming directly via mpv.  (Both work on numerous other audio/video sites as well.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mortimer Adler's How to Read a Book concludes with a list of 137 classics.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it recommended reading and notes its list of classics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27676768,
          "author": "100011_100001",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-29T15:00:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27676768",
          "commentText": "I always thought this book on how to read books was kind of like a meme. Did it really help you?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "this book on how to read books",
          "reason": "The commenter asks whether it really helped the other person.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27641277,
          "author": "loughnane",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T12:28:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27641277",
          "commentText": "How to read a book by Mortimer Adler.\nGreatly improved my efficiency in gaining understanding from printed works, so acted as a force multiplier across several aspects of life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to read a book by Mortimer Adler.",
          "reason": "Says it improved their efficiency in understanding printed works.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21810944,
          "author": "0kl",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-17T05:34:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21810944",
          "commentText": "Read though the first section thoroughly (I recommend attempting all the strategies presented in it on the book itself), and then skim through the \"how to read this type of book\" section - it's really not necessary and much less enjoyable of a read IMO.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Read though the first section thoroughly (I recommend attempting all the strategies presented in it on the book itself), and then skim through the \"how to read this type of book\" section",
          "reason": "Recommends practicing the strategies in the first section, then skimming a later section.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking practical reading strategies.",
          "caveat": "The later section is described as unnecessary and less enjoyable.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21802758,
          "author": "0kl",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T13:11:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21802758",
          "commentText": "I plan to reread a couple core works for myself. Of that list the ones that I’d recommend for others are:\nAurelius (trans. Martin Hammond)\nFear and Trembling\nMan’s Search for Meaning\nTolstoy’s Confessions\nKundera’s The Art of the Novel\nAfter doing a thorough reading of “How to Read a Book” I decided to try rereading a few books to pull more out of them.\nI can’t recommend “How to Read a Book” enough - despite its anachronisms and glaring faults, it’s the only book I’ve found that has genuinely made me feel that I’ve not really read a single book in my life.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I can’t recommend “How to Read a Book” enough",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed how they think about their own reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes anachronisms and glaring faults.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16756589,
          "author": "cocacola1",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T16:56:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16756589",
          "commentText": "How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler\nhttps://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Book-Classic-Intelligent/dp/... (https://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Book-Classic-Intelligent/dp/0671212095)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "How to Read a Book by Mortimer J. Adler",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16301863,
          "author": "akulbe",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-04T07:57:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16301863",
          "commentText": "My five year old is a voracious reader. I feel like this is one of the most important educational tools you can give anyone. We stress to her that if you can read, and comprehend, there's nothing you cannot learn. That's why I included the first two on this list.\nHow to Read a Book - Mortimer Adler\nHow to Read Slowly - James Sire\nThe Personal MBA - Josh Kaufman\nThe Intelligent Investor - Benjamin Graham\nThink and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Read a Book - Mortimer Adler",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the question about books to read earlier in life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238121,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:01:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238121",
          "commentText": "Last year I gave myself a Zuckerberg-style goal to read a book every two weeks. It started well, but some months were harder than others (usually when the book wasn't very good, so I would switch to podcasts for a few weeks, before getting back on track).\nHere's an unordered list of the best:\n[BUSINESS / SELF-IMPROVEMENT]\n- \"Work Rules!\" - about Google's culture and values\n- \"Search Inside Yourself\" - about mindfulness, meditation, and the impact on your life.\n- \"What got you here won't get you there\" - Liked a lot more than I expected.\n- \"Re-read Innovator's Dilemma\" - a great classic; never gets old.\n- \"How will you measure your life\" - from the same author. Also excellent.\n- \"The Best Service is No Service\" - good overview on why Amazon's customer service is so good\n- \"Crucial Conversations\" - half is common sense; half is good tips to practice everyday.\n[PROGRAMMING]\n- \"Fluent Python\" - was afraid it'd be too basic, but not really. Enjoyed it a lot.\n- \"Think Complexity\" - about algorithm complexity, data structures, etc. Great read.\n- \"Python Data Science Handbook\" - meh.\n- \"Fundamentals of Deep Learning\" - good intro. Helped me solidify some concepts from Andrew Ng's ML course\n- \"Deep Learning\" - by Goodfellow and Bengio. Just started, but really liking it.\n[STARTUPS] (all excellent; in order)\n- \"The Hard Things about Hard Things\"\n- \"Zero to One\"\n- \"The Founder's Dilemmas\"\n- \"The Launch Pad\"\n[FICTION]\n- Trilogy: \"Off to be a wizard / An Unwelcome Quest / Spell or High Water\"\n- \"Infinite Jest\" - tried but failed to finish. May try again later.\n- \"Ready Player One\" - nice, but repetitive after a while. Good read before the movie comes out.\n[NON-FICTION]\n- \"What If?\" - xkcd FTW\n- \"How to Read a Book\" - good concepts, but should be a 10 pages blog post, not a book\n- \"Spark\" - Science of the Exercise and the Brain - Long, but good\n- \"Sugar Shock\" - still reading; hopefully will help me cut my sweet cravings\n[BIOGRAPHIES]\n- \"The New New Thing\" - about Jim Clark's life, one of the very first entrepreneurs\n- \"Machines of Loving Grace\" - about the research and the rise of AI\n- \"Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution\"\n- \"The Second Coming of Steve Jobs\" - About Pixar's story. Liked more than Isaacson's biography\n- \"The Innovators\" - great summary of computer industry, from the 1800's till today\n- \"Ghost in the Wires\" - Kevin Mitnick's story. Had started years ago, but finally finished it\n- \"Idea Man\" - about Paul Allen's story. Quite an impressive man.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"How to Read a Book\" - good concepts, but should be a 10 pages blog post, not a book",
          "reason": "The commenter says it has good concepts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter thinks the ideas should have been a ten page blog post.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416571,
          "author": "hoodwink",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:57:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416571",
          "commentText": "+1 for How To Read a Book by Mortimer Adler. I wish I had found this at a younger age.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for How To Read a Book by Mortimer Adler. I wish I had found this at a younger age.",
          "reason": "Endorses the book and says they wish they had found it earlier.",
          "audience": "Readers who want to improve how they choose and read books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416142,
          "author": "nik1aa5",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T20:45:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416142",
          "commentText": "Probably the best to start with is \"How to read a book\". That opened my eyes and helped me a lot with deciding what to read and how to read it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Probably the best to start with is \"How to read a book\". That opened my eyes and helped me a lot with deciding what to read and how to read it.",
          "reason": "Says it opened their eyes and helped them decide what and how to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12245081,
          "author": "chenster",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T02:21:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12245081",
          "commentText": "\"How to read a book\" should be the first book gift you ever give. It changed my life.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Book-Intelligent-Touchstone/... (https://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Book-Intelligent-Touchstone/dp/0671212095)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How to read a book\" should be the first book gift you ever give. It changed my life.",
          "reason": "Says it should be the first book gift one gives and that it changed their life.",
          "audience": "Anyone giving books as gifts.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12067791,
          "author": "cryoshon",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-10T23:29:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12067791",
          "commentText": "I'm not going to list all 42, but here are the highlights:\nHow to Read a Book (Adler)\nWorld Order (Kissinger)\nDer Grundrisse (Marx)\nThe Grand Chessboard (Brzezinski)\nManufacturing Consent (Chomsky)\nGulag Archipelago (Solhenitzyn)\nOn War (Clausewitz)\nThe Hidden Persuaders (Packard)\nIntuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking (Dennett)\nThe Strategy of Desire (Dichter)\nSkills acquired: intentional syntopical reading, prediction of geopolitical hinge points, and identification of absent context in media... I'm always looking for another book to read.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "How to Read a Book (Adler)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348539,
          "author": "ashark",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:06:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348539",
          "commentText": "Franny and Zooey -- Salinger\nMostly by introducing me to the Stoics (Aurelius especially) and a variety of Eastern, especially Zen Buddhist, works.\nRevolutionary Road -- Yates\nYay, mentioned that one in two threads today and it's not even noon yet!\nA History of Western Philosophy -- Russell\nVonnegut in general. Bluebeard serves as a good overview of his major themes and ideas, to pick just one book. The part about how people with small talents who were once valued by their communities have been rendered eccentrics of no special value to anyone by easy, cheap, global distribution of media is always near the front of my mind.\nHow to Read a Book -- Adler",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Read a Book -- Adler",
          "reason": "Lists it among books that changed the commenter's perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 407275,
          "author": "jkkramer",
          "createdAt": "2008-12-23T04:26:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 407067,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Let's start a Hacker News book club",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=407275",
          "commentText": "I would be more inclined to do this if the book is non-technical. When you commit to reading a technical book, you're committing yourself to more than just the time spent reading: you're committing yourself to the time spent applying and fully understanding what you read -- installing tools, tinkering with syntax, coding, and so on. I've got enough of that now.\nWith non-technical books (literature, history, quality-of-life), most of the time will be invested into actual reading, with a bit of pondering and maybe discussing. We can have a conversation right away, and there's still knowledge and insight to be gained.\nHere are some non-technical books I'd like to read:\n* How to Read a Book - http://amazon.com/dp/0671212095\n* Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion - http://amazon.com/dp/006124189X\n* Liar's Poker - http://amazon.com/dp/0140143459\n* Growing a Business - http://amazon.com/dp/0671671642",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "How to Read a Book",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books the commenter says they would like to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Interest in reading it is not an endorsement.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240688,
          "author": "breck",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T02:34:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240688",
          "commentText": "-Black Swan & Fooled by Randomness\n-The C Programming Language\n-The Non-Designers Design Book\n-How to Read a Book\n-Never Eat Alone\n-Art of War\n-Bill Bryson's a History of Everything(~)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-How to Read a Book",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mortimer J. Adler",
        "Charles Van Doren"
      ],
      "recommenders": 14,
      "threads": 12,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Writing",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "reading skills",
        "critical reading",
        "active reading",
        "critical thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "into-thin-air-3090a7",
      "title": "Into Thin Air",
      "author": "Jon Krakauer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42225573,
          "author": "cheshire137",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-24T02:46:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42225573",
          "commentText": "I'm reading Endurance now after just having finished Into Thin Air. Good stuff.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "just having finished Into Thin Air",
          "reason": "Says they just finished it; no explicit evaluation in this comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42225569,
          "author": "cheshire137",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-24T02:45:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42225569",
          "commentText": "I read The Hot Zone by Richard Preston and Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. Enjoyed both. Think I preferred Into Thin Air.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read The Hot Zone by Richard Preston and Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. Enjoyed both.",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed it and preferred it to The Hot Zone.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42220947,
          "author": "bwb",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T14:10:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42220947",
          "commentText": "Thinking of Into Thin Air still makes me feel cold, intense book :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking of Into Thin Air still makes me feel cold, intense book :)",
          "reason": "Recalls it as an intense book that still makes them feel cold.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29815129,
          "author": "thehappypm",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-05T21:23:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29815129",
          "commentText": "My favorite book is “Into Thin Air” by Jon Krakauer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favorite book is “Into Thin Air” by Jon Krakauer.",
          "reason": "Names it as their favorite book in response to a book request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20334594,
          "author": "holografix",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T13:07:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20334594",
          "commentText": "I can’t recommend “Into thin air” by John Krakauer enough.\nA true story written with naked emotion by someone who experienced the life altering disaster on Everest.\nIt’s all too relevant right now with another recent calamity on Everest.\nAn excerpt from the opening words:\n“The Everest climb had rocked my life to its core, and it became desperately important for me to record the events in complete detail, unconstrained by a limited number of column inches. This book is the fruit of that compulsion...\nSeveral authors and editors I respect counseled me not to write the book as quickly as I did; they urged me to wait two or three years and put some distance between me and the expedition in order to gain some crucial perspective. Their advice was sound, but in the end I ignored it—mostly because what happened on the mountain was gnawing my guts out. I thought that writing the book might purge Everest from my life. It hasn’t, of course. Moreover, I agree that readers are often poorly served when an author writes as an act of catharsis, as I have done here. But I hoped something would be gained by spilling my soul in the calamity’s immediate aftermath, in the roil and torment of the moment. I wanted my account to have a raw, ruthless sort of honesty that seemed in danger of leaching away with the passage of time and the dissipation of anguish.“",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can’t recommend “Into thin air” by John Krakauer enough.",
          "reason": "The commenter strongly recommends the book and describes it as an emotionally raw account of the Everest disaster.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that the book was written soon after the disaster and quotes the author's own concern that readers may be poorly served by a cathartic account.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665954,
          "author": "ryanstorm",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T17:46:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665954",
          "commentText": "I have a post at my blog here: http://westby.io/5-books-ive-read-2018-1/\nSome other books I read that I'd recommend:\n- Anathem\n- Deep Work\n- A Canticle for Leibowitz\n- Into Thin Air\n- Shoe Dog\n- Happiness Hypothesis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Into Thin Air",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books the commenter says they would recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961840,
          "author": "rprameshwor",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T17:24:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961840",
          "commentText": "Into Thin Air  - Jon Krakauer\nIf you like reading adventurous books, i'd recommend it. This one is about the Mt. Everest expedition of a group of people and the disaster that fell upon them.\nYou're Surely Joking Mr. Feynman - Richard Feynman\nThis one is collection of events in the life of Feynman. He's mostly known for being a scientist, but he's equally talented in few other areas as well. An interesting and fun book.\nBlink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking - Malcolm Gladwell\nRecommended if you are into psychology and knowing how our thoughts and actions are affected by our subconscious.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you like reading adventurous books, i'd recommend it.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it to readers who like adventurous books.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy adventurous books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10786217,
          "author": "todd8",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T23:11:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786217",
          "commentText": "I just want to add that for a cross country drive, there is no better audio book than \"Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\". The audio version is absolutely gripping; the suspense is incredible, more so because of the strict linearity of the story as audio (no peeking ahead). I also liked \"Into Thin Air\" on audio.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also liked \"Into Thin Air\" on audio.",
          "reason": "The commenter liked the audiobook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Praise specifically concerns the audio version.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8795694,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T07:00:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795694",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nPredictable Revenue - Aaron Ross, Marylou Tyler\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nThe Ultimate Question 2.0 - Fred Reichheld‎\nThe Singularity is Near - Ray Kurzweil\nMoonshot! - John Sculley\nZero To One - Peter Thiel\nRepublic - Plato\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius\nNineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell\nFahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury\nThe Mysterious Island - Jules Verne\nDiscipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy, Fred Wiersema\nFalse Memory - Dean Koontz\nNOS4A2- Joe Hill\nRevival - Stephen King\nBarbarians At The Gate - John Helyar and Bryan Burrough\nInto Thin Air - John Krakauer\nHow To Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nand any collection of the works of H.P. Lovecraft.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Into Thin Air - John Krakauer",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for impactful or liked books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401532,
          "author": "tustlem",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:34:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401532",
          "commentText": "Read:\nDeep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why by Laurence Gonzales (This was a great read),\nThe Painter by Peter Heller (Interesting novel),\nEssentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown (Good ideas and content, repeats a lot)\nCurrently reading:\nThe Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham,\nA Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William Irvine,\nInto Thin Air by Jon Krakauer\nEdit: reformatted for clarity.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1973822,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T03:53:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1973822",
          "commentText": "It hasn't been a great year for books for me. Lots of things I found entertaining enough, nothing really stands out. Pinned down, I'd say _Game Change_, which I expected to hate (the story is getting very stale) but turned out to read like a West Wing season put to paper.\nI'm trying to read more fiction and am cruising this thread for ideas. Downthread, someone suggested _Into Thin Air_ as being startup-relevant (in an entrepreneurial, building something amazing up from nothing sense), and I added _Kitchen Confidential_ to that pile. Both are nonfiction. What are some good fiction titles that resonate the same way?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "someone suggested _Into Thin Air_ as being startup-relevant",
          "reason": "Mentions someone else's suggestion and says they added it to a reading pile.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is seeking fiction and notes this is nonfiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1973686,
          "author": "alexdong",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T03:07:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1973686",
          "commentText": "I second this book too although I read several years ago. AND it's relevant in our startup life in a surprising way.\nI often found myself make much better decision when I'm a bit detached, which is one of 'the' lessons people learned from that accident. So now in our startup, my business partner does all the client/customer/user communication works and I had the precious opportunity to sit back and observe.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second this book too",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the recommendation and says the book's lesson about detachment helped them make better decisions at their startup.",
          "audience": "Startup founders making decisions and managing customer communication.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1973656,
          "author": "bradly",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T02:58:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1973656",
          "commentText": "Into Thin Air. http://www.amazon.com/Into-Thin-Air-Personal-Disaster/dp/038... (http://www.amazon.com/Into-Thin-Air-Personal-Disaster/dp/0385492081)\nAmazing story, super inspirational, and lots of great history. My wife and I both loved this book and could not set it down.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Amazing story, super inspirational, and lots of great history.",
          "reason": "The commenter and their wife loved the book and could not put it down.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Into Thin Air",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752934,
          "author": "bradly",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T16:08:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752934",
          "commentText": "One of the best books I have read recently is Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. Amazing story mixed with history and inspiration.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One of the best books I have read recently is Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. Amazing story mixed with history and inspiration.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the best books they have read recently and praises its story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1570071,
          "author": "gsaurus",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T03:58:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1570071",
          "commentText": "\"Into Thin Air\" (Krakauer) \nJournalist/Mountaineer account of an Everest expedition gone wrong. Read it, ponder, but know that there is some controversy. Very interesting look into expedition dynamics.\n\"Mountains Beyond Mountains\" (Kidder)\nAn account of Paul Farmer's work in Haiti, and later in other parts of the world. If you are interested in public health it is a great read, and may provide a fresh angle on recent Haiti <-> world politics.\n\"Three Cups of Tea\" (Oliver, I think)\nGreg Mortensen starts building schools in Pakistan / Afghanistan. Adventure ensues. There's some definite political bias here but it's worth a read.\nFun summer read: \"World War Z\".\nUnrelated, I use Shelfari [http://www.shelfari.com/] to organize my books-to-read, if you need an organization tool.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Read it, ponder, but know that there is some controversy. Very interesting look into expedition dynamics.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an interesting account of expedition dynamics and urges readers to consider it.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in expedition dynamics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes some controversy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875795,
          "author": "mjfern",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T02:35:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875795",
          "commentText": "\"Into to Thin Air\" by John Krakauer and \"Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience\" by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Into to Thin Air\" by John Krakauer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 202973,
          "author": "markm",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T04:23:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=202973",
          "commentText": "These might not be biographies but they are good non fiction.\nIt's not about the bike, my journey back to life. - Lance Armstrong\nSurely you're joking Mr. Feynman! - R. Feynman\nInto thin air - J. Krakauer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Into thin air - J. Krakauer",
          "reason": "Included in a list of recommended nonfiction books responding to the request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes these may not be biographies.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jon Krakauer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 14,
      "threads": 12,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Nature",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mountaineering",
        "disaster",
        "everest",
        "mount everest"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-feynman-lectures-on-physics-5cadb6",
      "title": "The Feynman Lectures on Physics",
      "author": "Richard P. Feynman, Robert B. Leighton, and Matthew Sands",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42508441,
          "author": "yu3zhou4",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T12:15:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42508441",
          "commentText": "I want to earn enough money to never (have to) work again, so I can lay in the garden and read all his lectures",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "read all his lectures",
          "reason": "Wants time to read all the lectures mentioned in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42508367,
          "author": "Potatoe_Girl",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T11:55:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42508367",
          "commentText": "one day im gonna read them. iv read \"excuse me, Mr Feynman\" aproximately 5 times and its one of my favourite books ever.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "one day im gonna read them.",
          "reason": "Says they plan to read the lectures someday, referring to the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "This is a stated future intention, not an endorsement of the books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42508322,
          "author": "mtreis86",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T11:41:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42508322",
          "commentText": "Feynman Lectures on Physics books. It might just be the right timing for me as I've only recently really started to grasp calculus and linear algebra, but a lot of things are clicking into place as I read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Feynman Lectures on Physics books",
          "reason": "Says many concepts are clicking into place while reading them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that the timing may be right because they recently began grasping calculus and linear algebra.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33595206,
          "author": "srvmshr",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-14T15:18:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33595206",
          "commentText": "As someone who was preparing for International physics Olympiad in heydays in senior year of high school, reading Feynman Lectures of Physics (especially part-2 on Electrodynamics), made the real difference. I was reasonably prepared competing at regional level, but Feynman's way of prodding the deep questions made me realize how many cracks I had missed. It also helped me build the skill of stopping at a reasonable point - its incredibly easy to keep grappling at really hard problems which may never lead to solution with existing skillsets. Judging what you don't know & incapable to solve is very important and perhaps applicable to all disciplines.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "reading Feynman Lectures of Physics (especially part-2 on Electrodynamics), made the real difference",
          "reason": "Says the lectures made a significant difference in preparation and prompted deeper questions.",
          "audience": "High school physics Olympiad students and physics learners.",
          "caveat": "Emphasizes Part II on electrodynamics.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32790203,
          "author": "fermigier",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T12:58:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790203",
          "commentText": "Physics: Feynman's lectures on physics.\nMaths: Rudin's Real and Complex analysis.\nSoftware engineering: The Mythical Man-Month.\nComputer science: Knuth's TAOCP.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Physics: Feynman's lectures on physics.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30486523,
          "author": "max_",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T08:53:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486523",
          "commentText": "> Feynman Lectures on Physics\nI havy skimmed through the volumes of Feynman lectures, and can confirm this. Especially things concerning computational complexity.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I havy skimmed through the volumes of Feynman lectures, and can confirm this.",
          "reason": "The commenter agrees with the preceding commenter's praise after skimming the volumes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter only skimmed the volumes.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21354624,
          "author": "alok-g",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-25T13:20:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21354624",
          "commentText": "I have a love-hate relationship with that book.  It elegantly shows how to think about the topics, but it also left me with many unanswered questions to which I could never find answers with any amount of Internet searching (even though those answers are known to the humankind, buried in a set of complex topic-specific books).\nFeynman's Lectures are much more complete in that sense, even though as other comments on this thread note, the reader may not be able to use the learning to solve practical problems without going beyond Feynman's lectures.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Feynman's Lectures are much more complete in that sense, even though as other comments on this thread note, the reader may not be able to use the learning to solve practical problems without going beyond Feynman's lectures.",
          "reason": "Described as more complete, while noting limits for solving practical problems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says readers may need material beyond the lectures to solve practical problems.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21350452,
          "author": "sideshowb",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-25T00:06:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21350452",
          "commentText": "Personally I thought the Feynman lectures were ok but with room for improvement.\nVol 1 was good. Vol 2 was good though overly repetitive, iirc it's 90 percent Maxwell's equations. Vol 3 was unintuitive to me. Still I learned qm from it and made this\nhttp://tropic.org.uk/~crispin/quantum/\nI'm fairly confident I get qm now, but most of that understanding came from trying to code it in simulation. Which suggests there are better ways to learn than Feynman 3.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Vol 1 was good. Vol 2 was good though overly repetitive, iirc it's 90 percent Maxwell's equations. Vol 3 was unintuitive to me.",
          "reason": "Gives mixed evaluations of the three volumes and says volume 3 was unintuitive.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Volume 2 is described as overly repetitive; volume 3 as unintuitive.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16080067,
          "author": "ken",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-05T17:37:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16080067",
          "commentText": "The Feynman Lectures.\n(I think I've read the first volume, at least, even though I don't claim to have understood it all.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Feynman Lectures.",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to a question asking for the best textbook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they may have read only the first volume and did not understand all of it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14141693,
          "author": "adyavanapalli",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T18:49:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14141693",
          "commentText": "I agree. Feynman lectures aren't in anyway comprehensive or bible-like, but they're nonetheless very fun. As for Tipler, I'd stay far away from it haha (take it as an example of how badly a physics textbook can be written).\nAs for bible-like/comprehensive (I don't know if anyone has written such a thing in such a vast subject), but many consider the Landau/Lifshitz \"Course in Theoretical Physics\" series to be an elegant summary of important results in physics. Check out the Chicago Undergraduate Physics Bibliography if you're interested in what books to study to become a physicist.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Feynman lectures aren't in anyway comprehensive or bible-like, but they're nonetheless very fun.",
          "reason": "Described as fun, though not comprehensive or bible-like.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not comprehensive or bible-like.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14138596,
          "author": "wikiwatchme",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T13:26:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14138596",
          "commentText": "Modern Physics by Paul Tipler and the Feynman lectures by Richard Feynman.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Feynman lectures by Richard Feynman",
          "reason": "Named as a candidate for the field’s bible.",
          "audience": "Readers studying physics",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13571762,
          "author": "db48x",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-05T10:38:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13571762",
          "commentText": "There were several books mentioned in HPMoR that seem like good recommendations. I know for a fact that Feynman's Lectures on Physics is superb. See http://www.feynmanlectures.caltech.edu/ for the texts.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I know for a fact that Feynman's Lectures on Physics is superb.",
          "reason": "Explicitly praises the lectures as superb.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12252572,
          "author": "alok-g",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-09T04:11:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12252572",
          "commentText": "Minds, Brains and Machines by Geoffrey Brown [1] for introducing me to the complexities of the mind-body problem.  It did not show the answers of course, but helped me think right about it.\nSiddhartha by Herman Hesse [2] for contributing to helping me come out of excessive questioning of everything (philosophy) to science that helps towards actually answering the questions answerable.\nFeynman Lectures in Physics [3] and Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman [4], with no need to explain \"how\".  :-)\nThe Ghost in the Atom [5] for explaining varied views on the nature of science, especially Quantum Mechanics, and what goes in the minds of the top-notch scientists working on these problems.\nParsing Techniques by Dick Grune [6] for teaching me the fundamentals of computer science and helping me proceed with my deep interest in Artificial Intelligence.\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/Minds-Brains-Machines-Mind-Matters/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Minds-Brains-Machines-Mind-Matters/dp/1853990132)\n[2] https://www.amazon.com/Siddhartha-Hermann-Hesse/dp/161382378... (https://www.amazon.com/Siddhartha-Hermann-Hesse/dp/1613823789/)\n[3] http://www.feynmanlectures.caltech.edu/\n[4] https://www.amazon.com/Surely-Feynman-Adventures-Curious-Cha... (https://www.amazon.com/Surely-Feynman-Adventures-Curious-Character/dp/0393316041/)\n[5] https://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Atom-Discussion-Mysteries-Quant... (https://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Atom-Discussion-Mysteries-Quantum/dp/0521457289/)\n[6] https://www.amazon.com/Parsing-Techniques-Practical-Monograp... (https://www.amazon.com/Parsing-Techniques-Practical-Monographs-Computer/dp/038720248X/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Feynman Lectures in Physics [3] and Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman [4], with no need to explain \"how\".",
          "reason": "Listed among the books that impacted the commenter, with no further explanation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10786158,
          "author": "kwhitefoot",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T22:56:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786158",
          "commentText": "For those on a limited budget: you don't need to buy the Feynman Lectures if you are willing to read in a web browser.\nhttp://www.feynmanlectures.caltech.edu/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "you don't need to buy the Feynman Lectures if you are willing to read in a web browser.",
          "reason": "Points out they can be read online instead of bought.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "This is a practical access suggestion, not an evaluation of the books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9353543,
          "author": "galfarragem",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-10T11:06:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9353543",
          "commentText": "IMHO to really change your whole life perspective, you must experience a traumatic event, not reading a book.\nAnyway I would say that a book can trigger a change of perspective on a particular aspect of your life:\n'4-hour workweek' - Tim Ferriss (on lifestyle)\n'Get Things Done' - David Allen (on organization and productivity)\n'The Way of the Superior Man' - David Deida (on relationships)\n'The prince' - Machiavelli' (on business and strategy)\n'The little prince' - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (on meaning of life)\n'The Feynman Lectures on Physics' - Richard Feynman' (to remember you to be humble)\nA lot of other books had broaden my perspective of life even if they weren't enough to trigger a change. That list would be immense.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Feynman Lectures on Physics' - Richard Feynman' (to remember you to be humble)",
          "reason": "Lists it as a book that can encourage humility and broaden perspective.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in physics and humility.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says books can shift a particular aspect of life, while a traumatic event is needed to change one's whole perspective.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231181,
          "author": "irahul",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T17:11:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231181",
          "commentText": "Feynman lectures on physics - vol 1\nIf at some point you found Physics wonderful, and then lost it when everything became calculations, I wholeheartedly recommend this book, and the other volumes once you are done with it.\nFeynman has an engaging conversation style, and when you are immersed in the book, you literally feel the wonders of the universe. You go through Newton's motion and gravitation laws, and then using simple numerical methods, he plots you the orbital path around the sun of a given planet.\nIt does has derivations, but it doesn't let derivation take over the idea it's discussing. And some derivations and deductions will be enlightening when you already know something about something - for e.g for the first time in my life, I saw why the observed velocity won't exceed speed of light.\nEven for the ideas I know, Feynman's explanation either add something, or make me thing \"Holy Shit I didn't think of it that way.\" While discussing Newton's laws, he mentions this whole set of laws depends on a coordinate system -  but we really can't say all experiments are to be performed at place x - but you know what, these laws are independent of the axis you choose, and here is how.\nYou are left thinking, hell, I kinda knew it but didn't approach it that way.\nThen he will tell you a system moving with constant velocity in a straight line will observe the exact same laws of physics, and here is why, which is just an extension of the previous axis transform.\nEven if you don't like Physics, give this book a try. Most likely you will understand universe better when you are through.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Feynman lectures on physics - vol 1",
          "reason": "Wholeheartedly recommends it, praising its engaging explanations and sense of wonder.",
          "audience": "People who once found physics wonderful but lost interest when it became calculations; even readers who dislike physics.",
          "caveat": "Contains derivations, though the commenter says they do not overwhelm the ideas.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135273,
          "author": "moog",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T17:13:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135273",
          "commentText": "The Feynman Lectures on Physics\nThe Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes\nOryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood\nHeart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad\nA Latin/English dictionary for new company names",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Feynman Lectures on Physics",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books for a hacker's bookshelf.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard P. Feynman",
        "Robert B. Leighton",
        "Matthew Sands"
      ],
      "recommenders": 14,
      "threads": 12,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "physics",
        "lectures",
        "physics education",
        "physics lectures"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "reamde-aa1115",
      "title": "REAMDE",
      "author": "Neal Stephenson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28064177,
          "author": "kleer001",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T18:02:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28064177",
          "commentText": "The rare book that I've read three times. That and his Anathem, IMHO, are superlative and make up for his habit of droning on. BTW stay away from REAMDE. His action scenes are awkward and stumbling, without tension or grace.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "BTW stay away from REAMDE.",
          "reason": "The commenter advises against the book, citing its awkward action scenes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Action scenes are awkward and lack tension or grace.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17750883,
          "author": "ghaff",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T15:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17750883",
          "commentText": "The other thing about Reamde is that it's one of those books that depends on case after case of events happening and aligning in a very particular way or there wouldn't be a story.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "it's one of those books that depends on case after case of events happening and aligning in a very particular way or there wouldn't be a story.",
          "reason": "Criticizes the book's dependence on a long chain of precisely aligned events.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17750251,
          "author": "pavel_lishin",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T14:18:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17750251",
          "commentText": "It definitely dragged on, but overall I thought it was enjoyable. He definitely kept building up to climaxes throughout the whole book - on an airplane, I kept sadly checking the percentage read because I was sure I was almost done with it, only to discover that I was only 30%, 50%, 70% along...\nIf you're a Stephenson fan, I would absolutely give this a read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If you're a Stephenson fan, I would absolutely give this a read.",
          "reason": "Despite noting that it drags, strongly recommends it to Stephenson fans.",
          "audience": "Stephenson fans.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it definitely dragged on.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17750186,
          "author": "brk",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T14:10:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17750186",
          "commentText": "I was going to recommend Reamde as well. I think it is best to look at it as an interesting spin on the typical cybercrime story, and not as a \"Neil Stephenson\" book specifically. In other words, read it for the story, not for the author.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "read it for the story, not for the author",
          "reason": "Recommends reading it as a story, while cautioning against expecting the author's usual strengths.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Suggests separating expectations from the author's reputation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17749581,
          "author": "madmax108",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T12:39:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17749581",
          "commentText": "Heard very mixed reviews of Reamde. Could you please tell me what elements you liked of the book?\nIt's been on my reading list for a while but the mixed reviews always lead to it being left for another day",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Heard very mixed reviews of Reamde. Could you please tell me what elements you liked of the book?",
          "reason": "Asks another reader what they liked; reports hearing mixed reviews.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has left it on their reading list because of the mixed reviews.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17749451,
          "author": "ovi256",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T12:10:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17749451",
          "commentText": "Reamde, by Neal Stephenson.\nYeah, the big daddy of cyberpunk (\"Snowcrash\") also wrote a contemporary technothriller set in organized cybercrime organizations.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Reamde, by Neal Stephenson.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a contemporary technothriller set in organized cybercrime.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536654,
          "author": "dochtman",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:35:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536654",
          "commentText": "Isaac Asimov is one of the classics, of course. I'm particularly fond of the robot novels (all four of the Elijah Baley ones especially) and the entire Foundation series. Of course, you also can't miss the robot short stories. Oh, and The End of Eternity!\nAt some point I found Charles Stross' Accelerando, which is freely available online (along with a bunch of other short stories), and found everything I've read (which is most of it at this point, I think) enjoyably fast-paced. In particular the Laundry series (of which I've bought every iteration as soon as they came out over the past few years) -- though arguably these maybe cross-over from SF into fantasy a bit -- and the Halting State trilogy.\nIn terms of online available work, Cory Doctorow's work is also great. Like Stross, most of his work is more near-term SF, which I have liked, and a bunch of it is available online under a Creative Commons license. It often moves fast and is also politically interesting; sometimes the activism shines through a little blatantly, but the themes are always make me thing in various ways I appreciate (but maybe will fail your lighthearted criterion even if it is fun). His latest is Walkaway, which I would recommend.\nI got into Neal Stephenson through Cryptonomicon, which is one of the greats. Stephenson has a pretty rambly, wordy style, but at least that also makes his stories last a bit longer. After that, I mostly moved on to Anathem, Reamde and Seveneves all of which are big and interesting and great reads (it took me longer than usual to get up to speed on Anathem, but it was very much worth it in the end). I tried one of the more historic ones (I think it was Quicksilver) at some point but haven't finished it. The 2017 Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. was a bit lighter, but lots of fun, too.\nWilliam Gibson has already been mentioned, which I would also recommend. I read the Sprawl trilogy a very long time ago, and it's made a lasting expression. I've started rereading it recently. I also liked the Blue Ant trilogy and The Peripheral, but have so far missed the more recent work.\nMore in the one-off category: The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell is one of my all-time favorites, and mixes deep SF with psychology and religion in interesting ways. There's a sequel, but it's not as good. I also liked The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, which is also on the softer side. I read Scalzi's Redshirts and liked it (especially if you're familiar with the Star Trek universe), it feels similar to Ready Player One in some ways. Daniel Suarez's (or Leinad Zeraus as he originally published them) Daemon is fun and easy to digest, along with its sequel Freedom. I liked Robert J. Sawyer's The Terminal Experiment, but one person I recommended it too wasn't impressed -- I still think it's fun, if not very deep. I also bought his Factoring Humanity and liked it okay.\nHope that helps. Always interested in more recommendations based on this list!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "After that, I mostly moved on to Anathem, Reamde and Seveneves all of which are big and interesting and great reads",
          "reason": "Calls it an interesting, great read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12070873,
          "author": "mroll",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T13:30:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12070873",
          "commentText": "Long After Midnight, Ray Bradbury\nRendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarke\nThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams\nThieves' World, Robert Asprin\nTales From the Vulgar Unicorn, Robert Asprin\nRestaurant at the End of the Universe, Douglas Adams\nQuantum Computing Since Democritus, Scott Aaronson\nReamde, Neal Stephenson\nFool's Assassin, Robin Hobb\nBig Planet, Jack Vance",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Reamde, Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10843279,
          "author": "osullivj",
          "createdAt": "2016-01-05T14:08:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 10833032,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book you've recently read and enjoyed?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10843279",
          "commentText": "Been a big Stephenson fan since Cryptonomicon. Enjoyed the Baroque Trilogy, Anathem & Reamde, but non of them are as good as Cryptonomicon. It's a bit like be an Umberto Eco fan - nothing since Name of the Rose has been quite as good. Or Wes Anderson for that matter; there's been good stuff, but nothing's touched the heights of Royal Tenenbaums.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Reamde",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not as good as Cryptonomicon.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10207278,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T04:56:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10207278",
          "commentText": "Neuromancer - William Gibson\nREAMDE- Neal Stephenson\nPattern Recognition / Zero History / Spook Country - William Gibson\nThe Peripheral - William Gibson\nNot exactly the same thing, but I'll also throw in Glasshouse by Charles Stross.  And since we're talking Charles Stross, also add Halting State to the list.\nOh, and VALIS by Philip K. Dick.  Definitely worth a read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "REAMDE- Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10176189,
          "author": "DanBC",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T22:05:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10176189",
          "commentText": "Zodiac is pretty good.  Interface is fun.\nI found Reamde frustrating: there were a bunch of different good interesting ideas and plots and they just get dropped to pick up something else, and I wasn't at all interested in the something else.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I found Reamde frustrating: there were a bunch of different good interesting ideas and plots and they just get dropped",
          "reason": "The commenter found the book frustrating because interesting ideas and plots are dropped.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175573,
          "author": "riffraff",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:25:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175573",
          "commentText": "\"REAMDE: A novel\" by Neal Stephenson, which I am not enjoying much, to be honest :)",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "which I am not enjoying much, to be honest",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are not enjoying the novel much.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9088408,
          "author": "robbdavis",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-22T05:46:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9088408",
          "commentText": "Kim Stanley Robinson's \"2312\" carries on from the Mars Trilogy. \nStephenson's \"REAMDE\", \"The Diamond Age\", \"Cryptonomicon\" and \"Snow Crash\"\nDoes alternate history count her?  If so, Robinson's \"The Years of Rice and Salt\" is great",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Stephenson's \"REAMDE\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056399,
          "author": "macmac",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T11:42:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056399",
          "commentText": "Anything by Iain M. Banks. Start with \"The Player of Games\" and \"Consider Phlebas\".\nAnything by Vernor S. Vinge especially \"Zones of Thought\" series.\n\"Daemon\", \"Freedom(tm)\", \"Kill Decision\" and \"Influx\" by Daniel Suarez.\n\"The Martian\" by Andy Weir.\nAnything by Neal Stephenson, especially \"Reamde: A Novel\" and \"Cryptonomicon\".\nAnything by Hannu Rajaniemi, especially \"The Fractal Prince\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "especially \"Reamde: A Novel\" and \"Cryptonomicon\".",
          "reason": "Particularly recommends this novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8613975,
          "author": "DanBC",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-16T11:14:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8613975",
          "commentText": "I really like the ideas from Greg Egan, so any of his books.\nI still love Gibson, even his later books.\nI want to say one of my favourite books is \"Salt\" by Adam Roberts.  I love the characters and description of political views and the way the war between factions plays out.  Roberts' other books are pretty good too.\nI loved REAMDE - I could have done with a bit more inside the game and a bit less tramping through the woods.  I love Stephenson's other books too.\nFinally: Bruce Sterling seems to be under-appreciated.  Hard to recommend one of his books.\nThis question is perhaps a FAQ.  Has anyone on HN ever scraped the answers posted to the various threads, added information about number of mentions or votes; with links to Amazon (and other book sellers)?\nHaving some carefully chosen adds and duplicating all the links with affiliate links would turn this into a mostly passive income project.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I loved REAMDE - I could have done with a bit more inside the game and a bit less tramping through the woods.",
          "reason": "Says they loved it, while wishing for more of the game and less time in the woods.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter wanted more of the game and less of the wilderness sections.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8063114,
          "author": "kovrik",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-21T10:06:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 8025870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8063114",
          "commentText": "Neal Stephenson - \"REAMDE\"\nand \"Clojure Programming\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neal Stephenson - \"REAMDE\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6698513,
          "author": "fredyr",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-08T19:26:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6698513",
          "commentText": "I'm doing a Neal Stephenson marathon, just started with Quicksilver last night, after finishing Snow Crash and Reamde back to back.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "and Reamde back to back",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a recently finished book in the author's marathon.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387960,
          "author": "veidr",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T02:51:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387960",
          "commentText": "The trilogy of Neuromancer, Burning Chrome, and Mona Lisa Overdrive is still my favorite work of fiction, and also, to my mind, exemplifies the kind of taut, awesome writing that I would want to do if I wrote novels. It the only series of 3 books I have read more than once.\nI caught these books at just the right time in my life (age 13 or 14), leading my high-school fascination with Japan and rekindled interest in computing, and probably played an inordinately large role in me ending up as a programmer who lives in Tokyo, two decades later.\nI like great sci fi best, but I think most of it is crap, including virtually all of the old pulp sci fi and Asimov I grew up reading (which was basically all of it), Star Wars/Trek, etc.\nOther than Gibson's stuff, some of the truly spectacular sci fi I have read is the very-dense-and-not-at-all-thriller-ish Mars trilogy (Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars), and the fast-paced-and-awesome Spin by Robert Charles Wilson. That led me to read all of Wilson's books, many of which are also good. Also Haldeman is an author worth reading, though not all of his books hit their mark.\nGreat sci fi is my favorite fiction, but IMO most of it is broken by being fundamentally implausible. Other fiction I consider great in other genres include Memoirs of a Geisha, Cold Mountain, REAMDE, The Son, The Road, the lighter but still version of that post-apocalyptic concept The Dog Stars, City of Thieves, and All the Pretty Horses and its sequels.\nIt's probably symptomatic of a major flaw in my character that despite also buying dozens of nonfiction works (Lincoln, On China, and so forth) over the past few years, I haven't finished any of them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Other fiction I consider great in other genres include Memoirs of a Geisha, Cold Mountain, REAMDE",
          "reason": "Explicitly considers it great fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5859187,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-11T02:22:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 5859004,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5859187",
          "commentText": ">> 1. What books are you currently reading?\nWell, I'm one of those people who has a bookmark in about 15 different books that I'm \"currently reading\" but some are higher priorities than others, and some will never be finished (probably) and others I'll have to start over since I've forgotten what was happening when I sat it aside, etc.  But offhand, I can think of:\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore - re-reading this one\nThe Prime Solution - Jeff Thull - 3rd Jeff Thull book on selling that I've read lately, and I'll probably reread the entire series when I finish this one\nThe New Solution Selling  - re-reading this - can you tell I'm starting to try and move into sales?\nSelling to VITO - more sales stuff.\nHow to Create A Mind - Ray Kurzweil\nGodel, Escher, Bach - Douglas Hofstadter - set this aside over a year ago; about halfway through, will probably finish it, but FSM only knows when\nA New Kind of Science - Stephen Wolfram (see above about GEB)\nMadame Bovary - Meh. May finish one day, may not.  Would have to start it over at this point.\nREAMDE - Neal Stephenson - set this aside a while back, but intend to finish it eventually.  Will probably restart from the beginning.\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Stephen Gary Blank - I'm kinda in a perpetual state of reading and re-reading sections of this book.\nThe Dispossessed - Ursula K. LeGuin - sat this aside quite some time ago, will have to start over at some point.\nThe Man In The Moss - Phil Rickman - another one that I sat aside for a while, and may or may not ever bother finishing.  Weird, because I usually really enjoy Rickman's work and just tear through his books, but I got stalled out on this one for some reason.\n>> 2. Which book has helped you the most?\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Stephen Gary Blank.\nAlso, The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki and Crossing the Chasm by Moore.\nOf all these sales books I've read lately, I'm really starting to buy into this \"Diagnostic Selling\" stuff by Jeff Thull, so I'd endorse Mastering The Complex Sale, Exceptional Selling and The Prime Solution by Thull. Also, The New Solution Selling.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "REAMDE - Neal Stephenson - set this aside a while back, but intend to finish it eventually.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Set aside; intends to finish eventually and will probably restart.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5834226,
          "author": "saturdayplace",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T18:23:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5834226",
          "commentText": "If the OP is looking for a page turner, then Stephenson's Snow Crash is another great recommendation. Anathem was slower to me, and Reamde was good. But if I was to pick up Stephenson's stuff again I go to Snow Crash, then Cryptonomicon as my one, two.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Reamde was good.",
          "reason": "Describes it as good, but chooses other titles as the ones to pick up again.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5832761,
          "author": "makerops",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T14:55:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5832761",
          "commentText": "Reamde by Neal Stephenson,\nDaniel Surez freedom (tm), deamon, and kill decision.\nready player one\nanything by mark twain",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Reamde by Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4969576,
          "author": "Ryoku",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T15:44:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4969576",
          "commentText": "Well, not so much as new releases, except for one. But this year I really enjoyed:\nReamde by Neil Stephenson (Can't get enough of that guy)\nThe Art of Deception by Kevin Mitnick\nClose to the Machine by Ellen Ullman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Reamde by Neil Stephenson (Can't get enough of that guy)",
          "reason": "Expresses strong enthusiasm for Stephenson's work alongside the title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4967883,
          "author": "murrayb",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T02:18:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967883",
          "commentText": "For the mind: Mindfulness in Plain English - Bhante Henepola Gunaratana\nFor the body: Born To Run - Chris McDougall\nFor fun: REAMDE - Neal Stephenson\nFor business: What The CEO Wants You To Know - Ram Charan",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For fun: REAMDE - Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3783897,
          "author": "latch",
          "createdAt": "2012-04-01T15:28:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 3781486,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi Books for Hackers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3783897",
          "commentText": "Non-developer specific good sci-fi books:\n-Dune\n-Hyperion + The Fall of Hyperion\n-The Book Of The New Sun\n-Ilium + Olympos\n-Takeshi Kovacs trilogy\n-The Culture Series (meh..)\n-The Demolished Man\nMore dev-oriented:\n-Reamde (which I hated, but I seem to be in a minority)\n-Neuromancer\nI'll always have a special place in my heart for Calculating God (not science fiction), because its the book that got me into reading seriously.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "-Reamde (which I hated, but I seem to be in a minority)",
          "reason": "Included as a developer oriented suggestion, but the commenter says they hated it.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking science fiction, including developer oriented fiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter hated it, though says they seem to be in a minority.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3401601,
          "author": "cscheid",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-28T22:04:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3401601",
          "commentText": "Reamde, non-fiction?",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Reamde, non-fiction?",
          "reason": "Raises the book as a question about whether it is nonfiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3338494,
          "author": "m0nastic",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T21:02:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3338494",
          "commentText": "Right now I'm reading:\nFiction-\n- Reamde (Bought it when it came out, but had to wait to start until I finished some other stuff on my list)\n- The Big Blowdown by George Pelecanos\nNonfiction-\n- Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopedia (Volume 1) -- primarily for research, but it's fascinating.\n- Dark Markets by Misha Glenny\n- How to Live on Mars by robert Zubrin\n- The Lightness of Being by Frank Wilczek\n- This is Your Brain on Music by Daniel Levitin\n- Towards a New Architecture by Le Corbusier\n- and Strange Things Happen by Stewart Copeland\nTechnical-\n- Tangled Web (I saw someone else mention it, and it's really really good so far)\n- Skiena's Algorithms book (making slower progress than I'd like).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Reamde (Bought it when it came out, but had to wait to start until I finished some other stuff on my list)",
          "reason": "Says they bought it and were waiting to start reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3235038,
          "author": "revolvingcur",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-14T18:23:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3235038",
          "commentText": "REAMDE by Neal Stephenson\nSteve Jobs by Walter Isaacson\nThe Exegesis of Philip K. Dick edited by Pamela Jackson and Jonathan Lethem",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "REAMDE by Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neal Stephenson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 14,
      "threads": 11,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybercrime",
        "thriller",
        "online gaming",
        "techno thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-elements-of-computing-systems-dc432b",
      "title": "The Elements of Computing Systems",
      "author": "Noam Nisan and Shimon Schocken",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40111723,
          "author": "deosjr",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-22T05:56:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 40104823,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books/resources to understand modern Assembler?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40111723",
          "commentText": "That's exactly why I built my own tooling when going through the book.\nI built everything in Golang and am working on some visualisations in Javascript.\nRepo: https://github.com/deosjr/nand2tetris\nWebsite: https://deosjr.github.io/ (lispmachine part is wip)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "when going through the book",
          "reason": "Discusses building tooling while working through the book praised in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31168573,
          "author": "rg111",
          "createdAt": "2022-04-26T15:20:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 31166475,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Top inspiring books on crucial CS ideas?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31168573",
          "commentText": "- The Little Schemer\n- The Algorithm Design Manual\n- Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\n- Elements of Computing Systems (nand2tetris book)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Elements of Computing Systems (nand2tetris book)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for inspiring books on computer science ideas.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computer science topics, data structures, or algorithms.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30486512,
          "author": "indigochill",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T08:50:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486512",
          "commentText": "SICP. I only read a little, but that little bit was enough for something to really click for me. When I dropped it, I felt like \"Before, I knew some syntax, but now I actually understand how to put a program together\".\nAlso, this is kind of cheating since I went through the \"Nand 2 Tetris\" video course, but there is a book that goes along with it, \"The Elements of Computing Systems\". The course really drove home for me the power of simple, well-designed layers in building complex systems, since the end goal of building a CPU from scratch sounded impossibly intimidating at the start but by the end I was comfortable in explaining every detail. I think it counts since the book covers the same material.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "there is a book that goes along with it, \"The Elements of Computing Systems\".",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book covers the material of a course that taught them how simple layers can build complex systems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the course drove home the lesson and the book covers the same material.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27639323,
          "author": "captn3m0",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T05:20:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27639323",
          "commentText": "Book is called “Elements of Computing Systems”. There is a second edition coming out this August from MIT Press I think.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Book is called “Elements of Computing Systems”.",
          "reason": "Identifies the title of the book mentioned in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The second edition was expected that August, according to the comment.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22300226,
          "author": "steve_g",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-11T17:18:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22300226",
          "commentText": "Elements of Computing Systems by Nisan and Schocken has you 'build' a computer from basic logic gates to CPU/Memory to assembler, VM, etc. all the way to a running program.\nhttps://www.nand2tetris.org/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Elements of Computing Systems by Nisan and Schocken",
          "reason": "Describes building a computer from logic gates through software to a running program.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804066,
          "author": "Delfino",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:09:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804066",
          "commentText": "I read about 25 books this year, here are the top 10 I look forward to reading in 2020, many of them informed by my favorites of 2019:\nHomo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari - I read Sapiens this year and really enjoyed it. I just started this today one so I may finish that before the end of the year.\nThinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman - I like books that make me think and from what I've heard, this will definitely do the trick. I read Factfulness this year and this was a suggested follow-up.\nThe Language Instinct by Steven Pinker - I've gotten really into natural languages since I've lived outside my country of origin for the last 2 and a half years and I've heard good things about this book being an entry point into linguistics.\nSword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski - With the new Witcher show coming out on Netflix I finally went back and beat The Witcher 3 then read the first book, The Last Wish. It was enjoyable enough that I want to keep going with the series.\nEducated by Tara Westover - Was convinced by Bill Gate's blog this is worthwhile. I'm a teacher so it wasn't hard to convince me.\nRobot Builder's Bonanza by Gordon McComb - I've been asked to teach a robotics course next year and this one seems to be The Book everyone recommends to dive into robotics.\nDivided by Partition: United by Resilience by Mallika Ahluwalia - I recently visited the Partition Museum in Amritsar, Punjab, India and purchased this book there to learn about more stories about people impacted by this event.\nThe Elements of Computing Systems by Noam Nisan and Shimon Shocken - I just read Code by Petzold and it was one of my favorite books. Even though I studied Computer Science in University and most of the concepts weren't new to me, it was such a fun experience mentally \"building\" a computer from relays/transistors to logic gates and up to assemblers, compilers, and interpreters. I want to keep going with this and jump into the Nand2Tetris online course.\nThe Annotated Turing by Charles Petzold - Again, I loved Petzold's Code so I looked up other books he wrote and this one looks great. I've never actually read Turing's work so I'm excited to have some background and explanation to help me not just read the words but grasp their significance.\nZACH-LIKE by Zachtronics - I played through several Zachtronics games this year (TIS-100, Shenzhen I/O and Opus Magnum) so I can't wait to dive into some of the thinking behind creating these and similar games.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Elements of Computing Systems by Noam Nisan and Shimon Shocken",
          "reason": "The commenter wants to continue learning by taking the associated Nand2Tetris course.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20775869,
          "author": "bjackman",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-23T09:46:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20775869",
          "commentText": "I actually recommended this to her already - the book (The Elements of Computing Systems) of the same course was the first programming text I ever read. Really enthralling!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the book (The Elements of Computing Systems) of the same course was the first programming text I ever read. Really enthralling!",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it enthralling and says they recommended it to someone.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20731178,
          "author": "srikz",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T16:29:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20731178",
          "commentText": "Would like to add Nand2Tetris[1] which falls in a similar category.\n[1]: https://www.nand2tetris.org/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Would like to add Nand2Tetris[1] which falls in a similar category.",
          "reason": "Adds the book as a related recommendation in the conversation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20730293,
          "author": "zarkov99",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T14:27:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20730293",
          "commentText": "Also \"The Elements of Computing Systems\", which is as good as SICP but comes at CS from opposite direction, that is from the machine up.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also \"The Elements of Computing Systems\", which is as good as SICP but comes at CS from opposite direction",
          "reason": "Praises it as being as good as SICP and describes its bottom-up approach to computer science.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Approaches computer science from the machine up.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16080858,
          "author": "deepaksurti",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-05T19:18:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16080858",
          "commentText": "Yes, it is.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Yes, it is.",
          "reason": "Confirms that the book discussed in the parent comment is NAND2Tetris.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16080838,
          "author": "godelmachine",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-05T19:16:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16080838",
          "commentText": "Elements of Computing Systems is NAND2TETRIS, right?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Elements of Computing Systems is NAND2TETRIS, right?",
          "reason": "Asks whether the book is the same as NAND2Tetris; this is a neutral identification question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16080223,
          "author": "oumua_don17",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-05T17:57:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16080223",
          "commentText": "3 so far:\n1. Elements of Computing Systems\n2. On Lisp\n3. Game Engine Architecture\nEdit: 2 -> 3",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Elements of Computing Systems",
          "reason": "Included in a list of answers to a question asking for the best textbook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13661827,
          "author": "steve_g",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-16T17:34:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13661827",
          "commentText": "I'll second this.  I worked through the book and downloadable exercises a few years ago.  It's a great way to learn about the multiple layers of abstraction that a modern program sits upon.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'll second this. I worked through the book and downloadable exercises a few years ago. It's a great way to learn about the multiple layers of abstraction that a modern program sits upon.",
          "reason": "Seconding the recommendation; praises it as a way to learn about layers of abstraction in modern programs.",
          "audience": "Learners interested in how computing systems are built and layered.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13660749,
          "author": "yisheng",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-16T15:43:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13660749",
          "commentText": "I really liked The Elements of Computing Systems (nand2tetris). The reader gets to build a computer from nand gates up.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really liked The Elements of Computing Systems (nand2tetris). The reader gets to build a computer from nand gates up.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really liked it and notes that readers build a computer from logic gates upward.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in learning computer systems through a hands-on project.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12988672,
          "author": "simoch",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-18T18:03:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12988672",
          "commentText": "Several:\n* \"The Elements Of Computing Systems\", by Nisan and Schocken\nAccompanies www.nand2tetris.org and leads you through implementing logic gates, a CPU, Assembler, right up to a functional computer, with the help of simulator software on a PC. Fascinating, but requires 100-200 hours to complete all the exercises.\n* \"The Rosie Project\", by Graeme Simsion\nEasy to read novel about a man searching for a wife, as recommended on Bill Gates' blog\n* \"Island Of The Lost\", by Joan Druett\nA true story of survival after being shipwrecked on a remote island\n* \"River Town\", by Peter Hessler\nThe experiences of an English teacher who spent two years working in China",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Elements Of Computing Systems\", by Nisan and Schocken",
          "reason": "Guides readers through implementing computer components, from logic gates to a functional computer.",
          "audience": "Learners completing the exercises with simulator software.",
          "caveat": "Requires 100–200 hours to complete all exercises.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229681,
          "author": "shpx",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:15:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229681",
          "commentText": "The Design of Everyday Things. Probably the quintessential book on design, the basic premise is that if you can't figure out how a thing works, it's not your fault.\nStructures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down. About the engineering of various things, mostly buildings. Highly recommend.\nThe Elements of Computer Systems (better known as NAND to Tetris). Describes a computer from the bottom up.\nA History of the Arab Peoples\nThe Quran\nThe Bible\nSpace and Time in General Relativity by David Mermin\nFeynman QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Elements of Computer Systems (better known as NAND to Tetris). Describes a computer from the bottom up.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for book recommendations and described as building a computer from the bottom up.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in understanding how computers work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9759742,
          "author": "deepaksurti",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T17:18:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9759742",
          "commentText": "The Elements of Computing Systems: http://www.nand2tetris.org. A great, fun, do it yourself projects with subtle hints to move forward. Helps you lay a good foundation for programming.\nHelped me a lot when I ventured into 3D graphics and game programming.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A great, fun, do it yourself projects with subtle hints to move forward. Helps you lay a good foundation for programming.",
          "reason": "Praises its guided projects and says it builds a foundation for programming.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a programming foundation, including someone moving into 3D graphics or game programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7766038,
          "author": "kirang1989",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-19T06:52:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7766038",
          "commentText": "Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective and NAND2Tetris: Elements of Computing Systems are the best books to learn the internals of computer hardware and solidify your understanding of how a computer works.\nThe Pragmatic Programmer - My all time favorite. Awesome book to learn best practices of various aspects in programming.\nThe Code Book: The Evolution Of Secrecy From Mary, Queen Of Scots To Quantum Cryptography, if you have a thing for cryptography.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective and NAND2Tetris: Elements of Computing Systems are the best books to learn the internals of computer hardware and solidify your understanding of how a computer works.",
          "reason": "Named among the best books for learning computer hardware and how computers work.",
          "audience": "Readers learning computer systems",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3564314,
          "author": "cliffwarden",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-08T00:05:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 3564256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best programming books for someone in prison?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3564314",
          "commentText": "Not sure if this is the right direction or not.  In different ways they are all, essentially, about programming...\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Code-Language-Computer-Hardware-Softwa... (http://www.amazon.com/Code-Language-Computer-Hardware-Software/dp/0735611319/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328659335&sr=8-1)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Elements-Computing-Systems-Building-Pr... (http://www.amazon.com/Elements-Computing-Systems-Building-Principles/dp/0262640686/ref=pd_vtp_b_1)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Structure-Interpretation-Computer-Prog... (http://www.amazon.com/Structure-Interpretation-Computer-Programs-Engineering/dp/0262510871/ref=pd_vtp_b_6)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/G%C3%B6del-Escher-Bach-Eternal-Golden/... (http://www.amazon.com/G%C3%B6del-Escher-Bach-Eternal-Golden/dp/0465026567/ref=pd_vtp_b_12)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Pragmatic-Programmer-Journeyman-Master... (http://www.amazon.com/Pragmatic-Programmer-Journeyman-Master/dp/020161622X/ref=pd_vtp_b_13)\nGood luck!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "http://www.amazon.com/Elements-Computing-Systems-Building-Pr...",
          "reason": "Included in a list answering which programming oriented books to recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Noam Nisan",
        "Shimon Schocken"
      ],
      "recommenders": 14,
      "threads": 11,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nand2tetris",
        "computer systems",
        "computer architecture",
        "computer science education"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "revelation-space-dbb3f8",
      "title": "Revelation Space",
      "author": "Alastair Reynolds",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46400582,
          "author": "drunx",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T09:55:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46400582",
          "commentText": "Stealing this recommendation.\nI stared from Revelation Space - full series. Then did done other ones. Didn't get to the Century Rain.\nThank you!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I stared from Revelation Space - full series.",
          "reason": "Says they started with and read the full series after taking up the recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021628,
          "author": "kyriakos",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:58:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021628",
          "commentText": "Yeah I read everything written in the Revelation Space Universe. Also Chasm City is really good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "everything written in the Revelation Space Universe",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have read everything in the universe.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021193,
          "author": "beckingz",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:26:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021193",
          "commentText": "Revelation Space - Alastair Reynolds\nWireless - Charles Stross\nStories of your life and others - Ted Chiang\nMoonrise - Ben Bova\nLast Plane to Heaven - Jay Lake\nBest of Greg Egan - Greg Egan",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Revelation Space - Alastair Reynolds",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for science fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21904826,
          "author": "zwilliamson",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T08:33:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21904826",
          "commentText": "I just finished Revelation Space and really enjoyed it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I just finished Revelation Space and really enjoyed it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20333889,
          "author": "TimSchumann",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T11:00:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20333889",
          "commentText": "I’ve read all of them. You won’t be disappointed.\nI’d start Alistair Reynold’s stuff off with ‘House of Suns’ though. It’s a standalone, but it’s one of his best works IMO. Then go ahead and devour the ‘Revelation Space’ series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Then go ahead and devour the ‘Revelation Space’ series.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends reading the series after House of Suns.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy Alastair Reynolds's science fiction.",
          "caveat": "Suggested after House of Suns.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20332889,
          "author": "sho",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T07:16:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20332889",
          "commentText": "I mainly read SF to relax (biased towards hard space opera) and have accumulated a \"best of the best\" list of my own:\nLeviathan Wakes - James S. A. Corey (TV show The Expanse is loosely based on this, but IMO doesn't even come close)\nRevelation Space - Alastair Reynolds\nThree Body Problem (all 3 books) - Liu Cixin\nConsider Phlebas - Iain M. Banks (your gateway drug into the Culture universe)\nGenuinely wish I could experience all the above for the first time again. And looking forward to checking out some of the others mentioned here.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Revelation Space - Alastair Reynolds",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter’s personal “best of the best” SF list.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy hard space opera.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665467,
          "author": "JabavuAdams",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:55:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665467",
          "commentText": "= Finished =\n* Homo Deus, Yuval Noah Harari\n* Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt\n* The Quants\n* All About ADHD: A Family Resource for Helping Your Child Succeed With ADHD\n* Still Procrastinating? The No Regrets Guide To Getting It Done\n* Why Does He Do That? Inside The Minds of Angry And Controlling Men\n* Killing Pablo\n* Blackhawk Down (re-read)\n* Revelation Space. Banks. (re-read)\n= Finished Chapters Required For A Course =\n* Essential University Physics, Volume 1. Wolfson.\n* Linear Algebra, A First Course. Kutler.\n* A Concise Introduction to Linear Algebra. Schay.\n* Biology I: Cells, Molecular Biology, and Genetics. Custom Text (York University, BIOL 1000).\n* Chemistry, A Molecular Approach. Tro et. al.\n= In Progress =\n* 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, Yuval Noah Harari\n* Time Reborn: From the Crisis In Physics to the Future of the Universe. Smolin.\n* Freemium Mobile Games: Design & Monetization",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "* Revelation Space. Banks. (re-read)",
          "reason": "Listed as reread; no evaluation or recommendation is expressed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15429013,
          "author": "nataz",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T17:14:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15429013",
          "commentText": "Holy cow, how have people not mentioned Alastair Reynolds? PhD in physics, astronomer, worked for the European space agency, and writer of the incredible revelation space series.\nNo FTL, but \"humanity\" has expanded through the Galaxy. Main characters move through deep space in deep sleep on enormous ships called lighthuggers. Long jumps in time. It's a combination of hard sci-fi and space opera. AI and the nature of consciousness are explored. Also very Kim Stanley Robinson in how humans have evolved.\nAll in all, great, and should be right up your alley.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "writer of the incredible revelation space series.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the series and recommends it as a fitting read.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in hard sci-fi, space opera, AI, and consciousness.",
          "caveat": "No faster-than-light travel; combines hard sci-fi and space opera.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14860180,
          "author": "kiliantics",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:46:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14860180",
          "commentText": "Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds: really creative world-building in a galactic society and an engaging, twisting plotine.\nThe Battle for Spain by Antony Beevor: this is on my shelf long-term as it's quite dense but it's apparently one of the best works on the Spanish revolution.\nMiddlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides: unique intersection of themes with American immigration, industrialisation and gender all packed into one. Fitting themes for the politics of today though the book already seems slightly dated when it comes to gender politics.\nAnarchosyndicalism: Theory and Practice by Rudolf Rocker. This is to compliment my interest in the Spanish civil war and the history of unionism/syndicalism.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "really creative world-building in a galactic society and an engaging, twisting plotine.",
          "reason": "Praises the creative world-building and engaging, twisting plot.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12100481,
          "author": "tartuffe78",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T12:30:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12100481",
          "commentText": "Big science fiction fan\n1. Revelation Space\n2. Hyperion\n3. The Postman\n4. The Day of the Triffids\n5. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\n[1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revelation_Space\n[2] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperion_Cantos\n[3] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Postman\n[4] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_of_the_Triffids\n[5]  - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hitchhiker%27s_Guide_to_th... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hitchhiker%27s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1. Revelation Space",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter’s favorite science fiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10787298,
          "author": "yetanotheracc",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T06:03:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787298",
          "commentText": "Absolutely amazing, changed the way I look at the society, will re-read:\n- George Orwell, Keep the Aspidistra Flying\nLoved:\n- Alastair Reynolds, House of Suns\n- Andy Weir, The Martian\n- Neal Stephenson, Seveneves\n- Greg Egan, Teranesia\nLiked:\n- Arthur C. Clarke, 3001: The Final Odyssey\n- Arthur C. Clarke, 2061: Odyssey Three\n- Richard Feynman, The Character of Physical Laws\n- Richard Feynman, The Pleasure of Finding Things Out\n- Jonathan Slack, Stem Cells: A Very Short Introduction\n- John Scalzi, Fuzzy Nation (bought the audiobook for Wil Wheaton's narration)\n- Ray Monk, Robert Oppenheimer: A Life Inside the Center\n- Alastair Reynolds,  Revelation Space\n- David C. Cassidy, Beyond Uncertainty: Heisenberg, Quantum Physics, and the Bomb\nFound full of BS, did not finish:\n- Noam Chomsky, Understanding Power\nTextbooks:\n- order of 10^3 pages of Open University textbooks\n- Klauber, Student Friendly Quantum Field Theory\n- Feynman & Hibbs, Quantum Mechanics and Path Integrals\n- Wald, General Relativity (5 chapters)\n- Peskin & Schroeder, An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory (5 chapters)\nNot as bad as I felt before making the list, but underwhelming in terms of quantity. I intend to read a whole lot more in 2016.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Alastair Reynolds,  Revelation Space",
          "reason": "Listed under books the commenter says they liked.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056610,
          "author": "mattkevan",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:38:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056610",
          "commentText": "Anything by Alastair Reynolds - his Revelation Space series is great, and House of Suns is a fantastic one-off. He's probably the  closest to Ian Banks in creating galaxy-spanning civilisations across eons of time.\nIan MacDonald is another good one. My favourite of his is The Dervish House, but his others are definitely worth reading.\nCharles Stross is good. Didn't get on with Accelerando, but his Laundry books are a fun mix of HP Lovecraft/Len Deighton/IT Crowd. Halting State and Rule 34 are good explorations of pervasive augmented reality and intelligent algorithms. Also Glasshouse as an exploration of post-singularity society. Never managed to finish a Cory Doctorow book though.\nI found William Gibson's Bigend trilogy a slog, but I really enjoyed The Peripheral - it's a fun read.\nEnders Game and Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card are fantastic, but the remaining books suffer from diminishing returns (with the possible exception of Ender's Shadow). There are a lot of books in the series, but basically, the series finishes wherever you get bored reading it.\nAnything by China Mieville is well worth your time.\nOh, I also really enjoyed Elizabeth Bear's Jacobs Ladder trilogy, set on a generation ship where the inhabitants have forgotten who they are and where they're going.\nFor some older stuff:\nThe Stars my Destination by Alfred Bester – I was surprised at how good it is and how well it stands up. I couldn't believe it was written nearly 50 years ago.\nThe Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein - possibly my favourite of his. I want to start a lunar revolution with a sentient mainframe...\nI'm currently working my way through all the Hugo Award winners, from 1953 up, and there's some real gems there.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "his Revelation Space series is great",
          "reason": "Calls the series great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056570,
          "author": "elorant",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:27:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056570",
          "commentText": "Everything from Asimov.\nThe Mars trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson.\nThe Culture books from Iain Banks.\nThe Rama series from Clarke although it got tiresome after a while.\nThe Sparrow and Children of God from Mary Doria Russell.\nContact by Sagan which by the way is one of the very few sci-fi books that were successfully depicted in movies.\nBrave new world from Huxley. Old one but still highly relevant.\nThe first ones from Gibson.\nThe Enter series by Orson Scott Card.\nBradbury's Farhenheit 451. This one is a classic.\nRevelation Space from Alaistair Reynolds who writes the most hardcore sci-fi I've ever come across.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Revelation Space from Alaistair Reynolds who writes the most hardcore sci-fi I've ever come across.",
          "reason": "Recommends the series and praises the author's science fiction as especially hardcore.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027000,
          "author": "blahblahblah",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T09:17:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027000",
          "commentText": "Revelation Space, by Alastair Reynolds - Quirky sci-fi novel with a xenoarchaeology angle\nHunters of Dune, by Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson - I'm not recommending this one on the basis of the writing.  I'd recommend it only to those who read all of Frank Herbert's original Dune series and have been hanging in suspense ever since because the cliffhanger ending of Chapterhouse Dune was never resolved due to Frank's untimely death.  They based the book on Frank's outline, but it clearly would have been a better book if it had been written by Frank.  Nonetheless, it is satisfying to resolve the unanswered questions:  Who the heck are these Honored Matres and what were they running away from?\nLabyrinths:  Selected Stories & Other Writings, by Jorges Luis Borges - This is kind of a quirky collection of short stories that are all mindbenders of one variety or another.  The best description I can give of Borges is that reading him is kind of like solving puzzles.\nAcross the Nightingale Floor:  Tales of the Otori, by Lain Hearn - Historical fiction set in feudal Japan with lords and their retainers, assassins, etc.\nThe Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown - If you liked The Da Vinci Code or Angels & Demons, you'll probably like this one as well.  While Dan Brown will probably never write anything that matches the utter genius of Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum, he is entertaining in his own way and worth a read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Revelation Space, by Alastair Reynolds - Quirky sci-fi novel with a xenoarchaeology angle",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books others enjoyed and recommend.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in science fiction and xenoarchaeology.",
          "caveat": "Described as quirky.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026868,
          "author": "Xichekolas",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T06:13:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026868",
          "commentText": "Programming in Haskell by Graham Hutton\nA.I. A Modern Approach (ch 13-16) by Russell and Norvig\nA Tunnel In The Sky by Robert Heinlein\nThe Revelation Space series (3 of the 5 books) by Alistair Reynolds\nEon/Eternity (both by Greg Bear)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Revelation Space series (3 of the 5 books) by Alistair Reynolds",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has read three of the five books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alastair Reynolds"
      ],
      "recommenders": 14,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "hard science fiction",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "cosmic horror"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "solaris-5ba7cd",
      "title": "Solaris",
      "author": "Stanisław Lem",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49908114,
          "author": "largePanda9",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T12:44:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49908114",
          "commentText": "I read all three of these in the last 12 months, great choices. Have you read Blindsight? I felt it was almost a sci fi/horror mix. Great read",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read all three of these in the last 12 months, great choices.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the three books in the parent comment great choices.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42556739,
          "author": "__rito__",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-31T05:53:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42556739",
          "commentText": "For me, some of the best books I read this year, are:\n- Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, I have seen many narratives on the fault at the core of current values and goals of human civilization, but never saw a laid out alternative. Whatever it might be, I like the book for attempting at presenting one.\n- Solaris by Stanislaw Lem, I like this book for extremely original thoughts. This books was so thin (~200 pages), yet it was grand. I also wrote a review [0].\n- The Happiness Trap by Russ Hariss, was very helpful to me in sorting through some things. Very practical book.\n- Anathem by Neal Stephenson, one of the most original book, and probably the best one by Stephenson. Very original ideas, mind expanding.\n- Permutation City by Greg Egan, this book raised the standard for possibly all SciFi book that I will read in the future. Extremely original and grand ideas.\n- The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt, another book that lays out alternatives to what is now considered mainstream.\n- Sotyi Rupkatha by Parimal Bhattacharya (Bengali), a book without any ideological or emotional baggage explaining the plight and pain of a tribal community for Aluminium mining. The way colonialism lives in mining was eye-opening. Aluminium mining, separating, etc. are done in lesser fortunate countries where huge amounts of water is wasted and the environment polluted. The West still imports that refined raw material in cheap and produces final products with lesser environmental impact and peofits by selling the finished products to the same countries in large profits. It was refreshing to see that this book did not have a Communist undertone.\n- Krishna Basudev by Bani Basu (Bengali), life of God Krishna in form of a novel in crisp prose, written maintaining authenticity of core books like Bhagavat Purana and Harivansha.\n- I am currently listening to \"The Hobbit\" audiobook narrated by Andy Serkis. This is peak audiobook for me.\n[0]: https://ritogh.substack.com/p/not-merely-a-story-of-a-man-fa... (https://ritogh.substack.com/p/not-merely-a-story-of-a-man-facing)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I like this book for extremely original thoughts. This books was so thin (~200 pages), yet it was grand.",
          "reason": "Praises its original ideas and grand scope despite its short length.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36027613,
          "author": "giaour",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-22T04:56:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36027613",
          "commentText": "Solaris is a classic, and anything else by Stanislaw Lem is probably good. Not Russian, but he wrote in Polish in the USSR.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Solaris is a classic",
          "reason": "Recommended as a classic example of Soviet-era science fiction in translation.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking Soviet or Russian science fiction available in English translation.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes Lem wrote in Polish in the USSR, not Russian.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36023832,
          "author": "duplabe",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T19:08:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36023832",
          "commentText": "Solaris got me into sci-fi and it is still one of my favorite.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Solaris got me into sci-fi and it is still one of my favorite.",
          "reason": "Says the novel got the commenter into science fiction and remains a favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936228,
          "author": "pjc50",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T08:33:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936228",
          "commentText": "I'd not heard of The Invincible, but Solaris had a transformative effect on me and you've convinced me to read the first two items on your list. Didn't Roadside Picnic become Tarkovsky's Stalker?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Solaris had a transformative effect on me",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book had a transformative effect on them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17582016,
          "author": "nepalez",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-21T14:06:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17582016",
          "commentText": "\"Blindsight\" by Peter Watts\n\"Solaris\" and \"Summa Technologiae\" by Stanislav Lem\n\"Dune\" by Frank Herbert\n\"The Diamond Age\" by Neal Stephenson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Solaris\"",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for the best science fiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17538480,
          "author": "facorreia",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T03:05:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17538480",
          "commentText": "I love Solaris. I think it's deep and thought-provoking, and more than a bit unsettling. I wouldn't say it's lighthearted and fun, though.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I love Solaris. I think it's deep and thought-provoking, and more than a bit unsettling.",
          "reason": "Says they love it and praises its depth and thought-provoking qualities.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is unsettling and not lighthearted or fun.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17537317,
          "author": "axplusb",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T21:57:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537317",
          "commentText": "Solaris by Stanislaw Lem\nPermutation City by Greg Egan\nUbik by Philip K. Dick",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Solaris by Stanislaw Lem",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15438897,
          "author": "mollerup",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-10T02:38:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15438897",
          "commentText": "An amazing short story. A lot of the themes can be found in other of Lems books. If you haven't picked up Solaris yet you really should. It is a great book, and probably the best sci-fi book I've read. Of course there's also his silly short stories 'The Cyberiad' where the stupidest thinking robot appears.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you haven't picked up Solaris yet you really should. It is a great book, and probably the best sci-fi book I've read.",
          "reason": "The commenter strongly recommends it and calls it probably their best science fiction read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674315,
          "author": "minikomi",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T12:07:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674315",
          "commentText": "Solaris by Stanisław Lem. Well, maybe the loneliest might be a more accurate description.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Well, maybe the loneliest might be a more accurate description.",
          "reason": "Suggests the novel may be better described as the loneliest.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Maybe it is better described as lonely than mind-blowing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056523,
          "author": "edem",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:18:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056523",
          "commentText": "Since the OP asked about books not authors my favourite book is \"Foundation and Earth\" (Isaac Asimov), \"Childhood's End\" (A.C. Clarke) and Solaris (Stainslaw Lem).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Solaris (Stainslaw Lem)",
          "reason": "Named as a favorite sci-fi book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109156,
          "author": "mark_l_watson",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:25:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109156",
          "commentText": "I am reading \"An Introduction to Category Theory\", \"Haskell Data Analysis Cookbook\", and I just finished the sci-fi book \"Solaris.\"",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I just finished the sci-fi book \"Solaris.\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4662346,
          "author": "bergdaemon",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-16T22:57:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 4661261,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite Science Fiction book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4662346",
          "commentText": "It's a tie between two strange books.\nAlfred Bester's _The Stars My Destination_: It's deeply flawed, wackily 1950s, has ridiculous tech, and is one of the most entertaining books I have read.\nStanislaw Lem's _Solaris_: Strange, dry, bordering on boring, breaks every single law about overusing exposition I can think of...and somehow turns that into a riveting meditation on the nature of guilt and consciousness.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "somehow turns that into a riveting meditation on the nature of guilt and consciousness.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of their two favorite books and praises its meditation on guilt and consciousness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as strange, dry, and bordering on boring.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043498,
          "author": "PilotPirx",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:09:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043498",
          "commentText": "I don't read that much lately, but want to throw in a few names:\n- Stanislaw Lem (Solaris, The Cyberiad, His Masters Voice, Fiasco)\n- William Gibson - evrything worth reading)\n- Bruce Sterling",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Stanislaw Lem (Solaris, The Cyberiad, His Masters Voice, Fiasco)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140842,
          "author": "kryptos",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T15:19:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140842",
          "commentText": "Stanislaw lem.. i agree... Solaris was special.. and most purists seemed to suggest the translation from Polish was bad!... Olaf stapledon's last and first men, starMaker were both stunning... \nUrsula le guin also come to mind",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Solaris was special",
          "reason": "Calls it special while agreeing with the prior praise of Lem.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that purists criticized the translation from Polish.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140490,
          "author": "nazgulnarsil",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T02:59:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140490",
          "commentText": "depends on the subgenre :)\nSuperhuman:\nSlan by A.E. Van Vogt\nMore Than Human by Theodore STurgeon\nOdd John by Olaf Stapledon\nPost Apocalyptic:\nThe Day of The Triffids by John Whyndham\nEarth Abides by George R. Stewart\nA Canticle for Lebowitz by...don't remember\nSpace Opera/Adventure:\nany of The Culture novels by Iain M. Banks\nThe Reality Dysfunction series by ...don't remember\nHyperion series by Dan Simmons\nTo Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer\nDystopian:\nWe by Yevgeny Zamyatin <---highly overlooked, predates 1984 and Brave New World\nBut the Absolute Best would be anything by:\nStanislaw Lem (Cyberiad, Futurological Congress, Solaris)\nAlfred Bester (The STars my Destination, The Demolished Man)\nor Samuel R. Delany (Babel-17, Dhalgren, Trtion, Nova)\noh and Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light and This Immortal are both great.\nSome of Philip K. Dick's stuff is great, but everyone recommends him. :)\nalmost forgot John Brunner, check out Steel Beach, The Sheep Look Up, and Stand on Zanzibar.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stanislaw Lem (Cyberiad, Futurological Congress, Solaris)",
          "reason": "Says Lem is among the absolute best and lists this title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stanisław Lem"
      ],
      "recommenders": 14,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "alien intelligence",
        "philosophical science fiction",
        "consciousness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "high-output-management-c38c3c",
      "title": "High Output Management",
      "author": "Andrew S. Grove",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "High Output Management (Andy Grove)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35169075,
          "author": "avemuri",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T14:45:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35169075",
          "commentText": "High output management",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "High output management",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33858182,
          "author": "mooreds",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T21:37:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33858182",
          "commentText": "Hiya,\nI'd consider these books/articles/podcasts:\n* Secrets of Consulting by Gerald Weinberg: http://geraldmweinberg.com/Site/Consulting_Secrets.html Every problem is a people problem.\n* Refactoring by Martin Fowler et. al: https://martinfowler.com/books/refactoring.html talks about how and why to refactor, as well as providing a nomenclature for the process.\n* Code Complete by Steve McConnell. https://stevemcconnell.com/books/ A bit dated (the last version I could find was from 2004) but a great overview of the entire software process, from requirements to maintenance.\n* The Mythical Man-Month by Fred Brookes: https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/mythical-man-month-the/... (https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/mythical-man-month-the/0201835959/) best practices about software development, written about a project from the 1960 and 1970s.\n* The Joel On Software Strategy Letters: https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/05/12/strategy-letter-i-... (https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/05/12/strategy-letter-i-ben-and-jerrys-vs-amazon/) is the first one. All of them (I think there are five) are great.\n* Letters to a New Developer: https://letterstoanewdeveloper.com/the-book/ Please note I wrote this, but I still think it does a good job of discussing the \"soft skills\" in an easily digestible format.\n* Pragmatic Programmer by Dave Thomas and Andy Hunt: https://pragprog.com/titles/tpp20/the-pragmatic-programmer-2... (https://pragprog.com/titles/tpp20/the-pragmatic-programmer-20th-anniversary-edition/) Haven't read the revised 20th anniversary edition, but the first one opened my eyes to the craft of software.\n* High Output Management by Andy Grove: https://bookshop.org/p/books/high-output-management-andrew-s... (https://bookshop.org/p/books/high-output-management-andrew-s-grove/6730629) a great way to think about throughput\n* The Phoenix Project by Gene Kim et. al: https://itrevolution.com/product/the-phoenix-project/ Fun novel(!) about applying lean management principles to software engineering.\n* Radical Candor (haven't read, but it's been recommended): https://www.radicalcandor.com/ About communication.\n* Good to Great by Jim Collins: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_to_Great Focuses on what great companies bring to the table. Helps me evaluate where to work.\n* Mastery Autonomy and Purpose: A great video about what people really want in work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzXXC4MZZnY\n* https://www.manager-tools.com/podcasts a podcast about managing people. You didn't say you wanted to be a people manager, but knowing what managers think about will make you more effective in any org.\n* Managing Humans by Michael Lopp: https://managinghumans.com/ The whole Rands site is work reading, but I enjoyed this book about how to manage teams and build software. See above.\n* Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug: https://sensible.com/dont-make-me-think/ Easy ways to think about usability, focusing on webapps. Short and easy.\n* Badass: Making Users Awesome, by Kathy Sierra: http://seriouspony.com/badass-users-the-book Will help you put yourself in the shoes of your users and think about how to build software they will love. Short and easy.\nHope this helps.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "High Output Management by Andy Grove",
          "reason": "Recommended as a way to think about throughput.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27637921,
          "author": "llaolleh",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T00:33:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27637921",
          "commentText": "High Output Management was an interesting read. Grove took timeless computer architecture techniques and mapped it onto management.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "High Output Management was an interesting read.",
          "reason": "Calls it an interesting read and says Grove maps computer architecture techniques onto management.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27637608,
          "author": "wenc",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T23:46:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27637608",
          "commentText": "* Fooled By Randomness (NN Taleb): Taleb is a complicated personality, but this book gave me a heuristic for thinking about long-tails and uncertain events that I could never have derived myself from a probability textbook.\n* Designing Data Intensive Applications (M Kleppmann): Provided a first-principles approach for thinking about the design of modern large-scale data infrastructure. It's not just about assembling different technologies -- there are principles behind how data moves and transforms that transcend current technology, and DDIA is an articulation of those principles. After reading this, I began to notice general patterns in data infrastructure, which helped me quickly grasp how new technologies worked. (most are variations on the same principles)\n* Introduction to Statistical Learning (James et al) and Applied Predictive Modeling (Kuhn et al). These two books gave me a grand sweep of predictive modeling methods pre-deep learning, methods which continue to be useful and applicable to a wider variety of problem contexts than AI/Deep Learning. (neural networks aren't appropriate for huge classes of problems)\n* High Output Management (A Grove): oft-recommended book by former Intel CEO Andy Grove on how middle management in large corporations actually works, from promotions to meetings (as a unit of work). This was my guide to interpreting my experiences when I joined a large corporation and boy was it accurate. It gave me a language and a framework for thinking about what was happening around me. I heard this was 1 of 2 books Tobi Luetke read to understand management when he went from being a technical person to CEO of Shopify. (the other book being Cialdini's Influence). Hard Things about Hard Things (B Horowitz) is a different take that is also worth a read to understand the hidden--but intentional--managerial design of a modern tech company. These some of the very few books written by practitioners--rather than management gurus--that I've found to track pretty closely with my own real life experiences.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "High Output Management (A Grove)",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped interpret their experiences in a large corporation and gave them a framework for understanding management.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21824206,
          "author": "Simmo",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-18T12:40:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21824206",
          "commentText": "I would like to start with:\nHigh Output Management Grove, Andrew S.\n7 Habits Of Highly Effective People Covey, Stephen R\nClean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship,(Robert C. Martin)\nClean Architecture: A Craftsman's Guide to Software Structure and Design (Robert C. Martin Series)\nBuilding Evolutionary Architectures: Support Constant Change by Neal Ford, Rebecca Parsons, Patrick Kua\nIf you have read any of them and you would like to share your thoughts, I will be truly happy to listen!:)\nHappy reading",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "High Output Management Grove, Andrew S.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21793087,
          "author": "janvdberg",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T23:20:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793087",
          "commentText": "These are a few of the ones I read this year and that the average HN reader would also probably enjoy (links are to my blog):\n* Why We Sleep: https://j11g.com/2019/05/31/why-we-sleep-matthew-walker/\n* The Effective Executive: https://j11g.com/2019/03/18/the-effective-executive-peter-dr... (https://j11g.com/2019/03/18/the-effective-executive-peter-drucker/)\n* High Output Management: https://j11g.com/2019/01/29/high-output-management-andrew-s-... (https://j11g.com/2019/01/29/high-output-management-andrew-s-grove/)\n* Bad Blood: https://j11g.com/2019/01/21/bad-blood-john-carreyrou/\n* The 7 Habits (I reread this after a long time and it still holds up!) https://j11g.com/2019/09/30/the-7-habits-of-highly-effective... (https://j11g.com/2019/09/30/the-7-habits-of-highly-effective-people-stephen-covey/)\n* A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again – David Foster Wallace (This is just an amazing book and became one of my all time favorites) https://j11g.com/2019/08/08/a-supposedly-fun-thing-ill-never... (https://j11g.com/2019/08/08/a-supposedly-fun-thing-ill-never-do-again-david-foster-wallace/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* High Output Management: https://j11g.com/2019/01/29/high-output-management-andrew-s-...",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books the commenter read and thinks the average HN reader would enjoy.",
          "audience": "The average Hacker News reader, as described by the commenter.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21715921,
          "author": "cushychicken",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T20:04:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21715921",
          "commentText": "I'm reading High Output Management by Andy Grove at the moment. Definitely one of the best practical guides on being a leader and a people manager I've ever read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Definitely one of the best practical guides on being a leader and a people manager I've ever read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of the best practical leadership and people-management guides they have read.",
          "audience": "People interested in leadership and people management.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21713523,
          "author": "abhiyerra",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T16:16:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21713523",
          "commentText": "- High-Ouput Management\n- Five Disfunctions of a Team\n- The Goal\n- Principles by Ray Dalio\n- Good Profit by Charles Koch\nAll of the books above cover some aspect of what you want but don’t seem to cover the whole picture. Further, a lot of it comes down to shared mental models. If you are coming from the perspective of action taking then the other person also assumes that you will take the action. I think Leader Eat Last explains this brilliantly and actually significantly changed the way I am trying to approach leadership as well as how I work with other people in general.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "High-Ouput Management",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21712808,
          "author": "tbarringer816",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T15:03:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21712808",
          "commentText": "High Output Management by Andy Grove. Great resource that I re-read every year or so",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "High Output Management by Andy Grove. Great resource that I re-read every year or so",
          "reason": "Calls it a great resource and says they reread it regularly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21712780,
          "author": "zt",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T15:00:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21712780",
          "commentText": "I think this is a more complicated question that it first appears. What do you mean by leadership? Getting things done for some strict definition? Managing a team? Managing a huge enterprise? I think reading books across the spectrum of leadership and management is critical, as each gives you some feeling of the underlying “truth” that you’re trying to find.\nI think the best book on the topic as I think you mean it is High Output Management by Andy Grove. It’s a classic. Incredibly well written. Direct.\nFrom there, I’d actually take a pivot and read MCDP 1 Warfighting, which is concise, brilliant, generally applicable, and completely aligned with the thinking of Grove. Along the same lines, I’d consider reading about OODA (I like “Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War” but not strictly necessary to read an entire biography). I think then you start to see that “Management” began to mean something particular in the post-war era for those who could see it, that it’s been lost in most organizations. Agile, lean, blah blah blah is all sort of derived from here.\nThen get some conditioning on how it all goes wrong, for which I would suggest the classic “The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering”, which is generally applicable.\nThen personally, I era toward thinking about organizations that have accomplished great things, so suggest “Creativity, Inc”, “Doing the Impossible: George E. Mueller & the Management of NASA's Human Spaceflight Program”, and books of those type.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think the best book on the topic as I think you mean it is High Output Management by Andy Grove. It’s a classic. Incredibly well written. Direct.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best book for the question and praises its writing.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for management guidance, especially in a tech context.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14478591,
          "author": "minouye",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T21:28:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478591",
          "commentText": "Flow\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Flow-Psychology-Experience-Perennial-... (https://www.amazon.com/Flow-Psychology-Experience-Perennial-Classics/dp/0061339202)\nAntifragile\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Ince... (https://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Incerto/dp/0812979680)\nHigh Output Management\nhttps://www.amazon.com/High-Output-Management-Andrew-Grove/d... (https://www.amazon.com/High-Output-Management-Andrew-Grove/dp/0679762884)\nThe Master Switch\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Master-Switch-Rise-Information-Empire... (https://www.amazon.com/Master-Switch-Rise-Information-Empires/dp/0307390993)\nThinking Fast and Slow\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-Kahneman/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-Kahneman/dp/0374533555)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "High Output Management",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229612,
          "author": "jakegarelick",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T14:42:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229612",
          "commentText": "My recent favorites: Jobs, The Hard Thing About Hard Things, High Output Management, Innovator's Dilemma, Lean Startup, On The Shortness Of Life, How Google Works, Zero To One, Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Power of Habit, Things Fall Apart, Stoner",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "High Output Management",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's recent favorites in response to a book recommendation request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229409,
          "author": "twunde",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T13:14:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229409",
          "commentText": "The Goal.\nIf you're interested in project management, Making Things Happen is good.\nI've just started High Output Management and so far it seems good. Of course there are always the classics like Good to Great, What Color Is Your Parachute, etc",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've just started High Output Management and so far it seems good.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it seems good so far, while noting they have just started it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has only just started reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10027667,
          "author": "riemannzeta",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T16:09:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027667",
          "commentText": "Great question. Reminds me of what Samuel Johnson had to say about Paradise Lost (\"great, but nobody ever wished it was longer\")\nMy $0.02:\nAndy Groves - High Output Management fits your bill\nMost Seneca\nRobert Frost poems (but maybe S/N is TOO high for comfortable consumption here)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Andy Groves - High Output Management fits your bill",
          "reason": "Explicitly says it fits the request for high signal to noise books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew S. Grove"
      ],
      "recommenders": 14,
      "threads": 9,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "management",
        "organizational leadership",
        "leadership",
        "operations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "linear-algebra-done-right-0fb95e",
      "title": "Linear Algebra Done Right",
      "author": "Sheldon Axler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34449073,
          "author": "garbagecoder",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-20T04:00:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34449073",
          "commentText": "Spivak, Abbott, Hubbard & Hubbard, Linear Algebra Done Right, Gallian’s Abstract Algebra, and believe it or not MTW taught me more good math than many math books.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Linear Algebra Done Right",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34440972,
          "author": "Mimmy",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T14:58:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34440972",
          "commentText": "Linear Algebra Done Right by Sheldon Axler for the following reasons:\n- I was revisiting a topic in greater depth, which is a common theme in university-level math courses.\n- It is a rigorous book, written in the style of definition, proposition, theorem, etc.\n- It was the first math book where the exercises don't just reinforce what you learned in the chapter, but teach you new material (another common theme in advanced math textbooks).\n- Linear Algebra is arguably the most important math subject these days.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Linear Algebra Done Right by Sheldon Axler",
          "reason": "Praised for its rigorous approach and exercises that introduce new material.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31714105,
          "author": "edanm",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-12T12:52:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31714105",
          "commentText": "To echo sibling comment but make it more prominent - \"Linear Algebra Done Right\" is a great second book, I wouldn't use it as a first source of learning Linear Algebra. (I'm pretty sure it says as much in the intro, IIRC.)\nI personally learned from Strang, then this book, which complemented each other very well. Strang is very focused on practicality, actually computing things, always seeing the matrix behind everything. \"Done Right\" is great at ignoring most of the \"matrix view\" of things completely in favor of pure linear transformations instead. Both views have their use - so learning one, then the other, is a great idea.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Linear Algebra Done Right\" is a great second book, I wouldn't use it as a first source of learning Linear Algebra.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a second book after an initial linear algebra text.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter advises against using it as a first source.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31712340,
          "author": "gtsnexp",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-12T07:18:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31712340",
          "commentText": "\"Linear Algebra done right\" by Sheldon Axler. He also has a beautiful series for videos on YouTube that can serve as a companion to the book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Linear Algebra done right\" by Sheldon Axler.",
          "reason": "Listed as a book recommendation, with a YouTube video series offered as a companion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31711324,
          "author": "ABeeSea",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-12T04:05:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31711324",
          "commentText": "Agreed which is why I love Artin’s Algebra. It introduces the matrix determinant early and uses it as the prototypical example of a group homomorphism and the book uses matrix groups liberally.\nObviously not a beginner friendly book if you just want to understand matrix equations s. But I found the pedagogical approach great and there are some real gems in the exercises.\nI found it a better for learning versus the standard recommendations of Axler/Lang/Halmos for LA. (Lang’s exposition is kinda weird and Halmos’s choice of exercises isn’t my favorite).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "standard recommendations of Axler/Lang/Halmos for LA",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the standard recommendations for linear algebra.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds Lang’s exposition odd and Halmos’s exercises unappealing; no specific criticism of Axler here.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31709021,
          "author": "mseri",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-11T22:19:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31709021",
          "commentText": "The book is open access (https://linear.axler.net/), I am going to quote directly the author in the preface:\n<< all linear algebra books use determinants to prove that every linear operator on a finite-dimensional complex vector space has an eigenvalue. Determinants are difficult, nonintuitive, and often defined without motivation. To prove the theorem about existence of eigenvalues on complex vector spaces, most books must define determinants, prove that a linear map is not invertible if and only if its determinant equals 0, and then define the characteristic polynomial. This tortuous (torturous?) path gives students little feeling for why eigenvalues exist.\nIn contrast, the simple determinant-free proofs presented here (for example, see 5.21) offer more insight. Once determinants have been banished to the end of the book, a new route opens to the main goal of linear algebra— understanding the structure of linear operators.>>\nIf you like mathematics, it is actually a pretty nice book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Once determinants have been banished to the end of the book",
          "reason": "Calls it a nice book for readers who like mathematics and quotes its determinant-free approach.",
          "audience": "Readers who like mathematics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31708880,
          "author": "Syzygies",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-11T22:02:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31708880",
          "commentText": "The title of Linear Algebra Done Wrong is an unacknowledged nod to Sheldon Axler's Linear Algebra Done Right. I know Sheldon; he believes it's a crime to teach people determinants. I teach people determinants. Wrong features determinants in Chapter 3.\nI was once part of an interactive learning software demo, where Sheldon had provided the sample linear algebra problem. I solved it in seconds using determinants. That really made my day.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "an unacknowledged nod to Sheldon Axler's Linear Algebra Done Right",
          "reason": "Identifies it as the book being referenced in the title of Linear Algebra Done Wrong.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31496826,
          "author": "t-3",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T19:56:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31496826",
          "commentText": "I recently saw Sheldon Axler's Linear Algebra Done Right recommended here, and have been working through it. In my nonexpert opinion, it's really good, and has a great series of videos reviewing each section in a clear and understandable fashion.\nhttps://linear.axler.net/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recently saw Sheldon Axler's Linear Algebra Done Right recommended here, and have been working through it.",
          "reason": "Recommends it based on their experience working through it and praises its accompanying section-by-section video reviews.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter qualifies their assessment as nonexpert.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30489564,
          "author": "edanm",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T15:59:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30489564",
          "commentText": "Baby Rudin is indeed awesome.\nI feel like Linear Algebra Done Right is a great book, but it is a better second book about Linear Algebra, rather than a good first book.\nActually, I think the whole subject deserves a fairly mechanical treatment first, and only then an explanation of the underlying math. I think it would make sense to introduce Matrix multiplication and related concepts to students in high school, so they become completely mechanical - much like we teach students how to differentiate functions as a purely mechanical process.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I feel like Linear Algebra Done Right is a great book, but it is a better second book about Linear Algebra, rather than a good first book.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a strong second book for linear algebra, after an initial treatment.",
          "audience": "Readers who already have a first introduction to linear algebra.",
          "caveat": "The commenter considers it a poor choice as a first linear algebra book.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30489438,
          "author": "dkarl",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T15:44:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30489438",
          "commentText": "Baby Rudin, Principles of Mathematical Analysis, was that book for me. It was that book for a lot of people, which I guess means it felt \"perfect\" for people with a broad range of backgrounds.\nI never found a book like that for algebra. Algebra felt opaque, simultaneously hard and boring, and linear algebra felt dry and mechanical, more like a vocational skill than like mathematics. If I had encountered Axler's Linear Algebra Done Right in undergrad, I might have been more interested in algebra.\nBy the time I encountered \"computer science\" in my mid-twenties, I don't think the quality of textbook mattered as much to me, but I wish I could remember the name of the formal languages and automata textbook I used to have. It was short and probably not very advanced, but the concepts are still vivid in my head. I see state machines everywhere, and things feel easy to me when I can tackle them as state machines.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If I had encountered Axler's Linear Algebra Done Right in undergrad, I might have been more interested in algebra.",
          "reason": "Says encountering it during undergraduate study might have increased their interest in algebra.",
          "audience": "Undergraduate students studying linear algebra.",
          "caveat": "The commenter did not encounter it as an undergraduate.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23733817,
          "author": "RhysU",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-04T17:57:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23733817",
          "commentText": "Linear Algebra Done Right",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Linear Algebra Done Right",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21315153,
          "author": "playing_colours",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T17:51:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21315153",
          "commentText": "Focusing on mathematics, I think about two kinds of foundational books.\n1. Historically foundational: books that brought important ideas, introduced a new branch, progressed the maths significantly. You can read them these days, but their content, proofs, language, etc. is not up to date. Examples: Elements by Euclid, Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica by Newton, Disquisitiones Arithmeticae by Gauss.\n2. Modern foundational books: The ones that can be used for studying now. Books that are clearly written, popular, cover their subject well. Examples: Visual Complex Analysis, Spivak’s Calculus, Linear Algebra Done Right, Hardy’s \nAn Introduction to the Theory of Numbers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Linear Algebra Done Right",
          "reason": "Named as a modern foundational book for studying mathematics now.",
          "audience": "People studying mathematics today.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7580124,
          "author": "dkural",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-13T03:44:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7580124",
          "commentText": "Axler's book is a bit troublesome in inventing new terminology unnecessarily. There are also a number of minor errors, and while the abstract structure is fleshed out, it's not often well \"motivated\".  I like the focus on theoretical instead of a matrix-first approach, I just think it's not well done.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Axler's book is a bit troublesome in inventing new terminology unnecessarily.",
          "reason": "The commenter criticizes its terminology, errors, and lack of motivation, while liking its theoretical focus over a matrix-first approach.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter likes its theoretical rather than matrix-first approach.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7578340,
          "author": "krick",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T16:48:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578340",
          "commentText": "Eh, I was thinking about something else, actually. What you listed are taught in every CS program, aren't they? It isn't what I imagined when I heard \"rigorous\" at all.\nTopology, number theory, abstract algebra (I mean, real one, not CS-course basics), statistics, tensor analysis? Isn't that \"undergrad math\"?\nFor things like Set theory/combinatorics/logic basics I'd recommend Rosen's \"Discrete Math and Applications\"[1]. CS oriented, simple, interesting, broad. Covers all the basic stuff.\nLinear algebra — two books, \"Linear algebra done Right\" and \"Linear algebra done Wrong\". Second one more math-oriented, the first one — pretty simple, pretty clear, fun to read.\nReal analysis (\"calculus\" you mean?) — I personally learned from different sources and probably the most concise book I read is Fichtengolz's \"differential and integral calculus\", but I don't know if it's available in english. I guess, almost any book on topic is fine.\nGeometry & Probability theory — not sure what to recommend, because books on topic vary in depth dramatically, I would appreciate myself if somebody would outline the borders for what to cover first. Anyway, most of what I read and found useful is in russian, unfortunately. But still, what do you mean by geometry and prob. theory? Differential geometry, Riemannian geometry, erlangen program covered or only basic euclidean/analytic geometry stuff? Same goes for probability. If you care only for very basics — Khan's academy (or any random youtube videos) is fine. Any intro book on statistics covers it as well.\n[1] - http://www.amazon.com/Discrete-Mathematics-Applications-Kenn... (http://www.amazon.com/Discrete-Mathematics-Applications-Kenneth-Rosen/dp/0072899050)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the first one — pretty simple, pretty clear, fun to read.",
          "reason": "The description praises this title as simple, clear, and fun to read.",
          "audience": "Readers learning linear algebra.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7578242,
          "author": "jjoonathan",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T16:18:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578242",
          "commentText": "I third the recommendation on Axler's LADR.\nI'd actually like to hear about alternatives to Rudin. My undergrad analysis class used it, but it's lack of diagrams was particularly bothersome. I'd spend an hour digesting a rat's nest of a paragraph only to discover that the underlying concept was simple enough that even a rough sketch ought to be able to get the gist of it across in seconds.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I third the recommendation on Axler's LADR",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly joins the recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7578198,
          "author": "nextos",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T16:04:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578198",
          "commentText": "Thanks. Axler's LADR is indeed fantastic, I have already worked through 1/2 of it. I'm really happy to see my opinion seconded. It's really short and precise. Some people seem to prefer Halmos' Finite Dimensional Vector Spaces, but I found the presentation less didactic. Perhaps it's also more of an upper division text, and I'm not there yet.\nI was looking for a real analysis companion, perhaps baby Rudin. I was also wondering whether it'd make sense to proceed directly to real analysis, or to step down a bit and read something like Spivak's Calculus.\nI'd also like to hear about recommendations at undergrad level in the fields of logic and set theory, geometry, combinatorics, and probability theory. Those would complete my basic math curriculum.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Axler's LADR is indeed fantastic",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it fantastic and says they have worked through half of it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7578160,
          "author": "j2kun",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T15:53:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578160",
          "commentText": "Sheldon Axler's \"Linear Algebra Done Right\" has my highest recommendation if you want expertise in linear algebra.\nAs a followup, Paolo Aluffi's \"Algebra: Chapter Zero\" is the best synthesizing text for abstract algebra for a beginning graduate student. The thing that makes it so amazing is the writing style: it introduces and demystifies category theory, and then discusses groups, rings, modules, linear algebra, fields, r-modules, and advanced topics (toward the end) with the unifying theme of how they work and relate as categories. It is very much a book that focuses on the why over the what and how. And there are many many many juicy exercises.\nI would recommend against Spivak's Calculus on manifolds. It's too dense and too focused on advanced topics (unless you're an ivy league undergrad, you don't learn cohomology). That being said I don't have an analysis reference that fits your request.\nAs a CS person I can continue with book recommendations related to computing-related topics in math (computational algebraic geometry comes to mind). Let me know if you're interested.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "has my highest recommendation if you want expertise in linear algebra",
          "reason": "Strongly recommended for developing expertise in linear algebra.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking expertise in linear algebra.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 755963,
          "author": "brg",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T18:37:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755963",
          "commentText": "If you have some decent background in reasoning and logic, I would suggest Linear Algebra Done Right by Sheldon Axler.  It provides a general introduction in mathematical reasoning as well as providing a strong framework for maths needed in many fields.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Linear-Algebra-Right-Sheldon-Axler/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Linear-Algebra-Right-Sheldon-Axler/dp/0387982582/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would suggest Linear Algebra Done Right by Sheldon Axler.",
          "reason": "Suggests it for mathematical reasoning and a framework for mathematics used in many fields.",
          "audience": "Readers with some background in reasoning and logic.",
          "caveat": "Assumes some background in reasoning and logic.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 665147,
          "author": "fogus",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T14:16:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665147",
          "commentText": "I personally liked \"A Logical Approach to Discrete Math\" by Gries and Schneider which can be had for a good price on Amazon.  As for statustics, I liked \"Statistics: A Gentle Introduction\" by Coolidge and \"Principles of Statistics\" by Bullmer which can be had for a great price even new.\nAlthough only slightly related to your chosen topics, \"Linear Algebra Done Right\" by Axler is awesome.\n-m",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Linear Algebra Done Right\" by Axler is awesome",
          "reason": "Calls the book awesome.",
          "audience": "Readers studying linear algebra.",
          "caveat": "Described as only slightly related to the requested topics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sheldon Axler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 14,
      "threads": 9,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "linear algebra",
        "linear transformations",
        "mathematical proofs",
        "self study"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-name-of-the-wind-cb21cd",
      "title": "The Name of the Wind",
      "author": "Patrick Rothfuss",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46247337,
          "author": "devrundown",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-12T18:52:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 46226571,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46247337",
          "commentText": "- The Writer - James Patterson\n- Terminal Man - Michael Crichton\n- The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38239390,
          "author": "vidyesh",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T11:48:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38239390",
          "commentText": "Thank you about all the other information related to that. People rave about NotW when it comes to fantasy novels. But rarely everything else around it is discussed in recommendation sections/forums.\n> but there's so many good finished series out in the world that I don't get why people keep recommending this guy's books.\nI see your point and I tend to agree lately, there are many DNF books in my list I used to regret but not anymore as I think there is a lot good out there to read and not much time, its better to enjoy what we can than to worry or feel not satisfied by certain read.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "People rave about NotW when it comes to fantasy novels.",
          "reason": "Discusses the book's frequent recommendations in fantasy forums and agrees there is much else to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have many unfinished books and limited reading time.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38238144,
          "author": "vidyesh",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T07:28:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238144",
          "commentText": "Actively reading:\n- The Fountainhead\n- Project Hail Mary\n- Learning TypeScript\nPassively reading:\n- The Design of Everyday Things\n- Dive into Design Patterns\nConsidering to read - This is mostly for anyone who has read them and would like to give their opinion about it.\n- Algorithms to Live By\n- Name of the Wind\n- Malazan Book of the Fallen\n- Good Girl's guide to murder\n- The Paradox of Choice\n- Moonwalking with Einstein\n- The Boron Letters\n- Storyworthy\n-",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "- Name of the Wind",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter is considering and offered for others' opinions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not said they have read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30740844,
          "author": "depingus",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T07:29:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30740844",
          "commentText": "THANK YOU! I thought Name of the Wind was satire at first. It features all the classic neckbeard tropes. Including hits like:\n* The other kids don't like Kvothe because he's so much smarter than them.\n* The girl Kvothe crushes on has friend-zoned him...\n* Because, of course, this girl only dates Chads.\n* Though all the other girls fawn over him, Kvothe is too gentlemanly to take advantage of them.\n* Kvothe uses \"my lady\" unironically and, even in a fantasy novel, makes it sound cringe-worthy.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I thought Name of the Wind was satire at first. It features all the classic neckbeard tropes.",
          "reason": "Criticizes the novel's character tropes and portrayal of Kvothe.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25845324,
          "author": "Engineering-MD",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T11:54:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25845324",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed ‘the name of the wind’ by Patrick Rothfuss. However it is a trilogy and the author has been unable to release the final one for a decade now- so only read it if you don’t mind waiting for closure!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed ‘the name of the wind’ by Patrick Rothfuss.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It is part of an unfinished trilogy; the author has not released the final book in a decade.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467509,
          "author": "Zhyl",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:32:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467509",
          "commentText": "The Kingkiller Chronicle.\nFirstly, they're good books and are enjoyable to read a second time round.\nSecondly, Rothfuss has laid down plot points like a Go player places stones. The second time reading through will join together disparate pieces of information that you wouldn't have connected together before, starting from very large revelations in the second reading of the first few chapters.\nI know of other books that are so rich that you can appreciate new details on multiple readings, but none that re-contextualise the whole story with revelations hidden in plain sight.\nReadings:\n(Name of the wind - 4 times,\nWise Man's Fear 5 or 6 times - I like this one more for some reason).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "(Name of the wind - 4 times,",
          "reason": "Reports reading it four times as part of the series rereads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17520351,
          "author": "ryanatallah",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T03:37:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17520351",
          "commentText": "The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss",
          "reason": "Named as a suggestion in response to a request for interesting recent books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15671440,
          "author": "gravidor",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-10T17:33:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15671440",
          "commentText": "The Name of the Wind - For all the reasons mentioned above, is one of my absolute favorite fiction books.  Its not just the characters, its Rothfuss' use of language.  I've never kept track of so many quotable phrases in a book.\nEnders Shadow Series by Orson Scott Card - I loved the majority of the Ender's Game series was disappointed when it was over.  Throughout those books, Bean was always my favorite character and it was a great day when I discovered the Ender's Shadow series which chronicles Bean's life over several books. The thing I loved most about Bean were his powers of analysis and he taught me to think more about scenario outcomes and think about multiple ways of achieving my goals.\nDune - A pattern is emerging here.  I love the books where the hero CHOOSES to ascend and works to get there.  Paul Atredies starts out a boy against harsh conditions and rises to the challenge.\nThe Stand by Stephen King - I read this book when I was 14 or 15 on summer break in a week.  I fell in from the start and read for entire days until it was done and when it was over I was in awe at the size (1000+ pages) and scope of what King accomplished.\nThe Alpha Strategy by John Pugsley - Its an interesting book and look at economics and wealth preservation in layman's terms.  Its funny because this book was written in the 80s and when I read it, it was immediately applicable.  I grew up in a pretty liberal household and this book made me start to pay attention to what liberals and conservatives were saying and form my own opinions.\nAtlas Shrugged - I read this right after the book above and the two in combination really caused a mindeset shift for me. It wasn't so much that everyone is out to get me or against me, but more I am responsible for my outcomes and I need to invest in myself.\nE-Myth Revisited By Michael Gerber - Piqued my interest in systems and where I started to learn the value of systems and making success repeatable.\nWorking the System By Sam Carpenter - More of the \"how-to\" book E-Myth Revisited should have been.\nDaemon Series - This one has been mentioned and while it didn't have the impact on my that the other books did, I did enjoy the world the author created.\nThieves Emporium by Max Hernandez - This was a quick read and appealed to my love of technical fiction.  Similar to Daemon, its use of technology in the story is interesting and not that far off from the real world at this point.  [WARNING: GRAPHIC SCENES]\nI was unambitious and coasted through life until after college, and it wasn't until I was in my late 20s that I started really reading books like these.  Over the past few years, I've become almost a completely different person.  I read a tremendous amount and can say its had a huge impact on my \"mental models\" and how I approach life.\nBooks I'm interested in reading next include: \n- Meditations\n- Works on mental models\n- Elon Musk biography (the amount he's able to accomplish quickly is staggering)\nI don't read as much fiction as I used to, instead choosing to focus on technical books, but fiction has definitely had an impact on my development as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "is one of my absolute favorite fiction books",
          "reason": "Calls it a favorite and praises Rothfuss's language and quotable phrases.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15670450,
          "author": "JadoJodo",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-10T15:27:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15670450",
          "commentText": "Name of the Wind is mine, also. The magic system is amazing and blew my mind when I first read it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Name of the Wind is mine, also. The magic system is amazing and blew my mind when I first read it.",
          "reason": "Calls the magic system amazing and says it blew their mind.",
          "audience": "Fantasy readers",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630588,
          "author": "canadian_voter",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:54:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630588",
          "commentText": "> That bad guy student (Ambrose?) has no motivation beyond just being a deliberate antagonist\nAmbrose is a bully. You've never met a bully?\n\"The researchers found that children who bullied were often motivated by a desire to increase their popularity and that they chose generally unpopular victims to avoid losing social status... Bullies tend to be aware of the social hierarchy within the class and are seeking the admiration of specific people.\" [0]\nAmrbose (unknowingly) thwarts Kvothes QUEST as part of a petty prank to put him in his place. Kvothe fights back. Once that antagonistic relationship is established, it gets out of hand and there is plenty of motivation to keep it going.\n[0] https://www.webmd.com/parenting/news/20100325/what-motivates... (https://www.webmd.com/parenting/news/20100325/what-motivates-kids-who-are-bullies)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Amrbose (unknowingly) thwarts Kvothes QUEST as part of a petty prank to put him in his place.",
          "reason": "Explains a character's motivation in the story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630332,
          "author": "roryisok",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:13:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630332",
          "commentText": "Kvothe being awesome at everything irritated me, it actually went over my head that he might be an unreliable narrator...\nI liked Name of the Wind for the most part but some of the characters were flatter than pancakes. That bad guy student (Ambrose?) has no motivation beyond just being a deliberate antagonist",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I liked Name of the Wind for the most part but some of the characters were flatter than pancakes.",
          "reason": "Likes it overall, while criticizing some characters as flat.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some characters feel flat; Ambrose seems motivated only to antagonize.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630167,
          "author": "mabub24",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:42:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630167",
          "commentText": "I liked Name of the Wind because it's a perfect counterpoint to Lord of The Rings, in a way.\nLOTR reads like a classical history book, sometimes literally. Everything is true, everything is tied together. The narrator disappears for omniscience.\nName of the Wind is an obvious post-modern slant with an unreliable narrator. The story Kvothe himself tells obviously makes him seem like a superhero and Rothfuss manages to (whether intentional or not) tell a story about a story that doesn't all add up. I can't say it's my favorite book. But, reading it against LOTR was fascinating.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I liked Name of the Wind because it's a perfect counterpoint to Lord of The Rings, in a way.",
          "reason": "Likes its contrast with The Lord of the Rings and finds reading them against each other fascinating.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not their favorite book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630030,
          "author": "BatFastard",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:17:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630030",
          "commentText": "Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss  I am not a fantasy fan in general, but this is my favorite story of all time. The story within a story within a story, characters, world just about perfect.\nDaemon - Daniel Suarez  So little of the SciFi I read is memorable. This book explores SO many topics in memorable ways that I am blown away.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this is my favorite story of all time. The story within a story within a story, characters, world just about perfect.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it their favorite story and praises its layered storytelling, characters, and world.",
          "audience": "The commenter says they are not generally a fantasy fan.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14859797,
          "author": "kevmo",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:10:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859797",
          "commentText": "Empire of Cotton.  It's a story about the development of the international cotton trade, which was the specific environment within which many of the state and capitalist institutions we now live with were originally developed.  It's a whirlwind of history about international relations, domestic relations, labor, and the development of the wage system. Slightly pedantic, but an eye-opening read.\nThe Name Of The Wind.  I bought this because it was the #1 selling book in Borderlands Books last month (I always swing by that bookstore when I'm in San Francisco).  Entertaining read, good world-building.\nLinux: What Every Superuser Should Know.  A No Starch Press book about Linux.  It weaves a rich tapestry out of disparate knowledge I already had.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Entertaining read, good world-building.",
          "reason": "Praises its entertainment and world-building.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13568362,
          "author": "JayNeely",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T18:55:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13568362",
          "commentText": "The Name of the Wind, and The Wise Man's Fear -- great fantasy books by Patrick Rothfuss.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Name of the Wind, and The Wise Man's Fear -- great fantasy books by Patrick Rothfuss.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great fantasy book.",
          "audience": "Fantasy readers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783485,
          "author": "louisrochal",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:40:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783485",
          "commentText": "\"Thus Spoke Zarathustra\" - Nietzsche (French Translation) - 5/5 An absolute Must read.\n\"1984\" - Orwell - 5/5 French law on surveillance made me want to read it again\n\"Fahrenheit 451\" - Ray Bradbury - 4/5\n\"La zone du dehors\" - Alain Damasio - 4/5\n\"The name of the wind\" - Patrick Rothfuss - 4/5 A great fantasy story. It's a big book, there is a lot of details, but very well written.\n\"Stranger in a Strange Land\" - Robert A. Heinlein - 3/5 Awesome concept, but very slow\n\"The Inverted World\" - Christopher Priest - 4/5 Great short book",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The name of the wind\" - Patrick Rothfuss - 4/5 A great fantasy story. It's a big book, there is a lot of details, but very well written.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great fantasy story and says it is very well written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A big book with a lot of detail.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8957705,
          "author": "britknight",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-28T02:43:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8957705",
          "commentText": "All-time favorite: Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson\nRecent favorite: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Recent favorite: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss",
          "reason": "Names it as a recent favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8944515,
          "author": "parisidau",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-25T22:31:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944515",
          "commentText": "Discworld: Going Postal, Making Money, and Raising Steam (3 books total)\nThe Lies of Locke Lamora (and sequels, 3 books total so far)\nThe Name of the Wind (and sequels, 3 books total so far)\nAncillary Justice (and sequel, 2 books total so far)\nAll of Iain M. Banks Culture series\nOld Man's War (and sequels)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Name of the Wind (and sequels, 3 books total so far)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3337050,
          "author": "bmajz",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T05:41:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3337050",
          "commentText": "Dive Into Python (http://www.diveintopython.net/)\nThe Facebook Effect (http://www.amazon.com/Facebook-Effect-Inside-Company-Connect... (http://www.amazon.com/Facebook-Effect-Inside-Company-Connecting/dp/B005DI7YAS))\nThe Name of the Wind (http://www.amazon.com/Name-Wind-Kingkiller-Chronicles-Day/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/Name-Wind-Kingkiller-Chronicles-Day/dp/075640407X))",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Name of the Wind",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1866358,
          "author": "solost",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T20:29:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1866358",
          "commentText": "I just finished The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss and started Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch.  For those of you reading Ice and Fire or who have finished all of the current work I recommend both of these series.\nI also look at The Book of 5 Rings and The Art of War on a regular basis.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I just finished The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Patrick Rothfuss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 14,
      "threads": 9,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "coming of age",
        "coming of age fantasy",
        "unreliable narrator"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-guide-to-the-good-life-the-ancient-art-of-stoic-joy-4d5e16",
      "title": "A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy",
      "author": "William B. Irvine",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19094553,
          "author": "johnisgood",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-06T12:25:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19094553",
          "commentText": "It was more accessible to me. There is a lot of misunderstanding of who a stoic is, and what stoicism is. I think this book clears it up well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think this book clears it up well.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book explains what a Stoic is and what Stoicism means.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it was more accessible to them.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18664739,
          "author": "nop_slide",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T15:35:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664739",
          "commentText": "- A Random Walk Down Wall Street: I got much more interested in personal finance this year, and definitely recommend this book as a stepping stone for learning about investing.\n- Frankenstein: Highly recommend! It is nothing like it is portrayed to be in pop culture and I thoroughly enjoyed it.\n- Unbelievable: My Front-Row Seat to the Craziest Campaign in America: It is literally unbelievable. It follows Katy Tur, a reporter tasked with following Trump leading up to the election. If you aren't already fed up with Trump, then give this a whirl.\n- Dune: 5/5 sci-fi\n- The Society of the Spectacle: I had trouble with this one. I think some things get lost in translation, and the philosophical arguments are so abstract it was a bit hard to follow along. I had a few key take-aways but to be honest it was kind of a chore to read.\n- How Not to Die: Argues for prioritizing a plant-based diet, and definitely changed my relationship with food.\n- East of Eden: My wife's favorite book and is now one of my favorites.\n- Sapiens: Very enjoyable, but some of it can feel pseudo-sciency and gets a bit nihilistic in the end.\n- Man's Search for Meaning: Also very enjoyable, a good reminder to appreciate the people and things around you.\n- A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy: Very accessible intro to Stoicism\n- Red Notice: A True Story of Finance, Murder, and One Man's Fight for Justice: Very interesting and reads like a fiction thriller. TLDR Russia doesn't fuck around",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Very accessible intro to Stoicism",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as an accessible introduction to Stoicism.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an introduction to Stoicism.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17922864,
          "author": "rickitan",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-05T23:53:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17922864",
          "commentText": "Very interesting that you point to a Meditation book (The Mind Illuminated) and a Stoic book (A Guide to the Good Life).\nI've read both, and I like both philosophies. While they both share similarities (non attachment, living in the present), it seems that in Vipasana you wouldn't try to get rid of a bad thouhgt by using your rationality. You would just observe it.\nWhile Stoicism demands engaging rationality to overcome the emotion or bad thought.\nHave you thought on how to reconcile the two? This is something I've been pondering for a while.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I've read both, and I like both philosophies.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they like the philosophy associated with the book, without evaluating the book itself.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910365,
          "author": "burke",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:39:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910365",
          "commentText": "In no particular order:\n• Sapiens\n• Thinking Fast and Slow\n• The Mind Illuminated\n• A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "• A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for favorite nonfiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17059805,
          "author": "staticgarden",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-13T16:50:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17059805",
          "commentText": "Not related to tech, but \"A Guide to the Good Live\" (https://www.audible.com/pd/Nonfiction/A-Guide-to-the-Good-Li... (https://www.audible.com/pd/Nonfiction/A-Guide-to-the-Good-Life-Audiobook/B00G6ZLMDC)) , \"Unconditional Parenting\" (https://www.audible.com/pd/Self-Development/Unconditional-Pa... (https://www.audible.com/pd/Self-Development/Unconditional-Parenting-Audiobook/B01IE0HI1G)). These have really been mind altering. Both the books have challenged my beliefs and they make a lot of sense once you read them completely.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"A Guide to the Good Live\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was mind-altering and challenged their beliefs.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it makes sense once read completely.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630201,
          "author": "goodroot",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:49:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630201",
          "commentText": "* Harry Potter!\n* A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy: Taught me much about myself and reinforced a healthy pattern of practicing will power.\n* The End of Your World: After discovering spirituality and meditation I had lingering questions. This is a frank book on the trappings of the spiritual journey. The break-down of abiding vs. un-abiding enlightenment helped me navigate through fascinating times.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy: Taught me much about myself and reinforced a healthy pattern of practicing will power.",
          "reason": "Says it taught them about themselves and reinforced a healthy practice of willpower.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12983393,
          "author": "eswat",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-18T01:01:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12983393",
          "commentText": "A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William B. Irvine\nExtreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Leif Babin and Jocko Willink",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William B. Irvine",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12099658,
          "author": "dome82",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T08:56:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12099658",
          "commentText": "- Meditations by Marcus Aurelius\n- A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by Irvine",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by Irvine",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229877,
          "author": "fsiefken",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T16:16:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229877",
          "commentText": "That's a very broad question, so I read your comments to get a feel from where you might be coming from and/or going to and where you and I might overlap:\n* Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Antifragile, things that gain from disorder http://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Incer... (http://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Incerto/dp/0812979680/)\n* Jared Diamond. The World until yesterday, what can we learn from traditional societies http://www.amazon.com/World-Until-Yesterday-Traditional-Soci... (http://www.amazon.com/World-Until-Yesterday-Traditional-Societies/dp/0143124404)\n* Frans de Waal. The Bonobo and the Atheist: In Search of Humanism Among the Primates http://www.amazon.com/Bonobo-Atheist-Search-Humanism-Primate... (http://www.amazon.com/Bonobo-Atheist-Search-Humanism-Primates/dp/0393347796/)\n* John Higgs. The KLF: Chaos, Magic... http://www.amazon.com/KLF-Chaos-Magic-Music-Money-ebook/dp/B... (http://www.amazon.com/KLF-Chaos-Magic-Music-Money-ebook/dp/B00ABFHOS0/)\n* Joseph Jaworski. Synchronicity, the inner Path of leadership http://www.amazon.com/Synchronicity-The-Inner-Path-Leadershi... (http://www.amazon.com/Synchronicity-The-Inner-Path-Leadership-ebook/dp/B0051ANRBI)\n* Piero Ferrucci. Your Inner Will, finding personal strength in critical times http://www.amazon.com/Your-Inner-Will-Personal-Strength/dp/0... (http://www.amazon.com/Your-Inner-Will-Personal-Strength/dp/0399174931)\n* William Irvine. A Guide to the good life, the ancient art of stoic joy http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic/dp/01953... (http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic/dp/0195374614)\n* Chogyam Trungpa. Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior http://www.amazon.com/Shambhala-Sacred-Warrior-Chogyam-Trung... (http://www.amazon.com/Shambhala-Sacred-Warrior-Chogyam-Trungpa/dp/1590304519/)\n* Tomas Malik. Patience with God: The Story of Zacchaeus Continuing In Us http://www.amazon.com/Patience-God-Story-Zacchaeus-Continuin... (http://www.amazon.com/Patience-God-Story-Zacchaeus-Continuing/dp/0385524498/)\n* Nick Winter. The Motivation Hacker http://www.amazon.com/Motivation-Hacker-Nick-Winter/dp/09892... (http://www.amazon.com/Motivation-Hacker-Nick-Winter/dp/0989279820)\n* Chas Emerick, Brian Carper, Christophe Grad. Clojure Programming http://www.amazon.com/Clojure-Programming-Chas-Emerick/dp/14... (http://www.amazon.com/Clojure-Programming-Chas-Emerick/dp/1449394701)\nFiction:\n* Peter Hamilton - The Reality Dysfunction\n* Neal Stephenson - Cryptonomicon (his other hit: Snow Crash is surprisingly more history then SF now...)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "William Irvine. A Guide to the good life, the ancient art of stoic joy",
          "reason": "Included in a response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10330514,
          "author": "NumberCruncher",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-05T08:37:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10330514",
          "commentText": "A tudatállapotok szivárványa by Andrew Feldmar\nHow I Found Freedom in an Unfree World by Harry Browne\nA Guide To The Good Life: The Ancient Art Of Stoic Joy by William B. Irvine",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Guide To The Good Life: The Ancient Art Of Stoic Joy by William B. Irvine",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8716631,
          "author": "Evgeny",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T14:45:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8716631",
          "commentText": "For the mind:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic/dp/01953... (http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic/dp/0195374614)\nA Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy - William B. Irvine\nNot only a description of the Stoic philosophy, which is, unfortunately, not very well known today, but also a great practical guide to a variety of techniques that can be included into daily activities easily, and will increase happiness.\nFor the body:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Overcoming-Gravity-Systematic-Gymnasti... (http://www.amazon.com/Overcoming-Gravity-Systematic-Gymnastics-Bodyweight/dp/1467933120)\nOvercoming Gravity: A Systematic Approach to Gymnastics and Bodyweight Strength - Steven Low\nAs I'm growing older (turned 40 last year), I'm no longer inclined to exercise with very heavy weights and was looking into replacing most of the barbell/dumbell exercises in my routine with bodyweight exercise. The book is a great encyclopedia of exercise that can be performed without or with minimal equipment. There are progressions, advice on creating routines, on injury prevention and management and a lot more. There is also a subreddit for those who follow the book http://www.reddit.com/r/overcominggravity",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Not only a description of the Stoic philosophy, which is, unfortunately, not very well known today, but also a great practical guide to a variety of techniques that can be included into daily activities easily, and will increase happiness.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a practical guide to Stoic techniques for daily life and happiness.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Stoic philosophy and practical daily techniques.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401208,
          "author": "selleck",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T15:49:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401208",
          "commentText": "Currently reading:\nA Guide to the Good Life: Ancient Art of Stoic Joy - William B. Irvine\nAlgorithm Design Manual - Steven S Skiena\nBlah Blah Blah: What To Do When Words Don't Work - Dan Roam\nHighly recommend the first 2, Blah Blah Blah is a rehash with a twist on Back of the Napkin.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Highly recommend the first 2",
          "reason": "Included among the first two books, which the commenter highly recommends.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6905613,
          "author": "dome82",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-14T13:20:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6905613",
          "commentText": "A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for the best book read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6424625,
          "author": "dome82",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-21T21:25:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6424625",
          "commentText": "A guide to the good life: The ancient art of stoic joy by William B. Irvine",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A guide to the good life: The ancient art of stoic joy by William B. Irvine",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5701069,
          "author": "hbien",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-13T20:02:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5701069",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed A Guide to the Good Life (on Stoicism) by William B. Irvine",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed A Guide to the Good Life (on Stoicism) by William B. Irvine",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2089188,
          "author": "DanielBMarkham",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T18:07:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2089188",
          "commentText": "This subject keeps coming up so much I made a site just to keep track of books hn'ers recommend to each other: http://hn-books.com\nI think out of all the books I read, the stoicism book made the biggest impact on me --  http://www.hn-books.com/Books/A-Guide-to-the-Good-Life-The-A... (http://www.hn-books.com/Books/A-Guide-to-the-Good-Life-The-Ancient-Art-of-Stoic-Joy.htm) . It really came out of left field and provided immediately useful advice on how to conduct myself both as a founder and as a hacker. But \"The Sparrow\" was the best sci-fi I have read in years, so I can't exclude that. Terrifically good book. http://www.hn-books.com/Books/The-Sparrow.htm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the stoicism book made the biggest impact on me",
          "reason": "The commenter says it had the biggest impact and provided immediately useful advice.",
          "audience": "Founders and hackers seeking advice on how to conduct themselves.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William B. Irvine"
      ],
      "recommenders": 13,
      "threads": 15,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "stoicism",
        "practical philosophy",
        "ancient philosophy",
        "well being"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-writing-a-memoir-of-the-craft-0f8583",
      "title": "On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft",
      "author": "Stephen King",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41433729,
          "author": "nokeya",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-03T11:23:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41433729",
          "commentText": "Maybe not so obvious, but - Stephen King’s “On writing”. When I read it ages ago, found funny how writing the books is similar to writing the code.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Stephen King’s “On writing”",
          "reason": "The commenter found parallels between writing books and writing code.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter read it a long time ago.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40289299,
          "author": "themadturk",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T18:04:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40289299",
          "commentText": "The Soul Of A New Machine, by Tracy Kidder - \nThe history of computing fascinates me, and this is one of my favorite books on the topic.\nHackers, by Steven Levy -\nAgain, computing history, and especially relevant to me because I started personal computing in the mid-80s and like reading about the stuff I missed. Levy is always fun to read. There are a lot of good books on the microcomputer revolution, this one is just my favorite.\nBird By Bird, by Anne Lamott -\nIt's not just a book about writing, but a book about living. Lamott is a born storyteller, and every one of her non-fiction books is inspiring and highly readable.\nOn Writing, by Stephen King -\nI am not a King fan. The only fiction piece he's written I come back to is The Stand. But the story of how he became a writer, and his life as a writer, gives me hope for my own writing. And his advice is valuable; even if I don't like his books, I can't argue with his success.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On Writing, by Stephen King",
          "reason": "Values its account of becoming a writer and its writing advice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are not a King fan, though this book gives them hope.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937361,
          "author": "bentt",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T02:00:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937361",
          "commentText": "On Writing by Stephen King is one of the best books about the craft of not only writing, but any solo creative endeavor. It is also immensely entertaining and dark. The Audiobook is read by the author and he does a great job.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On Writing by Stephen King",
          "reason": "Praised as entertaining and useful for the craft of writing and other solo creative work.",
          "audience": "Writers and people pursuing solo creative work.",
          "caveat": "The audiobook is read by the author.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33851737,
          "author": "tren",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T08:26:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33851737",
          "commentText": "My two favourite books I read this year were both non-fiction:\n* Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage - If you enjoy books about persistence in the face of adversity, this has it in spades. When I was in my 20's I saw the movie \"Touching the Void\" and remember being in total awe at a human's ability to persevere in seemingly impossible situations. Shackleton and his crew bring this power of determination to another level.\n* On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft - Reading this gave me another level of respect for Stephen King. He also pointed me towards another excellent book \"Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft",
          "reason": "Names it as one of the two favorite nonfiction books read that year.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in writing and Stephen King's craft",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25352020,
          "author": "macando",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-08T22:05:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25352020",
          "commentText": "On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft\nby Stephen King\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10569.On_Writing",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft\nby Stephen King",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23153698,
          "author": "Loughla",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T13:25:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23153698",
          "commentText": "Two things -\n1. Seven habits - I can't get past Covey's personal 'experiences'. They are just seemingly so contrived and fake that they just ruin the entire thought process for me. It seems like he had to make up things that related to the covenants. Is that just me?\n2. For writing - I would also suggest 'On Writing' by Stephen King for this as a different take. It's probably the best 'how to write' book ever made. It's King's personal take on the theory of writing, with lessons sprinkled throughout. So good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would also suggest 'On Writing' by Stephen King for this as a different take.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a different take on writing.",
          "audience": "People interested in writing.",
          "caveat": "It presents King's personal take on writing theory.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16757106,
          "author": "ddingus",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T17:46:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16757106",
          "commentText": "Machinists handbook from the 60's era.  I value it for the pre computer ways of thinking.  Lots of gold in that one.\nMOS 6502 series data book.\nMoto 6809 Programmers Reference.\nI actually had someone take me to the local Motorola office to get the 6809 book.  Docs were free for the asking, and a kid asking was quite the event.  Aspects of that conversation were important to my life.\nI still have occasion to do paid work, and enjoy fun projects with both chips, and or variants seen today.  These are few and far between, but very enjoyable.  Mostly perspective and nostalgia in these.  It's my roots.\nThe One Minute Manager parable has served me well mentoring and leading.\nOn Writing by Stephen King.  Being able to tell a story with clarity has far more utility than one would expect.  Besides, I want to write a novel one day.\nThe Art of Electronics, second edition.  Probably need to update that one.\nA Tektronix \"How to use an Oscilloscope\" book, well matched to my old, analog 400Mhz, 4 channel scope.\nANSI / ASME  geometric dimensioning, tolerancing, standards books.  2D technical communication remains significant in my life.\nRecent addition:  Mold making Handbook.\nI need a good primer and a good polymer tech reference.  Any suggestions?\n\"Pirates of the Asteroids\", childhood sci-fi.  Again, perspective.  Was the first one I really read through and got as a kid.  Kept it, because asshole reminder.  'Nuff said.  It's just a personal totem.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "On Writing by Stephen King. Being able to tell a story with clarity has far more utility than one would expect.",
          "reason": "The commenter says clear storytelling is more useful than expected.",
          "audience": "People who want to write, including aspiring novelists.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they want to write a novel one day.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14860234,
          "author": "eduren",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:52:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14860234",
          "commentText": "'Salems Lot by Stephen King. Just got done with his memoir/writing guide \"On Writing\" and it's given me a new appreciation for his style. Currently going back and reading the books of his that I missed in middle school.\nThe Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin. First book I'm reading on a Kindle, so not yet sure how that will effect my perception of the novel (it is helpful for footnotes I've found). Absolutely fresh SciFi is rare these days so it's wonderful so far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just got done with his memoir/writing guide \"On Writing\" and it's given me a new appreciation for his style.",
          "reason": "Says the book gave them a new appreciation for King's style.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10548500,
          "author": "webstartupper",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-11T19:04:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10548500",
          "commentText": "On Writing by Stephen King (narrated by the author)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On Writing by Stephen King (narrated by the author)",
          "reason": "Offered in response to a request for audiobook recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment specifies the author-narrated audiobook.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4787443,
          "author": "fsethi",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:27:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787443",
          "commentText": "Some old that I have re-read, some new, all worth your time:\nOld Man And The Sea - Ernest Hemingway\nIQ84 - Haruki Murakami\nThe Last Lecture - Randy Pausch\nOn Writing - Stephen King\nWhen Bad Things Happen To Good People - Harold Kushner\nCatcher In The Rye - J.D. Salinger\nNotes To Myself - Hugh Prather",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On Writing - Stephen King",
          "reason": "Included among books described as worth the reader's time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3565927,
          "author": "revorad",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-08T09:50:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 3564256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best programming books for someone in prison?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3565927",
          "commentText": "Here's another idea: Since your friend is coming out in 9 months anyway and there's so much risk involved in trying to sneak in a programming book, he should probably spend his time developing another equally useful skill: writing well.\nAs many other successful programmers have noted (Spolsky, Yegge) and demonstrated, effective communication, especially through writing, is a very useful and necessary skill for a programmer. So, maybe you should send him just some good books on writing well.\nIn general books, I can think of Strunk and White, On Writing (by Stephen King). But some examples of good writing about programming could also help:\nThe Best Software Writing (edited by Spolsky)\nJoel on Software (the best articles from his blog)\nSteve Yegge's blog posts (others might disagree but I think he is an excellent writer).\nPaul Graham's essays\nraganwald's old blog - http://weblog.raganwald.com/\nJames Hague's blog - http://prog21.dadgum.com/\nRands in Repose - http://randsinrepose.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On Writing (by Stephen King)",
          "reason": "Suggested as a book on writing well for a programmer.",
          "audience": "Programmers looking to improve their writing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026346,
          "author": "nopassrecover",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T22:20:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026346",
          "commentText": "Some books that stood out this year (many not for their intended reasons)\nThe 4 Hour Work Week (Tim Ferriss)\n- In parts entertaining, interesting, self-promoting, educational, inspirational, attractive and undesirable. Definitely worth the read and a great call to action. Will make you consider what you want and how you can achieve it.\nThe Game (Neil Strauss)\n- Truly interesting story and an interesting view on human dynamics and hacking one of the more important systems (dating). A great view on what is most important - ends or means. Will make you consider how people work, what motivates them and whether success cures emptiness.\nLosing my Virginity (Richard Branson)\n- The awesome and entertaining story of Virgin with lots of great advice and startup David vs Goliath inspiration. Will make you consider what determination and the little guy can achieve.\nBusiness Stripped Bare (Richard Branson)\n- Branson's more focused take on business advice and patches on bits of the Virgin story since the first book. Will make you consider the power of being genuine and growing a company with people treated as smart humans.\nOn Writing (Stephen King)\n- Most inspirational and compelling book on writing I've read. Half writing advice half King biography all awesome. Will make you consider becoming a novelist.\nCoders at Work (Peter Siebel)\n- Haven't finished yet but great interviews of leading coders. I didn't enjoy Founders at Work (personally found it a bit indirect/not deep enough) but in Coders at Work you really feel the connection between interviewer and interviewee while at the same time getting a lot of incidental startup advice as these coders have all had decent roles to play in Silicon Valley etc. history. Will make you consider if you're actually a better coder than you thought.\nThink and Grow Rich (Napoleon Hill)\n- Reads a bit like a bad Internet ad at times but that's because they stole that technique from here. This book summarizes the techniques that lead to success based on numerous interviews of most of the greatest leaders of the early 20th century. Pretty good bits in here and again inspiration fuel. Will make you consider how you can take charge of your self and your life.\nLetters From a Stoic (Seneca)\n- Decent musings on living life and mastering oneself. As relevant today as 2 thousand years ago. Will make you consider how you can master your self and what you will let affect you.\nHere Comes Everybody (Clay Shirky)\n- The best book on online community I've read. Shirky makes you want to make a difference and communicates his enthusiasm for the power of the masses with ease. Will make you consider how to enable communities to achieve unthought of goals.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Most inspirational and compelling book on writing I've read.",
          "reason": "Calls it the most inspirational and compelling writing book the commenter has read.",
          "audience": "People considering becoming novelists.",
          "caveat": "Combines writing advice with King's biography.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 203022,
          "author": "msg",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T05:29:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=203022",
          "commentText": "Linus's biography, Just For Fun, is not bad.\nI have sentimental attachments to Man Out of Time, the Tesla biography.\nNo Man Knows My History is about Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon church. It is naturally controversial to the LDS, for its depiction of Smith as a polygamist con man who fell sideways into a religious racket and never quite fell out. I found it very readable, full of color. It might depend on your interest in the period and the subject matter.\nStephen King's On Writing is about half biography, half writing manual. I thought it was terrific. It's had several rereads already.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I thought it was terrific. It's had several rereads already.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it terrific and has reread it several times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "About half biography and half writing manual.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen King"
      ],
      "recommenders": 13,
      "threads": 13,
      "topics": [
        "Writing",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "writing craft",
        "craft of writing",
        "writing advice"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-old-man-and-the-sea-b4705f",
      "title": "The Old Man and the Sea",
      "author": "Ernest Hemingway",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42967215,
          "author": "DataDaoDe",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-06T22:37:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42967215",
          "commentText": "The Old Man and the sea - Hemmingway - so many things, with every reread I find something new.\nThe Heart of the Buddhas Teaching - Thich Nhat Hanh, useful prayers, concepts for understanding and dealing with life and a moral compass for going through it.\nThe Way of Zen - Alan Watts, opened my eyes to different forms of religious experience\nAlso a lot of psychology and philosophy books in undergrad were foundational to my thinking. The Moral Animal, the Moral Landscape, The Blank Slate, The Republic and Plato’s writings on Socrates, Tao te Ching, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, the Tanakh and parts of the Talmud, but many of these were more academic, still holistically they have shaped my thinking and moral compass.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Old Man and the sea - Hemmingway - so many things, with every reread I find something new.",
          "reason": "Says each reread reveals something new.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41243256,
          "author": "purple-leafy",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-14T06:50:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41243256",
          "commentText": "The old man and the sea",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The old man and the sea",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40878446,
          "author": "thorin",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-04T22:05:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40878446",
          "commentText": "For some reason i can't get the stranger, Camus out of my head. I had it on my desk for at least 10 years at one company as a sign that I never quite fitted in there, but I never felt like I fitted anywhere else either. I enjoy books you can easily read in a single sitting as you could really get into a zone with the story. Old man and the sea and several Iain Banks books fell into the same category.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Old man and the sea",
          "reason": "Includes it among books they enjoy reading in one sitting.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy books that can be read in one sitting.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37820122,
          "author": "thorin",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-09T13:12:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37820122",
          "commentText": "Heart of darkness is very short and fits into those great books like L'Etranger and the Old Man and the Sea that can be usefully read in an afternoon and give back way more than they demand from you.\nRepublic is quite long but very approachable and I really enjoyed it.\nAgain the mythical man month still holds true and it very readable. It's interesting for anyone interested in computing history as well as for it's key points on management.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and the Old Man and the Sea",
          "reason": "Includes it among short classics that repay an afternoon of reading.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a short, rewarding classic.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32198101,
          "author": "Surfactant7",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:55:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32198101",
          "commentText": "Old Man and the Sea. Was forced to read it in high school and promptly forgot it. Read it again and it's amazing. A short but big story about wants vs. needs with a surprising but inevitable ending.\nBefore that, The Great Gatsby. Same thing - forced to read earlier, then decided to read again. I missed so much about it the first time around.\nIt's kind of sad how education can tarnish classics in this way.\nTo re-iterate another commenter, Code by Prezold is surprisingly good (based on first few dozen pages). I had low expectations based on what seemed like hype, but so far it's holding up. It reminds me of the way that James Burke in his series Connections wove what seemed to be entirely disconnected technological threads together.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Old Man and the Sea. Was forced to read it in high school and promptly forgot it. Read it again and it's amazing.",
          "reason": "Calls it amazing after rereading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18678938,
          "author": "koolhead17",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-14T06:45:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18678938",
          "commentText": "+1 \"The old man and the sea\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 \"The old man and the sea\"",
          "reason": "Seconds the parent comment's positive mention of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18662508,
          "author": "amuresan",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T09:26:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18662508",
          "commentText": "1. La peste (Albert Camus) - entertaining if you're into French existentialism\n2. Linked (Barabasi) - insightful and useful to understand that most phenomenon we see in real life follow a power law and what that means\n3. Leonardo da Vinci (Walter Isaacson) - surprising how little of da Vinci's real personality is reflected in his modern image\n4. Matrix computations – third edition (Gene Golub, Charles van Loan) - good read if you're into linear algebra\n5. Giving effective feedback (Harvard business review) - useful for getting an understanding on how to handle human interaction\n6. The old man and the sea (Ernest Hemingway) - enjoyed it a lot, a reflection of Hemingway's romantic spirit. Also, a quick read.\n7. Screwjack (Hunter S. Thompson) - didn't resonate with me although I am a fan of existentialism\n8. Sun and steel (Yukio Mishima) - raw and intimate. before reading this book I'd recommend reading up on Mishima's life\n9. Stranger than fiction (Chuck Palahniuck) - somewhat entertaining, more so because it served as a glimpse into Palahniuck's creative process\n10. Thinking in Systems: A Primer (Dana Meadows) - useful for understanding that in modern life we have complex systems at work with emergent behavior that we didn't expect. Trying to isolate / model a single component of one of these systems is a flawed approach.\n11. Chaos monkeys (Antonio Garcia Martinez) - entertaining, but quite long\n12. Weapons of math destruction (Cathy O'Neil) - in a way, similar to Thinking in systems, but at an applied level. Shows how rules in modern society can have unintended negative consequences when hidden negative feedback loops emerge from the complex system they are embedded in.\n13. Lolita (Nabokov) - a brilliant novel from many points of view. Although the topic is controversial, it is a book that had to be written.\n14. The prince (Machiavelli) - an interesting read. It was intended as a guide to the young price Cesare Borgia from his teacher Machiavelli. The secret to enjoying it is not to judge it by modern morality.\n15. Give and take (Adam Grant) - psychology research about giving / taking / matching personality types presented in a book for the masses. I would not read it again; watching a presentation online should be enough to get the point across.\n16. Mécanique (Landau, Lifchitz) - refresh of mechanics\n17. Do androids dream of electric sheep (Philip K. Dick) - enjoyable and entertaining! I'm surprised how different the feel of the book is compared to the Blade runner films. In the book androids are purely rational beings, whereas the film wraps them in an aura of romanticism.\n18. How we learn (Benedict Carey) - decades of learning research condensed in a book\n19. Advanced Calculus: A Differential Forms Approach (Harold M. Edwards) - the best math book I've read so far! For me it was eye-opening in a fundamental way. Edwards is truly a gifted teacher.\n20. Three men in a boat (Jerome K. Jerome) - enjoyable and amusing\n21. Getting to yes (Roger Fisher, William Ury) - negotiation book, nicely written and structured\n22. Without a word (Zhang Jie) - historical novel by one of China's most acclaimed modern writers. I don't have a good reference to compare against since this was my first Chinese novel, but overall I did enjoy it. It felt real and raw.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "enjoyed it a lot, a reflection of Hemingway's romantic spirit. Also, a quick read.",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed it a lot and describes it as a quick read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17984913,
          "author": "abdullahkhalids",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-14T05:31:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17984913",
          "commentText": "A lot of Hemmingway is deeply touching work. I found both The Old Man and the Sea and For Whom The Bell Tolls to be excellent studies of human nature.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Old Man and the Sea",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is an excellent study of human nature.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961393,
          "author": "adamheins",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:36:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961393",
          "commentText": "To continue the Ishiguro and Hemingway theme, two of the books I enjoyed most this year were The Buried Giant (Ishiguro) and The Old Man and the Sea (Hemingway).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Old Man and the Sea (Hemingway)",
          "reason": "The commenter names it among the books they enjoyed most that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12473765,
          "author": "kaushikt",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T15:19:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12473765",
          "commentText": "zero to one - Peter thiel -  good read\nold man and the sea - Hemingway - good read\nsapiens (currently reading) - Yuval Noah Harari - fantastic till now\nWhat if (still reading) - Randall Munroe - an interesting read",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "old man and the sea - Hemingway - good read",
          "reason": "Describes it as a good read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12276764,
          "author": "shanecleveland",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-12T16:12:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12276764",
          "commentText": "I like this question for its introspective impact. It is hard not to interpret the question as \"If you could recommend one book, which would it be?\" My answer isn't one that I would necessarily call a \"must read.\" Hemingway's Old Man and the Sea was simply the right book at the right time for me. It was more about what it led me to discover through more reading and more books than the book itself.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Hemingway's Old Man and the Sea was simply the right book at the right time for me.",
          "reason": "It was personally meaningful at a particular time and led to more reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they would not necessarily call it a must-read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4787443,
          "author": "fsethi",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:27:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787443",
          "commentText": "Some old that I have re-read, some new, all worth your time:\nOld Man And The Sea - Ernest Hemingway\nIQ84 - Haruki Murakami\nThe Last Lecture - Randy Pausch\nOn Writing - Stephen King\nWhen Bad Things Happen To Good People - Harold Kushner\nCatcher In The Rye - J.D. Salinger\nNotes To Myself - Hugh Prather",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Old Man And The Sea - Ernest Hemingway",
          "reason": "Included among books described as worth the reader's time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026340,
          "author": "reg4c",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T22:17:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026340",
          "commentText": "Harmony Silk Factory - Tash Aw\nSatanic Verses - Salman Rushdi\nOld Man and the Sea - Hemingway",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Old Man and the Sea - Hemingway",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876420,
          "author": "danspodcast",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T10:23:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876420",
          "commentText": "Maverick - Ricardo Semler (For inspiration)\nThe Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemmingway(For enjoying the process)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemmingway(For enjoying the process)",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite for enjoying the process.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ernest Hemingway"
      ],
      "recommenders": 13,
      "threads": 13,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "novella",
        "american literature",
        "classic literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-history-of-western-philosophy-be9de8",
      "title": "A History of Western Philosophy",
      "author": "Bertrand Russell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41183704,
          "author": "wannabebarista",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T17:55:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41183704",
          "commentText": "Here are books I recommend to everyone and got me interested in economics and philosophy:\n- The Worldly Philosophers by Robert Heilbroner\n- The Cost of Rights: Why Liberty Depends on Taxes by Stephen Holmes and Cass Sunstein\n- Wittgenstein's Poker by David Edmonds and John Eidinow\n- A History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommended to everyone; commenter says these books got them interested in economics and philosophy.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in economics and philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37843996,
          "author": "danschuller",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-11T13:18:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37843996",
          "commentText": "A history of western philosophy? GEB and that book don't have much overlap in content and GEB is a more fun read. History of Western Philosophy is occasionally witty but is otherwise pretty dry.\nGEB isn't much to do with philosophy at all, it's more focused on computing and touches on philosophy where that seems relevant.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A history of western philosophy? GEB and that book don't have much overlap in content",
          "reason": "Compares its content with GEB and describes it as occasionally witty but otherwise dry.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as otherwise pretty dry.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36126010,
          "author": "butlersean",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-30T15:29:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36126010",
          "commentText": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_History_of_Western_Philosoph... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_History_of_Western_Philosophy)\nIts value is to plot the course of religious inspirations as a longer development with each informing the next.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_History_of_Western_Philosoph...",
          "reason": "The commenter says it traces religious inspirations as a longer development, with each informing the next.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936977,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T10:25:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936977",
          "commentText": "Did you consider Russell's A history of western philosophy or The Worldly Philosophers by Heilbroner? I'm considering to read one of the two, would like to hear how they would compare to Adamson.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Russell's A history of western philosophy",
          "reason": "The commenter is considering reading it and asks how it compares with Adamson's work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No preference or recommendation is expressed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20916982,
          "author": "ChrisSD",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T10:56:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20916982",
          "commentText": "Oh definitely! But I'd be stretching the \"100 years ago\" limitation if I included it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "stretching the \"100 years ago\" limitation if I included it",
          "reason": "The reply identifies the book under discussion as outside the thread’s 100-year limit.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Outside the thread’s 100-year limit.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20916338,
          "author": "wazoox",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T08:52:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20916338",
          "commentText": "His History of Western Philosophy is really great, too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His History of Western Philosophy is really great, too.",
          "reason": "Calls it really great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18663438,
          "author": "mosiuerbarso",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:52:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663438",
          "commentText": "These are a mixture of audio books and paperbacks I've been reading. I'm listening to more and more audiobooks via audible as it allows me to keep learning new stuff whilst travelling or doing simple household jobs.\nAnyways. Here are a few of my best of I've read/listened to this year:\nDictators Handbook by Bruce De Mesquita and Alastair Smith -\nVery interesting theories on power structures.\nHistory of western philosophy by Bertrand Russel - I love my history. And it was fascinating seeing how ideas/thoughts/thinking have evolved over the centuries.\nAmerica the Farewell tour by Chris Hedges - Very interesting ideas and points of view. A tough read at times. I really hope it some part of the book doesn't come true.\nChasing the Scream by Johanne Hari - Good history of the war on drugs, the cost and its futility.\nI've read more but these are my top 5 of 2018",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "History of western philosophy by Bertrand Russel - I love my history. And it was fascinating seeing how ideas/thoughts/thinking have evolved over the centuries.",
          "reason": "The commenter found the history of ideas and thought fascinating.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521978,
          "author": "wazoox",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T11:26:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521978",
          "commentText": "Here is a quick list of the last great books I've read which are available in English (some 'Ive read in other languages):\n- History of Western Philosophy, by Bertrand Russell :\n   This is a wonderful book. Read it.\n- Why the West rules -- for now, Ian Morris :\n   How geography drives history. really deep and thought-provoking.\n- the Strange Defeat, Marc Bloch :\n   A gripping, living narration of the French armies collapse in 1940, from the inside (Marc Bloch was an officer). With a very deep analysis of the long maturing reasons for this defeat.\n- Histories of Alexander the Great, Quintus Curtius Rufus :\n   The title says it all. Very elegant Latin prose.\n- The Golden Ass, Apuleius :\n   A funny story and an immortal classic.\n- The Blitzkrieg Legend: The 1940 Campaign in the West, Karl-Heinz Frieser :\n   For true military history geeks :)\nI notice that these are either classics, or history. Well, so be it :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is a wonderful book. Read it.",
          "reason": "Calls it wonderful and directly urges readers to read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762748,
          "author": "charlysl",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T04:31:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762748",
          "commentText": "1984 - because it was the first book in English that I read front to cover, with a dictionary by my side, and learned so much recurring essential vocabulary that after that effort I could read anything; by now I have read much more from the much larger pool of writings in English than in my mother language. And, of course, it made me look differently at so many things.\nThings Fall Appart - because it helped me understand how religions like Christianity  and other initially subversive beliefs spread, and the sudden impact of Western culture on other cultures.\nAnthropology (Marvin Harris) - because it impacted the way I look at humanity, society and history, and also helped me understand that marxism is much more than an arguably failed political doctrine.\nThe Bernstein Tapes about Critique of Pure Reason - I am still working through this, but has already impacted my conception of what knowledge is\nHistory of Western Philosophy (Bertrand Russel) - because it made me understand the interwining between ideas and history. A desert island book\nConcepts Techniques Models of Computer Programming - still working through it, because ir is making me realize I had no clue about programming and design. Best programming book I have come across\nThe Prince (Maquiavelli) - because it completely changed the way I look at politics and society\nThe Making of The Atomic Bomb - because it is a great way to see the incremental progress of science, and made me realize how much those at the leading edge extract from a few crumbles of information. Also the starkest description of the impact of industrialized killing in WW1,",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "History of Western Philosophy (Bertrand Russel) - because it made me understand the interwining between ideas and history. A desert island book",
          "reason": "Says it connected ideas and history and calls it a desert island book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15159375,
          "author": "mrmyers",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T02:26:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15159375",
          "commentText": "Modeling the world generally (as in, why mathematics works and can apply to the real world):\n  =Bertrand Russell=\n  * An Inquiry into Meaning and Truth\n  * A Theory of Knowledge\n  * Logic and Knowledge\n  =W.V. Quine=\n  * Word and Object\n  * Mathematical Logic\n  =Norbert Weiner=\n  * Cybernetics: Or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine\n  =Smullyan=\n  * Diagonalization and Self Reference\n\nSquishy Human Things:\n  Thomas Kuhn      - The Structure of Scientific Revolutions\n  Norbert Weiner   - The Human Use of Human-Beings\n  Bertrand Russell - A History of Western Philosophy\n  Karl Popper      - The Open Society and Its Enemies\n  Daniel Dennet    - Consciousness Explained\n  E. Abbot Abbot   - Flatland",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A History of Western Philosophy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14859878,
          "author": "FredrikMeyer",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:19:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859878",
          "commentText": "* \"The history of western philosophy\" by Bertrand Russell. A fun read so far (~100 pages). Russell is not afraid to tell the reader that he really dislikes Plato, and thinks he destroyed western philosophy.\n* SICP (Structure and interpretation of computer programs). Learning Scheme for fun now with this book. I'm only in chapter 2 so far, but it is really fun\n* \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" by Douglas Hoefstadter. The story in one line: he have a theory that consciousness aries from \"strange loops\". Along the way he talks about fractals, programming, patterns in music and in pictures,...\n* \"The Idiot\" by Fyodor Dostoyevskij. Fun read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A fun read so far (~100 pages).",
          "reason": "Calls it a fun read so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Russell's strong dislike of Plato is noted.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348539,
          "author": "ashark",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:06:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348539",
          "commentText": "Franny and Zooey -- Salinger\nMostly by introducing me to the Stoics (Aurelius especially) and a variety of Eastern, especially Zen Buddhist, works.\nRevolutionary Road -- Yates\nYay, mentioned that one in two threads today and it's not even noon yet!\nA History of Western Philosophy -- Russell\nVonnegut in general. Bluebeard serves as a good overview of his major themes and ideas, to pick just one book. The part about how people with small talents who were once valued by their communities have been rendered eccentrics of no special value to anyone by easy, cheap, global distribution of media is always near the front of my mind.\nHow to Read a Book -- Adler",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A History of Western Philosophy -- Russell",
          "reason": "Lists it among books that changed the commenter's perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107020,
          "author": "chms",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:41:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107020",
          "commentText": "Bertrand Russel – A History of Western Philosophy.\nEasily my most favorite non-fiction book. Even though there are some flaws in the treatment of some philosophers (and their models) here and there (esp. 19th Century ones –  but it might just be that I'm more familiar with these myself), it's a great read: Well written, thorough, and never shy with his own opinion. The chapter on scholastic philosophy was an eye-opener for me, as was the part about the 11th-Century church reforms.\nBefore I read this book, I rarely cared about pre-Kantian philosophy, as I thought it to be outdated and not really relevant anymore. Russel encouraged me to re-discover the philosophical models from a cultural-historical point of view – something that sounds obvious to me now, but at the time I discovered the book (in my early twenties) it was not.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Bertrand Russel – A History of Western Philosophy.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it their favorite nonfiction book and praises its writing, thoroughness, and insights.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes flaws in its treatment of some philosophers, especially 19th-century ones.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503416,
          "author": "kkshin",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T09:21:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503416",
          "commentText": "It really depends on what you're looking for, but Philosophy is a field where one philosopher's work is built on top of the other's going all the way back to the ancient Greek's.  Its important (I think anyways) to read the raw texts before you read philosophical commentary so that you have a chance to form your own opinions.  That being said, here's some recommendations of mine that cover a breadth of philosophical subjects and time periods.  Its always good to see someone else want to learn more philsophy, especially if its of their own volition.\nPlato.  Strangely enough, Plato is probably one of the best introductions to philosophy, not only because he was one of the first whose writings survive to modern time, but also because its relatively simple to read and understand.  Some of my personal favorite are 'The Apology', 'The Symposium', and 'The Phaedrus', and of course 'The Republic'.  The weird thing with Plato is you'll never know how much of his writings are his thinking as opposed to Socrates teaching.  I still reread Plato because the stories (most of his writing is in narrative form) are so damn entertaining.\nAristotle.  This is a natural progression from reading Plato.  The 'Nichomachean Ethics' is a cornerstone of ancient philosophy and is a relative simple read.\nJohn Locke/Gottfried Leibniz.  I'll admit, I struggled through 'An Essay of Human Understanding' but this title and Leibniz's rebuttal 'New Essays on Human Understanding' illustrate a historically important philosophical debate between empiricists and rationalists.  Since you're reading 'Common Sense' you might also want to give Locke's 'Second Treatise on Civil Government' a gander.\nImmaneul Kant.  Since you're reading Schopenhauer you should read Kant as he was heavily influenced by him.  You'll hear him referenced a lot if you continue to read philosophy so you should familiarize yourself with his thinking, especially on his thoughts in epistemology.\nBertrand Russell.  People have already recommended him and he's one of the most popular philosopher's of modern times, mostly because he's so easy to read and was somewhat of a cultural icon during his time.  I have a particular fondness for his work because when I had doubts about my faith, \"Why I Am not A Christian\" helped me find words to communicate my break with Catholocism.  His \"History of Western Philosophy\" is considered a cornerstone history of philosophy book (although it is somewhat dated now).  His writings are usually rather short and concise.\nJacques Derrida/Gilles Deleuze.  Now we're getting into some wacky shit.  To be fair, I shouldn't even be commenting on it because I have no idea what these guys are talking about half the time.  These are the philosophers that people read and pretend to understand because they want to sound smart.  You know the stereotypical \"philosophy\" students that you see in movies.  Maybe you'll find something of substance in their work although many philsopher's believe these guys are/were hacks and purposefully obfuscate their writing to hide the fact that there's no substance in it.\nOne of the best ways to read philosophy is to start with a philosopher who truly changed the game with their work (such as Kant) and work your way out reading the work of his supporters as well as the work of those that disagree with him.  This way you'll get a worldy view on 'important' philosophical issues while starting to formulate your own opinions on th ematter.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "His \"History of Western Philosophy\" is considered a cornerstone history of philosophy book (although it is somewhat dated now).",
          "reason": "Described as a cornerstone history of philosophy and as short and concise, with a qualification about age.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an overview of philosophy.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is somewhat dated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503373,
          "author": "carid",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T08:44:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503373",
          "commentText": "A couple by Stanley Cavell:\nMust We Mean What We Say? (1969)\nThe Claim of Reason: Wittgenstein, Skepticism, Morality, and Tragedy (1979) New York: Oxford University Press.\nI would also second Russell's A Brief History of Western Philosophy.  It's biased and weirdly shallow in some places, but written by a philosopher, so not a toothless compilation.\nObscure but made an impression on me: Ways of Worldmaking by Nelson Goodman.\nIf you can get through it: John Rawls's A Theory of Justice...an important book with a few very important ideas.\nStuff by Amartya Sen.\nOn philosophy of science, the historical narratives do the job I think, like The Sleepwalkers by Arthur Koestler (a great read once you get through the Greeks).  You could read Thomas Kuhn, Feyerabend's autobiography \"Killing Time\" which is great, and if you're really serious read Peter Galison's stuff.\nFinally, again, more history that pure philosophy but I really liked Wittgenstein's Vienna by Toulmin.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I would also second Russell's A Brief History of Western Philosophy.",
          "reason": "Seconded as a recommendation, with reservations about its bias and shallow sections.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is biased and weirdly shallow in some places.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503200,
          "author": "HSO",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T06:37:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503200",
          "commentText": "Bertrand Russell: A history of western philosophy.\nI haven't read it all but what I've read was both informative and witty. Note that Russell, kind of similar to The Economist, is \"opinionated\". Must be that British style...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Bertrand Russell: A history of western philosophy.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for eye-opening or interesting philosophy books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it all and notes Russell is opinionated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bertrand Russell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 13,
      "threads": 12,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "western philosophy",
        "history of philosophy",
        "intellectual history",
        "history of ideas"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "crime-and-punishment-e69d75",
      "title": "Crime and Punishment",
      "author": "Fyodor Dostoevsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46431336,
          "author": "ILoveHorses",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-30T09:38:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46431336",
          "commentText": "I wanted to challenge myself in 2025 and alternate between fiction and non-fiction, so here are my highlights\n- Crime and Punishment\n - Homo Deus\n - Catch 22\n - Flash Boys\n - The Art of Strategy\n - Moby Dick (could only get halfway through though :()\n - The Great Gatsby\n - How to be Alone (couldn't get past 2 chapters)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Crime and Punishment",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42963613,
          "author": "eamag",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-06T15:58:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42963613",
          "commentText": "- Three Comrades by Erich Maria Remarque\n- Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky\n- and also somehow The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41546817,
          "author": "te_chris",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-15T11:28:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41546817",
          "commentText": "Crime and Punishment and Machiavelli",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crime and Punishment",
          "reason": "Listed as a book suggestion in response to the request for crucial reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30735764,
          "author": "jwood27",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:37:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735764",
          "commentText": "The following have all had a significant effect on my worldview. You can find more information at [1].\n- The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow\n- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\n- Crime and Punishment\n- The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York\n- Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies\n- The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity\n- Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead\n- Franny and Zooey\n- Master of the Senate\n- Atlas Shrugged\n- Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed\n- Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap?\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\n- The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics\n- The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don't\n- Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans\n- Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\n- Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World\n- Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones\n- Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow\n- Ethics in the Real World: 86 Brief Essays on Things that Matter\n- A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life\n- Humankind: A Hopeful History\n- The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think\n[1] https://jacobw.xyz/books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crime and Punishment",
          "reason": "Listed among books that significantly affected the commenter’s worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467743,
          "author": "wazoox",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:56:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467743",
          "commentText": "The book I've reread the most is The Odyssey. For a long time, I've read it once every year.\nAnother book I've read many times is Eco's Foucault's Pendulum.\nI've read Asimov's cycle of Foundation many times. Don't know how many, actually.\nI've also read several times some philosophy classics, particularly Plato's Symposium, Phaedrus, Apology and Republic.\nThen there are many books that I've read at least twice, almost all considered classics (from 1984 to LoTR, Great expectations to Tom Sawyer, Crime and punishment to Twenty thousand leagues under the sea, etc).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "from 1984 to LoTR, Great expectations to Tom Sawyer, Crime and punishment to Twenty thousand leagues under the sea",
          "reason": "Included among classics the commenter has read at least twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467700,
          "author": "clairity",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:52:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467700",
          "commentText": "i recently re-read the wisdom of crowds, ~15 years now since i first read it. still good, still relevant. there's even a section on how quickly SARS was identified in international collaboration despite no central, coordinating entity.\nit's covertly a book about statistical reasoning, but with no dry statistical language, subversive in a way. we need more statistical reasoning in the world, particularly around risk assessment, to subdue fear and panic.\nedit: as for fiction,\njames clavell's asian saga[0] series is entertaining historical fiction, which i've read twice.\npat conroy's southern portraits, particularly the lords of discipline and the prince of tides, both wrenching, haunting, and beautiful.\nalso in the historical/cultural fiction realm: anna karenina, crime and punishment, a tale of two cities, les miserables.\n[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Asian_Saga",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "crime and punishment",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22724377,
          "author": "_xnmw",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T01:21:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22724377",
          "commentText": "Crime and Punishment. So many others over here have already recommended Dostoevsky, but he deserves even more praise. Taught me the meaning of \"sin\" in the modern world. Taught me to find love in suffering.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crime and Punishment. So many others over here have already recommended Dostoevsky, but he deserves even more praise. Taught me the meaning of \"sin\" in the modern world. Taught me to find love in suffering.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it taught them about sin and finding love in suffering.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21902755,
          "author": "Kaibeezy",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T00:01:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902755",
          "commentText": "I read Crime and Punishment last year and found it incredibly disappointing, considering its massive reputation. Simpletons, idiots, caricatures, buffoons and victims performing lots of hand-wringing, posturing, dithering, swooning and assorted drama. Hard to identify with or care about any of them. Call it entertainment, but I prefer Dickens.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I read Crime and Punishment last year and found it incredibly disappointing, considering its massive reputation.",
          "reason": "The commenter found the novel disappointing and its characters hard to care about.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter prefers Dickens.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803341,
          "author": "agentultra",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T14:48:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803341",
          "commentText": "Going to finish Crime and Punishment, Year of the Monkey (Patti Smith), The Children of Húrin (along with many cross references and letters) (Tolkien), re-reading A Game of Thrones for fun... as for 2020 I might read Slaughterhouse 5 again and work through George Sand.\nTechnical things I am working through are the:\n- https://www.extension.harvard.edu/open-learning-initiative/a... (https://www.extension.harvard.edu/open-learning-initiative/abstract-algebra) along with the Artin text, writing proofs out by hand and in Lean.\n- Seven Sketches in Compositionality: https://arxiv.org/abs/1803.05316",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Going to finish Crime and Punishment",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20914567,
          "author": "1ark",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T01:47:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914567",
          "commentText": "Crime and Punishment (1866) by Fyodor Dostoevsky.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crime and Punishment (1866) by Fyodor Dostoevsky.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17062549,
          "author": "togusa2017",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-14T03:54:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17062549",
          "commentText": "1. Crime and Punishment . 2 Unbearable lightness of being. Opened my mind to not judge and always think about the other side of things",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1. Crime and Punishment",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books that changed the commenter’s perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16297231,
          "author": "timellis-smith",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T11:41:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16297231",
          "commentText": "Fiction\nWar and Peace\nCrime and Punishment\nCount of Monte Christo\n1984\nGod of Small Things\nParadise lost\nDivine comedy\nNon fiction\nSelfish gene\nMeditations\nMadness explained (the best book I've encountered for explaining how the mind works)\nThe Red Queen\nTao te Ching",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crime and Punishment",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the question about books the commenter wishes they had read earlier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7008527,
          "author": "timonv",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-03T22:01:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 7001282,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7008527",
          "commentText": "In no particular order:\nPolitics and philosophy:\nIshmael - Daniel Quinn (even though in the end, it's just a cute, in essence a softies introduction to anarchist communism)\nOn property - Proudhon (Meta, ye oldist anarchy)\nDas Kapital (If you read Marx, also read on Marx, can't stress this enough)\nBeyond good and evil (but in his thought in general) - Nietzsche (Mainly for showing there are no absolutes, moral is what we make of it, and in that moral we can excel)\nAnd so, so many others, philosophy really adds up, just keep on reading, there's fundamental books for sure, but every publication adds up in some respect.\nSports and nutrition:\nStarting Strength (for making me bad ass strong in the last couple years)\n'Paleo' diet (for showing an extreme solution for a more simple problem, that actually worked and made me not fat anymore)\nSome random books that made a huge impression the last years:\nThe Alchemist, for showing how humble you can experience the wonders of life\nSiddhartha, same really.\nA short summer of anarchy (biography of Durrutti, rise of \nanarchism in 30s Spain, out of print)\nCrime and Punishment and Karamazov (There's beauty in the darkest corners of the human spirit, and so much more)\nThe Prince\nButler (For using Nietzsche's deconstruction to argue against 'genetic' discrimination, controversial, but very good)\nMetamorphosis - Kafka (I don't have a one liner to summarize this. Just read it, it's < 100 pages)\nFunny enough, as far as Tech and Business goes, I skim books to get some details, but at the end of the day most value comes from hacking around. For both.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Crime and Punishment and Karamazov (There's beauty in the darkest corners of the human spirit, and so much more)",
          "reason": "Praised for finding beauty in the darkest corners of the human spirit.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5832821,
          "author": "smuss77",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T15:04:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5832821",
          "commentText": "It's been mentioned, but gotta second Crime and Punishment. Great.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "gotta second Crime and Punishment. Great.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly seconds the recommendation and calls it great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5832459,
          "author": "david927",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T14:04:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5832459",
          "commentText": "Crime and Punishment, Les Miserables, War and Peace",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crime and Punishment",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876089,
          "author": "david927",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T05:22:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876089",
          "commentText": "Crime and Punishment, Dostoevsky\nLolita, Nabokov",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crime and Punishment, Dostoevsky",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797161,
          "author": "electronslave",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T02:18:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797161",
          "commentText": "The Brothers Karamazov.  Awesome, if only for the casually violent Russian realism that I loved in Преступление и Наказание.\nAs far as learning goes, I'm chugging through the FARs and the Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge.  I'm about to solo.\nAs far as computer tech stuff goes, I haven't picked up a book with hype (plus requisite clipart/bad drawings/abuse of color space) on the cover in years.\nEdit: What's up with all the Ayn Rand?  Misogyny, xenophobia and unvarnished greed aren't exactly admirable characteristics, and her books read like an apologist's how-to manual.  My favorite example of a Rand fanboy now works (when last I checked) at a bowling alley in Santa Barbara, after loudly and memorably insisting that he didn't need liberal pansy friends like me, because he'd be the wealthiest tycoon alive.\nYeah.\nI guess he has a stovepipe hat and a monocle now.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Преступление и Наказание",
          "reason": "The commenter says they loved its Russian realism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86022,
          "author": "jkush",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T18:44:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86022",
          "commentText": "Crime and Punishment (Dostoevsky)\nHouse Of Leaves (Mark Danielewski)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crime and Punishment (Dostoevsky)",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite in response to the thread's request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fyodor Dostoevsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 13,
      "threads": 12,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "russian literature",
        "moral psychology",
        "psychological novel",
        "morality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hard-boiled-wonderland-and-the-end-of-the-world-c1d94d",
      "title": "Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World",
      "author": "Haruki Murakami",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46397668,
          "author": "kaycebasques",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T23:51:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46397668",
          "commentText": "I've only read one Murakami novel but I loved it. Hard-Boiled Wonderland.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've only read one Murakami novel but I loved it. Hard-Boiled Wonderland.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they loved the novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34175656,
          "author": "martinlillebo",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-29T18:01:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34175656",
          "commentText": "It was \"Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World\". Happy for any recommendations, thank you",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "It was \"Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World\".",
          "reason": "Identifies the Murakami book the commenter read; no evaluation is stated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26594717,
          "author": "dfxm12",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-26T17:30:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26594717",
          "commentText": "Fiction, yes. I've recently read and recommend Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami (which in a way is a blend of sci fi and fantasy), Cannery Row by John Steinbeck, and Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut.\nOn Deck, I have Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy, Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "recommend Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18663395,
          "author": "Arkdy",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:44:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663395",
          "commentText": "Wow, that's interesting. We must have approached Grossman from completely different perspectives. Last year (2017) I read the entire Magicians series and thoroughly enjoyed them because they made me uncomfortable. I was trash, in the same way that Quentin was trash, so following his arc was introspective.\nAt the time I contrasted it to the optimism in \"All the Birds in the Sky\" by Charlie Jane Anders (if you're familiar)\nWhat was your experience like?\nFor reference, my most recent fiction is:\n- \"Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World\" by Murakami\n- \"Uprooted\" by Naomi Novik\n- \"God Emperor of Dune\" by Frank Herbert",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "- \"Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World\" by Murakami",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17523633,
          "author": "calebm",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T15:17:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17523633",
          "commentText": "\"Hardboiled Wonderland and The End of the World\" (by Haruki Murakami). I love every book I've read by Haruki Murakami, but I think this may be my favorite. I suspect that, for a work of literary surrealist/magical realism fiction, it will appeal to the HN crowd.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I love every book I've read by Haruki Murakami, but I think this may be my favorite.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a possible favorite among Murakami's books and expects it to appeal to the HN crowd.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in literary surrealism or magical realism; the commenter specifically expects it to appeal to the HN crowd.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may be their favorite, rather than stating it definitively.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961269,
          "author": "calebm",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:24:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961269",
          "commentText": "* The Unconsoled (Kazuo Ishiguro)\n* Never Let Me Go (Kazuo Ishiguro)\n* Influx (Daniel Suarex)\n* Sputnik Sweetheart (Haruki Murakami)\n* Apex (Ramez Naam)\n* One Second After (William R. Forstchen)\n* Anna Karanina (Leo Tolstoy)\n* Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n* A Farewell to Arms (Ernest Hemingway)\n* Crux (Ramez Naam)\n* A Moveable Feast (Ernest Hemingway)\n* Hardboiled Wonderland and The End of the World (Haruki Murakami)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Hardboiled Wonderland and The End of the World (Haruki Murakami)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249790,
          "author": "DeanWormer",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T14:04:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249790",
          "commentText": "I discovered him from the old puzzle site thisisnotporn and loved \"Dance Dance Dance\" and \"Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and \"Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World\".",
          "reason": "Listed alongside a novel the commenter says they loved.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13239670,
          "author": "thisisforyou",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T19:33:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13239670",
          "commentText": "Nice! Recommend 'Hard Boiled Wonderland' as well. His most tightly plotted and laid out book, if you like that part of his work. His non-fic is great as well. IQ84 is a bit long winded and sort of a 'b-side' IMO, might want to save that for last.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Recommend 'Hard Boiled Wonderland' as well. His most tightly plotted and laid out book",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it and calls it the author's most tightly plotted and laid-out book.",
          "audience": "Readers who like that aspect of Murakami's work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12251269,
          "author": "TrickedOut",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T22:26:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12251269",
          "commentText": "Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World \nby Haruki Murakami\nbecause the pace of half the book so closely resembles my life, decisions, alternative histories and the limited time we have in the world.  not sure how much more I can say without spoilers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "because the pace of half the book so closely resembles my life, decisions, alternative histories and the limited time we have in the world.",
          "reason": "Offered as the book that impacted the commenter, with a personal explanation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter avoids saying more to prevent spoilers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10802083,
          "author": "haylem",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-28T17:06:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10802083",
          "commentText": "This will be an unlikely HN entry, but as there was not pre-requirement, I thoroughly enjoyed a French book named \"Peste et Cholera\" by Patrick Deville, about Alexandre Yersin [1]. Yersin is mostly known for identified the bacillus responsible for the plague [2]. Not that it relates to our field, but the guy's dedication and hard-work was inspiring (similarly, Pasteur's life is quite interesting to read about).\nAlso out of our usual targets here, though somewhat more related, I enjoyed \"Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World\" [3] by Haruki Murakami. I found the universes interesting and enjoyed the setting of a world were programmers learn to compute and encrypt things in their brains (even if it's a small part of the story).\n[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandre_Yersin\n[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yersinia_pestis\n[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard-Boiled_Wonderland_and_the... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard-Boiled_Wonderland_and_the_End_of_the_World)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed \"Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World\" [3] by Haruki Murakami. I found the universes interesting and enjoyed the setting",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed the book, its worlds, and its setting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The computing and encryption premise is only a small part of the story.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10209501,
          "author": "jeo1234",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T21:49:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10209501",
          "commentText": "The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson.\nAR plays a heavy role in it (and it is my favorite Stephenson novel).\nHard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World - Haruki Murakami.\nI can't say much about it without ruining it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World - Haruki Murakami.\nI can't say much about it without ruining it.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter avoids saying more to prevent spoilers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8718816,
          "author": "matthewwiese",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T20:08:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8718816",
          "commentText": "Murakami is great, his prose really touched me in a creative/imaginative sense. I get this surreal and whimsical sensation while reading his fiction.\nIf you're lining up possible other books to read by him, I suggest Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I suggest Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World.",
          "reason": "Suggested as another Murakami book to read.",
          "audience": "Readers considering other books by Murakami.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4967473,
          "author": "platz",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T23:37:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967473",
          "commentText": "I liked 1Q84.  I felt it could have been a bit shorter without much loss to the story though. 'The Wind Up Bird Chronicle' and 'Hard Boiled Wonderland and The End of the World' remain my favorite Murakami novels.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Wind Up Bird Chronicle' and 'Hard Boiled Wonderland and The End of the World' remain my favorite Murakami novels.",
          "reason": "The commenter names it among their favorite Murakami novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4776515,
          "author": "viviantan",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-13T05:03:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 4770238,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fiction books that entertain and educate?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4776515",
          "commentText": "Haruki Murakami:\n1Q84 -- title's a nod to Orwellian dystopia; awesome mystery with a dash of sci-fi that takes place in a parallel universe sort of Tokyo; the English editon's 3 books in one so it's quite looong\nWind Up Bird Chronicle -- another 3-books-in-one psychological thriller, but the plotline's really just a device for telling the story of the Soviet-Japan border clashes during WWII and the atrocities committed by both sides; I loved the story but it's long and really weird, even for Murakami\nHardboiled Wonderland And The End Of The World -- really fun and imaginative book about a guy who can encrypt data by passing it through his subconsciousness, and ends up getting stuck there himself; I think this was the book that made Murakami famous in the US",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hardboiled Wonderland And The End Of The World -- really fun and imaginative book about a guy who can encrypt data by passing it through his subconsciousness, and ends up getting stuck there himself; I think this was the book that made Murakami famous in the US",
          "reason": "Described as really fun and imaginative, with an unusual premise.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2642870,
          "author": "user24",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-11T00:22:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2642870",
          "commentText": "without visible comment scores, this thread is not as useful as it could have been.\nFor computer security fact-wrapped-up-as-fiction, the \"Stealing the network' books are very entertaining, realistic depictions of 'the perfect hack'.\nFor scifi, I enjoy collections of short stories such as the \"new writings in SF\" anthologies. But they're hard to get hold of, so any \"best SF\" collection of short stories will serve you well.\nFor postmodern fiction, Haruki Murakami's Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World is a great read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Haruki Murakami's Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World is a great read.",
          "reason": "Described as a great read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2639719,
          "author": "frankiejr",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T03:45:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639719",
          "commentText": "Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Hard-Boiled-Wonderland-End-World-Inter... (http://www.amazon.com/Hard-Boiled-Wonderland-End-World-International/dp/0679743464/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1307677444&sr=1-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World",
          "reason": "Named as the commenter's answer to the greatest book question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Haruki Murakami"
      ],
      "recommenders": 13,
      "threads": 12,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction",
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "surrealism",
        "magical realism",
        "japanese literature",
        "surreal fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-forever-war-a3f2e7",
      "title": "The Forever War",
      "author": "Joe Haldeman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46227192,
          "author": "bix6",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-11T03:07:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 46226571,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46227192",
          "commentText": "Caves of Steel, Forever War, Childhood’s End",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Caves of Steel, Forever War, Childhood’s End",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021500,
          "author": "eterps",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:49:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021500",
          "commentText": "- Project Hail Mary\n- Children of Time\n- Accelerando\n- The Forever War\n- Axiomatic",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Forever War",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for science fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34160619,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:11:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160619",
          "commentText": "This year I've put myself to the challenge to read at least one book per week which I primarily could complete by reading in the middle of the night while holding our sleeping baby in my arms. It has been an interesting challenge which gave me a lot of fulfilment and has certainly changed my mind on how I view the world. This comment became quite a long read, apologies for that.\nBooks I highly recommend:\nChurchill by Andrew Roberts (p:1105)\nA biography about one of the most interesting figures in politics and WWII. Roberts gives a very detailed description of the life of Churchill and manages to keep you interested the entire length of the book.\nThe God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (p:374)\nIn The God Delusion Dawkins gives arguments why there is no God, why we do not need a God and why religion is damaging to our society. If you are religious it might not be the book for you unless you are open to hear his arguments and line of reasoning. Dawkins will challenge your worldview.\nThe Bomb by Fred Kaplan (p:384)\nKaplan describes the policy of different US presidents on the atomic bomb and war in general. And primarily on the inability of US presidents and policy-makers to tune down its military. A chilling read which makes you appreciate a nuclear holocaust did not happen (yet)....\nPoor Economics by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo (p:320)\nBanerjee and Duflo give a gripping portrait of how poor people live. They offer an insight in the choices and decisions people make surviving on less than 1 USD a day (corrected for purchasing power). It made me completely rethink my own view on poverty and development aid; stressing even more that in order to help one need to have a complete understanding of the individual's situation and the local boundary conditions.\nProject Hail Mary  by Andy Weir (p:476)\nThis book triggered my science fiction reading. For some reason I never was interested in science fiction. Most likely triggered by reading Foundation by Asimov a few years back which apparently is not a book to my taste. But Andy Weir completely annihilated that wrong perspective on science fiction. Project Hail Mary is interesting, funny and gripping book.\nKindred by Octavia Butler  (p:287)\nThis book.... From page one I was hooked and almost read it in one go. Butler is a wonderful author and Kindred is a must-read. The book is about a woman traveling back in time to end up on a slave plantation. It's a chilling account of slavery.\nOther books I read this year, ask me anything about one of these books. I've added a + if I think its worth a recommendation\nBiography:\nNavalny by Dollbaum, Lallouet and Noble (p:280); The Man from the Future by Ananyo Bhattacharya (p:354) +\nSociology; Politics; Economics; Business:\nOnly the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove (p:224); The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli  (p:140); Winter is Coming by Garry Kasparov (p:290); Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum (p:224) +; Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl (p:164) +; We Are Bellingcat by Eliot Higgins (p:272); De Zeven Vinkjes by Joris Luyendijk (p:200); Waarom vuilnismannen meer verdienen dan bankiers by Rutger Bregman (p:104)\nComedy: The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (p:336)\nHistory:\nBand of Brothers  by Stephen E. Ambrose (p:432); The Nuclear Jihadist by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins (p:413) +; The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre (p:384) +; De Heineken Ontvoering by Peter R. de Vries (p:347); Red Famine by Anne Apllebaum (p:384); Night by Elie Wiesel (p:115) +\nScience, Technology, Mathematics:\nFermat's Enigma by Simon Singh (p:315) +; A Mathematician's Apology by G.H. Hardy (p:153); The Great Influenza by John M. Barry (p:546); The Rise and Fall of the Dinousaurs by Stephen Brusatte (p:404) ++; The Double Helix by James Watson (p:144)\nSport:\nRun or Die by Killian Jornet (p:208); The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton  (p:290) +; The Rise of the Ultra Runners by  (p:304); Tom Dumoulin by Patrick Bernhart (p:203)\nFiction:\nAnthem by Ayn Rand (p:105); Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (p:704); The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (p:566); Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (p:466); Live and Let die by Ian Fleming  (p:229)\nClassics:\nA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (p:104); The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (p:201); The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald (p:180); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (p:139); Animal Farm by George Orwell (p:122) +; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (p:227) +; The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (p:118)\nScience Fiction:\nThe Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (p:399); All Systems Red  by Martha Wells (p:144) +; A Memory Called Empire  by Arkady Martine (p:462) +; A Psalm built for the Wild by Becky Chambers (p:160); Dune by Frank Herbert (p:658); Foundation by Isaac Asimov (p:244); The Martian by Andy Weir (p:384) +;\nThe Forever War by Joe Haldeman (p:278)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Forever War by Joe Haldeman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17596605,
          "author": "kevinofe",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-23T22:39:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17596605",
          "commentText": "Wow, I can’t believe I just found this thread and not one mention of Jack Vance. His \"Planet of Adventure\" series, Alastor series or Demon Princes novels are classics. His command of language and dialogue is unparalleled. Every modern sci-fi author cites him as an influence.\nGateway by Frederik Pohl is another underrated one from the 70s although the sequels are disappointing.\nThe Forever War Joe Haldeman and Robert Heinlein’s Starship Troopers are also indispensable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Forever War Joe Haldeman",
          "reason": "Called indispensable in response to a request for recommended science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630308,
          "author": "roryisok",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:09:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630308",
          "commentText": "Day of the Triffids - John Wyndham - everyone goes blind and a bunch of sentient plants start eating people. one of the first science fiction books I ever read, and the one that introduced me to post apocalyptic fiction. Giant plants might sound silly, but its no more silly than walking corpses. And in fact the walking dead and 28 days later owe a lot to this book.\nJonathan Strange and Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke - beautifully inventive fantasy novel about two magicians bringing magic back to Britain during the Napoleonic wars. Fab read.\nGateway - Frederick Pohl - pulp sf at its best. Humans discover a hollowed out asteroid worth ftl ships preprogrammed with unknown destinations. Prospectors pack as much food as they can and hit 'launch' in the hopes that they'll discover something valuable and not land on a star or starve to death.\nThe Forever War - Joe Haldeman - more great pulp sci-fi about the first interstellar war. Old man's war by John Scalzi is very similar and almost as good.\nMost things by Iain (m) banks. Crow Road, Wasp Factory, The Bridge, Consider Phlebas, Use of Weapons, Player of Games etc. Song of stone was awful though, they're not all winners",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "more great pulp sci-fi",
          "reason": "Praises it as great pulp science fiction.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in science fiction and interstellar war.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249112,
          "author": "jaymon",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T08:37:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249112",
          "commentText": "I'll second someone else's recommendation for The Martian, that was just a really fun read you can just burn through because it is so enjoyable.\nIf you want another really fun read, Ready Player One was fantastic.\nI've also enjoyed the Old Man's War saga, there are 6 books but you can skip book 4 since it is a retelling of book 3 from the POV of another character. This is a space saga and I really like the universe he created.\nIn the hard sci-fi genre, I really enjoyed The Forever War.\nAnd for just pure world building fantasy, the Game of Thrones books (The song of Ice and Fire series) are some of the best written books I've ever read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In the hard sci-fi genre, I really enjoyed The Forever War.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in hard science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12244866,
          "author": "rosser",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T01:21:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244866",
          "commentText": "I also give this book as a gift often. It started when I'd lend it out and never get it back, which, on reflection, I found I was actually fine with. So I found a UK 1st Edition, signed by both authors, which I'm never lending to anyone, and buy whatever copy is to hand for people as I feel moved to.\nI've also done this a couple times with Joe Haldeman's The Forever War.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've also done this a couple times with Joe Haldeman's The Forever War.",
          "reason": "Says they have given the book as a gift a couple of times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12099256,
          "author": "jimmywanger",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T06:30:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12099256",
          "commentText": "Try\nThe Forever War by Joe Haldeman. A great book about time dilation and Vietnam.\nThe Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi. A book about water rights in the south west that I can think of.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Forever War by Joe Haldeman. A great book about time dilation and Vietnam.",
          "reason": "Described as a great book about time dilation and Vietnam.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056559,
          "author": "dghf",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:25:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056559",
          "commentText": "Joe Haldeman, The Forever War.\nMichael Moorcock, An Alien Heat & Behold the Man.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Joe Haldeman, The Forever War.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite sci-fi books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8944625,
          "author": "Tycho",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-25T23:05:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944625",
          "commentText": "Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, Dune, Foundation series, Martian Chronicles & Illustrated Man, Ender's Game, Accelerando, Hyperion, The Forever War, Player of Games, Snow Crash",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Forever War",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8622302,
          "author": "kristianp",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-18T03:59:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8622302",
          "commentText": "One great book that hasn't been mentioned so far is the Forever War by Joe Haldeman.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One great book that hasn't been mentioned so far is the Forever War by Joe Haldeman.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book and highlights it as not yet mentioned.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4968985,
          "author": "Derbasti",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T12:10:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4968985",
          "commentText": "\"The Forever War\" by Joe Haldemann. Possibly the best science fiction I ever read!\n\"The Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\" and its video lectures[1]. Highly recommended!\n[1]: http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electrical-engineering-and-comput... (http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electrical-engineering-and-computer-science/6-001-structure-and-interpretation-of-computer-programs-spring-2005/video-lectures/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Forever War\" by Joe Haldemann. Possibly the best science fiction I ever read!",
          "reason": "Calls it possibly the best science fiction they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231126,
          "author": "toponium",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T16:53:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231126",
          "commentText": "The Forever War (Joe Haldeman)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Forever War (Joe Haldeman)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140747,
          "author": "albertcardona",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T12:01:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140747",
          "commentText": "\"The Forever War\" by Joe Haldeman, among others.\nThe book will put the timeline of your life into context, outline your limitations, and provide a grandiose example on the importance of communication.\n(\"Ender's Game\" and \"Stranger in a Stranger Land\" are among my top 5, but I thought the gem described above deserves attention.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book will put the timeline of your life into context, outline your limitations, and provide a grandiose example on the importance of communication.",
          "reason": "Says it puts life in context and illustrates the importance of communication.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140404,
          "author": "dhimes",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T01:10:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140404",
          "commentText": "The Lathe of Heaven\n (also: The Forever War;\n  The Einstein Intersection).\nHmmm.  My favs seem to all start with \"The.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Forever War",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joe Haldeman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 13,
      "threads": 12,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military science fiction",
        "time dilation",
        "interstellar war",
        "hard science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-road-286168",
      "title": "The Road",
      "author": "Cormac McCarthy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49908114,
          "author": "largePanda9",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T12:44:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49908114",
          "commentText": "I read all three of these in the last 12 months, great choices. Have you read Blindsight? I felt it was almost a sci fi/horror mix. Great read",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read all three of these in the last 12 months, great choices.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the three books in the parent comment great choices.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 47316497,
          "author": "downbad_",
          "createdAt": "2026-03-09T22:22:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 47315415,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47316497",
          "commentText": "The Road is a great book. One of the greatest books ever.\n\"Yes. You forget what you want to remember and you remember what you want to\nforget.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Road is a great book. One of the greatest books ever.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book and one of the greatest ever.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 45299804,
          "author": "andyjohnson0",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-19T09:51:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 45283087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45299804",
          "commentText": "I have a Random House audiobook version of the trilogy read by Brad Pitt. His Spanish pronunciation isn't great (although better than mine) but I enjoy his quiet voice and slightly careworn delivery. It's abridged, though, and I wanted to read the whole work.\nThe Recorded Books recordings of The Road and No Country for Old Men narrated by Tom Stechschulte are very good too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Recorded Books recordings of The Road and No Country for Old Men narrated by Tom Stechschulte are very good too.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the audiobook narration.",
          "audience": "Listeners considering the audiobook.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40880713,
          "author": "dkdkdkdkdkdkd",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-05T08:05:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40880713",
          "commentText": "Blindness by José Saramago and The road by Cormac McCarthy.\nBoth offer a look at how humanity holds up under difficult circumstances.\nDo not watch the movies, read the books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The road by Cormac McCarthy",
          "reason": "Says it shows how humanity holds up under difficult circumstances.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Do not watch the movie; read the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38564728,
          "author": "sirohsis144",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T02:35:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38564728",
          "commentText": "The Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse\nThe Road, Cormac McCarthy\nSometimes a Great Notion, Ken Kesey\nSlouching Towards Bethlehem, Joan Didion",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Road, Cormac McCarthy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21901809,
          "author": "lsc",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T21:20:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21901809",
          "commentText": "I read Less as part of my \"read all the Pulitzer prize for fiction novels\"  and I also enjoyed it quite a lot.   \"the road\" might have been my favorite novel on the list of pulitzer prizes in my lifetime.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"the road\" might have been my favorite novel on the list of pulitzer prizes in my lifetime.",
          "reason": "Calls it a possible favorite among the Pulitzer Prize winning novels they read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it might have been their favorite.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8106989,
          "author": "cellover",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:32:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106989",
          "commentText": "I like understanding where I am located in space and time, that is why I love reading about science & science fiction ; it is indirectly related to religion in the sense that it makes you think about your world, about yourself.\nBuddhism / Religion / ... :\n- Siddartha - Hermann Hesse\n- The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho\nScience:\n- A brief history of time - Stephen Hawking (space, time)\n- The Blind Watchmaker - Richard Dawkins (evolution)\n- Le cerveau intime - Marc Jeannerod (in french only)\nScience-fiction:\n- The Road - Cormack Mc Carthy\n- City - Clifford D. Simack\n- Time is the simplest thing - Clifford D. Simack\n- Ringworld - Larry Niven",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Road - Cormack Mc Carthy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387960,
          "author": "veidr",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T02:51:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387960",
          "commentText": "The trilogy of Neuromancer, Burning Chrome, and Mona Lisa Overdrive is still my favorite work of fiction, and also, to my mind, exemplifies the kind of taut, awesome writing that I would want to do if I wrote novels. It the only series of 3 books I have read more than once.\nI caught these books at just the right time in my life (age 13 or 14), leading my high-school fascination with Japan and rekindled interest in computing, and probably played an inordinately large role in me ending up as a programmer who lives in Tokyo, two decades later.\nI like great sci fi best, but I think most of it is crap, including virtually all of the old pulp sci fi and Asimov I grew up reading (which was basically all of it), Star Wars/Trek, etc.\nOther than Gibson's stuff, some of the truly spectacular sci fi I have read is the very-dense-and-not-at-all-thriller-ish Mars trilogy (Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars), and the fast-paced-and-awesome Spin by Robert Charles Wilson. That led me to read all of Wilson's books, many of which are also good. Also Haldeman is an author worth reading, though not all of his books hit their mark.\nGreat sci fi is my favorite fiction, but IMO most of it is broken by being fundamentally implausible. Other fiction I consider great in other genres include Memoirs of a Geisha, Cold Mountain, REAMDE, The Son, The Road, the lighter but still version of that post-apocalyptic concept The Dog Stars, City of Thieves, and All the Pretty Horses and its sequels.\nIt's probably symptomatic of a major flaw in my character that despite also buying dozens of nonfiction works (Lincoln, On China, and so forth) over the past few years, I haven't finished any of them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Son, The Road, the lighter but still version of that post-apocalyptic concept The Dog Stars",
          "reason": "Explicitly considers it great fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3990338,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-18T04:17:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3990338",
          "commentText": "I recently reread Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses.\nI was prompted to do so by another book discussion. Not his best book - I think Blood Meridian and The Road are better - but McCarthy is a great writer.\nFor nerd non-fiction, I just read Jim Lovell's Lost Moon which though not a great book, is a good solid book about greatness.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think Blood Meridian and The Road are better",
          "reason": "The commenter ranks it above All the Pretty Horses and calls McCarthy a great writer.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226910,
          "author": "jerrytap",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:53:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226910",
          "commentText": "The Road was also another excellent book by Cormac McCarthy.  I'm not sure about his other books but this one was a really easy read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Road was also another excellent book by Cormac McCarthy.",
          "reason": "Described as another excellent book by McCarthy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027286,
          "author": "brown9-2",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T15:27:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027286",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction:\nCoders at Work by Peter Siebel and Founders at Work by Jessica Livingston - I loved reading about the founder's stories and first-hand perspectives of notable programmers.\nThe Pleasures and Sorrows of Work by Alain de Botton - really interesting perspective on \"work\" and various types of careers and people that find happiness in them/work itself.\nSuperfreakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner - even if you don't agree with their arguments or think that the authors are all fluff, I think that their writing style is exceptionally clear and easy to understand.\nThe Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb - some really interesting ideas and analysis, although the book could have been 1/2 as short\nFiction:\nAnathem by Neal Stephenson - starts out slow but after the first 200 pages it became a really great story that I couldn't put down.\nLife of Pi by Yann Martel - loved the main story of the book, the controversial ending didn't bother me too much because I don't feel like it takes away from the story at all.\nThe Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson - cheap fun and suspenseful\nThe Road by Cormac McCarthy - I don't think much needs to be said about this book\nWhite Tiger by Aravind Adiga - extremely interesting and gripping novel about a side of the world most of us Westerners never see\nHitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams - finally read this classic. I read the \"Ultimate Edition\" which contains all 5 of Adams' novel, loved the first one but the story felt like it started to putter out by the third.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "I don't think much needs to be said about this book",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876620,
          "author": "prawn",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T13:08:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876620",
          "commentText": "Haven't got to that one yet, but Blood Meridian was incredible and so I plan on buying the rest of his work. I also really liked The Road - have read it twice, each time in 1-2 days (I normally struggle to make time to read).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also really liked The Road - have read it twice",
          "reason": "The commenter really liked it and has read it twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 766814,
          "author": "fuzzmeister",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-16T21:40:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=766814",
          "commentText": "The Road really is a fantastic book, makes you think about how rapidly humanity would change if civilization dissolved. Can't wait for the movie to come out this fall.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Road really is a fantastic book, makes you think about how rapidly humanity would change if civilization dissolved.",
          "reason": "Calls it fantastic and says it prompts reflection on how humanity might change after civilization's collapse.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 766598,
          "author": "SwellJoe",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-16T19:53:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=766598",
          "commentText": "Try some fiction, instead.  It's a vacation. I just finished The Road by Cormac McCarthy a couple of weeks ago. It's really good.\nThat said, if you're going to read programming books, you might want narrative texts rather than \"practical\" books, since the practical ones require you to also have a computer, and work through the examples and such. Books like Programming Pearls, Beautiful Code, etc. tell stories about code, rather than just show you code (though there are probably moments in either book where the best course of action is to try applying what you've read about).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I just finished The Road by Cormac McCarthy a couple of weeks ago. It's really good.",
          "reason": "Calls the novel really good while suggesting fiction for vacation reading.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking fiction for vacation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 715121,
          "author": "scott_s",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-20T20:30:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715121",
          "commentText": "Current: The Road by Cormac McCarthy.\nLast: The World Without Us by Alan Weisman.\nThe best recent: Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamon.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Current: The Road by Cormac McCarthy.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cormac McCarthy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 13,
      "threads": 12,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "post apocalyptic fiction",
        "post apocalyptic",
        "literary fiction",
        "survival"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "clean-code-a-handbook-of-agile-software-craftsmanship-42fba3",
      "title": "Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship",
      "author": "Robert C. Martin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39089137,
          "author": "jjice",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-22T13:13:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39089137",
          "commentText": "I personally don't like Clean Code, but understand that a lot of people I respect do. I do want to throw Clean Architecture into the ring though since we're in the topic.\nThat book is a top three software book for me. It made me understand why OO is a thing and what concepts I should pretty much always use from that ecosystem.\nThe concept of interfaces (not just the programming construct, but the general idea) was massive and it changed my view on the testability of code.\nMartin has some other good stuff related to professionalism as a programmer. He has a few talks and The Clean Coder and those are absolutely worth it as well.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I personally don't like Clean Code",
          "reason": "The commenter says they dislike the book, while acknowledging that many people they respect like it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter personally dislikes it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39059804,
          "author": "Minor49er",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T19:21:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39059804",
          "commentText": "Seconding this. It's an important book for all kinds of design\nI would also recommend \"Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship\" by Robert C. Martin. It focuses on crafting higher quality code, which is the property of it not only running well, but being easy to understand and to work on",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would also recommend \"Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship\" by Robert C. Martin.",
          "reason": "Recommended for its focus on writing code that runs well and is easy to understand and work on.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33857433,
          "author": "pkoird",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T20:21:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33857433",
          "commentText": "So I asked this same question to ChatGPT, here's its response. This thing really does have the potential to be a good recommendation tool for books/resources.\n\"Here are a few books that may be helpful for improving your skills as a software engineer:\n\"The Pragmatic Programmer\" by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas: This book offers practical advice on a wide range of topics, including how to write clean and maintainable code, how to work effectively with others, and how to manage your time and priorities.\n\"Clean Code\" by Robert C. Martin: This book focuses on the importance of writing code that is easy to read and understand, and provides specific guidance on how to write clean and maintainable code.\n\"Peopleware\" by Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister: This book discusses the human side of software development, including how to create effective teams and work environments, and how to avoid common pitfalls such as overwork and burnout.\n\"Agile Software Development\" by Alistair Cockburn: This book provides an introduction to agile software development methodologies, which are designed to help teams deliver high-quality software quickly and efficiently.\nIn addition to these books, there are many excellent blog posts and online resources on these topics. Some websites that may be helpful include the Pragmatic Programmer blog, the Agile Alliance website, and the ACM SIGSOFT Software Engineering Notes journal.\nAnother helpful resource may be attending conferences and workshops on software engineering and related topics. These can provide opportunities to learn from experts in the field, network with other professionals, and stay up to date on the latest trends and best practices. Many conferences and workshops also offer certification programs, which can be a valuable way to demonstrate your knowledge and expertise to potential employers. Some well-known conferences in the software engineering field include the ACM SIGSOFT International Symposium on the Foundations of Software Engineering (FSE), the ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (CHI), and the International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE).\n\"",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Clean Code\" by Robert C. Martin: This book focuses on the importance",
          "reason": "Quoted recommendation says it focuses on readable, understandable, and maintainable code.",
          "audience": "Software engineers.",
          "caveat": "This is presented as ChatGPT’s response, not the commenter’s own assessment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31167257,
          "author": "Parker_Powell",
          "createdAt": "2022-04-26T13:33:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 31166475,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Top inspiring books on crucial CS ideas?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31167257",
          "commentText": "No matter how long you've been a programmer, you're always looking for new ways to hone your craft and learn new techniques. One of the best ways to do that is by reading books on programming—as in, books that are actually about programming. Here's our list of 10 of the best.\n1. Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software\n2. Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship\n3. Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code\n4. The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master\n5. Don't Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability\n6. The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering\n7. Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\n8. Introduction to Algorithms (The MIT Press)\n9. Programming Pearls (2nd Edition)\n10. The Art of Computer Programming",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2. Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's ten recommended programming books.",
          "audience": "Programmers looking to hone their craft and learn techniques.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28661279,
          "author": "furstenheim",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T14:46:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28661279",
          "commentText": "Effective Java by Joshua Bloch is really good. Some of the learnings only apply to Java, but most apply to any language.\nAll the tips are very focused on how the code, APIs and even the languages evolve, trying to understand how your changes could confuse other developers. Compared to clean code, it's clear that it's written by someone who has done a lot of coding and seen the evolution, with a very pragmatic approach. Not just theoretical like Clean Code",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Compared to clean code",
          "reason": "The commenter contrasts it with Effective Java, describing it as theoretical.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter characterizes it as theoretical compared with Effective Java.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28659731,
          "author": "baash05",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T10:19:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28659731",
          "commentText": "\"Clean code\" is a top contender.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Clean code\" is a top contender.",
          "reason": "Named as a contender for the best programming book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27889746,
          "author": "user123456780",
          "createdAt": "2021-07-20T03:20:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 27879593,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27889746",
          "commentText": "Clean Code - Robert Martin. <-- this is without a doubt the number one book to read in my opinion\nWorking With Legacy Code - Michael Feathers",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Clean Code - Robert Martin. <-- this is without a doubt the number one book to read in my opinion",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends it as the number one book to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21824206,
          "author": "Simmo",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-18T12:40:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21824206",
          "commentText": "I would like to start with:\nHigh Output Management Grove, Andrew S.\n7 Habits Of Highly Effective People Covey, Stephen R\nClean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship,(Robert C. Martin)\nClean Architecture: A Craftsman's Guide to Software Structure and Design (Robert C. Martin Series)\nBuilding Evolutionary Architectures: Support Constant Change by Neal Ford, Rebecca Parsons, Patrick Kua\nIf you have read any of them and you would like to share your thoughts, I will be truly happy to listen!:)\nHappy reading",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship,(Robert C. Martin)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14844884,
          "author": "MithrilTuxedo",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T03:25:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14844884",
          "commentText": "Clean Code by Robert C. Martin\nThis helped me break my analysis paralysis when it came to figuring out how to organize my code.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This helped me break my analysis paralysis when it came to figuring out how to organize my code.",
          "reason": "Says the book helped them organize code and overcome analysis paralysis.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14844518,
          "author": "cocoa19",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T02:06:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14844518",
          "commentText": "Care to elaborate what bits of Clean Code are damaging?\nI've read it and I thought it has some good ideas. It's the #3 most discussed book on StackOverflow. However, I've been downvoted on HN for recommending something the book talks about (comments are usually misused)\nMaybe I'm missing something more experienced developers know.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've read it and I thought it has some good ideas.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they found some good ideas in the book, while asking what others find damaging.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is uncertain what more experienced developers know about its drawbacks.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7756647,
          "author": "lgunsch",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T17:28:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7756647",
          "commentText": "Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship, by Robert C. Martin.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship, by Robert C. Martin.",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question asking for a favorite programming book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7048952,
          "author": "mncaudill",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-13T04:39:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 7048683,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best development book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7048952",
          "commentText": "Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship by Robert Cecil Martin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship by Robert Cecil Martin",
          "reason": "Lists the book as an answer to a question about recommended development books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3399508,
          "author": "bleakgadfly",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-28T12:05:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3399508",
          "commentText": "\"Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftmanship\" by Uncle Bob.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftmanship\" by Uncle Bob.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395676,
          "author": "lvillani",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T13:25:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395676",
          "commentText": "- \"Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship\" by Robert C. Martin\n- \"Physics for Future Presidents\" by Richard Muller\nNot really a book but I found the \"MIT Guide to Lock Picking\" an interesting read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship\" by Robert C. Martin",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about the best book read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2524284,
          "author": "chillax",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-07T18:45:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 2524205,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books for soon to be Software Engineers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2524284",
          "commentText": "Clean Code",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Clean Code",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "New software engineers transitioning from school to industry.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert C. Martin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 13,
      "threads": 11,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software craftsmanship",
        "code quality",
        "clean code",
        "code readability"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "culture-445e04",
      "title": "Culture",
      "author": "Iain M. Banks",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36021214,
          "author": "meeech",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:28:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021214",
          "commentText": "Feersum Endjinn is great, but would recommend starting with other culture novels first.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "other culture novels first",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends beginning with other novels in this series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Recommends starting with other Culture novels before Feersum Endjinn.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23468080,
          "author": "chrismatheson",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T16:32:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23468080",
          "commentText": "All the Ian M Banks Culture series.\nNeal Stephenson - Cryptonomicon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All the Ian M Banks Culture series.",
          "reason": "The commenter names the complete Culture series among books reread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17539853,
          "author": "kisstheblade",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T09:29:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17539853",
          "commentText": "Excession by Iain M Banks.\nThe other culture novels are also good but not as fun as Excession.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The other culture novels are also good but not as fun as Excession.",
          "reason": "Says the other Culture novels are good, though less fun than Excession.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Less fun than Excession.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15455122,
          "author": "nikdaheratik",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-12T01:58:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15455122",
          "commentText": "Alot of good recommendations even if they may not meet strict personal definitions of either \"hard\" sci-fi, or \"AI\" sci-fi.\nIf you haven't read the Culture books, by Iain M. Banks, I'd recommend them (as others already have). I'd also add, the \"Murderbot Diaries\" (2017), \"Infomocracy\" (2016) and Lightless (2015).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If you haven't read the Culture books, by Iain M. Banks, I'd recommend them",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the books in the Culture series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "May not meet strict definitions of hard or AI science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15429359,
          "author": "batoure",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T18:39:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15429359",
          "commentText": "Iain M Banks \"Culture\" series seamlessly integrates sentient AI into his universe. 1987-2012",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Iain M Banks \"Culture\" series seamlessly integrates sentient AI into his universe.",
          "reason": "Recommends the series for its seamless integration of sentient AI.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056600,
          "author": "Jedd",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:34:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056600",
          "commentText": "Doubtless there'll be lots of strong opinions, and (hopefully, usefully) lots of duplicates that you can then tote up to get a bit of a consensus.\nIain M. Banks - all his Culture books are fantastic, but I'll single out 'Excession' since you seek titles.\nNeal Stephenson's 'Anathem'\nStephen Donaldson (most famous for the Thomas Covenant tri-trilogy) wrote a 5-book 'Gap Series'.  I have very fond memories of it, though it's been two decades since I read it.\nPhilip K. Dick wrote a tonne of good stuff (and a bit of meh) but my two favourite are Clans of the Alphane Moon (the first Dick I read), and Valis (a bit more conventional to have on the favourite list)\nUrsula Le Guin also has a huge body of excellent work - Left Hand of Darkness, and The Dispossessed are my favourites.\nI really loved Roger Zelazny's Lord Of Light, though I understand it's not conventionally considered his best work.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "all his Culture books are fantastic",
          "reason": "Calls all the Culture books fantastic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056570,
          "author": "elorant",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:27:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056570",
          "commentText": "Everything from Asimov.\nThe Mars trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson.\nThe Culture books from Iain Banks.\nThe Rama series from Clarke although it got tiresome after a while.\nThe Sparrow and Children of God from Mary Doria Russell.\nContact by Sagan which by the way is one of the very few sci-fi books that were successfully depicted in movies.\nBrave new world from Huxley. Old one but still highly relevant.\nThe first ones from Gibson.\nThe Enter series by Orson Scott Card.\nBradbury's Farhenheit 451. This one is a classic.\nRevelation Space from Alaistair Reynolds who writes the most hardcore sci-fi I've ever come across.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Culture books from Iain Banks.",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056569,
          "author": "macmac",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:27:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056569",
          "commentText": "I couldn't agree more. \"The Player of Games\" also only improved for me with time and depth of context provided by the subsequent Culture novels.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the subsequent Culture novels",
          "reason": "Says the later novels provide context that improved The Player of Games.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8944515,
          "author": "parisidau",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-25T22:31:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944515",
          "commentText": "Discworld: Going Postal, Making Money, and Raising Steam (3 books total)\nThe Lies of Locke Lamora (and sequels, 3 books total so far)\nThe Name of the Wind (and sequels, 3 books total so far)\nAncillary Justice (and sequel, 2 books total so far)\nAll of Iain M. Banks Culture series\nOld Man's War (and sequels)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All of Iain M. Banks Culture series",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7302433,
          "author": "Jach",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T02:33:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7302433",
          "commentText": "My two favorites are Permutation City by Greg Egan and The Golden Age by John C. Wright (actually that one's a trilogy).\nI hear good things about Iain M. Banks' Culture novels. I've only read one (The Player of Games) and while it was enjoyable it was still sort of meh, if that makes sense... (I've got Excession in my queue and I suspect I'll enjoy it more.)\nWhile it's more in the realm of science-fantasy, you might enjoy this alternate universe imagining of the Harry Potter story: http://hpmor.com/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I hear good things about Iain M. Banks' Culture novels.",
          "reason": "Passes along positive reports about the novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has read only one Culture novel.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3783897,
          "author": "latch",
          "createdAt": "2012-04-01T15:28:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 3781486,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi Books for Hackers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3783897",
          "commentText": "Non-developer specific good sci-fi books:\n-Dune\n-Hyperion + The Fall of Hyperion\n-The Book Of The New Sun\n-Ilium + Olympos\n-Takeshi Kovacs trilogy\n-The Culture Series (meh..)\n-The Demolished Man\nMore dev-oriented:\n-Reamde (which I hated, but I seem to be in a minority)\n-Neuromancer\nI'll always have a special place in my heart for Calculating God (not science fiction), because its the book that got me into reading seriously.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Culture Series (meh..)",
          "reason": "Listed as a science fiction recommendation, but the commenter gives it a lukewarm assessment.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking science fiction, including developer oriented fiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter adds “meh.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2527478,
          "author": "latch",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-09T03:42:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 2526568,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2527478",
          "commentText": "I'm just curious, why you wouldn't upvote me? (I don't mind, I'm just genuinely curious). It is possible you did upvote me and someone else downvoted..so apologies ahead of time if my assumptions are wrong.\nCulture was meh...By the 2nd or 3rd book you realize that the Culture is so powerful that nothing presents a risk. It's like Superman without Kryptonite (or his lack of pragmatism). Aside from the first book, Consider Phlebas, Excession was probably the best - largely because it focused on ships rather than people. Just my $0.02 of course.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Culture was meh...By the 2nd or 3rd book you realize that the Culture is so powerful that nothing presents a risk.",
          "reason": "Criticizes the series for lacking meaningful risk, while praising two installments.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says Consider Phlebas and Excession were the stronger entries.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2527454,
          "author": "ianthiel",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-09T03:31:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 2526568,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2527454",
          "commentText": "Seconding the dumping of the TV.  I've heard nothing but good things about the Culture series so that's something I'll have to get to soon.  And I can never recommend the original 6 dune books enough, simply legendary.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've heard nothing but good things about the Culture series",
          "reason": "Says they have heard positive things and plan to read the series soon.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The positive evaluation is attributed to others.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2527340,
          "author": "latch",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-09T02:40:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 2526568,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2527340",
          "commentText": "I read a ton since getting a Kindle (and dumping my TV). Almost purely sci-fi.\nFinished the Culture series, Hyperios Cantos, Ilium/Olympos, Book of the New sun. Gonna re-read the original 6 dune books at some point. Anything by Paolo Bacigalupi (up and coming) or Larry Niven.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Finished the Culture series",
          "reason": "Reports finishing the series without evaluating or recommending it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569219,
          "author": "mqmouse",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:49:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569219",
          "commentText": "If you like SciFi, I really recommend Ian M. Banks and his Culture Series.\nHere is a link to the \"first\" in the series:\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consider_Phlebas\nBasically to give you a flavour, imagine a utopian society where energy is basically free and run by super intelligent benevolent AIs. So basically the citizens have nothing to do but live a completely hedonistic life.\nWhenever they encounter \"primitive\" societies, they try to make them more human and civilized. Basically the opposite of the \"prime directive\". The organization responsible for that is called Contact. Unfortunately, in order to make these societies more humane they sometimes have to resort to some dirty tricks (like assassinating evil dictators, instigating civil wars, etc etc). The organization responsible for that is called \"Special Circumstances\".\nAnother author I find great is Sheri Tepper.\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheri_S._Tepper\nSciFi with a feminist bent. Examples are Grass / and the Margarets.\nIf you want something more acid, anything by Victor Pelevin. Buddha's little finger is brilliant.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really recommend Ian M. Banks and his Culture Series",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the Culture series for science fiction readers.",
          "audience": "Readers who like science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226850,
          "author": "keyist",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:36:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226850",
          "commentText": "Don't miss sivers's great list: http://sivers.org/book\nAs for mine,\nScience Fiction (I like these authors so I'd recommend most of their books -- listing which ones I think are a good 'starter novel' for them):\n  Charles Stross: Halting State\n  Vernor Vinge: A Fire Upon The Deep\n  Iain M. Banks: Culture novels, start with Player of Games\n  David Louis Edelman: Jump 225 Trilogy\n  Daniel Suarez: Daemon and Freedom(tm)\n  John Scalzi: Old Man's War series\n  Dan Simmons: Hyperion\n\nSelf-improvement:\n  The Talent Code\n  Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger\n  Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion\n\nNon-fiction:\n  Amusing Ourselves To Death (highly recommended)\n  The Science of Fear\n  The Black Swan\n  Tokyo Vice\n  Racing The Beam (Atari history, very cool)\n  books by Daniel Pink\n  Guns, Germs, and Steel\n  The Prize by Daniel Yergin\n\nFantasy:\nAnything by Gaiman or China Mieville, pretty much.\nEDIT: links to previews (legally) available online\nCharles Stross's Accelerando (entire book): http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelera... (http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelerando/accelerando-intro.html)\nDavid Louis Edelman's Infoquake (1st 7 chapters): http://www.davidlouisedelman.com/jump225/infoquake/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Culture novels, start with Player of Games",
          "reason": "Recommends the series and gives a starting point.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Iain M. Banks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 13,
      "threads": 11,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "post scarcity",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "ai"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lord-of-light-9f036d",
      "title": "Lord of Light",
      "author": "Roger Zelazny",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39729464,
          "author": "bookofjoe",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T21:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729464",
          "commentText": "\"A Canticle For Leibowitz\"\n\"The Sparrow\"\n\"Lord of Light\"\n\"The Immortal\"\n\"Hyperion\"\n\"The Last Question\"\n\"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?\"\n\"Stranger in a Strange Land\"\n\"The City and the Stars\"\n\"Childhood's End\"\n\"Anathem\"\n\"Eifelheim\"\n\"A Case of Conscience\"\n\"VALIS\" trilogy\n\"The Book of Strange New Things\"\n\"Behold The Man\"\n\"The God Engines\"\n\"Book of the New Sun\"\n\"The Parable of the Sower\"\n\"The Dosadi Experiment\"\n\"Grass\"\n\"Project Pope\"\n\"Calculating God\"\n\"Factoring Humanity\"\n\"Jesus on Mars\"\n\"Surface Detail",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Lord of Light\"",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about books that changed perspectives on religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021958,
          "author": "wombatpm",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:31:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021958",
          "commentText": "And how could I forget Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31973233,
          "author": "jra_samba",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-04T03:32:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31973233",
          "commentText": "Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny. Something about this book speaks to me. It's a wonderful examination of how the human condition never changes in a world of magic, wonders and terrors beyond imagination.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny.",
          "reason": "Selected as the book to reread; the commenter values its examination of the human condition.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30739886,
          "author": "Rylex",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T03:45:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30739886",
          "commentText": "- Most books by Roger Zelazny. The guy code write with a few words, he could paint an amazing picture. Chronicles of Amber, Lord of Light, Isle of the Dead, etc...\n- And a trashy Candyman , https://sciencefictionruminations.com/2020/05/10/book-review... (https://sciencefictionruminations.com/2020/05/10/book-review-candy-man-vincent-king-1971/), not the one everyone is used to, this was so mind boggling to a 13 year old....",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Chronicles of Amber, Lord of Light, Isle of the Dead, etc...",
          "reason": "Included among the author's books the commenter liked.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26593839,
          "author": "npsimons",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-26T16:15:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26593839",
          "commentText": "I've gotten a lot of good book referrals through HN, including \"Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training\" by Mark Rippetoe. So cutting out online stuff is just a bad idea (significantly reduces my \"surface area\").\nOTOH, I really need to get back into a habit of reading books, every day. I used to go through a goodly number of non-fiction books on a regular basis (another good book, \"The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master\" says you should read at least one non-fiction book in your field a quarter), but recently I've just lacked the discipline and habit to do so. I find myself reading a lot online, but so much of it is so low information and not in-depth enough.\nThat said, I also try to partake of fiction, although in that regard I'm not doing great either, as I opt for a lot of passive fiction in the form of video. Fiction can be just as good for expanding the mind, even exercising empathy. Just reading speculative fiction (to give a broader term to science fiction) can exercise one's mind in visualizing things or give one new ideas. Heck, Google Earth was supposedly inspired by a technology in \"Snow Crash\".\nETA: There's some great \"forgotten\" fiction out there, which hasn't been turned into other formats yet. \"The Stars my Destination\" and \"Lord of Light\" are excellent. Which reminds me, another good source I've found for books is /usr/games/fortune",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Stars my Destination\" and \"Lord of Light\" are excellent.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17537852,
          "author": "rektide",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T00:15:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537852",
          "commentText": "Central Station by Lavie Tidhar is an amazing charming story of a world deeply steeped old sitting baking world where new things are coming about. It is charm & delight in the purest & simplest.\nSpin by Robert Charles Wilson. \"Robert Charles Wilson is a hell of a storyteller,\" said Stephen King and this wonderful tour through time and space, humanity & people's lives is incredible.\nThe Quantum Thief series by Hannu Rajaniemi is open, scenic, wild, & so so vivid, one of the most beautiful worlds I've ever visited, & it reminds me so much of a joyous wild swashbuckling run. The mystery of the main character is enchanting.\nInfoquake series by David Louis Edelson is a gripping suspenseful rise of a star entrepreneur that redefines and radically expands the world, amid an already boisterous & full & busy beautiful world already overflowing in seamless technology everywhere. Although the plot line whips along with some suspense & tension, the scenery and the voyage is incredible.\nLathe of Heaven by Ursala Le Guin could quite easily, quite simply be the best first contact story story ever. Touching, and sincere, & simple. This world is not bright and shiny but her writing and the bonding of characters is incredible. See also the rest of the Hainish cycle.\nLeft Hand of Darkness also by Ursala Le Guin is a shifting chaotic shizmatic tale, about picking our fates. \"Well, I did it through dreams. Phil would have done it another way. But yeah, homage to Phil [K.] Dick is right.\"\n- https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/a... (https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/all/)\nFallen Dragon is an early & involved Peter Hamilton adventure book. There's leaving home, & space ships, more space ships, bad guys, fighting back the bad guys, bigger ships, and action. There is A LOT going on, all the time, & violence, but damn this book comes together into something incredible, & telling, & powerful & strong, something that easily makes it my top pick for most-underappreciated Peter Hamilton.\nDiamond Age by Neal Stephenson, which I'm providing largely as a counterweight to the Snowcrash & Sevenses recommendations here. Diamond Age is much less dark, and way more a fun tail about an incredible & mysterious primer for a young lady.\nSirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut.\nAll Systems Red series by Martha Wells is a underprivileged barely coping robot dealing with the humans she hates having to talk to & a shitty planet trying to kill them. Simple, fun, some action & violence, but the main character is a total hoot the whole time with more loner/zero/drop-out attitude & spunk than anything I've read & it's unbelievably charming.\nLords of Light by Roger Zelazny has more style, pizzaz, & spirit than I feel like any of us deserve. An interesting, storied tale from the post-singularity, with a remarkable & robust cast.\nIllium/Olympos by Dan Simmons, are, in my mind still the clear winner, far above Hyperion. The cast is charming beyond belief, stumbling through a world they both know all too much about & far far too little. Some really incredible worldbuilding here.\nRainbow's End by Vernor Vinge. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE A Fire Upon the Deep. But Rainbow's End really is our planet, sometime not far out, and Vinge has the most tour of this next place we're headed, with threads, and annotations, and group chat being the defining new technologies of humanity. And the tale of the misfit happenstance adventurers who wind up ensnared in the plot line is a fun, roving hoot of a journey, a wonderful second chance at a coming of age story.\nMedusa Chronicles by two of my favorites, Alastair Reynolds & Stephen Baxter is probably my favorite exploring the solar system book, about a guy/robot a bit apart from humanity that really wants to see what the local area has to offer. A lot of high tension conflicting societal impulses that our somewhat aloof lead stumbles through, on his personal mission of exploration. Lots of interesting robot philosophy & very varied elements of space come together with the characters to make an incredibly fun space epic, set in a delightful & intriguing alternative history\nOther's recommendations I'd +1: Dune (but super heady material), The Stars My Destination (brimming with class & substance), Mote in God's Eye (some of the best Space Colonial Marines style stuff out there), Accelerando (and Iron Sky and ... overflowing playful scifi), Blue Ant series (dripping with style), Foundation series (and much more Asimov!), Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy (simple direct exciting hunt for treasure in Star Wars), Fuzzy Nation (fun tale)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "has more style, pizzaz, & spirit than I feel like any of us deserve.",
          "reason": "Strongly praises the book's style and spirit.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056600,
          "author": "Jedd",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:34:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056600",
          "commentText": "Doubtless there'll be lots of strong opinions, and (hopefully, usefully) lots of duplicates that you can then tote up to get a bit of a consensus.\nIain M. Banks - all his Culture books are fantastic, but I'll single out 'Excession' since you seek titles.\nNeal Stephenson's 'Anathem'\nStephen Donaldson (most famous for the Thomas Covenant tri-trilogy) wrote a 5-book 'Gap Series'.  I have very fond memories of it, though it's been two decades since I read it.\nPhilip K. Dick wrote a tonne of good stuff (and a bit of meh) but my two favourite are Clans of the Alphane Moon (the first Dick I read), and Valis (a bit more conventional to have on the favourite list)\nUrsula Le Guin also has a huge body of excellent work - Left Hand of Darkness, and The Dispossessed are my favourites.\nI really loved Roger Zelazny's Lord Of Light, though I understand it's not conventionally considered his best work.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I really loved Roger Zelazny's Lord Of Light",
          "reason": "Says they really loved the novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they understand it is not conventionally considered Zelazny's best.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056542,
          "author": "huhtenberg",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:22:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056542",
          "commentText": "Lord of the Light\nDune\nNeuromancer\nHyperion\nSnow Crash\nUse of Weapons\nPandora's Star / Judas Unchained",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lord of the Light",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite sci-fi books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8622240,
          "author": "dllthomas",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-18T03:31:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8622240",
          "commentText": "Lord of Light is a harder read than Amber.  If you trail off partway through don't kick yourself, just try again later.  I think it took me three tries to get into it, but once I did it's definitely high amongst my favorites.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Lord of Light is a harder read than Amber. If you trail off partway through don't kick yourself, just try again later. I think it took me three tries to get into it, but once I did it's definitely high amongst my favorites.",
          "reason": "Says it became one of their favorites after several attempts to get into it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter found it harder to get into than Amber and needed three tries.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8618620,
          "author": "mithras",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-17T15:37:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8618620",
          "commentText": "I have the Chronicles of amber on my reading list. Glad to be able to recommend Lord of Light, you won't regret it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Glad to be able to recommend Lord of Light, you won't regret it.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it and says the reader will not regret it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8613356,
          "author": "partisan",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-16T03:23:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8613356",
          "commentText": "Thanks for this. I have read the Chronicles of Amber and really enjoyed Zelazny's writing. I will put this on my list of books to read.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I will put this on my list of books to read.",
          "reason": "The commenter plans to read the book discussed in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Planning to read it does not express an evaluation or endorsement.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8613223,
          "author": "mithras",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-16T01:46:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8613223",
          "commentText": "Lord of Light by Zelazny. It's on another level really and I love the Buddhist, Hindu influence combined with the technology.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lord of Light by Zelazny. It's on another level really and I love the Buddhist, Hindu influence combined with the technology.",
          "reason": "Named as a favorite; the commenter praises its blend of religious influences and technology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2527540,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-09T04:15:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 2526568,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2527540",
          "commentText": "I recently have been reading Hugo Award Novels and recommend Roger Zelazny's This Immortal which is good enough to have shared the award with Dune in 1965. Lord of Light is also a great read and won a Hugo in 1968. Clifford Simak's Way Station, Phillip K. Dick's Man in the High Castle, and Walter Miller's Canticle for Leibowitz are other great Hugo novels from the early 1960's that tend to be overshadowed by more famous authors from that period such as Heinlein (not that I wouldn't recommend The Moon is a Harsh Mistress if you haven't read it).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lord of Light is also a great read",
          "reason": "Calls it a great read and notes that it won a Hugo Award.",
          "audience": "Science fiction readers interested in Hugo Award novels.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876087,
          "author": "keefe",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T05:22:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876087",
          "commentText": "lord of light and in search of the miraculous",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "lord of light",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 715215,
          "author": "keefe",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-20T21:12:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715215",
          "commentText": "Last serious book : http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Cryptography-Practice-Hewlett-P... (http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Cryptography-Practice-Hewlett-Packard-Professional/dp/0130669431/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248124290&sr=8-1)\nLast fun book : http://www.amazon.com/Woken-Furies-Takeshi-Kovacs-Novels/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Woken-Furies-Takeshi-Kovacs-Novels/dp/0345498356/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1248124318&sr=1-2)\nI can't resist the body swapping stuff ever since reading  Lord of Light as a kid",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "ever since reading  Lord of Light as a kid",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140490,
          "author": "nazgulnarsil",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T02:59:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140490",
          "commentText": "depends on the subgenre :)\nSuperhuman:\nSlan by A.E. Van Vogt\nMore Than Human by Theodore STurgeon\nOdd John by Olaf Stapledon\nPost Apocalyptic:\nThe Day of The Triffids by John Whyndham\nEarth Abides by George R. Stewart\nA Canticle for Lebowitz by...don't remember\nSpace Opera/Adventure:\nany of The Culture novels by Iain M. Banks\nThe Reality Dysfunction series by ...don't remember\nHyperion series by Dan Simmons\nTo Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer\nDystopian:\nWe by Yevgeny Zamyatin <---highly overlooked, predates 1984 and Brave New World\nBut the Absolute Best would be anything by:\nStanislaw Lem (Cyberiad, Futurological Congress, Solaris)\nAlfred Bester (The STars my Destination, The Demolished Man)\nor Samuel R. Delany (Babel-17, Dhalgren, Trtion, Nova)\noh and Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light and This Immortal are both great.\nSome of Philip K. Dick's stuff is great, but everyone recommends him. :)\nalmost forgot John Brunner, check out Steel Beach, The Sheep Look Up, and Stand on Zanzibar.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light and This Immortal are both great.",
          "reason": "Calls it great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roger Zelazny"
      ],
      "recommenders": 13,
      "threads": 11,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mythology",
        "religion",
        "mythic science fiction",
        "mythological retelling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "steve-jobs-b1c66e",
      "title": "Steve Jobs",
      "author": "Walter Isaacson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961294,
          "author": "vo1d",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:27:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961294",
          "commentText": "- The Innovator's Dilemma by Clay Christensen\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman\n- A Briefer History of Time by Stephen Hawking\n- The Lean Startup by Eric Ries\n- Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson\n- The Industries of the Future by Alec Ross\n- Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss\n- Start with No by Jim Camp\n- How Google Works by Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg\n- The Everything Store by Brad Stone\n- The Inevitable by Kevin Kelly",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630284,
          "author": "stevenj",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:04:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630284",
          "commentText": "SURELY YOU'RE JOKING MR. FEYNMAN BY RICHARD FEYNMAN\n-I loved this book for its humor, everyday practicality, how relatable it felt even without having a background in physics or knowledge about the pranks and experiments he conducted. As well as the book being well-written in the sense that it reads as if you're sitting on the couch with him as he's telling you stories about his life, all with a child-like sense of wonder and enthusiasm about the world.\nTHE $12 MILLION STUFFED SHARK BY DON THOMPSON\n-I'm interested in the high-finance and fine-art worlds and this book discussed how they both go together - money and art - in an informative, quick-paced way.\nTHE BUY SIDE BY TURNEY DUFF\n-For its humor, honesty, and how well written it was in terms of it being a page turner while also providing you with an insightful account about the high-finance industry.\nMOLLY'S GAME BY MOLLY BLOOM\n-It was an entertaining, quick-paced read about the private, high-stakes poker industry with an assortment of participants.\nMONEYBALL, LIAR'S POKER & THE BIG SHORT BY MICHAEL LEWIS\n-I thought they were all entertaining reads, while also being insightful about their respective subjects.\nSTEVE JOBS BY WALTER ISAACSON\n-It was an illuminating read to me.\n- - -\nSeparately, these books are on my list to read if anyone has opinions about them:\n-Ghost in the Wires by Kevin \nMitnick\n-Principles by Ray Dalio\n-A Man For All Markets by Edward Thorp",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It was an illuminating read to me.",
          "reason": "Describes the biography as illuminating.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13803949,
          "author": "donaldiljazi",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T16:58:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13803949",
          "commentText": "Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. Not because of his life. But because of his thinking (and other people's thinking in the book).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson",
          "reason": "Listed in answer to a question about books that changed how people think about the world; the commenter values its account of Jobs's and others' thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the impact was not because of Jobs's life.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229612,
          "author": "jakegarelick",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T14:42:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229612",
          "commentText": "My recent favorites: Jobs, The Hard Thing About Hard Things, High Output Management, Innovator's Dilemma, Lean Startup, On The Shortness Of Life, How Google Works, Zero To One, Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Power of Habit, Things Fall Apart, Stoner",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My recent favorites: Jobs",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's recent favorites in response to a book recommendation request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10028566,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T20:28:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10028566",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps to the Epiphany - Steve Blank\nSteve Jobs - Walter Isaacson\nArtificial Life  - Steven Levy\nOn Writing - Stephen King\nMachine Learning for Hackers - Drew Conway and John Myles White\nHow Doctors Think - Jerome Goopman\nCholesterol Clarity: What The HDL Is Wrong With My Numbers? - Jimmy Moore & Eric C. Westman\nBarbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco - Bryan Burrough & John Helyar",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Steve Jobs - Walter Isaacson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401378,
          "author": "milhous",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:16:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401378",
          "commentText": "Read: \"Einstein: His Life and Universe\" by Walter Isaacson\nCurrently reading:\n\"Zero to One\" by Peter Thiel\n\"Discover Meteor: Building Real-Time JavaScript Web Apps\" by Tom Coleman & Sacha Greif\nReading next:\n\"Benjamin Franklin: An American Life\" by Walter Isaacson\nOverall, I like Isaacson's writing style, and for someone with a non-scientific background, did a pretty good job at describing physical concepts such as a relativity and space-time.\nIt was exciting to read his bio on Steve Jobs the day it came out, but in retrospect seemed to lack depth. I'm not sure if I learned anything new about him as a person, than just someone following Apple and his career over the years.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "seemed to lack depth",
          "reason": "The commenter says the biography lacked depth and offered little new insight into Jobs as a person.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They enjoyed reading it when it came out but later felt it lacked depth.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6975742,
          "author": "infinotize",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T18:46:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6975742",
          "commentText": "I have to name two in a tie: Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, and Masters of Doom by David Kushner.  Both Jobs and John Carmack have been huge sources of inspiration since I've read these books, and in very different ways.  And that effect has lasted long since I finished the books, which is rare.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Both Jobs and John Carmack have been huge sources of inspiration since I've read these books",
          "reason": "Says the biography and the other named book inspired them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4968788,
          "author": "nyddle",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T10:31:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4968788",
          "commentText": "\"Steve Jobs\" - Walter Isaacson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Steve Jobs\" - Walter Isaacson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4966795,
          "author": "napoleond",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T19:15:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4966795",
          "commentText": "These are the ones I remember, but not necessarily for being the best.\nSteve Jobs - Walter Isaacson. I thought it was interesting; an honest attempt at cataloguing the life of a fascinating and complex person.\nHow To Win Friends And Influence People - Dale Carnegie. I'd skimmed through it in high school, and decided it was full of obvious/cheesy platitudes, but was somehow convinced to take another look this year and I'm very glad I did. It is mostly full of very basic \"don't be an ass\" advice, but I needed it.\nNever Eat Alone - Keith Ferrazzi. I'm not sure what to think of this one. It's pretty low on actionable advice, but it did help me (together with HTWFAIF, above) reframe the way I approach interpersonal relationships.\nThe Cat's Table - Michael Ondaatje. I haven't finished this one yet, but it's part of a recent concerted effort to read more fiction. I've always loved Ondaatje's work, and this latest novel is no different.\nFreakonomics - Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner. I just started reading this last night, and I'm already 100 pages in. It's an addicting read, and is already causing me to re-evaluate the incentive systems that are everywhere.\nNapoleon Bonaparte - Alan Schom. I've been reading this one slowly for a while (it's a hefty book). It's a very well written account of Napoleon's entire life story--highly recommended.\nCrossing the Chasm - Geoffrey Moore. Just started this one last night as well (Christmas presents!) and so far it seems like it will live up to the hype.\nThe Education of Millionaires - Michael Ellsberg. This one, I can't recommend. As always, though, YMMV :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Steve Jobs - Walter Isaacson. I thought it was interesting; an honest attempt at cataloguing the life of a fascinating and complex person.",
          "reason": "Finds it interesting and an honest account of Jobs's life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4788155,
          "author": "kaipakartik",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T12:03:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4788155",
          "commentText": "I quite liked the following\n1) Angelmaker\n2) Gone away world\n3) The Hobbit\n4) Fables the comic seriers\nNon fiction\n1) Steve Jobs\n2) Thinking fast and slow\nHave a look http://blog.kaipakartik.com for the books I enjoyed reading",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1) Steve Jobs",
          "reason": "Listed under nonfiction after the commenter says they quite liked the following books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3397944,
          "author": "hello_moto",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T23:46:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3397944",
          "commentText": "What are you disagreeing against?\nI find it... weird when someone said something in HN and somebody else has to agree or disagree. It's like a blog post that requires a rebuttal or something.\nSome people want to read about Steve Jobs, some don't...\nAnd FYI, I'm not sure if reading a book on X and consider it as a recipe for your business is a good thing anyway. Nobody has replicated 37Signals success so far.\nWhatever you thought about Steve, most people probably already knew that from the numerous books, articles, and whatnot written about him. And if this book exposed 10-30% more about him... well.. some people may not bother to know more...\nIt's not like we all must read the book or something...",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "And if this book exposed 10-30% more about him... well.. some people may not bother to know more...\nIt's not like we all must read the book or something...",
          "reason": "Says readers may not care to learn more about Jobs and that nobody must read the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3397809,
          "author": "Riesling",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T22:58:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3397809",
          "commentText": "I strongly disagree.\nI got the biography for christmas this year and finished it in two days.\nHaving never owned a piece of apple hardware due to its closed nature and being an open source supporter myself, I was quite surprised by the joy I got from reading this book.\nThe honesty used by Walter Isaacson to describe Jobs was really refreshing and not expected by me at all.\nI was able to draw many conclusions from this book.\nFor example I do not think that there is the possibility of using it as a recipe for your own success as an entrepreneur, which might be the reason of why the hn community might be undervaluing this book. \nIt clearly shows that Steve had many unique character traits which made him successful after all. \nMost of them were negative in my eyes. \nActually he often seemed borderline insane. \nWhen thinking about the way he treated people, the way he manipulated people, the way he thought that he knew it all and used all of those techniques in order to make those things happen, I realized that those are character traits that lie deep within and cannot easy be emulated, if at all.\nAs a conclusion I might add that I really respect Steve and his family for allowing such a self critical biography to be published.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I was quite surprised by the joy I got from reading this book.\nThe honesty used by Walter Isaacson to describe Jobs was really refreshing",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed the book and found Isaacson's honest account refreshing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They say it is not a recipe for entrepreneurial success and describe many of Jobs's traits as negative.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3396148,
          "author": "alexanderberman",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T15:57:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3396148",
          "commentText": "In no particular order:\n* Boomerang by Michael Lewis\n* Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson\n* The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins\n* The Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3235038,
          "author": "revolvingcur",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-14T18:23:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3235038",
          "commentText": "REAMDE by Neal Stephenson\nSteve Jobs by Walter Isaacson\nThe Exegesis of Philip K. Dick edited by Pamela Jackson and Jonathan Lethem",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231172,
          "author": "Newky",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T17:06:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231172",
          "commentText": "Steve Jobs Biography - Walter Isaacson\nI'm surprised at how good a read this is, it is anything but a hero worship style book. Its long for a biography but Steve's life is a very interesting one, and am yet to be bored with it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Steve Jobs Biography - Walter Isaacson",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is a very good read and Steve Jobs's life is interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Long biography; the commenter has not been bored with it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231103,
          "author": "steve8918",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T16:49:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231103",
          "commentText": "Steve Jobs - I have to admit, it is not at all what I expected.  I thought it would be a gushing tribute, but instead he comes across as a complete asshole-tyrant (so far... I'm about halfway thru the book) and his success was almost in spite of himself.  He was dead wrong almost as much, if not more, than he was right (at least until he rejoined Apple, which is where I'm at right now).  Not a glowing biography in the least, which is shocking but I guess refreshing.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Steve Jobs - I have to admit, it is not at all what I expected.  I thought it would be a gushing tribute, but instead he comes across as a complete asshole-tyrant",
          "reason": "The commenter says the biography is surprisingly not a glowing tribute and describes Jobs critically.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Assessment is based on about halfway through the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Walter Isaacson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 13,
      "threads": 11,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "technology biography",
        "technology leaders",
        "steve jobs"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-unix-programming-1b3e2d",
      "title": "The Art of Unix Programming",
      "author": "Eric S. Raymond",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43105795,
          "author": "hiAndrewQuinn",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-19T18:48:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 43084739,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction/non-fiction book should everyone read on the topic of CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43105795",
          "commentText": "Naming only ones I haven't seen mentioned in other comments:\n- Networking for Systems Administrators, by Michael W. Lucas. Its explicit goal is to teach you just enough about networking, from the electron up, that you can talk to an actual network engineer and not make a fool out of yourself. It's a phenomenally high-ROI read if networking isn't your strong suit.\n- The first 3 chapters of Mastering Regular Expressions. Regexes are up there with Vim keybindings in terms of sheer ubiquitous use no matter what stack you find yourself in. The rest of the book is excellent if you want to actually implement a regex engine.\n- The Art of Unix Programming. Less technical. Gives you an idea of why exactly 'nix machines are like that, especially older commands. The 18 rules of design are worth committing to memory.\n- The Linux Programming Interface. More technical. Pairs esp nicely with the above. Lots of practice C code one can run, plenty of short self-contained chapters.\n- Not a book, but an online paper: https://how.complexsystems.fail . I see echoes of this everywhere I work, and it often helps me understand what kinds of \"bad\" things are secretly highly evolved resiliency measures.\n- The Little Schemer. Just for the joy of solving problems.\nMost of the others I can think of are too specialized to be of worth to everyone, but for what it's worth, William S. Vincent's Django for Beginners, APIs, and Professionals are a lovely triptych for anyone wanting to get into backend web dev.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Unix Programming.",
          "reason": "Explains the design of Unix systems and commands; its design rules are worth memorizing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as less technical.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39062626,
          "author": "alfiedotwtf",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T23:08:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39062626",
          "commentText": "If you want the philosophical approach to the way to do things on Unix systems, you can’t beat “The Art of Unix Programming” by ESR. That book flipped my whole understanding of the way to write code more than any other book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you can’t beat “The Art of Unix Programming” by ESR",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book changed their understanding of how to write code.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the philosophy of programming on Unix systems.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39057355,
          "author": "mtillman",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T16:34:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39057355",
          "commentText": "* The Art of Unix Programming\n* The Art of Computer Programming",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Unix Programming",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for engineering philosophy recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Unix programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36429993,
          "author": "gryfft",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T10:11:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36429993",
          "commentText": "The Art of Unix Programming had an outsized impact on my career. It laid out Unix as a sensible, simple, professional, and enjoyable way to approach computing, and chasing the hacker dream advanced my career as long as I kept that passion alive. I wouldn't really get along with esr as a person these days, but TAOUP gave me the audacity to start making money with Linux, and I'm grateful for that.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Unix Programming had an outsized impact on my career.",
          "reason": "It shaped the commenter's approach to computing and helped launch a career making money with Linux.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they would not get along with the author as a person these days.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30621027,
          "author": "jcubic",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-09T22:50:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30621027",
          "commentText": "* The Art of Unix Programming\n* Code Reading: The Open Source Perspective\n* SICP",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Unix Programming",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22708572,
          "author": "mitchelldeacon9",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T01:58:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22708572",
          "commentText": "The following is a list of my favorite books on software engineering, cyber-security, and the history of IT business development.\nBowden, Mark (2011) Worm: The First Digital World War\nBrooks, Frederick (1995) Mythical Man-Month, 2nd ed.\nChristensen, Clayton (1997) Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail\nHafner, Katie and Matthew Lyon (1996) Where Wizards Stay Up Late: Origins of the Internet\nHunt, Andrew and David Thomas (1999) Pragmatic Programmer\nMacCormick, John (2012) Nine Algorithms that Changed the Future\nMcConnell, Steve (2004) Code Complete, 2nd ed.\nMitnick, Kevin and William Simon (2002) Art of Deception\nPoulsen, Kevin (2011) Kingpin: How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cyber-Crime Underworld\nRaymond, Eric (2003) Art of Unix Programming\nStone, Brad (2013) The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon\nTorvalds, Linus and David Diamond (2001) Just for Fun: Story of an Accidental Revolutionary\nWallace, James and Jim Erickson (1992) Hard Drive: Bill Gates and Making of the Microsoft Empire\nWilliams, Sam (2002) Free as in Freedom: Richard Stallman's Crusade for Free Software\nWilson, Mike (1996) The Difference between God and Larry Ellison: Inside Oracle Corp",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Raymond, Eric (2003) Art of Unix Programming",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032345,
          "author": "mfrw",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:17:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032345",
          "commentText": "My take on some which I think should be atleast read once:\n  1) The unix programming environment\n  2) The design of the unix operating system\n  3) The Pragmatic Programmer\n  4) Programming Pearls\n  5) Computer Systems: A Programmers Prespective\n  6) K & R C\n  7) The art of Unix Programming.\n\nPS: I admit my bias towards systems.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The art of Unix Programming.",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books the commenter thinks should be read at least once.",
          "audience": "People starting careers in software engineering or computer science, as implied by the thread question.",
          "caveat": "The commenter admits a bias toward systems.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17031953,
          "author": "kosma",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T17:43:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17031953",
          "commentText": "The Art of Unix Programming. It teaches the \"why\"s, not just the \"how\"s.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Unix Programming. It teaches the \"why\"s, not just the \"how\"s.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it teaches the reasons behind Unix programming, not only the methods.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14520406,
          "author": "eru",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-09T10:25:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14520406",
          "commentText": "Agreed on all points.  Especially on TAoUP being a good expression of the philosophy---even if the philosophy is, of course, far from a silver bullet.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Especially on TAoUP being a good expression of the philosophy",
          "reason": "Agrees that the book expresses the Unix philosophy well, while noting the philosophy is not a silver bullet.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The philosophy is far from a silver bullet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14487616,
          "author": "sethrin",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T14:02:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487616",
          "commentText": "I have a pretty negative opinion on ESR these days. I could find technical arguments about many aspects of his good pieces of writing, and much of his writing is not good. His abilities as a coder are not generally remarkable, either. But mostly I don't think he's a good person. I would probably not say \"Don't read ESR\", but I think it has to be \"Read ESR* \"\n*but be aware that he's a polarizing figure and opinions of his merits differ\n(and if you happen to have a differing opinion, please use the reply button instead of the downvote button)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I would probably not say \"Don't read ESR\", but I think it has to be \"Read ESR* \"",
          "reason": "Recommends reading ESR with an explicit qualification about his polarizing reputation and differing views of his merits.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says ESR is polarizing and that views of his merits differ.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144298,
          "author": "cmax",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:54:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144298",
          "commentText": "1) The Art of Unix Programming\n2) TCP/IP Illustrated \n3) 97 Things Every Programmer Should Know",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Unix Programming",
          "reason": "Named in response to a request for books that impacted a career.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9612450,
          "author": "gdubs",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T16:24:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9612450",
          "commentText": "The Art of Unix Programming:\nhttp://www.catb.org/esr/writings/taoup/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Unix Programming:",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348746,
          "author": "alfiedotwtf",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:25:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348746",
          "commentText": "Say what you want about ESR, but if I had never read \"The Art of Unix Programming\", my life would be unrecognisable and sad.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "if I had never read \"The Art of Unix Programming\", my life would be unrecognisable and sad.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book profoundly improved their life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment begins with a caveat about ESR.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414503,
          "author": "nikcub",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T09:55:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414503",
          "commentText": "I am also self-taught, although I dropped out of University two years into a CompSci/Engineering double major, so I will recommend some resources to you that helped me immensely. Each of these books has an associated MIT course with lecture video, notes, etc. available online.\nFirst is Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs[1], which you can read online, and the associated course at MIT, which is 6.001[2]\nSecond is the famous 'Dragon Book', Compilers: Principals, Techniques and Tools[3] and the associated course which is 6.035[4]\nExtras would be the Python book 'How to think like a Computer Scientist'[5]. MIT course 6.00[6] uses the book as a reference, and the courseware is again available online.\nOther than that - the usual suspects on learning C (K&R), UNIX (TAOUP[7]), the bash shell along with grep, sed, awk, more algorithms(CLRS[8]), functional programming and machine learning. Take your time, it takes years to build the relevant experience and knowledge and you are never done.\nI love the MIT courses. Work and learn at your own rate. I feel that it is important to implement all the code yourself even if it looks easy in a lecture - there are little things you pick up as you write algorithms out.\nEven though I had worked through SICP I still watched all the lectures again and implemented all the examples with benchmarks and unit tests. I usually set aside one day on the weekend to work on study, and usually an extra evening or two mid-week to read papers and books. Once you get into the routine it is great.\nIt might be the best approach to set yourself a timetable and weekly schedule, just like in UNI (ie. every Saturday plus Tuesday and Thursday nights) and work through the MIT courseware and associated books in order (6.00, 6.001, 6.035). The more advanced MIT courseware is an excellent bonus.\n[1] http://xrl.us/sicp\n[2] http://xrl.us/6001\n[3] http://xrl.us/dragonbook\n[4] http://xrl.us/6035\n[5] http://xrl.us/thinkcs\n[6] http://xrl.us/6000\n[7] http://xrl.us/artunix\n[8] http://xrl.us/clrs",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "UNIX (TAOUP[7])",
          "reason": "Names TAOUP among the usual study resources.",
          "audience": "Readers learning about UNIX.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric S. Raymond"
      ],
      "recommenders": 13,
      "threads": 11,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "unix",
        "software design",
        "programming philosophy",
        "software architecture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-elements-of-statistical-learning-c3c25e",
      "title": "The Elements of Statistical Learning",
      "author": "Trevor Hastie, Robert Tibshirani, and Jerome Friedman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37817580,
          "author": "usgroup",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-09T06:36:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37817580",
          "commentText": "Well, it is a textbook -- one doesn't necessarily read a textbook from cover to cover. However, over the years I've certainly covered and re-covered large swathes of it. It is largely irrelevant for deep learning but its still the best reference I know of for the classic methods.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Well, it is a textbook -- one doesn't necessarily read a textbook from cover to cover. However, over the years I've certainly covered and re-covered large swathes of it. It is largely irrelevant for deep learning but its still the best reference I know of for the classic methods.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best reference they know for classic methods, while noting it is largely irrelevant to deep learning.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking reference material on classic statistical learning methods.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is largely irrelevant for deep learning.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37814819,
          "author": "rrherr",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-08T22:06:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37814819",
          "commentText": "The Elements of Statistical Learning",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Elements of Statistical Learning",
          "reason": "Names the book as an answer to the thread’s question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35930410,
          "author": "juujian",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T17:13:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35930410",
          "commentText": "Second that. Great to have a no-nonsense textbook in the space.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Second that. Great to have a no-nonsense textbook in the space.",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the preceding recommendation and calls it a no-nonsense textbook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35930277,
          "author": "zvolsky",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T17:00:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35930277",
          "commentText": "The Elements of Statistical Learning. This book features some of the most interesting applications of mathematics. It was the likely reason why I started enjoying maths after many years of studying it.\nhttps://hastie.su.domains/Papers/ESLII.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book features some of the most interesting applications of mathematics.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it sparked their enjoyment of mathematics after years of studying it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34441383,
          "author": "homerowilson",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T15:33:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34441383",
          "commentText": "I'm coming from an applied math perspective. A few of my favorites (and ones I find myself regularly referring to) are:\nMatrix Analysis by Horn and Johnson  (perhaps the best end-of-chapter problem sets of any math book I've encountered!)\nMatrix Computations by Golub and Van Loan\nElements of Statistical Learning by Hastie, Friedman, Tibshirani\nFunctional Analysis by Reed and Simon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Elements of Statistical Learning by Hastie, Friedman, Tibshirani",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorites and regular references.",
          "audience": "Readers approaching mathematics from applied math.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27639272,
          "author": "darawk",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T05:05:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27639272",
          "commentText": "Attempting to self study statistics and econometrics in a serious way. I just finished Casella and Berger's \"Statistical Inference\". I'm about halfway through Shumway and Stoffer's \"Time Series Analysis\", but then next on the list, in the order I tend to read them:\n  - Theory of Point Estimation Casella/Lehmann\n\n  - Bayesian Data Analysis 3rd ed.\n\n  - Convex Optimization - Boyd\n\n  - Econometrics - Hayashi\n\n  - New Introduction to Multiple Time Series Analysis\n\n  - Elements of Statistical Learning\n\n  - Machine Learning: A probabilistic perspective\n\nThere's a fair amount of overlap between these books, so it's not quite as much as it seems. But i'm hoping to make it through at least a chapter a week this year, which should get me most of the way through them. We'll see how it goes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Elements of Statistical Learning",
          "reason": "Lists it next in their planned reading.",
          "audience": "People self-studying statistics and econometrics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20675063,
          "author": "FrozenSynapse",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T13:13:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20675063",
          "commentText": "This for the background: https://mml-book.github.io/\nThis for actual methods: http://www.deeplearningbook.org/\nThis is also useful, but harder to read than the previous ones: https://web.stanford.edu/~hastie/Papers/ESLII.pdf",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "This is also useful, but harder to read than the previous ones: https://web.stanford.edu/~hastie/Papers/ESLII.pdf",
          "reason": "Recommends it as useful, with a caveat that it is harder to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Harder to read than the previous ones.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16758589,
          "author": "agumonkey",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T20:15:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16758589",
          "commentText": "- Martin Henson - Elements of Functional Programming (old, and on purpose, I like to have a sense of the pre trend FP mindset) I suggest everyone to try to grab it (library or paid tree), the cover is so pretty https://www.abebooks.com/book-search/title/elements-function... (https://www.abebooks.com/book-search/title/elements-functional-languages/author/martin-henson/)\nHad a bunch of books about electricity/electronics (google for 'best book about ...')\nAlso bitcoin got me to hear about Statistics:\n- http://www-bcf.usc.edu/~gareth/ISL\n- https://web.stanford.edu/~hastie/Papers/ESLII.pdf\nLastly, Queinnec LiSP is never far from reach",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "- https://web.stanford.edu/~hastie/Papers/ESLII.pdf",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16082391,
          "author": "pruthvishetty",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-05T22:38:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16082391",
          "commentText": "The Elements of\nStatistical Learning.\n (https://web.stanford.edu/~hastie/Papers/ESLII.pdf)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Elements of\nStatistical Learning.",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to the thread’s request for the best textbook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14137656,
          "author": "deltux",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T10:36:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14137656",
          "commentText": "The Elements of Statistical Learning, by Hastie, Tibshirani and Friedman, for everything on Machine Learning and Statistics. Available for free online:\nhttps://statweb.stanford.edu/~tibs/ElemStatLearn/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Elements of Statistical Learning, by Hastie, Tibshirani and Friedman, for everything on Machine Learning and Statistics.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a broad reference for machine learning and statistics.",
          "audience": "Readers studying machine learning and statistics",
          "caveat": "Available for free online.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175602,
          "author": "malux85",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:32:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175602",
          "commentText": "Godel, Escher and Bach\nThe elements of statistical learning\nThe murders of the Rue Morge (Poe stories mix)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The elements of statistical learning",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2723596,
          "author": "bhickey",
          "createdAt": "2011-07-03T12:51:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 2723436,
          "threadTitle": "Suggest good sites/books on probability",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2723596",
          "commentText": "For applications to machine learning, I strongly recommend Elements of Statistical Learning. The text is eye-opening. A PDF is freely available on Rob Tibshirani's website: http://www-stat.stanford.edu/~tibs/ElemStatLearn/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I strongly recommend Elements of Statistical Learning. The text is eye-opening.",
          "reason": "Recommended for machine learning applications; the commenter calls it eye-opening.",
          "audience": "People applying machine learning.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875854,
          "author": "hamilton",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T03:08:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875854",
          "commentText": "Lately I've been staring at the Codex Seriphinianus quite a bit.  Worth finding a copy if you haven't seen it before.\nFrom a technical point of view, The Elements of Statistical Learning, by Tibshirani, Friedman, and Hastie.  Far and away the most illuminating demonstration that so many ML / AI techniques have a long-standing statistical foundation, and, essentially, everything boils down to the linear model.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Far and away the most illuminating demonstration that so many ML / AI techniques have a long-standing statistical foundation, and, essentially, everything boils down to the linear model.",
          "reason": "Calls it an illuminating demonstration of the statistical foundations behind many machine-learning techniques.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter summarizes its conclusion as everything boiling down to the linear model.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 665116,
          "author": "caffeine",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T13:57:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665116",
          "commentText": "Don't forget Hastie & Tibshirani's Elements of Statistical Learning! :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Don't forget Hastie & Tibshirani's Elements of Statistical Learning!",
          "reason": "Suggested as a relevant book in response to the math-book request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 79625,
          "author": "mriley",
          "createdAt": "2007-11-14T02:40:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 79359,
          "threadTitle": "Can anyone recommend good books, articles or essays that introduce machine learning?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=79625",
          "commentText": "I'll second this recommendation - I bought the printed copy, and I'm constantly going to it for reference. The fact that it's available for free is just an added bonus.\nI would also suggest Elements of Statistical Learning: http://www-stat.stanford.edu/~tibs/ElemStatLearn/\nAs well as Duda, Hart, and Stork's Pattern Classification: http://rii.ricoh.com/~stork/DHS.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would also suggest Elements of Statistical Learning",
          "reason": "Suggested as another book for the machine learning recommendations request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Trevor Hastie",
        "Robert Tibshirani",
        "Jerome Friedman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 13,
      "threads": 11,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "machine learning",
        "statistical learning",
        "statistics",
        "linear models"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "thinking-in-systems-a-primer-c3f0df",
      "title": "Thinking in Systems: A Primer",
      "author": "Donella H. Meadows",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49904900,
          "author": "steve_adams_86",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T05:55:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49904900",
          "commentText": "Thinking In Systems: A Primer by Donella Meadows\nMy 17 year old son bought it for me for my birthday. I've been enjoying it a lot. I do in fact like thinking in systems and learning more about it, and reading it in a more generalized fashion than I tend to in the computer science world has provided a refreshing perspective. It's all very approachable, nothing very complex, but gives names and discreet patterns to things I intuitively understood but previously wouldn't articulate easily. Definitely one of my favourite gifts in a long time.\nStories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang\nI read bits of this to my wife at night occasionally. One of the first trips we went on together was camping on a little island, and I had Kafka on the Shore (Haruki Murakami) with me which I suggested I read to her in the evening. She really liked it and I've done it since. I wish I did it more often. Anyway, Stories of Your Life and Others is a wonderful collection. I've read it a few times, not always completely, and I enjoy it. Story of your life is the standout. It's what the movie Arrival is based on, which I consider one of the best scifi movies of all time. It's a beautiful story.\nSilo series by Hugh Howey\nI've been watching the show and decided the books deserve a shot. If the show is as good as it is, the books must be great, right?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking In Systems: A Primer by Donella Meadows",
          "reason": "Enjoys its approachable, generalized account of systems thinking and the names it gives to intuitive patterns.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Nothing very complex.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38560202,
          "author": "monkeypicks",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T18:52:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38560202",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\nVictory City- new Salman Rushdie book. Great retelling of the history of one of the great medieval South Indian kingdoms. Not his best, but his writing is still top notch.\nSea of Tranquility- speculative fiction from Emily St. John Mandel (of Station Eleven fame). It's a series of interconnected stories spanning centuries from the near past to the near future. Beautifully written. Read when I was down with COVID earlier this year and it invaded my dreams (in a good way). Short and easy read.\nGiovanni's Room- story of an American expat in Paris caught between his love for a man and his duty to his girlfriend. This is the first James Baldwin book I have read but will definitely check out more of his work in 2024.\nTheory of Bastards- speculative fiction by Audrey Schulmann. Literary sci-fi similar to Station Eleven. It's about a woman researching primate behavior set in the near future where the earth is ravaged by the effects of climate change. Very well researched, beautifully written and nothing like I have ever read before. This won the 2019 Philip K Dick Award.\nInvisible Cities- literary fiction by Italo Calvino. It's less than 200 pages but a very dense and tough read. It's a conversation between Marco Polo and Kublai Khan where MP is describing cities in KK's vast empire. It's a strange, strange book that I think I will return to often. If you liked the world building in Piranesi and want more, this is the book for you. Calvino describes 55 cities in under 200 pages, with each one feeling very different. Again, first Calvino book I have read and will definitely check out more of his works in 2024.\nNon-fiction:\nThinking in Systems: A Primer- by Donella Meadows. Read this based on HN's recommendation. Thank you!\nOn Intelligence- by Jeff Hawkins. This was on my shelf for years and am glad I got to read it this year. The creator of the Palm Pilot presents his theory of intelligence and how the brain works. It's compelling. I hope to read his follow up book in 2024. Would love HN's recommendations of similar books.\nA Primate's Memoir- by Robert M. Sapolsky. Enjoyable read of the author's research on Savannah baboons and his adventures in Africa. His love for primates and humans alike come through clearly.\nBuild: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making- by Tony Fadell. A great business book by the co-founder of Nest. Draws on his experience both as a startup founder and leading innovative teams at large tech companies (Apple, in his case). Just as any business book, this could have been shorter and less repetitive but thankfully, there is enough good material here to be a book rather than a blog post.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read this based on HN's recommendation. Thank you!",
          "reason": "Says they read it based on a Hacker News recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29031904,
          "author": "manx",
          "createdAt": "2021-10-28T20:57:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 29030285,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29031904",
          "commentText": "- Sapiens\n- Thinking in Systems",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking in Systems",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27630948,
          "author": "beckingz",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T14:09:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27630948",
          "commentText": "Going to be reading:\n- Staff Engineer\n- Thinking in Systems: a Primer\n- Team Topologies\nAnd for fiction:\n- The Master and Margarita\nMight re-read peopleware again as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking in Systems: a Primer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19926527,
          "author": "Rainymood",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-16T05:59:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19926527",
          "commentText": "Thinking in Systems: A Primer by Donella Meadows",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Thinking in Systems: A Primer by Donella Meadows",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19899355,
          "author": "freddieoduks",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T14:06:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19899355",
          "commentText": "+1 I just recently read this book and i was met with gem after gem. Also made me start looking at the world in terms of feedback loops, is it a balancing, goal-seeking or reinforcing feedback loop? How tight are these feedback loops? etc. Definitely a must read!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 I just recently read this book and i was met with gem after gem.",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the parent recommendation and praises the book's ideas about feedback loops.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19896692,
          "author": "cosmie",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T05:57:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19896692",
          "commentText": "+1 on Donella Meadows. I've recommended her work here a few times. I've always had an affinity for perceiving systems, but was pretty bad at expressing my thoughts. Donella's work was fantastic for providing definition to my thought patterns and improving the way I articulate and express myself.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 on Donella Meadows. I've recommended her work here a few times.",
          "reason": "The commenter endorses Meadows's work and says they have recommended it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19896154,
          "author": "schuetze",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T03:02:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19896154",
          "commentText": "Thinking in Systems: A Primer by Donella Meadows\nOnce you start looking for positive and negative feedback loops in the world around you, it's hard to stop. In particular, Meadow's book is great because it also goes beyond +/- loops in isolation, and shows more complicated patterns, such as eroding goal patterns and traps that often cause public policy interventions to fail.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Meadow's book is great because it also goes beyond +/- loops in isolation, and shows more complicated patterns",
          "reason": "Explains feedback loops and patterns such as eroding goals and traps that can cause policy interventions to fail.",
          "audience": "People interested in systems thinking and public policy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19090216,
          "author": "franze",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T21:49:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090216",
          "commentText": "Thinking in Systems: A Primer\nby Donella H. Meadows\nhttps://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1603580557/\nI read it once a year. It changed how i think about everything. My career is based on this book. My interaction with people and groups of people is based on this book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking in Systems: A Primer\nby Donella H. Meadows",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed how they think about everything and shaped their career and interactions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18662508,
          "author": "amuresan",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T09:26:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18662508",
          "commentText": "1. La peste (Albert Camus) - entertaining if you're into French existentialism\n2. Linked (Barabasi) - insightful and useful to understand that most phenomenon we see in real life follow a power law and what that means\n3. Leonardo da Vinci (Walter Isaacson) - surprising how little of da Vinci's real personality is reflected in his modern image\n4. Matrix computations – third edition (Gene Golub, Charles van Loan) - good read if you're into linear algebra\n5. Giving effective feedback (Harvard business review) - useful for getting an understanding on how to handle human interaction\n6. The old man and the sea (Ernest Hemingway) - enjoyed it a lot, a reflection of Hemingway's romantic spirit. Also, a quick read.\n7. Screwjack (Hunter S. Thompson) - didn't resonate with me although I am a fan of existentialism\n8. Sun and steel (Yukio Mishima) - raw and intimate. before reading this book I'd recommend reading up on Mishima's life\n9. Stranger than fiction (Chuck Palahniuck) - somewhat entertaining, more so because it served as a glimpse into Palahniuck's creative process\n10. Thinking in Systems: A Primer (Dana Meadows) - useful for understanding that in modern life we have complex systems at work with emergent behavior that we didn't expect. Trying to isolate / model a single component of one of these systems is a flawed approach.\n11. Chaos monkeys (Antonio Garcia Martinez) - entertaining, but quite long\n12. Weapons of math destruction (Cathy O'Neil) - in a way, similar to Thinking in systems, but at an applied level. Shows how rules in modern society can have unintended negative consequences when hidden negative feedback loops emerge from the complex system they are embedded in.\n13. Lolita (Nabokov) - a brilliant novel from many points of view. Although the topic is controversial, it is a book that had to be written.\n14. The prince (Machiavelli) - an interesting read. It was intended as a guide to the young price Cesare Borgia from his teacher Machiavelli. The secret to enjoying it is not to judge it by modern morality.\n15. Give and take (Adam Grant) - psychology research about giving / taking / matching personality types presented in a book for the masses. I would not read it again; watching a presentation online should be enough to get the point across.\n16. Mécanique (Landau, Lifchitz) - refresh of mechanics\n17. Do androids dream of electric sheep (Philip K. Dick) - enjoyable and entertaining! I'm surprised how different the feel of the book is compared to the Blade runner films. In the book androids are purely rational beings, whereas the film wraps them in an aura of romanticism.\n18. How we learn (Benedict Carey) - decades of learning research condensed in a book\n19. Advanced Calculus: A Differential Forms Approach (Harold M. Edwards) - the best math book I've read so far! For me it was eye-opening in a fundamental way. Edwards is truly a gifted teacher.\n20. Three men in a boat (Jerome K. Jerome) - enjoyable and amusing\n21. Getting to yes (Roger Fisher, William Ury) - negotiation book, nicely written and structured\n22. Without a word (Zhang Jie) - historical novel by one of China's most acclaimed modern writers. I don't have a good reference to compare against since this was my first Chinese novel, but overall I did enjoy it. It felt real and raw.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "useful for understanding that in modern life we have complex systems at work with emergent behavior",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is useful for understanding complex systems and emergent behavior.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17936661,
          "author": "atlas1428",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T18:44:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17936661",
          "commentText": "- The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins\n- Godel Escher Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\n- Language, Truth, and Logic by A. J. Ayer\n- Thinking in Systems: A Primer by Donella Meadows\nBooks that serve as investment philosophy guides for those who've developed a habit of saving money but are looking for the \"next step\" in building more wealth. From the mind of one of the greatest investors of all time:\n- The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham (get the annotated version with an epilogue written by Warren Buffett!)\n- The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America\nA book that discusses what matters most in your life from a resource-allocation, measurable results standpoint (family, etc.):\n- How Will You Measure Your Life by Clayton Christensen\nA book I read 10 years ago that forever changed the way I manage productivity and organization both at work and in my personal life:\n- Getting Things Done by David Allen\nBooks that show that our universe is just as crazy, if not crazier, than science fiction:\n- Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy\n- Quantum Chance: Nonlocality, Teleportation and Other Quantum Marvels\n- ..and so on with intersecting topics!\nNot to mention, I love trying to have as deep an understanding as I can by reading highly technical textbooks on cosmology, gravitation, and quantum physics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking in Systems: A Primer by Donella Meadows",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156917,
          "author": "franze",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T16:42:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156917",
          "commentText": "Thinking in Systems: A Primer\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Systems-Donella-H-Meadows/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Systems-Donella-H-Meadows/dp/1603580557)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking in Systems: A Primer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144235,
          "author": "e_tm_",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:46:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144235",
          "commentText": "Donella* Meadows is the author of #3\nGreat primer for folks unfamiliar with systems engineering.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great primer for folks unfamiliar with systems engineering.",
          "reason": "Described as a great primer for readers unfamiliar with systems engineering.",
          "audience": "People unfamiliar with systems engineering.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12142525,
          "author": "justushamalaine",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T09:19:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12142525",
          "commentText": "Thinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nHow I raised myself from failure to success in selling, Frank Bettger\nThinking in Systems: A Primer, Daniela Meadows\nMost important thing is to get up and start doing stuff, understand how you personally f$$k things up and reap benifits of compound interest in personal development. I think these three bookshave a lot of information that is usable in any career or path one might choose.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking in Systems: A Primer, Daniela Meadows",
          "reason": "Included among three books described as useful for any career or path.",
          "audience": "People pursuing any career or path.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9649906,
          "author": "motxilo",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-03T00:27:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 9636361,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9649906",
          "commentText": "Thinking in Systems: A Primer\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Systems-Primer-Meadows-Donell... (http://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Systems-Primer-Meadows-Donella-ebook/dp/B005VSRFEA)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Thinking in Systems: A Primer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No evaluation given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7776332,
          "author": "digita88",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-21T01:58:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7776332",
          "commentText": "Non-technical but some great concepts which can be adapted to programming:\nThinking in Systems by Donella Meadows\nThe Checklist Manifesto by Athul Gawande",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows",
          "reason": "Suggested for concepts that can be adapted to programming.",
          "audience": "Programmers interested in systems thinking",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is non-technical.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231162,
          "author": "jronkone",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T17:03:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231162",
          "commentText": "Thinking in Systems - Donella H. Meadows\nEarly Retirement Extreme - Jacob Lund Fisker",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Thinking in Systems - Donella H. Meadows",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donella H. Meadows"
      ],
      "recommenders": 13,
      "threads": 11,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "systems thinking",
        "feedback loops",
        "emergence",
        "public policy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-god-delusion-856150",
      "title": "The God Delusion",
      "author": "Richard Dawkins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 44574451,
          "author": "chistev",
          "createdAt": "2025-07-15T18:40:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 44568054,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44574451",
          "commentText": "Hard to choose for myself who made the post.\nBut some of my favorites are -\n1. God: The Failed Hypothesis\nBook by Victor J. Stenger\n2. The God Delusion\nBook by Richard Dawkins\n3. Berlin: The Downfall 1945\nBook by Antony Beevor\n4. A Song of Ice and Fire\nNovel series by George R.R. Martin\n5. A Short History of Nearly Everything\nBook by Bill Bryson\n6. Billions and Billions\nBook by Carl Sagan\n7. Flowers for Algernon\nShort story by Daniel Keyes\n8. I'm Glad My Mom Died\nBook by Jennette McCurdy\n9. Manhunt: The Ten-Year Search for Bin Laden--from 9/11 to Abbottabad\nBook by Peter Bergen\n10. Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space\nBook by Carl Sagan\n11. The Metamorphosis\nNovella by Franz Kafka\n12. The Selfish Gene\nBook by Richard Dawkins\nGun to my head, pick one? The God Delusion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The God Delusion",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s favorite books and chosen as their top pick.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40281682,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T02:23:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40281682",
          "commentText": "> Out of curiosity, would you say your understanding changed or deepened upon re-reading it?\nIt's hard to do justice to that in a few words. I think I had a different reason for reading it the second time, as opposed to the first time.\nThe first time around, I think I was more reading it because I like to think of myself as an educated, scientific-minded person, and it was one of \"those books\" that any self-respecting \"educated, scientific-minded person\" was sort of \"supposed to\" have read. That and I was mentally already in a place somewhere in the nether regions between \"agnostic\" and \"atheist\" and I knew of Dawkins as a strong advocate for atheist thinking, and I guess I was looking for something that might convince me one way or the other. Or maybe that's just post-hoc rationalization on my part, but that's what I felt like I found. I felt much better about just calling myself an atheist after reading the book.\nAnyway... one thing I was struck by though, was his discussion of things like kin altruism and reciprocal altruism and some of the game theoretical stuff, including mentions of Robert Axelrod and his research. So the second time I read the book, I was really looking to focus more on those sections, and take notes and do some further research. And all of that was really driven by my interest in evolutionary computing / genetic algorithms / etc. and a thought that I might find something there that I could apply to those areas. I wound up buying Axelrod's book The Evolution of Cooperation, but I sadly have not quite gotten around to reading it yet.\n> And read the author's sequel books to it.\nI've also read The Blind Watchmaker twice, although that was sort of by accident. I forgot I'd already read it, and I was moderately deep into the second read before I realized I'd read it before. It was worth it though.\nI still have Climbing Mount Improbable, The God Delusion, The Ancestor's Tale, and a couple of other Dawkins books queued up to read as well.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The God Delusion",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Queued to read; not yet evaluated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39730083,
          "author": "nprateem",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T22:34:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39730083",
          "commentText": "The major flaw in his argument is his abject dismissal of personal experience. He gives all of about 2 sentences to the subject and fills the rest of the book with plausible sounding arguments that miss the point. He's either right or he's wrong, and no amount of logic changes that.\nAs people are intimidately related to mystical experience it makes for a rather weak read once you spot his refusal to examine cross-cultural accounts of experiences - especially if you're aware of the kundalini literature/have had experiences yourself (see my other comment).",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The major flaw in his argument is his abject dismissal of personal experience.",
          "reason": "The commenter criticizes the book's treatment of personal and cross-cultural mystical experiences.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it a weak read if you notice its refusal to examine cross-cultural accounts of experience.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39729980,
          "author": "roxil",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T22:17:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729980",
          "commentText": "The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36123607,
          "author": "nprateem",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-30T11:34:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36123607",
          "commentText": "But this is just restrictive. Regardless of your own opinions you should consider all evidence.\nBy refusing to consider such claims you close yourself off to the possibility there may in fact be ways to verify them for yourself. Yet this won't ever be entertained due to bias. Perhaps some of those who claim god exists followed some reproducible method that convinced them. Ignoring the personal experience dimension would never uncover such information.\nEven a discussion of religion as memes, while it may be true, wouldn't make one deluded to believe in God if a way to verify its existence for oneself could be found. Ie religion spreading as a meme doesn't prove God doesn't exist. It may just be that the majority of people believe without discovering it (if it exists), but that in itself doesn't preclude its existence. Perhaps it only reveals its existence under certain circumstances for example.\nAs to your final paragraph there seems to be a general conflation between organised religion and God. The book is the God delusion, not the organised religion delusion. It's this conflation and obvious bias that makes the book's argument weak.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The book is the God delusion, not the organised religion delusion.",
          "reason": "The commenter criticizes the book's argument as weak and biased.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36111310,
          "author": "PrimeMcFly",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-29T06:31:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36111310",
          "commentText": "The book covers science based theories that are alternatives to creationism, but talks more about why and how religion formed as a self-propagating meme. People's individual experiences just don't add much to that argument, and he isn't trying to refute individual experiences. It's just out of place.\n> An argument about why something doesn't exist, no matter how convincing, becomes invalidated if conclusive evidence emerges demonstrating that it does.\nPersonal experience would never, ever qualify as conclusive evidence, because there is no way to test or verify any of the claims made.\n> Why don't you think personal experience is relevant to a discussion of why God exists?\nMy claim as that it was not relevant to the scope of the book specifically, but I'll answer that question. You may find it offensive, but since you're asking...\nI think every single person that believes in religion does so only due to indoctrination, or because they are seeking to fill some void in their life. That's it. And so I dismiss their accounts entirely. In fact, I feel a degree of pity for them.\nOrganized religions are nonsense for many reasons, and if we remove them, then all we are left with is an unprovable, untestable claim based on absolutely nothing, which is more complex than the alternative which means Occam is sufficient reason to dismiss until there is reason not to do so.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The book covers science based theories that are alternatives to creationism",
          "reason": "Discusses its account of alternatives to creationism and religion as a self-propagating meme.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says personal experiences are outside the book's scope and cannot count as conclusive evidence.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36111087,
          "author": "nprateem",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-29T05:50:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36111087",
          "commentText": "The book is the \"God delusion\", in which (from memory), he explains that no God is required to keep the universe running. Well, no person is responsible for continually moving pool balls around a table, but someone does start the process. So he might be right, or he might be wrong, who knows? He argues against organised religion which is pretty easy to do given their obvious abuses, but organised religion isn't God, so this adds little.\nThe bible says things like e.g. God's kingdom is within you, which suggests personal experience is of primary importance, since how else would you explore inside yourself?\nIgnoring personal experience in that book is like not seeking witness statements for an investigation. It's impossible to develop a convincing argument without considering all the evidence. And as with any investigation, a witness statement isn't necessarily treated as factual on its own, but should be evaluated within the contexts of other known facts and corroborating reports.\nAn argument about why something doesn't exist, no matter how convincing, becomes invalidated if conclusive evidence emerges demonstrating that it does. Not bothering to look for all relevant evidence doesn't make your argument right, it simply makes it flawed.\nWhy don't you think personal experience is relevant to a discussion of why God exists?",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The book is the \"God delusion\"",
          "reason": "Discusses the book's arguments about God and organized religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the argument adds little by addressing organized religion rather than God and may be flawed for ignoring personal experience.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36105588,
          "author": "ElectronBadger",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T16:37:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105588",
          "commentText": "Richard Dawkins \"The God Delusion\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Richard Dawkins \"The God Delusion\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36105123,
          "author": "PrimeMcFly",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T15:51:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105123",
          "commentText": "The God Delusion gives a good overview of many aspects.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The God Delusion gives a good overview of many aspects.",
          "reason": "Says it gives a good overview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34160619,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:11:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160619",
          "commentText": "This year I've put myself to the challenge to read at least one book per week which I primarily could complete by reading in the middle of the night while holding our sleeping baby in my arms. It has been an interesting challenge which gave me a lot of fulfilment and has certainly changed my mind on how I view the world. This comment became quite a long read, apologies for that.\nBooks I highly recommend:\nChurchill by Andrew Roberts (p:1105)\nA biography about one of the most interesting figures in politics and WWII. Roberts gives a very detailed description of the life of Churchill and manages to keep you interested the entire length of the book.\nThe God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (p:374)\nIn The God Delusion Dawkins gives arguments why there is no God, why we do not need a God and why religion is damaging to our society. If you are religious it might not be the book for you unless you are open to hear his arguments and line of reasoning. Dawkins will challenge your worldview.\nThe Bomb by Fred Kaplan (p:384)\nKaplan describes the policy of different US presidents on the atomic bomb and war in general. And primarily on the inability of US presidents and policy-makers to tune down its military. A chilling read which makes you appreciate a nuclear holocaust did not happen (yet)....\nPoor Economics by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo (p:320)\nBanerjee and Duflo give a gripping portrait of how poor people live. They offer an insight in the choices and decisions people make surviving on less than 1 USD a day (corrected for purchasing power). It made me completely rethink my own view on poverty and development aid; stressing even more that in order to help one need to have a complete understanding of the individual's situation and the local boundary conditions.\nProject Hail Mary  by Andy Weir (p:476)\nThis book triggered my science fiction reading. For some reason I never was interested in science fiction. Most likely triggered by reading Foundation by Asimov a few years back which apparently is not a book to my taste. But Andy Weir completely annihilated that wrong perspective on science fiction. Project Hail Mary is interesting, funny and gripping book.\nKindred by Octavia Butler  (p:287)\nThis book.... From page one I was hooked and almost read it in one go. Butler is a wonderful author and Kindred is a must-read. The book is about a woman traveling back in time to end up on a slave plantation. It's a chilling account of slavery.\nOther books I read this year, ask me anything about one of these books. I've added a + if I think its worth a recommendation\nBiography:\nNavalny by Dollbaum, Lallouet and Noble (p:280); The Man from the Future by Ananyo Bhattacharya (p:354) +\nSociology; Politics; Economics; Business:\nOnly the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove (p:224); The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli  (p:140); Winter is Coming by Garry Kasparov (p:290); Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum (p:224) +; Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl (p:164) +; We Are Bellingcat by Eliot Higgins (p:272); De Zeven Vinkjes by Joris Luyendijk (p:200); Waarom vuilnismannen meer verdienen dan bankiers by Rutger Bregman (p:104)\nComedy: The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (p:336)\nHistory:\nBand of Brothers  by Stephen E. Ambrose (p:432); The Nuclear Jihadist by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins (p:413) +; The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre (p:384) +; De Heineken Ontvoering by Peter R. de Vries (p:347); Red Famine by Anne Apllebaum (p:384); Night by Elie Wiesel (p:115) +\nScience, Technology, Mathematics:\nFermat's Enigma by Simon Singh (p:315) +; A Mathematician's Apology by G.H. Hardy (p:153); The Great Influenza by John M. Barry (p:546); The Rise and Fall of the Dinousaurs by Stephen Brusatte (p:404) ++; The Double Helix by James Watson (p:144)\nSport:\nRun or Die by Killian Jornet (p:208); The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton  (p:290) +; The Rise of the Ultra Runners by  (p:304); Tom Dumoulin by Patrick Bernhart (p:203)\nFiction:\nAnthem by Ayn Rand (p:105); Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (p:704); The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (p:566); Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (p:466); Live and Let die by Ian Fleming  (p:229)\nClassics:\nA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (p:104); The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (p:201); The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald (p:180); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (p:139); Animal Farm by George Orwell (p:122) +; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (p:227) +; The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (p:118)\nScience Fiction:\nThe Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (p:399); All Systems Red  by Martha Wells (p:144) +; A Memory Called Empire  by Arkady Martine (p:462) +; A Psalm built for the Wild by Becky Chambers (p:160); Dune by Frank Herbert (p:658); Foundation by Isaac Asimov (p:244); The Martian by Andy Weir (p:384) +;\nThe Forever War by Joe Haldeman (p:278)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins",
          "reason": "Recommends Dawkins's arguments about God, religion, and society.",
          "audience": "Readers open to hearing arguments that challenge their worldview.",
          "caveat": "May not suit religious readers who are not open to hearing Dawkins's arguments.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32792514,
          "author": "xcambar",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T17:10:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32792514",
          "commentText": "> It explains simply how the various fallacies of religions are explainable and unwrappable.\nIt might be a very good book, but that sort of comments is divisive and does not show as understanding and hence, doss not sell the book, to me at least.\nThe question of God from an anthropological perspective is fascinating, as it emerged all around the world in completely disconnected populations and societies, yet to answer the same set of questions: how did we happen to be? Why? Are we accountable for anything?\nIt does not suggest any existence of God, of course, but it does suggest something deep that is that somehow, sentient creatures require answers to what they deem beyond them and typically, Homo Sapiens did/does invoke variations around the idea of superior beings to answer these questions.\nAs such, I do not understand why some so-called atheists continue to throw stones at religious people instead of showing curiosity at the larger phenomenon.\nReligious institutions, though, are a well-organized scam around the beautiful anthropological and philosophical question of God.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It might be a very good book, but that sort of comments is divisive and does not show as understanding and hence, doss not sell the book, to me at least.",
          "reason": "The commenter allows that the book may be good but says the quoted framing is divisive and puts them off it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter objects to the book's quoted framing about religion.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32792015,
          "author": "cercatrova",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T16:22:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32792015",
          "commentText": "Indeed. We are only vessels for our genes, what we do doesn't really matter as long as we pass our genes along, from the perspective of our genes.\nI would also recommend other Dawkins books such as The God Delusion, it was one of the pivotal books that turned me from someone vaguely religious to an atheist. It explains simply how the various fallacies of religions are explainable and unwrappable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would also recommend other Dawkins books such as The God Delusion, it was one of the pivotal books that turned me from someone vaguely religious to an atheist.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was pivotal in their change from vague religiosity to atheism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10766367,
          "author": "adomanico",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T07:19:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10766367",
          "commentText": "The Moral Landscape - Sam Harris\nRiver Out of Eden - Richard Dawkins\nThe God Delusion - Richard Dawkins",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that affected the reader's thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5702280,
          "author": "Avalaxy",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-14T00:08:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5702280",
          "commentText": "Permission Marketing - Seth Godin, made me think about what he calls interruption marketing.\nPurple Cow - Seth Godin, made me think about standing out.\nThe Lean Startup - Eric Ries, really changed the way I think about... Well, nearly everything that costs effort.\nThe God Delusion - Richard Dawkins, good theory about why God most probably doesn't exist.\nThe magic of reality - Richard Dawkins, great story about evolution, religion, etc.\nA short history of nearly everything - Bill Bryson, brilliant book. Perfect summary of our scientific advancements during the last centuries. He made me think about possible natural disasters.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins, good theory about why God most probably doesn't exist.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls its argument a good theory for why God probably does not exist.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227807,
          "author": "tommorris",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T23:11:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227807",
          "commentText": "I don't agree that the arguments in the God Delusion are too bad. He does take some real liberties with Aquinas, but all the scholarly dressing you apply to Aquinas doesn't really improve the arguments. Dawkins deals with them too hastily, but even if Dawkins was an Aquinas scholar and applied the principle of charity to the arguments, they'd still be unconvincing arguments. The God Delusion is a popular book, not a scholarly refutation of all arguments for the existence of God.\nIf you want to read scholarly refutations of arguments for the existence of God, as well as read some arguments put forward explicitly for the non-existence of God, then you have to turn elsewhere: Michael Martin's \"Atheism: A Philosophical Justification\", Robin Le Podevin's \"Arguing for Atheism\" and Nick Everett's \"The Non-Existence Of God\". Another good book from an agnostic rather than atheist perspective is Anthony Kenny's \"The God of the Philosophers\". A slightly easier read is Julian Baggini's \"Atheism: A Very Short Introduction\" which is okay. I have some reservations with it, but it covers most of the important arguments and has some stuff about ethics and living the good life and all that happy-clappy stuff too.\nAs for stuff that isn't concerned with the philosophical arguments? I found Onfray's \"In Defence of Atheism\" a pretty good read - it is polemical, but is well-written. Nietzsche is always good to read so long as you don't - you know - become a damn goth or whatever after reading it or try and commit genocide or something. Russell's \"Why I Am Not A Christian\" and the much less read compilation \"Russell on Religion\" (not widely available outside academia as far as I'm aware) - Russell is a good writer and says some very refreshing things like:\n<blockquote>Even if the open windows of science at first make us shiver after the cozy indoor warmth of traditional humanizing myths, in the end the fresh air brings vigor, and the great spaces have a splendor of their own.</blockquote>",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The God Delusion is a popular book, not a scholarly refutation of all arguments for the existence of God.",
          "reason": "Describes its scope and haste while arguing it is not a scholarly refutation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Dawkins deals with the arguments too hastily.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227677,
          "author": "brianwillis",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T21:58:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227677",
          "commentText": "Agree completely. The God Delusion suffers from sloppy reasoning, and intellectually dishonest arguments. I'm an Atheist, and I found myself disagreeing over and over with arguments Dawkins made despite the fact that his conclusions align with my view of the world.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The God Delusion suffers from sloppy reasoning, and intellectually dishonest arguments.",
          "reason": "Criticizes the book's reasoning and intellectual honesty despite agreeing with its conclusions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is an atheist and agrees with the book's conclusions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226916,
          "author": "olalonde",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:54:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226916",
          "commentText": "Richard Dawkins' \"Selfish Gene\" and \"God Delusion\" are excellent reads.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"God Delusion\" are excellent reads.",
          "reason": "Called an excellent read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797147,
          "author": "MikeCapone",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T02:10:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797147",
          "commentText": "Dawkins is eminently readable, even in books that you think you know what he's going to say. I also recommend The God Delusion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also recommend The God Delusion.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly recommends the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143367,
          "author": "macmac",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T16:08:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143367",
          "commentText": "The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert M. Pirsig\nLila: An Inquiry into Morals - Robert M. Pirsig\nThe Open Society and its Enemies - Karl. R. Popper\nThe Player of Games - Iain M. Banks\nPale Blue Dot - Carl Sagan\nThe God Delusion - Richard Dawkins\n\"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—\t\nI took the one less traveled by,\t\nAnd that has made all the difference.\" from \"The Road not Taken\" by Robert Frost",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The God Delusion - Richard Dawkins",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Dawkins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 13,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "atheism",
        "religion",
        "philosophy of religion",
        "religion and science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-murderbot-diaries-71c351",
      "title": "The Murderbot Diaries",
      "author": "Martha Wells",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50126354,
          "author": "lastofus",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T23:54:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50126354",
          "commentText": "I've read the Murderbot series through a few times now. It's basically easy-to-consume comfort food.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've read the Murderbot series through a few times now.",
          "reason": "The commenter has reread the series several times and calls it comfort food.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as easy to consume comfort food.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 49900710,
          "author": "godzillafarts",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-29T21:16:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49900710",
          "commentText": "I just wrapped up the Murderbot Diaries series and am starting in on Dungeon Crawler Carl.\nI normally read a lot of nonfiction and history and am trying to make a point to read more fiction this year.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I just wrapped up the Murderbot Diaries series",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have just finished the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 47431403,
          "author": "dmcc7897",
          "createdAt": "2026-03-18T21:01:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 47315415,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47431403",
          "commentText": "The Murderbot series is excellent, too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Murderbot series is excellent, too.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the series excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42508591,
          "author": "codydh",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T13:01:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42508591",
          "commentText": "These are really fun, I’m on the fourth book now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "These are really fun, I’m on the fourth book now.",
          "reason": "Calls the books fun and says they are reading the fourth.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42508330,
          "author": "ck45",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T11:44:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42508330",
          "commentText": "The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells",
          "reason": "Names the series as a standout read in response to the question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42269201,
          "author": "sandy_coyote",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:59:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42269201",
          "commentText": "I caught up with some science fiction this year.\nThe Murderbot diaries books by Martha Wells - 6/10. Mixed on these. They're fun to read. The setting is cool and the worldbuilding is shallow but effective (i.e., don't read it if you want game of thrones in space). Each novella takes an afternoon to read. I think \"snarky violent droid\" is overcooked these days and lost interest after book 5.\nLight by M. John Harrison - 7/10 excellent prose; great multiple-storyline plot; the journey was better than the destination, but it kept me thinking\nFar from the Light of Heaven by Tade Thompson - 7/10 Fun. If \"near future Nigerian/British post-colonial frontier action with guns, robots, and psychic aliens\" sounds cool to you, check it out. I liked his Rosewater Trilogy just as much.\nBlindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts - tough to rate these. brilliant ideas, VERY challenging plots. I wish I didn't get so confused by the end of each book.\nProject Hail Mary by Andy Weir - 6/10 - this and the Martian read like blog posts pasted together. The grand dilemma is spelled out on page one and never gets any deeper. Pro: the plot is in your face on every page and you will never be confused when reading; Con - there is zero internal character development. Read if you like stories driven by applied science, not comparative moral decision-making.\nThe City and the City by China Miéville - 9/10 - you will invariably see something like \"Kafka meets [some affected crime novelist] to describe this book, and that ain't wrong. Kind of SF, kind of fantasy.\nRailsea by China Miéville - 8/10 - great good vs evil YA SF about, well, imagine if trains were like boats. Good character writing, tight plot.\nThe Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi - 8/10 - loved this. More \"realist\" near-future fabulism than Gibson, but if you love cyberpunk, read this.\nThe Shipbreaker Triology by Paolo Bacigalupi - 6/10 - near-future YA science fiction with a lot of blood and guns. Pretty good stories.\nRoadside Picnic by the Strugatsky brothers - 9/10 - reread. I had to go back. This gets a near perfect score because of its style, setting, and plot.\nThe Sprawl Trilogy (Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive) by William Gibson - 9/10 - I had read Neuromancer 3 times but never the next two. I was pleasantly surprised to find the second and third novel easier to read* but just as enjoyable as Neuromancer.\nThe Bridge trilogy by William Gibson - 8/10 so far. I am in the second book. Can't believe I slept on these for the last couple decades.\nnon-SF:\nOur Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981-1991 by Michael Azerrad - 9/10 - if you like punk/hardcore from the 80s, this is a great read.\n* Every time I read Neuromancer, Gibson's literary footguns --holograms, false memories, hallucinations, and drug-addled unreality--make me feel crazy for not being able to follow the plot at times. I'm okay with believing that was the intended effect.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Murderbot diaries books by Martha Wells - 6/10. Mixed on these.",
          "reason": "Finds the books fun, but mixed overall and lost interest after book five.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy quick science fiction novellas and the setting.",
          "caveat": "Worldbuilding is shallow; the snarky violent droid premise felt overcooked.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39257576,
          "author": "vidyesh",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-05T05:08:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39257576",
          "commentText": "Thats exciting! I might read the Remembrance this year.\nMurderbot is exciting! There is very little world building, you are thrown into the world and you slowly figure things out. Each novella is a new adventure, but as a whole(the series) its a lot more; an android seeing and understanding humans in a very different way.\nIt also explores how a world of robots would have various bots with each having a different personality(they develop) based on their lifelong assigned task.\nThe Muderbot itself is sulky, tired of incompetent humans and its dry behavior adds humor to the narration. Plus it addicted to watching soap operas so it has a very unique understanding of human creativity and reality.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Murderbot is exciting! There is very little world building, you are thrown into the world and you slowly figure things out.",
          "reason": "Describes the series' worldbuilding and its gradual introduction to the setting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "There is very little world building.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39249066,
          "author": "vidyesh",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T10:26:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249066",
          "commentText": "The Remembrance of Earth's Past has been on my list for some time now. Will you be finishing that trilogy?\nActively reading:\n- Mistborn : Final Empire (~90% finished ding)\n- 3rd novella in The Murderbot Diaries\n- Dive into Design Patterns\n- Fullstack D3 and Data Viz\nPassively reading:\n- The Design of everyday things (I don't think I will ever finish this book)\n- Bhagavad-Gita as it is\n- LOTR (mostly a re-read)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "3rd novella in The Murderbot Diaries",
          "reason": "The commenter is reading the third novella in the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021591,
          "author": "healsdata",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:55:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021591",
          "commentText": "I've recently been enjoying \"The Murderbot Diaries\" by Martha Wells.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Murderbot Diaries",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have recently been enjoying the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021436,
          "author": "CoastalCoder",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:45:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021436",
          "commentText": "For light comedies:\nThe Murderbot Diaries (Martha Wells)\nHitchhiker's Guide series (Douglas Adams)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Murderbot Diaries (Martha Wells)",
          "reason": "Listed under “For light comedies” in response to a request for science fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for light comedies.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36020997,
          "author": "throwaway019254",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:07:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36020997",
          "commentText": "Bobiverse series (Dennis E. Taylor)\nOld Man's War series (John Scalzi)\nThe Murderbot Diaries (Martha Wells)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Murderbot Diaries (Martha Wells)",
          "reason": "Listed as a science fiction series in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33382692,
          "author": "jjwtieke",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T10:20:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382692",
          "commentText": "I looooove these books",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I looooove these books",
          "reason": "Enthusiastically agrees with the parent’s praise of the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29032328,
          "author": "jotato",
          "createdAt": "2021-10-28T21:34:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 29030285,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29032328",
          "commentText": "The Murderbot Diaries is a recent series I enjoyed listening to.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/series/191900-the-murderbot-diarie... (https://www.goodreads.com/series/191900-the-murderbot-diaries)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Murderbot Diaries is a recent series I enjoyed listening to.",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed listening to the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665209,
          "author": "PostPost",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:26:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665209",
          "commentText": "Sorry for the wall of text.\n1. Bourne (The language and world of this novel are extraordinary - everything is falling apart yet brimming with life. Strangely moving)\n2. The Design of Everyday things (Essential for anyone in UI/UX)\n3. All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (Highly engaging, entertaining sci-fi novella series, from an author that can write a very decent robot protagonist)\n4. The Power (Interesting story with sci-fi elements on the dynamics of power, sex, and gender roles. I didn't care for the book, but the first 3/4 of the book are amazing)\n5. Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days\n6. 7 brief Lessons on Physics\n7. The Last Lecture (The energy and positivity coming from a man knowing he's about to die is infectious. Great read)\n8. A wizard of Earthsea (Move over Harry Potter, this is the essential children's story about wizards)\n9. Exploring diabetes with owls (Funny, irreverent)\n10. Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children (Made an effort to read more YA this year - this was the best in this series, but I still hated it. There's a host of better YA series out there.)\n11. A Wizard of Earthsea: The Tombs of Atuan (See 8.)\n12. The Girl in the Dark (Interesting book about a skin condition I had never heard of, and the trials of living with a very rare condition)\n13. The Phantom Tollbooth (Clever children's book)\n14. Black hole blues and songs from outer space (Informative book about the study of space,  the political and economic forces standing in the way of science, and the incredible individuals working in this field)\n15. Welcome to Night Vale (Hugely entertaining, clever and weird)\n16. You need a budget (Basic economics book explaining how to budget in a way that lets you do more with your money)\n17. To fight Against This Age (Incredibly pretentious, \nIvory Tower philosophizing)\n18. Infinity Gauntlet (Half the Universe dying because Thanos wanted to sleep with Lady Death will never not be ridiculous)\n19. The Right and Wrong Stuff (Great read explaining how to anticipate and avoid career pitfalls)\n20. Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children: Hollow City (pretty shitty)\n21. The Farthest Shore (Ursula K. Le Guin was the biggest loss this year)\n22. Miss peregrine's home for Peculiar Children: Library of Souls (I hate this book and all its characters)\n23. Every Good Endevour (Religious book about a Christian worldview and the value of labor - not a bad read)\n24. When to Rob a Bank and 131 warped suggestions… (interesting, funny, from the writers of Freakonomics)\n25. Weapons of Math Destruction (Probably the most useful book on this list, if you're reading this on \"hackernews\")\n26. Holes (Perfect summer paperback read)\n27. Silver Screen Sirens (Essential for film geeks)\n28. A full life: reflections at 90 (I gained a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter: he lived an incredible life and does great things)\n29. Call Me by your name (Very good romance novel to send to your bigoted relatives at Christmas)\n30. Hyperbole and a half (Incredibly entertaining, very distinctive art style)\n31. The Murderbot diaries: Artificial Condition (See 3.)\n32. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Best children's book, fight me)\n33. Less (Exceptionally well-written)\n34. Resilience (Great book, especially for those that have gone through extremely difficult circumstances)\n35. The Strange Bird (Dark, bleak, full of life, see 1.)\n36. The Murderbot diaries: Rogue Protocol (See 3.)\n37. His Dark Materials: The subtle knife (See 32.)\n38. Tap Dancing to Work (Very dry, some stories/articles are fantastic, others very, very boring for people that do not care about finance)\n39. So Good They Can't Ignore You (Pretty good)\n40. His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass (Amazing YA, see 32.)\n41. Uncontainable (Inspirational book about conscious capitalism)\n42. The Emperor of All Maladies (Pretty much everything you'll ever want to know about Cancer, written in a very engaging way)\n43. Blind Spot\n44. Shoe dog (Great story, see madmax108's comment, totally agree)\n45. The Faithful Spy (Beautiful artwork describing a Christian pastor's fight against fascism during WW2)\n46. Zero to One\n47. You'll grow out of it\n48. The Happiness advantage (Really fantastic book about the value of positive psychology)\n49. Dreams from my father (Enlightening look into Obama's \nearly days)\n50. Ayoade on Ayoade (Entertaining, extremely scatter-brained, not as funny as his interviews or tv programs)\n51. The Diabolic (badly written YA Sci-Fi)\n52. The Physics of Everyday Things (surprisingly informative, recommended for non science-people interested in the way things work)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Highly engaging, entertaining sci-fi novella series",
          "reason": "The commenter describes the series as highly engaging and entertaining.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy science fiction novellas.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15432330,
          "author": "ciocan42",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-09T08:47:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15432330",
          "commentText": "All Systems Red (The Murderbot Series)\nNexus trilogy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All Systems Red (The Murderbot Series)",
          "reason": "Names the series alongside its first book in response to a recommendation request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martha Wells"
      ],
      "recommenders": 13,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "space opera",
        "robot protagonist",
        "novellas"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "zero-to-one-ea71e1",
      "title": "Zero to One",
      "author": "Peter Thiel and Blake Masters",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42511878,
          "author": "undopamine",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T23:20:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42511878",
          "commentText": "The 3-body problem trilogy (Rememberance of the Earth's past). My first sci-fi novels ever - the Netflix show sold me and these novels compelled me on a whole new hard sci-fi rabbit hole.\nPresumed Innocent (preceeded by the Apple TV show of same name). Murder mystery. Loved it.\nTie-in novels from videogame franchise:\n- Deus Ex: Black Light\n- Devil May Cry: before the nightmare\nI've also started Marvel Comics in anticipation of Fantastic Four and the whole Secret Wars storyline it will build up.\nCouldn't finish a single non-fiction this year, but enjoyable so far:\n- Zero to One\n- When I say no, I feel guilty\n- Designing data-intensive applications",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Zero to One",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have started it and describes it as enjoyable so far.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35172037,
          "author": "jacktribe",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:47:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172037",
          "commentText": "As someone who is more interested in building the product than marketing it, I found the following recent reads helpful in achieving a balance:\n1. Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey A. Moore - making your product work for the masses\n2. The Cold Start Problem by Andrew Chen - achieving escape velocity, getting viral referral traffic\n3. Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss - it might seem a bit gimmicky but negotiation always comes off gimmicky\nMotivational stories:\n4. The Almanack Of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson\n5. The Founders by Jimmy Soni\n6. The Upstarts by Brad Stone\n7. Hatching Twitter by Nick Bilton\n8. That Will Never Work by Marc Randolph\n9. Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald's by Ray Kroc\nCan't skip:\n10. Zero To One by Peter Thiel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zero To One by Peter Thiel",
          "reason": "The commenter says it can't be skipped.",
          "audience": "People building products.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35169514,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T15:10:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35169514",
          "commentText": "zero to one by peter thiel.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "zero to one by peter thiel.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21902980,
          "author": "baristaGeek",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T00:46:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902980",
          "commentText": "Best business books:\n-Secrets of Sandhill Road\n-Hackers and Painters\n-The Great CEO within\n-Venture Deals\n-Predictable Revenue\n-Zero to One\n-The Hard Thing About Hard Things\n-Lean customer development\n-Lost and founder\n-Lean B2B\n-From Impossible to Inevitable\n-Traction\nBest computer science books:\n-Competitive programming 3\n-Structure and interpretation of computer programs\nBest for fun (non-fiction):\n-Meditations\n-Sapiens\n-How to win friends and influence people\n-A brief history of time\n-Self-reliance\n-Frente a la estrella polar",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-Zero to One",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s best business books in response to a question about influential books.",
          "audience": "Founders and readers interested in startups.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21902182,
          "author": "dustingetz",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T22:15:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902182",
          "commentText": "For founders: #1 is Oren Klaff Pitch Anything. Then: Crossing the Chasm, Zero to One, Blitzscaling, Never Split the Difference, Oversubscribed: A Founders Guide to Seed Fundraising, Exactly What To Say: The Magic Words for Influence and Impact, Miracle Morning, 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zero to One",
          "reason": "Listed as a book for founders.",
          "audience": "Founders",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804924,
          "author": "entropyneur",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:31:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804924",
          "commentText": "> If anyone has read any and has feedback/notes, I'm looking forward to hearing them!\nThe wisdom of insecurity: very very good if you are at all interested in the matters it explores\nZero to one: the whole genre of business wisdom books is crap IMHO,  but at least this one is short\nBasic economics (Thomas Sowell): total must read",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the whole genre of business wisdom books is crap IMHO, but at least this one is short",
          "reason": "The commenter criticizes the genre but notes this book is short.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter considers business wisdom books generally poor.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665209,
          "author": "PostPost",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:26:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665209",
          "commentText": "Sorry for the wall of text.\n1. Bourne (The language and world of this novel are extraordinary - everything is falling apart yet brimming with life. Strangely moving)\n2. The Design of Everyday things (Essential for anyone in UI/UX)\n3. All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (Highly engaging, entertaining sci-fi novella series, from an author that can write a very decent robot protagonist)\n4. The Power (Interesting story with sci-fi elements on the dynamics of power, sex, and gender roles. I didn't care for the book, but the first 3/4 of the book are amazing)\n5. Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days\n6. 7 brief Lessons on Physics\n7. The Last Lecture (The energy and positivity coming from a man knowing he's about to die is infectious. Great read)\n8. A wizard of Earthsea (Move over Harry Potter, this is the essential children's story about wizards)\n9. Exploring diabetes with owls (Funny, irreverent)\n10. Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children (Made an effort to read more YA this year - this was the best in this series, but I still hated it. There's a host of better YA series out there.)\n11. A Wizard of Earthsea: The Tombs of Atuan (See 8.)\n12. The Girl in the Dark (Interesting book about a skin condition I had never heard of, and the trials of living with a very rare condition)\n13. The Phantom Tollbooth (Clever children's book)\n14. Black hole blues and songs from outer space (Informative book about the study of space,  the political and economic forces standing in the way of science, and the incredible individuals working in this field)\n15. Welcome to Night Vale (Hugely entertaining, clever and weird)\n16. You need a budget (Basic economics book explaining how to budget in a way that lets you do more with your money)\n17. To fight Against This Age (Incredibly pretentious, \nIvory Tower philosophizing)\n18. Infinity Gauntlet (Half the Universe dying because Thanos wanted to sleep with Lady Death will never not be ridiculous)\n19. The Right and Wrong Stuff (Great read explaining how to anticipate and avoid career pitfalls)\n20. Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children: Hollow City (pretty shitty)\n21. The Farthest Shore (Ursula K. Le Guin was the biggest loss this year)\n22. Miss peregrine's home for Peculiar Children: Library of Souls (I hate this book and all its characters)\n23. Every Good Endevour (Religious book about a Christian worldview and the value of labor - not a bad read)\n24. When to Rob a Bank and 131 warped suggestions… (interesting, funny, from the writers of Freakonomics)\n25. Weapons of Math Destruction (Probably the most useful book on this list, if you're reading this on \"hackernews\")\n26. Holes (Perfect summer paperback read)\n27. Silver Screen Sirens (Essential for film geeks)\n28. A full life: reflections at 90 (I gained a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter: he lived an incredible life and does great things)\n29. Call Me by your name (Very good romance novel to send to your bigoted relatives at Christmas)\n30. Hyperbole and a half (Incredibly entertaining, very distinctive art style)\n31. The Murderbot diaries: Artificial Condition (See 3.)\n32. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Best children's book, fight me)\n33. Less (Exceptionally well-written)\n34. Resilience (Great book, especially for those that have gone through extremely difficult circumstances)\n35. The Strange Bird (Dark, bleak, full of life, see 1.)\n36. The Murderbot diaries: Rogue Protocol (See 3.)\n37. His Dark Materials: The subtle knife (See 32.)\n38. Tap Dancing to Work (Very dry, some stories/articles are fantastic, others very, very boring for people that do not care about finance)\n39. So Good They Can't Ignore You (Pretty good)\n40. His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass (Amazing YA, see 32.)\n41. Uncontainable (Inspirational book about conscious capitalism)\n42. The Emperor of All Maladies (Pretty much everything you'll ever want to know about Cancer, written in a very engaging way)\n43. Blind Spot\n44. Shoe dog (Great story, see madmax108's comment, totally agree)\n45. The Faithful Spy (Beautiful artwork describing a Christian pastor's fight against fascism during WW2)\n46. Zero to One\n47. You'll grow out of it\n48. The Happiness advantage (Really fantastic book about the value of positive psychology)\n49. Dreams from my father (Enlightening look into Obama's \nearly days)\n50. Ayoade on Ayoade (Entertaining, extremely scatter-brained, not as funny as his interviews or tv programs)\n51. The Diabolic (badly written YA Sci-Fi)\n52. The Physics of Everyday Things (surprisingly informative, recommended for non science-people interested in the way things work)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Zero to One",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630239,
          "author": "tzhenghao",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:56:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630239",
          "commentText": "For better or worse, I mostly only do non-fiction books, and my favorite so far is still Zero to One by Peter Thiel + Blake Masters.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "my favorite so far is still Zero to One by Peter Thiel + Blake Masters.",
          "reason": "Identifies it as their favorite nonfiction book so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they mostly read nonfiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238121,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:01:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238121",
          "commentText": "Last year I gave myself a Zuckerberg-style goal to read a book every two weeks. It started well, but some months were harder than others (usually when the book wasn't very good, so I would switch to podcasts for a few weeks, before getting back on track).\nHere's an unordered list of the best:\n[BUSINESS / SELF-IMPROVEMENT]\n- \"Work Rules!\" - about Google's culture and values\n- \"Search Inside Yourself\" - about mindfulness, meditation, and the impact on your life.\n- \"What got you here won't get you there\" - Liked a lot more than I expected.\n- \"Re-read Innovator's Dilemma\" - a great classic; never gets old.\n- \"How will you measure your life\" - from the same author. Also excellent.\n- \"The Best Service is No Service\" - good overview on why Amazon's customer service is so good\n- \"Crucial Conversations\" - half is common sense; half is good tips to practice everyday.\n[PROGRAMMING]\n- \"Fluent Python\" - was afraid it'd be too basic, but not really. Enjoyed it a lot.\n- \"Think Complexity\" - about algorithm complexity, data structures, etc. Great read.\n- \"Python Data Science Handbook\" - meh.\n- \"Fundamentals of Deep Learning\" - good intro. Helped me solidify some concepts from Andrew Ng's ML course\n- \"Deep Learning\" - by Goodfellow and Bengio. Just started, but really liking it.\n[STARTUPS] (all excellent; in order)\n- \"The Hard Things about Hard Things\"\n- \"Zero to One\"\n- \"The Founder's Dilemmas\"\n- \"The Launch Pad\"\n[FICTION]\n- Trilogy: \"Off to be a wizard / An Unwelcome Quest / Spell or High Water\"\n- \"Infinite Jest\" - tried but failed to finish. May try again later.\n- \"Ready Player One\" - nice, but repetitive after a while. Good read before the movie comes out.\n[NON-FICTION]\n- \"What If?\" - xkcd FTW\n- \"How to Read a Book\" - good concepts, but should be a 10 pages blog post, not a book\n- \"Spark\" - Science of the Exercise and the Brain - Long, but good\n- \"Sugar Shock\" - still reading; hopefully will help me cut my sweet cravings\n[BIOGRAPHIES]\n- \"The New New Thing\" - about Jim Clark's life, one of the very first entrepreneurs\n- \"Machines of Loving Grace\" - about the research and the rise of AI\n- \"Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution\"\n- \"The Second Coming of Steve Jobs\" - About Pixar's story. Liked more than Isaacson's biography\n- \"The Innovators\" - great summary of computer industry, from the 1800's till today\n- \"Ghost in the Wires\" - Kevin Mitnick's story. Had started years ago, but finally finished it\n- \"Idea Man\" - about Paul Allen's story. Quite an impressive man.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Zero to One\"",
          "reason": "Listed among four startup books described as excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144524,
          "author": "samblr",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T16:23:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144524",
          "commentText": "If I were to go back and be young - I would dedicate myself to read plenty of books and probably find three genres which would appeal. A measure of a good book is how likely will it lead you to read another great book or how likely is that it changes the perception of another book/knowledge or makes you question-argue fundamental value systems. Wish there was kind of backlink algorithm to measure a book like that. I've found below genre-and-author that appeal more over time and you keep going back to them.\n> Tech : C - Kernighan & Ritchie (may be a good python/nodejs book today).\n> About tech people : Made in Japan - The Google Speaks - The Everything store - Hatching Twitter - Steve Jobs - Zero to One - Hard things about hard things.\n> About non-tech people : Founding fathers - Obama - Einstein - Darwin - Feyman - Teresa - Montessori - Gandhi - Mandela - Che Guevera - Churchill.\n> Last but important: Tolstoy - Plato - Enlightenment-Era-Books - Religions(all) - Military fitness.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Zero to One",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books about technology people that appeal to the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment gives no specific evaluation of this title.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12097242,
          "author": "hmate9",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-14T21:19:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12097242",
          "commentText": "I've read that. It's worth reading just to get into the mind of Peter Thiel. The \"start small and monopolise\" is what really stuck with me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's worth reading just to get into the mind of Peter Thiel. The \"start small and monopolise\" is what really stuck with me.",
          "reason": "Recommends reading it to understand Peter Thiel's thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12097217,
          "author": "samblr",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-14T21:15:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12097217",
          "commentText": "zero to one",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "zero to one",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229612,
          "author": "jakegarelick",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T14:42:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229612",
          "commentText": "My recent favorites: Jobs, The Hard Thing About Hard Things, High Output Management, Innovator's Dilemma, Lean Startup, On The Shortness Of Life, How Google Works, Zero To One, Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Power of Habit, Things Fall Apart, Stoner",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zero To One",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's recent favorites in response to a book recommendation request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10787625,
          "author": "aws_ls",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T09:09:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787625",
          "commentText": "1) Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree - Rating 3/5 - Got an idea about the times in receding Muslim powers, at the end of the 15th Century, in Spain -  The author is an historian so positive point is that fiction rooted in history. But some of the fictional narratives could have been better, as he was not a fiction writer when he started out.\n2) Zero to One - Rating 4/5 - Thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. Insights into and anecdotal examples of Paypal mafia, among the numerous over there.\n3) Liar's Poker - Rating 4/5 - The first of several best seller's by Michael Lewis, gives insights into the working of Investment Finance business, and in a very interesting way (lots of humor)\n4) Devotion of Suspect X - Rating 4/5 - Work of fiction by the Japanese best seller author Keigo Higashino. Enjoyable read - contrasts a Physicist and a Mathematician trying to out think each other in a crime context (reference to Maths/Physics are just pop-level so don't expect too much)\n5) 'Digital Gold...' by Nathaniel Popper - Currently reading (very enjoyable at around 41%) - Captures the history of evolution of Bitcoin. Also made me sad for various people for different reasons, e.g. Hal Finney, who was the first adopter of Satoshi Nakamoto's idea. Reading this book made me appreciate why not knowing who is SN is important. I am no longer curious.\n6) Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond - Rating 5/5 - A perspective changing book, if there can be one. Had picked it up from Gates notes' reading list couple years back. After reading this, my entire perspective on religions, politics, culture changed and I view everything from the reference point of when we started to do agriculture some 20,000 years ago, and of course geographical perspective.\nSome others in my to-read list (hope to pick one before the turn of the year):\n1) Emperor of all maladies - book on cancer research\n2) Ashley Vance's book on Elon Musk\n3) 100 years of solitude\n4) The selfish gene\n5) The hard thing about hard things\n6) Or, if I see any other book: either on this page, or on Gates Notes or on HN reading share the other day. Am a big fan of exchanging/sharing reading lists.\nEdit: Formatting. HN post editor needs two new lines ('\\n') to display one\nEdit 2: Had wrongly named book #4 as Salvation of a saint (which is another book, I read earlier by the same author)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rating 4/5 - Thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. Insights into and anecdotal examples of Paypal mafia, among the numerous over there.",
          "reason": "Says they thoroughly enjoyed it and valued its insights and anecdotes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785552,
          "author": "benajibayassine",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:50:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785552",
          "commentText": "1- The Emperor's Handbook by Marcus Aurelius. Jan, 10th 2015\n2- The crowd, a study of the popular mind by Gustave Le Bon. Jan, 10th 2015\n3- Remote by Jason Fried. Jan, 11th 2015\n4- The shape of the world to come by Laurent Cohen-Tanugi, Jan, 20th, 2015\n5- Post office by Charles Bukowski. Jan, 23rd 2015\n6- Gang leader for a day by Sudhir Venkatesh. Feb, 6th 2015\n7- Zen mind, beginner's mind by Shunryu Suzuki. Feb, 8th 2015\n8- The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Feb, 23rd 2015\n9- Darkness Visible by William Styron. March, 1st 2015\n10- Zero to One by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters. March, 9th 2015\n11- The Kaizen way: One small step can change your life by Robert Mauter. March, 11th 2015\n12- Time by Alexander Waugh. March, 12th 2015\n13- Max and the cats by Moacyr Scliar. March, 14th 2015\n14- Scattered by Gabor Mate. March, 20th 2015\n15- East of Eden by John Steinbeck. March, 30th 2015\n16- Crossing the unknown sea by David Whyte. April, 7th 2015\n17- Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. April, 13th 2015\n18- The World beyond your Head by Matthew Crawford. April, 22nd 2015\n19- How to Think about Exercise by Damon Young. April, 23rd 2015\n20- Solitude by Anthony Storr. May, 8th 2015\n21- Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. June, 10th 2015\n22- The bastard of Istanbul (in Arabic) by Elif Shafak. June, 21st 2015\n23- L’ordre libertaire: la vie philosophique d’Albert Camus by Michel Onfray. July, 7th 2015\n24- Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse. July, 10th 2015\n25- The arab uprisings by James Gelvin. July, 13th 2015\n26- How to worry less about money by John Armstrong. July, 13th 2015\n27- Self comes to mind by Antonio Damasio. July, 31st2015\n28- Muhammad: The First Muslim by Lesley Hazleton. August, 4th t2015\n29- Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. August, 15th 2015 \n30- Heidegger's Being and Time by William Blattner. August, 18th 2015 \n31- Heidegger and a hippo walk through those pearly gates by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. August, 19th 2015 \n32- Why nations fail by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson. October, 3rd 2015 \n33- Charlie Munger: the complete investor by Tren Griffin October, 9th 2015 \n34- The selfish gene by Richard Dawkins October, 23rd 2015\n35- The philosophical baby by Alison Gopnik October, 28th 2015\n36- The three-body problem by Cixin Liu November, 1st 2015\n37- Open letter to a young man by Andre Maurois November, 13th 2015\n38- Thinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman November, 16th 2015\n39- What do you care what people think by Richard Feynman November, 18th 2015\n40- When the body says No by Gabor Maté November, 29th 2015\n41- The truth will set you free by Alice Miller. December, 5th 2015\n42- The shallows by Nicholar Carr. December, 7th 2015\n43- What matters most byJames Hollis. December, 14th 2015\n44- Finding meaning in the second jalf of life byJames Hollis. December, 20yh2015",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Zero to One by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters",
          "reason": "Included in a dated list of books read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8795694,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T07:00:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795694",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nPredictable Revenue - Aaron Ross, Marylou Tyler\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nThe Ultimate Question 2.0 - Fred Reichheld‎\nThe Singularity is Near - Ray Kurzweil\nMoonshot! - John Sculley\nZero To One - Peter Thiel\nRepublic - Plato\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius\nNineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell\nFahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury\nThe Mysterious Island - Jules Verne\nDiscipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy, Fred Wiersema\nFalse Memory - Dean Koontz\nNOS4A2- Joe Hill\nRevival - Stephen King\nBarbarians At The Gate - John Helyar and Bryan Burrough\nInto Thin Air - John Krakauer\nHow To Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nand any collection of the works of H.P. Lovecraft.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zero To One - Peter Thiel",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for impactful or liked books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968392,
          "author": "jsnk",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:44:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968392",
          "commentText": "\"Zero to One\" by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Zero to One\" by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Thiel",
        "Blake Masters"
      ],
      "recommenders": 13,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "startups",
        "innovation",
        "entrepreneurship",
        "monopolies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-stars-my-destination-3a573a",
      "title": "The Stars My Destination",
      "author": "Alfred Bester",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46416728,
          "author": "jharohit",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-29T02:15:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46416728",
          "commentText": "sharing a few books I recommended in my annual list (recommend reading!)\nhttps://rohitjha.com/blog/reading-highlights-2025/\nNon Fiction:\n- Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future by Dan Wang (2025)\n- How to Live an Extraordinary Life by Anthony Pompliano (2024)\nFiction:\n- The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester (1956)\n- Consider Phlebas (Culture Series #1) by Iain M. Banks (1987)\n- The Way of Kings (2010, Stormlight #1) & Words of Radiance (2014, Stormlight #2) by Brandon Sanderson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26593839,
          "author": "npsimons",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-26T16:15:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26593839",
          "commentText": "I've gotten a lot of good book referrals through HN, including \"Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training\" by Mark Rippetoe. So cutting out online stuff is just a bad idea (significantly reduces my \"surface area\").\nOTOH, I really need to get back into a habit of reading books, every day. I used to go through a goodly number of non-fiction books on a regular basis (another good book, \"The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master\" says you should read at least one non-fiction book in your field a quarter), but recently I've just lacked the discipline and habit to do so. I find myself reading a lot online, but so much of it is so low information and not in-depth enough.\nThat said, I also try to partake of fiction, although in that regard I'm not doing great either, as I opt for a lot of passive fiction in the form of video. Fiction can be just as good for expanding the mind, even exercising empathy. Just reading speculative fiction (to give a broader term to science fiction) can exercise one's mind in visualizing things or give one new ideas. Heck, Google Earth was supposedly inspired by a technology in \"Snow Crash\".\nETA: There's some great \"forgotten\" fiction out there, which hasn't been turned into other formats yet. \"The Stars my Destination\" and \"Lord of Light\" are excellent. Which reminds me, another good source I've found for books is /usr/games/fortune",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Stars my Destination\" and \"Lord of Light\" are excellent.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17537852,
          "author": "rektide",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T00:15:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537852",
          "commentText": "Central Station by Lavie Tidhar is an amazing charming story of a world deeply steeped old sitting baking world where new things are coming about. It is charm & delight in the purest & simplest.\nSpin by Robert Charles Wilson. \"Robert Charles Wilson is a hell of a storyteller,\" said Stephen King and this wonderful tour through time and space, humanity & people's lives is incredible.\nThe Quantum Thief series by Hannu Rajaniemi is open, scenic, wild, & so so vivid, one of the most beautiful worlds I've ever visited, & it reminds me so much of a joyous wild swashbuckling run. The mystery of the main character is enchanting.\nInfoquake series by David Louis Edelson is a gripping suspenseful rise of a star entrepreneur that redefines and radically expands the world, amid an already boisterous & full & busy beautiful world already overflowing in seamless technology everywhere. Although the plot line whips along with some suspense & tension, the scenery and the voyage is incredible.\nLathe of Heaven by Ursala Le Guin could quite easily, quite simply be the best first contact story story ever. Touching, and sincere, & simple. This world is not bright and shiny but her writing and the bonding of characters is incredible. See also the rest of the Hainish cycle.\nLeft Hand of Darkness also by Ursala Le Guin is a shifting chaotic shizmatic tale, about picking our fates. \"Well, I did it through dreams. Phil would have done it another way. But yeah, homage to Phil [K.] Dick is right.\"\n- https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/a... (https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/all/)\nFallen Dragon is an early & involved Peter Hamilton adventure book. There's leaving home, & space ships, more space ships, bad guys, fighting back the bad guys, bigger ships, and action. There is A LOT going on, all the time, & violence, but damn this book comes together into something incredible, & telling, & powerful & strong, something that easily makes it my top pick for most-underappreciated Peter Hamilton.\nDiamond Age by Neal Stephenson, which I'm providing largely as a counterweight to the Snowcrash & Sevenses recommendations here. Diamond Age is much less dark, and way more a fun tail about an incredible & mysterious primer for a young lady.\nSirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut.\nAll Systems Red series by Martha Wells is a underprivileged barely coping robot dealing with the humans she hates having to talk to & a shitty planet trying to kill them. Simple, fun, some action & violence, but the main character is a total hoot the whole time with more loner/zero/drop-out attitude & spunk than anything I've read & it's unbelievably charming.\nLords of Light by Roger Zelazny has more style, pizzaz, & spirit than I feel like any of us deserve. An interesting, storied tale from the post-singularity, with a remarkable & robust cast.\nIllium/Olympos by Dan Simmons, are, in my mind still the clear winner, far above Hyperion. The cast is charming beyond belief, stumbling through a world they both know all too much about & far far too little. Some really incredible worldbuilding here.\nRainbow's End by Vernor Vinge. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE A Fire Upon the Deep. But Rainbow's End really is our planet, sometime not far out, and Vinge has the most tour of this next place we're headed, with threads, and annotations, and group chat being the defining new technologies of humanity. And the tale of the misfit happenstance adventurers who wind up ensnared in the plot line is a fun, roving hoot of a journey, a wonderful second chance at a coming of age story.\nMedusa Chronicles by two of my favorites, Alastair Reynolds & Stephen Baxter is probably my favorite exploring the solar system book, about a guy/robot a bit apart from humanity that really wants to see what the local area has to offer. A lot of high tension conflicting societal impulses that our somewhat aloof lead stumbles through, on his personal mission of exploration. Lots of interesting robot philosophy & very varied elements of space come together with the characters to make an incredibly fun space epic, set in a delightful & intriguing alternative history\nOther's recommendations I'd +1: Dune (but super heady material), The Stars My Destination (brimming with class & substance), Mote in God's Eye (some of the best Space Colonial Marines style stuff out there), Accelerando (and Iron Sky and ... overflowing playful scifi), Blue Ant series (dripping with style), Foundation series (and much more Asimov!), Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy (simple direct exciting hunt for treasure in Star Wars), Fuzzy Nation (fun tale)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Stars My Destination (brimming with class & substance)",
          "reason": "Praises its class and substance.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17537612,
          "author": "rektide",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T23:10:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537612",
          "commentText": "The Stars My Destination was great. It might just be me but I'd like to see what folks who liked it thought of Robert Heinlein's Citizen of the Galaxy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Stars My Destination was great.",
          "reason": "Calls the book great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9057136,
          "author": "secstate",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T15:01:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9057136",
          "commentText": "Just finished reading \"Fiasco\" by Stanislaw Lem. Between that \"Cyberiad\" I feel like Lem doesn't get enough credit. Maybe part of it is not being in the Western European writer's camp?\nAt any rate, I would say:\nMoon is a Harsh Mistress, Heinlein\nThe Dispossessed, Le Guin\nThe Stars My Destination, Bester\nChildhood's End, Clarke\nStand out as some of my favorites. I'm pretty terrible at making top-5 lists, but those stand out as ones that I would read again in a heartbeat if there weren't already 50 books on the floor next to my bed waiting for me :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Stars My Destination, Bester",
          "reason": "Includes it among favorites answering the thread question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056610,
          "author": "mattkevan",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:38:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056610",
          "commentText": "Anything by Alastair Reynolds - his Revelation Space series is great, and House of Suns is a fantastic one-off. He's probably the  closest to Ian Banks in creating galaxy-spanning civilisations across eons of time.\nIan MacDonald is another good one. My favourite of his is The Dervish House, but his others are definitely worth reading.\nCharles Stross is good. Didn't get on with Accelerando, but his Laundry books are a fun mix of HP Lovecraft/Len Deighton/IT Crowd. Halting State and Rule 34 are good explorations of pervasive augmented reality and intelligent algorithms. Also Glasshouse as an exploration of post-singularity society. Never managed to finish a Cory Doctorow book though.\nI found William Gibson's Bigend trilogy a slog, but I really enjoyed The Peripheral - it's a fun read.\nEnders Game and Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card are fantastic, but the remaining books suffer from diminishing returns (with the possible exception of Ender's Shadow). There are a lot of books in the series, but basically, the series finishes wherever you get bored reading it.\nAnything by China Mieville is well worth your time.\nOh, I also really enjoyed Elizabeth Bear's Jacobs Ladder trilogy, set on a generation ship where the inhabitants have forgotten who they are and where they're going.\nFor some older stuff:\nThe Stars my Destination by Alfred Bester – I was surprised at how good it is and how well it stands up. I couldn't believe it was written nearly 50 years ago.\nThe Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein - possibly my favourite of his. I want to start a lunar revolution with a sentient mainframe...\nI'm currently working my way through all the Hugo Award winners, from 1953 up, and there's some real gems there.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I was surprised at how good it is and how well it stands up.",
          "reason": "Says it was surprisingly good and has stood up well over time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8946127,
          "author": "dwarman",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-26T09:13:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8946127",
          "commentText": "Stand on Zanzibar, Snow Crash, Cryptonomicon, Childhood's End, A Cantilce for St Leibowitz, The Stars My Destination, Midnight At The Well of Souls, Nine Princes in Amber, Halting State, Strnger In A Strange Land, The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Stars My Destination",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4663638,
          "author": "rendeiro",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-17T08:43:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 4661261,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite Science Fiction book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4663638",
          "commentText": "I will pick more than 1:\nUbik by Philip K. Dick (it's hard to cherry pick his best work though, ask me a different day and I will choose The Three Stigmata or Do Androids Dream or something else)\nThe Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester (simply a good story and a great background)\n1984 by George Orwell.\nWhat all these books share is the idea that sci-fi is about social, cultural and economic dynamics, not ships or time travel.\nThat is my definition of sci-fi: An on-going essay about the evolution of the dynamics of society, using exotic technology/science merely as a catalyst.\nRunner up: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card\nCould never finish (can't recommend):\n- Neuromancer \n- Cryptonomicon (Does the author feel entitled to mock the homosexuality of Alan Turing? Found that somewhat arrogant and in bad taste.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester (simply a good story and a great background)",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorites and praised as a good story with a great backdrop.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4662346,
          "author": "bergdaemon",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-16T22:57:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 4661261,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite Science Fiction book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4662346",
          "commentText": "It's a tie between two strange books.\nAlfred Bester's _The Stars My Destination_: It's deeply flawed, wackily 1950s, has ridiculous tech, and is one of the most entertaining books I have read.\nStanislaw Lem's _Solaris_: Strange, dry, bordering on boring, breaks every single law about overusing exposition I can think of...and somehow turns that into a riveting meditation on the nature of guilt and consciousness.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "one of the most entertaining books I have read",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of their two favorite books and says it is highly entertaining.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as deeply flawed, dated, and having ridiculous technology.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4361170,
          "author": "e12e",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-09T14:26:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 4353632,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon.  What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4361170",
          "commentText": "I guess op's not really paying attention any more, but there's a relevant discussion on slashdot today:\nhttp://ask.slashdot.org/story/12/08/08/2135246/ask-slashdot-... (http://ask.slashdot.org/story/12/08/08/2135246/ask-slashdot-most-underappreciated-sci-fi-writer)\nI can heartily recommend most of the stuff in the 4+ comments: Ursula Le Guin, Lem, Strugatsky, Kurt Vonnegut... and of course Alfred Bester, especially \"The Stars my Destination\", proto cyberpunk.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "especially \"The Stars my Destination\", proto cyberpunk",
          "reason": "Particularly recommends it among the science fiction authors and works listed in the linked discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as proto-cyberpunk.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043913,
          "author": "wildwood",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T22:52:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043913",
          "commentText": "The only book I ever force on people is \"A Deepness in the Sky\", by Vernor Vinge.  If you haven't read it, please do.\nI've really been enjoying David Weber's Honor Harrington series, if you're open to military sci-fi.  It's not on the Amazon site, but it's easy to get from the Baen Webscriptions site.\nIain M. Banks - \"Algebraist\" was a lot of fun, easily the best visualization of a gas-giant alien society I've ever read.  I read \"Matter\" a while ago, and keep feeling pulled back to re-read it sometime soon.\nFor classic sci-fi, I would recommend Bester's \"The Stars My Destination\" and Miller's \"Canticle for Leibowitz\".\nDon't forget to check out all the free public domain books that are available in the Kindle Store.  All the Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, etc that you can eat, at no charge.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend Bester's \"The Stars My Destination\"",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it as a classic science fiction book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043506,
          "author": "mhd",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:12:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043506",
          "commentText": "Snow Crash is great. Generally I'd recommend some \"classics\", just to see who treaded some ground first, i.e. who gets copied by everyone.\nIsaac Asimov - Foundation (and the rest of the trilogy)\nRobert A. Heinlein - Stranger in a Strange Land / Starship Troopers / The Moon is a Harsh Mistress\nAlfred Bester - The Demolished Man / The Stars My Destination\nJack Vance - The Dying Earth\nPhilip K. Dick - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep / The Man in the High Castle\nLarry Niven - Ringworld\netc. etc.\nA list of Hugo Award winners[1] might come in helpful.\nAnother advantage of having read \"the greats\" is that if some critic says that new author X writes \"in the style of Y\" you have a slightly better idea if you might like it.\nTastes vary, of course. Personally I never got what's supposed to be so great about Ender's Game. Teen Mary Sue geek power fantasy with questionable morals. Then again, lots of people said similar things about Heinlein…\n[1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Award_for_Best_Novel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Stars My Destination",
          "reason": "Included in a list of science fiction classics recommended to explore influential works.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring science fiction classics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140499,
          "author": "anupamkapoor",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T03:13:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140499",
          "commentText": "i like heinlein's \"moon is a harsh mistress\" and alfred-bester's \"tiger-tiger / stars-my-destination\". kinda old school though.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "alfred-bester's \"tiger-tiger / stars-my-destination\"",
          "reason": "Uses the title aliases for the same book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes it as old school.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140490,
          "author": "nazgulnarsil",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T02:59:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140490",
          "commentText": "depends on the subgenre :)\nSuperhuman:\nSlan by A.E. Van Vogt\nMore Than Human by Theodore STurgeon\nOdd John by Olaf Stapledon\nPost Apocalyptic:\nThe Day of The Triffids by John Whyndham\nEarth Abides by George R. Stewart\nA Canticle for Lebowitz by...don't remember\nSpace Opera/Adventure:\nany of The Culture novels by Iain M. Banks\nThe Reality Dysfunction series by ...don't remember\nHyperion series by Dan Simmons\nTo Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer\nDystopian:\nWe by Yevgeny Zamyatin <---highly overlooked, predates 1984 and Brave New World\nBut the Absolute Best would be anything by:\nStanislaw Lem (Cyberiad, Futurological Congress, Solaris)\nAlfred Bester (The STars my Destination, The Demolished Man)\nor Samuel R. Delany (Babel-17, Dhalgren, Trtion, Nova)\noh and Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light and This Immortal are both great.\nSome of Philip K. Dick's stuff is great, but everyone recommends him. :)\nalmost forgot John Brunner, check out Steel Beach, The Sheep Look Up, and Stand on Zanzibar.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Alfred Bester (The STars my Destination, The Demolished Man)",
          "reason": "Says Bester is among the absolute best and lists this title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alfred Bester"
      ],
      "recommenders": 13,
      "threads": 9,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "revenge",
        "classic science fiction",
        "space opera",
        "teleportation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "never-split-the-difference-c49e67",
      "title": "Never Split the Difference",
      "author": "Chris Voss and Tahl Raz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35172037,
          "author": "jacktribe",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:47:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172037",
          "commentText": "As someone who is more interested in building the product than marketing it, I found the following recent reads helpful in achieving a balance:\n1. Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey A. Moore - making your product work for the masses\n2. The Cold Start Problem by Andrew Chen - achieving escape velocity, getting viral referral traffic\n3. Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss - it might seem a bit gimmicky but negotiation always comes off gimmicky\nMotivational stories:\n4. The Almanack Of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson\n5. The Founders by Jimmy Soni\n6. The Upstarts by Brad Stone\n7. Hatching Twitter by Nick Bilton\n8. That Will Never Work by Marc Randolph\n9. Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald's by Ray Kroc\nCan't skip:\n10. Zero To One by Peter Thiel",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss - it might seem a bit gimmicky but negotiation always comes off gimmicky",
          "reason": "Recommended for negotiation.",
          "audience": "People building products and negotiating.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it might seem gimmicky.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30241556,
          "author": "ricardbejarano",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T07:45:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241556",
          "commentText": "Chris Voss (Never Split the Difference) is largely responsible for my income level today.\nAbsolutely life-changing book.\nHe also made a MasterClass.com video course with the same content, if you'd rather watch than read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Chris Voss (Never Split the Difference) is largely responsible for my income level today.",
          "reason": "Credits the book with contributing to their income and calls it life-changing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27640136,
          "author": "vladmarin",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T08:20:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27640136",
          "commentText": "* Platform Revolution: How Networked Markets Are Transforming the Economy. The book explains how to think of a platform systematically. It's valuable because it applies to everything else in life, any business, any industry - not just IT platforms. Based on the findings of 2 Nobel prize winners.\n* Never Split the Difference. Don't even think about it - read it. The book is a life coaching chapter that everyone should learn.\n* The Seventh Sense: Power, Fortune, and Survival in the Age of Networks. Everything is a network. From wars, to economy, to minorities, to terrorism. Understanding what truly lies behind the concept of \"network\" is just as well one of those life coaching chapters everyone should learn.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Never Split the Difference. Don't even think about it - read it.",
          "reason": "Strongly urges readers to read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27638102,
          "author": "rad_gruchalski",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T01:10:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27638102",
          "commentText": "This is a very good read. Useful from the start, very pragmatic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is a very good read. Useful from the start, very pragmatic.",
          "reason": "Endorses it as a useful, pragmatic read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27637875,
          "author": "Exuma",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T00:26:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27637875",
          "commentText": "Never Split the Difference - a negotiation book by famous hostage negotiator.\nIt's so immediately useful and practical, my entire team used it to collect massive amount of debts and enact other business changes. It was invaluable, and I make everyone I know read it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Never Split the Difference - a negotiation book by famous hostage negotiator.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is immediately useful and practical, helped their team negotiate business changes, and recommends it to others.",
          "audience": "People looking to improve negotiation in business and everyday situations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26330034,
          "author": "Leparamour",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-03T15:55:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 26321793,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books made you the most money?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26330034",
          "commentText": "I agree with the general of idea of learning high-demand skills, only I always found it to be a bit of a chicken and egg problem:\nI have no (interesting) problems to solve with VBA/Vim/Powershell/Keras/Never Split the Difference-style negotiation in my day-to-day work or not enough fantasy to conjure these up in my private studies.\nThe lack of experience then disqualifies me for roles where I would be confronted with these (interesting) problems. Never understood how to learn intricate stuff inside a void of direct applicability",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Never Split the Difference-style negotiation",
          "reason": "Uses the book as shorthand for negotiation tactics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26323442,
          "author": "serjester",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-03T01:08:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 26321793,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books made you the most money?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26323442",
          "commentText": "Never split the difference has saved me 10's of thousands across negotiations.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Never split the difference has saved me 10's of thousands across negotiations.",
          "reason": "The commenter credits the book with saving them thousands in negotiations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21914539,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-30T16:38:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21914539",
          "commentText": "Getting Things Done - the 2001 version I read two years ago, I use the general idea and it helps to have a clear head when your fighting fires daily.\nNever Split the Difference - some very practical negotiation strategies.\nMini Habits by Stephen Guise - short book but awesome method.  I am still doing the one pushup habit since last March.\nHow to Shoot Video That Doesn't Suck by Steve Stockman - I wanted to improve my video production for my programming course for kids.  I am still learning but this book has been a huge help.\nThe Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing and Thinking by Barbara Minto - huge help with improving my written communication at my job.\nThe Coaching Habit by Michael Stanier - short book but huge help when your transitioning to managing people.\nMade to Stick by Dan Heath - was a huge help in planning how I would teach elementary students last month about programming.\nThe 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch - aside from application of Pareto principle, I took away the idea that books provide the best bang for your buck for knowledge density.\nThe 4 Hour Work Week - great inspiration to start your own thing.\nThe $100 Startup - like the 4HWW but with more details.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "some very practical negotiation strategies.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its negotiation strategies as practical.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking practical negotiation techniques.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21911224,
          "author": "cdr6934",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-30T06:17:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21911224",
          "commentText": "Here are my favorites for the decade:\nNever Split the Difference - https://amzn.to/2sAfLGj\nBad Blood - https://amzn.to/2F4IW71\nThe Alchemist - https://amzn.to/356NRyV\nThe Hard Thing About Hard Things - https://amzn.to/39mLs6t",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Here are my favorites for the decade:\nNever Split the Difference - https://amzn.to/2sAfLGj",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's favorites of the decade.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21902182,
          "author": "dustingetz",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T22:15:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902182",
          "commentText": "For founders: #1 is Oren Klaff Pitch Anything. Then: Crossing the Chasm, Zero to One, Blitzscaling, Never Split the Difference, Oversubscribed: A Founders Guide to Seed Fundraising, Exactly What To Say: The Magic Words for Influence and Impact, Miracle Morning, 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Never Split the Difference",
          "reason": "Listed as a book for founders.",
          "audience": "Founders",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16569893,
          "author": "r0fl",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-12T17:46:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16569893",
          "commentText": "Would it be ridiculous if you upvoted this comment??\nNever Split The Difference - Chris Voss\nThis book has made a much greater negotiator both professionally and personally.\n“Would it be ridiculous if” and\n“How am I supposed to do that?” Have saved me 100s of thousands of dollars!! The only negative point is that the negotiation style does not work on my wife ever since she read the book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Never Split The Difference - Chris Voss\nThis book has made a much greater negotiator both professionally and personally.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book made them a much better negotiator.",
          "audience": "People seeking to improve negotiation skills.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its negotiation style does not work on their wife, who read the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16010565,
          "author": "jonvillage",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-26T19:55:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16010565",
          "commentText": "This year I've read:\nMaxims - Epictetus\nThe road to serfdom - Friedrich Hayek\nDe officiis - Cicero\nDe divinatione - Cicero\nLives of eminent philosophers - Diogenes Laertius\nConfessions - Al ghazali\nIlliad - Homer\nOdyssey - Homer\nInfluence - Robert Cialdini\nGuns, Germs and steel - Jared Diamond\nPoor Charlie's Almanack - Charlie Munger - 2nd reading\nAndrew Carnegie's Biography - Joseph Frazier\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Taleb - 2nd reading\nBed of Procrustes - Nassim Taleb\nNever Split the Difference - Christopher Voss\nThe intelligent investor - Benjamin Graham\nAutobiography - Benjamin Franklin\nI always remember this quote:\n\"In my whole life, I have known no wise people who didn't read all the time -- none, zero.\"  Charlie Munger",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Never Split the Difference - Christopher Voss",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762205,
          "author": "muzani",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T01:52:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762205",
          "commentText": "Never Split the Difference. It's about hostage negotiation. A lot of negotiation tricks don't work when dealing with irrational, desperate, insane people. It covers how to build rapport with these people, get them to talk themselves into supporting your argument, and just understanding people deeply enough for them to give you everything you ask for but walk away satisfied with the deal.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A lot of negotiation tricks don't work when dealing with irrational, desperate, insane people.",
          "reason": "Describes what the book covers, including rapport-building and applying negotiation with difficult counterparts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416157,
          "author": "zackbloom",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T20:48:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416157",
          "commentText": "Never Split the Difference is ostensibly a book on negotiation, but I found it also a great primer on the more subtle and emotional side of human communication.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found it also a great primer on the more subtle and emotional side of human communication.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great primer on subtle and emotional communication.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes it as ostensibly a book on negotiation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris Voss",
        "Tahl Raz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 13,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "negotiation",
        "communication",
        "tactical empathy",
        "conflict resolution"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pattern-recognition-and-machine-learning-cc13d3",
      "title": "Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning",
      "author": "Christopher M. Bishop",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33601171,
          "author": "notrealyme123",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-14T21:13:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33601171",
          "commentText": "Gaussian Processes - with Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning\nby Christopher M. Bishop",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gaussian Processes - with Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning\nby Christopher M. Bishop",
          "reason": "Names this book in connection with Gaussian processes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20675229,
          "author": "banjo_milkman",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T13:32:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20675229",
          "commentText": "1. The Goodfellow book is the obvious one.\nAnother option is 'Machine Learning: A probabilistic perspective' by Kevin Murphy, which does have exercises but has less material on CNNs IIRC and is slightly older. Also Bishop 'Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning' is a classic reference but even older.\n2. The Pedro Domingos book the Master Algorithm tries to address this itch / may be less philosophical that you want. It is >okay< but I don't think people love it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Also Bishop 'Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning' is a classic reference but even older.",
          "reason": "Calls it a classic reference.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Even older than the previous option.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13901433,
          "author": "danielmorozoff",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T14:36:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13901433",
          "commentText": "Once you get your feet wet, the first year PHD course book for good theory is Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning by Bishop.\nBut it could be a bit too theoretical - it provides a foundational mathematical framework and got me thinking about problems in a better way.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the first year PHD course book for good theory is Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning by Bishop",
          "reason": "Recommended for theory after gaining some familiarity with the subject.",
          "audience": "Readers who have already started learning the subject.",
          "caveat": "May be too theoretical; provides a foundational mathematical framework.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13901043,
          "author": "JamilD",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T12:51:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13901043",
          "commentText": "You don't need to focus on just one side or the other. AlphaGo wasn't made by just hacking together a couple neural nets, it built on heuristic search, MCTS, and the \"old-school\" AI.\nI agree that basic statistics + Bishop's book is a great way to start getting into machine learning -- but AI is a much broader field than that.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Bishop's book is a great way to start getting into machine learning",
          "reason": "Called a great way to start learning machine learning.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment notes AI is broader than machine learning.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13901031,
          "author": "JamilD",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T12:47:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13901031",
          "commentText": "Firstly, I don't think you can dive straight into coding without understanding the fundamentals. AI is such a broad and rich field, and there's a lot you need to know before you start.\nIt also depends on what you're going to focus on. Are you looking to implement a game-playing agent? An object recognition algorithm? More of a logic focus?\nIf you just want Deep Learning and statistical methods, then Bishop's Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning is a good start. Otherwise, Russel and Norvig's Artificial Intelligence or Patrick Winston's similarly titled book are great starting points. For more big-picture stuff,\nMarvin Minsky's Society of Mind is great, and Hofstader's Gödel, Escher, Bach is a classic too. Both are a lot less practical though, which seems to be what you're looking for.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bishop's Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning is a good start",
          "reason": "Recommended as a good start for learning deep learning and statistical methods.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13900898,
          "author": "krosaen",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T12:01:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13900898",
          "commentText": "Some on this thread have recommended Norvig's PAIP, but that's kind of an old school AI book in that it focuses on heuristic search and logic (implementing prolog in lisp at one point, very impressive stuff actually); but is lacking any coverage of statistical machine learning, which is the approach that underlies most of the cool stuff these days. It's still a great book, but I'd instead recommend a path that focuses on machine learning:\n- The Master Algorithm: made for a general audience, gives you a lay of the land\n- Python Machine Learning by Sebastian Raschka: gives you practical skills using python, scikit-learn, numpy, jupyter notebooks, pandas etc. From zero to kaggle in 4 chapters, goes deeper after that. Also goes into enough theory you aren't flying completely blind.\nAfter that, I'm afraid I think you do need to go \"academic\", if by that you mean learning some of the underlying math to approach AI / ML from a more rigorous probabilistic perspective. I'd recommend studying probability theory and then working your way through Bishop's Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning. After that a lot more doors open up too more specialized topics like computer vision, reinforcement learning etc.\nI've written up a lot more about this here:\nhttp://karlrosaen.com/ml/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bishop's Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning",
          "reason": "Recommended after probability theory for a more rigorous, probabilistic approach to AI and machine learning.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Suggested after studying probability theory.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9045612,
          "author": "Yadi",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-13T17:38:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 9044833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I have $2k for books, training and confs. What should I spend it on?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9045612",
          "commentText": "I would buy and look into the following books:\n# HTTP: The Definitive Guide - O'Reilly Media\n# Algorithms by Sedgewick\n# Introduction to Algorithms by Cormen.\nCheck out some Machine Learning books:\n# Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning\n# Computer Networks (5th Edition)\nI would look at the following book if you wanted more Q&A and interview questions:\n# Cracking the Coding Interview: 150 Programming Questions ...\nTutorial memberships:\n# I would buy a Tuts+ account, they have been very slow in releasing new content (too bad), however they have lots of great Web Development stuff.\nI would read some other non-technical books:\n# Hackers & Painters: Big Ideas from the Computer Age by Paul Graham\n# The Hard Thing About Hard Things by  Ben Horowitz\n# The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book That Will Change The Way You Do Business by Clayton M. Christenen,\n# Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman\n# How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie\nIf you wanted to understand some Cloud stuff, look into the Whitepapers from Amazon Web Services:\n# https://aws.amazon.com/whitepapers/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8795332,
          "author": "autokad",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T03:36:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795332",
          "commentText": "let me know if you guys find better replacements, but this is what I got on my list:\nO'Reilly - Scott Murray - Interactive Data Visualization for the Web\nData Visualization with D3.js Cookbook\nA First Course in Probability\nRails AntiPatterns - Best Practice Ruby on Rails Refactoring\nBayesian Data Analysis Andrew Gelma\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nCode Complete\nBishop - Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning\nO'Reilly Mining The Social Web",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bishop - Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8106928,
          "author": "tdubhro1",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:13:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106928",
          "commentText": "Buddhism: Not Always So, and anything else by Shunryu Suzuki, What Buddha Taught, by Rahula\nSmarter: A Mathematical Bridge by Stephen Hewson, it will make you grok the real structure of mathematics even if you're starting with fairly basic undergraduate level math, and it will make it immensely easier to tackle new areas of mathematics.\nPattern recognition and machine learning by Bishop\nPopular: Coders at Work, Founders at Work, Behind the Cloud",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pattern recognition and machine learning by Bishop",
          "reason": "Listed as a suggestion in response to a request for reading suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2415350,
          "author": "jdj",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T15:06:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2415350",
          "commentText": "Also Bishop is much harder to read, so for a first introduction I think that Mitchell is good. There are some chapters on theoretical learning that you can skip, but I do think that it is good for a first overview of the field.\nThis is the first time I hear about Marsland's book, so I can't comment on that.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Bishop is much harder to read",
          "reason": "Says it is harder to read than Mitchell's book.",
          "audience": "Readers comparing machine learning introductions.",
          "caveat": "The parent comment describes it as deep but narrower in coverage.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414607,
          "author": "deong",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T11:00:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414607",
          "commentText": "The Mitchell book is definitely showing its age these days. It's not terrible, but anyone thinking of buying it should be aware that it is a broad but shallow tour of machine learning as it stood 15 years ago, and machine learning as a field has changed significantly since then. Most notably, there has been something of a Bayesian revolution that Mitchell basically ignores (understandable since the book predates it).\nDon't take this as a recommendation, because I haven't read it, but Stephen Marsland's Machine Learning book appears from a glance at the table of contents to be a much more modern attempt to provide the same type of coverage as Mitchell. But again, I can't speak to its quality.\nChris Bishop's Pattern Recognition book is also very good, but it's not the same sort of book. Bishop is exhaustively deep on the narrower range of ML that he covers, but you won't get the same sort of coverage of the wider view of the field.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Chris Bishop's Pattern Recognition book is also very good, but it's not the same sort of book.",
          "reason": "Calls it very good, while noting its scope differs from Mitchell's.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Covers a narrower range of machine learning topics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 79627,
          "author": "mriley",
          "createdAt": "2007-11-14T02:45:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 79359,
          "threadTitle": "Can anyone recommend good books, articles or essays that introduce machine learning?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=79627",
          "commentText": "I didn't particularly like the WEKA book, but Bishop's book is excellent. \nIf you're interested in introductory data mining stuff, I would recommend Tan's Introduction to Data Mining: http://www-users.cs.umn.edu/~kumar/dmbook/index.php",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bishop's book is excellent.",
          "reason": "Calls the book excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 79563,
          "author": "queensnake",
          "createdAt": "2007-11-13T23:17:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 79359,
          "threadTitle": "Can anyone recommend good books, articles or essays that introduce machine learning?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=79563",
          "commentText": "I disagree wrt Mitchell; too dry and out-of-date. In its place I'd recommend the Norvig book which covers everything Mitchell does (IIRC) except 'Probably Approximately Correct' (PAC) learning. And, it's more up-to-date (Support Vector Machines) and is much more readable. Also, I haven't read it except a flip-through at a bookstore, but Christopher Bishop's one I'd look at (perhaps the Amazon comments).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Christopher Bishop's one I'd look at",
          "reason": "Says they would consider the book, but has only skimmed it in a bookstore.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it beyond a bookstore flip-through.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 79491,
          "author": "cschmidt",
          "createdAt": "2007-11-13T20:59:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 79359,
          "threadTitle": "Can anyone recommend good books, articles or essays that introduce machine learning?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=79491",
          "commentText": "If you want a fairly easy read without too many equations, try:\nData Mining: Practical Machine Learning Tools and Techniques (Second Edition)\nhttp://www.cs.waikato.ac.nz/~ml/weka/book.html\nWhich goes nicely with the Weka open source ML toolkit\nhttp://www.cs.waikato.ac.nz/ml/weka/\n(although it is a good read without the toolkit)\nIf you want a bit more math, I really like the recent (Oct 2007) book:\nPattern Recognition and Machine Learning\nby Christopher M. Bishop \nhttp://www.amazon.com/Pattern-Recognition-Learning-Informati... (http://www.amazon.com/Pattern-Recognition-Learning-Information-Statistics/dp/0387310738)\nIt is nicely self contained, going through all the stats you'll need.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really like the recent (Oct 2007) book:\nPattern Recognition and Machine Learning\nby Christopher M. Bishop",
          "reason": "Recommended as a self-contained introduction covering the needed statistics.",
          "audience": "Readers who want more mathematics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher M. Bishop"
      ],
      "recommenders": 13,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "machine learning",
        "pattern recognition",
        "probability",
        "statistics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-tipping-point-3f2070",
      "title": "The Tipping Point",
      "author": "Malcolm Gladwell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23858921,
          "author": "schnevets",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:48:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858921",
          "commentText": "The Design of Everyday Things\nWays of Seeing\nThe Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783593,
          "author": "fmax30",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:59:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783593",
          "commentText": "I had read zero books by April 2015.\nHave read the following since then.\n1. 1984 by Orwell\n2. Animal Farm by Orwell\n3. 40 Rules of Love by Elif Shafak\n4. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline\n5. The Man in the high castle by Philip k Dic\n6. Tuesdays with morrie by Mitch Albom\n7. Broken Verses by Kamila Shamsie\n8. The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell\n9. Veronica Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho\n10. The Little Prince by antoine saint exupery\n11. A Monster calls by Patrick ness\nBooks that I am currently reading very very slowly ( 1-3 chapters per week )\n1. The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking\n2. The Wind Up Bird Chronicles by Murakami (I am really enjoying the slow reading here)\n3. Zen and art of motorcycle by Robert Pirsig\nEdit: Formatting",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "8. The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5865753,
          "author": "Sealy",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-12T00:49:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 5859004,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5865753",
          "commentText": "Other books that I've found helpful are the many socioeconomics books out there:\nMalcolm Gladwell - Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers\nTim Harford - The Undercover Economist\nNassim Taleb - The Black Swan\nI enjoyed the Steve Jobs book too, I liked the fact that he believed in what he was working on (no matter how crazy or disruptive) and saw so much beauty in perfection. There's a lot we can learn from his persistence and attitude towards persevering in the face of failure.\nAnd for entertainment, I like profound books: The Alchemist, The Little Prince",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Malcolm Gladwell - Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers",
          "reason": "Included among other books the commenter says they found helpful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752666,
          "author": "ohashi",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T13:22:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752666",
          "commentText": "I am also reading Fooled by Randomness right now, enjoying it a lot.  Black Swan was good.  I didn't like outliers very much.  Tipping Point and Blink were more interesting to me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tipping Point and Blink were more interesting to me.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it more interesting than Outliers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240850,
          "author": "trotzke",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T06:28:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240850",
          "commentText": "On my desk:\nGetting Real (37Signals),\nHardball (Chris Mathews),\nPrioritizing Web Usability (Jakob Nielsen)\nNearby shelf:\nThe Design of Everyday Things,\nMaverick,\nFounders at work,\nA Brief History of Time,\nA Pattern Language,\nPeopleware,\nMade to stick,\nWeb Standards Solutions,\nDesigning Interactions,\nThe Pragmatic Programmer,\nThe Mythical Man-Month,\nOh, the Places You'll Go!\nOther good reads:\nBlink,\nTipping Point,\nLong Tail,\nFreakonomics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tipping Point,",
          "reason": "Listed among other good reads in response to a request for recommended books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 193538,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-18T19:25:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 193308,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What books on marketing do you recomend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=193538",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed reading this book, but:\n(1) some of its arguments have been regularly refuted; for instance, \"the power of context\" and \"broken windows\".\n(2) I've never heard a story about any real business using the \"lessons\" of this book to accomplish a marketing objective.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed reading this book, but:",
          "reason": "Enjoyed the book, while questioning some of its arguments and practical relevance.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says some arguments have been refuted and questions whether businesses have used its lessons successfully.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 193363,
          "author": "danielrhodes",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-18T14:26:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 193308,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What books on marketing do you recomend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=193363",
          "commentText": "Tipping Point",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tipping Point",
          "reason": "Offered as a title in response to a request for marketing book recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for marketing books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 192386,
          "author": "Prrometheus",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-17T01:09:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=192386",
          "commentText": "I thought \"The Tipping Point\" was a little bit fluffy.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "\"The Tipping Point\" was a little bit fluffy.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter found it a little fluffy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 138005,
          "author": "larryfreeman",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-16T05:32:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=138005",
          "commentText": "1) Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell (very interesting ideas)\n2) Innovator's Dilemma (for understanding what can work well)\n3) Inside Intuit (for a great business story)\n4) Eric Sink on the Business of Software",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell (very interesting ideas)",
          "reason": "The commenter calls its ideas very interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56965,
          "author": "axiom",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T17:40:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56965",
          "commentText": "There is definitely some of that. After all the book is targeted towards a popular audience. But that being said there are a couple of remarkably original ideas.\nFor example, going from least to most intersting:\n1. Statistically speaking a child is much more likely to drown in a swimming pool than be killed by a gun (of course, corrected for socioeconomic status and all the standard stuff.) Yet we see countless campaigns against gun violence with the argument that x number of kids get killed due to guns, and none for \"swimming pool safety\" or a host of other things that are far more likely to kill you.\n2. There is a study of a daycare center where a problem they were dealing with was parents picking up kids late. So the daycare instituted fines. The result was more parents picking up their kids late. Why? because after conducting interviews they found that the guilt associated with being late was more of a motivator than the small fine. Having paid the fine, the parents no longer felt as bad about being late. That's a very conterintuitive result if you ask me.\n3. The famous abortion-crime link. The idea being that the legalization of abortion in the 70s is what caused the massive decrease in violent crime in the 90s. Very convincingly argued. And certainly presents a better theory than The Tipping Point.\nAnyway. There's more where that came from.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "presents a better theory than The Tipping Point",
          "reason": "Says the abortion-crime theory is better than the one in this book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9615,
          "author": "chendy",
          "createdAt": "2007-04-06T16:21:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 9614,
          "threadTitle": "What books have you found to be helpful in starting your business?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9615",
          "commentText": "I'm trying to get some recommendations for books that might be helpful for a web startup.  Personally, I have really found \"The Tipping Point\" by Malcolm Gladwell and \"Getting Real\" by the 37signals folks to be really helpful.  I've read lots of great articles via news.YC, and I'm hoping you can all recommend some good offline reading as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I have really found \"The Tipping Point\" by Malcolm Gladwell and \"Getting Real\" by the 37signals folks to be really helpful.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it has been really helpful for starting a business.",
          "audience": "People starting a web startup",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5725,
          "author": "nostrademons",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T17:07:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5725",
          "commentText": "My list, categorized:\nBusiness & Management\n1. Innovator's Dilemma and Innovator's Solution by Clayton Christensen\n2. Built to Last and Good to Great by Jim Collins.  Built to Last is more applicable for startups.\n3. Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks.  Anyone who has to manage a team of programmers and hasn't read this will fail utterly, unless they've already failed before (or been on a failing team).  There's a lot that's counterintuitive about software project management.\n4. Peter Drucker's work.  Kinda long and repetitive, but some good insights.\nMarketing\n1. All Marketers are Liars by Seth Godin.  I like this better than Purple Cow, Guerilla Marketer's Handbook, and The Big Red Fez.  Most of those have fairly obvious stuff.\n2. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell\n3. Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore\nTechnical\n1. Building Scalable Websites by Cal Henderson\n2. High Performance MySQL by Jeremy Zawodny\n3. Pragmatic Programmer by...well, it's mentioned elsewhere here.\nThere are lots of other technical books I like, but most of them aren't directly relevant to the startup I'm building",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell",
          "reason": "Listed as a helpful book in response to a request for startup book recommendations.",
          "audience": "Startup founders",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5706,
          "author": "bhb",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T16:11:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5706",
          "commentText": "\"The Long Tail\" is definitely worth reading, although I sort of felt it was a topic that only deserved a long essay expanded into an entire book. Then again, I felt the same way about \"The Tipping Point\" - interesting idea and points, but it probably could have made just as big an impact in a book half the size.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Then again, I felt the same way about \"The Tipping Point\" - interesting idea and points, but it probably could have made just as big an impact in a book half the size.",
          "reason": "Finds the ideas interesting but thinks the book could have been half as long.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter felt the book was longer than necessary.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5627,
          "author": "vo0do0",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T05:43:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5627",
          "commentText": "- Tipping point (creates a urgency feeling)\n- Built to last (tips and best practices)\n- Blink (helps not to waste ideas, shows how your first impressions/thoughts could be useful)\n- Phylosophy Books (Republic and Politics) - you can understand and have good insights about this social networking and community fever moment.\nAnything you could read regarding usability, interfaces and scalability would help a lot when dealing with low money web2 related startups. \nTo know about extreme programming would be very good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tipping point (creates a urgency feeling)",
          "reason": "Listed as helpful for creating a sense of urgency.",
          "audience": "Startup founders",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5596,
          "author": "domp",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T03:19:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5596",
          "commentText": "I really liked \"The Tipping Point\". Anything by Malcolm Gladwell I would have to recommend.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really liked \"The Tipping Point\".",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really liked it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5574,
          "author": "python_kiss",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T02:11:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5574",
          "commentText": "About 14 months ago, I had little knowledge of how to execute a startup. In particular, I wasn't familiar with any online marketing tactics. The following books helped me a lot in that respective, and more:\n\n1. Positioning, 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing/Branding, Focus, Marketing Warfare\n2. Purple Cow, All Marketers are Liars, Permission Marketing (I didn't like \"The Big Moo\", \"Free prize inside\" or \"Small is the new Big\").\n3. Founters At Work\n4. Wikinomics, Wisdom of Crowds, The Tipping Point (Blink! was alright). I am looking forward to reading \"The Long Tail\" and \"The starfish and the spider\"...has anyone read them yet?\n6. Why We Buy\n7. Hackers and Painters\n8. The E-Myth revisited\n9. The Art of the Start\n10. On War, The Art of War by Machiavelli and Sun Tzu (not exactly for startups, but definitely useful)\n11. Crossing the Chasm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Tipping Point",
          "reason": "Listed among books that helped the commenter learn startup execution and online marketing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Malcolm Gladwell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 13,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Society",
        "Psychology",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "social epidemics",
        "marketing",
        "word of mouth",
        "social trends"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "information-theory-inference-and-learning-algorithms-147763",
      "title": "Information Theory, Inference and Learning Algorithms",
      "author": "David J. C. MacKay",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31710623,
          "author": "nextos",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-12T02:14:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31710623",
          "commentText": "I work in that area :)\nThe skills needed will vary a lot. Hence my concern about studying H&H. It's a good idea, as real analysis is the foundation. But it will take too much of your time to get to something useful. Probably you should try to learn more applied material in parallel and let both threads merge in the future.\nFor maximum likelihood, you need to learn convex optimization right after real analysis. The canonical reference is [1], but there's also a very simple and pragmatic linear algebra textbook by the same author that also covers some of the optimization basics [2]. This might be a good entry point, certainly easier than Spivak or H&H. There's also [3,4], which you probably know about. These are great and emphasize the modeling part. Maximum likelihood (via EM) is in the appendix, and you don't really need to know a lot of math to get going.\nIf you prefer a Bayesian or a variational point of view, modeling is the really important part. MCMC and message passing algorithms tend to be reused. For high level modeling of study results (e.g. differential expression on complicated designs), Gelman's Stan books [5] are a delight to learn from. If you need to roll your own custom inference, you should learn about graphical data structures such as factor graphs [6,7]. Here, knowhow from H&H is also required.\n[1] https://web.stanford.edu/~boyd/cvxbook/\n[2] https://web.stanford.edu/~boyd/vmls/\n[3] http://eddylab.org/cupbook.html\n[4] https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/problems-and-solutions-... (https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/problems-and-solutions-in-biological-sequence-analysis/38C7399A53970CF4B4499EA036074F35)\n[5] http://www.stat.columbia.edu/~gelman/books/\n[6] http://web4.cs.ucl.ac.uk/staff/D.Barber/pmwiki/pmwiki.php?n=... (http://web4.cs.ucl.ac.uk/staff/D.Barber/pmwiki/pmwiki.php?n=Brml.HomePage)\n[7] https://www.inference.org.uk/mackay/itila/book.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://www.inference.org.uk/mackay/itila/book.html",
          "reason": "Suggested for learning graphical data structures such as factor graphs when building custom inference.",
          "audience": "Readers implementing custom inference and learning about factor graphs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30828547,
          "author": "billfruit",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T08:45:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30828547",
          "commentText": "Some books from a few different domains which may be of the type OP is asking for:\n1. The Trivium: The Liberal Arts of Logic, Grammar, and Rhetoric : Understanding the Nature and Function of Language by Sister Miriam Joseph.\n2. Introduction to Logic by Irving Copi.\n3. Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective by Randall Bryant and others.\n5. Prolog Programming by Ivan Bratko.\n6. Information Theory, Inference and Learning Algorithms by David MacKay\n7. Geometry by Brennan.\n8. Understanding Poetry by Robert Penn Warren and Cleanth Brookes",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Information Theory, Inference and Learning Algorithms by David MacKay",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20678109,
          "author": "buckminster",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T18:02:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20678109",
          "commentText": "You can find video of MacKay's lectures covering parts of the book online. I'm more of a reader but I really enjoyed them. And the book is excellent.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "And the book is excellent.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly calls the book excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20677727,
          "author": "jsinai",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T17:32:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20677727",
          "commentText": "I second this as well! ITILA is not just outstanding but offers a timeless perspective to statistical and uncertainty modeling, not to mention information theory which is often understudied in this field (including by myself).\nAs the parent poster says, this field moves fast but this book will give a solid grounding.\nEven though the treatment on neural networks is short, the beginning chapters are worthwhile. The chapter one random variables and probability is one of the best introductions to probabilistic modeling which I’ve seen.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I second this as well! ITILA is not just outstanding but offers a timeless perspective to statistical and uncertainty modeling",
          "reason": "The commenter endorses the book for its perspective on statistical modeling and information theory.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in statistical modeling and information theory, including in machine learning.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that the neural network treatment is short.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20676335,
          "author": "thelastbender12",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T15:31:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20676335",
          "commentText": "second the Mackay book recommendation! It is a lovely text with a ton of examples, good reference for a senior course on applied probability.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "second the Mackay book recommendation!",
          "reason": "Seconded the recommendation and praised the book as a useful applied probability text.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for examples and a reference for a senior applied probability course.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20674977,
          "author": "phonebucket",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T12:56:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20674977",
          "commentText": "It is a little old given how quickly the field moves, but 'Information Theory, Inference and Learning Algorithms' has a chapter on neural networks. It is an outstanding book: a labour of love from a very smart person. The exercises are varied, explanations are great, there's a sprinkling of humour, and connections drawn between multiple fields of study. Moreover, it is freely available from the author's website: http://www.inference.org.uk/itprnn/book.html\nHave you considered giving Goodfellow another shot, but trying to re-derive the results therein as a form of exercise? I think that would likely be one of the faster methods to bring yourself reasonably up to date with the field.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Information Theory, Inference and Learning Algorithms' has a chapter on neural networks. It is an outstanding book: a labour of love from a very smart person.",
          "reason": "Calls it outstanding and praises its exercises, explanations, humor, and cross-disciplinary connections.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A little old given how quickly the field moves.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12067228,
          "author": "balnaphone",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-10T20:55:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12067228",
          "commentText": "\"The Art of Profitability\" by Adrian Slywotzky\n\"The Myth of the Rational Voter\" by Bryan Caplan\n\"Fanatical Prospecting\" by Jeb Blount\n\"Fooling Some of the People All of the Time\" by David Einhorn\n\"Confidence Game\" by Christine Richard\n\"Mouth Matters; How Your Mouth Ages Your Body and What YOU Can Do About It\" by Carol Vander Stoep\n\"Adventures in Stochastic Processes\" by Sidney & Resnick\n\"The Great Deformation\" by David Stockman\n\"Efficient Electrical Systems Design Handbook\" by Thumann & Franz\n\"The Goal\" by Eliyahu Goldratt\n\"Notes on Discrete Mathematics\" by Miguel Lerma\n\"Stochastic Calculus with Infinitesimals\" by Frederik S. Herzberg\n\"Information Theory, Inference, and Learning Algorithms\" by David Mackay\n\"Coming Apart\" by Charles Murray\n\"The Collapse of Complex Societies\" by Joseph Tainter\n\"In Other Words: The Science And Psychology Of Second-language Acquisition\" by Ellen Bialystok and Kenji Hakuta",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Information Theory, Inference, and Learning Algorithms\" by David Mackay",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9612744,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T17:01:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9612744",
          "commentText": "The Law - Frédéric Bastiat. http://bastiat.org/en/the_law.html\nCapitalism - A Treatise on Economics - George Reisman.  http://www.capitalism.net/Capitalism/CAPITALISM_Internet.pdf\nThe Works of Lysander Spooner.  http://lysanderspooner.org/node/2\nThe Machinery of Freedom David Friedman. - http://daviddfriedman.com/The_Machinery_of_Freedom_.pdf\nDemocratizing Innovation - Eric Von Hippel. http://web.mit.edu/evhippel/www/democ1.htm\nThe Sources of Innovation - Eric Von Hippel. http://web.mit.edu/evhippel/www/sources.htm\nIntroduction to Information Retrieval - http://nlp.stanford.edu/IR-book/html/htmledition/irbook.html\nInformation Theory, Inference, and Learning Algorithms - David MacKay.  http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/itprnn/book.html\nIntroduction to Cybernetics - William Ross Ashby. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/books/IntroCyb.pdf\n\"Man-Computer Symbiosis\" and \"The Computer As A Communication Device\" - J.C.R. Licklider. http://memex.org/licklider.pdf\nDesign For A Brain - William Ross Ashby. https://archive.org/details/designforbrainor00ashb\nThe Writings of Douglas Engelbart. http://www.dougengelbart.org/library/library.html\nand if you like maths, don't miss this great list of free maths texts by George Cain:  https://people.math.gatech.edu/~cain/textbooks/onlinebooks.h... (https://people.math.gatech.edu/~cain/textbooks/onlinebooks.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Information Theory, Inference, and Learning Algorithms - David MacKay.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7580174,
          "author": "ced",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-13T04:01:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7580174",
          "commentText": "David Mackay's Information Theory, Inference and Learning algorithms doesn't cover everything, but it ties up a lot of important topics.\nhttp://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/mackay/itila/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "David Mackay's Information Theory, Inference and Learning algorithms doesn't cover everything, but it ties up a lot of important topics.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it ties together many important topics, while noting it does not cover everything.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Doesn't cover everything.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 665428,
          "author": "pz",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T16:34:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665428",
          "commentText": "i second the David MacKay recommendation.  its a real pleasure to read. for me personally, his coverage of the fundamentals of information theory was amazing. the proofs are easy to follow and explained well so you can match the intuition to formula.\ni'd also like to recommend Boyd & Vanderberghe's book on Convex Optimization (available here http://www.stanford.edu/~boyd/cvxbook/).  This is maybe a little less fun but very deep and still well written and 'illustrated'.\nMy background is in ML and I came to realize over time that a lot of ML is just statistics and optimization theory rehashed by computer scientist.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "i second the David MacKay recommendation.  its a real pleasure to read.",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the recommendation and calls it a pleasure to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 665108,
          "author": "caffeine",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T13:53:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665108",
          "commentText": "Hi - I was in a similar situation a year ago (starting a Master's in ML, feeling crappy at math).  What worked for me was:\n- Studying is doing problems.  Reading is not studying.  When studying, read the minimum amount necessary to complete the problem.  Do all problems CLOSED-book: no notes or reading while doing problems.\n- A problem is not understood until you can do it on a blank piece of paper two days after reading the relevant material (so do problems several times to check).\n- Study machine learning problems that use the math.  The examples in math text books are pretty useless to you - do ML problems directly. When you don't get it, look the math up quickly in a reference book (A.E.M. by Kreyszig works), as much as needed to complete the problem, and move on.\n- Implement regularly.  Once you've done the problems concerning an algorithm or technique, implement it.  Make sure your implementation is correct, and spend some effort making it quick.  Read source code for other people's implementations.\nThis method is effective (for me) because I like programming and machine learning, I don't like math textbooks or the problems within, and I can't remember what I haven't solved.\nBook recommendation:  David MacKay's (free) book: Information Theory, Inference and Learning Algorithms (http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/mackay/itila/)\n- Enjoyable: not terse or uptight, engaging reading.\n- Problem-focused: the text is really explanations between interesting problems.  The problems are spread throughout the text rather than bunched at the end - this is a huge advantage.\n- Deep and unifying: You don't get this perspective often.  Helps you think about AI/ML from a strong theoretical perspective.  Will give you lots of \"Aha!\" moments.\n- Math: Plenty of math, but not unnecessarily difficult.  The practice you'll get doing these problems will serve you in other situations.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Book recommendation:  David MacKay's (free) book: Information Theory, Inference and Learning Algorithms",
          "reason": "Calls it enjoyable, problem-focused, deep, and unifying, and says it supports theoretical thinking about AI and ML.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in AI and machine learning.",
          "caveat": "Contains plenty of math, though the commenter says it is not unnecessarily difficult.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 665079,
          "author": "lkozma",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T13:38:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665079",
          "commentText": "You could read Gilbert Strang's Linear Algebra books, there are also video lectures available...\nGelman's Bayesian Data Analysis is a good statistical intro with a Bayesian bend,\nmaybe Freedman's Statistical models,\nread some general machine learning intro book, such as Alpaydin or Bishop for a more probabilistic view.\nFor NLP especially, you'll need some information theory. Maybe start with MacKay's Information Theory, Inference, etc. (it is freely available online), very entertaining and accessible book and you can follow the pointers there for more details.\nFor general data mining and machine learning you need some basics of optimization, pick up any standard book on convex optimization to get an idea of the basic problems and methods.\nthat's it at a first try :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "MacKay's Information Theory, Inference, etc.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a starting point for information theory; described as entertaining and accessible.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in NLP.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 79625,
          "author": "mriley",
          "createdAt": "2007-11-14T02:40:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 79359,
          "threadTitle": "Can anyone recommend good books, articles or essays that introduce machine learning?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=79625",
          "commentText": "I'll second this recommendation - I bought the printed copy, and I'm constantly going to it for reference. The fact that it's available for free is just an added bonus.\nI would also suggest Elements of Statistical Learning: http://www-stat.stanford.edu/~tibs/ElemStatLearn/\nAs well as Duda, Hart, and Stork's Pattern Classification: http://rii.ricoh.com/~stork/DHS.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'll second this recommendation - I bought the printed copy, and I'm constantly going to it for reference.",
          "reason": "Seconding the recommendation and says they regularly use the book for reference.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 79429,
          "author": "pcowans",
          "createdAt": "2007-11-13T19:20:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 79359,
          "threadTitle": "Can anyone recommend good books, articles or essays that introduce machine learning?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=79429",
          "commentText": "Information Theory, Inference and Learning Algorithms by David MacKay is excellent, and freely available online.\nhttp://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/mackay/itila/book.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Information Theory, Inference and Learning Algorithms by David MacKay is excellent, and freely available online.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it excellent and notes it is freely available online.",
          "audience": "People seeking an introduction to machine learning.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David J. C. MacKay"
      ],
      "recommenders": 13,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "information theory",
        "machine learning",
        "bayesian inference",
        "probabilistic modeling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sophie-s-world-3aa20a",
      "title": "Sophie's World",
      "author": "Jostein Gaarder",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42219449,
          "author": "ilyaivanov",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T06:05:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42219449",
          "commentText": "I like reading Sophie's World by \nJostein Gaarder. It is an introduction to philosophy in an interesting way.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I like reading Sophie's World by \nJostein Gaarder.",
          "reason": "Says they like reading it and calls it an introduction to philosophy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12245070,
          "author": "XVII",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T02:16:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12245070",
          "commentText": "Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder. Gave me my first glimpses of philosophy at a young age and allowed me to get some perspective on my place in life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gave me my first glimpses of philosophy at a young age and allowed me to get some perspective on my place in life.",
          "reason": "Credits it with introducing philosophy and providing perspective on their place in life.",
          "audience": "Young readers beginning to explore philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12070961,
          "author": "veddox",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T13:42:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12070961",
          "commentText": "\"Mr Penumbra's 24 hour bookstore\" - Robin Sloan (a brilliant mix of history, mystery, humour and technology)\n\"The Cuckoo's Egg\" - Clifford Stoll (it really is as good as they always say ;-) )\n\"Winnie the Pooh\" - A.A. Milne (delightful, not only for children)\n\"Sofie's World\" - Jostein Gaarder (a novel about the history of philosophy)\nseveral Discworld novels - Terry Pratchett (a series that manages to satirize fantasy and real life at the same time)\n... as well as a few others, but those were the best.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a novel about the history of philosophy",
          "reason": "Listed among the best books of the period; describes it as a novel about philosophy's history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12069616,
          "author": "Lordarminius",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T08:21:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12069616",
          "commentText": "> Sophie's world (Jostein Gaarder)\nA mindbender. I have fond memories of that book.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A mindbender. I have fond memories of that book.",
          "reason": "Recalls it fondly and describes it as a mindbender.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12069367,
          "author": "klez",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T07:15:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12069367",
          "commentText": "Not in order\n1 - Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n2 - The Trial (Franz Kafka)\n3 - Beyond the door (Philip K Dick - short story)\n4 - The eyes have it (Philip K Dick - short story)\n5 - Seven brief lessons on Physics (Carlo Rovelli)\n6 - I have no mouth, and I must scream (Herlan Ellison - short story)\n7 - The art of simplicity (Dominique Loreau)\n8 - On anarchism (Noam Chomsky)\n9 - The difference engine (William Gibson, Bruce Sterling)\n10 - Utopia (Thomas More)\n11 - Sophie's world (Jostein Gaarder)\n12 - Rete padrona (Federico Rampini - essays about the 'dark side' of the corporate web)\n13 - The art of discarding (Nagisa Tatsumi)\n14 - Symposium (Plato)\nAnd a couple of very short philosophy booklets by Zizek (about the Matrix) and Baudrillard (about 'cyberphilosophy')",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Sophie's world (Jostein Gaarder)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4772331,
          "author": "gadders",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-12T11:00:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 4770238,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fiction books that entertain and educate?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4772331",
          "commentText": "Sophie's World: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophies_World\nAtlas Shrugged.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sophie's World:",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1507314,
          "author": "SkyMarshal",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-12T09:31:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1507314",
          "commentText": "Granted it doesn't delve deep and is just a broad overview couched in a fun story, but do you know of better books that gives a chronological history of the development of philosophy?\nSome things I find useful to understand how they developed, in what chronological order, philosophy especially.  Much of philosophy is a response to preceding ideas, and it helps to understand it all if you start at the beginning and work your way forward to present day, rather than read disjointed segments of it out of context from how it developed.\nI'm sure there's something better than Sophie's World for that, I just don't know what it is.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'm sure there's something better than Sophie's World for that, I just don't know what it is.",
          "reason": "Uses it as a broad overview and asks for better books on philosophy's chronological development.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a chronological introduction to philosophy.",
          "caveat": "Says it does not delve deeply and is couched in a fun story; seeks a better alternative.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1504007,
          "author": "danohuiginn",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T17:31:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1504007",
          "commentText": "Why not?\nDo you consider it misleading, or just too simplistic? If the former, fair enough (though I'd love to hear details; I quite enjoyed Sophie). If the latter: I'm a big fan of light overviews. You can always go deeper into the areas you find interesting, whereas it's easy to get lost if you dive straight into the in-depth stuff.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I quite enjoyed Sophie",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed it and favors light overviews as a way into subjects.",
          "audience": "Readers who want an accessible overview before exploring topics in depth.",
          "caveat": "The comment is responding to a concern that the book may be too simplistic.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503697,
          "author": "steveplace",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T14:42:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503697",
          "commentText": "Sophie's World is by far the best introduction to philosophy that you can read. It's presented in a narrative and the lessons are in conversation form. The plot is really good-- it goes very meta at the end.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sophie's World is by far the best introduction to philosophy that you can read.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best introduction to philosophy.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for an introduction to philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503560,
          "author": "igravious",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T12:51:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503560",
          "commentText": "It is with joy that I answer your question. And if I may be allowed to answer it philosophically. The books you find incredibly interesting may be the books the validate your worldview. There are many of these. The book you find eye-opening may be the books that open the door into the world of philosophy proper for you. There are not many of these because you only need to go through that door once I feel.\nAlso, I would observe that besides Ayn Rand (who for many is not a philosopher) not a single female philosopher has been mentioned here which I find is a damning indictment on the state of affairs of the world of ideas. To remedy that I would recommend to you read A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft or anything by De Beauvoir (and do ignore her contemporary Sartre for he was nothing but a windbag).\nI am delighted that you singled out Thomas Paine (who again is not a philosopher as such; must be something in the air in the States) and Arthur Schopenhauer. They are both tremendous stylists. I've said this many times before - I don't care how great a philosopher's ideas are, if they can't write well I don't want to know. Thus we have people here recommending Kripke or Frege or heck knows who like that who bludgeon you to death with their tedious logic. Avoid them I say.\nFinally I would like to be clichéd and recommend anything by Nietzsche except for Thus Spake Zarathustra even though he himself considered it his best work and I would especially recommend Ecce Homo by him because it is a summation of his previous works by his own hand. Nietzsche was the supreme stylist and ruthlessly honest and fearless. Also I'd recommend A Short Treatise on the Great Virtues by a contemporary philosopher André Comte-Sponville. This is a remarkable book on virtue theory that takes in Aristotle, Spinoza, Nietzsche and Woody Allen among others and is divided up by virtue which is extremely novel. It is fantastically written. Anything by Cioran as well such as The Trouble with Being Born. I'm trying not to typecast myself here! :)\nAnd finally finally Sophie's World and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance while nice cute books are not true philosophy books. This is also why I wouldn't recommend Camus' The Outsider though someone did mention The Myth of Sisyphus. Borges falls into this category. Sophie's world is really a kid's book as well and one that I would perhaps recommend to children though I'd recommend Borges or Camus or Kafka first.\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Vindication-Rights-Woman-Penguin-Cla... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vindication-Rights-Woman-Penguin-Classics/dp/0141441259)\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Second-Sex-Vintage-classics/dp/00997... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Second-Sex-Vintage-classics/dp/009974421X)\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Penguin-Great-Ideas-Suffering-World/... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Penguin-Great-Ideas-Suffering-World/dp/0141018941)\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Ecce-Homo-Becomes-Penguin-Classics/d... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ecce-Homo-Becomes-Penguin-Classics/dp/0140445153)\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Short-Treatise-Great-Virtues-Philoso... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Short-Treatise-Great-Virtues-Philosophy/dp/0099437988)\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Trouble-Being-Born-E-M-Cioran/dp/155... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Trouble-Being-Born-E-M-Cioran/dp/1559704624)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Sophie's World and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance while nice cute books are not true philosophy books.",
          "reason": "Says it is a nice, cute book but not a true philosophy book.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for philosophy books.",
          "caveat": "The comment says it may suit children and describes it as a kid's book.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503488,
          "author": "michael_dorfman",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T11:16:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503488",
          "commentText": "I think the quality of advice you're getting on this thread is very mixed.\nSome of the books mentioned are absolutely great-- like \"Being and Time\", or Husserl's \"Logical Investigations\"-- but incredibly difficult to read unprepared.  If you were ready to be reading them, you wouldn't be asking the question here.\nThe two books you mention in the question (Common Sense and \"On the Fourfold Root\") are both quite readable, as are a few of the primary texts mentioned in the responses (\"Existentialism is a Humanism\", \"Thus Spoke Zarathustra\") but in general, I'd have to suggest you stay away from primary texts at first.\nIn other words, begin by reading works about philosophy, rather than works of philosophy.\nA single-volume work on the history of philosophy will give you the broad scope (for example, Durant, or Russell, or \"Sophie's World\" if you prefer fiction), but will tend to turn the philosophers discussed into caricatures of themselves.\nYou mention that you are in school; I'd suggest you take a philosophy course or two, if you are interested in the field.  Having an experienced guide will definitely help.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Sophie's World\" if you prefer fiction",
          "reason": "Offered as an example of a one-volume history of philosophy, with a caveat that it can caricature the philosophers discussed.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an accessible overview of philosophy.",
          "caveat": "The comment says such overviews can turn philosophers into caricatures.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503481,
          "author": "darushimo",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T11:03:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503481",
          "commentText": "not to sound like an ass, but if you want to seriously deal with philosophy, don't waste your time with sophies world. or 'zen and the art of...' for that matter.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "don't waste your time with sophies world",
          "reason": "Says it is not a good use of time for someone seriously studying philosophy.",
          "audience": "Readers who want to study philosophy seriously.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503338,
          "author": "rmk",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T08:12:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503338",
          "commentText": "Sophie's world.\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophies_World\nIt's a great book that takes you on a whirlwind tour of the most famous philosophers and their thoughts.  What's more, it's woven into a suspense novel, so it keeps you reading!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sophie's world.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book that introduces famous philosophers and their ideas through a suspense novel.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in an accessible introduction to philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503277,
          "author": "SkyMarshal",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T07:28:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503277",
          "commentText": "Sophie's World is a fun novel and a map of the historical development of philosophy.\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophies_World\nThe first book on philosophy that both blew my hair back and made me realize philosophy is alot more than just academic was You Can Trust the Communists (to be Communists).\nhttp://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/50s/schwarz-cover.htm... (http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/50s/schwarz-cover.html)\nMy best friend in college was a Russian Jew whose family immigrated to US during the Cold War, and he kept that book on his coffee table.\nIt's the Yin to Howard Zinn's Yang - A People's History of the United States - which even though it's not philosophy is worth reading too.\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Peoples_History_of_the_United... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Peoples_History_of_the_United_States)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sophie's World is a fun novel and a map of the historical development of philosophy.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as fun and as a map of philosophy's historical development.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 877202,
          "author": "cojadate",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T17:25:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=877202",
          "commentText": "I would argue that Stephen King's 'It' should also have the status of a great novel.\nOne French critic wrote of 'It':\n«Ça» fonctionne parce que «Ça» fait peur. Pendant plus de mille pages – Jean-Pierre Dufreigne, L'Express\nTranslation: 'It' works because \"It\" scares. Throughout over one thousand pages.\nHow wrong can a critic be?\nYes the horror element is great but it's not why 'It' works at all, not for me anyway. For me 'It' works because of its insights into human nature – it's use of fantasy to look unflinchingly at human nature at it's worst and it's most beautiful, to do justice to a world that is full of both evil and goodness, because every story overlaps with other stories overlapping with other stories, just like real life, because it's a morally uncompromising book which presents no hard and fast rules of morality, because it portrays children and childhood accurately, because it shows us a world where abuse, neglect and apathy are rife, come in many forms, and can be perpetrated by people for all kinds of reasons, sometimes wilfully, sometimes from neediness, sometimes from a self-deluded sense of righteousness, sometimes from lack of knowing anything better. Because it also writes about the power of love and the deep bonds people share without a shred of sentimentality. Because it's a fantasy, and yet it shows our world perhaps more accurately than any story I've ever read, watched or heard.\nI particularly loved the theme of standing up to oppressors. Many stories have this element, but 'It' is so true to reality that the standing-up is more inspiring and powerful than in other works. Typically however, King has the wisdom to have a side-plot which shows how standing up to oppressors can go wrong, by way of brutal vigilantism and bloody revenge. It's this steadfast refusal to accept clichés and black-and-white worldviews of any kind which I particularly appreciate in King.\nI don't know, maybe the best thing about it is that makes a giant telepathic space turtle seem like a perfectly plausible part of a novel characterized by gritty realism.\nMy second, not entirely unrelated, nomination is 'Psychology is About People' by HJ Eysenck. This is half a century old so I am sure there are now many better books saying much the same thing. But for me it was the culmination of a train of thought, which started when I came across the quote \"wisest is she who knows she does not know\" in Jostein Gaarder's  Sophie's World  , which made me realize how little I know and how important it is to identify and question my own assumptions.\nPsychology is About People is an attack on fuzzy thinking in the fields of public policy-making, social science and, above all, psychology (Eysenck was himself a psychologist). He demonstrates that pyschotherapy, at least in his time, was little more than storytelling which, when held up to the hard light of the experimental method, was almost always proven false. Likewise, he attacks governments for basing their social policies on similarly unexamined assumptions. These fields, especially psychology have all come a long way since Eysenck's time but it's still very easy to spot the kind of fuzzy thinking and refusal-to-question-assumptions everywhere you look.\nI disagree with Eysenk in some of the conclusions he makes from his own research, but I think his general approach to knowledge and truth is fantastic. It certainly changed the way I think and has effected in me a permanent distaste for 'meta-narratives' of all kinds.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "in Jostein Gaarder's  Sophie's World",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876246,
          "author": "iang",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T07:25:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876246",
          "commentText": "Sophie's World - Jostein Gaarder\nLives - Hendrik van Loon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sophie's World - Jostein Gaarder",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86503,
          "author": "greg",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-06T04:25:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86503",
          "commentText": "How about...\nHow the mind works (Pinker)\nZen and the art of motorcycle maintenance (Pirsig)\nSophie's World (Gaarder)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sophie's World (Gaarder)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jostein Gaarder"
      ],
      "recommenders": 13,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "philosophy for beginners",
        "history of philosophy",
        "philosophical novel",
        "philosophy in fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "les-miserables-e316ce",
      "title": "Les Misérables",
      "author": "Victor Hugo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46396841,
          "author": "phtrivier",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T22:08:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46396841",
          "commentText": "I started the year with \"Right thing, right now\", and I'm ending it with \"wisdom takes work\" (R.Holiday), but I'm happy to say that I'm now a bit \"tired\" of re-reading the same rehashing of other people's book, and I want to read the original ones. Which, actually, is the pont.\nI wanted to read classics, and devoured \"The portrait of Dorian Gray\" (O.Wilde), where maybe 50% of all the \"as O.Wilde said...\" quotes seem to come from (uttered by a single, incredibly obnoxious character.)\nI challenged myself to read \"Les Miserables\" (V.Hugo), and actually managed to get two tomes out of five down. Eminently quotable, heavily skippable - why on earth spend half a time on describing the ins and out of Waterloo, except to show off ? - and, surprisingly, at times, _funny_.\nThe bio of Pierre Mendès France (J.Lacouture) was very much topical, given the mess in Franch politics. We had more PMs in one year than in a few chapters of the book. It's very weird to read that, at some point, some politicians were \"liked\" by the people - but lost power anyway.\nA small Edouard Phillipe book called \"Men who read\" almost made me like the guy - his next book is more serious and expected. It pains me to think that our next election is going to be about \"well read people who disappointed everyone\" vs \"popular jocks with no education who will end up disappointing everyone\".\n\"Abundance\" (E.Klein / D.Thompson) is an attempt from \"well read people\" to at least try and understand why everyone is disappointed and prefer the jocks. I don't think they included any solution in their book, though - maybe they save it for the sequel, or for E.Klein's presidential bid.\nI want to read all Stripe press - if only, because the covers rock, and they're optimistic. Started with \"Poor Charlie's Almanach\" (C.Munger), which a disappointing rehash of the same funny speech seven times. (Tldr : be multidisciplinary, study cognitive biases, don't trade). In the middle of \"The Origins of Efficiency \" (Potter)\n\"The Wave\" (Souleymane) was not optimistic. And not practical at all - sure, AI enabled drones carrying bioweapons will suck. \"The Age of predators\" (G. Da Empoli) reminds us that the AI enabled bioweapons carrying drones will come from an illiberal state enabled by billionaires from Silicon Valley, and Russian trolls. I wish someone told me where to go to avoid being targeted too early.\n\"Everything is tuberculosis\" (J. Greene) reminded me of a time when scientists were trying to solve problems as opposed to creating brand new ones - but at least the next generations won't die of boredom.\n\"We, programmers\" is a rehash of Uncle Bob's pre talks \"history of programming\". I loved the long and detailed parts about G.Hopper. He ends with a (failed) attempt to convince that programmers will still be needed in the age of AI.\nSteve Yegge's \"Vibe coding\" goes full \"resistance is futile\" about programming with agents, and, interestingly, ends up talking more about TDD than Uncle Bob - but the words \"electricity consumption\" and \"climate impact\" are not utured, because, why spoil the fun.\n\"The Common LISP cookbook\" tried to explain me the difference between ASDF, quicklisp and whatnot - 2025 was the closest year I ever go to actually writing something in LISP instead of reading books about it.\nAnd also, \"The baby is a mammal\" (M.Odent) and \"Becoming a dad for dummies\", because this year was probably the last one we're I'll get so much time to read :)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I challenged myself to read \"Les Miserables\" (V.Hugo), and actually managed to get two tomes out of five down.",
          "reason": "Found it quotable and sometimes funny, but heavily skippable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Read only two of five volumes and found the Waterloo section excessively long.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41769414,
          "author": "cambaceres",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T18:39:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41769414",
          "commentText": "I read The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and Les Misérables by Victor Hugo and I loved both of them, can recommend.\nSeveneves is an amazing book, just make sure you skip the last part.\nIf you are into history I can recommend The last days of the Incas by Kim MaqQuarrie, it's just an insanely interesting description on how the Incas was conquered, it feels like you're there man.\nIf you like evolutionary biology/phsycology then check out The Red Queen - Sex and the evolution of human Nature by Matt Ridley.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Les Misérables by Victor Hugo",
          "reason": "The commenter says they loved it and recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38238491,
          "author": "cesidio",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T08:39:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238491",
          "commentText": "Les Miserables by Victor Hugo",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Les Miserables by Victor Hugo",
          "reason": "Names the book they are reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26594202,
          "author": "stonecharioteer",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-26T16:45:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26594202",
          "commentText": "Monte Cristo is one of those novels you think will be slow because of its age and lengthy, but, like Les Miserables, it is highly readable and an intense page turner!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "like Les Miserables, it is highly readable and an intense page turner!",
          "reason": "Uses it as a comparison for a highly readable, intense novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467700,
          "author": "clairity",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:52:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467700",
          "commentText": "i recently re-read the wisdom of crowds, ~15 years now since i first read it. still good, still relevant. there's even a section on how quickly SARS was identified in international collaboration despite no central, coordinating entity.\nit's covertly a book about statistical reasoning, but with no dry statistical language, subversive in a way. we need more statistical reasoning in the world, particularly around risk assessment, to subdue fear and panic.\nedit: as for fiction,\njames clavell's asian saga[0] series is entertaining historical fiction, which i've read twice.\npat conroy's southern portraits, particularly the lords of discipline and the prince of tides, both wrenching, haunting, and beautiful.\nalso in the historical/cultural fiction realm: anna karenina, crime and punishment, a tale of two cities, les miserables.\n[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Asian_Saga",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "les miserables",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20917017,
          "author": "m_t",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T11:04:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20917017",
          "commentText": "Some links from Project Gutenberg:\nEssays, by Michel de Montaigne\nIn English (Vol. 1), https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3581\nIn French (Vol. 1), https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/48529\nMeditations, by Marcus Aurelius\nEnglish translation by George W. Chrystal, 1902 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/55317\nEnglish translation by George Long, 1957 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/15877\nLes Misérables, by Victor Hugo\nIn English (Full), https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/135\nIn French (Vol. 1), https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/17489\n20000 leagues under the sea, by Jules Vernes\nIn English (slightly abridged), https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/164\nIn French (with illustration), https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/54873",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Les Misérables, by Victor Hugo",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite books or essays.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17339379,
          "author": "wildmindwriting",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T16:15:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17339379",
          "commentText": "\"Les Miserables\" by Victor Hugo. That book embodies so much: love, redemption, justice, perceived justice, human growth, rebellion, religion...it can be a hard slog of a read at times but Hugo really gives his characters space to develop and for you to care about. The Bishop, who is given a passing glance in both the musical and movies, is so much more in the book. Highly recommend to everyone.\n[edit: \"revolution\" -> \"rebellion\"]",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Les Miserables\" by Victor Hugo",
          "reason": "Highly recommended; praised for its themes and character development.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in character-driven stories about love, justice, growth, and rebellion.",
          "caveat": "Can be a hard slog to read at times.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156533,
          "author": "jeffersonheard",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:44:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156533",
          "commentText": "Getting More - Stuart Diamond. I still think this is the best book on the art of negotiation.\nGetting Things Done - David Allen. If you have adult ADHD like me, and you haven't read this, it's the first system that's really worked for productivity for me.\nMan's Search for Meaning - Victor Frankl.\nLiving Buddha, Living Christ - Thich Nhat Hanh.\nCosmos - Carl Sagan.\nThe Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. LeGuin.\nThe One who Walks Away from Omelas - U.K. LeGuin.\nWild Seed - Octavia Butler.\nThe Heike Monogatari - (tr. Helen Craig McCullough) “The sound of the Gion Shoja temple bells echoes the impermanence of all things; the color of the sala flowers reveals the truth that to flourish is to fall. The proud do not endure, like a passing dream on a night in spring; the mighty fall at last, to be no more than dust before the wind.” If you need a comparison. this is the Japanese historical equivalent of Game of Thrones combined with a bit of MacBeth. The rise and fall of two shogunate families, and an analysis of the tragic flaws of character that brought their fall about.\nLes Miserables - Victor Hugo.\nSmall Gods - Terry Pratchett.\nHeart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad.\nThe Guide - R. K. Narayan.\nEvidence - Mary Oliver.\nAll of Us - The Collected Poetry of Raymond Carver.\nSilence - Shusaku Endo.\nThe Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald.\nThe Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Murakami Haruki. This and the next four are odd choices, perhaps, since it's a surrealist book, but IMO books that force your imagination to work hard do as much for creativity and fresh ideas as any of the more popular methods.\nThe Well-Built City (The Physiognomy / Memoranda / The Beyond) Jeffery Ford - Surrealist novellas best described as about the protagonist living and achieving agency within the constructs, dreams, and nightmares of a \"Great Man's\" mind.\nSnow Crash - Neal Stephenson.\nGravity's Rainbow - Thomas Pynchon.\nDhalgren - Samuel L. \"Chip\" Delany.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Les Miserables - Victor Hugo.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401505,
          "author": "colomon",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:31:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401505",
          "commentText": "Currently reading:\nWhere The Golden Apples Grow, Kage Baker\nTen Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew, Ellen Notbohm\nAtypical: Life With Asperger's in 20 1/2 Chapters, Jesse A. Saperstein\nUnframed: The Art of Improvisation for Game Masters\nLes Misérables, Victor Hugo",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Les Misérables, Victor Hugo",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5832459,
          "author": "david927",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T14:04:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5832459",
          "commentText": "Crime and Punishment, Les Miserables, War and Peace",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Les Miserables",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395160,
          "author": "bogdand",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T08:37:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395160",
          "commentText": "Victor Hugo ~ Les Misérables",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Victor Hugo ~ Les Misérables",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3233218,
          "author": "Geekette",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-14T07:06:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3233218",
          "commentText": "Kudos to you!\nTried reading it several years ago and flung it down in despair at its veboseness ~quarter way through.  My French friends laughed with & at me, saying I was lucky it wasn't mandatory reading like it was for them in high school...  I hear glowing reviews very occasionally, but when I think of the sheer bulk of the book, I don't know if I can give it another chance.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "flung it down in despair at its veboseness ~quarter way through",
          "reason": "Reports abandoning the book after finding it excessively verbose.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they may not give it another chance because of its length.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231371,
          "author": "gpjt",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T18:17:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231371",
          "commentText": "Les Miserables by Victor Hugo -- the book, not the musical.  Well worth it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Well worth it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is well worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1635259,
          "author": "lotusleaf1987",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-26T06:34:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1635259",
          "commentText": "Brave New World, 1984, The Metamorphosis, The Stranger, and...possibly Les Miserables if you have A LOT of free time.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "possibly Les Miserables if you have A LOT of free time.",
          "reason": "Listed with a qualification about its length.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it requires a lot of free time.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875808,
          "author": "Radix",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T02:41:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875808",
          "commentText": "\"Les Miserables\", I hated Thenardier, Javert too until I learned to pity him... The book rambles a bit, but it's wonderful.  In parts uplifting and crushing.  I don't communicate well enough to express how much I think of it.\n\"Where the Red Fern Grows\", I believe it was the first book of quality writing and compelling characters I read.  A perfect book for a seven or eight year old boy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Les Miserables\", I hated Thenardier, Javert too until I learned to pity him... The book rambles a bit, but it's wonderful.",
          "reason": "Calls it wonderful despite finding it somewhat rambling.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The book rambles a bit.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797276,
          "author": "nonrecursive",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T03:21:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797276",
          "commentText": "What's interesting is that Ayn Rand thought Victor Hugo was the best novelist ever. She also thought that the philosophy in Les Miserables was at odds with his \"sense of life\".",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the philosophy in Les Miserables was at odds with his \"sense of life\".",
          "reason": "Discusses Ayn Rand's view of the book and its philosophy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797140,
          "author": "quantumhobbit",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T02:08:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797140",
          "commentText": "Ayn Rand was a philosopher.  And like most philosophers, she started out with some good ideas and over applied them to everything in life, which leads to some scary conclusions.\nMy favorite Rand book was Anthem.  It was short and therefore didn't have space to extrapolate Rand's ideas to their scary conclusion.\nI just finished reading Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo.  It is just as long and pompous as Atlas Shrugged, but of the exact opposite philosophy.  Those two books make for some interesting comparisons.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I just finished reading Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Victor Hugo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 12,
      "threads": 12,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "historical novel",
        "french literature",
        "social injustice"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rationality-from-ai-to-zombies-00069f",
      "title": "Rationality: From AI to Zombies",
      "author": "Eliezer Yudkowsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32198025,
          "author": "ceceron",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:48:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32198025",
          "commentText": "I'm just finishing \"Rationality: from AI to Zombies\". Started ~25 days ago. It's quite long and frankly rather underwhelming given promising beginning. I don't recommend the title.\nAlso, I'm in 25% of Deep Learning by Goodfellow. I started it two months ago but had a long break.\nWhen I was a teenager, I read yearly ~75 fiction books. Being an adult I read less, but I'm more careful with the lecture choice given the limited time.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "It's quite long and frankly rather underwhelming given promising beginning. I don't recommend the title.",
          "reason": "Finds it underwhelming and explicitly says they do not recommend it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it was underwhelming despite a promising beginning.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27647193,
          "author": "aalhour",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T00:06:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27647193",
          "commentText": "* Thinking Fast and Slow\n* The Selfish Gene\n* Probability: For the Enthusiastic Beginner\n* How to Measure Anything\n* Rationality: From AI to Zombies\n* Cynefin: Weaving Sense-making into the fabric of our world\n* Major works of Friedrich Nietzsche",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rationality: From AI to Zombies",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21792749,
          "author": "quantumsequoia",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T22:26:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21792749",
          "commentText": "Rationality: From AI to Zombies\nSapiens",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rationality: From AI to Zombies",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18755056,
          "author": "madrafi",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-25T00:21:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18755056",
          "commentText": "- Rationality From AI to Zombies (huge collection of essays about (rationality,intelligence,quantum physics,bayesian probability,philosophy...) that can be read on lesswrong.com)\n-Intuition Pumps and other Thinking Tools\n-Sapiens\n-Edward.O Wilson Letters to a young scientist\n-Cédric Villani Birth of a Theorem\n-Emanuel Derman Models Behaving Badly\n-Letters From A Stoic by Seneca\n-Mathematics it's contents methods 3 Volumes (Aleksandrov et al.)\n-Nick Bostrom Superinteligence\n-The Moral Animal by Robert Wright",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rationality From AI to Zombies",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite nonfiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910210,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:25:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910210",
          "commentText": "- \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies\" - probably the most influential book I've read in my life, profoundly changed the way I think. It's a collection of LessWrong essays on science and rationality.\n- \"On Intelligence\" and \"I am a Strange Loop\" - how mind works.\n- \"Rework\", \"Zero to One\", \"Start Small, Stay Small\" - insightful startup advice.\n- Fun autobiographies: Ghost in the Wires (Kevin Mitnick), iWoz (Steve Wozniak), Catch me if you can (Frank Abagnale), Just for Fun (Linus Torvalds), Elon Musk, Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\n- How companies work: Creativity Inc (Pixar), In the Plex (Google)\n- On writing: Art of fiction/nonfiction by Ayn Rand, Story by Robert McKee, Save the Cat, Step by Step to Standup Comedy.\n- Other: The Selfish Gene, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Serious Creativity, Hackers & Painters, Hacking Growth, Angel (on angel investing, by Jason Calacanis).\nAlso collections of essays by Paul Graham [1] and Scott Alexander [2]:\n[1] https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%20Complete%20Essays.epub?dl=0)\n[2] https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of%20Scott%20Alexandria%20-%20Scott%20Alexander.epub?dl=0)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "probably the most influential book I've read in my life, profoundly changed the way I think.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it highly influential and says it changed how they think.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a collection of LessWrong essays.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910184,
          "author": "TeMPOraL",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:23:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910184",
          "commentText": "Please don't... every time a thread like this shows up on HN, I end up impulsively buying some of the recommended books. I'm usually very happy about the purchase, though. :).\nHumor aside; not sure if favourite of all times, but definitely impacted my thinking a lot:\n- \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies\" - https://intelligence.org/rationality-ai-zombies/ - read this when it was still a bunch of posts by 'Eliezer on LessWrong. It cleaned up my thinking quite a bit, and introduced to couple new ideas from economics, sociology and epistemology.\n- SICP, obviously.\n- \"How to Win Friends and Influence People\", and \"How to Stop Worrying and Start Living\" - from the father of the whole genre of self-help/personal development, and one whose books are still probably the only good ones in this genre, Dale Carnegie. They explain exactly what it says in their titles.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It cleaned up my thinking quite a bit, and introduced to couple new ideas from economics, sociology and epistemology.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it improved their thinking and introduced new ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521167,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T07:42:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521167",
          "commentText": "Here are the best books I've read over the last few months:\n- Lost and Founder - the founder of Moz shares his advice and experience from building a 40M/year company. I found the things he says about building a startup extremely insightful and practically useful. Reading it feels like having a dinner with a friend who shares with you the things he has learned in a very honest, down to earth way. Highly recommend it.\n- Rationality from AI to Zombies - probably the most influential book I've read in my life, profoundly changed the way I think. It's a collection of LessWrong essays on science and rationality. (recently they've released an an audio version by the way).\n- \"A Short History of Nearly Everything\" and \"Our Mathematical Universe\" - two general popular science books I'm enjoying a lot. Haven't finished reading them yet, but so far they're brilliant(and very easy to understand, authors do an amazing job explaining complicated things in a simple, accessible way).\n- Hacking Growth - an AMAZING book on \"growth hacking\". It provides a framework for marketing a startup, gives a ton of practical advice and specific tactics. It breaks down step by step how  startups and big tech companies grow their products. Most of the books I've read on the subject were bullshit, but this one is absolutely fantastic, can't recommend it enough.\nOther great books I should mention:  This Idea is Brilliant, Actionable Gamification, The Design of Everyday Things, The Master Algorithm (great overview of machine learning techniqes), Springfield Confidential (fun behind the scenes from one of the writers on Simpsons), Homo Deus(from the author of Sapiens).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "probably the most influential book I've read in my life, profoundly changed the way I think.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it profoundly changed their thinking and was their most influential read.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in science and rationality.",
          "caveat": "It is a collection of LessWrong essays.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156377,
          "author": "maaaats",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:18:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156377",
          "commentText": "From AI to Zombies by Yudkowsky. Interesting framework and thoughts about knowledge, perception and how we deal with biases.\nCan be downloaded for free/pay what you want here https://intelligence.org/rationality-ai-zombies/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Interesting framework and thoughts about knowledge, perception and how we deal with biases.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds its framework and ideas about knowledge, perception, and biases interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13805549,
          "author": "hyperbeing",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T19:59:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805549",
          "commentText": "The conviction in his tone and how he wears rationality like a cape, the book helped me understand the meaning of rationality, the map and the territory and power of beliefs to predict and also acknowledge the existence of an objective reality. Its sort of a journey down the rabbit hole for me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the book helped me understand the meaning of rationality, the map and the territory and power of beliefs to predict",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book helped them understand rationality, beliefs, and objective reality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13805483,
          "author": "kineticpayload",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T19:49:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805483",
          "commentText": "Rationality: From AI to Zombies by Eliezer Yudkowsky\nThis book changed the way I approach problems in my personal and professional life.  It has helped me to reflect on any given thought and understand where the thought comes from and where is could be leading me. It's been really enlightening to reflect on my own cognition through the tools and examples of Yudkowsky's book. It's long and dense, but is by far the best book I've read in the last few years.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's long and dense, but is by far the best book I've read in the last few years.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it improved how they approach problems and calls it their best recent read.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in applying rationality to personal and professional problems.",
          "caveat": "Long and dense.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567460,
          "author": "bgrohman",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T16:15:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567460",
          "commentText": "Check out http://lesswrong.com/\nAlso, Eliezer Yudkowsky wrote a book called Rationality: From AI to Zombies.\nhttp://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25131230-rationality",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Eliezer Yudkowsky wrote a book called Rationality: From AI to Zombies.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12070764,
          "author": "avindroth",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T13:10:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12070764",
          "commentText": "Eliezer's book is long, but his writing is great. Definitely worth a read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Definitely worth a read.",
          "reason": "Says the book is definitely worth reading and praises the author's writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it is long.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12070333,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T11:37:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12070333",
          "commentText": "So far, the best book about startups I have read is Traction, it's extremely useful overview of all the ways to get traffic/customers.\nI also making my way through GEB, it's relly interesting, though hard to read.\nAnd I am reading \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies\", it is a collection of rationality essays by Eliezer Yudkowsky, and it's amazing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's amazing",
          "reason": "Calls the collection amazing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10765644,
          "author": "trishume",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T01:21:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10765644",
          "commentText": "https://intelligence.org/rationality-ai-zombies/ and http://hpmor.com/ gave me a great model of how to plan and think about difficult issues. Excellent (and very long, each one is the length of 5+ books) primers on rationality.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "gave me a great model of how to plan and think about difficult issues. Excellent (and very long, each one is the length of 5+ books) primers on rationality.",
          "reason": "Calls it an excellent primer that shaped how they plan and think about difficult issues.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as very long.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9613961,
          "author": "karinqe",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T20:07:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9613961",
          "commentText": "'Rationality: From AI to Zombies' is available on a pay-what-you-want basis. It talks about cognitive science, ethics, human (ir)rationality and how to improve it, among other things. It stems from the Lesswrong Sequences [2], which have a lot more content, but are a bit messy.\n[1] https://intelligence.org/rationality-ai-zombies/\n[2] http://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Rationality_materials",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Rationality: From AI to Zombies' is available on a pay-what-you-want basis. It talks about cognitive science, ethics, human (ir)rationality and how to improve it",
          "reason": "Describes its subject matter and notes it is available free on a pay-what-you-want basis.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The LessWrong Sequences contain more content but are a bit messy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348789,
          "author": "MichaelGG",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:30:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348789",
          "commentText": "This is embarrassing. I grew up with sorta fundie parents (they got better) and dropped out of school early (religious schools...), so it might be different for HNers that had a solid mental upbringing.\nA Brief History of Time because it pretty much slapped any thoughts I had of a supernatural universe/god right out of my mind. I know it's not highly regarded, but for a rather ignorant guy, it woke me up.\nThe Selfish Gene (inc The Extended Phenotype). This is one I think is the most powerful, even for people that had OK education. Showing how life could possibly evolve, just with random mutations and non-random survival made it real to me that we live in a natural world. And not just that, but that since it's so obviously a natural world, it's up to us to decide what is right, what our purpose is. The earth and nature aren't going to help us there - it's our call, full stop. That is huge, and many otherwise seemingly well educated people don't seem to get it.\nHeuristics and Biases. (Though Thinking Fast and Slow might be more approachable.) This book opened me up to the fact that I'm running on busted hardware. That I've got serious, unfixable, biases built into my brain. That a lot of what I do is a fast but inaccurate parallel system at work. (Interestingly, this is the essence of Taoism, wu wei).\nLately, LessWrong. (Available as a book called Rationality: From AI to Zombies). These sequences have helped me, well, get less wrong, slowly, at making decisions and general thinking. I try to be aware of when I'm being biased and incorrect. I make better predictions and actively try to update my priors, instead of just confirming my previous beliefs. As I get older (34) I find I'm unwittingly acting close minded on occasion, and need to actively work against it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lately, LessWrong. (Available as a book called Rationality: From AI to Zombies). These sequences have helped me, well, get less wrong",
          "reason": "The commenter says the sequences helped improve their decisions and thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Identified as a book version of LessWrong sequences.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9347895,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T14:48:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9347895",
          "commentText": "Here's my usual list of recommendations, the best books I've read in the past 5 years.\nFiction:\n- Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\nIf you know nothing about this book you might naturally hesitate to read \"Harry Potter fanfiction\" and assume that it's dumb/horrbile, but it's not. Just suspend your disbelief and read the first 5-10 chapters. Trust me, it's brilliant, hilarious, and life-changing.\n- Atlas Shrugged\nControversial, I know, a lot of people here hate it for some reason, but it was incredibly influential on me, inspired my passion for entrepreneurship and science and philosophy. Still is one of the best books I am aware of.\nNonfiction:\n- Hackers and Painters by Paul Graham\nAlso a collection of his essays that you can find on github. He is one of the most clever writers I am aware of, but I assume you know that, since you're on HN.\n- \"On Intelligence\" by Jeff Hawkins\nThis book explains in simple terms a very awesome and elegant theory on how mind works. Incredibly fascinating, I've learned a lot from it and it explains a lot of things, and will change the way you think about thinking process.\n- The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins\nEngaging and entertaining explanation of evolution, absolutely fantastic book.\n- The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli.\nDespite the stigma, and people thinking that Machhiavellian = \"evil\", I've found this book extremely clever and wise.\n- Serious Creativity by Edward De Bono\nThe best book on creativity and the process of generating ideas that I'm aware of.\n- Abundance\nThis is a very inspiring and optimistic book about the future of technology.\nEntrepreneurhsip:\n- Start Small, Stay Small\nGuide to creating your first product/business for hackers. It lays out all the basics of entrepreneurship in a very concise and clear ways, my favorite introduction to startups.\n- Rework\nVery wise and intelligent advice about startups, intelligent and witty, must read.\n- Lean Startup\nClassic book on \"lean startup methodology\", very useful.\n- 4-Hour Workweek\nDespite the silly title I think it is a great book and is very much worth reading. Many people here dislike Tim Ferris, but whatever, I think this book is cool.\nAutobiographies:\n- Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman\n- Ghost In The Wires by Kevin Mitnick\n- Catch me if you can by Abagnale\n- iWoz by Steve Wozniak\n- Losing my Virginity by Richard Branson\nAll these are fantastic and very intelligent autobiographies by the very awesome people.\nNow I'm reading \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" and \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies.\"\n\"Rationality\" is great and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. Can't say much about GEB, I've only started reading it, but everyone is saying that it is so great and the best book ever, so I think it's definitely worth checking out.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Rationality\" is great and I would definitely recommend it to anyone.",
          "reason": "Calls it great and explicitly recommends it to anyone.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eliezer Yudkowsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 12,
      "threads": 12,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "rationality",
        "cognitive biases",
        "decision making",
        "belief updating"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-black-swan-the-impact-of-the-highly-improbable-e93214",
      "title": "The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable",
      "author": "Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32201167,
          "author": "hbogert",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-23T07:19:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32201167",
          "commentText": "The black Swan\nPrevious book was the innovators dilemma. Both are kind of cliche books, good reads though which pull me out of the IT technical stuff which one has to read nowadays to keep up.\nOf course there's my eternal struggle to read an \"eternal golden braid\". But that has stalled due to a chapter being incredibly meta it just hurts the brain\nShout out to my boox note Ereader. That thing has been a godsend.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The black Swan",
          "reason": "Lists it as the current book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30241593,
          "author": "knapcio",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T07:51:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241593",
          "commentText": "Nassim Nicholas Taleb - The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nassim Nicholas Taleb - The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the thread's book recommendation question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25538793,
          "author": "itronitron",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-25T20:28:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25538793",
          "commentText": "The Black Swan, by Taleb, because at the time it was particularly relevant to my work and since then has also impacted my decision making process more generally.\nThe Re-enchantment of Art, by Suzi Gablik. I hated it when I first read it but then after reading it a second time realized she was right about a lot of things.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Black Swan, by Taleb",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was relevant to their work and influenced their decision-making.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23151705,
          "author": "Pandabob",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T08:25:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23151705",
          "commentText": "The first time I read Talebs Black Swan was pretty mind bending. It's a intriguing mix of philosophy, history and the application of probabilistic thinking.\nIt's also a great aggregator book. It introduced me to the works of Kahneman, Tetlock, Poincare and Mandelbrot.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The first time I read Talebs Black Swan was pretty mind bending.",
          "reason": "Described as mind-bending and as a mix of philosophy, history, and probabilistic thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19089022,
          "author": "tvladeck",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T19:47:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19089022",
          "commentText": "The Selfish Gene & The Blind Watchmaker by Dawkins\nEvolution is the reason we exist! Understanding how it happens and why it can lead to counterintuitive outcomes is very important. He also narrates his own audiobooks and is excellent at it.\nThe Blank Slate & The Better Angels of our Nature by Pinker\nBoth books counter much accepted wisdom. The second book, in particular, will make you think of humanity in a fundamentally different light.\nThe Black Swan & Fooled by Randomness by Taleb\nThe role of chance in everyday life! It plays a big role!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Black Swan & Fooled by Randomness by Taleb\nThe role of chance in everyday life! It plays a big role!",
          "reason": "The commenter points to the role of chance in everyday life as the books’ insight.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536110,
          "author": "nimithryn",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T17:23:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536110",
          "commentText": "I am not convinced he is right about how susceptible people are to the black swan effect: it seems like your average person overvalues tail probabilities, not undervalues (hence why people play the lottery and buy insurance). It's been a while since I read anything by him, but I remember not being convinced by how he dealt with the problem of induction either, which seemed to lean dangerously close to intellectual nihilism.\nEdit: grammar",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "It's been a while since I read anything by him, but I remember not being convinced by how he dealt with the problem of induction either",
          "reason": "The commenter says Taleb's treatment of the problem of induction was unconvincing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17049034,
          "author": "DLA",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T17:10:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17049034",
          "commentText": "Totally agree with mountbranch here.\nPrinciples is fantastic. At the same time you may read and think \"sure, common sense\" but then did you think that before you read the item -- probably not. I feel this is a book to keep for a lifetime. Can't wait for Ray's economics book.\nCool animated summary here:\nhttps://www.principles.com/principles-for-success/\nThe Dao of Capital is deeper. The chapter on Conifers (yeah, pine trees) and how they exist with and balance times of trouble versus opportunity is well worth the price of the book.\nAlso, and not least, Nassim Taleb's books: Fooled By Randomness, Black Swan, and Anti-fragile. Poetic, deep, useful, and entertaining. Fantastic. A pleasure to read and listen to in audio while driving/traveling.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Poetic, deep, useful, and entertaining. Fantastic. A pleasure to read and listen to in audio while driving/traveling.",
          "reason": "Describes the listed Taleb books as poetic, deep, useful, entertaining, and a pleasure to read or hear.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156989,
          "author": "bo1024",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T16:55:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156989",
          "commentText": "The Black Swan. By far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Black Swan. By far.",
          "reason": "Names it as the strongest answer to the question about impactful books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238609,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T17:09:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238609",
          "commentText": "Read the black swan and thinking fast and slow after, I think the combination is life changing. It was for me anyways. They really complement each other.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read the black swan",
          "reason": "Says the combination of this book and Thinking, Fast and Slow was life-changing and that they complement each other.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The positive evaluation applies to the two books together.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10207742,
          "author": "mannimow",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T10:25:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10207742",
          "commentText": "Taleb - Black Swan",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Taleb - Black Swan",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8720615,
          "author": "joshux",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-09T02:27:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8720615",
          "commentText": "+1 for Taleb's books. His Black Swan book actually inspired me to pursue a startup. However, his ideas are not actually that original (which is not a bad thing). One might get similar level of knowledge(albeit takes more time) from reading stoic philosophy, Popper's philosophy of science, tacit knowledge (Michael Polanyi) and complex system sciences.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "His Black Swan book actually inspired me to pursue a startup. However, his ideas are not actually that original (which is not a bad thing).",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book inspired them to pursue a startup and agrees with a positive recommendation of Taleb's books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says its ideas are not especially original, though they consider that no bad thing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2723628,
          "author": "gallerytungsten",
          "createdAt": "2011-07-03T13:13:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 2723436,
          "threadTitle": "Suggest good sites/books on probability",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2723628",
          "commentText": "\"The Black Swan\" by Taleb is not strictly about probability, but it touches on it, among other topics.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"The Black Swan\" by Taleb is not strictly about probability, but it touches on it, among other topics.",
          "reason": "Mentioned as relevant to probability, with a qualification about its scope.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not strictly about probability.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1972808,
          "author": "i4i",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T21:43:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1972808",
          "commentText": "Nassim Taleb's The Black Swan. At 17 I thought there was nothing that couldn't be achieved by shear will and concentrated effort. The Black Swan introduced me to the notion of Mediocristan and Extremistan, two very different domains with entirely different sets of risk. I don't think I'd have done anything differently, but had I read it earlier, I'd probably not have beat myself up so much when things didn't go well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Black Swan introduced me to the notion of Mediocristan and Extremistan, two very different domains with entirely different sets of risk.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them understand risk and might have reduced their self-blame when things went poorly.",
          "audience": "Readers thinking about effort, setbacks, and risk.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they do not think they would have done anything differently.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226975,
          "author": "pyronicide",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T17:14:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226975",
          "commentText": "Here are some books that are a mix of psychology and economics that I think are especially suited for HN:\nBehavioral Economics:\n  Predictably Irrational - Dan Ariely\n  Nudge - Richard Thaler\n  Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard - Chip and Dan Heath\n\nEconomics:\n  The Black Swan: Impact of the Highly Improbable - Nassim Taleb\n  Fooled by Randomness - Nassim Taleb\n  Drunkard's Walk - Leonard Mlodinow\n\nPsychology:\n  Opening Skinner's Box - Lauren Slater\n\nManagement:\n  The Education of a Coach - David Halberstam",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Black Swan: Impact of the Highly Improbable - Nassim Taleb",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nassim Nicholas Taleb"
      ],
      "recommenders": 12,
      "threads": 12,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "risk",
        "uncertainty",
        "probability",
        "black swan events"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sirens-of-titan-a4e16d",
      "title": "The Sirens of Titan",
      "author": "Kurt Vonnegut",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36021753,
          "author": "pkd",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:08:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021753",
          "commentText": "- A Fire Upon The Deep\n- Brave New World\n- The Dispossessed\n- The Sirens of Titan / Slaughterhouse 5\n- Recursion\n- Exhalation\n- There Is No Antimemetics Division\n- Foundation Series",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Sirens of Titan",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30738516,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T23:28:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30738516",
          "commentText": "His Sirens of Titan had a huge impact on me as a teen, the first novel I really loved. Then Breakfast of Champions. I'll try those two, thanks.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His Sirens of Titan had a huge impact on me as a teen, the first novel I really loved.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it had a huge impact and was the first novel they loved.",
          "audience": "The commenter read it as a teenager.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25531550,
          "author": "oa335",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T21:22:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25531550",
          "commentText": "Reading “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking” by Alan Carr probably added years to my life.\n“Sirens of Titan” by Kurt Vonnegut resonated with me on an emotional level.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "“Sirens of Titan” by Kurt Vonnegut resonated with me on an emotional level.",
          "reason": "It resonated with the commenter emotionally.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21904998,
          "author": "FrankZappa42",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T09:19:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21904998",
          "commentText": "Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut, this book changed the way I relate to others and made me more empathetic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut, this book changed the way I relate to others and made me more empathetic.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed how they relate to others and made them more empathetic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17537852,
          "author": "rektide",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T00:15:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537852",
          "commentText": "Central Station by Lavie Tidhar is an amazing charming story of a world deeply steeped old sitting baking world where new things are coming about. It is charm & delight in the purest & simplest.\nSpin by Robert Charles Wilson. \"Robert Charles Wilson is a hell of a storyteller,\" said Stephen King and this wonderful tour through time and space, humanity & people's lives is incredible.\nThe Quantum Thief series by Hannu Rajaniemi is open, scenic, wild, & so so vivid, one of the most beautiful worlds I've ever visited, & it reminds me so much of a joyous wild swashbuckling run. The mystery of the main character is enchanting.\nInfoquake series by David Louis Edelson is a gripping suspenseful rise of a star entrepreneur that redefines and radically expands the world, amid an already boisterous & full & busy beautiful world already overflowing in seamless technology everywhere. Although the plot line whips along with some suspense & tension, the scenery and the voyage is incredible.\nLathe of Heaven by Ursala Le Guin could quite easily, quite simply be the best first contact story story ever. Touching, and sincere, & simple. This world is not bright and shiny but her writing and the bonding of characters is incredible. See also the rest of the Hainish cycle.\nLeft Hand of Darkness also by Ursala Le Guin is a shifting chaotic shizmatic tale, about picking our fates. \"Well, I did it through dreams. Phil would have done it another way. But yeah, homage to Phil [K.] Dick is right.\"\n- https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/a... (https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/all/)\nFallen Dragon is an early & involved Peter Hamilton adventure book. There's leaving home, & space ships, more space ships, bad guys, fighting back the bad guys, bigger ships, and action. There is A LOT going on, all the time, & violence, but damn this book comes together into something incredible, & telling, & powerful & strong, something that easily makes it my top pick for most-underappreciated Peter Hamilton.\nDiamond Age by Neal Stephenson, which I'm providing largely as a counterweight to the Snowcrash & Sevenses recommendations here. Diamond Age is much less dark, and way more a fun tail about an incredible & mysterious primer for a young lady.\nSirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut.\nAll Systems Red series by Martha Wells is a underprivileged barely coping robot dealing with the humans she hates having to talk to & a shitty planet trying to kill them. Simple, fun, some action & violence, but the main character is a total hoot the whole time with more loner/zero/drop-out attitude & spunk than anything I've read & it's unbelievably charming.\nLords of Light by Roger Zelazny has more style, pizzaz, & spirit than I feel like any of us deserve. An interesting, storied tale from the post-singularity, with a remarkable & robust cast.\nIllium/Olympos by Dan Simmons, are, in my mind still the clear winner, far above Hyperion. The cast is charming beyond belief, stumbling through a world they both know all too much about & far far too little. Some really incredible worldbuilding here.\nRainbow's End by Vernor Vinge. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE A Fire Upon the Deep. But Rainbow's End really is our planet, sometime not far out, and Vinge has the most tour of this next place we're headed, with threads, and annotations, and group chat being the defining new technologies of humanity. And the tale of the misfit happenstance adventurers who wind up ensnared in the plot line is a fun, roving hoot of a journey, a wonderful second chance at a coming of age story.\nMedusa Chronicles by two of my favorites, Alastair Reynolds & Stephen Baxter is probably my favorite exploring the solar system book, about a guy/robot a bit apart from humanity that really wants to see what the local area has to offer. A lot of high tension conflicting societal impulses that our somewhat aloof lead stumbles through, on his personal mission of exploration. Lots of interesting robot philosophy & very varied elements of space come together with the characters to make an incredibly fun space epic, set in a delightful & intriguing alternative history\nOther's recommendations I'd +1: Dune (but super heady material), The Stars My Destination (brimming with class & substance), Mote in God's Eye (some of the best Space Colonial Marines style stuff out there), Accelerando (and Iron Sky and ... overflowing playful scifi), Blue Ant series (dripping with style), Foundation series (and much more Asimov!), Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy (simple direct exciting hunt for treasure in Star Wars), Fuzzy Nation (fun tale)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17351374,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-20T00:15:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17351374",
          "commentText": "Emerson's Essays. SARK's first 4 or 5 books. The Sirens of Titan. Stevenson's essays.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Sirens of Titan.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17184234,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-30T01:20:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17184234",
          "commentText": "How did it change your life? I have to say, me too! I didn't know how to pick just 1 book, but this is a great choice. The first novel I ever read that really spoke to me 100%, I read it over and over for many months on the school bus. So funny, so touching. I never go very long without talking about something from it. Hope the movie's 1/2 good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The first novel I ever read that really spoke to me 100%, I read it over and over for many months on the school bus. So funny, so touching.",
          "reason": "Says the novel resonated deeply and praises its humor and emotional impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Hopes the movie is half as good.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296441,
          "author": "adjkant",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T06:09:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296441",
          "commentText": "Slaughterhouse-Five, Galapagos, Sirens of Titan\nBasically, any Kurt Vonnegut book that isn't Cat's Cradle (good but overrated).\nBias note: I'm still young, but these shaped me easily.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Slaughterhouse-Five, Galapagos, Sirens of Titan",
          "reason": "Includes it among books said to have shaped the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes they are still young.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3644169,
          "author": "aorshan",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-28T18:16:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 3643009,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-technical book you've read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3644169",
          "commentText": "If you haven't read a Kurt Vonnegut book, I highly recommend that you do. The Sirens of Titan, Mother Night, Breakfast of Champions, and Slaughterhouse 5 are all great places to start.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Sirens of Titan, Mother Night, Breakfast of Champions, and Slaughterhouse 5 are all great places to start.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a great starting point for Vonnegut.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395576,
          "author": "Confusion",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T12:29:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395576",
          "commentText": "Professionally, The Art of Project Management did the most for me.\nPrivately, general-fiction-wise, The Wind-up Bird Chronicles by Haruki Murakami did the most for me.\nPrivately, SF-wise, three books by Kurt Vonnegut: Cat's Cradle, Slaughterhouse-five and The Sirens of Titan",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "three books by Kurt Vonnegut: Cat's Cradle, Slaughterhouse-five and The Sirens of Titan",
          "reason": "Listed among the three books that stood out most in the commenter's science fiction reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753701,
          "author": "ra88it",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T21:44:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753701",
          "commentText": "Somebody mentioned The Sirens of Titan (Vonnegut) in the comments below. I've gotta second that recommendation. It's Vonnegut's first novel, and probably not his best, but it's certainly my favorite.\nIf you resonate at all with Vonnegut's humor and pathos, then please oh please grab a copy of Sirens. I'm tired of being the only one at the dinner table who's read it!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've gotta second that recommendation.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly seconds the recommendation and calls it a favorite.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy Vonnegut's humor and pathos.",
          "caveat": "Probably not Vonnegut's best, by the commenter's own assessment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753211,
          "author": "silentbicycle",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:04:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753211",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed _The Sirens of Titan_ and _Cat's Cradle_, too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed _The Sirens of Titan_ and _Cat's Cradle_, too.",
          "reason": "Says they really enjoyed the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1575812,
          "author": "bgrohman",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-04T20:42:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1575812",
          "commentText": "I haven't read Breakfast of Champions yet, but it's on my list. The Sirens of Titan is also a good one.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Sirens of Titan is also a good one.",
          "reason": "Calls it a good book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876542,
          "author": "chett",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T12:07:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876542",
          "commentText": "Cursed is the Peacemaker - Boykin. Excellent biography/narrative of an American diplomat working in the Middle East.\nSirens of Titan - Vonnegut. Not my favorite of his but my first. I've been hooked since then!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Not my favorite of his but my first. I've been hooked since then!",
          "reason": "It was the first Vonnegut book the commenter read and hooked them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not their favorite of his books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kurt Vonnegut"
      ],
      "recommenders": 12,
      "threads": 12,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "satire",
        "space travel",
        "time travel",
        "humanism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "jonathan-livingston-seagull-d73508",
      "title": "Jonathan Livingston Seagull",
      "author": "Richard Bach",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30742512,
          "author": "irchans",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T13:39:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30742512",
          "commentText": "Personal Power - Robbins, How to win friends and influence people - Carnegie, Feeling Good - Burns, Godel Esher Bach - Hofstadter,  Fundamentals of Physics - Halliday and Resnick, Jonathan Livingston Seagull - Bach, The Commodore 64 User Manual, \"Stocks for the Long Run\",  The Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide - Gygax, Dune - Herbert",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jonathan Livingston Seagull - Bach",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23562235,
          "author": "thorin",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-18T12:01:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 23561163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book that nobody you know has heard of?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23562235",
          "commentText": "Travels, by Michael Crichton - a sort of autobiography with some excellent lessons on life. I've never met anyone else who's read it for some reason.\nIshmael - recommended on here but doesn't seem well known in the UK. Everyone I've recommended to has enjoyed\nThe Ragged Trousered Philanthropists - Proof that politics hasn't changed much in 100 years\nJonathon Livingston Seagull - again well known on here, but not so much generally",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jonathon Livingston Seagull - again well known on here, but not so much generally",
          "reason": "Names it as an answer to the thread’s request for a favorite lesser-known book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22721872,
          "author": "frabbit",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T19:29:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22721872",
          "commentText": "The Bible (Old and New Testaments), An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, The Constitution of the United States of America and Jonathan Livingstone Seagull.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jonathan Livingstone Seagull",
          "reason": "Listed as a book in response to the thread’s request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22721122,
          "author": "vivekf",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T18:05:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22721122",
          "commentText": "Jonathan Livingston seagull by the same author is also an amazing book",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jonathan Livingston seagull by the same author is also an amazing book",
          "reason": "Calls the book amazing while recommending it in the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22721100,
          "author": "vivekv",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T18:02:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22721100",
          "commentText": "Illusions - adventures of a reluctant messiah by Richard Bach\nJonathan Livingston seagull. Same author",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jonathan Livingston seagull. Same author",
          "reason": "Listed as a fiction recommendation in response to the thread’s request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19089893,
          "author": "mmaunder",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T21:15:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19089893",
          "commentText": "Jonathan Livingston Seagull. Made me realize being different is a superpower.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jonathan Livingston Seagull. Made me realize being different is a superpower.",
          "reason": "Says the book helped them see being different as a strength.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156458,
          "author": "sguav",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:31:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156458",
          "commentText": "The Go-Getter by Peter B. Kyne and Bach's Jonathan Livingston Seagull",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bach's Jonathan Livingston Seagull",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14743488,
          "author": "thorin",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T12:18:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14743488",
          "commentText": "I always really enjoyed Travels by Michael Crichton. Considering how popular he is I've never spoken to anyone else who's read it. It gave me a lot to think about in my early 20s.\nI also enjoyed Jonathon Livingston Seagull, which seems to have fallen out of favour recently.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also enjoyed Jonathon Livingston Seagull, which seems to have fallen out of favour recently.",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it seems to have fallen out of favor recently.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13969502,
          "author": "BatFastard",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T17:03:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13969502",
          "commentText": "1) Jonathan Livingston Seagull.\n2) Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance.\n3) Illusions.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1) Jonathan Livingston Seagull.",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about influential books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8795671,
          "author": "asad_ch",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T06:50:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795671",
          "commentText": "Any one book?\nMr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore, Robin Sloan\nAny one series?\nThe Foundation series, Isaac Asimov\nOther personal favourites include:\nThe Alchemist, Paulo Coelho\nThe Book of Disquet, Fernando Pessoa\nThe Count of Monte Cristo, Alexander Dumas \nExtremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Jonathan Safron Foer Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Richard Bach\nThe Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Richard Bach",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s personal favourites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8106947,
          "author": "tomp",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:17:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106947",
          "commentText": "Buddhism (and better living): Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Siddhartha (by Hermann Hesse), The Way of Zen (by Alan Watts - I learned a lot about meditation and satori).\nAlso: Think and Grow Rich (by Napoleon Hill, the original self-improvement book)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Buddhism (and better living): Jonathan Livingston Seagull",
          "reason": "Suggested under Buddhism and better living in response to a request for reading suggestions.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Buddhism and better living.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2147187,
          "author": "raghav305",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T09:00:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2147187",
          "commentText": "Vedanta books - so many good authors all saying the same thing\nArt of Happiness - Dalai Lama\nJonathan Livingston Seagull - Richard Bach\nPhysics problems - Irodov\nSeven Mysteries of Life - Guy Murchie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jonathan Livingston Seagull - Richard Bach",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753253,
          "author": "HowardRoark",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:23:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753253",
          "commentText": "I would also add \"Jonathan Livingston Seagull\" by Richard Bach. \nIts a simple and inspiring story about a bird who tries to question the very simple facts and norms of life established by generations before.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would also add \"Jonathan Livingston Seagull\" by Richard Bach.",
          "reason": "Adds it as a recommendation and describes its inspiring story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Bach"
      ],
      "recommenders": 12,
      "threads": 11,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "parable",
        "self discovery",
        "spiritual fiction",
        "fable"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-code-book-90ab0b",
      "title": "The Code Book",
      "author": "Simon Singh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50347900,
          "author": "mike_richards",
          "createdAt": "2026-11-03T04:03:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 50347425,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Cryptography book do you recommend for reading with 10 year olds?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50347900",
          "commentText": "Besides practical books does anyone have opinions about these?\nThe Code Book by Simon Singh\nThe Codebreakers by David Kahn\nThe Mathematics of Secrets by Joshua Holden",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Code Book by Simon Singh",
          "reason": "Raised while asking for opinions about books for a 10-year-old interested in cryptography.",
          "audience": "A 10-year-old interested in cryptography.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43613992,
          "author": "dbl000",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T17:42:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43613992",
          "commentText": "The Complete Yes Minister, a novelization of the TV show, but probably more approachable. A kind of \"high brow\" skewering of politics and government. There's a lot of interplay between politicians and civil servants that mirrors some play between politicians and people, especially in the case of \"systemic lag\".\nErasure by Percival Everett. A book on racial conformity and expectations. A weird case where the movie (American Fiction) might be better than the book. Pretty easy and quick read however. I don't know what it was but this book has stuck with me ever since I've read it.\nThe Code Book by Simon Singh. This is the book that got me into cryptography. It's a bit old and outdated now (published in 1999) but it was responsible for forming a lifelong interest in me.\nArriving Today: From Factory to Front Door by Christopher Mims. The premise was supposed to be tracking a product from production to consumer, but then the COVID happened. The book turns into an exploration of how just in time production and supply lanes work today.\nThe Dictator's Handbook by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita. I had a professor who was friends with BBM, so when we were discussing selectorate theory we actually got to meet him. At it's core this is a cynical book about realpolitik, talking about how leaders get in power, stay in power, get money and foreign aid, and deal with revolutions and war. It is very political focused but the theory can be abstracted out to most big organizations. It fundamentally changed the way I look at interactions between countries. This is 100% a more mass market appeal book than the original paper (and imo a bit dumbed down) but everyone I've recommended it to has come back appreciative about it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "This is the book that got me into cryptography. It's a bit old and outdated now (published in 1999)",
          "reason": "The commenter credits it with sparking a lasting interest in cryptography.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in cryptography.",
          "caveat": "Published in 1999 and described as a bit old and outdated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38565904,
          "author": "__rito__",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T06:03:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38565904",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- \"The Dark Forest\" by Liu Cixin and the whole Three Body Problem/Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy. Truly massive, grand SciFi. Would recommend 10/10. [HN]\n- \"Anna Karenina\" by Tolstoy. Made me face deeper parts of my mind. Attempted to answer some questions I had. Great story. Huge book. Historical fiction is something I like across languages.\n- \"Candide\" by Voltaire. Genuinely fun and entertaining, besides it being- you know- Voltaire.\n- \"The Diamond Age\" by Neal Stephenson. Very good story, world buulding, nice technology. Great thinking by the author.\nNon Fiction:\n- \"Fermat's Last Theorem\" by Simon Singh. Was very happy to see a Popular Math book where there are so many Popular Science books. Great book. Goes over FMT's solving history, with many many fun anecdotes, short biographies, etc. Truly enjoyable to read.\n- \"Code Book\" by Simon Singh. Genuinely fun and learned a lot. Cryptography's history, progress, and so much more. [HN]\nSelf-Help:\n- \"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\" by Robert Pirsig. Truly marvelous book and nice to read. This book requires the reader to be of certain kind attaining a certain level. Without that, this book will seem a fluff and overrated hugely. Fundamentally changed my thinking. [HN]\n- \"Four Thousand Weeks\" by Oliver Bourkeman. Thought this was about saner time management with some wisdom. But was much deeper than that. Will recommend.\nBengali:\n- \"Abhajaner Mahabharat\" by Mahbub Lilen. A fun and serious retelling of the Mahabharata. Goes deep, too. Really fun to read.\n- \"Khana Mihirer Dhipi\" by Bani Basu. An account of feminism in the light of female-dominated inner part of Bengali elite households- and that in the light of female dominated, fully maternalistic hunter-gatherers of early human history. Very thought provoking and unique.\n[HN]- chose primarily because recommendation in some past HN threads.\nRead 23 so far. Target is 25. Currently reading Snow Crash and Exhalation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Code Book\" by Simon Singh. Genuinely fun and learned a lot.",
          "reason": "Calls it fun and says they learned a lot about cryptography.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37960155,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:07:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960155",
          "commentText": "* \"The Code Book\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book explores the history of codes and codebreaking. It traces the evolution of cryptography from ancient times to the digital age, detailing famous codebreakers, notorious codes, and the role of codes in wars and revolutions.\n* \"Warped Passages\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book guides readers through the world of particle physics and string theory. It discusses key theories, experiments, and concepts that have shaped our understanding of the fundamental structure of the universe.\n* \"A History of The Internet And the Digital Future\" by Johnny Ryan (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers a comprehensive history of the internet and looks forward to its future. It traces the development of the internet, exploring its impact on society and speculating on potential future developments.\n* \"The Master Switch\" by Tim Wu (1 mention)\n    * Summary: The Master Switch looks at the history of information technologies like telephone, radio, television, and the Internet to see how their development was shaped by businesses and government. The book discusses the cycle of open to closed systems in the context of the Internet.\n* \"The Realities of Work: Experiencing Work and Employment in Contemporary Society\" by Mike Noon and Paul Blyton (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Examines the nature of work, the variety of different jobs, and the skills they require. This book highlights the changes in the structures and cultures of work and analyses their impact on the working lives of employees.\n* \"The Ascent of Humanity: Civilization and the Human Sense of Self\" by Charles Eisenstein (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book explores the history and future of civilization from a unique perspective. It hypothesizes that human history is a story of the self's marginalization from nature and each other and proposes that mounting crises in the modern world will lead to an 'Age of Reunion' with a more connected sense of self.\n* \"Cosmos\" by Carl Sagan (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A guide to the universe beyond the Earth. Sagan explores the origins, scale, and future of the universe, offering insights into the nature of life and mankind's place in the cosmos. The book fosters an appreciation for the quest for knowledge for its own sake.\n* \"Women, fire, and dangerous things\" by Lakoff (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A scholarly book about human cognition and linguistic categorization. It posits that human categorization is not arbitrary, but is based on cognitive models that originate from physical, social, and mental experience. It argues against a classical categorization approach in favor of a prototype approach.\n* \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A series of philosophical reflections and exercises by the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. The book offers guidance and insights on matters such as resilience, rationality, morality, duty, and the temporal nature of human life, reflecting the Stoic philosophy that Aurelius practiced.\n* \"A History of the Internet and the Digital Future\" by Johnny Ryan (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers a comprehensive history of the internet and speculates about its future. It discusses the various technological and social transformations that have accompanied the rise of the internet, as well as the implications these changes may have for the future.\n* \"The Master Switch\" by Tim Wu (1 mention)\n    * Summary: The book examines the history of information, communications and technology industries in the United States. Wu explores how the control of these industries has shifted from an open to a closed system, stifling innovation and threatening net neutrality.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"The Code Book\" (1 mention, author not specified)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37938356,
          "author": "dosmithds2060",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T04:22:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37938356",
          "commentText": "electric cool aid acid test\nthe code book\nwarped passages",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the code book",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30824276,
          "author": "mimimi31",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-27T21:21:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30824276",
          "commentText": "I picked that one up because of a similar recommendation, but didn't finish it. I think I was expecting an extensive collection of different ciphers throughout history with some short historical anectodes to go along with them. But it's really more about a few selected historical applications of encryption with a heavy focus on their historical context.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I was expecting an extensive collection of different ciphers throughout history with some short historical anectodes to go along with them. But it's really more about a few selected historical applications of encryption with a heavy focus on their historical context.",
          "reason": "Says it did not match their expectation for broad cipher coverage and is focused on selected historical applications.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The target comment says it focuses on a few applications and their historical context.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30823455,
          "author": "ghostpepper",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-27T19:52:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30823455",
          "commentText": "I am not a cryptographer but I do work in security and The Code Book by Simon Singh is an excellent history of the history of cryptography/cryptanalysis presented as periods through history where the pendulum swung between giving the edge to the code makers or breakers. The code makers have been ahead since about the 1970s.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Code Book by Simon Singh",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as an excellent history of cryptography and cryptanalysis.",
          "audience": "Readers curious about cryptography and its history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804348,
          "author": "JonathanMerklin",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:41:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804348",
          "commentText": "Great thread. 2019 was the first time in about 7-8 years I made reading for pleasure a tertiary priority ((school+career)work/sleep/exercise+socializing+(NEW!)reading) and I got through about 20 books of varying length and difficulty, so here are the next 20 in my queue:\n- Infinite Jest (already started, will likely finish in early Jan. I love it so far.)\n- Quantum Computing Since Democritus (started in November as my nonfiction read, but took a break; I think I want to finish IJ first. Scott is an excellent writer and I was really enjoying this)\n- Building Microservices\n- The Code Book\n- How Cars Work (I want to turn the projection of a car in my brain from a black box to a gray box this year, and I don't mean by purchasing a Cybertruck)\n- To Kill a Mockingbird\n- The Personal MBA (for years I laughed off caring about the business of business and lived in my fantasy land of being satisfied with just the technical details and being focused on only implementing great software/learning how to do so. With a few years in the workforce under my belt, I realize that such an outlook was of great detriment to me. I'm open to other suggestions on similar \"catch me up to speed on general business education\" material)\n- Designing Data-Intensive Applications\n- Island (I have a copy of this but not Brave New World. Multiple friends of mine demand I try Huxley, so here we are.)\n- The Annotated Turing\n- How to Invent Everything\n- Soonish (SMBC is a daily read for me and I'm excited to get to this.)\n- How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems (ditto XKCD modulo release schedule)\n- Basic Economics\n- Thus Spoke Zarathustra\n- Seveneves\n- The Prince\n- Pacific Rims: Beermen Ballin' in Flip-Flops and the Philippines' Unlikely Love Affair with Basketball\n- Elevator Music: A Surreal History of Muzak, Easy-Listening, and Other Moodsong\n- Fahrenheit 451\nAdditionally, to tickle the part of my brain that fancies mathematics (one of my my majors in undergrad), I try to work through a chapter or two of Evan Chen's \"An Infinitely Long Napkin\" on a quarterly basis. If you don't mind a conversational tone to your math textbooks, I've found this to be an excellent resource for scraping the surface of a wide variety of topics and fields (including, well, topics like fields). I think I'll continue this habit.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Code Book",
          "reason": "Listed in the commenter's planned reading queue.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15965672,
          "author": "BlackjackCF",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T23:53:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15965672",
          "commentText": "Yup! Making my way through Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea right now. It's a little more \"pop math\" than Fermat's Enigma or The Code Book.\nI also have The Man Who Loved Only Numbers and Elliptic Tales on my to-read list once I wrap up Zero.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "It's a little more \"pop math\" than Fermat's Enigma or The Code Book.",
          "reason": "Named as a comparison point for the book's popular mathematics style.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961784,
          "author": "BlackjackCF",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T17:19:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961784",
          "commentText": "1. Fermat's Enigma: The Epic Quest to Solve the World's Greatest Mathematical Problem - I've been on a giant math books kick. I really enjoyed Simon Singh's other book, The Code Book, so this one is awesome.\n2. The Code Book - If you're really into the history of cryptography, this book is for you.\n3. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck - Not a really a revelatory book by any sorts. But a fun read.\n4. The Handmaid's Tale - Revisiting this since the TV series came out and I really felt like getting traumatized all over again.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you're really into the history of cryptography, this book is for you.",
          "reason": "Recommends it to readers interested in the history of cryptography.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the history of cryptography.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14487764,
          "author": "brightball",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T14:20:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487764",
          "commentText": "SQL Performance Explained - Markus Winand\n- Excellent book that gets into the internals of what developers need to know about SQL and covers each part as it relates to the 4 major SQL databases (Oracle, SQL Server, Postgres, MySQL)\n- Also has an online version: http://use-the-index-luke.com/sql/table-of-contents\nThe Code Book - Simon Singh\n- It's just a good read that covers cryptography and message hiding throughout history. Probably a solid book for somebody around high school age.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's just a good read that covers cryptography and message hiding throughout history. Probably a solid book for somebody around high school age.",
          "reason": "Described as an enjoyable introduction to cryptography and its history.",
          "audience": "Readers around high school age.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567349,
          "author": "msravi",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T15:52:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567349",
          "commentText": "Two books by Simon Singh:\nThe Code Book\nBig Bang\nHe has an amazing ability to go really deep into what he's explaining. No hand waving over the details. And yet, it's so very readable.\nUnfortunately that wasn't true with his other book - Fermat's Theorem - probably because the subject matter was too complex?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "He has an amazing ability to go really deep into what he's explaining. No hand waving over the details. And yet, it's so very readable.",
          "reason": "Praises Singh's depth and clear, readable explanations of the books listed immediately before.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4353871,
          "author": "e12e",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-08T04:16:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 4353632,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon.  What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4353871",
          "commentText": "If you enjoyed \"Snow Crash\" and \"Diamond Age\", I'd recommend \"Islands in the Net\" (if you can get hold of a copy) and \"Holy Fire\" by Bruce Sterling. Or for something newer, \"the Zenith Angle\" by same.\nI've also enjoyed all of Willam Gibsons books, including the latest trilogy \"Pattern Recognition\", \"Spook Country\" and \"Zero History\".\nIf you bothered to read through \"Cryptonomicon\" you'll either love \"the Code Book\" by Simon Singh more than I did, or hate it :-)\nAssuming you've picket through the classics shelf, you might have missed out on Samuel Delany - \"The Einstein Intersection\" might be a good one to try on for size -- although I actually found \"Neveryóna\" to be maybe his most interesting book (of the ones I've been able to get hold of) [edit: After \"Dhalgren\", that is. But I think \"Dhalgren\" is a bit like Joyce's \"Ulysses\" -- a classic I haven't gotten around to yet. I spent the better part of ten (10!) years reading through \"Dhalgren\", picking it up on odd holidays - never loosing touch with the intricate unreality within, readily satisfied after reading a few pages or a chapter -- like nibbling on a choice ham that didn't spoil. It's rather more complex than any of the other books I've listed here].\nAlso worth mentioning in the \"might be overlooked\" section is Jerry Pournelle's \"Falkenberg's Legion\" (republished as \"the Prince\").\nI'm afraid I've been mostly digging through second hand books lately, so the only other semi-recent book I could recommend would be \"Broken Angels\" by Richard Morgan (technically it's number two in a trilogy -- but I find it stands better on its own).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "you'll either love \"the Code Book\" by Simon Singh more than I did, or hate it",
          "reason": "Suggested conditionally to readers of Cryptonomicon.",
          "audience": "Readers who have read Cryptonomicon",
          "caveat": "The commenter predicts readers may love it more than they did or hate it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Code Book",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226794,
          "author": "scorpioxy",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:15:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226794",
          "commentText": "Oh, lots! I wish you'd narrow down to some categories you're interested in.\nA few example i enjoyed:\nThe State of Africa, Martin Meredith\nThe Code Book, Simon Singh\nPity the Nation, Robert Fisk\nThe Great War for Civilization, Robert Fisk\nAlan Turing: The Enigma, Andrew Hodges\nLong Walk to Freedom, Nelson Mandela\nThe Last Lecture, Randy Pausch\nFermat's Engima, Simon Singh\nLots more....",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Code Book, Simon Singh",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Simon Singh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 12,
      "threads": 11,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cryptography",
        "codebreaking",
        "codes",
        "codes and ciphers"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ancillary-justice-38979e",
      "title": "Ancillary Justice",
      "author": "Ann Leckie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36021948,
          "author": "jillesvangurp",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:30:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021948",
          "commentText": "Anything Neal Stephenson. I've read them all. Multiple times.\nBut some other stuff that people haven't yet mentioned that I enjoyed:\n- Matt Haig: The Humans, How to Stop Time\n- Richard Morgan: Altered Carbon trilogy\n- Ramez Naam: Nexus Trilogy\n- Hugh Howie: Silo series\n- Ann Leckie: Ancillary Justice\n- Ernest Cline: Ready Player 1",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ancillary Justice",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467724,
          "author": "AndrewLiptak",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:54:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467724",
          "commentText": "A bunch of books: Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey (as well as several of the sequels), American Gods by Neil Gaiman, The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi, The Magicians by Lev Grossman, Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie, Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin, and a bunch of others.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23155590,
          "author": "breakattn",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T16:06:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23155590",
          "commentText": "I concur with Ancillary Justice. I love the way that you have to work out what is happening through successive detail. Plenty of surprises. A genderless society is very hard to get one's mind around.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I concur with Ancillary Justice.",
          "reason": "Agrees with the recommendation and praises its unfolding details, surprises, and genderless society.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15429097,
          "author": "avisser",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T17:36:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15429097",
          "commentText": "Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie. Hugo/Nebula winner.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie. Hugo/Nebula winner.",
          "reason": "Listed as a title in response to a request for sci-fi recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes its Hugo and Nebula awards.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13120299,
          "author": "amrangaye",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-07T03:42:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13120299",
          "commentText": "n-thing ancillary mercy (and the whole series) - best sci-fi I've read in a long while. Just finished the fifth season, and liked it enough to get the rest of the trilogy. It straddles the line between sci-fi and fantasy, but does it well and packs an emotional punch at the end as you come to identify with the main characters without even realizing it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "n-thing ancillary mercy (and the whole series) - best sci-fi I've read in a long while.",
          "reason": "Calls the series the best sci-fi they've read in a long while.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10213452,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-14T02:30:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 10211331,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10213452",
          "commentText": "Hugo and Nebula award winner Ancillary Justice is pretty good, though perhaps not great. Before that I reread No Country for Old Men, Cormac McCarthy is definitely great and I enjoyed it far more this time than when I read it nine years ago. Right now I am rereading Dune for the first time in at least twenty and possibly thirty years partially because Ancillary Justice reminded me of it, partially because it might be something I recommend trying to my son and partially because being able to read previously read books in new ways is turning out to be a pleasure of getting older. Anyway, Dune is great in ways that Dino Delaurentis and subsequent film makers had made me forget.\nLangston Hughes' Weary Blues is amazing, but I'm no expert on poetry.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Ancillary Justice is pretty good, though perhaps not great.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it pretty good, while qualifying that it may not be great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Perhaps not great.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056697,
          "author": "msh",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T13:01:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056697",
          "commentText": "Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie is some of the best science fiction/space opera that I have read in several years (it won both the hugo and nebula).\nIt is well written and a good story. Its kind of a strange story of revenge with a AI as the protagonist.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie is some of the best science fiction/space opera that I have read in several years",
          "reason": "Calls it among the best science fiction and space opera they've read in years; also praises its writing and story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as a strange revenge story with an AI protagonist.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056623,
          "author": "moomin",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:42:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056623",
          "commentText": "You realize not a single person has mentioned a female author? Let's fix that:\nThe Long Tomorrow by Leigh Brackett\nThe Doomsday Book by Connie Willis\nAmong Others by Jo Walton\nFeed by Mira Grant\nThe Hunger Games!\nThe Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin\nGrass by Sheri S Tepper\nGate of Ivrael and Downbelow Station by CJ Cherryh\nAnd the fabulous space opera:\nAncillary Justice by Ann Leckie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie",
          "reason": "Listed as a sci-fi book in response to a favorites question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8944853,
          "author": "mattdw",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-26T00:16:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944853",
          "commentText": "Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood\nAny of Ursula K Le Guin's books, but particularly The Left Hand of Tomorrow.\nAncillary Justice.\nAnything by Peter Watts or Iain M Banks.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ancillary Justice.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8944515,
          "author": "parisidau",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-25T22:31:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944515",
          "commentText": "Discworld: Going Postal, Making Money, and Raising Steam (3 books total)\nThe Lies of Locke Lamora (and sequels, 3 books total so far)\nThe Name of the Wind (and sequels, 3 books total so far)\nAncillary Justice (and sequel, 2 books total so far)\nAll of Iain M. Banks Culture series\nOld Man's War (and sequels)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ancillary Justice (and sequel, 2 books total so far)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8613977,
          "author": "nl",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-16T11:15:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8613977",
          "commentText": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Fire_Upon_the_Deep\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Deepness_in_the_Sky\nIt's easy to categorise these as wonderful and well written space opera, but that undersells them. Their author (Venor Vinge) invented the idea of the Singularity, and worked as a computer science professor. Both won both the Hugo Award.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ender's_Game\nAs good as people say it is.\nMost of Richard Morgan's works (esp the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takeshi_Kovacs series). Not his fantasy books though.\nFor fantasy books, Patrick Rothfuss is doing good stuff. The Kingkiller Chronicles is excellent. Read his other books before \"Slow Regard of Silent Things\", though, because that is one weird story.\nFrom more recent SciFi books:\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Windup_Girl is excellent.\nI'm currently reading Ancillary Justice and I'm really enjoying it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancillary_Justice",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm currently reading Ancillary Justice and I'm really enjoying it.",
          "reason": "Says they are really enjoying the book as they read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6900556,
          "author": "jrjarrett",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T14:19:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6900556",
          "commentText": "1. The Ocean at the End Of The Lane - Neil Gaiman\n2. Ancillary Justice - Ann Leckie\n3. The January Dancer/Up Jim River/In The Lion's Mouth/On The Razor's Edge - Michael Flynn\n4. Ghost Spin - Chris Moriarity",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ancillary Justice - Ann Leckie",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list answering which books were best.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ann Leckie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 12,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "ai",
        "gender"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ender-s-shadow-d5c567",
      "title": "Ender’s Shadow",
      "author": "Orson Scott Card",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36021503,
          "author": "rationalist",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:49:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021503",
          "commentText": "The Unincorporated Man\n(Ender's Game too, but haven't read the sequels, but I also recommend Ender's Shadow - a parallel novel from a different character's perspective.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "but I also recommend Ender's Shadow - a parallel novel from a different character's perspective.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommended as a parallel novel told from another character's perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23473517,
          "author": "alexpotato",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-10T03:10:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23473517",
          "commentText": "Ender's Game and the \"side-quel\" Ender's Shadow.\nEvery single time I've reread either I've found some part of the book that resonates precisely with a situation I'm going through in my life. Even parts I thought didn't apply to me at the time, upon rereading struck a chord.\nFor example, when I was younger, I identified with Ender but as I've gotten older, I identify more with the adults in the book. Especially now that I have children.\nOn a side note, the 25th anniversary edition has an introduction that has some gems all of it's own. Notably, there is a line where Card mentions something along the lines of: when I was a child, I never thought of myself as being less of a person than an adult. I just thought of myself as a smaller adult person.\nThat has always stayed with me since I read it and have always tried to apply that mental model of childhood to any interaction I have with children. It has been particularly impactful now that I have my own children.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the \"side-quel\" Ender's Shadow.",
          "reason": "Rereading has made different parts resonate with the commenter at different stages of life.",
          "audience": "Readers reflecting on life stages and parenting.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22722049,
          "author": "arrosenberg",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T19:47:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22722049",
          "commentText": "If you read that one, also read Ender's Shadow which tells the same story from a different characters' perspective and really adds to the out-of-the-box element.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "also read Ender's Shadow",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a complementary retelling from another character’s perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22722030,
          "author": "smichel17",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T19:44:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22722030",
          "commentText": "I will add Ender's Shadow, by the same author. It is a parallel novel -- the same story retold from the perspective of a different character (Bean). They are very well integrated: both books stand alone (I read Shadow first), but are not repetitive when read together.\nI read both books in my childhood, and they have shaped my view of children. Specifically, I think children are mostly just small humans, who appreciate being treated as such. Please note that I do not recommend the later books in each of the series'.\nAside, it has always surprised me that someone as homophobic as Orson Scott-Card was able to write those two books, that have strong themes of compassion/understanding for those different than you (intentionally vague here to avoid spoilers).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I will add Ender's Shadow, by the same author.",
          "reason": "Adds it as a companion novel and says the two books shaped their view of children.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter advises against the later books in each series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9349096,
          "author": "grandalf",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T17:05:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9349096",
          "commentText": "The best one is Speaker for the Dead. Also, Ender's Shadow attempts to address some of the flaws you mention.\nI don't think the book justifies pre-emptive war at all:\nThe problem of a potential alien attack is relevant (in an ironic way) b/c many human political decisions are framed by leaders as a choice between action and annihilation. In the original short, that framing is intended to get the reader on board with the rest of the story without extensive justification.\nIn subsequent books, the fictitious society comes to view the decision made to kill the aliens as having been a terrible atrocity.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Ender's Shadow attempts to address some of the flaws you mention.",
          "reason": "Says it attempts to address flaws mentioned in the preceding criticism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Only claims it attempts to address the flaws; no broader praise.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056610,
          "author": "mattkevan",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:38:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056610",
          "commentText": "Anything by Alastair Reynolds - his Revelation Space series is great, and House of Suns is a fantastic one-off. He's probably the  closest to Ian Banks in creating galaxy-spanning civilisations across eons of time.\nIan MacDonald is another good one. My favourite of his is The Dervish House, but his others are definitely worth reading.\nCharles Stross is good. Didn't get on with Accelerando, but his Laundry books are a fun mix of HP Lovecraft/Len Deighton/IT Crowd. Halting State and Rule 34 are good explorations of pervasive augmented reality and intelligent algorithms. Also Glasshouse as an exploration of post-singularity society. Never managed to finish a Cory Doctorow book though.\nI found William Gibson's Bigend trilogy a slog, but I really enjoyed The Peripheral - it's a fun read.\nEnders Game and Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card are fantastic, but the remaining books suffer from diminishing returns (with the possible exception of Ender's Shadow). There are a lot of books in the series, but basically, the series finishes wherever you get bored reading it.\nAnything by China Mieville is well worth your time.\nOh, I also really enjoyed Elizabeth Bear's Jacobs Ladder trilogy, set on a generation ship where the inhabitants have forgotten who they are and where they're going.\nFor some older stuff:\nThe Stars my Destination by Alfred Bester – I was surprised at how good it is and how well it stands up. I couldn't believe it was written nearly 50 years ago.\nThe Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein - possibly my favourite of his. I want to start a lunar revolution with a sentient mainframe...\nI'm currently working my way through all the Hugo Award winners, from 1953 up, and there's some real gems there.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "with the possible exception of Ender's Shadow",
          "reason": "Says it may be an exception to the diminishing returns of the remaining series books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Only a possible exception; the commenter says later books have diminishing returns.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387654,
          "author": "waterhouse",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T00:15:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387654",
          "commentText": "Isaac Asimov's robot series (start with \"I, Robot\" and \"The Caves of Steel\") is good, as is his Foundation series.  Ender's Game is also good; I've heard other people complain about the other novels in that universe (Speaker for the Dead and sequels, Ender's Shadow and sequels), but I liked them fine.  Cryptonomicon is rich, fascinating, and entertaining.  Dune is rich and pretty fascinating.  Heinlein's \"Stranger in a Strange Land\" and \"Time Enough for Love\" are somewhat scandalous, but I thoroughly enjoyed them.\nOutside science fiction: P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster novels, as well as what of his other books I've read, are hilarious and brilliant; I would suggest \"Right Ho, Jeeves\" as a starting point.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "but I liked them fine.",
          "reason": "Says they liked the later novels in the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that others complained about the books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4662501,
          "author": "aorshan",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-16T23:45:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 4661261,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite Science Fiction book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4662501",
          "commentText": "Ender's Shadow. Most people will tell you their favorite was Ender's Game, but for some reason I've always had a much stronger attachment to Shadow. Maybe it's because I read Shadow first, but more likely it's because I identify with the protagonist Bean more than I do with Ender.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've always had a much stronger attachment to Shadow.",
          "reason": "The commenter identifies it as their favorite and says they feel more attached to it than to Ender's Game.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter suggests reading it first may have shaped their preference.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4354812,
          "author": "liquidcool",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-08T10:24:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 4353632,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon.  What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4354812",
          "commentText": "A book that often escapes even cyberpunk fans is John Brunner's \"The Shockwave Rider\". It was written in 1975 but is eerily prescient - at least I thought so when I read it in the 90's.\nOf course, I also recommend Gibson's books. And \"Ender's Game\"/\"Ender's Shadow\", even though they're not cyberpunk/cyber thrillers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Ender's Game\"/\"Ender's Shadow\"",
          "reason": "Recommended alongside Ender's Game, despite not being cyberpunk or a cyberthriller.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is not cyberpunk or a cyberthriller.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4354472,
          "author": "tqh",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-08T08:09:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 4353632,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon.  What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4354472",
          "commentText": "Enders Game and Enders Shadow by Orson Scott Card.\nBefore the movie comes out: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1731141/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Enders Shadow",
          "reason": "Suggested alongside Ender's Game as a book to read before the movie comes out.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3643043,
          "author": "kimswe",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-28T13:24:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 3643009,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-technical book you've read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3643043",
          "commentText": "Enders game, and then Enders Shadow..",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Enders Shadow",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to a question asking for recent non-technical books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140414,
          "author": "noodle",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T01:23:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140414",
          "commentText": "i can't narrow this down to one.  some of these are already named:\nCryptonomicon,\nSnow Crash,\n\"The Last Question\",\nEnder's Game/Shadow,\nDune,\nSlaughterhouse 5,\nRingworld",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ender's Game/Shadow,",
          "reason": "Lists it among several choices in response to a request for inspiring science fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Orson Scott Card"
      ],
      "recommenders": 12,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military science fiction",
        "coming of age",
        "parallel novel",
        "parallel narrative"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "house-of-leaves-96b4d5",
      "title": "House of Leaves",
      "author": "Mark Z. Danielewski",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37159248,
          "author": "omgmajk",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T09:32:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37159248",
          "commentText": "I recently started reading House of Leaves, I'm not done with it but I'm captivated by it so far. It's a very weird horror/love story that is unlike anything I have ever read before.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recently started reading House of Leaves, I'm not done with it but I'm captivated by it so far.",
          "reason": "Says they are captivated by this unusual horror and love story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not finished it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32199546,
          "author": "valbaca",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-23T02:12:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32199546",
          "commentText": "House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski\nhttps://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/0375703764\nSince Jan 1st. Ashamed that I'm only 130 pages in (~660 total). Life just keeps getting in the way were I don't make the time to sit down and read. Been over-indexing on my career and reading technical stuff after hours. It usually takes me a month or two to get through a book. But half a year later and I've barely put in a dent.\nIt also doesn't help that the book is mind-bending and incredibly postmodern and effectively has a plot structure not unlike the movie Inception, with footnotes taking over the entire page for several pages before falling off completely. Not exactly a \"quick read before bed.\"",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski",
          "reason": "Describes reading it and its unusual structure.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not a quick read before bed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29669098,
          "author": "candiddevmike",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T01:55:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29669098",
          "commentText": "The Library at Mount Char came from a Reddit recommendation for weird/bizarre fiction, and it did not disappoint.  It's about kids who were abducted by a very powerful person, and that's all I'll say about it.  If you like house of leaves or some of the strange chuck palahniuk stuff, you'll like this.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "If you like house of leaves or some of the strange chuck palahniuk stuff, you'll like this.",
          "reason": "Used as a comparison for readers likely to enjoy The Library at Mount Char.",
          "audience": "Readers who like The Library at Mount Char.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14751015,
          "author": "solipsism",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-12T08:36:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14751015",
          "commentText": "I've already read the first chapter, actually, and most of the second. The thing I'm worried about isn't reading the first chapter, it's reading all the chapters and later wishing I hadn't wasted the time.\nGood that it's not Lost. What I'm worried is more that it'll be House of Leaves though. Or Finnegan's Wake. But I'm already invested enough to keep going so we'll see how it goes. :)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "What I'm worried is more that it'll be House of Leaves though.",
          "reason": "Raised as a comparison for a book the commenter is reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785428,
          "author": "ycom13__",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:23:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785428",
          "commentText": "Here are all the ones I read this year\n  A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire) by George R. R. Martin\n  A Feast for Crows: A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) by George R.R. Martin\n  The Confident Speaker: Beat Your Nerves and Communicate at Your Best in Any Situation by Harrison Monarth\n  House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewsk\n  To the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War by Jeff Shaara \n  Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson\n  Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader by Brent Schlender\n  George Washington's Secret Six: The Spy Ring That Saved the American Revolution by Brian Kilmeade\n  Think Like a Freak: The Authors of Freakonomics Offer to Retrain Your Brain by Steven D. Levitt\n  Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance\n  Finders Keepers: A Novel by Stephen King\n  The Guns of August: The Pulitzer Prize-Winning Classic About the Outbreak of World War I by Barbara W. Tuchman\n  The Wright Brothers by David McCullough\n  Seveneves: A Novel by Neal Stephenson\n  The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson\n  Hitler's Last Day: Minute by Minute by Emma Craigie\n  The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins\n  Robopocalypse: A Novel (Vintage Contemporaries) by Daniel H. Wilson\n  Robogenesis by Daniel H. Wilson\n  In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick\n\n\n\nMy 5 favorite ones from that list are\n  In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick\n  Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance\n  To the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War by Jeff Shaara \n  Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson\n  The Wright Brothers by David McCullough",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewsk",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10210363,
          "author": "kamphey",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-13T04:36:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10210363",
          "commentText": "House of leaves",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "House of leaves",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674234,
          "author": "dietrichepp",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T11:42:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674234",
          "commentText": "If you want \"crazy-to-grasp\", you want Ulysses, To the Lighthouse, Gravity's Rainbow, Infinite Jest, Moby Dick, House of Leaves, etc.\nNot that \"crazy-to-grasp\" approximates \"good\" in any way.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If you want \"crazy-to-grasp\", you want Ulysses, To the Lighthouse, Gravity's Rainbow, Infinite Jest, Moby Dick, House of Leaves, etc.",
          "reason": "Suggested for readers seeking challenging books.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking books that are “crazy-to-grasp.”",
          "caveat": "The commenter says difficulty does not approximate quality.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401400,
          "author": "achalshah",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:18:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401400",
          "commentText": "House of Leaves - Mark Z. Danielewski\nVery similar style to Infinite Jest, but the story seems much more sinister.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Very similar style to Infinite Jest, but the story seems much more sinister.",
          "reason": "The commenter compares its style favorably to Infinite Jest and says its story seems more sinister.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comparison describes style and tone, not an overall evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968455,
          "author": "jesuslop",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T00:02:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968455",
          "commentText": "Finished 'House of Leaves' 2 months ago (Danielewski), a fantasy/terror thing, and he is in the same league with Lovecraft. The postmodern apparatus is more nice than silly.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "he is in the same league with Lovecraft. The postmodern apparatus is more nice than silly.",
          "reason": "Praises the author as being in Lovecraft's league and the book's postmodern apparatus.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387593,
          "author": "crisnoble",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T23:56:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387593",
          "commentText": "I tell everyone I meet who is into books to read \"House of Leaves\" by Mark Z. Danielewski.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I tell everyone I meet who is into books to read \"House of Leaves\" by Mark Z. Danielewski.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they tell everyone who is into books to read it.",
          "audience": "People who are into books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2627604,
          "author": "squidsoup",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-07T02:03:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2627604",
          "commentText": "Make take on it was that it was a very evocative and unsettling story, marred by too much 'post-modern' noodling.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "a very evocative and unsettling story, marred by too much 'post-modern' noodling.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds the story evocative and unsettling, but says postmodern noodling detracts from it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Criticism of excessive postmodern noodling.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2616243,
          "author": "lylejohnson",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T13:30:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2616243",
          "commentText": "House of Leaves, by Mark Z. Danielewski. Not sure that I can recommend it, but it's very different from anything else I've read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "House of Leaves, by Mark Z. Danielewski. Not sure that I can recommend it, but it's very different from anything else I've read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is very different from anything else they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is not sure they can recommend it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865930,
          "author": "danielson",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T18:45:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865930",
          "commentText": "I just finished House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski.\nA fictional story told, in part, from the perspective of a tattoo parlor apprentice living in Los Angeles, who stumbles upon a monograph of a documentary film, authored by the late, blind neighbor of a friend, about a family who moves into a house in Virginia that is ≈ ¼\" bigger on the inside than it is on the outside.\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Leaves",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I just finished House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227456,
          "author": "_bfhp",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T20:21:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227456",
          "commentText": "House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski has been compared to Pale Fire. I've read House of Leaves, and though it's textbook-sized (about as large as GED), when I got into it I finished it within the week. Definitely find one in print, it's just absolutely engaging.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Definitely find one in print, it's just absolutely engaging.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it engaging and recommends the print edition.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes its large, textbook-like size.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026884,
          "author": "Daniel_Newby",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T06:33:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026884",
          "commentText": "Redliners by David Drake. Burned out soldiers are sent to baby-sit a planetary colonization. Fortunately for the story it turns out to be a planet full of monsters. Baen Free Library.\nAccelerando, Iron Sunrise, and Singularity Sky by Charles Stross.  Singularity stories.\nHouse of Leaves by Mark Danielewski.  Supernatural meta-fiction with half the story in the footnotes.  Reminiscent of the movie Donnie Darko.\nCrooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis.  Private eye gets retained by the White House to track down the other U.S. Constitution.  To quote William Gibson, \"Stop It. You're frightening me.\"\nHurry Down Sunshine by Michael Greenberg.  Story of his teenage daughter's descent into manic psychosis.\nA Hat Full of Sky and Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett.  Kids' stories, so they have wall-to-wall story, unlike some of his more situational adult books.\nJames H. Schmitz science fiction stories. Available from the Baen Free Library of digital books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski. Supernatural meta-fiction with half the story in the footnotes.",
          "reason": "Describes it as supernatural metafiction with much of its story in footnotes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter compares it to the movie Donnie Darko.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875748,
          "author": "trafficlight",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T02:06:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875748",
          "commentText": "House of Leaves - Mark Danielewski\nThe Raw Shark Texts - Steven Hall",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "House of Leaves - Mark Danielewski",
          "reason": "Named in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86031,
          "author": "jkush",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T18:50:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86031",
          "commentText": "House of Leaves is so good! I have yet to come up with a good description of what it's about, but I always try when I tell people about it.\nI usually describe it as a story about a guy who finds a manuscript. The manuscript is a collection of essays that detail a documentary that was made about a house that randomly changes rooms. \nSo at the center of the novel, you have this really creepy story. But there are all the layers above that storyline that you have to read to get there. There's the storyline concerning the people who make the documentary. Then there's the storyline of the guy who wrote the manuscript ABOUT the documentary. Then you have the storyline of the guy who's reading the documentary.\nThen there's you. You're reading about a guy who is in turn  reading a manuscript about a documentary which was made about a house. It was so well done that at the end, I found myself not really sure what the hell I was reading anymore.\nI'm still not sure what the book is, but it's certainly a stroke of genius.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "House of Leaves is so good!",
          "reason": "Calls the novel “so good” and describes its layered storytelling as “a stroke of genius.”",
          "audience": "Readers interested in layered, experimental storytelling.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they still are not sure what the book is.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86022,
          "author": "jkush",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T18:44:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86022",
          "commentText": "Crime and Punishment (Dostoevsky)\nHouse Of Leaves (Mark Danielewski)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "House Of Leaves (Mark Danielewski)",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite in response to the thread's request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85855,
          "author": "breily",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T07:23:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85855",
          "commentText": "House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski\nHitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Z. Danielewski"
      ],
      "recommenders": 12,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "experimental fiction",
        "horror",
        "metafiction",
        "ergodic literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-fail-at-almost-everything-and-still-win-big-a7a76d",
      "title": "How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big",
      "author": "Scott Adams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49729804,
          "author": "oumua_don17",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-16T16:56:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 49724691,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most career altering course or book you have gone through?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49729804",
          "commentText": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Fail_at_Almost_Everythi... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Fail_at_Almost_Everything_and_Still_Win_Big)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_Fail_at_Almost_Everythi...",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27637694,
          "author": "6f8986c3",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T23:59:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27637694",
          "commentText": "\"How To Fail At Almost Everything And Still Win Big\" and \"Loserthink\" by Scott Adams.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How To Fail At Almost Everything And Still Win Big\"",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which book gave the commenter an unfair advantage.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23858780,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:34:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858780",
          "commentText": "The Prince - Niccolo Machiavelli\nThe 48 Rules of Power - Robert Greene\nFooled By Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nHow to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big - Scott Adams\nBasic Economics - Thomas Sowell\nThe World Is Flat - Thomas L. Friedman\nThe Penguin History of the World: Sixth Edition - J. M. Roberts and Odd Arne Westad",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big - Scott Adams",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that helped readers understand the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18745556,
          "author": "amorphous",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T11:30:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18745556",
          "commentText": "I thought this book was quite good.\nI also used to enjoy Scott Adam's blog and ideas, that's why it was quite shocking to me when I revisited his site and found out what he has turned into. I can't take him seriously anymore.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I thought this book was quite good.",
          "reason": "Says the book was quite good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the author’s later site and ideas changed their view of him.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18743872,
          "author": "gkamradt",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T01:53:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18743872",
          "commentText": "How To Fail At Almost Everything And Still Win Big - Scott Adams (2013)\nOne of my favorite quotes:\n“I put myself in a position where luck was more likely to happen. I tried a lot of different ventures, stayed optimistic, put in the energy, prepared myself by learning as much as I could, and stayed in the game long enough for luck to find me.” pg - 158\nMy top ten list for the year:\nhttps://www.gregkamradt.com/gregkamradt/top-reads-2018",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One of my favorite quotes:",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter’s top reads for the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14488089,
          "author": "JSeymourATL",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T15:03:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14488089",
          "commentText": "How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big by Scott Adams.\nTurns out the creator of Dilbert was at one time a mid-senior level manager in Corporate America, who attempted several failed entrepreneurial ventures over the years.  He's also a brilliant writer. Totally hooked by Chapter 3:  Passion is Bullshit >  http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17859574-how-to-fail-at-a... (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17859574-how-to-fail-at-almost-everything-and-still-win-big)\n",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big by Scott Adams.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the book compelling and praises the author as a brilliant writer.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416113,
          "author": "SyneRyder",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T20:41:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416113",
          "commentText": "The Scott Adams book \"How To Fail At Almost Everything And Still Win Big\" is surprisingly good.  It's too early for me to tell if it's made an improvement, but I have a ton of highlights and I've been reviewing them every couple of weeks.  [I've had a similar reaction recently to \"Everything I Know\" by Paul Jarvis as well.]",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Scott Adams book \"How To Fail At Almost Everything And Still Win Big\" is surprisingly good.",
          "reason": "Calls the book surprisingly good, while saying it is too early to tell if it helped.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is too early to know whether it has made an improvement.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12155886,
          "author": "hvd",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-25T01:18:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12155886",
          "commentText": "1.How to fail at almost everything and still win big- Scott adams\n2.The Surrender Experiment - Michael Singer\n3.Choose Yourself - Jamel Altucher",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to fail at almost everything and still win big- Scott adams",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12142466,
          "author": "l33tbro",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T09:00:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12142466",
          "commentText": "Practical skills are easily acquired.  Personal skills  and greater self-awareness are what really fast-track you.\n1) Scott Adams 'How to fail at almost everything' for life strategy.\n2) Robert Glover's 'No more Mr Nice Guy' for assertiveness and being your authentic self no matter what.\n3) As cliche as it is, 'The Power of Now' is a great source to return to in times of personal and professional woes.\nGood luck and Godspeed in your career(s).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'How to fail at almost everything' for life strategy.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for life strategy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12099016,
          "author": "yma",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T04:57:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12099016",
          "commentText": "Creativity, Inc. - Ed Catmull.\nHow to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big - Scott Adams\nSkunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years of Lockheed - Ben Rich\nSeven Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen Covey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big - Scott Adams",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229635,
          "author": "toumhi",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T14:51:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229635",
          "commentText": "Self-help/personal development/philosophy:\n- The obstacle is the way (Ryan Holiday)\n- Meditations (Marcus Aurelius)\n- Level up your life: how to unlock adventure and happiness by becoming the hero of your own story\n- the six pillars of self-esteem\n- so good they can’t ignore you\n- the power of habit\n- how to fail at almost everything and still win big\nBusiness:\n- soft sell: the new art of selling\n- essentialism: the disciplined pursuit of less\n- the magic of thinking big\n- everything is negotiable\n- making things happen\n- lean customer development\n- what customers want\n- inspired: how to create products customers love\n- delivering happiness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "how to fail at almost everything and still win big",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10786160,
          "author": "wushupork",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T22:57:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786160",
          "commentText": "Traction by Justin Mares, Gabriel Weinberg - would probably reread\nGrowth Hacker Marketing by Ryan Holiday\nHow to Fail at Almost Everything by Scott Adams - great read\nScaling Up By Verne Harnish\nGreat By Choice by Jim Collins - love the whole series\nThe Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes - probably worth a reread\nHow to Win at the Sport of Business By Mark Cuban - good read\nElon Mush by Ashlee Vance - need I say more\nThe Hard Thing about Hard Things By Ben Horowitz\nThe Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg - probably need to deeply absorb this - a lot of good stuff\nCopy This! By Paul Orfalea - another good \"small business\" entrepreneur book\nThe E-Myth Revisited By Michael Gerber - 2nd time read. Got more out of it this time.\nThe People's Tycoon (Ford) by Steven Watts - I love reading about businessmen from this age\nScrum by JJ Sutherland Jeff Sutherland - good read for development teams",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Fail at Almost Everything by Scott Adams - great read",
          "reason": "Described as a great read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8257636,
          "author": "thirdtruck",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T14:09:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257636",
          "commentText": "How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big, by Scott Adams. Highly recommended, and I still have half the book left.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Highly recommended",
          "reason": "Explicitly highly recommends the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter still has half the book left.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Adams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 12,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal development",
        "career",
        "career advice",
        "decision making"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "robot-series-39dcf9",
      "title": "Robot series",
      "author": "Isaac Asimov",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36022242,
          "author": "vivegi",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:58:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36022242",
          "commentText": "My intro to Asimov's work was through the short story, The Fun They Had. It was part of our English Reader at class.\nAfter I grew up, I picked up the Robot Series and Foundation Series. I didn't find any fictional work of his to be uninteresting. So, perhaps this comes down to individual preferences.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I picked up the Robot Series",
          "reason": "The commenter says they picked up the series after growing up.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that preferences are individual.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021629,
          "author": "smithza",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:58:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021629",
          "commentText": "Asimov wrote too widely to recommend “all of him”.\nFor an entrance into Asimov and his incredible Sci-Fi voice, check out “I, Robot” and the Robot detective series. He was really the originator of the term and popular idea “robot” and “robotics.” He would eventually turn to writing popular science to mixed results.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Robot detective series",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the series as an entrance into Asimov's science fiction.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for an introduction to Asimov's science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35395553,
          "author": "Spooky23",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-01T00:14:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 35392063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Science Fiction books that predict where ChatGPT might lead us?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35395553",
          "commentText": "I think Asimov’s Robot stories capture the risks associated with tools turning into threats. And his timeline was t too far off.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Asimov’s Robot stories",
          "reason": "Offers a science-fiction look at tools becoming threats.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32197927,
          "author": "hindsightbias",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197927",
          "commentText": "> mathematical model that can predict the future\nRead the Robots series and then Foundations Edge and sequels.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read the Robots series",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends reading the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29688986,
          "author": "KerryJones",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-26T01:59:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29688986",
          "commentText": "Interesting, maybe I'll try the Robot series and see how that goes, thanks!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Interesting, maybe I'll try the Robot series and see how that goes, thanks!",
          "reason": "The commenter is considering trying the series after another commenter recommended it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29672624,
          "author": "pedrolins",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T11:11:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29672624",
          "commentText": "I wouldn't have gotten nearly as much enjoyment out of the series (including the 2 sequels after the trilogy) if I hadn't read Asimov's Robot Series. I know that the whole \"you don't get it because you haven't read these other books\" thing is kind of cliché, but I really do think that the majority of the joy I got from Foundation was because of how it connected with the Robot Series.\nBut of course, part of the enjoyment should come from the book itself. I'd say that the book does get better as new threats to the Foundation appear, but the premise largely stays the same throughout the trilogy: will the Seldon Plan succeed?\n(NOTE) The reading sequence for me went something like: \n1. Caves of Steel\n2. Naked Sun\n3. I, Robot\n4. Robots of Dawn\n5. Foundation Trilogy\nEDIT: remove redundant last paragraph",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "if I hadn't read Asimov's Robot Series.",
          "reason": "The commenter says reading the series added to the enjoyment of Foundation through its connections.",
          "audience": "Readers of Foundation may enjoy the connections.",
          "caveat": "The commenter acknowledges this may sound like the cliché that a work requires reading other books first.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23471573,
          "author": "peter-m80",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T22:17:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23471573",
          "commentText": "Various from Isaac Asimov. Specially from the robots saga",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "from the robots saga",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056451,
          "author": "pelario",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T11:56:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056451",
          "commentText": "Most of Asimov's books, specially:\n* Foundation Series / Robot Series / Empire Series\n* The Gods Themselves",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Foundation Series / Robot Series / Empire Series",
          "reason": "Provided as an answer to the request for favourite sci-fi books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8125548,
          "author": "Ecio78",
          "createdAt": "2014-08-02T18:30:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 8125375,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I save for offline reading during 5 weeks without Internet?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8125548",
          "commentText": "+1 for Wikipedia, not just for reading something but as a reference if you want to verify something as the old Encyclopedias we used to use.\nTo just fill the hours, I would suggest some nice book, even better good series, like Foundation and Robot Series by Isaac Asimov, A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) by George R.R. Martin etc..\nWith those I think those 5 weeks will fly..",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "like Foundation and Robot Series by Isaac Asimov",
          "reason": "Suggested as a good series to fill the hours and make the five weeks fly by.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for an entertaining series.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387654,
          "author": "waterhouse",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T00:15:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387654",
          "commentText": "Isaac Asimov's robot series (start with \"I, Robot\" and \"The Caves of Steel\") is good, as is his Foundation series.  Ender's Game is also good; I've heard other people complain about the other novels in that universe (Speaker for the Dead and sequels, Ender's Shadow and sequels), but I liked them fine.  Cryptonomicon is rich, fascinating, and entertaining.  Dune is rich and pretty fascinating.  Heinlein's \"Stranger in a Strange Land\" and \"Time Enough for Love\" are somewhat scandalous, but I thoroughly enjoyed them.\nOutside science fiction: P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster novels, as well as what of his other books I've read, are hilarious and brilliant; I would suggest \"Right Ho, Jeeves\" as a starting point.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Isaac Asimov's robot series (start with \"I, Robot\" and \"The Caves of Steel\") is good",
          "reason": "Recommends the series and names two starting books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865661,
          "author": "tdupree",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T17:44:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865661",
          "commentText": "I thoroughly enjoyed the Foundation Series about a year ago and since then have been reading many of the books found in Asimov's Foundation Universe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_series#List_of_books... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_series#List_of_books_within_the_Foundation_Universe)). Right now I am reading \"The Robots of Dawn\", the third book in Asimov's Robot Series. I have gone in a kind of a strange order, first reading The Complete Robot, then the Foundation Series, the Empire Series, and now the Robot Series.  I have enjoyed them all, I like Asimov's style.  I also enjoyed Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and will be reading the next book in the series \"Speaker for the Dead\" soon.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Right now I am reading \"The Robots of Dawn\", the third book in Asimov's Robot Series.",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed Asimov's series and style.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752881,
          "author": "blrgeek",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T15:44:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752881",
          "commentText": "Want to blow your mind?\nFiction\nKeep an open mind, and a sense of wonder when you read these for max effect!\nHitch-hikers guide to the galaxy. I was hooked at \"The big yellow ships hung in the air just the way bricks don't.\"\nDune - what does scarcity do to a society?\nIsaac Asimov - Robot series. Foundation series. All of his short stories, esp. The Last Question, Nightfall.\nA.C. Clarke - 2001 - series, Childhood's End, The Fountains of Paradise\nThe Little Prince, The Count of Monte Cristo, Catch-22, Siddhartha, Ender's Game, Sundiver, Wodehouse.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Isaac Asimov - Robot series.",
          "reason": "Listed in a fiction recommendation list under “Want to blow your mind?”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isaac Asimov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 12,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "robot fiction",
        "robots",
        "detective fiction",
        "artificial intelligence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-kingkiller-chronicle-045fcf",
      "title": "The Kingkiller Chronicle",
      "author": "Patrick Rothfuss",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41768950,
          "author": "loufe",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T18:02:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41768950",
          "commentText": "I second the Black Company. I recently turned some friends onto it and got back in as a consequence. It was such a great twist on how a dark fantasy reads. Totally agree for Garret PI.\nI'll have to add my other fantasy favourites : The Kingkiller Chronicles (though be prepared to be left hanging) and the Stormlight Archives are truly excellent.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Kingkiller Chronicles",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's fantasy favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Be prepared to be left hanging.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38239436,
          "author": "vidyesh",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T12:01:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38239436",
          "commentText": "Dude! Thank you. But slow down for me will you?\nDo you mean to say The Stormlight Archive are better in your opinion than the Malazan book of the Fallen series? And KKC is the best of those three series?\nSidenote: Reading about KKC from other comments, seems like I might drop the idea of reading it for reason you too highlighted.\nI also checked out the Malazan Book for Fallen series properly, I was aware it was a series of 10 books but just now discovered Steven Erikson is a beast, that series including the prequels is a set of possibly 26 books! That is so exciting!\nOkay so I ask again, worth getting into? And some advice to survive the 1st book as you mentioned its the most difficult read?\nOR is The Stormlight series easier or first to read?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "seems like I might drop the idea of reading it for reason you too highlighted.",
          "reason": "Considers abandoning the idea of reading the series after hearing concerns discussed in the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter may drop it based on concerns raised in the discussion.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38238289,
          "author": "subtra3t",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T07:59:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238289",
          "commentText": "Malazan is amazing, possibly the best fantasy series I've ever read after Stormlight Archives (KKC would be on the list if not for the author's attitude towards the 3rd book). That said, it's really common for newcomers to the series to abandon the book even after a couple hundred pages.\nThink of it as being akin to being dropped in a completely foreign country, with no kind of guidance or language experience. The 1st book is the hardest to really \"get\" but if you do manage to get into it you'll have a really great time.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "KKC would be on the list if not for the author's attitude towards the 3rd book",
          "reason": "Would include it among their favorite fantasy series if not for concerns about the third book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Excludes it because of the author's attitude toward the third book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467509,
          "author": "Zhyl",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:32:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467509",
          "commentText": "The Kingkiller Chronicle.\nFirstly, they're good books and are enjoyable to read a second time round.\nSecondly, Rothfuss has laid down plot points like a Go player places stones. The second time reading through will join together disparate pieces of information that you wouldn't have connected together before, starting from very large revelations in the second reading of the first few chapters.\nI know of other books that are so rich that you can appreciate new details on multiple readings, but none that re-contextualise the whole story with revelations hidden in plain sight.\nReadings:\n(Name of the wind - 4 times,\nWise Man's Fear 5 or 6 times - I like this one more for some reason).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Kingkiller Chronicle.\nFirstly, they're good books and are enjoyable to read a second time round.",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoys rereading the series and says later readings reveal connections and hidden plot points.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21903974,
          "author": "Maximus9000",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T04:36:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21903974",
          "commentText": "Not much fiction in here:\n* Ender's game\n* Children of time\n* Kingkiller Chronicle (series)\n* Skyward",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Kingkiller Chronicle (series)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about influential books.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy epic fantasy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21806782,
          "author": "samtechie",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T20:22:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21806782",
          "commentText": "Kingkiller Chronicles is hands down my best fantasy series but its unfinished and the last book has taken over 8 years now with the author constantly pushing the release date. There are rumours that it will be released in 2020 but they have been saying this for years.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Kingkiller Chronicles is hands down my best fantasy series",
          "reason": "Names it their best fantasy series.",
          "audience": "Fantasy readers.",
          "caveat": "The series is unfinished, with the last book delayed for years.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20984126,
          "author": "falcolas",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T14:07:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20984126",
          "commentText": "The last book has been in progress for almost a decade now. I'll believe it's on its way when I see it.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The last book has been in progress for almost a decade now.",
          "reason": "Remarks that the series' final book has been in progress for nearly a decade.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20981878,
          "author": "jor-el",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T07:41:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20981878",
          "commentText": "I second this. It is very well written and among the top fantasy books I have read. The only frustrating part is the release of third book is no where near in the horizon.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second this. It is very well written and among the top fantasy books I have read.",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the recommendation and praises the writing and fantasy.",
          "audience": "Fantasy readers.",
          "caveat": "The third book's release is nowhere near the horizon.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20981849,
          "author": "paradoxos",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T07:35:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20981849",
          "commentText": "I can really recommend The Kingkiller Chronicle.\nIt is an outstanding piece of fantasy. The way of magic is developed / presented in a way you really can feel how it could be possible. A great piece of art by Patrick Rothfuss.\nThe last book (of three) is currently in the making. I am really looking forward to read the first two books again once the last part is published. I want to know more about The Doors of Stone - now! :-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can really recommend The Kingkiller Chronicle.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it and praises its fantasy and magic.",
          "audience": "Fantasy readers interested in carefully developed magic.",
          "caveat": "The third book is still in the making.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8613977,
          "author": "nl",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-16T11:15:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8613977",
          "commentText": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Fire_Upon_the_Deep\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Deepness_in_the_Sky\nIt's easy to categorise these as wonderful and well written space opera, but that undersells them. Their author (Venor Vinge) invented the idea of the Singularity, and worked as a computer science professor. Both won both the Hugo Award.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ender's_Game\nAs good as people say it is.\nMost of Richard Morgan's works (esp the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takeshi_Kovacs series). Not his fantasy books though.\nFor fantasy books, Patrick Rothfuss is doing good stuff. The Kingkiller Chronicles is excellent. Read his other books before \"Slow Regard of Silent Things\", though, because that is one weird story.\nFrom more recent SciFi books:\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Windup_Girl is excellent.\nI'm currently reading Ancillary Justice and I'm really enjoying it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancillary_Justice",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Kingkiller Chronicles is excellent.",
          "reason": "Calls the series excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8034734,
          "author": "happyrichpinoy",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-15T04:10:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 8025870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8034734",
          "commentText": "I'm also waiting for the 3rd Kingkiller book. In the meantime I have to satisfy myself with reading a short story about Bast (with a Kvothe cameo) in GRR Martin's Rogues Anthology.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm also waiting for the 3rd Kingkiller book.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8029075,
          "author": "cmaxwe",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-14T00:36:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 8025870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8029075",
          "commentText": "I'm also eagerly awaiting the next Patrick Rothfuss Kingkiller Chronicle book\nMe too. The first two were great. Looking forward to the next book in the Mistborn series from Sanderson too.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm also eagerly awaiting the next Patrick Rothfuss Kingkiller Chronicle book",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8026617,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-13T04:08:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 8025870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8026617",
          "commentText": "I'm also eagerly awaiting the next Patrick Rothfuss Kingkiller Chronicle book.\nYou and me both...  I'm champing at the bit for this book to come out.  I haven't been this annoyed waiting for a book since the wait for book four of Stephen King's Dark Tower series to come out.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "waiting for a book since the wait for book four of Stephen King's Dark Tower series",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8026433,
          "author": "tempestn",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-13T02:23:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 8025870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8026433",
          "commentText": "Just started The Power of Full Engagement by Tony Schwartz and Jim Loehr.  I believe it was recommended here a while ago.  Starts off a bit weak, spending too much time almost trying to sell you the book it feels like, rather than getting down to what it's actually all about - you know the type, like those \"motivational\" videos that spend an hour talking about how great it works and how many people have changed their life without ever actually saying what the ___ \"it\" is.  But it's not as bad as those, and I'm hopeful that as it gets into the real content it will be useful, since their general framework makes a lot of sense.  (The key tenant being to focus on managing energy rather than time.)\nI'm also eagerly awaiting the next Patrick Rothfuss Kingkiller Chronicle book.  (Despite the low-fantasy sounding name, the series is excellent.  I think it's probably the only fantasy series I would strongly recommend people pick up despite the fact that it's not finished yet.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the series is excellent. I think it's probably the only fantasy series I would strongly recommend people pick up despite the fact that it's not finished yet.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it excellent and strongly recommends it, while noting it is unfinished.",
          "audience": "People looking for a fantasy series.",
          "caveat": "The series is not finished yet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968400,
          "author": "malokai",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:45:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968400",
          "commentText": "I also started Gödel, Escher, Bach.  Have yet to finish the preface.\nDiscover Meteor: a book for the Meteorjs framework.  Good book if you want to learn the framework.\nI read a lot of fiction I guess.\nNow I am reading American Gods, and before that, Dune.  Before Dune I read the 2 released books of The Kingkiller Chronicle.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the 2 released books of The Kingkiller Chronicle.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387395,
          "author": "gillianseed",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T23:00:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387395",
          "commentText": "Nothing 'exotic' really, my all time favourites are Asimov, Heinlein, Philip K.Dick, Stephen King (particularly dark tower series), Arthur C. Clarke, Orson Scott Card (Ender series), William Gibson, Douglas Adams.\nI was recently coaxed into reading the 'Kingkiller chronicles' by Patrick Rothfuss, I was sceptical thinking it would be something like Harry Potter (not my cup of tea) but I ended up really liking it, looking forward to the third book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I ended up really liking it",
          "reason": "The commenter says they ended up liking the series and look forward to its third book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter was initially skeptical, expecting something like Harry Potter, which is not their cup of tea.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1866358,
          "author": "solost",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T20:29:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1866358",
          "commentText": "I just finished The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss and started Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch.  For those of you reading Ice and Fire or who have finished all of the current work I recommend both of these series.\nI also look at The Book of 5 Rings and The Art of War on a regular basis.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For those of you reading Ice and Fire or who have finished all of the current work I recommend both of these series.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the two named series to readers of A Song of Ice and Fire.",
          "audience": "Readers of A Song of Ice and Fire.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Patrick Rothfuss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 12,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "coming of age",
        "high fantasy",
        "magic systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-richest-man-in-babylon-232240",
      "title": "The Richest Man in Babylon",
      "author": "George S. Clason",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43404562,
          "author": "whatamidoingyo",
          "createdAt": "2025-03-18T20:21:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 43402403,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book/course/resource for personal finance or financial literacy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43404562",
          "commentText": "IMO, the absolute best book is The Richest Man in Babylon. It's a story about a man who slowly becomes super rich by doing some common sense things (e.g. saving money). It's a super fun and motivating read. Perfect for high school/college kids.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the absolute best book is The Richest Man in Babylon.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a fun, motivating story that teaches common-sense money habits such as saving.",
          "audience": "High school and college students.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35170339,
          "author": "caloique",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T15:59:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35170339",
          "commentText": "1) The richest man in Babylon\n2) The four agreement\n3) Secrets of the Millionaire Mind",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The richest man in Babylon",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26327908,
          "author": "frombody",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-03T13:20:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 26321793,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books made you the most money?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26327908",
          "commentText": "This is exactly why The Richest Man in Babylon has been a best seller for 100 years.\nA handful of core rules presented as friendly parables.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Richest Man in Babylon",
          "reason": "Presents a handful of core rules as friendly parables.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296548,
          "author": "tmatthewj",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T06:46:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296548",
          "commentText": "Thinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman\nThe Richest Man in Babylon - George Samuel Clason\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert M. Pirsig\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie\nThis is such a beautiful thread!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Richest Man in Babylon - George Samuel Clason",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the question about books the commenter wishes they had read earlier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14478474,
          "author": "ozovehe",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T21:02:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478474",
          "commentText": "A 'must' read indeed",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A 'must' read indeed",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14478323,
          "author": "Profragile",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T20:29:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478323",
          "commentText": "The Richest Man in Babylon.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Richest Man in Babylon.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13969292,
          "author": "chaostheory",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T16:45:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13969292",
          "commentText": "The Max Strategy. It's a simple fictional parable like the Richest Man in Babylon with a simple message: do/try something different every day.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "like the Richest Man in Babylon",
          "reason": "Used as a comparison for The Max Strategy’s parable format.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13236372,
          "author": "n3on_net",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T10:47:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13236372",
          "commentText": "Here is my list of 2016:\n- The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory\n- The 48 Laws Of Power\n- Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything\n- Crossing the Chasm\n- The Richest Man in Babylon\n- Confessions of an Economic Hit Man\n- Europe: A History\n- The Penguin History of Europe\n- The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon\n- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\nEvery of the books was awesome. The only thing is that I haven't finished Europe: A History from Norman and read The Penguin History of Europe instead because the Norman book was just too long for me. But It has way more details.\nI switch between business-related books and non-business related (it can be everything from philosophy to language history to hardcore science) but I don't read fiction (The Richest Man in Babylon is fictional, but still the focus is on self-development).\nHope you could see some titles that might interest you.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Every of the books was awesome.",
          "reason": "The commenter says every listed book was awesome.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is fictional, though focused on self-development.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6921899,
          "author": "_examine",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-17T16:17:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 6921805,
          "threadTitle": "What book has inspired you the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6921899",
          "commentText": "The richest man in Babylon caused me to make some changes to my saving habits, so I would call it inspirational since I often read in a detached manner and am rarely changed by what I read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The richest man in Babylon caused me to make some changes to my saving habits",
          "reason": "The book prompted changes to the commenter's saving habits.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4787418,
          "author": "timmm",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:19:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787418",
          "commentText": "The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho.\nKing, Warrior, Magician, Lover by Moore and Gillette\nThe lean startup\nPaul Graham how to start a startup\nMark Hyman Ultimate Mind Solution\nTribal Leadership\nWheel of Time\nThink and Grow Rich\nSuperior Man David Deida\nThe Fountain Head\nEckhart Tolle New Earth\n50th Law\nGood to Great\nJed Mckenna\nEarl Nightengale\nLong Walk to Freedom\nOutliers\nGood to Great\nPsycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz (Self-image)\nSeven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey(Being awesome)\nWealth of Nations\nWayne Dyer The Tao\nSystem of the World\nOrigin of Species\nBrave new world\nThank you economy\nCrush it\nBuilt to Last\nWho Moved my Cheese\nStillness Speak Eckhert Tolle\nMastery George Leonard\nSteve Jobs Biography\nThe Last Lecture\nSteve Pavlina Books\nIacocca\nStriking Thoughts Bruce Lee\nCarlos Castaneda\nGhost in the Wires\nRichest Man in Babylon\nWay of the Superior Man\nLosing My Virginity\nThink and Grow Rich\nDelivering Happiness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Richest Man in Babylon",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 687138,
          "author": "teknician1",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-04T13:15:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 687066,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on getting rich?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=687138",
          "commentText": "Agree with The Richest Man in Babylon and Think and Grow Rich.\nI recommend: 4 Hour Work Week, Mommy Millionaire, and The Millionaire Next Door, Gorilla Marketing, and Execution.\nLOL, if I had to choose two, they would be Think and Grow Rich and 4 Hour Work Week.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Agree with The Richest Man in Babylon",
          "reason": "Includes it among titles the commenter agrees with in response to a request for favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 687128,
          "author": "lawn",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-04T12:59:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 687066,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on getting rich?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=687128",
          "commentText": "The Richest Man in Babylon - Old wisdom at is best.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Richest Man in Babylon - Old wisdom at is best.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a source of old wisdom.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 569595,
          "author": "csbartus",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-19T17:57:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 568556,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sales book recommendation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=569595",
          "commentText": "The Richest Man in Babylon:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Richest-Man-Babylon-George-Clason/dp/1... (http://www.amazon.com/Richest-Man-Babylon-George-Clason/dp/1607960664/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240163748&sr=8-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Richest Man in Babylon:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Richest-Man-Babylon-George-Clason/dp/1...",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George S. Clason"
      ],
      "recommenders": 12,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal finance",
        "financial parables",
        "financial principles",
        "parable"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-righteous-mind-why-good-people-are-divided-by-politics-and-re-e534e7",
      "title": "The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion",
      "author": "Jonathan Haidt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46461871,
          "author": "Quinzel",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-02T05:58:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46461871",
          "commentText": "I read:\n- The Courage to be Disliked.\n- Moral Tribes\n- Crazy like us\n- Careless People\n- Madness Made Me\n- The righteous mind: Why good people are divided by politics and religion.\nAnd a few that were on my 2025 list that I didn’t make it through, and are on my list for 2026 include: \n- Team of Rivals\n- Behave\n- Why Greatness cannot be planned.\nHopefully I’ll get through those three books before the end of Feb when I go back to Uni, and won’t have time to read for leisure for about 7 months.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The righteous mind: Why good people are divided by politics and religion.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937386,
          "author": "mablopoule",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T02:05:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937386",
          "commentText": "\"The righteous mind\" by Jonathan Haidt. I loved it so much that I gave it to three different peoples.\nIt's about psychological studies of morality, and what tends to influence one sense of morality.\nIt had a huge impact on me because I feel that it helped me grow as a person, and being able to understand other culture/other principle, even if I don't necessarily agree with that.\nLots of stuff that seems plain evil from a western point of view (ergo, centered about the morals of individuality) would look more sensible once understood from a moral coming from a sense of community, and the necessarily conservative need to foster a stable societal structure.\nIt doesn't mean that I agree with things like opposing the rights of woman to drive/open bank account, but it help understanding the motivation better.\nAnother interesting point he brings is the differentiation between a moral judgement (X is good or bad), and the moral reasoning (X is bad because of Y and Z). Notably, the moral judgement come before the moral reasoning, the latter being used not as a way to reach a conclusion, but as a way to defend a moral judgement with our peers.\nJonathan Haidt is mostly known for his works on the political polarization of the USA.\nAnother book I found incredibly enriching (but unfortunately only in French) is \"Au coeur des services spéciaux\", which is an interview by Jean Guisnel (a french investigative journalist) of Alain Chouet, a former director of the DGSE (the french CIA basically).\nAlain Chouet studied Arabic and the arab/muslim world even before joining the DGSE, and what I picked up at the bookstore as a way to understand the french intelligence services turned out to be an extremely interesting (and respectful) exposé of the muslim and arab world, with the prism of political Islam, the history of terrorism as seen by french intelligence service, his opinion on many nuclear programs, and of course a great deal about 9/11.\nThe writing of the book is very fresh thanks to the conversational/interview style used, and while the book show its age more and more (it's from 2013), I still believe it's a worthwhile lecture if one is curious about such subject, especially given the current context.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The righteous mind\" by Jonathan Haidt.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it enriched their understanding of morality and other cultures.",
          "audience": "Readers curious about moral psychology and differing cultural values.",
          "caveat": "They clarify that understanding some positions does not mean agreeing with them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33802459,
          "author": "jwarden",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T15:52:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33802459",
          "commentText": "One descriptive theory of morality is Moral Foundations Theory[0]. Jonathan Haidt introduces it in his popular book The Righteous Mind[1].\nMy current thinking is that, since normative principles (what ought to be) cannot be demonstrated to be universally true, the best we can do is demonstrate that they are consistent with our core instincts and motives. For example, being generous to others is not right based on some external principle, but because if I had sufficient emotionally maturity, security, and insight I would recognize that my deepest desires extend far beyond immediate gratification of my physical desires.\n[0]: https://moralfoundations.org/\n[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Righteous_Mind",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Jonathan Haidt introduces it in his popular book The Righteous Mind",
          "reason": "Cited as an introduction to Moral Foundations Theory.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33594094,
          "author": "csours",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-14T14:09:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33594094",
          "commentText": "Hungry Brain - Guyenet - You're not bad at 'losing weight', your body is exceptionally good at holding onto energy reserves. Managing hunger is at least as important as managing diet.\nBurn - Pontzer - Similar to above, with more historical evidence\nHaidt - Righteous Mind - What is wrong with the people on the \"other side\" - it's not about sides, it's about human nature. This is a difficult topic, don't expect easy or quick answers.\n---\nNot a book, just a few thoughts from my own life about burnout, anxiety and depression:\nNegative emotions are Ok, they are a part of life, they are not bad by themselves. When your negative emotions pick up friends - when you get angry at yourself for being upset; when you have a negative emotion about a negative emotion, and it becomes a cyclical, persistent or recurring feeling, consider getting professional help.\nI got a lot of joy out of just trying things and seeing what happened. If it succeeded or failed, I learned something. Somewhere along the way, I lost the joy of discovery. If you have lost the joy of discovery, consider changing something about your situation, and possibly getting professional help.\nA lot of the things we say about mentality are descriptions of the human experience, not mechanical or causal elements in the mind. Procrastination is not a cause for delaying tasks, it is just a description of delaying tasks - it is not one thing, the same way plastic or cancer is not one thing. There are many elements and many causes, and you have to address those things, and not the procrastination.\nWillpower is similar - people talk about willpower like it is a substance that is used up to motivate decisions. That is a human experience, but any particular decision has it's own motivations. If you have consistent issues with a type of decision, look into your motivations and deeply held beliefs, look into the elements of that motivation; defer judgement about yourself during this process.\nThese things about mentality can't be conveyed with words, your mind has to come to them on it's own, but hopefully reading this will make the ideas more available to you.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Haidt - Righteous Mind",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a way to understand people on the other side and human nature.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter cautions that the topic is difficult and answers may not come quickly.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24290177,
          "author": "kleer001",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-27T04:42:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 24286084,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading at the moment and what do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24290177",
          "commentText": "The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt -\nFantastic walk through his six factor model of human morality. It's as revolutionary to me as learning about the five factor model (& HEXACO) of human personality.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fantastic walk through his six factor model of human morality.",
          "reason": "Praised as a fantastic walkthrough of Haidt's model of human morality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23155886,
          "author": "bkandel",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T16:28:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23155886",
          "commentText": "Two that did it for me:\n- The Righteous Mind, Jonathan Haidt. Really deepened my understanding of how Western and other cultures think about moral and ethical issues.\n- The Feminine Mystique, Betty Friedan. It's a feminist book that is very non-ideological, and helped me, as someone born in the 80's, appreciate some very real and practical issues that feminism has helped us address.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Righteous Mind, Jonathan Haidt.",
          "reason": "Says it deepened their understanding of how different cultures approach moral and ethical issues.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18747201,
          "author": "dorchadas",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T17:28:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18747201",
          "commentText": "I should order that! I emailed him after I read The Righteous Mind (2016, 2017 maybe?) asking what his opinions were of the shifts we had seen since the book was published and whether his opinions have changed and how hopeful he was, etc. He did take the time to reply, even if it was short, and answered my questions; always appreciate when an author interacts with readers like that.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I emailed him after I read The Righteous Mind (2016, 2017 maybe?)",
          "reason": "Mentions having read the book, without evaluating it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18744423,
          "author": "james_s_tayler",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T04:26:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744423",
          "commentText": "Seems somewhat of an odd tagline \"why good people are divided by politics\"...\nAll people are divided by politics.\nPerhaps it's one to give a read though.\nI swear I'm noticing a systemic failure at a global level of people to recognize they are always-on 24/7 political machines living inside an always-on 24/7 political machine and it's mostly Garbage In, Garbage Out.\nThat's the default mode of operation. Most people are wrong about most things. Couple that with the fact we are de-facto tribal animals that can't turn our politics off. All you get is one big, giant disagreement where everyone is likely wrong and nobody will admit it.\nBut I keep noticing patterns in everyones language... Patterns that make an assumption that the crazy political debates we find ourselves in are somehow an abnormal state and the world has \"descended into madness\" or \"we've gone mad\" or \"it seems people have really lost their minds lately\".\nThis pattern crops up over and over again. It's like no man, look at the hardware and software producing the outputs. This is the output the system is designed to produce. We haven't \"lost our minds\" or \"gone crazy\", we were always this batshit insane and this is always the protocol we have operated on.\nCurious what the framework the book lays out and what resemblance it bears to my own framework...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Perhaps it's one to give a read though.",
          "reason": "Considers reading the book to learn what framework it lays out.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter questions its tagline and does not endorse its framework.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296374,
          "author": "sixhobbits",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T05:43:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296374",
          "commentText": "The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haidt\nIt changed the way I think and most of my existing ideas.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It changed the way I think and most of my existing ideas.",
          "reason": "Says the book changed how they think and their existing ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961334,
          "author": "IneffablePigeon",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:30:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961334",
          "commentText": "Best book I read this year hands down was The Righteous Mind: Why good people are divided by politics and religion, by Jonathan Haidt.\nIt's a really lucid and eye opening introduction to moral psychology, and as a left-leaning person politically has made me understand my right-leaning friends more than anything else. Truly enlightening.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Best book I read this year hands down was The Righteous Mind: Why good people are divided by politics and religion, by Jonathan Haidt.",
          "reason": "The commenter names it their best book of the year and praises its lucid introduction to moral psychology.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in moral psychology or understanding political differences.",
          "caveat": "The stated perspective is that of a left-leaning reader.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156844,
          "author": "TheAceOfHearts",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T16:31:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156844",
          "commentText": "A few weeks back I read \"The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion\". It was very insightful. I enjoyed it so much that I ended up immediately recommending it to many of my friends.\nThe author does a good job at getting the main points through. He ends each chapter with a summary of the discussed points, and at the end of the book he sums em all up again.\nNot a book, but I've been consuming many Jordan Peterson videos on YouTube. He has presented me with many new arguments and ideas which I hadn't previously considered.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It was very insightful. I enjoyed it so much that I ended up immediately recommending it to many of my friends.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it insightful and enjoyed it enough to recommend it to friends.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156271,
          "author": "BeetleB",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T14:58:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156271",
          "commentText": "Bargaining for Advantage : Negotiation Strategies for Reasonable People\nThe Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion\nLies my teacher told me : everything your American history textbook got wrong\nInfluence: The Psychology of Persuasion\nNonviolent Communication: A Language of Life\nThinking, Fast and Slow",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which books had the biggest impact on mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15019996,
          "author": "sweetheart",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T16:58:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15019996",
          "commentText": "Seconded - I'm reading it now and probably consider it one of the most personally influential books I've ever read. It doesn't hurt that Haidt is just a seriously talented writer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm reading it now and probably consider it one of the most personally influential books I've ever read. It doesn't hurt that Haidt is just a seriously talented writer.",
          "reason": "Calls it personally influential and praises Haidt's writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15019598,
          "author": "shishy",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T16:19:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15019598",
          "commentText": "The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haidt\nI cannot recommend this book enough -- I'm halfway through it and it's a very accessible overview of work done in moral development psychology that (for me) shed light on how people come to believe the things they do so strongly. It's increasingly relevant today, and was a bit of an eye-opener for me.\nHas anyone else checked it out? Curious to get your thoughts -- I'm not done yet and once I finish, I'm doing to dug through the primary sources he cites.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I cannot recommend this book enough",
          "reason": "Calls it accessible, relevant, and an eye-opener for understanding how people form strong beliefs.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is halfway through and has not finished it.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6975786,
          "author": "grimtrigger",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T18:53:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6975786",
          "commentText": "\"The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion\"\nIf you're like me and love debates, this book is awesome. It'll show you how to find common ground and understand implicit values behind arguments.\nLink for the lazy (non-affiliate): http://www.amazon.com/The-Righteous-Mind-Politics-Religion/d... (http://www.amazon.com/The-Righteous-Mind-Politics-Religion/dp/0307455777)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you're like me and love debates, this book is awesome. It'll show you how to find common ground and understand implicit values behind arguments.",
          "reason": "Calls it awesome and says it helps readers find common ground and understand arguments' underlying values.",
          "audience": "People who enjoy debates.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Haidt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 12,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "moral psychology",
        "political psychology",
        "political polarization",
        "religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "childhood-s-end-dc1677",
      "title": "Childhood's End",
      "author": "Arthur C. Clarke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49904487,
          "author": "dv35z",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T04:53:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49904487",
          "commentText": "I just read\n(1) Roadside Picnic (the book which \"Stalker\" game is based from).\nThis was a page-turner! Fascinated by the science artifacts & effects (like gravitational glitches, frozen black sparks, etc)\n(2) \"Childhood's End\" by Arthur C Clarke (who wrote 2001 Space Odyssey)\nThe sheer time scale of the story is impressive, and the technology is so interesting - especially for 1950s! There are some interesting time effects too (like an unborn child telepathically channeling information to a conversation in the past!)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Childhood's End\" by Arthur C Clarke",
          "reason": "Says the time scale and technology are impressive and interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46285681,
          "author": "elnatro",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-16T07:13:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 46226571,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46285681",
          "commentText": "Childhood’s End was not bad, but it didn’t leave an impression on me. I thought that it was dated (the Spanish watching a bullfight when the aliens came, oh c’mon!). What did you like the most about it?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Childhood’s End was not bad, but it didn’t leave an impression on me.",
          "reason": "Says the novel was not bad but did not leave an impression, and criticizes an outdated scene.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter found it dated and unmemorable.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46227192,
          "author": "bix6",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-11T03:07:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 46226571,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46227192",
          "commentText": "Caves of Steel, Forever War, Childhood’s End",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Caves of Steel, Forever War, Childhood’s End",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 45652071,
          "author": "bix6",
          "createdAt": "2025-10-21T03:17:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 45651938,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45652071",
          "commentText": "Recently finished childhood’s end and the end of eternity, enjoyed both. Just started the big time… it’s odd so far lol we’ll see.\nEdit: also reading empire of AI. It’s insightful but not as fun of a read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "childhood’s end",
          "reason": "Says they finished it recently and enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39729464,
          "author": "bookofjoe",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T21:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729464",
          "commentText": "\"A Canticle For Leibowitz\"\n\"The Sparrow\"\n\"Lord of Light\"\n\"The Immortal\"\n\"Hyperion\"\n\"The Last Question\"\n\"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?\"\n\"Stranger in a Strange Land\"\n\"The City and the Stars\"\n\"Childhood's End\"\n\"Anathem\"\n\"Eifelheim\"\n\"A Case of Conscience\"\n\"VALIS\" trilogy\n\"The Book of Strange New Things\"\n\"Behold The Man\"\n\"The God Engines\"\n\"Book of the New Sun\"\n\"The Parable of the Sower\"\n\"The Dosadi Experiment\"\n\"Grass\"\n\"Project Pope\"\n\"Calculating God\"\n\"Factoring Humanity\"\n\"Jesus on Mars\"\n\"Surface Detail",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Childhood's End\"",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about books that changed perspectives on religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10212315,
          "author": "partisan",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-13T18:35:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 10211331,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10212315",
          "commentText": "Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9057136,
          "author": "secstate",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T15:01:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9057136",
          "commentText": "Just finished reading \"Fiasco\" by Stanislaw Lem. Between that \"Cyberiad\" I feel like Lem doesn't get enough credit. Maybe part of it is not being in the Western European writer's camp?\nAt any rate, I would say:\nMoon is a Harsh Mistress, Heinlein\nThe Dispossessed, Le Guin\nThe Stars My Destination, Bester\nChildhood's End, Clarke\nStand out as some of my favorites. I'm pretty terrible at making top-5 lists, but those stand out as ones that I would read again in a heartbeat if there weren't already 50 books on the floor next to my bed waiting for me :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Childhood's End, Clarke",
          "reason": "Includes it among favorites answering the thread question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056763,
          "author": "bruna597",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T13:23:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056763",
          "commentText": "Snow Crash \nChildhood's End",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Childhood's End",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056523,
          "author": "edem",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:18:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056523",
          "commentText": "Since the OP asked about books not authors my favourite book is \"Foundation and Earth\" (Isaac Asimov), \"Childhood's End\" (A.C. Clarke) and Solaris (Stainslaw Lem).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Childhood's End\" (A.C. Clarke)",
          "reason": "Named as a favorite sci-fi book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8946127,
          "author": "dwarman",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-26T09:13:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8946127",
          "commentText": "Stand on Zanzibar, Snow Crash, Cryptonomicon, Childhood's End, A Cantilce for St Leibowitz, The Stars My Destination, Midnight At The Well of Souls, Nine Princes in Amber, Halting State, Strnger In A Strange Land, The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Childhood's End",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8944977,
          "author": "ilzmastr",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-26T00:50:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944977",
          "commentText": "Childhoods end - Humanity takes the next step in evolution\nAnhilliation - Fish out of water like story of exploring a mysterious, horrific, environment (2 sequels drag on for too much after this one though)\nMany Ray Bradbury stories (Martian chronicles, and the Everyman collection contain the best ones)\nInfinite Jest (Alternate American future of a culture of addiction and depravity, partly mediated by technology)\nThe Circle (haven't read, but like the author, life inside the biggest tech company of the future)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Childhoods end - Humanity takes the next step in evolution",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8622265,
          "author": "dllthomas",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-18T03:42:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8622265",
          "commentText": "A single book?  Impossible.  I don't think I could even name my favorite Zelazny or PKD.  Many of the works of both are in the running.  As is \"Dune\", for sure.  Possibly \"Snow Crash\". \"Protector\" might not quite make the cut, but comes somewhat close - from my recollection it was my favorite Niven (not counting short stories)...  I'm currently finally getting around to \"The Mote In God's Eye\".  Further back, \"Foundation\" was pretty amazing, and I've a bit of a soft spot for \"Childhood's End\".  Bester's \"The Demolished Man\" is well worth a read, but I think also doesn't quite make the cut.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and I've a bit of a soft spot for \"Childhood's End\".",
          "reason": "Says they have a soft spot for it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752881,
          "author": "blrgeek",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T15:44:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752881",
          "commentText": "Want to blow your mind?\nFiction\nKeep an open mind, and a sense of wonder when you read these for max effect!\nHitch-hikers guide to the galaxy. I was hooked at \"The big yellow ships hung in the air just the way bricks don't.\"\nDune - what does scarcity do to a society?\nIsaac Asimov - Robot series. Foundation series. All of his short stories, esp. The Last Question, Nightfall.\nA.C. Clarke - 2001 - series, Childhood's End, The Fountains of Paradise\nThe Little Prince, The Count of Monte Cristo, Catch-22, Siddhartha, Ender's Game, Sundiver, Wodehouse.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Childhood's End",
          "reason": "Listed in a fiction recommendation list under “Want to blow your mind?”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 716498,
          "author": "secret",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-21T16:45:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=716498",
          "commentText": "Just finished: Childhood's End and Rendezvous with Rama",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Just finished: Childhood's End",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140523,
          "author": "nickb",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T03:53:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140523",
          "commentText": "My favorites:\nChildhood's End by Clarke: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Childhood%27s_End\nFoundation series by Asimov: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Foundation_Series\nCity by Simak: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_(Clifford_D._Simak_novel)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favorites:\nChildhood's End by Clarke",
          "reason": "Includes it among their favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur C. Clarke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 12,
      "threads": 9,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "human evolution",
        "alien contact",
        "evolution"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "concrete-mathematics-a-foundation-for-computer-science-8d1684",
      "title": "Concrete Mathematics: A Foundation for Computer Science",
      "author": "Ronald L. Graham, Donald E. Knuth, and Oren Patashnik",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34446114,
          "author": "aught",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T21:48:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34446114",
          "commentText": "A decade of the berkeley math circle and concrete mathematics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A decade of the berkeley math circle and concrete mathematics",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29218696,
          "author": "bakuninsbart",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T17:25:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29218696",
          "commentText": "Concrete Mathematics by Graham/Knuth/Patashnik is still a great resource on the kind of mathematics and mathematical thinking we need in CS, but I'm not sure if it is fully accessible with a high-school level of Maths.\nTo be perfectly honest, I doubt I would've ever gotten through college-level maths without being forced to do it, as it can be very frustrating and difficult in the beginning. Unless you are quite confident in your self-discipline and enthusiasm to learn maths, rather than books I'd recommend something interactive (online course, forums, challenges).\nIf you are interested in a starting point to learn mathematics that are relevant for CS, I'd start with propositional logic and boolean algebra, as well as proofs via induction.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Concrete Mathematics by Graham/Knuth/Patashnik is still a great resource on the kind of mathematics and mathematical thinking we need in CS",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great resource for mathematical thinking in computer science.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure it is fully accessible with high-school-level math.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23726859,
          "author": "kolinko",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T19:43:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23726859",
          "commentText": "When I saw the title, this was the first book that came to my mind. Very nicely written, possibly the best math book I've read (as a Computer Science MSc)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Very nicely written, possibly the best math book I've read",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book's writing and considers it possibly the best maths book they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21375861,
          "author": "cben",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-28T11:02:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21375861",
          "commentText": "You don't really need much math for SICP.  You can learn a few random pieces of math from SICP, and without background that will be harder and you might feel like you're missing out, but these are just examples; you can just trust the math works and focus on how they implement it in code, it's structure of the code they want to teach you about.\nAnd, it gets better, IIRC from chapter 2 there is much less math.\nWhat happens in the first chapter, is that SICP is exploring various control structures (and abstractions over them) before teaching any compound data structures at all.  So all it has to work with is numbers.\nBut as number theory teaches us, numbers actually have a rich internal structure, and SICP uses that to make \"interesting\" examples!\n(This aspect of SICP is one of the big critiques in the paper http://cs.brown.edu/~sk/Publications/Papers/Published/fffk-h... (http://cs.brown.edu/~sk/Publications/Papers/Published/fffk-htdp-vs-sicp-journal/paper.pdf)\nwhich explains the motivations beyond HtDP textbook.  In particular, HtDP shows compound data structures first, and uses those to start with explicit methodology for data-directed design of code.\nThese are smart programmers and smart educators, and I trust they made a better intro course.  I won't recommend SICP for people who don't know any programming at all.  But I feel SICP has a magical voice about the art of programming that HtDP didn't replicate — though I haven't read HtDP, only leafed through it a bit.)\nSo I don't recommend to to cram algebra/calculus before you begin SICP journey!  Just start on SICP, and look up math stuff if/as you want.\nAt the beginning, IIRC you'll encounter: prime vs composite integers; base-2 representation of integers; some calculus but it's enough to understand derivative = slope.\nThere is some symbolic algebra stuff later that's maybe trickier, but I think (hope?) SICP is actually a great book to demystify that.\n---\nIf you do want to learn math relevant to CS, but mainly for the purpose of learning math:\n- If you're comfortable with code more than math: \n  A Programmer’s Introduction to Mathematics by Jeremy Kun.\n- \"Concrete Math\" by Knuth/Oren/Patashnik is wonderful.  \n  Don't feel you have to finish it!  I stopped ~60%.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Concrete Math\" by Knuth/Oren/Patashnik is wonderful. Don't feel you have to finish it!",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it wonderful and says readers need not finish it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says readers need not finish the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21346877,
          "author": "mturmon",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T17:24:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21346877",
          "commentText": "Graham, Knuth, and Patashnik's Concrete Mathematics has the same exploratory and informal tone that the Feynman lectures have.  It's more about computational math than abstract math.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Graham, Knuth, and Patashnik's Concrete Mathematics has the same exploratory and informal tone that the Feynman lectures have.",
          "reason": "Recommends it by comparing its exploratory, informal tone to the requested lectures.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an exploratory, informal mathematics book.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it focuses more on computational than abstract mathematics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16085003,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-06T12:34:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16085003",
          "commentText": "Visual Complex Analysis - Needham.\nA lot of great pictures, exerything is explained (and shown) geometrically. Complex differentiation/integration, non-Euclidean geometry, vector fields etc.\nMathematics and its History - Stillwell.\nWonderfully written. From the ancients to the 20th century, covers the mathematics (in a lot of detail) and lives of major mathematicians (potted bios).\nConcrete Mathematics - Knuth et al. \nDiscrete maths, number theory, generating functions, covers most of the maths that pops up continually in programming.\nAll You Wanted To Know About Mathematics But Were Afraid To Ask. Mathematics for Science Students 2 Vols. - Louis Lyons.\nPretty basic, but covers all the mathematical basics for physics. (1st year uni level I guess) I learned a lot from this years ago, I still consult it as a reference. It's a pleasure to read.\nAlso, all of Hamming's books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "covers most of the maths that pops up continually in programming.",
          "reason": "Describes its coverage of mathematics useful in programming.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking discrete mathematics for programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229918,
          "author": "Ping_2_Ur_Pong",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T16:31:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229918",
          "commentText": "Below list are some of my favorite books overall that I didn't see mentioned.\n---Non-software related\nHow to win friends and influence people -Dale Carnegie (The definitive guide to helping you work better with people, truly great book, should be required reading)\nBlink- Malcolm Gladwell\nGodel Escher, Bach -  (Recursion, but not from a software perspective.  Its a glorious book that will change the way you think about recursion.)\nHitch Hiker's guide to the galaxy, - Douglas Adams  (Glorious book that is a fun read, when you need a break pick this up and laugh hard)\nFoundation Series - Assimov (Great stories from one of the best sci-fi writers ever)\n-------------------Software related\nCode Complete\nConcrete Mathematics\nThe Art of Computer Programming\nThe Design of the Unix Operating System\nIntroduction to Algorithms -Cormen\nDesign Patterns Elements of Resusable OO Design -Gang of Four",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Concrete Mathematics",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorite books in a response to a recommendation request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 755058,
          "author": "michael_dorfman",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T12:24:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755058",
          "commentText": "What kind of math do you want to learn?\nThere's a lot of great resources out there, but you need to be more specific.\nFor example: I really enjoyed Gilbert Strang's course on Linear Algebra, available as a series of video lectures on MIT OCW (http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Mathematics/18-06Spring-2005/Cours... (http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Mathematics/18-06Spring-2005/CourseHome/)).\nIf you are interested in Discrete mathematics, Knuth's \"Concrete Mathematics\" is a great book--but it might not count as \"basic\" enough for your purposes, depending on your background.\nIf by \"basics\" you mean \"the stuff you should have learned in high school or as an undergrad\", the Standard Deviants videos are fun: http://www.sdlearn.com/default.asp",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Knuth's \"Concrete Mathematics\" is a great book--but it might not count as \"basic\" enough for your purposes, depending on your background.",
          "reason": "Described as a great book on discrete mathematics.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in discrete mathematics.",
          "caveat": "May not be basic enough, depending on background.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 665304,
          "author": "menloparkbum",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T15:40:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665304",
          "commentText": "I want some recommendations on good math books on: calculus, discrete math, probabilities, statistics\nCalculus Made Easy by Silvanius P. Thompson  (Feynman taught himself calc with this book)\nConcrete Mathematics by Knuth, Graham, Patashnik\nFundamentals of Applied Probability Theory by Alvin Drake\nYou probably want to learn Linear Algebra - get Gilbert Strang's book.\nThe Schuam's outlines in each topic are good for review. I like the ancient ones, usually there are dozens of them for next to nothing at any good used bookstore.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Concrete Mathematics by Knuth, Graham, Patashnik",
          "reason": "Listed in response to an explicit request for math book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 665250,
          "author": "sanand",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T15:10:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665250",
          "commentText": "My recommendations:\nHardy, A Course of Pure Mathematics.\nKnuth, Graham and Patashnik, Concrete Mathematics.\nHoffman and Kunze, Linear Algebra (there are several free online books on Linear Algebra and Vector Spaces, Strang, Axler, Lang Halmos and Shilov are also recommended).\nFeller, An Introduction to Probability Theory and Its Applications.\nIf you're not studying for exams and you have plenty of time on your hands, try the following algorithm: \n1. Dive into some random chapter in the book and attempt the first exercise in that chapter.\n2. Understand the problem by referring back and learning everything that might potentially have relevance to the exercise.\n3. Attempt to solve exercise.  \n4. If unsuccessful, go to step 2.\n5. If there are more exercises in the chapter, pick the next exercise and go to step 2.\n6. If there are still unsolved exercises in the book, go to step 1.\nInitially, this can cause excruciating pain and frustration.  But every exercise is a little research problem and soon -- if you are the curious type who cannot rest until you have got to the bottom of a problem -- you'll find you've mastered the subject faster than you would have learnt its elements, had you taken a formal classroom course.  The most important benefit of this method is that it will train you in some modes of thinking that are crucial in research.  Think of it as callisthenics for problem solving type of research!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Knuth, Graham and Patashnik, Concrete Mathematics.",
          "reason": "Included in a list introduced as “My recommendations.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 665247,
          "author": "chollida1",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T15:08:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665247",
          "commentText": "I've seen a few people recommend The Princeton Companion to Mathematics(PCM) http://press.princeton.edu/titles/8350\nI own this book and while I do agree it's a great book for getting a 10000 foot view about topics in mathematics it's not really a book one read to learn the math that the poster is asking for.\nI agree with another post here that said studying is doing problems and being able to do them again a week later without having to consult the text again.\nPCM isnt a good book for learning calculus, discrete math, probability or statistics( what the posters wants to learn) simply because it isn't designed to teach them.  There are no problems/solutions in the book to try.\nIf you really want one book then I'd recommend Concrete Mathamatics http://www.amazon.com/Concrete-Mathematics-Foundation-Comput... (http://www.amazon.com/Concrete-Mathematics-Foundation-Computer-Science/dp/0201558025/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245423997&sr=1-1)\nby Graham, Knuth and Patashnik.  It has relevant topics and problem sets that you can work through to see if you truly did learn anything when reading it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "then I'd recommend Concrete Mathamatics",
          "reason": "Recommended as a single book with relevant topics and problem sets.",
          "audience": "Readers wanting one book to learn the requested topics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 665102,
          "author": "kaens",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T13:48:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665102",
          "commentText": "Second the Concrete Mathematics recommendation.\nIt's a challenging book, but approachable. It did wonders for my understanding of maths, and for my skill as a programmer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Second the Concrete Mathematics recommendation.",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 665040,
          "author": "michael_dorfman",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T13:13:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665040",
          "commentText": "Knuth's \"Concrete Mathematics\" is a lot of fun.\nAlso, there are a lot of good courses at OCW over at MIT.  http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/courses/courses/index.htm#Math... (http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/courses/courses/index.htm#Mathematics)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Knuth's \"Concrete Mathematics\" is a lot of fun.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as an enjoyable mathematics book.",
          "audience": "Readers studying mathematics and computer science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ronald L. Graham",
        "Donald E. Knuth",
        "Oren Patashnik"
      ],
      "recommenders": 12,
      "threads": 9,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "discrete mathematics",
        "computer science",
        "mathematical problem solving",
        "mathematics for computer science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "exhalation-f1c9d0",
      "title": "Exhalation",
      "author": "Ted Chiang",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46161500,
          "author": "ashtavakra",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-05T14:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46161500",
          "commentText": "I consolidated the comments for my reference later. Someone else might also find it useful:\n# Fiction Books Recommended for Programmers (HN Thread 46128404)\n## Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- *Children of Time* — Science Fiction (Evolution, Space Opera)  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)\n## Rick Cook — Wizardry Series\n- *Wizard’s Bane* — Fantasy, Programming/Magic Mashup  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112616.Wizard_s_Bane\n- *Wizardry Series (overview)*  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\n## James P. Hogan\n- *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/743568.Inherit_the_Stars\n- *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifem... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifemaker)\n- *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_Tomorrow)\n## D. F. Jones — Colossus Trilogy\n- *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806105.Colossus\n- *The Fall of Colossus* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colos... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colossus)\n- *Colossus and the Crab* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_Crab)\n## Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner)\n- *A Logic Named Joe* — Golden-Age Sci-Fi, AI Precursor  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-j... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-joe)\n## David Gerrold\n- *When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One* — AI, Classic Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_Was_One)\n## William Gibson / Bruce Sterling\n- *Neuromancer* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer\n- *The Difference Engine* — Steampunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Eng... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Engine)\n## Neal Stephenson\n- *Snow Crash* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash\n- *Cryptonomicon* — Techno-thriller, Cyber-history  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/816.Cryptonomicon\n- *Anathem* — Philosophical Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2845024-anathem\n- *The Diamond Age* — Nanopunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827.The_Diamond_Age\n## Fred Saberhagen\n- *Octagon* — AI, Techno-thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1891958.Octagon\n## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga\n- *Series Overview* — Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/40946-vorkosigan-saga\n## Richard Powers\n- *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45104.Galatea_2_2\n## Scott Meyer\n- *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-wizard)\n## Daniel Suarez\n- *Daemon* — Cyber-thriller, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665844-daemon\n## Thomas J. Ryan\n- *The Adolescence of P-1* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_o... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_of_P_1)\n## Ernest Cline\n- *Ready Player One* — Sci-Fi, Gaming, Pop-Culture Adventure  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one\n## Dennis E. Taylor\n- *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)* — Humorous Sci-Fi, AI, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-we-are-bob)\n## Ted Chiang\n- *Stories of Your Life and Others* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\n- *Exhalation* — Speculative Fiction, Philosophy, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation\n- *The Lifecycle of Software Objects* — AI, Digital Consciousness  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of-software-objects)\n## Charles Stross\n- *Laundry Files Series* — Math-based Magic, Techno-Fantasy  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files\n## Ken Liu\n- *The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menag... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories)\n- *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, AI, VR  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl-and-other-stories)\n## Ellen Ullman\n- *The Bug* — Tech Industry Literary Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/703.The_Bug\n## Cory Doctorow\n- *Radicalized* — Techno-sociopolitical Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40604122-radicalized\n## qntm (Sam Hughes)\n- *Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans-in-transit-and-other-stories)\n## Roger Williams\n- *The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect* — AI, Post-Singularity SF  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)\n## Greg Bear\n- *Eon* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/924843.Eon\n## Vernor Vinge\n- *A Deepness in the Sky* — Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the_Sky)\n## Terry Pratchett\n- *Going Postal* — Comic Fantasy, Satire of Bureaucracy & Tech  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64222.Going_Postal\n## Bruce Bethke\n- *Headcrash* — Cyber-satire  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213465.Headcrash\n## Mary Shelley\n- *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* — Classic Gothic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein\n## Douglas Adams\n- *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* — Comic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guid... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)\n## Jorge Luis Borges\n- *The Library of Babel* — Metaphysical Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-babel)\n## Greg Egan\n- *Permutation City* — Simulation Theory, Hard Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156784.Permutation_City\n## Cixin Liu\n- *The Three-Body Problem* — Hard Sci-Fi, First Contact  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- *Exhalation* — Speculative Fiction, Philosophy, AI",
          "reason": "Lists the title in a compilation of fiction books recommended for programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46135693,
          "author": "torstenvl",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T15:36:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46135693",
          "commentText": "Strongly second Exhalation by Ted Chiang. \"The Life Cycle of Software Objects\" is especially compelling.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Strongly second Exhalation by Ted Chiang.",
          "reason": "Strongly seconds the recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46132236,
          "author": "vismit2000",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T09:21:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46132236",
          "commentText": "'Stories of your Life and Others' and 'Exhalation' - by Ted Chiang.\nIn his short stories, he introduces advanced concepts from mathematics, philosophy, and computer science in a way that’s subtly woven into captivating narratives.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Stories of your Life and Others' and 'Exhalation' - by Ted Chiang.",
          "reason": "Listed as a fiction recommendation; the stories weave advanced concepts into narratives.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41759319,
          "author": "aireo",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-06T19:04:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41759319",
          "commentText": "Several immediately come to mind.\nShort stories: The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories (Ken Liu); Stories of Your Life and Others and Exhalation (Ted Chiang); The Martian Chronicles (Ray Bradbury)\nNovels: The Monk (Matthew Gregory Lewis); Frankenstein (Mary Shelley)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Exhalation (Ted Chiang)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38565904,
          "author": "__rito__",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T06:03:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38565904",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- \"The Dark Forest\" by Liu Cixin and the whole Three Body Problem/Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy. Truly massive, grand SciFi. Would recommend 10/10. [HN]\n- \"Anna Karenina\" by Tolstoy. Made me face deeper parts of my mind. Attempted to answer some questions I had. Great story. Huge book. Historical fiction is something I like across languages.\n- \"Candide\" by Voltaire. Genuinely fun and entertaining, besides it being- you know- Voltaire.\n- \"The Diamond Age\" by Neal Stephenson. Very good story, world buulding, nice technology. Great thinking by the author.\nNon Fiction:\n- \"Fermat's Last Theorem\" by Simon Singh. Was very happy to see a Popular Math book where there are so many Popular Science books. Great book. Goes over FMT's solving history, with many many fun anecdotes, short biographies, etc. Truly enjoyable to read.\n- \"Code Book\" by Simon Singh. Genuinely fun and learned a lot. Cryptography's history, progress, and so much more. [HN]\nSelf-Help:\n- \"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\" by Robert Pirsig. Truly marvelous book and nice to read. This book requires the reader to be of certain kind attaining a certain level. Without that, this book will seem a fluff and overrated hugely. Fundamentally changed my thinking. [HN]\n- \"Four Thousand Weeks\" by Oliver Bourkeman. Thought this was about saner time management with some wisdom. But was much deeper than that. Will recommend.\nBengali:\n- \"Abhajaner Mahabharat\" by Mahbub Lilen. A fun and serious retelling of the Mahabharata. Goes deep, too. Really fun to read.\n- \"Khana Mihirer Dhipi\" by Bani Basu. An account of feminism in the light of female-dominated inner part of Bengali elite households- and that in the light of female dominated, fully maternalistic hunter-gatherers of early human history. Very thought provoking and unique.\n[HN]- chose primarily because recommendation in some past HN threads.\nRead 23 so far. Target is 25. Currently reading Snow Crash and Exhalation.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "and Exhalation.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36083958,
          "author": "code_Whisperer",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-26T13:38:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36083958",
          "commentText": "Easily these (so far):\nThis is How You Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (actually now one of my all-time favorites, without regard to genre. Just amazing)\nChildren of Time - Adrian Tchaikovsky\nThe Book of Strange New Things - Michael Faber\nTed Chiang's short story collections (Exhalations and Stories of your life and others)\nDaemon - Daniel Suarez\nThe City and the City - China Miéville\nRoadside Picnic - Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (this one still haunts my dreams at times)\nWe Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse Book 1) - Dennis Taylor (just finished this series for book club)\nGalatea 2.2, The Overstory, Bewilderment, The Gold Bug Variations - 4 different books, all by Richard Powers - what can I say, the man is a genius and a treasure\nEifelheim - Michael Flynn - ok, this book can be a slog at times, but it is very rewarding for those who persevere, and has stuck in my brain for many years\nChocky - John Wyndham - A quiet, delightful surprise\nProvidence - Max Barry - This book flows like a movie. It will make a great movie. I found myself LITERALLY out of breath a couple of times\nHench: A Novel - Natalie Zina Walschots - Quirky, memorable\nThe Peacemaker's Code - Deepak Malhotra - Why hasn't this guy written more sci-fi?\nOrange World and Other Stories - Karen Russell - OK, maybe not strictly sci-fi, but this book tickles my brain\nGUILTY PLEASURE SCI-FI FAVORITE: The Vaz series by Laurence Dahners. I think I've read that series 3 times now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ted Chiang's short story collections (Exhalations and Stories of your life and others)",
          "reason": "Names one of the author's short story collections.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36022635,
          "author": "troyvit",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T16:43:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36022635",
          "commentText": "I'm in the middle of Exhalation right now and it's great. Character development isn't Chiang's strong suit in these, but the concepts are so thought provoking.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'm in the middle of Exhalation right now and it's great.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the collection is great, while noting character development is not Chiang's strong suit and the concepts are thought provoking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Character development isn't Chiang's strong suit; the concepts are thought provoking.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36022537,
          "author": "etrautmann",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T16:32:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36022537",
          "commentText": "Perhaps a standard list but: Hyperion, Deepness in the Sky, Snow crash, Permutation City, Exhalation and other Ted Chiang",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Exhalation",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021753,
          "author": "pkd",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:08:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021753",
          "commentText": "- A Fire Upon The Deep\n- Brave New World\n- The Dispossessed\n- The Sirens of Titan / Slaughterhouse 5\n- Recursion\n- Exhalation\n- There Is No Antimemetics Division\n- Foundation Series",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Exhalation",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34165852,
          "author": "jsenn",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T20:57:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34165852",
          "commentText": "If you haven't read Ted Chiang's short stories yet, do so. His first collection (Stories of Your Life and Others) was my favourite, but his more recent one (Exhalation) was also very good (the title story, Exhalation, is gorgeous). Stories of your Life is what the movie Arrival was based on and (as ever) the story was better than the movie.\nAs far as sci-fi novels, I have pretty generic tastes for this crowd: Dune, The Dispossessed, The Martian. The Crying of Lot 49 is one of my favourite books. Not exactly sci-fi but close.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "his more recent one (Exhalation) was also very good",
          "reason": "The commenter says the collection was very good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33860998,
          "author": "lanamo",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-05T03:09:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33860998",
          "commentText": "+1 for Exhalation by Ted Chiang. \nAnd also: \"Sum - Forty Tales from the afterlives\" by David Eagleman. A small book that makes you think very very deeply.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for Exhalation by Ted Chiang.",
          "reason": "Adds this title to a thread asking for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33850160,
          "author": "lghh",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T03:05:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33850160",
          "commentText": "Exhalation is one of my favorite books of any genre and Chiang is one of my favorite authors. I love listening to his interviews as well. It's very clear how the person Ted Chiang and the author Ted Chiang exist in the same space. For some authors, that connection is less clear.\nSimilarly, Bojack Horseman is one of my favorite shows. I had never looked into its creators and had no idea the creator also wrote short stories. I am now very excited to read this. Thanks!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Exhalation is one of my favorite books of any genre",
          "reason": "Calls it one of their favorite books and says Chiang is a favorite author.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25910190,
          "author": "etherio",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T23:06:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25910190",
          "commentText": "I got a few nice sci-fi books for Christmas, including Exhalation by Ted Chiang and Peace by Gene Wolf.\nI also want to read Godel, Escher Bach, it's been recommended to me a lot.\nDefinitely some interesting picks on this thread.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "including Exhalation by Ted Chiang",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25846738,
          "author": "Zanni",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T14:23:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25846738",
          "commentText": "Ted Chiang's Stories of Your Life and Others is the best, single-author collection of short stories I've ever read. If you like that, you might also enjoy The Lifecycle of Software Objects, an absolutely heartbreaking novella about simulated children, and his follow-up collection Exhalation.\nOrson Scott Card's Ender's Game is fantastic, and it's follow-up, Speaker for the Dead is even better, and my favorite science fiction novel of all time. They won back to back Hugo and Nebula awards. Card is a polarizing figure for his outspoken political opinions, but if ever the art should be separated from the artist, it's Speaker, which is an incredible exploration of empathy and responsibility, in addition to being a gripping, action-packed, science-literate read. Many more in this series, if you get into it.\nJohn Scalzi's Old Man's War series is fantastic, if you're into military science-fiction, or even if you're not. Smart, funny, engaging and accessible, and reminiscent of Heinlein at his prime, minus the weird incest fetish. Redshirts, a Star Trek parody, rivals Galaxy Quest and only falls short because Galaxy Quest is so goddamn brilliant. Agent to the Stars is less appreciated, but in my opinion his finest novel, rising way above its goofy premise by taking it seriously, exploring the consequences and treating the characters with empathy and respect. Also hilarious.\nSeconding Dune, which is a classic for a reason, and Stranger in a Strange Land (though I think The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is a better place to start with Heinlein). Also Neal Stephenson, though I'd suggest Cryptonomicon over Diamond Age.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "his follow-up collection Exhalation",
          "reason": "Recommends the author's follow-up collection to readers who like Stories of Your Life and Others.",
          "audience": "Readers who like Stories of Your Life and Others.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803515,
          "author": "lghh",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:10:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803515",
          "commentText": "Leisure Stuff:\nBoom Town: The Fantastical Saga Of Oklahoma City, It's Chaotic Founding... by Sam Anderson\nMidnight In Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham\nDune by Frank Herbert\nThe Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu (tried it this year and stopped, want to give it another go)\nStories of Your Life and Others - Ted Chiang (just finished Exhalation and I think it's great)\nAn Ursula K. Le Guin novel, have not picked one out yet\nA book related to basketball (possibly Dream Team, but IDK yet)\nLess Leisure Stuff:\nLocked In: The True Causes of Mass Incarceration and How to Achieve Real Reform by John Pfaff\nEvicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond\nThe End Of Policing by Alex S Vitale\nEither Manufacturing Consent or Understanding Power by Chomsky\nThe Annotated Turing by Charles Petzold\nWork:\nCode Complete 2 by Steve McConnell\nThe Web Application Hacker's Handbook: Finding and Exploiting Security Flaws by Dafydd Stuttard,  Marcus Pinto\nFinish Writing An Interpreter In Go by Thorsten Ball\nIf I can get through all of these, I will be very pleased. Throw in a book or two at recommendation from friends and I think I'm full for the year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "just finished Exhalation and I think it's great",
          "reason": "The commenter says they think it is great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8947389,
          "author": "huxley",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-26T15:19:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8947389",
          "commentText": "Ted Chiang is my favourite short fiction author, he doesn't write a lot but what he publishes is first notch.\nPodcast of his short story Exhalation:\nhttps://archive.org/details/ExhalationByTedChiang",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Podcast of his short story Exhalation:",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Identified as a short story; the linked item is a podcast recording.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ted Chiang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 12,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories",
        "philosophical science fiction",
        "speculative fiction",
        "computer science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-idea-factory-bell-labs-and-the-great-age-of-american-innovati-8692cb",
      "title": "The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation",
      "author": "Jon Gertner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42637023,
          "author": "lnwlebjel",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-08T18:30:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42637023",
          "commentText": "The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation by Jon Gertner is similarly great for some of the earlier/origin stories of Bell Labs.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation by Jon Gertner is similarly great",
          "reason": "Describes it as a similarly great account of Bell Labs' earlier history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36666587,
          "author": "HamptonFounders",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-10T14:01:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36666587",
          "commentText": "Not sure if this is helpful, but a friend fed this conversation through ChatGPT and had it summarize for easier reading:\n-The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy -Bigger by Marc Levinson\n-The Machine That Changed the World: The Story of Lean Production-- Toyota's Secret Weapon in the Global Car Wars That Is Now Revolutionizing World Industry by James P. Womack, Daniel T. Jones, and Daniel Roos\n-Empires of the Sky: Zeppelins, Airplanes, and Two Men's Epic Duel to Rule the World by Erik Larson\n-Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America by Richard -White\n-The Arms of Krupp: The Rise and Fall of the Industrial Dynasty that Armed Germany at War by William Manchester\n-Edison by Edmund Morris\n-Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow\n-The People's Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century by Steven Watts\n-Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler\n-The Victorian Internet by Tom Standage\n-The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood by James Gleick\n-Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age by Michael S. Malone\n-The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester\n-The Innovators by Walter Isaacson\n-Medieval Technology and Social Change by Lynn White Jr.\n-The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation by Jon Gertner\n-Electricity in the 17th and 18th Centuries: A Study of Early Modern Physics by Eric H. Chaney\n-Early Electrical Communication by A. F. Marland\n-Bibliographical History of Electricity and Magnetism by Silvanus P. Thompson\n-Electric Science: Its History, Phenomena, and Applications by J. J. Fahie\n-The History and Present State of Electricity by Andrew Ure\n-https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/\n-De Re Metallica by Georgius Agricola",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation by Jon Gertner",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books offered in response to the history of technology question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36581950,
          "author": "jschveibinz",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-04T03:43:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36581950",
          "commentText": "“The Idea Factory”\nBell Labs\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Idea_Factory",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“The Idea Factory”\nBell Labs\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Idea_Factory",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to a request for good books on technology history.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the history of technology.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30828519,
          "author": "DarkCrusader2",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T08:40:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30828519",
          "commentText": "The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation by Jon Gertner.\nGives a great and accessible overview of the incredible work that happened at Bell Labs from it's inception till it demise. Bell Labs is what happens when you bring the greatest minds of your time under one roof and give them creative freedom. It's was fascinating to read how much engineering discipline progressed due to direct result of the inventions made there and how they influence pretty much every aspect of our modern lives.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation by Jon Gertner.",
          "reason": "Recommended as an accessible overview of Bell Labs and its influence on engineering and modern life.",
          "audience": "Readers curious about Bell Labs, engineering, and innovation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22710243,
          "author": "oizin",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T10:05:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22710243",
          "commentText": "I second this, so interesting to learn about all the characters that went through Bell Labs and the variety of things they worked on.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second this,",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the recommendation of The Idea Factory in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22710175,
          "author": "lord5et",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T09:43:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22710175",
          "commentText": "\"The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation\" by Jon Gertner.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation\" by Jon Gertner.",
          "reason": "Lists the book in response to a request for computing and computer history recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22707268,
          "author": "voxadam",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T21:56:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22707268",
          "commentText": "The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation by Jon Gertner",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation by Jon Gertner",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17534144,
          "author": "joddystreet",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T07:12:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17534144",
          "commentText": "Bhagvad Gita (as it is) - A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada\nNot just a spiritual book, more like the guiding principles that anyone, starting something new, could use.\nThe Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation - Jon Gertner\nBell Labs, the RnD wing of AT&T-was the best laboratory for new ideas in the world. The book tells a story about the life and work of a small group of brilliant people - Mervin Kelly, Bill Shockley, Claude Shannon, John Pierce, and Bill Baker.\nPeak - Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool\nYou must have heard this a 1000 times - \"you can do this\", the book is about - \"yes, and this is how\"\nThe master algorithm - Pedro Domingos\nBook details out the philosophies of various schools of thought in AI - deep learning, bayesian, genetic, reasoning - in a very simple language.\nWhat technology wants - Kevin Kelly\nTechnology is a living organism and there are patterns to the technology evolution, not unlike the organic evolution.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book tells a story about the life and work of a small group of brilliant people",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17209836,
          "author": "sizzzzlerz",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T20:26:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17209836",
          "commentText": "Its a very good book. Today, one might question a company investing so much money into pure research but Bell Labs produced 8 Nobel Laureates, tens of thousands of patents, who knows how many papers, PhDs, not to mention inventions that directly benefited Bell's primary business in telephones. Some of those papers, Claude Shannon's, for instance, on information theory, are responsible for the creation of entire industries.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Its a very good book.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the book very good and discusses Bell Labs' research achievements.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17205403,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T14:04:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205403",
          "commentText": "Maybe not perfect matches, but a few titles I'm familiar with that you might like:\nDreaming in Code - covers Mitch Kapor's post Lotus effort to build Chandler.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreaming_in_Code\nEveryone Else Must Fail - all about Larry Ellison and Oracle\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Everyone-Else-Must-Fail-Unvarnished/d... (https://www.amazon.com/Everyone-Else-Must-Fail-Unvarnished/dp/0712621482)\nWinners, Losers & Microsoft - title says it all\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Winners-Losers-Microsoft-Competition-... (https://www.amazon.com/Winners-Losers-Microsoft-Competition-Technology/dp/0945999844)\nTwo books by Bill Gates:\nBusiness At The Speed of Thought\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Business-Speed-Thought-Succeeding-Dig... (https://www.amazon.com/Business-Speed-Thought-Succeeding-Digital/dp/0446525685/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1527861952&sr=1-1&keywords=business+at+the+speed+of+thought)\nand\nThe Road Ahead\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Road-Ahead-Completely-Up-Date/dp/0140... (https://www.amazon.com/Road-Ahead-Completely-Up-Date/dp/0140260404/ref=pd_sbs_14_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0140260404&pd_rd_r=ZRRXQ50NEK3EPWVC9FM9&pd_rd_w=q6Fr8&pd_rd_wg=iFPgv&psc=1&refRID=ZRRXQ50NEK3EPWVC9FM9)\nAlso:\nMCI: Failure Is Not An Option\nhttps://www.amazon.com/MCI-Failure-Invented-Competition-Tele... (https://www.amazon.com/MCI-Failure-Invented-Competition-Telecommunications/dp/1888232412/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1527861809&sr=1-1&keywords=failure+is+not+an+option+mci)\nAlready mentioned, but I feel obligated to add another +1 for these three:\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Kidder\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Levy\nThe Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation - Gertner\nAlso, if you enjoy this kind of stuff, you might enjoy the AMC series Halt and Catch Fire. Yes it's fiction and highly dramatized, but it captures a lot of the spirit of the times from the beginnings of the PC era up through the Dot Com Bubble era.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation - Gertner",
          "reason": "The commenter adds another endorsement for the book.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Bell Labs and technology history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17205315,
          "author": "chubot",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T13:55:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205315",
          "commentText": "- Paypal Wars.  I read this twice -- once back in 2006 or so, before I really knew who any of the people were (Thiel, Musk, etc.).  And then once a few years ago.\n- Chaos Monkeys -- about Facebook circa 2010, touches on YC a few years before that.  Somewhat controversial, but a good book.\n- Weaving the Web by Tim Berners-Lee -- talks about the story from CERN to MIT, etc.\nEchoing some other posts:\n- The Idea Factory\n- The Dream Machine (probably the densest and most informative computer history book I've read)\n- Masters of Doom\n- The Supermen (about Seymour Cray) -- I didn't know anything about this side of the industry!  Interesting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The Idea Factory",
          "reason": "Echoed as a recommended book in the thread.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in technology company history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17205017,
          "author": "santix",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T13:22:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205017",
          "commentText": "\"The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation\" by Jon Gertner.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation\" by Jon Gertner",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6698164,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-08T18:38:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6698164",
          "commentText": "Currently reading The Signal and the Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail — but Some Don't - Nate Silver\nBefore that, I had just finished The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation by Jon Gertner.\nNext, I may read Naked Statistics: Stripping the Dread from the Data by Charles Wheelan.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I had just finished The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation by Jon Gertner.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jon Gertner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 12,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Business",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bell labs",
        "innovation history",
        "american innovation",
        "innovation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "deep-learning-82bdf2",
      "title": "Deep Learning",
      "author": "Ian Goodfellow, Yoshua Bengio, and Aaron Courville",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32198025,
          "author": "ceceron",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:48:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32198025",
          "commentText": "I'm just finishing \"Rationality: from AI to Zombies\". Started ~25 days ago. It's quite long and frankly rather underwhelming given promising beginning. I don't recommend the title.\nAlso, I'm in 25% of Deep Learning by Goodfellow. I started it two months ago but had a long break.\nWhen I was a teenager, I read yearly ~75 fiction books. Being an adult I read less, but I'm more careful with the lecture choice given the limited time.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Also, I'm in 25% of Deep Learning by Goodfellow.",
          "reason": "Currently 25% through the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26369199,
          "author": "pinouchon",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-06T18:02:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 26321793,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books made you the most money?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26369199",
          "commentText": "Before that, I had a strong interest in AI & ML, read the Deep Learning book and did the cs231n mooc. So I could train basic neural networks with pytorch but that was it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "read the Deep Learning book",
          "reason": "Mentions having read it while describing prior AI and machine learning experience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26323633,
          "author": "pinouchon",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-03T01:35:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 26321793,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books made you the most money?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26323633",
          "commentText": "Deep Learning (by Aaron Courville, Ian Goodfellow, and Yoshua Bengio)\nRead cover to cover, then applied these techniques to Crypto Markets (turns out, crypto markets are pretty inneficient)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Deep Learning (by Aaron Courville, Ian Goodfellow, and Yoshua Bengio)\nRead cover to cover, then applied these techniques to Crypto Markets (turns out, crypto markets are pretty inneficient)",
          "reason": "The commenter read it cover to cover and applied its techniques to crypto markets.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20678325,
          "author": "mendeza",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T18:24:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20678325",
          "commentText": "My go-to when I started in Deep Learning is Stanford's CS 231n course http://cs231n.github.io/, the lecture notes are amazing. It was instrumental when I first dove deep into Deep Learning and helped me understand all the components needed to make Convolutional Neural Networks(CNN) and Neural Networks(NN) work. I first read this and watched the lecture videos. This course was a great primer for me to understand the content and theory in Goodfellow's Deep Learning book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the content and theory in Goodfellow's Deep Learning book.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the course helped them understand the content and theory in this book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20675328,
          "author": "currymj",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T13:47:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20675328",
          "commentText": "The Michael Nielsen online text is very well-regarded and mostly fits what you describe for 1, although it may have too much code for your taste in addition to the mathematical basics. However the code is not \"how to use TensorFlow\" but rather \"implement backpropagation from scratch\". It covers some interesting topics including the universal approximation proof.\nIt has some reasonable exercises but no solutions, but I think people have posted their own solutions online around the web.\nhttp://neuralnetworksanddeeplearning.com\nI think this is your best bet, to be honest. Meat & potatoes neural networks doesn't really require any super-deep mathematical knowledge (just linear algebra and a very hand-wavy ability to do basic matrix calculus), and the more advanced topics are moving way too fast for a textbook to cover them (Goodfellow et al. is already getting out of date).\nThe recommendation of Strang's new book is probably also pretty good.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Goodfellow et al. is already getting out of date",
          "reason": "Discussed as a technical deep learning textbook while noting it is becoming outdated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is already getting out of date.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20675229,
          "author": "banjo_milkman",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T13:32:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20675229",
          "commentText": "1. The Goodfellow book is the obvious one.\nAnother option is 'Machine Learning: A probabilistic perspective' by Kevin Murphy, which does have exercises but has less material on CNNs IIRC and is slightly older. Also Bishop 'Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning' is a classic reference but even older.\n2. The Pedro Domingos book the Master Algorithm tries to address this itch / may be less philosophical that you want. It is >okay< but I don't think people love it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Goodfellow book is the obvious one.",
          "reason": "Presents it as the obvious choice for the requested technical introduction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20675161,
          "author": "stared",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T13:24:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20675161",
          "commentText": "I wrote a piece on that in: https://github.com/stared/thinking-in-tensors-writing-in-pyt... (https://github.com/stared/thinking-in-tensors-writing-in-pytorch#why-not-something-else)\n> If I wanted to learn some particular framework, I would just look up the documentation for that framework.\nWell, if you don't know deep learning, it is not how it works (unless it is a poor book, which only provides an introduction to some API). Still, I recommend \"Deep Learning in Python\" by Francois Chollet as it provides a good overview of practical deep learning. For practical applications, a book WILL use one framework or another or will be useless. If you understand overfitting, L2 or batch processing in Keras, you will be able to use in any other framework (after looking up its API).\nWhen it comes to the mathematical background, Deep Learning Book by Ian Goodfellow et al. is a great starting point, giving a lot of overview. Though, it requires a lot of interest in maths. Convolutional networks start well after page 300.\nI struggled to find something in the middle ground - showing mathematical foundations of deep learning, step by step, at the same time translating it into code. The closest example is CS231n: Convolutional Neural Networks for Visual Recognition (which is, IMHO, a masterpiece). Though, I believe that instead of using NumPy we can use PyTorch, giving a smooth transition between mathematical ideas and a practical, working code.\nNot a book per se, but better than any other.\nI am in the process of writing \"Thinking in Tensors, Writing in PyTorch\" (with an idea of showing maths, code, fundamentals or practical examples) but it is a slow process. It's a collaborative, open-source, repo - so open for collaborators and contributors. :)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Deep Learning Book by Ian Goodfellow et al. is a great starting point, giving a lot of overview. Though, it requires a lot of interest in maths.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great starting point and overview, with a substantial math prerequisite.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in mathematics.",
          "caveat": "Requires a lot of interest in maths; convolutional networks begin well after page 300.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20675091,
          "author": "hnarayanan",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T13:16:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20675091",
          "commentText": "I would read the Goodfellow book (though it is exactly as you describe). Beyond this, I would follow courses online depending on your interest, e.g.:\n- Stanford's CS231n (http://cs231n.stanford.edu) for Computer Vision\n- Stanford's CS224n (http://web.stanford.edu/class/cs224n/) for NLP\nThey both have pretty solid exercises, which includes work like implementing back-propagation from first principles.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I would read the Goodfellow book (though it is exactly as you describe).",
          "reason": "Recommends the book while acknowledging it matches the questioner's stated reservations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter acknowledges it is exactly as described by the questioner.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20675082,
          "author": "high_derivative",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T13:15:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20675082",
          "commentText": "For the topic of optimization, I recommend:\nhttps://people.csail.mit.edu/jsolomon/share/book/numerical_b... (https://people.csail.mit.edu/jsolomon/share/book/numerical_book.pdf)\nIt will give you a decent introduction to optimization methods underpinning deep learning. Deep learning theory is optimization theory.\nThere are youtube lectures as well and Justin is a great lecturer.\nI personally would not recommend the Goodfellow book. It's not a good book for newcomers, at best it's a quick reminder of how some things work on a non-rigorous level.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I personally would not recommend the Goodfellow book. It's not a good book for newcomers, at best it's a quick reminder of how some things work on a non-rigorous level.",
          "reason": "Says it is not suitable for newcomers and describes it as a non-rigorous refresher at best.",
          "audience": "Readers who already have some familiarity with the material.",
          "caveat": "Strongly advises against it for newcomers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20675072,
          "author": "iandanforth",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T13:14:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20675072",
          "commentText": "\"[Goodfellow et al] completely lacks exercises.\"\nUntrue, it has one https://www.deeplearningbook.org/linear_algebra.pdf (tongue in cheek)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"[Goodfellow et al] completely lacks exercises.\" Untrue, it has one",
          "reason": "Corrects the claim that the book lacks exercises, jokingly pointing to one exercise.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20675063,
          "author": "FrozenSynapse",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T13:13:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20675063",
          "commentText": "This for the background: https://mml-book.github.io/\nThis for actual methods: http://www.deeplearningbook.org/\nThis is also useful, but harder to read than the previous ones: https://web.stanford.edu/~hastie/Papers/ESLII.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This for actual methods: http://www.deeplearningbook.org/",
          "reason": "Recommends it for learning practical methods.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20675003,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T13:02:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20675003",
          "commentText": "Seems like 'Deep Learning' [0] might suit for your first type of book. For the second type of book, may I suggest 'The Book of Why' by Judea Pearl. It isn't focused specifically on deep learning, but it is focused philosophical and cross disciplinary applications of statistical techniques.\ndisclaimer: I haven't really dug in to deep learning, so I'll wager there may be great resources I'm completely unaware of.\n[0] 'Deep Learning, Ian Goodfellow and Yoshua Bengio and Aaron Courville, MIT Press, https://www.deeplearningbook.org/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Seems like 'Deep Learning' [0] might suit for your first type of book.",
          "reason": "Suggests it for the requested technical introduction, while disclosing limited experience with deep learning.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they haven't really dug in to deep learning.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20674977,
          "author": "phonebucket",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T12:56:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20674977",
          "commentText": "It is a little old given how quickly the field moves, but 'Information Theory, Inference and Learning Algorithms' has a chapter on neural networks. It is an outstanding book: a labour of love from a very smart person. The exercises are varied, explanations are great, there's a sprinkling of humour, and connections drawn between multiple fields of study. Moreover, it is freely available from the author's website: http://www.inference.org.uk/itprnn/book.html\nHave you considered giving Goodfellow another shot, but trying to re-derive the results therein as a form of exercise? I think that would likely be one of the faster methods to bring yourself reasonably up to date with the field.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Have you considered giving Goodfellow another shot, but trying to re-derive the results therein as a form of exercise?",
          "reason": "Suggests revisiting it and deriving its results as exercises to catch up with the field.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13901508,
          "author": "andyczerwonka",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T14:55:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13901508",
          "commentText": "I have both, and I agree these are great. I really appreciate the style of the Goodfellow book, it's very approachable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really appreciate the style of the Goodfellow book, it's very approachable.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book’s approachable style.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13900933,
          "author": "cowpig",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T12:12:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13900933",
          "commentText": "AI: A Modern Approach (Russell, Norvig) and Deep Learning (Goodfellow, Bengio) have been mentioned already.\nI'd also recommend:\nGodel, Escher Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid\nby Douglas Hofstadter. Might not be exactly what you're looking for (it's all over the place, touching music theory, math, art, philosophy...), but it's fun and enjoyable to read. Also very dense.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Deep Learning (Goodfellow, Bengio)",
          "reason": "Listed among books answering the request for AI book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13900717,
          "author": "arihant",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T10:39:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13900717",
          "commentText": "You cannot really go practical in AI without academic rigor. You can do recipes of what's already been done using a TensorFlow book, but that's how far one can go. If one is serious in getting in AI today, a great way to do is read the following books, in order:\n1. AI: A Modern Approach by Stuart Russell and Peter Norvig.\n2. Deep Learning by Ian Goodfellow and Yoshua Bengio.\nIt is amazing how approachable both books are for beginners, but you will be diving a lot into academic stuff as you go along.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Deep Learning by Ian Goodfellow and Yoshua Bengio.",
          "reason": "Recommended as the second book in an ordered path for studying AI.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The path involves academic material; both books are described as approachable for beginners.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13409707,
          "author": "m-i-l",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T13:06:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13409707",
          "commentText": "Also available at http://www.deeplearningbook.org/ .",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Also available at http://www.deeplearningbook.org/ .",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13406798,
          "author": "deepnotderp",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-15T22:38:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13406798",
          "commentText": "Does ai count as CS?\nIf so, I'd like to nominate the Deep Learning Book",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'd like to nominate the Deep Learning Book",
          "reason": "Nominates the book as an answer to a question seeking a good computer science book.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in AI and computer science.",
          "caveat": "The suggestion is conditional on AI counting as computer science.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238121,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:01:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238121",
          "commentText": "Last year I gave myself a Zuckerberg-style goal to read a book every two weeks. It started well, but some months were harder than others (usually when the book wasn't very good, so I would switch to podcasts for a few weeks, before getting back on track).\nHere's an unordered list of the best:\n[BUSINESS / SELF-IMPROVEMENT]\n- \"Work Rules!\" - about Google's culture and values\n- \"Search Inside Yourself\" - about mindfulness, meditation, and the impact on your life.\n- \"What got you here won't get you there\" - Liked a lot more than I expected.\n- \"Re-read Innovator's Dilemma\" - a great classic; never gets old.\n- \"How will you measure your life\" - from the same author. Also excellent.\n- \"The Best Service is No Service\" - good overview on why Amazon's customer service is so good\n- \"Crucial Conversations\" - half is common sense; half is good tips to practice everyday.\n[PROGRAMMING]\n- \"Fluent Python\" - was afraid it'd be too basic, but not really. Enjoyed it a lot.\n- \"Think Complexity\" - about algorithm complexity, data structures, etc. Great read.\n- \"Python Data Science Handbook\" - meh.\n- \"Fundamentals of Deep Learning\" - good intro. Helped me solidify some concepts from Andrew Ng's ML course\n- \"Deep Learning\" - by Goodfellow and Bengio. Just started, but really liking it.\n[STARTUPS] (all excellent; in order)\n- \"The Hard Things about Hard Things\"\n- \"Zero to One\"\n- \"The Founder's Dilemmas\"\n- \"The Launch Pad\"\n[FICTION]\n- Trilogy: \"Off to be a wizard / An Unwelcome Quest / Spell or High Water\"\n- \"Infinite Jest\" - tried but failed to finish. May try again later.\n- \"Ready Player One\" - nice, but repetitive after a while. Good read before the movie comes out.\n[NON-FICTION]\n- \"What If?\" - xkcd FTW\n- \"How to Read a Book\" - good concepts, but should be a 10 pages blog post, not a book\n- \"Spark\" - Science of the Exercise and the Brain - Long, but good\n- \"Sugar Shock\" - still reading; hopefully will help me cut my sweet cravings\n[BIOGRAPHIES]\n- \"The New New Thing\" - about Jim Clark's life, one of the very first entrepreneurs\n- \"Machines of Loving Grace\" - about the research and the rise of AI\n- \"Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution\"\n- \"The Second Coming of Steve Jobs\" - About Pixar's story. Liked more than Isaacson's biography\n- \"The Innovators\" - great summary of computer industry, from the 1800's till today\n- \"Ghost in the Wires\" - Kevin Mitnick's story. Had started years ago, but finally finished it\n- \"Idea Man\" - about Paul Allen's story. Quite an impressive man.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Deep Learning\" - by Goodfellow and Bengio. Just started, but really liking it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have just started it and are really liking it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter had just started reading it.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ian Goodfellow",
        "Yoshua Bengio",
        "Aaron Courville"
      ],
      "recommenders": 12,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "neural networks",
        "deep learning",
        "machine learning",
        "artificial intelligence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "paradigms-of-artificial-intelligence-programming-cea281",
      "title": "Paradigms of Artificial Intelligence Programming",
      "author": "Peter Norvig",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41417813,
          "author": "tmtvl",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-01T15:42:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41417813",
          "commentText": "Paradigms of AI Programming by Peter Norvig is excellent.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Paradigms of AI Programming by Peter Norvig is excellent.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it excellent in response to a request for software engineering book suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22303170,
          "author": "patrec",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-11T21:38:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22303170",
          "commentText": "https://github.com/norvig/paip-lisp",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "https://github.com/norvig/paip-lisp",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13902541,
          "author": "cscurmudgeon",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T17:52:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13902541",
          "commentText": "PAIP is awesome. Will make you a better thinker and developers. A truly hidden gem.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "PAIP is awesome.",
          "reason": "Calls it awesome and says it will make readers better thinkers and developers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13902500,
          "author": "metaobject",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T17:45:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13902500",
          "commentText": "PAIP is also very, very high on my list as well.  I'm very pro-lisp and still develop new projects in lisp (CL, Scheme) and promote it when/where I can.  But the person who picks up PAIP wanting to learn AI might not necessarily want to worry about picking up lisp programming skills at the same time (nor is learning lisp strictly necessary).  This is why AIMA is still the best option, IMO, because it employs a language agnostic approach.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "PAIP is also very, very high on my list as well.",
          "reason": "Ranks it highly while noting that its Lisp requirements may distract learners focused on AI.",
          "audience": "People wanting to learn AI, especially those comfortable learning Lisp at the same time.",
          "caveat": "Requires Lisp skills that may not be necessary for learning AI.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13901769,
          "author": "nabla9",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T15:46:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13901769",
          "commentText": "It's Paradigms of Artificial Intelligence Programming (PAIP) http://norvig.com/paip.html\nAIMA provides better introduction for  wider area of subjects but PAIP is one of  most elegant and timeless books for both programming and old school AI.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "PAIP is one of most elegant and timeless books for both programming and old school AI.",
          "reason": "Praises its elegance and lasting value for programming and traditional AI.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes its AI focus as old school.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13901742,
          "author": "abecedarius",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T15:41:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13901742",
          "commentText": "PAIP is one of my favorite books ever, but taken as a book about the craft of programming, not about AI. AI has grown, and the broadness of AIMA matches the subject. (It does need another update, and I heard they're working on one.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "PAIP is one of my favorite books ever",
          "reason": "Says it is one of their favorite books, especially as a book about programming craft.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Frames it as a book about programming craft rather than AI.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13900970,
          "author": "nextos",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T12:24:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13900970",
          "commentText": "I love Paradigms of Artificial Intelligence by Peter Norvig much more than AIMA, which I found excessively encyclopedic and shallow.\nWhile some will argue it is dated, I think it presents many timeless ideas that will get in vogue soon with little tweaks to their inference schemes.\nSame for The Art of Prolog.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I love Paradigms of Artificial Intelligence by Peter Norvig",
          "reason": "The commenter says they love it and praises its timeless ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Acknowledges that some may consider it dated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13900898,
          "author": "krosaen",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T12:01:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13900898",
          "commentText": "Some on this thread have recommended Norvig's PAIP, but that's kind of an old school AI book in that it focuses on heuristic search and logic (implementing prolog in lisp at one point, very impressive stuff actually); but is lacking any coverage of statistical machine learning, which is the approach that underlies most of the cool stuff these days. It's still a great book, but I'd instead recommend a path that focuses on machine learning:\n- The Master Algorithm: made for a general audience, gives you a lay of the land\n- Python Machine Learning by Sebastian Raschka: gives you practical skills using python, scikit-learn, numpy, jupyter notebooks, pandas etc. From zero to kaggle in 4 chapters, goes deeper after that. Also goes into enough theory you aren't flying completely blind.\nAfter that, I'm afraid I think you do need to go \"academic\", if by that you mean learning some of the underlying math to approach AI / ML from a more rigorous probabilistic perspective. I'd recommend studying probability theory and then working your way through Bishop's Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning. After that a lot more doors open up too more specialized topics like computer vision, reinforcement learning etc.\nI've written up a lot more about this here:\nhttp://karlrosaen.com/ml/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Some on this thread have recommended Norvig's PAIP",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is an old-school AI book, still great, but lacking statistical machine learning coverage.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Lacks coverage of statistical machine learning.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13900396,
          "author": "kruhft",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T08:01:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13900396",
          "commentText": "Paradigms of Artificial Intelligence Programming (PAIP)\nOne of the best books on AI and Programming ever.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One of the best books on AI and Programming ever.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the best books on AI and programming.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13409061,
          "author": "signa11",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T09:41:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13409061",
          "commentText": "actually, i found the \"Paradigms Of AI Programming\" by peter-norvig to be waay better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "i found the \"Paradigms Of AI Programming\" by peter-norvig to be waay better.",
          "reason": "Says it is much better than the AI book being discussed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9758181,
          "author": "S4M",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T13:38:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758181",
          "commentText": "My favorite one is Paradigms or Artificial Intelligence Programming: http://norvig.com/paip.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favorite one is Paradigms or Artificial Intelligence Programming",
          "reason": "Names it as the commenter's favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143085,
          "author": "mov",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T03:56:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143085",
          "commentText": "Lisp, SICP, PAIP",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "PAIP",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86103,
          "author": "mov",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T21:22:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86103",
          "commentText": "- Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (SICP)\n- Paradigms of Artificial Intelligence Programming (PAIP)\n- Godel Escher Bach (GEB)\n- All books from Gibson, Asimov, Sterlig, Huxley and Douglas Adams",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Paradigms of Artificial Intelligence Programming (PAIP)",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86010,
          "author": "Locke",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T18:20:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86010",
          "commentText": "A few sort of random selections from my bookshelf (in no particular order):\n * GEB:EGB - Hofstader\n * The Pragmatic Programmer - Hunt / Thomas\n * Peopleware - DeMarco / Lister\n * The Mythical Man Month - Brooks\n * Paradigms of Artificial Intelligence Programming - Norvig\n * Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind - Miyazaki",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Paradigms of Artificial Intelligence Programming - Norvig",
          "reason": "Listed among selections from the commenter's bookshelf in a favorite-books thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Norvig"
      ],
      "recommenders": 12,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "lisp",
        "common lisp",
        "artificial intelligence programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cosmos-e103df",
      "title": "Cosmos",
      "author": "Carl Sagan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50119288,
          "author": "chistev",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T15:05:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50119288",
          "commentText": "1. Animal Farm by George Orwell\n2. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes [1]\n3. Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley\n4. I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette Mccurdy\n5. Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris\n6. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe [2]\n7. Cosmos by Carl Sagan\n8. The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution by Richard Dawkins [3]\n9. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson\n10. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander [4]\n11. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka\n12. Billions and Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium by Carl Sagan [5][6][7]\n13. Outgrowing God: A Beginner’s Guide to Atheism by Richard Dawkins\n[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50076596\n[2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47452253\n[3] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48326741\n[4] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49539535\n[5] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49751771\n[6] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49740712\n[7] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49739256",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cosmos by Carl Sagan",
          "reason": "Listed among books read repeatedly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 48988904,
          "author": "hash0",
          "createdAt": "2026-07-21T06:47:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 48981842,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favourite science history book of the 20th century?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48988904",
          "commentText": "\"Cosmos\" by Carl Sagan - that book was a life changer for me and has been with me ever since.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Cosmos\" by Carl Sagan - that book was a life changer for me and has been with me ever since.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a life changer and says it has stayed with them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41179282,
          "author": "broccolirat",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T08:15:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41179282",
          "commentText": "Cosmos by Carl Sagan",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cosmos by Carl Sagan",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37960159,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:07:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960159",
          "commentText": "* \"Amusing Ourselves to Death\" by Neil Postman (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Postman contrasts the dystopian visions of George Orwell's \"1984\" and Aldous Huxley's \"Brave New World\" to argue that western society is becoming a shallow, entertainment-driven culture shaped by television and other media. He discusses the profound effects of television on politics, education, and other aspects of society.\n* \"Howard Zinn: A People's History of the US\" by Howard Zinn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers an alternative exploration of American history from the perspective of ordinary people and marginalized groups rather than from political leaders, emphasizing class struggles and systemic injustices.\n* \"The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science\" by Isaac Asimov (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive outline of scientific knowledge, covering fields like physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, and earth science. It communicates complex scientific concepts in a way that is accessible to non-specialist readers.\n* \"Das Kapital\" by Karl Marx (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive critique of capitalism highlighting its inherent contradictions and imbalances. Marx diagnoses the capitalist system as one in which the rich get richer at the expense of the working class. The book has been influential in shaping socialist and communist thought.\n* \"Handbook of Electronic Circuits\" (1 mention, authors not specified)\n    * Summary: An extensive reference guide that provides information on basic electronic circuits and components. It delves into the world of electronics with detailed illustrations and designs, making it a valuable resource for both beginners and professionals in the field.\n* \"Simulacra and Simulation\" by Jean Baudrillard (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This philosophical work explores the nature and cultural implications of signs and images in contemporary society. Baudrillard posits that symbols and signs have replaced reality and meaning, creating a hyperreal world where simulations of reality have become more real than reality itself.\n* \"LSD: My Problem Child\" by Albert Hofmann (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This autobiographical work by Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who first synthesized LSD, discusses his discovery and personal experiences with the drug, exploring both the positive and negative effects of LSD, its influence on society, and its potential therapeutic uses.\n* \"Requiem for the American Dream: The 10 Principles of Concentration of Wealth & Power\" by Noam Chomsky (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Chomsky provides an extensive critique of inequality in America, arguing that the concentration of wealth and power among a small elite is undermining democracy. He lays out 10 principles of concentration of wealth and power that have led to this situation.\n* \"Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\" by Alfred Lansing (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This true account of Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton's 1914-1916 expedition turned survival story. When his ship, the Endurance, was crushed by ice and left Shackleton and his crew stranded, they embarked on a harrowing and miraculous voyage to safety.\n* \"Hacker's Handbook\" by Hugo Cornwall (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A guidebook for computer enthusiasts that provides a look at the world of hacking. It covers a range of topics, including telephone and computer hacking, as well as legal implications.\n* \"Cosmos\" by Carl Sagan (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This widely-admired book introduces the universe beyond the Earth. Sagan explores our place in the universe, the history of scientific discovery, and the crucial role of critical thinking in grasping our world and the vast cosmos we are part of.\n* \"Six Pillars of Self-Esteem\" by Nathaniel Branden (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book provides a comprehensive exploration of self-esteem, its importance, its sources, and how to cultivate it. It offers concrete strategies to enhance self-esteem, which Branden argues is a key component of psychological health and personal fulfillment.\n* \"Future Shock\" by Alvin Toffler (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Future Shock examines the psychological and sociological impact of accelerating technological and social change. Toffler introduces the concept of \"future shock\" as a form of psychological disorientation caused by a rapid change in society and advocates for a more measured and conscious approach to future planning.\n* \"The Metropolis and Mental Life\" by Georg Simmel (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This seminal essay analyzes the effects of the urban environment on the individual's mind and social relationships. Simmel argues that the impersonality and money-centered economy of the metropolis lead to individuals feeling more alienated and adopting a defensive, blase attitude towards life.\n* \"The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power\" by Shoshana Zuboff (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book provides an extensive critique of the commodification of personal data by corporations in the digital age. Zuboff explores the rise of surveillance capitalism, where businesses harvest and analyze customer data to predict and influence behaviors.\n* \"Permanent Record\" by Edward Snowden (1 mention)\n    * Summary: In this powerful memoir, whistle-blower Edward Snowden tells his story on why he decided to expose the mass surveillance practices of the U.S. government. Permanent Record opens a broader conversation about free societies, privacy, surveillance, and what makes a country strong.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Cosmos\" by Carl Sagan (1 mention)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37960155,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:07:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960155",
          "commentText": "* \"The Code Book\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book explores the history of codes and codebreaking. It traces the evolution of cryptography from ancient times to the digital age, detailing famous codebreakers, notorious codes, and the role of codes in wars and revolutions.\n* \"Warped Passages\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book guides readers through the world of particle physics and string theory. It discusses key theories, experiments, and concepts that have shaped our understanding of the fundamental structure of the universe.\n* \"A History of The Internet And the Digital Future\" by Johnny Ryan (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers a comprehensive history of the internet and looks forward to its future. It traces the development of the internet, exploring its impact on society and speculating on potential future developments.\n* \"The Master Switch\" by Tim Wu (1 mention)\n    * Summary: The Master Switch looks at the history of information technologies like telephone, radio, television, and the Internet to see how their development was shaped by businesses and government. The book discusses the cycle of open to closed systems in the context of the Internet.\n* \"The Realities of Work: Experiencing Work and Employment in Contemporary Society\" by Mike Noon and Paul Blyton (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Examines the nature of work, the variety of different jobs, and the skills they require. This book highlights the changes in the structures and cultures of work and analyses their impact on the working lives of employees.\n* \"The Ascent of Humanity: Civilization and the Human Sense of Self\" by Charles Eisenstein (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book explores the history and future of civilization from a unique perspective. It hypothesizes that human history is a story of the self's marginalization from nature and each other and proposes that mounting crises in the modern world will lead to an 'Age of Reunion' with a more connected sense of self.\n* \"Cosmos\" by Carl Sagan (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A guide to the universe beyond the Earth. Sagan explores the origins, scale, and future of the universe, offering insights into the nature of life and mankind's place in the cosmos. The book fosters an appreciation for the quest for knowledge for its own sake.\n* \"Women, fire, and dangerous things\" by Lakoff (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A scholarly book about human cognition and linguistic categorization. It posits that human categorization is not arbitrary, but is based on cognitive models that originate from physical, social, and mental experience. It argues against a classical categorization approach in favor of a prototype approach.\n* \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A series of philosophical reflections and exercises by the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. The book offers guidance and insights on matters such as resilience, rationality, morality, duty, and the temporal nature of human life, reflecting the Stoic philosophy that Aurelius practiced.\n* \"A History of the Internet and the Digital Future\" by Johnny Ryan (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers a comprehensive history of the internet and speculates about its future. It discusses the various technological and social transformations that have accompanied the rise of the internet, as well as the implications these changes may have for the future.\n* \"The Master Switch\" by Tim Wu (1 mention)\n    * Summary: The book examines the history of information, communications and technology industries in the United States. Wu explores how the control of these industries has shifted from an open to a closed system, stifling innovation and threatening net neutrality.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Cosmos\" by Carl Sagan (1 mention)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937103,
          "author": "wj",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:27:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937103",
          "commentText": "Cosmos by Carl Sagan\nIt really opened my mind to the quest for knowledge being its own noble pursuit.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cosmos by Carl Sagan",
          "reason": "The commenter says it opened their mind to knowledge as a noble pursuit.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33598225,
          "author": "Shorel",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-14T18:06:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33598225",
          "commentText": "I personally have an enormous debt from my perception of the world to Cosmos by Carl Sagan.\nIt's not simply a world view absent of supernatural forces. Yes, it is that, but at the same time it is much more.\nIt's a world of discovery. It's a world of curiosity. It's a world of wonder and imagination. It's a world of exploration.\nAnd the way to properly search for questions is first to stop pretending we already have all the answers, like religion does. I find almost every religious comment and answer so...   reductionistic, so simplistic, so pompous, so pretentious, it kind of kills the mood of discovery and curiosity.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cosmos by Carl Sagan",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book profoundly shaped their perception of the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762745,
          "author": "wj",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T04:30:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762745",
          "commentText": "The Art of Creative Writing by Lajos Egri ended up playing a huge role a decade after I read it in how I approached sales and marketing.\nFrom a more theoretical perspective Cosmos by Sagan had a huge impact on how I view life's big questions.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cosmos by Sagan had a huge impact on how I view life's big questions.",
          "reason": "Says it had a huge impact on how they view life's big questions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156533,
          "author": "jeffersonheard",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:44:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156533",
          "commentText": "Getting More - Stuart Diamond. I still think this is the best book on the art of negotiation.\nGetting Things Done - David Allen. If you have adult ADHD like me, and you haven't read this, it's the first system that's really worked for productivity for me.\nMan's Search for Meaning - Victor Frankl.\nLiving Buddha, Living Christ - Thich Nhat Hanh.\nCosmos - Carl Sagan.\nThe Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. LeGuin.\nThe One who Walks Away from Omelas - U.K. LeGuin.\nWild Seed - Octavia Butler.\nThe Heike Monogatari - (tr. Helen Craig McCullough) “The sound of the Gion Shoja temple bells echoes the impermanence of all things; the color of the sala flowers reveals the truth that to flourish is to fall. The proud do not endure, like a passing dream on a night in spring; the mighty fall at last, to be no more than dust before the wind.” If you need a comparison. this is the Japanese historical equivalent of Game of Thrones combined with a bit of MacBeth. The rise and fall of two shogunate families, and an analysis of the tragic flaws of character that brought their fall about.\nLes Miserables - Victor Hugo.\nSmall Gods - Terry Pratchett.\nHeart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad.\nThe Guide - R. K. Narayan.\nEvidence - Mary Oliver.\nAll of Us - The Collected Poetry of Raymond Carver.\nSilence - Shusaku Endo.\nThe Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald.\nThe Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Murakami Haruki. This and the next four are odd choices, perhaps, since it's a surrealist book, but IMO books that force your imagination to work hard do as much for creativity and fresh ideas as any of the more popular methods.\nThe Well-Built City (The Physiognomy / Memoranda / The Beyond) Jeffery Ford - Surrealist novellas best described as about the protagonist living and achieving agency within the constructs, dreams, and nightmares of a \"Great Man's\" mind.\nSnow Crash - Neal Stephenson.\nGravity's Rainbow - Thomas Pynchon.\nDhalgren - Samuel L. \"Chip\" Delany.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cosmos - Carl Sagan.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12418249,
          "author": "leandot",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-03T08:02:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12418249",
          "commentText": "Professionally by adding to soft skills - Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High\nPersonally - by helping me appreciated science better - Cosmos: Carl Sagan\nAs a side note - a lot of the startup stuff is learned on the job and by talking to others about their experiences. Doing a side project can be a good way to try out and you will be forced to think about marketing, sales, etc.\nShameless plug: http://hackernewsbooks.com/ - is what books the HN community comments on, maybe you find something interesting there",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Personally - by helping me appreciated science better - Cosmos: Carl Sagan",
          "reason": "Listed as helping the commenter appreciate science better.",
          "audience": "Readers looking to appreciate science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12100612,
          "author": "arnold_palmur",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T12:59:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12100612",
          "commentText": "Cosmos by Carl Sagan",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cosmos by Carl Sagan",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10325664,
          "author": "arnold_palmur",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T22:36:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325664",
          "commentText": "Cosmos by Carl Sagan",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cosmos by Carl Sagan",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1725114,
          "author": "kapilkaisare",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-24T19:48:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1725114",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n1. Life of Pi - Yann Martel\n2. The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas : An awesome closeup of revenge\n3. The complete Sherlock Holmes series : 'nuff said.\nNon fiction:\n1. Cosmos - Carl Sagan : I fell in love with science post-reading this book.\n2. October Sky - Homer Hickham : A real life story of how a group of boys in a backwater town build a rocket that changes their lives.\n3. Chariots of the Gods - Erich Von Daniken -  A real mind bender, even if you choose not to agree with his ideas.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cosmos - Carl Sagan : I fell in love with science post-reading this book.",
          "reason": "Says reading it inspired a love of science.",
          "audience": "Boys.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1633511,
          "author": "dwwoelfel",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T17:35:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1633511",
          "commentText": "1984: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0451524934\nCosmos: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0345331354\nTao Teh Ching: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0877735425",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Cosmos: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0345331354",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1632470,
          "author": "kksm19820117",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T10:32:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1632470",
          "commentText": "1984 - turned me from a die hard socialist to a rabid anti authoritarian.\nCosmos - helped me fall in love with Physics, and the sciences.\nTao Teh Ching - If I could tell you how it influenced me, we'd both have the wrong impression.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cosmos - helped me fall in love with Physics, and the sciences.",
          "reason": "Says it helped them fall in love with physics and science.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143669,
          "author": "falsestprophet",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-23T00:15:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143669",
          "commentText": "Cosmos by Carl Sagan",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Cosmos by Carl Sagan",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85979,
          "author": "falsestprophet",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T16:42:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85979",
          "commentText": "It is hard to say what my favorite book is. But the book that impacted my life most was Cosmos by Carl Sagan. Read it. \nMy favorite authors and playwrights are (in no meaningful order) Michael Lewis, Carl Sagan, Siddhartha Gautama, F. Scott Fitzgerald,  Ernest Hemingway, Aldous Huxley, Ayn Rand, Patrick Marber, Arthur Miller, and Shakespeare.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the book that impacted my life most was Cosmos by Carl Sagan. Read it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it had the greatest impact on their life and directly urges readers to read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carl Sagan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 11,
      "threads": 13,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "astronomy",
        "popular science",
        "cosmology",
        "science communication"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cat-s-cradle-f8b80f",
      "title": "Cat’s Cradle",
      "author": "Kurt Vonnegut",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29817705,
          "author": "anm89",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-06T01:06:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29817705",
          "commentText": "Check out \"The Timeless Way of Building\" if you want non fiction or anything by Vonnegut. I'd personally start with Cat's Cradle.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd personally start with Cat's Cradle.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a starting point among Vonnegut's books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22721746,
          "author": "marnett",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T19:17:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22721746",
          "commentText": "Re-reading Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle after being in Silicon Valley after a while really illuminated the character-type I found myself surrounded by: emotionally detached geniuses absentmindedly ruining the world.\nHis style of storytelling is just great. He leaves so much off the page with his short style that at the end you get that feeling you’ve experienced something profound that can’t quiet be put into words.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Re-reading Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle after being in Silicon Valley after a while really illuminated the character-type I found myself surrounded by",
          "reason": "Says rereading it illuminated a type of person they encountered in Silicon Valley and praises Vonnegut’s storytelling.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296441,
          "author": "adjkant",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T06:09:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296441",
          "commentText": "Slaughterhouse-Five, Galapagos, Sirens of Titan\nBasically, any Kurt Vonnegut book that isn't Cat's Cradle (good but overrated).\nBias note: I'm still young, but these shaped me easily.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "any Kurt Vonnegut book that isn't Cat's Cradle (good but overrated).",
          "reason": "Says the book is good but overrated, excluding it from their preference for Vonnegut's other books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as good but overrated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10786419,
          "author": "goddess_divine",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T00:21:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786419",
          "commentText": "i read a shit ton of books, but only keep the ones i'd like enough to read again. New to my library this year:\nthe checklist manifesto\nfriday\nthe left hand of darkness\nbanker for the poor\niq52\nthe pragmatic programmer\nstar diaries\ncat's cradle\nthe dead mountainer's inn\nspanner darkley",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "cat's cradle",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8716501,
          "author": "blwsk",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T14:21:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8716501",
          "commentText": "Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut. The story gradually unfurls itself from the first few pages and new layers are constantly being added. It was written a few years after Hiroshima and Nagasaki but seems even more relevant today. It's very short and can be read in a single sitting if one is determined.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The story gradually unfurls itself from the first few pages and new layers are constantly being added.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the story's unfolding layers and says it remains relevant today.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Short enough to read in one sitting.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6388577,
          "author": "od2m",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T09:47:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6388577",
          "commentText": "Vonnegut (Cat's Cradle, Slaughterhouse 5), Bukowski (Postman). Steinbeck (Tortilla flat). All their stuff is good, but those are my favorites :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cat's Cradle, Slaughterhouse 5",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5710333,
          "author": "pizza",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-15T05:30:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5710333",
          "commentText": "The Stranger, Catch-22, Cat's Cradle",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cat's Cradle",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4770323,
          "author": "pizza",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-11T19:28:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 4770238,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fiction books that entertain and educate?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4770323",
          "commentText": "Kurt Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle! I read it yesterday afternoon. \"Science\" (i.e. what other people think of it) has a big role in it, but there are a lot of facts in it, too. It's a well-written book that'll leave you thinking for sure..",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a well-written book that'll leave you thinking for sure.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises it as well-written and thought-provoking, and says it includes facts alongside its science themes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395576,
          "author": "Confusion",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T12:29:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395576",
          "commentText": "Professionally, The Art of Project Management did the most for me.\nPrivately, general-fiction-wise, The Wind-up Bird Chronicles by Haruki Murakami did the most for me.\nPrivately, SF-wise, three books by Kurt Vonnegut: Cat's Cradle, Slaughterhouse-five and The Sirens of Titan",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "three books by Kurt Vonnegut: Cat's Cradle, Slaughterhouse-five and The Sirens of Titan",
          "reason": "Listed among the three books that stood out most in the commenter's science fiction reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865051,
          "author": "jeebusroxors",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T15:13:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865051",
          "commentText": "Kurt Vonnegut has some good stuff. Slaughterhouse Five, Cats Cradle and I really liked A Man Without a Country.\nThe Discworld series (Terry Prachett) is good if you liked HHG",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cats Cradle",
          "reason": "Offered as an example of Vonnegut’s good work in response to a book recommendation request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753211,
          "author": "silentbicycle",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:04:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753211",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed _The Sirens of Titan_ and _Cat's Cradle_, too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed _The Sirens of Titan_ and _Cat's Cradle_, too.",
          "reason": "Says they really enjoyed the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569874,
          "author": "nopassrecover",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T02:21:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569874",
          "commentText": "Some recents:\nSurely You're Joking Mr Feynmann is a good read.\nAs is Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle\nAs is Hugh Laurie's The Gun Seller\nAnd I'm just getting into Orwell's Keep The Aspidistra Flying which is quite good too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "As is Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s recent book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 715201,
          "author": "HalcyonMuse",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-20T21:07:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715201",
          "commentText": "Cat's Cradle, by Vonnegut.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Cat's Cradle, by Vonnegut.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 141209,
          "author": "SwellJoe",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T22:36:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=141209",
          "commentText": "Asimov's two big universes, found in the Robots series and the Foundation series, (which turned out to be the same when he revisited them in the 70's and 80's) are simply wonderful.  By far my favorite sci-fi, and among the most enduring works in the genre.  I read them both every two or three years, and sometimes grab one off the shelf when I just want something to read.  The early Foundation is sort of a future history version of \"The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire\" (I seem to recall that was intentional, actually).  Asimov's autobiographies and the posthumous book of his correspondence are all fantastic and insightful.  I learned a lot from them, and my admiration for the man increased even more upon reading them.\nDune is also astoundingly good, though after the first three, the quality goes downhill (slowly, but surely).  Definitely lots to think about.\nRendezvous with Rama left me breathless...and I could not put it down until I'd read the last page.  I've returned to it a couple of times, and loved it every single time.  The later Rama books are deeply flawed, and should have never happened (they were not written by Clarke, and it shows), as they make Rama seem...hmmm, I can't really think of the right word that expresses it.  Cheap, dinky, small, something bad.  But Rendezvous is a must read for everyone.\nDouglas Adams, of course.  The whole Hitchhikers' series is a must, while the Dirk Gently stuff is also funny, but not sci-fi and not mandatory.\nI mentioned in another thread my love of dystopias, and one of the best ever is The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.  She's one of the best sci-fi writers alive (she doesn't exclusively write sci-fi, however).  Oryx and Crake is also fascinating.\nCat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut.  I enjoy all of Vonnegut's work, but Cat's Cradle is a magical perfect novel.\nI don't know if everyone would agree that it's sci-fi, but Mark Twain's Letters from the Earth was an eye opener for me when I was a kid (I went on a Mark Twain kick when I was in elementary school...no one ever told me that all of his books weren't kids books, so I read everything I could get my hands on after being hooked by Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn).  Turns out Mark Twain was seditious, heretical, and quite the troublemaker all around.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cat's Cradle is a magical perfect novel.",
          "reason": "Calls the novel magical and perfect.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in literary fiction with science fiction themes.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kurt Vonnegut"
      ],
      "recommenders": 11,
      "threads": 12,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "satire",
        "apocalypse",
        "dystopian fiction",
        "nuclear weapons"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dreaming-in-code-395bc8",
      "title": "Dreaming in Code",
      "author": "Scott Rosenberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42650524,
          "author": "snowwrestler",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-09T22:31:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42650524",
          "commentText": "I greatly enjoyed The Leadership Moment by Michael Useem, which covers 9 stories of crises and how leaders approached them.\nThe Man Who Discovered Quality by Andrea Gabor is an interesting story of W. Edwards Deming, the American who revolutionized post-WWII Japanese manufacturing with statistical approaches to reducing variance.\nIssac Newton by James Gleick conveys what it was like for Newton to essentially invent modern physical science in a pre-scientific world.\nDreaming In Code by Scott Rosenberg is a good counterpoint to inspiring tech origin stories: legendary coders coming together to build an amazing product and… basically failing.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Dreaming In Code by Scott Rosenberg is a good counterpoint",
          "reason": "Presents a failed software project as a counterpoint to inspiring technology origin stories.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27328359,
          "author": "MilnerRoute",
          "createdAt": "2021-05-29T21:27:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 27326937,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good book on companies/individuals failure stories?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27328359",
          "commentText": "\"Dreaming in Code\" by Scott Rosenberg",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Dreaming in Code\" by Scott Rosenberg",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to a request for books about failures.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in failure stories about companies or individuals.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22714615,
          "author": "feydaykyn",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T21:55:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22714615",
          "commentText": "\"Dreaming in code\" by Scott Rosenberg\nIt tells the story of a software team which has everything, money, talent, time... but doesn't find how to materialize their idea.\nI've kept the warning in mind ever since\nhttp://www.dreamingincode.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Dreaming in code\" by Scott Rosenberg",
          "reason": "Recommends its account of a software team that struggles to turn its idea into reality.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in software projects and why they stall.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21852176,
          "author": "throwno",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T17:06:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21852176",
          "commentText": "Dreaming In Code by Scott Rosenberg has some relatable war stories.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dreaming In Code by Scott Rosenberg has some relatable war stories.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for its relatable stories about software development.",
          "audience": "Developers interested in software project stories.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18824354,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2019-01-04T14:49:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 18824130,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What article/book do you recommend for my next flight?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18824354",
          "commentText": "If you like thrillers with a geeky edge to them, you might like Zero Sum Game by S.L Huang. Some review I read described the protagonist of the story as \"the geek's Jack Reacher\".  Pretty good analogy, IMO.\nIf you want non-fiction, maybe try Dreaming In Code. Or if you haven't read it before, how about *The Soul of a New Machine\"?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you want non-fiction, maybe try Dreaming In Code.",
          "reason": "Offers it as a nonfiction option.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for nonfiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18746335,
          "author": "fujimotos",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T14:50:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18746335",
          "commentText": "> Dreaming in Code by Scott Rosenberg\nI also really enjoyed this book. It was a bitter story of an idealistic Open Source project failing miserably.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I also really enjoyed this book. It was a bitter story of an idealistic Open Source project failing miserably.",
          "reason": "Says they really enjoyed the book, though its story is bitter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes a story of an idealistic open source project failing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16352328,
          "author": "t176",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T12:02:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16352328",
          "commentText": "Dreaming in Code by Scott Rosenberg. As a programmer of 30 years I have taken more quotes and found more common ground with this book than any other. Here's a small extract that caught my attention: \"In order to build something, you have to have a blueprint. And we don't always have one. Then you hit unexpected problems. It's hard to know how long something is going to take until you know for sure you can build it.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dreaming in Code by Scott Rosenberg. As a programmer of 30 years I have taken more quotes and found more common ground with this book than any other.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it resonated with him more than any other book.",
          "audience": "Programmers",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2087784,
          "author": "kunday",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T07:11:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2087784",
          "commentText": "Dreaming in Code by Scott Rosenberg, Coder's At Work by Peter Siebel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dreaming in Code by Scott Rosenberg",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797405,
          "author": "jksmith",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T04:45:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797405",
          "commentText": "\"Dreaming in Code\" was ultimately so depressing I couldn't finish it.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "\"Dreaming in Code\" was ultimately so depressing I couldn't finish it.",
          "reason": "Found the book so depressing that they could not finish it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 621440,
          "author": "flpatriot92",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-22T01:34:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621440",
          "commentText": "<em>Dreaming in Code</em>\nChandler Project.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "<em>Dreaming in Code</em>",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 602369,
          "author": "oscardelben",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-10T18:53:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 601903,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fictional books related to startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=602369",
          "commentText": "Dreaming in code is a book about the startup life of the Chandler project.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dreaming in code is a book about the startup life of the Chandler project.",
          "reason": "Identifies the book as a startup-life account in response to a request for related books.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in software projects and startup life.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240672,
          "author": "rdoherty",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T02:21:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240672",
          "commentText": "* The Pragmatic Programmer\n* Becoming a Technical Leader\n* In Search of Stupidity\n* Hackers & Painters\n* Blockbusters\n* Joel on Software: And on Diverse and Occasionally Related Matters That Will Prove of Interest to Software Developers, Designers, and Managers, and to Those Who, Whether by Good Fortune or Ill Luck, Work with Them in Some Capacity\n* The Best Software Writing I\n* Behind Closed Doors\n* Managing Humans\n* The Mythical Man-Month\n* Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams\n* The Non-Designers Design Book\n* Founders at Work\n* Good to Great\n* Dreaming in Code\n* The Art of the Start\n* Maverick\n* The Design of Everyday Things\n* The Art of Project Management\n* The Art of Innovation",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Dreaming in Code",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Rosenberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 11,
      "threads": 11,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software development",
        "software project history",
        "software projects",
        "project failure"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "echopraxia-066d64",
      "title": "Echopraxia",
      "author": "Peter Watts",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46399187,
          "author": "kulikalov",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T04:38:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46399187",
          "commentText": "Loved it too! Try echopraxia next.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Try echopraxia next.",
          "reason": "Recommends the next book to read.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoyed Blindsight.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46206202,
          "author": "topologie",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-09T15:47:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46206202",
          "commentText": "I have a couple I would highly recommend:\nThe first is Stanislaw Lem's \"Imaginary Magnitude.\"\nMost stories there are written as sort of prefaces to non-existent technical/scientific books, papers, articles, etc. The last one, Golem XIV, goes a bit beyond and includes an entire lecture.\nThe content is incredibly detailed and technical, Lem knew his Technology and Science for sure, so sometimes it's incredibly accurate and prophetic. Even though it was written in the 1970's, Lem was already describing things that look uncannily like neural networks, emergent communication systems, and machine-generated literature, decades before they existed.\nAnd... most of them are also really really funny.\nHere are small summaries that ChatGPT helped me write for some of the stories there:\n---- Eruntics ----\nA faux-scientific introduction to a field studying “erunts”: biological (or semi-biological) agents, think bacteria/neural colonies, that can learn to read, write, and communicate.\nThese bacterial colonies learn to communicate through several learning iterations across many mutations and generations, much like, say, Neural Networks, and they even develop their own proto-language as they evolve.\nEruntics is a sort of \"meditation\" on emergent intelligence and how writing or meaning might arise in nonhuman systems.\n---- A History of Bitic Literature ----\nPurports to be a critical history of literature produced not by humans, but by machines or other non-human authors, the fictional discipline of bitistics.\nIt treats computer-generated texts as a full literary tradition, with schools, tropes, and structural analysis.\nIt also goes into detail on how at a certain point Bitic Literature required models to read what other models had generated and \"validate\" what they had written, since the complexity they reach in terms of things like neologisms, subtext, and interconnectedness to other texts and ideas, becomes so absurdly high that no human being can even attempt to read them or make sense of them.\n---- Golem XIV ----\nThis is like half of the book, and oh boy...\nIt presents itself first as a report/lecture series from a U.S.-military supercomputer, framed with forewords, editorial notes, “instructions,” etc, but it quickly shifts into the machine’s own philosophical monologues about humanity, evolution, intelligence gradients, and existential insignificance/significance.\nIt contains some really iconic phrases, in particular during Golem's \"Lecture\":\n\" 'The meaning of the transmitter is the transmission' [...] To be sure, the corollary holds: 'The meaning of the transmission is the transmitter.' But the two members are not symmetrical.\"\n\" 'The construction is less perfect than what constructs' [...] Let us give it more substance: 'In evolution, a negative gradient operates in the perfecting of structural solutions'\"\nGolem XIV becomes a genuine “book within a book,” a hard, speculative essay on what a post-human intellect might think.\nThe second set of \"books\" that I would recommend are kinda related, even in tone:\nMasamune Shirow's \"Ghost in The Shell\" and its sequel \"Ghost in the Shell: Man-Machine Interface.\"\nChatGPT summaries:\n--- Ghost in the Shell ---\nAt its core, the original Ghost in the Shell manga is a cyberpunk procedural about identity in a hyper-connected world.\nIt follows Major Motoko Kusanagi, a fully cybernetic government operative working for Public Security Section 9, a counter-cyberterrorism and intelligence unit. The cases involve:\n- cyberbrains and identity hacking\n- political corruption\n- AI autonomy\n- blurred boundaries between human and machine\n- networks where memories, skills, and consciousness can be stolen or overwritten\nThe central philosophical arc centers on Project 2501, the “Puppet Master,” an emergent artificial consciousness born from networked information systems rather than human intention. It challenges the legal, biological, and metaphysical definitions of “life.”\nThe manga’s key concern:\nWhen minds become software, what counts as a person?\nWhat counts as being alive?\nIt’s high-speed political action wrapped around deep questions about autonomy, embodiment, and consciousness.\n--- Ghost in the Shell 2: Man-Machine Interface ---\nMan-Machine Interface is not a continuation in the conventional sense, but more of a \"post-human\" sequel.\nHere, Motoko Kusanagi, the main character from Ghost in The Shell, no longer exists as a single embodied entity. After merging with the Puppet Master at the end of the original story, Motoko becomes something new: a distributed, multi-bodied, evolving posthuman intelligence often referred to as Motoko Aramaki or Motoko 2.0.\nThe sequel follows her as:\n- a partially decoupled consciousness running across networks\n- an entity capable of switching avatars, bodies, and instantiations\n- a mind that operates above nation-states, legal frameworks, and even human-scale cognition\nPlot-wise, it deals with:\n- AI-industrial warfare\n- megacorporations fighting over distributed intelligences\n- metaphysics of identity in a world of multiple selves\n- data-ecologies and collective minds\n- the emergence of “post-persons”\nBut the real shift is tone and philosophy.\nWhere the first manga explores the crisis of identity, the sequel explores post-identity.\nIts main question:\nWhat does “self” mean when consciousness is fluid, redundant, multi-threaded, and no longer tied to one body or one narrative?\nMan-Machine Interface is dense, maximalist, metaphysical, and sometimes abstract , much closer to Lem’s Golem XIV in its treatment of posthuman consciousness than the first part.\nThird, another set, Peter Watts’ Blindsight and its sequel Echopraxia.\n--- Blindsight ---\nHard sci-fi first-contact novel about a crew sent to investigate an alien signal. The aliens they encounter demonstrate astonishing intelligence and adaptability, but seemingly zero consciousness. The book’s central question is brutal:\nDoes consciousness provide any evolutionary advantage at all?\nOr is it an expensive, unnecessary hack?\nIt’s one of the most rigorous modern explorations of intelligence without awareness, cognition without qualia, and post-biological life. Also features resurrected vampires as humanity’s most efficient problem-solvers.\n--- Echopraxia ---\nA follow-up set in the same universe, focusing more on Earth, zombies, hive-minds, military religious cults, and what Watts calls baseline humans becoming obsolete. It complements Blindsight by following the implications of a world where non-conscious “intelligence engines” outperform conscious humans.\nFinally...\n--- Greg Egan's Permutation City ---\nAt its core:\nA group of people upload themselves as software (“Copies”) into a virtual environment where consciousness is implemented as a computational process. But Egan pushes the idea far past “mind uploading” into deep mathematical and philosophical territory.\nThe central premise:\nIf consciousness depends only on logical consistency, not computation performed in real time, then a simulated mind does not require a universe running on stable physics or an external computer at all.\nEgan calls this the Dust Theory.\nWhat the novel explores:\n1. Copies — software persons\n- Human consciousness is scanned and instantiated as a digital mind. These Copies struggle with:\n- psychological trauma from being disposable\n- questions about their moral status\n- fears of erasure\n- pressure to perform labor for “real” biological humans\nThey are conscious, but economically and ontologically precarious.\n2. The “Autoverse”\nA lifelike world governed by artificial chemistry and evolution. It explores how complexity and life can arise from arbitrary rules, not carbon-based biology.\n3. Dust Theory\nA mind is simply a pattern, not a process.\nIf any arrangement of matter in the multiverse instantiates that pattern, even for a moment, consciousness exists.\nThis implies that a mind could “run” without a computer — as long as the pattern exists somewhere, even scattered across physical chaos (“dust”).\nPermutation City becomes a sandbox for minds that no longer require a substrate.\n4. “Permutation City” itself\nThe ultimate simulation, constructed to be self-sustaining in a way that breaks free from dependence on any external reality. Inside it, Copies evolve new forms of existence beyond human constraints.\nWhy it’s important:\nIt’s one of the most serious, mathematically grounded attempts in fiction to grapple with:\n- the ontology of simulated minds\n- the meaning (or irrelevance) of physical reality\n- identity as a computational equivalence class\n- consciousness divorced from biology or substrate\n- universes that exist because their patterns are self-consistent\nIt anticipates debates around:\n- substrate independence\n- functionalism\n- consciousness as pattern-matching\n- AI personhood\n- anthropic reasoning\n- simulation theory\nBefore most of those ideas entered mainstream discussion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Peter Watts’ Blindsight and its sequel Echopraxia.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a sequel and says it complements Blindsight by exploring non-conscious intelligence.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in hard science fiction and questions about consciousness.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42269201,
          "author": "sandy_coyote",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:59:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42269201",
          "commentText": "I caught up with some science fiction this year.\nThe Murderbot diaries books by Martha Wells - 6/10. Mixed on these. They're fun to read. The setting is cool and the worldbuilding is shallow but effective (i.e., don't read it if you want game of thrones in space). Each novella takes an afternoon to read. I think \"snarky violent droid\" is overcooked these days and lost interest after book 5.\nLight by M. John Harrison - 7/10 excellent prose; great multiple-storyline plot; the journey was better than the destination, but it kept me thinking\nFar from the Light of Heaven by Tade Thompson - 7/10 Fun. If \"near future Nigerian/British post-colonial frontier action with guns, robots, and psychic aliens\" sounds cool to you, check it out. I liked his Rosewater Trilogy just as much.\nBlindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts - tough to rate these. brilliant ideas, VERY challenging plots. I wish I didn't get so confused by the end of each book.\nProject Hail Mary by Andy Weir - 6/10 - this and the Martian read like blog posts pasted together. The grand dilemma is spelled out on page one and never gets any deeper. Pro: the plot is in your face on every page and you will never be confused when reading; Con - there is zero internal character development. Read if you like stories driven by applied science, not comparative moral decision-making.\nThe City and the City by China Miéville - 9/10 - you will invariably see something like \"Kafka meets [some affected crime novelist] to describe this book, and that ain't wrong. Kind of SF, kind of fantasy.\nRailsea by China Miéville - 8/10 - great good vs evil YA SF about, well, imagine if trains were like boats. Good character writing, tight plot.\nThe Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi - 8/10 - loved this. More \"realist\" near-future fabulism than Gibson, but if you love cyberpunk, read this.\nThe Shipbreaker Triology by Paolo Bacigalupi - 6/10 - near-future YA science fiction with a lot of blood and guns. Pretty good stories.\nRoadside Picnic by the Strugatsky brothers - 9/10 - reread. I had to go back. This gets a near perfect score because of its style, setting, and plot.\nThe Sprawl Trilogy (Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive) by William Gibson - 9/10 - I had read Neuromancer 3 times but never the next two. I was pleasantly surprised to find the second and third novel easier to read* but just as enjoyable as Neuromancer.\nThe Bridge trilogy by William Gibson - 8/10 so far. I am in the second book. Can't believe I slept on these for the last couple decades.\nnon-SF:\nOur Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981-1991 by Michael Azerrad - 9/10 - if you like punk/hardcore from the 80s, this is a great read.\n* Every time I read Neuromancer, Gibson's literary footguns --holograms, false memories, hallucinations, and drug-addled unreality--make me feel crazy for not being able to follow the plot at times. I'm okay with believing that was the intended effect.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Blindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts - tough to rate these. brilliant ideas, VERY challenging plots.",
          "reason": "Recognizes the ideas as brilliant but found the plots very challenging and hard to follow.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy challenging science fiction plots.",
          "caveat": "The plots were confusing by each book's end.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37157769,
          "author": "jemmyw",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T05:54:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37157769",
          "commentText": "Blindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts [1] I enjoyed the ideas in these books.\nThe Sunken Land Begins to Rise Again [2] by M. John Harrison. Beautiful writing. His descriptions give me vivid dreams if I read before bed.\nThe Thursday Murder Club [3] by Richard Osman. Light reading, amusing, beginning of a series.\n[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echopraxia_%28novel%29\n[2] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49201192-the-sunken-land... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49201192-the-sunken-land-begins-to-rise-again)\n[3] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54846475-the-thursday-mu... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54846475-the-thursday-murder-club)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts [1] I enjoyed the ideas in these books.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the ideas in the books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33383472,
          "author": "EdwardCoffin",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T12:28:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33383472",
          "commentText": "I couldn't tell whether you were joking about pirating it, but for others who might be interested, the author has made it available for free download from his website [1].\nI love Blindsight as well, and I think I like the other book in the series, Echopraxia (not available for free download though) even more.  Both books contain lengthy bibliographies citing various scientific papers the author has drawn ideas from, and on my first readings of both books I ended up spending as much time chasing down interesting references and reading them as I did reading the original books.\n[1] https://rifters.com/real/Blindsight.htm",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I think I like the other book in the series, Echopraxia (not available for free download though) even more.",
          "reason": "The commenter thinks they like it even more than Blindsight and describes its science references.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter qualifies their preference and notes it is not available for free download.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33382237,
          "author": "alecco",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T08:50:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382237",
          "commentText": "Re-read Blindsight and Echopraxia by Watts, dark dystopia about the singularity.\nDifferently Morphous and Existentially Challenged by Yahtzee Croshow, a lot of magic comedy.\nThe Price of Time by Chancellor, about how the current financial everything bubble came to exist and how it's always the same story.\nThe World for Sale by Blas, about the history of commodities traders in the past century.\nChaos by O'Neill, 20 year investigation about Manson murders finds ties to government agencies.\nI read about 10 other books but they were all terrible. It's becoming more and more a needle in a haystack.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48484.Blindsight\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18490708-echopraxia\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59056157-the-price-of-ti... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59056157-the-price-of-time)\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52199304-the-world-for-s... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52199304-the-world-for-sale)\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43015073-chaos",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Re-read Blindsight and Echopraxia by Watts, dark dystopia about the singularity.",
          "reason": "Included among the books the commenter read again.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as dark dystopia about the singularity.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28060495,
          "author": "marcocampos",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T12:59:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28060495",
          "commentText": "Love Peter Watts' work but be warned that his writing is super depressing (in a good way), specially his Rifters Trilogy. My favorites are still Blindsight and it's follow-up, Echopraxia. The ideas on those books about sentient life are eye opening and something I still think is heavily debated in the scientific community.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and it's follow-up, Echopraxia",
          "reason": "Names it as a favorite alongside Blindsight.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Watts’s writing is super depressing, in a good way.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20334092,
          "author": "CosmicShadow",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T11:49:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20334092",
          "commentText": "Someone posted this on a previous book list and I read it and I'm so glad I did, now I've read Echopraxia, and I've bought all his other books and I'm on those as well, totally awesome. I still think about this series and the vampires and hive minds.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "now I've read Echopraxia",
          "reason": "The commenter describes being glad they read the preceding book and says they have continued with this one and the author's other books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15428657,
          "author": "nrp",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T15:55:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428657",
          "commentText": "Watts’ Blindsight and Echopraxia are excellent hard scifi too, though less focused on AI.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Watts’ Blindsight and Echopraxia are excellent hard scifi too, though less focused on AI.",
          "reason": "Described as excellent hard science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Less focused on AI.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13804180,
          "author": "metaphorm",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:19:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804180",
          "commentText": "- The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin\n- Blindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts\n- The Tao Te Ching\n- The Gateless Gate (Koun Yamada translation/editing)\n- The Baroque Cycle (Quicksilver, The Confusion, The System of the World) by Neal Stephenson\n- The Invisibles by Grant Morrison\n- Incerto (Fooled by Randomness, The Black Swan, Antifragile, The Bed of Procrustes) by Nassim Nicholas Taleb\n- Iron John by Robert Bly\n- Catch 22 by Joseph Heller\n- The Character of Physical Law by Richard P. Feynman\n- Collected Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges\n- 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez\n- Pharmakon by Dale Pendell\n- The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss\n- Greek Mythology by Edith Hamilton\n- The Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual by Gary Gygax et al\n- Introduction to Algorithms by Charles E. Leiserson, Clifford Stein, Ronald Rivest, and Thomas H. Cormen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts",
          "reason": "Included in a list answering which books changed the commenter’s thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13117398,
          "author": "pavel_lishin",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-06T19:16:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13117398",
          "commentText": "This is a little more Lovecraftian Horror than science fiction, but I loved Matt Ruff's \"Lovecraft Country\". Equal parts what you'd expect, with an exploration of how shitty America was for black people in the 1950s.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25109947-lovecraft-count... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25109947-lovecraft-country)\nTed Chiang's \"Stories of your Life\" have been recommended here a bunch, since Arrival was based on one of the stories in the collection.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\nPeter Watts' Blindsight and Echopraxia are both excellent explorations of the human mind and consciousness.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48484.Blindsight and https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18490708-echopraxia\nBonus: Echopraxia comes with an optional audiovisual component that stands alone quite well: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL30ED0756E00786E2\nAnd don't let the mention of Vampires scare you off; this isn't a Twilight wannabe, and it's very likely not a take on Vampires you've seen before.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Peter Watts' Blindsight and Echopraxia are both excellent explorations of the human mind and consciousness.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an excellent exploration of the human mind and consciousness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its optional audiovisual component stands alone well and cautions that the vampires are not a Twilight-style take.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10176721,
          "author": "smartial_arts",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-06T03:12:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10176721",
          "commentText": "Just finished, in the following order:\n- Blindsight\n- Echopraxia\n- Colonel\nby Peter Watts. Though I should've read the 'Colonel' before 'Echopraxia' in the hindsight.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "- Echopraxia\n- Colonel\nby Peter Watts. Though I should've read the 'Colonel' before 'Echopraxia' in the hindsight.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Colonel should have been read before it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9057164,
          "author": "aaronem",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T15:08:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9057164",
          "commentText": "Sure. On the other hand, I found Watts's Rifters trilogy to be strong throughout, and I'd previously assumed that he'd turn in the same strong performance with his latest series.\nIn what way does Echopraxia fail to live up to its predecessor? I'm eventually going to get around to it, but if it's going to disappoint me, I'd like to know ahead of time so that I can go into it with my expectations better calibrated.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "In what way does Echopraxia fail to live up to its predecessor?",
          "reason": "Asks how it compares with its predecessor and expresses concern about possible disappointment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it and is concerned it may disappoint.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056687,
          "author": "akkartik",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:59:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056687",
          "commentText": "You better doubt it, Echopraxia fails to live up to Blindsight. Aren't sequels that match the original the exception rather than the rule?",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Echopraxia fails to live up to Blindsight.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it falls short of its predecessor.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056662,
          "author": "aaronem",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:53:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056662",
          "commentText": "Peter Watts's Blindsight - easily the best SF novel I've read in the last decade. I haven't got round to Echopraxia yet, but I doubt it'll fail to live up to its predecessor.\nAlso, while I have no use whatsoever for Stross's \"Singularity\" stuff, his Laundry Files series excels, especially for an inveterate old Lovecraft fan such as myself. If you want a taste, there are some shorts available online -- \"Overtime\" and \"Funny Farm\" are good places to start; \"Equoid\" is the most recent, but it's not representative, and it's also the weakest entry in the series as a whole due to its poor characterization and reliance on shock and gruesomeness rather than the more insidious sort of horror in which the rest of the series specializes.\nI'm sort of surprised to see that no one has yet mentioned Heinlein; I know he's a politically divisive figure in the fandom, to say the least, but he's also the great granddaddy of the modern field, and such prominence deserves recognition. (Hell, he was pushing the Rapture of the Nerds before any of its modern adherents was even born!) Granted that his later works tend to bog down in self-referentiality and author tracts on the evils of Communism and the benefits of casual nudism; in his prime, though, he was an author and storyteller practically beyond compare.\nIn particular, his The Moon is a Harsh Mistress remains a classic among classics; The Puppet Masters even more so, to the extent of spawning practically a whole subgenre of second-rate imitations; and, for a lighter entry, his oft-overlooked The Door into Summer is a sweet story in which all's well that ends well and the importance of feline companionship in a well-rounded life is not overlooked.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "I haven't got round to Echopraxia yet",
          "reason": "The commenter has not read it and only speculates about how it compares with its predecessor.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Watts"
      ],
      "recommenders": 11,
      "threads": 11,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consciousness",
        "hard science fiction",
        "first contact",
        "posthumanism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "narcissus-and-goldmund-444c69",
      "title": "Narcissus and Goldmund",
      "author": "Hermann Hesse",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39729959,
          "author": "somberi",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T22:14:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729959",
          "commentText": "I suggest two books by Hesse - Siddhartha /  Narcissus and Goldmund.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Narcissus and Goldmund.",
          "reason": "Explicitly suggested as one of two Hesse books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31974281,
          "author": "jsrcout",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-04T07:05:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31974281",
          "commentText": "Agree, but would also list Narcissus and Goldmund. Am I the only one that found something of value in that book? People never seem to mention it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "would also list Narcissus and Goldmund. Am I the only one that found something of value in that book?",
          "reason": "Adds it to the books they would list and says they found value in it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23155434,
          "author": "theblahblah",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T15:56:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23155434",
          "commentText": "I had a contrasting experience with Hesse. Narcissus and Goldmund was really influential on me. It made me realize that life doesn't have to be about buying stuff and fucking the same woman for the rest of my life. It drove me to travel and experience many things. Through that process I gained perspective you just can't get by being stuck in an office working so you can buy shit you don't need, most of the time advancing the subliminal competition your wife is in with her girlfriends.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Narcissus and Goldmund was really influential on me. It made me realize that life doesn't have to be about buying stuff",
          "reason": "Says it prompted them to travel and seek experiences beyond consumerism and office life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21901935,
          "author": "pmoriarty",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T21:38:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21901935",
          "commentText": "Narcissus and Goldmund is probably my favorite of Hesse's novels, but also great is The Glass Bead Game.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Narcissus and Goldmund is probably my favorite of Hesse's novels",
          "reason": "Calls it probably their favorite of Hesse's novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is probably their favorite.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19088544,
          "author": "jesusofsuburbia",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T19:01:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19088544",
          "commentText": "War and peace by Tolstoi.\nIt made me aware that someone as successful and powerful as Napoleon himself was by a large extent only a product of the people and the mood at the time. What I mean is that it wasn't him who inspired the people; it rather was just the Zeitgeist he was the perfect person for.\nI'm not a native speaker and can't really put it into words, but it completely changed my view of the amount of influence we really can have in this world, and how much we are a product of our time.\nNarziß und Goldmund by Hesse.\nAgain a lack of words from my side.\nWhoever is looking for meaning in life should read this book.\nThe last sentence of this book is (at least in German) the literary most perfect and awakening phrase I've ever read. I couldn't sleep for days afterwards.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Whoever is looking for meaning in life should read this book.",
          "reason": "The commenter directly recommends the book to readers seeking meaning in life.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for meaning in life.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17984035,
          "author": "the1iplay",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-14T01:13:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17984035",
          "commentText": "To add to that, Narcissus and Goldmund was also a quite influential book.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Narcissus and Goldmund was also a quite influential book.",
          "reason": "Calls it influential.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it was also influential, without specifying how.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15635202,
          "author": "dodgyb",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-06T13:21:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15635202",
          "commentText": "Fiction - Narcissus and Goldmund by Hermann Hesse. Contrasting the lives of a free spirit and a disciplined mind.\nNon Fiction - A Time of Gifts/Between the Woods and the Water/The Broken Road by Patrick Leigh Fermor. Recounting a trip from Holland to Constantinople by foot in the 1930's when he was a teenager. A trilogy of books written when he was in his 60's and 70's. An erudite raconteur.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fiction - Narcissus and Goldmund by Hermann Hesse. Contrasting the lives of a free spirit and a disciplined mind.",
          "reason": "Describes its contrast between a free spirit and a disciplined mind.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8258168,
          "author": "drtse4",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T15:39:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8258168",
          "commentText": "_dt47, if you like it read everything else from Hesse (continue with Steppenwolf, Narcissus and Goldmund, The Glass Bead Game).\nRight now, as late night reading, i'm in the midst of the sprawl trilogy of Gibson, i read Neuromancer more than a few years ago and now i'm checking out the rest.\nOther than this, i started \"Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies\", but i'm quickly getting bored.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "continue with Steppenwolf, Narcissus and Goldmund, The Glass Bead Game",
          "reason": "Recommends continuing with Hesse’s other works after Siddhartha.",
          "audience": "Readers who like Siddhartha or Hesse.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5692169,
          "author": "bloodorange",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T21:32:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5692169",
          "commentText": "Adding more:\nSiddhartha - Hermen Hesse\nNarcissus and Goldmund - Herman Hesse\nThe Glass Bead Game - Herman Hesse\nThe Consolations of Philosophy - Alain de Botton\nA Brief History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson\nPolitics and The English Lanaguage (essay) - George Orwell\nA Modest Proposal (essay) - Jonathan Swift",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Narcissus and Goldmund - Herman Hesse",
          "reason": "Listed in a response to a request for good books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2147714,
          "author": "sharadgopal",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T13:35:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2147714",
          "commentText": "Demian - Hesse\nNarcissus and Goldmund - Hesse\nMan's Search for Meaning - Viktor Frankl",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Narcissus and Goldmund - Hesse",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed the reader’s way of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752443,
          "author": "swombat",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T09:56:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752443",
          "commentText": "Most books by Hermann Hesse, really... Narziss&Goldmund changed my perspective on life. If you have anything artistic in you, it's a must-read. Steppenwolf, Siddharta and the Glass Bead Game are other must-reads.\nGabriel Garcia Marques, One hundred years of solitude.\nPractically all of Jorge Luis Borges' short stories. Mind-bending.\nMilan Kundera's Unbearable Lightness of Being.\nMichael Ende's Never Ending Story.\nEnjoy!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Narziss&Goldmund changed my perspective on life.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed their perspective on life.",
          "audience": "Readers with an artistic interest.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hermann Hesse"
      ],
      "recommenders": 11,
      "threads": 11,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "friendship",
        "spirituality",
        "coming of age",
        "german literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "outliers-3f0cfe",
      "title": "Outliers",
      "author": "Malcolm Gladwell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36466478,
          "author": "electroagenda",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-25T09:49:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36466478",
          "commentText": "\"Outliers\".\nA good reminder that practical inteligence is way more important than the qualification you get in an intelligence test.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Outliers\".\nA good reminder that practical inteligence is way more important than the qualification you get in an intelligence test.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is a good reminder about practical intelligence.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18696898,
          "author": "greenido",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-17T04:30:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18696898",
          "commentText": "Some books I've enjoyed in the past year:\nWish to laugh?\n* Born a Crime, by Trevor Noah\n* Yes please! by Amy Poehler\nThink?\n* Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell\n* Where Good Ideas Come from, by Steven Johnson\n* The Emperor of All Maladies and The Gene: An Intimate History both by Mukherjee Siddhartha\nLearn (more) about great thinkers?\n* Einstein or Leonardo da Vinci or Steve Jobs, by Walter Isaacson\n* Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike, by Phil Knight\nYuval Noah Harari 3 good ones:\n* Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow\n* Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\n* 21 lessons for the 21st century\nFrom time to time, I try to put some good ones over here: https://greenido.wordpress.com/?s=book",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a book that prompts thought.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910593,
          "author": "amrrs",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:58:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910593",
          "commentText": "1. Born a Crime (audiobook) by Trevor Noah is an entertaining yet thought-provoking listen\n2. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (just gives a different perception to success all together, at least did for me)\n3. Mastery (Robert Greene) - can be dismissed as Anecdotes but really powerful ones\n4. Deep Work (Cal Newport) - a guy who doesn't like to be on social media and I found reading about him and stumbled upon this and it's absolutely an insightful read\n5. The subtle art of not giving a fk - This is a short, beautiful and an amazing read even if you aren't looking for self improvement",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "just gives a different perception to success all together, at least did for me",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed their perception of success.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter frames the effect as personal.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168830,
          "author": "amrrs",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:59:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168830",
          "commentText": "Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. Hailing from a village in India and having seen Bill gates and other celebrities as real successful and been amazed about it, I had an entirely different notion of success and talent before reading outliers. But after that I started believing that Success can come from anywhere and whatever we call IQ or Intelligence, that is all something that's another skill and can be honed. It broke the myth of innate talent and success.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It broke the myth of innate talent and success.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed their understanding of talent and success.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416396,
          "author": "cwbrandsma",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:25:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416396",
          "commentText": "* Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell\n* Freakenomics\n* Slideology\n* The Checklist Manifesto",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12245368,
          "author": "cionescu1",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T03:43:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12245368",
          "commentText": "After reading Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers, I offered it as a gift to most of my friends. It's an exhilarating read, one that I would recommend to anyone",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's an exhilarating read, one that I would recommend to anyone",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it exhilarating and says they recommend it to anyone.",
          "audience": "Anyone.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144444,
          "author": "benkarst",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T16:13:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144444",
          "commentText": "1. \"The Age of Spiritual Machines\" (2000) by Ray Kurzweil. This futurist book sparked my imagination at a young age as to what was possible with technology. Several of its predictions that have come true today.\n2. \"Creativity Inc.\" (2014) by Ed Catmull. Fascinating stories and lessons from the man who ran Pixar, the animated film company with 11 straight number 1's at the box office.\n3. \"Outliers\" by Malcolm Gladwell. Along with talent and hard work, being well-positioned is a big part of success. Put in 10,000 hours to be great at anything.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Along with talent and hard work, being well-positioned is a big part of success.",
          "reason": "Presents the book's account of factors contributing to success.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12143808,
          "author": "EnderMB",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T14:43:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12143808",
          "commentText": "1) Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell: I bought this book after it was referenced in one of Alex Ferguson's books. It's a fascinating tale of how people became to be successful by being the right person in the right environment at the right time, from how Bill Gates dominated the world of software, to how The Beatles became one of the best bands in the world. It's a great reminder that a mixture of hard work, the right environment, and dumb luck will help you do well.\n2) C# in Depth by Jon Skeet: Buying and reading this book is what led me to continue down the deep rabbit hole of .NET development, and following the C# language from version 1 onwards via the book is a great way to appreciate the language, as well as use it. As someone that writes C# daily this is the main book I recommend to existing devs.\n3) Introduction to Algorithms by CLRS: This is a bit of a cheat, because I've only glanced at various pages of this book. I have a degree in Computer Science, but my maths knowledge is lacking (to put it kindly), so despite my degree I have only a practical understanding of a lot of the algorithms talked about in the book. It's been my goal for years to build up my knowledge of maths to the point where I can read this book cover-to-cover and actually understand what's going on. I'm still not there, but hopefully one day I'll make it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a great reminder that a mixture of hard work, the right environment, and dumb luck will help you do well.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great reminder about factors behind success.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785513,
          "author": "projektir",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:40:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785513",
          "commentText": "Daring Greatly by Brené Brown - discussion of shame culture, its effects on people, and how to combat it - pretty good book about a topic that doesn't get raised often enough, even if I don't agree with everything the author says.\nThe Sports Gene by David Epstein - how genetics may affect sport performance (and not only that); a bit of a counterpoint to Gladwell's Outliers - probably my favorite book this year.\nThe Martian by Andy Weir - a guy tries to survive on Mars - found this one rather bland. I would have liked to see more psychology and less calculations, and I am not sure how I feel about its presentation of the scientific community.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "a bit of a counterpoint to Gladwell's Outliers",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a point of comparison, without evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348595,
          "author": "sqyttles",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:12:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348595",
          "commentText": "Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell helped me understand why some people are successful and while others are not (despite superior intelligence).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell helped me understand why some people are successful and while others are not (despite superior intelligence).",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped explain differences in success despite intelligence.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5865753,
          "author": "Sealy",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-12T00:49:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 5859004,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5865753",
          "commentText": "Other books that I've found helpful are the many socioeconomics books out there:\nMalcolm Gladwell - Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers\nTim Harford - The Undercover Economist\nNassim Taleb - The Black Swan\nI enjoyed the Steve Jobs book too, I liked the fact that he believed in what he was working on (no matter how crazy or disruptive) and saw so much beauty in perfection. There's a lot we can learn from his persistence and attitude towards persevering in the face of failure.\nAnd for entertainment, I like profound books: The Alchemist, The Little Prince",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Malcolm Gladwell - Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers",
          "reason": "Included among other books the commenter says they found helpful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5833121,
          "author": "jborden13",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T15:47:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5833121",
          "commentText": "I purposely left it open-ended.  I probably haven't read a fiction book in 15 years.  I've been so heavy on business/marketing/tech/startup/biography books that I'm not even sure what fiction I would enjoy anymore.\nBooks I've enjoyed recently are Titan, Outliers, Blue Ocean Strategy.  I think a portion of my burnout is losing my sense of fun - hence my general attitude towards fiction over the last decade+ has been it's fake and thus a waste of time.  While I know that's not true (the waste of time part), it just hasn't been 'productive' to read a fiction book.\nSo I was just curious which fiction books everyone else enjoyed, and I was going to pick a couple from the list that was created.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Books I've enjoyed recently are Titan, Outliers, Blue Ocean Strategy.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed it recently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned as context about nonfiction reading, not as a fiction pick.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2639611,
          "author": "vinced",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T03:07:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639611",
          "commentText": "-All my friends are superheros\n-The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time\n-Outliers ... and other Malcolm Gladwel books\n-The Professor and the Madman\nmany more.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-Outliers ... and other Malcolm Gladwel books",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the thread’s question about the greatest book ever read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752666,
          "author": "ohashi",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T13:22:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752666",
          "commentText": "I am also reading Fooled by Randomness right now, enjoying it a lot.  Black Swan was good.  I didn't like outliers very much.  Tipping Point and Blink were more interesting to me.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I didn't like outliers very much.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they did not like it very much.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226892,
          "author": "RyanMcGreal",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:46:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226892",
          "commentText": "Some recent engaging reads:\n* Dan Ariely, Predictably Irrational\n* Christopher McDougall, Born to Run\n* Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers\n* Jeb Brugman, Welcome to the Urban Revolution\n* Richard Florida, Who's Your City?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers",
          "reason": "Included among recent engaging reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Malcolm Gladwell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 11,
      "threads": 11,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "success",
        "achievement",
        "expertise",
        "social science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-linux-programming-interface-5071b3",
      "title": "The Linux Programming Interface",
      "author": "Michael Kerrisk",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43105795,
          "author": "hiAndrewQuinn",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-19T18:48:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 43084739,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction/non-fiction book should everyone read on the topic of CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43105795",
          "commentText": "Naming only ones I haven't seen mentioned in other comments:\n- Networking for Systems Administrators, by Michael W. Lucas. Its explicit goal is to teach you just enough about networking, from the electron up, that you can talk to an actual network engineer and not make a fool out of yourself. It's a phenomenally high-ROI read if networking isn't your strong suit.\n- The first 3 chapters of Mastering Regular Expressions. Regexes are up there with Vim keybindings in terms of sheer ubiquitous use no matter what stack you find yourself in. The rest of the book is excellent if you want to actually implement a regex engine.\n- The Art of Unix Programming. Less technical. Gives you an idea of why exactly 'nix machines are like that, especially older commands. The 18 rules of design are worth committing to memory.\n- The Linux Programming Interface. More technical. Pairs esp nicely with the above. Lots of practice C code one can run, plenty of short self-contained chapters.\n- Not a book, but an online paper: https://how.complexsystems.fail . I see echoes of this everywhere I work, and it often helps me understand what kinds of \"bad\" things are secretly highly evolved resiliency measures.\n- The Little Schemer. Just for the joy of solving problems.\nMost of the others I can think of are too specialized to be of worth to everyone, but for what it's worth, William S. Vincent's Django for Beginners, APIs, and Professionals are a lovely triptych for anyone wanting to get into backend web dev.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Linux Programming Interface.",
          "reason": "Pairs well with The Art of Unix Programming and includes runnable C practice code in short chapters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as more technical.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39249169,
          "author": "hiAndrewQuinn",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T10:45:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249169",
          "commentText": "The Linux Programming Interface\nhttps://man7.org/tlpi/\nJust polishing up my fundamentals",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Linux Programming Interface",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are polishing up their fundamentals.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28479890,
          "author": "RapperWhoMadeIt",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-10T11:06:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 28478751,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach you programming languages via systems projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28479890",
          "commentText": "I am obsessed with \"The Linux Programming Interface\" by Michael Kerrisk. I highly recommend this book if you want to level up your C programming skills and knowledge of Unix operating systems (specially portability and Linux). It might not exactly fit your description, but I still would recommend it. I feel like my C skills have gone from medium to pro, since reading most of the book. One really gets a good grasp of what syscalls exist, what they do and how to properly use them to produce secure and portable code. \nIt is not written following a single project, but there are many different \"applications\" in the different chapters, for example, at the end you will be able to program a stand-alone back end TCP server with the examples from the book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend this book if you want to level up your C programming skills and knowledge of Unix operating systems (specially portability and Linux).",
          "reason": "Recommends it for improving C skills and learning Unix and Linux system calls, portability, and secure programming.",
          "audience": "C programmers who want stronger Unix and Linux systems knowledge.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it does not follow a single project.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26835612,
          "author": "kody",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-16T16:04:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 26833319,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book for software engineers (besides the well-known ones)?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26835612",
          "commentText": "The Linux Programming Interface by Michael Kerrisk. It might be well-known, but I just discovered it a few years ago. I expected it to be a dry reference book but it's a really delightful read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Linux Programming Interface by Michael Kerrisk.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a delightful read.",
          "audience": "Programmers working with Linux",
          "caveat": "The commenter had expected a dry reference book.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24388854,
          "author": "teleforce",
          "createdAt": "2020-09-06T03:55:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 24383180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Suggestions for books about API design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24388854",
          "commentText": "Please check \"The C Interfaces and Implementations\" book by David Hanson [1]. Someone has implemented the concept using his library that you can check and use [2].\nAnother excellent reference is the \"The Linux Programming Interface\" book by Michael Kerrisk that documents most of the API available under Linux [3].\n[1]https://www.amazon.com/dp/0201498413\n[2]https://github.com/gon1332/gonlibs\n[3]https://www.amazon.com/Linux-Programming-Interface-System-Ha... (https://www.amazon.com/Linux-Programming-Interface-System-Handbook/dp/1593272200)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another excellent reference is the \"The Linux Programming Interface\" book by Michael Kerrisk",
          "reason": "Recommended as a reference documenting Linux APIs.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21458722,
          "author": "vo2maxer",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T01:03:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21458722",
          "commentText": "During the past six months I have been challenged intellectually and aesthetically by these works:\nPaideia: The Ideals of Greek Culture, vol 1-3, by Werner Jaeger\nDiary by Witold Gombrowicz\nComputer Science: An Interdisciplinary Approach by Sedgewick\n2666 by Roberto Bolaño\nThe Linux Programming Interface by Michael Kerrisk\nTomie: No Use Escaping by Junji Ito\nL’homme aux cercles by Fred Vargas\nCryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson\nLab Girl by Hope Jahren\nOperating Systems: Three Easy Pieces by Arpaci-Dusseau\nI Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong.\nThe Weird by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer\nThe Federalist Papers,  ed. by Kesler\nThe Anti-Federalist Papers, ed. by Ketcham\nDoctor Faustus by Thomas Mann, new translation by John Woods\nSearching for Stars on an Island in Maine by Alan Lightman\nLoren Eiseley in the Library of America Edition\nTu rostro mañana by Javier Marías\nThe Complete Essays by Michel De Montaigne, translation by Screech\nEarning The Rockies by Kaplan\nDesperate Remedies by Thomas Hardy\nThe Notebooks of Joseph Joubert\nNature Stories by Jules Renard\nMac y su contratiempo by Enrique Vila-Matas\nOlinger Stories by John Updike\nGreek Science in Antiquity by Marshall Clagett\nAt The Existentialist Cafe by Sarah Bakewell\n100 Diagrams That Changed The World by Scott Christianson\nHeart of Europe: A History of the Holy Roman Empire by Peter Wilson\nAlec \"The Years Have Pants\" by Eddie Campbell\nLandmarks by Robert Macfarlane",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Linux Programming Interface by Michael Kerrisk",
          "reason": "Listed among works that challenged the commenter intellectually and aesthetically.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16763584,
          "author": "mathieubordere",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-05T10:47:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16763584",
          "commentText": "Introduction to Algorithms (CLRS) and The Linux Programming Interface (Kerrisk)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Linux Programming Interface (Kerrisk)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about frequently referred-to books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14486917,
          "author": "petercooper",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T11:48:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14486917",
          "commentText": "Programming Pearls by Joe Bentley. And its followup. It's old but it does get you thinking about things.\nI'd also recommend The Linux Programming Interface by Michael Kerrisk as it teaches so much about what makes modern Unix what it is but.. it's arguably quite oriented around C by necessity. It's not a \"C book\" by any means though.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'd also recommend The Linux Programming Interface by Michael Kerrisk",
          "reason": "Recommended for teaching what makes modern Unix what it is.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Arguably oriented around C by necessity, though not a C book by itself.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12160697,
          "author": "satysin",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-25T18:49:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 12160209,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 12 year old tech savvy girl – books, programs, events, advice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12160697",
          "commentText": "Start with Programming in C or C A Modern Approach (although the latter is expensive even second hand) and learn some basic Linux.\nThen K&R just because everyone should read it.\nGrab C in a Nutshell, Understanding and Using C Pointers and C A Reference Manual for reference.\nThen get the Linux Programming Interface book.\nOkay maybe a bit overkill for a 12 year old...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Then get the Linux Programming Interface book.",
          "reason": "Suggested as the next book in a learning path.",
          "audience": "A 12-year-old learning programming.",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls the overall list possibly overkill for a 12-year-old.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9758423,
          "author": "jrw",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T14:13:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758423",
          "commentText": "In addition to those already mentioned:\n- Stevens: Advanced Programming in the Unix Environment\nand more recently,\n- Kerrisk: The Linux Programming Interface.\nAlso, almost anything by Kernighan (with several different co-authors).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kerrisk: The Linux Programming Interface.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9758048,
          "author": "justin66",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T13:17:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758048",
          "commentText": "Michael Kerrisk's The Linux Programming Interface is truly great.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Michael Kerrisk's The Linux Programming Interface is truly great.",
          "reason": "Calls the book truly great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9350098,
          "author": "steakejjs",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T19:00:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350098",
          "commentText": "They are technical.\nBrushing up on:\nK&R     - The C Programming Language\nK&P     - The Unix Programming Environment\nK&P     - The Practice of Programming\nKerrisk - The Linux Programming Interface (Not light reading)\nEven though it is mostly review, reading code and seeing commands that K&R&P run has actually helped my workflow, code quality, etc.\nHighly recommend re-reading if it has been a while. Even things like variable names have noticeably improved since beginning re-reading.\nAnd, the Linux Programming Interface....is huge. There's always more to learn in there.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "And, the Linux Programming Interface....is huge.",
          "reason": "Included among the technical books the commenter recommends rereading.",
          "audience": "Readers who have read these programming books before.",
          "caveat": "Huge and not light reading.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3399179,
          "author": "linuxrulz",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-28T09:25:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3399179",
          "commentText": "Another book (though not a C++ book) that comes to mind is: Linux Programming Interface by Michael Kerrisk.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another book (though not a C++ book) that comes to mind is: Linux Programming Interface by Michael Kerrisk.",
          "reason": "Offers it as another recent and worthy programming book in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it is not a C++ book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2087762,
          "author": "petercooper",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T07:00:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2087762",
          "commentText": "Michael Kerrisk's The Linux Programming Interface is the best technical book I've read in many years: http://nostarch.com/tlpi\nI'm not even much of a Linux systems programmer though my work touches on many of the topics raised, but the lucidity and total lack of confusion in the text has blown me away. It's 1500 pages of awesome and I'm not surprised by all the accolades it's received as being the new \"essential\" book for UNIX-based developers of all stripes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Michael Kerrisk's The Linux Programming Interface is the best technical book I've read in many years",
          "reason": "Called the best technical book the commenter has read in years, with especially clear, lucid writing.",
          "audience": "UNIX based developers; also useful to the commenter whose work touches Linux systems programming topics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are not much of a Linux systems programmer.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Kerrisk"
      ],
      "recommenders": 11,
      "threads": 11,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "systems programming",
        "linux",
        "linux programming",
        "unix programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Reference",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "use-of-weapons-b81a89",
      "title": "Use of Weapons",
      "author": "Iain M. Banks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49915629,
          "author": "ericol",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T23:05:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49915629",
          "commentText": "Both Player of Games and Use of Weapons are incredible good books.\nI was actually surprised when I finished UoW regarding how different it was from PoG, while maintaining the quality (If not better, but PoG IS THAT GOOD anyway).\nFor the record, the series was recommended to be by Claude of all things, and it told me that Phlebas was not up to quality but I gave it a shot just for the sake of completeness of the series. Nop, not worth it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Both Player of Games and Use of Weapons are incredible good books.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an incredible book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39251894,
          "author": "lostmsu",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T16:53:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39251894",
          "commentText": "I am reading \"Use of weapons\" (Iain Banks). And after quite a few other Culture series novels it feels empty and repetitive.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I am reading \"Use of weapons\" (Iain Banks). And after quite a few other Culture series novels it feels empty and repetitive.",
          "reason": "The reader finds it empty and repetitive compared with other Culture novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Feels empty and repetitive to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25846127,
          "author": "twoquestions",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T13:25:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25846127",
          "commentText": "I'll stand by most of the other recommendations here that I've read, here are some books I liked that I haven't seen here yet:\nWe Are Legion (We Are Bob) is a pretty good and campy series.\nThe Dresden Files series is also good, I tried to get into it but I hated the mumbly voice actor on Audible unfortunately.\nIain Banks is good, especially Player of Games, Consider Phlebas and The Algebraist.  Use of Weapons put a bad taste in my mouth.\nGood luck!\nEDIT: Forgot to mention Isaac Asimov, I've yet to see anything bad by him. Still trying to get through the Foundation series.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Use of Weapons put a bad taste in my mouth.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book left them with a bad impression.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23471512,
          "author": "abower",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T22:09:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23471512",
          "commentText": "Adam Hall's Quiller series. Good to revisit every few years and the mechanism of building to a crisis, then starting after the resolution and backing up is fun. Not for everyone though as it's cold war vintage spy stuff. Feels real though, not like Hollywood versin of Bond.\nBanks of course, Use of Weapons is great.\nJust hit 51 and finally reading Dune now, so keep that in mind, but would also suggest Cryptonomicon as i have started it several times, put it down and then come back and had to start again several times.... but i find it interesting enough to keep trying!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Banks of course, Use of Weapons is great.",
          "reason": "Calls it great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803200,
          "author": "Loughla",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T14:28:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803200",
          "commentText": ">\"Consider Phlebas,\" and maybe the rest of The Culture series of novels, by Iain Banks\nOh man, this will start a shitstorm, because it's so subjective, but Consider Phlebas isn't the best intro to the culture series. I would start with Either Player of Games or Use of Weapons.\nNow let's hear from everyone who disagrees with me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "or Use of Weapons",
          "reason": "Suggested as one of the better starting points for the Culture series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter acknowledges the choice is subjective.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536547,
          "author": "Tomte",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:15:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536547",
          "commentText": "\"Use of Weapons\" by Iain M. Banks.\nEdit: Overlooked the \"fun\" and \"lighthearted\" part. Let me change my answer to \"Excession\", same author.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Use of Weapons\" by Iain M. Banks.",
          "reason": "Offers it as an answer to the request for a book recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter revised the suggestion to Excession because the request favored fun, lighthearted books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630308,
          "author": "roryisok",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:09:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630308",
          "commentText": "Day of the Triffids - John Wyndham - everyone goes blind and a bunch of sentient plants start eating people. one of the first science fiction books I ever read, and the one that introduced me to post apocalyptic fiction. Giant plants might sound silly, but its no more silly than walking corpses. And in fact the walking dead and 28 days later owe a lot to this book.\nJonathan Strange and Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke - beautifully inventive fantasy novel about two magicians bringing magic back to Britain during the Napoleonic wars. Fab read.\nGateway - Frederick Pohl - pulp sf at its best. Humans discover a hollowed out asteroid worth ftl ships preprogrammed with unknown destinations. Prospectors pack as much food as they can and hit 'launch' in the hopes that they'll discover something valuable and not land on a star or starve to death.\nThe Forever War - Joe Haldeman - more great pulp sci-fi about the first interstellar war. Old man's war by John Scalzi is very similar and almost as good.\nMost things by Iain (m) banks. Crow Road, Wasp Factory, The Bridge, Consider Phlebas, Use of Weapons, Player of Games etc. Song of stone was awful though, they're not all winners",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Most things by Iain (m) banks. Crow Road, Wasp Factory, The Bridge, Consider Phlebas, Use of Weapons, Player of Games etc.",
          "reason": "Names it among works by an author the commenter generally recommends.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says not everything by Iain Banks is a winner.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674676,
          "author": "mikefantast",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T14:13:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674676",
          "commentText": "Hofstadter - GEB - for sure\nThe Malazan Book of the Fallen (10 volumes) - Stephen Erikson - redefines impenetrable\nUse of Weapons by Iain M Banks - master of the interwoven narrative",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Use of Weapons by Iain M Banks - master of the interwoven narrative",
          "reason": "Praises its interwoven narrative.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056617,
          "author": "arethuza",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:40:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056617",
          "commentText": "Actually, I always wanted to see Luc Besson (Fifth Element) direct a movie of Consider Phlebas.\nEdit: On the subject of Banks movies - one scene I would love to see (in addition to the CAT escaping from The Ends of Invention) is the scene with the Ethnarch and Zakalwe in UoW, might make a splendid cold open.\n\"I,\" said the man, \"am called Cheradine Zakalwe.\" He leveled the gun at Ethnarch's nose.  \"You are called dead.\"\nI just realised how carefully worded that is...",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Zakalwe in UoW",
          "reason": "References a scene and character from the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056542,
          "author": "huhtenberg",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:22:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056542",
          "commentText": "Lord of the Light\nDune\nNeuromancer\nHyperion\nSnow Crash\nUse of Weapons\nPandora's Star / Judas Unchained",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Use of Weapons",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite sci-fi books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056488,
          "author": "Tomte",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:07:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056488",
          "commentText": "I've just finished the first three Culture novels.\nConsider Phlebas starts great, but loses a lot during the rest of the book.\nThe Player of Games is okay, but by far not as good as people told me.\nUse of Weapons is excellent. I'll have to re-read it in a few months.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Use of Weapons is excellent.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056479,
          "author": "arethuza",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:04:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056479",
          "commentText": "Neal Stephenson, Anathem\nIain M Banks, Use of Weapons\nGreg Egan, Diaspora and Permutation City\nFrank Herbert, Dune\nKim Stanley Robinson, the Mars trilogy\nVernon Vinge: A Fire Upon the Deep and A Deepness in the Sky\n[Note to Hollywood: can we please have a Culture movie?]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Iain M Banks, Use of Weapons",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for favourite sci-fi books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8125530,
          "author": "mbillie1",
          "createdAt": "2014-08-02T18:23:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 8125375,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I save for offline reading during 5 weeks without Internet?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8125530",
          "commentText": "I've always enjoyed fiction in situations like yours. Iain M. Banks has some accessible but interesting sci-fi (recommendations: Consider Phlebas, Use of Weapons), and it's hard to go wrong with anything Jose Saramago wrote (recommendations: All the Names, Blindness, Death With Interruptions).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "recommendations: Consider Phlebas, Use of Weapons",
          "reason": "Suggested as accessible, interesting science fiction for offline reading.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking accessible science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1974693,
          "author": "arethuza",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T10:03:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974693",
          "commentText": "I've read Peter Hamilton's Night's Dawn trilogy and the Commonwealth Saga - the latter is much better but still suffers a lot, in my view, from poor characterization - something that Banks can be very good at (his bad guys can occasionally come from central casting though).\nBanks is in a different class from Hamilton - in general I think the quality of his work has dropped off a bit but some of his earlier writing is exceptional: Use of Weapons is particularly strong.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Use of Weapons is particularly strong.",
          "reason": "Calls it a particularly strong work by Banks.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226894,
          "author": "aarongough",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:47:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226894",
          "commentText": "Good stuff in the SciFi section there! The culture novels in particular are great! My favorite Culture novel so far is 'Use of Weapons'...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favorite Culture novel so far is 'Use of Weapons'",
          "reason": "Calls it their favorite Culture novel so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Favorite only among the Culture novels read so far.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85894,
          "author": "anupamkapoor",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T11:06:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85894",
          "commentText": "- use of weapons (ian m banks)\n- surely you are joking mr feynman (rpf)\n- origin of order (stuart kauffman)\n- slaughter house five (kurt vonnegut)\n- goedel escher bach (douglas hofstadter)\n- theta-magical memas errr metamagical themas (dogulas hofsta)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "use of weapons (ian m banks)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Iain M. Banks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 11,
      "threads": 11,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "culture series",
        "nonlinear narrative",
        "far future"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-people-s-history-of-the-united-states-378694",
      "title": "A People's History of the United States",
      "author": "Howard Zinn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40889507,
          "author": "nataliste",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-06T10:32:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40889507",
          "commentText": "Here are some books that pop bubbles, but must be read with humility to avoid becoming its own new bubble, as the world is complex and contains contradictions:\nHoward Zinn's People's History of the United States\nJared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel\nMichael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma\nAyn Rand's the Fountainhead\nThomas Sowell's Basic Economics\nJulian Jaynes's the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind\nIain McGilchrist's the Master and his Emmisary\nVarlam Sharlamov's the Kolyma Tales\nJacques Ellul's Propaganda: the Formation of Men's Attitudes (or alternatively Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Howard Zinn's People's History of the United States",
          "reason": "Listed as a book that pops bubbles.",
          "audience": "Readers who want their assumptions challenged.",
          "caveat": "Read with humility; the world is complex and contains contradictions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37960159,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:07:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960159",
          "commentText": "* \"Amusing Ourselves to Death\" by Neil Postman (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Postman contrasts the dystopian visions of George Orwell's \"1984\" and Aldous Huxley's \"Brave New World\" to argue that western society is becoming a shallow, entertainment-driven culture shaped by television and other media. He discusses the profound effects of television on politics, education, and other aspects of society.\n* \"Howard Zinn: A People's History of the US\" by Howard Zinn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers an alternative exploration of American history from the perspective of ordinary people and marginalized groups rather than from political leaders, emphasizing class struggles and systemic injustices.\n* \"The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science\" by Isaac Asimov (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive outline of scientific knowledge, covering fields like physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, and earth science. It communicates complex scientific concepts in a way that is accessible to non-specialist readers.\n* \"Das Kapital\" by Karl Marx (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive critique of capitalism highlighting its inherent contradictions and imbalances. Marx diagnoses the capitalist system as one in which the rich get richer at the expense of the working class. The book has been influential in shaping socialist and communist thought.\n* \"Handbook of Electronic Circuits\" (1 mention, authors not specified)\n    * Summary: An extensive reference guide that provides information on basic electronic circuits and components. It delves into the world of electronics with detailed illustrations and designs, making it a valuable resource for both beginners and professionals in the field.\n* \"Simulacra and Simulation\" by Jean Baudrillard (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This philosophical work explores the nature and cultural implications of signs and images in contemporary society. Baudrillard posits that symbols and signs have replaced reality and meaning, creating a hyperreal world where simulations of reality have become more real than reality itself.\n* \"LSD: My Problem Child\" by Albert Hofmann (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This autobiographical work by Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who first synthesized LSD, discusses his discovery and personal experiences with the drug, exploring both the positive and negative effects of LSD, its influence on society, and its potential therapeutic uses.\n* \"Requiem for the American Dream: The 10 Principles of Concentration of Wealth & Power\" by Noam Chomsky (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Chomsky provides an extensive critique of inequality in America, arguing that the concentration of wealth and power among a small elite is undermining democracy. He lays out 10 principles of concentration of wealth and power that have led to this situation.\n* \"Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\" by Alfred Lansing (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This true account of Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton's 1914-1916 expedition turned survival story. When his ship, the Endurance, was crushed by ice and left Shackleton and his crew stranded, they embarked on a harrowing and miraculous voyage to safety.\n* \"Hacker's Handbook\" by Hugo Cornwall (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A guidebook for computer enthusiasts that provides a look at the world of hacking. It covers a range of topics, including telephone and computer hacking, as well as legal implications.\n* \"Cosmos\" by Carl Sagan (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This widely-admired book introduces the universe beyond the Earth. Sagan explores our place in the universe, the history of scientific discovery, and the crucial role of critical thinking in grasping our world and the vast cosmos we are part of.\n* \"Six Pillars of Self-Esteem\" by Nathaniel Branden (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book provides a comprehensive exploration of self-esteem, its importance, its sources, and how to cultivate it. It offers concrete strategies to enhance self-esteem, which Branden argues is a key component of psychological health and personal fulfillment.\n* \"Future Shock\" by Alvin Toffler (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Future Shock examines the psychological and sociological impact of accelerating technological and social change. Toffler introduces the concept of \"future shock\" as a form of psychological disorientation caused by a rapid change in society and advocates for a more measured and conscious approach to future planning.\n* \"The Metropolis and Mental Life\" by Georg Simmel (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This seminal essay analyzes the effects of the urban environment on the individual's mind and social relationships. Simmel argues that the impersonality and money-centered economy of the metropolis lead to individuals feeling more alienated and adopting a defensive, blase attitude towards life.\n* \"The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power\" by Shoshana Zuboff (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book provides an extensive critique of the commodification of personal data by corporations in the digital age. Zuboff explores the rise of surveillance capitalism, where businesses harvest and analyze customer data to predict and influence behaviors.\n* \"Permanent Record\" by Edward Snowden (1 mention)\n    * Summary: In this powerful memoir, whistle-blower Edward Snowden tells his story on why he decided to expose the mass surveillance practices of the U.S. government. Permanent Record opens a broader conversation about free societies, privacy, surveillance, and what makes a country strong.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Howard Zinn: A People's History of the US\" by Howard Zinn (1 mention)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37960149,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960149",
          "commentText": "* \"On Writing\" by Stephen King (1 mention)\n    * Summary: In his guide to the craft of writing, King masterfully conveys his views on how good writing is cultivated. The book provides personal insights into the author's life while serving as a guide for aspiring writers.\n* \"The Dictionary\" (1 mention, multiple authors)\n    * Summary: A reference book containing an alphabetical list of words in a specific language, providing definitions, pronunciations, etymology, and other details. It is a valuable resource for understanding and accurately using language.\n* \"Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book chronicles Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 1914-1916 survival journey across the Antarctic. Faced with treacherous weather conditions and a lack of provisions, the men battle to stay alive, highlighting the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.\n* \"The Experience of God\" by David Bentley Hart (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A philosophical exploration of the concept of God that goes beyond specific religious doctrines. Hart articulates a vision of ultimate reality that transcends religious, philosophical, and cultural boundaries.\n* \"A Mind for Numbers\" by Barbara Oakley (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book provides practical advice on how to learn effectively in math and science areas, but the techniques are applicable across disciplines. Oakley shares techniques to overcome learning obstacles and improve comprehension and retention.\n* \"A People's History of the US\" by Howard Zinn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers an alternative exploration of American history from the perspective of ordinary people and marginalized groups rather than political leaders, emphasizing class struggles and systemic injustices.\n* \"The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science\" by Isaac Asimov (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive outline of scientific knowledge, covering fields like physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, and earth science. It communicates complex scientific concepts in a way that is accessible to non-specialist readers.\n* \"Das Kapital\" by Karl Marx (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive critique of capitalism highlighting its inherent contradictions and imbalances. Marx diagnoses the capitalist system as one in which the rich get richer at the expense of the working class. The book has been influential in shaping socialist and communist thought.\n* \"You are Not So Smart\" by David McRaney (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book explores various cognitive biases, logical fallacies, and memory missteps that humans commonly succumb to. The author uses humor and personal anecdotes to make neuroscience and psychology accessible, challenging readers to question their perceptions of the world and themselves.\n* \"Blink\" by Malcolm Gladwell (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Gladwell explores the process of quick decision-making, also known as \"thin-slicing.\" The book delves into both the potential accuracy and the pitfalls of making snap judgments. It demonstrates how our subconscious biases often override our better instincts.\n* \"How To Sell at Margins Higher Than Your Competitors\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book offers detailed advice on how to avoid price competition by creating differentiators and adding value, thereby allowing readers to compete on things other than price.\n*  \"The Surrender Experiment\" by Michael Singer (1 mention)\n    * Summary: The book chronicles the author’s journey from solitude into the business world. It explores the idea of surrendering personal preferences to allow life to guide the way, challenging conventional views about control and outcomes.\n* \"How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World\" by Harry Browne (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This self-help book offers a blueprint for finding personal freedom. It encourages readers to embrace their individual sovereignty and to not be inhibited by societal conventions, effectively teaching how to live on one's own terms.\n* \"Happy by Derren Brown\" and \"The Daily Stoic\" (1 mention, authors not specified)\n    * Summary: \"Happy\" provides a perspective on happiness using the principles of stoic philosophy, challenging modern conceptions of happiness. \"The Daily Stoic\" provides a year's worth of philosophical wisdom from ancient stoics, aimed at allowing people to better respond to life's challenges.\n* \"Guns, Germs, and Steel\" by Jared Diamond (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Diamond investigates the geographical and environmental factors that have shaped the modern world. He argues that civilizations have developed differently across the globe due to variances in geography, climate, vegetation, and animal populations, more so than due to traits inherent to different racial or ethnic groups.\n* \"The Gulag Archipelago\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Solzhenitsyn unveils the brutal reality of the Soviet Union’s forced labor camp system. It's an exploration of the human capability for evil when unchecked by moral constraints, shedding light on the mechanisms of a totalitarian regime.\n* \"Ecclesiastes\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A book from the Bible that delves into the purpose of life and the vain pursuit of earthly things. It debates the merits of wisdom, wealth, and pleasure, underscoring the transience and ultimate futility of human endeavors, and urging readers to fear God and keep his commandments.\n* \"Women hold up half the sky\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A collection of personal stories illuminating the oppression and resistance of women in developing countries. The book confronts issues like gender inequality, sexual violence, maternal mortality and economic disparity while highlighting the resilience and strength of ordinary women in overcoming them.\n* \"Spell of the Sensuous\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book offers a radical reinterpretation of our relationship with the natural world. It critiques Western civilization’s estrangement from nature, exploring indigenous cultures and offering a philosophical enquiry into human perception and its relation to the environment.\n* \"Kids and the Amiga\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A guide to using the Amiga computer, aimed at children and early-tweens. It provides a hands-on approach to learning basic computer skills by creating practical programs.\n* \"Hackers\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: The book provides a comprehensive history of hackers, tracing the evolution of hacking culture from the 1950s to the present day. It details the personalities, philosophies, and technical exploits that have defined this diverse and innovative subculture.\n* \"LSD my problem child\" by Albert Hoffmann (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book is the autobiography of Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who first synthesized LSD. It chronicles his discovery, the subsequent fallout, and his personal experiences with the drug.\n* \"Electric cool aid acid test\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book tells the story of novelist Ken Kesey and his band of Merry Pranksters. They embarked on a cross-country bus journey, experimenting with LSD and challenging societal norms, becoming pivotal figures in the psychedelic movement and the counterculture of the 1960s.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"A People's History of the US\" by Howard Zinn (1 mention)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37938342,
          "author": "johnea",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T04:20:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37938342",
          "commentText": "Howard Zinn: A People's History of the US",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Howard Zinn: A People's History of the US",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23859196,
          "author": "bzudo",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T14:16:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859196",
          "commentText": "A People’s History of the United States. It opened my eyes to a past I didn’t know existed, which helps me understand the present.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A People’s History of the United States. It opened my eyes to a past I didn’t know existed, which helps me understand the present.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it revealed an unfamiliar past and helped them understand the present.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21802656,
          "author": "melenaboija",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T12:55:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21802656",
          "commentText": "\"Between the world and me\" by Ta-Nehisi Coates\n\"A people's history of the United States\" by Howard Zinn",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"A people's history of the United States\" by Howard Zinn",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books the commenter plans to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No opinion or evaluation stated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12244367,
          "author": "justifier",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-07T23:30:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244367",
          "commentText": "one of the wildest first read throughs you will ever experience\nespecially if you come from an us educational upbringing where songs about oceans being blue(o) are historical place holders stead primary sources\nthe elucidation is immediate.. zinn's first paragraph has an excerpt from christopher columbus' log:\nThey ... brought us parrots and balls of cotton and spears and many other things, which they\nexchanged for the glass beads and hawks' bells. They willingly traded everything they\nowned... . They were well-built, with good bodies and handsome features.... They do not bear\narms, and do not know them, for I showed them a sword, they took it by the edge and cut\nthemselves out of ignorance. They have no iron. Their spears are made of cane... . They\nwould make fine servants.... With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do\nwhatever we want.\nfuck you chris\nif you like zinn check out angela davis, her ability as a historian to find substantial sources is incredible\n(o) http://www.teachingheart.net/columbus.htm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "zinn's first paragraph has an excerpt from christopher columbus' log:",
          "reason": "Describes the book as a striking first read and praises how it foregrounds primary sources.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175658,
          "author": "paulojreis",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:44:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175658",
          "commentText": "\"A People's History of the United States\" by Howard Zinn.\nVery \"propagandistic\" and politically charged, but that's something the author promptly assumes. Quite interesting (especially for an european) in the way it explains the origins of the american ethos (\"land of the free\") and how said ethos can be interpreted as a subversive political tactic to further the interests of a selected few.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Very \"propagandistic\" and politically charged, but that's something the author promptly assumes. Quite interesting (especially for an european)",
          "reason": "Calls it interesting while noting its propagandistic and politically charged character.",
          "audience": "Especially interesting to a European reader, according to the commenter.",
          "caveat": "Described as propagandistic and politically charged.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175646,
          "author": "useles-anguish",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:42:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175646",
          "commentText": "A People's History of the United States and \nA Twist of the Wrist II (no - it's not what you think :-)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "A People's History of the United States",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8257528,
          "author": "kaila",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T13:54:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257528",
          "commentText": "A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_People%27s_History_of_the_Uni... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_People%27s_History_of_the_United_States))",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1571556,
          "author": "ashconnor",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T15:44:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1571556",
          "commentText": "I like the way Zinn details that America was founded upon genocide. This is very glossed over in history classes even here in Europe.\nAlso I agree that you can't be objective in history, all sources have their bias.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I like the way Zinn details that America was founded upon genocide.",
          "reason": "Approves of the book’s account of genocide in US history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569731,
          "author": "shmulkey18",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T01:13:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569731",
          "commentText": "Light liberal?  Zinn is hard left, and writes history accordingly.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Zinn is hard left, and writes history accordingly.",
          "reason": "The commenter criticizes the book's political perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569548,
          "author": "brianto2010",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T23:46:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569548",
          "commentText": "A People's History of the United States (Zinn) [http://www.amazon.com/Peoples-History-United-States-Present/... (http://www.amazon.com/Peoples-History-United-States-Present/dp/0060838655/)]\nThere's so much history that isn't taught in school (politically covered up) and Zinn presents many of these little-known history gems. Be warned, there is a light liberal swing.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Zinn presents many of these little-known history gems. Be warned, there is a light liberal swing.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for lesser-known history; notes its liberal perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter warns of a light liberal swing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503277,
          "author": "SkyMarshal",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T07:28:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503277",
          "commentText": "Sophie's World is a fun novel and a map of the historical development of philosophy.\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophies_World\nThe first book on philosophy that both blew my hair back and made me realize philosophy is alot more than just academic was You Can Trust the Communists (to be Communists).\nhttp://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/50s/schwarz-cover.htm... (http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/50s/schwarz-cover.html)\nMy best friend in college was a Russian Jew whose family immigrated to US during the Cold War, and he kept that book on his coffee table.\nIt's the Yin to Howard Zinn's Yang - A People's History of the United States - which even though it's not philosophy is worth reading too.\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Peoples_History_of_the_United... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Peoples_History_of_the_United_States)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A People's History of the United States",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is not philosophy but says it is worth reading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 715115,
          "author": "yan",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-20T20:27:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715115",
          "commentText": "\"A People's History of the United Sates\" by Howard Zinn. A decent history book, not exactly uplifting.\nReading currently: \"The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York\" by Robert Caro. Absolutely loving it.\nThat, and my usual climbing books.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A decent history book, not exactly uplifting.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a decent history book, with the caveat that it is not uplifting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not exactly uplifting.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 191867,
          "author": "chuchurocka",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-16T15:39:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=191867",
          "commentText": "1. People's History of the United States: Highlights from the 20th century - Howard Zinn\n2. Snow Crash - Neil Stephenson\n3. jPod - Douglas Coupland\n4. the world is flat 2.0",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "People's History of the United States: Highlights from the 20th century - Howard Zinn",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Howard Zinn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 11,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "us history",
        "social history",
        "labor history",
        "united states history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "antifragile-things-that-gain-from-disorder-ddc69f",
      "title": "Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder",
      "author": "Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33802948,
          "author": "gyulai",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T16:19:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33802948",
          "commentText": "> “Knowledge and Power”\nCan you give the author?\nYour other suggestions look interesting.\nI've read Antifragile and loved it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've read Antifragile and loved it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they loved the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29669795,
          "author": "icosahedron",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T03:27:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29669795",
          "commentText": "I didn't read as much as I normally do, mostly due to school, but I really enjoyed \"The Midnight Library\" and \"Recursion\" for fiction.\nI am mostly done with Antifragile, and it's pulling me between political and philosophical sides.  Don't know which side I'll land on, or how long I'll stay there.\nAs a side note, I've found \"Deep Learning: A Visual Approach\" to be very instructive.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I am mostly done with Antifragile, and it's pulling me between political and philosophical sides.",
          "reason": "Describes a mixed political and philosophical reaction while reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The reader is unsure which side they will land on.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803109,
          "author": "ewhizrd",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T14:16:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803109",
          "commentText": "True that it's a simple idea. But the length of the book is worth it for the breadth it covers(economics, health, politics, etc), the implications of the idea would be otherwise hard to explore by self.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the length of the book is worth it for the breadth it covers(economics, health, politics, etc)",
          "reason": "Says the book's length is worthwhile for its breadth and implications.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17049034,
          "author": "DLA",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T17:10:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17049034",
          "commentText": "Totally agree with mountbranch here.\nPrinciples is fantastic. At the same time you may read and think \"sure, common sense\" but then did you think that before you read the item -- probably not. I feel this is a book to keep for a lifetime. Can't wait for Ray's economics book.\nCool animated summary here:\nhttps://www.principles.com/principles-for-success/\nThe Dao of Capital is deeper. The chapter on Conifers (yeah, pine trees) and how they exist with and balance times of trouble versus opportunity is well worth the price of the book.\nAlso, and not least, Nassim Taleb's books: Fooled By Randomness, Black Swan, and Anti-fragile. Poetic, deep, useful, and entertaining. Fantastic. A pleasure to read and listen to in audio while driving/traveling.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Poetic, deep, useful, and entertaining. Fantastic. A pleasure to read and listen to in audio while driving/traveling.",
          "reason": "Describes the listed Taleb books as poetic, deep, useful, entertaining, and a pleasure to read or hear.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156888,
          "author": "psadri",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T16:37:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156888",
          "commentText": "Antifragile - way to think about situations in terms of upside/downside exposure",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Antifragile - way to think about situations in terms of upside/downside exposure",
          "reason": "Presents the book as a way to think about upside and downside exposure.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15017078,
          "author": "misalyogeshwar1",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T11:06:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15017078",
          "commentText": "reading \"Antifragile\". It's Good. Give it a try",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "reading \"Antifragile\". It's Good. Give it a try",
          "reason": "Calls it good and explicitly urges readers to try it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14478591,
          "author": "minouye",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T21:28:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478591",
          "commentText": "Flow\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Flow-Psychology-Experience-Perennial-... (https://www.amazon.com/Flow-Psychology-Experience-Perennial-Classics/dp/0061339202)\nAntifragile\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Ince... (https://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Incerto/dp/0812979680)\nHigh Output Management\nhttps://www.amazon.com/High-Output-Management-Andrew-Grove/d... (https://www.amazon.com/High-Output-Management-Andrew-Grove/dp/0679762884)\nThe Master Switch\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Master-Switch-Rise-Information-Empire... (https://www.amazon.com/Master-Switch-Rise-Information-Empires/dp/0307390993)\nThinking Fast and Slow\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-Kahneman/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-Kahneman/dp/0374533555)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Antifragile",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229877,
          "author": "fsiefken",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T16:16:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229877",
          "commentText": "That's a very broad question, so I read your comments to get a feel from where you might be coming from and/or going to and where you and I might overlap:\n* Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Antifragile, things that gain from disorder http://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Incer... (http://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Incerto/dp/0812979680/)\n* Jared Diamond. The World until yesterday, what can we learn from traditional societies http://www.amazon.com/World-Until-Yesterday-Traditional-Soci... (http://www.amazon.com/World-Until-Yesterday-Traditional-Societies/dp/0143124404)\n* Frans de Waal. The Bonobo and the Atheist: In Search of Humanism Among the Primates http://www.amazon.com/Bonobo-Atheist-Search-Humanism-Primate... (http://www.amazon.com/Bonobo-Atheist-Search-Humanism-Primates/dp/0393347796/)\n* John Higgs. The KLF: Chaos, Magic... http://www.amazon.com/KLF-Chaos-Magic-Music-Money-ebook/dp/B... (http://www.amazon.com/KLF-Chaos-Magic-Music-Money-ebook/dp/B00ABFHOS0/)\n* Joseph Jaworski. Synchronicity, the inner Path of leadership http://www.amazon.com/Synchronicity-The-Inner-Path-Leadershi... (http://www.amazon.com/Synchronicity-The-Inner-Path-Leadership-ebook/dp/B0051ANRBI)\n* Piero Ferrucci. Your Inner Will, finding personal strength in critical times http://www.amazon.com/Your-Inner-Will-Personal-Strength/dp/0... (http://www.amazon.com/Your-Inner-Will-Personal-Strength/dp/0399174931)\n* William Irvine. A Guide to the good life, the ancient art of stoic joy http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic/dp/01953... (http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic/dp/0195374614)\n* Chogyam Trungpa. Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior http://www.amazon.com/Shambhala-Sacred-Warrior-Chogyam-Trung... (http://www.amazon.com/Shambhala-Sacred-Warrior-Chogyam-Trungpa/dp/1590304519/)\n* Tomas Malik. Patience with God: The Story of Zacchaeus Continuing In Us http://www.amazon.com/Patience-God-Story-Zacchaeus-Continuin... (http://www.amazon.com/Patience-God-Story-Zacchaeus-Continuing/dp/0385524498/)\n* Nick Winter. The Motivation Hacker http://www.amazon.com/Motivation-Hacker-Nick-Winter/dp/09892... (http://www.amazon.com/Motivation-Hacker-Nick-Winter/dp/0989279820)\n* Chas Emerick, Brian Carper, Christophe Grad. Clojure Programming http://www.amazon.com/Clojure-Programming-Chas-Emerick/dp/14... (http://www.amazon.com/Clojure-Programming-Chas-Emerick/dp/1449394701)\nFiction:\n* Peter Hamilton - The Reality Dysfunction\n* Neal Stephenson - Cryptonomicon (his other hit: Snow Crash is surprisingly more history then SF now...)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Antifragile, things that gain from disorder",
          "reason": "Included in a response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175754,
          "author": "iliaznk",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T19:14:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175754",
          "commentText": "Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder by Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder by Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7001473,
          "author": "sobbybutter",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-02T19:08:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 7001282,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7001473",
          "commentText": "Antifragile by Nassim Taleb\nInvisible Cities by Italo Calvino\nIl deserto dei tartari (The Tartar Steppe) by Dino Buzzati\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Antifragile by Nassim Taleb",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that inspired readers or changed their worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6991661,
          "author": "rjspotter",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-31T17:38:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6991661",
          "commentText": "Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder\nby Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder\nby Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "reason": "Offered as an answer to a question asking which book changed the commenter's life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6975763,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T18:49:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6975763",
          "commentText": "AntiFragile - Nassim Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "AntiFragile - Nassim Taleb",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nassim Nicholas Taleb"
      ],
      "recommenders": 11,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "risk",
        "decision making",
        "uncertainty",
        "complex systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "little-brother-760d0e",
      "title": "Little Brother",
      "author": "Cory Doctorow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36429035,
          "author": "sircastor",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T07:27:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36429035",
          "commentText": "Little Brother by Cory Doctorow. An excellent primer on technology, security, abuse of power, and a fun coming-of-age story. I think it does a decent job of introducing folks to open source and, cryptography.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Little Brother by Cory Doctorow. An excellent primer on technology, security, abuse of power, and a fun coming-of-age story.",
          "reason": "Described as an introduction to technology, security, abuse of power, open source, and cryptography.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an accessible introduction to security and open source through a coming-of-age story.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17749621,
          "author": "gm-conspiracy",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T12:45:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17749621",
          "commentText": "Cory Doctorow's Little Brother.  I could not put it down, and read it in one sitting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cory Doctorow's Little Brother. I could not put it down, and read it in one sitting.",
          "reason": "Recommends it and says it was compelling enough to finish in one sitting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11578140,
          "author": "thesmileyone",
          "createdAt": "2016-04-27T06:05:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 11556470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your favorite dystopian novel and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11578140",
          "commentText": "Little Brother by Cory Doctorow, and it's sequel, Homeland. Actually more of a \"what if\" set in the US at present time but still shows how there is a very narrow gap between current times and the time predicted in the book!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Little Brother by Cory Doctorow",
          "reason": "Named in response to a favorite dystopian novel question, with praise for its relevance to the present.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as more of a what-if set in the present than a conventional dystopia.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9612582,
          "author": "kenbellows",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T16:41:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9612582",
          "commentText": "All of Cory Doctorow's books are free online: http://craphound.com/\nI enjoyed Little Brother and its sequel Homeland quite a lot.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed Little Brother and its sequel Homeland quite a lot.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed it quite a lot.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4396053,
          "author": "kaipakartik",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-17T12:40:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 4353632,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon.  What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4396053",
          "commentText": "Diamond Age is recommended. You might also like Little Brother by Doctorow.\nI would recommend anything by China Mieville.\nTake a look http://blog.kaipakartik.com you might find something you want to read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You might also like Little Brother by Doctorow.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a book the reader might like.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2616502,
          "author": "dmc",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T14:44:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2616502",
          "commentText": "Currently reading Little Brother by Cory Doctorow - an OK book - and keeping Starting Strength by my side as a reference.\nStarting Strength is a great introduction to weightlifting and getting stronger, I highly recommend it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Currently reading Little Brother by Cory Doctorow - an OK book",
          "reason": "Calls it an OK book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1864956,
          "author": "steveklabnik",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T14:51:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1864956",
          "commentText": "Little Brother has a special place in my heart, but mostly because I started reading it a few weeks after being chased around by riot police at the Pittsburgh G20, which made the effect that much more real.\nLittle Brother is a subversive nerd's porn.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Little Brother has a special place in my heart",
          "reason": "Warmly describes the book’s personal impact and calls it subversive nerd’s porn.",
          "audience": "Nerds interested in subversive fiction.",
          "caveat": "Its effect was especially strong because of the commenter’s experience with riot police.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1864742,
          "author": "jonafato",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T13:49:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1864742",
          "commentText": "I'd highly recommend Little Brother by Cory Doctorow.  I read it last weekend and simply couldn't put it down.  It's along the lines of 1984 but less extreme and thus more believable.  The (free) ebook can be found at http://www.craphound.com/littlebrother/download/.  The author offers the ebook for free and asks that you donate a copy (explained on the site) instead of emailing him and offering to pay him directly for it (or anything of the sort).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd highly recommend Little Brother by Cory Doctorow.",
          "reason": "Strong recommendation; the commenter says they could not put it down.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Compared to 1984 as less extreme and more believable.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752374,
          "author": "rick_2047",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T08:24:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752374",
          "commentText": "If you want to read some eye opening fiction then I would recommend cory doctorows three books, Little Brother, Makers and For The Win. I know it is stacked in the young adult fiction section but it still is good read for anybody.\n<something irrelevant> I am shocked that in 26 comments till now nobody has mentioned Godel Escher Bach by Douglas Hofstater. Apart from everything else it has accomplished it is always the best seller in the \"Nobody reads but everybody recommends\" category, or at least the close second or draw to Art Of Programming by Knuth. </something irrelevant>",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend cory doctorows three books, Little Brother, Makers and For The Win.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommended as eye-opening fiction and described as a good read for anybody.",
          "audience": "Readers of any age, including adults despite its young adult shelf placement.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is shelved as young adult fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026415,
          "author": "daeken",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T23:06:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026415",
          "commentText": "The Machinery of Freedom (David Friedman) -- Great book on a potential anarcho-capitalist society and how we could push the US government in that direction.\nThe Game (Neil Strauss) -- See nopassrecover's response; he explained it well.\nLittle Brother (Cory Doctorow) -- A fantastic novel about freedom and technology.\nMakers (Cory Doctorow) -- A great novel about people who create, whether technology or business models.  Perhaps the best book I read this year.\nDown and Out in the Magic Kingdom (Cory Doctorow) -- The story of a man working in Disney World, which is now part of the Bitchun Society (a post-scarcity, post-death society).  A story of love, betrayal, and death; how can you go wrong?  Worth it for the concept of Whuffie (you'll need to read it to really get it) alone.\nDiamond Age (Neal Stephenson) -- The evolution of a society towards post-scarcity, written around the story of a young girl's growth into an adult.  Best post-cyberpunk book written thus far, IMO.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A fantastic novel about freedom and technology.",
          "reason": "Calls it a fantastic novel about freedom and technology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 766896,
          "author": "tim_church",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-16T22:29:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=766896",
          "commentText": "Here are some similar threads on recommended books for hackers:\nhttp://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135185\nhttp://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=348019\nIf you would rather relax with some fiction, try Little Brother by Cory Doctorow.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you would rather relax with some fiction, try Little Brother by Cory Doctorow.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as fiction for relaxing.",
          "audience": "Readers who want to relax with fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 716326,
          "author": "phugoid",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-21T14:51:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=716326",
          "commentText": "Little Brother by Cory Doctorow, in one sitting.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Little Brother by Cory Doctorow, in one sitting.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cory Doctorow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 11,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "surveillance",
        "young adult",
        "young adult fiction",
        "cryptography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nonviolent-communication-a-language-of-life-a2dd3a",
      "title": "Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life",
      "author": "Marshall B. Rosenberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34164218,
          "author": "robsun",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T18:44:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34164218",
          "commentText": "Out of 36 books I read this year, these 4 positions have the biggest impact on my life:\nThe gene: an intimate history by Siddhartha Mukherjee - fascinating book about genes and medicine. Author explains ~150 years of experiments and findings in genetic science without going into technical details.\nThe child in you by Stefanie Stahl - it is one of the most important books I  ever read. This book helped me understand myself, discover and overcome some of my traumas.\nNonviolent communication: a language of life by Marshall Rosenberg - very good handbook for improving your communication skills.\nLessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus - when I think of this book word \"charming\" comes to my mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nonviolent communication: a language of life by Marshall Rosenberg - very good handbook for improving your communication skills.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a handbook for improving communication skills.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30735633,
          "author": "udia",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:24:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735633",
          "commentText": "Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life - Marshall B. Rosenberg",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life - Marshall B. Rosenberg",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30241637,
          "author": "taurath",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T07:57:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241637",
          "commentText": "Nonviolent communication is a very good one.\nIt’s not “the one book” but it will help a lot of people immediately.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nonviolent communication is a very good one.",
          "reason": "Calls it a very good book that could help many people immediately.",
          "audience": "People who could benefit from it immediately.",
          "caveat": "Says it is not “the one book.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29818447,
          "author": "jpster",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-06T02:34:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29818447",
          "commentText": "Non-violent Communication\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/71730.Nonviolent_Communi... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/71730.Nonviolent_Communication)\nThe 7 Habits of Highly Effective People\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36072.The_7_Habits_of_Hi... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36072.The_7_Habits_of_Highly_Effective_People)\nPrinciples by Ray Dalio\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34536488-principles",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Non-violent Communication",
          "reason": "Listed as a book suggestion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25531368,
          "author": "benlieb",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T21:01:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25531368",
          "commentText": "Non Violent Communication, a language of life - Marshal Rosenberg",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Non Violent Communication, a language of life - Marshal Rosenberg",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20357941,
          "author": "w4tson",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-04T21:25:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20357941",
          "commentText": "Non Violent Communication\nI found it as a recommendation on HN sometime ago and I would recommend it to software people especially as we can be an argumentative bunch.\nIt helped me with relationships at home and at work",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Non Violent Communication\nI found it as a recommendation on HN sometime ago and I would recommend it to software people especially as we can be an argumentative bunch.\nIt helped me with relationships at home and at work",
          "reason": "Recommends it to software people and says it helped with relationships at home and work.",
          "audience": "Software professionals, especially those who want to improve relationships and communication.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17170311,
          "author": "Glench",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-28T02:35:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17170311",
          "commentText": "The book \"Non-violent Communication\" changed my life.\nAfter I read it, I had some of the best communication with romantic partners I ever had. I also had fights with friends transform into heartfelt conversations when I was practicing NVC, even though my friends weren't practicing it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book \"Non-violent Communication\" changed my life.",
          "reason": "Says it improved communication with romantic partners and helped turn fights with friends into heartfelt conversations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15761868,
          "author": "pixelperfect",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T00:27:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15761868",
          "commentText": "I have not read the book \"Nonviolent Communication,\" but anecdotally, the several people I know who have mentioned reading this book tend to speak in an abnormally passive aggressive, condescending, and overbearing way. I am curious if this is just a fluke or if others have had the same experience.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I have not read the book \"Nonviolent Communication,\"",
          "reason": "Questions whether the book is associated with the communication style they have observed among some readers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter explicitly says they have not read it and frames the observation as anecdotal.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15761806,
          "author": "abuiles",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T00:14:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15761806",
          "commentText": "+1 on \"Nonviolent Communication\" - if anyone is interested I have some directive like notes from the book here https://blog.abuiles.com/reading-feed/nonviolent-communicati... (https://blog.abuiles.com/reading-feed/nonviolent-communication/) -- going through the book is important for the context but this can give you a quick overview of what it is about.\nOther books in my list are:\n- Punished by rewards by Alfie Kohn\n- On the shortness of life by Seneca",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 on \"Nonviolent Communication\"",
          "reason": "The +1 signals agreement with the preceding recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says that going through the book matters for context; their notes offer only a quick overview.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156271,
          "author": "BeetleB",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T14:58:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156271",
          "commentText": "Bargaining for Advantage : Negotiation Strategies for Reasonable People\nThe Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion\nLies my teacher told me : everything your American history textbook got wrong\nInfluence: The Psychology of Persuasion\nNonviolent Communication: A Language of Life\nThinking, Fast and Slow",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which books had the biggest impact on mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14860071,
          "author": "mattpratt",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:36:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14860071",
          "commentText": "- Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life\n- Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12098494,
          "author": "mindfulgeek",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T01:47:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12098494",
          "commentText": "The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business\nSeven Habits of Highly Effective People\nNonViolent Communication: A Language of Life",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "NonViolent Communication: A Language of Life",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marshall B. Rosenberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 11,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "conflict resolution",
        "nonviolent communication",
        "communication",
        "interpersonal communication"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "peopleware-499a61",
      "title": "Peopleware",
      "author": "Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41387777,
          "author": "theshrike79",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T05:57:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387777",
          "commentText": "Peopleware is 100% worth it still today.\nYou’ll just get angry when writing it. We had written down solutions to problems with teams and offices in 50 years ago but just refused to follow them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Peopleware is 100% worth it still today.",
          "reason": "Says it remains worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its lessons about teams and offices have long been ignored.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33855481,
          "author": "rahimnathwani",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T17:13:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33855481",
          "commentText": "Staff Engineer: Leadership beyond the management track by Will Larson (https://staffeng.com/book)\nPeopleware",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Peopleware",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21712538,
          "author": "splittingTimes",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T14:36:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21712538",
          "commentText": "+100 for peopleware.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+100 for peopleware.",
          "reason": "Strongly seconds the preceding recommendation.",
          "audience": "People interested in leadership and management.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21712529,
          "author": "ahnooie",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T14:35:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21712529",
          "commentText": "Managing the Unmanageable, a second vote for Peopleware, The Mythical Man-Month, and The Conviction to Lead\nhttps://b3n.org/programming-management-leadership-books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a second vote for Peopleware",
          "reason": "Adds a second vote for the book in response to a leadership and management book request.",
          "audience": "People interested in managing software teams.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14487571,
          "author": "eckza",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T13:53:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487571",
          "commentText": "MMM is a must-read, for anyone that wants to effectively engage in the software development lifecycle, IMO. Developer, project manager, doesn't matter.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "MMM is a must-read, for anyone that wants to effectively engage in the software development lifecycle, IMO.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8000993,
          "author": "mmozuras",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T19:55:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8000993",
          "commentText": "Peopleware\nBecause even the best technology has people behind it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Peopleware\nBecause even the best technology has people behind it.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3338858,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-11T00:06:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3338858",
          "commentText": "The Velvets are The Velvet Underground, a New York band best known for songs like \"Who Loves The Sun\", \"Sweet Jane\", and \"Heroin\". They're one of the precursors to punk music.\nListen:\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xcwt9mSbYE\nThe joke is, almost nobody bought the first Velvets album, but everyone who did started a band. Which brings us to the Pixies, which is a Boston band from the late eighties that combined sounds from the Velvets, surf rock, punk, and \"college rock\" indie like Husker Du and is more or less the greatest band of all time sorry Daniel but it's true.\nListen:\nhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdzoK5jwESM\nAll this is just to build an elaborate and overwrought metaphor; Kurt Cobain from Nirvana famously claimed that everything on Nevermind, their best-known album, was more or less lifted directly from the Pixies. The Pixies are another band notorious for being more influential than commercially successful.\nSo the point being, Peopleware, decades old, blog posts today, &c, you get it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "So the point being, Peopleware, decades old, blog posts today, &c, you get it.",
          "reason": "Uses the book as the basis for an analogy about influence across generations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3338391,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T20:18:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3338391",
          "commentText": "I'm not as rigorous as you are; the idea that Demarco and Lister made up historical anecdotes in the book doesn't perturb me too much, because the value of the book isn't so much prescriptive (\"break your company into tiny teams and let them each pick a far-flung cool-looking skunkworks office\") --- it's more that it provides a new way of looking at how your company is organized.\nOn the other hand, I didn't \"get\" Surfer Rosa for like a year after I bought it, because by the time I had (in the early 90's) almost all the music I listened to was more or less cribbed from Pixies songs. Maybe the same thing happened with Peopleware, where pretty much every blog post we read about dev teams expresses a sentiment traceable to some part of Peopleware.\nIn my defense with GEB: I didn't read it because Joel Spolsky told me to, I read it because a girlfriend did. A similar logic had me pretending to enjoy Faulkner. My take on Hofstadter may be oddly colored. Also: I haven't read any of his other books and am not a Lisper, so he's had fewer opportunities to annoy me.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Maybe the same thing happened with Peopleware, where pretty much every blog post we read about dev teams expresses a sentiment traceable to some part of Peopleware.",
          "reason": "Suggests its ideas became so influential that software team discussions often echo them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2415012,
          "author": "iqster",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T13:36:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2415012",
          "commentText": "Peopleware - This isn't a programming book, but I feel that every professional programmer (and certainly every manager) should have read it. It is about the human aspect of programming. Programmers are people too!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "every professional programmer (and certainly every manager) should have read it",
          "reason": "Says it should be read by professional programmers and managers; describes its focus on the human side of programming.",
          "audience": "Professional programmers and managers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240850,
          "author": "trotzke",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T06:28:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240850",
          "commentText": "On my desk:\nGetting Real (37Signals),\nHardball (Chris Mathews),\nPrioritizing Web Usability (Jakob Nielsen)\nNearby shelf:\nThe Design of Everyday Things,\nMaverick,\nFounders at work,\nA Brief History of Time,\nA Pattern Language,\nPeopleware,\nMade to stick,\nWeb Standards Solutions,\nDesigning Interactions,\nThe Pragmatic Programmer,\nThe Mythical Man-Month,\nOh, the Places You'll Go!\nOther good reads:\nBlink,\nTipping Point,\nLong Tail,\nFreakonomics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Peopleware,",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for recommended books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135359,
          "author": "kintro",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T18:33:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135359",
          "commentText": "Peopleware by Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister\nBuild to Last by James C. Collins , Jerry I. Porras",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Peopleware by Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister",
          "reason": "Listed as a book for a hacker's bookshelf.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86010,
          "author": "Locke",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T18:20:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86010",
          "commentText": "A few sort of random selections from my bookshelf (in no particular order):\n * GEB:EGB - Hofstader\n * The Pragmatic Programmer - Hunt / Thomas\n * Peopleware - DeMarco / Lister\n * The Mythical Man Month - Brooks\n * Paradigms of Artificial Intelligence Programming - Norvig\n * Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind - Miyazaki",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Peopleware - DeMarco / Lister",
          "reason": "Listed among selections from the commenter's bookshelf in a favorite-books thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5613,
          "author": "dropbox",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T04:36:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5613",
          "commentText": "some that haven't been mentioned:\n- the innovator's dilemma by clayton christensen\n- blue ocean strategy (kim and mauborgne) -- these two books give you a little bit more of a framework to evaluate where your idea adds value and give you examples of how/why some successful companies have been successful\n- high tech startup by nesheim -- a little dated, but lots of info\n- negotiation/people books: getting to yes (fisher, ury) and getting past no (ury), influence by cialdini\n (useful for more than just startups)\n- maybe some management books: peopleware (demarco and lister), the art of project management (berkun), first, break all the rules (buckingham)\n- founders at work (livingston) to get inspired\n+1 to crossing the chasm, and the godin & gladwell books, art of the start\nblogs: onstartups.com, fred wilson, brad feld, seth godin, etc., guy kawasaki\n-drew",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "peopleware (demarco and lister)",
          "reason": "Suggested as a management book in response to the thread asking which books founders found helpful.",
          "audience": "Startup founders and managers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom DeMarco",
        "Timothy Lister"
      ],
      "recommenders": 11,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software teams",
        "software project management",
        "team management",
        "team productivity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-republic-5c7053",
      "title": "The Republic",
      "author": "Plato",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46396330,
          "author": "alexashka",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T21:14:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46396330",
          "commentText": "I re-read Plato's The Republic.\nIt's a must read for 0.001% of the population.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I re-read Plato's The Republic.\nIt's a must read for 0.001% of the population.",
          "reason": "Calls it a must read, while suggesting it suits very few readers.",
          "audience": "The commenter suggests it is for a very small fraction of readers.",
          "caveat": "Described as a must read only for 0.001% of the population.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42967215,
          "author": "DataDaoDe",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-06T22:37:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42967215",
          "commentText": "The Old Man and the sea - Hemmingway - so many things, with every reread I find something new.\nThe Heart of the Buddhas Teaching - Thich Nhat Hanh, useful prayers, concepts for understanding and dealing with life and a moral compass for going through it.\nThe Way of Zen - Alan Watts, opened my eyes to different forms of religious experience\nAlso a lot of psychology and philosophy books in undergrad were foundational to my thinking. The Moral Animal, the Moral Landscape, The Blank Slate, The Republic and Plato’s writings on Socrates, Tao te Ching, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, the Tanakh and parts of the Talmud, but many of these were more academic, still holistically they have shaped my thinking and moral compass.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Republic",
          "reason": "Lists it among books and writings that shaped their thinking and moral compass.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Grouped with academic works.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37817592,
          "author": "usgroup",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-09T06:37:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37817592",
          "commentText": "I read Plato's Republic -- even as a youth. It is very readable and free from fancy prose. It is also dramatic in parts and written in dialogue form.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read Plato's Republic -- even as a youth. It is very readable and free from fancy prose.",
          "reason": "Describes it as readable and free from fancy prose.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37814502,
          "author": "nickster",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-08T21:17:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37814502",
          "commentText": "In Computers? The Mythical Man Month Fred Brooks\nIn Management? Turn the Ship Around David Marquet\nIn literature? Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad\nIn Philosophy? The Republic Plato\nIn Religion? The Confessions St. Augustine\nIn Mathematics? The Elements Euclid\nIn History? Parallel lives Plutarch\nIn Physics? Principia Isaac Newton",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Republic Plato",
          "reason": "Listed as a book people in philosophy may pretend to have read.",
          "audience": "People in philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37810868,
          "author": "aniijbod",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-08T14:39:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37810868",
          "commentText": "In Computers? The Mythical Man Month Fred Brooks\nIn Mnaagement? Turn the Ship Around David Marquet\nIn literature? Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad\nIn Philosophy? The Republic Plato\nIn Religion? The Confessions St. Augustine\nIn Mathematics? The Elements Euclid\nIn History? Parallel lives Plutarch\nIn Physics? Principia Isaac Newton",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Republic Plato",
          "reason": "Listed as a book people in philosophy may pretend to have read.",
          "audience": "People in philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32791257,
          "author": "wunderlust",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T15:04:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32791257",
          "commentText": "My field of study (what I really like to think and learn about) isn't my field of work, but I like the question so I'll spill some thoughts.\nI spend a lot of time thinking about philosophical-ish stuff, so here are some books that have had the strongest residual effects (whether that's changing how I think, changing what I think about, changing my values, or simply getting the thought ball rolling faster):\nIshmael (Daniel Quinn)\n1984 (George Orwell)\nBrave New World (Aldous Huxley)\nGodel, Escher, Bach (Douglas Hofstadter)\nThe Republic [imp. \"the allegory of the cave\"] (Plato)\nThe Genealogy of Morals (Friedrich Nietzsche)\nThe Social Construction of Reality (Peter L. Berger, Thomas Luckmann)\nTractatus Logico-Philosophicus (L. Wittgenstein)\nDissemination [imp. \"The Pharmakon\"] (Jacques Derrida)\nThe Quest for Reality (Barry Stroud)\nLanguages of Art (Nelson Goodman)\nThe Structure of Scientific Revolutions (Thomas Kuhn)\nConcepts (Jerry Fodor)\nThe Web of Life (Fritjof Capra)\nFoucault's Pendulum (Umberto Eco)\nNaming and Necessity (Saul Kripke)\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Robert Pirsig)\nThere are others, and a lot of essays (by thinkers like Bertrand Russell, Carl Hempel, Hilary Putnam, WVO Quine, Karl Popper, Alfred Tarski, Gottlob Frege, David Chalmers, Daniel Dennett, Michel Foucault, Jean Baudrillard, Mikhail Bakunin, CS Peirce, and David Hume, among many others), but these seem apropos as they most readily came to mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Republic [imp. \"the allegory of the cave\"] (Plato)",
          "reason": "Listed among books with strong residual effects on the commenter’s thinking and values.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30825976,
          "author": "handojin",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T01:18:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30825976",
          "commentText": "Discipline and Punish (Michel Foucault)\nNot my field of study or existence, but what happened in a bare hundred years to make public execution private, and prisons into factories into schools?\nIt's a great book, you should read it.\nThe Republic (Plato)\nHow do you get someone to listen to you? (first answer: threaten them with violence). \"Footnotes to\" etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Republic (Plato)",
          "reason": "Listed as a book relevant to the recommendation question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20914562,
          "author": "bmmayer1",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T01:45:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914562",
          "commentText": "Economics:\n- The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith\n- Das Kapital, Karl Marx\n- That Which Is Seen, and That Which Is Not Seen, Frederic Bastiat\nPhilosophy / Politics:\n- The Republic, Plato\n- Second Treatise on Government, John Locke\n- The Law, Frederic Bastiat\n- Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes\n- Meditations, Marcus Aurelius\n- Democracy in America, Alexis de Toqueville\n- On Liberty, John Stuart Mill\nFiction:\n- The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, Mark Twain\n- The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin\n- Metamorphoses, Franz Kafka\n- Candide, Voltaire\n- The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Republic, Plato",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032388,
          "author": "wilsonnb",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:22:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032388",
          "commentText": "Our field is so varied that there is no good answer to this question unless you specify what you want to focus on.\nSome people are inevitably going to recommend The Art of Computer Programming, which hardly anyone has read and isn't that relevant to the work that 99% of us are doing.\nSomeone will probably recommend The C Programming Language, also called K&R after the authors, but again it's not very useful unless you're going to be using a lot of C and even then I personally don't think it provides anything you can't get from guides on the internet. (I have actually read this one, but it's been a while)\nThere are other classic textbooks that will probably be mentioned that are only useful to those in that domain. Many of us can get by without a deep understanding of algorithms and data structures, most people don't need to read a compiler book, etc, etc.\nHowever, there are some generalized books that people often recommend like The Pragmatic Programmer and Code Complete. These are, in my opinion, good recommendations if you're looking for something to read but I wouldn't say that someone starting a career in software engineering should read them. Software engineering isn't really a field with seminal texts that should be read by everyone.\nFor example, every political scientist should have probably read The Republic by Plato and Politics by Aristotle among many other texts. I don't think software engineering has that equivalent, partially due to the relative newness of the field and partially because the primary output of our field is not written texts.\nAnother interesting question would be \"What codebases should someone starting their career in software engineering look at?\". Are there things that the average joe programmer can learn by poking around the Linux kernel or Firefox? Maybe. I don't know. I've never done it. I'd be interested in hearing from those who have, though. Maybe I'll do my own ask HN.\nedit: I feel I should clarify that this is written from the perspective of a software engineer, not an academic in computer science. For all I know there could be seminal texts that those on the academic side should all have read.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Republic by Plato",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Used as an example of seminal reading for political scientists, not software engineers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297799,
          "author": "roymurdock",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:56:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297799",
          "commentText": "Older Stuff: The Bible/Quran, The Republic (Plato), The Social Contract (Rousseau), Tao Te Ching (Laozi), Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky), History of the Peloponnesian War (Thucydides)\nNewer Stuff: Nine Stories (Salinger), The Razor's Edge (Maugham), Nausea (Sartre), Siddartha (Hesse), Road to Serfdom (Hayek), The Book (Watts), Design of Everyday Things (Norman), Atlas Shrugged (Rand), Invisible Man (Ellison), Debunking Economics (Keen), Blood Meridian (McCarthy), The Center Cannot Hold (Saks), This Time Is Different (Reinhart/Rogoff), Infinite Jest (Wallace), Calvin and Hobbes (Watterson)\nAll of these books are well written and have given me some perspective on interesting people/situations/ways of thinking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Republic (Plato)",
          "reason": "Listed among books said to have given the commenter perspective on interesting people, situations, and ways of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107093,
          "author": "mrcdima",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T09:05:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107093",
          "commentText": "Some titles I've recently read or at least have placed on my reading list.\n--------------------\nPhilosohpy\nLetters from a Stoic: Epistulae Morales Ad Lucilium - Seneca\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius (must read)\nThe Republic - Plato\n--------------------\nHistory\nFive Chimneys - Olga Lengyel\nThe Gulag Archipelago - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (must read)\nThe Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank\n--------------------\nFiction\n(particularly dystopian) 1984, Brave New World, Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451\n(crime/action) Child 44, The Secret Speech, Agent 6 - Tom Rob Smith\n--------------------\nEconomics\nCapital in the Twenty-First Century - Thomas Piketty\nPoor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty - Banerjee, Duflo\nWhy Nations Fail - Robinson\n--------------------\nEconomics/Decision making/Psychology\nUndercover Economist, Freakonomics, Nudge, Thinking Fast and Slow\n--------------------\nRandom titles\nThe Selfish Gene, Self-Reliance, The Elements of Style (about writing), Slaughterhouse-Five\n--------------------\nSome links to inspire your reading (though you may want to checkout the websites first to get an idea of the topics they cover)\nhttp://www.gatesnotes.com/Books\nhttp://bookpickings.brainpickings.org/\nhttp://www.farnamstreetblog.com/reading/\nhttp://www.ryanholiday.net/reading-newsletter\nI’m just a working-class guy trying to take part in the conversation that all the smart people are having. What books should I read? - http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-cl... (http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-class-guy-trying-to-take-part-in-the-conversation-that-all-the-smart-people-are-having-what-books-should-i-read/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Republic - Plato",
          "reason": "Listed as a title in response to the thread's request for book suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387846,
          "author": "FreakLegion",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T01:46:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387846",
          "commentText": "Plato and Nietzsche are far from atypical. Being two of the West's most literary philosophers, they routinely turn up in high school. Excerpts from Plato's Repulic (e.g. The Allegory of the Cave) and any of Nietzsche's aphoristic works are especially common.\nAcademics are embarrased by it, because its filled with \"non-collegial\" behaviour. But that just means they don't get out much.\nWhere on earth are you getting this? Academics celebrate texts far less collegial than Rand's. Rand's work, as literature, is dismissed because, as literature, it isn't very good. Her work isn't taken seriously or engaged with philosophically for other reasons, but propriety isn't one of them. To invoke the ancient stereotype of the \"stuffy academic\" is ludicrous. Academics today are probably the most open-minded, least proprietous group around.\nI think academics (and a few of his old landlords) would consider him more of a \"crackpot\" than Rand.\nI can't speak to the attitudes of his old landlords, but no, modern academics do not consider him a crackpot. For political reasons he was in and out of favor around the times of WW1 and WW2 (due to the misappropriation of his work by various groups, most famously the Nazis), but he's never ceased to be hugely important to continental philosophy, and Walter Kauffmann set the record straight and rehabilitated his image for the English-speaking world decades ago.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Excerpts from Plato's Repulic (e.g. The Allegory of the Cave)",
          "reason": "Mentions excerpts as commonly appearing in high school.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1634144,
          "author": "Arun2009",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T21:01:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1634144",
          "commentText": "Man's search for meaning, by Viktor Frankel\nThe Republic, by Plato. It introduced me to a whole new way of thinking.\nThe Gita. I later came to know about the chariot allegory in the Kathopanishad (http://www.atmajyoti.org/up_katha_upanishad_17.asp), and thought that the writer's depiction of the charioteer as Krishna and the rider as Arjuna was just brilliant.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Republic, by Plato. It introduced me to a whole new way of thinking.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it introduced a whole new way of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503416,
          "author": "kkshin",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T09:21:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503416",
          "commentText": "It really depends on what you're looking for, but Philosophy is a field where one philosopher's work is built on top of the other's going all the way back to the ancient Greek's.  Its important (I think anyways) to read the raw texts before you read philosophical commentary so that you have a chance to form your own opinions.  That being said, here's some recommendations of mine that cover a breadth of philosophical subjects and time periods.  Its always good to see someone else want to learn more philsophy, especially if its of their own volition.\nPlato.  Strangely enough, Plato is probably one of the best introductions to philosophy, not only because he was one of the first whose writings survive to modern time, but also because its relatively simple to read and understand.  Some of my personal favorite are 'The Apology', 'The Symposium', and 'The Phaedrus', and of course 'The Republic'.  The weird thing with Plato is you'll never know how much of his writings are his thinking as opposed to Socrates teaching.  I still reread Plato because the stories (most of his writing is in narrative form) are so damn entertaining.\nAristotle.  This is a natural progression from reading Plato.  The 'Nichomachean Ethics' is a cornerstone of ancient philosophy and is a relative simple read.\nJohn Locke/Gottfried Leibniz.  I'll admit, I struggled through 'An Essay of Human Understanding' but this title and Leibniz's rebuttal 'New Essays on Human Understanding' illustrate a historically important philosophical debate between empiricists and rationalists.  Since you're reading 'Common Sense' you might also want to give Locke's 'Second Treatise on Civil Government' a gander.\nImmaneul Kant.  Since you're reading Schopenhauer you should read Kant as he was heavily influenced by him.  You'll hear him referenced a lot if you continue to read philosophy so you should familiarize yourself with his thinking, especially on his thoughts in epistemology.\nBertrand Russell.  People have already recommended him and he's one of the most popular philosopher's of modern times, mostly because he's so easy to read and was somewhat of a cultural icon during his time.  I have a particular fondness for his work because when I had doubts about my faith, \"Why I Am not A Christian\" helped me find words to communicate my break with Catholocism.  His \"History of Western Philosophy\" is considered a cornerstone history of philosophy book (although it is somewhat dated now).  His writings are usually rather short and concise.\nJacques Derrida/Gilles Deleuze.  Now we're getting into some wacky shit.  To be fair, I shouldn't even be commenting on it because I have no idea what these guys are talking about half the time.  These are the philosophers that people read and pretend to understand because they want to sound smart.  You know the stereotypical \"philosophy\" students that you see in movies.  Maybe you'll find something of substance in their work although many philsopher's believe these guys are/were hacks and purposefully obfuscate their writing to hide the fact that there's no substance in it.\nOne of the best ways to read philosophy is to start with a philosopher who truly changed the game with their work (such as Kant) and work your way out reading the work of his supporters as well as the work of those that disagree with him.  This way you'll get a worldy view on 'important' philosophical issues while starting to formulate your own opinions on th ematter.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Republic'",
          "reason": "Named among the commenter’s personal favorites and praised as part of Plato’s entertaining narratives.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503278,
          "author": "Bishizel",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T07:28:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503278",
          "commentText": "Asking for \"Best Philosophical Books\" is pretty much like asking for an opinion, everyone will have a very different view.  That being said, here's my view!\nJohn Stuart Mill - \"Utilitarianism\" (Kant be damned.)\nThomas Nagel - \"Moral Luck\"\nDavid Lewis - \"On the Plurality of Worlds\"\nPlato - \"The Republic\"\nAristotle - \"The Metaphysics\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Plato - \"The Republic\"",
          "reason": "Offered as part of the commenter's own view of the best philosophical books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Plato"
      ],
      "recommenders": 11,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political philosophy",
        "ancient greek philosophy",
        "classical philosophy",
        "justice"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-righteous-mind-513cd4",
      "title": "The Righteous Mind",
      "author": "Jonathan Haidt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37960142,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:06:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960142",
          "commentText": "I ran this thread through GPT-4 to extract mentions and summarize them in markdown. Sharing if it's helpful for others too.\n* \"Manufacturing Consent\" by Chomsky and Herman (2 mentions)\n    * Summary: This book investigates and criticizes the media's role in promoting and sustaining powerful interests. Chomsky frames the media as a system that safeguards the power of the elite by shaping public opinion.\n* \"On Palestine\" by Chomsky (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers an insightful view of one of the most enduring and intractable conflicts of our time. Chomsky explores the historical origins, developments, and politics surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict.\n* \"Requiem for the American Dream\" by Noam Chomsky (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book discusses the concentration of wealth in the hands of the few and its effects on democracy in America. It highlights the decline of the middle class and the widening wealth gap.\n* \"The Design of Everyday Things\" by Don Norman (2 mentions)\n    * Summary: The book details the science behind our interaction with everyday items. It scrutinizes the design process and explores the relationship between users and the products they use, urging designers to think deeply about how their designs influence user behavior.\n* \"The Better Angels of Our Nature\" by Steven Pinker (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book challenges the belief that society is becoming increasingly violent, arguing instead that violence has declined over historical time periods. It explores the psychological and societal mechanisms that have led to this decrease.\n* \"Factfulness\" by Hans Rosling (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Factfulness emphasizes a more optimistic view of global human progress. It challenges the notion that the world is worse off today than it was in the past by providing facts and statistics that argue the contrary.\n* \"Phenomenology of Spirit\" by Hegel (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This is a central work of German philosophy in which Hegel explores the concept of 'spirit'. He examines the relationship between consciousness and its objects, eventually leading to a discussion about the nature of freedom and the unfolding of history.\n* \"The Righteous Mind\" by Jonathan Haidt (2 mentions)\n    * Summary: The book delves into the world of moral psychology and its impact on politics and religion. Haidt proposes that morality is not a product of rational thought but is driven by intuitive reactions, challenging conventional understandings of morality.\n* \"How To Build A Car\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: The book offers a captivating analysis of Formula 1 car design and the precision engineering involved in creating these high-performance vehicles. It provides insights into the processes followed by a renowned designer.\n* \"Factfulness\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: Factfulness emphasizes a more optimistic view of global human progress. It challenges notions that the world is getting worse by presenting an array of facts that argue the contrary.\n* \"Strunk and White The Elements of Style\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A guide to English language usage and writing style that covers topics such as conciseness, clarity, and simplicity of expression. It is considered a seminal work on English composition and is widely used in American English writing.\n* \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book explores the concept of how symbols, patterns and loops manifest in the fields of mathematics, art and music. It also discusses aspects of cognition and consciousness and how our minds perceive and understand the world.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"The Righteous Mind\" by Jonathan Haidt (2 mentions)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37945733,
          "author": "rasse",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T17:23:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37945733",
          "commentText": "I'd recommend The Righteous Mind along with Being Wrong by Kathryn Schultz to anyone who's ever argued on the internet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend The Righteous Mind along with Being Wrong",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommended to people who have argued on the internet.",
          "audience": "People who have argued on the internet.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36106505,
          "author": "pseudobry",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T18:29:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36106505",
          "commentText": "I'd recommend \"The Righteous Mind\" by Jonathan Haidt as some pre-work. It's about the psychological foundations of morality and ethics which factor into the formation of religions and rituals, including rituals like college football games.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend \"The Righteous Mind\" by Jonathan Haidt as some pre-work.",
          "reason": "Recommended as background on moral psychology relevant to religion and ritual.",
          "audience": "Readers preparing to study religion.",
          "caveat": "Presented as pre-work rather than a direct study of religion.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21902735,
          "author": "Reedx",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T23:57:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902735",
          "commentText": "Another Haidt book well worth checking out is \"The Righteous Mind\".\nGreat for grey thinking and better understanding. And I think it's one of those books that if everyone read it, we'd all be better off. Like an antidote or inhibitor to tribalism.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another Haidt book well worth checking out is \"The Righteous Mind\". Great for grey thinking and better understanding.",
          "reason": "Calls it worthwhile and says it helps with nuanced thinking and understanding.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking to understand tribalism and other viewpoints.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19089970,
          "author": "Fellshard",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T21:24:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19089970",
          "commentText": "In similar veins, his 'A Conflict of Visions' and 'The Vision of the Anointed' are two stunning incisive books that show pretty directly why we are where we are now, as divided as we are now.  Likely corresponds strongly with Haidt's 'The Righteous Mind', referred to elsewhere in this topic.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Likely corresponds strongly with Haidt's 'The Righteous Mind', referred to elsewhere in this topic.",
          "reason": "Notes a likely correspondence with the ideas in this book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18744627,
          "author": "dipa",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T05:36:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744627",
          "commentText": "The Righteous Mind by Johnathan Haidt\nTribe by Sebastian Junger\njust put my full lists on medium:\nhttps://medium.com/@dopeshika/2018-in-books-startup-science-... (https://medium.com/@dopeshika/2018-in-books-startup-science-silicon-valley-550f0e37aa31)\nhttps://medium.com/@dopeshika/2018-in-books-mind-consciousne... (https://medium.com/@dopeshika/2018-in-books-mind-consciousness-ae966c38ff3b)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Righteous Mind by Johnathan Haidt",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18744186,
          "author": "ternaryoperator",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T03:20:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744186",
          "commentText": "The Righteous Mind is brilliant. It gives an excellent framework by which to understand today's events better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Righteous Mind is brilliant. It gives an excellent framework by which to understand today's events better.",
          "reason": "Calls it brilliant and praises its framework for understanding current events.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14527459,
          "author": "travmatt",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-10T14:32:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14527459",
          "commentText": "I'd also recommend 'The Righteous Mind' as a solid basis for understanding political thinking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd also recommend 'The Righteous Mind'",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a solid basis for understanding political thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229815,
          "author": "criddell",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:56:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229815",
          "commentText": "In this election season, if you are left leaning and would like to understand just what it is that's underlying the politics of the right (or vice versa), I recommend Jonathan Haidt's The Righteous Mind.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Righteous-Mind-Divided-Politics-Religi... (http://www.amazon.com/Righteous-Mind-Divided-Politics-Religion/dp/0307455777)\nPrior to reading this, my politics aligned very closely with those of Sanders and I thought everybody on the right were selfish, evil, close-minded fools. After reading the book, my politics are still left of center (but definitely right of Sanders), but I think I understand and appreciate the politics of my right leaning family and friends.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend Jonathan Haidt's The Righteous Mind.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it to help readers understand the political views of people on the other side.",
          "audience": "Left leaning readers seeking to understand right leaning politics, or vice versa.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says their own politics shifted somewhat but remained left of center.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229693,
          "author": "jseliger",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:21:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229693",
          "commentText": "Jonathan Haidt, The Righteous Mind: http://jakeseliger.com/2012/03/25/jonathan-haidts-the-righte... (http://jakeseliger.com/2012/03/25/jonathan-haidts-the-righteous-mind-and-what-were-really-arguing-about/)\nThis is a novel, but Carlos Ruiz Zafon's The Shadow of the Wind is fantastic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jonathan Haidt, The Righteous Mind",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785676,
          "author": "neilsharma",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T21:11:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785676",
          "commentText": "\"The Righteous Mind\" - Jonathan Haidt. This book helped me understand conservative thinking, made me less heated in my opinions, and provided a convincing framework for me to understand moral arguments\n\"Emperor of All Maladies\" - Siddhartha Mukherjee. An excellently written history of cancer.\n\"Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\" - Lansing Alfred. A true story of one of the last great explorations man has taken",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book helped me understand conservative thinking, made me less heated in my opinions, and provided a convincing framework for me to understand moral arguments",
          "reason": "Says it broadened their understanding and offered a convincing framework for moral arguments.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10324758,
          "author": "jseliger",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T18:03:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10324758",
          "commentText": "I can't choose one, but I'd cite:\n* Jonathan Haidt's The Righteous Mind, for explaining so much personally and culturally so concisely.\n* Everything on this list: http://jakeseliger.com/2010/03/22/influential-books-on-me-th... (http://jakeseliger.com/2010/03/22/influential-books-on-me-that-is).\n* The Lord of the Rings, for its combination of story, interior drama, and (underrated) political economy.\n* Blindsight by Peter Watts.\n* Heart of Darkness by Conrad, who seems more prophetic all the time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jonathan Haidt's The Righteous Mind, for explaining so much personally and culturally so concisely.",
          "reason": "Cited for concisely explaining personal and cultural matters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6976451,
          "author": "Stronico",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T20:41:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976451",
          "commentText": "That was on my top three for last year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "That was on my top three for last year.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book was among their top three.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3988196,
          "author": "gyardley",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-17T17:55:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3988196",
          "commentText": "Jonathan Haidt's \"The Righteous Mind\" was terrific.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jonathan Haidt's \"The Righteous Mind\" was terrific.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it terrific.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Haidt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 11,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "moral psychology",
        "political psychology",
        "political polarization",
        "argumentation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "do-androids-dream-of-electric-sheep-c08d66",
      "title": "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?",
      "author": "Philip K. Dick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39729464,
          "author": "bookofjoe",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T21:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729464",
          "commentText": "\"A Canticle For Leibowitz\"\n\"The Sparrow\"\n\"Lord of Light\"\n\"The Immortal\"\n\"Hyperion\"\n\"The Last Question\"\n\"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?\"\n\"Stranger in a Strange Land\"\n\"The City and the Stars\"\n\"Childhood's End\"\n\"Anathem\"\n\"Eifelheim\"\n\"A Case of Conscience\"\n\"VALIS\" trilogy\n\"The Book of Strange New Things\"\n\"Behold The Man\"\n\"The God Engines\"\n\"Book of the New Sun\"\n\"The Parable of the Sower\"\n\"The Dosadi Experiment\"\n\"Grass\"\n\"Project Pope\"\n\"Calculating God\"\n\"Factoring Humanity\"\n\"Jesus on Mars\"\n\"Surface Detail",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?\"",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about books that changed perspectives on religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35394255,
          "author": "ckorhonen",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-31T22:01:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 35392063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Science Fiction books that predict where ChatGPT might lead us?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35394255",
          "commentText": "There are numerous science fiction books that have explored the potential impact of artificial intelligence on humanity, ranging from utopian to dystopian scenarios. Here are some of the most interesting and relevant titles that address the questions and fears you've mentioned:\n\"Neuromancer\" by William Gibson (1984): This cyberpunk classic envisions a future where AI is deeply ingrained in human society and plays a significant role in shaping it.\n\"2001: A Space Odyssey\" by Arthur C. Clarke (1968): The novel, as well as the film adaptation by Stanley Kubrick, explores the relationship between humans and AI, particularly when AI begins to develop its own goals and intentions.\n\"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?\" by Philip K. Dick (1968): This novel, which inspired the movie \"Blade Runner,\" questions the nature of humanity and consciousness as it relates to artificial beings.\n\"I, Robot\" by Isaac Asimov (1950): A collection of short stories that feature the famous \"Three Laws of Robotics\" and explore various aspects of AI and their impact on society.\n\"The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress\" by Robert A. Heinlein (1966): This novel features an AI that becomes self-aware and partners with humans in a fight for lunar independence.\n\"The Culture\" series by Iain M. Banks: This series of novels is set in a post-scarcity society managed by benevolent, hyper-intelligent AIs called Minds.\n\"The Singularity is Near\" by Ray Kurzweil (2005): Though not a novel, this non-fiction book predicts the future of AI, discussing the potential for AI to surpass human intelligence and the implications of this eventuality.\n\"Accelerando\" by Charles Stross (2005): The novel explores a future in which AI, augmented humans, and post-humans coexist, addressing various ethical and societal issues along the way.\n\"Daemon\" by Daniel Suarez (2006): This techno-thriller features an AI created by a deceased programmer that sets out to create a new world order.\n\"Altered Carbon\" by Richard K. Morgan (2002): This cyberpunk novel touches on AI's impact on society, particularly in the context of human consciousness and digital immortality.\nThese books offer thought-provoking explorations of the possible consequences, both positive and negative, of advanced AI systems like ChatGPT. While each of these works is fictional and speculative in nature, they can still provide valuable insights and stimulate important discussions about the future of AI and humanity.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?\" by Philip K. Dick (1968): This novel, which inspired the movie \"Blade Runner,\" questions the nature of humanity and consciousness as it relates to artificial beings.",
          "reason": "Listed among titles addressing AI's potential effects on humanity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25906555,
          "author": "jriot",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T18:11:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25906555",
          "commentText": "Completed this year:\nDo Andriods Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick\nProvidence: God's Loving Care for Men and the Need for Confidence in Almighty God by Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange\nPython 3 Object-Oriented Programming by Dusty Phillips\nCurrently reading:\nStalingrad by Vasily Grossman\nThe Bitcoin Standard: The Decentralized Alternative to Central Banking by Saifedean Ammous\nFinancial Shenanigans by Howard M. Schilit\nUp next:\nLife and Fate by Vasily Grossman\nThese Truths by Jill Lepore\nUnderstanding Machine Learning: From Theory to Algorithms by Shalev Shwartz and Ben David",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Do Andriods Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23574593,
          "author": "raztogt21",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-19T14:00:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23574593",
          "commentText": "It's not about the river size. Do androids dream of electric sheep? has an amazing premise and a good \"main\" story.\nI don't want a full universe explaining every point; just a compelling story to drive the Man in the High Castle.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Do androids dream of electric sheep? has an amazing premise and a good \"main\" story.",
          "reason": "Praises the premise and main story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23154223,
          "author": "iainmerrick",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T14:18:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23154223",
          "commentText": "I adore Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, but for Philip K Dick at his most mind-bending, I’d instead go for Valis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I adore Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?",
          "reason": "The commenter says they adore the book.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in mind-bending science fiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Valis is their choice for Dick at his most mind-bending.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18662508,
          "author": "amuresan",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T09:26:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18662508",
          "commentText": "1. La peste (Albert Camus) - entertaining if you're into French existentialism\n2. Linked (Barabasi) - insightful and useful to understand that most phenomenon we see in real life follow a power law and what that means\n3. Leonardo da Vinci (Walter Isaacson) - surprising how little of da Vinci's real personality is reflected in his modern image\n4. Matrix computations – third edition (Gene Golub, Charles van Loan) - good read if you're into linear algebra\n5. Giving effective feedback (Harvard business review) - useful for getting an understanding on how to handle human interaction\n6. The old man and the sea (Ernest Hemingway) - enjoyed it a lot, a reflection of Hemingway's romantic spirit. Also, a quick read.\n7. Screwjack (Hunter S. Thompson) - didn't resonate with me although I am a fan of existentialism\n8. Sun and steel (Yukio Mishima) - raw and intimate. before reading this book I'd recommend reading up on Mishima's life\n9. Stranger than fiction (Chuck Palahniuck) - somewhat entertaining, more so because it served as a glimpse into Palahniuck's creative process\n10. Thinking in Systems: A Primer (Dana Meadows) - useful for understanding that in modern life we have complex systems at work with emergent behavior that we didn't expect. Trying to isolate / model a single component of one of these systems is a flawed approach.\n11. Chaos monkeys (Antonio Garcia Martinez) - entertaining, but quite long\n12. Weapons of math destruction (Cathy O'Neil) - in a way, similar to Thinking in systems, but at an applied level. Shows how rules in modern society can have unintended negative consequences when hidden negative feedback loops emerge from the complex system they are embedded in.\n13. Lolita (Nabokov) - a brilliant novel from many points of view. Although the topic is controversial, it is a book that had to be written.\n14. The prince (Machiavelli) - an interesting read. It was intended as a guide to the young price Cesare Borgia from his teacher Machiavelli. The secret to enjoying it is not to judge it by modern morality.\n15. Give and take (Adam Grant) - psychology research about giving / taking / matching personality types presented in a book for the masses. I would not read it again; watching a presentation online should be enough to get the point across.\n16. Mécanique (Landau, Lifchitz) - refresh of mechanics\n17. Do androids dream of electric sheep (Philip K. Dick) - enjoyable and entertaining! I'm surprised how different the feel of the book is compared to the Blade runner films. In the book androids are purely rational beings, whereas the film wraps them in an aura of romanticism.\n18. How we learn (Benedict Carey) - decades of learning research condensed in a book\n19. Advanced Calculus: A Differential Forms Approach (Harold M. Edwards) - the best math book I've read so far! For me it was eye-opening in a fundamental way. Edwards is truly a gifted teacher.\n20. Three men in a boat (Jerome K. Jerome) - enjoyable and amusing\n21. Getting to yes (Roger Fisher, William Ury) - negotiation book, nicely written and structured\n22. Without a word (Zhang Jie) - historical novel by one of China's most acclaimed modern writers. I don't have a good reference to compare against since this was my first Chinese novel, but overall I did enjoy it. It felt real and raw.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "enjoyable and entertaining!",
          "reason": "The commenter found it enjoyable and entertaining.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that its feel differs considerably from the Blade Runner films.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17537204,
          "author": "gakos",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T21:32:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537204",
          "commentText": "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick - plus, after you can re-watch Blade Runner with a new perspective.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick - plus, after you can re-watch Blade Runner with a new perspective.",
          "reason": "Suggested as fiction and noted for adding a new perspective to watching Blade Runner.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in revisiting Blade Runner with a new perspective.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785849,
          "author": "scandox",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T21:43:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785849",
          "commentText": "I think it's important to recognise there is a minimal relationship between book and movie. If one keeps them mentally discrete it is much easier to enjoy both.  Do Androids Dream... is a very spiritual book. The movie doesn't / can't capture that element and wisely creates a totally different experience from the same elements...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Do Androids Dream... is a very spiritual book.",
          "reason": "Describes the book as very spiritual and compares its experience with the film.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says the film cannot capture this element and creates a different experience.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4663638,
          "author": "rendeiro",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-17T08:43:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 4661261,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite Science Fiction book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4663638",
          "commentText": "I will pick more than 1:\nUbik by Philip K. Dick (it's hard to cherry pick his best work though, ask me a different day and I will choose The Three Stigmata or Do Androids Dream or something else)\nThe Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester (simply a good story and a great background)\n1984 by George Orwell.\nWhat all these books share is the idea that sci-fi is about social, cultural and economic dynamics, not ships or time travel.\nThat is my definition of sci-fi: An on-going essay about the evolution of the dynamics of society, using exotic technology/science merely as a catalyst.\nRunner up: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card\nCould never finish (can't recommend):\n- Neuromancer \n- Cryptonomicon (Does the author feel entitled to mock the homosexuality of Alan Turing? Found that somewhat arrogant and in bad taste.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "or Do Androids Dream or something else",
          "reason": "Named as another work the commenter might choose as a favorite on another day.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4662136,
          "author": "jfaucett",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-16T22:07:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 4661261,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite Science Fiction book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4662136",
          "commentText": "I like a lot of Philip K Dicks stuff, \"Do androids dream  of electric sheep?\" Also I really enjoy Jules Verne and H.G. Wells and dipping into the 19th century industrial revolution scifi that their works entail. If I had to pick a favorite though it would be Enders Game by Orsen Scott Card, although I haven't read it since I was a kid but I remember then I found it amazing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Do androids dream  of electric sheep?\"",
          "reason": "Named as an example of the author's work the commenter likes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043506,
          "author": "mhd",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:12:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043506",
          "commentText": "Snow Crash is great. Generally I'd recommend some \"classics\", just to see who treaded some ground first, i.e. who gets copied by everyone.\nIsaac Asimov - Foundation (and the rest of the trilogy)\nRobert A. Heinlein - Stranger in a Strange Land / Starship Troopers / The Moon is a Harsh Mistress\nAlfred Bester - The Demolished Man / The Stars My Destination\nJack Vance - The Dying Earth\nPhilip K. Dick - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep / The Man in the High Castle\nLarry Niven - Ringworld\netc. etc.\nA list of Hugo Award winners[1] might come in helpful.\nAnother advantage of having read \"the greats\" is that if some critic says that new author X writes \"in the style of Y\" you have a slightly better idea if you might like it.\nTastes vary, of course. Personally I never got what's supposed to be so great about Ender's Game. Teen Mary Sue geek power fantasy with questionable morals. Then again, lots of people said similar things about Heinlein…\n[1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Award_for_Best_Novel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Philip K. Dick - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep / The Man in the High Castle",
          "reason": "Included in a list of science fiction classics recommended to explore influential works.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring science fiction classics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043481,
          "author": "wwortiz",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043481",
          "commentText": "Snow Crash and The Diamond Age are good books, especially for just starting to read again.\nUbik is my favorite PKD book followed closely by Electric Sheep.\nThe His Dark Materials isn't really sci-fi so much as fantasy but it is quite a good read (though if you didn't have a kindle it might be embarrassing buying them from the young adult section, they are quite adult though).\nI think a huge thing missing from your list is the Foundation series from Asimov (I recommend going in order of publishing, start with Foundation move onto Foundation and Empire then Second Foundation and more if you are into it).\nMy 2 cents.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ubik is my favorite PKD book followed closely by Electric Sheep.",
          "reason": "Ranks it closely behind the commenter's favorite PKD book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip K. Dick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 11,
      "threads": 9,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "androids",
        "dystopian fiction",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "consciousness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "endurance-shackleton-s-incredible-voyage-171b5c",
      "title": "Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage",
      "author": "Alfred Lansing",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42653723,
          "author": "noufalibrahim",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T08:20:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42653723",
          "commentText": "One of the \"hard things\" I've come across was turn of the century explorations. The stories of polar explorers like Ernest Shackleton (chronicled in Lansing's Endurance) or tropical ones like \"River of Doubt\" detailing Roosevelt's exploration of the Amazon tributary are fascinating stories of how people's grit accomplished hard things.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "chronicled in Lansing's Endurance",
          "reason": "Cites it as a chronicle of Shackleton's polar exploration.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42218955,
          "author": "ozcap",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T03:13:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42218955",
          "commentText": "Definitely adding this to my list. I was stationed in Antarctica for three months earlier this year and it really gave me a newfound respect for these early explorers. I can’t imagine navigating such an environment with only relatively basic equipment and the stars.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Definitely adding this to my list.",
          "reason": "Plans to read the book after gaining respect for early Antarctic explorers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42218933,
          "author": "pieix",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T03:09:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42218933",
          "commentText": "> I am waiting for time to forget enough of it so that I can read it again.\nIncredible book and story, I read it this year too and your statement resonates.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Incredible book and story, I read it this year too and your statement resonates.",
          "reason": "Affirms the parent commenter's enthusiasm for the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37960159,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:07:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960159",
          "commentText": "* \"Amusing Ourselves to Death\" by Neil Postman (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Postman contrasts the dystopian visions of George Orwell's \"1984\" and Aldous Huxley's \"Brave New World\" to argue that western society is becoming a shallow, entertainment-driven culture shaped by television and other media. He discusses the profound effects of television on politics, education, and other aspects of society.\n* \"Howard Zinn: A People's History of the US\" by Howard Zinn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers an alternative exploration of American history from the perspective of ordinary people and marginalized groups rather than from political leaders, emphasizing class struggles and systemic injustices.\n* \"The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science\" by Isaac Asimov (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive outline of scientific knowledge, covering fields like physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, and earth science. It communicates complex scientific concepts in a way that is accessible to non-specialist readers.\n* \"Das Kapital\" by Karl Marx (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive critique of capitalism highlighting its inherent contradictions and imbalances. Marx diagnoses the capitalist system as one in which the rich get richer at the expense of the working class. The book has been influential in shaping socialist and communist thought.\n* \"Handbook of Electronic Circuits\" (1 mention, authors not specified)\n    * Summary: An extensive reference guide that provides information on basic electronic circuits and components. It delves into the world of electronics with detailed illustrations and designs, making it a valuable resource for both beginners and professionals in the field.\n* \"Simulacra and Simulation\" by Jean Baudrillard (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This philosophical work explores the nature and cultural implications of signs and images in contemporary society. Baudrillard posits that symbols and signs have replaced reality and meaning, creating a hyperreal world where simulations of reality have become more real than reality itself.\n* \"LSD: My Problem Child\" by Albert Hofmann (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This autobiographical work by Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who first synthesized LSD, discusses his discovery and personal experiences with the drug, exploring both the positive and negative effects of LSD, its influence on society, and its potential therapeutic uses.\n* \"Requiem for the American Dream: The 10 Principles of Concentration of Wealth & Power\" by Noam Chomsky (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Chomsky provides an extensive critique of inequality in America, arguing that the concentration of wealth and power among a small elite is undermining democracy. He lays out 10 principles of concentration of wealth and power that have led to this situation.\n* \"Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\" by Alfred Lansing (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This true account of Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton's 1914-1916 expedition turned survival story. When his ship, the Endurance, was crushed by ice and left Shackleton and his crew stranded, they embarked on a harrowing and miraculous voyage to safety.\n* \"Hacker's Handbook\" by Hugo Cornwall (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A guidebook for computer enthusiasts that provides a look at the world of hacking. It covers a range of topics, including telephone and computer hacking, as well as legal implications.\n* \"Cosmos\" by Carl Sagan (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This widely-admired book introduces the universe beyond the Earth. Sagan explores our place in the universe, the history of scientific discovery, and the crucial role of critical thinking in grasping our world and the vast cosmos we are part of.\n* \"Six Pillars of Self-Esteem\" by Nathaniel Branden (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book provides a comprehensive exploration of self-esteem, its importance, its sources, and how to cultivate it. It offers concrete strategies to enhance self-esteem, which Branden argues is a key component of psychological health and personal fulfillment.\n* \"Future Shock\" by Alvin Toffler (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Future Shock examines the psychological and sociological impact of accelerating technological and social change. Toffler introduces the concept of \"future shock\" as a form of psychological disorientation caused by a rapid change in society and advocates for a more measured and conscious approach to future planning.\n* \"The Metropolis and Mental Life\" by Georg Simmel (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This seminal essay analyzes the effects of the urban environment on the individual's mind and social relationships. Simmel argues that the impersonality and money-centered economy of the metropolis lead to individuals feeling more alienated and adopting a defensive, blase attitude towards life.\n* \"The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power\" by Shoshana Zuboff (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book provides an extensive critique of the commodification of personal data by corporations in the digital age. Zuboff explores the rise of surveillance capitalism, where businesses harvest and analyze customer data to predict and influence behaviors.\n* \"Permanent Record\" by Edward Snowden (1 mention)\n    * Summary: In this powerful memoir, whistle-blower Edward Snowden tells his story on why he decided to expose the mass surveillance practices of the U.S. government. Permanent Record opens a broader conversation about free societies, privacy, surveillance, and what makes a country strong.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\" by Alfred Lansing (1 mention)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37960149,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960149",
          "commentText": "* \"On Writing\" by Stephen King (1 mention)\n    * Summary: In his guide to the craft of writing, King masterfully conveys his views on how good writing is cultivated. The book provides personal insights into the author's life while serving as a guide for aspiring writers.\n* \"The Dictionary\" (1 mention, multiple authors)\n    * Summary: A reference book containing an alphabetical list of words in a specific language, providing definitions, pronunciations, etymology, and other details. It is a valuable resource for understanding and accurately using language.\n* \"Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book chronicles Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 1914-1916 survival journey across the Antarctic. Faced with treacherous weather conditions and a lack of provisions, the men battle to stay alive, highlighting the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.\n* \"The Experience of God\" by David Bentley Hart (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A philosophical exploration of the concept of God that goes beyond specific religious doctrines. Hart articulates a vision of ultimate reality that transcends religious, philosophical, and cultural boundaries.\n* \"A Mind for Numbers\" by Barbara Oakley (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book provides practical advice on how to learn effectively in math and science areas, but the techniques are applicable across disciplines. Oakley shares techniques to overcome learning obstacles and improve comprehension and retention.\n* \"A People's History of the US\" by Howard Zinn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers an alternative exploration of American history from the perspective of ordinary people and marginalized groups rather than political leaders, emphasizing class struggles and systemic injustices.\n* \"The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science\" by Isaac Asimov (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive outline of scientific knowledge, covering fields like physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, and earth science. It communicates complex scientific concepts in a way that is accessible to non-specialist readers.\n* \"Das Kapital\" by Karl Marx (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive critique of capitalism highlighting its inherent contradictions and imbalances. Marx diagnoses the capitalist system as one in which the rich get richer at the expense of the working class. The book has been influential in shaping socialist and communist thought.\n* \"You are Not So Smart\" by David McRaney (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book explores various cognitive biases, logical fallacies, and memory missteps that humans commonly succumb to. The author uses humor and personal anecdotes to make neuroscience and psychology accessible, challenging readers to question their perceptions of the world and themselves.\n* \"Blink\" by Malcolm Gladwell (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Gladwell explores the process of quick decision-making, also known as \"thin-slicing.\" The book delves into both the potential accuracy and the pitfalls of making snap judgments. It demonstrates how our subconscious biases often override our better instincts.\n* \"How To Sell at Margins Higher Than Your Competitors\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book offers detailed advice on how to avoid price competition by creating differentiators and adding value, thereby allowing readers to compete on things other than price.\n*  \"The Surrender Experiment\" by Michael Singer (1 mention)\n    * Summary: The book chronicles the author’s journey from solitude into the business world. It explores the idea of surrendering personal preferences to allow life to guide the way, challenging conventional views about control and outcomes.\n* \"How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World\" by Harry Browne (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This self-help book offers a blueprint for finding personal freedom. It encourages readers to embrace their individual sovereignty and to not be inhibited by societal conventions, effectively teaching how to live on one's own terms.\n* \"Happy by Derren Brown\" and \"The Daily Stoic\" (1 mention, authors not specified)\n    * Summary: \"Happy\" provides a perspective on happiness using the principles of stoic philosophy, challenging modern conceptions of happiness. \"The Daily Stoic\" provides a year's worth of philosophical wisdom from ancient stoics, aimed at allowing people to better respond to life's challenges.\n* \"Guns, Germs, and Steel\" by Jared Diamond (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Diamond investigates the geographical and environmental factors that have shaped the modern world. He argues that civilizations have developed differently across the globe due to variances in geography, climate, vegetation, and animal populations, more so than due to traits inherent to different racial or ethnic groups.\n* \"The Gulag Archipelago\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Solzhenitsyn unveils the brutal reality of the Soviet Union’s forced labor camp system. It's an exploration of the human capability for evil when unchecked by moral constraints, shedding light on the mechanisms of a totalitarian regime.\n* \"Ecclesiastes\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A book from the Bible that delves into the purpose of life and the vain pursuit of earthly things. It debates the merits of wisdom, wealth, and pleasure, underscoring the transience and ultimate futility of human endeavors, and urging readers to fear God and keep his commandments.\n* \"Women hold up half the sky\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A collection of personal stories illuminating the oppression and resistance of women in developing countries. The book confronts issues like gender inequality, sexual violence, maternal mortality and economic disparity while highlighting the resilience and strength of ordinary women in overcoming them.\n* \"Spell of the Sensuous\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book offers a radical reinterpretation of our relationship with the natural world. It critiques Western civilization’s estrangement from nature, exploring indigenous cultures and offering a philosophical enquiry into human perception and its relation to the environment.\n* \"Kids and the Amiga\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A guide to using the Amiga computer, aimed at children and early-tweens. It provides a hands-on approach to learning basic computer skills by creating practical programs.\n* \"Hackers\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: The book provides a comprehensive history of hackers, tracing the evolution of hacking culture from the 1950s to the present day. It details the personalities, philosophies, and technical exploits that have defined this diverse and innovative subculture.\n* \"LSD my problem child\" by Albert Hoffmann (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book is the autobiography of Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who first synthesized LSD. It chronicles his discovery, the subsequent fallout, and his personal experiences with the drug.\n* \"Electric cool aid acid test\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book tells the story of novelist Ken Kesey and his band of Merry Pranksters. They embarked on a cross-country bus journey, experimenting with LSD and challenging societal norms, becoming pivotal figures in the psychedelic movement and the counterculture of the 1960s.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\" (1 mention, author not specified)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937266,
          "author": "lasermatts",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:48:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937266",
          "commentText": "Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\nlots of great recommendations already, but this is a relatively quick read and a great story.\nHow To Build A Car\nIf you're into F1 -- or precision engineering -- it's a cool book that gives you insight into a fantastic designer and his approach to producing machines\nI could go on but those are two books I thought about while going about my day today",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\nlots of great recommendations already, but this is a relatively quick read and a great story.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great story and a relatively quick read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a relatively quick read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33851737,
          "author": "tren",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T08:26:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33851737",
          "commentText": "My two favourite books I read this year were both non-fiction:\n* Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage - If you enjoy books about persistence in the face of adversity, this has it in spades. When I was in my 20's I saw the movie \"Touching the Void\" and remember being in total awe at a human's ability to persevere in seemingly impossible situations. Shackleton and his crew bring this power of determination to another level.\n* On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft - Reading this gave me another level of respect for Stephen King. He also pointed me towards another excellent book \"Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage",
          "reason": "Names it as one of the two favorite nonfiction books read that year and describes its focus on persistence.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in persistence in the face of adversity",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25534401,
          "author": "mosiuerbarso",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-25T05:20:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25534401",
          "commentText": "Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage to the Antarctic - Name says it all. Shows what people can endure when pushed to the limits. If the story wasn't true you wouldn't believe it happened. After reading it you'll never moan about being cold or hungry again",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage to the Antarctic - Name says it all. Shows what people can endure when pushed to the limits.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it shows what people can endure when pushed to their limits.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that the story is true.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21802725,
          "author": "nandreev",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T13:06:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21802725",
          "commentText": "The New Geopolitics of Natural Gas (A. Grigas)\nWe (Y. Zamyatin)\nThe Annotated Turing: A Guided Tour Through Alan Turing's Historic Paper (C. Petzold)\nEndurance (A. Lansing)\nEconomics: The User's Guide (H. Chang)\nOblomov (I. Goncharov)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Endurance (A. Lansing)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10787171,
          "author": "wycx",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T04:55:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787171",
          "commentText": "All consumed as audiobooks.\nAmerican Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America - Colin Woodard;\nI learned much about early US history.\nWhere Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman - Jon Krakauer\nFind Me - Laura van den Berg\nStation Eleven - Emily St. John Mandel\nThe Dog Stars - Peter Heller\nEndurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage - Alfred Lansing;\nI was fortunate enough to read this right before Seveneves, so the references made immediate sense. Endurance looks to be popular on this list/this year. How many were inspired by Seveneves?\nSeveneves - Neal Stephenson\nThe Years of Rice and Salt - Kim Stanley Robinson\nCrystal Fire: The Birth of the Information Age - Michael Riordan, Lillian Hoddeson;\nI highly recommend this book. Like The Making of the Atomic Bomb, but for the transistor. Lots of background on John Bardeen, William Shockley and Walter Brattain. I was unaware of the great legacy of John Bardeen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bardeen\nThe Making of the Atomic Bomb - Richard Rhodes;\nIf you have not read this book, read it, just for the summary of discoveries that lead to the atomic bomb.\nAlas, Babylon - Pat Frank\nThe Man Who Ate His Boots: The Tragic History of the Search for the Northwest Passage - Anthony Brandt\nThe Worst Journey in the World - Apsley Cherry-Garrard\nThe Last Viking: The Life of Roald Amundsen - Stephen R. Bown\nI am looking for other books similar to Crystal Fire and The Making of the Atomic Bomb, that cover the history of scientific and technological discoveries. Any recommendations?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage - Alfred Lansing;",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10786609,
          "author": "FatalBaboon",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T01:34:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786609",
          "commentText": "I've been trying to up my game on reading:\n- Founders at Work: Jessica Livingston. Good. Less repetitive than Coders at Work.\n- Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage. Awfuly boring. But I don't care at all about sailing (it was a gift).\n- Terre des Hommmes: Antoine de St Exupéry. Brilliant, the chapter with the 2 girls made me decide to read all his work in 2016.\n- Practical Common Lisp: Peter Siebel. Had to start Lisp!",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage. Awfuly boring. But I don't care at all about sailing (it was a gift).",
          "reason": "The commenter found it awfully boring.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they do not care about sailing and received it as a gift.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10786217,
          "author": "todd8",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T23:11:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786217",
          "commentText": "I just want to add that for a cross country drive, there is no better audio book than \"Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\". The audio version is absolutely gripping; the suspense is incredible, more so because of the strict linearity of the story as audio (no peeking ahead). I also liked \"Into Thin Air\" on audio.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "there is no better audio book than \"Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\". The audio version is absolutely gripping; the suspense is incredible",
          "reason": "The audiobook is praised as gripping, suspenseful, and an excellent choice for a long drive.",
          "audience": "Listeners taking a cross country drive.",
          "caveat": "Praise specifically concerns the audio version.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785676,
          "author": "neilsharma",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T21:11:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785676",
          "commentText": "\"The Righteous Mind\" - Jonathan Haidt. This book helped me understand conservative thinking, made me less heated in my opinions, and provided a convincing framework for me to understand moral arguments\n\"Emperor of All Maladies\" - Siddhartha Mukherjee. An excellently written history of cancer.\n\"Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\" - Lansing Alfred. A true story of one of the last great explorations man has taken",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "A true story of one of the last great explorations man has taken",
          "reason": "Identifies it as a true story about a major exploration.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785204,
          "author": "kirk21",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T19:47:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785204",
          "commentText": "Best books I have read this year:\n- Shareholder letters of Warren Buffett: http://amzn.to/1OgZVh9\n- Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage: http://amzn.to/1Oh09oz",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's best books read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401367,
          "author": "arethuza",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:14:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401367",
          "commentText": "The Rising Sun: The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire, 1936–1945 (John Toland)\nEndurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage (Alfred Lansing)\nDusty Warriors: Modern Soldiers at War (Richard Holmes)\nNB A book that I read recently that I wasn't expecting to like very much but really enjoyed was \"A Fortunate Life: The Autobiography of Paddy Ashdown\" - to say that he's had an eventful life is a bit of an understatement (Royal Marines, SBS, MI6, politics) - he actually comes across as a politician with strongly held morals - shame I can't vote for him!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage (Alfred Lansing)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7049275,
          "author": "markhelo",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-13T06:37:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 7048683,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best development book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7049275",
          "commentText": "Besides the already good technical book suggestions, I am going a bit off the path here, but these books have made me a better developer.\n\"Endurance\" about Sir Ernest Shackleton's incredible failed expedition to the South Pole has a lot of parallels to any software project. Teaches you about setting a high goal, finding the right team, overcoming failure, being scrappy, and keeping your team together inspite of the odds.\nAnother non-standard book is \"Finding Flow\" by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi which is about psychology of happiness at work or life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Endurance\" about Sir Ernest Shackleton's incredible failed expedition to the South Pole has a lot of parallels to any software project.",
          "reason": "Says the book offers lessons about setting goals, choosing a team, overcoming failure, and keeping a team together.",
          "audience": "Developers interested in applying lessons from an expedition to software projects.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6961211,
          "author": "khrist",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-24T21:35:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 6921805,
          "threadTitle": "What book has inspired you the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6961211",
          "commentText": "I was inspired most by Ernest Shackleton's biography \"Endurance\" by Alfred Lansing. Finished it one night and remember moment of it.  Now whenever I face a difficult circumstance in my life, I just try to remember some situations from that book and my problems look so insignificant.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I was inspired most by Ernest Shackleton's biography \"Endurance\" by Alfred Lansing.",
          "reason": "Says the biography inspired them and that recalling its situations helps put their own problems in perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5401976,
          "author": "Nightrider",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-19T16:45:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 5401749,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What interesting books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5401976",
          "commentText": "Just finished Alfred Lansing's incredible classic Endurance. Highly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just finished Alfred Lansing's incredible classic Endurance. Highly recommended.",
          "reason": "Explicitly calls it an incredible classic and highly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alfred Lansing"
      ],
      "recommenders": 11,
      "threads": 9,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Biography",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "antarctic exploration",
        "survival",
        "polar exploration",
        "ernest shackleton"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ghost-in-the-wires-f0566c",
      "title": "Ghost in the Wires",
      "author": "Kevin Mitnick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ghost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17760934,
          "author": "LiamPa",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-14T19:09:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17760934",
          "commentText": "+1 has to be the most ‘hackernews’ book I have read / still reading (started yesterday)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 has to be the most ‘hackernews’ book I have read / still reading",
          "reason": "Strongly seconds the recommendation, calling it the most Hacker News-like book they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They had started it the day before and were still reading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17750923,
          "author": "jcsnv",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T15:44:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17750923",
          "commentText": "I recently read Ghost in the Wires by Kevin Mitnick and it was fantastic! He talks about his journey and evasion of the FBI while he was on the run",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recently read Ghost in the Wires by Kevin Mitnick and it was fantastic!",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it fantastic and describes Mitnick's evasion of the FBI.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17749828,
          "author": "thro_awayz_days",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T13:23:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17749828",
          "commentText": "Ghost in the Wires - Kevin Mitnick",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ghost in the Wires - Kevin Mitnick",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for similar novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17749508,
          "author": "amingilani",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T12:25:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17749508",
          "commentText": "Ghost in the Wire by Kevin Mitnick.\nI can't believe no one recommended this. The guy literally evaded the FBI using technology.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ghost in the Wire by Kevin Mitnick.",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to a request for similar books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630321,
          "author": "sexydefinesher",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:11:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630321",
          "commentText": "Robinson Crusoe, swedish translation by May Bylock is probably the book i have read the most since the beginning of elementary school. Very short, can be read in a day.\nGhost In The Wires by Kevin Mitnick is a very interesting book that i recommend too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "is a very interesting book that i recommend too.",
          "reason": "Calls it very interesting and explicitly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630284,
          "author": "stevenj",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:04:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630284",
          "commentText": "SURELY YOU'RE JOKING MR. FEYNMAN BY RICHARD FEYNMAN\n-I loved this book for its humor, everyday practicality, how relatable it felt even without having a background in physics or knowledge about the pranks and experiments he conducted. As well as the book being well-written in the sense that it reads as if you're sitting on the couch with him as he's telling you stories about his life, all with a child-like sense of wonder and enthusiasm about the world.\nTHE $12 MILLION STUFFED SHARK BY DON THOMPSON\n-I'm interested in the high-finance and fine-art worlds and this book discussed how they both go together - money and art - in an informative, quick-paced way.\nTHE BUY SIDE BY TURNEY DUFF\n-For its humor, honesty, and how well written it was in terms of it being a page turner while also providing you with an insightful account about the high-finance industry.\nMOLLY'S GAME BY MOLLY BLOOM\n-It was an entertaining, quick-paced read about the private, high-stakes poker industry with an assortment of participants.\nMONEYBALL, LIAR'S POKER & THE BIG SHORT BY MICHAEL LEWIS\n-I thought they were all entertaining reads, while also being insightful about their respective subjects.\nSTEVE JOBS BY WALTER ISAACSON\n-It was an illuminating read to me.\n- - -\nSeparately, these books are on my list to read if anyone has opinions about them:\n-Ghost in the Wires by Kevin \nMitnick\n-Principles by Ray Dalio\n-A Man For All Markets by Edward Thorp",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Ghost in the Wires by Kevin \nMitnick",
          "reason": "Lists it as a book on their list to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249540,
          "author": "captn3m0",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T12:26:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249540",
          "commentText": "+1 on Ghost in the Wires. You could also try On wings of Eagles, a narrative of a rescue of EDS employees during the Iranian Revolution.\nWikipedia tells me that the genre is called Non-fiction novels.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 on Ghost in the Wires.",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the recommendation in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249530,
          "author": "Fnoord",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T12:22:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249530",
          "commentText": "The correct answer really depends on what you're into, and what kind of person you are. There are a lot of subcategories in fiction (just like there are in non-fiction).\nLord of the Rings is much more than mere fiction. It is possibly interesting from a linguistic PoV as it contains an entirely new language called Quenya developed by Tolkien. It also contains a lot of subjects which are relevant IRL.\nWithout getting further into LOTR I agreed with another poster on Dune and attempted to explain the subjects it touches in another reply to your post.\nProblem with both of these (as well as say GoT) is there are movies made of them.\nYou might also be interested in stories which are based on non-fiction, but are written in a story telling kind of way, greatly adding to suspense. In that category I read the books Ghost in the Wires by Kevin Mitnick and Kingpin by Kevin Poulsen [1]. If you're interested in following a suspenseful hacker story I can recommend them both.\n[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13240924",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I read the books Ghost in the Wires by Kevin Mitnick",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter read, without an evaluation or recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12475769,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T21:12:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12475769",
          "commentText": "Here's the best books I've read in the last year or so:\n>> Computer History & biographies:\nThe New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story, Michael Lewis\nThe Second Coming of Steve Jobs, by Alan Deutschman\nMachines of Loving Grace, by John Markoff\nThe Innovators, by Walter Isaacson\nGhost in the Wires, by Kevin Mitnick\nIdea Man: A Memoir by the Cofounder of Microsoft, by Paul Allen\nCreativity, Inc, by Ed Catmull (reading)\n>> Startups:\nThe Hard Thing About Hard Things, by Ben Horowitz\nThe Founder's Dilemmas, Noam Wasserman\nThe Launch Pad, by Randall Stross\n>> Other books:\nTrilogy: Off to Be the Wizard (series), by Scott Meyer\nSearch Inside Yourself, Chade-Meng Tan\nJoy on Demand, Chade-Meng Tan (reading)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ghost in the Wires, by Kevin Mitnick",
          "reason": "Included in the writer's list of best books read over the past year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9347895,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T14:48:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9347895",
          "commentText": "Here's my usual list of recommendations, the best books I've read in the past 5 years.\nFiction:\n- Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\nIf you know nothing about this book you might naturally hesitate to read \"Harry Potter fanfiction\" and assume that it's dumb/horrbile, but it's not. Just suspend your disbelief and read the first 5-10 chapters. Trust me, it's brilliant, hilarious, and life-changing.\n- Atlas Shrugged\nControversial, I know, a lot of people here hate it for some reason, but it was incredibly influential on me, inspired my passion for entrepreneurship and science and philosophy. Still is one of the best books I am aware of.\nNonfiction:\n- Hackers and Painters by Paul Graham\nAlso a collection of his essays that you can find on github. He is one of the most clever writers I am aware of, but I assume you know that, since you're on HN.\n- \"On Intelligence\" by Jeff Hawkins\nThis book explains in simple terms a very awesome and elegant theory on how mind works. Incredibly fascinating, I've learned a lot from it and it explains a lot of things, and will change the way you think about thinking process.\n- The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins\nEngaging and entertaining explanation of evolution, absolutely fantastic book.\n- The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli.\nDespite the stigma, and people thinking that Machhiavellian = \"evil\", I've found this book extremely clever and wise.\n- Serious Creativity by Edward De Bono\nThe best book on creativity and the process of generating ideas that I'm aware of.\n- Abundance\nThis is a very inspiring and optimistic book about the future of technology.\nEntrepreneurhsip:\n- Start Small, Stay Small\nGuide to creating your first product/business for hackers. It lays out all the basics of entrepreneurship in a very concise and clear ways, my favorite introduction to startups.\n- Rework\nVery wise and intelligent advice about startups, intelligent and witty, must read.\n- Lean Startup\nClassic book on \"lean startup methodology\", very useful.\n- 4-Hour Workweek\nDespite the silly title I think it is a great book and is very much worth reading. Many people here dislike Tim Ferris, but whatever, I think this book is cool.\nAutobiographies:\n- Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman\n- Ghost In The Wires by Kevin Mitnick\n- Catch me if you can by Abagnale\n- iWoz by Steve Wozniak\n- Losing my Virginity by Richard Branson\nAll these are fantastic and very intelligent autobiographies by the very awesome people.\nNow I'm reading \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" and \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies.\"\n\"Rationality\" is great and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. Can't say much about GEB, I've only started reading it, but everyone is saying that it is so great and the best book ever, so I think it's definitely worth checking out.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All these are fantastic and very intelligent autobiographies by the very awesome people.",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of autobiographies the commenter calls fantastic and intelligent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8001335,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T20:54:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8001335",
          "commentText": "> \"Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach\"\nI think it is one of the best books written on any topic ever period.\nIt is kinda advanced but also brilliant, and was a turning point in my decision to master hacking.\n> Now I am reading \"Two Scoops of Django\" and enjoying it A LOT.\nIt's closer to a beginner/intermediate level, and it brings me a lot of joy and excitement about programming.\n> Another one is \"Hackers & Painters\", of course. PG is brilliant, nuff said.\nHis book \"ANSI Common Lisp\" is definitely on the top of my reading list, I've already started and it is great.\n> Just to mention, a little less technical book is \"Ghost In The Wires\" by Kevin Mitnick, a famous hacker.\nI'm listening the audiobook now and it is really inspiring, entertaining and fantastic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it is really inspiring, entertaining and fantastic.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the audiobook inspiring, entertaining, and fantastic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned as an audiobook currently being listened to.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4966710,
          "author": "shanehudson",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T18:45:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4966710",
          "commentText": "Well I didn't read many books this year but absolutely loved 'Ghost in the wires' by Kevin Mitnick.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "absolutely loved 'Ghost in the wires' by Kevin Mitnick.",
          "reason": "Says they absolutely loved it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4787418,
          "author": "timmm",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:19:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787418",
          "commentText": "The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho.\nKing, Warrior, Magician, Lover by Moore and Gillette\nThe lean startup\nPaul Graham how to start a startup\nMark Hyman Ultimate Mind Solution\nTribal Leadership\nWheel of Time\nThink and Grow Rich\nSuperior Man David Deida\nThe Fountain Head\nEckhart Tolle New Earth\n50th Law\nGood to Great\nJed Mckenna\nEarl Nightengale\nLong Walk to Freedom\nOutliers\nGood to Great\nPsycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz (Self-image)\nSeven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey(Being awesome)\nWealth of Nations\nWayne Dyer The Tao\nSystem of the World\nOrigin of Species\nBrave new world\nThank you economy\nCrush it\nBuilt to Last\nWho Moved my Cheese\nStillness Speak Eckhert Tolle\nMastery George Leonard\nSteve Jobs Biography\nThe Last Lecture\nSteve Pavlina Books\nIacocca\nStriking Thoughts Bruce Lee\nCarlos Castaneda\nGhost in the Wires\nRichest Man in Babylon\nWay of the Superior Man\nLosing My Virginity\nThink and Grow Rich\nDelivering Happiness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ghost in the Wires",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kevin Mitnick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 11,
      "threads": 9,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hacking",
        "cybersecurity",
        "cybercrime",
        "social engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "halting-state-0f07a3",
      "title": "Halting State",
      "author": "Charles Stross",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17751574,
          "author": "fencepost",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T17:01:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17751574",
          "commentText": "As others have said, also its sequel Rule 34. It's been a while since I read these, but I don't recall anything in there that jumped out at me as \"you can't get there from here.\"\nThere was originally supposed to be a third novel in this series, but Stross cancelled it[0] after Edward Snowden.\n\"Halting State\" wasn't intended to be predictive when I started writing it in 2006. Trouble is, about the only parts that haven't happened yet are Scottish Independence and the use of actual quantum computers for cracking public key encryption (and there's a big fat question mark over the latter—what else are the NSA up to?).\nI'm throwing in the towel. I probably will write another near-future Scottish police procedural by and by, but it won't be a sequel to the first two except in the loosest sense. The science fictional universe of \"Halting State\" and \"Rule 34\" is teetering on the edge of turning into reality. Meanwhile, the financial crisis of 2007 forced me back to the drawing board for \"Rule 34\"; the Snowden revelations have systematically trashed all my ideas for the third book.\n[0] http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2013/12/psa-why-... (http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2013/12/psa-why-there-wont-be-a-third-.html)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The science fictional universe of \"Halting State\" and \"Rule 34\" is teetering on the edge of turning into reality.",
          "reason": "Discusses its near-future setting and how events have caught up with the fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Stross cancelled the planned third book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10207278,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T04:56:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10207278",
          "commentText": "Neuromancer - William Gibson\nREAMDE- Neal Stephenson\nPattern Recognition / Zero History / Spook Country - William Gibson\nThe Peripheral - William Gibson\nNot exactly the same thing, but I'll also throw in Glasshouse by Charles Stross.  And since we're talking Charles Stross, also add Halting State to the list.\nOh, and VALIS by Philip K. Dick.  Definitely worth a read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "also add Halting State to the list.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056610,
          "author": "mattkevan",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:38:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056610",
          "commentText": "Anything by Alastair Reynolds - his Revelation Space series is great, and House of Suns is a fantastic one-off. He's probably the  closest to Ian Banks in creating galaxy-spanning civilisations across eons of time.\nIan MacDonald is another good one. My favourite of his is The Dervish House, but his others are definitely worth reading.\nCharles Stross is good. Didn't get on with Accelerando, but his Laundry books are a fun mix of HP Lovecraft/Len Deighton/IT Crowd. Halting State and Rule 34 are good explorations of pervasive augmented reality and intelligent algorithms. Also Glasshouse as an exploration of post-singularity society. Never managed to finish a Cory Doctorow book though.\nI found William Gibson's Bigend trilogy a slog, but I really enjoyed The Peripheral - it's a fun read.\nEnders Game and Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card are fantastic, but the remaining books suffer from diminishing returns (with the possible exception of Ender's Shadow). There are a lot of books in the series, but basically, the series finishes wherever you get bored reading it.\nAnything by China Mieville is well worth your time.\nOh, I also really enjoyed Elizabeth Bear's Jacobs Ladder trilogy, set on a generation ship where the inhabitants have forgotten who they are and where they're going.\nFor some older stuff:\nThe Stars my Destination by Alfred Bester – I was surprised at how good it is and how well it stands up. I couldn't believe it was written nearly 50 years ago.\nThe Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein - possibly my favourite of his. I want to start a lunar revolution with a sentient mainframe...\nI'm currently working my way through all the Hugo Award winners, from 1953 up, and there's some real gems there.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Halting State and Rule 34 are good explorations of pervasive augmented reality and intelligent algorithms.",
          "reason": "Calls it a good exploration of augmented reality and intelligent algorithms.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8946127,
          "author": "dwarman",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-26T09:13:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8946127",
          "commentText": "Stand on Zanzibar, Snow Crash, Cryptonomicon, Childhood's End, A Cantilce for St Leibowitz, The Stars My Destination, Midnight At The Well of Souls, Nine Princes in Amber, Halting State, Strnger In A Strange Land, The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Halting State",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8944867,
          "author": "iambot",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-26T00:21:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944867",
          "commentText": "Diamond age: a young ladies illustrated primer. Anathem. Halting state. Accelerando. Rant: an oral biography of buster casey. Enders game. The laundry files.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Halting state.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7304177,
          "author": "turbojerry",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T11:13:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7304177",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed Halting State, and Accelerando, and also the MaddAddam Trilogy by Margaret Atwood as well as Philip K. Dicks works, Valis in particular.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed Halting State",
          "reason": "Says they really enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6899433,
          "author": "h1ccup",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T06:59:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6899433",
          "commentText": "This is my list(Most of these books aren't from 2013):\n1. The Man Who Invented the Computer: The Biography of John Atanasoff by Jane Smiley\n2. Halting State by Charlie Stross\n3. Levels of Life by Julian Barnes\n4. The Particle At The End Of The Universe by Sean Carrol\n5. Churchil Bomb by Graham Farmello\n6. The Science Of Memory by Charles Fernyhough\n7. The Anatomy of Violence: The biological roots of crime by Adrian Raine\n8. The Bet: Paul Ehrlich, Julian Simon, and our gamble over Earth’s future by Paul Sabin\n9. Experiencing Art: In the brain of the beholder by Arthur Shimamura\n10. The Spark: A Mother’s Story of Nurturing Genius by Kristine Barnett",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Halting State by Charlie Stross",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list answering which books were best.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6393499,
          "author": "msh",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-16T14:46:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6393499",
          "commentText": "anything by Charles Stross, the atrocity archive could be a good place to start: humor, computers and cosmic horrors, whats not to like ;)\nAnother would be halting state but time have properly overrun it.\nHe even have a interesting background as a programmer/tech writer/pharmacist, read it here: http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2009/07/how_i_go... (http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2009/07/how_i_got_here_in_the_end_my_n.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another would be halting state",
          "reason": "Listed as another book to try in response to a request for literature.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The phrase “time have properly overrun it” is unclear.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043561,
          "author": "rst",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:30:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043561",
          "commentText": "Vernor Vinge --- A Fire Upon the Deep.  (Also worth seeking out is the hugely influential novella \"True Names\", but you'd probably have to dig it out of a library someplace.)\nNeal Stephenson --- Cryptonomicon.  (Present day setting, but with an SF sensibility; ties into his literally epic Baroque Cycle.)\nCharles Stross --- Halting State.  (Investigation of an MMORPG bank breakin spills out into real-world skulduggery.)\nAnd an oddball that folks here may not have encountered:\nMary Gentle --- Ash, A Secret History.  (Starts off with interleaved narratives of a Joan of Arc figure in a strangely different medieval Europe, and a present-day Ph.D. researcher who's investigating her, and finding out that his sources literally don't say the same thing day to day.  Then it gets... weirder.  Quirky, brilliant, and kind of hard to find in the U.S.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Charles Stross --- Halting State.",
          "reason": "Lists it among suggested science fiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226850,
          "author": "keyist",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:36:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226850",
          "commentText": "Don't miss sivers's great list: http://sivers.org/book\nAs for mine,\nScience Fiction (I like these authors so I'd recommend most of their books -- listing which ones I think are a good 'starter novel' for them):\n  Charles Stross: Halting State\n  Vernor Vinge: A Fire Upon The Deep\n  Iain M. Banks: Culture novels, start with Player of Games\n  David Louis Edelman: Jump 225 Trilogy\n  Daniel Suarez: Daemon and Freedom(tm)\n  John Scalzi: Old Man's War series\n  Dan Simmons: Hyperion\n\nSelf-improvement:\n  The Talent Code\n  Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger\n  Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion\n\nNon-fiction:\n  Amusing Ourselves To Death (highly recommended)\n  The Science of Fear\n  The Black Swan\n  Tokyo Vice\n  Racing The Beam (Atari history, very cool)\n  books by Daniel Pink\n  Guns, Germs, and Steel\n  The Prize by Daniel Yergin\n\nFantasy:\nAnything by Gaiman or China Mieville, pretty much.\nEDIT: links to previews (legally) available online\nCharles Stross's Accelerando (entire book): http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelera... (http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelerando/accelerando-intro.html)\nDavid Louis Edelman's Infoquake (1st 7 chapters): http://www.davidlouisedelman.com/jump225/infoquake/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Charles Stross: Halting State",
          "reason": "Listed as a good starter novel for the author.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 715612,
          "author": "miditim",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-21T02:37:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715612",
          "commentText": "Musicophilia (too much psychiatry, not enuf music)\nb4 that\nAnathem (will read again after a few years)\nb4 that\nHalting State (cool)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Halting State (cool)",
          "reason": "Calls it cool.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 715397,
          "author": "jake_morrison",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-20T22:51:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715397",
          "commentText": "Halting State, by Charles Stross, great for computer geeks",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Halting State, by Charles Stross, great for computer geeks",
          "reason": "Calls it great for computer geeks.",
          "audience": "Computer geeks.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Stross"
      ],
      "recommenders": 11,
      "threads": 9,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Computing",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybercrime",
        "near future",
        "near future thriller",
        "algorithms"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "principles-life-and-work-2a926e",
      "title": "Principles: Life and Work",
      "author": "Ray Dalio",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32936750,
          "author": "littlezhu",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T09:53:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936750",
          "commentText": "The book first comes into my mind is Principles(Ray Dalio). It not only inspires me but also teach me how to shape my mindset, thinking process to achieve what you want in life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book first comes into my mind is Principles(Ray Dalio). It not only inspires me but also teach me how to shape my mindset, thinking process to achieve what you want in life.",
          "reason": "Says it inspires them and helps shape their mindset and thinking toward achieving goals.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25907390,
          "author": "yosefjaved1",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T19:14:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25907390",
          "commentText": ">> Principles by Ray Dalio\n>> The Expanse (novel series) - I was introduced to it several years ago and have been meaning to get to it for awhile. I heard it now has a TV series and the next book in the series is supposed to come out this.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Principles by Ray Dalio",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25555290,
          "author": "Arubis",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-27T23:57:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 25554464,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books for dealing with workplace politics and dishonesty?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25555290",
          "commentText": "Reading this is likely to make being around crappy, toxic office politics feel even worse, without offering a solution if you’re not already in an empowered position. I otherwise strongly recommend it as an excellent read; the first section (“Life Principles”) is relevant for everyone, even if the latter section (“Work Principles”) is pretty heavily weighted towards those with managerial/ownership status or aspirations.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Reading this is likely to make being around crappy, toxic office politics feel even worse, without offering a solution if you’re not already in an empowered position.",
          "reason": "The commenter strongly recommends the book overall and says its first section is relevant to everyone.",
          "audience": "The first section is described as relevant for everyone; the Work Principles section is aimed mainly at people with managerial or ownership status or aspirations.",
          "caveat": "May make toxic office politics feel worse without offering a solution if the reader lacks an empowered position.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25555223,
          "author": "austincheney",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-27T23:46:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 25554464,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books for dealing with workplace politics and dishonesty?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25555223",
          "commentText": "Principles by Ray Dalio",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Principles by Ray Dalio",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467553,
          "author": "tonyhb",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:38:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467553",
          "commentText": "\"Island\" - Aldous Huxley.\n\"Principles\" - Ray Dalio.\n\"On the shortness of life\" - Seneca.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Principles\" - Ray Dalio.",
          "reason": "Lists it as a book reread in response to the question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19896295,
          "author": "LeonB",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T03:43:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19896295",
          "commentText": "“Thinking in Bets” by Annie Duke takes you through a specific model.\n“Principles” by Ray Dalio gives a mesh of models that Ray has learnt or improved.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Principles” by Ray Dalio gives a mesh of models that Ray has learnt or improved.",
          "reason": "Presents a mesh of models the author has learned or improved.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521941,
          "author": "pimmen",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T11:17:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521941",
          "commentText": "0: Ray Dalio, Principles\nI'm halfway through it right now, I like it a lot. It's good for helping me reflect on how I learn through my experience and how I best form habits.\n1: Daniel Yergin, The Quest\nI loved The Prize and will follow it up with Yergin's other book on energy.\n2: Thomas S. Mullaney, The Chinese Typewriter: A History\nI love tech history and in this case I go into it with all these prejudices about how awful it must be for Chinese people to use modern keyboards, without any real knowledge about it. I will keep an open mind and see how culture and tech clashed and what solutions were spawned from this conflict.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm halfway through it right now, I like it a lot. It's good for helping me reflect on how I learn through my experience and how I best form habits.",
          "reason": "Likes it and says it helps with reflecting on learning and habit formation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17049034,
          "author": "DLA",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T17:10:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17049034",
          "commentText": "Totally agree with mountbranch here.\nPrinciples is fantastic. At the same time you may read and think \"sure, common sense\" but then did you think that before you read the item -- probably not. I feel this is a book to keep for a lifetime. Can't wait for Ray's economics book.\nCool animated summary here:\nhttps://www.principles.com/principles-for-success/\nThe Dao of Capital is deeper. The chapter on Conifers (yeah, pine trees) and how they exist with and balance times of trouble versus opportunity is well worth the price of the book.\nAlso, and not least, Nassim Taleb's books: Fooled By Randomness, Black Swan, and Anti-fragile. Poetic, deep, useful, and entertaining. Fantastic. A pleasure to read and listen to in audio while driving/traveling.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Principles is fantastic. At the same time you may read and think \"sure, common sense\" but then did you think that before you read the item -- probably not. I feel this is a book to keep for a lifetime.",
          "reason": "Calls it fantastic and says it is a book to keep for a lifetime.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some ideas may seem like common sense at first.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17048539,
          "author": "gorbachev",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T16:17:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17048539",
          "commentText": "Principles by Ray Dalio.\nI worked, somewhat briefly and largely unsuccessfully, at Bridgewater Associates several years ago and while I strongly disagree with the utopian description of BW as a bastion of egoless radical transparency and all the great things that are supposed to come out of that sort of an environment, the book and the principles behind it are really enlightening. I do honestly think if all workplaces operated in the way the book describes there would be more successful companies in the world and happier people working in them.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the book and the principles behind it are really enlightening. I do honestly think if all workplaces operated in the way the book describes there would be more successful companies in the world and happier people working in them.",
          "reason": "Calls the book enlightening and says its workplace principles could lead to more successful companies and happier workers.",
          "audience": "People interested in workplace culture and management.",
          "caveat": "The commenter strongly disagrees with Bridgewater's utopian image as a bastion of radical transparency.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16757055,
          "author": "MarlonPro",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T17:42:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16757055",
          "commentText": "- Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio\n- Tribe of Mentors by Tim Ferriss\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman\n~10 SQL Server/DW/BI books (not just on the desk but scattered everywhere)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16351889,
          "author": "tzhenghao",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T09:11:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16351889",
          "commentText": "Principles by Ray Dalio\nThis is a good start for crafting better mental models and thought frameworks before engaging others in meetings.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is a good start for crafting better mental models and thought frameworks before engaging others in meetings.",
          "reason": "Calls it a good starting point for developing mental models and frameworks for meetings.",
          "audience": "People preparing to engage others in meetings.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15631399,
          "author": "borroka",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T20:33:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15631399",
          "commentText": "I have read \"Principles\". Good ideas in the first 2 chapters, but I got tired of the relentless, religious-like search for improvement no matter the psychological cost, the weirdness, and, ultimately, the boredom.\nHe reminded me of a former housemate who was constantly searching for the deep truth when he was talking to his girlfriends. Don't be that weirdo.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I have read \"Principles\". Good ideas in the first 2 chapters, but I got tired of the relentless, religious-like search for improvement no matter the psychological cost, the weirdness, and, ultimately, the boredom.",
          "reason": "Finds some early ideas good but criticizes the relentless improvement focus and later boredom.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Positive assessment is limited to the first two chapters.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11238596,
          "author": "Gabriel_h",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-07T12:55:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11238596",
          "commentText": "Principles by Ray Dalio. My interpretation is that this book shows 'how to get what you want'.\nThat sounds so far up the chain of abstraction and generality, that it’s easy to dismiss the book. Don’t! The book is impressive partially because it manages to distill useful truths which are applicable at such a general level.\nIt's written by Ray Dalio, who is undoubtedly extraordinarily intelligent and remarkably determined to self-improve. He is the founder of the hedge fund Bridgewater Associates and consequently the 69th richest person in the world in 2015.\nThe firm itself is noted for it’s unique company culture. He believes that people can only improve through feedback and that there are strong social conventions and cognitive barriers which prevent people receiving the feedback they need. At Bridgewater, every meeting is recorded and broadcasted to the company. At any level in the company, if someone is being considered for a promotion, they will be invited for a discussion. Senior executives will discuss, in front of the candidate, the merits of whether to promote them or not.\nThe book contains elegant, simple, yet crucially important truths. They seem obvious at first sight, but he fleshes them out in such a way that you realise you don't really act consistently with those truths, even if you perhaps trick yourself into believing that you do. Through reading the book, you can internalise some of his approaches in understanding the world.\nIt’s a book which altered my way of thinking about the world in a profound way.\nPDF link here: http://www.bwater.com/Uploads/FileManager/Principles/Bridgew... (http://www.bwater.com/Uploads/FileManager/Principles/Bridgewater-Associates-Ray-Dalio-Principles.pdf)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Principles by Ray Dalio. My interpretation is that this book shows 'how to get what you want'.",
          "reason": "Calls it impressive and praises its useful truths and effect on the reader's thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ray Dalio"
      ],
      "recommenders": 11,
      "threads": 9,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "management",
        "decision making",
        "mental models",
        "personal principles"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "roadside-picnic-c610cd",
      "title": "Roadside Picnic",
      "author": "Arkady and Boris Strugatsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49904487,
          "author": "dv35z",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T04:53:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49904487",
          "commentText": "I just read\n(1) Roadside Picnic (the book which \"Stalker\" game is based from).\nThis was a page-turner! Fascinated by the science artifacts & effects (like gravitational glitches, frozen black sparks, etc)\n(2) \"Childhood's End\" by Arthur C Clarke (who wrote 2001 Space Odyssey)\nThe sheer time scale of the story is impressive, and the technology is so interesting - especially for 1950s! There are some interesting time effects too (like an unborn child telepathically channeling information to a conversation in the past!)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Roadside Picnic",
          "reason": "Calls it a page-turner and says its science artifacts and effects fascinated them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42508361,
          "author": "Potatoe_Girl",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T11:53:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42508361",
          "commentText": "i reread roadside picnic, and started reading it in russian and it is arguably my favourite book ever.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "i reread roadside picnic",
          "reason": "Says they reread it and call it arguably their favorite book ever.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42269201,
          "author": "sandy_coyote",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:59:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42269201",
          "commentText": "I caught up with some science fiction this year.\nThe Murderbot diaries books by Martha Wells - 6/10. Mixed on these. They're fun to read. The setting is cool and the worldbuilding is shallow but effective (i.e., don't read it if you want game of thrones in space). Each novella takes an afternoon to read. I think \"snarky violent droid\" is overcooked these days and lost interest after book 5.\nLight by M. John Harrison - 7/10 excellent prose; great multiple-storyline plot; the journey was better than the destination, but it kept me thinking\nFar from the Light of Heaven by Tade Thompson - 7/10 Fun. If \"near future Nigerian/British post-colonial frontier action with guns, robots, and psychic aliens\" sounds cool to you, check it out. I liked his Rosewater Trilogy just as much.\nBlindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts - tough to rate these. brilliant ideas, VERY challenging plots. I wish I didn't get so confused by the end of each book.\nProject Hail Mary by Andy Weir - 6/10 - this and the Martian read like blog posts pasted together. The grand dilemma is spelled out on page one and never gets any deeper. Pro: the plot is in your face on every page and you will never be confused when reading; Con - there is zero internal character development. Read if you like stories driven by applied science, not comparative moral decision-making.\nThe City and the City by China Miéville - 9/10 - you will invariably see something like \"Kafka meets [some affected crime novelist] to describe this book, and that ain't wrong. Kind of SF, kind of fantasy.\nRailsea by China Miéville - 8/10 - great good vs evil YA SF about, well, imagine if trains were like boats. Good character writing, tight plot.\nThe Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi - 8/10 - loved this. More \"realist\" near-future fabulism than Gibson, but if you love cyberpunk, read this.\nThe Shipbreaker Triology by Paolo Bacigalupi - 6/10 - near-future YA science fiction with a lot of blood and guns. Pretty good stories.\nRoadside Picnic by the Strugatsky brothers - 9/10 - reread. I had to go back. This gets a near perfect score because of its style, setting, and plot.\nThe Sprawl Trilogy (Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive) by William Gibson - 9/10 - I had read Neuromancer 3 times but never the next two. I was pleasantly surprised to find the second and third novel easier to read* but just as enjoyable as Neuromancer.\nThe Bridge trilogy by William Gibson - 8/10 so far. I am in the second book. Can't believe I slept on these for the last couple decades.\nnon-SF:\nOur Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981-1991 by Michael Azerrad - 9/10 - if you like punk/hardcore from the 80s, this is a great read.\n* Every time I read Neuromancer, Gibson's literary footguns --holograms, false memories, hallucinations, and drug-addled unreality--make me feel crazy for not being able to follow the plot at times. I'm okay with believing that was the intended effect.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Roadside Picnic by the Strugatsky brothers - 9/10 - reread.",
          "reason": "Gives it a near-perfect score for its style, setting, and plot.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36083958,
          "author": "code_Whisperer",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-26T13:38:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36083958",
          "commentText": "Easily these (so far):\nThis is How You Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (actually now one of my all-time favorites, without regard to genre. Just amazing)\nChildren of Time - Adrian Tchaikovsky\nThe Book of Strange New Things - Michael Faber\nTed Chiang's short story collections (Exhalations and Stories of your life and others)\nDaemon - Daniel Suarez\nThe City and the City - China Miéville\nRoadside Picnic - Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (this one still haunts my dreams at times)\nWe Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse Book 1) - Dennis Taylor (just finished this series for book club)\nGalatea 2.2, The Overstory, Bewilderment, The Gold Bug Variations - 4 different books, all by Richard Powers - what can I say, the man is a genius and a treasure\nEifelheim - Michael Flynn - ok, this book can be a slog at times, but it is very rewarding for those who persevere, and has stuck in my brain for many years\nChocky - John Wyndham - A quiet, delightful surprise\nProvidence - Max Barry - This book flows like a movie. It will make a great movie. I found myself LITERALLY out of breath a couple of times\nHench: A Novel - Natalie Zina Walschots - Quirky, memorable\nThe Peacemaker's Code - Deepak Malhotra - Why hasn't this guy written more sci-fi?\nOrange World and Other Stories - Karen Russell - OK, maybe not strictly sci-fi, but this book tickles my brain\nGUILTY PLEASURE SCI-FI FAVORITE: The Vaz series by Laurence Dahners. I think I've read that series 3 times now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Roadside Picnic - Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (this one still haunts my dreams at times)",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite; the commenter says it still haunts their dreams.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36022706,
          "author": "baruchel",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T16:52:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36022706",
          "commentText": "Many great books are already enumerated here.\nIf I am not wrong, nobody mentioned Roadside picnic yet.\nAlso liked Memoirs Found in a Bathtub by S. Lem.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "nobody mentioned Roadside picnic yet.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they liked it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32937499,
          "author": "mvonballmo",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T11:38:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937499",
          "commentText": "Ah, the Strugatskys! Absolutely highly recommended. That was my favorite book of theirs as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Absolutely highly recommended. That was my favorite book of theirs as well.",
          "reason": "The commenter highly recommends the Strugatsky book discussed in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936228,
          "author": "pjc50",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T08:33:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936228",
          "commentText": "I'd not heard of The Invincible, but Solaris had a transformative effect on me and you've convinced me to read the first two items on your list. Didn't Roadside Picnic become Tarkovsky's Stalker?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Didn't Roadside Picnic become Tarkovsky's Stalker?",
          "reason": "The commenter asks whether this book was adapted as Tarkovsky's Stalker.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936036,
          "author": "przefur",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T08:04:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936036",
          "commentText": "If I were to choose three fiction, those would make the cut.\nFiction:\nThe Invincible by Stanislaw Lem - It shed light on me in regards to microelectronics, swarm intelligence. Nothing ever eased my learning curve more for genetic algorithms like this short novel! It is also a good read in general. It also taught me that the difference in scientific vs force vs emotional approach to unknown. Would recommend as a springboard from a day-to-day acitivities.\nRoadside Picnic by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky - a Soviet sf classic, I've read it 3x already. It tells a story about a closed zone where 'aliens' left their artifcats, and how that changed people around them.\nEnder's Game - I don't think there is an explanation needed. It is a total classic. It helps a lot to understand outsiders, not just aliens but a humans too.\nAll of the above are either hard or soft sf.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Roadside Picnic by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky",
          "reason": "The commenter describes its story about a closed zone and the effects of alien artifacts on people.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22724835,
          "author": "foobiekr",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T02:58:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22724835",
          "commentText": "Roadside Picnic.  The third part, where the main character has grown old and his young practical cynicism has turned into cynicism by habit, and is upturned, really got to me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Roadside Picnic. The third part, where the main character has grown old and his young practical cynicism has turned into cynicism by habit, and is upturned, really got to me.",
          "reason": "The commenter says a passage in the book really got to them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22098007,
          "author": "baruchel",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T11:04:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22098007",
          "commentText": "Looking at the \"Best Sellers Rank\" of some famous website in order to figure out if some of my ideas are actually forgotten or not... This helped discarding some books (like \"Roadside Picnic\" or \"Memoirs Found in a Bathtub\"). While not absolutely unknown, I would still suggest: \"The Rediscovery of Man\" by Cordwainer Smith.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "some books (like \"Roadside Picnic\"",
          "reason": "Named as a book the commenter considered but discarded while judging whether books were forgotten.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they discarded it from consideration.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536861,
          "author": "HoppyHaus",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T20:22:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536861",
          "commentText": "Although very loosely Sci-Fi, there is the Russian classic of Roadside Picnic. One of my favorite books, and spawned some amazing derivative works down the line.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "there is the Russian classic of Roadside Picnic. One of my favorite books, and spawned some amazing derivative works down the line.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of their favorite books and praises its influence.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Only loosely science fiction, according to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12246555,
          "author": "NTripleOne",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T10:07:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12246555",
          "commentText": "I'm not a big reader (Last book I read was back in 2010~?), but I think my favourite was Arkady and Boris Strugatsky's Roadside Picnic. Big fan of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series as well as the film, so it only made sense that I read the book that it was all based on.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "so it only made sense that I read the book that it was all based on.",
          "reason": "The commenter read it because it inspired the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series and film.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter gives no evaluation of the book itself.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10176218,
          "author": "sshine",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T22:16:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10176218",
          "commentText": "Just finished:\n— Roadside Picnic, by the Strugatsky brothers. The very thematic Soviet sci-fi behind STALKER.\n— The Cyberiad, by Stanislaw Lem. A brilliant collection of short stories on language, philosophy, futurism.\nCurrently:\n— Nexus, by Ramez Naam (book 1 of 3). Nanobots meet augmented reality, transhumanism. Good.\n— Breakfast of Champions, by Kurt Vonnegut. Hilarious stuff.\n— Poe's collected works.\nNext:\n— The Three-Body Problem, by Cixin Liu. I have my hopes high.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The very thematic Soviet sci-fi behind STALKER.",
          "reason": "Described as thematic Soviet science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4027336,
          "author": "peterwiese",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-26T14:24:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4027336",
          "commentText": "The Strangest Man - Graham Farmelo\nA biography of Paul Dirac. Very good.\n---------------\nThe Fabric of the Universe - David Deutsch\nWhat picture can we paint of the universe if we take together the best theories we have about fundamental things like time, life, virtual reality, cosmology etc. Easily the best book i've read in recent years.\nConsider that Deutsch is a very distinguished scientist in the field of quantum cryptography/computing. He is really good at explaining things in terms that non-physicists and experts alike can learn a lot!\n---------------\nRoadside Picnic - Strugatzky\nSoviet Science Fiction book about the first and only visit\nof earth by aliens. The approach is very unusual since there is never any direct contact between humans and the extra\nterrestrial intelligence. The book is more like a study of human society and how it could develop if suddenly there was some extremely advanced technology available to us which we are too primitive to understand/control.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Roadside Picnic - Strugatzky\nSoviet Science Fiction book",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for a great book read recently; described as unusual and focused on human society and advanced technology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arkady Strugatsky",
        "Boris Strugatsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 11,
      "threads": 9,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "soviet science fiction",
        "first contact",
        "alien artifacts",
        "alien contact"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-tao-of-pooh-074ae3",
      "title": "The Tao of Pooh",
      "author": "Benjamin Hoff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43616560,
          "author": "eskatonic",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T22:17:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43616560",
          "commentText": "I feel the same way.  \"The Tao of Pooh\" is a book I come back to a lot.\n\"The Te of Piglet\"... is not.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Tao of Pooh\" is a book I come back to a lot.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43612544,
          "author": "mikestew",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T15:21:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43612544",
          "commentText": "The Tao of Pooh is awesome.\n(But holy crap, avoid the follow-up title, it redefines “off-the-rails” in comparison to the first book.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Tao of Pooh is awesome.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it awesome.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34161496,
          "author": "psithurism",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T14:53:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161496",
          "commentText": "Sociology:\n- The Coddling of the American Mind\n- The Tao of Pooh\n- Guns, Germs, and Steel\n- Weapons of the Weak\nReligious:\n- Guru Granth Sahib\n- Bible (King James Version)\n- Q’uran\n- The Book of Mormon \n- Tipitaka\nFantasy:\n- Dawn of Wonder by Jonathan Renshaw\n- The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan \n- The Way of Kings series by Brandon Sanderson\n- Mistborn also by Brandon Sanderson\n- Red Rising by Pierce Brown\n- The Licanius trilogy by James Islington\n- Saga of the Forgotten Warrior series by Larry Correia\nBiography\n- John Adams by David McCullough",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The Tao of Pooh",
          "reason": "Listed under sociology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936339,
          "author": "dreadnip",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T08:49:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936339",
          "commentText": "The Dharma Bums - Jack Kerouac\nThe Tao of Pooh - Benjamin Hoff\nBoth offer a fictitious and simplistic introduction to eastern philosophy. Growing up as an atheist in Western Europe, I never realized just how deep the influence of religion on our culture, traditions and history was. These books gave me a playful look at Buddhism and Taoism, right when I needed it. Shifted my entire worldview.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Tao of Pooh - Benjamin Hoff",
          "reason": "The commenter says it offers a playful introduction to Eastern philosophy and shifted their worldview.",
          "audience": "The commenter describes reading it while growing up as an atheist in Western Europe.",
          "caveat": "The commenter characterizes the introduction as fictitious and simplistic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30737388,
          "author": "shaggie76",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T20:37:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30737388",
          "commentText": "The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff is a delightful introduction into Taoism that opened my mind to eastern philosophy as a young adult.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff is a delightful introduction into Taoism",
          "reason": "The commenter says it opened their mind to Eastern philosophy.",
          "audience": "Young adults interested in an introduction to Taoism.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24602953,
          "author": "jarbus",
          "createdAt": "2020-09-26T23:28:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 24582669,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24602953",
          "commentText": "Very big fan of Alan Watts, but never heard of Thompson. Especially a fan of the Tao of Pooh rec. Looking more for programming novels, such as ways to write better, faster, and cleaner code.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Especially a fan of the Tao of Pooh rec.",
          "reason": "Says they are especially a fan of the book recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24590977,
          "author": "jessehorne",
          "createdAt": "2020-09-25T15:41:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 24582669,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24590977",
          "commentText": "Some interesting books...\n1. What would Machiavelli do\n2. The Tao of Pooh\n3. The Conquest of Bread\nOn programming or engineering?\n1. Pragmatic Programmer\n2. Mr. Neighborlys Humble Little Ruby Book\n3. Programming in Lua\nI feel put on the spot. I thought there would be more but I can't think of any at the moment.\nIf you ever make a post asking for YouTube video suggestions, I'll definitely be able to comment on that much better. There's some really helpful videos out there, featuring Alan Watts and George Thompson that have helped me tremendously when dealing with the day to day engineering stress.\nI find that I'm learning less about programming lately and more about dealing with the anxiety. That has always been the biggest road blocker for me, anyways. It's easy to find the motivation to sit down and read a book or write a piece of code... It's hard to always enjoy doing it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Tao of Pooh",
          "reason": "Listed among interesting book suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23858789,
          "author": "seneca",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:35:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858789",
          "commentText": "I have nearly as many answers to this questions as books I have read. Even fiction helps you to understand another perspective, which I think is really one of the great things about reading.\nOne of the earliest books that gave me a good leap in understanding is the Tao of Pooh. As a preteen, it was my first real taste of philosophy outside of Christianity, and it was something radically different.\nAs far as impact, probably Epictetus' Enchiridion. It's literally a manual on how to live a good life. It's uncommonly practical advice and started a love for his school of philosophy that still hasn't faded.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One of the earliest books that gave me a good leap in understanding is the Tao of Pooh.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was an early source of understanding and a first taste of philosophy outside Christianity.",
          "audience": "The commenter describes reading it as a preteen.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17169741,
          "author": "mm321",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T23:27:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17169741",
          "commentText": "Don't know about changing my life, but these books changed the way i look at things:\nThe Tao of Pooh: Benjamin Hoff\nSlaughterhouse-Five, or The Children's Crusade by Kurt Vonnegut\nTI 99/4a basic reference manual\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, by Abelson, Sussman\nObject Oriented Analysis and Design by Grady Booch\nDarkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler\nThieves in the Night by Arthur Koestler\nAll the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren\nThe Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck\nThe Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.\nWar and Peace by L.N.Tolstoy\nChapaev and the void by Pelevin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Tao of Pooh: Benjamin Hoff",
          "reason": "Listed among books that changed how the commenter looks at things.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10789212,
          "author": "andrei_says_",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T18:56:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10789212",
          "commentText": "Impro! Is incredible.\nIf you liked the Tao of Pooh, you may enjoy The Te of Piglet",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "If you liked the Tao of Pooh, you may enjoy The Te of Piglet",
          "reason": "Uses it as the basis for a conditional suggestion of a related book.",
          "audience": "Readers who liked The Tao of Pooh.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785476,
          "author": "ThrustVectoring",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:31:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785476",
          "commentText": "Books I'm glad I've read:\nThe Inner Game of Tennis\nImpro by Keith Johnstone\nSeeing Like a State\nThe Timeless Way of Building\nLinear and Geometric Algebra by Alan Macdonald\nMeditations by Marcus Aurelius (read this one thrice)\nThe Tao of Pooh\nScience, Strategy and War: The Strategic Theory of John Boyd\nThe Drama of the Gifted Child\nInteraction Ritual\nWhat Do You Say After You Say Hello?\nOf niche use:\nMathematics: its Content, Methods and Meaning - mostly useful for figuring out what math you don't know. I recommend reading it at a fairly decent pace, and noting what subjects don't sound like an overview of something you've already learned.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Tao of Pooh",
          "reason": "Included under “Books I'm glad I've read.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971249,
          "author": "mort",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T08:40:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971249",
          "commentText": "The Tao of Pooh\nthe timeless lessons of the Toa Te Ching in a very accessible presentation",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Tao of Pooh\nthe timeless lessons of the Toa Te Ching in a very accessible presentation",
          "reason": "Named as the book they would give their younger self and described as an accessible presentation of Taoist lessons.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Benjamin Hoff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 11,
      "threads": 9,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "taoism",
        "winnie the pooh",
        "eastern philosophy",
        "introductory philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "algorithms-to-live-by-the-computer-science-of-human-decisions-8d7b5e",
      "title": "Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions",
      "author": "Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43187100,
          "author": "mindcrash",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-26T19:17:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 43084739,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction/non-fiction book should everyone read on the topic of CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43187100",
          "commentText": "Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software by Charles Petzold\nhttps://codehiddenlanguage.com/\nAlgorithms to Live by: The Computer Science of Human Decisions by Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths\nMythical Man Month by Frederick Brooks",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Algorithms to Live by: The Computer Science of Human Decisions by Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40279007,
          "author": "ldehaan",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-06T20:17:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40279007",
          "commentText": "The Coming of Neo-Feudalism - Joel Kotkin (its a brainful)\nAlgorithns to live by - Brian Christian\nThinking Fast and Slow - Daniel khaneman\nThe Machiavellians: Defenders of Freedom - James Burnham",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Algorithns to live by - Brian Christian",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39249427,
          "author": "stelman3",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T11:27:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249427",
          "commentText": "Algorithms to live by. It has very good insights and I think I'll be revisiting it when making big life decisions",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It has very good insights and I think I'll be revisiting it when making big life decisions",
          "reason": "The commenter values its insights and expects to revisit it for major life decisions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33832718,
          "author": "samuell",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-02T16:32:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33832718",
          "commentText": "This one is really good.\nI think the title is a bit misleading though, possibly putting some people off unneccessarily.\nI found it is more about \"Algorithms that govern the Universe\" than some kind of recommendations for how to live.\nWith that title, I would have read it much sooner as well.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "This one is really good.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book and says it is about algorithms that govern the universe.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The title is misleading and may put people off.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33803569,
          "author": "yboris",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T16:57:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33803569",
          "commentText": "A great general one that HN folks should enjoy:\nAlgorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions by Brian Christian & Tom Griffiths\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Algorithms-Live-Computer-Science-Deci... (https://www.amazon.com/Algorithms-Live-Computer-Science-Decisions/dp/1627790365)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A great general one that HN folks should enjoy: Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions by Brian Christian & Tom Griffiths",
          "reason": "Recommended as a general book that Hacker News readers should enjoy.",
          "audience": "Hacker News readers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27889701,
          "author": "valbaca",
          "createdAt": "2021-07-20T03:12:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 27879593,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27889701",
          "commentText": "\"Algorithms to Live By\"\n\"The Phoenix Project\" / \"The Unicorn Project\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Algorithms to Live By\"",
          "reason": "Listed as a recommendation in response to the request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27886591,
          "author": "MathCodeLove",
          "createdAt": "2021-07-19T19:49:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 27879593,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27886591",
          "commentText": "I loved \"Algorithms to Live By\" by Brian Christian and tom Griffiths. It's not quite as focused on the technical side of things as the books you listed, but I still enjoyed it quite a bit.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I loved \"Algorithms to Live By\" by Brian Christian and tom Griffiths.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they loved the book and enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Less focused on the technical side than the books listed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21854167,
          "author": "dundercoder",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-22T00:08:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21854167",
          "commentText": "2nded. Amazing and engaging book",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2nded. Amazing and engaging book",
          "reason": "Seconds the recommendation and calls it amazing and engaging.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21852980,
          "author": "prab97",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T19:46:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21852980",
          "commentText": "\"Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions\" by Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths is an interesting listen on Audible. Surprised that nobody has mentioned it here yet.\nIt is a perfect candidate for an audiobook because of lack of code snippets and formulae.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions\" by Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths is an interesting listen on Audible.",
          "reason": "Calls it an interesting listen and says it suits audiobook format.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The audiobook works well because it lacks code snippets and formulae.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15965699,
          "author": "tranvu",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T23:56:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15965699",
          "commentText": "- The Road to Character (David Brooks)\n- Code (Charles Petzold)\n- Soft Skills: The Software Developer's Life Manual (John Z. Sonmez)\n- Zero Bugs and Program Faster (Kate Thompson)\n- Daemon (Daniel Suarez)\n- Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions (Brian Christian)\n- How to Talk to Anyone: 92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships (Leil Lowndes)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions (Brian Christian)",
          "reason": "Listed as a book read in response to a question asking which books the commenter would recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13410334,
          "author": "reckoner2",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T15:06:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13410334",
          "commentText": "Just a head's up: for someone well versed in computer science the first two thirds of this book can be pretty dull. The majority of the time is spent explaining first year CS topics in layman's terms. After that it picked up a bit with, for example, showing how randomized algorithms can apply to types of decision making in real life.\nI still think it is better suited for those with little to no CS knowledge.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "for someone well versed in computer science the first two thirds of this book can be pretty dull",
          "reason": "Calls it dull for experienced computer science readers and says it is better suited to readers with little or no CS knowledge.",
          "audience": "Readers with little to no computer science knowledge.",
          "caveat": "The first two thirds may be dull for readers well versed in computer science.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13410204,
          "author": "jonmb",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T14:43:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13410204",
          "commentText": "Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions\nAn interesting mix of computer science and psychology. Just started on this one recently. Highly recommended by a colleague. Seems great so far.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions\nAn interesting mix of computer science and psychology. Just started on this one recently. Highly recommended by a colleague. Seems great so far.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds its mix interesting and says it seems great so far; a colleague highly recommended it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has only just started reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Christian",
        "Tom Griffiths"
      ],
      "recommenders": 11,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Psychology",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "decision making",
        "algorithms",
        "everyday algorithms"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "liar-s-poker-874394",
      "title": "Liar's Poker",
      "author": "Michael Lewis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26323717,
          "author": "sokoloff",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-03T01:49:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 26321793,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books made you the most money?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26323717",
          "commentText": "Liar's Poker. It spurred my interest in investing topics, which made me take the phone call from a D. E. Shaw & Co. recruiter, which gave 25 year-old me's income a step-function up and an increase in the slope over time.\nIt's also an amazingly enjoyable and engaging read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Liar's Poker. It spurred my interest in investing topics, which made me take the phone call from a D. E. Shaw & Co. recruiter, which gave 25 year-old me's income a step-function up and an increase in the slope over time.\nIt's also an amazingly enjoyable and engaging read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it sparked their investing interest and led indirectly to a career opportunity; they also found it enjoyable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25319698,
          "author": "ghufran_syed",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-06T00:13:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319698",
          "commentText": "I made a career change into sales and trading for a while, then went back into full-time medicine - finance is a really interesting subject, but the proportion of assholes in sales and trading is much higher than in software, medicine, or most corporate jobs (all of which of course have some proportion of assholes).\nThat's not to say that people in that industry can't be charming - they totally can be, but they will also do whatever it takes to boost up their reputation (and therefore their annual bonus) at your expense. \"Liar's poker\" is a pretty accurate description of the culture, but it's much worse when you have to deal with it every day.\nMy experience was on the sell-side, things may be different on the buy-side. Feel free to message me if you want to chat.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Liar's poker\" is a pretty accurate description of the culture",
          "reason": "Used as a comparison to describe the culture of sales and trading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Refers to the book as a description of the culture, while qualifying that daily experience is worse.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25319088,
          "author": "fluxic",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T22:36:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319088",
          "commentText": "Editing: Editor of Genius by A. Scott Berg\n>>> Max Perkins was the editor of Hemingway, Thomas Wolfe, F Scott Fitzgerald, and other famous 20th century writers. Great, great, book.\nBartending: Cosmopolitan by Toby Cecchini\n>>> Very well-written memoir of a bartender in New York in the late 1980s. He invented the Cosmo in NYC while working at the Odeon — on a lark, without thinking much of it. The drink took off, but I think he's still a working bartender in NYC.\nCooking: Kitchen Confidential by Bourdain\nPainting: Interviews with Francis Bacon by David Sylvester\nMusic: Meet me in the Bathroom by Lizzy Goodman\nTech: Chaos Monkeys by AGM\nAnd seconding swyx's recommendations for all things Michael Lewis, who can spin a good yarn about any profession — whether it's baseball managers, junk bond salesmen, or high frequency traders, etc.\nI've also picked up lots of good recommendations from this thread https://ask.metafilter.com/243036/Recommend-a-nonfiction-aut... (https://ask.metafilter.com/243036/Recommend-a-nonfiction-author-who-has-a-style-like-Anthony-Bourdain) (I, too, like \"insidery\" type business books. I'm currently reading \"The Emperor of Scent\" about the world of perfume and it's pretty good! Also looking forward to reading \"Ninety Percent of Everything\" about the shipping industry.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "all things Michael Lewis, who can spin a good yarn about any profession — whether it's baseball managers, junk bond salesmen, or high frequency traders",
          "reason": "The commenter endorses Michael Lewis's books about professions, including this named title in the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25318804,
          "author": "NothingIsReal",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T21:57:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25318804",
          "commentText": "1. How I Raised Myself From Failure to Success in Selling, Bettger\nA good intro to sales, and a very good book on self-development.\n2. When Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management, Lowenstein\nA story about LTCM, one of the early and most notorious \"quant\" hedge funds. A cheeky nod to intellectualism.\n3. Liar's Poker, Lewis\nInvestment banking through a trader's eyes. Yes, the absurdity is only partly dramatized.\n4. Pimp: The Story of My Life, Iceberg Slim\nNo pithy blurb can summarize this; read it if you want a look into human nature.\n5. The Six-Month Fix: Adventures in Rescuing Failing Companies, Sutton\nWritten by a friend and a mentor; may he rest. Gives you a sobering account of what really goes behind the scenes of many companies, along with their management.\nApologies; I know this list isn't focused on more humbling professions like the examples you gave.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Liar's Poker, Lewis",
          "reason": "Described as investment banking through a trader's eyes.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in investment banking.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the absurdity is only partly dramatized.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25318778,
          "author": "swyx",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T21:54:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25318778",
          "commentText": "Ex finance guy here - Liar's Poker for 1980s Wall Street, When Genius Failed for 1990s, More Money Than God for 2000s, Flash Boys for 2010s\n- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liar%27s_Poker\n- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_Genius_Failed\n- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/More_Money_Than_God\n- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_Boys\nobviously these do not represent all of finance but its a nice decade-by-decade recap of talking points, i figured i'd try to do it and was surprised how nicely it broke out",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Liar's Poker for 1980s Wall Street",
          "reason": "Presented as a decade-by-decade account of finance, specifically 1980s Wall Street.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in finance and its history.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these books do not represent all of finance.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630284,
          "author": "stevenj",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:04:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630284",
          "commentText": "SURELY YOU'RE JOKING MR. FEYNMAN BY RICHARD FEYNMAN\n-I loved this book for its humor, everyday practicality, how relatable it felt even without having a background in physics or knowledge about the pranks and experiments he conducted. As well as the book being well-written in the sense that it reads as if you're sitting on the couch with him as he's telling you stories about his life, all with a child-like sense of wonder and enthusiasm about the world.\nTHE $12 MILLION STUFFED SHARK BY DON THOMPSON\n-I'm interested in the high-finance and fine-art worlds and this book discussed how they both go together - money and art - in an informative, quick-paced way.\nTHE BUY SIDE BY TURNEY DUFF\n-For its humor, honesty, and how well written it was in terms of it being a page turner while also providing you with an insightful account about the high-finance industry.\nMOLLY'S GAME BY MOLLY BLOOM\n-It was an entertaining, quick-paced read about the private, high-stakes poker industry with an assortment of participants.\nMONEYBALL, LIAR'S POKER & THE BIG SHORT BY MICHAEL LEWIS\n-I thought they were all entertaining reads, while also being insightful about their respective subjects.\nSTEVE JOBS BY WALTER ISAACSON\n-It was an illuminating read to me.\n- - -\nSeparately, these books are on my list to read if anyone has opinions about them:\n-Ghost in the Wires by Kevin \nMitnick\n-Principles by Ray Dalio\n-A Man For All Markets by Edward Thorp",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "MONEYBALL, LIAR'S POKER & THE BIG SHORT BY MICHAEL LEWIS",
          "reason": "Includes it among books the commenter found entertaining and insightful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10787625,
          "author": "aws_ls",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T09:09:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787625",
          "commentText": "1) Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree - Rating 3/5 - Got an idea about the times in receding Muslim powers, at the end of the 15th Century, in Spain -  The author is an historian so positive point is that fiction rooted in history. But some of the fictional narratives could have been better, as he was not a fiction writer when he started out.\n2) Zero to One - Rating 4/5 - Thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. Insights into and anecdotal examples of Paypal mafia, among the numerous over there.\n3) Liar's Poker - Rating 4/5 - The first of several best seller's by Michael Lewis, gives insights into the working of Investment Finance business, and in a very interesting way (lots of humor)\n4) Devotion of Suspect X - Rating 4/5 - Work of fiction by the Japanese best seller author Keigo Higashino. Enjoyable read - contrasts a Physicist and a Mathematician trying to out think each other in a crime context (reference to Maths/Physics are just pop-level so don't expect too much)\n5) 'Digital Gold...' by Nathaniel Popper - Currently reading (very enjoyable at around 41%) - Captures the history of evolution of Bitcoin. Also made me sad for various people for different reasons, e.g. Hal Finney, who was the first adopter of Satoshi Nakamoto's idea. Reading this book made me appreciate why not knowing who is SN is important. I am no longer curious.\n6) Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond - Rating 5/5 - A perspective changing book, if there can be one. Had picked it up from Gates notes' reading list couple years back. After reading this, my entire perspective on religions, politics, culture changed and I view everything from the reference point of when we started to do agriculture some 20,000 years ago, and of course geographical perspective.\nSome others in my to-read list (hope to pick one before the turn of the year):\n1) Emperor of all maladies - book on cancer research\n2) Ashley Vance's book on Elon Musk\n3) 100 years of solitude\n4) The selfish gene\n5) The hard thing about hard things\n6) Or, if I see any other book: either on this page, or on Gates Notes or on HN reading share the other day. Am a big fan of exchanging/sharing reading lists.\nEdit: Formatting. HN post editor needs two new lines ('\\n') to display one\nEdit 2: Had wrongly named book #4 as Salvation of a saint (which is another book, I read earlier by the same author)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rating 4/5 - The first of several best seller's by Michael Lewis, gives insights into the working of Investment Finance business, and in a very interesting way (lots of humor)",
          "reason": "Describes it as interesting and humorous, and says it gives insights into investment finance.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2615880,
          "author": "arethuza",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T11:04:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2615880",
          "commentText": "I've just started listening again to the unabridged Audible version of Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle - I couldn't get into the book form but the audio book version is great.\nLast few Kindle books I've read were:\nSee No Evil by Bob Baer, the experiences of a CIA case officer in the Middle East (which influenced the movie Syriana).\nLiar's Poker by Michael Lewis, about the Big Swinging Dicks of Wall Street.\nDecline and Fall by Chris Mullin, the diaries of one of the more decent members of the former Labour Government here in the UK.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Liar's Poker by Michael Lewis, about the Big Swinging Dicks of Wall Street.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Liar's Poker",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 408020,
          "author": "gruseom",
          "createdAt": "2008-12-23T20:02:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 407067,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Let's start a Hacker News book club",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=408020",
          "commentText": "Those last three are great suggestions (I don't know #1). #2 is a classic, but I've read it a couple of times. #3 I've been meaning to read for years. #4 I'm actually in the middle of right now (I think because tptacek recommended it here) and unlike the vast majority of business books, it's superb. It's also older (pre-internet) which is actually a good thing as it focuses one's attention on fundamentals.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Those last three are great suggestions",
          "reason": "Calls it a great suggestion in response to the list of books the commenter would like to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 407275,
          "author": "jkkramer",
          "createdAt": "2008-12-23T04:26:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 407067,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Let's start a Hacker News book club",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=407275",
          "commentText": "I would be more inclined to do this if the book is non-technical. When you commit to reading a technical book, you're committing yourself to more than just the time spent reading: you're committing yourself to the time spent applying and fully understanding what you read -- installing tools, tinkering with syntax, coding, and so on. I've got enough of that now.\nWith non-technical books (literature, history, quality-of-life), most of the time will be invested into actual reading, with a bit of pondering and maybe discussing. We can have a conversation right away, and there's still knowledge and insight to be gained.\nHere are some non-technical books I'd like to read:\n* How to Read a Book - http://amazon.com/dp/0671212095\n* Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion - http://amazon.com/dp/006124189X\n* Liar's Poker - http://amazon.com/dp/0140143459\n* Growing a Business - http://amazon.com/dp/0671671642",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Liar's Poker",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books the commenter says they would like to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Interest in reading it is not an endorsement.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 138044,
          "author": "falsestprophet",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-16T06:36:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=138044",
          "commentText": "The New New Thing\nFounders at Work\nHackers and Painters\nHow To Get Rich\nCompetitive Strategies\nThe Intelligent Investor (or Security Analysis)\nLiar's Poker",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Liar's Poker",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85974,
          "author": "gensym",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T16:28:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85974",
          "commentText": "The Evolution of Cooperation - Robert Axelrod\nCryptonomicon - Neal Stephenson\nJonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell - Susanna Clark\nInfinite Jest - David Foster Wallace\nThe Informant - Kurt Eichenwald\nThe Visual Display of Quantitative Information - Edward Tufte\nLiar's Poker - Michael Lewis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Liar's Poker - Michael Lewis",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Lewis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 11,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "wall street",
        "financial markets",
        "investment banking",
        "finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ringworld-e43885",
      "title": "Ringworld",
      "author": "Larry Niven",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36021531,
          "author": "baggy_trough",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:51:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021531",
          "commentText": "Hyperion\nRingworld\nTitan",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ringworld",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for science fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17540749,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T12:32:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17540749",
          "commentText": "Isaac Asimov’s Foundation Series is one of my all time favorites.\nLarry Niven’d Ringworld is a close second.\nPhilip K Dick has some great stuff.\nI really enjoyed William Gibson’s Neuromancer and all of his other books.\nI just picked up a 1961 copy of Stanger in a Strange Land but I cannot comment on it yet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Larry Niven’d Ringworld is a close second.",
          "reason": "Ranks Ringworld as a close second among favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17539190,
          "author": "DuskStar",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T06:31:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17539190",
          "commentText": "Wait, HPMOR was lighthearted? That's not quite how I'd describe it. But in the same vein, try Worm [0]: A take on superpowers that tries to include changes to the world it's set in. Highly recommended by the author of HPMOR - \"The characters in Worm use their powers so intelligently I didn’t even notice until something like the 10th volume that the alleged geniuses were behaving like actual geniuses\". Also now has a sequel, Ward [1]. But be warned - \"people who get powers continuing to act like people\" does not a happy world make. (Also, it's really remarkably long. Like, current length of the ASOIAF series long.) Goodreads: [2]\nFollowing a slightly more conventional definition of lighthearted, I think I'd recommend Larry Niven's Ringworld. When it comes to \"moderately plausible megastructures\", the ringworld concept is by far my favorite. Much less complicated than a Dyson Swarm, after all! Story is ok, and the sequels expanded things well enough. Not exactly the biggest fan of his female characters. Still worth it. Triple Crown (Hugo/Nebula/Locus) winner. Goodreads: [3]\n0: https://parahumans.wordpress.com/\n1: https://www.parahumans.net/about/\n2: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18713259-worm\n3: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61179.Ringworld",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I think I'd recommend Larry Niven's Ringworld.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for its megastructure concept, while saying the story is okay.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in plausible megastructures.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is not a fan of Niven's female characters; says the story is okay.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13117537,
          "author": "pavel_lishin",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-06T19:30:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13117537",
          "commentText": "> barely explored\nThat's what I hated about the second half. It's like inverse Ringworld - you know how the world was built, and why, but you don't know much about the inhabitants, and your tour guides aren't very interesting, either.\nI liked the first half - it was interesting to read about them solving problems, even though the problems - and sometimes the solutions - were atrocious.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "It's like inverse Ringworld",
          "reason": "Uses the book as a comparison while criticizing the second half of the discussed work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8613630,
          "author": "db48x",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-16T06:55:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8613630",
          "commentText": "Almost anything by Vernor Vinge. \"A Deepness in the Sky\" in particular is amazing. I was/am particularly impress by how he handles the idea of fundamental limits on the scope of human achievement, and by how he weaves that into the story so that it's there at all levels.\n\"Diaspora\" by Greg Egan has a great story, huge ideas, and probably the most cogent explanation of sentience/sapience ever written.\n\"The Diamond Age, or A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer\" and \"Accelerando\" have already been mentioned.\n\"Reteif!\" Made me laugh out loud. Larry Niven's \"Destiny's Road\" points out the difficulty of interstellar colonization. \"Ringworld\" blew my mind. Gene Wolfe's \"The Book of the New Syn\" taught me to pay attention; \"Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency\" by Douglas Adams reinforced the lesson.\nThere are a lot of good ones; I could go on for ages...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Ringworld\" blew my mind.",
          "reason": "Says it blew their mind.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8106989,
          "author": "cellover",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:32:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106989",
          "commentText": "I like understanding where I am located in space and time, that is why I love reading about science & science fiction ; it is indirectly related to religion in the sense that it makes you think about your world, about yourself.\nBuddhism / Religion / ... :\n- Siddartha - Hermann Hesse\n- The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho\nScience:\n- A brief history of time - Stephen Hawking (space, time)\n- The Blind Watchmaker - Richard Dawkins (evolution)\n- Le cerveau intime - Marc Jeannerod (in french only)\nScience-fiction:\n- The Road - Cormack Mc Carthy\n- City - Clifford D. Simack\n- Time is the simplest thing - Clifford D. Simack\n- Ringworld - Larry Niven",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ringworld - Larry Niven",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043681,
          "author": "bottlerocket",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T21:16:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043681",
          "commentText": "Just wanted to chime in that Dune & Foundation are excellent (and my personal favorite) sci-fi series.\nI really enjoyed Ringworld by Larry Niven as well.And of course, the Hitchhiker's Guide trilogy in 5 parts :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed Ringworld by Larry Niven as well.",
          "reason": "Says they really enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043506,
          "author": "mhd",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:12:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043506",
          "commentText": "Snow Crash is great. Generally I'd recommend some \"classics\", just to see who treaded some ground first, i.e. who gets copied by everyone.\nIsaac Asimov - Foundation (and the rest of the trilogy)\nRobert A. Heinlein - Stranger in a Strange Land / Starship Troopers / The Moon is a Harsh Mistress\nAlfred Bester - The Demolished Man / The Stars My Destination\nJack Vance - The Dying Earth\nPhilip K. Dick - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep / The Man in the High Castle\nLarry Niven - Ringworld\netc. etc.\nA list of Hugo Award winners[1] might come in helpful.\nAnother advantage of having read \"the greats\" is that if some critic says that new author X writes \"in the style of Y\" you have a slightly better idea if you might like it.\nTastes vary, of course. Personally I never got what's supposed to be so great about Ender's Game. Teen Mary Sue geek power fantasy with questionable morals. Then again, lots of people said similar things about Heinlein…\n[1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Award_for_Best_Novel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Larry Niven - Ringworld",
          "reason": "Included in a list of science fiction classics recommended to explore influential works.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring science fiction classics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865228,
          "author": "ww520",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T16:05:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865228",
          "commentText": "If you like Foundation, you might like the Ringworld series by Larry Niven.  Ringworld is a classic.\nRobert Heinlein's books are great.  Some come to mine are The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, Starship Troopers (much better than the movies), Stranger in a Strange Land, Double Stars, and The Puppet Masters.\nUrsula K. Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness is amazing.  The Earthsea series are fun read if you want to get beyond SciFi.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ringworld is a classic.",
          "reason": "Called a classic and suggested for readers who like Foundation.",
          "audience": "Readers who liked Foundation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1864835,
          "author": "CWuestefeld",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T14:16:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1864835",
          "commentText": "RiderOfGiraffes also suggested Snow Crash; both would be excellent choices. I'd add to this Cryptonomicon, which is an interesting story, interesting thematic matter (relevant to software folks, and presented intelligently), and just full of different ways of looking at things (the scene that describes the Hindenburg disaster, or eating Captain Crunch cereal, were both perfectly clear, yet told in ways that took me some time to sync with what they were actually referring to.\nAlso consider most anything from Vernor Vinge. Some of my favorites from him are A Deepness in the Sky, Rainbows End, and A Fire Upon the Deep. Since he's a Comp Sci professor, he handles technology issues (and especially computer-related stuff) very realistically.\nAnd if you're looking back into the classics, consider Larry Niven's \"Known Space\" books, particularly Ringworld.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "particularly Ringworld.",
          "reason": "Specifically highlighted among the Known Space books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140414,
          "author": "noodle",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T01:23:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140414",
          "commentText": "i can't narrow this down to one.  some of these are already named:\nCryptonomicon,\nSnow Crash,\n\"The Last Question\",\nEnder's Game/Shadow,\nDune,\nSlaughterhouse 5,\nRingworld",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ringworld",
          "reason": "Lists it among several choices in response to a request for inspiring science fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86223,
          "author": "icky",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:37:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86223",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- The Time Machine (still holds up very well, and seems strangely eerie and prescient in places)... (H. G. Wells)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Hobbit (and LotR) (Tolkien)\n- Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n- Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties (I picked up Idoru first, so I haven't yet read Virtual Light) (also Gibson)\n- The Difference Engine (Gibson, Sterling)\n- Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n- Cryptonomicon (\" \")\n- Circuit of Heaven, End of Days (Dennis Danvers)\n- All of the \"Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser\" stories and novels. (Fritz Leiber)\n- The Earthsea trilogy (Ursula K. LeGuin)\n- 'salem's Lot (Stephen King)\n- Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein)\n- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)\n- the Coldfire trilogy (C. S. Friedman)\n- various Cory Doctorow short stories\n- Kamikaze L'Amour (Richard Kadrey)\n- Lightpaths (Howard V. Hendrix)\n- A Canticle For Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)\n- Moonwar, Venus (Ben Bova)\n- the Stainless Steel Rat series (Harry Harrison)\n- Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)\n- Ringworld (Larry Niven)\n- Cthon (Piers Anthony) -- Trippiness level approaching Philip Jose Farmer ;-)\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (Douglas Adams)\n- The Black Company (Glen Cook)\n- there's one particularly good post-cyberpunk series that takes place in a world in which Canada emerged as a major world power, but for the life of me I can't rememeber the title.\n- the 1632 series (Eric Flint)... see also S. M. Stirling's Nantucket series (\"Island in the Sea of Time\", et al.), and H. Beam Piper's novel Kalvan of Otherwhen\nNon-fiction:\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (Hume)\n- the surviving words and works of Epicurus, and Diogenes the Cynic\n- Freakonomics (Levitt, Dubner)\n- The Gay Science (Nietzsche)\n- The Jefferson Bible (Christ, Jefferson (ed.))\n- The Devil's Dictionary (Bierce)\n- Brain Droppings (George Carlin)\n- anything by P. J. O'Rourke\n- anything by Dave Barry",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ringworld (Larry Niven)",
          "reason": "Listed under fiction in response to the thread’s question about favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Larry Niven"
      ],
      "recommenders": 11,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "ringworld",
        "hard science fiction",
        "megastructures"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tai-pan-41b302",
      "title": "Tai-Pan",
      "author": "James Clavell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43952469,
          "author": "keiferski",
          "createdAt": "2025-05-11T09:08:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 43949411,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fictional business books like The Goal",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43952469",
          "commentText": "It's designed more for kids, but I found it useful for understanding basic accounting concepts: The Accounting Game: Basic Accounting From the Lemonade Stand.\nI also found two of the novels in Clavell's Asian Saga to be quite business-focused: Tai-Pan and Noble House. Not so much for the nuts-and-bolts of business, but just a large business organization being founded and growing over the course of multiple centuries.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I also found two of the novels in Clavell's Asian Saga to be quite business-focused: Tai-Pan",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as business-focused, depicting a large business organization being founded and growing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not focused on the nuts and bolts of business.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42268850,
          "author": "satvikpendem",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:05:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268850",
          "commentText": "Shogun, after having watched the show. I also read the other books in Clavell's series, I thought Tai Pan and Gai Jin were interesting but not as much as Shogun. Gai Jin in particular felt like it had lots of filler.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I thought Tai Pan and Gai Jin were interesting but not as much as Shogun.",
          "reason": "Found it interesting, though less so than Shōgun.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter liked it less than Shōgun.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41178853,
          "author": "fuzztester",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T06:53:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41178853",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\nTaipan, by James Clavell\nThe Navigator, by Morris West\nNon-fiction:\nThe Upanishads (not a single book, but a bunch of them)\nThe Bhagavad Gita",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Taipan, by James Clavell",
          "reason": "Listed under fiction in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21914514,
          "author": "Psyladine",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-30T16:36:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21914514",
          "commentText": "If by 'inescapably' you mean trapped in sprawling meandering threads with no meaning or relevance to the story that must be read out to completion before you realize you've been had, sure.\nThe sword buried in earthquake and the samurai-wife subplots come to mind even all these years later.\nStill, it was riveting compared to the shaggy dog that was Tai-Pan, the only book I've had the distinction of hurling at the wall in disgust at its non-conclusion.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "the shaggy dog that was Tai-Pan, the only book I've had the distinction of hurling at the wall in disgust at its non-conclusion.",
          "reason": "The commenter hated its non-conclusion and describes throwing the book at a wall in disgust.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Strongly negative reaction to the ending.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175624,
          "author": "Finbarr",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:37:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175624",
          "commentText": "Just finished reading this myself and would highly recommend it. Both Shogun and Tai Pan were thoroughly enjoyable reads. Deeply woven plots with rich characters and historical intrigue.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Both Shogun and Tai Pan were thoroughly enjoyable reads.",
          "reason": "The commenter says both novels were thoroughly enjoyable and recommends them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175566,
          "author": "blumkvist",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:24:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175566",
          "commentText": "Tai-Pan by James Clavell (of Shogun fame).\nIt's about the founding of Hong Kong after the first Opium War. History, Morale, Politics, Ambition, Money, Power and Love viewed through 2 different cultures. I discovered it after listening to Shogun (I read it a few years back) and was happy as a little kid when I discovered there are more books to read. It does not disappoint so far.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It does not disappoint so far.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book has not disappointed so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is still reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6397823,
          "author": "kyzyl",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-17T05:55:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6397823",
          "commentText": "Yeah the Asian Saga includes King Rat, Shogun, Noble House, Taipan as well as Gai-gin, The Whirlwind. They're all pretty good books but I believe Taipan, Noble House and Shogun are considered Clavell's best work, in that order (personally I like Noble House best).\nThanks for the recommendation though.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "King Rat, Shogun, Noble House, Taipan as well as Gai-gin, The Whirlwind.",
          "reason": "Includes it among the saga books the commenter considers pretty good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387616,
          "author": "kyzyl",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T00:04:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387616",
          "commentText": "As has already been mentioned elsewhere in this thread, most of Neil Stephenson's work is just great. Cryptonomicon is my favorite, but The Baroque Cycle (three books) is very good as well.\nIf you're into crime/mystery fiction, the recently deceased Elmore Leonard was one of the best. A few of his books have been made into movies (Get Shorty, Jackie Brown, The Big Bounce) with mixed results, but I do I highly recommend reading the books, which are numerous.\nFor a different sort of fiction, James Clavell's Shogun, Taipan, and Noble House are great. In fact, Noble House very well be my favorite book. It's a long (~1400 page) book about business dealings, political intrigue, and more. All set in the context of 1963 Hong Kong.\nThose who like a touch of historical fiction could take a look at Conn Uggulden. One of his series, The Conqueror, which is about the rise and fall of the Mongol empire is pretty interesting. The books are a light read, and not particularly complicated, but it's entertaining and has some neat historical bits.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "James Clavell's Shogun, Taipan, and Noble House are great.",
          "reason": "Calls the named novels great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1974722,
          "author": "relic17",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T10:17:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974722",
          "commentText": "Clavell's whole Asian Saga (Shogun, Tai-Pan, Gai-Jin, King Rat, Noble House, and Whirlwind) is amazing. My favorite is Tai-Pan - the book had a tremendous impact on me, and I'd imagine it would appeal to every real entrepreneur. The underlying themes are freedom, individualism, honor, risk-taking, and ultimately, building something and defending it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favorite is Tai-Pan - the book had a tremendous impact on me",
          "reason": "Names it as their favorite and says it had a tremendous impact.",
          "audience": "The commenter imagines it would appeal to entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1974050,
          "author": "jacquesm",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T05:25:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974050",
          "commentText": "Tai Pan, King Rat.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Tai Pan, King Rat.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1973886,
          "author": "bonsaitree",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T04:21:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1973886",
          "commentText": "Indeed.  After I finished it, I was sad for weeks.  I just missed being in that world with those people.\nNone of Clavell's other endeavors even comes close (though Tai-Pan was, relatively speaking, a fun modern romp).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "though Tai-Pan was, relatively speaking, a fun modern romp",
          "reason": "Describes it as a fun read, while ranking it far below Shōgun.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says none of Clavell's other works comes close to Shōgun.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753450,
          "author": "hendler",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T19:52:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753450",
          "commentText": "+1 for Shogun and Tai Pan.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for Shogun and Tai Pan.",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the parent’s recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753386,
          "author": "alinajaf",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T19:17:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753386",
          "commentText": "I am a total whore for historical fiction:\n'Shogun' by James Clavell was the first book I read that had me glued to it for hours and hours at a time. Tai Pan is also a classic.\nI also found the original three Courtney books by Wilbur Smith (starting with 'The Sound of Thunder') were a guilty pleasure. They are pure trash, with thin characters and a predictable plot but epic adventure nonetheless.\nMore recently I've topped off the 'Emperor' series (chronicling Julius Ceasars life) and have started the 'Conqueror' series (same thing, but its about Genghis Khan). Both by Conn Iggulden.\nNot quite at the same literary level as some of the other suggestions here but I was wondering if I was the only one.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tai Pan is also a classic.",
          "reason": "Described as a classic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876634,
          "author": "jakkals",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T13:18:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876634",
          "commentText": "Right now, Anathem by Neal Stephenson is my favorite.\nI read through the comments before adding my 2 cents. I saw a lot of my favorite books, including a few by Neal Stephenson. But I did not see Anathem. Hmmm...\nI also saw a few references to James Clavell's Shogan. Excellent book. But I liked Tai Pan more, and in fact, I would say that this is my second favorite.\nJust to add another title that nobody here is likely mention, the first book that I read that blew my mind (admittedly in my very young days) was \"When the Lion feeds\" by Wilbur Smith.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I liked Tai Pan more, and in fact, I would say that this is my second favorite.",
          "reason": "The commenter liked it more than Shōgun and calls it their second favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Clavell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 11,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "hong kong",
        "asian saga",
        "historical novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "high-performance-browser-networking-13ada9",
      "title": "High Performance Browser Networking",
      "author": "Ilya Grigorik",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32790421,
          "author": "nindalf",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T13:28:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790421",
          "commentText": "High Performance Browser Networking (https://hpbn.co) is a fantastic book. It was written by Ilya Grigorik though.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "High Performance Browser Networking (https://hpbn.co) is a fantastic book.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a fantastic book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32790369,
          "author": "fuzzmuzzy",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T13:21:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790369",
          "commentText": "The Jazz Theory book - Mark Levine\nHigh Performance Browser Networking - edit: Ilya Grigorik\nEffortless Mastery - Kenny werner",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "High Performance Browser Networking - edit: Ilya Grigorik",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27658478,
          "author": "grammers",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-28T05:40:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 27650775,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27658478",
          "commentText": "Seconded! This one is awesome.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seconded! This one is awesome.",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the recommendation and praises the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27653461,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T17:36:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 27650775,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27653461",
          "commentText": "As luck would have it, my blog on Github pages is down. So here's the post describing the four in markdown.\nTldr; Designing Data Intensive Applications, Effective Python, The Google SRE book, and High Performance Browser Networking.\nhttps://github.com/eatonphil/notes.eatonphil.com/blob/master... (https://github.com/eatonphil/notes.eatonphil.com/blob/master/posts/books-developers-should-read.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "High Performance Browser Networking",
          "reason": "Listed among the four books the commenter recommends developers read.",
          "audience": "Developers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27653178,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T17:01:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 27650775,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27653178",
          "commentText": "It's one of the most practical and in-depth books even among others shared in this thread so far. It's in the top four books I'd recommend every developer to read (particularly because it's so practical)!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's one of the most practical and in-depth books even among others shared in this thread so far.",
          "reason": "Calls it practical and in-depth, and says it is among the books they would recommend developers read.",
          "audience": "Developers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27653166,
          "author": "jakub_g",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T17:00:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 27650775,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27653166",
          "commentText": "There's not much about firewalls etc. there IIRC, more about low level concepts like DNS, TCP and so on. Anyway it's a great book. You can also read online at https://hpbn.co",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anyway it's a great book.",
          "reason": "Says the book is great and points to its online edition.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Focuses more on DNS, TCP, and related low-level concepts than firewalls.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27652950,
          "author": "shubik22",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T16:32:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 27650775,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27652950",
          "commentText": "I’d recommend High Performance Browser Networking by Ilya Grigorik[0].  It’s definitely less in-depth/comprehensive than some of the other suggestions here but I’ve found it to be a really clear, accessible exploration of networking concepts relevant for web development.\n[0] https://www.amazon.com/dp/1449344763",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I’d recommend High Performance Browser Networking by Ilya Grigorik",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as a clear, accessible exploration of networking concepts relevant to web development.",
          "audience": "People learning networking concepts relevant to web development.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is less in-depth and comprehensive than some other suggestions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27629514,
          "author": "folex",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T11:43:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27629514",
          "commentText": "Grigorik book is awesome, must read",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Grigorik book is awesome, must read",
          "reason": "Calls it awesome and a must read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27629052,
          "author": "ovidiup13",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T10:37:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27629052",
          "commentText": "My planned summer reading list:\n- High Performance Browser Networking by Ilya Grigorik\n- Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code by Martin Fowler\n- Designing Data-Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann\nHow did you find the latter? I'm a FE developer, so quite keen to get my hands on in data.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "High Performance Browser Networking by Ilya Grigorik",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter’s planned summer reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17523434,
          "author": "adamch",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T14:57:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17523434",
          "commentText": "1: Diaspora (Greg Egan). Brilliant sci-fi where computer science concepts like cellular automata, computation complexity etc are major plot points. Starts with a highly detailed explanation of AI personality creation. Super geeky and a brilliant plot.\n2: High Performance Browser Networking. Really explained a lot of modern networking. I was already familiar with the basics of the OSI stack, but this explained a lot of newer ideas, optimizations, and HTTP2. Really comprehensive guide to how the internet works.\n3: The Shock Doctrine (Naomi Klein): A history of how the CIA has shot down democratic regimes to enforce small-government-free-market policy in developing countries when these policies are rejected in polls. Explains a lot of the crises in Latin America and Russia.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Really explained a lot of modern networking.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it explains modern networking, newer ideas, optimizations, and HTTP/2.",
          "audience": "Readers familiar with the basics of the OSI stack who want to learn newer networking concepts.",
          "caveat": "The commenter already knew the basics of the OSI stack.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630498,
          "author": "dedalus",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:35:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630498",
          "commentText": "Three Scientists and their Gods: This book foreshadows the meaning and purpose of science+tech https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214570.Three_Scientists_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214570.Three_Scientists_and_Their_Gods)\nScifi: The Three Body problem (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)) for its whole encompassing narrative about human future and some of it will be real (fusion instead of chemical fuel, pulse propulsion and other social consequences)\nArdor: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20931250-ardor if you ever wanted to understand ancient indian philosophy. Heavy read, not recommended for fun but more as quest\nFoxTales: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/412167.Foxtales about how software was developed in the midwest free of all the fashion/hipsterism currently in vogue and building a community of users for your software\nThe elements of networking style: If you ever wanted to know the politics of how networking RFCs are made: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2298785.The_Elements_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2298785.The_Elements_of_Networking_Style) and design choices made to build modern day internet\nUnwritten Laws of Engineering: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13122143-unwritten-laws-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13122143-unwritten-laws-of-engineering) is an old and timeless way detailing what it means to engineer\nHigh Performance Browser Networking: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17985198-high-performanc... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17985198-high-performance-browser-networking) if you ever wanted to know what happens inside a browser\nThe Computer and the Brain: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/358880.The_Computer_and_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/358880.The_Computer_and_the_Brain) where the master compares the machine with our brain\nThe Grammatical Man: If you ever wanted to know the importance of structure and constraint in everything: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/722028.Grammatical_Man",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "High Performance Browser Networking: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17985198-high-performanc... if you ever wanted to know what happens inside a browser",
          "reason": "Recommends it for learning what happens inside a browser.",
          "audience": "Readers curious about browser internals.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7999231,
          "author": "nnx",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T15:09:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7999231",
          "commentText": "Eloquent Javascript : A Modern Introduction to Programming by Marijn Haverbeke\nhttp://eloquentjavascript.net\nImho, the first chapter is a must-read for anyone in the industry, even and maybe especially if not a developer.\n\"When a program works, it is beautiful. The art of programming is the skill of controlling complexity. The great program is subdued, made simple in its complexity.\"\n... and also, maybe not as \"mindblowing\" as Eloquent Javascript, but really good for diving deep in a low-level land (yet made very accessible in this book) that is probably overlooked by most of us when optimizing a web app for speed :\nHigh-Performance Browser Networking by Ilya Grigorik\nhttp://chimera.labs.oreilly.com/books/1230000000545/index.ht... (http://chimera.labs.oreilly.com/books/1230000000545/index.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "really good for diving deep in a low-level land (yet made very accessible in this book)",
          "reason": "Describes the book as a good, accessible way to explore low-level topics relevant to web app performance.",
          "audience": "Web developers interested in optimizing app speed.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may be less mind-blowing than Eloquent JavaScript.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7756957,
          "author": "thrush",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:19:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7756957",
          "commentText": "A little more than just programming, but just finished Ilya Grigorik's new book, \"High Performance Browser Networking\" (available free online). I learned a lot about Javascript/HTML loading and execution that I had never even thought about.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I learned a lot about Javascript/HTML loading and execution that I had never even thought about.",
          "reason": "The commenter reports learning a lot from the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Covers more than programming, including JavaScript and HTML loading and execution.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ilya Grigorik"
      ],
      "recommenders": 11,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "web performance",
        "browser networking",
        "computer networking",
        "networking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mythical-man-month-essays-on-software-engineering-394ad7",
      "title": "The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering",
      "author": "Frederick P. Brooks Jr.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33857489,
          "author": "ayewo",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T20:26:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33857489",
          "commentText": "Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks is pretty good.\nThere is also the Design of Everyday Things (TDoET) by Don Norman.\nStructured Design from 1975 by Larry L. Constantine and Ed Yourdon is another excellent book that I am currently reading now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks is pretty good.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is pretty good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33856891,
          "author": "vl",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T19:33:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33856891",
          "commentText": "Peopleware and Mythical Man-Month are fundamental to understanding larger software projects and teams.\nThey often state obvious things, but I didn’t guess them myself.\nMythical Man-Month also provides important historical perspective.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Peopleware and Mythical Man-Month are fundamental",
          "reason": "Described as fundamental to understanding larger software projects and teams, and as providing historical perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the books can state obvious things, though they had not inferred those things themselves.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33855722,
          "author": "TruffleLabs",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T17:36:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33855722",
          "commentText": "The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering, Frederick P. Brooks\n* still relevant re: people are the key to getting things done; understand how people work together.\nhttps://www.abebooks.com/products/isbn/9780201006506",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering, Frederick P. Brooks\n* still relevant re: people are the key to getting things done; understand how people work together.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it remains relevant for understanding how people work together to get things done.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31167257,
          "author": "Parker_Powell",
          "createdAt": "2022-04-26T13:33:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 31166475,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Top inspiring books on crucial CS ideas?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31167257",
          "commentText": "No matter how long you've been a programmer, you're always looking for new ways to hone your craft and learn new techniques. One of the best ways to do that is by reading books on programming—as in, books that are actually about programming. Here's our list of 10 of the best.\n1. Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software\n2. Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship\n3. Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code\n4. The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master\n5. Don't Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability\n6. The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering\n7. Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\n8. Introduction to Algorithms (The MIT Press)\n9. Programming Pearls (2nd Edition)\n10. The Art of Computer Programming",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "6. The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's ten recommended programming books.",
          "audience": "Programmers looking to hone their craft and learn techniques.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23365070,
          "author": "downerending",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-30T21:48:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23365070",
          "commentText": "The Mythical Man Month",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mythical Man Month",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22708572,
          "author": "mitchelldeacon9",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T01:58:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22708572",
          "commentText": "The following is a list of my favorite books on software engineering, cyber-security, and the history of IT business development.\nBowden, Mark (2011) Worm: The First Digital World War\nBrooks, Frederick (1995) Mythical Man-Month, 2nd ed.\nChristensen, Clayton (1997) Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail\nHafner, Katie and Matthew Lyon (1996) Where Wizards Stay Up Late: Origins of the Internet\nHunt, Andrew and David Thomas (1999) Pragmatic Programmer\nMacCormick, John (2012) Nine Algorithms that Changed the Future\nMcConnell, Steve (2004) Code Complete, 2nd ed.\nMitnick, Kevin and William Simon (2002) Art of Deception\nPoulsen, Kevin (2011) Kingpin: How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cyber-Crime Underworld\nRaymond, Eric (2003) Art of Unix Programming\nStone, Brad (2013) The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon\nTorvalds, Linus and David Diamond (2001) Just for Fun: Story of an Accidental Revolutionary\nWallace, James and Jim Erickson (1992) Hard Drive: Bill Gates and Making of the Microsoft Empire\nWilliams, Sam (2002) Free as in Freedom: Richard Stallman's Crusade for Free Software\nWilson, Mike (1996) The Difference between God and Larry Ellison: Inside Oracle Corp",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brooks, Frederick (1995) Mythical Man-Month, 2nd ed.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21313367,
          "author": "sweeneyrod",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T15:27:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21313367",
          "commentText": "I don't think there are any. The problem with learning computer science from textbooks is that most textbooks will go a lot further than just the fundamentals on the subjects they cover. So if you try to learn the basics by choosing a textbook for each area and read it cover to cover you'll never finish. Perhaps the answer is to thoroughly read the first few chapters/skim the remainder of Introduction to Algorithms; the Dragon book; Computer Networks/Architecture/etc.: A Systems/Quantitative/etc. Approach; Types and Programming Languages; Security Engineering; AI: A Modern Approach and so on -- that was certainly my experience of undergrad CS. A few exceptions are K&R, The Mythical Man-Month and What Every Computer Scientist Should Know About Floating-Point Arithmetic which are short enough that you can easily read them in their entirety.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Mythical Man-Month",
          "reason": "Names it as a short book that can be read in its entirety.",
          "audience": "People learning undergraduate computer science.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as an exception to textbooks that are too long to read cover to cover.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21312807,
          "author": "coldcode",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T14:43:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21312807",
          "commentText": "The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering by ‎Frederick Brooks should be read by everyone, even though it was written in 1975. Some things don't change no matter the technology change. Sometimes I am amazed to have co-worked who have never heard of it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "should be read by everyone",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends the book as still relevant despite its age.",
          "audience": "Everyone, especially people working in software engineering.",
          "caveat": "Written in 1975.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16351586,
          "author": "qilisiang",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T07:06:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16351586",
          "commentText": "The Mythical Man-Month - Fred Brooks\nTo all Project Managers & Top Management.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mythical Man-Month - Fred Brooks\nTo all Project Managers & Top Management.",
          "reason": "Directed at project managers and senior management in response to the thread’s request.",
          "audience": "Project managers and top management",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11298870,
          "author": "GFischer",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T17:06:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11298870",
          "commentText": "I second that observation. I wish the manager at my day job read ANYTHING, at the very least some informercial-laden industry publication.\nIn my case, I'd like him to read Fred Brooks' \"The Mythical Man-Month\", to make him understand how a programming system costs a lot more than a simple module.\nSummary: http://javatroopers.com/Mythical_Man_Month.html\nIn second place, I'd place \"Peopleware\", so he'd understand the importance of communications, and how the current office arrangement is losing the company a lot of money:\nSummary: http://javatroopers.com/Peopleware.html\nAmazon link to both:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/The-Mythical-Man-Month-Engineering-Ann... (http://www.amazon.com/The-Mythical-Man-Month-Engineering-Anniversary/dp/0201835959)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Peopleware-Productive-Projects-Second-... (http://www.amazon.com/Peopleware-Productive-Projects-Second-Edition/dp/0932633439)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd like him to read Fred Brooks' \"The Mythical Man-Month\", to make him understand how a programming system costs a lot more than a simple module.",
          "reason": "The commenter wants the manager to understand the costs of building a programming system.",
          "audience": "Managers responsible for software projects.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297235,
          "author": "jrochkind1",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T13:49:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297235",
          "commentText": "I'll just be the first to mention The Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mythical_Man-Month",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'll just be the first to mention The Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297232,
          "author": "a3n",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T13:49:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297232",
          "commentText": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mythical_Man-Month",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mythical_Man-Month",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frederick P. Brooks Jr."
      ],
      "recommenders": 11,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software engineering",
        "project management",
        "software project management",
        "software history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "thus-spoke-zarathustra-128ea1",
      "title": "Thus Spoke Zarathustra",
      "author": "Friedrich Nietzsche",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30763266,
          "author": "leobg",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-22T06:33:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30763266",
          "commentText": "+1 for The Gay Science.\nAnd I would add Thus Spoke Zarathustra.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would add Thus Spoke Zarathustra.",
          "reason": "The commenter adds it to the list of books they endorse.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30735602,
          "author": "thatjoeoverthr",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:20:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735602",
          "commentText": "Jacob’s Room, Virginia Woolf\nBefore this book I generally did not read, unless it was a Star Trek branded airport novel. I had just got an iPad and was rummaging around the Project Gutenberg texts they’d dumped into iBooks. I chose it impulsively.\nThis book set my brain and heart on fire and opened the world of literature for me. It’s very specific, though, and I can’t -recommend- it to anyone.\nThere is little spackle in this book, as if every sentence and scene is cropped a bit beyond the point of readability. But reading aloud it flows well. There is effectively no plot and a great deal of its merit is at the sentence level. Furthermore, this book in particular resonated with me emotionally.\nI was thirsty for more and read other classics. My favorites; To the Lighthouse, Picture of Dorian Grey and Thus Spake Zarathustra (the translation they have on Gutenberg).\nThis hobby dominated my attention for years. What displaced it was I had to learn Polish. At first I tried to combine these; I read Charlotte’s Web, the Little Prince and Pulp (bukowski) in Polish. But it really wasn’t an effective way to continue and Polish was the priority. All other hobbies had to go.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favorites; To the Lighthouse, Picture of Dorian Grey and Thus Spake Zarathustra (the translation they have on Gutenberg).",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter specifies the translation available on Gutenberg.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804348,
          "author": "JonathanMerklin",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:41:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804348",
          "commentText": "Great thread. 2019 was the first time in about 7-8 years I made reading for pleasure a tertiary priority ((school+career)work/sleep/exercise+socializing+(NEW!)reading) and I got through about 20 books of varying length and difficulty, so here are the next 20 in my queue:\n- Infinite Jest (already started, will likely finish in early Jan. I love it so far.)\n- Quantum Computing Since Democritus (started in November as my nonfiction read, but took a break; I think I want to finish IJ first. Scott is an excellent writer and I was really enjoying this)\n- Building Microservices\n- The Code Book\n- How Cars Work (I want to turn the projection of a car in my brain from a black box to a gray box this year, and I don't mean by purchasing a Cybertruck)\n- To Kill a Mockingbird\n- The Personal MBA (for years I laughed off caring about the business of business and lived in my fantasy land of being satisfied with just the technical details and being focused on only implementing great software/learning how to do so. With a few years in the workforce under my belt, I realize that such an outlook was of great detriment to me. I'm open to other suggestions on similar \"catch me up to speed on general business education\" material)\n- Designing Data-Intensive Applications\n- Island (I have a copy of this but not Brave New World. Multiple friends of mine demand I try Huxley, so here we are.)\n- The Annotated Turing\n- How to Invent Everything\n- Soonish (SMBC is a daily read for me and I'm excited to get to this.)\n- How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems (ditto XKCD modulo release schedule)\n- Basic Economics\n- Thus Spoke Zarathustra\n- Seveneves\n- The Prince\n- Pacific Rims: Beermen Ballin' in Flip-Flops and the Philippines' Unlikely Love Affair with Basketball\n- Elevator Music: A Surreal History of Muzak, Easy-Listening, and Other Moodsong\n- Fahrenheit 451\nAdditionally, to tickle the part of my brain that fancies mathematics (one of my my majors in undergrad), I try to work through a chapter or two of Evan Chen's \"An Infinitely Long Napkin\" on a quarterly basis. If you don't mind a conversational tone to your math textbooks, I've found this to be an excellent resource for scraping the surface of a wide variety of topics and fields (including, well, topics like fields). I think I'll continue this habit.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thus Spoke Zarathustra",
          "reason": "Listed in the commenter's planned reading queue.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21802813,
          "author": "0kl",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T13:22:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21802813",
          "commentText": "When I studied Nietzsche it was more or less “Read Zarathustra, then read all the ‘Viking Portable Nietzsche’ then read all of the ‘Basic Writings of Nietzche’” all translates by Hollingdale or, preferably, Kauffman.\nAmong the jewels you’ll find in such a reading are things like the seed of Nietzsche’s thought being placed, imo, in The Birth of Tragedy, with the line:\n> It is only as an aesthetic phenomenon that existence and the world are eternally justified\nOther Nietzsche related recommendations:\nPre-Nietzsche: Plato, Schopenhauer \nPost-Nietzsche: Camus - maybe?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Read Zarathustra",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12417361,
          "author": "mathsciencekid",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-03T02:04:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12417361",
          "commentText": "I grew up in a single-parent household back in the 70's before computers and\nstartups were the thing they are now and although my mom was an uneducated immigrant,\nI was fortunate to grow up in the bay area and get an education at a good public school\nwhere my teachers introduced me to\n  Harold Jacobs's \"Geometry\"\n  Nietziche's \"Thus Spoke Zarathustra\"\n  Freeman Dyson's \"Disturbing The Universe\"\n  Nigel Calder's \"The Key to the Universe\"\n  Jacob Bronowski's \"The Ascent of Man\"\n  Douglas Hofstadter's \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\"\n\nI especially loved spending time in the library, reading OMNI magazine, Scientific American \nmagazine (especially Martin Gardner's column) and the stories of Issac Asimov and Larry Niven.\nThose authors made me want to go to college and learn from people like them - people capable\nof thinking big ideas about science and civilization - and while none of those books ever \nhelped me raise money or start a business, they did help me help me overcome my personal \nfeelings of inadequacy from having come from a poor family and eventually become accepted \ninto a technical community which appreciated an ability to think and ask questions.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nietziche's \"Thus Spoke Zarathustra\"",
          "reason": "Names it among books that helped inspire the commenter to pursue education and big ideas.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in philosophy and civilization.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10786739,
          "author": "hackerbloos",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T02:19:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786739",
          "commentText": "I've just updated my list of books I read this year. Scores are out of 5. If there is a + it means I found it to be extra special for some reason or other.\n= Jan =\nSmarter Than You Think - Clive Thompson 3\nThe positives of tech and the internet.\n= Feb =\nSuper Sad True Love Story - Gary Shteyngart 4\nScience fiction set in the not too distant future. Main themes include life extension and surveillance.\n= Mar =\nThe HitchHiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams 4\nThe Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams 3\nHad never read this series, thought it might be about time.\n= Apr =\nWhat does it all Mean? - Thomas Nagel 2 (though it is kind of meant for people who have never done any Philosophy, ever, so would recommend to someone like that. Will pass it on to someone taking an interest in the subject)\nAn introduction to Philosophy.\nEarth - David Brin 5+\nScience fiction set in the not too distant future, written in the 90s. Really interesting themes / vision of post climate change world.\nSlaughterHouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut 5\nSemi autobiographical account of the bombing of Dresden in WW2. Really funny and clever ideas. Very good.\n= May =\nNick Cohen - What’s Left? 4\nAccount of how the left has degenerated since the collapse of the hard left and the winning of liberal battles e.g. LGBT rights. Basic premise is that those on the left hate the West and the status quo so much they stoop to allying themselves with anyone who also opposes the status quo.\n= June =\nPlato at the Googleplex: Why Philosophy won’t go away - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 5+\nPlato has somehow appeared in the 21st century and is doing a talk at Google! A really enjoyable account of how Plato’s philosophy could be applied to modern issues. Really good. I want to go to Athens.\n= July =\nThe Mind Body Problem - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 4\nNovel about a female philosophy student shagging around and philosophising about it.\nBelieving Bullshit - Stephen Law 4\nBook detailing the various tricks / schemes played by charlatans and how to avoid being taken in by them.\n= August =\n36 Arguments for the Existence of God: a work of fiction - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 3\nNovel about an academic and his mentor. It was ok.\n= September =\nThe Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams 3\nThink I’m done reading these for now, don’t feel the urge to finish the set.\nKafka - The Trial 5\nReally good. Love the surrealism - the nightmarish / dreamish-ness of it. Saw it in the Theatre as well after reading it, thought that was great too.\n= October =\n= November =\nExistence - David Brin 3\nNot as good as Earth. Glad I read that first. Interesting imagining of what form contact from alien life could take though. Also interesting look at existential risks. The main part I didn’t like was how it skipped forward in time 3 decades about 3/4s of the way through, I had thought the characters were a little weak in general up until then anyway, and then they were pretty much gone entirely at that point.\n= December =\nAlone Together - Sherry Turtle 4\nThe negatives of tech, robotics and the internet. Interesting and important read.\nImperium - Robert Harris 5\nFirst in the semi-fictional trilogy accounting the fall of the Roman Republic, told through the eyes of Cicero’s secretary, Tiro. Really good. The politics, the corruption, the ancient city really brought to life. Enhanced by having visited Rome in the Summer.\nAlso currently reading ‘Reclaiming Conversation’ by Sherry Turkle, an account of the negative affect being permanently tethered to the internet has on our conversations, our capacity for empathy and our relationships, and Nietzsche’s 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra'.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Nietzsche’s 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra'",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783485,
          "author": "louisrochal",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:40:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783485",
          "commentText": "\"Thus Spoke Zarathustra\" - Nietzsche (French Translation) - 5/5 An absolute Must read.\n\"1984\" - Orwell - 5/5 French law on surveillance made me want to read it again\n\"Fahrenheit 451\" - Ray Bradbury - 4/5\n\"La zone du dehors\" - Alain Damasio - 4/5\n\"The name of the wind\" - Patrick Rothfuss - 4/5 A great fantasy story. It's a big book, there is a lot of details, but very well written.\n\"Stranger in a Strange Land\" - Robert A. Heinlein - 3/5 Awesome concept, but very slow\n\"The Inverted World\" - Christopher Priest - 4/5 Great short book",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Thus Spoke Zarathustra\" - Nietzsche (French Translation) - 5/5 An absolute Must read.",
          "reason": "Rated 5/5 and calls it an absolute must-read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2615877,
          "author": "kaeluka",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T11:04:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2615877",
          "commentText": "Just now I'm reading something I wanted to read for a long time: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The next will be Through the Looking Glass, same author.\nAmongst the last few books I read, I recommend Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five, Marlen Haushofer - The Wall (although this will be too kafkaesque for some), Fahrenheit 451.\nI do love Jules Verne as well.\nAtlas Shrugged should be known to anyone around here, I guess.. Relating to Atlas Shrugged: Nietzsche - Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Both books were very influential to me when I was younger.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Nietzsche - Thus Spoke Zarathustra.",
          "reason": "Mentioned as influential to the commenter when younger.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2147668,
          "author": "keiferski",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T13:19:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2147668",
          "commentText": "Thus Spoke Zarathustra",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thus Spoke Zarathustra",
          "reason": "Given as an answer to a question asking which book changed the reader’s way of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503671,
          "author": "zppx",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T14:26:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503671",
          "commentText": "My list:\n- Pirkei Avot, it's a section of the Mishnah (a part of the Talmud), it summarizes the jewish moral thought (well, not for the Karaites Jews, they did not believe in the Talmud), I was born in a Orthodox Jewish family so it was important on my beliefs, even though I am an Atheist now.\n- Organon, it's a compilation of Aristotle's logic works, they are the basis for the logical thought of the Western civilization, I think it's easier to read the originals than compendiums.\n- Philosophical Investigations, the second book of Wittgenstein, it's dense, and obscure to some extent, but it's really eye-opener, some ideas that influenced the last century are introduced there.\n- Proofs and Refutations, a posthumous work by Imre Lakatos, it defied much of my established view on how Mathematics works.\n- Thus Spoke Zarathustra, a powerful book, it's dense and you can only drag many conclusions from it when you read other works from Nietzsche, which lead to my next book.\n- On the Genealogy of Morality, this is for me the most important of the 5 books that I have read from Nietzsche, in the first essay of the book the concept of master morality and slave morality is introduced, some people think that Nietzsche favors the first, I disagree, for me he describes and criticizes both.\n- Truth and Method, the classic of Gadamer, some people call it a \"postmodern\" work, this only serves to show how \"modern\" some of the \"postmodern\" were, the book basically addresses how our current beliefs and customs, which he calls traditions, plays an important part in our hermeneutics and how we always are biased to interpret something.\n- Epistemic Justification, this book of William Alston is a good refinement if you already know some epistemology, although I disagree with the \"justified true belief\" definition of knowledge, that is the main theme of the book and its essays, it introduced some questions about the nature and limitations of knowledge.\n- Inquiry into the Human Mind, by Thomas Reid is a good read and also a staunch defense of the common sense.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "a powerful book, it's dense and you can only drag many conclusions from it when you read other works from Nietzsche",
          "reason": "Describes it as powerful and includes it in the requested list.",
          "audience": "Readers willing to read other Nietzsche works for fuller interpretation.",
          "caveat": "Dense; the commenter says other Nietzsche works are needed to draw many conclusions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503621,
          "author": "grendel",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T13:39:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503621",
          "commentText": "+ Finite and Infinite Games: A Vision of Life as Play and Possibility  James P. Carse\n+ Thus Spoke Zarathrusta  Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+ Thus Spoke Zarathrusta  Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for eye-opening or interesting philosophy books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503488,
          "author": "michael_dorfman",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T11:16:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503488",
          "commentText": "I think the quality of advice you're getting on this thread is very mixed.\nSome of the books mentioned are absolutely great-- like \"Being and Time\", or Husserl's \"Logical Investigations\"-- but incredibly difficult to read unprepared.  If you were ready to be reading them, you wouldn't be asking the question here.\nThe two books you mention in the question (Common Sense and \"On the Fourfold Root\") are both quite readable, as are a few of the primary texts mentioned in the responses (\"Existentialism is a Humanism\", \"Thus Spoke Zarathustra\") but in general, I'd have to suggest you stay away from primary texts at first.\nIn other words, begin by reading works about philosophy, rather than works of philosophy.\nA single-volume work on the history of philosophy will give you the broad scope (for example, Durant, or Russell, or \"Sophie's World\" if you prefer fiction), but will tend to turn the philosophers discussed into caricatures of themselves.\nYou mention that you are in school; I'd suggest you take a philosophy course or two, if you are interested in the field.  Having an experienced guide will definitely help.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Thus Spoke Zarathustra\") but in general",
          "reason": "Cited among primary texts described as quite readable.",
          "audience": "Readers beginning to explore philosophy.",
          "caveat": "The recommendation is qualified by the broader suggestion to begin with works about philosophy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503287,
          "author": "tfh",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T07:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503287",
          "commentText": "The ones I've read and find good:\n- Existentialism is a Humanism - Jean Paul Sartre : Very easy to read and is a very good introduction to existentialism.\n- Thus Spoke Zarathustra - Nietzsche\n- Siddhartha - Herman Hesse",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Thus Spoke Zarathustra - Nietzsche",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter has read and finds good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227090,
          "author": "lionhearted",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T17:56:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227090",
          "commentText": "It's amazing how many good historical works are out of copyright and free. I got an Amazon Kindle as a gift, and it's been really wonderful for me.\nIf you like Roman history, you've got to check out Gibbons' History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. It's just a masterpiece. I flip through my copy of Meditations from time to time (actually, now I look at it on my Kindle, but I used to flip through my paper copy) and just pick out random quotes. A great work. \"It is not the thing itself that disturbs a man, but the man's perception of and reaction to the thing. The thing may not be able to be changed, but a man's perception and reaction may be changed.\" I'm butchering that quote, but it's incredibly meaningful to me, and I try to reflect on it when things seem to be going wrong or I get inconvenienced.\nWhile talking about classics, there's a lot of good philosophy out of copyright. Beyond Good and Evil and Thus Spoke Zarathustra aren't perfect works and I disagree with a fair bit of it, but there's some absolute jewels in them too.\nLately I've been looking for a decent electronic copy of Freud's Civilization and Its Discontents and Kierkegaard's Either/Or, but I've been having a hard time finding copies that are decently formatted and readable.\nAlso, got any other recommendations Staunch? I'm going to get Gallic Wars, and it seems like you and I have similar taste if you have other recommendations.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "there's some absolute jewels in them too",
          "reason": "The commenter says the work contains some valuable passages, despite disagreeing with parts of it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not perfect and disagrees with a fair bit of it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Friedrich Nietzsche"
      ],
      "recommenders": 11,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "existentialism",
        "nietzsche",
        "philosophical fiction",
        "allegory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-princeton-companion-to-mathematics-d3a045",
      "title": "The Princeton Companion to Mathematics",
      "author": "Timothy Gowers, editor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23727482,
          "author": "SquishyPanda23",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T20:50:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23727482",
          "commentText": "Of the books mentioned in this thread so far I think I'd have been most excited about the Princeton Companion to Mathematics as a birthday present.\nHere's why:\n- Your goal of the gift is something more than a plain textbook. The Princeton Companion is something your child will return to throughout their math career. It will be an anchor book that will remind them of your support for them when they were still a budding mathematician.\n- Relatedly, the book is far too broad to be consumed as a textbook. Hence it will be more like a friend (or companion :) ) on their journey. Even a really amazing textbook (like Baby Rudin) in contrast is just a snapshot of where they are now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think I'd have been most excited about the Princeton Companion to Mathematics as a birthday present.",
          "reason": "Identifies it as the book they would have been most excited to receive as a gift.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Too broad to be consumed as a textbook; intended as a book to return to over time.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21347553,
          "author": "thanatropism",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T18:23:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21347553",
          "commentText": "The Princeton Companions to Mathematics and Applied Mathematics are beautiful to leaf through at the library. They're also hardcore heavy-weight (physically) and unlikely to be read twice, so don't buy them.\nMy personal take is that good linear algebra books at any level are great \"tours of mathematics\". Start with Strang and never stop. In a few years you'll be balled up with Kreyszig scribbling proof attempts in receipts, flaming unkempt hair and everyone around you will think you're weird but you'll be so, so happy.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Princeton Companions to Mathematics and Applied Mathematics are beautiful to leaf through at the library.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the volumes beautiful to browse at the library.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They are physically heavy and unlikely to be read twice; the commenter advises against buying them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21347320,
          "author": "anton_tarasenko",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T18:01:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21347320",
          "commentText": "In terms of depth and breadth, the Princeton companions get close to Feynman.[1][2]\nA more formal approach appears in handbooks.[3][4]\n[1] Gowers et al., The Princeton Companion to Mathematics. https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691118802/th... (https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691118802/the-princeton-companion-to-mathematics)\n[2] Higham and Dennis, The Princeton Companion to Applied Mathematics. https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691150390/th... (https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691150390/the-princeton-companion-to-applied-mathematics)\n[3] Zwillinger, CRC Standard Mathematical Tables and Formulae. https://www.crcpress.com/CRC-Standard-Mathematical-Tables-an... (https://www.crcpress.com/CRC-Standard-Mathematical-Tables-and-Formulas/Zwillinger/p/book/9781498777803)\n[4] Bronshtein, Handbook of Mathematics. https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783540721222",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gowers et al., The Princeton Companion to Mathematics.",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the companions that comes close to Feynman in depth and breadth.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16088357,
          "author": "decasteve",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-07T00:36:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16088357",
          "commentText": "I read almost all of it cover to cover when I was an undergrad in math, when I still had intention of going to grad school, to get a sense of which area(s) of math I'd like to pursue further.\nIt is incredibly illuminating and I also recommend it highly.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It is incredibly illuminating and I also recommend it highly.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends the book and says it was illuminating.",
          "audience": "People interested in mathematics; the commenter found it approachable with a computer science background.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that a few minor sections were less approachable.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16079515,
          "author": "simon_acca",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-05T16:22:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16079515",
          "commentText": "\"Best\" is a vague metric, but one textbook I am always happy to recommend is the Princeton Companion to Mathematics.\nThe book is a selective review of the most significant ideas in maths and mathematical research.\nThe great editorial process is what sets this book apart from the rest: each chapter is authored by an outstanding expert in his/her particular field (among which several fields medalist the likes of Terence Tao) and the editing by Timothy Gowers does an amazing job of uniforming the tone, notation and rigor across the whole text.\nThe authors were evidently chosen also for their communication skills since the articles come across as quite discoursive and really convey the beauty of modern maths.\nIn the book you'll find not only the articles on mathematical concepts, but also an introduction to modern mathematics, chapters on the relationship of maths with other sciences, a thorough history of mathematics and a collection of biographies of famous mathematicians.\nWell recommended to anybody with an interest in maths. My background is in CS and I found it approachable (except minor sections) and illuminating!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "one textbook I am always happy to recommend is the Princeton Companion to Mathematics.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as a selective review of significant mathematical ideas and research, praising its editing and communication.",
          "audience": "Anyone interested in mathematics; the commenter found it approachable with a computer science background.",
          "caveat": "Some minor sections were not approachable to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7579086,
          "author": "htns",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T20:34:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7579086",
          "commentText": "The Princeton Companion to Mathematics [1] is good if you want to gawk at the breadth and depth of the field. For actual education I would just suggest looking at a math department's syllabus, e.g. at http://ocw.mit.edu/. As a CS grad you should start with analysis, as that's probably your most looming dark spot.\nMy warning as a math student is that a lot of book recommendations are just a tad bit elitist. Don't stick with a single book too long if it isn't cutting it for self-study. Exercises are good.\n[1] http://press.princeton.edu/titles/8350.html",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Princeton Companion to Mathematics [1] is good if you want to gawk at the breadth and depth of the field.",
          "reason": "Calls it good for seeing the breadth and depth of mathematics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter distinguishes this from a book for actual education.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7578523,
          "author": "gtani",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T17:42:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578523",
          "commentText": "I dunno about SICP-like, but here's some good book lists\nhttps://github.com/ystael/chicago-ug-math-bib (updated Univ of Chicago bibliography\nhttp://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/books.html\nhttp://www.maths.cam.ac.uk/undergrad/course/schedules.pdf\n______________________\nand 2 i got from HN and /r/machineLearning\nhttp://www.reddit.com/r/MachineLearning/comments/1jeawf/mach... (http://www.reddit.com/r/MachineLearning/comments/1jeawf/machine_learning_books/)\nhttps://github.com/vhf/free-programming-books/blob/master/fr... (https://github.com/vhf/free-programming-books/blob/master/free-programming-books.md#machine-learning)\n________________________\nfinally, the \"Maths for PHysics\" texts\nhttp://www.scribd.com/doc/156523189/Boas-mathematical-Method... (http://www.scribd.com/doc/156523189/Boas-mathematical-Methods-in-the-Physical-Sciences-pdf)\nhttp://www.goldbart.gatech.edu/PG_MS_MfP.htm\nhttp://www.scribd.com/doc/91670553/Arfken-Math-Physics\n___________________\n(if i had to recommend only one book, it would be the Boas, or maybe Princeton Companion: http://press.princeton.edu/titles/8350.html",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "or maybe Princeton Companion: http://press.princeton.edu/titles/8350.html",
          "reason": "Offered as an alternative to the book they would recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Presented as a possible alternative to Boas.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 755135,
          "author": "jedi_stannis",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T13:26:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755135",
          "commentText": "I haven't picked it up yet, but I remember reading about \"The Princeton Companion to Mathematics\" on here a while ago.  It looks like a pretty complete guide to all of modern mathematics and sounded like it was easy enough for a beginner to get through while still being able to teach math experts some new things.\nThanks for reminding me about it - I think I'm going to order my self a copy!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It looks like a pretty complete guide to all of modern mathematics and sounded like it was easy enough for a beginner to get through while still being able to teach math experts some new things.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a broad guide that seemed accessible to beginners and informative for experts.",
          "audience": "Beginners and mathematics experts.",
          "caveat": "The commenter had not picked it up yet and was relying on what they had read about it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 665344,
          "author": "menloparkbum",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T15:52:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665344",
          "commentText": "It's an encyclopedia of essays on math topics. It's very comprehensive and well edited.\nHowever, while it's a cool book, speaking as a former math tutor, it isn't the most helpful from a self study perspective.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "while it's a cool book, speaking as a former math tutor, it isn't the most helpful from a self study perspective.",
          "reason": "Calls it a cool, comprehensive, well edited book.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in essays on mathematics.",
          "caveat": "Not especially helpful for self study.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 665073,
          "author": "joubert",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T13:36:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665073",
          "commentText": "The Princeton Companion to Mathematics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Princeton Companion to Mathematics.",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a request for math book recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking mathematics books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 665071,
          "author": "jefffoster",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T13:34:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665071",
          "commentText": "I'm trying to do a similar thing.  I've purchased \"The Princeton Companion to Mathematics\" (http://press.princeton.edu/titles/8350.html).\nI've not read a huge amount so far, but what I've read so far has been well-written and understandable.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've purchased \"The Princeton Companion to Mathematics\"",
          "reason": "The commenter reports limited reading so far, but says what they have read is well-written and understandable.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring mathematics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read a huge amount yet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Timothy Gowers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 11,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "History",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematics reference",
        "mathematical overview",
        "mathematical research",
        "mathematics overview"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-origin-of-consciousness-in-the-breakdown-of-the-bicameral-min-ff3191",
      "title": "The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind",
      "author": "Julian Jaynes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40889507,
          "author": "nataliste",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-06T10:32:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40889507",
          "commentText": "Here are some books that pop bubbles, but must be read with humility to avoid becoming its own new bubble, as the world is complex and contains contradictions:\nHoward Zinn's People's History of the United States\nJared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel\nMichael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma\nAyn Rand's the Fountainhead\nThomas Sowell's Basic Economics\nJulian Jaynes's the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind\nIain McGilchrist's the Master and his Emmisary\nVarlam Sharlamov's the Kolyma Tales\nJacques Ellul's Propaganda: the Formation of Men's Attitudes (or alternatively Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Julian Jaynes's the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind",
          "reason": "Listed as a book that pops bubbles.",
          "audience": "Readers who want their assumptions challenged.",
          "caveat": "Read with humility; the world is complex and contains contradictions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39729776,
          "author": "fuzzfactor",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T21:46:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729776",
          "commentText": "\"The Origin of Consciousness\", Jaynes\n\"The Book of Mormon\", Smith",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Origin of Consciousness\", Jaynes",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about books that changed perspectives on religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Title is given in abbreviated form.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37943360,
          "author": "zingababba",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T14:26:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37943360",
          "commentText": "Some recent ones I've really enjoyed:   \nThe Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind - Julian Jaynes;   \nAnd: Phenomenology of the End - Franco Berardi;   \nThe True Believer - Eric Hoffer;   \nI See Satan Fall Like Lightning - Rene Girard;   \nSurplus Enjoyment - Slavoy Zizek;   \nDionysus, Christ, and the Death of God - Giuseppe Fornari\nPhenomenology of the End in particular blew my mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind - Julian Jaynes",
          "reason": "Included among recent books the commenter has enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30242292,
          "author": "glandium",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T09:23:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30242292",
          "commentText": "That's two books, but:\nThe man who mistook his wife for a hat - Oliver Sacks\nThe origin of consciousness in the breakdown of the bicameral mind - Julian Jaynes",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The origin of consciousness in the breakdown of the bicameral mind - Julian Jaynes",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17520639,
          "author": "ryanSrich",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T05:04:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17520639",
          "commentText": "Books finished in June:\n\"How to Change Your Mind\" by Michael Pollan. A fascinating look into the world and science of psychedelic drugs.\n\"Rendezvous with Rama\" by Arthur C. Clarke. One of, if not Clarke's best. It's short for a sci-fi book and almost impossible not to like.\n\"The Hydrogen Sonata\" By Iain M. Banks. It certainly wasn't my favorite culture entry, but it's worth a read none the less. If you haven't read the others in the series I wouldn't suggest starting with it.\n\"Children of Time\" by Adrian Tchaikovsky. It took me a bit to get into this book, but once I did, I really enjoyed it. If you're into long timelines and human existential crisis this is your book.\nAs far as July goes, I'm digging into \"Matterhorn\" by Karl Marlantes and \"The Origins of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind\" by Julian Jaynes.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm digging into \"Matterhorn\" by Karl Marlantes and \"The Origins of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind\" by Julian Jaynes.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16351439,
          "author": "Kapura",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T06:09:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16351439",
          "commentText": "Snow Crash - Convincing possible future dominated by media, corporations, computers, and drugs.\nThe Origin of Consciousness and the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind - Fascinating delve into, among other things, why Homer is boring but gets better, prehistoric art in early human cultures, schizophrenia, and perception and the points it breaks down.\n(I work in VR games so take with a grain of salt)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Origin of Consciousness and the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind - Fascinating delve into, among other things, why Homer is boring but gets better, prehistoric art in early human cultures, schizophrenia, and perception and the points it breaks down.",
          "reason": "Calls it fascinating and notes its wide range of subjects.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says their perspective comes from working in VR games and should be taken with a grain of salt.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630924,
          "author": "mbrock",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T18:57:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630924",
          "commentText": "Gödel, Escher, Bach awakened my intellectual curiosity about formal systems and other autistic modes of beauty as a teenager. After \"The Selfish Gene\" it was the first book I bought and read on my own volition, so I have to credit it as a major influence.\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs for showing that you can think rigorously and compose beautiful programs out of simple pieces.\nContingency, Irony, and Solidarity by Richard Rorty for showing that it's possible to think and feel about politics while maintaining a profoundly ironic and groundless mind.\nThe Body in Pain by Elaine Scarry for its beautiful view of civilization as materialized caring and of the inflicting of pain as metaphysically destructive.\nBeing-in-the-world by Dreyfus for introducing me to Heidegger and showing how continental philosophy inspired by Heidegger was a major force in the evolution of AI and how AI researchers tended to be influenced by rationalist philosophy in the vein of Descartes which leads to huge misunderstandings of the nature of being.\nDhammapada translated by Gil Fronsdal because it's a beautiful exposition of early Buddhist poetry and clearly shows the worldview of south east Asian Buddhism.\nDebt by David Graeber for making me interested in money and credit systems from an anthropological point of view.\nA Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace for being hilarious and sad and buzzing with neurotic perceptive overeducated thought in a way that mirrored my own precocious self-consciousness and made me feel less \"marooned in my own skull.\"\nThe Uses of Disorder by Richard Sennett for giving a defense of the anarchy of urban life that views conflict as necessary for growth.\nAfter Virtue by Alisdair MacIntyre for showing the contemporary situation in thought and ethics as profoundly abnormal and difficult, being the aftermath of the Enlightenment project's failure to ground morality in objective reason, and pointing to virtue within traditions as the only way to live coherently.\nThe Teachings of Huang-bo for being a merciless and hilarious attack on sanctimonious and ritualistic Buddhism, displaying the role of sarcasm and wit in spirituality, and generally just shouting \"wake up, lazy pretentious idiot\" on every page.\nFanged Noumena by Nick Land for diving deeply into amphetaminic insanity thus accurately mirroring the schizophrenia of postmodern capitalism.\nThe letters of Van Gogh.\nPhillip Lopate's personal essays.\nHyperobjects by Timothy Morton.\nOn the Origins of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "On the Origins of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed without an evaluation or explanation.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14483822,
          "author": "ThomPete",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-04T22:01:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14483822",
          "commentText": "\"The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind\" by Julian Jaynes\nIt was the first time I read someone who was thinking about the mind like I am and was able to put into words some of my own more vague thoughts.\nIt's definitely going to leave you thinking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It was the first time I read someone who was thinking about the mind like I am and was able to put into words some of my own more vague thoughts.",
          "reason": "The author’s ideas resonated with the commenter and articulated thoughts they had struggled to express.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it will leave you thinking.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10209425,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T21:20:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10209425",
          "commentText": "Julian Jaynes The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the BiCameral Mind",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Julian Jaynes The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the BiCameral Mind",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10208732,
          "author": "m_alexgr",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T17:52:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10208732",
          "commentText": "The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind - Julian Jaynes\nWholeness and the Implicate Order - David Bohm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind - Julian Jaynes",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674192,
          "author": "ThomPete",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T11:23:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674192",
          "commentText": "The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Origin-Consciousness-Breakdown-Bicamer... (http://www.amazon.com/Origin-Consciousness-Breakdown-Bicameral-Mind/dp/0618057072)\nI found it on this list:\nhttp://spacecollective.org/wilfriedhoujebek/4076/Summery-Boo... (http://spacecollective.org/wilfriedhoujebek/4076/Summery-Books-Too-Far-Out-For-Johnny-Depp)\nWhere also the following books some of which I read to (Vehicles is really good) can be found:\nThe White Goddess - Robert Graves\nGraves' grammar of poetic myth works at so many levels at the same time that I can't keep track of them all. This is not a book, this is a neurosis you can borrow. Druidic power to the nerds.\nThe Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind - Julian Jaynes\nNever mind the bulky title. The theory of Jaynes seems preposterous at first: before man was conscious he would not stop and think when making a decision, instead he would literally hear a voice telling him what to do. When life became too complicated this faculty broke down, but not in an instant. Religion is a by-product of this neuro-catastrophe. Jaynes however knows to make use of historic material in such a way that in the course of his argument he becomes plausible! If you don't trust me on this, trust Daniel Dennett.\nThe Ghost of Chance - William S. Burroughs\nBurroughs was a great admirer of Jaynes and here he uses the bicameral image of two dividing brain spheres as a metaphor for the divide between peaceful lemur on Madagascar and the war-mongering chimpanzee on the African mainland as a reminder that human evolution could have taken a better turn.\nAncient Evenings - Norman Mailer\nThis book, the only lengthy novel in this list, I first looked up because Burroughs referenced it as his inspiration for 'The Western Lands'. When I noticed it starts with my favourite Yeats quote I knew I needed to read this. Even though Burroughs could never have written it like this, at times it is more Burroughs then Burroughs himself. It is the autobiography of a Ka, the lowliest soul of the seven souls of the ancient Egyptians, which makes for unusual reading. Especially because Mailer uses an uncensored version of Egyptian mythology which, to put it mildly, differs from the version you get of it from the National Geographic. The Egyptians practised sex magic with the stamina of a bonobo. Mailer makes Aleister Crowley look like a prudish schoolboy. This is the boldest attempt to recreate a radically different mind from ours that I know of, and does so successfully. The novel as the creation of an artificial consciousness. At the same time it doubles as an All American Novel (yuk).\nThe Mind in the Cave - David Lewis-Williams\nPalaeolithic Psychedelia anyone? Close your eyes, place a finger on both of your eyelids and press gently. What you see is the origin of all art, you only need to look at rock-art with a guide like Lewis-Williams to see it.\nThe Chinese Written Character as a Medium for Poetry - Ernest Fennolosa\nEdited by Ezra Pound, the most spectacular misunderstanding of language ever to be reprinted. It reads excellent and it gives us a language (Chinoiserie-Chinese) that does not exist in this world but should exist in a better world.\nVehicles - Valentino Braitenberg\nI have read so much stuff relating to Cybernetics, AI, emergent systems and self-organization that I am totally saturated with it. The material itself is exciting but the professional obligation of science to be dull gets on my nerves. But this is an exception, wonderfully written and illustrated with funky little drawings. Vehicles is a tiny book but its size is deceptive. This introduction to synthetic psychology describes a number of simple responsive vehicles that with each new feature became aware of the world around them a good deal more. Each new vehicle is a new mind.\nThe Coleridge Notebooks.\nCharles Lamb said he loved to lend his books to ‘Poet, Metaphysician, Bard’ Coleridge because he would return them with annotations more interesting then the book itself. Samuel Taylor Coleridge had a mind that was free, discursive, unruly and truly original. His notebooks record the flow of his thoughts as if you are sitting next to him. Every now and then I dip into this and always come out with some gem I never saw before. Get the Seamus Perry edition of this. Get a copy of the Road to Xanadu by Livingstone-Lowes for extra enjoyment.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The theory of Jaynes seems preposterous at first: before man was conscious he would not stop and think when making a decision, instead he would literally hear a voice telling him what to do. When life became too complicated this faculty broke down, but not in an instant. Religion is a by-product of this neuro-catastrophe. Jaynes however knows to make use of historic material in such a way that in the course of his argument he becomes plausible!",
          "reason": "The initially far-fetched theory becomes plausible through the historical material.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The theory seems preposterous at first.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348373,
          "author": "ThomPete",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:47:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348373",
          "commentText": "\"The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind\"– Julian Jaynes\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Origin-Consciousness-Breakdown-Bicamer... (http://www.amazon.com/Origin-Consciousness-Breakdown-Bicameral-Mind/dp/0618057072)\nEither the theory is crazy or it's one of the most groundbreaking discoveries in newer history.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Either the theory is crazy or it's one of the most groundbreaking discoveries in newer history.",
          "reason": "The commenter presents it as either a crazy theory or a groundbreaking discovery.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is uncertain whether the theory is crazy or groundbreaking.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2087800,
          "author": "zackattack",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T07:19:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2087800",
          "commentText": "Julian Jaynes, Origin of Consciousness in The Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind ~ edifying implications about human nature",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Julian Jaynes, Origin of Consciousness in The Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind ~ edifying implications about human nature",
          "reason": "Described as having edifying implications about human nature.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752336,
          "author": "zackattack",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T07:43:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752336",
          "commentText": "The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind, by Julian Jaynes, is the best book I've read this year. It profoundly changed the way I look at things. I also found Sperm Wars to be very enlightening, ditto Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind, by Julian Jaynes, is the best book I've read this year. It profoundly changed the way I look at things.",
          "reason": "Called the best book the commenter read that year and said it profoundly changed their perspective.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in consciousness and psychology.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1633501,
          "author": "dwwoelfel",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T17:32:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1633501",
          "commentText": "http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0618057072",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0618057072",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1633046,
          "author": "beagle3",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T15:16:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1633046",
          "commentText": "The Emergence of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes.\nA mind blowing explanation of consciousness. The jury is still out with most critics considering this wrong -- but nevertheless, it's an amazingly detailed (and well supported) theory of where consciousness, gods, schizophrenia etc come from.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Emergence of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a detailed, well-supported theory of the origins of consciousness, gods, and schizophrenia.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says most critics consider the theory wrong and that the jury is still out.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86220,
          "author": "diversityhire",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:14:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86220",
          "commentText": "Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's Flow: the Psychology of Optimal Experience\nWilliam Faulkner's As I Lay Dying &amp; The Sound and the Fury\nJulian Jaynes' The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind\nPeter Medawar's The Art of the Soluable\nDesigned by Peter Saville\nNietzsche's Twilight of the Idols\nBloom County Babylon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Julian Jaynes' The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the thread’s question about favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Julian Jaynes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 10,
      "threads": 13,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Philosophy",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consciousness",
        "bicameral mind",
        "ancient greece",
        "history of religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "don-quixote-71d494",
      "title": "Don Quixote",
      "author": "Miguel de Cervantes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42971496,
          "author": "maxbrt",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-07T11:35:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42971496",
          "commentText": "1984, George Orwell\nPermanent Record, Edward Snowden\nMy Early Life, Winston S. Churchill\nFlowers for Algernon, Daniel Keyes\nAtlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand\nEdit: To some extent probably also:\nThe Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas\nDon Quijote, Miguel de Cervantes",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Don Quijote, Miguel de Cervantes",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Introduced with “To some extent probably also.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41773516,
          "author": "codeadict",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-08T03:14:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41773516",
          "commentText": "My absolute one would be Don Quijote de La Mancha by Cervantes - Taught me the beauty of language, to follow my own ideas and the power of a little craziness. Second would be anything from Jules Verne, his books got me to love science and engineering when I was a kid.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My absolute one would be Don Quijote de La Mancha by Cervantes - Taught me the beauty of language, to follow my own ideas and the power of a little craziness.",
          "reason": "Named as the absolute favorite; credited with teaching the beauty of language and encouraging independent ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41239137,
          "author": "sickofparadox",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-13T19:58:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41239137",
          "commentText": "Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes",
          "reason": "Named as a favorite classic in response to the request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936440,
          "author": "sailorganymede",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T09:04:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936440",
          "commentText": "Don Quixote. It was released about 500 years ago but it's good to know what was funny back then is still now",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Don Quixote. It was released about 500 years ago but it's good to know what was funny back then is still now",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a way to see that its humor still works today.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14485426,
          "author": "habosa",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T05:27:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14485426",
          "commentText": "Don Quixote. Specifically the translation by Edith Grossman.\nIn high school I was assigned this book but I didn't read it all, it seemed like a waste of time to read 1000+ pages about a silly knight.\nA few years ago I got into reading a lot of fiction translated from Spanish and Don Quixote got back on my radar so I decided to give it another try.  I was blown away.  It's astounding that a book from 500 years ago is still so funny and engaging today. Grossman's translation makes the book accessible and very enjoyable. If you didn't know the history you'd believe it had been published in the last few decades.\nI recommend this because it's the best example of how literature can be time travel. When I smile at one of the adventures in the book I know that I'm sharing an experience with readers across centuries.  There's almost no other way to get that feeling.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend this because it's the best example of how literature can be time travel.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as an exceptional way to share an experience with readers across centuries.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in classic literature and fiction in translation.",
          "caveat": "The commenter specifically recommends Edith Grossman's translation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11716851,
          "author": "ericzawo",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-17T19:58:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11716851",
          "commentText": "This book should be required reading. One of the best experiences I've ever had with fiction was reading this in high school. It's a massive read, I think I got through it in like 8 days over Christmas holiday.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book should be required reading. One of the best experiences I've ever had with fiction was reading this in high school.",
          "reason": "Calls it required reading and one of their best fiction-reading experiences.",
          "audience": "High school students.",
          "caveat": "A massive read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11700065,
          "author": "javipas",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-15T08:44:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11700065",
          "commentText": "I'm finally starting to read \"Don Quixote\". A good way to celebrate the 400 anniversary of the death of Miguel de Cervantes (and Shakespeare). Disclaimer: I'm Spanish, so it's about time :)\nAvailable in English for free through Project Gutenberg\nhttps://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/996\nAnd for Spanish readers like me, here it is in several electronic formats:\nhttp://manybooks.net/titles/cervantesetext992donq10.html",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm finally starting to read \"Don Quixote\".",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are starting it and gives a celebratory reason, but no evaluation of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10534162,
          "author": "schlagetown",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T17:01:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10534162",
          "commentText": "Watchmen (Alan Moore)\nOrigins of Form (Christopher Williams)\nStarship & The Canoe (Kenneth Brower)\nThe Size of Lumber (Nicholson Baker)\nZen Mind, Beginner's Mind (Shunryu Suzuki)\nDeschooling Society (Ivan Illich)\nMoby Dick (Herman Melville)\nBolo'Bolo (P.M.)\nLe Ton beau de Marot (Douglas Hofstadter)\nGaia: A New Look at Life on Earth (James Lovelock)\nMouse or Rat: Translation as Negotiation (Umberto Eco)\nNeuromancer (William Gibson)\nThe Intelligent Investor (Benjamin Graham)\nDon Quixote (Miguel Cervantes)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Don Quixote (Miguel Cervantes)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about the best books read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9350226,
          "author": "mjhoy",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T19:14:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350226",
          "commentText": "I'm about 40 chapters (~350 pages) through. I wouldn't say it gets better, or worse: I loved it from the beginning. If you aren't hooked by 100 pages, I'd put it down. However I'd recommend coming back to it later, maybe in a few years, try it again, see if you don't get more out of it.\nAlso, if you didn't read the Edith Grossman translation, try that, it is very smart and modern. The older translation feels a bit stuffy to me.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If you aren't hooked by 100 pages, I'd put it down. However I'd recommend coming back to it later, maybe in a few years, try it again, see if you don't get more out of it.",
          "reason": "Recommends setting it aside if it does not engage you, then trying it again later.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The older translation feels a bit stuffy; prefers Edith Grossman's translation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9350142,
          "author": "mathattack",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T19:06:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350142",
          "commentText": "I struggled with Don Quixote.  After 100 pages or so I just felt like I was missing something.  It was as if the story was just repeating itself.  Did you get to the end?  Did it get better?",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I struggled with Don Quixote.  After 100 pages or so I just felt like I was missing something.",
          "reason": "The commenter struggled to connect with it and asks whether it improves.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter stopped after about 100 pages and wonders if it gets better.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9349461,
          "author": "mjhoy",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T17:45:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9349461",
          "commentText": "Don Quixote. Touches on a lot: perception, value, narrative, ethics, creativity. Above all it is funny as hell and beautifully written.\nTypes and Programming Languages, Benjamin Pierce, slightly intimidating mathematically for me but worth diving in, lots of interesting ideas, I'm only through to the second chapter.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Above all it is funny as hell and beautifully written.",
          "reason": "Praises its humor and writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2643818,
          "author": "systemtrigger",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-11T13:09:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2643818",
          "commentText": "Don Quixote by Cervantes, or Shogun by Clavell.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Don Quixote by Cervantes",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875855,
          "author": "systemtrigger",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T03:09:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875855",
          "commentText": "Don Quixote\nShogun",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Don Quixote",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 192464,
          "author": "nmeyer",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-17T04:48:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=192464",
          "commentText": "Check out http://www.librivox.org. They have a HUGE catalogue of audio recordings of public-domain works. Grab a list of the 100 classic books of all time and download them.  Don Quixote, The Prince, Picture of Dorian Grey, Pride and Prejudice...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Don Quixote, The Prince, Picture of Dorian Grey, Pride and Prejudice...",
          "reason": "Listed as a classic to download in response to an audiobook recommendation question.",
          "audience": "Listeners seeking classic books in the public domain.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Miguel de Cervantes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 10,
      "threads": 11,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "satire",
        "spanish literature",
        "classic literature",
        "classic novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-stranger-171396",
      "title": "The Stranger",
      "author": "Albert Camus",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41175653,
          "author": "taylodl",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:37:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175653",
          "commentText": "- Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Pirsig)\n- Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid (Hofstadter)\n- Shadows of the Mind: A Search for the Missing Science of Consciousness (Penrose)\n- Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind (Suzuki)\n- Demian (Hesse)\n- The Stranger (Camus)\n- Slaughterhouse-Five (Vonnegut)\n- Another Roadside Attraction (Robbins)\nI have read many books that have had an impact on me for a time, but these are the books that have had an enduring impact going on now for decades.\nAnd yes, one of these books, Another Roadside Attraction, is unlike the others. You can substitute any Tom Robbins book, or read them all!, but this is the book that started it all for me. Tom Robbins' books taught me to not take life so seriously.\nDemian and The Stranger may be fiction, but let's just say their purpose is to get across a philosophical point.\nFinally, with regards to Slaughterhouse-Five, you'll just have to read it.\nEnjoy!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Demian and The Stranger may be fiction, but let's just say their purpose is to get across a philosophical point.",
          "reason": "Lists it among books with an enduring impact and says it conveys a philosophical point.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40878446,
          "author": "thorin",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-04T22:05:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40878446",
          "commentText": "For some reason i can't get the stranger, Camus out of my head. I had it on my desk for at least 10 years at one company as a sign that I never quite fitted in there, but I never felt like I fitted anywhere else either. I enjoy books you can easily read in a single sitting as you could really get into a zone with the story. Old man and the sea and several Iain Banks books fell into the same category.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "i can't get the stranger, Camus out of my head",
          "reason": "Describes it as a book that has stayed with them and symbolized not fitting in.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40436779,
          "author": "closetkantian",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-22T02:33:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40436779",
          "commentText": "The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles. Existentialist novel—like Camus' The Stranger but better.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "like Camus' The Stranger but better",
          "reason": "Used as a comparison to praise The Sheltering Sky; no direct endorsement stated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37820122,
          "author": "thorin",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-09T13:12:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37820122",
          "commentText": "Heart of darkness is very short and fits into those great books like L'Etranger and the Old Man and the Sea that can be usefully read in an afternoon and give back way more than they demand from you.\nRepublic is quite long but very approachable and I really enjoyed it.\nAgain the mythical man month still holds true and it very readable. It's interesting for anyone interested in computing history as well as for it's key points on management.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "like L'Etranger",
          "reason": "Includes it among short classics that repay an afternoon of reading.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a short, rewarding classic.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25531559,
          "author": "isaac21259",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T21:23:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25531559",
          "commentText": "The Stranger by Camus",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Stranger by Camus",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12142544,
          "author": "thorin",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T09:24:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12142544",
          "commentText": "Code complete was a great early read for someone who already knew the basics of programming\nL'etranger Albert Camus, for the same reasons as jjgreen\nA Herbert Shilt book on C programming but could have been K&R instead, was part of the process from moving from simple basic coding to software development",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "L'etranger Albert Camus",
          "reason": "Listed as a book that impacted the commenter’s career.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter refers to unspecified prior reasons.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11556961,
          "author": "thorin",
          "createdAt": "2016-04-23T19:07:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 11556470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your favorite dystopian novel and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11556961",
          "commentText": "Probably the trial (kafka) or the plague (camus) but the one book I struggle to put down to put down is l'etranger as it's so easy to read in a single sitting and do compelling.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "l'etranger as it's so easy to read in a single sitting and do compelling.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is easy to read in one sitting and compelling.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a compelling, accessible novel.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348517,
          "author": "MrMiracle",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:04:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348517",
          "commentText": "L'etranger - Albert Camus\nLe mythe de sisyphe - Albert Camus",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "L'etranger - Albert Camus",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8257662,
          "author": "redxblood",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T14:14:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257662",
          "commentText": "I read The Stranger, great indeed.\nMind giving some overview of Steppenwolf?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read The Stranger, great indeed.",
          "reason": "Calls the book great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8257642,
          "author": "jaryd",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T14:11:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257642",
          "commentText": "Siddhartha is great--if you like Hesse I would also recommend that you check out \"Steppenwolf\" (same author), and if that also appeals to you, then \"The Stranger\" by Camus",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "then \"The Stranger\" by Camus",
          "reason": "Recommends it if Steppenwolf also appeals to the reader.",
          "audience": "Readers who like Hesse and enjoy Steppenwolf.",
          "caveat": "Recommendation is conditional on Steppenwolf appealing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5710333,
          "author": "pizza",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-15T05:30:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5710333",
          "commentText": "The Stranger, Catch-22, Cat's Cradle",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Stranger",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1765027,
          "author": "dpatel512",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-06T18:00:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1765027",
          "commentText": "Couple that with Camus' <i>The Stranger</i> and <i>The Myth of Sisyphus</i> and you've got enough satisfying \"thinking material\" for a nice long while.\nOne more suggestion for fiction: Rohinton Mistry's <i>A Fine Balance</i>.  This will FOREVER change your perspective on hardship while giving one a fantastic appreciation for living.  I'm always giving copies of this rare gem as a gift and I have heard nothing but rave reviews from those who have been touched by its power.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Camus' <i>The Stranger</i>",
          "reason": "Suggested alongside The Myth of Sisyphus as satisfying material for thought.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1635259,
          "author": "lotusleaf1987",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-26T06:34:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1635259",
          "commentText": "Brave New World, 1984, The Metamorphosis, The Stranger, and...possibly Les Miserables if you have A LOT of free time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Stranger",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed your life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1504079,
          "author": "gmaster1440",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T18:14:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1504079",
          "commentText": "The Stranger - Albert Camus",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Stranger - Albert Camus",
          "reason": "Named in response to a request for philosophical books.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking philosophical books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Albert Camus"
      ],
      "recommenders": 10,
      "threads": 11,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "existentialism",
        "absurdism",
        "existential fiction",
        "existentialist fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-brief-history-of-time-413b54",
      "title": "A Brief History of Time",
      "author": "Stephen Hawking",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35930945,
          "author": "makach",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T18:03:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35930945",
          "commentText": "a brief history of time",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a brief history of time",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the thread's question about eye-opening textbooks.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25906002,
          "author": "ra7",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T17:28:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25906002",
          "commentText": "A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking. I thought it would be a good time investment to read this book than to watch random Youtube videos about topics related to the cosmos.\nAnother, The Almanack of Naval Ravikant. Probably the podcast or the free PDF versions.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I thought it would be a good time investment to read this book than to watch random Youtube videos about topics related to the cosmos.",
          "reason": "Chooses the book as a way to learn about the cosmos.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the cosmos.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21902980,
          "author": "baristaGeek",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T00:46:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902980",
          "commentText": "Best business books:\n-Secrets of Sandhill Road\n-Hackers and Painters\n-The Great CEO within\n-Venture Deals\n-Predictable Revenue\n-Zero to One\n-The Hard Thing About Hard Things\n-Lean customer development\n-Lost and founder\n-Lean B2B\n-From Impossible to Inevitable\n-Traction\nBest computer science books:\n-Competitive programming 3\n-Structure and interpretation of computer programs\nBest for fun (non-fiction):\n-Meditations\n-Sapiens\n-How to win friends and influence people\n-A brief history of time\n-Self-reliance\n-Frente a la estrella polar",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-A brief history of time",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s best books for fun in response to a question about influential books.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in cosmology and physics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20999529,
          "author": "w4tson",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-17T20:10:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20999529",
          "commentText": "I listened to the Selfish Gene on Audible recently and was blown away by it.\nAll through school I never had much of an interest in biology or genetics. I think if I’d read this earlier it may have changed my mind.\nPlanning on reading the Blind Watchmaker at some point.\nSpurred on by reading the former I thought I’d listen to A Brief History of Time. Wow that is a whole different kettle of fish. I had to stop because I realized it wasn’t the right format (Audiobook), for me at least.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Wow that is a whole different kettle of fish. I had to stop because I realized it wasn’t the right format (Audiobook), for me at least.",
          "reason": "The commenter stopped listening because the audiobook format did not work for them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The audiobook format was not right for the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18663950,
          "author": "philippz",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T14:05:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663950",
          "commentText": "Yuval Harari - Sapiens\nYuval Harari - Homo Deus\nYuval Harari - 21 lessons for the 21st century\nFrank Schätzing - The Swarm\nPeter Drucker - The Effective Executive\nStephen Hawking - A Short History Of Time",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Stephen Hawking - A Short History Of Time",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17520684,
          "author": "iammiles",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T05:19:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17520684",
          "commentText": "I read A Brief History of Time after the death of Stephen Hawking and recently wrapped up the Three Body Problem.  I think they make an excellent combo for anyone interested in Physics, Sci-Fi, and Computer Science",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I read A Brief History of Time after the death of Stephen Hawking",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16762533,
          "author": "m3h",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-05T07:06:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16762533",
          "commentText": "\"A Brief History of Time\" and \"Universe in a nutshell\" are always there. I never get tired of reading a random page from those books.\nI have nothing programming related on my desk; we have Google to thanks for that.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"A Brief History of Time\"",
          "reason": "Says the book is always there and that they enjoy reading random pages from it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348789,
          "author": "MichaelGG",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:30:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348789",
          "commentText": "This is embarrassing. I grew up with sorta fundie parents (they got better) and dropped out of school early (religious schools...), so it might be different for HNers that had a solid mental upbringing.\nA Brief History of Time because it pretty much slapped any thoughts I had of a supernatural universe/god right out of my mind. I know it's not highly regarded, but for a rather ignorant guy, it woke me up.\nThe Selfish Gene (inc The Extended Phenotype). This is one I think is the most powerful, even for people that had OK education. Showing how life could possibly evolve, just with random mutations and non-random survival made it real to me that we live in a natural world. And not just that, but that since it's so obviously a natural world, it's up to us to decide what is right, what our purpose is. The earth and nature aren't going to help us there - it's our call, full stop. That is huge, and many otherwise seemingly well educated people don't seem to get it.\nHeuristics and Biases. (Though Thinking Fast and Slow might be more approachable.) This book opened me up to the fact that I'm running on busted hardware. That I've got serious, unfixable, biases built into my brain. That a lot of what I do is a fast but inaccurate parallel system at work. (Interestingly, this is the essence of Taoism, wu wei).\nLately, LessWrong. (Available as a book called Rationality: From AI to Zombies). These sequences have helped me, well, get less wrong, slowly, at making decisions and general thinking. I try to be aware of when I'm being biased and incorrect. I make better predictions and actively try to update my priors, instead of just confirming my previous beliefs. As I get older (34) I find I'm unwittingly acting close minded on occasion, and need to actively work against it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A Brief History of Time because it pretty much slapped any thoughts I had of a supernatural universe/god right out of my mind.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed their view of the supernatural and woke them up.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not highly regarded and frames their response as specific to their earlier lack of knowledge.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8106989,
          "author": "cellover",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:32:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106989",
          "commentText": "I like understanding where I am located in space and time, that is why I love reading about science & science fiction ; it is indirectly related to religion in the sense that it makes you think about your world, about yourself.\nBuddhism / Religion / ... :\n- Siddartha - Hermann Hesse\n- The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho\nScience:\n- A brief history of time - Stephen Hawking (space, time)\n- The Blind Watchmaker - Richard Dawkins (evolution)\n- Le cerveau intime - Marc Jeannerod (in french only)\nScience-fiction:\n- The Road - Cormack Mc Carthy\n- City - Clifford D. Simack\n- Time is the simplest thing - Clifford D. Simack\n- Ringworld - Larry Niven",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A brief history of time - Stephen Hawking",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6923311,
          "author": "eduardordm",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-17T19:32:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 6921805,
          "threadTitle": "What book has inspired you the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6923311",
          "commentText": "Certainly most of you have already read but next time you read  \"A Brief History of Time\" focus more on how Stephen thinks and how he deals with uncertainty, it's like reading a new book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "next time you read  \"A Brief History of Time\" focus more on how Stephen thinks and how he deals with uncertainty, it's like reading a new book.",
          "reason": "Recommends rereading it with attention to Hawking’s thinking and treatment of uncertainty.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875922,
          "author": "paraschopra",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T03:40:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875922",
          "commentText": "Brief History of Time\nFooled by Randomness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brief History of Time",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240850,
          "author": "trotzke",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T06:28:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240850",
          "commentText": "On my desk:\nGetting Real (37Signals),\nHardball (Chris Mathews),\nPrioritizing Web Usability (Jakob Nielsen)\nNearby shelf:\nThe Design of Everyday Things,\nMaverick,\nFounders at work,\nA Brief History of Time,\nA Pattern Language,\nPeopleware,\nMade to stick,\nWeb Standards Solutions,\nDesigning Interactions,\nThe Pragmatic Programmer,\nThe Mythical Man-Month,\nOh, the Places You'll Go!\nOther good reads:\nBlink,\nTipping Point,\nLong Tail,\nFreakonomics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Brief History of Time,",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for recommended books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Hawking"
      ],
      "recommenders": 10,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cosmology",
        "physics",
        "popular physics",
        "popular science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "heart-of-darkness-39cc9e",
      "title": "Heart of Darkness",
      "author": "Joseph Conrad",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48089131,
          "author": "cheese_van",
          "createdAt": "2026-05-10T23:14:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 48084905,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci fi books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48089131",
          "commentText": "It didn't grab me at first but your comment makes me think I should give it another go, thanks.  I remember that initially I had a world of trouble with Conrad's Heart of Darkness but I hit it again and was amply rewarded, so Ill give Blindsight another try, thanks.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I remember that initially I had a world of trouble with Conrad's Heart of Darkness but I hit it again and was amply rewarded",
          "reason": "Says a difficult reread of the novel was rewarding.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Initially found it difficult.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42969912,
          "author": "hiAndrewQuinn",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-07T06:05:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42969912",
          "commentText": "probably Heart of Darkness\nmaybe also Yukio Mishima's tetralogy",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "probably Heart of Darkness",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says “probably.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37820162,
          "author": "ironlake",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-09T13:16:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37820162",
          "commentText": "Why would anyone pretend to read Heart of Darkness? At 40k words it's one of the shortest novels ever written. The writing absolutely slaps. Anyone with any interest and experience in literature would find their first encounter with this book to be pleasant (except for the racism and colonialism).\nAnd it's falling out of favor because of the racism and colonialism, so it's perfectly acceptable (in most literature circles) to say that you just didn't want to read that kind of crap and leave it at that.\nI'm re-reading Heart of Darkness now and not likely to mention it to anyone because it's so regressive.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I'm re-reading Heart of Darkness now and not likely to mention it to anyone because it's so regressive.",
          "reason": "Calls the novel regressive and says its racism and colonialism are reasons it is falling out of favor.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes racism and colonialism and describes the book as regressive.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37820122,
          "author": "thorin",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-09T13:12:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37820122",
          "commentText": "Heart of darkness is very short and fits into those great books like L'Etranger and the Old Man and the Sea that can be usefully read in an afternoon and give back way more than they demand from you.\nRepublic is quite long but very approachable and I really enjoyed it.\nAgain the mythical man month still holds true and it very readable. It's interesting for anyone interested in computing history as well as for it's key points on management.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Heart of darkness is very short",
          "reason": "Praises it as a short classic that rewards an afternoon of reading.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a short, rewarding classic.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37818081,
          "author": "dwd",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-09T07:58:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37818081",
          "commentText": "Literature: Brothers Karamozov\nConstantly recommended on Twitter and I really wonder how many of those recommending it have actually read it.\nHeart of Darkness is a short easy read in comparison. Moby Dick was another hard read and a real slog with only the occasional memorable passage to reward enduring the tedium.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Heart of Darkness is a short easy read in comparison.",
          "reason": "Calls it a short, easy read compared with The Brothers Karamazov.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37814502,
          "author": "nickster",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-08T21:17:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37814502",
          "commentText": "In Computers? The Mythical Man Month Fred Brooks\nIn Management? Turn the Ship Around David Marquet\nIn literature? Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad\nIn Philosophy? The Republic Plato\nIn Religion? The Confessions St. Augustine\nIn Mathematics? The Elements Euclid\nIn History? Parallel lives Plutarch\nIn Physics? Principia Isaac Newton",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad",
          "reason": "Listed as a book people in literature may pretend to have read.",
          "audience": "People in literature.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37810868,
          "author": "aniijbod",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-08T14:39:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37810868",
          "commentText": "In Computers? The Mythical Man Month Fred Brooks\nIn Mnaagement? Turn the Ship Around David Marquet\nIn literature? Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad\nIn Philosophy? The Republic Plato\nIn Religion? The Confessions St. Augustine\nIn Mathematics? The Elements Euclid\nIn History? Parallel lives Plutarch\nIn Physics? Principia Isaac Newton",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad",
          "reason": "Listed as a book people in literature may pretend to have read.",
          "audience": "People in literature.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33849955,
          "author": "prepend",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T02:31:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33849955",
          "commentText": "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood by Quentin Tarantino, a great companion to the movie and expands on characters in really unique ways that make me think about them.\nTermination Shock by Neal Stephenson, a near future book about climate change and trying to fix it with an interesting geopolitical look of China acting like the US. I also liked Ministry of the Future but it was less fun of a read.\nCoddling of the American Mind by Jonathan Haidt, a reasoned look at how social media and devices are negatively impacting society and children.\nBorne by Jeff VanderMeer, a weird near future declinepunk with bioengineering and evil corporations.\nHeart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, very short book with a glimpse into post colonial colonialism in remote locations. Wanted to read a book about Congo.\nInvisible Man by Ralph Ellison, a portrait of a character in a time I didn’t experience.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wanted to read a book about Congo.",
          "reason": "Read it for a glimpse of colonialism in remote locations and as a book about the Congo.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes its subject as “post colonial colonialism.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467573,
          "author": "trts",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:40:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467573",
          "commentText": "For many books that I find myself thinking about for years, or just that I enjoyed very much, I will revisit them later.  They can be very revealing in how my perspective has changed or that I'll identify with completely different characters, or be awed by a passage that my earlier self overlooked.\nSeveral that come to mind are\nHeart of Darkness\nMoby Dick\nRobinson Crusoe\nPretty much any Chekhov story\nCathedral by Raymond Carver",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Heart of Darkness",
          "reason": "Names it among works revisited over the years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18663308,
          "author": "ivanmaeder",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:27:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663308",
          "commentText": "My highlights from this year:\n1. \"How to Measure Anything\" (Douglas Hubbard)\nPresents a few simple techniques (confidence intervals, Monte Carlo simulations, regression analysis, Bayes, etc) to help with decision-making. E.g., should we build this feature or spend the same money on marketing?\nI put it alongside \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" (Daniel Kahneman), \"Superforecasting\" (Philip Tetlock), \"The Art of Thinking Clearly\" (Rolf Dobelli), etc. These books explain how our thinking is often flawed; \"How to Measure Anything\" gives you some tools to avoid flawed thinking.\nNote: if you already know the math (a lot of people on HN would), you might not get that much out of it.\n2. \"Why We Sleep\" (Matthew Walker)\nAs I read this book I kept thinking about all the people I knew who would benefit from it: family and friends whom I want to have healthy happy lives, managers who believe that they'll get more out of people by pushing them to work crazy hours… and lots of people who think they’ll get more out of themselves if they sleep less.\nWith references to studies, the book explains the different factors that influence sleep, what your body does during sleep and the different phases of sleep, how your body—mostly the brain—benefits, etc.\nFor days after reading it I kept telling friends about things I'd learnt from it. One of my favourite was how certain types of bird are able to sleep: they line themselves up in a row, with the birds on each end putting only half their brain to sleep. This way they can keep one of their eyes open—the one furthest to the end—so they can keep watch. Then after a while the birds on the end will turn around and sleep the other side of their brain.\nFascinating!\nMy only complaint is that it very rarely mentions the actual numbers behind studies. E.g., there might be a mention of a lack of sleep and an increased risk of diabetes or depression or heart attacks, but there's no reference to the amount the risks increase by.\n3. \"Shoe Dog\" (Phil Knight)\nThe story of Nike, told by the founder. I honestly don't care about Nike but that's not the takeaway—it's not about shoes or T-shirts or Michael Jordan. It's about a guy trying to keep a business alive: almost from day one there no let-up, the company is continually under threat.\nAlso the early employees are a really fun bunch.\n4. \"The Master and Margarita\" (Mikhail Bulgakov)\nFiction. It took me a while to warm up to this but I'm glad I stuck it out. I think the charm is in the language and the crazy mix of characters, the way religion is dealt with in a very human way; the tension, the fun…\nI really struggle to describe this book.\n5. \"Shantaram\" (David Gregory Roberts)\nFiction. I was looking for a book about India. I've never been, and I thought I might learn something and get a feeling of what it's like to be there.\nI didn't. Not in the same way that I could feel the heat in \"Heart of Darkness\" (Joseph Conrad) or the sun and the trees in \"From the Holy Mountain\" (William Dalrymple) or the weight of the world in \"Suttree\" (Cormac McCarthy).\nBut it's a good ride of a story.\n6. \"In Dreams Begin Responsibilities and Other Stories\" (Delmore Schwartz)\nI knew this book from university. And then a few weeks ago: I needed a break from the world of tech and productivity and work, and this did the trick. It is so far away from that. Think: creative types working on books and poems and plays during the depression, struggling, self-conscious, observant, talkative…",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Not in the same way that I could feel the heat in \"Heart of Darkness\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned as a comparison for the atmosphere the commenter sought; no evaluation of this title is given here.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156533,
          "author": "jeffersonheard",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:44:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156533",
          "commentText": "Getting More - Stuart Diamond. I still think this is the best book on the art of negotiation.\nGetting Things Done - David Allen. If you have adult ADHD like me, and you haven't read this, it's the first system that's really worked for productivity for me.\nMan's Search for Meaning - Victor Frankl.\nLiving Buddha, Living Christ - Thich Nhat Hanh.\nCosmos - Carl Sagan.\nThe Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. LeGuin.\nThe One who Walks Away from Omelas - U.K. LeGuin.\nWild Seed - Octavia Butler.\nThe Heike Monogatari - (tr. Helen Craig McCullough) “The sound of the Gion Shoja temple bells echoes the impermanence of all things; the color of the sala flowers reveals the truth that to flourish is to fall. The proud do not endure, like a passing dream on a night in spring; the mighty fall at last, to be no more than dust before the wind.” If you need a comparison. this is the Japanese historical equivalent of Game of Thrones combined with a bit of MacBeth. The rise and fall of two shogunate families, and an analysis of the tragic flaws of character that brought their fall about.\nLes Miserables - Victor Hugo.\nSmall Gods - Terry Pratchett.\nHeart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad.\nThe Guide - R. K. Narayan.\nEvidence - Mary Oliver.\nAll of Us - The Collected Poetry of Raymond Carver.\nSilence - Shusaku Endo.\nThe Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald.\nThe Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Murakami Haruki. This and the next four are odd choices, perhaps, since it's a surrealist book, but IMO books that force your imagination to work hard do as much for creativity and fresh ideas as any of the more popular methods.\nThe Well-Built City (The Physiognomy / Memoranda / The Beyond) Jeffery Ford - Surrealist novellas best described as about the protagonist living and achieving agency within the constructs, dreams, and nightmares of a \"Great Man's\" mind.\nSnow Crash - Neal Stephenson.\nGravity's Rainbow - Thomas Pynchon.\nDhalgren - Samuel L. \"Chip\" Delany.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10324758,
          "author": "jseliger",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T18:03:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10324758",
          "commentText": "I can't choose one, but I'd cite:\n* Jonathan Haidt's The Righteous Mind, for explaining so much personally and culturally so concisely.\n* Everything on this list: http://jakeseliger.com/2010/03/22/influential-books-on-me-th... (http://jakeseliger.com/2010/03/22/influential-books-on-me-that-is).\n* The Lord of the Rings, for its combination of story, interior drama, and (underrated) political economy.\n* Blindsight by Peter Watts.\n* Heart of Darkness by Conrad, who seems more prophetic all the time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Heart of Darkness by Conrad, who seems more prophetic all the time.",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's thought-provoking book choices; the author is described as increasingly prophetic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8125674,
          "author": "spindritf",
          "createdAt": "2014-08-02T19:11:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 8125375,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I save for offline reading during 5 weeks without Internet?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8125674",
          "commentText": "Read books you always wanted but wouldn't get around to with all the distractions available at home. Be it classics, political theory, maybe something light and scientific? Generally, whatever doesn't require additional materials.\nHere are some titles of that kind I enjoyed.\nAnabasis by Xenophon\nHeart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad\nAntifragile by Nassim Taleb\nLearned Optimism by Martin Seligman\nThe Son also Rises by Gregory Clark",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad",
          "reason": "Included among titles the commenter says they enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865565,
          "author": "bmurphy",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T17:22:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865565",
          "commentText": "I was reading Heart of Darkness but took a break from it to read PostgreSQL 9.0 High Performance.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I was reading Heart of Darkness but took a break from it to read PostgreSQL 9.0 High Performance.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865527,
          "author": "mparr4",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T17:15:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865527",
          "commentText": "Heart of Darkness... an amazing read (and short!)\nA book that should be on everyone's list!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Heart of Darkness... an amazing read (and short!) A book that should be on everyone's list!",
          "reason": "Calls it an amazing read and says everyone should read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Short.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135273,
          "author": "moog",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T17:13:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135273",
          "commentText": "The Feynman Lectures on Physics\nThe Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes\nOryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood\nHeart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad\nA Latin/English dictionary for new company names",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books for a hacker's bookshelf.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph Conrad"
      ],
      "recommenders": 10,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "colonialism",
        "literary fiction",
        "classic literature",
        "colonial literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "i-am-a-strange-loop-5afa23",
      "title": "I Am a Strange Loop",
      "author": "Douglas Hofstadter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43611681,
          "author": "gmuslera",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T14:05:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43611681",
          "commentText": "In general the Incerto series by Nassim Taleb (Black Swan, Antifragile, and Skin in the Game) was worth it. The Selfish Gene, System thinking A primer, I am a strange loop, Sapiens are some books that I read recently that had a lasting impression.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I am a strange loop",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter says had a lasting impression.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43099294,
          "author": "lawrenceyan",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-19T06:44:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 43084739,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction/non-fiction book should everyone read on the topic of CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43099294",
          "commentText": "I Am a Strange Loop (Douglas Hofstadter, 2007)\n> In the end, we are self-perceiving, self-inventing, locked-in mirages that are little miracles of self-reference.\n— Douglas Hofstadter, I Am a Strange Loop, p. 363",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I Am a Strange Loop (Douglas Hofstadter, 2007)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42965614,
          "author": "lbhdc",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-06T19:26:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42965614",
          "commentText": "I Am a Strange Loop, by Hofstadter. I thought his idea of consciousness as a gradient was really interesting. Hofstadter said this idea made him a vegan. It did the opposite for me, eating a person has more or less the same moral perils as eating a cow. It didn't change my mind about eating animals, but eating people seems more or less okay.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I Am a Strange Loop, by Hofstadter.",
          "reason": "Discusses its idea of consciousness as a gradient and its effect on the author's view of eating animals.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it did not change their mind about eating animals.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21902992,
          "author": "anaphor",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T00:48:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902992",
          "commentText": "Most of mine are going to be books by philosophers or scientists (about philosophy or other things).\n- The Conquest of Happiness by Bertrand Russell was a pretty good one. He has a lot of ideas that were ahead of their time (positive psychology, etc). You can see a lot of parallels between his ideas and modern Stoicism (although Russell criticized it elsewhere, I think he came to some of the same conclusions).\n- Introduction To Mathematical Philosophy by Bertrand Russell. Another Russell one. I think this is probably the clearest and easiest to understand explanation I've ever read of the underpinnings of mathematical foundations. It's written in a style that should be accessible to almost anyone with a high school education. He wrote it while he was in prison (for refusing to be drafted) during WW1. Apparently he left a copy of it to the prison warden.\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding by David Hume. This is worth reading because it is the motivation for basically all of modern philosophy of science (at least in the west). It's also pretty easy to read and if you read it you'll be able to more easily understand other books and papers that are responses to it.\n- Turing's Cathedral by George Dyson. This book should be required reading for every programmer or aspiring programmer IMO. I learned so much about the history of computing that I didn't know before reading this. You will not regret buying this one.\n- I Am A Strange Loop by Douglas Hofstadter. Obviously everyone knows about GEB, but he also wrote a shorter follow up that in my opinion expresses his ideas much more clearly. I think that even if you disagree with him, it's worth reading because there are so many things you can take away from this book. For example, he talks about his wife's death, and ties that into his theory of mind and explains the unstated purposes of why we have funerals/wakes for people.\n- An Introduction to Information Theory by John R. Pierce. For someone like me who doesn't really have a very strong math background, this was a very clear intro to the ideas behind information theory, and why they're important historically. I would recommend this to anyone who feels like they need a gentle intro to the ideas and motivation for them. Dover mathematics books in general are great.\n- Borrow: The American Way of Debt by Louis Hyman. This is a fantastic historical overview of personal credit in the US that covers the past 120 years or so. I learned a ton from reading this that I had no clue about. Recommended to anyone who wants to understand the origins of credit cards / loans, and how society came to embrace being in debt.\nhttps://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.222834/page/n7\nhttps://people.umass.edu/klement/imp/imp-ebk.pdf\nhttps://archive.org/details/humeenquiry00humerich/page/n7\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Turings-Cathedral-Origins-Digital-Uni... (https://www.amazon.com/Turings-Cathedral-Origins-Digital-Universe/dp/1400075998)\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Am-Strange-Loop-Douglas-Hofstadter/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Am-Strange-Loop-Douglas-Hofstadter/dp/0465030793)\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Information-Theory-Symbo... (https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Information-Theory-Symbols-Mathematics/dp/0486240614)\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Borrow-American-Debt-Louis-Hyman/dp/0... (https://www.amazon.com/Borrow-American-Debt-Louis-Hyman/dp/0307741680)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think that even if you disagree with him, it's worth reading because there are so many things you can take away from this book.",
          "reason": "Recommended for its ideas, even for readers who disagree with Hofstadter.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in minds, identity, and consciousness.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is a shorter follow-up to GEB that expresses Hofstadter’s ideas more clearly, in their opinion.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17982529,
          "author": "codewritinfool",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-13T20:59:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17982529",
          "commentText": "I would suggest \"I Am A Strange Loop\".  Same author.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would suggest \"I Am A Strange Loop\".",
          "reason": "Explicitly suggests the book in response to a life-changing book discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910210,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:25:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910210",
          "commentText": "- \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies\" - probably the most influential book I've read in my life, profoundly changed the way I think. It's a collection of LessWrong essays on science and rationality.\n- \"On Intelligence\" and \"I am a Strange Loop\" - how mind works.\n- \"Rework\", \"Zero to One\", \"Start Small, Stay Small\" - insightful startup advice.\n- Fun autobiographies: Ghost in the Wires (Kevin Mitnick), iWoz (Steve Wozniak), Catch me if you can (Frank Abagnale), Just for Fun (Linus Torvalds), Elon Musk, Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\n- How companies work: Creativity Inc (Pixar), In the Plex (Google)\n- On writing: Art of fiction/nonfiction by Ayn Rand, Story by Robert McKee, Save the Cat, Step by Step to Standup Comedy.\n- Other: The Selfish Gene, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Serious Creativity, Hackers & Painters, Hacking Growth, Angel (on angel investing, by Jason Calacanis).\nAlso collections of essays by Paul Graham [1] and Scott Alexander [2]:\n[1] https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%20Complete%20Essays.epub?dl=0)\n[2] https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of%20Scott%20Alexandria%20-%20Scott%20Alexander.epub?dl=0)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"On Intelligence\" and \"I am a Strange Loop\" - how mind works.",
          "reason": "Listed as a book about how the mind works in response to a favorite-books question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16759051,
          "author": "marssaxman",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T21:02:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16759051",
          "commentText": "It is difficult for me to imagine its utility as a desk reference, but it is certainly just as rich and unusual a piece of literature as its reputation suggests.\nHofstadter's 2007 book \"I Am A Strange Loop\" develops one of GEB's themes in more depth. It's written in a more straightforward style than GEB, so it's less remarkable as a reading experience, but its perspective has stuck with me in a pretty fundamental way, so I would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed GEB and wants to dig further into the puzzle of consciousness.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's written in a more straightforward style than GEB, so it's less remarkable as a reading experience, but its perspective has stuck with me in a pretty fundamental way, so I would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed GEB and wants to dig further into the puzzle of consciousness.",
          "reason": "Recommends it to readers who enjoyed GEB and want to explore consciousness further.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoyed Gödel, Escher, Bach and are interested in consciousness.",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds it less remarkable as a reading experience than GEB.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15159496,
          "author": "dwaltrip",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T03:13:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15159496",
          "commentText": "I might try out \"I am a strange loop\". It's more approachable.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I might try out \"I am a strange loop\"",
          "reason": "Calls it more approachable than Gödel, Escher, Bach.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156426,
          "author": "dwaltrip",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:27:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156426",
          "commentText": "\"Godel Escher Bach\" and \"I am a strange loop\".\nI only made it half way through GEB, however the latter is a bit easier to get through.\nFor me, these books marked the beginning of a lifelong journey of \"self\" contemplation and intellectual/philosophical exploration.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the latter is a bit easier to get through",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was easier to read than Gödel, Escher, Bach and links both books to a lasting intellectual and philosophical exploration.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Compared with Gödel, Escher, Bach, it is easier to get through.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14479304,
          "author": "radicality",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-04T00:41:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14479304",
          "commentText": "Isn't that mostly a book of math problems? I've read some of his other books (GEB, The Mind's I, I'm a Strange Loop) - how does it compare to those?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I've read some of his other books (GEB, The Mind's I, I'm a Strange Loop)",
          "reason": "The commenter lists it among books they have read while asking how another title compares.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8257692,
          "author": "dasmithii",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T14:19:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257692",
          "commentText": "I'm alternating between \"1984\" and \"I am a strange loop\" right now. I like to mix in some fiction with the serious stuff.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm alternating between \"1984\" and \"I am a strange loop\" right now.",
          "reason": "Says they are currently alternating between the two books, without evaluating either.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107037,
          "author": "cursork",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:46:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107037",
          "commentText": "That's a great book. I've just started reading I Am A Strange Loop by Hofstadter and it's promising.\nAlso by Hofstadter: Le Ton beau de Marot was a good read.\nGEB is the big one, but if you like his style - probably worth checking out some of the others. Best to get print books for this particular author though.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it's promising",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have just started reading it and that it is promising.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6975838,
          "author": "evanb",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T19:01:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6975838",
          "commentText": "\"I Am A Strange Loop\" by Douglas Hofstadter.  I read GEB many years ago, and this book focuses more on applying those ideas to thinking.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"I Am A Strange Loop\" by Douglas Hofstadter. I read GEB many years ago, and this book focuses more on applying those ideas to thinking.",
          "reason": "Says it applies ideas from GEB to thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414384,
          "author": "samdalton",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T08:53:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414384",
          "commentText": "While not strictly a CS book, \"Godel, Escher, Bach\" by Douglas Hofstadter definitely has strong roots in the area. It's not a text book, nor anything even close, however, there is a reasonable amount of mathematics and programming language design which make it educational as well as inspirational (particularly formal logic systems, around which the premise of the book is built).\nThe book is somewhat life changing, in the questions that it asks. You might find yourself thinking about things differently, such as what it is to be conscious, can we ever achieve artificial intelligence, is there such a thing as fate, how was J.S. Bach able to produce such stunning compositions, etc.\nIt's quite heavy going however, but there's a slightly more succinct, terse version which he wrote a few years ago, called \"I Am a Strange Loop\". This book takes the point he was trying to make in the first book, and expands on it while adding clarification. It does lack a lot of story that the original contained, so it's not a complete replacement however.\nWhile I think of it, there's also Operating System Concepts by Silberschatz, Gagne and Galvin - http://www.amazon.com/Operating-System-Concepts-Windows-Upda... (http://www.amazon.com/Operating-System-Concepts-Windows-Update/dp/0471250600).\nIt's an extremely detailed look at how operating systems work, down to the lowest level, and it explains a large number of things that we interact with on a daily basis.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "This book takes the point he was trying to make in the first book, and expands on it while adding clarification.",
          "reason": "Presented as a more succinct version that expands and clarifies the original's ideas.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the ideas of Gödel, Escher, Bach.",
          "caveat": "Lacks much of the original's story and is not a complete replacement.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1975262,
          "author": "danparsonson",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T14:39:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1975262",
          "commentText": "I am a strange loop by Douglas Hofstadter - fascinating exercise in 'thinking about thinking' that radically changed my perspective on the concept of 'self'.  Lots of mathsy and techy overtones, great stuff.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "fascinating exercise in 'thinking about thinking' that radically changed my perspective on the concept of 'self'.",
          "reason": "Calls it fascinating and says it radically changed their perspective on self.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes it as having math and technology overtones.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1866314,
          "author": "CWuestefeld",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T20:17:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1866314",
          "commentText": "I really loved Blindsight. It set me off reading reading a bunch of non-fiction about the mind (e.g., Hofstader' I Am A Strange Loop)\nThe first Rifter book was pretty good, but in the 2nd he really let loose with anti-capitalist themes to the point where I couldn't stand it anymore.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I Am A Strange Loop",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865604,
          "author": "pfarrell",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T17:30:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865604",
          "commentText": "I Is A strange Loop ;)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I Is A strange Loop ;)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 715127,
          "author": "michaelfairley",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-20T20:33:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715127",
          "commentText": "Last: I am a Strange Loop\nCurrent: Neuromancer",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Last: I am a Strange Loop",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Hofstadter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 10,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consciousness",
        "self reference",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "personal identity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "i-robot-91fe6e",
      "title": "I, Robot",
      "author": "Isaac Asimov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36021629,
          "author": "smithza",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:58:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021629",
          "commentText": "Asimov wrote too widely to recommend “all of him”.\nFor an entrance into Asimov and his incredible Sci-Fi voice, check out “I, Robot” and the Robot detective series. He was really the originator of the term and popular idea “robot” and “robotics.” He would eventually turn to writing popular science to mixed results.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "check out “I, Robot”",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as an entrance into Asimov's science fiction.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for an introduction to Asimov's science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35394255,
          "author": "ckorhonen",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-31T22:01:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 35392063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Science Fiction books that predict where ChatGPT might lead us?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35394255",
          "commentText": "There are numerous science fiction books that have explored the potential impact of artificial intelligence on humanity, ranging from utopian to dystopian scenarios. Here are some of the most interesting and relevant titles that address the questions and fears you've mentioned:\n\"Neuromancer\" by William Gibson (1984): This cyberpunk classic envisions a future where AI is deeply ingrained in human society and plays a significant role in shaping it.\n\"2001: A Space Odyssey\" by Arthur C. Clarke (1968): The novel, as well as the film adaptation by Stanley Kubrick, explores the relationship between humans and AI, particularly when AI begins to develop its own goals and intentions.\n\"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?\" by Philip K. Dick (1968): This novel, which inspired the movie \"Blade Runner,\" questions the nature of humanity and consciousness as it relates to artificial beings.\n\"I, Robot\" by Isaac Asimov (1950): A collection of short stories that feature the famous \"Three Laws of Robotics\" and explore various aspects of AI and their impact on society.\n\"The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress\" by Robert A. Heinlein (1966): This novel features an AI that becomes self-aware and partners with humans in a fight for lunar independence.\n\"The Culture\" series by Iain M. Banks: This series of novels is set in a post-scarcity society managed by benevolent, hyper-intelligent AIs called Minds.\n\"The Singularity is Near\" by Ray Kurzweil (2005): Though not a novel, this non-fiction book predicts the future of AI, discussing the potential for AI to surpass human intelligence and the implications of this eventuality.\n\"Accelerando\" by Charles Stross (2005): The novel explores a future in which AI, augmented humans, and post-humans coexist, addressing various ethical and societal issues along the way.\n\"Daemon\" by Daniel Suarez (2006): This techno-thriller features an AI created by a deceased programmer that sets out to create a new world order.\n\"Altered Carbon\" by Richard K. Morgan (2002): This cyberpunk novel touches on AI's impact on society, particularly in the context of human consciousness and digital immortality.\nThese books offer thought-provoking explorations of the possible consequences, both positive and negative, of advanced AI systems like ChatGPT. While each of these works is fictional and speculative in nature, they can still provide valuable insights and stimulate important discussions about the future of AI and humanity.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"I, Robot\" by Isaac Asimov (1950): A collection of short stories that feature the famous \"Three Laws of Robotics\" and explore various aspects of AI and their impact on society.",
          "reason": "Listed among titles addressing AI's potential effects on humanity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29672624,
          "author": "pedrolins",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T11:11:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29672624",
          "commentText": "I wouldn't have gotten nearly as much enjoyment out of the series (including the 2 sequels after the trilogy) if I hadn't read Asimov's Robot Series. I know that the whole \"you don't get it because you haven't read these other books\" thing is kind of cliché, but I really do think that the majority of the joy I got from Foundation was because of how it connected with the Robot Series.\nBut of course, part of the enjoyment should come from the book itself. I'd say that the book does get better as new threats to the Foundation appear, but the premise largely stays the same throughout the trilogy: will the Seldon Plan succeed?\n(NOTE) The reading sequence for me went something like: \n1. Caves of Steel\n2. Naked Sun\n3. I, Robot\n4. Robots of Dawn\n5. Foundation Trilogy\nEDIT: remove redundant last paragraph",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "3. I, Robot",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as part of the commenter's reading sequence.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29672617,
          "author": "carlio",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T11:10:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29672617",
          "commentText": "I didn't do it on purpose, but I read \"You look like a thing and I love you\"[0] followed by \"I, Robot\"[1] and that combination was really fun.\nThe ideas Isaac Asimov put forward in I, Robot (written in the 1940/50s!) juxtaposed with a factual description of the current use of AI and the unusual side effects was really cool.\n0: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44286534-you-look-like-a... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44286534-you-look-like-a-thing-and-i-love-you)\n1: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41804.I_Robot",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "followed by \"I, Robot\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says the pairing was fun and found the contrast with current AI interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The positive comment concerns the pairing, not an explicit evaluation of this book alone.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24294313,
          "author": "randomanon",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-27T14:59:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 24286084,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading at the moment and what do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24294313",
          "commentText": "Isaac Asimov's \"I, Robot\"\ninb4: except for one chapter, NOTHING like the movie.\nOne of the best books that I've read in my entire life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One of the best books that I've read in my entire life.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the best books they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it is unlike the movie except for one chapter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15432541,
          "author": "Msterup",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-09T09:48:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15432541",
          "commentText": "The definition of hard and soft scifi, altough not widely used is:\nHard scifi implies that technology has changed the entire world. A good example is \"I, robot\". Themes are explored by characters interacting with the world.\nSoft scifi implies that technology has changed only the lives of the characters. A good example is \"Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind\" Themes are explored in characters interactions.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "A good example is \"I, robot\".",
          "reason": "Named as an example of hard science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15428792,
          "author": "jlebar",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:26:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428792",
          "commentText": "Surprised nobody has mentioned Heinlein, \"The Moon is a Harsh Mistress\".  I would say it's harder sci-fi than \"I, Robot\" (which I also love).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"I, Robot\" (which I also love)",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly says they love this book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12245707,
          "author": "skaplun",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T05:46:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12245707",
          "commentText": "I, robot would probably be easier to get into than foundation :)\nalso \"stranger in a strange land\" by Heinlein makes for a great gift",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I, robot would probably be easier to get into than foundation :)",
          "reason": "Suggests it as an easier entry point than Foundation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it would probably be easier to get into than Foundation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387654,
          "author": "waterhouse",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T00:15:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387654",
          "commentText": "Isaac Asimov's robot series (start with \"I, Robot\" and \"The Caves of Steel\") is good, as is his Foundation series.  Ender's Game is also good; I've heard other people complain about the other novels in that universe (Speaker for the Dead and sequels, Ender's Shadow and sequels), but I liked them fine.  Cryptonomicon is rich, fascinating, and entertaining.  Dune is rich and pretty fascinating.  Heinlein's \"Stranger in a Strange Land\" and \"Time Enough for Love\" are somewhat scandalous, but I thoroughly enjoyed them.\nOutside science fiction: P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster novels, as well as what of his other books I've read, are hilarious and brilliant; I would suggest \"Right Ho, Jeeves\" as a starting point.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "start with \"I, Robot\" and \"The Caves of Steel\"",
          "reason": "Names it as a recommended starting point for the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876886,
          "author": "TrevorJ",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T15:20:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876886",
          "commentText": "The Hobbit,\nI, Robot",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I, Robot",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143508,
          "author": "andrewl",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T19:59:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143508",
          "commentText": "D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths\nStar Trek, the original series\nI, Robot by Isaac Asimov. The first science fiction story I read, which lead to all the others.\nThe Annotated Alice by Lewis Carroll and Martin Gardner. That's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, by Lewis Carroll, with wonderful annotations by Martin Gardner.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I, Robot by Isaac Asimov. The first science fiction story I read, which lead to all the others.",
          "reason": "The commenter identifies it as the first science fiction story they read and the start of their interest.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140698,
          "author": "bootload",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T09:44:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140698",
          "commentText": "\"... What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read? ...\"\nI Robot: The 3 laws of robotics, robbie, positronic brains, susan calvin. Got the lot ~ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I,_Robot",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I Robot: The 3 laws of robotics, robbie, positronic brains, susan calvin. Got the lot",
          "reason": "Presents it as containing classic robotics themes and characters in response to a request for inspiring science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isaac Asimov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 10,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories",
        "robotics",
        "robots",
        "artificial intelligence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pride-and-prejudice-55100e",
      "title": "Pride and Prejudice",
      "author": "Jane Austen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50119582,
          "author": "pmpmpmpm",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T15:25:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50119582",
          "commentText": "I can’t resist an invocation:)\nMost of these are old since I’ve been reading more articles these days but here are a few good books or series I’ve read more than twice: The Hobbit, LOTR, the Silmarillion, Neuromancer, the Chronicles of Narnia, Hong Lou Meng, The Heart Sutra, The Bhagavad Gita, The Tao De Ching, The Wheel of Time series, No country for old men, Persuasion, Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice, The Way of Kings, The Talisman, the Dark Tower Series, and The Prophet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pride & Prejudice",
          "reason": "Included among good books read more than twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 45288194,
          "author": "badpun",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-18T11:12:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 45283087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45288194",
          "commentText": "Me too! I'm about 40% through.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Me too! I'm about 40% through.",
          "reason": "“Me too” confirms they are also reading the book discussed in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is about 40% through.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 45287687,
          "author": "alberto_ol",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-18T09:55:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 45283087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45287687",
          "commentText": "Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42275555,
          "author": "_hdki",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T17:46:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42275555",
          "commentText": "A few of this year's highlights for me and my notes on the books, where available.\nFiction -\nNotes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/2ab29d16-0cb1-4ef8-8cde... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/2ab29d16-0cb1-4ef8-8cde-8c9d90db0daf)\nPride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/65214629-29ac-45a6-b474... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/65214629-29ac-45a6-b474-b9fad1285564)\nBleak House by Charles Dickens\nThe Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/bd090cb4-bc9a-41cb-9833... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/bd090cb4-bc9a-41cb-9833-f60834ccd28c)\nNonfiction -\nThe House of Government by Yuri Slezkine (my luckiest find of the year)\nStalin: The Court of The Red Tsar by Simon Sebag Montefiore - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/13ebec0d-0859-4858-864a... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/13ebec0d-0859-4858-864a-8c28bacfed8f)\nVienna by Richard Cockett - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/c0e1d1fb-dea7-456b-a95e... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/c0e1d1fb-dea7-456b-a95e-fcccdd63814a)\nThe House That Madigan Built by Ray Long (an interesting history of a legendary figure in Illinois state politics)\nSay Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s highlights of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41175693,
          "author": "dcminter",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:41:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175693",
          "commentText": "\"Best\" is always too hard - here are a handful that I love.\nPride & Prejudice - Jane Austen\nJonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - Susannah Clarke\nThe Crow Road - Iain Banks\nEqual Rites - Terry Pratchett\nThree Men in a Boat - Jerome K. Jerome\nA Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson\nBlack Holes & Time Warps - Kip Thorne\nThe Inventions of Daedalus - David E H Jones\nThe Cuckoo's Egg - Cliff Stoll\nI hope one or two of those float your boat!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pride & Prejudice - Jane Austen",
          "reason": "Offers it as one of a handful of books the commenter loves in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says choosing the “best” is too hard.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31998590,
          "author": "Hiddleston",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-06T09:24:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31998590",
          "commentText": "Pride and Prejudice. Just love Mr.Darcy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pride and Prejudice. Just love Mr.Darcy.",
          "reason": "The commenter expresses affection for Mr. Darcy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18663693,
          "author": "Garph",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T13:33:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663693",
          "commentText": "Between September and October I put down my usual collection of science fiction and cookbooks to read books from female authors. I strongly recommend each:\n1. Pride and Prejudiced by Jane Austen\n2. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte\n3. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood\nedit: line breaks",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I strongly recommend each:\n1. Pride and Prejudiced by Jane Austen",
          "reason": "The commenter strongly recommends each book in the list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337434,
          "author": "FranzFerdiNaN",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:41:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337434",
          "commentText": "Pride & Prejudice. There is something extremely silly about the squabbles of nineteenth century British upper class people.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pride & Prejudice. There is something extremely silly about the squabbles of nineteenth century British upper class people.",
          "reason": "Praises the book's silly portrayal of upper-class squabbles as a comfort read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567953,
          "author": "madhadron",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T17:46:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567953",
          "commentText": "I separate my books into levels. Level 0 are the books that I reread steadily over the years (also the ones that I pack in my suitcase when I'm moving as opposed to shipping), so I'll just post that list here, in no particular order: 'Good Poems' edited by Garrison Keiller; 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen; 'Persuasion' by Jane Austen; Fitzgerald's translation of 'The Rubaiyat'; Ford Madox Ford's 'Parade's End'; Hafiz, 'The Gift'; Modesitt, 'Gravity Dreams'; Heinlein, 'Time Enough for Love'; Bulgakov, 'Master and Margarita'; 'Ovid in Love' (Guy Lee's translation of the Amores).\nI've been revisiting a lot of Le Guin's novellas ('The Found and the Lost' is a great collection) and Borges's stories since the election. They have been a source of great comfort.\nI find that I don't reread nonfiction. I'll reference something I remember in it, but I can't think of a work of nonfiction I've reread in the past few years.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen",
          "reason": "Lists it among books reread steadily over the years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249516,
          "author": "veddox",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T12:18:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249516",
          "commentText": "Well, \"fiction\" is an incredibly broad category (if it can even be called that). And \"must read\" is highly subjective ;-)\nIf you're just looking for some light entertainment, go for sci-fi or fantasy (Lord of the Rings, anyone?). But if you don't mind some slightly \"heavier\" reading, have a look at the classics. In some cases they can be a little tricky to understand, but they are called \"classics\" for a reason...\nSpecific suggestions (incomplete and in no particular order): Shakespeare's plays, Jane Austen's \"Pride and Prejudice\", Daniel Defoe's \"Robinson Crusoe\", Harper Lee's \"To kill a mockingbird\", JM Barrie's \"Peter Pan\", Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jane Austen's \"Pride and Prejudice\"",
          "reason": "Included in a list of specific suggestions for fiction reading.",
          "audience": "Readers open to classics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that classics can be tricky to understand.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8008523,
          "author": "lily2014",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-09T07:48:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8008523",
          "commentText": "Gone with the wimd\nPride and prejudice",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Pride and prejudice",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question asking what the commenter is reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 192464,
          "author": "nmeyer",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-17T04:48:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=192464",
          "commentText": "Check out http://www.librivox.org. They have a HUGE catalogue of audio recordings of public-domain works. Grab a list of the 100 classic books of all time and download them.  Don Quixote, The Prince, Picture of Dorian Grey, Pride and Prejudice...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Don Quixote, The Prince, Picture of Dorian Grey, Pride and Prejudice...",
          "reason": "Listed as a classic to download in response to an audiobook recommendation question.",
          "audience": "Listeners seeking classic books in the public domain.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jane Austen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 10,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "romance",
        "classic literature",
        "social satire",
        "classic novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stumbling-on-happiness-16d47a",
      "title": "Stumbling on Happiness",
      "author": "Daniel Gilbert",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48434392,
          "author": "palashkulsh",
          "createdAt": "2026-06-07T13:02:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 48434230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48434392",
          "commentText": "It must be known but stumbling upon happiness seems to be it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "stumbling upon happiness",
          "reason": "Suggested as a book that fits the thread’s request for an unknown book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may already be well known.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937168,
          "author": "erehweb",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:35:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937168",
          "commentText": "\"Stumbling on Happiness\" by Daniel Gilbert. Big insight - people generally have a way of rationalizing away things they did (new job, move, relationship) that turned out to be bad ideas - they focus on the positive parts, or say how they learned so much. But this doesn't work if you decided not to do something, and that inaction turned out to be a bad idea - you can't say you learned so much, because you didn't do anything. Implication is that we should be bolder in our decisions, to avoid regret.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Stumbling on Happiness\" by Daniel Gilbert.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it prompted them to consider how people rationalize past decisions and avoid regret.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32937430,
          "author": "heliodor",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T11:27:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937430",
          "commentText": "\"Stumbling on Happiness\" by Daniel Gilbert is an excellent complement to \"Thinking Fast and Slow\". It explores how the mind works in regards to happiness, and the biases in that.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Stumbling on Happiness\" by Daniel Gilbert is an excellent complement to \"Thinking Fast and Slow\".",
          "reason": "Calls it an excellent complement to another book on how the mind works.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15977730,
          "author": "atreg_ir",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-21T10:20:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15977730",
          "commentText": "Two of the most interesting books I've read this year are:\n1. Man's search for meaning, by Viktor Frankl. \nHe was an Austrian psychiatrist who founded Logotherapy as a form of analysing one's life with the idea of finding meaning or living a purposeful life. \nAccording to Frankl, such a life would mean doing important/meaningful work, enjoying nature in all it's beauty, loving and taking care of another person and being courageous when going through hard times. These are things that I personally consider part of the common sense package I had built-in when I was born, so this book kind of talks to my soul. I would recommend it to anyone who is highly self-reflective.\n2. Stumbling on happiness, by Daniel Gilbert. This was an interesting read and the different studies described in the book made me think how would I react in a similar situation and I realised funny things about how memory works and how does our brain imagine future events.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This was an interesting read and the different studies described in the book made me think how would I react in a similar situation",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as interesting and says its studies prompted reflection.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13967815,
          "author": "nommm-nommm",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T14:12:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13967815",
          "commentText": "Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert.\nThe why is because it's extremely enlightening.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The why is because it's extremely enlightening.",
          "reason": "Calls the book extremely enlightening.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7450702,
          "author": "chunky1994",
          "createdAt": "2014-03-22T20:18:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 7450534,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's on your reading list? Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7450702",
          "commentText": "The Extended Phenotype: Richard Dawkins.\nApplied Cryptography: Bruce Schiener.\nLinear Algebra: Friedberg, Insel and Spence.\nSteven Pinker: The Blank Slate\nI've recently finished Dan Gilbert's: Stumbling on Happiness and I highly recommend it. It's witty and gives you a very different way of looking at what you think makes you happy.\nI know these aren't start-up books, but unfortunately I haven't read any to recommend.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend it. It's witty and gives you a very different way of looking at what you think makes you happy.",
          "reason": "Highly recommended for its wit and its fresh perspective on what makes people happy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5244919,
          "author": "a3camero",
          "createdAt": "2013-02-19T15:58:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 5244195,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 'Must read' books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5244919",
          "commentText": "-Stumbling on Happiness\n-Free Software, Free Society\n-Masters of Doom (not finished, just started reading it, great so far)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-Stumbling on Happiness",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752307,
          "author": "jseliger",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T07:24:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752307",
          "commentText": "See here: http://jseliger.com/2010/03/22/influential-books-on-me-that-... (http://jseliger.com/2010/03/22/influential-books-on-me-that-is/) for a list of influential books on me. I actually have a half-written post on books I wish I'd read when I was younger; here it is:\n1. <em>Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience</em> by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi\n2. <em>The Guide to Getting It On</em> by Paul Johannides [sp?]\n3. <em>The Mating Mind: How Sexual Choice Shaped the Evolution of Human Nature</em> by Geoffrey Miller\n4. <em>Hackers & Painters</em> by Paul Graham\n5. <em>Man's Search for Meaning</em> by Viktor Frankl\n6. <em>Stumbling on Happiness</em> by Daniel Gilbert\nIn all cases, I think these books profoundly shaped how not only I think, but I think others can learn to think too. All suddenly revealed new connections and ideas about the world I'd never experienced or expected to experience before.\nGranted, no book can be removed from its context, and its possible that if I'd read some of the books above as a younger person I wouldn't have been ready to appreciate them. But <em>Flow</em> seems by far the most valuable of the choices listed above because it engulfs more of the content of the others than any other choice.\nSteven Berlin Johnson's new book Where Ideas Come From looks promising: http://www.amazon.com/Where-Good-Ideas-Come-Innovation/dp/15... (http://www.amazon.com/Where-Good-Ideas-Come-Innovation/dp/1594487715?ie=UTF8&tag=thstsst-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957) .",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "6. <em>Stumbling on Happiness</em> by Daniel Gilbert",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books the commenter says profoundly shaped their thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that age and context can affect whether a reader is ready to appreciate it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569283,
          "author": "lemming",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T22:08:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569283",
          "commentText": "On a \"what makes us tick\" non-fiction bent:\n1. Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (http://tinyurl.com/33kv6te) - fascinating look at the author's theory of Flow, the state of total absorption that accompanies total concentration - so called \"optimal experience\". Anyone who programs knows this feeling. Really excellent book.\n2. Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert (http://tinyurl.com/38lvdzc) - not the self-help book it sounds like, but an interesting look at why we're so bad at working out what will make us happy.\n3. The Tiger that isn't by Andrew Dilnot (http://tinyurl.com/38hntqx) - interesting guide to our instinctive interpretation of statistics and how the media manipulates it.\n4. Bad Science by Ben Goldacre (http://tinyurl.com/3yk8woz) - at once amusing and horrifying look at various aspects of pseudoscience, especially as applied to healthcare.\nFiction:\n1. Anything by Iain Banks, especially the sci-fi.\n2. If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things by Jon McGregor (http://tinyurl.com/3496d34) - worth reading just for the language he uses.\n3. American Gods by Neil Gaiman (http://tinyurl.com/3xyr65w) - great fantasy with a darkly humorous side.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "an interesting look at why we're so bad at working out what will make us happy.",
          "reason": "Describes it as an interesting look at why people struggle to predict what will make them happy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not the self-help book the title suggests.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227033,
          "author": "sshumaker",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T17:34:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227033",
          "commentText": "Guns, Germs and Steel - It will change the way you think about the course of human development and the forces of history.\nThe Innovator's Dilemma can be summed up in two paragraphs but is still worth reading - it explains why giant companies fail to keep innovating.\nStumbling upon happiness - how people's perception of what makes them happy has little basis in what actually makes them happy - and why.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Stumbling upon happiness - how people's perception of what makes them happy has little basis in what actually makes them happy - and why.",
          "reason": "Describes the book's subject without explicitly evaluating or recommending it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026621,
          "author": "sivers",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T02:19:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026621",
          "commentText": "Hell yeah: Stumbling on Happiness is one of my favorite books I've ever read in my life.  It profoundly changed the way I look at the world, and how I make decisions about what to do.  I really like your essay about it!  As you say: it \"ought to be required reading for those who are alive\"\nhttp://jseliger.com/2009/04/23/stumbling-on-happiness-—-dani... (http://jseliger.com/2009/04/23/stumbling-on-happiness-—-daniel-gilbert/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stumbling on Happiness is one of my favorite books I've ever read in my life.",
          "reason": "Strongly praises the book and says it changed how they see the world and make decisions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Gilbert"
      ],
      "recommenders": 10,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "happiness",
        "decision making",
        "behavioral science",
        "affective forecasting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-the-start-d7ee12",
      "title": "The Art of the Start",
      "author": "Guy Kawasaki",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5859187,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-11T02:22:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 5859004,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5859187",
          "commentText": ">> 1. What books are you currently reading?\nWell, I'm one of those people who has a bookmark in about 15 different books that I'm \"currently reading\" but some are higher priorities than others, and some will never be finished (probably) and others I'll have to start over since I've forgotten what was happening when I sat it aside, etc.  But offhand, I can think of:\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore - re-reading this one\nThe Prime Solution - Jeff Thull - 3rd Jeff Thull book on selling that I've read lately, and I'll probably reread the entire series when I finish this one\nThe New Solution Selling  - re-reading this - can you tell I'm starting to try and move into sales?\nSelling to VITO - more sales stuff.\nHow to Create A Mind - Ray Kurzweil\nGodel, Escher, Bach - Douglas Hofstadter - set this aside over a year ago; about halfway through, will probably finish it, but FSM only knows when\nA New Kind of Science - Stephen Wolfram (see above about GEB)\nMadame Bovary - Meh. May finish one day, may not.  Would have to start it over at this point.\nREAMDE - Neal Stephenson - set this aside a while back, but intend to finish it eventually.  Will probably restart from the beginning.\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Stephen Gary Blank - I'm kinda in a perpetual state of reading and re-reading sections of this book.\nThe Dispossessed - Ursula K. LeGuin - sat this aside quite some time ago, will have to start over at some point.\nThe Man In The Moss - Phil Rickman - another one that I sat aside for a while, and may or may not ever bother finishing.  Weird, because I usually really enjoy Rickman's work and just tear through his books, but I got stalled out on this one for some reason.\n>> 2. Which book has helped you the most?\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Stephen Gary Blank.\nAlso, The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki and Crossing the Chasm by Moore.\nOf all these sales books I've read lately, I'm really starting to buy into this \"Diagnostic Selling\" stuff by Jeff Thull, so I'd endorse Mastering The Complex Sale, Exceptional Selling and The Prime Solution by Thull. Also, The New Solution Selling.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki",
          "reason": "Names it among the books that helped them most.",
          "audience": "People starting a business.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4476568,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-04T21:12:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 4476107,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN : What are some great books an aspiring entrepreneur should read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4476568",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps to the Epiphany - Steve Blank\nThe Art of the Start - Guy Kawasaki\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nBusiness Model Generation - Alex Osterwalder\nThe Personal MBA - Josh Kaufman\nBlue Ocean Strategy - W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne\nAlso, see:\nhttp://www.quora.com/What-are-some-must-read-books-for-entre... (http://www.quora.com/What-are-some-must-read-books-for-entrepreneurs)\nhttp://www.quora.com/Business-Books/What-business-books-must... (http://www.quora.com/Business-Books/What-business-books-must-an-entrepreneur-read)\nhttp://www.quora.com/What-are-3-books-you-would-suggest-any-... (http://www.quora.com/What-are-3-books-you-would-suggest-any-entrepreneur-make-their-top-3-must-reads)\nand\nhttp://personalmba.com/best-business-books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of the Start - Guy Kawasaki",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books aspiring entrepreneurs should read.",
          "audience": "Aspiring entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2147885,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T14:28:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2147885",
          "commentText": "I can think of a handful of books that have had a major impact on me.  Off the top of my head:\nNineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell\nFahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury\nThe Game - Neil Strauss\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nAtlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand\nFour Steps to the Epiphany - Steve Blank\nBusiness @ The Speed of Thought - Bill Gates\nThe Art of the Start - Guy Kawasaki",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of the Start - Guy Kawasaki",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter says had a major impact on them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797476,
          "author": "adityakothadiya",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T05:39:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797476",
          "commentText": "Maverick - By Ricardo Semler of Semco. It's a must read book for every entrepreneur. I've read few business books, but this is one of those books I'll always recommend everyone with Founders at Work and Art of the Start.\nIt's a real story of Semco with great business lessons.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and Art of the Start.",
          "reason": "Names it among books they will always recommend.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797179,
          "author": "GVRV",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T02:28:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797179",
          "commentText": "Art of the Start - Guy Kawasaki",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Art of the Start - Guy Kawasaki",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 601116,
          "author": "ScottWhigham",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-09T17:06:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 600953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on the nuts and bolts of starting up",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=601116",
          "commentText": "I liked The Entrepreneur's Bible since it provided a great foundation of all the topics. From there, then you can pick and choose. I like Art of the Start, Founders at Work as well for various reasons.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I like Art of the Start, Founders at Work as well for various reasons.",
          "reason": "Expresses a positive opinion of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 601074,
          "author": "ig1",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-09T16:23:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 600953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on the nuts and bolts of starting up",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=601074",
          "commentText": "Guy Kawaski's Art of the Start is more practical than FaW but I'm not sure it's practical enough for you.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Guy Kawaski's Art of the Start is more practical than FaW but I'm not sure it's practical enough for you.",
          "reason": "Says it is more practical than Founders at Work, while questioning whether it meets the request.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking practical startup advice.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure it is practical enough for the original poster.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240672,
          "author": "rdoherty",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T02:21:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240672",
          "commentText": "* The Pragmatic Programmer\n* Becoming a Technical Leader\n* In Search of Stupidity\n* Hackers & Painters\n* Blockbusters\n* Joel on Software: And on Diverse and Occasionally Related Matters That Will Prove of Interest to Software Developers, Designers, and Managers, and to Those Who, Whether by Good Fortune or Ill Luck, Work with Them in Some Capacity\n* The Best Software Writing I\n* Behind Closed Doors\n* Managing Humans\n* The Mythical Man-Month\n* Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams\n* The Non-Designers Design Book\n* Founders at Work\n* Good to Great\n* Dreaming in Code\n* The Art of the Start\n* Maverick\n* The Design of Everyday Things\n* The Art of Project Management\n* The Art of Innovation",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* The Art of the Start",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143001,
          "author": "NewWorldOrder",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T01:37:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143001",
          "commentText": ":the_dip => 'by Seth Godin',\n:essays => 'by Paul Graham',\n:art_of_the_start => 'by Guy Kawasaki',\n:the_innovators_solution => 'by Clayton Christensen & Michael Raynor',\n:rich_dad_poor_dad => 'by Robert Kiyosaki',\n:seven_habits_of_highly_effective_people => 'by Stephen Covey',\n:stanford_technology_ventures_program => 'by Reid Hoffman (i.e., the session he did for STVP)'",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": ":art_of_the_start => 'by Guy Kawasaki',",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s influences in response to a thread asking what ideas and books influenced people.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 137933,
          "author": "edw519",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-16T03:42:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=137933",
          "commentText": "Art of the Start - Guy Kawasaki\nHow to Get Rich - Felix Dennis\nDifferentiate or Die - Jack Trout\nand of course...\nFounders at Work - Jessica Livingston\nHackers and Painters - Paul Graham",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Art of the Start - Guy Kawasaki",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135266,
          "author": "raju",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T17:02:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135266",
          "commentText": "Huh! Currently I have Programming Collective Intelligence and Art of the start on mine. Just started reading Prog Coll Intell. So far, I am impressed.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Currently I have Programming Collective Intelligence and Art of the start on mine.",
          "reason": "The commenter lists it on their bookshelf in response to a question about what belongs on a hacker's bookshelf.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135250,
          "author": "marcus",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T16:49:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135250",
          "commentText": "Programming Collective Intelligence - O'Reilly Media Toby Segaran\nArt of the start - Guy Kawasaki\nThe art of war - Sun Tzu",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Art of the start - Guy Kawasaki",
          "reason": "Suggested for a hacker's bookshelf.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9620,
          "author": "dawie",
          "createdAt": "2007-04-06T16:27:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 9614,
          "threadTitle": "What books have you found to be helpful in starting your business?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9620",
          "commentText": "The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki is a good one",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki is a good one",
          "reason": "Calls it a good book for starting a business.",
          "audience": "People starting a business",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5605,
          "author": "python_kiss",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T03:56:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5605",
          "commentText": "Dan, thank you for sharing that awesome list. Joel's recommended books are great; in fact, back when I was developing a micro ISV, I used to turn to Joel's website for advice. That is where I discovered Paul Graham's \"Hackers and Painters\". Since then, I have shifted my allegiance to a new mentor :) I think the book brought three major changes in how I think:\n1. Think big: Since I was developing a micro ISV, I had never really considered scaling the business to millions of customers (aka users). \"Hackers and Painters\" entered my life just a few weeks before I was about to launch my product; and I realized I had to develop something that can scale. I took a leap of faith and decided to instead pursue web startups; the opportunities for growth were many times in magnitude.\n2. There are others like me: Toronto, Canada is not exactly a Silicon Valley. So uptil then, I didn't know there were so many other young entrepreneurs pursuing the same goals as me. Eventhough I wasn't acquainted with other hackers, I could at least gain a sense of security that I am not alone.\n3. The Art of the Start: The single most valuable lesson I learned from Paul's book was the governing dynamics of web startups. Before reading it, there was not much inspiration or reason to think big because even if I did venture into online startups, I wouldn't know what to do.\n\nWhile I have read some excellent books, I can credit Paul's work for watering the first seeds.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "The Art of the Start: The single most valuable lesson I learned from Paul's book",
          "reason": "Credits a lesson about the dynamics of web startups to the preceding book, Hackers and Painters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The title is mentioned in a numbered point, but the stated lesson is attributed to Paul's book, not this title.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5574,
          "author": "python_kiss",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T02:11:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5574",
          "commentText": "About 14 months ago, I had little knowledge of how to execute a startup. In particular, I wasn't familiar with any online marketing tactics. The following books helped me a lot in that respective, and more:\n\n1. Positioning, 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing/Branding, Focus, Marketing Warfare\n2. Purple Cow, All Marketers are Liars, Permission Marketing (I didn't like \"The Big Moo\", \"Free prize inside\" or \"Small is the new Big\").\n3. Founters At Work\n4. Wikinomics, Wisdom of Crowds, The Tipping Point (Blink! was alright). I am looking forward to reading \"The Long Tail\" and \"The starfish and the spider\"...has anyone read them yet?\n6. Why We Buy\n7. Hackers and Painters\n8. The E-Myth revisited\n9. The Art of the Start\n10. On War, The Art of War by Machiavelli and Sun Tzu (not exactly for startups, but definitely useful)\n11. Crossing the Chasm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of the Start",
          "reason": "Listed among books that helped the commenter learn startup execution and online marketing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Guy Kawasaki"
      ],
      "recommenders": 10,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "startups",
        "startup advice",
        "startup planning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-catcher-in-the-rye-d3f303",
      "title": "The Catcher in the Rye",
      "author": "J. D. Salinger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32198213,
          "author": "rektide",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T23:09:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32198213",
          "commentText": "A lot of sci-fi. I keep a couple things in flight all the time, go where I feel moved. Currently: Stand on Zanzibar, (Brunner, 1968) 88% through, 2 months. Babel 17, (Delany, 1966), 66% through / 1 month. Also, Revenant Gun, (Han Lee, 2018) about 15% through / 2 months. Also, Catcher in the Rye (Salinger, 1946), 60% through, 3 months. Gnomon, (Harkaway, 2017) 40% through, 4 months.\nCheating here accounting other recent reads, but I've finished a couple others in the intervening time. Long Way to a Small Angry Planet (Chambers, 2014, reread), Dark Tower (book 7), (King, 2004). Pattern Recognition, (Gibson, 2004, reread). Revolution Business (Book 5 of Merchant Prince, Stross, 2009). Aurora (Stanley-Robinson, 2015).\nI have some other stuff I read at a more leasiurely piece-by-piece pace, mostly materialistic philosophy / nerdery.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Catcher in the Rye (Salinger, 1946), 60% through",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23470257,
          "author": "psychomugs",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T20:01:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23470257",
          "commentText": "The Catcher in the Rye and Norwegian Wood. A goal is to read them both in Japanese, as the former was translated by the author of the latter.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Catcher in the Rye",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter hopes to read it in Japanese.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803978,
          "author": "jriot",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:57:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803978",
          "commentText": "I've curated my 2020 list over the last few months, eventually splitting it in two; 2021 has been started, but below is my 2020 list.\nBrave New World\nCatcher in the Rye (3rd read)\nTom Sawyer\nThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn\nWar and Peace\nCatch-22\nStranger in a Strange Lan\nThe Hobbit (3rd read)\nThe Illiad\nThe Odessey\nWalden\nLeisure, The Basis of Culture\nThe Seven Storey Mountain\nConfessions\nThe City of God\nWays of Life St Augustine\nCatechism of the Catholic Church\nThese Truths\nBattle Cry of Freedom\nThe Complete Guide to Fly Fishing\nThe Lure and Lore of Trout Fishing\nThe Duck Huntingest Gentlemen",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Catcher in the Rye (3rd read)",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's curated 2020 reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Part of a planned reading list; the commenter has read it twice before.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19087934,
          "author": "porpoisely",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T18:14:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19087934",
          "commentText": "I read Freakonomics and Guns, Germs and Steel in college and was initially 'amazed' by it. Now, I see it as mass market rubbish used to influence a particular demographic.\nBut that goes for pretty much everything really. Catcher in the Rye in high school. Carnegie's \"How to Win Friends and Influence People\".\nI think books can \"change the way you think about almost everything\" when you are younger, naive and idealistic. As you grow older, wiser and understand the world more, you leave those childish things behind.\nAlso, as einstein said : \"Reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking.\"\nI'm sure I'm not the only one that used reading as a crutch and a form of escapism and to waste time.\nBut if you want a book that left an impression on me, K&R's C Programming Language is one. It showed me that a technical book can be concise, well written and enjoyable to read.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Catcher in the Rye in high school.",
          "reason": "Lists it among books associated with being younger, naive, and idealistic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337335,
          "author": "auslegung",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:22:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337335",
          "commentText": "The Bible, Hobbit, LOTR series, Narnia, Catcher in the Rye, 1984, Papa Hemingway, these are all books that I’ve had to buy multiple times because they fall apart over the years. Never realized until just now how many comfort books I have...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Catcher in the Rye",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168676,
          "author": "ariosto",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:31:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168676",
          "commentText": "The Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Catcher in the Rye, J. D. Salinger.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785719,
          "author": "martythemaniak",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T21:18:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785719",
          "commentText": "Leave it to Psmith - 10/10\nAnna Karenina - 8/10\nThe Code of the Woosters 8/10\nFooled by Randomness 7/10\nFinding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life 8/10\nHow to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia 9/10\nReluctant Fundamentalist 9/10\nThe Sense of an Ending - Julian Barnes 8/10\nThe Last Question - Asimov - 9/10\nThe Magic of Thinking Big - 6/10\nThe catcher in the Rye 8/10\nModels 7/10\nHigh Fidelity - Nick Hornby 8/10\nThe Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman 7/10\nThe Surrender Experiment - 10/10\nUntethered Soul - 9/10\nThe Autobiography of a Yogi - 7/10\nRaja Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 7/10\nSomething Fresh, something new - 7/10\nKarma Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 8/10\nThinking, Fast and Slow - 9/10\nFierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates 10/10\nThe Pearl by John Steinbeck 7/10",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The catcher in the Rye 8/10",
          "reason": "Rates the book 8/10.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6705176,
          "author": "gruseom",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-10T04:19:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6705176",
          "commentText": "I haven't seen it! I haven't seen anything.\nI finished F&Z last night. The thing is a train wreck. Now I'm curious to read the rest of what Salinger published (pretty easy to do) because Catcher and Nine Stories are so good and F&Z borderline intolerable. Perhaps it was his Metal Machine Music.\nDoes Tenenbaums principally consist of turgid dialogue about mysticism?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "because Catcher and Nine Stories are so good",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book as one of Salinger's good works.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6700130,
          "author": "gruseom",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-09T00:48:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6700130",
          "commentText": "No, I only read Catcher a couple weeks ago. It's on an altogether other level than F&Z, even though it's no longer shockingly original like it must have been in 1951. I found it brilliant stylistically; only a voice, but what a voice. The emotional impact was different for me than it would have been when I was that age, but I remember very well how all that feels, so I was cheering on behalf of my younger self.\nBut what are the books that you do still find brilliant? :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found it brilliant stylistically; only a voice, but what a voice.",
          "reason": "Calls the book brilliant stylistically and says its emotional impact made them cheer for their younger self.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its impact differed from what it would have been at a younger age.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6700101,
          "author": "bmelton",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-09T00:40:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6700101",
          "commentText": "Could it also be that _Zooey_ was simply read at a different time in your life?  I first read _Catcher_ when I was the disgruntled youth that you expect to read it, and found it brilliant.  I've re-read it a couple times since then and now find it far less so.\nI acknowledge that the writing is still really great, but I'm just not able to connect to it the same way I do other books that I read from the same era.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I first read _Catcher_ when I was the disgruntled youth",
          "reason": "Says it was brilliant on first reading, but finds it far less compelling on rereading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The author's assessment changed with age and rereading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6416411,
          "author": "seanccox",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-20T07:28:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6416411",
          "commentText": "White Teeth, Zadie Smith\nFierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates, Tom Robbins\nHomage to Catalonia, George Orwell\nCatch 22, Joseph Heller\nTimequake; Mother Night, Kurt Vonnegut Jr.\nSeven Pillars of Wisdom, TE Lawrence\nThe Histories, Tacitus\nThe Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger (caveat, it was most effective when I read it at 16)\nRedwall, Brian Jaques (got me really excited about reading when I was in the fourth grade)\nThis list could be much, much longer, but those are the most prominent 'life-changers' that come to mind.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger (caveat, it was most effective when I read it at 16)",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the most prominent life-changers that come to mind.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it was most effective when read at 16.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4787443,
          "author": "fsethi",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:27:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787443",
          "commentText": "Some old that I have re-read, some new, all worth your time:\nOld Man And The Sea - Ernest Hemingway\nIQ84 - Haruki Murakami\nThe Last Lecture - Randy Pausch\nOn Writing - Stephen King\nWhen Bad Things Happen To Good People - Harold Kushner\nCatcher In The Rye - J.D. Salinger\nNotes To Myself - Hugh Prather",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Catcher In The Rye - J.D. Salinger",
          "reason": "Included among books described as worth the reader's time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1974974,
          "author": "dheerosaur",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T12:53:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974974",
          "commentText": "The Catcher in the Rye by J.D.Salinger because of the Holden Caulfield in me who couldn't tolerate all the phoniness around.\nAlso enjoyed The Man Who Knew Infinity by Robert Kanigel. After reading about Hardy in this book, I have read \"A Mathematician's Apology\" which was excellent too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Catcher in the Rye by J.D.Salinger because of the Holden Caulfield in me who couldn't tolerate all the phoniness around.",
          "reason": "Connects the book to their own intolerance of phoniness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1760315,
          "author": "bmelton",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-05T16:22:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1760315",
          "commentText": "That is a splendid list.\nI'll add:\n\"Sandman\" by Neil Gaiman.  Also a graphic novel, but this series literally reinvented comics to me, and to many other readers.\n\"Lunar Park\" by Bret Easton Ellis.  Probably the safest introduction to Ellis if you aren't looking for a rampant gore-fest.  Spooky, creepy, chilling, but also insightful, confounding and enlightening.\n\"Catcher in the Rye\" by JD Salinger.  Mostly recommending as it fits into the above list, but I feel like it was missing.  I personally felt it was overhyped, but I'm the odd man out, as everybody I've ever talked to considers it profound.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Catcher in the Rye\" by JD Salinger. Mostly recommending as it fits into the above list, but I feel like it was missing. I personally felt it was overhyped",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a fit for the list, while saying they personally found it overhyped.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter personally felt it was overhyped, though says most people they know consider it profound.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56716,
          "author": "runningskull",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T04:57:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56716",
          "commentText": "Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger is among my favorites of all time.\nThe Dark Tower series (Stephen King) is one of the most amazing tales I have ever had the pleasure to become immersed in.\nThere are plenty more, but the key thing is just to READ.  Read everything you can get your hands on.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "is among my favorites of all time.",
          "reason": "Names it among their all-time favorites.",
          "audience": "Readers of literary fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. D. Salinger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 10,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coming of age",
        "coming of age novel",
        "literary fiction",
        "american literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-demon-haunted-world-science-as-a-candle-in-the-dark-2ac1ca",
      "title": "The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark",
      "author": "Carl Sagan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39729788,
          "author": "tldrthelaw",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T21:48:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729788",
          "commentText": "The Demon-Haunted World - Carl Sagan",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Demon-Haunted World - Carl Sagan",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937207,
          "author": "mashygpig",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:41:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937207",
          "commentText": "I’ll echo the Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan.\nRecently, I finished the making of the atomic bomb by Richard Rhodes. It’s quite long, but a fascinating view on physics, weapon development, and then the politics of the bomb. It’s a good exercise to compare with the current state of AI and see what things are similar and what are different.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan",
          "reason": "The commenter echoes a previous mention in response to a question about impactful books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937038,
          "author": "xekul",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:19:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937038",
          "commentText": "Language in Thought and Action by S.I. Hayakawa\nMetaphors We Live By by Lakoff and Johnson\nThe Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan\nThe Denial of Death by Ernest Becker\nTao Te Ching (various translators)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a major impact on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36105322,
          "author": "Nursie",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T16:12:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105322",
          "commentText": "Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan too.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35929427,
          "author": "Gualdrapo",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T15:39:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35929427",
          "commentText": "Maybe it's been read already by anyone here, but Carl Sagan's \"The demon-haunted world\" turned me into an atheist and made me appreciate much more science and the scientific method in general. The irony part is I got to read it because a the logic teacher in my catholic nun-ruled school suggested it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Carl Sagan's \"The demon-haunted world\" turned me into an atheist",
          "reason": "Credits the book with changing the commenter's perspective and increasing appreciation for science and scientific method.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32226905,
          "author": "StarGazer73",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-25T16:40:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32226905",
          "commentText": "Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan. Started a few days ago and I am about half way through.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25531535,
          "author": "Gualdrapo",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T21:21:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25531535",
          "commentText": "I grew up studying in a catholic school. Once a teacher that was involved with the convent, teaching us some logic basics, gave us some copies from the chapter 2 of Carl Sagan's The Demon-Haunted World as a recommended lecture. Could get the whole book and read it and ended becoming an atheist.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Carl Sagan's The Demon-Haunted World as a recommended lecture. Could get the whole book and read it and ended becoming an atheist.",
          "reason": "The commenter says reading it contributed to becoming an atheist.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19087870,
          "author": "felipelemos",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T18:10:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19087870",
          "commentText": "The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark, by Carl Sagan.\nIt changed the way I see the world, how to have a sceptical mind and not only how but why one should question.\nAnd also, it shows to me that, if you don't have a answer for something, doesn't mean that it can not be true. It's just that you don't know. And for a lot of things, this is the correct and only answer that we can have now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It changed the way I see the world, how to have a sceptical mind and not only how but why one should question.",
          "reason": "Credits it with changing their outlook and teaching skepticism and questioning.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630006,
          "author": "senectus1",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:12:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630006",
          "commentText": "accelerando - Charles Stross\nIt blew my mind from beginning to end. Loved every shred of concept and potential.\nGlasshouse is close 2nd\nDemon Haunted World is a solid 3rd",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Demon Haunted World is a solid 3rd",
          "reason": "Listed as the commenter's third favorite and called solid.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12246318,
          "author": "mangamadaiyan",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T08:51:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12246318",
          "commentText": "The Demon Haunted World, by Carl Sagan.\nIt showed me that the questions I'd always had were real, and finally let me break free :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It showed me that the questions I'd always had were real, and finally let me break free :)",
          "reason": "The commenter credits it with validating their questions and helping them break free.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348558,
          "author": "dghf",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:07:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348558",
          "commentText": "Robert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson, Illuminatus!\nCarl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World.\nDaniel Dennett, Consciousness Explained.\nT.H. White, The Once and Future King.\nGeorge Orwell, Homage to Catalonia.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World.",
          "reason": "Lists it as an answer to which books changed their perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1632104,
          "author": "satori99",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T05:27:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1632104",
          "commentText": "The Demon Haunted World - Carl Sagan.\nCorny as it sounds,, that book changed my way of thinking and indeed my life when I was around 18yo.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "that book changed my way of thinking and indeed my life",
          "reason": "Says it changed their way of thinking and life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carl Sagan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 10,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "scientific skepticism",
        "critical thinking",
        "religion",
        "skepticism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-illuminatus-trilogy-f40b2c",
      "title": "The Illuminatus! Trilogy",
      "author": "Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40046279,
          "author": "h2odragon",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-15T22:11:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40046279",
          "commentText": "Illuminatus trilogy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Illuminatus!_Trilogy\nKnuth's TAoCP.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Illuminatus trilogy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Illuminatus!_Trilogy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37161874,
          "author": "danschuller",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T14:12:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37161874",
          "commentText": "A good pairing is Atlas Shrugged and The Illuminatus! Trilogy. I just happened to read at the same time but would recommend it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A good pairing is Atlas Shrugged and The Illuminatus! Trilogy.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a pairing with Atlas Shrugged.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28452969,
          "author": "davidwf",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-08T04:16:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 28450555,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that impacted your work that few other people seem to care about?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28452969",
          "commentText": "100% true for me as well -- I found the Illuminatus Trilogy via reading the Jargon File when I was an embryonic techie oh so long ago and that whole scene has been super-influential on me ever since.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found the Illuminatus Trilogy via reading the Jargon File",
          "reason": "The commenter says discovering the trilogy led them into a counterculture scene that remained influential.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25532037,
          "author": "doopy1",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T22:22:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25532037",
          "commentText": "Books that have changed my life:\nMasters of Deception: The Gang That Ruled Cyberspace\nIlluminatus Trilogy\nNeuromancer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Illuminatus Trilogy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467728,
          "author": "lukifer",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:55:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467728",
          "commentText": "I used to read The Illuminatus! Trilogy [0] once every year or two, though that's slowed down; I feel like I've gotten something new out of it every time.\nI'm now taking a second pass through Unsong [1], simply because I enjoyed the first read so much.\n[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Illuminatus!_Trilogy\n[1] http://unsongbook.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Illuminatus! Trilogy",
          "reason": "The commenter reread the trilogy regularly and says they find something new each time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21904025,
          "author": "alasdair_",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T04:49:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21904025",
          "commentText": "The Illuminatus Trilogy is my favorite book of all time.\nA lot of people have a hard time with it, considering it nonsense and giving up a fifth of the way through. I'd strongly suggest sticking with it. There is a reason is seems like nonsense and the reason is given at the end of the book - the whole purpose of all of it is to reprogram your brain. It's a journey worth taking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd strongly suggest sticking with it. There is a reason is seems like nonsense and the reason is given at the end of the book - the whole purpose of all of it is to reprogram your brain. It's a journey worth taking.",
          "reason": "The commenter urges readers to persist through the difficult opening and says the experience is worthwhile.",
          "audience": "Readers willing to push through a deliberately confusing opening.",
          "caveat": "Many readers find it nonsensical and give up early.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12248654,
          "author": "alex_ixd",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T15:47:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12248654",
          "commentText": "I second this. I did my first reading in high school and it changed me for the better (and weirder).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I second this. I did my first reading in high school and it changed me for the better (and weirder).",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the recommendation and says it changed them for the better.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The change also made the commenter weirder.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348558,
          "author": "dghf",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:07:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348558",
          "commentText": "Robert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson, Illuminatus!\nCarl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World.\nDaniel Dennett, Consciousness Explained.\nT.H. White, The Once and Future King.\nGeorge Orwell, Homage to Catalonia.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Robert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson, Illuminatus!",
          "reason": "Lists it as an answer to which books changed their perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4662872,
          "author": "lsiebert",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-17T02:04:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 4661261,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite Science Fiction book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4662872",
          "commentText": "Hmm... Favorite is hard.  Maybe Cryptonomicon Because it was funny, meditative, and the research into WWII crypto was interesting.  Or Maybe Stranger in a Strange Land, for the insights into correct action, the nature of humor, love, and understanding, and for giving us 'grok'.  Or Maybe the Illuminatus Trilogy, for crazy awesomeness insight into the 1970's.  I've loaned out all three, and I couldn't consider a book a favorite unless I'd tried to get people to read it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Or Maybe the Illuminatus Trilogy, for crazy awesomeness insight into the 1970's.",
          "reason": "Named as a possible favorite, with praise for its imaginative take on the 1970s.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043476,
          "author": "gnosis",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:01:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043476",
          "commentText": "They are all equally excellent in their own way, and fall in to a variety of scifi sub-genres.  The HHGTTG, Cyberiad and the Illuminatus could be called scifi parodies (though the Illuminatus is very difficult to categorize, as it spans various genres).  The Dune books are much more straight scifi.  And the PKD books are really mindbending, kind of nightmarish books.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The HHGTTG, Cyberiad and the Illuminatus could be called scifi parodies",
          "reason": "Describes it as a parody while noting it spans various genres.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is difficult to categorize and spans genres.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043450,
          "author": "gnosis",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T19:54:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043450",
          "commentText": "* Heretics of Dune\n\n  * Chapterhouse: Dune\n\n  * Lem's Cyberiad\n\n  * PKD's Ubik, Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldrich, and Martian Time-Slip\n\n  * The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\n\n  * The Illuminatus Trilogy",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Illuminatus Trilogy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86338,
          "author": "h3st",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T17:58:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86338",
          "commentText": "The Ego and its Own, by Max Stirner.\nThe Open Society and its Enemies, by Karl Popper.\nThe Illuminatus! trilogy.\nRobin Hobb books (with special mention of the farseer trilogy), Neal Stephenson, Alan Moore, Terry Pratchett.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Illuminatus! trilogy.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Shea",
        "Robert Anton Wilson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 10,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "conspiracy fiction",
        "counterculture",
        "satire",
        "experimental fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-wind-up-bird-chronicle-8d54e2",
      "title": "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle",
      "author": "Haruki Murakami",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25906478,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T18:05:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25906478",
          "commentText": "I read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle based on suggestions\nI have that on my list to read \"sometime soon.\" So far I've really enjoyed all the Murakami I've read - After Dark, Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and A Wild Sheep Chase. Definitely planning to read the rest of his works eventually.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle based on suggestions",
          "reason": "Reports having read it based on others’ suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25904696,
          "author": "mbg721",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T16:01:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25904696",
          "commentText": "I have a bit of a queue going; I read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle based on suggestions from here, and it was definitely worth the investment.  Next on my list is Graham Greene's The Comedians.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle based on suggestions from here, and it was definitely worth the investment.",
          "reason": "Says the book was worth the investment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22722401,
          "author": "gautamcgoel",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T20:27:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22722401",
          "commentText": "Surprised no one mentioned any of Haruki Murakami's books. Norwegian Wood made a big impression on me as a young man in my late teens. Kafka on the shore and the Wind-up Bird Chronicle are both trips. A Wild Sheep Chase is hilarious.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Wind-up Bird Chronicle",
          "reason": "Lists it among Murakami’s novels, describing it as a trip.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156533,
          "author": "jeffersonheard",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:44:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156533",
          "commentText": "Getting More - Stuart Diamond. I still think this is the best book on the art of negotiation.\nGetting Things Done - David Allen. If you have adult ADHD like me, and you haven't read this, it's the first system that's really worked for productivity for me.\nMan's Search for Meaning - Victor Frankl.\nLiving Buddha, Living Christ - Thich Nhat Hanh.\nCosmos - Carl Sagan.\nThe Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. LeGuin.\nThe One who Walks Away from Omelas - U.K. LeGuin.\nWild Seed - Octavia Butler.\nThe Heike Monogatari - (tr. Helen Craig McCullough) “The sound of the Gion Shoja temple bells echoes the impermanence of all things; the color of the sala flowers reveals the truth that to flourish is to fall. The proud do not endure, like a passing dream on a night in spring; the mighty fall at last, to be no more than dust before the wind.” If you need a comparison. this is the Japanese historical equivalent of Game of Thrones combined with a bit of MacBeth. The rise and fall of two shogunate families, and an analysis of the tragic flaws of character that brought their fall about.\nLes Miserables - Victor Hugo.\nSmall Gods - Terry Pratchett.\nHeart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad.\nThe Guide - R. K. Narayan.\nEvidence - Mary Oliver.\nAll of Us - The Collected Poetry of Raymond Carver.\nSilence - Shusaku Endo.\nThe Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald.\nThe Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Murakami Haruki. This and the next four are odd choices, perhaps, since it's a surrealist book, but IMO books that force your imagination to work hard do as much for creativity and fresh ideas as any of the more popular methods.\nThe Well-Built City (The Physiognomy / Memoranda / The Beyond) Jeffery Ford - Surrealist novellas best described as about the protagonist living and achieving agency within the constructs, dreams, and nightmares of a \"Great Man's\" mind.\nSnow Crash - Neal Stephenson.\nGravity's Rainbow - Thomas Pynchon.\nDhalgren - Samuel L. \"Chip\" Delany.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "books that force your imagination to work hard do as much for creativity and fresh ideas as any of the more popular methods.",
          "reason": "The commenter says surreal books that demand imaginative effort can encourage creativity and fresh ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter acknowledges it is an odd choice and describes it as surrealist.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249275,
          "author": "kripy",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T10:27:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249275",
          "commentText": "Anything by Haruki Murakami. Start with \"The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle\" and never look back. Supernatural and super good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Start with \"The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle\" and never look back. Supernatural and super good.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends starting with this novel and calls it “super good.”",
          "audience": "Readers interested in supernatural fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783593,
          "author": "fmax30",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:59:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783593",
          "commentText": "I had read zero books by April 2015.\nHave read the following since then.\n1. 1984 by Orwell\n2. Animal Farm by Orwell\n3. 40 Rules of Love by Elif Shafak\n4. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline\n5. The Man in the high castle by Philip k Dic\n6. Tuesdays with morrie by Mitch Albom\n7. Broken Verses by Kamila Shamsie\n8. The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell\n9. Veronica Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho\n10. The Little Prince by antoine saint exupery\n11. A Monster calls by Patrick ness\nBooks that I am currently reading very very slowly ( 1-3 chapters per week )\n1. The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking\n2. The Wind Up Bird Chronicles by Murakami (I am really enjoying the slow reading here)\n3. Zen and art of motorcycle by Robert Pirsig\nEdit: Formatting",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2. The Wind Up Bird Chronicles by Murakami (I am really enjoying the slow reading here)",
          "reason": "Says they are really enjoying reading it slowly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Reading slowly, 1–3 chapters per week.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9350655,
          "author": "calebm",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T20:08:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350655",
          "commentText": "Just finished \"The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle\" and \"Kafka on the Shore\" by Haruki Murakami (as recommended by this HN post: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9127092). Haruki is amazing!",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Just finished \"The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle\" and \"Kafka on the Shore\"",
          "reason": "Says Haruki Murakami is amazing, but does not directly evaluate these titles.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387558,
          "author": "L_Rahman",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T23:46:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387558",
          "commentText": "I went of a bit of a Murakami bender after reading The Wind Up Bird Chronicle. While it's still my favorite of his works, Kafka on the Shore is pretty fantastic as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "after reading The Wind Up Bird Chronicle. While it's still my favorite of his works",
          "reason": "Calls it their favorite of Murakami's works.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4967473,
          "author": "platz",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T23:37:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967473",
          "commentText": "I liked 1Q84.  I felt it could have been a bit shorter without much loss to the story though. 'The Wind Up Bird Chronicle' and 'Hard Boiled Wonderland and The End of the World' remain my favorite Murakami novels.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Wind Up Bird Chronicle' and 'Hard Boiled Wonderland and The End of the World' remain my favorite Murakami novels.",
          "reason": "The commenter names it among their favorite Murakami novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4776515,
          "author": "viviantan",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-13T05:03:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 4770238,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fiction books that entertain and educate?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4776515",
          "commentText": "Haruki Murakami:\n1Q84 -- title's a nod to Orwellian dystopia; awesome mystery with a dash of sci-fi that takes place in a parallel universe sort of Tokyo; the English editon's 3 books in one so it's quite looong\nWind Up Bird Chronicle -- another 3-books-in-one psychological thriller, but the plotline's really just a device for telling the story of the Soviet-Japan border clashes during WWII and the atrocities committed by both sides; I loved the story but it's long and really weird, even for Murakami\nHardboiled Wonderland And The End Of The World -- really fun and imaginative book about a guy who can encrypt data by passing it through his subconsciousness, and ends up getting stuck there himself; I think this was the book that made Murakami famous in the US",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Wind Up Bird Chronicle -- another 3-books-in-one psychological thriller, but the plotline's really just a device for telling the story of the Soviet-Japan border clashes during WWII and the atrocities committed by both sides; I loved the story but it's long and really weird, even for Murakami",
          "reason": "The commenter loved the story and notes its historical backdrop.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Long and really weird, even for Murakami.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395576,
          "author": "Confusion",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T12:29:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395576",
          "commentText": "Professionally, The Art of Project Management did the most for me.\nPrivately, general-fiction-wise, The Wind-up Bird Chronicles by Haruki Murakami did the most for me.\nPrivately, SF-wise, three books by Kurt Vonnegut: Cat's Cradle, Slaughterhouse-five and The Sirens of Titan",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Wind-up Bird Chronicles by Haruki Murakami did the most for me.",
          "reason": "Says it had the greatest personal impact among fiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865516,
          "author": "nathanielksmith",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T17:13:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865516",
          "commentText": "Just finished Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson). About 100 pages into the Wind-Up Bird Chronicles (Haruki Murakami). Next is The Invention of Morel (Adolfo Bioy Casares).\nI find that reading recharges my creative thinking. I used to think it was purely relaxation, but now consider it as essential as sleeping / eating well.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "About 100 pages into the Wind-Up Bird Chronicles (Haruki Murakami).",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86044,
          "author": "jdale27",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T19:08:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86044",
          "commentText": "(I'm going to ignore the prohibition on \"programming/technical books\".)\n- GEB\n- SICP\n- anything by Paul Auster or Hermann Hesse\n- most Haruki Murakami, especially \"The Wind-up Bird Chronicle\"\n- Joan Didion, \"Where I Was From\"\n- Richard P. Gabriel, \"Patterns of Software\"\n- Durbin, Eddy, Krogh, and Mitchison, \"Biological Sequence Analysis\"\n- Italo Calvino, \"if on a winter's night a traveller\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "especially \"The Wind-up Bird Chronicle\"",
          "reason": "Names it as a particular favorite among Murakami's books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Haruki Murakami"
      ],
      "recommenders": 10,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Fantasy",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "magical realism",
        "surrealism",
        "japanese literature",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "to-kill-a-mockingbird-2bb7c2",
      "title": "To Kill a Mockingbird",
      "author": "Harper Lee",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41775421,
          "author": "dagw",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-08T09:44:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41775421",
          "commentText": "It's 'obscure' in the sense that something like To Kill a Mockingbird is 'obscure' (The only reason I know it is due to the prevalence of US pop-culture and it being referenced there). Sure everybody in the US probably knows about it and many read it in school, but outside of the US it's pretty rare to meet someone who has read it. I'd be willing to bet a lot more people in Europe have read The Master and Maragrita than To Kill a Mockingbird for example.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The only reason I know it is due to the prevalence of US pop-culture",
          "reason": "Used as a comparison for how familiar a book is in the US versus elsewhere.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804348,
          "author": "JonathanMerklin",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:41:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804348",
          "commentText": "Great thread. 2019 was the first time in about 7-8 years I made reading for pleasure a tertiary priority ((school+career)work/sleep/exercise+socializing+(NEW!)reading) and I got through about 20 books of varying length and difficulty, so here are the next 20 in my queue:\n- Infinite Jest (already started, will likely finish in early Jan. I love it so far.)\n- Quantum Computing Since Democritus (started in November as my nonfiction read, but took a break; I think I want to finish IJ first. Scott is an excellent writer and I was really enjoying this)\n- Building Microservices\n- The Code Book\n- How Cars Work (I want to turn the projection of a car in my brain from a black box to a gray box this year, and I don't mean by purchasing a Cybertruck)\n- To Kill a Mockingbird\n- The Personal MBA (for years I laughed off caring about the business of business and lived in my fantasy land of being satisfied with just the technical details and being focused on only implementing great software/learning how to do so. With a few years in the workforce under my belt, I realize that such an outlook was of great detriment to me. I'm open to other suggestions on similar \"catch me up to speed on general business education\" material)\n- Designing Data-Intensive Applications\n- Island (I have a copy of this but not Brave New World. Multiple friends of mine demand I try Huxley, so here we are.)\n- The Annotated Turing\n- How to Invent Everything\n- Soonish (SMBC is a daily read for me and I'm excited to get to this.)\n- How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems (ditto XKCD modulo release schedule)\n- Basic Economics\n- Thus Spoke Zarathustra\n- Seveneves\n- The Prince\n- Pacific Rims: Beermen Ballin' in Flip-Flops and the Philippines' Unlikely Love Affair with Basketball\n- Elevator Music: A Surreal History of Muzak, Easy-Listening, and Other Moodsong\n- Fahrenheit 451\nAdditionally, to tickle the part of my brain that fancies mathematics (one of my my majors in undergrad), I try to work through a chapter or two of Evan Chen's \"An Infinitely Long Napkin\" on a quarterly basis. If you don't mind a conversational tone to your math textbooks, I've found this to be an excellent resource for scraping the surface of a wide variety of topics and fields (including, well, topics like fields). I think I'll continue this habit.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "To Kill a Mockingbird",
          "reason": "Listed in the commenter's planned reading queue.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168877,
          "author": "HaoZeke",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T20:08:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168877",
          "commentText": "To kill a mockingbird.\nQuite frankly that both introduced me to racism and taught me to strongly condemn it. I also learnt the value of education and the utility of appropriate conduct.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "introduced me to racism and taught me to strongly condemn it",
          "reason": "The commenter credits the book with teaching them to condemn racism and value education and appropriate conduct.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15960279,
          "author": "atulatul",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T14:11:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15960279",
          "commentText": "Update: added a few lines about the books than just a name listing\nFrom the ones I read in 2017, I would highly recommend (non-IT):\n1. The hidden life of trees- Peter Wohlleben Why forest trees are different than the ones you plant, how the communicate, how they care for their friends when they are not well, how mother trees protect their young ones by not letting them grow too fast, the fungi network, etc. The book is very easy to read- there is no scientific terminology overload. Things are told very simply. Not restricted to students of the subject. Learned something interesting every couple of pages. \nAnother aspect is that the love shows. It is very clear that the author is in love with the subject. The author manages a wild forest in Germany and talks mainly about trees in terms of beeches, firs, oaks, etc. The author is politely insistent that we should protect the natural wild forests and let them be.\n2. Why the allies won- Richard Overy Probably the best book I read on WW2. So many more factors went into winning the war than actual fight. Probably appealed to my analytical mind.\n3. India After Gandhi- Ramachandra Guha As the author says history ends for many Indians with freedom. Very good chronicles. Started appreciating Nehru more.\n4. Re-read Gone With The Wind, To Kill a Mockingbird, the Godfather and a few P.G Wodehouse- all of which I like.\nCurrently, halfway through Stephen Fry's Mythos which seems good enough to recommend. I am pretty new to the Greek Mythology and he is a good story teller. Don't have much to compare it with, though.\nAlso, by choice, I read quite a few books in rural Marathi(an Indian regional language) and was surprised how good the story telling was. Also noticed that I had gone quite far from my mother tongue but was happy to see how easy it was to go back.\nPlease answer my similar question https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15960188",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Re-read Gone With The Wind, To Kill a Mockingbird, the Godfather and a few P.G Wodehouse- all of which I like.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they like it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249516,
          "author": "veddox",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T12:18:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249516",
          "commentText": "Well, \"fiction\" is an incredibly broad category (if it can even be called that). And \"must read\" is highly subjective ;-)\nIf you're just looking for some light entertainment, go for sci-fi or fantasy (Lord of the Rings, anyone?). But if you don't mind some slightly \"heavier\" reading, have a look at the classics. In some cases they can be a little tricky to understand, but they are called \"classics\" for a reason...\nSpecific suggestions (incomplete and in no particular order): Shakespeare's plays, Jane Austen's \"Pride and Prejudice\", Daniel Defoe's \"Robinson Crusoe\", Harper Lee's \"To kill a mockingbird\", JM Barrie's \"Peter Pan\", Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Harper Lee's \"To kill a mockingbird\"",
          "reason": "Included in a list of specific suggestions for fiction reading.",
          "audience": "Readers open to classics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that classics can be tricky to understand.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10836593,
          "author": "searine",
          "createdAt": "2016-01-04T16:47:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 10833032,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book you've recently read and enjoyed?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10836593",
          "commentText": "Oh boy, you fucked up now. Here are the books I read this past year that I felt were \"Good\", starting from the most recent :\nTo Kill A Mocking Bird (Insanely good)\nTrue Grit (Insanely good)\nThe Little Friend (Good)\nPriceless (Very good, about art theft)\nThe Secret History (Insanely good)\nReady Player One (Good, nerdy)\nShadow Divers (Very good, history nerd book)\nDiary of Anne Frank (Very good)\nUnbroken (Very good, way better than the movie)\nWith The Old Breed at Peleliu and Okinawa (Very good)\nSeveneves (good, but I'm a Stephenson fanboy)\nThe Martian (Very good, but just watch the movie).\nI read a bunch of other stuff, but that's what I found really \"good\" this past year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "To Kill A Mocking Bird (Insanely good)",
          "reason": "Described as “Insanely good.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10787209,
          "author": "theologic",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T05:16:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787209",
          "commentText": "Got a new job in May so slowed me down, but got through around 8 this year.\nI'm a Lencioni fan:\nDeath by Meeting --  Describes 3 types of meetings\nGetting Naked -- Describes how to consult\nI'm also a Marshall Goldsmith fan:\nWhat Got You Here Won't Get You There -  Once you get beyond a Director level with some mistakes, read this book\nMojo, How to Get It, How To Keep It - Another \"look yourself in the mirror\" book\nAlso:\n21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership  - John Maxwell. A little prod to act more like a leader.\nReady Player One -- Ernest Cline, Great Young Adult Book.  Escapist fantasy.\nEvery Shot Counts -- Mark Broady, Statistical Look At Golf, but has some smell of Kahnemann\nTo Kill A Mockingbird -- Timeless Classic I Never Got To.  Loved Atticus.  I won't read a Watchman if it spoils my view of what Atticus was all about.\nStarted But Not Finished:\nBusiness Dynamics Thinking -- Sterman (out of MIT). I need to take off work to read this 'cause it is so massive.  Basically it is control theory applied to business modelling.  However, I am convinced if somebody can apply these models, it really is the best competitive advantage.  However, too people willing to stick with it.\nHow to Measure Anything -- Douglas Hubbard.  Sort of makes me mad because it is so commonsense, yet most businesses don't apply this commonsense approach.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Timeless Classic I Never Got To. Loved Atticus.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they loved Atticus, but gives no clear evaluation of the book itself.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter had not read it yet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783581,
          "author": "baby",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:57:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783581",
          "commentText": "to kill a mocking bird: it was refreshing, looking for more simple books like this one",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "to kill a mocking bird: it was refreshing, looking for more simple books like this one",
          "reason": "Calls it refreshing and asks for more simple books like it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674317,
          "author": "nish1500",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T12:08:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674317",
          "commentText": "I am biased towards fiction.\nTo Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. The timeless beauty and innocence of the book remains unparalleled.\nLight in August, by William Faulkner. It is the opposite of the above, dealing with complex emotions. Faulkner's prose and characters are unmatched in their depth.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The timeless beauty and innocence of the book remains unparalleled.",
          "reason": "Calls its beauty and innocence unparalleled.",
          "audience": "Readers biased toward fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5832421,
          "author": "tjr",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T13:57:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5832421",
          "commentText": "To Kill a Mockingbird",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "To Kill a Mockingbird",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3396317,
          "author": "tspiteri",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T16:52:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3396317",
          "commentText": "I also read \"To Kill a Mocking Bird\" for the first time, and it is truly a work of art.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it is truly a work of art.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a work of art.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Read for the first time.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971377,
          "author": "_b8r0",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T10:28:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971377",
          "commentText": "My younger self wouldn't have been interested in the books that interest me now. Instead I'd have to settle for some good fiction.\nGoing back in time to around 12-16, I'd send one of:\n* Brave New World - Aldous Huxley\n* 1984 - George Orwell\n* To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee\n* Catch 22 - Joe Heller\n* Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut\n* Of Mice and Men - Steinbeck\n* Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury\n* The Call of Ctulhu - H.P. Lovecraft\n* Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card\nSome of those I actually read in school and loved (but wish I read earlier), others I didn't. I think any of those books would've interested me at the time. There's plenty of time for Rich Dad, Poor Dad, SPIN Selling and all the business books later in life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee",
          "reason": "Included as a fiction choice for their younger self.",
          "audience": "Readers around ages 12–16, as suggested by the commenter.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 400633,
          "author": "garnerwoods",
          "createdAt": "2008-12-17T06:24:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=400633",
          "commentText": "Usually I will find out what book famous people has read, what are their favorite books, hope that any book which bring influence on them, will bring good influence on me too.. also, as famous n successful people combined with their experience, I'm sure they have better taste on their choice too.\nStephen King's Favorite:\nThis Book Will Save Your Life by A. M. Homes\nSaturday by Ian McEwan\nThe Mad Cook of Pymatuning: A Novel by Christopher Lehmann-Haupt\nThe Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson\nThe Tenderness of Wolves: A Novel by Stef Penney\nWhen Will There Be Good News?: A Novel by Kate Atkinson\nJ.K. Rowling's Favorite:\nThe Five Red Herrings by Dorothy L. Sayers\nI Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith\nSkellig by David Almond\nThe Woman Who Walked into Doors by Roddy Doyle\nJeffrey Eugenides, author, Pulitzer prize winner\n\"Herzog,\" by Saul Bellow\n\"Love in a Fallen City,\" by Eileen Chang\n\"The Lay of the Land,\" by Richard Ford\nOprah Winfrey's Favorite:\nWhite Oleander by Janet Fitch\nThe Color Purple by Alice Walker\nA Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith\nThe Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz\nTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee\nThe Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison\nThe Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck\nFor complete list visit http://www.famouspal.com",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee",
          "reason": "Listed as one of Oprah Winfrey's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment reports it as someone else's favorite; it does not state the author's own endorsement.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Harper Lee"
      ],
      "recommenders": 10,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "racial injustice",
        "coming of age",
        "american literature",
        "american south"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "in-search-of-lost-time-6c6cef",
      "title": "In Search of Lost Time",
      "author": "Marcel Proust",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32937598,
          "author": "cetahfh14615",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T11:51:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937598",
          "commentText": "> Arthur Schopenhauer - The World as Will and Representation.\nActually just ordered this about a week ago. Read a couple articles about him and got the impression that he shares a lot with early Christianity (and also Buddhism)\n> Marcel Proust - In Search of Lost Time. Exceptionally rich and a beautiful study of love. Reading it is like living another life.\nHaven't read the Proust but I'd say the same for War and Peace",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Haven't read the Proust but I'd say the same for War and Peace",
          "reason": "Says they have not read Proust.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter explicitly says they have not read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32937273,
          "author": "dotsam",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T11:08:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937273",
          "commentText": "* Philosophy\nArthur Schopenhauer - The World as Will and Representation.\nSurprisingly readable and insightful, even if you don't buy his metaphysics. Einstein had Schopenhauer's portrait on his wall and considered him a genius.\n* Poetry\nJohn Milton - Paradise Lost\nPowerful and beautiful writing.\n* Fiction\nRabelais - Gargantua and Pantagruel. Funny and a real feast of words (the translation is a work of art in itself)\nThomas Mann - The Magic Mountain. Haunting and moving\nPierre Choderlos de Laclos - Dangerous Liaisons. Scandalous, gripping.\nIvan Turgenev - First Love. A masterclass in writing. Short, sensitive and exquisitely told.\nMarcel Proust - In Search of Lost Time. Exceptionally rich and a beautiful study of love. Reading it is like living another life.\nPG Wodehouse - the Jeeves series. Hilarious, perfectly frivolous, light and sunny\n* Non-fiction\nStuart Russell - Human Compatible: AI and the Problem of Control. Potential bad outcomes from AI and what we might be able to do about them\nNoam Chomsky - Necessary Illusions: Thought Control in Democratic Societies. How public discourse is shaped and controlled\nKarl Popper - The Open Society and its Enemies. How to work against totalitarianism",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Marcel Proust - In Search of Lost Time.",
          "reason": "Described as exceptionally rich and a beautiful study of love, like living another life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17382723,
          "author": "naturalgradient",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T18:45:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17382723",
          "commentText": "I came here to post this!\nAnd of course the (sort-of) French equivalent about life in modern times: In search of lost time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In search of lost time.",
          "reason": "Offers it as a French equivalent about life in modern times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a sort-of equivalent.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17058171,
          "author": "speedplane",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-13T10:07:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17058171",
          "commentText": "No question,hands down: Proust. He wrote his novels over a hundred years ago, in a vastly different world that we line in now, but over-and-over again, he totally nails and dissects human experience.\nThe first 30 or so pages of Swan's Way is about a child waking up in his room. He shows that something so benign and ordinary is anything but, it includes countless memories, senses, instincts, and emotions. Technologists should take note.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Proust. He wrote his novels over a hundred years ago",
          "reason": "Calls Proust’s novels exceptionally perceptive about human experience.",
          "audience": "Technologists, whom the commenter says should take note.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14747190,
          "author": "briga",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T19:26:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14747190",
          "commentText": "In Search of Lost Time. It's definitely famous and well-known, but I think it's far more talked about than actually read. Proust is a philosopher and psychologist more than a novelist, and large chunks of the book are basically just philosophical essays, but its still probably the greatest novel I've read. I think it's one of the greatest achievement of the human mind to date and it has more to say about the human experience than anything since, as far as I can tell.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "its still probably the greatest novel I've read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it probably the greatest novel they have read and says it has much to say about human experience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is famous and well-known, but more talked about than actually read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9617967,
          "author": "hodwik",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-28T13:31:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9617967",
          "commentText": "> \"have no grounds to look down upon those who are getting their hands dirty.\"\nReading Proust isn't getting your hands dirty? I don't think you've read Proust.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Reading Proust isn't getting your hands dirty? I don't think you've read Proust.",
          "reason": "Invokes Proust's work to challenge the claim that reading it is detached from practical engagement.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9615027,
          "author": "hoopd",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T23:01:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9615027",
          "commentText": "> It's like neurology. Yes, it's a terribly interesting field, but you'll learn more about the human mind from reading Proust.\nI think this is a great metaphor but for very different reasons than you.  Reading Proust will help somebody who sits on the sidelines take in the scene of somebody's neurological condition degrading.  Studying neurology will help somebody find and (hopefully) cure the disease.\nNeurologists save lives, people who sit in armchairs cherishing Proust may enrich themselves but they have no grounds to look down upon those who are getting their hands dirty.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Reading Proust will help somebody who sits on the sidelines take in the scene of somebody's neurological condition degrading.",
          "reason": "Discusses what reading Proust might help a reader understand.",
          "audience": "A reader trying to understand another person's neurological decline.",
          "caveat": "Contrasts this with studying neurology to find and treat disease.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9614115,
          "author": "hodwik",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T20:31:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9614115",
          "commentText": "In a chaotic system, arriving at abstractions of the forces at play often gives a more illuminating picture than trying to model those systems from weakly-linked data points.\nIt's not that Austrian economists can't find their own data models to defend their positions, with an area like economics finding data to support your opinions is the easy part.\nRather, we've found that obsessing over the data provides very little understanding of the underlying cause-and-effect of economics.\nIt's like neurology.  Yes, it's a terribly interesting field, but you'll learn more about the human mind from reading Proust.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you'll learn more about the human mind from reading Proust.",
          "reason": "Suggests that reading Proust can illuminate the human mind.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109317,
          "author": "chimeracoder",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:47:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109317",
          "commentText": "One summer in high school I decided to read In Search of Lost Time before school started up again.\nI only made my way through Swann's Way (the first of seven books in the series), but I'm so glad I did. I think it was probably the toughest piece of literature I'd ever read, but one of the most rewarding by far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I only made my way through Swann's Way (the first of seven books in the series), but I'm so glad I did.",
          "reason": "The commenter is glad they read the first volume of the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109098,
          "author": "gglitch",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:17:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109098",
          "commentText": "I'm halfway through the last volume of Proust's In Search of Lost Time, and I admit I'm proud of it. I don't know what can be said in a small space about a novel so large and canonical, but I've deeply enjoyed it. An unexpected quirk of the novel is that though I've been heavily absorbed in it the whole way, and found it moving, funny, and in general a complete literary experience, I can't really recommend it to others without absurd sounding qualifiers, e.g., \"As long as you can put up with hundreds of pages on end of detailed descriptions of things like churches, landscapes, flowers, parties, dinners, families, manners, morals, and the like, you'll find it immeasurably beautiful and immediately personally meaningful!\" --where I'd of course have never previously taken that bait.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've deeply enjoyed it. An unexpected quirk of the novel is that though I've been heavily absorbed in it the whole way, and found it moving, funny, and in general a complete literary experience, I can't really recommend it to others",
          "reason": "Deeply enjoyed and found it moving, funny, and a complete literary experience, but cannot readily recommend it.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy long, detailed literary novels.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says recommending it requires absurd-sounding qualifiers, including tolerance for hundreds of pages of detailed description.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3987214,
          "author": "mixonic",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-17T14:51:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3987214",
          "commentText": "I don't tend to read biz books, but recently I've read a ton of great Russian texts.\nThe Master & Margarita\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Master_and_Margarita\nGoethe's Faust & the story of Pontius Pilate retold in 1930s Russia. Really, I mean really damn good. Very readable.\nBooks 1 & 2 of The Gulag Archipelago\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gulag_Archipelago\nAn expansive history of the Soviet prison camp system, almost a folk history.\nPetersburg\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petersburg_%28novel%29\nThink Joyce writing about a revolutionary plot in the Petersburg of 1910-something, involving patricide and a time-bomb set for 24 hours from now. Yeah.\nThat and slowly working through Proust (book 5). I'm not sure if I really recommend it, but I'd be interested to hear thoughts from other smarty-pants HN people.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'm not sure if I really recommend it",
          "reason": "The commenter is slowly reading book 5 but explicitly says they are unsure whether to recommend it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether they recommend it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2639776,
          "author": "zoowar",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T04:14:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639776",
          "commentText": "In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust",
          "reason": "Named in response to a question about the greatest book ever read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2526858,
          "author": "pemulis",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-08T22:27:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 2526568,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2526858",
          "commentText": "I'm on a David Foster Wallace kick right now: Working through The Pale King, his collected essays and his short stories. Already read Infinite Jest. It's hard to say what qualifies as \"essential reading\" when it's impossible for a human being to read even one tenth of the great, all-time classic books. There just isn't enough time. My advice would be to read at least a few books that have reputations for being difficult. War and Peace, Gravity's Rainbow, In Search of Lost Time, Ulysses, etc. (The reason I'm only listing near-undisputed classics here is because these books are difficult, and in some cases very, very long [looking at you, Proust], and the assurance that it is all worth it helps you keep going when your brain hurts.) These books survived despite their difficulty because reading them is a mind-expanding, sometimes life-changing experience. Reading shouldn't be essentially passive.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In Search of Lost Time",
          "reason": "Advises readers to try difficult books and says the experience can be mind-expanding and life-changing.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking challenging, active reading.",
          "caveat": "Very long and demanding.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marcel Proust"
      ],
      "recommenders": 10,
      "threads": 9,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Psychology",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "modernist literature",
        "french literature",
        "human consciousness",
        "human experience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "made-to-stick-why-some-ideas-survive-and-others-die-3f72d1",
      "title": "Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die",
      "author": "Chip Heath and Dan Heath",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 44570383,
          "author": "ramanhere",
          "createdAt": "2025-07-15T12:21:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 44568054,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44570383",
          "commentText": "Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath (its about why some ideas stick and other dies)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath (its about why some ideas stick and other dies)",
          "reason": "Identifies it as a book about why some ideas stick while others do not.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12418863,
          "author": "kapauldo",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-03T11:59:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12418863",
          "commentText": "\"made to stick\" is a great read for techies because it helps you think about simplifying communication to non techies. It also helps technical founders think about market perceptions about your product. It's a super fast read and well written.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"made to stick\" is a great read for techies because it helps you think about simplifying communication to non techies.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great read and describes its usefulness for communication and product perception.",
          "audience": "Techies and technical founders.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10537640,
          "author": "tech_crawl_",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-10T04:39:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10537640",
          "commentText": "Made to Stick",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Made to Stick",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the question about the year's best books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231259,
          "author": "jamesrcole",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T17:40:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231259",
          "commentText": "Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, by Chip Heath and Dan Heath\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Made-Stick-Ideas-Survive-Others/dp/140... (http://www.amazon.com/Made-Stick-Ideas-Survive-Others/dp/1400064287)\n- quite good so far (1/2 way through)\nA Room with a View, by E.M. Forster\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Room-View-Bantam-Classics/dp/055321323... (http://www.amazon.com/Room-View-Bantam-Classics/dp/0553213237)\n- not sure what I think of it yet (about 1/2 way through).  Found some of the writing a bit opaque, where I'm not sure what he's trying to say.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "quite good so far (1/2 way through)",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is quite good so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Assessment is provisional; the commenter is halfway through.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026420,
          "author": "coderholic",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T23:09:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026420",
          "commentText": "I finally finished \"Godel, Escher, Bach\" in 2009, after starting and giving up on it a few times previously. A great book, but it does require a lot of time and some serious thinking with a pencil and pad to do some working out (or at least it did for me).\nThe best book I read in 2009 (and possibly ever!) was \"Fooled By Randomness\" - a fantastic book that I can't recommend enough. I also read the sequel, \"Black Swans\", that was interesting but not in the same league.\n\"Made to stick\" was also a great book, with lots of great marketing advice that is simple to follow.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Made to stick\" was also a great book, with lots of great marketing advice that is simple to follow.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book and praises its simple, practical marketing advice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 947632,
          "author": "webwright",
          "createdAt": "2009-11-18T01:54:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 947581,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN:  What's the best first business book for a programmer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=947632",
          "commentText": "Made to Stick\nhttp://www.madetostick.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Made to Stick",
          "reason": "Named as a book suggestion in response to a request for business books.",
          "audience": "A programmer interested in starting a venture.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240674,
          "author": "astrec",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T02:22:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240674",
          "commentText": "I've added another powerful book to my library since the last time we had this discussion:\nMade to stick: Why some ideas survive and others die... - Chip and Dan Heath.\nEssential startup reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Essential startup reading.",
          "reason": "Recommended as essential reading for startups.",
          "audience": "Startup founders and readers interested in startups.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 191784,
          "author": "coglethorpe",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-16T14:12:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=191784",
          "commentText": "1. \"The Wisdom of Crowds\" by James Surowiecki\n2. \"Predictably Irrational\" by Dan Ariely\n3. \"The Search\" by John Battelle\n4. \"Made to Stick\" by Chip Heath and Dan Heath\n5. \"The Tipping Point\" by Malcolm Gladwell\nThat should cover your trip. I've listened to all of them and really liked all of them.  \"Blink\" by Gladwell is also good, but not as business related.\nI would love to hear any other suggestions people have in this category.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Made to Stick\" by Chip Heath and Dan Heath",
          "reason": "Included in a list of suggested audiobooks; the commenter says they listened to and liked all the listed titles.",
          "audience": "Listeners interested in business related books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 191755,
          "author": "mattjung",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-16T13:36:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=191755",
          "commentText": "Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Made-Stick-Ideas-Survive-Others/dp/073... (http://www.amazon.com/Made-Stick-Ideas-Survive-Others/dp/0739341340/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1210944933&sr=8-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 138190,
          "author": "richesh",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-16T15:05:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=138190",
          "commentText": "Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Made-Stick-Ideas-Survive-Others/dp/140... (http://www.amazon.com/Made-Stick-Ideas-Survive-Others/dp/1400064287/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1205679800&sr=8-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chip Heath",
        "Dan Heath"
      ],
      "recommenders": 10,
      "threads": 9,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "communication",
        "idea design",
        "marketing",
        "idea retention"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mars-trilogy-ad84cb",
      "title": "Mars trilogy",
      "author": "Kim Stanley Robinson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36022873,
          "author": "dopidopHN",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T17:09:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36022873",
          "commentText": "I getting thought anything by Kim S. Robinson. \nI read the Mars trilogy 20 years ago and plan to re-read it once I'm done.\nRecently went thought \"Ministry for the future\" from him. Weird mix of factual non fiction and SF. Read like a fan fiction of a iPCC Report.\nOutside of hard SF, Ursula K Leguin. Great world building.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read the Mars trilogy 20 years ago and plan to re-read it once I'm done.",
          "reason": "The commenter plans to reread it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14746296,
          "author": "nategri",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T17:51:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14746296",
          "commentText": "Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy. Jam packed with ideas crucial to the next 100-150 years. I reference these the way more insufferable people reference Ayn Rand.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy. Jam packed with ideas crucial to the next 100-150 years.",
          "reason": "Praises the series for its ideas and says they reference it often.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249396,
          "author": "dogma1138",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T11:28:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249396",
          "commentText": "On the mars issue the mars saga (red mars, blue mars and green mars) is also pretty amazing to read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the mars saga (red mars, blue mars and green mars) is also pretty amazing to read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the Mars saga amazing to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12247156,
          "author": "peckrob",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T12:28:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12247156",
          "commentText": "This is very close to how I feel about Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy. I read them because many of my friends who were also sci-fi readers raved about them.\nI enjoyed Red Mars but I really had to slog through Green Mars and Blue Mars. Red Mars was fun and interesting, but I could have done without a few hundred pages of Sax Russell talking about plants in Green Mars.\nI think worldbuilding books take a certain level of investment, even among voracious readers.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I really had to slog through Green Mars and Blue Mars. Red Mars was fun and interesting",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed Red Mars but found the later books a slog.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Green Mars and Blue Mars required effort; the commenter could have done without pages about plants.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056479,
          "author": "arethuza",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:04:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056479",
          "commentText": "Neal Stephenson, Anathem\nIain M Banks, Use of Weapons\nGreg Egan, Diaspora and Permutation City\nFrank Herbert, Dune\nKim Stanley Robinson, the Mars trilogy\nVernon Vinge: A Fire Upon the Deep and A Deepness in the Sky\n[Note to Hollywood: can we please have a Culture movie?]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kim Stanley Robinson, the Mars trilogy",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for favourite sci-fi books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056450,
          "author": "everyone",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T11:55:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056450",
          "commentText": "I have strong opinions about this. My criteria for a book being science fiction and not fantasy is that is must be based on scientific thinking. The author must have done some work to determine whether whats happening in his book is at least plausible according to real science, and then work out the details of how it would actually function. So I regard most \"science fiction\" books and almost all \"science fiction\" films as really being fantasy. Essentially they are works of fantasy or dramatic fiction re-skinned with lasers and aliens instead of magic and goblins (to a great or lesser extent).\nSo dune is a great book but it is 90% fantasy, there is only a little bit of research done by the author on desert ecosystems.\nMy favourite real science fiction author is Arthur C clarke. some good books by him...\nearthlight\nthe fountains of paradise\nislands in the sky\nthe sands of mars\nrama\nsongs of distant earth\nAlso would recommend accelerando by Charles Stross and the mars series by Kim Stanley Robinson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the mars series by Kim Stanley Robinson",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends this series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6975876,
          "author": "fromdoon",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T19:08:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6975876",
          "commentText": "The Mars Trilogy ... it made me come to closer to hard science fiction than ever before ...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mars Trilogy ... it made me come to closer to hard science fiction than ever before ...",
          "reason": "Says it brought them closer to hard science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387960,
          "author": "veidr",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T02:51:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387960",
          "commentText": "The trilogy of Neuromancer, Burning Chrome, and Mona Lisa Overdrive is still my favorite work of fiction, and also, to my mind, exemplifies the kind of taut, awesome writing that I would want to do if I wrote novels. It the only series of 3 books I have read more than once.\nI caught these books at just the right time in my life (age 13 or 14), leading my high-school fascination with Japan and rekindled interest in computing, and probably played an inordinately large role in me ending up as a programmer who lives in Tokyo, two decades later.\nI like great sci fi best, but I think most of it is crap, including virtually all of the old pulp sci fi and Asimov I grew up reading (which was basically all of it), Star Wars/Trek, etc.\nOther than Gibson's stuff, some of the truly spectacular sci fi I have read is the very-dense-and-not-at-all-thriller-ish Mars trilogy (Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars), and the fast-paced-and-awesome Spin by Robert Charles Wilson. That led me to read all of Wilson's books, many of which are also good. Also Haldeman is an author worth reading, though not all of his books hit their mark.\nGreat sci fi is my favorite fiction, but IMO most of it is broken by being fundamentally implausible. Other fiction I consider great in other genres include Memoirs of a Geisha, Cold Mountain, REAMDE, The Son, The Road, the lighter but still version of that post-apocalyptic concept The Dog Stars, City of Thieves, and All the Pretty Horses and its sequels.\nIt's probably symptomatic of a major flaw in my character that despite also buying dozens of nonfiction works (Lincoln, On China, and so forth) over the past few years, I haven't finished any of them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "some of the truly spectacular sci fi I have read is the very-dense-and-not-at-all-thriller-ish Mars trilogy",
          "reason": "Calls it truly spectacular science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as very dense and not thriller-like.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4787143,
          "author": "jaddison",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T04:47:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787143",
          "commentText": "If you like sci-fi - try the Red/Green/Blue Mars trilogy.  Not exactly recent, but I thought quite good.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "try the Red/Green/Blue Mars trilogy.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a science fiction trilogy.",
          "audience": "Readers who like science fiction.",
          "caveat": "Not exactly recent.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4661280,
          "author": "cryptoz",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-16T18:52:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 4661261,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite Science Fiction book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4661280",
          "commentText": "The Mars Trilogy, by Kim Stanley Robinson. I think it paints the most realistic idea of space travel, interplanetary society and Mars colonization....just about the most exciting stuff ever. Also, it's pretty hard sci fi and so the reader learns a lot about Martian geology and such along the way.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mars Trilogy, by Kim Stanley Robinson. I think it paints the most realistic idea of space travel, interplanetary society and Mars colonization....just about the most exciting stuff ever.",
          "reason": "Calls the trilogy exciting and praises its realistic portrayal of space travel, society, and Mars colonization.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kim Stanley Robinson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 10,
      "threads": 9,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "terraforming",
        "mars colonization",
        "colonization of mars",
        "hard science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-the-shortness-of-life-447c83",
      "title": "On the Shortness of Life",
      "author": "Seneca",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40319095,
          "author": "nishparadox",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-10T14:01:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40319095",
          "commentText": "Every year, I come back to \"On The Shortness of Life\" by Seneca to ground myself to the fact that life keeps on happening and I have to remind myself that life is long enough if I think about it...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Every year, I come back to \"On The Shortness of Life\" by Seneca",
          "reason": "The commenter returns to it annually to remind themselves that life is long enough.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467553,
          "author": "tonyhb",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:38:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467553",
          "commentText": "\"Island\" - Aldous Huxley.\n\"Principles\" - Ray Dalio.\n\"On the shortness of life\" - Seneca.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"On the shortness of life\" - Seneca.",
          "reason": "Lists it as a book reread in response to the question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20332739,
          "author": "gordon_freeman",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T06:45:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20332739",
          "commentText": "I would recommend Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (Hays Translation) along with On the Shortness of Life by Seneca. These 2 books together will introduce you to the Stoic philosophy which I just found a couple of years ago and it has made my life much better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "along with On the Shortness of Life by Seneca.",
          "reason": "Recommends it together with Meditations to introduce Stoic philosophy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17060918,
          "author": "askafriend",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-13T20:37:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17060918",
          "commentText": "Seneca's On the Shortness of Life was a profound read for me. I wish I read it earlier. That and Marcus Aurelius' Meditations.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seneca's On the Shortness of Life was a profound read for me. I wish I read it earlier.",
          "reason": "Describes the book as profound and wishes they had read it earlier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17046294,
          "author": "nexensis",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T11:04:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17046294",
          "commentText": "Seneca - On the Shortness of Life\nAlthough it can be read in an hour or two, it completely rewrote the way I approach life – particularly by reframing procrastination and idleness.\n\"You act like mortals in all that you fear, and like immortals in all that you desire\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seneca - On the Shortness of Life",
          "reason": "The commenter says it rewrote how they approach life, especially procrastination and idleness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Can be read in an hour or two.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15761806,
          "author": "abuiles",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T00:14:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15761806",
          "commentText": "+1 on \"Nonviolent Communication\" - if anyone is interested I have some directive like notes from the book here https://blog.abuiles.com/reading-feed/nonviolent-communicati... (https://blog.abuiles.com/reading-feed/nonviolent-communication/) -- going through the book is important for the context but this can give you a quick overview of what it is about.\nOther books in my list are:\n- Punished by rewards by Alfie Kohn\n- On the shortness of life by Seneca",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On the shortness of life by Seneca",
          "reason": "Lists it as one of their books in response to a question asking for books useful across areas of daily life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15159707,
          "author": "edpichler",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T04:31:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15159707",
          "commentText": "- The Lean Startup, by Eric Rives\n- The Long Tail, by Chris Anderson\n- The Blue Ocean Strategy, by W. Chan Kim\n- On the shortness of life, by Seneca\n- 1984, by George Orwell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On the shortness of life, by Seneca",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416909,
          "author": "sn9",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T23:18:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416909",
          "commentText": "That's Letter 49 IIRC.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "That's Letter 49 IIRC.",
          "reason": "Confirms a detail about the work mentioned in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment identifies a letter rather than repeating the title.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416531,
          "author": "rckrd",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:49:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416531",
          "commentText": "Also, Seneca's De Brevitate Vitae, or On the Shortness of Life",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seneca's De Brevitate Vitae, or On the Shortness of Life",
          "reason": "Offers it as another book to read in the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229612,
          "author": "jakegarelick",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T14:42:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229612",
          "commentText": "My recent favorites: Jobs, The Hard Thing About Hard Things, High Output Management, Innovator's Dilemma, Lean Startup, On The Shortness Of Life, How Google Works, Zero To One, Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Power of Habit, Things Fall Apart, Stoner",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On The Shortness Of Life",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's recent favorites in response to a book recommendation request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9623467,
          "author": "lolive",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-29T08:53:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9623467",
          "commentText": "On the Shortness of Life\nhttp://www.forumromanum.org/literature/seneca_younger/brev_e... (http://www.forumromanum.org/literature/seneca_younger/brev_e.html)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "On the Shortness of Life",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1973756,
          "author": "petercooper",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T03:30:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1973756",
          "commentText": "Seneca's On The Shortness of Life. It's extremely short and to the point on how best to spend one's life and how we have enough time to do whatever we please - I summarized/heavily quoted it at http://peterc.org/pedia/seneca-shortness-of-life/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's extremely short and to the point on how best to spend one's life",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its concise advice on how to spend one's life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Seneca"
      ],
      "recommenders": 10,
      "threads": 9,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "History",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "stoicism",
        "time",
        "ancient philosophy",
        "essay"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "steppenwolf-8f76b2",
      "title": "Steppenwolf",
      "author": "Hermann Hesse",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41769879,
          "author": "low_tech_love",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T19:18:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41769879",
          "commentText": "+1 for this one, it’s such a delightful experience to read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for this one",
          "reason": "Seconding the parent comment’s recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19088461,
          "author": "onemoresoop",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T18:55:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19088461",
          "commentText": "Seneca - Letters from a stoic;\nHerman Hesse - Steppenwolf , Siddhartha and The glass bead game (Magister Ludi)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Herman Hesse - Steppenwolf , Siddhartha and The glass bead game (Magister Ludi)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17383414,
          "author": "hessenwolf",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T20:59:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17383414",
          "commentText": "The Steppenwolf, by Herman Hesse. It's supposedly about the author himself in 1920s Germany, also about depression, existentialism, and recovery, in a surreal context.\n(hence, my user name)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Steppenwolf, by Herman Hesse.",
          "reason": "Offered as a book in response to a thread asking for lesser-known books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is supposedly about the author himself and describes themes of depression, existentialism, and recovery in a surreal context.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785552,
          "author": "benajibayassine",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:50:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785552",
          "commentText": "1- The Emperor's Handbook by Marcus Aurelius. Jan, 10th 2015\n2- The crowd, a study of the popular mind by Gustave Le Bon. Jan, 10th 2015\n3- Remote by Jason Fried. Jan, 11th 2015\n4- The shape of the world to come by Laurent Cohen-Tanugi, Jan, 20th, 2015\n5- Post office by Charles Bukowski. Jan, 23rd 2015\n6- Gang leader for a day by Sudhir Venkatesh. Feb, 6th 2015\n7- Zen mind, beginner's mind by Shunryu Suzuki. Feb, 8th 2015\n8- The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Feb, 23rd 2015\n9- Darkness Visible by William Styron. March, 1st 2015\n10- Zero to One by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters. March, 9th 2015\n11- The Kaizen way: One small step can change your life by Robert Mauter. March, 11th 2015\n12- Time by Alexander Waugh. March, 12th 2015\n13- Max and the cats by Moacyr Scliar. March, 14th 2015\n14- Scattered by Gabor Mate. March, 20th 2015\n15- East of Eden by John Steinbeck. March, 30th 2015\n16- Crossing the unknown sea by David Whyte. April, 7th 2015\n17- Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. April, 13th 2015\n18- The World beyond your Head by Matthew Crawford. April, 22nd 2015\n19- How to Think about Exercise by Damon Young. April, 23rd 2015\n20- Solitude by Anthony Storr. May, 8th 2015\n21- Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. June, 10th 2015\n22- The bastard of Istanbul (in Arabic) by Elif Shafak. June, 21st 2015\n23- L’ordre libertaire: la vie philosophique d’Albert Camus by Michel Onfray. July, 7th 2015\n24- Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse. July, 10th 2015\n25- The arab uprisings by James Gelvin. July, 13th 2015\n26- How to worry less about money by John Armstrong. July, 13th 2015\n27- Self comes to mind by Antonio Damasio. July, 31st2015\n28- Muhammad: The First Muslim by Lesley Hazleton. August, 4th t2015\n29- Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. August, 15th 2015 \n30- Heidegger's Being and Time by William Blattner. August, 18th 2015 \n31- Heidegger and a hippo walk through those pearly gates by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. August, 19th 2015 \n32- Why nations fail by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson. October, 3rd 2015 \n33- Charlie Munger: the complete investor by Tren Griffin October, 9th 2015 \n34- The selfish gene by Richard Dawkins October, 23rd 2015\n35- The philosophical baby by Alison Gopnik October, 28th 2015\n36- The three-body problem by Cixin Liu November, 1st 2015\n37- Open letter to a young man by Andre Maurois November, 13th 2015\n38- Thinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman November, 16th 2015\n39- What do you care what people think by Richard Feynman November, 18th 2015\n40- When the body says No by Gabor Maté November, 29th 2015\n41- The truth will set you free by Alice Miller. December, 5th 2015\n42- The shallows by Nicholar Carr. December, 7th 2015\n43- What matters most byJames Hollis. December, 14th 2015\n44- Finding meaning in the second jalf of life byJames Hollis. December, 20yh2015",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse",
          "reason": "Included in a dated list of books read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8258168,
          "author": "drtse4",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T15:39:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8258168",
          "commentText": "_dt47, if you like it read everything else from Hesse (continue with Steppenwolf, Narcissus and Goldmund, The Glass Bead Game).\nRight now, as late night reading, i'm in the midst of the sprawl trilogy of Gibson, i read Neuromancer more than a few years ago and now i'm checking out the rest.\nOther than this, i started \"Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies\", but i'm quickly getting bored.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "continue with Steppenwolf, Narcissus and Goldmund, The Glass Bead Game",
          "reason": "Recommends continuing with Hesse’s other works after Siddhartha.",
          "audience": "Readers who like Siddhartha or Hesse.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8257662,
          "author": "redxblood",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T14:14:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257662",
          "commentText": "I read The Stranger, great indeed.\nMind giving some overview of Steppenwolf?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Mind giving some overview of Steppenwolf?",
          "reason": "Asks for an overview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8257642,
          "author": "jaryd",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T14:11:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257642",
          "commentText": "Siddhartha is great--if you like Hesse I would also recommend that you check out \"Steppenwolf\" (same author), and if that also appeals to you, then \"The Stranger\" by Camus",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I would also recommend that you check out \"Steppenwolf\"",
          "reason": "Recommends it to readers who like Hesse.",
          "audience": "Readers who like Hermann Hesse.",
          "caveat": "Recommendation is conditional on liking Hesse.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107029,
          "author": "kgogolek",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:44:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107029",
          "commentText": "Herman Hesse - Steppenwolf.\nActually everything by Hesse.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Herman Hesse - Steppenwolf.",
          "reason": "Named as a book suggestion in response to the favorite-books question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1977193,
          "author": "SupremumLimit",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T23:05:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1977193",
          "commentText": "Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse. It's full of ideas about meaning of life, happiness and spirituality and it's one of a few books that made me think differently about life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's one of a few books that made me think differently about life.",
          "reason": "Says the book made them think differently about life and explores meaning, happiness, and spirituality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752443,
          "author": "swombat",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T09:56:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752443",
          "commentText": "Most books by Hermann Hesse, really... Narziss&Goldmund changed my perspective on life. If you have anything artistic in you, it's a must-read. Steppenwolf, Siddharta and the Glass Bead Game are other must-reads.\nGabriel Garcia Marques, One hundred years of solitude.\nPractically all of Jorge Luis Borges' short stories. Mind-bending.\nMilan Kundera's Unbearable Lightness of Being.\nMichael Ende's Never Ending Story.\nEnjoy!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Steppenwolf, Siddharta and the Glass Bead Game are other must-reads.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a must-read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1633870,
          "author": "blinkit",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T19:34:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1633870",
          "commentText": "Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse.\nFoundation Series by Isaac Asimov.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed your life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503212,
          "author": "sdave",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T06:45:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503212",
          "commentText": "\"Siddhartha\", \n\"Steppenwolf\" - by Herman Hesse.\n\"Atlas Shrugged\" - by Ayn Rand.\n\"Mrityunjay\" - by Sivaji savant (originally in marathi/hindi language.. based on the character of Karna from Mahabharata.Not very sure how good the english translation is though.The title means - he who has conquered Death.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Steppenwolf\" - by Herman Hesse.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for eye-opening or interesting books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 199982,
          "author": "knv",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-26T04:55:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 199722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=199982",
          "commentText": "Or maybe Steppenwolf by the same author.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Or maybe Steppenwolf by the same author.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Suggested tentatively.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hermann Hesse"
      ],
      "recommenders": 10,
      "threads": 9,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "existentialism",
        "german literature",
        "identity",
        "alienation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-4-hour-workweek-8b4bbb",
      "title": "The 4-Hour Workweek",
      "author": "Tim Ferriss",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29829198,
          "author": "sbacic",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-06T20:04:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29829198",
          "commentText": "I expect I'll get a lot of flak for this one, but I'd like to suggest the \"4 hour work week\" by Tim Ferriss. I've read it at about the same age and it had a profound effect on me.\nAnother book I'd suggest is the Enchiridion of Epictetus.\nIf you ever intend to have kids, \"Summerhill\" by A.S.Neill is a good choice.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'd like to suggest the \"4 hour work week\" by Tim Ferriss.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it based on its profound effect on them at about the same age.",
          "audience": "An 18-year-old interested in nonfiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter expects the suggestion may draw flak.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14478717,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T21:59:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478717",
          "commentText": "4 Hour Work Week, it gave me some perspective on the 9-5 job I wish I had given more thought to earlier in my life when I had more time.\n80/20 principle, while mentioned in the 4 hour work week, it really has a lot more to offer in the book.  How you should go about leveraging your time.  There was a real gem in there about how books are really the best way to acquire knowledge and a great way to approach reading in the university.\nThere was a speed readying and studying book I came across from a friend that owns a book store that really helped me.  I wish I had that book before I entered high school.  I can never recall the name, but I will try to find it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "4 Hour Work Week, it gave me some perspective on the 9-5 job I wish I had given more thought to earlier in my life when I had more time.",
          "reason": "It gave the commenter perspective on the 9-to-5 job and how they might have thought about it earlier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9353543,
          "author": "galfarragem",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-10T11:06:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9353543",
          "commentText": "IMHO to really change your whole life perspective, you must experience a traumatic event, not reading a book.\nAnyway I would say that a book can trigger a change of perspective on a particular aspect of your life:\n'4-hour workweek' - Tim Ferriss (on lifestyle)\n'Get Things Done' - David Allen (on organization and productivity)\n'The Way of the Superior Man' - David Deida (on relationships)\n'The prince' - Machiavelli' (on business and strategy)\n'The little prince' - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (on meaning of life)\n'The Feynman Lectures on Physics' - Richard Feynman' (to remember you to be humble)\nA lot of other books had broaden my perspective of life even if they weren't enough to trigger a change. That list would be immense.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'4-hour workweek' - Tim Ferriss (on lifestyle)",
          "reason": "Lists it as a book that can trigger a change of perspective on lifestyle.",
          "audience": "Readers considering a different approach to lifestyle and work.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says books can shift a particular aspect of life, while a traumatic event is needed to change one's whole perspective.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9347895,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T14:48:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9347895",
          "commentText": "Here's my usual list of recommendations, the best books I've read in the past 5 years.\nFiction:\n- Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\nIf you know nothing about this book you might naturally hesitate to read \"Harry Potter fanfiction\" and assume that it's dumb/horrbile, but it's not. Just suspend your disbelief and read the first 5-10 chapters. Trust me, it's brilliant, hilarious, and life-changing.\n- Atlas Shrugged\nControversial, I know, a lot of people here hate it for some reason, but it was incredibly influential on me, inspired my passion for entrepreneurship and science and philosophy. Still is one of the best books I am aware of.\nNonfiction:\n- Hackers and Painters by Paul Graham\nAlso a collection of his essays that you can find on github. He is one of the most clever writers I am aware of, but I assume you know that, since you're on HN.\n- \"On Intelligence\" by Jeff Hawkins\nThis book explains in simple terms a very awesome and elegant theory on how mind works. Incredibly fascinating, I've learned a lot from it and it explains a lot of things, and will change the way you think about thinking process.\n- The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins\nEngaging and entertaining explanation of evolution, absolutely fantastic book.\n- The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli.\nDespite the stigma, and people thinking that Machhiavellian = \"evil\", I've found this book extremely clever and wise.\n- Serious Creativity by Edward De Bono\nThe best book on creativity and the process of generating ideas that I'm aware of.\n- Abundance\nThis is a very inspiring and optimistic book about the future of technology.\nEntrepreneurhsip:\n- Start Small, Stay Small\nGuide to creating your first product/business for hackers. It lays out all the basics of entrepreneurship in a very concise and clear ways, my favorite introduction to startups.\n- Rework\nVery wise and intelligent advice about startups, intelligent and witty, must read.\n- Lean Startup\nClassic book on \"lean startup methodology\", very useful.\n- 4-Hour Workweek\nDespite the silly title I think it is a great book and is very much worth reading. Many people here dislike Tim Ferris, but whatever, I think this book is cool.\nAutobiographies:\n- Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman\n- Ghost In The Wires by Kevin Mitnick\n- Catch me if you can by Abagnale\n- iWoz by Steve Wozniak\n- Losing my Virginity by Richard Branson\nAll these are fantastic and very intelligent autobiographies by the very awesome people.\nNow I'm reading \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" and \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies.\"\n\"Rationality\" is great and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. Can't say much about GEB, I've only started reading it, but everyone is saying that it is so great and the best book ever, so I think it's definitely worth checking out.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Despite the silly title I think it is a great book and is very much worth reading.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter acknowledges the title is silly and that some readers dislike the author.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8795412,
          "author": "akulbe",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T04:30:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795412",
          "commentText": "The Personal MBA - Josh Kaufman\nThe First 20 Hours - Josh Kaufman\nSo Good They Can't Ignore You - Cal Newport\nThe 4-Hour Workweek - Tim Ferriss\nThe 4-Hour Body - Tim Ferriss\nStop Acting Rich - Thomas J. Stanley\nJames Altucher - Choose Yourself",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 4-Hour Workweek - Tim Ferriss",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5501176,
          "author": "onelovelyname",
          "createdAt": "2013-04-05T21:33:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 5501062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Business Book For a 13-year-old Girl?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5501176",
          "commentText": "I was once a 13-year-old girl and loved writing short stories and learning about business. Some books that worked for me:\n- The 4-Hour Work Week, by Tim Ferriss\n- Rich Dad, Poor Dad, by Guy Kawasaki\n- The Magic of Thinking Big, by David. J Schwartz\n- Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey\nOne not super related to business but a great short read: Vagabonding by Rolf Potts. That book taught me to think creatively about my goals and not to allow traditional expectations to stop me from accomplishing them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 4-Hour Work Week, by Tim Ferriss",
          "reason": "Offered among books that worked for the commenter when learning about business.",
          "audience": "A young person interested in business.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5244858,
          "author": "dutchrapley",
          "createdAt": "2013-02-19T15:49:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 5244195,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 'Must read' books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5244858",
          "commentText": "It's not that you should read and implement it verbatim. It's a great read in terms of getting you into different mindset.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's not that you should read and implement it verbatim. It's a great read in terms of getting you into different mindset.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great read for getting into a different mindset, while cautioning against following it verbatim.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter advises against reading and implementing it verbatim.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5244640,
          "author": "QuantumGuy",
          "createdAt": "2013-02-19T15:08:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 5244195,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 'Must read' books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5244640",
          "commentText": "That book only applies to you if you have a very flexible schedule.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "That book only applies to you if you have a very flexible schedule.",
          "reason": "Says the book's applicability depends on having a very flexible schedule.",
          "audience": "People with a very flexible schedule.",
          "caveat": "Only applies if you have a very flexible schedule.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5244530,
          "author": "dutchrapley",
          "createdAt": "2013-02-19T14:50:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 5244195,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 'Must read' books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5244530",
          "commentText": "The 4 Hour Workweek\nhttp://www.amazon.com/The-4-Hour-Workweek-Anywhere-Expanded/... (http://www.amazon.com/The-4-Hour-Workweek-Anywhere-Expanded/dp/0307465357)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 4 Hour Workweek",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Four Hour Work Week",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56667,
          "author": "sabat",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T03:30:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56667",
          "commentText": "I assume you're asking about books for startup people.\nPaul's essays couldn't hurt. I am not a karma whore. ;-)\nMindset, by Carol Dweck. It'll change the way you think about the way you think. Incredibly relevant for justifying your yes-I-can attitude.\nThe Four-Hour Work Week, by Tim Ferriss. You've never thought about life and how to live it quite the way Tim does.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Four-Hour Work Week, by Tim Ferriss. You've never thought about life and how to live it quite the way Tim does.",
          "reason": "Recommended for its distinctive perspective on life and how to live it.",
          "audience": "Startup people, as assumed by the commenter.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tim Ferriss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 10,
      "threads": 9,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "lifestyle design",
        "productivity",
        "entrepreneurship",
        "self employment"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Change perspective",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "time-enough-for-love-a2e4e0",
      "title": "Time Enough for Love",
      "author": "Robert A. Heinlein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32104535,
          "author": "zeno08",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-15T04:12:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32104535",
          "commentText": "Time Enough for Love -- Robert Heinlein\nGoogle Lazarus Long quotes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Time Enough for Love -- Robert Heinlein",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31971710,
          "author": "faragon",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T22:56:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31971710",
          "commentText": "Time Enough for Love (Heinlein)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Time Enough for Love (Heinlein)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23468320,
          "author": "british_india",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T16:56:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23468320",
          "commentText": "“Time Enough For Love”, by Robert Heinlein.\nIt’s the life story of a man who lives 2,300 years.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Time Enough For Love”, by Robert Heinlein.",
          "reason": "Named among books the commenter reread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13568710,
          "author": "a3n",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T19:56:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13568710",
          "commentText": "> Heinlein, 'Time Enough for Love'\nNot within the last year, but I've probably re-read that between five and ten times. I think I first read it as a teenager in the early 70s, or in the Navy in the late 70s.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Not within the last year, but I've probably re-read that between five and ten times.",
          "reason": "Says it has been reread five to ten times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It was not reread within the last year.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567953,
          "author": "madhadron",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T17:46:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567953",
          "commentText": "I separate my books into levels. Level 0 are the books that I reread steadily over the years (also the ones that I pack in my suitcase when I'm moving as opposed to shipping), so I'll just post that list here, in no particular order: 'Good Poems' edited by Garrison Keiller; 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen; 'Persuasion' by Jane Austen; Fitzgerald's translation of 'The Rubaiyat'; Ford Madox Ford's 'Parade's End'; Hafiz, 'The Gift'; Modesitt, 'Gravity Dreams'; Heinlein, 'Time Enough for Love'; Bulgakov, 'Master and Margarita'; 'Ovid in Love' (Guy Lee's translation of the Amores).\nI've been revisiting a lot of Le Guin's novellas ('The Found and the Lost' is a great collection) and Borges's stories since the election. They have been a source of great comfort.\nI find that I don't reread nonfiction. I'll reference something I remember in it, but I can't think of a work of nonfiction I've reread in the past few years.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Heinlein, 'Time Enough for Love'",
          "reason": "Lists it among books reread steadily over the years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10325276,
          "author": "zafka",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T20:43:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325276",
          "commentText": "Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance\nGodel Escher Bach\nTime enough for love - Heinlein\nIllusions -Richard Bach\nA wrinkle in time\nStranger from the depths\nSidartha and all the other books by Hess\nZen MInd Beginners mind\nMOre to come\nBooks by Bradbury\nBooks by asimov\nJust starting Antifragile and it might make the list",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Time enough for love - Heinlein",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348782,
          "author": "moron4hire",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:29:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348782",
          "commentText": "A lot of good suggestions. To try to avoid repeating what others have said too much, here are some from a different perspective.\n# \"JPod\" by Douglas Coupland helped me realize that it was corporatism, not me, that was broken.\n# Benjamin Franklin's autobiography showed me a history that was made of people, a people no different than me and mine, and that success comes from standing up and going your own way.\n# \"Time Enough for Love\" by Robert Heinlein taught me that, while culture is arbitrary and we should be free to try to make it what we wish, that doesn't make it fake or ignorable.\n# \"Sherlock Holmes\" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, re-read as an adult, taught me the importance of formula in consistency and how much a market of fans love predictability.\n# \"Game of Thrones\" by George R.R. Martin taught me that the movie can be a lot better than the book and that there is a problem with modern generations making an affectation out of book reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Time Enough for Love\" by Robert Heinlein taught me that, while culture is arbitrary and we should be free to try to make it what we wish, that doesn't make it fake or ignorable.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed how they think about culture.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7048802,
          "author": "a3n",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-13T03:49:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 7048683,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best development book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7048802",
          "commentText": "They're both good. I'd definitely read Pragmatic before Complete, and I wouldn't feel bad for not finishing Complete.\nOutside the box, I'd recommend Heinlein's Time Enough For Love, for the attitude. Be as self reliant as possible, be as skillful as possible, be as useful to your team as possible. Find or grow an excellent team.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend Heinlein's Time Enough For Love, for the attitude.",
          "reason": "Recommended for its attitude of self-reliance, skill, usefulness, and team-building.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387654,
          "author": "waterhouse",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T00:15:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387654",
          "commentText": "Isaac Asimov's robot series (start with \"I, Robot\" and \"The Caves of Steel\") is good, as is his Foundation series.  Ender's Game is also good; I've heard other people complain about the other novels in that universe (Speaker for the Dead and sequels, Ender's Shadow and sequels), but I liked them fine.  Cryptonomicon is rich, fascinating, and entertaining.  Dune is rich and pretty fascinating.  Heinlein's \"Stranger in a Strange Land\" and \"Time Enough for Love\" are somewhat scandalous, but I thoroughly enjoyed them.\nOutside science fiction: P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster novels, as well as what of his other books I've read, are hilarious and brilliant; I would suggest \"Right Ho, Jeeves\" as a starting point.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I thoroughly enjoyed them.",
          "reason": "Says they thoroughly enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as somewhat scandalous.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1634368,
          "author": "jnorwood2000",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T22:25:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1634368",
          "commentText": "Time Enough for Love. Robert Heinlein. http://www.amazon.com/Time-Enough-Love-Robert-Heinlein/dp/04... (http://www.amazon.com/Time-Enough-Love-Robert-Heinlein/dp/0441810764)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Time Enough for Love. Robert Heinlein.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed your life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876471,
          "author": "nazgulnarsil",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T11:06:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876471",
          "commentText": "fiction: time enough for love - robert heinlein\nnon-fiction: on power - bertrand de jouvenel\nboth are treatsies on the human condition.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "fiction: time enough for love - robert heinlein",
          "reason": "Named as a favorite in response to the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert A. Heinlein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 10,
      "threads": 9,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "time travel",
        "immortality",
        "future history",
        "social science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "candide-20c6db",
      "title": "Candide",
      "author": "Voltaire",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41238584,
          "author": "__rito__",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-13T19:10:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41238584",
          "commentText": "Does it have to be old to be a \"classic\"?\nIf not, by far, One Hundred Years of Solitude by Marquez is my favorite novel by a Nobel winner. It's great, epic, and lovely to read.\nIf you include epics, Mahabharata is actually a grand, epic book with war, friendship, love, sex, politics, realpolitik, strategy, and has a reach story line with scores of great side-stories.\nI also genuinely enjoyed Iliad and Aenied.\nI was also surprised at how good Candide by Voltaire was to read. Had a ton of fun reading it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I was also surprised at how good Candide by Voltaire was to read. Had a ton of fun reading it.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the reading experience and says it was fun.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38565904,
          "author": "__rito__",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T06:03:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38565904",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- \"The Dark Forest\" by Liu Cixin and the whole Three Body Problem/Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy. Truly massive, grand SciFi. Would recommend 10/10. [HN]\n- \"Anna Karenina\" by Tolstoy. Made me face deeper parts of my mind. Attempted to answer some questions I had. Great story. Huge book. Historical fiction is something I like across languages.\n- \"Candide\" by Voltaire. Genuinely fun and entertaining, besides it being- you know- Voltaire.\n- \"The Diamond Age\" by Neal Stephenson. Very good story, world buulding, nice technology. Great thinking by the author.\nNon Fiction:\n- \"Fermat's Last Theorem\" by Simon Singh. Was very happy to see a Popular Math book where there are so many Popular Science books. Great book. Goes over FMT's solving history, with many many fun anecdotes, short biographies, etc. Truly enjoyable to read.\n- \"Code Book\" by Simon Singh. Genuinely fun and learned a lot. Cryptography's history, progress, and so much more. [HN]\nSelf-Help:\n- \"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\" by Robert Pirsig. Truly marvelous book and nice to read. This book requires the reader to be of certain kind attaining a certain level. Without that, this book will seem a fluff and overrated hugely. Fundamentally changed my thinking. [HN]\n- \"Four Thousand Weeks\" by Oliver Bourkeman. Thought this was about saner time management with some wisdom. But was much deeper than that. Will recommend.\nBengali:\n- \"Abhajaner Mahabharat\" by Mahbub Lilen. A fun and serious retelling of the Mahabharata. Goes deep, too. Really fun to read.\n- \"Khana Mihirer Dhipi\" by Bani Basu. An account of feminism in the light of female-dominated inner part of Bengali elite households- and that in the light of female dominated, fully maternalistic hunter-gatherers of early human history. Very thought provoking and unique.\n[HN]- chose primarily because recommendation in some past HN threads.\nRead 23 so far. Target is 25. Currently reading Snow Crash and Exhalation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Candide\" by Voltaire. Genuinely fun and entertaining",
          "reason": "Calls it fun and entertaining.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32937559,
          "author": "rambambram",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T11:47:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937559",
          "commentText": "I recently read Candide. What a story! Time well spent reading it, and some good lessons along the way. P.S. Just search for the title, there are a lot of free e-books available online.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recently read Candide. What a story! Time well spent reading it, and some good lessons along the way.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was time well spent and offered good lessons.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23153492,
          "author": "JohnDeHope",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T13:03:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23153492",
          "commentText": "I found Candide by Voltaire to be eye opening. I read a lot of philosophy and self help, which is a category you could put this book in to. Since it's fiction though, the message comes through more in the story than it does in the author banging you over the head with \"you should\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found Candide by Voltaire to be eye opening.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it eye-opening.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes its message comes through the story rather than direct instruction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803908,
          "author": "andreilys",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:50:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803908",
          "commentText": "Well here are the books I’m currently reading (physical, kindle, and audible). I bounce around a lot. Sometimes it takes me a week to finish a book, other times I take a few months. Sometimes I never finish. But these are the ones I have some progress on so far:\n1. Faust by goethe\n2. I am That\n3. Book of why\n4. The gift by hafiz\n5. Simulacra and simulation\n6. Candide by Voltaire\n7. Meeting the shadow: the hidden power of the dark side of human nature\n8. Nonviolent communication\n9. After the ecstasy, the laundry\n10. Watchmen\n11. Noble heart by Pena chodron\n12. Developer hegemony\n13. Brothers karamazov",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Candide by Voltaire",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20917271,
          "author": "RobertKerans",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T11:53:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20917271",
          "commentText": "Traffic by Ruskin I reread quite a lot. For background, it's a lecture he gave when invited to speak, as the eminent architectural critic of the day, to dignitaries on the opening of a new exchange building. Was expected to talk about the architecture, but he talked about capitalism instead\n> You shall have thousands of gold pieces; - thousands of thousands - millions - mountains of gold: where will you keep them?\nMore technical, but I constantly use Ruskin's Modern Painters as art reference. Each volume has detailed chapelters on natural forms (trees, mountains, etc). The attempts at geometric drawings of the structures of cloud patterns are particularly beautiful imo. He's a phenomenal writer, anyway.\nMentioned by others elsewhere in the comments, but Candide and The Count of Monte Cristo are possibly my two favourite books. The first one feels incredibly modern, which is quite impressive given that it's basically the first European novel. Second one I've always thought is like an exceptionally good airport novel (and the sci-fi version is also one of my favourite books, and one of the best sci-fi novels ever written). Very difficult to put down.\nAlso, anything by Swift, Hazlitt, Twain I can read and reread endlessly. I read a lot of opder stuff, but I've noticed I'm often quite quick to discard it if it doesn't scan as contemporary writing -- those three I find in particular have quite modern styles",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Candide and The Count of Monte Cristo are possibly my two favourite books.",
          "reason": "Named as one of the commenter’s two possible favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20915489,
          "author": "kinow",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T05:43:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20915489",
          "commentText": "Loved it when I read the first time. Still have the first copy I read, lent to some friends, and every now and then I browse it a bit. Really fun!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Really fun!",
          "reason": "Says they loved reading it and found it really fun.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20914691,
          "author": "ioman",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T02:15:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914691",
          "commentText": "Candide by Voltaire\nIt was the first book I read for school that made me laugh out loud and realize that some of these old boring books were actually pretty awesome (which is why people are still reading them centuries later)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Candide by Voltaire\nIt was the first book I read for school that made me laugh out loud and realize that some of these old boring books were actually pretty awesome",
          "reason": "The commenter says it made them laugh and changed their view of classic books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20914562,
          "author": "bmmayer1",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T01:45:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914562",
          "commentText": "Economics:\n- The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith\n- Das Kapital, Karl Marx\n- That Which Is Seen, and That Which Is Not Seen, Frederic Bastiat\nPhilosophy / Politics:\n- The Republic, Plato\n- Second Treatise on Government, John Locke\n- The Law, Frederic Bastiat\n- Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes\n- Meditations, Marcus Aurelius\n- Democracy in America, Alexis de Toqueville\n- On Liberty, John Stuart Mill\nFiction:\n- The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, Mark Twain\n- The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin\n- Metamorphoses, Franz Kafka\n- Candide, Voltaire\n- The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Candide, Voltaire",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19090108,
          "author": "nathias",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T21:39:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090108",
          "commentText": "Plato - Meno, Symposium, Parmenides, Gorgias, Protagoras\nPlotinus -Enneads\nMarkus Aurelius - Meditations\nDescartes - On method\nDescartes - Meditations\nSpinoza - On the improvement of Understanding\nLeibniz - Monadology\nLeibniz - Grace\nVoltaire - Candid\nDiderot - D'Alembert's Dream\nKant - How to orient oneself in thinking\nKant - Critique of Pure Reason\nKant - Critique of Judgment\nHegel - Phenomenology of Spirit\nHegel - Logic\nvon Kleist - Marionette Theatre\nKierkegaard - The Sickness Unto Death\nHeidegger - Being and Time\nSartre - Being and Nothingness\nSartre - Flies\nSartre - Nausea\nDeleuze - Difference and Repetition\nKafka - Metamorphosis\nKafka - The Castle\nLem - Magellan Nebula\nLem - His Master's Voice\nCioran - A Short History of Decay\nPessoa - Book Of Despair\nWolfe -  New Sun tetralogy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Voltaire - Candid",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156457,
          "author": "mrdependable",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:31:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156457",
          "commentText": "Candide",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Candide",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876491,
          "author": "wynand",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T11:28:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876491",
          "commentText": "The unbearable lightness of being - Milan Kundera\nCandide - Voltaire",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Candide - Voltaire",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to the thread’s request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Voltaire"
      ],
      "recommenders": 10,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "satire",
        "enlightenment",
        "french literature",
        "philosophical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "godel-escher-bach-f4a6b0",
      "title": "Gödel, Escher, Bach",
      "author": "Douglas Hofstadter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37960142,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:06:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960142",
          "commentText": "I ran this thread through GPT-4 to extract mentions and summarize them in markdown. Sharing if it's helpful for others too.\n* \"Manufacturing Consent\" by Chomsky and Herman (2 mentions)\n    * Summary: This book investigates and criticizes the media's role in promoting and sustaining powerful interests. Chomsky frames the media as a system that safeguards the power of the elite by shaping public opinion.\n* \"On Palestine\" by Chomsky (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers an insightful view of one of the most enduring and intractable conflicts of our time. Chomsky explores the historical origins, developments, and politics surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict.\n* \"Requiem for the American Dream\" by Noam Chomsky (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book discusses the concentration of wealth in the hands of the few and its effects on democracy in America. It highlights the decline of the middle class and the widening wealth gap.\n* \"The Design of Everyday Things\" by Don Norman (2 mentions)\n    * Summary: The book details the science behind our interaction with everyday items. It scrutinizes the design process and explores the relationship between users and the products they use, urging designers to think deeply about how their designs influence user behavior.\n* \"The Better Angels of Our Nature\" by Steven Pinker (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book challenges the belief that society is becoming increasingly violent, arguing instead that violence has declined over historical time periods. It explores the psychological and societal mechanisms that have led to this decrease.\n* \"Factfulness\" by Hans Rosling (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Factfulness emphasizes a more optimistic view of global human progress. It challenges the notion that the world is worse off today than it was in the past by providing facts and statistics that argue the contrary.\n* \"Phenomenology of Spirit\" by Hegel (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This is a central work of German philosophy in which Hegel explores the concept of 'spirit'. He examines the relationship between consciousness and its objects, eventually leading to a discussion about the nature of freedom and the unfolding of history.\n* \"The Righteous Mind\" by Jonathan Haidt (2 mentions)\n    * Summary: The book delves into the world of moral psychology and its impact on politics and religion. Haidt proposes that morality is not a product of rational thought but is driven by intuitive reactions, challenging conventional understandings of morality.\n* \"How To Build A Car\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: The book offers a captivating analysis of Formula 1 car design and the precision engineering involved in creating these high-performance vehicles. It provides insights into the processes followed by a renowned designer.\n* \"Factfulness\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: Factfulness emphasizes a more optimistic view of global human progress. It challenges notions that the world is getting worse by presenting an array of facts that argue the contrary.\n* \"Strunk and White The Elements of Style\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A guide to English language usage and writing style that covers topics such as conciseness, clarity, and simplicity of expression. It is considered a seminal work on English composition and is widely used in American English writing.\n* \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book explores the concept of how symbols, patterns and loops manifest in the fields of mathematics, art and music. It also discusses aspects of cognition and consciousness and how our minds perceive and understand the world.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" (1 mention, author not specified)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30742512,
          "author": "irchans",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T13:39:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30742512",
          "commentText": "Personal Power - Robbins, How to win friends and influence people - Carnegie, Feeling Good - Burns, Godel Esher Bach - Hofstadter,  Fundamentals of Physics - Halliday and Resnick, Jonathan Livingston Seagull - Bach, The Commodore 64 User Manual, \"Stocks for the Long Run\",  The Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide - Gygax, Dune - Herbert",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Godel Esher Bach - Hofstadter",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15157102,
          "author": "PappaPatat",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T17:17:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15157102",
          "commentText": "I am... shocked as this 80% is is my list for the very same reasons. Surely you've enjoyed Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter as much as I have, if not (yet), this is my thank you to you.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Surely you've enjoyed Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter as much as I have",
          "reason": "Expresses enjoyment and suggests the recipient would enjoy it too.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10325276,
          "author": "zafka",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T20:43:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325276",
          "commentText": "Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance\nGodel Escher Bach\nTime enough for love - Heinlein\nIllusions -Richard Bach\nA wrinkle in time\nStranger from the depths\nSidartha and all the other books by Hess\nZen MInd Beginners mind\nMOre to come\nBooks by Bradbury\nBooks by asimov\nJust starting Antifragile and it might make the list",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Godel Escher Bach",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10325272,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T20:42:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325272",
          "commentText": "I think we've swapped notes on a similar thread before, so we may have already talked about this, but let me say that if you liked Permutation City by Egan, you may also like Glasshouse by Charles Stross.\nI also \"second the motion\" in regards to both The Selfish Gene and *Gödel, Escher, Bach\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also \"second the motion\" in regards to both The Selfish Gene and *Gödel, Escher, Bach\".",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the recommendation of this book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10325237,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T20:31:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325237",
          "commentText": "I'm sure there are many, but a few that jump to mind, in no particular order, and spanning both fiction and non-fiction:\nThe Selfish Gene - Dawkins\nA New Kind of Science - Wolfram\nThe Singularity is Near - Kurzweil\nGödel, Escher, Bach - Hofstadter\nFluid Concepts and Creative Analogies - Hofstadter\nAtlas Shrugged - Rand\nThe Fountainhead - Rand\nNineteen Eighty-Four - Orwell\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nAmbient Findability - Peter Morville\nEmergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software - Steven Johnson\nSix Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age - Duncan Watts\nLinked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means for Business, Science, and Everyday Life - Albert-laszlo Barabasi\nArtificial Life - Steven Levy\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nThe World is Flat - Thomas Friedman\nnot a book, but the various writings of Douglas Engelbart - http://www.dougengelbart.org/library/library.html\nGlasshouse - Charles Stross\nPermutation City - Greg Egan\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nThe Shockwave Rider - John Brunner\nThe Society of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nThe Origin of Wealth: The Radical Remaking of Economics and What it Means for Business and Society - Eric Beinhocker\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nFooled By Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gödel, Escher, Bach - Hofstadter",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10325078,
          "author": "Udik",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T19:40:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325078",
          "commentText": "My two cents:\nThe selfish gene by Richard Dawkins - makes you look at living beings as software, and at the world as an immense optimization algorithm.\nPermutation City by Greg Egan - the perfectly rational idea that the mind is computable is rife with apparently unsolvable paradoxes.\nGödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter. Maths, logic, patterns, artificial intelligence, beauty, art and self-referentiality.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Maths, logic, patterns, artificial intelligence, beauty, art and self-referentiality.",
          "reason": "Presents it as thought-provoking across mathematics, logic, AI, art, and self-reference.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8795305,
          "author": "icpmacdo",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T03:25:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795305",
          "commentText": "I just started Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter, it's interesting.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I just started Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter, it's interesting.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book is interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4787229,
          "author": "GuiA",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T05:18:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787229",
          "commentText": "A varied assortment:\n---\nThe Lifecycle of Software Objects\nZen Mind, Beginner's Mind\nWhat Is Property\nThe City of Dreaming Books\nBorn to Run\nGödel, Escher, Bach",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gödel, Escher, Bach",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3338391,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T20:18:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3338391",
          "commentText": "I'm not as rigorous as you are; the idea that Demarco and Lister made up historical anecdotes in the book doesn't perturb me too much, because the value of the book isn't so much prescriptive (\"break your company into tiny teams and let them each pick a far-flung cool-looking skunkworks office\") --- it's more that it provides a new way of looking at how your company is organized.\nOn the other hand, I didn't \"get\" Surfer Rosa for like a year after I bought it, because by the time I had (in the early 90's) almost all the music I listened to was more or less cribbed from Pixies songs. Maybe the same thing happened with Peopleware, where pretty much every blog post we read about dev teams expresses a sentiment traceable to some part of Peopleware.\nIn my defense with GEB: I didn't read it because Joel Spolsky told me to, I read it because a girlfriend did. A similar logic had me pretending to enjoy Faulkner. My take on Hofstadter may be oddly colored. Also: I haven't read any of his other books and am not a Lisper, so he's had fewer opportunities to annoy me.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "In my defense with GEB: I didn't read it because Joel Spolsky told me to, I read it because a girlfriend did.",
          "reason": "Explains why they read it and says their view of Hofstadter may be colored by that experience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They say their take may be oddly colored.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971252,
          "author": "Mgccl",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T08:41:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971252",
          "commentText": "Gödel, Escher, Bach",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gödel, Escher, Bach",
          "reason": "Chosen as the book to give their younger self.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1504224,
          "author": "MWinther",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T19:46:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1504224",
          "commentText": "I bought GEB when I was 13, mostly because I liked the Escher paintings. I was hooked after reading the first Achilles/Turtle episode, though, and even though many concepts went over my head at the time. I still haven't read it cover to cover, though, but I still have a hard time not agreeing with this particular recommendation.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I still have a hard time not agreeing with this particular recommendation.",
          "reason": "Explicitly agrees with the recommendation in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Has not read it cover to cover.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797417,
          "author": "zzygan",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T04:52:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797417",
          "commentText": "I'm one of the ones that has too many books on my reading list.\nProgramming in Scala - Odersky et al.\nCode Complete 2- re reading, its a good read actually\nGodel Escher Bach - Hofstadter",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Godel Escher Bach - Hofstadter",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 715637,
          "author": "nopassrecover",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-21T02:59:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715637",
          "commentText": "This is a great source of stuff for:\nfunction get_smarter():\n   1. Am I smart enough yet?  (default answer:   of course not!)\n   2. If yes, go make a grillion dollars, or go fishing, or something. (Note: this statement is unreachable).\n   3. Otherwise:\n         1. Do various important things, until I have some free time.\n         2. Pick a book from my book list and read it.\n         3. If I've read it already, check all the references at the end, and add the ones that look good to my book list.\n         4. get_smarter()\n\n\"If your book list is empty, add Gödel, Escher, Bach to it before calling the function for the first time.\nAnd with that, I'm off to go finish the book!\"\nhttp://steve.yegge.googlepages.com/godel-escher-blog",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If your book list is empty, add Gödel, Escher, Bach to it before calling the function for the first time.",
          "reason": "Suggests adding it to an empty book list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment also says the author is going to finish the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 715449,
          "author": "burke",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-20T23:39:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715449",
          "commentText": "Current: Zen and the Brain\nPrevious: Gödel, Escher, Bach (still working on that one, actually)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Gödel, Escher, Bach (still working on that one, actually)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Still working through it; no evaluation expressed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Hofstadter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 10,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self reference",
        "logic",
        "cognition",
        "artificial intelligence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-writing-well-b7c93a",
      "title": "On Writing Well",
      "author": "William Zinsser",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49901407,
          "author": "pykello",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-29T22:07:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49901407",
          "commentText": "- \"Foundations of Analysis\" by Belding & Mitchell\n- \"On Writing Well\" by Zinsser",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"On Writing Well\" by Zinsser",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41419330,
          "author": "aronowb14",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-01T18:56:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41419330",
          "commentText": "When I first graduated I read a bunch of tech focused books: they’re all helpful but I think practice and learning from more senior engineers is the most effective road to mastery! You can probably get away with not reading any of these books if you have good coworkers :).\nThat being said, these have been my favorites:\n- designing data intensive applications (a great way of understanding systems + the basics of SRE)\n- the senior engineer (I love the prototyping process he lays out)\n- the effective engineer (lots of good gems for approaching prioritization)\n- debugging (by David agans)- a great resource for a formalized debugging process if you don’t have one\n- on writing well (I’m halfway through this, but it has been indispensable for writing tickets + messages at work)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "on writing well (I’m halfway through this, but it has been indispensable for writing tickets + messages at work)",
          "reason": "The commenter says it has been indispensable for writing work tickets and messages.",
          "audience": "People writing tickets and messages at work.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is halfway through the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41417662,
          "author": "riwsky",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-01T15:17:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41417662",
          "commentText": "Two of the best books for software engineers are actually not specific to software engineering:\n  * “The Design of Everyday Things”. Have you ever pushed on a pull door, or vice-versa, because it was unclear how it worked? Designers call those doors “Norman Doors”, now, after the author of this book Donald Norman so effectively dissected and criticized them (among plenty other objects). Too many APIs suffer similar problems—and if you don’t want yours to, this book is a great place to start.\n  * “On Writing Well”, by William Zinsser. Good code and good prose have a lot in common: they know what they’re trying to do, are stripped to their clearest components, and have internal structure that supports understanding. Add to that the fact you’ll be writing lots of prose anyway (design docs, postmortems, etc), and the value of writing well should be clear.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“On Writing Well”, by William Zinsser.",
          "reason": "Recommended because clear writing is useful for design documents, postmortems, and other work prose.",
          "audience": "People who write design documents, postmortems, and other work prose.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they will be writing lots of prose anyway.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33598590,
          "author": "luuuzeta",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-14T18:27:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33598590",
          "commentText": "If you liked Stephen King's \"On Writing\", give William Zinsser's \"On Writing Well\" a read. It's not a memoir but more like a manual addressing different types of writing from corporate writing to sports to academic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "William Zinsser's \"On Writing Well\"",
          "reason": "Suggested as a manual covering multiple kinds of writing.",
          "audience": "Readers who liked Stephen King's On Writing.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is a manual, not a memoir.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32344072,
          "author": "euroclydon",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-04T15:19:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32344072",
          "commentText": "Put them all in a room and play On Writing Well by William Zinsser.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Put them all in a room and play On Writing Well by William Zinsser.",
          "reason": "Suggests playing the book for the people seeking writing resources.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156750,
          "author": "kelukelugames",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T16:18:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156750",
          "commentText": "The first is the Millionaire Next Door. Gave me a better idea of how to manage my finances and what kind of spending habits to look for in a partner. If you are a tightwad then don't marry a spendthrift. Vice versa. [http://amzn.to/2vAmbW8]\nThe second is On Writing Well. This book changed my view regarding how to write and how important it is to write well. As an engineer I regret how much I avoided writing in school. Now I play catchup after realizing lawyers and others with client facing jobs write much better emails. [http://amzn.to/2vTXu27]\nAnd here are three other books that would be recommended by few on HN.\nThe Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing. I used to hate going home until I realized the clutter of stuff made me miserable.\n[http://amzn.to/2wwvS5h]\nWhy Men Love Bitches. 100% serious. This book is over the top but I stopped being a doormat in relationships and looked for partners with more self confidence. [http://amzn.to/2wwcYeZ]\nThe Low Down on Going Down. Yes the title is cheesy, but again I am 100% serious. I think a lot of us have unhealthy expectations due to Internet porn and this book sets the right attitude for the physical component in a relationship.[http://amzn.to/2vTSY41]\nAnd companion book: [http://amzn.to/2wwSpyY]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book changed my view regarding how to write and how important it is to write well.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed their view of writing and its importance.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12246085,
          "author": "callmeed",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T07:47:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12246085",
          "commentText": "On Writing Well by Zinsser\nTraction by Weinberg & Mares\nPredictable Revenue by Ross\nChoose Yourself by Altucher\nLearn Python the Hard Way by Shaw\nMere Christianity by Lewis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On Writing Well by Zinsser",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about books given as gifts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12244861,
          "author": "kelukelugames",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T01:20:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244861",
          "commentText": "On Writing Well is entertaining on top of being instructive and informative. Very short read too. Every should get a copy.\nhttp://amzn.to/2aT5qJw",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On Writing Well is entertaining on top of being instructive and informative. Very short read too. Every should get a copy.",
          "reason": "Describes it as entertaining, instructive, and informative, and says everyone should get a copy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Very short read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12147737,
          "author": "combatentropy",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-23T00:27:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12147737",
          "commentText": "> \"On Writing Well\"\nLove that book",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Love that book",
          "reason": "Expresses affection for the book referenced in the reply.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144793,
          "author": "brikis98",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T16:52:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144793",
          "commentText": "1. \"The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes\" by Arthur Conan Doyle.\nThis may sound like an odd one, but years ago, I almost never took the time to read. My girlfriend, who knew that I loved Sherlock Holmes books when I was younger, convinced me to try this book as an audiobook while I did my ~40 minute commute to work. I was skeptical, but within days, I was hooked. It made my work commute much more interesting (a British person was reading me Sherlock Holmes!); then I started listening to audiobooks during all my driving (instead of wasting time, I can learn!); then I got an iPod, put audiobooks on that, and started listening to them during all sorts of odd chores (e.g. cleaning, walking, biking); after that, I was so hooked on books, that I started making time to read them too. This had a profoundly transformative effect on my career.\n2. \"The Lean Startup\" by Eric Ries.\nI got a copy of this book when I went to a talk by Eric Ries. Eric seemed like a humble, down-to-earth person and helped dispel the notion that to be a successful entrepreneur, you need to be a prescient, superhero, god-like visionary. Instead, what you need to do is to treat your startup and product ideas as hypotheses and test them, as quickly and cheaply as you can (i.e. lean development, MVPs, etc). This fit very well with what I had seen in the real world and with how I thought about problem solving as a software engineer, and gave me a lot of confidence to try out many of my ideas. Since then, I've used these ideas to start a company (http://www.gruntwork.io/) and written quite a bit on what I learned, including an article on The Macro about MVPs (http://themacro.com/articles/2016/01/minimum-viable-product-... (http://themacro.com/articles/2016/01/minimum-viable-product-process/)).\n3. \"On Writing Well\" by William Zinsser.\nIf Conan Doyle taught me about the fun of reading, then William Zinsser taught me about the fun of writing. If you want to learn how to write, what it's like to write, or why you should write (\"Writing is not a special language owned by the English teacher. Writing is thinking on paper.\"), it's hard to find a better guide. This book significantly improved my writing skills and even gave me the confidence to write a book (http://www.hello-startup.net/).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's hard to find a better guide.",
          "reason": "Calls it an excellent guide to learning about writing and says it significantly improved their writing skills.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10027441,
          "author": "samsolomon",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T15:11:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027441",
          "commentText": "On Writing Well by William Zinsser\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Writing-Well-30th-Anniversary-Edition/... (http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Well-30th-Anniversary-Edition/dp/0060891548)\nIt's absolutely the best book for anybody who keeps a blog or writes any sort of non-fiction. I try and re-read it once a year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's absolutely the best book for anybody who keeps a blog or writes any sort of non-fiction. I try and re-read it once a year.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best book for blog and nonfiction writers and says they reread it yearly.",
          "audience": "People who blog or write nonfiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1965291,
          "author": "gizzlon",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-03T09:37:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 1965039,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books for English writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1965291",
          "commentText": "Yup, I second this.. \"on writing well\" is great",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"on writing well\" is great",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the parent’s positive recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1633415,
          "author": "inetsee",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T17:04:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1633415",
          "commentText": "I thought 'On Writing Well' was written by William Zinsser. Amazon doesn't\nlist any books by Ziglar with that title.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I thought 'On Writing Well' was written by William Zinsser.",
          "reason": "Corrects the parent’s attribution of the book to Zig Ziglar.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment questions the author attribution; it does not recommend the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Zinsser"
      ],
      "recommenders": 10,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Writing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nonfiction writing",
        "writing craft",
        "prose style",
        "style"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "quantum-computing-since-democritus-d09b59",
      "title": "Quantum Computing Since Democritus",
      "author": "Scott Aaronson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27630136,
          "author": "gradschool",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T12:54:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27630136",
          "commentText": "some \"out there\" suggestions:\n- \"Extremal Combinatorics\" by Staysys Jukna\n- \"Convex Optimization\" by Boyd and Vandenberghe\n- \"Delay Insensitive Circuits\" [1]\n- \"An Introduction to Mathematical Cryptography\" by Hoffstein, Pipher, and Silverman\n- \"Quantum Computing since Democritus\" by Scott AAronson\n[1] https://www.delayinsensitive.com\ndisclosure: I'm the author.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Quantum Computing since Democritus\" by Scott AAronson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26838392,
          "author": "avmich",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-16T19:54:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 26833319,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book for software engineers (besides the well-known ones)?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26838392",
          "commentText": "IMO, one should understand that software is the current era engineering focus. Just like electrical engineering in mid-20th century, aeronautical engineering in the early 1900s and steam engineering (remember, the origin of the term \"engineering\" is \"engine\") for some centuries before that. Before that there were optics and mechanics.\nConsidering that software isn't just a branch, but a current \"engineer's engineering\", the more complex, flexible, powerful area, a good software engineer should strive to maintain and expand his knowledge in other areas as well. Physics(actually, natural sciences) and math, and also other traditional branches of engineering can provide a lot of useful material. Search there too.\n\"Quantum Computing Since Democritus\" is a good specific example, I think.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Quantum Computing Since Democritus\" is a good specific example, I think.",
          "reason": "Offered as an example of a useful book for software engineers to broaden their knowledge.",
          "audience": "Software engineers interested in other fields, especially physics and mathematics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804348,
          "author": "JonathanMerklin",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:41:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804348",
          "commentText": "Great thread. 2019 was the first time in about 7-8 years I made reading for pleasure a tertiary priority ((school+career)work/sleep/exercise+socializing+(NEW!)reading) and I got through about 20 books of varying length and difficulty, so here are the next 20 in my queue:\n- Infinite Jest (already started, will likely finish in early Jan. I love it so far.)\n- Quantum Computing Since Democritus (started in November as my nonfiction read, but took a break; I think I want to finish IJ first. Scott is an excellent writer and I was really enjoying this)\n- Building Microservices\n- The Code Book\n- How Cars Work (I want to turn the projection of a car in my brain from a black box to a gray box this year, and I don't mean by purchasing a Cybertruck)\n- To Kill a Mockingbird\n- The Personal MBA (for years I laughed off caring about the business of business and lived in my fantasy land of being satisfied with just the technical details and being focused on only implementing great software/learning how to do so. With a few years in the workforce under my belt, I realize that such an outlook was of great detriment to me. I'm open to other suggestions on similar \"catch me up to speed on general business education\" material)\n- Designing Data-Intensive Applications\n- Island (I have a copy of this but not Brave New World. Multiple friends of mine demand I try Huxley, so here we are.)\n- The Annotated Turing\n- How to Invent Everything\n- Soonish (SMBC is a daily read for me and I'm excited to get to this.)\n- How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems (ditto XKCD modulo release schedule)\n- Basic Economics\n- Thus Spoke Zarathustra\n- Seveneves\n- The Prince\n- Pacific Rims: Beermen Ballin' in Flip-Flops and the Philippines' Unlikely Love Affair with Basketball\n- Elevator Music: A Surreal History of Muzak, Easy-Listening, and Other Moodsong\n- Fahrenheit 451\nAdditionally, to tickle the part of my brain that fancies mathematics (one of my my majors in undergrad), I try to work through a chapter or two of Evan Chen's \"An Infinitely Long Napkin\" on a quarterly basis. If you don't mind a conversational tone to your math textbooks, I've found this to be an excellent resource for scraping the surface of a wide variety of topics and fields (including, well, topics like fields). I think I'll continue this habit.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Scott is an excellent writer and I was really enjoying this",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the author’s writing and says they were enjoying the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They paused reading and plan to return to it.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20731322,
          "author": "formalsystem",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T16:51:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20731322",
          "commentText": "There's so much more to CS theory than big O notation and you're in for a treat if you check out any of the below - happy to share more if people are interested.\n1. https://www.amazon.com/Computational-Complexity-Approach-San... (https://www.amazon.com/Computational-Complexity-Approach-Sanjeev-Arora/dp/0521424267/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=complexity+theory&qid=1566146955&s=gateway&sr=8-3)\n2. https://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Computing-since-Democritus-Aa... (https://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Computing-since-Democritus-Aaronson/dp/0521199565/ref=sr_1_1?crid=H43HH53HNDKQ&keywords=quantum+computing+since+democritus&qid=1566146985&s=gateway&sprefix=quantum+computing+since+dem%2Caps%2C191&sr=8-1)\n3. https://www.amazon.com/G%C3%B6del-Escher-Bach-Eternal-Golden... (https://www.amazon.com/G%C3%B6del-Escher-Bach-Eternal-Golden/dp/0465026567/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=godel+escher+bach&qid=1566147014&s=gateway&sr=8-1)\n4. https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Theory-Computation-Micha... (https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Theory-Computation-Michael-Sipser/dp/113318779X/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=sipser&qid=1566147058&s=gateway&sr=8-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Computing-since-Democritus-Aa...",
          "reason": "Included in a list of suggested resources for exploring CS theory beyond big O notation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13410432,
          "author": "bogomipz",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T15:23:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13410432",
          "commentText": "I second this, although I am not finished with it, I can say it is a very interesting read. Thanks for the link to the author's site which has lecture notes, I didn't know this existed. The lecture notes are easy going an have a good sense of humor, such as the  following:\n\"It's a shame that, after proving his Completeness Theorem, Gödel never really did anything else of note. [Pause for comic effect] \"\nCheers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second this, although I am not finished with it, I can say it is a very interesting read.",
          "reason": "Seconds the parent recommendation and calls it a very interesting read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not finished it.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13410364,
          "author": "reckoner2",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T15:11:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13410364",
          "commentText": "This would be my recommendation as well. It is closer to a textbook, than say a popular science book, but is still a very fun, engaging, and at times pretty funny read.\nSimilarly to books like GEB, it really exposed me to a whole range of fascinating ideas and topics that I am now interested in.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This would be my recommendation as well.",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the recommendation in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes it as closer to a textbook than a popular science book.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13409592,
          "author": "simon_acca",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T12:27:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13409592",
          "commentText": "Quantum Computing Since Democritus by Scott Aaronson.\nA brilliant MIT professor's reflections on the intersection between computer science, physics and philosophy.\nHere are the lecture notes and book: http://www.scottaaronson.com/democritus/\nI also very much recommend the author's blog: http://www.scottaaronson.com/blog/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Quantum Computing Since Democritus by Scott Aaronson.\nA brilliant MIT professor's reflections on the intersection between computer science, physics and philosophy.",
          "reason": "Presents reflections on computer science, physics, and philosophy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12070873,
          "author": "mroll",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T13:30:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12070873",
          "commentText": "Long After Midnight, Ray Bradbury\nRendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarke\nThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams\nThieves' World, Robert Asprin\nTales From the Vulgar Unicorn, Robert Asprin\nRestaurant at the End of the Universe, Douglas Adams\nQuantum Computing Since Democritus, Scott Aaronson\nReamde, Neal Stephenson\nFool's Assassin, Robin Hobb\nBig Planet, Jack Vance",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Quantum Computing Since Democritus, Scott Aaronson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783529,
          "author": "Symmetry",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:46:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783529",
          "commentText": "Here are the ones I'd be willing to recommend, in reverse chronological order of when I read them.  I read 59 total.  Listen to books on tape while working out has maybe doubled my reading rate.\nGenghis Khan: His Conquests, His Empire, His Legacy - Great book on how the Mongol Empire came to be, who Genghis was, and it put the whole thing in perspective for me in a useful way.\nThe Knowledge: How to Rebuild Our World from Scratch - What it says on the tin.  Actually a good overview how some important technologies interrelate.\nSuperforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction - How to be wrong less often.  Based on the Good Judgement Project results.\nThe Three-Body Problem - Decent enough science fiction but extra interesting because it's science fiction from a different culture.\nIgnition!: An informal history of liquid rocket propellants - A history of things that go boom.  Engaging writing and I learned things about chemistry.\nThe Traitor Baru Cormorant - I'm nominating this for a Hugo.  It tells you it's going to stab you in the gut but when it does you don't see it coming.  Plus high quality scheming and speculation on economics, society, and empire.\nThe Sorcerer of the Wildeeps - Excellent use of voice and an overall good book.\nBloom - Made my skin crawl in places and also was good at making you feel a radical change in perspective.\nSeeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed - An interesting perspective on certain aspects of government.  A bit too negative for the topic, the factors outlined are also why commercial economies were able to develop more centralized economies than agrarian ones in the early modern era.\nPolitical Order and Political Decay: From the Industrial Revolution to the Globalization of Democracy - Quite good book on bureaucracy though not as excellent as the previous book on the origins of states.\nLast First Snow - It's always great to read books about the struggles between people with sympathetic motivations.\nThe Unwelcome Warlock - The latest in a series of fantasy books where people use magic in creative and sensible ways.\nAsteroid Mining 101: Wealth for the New Space Economy -Mostly about all the different sorts of asteroids.\nSeveneves - Neal Stephenson's latest.  If you like his books read it but maybe skip the last 1/3 after the timeskip.\nElon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future - Wow he did a lot of cool stuff.\nStories of Your Life and Others - Brilliant and poetic short stories.\nDarwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life - Some interesting perspective on materialism.\nPower, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life - Best science book I've read in a while!  Shows why mitochondria matter, the fundamental limits of prochariotic life, and several important ways mitochondria influence again and evolution.\nBlue Remembered Earth - Awesome near futureish book that does well at imagining a future that isn't just a linear extrapolation but is still believable.\nA Key, an Egg, an Unfortunate Remark - Not enough pacifist badass grandmothers in urban fantasy.\nQuantum Computing since Democritus - I understand QM much better now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Quantum Computing since Democritus - I understand QM much better now.",
          "reason": "Says it helped them understand quantum mechanics much better.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10029627,
          "author": "chm",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-09T05:47:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10029627",
          "commentText": "It's a great book (I'm more than halfway into it) but definitely not for laymen. I followed one quantum computing class as well as having had many QM classes and I find myself having to read a lot of background information to understand Aaronson. He writes well, but I lacked the proper computability knowledge to really enjoy the book in one go.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's a great book (I'm more than halfway into it) but definitely not for laymen.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book, while noting it is difficult for lay readers.",
          "audience": "Readers with quantum mechanics and computability background.",
          "caveat": "Not for laymen; the commenter needed substantial background reading.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10029366,
          "author": "pjungwir",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-09T03:05:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10029366",
          "commentText": "- Managing the Professional Service Firm by David Maister\n- Quantum Computing since Democritus by Scott Aaronson\n- Cryptography Engineering by Bruce Schneier et al\n- Time Management for System Administrators by Thomas Limoncelli\n- Expert C Programming by Peter van der Linden",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Quantum Computing since Democritus by Scott Aaronson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674336,
          "author": "Symmetry",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T12:16:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674336",
          "commentText": "I'm just going to answer with the books that rearranged my understanding of the world the most.  In no particular order.\n\"Thinking Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman.\n\"Quantum Computing since Democritus\" by Scott Aaronson.\n\"The Strategy of Conflict\" by Thomas Schelling.\n\"Guns, Germs, and Steel\" and \"The World until Yesterday\" by Jared Diamond.\n\"The Retreat To Commitment\" by W. W. Bartley.\n\"The Myth of the Rational Voter\" by Bryan Caplan.  Despite the name it made me appreciate democracy a lot more.\n\"Wars, Guns, and Votes\" by Paul Collier.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Quantum Computing since Democritus\" by Scott Aaronson.",
          "reason": "Included among books that rearranged the commenter's understanding of the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107360,
          "author": "namin",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T10:55:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107360",
          "commentText": "Quantum Computing since Democritus\nhttp://www.scottaaronson.com/democritus/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Quantum Computing since Democritus",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Aaronson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 10,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "quantum computing",
        "quantum information",
        "computational complexity",
        "quantum mechanics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sherlock-holmes-968474",
      "title": "Sherlock Holmes",
      "author": "Arthur Conan Doyle",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50039390,
          "author": "jep888",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T02:53:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50039390",
          "commentText": "The Narnia series, the Harry Potter series, Alice in Wonderland, Wind in the Willows,the Sherlock Holmes series (there are great versions of these made slightly easier for children to read), and of course all of Roald Dahl's books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Sherlock Holmes series",
          "reason": "The commenter says there are versions made slightly easier for children to read.",
          "audience": "Children; easier-to-read versions are mentioned.",
          "caveat": "The suggested editions are adapted for readability.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20915621,
          "author": "senjindarashiva",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T06:18:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20915621",
          "commentText": "It's been mentioned before but meditations is great, but I would also like to add \n\"How to live on 24 hours a day\" by Arnold Bennett https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2274\nIn fiction Sherlock Holmes and the Three Musketeers is some of my favorites.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In fiction Sherlock Holmes and the Three Musketeers is some of my favorites.",
          "reason": "Names it among their favorite fiction in response to a request for favorite old books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249516,
          "author": "veddox",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T12:18:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249516",
          "commentText": "Well, \"fiction\" is an incredibly broad category (if it can even be called that). And \"must read\" is highly subjective ;-)\nIf you're just looking for some light entertainment, go for sci-fi or fantasy (Lord of the Rings, anyone?). But if you don't mind some slightly \"heavier\" reading, have a look at the classics. In some cases they can be a little tricky to understand, but they are called \"classics\" for a reason...\nSpecific suggestions (incomplete and in no particular order): Shakespeare's plays, Jane Austen's \"Pride and Prejudice\", Daniel Defoe's \"Robinson Crusoe\", Harper Lee's \"To kill a mockingbird\", JM Barrie's \"Peter Pan\", Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories",
          "reason": "Suggested as a collection of fiction stories to read.",
          "audience": "Readers open to classics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that classics can be tricky to understand.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175595,
          "author": "analog31",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:30:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175595",
          "commentText": "Godel, Escher, Bach was one of the things that inspired me to study math in college. These days I'm just trying to do more reading and less mindless web surfing, to see if it helps me think better. Right now: Sherlock Holmes.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Right now: Sherlock Holmes.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348782,
          "author": "moron4hire",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:29:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348782",
          "commentText": "A lot of good suggestions. To try to avoid repeating what others have said too much, here are some from a different perspective.\n# \"JPod\" by Douglas Coupland helped me realize that it was corporatism, not me, that was broken.\n# Benjamin Franklin's autobiography showed me a history that was made of people, a people no different than me and mine, and that success comes from standing up and going your own way.\n# \"Time Enough for Love\" by Robert Heinlein taught me that, while culture is arbitrary and we should be free to try to make it what we wish, that doesn't make it fake or ignorable.\n# \"Sherlock Holmes\" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, re-read as an adult, taught me the importance of formula in consistency and how much a market of fans love predictability.\n# \"Game of Thrones\" by George R.R. Martin taught me that the movie can be a lot better than the book and that there is a problem with modern generations making an affectation out of book reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Sherlock Holmes\" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, re-read as an adult, taught me the importance of formula in consistency",
          "reason": "The commenter says rereading the stories taught them about formula and audience expectations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9242646,
          "author": "iosengineer",
          "createdAt": "2015-03-21T13:12:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 9242384,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on debugging?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9242646",
          "commentText": "Any Sherlock Holmes adventure book. Technique is good. Attitude is better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Any Sherlock Holmes adventure book.",
          "reason": "Recommends a Sherlock Holmes adventure for its technique and attitude.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1965147,
          "author": "pac21",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-03T07:59:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 1965039,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books for English writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1965147",
          "commentText": "Yes, I myself improved my English by reading good books. I started with Sherlock Holmes as it was interesting as well very well written. Dickens is a very good example to get going. Also as you start reading more and more you should try short stories by Edgar Allan Poe.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I started with Sherlock Holmes as it was interesting as well very well written.",
          "reason": "Recommends Sherlock Holmes as interesting and very well written.",
          "audience": "People improving their English through reading.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876370,
          "author": "Tichy",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T09:48:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876370",
          "commentText": "Star Diaries by Stanislaw Lem\nSherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to the thread’s request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85970,
          "author": "Tichy",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T16:20:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85970",
          "commentText": "Definitely among my favorites, too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Definitely among my favorites, too.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly seconds the preceding mention as one of their favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85957,
          "author": "dottertrotter",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T15:49:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85957",
          "commentText": "Rebel Without a Crew (Robert Rodriguez),\nThe Alchemist (Paulo Coelho),\nSherlock Holmes (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sherlock Holmes (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85947,
          "author": "ptn",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T15:04:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85947",
          "commentText": "Sherlock Holmes",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sherlock Holmes",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85888,
          "author": "pierrefar",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T10:16:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85888",
          "commentText": "Philip Pullman's trilogy His Dark Material which kicks off with the Golden Compass is a great read. \nSherlock Holmes stories are fun.\nThe Art of Deception by Kevin Mitnick is also a good read.\nPierre",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sherlock Holmes stories are fun.",
          "reason": "Says the stories are fun.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur Conan Doyle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 10,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "detective fiction",
        "mystery",
        "classic",
        "classic literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-annotated-turing-faabd6",
      "title": "The Annotated Turing",
      "author": "Charles Petzold",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49754097,
          "author": "commandersaki",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-18T13:26:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 49724691,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most career altering course or book you have gone through?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49754097",
          "commentText": "Fantastic book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fantastic book.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 49733183,
          "author": "schmudde",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-16T21:19:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 49724691,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most career altering course or book you have gone through?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49733183",
          "commentText": "\"The Annotated Turing\" - I didn't know you could meaningfully intertwine biography and technical analysis like that.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Annotated Turing\" - I didn't know you could meaningfully intertwine biography and technical analysis like that.",
          "reason": "The book meaningfully intertwines biography and technical analysis.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30486653,
          "author": "OJFord",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T09:19:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486653",
          "commentText": "The Annotated Turing by Petzold (On Computable Numbers broken down, annotated, explained, and talked around. Would recommend to anyone interested in CS but without (yet) having formally studied it. I read it in sixth form, and it probably swung me more towards CS from my since-childhood intention of studying electronics. (Ended up doing a mix, but applied to some straight CS too.))\nTheory of Computation by Sipser. (More subject specific and just a textbook really, I just thought it was a really great one and was able to read it ahead of my most relevant course.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Annotated Turing by Petzold",
          "reason": "Recommended for readers interested in computer science who have not formally studied it; the commenter says it shifted their interests toward CS.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computer science without formal study.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23730968,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-04T08:23:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23730968",
          "commentText": "The author's name is \"Charles Petzold\" and yes \"The Annotated Turing\" is a great book.\nAll of Petzold's books are excellent, in particular; \"Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software\" should be read by everybody to understand how Computers really work.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Annotated Turing\" is a great book.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804348,
          "author": "JonathanMerklin",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:41:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804348",
          "commentText": "Great thread. 2019 was the first time in about 7-8 years I made reading for pleasure a tertiary priority ((school+career)work/sleep/exercise+socializing+(NEW!)reading) and I got through about 20 books of varying length and difficulty, so here are the next 20 in my queue:\n- Infinite Jest (already started, will likely finish in early Jan. I love it so far.)\n- Quantum Computing Since Democritus (started in November as my nonfiction read, but took a break; I think I want to finish IJ first. Scott is an excellent writer and I was really enjoying this)\n- Building Microservices\n- The Code Book\n- How Cars Work (I want to turn the projection of a car in my brain from a black box to a gray box this year, and I don't mean by purchasing a Cybertruck)\n- To Kill a Mockingbird\n- The Personal MBA (for years I laughed off caring about the business of business and lived in my fantasy land of being satisfied with just the technical details and being focused on only implementing great software/learning how to do so. With a few years in the workforce under my belt, I realize that such an outlook was of great detriment to me. I'm open to other suggestions on similar \"catch me up to speed on general business education\" material)\n- Designing Data-Intensive Applications\n- Island (I have a copy of this but not Brave New World. Multiple friends of mine demand I try Huxley, so here we are.)\n- The Annotated Turing\n- How to Invent Everything\n- Soonish (SMBC is a daily read for me and I'm excited to get to this.)\n- How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems (ditto XKCD modulo release schedule)\n- Basic Economics\n- Thus Spoke Zarathustra\n- Seveneves\n- The Prince\n- Pacific Rims: Beermen Ballin' in Flip-Flops and the Philippines' Unlikely Love Affair with Basketball\n- Elevator Music: A Surreal History of Muzak, Easy-Listening, and Other Moodsong\n- Fahrenheit 451\nAdditionally, to tickle the part of my brain that fancies mathematics (one of my my majors in undergrad), I try to work through a chapter or two of Evan Chen's \"An Infinitely Long Napkin\" on a quarterly basis. If you don't mind a conversational tone to your math textbooks, I've found this to be an excellent resource for scraping the surface of a wide variety of topics and fields (including, well, topics like fields). I think I'll continue this habit.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Annotated Turing",
          "reason": "Listed in the commenter's planned reading queue.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804066,
          "author": "Delfino",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:09:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804066",
          "commentText": "I read about 25 books this year, here are the top 10 I look forward to reading in 2020, many of them informed by my favorites of 2019:\nHomo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari - I read Sapiens this year and really enjoyed it. I just started this today one so I may finish that before the end of the year.\nThinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman - I like books that make me think and from what I've heard, this will definitely do the trick. I read Factfulness this year and this was a suggested follow-up.\nThe Language Instinct by Steven Pinker - I've gotten really into natural languages since I've lived outside my country of origin for the last 2 and a half years and I've heard good things about this book being an entry point into linguistics.\nSword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski - With the new Witcher show coming out on Netflix I finally went back and beat The Witcher 3 then read the first book, The Last Wish. It was enjoyable enough that I want to keep going with the series.\nEducated by Tara Westover - Was convinced by Bill Gate's blog this is worthwhile. I'm a teacher so it wasn't hard to convince me.\nRobot Builder's Bonanza by Gordon McComb - I've been asked to teach a robotics course next year and this one seems to be The Book everyone recommends to dive into robotics.\nDivided by Partition: United by Resilience by Mallika Ahluwalia - I recently visited the Partition Museum in Amritsar, Punjab, India and purchased this book there to learn about more stories about people impacted by this event.\nThe Elements of Computing Systems by Noam Nisan and Shimon Shocken - I just read Code by Petzold and it was one of my favorite books. Even though I studied Computer Science in University and most of the concepts weren't new to me, it was such a fun experience mentally \"building\" a computer from relays/transistors to logic gates and up to assemblers, compilers, and interpreters. I want to keep going with this and jump into the Nand2Tetris online course.\nThe Annotated Turing by Charles Petzold - Again, I loved Petzold's Code so I looked up other books he wrote and this one looks great. I've never actually read Turing's work so I'm excited to have some background and explanation to help me not just read the words but grasp their significance.\nZACH-LIKE by Zachtronics - I played through several Zachtronics games this year (TIS-100, Shenzhen I/O and Opus Magnum) so I can't wait to dive into some of the thinking behind creating these and similar games.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Annotated Turing by Charles Petzold",
          "reason": "The commenter says it looks great and is excited to read it with background and explanation.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking context for Turing's work.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read Turing's work before.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21802725,
          "author": "nandreev",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T13:06:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21802725",
          "commentText": "The New Geopolitics of Natural Gas (A. Grigas)\nWe (Y. Zamyatin)\nThe Annotated Turing: A Guided Tour Through Alan Turing's Historic Paper (C. Petzold)\nEndurance (A. Lansing)\nEconomics: The User's Guide (H. Chang)\nOblomov (I. Goncharov)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Annotated Turing: A Guided Tour Through Alan Turing's Historic Paper (C. Petzold)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13409915,
          "author": "pliftkl",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T13:47:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13409915",
          "commentText": "This is one of the more fascinating books that I've read recently.  The commentary makes the paper itself very accessible.  I rather enjoyed the direct reproduction of the paper itself (with typos!) in the book, and the near line by line commentary at points.  It's not the way that I would want to be taught about Turing machines, but it's amazing to see them articulated for the first time.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "This is one of the more fascinating books that I've read recently. The commentary makes the paper itself very accessible. I rather enjoyed the direct reproduction of the paper itself (with typos!) in the book, and the near line by line commentary at points.",
          "reason": "Finds the book fascinating and praises its accessible, detailed commentary.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its approach is not how they would want to be taught about Turing machines.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12098001,
          "author": "quoraquestions",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-14T23:34:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12098001",
          "commentText": "A)The Annotated Turing - Petzold\nB)Armchair Universe: An Exploration of Computer Worlds -- A.K. Dewdney\nThe latter had many great ideas which inspired me to do interesting experiments on computers with minimal programming experience,  it had a great chapter on recursion which really helped me understand recursion when it had no programming experience. I still go back and read sections of this book. Quite a joy IMHO",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A)The Annotated Turing - Petzold",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9758519,
          "author": "cfeduke",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T14:27:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758519",
          "commentText": "Any book written by Charles Petzold is an enjoyable read, though particularly the non-MS specific titles Code and The Annotated Turing.\nJava Concurrency in Practice (2006) is older but relevant and clearly describes concurrency on the JVM. A must read for any Java, Scala, Clojure, etc. software engineer; well-written, enjoyable, concise.\nPractical Object Oriented Design in Ruby by Sandi Metz is a fun read packed with good principles for working in Ruby that are applicable in general to object oriented programming.\nSmalltalk Best Practice Patterns by Kent Beck is worth a read because the general principles are applicable to any OOP language.\nClean Code by Robert Martin is excellent but a time commitment. (If you had to pick between SICP and Clean Code because time is at a premium I'd err on the side of Clean Code for practicality. Writing maintainable code is paramount.)\nThe Joy of Clojure (Fogus/Houser) is excellent and mentally digestable even if you have no Lisp or Clojure background.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "particularly the non-MS specific titles Code and The Annotated Turing.",
          "reason": "Particularly singles it out among Petzold's enjoyable books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414415,
          "author": "tmachinecharmer",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T09:06:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414415",
          "commentText": "The Annotated Turing by Charles Petzold",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Annotated Turing by Charles Petzold",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Petzold"
      ],
      "recommenders": 10,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computability",
        "alan turing",
        "turing machines",
        "turing machine"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-book-of-five-rings-6f8ce3",
      "title": "The Book of Five Rings",
      "author": "Miyamoto Musashi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6556140,
          "author": "BWStearns",
          "createdAt": "2013-10-15T20:37:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 6553238,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the essential books of knowledge for civilization?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6556140",
          "commentText": "I know that conflict is the less civilized side of civilization, and that HN generally is opposed to it (as sane people are), but a discussion of societal development would be lacking without an honest consideration of where the civilized components break down.\nI would suggest Musashi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_Five_Rings), Clausewitz, Influence of Seapower Upon History (Mahan), and of course Sun Tzu. While some are more specific than others (Musashi is actually about swordsmanship specifically, but conflict generally) they all have insightful things to teach.\nFor a broader discussion look at Bobbitt's Shield of Achilles. He still has a significant portion on conflict, however it is also a discussion on the interplay of technology, legal development, and conflict.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Musashi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_Five_Rings)",
          "reason": "Suggested as a book with lessons about conflict, while noting its focus on swordsmanship.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is specifically about swordsmanship.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5753756,
          "author": "michaelbrave",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-22T21:13:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5753756",
          "commentText": "Many of the ones I would list have been said before so I'll not list them, but I would also add.\nZen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - at it's core I felt it was about systems and how we can never truly eliminate or remove them from our lives but only replace them with other ones. A hard lesson for me to learn but I feel it really changed the way I look at the world.\nThe Book of Five Rings - it's a book written by a masterless samurai duelist about his thoughts on dueling. But there was one statement in it that changed how I looked at everything, he basically broke down how we shouldn't have favored tools but rather use the ones that are best suited for the task at hand. Which had a profound impact on me.\nthere are more but I'll need time to think about it some more",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "there was one statement in it that changed how I looked at everything",
          "reason": "Says a statement in the book changed how they look at everything.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1866358,
          "author": "solost",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T20:29:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1866358",
          "commentText": "I just finished The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss and started Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch.  For those of you reading Ice and Fire or who have finished all of the current work I recommend both of these series.\nI also look at The Book of 5 Rings and The Art of War on a regular basis.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I also look at The Book of 5 Rings and The Art of War on a regular basis.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753458,
          "author": "hendler",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T19:55:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753458",
          "commentText": "I haven't read the fictional works of Musashi, but his own warrior manual \"The Book of Five Rings\" is quite good, like \"The Art of War\". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_Five_Rings",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "his own warrior manual \"The Book of Five Rings\" is quite good",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it quite good and compares it favorably to The Art of War.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1725179,
          "author": "Willwhatley",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-24T20:02:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1725179",
          "commentText": "Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson.\nAlice in Wonderland iff still young enough not to think girls are gross. Otherwise you must sneak up on him with the poetry, then introduce the book. (I've had success with reciting 'Jabberwocky' and 'The Walrus and the Carpenter.')\nLearn 'If,' by Kipling, by heart. Then teach it slowly and patiently.\nAs an aside, quite a lot of Kipling is truly excellently boy friendly.\nThe Proverbs of Solomon, et al. Found in any Bible or Talmud. Bears repeated reading, as most eastern 'wisdom' literature does (The Book of Five Rings, The Art of War, etc.).\nWhile we're at, why not the Narnia books? I loved them, and I'd no idea the Lion was apparently Jesus until I was nine or so.\nBut by far do not DO NOT forget Michel Ende's marvelous 'The Neverending Story.'\nIf you're only familiar with it from a movie, you've missed the best part, when the boy 'Bastian must take up arms and become the adventurer he has read about and loved.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Book of Five Rings, The Art of War, etc.",
          "reason": "Includes it among wisdom literature that bears repeated reading.",
          "audience": "Boys.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1228246,
          "author": "realitygrill",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-30T03:12:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1228246",
          "commentText": "I've enjoyed all the fictionalized accounts, but I think that if you want to learn from Musashi, you should read him directly. That's the Go Rin no Sho aka The Book of Five Rings. Nekopa has recommended the Cleary translation. I will recommend Hidy Ochiai's version, A Way to Victory: The Annotated Book of Five Rings. The annotations and analysis (after each book) really help get a sense of Musashi. Some points that stood out to me, considering that I'd read several other translations before:\nHis absolute priority on winning. It's not that his style is the best way to win, it's that his style is based around winning. The whole point of the book is winning! You always have to win, by any means necessary. It's very bald; the text is peppered with bits like\nA tenet of my teaching is that one must win regardless of the length of the sword one uses, so I do not dictate the length of the sword. The ultimate objective of my style is to be prepared to win, no matter what weapons are involved.\nand somewhat disconcertingly,\nWhen applying martial strategy to the world of leadership, it is important that you make the acquaintance of people of good character; that you become a good leader to others; that you conduct yourself in a correct manner; that you govern people well; that you take good care of others; that you follow and maintain the laws and customs of the land for the sake of order; and that you never take second place to anyone in whatever you engage.\nIt's also noted that while Musashi did take on well-known opponents, especially Sasaki Kojiro, he also never dueled with several other extremely famous samurai in the same period. Ochiai notes that it is entirely consistent with his strategy to not fight if you think you will not win.\nDirectness and simplicity: As I sit down here to begin writing this book, I do not intend to use any archaic words from the scriptures of Buddhism or Confucianism, nor will I depend on the examples of various writings of old war chronicles and battle tactics. Musashi also considers the idea of dividing techniques into basic and advanced stupid, although he concedes that you should teach what's easiest for a beginner first, depending on the person.\nHumility: However, after the age of thirty, I started to reflect on my experiences and began to wonder whether or not my victories were attributable to my natural ability, sheer luck, or the inferior techniques of those whom I had defeated, rather than my true understanding of the principle of martial strategy.\nOnce I became enlightened by the true meaning of martial strategy, I ceased to have any real interest or desire in the worldly affairs. \nStrangely individualistic: Ochiai writes, \"It’s true that Musashi intended to teach his readers to be victorious in one-to-one combat as well as in war involving armies. But if you read the book carefully, with an open mind and sincere attitude, it becomes clear that Musashi’s teaching goes far beyond that. His philosophy can be summarized as ji-riki; the power of each individual that emanates from within oneself. Musashi believed that ji-riki must be cultivated and empowered through constant effort and training. With correct understanding, his messages become concrete and personal, directly relating to the problems of living – to the human being who struggles and strives for individual achievement.\"\nSpirit of discovery: It is not enough that you read what is written here, you must train as hard as if you were the one who developed the doctrine, instead of being the one who had it given to you. Train constantly as if you were the source of the discovery of the Way. Avoid mere imitation or learning without sincerity.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you should read him directly. That's the Go Rin no Sho aka The Book of Five Rings.",
          "reason": "Says readers who want to learn from Musashi should read his work directly.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in learning from Musashi.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227779,
          "author": "nekopa",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T22:58:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227779",
          "commentText": "I have to add that people should also read The Book of Five Rings that was written by Musashi. I can't count the number of times I have bought and given away this book. Especially the translation done by Thomas Cleary. Cleary adds another text into the mix \"The Book of Family Traditions on the Art of War\"  by Yagyu Munenori, a contemporary of Musashi, but from a very different circle, so you get a nice contrast, and I believe it shows you how simplicity wins(5 rings). But both are excellent reads.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "people should also read The Book of Five Rings",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly urges people to read it and calls both works excellent reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The praise of simplicity is specifically attributed to The Book of Five Rings.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 456353,
          "author": "prakash",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T14:18:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456353",
          "commentText": "The book of 5 rings is a nice book. Here's another: Arthashastra by Chāṇakya has some chapters on war - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthashastra",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book of 5 rings is a nice book.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a nice book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 456316,
          "author": "lionhearted",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T13:43:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456316",
          "commentText": "A quick read is Wikipedia's summary of Miyamoto Musashi's \"Book of Five Rings\" - it's about Japanese swordsmanship in the early 1600's in a variety of situations: Full-on combat, a duel, outnumbered, with high/low ground, etc. It's strategic more than tactical, and if you like Sun Tzu you might dig it.\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_Five_Rings\nThe story of his life, \"Musashi,\" is one of my favorite books of all time and has good strategic and philosophical discussion mixed in with some really riveting action and social commentary. Musashi had a lot of potential at a young age, but was extremely undisciplined and constantly had it out with the law, society, and people whose motivations he couldn't understand. The book chronicles him becoming the greatest swordsman in Japanese history. An incredible read, especially for anyone who was bright at young age but questioned a hell of a lot of society's rules.\nAmazon (no affiliate B.S., just a great book):\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Musashi-Eiji-Yoshikawa/dp/4770019572",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "if you like Sun Tzu you might dig it",
          "reason": "Described as strategic and compared favorably with Sun Tzu.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment points to Wikipedia's summary for a quick read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 65157,
          "author": "Kaizyn",
          "createdAt": "2007-10-09T06:11:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 65153,
          "threadTitle": "Top Books for Entrepreneurs. List them.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=65157",
          "commentText": "This has come up a couple times before.  However, specifically for entrepreneurs, the books to read are:\n  1) How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie\n  2) Musashi's The Book of Five Rings\n  3) Gonzo Marketing by Christopher Locke\n  4) Getting Things Done by David Allen\n  5) What Management Is by Joan Magretta\n\nThere are other books, but less relevant in a business context.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Musashi's The Book of Five Rings",
          "reason": "Listed among books to read specifically for entrepreneurs.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 57175,
          "author": "Jd",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-20T02:07:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=57175",
          "commentText": "Brilliant.  Double up-vote (if I could) on Musashi's Book of Five Rings.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Double up-vote (if I could) on Musashi's Book of Five Rings.",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56777,
          "author": "Kaizyn",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T07:44:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56777",
          "commentText": "1) Musashi's Book of Five Rings\n2) Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People\n3) Machaivelli's The Prince\n4) Sun-Tzu's The Art of War\n5) Hayakawa's Language in Thought and Action\n6) Steven Johnson's Emergence\n7) Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel\n8) Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything\n9) Mark Buchanan's Nexus\n10) C. S. Lewis's The Problem of Pain\nTaken together, these books cover just about everything there is to know about the sciences, about human history, human nature and how to understand and communicate effectively with other people.  Only one other book besides these needs to be studied/read: The Bible.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Musashi's Book of Five Rings",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of books said to collectively cover a broad range of subjects.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in strategy and martial arts.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Miyamoto Musashi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 10,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "strategy",
        "martial arts",
        "japanese martial arts",
        "japanese martial strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dictator-s-handbook-why-bad-behavior-is-almost-always-good-po-35fe16",
      "title": "The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior Is Almost Always Good Politics",
      "author": "Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Alastair Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43613992,
          "author": "dbl000",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T17:42:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43613992",
          "commentText": "The Complete Yes Minister, a novelization of the TV show, but probably more approachable. A kind of \"high brow\" skewering of politics and government. There's a lot of interplay between politicians and civil servants that mirrors some play between politicians and people, especially in the case of \"systemic lag\".\nErasure by Percival Everett. A book on racial conformity and expectations. A weird case where the movie (American Fiction) might be better than the book. Pretty easy and quick read however. I don't know what it was but this book has stuck with me ever since I've read it.\nThe Code Book by Simon Singh. This is the book that got me into cryptography. It's a bit old and outdated now (published in 1999) but it was responsible for forming a lifelong interest in me.\nArriving Today: From Factory to Front Door by Christopher Mims. The premise was supposed to be tracking a product from production to consumer, but then the COVID happened. The book turns into an exploration of how just in time production and supply lanes work today.\nThe Dictator's Handbook by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita. I had a professor who was friends with BBM, so when we were discussing selectorate theory we actually got to meet him. At it's core this is a cynical book about realpolitik, talking about how leaders get in power, stay in power, get money and foreign aid, and deal with revolutions and war. It is very political focused but the theory can be abstracted out to most big organizations. It fundamentally changed the way I look at interactions between countries. This is 100% a more mass market appeal book than the original paper (and imo a bit dumbed down) but everyone I've recommended it to has come back appreciative about it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "everyone I've recommended it to has come back appreciative about it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed how they view interactions between countries and reports positive responses from people they recommended it to.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in political power and organizations.",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it cynical, more mass-market, and somewhat dumbed down compared with the original paper.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41767913,
          "author": "Rendello",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T16:45:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41767913",
          "commentText": "There are 2 books that have fundamentally shifted my thinking:\n- The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics.\nThis has been covered by CGP Grey and now has a Netflix adaptation, so I figure it lies well within the HN Zeitgeist already. There's a lot to debate in this book, but I fundamentally didn't understand political power before reading it.\n- Why Does He Do That?: Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men.\nI have a more complicated relationship with this one, in fact I never finished it. It's about men (mainly) who are abusive in relationships, and how they are able to manipulate their partners. It hits close to home because I've seen a lot of that growing up, and I've seen a lot of women close to me end up in abuse in a predictable but devastating cycle.\nThe primary controversial idea is that domestic abuse can be from man→woman, man→man, woman→woman, but the author pretty much discredits woman→man abuse. I don't think I can reconcile that with my own experience. But, where it changed my thinking was a chapter about \"it's not emotions, it's values\". I'd grown up knowing the importance of emotions and being open and communicative, but I was never able to put to words the disconnect I was feeling. Emotions are secondary, it's what one values that determines their emotions and actions, whether it be in an abusive relationship, or in any other place or time in the world.\nIt really shifted how I think about the world, and let me sever connections to people I was kept in my life because they'd had a bad childhood or whatever. I realized that they would never get over their turmoil, because they valued using it to hurt others.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book helped them understand political power.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says there is a lot to debate in the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35930864,
          "author": "raron",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T17:56:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35930864",
          "commentText": "Not really a textbook, but written by two professors of politics about their research:\nThe Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics\n(by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, Alastair Smith)\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Dictators-Handbook-Behavior-Almost-Po... (https://www.amazon.com/Dictators-Handbook-Behavior-Almost-Politics-ebook/dp/B005GPSLHI)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics",
          "reason": "Listed as a book relevant to the thread's question about eye-opening textbooks.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Commenter says it is not really a textbook.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33803362,
          "author": "Joel_Mckay",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T16:44:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33803362",
          "commentText": "\"The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics\" (Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, Alastair Smith)\n\"Outliers: The Story of Success\" (Malcolm Gladwell)\n\"Data-Driven Science and Engineering: Machine Learning, Dynamical Systems, and Control\" (Steven L. Brunton, J. Nathan Kutz)\n\"Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories\" (Dr. Seuss)\n\"The Lorax\" (Dr. Seuss)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics\" (Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, Alastair Smith)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25531471,
          "author": "zhoujianfu",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T21:12:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25531471",
          "commentText": "The Dictator’s Handbook",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dictator’s Handbook",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23862369,
          "author": "heymijo",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T18:45:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23862369",
          "commentText": "I put off reading the 48 Laws of Power for a long time for reasons similar to OP.\nProbably should have read it sooner but at least I had plenty of experience to compare against it when I finally did suck it up and read it.\nI will add Dictator's Handbook to my queue and raise my hand and 4th the 48 Laws of Power",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I will add Dictator's Handbook to my queue",
          "reason": "The commenter plans to read it after seeing it recommended.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23860726,
          "author": "blaser-waffle",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T16:40:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23860726",
          "commentText": "I'll 3rd the Dictator's Handbook.\nAlso the 48 Laws of Power.  Once you start seeing things through that lens, the world looks like both a darker, meaner, but at times surprisingly nicer, place.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'll 3rd the Dictator's Handbook.",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23858825,
          "author": "tjalfi",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:39:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858825",
          "commentText": "Here are two books that explain a lot about politics.\nThe Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Alastair Smith\nPrisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World - Tim Marshall",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Alastair Smith",
          "reason": "Presented as one of two books that explain a lot about politics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521727,
          "author": "nindalf",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T10:13:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521727",
          "commentText": "I loved Sapiens. It has a couple of ideas that help explain so much of our world - really powerful ideas. Once you know them they seem so obvious and you feel like you should have thought of that yourself. For example, (spoilers for human history ahead), our civilations are based on agriculture and very few hunter gatherers remain. But that doesn't mean that people consciously chose one over the other. It's just that for various reasons, agriculture is a more \"viral\" idea that spread more efficiently than the alternative. Ditto with monotheistic vs polytheistic religions.\nHomo Deus... less so. It rehashes a lot of Sapiens and I found it a bit of a drag. The introduction is worth reading though. He recounts all the progress we've made as a species, which would surprise people who think our world is growing worse by the day.\nChasing the Scream was amazing. Nothing more to be said.\nThe book I learned the most from was probably The Dictator's Handbook. Again, a very simple idea - how can we predict a politician/leader's behaviour based on a simple assumption - they will try their best to stay employed. The authors manage to explain almost all of how politics works based on this one single idea. If you're one of those people who likes to try-before-they-buy, here's a trailer of the book - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rStL7niR7gs",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book I learned the most from was probably The Dictator's Handbook.",
          "reason": "Says it was probably the book they learned the most from and explains its account of political behavior.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156972,
          "author": "travmatt",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T16:53:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156972",
          "commentText": "If you liked the righteous mind you'd similarly enjoy \"The Dictators Handbook\" by Bruce Burna De Mesquita - he explores how rulers looking to maintain power are all driven by similar incentives, and similarly provided a clear framework for analyzing political or business strategy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you'd similarly enjoy \"The Dictators Handbook\" by Bruce Burna De Mesquita - he explores how rulers looking to maintain power are all driven by similar incentives",
          "reason": "Says readers of The Righteous Mind would similarly enjoy it and describes its framework for analyzing strategy.",
          "audience": "Readers who liked The Righteous Mind.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruce Bueno de Mesquita",
        "Alastair Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 10,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Society",
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political science",
        "power",
        "political incentives",
        "political strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-metamorphosis-of-prime-intellect-a040ca",
      "title": "The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect",
      "author": "Roger Williams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46161500,
          "author": "ashtavakra",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-05T14:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46161500",
          "commentText": "I consolidated the comments for my reference later. Someone else might also find it useful:\n# Fiction Books Recommended for Programmers (HN Thread 46128404)\n## Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- *Children of Time* — Science Fiction (Evolution, Space Opera)  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)\n## Rick Cook — Wizardry Series\n- *Wizard’s Bane* — Fantasy, Programming/Magic Mashup  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112616.Wizard_s_Bane\n- *Wizardry Series (overview)*  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\n## James P. Hogan\n- *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/743568.Inherit_the_Stars\n- *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifem... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifemaker)\n- *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_Tomorrow)\n## D. F. Jones — Colossus Trilogy\n- *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806105.Colossus\n- *The Fall of Colossus* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colos... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colossus)\n- *Colossus and the Crab* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_Crab)\n## Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner)\n- *A Logic Named Joe* — Golden-Age Sci-Fi, AI Precursor  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-j... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-joe)\n## David Gerrold\n- *When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One* — AI, Classic Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_Was_One)\n## William Gibson / Bruce Sterling\n- *Neuromancer* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer\n- *The Difference Engine* — Steampunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Eng... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Engine)\n## Neal Stephenson\n- *Snow Crash* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash\n- *Cryptonomicon* — Techno-thriller, Cyber-history  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/816.Cryptonomicon\n- *Anathem* — Philosophical Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2845024-anathem\n- *The Diamond Age* — Nanopunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827.The_Diamond_Age\n## Fred Saberhagen\n- *Octagon* — AI, Techno-thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1891958.Octagon\n## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga\n- *Series Overview* — Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/40946-vorkosigan-saga\n## Richard Powers\n- *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45104.Galatea_2_2\n## Scott Meyer\n- *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-wizard)\n## Daniel Suarez\n- *Daemon* — Cyber-thriller, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665844-daemon\n## Thomas J. Ryan\n- *The Adolescence of P-1* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_o... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_of_P_1)\n## Ernest Cline\n- *Ready Player One* — Sci-Fi, Gaming, Pop-Culture Adventure  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one\n## Dennis E. Taylor\n- *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)* — Humorous Sci-Fi, AI, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-we-are-bob)\n## Ted Chiang\n- *Stories of Your Life and Others* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\n- *Exhalation* — Speculative Fiction, Philosophy, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation\n- *The Lifecycle of Software Objects* — AI, Digital Consciousness  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of-software-objects)\n## Charles Stross\n- *Laundry Files Series* — Math-based Magic, Techno-Fantasy  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files\n## Ken Liu\n- *The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menag... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories)\n- *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, AI, VR  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl-and-other-stories)\n## Ellen Ullman\n- *The Bug* — Tech Industry Literary Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/703.The_Bug\n## Cory Doctorow\n- *Radicalized* — Techno-sociopolitical Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40604122-radicalized\n## qntm (Sam Hughes)\n- *Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans-in-transit-and-other-stories)\n## Roger Williams\n- *The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect* — AI, Post-Singularity SF  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)\n## Greg Bear\n- *Eon* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/924843.Eon\n## Vernor Vinge\n- *A Deepness in the Sky* — Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the_Sky)\n## Terry Pratchett\n- *Going Postal* — Comic Fantasy, Satire of Bureaucracy & Tech  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64222.Going_Postal\n## Bruce Bethke\n- *Headcrash* — Cyber-satire  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213465.Headcrash\n## Mary Shelley\n- *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* — Classic Gothic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein\n## Douglas Adams\n- *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* — Comic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guid... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)\n## Jorge Luis Borges\n- *The Library of Babel* — Metaphysical Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-babel)\n## Greg Egan\n- *Permutation City* — Simulation Theory, Hard Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156784.Permutation_City\n## Cixin Liu\n- *The Three-Body Problem* — Hard Sci-Fi, First Contact  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- *The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect* — AI, Post-Singularity SF",
          "reason": "Lists the title in a compilation of fiction books recommended for programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46149074,
          "author": "kode-targz",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-04T16:03:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46149074",
          "commentText": "The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect\nMost terrifying book I've ever read, and it is very much fit for a programmer to read. I can't recommend it enough. Especially if you are into AI and / or systems programming. \nI know those two seem very far apart and have no correlation, but you'll get it once you read it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I can't recommend it enough.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends it and says it suits programmers, especially those interested in AI or systems programming.",
          "audience": "Programmers, especially those interested in AI or systems programming.",
          "caveat": "Calls it the most terrifying book they've read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021564,
          "author": "moondistance",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:53:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021564",
          "commentText": "A few lesser known but great sci-if books:\n-Permutation City\n-Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect\n-The Egg (Andy Weir short story)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect",
          "reason": "Listed as a lesser-known science fiction book in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15431132,
          "author": "krisgee",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-09T01:58:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15431132",
          "commentText": "Really good story. I didn't really agree with the eco-primitivistic moral when I read it but I finished it all the same which should say something about how fundamentally good it is.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I didn't really agree with the eco-primitivistic moral when I read it but I finished it all the same which should say something about how fundamentally good it is.",
          "reason": "Calls the story fundamentally good despite disagreeing with its moral.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Disagrees with its eco-primitivistic moral.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15430429,
          "author": "MattPalmer",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T22:40:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15430429",
          "commentText": "Yes, I also thought of this and wondered if it was hard... But it is great!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Yes, I also thought of this and wondered if it was hard... But it is great!",
          "reason": "Affirms the story is great while questioning whether it is hard SF.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Uncertain whether it qualifies as hard SF.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15429293,
          "author": "ashildr",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T18:25:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15429293",
          "commentText": "The metamorphosis of prime intellect:\nhttp://localroger.com/prime-intellect/\nNot sure whether it’s hard, it has quite an unexpected but plausible plot. There’s much love in me for this weird, twisted, brutal and captivating story — I think it’s much underappreciated.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "There’s much love in me for this weird, twisted, brutal and captivating story — I think it’s much underappreciated.",
          "reason": "Expresses strong affection for the story and says it is underappreciated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether it qualifies as hard SF.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13805449,
          "author": "Karunamon",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T19:44:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805449",
          "commentText": "The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect - Roger Williams\nAs someone who seems themselves as a technologist (all this stuff we're working on will eventually work out for the best, warts be damned), this story was an existential-crisis-inducing wake-up call.\nBasically, what happens if tech progresses to the point that humanity becomes a species of bored gods?\nThis is a trope that I've grown to really enjoy, and one that doesn't get played with near as much as it should. The next closest thing I can think of is the movie Zardoz, but that one is so abstruse that it turns people off unless they really think about it.\nIf you go check it out, keep in mind the story gets rather grotesque in places. Imagine what depravity people would get into if death were impossible, and you're on the right track.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this story was an existential-crisis-inducing wake-up call",
          "reason": "The commenter says the story was a wake-up call and praises its exploration of humanity as bored gods.",
          "audience": "Technologists interested in speculative futures and the consequences of technological progress.",
          "caveat": "The story gets grotesque in places.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10219738,
          "author": "frigg",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-15T09:51:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 10211331,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10219738",
          "commentText": "The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect by Roger Williams.\nhttp://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64341.The_Metamorphosis_o... (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64341.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect by Roger Williams.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7302026,
          "author": "gamegoblin",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T01:07:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7302026",
          "commentText": "I misread your question as sci-fi novellas, but I still think you'll enjoy these (Three Worlds and Prime Intellect are both quite long, anyway).\nThree Worlds Collide\nhttp://robinhanson.typepad.com/files/three-worlds-collide.pd... (http://robinhanson.typepad.com/files/three-worlds-collide.pdf)\nThe Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect\nhttp://localroger.com/prime-intellect/mopiall.html\nThe next few are short stories:\nThe Last Question\nhttp://www.thrivenotes.com/the-last-question/\nThe Last Answer\nhttp://www.thrivenotes.com/the-last-answer/\nLet's Help Germinate This Seed\nhttp://www.thrivenotes.com/lets-help-germinate-this-seed/\nThe Egg\nhttp://www.galactanet.com/oneoff/theegg_mod.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect",
          "reason": "Lists it among stories the commenter thinks the reader will enjoy.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking science-fiction stories.",
          "caveat": "The commenter initially misread the request as asking for novellas and notes that this and Three Worlds are long.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1032194,
          "author": "rms",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-05T10:50:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1032194",
          "commentText": "Two of my favorite books that are freely available online, both in the genre of post-singularity utopian science fiction:\nhttp://www.kuro5hin.org/prime-intellect/\nhttp://craphound.com/down/download.php",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Two of my favorite books that are freely available online, both in the genre of post-singularity utopian science fiction:\nhttp://www.kuro5hin.org/prime-intellect/",
          "reason": "Identified through the linked title; called one of the commenter's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85869,
          "author": "rms",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T08:29:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85869",
          "commentText": "The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect -- Read it free online! http://www.kuro5hin.org/prime-intellect/mopiidx.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect -- Read it free online!",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roger Williams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 10,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "post singularity",
        "digital consciousness",
        "post scarcity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-unbearable-lightness-of-being-f21453",
      "title": "The Unbearable Lightness of Being",
      "author": "Milan Kundera",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33852261,
          "author": "mttpgn",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T10:14:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33852261",
          "commentText": "Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Kundera uniquely combines fiction and philosophy, often switching back and forth from a world of suspended disbelief in the lives of his characters, and a world where his characters only serve as overt mythological illustrations of Nitzchean, Paramenidean, or other philosophical ideas.\nI name it the best book I read in 2022 because of the ways the author prompts his readers to hunt for meaning. It's a book that reminds one to ask philosophical questions of meaning amid the pleasures, the ambiguities, and the tumult of ordinary life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I name it the best book I read in 2022 because of the ways the author prompts his readers to hunt for meaning.",
          "reason": "Names it their best book of 2022 and praises how it prompts readers to search for meaning.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in fiction and philosophical questions about ordinary life.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18663336,
          "author": "0db532a0",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:32:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663336",
          "commentText": "Personal summaries and opinions on some books I’ve read this year:\nThe First Man - Camus: A semi-autobiographical novel about his childhood growing up in Algeria in a poor family, his friendships, his educational successes and becoming a man.\nThe Unbearable Lightness of Being - Kundera: A realistic, unromantic look at the ideals involved in love, sexual and romantic relationships.\nLaughable Loves - Kundera: More of the same in the form of a collection of short stories. Thoroughly enjoyed.\nThe Only Way to Stop Smoking Permanently - Alan Carr: I’m not particularly into self-help books, but this has actually worked so far. It focusses on removing the desire to smoke, rather than increasing willpower not to smoke.\nMetamorphosis - Kafka: Looks at duty to family, social alienation and the equation of a man’s worth with his career and earning ability.\nWhat we cannot Know - du Sautoy: A not too poppy pop-science look into the limits of human knowledge and consciousness. Delves into maths, astronomy, philosophy, existence of a god, quantum physics. Still interesting as a graduate of mathematics, and answers a few questions I had about quantum physics.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "A realistic, unromantic look at the ideals involved in love, sexual and romantic relationships.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17062549,
          "author": "togusa2017",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-14T03:54:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17062549",
          "commentText": "1. Crime and Punishment . 2 Unbearable lightness of being. Opened my mind to not judge and always think about the other side of things",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2 Unbearable lightness of being. Opened my mind to not judge and always think about the other side of things",
          "reason": "The commenter says it opened their mind to withholding judgment and considering other perspectives.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14486168,
          "author": "patforna",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T08:56:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14486168",
          "commentText": "+1. Beautiful!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1. Beautiful!",
          "reason": "Agrees with the parent’s description of the book as beautiful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14479830,
          "author": "huac",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-04T04:03:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14479830",
          "commentText": "A non-tech, non-business recommendation: \"The Unbearable Lightness of Being\" by Milan Kundera. A beautiful story, told with equal parts philosophy, psychology, and humor, and honestly heartbreakingly beautiful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A non-tech, non-business recommendation: \"The Unbearable Lightness of Being\" by Milan Kundera. A beautiful story",
          "reason": "Describes it as a beautiful, heartbreakingly beautiful story blending philosophy, psychology, and humor.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567342,
          "author": "manlio",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T15:50:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567342",
          "commentText": "* The Doors of Perception, by Aldous Huxley. [0]\nSo famous it became a bit of a cliche. I read it years ago and it didn't make any sense to me. But now that I've been studying Buddhism and practicing meditation for a while I picked it up again and I found it nothing short of brilliant, packed with interesting insights on philosophy, the arts, theology, the history of mysticism and the quest for the meaning of life. I know it sounds trite, but I simply wasn't ready for it the first time.\n* The Unbearable Lightness of Being, by Milan Kundera. [1]\nI read this 10 years ago. It touched my heart back then and it did it again this time. It's one of the few works of fiction that changed, a little or a lot, the way I think about love, relationships, loneliness and happiness.\nI can't wait to re-read it a third time, in 10 years.\n[0] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5128.The_Doors_of_Percep... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5128.The_Doors_of_Perception_Heaven_and_Hell)\n[1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9717.The_Unbearable_Ligh... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9717.The_Unbearable_Lightness_of_Being)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It touched my heart back then and it did it again this time. It's one of the few works of fiction that changed, a little or a lot, the way I think about love, relationships, loneliness and happiness.",
          "reason": "The novel moved the commenter and changed how they think about relationships and happiness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10839003,
          "author": "vincentbarr",
          "createdAt": "2016-01-04T21:55:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 10833032,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book you've recently read and enjoyed?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10839003",
          "commentText": "The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753077,
          "author": "bherms",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T17:08:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753077",
          "commentText": "Hesse has come highly recommended.  I added several of his books to my list of must-reads.  I did a little research on Borges and think I'll have to read some of those stories.  I think Unbearable Lightness of Being was recently adapted into a movie, as I didn't know it was a book.  Will check it out.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I think Unbearable Lightness of Being was recently adapted into a movie, as I didn't know it was a book.",
          "reason": "Identifies the work as a book while discussing its film adaptation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752443,
          "author": "swombat",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T09:56:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752443",
          "commentText": "Most books by Hermann Hesse, really... Narziss&Goldmund changed my perspective on life. If you have anything artistic in you, it's a must-read. Steppenwolf, Siddharta and the Glass Bead Game are other must-reads.\nGabriel Garcia Marques, One hundred years of solitude.\nPractically all of Jorge Luis Borges' short stories. Mind-bending.\nMilan Kundera's Unbearable Lightness of Being.\nMichael Ende's Never Ending Story.\nEnjoy!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Milan Kundera's Unbearable Lightness of Being.",
          "reason": "Listed as a book suggestion in response to a request for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569456,
          "author": "akshayubhat",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T23:10:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569456",
          "commentText": "1. The Black Swan\n2. Fooled by Randomness\n3. The unbearable lighness of being\n4. Ahead of the Curve (Its about a student's experience at HBS)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The unbearable lighness of being",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876530,
          "author": "transmit101",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T11:58:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876530",
          "commentText": "The unbearable lightness of being - fabulous novel with some deep wisdom",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "fabulous novel with some deep wisdom",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the novel for its depth and wisdom.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876491,
          "author": "wynand",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T11:28:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876491",
          "commentText": "The unbearable lightness of being - Milan Kundera\nCandide - Voltaire",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The unbearable lightness of being - Milan Kundera",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to the thread’s request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Milan Kundera"
      ],
      "recommenders": 10,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "existentialism",
        "literary fiction",
        "czech literature",
        "love"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "concepts-techniques-and-models-of-computer-programming-2455e9",
      "title": "Concepts, Techniques, and Models of Computer Programming",
      "author": "Peter Van Roy and Seif Haridi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36807366,
          "author": "sn9",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T22:04:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36807366",
          "commentText": "For those interested in working through all three, the order to do so would be HTDP -> SICP -> CTMCP.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "-> CTMCP.",
          "reason": "Named as the third book in a suggested sequence for working through all three.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in working through all three books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36803294,
          "author": "billfruit",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T16:52:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36803294",
          "commentText": "Perhaps even better than the the other two.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Perhaps even better than the the other two.",
          "reason": "The commenter compares the book favorably with the other two mentioned in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36803081,
          "author": "karakot",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T16:38:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36803081",
          "commentText": "Concepts, Techniques, and Models of Computer Programming is also a great book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Concepts, Techniques, and Models of Computer Programming is also a great book.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32793609,
          "author": "lamontcg",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T19:04:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32793609",
          "commentText": "I think this might have been the textbook I was thinking of.  It wasn't SICP and I don't think it was CTM.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I don't think it was CTM.",
          "reason": "The commenter identifies it as another candidate they had ruled out when trying to recall a textbook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it was probably not the textbook they had in mind.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32792004,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T16:21:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32792004",
          "commentText": "Agreed, he/she really needs to take a look at this book - https://www.info.ucl.ac.be/~pvr/book.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Agreed, he/she really needs to take a look at this book",
          "reason": "Endorses the book named in the parent comment as a good choice for the reader.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32791854,
          "author": "fiddlerwoaroof",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T16:08:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32791854",
          "commentText": "That sounds to me like “Concepts, Techniques, and Models of Computer Programming”",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "That sounds to me like “Concepts, Techniques, and Models of Computer Programming”",
          "reason": "Proposes this title as a match for the requested programming language foundations textbook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29307647,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T15:48:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29307647",
          "commentText": "Awesome! Specifically not on my list already there's: Concepts, Techniques, and Models of Computer Programming; Smalltalk-80: The language and its implementation; The Architecture of Symbolic Computers and Project Oberon: The design of an operating system and compiler.\nThis reminds me Niklaus Wirth's Compiler Construction probably belongs in this thread.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Concepts, Techniques, and Models of Computer Programming",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762748,
          "author": "charlysl",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T04:31:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762748",
          "commentText": "1984 - because it was the first book in English that I read front to cover, with a dictionary by my side, and learned so much recurring essential vocabulary that after that effort I could read anything; by now I have read much more from the much larger pool of writings in English than in my mother language. And, of course, it made me look differently at so many things.\nThings Fall Appart - because it helped me understand how religions like Christianity  and other initially subversive beliefs spread, and the sudden impact of Western culture on other cultures.\nAnthropology (Marvin Harris) - because it impacted the way I look at humanity, society and history, and also helped me understand that marxism is much more than an arguably failed political doctrine.\nThe Bernstein Tapes about Critique of Pure Reason - I am still working through this, but has already impacted my conception of what knowledge is\nHistory of Western Philosophy (Bertrand Russel) - because it made me understand the interwining between ideas and history. A desert island book\nConcepts Techniques Models of Computer Programming - still working through it, because ir is making me realize I had no clue about programming and design. Best programming book I have come across\nThe Prince (Maquiavelli) - because it completely changed the way I look at politics and society\nThe Making of The Atomic Bomb - because it is a great way to see the incremental progress of science, and made me realize how much those at the leading edge extract from a few crumbles of information. Also the starkest description of the impact of industrialized killing in WW1,",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Concepts Techniques Models of Computer Programming - still working through it, because ir is making me realize I had no clue about programming and design. Best programming book I have come across",
          "reason": "Calls it the best programming book they have come across and says it changed their understanding of programming and design.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in programming and design.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is still working through it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12099250,
          "author": "selmat",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T06:28:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12099250",
          "commentText": "Updated as new comment since two hours already elapsed\n[1] Concepts, Techniques, and Models of Computer Programming (MIT Press) - URL: https://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Techniques-Models-Computer-P... (https://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Techniques-Models-Computer-Programming/dp/0262220695)\n[2] The Big Book of Concepts (MIT Press)  - URL: https://www.amazon.com/Big-Book-Concepts-MIT-Press/dp/026263... (https://www.amazon.com/Big-Book-Concepts-MIT-Press/dp/0262632993/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468535286&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Big+Book+of+Concepts)\n[3] Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid - URL: https://www.amazon.com/Gödel-Escher-Bach-Eternal-Golden/dp/0... (https://www.amazon.com/Gödel-Escher-Bach-Eternal-Golden/dp/0465026567/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468535300&sr=8-1&keywords=escher+godel+bach)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Concepts, Techniques, and Models of Computer Programming",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12097680,
          "author": "selmat",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-14T22:28:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12097680",
          "commentText": "1. https://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Techniques-Models-Computer-P... (https://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Techniques-Models-Computer-Programming/dp/0262220695)\n2. https://www.amazon.com/Big-Book-Concepts-MIT-Press/dp/026263... (https://www.amazon.com/Big-Book-Concepts-MIT-Press/dp/0262632993/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468535286&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Big+Book+of+Concepts)\n3. https://www.amazon.com/Gödel-Escher-Bach-Eternal-Golden/dp/0... (https://www.amazon.com/Gödel-Escher-Bach-Eternal-Golden/dp/0465026567/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468535300&sr=8-1&keywords=escher+godel+bach)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Techniques-Models-Computer-P...",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11230149,
          "author": "nextos",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T17:44:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11230149",
          "commentText": "I am, but I read it many years ago, so I might not be able to help",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I am, but I read it many years ago, so I might not be able to help",
          "reason": "Says they read the book many years ago, without evaluating it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter may not be able to help because it has been many years since reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229614,
          "author": "goc",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T14:43:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229614",
          "commentText": "I am reading CTM by Van Roy/Haridi and watching Van Roy's edx vids. Very nice explanations that require a lot of filling in the holes.\nIf someone else is familiar with Oz/Van Roy stuff, I have a question.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I am reading CTM by Van Roy/Haridi and watching Van Roy's edx vids. Very nice explanations that require a lot of filling in the holes.",
          "reason": "The commenter notes the explanations are very nice, while saying they require filling in many gaps.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The explanations require a lot of filling in the holes.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7759258,
          "author": "sateesh",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-17T04:50:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7759258",
          "commentText": "As part of the MOOC course Paradigms of Computer Programming \n(https://www.edx.org/course/louvainx/louvainx-louv1-01x-parad... (https://www.edx.org/course/louvainx/louvainx-louv1-01x-paradigms-computer-1203)) I read the initial parts of the book: \"Concepts, Techniques, and Models of Computer Programming\" \n(mitpress.mit.edu/books/concepts-techniques-and-models-computer-programming). The initial chapters provide a good approachable way to get started with functional programming. Though working with Oz (the programming language used in the book) gets some time to get used to, this is an excellent book. I am bit surprised that this book is not as well known, and probably I wouldn't have known about this book if not for the MOOC course.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The initial chapters provide a good approachable way to get started with functional programming. Though working with Oz (the programming language used in the book) gets some time to get used to, this is an excellent book.",
          "reason": "Calls the book excellent and praises its approachable introduction to functional programming.",
          "audience": "Readers getting started with functional programming",
          "caveat": "The Oz programming language takes time to get used to.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7756999,
          "author": "mtalantikite",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:23:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7756999",
          "commentText": "\"Concepts, Techniques, and Models of Computer Programming\" by Peter Van Roy and Seif Haridi.\nAlso \"The Reasoned Schemer\", which has the same pedagogical style as the other Schemer books, but works around logic programming.\nBoth of those books are mind benders and I've gotten a lot out of them recently.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Both of those books are mind benders and I've gotten a lot out of them recently.",
          "reason": "The commenter says both books are challenging and have been valuable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a mind bender.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Van Roy",
        "Seif Haridi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 10,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming languages",
        "concurrent programming",
        "programming paradigms",
        "computer science education"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "starting-strength-a67ae8",
      "title": "Starting Strength",
      "author": "Mark Rippetoe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43686220,
          "author": "PaulHoule",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-14T20:55:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 43685856,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What 3 Books Would You Recommend to Anyone?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43686220",
          "commentText": "I think \"life changing\" and \"universal\" are contradictory.\nA person who is ready to pick up the bar,  for instance,  would benefit from Rippetoe's Starting Strength but if you don't pick up the bar it's just another book (you might get something from just plain lifting Schwarzenegger's Modern Weighlifting though, if not the Misner, Thorne and Wheeler book Gravitation.)  Similarly Super System will change your life if you are serious about playing poker,  otherwise it's just a fun read like the D&D Monster Manual  I'd say that Ashcroft and Mermin's Solid State Physics was a great adventure even if I didn't end up doing physics in the end,  but I was a grad student in condensed matter and I took Ashcroft's class.  When I was wanting to explore the edges of applied philosophy and literature I felt Alain Badiou's Being and Event was meaningful to me but a lot of people would say it is obscurantist French trash like Derrida and if you believe that I can't change your mind.\nI'd tend to reject categorically that fiction could be life changing but maybe that's harsh.  So often people nominate books that to me are trash like Atlas Shrugged,  The Illuminati Trilogy or Hitchhiker's Guide.  From time to time though I do discover an author with a large body of work that I'm obsessed with for a few months,  like last year I rediscovered Poul Anderson (want to see Dominic Flandry have a fight with Kimball Kinnison) and got into Pratchett's Discworld.\nI think a lot of books that offer simple answers to things like books by Malcolm Gladwell and Robert Greene are often harmful and also I think Man's Search for Meaning by Frankl is absolute poison for 21st century people.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "would benefit from Rippetoe's Starting Strength",
          "reason": "The commenter says it benefits someone ready to begin barbell training.",
          "audience": "People ready to start lifting.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may be just another book if you do not lift.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416091,
          "author": "snappye",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T20:37:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416091",
          "commentText": "Influence - Psychology of persuasion\nGun Germs and Steel\nHero with a thousand faces\nStarting Strength",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Starting Strength",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8716587,
          "author": "hackerboos",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T14:36:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8716587",
          "commentText": "Starting strength is better for natural strength training.\nMike Mentzer is well known to have abused steroids to get his physique which is something I wouldn't be willing to do.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Starting strength is better for natural strength training.",
          "reason": "The commenter favors it for natural strength training.",
          "audience": "People interested in natural strength training.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8716578,
          "author": "suhailpatel",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T14:35:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8716578",
          "commentText": "Also read Starting Strength. I'd been lifting before I read it but my technique was very poor. The most I got out of the book was cues (such as actively push legs out when squatting to avoid cave in). Would definitely recommend!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also read Starting Strength. I'd been lifting before I read it but my technique was very poor. The most I got out of the book was cues",
          "reason": "The commenter says it provided useful technique cues and explicitly recommends it.",
          "audience": "People working on lifting technique.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8716565,
          "author": "randlet",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T14:32:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8716565",
          "commentText": "Starting Strength stands out for me too.  Starting a strength training routine has been a wonderful experience that I would highly encourage to everyone.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Starting Strength stands out for me too. Starting a strength training routine has been a wonderful experience that I would highly encourage to everyone.",
          "reason": "The commenter echoes the book recommendation and strongly encourages strength training.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7008527,
          "author": "timonv",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-03T22:01:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 7001282,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7008527",
          "commentText": "In no particular order:\nPolitics and philosophy:\nIshmael - Daniel Quinn (even though in the end, it's just a cute, in essence a softies introduction to anarchist communism)\nOn property - Proudhon (Meta, ye oldist anarchy)\nDas Kapital (If you read Marx, also read on Marx, can't stress this enough)\nBeyond good and evil (but in his thought in general) - Nietzsche (Mainly for showing there are no absolutes, moral is what we make of it, and in that moral we can excel)\nAnd so, so many others, philosophy really adds up, just keep on reading, there's fundamental books for sure, but every publication adds up in some respect.\nSports and nutrition:\nStarting Strength (for making me bad ass strong in the last couple years)\n'Paleo' diet (for showing an extreme solution for a more simple problem, that actually worked and made me not fat anymore)\nSome random books that made a huge impression the last years:\nThe Alchemist, for showing how humble you can experience the wonders of life\nSiddhartha, same really.\nA short summer of anarchy (biography of Durrutti, rise of \nanarchism in 30s Spain, out of print)\nCrime and Punishment and Karamazov (There's beauty in the darkest corners of the human spirit, and so much more)\nThe Prince\nButler (For using Nietzsche's deconstruction to argue against 'genetic' discrimination, controversial, but very good)\nMetamorphosis - Kafka (I don't have a one liner to summarize this. Just read it, it's < 100 pages)\nFunny enough, as far as Tech and Business goes, I skim books to get some details, but at the end of the day most value comes from hacking around. For both.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Starting Strength (for making me bad ass strong in the last couple years)",
          "reason": "The commenter credits it with helping them become much stronger.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5324293,
          "author": "alexhjones",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-05T13:24:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 5323956,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: which are some good self-help books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5324293",
          "commentText": "Getting Things Done http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getting_Things_Done\nThe Seven Habits of Highly Effective People http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seven_Habits_of_Highly_Effe... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seven_Habits_of_Highly_Effective_People)\nStarting Strength http://startingstrength.com/\n(controversial :-P) The Paleo solution http://www.amazon.com/Paleo-Solution-Original-Human-Diet/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Paleo-Solution-Original-Human-Diet/dp/0982565844)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Starting Strength",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3396315,
          "author": "ghshephard",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T16:51:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3396315",
          "commentText": "Starting Strength was definitely my best book of 2011.  I went from a reasonably out of shape cube denizen who strained at a 125 pound low bar back squat to a 300 pound low bar back squat in just seven months.  Rippetoe makes it very clear how any idiot can pick up a lot of strength in a very short period of time.  Great Book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rippetoe makes it very clear how any idiot can pick up a lot of strength in a very short period of time. Great Book.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its clear strength-building guidance and reports a substantial squat improvement.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3396018,
          "author": "yummyfajitas",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T15:23:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3396018",
          "commentText": "In a similar vein, I'd recommend Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe.\nBefore SS, my martial arts instructor always chided me: \"Crazybear, don't power through the disarm. There are lots of guys bigger than you. Get the leverage right.\"\nNow he tells newbies: \"Don't power through the disarm, it won't work on a guy like Crazybear. Get the leverage right.\"\nIt's a simple how-to guide to getting strong. Just follow the program he gives and you become stronger - it's time tested and works well for pretty much everyone. Be really careful with deadlifts, particularly if you have back issues.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend Starting Strength by Mark Rippetoe.",
          "reason": "Calls it a simple how-to guide that is time tested and works well for pretty much everyone.",
          "audience": "People seeking to get stronger.",
          "caveat": "Be careful with deadlifts, particularly if you have back issues.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2616502,
          "author": "dmc",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T14:44:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2616502",
          "commentText": "Currently reading Little Brother by Cory Doctorow - an OK book - and keeping Starting Strength by my side as a reference.\nStarting Strength is a great introduction to weightlifting and getting stronger, I highly recommend it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Starting Strength is a great introduction to weightlifting and getting stronger, I highly recommend it.",
          "reason": "Highly recommends it as a great introduction to weightlifting and getting stronger.",
          "audience": "People learning weightlifting.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Rippetoe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 10,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "strength training",
        "barbell training",
        "weightlifting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "superintelligence-paths-dangers-strategies-ae4dcf",
      "title": "Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies",
      "author": "Nick Bostrom",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38238205,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T07:44:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238205",
          "commentText": "- \"Going Infinite\", by Michael Lewis\n- \"Speed & Scale\", John Doerr\n- \"Superintelligence\", by Nick Bostrom\nAll great reads, strongly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- \"Superintelligence\", by Nick Bostrom",
          "reason": "The commenter includes it among books they strongly recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21853181,
          "author": "lodgeda",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T20:24:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21853181",
          "commentText": "Superintelligence by Nick Bostrom.  Don't read this before you go to bed though.   lolz",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Superintelligence by Nick Bostrom. Don't read this before you go to bed though.",
          "reason": "Suggests the book with a joking warning about reading it before bed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter jokes against reading it before bed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18755056,
          "author": "madrafi",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-25T00:21:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18755056",
          "commentText": "- Rationality From AI to Zombies (huge collection of essays about (rationality,intelligence,quantum physics,bayesian probability,philosophy...) that can be read on lesswrong.com)\n-Intuition Pumps and other Thinking Tools\n-Sapiens\n-Edward.O Wilson Letters to a young scientist\n-Cédric Villani Birth of a Theorem\n-Emanuel Derman Models Behaving Badly\n-Letters From A Stoic by Seneca\n-Mathematics it's contents methods 3 Volumes (Aleksandrov et al.)\n-Nick Bostrom Superinteligence\n-The Moral Animal by Robert Wright",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nick Bostrom Superinteligence",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite nonfiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17913622,
          "author": "Upvoter33",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T23:02:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17913622",
          "commentText": "I would love to hear more commentary on Bostrom. From the parts I've heard (in podcasts - still haven't read the book), it is a lot of talking about technology that is nowhere near where we are today, and thus (to me), a waste of time. But I am open to being convinced otherwise...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "still haven't read the book",
          "reason": "The commenter considers its focus on technology far from today's reality a waste of time, while remaining open to persuasion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The criticism is based on podcast excerpts; the commenter has not read the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13902818,
          "author": "tatoalo",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T18:47:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13902818",
          "commentText": "I'd spend my money on these two:\n- The Emotion Machine by Minsky\n- Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies by Nick Bostrom",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies by Nick Bostrom",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question asking for the best books on AI.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13902372,
          "author": "adastra",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T17:26:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13902372",
          "commentText": "The book is interesting, but the level of detail he goes into in some of his speculation is completely unjustified. It's kind of ridiculous.\n\"There's no sense in being precise when you don't even know what you're talking about.\" - von Neumann",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The book is interesting, but the level of detail he goes into in some of his speculation is completely unjustified.",
          "reason": "Finds the book interesting but criticizes the detail given to its speculation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says some speculation is unjustified and ridiculous.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13900454,
          "author": "curuinor",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T08:32:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13900454",
          "commentText": "There is lots of content in this book but there is no practical technical content in this book. Interesting philosophy.\nMuch of AI philosophy is done by extremely non-practitioners. John Searle can't code. Nick Bostrom came to coding extremely late in life. Geoffrey Hinton and the other ex-PDP folks wrote some philosophy papers, though, which are of interest if you like the philosophy.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "There is lots of content in this book but there is no practical technical content in this book. Interesting philosophy.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds its philosophical content interesting but says it lacks practical technical content.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No practical technical content.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13900399,
          "author": "shoshin23",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T08:03:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13900399",
          "commentText": "Superintelligence by nick bostrom. It's a book that explores how superintelligence could emerge, the different ways it can take off and what it means to us as humans. More importantly, the book takes on the difficult task of figuring out ways to make sure the AI is safe and not land up in the wrong hands. Pretty interesting read that doesnt really require technical know-how.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Superintelligence by nick bostrom. It's a book that explores how superintelligence could emerge",
          "reason": "Presented in response to a request for AI books; says it is an interesting read that needs no technical background.",
          "audience": "Readers without technical know-how.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11699910,
          "author": "willbank",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-15T07:33:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11699910",
          "commentText": "Superintelligence by Nick Bostrom, one of the leading minds analysing and developing AI as it relates to human civilisation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Superintelligence by Nick Bostrom, one of the leading minds analysing and developing AI as it relates to human civilisation.",
          "reason": "The commenter names it among good books read in 2016 and highlights the author's expertise on AI and human civilization.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8718352,
          "author": "marvin",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T19:08:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8718352",
          "commentText": "\"Superintelligence\" by Nick Bostrom was the most interesting book I read this year. It provides a comprehensive but accessible summary of the research on the ethics and security aspects of prospective general artificial intelligence.\nIf you have ever enjoyed reading the Lesswrong wiki or any of the readings from MIRI/SIAI, this book provides a really great summary.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Superintelligence\" by Nick Bostrom was the most interesting book I read this year.",
          "reason": "Calls it the most interesting book read that year and describes its coverage as comprehensive but accessible.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in AI ethics and safety; especially those who have read LessWrong or MIRI/SIAI material.",
          "caveat": "It summarizes research on prospective general AI; no stronger caveat stated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8258168,
          "author": "drtse4",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T15:39:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8258168",
          "commentText": "_dt47, if you like it read everything else from Hesse (continue with Steppenwolf, Narcissus and Goldmund, The Glass Bead Game).\nRight now, as late night reading, i'm in the midst of the sprawl trilogy of Gibson, i read Neuromancer more than a few years ago and now i'm checking out the rest.\nOther than this, i started \"Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies\", but i'm quickly getting bored.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "i started \"Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies\", but i'm quickly getting bored",
          "reason": "The commenter says they started it but are quickly getting bored.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is quickly getting bored.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nick Bostrom"
      ],
      "recommenders": 10,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "ai risk",
        "ai safety",
        "superintelligence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-chronicles-of-narnia-77041c",
      "title": "The Chronicles of Narnia",
      "author": "C. S. Lewis",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50119582,
          "author": "pmpmpmpm",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T15:25:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50119582",
          "commentText": "I can’t resist an invocation:)\nMost of these are old since I’ve been reading more articles these days but here are a few good books or series I’ve read more than twice: The Hobbit, LOTR, the Silmarillion, Neuromancer, the Chronicles of Narnia, Hong Lou Meng, The Heart Sutra, The Bhagavad Gita, The Tao De Ching, The Wheel of Time series, No country for old men, Persuasion, Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice, The Way of Kings, The Talisman, the Dark Tower Series, and The Prophet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Chronicles of Narnia",
          "reason": "Included among good books or series read more than twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 50041263,
          "author": "cpach",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T09:21:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50041263",
          "commentText": "As a small child I liked Janosch’s books about the tiger and the bear. For example Ich mach dich gesund, sagte der Bär (I’ll Make You Well, Tiger, Said the Bear).\nWhen I got a bit older I really enjoyed the Narnia books by CS Lewis. And The Belgariad by David Eddings.\nI read a lot, but many titles are probably not available in English.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed the Narnia books by CS Lewis.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed the books as they got older.",
          "audience": "Children who are a bit older",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 50039390,
          "author": "jep888",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T02:53:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50039390",
          "commentText": "The Narnia series, the Harry Potter series, Alice in Wonderland, Wind in the Willows,the Sherlock Holmes series (there are great versions of these made slightly easier for children to read), and of course all of Roald Dahl's books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Narnia series",
          "reason": "Named in a list of children’s books.",
          "audience": "Children; the commenter mentions easier-to-read versions for some titles.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 50037902,
          "author": "atlgator",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-10T22:40:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50037902",
          "commentText": "Chronicles of Narnia and Harry Potter were my favorite children's series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Chronicles of Narnia and Harry Potter were my favorite children's series.",
          "reason": "The commenter names it among their favorite children's series.",
          "audience": "Children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42966236,
          "author": "thx888",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-06T20:36:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42966236",
          "commentText": "The Chronies of Narnia by C.S. Lewis - I properly discovered it while reading to my kids",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Chronies of Narnia by C.S. Lewis",
          "reason": "Says they properly discovered it while reading to their children.",
          "audience": "Children and adults reading together.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26593778,
          "author": "jkingsbery",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-26T16:09:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26593778",
          "commentText": "I've gone through phases where I'm more or less organized.\nSince the start of COVID and not needing to commute, I found myself with time to exercise for the first time in many years. In order to use that time efficiently and avoid injuries that would inevitably come from someone in his late 30's pretending he's in his early 20's, I read a bunch of books around running, biking, strength training and nutrition over the summer.\nI try to make myself read some fiction, but I don't feel compelled too often enough, so it doesn't happen much. I end up re-reading Lord of the Rings and Chronicles of Narnia every 2-3 years.\nI've been listening to a few Audible books lately about Roman History. A finished a biography of Caesar and a book offering (yet another) set of theories on the fall of the Roman Empire. I'm currently listening to a book about Cicero's life.\nFor sorta-related-to-work I have a few really niche books I'm reading on Telecom OSS/BSS, network planning and telecom regulation.\nI think my favorite author remains GK Chesterton, he has a couple books I try to re-read every so often. It's fascinating how he was writing around 100 years ago, and how around 25% is super old-timey cultural references or things that no one would think today, but how much of it is still pretty relevant. Also, I haven't read anyone better at turning a phrase.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and Chronicles of Narnia every 2-3 years",
          "reason": "The commenter rereads the series every two to three years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23365128,
          "author": "bryanrasmussen",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-30T21:57:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23365128",
          "commentText": "I used to be able to do 200 pages in 4-6 hours (albeit not highly complicated books - Narnia books near the 4 hour limit ), but am out of practice reading for such extended periods due to having a family. Still I doubt that it could be over 8 hours for the simpler books.\nHuckelberry Finn, which is a pretty complicated book given all the dialect and the ideas it presents, used to take me about 8-9 hours. I recently read it over a period of 2 days in ebook reader during pauses in a pretty heavy schedule of taking care of kids, cleaning house etc.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Narnia books near the 4 hour limit",
          "reason": "The commenter uses the Narnia books as an example of books they could read quickly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17338589,
          "author": "ydnaclementine",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T14:41:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17338589",
          "commentText": "the lion the witch and the wardrobe\nwas recommended by my mom at a young age (1st grade?), read it a bunch of times in grade school (went to same school K-8 so had access to the same library).\nI should probably reread that whole series as an adult",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "that whole series",
          "reason": "The commenter says they should probably reread the series as an adult.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The rereading is tentative; no explicit evaluation of the series as a whole.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337335,
          "author": "auslegung",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:22:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337335",
          "commentText": "The Bible, Hobbit, LOTR series, Narnia, Catcher in the Rye, 1984, Papa Hemingway, these are all books that I’ve had to buy multiple times because they fall apart over the years. Never realized until just now how many comfort books I have...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Narnia",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13240800,
          "author": "cicero",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T22:06:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13240800",
          "commentText": "A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter Miller (recommended SF classic)\nThe Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis (an old favorite, recommended)\nThe Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco (some interesting parts, but overall a disappointment)\nTheology and Sanity - Frank Sheed (recommended; a very written description of the Catholic faith; weaknesses are it's long and it's aimed to a mid 20th c. audience)\nChristianity for Modern Pagans: Pascal's Pensees - Peter Kreeft (recommended; a good exposition of Blaise Pascal's thought)\nCatholicism: A journey to the heart of the faith - Robert Barron (recommended; a good explanation of Catholicism for the common person)\nHis Master's Voice - Stanislaw Lem (recommended; very intellectual look at the problem of first contact)\nThe Industries of the Future - Alec Ross (the robotics chapter is best; other parts are more light-weight; easy read)\nClouds of Witnesses - Dorothy Sayers (not my favorite Sayers mystery, but enjoyable)\nA Study in Scarlet - Arthur Conan Doyle (recommended)\nWhy Gender Matters - Leonard Sax (recommended; most of the book is based on good science, but he does go out on a limb a time or two.)\nOld School - Tobias Wolff (recommended; a world before widespread TV where high school boys actually got excited about literature)\nInfinite Space, Infinite God - Karina and Robert Fabian editors (story quality varies; I enjoyed some of them)\nThe Sign of Four - Arthur Conan Doyle (recommended)\nOn Stranger Tides - Tim Powers (recommended; I love Powers, but Anubis Gates and Last Call are better. Still, if you like pirates you should like this)\nThe Art of Worldly Wisdom - Baltasar Gracian (interesting)\nAquinas at Prayer: the Bible, Mysticism, and Poetry - Paul Murray (recommended; this shows a different side of Thomas Aquinas)\nAristotle for Everybody: Difficult Thought Made Easy - Mortimer Adler (recommended; I almost think this should be required reading)\nThe Pilgrim's Regress - C.S. Lewis (I enjoyed it, but the ideas Lewis argues against are somewhat dated.)\nEdit for formatting",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis (an old favorite, recommended)",
          "reason": "Described as an old favorite and recommended.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4598634,
          "author": "thejteam",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-01T18:42:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 4596721,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4598634",
          "commentText": "\"The Extraordinary Education of Nicholas Benedict\" for myself and \"The Voyage of the Dawn Treader\"(Chronicles of Narnia Series) for my children.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Chronicles of Narnia Series",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "The commenter says they are reading the series to their children.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1725179,
          "author": "Willwhatley",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-24T20:02:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1725179",
          "commentText": "Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson.\nAlice in Wonderland iff still young enough not to think girls are gross. Otherwise you must sneak up on him with the poetry, then introduce the book. (I've had success with reciting 'Jabberwocky' and 'The Walrus and the Carpenter.')\nLearn 'If,' by Kipling, by heart. Then teach it slowly and patiently.\nAs an aside, quite a lot of Kipling is truly excellently boy friendly.\nThe Proverbs of Solomon, et al. Found in any Bible or Talmud. Bears repeated reading, as most eastern 'wisdom' literature does (The Book of Five Rings, The Art of War, etc.).\nWhile we're at, why not the Narnia books? I loved them, and I'd no idea the Lion was apparently Jesus until I was nine or so.\nBut by far do not DO NOT forget Michel Ende's marvelous 'The Neverending Story.'\nIf you're only familiar with it from a movie, you've missed the best part, when the boy 'Bastian must take up arms and become the adventurer he has read about and loved.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "why not the Narnia books? I loved them",
          "reason": "Recommends the books and says they loved them.",
          "audience": "Boys.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "C. S. Lewis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 10,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s fantasy",
        "portal fantasy",
        "children s literature",
        "christian allegory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-subtle-art-of-not-giving-a-f-ck-af20ff",
      "title": "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck",
      "author": "Mark Manson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40329407,
          "author": "animeshz916",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-11T17:18:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40329407",
          "commentText": "1. The Wellness Sense - Om Swami\n2. The subtle art of not giving a f*ck - Mark Manson\nThere are a few more but these are the actual killers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The subtle art of not giving a f*ck - Mark Manson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40284907,
          "author": "xucian",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T12:56:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40284907",
          "commentText": "Zero to one\nThe lean startup\nThe 4-hour workweek\nThe subtle art of not giving a f*ck\n--\nWhat I've found out, biographies are the best thing for me because I always want to know what happens next, but I also learn invaluable lessons from the biographee (just googled this term now and it exists!), so it's a nice mix of story and self-help",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The subtle art of not giving a f*ck",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38573135,
          "author": "nicbou",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T19:33:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38573135",
          "commentText": "Wait, I got the titles confused. The LIFE-CHANGING MAGIC of not giving a fuck was great. The idea of Konmari applied to obligations was clever.\nThe Mark Manson one was not good.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The Mark Manson one was not good.",
          "reason": "The commenter says this book was not good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38561875,
          "author": "thorncorona",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T21:12:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38561875",
          "commentText": "Blogspam, perfected.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Blogspam, perfected.",
          "reason": "Dismisses the book as perfected blog spam.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20999662,
          "author": "dance2die",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-17T20:23:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20999662",
          "commentText": "All those fks in the first chapter really put me off..",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "All those fks in the first chapter really put me off..",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book's first chapter put them off.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The profanity in the first chapter was off-putting.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20998005,
          "author": "kaushikt",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-17T17:46:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20998005",
          "commentText": "I am finally reading \"The Subtle art of not giving a f*ck\". First 3 chapters in. Good read and more importantly, it's very well written.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Good read and more importantly, it's very well written.",
          "reason": "Calls it a good read and praises its writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18474115,
          "author": "chasedehan",
          "createdAt": "2018-11-17T05:27:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 18473561,
          "threadTitle": "Best book/paper you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18474115",
          "commentText": "Subtle art of not giving a f$@k\nAnd Ray Dalio’s Principles.\nBoth of those gave me personal aha moments. Neither was what I expected but both delivered.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Both of those gave me personal aha moments. Neither was what I expected but both delivered.",
          "reason": "Says both named books delivered personal insights.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Neither was what the commenter expected.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17985833,
          "author": "Hermione01",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-14T09:23:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17985833",
          "commentText": "For me it is \"The subtle art of not giving a fck\" by Mark Manson.\n“Self-awareness is like an onion. There are multiple layers to it, and the more you peel them back, the more likely you're going to start crying at inappropriate time.”",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "\"The subtle art of not giving a fck\" by Mark Manson.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910593,
          "author": "amrrs",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:58:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910593",
          "commentText": "1. Born a Crime (audiobook) by Trevor Noah is an entertaining yet thought-provoking listen\n2. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (just gives a different perception to success all together, at least did for me)\n3. Mastery (Robert Greene) - can be dismissed as Anecdotes but really powerful ones\n4. Deep Work (Cal Newport) - a guy who doesn't like to be on social media and I found reading about him and stumbled upon this and it's absolutely an insightful read\n5. The subtle art of not giving a fk - This is a short, beautiful and an amazing read even if you aren't looking for self improvement",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is a short, beautiful and an amazing read",
          "reason": "The commenter praises it as a short, beautiful, amazing read.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in self-improvement, though the commenter says it can appeal beyond that audience.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as short.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910349,
          "author": "quicratoric_28",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:37:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910349",
          "commentText": "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fc*k by Mark Manson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fc*k by Mark Manson",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for favorite nonfiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17525393,
          "author": "glorithm",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T18:21:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17525393",
          "commentText": "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, by Mark Manson\nhttps://www.amazon.ca/Subtle-Art-Not-Giving-Counterintuitive... (https://www.amazon.ca/Subtle-Art-Not-Giving-Counterintuitive/dp/0062641549/)\nRadical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity, by Kim Scott\nhttps://www.amazon.ca/Radical-Candor-Kick-Ass-Without-Humani... (https://www.amazon.ca/Radical-Candor-Kick-Ass-Without-Humanity-ebook/dp/B01KTIEFEE)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, by Mark Manson",
          "reason": "Listed as a response to a request for interesting recent books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15962109,
          "author": "fgandiya",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T17:48:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15962109",
          "commentText": "This year I read:\n1. The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Computer - A steampunk graphic novel about Ada Lovelace and Charlie Babbage. Fun story with loads of research to back it up. Got even better when I got to go the UK and explore the places they worked at in their livetimes\n2. The Hardware Hacker - A compilation of storis by bunnie focused on the hardware/maker(ish) ecosystem. Also discusses the Chinese manufacturing ecosystem and answers questions that most people have about it.\n3. Technically Wrong - A book about how tech can sometimes leave lots of people behind for one reason or another and how we can fix them. A very quick read.\n4. The Masters of Doom - The story of id Software, the company which spawned an entire genre with games like Doom and Wolfenstwein in its early days.\n5. Blood, Sweat and Pixels - The book looks into how video games are made and the many challenges along the way. Focuses on ten games from solo all the way to AAA titles. Really good if you want to know why video games turn out the way they do. After reading this, you'll double take whenever you hear of a delayed game, cancelled project, E3 demos and buggy releases. It also has some uplifting moments.\n6. My textbooks :).\nHopefully I can also read The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, Deep Work and CODE.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Hopefully I can also read The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, Deep Work and CODE.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter hopes to read it; no evaluation is given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961784,
          "author": "BlackjackCF",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T17:19:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961784",
          "commentText": "1. Fermat's Enigma: The Epic Quest to Solve the World's Greatest Mathematical Problem - I've been on a giant math books kick. I really enjoyed Simon Singh's other book, The Code Book, so this one is awesome.\n2. The Code Book - If you're really into the history of cryptography, this book is for you.\n3. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck - Not a really a revelatory book by any sorts. But a fun read.\n4. The Handmaid's Tale - Revisiting this since the TV series came out and I really felt like getting traumatized all over again.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Not a really a revelatory book by any sorts. But a fun read.",
          "reason": "Calls it a fun read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not especially revelatory.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14860010,
          "author": "bawigga",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:30:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14860010",
          "commentText": "I've just recently become fascinated with Stoicism after reading the Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck!\nI've since read through Meditations, Letters from a Stoic and The Art of Living, and am really enjoying The Daily Stoic every morning before work. r/stoicism is also great.\nDo you have any other books/resources you recommend on the subject?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "after reading the Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck!",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14481458,
          "author": "feignix",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-04T13:26:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14481458",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n1. Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes\nbecause it's so beautifully written and made me experience a flood of emotions.\n2. The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry\nAgain, a very touching, charming book about a little kid's world(universe?) view, told through his adventures.\nNon-fiction:\n1. The subtle art of not giving a F*ck - Mark Manson\nOpened my eyes to what I was possibly doing wrong with my life.\n2. Radical Acceptance - Tara Brach\nStill currently reading it, but I wish I'd found it earlier.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Opened my eyes to what I was possibly doing wrong with my life.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them see what they might be doing wrong in life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14478716,
          "author": "febin",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T21:58:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478716",
          "commentText": "The Holy Bible\nStart With Why\nThe Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck\nThink Like a Freak\nSmartCuts",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13240451,
          "author": "fokz",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T21:15:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13240451",
          "commentText": "Is \"The Subtle Art of not Giving a f*ck\" good? In what way does it affect you?",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Is \"The Subtle Art of not Giving a f*ck\" good?",
          "reason": "The commenter asks whether the book is good; they do not express an opinion or recommend it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13240233,
          "author": "leandot",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T20:44:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13240233",
          "commentText": "Tech: Relevant Search, Clojure for the Brave and True\nPersonal: The Subtle Art of not Giving a f*ck\nSci-Fi: Red Rising\nFantasy: Powder Mage, Age of Myth\nAnd a plug, but on topic - book mentions on HN: http://hackernewsbooks.com",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Personal: The Subtle Art of not Giving a f*ck",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Manson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 10,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self help",
        "personal development",
        "values"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "turing-s-cathedral-220699",
      "title": "Turing's Cathedral",
      "author": "George Dyson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48982848,
          "author": "golly_ned",
          "createdAt": "2026-07-20T18:26:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 48981842,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favourite science history book of the 20th century?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48982848",
          "commentText": "Turing's cathedral, on the invention and development of the earliest digital computers just before, during, and after WWII. Lots of excellent detail, descriptions of the personalities and relationships of many interesting people, like von Neumann.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Turing's cathedral",
          "reason": "A detailed account of the invention and early development of digital computers.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in early computing history and the people involved.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43093529,
          "author": "a_tartaruga",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-18T18:48:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 43084739,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction/non-fiction book should everyone read on the topic of CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43093529",
          "commentText": "MANIAC & Turing's Cathedral",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Turing's Cathedral",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42650656,
          "author": "jtcond13",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-09T22:49:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42650656",
          "commentText": "Turing's Cathedral by George Dyson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Turing's Cathedral by George Dyson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36581482,
          "author": "conz",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-04T02:30:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36581482",
          "commentText": "In no order in particular, these are good books:\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/722412.The_Dream_Machine\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackers:_Heroes_of_the_Compute... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackers:_Heroes_of_the_Computer_Revolution)\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12625589-turing-s-cathed... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12625589-turing-s-cathedral)\nhttps://openlibrary.org/books/OL27198205M/Fire_in_the_valley",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12625589-turing-s-cathed...",
          "reason": "Listed as a good book on the history of technology.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the history of technology.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22707127,
          "author": "Insanity",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T21:35:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22707127",
          "commentText": "some that I read and recommend:\n- Turing's cathedral\n- Hackers: heroes of the computer revolution\n- masters of doom (game dev history more than cs)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Turing's cathedral",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter says they read and recommend.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computer history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22707090,
          "author": "fancyfredbot",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T21:31:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22707090",
          "commentText": "Turing's Cathedral is fantastic. The most enjoyable computer science history book I've read. Highly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Turing's Cathedral is fantastic. The most enjoyable computer science history book I've read. Highly recommended.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it fantastic, their most enjoyable computer science history book, and highly recommends it.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computer science history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22706953,
          "author": "Oarch",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T21:12:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22706953",
          "commentText": "+1 for Turing's Cathedral. As mentioned, it's a lot about von Neumann. Slightly dense writing style but does a great job of explaining some of the key intellectual breakthroughs behind development of the computer. It's most about the 1940s-50s but it sets the historical context well (both contemporary and going back to Gottfried Leibnitz).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "+1 for Turing's Cathedral.",
          "reason": "The commenter endorses the book and says it explains key intellectual breakthroughs behind computer development.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in early computing and its intellectual foundations.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes the writing as slightly dense and says it focuses mostly on the 1940s–50s.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22706639,
          "author": "kratom_sandwich",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T20:38:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22706639",
          "commentText": "Haven't read them, but they are on my to-do-list:\n\"Turing's Cathedral\"\nhttps://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/mar/25/turings-cathed... (https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/mar/25/turings-cathedral-george-dyson-review)\n\"The Innovators\"\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Innovators_%28book%29",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Turing's Cathedral\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is on their to-do list.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computer history.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have not read it yet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21902992,
          "author": "anaphor",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T00:48:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902992",
          "commentText": "Most of mine are going to be books by philosophers or scientists (about philosophy or other things).\n- The Conquest of Happiness by Bertrand Russell was a pretty good one. He has a lot of ideas that were ahead of their time (positive psychology, etc). You can see a lot of parallels between his ideas and modern Stoicism (although Russell criticized it elsewhere, I think he came to some of the same conclusions).\n- Introduction To Mathematical Philosophy by Bertrand Russell. Another Russell one. I think this is probably the clearest and easiest to understand explanation I've ever read of the underpinnings of mathematical foundations. It's written in a style that should be accessible to almost anyone with a high school education. He wrote it while he was in prison (for refusing to be drafted) during WW1. Apparently he left a copy of it to the prison warden.\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding by David Hume. This is worth reading because it is the motivation for basically all of modern philosophy of science (at least in the west). It's also pretty easy to read and if you read it you'll be able to more easily understand other books and papers that are responses to it.\n- Turing's Cathedral by George Dyson. This book should be required reading for every programmer or aspiring programmer IMO. I learned so much about the history of computing that I didn't know before reading this. You will not regret buying this one.\n- I Am A Strange Loop by Douglas Hofstadter. Obviously everyone knows about GEB, but he also wrote a shorter follow up that in my opinion expresses his ideas much more clearly. I think that even if you disagree with him, it's worth reading because there are so many things you can take away from this book. For example, he talks about his wife's death, and ties that into his theory of mind and explains the unstated purposes of why we have funerals/wakes for people.\n- An Introduction to Information Theory by John R. Pierce. For someone like me who doesn't really have a very strong math background, this was a very clear intro to the ideas behind information theory, and why they're important historically. I would recommend this to anyone who feels like they need a gentle intro to the ideas and motivation for them. Dover mathematics books in general are great.\n- Borrow: The American Way of Debt by Louis Hyman. This is a fantastic historical overview of personal credit in the US that covers the past 120 years or so. I learned a ton from reading this that I had no clue about. Recommended to anyone who wants to understand the origins of credit cards / loans, and how society came to embrace being in debt.\nhttps://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.222834/page/n7\nhttps://people.umass.edu/klement/imp/imp-ebk.pdf\nhttps://archive.org/details/humeenquiry00humerich/page/n7\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Turings-Cathedral-Origins-Digital-Uni... (https://www.amazon.com/Turings-Cathedral-Origins-Digital-Universe/dp/1400075998)\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Am-Strange-Loop-Douglas-Hofstadter/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Am-Strange-Loop-Douglas-Hofstadter/dp/0465030793)\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Information-Theory-Symbo... (https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Information-Theory-Symbols-Mathematics/dp/0486240614)\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Borrow-American-Debt-Louis-Hyman/dp/0... (https://www.amazon.com/Borrow-American-Debt-Louis-Hyman/dp/0307741680)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book should be required reading for every programmer or aspiring programmer IMO.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommended for its history of computing, which the commenter says taught them a lot.",
          "audience": "Programmers and aspiring programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296923,
          "author": "fiddyschmitt",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T09:37:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296923",
          "commentText": "The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood. An easily digestible summary of information and key figures in its history.\nTuring's Cathedral (or as my brothers call it: Von Neumann's Cathedral). An awesome account of the history of computation, and the obstacles that had to be overcome.\nCryptonomicon. Hilarious\nThe Strangest Man, by Graham Farmelo. A biography of delightfully awkward Paul Dirac.\nThe Library of Babel, by Jorge Luis Borges. Thought provoking and profound.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Turing's Cathedral (or as my brothers call it: Von Neumann's Cathedral). An awesome account of the history of computation, and the obstacles that had to be overcome.",
          "reason": "Praises it as an awesome account of computing history and its obstacles.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Dyson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 10,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "early computing",
        "history of computing",
        "early computers",
        "computer science history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bad-blood-secrets-and-lies-in-a-silicon-valley-startup-19bc8b",
      "title": "Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup",
      "author": "John Carreyrou",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29671070,
          "author": "emodendroket",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T06:56:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29671070",
          "commentText": "Bad Blood was a great one, though one that makes you feel like there's a deep rot at the heart of the American elite.\nI haven't read that Keefe book but I really enjoyed The Snakehead.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Bad Blood was a great one, though one that makes you feel like there's a deep rot at the heart of the American elite.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book while noting its unsettling impression of the American elite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The book leaves the reader feeling there is deep rot in the American elite.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27329453,
          "author": "Qriba",
          "createdAt": "2021-05-30T00:17:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 27326937,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good book on companies/individuals failure stories?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27329453",
          "commentText": "Bad Blood by John Carreyrou.\nYou will be in for a ride.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bad Blood by John Carreyrou.\nYou will be in for a ride.",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to a request for failure stories.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in company failure stories.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804899,
          "author": "AGivant",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:29:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804899",
          "commentText": "Here is my list (from https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/912138-alex-givant?rea...):\nMemoirs:\n- Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti..).\n- Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive by Land, Stephanie, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39218350-maid\n- Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40409969-medium-raw\n- Confessions of a Tax Collector: One Man's Tour of Duty Inside the IRS by Yancey, Rick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_..).\n- The Perfect Predator: A Scientist's Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Superbug: A Memoir by Steffanie Strathdee, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-pre... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-predator)\nPolitics:\n- Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Desmond, Matthew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25852784-evicted\n- Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America by Leovy, Jill, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13153693-ghettoside\n- American Prison: A Reporter's Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment by Bauer, Shane, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38561954-american-prison\n- Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Eban, Katherine, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42448266-bottle-of-lies\n- A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America by Miller, T. Christian, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35805861-a-false-report\n- The New Silk Roads by Frankopan, Peter, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro..).\nHistory:\n- Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-1956 by Applebaum, Anne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13531848-iron-curtain\n- The Romanovs: 1613-1918 by Montefiore, Simon Sebag, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26109020-the-romanovs\n- The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Johnson, Steven, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36086.The_Ghost_Map\n- Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations by Bergman, Ronen, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f..).\n- Madame Fourcade's Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against Hitler by Olson, Lynne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade..).\n- Argo: How the CIA & Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History by Méndez, Antonio J., https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13588425-argo\nCrime:\n- Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History by Selby, Scott Andrew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7071759-flawless\n- American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road by Bilton, Nick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi..).\n- Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by Carreyrou, John, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37976541-bad-blood\n- Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World by Wright, Tom, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-..).\n- The Mastermind: Drugs. Empire. Murder. Betrayal. by Ratliff, Evan, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41181600-the-mastermind\nTechnology:\n- Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon by Zetter, Kim, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze..).\n- Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World by Thompson, Clive, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40406806-coders",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by Carreyrou, John",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list of favorite nonfiction books read in 2019.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21793087,
          "author": "janvdberg",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T23:20:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793087",
          "commentText": "These are a few of the ones I read this year and that the average HN reader would also probably enjoy (links are to my blog):\n* Why We Sleep: https://j11g.com/2019/05/31/why-we-sleep-matthew-walker/\n* The Effective Executive: https://j11g.com/2019/03/18/the-effective-executive-peter-dr... (https://j11g.com/2019/03/18/the-effective-executive-peter-drucker/)\n* High Output Management: https://j11g.com/2019/01/29/high-output-management-andrew-s-... (https://j11g.com/2019/01/29/high-output-management-andrew-s-grove/)\n* Bad Blood: https://j11g.com/2019/01/21/bad-blood-john-carreyrou/\n* The 7 Habits (I reread this after a long time and it still holds up!) https://j11g.com/2019/09/30/the-7-habits-of-highly-effective... (https://j11g.com/2019/09/30/the-7-habits-of-highly-effective-people-stephen-covey/)\n* A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again – David Foster Wallace (This is just an amazing book and became one of my all time favorites) https://j11g.com/2019/08/08/a-supposedly-fun-thing-ill-never... (https://j11g.com/2019/08/08/a-supposedly-fun-thing-ill-never-do-again-david-foster-wallace/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Bad Blood: https://j11g.com/2019/01/21/bad-blood-john-carreyrou/",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books the commenter read and thinks the average HN reader would enjoy.",
          "audience": "The average Hacker News reader, as described by the commenter.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21792712,
          "author": "xwowsersx",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T22:19:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21792712",
          "commentText": "Not from 2019, but \"Bad Blood\" by John Carreyrou, detailing the Theranos scandal. A truly spellbinding work of investigative journalism.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A truly spellbinding work of investigative journalism.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a spellbinding work of investigative journalism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It was published before 2019.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21792269,
          "author": "chupa-chups",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T21:09:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21792269",
          "commentText": "Bad blood.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Blood:_Secrets_and_Lies_in... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Blood:_Secrets_and_Lies_in_a_Silicon_Valley_Startup)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bad blood.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20334366,
          "author": "Tokiin",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T12:33:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20334366",
          "commentText": "Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou\nThe ride to the top and then rock bottom for Theranos is a wild one, and the author does a great job of not letting you put this book down once you start.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the author does a great job of not letting you put this book down once you start.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book as gripping and recommends it in response to the request for a summer read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18744608,
          "author": "wp381640",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T05:30:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744608",
          "commentText": "released this year and great reads:\n* Bad Blood - mentioned tons of times\n* Billion Dollar Whale - story of the 1MDB scandal\n* Black Edge - chronicles insider trading on wall street\n* The Billionaire Raj - about India's income inequality and ruling oligarchy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bad Blood - mentioned tons of times",
          "reason": "Includes the book in a list of recent releases answering a favorite nonfiction books question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment notes it has been mentioned often but gives no personal evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18744408,
          "author": "sizzzzlerz",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T04:20:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744408",
          "commentText": "* Bad Blood  - John Carreyou\nThis has been listed multiple times. Depicts the darkside of the startup phenomena\n* Chasing New Horizons - Alan Stern, David Grinspoon\nDocuments the people and machine that explored Pluto\n* Sunburst and Luminary - Don Eyles\nHistory of the Apollo guidance computer software from the man who wrote it",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bad Blood  - John Carreyou\nThis has been listed multiple times. Depicts the darkside of the startup phenomena",
          "reason": "Depicts the darker side of startup culture; listed multiple times in the discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17520386,
          "author": "saryant",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T03:44:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17520386",
          "commentText": "1) Devil Take the Hindmost: A History of Financial Speculation by Edward Chancellor\nEverything from the tulip craze to the dotcom boom.\n2) If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look On My Face? by Alan Alda\nAlan Alda of MASH fame teaches you how to build more empathy and improve your communication skills.\n3) Bad Blood by James Carreyou\nTheranos.  Enough said.\n4) Directorate S: The C.I.A. and America's Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan by Steve Coll\nI think of this as the last book in Coll's unofficial trilogy on Afghanistan.  First up was Ghost Wars, a history of American involvement in Afghanistan from the Soviet invasion up to 2001.  Second is his biography on the Bin Laden family.  Last year he released Directorate S, a chronicle of American and Pakistani involvement post-9/11 primarily told through the lens of the Pakistani intelligence directorate tasked with influencing Afghanistan.\nColl has interviews with everyone from in-country CIA agents and foot soldiers who were on the ground all the way up to defense secretaries and military leaders, from both sides.  An in-depth examination of what went wrong and why we're still stuck there.\n5) Deep South: Four Seasons on Back Roads by Paul Theroux.\nThe greatest travel writer of the last half-century finally turns his attention homeward: the American Deep South.  Four road trips over four seasons.  He published an article in Smithsonian Magazine hitting the highlights: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/soul-south-180951861/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bad Blood by James Carreyou\nTheranos.  Enough said.",
          "reason": "Listed as a reading suggestion; “Enough said” gives no clear evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Carreyrou"
      ],
      "recommenders": 10,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "theranos",
        "investigative journalism",
        "silicon valley",
        "startup fraud"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-algorithms-e12bd4",
      "title": "Introduction to Algorithms",
      "author": "Thomas H. Cormen, Charles E. Leiserson, Ronald L. Rivest, Clifford Stein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40851067,
          "author": "pkrzysiek",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-01T21:43:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 40840658,
          "threadTitle": "Books to Dive in into Fullstack Development",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40851067",
          "commentText": "Thank you for the reply,after rethinking my post I understood that the question is very imprecise but after some insight from here and another post I've been shown,I think I will start Fundamentals of Web Development 3rd Edition and decide what to do after reading that (and gaining more insight about web dev hopefully)\nCurrently I'm reading Python's crash course along with CLRS,planning to start reading that book after those.\nGonna need all the MOOPs I've seen here too for sure!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "along with CLRS",
          "reason": "The commenter names it as a book they are currently reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29290530,
          "author": "jsonjason",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-20T18:26:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29290530",
          "commentText": "Another vote for Tim Roughgarden’s work. As someone who recently became a software engineer without a cs degree, his Stanford Algorithms I & II lectures (similar content to his books) have been the best instruction I’ve had on DS&A. I’ve dabbled with Skiena’s book, Grokking Algorithms, CTCI, and I now also have a copy CLRS that I use for reference or to go deeper on certain things. But I revisit Tim’s work all the time. Can’t recommend him enough.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I now also have a copy CLRS that I use for reference",
          "reason": "The commenter uses it for reference or to explore particular topics more deeply.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29278645,
          "author": "MalayAgr",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-19T16:09:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29278645",
          "commentText": "For algorithms, I can't think of a book better than CLRS, honestly, unless you want to read The Art of Computer Programming by Knuth. For data structures, a great book with a huge amount of detail is Data Structures Using C and C++ by Langsam and Tanenbaum.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can't think of a book better than CLRS",
          "reason": "Recommended as the best algorithms book, with a separate detailed recommendation for data structures.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29277476,
          "author": "zamkam",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-19T14:26:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29277476",
          "commentText": "Truth is, if you want to really learn algorithms and data structures, then you are the one who has to \"go into the details\". CLRS is the bible, I can't think of a better book, and you don't have to read it sequentially because most chapters are independent of each other.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "CLRS is the bible",
          "reason": "Calls it the best book on algorithms and says chapters can be read independently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says readers must work through the details themselves.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29218469,
          "author": "aabaker99",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T16:59:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29218469",
          "commentText": "I find the writing style in CLRS to be quite readble. Sure the book is huge but so maybe pick and choose chapters but each chapter can be read \"cover to cover\". Perhaps some of the stack details you are looking for are left to exercises in CLRS? Most good \"textbooks\" will do this. Perhaps you don't want a general textbook on data structures but want a deep dive article on stacks.\nI admit I haven't explored many other books on this topic but CLRS is very good in my opinion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I find the writing style in CLRS to be quite readble.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds its writing style readable and calls it very good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that the book is huge and suggests choosing chapters.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29218453,
          "author": "uptheroots",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T16:57:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29218453",
          "commentText": "CLRS is what I used in college",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "CLRS is what I used in college",
          "reason": "The commenter used it in college.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29218148,
          "author": "dhanna",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T16:26:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29218148",
          "commentText": "Yes there’s lots of algorithm books! Too many to learn them all. I had an anxiety attack and bought most of the introductory algo books mentioned in CLRS chapter 1.\nI liked ALGS4 by Sedgewick as my introduction to Algorithms. I still refer to the Coursera course.  I actually started with CLRS and doubled back to ALGS4. I wish I did it in reverse order but it was still useful reading CLRS and refreshing my math skills.\nI would say grab a few and see which ones you like. CLRS, ALGS4, Algorithm Design Manual, and Algorithm Design by Kleinberg and Tardos are a good start. You can look in the bibliography of each books for more suggestions from the experts themselves.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I actually started with CLRS and doubled back to ALGS4.",
          "reason": "Listed as one of several books to consider; the commenter began with it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter wishes they had read ALGS4 first.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21313367,
          "author": "sweeneyrod",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T15:27:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21313367",
          "commentText": "I don't think there are any. The problem with learning computer science from textbooks is that most textbooks will go a lot further than just the fundamentals on the subjects they cover. So if you try to learn the basics by choosing a textbook for each area and read it cover to cover you'll never finish. Perhaps the answer is to thoroughly read the first few chapters/skim the remainder of Introduction to Algorithms; the Dragon book; Computer Networks/Architecture/etc.: A Systems/Quantitative/etc. Approach; Types and Programming Languages; Security Engineering; AI: A Modern Approach and so on -- that was certainly my experience of undergrad CS. A few exceptions are K&R, The Mythical Man-Month and What Every Computer Scientist Should Know About Floating-Point Arithmetic which are short enough that you can easily read them in their entirety.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Introduction to Algorithms",
          "reason": "Suggests reading its first chapters and skimming the rest as one way to learn CS fundamentals.",
          "audience": "People learning undergraduate computer science.",
          "caveat": "Suggests skimming the remainder rather than reading it cover to cover.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21312313,
          "author": "bo1024",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T14:01:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21312313",
          "commentText": "CS is like math, not philosophy -- the fundamental ideas are gradually refined by a community, and eventually someone puts them into a book. Usually there are many books and people have different favorites.\nSo the closest parallels are original research papers like Turing's and Shannon's; but you're probably better off reading more recent textbooks.\nThat said, to balance out the heavy emphasis on programming and engineering books here, some recommendations:\n- Sipser. Introduction to the Theory of Computation.\n- Russell, Norvig. AI: A Modern Approach.\n- For algorithms I don't have a preference. There is Dasgupta-Papadimitriou-Vazirani; Cormen-Leisersen-Rivest-Stein; Kleinberg-Tardos; and more.\nA bit farther from core CS, I also like:\n- Cover, Thomas. Elements of Information Theory.\n- Li, Vitanyi. An Introduction to Kolmogorov Complexity and Its Applications",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "There is Dasgupta-Papadimitriou-Vazirani; Cormen-Leisersen-Rivest-Stein; Kleinberg-Tardos; and more.",
          "reason": "Listed as an algorithms textbook option, while the commenter says they have no preference.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not express a preference among the listed books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21312310,
          "author": "einpoklum",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T14:00:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21312310",
          "commentText": "While \"The Art of Computer Programming\" is a great book, it's not a fundamental book. I'd say it's more of a re-distillation plus some of Knuth's personal take on things.\nAlso, I'd add, at least:\nIntroduction to Algorithms / Cormen, Leiserson & Rivest (and recently also Stein)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Introduction to Algorithms / Cormen, Leiserson & Rivest (and recently also Stein)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20729447,
          "author": "probably_wrong",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T10:44:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20729447",
          "commentText": "I'm going to disagree slightly with your choice (which was also my choice at first). While A.D.M. has all the topics you would be interested in, I think the book assumes that you have already groked the fundamentals behind, say, why a linked list is different from an array. For an absolute beginner, I would suggest the type of book that forces you to go through every step of deleting an item from a list, which is something Skiena's book (luckily) doesn't do. The book is great for learning new ways to think about problems, but IMHO a beginner should learn the basic ways first.\n\"Introduction to Algorithms\" by CLRS seems to be the default choice, and it seems to me to be a step in the right direction (based on the TOC).\nI would also like to second your point that CS is more than algorithms and data structures. I feel Dijkstra would not approve of thinking about CS as \"that thing you do after learning a programming language\".",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Introduction to Algorithms\" by CLRS seems to be the default choice",
          "reason": "Suggested as a step in the right direction for learning algorithms.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter bases this judgment on the table of contents.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20729402,
          "author": "andyljones",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T10:31:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20729402",
          "commentText": "Skiena's Algorithm Design Manual:\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Algorithm-Design-Manual-Steven-Skiena... (https://www.amazon.com/Algorithm-Design-Manual-Steven-Skiena/dp/1849967202)\nFar more readable than the usual text (Cormen), the first half is a guide on how to select and design algorithms for the problems you encounter, and the second half is a whistle-stop tour of hundreds of well-known algorithms. The tour helped me a lot with X->Y esque issues where I was building bad solutions because I didn't know anything better could exist.\nIncidentally, there's a lot more to CS theory than algorithms and data structures, but if you're asking on HN for a generic CS theory book, I reckon it's most likely an algorithms and data structures book that you're after.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Cormen",
          "reason": "Named as the usual text for algorithms; the commenter describes it as less readable than Skiena's book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as less readable than The Algorithm Design Manual.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9045612,
          "author": "Yadi",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-13T17:38:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 9044833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I have $2k for books, training and confs. What should I spend it on?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9045612",
          "commentText": "I would buy and look into the following books:\n# HTTP: The Definitive Guide - O'Reilly Media\n# Algorithms by Sedgewick\n# Introduction to Algorithms by Cormen.\nCheck out some Machine Learning books:\n# Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning\n# Computer Networks (5th Edition)\nI would look at the following book if you wanted more Q&A and interview questions:\n# Cracking the Coding Interview: 150 Programming Questions ...\nTutorial memberships:\n# I would buy a Tuts+ account, they have been very slow in releasing new content (too bad), however they have lots of great Web Development stuff.\nI would read some other non-technical books:\n# Hackers & Painters: Big Ideas from the Computer Age by Paul Graham\n# The Hard Thing About Hard Things by  Ben Horowitz\n# The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book That Will Change The Way You Do Business by Clayton M. Christenen,\n# Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman\n# How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie\nIf you wanted to understand some Cloud stuff, look into the Whitepapers from Amazon Web Services:\n# https://aws.amazon.com/whitepapers/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Introduction to Algorithms by Cormen.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414863,
          "author": "cema",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T12:48:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414863",
          "commentText": "FYI, you have listed several books twice (SICP, Intro to Algorithms).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "FYI, you have listed several books twice (SICP, Intro to Algorithms).",
          "reason": "Identifies it as a book duplicated in the list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414509,
          "author": "dytrivedi",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T09:58:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414509",
          "commentText": "Godel, Escher, Bach\nSICP\nArt of Computer Programming\nC Programming Language\nIntroduction to Algorithms\nLand of Lisp\n-- Extracted from my wishlist - http://flipkart.com/wishlist/dhavaltrivedi",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Introduction to Algorithms",
          "reason": "Lists it among books on the commenter's wishlist in a thread asking for useful CS books.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking computer science study resources.",
          "caveat": "Listed as a wishlist item; no specific evaluation is given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 55485,
          "author": "ambition",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-17T02:25:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 55372,
          "threadTitle": "Question: What are the best books on algorithms?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=55485",
          "commentText": "It depends on what you want to get out of them. \nIf all you do is build a library, you'll never get anything out of it, since you actually need to study the books for that. :P\nIf you want a reference, then by all means take aston and Hexayurt's excellent suggestions. Especially CLRS.\nIf you don't know much about algorithms right now, then you'll find Cormen et al. very challenging to start with.\nIf you're like me, you want to be able to use algorithms as a tool to solve real problems. \nTo practice that, I have a few suggestions, if I may be so bold. \nPick up a copy of the Algorithm Design Manual and Programming Challenges, by Steven Skiena. Programming Challenges will introduce you to the ACM-ICPC repository of programming problems, which is a great low-pressure area to build some top-notch skill in algorithms. You'll want to get into TopCoder as well. \nFor a slightly different taste, pick up Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach, by Stuart Russell and Peter Norvig, also known as AIMA or the Green Book. Its discussion of search algorithms is unrivaled.\nGood luck!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Especially CLRS.",
          "reason": "Recommends CLRS as a reference.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an algorithms reference.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is very challenging for readers who know little about algorithms.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 55391,
          "author": "aston",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-16T21:41:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 55372,
          "threadTitle": "Question: What are the best books on algorithms?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=55391",
          "commentText": "I like \"Introduction to Algorithms\" by Cormen, Leiserson, Rivest and Stein (also known as \"CLRS\"). For a theoretical college text, it's amazingly readable. It's also occasionally useful in real life coding, which says a lot for an algorithms book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I like \"Introduction to Algorithms\" by Cormen, Leiserson, Rivest and Stein (also known as \"CLRS\").",
          "reason": "Recommends it as readable for a theoretical college text and occasionally useful in real coding.",
          "audience": "Readers studying algorithms, including college students and working programmers.",
          "caveat": "It is a theoretical college text.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas H. Cormen",
        "Charles E. Leiserson",
        "Ronald L. Rivest",
        "Clifford Stein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 10,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "data structures",
        "algorithm design",
        "textbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "spin-selling-a5acd3",
      "title": "SPIN Selling",
      "author": "Neil Rackham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41702948,
          "author": "unoti",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-30T22:49:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 41693844,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good essays/books/advice about software sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41702948",
          "commentText": "Second vote for Spin Selling from me.  Spin Selling is a must read for anyone doing long-term sales-- in particular, selling software that has a long sales cycle like a year from the time you get a prospect until you close the sale.  But it has other key concepts for smaller software packages too that you'll find useful if you're doing something smaller.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Spin Selling is a must read for anyone doing long-term sales",
          "reason": "Recommended for long sales cycles, with useful concepts for smaller software packages too.",
          "audience": "People selling software, especially in long-term sales.",
          "caveat": "Particularly relevant when the sales cycle can last a year.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41702897,
          "author": "jll29",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-30T22:41:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 41693844,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good essays/books/advice about software sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41702897",
          "commentText": "The best book on selling complex items like software that I have ever known, I got from the best salesperson I ever met: the book is\n  Neil Rackham: Spin Selling",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The best book on selling complex items like software that I have ever known",
          "reason": "Recommended for selling complex products such as software.",
          "audience": "People selling complex items like software.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35184007,
          "author": "achenatx",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-16T16:15:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35184007",
          "commentText": "I like books that are actionable. Lots of books are inspirational but not that useful (e.g. crossing the chasm). I run a curriculum in my company which uses a few books I have read over the years.\nemyth revisited (how to think about and structure an org)\ngetting to yes (negotiation)\ninfluence the psychology of persuasion (negotiation)\nspin selling (enterprise sales, supplanted by sandler)\nYou cant teach a kid to ride a bike at a seminar (sandler sales)\n5 dysfunctions of a team (one of the best leadership books)\nfirst break all the rules (management)\naccounting for dummies\npurple cow (differentiation)\nblue ocean strategy (differentiation)\ntraction (strategy/operations)\nrocketfuel (strategy/operations)\nfor professional services:\nmanaging the professional services firm\ngetting naked",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "spin selling (enterprise sales, supplanted by sandler)",
          "reason": "Lists it for enterprise sales, while noting that Sandler has supplanted it.",
          "audience": "People learning enterprise sales.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it has been supplanted by Sandler.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35174776,
          "author": "jeron",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T21:12:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35174776",
          "commentText": "I think it's the former",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "I think it's the former",
          "reason": "Identifies the first of two SPIN Selling titles as the one meant.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35171462,
          "author": "alex_lav",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:11:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35171462",
          "commentText": "Spin Selling: Situation Problem Implication Need-payoff, or The Spin Selling Fieldbook: Practical Tools, Methods, Exercises and Resources?",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Spin Selling: Situation Problem Implication Need-payoff",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter asks whether to choose this book or its fieldbook.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35169819,
          "author": "jll29",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T15:29:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35169819",
          "commentText": "+1 for mentioning Neil Rackham's (1988) classic \"Spin Selling\".\nGot it recommended from a friend after his exit (and after buying a French mansion from his share of the proceeds) when I asked him what he can recommend on understanding sales, in particular sales of (complex) technology. It's indeed a marvel for people new to selling.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for mentioning Neil Rackham's (1988) classic \"Spin Selling\".",
          "reason": "A friend recommended it for understanding sales, especially complex technology sales; commenter says it is valuable for people new to selling.",
          "audience": "People new to selling, especially complex technology sales.",
          "caveat": "The friend's recommendation followed his business exit.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10240701,
          "author": "tsattersten",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-18T17:39:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10240701",
          "commentText": "Our selections from The 100 Best Business Books of All Time were:\n-Selling The Invisible by Harry Beckwith (great look at selling services)\n-Secrets of Closing The Sale by Zig Ziglar (gets you prepared for objections)\n-How to Become A Rainmaker by Jeffrey Fox (shortcuts to better sales techniques)\n-The Little Red Book of Selling by Jeffrey Gitomer (best first book for first time salespeople)\nAs mentioned in other posts, I would also add SPIN Selling, Mastering the Complex Sale and The Referral Engine.\n\"Smart\" books in the sales space include Influence, Made To Stick, To Sell Is Human.\nFor motivation, read more Zig, Tony Robbins, and Dale Carnegie.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would also add SPIN Selling",
          "reason": "Suggested as an additional sales book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10234487,
          "author": "rdl",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T16:47:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10234487",
          "commentText": "SPIN is still great.  I've heard about Challenger Sales, I'll read it and should have an opinion in a few weeks.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SPIN is still great.",
          "reason": "Explicitly praises SPIN as still great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10234475,
          "author": "rdl",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T16:46:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10234475",
          "commentText": "For books: realize there are multiple kinds of selling.\n1)\nThere's things like used cars.  Single, moderate sized transactions, one-time.  You want to extract the last dollar, force the close, and generally be like...a used car dealer.  I know nothing about this.\n2) There's consumer products -- worry about the \"funnel\", advertising, etc.\n3) There's the stuff I like -- high dollar, high-complexity, repeated/ongoing transaction.  The best books, hands down, are Neal Rackham's SPIN Selling series: http://www.amazon.com/Neil-Rackham/e/B000APLFJK",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The best books, hands down, are Neal Rackham's SPIN Selling series:",
          "reason": "Describes the SPIN Selling series as hands down the best books for complex, ongoing sales.",
          "audience": "People selling high value, complex products in ongoing relationships.",
          "caveat": "The recommendation is specifically for high dollar, high complexity, repeated transactions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10234075,
          "author": "dave_sullivan",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T15:57:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10234075",
          "commentText": "There are 3 books you should read: SPIN Selling. The Challenger Sale. The Charisma Myth. In that order. You will learn so many jedi mind tricks.\nYes, there is such a thing as sales. But do yourself a favor and don't sell shitty products. There's a wide range of incomes among people selling the best products, and the difference is stuff you can at least read about in those books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "There are 3 books you should read: SPIN Selling.",
          "reason": "Explicitly says the reader should read it.",
          "audience": "People seeking to learn sales.",
          "caveat": "The commenter warns against selling poor products.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10233939,
          "author": "curiousjorge",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T15:39:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10233939",
          "commentText": "I've read SPIN selling and now reading Challenger Sales.\nSPIN is much easier to read, know and understand while I found Challenger Sales a lot difficult to follow and put into practice.\nChallenger Sale's major premise is the assumption that SPIN selling doesn't work anymore for some reason because of the 2008 recession. I'm not sure how true this assumption is but I'll leave this up for the real sales people.\nI'm interested in hacking enterprise sales. ANother HN user's blog on the subject here is excellent as well: http://doanhdo.blogspot.ca/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SPIN is much easier to read, know and understand",
          "reason": "Compares it favorably with The Challenger Sale for readability and ease of use.",
          "audience": "Readers learning sales techniques.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10233745,
          "author": "bliti",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T15:07:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10233745",
          "commentText": "Im partial to spin selling.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Im partial to spin selling.",
          "reason": "Expresses a preference for the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Preference is stated without further explanation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 569115,
          "author": "melvinram",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-19T04:56:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 568556,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sales book recommendation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=569115",
          "commentText": "If I had to pick one, I'd pick SPIN Selling as feverishaaron said. It's a lot more how to and broken down into steps. Selling to VITO is also step by step, but SPIN Selling approach makes more sense to me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If I had to pick one, I'd pick SPIN Selling as feverishaaron said.",
          "reason": "Prefers its step-by-step approach and says it makes more sense to them.",
          "audience": "People looking for a step-by-step sales approach.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 568764,
          "author": "feverishaaron",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-18T21:31:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 568556,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sales book recommendation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=568764",
          "commentText": "I would pick SPIN selling from this list, especially if you are selling custom work in an enterprise software market.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would pick SPIN selling from this list, especially if you are selling custom work in an enterprise software market.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for selling custom work in enterprise software.",
          "audience": "People selling custom work in enterprise software markets.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 568573,
          "author": "melvinram",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-18T18:35:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 568556,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sales book recommendation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=568573",
          "commentText": "* SPIN Selling by Rackman\n* The Sales Bible by Gitomer\n* Selling to VITO by Parinello\n* Lead Generation for the Complex Sale by Brian Carroll\n* http://www.marketingsherpa.com/\n* http://blog.startwithalead.com/weblog/\n* http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=35771&trk=a... (http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=35771&trk=anet_ug_hm) This one is a linekdin group that sends out a good email news letter",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* SPIN Selling by Rackman",
          "reason": "Listed as a response to the question asking for sales book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neil Rackham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 10,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sales",
        "sales methodology",
        "consultative selling",
        "complex sales"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "never-split-the-difference-d5086c",
      "title": "Never Split the Difference",
      "author": "Chris Voss",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49482118,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2026-08-28T17:52:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 49464764,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: If I am 16 what should I learn? Which books should read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49482118",
          "commentText": "I would highly recommend  Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss  it teaches negotiation skills that you will use almost every day in life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "highly recommend  Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss",
          "reason": "Recommended for negotiation skills used in everyday life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41706206,
          "author": "grvdrm",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-01T09:15:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 41693844,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good essays/books/advice about software sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41706206",
          "commentText": "Had sales folks throw two books my way:\n1. Customer Centric Selling\nhttps://books.google.com/books/about/CustomerCentric_Selling... (https://books.google.com/books/about/CustomerCentric_Selling.html?id=PHELl66259cC&source=kp_book_description)\n2. Never Split The Difference (from buyer angle, but still good)\nhttps://www.blackswanltd.com/never-split-the-difference",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Never Split The Difference (from buyer angle, but still good)",
          "reason": "Described as useful from the buyer’s perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "From the buyer angle.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37159790,
          "author": "loxias",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T10:59:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37159790",
          "commentText": "I also liked \"Never Split the Difference\", I rarely read and enjoy books in that category.\nRelated, I got a lot out of \"Blue Ocean Strategy\", though that was more than a decade ago.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also liked \"Never Split the Difference\", I rarely read and enjoy books in that category.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they liked the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter rarely enjoys books in that category.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25319389,
          "author": "vmurthy",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T23:17:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319389",
          "commentText": "Never split the difference : Chris Voss [0] &\nStart with No : Jim Camp [1] opened my eyes to tactics used by sales/\"business\" folks when they negotiate with me and provided some tips which  help me in my own negotiations. Case in point: A car dealer mentioned to me casually that a car whose MRP is AUD 38800 would never be discounted below 34000. I took it as a psychological \"anchor\" that had to be explored and negotiated rather than agreed upon without discussion. Started with a random figure of 32349 and ended up with getting the car for 33500 ( given that it was my first negotiation, I think it's a win :-) )\nInfluence by Cialdini is a timeless classic that helps me appreciate the fascinating world of human psychology\n[0] https://www.amazon.in/Never-Split-Difference-Negotiating-Dep... (https://www.amazon.in/Never-Split-Difference-Negotiating-Depended-ebook/dp/B018FHCPDO/ref=sr_1_1?crid=B3RBMIE3MSZX&keywords=never+split+the+difference%27+by+chris+voss&qid=1607209738&sprefix=never+split+the+%2Caps%2C418&sr=8-1)\n[1] https://www.amazon.in/Start-No-Negotiating-Tools-That/dp/060... (https://www.amazon.in/Start-No-Negotiating-Tools-That/dp/0609608002/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2BMPOVAGCR1W9&dchild=1&keywords=jim+camp+start+with+no&qid=1607209814&sprefix=jim+camp+%2Caps%2C426&sr=8-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Never split the difference : Chris Voss",
          "reason": "Said to have opened the commenter's eyes to negotiation tactics and provided tips for their own negotiations.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in negotiation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21459950,
          "author": "srijanshetty",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T05:26:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21459950",
          "commentText": "Never split the difference by Chris Voss - so many practical tips to ensure that you get the better side of a bargain.\nMythos by Stephen Fry - an irreverent take on Greek mythology which is fun and entertaining.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Never split the difference by Chris Voss - so many practical tips to ensure that you get the better side of a bargain.",
          "reason": "Offers practical tips for getting the better side of a bargain.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20981741,
          "author": "srijanshetty",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T07:14:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20981741",
          "commentText": "\"JCIP - Java Concurreny in Practice\", finally was able to complete this monster and now I see the world differently. I had a aha moment, just like Neo in the Matrix.\n\"The Sandman: Kindly Ones\" and \"The Sandman: Wake\", masterpieces from the master writer Neil Gaimann.\nReading \"Never Split the Difference\" which is about the art of negotiation and has been an enlightening read as of now. It argues negotiation isn't rational but is an affective exercise and I couldn't agree more.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Reading \"Never Split the Difference\" which is about the art of negotiation and has been an enlightening read as of now. It argues negotiation isn't rational but is an affective exercise and I couldn't agree more.",
          "reason": "Calls it enlightening and agrees with its argument about negotiation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20334806,
          "author": "shuaib",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T13:37:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20334806",
          "commentText": "+1\nI am glad this is mentioned here, as I was about to. One of the most useful book I have read. Lots of practical advice.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1\nI am glad this is mentioned here, as I was about to. One of the most useful book I have read. Lots of practical advice.",
          "reason": "Seconds the parent’s recommendation and calls the book useful, with practical advice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18746329,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T14:49:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18746329",
          "commentText": "Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss, it taugh me very important negotiation skills that I use everyday.\nExtreme Ownership by Willink and Babin has taught me about good leadership.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss, it taugh me very important negotiation skills that I use everyday.",
          "reason": "Says the book taught negotiation skills used every day.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18745564,
          "author": "dmos62",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T11:32:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18745564",
          "commentText": "I might not end up reading this one due to the comments about bragging, but I wanted to ask: what's with the title? Why would you never split the difference?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I might not end up reading this one due to the comments about bragging, but I wanted to ask: what's with the title?",
          "reason": "Asks about the title while expressing reservations based on others’ comments.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "May decide not to read it because of comments about bragging.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17912909,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T21:19:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17912909",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed  Never Split the Difference.  It has helped me with negotiation in life.\nI enjoyed 4 Hour Work Week when I first read it.  I am still trying to create a profitable side hustle.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed  Never Split the Difference.  It has helped me with negotiation in life.",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed it and says it helped with negotiation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17528807,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-14T04:20:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17528807",
          "commentText": "I finished Never Split the Difference a month back.  Fantastic read.\nI am almost finished with Thinking Fast and Slow.  I kinda wish I had read it years back given all the useful insights.\nI just bought a copy of the 1961 version of Stranger in a Strange land.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fantastic read.",
          "reason": "Calls it a fantastic read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961294,
          "author": "vo1d",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:27:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961294",
          "commentText": "- The Innovator's Dilemma by Clay Christensen\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman\n- A Briefer History of Time by Stephen Hawking\n- The Lean Startup by Eric Ries\n- Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson\n- The Industries of the Future by Alec Ross\n- Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss\n- Start with No by Jim Camp\n- How Google Works by Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg\n- The Everything Store by Brad Stone\n- The Inevitable by Kevin Kelly",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15763795,
          "author": "rkho",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T08:47:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15763795",
          "commentText": "I'm listening through this book right now on my daily commute and it's possibly the first time I've clung onto every word in an audiobook.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's possibly the first time I've clung onto every word in an audiobook.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are unusually absorbed in listening to the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris Voss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 9,
      "threads": 12,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "negotiation",
        "communication",
        "sales",
        "business communication"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-supposedly-fun-thing-i-ll-never-do-again-8b51c6",
      "title": "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again",
      "author": "David Foster Wallace",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41762678,
          "author": "sam29681749",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T04:01:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41762678",
          "commentText": "I read this and didn't find it all that interesting, although it was quite funny in parts. I'm curious to know what you found amazing about it?",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I read this and didn't find it all that interesting, although it was quite funny in parts.",
          "reason": "Says they found it mostly uninteresting, though parts were funny.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter asks what someone else found amazing about it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41761946,
          "author": "njtransit",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T01:35:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41761946",
          "commentText": "It’s on my to-read list, but starting is daunting. A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again (the essay collection) was amazing. I think about it often.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again (the essay collection) was amazing.",
          "reason": "Calls the essay collection amazing and says they think about it often.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937559,
          "author": "catlover76",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T02:27:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937559",
          "commentText": "The Experience of God by David Bentley Hart\nAny of David Foster Wallace's books of essays such as A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again and Consider the Lobster",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again",
          "reason": "Named as one of David Foster Wallace’s books of essays.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21795803,
          "author": "omosubi",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-15T11:57:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21795803",
          "commentText": "A Supposedly fun thing is great. DFW is so insightful and hilarious that I think some of his skepticism seeped into my own thinking. If only I could have his wit...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Supposedly fun thing is great. DFW is so insightful and hilarious",
          "reason": "Calls it great and praises the author's insight and humor.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21793087,
          "author": "janvdberg",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T23:20:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793087",
          "commentText": "These are a few of the ones I read this year and that the average HN reader would also probably enjoy (links are to my blog):\n* Why We Sleep: https://j11g.com/2019/05/31/why-we-sleep-matthew-walker/\n* The Effective Executive: https://j11g.com/2019/03/18/the-effective-executive-peter-dr... (https://j11g.com/2019/03/18/the-effective-executive-peter-drucker/)\n* High Output Management: https://j11g.com/2019/01/29/high-output-management-andrew-s-... (https://j11g.com/2019/01/29/high-output-management-andrew-s-grove/)\n* Bad Blood: https://j11g.com/2019/01/21/bad-blood-john-carreyrou/\n* The 7 Habits (I reread this after a long time and it still holds up!) https://j11g.com/2019/09/30/the-7-habits-of-highly-effective... (https://j11g.com/2019/09/30/the-7-habits-of-highly-effective-people-stephen-covey/)\n* A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again – David Foster Wallace (This is just an amazing book and became one of my all time favorites) https://j11g.com/2019/08/08/a-supposedly-fun-thing-ill-never... (https://j11g.com/2019/08/08/a-supposedly-fun-thing-ill-never-do-again-david-foster-wallace/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is just an amazing book and became one of my all time favorites",
          "reason": "Called an amazing book and one of the commenter’s all-time favorites.",
          "audience": "The average Hacker News reader, as described by the commenter.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630924,
          "author": "mbrock",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T18:57:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630924",
          "commentText": "Gödel, Escher, Bach awakened my intellectual curiosity about formal systems and other autistic modes of beauty as a teenager. After \"The Selfish Gene\" it was the first book I bought and read on my own volition, so I have to credit it as a major influence.\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs for showing that you can think rigorously and compose beautiful programs out of simple pieces.\nContingency, Irony, and Solidarity by Richard Rorty for showing that it's possible to think and feel about politics while maintaining a profoundly ironic and groundless mind.\nThe Body in Pain by Elaine Scarry for its beautiful view of civilization as materialized caring and of the inflicting of pain as metaphysically destructive.\nBeing-in-the-world by Dreyfus for introducing me to Heidegger and showing how continental philosophy inspired by Heidegger was a major force in the evolution of AI and how AI researchers tended to be influenced by rationalist philosophy in the vein of Descartes which leads to huge misunderstandings of the nature of being.\nDhammapada translated by Gil Fronsdal because it's a beautiful exposition of early Buddhist poetry and clearly shows the worldview of south east Asian Buddhism.\nDebt by David Graeber for making me interested in money and credit systems from an anthropological point of view.\nA Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace for being hilarious and sad and buzzing with neurotic perceptive overeducated thought in a way that mirrored my own precocious self-consciousness and made me feel less \"marooned in my own skull.\"\nThe Uses of Disorder by Richard Sennett for giving a defense of the anarchy of urban life that views conflict as necessary for growth.\nAfter Virtue by Alisdair MacIntyre for showing the contemporary situation in thought and ethics as profoundly abnormal and difficult, being the aftermath of the Enlightenment project's failure to ground morality in objective reason, and pointing to virtue within traditions as the only way to live coherently.\nThe Teachings of Huang-bo for being a merciless and hilarious attack on sanctimonious and ritualistic Buddhism, displaying the role of sarcasm and wit in spirituality, and generally just shouting \"wake up, lazy pretentious idiot\" on every page.\nFanged Noumena by Nick Land for diving deeply into amphetaminic insanity thus accurately mirroring the schizophrenia of postmodern capitalism.\nThe letters of Van Gogh.\nPhillip Lopate's personal essays.\nHyperobjects by Timothy Morton.\nOn the Origins of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace for being hilarious and sad and buzzing with neurotic perceptive overeducated thought",
          "reason": "Praises its humor, sadness, and perceptive voice, and says it made the commenter feel less alone.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15017271,
          "author": "omosubi",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T11:45:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15017271",
          "commentText": "\"A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again\" by David Foster Wallace. This is a book of magazine articles he wrote for various publications on a range of topics. His powers of observation are unlike any other. the articles are hilarious, sad, thought provoking, and insightful all at once.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His powers of observation are unlike any other. the articles are hilarious, sad, thought provoking, and insightful all at once.",
          "reason": "Praises the book's essays as hilarious, thought-provoking, and insightful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401410,
          "author": "steve-benjamins",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:19:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401410",
          "commentText": "I really, really love David Foster Wallace and I've also never gotten through Infinite Jest.\nIf anyone is interested in reading DWF I'd recommend checking out his shorter fiction (Brief Interviews with Hideous Men) or non-fiction (A Supposedly Fun Thing) if Infinite Jest (rightfully) seems intimidating :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "or non-fiction (A Supposedly Fun Thing)",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the author's nonfiction for readers who find Infinite Jest intimidating.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in David Foster Wallace who find Infinite Jest intimidating.",
          "caveat": "Offered as an alternative for readers intimidated by Infinite Jest.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387610,
          "author": "macrael",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T00:02:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387610",
          "commentText": "East of Eden is my favorite book I've read in the last several years. Beautiful end to end and very moral. If you've read it it's totally worth reading Journal of a Novel: a collection of letters Steinbeck wrote to his editor every day as he was writing East of Eden. It's a fascinating window into the mind of a master deliberately creating a masterpiece.\nOther favorites: Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner, In Our Time by Hemingway, The Magus by John Fowles, 100 years of solitude, Moby Dick (perhaps a precursor to all modern fantasy?) Stranger in a Strange Land, and Infinite Jest. I've also loved both of DFW's big essay collections: Consider the Lobster and A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll never Do Again.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll never Do Again.",
          "reason": "Says they loved this essay collection.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1875686,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-06T02:07:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1875686",
          "commentText": "Reading IJ on the iPad is the right move. My advice: make sure you look up words that you don't get, instead of following your normal reading instinct to pick up meanings from context. You have a dictionary a touch away.\nI agree, read (at least some) of his essays first; not because the story will make more sense to you, but because you'll appreciate the writing more after seeing it deployed in a comprehensible linear narrative. Strongly, strongly recommend _A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again_.\nOnce you've done that, even at its gnarliest, you can look at IJ like a collection of essays that just happen to be unmoored from reality, and kind of surf the text until it starts making sense again.\nSomeone reduced IJ to a diagram a few weeks ago, which I translated to Graphviz and re-rendered; this has \"spoilers\", though:\nhttp://yfrog.com/juxo0p",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Strongly, strongly recommend _A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again_.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends this essay collection as preparation for reading Infinite Jest.",
          "audience": "Readers preparing to read Infinite Jest.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1632993,
          "author": "luffy",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T15:00:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1632993",
          "commentText": "Yes!  My mind was blown when I read this.  Here are some others:\n\"A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again\" by David Foster Wallace, pretty sure this book has changed how a generation writes.  At least it convinced a generation they'll never be as good as DFW.\n\"Norwegian Wood\" by Haruki Murakami, which I like to think of as a Japanese C.i.t.R.\nG.E.B. - power through it, soldier!\n\"Making Certain it Goes On\", by Richard Hugo. An instructional book on how to write poetry, or to basically do just about anything.  I highly recommend it to all programmers.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "pretty sure this book has changed how a generation writes",
          "reason": "Says the book changed how a generation writes, though it also convinced readers they could not match its author.",
          "audience": "Writers and readers interested in literary nonfiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it convinced a generation they would never be as good as DFW.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569030,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T20:52:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569030",
          "commentText": "Things you can easily read on the beach:\nA Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace.\nThe Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov.\nMedium Raw by Anthony Bourdain (but read Kitchen Confidential first if you haven't already).\nAlso recommend FiveBooks.com, which does interviews with various academics and \"thinkers\" each recommending 5 books on a particular subject. It's a bit slanted towards politics but has a fair bit of hard science as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace.",
          "reason": "Suggests it as an easy beach read.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a beach read.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 766699,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-16T20:44:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=766699",
          "commentText": "Cormac McCarthy is a depressing motherfucker. I'm halfway through Blood Meridian and ready to slit my wrists. Good programmer read: A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again, by David Foster Wallace.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Good programmer read: A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again, by David Foster Wallace.",
          "reason": "Presents it as a good read for programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Foster Wallace"
      ],
      "recommenders": 9,
      "threads": 11,
      "topics": [
        "Writing",
        "Society",
        "Art"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary essays",
        "cultural criticism",
        "essays",
        "travel writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bhagavad-gita-e7a26d",
      "title": "Bhagavad Gita",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40282222,
          "author": "uptownfunk",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T04:03:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40282222",
          "commentText": "The Rama Charit Manasa\nBhagavatam\nBhagavad Gita\nChaitanya Caritamrta\nMahabharata",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bhagavad Gita",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39729678,
          "author": "swman",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T21:33:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729678",
          "commentText": "Bhagavad Gita",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bhagavad Gita",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about books that changed perspectives on religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No particular translation or edition is identified.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38237921,
          "author": "_ixdf",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T06:42:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38237921",
          "commentText": "I struggle to stay interested in one book until the end because many books that are designed to teach you something have made their point in the first chapter and then spend the rest of the book hammering it in.\nCurrently been reading Make It Stick for a year and I'm probably going to drop it because it's not that interesting.\nAlso have these opened:\n  - The Hobbit\n  - A Philosophy of Software Design\n  - Bhagavad Gita",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "- Bhagavad Gita",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter has open; they say they often struggle to finish books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36112720,
          "author": "Ujjawal_Gupta",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-29T10:57:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36112720",
          "commentText": "Read them all and find out. But for me, it's Bhagvad Gita",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "But for me, it's Bhagvad Gita",
          "reason": "Named as the commenter's answer to what to read about religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31968960,
          "author": "navigate8310",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T16:35:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31968960",
          "commentText": "Bhagavad Gita and Nine Upnishads",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bhagavad Gita",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30739675,
          "author": "rubyfan",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T03:01:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30739675",
          "commentText": "Bhagavad Gita\nI read it in my mid 20s and it helped me stop worrying.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bhagavad Gita\nI read it in my mid 20s and it helped me stop worrying.",
          "reason": "The commenter says reading it helped them stop worrying.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23862235,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T18:36:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23862235",
          "commentText": "I'm not surprised. There are a fair number of people here who are somewhat hostile to religion. Heck, you could borderline count me as one of them. I think religion is a blight on our world. But I wouldn't downvote somebody for mentioning a religious text in this context because - like it or not - these works tend to be HIGHLY influential, and if you want to \"understand the world\" I think that understanding absolutely has to incorporate some knowledge of religion and religious beliefs.\nI'm an atheist myself, but I have a whole shelf full of religious texts, including the Quran, several Bibles, Bhagavad Gita, Gnostic Bible, the Norse myths, etc. for just this reason. I doubt the historicity and literal veracity of a lot of this stuff, but knowing it has value when many other people do take it all literally.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "including the Quran, several Bibles, Bhagavad Gita, Gnostic Bible, the Norse myths",
          "reason": "The commenter keeps religious texts to understand religion's influence and beliefs.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking to understand religion and religious beliefs.",
          "caveat": "The commenter doubts the historicity and literal veracity of much of the material.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17989115,
          "author": "user7878",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-14T17:29:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17989115",
          "commentText": "Shreemad Bhagvad Geeta",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shreemad Bhagvad Geeta",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to a question about books that changed lives.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12245873,
          "author": "user7878",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T06:54:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12245873",
          "commentText": "\"Shreemad Bhagvad Geeta\" -\nA book that believed to be narrated by God Krishna on lessons of life living in spiritual way.Though it is considered as most religious book in Hinduism, yet proved good for motivation and being a confident in life\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhagavad_Gita",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Shreemad Bhagvad Geeta\"",
          "reason": "Says it offers life lessons and motivation, and helps build confidence.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Notes that it is considered Hinduism's most religious book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348788,
          "author": "shahocean",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:30:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348788",
          "commentText": "Bhagavad Gita.\nMahatma Gandhi once said that he reads Gita whenever he can't find the solution of any problem.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Bhagavad Gita.",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a book Gandhi read when seeking solutions to problems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment reports Gandhi's reading practice; it does not express the commenter's own evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8533086,
          "author": "infiniteseeker",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-30T14:25:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 8528058,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Book Has the Most Page-for-Page Wisdom?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8533086",
          "commentText": "- The Enchihirdion by Epictetus\n- Meditations by Marcus Aurelius\n- Letters of a Stoic by Seneca\n- Dhammapada (various translations)\n- Bhagavad Gita (various translations)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bhagavad Gita (various translations)",
          "reason": "Listed as a book fitting the thread's request for page-for-page wisdom.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Various translations.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752362,
          "author": "metamemetics",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T08:13:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752362",
          "commentText": "Gravity's Rainbow (Pynchon)\nThe Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge (Rilke)\nThe Age of Extremes: A History of the World, 1914-1991 (Hobsbawm)\nBhagavad Gita\nUpanishads\nCrimes Against Logic: Exposing the Bogus Arguments of Politicians, Priests, Journalists, and Other Serial Offenders (Whyte)\nTractatus Logico-Philosophicus (Wittgenstein)\nedit: added 2 more & author names",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bhagavad Gita",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 9,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hinduism",
        "hindu scripture",
        "spirituality",
        "scripture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "aubrey-maturin-series-ab32ac",
      "title": "Aubrey-Maturin series",
      "author": "Patrick O’Brian",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37160077,
          "author": "fdgjgbdfhgb",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T11:36:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37160077",
          "commentText": "I'm just about to finish up the Aubrey and Maturin series [1] - It's very well written and has a nice balance of character development and action. Some of the stuff that happens seems unbelievable until you realise that O'Brian took an event from real life and just changed the names.\nReally makes me want to buy a boat or something :^D\n[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aubrey%E2%80%93Maturin_series",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm just about to finish up the Aubrey and Maturin series [1] - It's very well written and has a nice balance of character development and action.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its writing and balance of character development and action.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some events may seem unbelievable until their basis in real events is recognized.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32937316,
          "author": "doitLP",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T11:13:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937316",
          "commentText": "Against the Grain by James C. Scott. Eye opening take on early stages in history\nThe entire Aubrey-Maturin series starting with Master and Commander. Exquisite writing, funny, interesting, deep characters and chock full of interesting philosophy and life observations. These books are my happy place: like most fans of the series I have read them all 5 times, which I have never done with another series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The entire Aubrey-Maturin series starting with Master and Commander.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the series their happy place and praises its writing, humor, characters, philosophy, and life observations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No caveat stated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22721982,
          "author": "frabbit",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T19:39:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22721982",
          "commentText": "Happy to find a fellow Aubreyite (and also agree on the LeGuin).  Just wanted to put in a mention for the superlative reading of Patrick Tull of the Aubrey series for the audiobooks).  He is head and shoulders above most other narrators.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the Aubrey series",
          "reason": "Praises Patrick Tull’s narration of the series’ audiobooks.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337252,
          "author": "gerikson",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:06:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337252",
          "commentText": "Used to be the Swallows and Amazon series (when I was much younger).\nThen it was the 2 memoirs by Patrick Leigh Fermor: \"A Time of Gifts\" and \"Between the Woods and the Water\".\nLately it's the Aubrey-Maturin by Patrick O'Brian series which I have re-read multiple times.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Aubrey-Maturin by Patrick O'Brian series which I have re-read multiple times",
          "reason": "The commenter says this series has lately been their comfort read and that they have reread it multiple times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783915,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:06:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783915",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction, best to worst:\nHenry Marsh, Do No Harm. A brilliant memoir by a neurosurgeon about his work, the nature of his profession, successes and mistakes (especially the latter). Frequently touches or verges into the personal. Not morbid, but often sad.\nKeith Johnstone, Impro for Storytellers. \nViola Spolin, Improvisation for the Theater\nTwo very good books about improvisation, although Spolin's is too dry and theory-laden for me (it's meant for teachers more than practitioners). Both, however, pale compared to Keith Johnstone's earlier Impro: Improvisation and the Theater, which is a life-changing book about what improvisation can teach us about spontaneous creativity and relationships between people. I recommend that one first and foremost if you know nothing about improvisation and are curious.\nMartinus J G Veltman, Facts and Mysteries in Elementary Particle Physics. A readable account - necessarily simplified, of course - of the current state of affairs in elementary particles and much of the last 50 years of history, by one of the participants (a Nobel prize winner). Not as organized and methodical as I thought it would be, and half a year later I forgot most of the physical explanations, but it was an interesting read.\nRobert B. Edgerton, Sick Societies. A thorough examination of the hundreds of horrible examples when \"natural\" societies studied by anthropologists have customs that are not only bad from our modern Western point of view, but arguably fail in achieving their own objectives. The whole book exists to counter lazy cultural relativism of the \"maybe we don't like X, but if they do it, it must be for a good reason and it must be a useful adaptation for them\" kind.\nMichael Harris, Mathematics Without Apologies. A very eclectic and idiosyncratic book by a mathematician on the sociology and epistemology of mathematics as a discipline. To be appreciated for its wealth of ideas and references to other interesting books and theories, rather than for any particular argument or thread.\nMilton Rokeach, The Three Christs of Ypsilanti. A story on what happened when a psychologist tried to bring three psychiatric patients, each believing themselves to be Christ, together and to talk it out amongst themselves. Happened in the 1960s. The idea is more interesting than the outcome.\nFiction, best to worst:\nPatrick O'Brian, The Hundred Days. The penultimate book in the series of the best historical novels (the Aubrey-Maturin series) ever written, by a huge margin. The series transcend the genre and I count the Aubrey-Maturin books among the very best books I read in the last decade.\nDodie Smith, I Capture the Castle. A brilliantly written coming-of-age story about a girl growing up in an impoverished family occupying a decaying castle in the English countryside, set in the 1930s. Reminded me in many ways of Rebecca West's The Fountain Overflows, a novel in the similar genre (but with a younger protagonist) that's known much less than it deserves.\nJuan Rulfo, Pedro Paramo. If you read and liked Garcia Marquez's A Hundred Years of Solitude, this one is shorter, darker, involves many more dead people, and you may want to give it a try.\nAlfred Hayes, In Love. A story of a man obsessed by love in a mid-century NYC. Unexpectedly touching, very convincing psychologically.\nIain M. Banks, Against a Dark Background. SF, a grand heist novel set in a advanced civilization living in a star system located unimaginably far away from any other stars and galaxies, and so doomed to a lone struggle with its own long history. A wealth of technological and social ideas you'd expect from Banks. The ending felt a bit forced.\nGene Wolfe, There Are Doors. Gene Wolfe, Nightsite of the Long Sun/Lake of the Long Sun.\nGene Wolfe is the best writer American science fiction produced in the last half-century. \"There are Doors\" is a pretty weird fantasy novel about an alternate world where men die after their first intercourse (as some spiders do in ours), and the hero travels back and forth between that world and ours. It's good, but not as strong as Wolfe's best, which to my taste is the Book of the New Sun tetralogy, the novellas in the Fifth Head of Cerberus collection, and many of his short stories (well-collected in The Best of Gene Wolfe). The other two are the first half of the \"Book of the Long Sun\" series that I'm still reading through.\nUrsula K. Le Guin, The Dispossessed. Superb political SF about an imagined anarchist [anti-]utopia. A serious attempt to describe a human society with no central power structures and no ownership. The hero is a physicist born and raised in that society who escapes to a sibling planet with the more typical modern states. This novel took all the awards in the 1970s when it was published, and deservedly so.\n[cont'd]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Aubrey-Maturin books among the very best books I read in the last decade.",
          "reason": "Ranks the series among the very best books they read in the last decade.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4968517,
          "author": "steve19",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T07:25:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4968517",
          "commentText": "You might like Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey–Maturin series. They cover the same period and similar themes as Forrester's Hornblower.\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aubrey-Maturin_series",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You might like Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey–Maturin series.",
          "reason": "Suggests the series to the commenter, noting its shared period and themes with Hornblower.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1974864,
          "author": "Nick_C",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T11:48:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974864",
          "commentText": "I'm imaging myself around 20 and missing out of a couple of decades of great reading:\nthe Aubrey/Maturin canon - Patrick O'Brian\nany book in the Discworld series - Terry Pratchett\nanything by Iain M. Banks (although, strangely, I don't find his non-SF as compelling; perhaps it is too dark for my tastes).\nand something to stimulate me to learn Lisp then instead of now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Aubrey/Maturin canon - Patrick O'Brian",
          "reason": "Includes the series in a list of books they would give their younger self.",
          "audience": "Their imagined 20-year-old self.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227151,
          "author": "r7000",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T18:17:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227151",
          "commentText": "Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series.\nA very enjoyable description of the pinnacle of pre-Industrial technology.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A very enjoyable description of the pinnacle of pre-Industrial technology.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a very enjoyable series with a vivid account of preindustrial technology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876951,
          "author": "dminor",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T15:45:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876951",
          "commentText": "Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell\nPost Captain (well, basically all of the Patrick O'Brian series)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "basically all of the Patrick O'Brian series",
          "reason": "The commenter endorses the series as a whole.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56658,
          "author": "uuilly",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T03:15:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56658",
          "commentText": "I second the master and commander series.  I read all 21.  Amazing.  \nAfghan history Books, both incredible:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Wars-Afghanistan-Invasion-Septem... (http://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Wars-Afghanistan-Invasion-September/dp/1594200076)\n\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Great-Game-Struggle-Central-Kodansha/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Great-Game-Struggle-Central-Kodansha/dp/1568360223/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-2598053-1933600?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190171658&sr=1-1)\nWhy:\nWhile the Master and Commander Series are historical fictions they teach you A LOT about the Napoleonic Wars, The British Empire and the British Navy.  \n\nThe Afghan books are also incredible adventures that happen to be entirely true.  I like books that teach me history in a fun way.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second the master and commander series.  I read all 21.  Amazing.",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the recommendation, says all 21 were read, and calls them amazing.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in historical fiction and history.",
          "caveat": "The series is historical fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Patrick O’Brian"
      ],
      "recommenders": 9,
      "threads": 9,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "napoleonic wars",
        "naval fiction",
        "historical fiction",
        "british navy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "breakfast-of-champions-8ccaf8",
      "title": "Breakfast of Champions",
      "author": "Kurt Vonnegut",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32197266,
          "author": "jsherrard",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T21:22:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197266",
          "commentText": "Treasure Island - since last week - just started\nThe Left hand of Darkness - since two weeks\nSeven Brief Lessons on Physics - since three weeks nearly finished\nBreakfast of Champions - since a month - can't find the damn thing to finish the last chapter\nSpace 2069 - since two months - half way\nSnow Crash - since three weeks - first chapter\nLeonardo Da Vinci - Walter Isaacson - two months - nearly finished\nI've finished a bunch this year but you didn't ask about those...",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Breakfast of Champions - since a month - can't find the damn thing to finish the last chapter",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31968839,
          "author": "labrador",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T16:22:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31968839",
          "commentText": "Kurt Vonnegut \"Breakfast of Champions\": A yearly reminder that despite the terrible cruelty of human society and the awful behavior of many people and the indifference of most others, there are good people who shine love and creativity and it's worth staying alive to try to find these people to make life bearable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kurt Vonnegut \"Breakfast of Champions\"",
          "reason": "The book reminds the commenter that love and creativity make life worth staying alive for.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30738516,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T23:28:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30738516",
          "commentText": "His Sirens of Titan had a huge impact on me as a teen, the first novel I really loved. Then Breakfast of Champions. I'll try those two, thanks.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Then Breakfast of Champions.",
          "reason": "Named alongside The Sirens of Titan as a book the commenter loved and intends to revisit or try.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26594717,
          "author": "dfxm12",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-26T17:30:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26594717",
          "commentText": "Fiction, yes. I've recently read and recommend Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami (which in a way is a blend of sci fi and fantasy), Cannery Row by John Steinbeck, and Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut.\nOn Deck, I have Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy, Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut.",
          "reason": "Included in an explicit list of recommended fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10176218,
          "author": "sshine",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T22:16:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10176218",
          "commentText": "Just finished:\n— Roadside Picnic, by the Strugatsky brothers. The very thematic Soviet sci-fi behind STALKER.\n— The Cyberiad, by Stanislaw Lem. A brilliant collection of short stories on language, philosophy, futurism.\nCurrently:\n— Nexus, by Ramez Naam (book 1 of 3). Nanobots meet augmented reality, transhumanism. Good.\n— Breakfast of Champions, by Kurt Vonnegut. Hilarious stuff.\n— Poe's collected works.\nNext:\n— The Three-Body Problem, by Cixin Liu. I have my hopes high.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hilarious stuff.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as hilarious.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4026697,
          "author": "jdelard",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-26T06:35:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4026697",
          "commentText": "Breakfast for Champions - Kurt Vonnegut",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Breakfast for Champions - Kurt Vonnegut",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for a great book read recently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3644169,
          "author": "aorshan",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-28T18:16:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 3643009,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-technical book you've read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3644169",
          "commentText": "If you haven't read a Kurt Vonnegut book, I highly recommend that you do. The Sirens of Titan, Mother Night, Breakfast of Champions, and Slaughterhouse 5 are all great places to start.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Sirens of Titan, Mother Night, Breakfast of Champions, and Slaughterhouse 5 are all great places to start.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a great starting point for Vonnegut.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1973946,
          "author": "mdemare",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T04:41:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1973946",
          "commentText": "http://www.amazon.com/Breakfast-Champions-Novel-Kurt-Vonnegu... (http://www.amazon.com/Breakfast-Champions-Novel-Kurt-Vonnegut/dp/0385334206)",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "http://www.amazon.com/Breakfast-Champions-Novel-Kurt-Vonnegu...",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1973784,
          "author": "fogus",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T03:43:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1973784",
          "commentText": "Breakfast of Champions by Vonnegut.  I've read a ton of books in my life, but for some reason never took the plunge into Vonnegut.  I was utterly awe struck by this book.  I think every person has a small list of things that they wish that they had created (well, the ability to create them that is).  Breakfast of Champions immediately found its way onto my list.  The only problem is that such a book makes me embarrassed to have the audacity to ever put pen to paper (or fingers to M-x as it were).  I'll keep trying though.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I was utterly awe struck by this book.",
          "reason": "Says the book was awe-inspiring and that it joined their list of things they wish they had created.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752646,
          "author": "Hovertruck",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T13:03:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752646",
          "commentText": "I thought Slaughterhouse Five was great, but I think I found myself left thinking more after reading Breakfast of Champions.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I think I found myself left thinking more after reading Breakfast of Champions.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it left them thinking more than Slaughterhouse-Five did.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1575812,
          "author": "bgrohman",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-04T20:42:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1575812",
          "commentText": "I haven't read Breakfast of Champions yet, but it's on my list. The Sirens of Titan is also a good one.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I haven't read Breakfast of Champions yet, but it's on my list.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Has not read it yet; it is on their list.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1574811,
          "author": "mattmichielsen",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-04T16:07:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1574811",
          "commentText": "I read Breakfast of Champions a while ago and really enjoyed it.  I'll have to check that one out.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read Breakfast of Champions a while ago and really enjoyed it.",
          "reason": "Says they really enjoyed the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kurt Vonnegut"
      ],
      "recommenders": 9,
      "threads": 9,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "satire",
        "postmodern fiction",
        "american literature",
        "existential themes"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "incerto-13891c",
      "title": "Incerto",
      "author": "Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49478636,
          "author": "treetalker",
          "createdAt": "2026-08-28T14:01:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 49464764,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: If I am 16 what should I learn? Which books should read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49478636",
          "commentText": "> I'm probably not in the position of educating teenagers as my life has not been a success.\nNot true! The OP should learn not only about (and from) models but also anti-models!\nAddressing OP:\nOn anti-models, read NN Taleb's books (the Incerto) and Charlie Munger (his speech on inversion / thinking about what you would do, and how you would do it, in order to ensure a miserable life — and then not doing those things). Read statements from the elderly / terminally ill about what they regret having done or not done in their lifetimes.\nA lesson I wish I had learned at your age: for most things in life, B– quality or \"80% of the perfect performance/solution\" is almost always more than enough, and can be accomplished quickly. (E.g., it's easy and fast to sweep the floor so that it's mostly clean / 80% of optimal cleanliness. You feel better about your surroundings, you clear your head, and fewer future problems arise.) This is the 80/20 principle at work. Get to 80% on everything fast, and then only spend time polishing/perfecting what really matters. (I was raised in a perfectionist family/environment/culture — to my detriment, in many ways.) Similarly, it's OK (and probably beneficial) to do most of your workout sessions (~80%!) at 80% effort. You don't need to go HAM / 6th gear all the time.\nLearn that questions are often more important than answers. And learn to ask better questions.\nLearn basic probability and expected value, and apply those principles to your own daily life. It's easy to do several times a day in normal situations.\nLearn to take (and avoid) repeated, small actions in order to put yourself in a slightly better position with regard to your future. (Increase your optionality; take repeated beneficial actions.) Pick up that dirty cup on your way to the kitchen. Don't drink two beers every day. Don't smoke.\nAsk yourself: \"If I do (or avoid doing) this same thing 1,000 times (or days) in a row, where will I end up?\" (That helps you develop consistency and the habit of repeated actions/practice, and it magnifies the effects of your daily choices.)\nRemind yourself: \"What I do today, I do every day. What I do now, I choose to do every time I have the choice.\"\nRead real books, not Internet stuff. Read particularly from (long) before 2022 (avoid LLM-generated text). Read as much as you can and develop a maintainable note-taking system.\nLearn other languages and read the greatest books from other countries, cultures, and eras.\nTaleb's general rule is not to read anything written in the last 10 years. Take that with a grain of salt.\nOn reading (and not reading) books in general, and in a meta-reading sense, I strongly urge you to read How to Read a Book (by Adler & Doren) and How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read (by Pierre Bayard).\nYou'll also find no shortage of suggested reading and lists of books of all sorts here on HN.\nDaily exercise, good eating, sleep, hygiene, and overall mental health and self-care are table stakes. Personally, I've found that my optimal amount of physical activity is much higher than one would think: 2–3 hours per day, 5–6 days per week. (That's my experience, not a prescription for you.) Taking care of myself has required life- and work-organization choices and sacrifices to make it happen. Everything is about trade-offs.\nThe most important thing is that it's better to consistently practice implementing a single piece of advice than to collect or merely think about or imagine implementing lists of advice. You'll find lots of great advice everywhere. But EXECUTION IS EVERYTHING.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "read NN Taleb's books (the Incerto)",
          "reason": "Recommended as a source of anti-models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43612402,
          "author": "daft_pink",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T15:08:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43612402",
          "commentText": "Incerto is great.  I’m constantly amazed by how people identifies completely opposite black swans though to justify completely opposite things when I see it quoted in public though.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Incerto is great.",
          "reason": "Praises the series while criticizing how people use its black swan concept in public arguments.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says people invoke black swans to justify opposing positions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43612391,
          "author": "daft_pink",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T15:07:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43612391",
          "commentText": "Learned Helplessness - Martin Seligman\nA Random Walk Down Wall Street - Malkiel\nThe Millionaire Next Door - Stanley\nAtlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand\nSecond the Incerto series by Nassim Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Second the Incerto series by Nassim Taleb",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the recommendation of the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43611681,
          "author": "gmuslera",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T14:05:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43611681",
          "commentText": "In general the Incerto series by Nassim Taleb (Black Swan, Antifragile, and Skin in the Game) was worth it. The Selfish Gene, System thinking A primer, I am a strange loop, Sapiens are some books that I read recently that had a lasting impression.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Incerto series by Nassim Taleb",
          "reason": "Says the series was worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41547521,
          "author": "gmuslera",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-15T13:53:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41547521",
          "commentText": "The Incerto series by Nassim Taleb, specially The Black Swan and Antifragile. It is hard to make predictions, specially about the future, some good heuristics may be of help.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Incerto series by Nassim Taleb",
          "reason": "Recommends the series and highlights two books as especially relevant.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that predicting the future is difficult and heuristics may help.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32937220,
          "author": "oracardo",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T11:01:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937220",
          "commentText": "The Overstory by Richard Powers: this book changed the way I look at trees. I'll be driving some days and out of nowhere notice a tree and appreciate it. This book inspired me to consider that there is an objective meaning to life.\nThe Incerto Series by Nassim Nicholas Taleb: where to start...I started reading this series over a decade ago and I still think about it weekly. It can be very dense to get through as I took a lot of notes. But I think it's worth the trouble. One of my favorite chapters is via negativa. This is the concept that it is easier to know what NOT to do than what should be done. Many interested ideas flow out from that when it comes to personal health, public policy, and morality.\nThinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman: this book opened up my eyes to a host of mental biases. It's similar to some of Taleb's work but IMO easier to read. My favorite chapter surrounded the idea of the self as your memory vs your experience. Thought experiment: if you could take your dream vacation at no expense but would have no memories or photos/videos of the trip would you do it?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Incerto Series by Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "reason": "The commenter says they still think about this series weekly and consider it worth the effort.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It can be very dense, and the commenter took many notes.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31974250,
          "author": "gigantecmedia",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-04T06:59:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31974250",
          "commentText": "Incerto by Nassim Taleb. Best piece of work I've ever read. I'm re-reading it, and still... what a masterpiece, a mind-blowing piece of work. Fooled by Randomness, The Black Swan, and Antifragile remain my \"Holy Trinity\" of books. You just couldn't stop reading them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Incerto by Nassim Taleb. Best piece of work I've ever read.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best work they have read and praises it as a masterpiece.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22574055,
          "author": "evjan",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T08:58:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22574055",
          "commentText": "The entire Incerto book series by Taleb (which includes Fooled by Randomness and The Black Swan) are awesome and they are talking about big catastrophic events like the current one. This pandemic is a classic Black Swan event: it's a surprise, it has a major impact and lots of experts will try to say that it was easily foreseeable in hindsight.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The entire Incerto book series by Taleb (which includes Fooled by Randomness and The Black Swan) are awesome",
          "reason": "Recommends the series for its discussion of major, hard-to-predict events.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15629997,
          "author": "whitepoplar",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:10:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15629997",
          "commentText": "The Incerto series by Nassim Taleb. They taught me about the importance of tail events, and started my interest in probability theory. More importantly, they taught me how to live a good life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Incerto series by Nassim Taleb. They taught me about the importance of tail events, and started my interest in probability theory.",
          "reason": "The commenter credits the series with teaching the importance of tail events and sparking an interest in probability.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13804180,
          "author": "metaphorm",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:19:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804180",
          "commentText": "- The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin\n- Blindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts\n- The Tao Te Ching\n- The Gateless Gate (Koun Yamada translation/editing)\n- The Baroque Cycle (Quicksilver, The Confusion, The System of the World) by Neal Stephenson\n- The Invisibles by Grant Morrison\n- Incerto (Fooled by Randomness, The Black Swan, Antifragile, The Bed of Procrustes) by Nassim Nicholas Taleb\n- Iron John by Robert Bly\n- Catch 22 by Joseph Heller\n- The Character of Physical Law by Richard P. Feynman\n- Collected Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges\n- 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez\n- Pharmakon by Dale Pendell\n- The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss\n- Greek Mythology by Edith Hamilton\n- The Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual by Gary Gygax et al\n- Introduction to Algorithms by Charles E. Leiserson, Clifford Stein, Ronald Rivest, and Thomas H. Cormen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Incerto (Fooled by Randomness, The Black Swan, Antifragile, The Bed of Procrustes) by Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "reason": "Named as a series of books that changed the commenter’s thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144179,
          "author": "naboavida",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:38:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144179",
          "commentText": "Thinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman. Learn why we're fools by nature.\nIncerto - Nassim Nicholas Taleb (4 volumes, with The Black Swan as my favourite). Learn how not to be a fool, or at least, minimize its impacts.\nThe Startup Owner's Manual - Steve Blank. Learn how to find your way through the market.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Incerto - Nassim Nicholas Taleb (4 volumes, with The Black Swan as my favourite). Learn how not to be a fool, or at least, minimize its impacts.",
          "reason": "Presented as one of three career-impacting recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nassim Nicholas Taleb"
      ],
      "recommenders": 9,
      "threads": 9,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "risk",
        "uncertainty",
        "decision making",
        "probability"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "kafka-on-the-shore-421357",
      "title": "Kafka on the Shore",
      "author": "Haruki Murakami",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46398713,
          "author": "__alexander",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T03:08:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46398713",
          "commentText": "Murakami’s fiction novels are extremely different from “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running”. If you want to try another non-fiction book of his check-out “Underground : The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche”, I loved it. If you go the fiction route “Kafka on the Shore” and “A Wild Sheep Chase” are a good starting point. Avoid some of his longer works unless you enjoy his style.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Kafka on the Shore” and “A Wild Sheep Chase” are a good starting point.",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a good starting point for Murakami's fiction.",
          "audience": "Readers trying Murakami's fiction.",
          "caveat": "Avoid some of his longer works unless you enjoy his style.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467732,
          "author": "jackschultz",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:55:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467732",
          "commentText": "These threads are posted a lot, but I still like reading the comments for new book recommendations if I see a match. Also, hopefully this can show people how great fiction is. I've seen comments that shun people for liking fiction compared to non.\nFor me:\nLonesome Dove\n100 Years of Solitude\nCatch-22\nThe Sellout (very relevant again)\nEast of Eden\nKafka on the Shore (and all the stories in Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kafka on the Shore",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22722401,
          "author": "gautamcgoel",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T20:27:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22722401",
          "commentText": "Surprised no one mentioned any of Haruki Murakami's books. Norwegian Wood made a big impression on me as a young man in my late teens. Kafka on the shore and the Wind-up Bird Chronicle are both trips. A Wild Sheep Chase is hilarious.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kafka on the shore",
          "reason": "Lists it among Murakami’s novels, describing it as a trip.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13969733,
          "author": "cickpass_broken",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T17:22:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13969733",
          "commentText": "Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami\nThis just may be my imagined takeaway. But..\nThere's a theme around creativity existing on, let's call it a plane, and this plane is accessible to anyone. I've yet to think much on if this plane (or, perhaps way of thinking) is the same for everyone or actually shared in some way.\nThis idea massively shaped my understanding, or feelings towards, the brain, and the immense ability for our own brains to limit or enhance our potential.\nThis was a very literary way for me to form the advice that could be boiled down to: \"think positively\"",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "This idea massively shaped my understanding, or feelings towards, the brain",
          "reason": "The commenter says their interpretation of the book shaped their view of the brain and human potential.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in creativity and human potential.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says this may be their imagined takeaway.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783528,
          "author": "mlent",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:46:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783528",
          "commentText": "\"The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared\"\nby Jonas Jonasson\n(Love it -- hilarious, witty, a pleasure to read)\n\"Kafka on the Shore\" \nby Haruki Murakami\n(Strange good -- but I'm not sure if I liked it as much as liked \"The Wild Sheep Chase\")\n\"One hundred years of solitude\"\nby Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez\n(Very slow, had a hard time honestly)\n\"Gone Girl\"\nby Gillian Flynn\n(A fast, exciting read but found the ending unsatisfying. But would recommend)\n\"Still Life with Woodpecker\"\nby Tom Robbins\n(Fantastic prose, fantastical characters and situations. Will read more from him)\nAnd for technical books, I read \"The Art of Agile Development\". Was alright.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "(Strange good -- but I'm not sure if I liked it as much as liked \"The Wild Sheep Chase\")",
          "reason": "Describes it as strangely good but is unsure whether they liked it as much as another Murakami book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Unsure whether they liked it as much as The Wild Sheep Chase.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10176784,
          "author": "simplegeek",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-06T03:59:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10176784",
          "commentText": "\"Kafka on the shore\" by Haruki Murakami.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Kafka on the shore\" by Haruki Murakami.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9350655,
          "author": "calebm",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T20:08:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350655",
          "commentText": "Just finished \"The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle\" and \"Kafka on the Shore\" by Haruki Murakami (as recommended by this HN post: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9127092). Haruki is amazing!",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Just finished \"The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle\" and \"Kafka on the Shore\"",
          "reason": "Says Haruki Murakami is amazing, but does not directly evaluate these titles.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968586,
          "author": "hkmurakami",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T00:34:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968586",
          "commentText": "Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami (no relation to author :p) and For Whom the Bell Tools by Ernest Hemingway.\n(On a fiction binge)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387558,
          "author": "L_Rahman",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T23:46:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387558",
          "commentText": "I went of a bit of a Murakami bender after reading The Wind Up Bird Chronicle. While it's still my favorite of his works, Kafka on the Shore is pretty fantastic as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kafka on the Shore is pretty fantastic as well.",
          "reason": "Calls the book pretty fantastic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2087883,
          "author": "bkudria",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T08:27:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2087883",
          "commentText": "Reposted from my site: (http://ben.kudria.net/post/2548785108/my-favorite-books-of-2... (http://ben.kudria.net/post/2548785108/my-favorite-books-of-2010)). Affiliate links there, for those inclined.\n===\nIn 2010, every single book I read, I read on my Kindle. Buying a Kindle has been the best thing I have ever done for my reading addiction. I recently upgraded to a Kindle 3, and I wholeheartedly recommended you get one as well, even if you currently have a Kindle 2.\nHere are the top books I enjoyed in 2010, and you will enjoy also.\n- The His Dark Materials Trilogy. Start with The Golden Compass.\n- The City & The City by China Miéville. Quite the post-modern detective story. (Read also his novel Perdido Street Station)\n- Surface Detail, the new novel by Iain M. Banks, who has quickly catapulted to the very top of my “Favorite Sci-Fi Authors” list. Surface Detail may not be the best novel for a Banks-unfamiliar reader, however — you may wish to start with something like Consider Phlebas or Look To Windward.\n- I re-read Robert M. Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Read this book carefully and it will change your life. (N.B. It’s not really about Zen, although it kinda is.)\n- The true story Zeitoun, by Dave Eggers, about Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a Syrian-born painting contractor in New Orleans. What Zeitoun does for the people of New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina is heartwarming and truly American, and what the US Government does to him and his family is terrifying and utterly infuriating.\n- The Wind-up Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi is a fun Thai cyber/gene-punk yarn. Bacigalupi is a new author, and I look forward to reading more of his stuff.\n- Dan Simmons’ Song Of Kali has an invasive and palpable stench of suspense. This horror novel set in Calcutta is an excruciating, brutal, and brilliant read.\n- Kafka On the Shore by Haruki Murakami. I’ve always been a fan of Murakami’s works, but this novel from 2002 is, in my opinion, one of his greatest. It’s beautiful, haunting, and superbly thought-provoking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this novel from 2002 is, in my opinion, one of his greatest. It’s beautiful, haunting, and superbly thought-provoking.",
          "reason": "The commenter considers it one of Murakami’s greatest novels and praises its beauty and thought-provoking quality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865529,
          "author": "pavlov",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T17:15:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865529",
          "commentText": "Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami\nHistoire d'O by Pauline Réage\nMy Life in Art by Constantin Stanislavski (This one seems to be taking me forever, even though it's entertaining. Biographies are not really my thing.)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 199906,
          "author": "justindz",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-26T02:37:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 199722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=199906",
          "commentText": "Haruki Murakami.  Sputnik Sweetheart, Norwegian Wood, Kafka on the Shore.  After the Quake, if you like short stories.  Great stuff.\nIf you want something lighter, try Banana Yoshimoto.  If you want something with more sex and gruesome murders, try Ryu Murakami.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sputnik Sweetheart, Norwegian Wood, Kafka on the Shore. After the Quake, if you like short stories. Great stuff.",
          "reason": "Recommends these titles as “Great stuff.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85880,
          "author": "brianmckenzie",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T09:43:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85880",
          "commentText": "LOTR\nKafka on the Shore (Haruki Murakami)\nBlood Meridian (Cormac McCarthy)\nDevil in the White City (Erik Larson)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kafka on the Shore (Haruki Murakami)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Haruki Murakami"
      ],
      "recommenders": 9,
      "threads": 9,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Fantasy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "magical realism",
        "japanese literature",
        "surrealism",
        "creativity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-intelligence-fdb651",
      "title": "On Intelligence",
      "author": "Jeff Hawkins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38560202,
          "author": "monkeypicks",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T18:52:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38560202",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\nVictory City- new Salman Rushdie book. Great retelling of the history of one of the great medieval South Indian kingdoms. Not his best, but his writing is still top notch.\nSea of Tranquility- speculative fiction from Emily St. John Mandel (of Station Eleven fame). It's a series of interconnected stories spanning centuries from the near past to the near future. Beautifully written. Read when I was down with COVID earlier this year and it invaded my dreams (in a good way). Short and easy read.\nGiovanni's Room- story of an American expat in Paris caught between his love for a man and his duty to his girlfriend. This is the first James Baldwin book I have read but will definitely check out more of his work in 2024.\nTheory of Bastards- speculative fiction by Audrey Schulmann. Literary sci-fi similar to Station Eleven. It's about a woman researching primate behavior set in the near future where the earth is ravaged by the effects of climate change. Very well researched, beautifully written and nothing like I have ever read before. This won the 2019 Philip K Dick Award.\nInvisible Cities- literary fiction by Italo Calvino. It's less than 200 pages but a very dense and tough read. It's a conversation between Marco Polo and Kublai Khan where MP is describing cities in KK's vast empire. It's a strange, strange book that I think I will return to often. If you liked the world building in Piranesi and want more, this is the book for you. Calvino describes 55 cities in under 200 pages, with each one feeling very different. Again, first Calvino book I have read and will definitely check out more of his works in 2024.\nNon-fiction:\nThinking in Systems: A Primer- by Donella Meadows. Read this based on HN's recommendation. Thank you!\nOn Intelligence- by Jeff Hawkins. This was on my shelf for years and am glad I got to read it this year. The creator of the Palm Pilot presents his theory of intelligence and how the brain works. It's compelling. I hope to read his follow up book in 2024. Would love HN's recommendations of similar books.\nA Primate's Memoir- by Robert M. Sapolsky. Enjoyable read of the author's research on Savannah baboons and his adventures in Africa. His love for primates and humans alike come through clearly.\nBuild: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making- by Tony Fadell. A great business book by the co-founder of Nest. Draws on his experience both as a startup founder and leading innovative teams at large tech companies (Apple, in his case). Just as any business book, this could have been shorter and less repetitive but thankfully, there is enough good material here to be a book rather than a blog post.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The creator of the Palm Pilot presents his theory of intelligence and how the brain works. It's compelling.",
          "reason": "Calls the author’s theory of intelligence and brain function compelling.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter hopes to read the follow-up and asks for similar recommendations.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17981100,
          "author": "malux85",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-13T18:32:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17981100",
          "commentText": "On Intelligence, Jeff Hawkins",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On Intelligence, Jeff Hawkins",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15629992,
          "author": "bobosha",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:08:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15629992",
          "commentText": "1. Thinking fast and slow - Kahneman\n2. Godel, Escher and Bach - Hofstadter\n3. On Intelligence - Jeff Hawkins",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On Intelligence - Jeff Hawkins",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10767704,
          "author": "noblethrasher",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T18:01:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10767704",
          "commentText": "On Intelligence, by Jeff Hawkins — At some point, he off-handily mentions that what we call “consciousness” may just be what it feels like to have a neocortex, similar to how vision is nothing more than just what it feels like to have eyes.\nAmusing Ourselves to Death, by Neil Postman — Among lots of other ideas, he defends the thesis that /writing/ is still humankind’s greatest invention, and that our thoughtless eagerness to replace it with newer forms of media, such as television and computers—just because they're newer—is dumb and dangerous.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "On Intelligence, by Jeff Hawkins",
          "reason": "Explains an idea from the book about consciousness and the neocortex.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10532955,
          "author": "noblethrasher",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T13:49:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10532955",
          "commentText": "Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman\nOn Intelligence by Jeff Hawkins\nThe Process of Education by Jerome Bruner",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On Intelligence by Jeff Hawkins",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for the best books read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9347895,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T14:48:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9347895",
          "commentText": "Here's my usual list of recommendations, the best books I've read in the past 5 years.\nFiction:\n- Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\nIf you know nothing about this book you might naturally hesitate to read \"Harry Potter fanfiction\" and assume that it's dumb/horrbile, but it's not. Just suspend your disbelief and read the first 5-10 chapters. Trust me, it's brilliant, hilarious, and life-changing.\n- Atlas Shrugged\nControversial, I know, a lot of people here hate it for some reason, but it was incredibly influential on me, inspired my passion for entrepreneurship and science and philosophy. Still is one of the best books I am aware of.\nNonfiction:\n- Hackers and Painters by Paul Graham\nAlso a collection of his essays that you can find on github. He is one of the most clever writers I am aware of, but I assume you know that, since you're on HN.\n- \"On Intelligence\" by Jeff Hawkins\nThis book explains in simple terms a very awesome and elegant theory on how mind works. Incredibly fascinating, I've learned a lot from it and it explains a lot of things, and will change the way you think about thinking process.\n- The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins\nEngaging and entertaining explanation of evolution, absolutely fantastic book.\n- The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli.\nDespite the stigma, and people thinking that Machhiavellian = \"evil\", I've found this book extremely clever and wise.\n- Serious Creativity by Edward De Bono\nThe best book on creativity and the process of generating ideas that I'm aware of.\n- Abundance\nThis is a very inspiring and optimistic book about the future of technology.\nEntrepreneurhsip:\n- Start Small, Stay Small\nGuide to creating your first product/business for hackers. It lays out all the basics of entrepreneurship in a very concise and clear ways, my favorite introduction to startups.\n- Rework\nVery wise and intelligent advice about startups, intelligent and witty, must read.\n- Lean Startup\nClassic book on \"lean startup methodology\", very useful.\n- 4-Hour Workweek\nDespite the silly title I think it is a great book and is very much worth reading. Many people here dislike Tim Ferris, but whatever, I think this book is cool.\nAutobiographies:\n- Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman\n- Ghost In The Wires by Kevin Mitnick\n- Catch me if you can by Abagnale\n- iWoz by Steve Wozniak\n- Losing my Virginity by Richard Branson\nAll these are fantastic and very intelligent autobiographies by the very awesome people.\nNow I'm reading \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" and \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies.\"\n\"Rationality\" is great and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. Can't say much about GEB, I've only started reading it, but everyone is saying that it is so great and the best book ever, so I think it's definitely worth checking out.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Incredibly fascinating, I've learned a lot from it and it explains a lot of things, and will change the way you think about thinking process.",
          "reason": "Calls its theory fascinating and says the book taught them a lot and changed how they think.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109045,
          "author": "chegra",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:09:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109045",
          "commentText": "On Intelligence - Jeff Hawkins",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "On Intelligence - Jeff Hawkins",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395204,
          "author": "mikecsh",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T09:02:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395204",
          "commentText": "On Intelligence by Jeff Hawkins",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On Intelligence by Jeff Hawkins",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2616389,
          "author": "Tekhne",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T14:15:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2616389",
          "commentText": "I absolutely 2nd this suggestion! It was really fascinating. There were some dry parts, but mostly I couldn't stop reading (actually, I did the audiobook).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I absolutely 2nd this suggestion! It was really fascinating. There were some dry parts, but mostly I couldn't stop reading (actually, I did the audiobook).",
          "reason": "Seconds the suggestion and says it was fascinating and hard to stop reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some parts were dry.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2615861,
          "author": "picardo",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T10:58:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2615861",
          "commentText": "On Intelligence by Jeff Hawkins.\nhttp://www.onintelligence.org/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "On Intelligence by Jeff Hawkins.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2147151,
          "author": "brianwillis",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T08:45:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2147151",
          "commentText": "On Intelligence By Jeff Hawkins.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Intelligence-Jeff-Hawkins/dp/080507853... (http://www.amazon.com/Intelligence-Jeff-Hawkins/dp/0805078533/)\nHawkins was the founder of both Palm and Handspring, but comes from an academic background where he studied neuropsychology (how the brain works). The book is a thorough look at how the brain experiences the world, with the goal being the creation of artificially intelligent machines.\nIt'll change the way you perceive perception (if that makes any sense).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It'll change the way you perceive perception (if that makes any sense).",
          "reason": "The commenter says it will change how readers perceive perception.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026506,
          "author": "paulgb",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T00:30:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026506",
          "commentText": "The best book I read in 2009 was The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. It's surprisingly accessible (I've never taken a biology class), and talks a lot about evolutionary game theory which I found fascinating.\nSome other books I read last year:\nHow the Mind Works by Steven Pinker. It was a great book, Pinker's writing is accessible and entertaining. Much more so than On Intelligence by Jeff Hawkins.\nMore with Less: Paul MacCready and the Dream of Efficient Flight by Paul Ciotti. I really enjoyed this one, it was the story of the first team to cross the English channel with human-powered flight.\nWhat the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell. I liked this one better than Gladwell's other books. There is less theorizing and arguing a point and more telling stories, which is what Gladwell excels at.\nThe Mind's I by Douglas Hofstadter and Daniel Dennett. If you are patient with what is sometimes (in my humble opinion) pointlessly arguing semantics, some of the sections are interesting.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Much more so than On Intelligence by Jeff Hawkins.",
          "reason": "Uses it as a less accessible and entertaining comparison.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797489,
          "author": "tremendo",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T05:48:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797489",
          "commentText": "A third of the way in. While I find it definitely entertaining, and like both the military adventures and geeky bits, I do not—so far—feel actually engaged with it. However this could be because it's hard to read while in bed: tiny type and bulky (at 900+ pages).\nRecently read \"On Intelligence\" by Jeff Hawkins. The middle part was quite dense for me, but in the end I gained new appreciation for the AI field, which before really seemed like much pie in the sky nonsense, and after reading this book I am a believer.\nGearing up for something completely different now as the 12th installment of the WoT series is coming out in a few weeks.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "after reading this book I am a believer",
          "reason": "Says it changed their view of the AI field.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The middle part was quite dense for me.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeff Hawkins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 9,
      "threads": 9,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Computing",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "neuroscience",
        "intelligence",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "brain theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "outliers-the-story-of-success-1c71dc",
      "title": "Outliers: The Story of Success",
      "author": "Malcolm Gladwell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40047723,
          "author": "WheelsAtLarge",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-16T02:09:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40047723",
          "commentText": "Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell\nThis is the first book that clearly made me realize that anyone can be very successful at any task that they pick. Talent is important but it's not the only and most important characteristic to success. People aren't born to succeed. They can and do learn how to do it. It's a learned process, not a God given gift.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell\nThis is the first book that clearly made me realize that anyone can be very successful at any task that they pick. Talent is important but it's not the only and most important characteristic to success.",
          "reason": "The commenter credits the book with changing their view of success, talent, and learning.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33803362,
          "author": "Joel_Mckay",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T16:44:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33803362",
          "commentText": "\"The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics\" (Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, Alastair Smith)\n\"Outliers: The Story of Success\" (Malcolm Gladwell)\n\"Data-Driven Science and Engineering: Machine Learning, Dynamical Systems, and Control\" (Steven L. Brunton, J. Nathan Kutz)\n\"Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories\" (Dr. Seuss)\n\"The Lorax\" (Dr. Seuss)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Outliers: The Story of Success\" (Malcolm Gladwell)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19089092,
          "author": "dlbucci",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T19:52:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19089092",
          "commentText": "Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. The lesson on the surface is that you need to practice/work to become good at anything, but the deeper message for me was that everything is basically preordained. People are acting based on what's logical to them, which is the sum of their experiences. Since we can't control what happens to us, we aren't really in control of what we do either. I mean, the future is still wide open, but looking back, everything happens for a reason, and those reasons are pretty much out of our control. I'm not entirely certain that was the message Gladwell was trying to portray, but that's how I've viewed life ever since I read that book.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell. The lesson on the surface is that you need to practice/work to become good at anything, but the deeper message for me was that everything is basically preordained.",
          "reason": "The commenter explains how the book shaped their view of control and the causes of people’s actions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure this was the message Gladwell intended.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16299629,
          "author": "WheelsAtLarge",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T21:02:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16299629",
          "commentText": "I have 4:\n-Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography - you can download it for free\n- Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell - A bit simplistic but it opens your eye to the fact that talent is a small part of being successful in whatever you want to achieve.\n- How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie - You need people to succeed. Making enemies or just treating people indifferently is a bad move.\n- 7 habits of highly effective people by Stephen R. Covey. People put it down because the advice seems to be common sense but it's only common sense if you know it but not everyone knows it.\n- Meditations by Marcus Aurelius- this is a lifelong guide. Read it until the pages fall apart and then get another and do the same.\nAll these books can be read multiple times and you'll learn something new so get hard copies if you can.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell - A bit simplistic but it opens your eye to the fact that talent is a small part of being successful in whatever you want to achieve.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for its perspective on talent and success, while noting it is simplistic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it a bit simplistic.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15159408,
          "author": "jrs235",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T02:40:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15159408",
          "commentText": "Outliers - the 20 or so page epilogue at the end titled \"A Jamaican Story\" had been the best writing I've read thus far that struck a chord and helped me understand \"white privilege\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Outliers - the 20 or so page epilogue at the end titled \"A Jamaican Story\"",
          "reason": "Says the epilogue resonated and helped explain white privilege.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416703,
          "author": "sssilver",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T22:25:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416703",
          "commentText": "Ayn Rand's \"The Fountainhead\" changed me when I was younger.\nMalcolm Gladwell's \"Outliers\" changed me back when I got older.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Malcolm Gladwell's \"Outliers\" changed me back when I got older.",
          "reason": "Says the book had a personal impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8717678,
          "author": "bogdansolga",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T17:34:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8717678",
          "commentText": "'Outliers' [1], by Malcolm Gladwell, was the last book which changed the way I look on the world around me\n[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outliers_%28book%29\nHighly recommended",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Highly recommended",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book changed how they view the world and highly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5702591,
          "author": "alexvr",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-14T01:42:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5702591",
          "commentText": "- Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (a fun read. Pretty insightful. One of the best books about success, I think.)\n- The Singularity is Near by Ray Kurzweil (opened my mind to what the world could be)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "(a fun read. Pretty insightful. One of the best books about success, I think.)",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it fun, insightful, and one of the best books about success.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter qualifies the ranking with “I think.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5702307,
          "author": "skierscott",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-14T00:15:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5702307",
          "commentText": "Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell[1]\nIt made me realize that the people who exceed in some field aren't only smart: they also rely a lot on their experiences. For example, most hockey players are born in the first part of the year. Why? The deadline for young hockey leagues is January 1st.\nOr take Bill Gates. His mom started a programming club for his school, back before computers were easily accessible, meaning he had programmed a ton by college.\nOr take the Beatles. In their early years, before they were famous, they played daily 8 hour shows.\nI've found other people like this: Bode Miller (a great skier) had parents that owned a ski hill, and lived at the area. He grew up on skis.\nMalcolm Gladwell mentions a \"10,000 Hour Rule.\" Once you do something for 10,000 hours, you're an expert at it. You see this even in college classes: students who don't try don't do well. Students who do try get good grades.\nSo when people say, \"Oh, you're so smart!\", I replace it with, \"You've had the experiences you need.\" Yes, you do need to be smart, but that's not where the base comes from.\n[1]:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outliers_%28book%29",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It made me realize that the people who exceed in some field aren't only smart: they also rely a lot on their experiences.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed their view of what contributes to success.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876127,
          "author": "niyazpk",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T05:46:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876127",
          "commentText": "Two good books I read recently:\n1) Parallel Worlds: A Journey Through Creation, Higher Dimensions, and the Future of the Cosmos by Michio Kaku\n2) The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (I haven't read Atlas Shrugged yet. So cannot compare them.)\nYesterday I finished Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell and it is a very good book too.\nCurrently reading: What They Teach you at Harvard Business School: My Two Years Inside the Cauldron of Capitalism by Philip Delves Broughton",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it is a very good book too",
          "reason": "Calls it a very good book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240679,
          "author": "Alex3917",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T02:25:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240679",
          "commentText": "Books I wish I had on my bookshelf:\nTribes: We Need You to Lead Us (Seth Godin, Oct. 21st)\nOutliers: Why Some People Succeed and Some Don't (Malcolm Gladwell, Nov. 18th)\nReality Check: The Irreverent Guide to Outsmarting, Outmanaging, and Outmarketing Your Competition (Guy Kawasaki, Oct. 30th)\nIf you're the kind of person who lines up at bookstores to get the newest non-fiction books the day they come out then it's going to be an awesome fall.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Outliers: Why Some People Succeed and Some Don't (Malcolm Gladwell, Nov. 18th)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Malcolm Gladwell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 9,
      "threads": 9,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "success",
        "expertise",
        "achievement",
        "social science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "republic-23dea5",
      "title": "Republic",
      "author": "Plato",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37820122,
          "author": "thorin",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-09T13:12:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37820122",
          "commentText": "Heart of darkness is very short and fits into those great books like L'Etranger and the Old Man and the Sea that can be usefully read in an afternoon and give back way more than they demand from you.\nRepublic is quite long but very approachable and I really enjoyed it.\nAgain the mythical man month still holds true and it very readable. It's interesting for anyone interested in computing history as well as for it's key points on management.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Republic is quite long but very approachable and I really enjoyed it.",
          "reason": "Says it is approachable despite its length and that they enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Quite long.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36432693,
          "author": "lapcat",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T14:28:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36432693",
          "commentText": "Plato's Republic, which I came across in a public library when I was quite young.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Plato's Republic, which I came across in a public library when I was quite young.",
          "reason": "The commenter encountered it in a public library when young.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32938515,
          "author": "memling",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T13:30:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938515",
          "commentText": "> There are much less obscure texts, roughly contemporary with the Bible, which discuss humanistic values such as might be associated with 'Western Civilization'. Some of these have been treated as holy by various religious groups including Early Christians, or as of a quasi-religious importance in the organization of society and its institutions. Many of these were widely read throughout the Christian era and are much easier to see as having influenced 'Enlightenment' and 'Modern Secular' values. For example, Plato's Republic. Any suggestion that the Bible is more important than that or similar works to gain \"an understanding of the process of how Western Civilization is formed as it is today\" just seems to me to be a hangover from Christian apologetics and bigotry.\nHave an upvote!\nCan you draw some broader pictures here for the relatively uninformed how you would get a broadly humanistic view from, e.g., The Republic?  If that's too broad an ask, could you draw a line from Plato (and others) to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "For example, Plato's Republic.",
          "reason": "Names it as an example in a question about humanistic values and Western civilization.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936103,
          "author": "Ligma123",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T08:14:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936103",
          "commentText": "Meditations - Marcus Aurelius\nRepublic - Plato\nLaws - Cicero\nNational System of Political Economy - Friedrich List\nMan and Technics - Oswald Spengler\nThe Bible",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Republic - Plato",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30241653,
          "author": "archhn",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T07:59:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241653",
          "commentText": "Everyone should read a platonic dialogue. Plato's Republic in particular due to its influence on western thought. Although some of the ideas may seem absurd from our modern point of view, it's still thought provoking and a good example of old school philosophy. Also, Plato casually outlines why our current system of government is doomed to fail...which is probably pretty important to understand.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Plato's Republic in particular due to its influence on western thought.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for its influence on Western thought and its thought-provoking ideas.",
          "audience": "Everyone; readers interested in philosophy and government.",
          "caveat": "Some ideas may seem absurd from a modern point of view.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467743,
          "author": "wazoox",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:56:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467743",
          "commentText": "The book I've reread the most is The Odyssey. For a long time, I've read it once every year.\nAnother book I've read many times is Eco's Foucault's Pendulum.\nI've read Asimov's cycle of Foundation many times. Don't know how many, actually.\nI've also read several times some philosophy classics, particularly Plato's Symposium, Phaedrus, Apology and Republic.\nThen there are many books that I've read at least twice, almost all considered classics (from 1984 to LoTR, Great expectations to Tom Sawyer, Crime and punishment to Twenty thousand leagues under the sea, etc).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "particularly Plato's Symposium, Phaedrus, Apology and Republic.",
          "reason": "Named as one of the philosophy classics the commenter reread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15160659,
          "author": "pbhjpbhj",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T10:16:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15160659",
          "commentText": "The synoptic gospels and NT, but to choose one book from the NT, ...\nThe Epistle of James - as it has some strong counterpoints to other parts of the NT particularly the contrast of Pauline notions of grace with charity/works.\nEmperor's New Mind, Penrose - probably my biggest take away from it was to consider how human perception works alongside, and co-mingles with, physics.\nWeb of Life, Capra - considering holistic nature of life, one's connection to the World at large; emergent patterns, complex structure birthing from simplicity (goes well with what I recall of Gleick's Chaos).\nZen and the Art ... - what is value, what is valuable to me, whither/whence/wherefore value; how should I relate to my children (long before i had any) and how to challenge them philosophically.\nRepublic, Plato - the first book that really set me thinking about the structure of society, about inequalities. And of course about stepping out of The Cave.\nKoran & Hadith (partial readings, ie whole sections; couple of major hadith only) - [redacted]; but greater understanding of Islam and of religion in general; taught me to watchfully avoid being tainted by the labels people give themselves and look instead to their actions.\nMein Kampf (partial reading) - ideas have intrinsic moral value, that we should judge ideas on their merits and not by who has them; we should be careful about tarring people by simple association.\nArt of War - preparedness, looking to supply lines, avoiding conflicts, not entering \"battles\" you know you'll lose (which I'd take as 'learn nothing from').\nChristianarchy - what it means to be a Christian, who is and isn't \"in\".\nAgrarian Justice, Paine - what is my place politically and economically in the world, whence do I derive the 'rights' to own what I do, whether such ownership is good.\nWorth noting here that the ideas and impressions I got are unlikely to be what you will get, we react to books based on who we are, our frame of mind, moods, etc.. Most of these books I read as a late teenager, that at least in part boosts their impact. The impact is not necessarily the purpose of the book, quite the opposite in some cases.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Republic, Plato - the first book that really set me thinking about the structure of society",
          "reason": "Named as the first book to prompt thought about society and inequality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229765,
          "author": "billybofh",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:45:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229765",
          "commentText": "Not really non-fiction, but Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is always a good read.  Also if you're just interested in 'stuff', Plato's The Republic is very worth reading :\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_and_the_Art_of_Motorcycle_... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_and_the_Art_of_Motorcycle_Maintenance)\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_%28Plato%29",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Plato's The Republic is very worth reading",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is very worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8795694,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T07:00:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795694",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nPredictable Revenue - Aaron Ross, Marylou Tyler\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nThe Ultimate Question 2.0 - Fred Reichheld‎\nThe Singularity is Near - Ray Kurzweil\nMoonshot! - John Sculley\nZero To One - Peter Thiel\nRepublic - Plato\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius\nNineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell\nFahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury\nThe Mysterious Island - Jules Verne\nDiscipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy, Fred Wiersema\nFalse Memory - Dean Koontz\nNOS4A2- Joe Hill\nRevival - Stephen King\nBarbarians At The Gate - John Helyar and Bryan Burrough\nInto Thin Air - John Krakauer\nHow To Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nand any collection of the works of H.P. Lovecraft.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Republic - Plato",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for impactful or liked books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4597375,
          "author": "rwl",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-01T15:03:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 4596721,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4597375",
          "commentText": "For work: Quine's Word and Object; Dummett's Frege: Philosophy of Language; Plato's Republic; and paper after paper. (I am a philosophy graduate student.)\nFor pleasure: just started Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Plato's Republic",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Philosophy graduate students; commenter identifies as a philosophy graduate student.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56751,
          "author": "yters",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T06:37:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56751",
          "commentText": "Being a programmer, you've probably felt the appeal of Platonism, so I'd recommend a couple of his dialogues: Phaedrus, Symposium, and the Republic (in order of length, short to long, since they are pretty dense).  I'd also recommend reading the Republic last, so you can get over the misconceptions you were probably taught in high school.\nAllan Bloom's Closing of the American Mind is also very enlightening for a) understanding the goals of the enlightenment, and b) understanding the current state of our culture.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd also recommend reading the Republic last, so you can get over the misconceptions you were probably taught in high school.",
          "reason": "Recommends reading it last to reconsider common high school interpretations.",
          "audience": "Programmers interested in Platonism and philosophy.",
          "caveat": "The dialogues are described as dense.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5627,
          "author": "vo0do0",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T05:43:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5627",
          "commentText": "- Tipping point (creates a urgency feeling)\n- Built to last (tips and best practices)\n- Blink (helps not to waste ideas, shows how your first impressions/thoughts could be useful)\n- Phylosophy Books (Republic and Politics) - you can understand and have good insights about this social networking and community fever moment.\nAnything you could read regarding usability, interfaces and scalability would help a lot when dealing with low money web2 related startups. \nTo know about extreme programming would be very good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Phylosophy Books (Republic and Politics)",
          "reason": "Suggested for insights into social networking and community trends.",
          "audience": "Startup founders",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Plato"
      ],
      "recommenders": 9,
      "threads": 9,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political philosophy",
        "justice",
        "ancient greek philosophy",
        "classical philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-22-immutable-laws-of-marketing-4cf1d7",
      "title": "The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing",
      "author": "Al Ries and Jack Trout",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25209272,
          "author": "mindhash",
          "createdAt": "2020-11-25T14:01:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 25207732,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Suggest good books on bootstrapping a startup",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25209272",
          "commentText": "I was in similar state a few of years back. Read these, and used them to a good extent.\nLean analytics. (must read)\nProduct-Led growth. (must read)\n22 Laws of marketing (must)\nOne million followers\nIf you like scientific approach:\nInfluence by Robert Cialdini\nContagious (Jonah Berger)\nThis resource is also gold: https://brianbalfour.com/essays/customer-acquisition\nI am also documenting my learnings in a book [1].\n[1] https://book.amols.blog/59decisions",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "22 Laws of marketing (must)",
          "reason": "Lists it as a must-read recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23382808,
          "author": "oldsklgdfth",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-01T19:40:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23382808",
          "commentText": "Very interesting read.\nI find law 12. the law of line extension speaks to the current apple product line. There used to be a single phone they made, today there are 4 to choose from.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Very interesting read.\nI find law 12. the law of line extension speaks to the current apple product line.",
          "reason": "Calls it an interesting read and applies one of its laws to Apple's product line.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21902182,
          "author": "dustingetz",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T22:15:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902182",
          "commentText": "For founders: #1 is Oren Klaff Pitch Anything. Then: Crossing the Chasm, Zero to One, Blitzscaling, Never Split the Difference, Oversubscribed: A Founders Guide to Seed Fundraising, Exactly What To Say: The Magic Words for Influence and Impact, Miracle Morning, 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "22 Immutable Laws of Marketing",
          "reason": "Listed as a book for founders.",
          "audience": "Founders",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6130130,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2013-07-30T21:18:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 6130006,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read re marketing for my website?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6130130",
          "commentText": "I'm not sure if the fact that it's a game changes anything or not as I don't play in that space myself.  But just in terms of marketing in general, some of the essentials include:\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing - Al Ries & Jack Trout\nPositioning - Al Ries & Jack Trout\nRepositioning - Jack Trout (with Steve Rivkin)\nDifferentiate or Die - Jack Trout (with Steve Rivkin)\nThe Ultimate Marketing Plan - Dan S. Kennedy\nThe Ultimate Sales Machine - Chet Holmes\nAll Marketers Are Liars - Seth Godin\nThe Purple Cow - Seth Godin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing - Al Ries & Jack Trout",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1080802,
          "author": "mos1",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-27T16:19:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 1080708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Marketing Books for Developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1080802",
          "commentText": "Influence - The Psychology of Persuasion by Cialdini.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Busine... (http://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Business-Essentials/dp/006124189X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216856193&sr=8-1)\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing - Violate Them at Your Own Risk!\nhttp://www.amazon.com/22-Immutable-Laws-Marketing-Violate/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/22-Immutable-Laws-Marketing-Violate/dp/0887306667/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216858700&sr=1-1)\nDon't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to We Usability, by Steve Krug:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Me-Think-Usability/dp/032134... (http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Me-Think-Usability/dp/0321344758/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216860599&sr=1-1)\nInformation Architecture for the World Wide Web: Designing Large Scale Web Sites, by Paul Rosenfeld and Peter Morville:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Information-Architecture-World-Wide-We... (http://www.amazon.com/Information-Architecture-World-Wide-Web/dp/0596527349/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216860826&sr=1-1)\nWhy We Buy: The Science of Shopping, by Paco Underhill\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Buy-Shopping-Updated-Internet/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Buy-Shopping-Updated-Internet/dp/1416595244/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1264609112&sr=1-1)\nAnd at least one Jakob Nielsen Usability book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing - Violate Them at Your Own Risk!",
          "reason": "Listed as a suggestion in response to a request for marketing books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 674923,
          "author": "skmurphy",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-26T03:58:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 673487,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there any good Internet marketing books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=674923",
          "commentText": "I would recommend these books for a good grounding in marketing and fostering innovation:\n   The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen\n   Crossing the Chasm and Inside the Tornado by Geoffrey Moore\n   Innovation and Entrepreneurship by Peter Drucker\n   Marketing High Technology by William Davidow\n   Four Steps to the Epiphany by Steve Blank\n   Jumpstart Your Business Brain by Doug Hall\n   E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber\n   Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim & R. Mauborgne\n   Influence The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini\n   The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries and Jack Trout\n   Secrets of Consulting by Gerald Weinberg\n\nFor an article that summarizes key concepts see http://skmurphy.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/Crucial%20Mar... (http://skmurphy.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/Crucial%20Marketing%20Concepts.pdf)\nThere is a companion slide deck here http://www.skmurphy.com/f/SDForum061211.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries and Jack Trout",
          "reason": "Recommended for grounding in marketing and fostering innovation.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a grounding in marketing and innovation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 193629,
          "author": "berecruited",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-18T21:24:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 193308,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What books on marketing do you recomend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=193629",
          "commentText": "The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing... a must have on any desk.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing... a must have on any desk.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a must-have.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 193554,
          "author": "donw",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-18T19:50:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 193308,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What books on marketing do you recomend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=193554",
          "commentText": "Some observations:\nIsn't the first title just the first volume of the Calculus textbook used in 'Saw'?\nDoes the second title have errata?\nDoes the third book describe the current political climate in the States?\nIs the fourth book written by the Mafia?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Does the second title have errata?",
          "reason": "Refers to the title in a joke about errata, without evaluating the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 193331,
          "author": "edw519",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-18T12:59:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 193308,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What books on marketing do you recomend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=193331",
          "commentText": "Differentiate or Die\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing\nGetting Everything You Can Out of All You've Got\nThe Irresistable Offer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5574,
          "author": "python_kiss",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T02:11:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5574",
          "commentText": "About 14 months ago, I had little knowledge of how to execute a startup. In particular, I wasn't familiar with any online marketing tactics. The following books helped me a lot in that respective, and more:\n\n1. Positioning, 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing/Branding, Focus, Marketing Warfare\n2. Purple Cow, All Marketers are Liars, Permission Marketing (I didn't like \"The Big Moo\", \"Free prize inside\" or \"Small is the new Big\").\n3. Founters At Work\n4. Wikinomics, Wisdom of Crowds, The Tipping Point (Blink! was alright). I am looking forward to reading \"The Long Tail\" and \"The starfish and the spider\"...has anyone read them yet?\n6. Why We Buy\n7. Hackers and Painters\n8. The E-Myth revisited\n9. The Art of the Start\n10. On War, The Art of War by Machiavelli and Sun Tzu (not exactly for startups, but definitely useful)\n11. Crossing the Chasm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "22 Immutable Laws of Marketing/Branding",
          "reason": "Listed among books that helped the commenter learn startup execution and online marketing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Al Ries",
        "Jack Trout"
      ],
      "recommenders": 9,
      "threads": 9,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marketing strategy",
        "marketing",
        "branding",
        "positioning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-beginning-of-infinity-a3b19d",
      "title": "The Beginning of Infinity",
      "author": "David Deutsch",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33382604,
          "author": "bobbykrk",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T10:05:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382604",
          "commentText": "The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch and \nThe Three-Body Problem Trilogy by Liu Cixin.\nI especially recommend reading this combination. Both books fill up with optimism about humanity. First one by providing framework for infinite progress of humankind. (written by acknowledged quantum physics professor). Second one by by outlining how we can overcome difficulties on the way (written by talented Chinese science fiction writer).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch",
          "reason": "The commenter especially recommends it as an optimistic framework for humanity's potential for progress.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33382069,
          "author": "anonymousDan",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T08:15:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382069",
          "commentText": "I read the beginning of infinity a few years ago. Super interesting. What did you think of it?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I read the beginning of infinity a few years ago. Super interesting.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it super interesting and asks what someone thought of it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804093,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:12:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804093",
          "commentText": "Writing a Go Interpreter\nWriting a Go Compiler\nNo One Cares about Crazy People\nI Heard You Paint Houses\nUNIX: A History and a Memoir\nRed Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine\nHow Asia Works\nThe Dream Machine\nBlack Earth\nThe Fabric of Reality\nBehave (tried twice, maybe third times a charm?)\nA Short History of Nearly Everything\nStiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers\nGenius: The Life and Science Richard Feynman\nSuper Thinking\nMan's Search for Meaning\nThe Cooking Gene\nThe Vital Question: Why is Life The Way it Is (re-read)\nThe Case Against Sugar\nThe 15 Decisive Battles of the World\nThe History of the Peloponnesian War\nThe Beginning of Infinity\nThe Book of Why",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Beginning of Infinity",
          "reason": "Listed in the commenter's planned reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20343144,
          "author": "kitx",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-03T10:44:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20343144",
          "commentText": "An excellent book. David Deutsch is a talented writer and this is one of those books that shifts the way you look at the world.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An excellent book. David Deutsch is a talented writer and this is one of those books that shifts the way you look at the world.",
          "reason": "Calls it excellent and says it changes how you see the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19087986,
          "author": "pcprincipal",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T18:17:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19087986",
          "commentText": "\"Free Will\" by Sam Harris. A buddy told me to read this after we got in a long debate about free will at a bar. Basically, he told me I wasn't even grasping what free will is, and that the hour to read the book would totally change everything for me. Lo and behold, he was right and the next conversation we had about free will was much deeper and largely framed by the insights in this book. It convinced me that the real question isn't \"Do we have free will?\" but rather \"What is free will?\"\n\"The Beginning of Infinity\" by David Deutsch. It's difficult to pinpoint this book as being about a thing or a set of things, but my best attempt is to say it's about attaining knowledge and the non-existent limits to human knowledge. I've never felt more inspired than when I finished reading this book and reflected on the infinite lengths humankind has to go on technological progress. Overall, it's an incredible argument for optimism about what is possible.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Overall, it's an incredible argument for optimism about what is possible.",
          "reason": "Calls it an inspiring and incredible argument for optimism about human knowledge and progress.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910404,
          "author": "briga",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:42:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910404",
          "commentText": "The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch. The sheer breadth of the ideas covered in this book is breathtaking, and there are some truly mind-bending ideas explored in this book. If you're looking for a good general science book I highly recommend this one.\nSuperintelligence by Nick Bostrom. Few thinkers have thought about this issue as deeply as Bostrom, and it was fascinating to hear his thoughts on AI.\nBury My Heart at Wounded Knee. Pretty traumatic read but essential if you really want to understand a dark and overlooked chapter of American history",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you're looking for a good general science book I highly recommend this one.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the breadth of ideas and recommends it as a general science book.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a general science book.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296479,
          "author": "outlace",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T06:21:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296479",
          "commentText": "\"The Beginning of Infinity\" by David Deutsch",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Beginning of Infinity\" by David Deutsch",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14480052,
          "author": "paraschopra",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-04T05:39:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14480052",
          "commentText": "_The Beginning of Infinity_ changed my worldview from thinking progress is slowing down or problems in the world are overpowering to a more hopeful one where problems always be there for humans to solve, and that through human activity we can keep making progress. It also gave hope that one day in future, we might be able to clearly see that good, bad, evil, love, beauty might be fundamental aspects of universe, just like gravity, atoms, and radioactivity is. It also walks through philosophy of science (v/s pseduo-science). All in all, I wish I had read it earlier.\n_Feeling Good_ because of the tools it contains to battle self-defeating feelings that lead bouts of sadness or depression. I wish everyone would read that book so that they can build mental immunity against circular, depressing thoughts.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "_The Beginning of Infinity_ changed my worldview",
          "reason": "Says it made their view of progress more hopeful and discusses philosophy of science.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13805626,
          "author": "hyperbeing",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T20:07:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805626",
          "commentText": "Im currently reading the Beginning of Infinity, i liked the way the author criticises almost all \"ism\"s and explains what they are in the process. Im in chapter 5 now and i just read about how he believes beauty/aesthetics and morality are objective akin to something like laws of physics, but its explained in ch11.Excited :D",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Im currently reading the Beginning of Infinity, i liked the way the author criticises almost all \"ism\"s and explains what they are in the process.",
          "reason": "Likes the book’s discussion and critique of ideologies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10029774,
          "author": "unril",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-09T07:26:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10029774",
          "commentText": "For me it is certanly \"The Beginning of Infinity\" by physicist David Deutsch. Its every chapter answers to some deep questions I had about how the world works. Currently I re-reading it again in the 4-th time and still noticing something new and exciting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For me it is certanly \"The Beginning of Infinity\" by physicist David Deutsch. Its every chapter answers to some deep questions I had about how the world works.",
          "reason": "Says every chapter answers deep questions about how the world works and that rereading remains exciting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Deutsch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 9,
      "threads": 9,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epistemology",
        "progress",
        "explanations",
        "human progress"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-four-agreements-de849a",
      "title": "The Four Agreements",
      "author": "Don Miguel Ruiz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47984625,
          "author": "eagle10ne",
          "createdAt": "2026-05-02T08:44:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 47984463,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47984625",
          "commentText": "The Four Agreements",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Four Agreements",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42964020,
          "author": "chasing0entropy",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-06T16:34:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42964020",
          "commentText": "The Four Agreements. Totally changed my approach on professional and dating relations. I hear the concept is not unique but the brief, clear nature of the author spoke to me in my 20s.\nThe explaining theory is a little out of the box (ideas are seeds, your memory is soil, your attention is super powerful fertilizer) but if you aborb the basic concept, you will be forever changed.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Four Agreements.",
          "reason": "Says it changed their approach to professional and dating relationships.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The author’s explanation is described as out of the box; commenter says the concept is not unique.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35170339,
          "author": "caloique",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T15:59:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35170339",
          "commentText": "1) The richest man in Babylon\n2) The four agreement\n3) Secrets of the Millionaire Mind",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The four agreement",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13967847,
          "author": "hollander",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T14:15:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13967847",
          "commentText": "The Four Agreements by Don Ruiz. It's a short and simple book about four rules of life which you can use anywhere.\n1. Be impeccable with your word. You can read this as \"don't swear\", but it's not about that. It is about the constant and continuing things we say to ourselves that make us feel bad. We don't even know we do this. And it's not about big things, it's about the thousands of small reprimands we give ourselves that hold us back living our life.\n2. Don't take anything personally. When someone else says something to you, good or bad, it shows how they feel. What they say is about them, what they think is important, what is relevant for them. It's not about you. This doesn't mean that you can ignore it, but it shines another light on things other people say about you, or about others to you. This applies to \"good things\" as well. If someone gives you a compliment, it tells something about them. And of course it works as well for the things you say or do - they tell something about you.\n3. Don't make assumptions. Don't think you know what other people think, or that you know why they do the things they do.\n4. Do your best. You can't always live your life following rules. Do your best, and if you break a rule, bad luck, next time better! That means that you can forgive yourself. And it means that you should not give up after a big fuck up. Or a small fuck up, or many fuck ups. You can start over again at any moment.\nThe book is much better at explaining. It's about 60 pages, worth the effort.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book is much better at explaining. It's about 60 pages, worth the effort.",
          "reason": "Says the book explains its life rules better and is worth the effort.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in practical rules for self-reflection and everyday life.",
          "caveat": "Described as short and simple; about 60 pages.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12244202,
          "author": "bluejekyll",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-07T22:57:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244202",
          "commentText": "\"The Four Agreements\", I wish I had read it when I was younger, I give it to anyone who seems to feel other people are their problem.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Four Agreements\", I wish I had read it when I was younger, I give it to anyone who seems to feel other people are their problem.",
          "reason": "The commenter gives it to people who seem to blame others for their problems.",
          "audience": "People who feel other people are their problem",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674492,
          "author": "aida_mirbadi",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T13:04:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674492",
          "commentText": "\"The Four Agreements\" by Don Miguel Ruiz.\nThis book advocates personal freedom from beliefs and agreements that we have made with ourselves and others that are creating limitation and unhappiness in our lives.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Four Agreements\" by Don Miguel Ruiz.\nThis book advocates personal freedom from beliefs and agreements that we have made with ourselves and others that are creating limitation and unhappiness in our lives.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for a mind-blowing book; describes its message about personal freedom.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8716945,
          "author": "gregd",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T15:39:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8716945",
          "commentText": "Two books that aren't mentioned, surprisingly, are:\nThe Power of Now - Eckhart Tolle\nThe Four Agreements - Don Miguel Ruiz\nIn my humble opinion, these two books alone, have the ability to change one's life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Four Agreements - Don Miguel Ruiz",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book has the ability to change one's life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The claim is framed as the commenter's humble opinion.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401429,
          "author": "espitia",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:22:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401429",
          "commentText": "Zero To One - Peter Thiel\nTribes - Seth Godin\nThe Four Agreements - Miguel Angel Ruiz (life changing) The\nSeven Spiritual Laws of Success - Deepak Chopra\nThese are some that I am reading/read recently.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Four Agreements - Miguel Angel Ruiz (life changing)",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as life changing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6923762,
          "author": "deadfall",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-17T20:36:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 6921805,
          "threadTitle": "What book has inspired you the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6923762",
          "commentText": "\"The Four Agreements\" has forever changed the way I view my actions and the actions around me.\n\"The Power of Now\" is a great book about spiritual enlightenment. It opens up your mind to a different way of thought related to no stress, no pain, no anxiety, no past, no future, etc...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Four Agreements\" has forever changed the way I view my actions and the actions around me.",
          "reason": "Says it permanently changed how they view their own and others’ actions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3277849,
          "author": "technology",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T18:47:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3277849",
          "commentText": "The Minto Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing, Thinking, & Problem Solving by Barbara Minto (http://www.amazon.com/Pyramid-Principle-Writing-Thinking-Pro... (http://www.amazon.com/Pyramid-Principle-Writing-Thinking-Problem/dp/0960191046))\nSome Mental Models are available here for free :\nhttp://www.focusinvestor.com/FocusSeriesPart3.pdf\nhttp://www.focusinvestor.com/MungerModels.pdf\nFor systems :\nLean Thinking by James Womack\n--------------\nSome thought provoking personal effectiveness titles :\nThe Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz (http://www.amazon.com/Four-Agreements-Practical-Personal-Fre... (http://www.amazon.com/Four-Agreements-Practical-Personal-Freedom/dp/1878424319))\nThe Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less by Barry Schwartz (http://www.amazon.com/Paradox-Choice-Why-More-Less/dp/006000... (http://www.amazon.com/Paradox-Choice-Why-More-Less/dp/0060005696/))\nThe Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz",
          "reason": "Listed among personal effectiveness titles in response to a request for books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 400633,
          "author": "garnerwoods",
          "createdAt": "2008-12-17T06:24:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=400633",
          "commentText": "Usually I will find out what book famous people has read, what are their favorite books, hope that any book which bring influence on them, will bring good influence on me too.. also, as famous n successful people combined with their experience, I'm sure they have better taste on their choice too.\nStephen King's Favorite:\nThis Book Will Save Your Life by A. M. Homes\nSaturday by Ian McEwan\nThe Mad Cook of Pymatuning: A Novel by Christopher Lehmann-Haupt\nThe Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson\nThe Tenderness of Wolves: A Novel by Stef Penney\nWhen Will There Be Good News?: A Novel by Kate Atkinson\nJ.K. Rowling's Favorite:\nThe Five Red Herrings by Dorothy L. Sayers\nI Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith\nSkellig by David Almond\nThe Woman Who Walked into Doors by Roddy Doyle\nJeffrey Eugenides, author, Pulitzer prize winner\n\"Herzog,\" by Saul Bellow\n\"Love in a Fallen City,\" by Eileen Chang\n\"The Lay of the Land,\" by Richard Ford\nOprah Winfrey's Favorite:\nWhite Oleander by Janet Fitch\nThe Color Purple by Alice Walker\nA Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith\nThe Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz\nTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee\nThe Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison\nThe Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck\nFor complete list visit http://www.famouspal.com",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz",
          "reason": "Listed as one of Oprah Winfrey's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment reports it as someone else's favorite; it does not state the author's own endorsement.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Don Miguel Ruiz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 9,
      "threads": 9,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal development",
        "personal growth",
        "toltec spirituality",
        "toltec wisdom"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-silmarillion-14d0ea",
      "title": "The Silmarillion",
      "author": "J. R. R. Tolkien",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50119582,
          "author": "pmpmpmpm",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T15:25:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50119582",
          "commentText": "I can’t resist an invocation:)\nMost of these are old since I’ve been reading more articles these days but here are a few good books or series I’ve read more than twice: The Hobbit, LOTR, the Silmarillion, Neuromancer, the Chronicles of Narnia, Hong Lou Meng, The Heart Sutra, The Bhagavad Gita, The Tao De Ching, The Wheel of Time series, No country for old men, Persuasion, Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice, The Way of Kings, The Talisman, the Dark Tower Series, and The Prophet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Silmarillion",
          "reason": "Included among good books read more than twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 49902504,
          "author": "Ancalagon",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-29T23:55:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49902504",
          "commentText": "Finally getting around to reading the LOTR trilogy. I've read the Hobbit and the Silmarillion, just never got around to the main story.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "and the Silmarillion",
          "reason": "Mentions having already read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46402290,
          "author": "sevensor",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T14:56:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46402290",
          "commentText": "Mary Renault. Fire From Heaven. I think she was ahead of the curve in recognizing that Alexander had monstrous qualities at a time when he was still seen as a kind of superhero.\nTolkein. The Silmarillion. I’ve bounced off this book a dozen times over decades, despite deeply enjoying The Hobbit and LoTR. This time I discovered that the best way to read it is backwards, tracing connections to characters you already know.\nStephenson. Anathem. I think I’ll skip the end next time. The first time I read it, I was confused; this time I understood exactly what was happening but I thought it was a bit pointless. Still worth it for the first 3/4 of the novel.\nLots of short stories. I was expecting to like Mark Twain better, but ours is a much more earnest era, and no match for his Gilded Age cynicism. What passes for cynicism today is Twain in his sunniest mood. At any rate, I appreciate Twain, but I enjoy EM Forster, Henry James, JG Ballard, William Gibson, and lots of others I’m forgetting at the moment.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Tolkein. The Silmarillion. I’ve bounced off this book a dozen times over decades, despite deeply enjoying The Hobbit and LoTR.",
          "reason": "Explains that reading backward through familiar character connections helped the commenter get through it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter bounced off it repeatedly before finding an approach that worked.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38570149,
          "author": "thorin",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T15:27:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38570149",
          "commentText": "I think they are willing to put up with / indulge me reading something I enjoy to have a bit of close time together. The like the challenge of it being a massive book, but I remember finding the two towers pretty boring as a kid myself. I may stop for a bit after fellowship as I always thought that was the most readable of the books myself. I suppose that makes me not a true fan. I found the Silmarillion completely unreadable, but I do like middle earth.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I found the Silmarillion completely unreadable",
          "reason": "The commenter found it completely unreadable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31969216,
          "author": "the_third_wave",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T17:10:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31969216",
          "commentText": "Not a book but the facilities to make one - access to either paper and pencils/pens/ink, glue, linen binding thread, leather for making covers and a book press to bind the thing. Given that I'd have the rest of my life I'd settle for access to the raw materials to make these.\nI'd write the book myself, it'd probably end up like a cross between Robinson Crusoë, Baden Powell's \"Scouting for Boys\", Zindell's \"Neverness\", Tolkien's \"Silmarillion\", The Gulag Archipelago - for what twisted mind would keep people from reading new (to them) books other than the same mind which created the GULAG system - and more of such. It would take years to write but that'd be a good thing given that it would keep me busy.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Tolkien's \"Silmarillion\"",
          "reason": "Lists it as one influence for the book they would write.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned as an influence, not a recommendation to read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25531460,
          "author": "fsflover",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T21:10:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25531460",
          "commentText": "Also Silmarillion adds a lot of depth to it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Silmarillion adds a lot of depth to it.",
          "reason": "Says it adds depth to The Lord of the Rings.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467533,
          "author": "xamuel",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:35:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467533",
          "commentText": "The Bible (technically working on my 2nd cover-to-cover readthrough, but have read individual books in it many times, especially the Gospel of Matthew).\nAll of Kafka's novels, but especially \"The Castle\".\nSeveral of PKD's novels: \"The Man in the High Castle\", \"Through a Scanner Darkly\", \"Ubiq\"\n\"The Silmarillion\" (when I was a young adult)\nDouglas Adams' \"Dirk Gentley's Holistic Detective Agency\" (when I was a teenager)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Silmarillion\" (when I was a young adult)",
          "reason": "Lists it as a book reread when the commenter was a young adult.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4513745,
          "author": "verganileonardo",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-12T23:00:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 4513324,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading currently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4513745",
          "commentText": "I'm currently reading The Silmarillion!\nHighly recommend for those who would like to know more about the 'history' of Middle-earth.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Highly recommend for those who would like to know more about the 'history' of Middle-earth.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for readers who want to learn more about Middle-earth's history.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Middle-earth's history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Simlarillion",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876339,
          "author": "theblackbox",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T09:15:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876339",
          "commentText": "I would Second ANYTHING by Hesse, not got round to a thorough read of Siddhartha yet, but Damien is most excellent and The Glass Bead Games is a revelation for anyone who feels there is something just a little bit ill with the mind and motion of our modern age.\nOh, and something along the lines of The Neverending Story (The Silmarillion/LotR), because it's something to lose yourself in with kids and doesn't even have to be read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "(The Silmarillion/LotR)",
          "reason": "Offered as something along the lines of The Neverending Story, to enjoy with children.",
          "audience": "People who want something to lose themselves in with kids.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it does not even have to be read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 407426,
          "author": "swombat",
          "createdAt": "2008-12-23T09:31:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 407067,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Let's start a Hacker News book club",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=407426",
          "commentText": "EDIT3: If we're going to go with fiction, this looks like a good list to pick from:\nhttp://www.goodreads.com/list/show/6.Best_Books_of_the_20th_... (http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/6.Best_Books_of_the_20th_Century)\nPersonally, I've read almost none of these!\n1) How can you have read none of these? Get started already! And don't wait for others to tell you which books to read!\n2) That list is very suspect... I don't know how they compiled it, but it's a bit strange that it does contain some good books but then simultaneously allocates several positions to enjoyable but trashy books such as Harry Potter. Also gives several position to LotR (one is warranted, no more!), including one for the Silmarillion (wtf? I enjoyed it, but \"best book of the 20th century\"? no way!) Memoirs of a Geisha is also nice but hardly a thought leader. And it seems to be completely missing immortal masterpieces such as Narziss & Goldmund (Herman Hesse), Joseph and his Brothers (Thomas Mann), The Trial (Kafka), and many others.\nAn \"OK\" starting point, but not even the shadow of a definitive list.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "including one for the Silmarillion (wtf? I enjoyed it, but \"best book of the 20th century\"? no way!)",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed it but rejects calling it one of the best books of the 20th century.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Personal enjoyment does not amount to endorsing its placement on the list.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85938,
          "author": "jraines",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T14:35:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85938",
          "commentText": "1984\nThe Silmarillion\nThe Hero With A Thousand Faces\nDune\nWalden (about half the chapters anyway)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Silmarillion",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. R. R. Tolkien"
      ],
      "recommenders": 9,
      "threads": 9,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mythopoeia",
        "high fantasy",
        "middle earth",
        "mythology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-three-body-problem-5a69f4",
      "title": "The Three-Body Problem",
      "author": "Cixin Liu",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47318530,
          "author": "habitmaxer",
          "createdAt": "2026-03-10T02:43:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 47315415,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47318530",
          "commentText": "I use Claude Opus to rip thru books. It points out the fluff paragraphs so I skip them. Finished stuff I prob never would've touched: Slaughterhouse Five, The Three-Body Problem. I make quick Anki cards from the Opus reading sessions so I don't forget plot bits. I try to get Opus to quiz me on the sections it told me to focus on reading.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Three-Body Problem",
          "reason": "Named as a book the commenter finished using Claude to get through reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46161500,
          "author": "ashtavakra",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-05T14:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46161500",
          "commentText": "I consolidated the comments for my reference later. Someone else might also find it useful:\n# Fiction Books Recommended for Programmers (HN Thread 46128404)\n## Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- *Children of Time* — Science Fiction (Evolution, Space Opera)  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)\n## Rick Cook — Wizardry Series\n- *Wizard’s Bane* — Fantasy, Programming/Magic Mashup  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112616.Wizard_s_Bane\n- *Wizardry Series (overview)*  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\n## James P. Hogan\n- *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/743568.Inherit_the_Stars\n- *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifem... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifemaker)\n- *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_Tomorrow)\n## D. F. Jones — Colossus Trilogy\n- *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806105.Colossus\n- *The Fall of Colossus* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colos... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colossus)\n- *Colossus and the Crab* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_Crab)\n## Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner)\n- *A Logic Named Joe* — Golden-Age Sci-Fi, AI Precursor  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-j... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-joe)\n## David Gerrold\n- *When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One* — AI, Classic Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_Was_One)\n## William Gibson / Bruce Sterling\n- *Neuromancer* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer\n- *The Difference Engine* — Steampunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Eng... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Engine)\n## Neal Stephenson\n- *Snow Crash* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash\n- *Cryptonomicon* — Techno-thriller, Cyber-history  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/816.Cryptonomicon\n- *Anathem* — Philosophical Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2845024-anathem\n- *The Diamond Age* — Nanopunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827.The_Diamond_Age\n## Fred Saberhagen\n- *Octagon* — AI, Techno-thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1891958.Octagon\n## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga\n- *Series Overview* — Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/40946-vorkosigan-saga\n## Richard Powers\n- *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45104.Galatea_2_2\n## Scott Meyer\n- *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-wizard)\n## Daniel Suarez\n- *Daemon* — Cyber-thriller, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665844-daemon\n## Thomas J. Ryan\n- *The Adolescence of P-1* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_o... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_of_P_1)\n## Ernest Cline\n- *Ready Player One* — Sci-Fi, Gaming, Pop-Culture Adventure  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one\n## Dennis E. Taylor\n- *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)* — Humorous Sci-Fi, AI, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-we-are-bob)\n## Ted Chiang\n- *Stories of Your Life and Others* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\n- *Exhalation* — Speculative Fiction, Philosophy, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation\n- *The Lifecycle of Software Objects* — AI, Digital Consciousness  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of-software-objects)\n## Charles Stross\n- *Laundry Files Series* — Math-based Magic, Techno-Fantasy  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files\n## Ken Liu\n- *The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menag... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories)\n- *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, AI, VR  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl-and-other-stories)\n## Ellen Ullman\n- *The Bug* — Tech Industry Literary Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/703.The_Bug\n## Cory Doctorow\n- *Radicalized* — Techno-sociopolitical Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40604122-radicalized\n## qntm (Sam Hughes)\n- *Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans-in-transit-and-other-stories)\n## Roger Williams\n- *The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect* — AI, Post-Singularity SF  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)\n## Greg Bear\n- *Eon* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/924843.Eon\n## Vernor Vinge\n- *A Deepness in the Sky* — Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the_Sky)\n## Terry Pratchett\n- *Going Postal* — Comic Fantasy, Satire of Bureaucracy & Tech  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64222.Going_Postal\n## Bruce Bethke\n- *Headcrash* — Cyber-satire  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213465.Headcrash\n## Mary Shelley\n- *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* — Classic Gothic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein\n## Douglas Adams\n- *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* — Comic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guid... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)\n## Jorge Luis Borges\n- *The Library of Babel* — Metaphysical Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-babel)\n## Greg Egan\n- *Permutation City* — Simulation Theory, Hard Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156784.Permutation_City\n## Cixin Liu\n- *The Three-Body Problem* — Hard Sci-Fi, First Contact  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- *The Three-Body Problem* — Hard Sci-Fi, First Contact",
          "reason": "Lists the title in a compilation of fiction books recommended for programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021691,
          "author": "spapas82",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:02:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021691",
          "commentText": "I've read a lot of scifi but I'd recommend only one to make sure you get the point:\nThe \"remembrance of earth's past\" trilogy (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remembrance_of_Earth%27s_Pas... (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remembrance_of_Earth%27s_Past)) which is more known as \"the three body problem\". All the books are great but my favourite by a large margin is \"the dark forest\" (part 2)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "more known as \"the three body problem\"",
          "reason": "The commenter identifies this as the trilogy's better-known name.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34161456,
          "author": "spicymaki",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T14:49:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161456",
          "commentText": "2022 was a year full of change for me and I am not looking for change but more of a complement to my life as it is currently.\nIn the process of reading:\nParable of a Sower’s Daughter by Octavia Butler\nRead this year:\nThe Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki\nThe Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson\nFour Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman\nA Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki\nSea of Tranquillity by Emily St. John Mandel\nChildren of Dune by Frank Herbert\nTurtles All the Way Down by John Green\nThe Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu\nStation Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu",
          "reason": "Listed among books read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33382604,
          "author": "bobbykrk",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T10:05:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382604",
          "commentText": "The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch and \nThe Three-Body Problem Trilogy by Liu Cixin.\nI especially recommend reading this combination. Both books fill up with optimism about humanity. First one by providing framework for infinite progress of humankind. (written by acknowledged quantum physics professor). Second one by by outlining how we can overcome difficulties on the way (written by talented Chinese science fiction writer).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Three-Body Problem Trilogy by Liu Cixin.",
          "reason": "Recommended in combination with The Beginning of Infinity for its optimistic account of overcoming challenges.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803515,
          "author": "lghh",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:10:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803515",
          "commentText": "Leisure Stuff:\nBoom Town: The Fantastical Saga Of Oklahoma City, It's Chaotic Founding... by Sam Anderson\nMidnight In Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham\nDune by Frank Herbert\nThe Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu (tried it this year and stopped, want to give it another go)\nStories of Your Life and Others - Ted Chiang (just finished Exhalation and I think it's great)\nAn Ursula K. Le Guin novel, have not picked one out yet\nA book related to basketball (possibly Dream Team, but IDK yet)\nLess Leisure Stuff:\nLocked In: The True Causes of Mass Incarceration and How to Achieve Real Reform by John Pfaff\nEvicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond\nThe End Of Policing by Alex S Vitale\nEither Manufacturing Consent or Understanding Power by Chomsky\nThe Annotated Turing by Charles Petzold\nWork:\nCode Complete 2 by Steve McConnell\nThe Web Application Hacker's Handbook: Finding and Exploiting Security Flaws by Dafydd Stuttard,  Marcus Pinto\nFinish Writing An Interpreter In Go by Thorsten Ball\nIf I can get through all of these, I will be very pleased. Throw in a book or two at recommendation from friends and I think I'm full for the year.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu (tried it this year and stopped, want to give it another go)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter previously stopped reading and plans to try again.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536533,
          "author": "physicsyogi",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:12:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536533",
          "commentText": "Cryptonomicon and Snow Crash were great. Others you might:\n- The Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang (superb short story that Arrival was based on)\n- The Three Body-Problem (Cixin Liu)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Parable of the Sower (Octavia Butler)\n- Lucifer's Hammer (Larry Niven)\n- The Kundalini Equation (Steven Barnes)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Three Body-Problem (Cixin Liu)",
          "reason": "Listed as a suggestion in response to the request for fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630498,
          "author": "dedalus",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:35:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630498",
          "commentText": "Three Scientists and their Gods: This book foreshadows the meaning and purpose of science+tech https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214570.Three_Scientists_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214570.Three_Scientists_and_Their_Gods)\nScifi: The Three Body problem (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)) for its whole encompassing narrative about human future and some of it will be real (fusion instead of chemical fuel, pulse propulsion and other social consequences)\nArdor: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20931250-ardor if you ever wanted to understand ancient indian philosophy. Heavy read, not recommended for fun but more as quest\nFoxTales: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/412167.Foxtales about how software was developed in the midwest free of all the fashion/hipsterism currently in vogue and building a community of users for your software\nThe elements of networking style: If you ever wanted to know the politics of how networking RFCs are made: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2298785.The_Elements_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2298785.The_Elements_of_Networking_Style) and design choices made to build modern day internet\nUnwritten Laws of Engineering: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13122143-unwritten-laws-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13122143-unwritten-laws-of-engineering) is an old and timeless way detailing what it means to engineer\nHigh Performance Browser Networking: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17985198-high-performanc... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17985198-high-performance-browser-networking) if you ever wanted to know what happens inside a browser\nThe Computer and the Brain: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/358880.The_Computer_and_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/358880.The_Computer_and_the_Brain) where the master compares the machine with our brain\nThe Grammatical Man: If you ever wanted to know the importance of structure and constraint in everything: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/722028.Grammatical_Man",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Scifi: The Three Body problem (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-...) for its whole encompassing narrative about human future and some of it will be real (fusion instead of chemical fuel, pulse propulsion and other social consequences)",
          "reason": "Praises its sweeping narrative about humanity's future and its technological and social ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15432547,
          "author": "Msterup",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-09T09:49:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15432547",
          "commentText": "Not alot of AI aside from the software controling the ships in the later books. These arguably play a small part.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Not alot of AI aside from the software controling the ships in the later books.",
          "reason": "Discusses the later books in the series and the limited role of AI.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "AI plays a small part.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15431794,
          "author": "wdr1",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-09T05:45:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15431794",
          "commentText": "The Three Body Problem.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Three Body Problem.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15429036,
          "author": "phodo",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T17:21:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15429036",
          "commentText": "‘Three Body Problem’ which I just finished. It is part of a trilogy.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "‘Three Body Problem’ which I just finished.",
          "reason": "Named as a title in response to the request for sci-fi recommendations; finishing it alone does not indicate a positive evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter only says they just finished it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249651,
          "author": "new299",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T13:08:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249651",
          "commentText": "The Three Body problem by Cixin Liu is very dense, but entertaining and has depth.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Three Body problem by Cixin Liu is very dense, but entertaining and has depth.",
          "reason": "Describes it as entertaining and deep, in response to a request for fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Very dense.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238537,
          "author": "kirubakaran",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:59:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238537",
          "commentText": "Here is my full bookshelf: http://www.kirubakaran.com/books-read.html\nBooks Read in 2016:\n1. The Recursive Universe: Cosmic Complexity and the Limits of Scientific Knowledge\n- Poundstone, William\n2. My Brain is Open: The Mathematical Journeys of Paul Erdos\n- Schechter, Bruce\n3. One Summer: America, 1927\n- Bryson, Bill\n4. The Three-Body Problem (Remembrance of Earth’s Past, #1)\n- Liu, Cixin\n5. The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit\n- Godin, Seth\n6. At Home: A Short History of Private Life\n- Bryson, Bill\n7. Kings of Kings (Hardcore History, #56-58)\n- Carlin, Dan\n8. Blueprint for Armageddon (Hardcore History #50-55)\n- Carlin, Dan\n9. Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal\n- Klaff, Oren\n10. William Shakespeare: The World as Stage\n- Bryson, Bill\n11. So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love\n- Newport, Cal\n12. The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles\n- Pressfield, Steven\n13. In a Sunburned Country\n- Bryson, Bill\n14. Cannery Row\n- Steinbeck, John\n15. Traction: A Startup Guide to Getting Customers\n- Weinberg, Gabriel\n16. Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World\n- Newport, Cal\n17. Starship Troopers\n- Heinlein, Robert A.\n18. No Touch Monkey!: And Other Travel Lessons Learned Too Late\n- Halliday, Ayun",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Three-Body Problem (Remembrance of Earth’s Past, #1)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12070159,
          "author": "cplanas",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T10:48:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12070159",
          "commentText": "Just finished with the first two volumes of Cixin Liu's trilogy. Really good stuff. :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "first two volumes of Cixin Liu's trilogy",
          "reason": "Says the first two volumes were really good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12069186,
          "author": "acabrahams",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T06:10:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12069186",
          "commentText": "1. The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu\n2. One L by Scott Turow\n3. The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu\n4. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells\n5. Believer: My Forty Years in Politics by David Axelrod\n6. The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells\n7. Augustus: First Emperor of Rome by Adrian Goldsworthy\n8. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (re-read)\n9. I, Claudius by Robert Graves\n10. Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks\n11. The Fear Index by Robert Harris\n12. Red Dragon by Thomas Harris (re-read)\n13. The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris (re-read)\n14. Hannibal by Thomas Harris (re-read)\n15. Game Change by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin (re-read)\n16. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (re-read)\n17. Claudius the God by Robert Graves\nRe-reads take hardly any time at all, so I'm not sure whether to count them. If you're not, then 11 books read so far.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10784101,
          "author": "skorgu",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:39:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10784101",
          "commentText": "I was on a sf kick this year apparently.\nFull list (why can't amazon show me the read dates of my kindle books?!):\n- Ancillary Sword\n- The Magician's Land\n- The Three Body Problem (incomplete)\n- Libriomancer, Codex Born, Unbound\n- Thank You, Jeeves\n- Omon Ra (incomplete)\n- Stations of the Tide\n- 1Q84 (staggeringly incomplete)\n- The Desert Spear (incomplete)\n- The Lost Fleet: {Dauntless,Fearless,Courageous} (third \none incomplete)\n- Superintelligence\n- Nexus, Crux (incomplete)\n- Another Fine Myth\n- The Annihilation Score\n- The Man with the Golden Torc, Daemons are Forever\n- The Fractal Prince (incomplete)\n- Crooked\n- Ancillary Mercy\n- The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet\n- The Traitor Baru Cormarant\n- Excession\n- Hive Mind\n- Seveneves",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "- The Three Body Problem (incomplete)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Marked incomplete.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10176218,
          "author": "sshine",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T22:16:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10176218",
          "commentText": "Just finished:\n— Roadside Picnic, by the Strugatsky brothers. The very thematic Soviet sci-fi behind STALKER.\n— The Cyberiad, by Stanislaw Lem. A brilliant collection of short stories on language, philosophy, futurism.\nCurrently:\n— Nexus, by Ramez Naam (book 1 of 3). Nanobots meet augmented reality, transhumanism. Good.\n— Breakfast of Champions, by Kurt Vonnegut. Hilarious stuff.\n— Poe's collected works.\nNext:\n— The Three-Body Problem, by Cixin Liu. I have my hopes high.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I have my hopes high.",
          "reason": "The commenter expresses high expectations but has not stated an evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have not yet read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674090,
          "author": "Cyph0n",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T10:33:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674090",
          "commentText": "Check out the excellent, and recently translated, Chinese scifi novel “The Three Body Problem”.\nGrimwood's “Replay” is a great time travel novel if you're into that.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "excellent, and recently translated, Chinese scifi novel “The Three Body Problem”.",
          "reason": "Calls it excellent and suggests checking it out.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Chinese science fiction.",
          "caveat": "Recent translation, as described in the comment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056667,
          "author": "crazychrome",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:54:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056667",
          "commentText": "For 22+ years I believed Foundation series by Issac Asimov was unparalleled, since first read when I was 10.  It changed after the Three Body Problem, especially the 2nd and 3rd installments, The dark forest, The forever death. I don't expect to add more to the list in my life span.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It changed after the Three Body Problem",
          "reason": "Reading it changed the commenter's view of Foundation; the commenter particularly praises the second and third installments.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cixin Liu"
      ],
      "recommenders": 9,
      "threads": 9,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "hard science fiction",
        "chinese science fiction",
        "alien civilizations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "capital-in-the-twenty-first-century-78c665",
      "title": "Capital in the Twenty-First Century",
      "author": "Thomas Piketty",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37811242,
          "author": "satvikpendem",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-08T15:19:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37811242",
          "commentText": "Capital in the 21 Century by Thomas Piketty is quite long and dry as there are many facts and figures, but it's essential reading to understand that the United States' 1960s, where people could buy a home, car, got to college etc working a minimum wage job and where people often say they want to return to in the modern day, is instead an anomalous post war boom and that the level of wealth inequality today is actually the norm for most of modern history.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Capital in the 21 Century by Thomas Piketty",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it essential reading to understand wealth inequality and the postwar boom.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking to understand wealth inequality and modern economic history.",
          "caveat": "Described as quite long and dry, with many facts and figures.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29815111,
          "author": "f0e4c2f7",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-05T21:22:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29815111",
          "commentText": "I found Capital in the 21st Century to be very readable and an interesting perspective.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found Capital in the 21st Century to be very readable and an interesting perspective.",
          "reason": "Calls it readable and an interesting perspective in response to a book request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26593847,
          "author": "Cyph0n",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-26T16:16:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26593847",
          "commentText": "I try to read two books in parallel: one fiction (sci-fi or fantasy, usually) and one non-fiction (history, philosophy, economics, or psychology).\nI’ve found that this approach keeps things fresh, and allows me “cooldown” and let my imagination flow periodically. I used to read even more books in parallel (3-5), but 2 books has been the sweet spot for me.\nRight now, I’m switching between “Oathbringer” (Stormlight Archive series) and “Capital in the 21st Century”.\nI also used to listen to a lot of audiobooks and I’m trying to get back into that.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "“Capital in the 21st Century”",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23153491,
          "author": "cik",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T13:03:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23153491",
          "commentText": "At random\nAtlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand. Love her or hate her, she makes you think.\nThe Hard Thing About Hard Things - This is a great book about building businesses, and business in general.\nCapital in the 21st Century - One of the greatest books about economics and capital written ever - let alone in the last decade.\nThe Intelligent Investor - This is Buffet's favourite book, and regardless of how many times I read it, I still learn more.  One can never digest it in full.\nPredictably Irrational - This excellent tome makes behavioural economics digestible outside of economics. It's enlightening, though provoking, and turns several accepted truths on its head, purely by being written at all.\nNexus (Ramez Naam) - This science fiction book explores transhumanism and would it could mean in the near future. It's both light and pulpy, but at the same time makes you think about the outcomes of technological progression.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Capital in the 21st Century - One of the greatest books about economics and capital written ever - let alone in the last decade.",
          "reason": "The commenter strongly recommends it as a book about economics and capital.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21796311,
          "author": "chewxy",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-15T14:20:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21796311",
          "commentText": "I ploughed through Francis Fukuyama's Political Order series this year. I wouldn't say it's my favourite, but it was in some sense uplifting. He writes as though rule of law is a evolutionary certainty. As much as that's largely BS in my view, it's still nice to read.\nAfter 4 years I also finally finished Capital in the 21st Century. My opinion: worth reading by jumping around, not worth reading in linear fashion.\nBruce Pascoe's Dark Emu is worth a read too. It's well researched, but the author does occasionally blur the line between opinion and facts. I attribute it to writing styles. Similar in nature to another book I quite liked in the past - Wisdom Sits in Places, but less focused.\nNarrative Economics by Robert Shiller would be unfocused to people who are in the tech industry. Nonetheless, the book serves to give context to people who are textmining. Hopefully some changes to economics arise from this. His understanding of genetic algorithms and selection could do with some work.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "worth reading by jumping around, not worth reading in linear fashion",
          "reason": "Recommends reading selectively rather than straight through.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not recommend reading it linearly.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12565904,
          "author": "pmilot",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T16:37:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12565904",
          "commentText": "Surprisingly, a lot of people in this thread hesitate to recommend Thomas Piketty's \"Capital in the Twenty-First Century\". I'm not sure why this book is somehow surrounded with overblown controversy.\nI think it is an excellent book on historical economics. His conclusions are drawn from an extremely large dataset that is publicly available and downloadable here: https://www.quandl.com/data/PIKETTY\nIt's by no means an Economics 101 book, but it should definitely be part of any economist's personal library in my opinion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think it is an excellent book on historical economics.",
          "reason": "Praised as an excellent book on historical economics and recommended for an economist's library.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in historical economics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not an Economics 101 book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12563891,
          "author": "Dowwie",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T11:59:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12563891",
          "commentText": "I thought that Piketty released or references sources for the underlying data supporting his work from \"Capital...\" so why are you considering it not necessarily testable?  I don't understand what you mean by that phrase.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Piketty released or references sources for the underlying data supporting his work from \"Capital...\"",
          "reason": "Discusses the book's supporting data and whether its claims are testable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12563866,
          "author": "iQuercus",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T11:54:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12563866",
          "commentText": "I'm curious, why would you recommend Piketty's Capital for 21st Century as the one economics book?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "why would you recommend Piketty's Capital for 21st Century",
          "reason": "The commenter asks why the book was recommended, signaling interest in the recommendation rather than endorsing it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12563793,
          "author": "Dowwie",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T11:35:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12563793",
          "commentText": "Why finance?  Finance was the major viable option for people with your background but that's not the case anymore.  Every industry needs people with your background -- more than ever!\nHowever, if you're hell bent on going into finance and you're going to read one economics book, read Thomas Piketty, \"Capital for 21st Century\".\nThese are the classic economics tomes that you'd read over a lifetime:\nKarl Marx, \"Capital\"\nAdam Smith, \"The Theory of Moral Sentiments\"\nAdam Smith, \"The Wealth of Nations\"\nFA Hayek, \"The Road to Serfdom\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "read Thomas Piketty, \"Capital for 21st Century\".",
          "reason": "Recommends it as the one economics book to read for someone entering finance.",
          "audience": "Readers considering finance who want to read one economics book.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11700124,
          "author": "shoo",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-15T09:16:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11700124",
          "commentText": "Picketty's \"Capital in the Twenty-First Century\".\nIf you have an interest in inequality of wealth and income, particularly how it has evolved over the last hundred years or so in some developed countries, it is certainly worth a read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it is certainly worth a read",
          "reason": "Recommended for readers interested in the history of wealth and income inequality.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in wealth and income inequality over time.",
          "caveat": "Focuses on developments in some developed countries over roughly the last century.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8257740,
          "author": "mekpro",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T14:28:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257740",
          "commentText": "Capital in the Twenty-First Century. A truly outstanding economic research of the age. This book answer how and why inequality of wealth become part of our society and will continue to be... if we failed to change.\nOne more impressive thing about this book is the massive amount of data used to proof the writer's thesis. He find and represent data of wealth from several countries over 200 years and present it neatly to support his idea. He also open those data for others to proof it as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A truly outstanding economic research of the age.",
          "reason": "Calls it outstanding and describes its analysis of wealth inequality and supporting data.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107093,
          "author": "mrcdima",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T09:05:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107093",
          "commentText": "Some titles I've recently read or at least have placed on my reading list.\n--------------------\nPhilosohpy\nLetters from a Stoic: Epistulae Morales Ad Lucilium - Seneca\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius (must read)\nThe Republic - Plato\n--------------------\nHistory\nFive Chimneys - Olga Lengyel\nThe Gulag Archipelago - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (must read)\nThe Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank\n--------------------\nFiction\n(particularly dystopian) 1984, Brave New World, Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451\n(crime/action) Child 44, The Secret Speech, Agent 6 - Tom Rob Smith\n--------------------\nEconomics\nCapital in the Twenty-First Century - Thomas Piketty\nPoor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty - Banerjee, Duflo\nWhy Nations Fail - Robinson\n--------------------\nEconomics/Decision making/Psychology\nUndercover Economist, Freakonomics, Nudge, Thinking Fast and Slow\n--------------------\nRandom titles\nThe Selfish Gene, Self-Reliance, The Elements of Style (about writing), Slaughterhouse-Five\n--------------------\nSome links to inspire your reading (though you may want to checkout the websites first to get an idea of the topics they cover)\nhttp://www.gatesnotes.com/Books\nhttp://bookpickings.brainpickings.org/\nhttp://www.farnamstreetblog.com/reading/\nhttp://www.ryanholiday.net/reading-newsletter\nI’m just a working-class guy trying to take part in the conversation that all the smart people are having. What books should I read? - http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-cl... (http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-class-guy-trying-to-take-part-in-the-conversation-that-all-the-smart-people-are-having-what-books-should-i-read/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Capital in the Twenty-First Century - Thomas Piketty",
          "reason": "Listed as a title in response to the thread's request for book suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968403,
          "author": "matdes",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:46:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968403",
          "commentText": "Capital in the 21st Century by Thomas Piketty\nLearn You a Haskell\nA Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K LeGuin",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Capital in the 21st Century by Thomas Piketty",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Piketty"
      ],
      "recommenders": 9,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "wealth inequality",
        "economic history",
        "capitalism",
        "capital"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "piranesi-a97e5e",
      "title": "Piranesi",
      "author": "Susanna Clarke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49908114,
          "author": "largePanda9",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T12:44:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49908114",
          "commentText": "I read all three of these in the last 12 months, great choices. Have you read Blindsight? I felt it was almost a sci fi/horror mix. Great read",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read all three of these in the last 12 months, great choices.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the three books in the parent comment great choices.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 49906748,
          "author": "fifticon",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T10:08:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49906748",
          "commentText": "I too am on DCC; I wonder why I like it, but I do.\nStrangely, one of the things it reminds me of,\nis the Malazan-Book-of-the-fallen series, in spite of how different they are.\nI was/have been on the 'book that wouldnt burn' series;\nI still have to read the final third book.\nIronically, I have not yet finished that series because I dread it;\nthe author is a little too good at writing truly loathable antagonists,\nand at the same time reading him, you have learned \nhe cares little for plot armor ('if he dies, he dies', sigh.)\nOther than that, Piranesi by Susanne Clarke;\nI have also gotten her earlier book, but not gotten far into it yet.\nDCC is strangely hypocritical -\na massive commercial success where we the readers revel-wallow in the graphic\nsuffering of the fictive protagonists/victims,\nand author & co are making truckloads of profits, \nprecisely on the kinds of sheenanigans the books on the surface critisize :-).\nIt is also a bit ironic, that the books/Carl critisize fascism,\nwhile at the same time, Carl is on a kind of one-man fascist/tyrant purging\nthe existing elite, with summary and graphic executions. Sigh :-)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Other than that, Piranesi by Susanne Clarke",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46391848,
          "author": "arvid-lind",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T13:37:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46391848",
          "commentText": "Not enough. Going to try to rein in some sustained attention in the new year.\n- Piranesi by Susanna Clarke\n- Playground by Richard Powers\n- Designing Data Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppman\nI'm curious how much AI-generated stuff I read this year... likely at least a book's worth, but it would be more like one of those books with 365+ random deep dives into stuff that's not really relevant to my life.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Piranesi by Susanna Clarke",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 45949363,
          "author": "dom96",
          "createdAt": "2025-11-16T23:20:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 45947737,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45949363",
          "commentText": "Piranesi has been on my shelf for a while, guess it's time I give it a go",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Piranesi has been on my shelf for a while, guess it's time I give it a go",
          "reason": "The commenter says they plan to read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 45948358,
          "author": "carlnewton",
          "createdAt": "2025-11-16T20:59:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 45947737,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45948358",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed Piranesi by Susanna Clarke the most this year. It has wonderful world building that was reminiscent of The Library of Babel. I'm currently really enjoying We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor. So far it's a very fun spacefaring adventure.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed Piranesi by Susanna Clarke the most this year.",
          "reason": "Names it as their most enjoyed book of the year and praises its world building.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 45303706,
          "author": "carlnewton",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-19T16:44:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 45283087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45303706",
          "commentText": "For some reason I've been really enjoying stories with endless and well described repeating rooms. Borges' Library of Babel got me started, I have just finished Susanna Clarke's Piranesi - which was so wonderfully described, I don't know if I'll find anything to beat it. I'm now on A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L. Peck,  which outright mentions Borges' novel. If anyone has any similar recommendations I'd love to hear them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I have just finished Susanna Clarke's Piranesi - which was so wonderfully described",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its descriptions and says they have not found anything to beat it.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in mysterious, labyrinthine settings.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42584378,
          "author": "internet_points",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-03T10:26:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42584378",
          "commentText": "Piranesi by Susanna Clarke.\n(Though I kind of wish I'd read it during, not after, lock-down.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Piranesi by Susanna Clarke.",
          "reason": "Names the book as a standout, with a caveat about when they wish they had read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter wishes they had read it during, rather than after, lockdown.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42274343,
          "author": "davidanekstein",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T15:04:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42274343",
          "commentText": "To provide another perspective, I read this book and it was unfortunately just not my thing. The whole plot seemed very clear from the beginning and I found myself eager to get to where the climax occurred. The journey there wasn’t all that compelling, partly for that reason.\nI do agree with your sentiment about number of characters though, that really helped. I find that my working memory for characters isn’t what it used to be.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I read this book and it was unfortunately just not my thing.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book was not to their taste and found its plot predictable and journey uncompelling.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The plot seemed clear early, and the journey was not compelling to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42268946,
          "author": "internet_points",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:21:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268946",
          "commentText": "Hm, the one I enjoyed the most this year was Susanna Clarke's Piranesi –  engrossing, awesome and beautiful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hm, the one I enjoyed the most this year was Susanna Clarke's Piranesi –  engrossing, awesome and beautiful.",
          "reason": "Calls it the book they enjoyed most this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42268905,
          "author": "massung",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:14:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268905",
          "commentText": "My reads this read, which I enjoyed:\n- Dead Mountain by Donnie Eichar (an examination of the Dyatlov Expedition).\n- Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (fantasy).\n- Be Useful by Arnold Schwarzenegger.\n- Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden.\nHopefully the other responses here give me something good to read for Christmas break. :-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (fantasy).",
          "reason": "Lists it among books they enjoyed this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38557198,
          "author": "velavar",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:09:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557198",
          "commentText": "This was the year I got my attention under enough control to be able to read voraciously again like I used to in my childhood :)\n* I'll always bring up The Three-body problem because I re-read it every year\n* Piranesi because of it's fantastical story-telling\n* The Covenant of Water - because it's a fantastic medical drama and a sweeping story spanning generations\n* Victory City - Salamn Rushdie's latest novel which is surprisingly readable\n* The Enchanted Forest/Kaikeyi/Palace of Illusions - because they cover the major Indian epics from the lens of the women characters (think Circe with an Indian background)\n* Trust - The same story told from different viewpoints with a setting in the early NY financial world, which makes it extra interesting\nI notice that I do tend to favour books with an Indian background because of my nostalgia for it as  I live in a foreign land. Maybe I'll branch out more next year!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Piranesi because of it's fantastical story-telling",
          "reason": "Praised for its fantastical storytelling.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38557015,
          "author": "TheAceOfHearts",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T14:54:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557015",
          "commentText": "Vita Nostra because it has an interesting magic system. Piranesi because it also has a weird magic system.\nI didn't read it this past year, but the first one that came to mind was Tigana. That book was rather weird for me, because the process of reading it wasn't very enjoyable, but after finishing I loved it.\nIf anyone has suggestions for fantasy or sci-fi books with weird or non-standard magic systems I'd love to hear em. I've already read most of the big names like Sanderson.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Piranesi because it also has a weird magic system.",
          "reason": "Praised for its unusual magic system.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in unusual magic systems.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38238943,
          "author": "riquisimo",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T10:09:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238943",
          "commentText": "I  can't for the life of me understand Piranesi. I've read so many good reviews but I just couldn't stay focused reading it. It was very slow for me.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I can't for the life of me understand Piranesi. I've read so many good reviews but I just couldn't stay focused reading it.",
          "reason": "The commenter struggled to focus and found the book slow.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter could not stay focused and found it slow.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38238617,
          "author": "PaulRobinson",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T09:01:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238617",
          "commentText": "My non-fiction pile is very peculiar to me (maths, probability, gambling, Rust and Elixir books, a backlog of a load of recent Humble Bundle deals), but I have some solid fiction recommendations:\nTomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin is the sort of novel where you start to get sad as the weight of unread pages in your right starts to lighten. A novel about some friends who build some games (set in the 1990s and 2000s, with references to games of that era), it's really about friendship, social awkwardness and creativity.\nPiranesi by Susanna Clarke can't really take a review. When I first of it in Literary Review, the reviewer refused to disclose any plot for fear of providing spoilers, and I'm the same. I can just tell you, it's lovely. Her writing has got even better since she wrote Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, and it's a really, really solid novel.\nYesterday, my Dad messaged me about a current read I'll share here as a warning, and because his style is just hilarious:\nI treated myself to a copy of \"A Stroke of the Pen\" by Terry Pratchett: short stories unearthed after his death. Very disappointing. If I were you, I would wait until it is available at your local library and then you could scrawl cuss words inside it without damaging your personal copy.\nSolid advice that, I hope you'll agree.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's lovely. Her writing has got even better since she wrote Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, and it's a really, really solid novel.",
          "reason": "Calls it lovely and a really solid novel; avoids giving plot details.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter avoids describing the plot to prevent spoilers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29669912,
          "author": "7thaccount",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T03:44:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29669912",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed Piranesi as well. Easy to read and a lot of fun.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed Piranesi as well. Easy to read and a lot of fun.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed it and found it easy and fun to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Susanna Clarke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 9,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fantasy",
        "labyrinth",
        "mystery",
        "mythic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "practical-common-lisp-fe1192",
      "title": "Practical Common Lisp",
      "author": "Peter Seibel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36803962,
          "author": "f1shy",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T17:41:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36803962",
          "commentText": "If it is just as a gentle introduction to lisp, and you go ahead a little bit with “Practical Common Lisp” to learn CLOS, I think it will pay off every second you invest in studying it.\nAnd that is just taking advantage of 1% of it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "go ahead a little bit with “Practical Common Lisp” to learn CLOS",
          "reason": "Suggested as a follow-up for learning Common Lisp object systems.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a gentle introduction to Lisp.",
          "caveat": "The commenter frames this as one small part of what studying the material offers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34420654,
          "author": "azemetre",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-17T22:51:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 34412069,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach programming by building a series of small projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34420654",
          "commentText": "I may sound like a shill but I think paying for O'Reilly is worth it. You get access to many books and videos outside the O'Reilly publisher. Definitely worth it, I tend to read a tech book a month (maybe 2 if it's \"light.\")\nMany of the books being suggested in the other comments are available as well (will definitely start Hands-On Rust because it seems very cool, and Practical Common Lisp shortly afterwards).\nOut of all the \"tutorial\" offerings I only pay for three services:\nO'Reilly (four years so far)\nEducative.io (two years)\nFrontendmasters (eight years)\nEvery year I test out other services (pluralsight, lynda/linkedin learning, egghead, etc) but outside of one or three core offerings they don't seem to be a good value for what I want.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "and Practical Common Lisp shortly afterwards",
          "reason": "Names it as a book they plan to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34415199,
          "author": "cratermoon",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-17T17:11:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 34412069,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach programming by building a series of small projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34415199",
          "commentText": "Practical Common Lisp by Peter Seibel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Practical Common Lisp by Peter Seibel",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for books that teach programming through small projects.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34413160,
          "author": "twawaaay",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-17T14:59:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 34412069,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach programming by building a series of small projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34413160",
          "commentText": "My favourite is \"Practical Common Lisp\" by Peter Seibel (https://gigamonkeys.com/book/)\nNot only is the book free to read (although I would suggest to pay for it if you like it!) The code to parse binary files actually \"inspired\" my design of an actual production application which was very flexible, succinct and, most importantly,  so fast I had to spend a lot of effort convincing people the numbers are actually true.\nIt taught me some important lessons about how you can achieve performance with Lisp languages and the real reasons for the power of macros. Not too shabby for the first book on Lisp I red!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favourite is \"Practical Common Lisp\" by Peter Seibel",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is their favorite and credits it with informing the design of a production application.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32790740,
          "author": "f1shy",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T14:03:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790740",
          "commentText": "Computer science: Knuth's TAOCP. And Sipser's Introduction to the Theory of Computation.\nProgramming: SICP, K&R, and Stroustrup. Siebel's Practical common lisp.\nArtificial intelligence: AI a modern approach.\nSignals and Systems: Oppenheim's book\nProbability and statistics: Probability Theory: The Logic of Science by Jaynes",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Siebel's Practical common lisp",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28661269,
          "author": "m3talsmith",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T14:45:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28661269",
          "commentText": "1. Why’s Poignant Guide to Ruby\n2. Practical Common Lisp\n3. A Programmer’s Introduction to Mathematics\n4. Data Structures and Programming Design in C\n5. The Art of Agent Oriented Modeling",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Practical Common Lisp",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s programming book selections.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22303280,
          "author": "aredirect",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-11T21:49:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22303280",
          "commentText": "I wrote Nim days: https://xmonader.github.io/nimdays you will find redis parser, redis clients, webframework, assets bundler, tcp router, terminaltables, .. and more\nAlso I love Real World Haskell and Practical Common Lisp",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and Practical Common Lisp",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22302337,
          "author": "ballpark",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-11T20:17:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22302337",
          "commentText": "- Practical Common Lisp\n- Land of Lisp - http://landoflisp.com/ - watch the video, it's hilarious\n- Build Your Own Lisp - http://www.buildyourownlisp.com/ - Learn C by creating a lisp in C\n- In the spirit of making your own lisp, I would recommend https://github.com/kanaka/mal - learn any language, by making a lisp in that language",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Practical Common Lisp",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14845944,
          "author": "troels",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T07:52:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14845944",
          "commentText": "\"Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture\" by Martin Fowler made a big difference for me at the time. Also, \"Domain Driven Design\" by Eric Evans. Both have a focus on high level architecture.\nOf books that are more on the craft of programming, \"Refactoring\" (Also Fowler) is good. And I enjoyed \"Practical Common Lisp\" by Peter Seibel too.\nIn general, I suspect that the value of a book has more to do with where the reader is, than where the book is.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "And I enjoyed \"Practical Common Lisp\" by Peter Seibel too.",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The value of a book depends on where the reader is.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10786609,
          "author": "FatalBaboon",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T01:34:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786609",
          "commentText": "I've been trying to up my game on reading:\n- Founders at Work: Jessica Livingston. Good. Less repetitive than Coders at Work.\n- Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage. Awfuly boring. But I don't care at all about sailing (it was a gift).\n- Terre des Hommmes: Antoine de St Exupéry. Brilliant, the chapter with the 2 girls made me decide to read all his work in 2016.\n- Practical Common Lisp: Peter Siebel. Had to start Lisp!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Practical Common Lisp: Peter Siebel. Had to start Lisp!",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175609,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:34:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175609",
          "commentText": "It's a long list, because I'm guilty of interleaving my reading of dozens (or more) of books at at time. My Goodreads \"currently reading\" shelf has about 25 books in it.  :-(\nBut of the ones I'm really actively reading right now, and plan to finish soon:\n1. Surfaces and Essences: Analogy As The Fuel And Fire Of Thinking - Douglas Hofstader and Emmanuel Sander\n2. The Gathering Storm - Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson\n3. The Balanced Scorecard - David P. Norton and Robert S. Kaplan\nAlso, books that I don't really think of in terms of \"reading\" so much as \"working through\":\n4. Learning R - Richard Cotton\n5. Practical Common Lisp - Peter Seibel",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Practical Common Lisp - Peter Seibel",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1024029,
          "author": "Mathnerd314",
          "createdAt": "2009-12-31T08:17:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 1023970,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which Scheme book to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1024029",
          "commentText": "I suggest Practical Common Lisp. (considering that it's both online and in book form)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I suggest Practical Common Lisp.",
          "reason": "Directly suggested in response to a book recommendation question.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring Lisp.",
          "caveat": "Notes that it is available online and in book form.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797706,
          "author": "Kototama",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T09:56:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797706",
          "commentText": "Technical:\n- Practical Common Lisp\n- Programming Clojure\nNon technical:\n- Empire, Antonio Negri & Michael Hardt. A deep political and philosophical essay about the transition between modern and postmodern times.\n- Various material about the International Situationist, an avant-garde political and artistic movement from the 60s.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Practical Common Lisp",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135262,
          "author": "klocksib",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T16:59:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135262",
          "commentText": "Hmmm, here's a list of books I really like:\nMemory as a Programming Concept in C and C++ by Frenck\nThe Design and Implementation of the FreeBSD Operating System by McKusick/Neville-Neil\nLearning GNU Emacs by Cameron, et al.\nPractical Common Lisp by Seibel\nThe C Programming Language by K&R\nThe C++ Programming Language Stroustrup\nThe Design and Analysis of Algorithms by Leviten\nAssembly Language Programming for the IBM PC Family by Jones\nEssays/Collections:\nHackers & Painters by PG\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman by Feynman\nWhat Do You Care What Other People Think by Feynman\nThe Cathedral & The Bazaar by Raymond\nNovels:\nThe Soul of a New Machine by Kidder\nWhere Wizards Stay up Late by Hafner",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Practical Common Lisp by Seibel",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books the commenter really likes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Seibel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 9,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "common lisp",
        "programming",
        "binary file parsing",
        "functional programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "refactoring-improving-the-design-of-existing-code-d3ce6b",
      "title": "Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code",
      "author": "Martin Fowler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31167257,
          "author": "Parker_Powell",
          "createdAt": "2022-04-26T13:33:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 31166475,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Top inspiring books on crucial CS ideas?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31167257",
          "commentText": "No matter how long you've been a programmer, you're always looking for new ways to hone your craft and learn new techniques. One of the best ways to do that is by reading books on programming—as in, books that are actually about programming. Here's our list of 10 of the best.\n1. Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software\n2. Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship\n3. Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code\n4. The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master\n5. Don't Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability\n6. The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering\n7. Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\n8. Introduction to Algorithms (The MIT Press)\n9. Programming Pearls (2nd Edition)\n10. The Art of Computer Programming",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "3. Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's ten recommended programming books.",
          "audience": "Programmers looking to hone their craft and learn techniques.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28662720,
          "author": "cratermoon",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T17:27:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28662720",
          "commentText": "Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code\nFor helping realize that in all the books telling me how to write good code, explaining language constructs, and working as a software developer, none of them ever made it clear to me that programmers spend less than half their time writing new code from scratch. For showing me that programming involves revising and improving far more than opening up an editor to a new file in an empty repo.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code",
          "reason": "Credits it with showing that programming involves revising and improving existing code, not only writing code from scratch.",
          "audience": "Software developers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27629115,
          "author": "Jtsummers",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T10:49:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27629115",
          "commentText": "Eric Evans' Domain-Driven Design. I've heard enough about DDD over the years that I figured I'd just go to the source. Liking it so far, I have some good takeaways but we'll see how effectively I'm able to use the ideas over the next couple years.\nMartin Kleppmann's Designing Data-Intensive Applications. Based on the frequent praise it receives here, haven't gotten far yet. I have some project ideas (for personal and professional projects) that could benefit from reading through it.\nMartin Fowler's 2018 update to Refactoring. I read the original one a long time ago. In context, we have a work lunch & learn series and I'm interested in doing some presentations on the topic of refactoring (why, how, and when in particular) so it seemed appropriate to refresh my memory on some specific terminology from the book as well as to see if it's an appropriate book to recommend to colleagues. My recollection of the first edition is that I'd recommend it to colleagues, but it's been so long I'd rather read it once more before actually recommending it.\nI reread Robert C. Martin's Clean Code based on some recent discussion here where it was rather strongly dismissed by a fair number of people. I didn't recall it being bad, my reread confirmed it is not, in fact, bad. Java-heavy, which is now an unpopular style of OOP, but otherwise a very good book. I'd still recommend it to junior colleagues paired with some caveats about avoiding seeing the world in black & white. There is no singular Way of Programming, but learn various ways and find what works for you and your team.\nThere are some more, but it's almost 5am and I haven't been able to sleep so I don't recall everything that's in the book stack or ebook queue. These are the ones I'm most interested in at present.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'd rather read it once more before actually recommending it.",
          "reason": "The commenter plans to reread it to refresh terminology and assess whether it suits colleagues.",
          "audience": "Colleagues considering presentations or learning about refactoring.",
          "caveat": "The commenter wants to reread it before deciding whether to recommend it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27629052,
          "author": "ovidiup13",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T10:37:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27629052",
          "commentText": "My planned summer reading list:\n- High Performance Browser Networking by Ilya Grigorik\n- Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code by Martin Fowler\n- Designing Data-Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann\nHow did you find the latter? I'm a FE developer, so quite keen to get my hands on in data.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code by Martin Fowler",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter’s planned summer reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21312299,
          "author": "un_montagnard",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T13:59:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21312299",
          "commentText": "Refactoring by Martin Fowler and Kent Beck.\nPatterns of Enterprise Application Architecture by Martin Fowler.\nDomain Driven Design by Eric Evans.\nGrowing Object-Oriented Software, guided by tests by Steve Freeman and Nat Pryce.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Refactoring by Martin Fowler and Kent Beck.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14845944,
          "author": "troels",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T07:52:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14845944",
          "commentText": "\"Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture\" by Martin Fowler made a big difference for me at the time. Also, \"Domain Driven Design\" by Eric Evans. Both have a focus on high level architecture.\nOf books that are more on the craft of programming, \"Refactoring\" (Also Fowler) is good. And I enjoyed \"Practical Common Lisp\" by Peter Seibel too.\nIn general, I suspect that the value of a book has more to do with where the reader is, than where the book is.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Refactoring\" (Also Fowler) is good.",
          "reason": "Explicitly calls it good.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in programming craft.",
          "caveat": "The value of a book depends on where the reader is.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8013419,
          "author": "nstart",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-10T03:20:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8013419",
          "commentText": "This book when combined with \"The Clean Coder\", and \"Refactoring: Improving the design of existing code\" completely changed how I thought about programming. It \"levelled me up\" so to speak. Even though I'm as far from being good as it gets, I still know I improved significantly from reading these three books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Refactoring: Improving the design of existing code\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says it and the other two books changed how they thought about programming and improved their skills.",
          "audience": "Software developers working to improve code design.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8003457,
          "author": "wiseleo",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-08T07:58:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8003457",
          "commentText": "There are just so many...\nHeadfirst series (JavaScript, HTML, jQuery... all of them)\nDiscover Meteor\nRefactoring: improving the design of existing code\nDatabase design for mere mortals\nMIT books (SICP, Algorithms)\nOh, and of course... Human Interface Guidelines by Apple. One of the best UX books on app design.\nAll books are ebooks for me, so this list is impossibly long.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Refactoring: improving the design of existing code",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter’s list of technical ebooks.",
          "audience": "Software developers working to improve code design.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8000363,
          "author": "sushpop",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T18:15:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8000363",
          "commentText": "\"Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code\" http://www.amazon.com/Refactoring-Improving-Design-Existing-... (http://www.amazon.com/Refactoring-Improving-Design-Existing-Code/dp/0201485672)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7761684,
          "author": "enterx",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-18T00:40:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7761684",
          "commentText": "Suggestion : Invert the order. :)\nRead Refactoring first than read Design Patterns(GoF).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read Refactoring first",
          "reason": "Recommends reading it before Design Patterns.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6976558,
          "author": "ramgp",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T21:01:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976558",
          "commentText": "Software development related reads with a strong focus on proven practices that enhance software quality in terms of readability and maintainability (and other software ~ilities) to ease the process of changing the software later on.\nThe Art of Readable Code by  Dustin Boswell & Trevor Foucher\nDon't Make Me Think 2ed by Steve Krug\nRemote: Office not Required by Jason Fried & DHH\nThe Art of Unit Testing by Roy Osherove\nCode Complete 2 by Steve McConnell\nRefactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code by Martin Fowler\nThe Practice of Programming by Brian Kernighan & Rob Pike\nJavaScript: The Good Parts by Douglas Crockford\nCode Simplicity by Max Kanat-Alexander\nAn Introduction to Programming in Go by Caleb Doxsey at http://www.golang-book.com/\nAlso read: How To Be Black by Baratunde Thurston",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code by Martin Fowler",
          "reason": "Listed as a software development read focused on proven practices and software quality.",
          "audience": "Software developers seeking to improve software quality.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin Fowler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 9,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software design",
        "refactoring",
        "software refactoring",
        "software maintenance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "speaker-for-the-dead-388a8b",
      "title": "Speaker for the Dead",
      "author": "Orson Scott Card",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32936001,
          "author": "dvh",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T08:00:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936001",
          "commentText": "Speaker for the Dead. It is a second book in Enders game franchise so you will probably need to read the first book first or watch the movie, but second book is mostly independent of the first one.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Speaker for the Dead.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It is the second book in the Ender's Game franchise; the commenter says readers will probably need to read the first book or watch the movie, though this book is mostly independent.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25846738,
          "author": "Zanni",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T14:23:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25846738",
          "commentText": "Ted Chiang's Stories of Your Life and Others is the best, single-author collection of short stories I've ever read. If you like that, you might also enjoy The Lifecycle of Software Objects, an absolutely heartbreaking novella about simulated children, and his follow-up collection Exhalation.\nOrson Scott Card's Ender's Game is fantastic, and it's follow-up, Speaker for the Dead is even better, and my favorite science fiction novel of all time. They won back to back Hugo and Nebula awards. Card is a polarizing figure for his outspoken political opinions, but if ever the art should be separated from the artist, it's Speaker, which is an incredible exploration of empathy and responsibility, in addition to being a gripping, action-packed, science-literate read. Many more in this series, if you get into it.\nJohn Scalzi's Old Man's War series is fantastic, if you're into military science-fiction, or even if you're not. Smart, funny, engaging and accessible, and reminiscent of Heinlein at his prime, minus the weird incest fetish. Redshirts, a Star Trek parody, rivals Galaxy Quest and only falls short because Galaxy Quest is so goddamn brilliant. Agent to the Stars is less appreciated, but in my opinion his finest novel, rising way above its goofy premise by taking it seriously, exploring the consequences and treating the characters with empathy and respect. Also hilarious.\nSeconding Dune, which is a classic for a reason, and Stranger in a Strange Land (though I think The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is a better place to start with Heinlein). Also Neal Stephenson, though I'd suggest Cryptonomicon over Diamond Age.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "my favorite science fiction novel of all time",
          "reason": "Calls it their favorite science fiction novel and praises its exploration of empathy and responsibility.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The author is described as polarizing for his political opinions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536607,
          "author": "bostik",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:26:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536607",
          "commentText": "Asimov's original \"Foundation\" - it's effectively a collection of 4,5 short stories. I recommend to remain at a discreet distance from the rest of the series. While good within the universe, they are ... different.\n\"Ender's Game\" and \"Speaker for the Dead\" by O.S.Card. (Do not touch Xenocide without a hazmat suit. And if you do, burn it before reading.)\n\"Snow Crash\" by Neil Stephenson.\n\"Rendez-vouz with Rama\" by Arthur C. Clarke.\nIf you're up for some thought-provoking stuff, \"Stranger in a Strange Land\" by Heinlein. Not the easiest read but your carve-out basically rules out \"The Moon is a Harsh Mistress\".\n\"Embassytown\" by China Mieville.\nEDIT: I forgot \"Hyperion\" by Dan Simmons.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Ender's Game\" and \"Speaker for the Dead\" by O.S.Card.",
          "reason": "Listed alongside Ender's Game as a recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9349096,
          "author": "grandalf",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T17:05:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9349096",
          "commentText": "The best one is Speaker for the Dead. Also, Ender's Shadow attempts to address some of the flaws you mention.\nI don't think the book justifies pre-emptive war at all:\nThe problem of a potential alien attack is relevant (in an ironic way) b/c many human political decisions are framed by leaders as a choice between action and annihilation. In the original short, that framing is intended to get the reader on board with the rest of the story without extensive justification.\nIn subsequent books, the fictitious society comes to view the decision made to kill the aliens as having been a terrible atrocity.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The best one is Speaker for the Dead.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best one in response to criticism of Ender's Game.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056610,
          "author": "mattkevan",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:38:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056610",
          "commentText": "Anything by Alastair Reynolds - his Revelation Space series is great, and House of Suns is a fantastic one-off. He's probably the  closest to Ian Banks in creating galaxy-spanning civilisations across eons of time.\nIan MacDonald is another good one. My favourite of his is The Dervish House, but his others are definitely worth reading.\nCharles Stross is good. Didn't get on with Accelerando, but his Laundry books are a fun mix of HP Lovecraft/Len Deighton/IT Crowd. Halting State and Rule 34 are good explorations of pervasive augmented reality and intelligent algorithms. Also Glasshouse as an exploration of post-singularity society. Never managed to finish a Cory Doctorow book though.\nI found William Gibson's Bigend trilogy a slog, but I really enjoyed The Peripheral - it's a fun read.\nEnders Game and Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card are fantastic, but the remaining books suffer from diminishing returns (with the possible exception of Ender's Shadow). There are a lot of books in the series, but basically, the series finishes wherever you get bored reading it.\nAnything by China Mieville is well worth your time.\nOh, I also really enjoyed Elizabeth Bear's Jacobs Ladder trilogy, set on a generation ship where the inhabitants have forgotten who they are and where they're going.\nFor some older stuff:\nThe Stars my Destination by Alfred Bester – I was surprised at how good it is and how well it stands up. I couldn't believe it was written nearly 50 years ago.\nThe Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein - possibly my favourite of his. I want to start a lunar revolution with a sentient mainframe...\nI'm currently working my way through all the Hugo Award winners, from 1953 up, and there's some real gems there.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Enders Game and Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card are fantastic",
          "reason": "Calls the novel fantastic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387654,
          "author": "waterhouse",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T00:15:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387654",
          "commentText": "Isaac Asimov's robot series (start with \"I, Robot\" and \"The Caves of Steel\") is good, as is his Foundation series.  Ender's Game is also good; I've heard other people complain about the other novels in that universe (Speaker for the Dead and sequels, Ender's Shadow and sequels), but I liked them fine.  Cryptonomicon is rich, fascinating, and entertaining.  Dune is rich and pretty fascinating.  Heinlein's \"Stranger in a Strange Land\" and \"Time Enough for Love\" are somewhat scandalous, but I thoroughly enjoyed them.\nOutside science fiction: P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster novels, as well as what of his other books I've read, are hilarious and brilliant; I would suggest \"Right Ho, Jeeves\" as a starting point.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "but I liked them fine.",
          "reason": "Says they liked the later novels in the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that others complained about the books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5832627,
          "author": "thesash",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T14:31:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5832627",
          "commentText": "A few on my \"re-read every few years\" list: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Speaker for the Dead, Infinite Jest, Watchmen, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Speaker for the Dead",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list of books to reread every few years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865661,
          "author": "tdupree",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T17:44:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865661",
          "commentText": "I thoroughly enjoyed the Foundation Series about a year ago and since then have been reading many of the books found in Asimov's Foundation Universe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_series#List_of_books... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_series#List_of_books_within_the_Foundation_Universe)). Right now I am reading \"The Robots of Dawn\", the third book in Asimov's Robot Series. I have gone in a kind of a strange order, first reading The Complete Robot, then the Foundation Series, the Empire Series, and now the Robot Series.  I have enjoyed them all, I like Asimov's style.  I also enjoyed Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and will be reading the next book in the series \"Speaker for the Dead\" soon.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "will be reading the next book in the series \"Speaker for the Dead\" soon.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Plans to read it; gives no evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1573940,
          "author": "esoteric",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-04T07:53:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1573940",
          "commentText": "I remember reading something about him personally and tried to not let it taint my recent reading and then next year rereading of Ender's Game. I've forgotten what I was so upset about, thankfully, so I can still enjoy that and Speaker for the Dead for what they are.\nI don't often get really emotional when I read books anymore (I'm newly in my 30's), but Ender's game just hit me so hard. I'm glad for the experience.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "so I can still enjoy that and Speaker for the Dead for what they are.",
          "reason": "Says they can still enjoy the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They mention unspecified concerns about the author.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 57174,
          "author": "Jd",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-20T02:06:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=57174",
          "commentText": "Thanks.  Someone recommended the second book to me before - I mistakenly read \"Ender's Shadow\" and was mildly disappointed.  Will be sure to pick up \"Speaker\" on your suggestion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Will be sure to pick up \"Speaker\" on your suggestion.",
          "reason": "Says they will pick up the book on the other commenter's suggestion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 57021,
          "author": "bluishgreen",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T19:37:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=57021",
          "commentText": "I think \"Speaker For The Dead\" which is the second book in the Ender Series is better than the Ender book itself. The first 10 pages which is the authors introduction is the best introduction to a book I have ever read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Speaker For The Dead\" which is the second book in the Ender Series is better than the Ender book itself.",
          "reason": "Says it is better than the first Ender book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Orson Scott Card"
      ],
      "recommenders": 9,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "coming of age",
        "ethics",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-city-the-city-f4485e",
      "title": "The City & the City",
      "author": "China Miéville",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43613302,
          "author": "howard941",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T16:37:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43613302",
          "commentText": "The City and the City by China Mieville. The cities are very close but very far away.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The City and the City by China Mieville. The cities are very close but very far away.",
          "reason": "The commenter names the book and offers a brief premise.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42269201,
          "author": "sandy_coyote",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:59:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42269201",
          "commentText": "I caught up with some science fiction this year.\nThe Murderbot diaries books by Martha Wells - 6/10. Mixed on these. They're fun to read. The setting is cool and the worldbuilding is shallow but effective (i.e., don't read it if you want game of thrones in space). Each novella takes an afternoon to read. I think \"snarky violent droid\" is overcooked these days and lost interest after book 5.\nLight by M. John Harrison - 7/10 excellent prose; great multiple-storyline plot; the journey was better than the destination, but it kept me thinking\nFar from the Light of Heaven by Tade Thompson - 7/10 Fun. If \"near future Nigerian/British post-colonial frontier action with guns, robots, and psychic aliens\" sounds cool to you, check it out. I liked his Rosewater Trilogy just as much.\nBlindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts - tough to rate these. brilliant ideas, VERY challenging plots. I wish I didn't get so confused by the end of each book.\nProject Hail Mary by Andy Weir - 6/10 - this and the Martian read like blog posts pasted together. The grand dilemma is spelled out on page one and never gets any deeper. Pro: the plot is in your face on every page and you will never be confused when reading; Con - there is zero internal character development. Read if you like stories driven by applied science, not comparative moral decision-making.\nThe City and the City by China Miéville - 9/10 - you will invariably see something like \"Kafka meets [some affected crime novelist] to describe this book, and that ain't wrong. Kind of SF, kind of fantasy.\nRailsea by China Miéville - 8/10 - great good vs evil YA SF about, well, imagine if trains were like boats. Good character writing, tight plot.\nThe Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi - 8/10 - loved this. More \"realist\" near-future fabulism than Gibson, but if you love cyberpunk, read this.\nThe Shipbreaker Triology by Paolo Bacigalupi - 6/10 - near-future YA science fiction with a lot of blood and guns. Pretty good stories.\nRoadside Picnic by the Strugatsky brothers - 9/10 - reread. I had to go back. This gets a near perfect score because of its style, setting, and plot.\nThe Sprawl Trilogy (Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive) by William Gibson - 9/10 - I had read Neuromancer 3 times but never the next two. I was pleasantly surprised to find the second and third novel easier to read* but just as enjoyable as Neuromancer.\nThe Bridge trilogy by William Gibson - 8/10 so far. I am in the second book. Can't believe I slept on these for the last couple decades.\nnon-SF:\nOur Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981-1991 by Michael Azerrad - 9/10 - if you like punk/hardcore from the 80s, this is a great read.\n* Every time I read Neuromancer, Gibson's literary footguns --holograms, false memories, hallucinations, and drug-addled unreality--make me feel crazy for not being able to follow the plot at times. I'm okay with believing that was the intended effect.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The City and the City by China Miéville - 9/10",
          "reason": "Rates it highly and describes it as a mix of science fiction and fantasy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40429446,
          "author": "hrnnnnnn",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T15:07:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40429446",
          "commentText": "I loved this book, such a great concept and wide open to interpretation.\nThey made a TV adaptation of it, I think they managed quite well given how difficult it is to visualise some of the concepts.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved this book, such a great concept and wide open to interpretation.",
          "reason": "Says they loved the book and its concept.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40429168,
          "author": "readenough",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T14:45:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40429168",
          "commentText": "I read The City & the City by China Miéville. If I were to recommend it, it would be because the author's English vocabulary is so much fuller than my own. I had to keep a dictionary handy to get through most of it and I appreciated the challenge.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If I were to recommend it",
          "reason": "Recommends it for its challenging English vocabulary.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy a challenging vocabulary.",
          "caveat": "The commenter needed a dictionary to get through much of it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36083958,
          "author": "code_Whisperer",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-26T13:38:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36083958",
          "commentText": "Easily these (so far):\nThis is How You Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (actually now one of my all-time favorites, without regard to genre. Just amazing)\nChildren of Time - Adrian Tchaikovsky\nThe Book of Strange New Things - Michael Faber\nTed Chiang's short story collections (Exhalations and Stories of your life and others)\nDaemon - Daniel Suarez\nThe City and the City - China Miéville\nRoadside Picnic - Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (this one still haunts my dreams at times)\nWe Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse Book 1) - Dennis Taylor (just finished this series for book club)\nGalatea 2.2, The Overstory, Bewilderment, The Gold Bug Variations - 4 different books, all by Richard Powers - what can I say, the man is a genius and a treasure\nEifelheim - Michael Flynn - ok, this book can be a slog at times, but it is very rewarding for those who persevere, and has stuck in my brain for many years\nChocky - John Wyndham - A quiet, delightful surprise\nProvidence - Max Barry - This book flows like a movie. It will make a great movie. I found myself LITERALLY out of breath a couple of times\nHench: A Novel - Natalie Zina Walschots - Quirky, memorable\nThe Peacemaker's Code - Deepak Malhotra - Why hasn't this guy written more sci-fi?\nOrange World and Other Stories - Karen Russell - OK, maybe not strictly sci-fi, but this book tickles my brain\nGUILTY PLEASURE SCI-FI FAVORITE: The Vaz series by Laurence Dahners. I think I've read that series 3 times now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The City and the City - China Miéville",
          "reason": "Listed among favorite science fiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25845449,
          "author": "kaybe",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T12:08:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25845449",
          "commentText": "I liked The City & the City by China Miéville.\nIt's basically a crime story based in two different cities, and I won't say more about that. :)\nedit: Apart from that, if you like visual storytelling, it's great to read graphic novels, comics or webtoons in a language you're still learning. I could recommend some if you're interested.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I liked The City & the City by China Miéville.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they liked it and describes it as a crime story set in two cities.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17383240,
          "author": "Thersites",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T20:21:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17383240",
          "commentText": "This is more a question, in terms of Sci-Fi are people familiar with China Miéville? Perdido Street Station, Embassytown, and The City and the City are classics, Perdido Street Station might be the best fiction I have ever read. Dark stuff",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Perdido Street Station, Embassytown, and The City and the City are classics",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter calls classics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes the works as dark.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8125672,
          "author": "lancewiggs",
          "createdAt": "2014-08-02T19:10:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 8125375,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I save for offline reading during 5 weeks without Internet?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8125672",
          "commentText": "Great question, and one that I asked just before going to Mozambique for 10 weeks a few years back. I'd just bought a kindle, which were not available outside the USA back then, and asked a few interesting folks I was chatting to at Foo. Here are my resulting first few kindle purchases:\nThe Match King\nHeros Die (I bought the rest of them)\nThe city and the city\nEvery patient tells a story\nBlindsight\nBorn to Run\nHot, Flat & Crowded\nThe Autobiography of Ben Franklin\nThe Hunger Games (!)\nAnd on it went - asking for recommendations was a fantastic thing to do.  I'd asked for fiction as I was going there to work and would be too exhausted at first to do much else.\nSo I do encourage everyone to give some names of books. And yes - do take a good camera, do take binoculars - Leica if you can afford them, and embrace the experience.\nA few years later I went to Antarctica on a boat for 30 days offline. By then I had hundreds of books on kindle, and several devices to read them. This is basically a solved problem now. I did take Wikipedia in offline state, which was useful.\nIn decades previous when traveling I cared about weight and price per word and focused on \"good\" books - books that you know you should read but which need a bit of effort. When you are off the grid and in countries where there are few English books then it was a great way to read great books. \nBut now the Internet is everywhere. It might be flaky, and it might be painful to access, but you'll be able to find access to buy and download books relatively easily.\nThree recommendations, aside from the above which I enjoyed a lot.\nBill Aulet: Disciplined Entrepreneurship, covers the topic very well and generously references everything else.\nThe Circle by Dave Eggers paints a picture that's creepily familiar already.\nLeague of Denial will have you shake your head gently and sadly at NFL and other contact sports.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The city and the city",
          "reason": "Listed among the books the commenter bought for offline reading, later described as books they enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2087883,
          "author": "bkudria",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T08:27:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2087883",
          "commentText": "Reposted from my site: (http://ben.kudria.net/post/2548785108/my-favorite-books-of-2... (http://ben.kudria.net/post/2548785108/my-favorite-books-of-2010)). Affiliate links there, for those inclined.\n===\nIn 2010, every single book I read, I read on my Kindle. Buying a Kindle has been the best thing I have ever done for my reading addiction. I recently upgraded to a Kindle 3, and I wholeheartedly recommended you get one as well, even if you currently have a Kindle 2.\nHere are the top books I enjoyed in 2010, and you will enjoy also.\n- The His Dark Materials Trilogy. Start with The Golden Compass.\n- The City & The City by China Miéville. Quite the post-modern detective story. (Read also his novel Perdido Street Station)\n- Surface Detail, the new novel by Iain M. Banks, who has quickly catapulted to the very top of my “Favorite Sci-Fi Authors” list. Surface Detail may not be the best novel for a Banks-unfamiliar reader, however — you may wish to start with something like Consider Phlebas or Look To Windward.\n- I re-read Robert M. Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Read this book carefully and it will change your life. (N.B. It’s not really about Zen, although it kinda is.)\n- The true story Zeitoun, by Dave Eggers, about Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a Syrian-born painting contractor in New Orleans. What Zeitoun does for the people of New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina is heartwarming and truly American, and what the US Government does to him and his family is terrifying and utterly infuriating.\n- The Wind-up Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi is a fun Thai cyber/gene-punk yarn. Bacigalupi is a new author, and I look forward to reading more of his stuff.\n- Dan Simmons’ Song Of Kali has an invasive and palpable stench of suspense. This horror novel set in Calcutta is an excruciating, brutal, and brilliant read.\n- Kafka On the Shore by Haruki Murakami. I’ve always been a fan of Murakami’s works, but this novel from 2002 is, in my opinion, one of his greatest. It’s beautiful, haunting, and superbly thought-provoking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The City & The City by China Miéville. Quite the post-modern detective story.",
          "reason": "Included among the top books the commenter enjoyed and expects readers to enjoy; described as a postmodern detective story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "China Miéville"
      ],
      "recommenders": 9,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Fantasy",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "weird fiction",
        "crime fiction",
        "detective fiction",
        "speculative fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dark-tower-d1ef51",
      "title": "The Dark Tower",
      "author": "Stephen King",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50119582,
          "author": "pmpmpmpm",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T15:25:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50119582",
          "commentText": "I can’t resist an invocation:)\nMost of these are old since I’ve been reading more articles these days but here are a few good books or series I’ve read more than twice: The Hobbit, LOTR, the Silmarillion, Neuromancer, the Chronicles of Narnia, Hong Lou Meng, The Heart Sutra, The Bhagavad Gita, The Tao De Ching, The Wheel of Time series, No country for old men, Persuasion, Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice, The Way of Kings, The Talisman, the Dark Tower Series, and The Prophet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Dark Tower Series",
          "reason": "Included among good books or series read more than twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40879624,
          "author": "fullstick",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-05T03:25:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40879624",
          "commentText": "The Dark Tower series by Stephen King. Totally changed how I view literature and life. Made me believe in magic again.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Dark Tower series by Stephen King. Totally changed how I view literature and life.",
          "reason": "Says the series changed their view of literature and life and renewed their belief in magic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32198213,
          "author": "rektide",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T23:09:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32198213",
          "commentText": "A lot of sci-fi. I keep a couple things in flight all the time, go where I feel moved. Currently: Stand on Zanzibar, (Brunner, 1968) 88% through, 2 months. Babel 17, (Delany, 1966), 66% through / 1 month. Also, Revenant Gun, (Han Lee, 2018) about 15% through / 2 months. Also, Catcher in the Rye (Salinger, 1946), 60% through, 3 months. Gnomon, (Harkaway, 2017) 40% through, 4 months.\nCheating here accounting other recent reads, but I've finished a couple others in the intervening time. Long Way to a Small Angry Planet (Chambers, 2014, reread), Dark Tower (book 7), (King, 2004). Pattern Recognition, (Gibson, 2004, reread). Revolution Business (Book 5 of Merchant Prince, Stross, 2009). Aurora (Stanley-Robinson, 2015).\nI have some other stuff I read at a more leasiurely piece-by-piece pace, mostly materialistic philosophy / nerdery.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Dark Tower (book 7), (King, 2004).",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Specifically book 7.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31969017,
          "author": "excalibur",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T16:41:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31969017",
          "commentText": "Maybe it's the nostalgia talking, but I finished season 4 of Stranger Things yesterday, and now I have a strong urge to pick up a copy of The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub. A great book, it really captured the magic that King's Dark Tower series lost along the way.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "King's Dark Tower series lost along the way",
          "reason": "Says The Talisman captured a magic that the series lost along the way.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comparison is critical of the series' later trajectory.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21802787,
          "author": "sshine",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T13:18:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21802787",
          "commentText": "The Gunslinger (part of The Dark Tower series) was excellent.\nDemons and Wizards, the metal band, made a song called The Gunslinger, through which I learned of this book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "part of The Dark Tower series",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961696,
          "author": "Tehchops",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T17:10:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961696",
          "commentText": "Currently reading: Hyperion.\n* Peak: Secretes From the New Science of Expertise\n* The Hard Thing About Hard Things\n* American Gods\n* The Dark Tower\n* Children of Time\n* Sapiens\n* The Lies of Locke Lamora: Gentleman Bastards #1\n* Red Seas Under Red Skies: Gentleman Bastards #2\n* Dark Matter\n* The Dark Tower #1\n* Guns of The Dawn\n* The Hunter Killers\n* Snow Crash",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Dark Tower",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as a book in the commenter's list; no evaluation is given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961419,
          "author": "legohead",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:38:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961419",
          "commentText": "* Currently reading: Edgedancer\n* Flowers for Algernon\n* Going Rogue: Spells, Swords, & Stealth\n* Split the Party: Spells, Swords, & Stealth\n* NPCs\n* Children of Time\n* Death's End\n* The Shining\n* IT\n* All 7+1 books of The Dark Tower",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "All 7+1 books of The Dark Tower",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter lists the series among books read without evaluating it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630899,
          "author": "throwaway7645",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T18:53:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630899",
          "commentText": "Neverwhere => wonderful setting full of fantastic things\nThe Dark Tower => a massive epic that starts out western and goes multiverse SciFi and links together many of kings works. I felt like i was on a grand quest\nVarious short story collections from Gaiman & Stephen King => most are like twilight zone episodes (short little mind benders I can digest in one sitting)\nTed Chiang's short stories=> each one of these was amazing...particularly the one that inspired Arrival movie and the one with the guy that gets super intelligence.\nThe Dresden files => this won't win any awards from literary critics, but is one of my favorite series that just keeps on getting better and more captivating. There are so many complex characters. They don't exist in isolation either, but interact. There are so many main and sub plots. Themes about good & evil, how many things are gray, love, redemption, faith, corruption , perseverance, tactics & strategy...it's all there. It's very unpredictable plot wise. So many books just blow me away.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dark Tower => a massive epic that starts out western and goes multiverse SciFi and links together many of kings works. I felt like i was on a grand quest",
          "reason": "Enjoyed its epic scope and felt immersed in a grand quest.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14859858,
          "author": "strictnein",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:17:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859858",
          "commentText": "I'm jealous of you. Wish I could read it again for the first time.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'm jealous of you. Wish I could read it again for the first time.",
          "reason": "Expresses a wish to experience the series again for the first time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14859623,
          "author": "Skunkleton",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T19:53:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859623",
          "commentText": "I am reading the Dark Tower series. I have been meaning to read it for a long time, and with the upcoming movie I figured I should read it before someone spoils it for me :)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I am reading the Dark Tower series.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have been meaning to read the series and started before a movie could spoil it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348890,
          "author": "chops",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:42:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348890",
          "commentText": "After years of only reading technical, business, and philosophical books, I finally decided to take the plunge and read some fiction about 2 years ago.\nSince then, I've caught up with Song of Ice and Fire, read the first 11 books of Sword of Truth, and did the first 2 Dune books.\nMost recently, I finished Stephen King's Dark Tower series, and I'm currently going through a bunch of HP Lovecraft (it feels good to finally understand the Cthulhu mythos and all that it implies).\nWhen I finish that, I'm going to finish up the Sword of Truth series (the most recent 3 books), and I'm eagerly awaiting the 6th book in A Song of Ice and Fire.\nThese days, I don't actually read all that much, as I've picked up an appreciation for audiobooks and how you can read your stories while doing other things like driving, cooking, and shopping.  So I don't read in freetime anymore, but instead just rock the audiobooks in the \"between\" times.\nObviously, audiobooks don't work with technical books so much.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Stephen King's Dark Tower series",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8026617,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-13T04:08:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 8025870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8026617",
          "commentText": "I'm also eagerly awaiting the next Patrick Rothfuss Kingkiller Chronicle book.\nYou and me both...  I'm champing at the bit for this book to come out.  I haven't been this annoyed waiting for a book since the wait for book four of Stephen King's Dark Tower series to come out.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "book four of Stephen King's Dark Tower series",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387395,
          "author": "gillianseed",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T23:00:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387395",
          "commentText": "Nothing 'exotic' really, my all time favourites are Asimov, Heinlein, Philip K.Dick, Stephen King (particularly dark tower series), Arthur C. Clarke, Orson Scott Card (Ender series), William Gibson, Douglas Adams.\nI was recently coaxed into reading the 'Kingkiller chronicles' by Patrick Rothfuss, I was sceptical thinking it would be something like Harry Potter (not my cup of tea) but I ended up really liking it, looking forward to the third book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stephen King (particularly dark tower series)",
          "reason": "Named among the commenter’s all-time favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3650935,
          "author": "thejteam",
          "createdAt": "2012-03-01T04:37:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 3643009,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-technical book you've read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3650935",
          "commentText": "Agree that The Gunslinger is awesome.  Just to forewarn... you've already read the best books in the series.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "you've already read the best books in the series.",
          "reason": "Recommends the series' early books while cautioning that the best books have already been read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says the best books in the series have already been read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3643844,
          "author": "_sjs",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-28T17:00:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 3643009,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-technical book you've read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3643844",
          "commentText": "Ever heard of The Dark Tower series, by Stephen King?\nI actually started it about 6 years ago, but recently picked up The Wolves of Calla (the fifth book).\nThe Gunslinger (first in the series) is awesome.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dark Tower series, by Stephen King",
          "reason": "Introduces the series, then praises its first book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86041,
          "author": "oditogre",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T19:03:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86041",
          "commentText": "- Brave New World\n- Night\n- Hitchhiker's Guide series\n- Dark Tower series (Mostly just the first 4, though)\n- Eats, Shoots & Leaves\n- Just about any George Carlin or Patrick F. McManus books\n- Wheel of Time Series\n- Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Dark Tower series (Mostly just the first 4, though)",
          "reason": "Recommends the series, especially its first four books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter specifies mostly the first four books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56716,
          "author": "runningskull",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T04:57:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56716",
          "commentText": "Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger is among my favorites of all time.\nThe Dark Tower series (Stephen King) is one of the most amazing tales I have ever had the pleasure to become immersed in.\nThere are plenty more, but the key thing is just to READ.  Read everything you can get your hands on.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "is one of the most amazing tales I have ever had the pleasure to become immersed in.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the most amazing tales they've experienced.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in an immersive fantasy series.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen King"
      ],
      "recommenders": 9,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dark fantasy",
        "western",
        "epic fantasy",
        "fantasy western"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-game-09c073",
      "title": "The Game",
      "author": "Neil Strauss",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17168610,
          "author": "TulliusCicero",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:20:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168610",
          "commentText": "The Game, by Neil Strauss.\nI know, I know, PUA's are despicable and all that. But as a super sheltered Mormon nerd who had zero flirting instinct and put girls on a pedestal/treated them like aliens, it absolutely refactored the social part of my brain for the better.\nWhen I read the book, I was 22 and had never been on a date. Six months later I was engaged. Still married now, almost ten years later.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it absolutely refactored the social part of my brain for the better.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it improved their understanding of flirting and social interaction.",
          "audience": "A sheltered reader with little dating or flirting experience.",
          "caveat": "The commenter acknowledges criticism of pickup artists.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296520,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T06:34:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296520",
          "commentText": "The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nAtlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand\nThe Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins\nHow To Win Friends And Influence People - Dale Carnegie\nThe Game - Neil Strauss\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\n... among others.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Game - Neil Strauss",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15842501,
          "author": "brad0",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-04T08:41:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15842501",
          "commentText": "Not sure if anyone is still reading this but here's story time.\nI've been someone who's struggled with social anxiety for a long time. Not just with women but I wanted women in my life. I read The Game years ago and understood the book at a very superficial level. That alone got me to attracting some women, but not the women I really wanted. I saw some success doing silly routines and following step by step plans. In hindsight this was the worst thing that could have happened to me. I saw some success and figured I just need to get better at this to get the women I really want.\nI did this for a few years and had some crazy experiences but it was never authentic.\nThen I met her. I promised myself I wouldn't make a move because we worked together. We were really good friends for a few months. Then she decided that she was going to move overseas.\nAfter that I was stupid one night and made some terrible move on her. Even as I did it I felt terrible inside. She rejected me, just as all the other women I wanted in my life did. What I did was very unattractive and dishonest.\nOver the next week there were a number of events that happened. There was a serious physical accident, some crazy conversations and just a general, relaxed atmosphere.\nAfter all of this we started dating. Back then I thought it was because my great moves. Now I realise it was in spite of all that. What she was actually attracted to was what I was doing in the situations in the week after the terrible move I made on her. If those situations hadn't have happened I can guarantee we wouldn't have dated.\nShe has been by far the best person I've ever had in my life.\nNow, because I had a bad interpretation of why she was attracted to me I ended up behaving in ways that sabotaged the relationship. I wasn't the guy she was initially attracted to. I wasn't happy. She deserved better. At this stage I was an anxious wreck with no job, no friends and no future. It wasn't a way to live.\nI decided that I needed a future. I ended up throwing everything away and starting over.\nDifferent country.\nDifferent job.\nDifferent path.\nNo relationship.\nWe don't talk any more, which is fair. I wasn't the man I should have been.\nA couple of months after I left I had no energy to pursue women. I lacked all that drive I used to have to be flirty and smooth. I was lost. Where has that energy gone? So I asked google:\n\"why don't I want to have sex?\"\nIt came up with a bunch of results talking about women not wanting to have sex with their husbands. Okay, maybe I need to rework the query. Every time it came up with simple stuff like \"eat a better diet\", \"exercise more\", etc etc. I'm a reasonably fit guy that cares about what he eats so I KNEW it wasn't any of this pop factoid rubbish.\nThen somehow I came across the attraction institute website. One of the blog posts was talking about how the seduction community sucks. The post talked about how it's all superficial and terrible and it prevents guys from growing... Exactly the feelings I'd been having but articulated so well.\nThe content resonated with me so much I bought the book almost instantly. I remember being engrossed in the book. I did nothing for a whole weekend but read it. Once I finished it and mentally processed it all I had a lot of self realisations. How I was using others around me. Why I was alone.\nI got a glimpse of who I really was. I was not a good person.\nThe more I learned about myself the worse I got. But the worse I felt caused me to want to better myself.\nThat's what I meant by \"Initially for the worse but in a whole a massive positive\".\n---\nThis might be a bit random but if anyone wants to chat more about this you can send me an email at bcurran421@gmail.com.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I read The Game years ago and understood the book at a very superficial level.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes its lessons as superficial and says following its routines led to inauthentic behavior.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15159779,
          "author": "orthoganol",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T05:04:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15159779",
          "commentText": "Wow, The Game I had totally forgotten about. Along with the 4 Hour Work Week, those are two books that gave me totally new measuring devices for success and attractiveness when I was in my early 20s. 4HWW redefined 'elite' as young entrepreneurial globe trotters (location freedom), and was probably the main igniter of the digital nomad movement, while The Game redefined attractiveness (for men) as a predominantly behavioral thing - boldness, non neediness, confidence etc. - not a wealth, credentials, or even primarily physical attributes thing (and pretty much ruined going out to bars for half a decade). Agree or disagree, those books really, really impacted thinking for millennials.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "those are two books that gave me totally new measuring devices",
          "reason": "Says it redefined attractiveness around behavior; later agrees with the earlier criticism that it can be a fun yarn but not a how-to manual.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The parent says not to treat it as a how-to manual.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10325295,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T20:47:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325295",
          "commentText": "http://jakeseliger.com/2010/03/22/influential-books-on-me-that-is\n\nSome good stuff there indeed.  The Game, Predictably Irrational, The Mating Mind, and Lord of the Rings stand out to me as excellent suggestions.  I'm just now starting book 12 of Jordan's Wheel of Time series, and while I've enjoyed it so far, I'm not sure I'd cite it as \"thought provoking\".  Entertaining, yes, and certainly worth reading, but the series doesn't stand out to me in that way.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Game, Predictably Irrational, The Mating Mind, and Lord of the Rings stand out to me as excellent suggestions.",
          "reason": "Calls it an excellent suggestion from the linked list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3987533,
          "author": "dtbx",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-17T15:56:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3987533",
          "commentText": "The Game, by Neil Strauss.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Game, by Neil Strauss.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for a great book read recently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1633519,
          "author": "dwwoelfel",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T17:37:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1633519",
          "commentText": "http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0060554738",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0060554738",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1633297,
          "author": "hajrice",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T16:23:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1633297",
          "commentText": "The Game by Neil Strauss.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Game by Neil Strauss.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227449,
          "author": "WildUtah",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T20:16:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227449",
          "commentText": "For the same reasons, if you want to understand why relationships are hard and what is really going on between people,\nThe Mystery Method by Mystery - About half is a real down-to-the bits theory of love and attraction.  The other half is advice about how to pick up dates at bars.  I only wanted the first part, but both are fascinating.  After reading this, it's like the veil was lifted and I could see the fnords.\nThe Game by Neil Strauss - The story of field research into practical romance by a great writer and a peek at the author of the first book above.  The author masters seductive romance and discovers that it is not the same as love.  In the end, though, he needed the first to have a chance at the second.\nOnce you accept that love and romance are hard and not free, these two books are a start at finding and building a quality relationship.  Of course, you'll have to ignore that they market themselves as manuals on how to avoid one.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Game by Neil Strauss - The story of field research into practical romance by a great writer and a peek at the author of the first book above.",
          "reason": "Describes field research into romance and distinguishes seductive romance from love.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in practical romance and relationships.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says mastering seductive romance is not the same as love.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026955,
          "author": "pizza",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T08:18:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026955",
          "commentText": "The Game (Neil Strauss), hands down. Not so much that I found it useful but rather that it was very interesting to watch a guy hack society and attraction.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Game (Neil Strauss), hands down.",
          "reason": "Named as the commenter’s top book, praised for its interesting account of social behavior and attraction.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in social behavior and attraction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they did not find it very useful.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026502,
          "author": "ErrantX",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T00:27:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026502",
          "commentText": "Risk, the science of politics and fear by Dan Gardner (absolutely fantastic book, I already mentioned it on here earlier in the year).\nThe Game (again). I read this regularly to remind me of a few things - it's the book that originally got me fascinated in human interaction.\nNemesis (Richard Mullers theory) after a recommendation on HN.\nA couple of Obama's books (seemed logical to read up on him)- dreams of my Father I especially liked.\nSnowball (though still chugging through that).\nIn Search of Schrodinger's Cat - a book all about the evolution of quantum theory (and one that gives me my favourite quote of the year: In 1905 Einstein actually published 5 times. The fifth being his PHD dissertation; yes those three individually genius works, which shook the very foundations of physics, were published my a man called Mr Einstein. Despite the artistic license I still love it as a quote :))",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Game (again). I read this regularly to remind me of a few things - it's the book that originally got me fascinated in human interaction.",
          "reason": "Says it sparked their interest in human interaction and that they reread it regularly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026415,
          "author": "daeken",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T23:06:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026415",
          "commentText": "The Machinery of Freedom (David Friedman) -- Great book on a potential anarcho-capitalist society and how we could push the US government in that direction.\nThe Game (Neil Strauss) -- See nopassrecover's response; he explained it well.\nLittle Brother (Cory Doctorow) -- A fantastic novel about freedom and technology.\nMakers (Cory Doctorow) -- A great novel about people who create, whether technology or business models.  Perhaps the best book I read this year.\nDown and Out in the Magic Kingdom (Cory Doctorow) -- The story of a man working in Disney World, which is now part of the Bitchun Society (a post-scarcity, post-death society).  A story of love, betrayal, and death; how can you go wrong?  Worth it for the concept of Whuffie (you'll need to read it to really get it) alone.\nDiamond Age (Neal Stephenson) -- The evolution of a society towards post-scarcity, written around the story of a young girl's growth into an adult.  Best post-cyberpunk book written thus far, IMO.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "See nopassrecover's response; he explained it well.",
          "reason": "Points to another comment's explanation without independently endorsing the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026346,
          "author": "nopassrecover",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T22:20:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026346",
          "commentText": "Some books that stood out this year (many not for their intended reasons)\nThe 4 Hour Work Week (Tim Ferriss)\n- In parts entertaining, interesting, self-promoting, educational, inspirational, attractive and undesirable. Definitely worth the read and a great call to action. Will make you consider what you want and how you can achieve it.\nThe Game (Neil Strauss)\n- Truly interesting story and an interesting view on human dynamics and hacking one of the more important systems (dating). A great view on what is most important - ends or means. Will make you consider how people work, what motivates them and whether success cures emptiness.\nLosing my Virginity (Richard Branson)\n- The awesome and entertaining story of Virgin with lots of great advice and startup David vs Goliath inspiration. Will make you consider what determination and the little guy can achieve.\nBusiness Stripped Bare (Richard Branson)\n- Branson's more focused take on business advice and patches on bits of the Virgin story since the first book. Will make you consider the power of being genuine and growing a company with people treated as smart humans.\nOn Writing (Stephen King)\n- Most inspirational and compelling book on writing I've read. Half writing advice half King biography all awesome. Will make you consider becoming a novelist.\nCoders at Work (Peter Siebel)\n- Haven't finished yet but great interviews of leading coders. I didn't enjoy Founders at Work (personally found it a bit indirect/not deep enough) but in Coders at Work you really feel the connection between interviewer and interviewee while at the same time getting a lot of incidental startup advice as these coders have all had decent roles to play in Silicon Valley etc. history. Will make you consider if you're actually a better coder than you thought.\nThink and Grow Rich (Napoleon Hill)\n- Reads a bit like a bad Internet ad at times but that's because they stole that technique from here. This book summarizes the techniques that lead to success based on numerous interviews of most of the greatest leaders of the early 20th century. Pretty good bits in here and again inspiration fuel. Will make you consider how you can take charge of your self and your life.\nLetters From a Stoic (Seneca)\n- Decent musings on living life and mastering oneself. As relevant today as 2 thousand years ago. Will make you consider how you can master your self and what you will let affect you.\nHere Comes Everybody (Clay Shirky)\n- The best book on online community I've read. Shirky makes you want to make a difference and communicates his enthusiasm for the power of the masses with ease. Will make you consider how to enable communities to achieve unthought of goals.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A great view on what is most important - ends or means.",
          "reason": "Praises its account of human dynamics and says it prompts reflection on motivation and success.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neil Strauss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 9,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dating",
        "social dynamics",
        "pickup culture",
        "pickup artist culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-years-of-lyndon-johnson-4b8b5a",
      "title": "The Years of Lyndon Johnson",
      "author": "Robert A. Caro",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42653837,
          "author": "asdfman123",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T08:43:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42653837",
          "commentText": "The Caro books on the LBJ presidency are incredible biographies. LBJ did crazy things to get where he got.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Caro books on the LBJ presidency are incredible biographies.",
          "reason": "Recommends Caro’s biographies of Lyndon B. Johnson.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40432689,
          "author": "srndsnd",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T19:24:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40432689",
          "commentText": "I am currently ~400 pages into the Power Broker. I was motivated to pick it up again by a \"read along\" with Roman Mars from the 99% Invisible podcast. He's spacing out the book over the course of a year and interviewing fellow Caro fans and recapping major portions of the book. Never been a better time to tackle the beast! I am not sure I'll ever read a better biography in my life. At least, not until I read the Lyndon Johnson books.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "At least, not until I read the Lyndon Johnson books.",
          "reason": "Anticipates reading Caro's Lyndon Johnson books as a future comparison.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not yet read them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40429407,
          "author": "iamthirsty",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T15:05:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40429407",
          "commentText": "I personally love history, especially the 60's, so definitely added to the list!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "definitely added to the list!",
          "reason": "The commenter adds the series to their reading list, noting their interest in 1960s history.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in 1960s history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40429388,
          "author": "codyro",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T15:03:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40429388",
          "commentText": "While I primarily read fiction, I've been reading through the first book in Robert A. Caro's The Years of Lyndon Johnson (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Years_of_Lyndon_Johnson) and have been quite engaged given the interest I have in the topic (history as a whole isn't generally the genre I leap for, but Caro has a way to make it interesting).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've been reading through the first book in Robert A. Caro's The Years of Lyndon Johnson",
          "reason": "The commenter finds the series engaging, especially given their interest in its topic.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Lyndon B. Johnson or political history.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says history is not usually the genre they reach for.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21807387,
          "author": "radiokicker",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T21:26:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21807387",
          "commentText": "I’m on the third of the LBJ series after starting them a couple years ago. While they are long they really are absolutely fascinating and hold my attention far beyond what I would have thought.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "they really are absolutely fascinating and hold my attention far beyond what I would have thought.",
          "reason": "Finds the LBJ books fascinating and more absorbing than expected.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Lyndon B. Johnson and American political history.",
          "caveat": "The books are long.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803308,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T14:43:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803308",
          "commentText": "I hilariously overestimate the number of books I can get through when I make these lists, but my current list for 2020 is as follows:\nDigital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World\nThe Man Who Solved the Market: How Jim Simons Launched the Quant Revolution\nBook of Proof\nDesigning Data-Intensive Applications: The Big Ideas Behind Reliable, Scalable, and Maintainable Systems\nSeeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed\nGuns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies\nWe Make the Road by Walking: A Year-Long Quest for Spiritual Formation, Reorientation, and Activation\nSoul Repair: Recovering from Moral Injury after War (for a friend)\nMaster and Commander\nEducated\nWithout Getting Killed or Caught: The Life and Music of Guy Clark\nStretch goal: The Power Broker, as a warm-up for Caro's LBJ series\nThe Bible (perpetual, I don't get through it every year, but I get through much of it, often)\nEDIT: I also hilariously underestimate the number of books I want to read. Here's one more I think is vital for my 2020:\nThe Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Caro's LBJ series",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17919337,
          "author": "TheTrotters",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-05T16:17:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17919337",
          "commentText": "The Power Broker and all volumes of The Years of Lyndon Johnson by Robert Caro. The best books I've ever read. I effectively re-read them all every year or two.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "all volumes of The Years of Lyndon Johnson by Robert Caro. The best books I've ever read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the volumes the best books they've read and rereads them regularly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15017250,
          "author": "omosubi",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T11:42:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15017250",
          "commentText": "+1 - one of my favorite books and one of the best books on the use of power in american government that currently exists. His series on Lyndon Johnson is also incredible.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His series on Lyndon Johnson is also incredible.",
          "reason": "Describes Caro's Lyndon Johnson series as incredible.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12476860,
          "author": "omosubi",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-12T02:42:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12476860",
          "commentText": "\"The years of lyndon johnson\" series by Robert Caro. Though it's a biography, it is really about how power is gained in the US political system. I'm on the third book right now, and I recommend them if you are interested in 20th century american history",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend them if you are interested in 20th century american history",
          "reason": "Recommended for readers interested in 20th-century American history; the series examines how political power is gained.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in 20th-century American history.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is currently on the third book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401477,
          "author": "Spooky23",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:28:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401477",
          "commentText": "Currently working on Robert Caro's series on Lyndon Johnson. Awesome, dense books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Robert Caro's series on Lyndon Johnson. Awesome, dense books.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the books awesome.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as dense.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5691697,
          "author": "cenazoic",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T19:01:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5691697",
          "commentText": "* The Quincunx, Charles Palliser (historical fiction: \"Those for whom this...will be a special treat are those who enjoy solving word or logic puzzles. To be enjoyed to its fullest, this is a book that benefits from active participation on the part of the reader.\"\n* Playing at the World, Jon Peterson (\"Explore the conceptual origins of wargames and role-playing games in this unprecedented history of simulating the real and the impossible.\")\n* The Years of Lyndon Johnson (v1-4, 5 in production), Robert Caro.  (If you ever wanted to see how political power actually works in the US, you can't beat this biography of LBJ, which reads like a (very long) novel.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* The Years of Lyndon Johnson (v1-4, 5 in production), Robert Caro. (If you ever wanted to see how political power actually works in the US, you can't beat this biography of LBJ, which reads like a (very long) novel.)",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is unmatched for understanding how political power works in the US.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in how political power works in the United States.",
          "caveat": "The series is very long; four volumes are listed, with a fifth in production.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert A. Caro"
      ],
      "recommenders": 9,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american politics",
        "political biography",
        "lyndon b johnson",
        "american presidents"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "zero-to-one-039e43",
      "title": "Zero to One",
      "author": "Peter Thiel with Blake Masters",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41607923,
          "author": "shansense",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-21T06:28:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41607923",
          "commentText": "My list:\n1. The mom test (already mentioned) - idea validation \n2. Zero to one by Thiel - contrarian original thinking \n3. The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz - Operating lessons\n4. Paul Grahams essays and pretty much all content put out by YC\nBeyond this it’s all about the nature of the founder and where /how you see value",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2. Zero to one by Thiel - contrarian original thinking",
          "reason": "Listed as a startup book about contrarian, original thinking.",
          "audience": "Founders seeking a perspective on startup ideas.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40284907,
          "author": "xucian",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T12:56:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40284907",
          "commentText": "Zero to one\nThe lean startup\nThe 4-hour workweek\nThe subtle art of not giving a f*ck\n--\nWhat I've found out, biographies are the best thing for me because I always want to know what happens next, but I also learn invaluable lessons from the biographee (just googled this term now and it exists!), so it's a nice mix of story and self-help",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zero to one",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35174088,
          "author": "pedalpete",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T20:13:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35174088",
          "commentText": "The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposing ideas in mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function. - Scott Fitzgerald\nI disagree that the two ideas are completely opposed. They both describe tools in building something. Though if I think about how Zero to One is approached, I feel it's more of a manifesto on overcoming challenges, and doing challenging things. Lean Startup focuses on how to run small experiments.\nNobody says building something challenging isn't just the process of running lots of experiments to find what works.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Though if I think about how Zero to One is approached, I feel it's more of a manifesto on overcoming challenges, and doing challenging things.",
          "reason": "The commenter characterizes it as a manifesto about overcoming challenges and doing difficult things.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment argues it is compatible with The Lean Startup, despite the parent comment's claim of contradiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35173907,
          "author": "samhsmith",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T20:00:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35173907",
          "commentText": "I don't understand how people here are recommending Zero to One and Lean Startup at the same time. They contradict each other. And in fact the Lean Startup is full of the kind of foolish post dotcom-crash thinking that Zero to One warns against.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "They contradict each other. And in fact the Lean Startup is full of the kind of foolish post dotcom-crash thinking that Zero to One warns against.",
          "reason": "The commenter argues it warns against the thinking found in The Lean Startup.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comparison is critical of The Lean Startup and treats the books as contradictory.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zero to One (Peter Thiel)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910210,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:25:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910210",
          "commentText": "- \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies\" - probably the most influential book I've read in my life, profoundly changed the way I think. It's a collection of LessWrong essays on science and rationality.\n- \"On Intelligence\" and \"I am a Strange Loop\" - how mind works.\n- \"Rework\", \"Zero to One\", \"Start Small, Stay Small\" - insightful startup advice.\n- Fun autobiographies: Ghost in the Wires (Kevin Mitnick), iWoz (Steve Wozniak), Catch me if you can (Frank Abagnale), Just for Fun (Linus Torvalds), Elon Musk, Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\n- How companies work: Creativity Inc (Pixar), In the Plex (Google)\n- On writing: Art of fiction/nonfiction by Ayn Rand, Story by Robert McKee, Save the Cat, Step by Step to Standup Comedy.\n- Other: The Selfish Gene, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Serious Creativity, Hackers & Painters, Hacking Growth, Angel (on angel investing, by Jason Calacanis).\nAlso collections of essays by Paul Graham [1] and Scott Alexander [2]:\n[1] https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%20Complete%20Essays.epub?dl=0)\n[2] https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of%20Scott%20Alexandria%20-%20Scott%20Alexander.epub?dl=0)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Rework\", \"Zero to One\", \"Start Small, Stay Small\" - insightful startup advice.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes the listed books as insightful startup advice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16354094,
          "author": "rookiemaverick",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T18:51:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16354094",
          "commentText": "The lean startup and from zero to one.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "from zero to one",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567958,
          "author": "abrkn",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T17:46:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567958",
          "commentText": "Zero to One (audio book)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zero to One (audio book)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12476043,
          "author": "tlackemann",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T22:21:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12476043",
          "commentText": "Blue Ocean Strategy by Renée Mauborgne and W. Chan Kim\nAs a software engineer, I've come to really love how good products are built and how to explore new markets. While I don't think it's a life-changing book, it's certainly a good read and I'd recommend it to any engineer that wants to be more product-focused (also Inspired, Creativity Inc, and Zero to One)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "also Inspired, Creativity Inc, and Zero to One",
          "reason": "Listed alongside the recommended Blue Ocean Strategy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229907,
          "author": "latishsehgal",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T16:26:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229907",
          "commentText": "My top 4 recommendations (full list and notes at http://www.dotnetsurfers.com/books/)\nThe Power of Habit,\nSearch Inside Yourself,\nThe Willpower Instinct,\nZero to One",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zero to One",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's top four recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Thiel",
        "Blake Masters"
      ],
      "recommenders": 9,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "startups",
        "entrepreneurship",
        "innovation",
        "contrarian thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "skunk-works-a-personal-memoir-of-my-years-at-lockheed-45d752",
      "title": "Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed",
      "author": "Ben R. Rich and Leo Janos",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39249941,
          "author": "senectus1",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T13:16:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249941",
          "commentText": "Guilty pleasure: I just finished the final book in the horus heresy series (warhammer 40k), and impulsively restarted the series from book 1 again. Its making me sad because I know what all these characters are going to go through again over next 64 books.\nBut I highly recommend the book \"Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed\" by Ben R. Rich and Leo Janos\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/101438",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend the book \"Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed\" by Ben R. Rich and Leo Janos",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the memoir.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39060436,
          "author": "dstroot",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T20:11:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39060436",
          "commentText": "+1 for Skunk Works.  Great story, well written and the engineering challenges they overcame were astounding.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for Skunk Works.",
          "reason": "The commenter endorses the book, praising its story, writing, and account of engineering challenges.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39059849,
          "author": "NegatioN",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T19:24:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39059849",
          "commentText": "I'm not sure if these books really are what you're looking for, because each of them is a mix of engineering history, and the description of how a group of people end up doing amazing things.\nIn each of the books, there were nuggets of wisdom that I've tried to bring along with me in my job (as best I can).\nLike:\n- Doing things as simply as possible to start off\n- Keeping iteration time to a minimum, for maximum exploration of ideas\n- Being willing to think outside the box\nMy takeaways above, hardly do these books justice, but they are as follows:\n- Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed [0]\n- Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution. [1]\n- The Dream Machine: J.C.R. Licklider and the Revolution That Made Computing Personal [2]\n[0]: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/101438.Skunk_Works\n[1]: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56829.Hackers\n[2]: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/722412.The_Dream_Machine",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed",
          "reason": "Included among the books that offered practical lessons about simplicity, iteration, and thinking beyond conventional approaches.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the books are a mix of engineering history and accounts of how people accomplished ambitious work.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39059828,
          "author": "roarcher",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T19:23:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39059828",
          "commentText": "In a similar vein, there's \"Skunk Works\" by Ben Rich and Leo Janos, which covers the development of the U-2, F-117, and SR-17 aircraft. Not about the philosophy of engineering per se, but it's a great perspective into how problems were solved in a very unique program with extreme goals, before modern computer-aided tools.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "there's \"Skunk Works\" by Ben Rich and Leo Janos",
          "reason": "Described as a view of how engineering problems were solved in an unusually ambitious program.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not specifically about the philosophy of engineering.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29815720,
          "author": "Const-me",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-05T22:07:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29815720",
          "commentText": "Last non-fiction book I read was “A Plague Upon Our House” by dr. Scott Atlas. Good one, can recommend, but it might be too depressing for a birthday, it’s about COVID and modern politics.\nAnother good non-fiction one is “Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years of Lockheed” by Leo Janos, about cold war and aviation technology. This one is fine for a birthday, assuming you generally like these topics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another good non-fiction one is “Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years of Lockheed” by Leo Janos, about cold war and aviation technology. This one is fine for a birthday, assuming you generally like these topics.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for readers who like Cold War history and aviation technology.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the Cold War and aviation technology.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it suits a birthday assuming the reader likes those topics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21792990,
          "author": "anfractuosity",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T23:06:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21792990",
          "commentText": "I'm really enjoying 'Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed' currently.\nI found it really interesting  that their stealth aircraft model was so good, they had to redesign the poles it sat on.\nAlso it talks about a Russian paper they used based on maxwells equations, that allowed them to calculate the reflected RF from 2D surfaces, which I'm curious about finding.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm really enjoying 'Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed' currently.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are really enjoying the book and found its account interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17524074,
          "author": "kevas",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T16:01:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17524074",
          "commentText": "For me...\n1. Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets by John Murphy\n2. Options as a Strategic Investment by Lawrence G. McMillan\n3. [just finished] The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right By Atul Gawande\n4. [finished last week] Dealers of Lightning by Michael A. Hiltzik\n5. [currently working on] Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software By GOF\n6. [currently working on] Dan Appleman's Visual Basic Programmer's Guide to the Win32 API by Dan Appleman\n7. [next on the list] Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed by Ben Rich, Leo Janos",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed by Ben Rich, Leo Janos",
          "reason": "Listed as next on the commenter's reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not yet read it and provides no evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17205246,
          "author": "linuxlizard",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T13:48:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205246",
          "commentText": "_Showstopper_ One of the best tech books, after _Soul of a New Machine_ (recommended in the comments, too). Covers Microsoft's creation of Windows NT.\n_DEC is Dead. Long Live DEC_  about the rise and fall of Digital Equipment Corporation.\n_Skunkworks_ Lockheed-Martin's creation of the SR-71.\n_Moneyball_ using math to build a top flight US baseball team.\nBroadening the category a bit:\n_The Smartest Guys in the Room_ is about Enron's collapse. Not directly related to computer tech but definitely tech and people.\n_Billion Dollar Lessons_ covers several spectacular company failures. Again, not strictly tech related but amazing stories of crash & burn. Includes (IIRC) Iridium, Kodak, IBM.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "_Skunkworks_ Lockheed-Martin's creation of the SR-71.",
          "reason": "Listed for its account of Lockheed’s development of the SR-71.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in engineering and technology history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961256,
          "author": "strictnein",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:22:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961256",
          "commentText": "Sorry, this got a little longer than I meant it to be\n- Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed - It's over 20 years old now but still really good, especially if you're into planes like the U-2, F-117, and SR-71\nIf you're wanting a deeper understanding of the other side of the war on terror, I'd recommend the following:\n- I Was Told to Come Alone: My Journey Behind the Lines of Jihad\n- Salafi-Jihadism: The History of an Idea\n- The Way of the Strangers: Encounters with the Islamic State\n- After the Prophet: The Epic Story of the Shia-Sunni Split in Islam\n- The Black Banners: The Inside Story of 9/11 and the War Against al-Qaeda\nIf you're wanting a dive into Russia:\n- The Invention of Russia: From Gorbachev's Freedom to Putin's War\n- The Red Web: The Struggle Between Russia's Digital Dictators and the New Online Revolutionaries\n- Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible: The Surreal Heart of the New Russia\nIf you're wanting true Spy stuff:\n- The Billion Dollar Spy: A True Story of Cold War Espionage and Betrayal\n- The Spy's Son: The True Story of the Highest-Ranking CIA Officer Ever Convicted of Espionage and the Son He Trained to Spy for Russia\n- Left of Boom: How a Young CIA Case Officer Penetrated the Taliban and Al-Qaeda (the author is a little full of himself, but still, it's interesting)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's over 20 years old now but still really good, especially if you're into planes like the U-2, F-117, and SR-71",
          "reason": "Calls it still really good, especially for readers interested in the named aircraft.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in aviation and military aircraft.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it is over 20 years old.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8106941,
          "author": "screwt",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:16:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106941",
          "commentText": "Catch-22. In a similar vibe (but a fair bit shorter), Slaughterhouse 5. Both cover the hell of war by examining its absurdity. Catch-22 is also the funniest book you'll ever read.\nIf you're into engineering books, the best I've read is Skunk Works (Ben R Rich). It's an account of the work of Lockheed's legendary skunk works division - behind the U2 spy plane, stealth fighter and the blackbird sr-17.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the best I've read is Skunk Works (Ben R Rich).",
          "reason": "Calls it the best engineering book the commenter has read and describes its subject.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in engineering and aircraft development.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ben R. Rich",
        "Leo Janos"
      ],
      "recommenders": 9,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aerospace engineering",
        "lockheed",
        "aircraft development",
        "lockheed skunk works"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-myth-of-sisyphus-655913",
      "title": "The Myth of Sisyphus",
      "author": "Albert Camus",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31977452,
          "author": "wnkrshm",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-04T14:32:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31977452",
          "commentText": "I wonder whether The Myth of Sysiphus wouldn't be more apt for something like that. But I'd pick an academic text too, though I'm not sure which one.\nThere are many textbooks outside of my expertise that could be just as interesting as more physics or mathematics, e.g. ship/boat construction.\nEdit: For a fiction book I would probably pick Fiasco by Stanislav Lem, it contains some parables and allergories that are interesting to think about.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I wonder whether The Myth of Sysiphus wouldn't be more apt for something like that.",
          "reason": "Considered as a potentially apt choice for rereading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30278168,
          "author": "xSakiX",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-09T20:38:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30278168",
          "commentText": "The Myth of Sisyphus, by A. Camus\nIf a single book, it would be this one.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Myth of Sisyphus, by A. Camus\nIf a single book, it would be this one.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23153538,
          "author": "davidgould",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T13:08:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23153538",
          "commentText": "The Myth of Sisyphus was so helpful to me when I was a young person.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Myth of Sisyphus was so helpful to me when I was a young person.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was helpful to them when they were young.",
          "audience": "Young people.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23153310,
          "author": "9214",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T12:43:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23153310",
          "commentText": "• \"Laws of Form\" by George Spencer-Brown, a little book that describes how to bootstrap the Universe from nothing. Louis Kauffman [1] has a lot of papers/writeups on it, from knot theory to quantum physics. If you ever wanted to make a pancake truly from scratch, this is a place to start.\n• \"The Unconscious as Infinite Sets\" by Ignacio Matte Blanco. Reformulates Freud in logico-mathematical terms and establishes a formal system (bi-logic) to describe unconsciousness phenomena: in case you ever wanted to apply category theory to study yourself.\n• \"The Protracted Game\" by Scott Boorman. Interprets Maoist's revolutionary strategies during 1927 - 1949 period as a game of Go. Interesting both from historical, military, and game-theoretical perspective; raised an appreciation of Eastern wisdom and 'board games as a tool of thought' [2] for me.\n• \"The Unwritten Laws of Engineering\" by W. J. King. Written in 1944, but the advice is still relevant, more so to the software engineering field. Should be at least skimmed at any part of your career.\n• \"The Myth of Sisyphus\" by Alber Camus. Unequivocally answers the most important question there is — does life have meaning, and if not, should you kill yourself over it? I read it in my teens while wrestling with existential dread, and lived a somewhat happy and interesting life ever after.\n[1]: http://homepages.math.uic.edu/~kauffman/Form.html\n[2]: There's also \"Laws of the Game\" by Eigen & Winkler that describes natural phenomena as glass-bead games with various rules.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Myth of Sisyphus\" by Alber Camus.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them through existential dread and addresses whether life has meaning.",
          "audience": "Readers wrestling with existential questions.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17047094,
          "author": "parallel_item",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T13:21:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17047094",
          "commentText": "They aren't all self help. Some just shook my world view so much that I couldn't help but introspect, reviewing everything I believe from a new angle. I find the experience I had with each fairly intimate. I hope others may have the same experience with any book, but think that these may do it.\n1. This Is What I Talk About When I Talk About Running - Haruki Murakami\nMurakami talking about his decision to become an author and also his lifelong hobby of running.\n2. Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls - David Sedaris\nMade me laugh for the first time in awhile.\n3. The Myth of Sisyphus - Albert Camus\nAbsurdity.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Myth of Sisyphus - Albert Camus\nAbsurdity.",
          "reason": "Listed among books that shook the commenter's worldview and prompted introspection.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17046038,
          "author": "exelius",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T09:55:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17046038",
          "commentText": "The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348517,
          "author": "MrMiracle",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:04:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348517",
          "commentText": "L'etranger - Albert Camus\nLe mythe de sisyphe - Albert Camus",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Le mythe de sisyphe - Albert Camus",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6922495,
          "author": "rouma7",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-17T17:49:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 6921805,
          "threadTitle": "What book has inspired you the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6922495",
          "commentText": "The Watchmen, although technically a comic book Alan Moore tackles a lot of complex existential issues.\nAlso, The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus. How does one find meaning in life in a meaningless world?\nwww.goodreads.com has a lot of great reviews/suggestions as well",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also, The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus. How does one find meaning in life in a meaningless world?",
          "reason": "Raises the question of finding meaning in a meaningless world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1765027,
          "author": "dpatel512",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-06T18:00:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1765027",
          "commentText": "Couple that with Camus' <i>The Stranger</i> and <i>The Myth of Sisyphus</i> and you've got enough satisfying \"thinking material\" for a nice long while.\nOne more suggestion for fiction: Rohinton Mistry's <i>A Fine Balance</i>.  This will FOREVER change your perspective on hardship while giving one a fantastic appreciation for living.  I'm always giving copies of this rare gem as a gift and I have heard nothing but rave reviews from those who have been touched by its power.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "<i>The Myth of Sisyphus</i>",
          "reason": "Suggested alongside The Stranger as satisfying material for thought.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503560,
          "author": "igravious",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T12:51:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503560",
          "commentText": "It is with joy that I answer your question. And if I may be allowed to answer it philosophically. The books you find incredibly interesting may be the books the validate your worldview. There are many of these. The book you find eye-opening may be the books that open the door into the world of philosophy proper for you. There are not many of these because you only need to go through that door once I feel.\nAlso, I would observe that besides Ayn Rand (who for many is not a philosopher) not a single female philosopher has been mentioned here which I find is a damning indictment on the state of affairs of the world of ideas. To remedy that I would recommend to you read A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft or anything by De Beauvoir (and do ignore her contemporary Sartre for he was nothing but a windbag).\nI am delighted that you singled out Thomas Paine (who again is not a philosopher as such; must be something in the air in the States) and Arthur Schopenhauer. They are both tremendous stylists. I've said this many times before - I don't care how great a philosopher's ideas are, if they can't write well I don't want to know. Thus we have people here recommending Kripke or Frege or heck knows who like that who bludgeon you to death with their tedious logic. Avoid them I say.\nFinally I would like to be clichéd and recommend anything by Nietzsche except for Thus Spake Zarathustra even though he himself considered it his best work and I would especially recommend Ecce Homo by him because it is a summation of his previous works by his own hand. Nietzsche was the supreme stylist and ruthlessly honest and fearless. Also I'd recommend A Short Treatise on the Great Virtues by a contemporary philosopher André Comte-Sponville. This is a remarkable book on virtue theory that takes in Aristotle, Spinoza, Nietzsche and Woody Allen among others and is divided up by virtue which is extremely novel. It is fantastically written. Anything by Cioran as well such as The Trouble with Being Born. I'm trying not to typecast myself here! :)\nAnd finally finally Sophie's World and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance while nice cute books are not true philosophy books. This is also why I wouldn't recommend Camus' The Outsider though someone did mention The Myth of Sisyphus. Borges falls into this category. Sophie's world is really a kid's book as well and one that I would perhaps recommend to children though I'd recommend Borges or Camus or Kafka first.\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Vindication-Rights-Woman-Penguin-Cla... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vindication-Rights-Woman-Penguin-Classics/dp/0141441259)\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Second-Sex-Vintage-classics/dp/00997... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Second-Sex-Vintage-classics/dp/009974421X)\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Penguin-Great-Ideas-Suffering-World/... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Penguin-Great-Ideas-Suffering-World/dp/0141018941)\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Ecce-Homo-Becomes-Penguin-Classics/d... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ecce-Homo-Becomes-Penguin-Classics/dp/0140445153)\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Short-Treatise-Great-Virtues-Philoso... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Short-Treatise-Great-Virtues-Philosophy/dp/0099437988)\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Trouble-Being-Born-E-M-Cioran/dp/155... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Trouble-Being-Born-E-M-Cioran/dp/1559704624)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "though someone did mention The Myth of Sisyphus.",
          "reason": "Mentions it as another title in the discussion without expressing an evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Albert Camus"
      ],
      "recommenders": 9,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "absurdism",
        "existentialism",
        "meaning of life"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-odyssey-3d10c1",
      "title": "The Odyssey",
      "author": "Homer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50119414,
          "author": "NishanStepak",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T15:13:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50119414",
          "commentText": "Frank Herbert Dune, book, there is a graphic novel of the latest edition which I glanced through.\nMachiavelli The Prince\nSun Tzu The Art of War\nEpictetus The Enchiridion\nTao Te Ching- different editions\nThe Odyssey in variety of formats, illustrated, graphic novel, book\nThe King James Bible-- Different pieces at various points. Proverbs many times.\nLewis Carroll-- Alices Adventures In Wonderland, book, annotated edition",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Odyssey in variety of formats, illustrated, graphic novel, book",
          "reason": "Listed among books read repeatedly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41242279,
          "author": "veeblevee",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-14T03:26:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41242279",
          "commentText": "The Odyssey.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Odyssey.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40290759,
          "author": "freedomben",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T19:54:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40290759",
          "commentText": "I think you are making the opposite error that you're accusing Ehrman of making, specifically that you seem to be taking (what survived of) the Bible at it's word, putting the benefit of the doubt on everyone/everything else to disprove it, rather than giving it the burden of proof on its claims.  You seem to be giving it more credibilty because it is old, but there are plenty of similar aged or older books that are clearly not accurate/true just because they are old and can't be disproven.  If that's your standard, then you must also accept the existence of a lot of Pagan gods as well.  Even if we just limit it to \"the Bible\" then you have to accept that Asherah and other early Hebrew gods really existed, and had priests and prophets capable of doing miracles and curses/blessings, etc.\nOf course there is historically accurate stuff in the Bible, but there's also a ton of supernatural claims that can't be proven or disproven (aka they are non-falsifiable).  For that matter The Odyssey has survived a long time and has some accurate historical things in it, but we don't take the Odyssey's stories about supernatural things at face value.\nIt's also not hard to show that The Bible is not historically reliable just by comparing different sections of it that contradict each other.\nFor example, what were Jesus' last words on the cross?  Mark, Luke, and John all disagree on this and have different words.  They can't all be his last words.\nWhat day did he actually die?  Was it the day after passover as in Mark, or the day before as in John?[1]\nWe absolutely agree though on reading lots of perspectives on it.  There is no shortage of PhDs who debate these things, so at the end of the day you'll have to either choose the stay agnostic on it, or go with what seems \"most likely\" to you.\n[1]:  https://ehrmanblog.org/why-have-i-stopped-explaining-how-i-l... (https://ehrmanblog.org/why-have-i-stopped-explaining-how-i-lost-my-faith-readers-mailbag-june-4-2017/)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Odyssey has survived a long time",
          "reason": "Used as a comparison in an argument about historical accuracy and supernatural claims.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467743,
          "author": "wazoox",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:56:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467743",
          "commentText": "The book I've reread the most is The Odyssey. For a long time, I've read it once every year.\nAnother book I've read many times is Eco's Foucault's Pendulum.\nI've read Asimov's cycle of Foundation many times. Don't know how many, actually.\nI've also read several times some philosophy classics, particularly Plato's Symposium, Phaedrus, Apology and Republic.\nThen there are many books that I've read at least twice, almost all considered classics (from 1984 to LoTR, Great expectations to Tom Sawyer, Crime and punishment to Twenty thousand leagues under the sea, etc).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book I've reread the most is The Odyssey.",
          "reason": "The commenter rereads it annually.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803978,
          "author": "jriot",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:57:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803978",
          "commentText": "I've curated my 2020 list over the last few months, eventually splitting it in two; 2021 has been started, but below is my 2020 list.\nBrave New World\nCatcher in the Rye (3rd read)\nTom Sawyer\nThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn\nWar and Peace\nCatch-22\nStranger in a Strange Lan\nThe Hobbit (3rd read)\nThe Illiad\nThe Odessey\nWalden\nLeisure, The Basis of Culture\nThe Seven Storey Mountain\nConfessions\nThe City of God\nWays of Life St Augustine\nCatechism of the Catholic Church\nThese Truths\nBattle Cry of Freedom\nThe Complete Guide to Fly Fishing\nThe Lure and Lore of Trout Fishing\nThe Duck Huntingest Gentlemen",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Odessey",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's curated 2020 reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Part of a planned reading list; title misspelled in the comment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20926401,
          "author": "zacky777",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-10T09:18:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20926401",
          "commentText": "A clear winner for me: 'The Odyssey by Homer\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A clear winner for me: 'The Odyssey by Homer\"",
          "reason": "Names it as a clear favorite in response to a favorite-books question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20916602,
          "author": "voldacar",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T09:36:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20916602",
          "commentText": "The Odyssey\nThe Iliad\nMoby-Dick\nAnything by Dostoevsky",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Odyssey",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the thread asking for favorite old books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17344524,
          "author": "spinchange",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-19T07:44:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17344524",
          "commentText": "The Odyssey",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Odyssey",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17052367,
          "author": "emodendroket",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-12T03:40:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17052367",
          "commentText": "It's hard for me to see why this logic points to the Bible and not the Odyssey or the Iliad, about which we could say much the same things (especially the Iliad, which shows clear marks of some parts of the story being much older than others).  Or frankly any very old text with pre-literary roots.\nI am certainly pro-Bible, but in the terms you're putting it here it doesn't seem especially compelling.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "why this logic points to the Bible and not the Odyssey or the Iliad",
          "reason": "Raised as a comparison to the Bible in a discussion of old texts and their origins.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16010565,
          "author": "jonvillage",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-26T19:55:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16010565",
          "commentText": "This year I've read:\nMaxims - Epictetus\nThe road to serfdom - Friedrich Hayek\nDe officiis - Cicero\nDe divinatione - Cicero\nLives of eminent philosophers - Diogenes Laertius\nConfessions - Al ghazali\nIlliad - Homer\nOdyssey - Homer\nInfluence - Robert Cialdini\nGuns, Germs and steel - Jared Diamond\nPoor Charlie's Almanack - Charlie Munger - 2nd reading\nAndrew Carnegie's Biography - Joseph Frazier\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Taleb - 2nd reading\nBed of Procrustes - Nassim Taleb\nNever Split the Difference - Christopher Voss\nThe intelligent investor - Benjamin Graham\nAutobiography - Benjamin Franklin\nI always remember this quote:\n\"In my whole life, I have known no wise people who didn't read all the time -- none, zero.\"  Charlie Munger",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Odyssey - Homer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8108812,
          "author": "Aym_C",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T15:36:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8108812",
          "commentText": "Dive into the classics.\nJohn Cowper Powys may help you to plan a great journey :\nhttp://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/12914/pg12914.html\n(Despite a few bizarre choices. Paul Bourget, seriously ?)\nIf I had to choose myself : Homer (The Iliad and the Odyssey), the Bible (David's psalms and Job's book), Augustine, Dante, Saint Simon, Shakespeare, Rousseau, Dostoievsky, Proust, Céline.\nAparté :\nIf you like ambitious history with economic insights, I would strongly suggest to read Fernand Braudel works. He wrote three fantastic triptychs :\n- The Mediterranean: And the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II (his thesis)\n- Civilization and Capitalism, 15th-18th Century (the best history books I've ever read)\n- The Identity of France",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Homer (The Iliad and the Odyssey)",
          "reason": "Listed among the classics the commenter would choose.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4967101,
          "author": "Bootvis",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T21:01:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967101",
          "commentText": "I read it in Dutch as translated by H.J. de Roy van Zuydewijn. If you want to read it in Dutch his translations of The Ilias and the Odyssey are highly recommended by me and more importantly my classics teacher. The Ilias is out of print but available in the second hand market at a premium.\nBy the way: If you (edit: or anyone else ;) wants to read them I can loan them to you.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "his translations of The Ilias and the Odyssey are highly recommended by me and more importantly my classics teacher.",
          "reason": "The commenter and their classics teacher highly recommend these Dutch translations.",
          "audience": "Dutch readers, or readers able to read Dutch.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4966925,
          "author": "david927",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T19:55:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4966925",
          "commentText": "I just finished The Odyssey and it was also better than I expected.  I'll move on to The Iliad next.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I just finished The Odyssey and it was also better than I expected.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it exceeded their expectations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 715386,
          "author": "sgoraya",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-20T22:45:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715386",
          "commentText": "Current:\nGhandi and Churchill by Arthur Herman\nLast:\nThe Odyssey by Homer\nA bull in China by Jim Rogers",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Odyssey by Homer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as the last book read; no evaluation expressed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86337,
          "author": "gills",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T17:57:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86337",
          "commentText": "The First Circle (Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn)\nLOTR\nSiddhartha (Hermann Hesse)\nThe Odyssey (Homer)\nThe Dilbert Principle (Scott Adams) -- Alright, not literature! But come on, it's Dilbert :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Odyssey (Homer)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Homer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 9,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic poetry",
        "greek mythology",
        "ancient greek epic",
        "ancient epic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-structure-of-scientific-revolutions-4a7617",
      "title": "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions",
      "author": "Thomas S. Kuhn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50130850,
          "author": "steven_noble",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-17T13:09:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50130850",
          "commentText": "while I think of it, also \"The Structure Of Scientific Revolutions\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Structure Of Scientific Revolutions\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33800047,
          "author": "mitchelldeacon9",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T13:01:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33800047",
          "commentText": "Here are some classics in cognitive psychology with direct quotes that illustrate some of the main themes:\nRichard Rhodes (1986) Making of the Atomic Bomb\n\"In scientific work, creative thinking demands seeing things not seen previously, or in ways not previously imagined; and this necessitates jumping off from 'normal' positions, and taking risks by departing from reality. The difference between the thinking of the paranoid patient and the scientist comes from the latter's ability and willingness to test out his fantasies or grandiose conceptualizations through the systems of checks and balances science has established – and to give up those schemes that are shown not to be valid on the basis of these scientific checks. It is specifically because science provides such a framework of rules and regulations to control and set bounds to paranoid thinking that a scientist can feel comfortable about taking the paranoid leaps. Without this structuring, the threat of such unrealistic, illogical, and even bizarre thinking to overall thought and personality organization in general would be too great to permit the scientist the freedom of such fantasying.\" (p. 151)\nDaniel Kahneman (2011) Thinking, Fast and Slow\n\"In the current view of how associative memory works, a great deal happens at once. An idea that has been activated does not merely evoke one other idea. It activates many ideas, which in turn activate others. Furthermore, only a few of the activated ideas will register in consciousness; most of the work of associative thinking is silent, hidden from our conscious selves. The notion that we have limited access to the workings of our minds is difficult to accept because, naturally, it is alien to our experience, but it is true: you know far less about yourself than you feel you do.\" (p. 52)\nThomas Kuhn (1962) Structure of Scientific Revolutions\n\"One suspects that something like a paradigm is prerequisite to perception itself. What a man sees depends both upon what he looks at and also upon what his previous visual-conceptual experience has taught him to see. In the absence of such training there can only be... a 'bloomin’ buzzin’ confusion'\" (p. 113)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Thomas Kuhn (1962) Structure of Scientific Revolutions",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32791257,
          "author": "wunderlust",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T15:04:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32791257",
          "commentText": "My field of study (what I really like to think and learn about) isn't my field of work, but I like the question so I'll spill some thoughts.\nI spend a lot of time thinking about philosophical-ish stuff, so here are some books that have had the strongest residual effects (whether that's changing how I think, changing what I think about, changing my values, or simply getting the thought ball rolling faster):\nIshmael (Daniel Quinn)\n1984 (George Orwell)\nBrave New World (Aldous Huxley)\nGodel, Escher, Bach (Douglas Hofstadter)\nThe Republic [imp. \"the allegory of the cave\"] (Plato)\nThe Genealogy of Morals (Friedrich Nietzsche)\nThe Social Construction of Reality (Peter L. Berger, Thomas Luckmann)\nTractatus Logico-Philosophicus (L. Wittgenstein)\nDissemination [imp. \"The Pharmakon\"] (Jacques Derrida)\nThe Quest for Reality (Barry Stroud)\nLanguages of Art (Nelson Goodman)\nThe Structure of Scientific Revolutions (Thomas Kuhn)\nConcepts (Jerry Fodor)\nThe Web of Life (Fritjof Capra)\nFoucault's Pendulum (Umberto Eco)\nNaming and Necessity (Saul Kripke)\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Robert Pirsig)\nThere are others, and a lot of essays (by thinkers like Bertrand Russell, Carl Hempel, Hilary Putnam, WVO Quine, Karl Popper, Alfred Tarski, Gottlob Frege, David Chalmers, Daniel Dennett, Michel Foucault, Jean Baudrillard, Mikhail Bakunin, CS Peirce, and David Hume, among many others), but these seem apropos as they most readily came to mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (Thomas Kuhn)",
          "reason": "Listed among books with strong residual effects on the commenter’s thinking and values.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26325286,
          "author": "smcameron",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-03T06:01:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 26321793,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books made you the most money?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26325286",
          "commentText": "Thomas Kuhn died in 1996, so, can't be this user.\nThe few times I've encountered people talking about Kuhn and The Structure of Scientific Revolutions was in the context of religious people taking the point of the book to be that \"science\" thinks one thing for a long time, until it suddenly doesn't, and then suddenly \"science\" thinks another, different thing when some rebel comes along with new ideas (e.g. Copernicus and heliocentrism), and then they use this gloss as a justification to ignore any science that contradicts whatever weird beliefs they're currently defending.\nNot to suggest this is what's happening in this case, but \"religion\" was the first thing that popped into my mind when contemplating how one might attempt to make a lot of money from ideas in that book.\nBut I might just have had bad luck in my encounters with people talking about Kuhn and his book.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions",
          "reason": "Discusses how some people interpret the book as describing shifts in scientific consensus, and how that gloss can be used to dismiss science.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter cautions that this may not explain the case at hand and may reflect bad luck in prior encounters.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26324266,
          "author": "jiux",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-03T03:10:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 26321793,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books made you the most money?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26324266",
          "commentText": "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions",
          "reason": "Named as a response to the thread’s question about books that helped make money.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15159375,
          "author": "mrmyers",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T02:26:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15159375",
          "commentText": "Modeling the world generally (as in, why mathematics works and can apply to the real world):\n  =Bertrand Russell=\n  * An Inquiry into Meaning and Truth\n  * A Theory of Knowledge\n  * Logic and Knowledge\n  =W.V. Quine=\n  * Word and Object\n  * Mathematical Logic\n  =Norbert Weiner=\n  * Cybernetics: Or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine\n  =Smullyan=\n  * Diagonalization and Self Reference\n\nSquishy Human Things:\n  Thomas Kuhn      - The Structure of Scientific Revolutions\n  Norbert Weiner   - The Human Use of Human-Beings\n  Bertrand Russell - A History of Western Philosophy\n  Karl Popper      - The Open Society and Its Enemies\n  Daniel Dennet    - Consciousness Explained\n  E. Abbot Abbot   - Flatland",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13805975,
          "author": "amk_",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T20:54:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805975",
          "commentText": "Quite relevant given the meta-topic - \"The Structure of Scientific Revolutions\" by Thomas Kuhn. It's where the term \"paradigm shift\" comes from.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Structure of Scientific Revolutions\" by Thomas Kuhn. It's where the term \"paradigm shift\" comes from.",
          "reason": "Called relevant to the thread’s topic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13805453,
          "author": "lostphilosopher",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T19:45:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805453",
          "commentText": "Generally:\nThe Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Thomas Kuhn\nThe Apology of Socrates, Plato\nProfessionally:\nThe Pragmatic Programmer, Andrew Hunt and David Thomas\nThe Best Interface is No Interface, Golden Krishna",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Thomas Kuhn",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6983854,
          "author": "Snail_Commando",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-30T09:39:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 6981802,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good general technical books for teenagers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6983854",
          "commentText": "There are already suggestions in this thread that are better than mine, but I'll still throw my hat in the ring.\nThat's great that she's interested in biology. I'd like to gently suggest that if she \"isn't very enthusiastic about computers or technology\", you should instead try to nurture her demonstrated interest in art, biology, and other science.\nI know absolutely nothing about art, except that I apparently have no taste. So I'll refrain from making any suggestions on art books.\nTL;DR: Skip down to the third section for the \"technical book\" suggestion.\n--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n(1)\nHere are some suggestions of books on general science, biology, and chemistry (in no particular order, these are some of the first ones that come to my mind):\n\"The Structure of Scientific Revolutions\" By Thomas S. Kuhn\n\"The Diversity of Life\" By Edward O. Wilson\n\"The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time\"  by Jonathan Weiner\n\"Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes: Further Reflections in Natural History\"  by Stephen Jay Gould\n\"Life on a Young Planet\" By Andrew H. Knoll\n\"Galápagos\" By Kurt Vonnegut (Fiction, but related) (I loved this book, but it's not for everyone I suppose. A couple of my friends didn't like it.)\n\"Napoleon's Buttons\" By Penny Le Couteur and Jay Burreson\n\"The Lives of a Cell: Notes of a Biology Watcher\" By Lewis Thomas\n---------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n(2)\nIf she's interested in learning a lot about cellular biology in beautifully exhaustive detail, buy her this textbook:\n\"Molecular Biology of the Cell\" By Bruce Alberts, Paul Walter, Alexander Johnson, Julian Lewis, Martin Raff, Keith Roberts\nThis book is huge. And it is wonderful.\n---------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n---Read this suggestion if my other suggestions aren't good---\n(3)\nSo you want a technical book? And she's interested in biology?\nBuy her a copy of:\n\"The Principles of Biomedical Informatics\" By Ira J. Kalet\nThis textbook is incredible. It teaches you some fundamentals of many different flavors of bioinformatics. (Different flavors, because, as the author acknowledges, bioinformatics can mean many things.) You can learn how to work with amino acid sequences, protein modeling, medical imaging, probabilistic biomedical models, and more!\nSince you have SICP and LoL on your bookshelf already, you might love the next part. The entire textbook is a cleverly accessible primer on how to build applications with Common Lisp. Whether you're a greybeard Lisp hacker or a repl-noob, you'll like this book if you are interested in learning about bioinformatics.\nI've had the first edition for quite some time. Recently, I think in the past few months, a second edition was released. Someone gifted me the 2nd ed, :) but I haven't really compared the two.\n----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\nI was going to suggest Gödel, Escher, Bach when you mentioned she was interested in art, and were hoping to find a technical book for her. Then I saw that you already had tried that one. I'm going to leave the suggestion anyway because these types of threads are wonderful for finding great books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Structure of Scientific Revolutions\" By Thomas S. Kuhn",
          "reason": "Listed among suggestions for general science, biology, and chemistry.",
          "audience": "A teenager interested in biology and science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85924,
          "author": "robg",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T13:47:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85924",
          "commentText": "My other favorite bit is how the old dying dinosaurs fight the  on-coming revolution.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My other favorite bit is how the old dying dinosaurs fight the  on-coming revolution.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls this part a favorite and describes the resistance to a scientific revolution.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85887,
          "author": "jamiepitts",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T10:16:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85887",
          "commentText": "\"Structure of Scientific Revolutions\" by Thomas Kuhn\nThis philosophy of science masterpiece illustrates how a community evolves its mental model or paradigm - from a long-accepted world view, to a crisis caused by evidence that contradicts the prevailing model, and then at last to an acceptance of a new paradigm.\nhttp://www.des.emory.edu/mfp/Kuhn.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Structure of Scientific Revolutions\" by Thomas Kuhn\nThis philosophy of science masterpiece",
          "reason": "Calls it a philosophy of science masterpiece and explains its account of paradigm change.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas S. Kuhn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 9,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "paradigm shifts",
        "philosophy of science",
        "history of science",
        "scientific paradigms"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-confederacy-of-dunces-ab3d03",
      "title": "A Confederacy of Dunces",
      "author": "John Kennedy Toole",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30764235,
          "author": "haakonhr",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-22T09:37:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30764235",
          "commentText": "A good chance reflect. There are several:\n- A Conferedancy of Dunces, Peter O'Toole: tragic, hilarious and absurd\n- Fooled by Randomness, Nassim Taleb: this was my first exposure to a lot of biases and other interesting phenomena\n- The Design of Everything Things: eye-opener!\nHarry Potter, Tolkien, Dune and a lot of other sci-fi has also affected me, although I find it hard to point out one in particular. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein stands out a bit.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Conferedancy of Dunces, Peter O'Toole: tragic, hilarious and absurd",
          "reason": "Described as tragic, hilarious, and absurd.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20333585,
          "author": "l8mr4",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T09:46:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20333585",
          "commentText": "If you like Michael Lewis (the big short, moneyball, etc) try his favorite novel: The Confederacy of Dunces. The main character is an antihero. This can bother some people.  The story about the book which is usually in the prelude is interesting and tragic.  Really good fiction.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Confederacy of Dunces",
          "reason": "Recommended for readers who like Michael Lewis; the commenter calls it really good fiction.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy fiction and can tolerate an antihero who may bother some people.",
          "caveat": "The main character is an antihero, which can bother some readers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238418,
          "author": "andrewtbham",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:45:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238418",
          "commentText": "confederacy of dunces is one of the funniest books i have read. should have been made into a movie by now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "confederacy of dunces is one of the funniest books i have read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of the funniest books they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238256,
          "author": "magnanimous11",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:23:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238256",
          "commentText": "I absolutely agree with your recommendation of \"A Confederacy of Dunces\", but it is definitely not an Autobiography.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I absolutely agree with your recommendation of \"A Confederacy of Dunces\", but it is definitely not an Autobiography.",
          "reason": "Agrees with the parent comment’s recommendation of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Clarifies that the book is not an autobiography.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7970870,
          "author": "will_work4tears",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T14:30:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7970870",
          "commentText": "Confederacy of Dunces was a very good read.  I recommend this to all of my friends, but few ever bother.  I'm not entirely sure why they are so put off.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Confederacy of Dunces was a very good read. I recommend this to all of my friends",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a very good read and recommends it to friends.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968507,
          "author": "sir-pinecone",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T00:13:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968507",
          "commentText": "Just finished Confessions of an Economic Hitman by John Perkins. It was quite the eye opener.\nNow I'm on Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. Very funny book so far. The main character, Ignatius, is such a piece of work. I was slightly annoyed at first, but he's so odd and unique that it kept me captivated. Now everything is just really funny.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Very funny book so far. The main character, Ignatius, is such a piece of work. I was slightly annoyed at first, but he's so odd and unique that it kept me captivated. Now everything is just really funny.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it kept them captivated and that they now find it really funny.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Initially found the main character slightly annoying.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5835422,
          "author": "mccolin",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T21:57:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5835422",
          "commentText": "The biggest tragedy of A Confederacy of Dunces is that it's author, John Kennedy Toole, did not live to see its publishing and success. I also love this book!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also love this book!",
          "reason": "Explicitly says the commenter loves the book, referring to the parent comment's named title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5834544,
          "author": "chudi",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T19:12:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5834544",
          "commentText": "A confederacy of dunces, amazing book! tragedy, comedy, insane characters, really good book!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A confederacy of dunces, amazing book! tragedy, comedy, insane characters, really good book!",
          "reason": "Calls it amazing and really good, praising its mix of tragedy, comedy, and characters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2639588,
          "author": "billturner",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T02:49:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639588",
          "commentText": "It's quite hard to pick the \"greatest\", but I recently re-read A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole, and it's still as wonderful as the first time I read it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's still as wonderful as the first time I read it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book remains wonderful on rereading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Kennedy Toole"
      ],
      "recommenders": 9,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic novel",
        "satire",
        "antihero",
        "comic fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "expert-c-programming-deep-c-secrets-f450f5",
      "title": "Expert C Programming: Deep C Secrets",
      "author": "Peter van der Linden",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29308394,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:42:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29308394",
          "commentText": "Added both to my personal lists! Thank you!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Added both to my personal lists! Thank you!",
          "reason": "Says they added the suggested books to their lists.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29308314,
          "author": "tjr",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:36:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29308314",
          "commentText": "The requirements seem a bit unclear to me, but I'll toss a couple of titles into the ring:\nThe Inmates Are Running the Asylum (Alan Cooper) makes the case that user interfaces can and should be easier to understand. I think in the years since this book was written, there has been much improvement in the UI world overall, but still worth thinking about.\nExpert C Programming (Deep C Secrets) (Peter van der Linden) goes into some fascinating technical (and historical) tidbits related to C.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Expert C Programming (Deep C Secrets) (Peter van der Linden) goes into some fascinating technical (and historical) tidbits related to C.",
          "reason": "Presents it as a source of fascinating technical and historical details about C.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13239142,
          "author": "a3n",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T18:16:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13239142",
          "commentText": "(Some of the +below are O'Reilly DRM-free ebooks. Big fan.)\nPython:\n+Effective Computation in Physics. Probably the most practical full-environment treatment of Python I've seen. Write, test, package, distribute. Third party libs.\nEffective Python, Brett Slatkin. Sort of an \"N ways to improve your Python.\" Part of a series edited by Scott Meyers.\nGetting my C mojo back:\nI left C/C++ 15 years ago. C++ will likely stay left, but I miss C.\n+Reading 21st Century C, Ben Klemens. The first half is the development environment, which is great, since there's some new stuff since I left, and lots of stuff I've forgotten or never knew.\nRereading Expert C Programming: Deep C Secrets by Van der Linden. The guy's a riot. It's dated but still relevant. The inside baseball stuff on problems seen while working in Sun's compiler group is fascinating.\nRereading C Interfaces and Implementations, Hanson. Hoping this will serve as my C version of Large Scale C++ Design by Lakos. Honestly though, the literate programming style of presentation is off-putting. Are we still talking about that?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Rereading Expert C Programming: Deep C Secrets by Van der Linden. The guy's a riot. It's dated but still relevant.",
          "reason": "Calls the author amusing and the book still relevant despite its age; also praises its compiler-industry anecdotes.",
          "audience": "C programmers interested in compiler development.",
          "caveat": "Dated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12145410,
          "author": "rffn",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T18:04:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12145410",
          "commentText": "- The Pragmatic Programmer (Hunt/Thomas)\n- Computer Architecture - A Quantitative Approach (Hennessy/Patterson)\n- Expert C Programming - Deep C Secrets (van der Linden)\nI woud call the Pragmatic Programmer though by far the most influential.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Expert C Programming - Deep C Secrets (van der Linden)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7756982,
          "author": "Serow225",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:21:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7756982",
          "commentText": "C Primer Plus and Expert C Programming. I wish there was a book similar to the latter that covered C99/11.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Expert C Programming",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter wishes for a similar book covering C99 and C11.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4382500,
          "author": "tjr",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-14T18:55:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 4382456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: reading list for high school students interested in CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4382500",
          "commentText": "I was about 17 when I encountered The Hacker's Dictionary. It hasn't been updated much for years, but I think it would still provide an easy-to-read gateway into the way programmers think and some interesting tidbits of history.\nReading or watching Guy Steele's Growing a Language talk could be fun.\nThe Little Schemer could be a good choice.\nVan der Linden's Expert C Programming covers some serious C topics, but is also generally educational and enjoyable.\nYou could introduce them to Knuth's writings in an easily-digestible way, like maybe having them read and implement the Easter date algorithm in Volume 1.\nMaybe have them read [excerpts from?] something like Philip and Alex's Guide to Web Publishing and put together a small database web application.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Van der Linden's Expert C Programming covers some serious C topics, but is also generally educational and enjoyable.",
          "reason": "Recommended for serious C topics and described as educational and enjoyable.",
          "audience": "High school and middle school students interested in software development",
          "caveat": "Covers some serious C topics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1213956,
          "author": "benster222",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-23T20:35:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 1212675,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I use and love Python. What's the best book to learn C ?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1213956",
          "commentText": "K&R, the definitive reference\nand\nExpert C Programming:Deep C Secrets by Peter van der Linden\nBecause the best way to understand a language (and its ups and downs) is from someone who understands that language's compiler.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Expert C Programming:Deep C Secrets by Peter van der Linden",
          "reason": "Recommended for understanding C, its ups and downs, and its compiler.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a deeper understanding of C.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1213130,
          "author": "gcv",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-23T15:30:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 1212675,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I use and love Python. What's the best book to learn C ?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1213130",
          "commentText": "After K&R, I highly recommend Peter van der Linden's Expert C Programming (http://www.amazon.com/Expert-Programming-Peter-van-Linden/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/Expert-Programming-Peter-van-Linden/dp/0131774298)). It's fun to read (yes, really), and you'll understand the language better for it. C is fairly quirky, and this book helps navigate those quirks.\nFor example, I bet most people who claim to \"know\" C can neither explain the difference between arrays and pointers, nor clarify where they cannot be used interchangeably. I was lucky to have read that book early on in my days of C, so I actually know the answer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend Peter van der Linden's Expert C Programming",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is fun to read and helps readers understand C's quirks.",
          "audience": "Readers who know the basics of C.",
          "caveat": "Recommended after K&R.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1213103,
          "author": "maw",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-23T15:19:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1212675,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I use and love Python. What's the best book to learn C ?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1213103",
          "commentText": "I second the recommendation of van der Linden's book.  It was through that book, along with lots of programming and experimentation, of course, that I finally understood C.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second the recommendation of van der Linden's book.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly seconds a recommendation in the thread.",
          "audience": "People learning C after the basics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it helped alongside programming and experimentation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1212731,
          "author": "andrewcooke",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-23T12:33:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 1212675,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I use and love Python. What's the best book to learn C ?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1212731",
          "commentText": "not for learning, but as a reference to keep on your desk when programming in c - harbison + steele http://www.careferencemanual.com/\nthis is also worth reading once you've got the basics down - http://www.amazon.com/Expert-Programming-Peter-van-Linden/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/Expert-Programming-Peter-van-Linden/dp/0131774298)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this is also worth reading once you've got the basics down",
          "reason": "Suggested as worthwhile reading after learning the basics.",
          "audience": "Readers who already know the basics of C.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797697,
          "author": "warewolfe",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T09:37:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797697",
          "commentText": "Last three books I read were; \nAtlas Shrugged,\nCode Complete,\nThe Mythical Man Month,\nThe three books I'm currently reading;\nflex and bison,\nMastering Algorithms in C\nExpert C programming,\nThe next three books on the \"to read\" stack are;\nCyptonomicom,\nThe definitive guide to GCC,\nManaging projects with GNU make,\nDid anyone else find \"Code Complete\" to be a bit repetitive, in places a bit redundant, and sometimes repetitive? \nI think the \"pragmatic programmer\" was a better read, and I could not put down \"programming pearls\"",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Expert C programming,",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter van der Linden"
      ],
      "recommenders": 9,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming",
        "programming language internals",
        "compiler design",
        "systems programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "homo-deus-a-brief-history-of-tomorrow-063f98",
      "title": "Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow",
      "author": "Yuval Noah Harari",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46431336,
          "author": "ILoveHorses",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-30T09:38:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46431336",
          "commentText": "I wanted to challenge myself in 2025 and alternate between fiction and non-fiction, so here are my highlights\n- Crime and Punishment\n - Homo Deus\n - Catch 22\n - Flash Boys\n - The Art of Strategy\n - Moby Dick (could only get halfway through though :()\n - The Great Gatsby\n - How to be Alone (couldn't get past 2 chapters)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Homo Deus",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21916761,
          "author": "vforissi",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-30T21:12:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21916761",
          "commentText": "- Hpmor, from Yudkowsky the guy who created the ML Research Institute, simply one of the funniest and smartest book I ever read.\n- Martin Eden, a great tragic adventure from the late 19th century about a poor smart guy from the slums who tries to make his riches as a writer\n- The Moon is Harsh Mistress, Elon’s favorite sci-fi books\n- Foundation by Asimov\n- Homo Deus by Harari\n- Principles by Ray Dalio",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Homo Deus by Harari",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list of books for the decade.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21902519,
          "author": "iliketoworkhard",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T23:17:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902519",
          "commentText": "I really need to pick up Solaris.\nI felt like Sapiens rewired my brain in a way. Homo Deus only drove in the message that we are nothing but algorithms",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Homo Deus only drove in the message that we are nothing but algorithms",
          "reason": "Describes the book's message without clearly evaluating or recommending it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18696898,
          "author": "greenido",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-17T04:30:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18696898",
          "commentText": "Some books I've enjoyed in the past year:\nWish to laugh?\n* Born a Crime, by Trevor Noah\n* Yes please! by Amy Poehler\nThink?\n* Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell\n* Where Good Ideas Come from, by Steven Johnson\n* The Emperor of All Maladies and The Gene: An Intimate History both by Mukherjee Siddhartha\nLearn (more) about great thinkers?\n* Einstein or Leonardo da Vinci or Steve Jobs, by Walter Isaacson\n* Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike, by Phil Knight\nYuval Noah Harari 3 good ones:\n* Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow\n* Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\n* 21 lessons for the 21st century\nFrom time to time, I try to put some good ones over here: https://greenido.wordpress.com/?s=book",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Readers who want to learn about great thinkers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18663950,
          "author": "philippz",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T14:05:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663950",
          "commentText": "Yuval Harari - Sapiens\nYuval Harari - Homo Deus\nYuval Harari - 21 lessons for the 21st century\nFrank Schätzing - The Swarm\nPeter Drucker - The Effective Executive\nStephen Hawking - A Short History Of Time",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Yuval Harari - Homo Deus",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521727,
          "author": "nindalf",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T10:13:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521727",
          "commentText": "I loved Sapiens. It has a couple of ideas that help explain so much of our world - really powerful ideas. Once you know them they seem so obvious and you feel like you should have thought of that yourself. For example, (spoilers for human history ahead), our civilations are based on agriculture and very few hunter gatherers remain. But that doesn't mean that people consciously chose one over the other. It's just that for various reasons, agriculture is a more \"viral\" idea that spread more efficiently than the alternative. Ditto with monotheistic vs polytheistic religions.\nHomo Deus... less so. It rehashes a lot of Sapiens and I found it a bit of a drag. The introduction is worth reading though. He recounts all the progress we've made as a species, which would surprise people who think our world is growing worse by the day.\nChasing the Scream was amazing. Nothing more to be said.\nThe book I learned the most from was probably The Dictator's Handbook. Again, a very simple idea - how can we predict a politician/leader's behaviour based on a simple assumption - they will try their best to stay employed. The authors manage to explain almost all of how politics works based on this one single idea. If you're one of those people who likes to try-before-they-buy, here's a trailer of the book - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rStL7niR7gs",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Homo Deus... less so. It rehashes a lot of Sapiens and I found it a bit of a drag. The introduction is worth reading though.",
          "reason": "Finds most of it a drag, though says the introduction is worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The introduction is worth reading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521167,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T07:42:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521167",
          "commentText": "Here are the best books I've read over the last few months:\n- Lost and Founder - the founder of Moz shares his advice and experience from building a 40M/year company. I found the things he says about building a startup extremely insightful and practically useful. Reading it feels like having a dinner with a friend who shares with you the things he has learned in a very honest, down to earth way. Highly recommend it.\n- Rationality from AI to Zombies - probably the most influential book I've read in my life, profoundly changed the way I think. It's a collection of LessWrong essays on science and rationality. (recently they've released an an audio version by the way).\n- \"A Short History of Nearly Everything\" and \"Our Mathematical Universe\" - two general popular science books I'm enjoying a lot. Haven't finished reading them yet, but so far they're brilliant(and very easy to understand, authors do an amazing job explaining complicated things in a simple, accessible way).\n- Hacking Growth - an AMAZING book on \"growth hacking\". It provides a framework for marketing a startup, gives a ton of practical advice and specific tactics. It breaks down step by step how  startups and big tech companies grow their products. Most of the books I've read on the subject were bullshit, but this one is absolutely fantastic, can't recommend it enough.\nOther great books I should mention:  This Idea is Brilliant, Actionable Gamification, The Design of Everyday Things, The Master Algorithm (great overview of machine learning techniqes), Springfield Confidential (fun behind the scenes from one of the writers on Simpsons), Homo Deus(from the author of Sapiens).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Homo Deus(from the author of Sapiens).",
          "reason": "The commenter includes it among other great books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17048268,
          "author": "lsaac",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T15:50:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17048268",
          "commentText": "Yuval Noah Harari's books, 'Sapiens' and 'Homo Deus' really changed the way I look at things.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Sapiens' and 'Homo Deus' really changed the way I look at things.",
          "reason": "Says the book changed their perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14860071,
          "author": "mattpratt",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:36:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14860071",
          "commentText": "- Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life\n- Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14747119,
          "author": "briga",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T19:17:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14747119",
          "commentText": "I felt like Homo Deus was largely a retread of Sapiens. Some of his speculations about the various forms of humanism that have arisen in the 20th century were interesting, but for most of the book it felt like he was treading very familiar ground. It seemed like Harari was in a rush to release another book after the runaway success of Sapiens, and because of that he didn't take his time writing it. Sapiens was very concise and felt like the product of years of careful thought. Homo Deus felt like it was rushed in comparison. Still a good read, don't get me wrong.\nFor a similar type of book I would recommend Howard Bloom's Lucifer Principle and Global Brain. They both take a similarly  broad scientific perspective on human history and behavior, and both are fun reads.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I felt like Homo Deus was largely a retread of Sapiens.",
          "reason": "Says it repeats material from Sapiens and felt rushed, while still calling it a good read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it was still a good read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14746250,
          "author": "vbrandl",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T17:47:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14746250",
          "commentText": "I didn't read Homo Deus but it is on my to-read-list. If you liked that one, you might also like \"Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\" by him.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I didn't read Homo Deus but it is on my to-read-list.",
          "reason": "Mentions plans to read it, without expressing an evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have not read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14745048,
          "author": "ccmonnett",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T15:38:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14745048",
          "commentText": "It might not be read much only because it was recently released but Homo Deus by Yuval Harari is off the chain.\nThis dude can explain grand ideas encompassing human civilization in (relatively) simple, brief, and entertaining language and I can't get enough of it. I think Homo Deus's forward focus will appeal to the HN crowd more than his more famous Sapiens.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Homo Deus by Yuval Harari is off the chain.",
          "reason": "Enthusiastically praised for explaining broad ideas about civilization in accessible, entertaining language.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in broad ideas about human civilization and the future.",
          "caveat": "The commenter expects its future focus to appeal more to Hacker News readers than Sapiens.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14744520,
          "author": "ciocan42",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T14:38:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14744520",
          "commentText": "Nexus trilogy by Ramez Naam -\nSapiens / Homo Deus",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Homo Deus",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567416,
          "author": "hackerkid",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T16:08:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567416",
          "commentText": "Homo Deus - A Brief Bistory of Tomorrow",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Homo Deus - A Brief Bistory of Tomorrow",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Yuval Noah Harari"
      ],
      "recommenders": 9,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "future of humanity",
        "technology",
        "humanism",
        "human futures"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "microserfs-0bdb71",
      "title": "Microserfs",
      "author": "Douglas Coupland",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48985437,
          "author": "ahazred8ta",
          "createdAt": "2026-07-20T22:02:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 48981842,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favourite science history book of the 20th century?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48985437",
          "commentText": "James Burke's book version of 'Connections' https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55024.Connections\nAlso Douglas Coupland's 'Microserfs', described as \"Here's a guy who seems to have spent a week with engineers and effortlessly absorbed everything that is important about engineering culture, everything that matters about working at a big company, and everything that matters about working at a startup.\" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2748.Microserfs",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Douglas Coupland's 'Microserfs'",
          "reason": "Described as capturing engineering culture, big-company work, and startup life.",
          "audience": "Readers curious about engineering culture and work in tech companies and startups.",
          "caveat": "The description is a quoted review.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22708939,
          "author": "gonehome",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T03:23:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22708939",
          "commentText": "I also think it's a great book, but partly because it is technical.\nCharles is great at explaining how computers actually work with circuit diagrams from the ground up in a way that's articulate, clear, and engaging. I think I learned more from this book than I did in my CS architecture class.\nThe historical context he puts it in helps with clarity since it's easier to understand when you know how each successive step built on the previous one.\nIn addition to the Dream Machine, I'd also mention Steven Levy's Hackers as an obvious one to read.\nSome others I've read:\n- What the dormouse said (this one was just okay, but interesting to see some of the cultural context at the time).\n- Crypto (about the history of cryptography). I really liked this one, but people I've recommended it to found it dry.\n- In the Plex (history of Google)\n- Masters of Doom (John Carmack, John Romero and Id Software)\nRelated Fiction:\n- Microserfs\n- The Soul of a New Machine\n- The Phoenix Project (fiction paired with the Dev Ops Handbook)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "- Microserfs",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19557031,
          "author": "blakesterz",
          "createdAt": "2019-04-02T18:17:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 19556208,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on the early history of the Internet and/or Web?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19557031",
          "commentText": "The copy I own says \"Soon to be a movie\" I wonder what ever happened to that. I re-read it for the first time since it came out, it aged way better than Gen-X did for me.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I re-read it for the first time since it came out, it aged way better than Gen-X did for me.",
          "reason": "Says it has aged better than Gen-X, expressing a favorable comparison.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The praise is comparative; no direct recommendation is made.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19556333,
          "author": "Domenic_S",
          "createdAt": "2019-04-02T17:05:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 19556208,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on the early history of the Internet and/or Web?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19556333",
          "commentText": "Not strictly what you're asking for, but you might enjoy Microserfs.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "you might enjoy Microserfs.",
          "reason": "Suggests the book as an enjoyable read, though it is not strictly on the requested topic.",
          "audience": "Readers open to a novel outside the strict scope of Internet and Web history.",
          "caveat": "Not strictly about the requested topic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17206449,
          "author": "blakesterz",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T15:47:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17206449",
          "commentText": "So it's not exactly what you asked for (Fiction) but you might want to check out Microserfs, by Douglas Coupland. Also, Jpod from Coupland, it's along the same lines. Quoting wikipedia: \"Set in the early 1990s, it captures the state of the technology industry before Windows 95, and anticipates the dot-com bubble of the late 1990s.\"",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "you might want to check out Microserfs, by Douglas Coupland.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a related work for the technology-industry theme.",
          "audience": "Readers open to fiction about the technology industry.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is fiction and not an exact fit for the request.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1973764,
          "author": "johnwatson11218",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T03:33:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1973764",
          "commentText": "I just re-read \"Microserfs\" and \"Generation X\" by Douglas Coupland. I actually read both of these years ago when they first came out. I am amazed at how prescient they were. So many themes and ideas that I had buried away were right there on the printed page. Looking back over the past decade of my own life I can see that even though I wasn't aware of it, these books had a profound influence on my dreams/ideas/aspirations.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I am amazed at how prescient they were.",
          "reason": "The commenter says both reread books were prescient and had a profound influence on their dreams, ideas, and aspirations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865205,
          "author": "wlievens",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T15:57:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865205",
          "commentText": "Read the Cryptonomicon. It's an awesome work of fiction, and it involves lots of geek interests. Alternative suggestions are Microserfs and JPod.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Alternative suggestions are Microserfs and JPod.",
          "reason": "Offered as an alternative reading suggestion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 602244,
          "author": "mh77",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-10T16:43:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 601903,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fictional books related to startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=602244",
          "commentText": "Thanks for all suggestions! Looking forward to some good reading this summer.\nI have read Microserfs and JPod. Really enjoyed both of them. Also, the TV version of JPod is not that bad.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I have read Microserfs and JPod. Really enjoyed both of them.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 602212,
          "author": "alain94040",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-10T16:03:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 601903,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fictional books related to startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=602212",
          "commentText": "Startup book turning into thriller with light dose of sci-fi and compelling characters: \"Press Send\" by John McLaren (http://www.amazon.com/Press-Send-John-McLaren/dp/0671015702)\nTo me, \"Press Send\" run circles around \"Microserfs\".\nGood luck finding it in the US (It's a UK book for some reason).",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "\"Press Send\" run circles around \"Microserfs\".",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a less-favored comparison to Press Send.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter prefers Press Send.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 602050,
          "author": "CarolynM",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-10T12:07:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 601903,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fictional books related to startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=602050",
          "commentText": "Microserfs - they start as employees and create a startup.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Microserfs - they start as employees and create a startup.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 601972,
          "author": "pietro",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-10T09:41:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 601903,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fictional books related to startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=601972",
          "commentText": "That's a great book. I think it's the only startup fiction I've ever read, and it inspired me quite a deal.\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microserfs",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "That's a great book. I think it's the only startup fiction I've ever read, and it inspired me quite a deal.",
          "reason": "Called it a great book and said it was inspiring.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 601907,
          "author": "vlorch",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-10T07:25:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 601903,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fictional books related to startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=601907",
          "commentText": "microserfs",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "microserfs",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Coupland"
      ],
      "recommenders": 9,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "technology industry",
        "startup fiction",
        "technology culture",
        "1990s"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "visual-complex-analysis-9201e5",
      "title": "Visual Complex Analysis",
      "author": "Tristan Needham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31489638,
          "author": "ttoinou",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T08:56:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31489638",
          "commentText": "Loved that book ! Got me inspired to do this visualisation after reading it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMMrEDIFPZY",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Loved that book !",
          "reason": "The comment clearly refers to and praises the book named in its parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31489198,
          "author": "rg111",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T07:49:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31489198",
          "commentText": "- Linear Algebra: Gilbert Strang videos + book\n- Calculus and basics of Analysis: Spivak\n- Group Theory: Visual Group Theory\n- Complex Analysis: Visual Complex Analysis\n- Writing proofs: Proofs: A Long Form Textbook by Jay Cummings\n- Abstract Algebra: Dummit-Foote book. First few chapters if you like.\n___\nPop-Sci:\n1. The Joy of X by Steven Strogatz\n2. Fermat's Enigma by Simon Singh\n(All this books except AA are very highly recommended by me)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Complex Analysis: Visual Complex Analysis",
          "reason": "Listed as a resource for complex analysis.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23726943,
          "author": "exmadscientist",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T19:54:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23726943",
          "commentText": "A more traditional complex analysis textbook that's really good is Stewart and Tall's Complex Analysis. It's not necessarily a great complement to VCA; I used them both in my course and didn't find myself referring to VCA much, but then I had good lectures in my course and really got on with Stewart and Tall.\nThe \"standard\" book was Churchill and Brown and, uh, I'd say that one is best avoided. It's awful enough that it may be responsible for a number of those courses being so badly taught....",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I used them both in my course and didn't find myself referring to VCA much",
          "reason": "The commenter compares it with Stewart and Tall's textbook, saying they did not refer to it much during their course.",
          "audience": "Students taking a complex analysis course.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it was not a great complement to Stewart and Tall's book in their course.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23726468,
          "author": "mhh__",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T18:54:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23726468",
          "commentText": "Visual Complex Analysis. Partly because it's a brilliant book and partly because Complex Analysis is often really really badly taught.\nIf you haven't read it, it teaches complex analysis in terms of transformations and pictures rather than solely algebra. It's very clever; Also touches on some concepts in physics and vector calculus.\nIf you like the style 3Blue1Brown uses, he cites VCA as an inspiration for that style.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Visual Complex Analysis.",
          "reason": "Recommended for its visual, transformation-based approach to teaching complex analysis.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says complex analysis is often badly taught.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21348810,
          "author": "m31415",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T20:28:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21348810",
          "commentText": "For mathematics, I would recommend:\n1. \"What Is Mathematics? An Elementary Approach to Ideas and Methods\" by Courant and Robbins -- a general book on mathematics in the spirit of Feynman lectures.\n2. Strogatz's \"Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos\" -- it's a bit narrow in scope (mostly dynamical systems with a little bit of chaos/fractals thrown in) but very good nonetheless.\n3. Tristan Needham, \"Visual Complex Analysis\", beautiful introduction to complex analysis.\n4. Cornelius Lanczos, \"The Variational Principles of Mechanics\" -- this is a physics book, but one of the classics in the subject, and as Gerald Sussman once remarked, you glean new insights each time you read it.\n5. Cornelius Lanczos, \"Linear Differential Operators\" -- an excellent treatment of differential operators, Green's functions, and other things that one encounters in infinite-dimensional vector spaces.  This book has some very intuitive explanations, e.g., why d/dx is not self-adjoint (i.e., Hermitian), whereas d^2/dx^2 is.\nFor chemistry, I would recommend \"General Chemistry\" by Linus Pauling, even though it's a bit outdated.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "beautiful introduction to complex analysis",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a beautiful introduction to complex analysis.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21315153,
          "author": "playing_colours",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T17:51:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21315153",
          "commentText": "Focusing on mathematics, I think about two kinds of foundational books.\n1. Historically foundational: books that brought important ideas, introduced a new branch, progressed the maths significantly. You can read them these days, but their content, proofs, language, etc. is not up to date. Examples: Elements by Euclid, Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica by Newton, Disquisitiones Arithmeticae by Gauss.\n2. Modern foundational books: The ones that can be used for studying now. Books that are clearly written, popular, cover their subject well. Examples: Visual Complex Analysis, Spivak’s Calculus, Linear Algebra Done Right, Hardy’s \nAn Introduction to the Theory of Numbers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Examples: Visual Complex Analysis",
          "reason": "Named as a modern foundational book for studying mathematics now.",
          "audience": "People studying mathematics today.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16085003,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-06T12:34:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16085003",
          "commentText": "Visual Complex Analysis - Needham.\nA lot of great pictures, exerything is explained (and shown) geometrically. Complex differentiation/integration, non-Euclidean geometry, vector fields etc.\nMathematics and its History - Stillwell.\nWonderfully written. From the ancients to the 20th century, covers the mathematics (in a lot of detail) and lives of major mathematicians (potted bios).\nConcrete Mathematics - Knuth et al. \nDiscrete maths, number theory, generating functions, covers most of the maths that pops up continually in programming.\nAll You Wanted To Know About Mathematics But Were Afraid To Ask. Mathematics for Science Students 2 Vols. - Louis Lyons.\nPretty basic, but covers all the mathematical basics for physics. (1st year uni level I guess) I learned a lot from this years ago, I still consult it as a reference. It's a pleasure to read.\nAlso, all of Hamming's books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A lot of great pictures, exerything is explained (and shown) geometrically.",
          "reason": "Praises its visual, geometric explanations.",
          "audience": "Readers learning complex analysis and related geometry.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7602095,
          "author": "zeta8",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-17T05:14:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7602095",
          "commentText": "I'm in a similar position as well - perhaps at just a wee bit higher level (am learning grad-level math by myself). Below is a list of books that I have enjoyed. Some might perhaps be at a slightly higher level than you might need right now though.\n1. Analysis - The Elias Stein, Rami Shakarchi Analysis series, Meassure Theory by Terrence Tao, Lebesgue Integration on Euclidean Spaces by Frank Jones, A radical approach to Lebesgue Integration by Bressoud\n2. Algebra - Can't do much better than the classic texts by Herstein & Artin here. I know Artin doesn't get much love but after a point, you really begin to appreciate it.\n3. Complex Analysis - is there a better math book than Visual Complex Analysis by Needham?\n4. Topology - i'm partial to a Dover book on Topology by Theodore Gamelin. I learnt the basics of point-set topology & homotopy form this book. Great exercises.\n5. Number Theory - check out the 2 problem books on number theory by Ram Murty. Melvyn Nathanson's book is quite good as well.\n6. Combinatorics - Combinatorics of Finite Sets by Ian Anderson. Extremal Combinatorics by Jukna.\n7. Graph Theory - Diestel or Bondy/Murty.\n8. Galois Theory - Rotman is great.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "is there a better math book than Visual Complex Analysis by Needham?",
          "reason": "Rhetorically praises it as possibly the best math book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7579744,
          "author": "zbinga",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-13T00:48:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7579744",
          "commentText": "It's not at all like SICP (I've never met a math book that was similar), but it's a wonderful introduction and I don't see it mentioned in this thread yet: Needham's \"Visual Complex Analysis\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's a wonderful introduction and I don't see it mentioned in this thread yet: Needham's \"Visual Complex Analysis\".",
          "reason": "Calls it a wonderful introduction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not at all like SICP.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tristan Needham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 9,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "complex analysis",
        "visual mathematics",
        "visual learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dungeon-crawler-carl-5faae6",
      "title": "Dungeon Crawler Carl",
      "author": "Matt Dinniman",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49911247,
          "author": "gwbas1c",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T16:42:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49911247",
          "commentText": "The seventh floor of Dungeon Crawler Carl is my favorite so far. It's a very fast read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The seventh floor of Dungeon Crawler Carl is my favorite so far. It's a very fast read.",
          "reason": "Says the seventh book is their favorite so far and describes it as a fast read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 49909383,
          "author": "dan-bailey",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T14:20:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49909383",
          "commentText": "I can see where Dungeon Crawler could go that way -- I just did the newest Bobiverse book on Audible, and it's just so goddamned repetitive.  I'm not sure I can slog through another one.  I feel like Dungeon Crawler is doing a really good job of setting up and laying the groundwork for more _meaningful_ conflict in future books.  But I'm only on Book 3, so who knows?  Ask me again 2 books from now.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Dungeon Crawler is doing a really good job of setting up and laying the groundwork",
          "reason": "Likes how the series sets up potentially more meaningful conflict in future books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is only on book 3 and is unsure how the series will develop.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 49909371,
          "author": "bichiliad",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T14:19:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49909371",
          "commentText": "I opened this thread to post about Dungeon Crawler Carl. I just finished the fantastic Three Body Problem series, and reading something so pulpy in contrast feels like cheating, but it’s making me happy and that’s what I’m looking for anyways.\nSome other bits I’ve read recently that I’ve loved:\n- Ken Liu’s “The Paper Menagerie” is a beautiful short story by the Three Body Problem’s translator\n- Cryptonomicon feels like a great balance between heady reading (it goes into WWII-era crypto thinking) and pulpy humor. I loved reading it. \n- “Stoner” by John Williams (not the Stoner you think, and also not the John Williams you think) is kinda in a different direction, but it’s a really well paced and beautifully written book about a farmer’s son who falls in love with literature. It’s one of those books that’s hard to sell in a sentence, but is effortless to read and makes you think a lot in a non-engineering-brained way.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "I opened this thread to post about Dungeon Crawler Carl.",
          "reason": "The commenter intended to post about the series and contrasts its pulpy feel with their recent reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 49906748,
          "author": "fifticon",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T10:08:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49906748",
          "commentText": "I too am on DCC; I wonder why I like it, but I do.\nStrangely, one of the things it reminds me of,\nis the Malazan-Book-of-the-fallen series, in spite of how different they are.\nI was/have been on the 'book that wouldnt burn' series;\nI still have to read the final third book.\nIronically, I have not yet finished that series because I dread it;\nthe author is a little too good at writing truly loathable antagonists,\nand at the same time reading him, you have learned \nhe cares little for plot armor ('if he dies, he dies', sigh.)\nOther than that, Piranesi by Susanne Clarke;\nI have also gotten her earlier book, but not gotten far into it yet.\nDCC is strangely hypocritical -\na massive commercial success where we the readers revel-wallow in the graphic\nsuffering of the fictive protagonists/victims,\nand author & co are making truckloads of profits, \nprecisely on the kinds of sheenanigans the books on the surface critisize :-).\nIt is also a bit ironic, that the books/Carl critisize fascism,\nwhile at the same time, Carl is on a kind of one-man fascist/tyrant purging\nthe existing elite, with summary and graphic executions. Sigh :-)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I too am on DCC; I wonder why I like it, but I do.",
          "reason": "Enjoys the series, while questioning why.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Calls it hypocritical for profiting from graphic suffering while criticizing similar conduct; also notes its critique of fascism alongside Carl's executions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 49903352,
          "author": "tastyfreeze",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T01:42:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49903352",
          "commentText": "Dungeon Crawler Carl book 7.  Started the series in January. Most books I've read in a year since I read the Expanse series.\nHistorical books that are great... Empire of the Summer Moon, Undaunted Courage, Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Dungeon Crawler Carl book 7.",
          "reason": "Names the current book in the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 49900710,
          "author": "godzillafarts",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-29T21:16:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49900710",
          "commentText": "I just wrapped up the Murderbot Diaries series and am starting in on Dungeon Crawler Carl.\nI normally read a lot of nonfiction and history and am trying to make a point to read more fiction this year.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "and am starting in on Dungeon Crawler Carl.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are starting the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 48091164,
          "author": "tim-tday",
          "createdAt": "2026-05-11T04:51:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 48084905,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci fi books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48091164",
          "commentText": "The latest dungeon crawler Carl book comes out on Tuesday. That’s a fun series.\nI’m also reading the new James SA  Corey series (the expanse). The first one is called “the mercy of gods”.\nI also received the recommendation of “what moves the dead” but I haven’t read it yet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The latest dungeon crawler Carl book comes out on Tuesday. That’s a fun series.",
          "reason": "Calls the series fun and mentions its forthcoming latest installment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The latest book had not come out yet at the time of the comment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 47027292,
          "author": "codingclaws",
          "createdAt": "2026-02-15T20:36:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 47027236,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47027292",
          "commentText": "Dungeon Crawler Carl, book 2",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Dungeon Crawler Carl, book 2",
          "reason": "Names the second book in the series as a current read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46400971,
          "author": "zargon",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T11:12:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46400971",
          "commentText": "Jeff Hays is an incredible narrator. It appears he only narrates LitRPG. Of which, DCC seems to be basically the only readable series. Would love to see him branch out.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "DCC seems to be basically the only readable series.",
          "reason": "Says this seems to be the only readable LitRPG series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter wishes the narrator would branch out beyond LitRPG.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46399155,
          "author": "tstrimple",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T04:29:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46399155",
          "commentText": "If you enjoyed the DCC series, you should check out the live reading sessions from the audible narrator. He does such a fantastic job with the voices. I was legitimately surprised it was a single narrator.\nhttps://youtu.be/yQ54CpkUoaM",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "If you enjoyed the DCC series",
          "reason": "Refers to the series as a premise for recommending its narrator's live reading sessions.",
          "audience": "People who enjoyed the series.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46398604,
          "author": "shnock",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T02:46:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46398604",
          "commentText": "DCC is êxcéllént. I have also been enjoying Pale Lights and The Years of Apocalypse.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "DCC is êxcéllént.",
          "reason": "Endorses the series using its abbreviation, referring to the parent comment's Dungeon Crawler Carl series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46397900,
          "author": "Scubabear68",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T00:29:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46397900",
          "commentText": "The main thing I read was the Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman.\nIt requires even more suspension of disbelief than a usual sci fi / fantasy combo, but was worth it for the characters and laughs and “where will he take this next?!”.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The main thing I read was the Dungeon Crawler Carl series by Matt Dinniman.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the series was the main thing they read and that it was worth the suspension of disbelief for its characters and laughs.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Requires more suspension of disbelief than a typical science-fiction and fantasy combination.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46396899,
          "author": "billwashere",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T22:14:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46396899",
          "commentText": "Completed books:\nProject Hail Marry by Andy Weir\nDungeon Crawler Carl (Books 1-7) by Matt Dinniman\nI'm currently reading:\nCareless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn-Williams",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Dungeon Crawler Carl (Books 1-7) by Matt Dinniman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter lists books 1–7 completed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42566039,
          "author": "brightball",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-01T13:58:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42566039",
          "commentText": "The Dungeon Crawler Carl series on Audible. I can’t normally get audiobooks to hold my attention but the company that does these is so good and so funny that I can’t stop listening.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dungeon Crawler Carl series on Audible. I can’t normally get audiobooks to hold my attention but the company that does these is so good and so funny that I can’t stop listening.",
          "reason": "Recommends the entertaining audiobook production, which keeps the commenter listening.",
          "audience": "Listeners who enjoy audiobooks, especially funny ones.",
          "caveat": "The praise focuses on the Audible production and its humor.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38557174,
          "author": "rightlane",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:08:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557174",
          "commentText": "The Apology by Plato. Short but insightful.\nDungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman. If you like LitRPG this series is just so good.\nPaul's \"Works of the Law\" in the Perspective of Second-Century Reception by Matthew J. Thomas. If you are a theology nerd this is just exceedingly interesting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you like LitRPG this series is just so good.",
          "reason": "Recommended to readers who like LitRPG.",
          "audience": "Readers who like LitRPG.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matt Dinniman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 9,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "litrpg",
        "progression fantasy",
        "dungeon crawl",
        "dungeon fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-practice-of-programming-7659c2",
      "title": "The Practice of Programming",
      "author": "Brian W. Kernighan and Rob Pike",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23366696,
          "author": "undecidabot",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-31T02:35:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23366696",
          "commentText": "Brian Kernighan (the K in K&R and AWK) also wrote a similar book\nwith P. J. Plauger called \"The Elements of Programming Style\" [1].\nThere's even a talk by him about it online (2009) [2].\nKernighan also co-authored a (imo) really great book with Rob Pike\n(once an assistant of Penn & Teller [3]) called \"The Practice of Programming\" [4].\nUnfortunately, this one is a bit over the 200 page limit.\n[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Elements_of_Programming_St... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Elements_of_Programming_Style)\n[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SUkrR7ZfTA\n[3] https://youtu.be/z4iVAcYyWN0?t=180\n[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Practice_of_Programming",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kernighan also co-authored a (imo) really great book with Rob Pike\n(once an assistant of Penn & Teller [3]) called \"The Practice of Programming\" [4].",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is a bit over the 200-page limit.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23366671,
          "author": "HumblyTossed",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-31T02:29:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23366671",
          "commentText": "Hmmm... Glancing at my shelf. That's not easy.  Two that are close are:\nProgramming Pearls 2e (239 pgs)\nPractice of Programming (267 pgs)\nI see Algorighms + Data Structures = Programs, but I know that's well into 300 pgs w/out looking.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Practice of Programming (267 pgs)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is 267 pages.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032551,
          "author": "bluGill",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:36:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032551",
          "commentText": "It is by K&P, not K&R.  Great book though.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It is by K&P, not K&R. Great book though.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book while correcting its authors.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032091,
          "author": "bmj",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T17:56:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032091",
          "commentText": "The Practice of Programming by K & R.\nOr has this fallen out of favor?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Practice of Programming by K & R.",
          "reason": "Offered as a book suggestion in response to the thread’s recommendation question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter asks whether it has fallen out of favor.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14491019,
          "author": "cestith",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T19:53:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14491019",
          "commentText": "- The Practice of Programming ; Kernighan and Pike\n- The Advent of the Algorithm ; Berlinski\n- Engineering a Compiler ; Torczon and Cooper\n- Advanced Programming in the Unix Environment ; Stevens and Rago\n- Databases, Types, and the Relational Model ; Date\n- Code ; Petzold",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Practice of Programming ; Kernighan and Pike",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for language-agnostic programming books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14489700,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T17:57:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14489700",
          "commentText": "+1. I have a corner of a bookshelf reserved for everything Kernighan, e.g. both Software Tools editions, both C Language editions, The Unix Programming Environment, The Practice of Programming, The AWK Language, even a copy of The Elements of Programming Style. I, and my employers and clients, may owe more to Mr. Kernighan for his teaching and programming style, than anyone else.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Practice of Programming",
          "reason": "Endorses Kernighan’s teaching and programming style and says they may owe him more than anyone else.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14487288,
          "author": "mathnode",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T13:04:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487288",
          "commentText": "- The Pragmatic Programmer\n- The Practice of Programming\n- The Mythical Man Month\n- The Cathedral and the Bazaar\n- The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\n- Introduction to Algorithms\n- Hackers and Painters\nSome of these do contain mixed language code examples, but they are expressed in a way to be agnostic. A problem is a problem; in any language.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The Practice of Programming",
          "reason": "Included in a list answering a request for language-agnostic programming books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14487148,
          "author": "JustSomeNobody",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T12:39:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487148",
          "commentText": "I think \"The Practice of Programming\" was and is very good.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Practice-Programming-Addison-Wesley-P... (https://www.amazon.com/Practice-Programming-Addison-Wesley-Professional-Computing/dp/020161586X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1496666291&sr=8-1&keywords=the+practice+of+programming)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think \"The Practice of Programming\" was and is very good.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book is very good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13407138,
          "author": "jsgoller1",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-15T23:35:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13407138",
          "commentText": "I've been reading _The Practice of Programming_ (Pike, Kernighan) lately; it's mainly geared towards Java and C/C++ programmers, but even as a DevOps engineer I'm finding a lot of it useful.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Practice-Programming-Addison-Wesley-P... (https://www.amazon.com/Practice-Programming-Addison-Wesley-Professional-Computing/dp/020161586X)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm finding a lot of it useful.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are finding the book useful despite working in DevOps.",
          "audience": "Java and C/C++ programmers; also useful to a DevOps engineer.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9350098,
          "author": "steakejjs",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T19:00:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350098",
          "commentText": "They are technical.\nBrushing up on:\nK&R     - The C Programming Language\nK&P     - The Unix Programming Environment\nK&P     - The Practice of Programming\nKerrisk - The Linux Programming Interface (Not light reading)\nEven though it is mostly review, reading code and seeing commands that K&R&P run has actually helped my workflow, code quality, etc.\nHighly recommend re-reading if it has been a while. Even things like variable names have noticeably improved since beginning re-reading.\nAnd, the Linux Programming Interface....is huge. There's always more to learn in there.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "K&P     - The Practice of Programming",
          "reason": "Included among the technical books the commenter recommends rereading.",
          "audience": "Readers who have read these programming books before.",
          "caveat": "The Linux Programming Interface is described as huge and not light reading.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian W. Kernighan",
        "Rob Pike"
      ],
      "recommenders": 9,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming practice",
        "programming",
        "software engineering",
        "software design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-collective-intelligence-15c912",
      "title": "Programming Collective Intelligence",
      "author": "Toby Segaran",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1027009,
          "author": "knv",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T09:29:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027009",
          "commentText": "Anathem, by Neal Stephenson\nConsider Phlebas, by Iain M. Banks\nSelfish Gene, by Richard Dawkins\nBusiness Stripped Bare, by Richard Branson\nProgramming Collective Intelligence, by Toby Segaran\nZen and Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert Pirsig",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming Collective Intelligence, by Toby Segaran",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books others enjoyed and recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 766739,
          "author": "abecedarius",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-16T21:03:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=766739",
          "commentText": "Since it's a vacation, here's a novel with lots of interesting ideas about ubiquitous computing, augmented reality, etc.:\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbows_End\nFun with Python: http://www.amazon.com/Programming-Collective-Intelligence-Bu... (http://www.amazon.com/Programming-Collective-Intelligence-Building-Applications/dp/0596529325)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fun with Python: http://www.amazon.com/Programming-Collective-Intelligence-Bu...",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a fun Python-related read.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Python.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135266,
          "author": "raju",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T17:02:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135266",
          "commentText": "Huh! Currently I have Programming Collective Intelligence and Art of the start on mine. Just started reading Prog Coll Intell. So far, I am impressed.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "So far, I am impressed.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are impressed so far, while noting they have just started reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The positive evaluation is preliminary; they have just started reading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135250,
          "author": "marcus",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T16:49:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135250",
          "commentText": "Programming Collective Intelligence - O'Reilly Media Toby Segaran\nArt of the start - Guy Kawasaki\nThe art of war - Sun Tzu",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming Collective Intelligence - O'Reilly Media Toby Segaran",
          "reason": "Suggested for a hacker's bookshelf.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 79837,
          "author": "snifty",
          "createdAt": "2007-11-14T20:47:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 79359,
          "threadTitle": "Can anyone recommend good books, articles or essays that introduce machine learning?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=79837",
          "commentText": "This is a great book, but it's definitely not introductory. I think Segaran's \"Programming Collective Intelligence\", mentioned above, is the best first bet, primarily because it's fun. And the code is good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Segaran's \"Programming Collective Intelligence\", mentioned above, is the best first bet, primarily because it's fun. And the code is good.",
          "reason": "Recommended as the best first bet because it is fun and has good code.",
          "audience": "Someone looking for an introduction to machine learning.",
          "caveat": "The comment says the other book is not introductory.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 79590,
          "author": "neilc",
          "createdAt": "2007-11-14T00:19:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 79359,
          "threadTitle": "Can anyone recommend good books, articles or essays that introduce machine learning?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=79590",
          "commentText": "I've seen the Norvig book recommended by others on this site for ML, but I don't understand why: the Norvig book is an AI book, not an ML book. It only has a few chapters on learning, and IIRC much of that is on reinforcement learning. Obviously the Norvig book is very well-written and is good background for learning about ML, but I don't think it is a sufficient ML book as such.\nAs far as ML goes, I found the \"Programming Collective Intelligence\" book to very readable and practical, but very light on the theoretical foundations (which is intentional, of course). I've got a copy of the Witten ML book (\"Data Mining: Practical Machine Learning Tools and Techniques\"), but to be honest I haven't gotten much from it yet, either: it doesn't seem to discuss SVMs in any detail, nor random forests or neural networks. But I haven't really dug into it yet.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I found the \"Programming Collective Intelligence\" book to very readable and practical, but very light on the theoretical foundations",
          "reason": "Found it readable and practical, with limited theoretical foundations by design.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a practical introduction to machine learning.",
          "caveat": "Very light on theoretical foundations.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 79554,
          "author": "davidw",
          "createdAt": "2007-11-13T22:49:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 79359,
          "threadTitle": "Can anyone recommend good books, articles or essays that introduce machine learning?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=79554",
          "commentText": "The \"Programming Collective Intelligence\" book is pretty good in terms of a practical introduction to a variety of techniques.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The \"Programming Collective Intelligence\" book is pretty good in terms of a practical introduction to a variety of techniques.",
          "reason": "Praised as a practical introduction to a variety of techniques.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 79467,
          "author": "at",
          "createdAt": "2007-11-13T20:14:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 79359,
          "threadTitle": "Can anyone recommend good books, articles or essays that introduce machine learning?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=79467",
          "commentText": "books about machine learning applications/tools:\n- \"Programming Collective Intelligence\"\n  - http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9780596529321/\n- \"Data Mining: Practical Machine Learning Tools and Technique\"\n  - http://www.cs.waikato.ac.nz/~ml/weka/book.html\nbooks about machine learning background/theory:\n- \"machine learning\"\n  - http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~tom/mlbook.html\n- \"learning and soft computing\"\n  - http://cognet.mit.edu/library/books/view?isbn=0262112558\nFor a simple-to-use (Python-based) machine learning tool/API check out Orange: http://magix.fri.uni-lj.si/orange/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Programming Collective Intelligence\"",
          "reason": "Listed among books on machine learning applications and tools.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking practical machine learning applications and tools.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 79464,
          "author": "jmzachary",
          "createdAt": "2007-11-13T20:13:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 79359,
          "threadTitle": "Can anyone recommend good books, articles or essays that introduce machine learning?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=79464",
          "commentText": "Machine Learning by Tom Mitchell for a serious academic book. \nProgramming Collective Intelligence by Toby Segaran for a practical approach in Python.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming Collective Intelligence by Toby Segaran for a practical approach in Python.",
          "reason": "Suggested for a practical, Python-based approach to machine learning.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in practical machine learning with Python.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Toby Segaran"
      ],
      "recommenders": 9,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "machine learning",
        "python",
        "collective intelligence",
        "data mining"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "you-don-t-know-js-fc80d4",
      "title": "You Don't Know JS",
      "author": "Kyle Simpson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37328816,
          "author": "locallost",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-30T20:44:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 37325594,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books to learn web development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37328816",
          "commentText": "Crockford's book is very short, but dense in information. I would not recommend it to somebody just learning the language, even though I think Crockford writes and expresses himself very clearly.\nYou don't know JS series didn't sit well with me. It tries to lead the reader through some a-ha moments, except those are pretty individual. But it might work for someone else.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "You don't know JS series didn't sit well with me.",
          "reason": "The series' attempt to guide readers through personal a-ha moments did not work for the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The approach may work for someone else.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28662474,
          "author": "adrianvincent",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T17:00:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28662474",
          "commentText": "'You Don't Know JS' by Kyle Simpson. A series of books that are a must read for any JavaScript developer. They are available for free on GitHub or you can purchase a retail version. He's working on a second edition right now.\nhttps://github.com/getify/You-Dont-Know-JS",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'You Don't Know JS' by Kyle Simpson. A series of books that are a must read for any JavaScript developer.",
          "reason": "Calls the series a must-read for JavaScript developers.",
          "audience": "JavaScript developers.",
          "caveat": "A second edition is in progress, according to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14527076,
          "author": "arthelon",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-10T12:20:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14527076",
          "commentText": "You don't know JS goes quite in depth into a variety of areas. Worth reading further down the road. https://github.com/getify/You-Dont-Know-JS",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "You don't know JS goes quite in depth into a variety of areas.",
          "reason": "Says it is worth reading later for its depth.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Suggested for further down the road.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14521795,
          "author": "ciw1973",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-09T14:53:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14521795",
          "commentText": "\"Eloquent Javascript\" (http://eloquentjavascript.net/) definitely gets my vote, as it starts with concepts that someone new to programming would need to understand before diving into the specifics of the language. Available to read online for free, although well worth spending money on a physical copy to thumb through, but it may be a little too slow to get going for someone who already has experience with other languages.\nFor developers, I'd recommend Kyle Simpson's \"You Don't Know JS\" books, in particular \"This & Object Prototypes\", followed by \"Scopes & Closures\". Well written, with plenty of example code, these are deep dives into specific areas which make Javascript different/weird. They're available to read in his Github repo (https://github.com/getify/You-Dont-Know-JS), but consider buying them, as he deserves to get paid.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For developers, I'd recommend Kyle Simpson's \"You Don't Know JS\" books",
          "reason": "Recommends the books as deep dives into areas that make JavaScript distinctive.",
          "audience": "Developers.",
          "caveat": "Available online; the author deserves to be paid, so consider buying them.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14466225,
          "author": "paultopia",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-02T00:02:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14466225",
          "commentText": "FWIW, I started with Eloquent Javascript and moved on to You Don't Know JS.  For me (self-taught type but with some experience, mostly use Python and Clojure) that seemed to do the trick, I'm working on a small Vue.js learning-type project right now and it isn't horribly blowing up, I feel lots more comfortable than I used to with JS, etc.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "moved on to You Don't Know JS",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14463072,
          "author": "irrational",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-01T18:33:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14463072",
          "commentText": "Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja, Second Edition along with You  Don't Know JS are always my two recommendations. The two together shore up the weaknesses in the other.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja, Second Edition along with You  Don't Know JS are always my two recommendations.",
          "reason": "Explicitly names it as one of the commenter's two recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the two books together shore up each other's weaknesses.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14462606,
          "author": "sbochins",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-01T17:47:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14462606",
          "commentText": "This one: http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920028857.do",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "This one: http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920028857.do",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14462462,
          "author": "mattferderer",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-01T17:34:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14462462",
          "commentText": "I think it depends on your learning style & what you want to learn. http://jsbooks.revolunet.com/ is a great resource for free books.\nIf you want to learn concepts, You Don't Know JS by Kyle Simpson is great.\nIf you want to learn by doing, I would look away from books & more towards video based learning. It seems to have richer content in this style. Pluralsight, Frontend Masters, Egghead & Code School are all great. They also target different niches. If you're a complete beginner I suggest Code School. It does the best out of those at telling you where to start & what to learn next.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You Don't Know JS by Kyle Simpson is great.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for learning JavaScript concepts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14461954,
          "author": "tashoecraft",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-01T16:48:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14461954",
          "commentText": "Idk, I always interpreted it as a conversation, where you the reader are saying \"I know javascript\" and Kyle Simpson says that you don't, which is how the book is intended.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I always interpreted it as a conversation, where you the reader are saying \"I know javascript\" and Kyle Simpson says that you don't",
          "reason": "Explains the intended meaning of the series title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14461675,
          "author": "johnfn",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-01T16:24:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14461675",
          "commentText": "The irony of a book called \"You Don't Know JS\" not in fact intended for people who don't know JS. :)",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The irony of a book called \"You Don't Know JS\" not in fact intended for people who don't know JS.",
          "reason": "Critiques the mismatch between the title and its intended audience.",
          "audience": "Readers who do not yet know JavaScript.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14461232,
          "author": "petercooper",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-01T15:41:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14461232",
          "commentText": "Depends on what your level is going in.\nFor an absolute beginner, JavaScript and jQuery by Jon Duckett is extremely accessible. Sure, it covers jQuery but it's so well aimed at total beginners it's not a bad path.\nAt the lower intermediate level, Eloquent JavaScript (mentioned elsewhere) is fantastic.\nAt higher levels/if you know other languages and are comfortable learning new ones: Effective JavaScript, YDKJS, and Speaking JavaScript all fantastic and complement each other in various ways.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Effective JavaScript, YDKJS, and Speaking JavaScript all fantastic",
          "reason": "Included among books described as fantastic for higher-level learners or those familiar with other languages.",
          "audience": "Higher-level learners or people comfortable learning new languages.",
          "caveat": "The books are said to complement each other.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14460625,
          "author": "sharmi",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-01T14:40:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14460625",
          "commentText": "You don't know JS is a good book to start with and explains ES6 too.\nIt is available for free on github so you can evaluate before buying.\nhttps://github.com/getify/You-Dont-Know-JS",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You don't know JS is a good book to start with and explains ES6 too.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a good starting book that also explains ES6.",
          "audience": "JavaScript learners.",
          "caveat": "Available free on GitHub to evaluate before buying.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10184090,
          "author": "roneesh",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-08T04:14:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10184090",
          "commentText": "You Don't Know JS by Kyle Simpson is essential if you want to learn Javascript in depth.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You Don't Know JS by Kyle Simpson is essential if you want to learn Javascript in depth.",
          "reason": "Calls it essential for learning JavaScript in depth.",
          "audience": "People who want to learn JavaScript in depth.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10183916,
          "author": "ddw",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-08T02:25:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10183916",
          "commentText": "The \"You Don't Know JS\" series was a real eye-opener for me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The \"You Don't Know JS\" series was a real eye-opener for me.",
          "reason": "Calls the series a real eye-opener.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kyle Simpson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 9,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "javascript",
        "programming",
        "programming languages",
        "es6"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hackers-and-painters-6a4130",
      "title": "Hackers and Painters",
      "author": "Paul Graham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21902980,
          "author": "baristaGeek",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T00:46:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902980",
          "commentText": "Best business books:\n-Secrets of Sandhill Road\n-Hackers and Painters\n-The Great CEO within\n-Venture Deals\n-Predictable Revenue\n-Zero to One\n-The Hard Thing About Hard Things\n-Lean customer development\n-Lost and founder\n-Lean B2B\n-From Impossible to Inevitable\n-Traction\nBest computer science books:\n-Competitive programming 3\n-Structure and interpretation of computer programs\nBest for fun (non-fiction):\n-Meditations\n-Sapiens\n-How to win friends and influence people\n-A brief history of time\n-Self-reliance\n-Frente a la estrella polar",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-Hackers and Painters",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s best business books in response to a question about influential books.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in programming, startups, and essays.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17036337,
          "author": "BigTex420",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-10T04:14:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17036337",
          "commentText": "Hackers and Painters",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hackers and Painters",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a thread asking which books people should have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14487288,
          "author": "mathnode",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T13:04:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487288",
          "commentText": "- The Pragmatic Programmer\n- The Practice of Programming\n- The Mythical Man Month\n- The Cathedral and the Bazaar\n- The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\n- Introduction to Algorithms\n- Hackers and Painters\nSome of these do contain mixed language code examples, but they are expressed in a way to be agnostic. A problem is a problem; in any language.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Hackers and Painters",
          "reason": "Included in a list answering a request for language-agnostic programming books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7048773,
          "author": "iends",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-13T03:38:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 7048683,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best development book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7048773",
          "commentText": "I just finished reading the Pragmatic Programmer for the first time and felt that it was pretty much a letdown. For one, it makes a huge number of claims but does not back up these claims by any empirical evidence (even though I think it's mostly right, and that empirical evidence for some of their claims exists). Two, I feel like an undergraduate software course covers 75% of the material in the book (at least mine did). Maybe people have learned since it was first published, or maybe I've just worked on pretty good teams that practiced the stuff, but nothing in there was ground breaking or made me a better developer. Three, there was a lot of filler in the book, summaries, talking about future, and past chapters, etc that added no value except to inflate the page count.\nI feel like Pragmatic Programmer would be a good book to read before starting your first job, or maybe your undergraduate year of college.\nI was going to start Code Complete next, but Pragmatic Programmer was so disappointing I decided to read fiction for the next few weeks instead.\nSo to answer your question, the best language agnostic development books I've read are:\n1. Joel on Software: And on Diverse and Occasionally Related Matters That Will Prove of Interest to Software Developers, Designers, and Managers, and to Those Who, Whether by Good Fortune or Ill Luck, Work with Them in Some Capacity\n2. The Best Software Writing I\n3. Hackers and Painters\nI always wish Joel would come out with a second volume of #2, or to start his blog up again. I've yet to find something that equals his quality since he stopped writing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hackers and Painters",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the commenter’s best language-agnostic development books.",
          "audience": "Software developers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6333728,
          "author": "FurrBall",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-05T12:38:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 6329955,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which two books were the most influential on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6333728",
          "commentText": "This is going to sound like sucking up on hacker news but....\nHackers and Painters by Paul Graham. It is the reason I looked into lisp. A very entertaining read that made me change my opinion on several political issues.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A very entertaining read that made me change my opinion on several political issues.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as entertaining and says it changed their opinions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2639606,
          "author": "iqster",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T03:02:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639606",
          "commentText": "Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. I'd also strongly recommend Terry P's Going Postal and Making Money.\nI have a long list of non-fiction books I've read and enjoyed. Most recently, I read Paul Graham's Hackers and Painters. Would definitely recommend it!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Would definitely recommend it!",
          "reason": "The commenter says they read and enjoyed it and definitely recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1975576,
          "author": "dcaldwell",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T16:06:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1975576",
          "commentText": "This is a random one\nR.G. LeTourneau: Mover of Men and Mountains\nIt's an autobiography of the businessman and inventor who basically created the industry of large scale earth moving equipment before, during, and after the Great Depression.  \"What does this have to do with tech stuff?\" you may ask.  I read this book right after re-reading Hackers and Painters by Paul Graham.  LeTourneau utilizes many of the business principles that Paul Graham espouses in his book.  Additionally, LeTourneau was a true hacker before computer hackers were around - he just hacked tractors.  I highly recommend this book.  One thing that many may not like is that his machines destroyed rainforests.  Being from a different generation, he saw this as taking unproductive jungle and making it productive.  Not a view many of us would take in this day in time as we've seen the consequences.  LeTourneau was a Christian and he does talk about his faith a good bit in the book.  Even if that's not your thing, I still think you'll enjoy the book and be surprised at the similarities between his makeup and the makeup of a modern hacker",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I read this book right after re-reading Hackers and Painters by Paul Graham.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876146,
          "author": "nikolayv",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T06:02:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876146",
          "commentText": "1. Guns, Germs, and Steel\n2. Hackers and Painters (expected to see this more here)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hackers and Painters (expected to see this more here)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 191822,
          "author": "edw519",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-16T14:46:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=191822",
          "commentText": "This brings up a good point.  What would it take to put \"Hackers and Painters\" and \"Founders at Work\" onto CD?  I can't imagine anything I'd rather listen to.  And both are perfect for short trips because each chapter is stand-alone.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can't imagine anything I'd rather listen to.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they would especially like to listen to it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 137933,
          "author": "edw519",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-16T03:42:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=137933",
          "commentText": "Art of the Start - Guy Kawasaki\nHow to Get Rich - Felix Dennis\nDifferentiate or Die - Jack Trout\nand of course...\nFounders at Work - Jessica Livingston\nHackers and Painters - Paul Graham",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hackers and Painters - Paul Graham",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135451,
          "author": "edw519",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T20:17:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135451",
          "commentText": "Founders at Work by Jessica Livingston\nHackers and Painters by Paul Graham\nI am NOT recommending these because I am an avid hacker.news participant.\nI became an avid hacker.news participant AFTER reading these books.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Hackers and Painters by Paul Graham",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly says these books are not recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Explicitly says they are not recommending it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Graham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Art",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "essays",
        "startups",
        "programming essays",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-singularity-is-near-cda63d",
      "title": "The Singularity Is Near",
      "author": "Ray Kurzweil",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35394255,
          "author": "ckorhonen",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-31T22:01:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 35392063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Science Fiction books that predict where ChatGPT might lead us?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35394255",
          "commentText": "There are numerous science fiction books that have explored the potential impact of artificial intelligence on humanity, ranging from utopian to dystopian scenarios. Here are some of the most interesting and relevant titles that address the questions and fears you've mentioned:\n\"Neuromancer\" by William Gibson (1984): This cyberpunk classic envisions a future where AI is deeply ingrained in human society and plays a significant role in shaping it.\n\"2001: A Space Odyssey\" by Arthur C. Clarke (1968): The novel, as well as the film adaptation by Stanley Kubrick, explores the relationship between humans and AI, particularly when AI begins to develop its own goals and intentions.\n\"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?\" by Philip K. Dick (1968): This novel, which inspired the movie \"Blade Runner,\" questions the nature of humanity and consciousness as it relates to artificial beings.\n\"I, Robot\" by Isaac Asimov (1950): A collection of short stories that feature the famous \"Three Laws of Robotics\" and explore various aspects of AI and their impact on society.\n\"The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress\" by Robert A. Heinlein (1966): This novel features an AI that becomes self-aware and partners with humans in a fight for lunar independence.\n\"The Culture\" series by Iain M. Banks: This series of novels is set in a post-scarcity society managed by benevolent, hyper-intelligent AIs called Minds.\n\"The Singularity is Near\" by Ray Kurzweil (2005): Though not a novel, this non-fiction book predicts the future of AI, discussing the potential for AI to surpass human intelligence and the implications of this eventuality.\n\"Accelerando\" by Charles Stross (2005): The novel explores a future in which AI, augmented humans, and post-humans coexist, addressing various ethical and societal issues along the way.\n\"Daemon\" by Daniel Suarez (2006): This techno-thriller features an AI created by a deceased programmer that sets out to create a new world order.\n\"Altered Carbon\" by Richard K. Morgan (2002): This cyberpunk novel touches on AI's impact on society, particularly in the context of human consciousness and digital immortality.\nThese books offer thought-provoking explorations of the possible consequences, both positive and negative, of advanced AI systems like ChatGPT. While each of these works is fictional and speculative in nature, they can still provide valuable insights and stimulate important discussions about the future of AI and humanity.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Singularity is Near\" by Ray Kurzweil (2005): Though not a novel, this non-fiction book predicts the future of AI, discussing the potential for AI to surpass human intelligence and the implications of this eventuality.",
          "reason": "Listed among titles addressing AI's potential effects on humanity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Nonfiction, not a novel.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33854160,
          "author": "bookstore-romeo",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T14:52:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33854160",
          "commentText": "The coolest book I’ve ever read is The Singularity is Near, by Ray Kurzweil. I believe a sequel updated to today’s technology is due for this year as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The coolest book I’ve ever read is The Singularity is Near, by Ray Kurzweil.",
          "reason": "Names it as the coolest book they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says a sequel updated to current technology is due that year.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30486574,
          "author": "max_",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T09:04:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486574",
          "commentText": "1. Math for the layman. Ken Iverson (kills two bird's with one stone, CS & Math)\nThis my sound arrogant but I believe Iverson's work is the pinnacle organized thinking (the bridges the gap between programming and maths elegantly).\nHis work is also closely related to that of Leslie Lamport's TLA+ project. Lamport describes TLA+ as \"thinking above the code\".\n2. The Singularity is near by Ray Kurzweil.\nThis is more of a popular computer science book. I don't any other book articulates the true (optimistic) potential of the computer better than this. It made me appreciate computers more than any other machine.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Singularity is near by Ray Kurzweil.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it articulates the optimistic potential of computers and increased their appreciation of them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a popular computer science book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12098835,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T03:47:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12098835",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nCode by Charles Petzold\nArtificial Life - Steven Levy\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Singularity is Near - Ray Kurzweil\nSurfaces and Essences - Douglas Hofstadter\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\n-- One of my favorites is How Not to Be Wrong by Jordan Ellenbreg\nI have that on my list of \"to read real soon now\".  Sounds fascinating.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Singularity is Near - Ray Kurzweil",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10325237,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T20:31:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325237",
          "commentText": "I'm sure there are many, but a few that jump to mind, in no particular order, and spanning both fiction and non-fiction:\nThe Selfish Gene - Dawkins\nA New Kind of Science - Wolfram\nThe Singularity is Near - Kurzweil\nGödel, Escher, Bach - Hofstadter\nFluid Concepts and Creative Analogies - Hofstadter\nAtlas Shrugged - Rand\nThe Fountainhead - Rand\nNineteen Eighty-Four - Orwell\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nAmbient Findability - Peter Morville\nEmergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software - Steven Johnson\nSix Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age - Duncan Watts\nLinked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means for Business, Science, and Everyday Life - Albert-laszlo Barabasi\nArtificial Life - Steven Levy\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nThe World is Flat - Thomas Friedman\nnot a book, but the various writings of Douglas Engelbart - http://www.dougengelbart.org/library/library.html\nGlasshouse - Charles Stross\nPermutation City - Greg Egan\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nThe Shockwave Rider - John Brunner\nThe Society of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nThe Origin of Wealth: The Radical Remaking of Economics and What it Means for Business and Society - Eric Beinhocker\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nFooled By Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Singularity is Near - Kurzweil",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10027919,
          "author": "ciokan",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T17:14:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027919",
          "commentText": "I really like what I'm reading now: http://www.amazon.com/The-Singularity-Is-Near-Transcend/dp/0... (http://www.amazon.com/The-Singularity-Is-Near-Transcend/dp/0143037889)\n...but it may not be what you want (some may consider it fiction)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I really like what I'm reading now: http://www.amazon.com/The-Singularity-Is-Near-Transcend/dp/0...",
          "reason": "Says they really like the book they are currently reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes some may consider it fiction and it may not fit the request.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8795694,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T07:00:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795694",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nPredictable Revenue - Aaron Ross, Marylou Tyler\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nThe Ultimate Question 2.0 - Fred Reichheld‎\nThe Singularity is Near - Ray Kurzweil\nMoonshot! - John Sculley\nZero To One - Peter Thiel\nRepublic - Plato\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius\nNineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell\nFahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury\nThe Mysterious Island - Jules Verne\nDiscipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy, Fred Wiersema\nFalse Memory - Dean Koontz\nNOS4A2- Joe Hill\nRevival - Stephen King\nBarbarians At The Gate - John Helyar and Bryan Burrough\nInto Thin Air - John Krakauer\nHow To Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nand any collection of the works of H.P. Lovecraft.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Singularity is Near - Ray Kurzweil",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for impactful or liked books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1972833,
          "author": "cmaury",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T21:50:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1972833",
          "commentText": "This book changed my entire outlook on the world.\nAdded to this list are:\nSingularity is Near and\nThe Selfish Gene",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Singularity is Near",
          "reason": "Listed as an addition to the books that changed the commenter's outlook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 142997,
          "author": "Alex3917",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T01:21:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=142997",
          "commentText": "I only read non-fiction that's counterintuitive. I figure, hey, I'm pretty smart, so if it's intuitive then I can probably figure it out on my own. A list of stuff I cite most often:\nNo Contest & Punished by Rewards by Alfie Kohn\nStatus Anxiety by Alain de Botton\nPG's essays & ITConversations interviews\nThe Underground History of American Education by John Taylor Gatto\nThe Singularity is Near by Kurzweil\nThis graph: http://alexkrupp.com/picture_library/plot.jpg\nDee Hock's essay on leadership\nA handful of blog posts by Mark Cuban\nAll Marketers are Liars & Free Prize Inside by Seth Godin. All of the books that Seth recommends are also worth reading.\nBruce Schneier's interview on ITConversations\nMagic Ink, an essay by Bret Victor\nWar Is A  Force That Gives Us Meaning by Chris Hedges\nThe Cluetrain Manifesto (the book)\nI'm sure there's a lot more, but that's what comes to mind right now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Singularity is Near by Kurzweil",
          "reason": "Includes it among the nonfiction works the commenter cites most often.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135297,
          "author": "cbthiess",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T17:29:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135297",
          "commentText": "Getting Things Done, by David Allen\nanything by Edward Tufte\nThe Singularity Is Near, by Ray Kurzweil\nDip, by Seth Godin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Singularity Is Near, by Ray Kurzweil",
          "reason": "Listed as a book for a hacker's bookshelf.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ray Kurzweil"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 10,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Computing",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "technological singularity",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "futurism",
        "singularity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ficciones-a59288",
      "title": "Ficciones",
      "author": "Jorge Luis Borges",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41176867,
          "author": "nimih",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T00:03:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41176867",
          "commentText": "Paradise Lost, Gravity's Rainbow, Middlemarch, and 2666.\nedit: The short stories which have stuck with me the most over the years are probably Joyce's \"The Dead,\" O'Connor's \"Good Country People,\" and a solid half of Borges's \"Ficciones.\"",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Borges's \"Ficciones.\"",
          "reason": "Says a solid half of the stories have stuck with them over the years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Only a solid half of the collection's stories are singled out.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936207,
          "author": "rvieira",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T08:30:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936207",
          "commentText": "Disclaimer: These books changed the way I think primarily because I've read them quite young (early/mid teens) and as such, were formative.\n1. The Morning of the Magicians (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Morning_of_the_Magicians)\nThis book, although many (most?) of its claims are disproved really had an impact on me since it showed me that there could be _a lot_ more in the world than meets the eye. Everything around us and in history is filled with mysteries, unanswered questions. You could find interesting things everywhere. I would say the content is not the important part, but it instills the curiosity to dig deeper.\n2. Memories, Dreams, Reflections (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memories,_Dreams,_Reflections)\nA semi-autobiography of Carl Jung. It made me realise how \"meta-programmable\" humans are. How much of how we think can be though upon, itself. How we can introspect on our thoughs ... with our thoughts. Basically, made me in awe of conscious beings.\n3. Ficciones (Fictions, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficciones)\nThis is classic from Jorge Luis Borges. It showed me at the time \"experimental\" literature. How can one can push story-telling to another level, like many other art forms have done.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ficciones (Fictions",
          "reason": "The commenter says it introduced them to experimental literature and showed how storytelling can be pushed further.",
          "audience": "The commenter read it in their early to mid teens.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25846666,
          "author": "harperlee",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T14:17:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25846666",
          "commentText": "Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges. Short stories that will help you pick it up easily. They are intrincate and dreamy/legendary, in a sense, and touch themes that some people here like (infinity, time, labirynths, myths, old literature, libraries, misteries...)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges. Short stories that will help you pick it up easily.",
          "reason": "Recommends the short stories as an easy way to get back into fiction.",
          "audience": "Readers looking to pick up fiction easily.",
          "caveat": "The stories are intricate and dreamy/legendary.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24289321,
          "author": "Jtsummers",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-27T01:35:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 24286084,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading at the moment and what do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24289321",
          "commentText": "Fiction, English\n\nListening: Swords in the Mist, Fritz Leiber. Third in the Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser collections.\nReading: The Dispossessed, Ursula Le Guin.\n  Fiction, Spanish\n\nI’m trying to learn Spanish. I’ve picked up a few Spanish language fiction books, presently starting on Harry Potter y la piedra filosofal. I’ve tried reading other books, like Jorge Luis Borges’ Ficciones, but I’ve found it to be above my present level. I’ve restarted four or five times and made it further each time, but always stalled out.\n  Non-fiction\n\nThe Design of Everyday Things, Don Norman.\nI have other books started lying around the house, but these are the ones I’ve been actively engaged with in the last couple weeks. When I can type properly again (two to three weeks) I’ll resume Lisp in Small Pieces, Christian Queinnec. And at the office I have The Pragmatic Programmer, I’ll be back there next week and bring it home so I can continue with it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I’ve tried reading other books, like Jorge Luis Borges’ Ficciones, but I’ve found it to be above my present level.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds it above their current Spanish reading level.",
          "audience": "Spanish learner.",
          "caveat": "Above the commenter's present level; several attempts stalled.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23561711,
          "author": "dakiol",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-18T10:26:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 23561163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book that nobody you know has heard of?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23561711",
          "commentText": "Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges. I live in a non-Spanish speaking country.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges.",
          "reason": "Names it as an answer to the thread’s request for a favorite lesser-known book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22722761,
          "author": "avip",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T21:09:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22722761",
          "commentText": "Who has time for books nowadays? Some lovely tales so short u can read'em over coffee:\n- Asimov's Profession, his best short story IMHO\n- Mimsy Were the Borogoves - just reread it, it's as great as it was when I was a teen!\n- Flowers to Algernon is sad, but a must\n- Everything from Lem's Cyberiad\n- Everything from Borjes` Fictions",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Everything from Borjes` Fictions",
          "reason": "Recommends reading all of Borges's Ficciones.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337226,
          "author": "harperlee",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:01:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337226",
          "commentText": "Ficciones from Jorge Luis Borges",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ficciones from Jorge Luis Borges",
          "reason": "Named as the commenter's comfort book in response to the thread question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15157517,
          "author": "ma91c1an",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T18:38:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15157517",
          "commentText": "Jorge Luis Borges, Selected Non-Fictions, 1999.\nI first encountered Borges as a 15 year old student in high school. I am now 56. The book was ficciones. It changed my life.\nBorges read everything. What made him the genius that he was, is that he remembered everything that he read, and he was consequently able to make droll observations across cultures and epochs.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book was ficciones. It changed my life.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book changed their life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227237,
          "author": "zupatol",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T18:52:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227237",
          "commentText": "Ficciones, by Borges\nVery imaginative short stories bordering on the philosophical, some of them hilarious.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ficciones, by Borges\nVery imaginative short stories bordering on the philosophical, some of them hilarious.",
          "reason": "Praised for its imaginative, philosophical, and often hilarious stories.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jorge Luis Borges"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 9,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories",
        "literary fiction",
        "metafiction",
        "argentine literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "shantaram-0e2d37",
      "title": "Shantaram",
      "author": "Gregory David Roberts",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18663308,
          "author": "ivanmaeder",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:27:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663308",
          "commentText": "My highlights from this year:\n1. \"How to Measure Anything\" (Douglas Hubbard)\nPresents a few simple techniques (confidence intervals, Monte Carlo simulations, regression analysis, Bayes, etc) to help with decision-making. E.g., should we build this feature or spend the same money on marketing?\nI put it alongside \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" (Daniel Kahneman), \"Superforecasting\" (Philip Tetlock), \"The Art of Thinking Clearly\" (Rolf Dobelli), etc. These books explain how our thinking is often flawed; \"How to Measure Anything\" gives you some tools to avoid flawed thinking.\nNote: if you already know the math (a lot of people on HN would), you might not get that much out of it.\n2. \"Why We Sleep\" (Matthew Walker)\nAs I read this book I kept thinking about all the people I knew who would benefit from it: family and friends whom I want to have healthy happy lives, managers who believe that they'll get more out of people by pushing them to work crazy hours… and lots of people who think they’ll get more out of themselves if they sleep less.\nWith references to studies, the book explains the different factors that influence sleep, what your body does during sleep and the different phases of sleep, how your body—mostly the brain—benefits, etc.\nFor days after reading it I kept telling friends about things I'd learnt from it. One of my favourite was how certain types of bird are able to sleep: they line themselves up in a row, with the birds on each end putting only half their brain to sleep. This way they can keep one of their eyes open—the one furthest to the end—so they can keep watch. Then after a while the birds on the end will turn around and sleep the other side of their brain.\nFascinating!\nMy only complaint is that it very rarely mentions the actual numbers behind studies. E.g., there might be a mention of a lack of sleep and an increased risk of diabetes or depression or heart attacks, but there's no reference to the amount the risks increase by.\n3. \"Shoe Dog\" (Phil Knight)\nThe story of Nike, told by the founder. I honestly don't care about Nike but that's not the takeaway—it's not about shoes or T-shirts or Michael Jordan. It's about a guy trying to keep a business alive: almost from day one there no let-up, the company is continually under threat.\nAlso the early employees are a really fun bunch.\n4. \"The Master and Margarita\" (Mikhail Bulgakov)\nFiction. It took me a while to warm up to this but I'm glad I stuck it out. I think the charm is in the language and the crazy mix of characters, the way religion is dealt with in a very human way; the tension, the fun…\nI really struggle to describe this book.\n5. \"Shantaram\" (David Gregory Roberts)\nFiction. I was looking for a book about India. I've never been, and I thought I might learn something and get a feeling of what it's like to be there.\nI didn't. Not in the same way that I could feel the heat in \"Heart of Darkness\" (Joseph Conrad) or the sun and the trees in \"From the Holy Mountain\" (William Dalrymple) or the weight of the world in \"Suttree\" (Cormac McCarthy).\nBut it's a good ride of a story.\n6. \"In Dreams Begin Responsibilities and Other Stories\" (Delmore Schwartz)\nI knew this book from university. And then a few weeks ago: I needed a break from the world of tech and productivity and work, and this did the trick. It is so far away from that. Think: creative types working on books and poems and plays during the depression, struggling, self-conscious, observant, talkative…",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "But it's a good ride of a story.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a good ride of a story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It did not provide the sense of India the commenter had hoped to learn about.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4787131,
          "author": "Kluny",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T04:41:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787131",
          "commentText": "Shantaram by Gregory Roberts.\nPirate Cinema by Cory Doctorow.\nThat's Me in the Middle by Donald Jack.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shantaram by Gregory Roberts.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2639676,
          "author": "jscore",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T03:32:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639676",
          "commentText": "Shantaram\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Shantaram-Novel-Gregory-David-Roberts/... (http://www.amazon.com/Shantaram-Novel-Gregory-David-Roberts/dp/0312330529)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shantaram",
          "reason": "Named as the commenter's answer to the greatest book question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1974788,
          "author": "jscore",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T10:57:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974788",
          "commentText": "My best book as well, the quotes (by Karla and others) are just amazing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My best book as well, the quotes (by Karla and others) are just amazing.",
          "reason": "Calls it their best book and praises its quotes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1866918,
          "author": "jscore",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T23:19:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1866918",
          "commentText": "Just finished Shantaram (best book I've ever read)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shantaram (best book I've ever read)",
          "reason": "Describes it as the best book they've ever read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1570383,
          "author": "kloc",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T06:58:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1570383",
          "commentText": "Read Shantaram if you haven't.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Shantaram-Novel-Gregory-David-Roberts/... (http://www.amazon.com/Shantaram-Novel-Gregory-David-Roberts/dp/0312330529)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read Shantaram if you haven't.",
          "reason": "Directly recommends reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1032181,
          "author": "adam-_-",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-05T10:31:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1032181",
          "commentText": "Flat Earth News - Nick Davies: An interesting discussion about falsehood and PR in newspapers and the media generally.\nHackers & Painters - Paul Graham: Read it this year and enjoyed it a lot.\nShantaram - Gregory David Roberts: Awe inspiring \"true\" story about a convict who escaped to India.  Really made me want to take a trip to India.  Perhaps not the highest quality prose but a gripping story never-the-less.\nA Simple Act of Violence - R J Ellory: I'm reading this right now and it's the first book in a while that has really grabbed me.  Well written crime/thriller type book.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Shantaram - Gregory David Roberts: Awe inspiring \"true\" story about a convict who escaped to India. Really made me want to take a trip to India. Perhaps not the highest quality prose but a gripping story never-the-less.",
          "reason": "Calls it a gripping story that inspired interest in India.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the prose may not be the highest quality.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026904,
          "author": "boundlessdreamz",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T06:58:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026904",
          "commentText": "1. Shantaram (Gregory David Roberts): So good that mom stayed up until 3AM to finish it.\n2. Mistborn trilogy (brandon sanderson): Gripping storytelling and by far one of the best fantasy books i've ever read.\n3. Millennium trilogy (steig larsson): Hard to slot this book. On its face it is a thriller but the book is merely the medium through which the author lashes out against crimes toward women and corruption.In 2008, he was the second-best selling author in the world\n4. American Shaolin (Matthew Polly): An exciting read but still do not know what is fact and what is fiction. .",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "So good that mom stayed up until 3AM to finish it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was so good their mother stayed up until 3 a.m. to finish it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 798113,
          "author": "sree_nair",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T15:07:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=798113",
          "commentText": "Maximum City - Suketu Mehta\nShantharam - Gregory David Roberts",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Shantharam - Gregory David Roberts",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 202989,
          "author": "ra",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T04:44:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=202989",
          "commentText": "Shantaram - amazing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shantaram - amazing.",
          "reason": "Calls the book amazing in response to a request for biographies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The thread asks for biographies, though Shantaram is a novel.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85881,
          "author": "Prabakeryc",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T09:49:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85881",
          "commentText": "Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.\nShantaram by Gregory David Roberts (bit of a beast, but well worth it).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts (bit of a beast, but well worth it).",
          "reason": "Says it is well worth the length.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Bit of a beast.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gregory David Roberts"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 9,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "india",
        "literary fiction",
        "crime",
        "crime fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "advanced-programming-in-the-unix-environment-b29563",
      "title": "Advanced Programming in the UNIX Environment",
      "author": "W. Richard Stevens",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33135568,
          "author": "zh3",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T20:06:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33135568",
          "commentText": "[1] is a very good book - it's not really one for learning C though, it's more for when you know C and you need to use it in - well - an advanced unix environment. Sort of like you shouldn't be learning how to use a scalpel in an operating theatre :)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "[1] is a very good book",
          "reason": "Agrees it is a good book for use in an advanced Unix environment.",
          "audience": "Readers who already know C.",
          "caveat": "Not for learning C from scratch.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32790268,
          "author": "lizknope",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T13:08:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790268",
          "commentText": "Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach by John L. Hennessy the creator of MIPS and David Patterson the creator of Berkeley RISC (later SPARC)\nAdvanced Programming in the Unix Environment by W. Richard Stevens",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Advanced Programming in the Unix Environment by W. Richard Stevens",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26322002,
          "author": "nullserver",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-02T22:32:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 26321793,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books made you the most money?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26322002",
          "commentText": "Advanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nRead through it, worked many of the examples.   Had a 20 bump in salary.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Advanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nRead through it, worked many of the examples.   Had a 20 bump in salary.",
          "reason": "The commenter says studying the book led to a salary increase.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16756780,
          "author": "LukeShu",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T17:12:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16756780",
          "commentText": "Advanced Programming in the Unix Environment\nIt's often a better reference than the POSIX spec is.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Advanced Programming in the Unix Environment\nIt's often a better reference than the POSIX spec is.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is often a better reference than the POSIX specification.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Compared specifically with the POSIX spec.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9758423,
          "author": "jrw",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T14:13:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758423",
          "commentText": "In addition to those already mentioned:\n- Stevens: Advanced Programming in the Unix Environment\nand more recently,\n- Kerrisk: The Linux Programming Interface.\nAlso, almost anything by Kernighan (with several different co-authors).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stevens: Advanced Programming in the Unix Environment",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8000422,
          "author": "Erwin",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T18:23:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8000422",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed \"Advanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\" back when there we had multiple UNIX operating systems and probably more versions of standards than operating systems. Stevens carefully documented every detail (in a way where you could learn about what was going on; I also had the POSIX standards at the time which were not readable).\nThe book had some nice typesetting which I believe was done in the mystery language also used for man pages.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed \"Advanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\"",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed the book and praises its careful, educational detail.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The account reflects the UNIX landscape of the time.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Advanced Programming in the UNIX Environment",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1213369,
          "author": "gte910h",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-23T16:47:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 1212675,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I use and love Python. What's the best book to learn C ?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1213369",
          "commentText": "This post only contains non-aff links\nWhile I'm certainly good at C, and have been the guy people asked the C and C toolchain questions at a couple places I've worked, I'd say you're in for more than 1 book to grok the topics you've expressed interest in, and haven't met the single book that does all you want.\n1: If you're a python programmer, I do suggest staying with pure C and AWAY from C++. You have little use case for it if you can mix python and C and it is literally pain incarnate while you do not know every little bit of it and/or work with people who do not know every little bit of it.\n2: Secondly, a single book on C will not get you where you're going. You will need several.\n3: I'd stick with K&R for reference, but then go to the following two books for threading and all the other stuff like networking:\nYou need these two books to get down C and it's ecosystem (make, autotools, etc):\nAdvanced Unix Programming by Rochkind (Really good explanation of signals especially): http://www.amazon.com/Advanced-UNIX-Programming-Marc-Rochkin... (http://www.amazon.com/Advanced-UNIX-Programming-Marc-Rochkind/dp/0131411543/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269362485&sr=8-1)\nGnu/Linux Application Programming by M. Tim Jones (Recovers some of the same stuff as AUP, but does better with the toolchain): \nhttp://www.amazon.com/GNU-Linux-Application-Programming/dp/1... (http://www.amazon.com/GNU-Linux-Application-Programming/dp/1584505680/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269362580&sr=8-1)\nIf you want to go more advanced, this is likely the correct book:\nAdvanced Programming in the Unix Environment:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Programming-UNIX-Environment-... (http://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Programming-UNIX-Environment-2nd/dp/0201433079/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269362485&sr=8-2)\nAlthough if you're diving deep into networking, this is likely the correct book:\nUnix Networking Programming: Vol I by Stevens:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Unix-Network-Programming-Sockets-Netwo... (http://www.amazon.com/Unix-Network-Programming-Sockets-Networking/dp/0131411551/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269362819&sr=1-1)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Advanced Programming in the Unix Environment:",
          "reason": "Described as the likely correct book for going deeper into C and its ecosystem.",
          "audience": "C learners who want more advanced Unix programming coverage.",
          "caveat": "The commenter frames this as a more advanced option.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. Richard Stevens"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "systems programming",
        "unix",
        "unix programming",
        "c programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "alice-s-adventures-in-wonderland-5e8dac",
      "title": "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland",
      "author": "Lewis Carroll",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50119414,
          "author": "NishanStepak",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T15:13:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50119414",
          "commentText": "Frank Herbert Dune, book, there is a graphic novel of the latest edition which I glanced through.\nMachiavelli The Prince\nSun Tzu The Art of War\nEpictetus The Enchiridion\nTao Te Ching- different editions\nThe Odyssey in variety of formats, illustrated, graphic novel, book\nThe King James Bible-- Different pieces at various points. Proverbs many times.\nLewis Carroll-- Alices Adventures In Wonderland, book, annotated edition",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Alices Adventures In Wonderland",
          "reason": "Listed among books read repeatedly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 50039390,
          "author": "jep888",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T02:53:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50039390",
          "commentText": "The Narnia series, the Harry Potter series, Alice in Wonderland, Wind in the Willows,the Sherlock Holmes series (there are great versions of these made slightly easier for children to read), and of course all of Roald Dahl's books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Alice in Wonderland",
          "reason": "Named in a list of children’s books.",
          "audience": "Children.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41387935,
          "author": "dmitrygr",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T06:30:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387935",
          "commentText": "Alice in Wonderland",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Alice in Wonderland",
          "reason": "Offered as a book suggestion in response to the request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20922042,
          "author": "wodenokoto",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T20:22:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20922042",
          "commentText": "Alice in Wonderland is one of my favourite books, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was also the most read > 100 year old book (well, not counting any religious writing!)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Alice in Wonderland is one of my favourite books",
          "reason": "Names it as one of their favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14846296,
          "author": "gaius",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T09:08:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14846296",
          "commentText": "Alice in Wonderland",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Alice in Wonderland",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the thread's question about books that shaped code structure.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5691391,
          "author": "bloodorange",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T17:53:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5691391",
          "commentText": "\"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland\" - Lewis Carroll\n\"Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There\" - Lewis Carroll\n\"Dracula\" - Bram Stoker\n\"Frankenstein\" - Mary Shelly\n\"On Education\" - Bertrand Russell\n\"The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy\" - Douglas Adams\n\"Animal Farm\" - George Orwell\n\"1984\" - George Orwell\n\"Lord of The Flies\" - William Golding\n\"Brave New World\" - Aldous Huxley\n\"Gulliver's Travels\" - Jonathan Swift\n\"The Selfish Gene\" - Richard Dawkins",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland\" - Lewis Carroll",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for good book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2615877,
          "author": "kaeluka",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T11:04:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2615877",
          "commentText": "Just now I'm reading something I wanted to read for a long time: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The next will be Through the Looking Glass, same author.\nAmongst the last few books I read, I recommend Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five, Marlen Haushofer - The Wall (although this will be too kafkaesque for some), Fahrenheit 451.\nI do love Jules Verne as well.\nAtlas Shrugged should be known to anyone around here, I guess.. Relating to Atlas Shrugged: Nietzsche - Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Both books were very influential to me when I was younger.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm reading something I wanted to read for a long time: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.",
          "reason": "The comment lists it among books recommended in response to the reading question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1725179,
          "author": "Willwhatley",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-24T20:02:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1725179",
          "commentText": "Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson.\nAlice in Wonderland iff still young enough not to think girls are gross. Otherwise you must sneak up on him with the poetry, then introduce the book. (I've had success with reciting 'Jabberwocky' and 'The Walrus and the Carpenter.')\nLearn 'If,' by Kipling, by heart. Then teach it slowly and patiently.\nAs an aside, quite a lot of Kipling is truly excellently boy friendly.\nThe Proverbs of Solomon, et al. Found in any Bible or Talmud. Bears repeated reading, as most eastern 'wisdom' literature does (The Book of Five Rings, The Art of War, etc.).\nWhile we're at, why not the Narnia books? I loved them, and I'd no idea the Lion was apparently Jesus until I was nine or so.\nBut by far do not DO NOT forget Michel Ende's marvelous 'The Neverending Story.'\nIf you're only familiar with it from a movie, you've missed the best part, when the boy 'Bastian must take up arms and become the adventurer he has read about and loved.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Alice in Wonderland iff still young enough not to think girls are gross.",
          "reason": "Suggests it conditionally for a boy who is young enough to enjoy it.",
          "audience": "Younger boys.",
          "caveat": "The commenter makes the suggestion conditional on the child’s age and attitude toward girls.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143508,
          "author": "andrewl",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T19:59:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143508",
          "commentText": "D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths\nStar Trek, the original series\nI, Robot by Isaac Asimov. The first science fiction story I read, which lead to all the others.\nThe Annotated Alice by Lewis Carroll and Martin Gardner. That's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, by Lewis Carroll, with wonderful annotations by Martin Gardner.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "That's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, by Lewis Carroll, with wonderful annotations by Martin Gardner.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Named as one of the works included in The Annotated Alice.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lewis Carroll"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classic literature",
        "fantasy",
        "children s classic",
        "children s literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "chaos-making-a-new-science-fc6bf9",
      "title": "Chaos: Making a New Science",
      "author": "James Gleick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37937282,
          "author": "dmbche",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:50:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937282",
          "commentText": "James Gleick's books in general, Chaos being a favorite.\nSartre's essays on existentialism, Camus's big essays too.\nJiddu Krishnamurti's Awakening intelligence is also very good.\nEdit0:\nHow nonviolence protects the state, Peter Gelderloos.\nVery measured look at the discourse around violence and nonviolence. Fruitful read.\nFree here: https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/peter-gelderloos-how... (https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/peter-gelderloos-how-nonviolence-protects-the-state)\nEdit1: Freud's Totems and taboos, and some Jung, but I forget what exactly.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "James Gleick's books in general, Chaos being a favorite.",
          "reason": "The commenter names it as a favorite among Gleick's books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30822625,
          "author": "Issaclabs",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-27T18:21:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30822625",
          "commentText": "Chaos by James gleick for multiple fields in physics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Chaos by James gleick for multiple fields in physics",
          "reason": "Offered as a book that could attract readers to physics.",
          "audience": "Readers curious about physics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23726609,
          "author": "layoutIfNeeded",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T19:11:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23726609",
          "commentText": "I remember being blown away by this book as a teen: James Gleick - Chaos: Making a New Science https://www.amazon.com/Chaos-Making-Science-James-Gleick/dp/... (https://www.amazon.com/Chaos-Making-Science-James-Gleick/dp/0143113453)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "James Gleick - Chaos: Making a New Science",
          "reason": "The commenter recalls being impressed by the book as a teenager.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467680,
          "author": "pier25",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:50:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467680",
          "commentText": "- Sapiens\n- The Lord of the Rings\n- Siddhartha\n- Chaos: Making a New Science\n- The Death Gate cycle books\n- Neuromancer\n- Head First Design Patterns\n- Valis\n- Dune\n- The name of the rose\nI'm sure there are more, but these are the ones off the top of my head.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Chaos: Making a New Science",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15157772,
          "author": "1001101",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T19:29:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15157772",
          "commentText": "Our Mathematical Universe - Max Tegmark\nBeing and Nothingness - Sartre\nChaos - Gleik\nSurely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! - Feynman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Chaos - Gleik",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking which books had the biggest impact on mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12494191,
          "author": "dredmorbius",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-14T04:13:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12494191",
          "commentText": "From a recent HN comment,  a list, some authors, and some guidelines, largely based on books which radically changed my thinking.\nCurrently:  Vaclav Smil, Energy in World History (1994), and Manfred Weissenbacher, Sources of Power (2009).  Both detail the role and impact of energy through world history.  The latter draws strongly on the first, both are exceedingly well documented.  TL;DR: coal changed much, oil changed everything.\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/3... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/30398523&referer=brief_results)\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foragin... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foraging-agriculture-and-coal/oclc/837625798&referer=brief_results)\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625970&referer=brief_results)\nJames Burke's books Connections and The Day the Universe Changed, and their accompanying television series, were a profound introduction to the history of technology, science, ideas, and philosophy.  Though 30+ years old, they remain highly current and relevant.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/connections/oclc/4494136\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/day-the-universe-changed/oclc... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/day-the-universe-changed/oclc/12049817)\nJeremy Campbell's Grammatical Man (1984) introduced the concepts of information theory and their deep, deep, deep interconnections to a tremendous number of interconnected systems, many not explored within his book.  Darwin's The Origin of Species, James Gleick's Chaos, and many of the works of Santa Fe Institute members, including John C. Holland, J. Doyne Farmer, Geoffrey West, W. Brian Arthur, David Krakauer, and Sander van der Leeuw, continue these themes.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-e... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-entropy-language-and-life/oclc/8306673)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/chaos-making-a-new-science/oc... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/chaos-making-a-new-science/oclc/15366709)\nWilliam Ophuls' Ecology and the Politics of Scarcity (1977) is perhaps the best, most comprehensive, shortest, and most readable exposition of the fact, reality, dynamics, and interactions of limits on the present phase of fossil-fuel fed economic growth I've found.  This is a book I recommend not only for the message, but the author's clarity of thought and exposition, his meticulous research, exquisite bibliographical notes, and, given the nearly 30 years elapsed, testability numerous of his predictions, some failed, yes, others uncannily accurate.  Rather more the latter.  In a similar vein, William R. Catton's Overshoot looks at the ecological dynamics in more depth, with much wisdom, the writings of Richard Heinberg cover the ground of limits fairly accessibly and more recently.  Vaclav Smil in numerous books addresses technical factors of the profound nature of the past 250 years, and implications for the future.  Meadows, et al, in Limits to Growth set off much of the post-1970 discussion (though they're hardly the first to raise the question -- it dates to Seneca the Elder),\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-s... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-scarcity-prologue-to-a-political-theory-of-the-steady-state/oclc/2524932)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/overshoot-the-ecological-basi... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/overshoot-the-ecological-basis-of-revolutionary-change/oclc/6195764)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Aheinberg%2C+richard&a... (https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Aheinberg%2C+richard&amp;qt=owc_search)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Asmil%2C+vaclav&amp;qt... (https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Asmil%2C+vaclav&amp;qt=results_page)\nThough hardly pessimistic, Daniel Yergin's book The Prize (and TV series) impressed upon me more than any other just how much petroleum specifically changed and transformed the modern world.  Though intended largely as laudetory and championing the oil industry by the author, my read of it was exceptionally cautionary.  The impacts on business, everyday life, politics, wars, industry, and transport, and the rate at which they occurred, are simply staggering.  You can continue this exploration in Vaclav Smil's Energy in World History (1994) (I've recommended Smil independently elsewhere), and a rare but profound two-volume set I'm currently reading, Manfred Weissenbacher's Sources of Power: How energy forges human history (2009).  The shear physicality of this book speaks to the message -- it's divided into five parts:  1) Foraging Age (6 pages), 2) Agricultural Age (156 pp), 3) Coal Age (160 pp),  4) Oil Age (296 pp), and 5) Beyond the Oil Age (142 pp).  That is, the ~2 million years of pre-agricultural existence are little more than a footnote, the 8,000 years of agriculture roughly equal to the 150 years of coal, and the 100 years of petroleum use roughly twice either.  The oil and post-oil ages comprise their own volume.  Yergin followed up with The Quest, continuing the search for oil, though I've been less impressed by it.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/prize-the-epic-quest-for-oil-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/prize-the-epic-quest-for-oil-money-and-power/oclc/22381448)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/30398523)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foragi... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foraging-agriculture-and-coal/oclc/837625798)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/83762... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625970)\nAdam Smith's An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations is among the most-cited (and most incorrectly cited), least-read books of high influence I'm aware of, outside religious texts (and perhaps it is a religious text to some…).  The author's message has been exceptionally shaped and manipulated by a powerful set of forces, quite often utterly misrepresenting Smith's original intent.  Reading him in his own words, yourself, is strongly recommended.  I'd also recommend scholarship particularly by Emma Rothschild and Gavin Kennedy, though also others, on Smith. Contrast with the portrayal by the propaganda disinformation front of the Mont Pelerin Society / Atlas Network / so-called Foundation for Economic Education, and much of the modern American Libertarian movement (von Mises, Hayek, Friedman, Hazlett, Rothbard, and more recently, Norberg).  Contrast The Invisible Hand (1964), a compilation of essays published by Libertarian house Regnery Press in 1966, at the beginning of the rise in public use of Smith's metaphor to indictate mechanism rather than an expression of the unknown.\nThere are numerous editions of Smith, I believe the Glasgow is frequently cited by Smith scholars:  https://www.worldcat.org/title/glasgow-edition-of-the-works-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/glasgow-edition-of-the-works-and-correspondence-of-adam-smith-2-an-inquiry-into-the-nature-and-causes-of-the-wealth-of-nations-vol-1/oclc/832488566)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/economic-sentiments-adam-smit... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/economic-sentiments-adam-smith-condorcet-and-the-enlightenment/oclc/45282974)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smith-and-the-invisible-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smith-and-the-invisible-hand/oclc/820387997)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smiths-lost-legacy/oclc/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smiths-lost-legacy/oclc/56598640)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/invisible-hand-a-collection-o... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/invisible-hand-a-collection-of-essays-on-the-economic-philosophy-of-free-enterprise/oclc/326622)\nI'd like to put in recommendations on technology specifically, but am still searching for a good general text.  The material's covered somewhat in the chaos and complexity recommendations above (Campbell et al), though I'd add Joseph Tainter's The Collapse of Complex Societies.  Charle's Perrow has several excellent books including Normal Accidents and Organizing America.   I'd like to reference something concerning Unix, Linux, and programming, perhaps Kernighan and Pike's The Unix Programming Environment, Linus Torvalds' Just for Fun, Richard Stallman's The GNU Manifesto, and Steve McConnel's Code Complete.  The O'Reilly book Unix Power Tools also encapsulates much the strength of the Unix toolset.  All these are somewhat dated.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/collapse-of-complex-societies... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/collapse-of-complex-societies/oclc/15083222)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/normal-accidents-living-with-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/normal-accidents-living-with-high-risk-technologies/oclc/10229932)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/organizing-america-wealth-pow... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/organizing-america-wealth-power-and-the-origins-of-corporate-capitalism/oclc/939707157)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-programming-environment/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-programming-environment/oclc/10269821)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/5238168... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/52381684)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Darwin's The Origin of Species, James Gleick's Chaos, and many of the works of Santa Fe Institute members",
          "reason": "Included among works continuing themes of interconnected systems and complexity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9649479,
          "author": "rdc12",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-02T22:34:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 9636361,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9649479",
          "commentText": "Fiction: Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (loved the movie as a kid, but never got round to reading the book), will follow up with the Lost World.\nNon-Fiction: Chaos by James Gleick.\nSemester break reading, Real World Ocaml and Modern Compilers in ML (assuming they arrive in time)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Non-Fiction: Chaos by James Gleick.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as planned break reading; no evaluation given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968349,
          "author": "imdhmd",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:36:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968349",
          "commentText": "Chaos: Making a new science, James Gleick",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Chaos: Making a new science, James Gleick",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6332353,
          "author": "arjn",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-05T05:32:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 6329955,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which two books were the most influential on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6332353",
          "commentText": "1) Rockets, Missiles and Men in Space - Willy Ley ( side note: I rescued this book from a friend who was using it for target practice with an airgun!)\n2) Chaos - James Gleick\n(I have to mention this one too) The Armchair Universe : An exploration of Computer Worlds - A. K. Dewdney",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Chaos - James Gleick",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3277935,
          "author": "maxprogram",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T19:12:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3277935",
          "commentText": "\"Streetlights and Shadows: Searching for the Keys to Adaptive Decision Making\", Gary Klein\n\"Normal Accidents: Living with High-Risk Technologies\", Charles Perrow\n\"Chaos: Making a New Science\", James Gleick\n\"Filters Against Folly\", Garrett James Hardin\n\"Judgment in Managerial Decision Making\", Max Bazerman\n\"Deep Simplicity: Bringing Order to Chaos and Complexity\", John Gribben",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Chaos: Making a New Science\", James Gleick",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books about thinking and cognition.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 177186,
          "author": "jfoutz",
          "createdAt": "2008-04-30T01:26:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 176803,
          "threadTitle": "Which is your favorite 70-80s computer book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=177186",
          "commentText": "I still use SICP. K&R is a great too. I didn't get them till the 90's though.\nThe book I used the most in the 80's was Chaos by James Gleick. I spent months coding up his mathematical models in basic on my 286. Good times.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book I used the most in the 80's was Chaos by James Gleick.",
          "reason": "Names it as the book used most in the 1980s.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Gleick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chaos theory",
        "complex systems",
        "complexity",
        "mathematical modeling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "founders-at-work-stories-of-startups-early-days-c8e57b",
      "title": "Founders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days",
      "author": "Jessica Livingston",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42621053,
          "author": "cpach",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-07T10:09:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42621053",
          "commentText": "You might like Founders at Work: Stories of Startups’ Early Days. It’s written by Jessica Livingston, who founded Y Combinator.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You might like Founders at Work: Stories of Startups’ Early Days.",
          "reason": "Suggests the book to the recipient.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the early days of startups.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22706819,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T20:58:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22706819",
          "commentText": "\"Programmers At Work\" by Susan Lammers was a great read in its time, and I keep referring to ideas from it. Might be worth a look. Peter Seibel's done a great job with continuing the idea, e.g. \"Coders At Work\", \"Founders At Work.\"\nIs it time to read \"Godel, Escher, Bach?\"",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Founders At Work.\"",
          "reason": "Named as a continuation of the interview-book idea.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in startup founders and company beginnings.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17204804,
          "author": "Hates_",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T12:54:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17204804",
          "commentText": "\"Founders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days\" is a good collection of stories: https://www.amazon.com/Founders-Work-Stories-Startups-Early/... (https://www.amazon.com/Founders-Work-Stories-Startups-Early/dp/1430210788)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Founders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days\" is a good collection of stories",
          "reason": "Calls it a good collection of startup stories.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in startups and their early days.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13237838,
          "author": "satyajitranjeev",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T15:30:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237838",
          "commentText": "Things I completed:\n1. Elon Musk: Inventing the Future\n2. The Code Book - Simon Singh\n3. Fermat's Enigma - Simon Singh\n4. Deep Work - Cal Newport\n5. Smarter Faster Better - Charles Duhigg\n6. 1984\n7. So good they can't ignore you - Cal Newport\n8. Distributed Systems for fun and profit\n9. Classic Shell Scripting\nThings I partially read and hope to complete some time:\n1. The music of Primes\n2. Traction\n3. Founders at work\n4. Your Memory: How it works and how to improve it\nThings I would recommend:\nFermat's Enigma and The Code Book are very interesting reads if you are into Mathematics. They are both written very well and you don't need to know too much of Mathematics to understand it. On the other hand The Music of Primes started of very interesting and then got a bit too heavy for an evening read. If you can chug along I think it would be a good one too.\nOf all the self help books I mentioned I think Duhiggs Smarter, faster better is the one that stands out. It is more of an analysis of various teams and people and how they got to work efficiently.\nFounders at work is a long read but something that you can read a chapter independently and that's why it is under half read but definitely something to look at.\n[EDIT: formatting]",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Founders at work is a long read but something that you can read a chapter independently and that's why it is under half read but definitely something to look at.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a book that works well when read one chapter at a time.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in startup founders and company histories.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is long and had read less than half.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348419,
          "author": "grey-area",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:53:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348419",
          "commentText": "Meditations by Marcus Aurelius - a wonderfully simple explanation of what is truly important in life.\nThe Order of Things or Madness and Civilisation by Michel Foucault - a look at how our culture and time limit the horizons of our world view.\nAnna Karenina by Tolstoy - a complicated set of love stories set in 19C Russia - brilliantly observed.\nGodel, Escher, Bach by Hofstadter - an exhilarating skip through the wonderland of western maths, art, music and philosophy.\nFounders at Work by Jessica Livingston - a great insight into the first computer revolution - interviews with a lot of very interesting people.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Founders at Work by Jessica Livingston - a great insight into the first computer revolution - interviews with a lot of very interesting people.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great insight into the early computer revolution and praises its interview subjects.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8028141,
          "author": "sgy",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-13T18:05:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 8025870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8028141",
          "commentText": "Founders at Work (http://www.foundersatwork.com/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Founders at Work",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8027104,
          "author": "sudheendrach",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-13T11:09:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 8025870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8027104",
          "commentText": "Just started reading Founders at Work -- http://www.foundersatwork.com/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Just started reading Founders at Work",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5406714,
          "author": "grn",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-20T12:09:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 5401749,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What interesting books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5406714",
          "commentText": "Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams by Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister - a great book about software projects management\nFounders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days by Jessica Livingstone - fascinating stories of founders of companies both young and old",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Founders at Work: Stories of Startups' Early Days by Jessica Livingstone - fascinating stories of founders of companies both young and old",
          "reason": "Calls the founder stories fascinating.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1568428,
          "author": "PaulJoslin",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T18:02:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 1567456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I want to start a web company what books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1568428",
          "commentText": "While I'm at it. I'll tell you about some other's I have read.\n- Getting Real by 37 Signals http://gettingreal.37signals.com/\n- Rework by 37 Signals http://37signals.com/rework/\nThese are great and really get your mind thinking about alternatives to what most people believe.\n- Sarah Lacy's Once your lucky, twice you're good. http://www.amazon.com/Once-Youre-Lucky-Twice-Good/dp/1592403... (http://www.amazon.com/Once-Youre-Lucky-Twice-Good/dp/1592403824)\nThis isn't a technical book, but can really get you motivated to succeed reading the stories of previous successes! It also gives a bit of an insight into the internal workings of a start up in the early stages. It highlights networking as an important factor!\n- Start up success guide - http://www.amazon.com/Startup-Success-Guide-Books-Profession... (http://www.amazon.com/Startup-Success-Guide-Books-Professionals/dp/1430219858/)\nThis book was quite good, but felt a bit dated in comparison to Rob Walling's 'Start up book'.\nFinally 'Founders at work' is definitely worth a read. http://www.amazon.com/Founders-Work-Stories-Startups-Problem... (http://www.amazon.com/Founders-Work-Stories-Startups-Problem-Solution/dp/1430210788/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Finally 'Founders at work' is definitely worth a read.",
          "reason": "Says the book is definitely worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876073,
          "author": "yurylifshits",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T05:10:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876073",
          "commentText": "Me too",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Me too",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the parent comment's book recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jessica Livingston"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Biography",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "startup founders",
        "entrepreneurship",
        "founders",
        "oral history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "getting-to-yes-5a8e04",
      "title": "Getting to Yes",
      "author": "Roger Fisher, William Ury, and Bruce Patton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35184007,
          "author": "achenatx",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-16T16:15:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35184007",
          "commentText": "I like books that are actionable. Lots of books are inspirational but not that useful (e.g. crossing the chasm). I run a curriculum in my company which uses a few books I have read over the years.\nemyth revisited (how to think about and structure an org)\ngetting to yes (negotiation)\ninfluence the psychology of persuasion (negotiation)\nspin selling (enterprise sales, supplanted by sandler)\nYou cant teach a kid to ride a bike at a seminar (sandler sales)\n5 dysfunctions of a team (one of the best leadership books)\nfirst break all the rules (management)\naccounting for dummies\npurple cow (differentiation)\nblue ocean strategy (differentiation)\ntraction (strategy/operations)\nrocketfuel (strategy/operations)\nfor professional services:\nmanaging the professional services firm\ngetting naked",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "getting to yes (negotiation)",
          "reason": "Includes it in a company curriculum for negotiation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17036302,
          "author": "sidcool",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-10T04:09:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17036302",
          "commentText": "I can recommend two books, Crucial Conversations, and Getting to Yes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can recommend two books, Crucial Conversations, and Getting to Yes.",
          "reason": "Named as one of two books the commenter recommends.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10234583,
          "author": "Mz",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T17:01:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10234583",
          "commentText": "You might find books on social psychology helpful.\nAt one point in his career, my ex was a military recruiter. They get world class sales training. He borrowed my textbook from the social psych class I had taken and I didn't see it again until his tour of duty as a recruiter was over.\nI will also recommend \"Getting to yes\" which is research based and a quick read and \"The mind and heart of the negotiator\", which is also research based but meatier. I believe there is a free version of the latter available online. These were both required texts for my class on conflict management and negotiation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I will also recommend \"Getting to yes\" which is research based and a quick read",
          "reason": "Recommended as a research-based, quick read for conflict management and negotiation.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking help with sales, conflict management, or negotiation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10027759,
          "author": "officemonkey",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T16:28:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027759",
          "commentText": "\"Getting to Yes\" is probably the shortest, most useful book I've ever read. If you have to negotiate anything, this book will help.\nI read it 22 years ago and it pays off regularly.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Getting to Yes\" is probably the shortest, most useful book I've ever read.",
          "reason": "Describes it as the most useful book they've read and says it helps with negotiation.",
          "audience": "Anyone who has to negotiate anything.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348722,
          "author": "steveeq1",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:23:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348722",
          "commentText": "Interesting. I hate books that teach you how to negotiate like a scumbag (ie most trial attorneys and car salesmen) so this is a refreshing change of pace. I will put this on my to-read list. A book in similar vein is \"Getting to Yes\". which influenced me greatly in how to handle disputes. It was recommended by Charlie Munger, in his book \"Poor Charlie's Almanack\" (antoher great book).\nAlso, check out \"Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger\". Both that and Poor Charlie's Almanack are two books that describe the Warren Buffett/Charlie Munger way of thinking. In fact, I found out about \"Getting to Yes\" through those two books. Read them, these three books changed my outlook on life in a big way.\nA summary of these books is here: http://sivers.org/book/SeekingWisdom",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A book in similar vein is \"Getting to Yes\". which influenced me greatly in how to handle disputes.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it greatly influenced how they handle disputes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6933818,
          "author": "cmwelsh",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-19T10:25:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 6921805,
          "threadTitle": "What book has inspired you the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6933818",
          "commentText": "Getting to Yes by Fisher, Ury, and Patton\nEverything in life is negotiable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Getting to Yes by Fisher, Ury, and Patton\nEverything in life is negotiable.",
          "reason": "Lists the book as an answer to the question about inspiring books and follows with a broad claim about negotiation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 947710,
          "author": "jason_tko",
          "createdAt": "2009-11-18T03:08:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 947581,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN:  What's the best first business book for a programmer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=947710",
          "commentText": "Great question.\nFirstly, the more I've gotten involved in business over the years, the more I've come to realise that for any kind of sale requiring human contact, personal relationships are absolutely paramount.\nThis is fairly straightforward, but it bears repeating.  People will buy from people who they like.  In a situation where a customer can choose between Vendor A and Vendor B who have similar products and prices, they will choose the likable Vendor A who is friendly and who they enjoy getting a call from.  This is 100 times more powerful than Vendor B who has 3 additional features that are really great, but who has made no attempt to establish any kind of relationship with the customer.\nAs such, the first book I would recommend would be the classic \"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" by Dale Carnegie.\nOnce you've got a handle on that, \"Ready, Fire, Aim\" by Michael Masterson talks about the value of moving quickly, selling quickly, and figuring out the finer details as you're moving along.  This was invaluable for me, since I used to want to have everything pretty much perfect before moving.  This was negative because it took a long time to get anything to market, and also because theory rarely survives direct contact with reality - the adjustment period in the first stage of operations is critical to the overall success of the project.  This book also has plenty of enjoyable personal stories and business anecdotes that make it very readable.\nI second \"Made to Stick\" as a great study on what makes things popular, and how they become popular.\nIt's really hard to narrow down more book recommendations actually - I've read hundreds of books over the years on a variety of topics.  What I found I needed to do, was continuously seek out good books and learn about topics as they arose.\nGenerally when it comes to book learning and business, I would recommend this : figure out your basic plan, and get started.\nOnce you encounter your first problem, seek help (ideally from both a mentor and some books).\nFor instance, you've built a product, now you want to sell it.  You hop on Google Ads and put down $400.  You've got a solid click through rate, and 2 weeks later, zero sales.\nTime to learn about marketing.  Seek out some good marketing books (Your Marketing Sucks is very good), buy them, read them, and ask your mentor about them.\nNow you're making some sales, and a Sales guy approaches you.  He bought your product, and he likes it.  He's interested to become your salesperson.  Next you need to find some good books on negotiation (Getting To Yes).  Of course, you're also going to need to get some advice from a lawyer or a mentor to ensure that the deal you do is fair and economically sustainable.\nDifferent books will provide all sorts of different benefits and insights depending on the stage of your business and your level of experience.  Book selection should be a continual process.\nHope this is helpful and best of luck.  Please feel free to contact me if you need anything else.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Next you need to find some good books on negotiation (Getting To Yes).",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a negotiation book when arranging a salesperson deal.",
          "audience": "People negotiating business agreements.",
          "caveat": "The commenter also advises seeking legal or mentor advice to ensure the deal is fair and sustainable.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 57091,
          "author": "jamiequint",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T22:16:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=57091",
          "commentText": "Never Eat Alone,\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People,\nGetting to Yes,\nThe Effective Executive\n...and like 40 more, too many to list!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Getting to Yes",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roger Fisher",
        "William Ury",
        "Bruce Patton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "negotiation",
        "conflict resolution",
        "conflict management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "invisible-cities-b37dcf",
      "title": "Invisible Cities",
      "author": "Italo Calvino",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43611717,
          "author": "anddt",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T14:08:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43611717",
          "commentText": "Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino.",
          "reason": "Listed as a book worth the reader's time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38560202,
          "author": "monkeypicks",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T18:52:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38560202",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\nVictory City- new Salman Rushdie book. Great retelling of the history of one of the great medieval South Indian kingdoms. Not his best, but his writing is still top notch.\nSea of Tranquility- speculative fiction from Emily St. John Mandel (of Station Eleven fame). It's a series of interconnected stories spanning centuries from the near past to the near future. Beautifully written. Read when I was down with COVID earlier this year and it invaded my dreams (in a good way). Short and easy read.\nGiovanni's Room- story of an American expat in Paris caught between his love for a man and his duty to his girlfriend. This is the first James Baldwin book I have read but will definitely check out more of his work in 2024.\nTheory of Bastards- speculative fiction by Audrey Schulmann. Literary sci-fi similar to Station Eleven. It's about a woman researching primate behavior set in the near future where the earth is ravaged by the effects of climate change. Very well researched, beautifully written and nothing like I have ever read before. This won the 2019 Philip K Dick Award.\nInvisible Cities- literary fiction by Italo Calvino. It's less than 200 pages but a very dense and tough read. It's a conversation between Marco Polo and Kublai Khan where MP is describing cities in KK's vast empire. It's a strange, strange book that I think I will return to often. If you liked the world building in Piranesi and want more, this is the book for you. Calvino describes 55 cities in under 200 pages, with each one feeling very different. Again, first Calvino book I have read and will definitely check out more of his works in 2024.\nNon-fiction:\nThinking in Systems: A Primer- by Donella Meadows. Read this based on HN's recommendation. Thank you!\nOn Intelligence- by Jeff Hawkins. This was on my shelf for years and am glad I got to read it this year. The creator of the Palm Pilot presents his theory of intelligence and how the brain works. It's compelling. I hope to read his follow up book in 2024. Would love HN's recommendations of similar books.\nA Primate's Memoir- by Robert M. Sapolsky. Enjoyable read of the author's research on Savannah baboons and his adventures in Africa. His love for primates and humans alike come through clearly.\nBuild: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making- by Tony Fadell. A great business book by the co-founder of Nest. Draws on his experience both as a startup founder and leading innovative teams at large tech companies (Apple, in his case). Just as any business book, this could have been shorter and less repetitive but thankfully, there is enough good material here to be a book rather than a blog post.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If you liked the world building in Piranesi and want more, this is the book for you.",
          "reason": "Recommends it to readers who want more imaginative world building.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoyed the world building in Piranesi.",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it dense and tough to read.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34173796,
          "author": "cableshaft",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-29T15:48:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34173796",
          "commentText": "I've never been to Venice so perhaps I would appreciate it more after that.\nI did become a bit more interested in visiting Venice after watching this one video by DamiLee on Hurry Sickness and how the structure of Venice is like a labyrinth, designed to slow you down and encourage you to wander, as if it were somewhat of a soul-healing mechanism. She also mentions Invisible Cities in the video:\nhttps://youtu.be/iuIZuUCKd84",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "She also mentions Invisible Cities in the video",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a book discussed in the video; no opinion about the book is given.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30829530,
          "author": "mdp2021",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T11:58:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30829530",
          "commentText": "Gödel, Escher, Bach is an artistic appetizer over the stimulating world of structures, - not a manual.\nThey young mind is opened by being shown relations it did not yet see.\nRead the extreme in that direction:\nItalo Calvino - Le città invisibili\n(which not only masterfully connects ideas, but most of the realm of existence and experience) - you should be able to see that principle at its apex. And there is no technical teaching: just an education to see the subtle.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Italo Calvino - Le città invisibili\n(which not only masterfully connects ideas, but most of the realm of existence and experience)",
          "reason": "Praised for connecting ideas and experiences, and presented as an example of subtle education.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in literary connections between ideas and experience.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it offers no technical teaching.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26594717,
          "author": "dfxm12",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-26T17:30:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26594717",
          "commentText": "Fiction, yes. I've recently read and recommend Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami (which in a way is a blend of sci fi and fantasy), Cannery Row by John Steinbeck, and Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut.\nOn Deck, I have Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy, Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino.",
          "reason": "The commenter lists it as a book they plan to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23157245,
          "author": "ghotli",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T17:55:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23157245",
          "commentText": "Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino\nProse poems, short 1-2 page descriptions of fictional cities. It’s a good gift to give and I like to pick it up at random, open to a random one, and sit with the imagery it conjures.\nIf I had a ‘you could bring one thing to a deserted island’ then that would be it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino",
          "reason": "Describes it as prose poems about fictional cities and a book they enjoy revisiting at random.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy short, image-rich prose and browsing a book in small sections.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22724560,
          "author": "juliemecca",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T02:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22724560",
          "commentText": "+1 for Invisible Cities, and just about everything else by Calvino. Also, is your HN name a Borges reference?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for Invisible Cities, and just about everything else by Calvino.",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the recommendation and endorses Calvino's other work broadly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804894,
          "author": "knzhou",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:29:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804894",
          "commentText": "I try to only read books that are at least a few years old, so these aren’t timely recommendations.\nOn the list for next year:\nThe Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language\nEssays of Montaign\nWhy Zebras Don't Get Ulcers\nHigher Speculations: Grand Theories and Failed Revolutions in Physics and Cosmology\nThe Enigma of Reason\nSurfing Uncertainty: Prediction, Action, and the Embodied Mind\nImpro\nDeng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China\nInvisible Cities\nCollapse of Complex Societies\n--\nFavorites from this year:\nDeath's End\nOne Man's Meat\nLife Ascending: The Ten Great Inventions of Evolution\nA Primate's Memoir: A Neuroscientist's Unconventional Life Among the Baboons\nDo No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery\nCosmicomics\nWhy Quark Rhymes with Pork\nThe Unfolding of Language\nA Sand County Almanac",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Invisible Cities",
          "reason": "Listed among books planned for next year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18664837,
          "author": "hypertexthero",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T15:46:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664837",
          "commentText": "The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin. Surprised at the amount of wisdom about life succinctly communicated on so many of the pages. Recommended.\nInvisible Cities by Italo Calvino.\nFrankenstein: The 1818 Text by Mary Shelley.\nWhat I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7001473,
          "author": "sobbybutter",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-02T19:08:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 7001282,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7001473",
          "commentText": "Antifragile by Nassim Taleb\nInvisible Cities by Italo Calvino\nIl deserto dei tartari (The Tartar Steppe) by Dino Buzzati\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that inspired readers or changed their worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Invisible Cities",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 241095,
          "author": "tstegart",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T13:26:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=241095",
          "commentText": "Nooooo! Don't say invisible cities. Evil book about nothing! Unfortunately, its still on my bookshelf because I was required to buy it at art school in Milwaukee. Ugh.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Don't say invisible cities. Evil book about nothing!",
          "reason": "The commenter disparages the book as an evil book about nothing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they had to buy it for art school.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240653,
          "author": "ctkrohn",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T02:07:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240653",
          "commentText": "This summer I've read/am reading/am planning to read:\n* The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York (Robert Caro)\n* Options Volatility & Pricing: Advanced Trading Strategies and Techniques (Sheldon Natenberg)\n* Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898 (Edwin Burrows & Mike Wallace)\n* Egil's Saga (anonymous)\n* Invisible Cities (Italo Calvino)\nIf you have any interest in the history of New York City at all, or if you're interested in seeing an incredibly well done character study, read \"The Power Broker.\"  Probably the best biography I've ever read... Ron Chernow's biographies of J. P. Morgan, Rockefeller, and Hamilton are all great, but Caro's on Robert Moses blew me away.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "* Invisible Cities (Italo Calvino)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Italo Calvino"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Art",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "imaginary cities",
        "experimental fiction",
        "fantastical cities"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "musashi-99e5fd",
      "title": "Musashi",
      "author": "Eiji Yoshikawa",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31968910,
          "author": "rscho",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T16:29:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31968910",
          "commentText": "Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa. Great for entertainment as well as enlightenment.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa. Great for entertainment as well as enlightenment.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it offers entertainment and enlightenment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21912193,
          "author": "supersrdjan",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-30T09:49:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21912193",
          "commentText": "If you are adding Shogun then surely you also must add Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa. A sprawling epic loosely based on history, with real historical people as characters",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you are adding Shogun then surely you also must add Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa. A sprawling epic loosely based on history, with real historical people as characters",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends adding it alongside Shogun and praises it as a sprawling historical epic.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in historical epics and real historical figures.",
          "caveat": "Loosely based on history.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21905544,
          "author": "matwood",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T12:26:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21905544",
          "commentText": "Musashi - This is the classic Samurai novel. The lessons about life and finding my path shaped me probably more than any book I've ever read.\nExtreme Ownership - As I have advanced in my career, it became clear that leadership and communication are the keys to success. EO (and related books by the same author) provides so many varied benefits, but the largest for me was to detach, check my ego, and control my emotions. Thinking in this manner has literally changed every relationship I have for the better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Musashi - This is the classic Samurai novel. The lessons about life and finding my path shaped me probably more than any book I've ever read.",
          "reason": "Its life lessons and themes of finding a path shaped the commenter substantially.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296535,
          "author": "Gatsky",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T06:41:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296535",
          "commentText": "Wish I read earlier:\nThe War of Art, by Steven Pressfield\nMusashi, by Eiji Yoshikawa",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Musashi, by Eiji Yoshikawa",
          "reason": "Listed as a book the commenter wishes they had read earlier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14743175,
          "author": "fadolf",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T11:19:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14743175",
          "commentText": "Musashi by  Eiji Yoshikawa\nThe Story is breathtaking and the teachings are divine.\nIt currently has the potential to change my life, i even marked some sentences and put tapes to important pages that concern my life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Musashi by  Eiji Yoshikawa\nThe Story is breathtaking and the teachings are divine.",
          "reason": "Calls the story breathtaking and its teachings divine, and says it could change their life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2640258,
          "author": "cl3m",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T09:34:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2640258",
          "commentText": "Musashi http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musashi_%28novel%29",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Musashi",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2330041,
          "author": "shantanubala",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-15T23:57:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 2329700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that change your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2330041",
          "commentText": "If you do a search through HN, you'll find some really good recommendations.\nRead The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb (Fooled By Randomness is also good) if you want to peer into the mind of an investor.\nRead Hesse's Siddhartha if you're thinking along the lines of culture/religion/philosophy.\nRead a few Ayn Rand books if you like libertarianism and don't really care to relate to the characters.\nRead We by Yevgheny Zamyatin if you want an interesting allegory that metaphorically compares heaven to a dystopian dictatorship.\nRead Unweaving the Rainbow by Richard Dawkins if you're very interested in the sciences.\nI remember Sebastian Marshall recommending Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa -- I'd recommend it too. It's pretty good, and I was especially interested since I've been doing marshal arts for over 10 years now.\nAnd read Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! no matter how you think. It's fantastic.\nEDIT: More Books!\nI read these when I was in elementary school, but they still hold their value:\nThe Giver by Lois Lowry if you want more dystopias.\nThe Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery if you're feeling especially playful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend it too. It's pretty good",
          "reason": "The commenter agrees with a recommendation and says the book is pretty good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1754298,
          "author": "GotToStartup",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-04T02:04:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1754298",
          "commentText": "Bought the book because of this comment. I'm yet to read it though.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Bought the book because of this comment. I'm yet to read it though.",
          "reason": "Bought it after seeing the recommendation, but has not read it yet.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Has not read the book yet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227444,
          "author": "lionhearted",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T20:14:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227444",
          "commentText": "> I must say you really sold the Musashi book to me. Definitely going to buy it next time I buy books. Thanks.\nYou're going to love it :) I damn near never guarantee someone is going to love a book, but I figure almost anyone here would. Everyone, literally everyone I'd recommended or gifted a copy of Musashi too is crazy about the book.\nAt the risk of getting way ahead of myself, Taiko by the same author is quite good too, but larger in scope - more characters, more history, a bit more work but still a good story. If you really like Japan or Yoshikawa's writing style, check that out afterwards. But for now, you're in good hands with Musashi. Feel free to drop me an email if you've got thoughts as you're reading, my email is in my profile.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you're in good hands with Musashi.",
          "reason": "Strongly reassures the reader they will enjoy the book and says nearly everyone recommended or gifted a copy loved it.",
          "audience": "Readers who like Japan or historical fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227073,
          "author": "lionhearted",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T17:48:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227073",
          "commentText": "If you're talented and get frustrated with stupid people, you have to read \"Musashi\" by Eiji Yoshikawa. I mean, you have to.\nMusashi was one of the greatest (maybe the greatest) swordsman of all time. He invented a Japanese longblade/shortblade mixed style of swordsmanship, at one point fighting himself out of an ambush when he was attacked by over 30 men. He was undefeated in over 60 duels, including defeating arguably the second best swordsman in Japan at the time while fighting with a wooden oar he carved into a rough swordlike shape.\nHere's Musashi's Wikipedia page:\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miyamoto_Musashi\nThe book by Eiji Yoshikawa is historical fiction - it's period accurate and follows all of Musashi's most well known story. It fills in some other details we don't know of Musashi's life - how he might have trained, some minor scuffles with bandits of the day, and it added a love story.\nThe book is exceptional. Musashi has immense amounts of raw talent, but is in conflict with himself in the world, arrogant, keeps getting into problems and trouble until he comes to more mastery and wisdom. Seriously, I read a lot, and this is hands-down my favorite book of all time. It's a hell of an enjoyable read, really pleasant and beautiful, fun and adventurous, but also filled with deep wisdom. It's a great swashbuckling story, but also teaches you about thinking critically, tactics, strategy, training, tradeoffs, and so on. Just a masterpiece. Easily the most influential book of my life.\nNo affiliate link:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Musashi-Eiji-Yoshikawa/dp/4770019572\nWhilst on subject, I'll also recommend Husain Haddawy's translation of Arabian Nights, which is uproariously funny and also contains a lot of wisdom, and \"The E-Myth Revisited\" by Michael Gerber, which I consider the Bible of small business. I buy a copy of E-Myth and make anyone I'm going to partner with read it before I'll do business with them.\nArabian Nights:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Arabian-Nights-Norton-Critical-Edition... (http://www.amazon.com/Arabian-Nights-Norton-Critical-Editions/dp/039392808X)\nE-Myth:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/E-Myth-Revisited-Small-Businesses-Abou... (http://www.amazon.com/E-Myth-Revisited-Small-Businesses-About/dp/0887307280)\nEdit: Wow, that's quite a few upvotes pretty quickly. If you pick a copy of one of these and enjoy it, feel free to shoot me an email if you want to chat about it. These books have been huge for my life, and not enough people read, so I don't get to talk books as much as I'd like. Also, people with similar tastes feel free to make recommendations either commenting here or by email. Lurkers too! I'm always looking for great books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book is exceptional. Musashi has immense amounts of raw talent, but is in conflict with himself in the world, arrogant, keeps getting into problems and trouble until he comes to more mastery and wisdom. Seriously, I read a lot, and this is hands-down my favorite book of all time.",
          "reason": "Calls it an exceptional, enjoyable, beautiful, and wise book, and their favorite of all time.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy historical fiction, adventure, and themes of strategy and personal growth.",
          "caveat": "Historical fiction that fills in some details of Musashi's life and adds a love story.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 456316,
          "author": "lionhearted",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T13:43:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456316",
          "commentText": "A quick read is Wikipedia's summary of Miyamoto Musashi's \"Book of Five Rings\" - it's about Japanese swordsmanship in the early 1600's in a variety of situations: Full-on combat, a duel, outnumbered, with high/low ground, etc. It's strategic more than tactical, and if you like Sun Tzu you might dig it.\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_Five_Rings\nThe story of his life, \"Musashi,\" is one of my favorite books of all time and has good strategic and philosophical discussion mixed in with some really riveting action and social commentary. Musashi had a lot of potential at a young age, but was extremely undisciplined and constantly had it out with the law, society, and people whose motivations he couldn't understand. The book chronicles him becoming the greatest swordsman in Japanese history. An incredible read, especially for anyone who was bright at young age but questioned a hell of a lot of society's rules.\nAmazon (no affiliate B.S., just a great book):\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Musashi-Eiji-Yoshikawa/dp/4770019572",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "one of my favorite books of all time",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its strategic and philosophical discussion, riveting action, and social commentary.",
          "audience": "Readers who were bright when young and questioned society's rules.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eiji Yoshikawa"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "samurai",
        "historical fiction",
        "historical epic",
        "historical novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pattern-recognition-200ad6",
      "title": "Pattern Recognition",
      "author": "William Gibson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32198213,
          "author": "rektide",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T23:09:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32198213",
          "commentText": "A lot of sci-fi. I keep a couple things in flight all the time, go where I feel moved. Currently: Stand on Zanzibar, (Brunner, 1968) 88% through, 2 months. Babel 17, (Delany, 1966), 66% through / 1 month. Also, Revenant Gun, (Han Lee, 2018) about 15% through / 2 months. Also, Catcher in the Rye (Salinger, 1946), 60% through, 3 months. Gnomon, (Harkaway, 2017) 40% through, 4 months.\nCheating here accounting other recent reads, but I've finished a couple others in the intervening time. Long Way to a Small Angry Planet (Chambers, 2014, reread), Dark Tower (book 7), (King, 2004). Pattern Recognition, (Gibson, 2004, reread). Revolution Business (Book 5 of Merchant Prince, Stross, 2009). Aurora (Stanley-Robinson, 2015).\nI have some other stuff I read at a more leasiurely piece-by-piece pace, mostly materialistic philosophy / nerdery.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Pattern Recognition, (Gibson, 2004, reread).",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Reread.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13570421,
          "author": "FullMtlAlcoholc",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-05T02:15:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13570421",
          "commentText": "I loved Pattern Recognition. As someone who also has an aversion to logos and branding, I immediately connected with Case.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved Pattern Recognition.",
          "reason": "Says they loved the book and connected with its protagonist over an aversion to logos and branding.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567973,
          "author": "chc4",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T17:48:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567973",
          "commentText": "Pattern Recognition by William Gibson. Really, anything by Gibson is worth reading multiple times, simply for the great writing style. Pattern Recognition also does something special: have you really ever /thought/ about brands and advertising? Lots of commentary on culture, memetic fashion, and what it means.\nRecursion by Tony Ballantyne is a book that I didn't actually like all that much, but reread anyways. It covers a lot of topics I love (global AIs, Von Neumann Machines, tulpas, trusting trust, and a totalitarian utopia). The plot leaves a lot to be desired, but the concepts are worth it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pattern Recognition by William Gibson. Really, anything by Gibson is worth reading multiple times, simply for the great writing style. Pattern Recognition also does something special: have you really ever /thought/ about brands and advertising? Lots of commentary on culture, memetic fashion, and what it means.",
          "reason": "Praises Gibson’s writing and says the novel has distinctive cultural commentary.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13119088,
          "author": "pasbesoin",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-06T23:10:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13119088",
          "commentText": "More than a year ago, I picked up William Gibson's \"Pattern Recognition.\"  I wasn't sure what I thought of it, at first, but it became increasingly interesting and I finished it.  This year, I picked up the third novel in the series that \"Pattern Recognition\" started.\nIt's a different world than that of \"Neuromancer\" et al., but I've come to find Gibson's portrayal of and thinking about it quite interesting.\nThis year, I also helped someone out for a while who is considerably into fashions of some sorts (make up, running shoes and attire, other stuff more by just doing it than by talking about it).\nI'm finding Gibson's latest trilogy giving me new eyes on all this.  And, in today's world of \"image\", it's not just and interesting but a valuable perspective.  Treatise.  Extrapolation...\nNot the most in your face of sci fi titles, but subtly compelling, for me.\nPerhaps partially sub-consciously.  Just like the world he's describing.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I picked up William Gibson's \"Pattern Recognition.\" I wasn't sure what I thought of it, at first, but it became increasingly interesting and I finished it.",
          "reason": "Describes growing interest in the novel but gives no clear recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10207278,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T04:56:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10207278",
          "commentText": "Neuromancer - William Gibson\nREAMDE- Neal Stephenson\nPattern Recognition / Zero History / Spook Country - William Gibson\nThe Peripheral - William Gibson\nNot exactly the same thing, but I'll also throw in Glasshouse by Charles Stross.  And since we're talking Charles Stross, also add Halting State to the list.\nOh, and VALIS by Philip K. Dick.  Definitely worth a read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pattern Recognition / Zero History / Spook Country - William Gibson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8026501,
          "author": "wj",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-13T03:03:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 8025870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8026501",
          "commentText": "Zero History by William Gibson. Half way through.\nPattern Recognition, the first of the trilogy, was my favorite.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pattern Recognition, the first of the trilogy, was my favorite.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it their favorite of the trilogy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7302496,
          "author": "jlees",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T02:46:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7302496",
          "commentText": "What did you like about it? I'd suggest Tad Williams' Otherland, Neal Stephenson's Diamond Age & Snow Crash, and Gibson's Pattern Recognition purely based on subject matter (gamey-cyberpunk-ARG-AI), but none is quite as lighthearted in terms of nodding towards videogame culture.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gibson's Pattern Recognition purely based on subject matter",
          "reason": "Suggests it based on its subject matter.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in gamey cyberpunk, ARGs, or AI.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not as lighthearted in its treatment of videogame culture.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4967406,
          "author": "jlees",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T23:12:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967406",
          "commentText": "I wouldn't class Ready Player One as the best book of 2012, but it was certainly enjoyable (when I read it in 2011). I prefer This Is Not A Game and Pattern Recognition in this genre; also worth checking out is Tad Williams' Otherland series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I prefer This Is Not A Game and Pattern Recognition in this genre",
          "reason": "The commenter says they prefer it to Ready Player One in the genre.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4353871,
          "author": "e12e",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-08T04:16:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 4353632,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon.  What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4353871",
          "commentText": "If you enjoyed \"Snow Crash\" and \"Diamond Age\", I'd recommend \"Islands in the Net\" (if you can get hold of a copy) and \"Holy Fire\" by Bruce Sterling. Or for something newer, \"the Zenith Angle\" by same.\nI've also enjoyed all of Willam Gibsons books, including the latest trilogy \"Pattern Recognition\", \"Spook Country\" and \"Zero History\".\nIf you bothered to read through \"Cryptonomicon\" you'll either love \"the Code Book\" by Simon Singh more than I did, or hate it :-)\nAssuming you've picket through the classics shelf, you might have missed out on Samuel Delany - \"The Einstein Intersection\" might be a good one to try on for size -- although I actually found \"Neveryóna\" to be maybe his most interesting book (of the ones I've been able to get hold of) [edit: After \"Dhalgren\", that is. But I think \"Dhalgren\" is a bit like Joyce's \"Ulysses\" -- a classic I haven't gotten around to yet. I spent the better part of ten (10!) years reading through \"Dhalgren\", picking it up on odd holidays - never loosing touch with the intricate unreality within, readily satisfied after reading a few pages or a chapter -- like nibbling on a choice ham that didn't spoil. It's rather more complex than any of the other books I've listed here].\nAlso worth mentioning in the \"might be overlooked\" section is Jerry Pournelle's \"Falkenberg's Legion\" (republished as \"the Prince\").\nI'm afraid I've been mostly digging through second hand books lately, so the only other semi-recent book I could recommend would be \"Broken Angels\" by Richard Morgan (technically it's number two in a trilogy -- but I find it stands better on its own).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've also enjoyed all of Willam Gibsons books, including the latest trilogy \"Pattern Recognition\"",
          "reason": "Included among Gibson's books, which the commenter says they have enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1872097,
          "author": "util",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-05T04:56:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1872097",
          "commentText": "\"Pattern Recognition\" by William Gibson\n\"The Algorithm Design Manual\" by Steve Skiena",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Pattern Recognition\" by William Gibson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140549,
          "author": "airhadoken",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T05:03:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140549",
          "commentText": "I thought Pattern Recognition (same author) was quite inspiring, though I don't know if it counts as most people's definition of science fiction.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I thought Pattern Recognition (same author) was quite inspiring",
          "reason": "The commenter found it inspiring.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether it fits most people’s definition of science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Gibson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "near future fiction",
        "speculative fiction",
        "branding",
        "consumer culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "showstopper-the-breakneck-race-to-create-windows-nt-and-the-next--144678",
      "title": "Showstopper!: The Breakneck Race to Create Windows NT and the Next Generation at Microsoft",
      "author": "G. Pascal Zachary",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46491038,
          "author": "markus_zhang",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-04T19:00:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 46483863,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading list for being a better engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46491038",
          "commentText": "I'd say anything that inspires you to move to a career that focuses on engineering, that you cannot get away by being half-ass, is a good book.\nI recommend two books, none of them is technical. \"Showstopper! The Breakneck Race to Create Windows NT and the Next Generation at Microsoft\" and \"The soul of a new machine\".\nOnce you put yourself at the edge of knife, everything you want comes naturally, because you either swim or die.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Showstopper! The Breakneck Race to Create Windows NT and the Next Generation at Microsoft\"",
          "reason": "Recommended as an inspiring account of engineering work.",
          "audience": "People looking for inspiration to pursue demanding engineering work.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not a technical book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43612543,
          "author": "ferguess_k",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T15:21:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43612543",
          "commentText": "A short list of books that cost some candles after I reached 40 (has been very picky about books since then). I not only read them into late night but also went back to them whenever I need some mental boost.\n- The Soul of a New Machine\n- Showstoppers\n- iWoz\n- Athens and Jerusalem (Shestov)\nI'm devouring many F & SFs (right now reading Arthur Clarke) but so far nothing really sticks. A lot of them are interesting but I'm keeping counting the pages I read. I used to burn candles reading them back in the day, but the magic was lost. I'm going to try out some recommendations I got on HN and see what happens.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Showstoppers",
          "reason": "Included in the short list of books the commenter rereads for a mental boost.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42655951,
          "author": "ghaff",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T14:42:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42655951",
          "commentText": "If we're recommending Showstopper (which I do), I'd add Soul of a New Machine about Data General, where I worked for many years--but a bit later.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If we're recommending Showstopper (which I do)",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it for people interested in engineering, as described in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "People interested in a pure engineering life.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32791307,
          "author": "pieterr",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T15:08:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32791307",
          "commentText": "Showstopper! - G. Pascal Zachary\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Showstopper-Breakneck-Windows-Generat... (https://www.amazon.com/Showstopper-Breakneck-Windows-Generation-Microsoft-ebook/dp/B00J5X5E9U/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Showstopper! - G. Pascal Zachary",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32200252,
          "author": "ylee",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-23T04:06:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32200252",
          "commentText": "Currently actively reading:\nThe Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War by Clark\nThe Napoleonic Wars: A Global History by Mikaberidze\nAn Introduction to Programming in Emacs Lisp by Chassell\nThe Girl from the Channel Islands by Lecoat\nRecently completed:\nLeviathan Falls by Corey\nIron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia, 1600-1947 by Clark\nShowstopper! the Breakneck Race to Create Windows NT and the Next Generation at Microsoft by Zachary\nMercury Rising: John Glenn, John Kennedy, and the New Battleground of the Cold War by Shesol\nSeeking Love in Modern Britain: Gender, Dating and the Rise of 'the Single' by Strimpel\nThe Club: Johnson, Boswell, and the Friends Who Shaped an Age by Damrosch\nCome Fly with Us: NASA's Payload Specialist Program by Croft\nAerial Warfare: The Battle for the Skies by Ledwidge\nDe Gaulle by Jackson\n1913: The Year Before the Storm by Illies\nVichy France by Paxton\nYear Zero by Reid\nAnd the Show Went On: Cultural Life in Nazi-occupied Paris by Riding\nThe Kinsman Saga by Bova\nThe Triumph of William McKinley: Why the Election of 1896 Still Matters by Rove\nLa Place De La Concorde Suisse by McPhee\nEnd of a Berlin Diary by Shirer\nSeizing the Enigma: The Race to Break the German U-Boat Codes, 1933-1945 by Kahn\nHell and Good Company: The Spanish Civil War and the World it Made by Rhodes\nThe Forgotten Depression: 1921 : The Crash that Cured Itself by Grant\nBernard Baruch by Grant\nWool by Howey\nProject Hail Mary by Weir",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Showstopper! the Breakneck Race to Create Windows NT and the Next Generation at Microsoft by Zachary",
          "reason": "Listed among recently completed books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22710053,
          "author": "spondyl",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T09:06:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22710053",
          "commentText": "I can also recommend Showstoppers. One thing I thought was interesting is that Dave Cutler swore by taking his vacations on time, every time. It's a stark contrast to the \"hustle\" culture you sometimes hear, given how highly regarded he is at his profession",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can also recommend Showstoppers.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommended; the commenter highlights Dave Cutler's vacation habits as an interesting contrast to hustle culture.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22707201,
          "author": "ghaff",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T21:47:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22707201",
          "commentText": "The Soul of a New Machine by Tracy Kidder. Probably the best book on product development ever written. Command Line Heroes podcast on it: https://www.redhat.com/en/command-line-heroes/season-4/minic... (https://www.redhat.com/en/command-line-heroes/season-4/minicomputers) (Disclosure: I work for Red Hat)\nAlso worth checking out in this vein is Showstopper about the development of Windows NT which focuses on the role of Dave Cutler.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also worth checking out in this vein is Showstopper about the development of Windows NT",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a book about the development of Windows NT.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17205246,
          "author": "linuxlizard",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T13:48:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205246",
          "commentText": "_Showstopper_ One of the best tech books, after _Soul of a New Machine_ (recommended in the comments, too). Covers Microsoft's creation of Windows NT.\n_DEC is Dead. Long Live DEC_  about the rise and fall of Digital Equipment Corporation.\n_Skunkworks_ Lockheed-Martin's creation of the SR-71.\n_Moneyball_ using math to build a top flight US baseball team.\nBroadening the category a bit:\n_The Smartest Guys in the Room_ is about Enron's collapse. Not directly related to computer tech but definitely tech and people.\n_Billion Dollar Lessons_ covers several spectacular company failures. Again, not strictly tech related but amazing stories of crash & burn. Includes (IIRC) Iridium, Kodak, IBM.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "_Showstopper_ One of the best tech books",
          "reason": "Called one of the best tech books and noted for its account of Windows NT’s creation.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in technology companies and product development.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 602092,
          "author": "wallflower",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-10T13:26:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 601903,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fictional books related to startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=602092",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction but I love \"Showstopper\" about Dave Cutler and Windows NT 1.0.\nThere's a great little story in there about a developer's months-long struggle to draw a Window onscreen for the first time from scratch. I loved the descriptions of how they coded up everything from bare metal. As you'll see, Dave Cutler is one of those rare firebrands.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Non-fiction but I love \"Showstopper\" about Dave Cutler and Windows NT 1.0.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they love it and describes a story they loved in the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Nonfiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135444,
          "author": "mosburger",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T20:04:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135444",
          "commentText": "-Showstopper by G. Pascal Zachary\n-The Design of Everyday Things by Donald Norman\n-UNIX in a Nutshell (O'Reilly book written by Arnold Robbins)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Showstopper by G. Pascal Zachary",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "G. Pascal Zachary"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "microsoft",
        "windows nt",
        "software development",
        "software development history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-five-dysfunctions-of-a-team-5611b6",
      "title": "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team",
      "author": "Patrick Lencioni",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43950217,
          "author": "romanhn",
          "createdAt": "2025-05-11T00:34:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 43949411,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fictional business books like The Goal",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43950217",
          "commentText": "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni is another classic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni is another classic.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35184007,
          "author": "achenatx",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-16T16:15:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35184007",
          "commentText": "I like books that are actionable. Lots of books are inspirational but not that useful (e.g. crossing the chasm). I run a curriculum in my company which uses a few books I have read over the years.\nemyth revisited (how to think about and structure an org)\ngetting to yes (negotiation)\ninfluence the psychology of persuasion (negotiation)\nspin selling (enterprise sales, supplanted by sandler)\nYou cant teach a kid to ride a bike at a seminar (sandler sales)\n5 dysfunctions of a team (one of the best leadership books)\nfirst break all the rules (management)\naccounting for dummies\npurple cow (differentiation)\nblue ocean strategy (differentiation)\ntraction (strategy/operations)\nrocketfuel (strategy/operations)\nfor professional services:\nmanaging the professional services firm\ngetting naked",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "5 dysfunctions of a team (one of the best leadership books)",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the best leadership books and includes it in a company curriculum.",
          "audience": "People developing leadership skills.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33859795,
          "author": "markshead",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-05T00:33:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33859795",
          "commentText": "A few books that I've found useful:\nThe Goal - Eli Goldratt - It is a novel about optimizing a factory, but it is immensely valuable in thinking through what are the actual constraints on your team's ability to deliver software and how do you fix it without making other things worse. The Phoenix Project is kind of a modern retelling, but I'd start with The Goal.\nThe Principles of Product Development Flow - Reinersten - Great for thinking deeply about how you deliver value through your system and the tradeoffs you are making in what you choose to focus on next. Once again it isn't specific to software, but very relevant.\nThe 5 Dysfunctions of Teams - Lencioni - Common team problems and what to do instead.\nInfluence: Science and Practice - Cialdini - How to get people into agreement so you can move forward--a skill that can be used for both good and evil.\nThe Little Schemer - Friedman and Felleisen - It is kind of hard to describe why this would be useful, but I felt it made me think more deeply about what it means to program a computer in ways that indirectly supported the topics you mentioned. Or maybe I just happened to work through it at a point in my life when I was growing in those other areas too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 5 Dysfunctions of Teams - Lencioni",
          "reason": "Recommends it for understanding common team problems and what to do instead.",
          "audience": "People seeking to improve team functioning.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25556532,
          "author": "thebenedict",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-28T03:54:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 25554464,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books for dealing with workplace politics and dishonesty?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25556532",
          "commentText": "I've found The Five Dysfunctions of a Team useful. It's a clear description of things that go wrong when people work together, even when everyone has good intentions.\nI'll second the suggestion to speak with a professional therapist or coach if it's an option. These situations are difficult to navigate and a neutral perspective can be helpful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've found The Five Dysfunctions of a Team useful.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it usefully describes problems that arise when people work together, including when everyone has good intentions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21715377,
          "author": "achenatx",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T19:14:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21715377",
          "commentText": "Leadership for me is \"influencing people to create change\".\nWe use many books, but my favorite is 5 dysfunctions of a team.\nAfter that is first break all the rules\nBoth of these are extremely practical and give a model for how to operate on a daily basis.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "my favorite is 5 dysfunctions of a team",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it their favorite and says it is practical.",
          "audience": "People interested in team leadership.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21713523,
          "author": "abhiyerra",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T16:16:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21713523",
          "commentText": "- High-Ouput Management\n- Five Disfunctions of a Team\n- The Goal\n- Principles by Ray Dalio\n- Good Profit by Charles Koch\nAll of the books above cover some aspect of what you want but don’t seem to cover the whole picture. Further, a lot of it comes down to shared mental models. If you are coming from the perspective of action taking then the other person also assumes that you will take the action. I think Leader Eat Last explains this brilliantly and actually significantly changed the way I am trying to approach leadership as well as how I work with other people in general.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Five Disfunctions of a Team",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416244,
          "author": "navbaker",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T20:59:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416244",
          "commentText": "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team - Patrick Lencioni. It's a pretty fast read, I think the thing that stuck with me the most from it was the reassurance that (constructive) conflict on a team is not something to be avoided at all costs.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a pretty fast read, I think the thing that stuck with me the most from it was the reassurance that (constructive) conflict on a team is not something to be avoided at all costs.",
          "reason": "Values its reassurance that constructive team conflict need not be avoided.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8718694,
          "author": "zacharycohn",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T19:52:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8718694",
          "commentText": "The five dysfunctions of a team.\nThis book is now required reading for everyone I work with. Not only is the content some of the most important I've ever read, but 80% of the book is written like a novel, making it a VERY easy read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The five dysfunctions of a team.\nThis book is now required reading for everyone I work with. Not only is the content some of the most important I've ever read",
          "reason": "Calls its content among the most important they've read and makes it required reading for coworkers.",
          "audience": "Everyone the commenter works with.",
          "caveat": "No other caveat stated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6415890,
          "author": "suniltom",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-20T04:19:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6415890",
          "commentText": "Five Dysfunctions of a Team - by Patrick Lencioni\nVery simple, powerful read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Five Dysfunctions of a Team - by Patrick Lencioni\nVery simple, powerful read.",
          "reason": "Calls it a simple, powerful read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Very simple.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Patrick Lencioni"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "teamwork",
        "leadership",
        "organizational behavior",
        "team management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Navigate life",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-hero-with-a-thousand-faces-bfa845",
      "title": "The Hero with a Thousand Faces",
      "author": "Joseph Campbell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32939069,
          "author": "thefz",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:16:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32939069",
          "commentText": "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari is an obvious recommendation.\nThe Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell will ruin fiction for you, from the classic myth up to modern storytelling.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell will ruin fiction for you, from the classic myth up to modern storytelling.",
          "reason": "Recommends it with the caveat that it may alter how you experience fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it will ruin fiction for you.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15764732,
          "author": "xaedes",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T13:01:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15764732",
          "commentText": "I recommend reading George Campbell's \"The Hero with a Thousand Faces\".\nThis is about comparative mythology, aka comparative story telling. He works out the core elements and common concepts that appear in story telling across cultures and time.\nIt opened my mind to be able to understand all kinds of storys on another level.\nIn school I always hated literature. It was like they tried to make me do something I just didn't understand at all. Literature was just random stories for me and all interpretation and attribution of meaning was fruitless and had I to just guess/fake it. Yea maybe my education was just bad who knows, doesn't matter now.\nThe Hero with a Thousand Faces changed that. Now I was open for all the literature and saw everything in a new light. I could recognize common concepts in stories and human life in general.\nIt also opened my mind for later Alan Watts reads on the interconnected-ness of everything.\nSomeone already recommended \"The Way of Zen\" by Alan Watts, which I can only approve of! I'd also like to add \"The Book - On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are\", also by Watts.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend reading George Campbell's \"The Hero with a Thousand Faces\".",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it for understanding recurring elements in mythology and literature.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416091,
          "author": "snappye",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T20:37:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416091",
          "commentText": "Influence - Psychology of persuasion\nGun Germs and Steel\nHero with a thousand faces\nStarting Strength",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hero with a thousand faces",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144059,
          "author": "xiaoma",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:19:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144059",
          "commentText": "1) Hackers and Painters, by Paul Graham—This book had a huge influence on me and is why I left a successful and growing low tech business in Asia to move to California and become a software engineer.\n2) Zero to One, by Peter Thiel—Zero to one opened my eyes to several angles of business that I hadn't been thinking about. It made me think much harder about making long-term plans towards a concrete goal, even if changes must be made along the way. It also clarified my thoughts about the nature of competition and non-conformity. Courage is in even shorter supply than genius.\n3. The Hero with a Thousand Faces, by Joseph Campbell—While it's not a business book, this book is a deep look at mythology and psychology. I find it helpful both for understanding people and for understanding myself.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I find it helpful both for understanding people and for understanding myself.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helps them understand people and themselves.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is not a business book.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4787287,
          "author": "mvleming",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T05:38:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787287",
          "commentText": "The Seven Mysteries of Life I read last November over the span of a month, and this book is probably the one that has most-defined who I am today, even though it's been just a year. The author, Guy Murchie, spent 15 years writing it. From it I learned the most anybody is from me is 50th-cousin. I also learned that there are insects so small they don't feel gravity, and for them flying through the air feels like swimming. Seriously, get this book, it is earth-shattering.\nI'm also going to recommend another book but I hope not to undermine my first recommendation. It was written by Joseph Campbell and it's called The Hero with a Thousand Faces. I read it in January. In it Campbell writes of many mythological stories and then ties their common themes back to the journey the 'hero' must take. And from this journey the hero must take I got insights that were profound. I'm not kidding when I say I hold a deep reverence for this book.\nI hope you check 'em out. :)\nEdit: Here are the links to the books on Amazon:\nThe Seven Mysteries of Life: \nhttp://www.amazon.com/The-Seven-Mysteries-Life-Murchie/dp/03... (http://www.amazon.com/The-Seven-Mysteries-Life-Murchie/dp/0395957915/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352955359&sr=8-1&keywords=seven+mysteries+of+life)\nand The Hero with a Thousand Faces: \nhttp://www.amazon.com/Thousand-Faces-Collected-Joseph-Campbe... (http://www.amazon.com/Thousand-Faces-Collected-Joseph-Campbell/dp/1577315936/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352955351&sr=8-1&keywords=the+hero+with+a+thousand+faces)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I hope you check 'em out.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it offered profound insights and expresses deep reverence for it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569209,
          "author": "harscoat",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:46:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569209",
          "commentText": "* Bouvard & Pécuchet - Flaubert\n* The hero with thousands faces - Joseph Campbell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The hero with thousands faces - Joseph Campbell",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876391,
          "author": "chris123",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T10:07:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876391",
          "commentText": "\"Hero With a Thousand Faces\" (by Joseph Campbell).  On Amazon.com: http://tr.im/hwatf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Hero With a Thousand Faces\" (by Joseph Campbell)",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to the thread’s request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85938,
          "author": "jraines",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T14:35:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85938",
          "commentText": "1984\nThe Silmarillion\nThe Hero With A Thousand Faces\nDune\nWalden (about half the chapters anyway)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hero With A Thousand Faces",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph Campbell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Art",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comparative mythology",
        "mythology",
        "story structure",
        "hero s journey"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-joy-of-clojure-c937e5",
      "title": "The Joy of Clojure",
      "author": "Michael Fogus and Chris Houser",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14846303,
          "author": "ertucetin",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T09:10:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14846303",
          "commentText": "Joy Of Clojure",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Joy Of Clojure",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the thread's question about books that shaped code structure.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Clojure.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14846120,
          "author": "zimablue",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T08:28:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14846120",
          "commentText": "I haven't read that many coding textbooks not specific to a language but the Joy of Clojure probably slapped me with the most ideas I'd never seen before. Not sure it made me a better developer in the short run, but I'd like to think that it will in the long run.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the Joy of Clojure probably slapped me with the most ideas I'd never seen before.",
          "reason": "Credits it with introducing many new ideas, though they are unsure it improved their development in the short term.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Clojure and programming ideas.",
          "caveat": "Not sure it made me a better developer in the short run.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10182449,
          "author": "diego",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-07T18:27:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10182449",
          "commentText": "Clojure: The Joy of Clojure. Not for beginners, but it's excellent.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Joy-Clojure-Michael-Fogus/dp/161729141... (http://www.amazon.com/Joy-Clojure-Michael-Fogus/dp/1617291412)\nI've heard good thing about Clojure for the Brave and True, free online:\nhttp://www.braveclojure.com/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Not for beginners, but it's excellent.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not for beginners.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9758519,
          "author": "cfeduke",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T14:27:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758519",
          "commentText": "Any book written by Charles Petzold is an enjoyable read, though particularly the non-MS specific titles Code and The Annotated Turing.\nJava Concurrency in Practice (2006) is older but relevant and clearly describes concurrency on the JVM. A must read for any Java, Scala, Clojure, etc. software engineer; well-written, enjoyable, concise.\nPractical Object Oriented Design in Ruby by Sandi Metz is a fun read packed with good principles for working in Ruby that are applicable in general to object oriented programming.\nSmalltalk Best Practice Patterns by Kent Beck is worth a read because the general principles are applicable to any OOP language.\nClean Code by Robert Martin is excellent but a time commitment. (If you had to pick between SICP and Clean Code because time is at a premium I'd err on the side of Clean Code for practicality. Writing maintainable code is paramount.)\nThe Joy of Clojure (Fogus/Houser) is excellent and mentally digestable even if you have no Lisp or Clojure background.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Joy of Clojure (Fogus/Houser) is excellent and mentally digestable",
          "reason": "Calls it excellent and mentally digestible, even for readers without Lisp or Clojure background.",
          "audience": "Readers without prior Lisp or Clojure background.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109044,
          "author": "msluyter",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:09:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109044",
          "commentText": "The Joy of Clojure. I highly recommend it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Joy of Clojure. I highly recommend it.",
          "reason": "Explicitly says they highly recommend it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7758671,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-17T00:06:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7758671",
          "commentText": "The books on and around my nightstand:\n+ Joy of Clojure. A recent gift[card]. I put off learning Clojure because of it's more complex syntax. I'm both glad I did, and that I have this book now that that's the no longer the case.\n+ ANSI Common Lisp. Lisp was out of reach at the time when my younger self might have pursued computer programming, and realizing around two years ago how accessible it had become got me to download Lisp in a Box and then buy the used copy. Currently visiting, this book orbits in and out of the rotation with a cometary periodicity.\n+ Art of Computer Programming: Volume 3, Sorting and Searching Twenty-five years ago or so I bought volume I and about 15 years I donated it to the community radio station's books sale [WMNF 88.5]. I spent about $25 dollars including shipping for used copies of the first three volumes from Amazon last year. Right now each is on a different floor. The proximate reason Sorting and Searching is by the bed: I'm taking Algorithms I on Coursera and it is the first one that really dives into algorithms. A deeper reason is that Knuth always reminds me how much more there is to know - I'm getting better at the maths, but haven't learned MIX. Maybe one of these nights.\n+ Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs I bought a \"used\" copy from MIT via Amazon last year. It's staggering how much is really in it that I glossed over 'reading' the free online version. It's much better than I thought, and I find myself constantly referring to it or just reading a section. It's also a reference for the other Coursera course I am taking: Funtional Programming in Scala with Martin Ordersky.\nThe non-programming books are from the public library:\n+ How Literature Works: 50 Key Concepts. The sections are four to six pages and lightweight. Makes for something brief to read. It's the sort of book that I feel no obligation to finish.\n+ Poetry of the First World War: An Anthology This book is actually why I mention the non-programming books. I don't read poetry, but I'd always seen people make a big deal about it, and there this was on the new book shelf. I see why the English make a big deal about Siegried Sassoon. I see why they make an even bigger deal about Wilfred Owen. It's potent and powerful and the bench of poets runs much deeper. It makes that war the last ancient one.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Joy of Clojure.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7756624,
          "author": "robgering",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T17:23:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7756624",
          "commentText": "I've really been enjoying The Joy of Clojure  (http://joyofclojure.com/) -- note that there's a nearly-finished 2ed in PDF form if you buy the early access version.\nI've also been reading Clojure Programming (http://www.clojurebook.com/) to reinforce concepts from the above.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've really been enjoying The Joy of Clojure",
          "reason": "Says they have really been enjoying it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A second edition was nearly finished in PDF form when the comment was written.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7049501,
          "author": "terranstyler",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-13T08:32:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 7048683,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best development book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7049501",
          "commentText": "The Joy of Clojure\nIt (kind of) enlightened me as to why OO programming is such a mess.\nI dont know of any similar, language agnostic book though...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Joy of Clojure\nIt (kind of) enlightened me as to why OO programming is such a mess.",
          "reason": "Says the book helped explain the problems of object-oriented programming.",
          "audience": "Programmers interested in Clojure and programming paradigms.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it only kind of enlightened them and does not know of a similar language-agnostic book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4966418,
          "author": "diego",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T17:15:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4966418",
          "commentText": "Here's a list of books that I read this year and liked. My favorite was Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. The rest are all worth reading. I hesitated to put \"The Joy of Clojure\" on that list because it's too narrow, but it's one of the best programming books I've seen.\nhttp://diegobasch.com/books",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it's one of the best programming books I've seen.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of the best programming books they've seen.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter hesitated to include it because it is too narrow.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569111,
          "author": "m0th87",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:14:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569111",
          "commentText": "I'm reading The Joy of Clojure right now. I've never been able to get myself into lisp, but this book is doing a pretty damn good job.\nI think technical books are best combined with fiction, because it's pleasant to keep switching between the two as you get bored. I just finished and highly recommend Fluke by Christopher Moore. Its synopsis does not do it justice: once you start reading it, it's impossible to put down.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'm reading The Joy of Clojure right now. I've never been able to get myself into lisp, but this book is doing a pretty damn good job.",
          "reason": "Says the book is helping them get into Lisp, but gives no explicit recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Fogus and Chris Houser"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "clojure",
        "functional programming",
        "lisp",
        "object oriented programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-peripheral-f6767e",
      "title": "The Peripheral",
      "author": "William Gibson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33383028,
          "author": "photochemsyn",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T11:20:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33383028",
          "commentText": "Nomi Prins, All the Presidents Bankers, and also Collusion: How Central Bankers Rigged the World.\nThose two books illustrate the financialization of the US and global economy over time, and although dense, are well worth the effort.  She has a new book out as of Oct, \"Permanent Distortion: How Financial Markets Abandoned the Real Economy Forever.\"\nPeter Anderas, Smuggler Nation: How Illicit Trade Made America\nA very fun historical read, covering everything from textile machinery smuggling from Britain to the American colonies, to rum and whiskey smuggling into Indian Country in the 19th century, to opium smuggling to China, to Prohibition and the modern Drug War, cotton smuggling by the South to Europe to finance the South's Civil War army, and the smuggling of people from slaves to immigrants.  Very eye-opening, a lot of America's 'wealthy families' got their first pool of capital in this manner.\nAlso:\nJunji Ito, Uzumaki and No Longer Human\nWilliam Gibson, The Peripheral and Agency",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "William Gibson, The Peripheral",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22724556,
          "author": "barnabee",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T02:03:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22724556",
          "commentText": "William Gibson. The Bridge trilogy and the Sprawl trilogy, at a minimum. They still feel like maps to the future even now. You have to work at it, the map is not the territory after all, but the realisations about the impact of technology, progress, and the choices we make when we let society work a certain way have been profound, for me at least.\nAlso The Peripheral, and Gibson’s essay in Wired about undersea cables, and... yeah. Having read Gibson feels like a superpower.\nAs others have said:\n- The Hitch Hiker’s Guide\n- Stepehnson’s Diamond Age, Cryptonomicon, Seveneves, Anathem (aside: totally surprised how much love there is for Anathem, I remember it not being received very kindly at the time by people around me, though I liked it.)\n- The Culture series (special shout out to The Player of Games.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also The Peripheral, and Gibson’s essay in Wired about undersea cables, and... yeah.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21902464,
          "author": "jdkee",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T23:10:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902464",
          "commentText": "How to Change Your Mind, Michael Pollan.\nTuring's Vision: The Birth of Computer Science, Chris Bernhardt.\nThe Peripheral, William Gibson.\nLila, Robert Pirsig. (re-read)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Peripheral, William Gibson.",
          "reason": "Named in response to a question about influential books read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536654,
          "author": "dochtman",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:35:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536654",
          "commentText": "Isaac Asimov is one of the classics, of course. I'm particularly fond of the robot novels (all four of the Elijah Baley ones especially) and the entire Foundation series. Of course, you also can't miss the robot short stories. Oh, and The End of Eternity!\nAt some point I found Charles Stross' Accelerando, which is freely available online (along with a bunch of other short stories), and found everything I've read (which is most of it at this point, I think) enjoyably fast-paced. In particular the Laundry series (of which I've bought every iteration as soon as they came out over the past few years) -- though arguably these maybe cross-over from SF into fantasy a bit -- and the Halting State trilogy.\nIn terms of online available work, Cory Doctorow's work is also great. Like Stross, most of his work is more near-term SF, which I have liked, and a bunch of it is available online under a Creative Commons license. It often moves fast and is also politically interesting; sometimes the activism shines through a little blatantly, but the themes are always make me thing in various ways I appreciate (but maybe will fail your lighthearted criterion even if it is fun). His latest is Walkaway, which I would recommend.\nI got into Neal Stephenson through Cryptonomicon, which is one of the greats. Stephenson has a pretty rambly, wordy style, but at least that also makes his stories last a bit longer. After that, I mostly moved on to Anathem, Reamde and Seveneves all of which are big and interesting and great reads (it took me longer than usual to get up to speed on Anathem, but it was very much worth it in the end). I tried one of the more historic ones (I think it was Quicksilver) at some point but haven't finished it. The 2017 Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. was a bit lighter, but lots of fun, too.\nWilliam Gibson has already been mentioned, which I would also recommend. I read the Sprawl trilogy a very long time ago, and it's made a lasting expression. I've started rereading it recently. I also liked the Blue Ant trilogy and The Peripheral, but have so far missed the more recent work.\nMore in the one-off category: The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell is one of my all-time favorites, and mixes deep SF with psychology and religion in interesting ways. There's a sequel, but it's not as good. I also liked The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, which is also on the softer side. I read Scalzi's Redshirts and liked it (especially if you're familiar with the Star Trek universe), it feels similar to Ready Player One in some ways. Daniel Suarez's (or Leinad Zeraus as he originally published them) Daemon is fun and easy to digest, along with its sequel Freedom. I liked Robert J. Sawyer's The Terminal Experiment, but one person I recommended it too wasn't impressed -- I still think it's fun, if not very deep. I also bought his Factoring Humanity and liked it okay.\nHope that helps. Always interested in more recommendations based on this list!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also liked the Blue Ant trilogy and The Peripheral",
          "reason": "Says they liked the novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12244862,
          "author": "arisAlexis",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T01:20:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244862",
          "commentText": "The peripheral by Wiliam Gibson",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The peripheral by Wiliam Gibson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10554510,
          "author": "rluhar",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-12T17:21:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10554510",
          "commentText": "Return of a King (William Dalrymple 2013) - A book about the Anglo-Afghan wars of the 19th century. To paraphrase Mark Twain: History doesn't repeat, but it rhymes\nBeing Mortal (Atul Gawande, 2014) - Powerful book about old age and confronting the mortality of our loved ones\nThe Dark Forest (Cixin Liu, 2014) - Wonderful science fiction from China\nThe Peripheral (William Gibson, 2015) - Bleak, near future science fiction.\nThe Water Knife (Paolo Bacigalupi, 2015) - More bleak, near future science fiction.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Peripheral (William Gibson, 2015) - Bleak, near future science fiction.",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the question about the year's best books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as bleak near-future science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10207278,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T04:56:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10207278",
          "commentText": "Neuromancer - William Gibson\nREAMDE- Neal Stephenson\nPattern Recognition / Zero History / Spook Country - William Gibson\nThe Peripheral - William Gibson\nNot exactly the same thing, but I'll also throw in Glasshouse by Charles Stross.  And since we're talking Charles Stross, also add Halting State to the list.\nOh, and VALIS by Philip K. Dick.  Definitely worth a read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Peripheral - William Gibson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056610,
          "author": "mattkevan",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:38:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056610",
          "commentText": "Anything by Alastair Reynolds - his Revelation Space series is great, and House of Suns is a fantastic one-off. He's probably the  closest to Ian Banks in creating galaxy-spanning civilisations across eons of time.\nIan MacDonald is another good one. My favourite of his is The Dervish House, but his others are definitely worth reading.\nCharles Stross is good. Didn't get on with Accelerando, but his Laundry books are a fun mix of HP Lovecraft/Len Deighton/IT Crowd. Halting State and Rule 34 are good explorations of pervasive augmented reality and intelligent algorithms. Also Glasshouse as an exploration of post-singularity society. Never managed to finish a Cory Doctorow book though.\nI found William Gibson's Bigend trilogy a slog, but I really enjoyed The Peripheral - it's a fun read.\nEnders Game and Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card are fantastic, but the remaining books suffer from diminishing returns (with the possible exception of Ender's Shadow). There are a lot of books in the series, but basically, the series finishes wherever you get bored reading it.\nAnything by China Mieville is well worth your time.\nOh, I also really enjoyed Elizabeth Bear's Jacobs Ladder trilogy, set on a generation ship where the inhabitants have forgotten who they are and where they're going.\nFor some older stuff:\nThe Stars my Destination by Alfred Bester – I was surprised at how good it is and how well it stands up. I couldn't believe it was written nearly 50 years ago.\nThe Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein - possibly my favourite of his. I want to start a lunar revolution with a sentient mainframe...\nI'm currently working my way through all the Hugo Award winners, from 1953 up, and there's some real gems there.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed The Peripheral - it's a fun read.",
          "reason": "Says they really enjoyed it and found it fun to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8944450,
          "author": "inetsee",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-25T22:06:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944450",
          "commentText": "I recently read William Gibson's \"The Peripheral\" and I really liked it. I think it's one of his best.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recently read William Gibson's \"The Peripheral\" and I really liked it. I think it's one of his best.",
          "reason": "Says they really liked the book and consider it one of Gibson's best.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Gibson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyberpunk",
        "near future",
        "near future science fiction",
        "near future fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-windup-girl-b69833",
      "title": "The Windup Girl",
      "author": "Paolo Bacigalupi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42269201,
          "author": "sandy_coyote",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:59:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42269201",
          "commentText": "I caught up with some science fiction this year.\nThe Murderbot diaries books by Martha Wells - 6/10. Mixed on these. They're fun to read. The setting is cool and the worldbuilding is shallow but effective (i.e., don't read it if you want game of thrones in space). Each novella takes an afternoon to read. I think \"snarky violent droid\" is overcooked these days and lost interest after book 5.\nLight by M. John Harrison - 7/10 excellent prose; great multiple-storyline plot; the journey was better than the destination, but it kept me thinking\nFar from the Light of Heaven by Tade Thompson - 7/10 Fun. If \"near future Nigerian/British post-colonial frontier action with guns, robots, and psychic aliens\" sounds cool to you, check it out. I liked his Rosewater Trilogy just as much.\nBlindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts - tough to rate these. brilliant ideas, VERY challenging plots. I wish I didn't get so confused by the end of each book.\nProject Hail Mary by Andy Weir - 6/10 - this and the Martian read like blog posts pasted together. The grand dilemma is spelled out on page one and never gets any deeper. Pro: the plot is in your face on every page and you will never be confused when reading; Con - there is zero internal character development. Read if you like stories driven by applied science, not comparative moral decision-making.\nThe City and the City by China Miéville - 9/10 - you will invariably see something like \"Kafka meets [some affected crime novelist] to describe this book, and that ain't wrong. Kind of SF, kind of fantasy.\nRailsea by China Miéville - 8/10 - great good vs evil YA SF about, well, imagine if trains were like boats. Good character writing, tight plot.\nThe Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi - 8/10 - loved this. More \"realist\" near-future fabulism than Gibson, but if you love cyberpunk, read this.\nThe Shipbreaker Triology by Paolo Bacigalupi - 6/10 - near-future YA science fiction with a lot of blood and guns. Pretty good stories.\nRoadside Picnic by the Strugatsky brothers - 9/10 - reread. I had to go back. This gets a near perfect score because of its style, setting, and plot.\nThe Sprawl Trilogy (Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive) by William Gibson - 9/10 - I had read Neuromancer 3 times but never the next two. I was pleasantly surprised to find the second and third novel easier to read* but just as enjoyable as Neuromancer.\nThe Bridge trilogy by William Gibson - 8/10 so far. I am in the second book. Can't believe I slept on these for the last couple decades.\nnon-SF:\nOur Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981-1991 by Michael Azerrad - 9/10 - if you like punk/hardcore from the 80s, this is a great read.\n* Every time I read Neuromancer, Gibson's literary footguns --holograms, false memories, hallucinations, and drug-addled unreality--make me feel crazy for not being able to follow the plot at times. I'm okay with believing that was the intended effect.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi - 8/10 - loved this.",
          "reason": "Says they loved it and recommends it to cyberpunk fans.",
          "audience": "Readers who love cyberpunk.",
          "caveat": "Describes it as more realist near-future fabulism than Gibson.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41177210,
          "author": "retzkek",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T01:04:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41177210",
          "commentText": "The Overstory by Richard Powers - an intertwining of lives, as witnessed by the oldest beings on Earth, putting things into a rather different perspective.\nThe Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi - compassion and redemption, set in a terrifyingly plausible near future where the oil and tech companies have been replaced by gene and agro conglomerates. Calories or joules, it’s just energy.\nWeaveworld by Clive Barker - a dark, fantastical yarn of vivid (sometimes grotesque) imagery, spinning a new take on the oldest tale, that of good vs. evil.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite; described as a story of compassion and redemption in a plausible near future.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37157250,
          "author": "molsongolden",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T04:32:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37157250",
          "commentText": "The Windup Girl (also by Bacigalupi) is interesting too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Windup Girl (also by Bacigalupi) is interesting too.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467724,
          "author": "AndrewLiptak",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:54:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467724",
          "commentText": "A bunch of books: Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey (as well as several of the sequels), American Gods by Neil Gaiman, The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi, The Magicians by Lev Grossman, Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie, Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin, and a bunch of others.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056497,
          "author": "TimSAstro",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:09:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056497",
          "commentText": "'Deep Six' (short story anthology) and 'Wind-up Girl' by Paolo Bacigalupi.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Wind-up Girl' by Paolo Bacigalupi.",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about favorite science fiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8613977,
          "author": "nl",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-16T11:15:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8613977",
          "commentText": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Fire_Upon_the_Deep\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Deepness_in_the_Sky\nIt's easy to categorise these as wonderful and well written space opera, but that undersells them. Their author (Venor Vinge) invented the idea of the Singularity, and worked as a computer science professor. Both won both the Hugo Award.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ender's_Game\nAs good as people say it is.\nMost of Richard Morgan's works (esp the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takeshi_Kovacs series). Not his fantasy books though.\nFor fantasy books, Patrick Rothfuss is doing good stuff. The Kingkiller Chronicles is excellent. Read his other books before \"Slow Regard of Silent Things\", though, because that is one weird story.\nFrom more recent SciFi books:\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Windup_Girl is excellent.\nI'm currently reading Ancillary Justice and I'm really enjoying it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancillary_Justice",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Windup_Girl is excellent.",
          "reason": "Calls it excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6698523,
          "author": "Mankhool",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-08T19:29:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6698523",
          "commentText": "The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi. Awesome!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi. Awesome!",
          "reason": "Calls the book awesome.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2087883,
          "author": "bkudria",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T08:27:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2087883",
          "commentText": "Reposted from my site: (http://ben.kudria.net/post/2548785108/my-favorite-books-of-2... (http://ben.kudria.net/post/2548785108/my-favorite-books-of-2010)). Affiliate links there, for those inclined.\n===\nIn 2010, every single book I read, I read on my Kindle. Buying a Kindle has been the best thing I have ever done for my reading addiction. I recently upgraded to a Kindle 3, and I wholeheartedly recommended you get one as well, even if you currently have a Kindle 2.\nHere are the top books I enjoyed in 2010, and you will enjoy also.\n- The His Dark Materials Trilogy. Start with The Golden Compass.\n- The City & The City by China Miéville. Quite the post-modern detective story. (Read also his novel Perdido Street Station)\n- Surface Detail, the new novel by Iain M. Banks, who has quickly catapulted to the very top of my “Favorite Sci-Fi Authors” list. Surface Detail may not be the best novel for a Banks-unfamiliar reader, however — you may wish to start with something like Consider Phlebas or Look To Windward.\n- I re-read Robert M. Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Read this book carefully and it will change your life. (N.B. It’s not really about Zen, although it kinda is.)\n- The true story Zeitoun, by Dave Eggers, about Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a Syrian-born painting contractor in New Orleans. What Zeitoun does for the people of New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina is heartwarming and truly American, and what the US Government does to him and his family is terrifying and utterly infuriating.\n- The Wind-up Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi is a fun Thai cyber/gene-punk yarn. Bacigalupi is a new author, and I look forward to reading more of his stuff.\n- Dan Simmons’ Song Of Kali has an invasive and palpable stench of suspense. This horror novel set in Calcutta is an excruciating, brutal, and brilliant read.\n- Kafka On the Shore by Haruki Murakami. I’ve always been a fan of Murakami’s works, but this novel from 2002 is, in my opinion, one of his greatest. It’s beautiful, haunting, and superbly thought-provoking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Wind-up Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi is a fun Thai cyber/gene-punk yarn.",
          "reason": "Described as a fun cyberpunk and gene-punk story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paolo Bacigalupi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biopunk",
        "climate fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "valis-83ad20",
      "title": "VALIS",
      "author": "Philip K. Dick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41802421,
          "author": "xkcd-sucks",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-10T19:18:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41802421",
          "commentText": "Moby Dick, Herman Melville\nVALIS, Philip K Dick\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance + also Lila, Robert Pirsig\nNaked Lunch, William Burroughs\nImmortality, Milan Kundera\nCatch-22, Joseph Heller (pair with The Deserters, Charles Glass -- In fact a lot of the stuff in Catch-22 is actually toned down from reality)\nMastering the Core Teachings of Buddha, Daniel Ingram (but ignore 80% of it)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "VALIS, Philip K Dick",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39729464,
          "author": "bookofjoe",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T21:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729464",
          "commentText": "\"A Canticle For Leibowitz\"\n\"The Sparrow\"\n\"Lord of Light\"\n\"The Immortal\"\n\"Hyperion\"\n\"The Last Question\"\n\"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?\"\n\"Stranger in a Strange Land\"\n\"The City and the Stars\"\n\"Childhood's End\"\n\"Anathem\"\n\"Eifelheim\"\n\"A Case of Conscience\"\n\"VALIS\" trilogy\n\"The Book of Strange New Things\"\n\"Behold The Man\"\n\"The God Engines\"\n\"Book of the New Sun\"\n\"The Parable of the Sower\"\n\"The Dosadi Experiment\"\n\"Grass\"\n\"Project Pope\"\n\"Calculating God\"\n\"Factoring Humanity\"\n\"Jesus on Mars\"\n\"Surface Detail",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"VALIS\" trilogy",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about books that changed perspectives on religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Part of a trilogy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467680,
          "author": "pier25",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:50:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467680",
          "commentText": "- Sapiens\n- The Lord of the Rings\n- Siddhartha\n- Chaos: Making a New Science\n- The Death Gate cycle books\n- Neuromancer\n- Head First Design Patterns\n- Valis\n- Dune\n- The name of the rose\nI'm sure there are more, but these are the ones off the top of my head.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Valis",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23154223,
          "author": "iainmerrick",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T14:18:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23154223",
          "commentText": "I adore Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, but for Philip K Dick at his most mind-bending, I’d instead go for Valis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I’d instead go for Valis",
          "reason": "Recommended as Philip K. Dick at his most mind-bending.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in mind-bending science fiction.",
          "caveat": "Preferred over Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? for this quality.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337593,
          "author": "jyriand",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T12:10:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337593",
          "commentText": "VALIS by Philip K. Dick and Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "VALIS by Philip K. Dick",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10209523,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T21:56:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10209523",
          "commentText": "Sounds good.  I'm on book 12 of the \"Wheel of Time\" series by Jordan now, plus all the non-fiction I'm reading.  But maybe after I finish WoT I'll binge on PKD for a while.  I did enjoy VALIS quite a lot, even though it was pretty f'in weird.  :-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I did enjoy VALIS quite a lot",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed it quite a lot.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They describe it as very weird.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10208986,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T19:17:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10208986",
          "commentText": "You're probably right, but as of now, VALIS is the only thing I've read by PKD, so it's the only one I can recommend.\nI have a big pile of his other works here, waiting to be read, but just haven't gotten to the rest yet.  :-(",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "VALIS is the only thing I've read by PKD, so it's the only one I can recommend.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is the only book by Dick they can recommend based on having read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They have not read the author's other works yet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10207278,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T04:56:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10207278",
          "commentText": "Neuromancer - William Gibson\nREAMDE- Neal Stephenson\nPattern Recognition / Zero History / Spook Country - William Gibson\nThe Peripheral - William Gibson\nNot exactly the same thing, but I'll also throw in Glasshouse by Charles Stross.  And since we're talking Charles Stross, also add Halting State to the list.\nOh, and VALIS by Philip K. Dick.  Definitely worth a read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "VALIS by Philip K. Dick. Definitely worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly says it is worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056600,
          "author": "Jedd",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:34:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056600",
          "commentText": "Doubtless there'll be lots of strong opinions, and (hopefully, usefully) lots of duplicates that you can then tote up to get a bit of a consensus.\nIain M. Banks - all his Culture books are fantastic, but I'll single out 'Excession' since you seek titles.\nNeal Stephenson's 'Anathem'\nStephen Donaldson (most famous for the Thomas Covenant tri-trilogy) wrote a 5-book 'Gap Series'.  I have very fond memories of it, though it's been two decades since I read it.\nPhilip K. Dick wrote a tonne of good stuff (and a bit of meh) but my two favourite are Clans of the Alphane Moon (the first Dick I read), and Valis (a bit more conventional to have on the favourite list)\nUrsula Le Guin also has a huge body of excellent work - Left Hand of Darkness, and The Dispossessed are my favourites.\nI really loved Roger Zelazny's Lord Of Light, though I understand it's not conventionally considered his best work.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "and Valis (a bit more conventional to have on the favourite list)",
          "reason": "Names it as one of the commenter's two favorite Dick books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a more conventional favorite-list choice.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7304177,
          "author": "turbojerry",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T11:13:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7304177",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed Halting State, and Accelerando, and also the MaddAddam Trilogy by Margaret Atwood as well as Philip K. Dicks works, Valis in particular.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Valis in particular",
          "reason": "Highlights it among Philip K. Dick’s works.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip K. Dick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "metaphysical fiction",
        "religion",
        "metaphysics",
        "philosophical science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "we-are-legion-we-are-bob-3d7e47",
      "title": "We Are Legion (We Are Bob)",
      "author": "Dennis E. Taylor",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46161500,
          "author": "ashtavakra",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-05T14:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46161500",
          "commentText": "I consolidated the comments for my reference later. Someone else might also find it useful:\n# Fiction Books Recommended for Programmers (HN Thread 46128404)\n## Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- *Children of Time* — Science Fiction (Evolution, Space Opera)  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)\n## Rick Cook — Wizardry Series\n- *Wizard’s Bane* — Fantasy, Programming/Magic Mashup  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112616.Wizard_s_Bane\n- *Wizardry Series (overview)*  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\n## James P. Hogan\n- *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/743568.Inherit_the_Stars\n- *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifem... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifemaker)\n- *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_Tomorrow)\n## D. F. Jones — Colossus Trilogy\n- *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806105.Colossus\n- *The Fall of Colossus* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colos... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colossus)\n- *Colossus and the Crab* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_Crab)\n## Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner)\n- *A Logic Named Joe* — Golden-Age Sci-Fi, AI Precursor  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-j... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-joe)\n## David Gerrold\n- *When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One* — AI, Classic Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_Was_One)\n## William Gibson / Bruce Sterling\n- *Neuromancer* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer\n- *The Difference Engine* — Steampunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Eng... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Engine)\n## Neal Stephenson\n- *Snow Crash* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash\n- *Cryptonomicon* — Techno-thriller, Cyber-history  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/816.Cryptonomicon\n- *Anathem* — Philosophical Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2845024-anathem\n- *The Diamond Age* — Nanopunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827.The_Diamond_Age\n## Fred Saberhagen\n- *Octagon* — AI, Techno-thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1891958.Octagon\n## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga\n- *Series Overview* — Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/40946-vorkosigan-saga\n## Richard Powers\n- *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45104.Galatea_2_2\n## Scott Meyer\n- *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-wizard)\n## Daniel Suarez\n- *Daemon* — Cyber-thriller, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665844-daemon\n## Thomas J. Ryan\n- *The Adolescence of P-1* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_o... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_of_P_1)\n## Ernest Cline\n- *Ready Player One* — Sci-Fi, Gaming, Pop-Culture Adventure  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one\n## Dennis E. Taylor\n- *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)* — Humorous Sci-Fi, AI, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-we-are-bob)\n## Ted Chiang\n- *Stories of Your Life and Others* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\n- *Exhalation* — Speculative Fiction, Philosophy, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation\n- *The Lifecycle of Software Objects* — AI, Digital Consciousness  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of-software-objects)\n## Charles Stross\n- *Laundry Files Series* — Math-based Magic, Techno-Fantasy  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files\n## Ken Liu\n- *The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menag... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories)\n- *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, AI, VR  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl-and-other-stories)\n## Ellen Ullman\n- *The Bug* — Tech Industry Literary Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/703.The_Bug\n## Cory Doctorow\n- *Radicalized* — Techno-sociopolitical Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40604122-radicalized\n## qntm (Sam Hughes)\n- *Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans-in-transit-and-other-stories)\n## Roger Williams\n- *The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect* — AI, Post-Singularity SF  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)\n## Greg Bear\n- *Eon* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/924843.Eon\n## Vernor Vinge\n- *A Deepness in the Sky* — Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the_Sky)\n## Terry Pratchett\n- *Going Postal* — Comic Fantasy, Satire of Bureaucracy & Tech  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64222.Going_Postal\n## Bruce Bethke\n- *Headcrash* — Cyber-satire  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213465.Headcrash\n## Mary Shelley\n- *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* — Classic Gothic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein\n## Douglas Adams\n- *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* — Comic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guid... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)\n## Jorge Luis Borges\n- *The Library of Babel* — Metaphysical Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-babel)\n## Greg Egan\n- *Permutation City* — Simulation Theory, Hard Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156784.Permutation_City\n## Cixin Liu\n- *The Three-Body Problem* — Hard Sci-Fi, First Contact  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)* — Humorous Sci-Fi, AI, Space Opera",
          "reason": "Lists the title in a compilation of fiction books recommended for programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46135665,
          "author": "code_Whisperer",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T15:33:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46135665",
          "commentText": "\"Galatea 2.2\" by (my all-time favorite author) Richard Powers\n\"Off to Be the Wizard\" by Scott Meyer\n\"Daemon\" by Daniel Suarez\n\"The Adolescence of P1\" (vintage) by Thomas Ryan\n\"Snow Crash\" by William Gibson\n\"Ready Player One\" by Ernest Cline\n\"We are Legion [We are Bob]\" by Dennis Taylor",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"We are Legion [We are Bob]\" by Dennis Taylor",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 45948358,
          "author": "carlnewton",
          "createdAt": "2025-11-16T20:59:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 45947737,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45948358",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed Piranesi by Susanna Clarke the most this year. It has wonderful world building that was reminiscent of The Library of Babel. I'm currently really enjoying We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor. So far it's a very fun spacefaring adventure.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "So far it's a very fun spacefaring adventure.",
          "reason": "Says the book is a very fun spacefaring adventure so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is still reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42268694,
          "author": "everyone",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T21:39:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268694",
          "commentText": "We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor\nVery entertaining sci-fi. I tore through it a a couple of days.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor\nVery entertaining sci-fi. I tore through it a a couple of days.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it entertaining and says they read it quickly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36083958,
          "author": "code_Whisperer",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-26T13:38:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36083958",
          "commentText": "Easily these (so far):\nThis is How You Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (actually now one of my all-time favorites, without regard to genre. Just amazing)\nChildren of Time - Adrian Tchaikovsky\nThe Book of Strange New Things - Michael Faber\nTed Chiang's short story collections (Exhalations and Stories of your life and others)\nDaemon - Daniel Suarez\nThe City and the City - China Miéville\nRoadside Picnic - Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (this one still haunts my dreams at times)\nWe Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse Book 1) - Dennis Taylor (just finished this series for book club)\nGalatea 2.2, The Overstory, Bewilderment, The Gold Bug Variations - 4 different books, all by Richard Powers - what can I say, the man is a genius and a treasure\nEifelheim - Michael Flynn - ok, this book can be a slog at times, but it is very rewarding for those who persevere, and has stuck in my brain for many years\nChocky - John Wyndham - A quiet, delightful surprise\nProvidence - Max Barry - This book flows like a movie. It will make a great movie. I found myself LITERALLY out of breath a couple of times\nHench: A Novel - Natalie Zina Walschots - Quirky, memorable\nThe Peacemaker's Code - Deepak Malhotra - Why hasn't this guy written more sci-fi?\nOrange World and Other Stories - Karen Russell - OK, maybe not strictly sci-fi, but this book tickles my brain\nGUILTY PLEASURE SCI-FI FAVORITE: The Vaz series by Laurence Dahners. I think I've read that series 3 times now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "We Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse Book 1) - Dennis Taylor",
          "reason": "Names the first Bobiverse book and says they just finished the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34162332,
          "author": "mattsimonis",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T16:05:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34162332",
          "commentText": "I thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook We Are Legion (We Are Bob) narrated by Ray Porter. I just got the physical books and plan on re-reading it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook We Are Legion (We Are Bob)",
          "reason": "The commenter thoroughly enjoyed the audiobook and plans to reread the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25846127,
          "author": "twoquestions",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T13:25:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25846127",
          "commentText": "I'll stand by most of the other recommendations here that I've read, here are some books I liked that I haven't seen here yet:\nWe Are Legion (We Are Bob) is a pretty good and campy series.\nThe Dresden Files series is also good, I tried to get into it but I hated the mumbly voice actor on Audible unfortunately.\nIain Banks is good, especially Player of Games, Consider Phlebas and The Algebraist.  Use of Weapons put a bad taste in my mouth.\nGood luck!\nEDIT: Forgot to mention Isaac Asimov, I've yet to see anything bad by him. Still trying to get through the Foundation series.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "We Are Legion (We Are Bob) is a pretty good and campy series.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a pretty good, campy series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as campy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18664102,
          "author": "piratebroadcast",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T14:25:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664102",
          "commentText": "We Are Legion (We Are Bob) was my flat-out favorite series this year. I'm positive that a lot of HN users would love it. The Punch Escrow by Tal Klein was also a favorite of this year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "We Are Legion (We Are Bob) was my flat-out favorite series this year. I'm positive that a lot of HN users would love it.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it their favorite series and predicts HN readers would love it.",
          "audience": "HN readers",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13568523,
          "author": "snowpalmer",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T19:24:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13568523",
          "commentText": "I've read two books recently:\n* Contact \n  by Carl Sagan\nI had previously seen the movie. The book (or rather the movie) takes a bit of a departure. The backgrounds on all the different characters as well as the political parts weren't that interesting to me. But overall the book was great.\n* We Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse) \n  by Dennis Taylor\nI'd suggest listening to it on Audiobook. Excellent read. Makes me want to buy the book and read through it again. I can't wait until the next one comes out in (March?)\n[0] https://www.amazon.com/Contact-Carl-Sagan/dp/0671004107/ref=... (https://www.amazon.com/Contact-Carl-Sagan/dp/0671004107/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486236067&sr=8-1&keywords=contact+book)\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/We-Are-Legion-Bob-Bobiverse/dp/168068... (https://www.amazon.com/We-Are-Legion-Bob-Bobiverse/dp/1680680323/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486235995&sr=8-1&keywords=we+are+legion+we+are+bob)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Excellent read. Makes me want to buy the book and read through it again.",
          "reason": "Calls it an excellent read and recommends the audiobook.",
          "audience": "Science fiction audiobook listeners.",
          "caveat": "The suggestion is specifically to listen to the audiobook.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dennis E. Taylor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space exploration",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "space opera",
        "uploaded consciousness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "american-gods-1147a1",
      "title": "American Gods",
      "author": "Neil Gaiman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49907747,
          "author": "kvgr",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T12:11:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49907747",
          "commentText": "Read: American Gods, Consider Phlebas, Neuromancer, The HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Dune 1, Nineteen Eighty-Four listened to Foundation and I definitely recommend all.\nBut for me Consider Phlebas is the best. Currently on 4th book in series, but cant get through it.\nNineteen Eighty-Four doesnt feel geek novel, just political. Also great.\nI keep reading outputs from LLMs all day and don't have energy to focus on Eng written books in the evening.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read: American Gods, Consider Phlebas, Neuromancer, The HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Dune 1, Nineteen Eighty-Four listened to Foundation and I definitely recommend all.",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter definitely recommends.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467724,
          "author": "AndrewLiptak",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:54:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467724",
          "commentText": "A bunch of books: Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey (as well as several of the sequels), American Gods by Neil Gaiman, The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi, The Magicians by Lev Grossman, Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie, Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin, and a bunch of others.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "American Gods by Neil Gaiman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17340363,
          "author": "protonimitate",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T18:15:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17340363",
          "commentText": "American Gods by Neil Gaiman.\nNot the best book I've ever read. Not even my favorite book I've read. But it's the one I've read the most, and the one I always go back to. It reminds me of my childhood home, my time growing up there, as well as helps diminish my wanderlust when I'm feeling restless.\nIt also helped me through times of depression and encouraged a love of reading.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it's the one I've read the most, and the one I always go back to.",
          "reason": "A familiar reread that reminds the commenter of home and helped during depression.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They say it is neither their best nor favorite book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961696,
          "author": "Tehchops",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T17:10:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961696",
          "commentText": "Currently reading: Hyperion.\n* Peak: Secretes From the New Science of Expertise\n* The Hard Thing About Hard Things\n* American Gods\n* The Dark Tower\n* Children of Time\n* Sapiens\n* The Lies of Locke Lamora: Gentleman Bastards #1\n* Red Seas Under Red Skies: Gentleman Bastards #2\n* Dark Matter\n* The Dark Tower #1\n* Guns of The Dawn\n* The Hunter Killers\n* Snow Crash",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "American Gods",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as a book in the commenter's list; no evaluation is given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567871,
          "author": "SomeStupidPoint",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T17:30:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567871",
          "commentText": "American Gods by Neil Gaiman.\nJust because I needed a bit of fun fiction to break up all the non-fiction. And because it (perhaps accidentally) says something interesting about the gods of a land of immigrants and future-philes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "American Gods by Neil Gaiman.\nJust because I needed a bit of fun fiction to break up all the non-fiction. And because it (perhaps accidentally) says something interesting about the gods of a land of immigrants and future-philes.",
          "reason": "Calls it fun fiction and says it offers an interesting perspective on gods, immigration, and the future.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The cultural commentary may be accidental.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968400,
          "author": "malokai",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:45:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968400",
          "commentText": "I also started Gödel, Escher, Bach.  Have yet to finish the preface.\nDiscover Meteor: a book for the Meteorjs framework.  Good book if you want to learn the framework.\nI read a lot of fiction I guess.\nNow I am reading American Gods, and before that, Dune.  Before Dune I read the 2 released books of The Kingkiller Chronicle.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Now I am reading American Gods",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5833157,
          "author": "minusthebrandon",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T15:53:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5833157",
          "commentText": "American Gods by Neil Gaiman is an amazing book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "American Gods by Neil Gaiman is an amazing book.",
          "reason": "Calls it an amazing book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569722,
          "author": "viraptor",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T01:07:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569722",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- Someone already mentioned Neil Gaiman's \"American Gods\", but it's so good, I'll mention it again :) Very well constructed and has its specific atmosphere...\n- Anything by Iain Banks - \"Walking on glass\", \"Wasp factory\", \"A song of stone\" are definitely not light reading, but worth spending some time on them. His science-fiction is much simpler, but... didn't get me as excited as \"Walking on glass\".\nNon-fiction:\n- \"Leading Lean Software Development - Results are not the point\" (http://www.amazon.com/Leading-Lean-Software-Development-Resu... (http://www.amazon.com/Leading-Lean-Software-Development-Results/dp/0321620704)) is the best team / organisation / project leading book I've seen. I hate most of books like that with passion, but this one is different. I can't wait for the next story they introduce in every chapter. It touches many topics useful for anyone working with even one other person and you can read it like a good adventure book - it's got clear examples, interesting quotes and in-depth but not boring analysis.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's so good, I'll mention it again :) Very well constructed and has its specific atmosphere",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is very good and well constructed, with a distinctive atmosphere.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569283,
          "author": "lemming",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T22:08:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569283",
          "commentText": "On a \"what makes us tick\" non-fiction bent:\n1. Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (http://tinyurl.com/33kv6te) - fascinating look at the author's theory of Flow, the state of total absorption that accompanies total concentration - so called \"optimal experience\". Anyone who programs knows this feeling. Really excellent book.\n2. Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert (http://tinyurl.com/38lvdzc) - not the self-help book it sounds like, but an interesting look at why we're so bad at working out what will make us happy.\n3. The Tiger that isn't by Andrew Dilnot (http://tinyurl.com/38hntqx) - interesting guide to our instinctive interpretation of statistics and how the media manipulates it.\n4. Bad Science by Ben Goldacre (http://tinyurl.com/3yk8woz) - at once amusing and horrifying look at various aspects of pseudoscience, especially as applied to healthcare.\nFiction:\n1. Anything by Iain Banks, especially the sci-fi.\n2. If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things by Jon McGregor (http://tinyurl.com/3496d34) - worth reading just for the language he uses.\n3. American Gods by Neil Gaiman (http://tinyurl.com/3xyr65w) - great fantasy with a darkly humorous side.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "great fantasy with a darkly humorous side.",
          "reason": "Describes it as great fantasy with dark humor.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in fantasy with dark humor.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876206,
          "author": "ramidarigaz",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T06:44:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876206",
          "commentText": "American Gods is awesome. One of Neil Gaiman's best works, along with the Sandman series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "American Gods is awesome. One of Neil Gaiman's best works",
          "reason": "Calls it awesome and one of the author's best works.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neil Gaiman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mythology",
        "mythic fantasy",
        "urban fantasy",
        "american mythology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "atomic-habits-eb6b9d",
      "title": "Atomic Habits",
      "author": "James Clear",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47984526,
          "author": "ankitg12",
          "createdAt": "2026-05-02T08:24:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 47984463,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47984526",
          "commentText": "The Power of Now\nAtomic Habits",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Atomic Habits",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40284799,
          "author": "hnthrowaway348",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T12:43:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40284799",
          "commentText": "Funny you'd mention it; I write summaries of most non-fiction books I read and Atomic Habits stood out in particular in that its summary runs only about a single page. I reproduce it here, though you may want to copy it into something that can render markdown. (On a side note, I every so often mourn the fact that there seems to be no market for concise books. I think the publishers are right about this, padding really does increase their profit and makes it easier to justify the price of a book to the average buyer. Still, many books would just be way better books if they were one fifth as long.):\n# Identity\nThere are only two possible foundations for long-term behavioural change:\n1. a re-prioritisation of personal values\n2. a substitution of an existing behavior $X$, which is based on a personal value $V$, with a different behavior $Y$, which is also based on $V$.\n# Dealing with Existing Habits\nBefore we can effectively build new habits, we need to get a handle on our current ones. All habits serve you in some way—even the bad ones—which is why you repeat them.\n# Implementation Intentions\nImplementation intentions (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Implementation_intention) have been empirically shown to be effective. The idea behind implementation intentions is to eliminate ambiguity. Explicitly write down WHEN and WHERE you will do WHAT.\nWrite down a list of implementation intentions for all habits you wish to develop.\n# Three Layers of Behavior Change\n1. Identity\n2. Process\n3. Outcome\nIdentity is what you believe, process is what you do, outcome is what you get.\nSystems lead to outcomes.\n# Four Steps of Habit Formation\n1. Cue (triggers behavior)\n2. Craving (desired change of state)\n3. Response (behavior performed to achieve change of state) \n4. Reward (outcome delivered by response)\nOf these four, only cues can reliably be manipulated. Design your environment around the habits you wish to develop. The two most common cues are time and location.\n## Breaking Habits\n1. Remove the cues from the environment.\n2. Expose how the bad habit inadequately addresses the underlying motive that caused its formation. Clearly describe the negative consequences of the habit in writing.\n3. Replace the bad habit with a good one that more effectively addresses the underlying motive.\n# Habit Scorecard\nYou need to be aware of your habits before you can change them. To create your scorecard, write down everything you do for an entire day. At the end of the day, mark each behavior as either bad, neutral, or good.\n# Underlying Motives\n* *Reducing uncertainty*\n* Conserve energy\n* Social bonding\n* Social approval\nCravings are arbitrary manifestations of underlying motives. Evolution hasn't set up our brain to reward e.g. playing video games in particular. But it did set up our brain to reward a reduction in uncertainty.\nProducts and services don't create fundamentally new motives, they latch on to existing ones.\n# Miscellaneous\nWithout good health habits, you will always seem to be short on energy.\nIt is easier to associate a new habit with a new context, than to build a new habit in the face of competing cues.\nYou can break a habit, but you’re unlikely to forget it. This means that trying to resist temptation is an ineffective strategy. In the short-run, you can choose to overpower temptation. In the long-run, environmental cues overpower you.\nEvery day has multiple decisive moments, where split-second decisions decide how you will spend the next one to three hours. It's easier to continue what you are doing than to start it.\nIn deliberate thoughts, as well as in speech, always use formulations of the form \"I go for a run\", not \"I have to go for a run\", regardless of how you feel about it.\nEvery habit is about overcoming obstacles to get what you want. You don't want the habit itself, you want what it delivers.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Atomic Habits stood out in particular in that its summary runs only about a single page.",
          "reason": "Its summary is cited as especially concise.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment critiques book padding and says many books would be better at one fifth their length.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37945974,
          "author": "stranded22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T17:41:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37945974",
          "commentText": "Ok:\n1) Happy by Derren Brown - a stoic interpretation for the modern world (how to live, and die, happy)\n2) The Daily Stoic - 366 pages of stoic philosophy for each day\n3) how to control drinking / this naked mind- second book is a reinterpretation of the first, made the biggest impact on my life, helping me stop drinking\n4) Atomic Habits - helped me appreciate it is a little nudge that makes the biggest long term difference",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atomic Habits - helped me appreciate it is a little nudge that makes the biggest long term difference",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them appreciate the long-term effect of small changes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34161363,
          "author": "nickfromseattle",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T14:38:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161363",
          "commentText": "Atomic Habits. It's basically the playbook to get whatever you want out of life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's basically the playbook to get whatever you want out of life.",
          "reason": "Presents it as a playbook for achieving what you want in life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30738885,
          "author": "tyroh",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T00:38:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30738885",
          "commentText": "The Speed of Trust by Stephen Covey: Made me realize that trust is essential in human interactions. Helped me through my businesses, career, and community building.\nAtomic Habits by James Clear: Read a lot about habits before but this really kickstarted my focus on living healthy and staying consistent.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atomic Habits by James Clear: Read a lot about habits before but this really kickstarted my focus on living healthy and staying consistent.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it kickstarted their focus on healthy living and consistency.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30737265,
          "author": "vibrio",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T20:23:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30737265",
          "commentText": "I’ve not read Atomic habits, but keep hearing it recommended. If it is appropriate for me to ask, how do you distinguish the motivation derived from the book and that from 3 days in hospital with extremely high blood pressure? I live with a fear of hypertension because of genetics. My diet and exercise (what I can control) is at front of mind and so far so good, but my high level of motivation is driven by knowing where the disease road can lead. Not intending to diminish the book but just curious about how you balance the contribution of those two in your mind.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I’ve not read Atomic habits, but keep hearing it recommended.",
          "reason": "Asks how to distinguish motivation from the book from motivation following a health scare.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30735764,
          "author": "jwood27",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:37:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735764",
          "commentText": "The following have all had a significant effect on my worldview. You can find more information at [1].\n- The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow\n- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\n- Crime and Punishment\n- The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York\n- Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies\n- The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity\n- Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead\n- Franny and Zooey\n- Master of the Senate\n- Atlas Shrugged\n- Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed\n- Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap?\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\n- The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics\n- The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don't\n- Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans\n- Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\n- Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World\n- Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones\n- Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow\n- Ethics in the Real World: 86 Brief Essays on Things that Matter\n- A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life\n- Humankind: A Hopeful History\n- The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think\n[1] https://jacobw.xyz/books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones",
          "reason": "Listed among books that significantly affected the commenter’s worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30243994,
          "author": "is_true",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T12:41:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30243994",
          "commentText": "There's also atomic habits.\nIt seems authors were in search of the smallest habit possible. Probably smaller = easier for readers searching for shortcuts to build willpower\nCan't wait for subatomic habits!!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "There's also atomic habits.",
          "reason": "Names it as another book on habits.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25534646,
          "author": "enonevets",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-25T06:12:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25534646",
          "commentText": "Atomic Habits by James Clear.\nI received a copy as a gift and highly recommend it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atomic Habits by James Clear.\nI received a copy as a gift and highly recommend it.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly says they highly recommend it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21901687,
          "author": "santa_boy",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T20:58:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21901687",
          "commentText": "The Mind Illuminated (from HN), Non-Violent Communication, Antifragile, Atomic Habits and The Growth Mindset come to my mind immediately",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Atomic Habits",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21458522,
          "author": "vira28",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T00:28:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21458522",
          "commentText": "Atomic Habits - Certainly, I am building some of the habits which I wanted to create for a while.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Atomic-Habits-Proven-Build-Break/dp/0... (https://www.amazon.com/Atomic-Habits-Proven-Build-Break/dp/0735211299)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Certainly, I am building some of the habits which I wanted to create for a while.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are building habits they had wanted to develop while reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18825518,
          "author": "juddlyon",
          "createdAt": "2019-01-04T16:56:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 18824130,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What article/book do you recommend for my next flight?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18825518",
          "commentText": "Atomic Habits - James Clear\nBanish Your Inner Critic - Denise Jacobs",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atomic Habits - James Clear",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18678867,
          "author": "koolhead17",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-14T06:28:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18678867",
          "commentText": "Read \"The Power of Habit\" so feels like \"Atomic Habits\" will not be much different.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Atomic Habits\" will not be much different.",
          "reason": "Expects it will not differ much from The Power of Habit.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not indicated reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18663451,
          "author": "jger15",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:54:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663451",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction:\n7 Powers: The Foundations of Business Strategy - Hamilton Helmer\nAmerican Wolf - Nate Blakeslee\nAtomic Habits - James Clear\nConspiracy - Ryan Holiday\nCourage To Be Disliked - Ichiro Kishimi\nHow To Change Your Mind - Michael Pollan\nOpen - Andre Agassi\nWhy We Sleep - Matthew Walker\nWorld After Capital - Albert Wenger\nFiction:\nChocky - John Wyndham\nConvenience Store Woman - Sayaka Murata\nThe Eight Mountains - Paolo Cognetti\nThe Invisibility Cloak - Ge Fei\nThe Midnight Fox - Betsy Byars\nSuch Small Hands - Andres Barba\nThe Thief - Fuminori Nakamura\nTies - Domenico Starnone\nTrick - Domenico Starnone",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Atomic Habits - James Clear",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18478352,
          "author": "21dayhero",
          "createdAt": "2018-11-18T01:21:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 18473561,
          "threadTitle": "Best book/paper you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18478352",
          "commentText": "Atomic Habits by James Clear.\nI work on a habit building platform so read almost all books and papers on habit building and behavioral science. This recent book by James Clear has summarized the key points of what's known about building and replacing habits. It's easy to read and most importantly - practical.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This recent book by James Clear has summarized the key points of what's known about building and replacing habits. It's easy to read and most importantly - practical.",
          "reason": "Calls it easy to read and practical, with a useful summary of habit-building knowledge.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in building and replacing habits.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Clear"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Learning",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "habit formation",
        "behavior change",
        "self improvement",
        "personal development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "blink-e8d3cf",
      "title": "Blink",
      "author": "Malcolm Gladwell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37960149,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960149",
          "commentText": "* \"On Writing\" by Stephen King (1 mention)\n    * Summary: In his guide to the craft of writing, King masterfully conveys his views on how good writing is cultivated. The book provides personal insights into the author's life while serving as a guide for aspiring writers.\n* \"The Dictionary\" (1 mention, multiple authors)\n    * Summary: A reference book containing an alphabetical list of words in a specific language, providing definitions, pronunciations, etymology, and other details. It is a valuable resource for understanding and accurately using language.\n* \"Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book chronicles Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 1914-1916 survival journey across the Antarctic. Faced with treacherous weather conditions and a lack of provisions, the men battle to stay alive, highlighting the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.\n* \"The Experience of God\" by David Bentley Hart (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A philosophical exploration of the concept of God that goes beyond specific religious doctrines. Hart articulates a vision of ultimate reality that transcends religious, philosophical, and cultural boundaries.\n* \"A Mind for Numbers\" by Barbara Oakley (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book provides practical advice on how to learn effectively in math and science areas, but the techniques are applicable across disciplines. Oakley shares techniques to overcome learning obstacles and improve comprehension and retention.\n* \"A People's History of the US\" by Howard Zinn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers an alternative exploration of American history from the perspective of ordinary people and marginalized groups rather than political leaders, emphasizing class struggles and systemic injustices.\n* \"The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science\" by Isaac Asimov (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive outline of scientific knowledge, covering fields like physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, and earth science. It communicates complex scientific concepts in a way that is accessible to non-specialist readers.\n* \"Das Kapital\" by Karl Marx (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive critique of capitalism highlighting its inherent contradictions and imbalances. Marx diagnoses the capitalist system as one in which the rich get richer at the expense of the working class. The book has been influential in shaping socialist and communist thought.\n* \"You are Not So Smart\" by David McRaney (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book explores various cognitive biases, logical fallacies, and memory missteps that humans commonly succumb to. The author uses humor and personal anecdotes to make neuroscience and psychology accessible, challenging readers to question their perceptions of the world and themselves.\n* \"Blink\" by Malcolm Gladwell (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Gladwell explores the process of quick decision-making, also known as \"thin-slicing.\" The book delves into both the potential accuracy and the pitfalls of making snap judgments. It demonstrates how our subconscious biases often override our better instincts.\n* \"How To Sell at Margins Higher Than Your Competitors\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book offers detailed advice on how to avoid price competition by creating differentiators and adding value, thereby allowing readers to compete on things other than price.\n*  \"The Surrender Experiment\" by Michael Singer (1 mention)\n    * Summary: The book chronicles the author’s journey from solitude into the business world. It explores the idea of surrendering personal preferences to allow life to guide the way, challenging conventional views about control and outcomes.\n* \"How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World\" by Harry Browne (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This self-help book offers a blueprint for finding personal freedom. It encourages readers to embrace their individual sovereignty and to not be inhibited by societal conventions, effectively teaching how to live on one's own terms.\n* \"Happy by Derren Brown\" and \"The Daily Stoic\" (1 mention, authors not specified)\n    * Summary: \"Happy\" provides a perspective on happiness using the principles of stoic philosophy, challenging modern conceptions of happiness. \"The Daily Stoic\" provides a year's worth of philosophical wisdom from ancient stoics, aimed at allowing people to better respond to life's challenges.\n* \"Guns, Germs, and Steel\" by Jared Diamond (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Diamond investigates the geographical and environmental factors that have shaped the modern world. He argues that civilizations have developed differently across the globe due to variances in geography, climate, vegetation, and animal populations, more so than due to traits inherent to different racial or ethnic groups.\n* \"The Gulag Archipelago\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Solzhenitsyn unveils the brutal reality of the Soviet Union’s forced labor camp system. It's an exploration of the human capability for evil when unchecked by moral constraints, shedding light on the mechanisms of a totalitarian regime.\n* \"Ecclesiastes\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A book from the Bible that delves into the purpose of life and the vain pursuit of earthly things. It debates the merits of wisdom, wealth, and pleasure, underscoring the transience and ultimate futility of human endeavors, and urging readers to fear God and keep his commandments.\n* \"Women hold up half the sky\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A collection of personal stories illuminating the oppression and resistance of women in developing countries. The book confronts issues like gender inequality, sexual violence, maternal mortality and economic disparity while highlighting the resilience and strength of ordinary women in overcoming them.\n* \"Spell of the Sensuous\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book offers a radical reinterpretation of our relationship with the natural world. It critiques Western civilization’s estrangement from nature, exploring indigenous cultures and offering a philosophical enquiry into human perception and its relation to the environment.\n* \"Kids and the Amiga\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A guide to using the Amiga computer, aimed at children and early-tweens. It provides a hands-on approach to learning basic computer skills by creating practical programs.\n* \"Hackers\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: The book provides a comprehensive history of hackers, tracing the evolution of hacking culture from the 1950s to the present day. It details the personalities, philosophies, and technical exploits that have defined this diverse and innovative subculture.\n* \"LSD my problem child\" by Albert Hoffmann (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book is the autobiography of Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who first synthesized LSD. It chronicles his discovery, the subsequent fallout, and his personal experiences with the drug.\n* \"Electric cool aid acid test\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book tells the story of novelist Ken Kesey and his band of Merry Pranksters. They embarked on a cross-country bus journey, experimenting with LSD and challenging societal norms, becoming pivotal figures in the psychedelic movement and the counterculture of the 1960s.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Blink\" by Malcolm Gladwell (1 mention)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168514,
          "author": "Overtonwindow",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:02:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168514",
          "commentText": "Blink by Malcolm Gladwell.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blink by Malcolm Gladwell.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9675832,
          "author": "Simulacra",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T18:38:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9675832",
          "commentText": "Really a tie between Blink, and Atlas Shrugged.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Really a tie between Blink, and Atlas Shrugged.",
          "reason": "Names it as one of two books tied for the most mind-blowing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5865753,
          "author": "Sealy",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-12T00:49:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 5859004,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5865753",
          "commentText": "Other books that I've found helpful are the many socioeconomics books out there:\nMalcolm Gladwell - Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers\nTim Harford - The Undercover Economist\nNassim Taleb - The Black Swan\nI enjoyed the Steve Jobs book too, I liked the fact that he believed in what he was working on (no matter how crazy or disruptive) and saw so much beauty in perfection. There's a lot we can learn from his persistence and attitude towards persevering in the face of failure.\nAnd for entertainment, I like profound books: The Alchemist, The Little Prince",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Malcolm Gladwell - Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers",
          "reason": "Included among other books the commenter says they found helpful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395662,
          "author": "joshz",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T13:19:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395662",
          "commentText": "The one I've enjoyed the most, was probably \"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman\" but additionally read a couple that kept being mentioned on here:\n* A Random Walk Down Wall Street\n* Predictably Irrational\n* Black Swan\n* Blink\nand enjoyed those too. I've also read \"How To Make Friends and Influence People\" and started \"Lords of Finance\" but never finished.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and enjoyed those too.",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed this book, listed among several they read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752666,
          "author": "ohashi",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T13:22:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752666",
          "commentText": "I am also reading Fooled by Randomness right now, enjoying it a lot.  Black Swan was good.  I didn't like outliers very much.  Tipping Point and Blink were more interesting to me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tipping Point and Blink were more interesting to me.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it more interesting than Outliers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240850,
          "author": "trotzke",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T06:28:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240850",
          "commentText": "On my desk:\nGetting Real (37Signals),\nHardball (Chris Mathews),\nPrioritizing Web Usability (Jakob Nielsen)\nNearby shelf:\nThe Design of Everyday Things,\nMaverick,\nFounders at work,\nA Brief History of Time,\nA Pattern Language,\nPeopleware,\nMade to stick,\nWeb Standards Solutions,\nDesigning Interactions,\nThe Pragmatic Programmer,\nThe Mythical Man-Month,\nOh, the Places You'll Go!\nOther good reads:\nBlink,\nTipping Point,\nLong Tail,\nFreakonomics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blink,",
          "reason": "Listed among other good reads in response to a request for recommended books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5627,
          "author": "vo0do0",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T05:43:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5627",
          "commentText": "- Tipping point (creates a urgency feeling)\n- Built to last (tips and best practices)\n- Blink (helps not to waste ideas, shows how your first impressions/thoughts could be useful)\n- Phylosophy Books (Republic and Politics) - you can understand and have good insights about this social networking and community fever moment.\nAnything you could read regarding usability, interfaces and scalability would help a lot when dealing with low money web2 related startups. \nTo know about extreme programming would be very good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blink (helps not to waste ideas, shows how your first impressions/thoughts could be useful)",
          "reason": "Says it helps make use of ideas and first impressions.",
          "audience": "Startup founders",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5574,
          "author": "python_kiss",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T02:11:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5574",
          "commentText": "About 14 months ago, I had little knowledge of how to execute a startup. In particular, I wasn't familiar with any online marketing tactics. The following books helped me a lot in that respective, and more:\n\n1. Positioning, 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing/Branding, Focus, Marketing Warfare\n2. Purple Cow, All Marketers are Liars, Permission Marketing (I didn't like \"The Big Moo\", \"Free prize inside\" or \"Small is the new Big\").\n3. Founters At Work\n4. Wikinomics, Wisdom of Crowds, The Tipping Point (Blink! was alright). I am looking forward to reading \"The Long Tail\" and \"The starfish and the spider\"...has anyone read them yet?\n6. Why We Buy\n7. Hackers and Painters\n8. The E-Myth revisited\n9. The Art of the Start\n10. On War, The Art of War by Machiavelli and Sun Tzu (not exactly for startups, but definitely useful)\n11. Crossing the Chasm",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Blink! was alright",
          "reason": "The commenter gives a mild positive assessment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as only “alright.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Malcolm Gladwell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "decision making",
        "intuition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "coders-at-work-reflections-on-the-craft-of-programming-7c1d99",
      "title": "Coders at Work: Reflections on the Craft of Programming",
      "author": "Peter Seibel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41387718,
          "author": "boyka",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T05:42:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387718",
          "commentText": "Not a manual, handbook, or guide per se - but I've learned an awful lot from reading\nCoders at Work: Reflections on the Craft of Programming",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Coders at Work: Reflections on the Craft of Programming",
          "reason": "The commenter says they learned a lot from it.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in programming and software engineering.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not a manual, handbook, or guide.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27650921,
          "author": "runawaybottle",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T12:08:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27650921",
          "commentText": "https://www.amazon.com/Coders-Work-Reflections-Craft-Program... (https://www.amazon.com/Coders-Work-Reflections-Craft-Programming-ebook/dp/B00ACC2536/)\nCoder’s At Work is a collection interviews with several brilliant programmers. This book gave me confidence during a time where I didn’t have much. My main take away was that every programmer was different and have different values. There was no archetype, it destroys the notion of identity (all programmers are this, went to this school, care about these things, are good at this, wear hoodies, etc). Must read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Coder’s At Work is a collection interviews with several brilliant programmers.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it gave them confidence and challenged the idea that programmers fit one archetype.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22706819,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T20:58:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22706819",
          "commentText": "\"Programmers At Work\" by Susan Lammers was a great read in its time, and I keep referring to ideas from it. Might be worth a look. Peter Seibel's done a great job with continuing the idea, e.g. \"Coders At Work\", \"Founders At Work.\"\nIs it time to read \"Godel, Escher, Bach?\"",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "e.g. \"Coders At Work\"",
          "reason": "Named as a continuation of the interview-book idea.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in programmers and their work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17205698,
          "author": "emodendroket",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T14:42:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205698",
          "commentText": "Maybe a bit more of a downer than you have in mind, but I read Surveillance Valley by Yasha Levine and I thought parts were interesting, especially the discussion of the links between TOR and US intelligence.\nSeibel's Coders at Work is really fascinating and it's great to get all these different perspectives, some of them really tearing down current orthodoxy (like the interview about how nobody really reads code or jwz making fun of software blogs).\nFree as in Freedom, about Richard Stallman, was also a book I enjoyed reading a lot, although I understand the subject hated it (it's been a while, but I recall it being a pretty sympathetic portrait, but unflattering in parts).\nI'm interested to know if anybody read the Carreyou book about Theranos. It sounds like it could be good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seibel's Coders at Work is really fascinating",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it fascinating and praises its varied perspectives.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17205199,
          "author": "rpeden",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T13:43:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205199",
          "commentText": "Peter Seibel's Coders and Work also provides an interesting perspective. As the title implies, it focuses more on developers than founders...although in some cases, the developer being interviewed was also a startup founder.\nSome of the interviews give an interesting look at the early days of some companies, too. I found jwz's interview provided some good insight into the early days of Netscape, as well as the reasons why the company started to go downhill.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Peter Seibel's Coders and Work also provides an interesting perspective.",
          "reason": "Described as providing an interesting perspective on developers and company history.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in developers, founders, and early company history.",
          "caveat": "Focuses more on developers than founders.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17205161,
          "author": "rpeden",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T13:38:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205161",
          "commentText": "You might enjoy Steven Levy's Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution[1]. It's not too focused on specific people or companies, although you'll encounter some well known people like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, and Richard Stallman in the book. It's an interesting read because it gives you a great background that helps you understand how we ended up with the tech culture and environment we have today.\nIn the reply to another comment, I also mentioned Coders at Work[2]. I found that it provided some great insight into the early days of some fascinating companies from a technical perspective.\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/Hackers-Computer-Revolution-Steven-Le... (https://www.amazon.com/Hackers-Computer-Revolution-Steven-Levy/dp/1449388396)\n[2] https://www.amazon.com/Coders-Work-Reflections-Craft-Program... (https://www.amazon.com/Coders-Work-Reflections-Craft-Programming/dp/1430219483)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also mentioned Coders at Work[2]. I found that it provided some great insight",
          "reason": "The commenter says it offers insight into the early days of companies from a technical perspective.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in programmers and the technical history of companies.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783256,
          "author": "dbalan",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T13:59:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783256",
          "commentText": "I finished \"Thinking Fast and Slow\" by Kahneman - A slow read, but a good one. He talks about the intricacies and surprising observations about how me take decisions.\n\"Logicomix\" - A brief \"history\" of logic, its not always historically accurate. Did I tell you its a graphic novel?\n\"Show Your work\" - Aston Kleon - A short motivating read about sharing ones work, he makes some good arguments for sharing the process as well, not just the product.\nPicked up \"Coders at work\" - read two chapters, a great read so far (I know its pretty popular one amoung HN)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "a great read so far",
          "reason": "Calls the two chapters read so far a great read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has only read two chapters.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7051465,
          "author": "playing_colours",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-13T16:25:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 7048683,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best development book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7051465",
          "commentText": "\"Coders At Work\" http://www.codersatwork.com/ It doesn't have either code or very specific recommendations. It's a number of interviews with great programmers. Reading it is like talking to brightest minds in programming and getting precious pieces of advice from them. How they approach problems, debug, what tools use, how they came to programming and why they love it. For me that book was a huge injection of inspiration to master my programming skills and enjoy programming.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Coders At Work\" http://www.codersatwork.com/ It doesn't have either code or very specific recommendations.",
          "reason": "Describes interviews with programmers as inspiring and says the book motivated them to master programming skills and enjoy programming.",
          "audience": "Programmers seeking insight into how experienced programmers work and think.",
          "caveat": "Contains no code or very specific recommendations.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4787936,
          "author": "SuperChihuahua",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T10:10:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787936",
          "commentText": "Coders at work\nThe numbers behind Numb3rs\nStatistical methods in counterterrorism\nTotal recall (the biography by Schwarzenegger)\nFrom dictatorship to democracy (available for free here: http://www.aeinstein.org/organizations98ce.html)\nThe miracle of mindfulness\nThe design of everyday things\nEscape from camp 14",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Coders at work",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2524470,
          "author": "awa",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-07T20:20:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 2524205,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books for soon to be Software Engineers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2524470",
          "commentText": "The Passionate programmer [Pragmatic series] - On how to develop yourself as a programmer\nCoders at work - For inspiration",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Coders at work",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Seibel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programmer interviews",
        "software craftsmanship",
        "programming",
        "programming interviews"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "culture-series-a4f824",
      "title": "Culture series",
      "author": "Iain M. Banks",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38238646,
          "author": "globular-toast",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T09:07:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238646",
          "commentText": "The Culture series by Iain M. Banks. I actually randomly read Look to Windward years ago after being lent a copy. It stuck with me and recently started the series from the start. I'm up to Excession now. It's possibly the most \"colourful\" thing I've ever read. Often amazing, sometimes disturbing. The writing is second to none.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Culture series by Iain M. Banks.",
          "reason": "Describes reading through the series, praising its writing while noting it can be disturbing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is sometimes disturbing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31975936,
          "author": "M_bara",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-04T11:38:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31975936",
          "commentText": "Pandoras star by Peter f Hamilton. This along with pushing ice and the culture series opened a new vast world for me. Will keep rereading them every few years",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and the culture series opened a new vast world for me.",
          "reason": "Said to have opened a vast world for the commenter and to merit rereading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15428677,
          "author": "auggierose",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T15:59:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428677",
          "commentText": "I'd recommend the Culture novels of Iain M. Banks. It contains some pretty powerful AIs.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend the Culture novels of Iain M. Banks.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommended for their powerful AIs.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249066,
          "author": "henrikschroder",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T08:12:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249066",
          "commentText": "My standing recommendation in the SciFi genre would be any Culture novel by Iain M. Banks. Truly utopian SciFi, and an interesting depiction of a post-labour, post-scarcity, post-human, AI-symbiotic, \"human\" civilisation.\nIt's not hard SciFi, but close. Banks really understood that spaceship battles are about mass, velocity and energy, and technobabble doesn't save the day.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My standing recommendation in the SciFi genre would be any Culture novel by Iain M. Banks.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls these a standing recommendation and describes the series as utopian science fiction.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in utopian science fiction and post-scarcity, post-human societies.",
          "caveat": "Not hard science fiction, though the commenter says it comes close.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9347104,
          "author": "pjc50",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T12:47:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9347104",
          "commentText": "Just finished Nate Silver's \"The Signal and The Noise\". Interesting collection of prediction case studies, seeing what can and can't be effectively predicted. Good for correcting black-and-white thinking.\nCurrently reading \"Naples 44\", diary of an intelligence officer there just after the US landings. The author is classically trained enough to immediately fall in love with the place despite the war, so it's a strange mix of lounging around Paestum and the stark effects of war.\nNext in queue: pick one to re-read from Iain M Banks or Pratchett.\n(Presumably Clausewitz is in your reading list somewhere as well; his book is unfinished but contains both good quotes to mine and real insight into how few military problems are about actual fighting itself.)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Next in queue: pick one to re-read from Iain M Banks",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9058553,
          "author": "mdpm",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T19:06:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9058553",
          "commentText": "IMB is a yes. All of it. Devour. Much like the works of Steven Erikson (Not SF) they're fantastically detailed, which isn't everyone's taste.\nThe Cyberiad is a trove of beauty, ridiculous, sublime, educational - touching on things as far apart as philosophy and maxwell's demon. Amazing that they're not even in English given the wonderous translation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "IMB is a yes. All of it. Devour.",
          "reason": "Affirms the parent’s recommendation of Banks’s work and urges readers to devour it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056524,
          "author": "madsravn",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:19:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056524",
          "commentText": "The Culture Series is definitely some of my favorite reading. You can really feel the humor.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Culture Series is definitely some of my favorite reading. You can really feel the humor.",
          "reason": "Calls the series a favorite and praises its humor.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056461,
          "author": "auggierose",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T11:59:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056461",
          "commentText": "Philip K. Dick (Ubik, Man in the high castle, Flow my tears the police man said)\nFrederik Pohl (Gateway, the Space Merchants)\nUrsula K. Le Guin (The Dispossessed, Left Hand of Darkness)\nIain M. Banks (Culture novels)\nYou will find many Sci-Fi treasures by just going through http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SF_Masterworks",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Iain M. Banks (Culture novels)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for favourite sci-fi books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6418333,
          "author": "bpizzi",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-20T15:30:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6418333",
          "commentText": "Well I'm definitely into sci-fi literature.\nThere's simply nothing else nowadays (being in my early thirties) which can caught my attention and limited free time.\nIt's hard to sum it up to a couple of favorites... \nIf you prefer hardcore sci-fi over the rest - as I do, those are definitely first choices:\n- Iain M. Banks Culture books (\"Excession\" being the best of all to me)\n- Simmon's \"Hyperion\" and \"Fall of Hyperion\"\nSome authors managed to bring some good pieces of space-opera without being too much cheesy:\n- Hamilton and his Void books,\n- and, of course, Herbert and the Dune stuff.\nBut I must warn the casual reader here: those kind of books can get really massive.\nSecond choices - but still really good books, would be stuff written by great guys like Asimov (\"Foundation\"), OS Card (\"Enders game\") or RC Wilson (\"Spin\").",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Iain M. Banks Culture books",
          "reason": "Listed among first choices for hardcore science fiction.",
          "audience": "Readers who prefer hardcore science fiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter warns that these books can be very long.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2087668,
          "author": "endtime",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T06:06:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2087668",
          "commentText": "Not sure how many new books I read last year, but Surface Detail by Iain M. Banks is the first thing that comes to mind.  It's the latest book in the Culture universe; if you like sci-fi then I highly recommend it (though I don't know that Surface Detail is the best introduction to the series).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "It's the latest book in the Culture universe",
          "reason": "Identifies Surface Detail as part of the Culture universe; no separate recommendation of the series is made.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1974474,
          "author": "smutticus",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T08:21:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974474",
          "commentText": "I've read all of his novels and must say I am an Ian M Banks addict.  I've read some of his fiction as well which he publishes under Ian Banks.\nMy favorite is The Use of Weapons.  I liked Surface Detail but I do think you should read the Culture novels in the order they were written.\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_series",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I do think you should read the Culture novels in the order they were written.",
          "reason": "Recommends reading the series in publication order.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Suggests following publication order.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Iain M. Banks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "post scarcity",
        "post scarcity society",
        "ai symbiotic civilizations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dune-series-a4b6de",
      "title": "Dune series",
      "author": "Frank Herbert",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46397578,
          "author": "Barrin92",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T23:39:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46397578",
          "commentText": "Among non-fiction what stood out to me was David Bentley Hart's All Things are Full of Gods, great book also very fun to read written as a Platonic dialogue. To me one of the most compelling theologians today.\nBruno Maçães, World Builders. Good book on the impact of technology in geopolitics has been consistently interesting.\nAmong fiction re-read a lot of Lovecraft, noticed that I like the Dream Quest stories more than the horror these days which surprised me. But they're more compelling to me now because of how much you can see Lovecraft as a person in them.\nThe last three Dune books. Liked the last two about the Bene Gesserit a lot, was surprised how much I disliked God Emperor given the praise it gets, but it honestly reads like Frank Herbert posting twitter hot takes as a worm with no story\nMark Twain, The Mysterious Stranger. Among the best novellas I've ever read, very different in tone from most of his books.\nShūsaku Endō, Silence. Book about a Jesuit mission in early Edo Japan. My favorite Japanese book in a long time.\nAmong technical books, re-read The Mythical Man Month, probably more relevant than it ever was in an age of artifical man-hours added to projects. Robert Seacord Effective C, after not having written C in a long time. Really good intermediate level book for modern C. Also making my way through The Little Schemer as a replacement for advent of code in the second half of the month this year.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The last three Dune books. Liked the last two about the Bene Gesserit a lot",
          "reason": "The commenter liked the last two books, particularly those about the Bene Gesserit.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter disliked God Emperor, saying it reads like Twitter hot takes and has no story.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33381999,
          "author": "ginnungagap",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T07:59:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33381999",
          "commentText": "I've been reading the dune series too and while the first book was amazing and the second was good, they get worse fast after that in my opinion",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I've been reading the dune series too and while the first book was amazing and the second was good, they get worse fast after that in my opinion",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the first book was amazing, the second good, and later books quickly worsen.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30242064,
          "author": "dunefox",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T08:58:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30242064",
          "commentText": "Dune. I'd like to recommend all 6 by Herbert, but since I can only recommend one I'll say Dune. My favourite book. I even have this beautiful edition: https://imgur.com/LQPoi4m",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd like to recommend all 6 by Herbert",
          "reason": "Wants to recommend all six books in the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they can recommend only one and chooses Dune.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961291,
          "author": "jasonkester",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:26:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961291",
          "commentText": "It's still openly debated, but the generally accepted Best Order to read the Dune Novels is as follows:\nDune, followed by a 1-5 year pause, followed by Dune.  Repeat until death.\nYou may, if you wish, throw in the first hundred pages of a different Dune novel every ten years or so, just to remind you of the correct sequence.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "throw in the first hundred pages of a different Dune novel every ten years or so",
          "reason": "The comment jokes that the other novels are worth sampling only briefly and infrequently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The reading advice is deliberately satirical.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249442,
          "author": "ieatkittens",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T11:43:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249442",
          "commentText": "Dune.\nI mostly read non-fiction myself, so, just like you, I looked for something else amd randomly chose Dune. Loved it.\nBrilliant world building and a story arch that keeps on giving. And there are 7(?) books in total.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "there are 7(?) books in total",
          "reason": "Mentions the larger series while describing the story's scope.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure of the total number of books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056639,
          "author": "Bzomak",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:47:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056639",
          "commentText": "Some which I have re-read recently and still enjoyed:\n  William Gibson's Sprawl trilogy\n\n  Frank Herbert's Dune series\n\n  Isaac Asimov's Foundation series\n\n  Frederik Pohl's \"Gateway\"\n\n  Robert Heinlein's \"The Moon is a harsh Mistress\"\n\nSome which I remember liking when I read them many years ago as a teenager:\n  E.E. Doc Smith's Lensman series\n\n  David Brin's Uplift series\n\n  Peter F. Hamilton's Greg Mandel trilogy and The Night's \nDawn trilogy\n  Orson Scott Card's \"Ender's Game\"\n\n  George R. Dickson's \"Dorsai!\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Frank Herbert's Dune series",
          "reason": "Listed among science fiction works the commenter has reread recently and still enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7970903,
          "author": "will_work4tears",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T14:34:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7970903",
          "commentText": "Dune is great, but don't stop there.  Read the rest of the series (I don't care for any of his Son's books though, so not going to recommend those, but there are those that like em).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Read the rest of the series",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends continuing beyond Dune.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not recommend the books written by Frank Herbert's son, while noting that some readers like them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6418333,
          "author": "bpizzi",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-20T15:30:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6418333",
          "commentText": "Well I'm definitely into sci-fi literature.\nThere's simply nothing else nowadays (being in my early thirties) which can caught my attention and limited free time.\nIt's hard to sum it up to a couple of favorites... \nIf you prefer hardcore sci-fi over the rest - as I do, those are definitely first choices:\n- Iain M. Banks Culture books (\"Excession\" being the best of all to me)\n- Simmon's \"Hyperion\" and \"Fall of Hyperion\"\nSome authors managed to bring some good pieces of space-opera without being too much cheesy:\n- Hamilton and his Void books,\n- and, of course, Herbert and the Dune stuff.\nBut I must warn the casual reader here: those kind of books can get really massive.\nSecond choices - but still really good books, would be stuff written by great guys like Asimov (\"Foundation\"), OS Card (\"Enders game\") or RC Wilson (\"Spin\").",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Herbert and the Dune stuff",
          "reason": "Listed among space opera recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy space opera.",
          "caveat": "The commenter warns that these books can be very long and says some space opera can be cheesy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 141209,
          "author": "SwellJoe",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T22:36:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=141209",
          "commentText": "Asimov's two big universes, found in the Robots series and the Foundation series, (which turned out to be the same when he revisited them in the 70's and 80's) are simply wonderful.  By far my favorite sci-fi, and among the most enduring works in the genre.  I read them both every two or three years, and sometimes grab one off the shelf when I just want something to read.  The early Foundation is sort of a future history version of \"The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire\" (I seem to recall that was intentional, actually).  Asimov's autobiographies and the posthumous book of his correspondence are all fantastic and insightful.  I learned a lot from them, and my admiration for the man increased even more upon reading them.\nDune is also astoundingly good, though after the first three, the quality goes downhill (slowly, but surely).  Definitely lots to think about.\nRendezvous with Rama left me breathless...and I could not put it down until I'd read the last page.  I've returned to it a couple of times, and loved it every single time.  The later Rama books are deeply flawed, and should have never happened (they were not written by Clarke, and it shows), as they make Rama seem...hmmm, I can't really think of the right word that expresses it.  Cheap, dinky, small, something bad.  But Rendezvous is a must read for everyone.\nDouglas Adams, of course.  The whole Hitchhikers' series is a must, while the Dirk Gently stuff is also funny, but not sci-fi and not mandatory.\nI mentioned in another thread my love of dystopias, and one of the best ever is The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.  She's one of the best sci-fi writers alive (she doesn't exclusively write sci-fi, however).  Oryx and Crake is also fascinating.\nCat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut.  I enjoy all of Vonnegut's work, but Cat's Cradle is a magical perfect novel.\nI don't know if everyone would agree that it's sci-fi, but Mark Twain's Letters from the Earth was an eye opener for me when I was a kid (I went on a Mark Twain kick when I was in elementary school...no one ever told me that all of his books weren't kids books, so I read everything I could get my hands on after being hooked by Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn).  Turns out Mark Twain was seditious, heretical, and quite the troublemaker all around.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Dune is also astoundingly good, though after the first three, the quality goes downhill",
          "reason": "Calls Dune astoundingly good and discusses the declining quality of later books.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in thoughtful science fiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says quality declines after the first three books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 141009,
          "author": "skittles",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T18:24:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=141009",
          "commentText": "I don't read a lot of fiction, but I've read this entire series through 4 or 5 times.  It taught me a lot about politics, economics, and religion.  Definitely changed me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've read this entire series through 4 or 5 times. It taught me a lot about politics, economics, and religion. Definitely changed me.",
          "reason": "Says rereading the series taught them about politics, economics, and religion and changed them.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in political, economic, and religious themes in fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 57231,
          "author": "alex_c",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-20T03:54:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=57231",
          "commentText": "For fiction, I'm surprised no one has mentioned:\nThe Dune series by Frank Herbert.  Unlike anything else I've read, and one of the most compelling and detailed fictional universes in literature.\nThe Discworld series by Terry Pratchett.  Don't confuse it for fantasy - it's brilliant satire.  Littered with geeky references and clever wordplay, I actually enjoy it a bit more than the Hitchhiker's Guide books.  If you like Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett is a pretty safe bet.\nAnything by Stanislaw Lem - clever and funny science fiction.  A good match for my weird sense of humour.\nAll of the above can slightly change the way you see the world.\nFor non-fiction, another vote for the Mythical Man Month.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dune series by Frank Herbert. Unlike anything else I've read, and one of the most compelling and detailed fictional universes in literature.",
          "reason": "Calls it compelling and unlike anything else they've read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frank Herbert"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "political intrigue",
        "ecology",
        "political science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "excession-32c280",
      "title": "Excession",
      "author": "Iain M. Banks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38238646,
          "author": "globular-toast",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T09:07:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238646",
          "commentText": "The Culture series by Iain M. Banks. I actually randomly read Look to Windward years ago after being lent a copy. It stuck with me and recently started the series from the start. I'm up to Excession now. It's possibly the most \"colourful\" thing I've ever read. Often amazing, sometimes disturbing. The writing is second to none.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm up to Excession now.",
          "reason": "Identifies the current book in their series reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17539853,
          "author": "kisstheblade",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T09:29:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17539853",
          "commentText": "Excession by Iain M Banks.\nThe other culture novels are also good but not as fun as Excession.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Excession by Iain M Banks.\nThe other culture novels are also good but not as fun as Excession.",
          "reason": "Says Excession is more fun than the other Culture novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The other Culture novels are described as less fun.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536547,
          "author": "Tomte",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:15:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536547",
          "commentText": "\"Use of Weapons\" by Iain M. Banks.\nEdit: Overlooked the \"fun\" and \"lighthearted\" part. Let me change my answer to \"Excession\", same author.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Let me change my answer to \"Excession\", same author.",
          "reason": "Revises the recommendation to this title after considering the request for fun, lighthearted fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10784101,
          "author": "skorgu",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:39:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10784101",
          "commentText": "I was on a sf kick this year apparently.\nFull list (why can't amazon show me the read dates of my kindle books?!):\n- Ancillary Sword\n- The Magician's Land\n- The Three Body Problem (incomplete)\n- Libriomancer, Codex Born, Unbound\n- Thank You, Jeeves\n- Omon Ra (incomplete)\n- Stations of the Tide\n- 1Q84 (staggeringly incomplete)\n- The Desert Spear (incomplete)\n- The Lost Fleet: {Dauntless,Fearless,Courageous} (third \none incomplete)\n- Superintelligence\n- Nexus, Crux (incomplete)\n- Another Fine Myth\n- The Annihilation Score\n- The Man with the Golden Torc, Daemons are Forever\n- The Fractal Prince (incomplete)\n- Crooked\n- Ancillary Mercy\n- The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet\n- The Traitor Baru Cormarant\n- Excession\n- Hive Mind\n- Seveneves",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "- Excession",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed in a reading list; no evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9675319,
          "author": "junkblocker",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T16:38:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9675319",
          "commentText": "Ann Leckie was being touted as Iain M Bank's successor with her Imperial Radch series. But due to that expectation being set up I was underwhelmed. It was enjoyable on its own but doesn't compare in quality to Banks's works, e.g. Excession, in my opinion.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "e.g. Excession, in my opinion.",
          "reason": "Cited as an example of Banks's work that surpasses the Imperial Radch series in quality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056600,
          "author": "Jedd",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:34:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056600",
          "commentText": "Doubtless there'll be lots of strong opinions, and (hopefully, usefully) lots of duplicates that you can then tote up to get a bit of a consensus.\nIain M. Banks - all his Culture books are fantastic, but I'll single out 'Excession' since you seek titles.\nNeal Stephenson's 'Anathem'\nStephen Donaldson (most famous for the Thomas Covenant tri-trilogy) wrote a 5-book 'Gap Series'.  I have very fond memories of it, though it's been two decades since I read it.\nPhilip K. Dick wrote a tonne of good stuff (and a bit of meh) but my two favourite are Clans of the Alphane Moon (the first Dick I read), and Valis (a bit more conventional to have on the favourite list)\nUrsula Le Guin also has a huge body of excellent work - Left Hand of Darkness, and The Dispossessed are my favourites.\nI really loved Roger Zelazny's Lord Of Light, though I understand it's not conventionally considered his best work.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'll single out 'Excession' since you seek titles.",
          "reason": "Singles it out as a title in response to a favorite books question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109090,
          "author": "Jach",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:16:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109090",
          "commentText": "Recently finished Robert Cialdini's Influence: Science and Practice, a great horrifying psychology book. Now I've started Iain Banks' Excession, giving his Culture universe another go. (Player of Games was good, but not great.)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Now I've started Iain Banks' Excession, giving his Culture universe another go.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is giving the Culture universe another try.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7302433,
          "author": "Jach",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T02:33:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7302433",
          "commentText": "My two favorites are Permutation City by Greg Egan and The Golden Age by John C. Wright (actually that one's a trilogy).\nI hear good things about Iain M. Banks' Culture novels. I've only read one (The Player of Games) and while it was enjoyable it was still sort of meh, if that makes sense... (I've got Excession in my queue and I suspect I'll enjoy it more.)\nWhile it's more in the realm of science-fantasy, you might enjoy this alternate universe imagining of the Harry Potter story: http://hpmor.com/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've got Excession in my queue and I suspect I'll enjoy it more.",
          "reason": "Expects to enjoy it, but has not read it yet.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it yet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6418333,
          "author": "bpizzi",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-20T15:30:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6418333",
          "commentText": "Well I'm definitely into sci-fi literature.\nThere's simply nothing else nowadays (being in my early thirties) which can caught my attention and limited free time.\nIt's hard to sum it up to a couple of favorites... \nIf you prefer hardcore sci-fi over the rest - as I do, those are definitely first choices:\n- Iain M. Banks Culture books (\"Excession\" being the best of all to me)\n- Simmon's \"Hyperion\" and \"Fall of Hyperion\"\nSome authors managed to bring some good pieces of space-opera without being too much cheesy:\n- Hamilton and his Void books,\n- and, of course, Herbert and the Dune stuff.\nBut I must warn the casual reader here: those kind of books can get really massive.\nSecond choices - but still really good books, would be stuff written by great guys like Asimov (\"Foundation\"), OS Card (\"Enders game\") or RC Wilson (\"Spin\").",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Excession\" being the best of all to me",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the best of the Culture books.",
          "audience": "Readers who prefer hardcore science fiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter warns that these books can be very long.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4661376,
          "author": "grey-area",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-16T19:14:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 4661261,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite Science Fiction book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4661376",
          "commentText": "Excession by Ian M Banks - sentient AIs managing an advanced civilisation run into something they don't understand (an unusual occurrence which piques their interest). Funny, subtle, and provocative by turns, it is one of his better sci-fi novels, and far above much of the genre in plot and character.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Funny, subtle, and provocative by turns, it is one of his better sci-fi novels, and far above much of the genre in plot and character.",
          "reason": "Praises its humor, subtlety, ideas, plot, and characterization.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2527478,
          "author": "latch",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-09T03:42:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 2526568,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2527478",
          "commentText": "I'm just curious, why you wouldn't upvote me? (I don't mind, I'm just genuinely curious). It is possible you did upvote me and someone else downvoted..so apologies ahead of time if my assumptions are wrong.\nCulture was meh...By the 2nd or 3rd book you realize that the Culture is so powerful that nothing presents a risk. It's like Superman without Kryptonite (or his lack of pragmatism). Aside from the first book, Consider Phlebas, Excession was probably the best - largely because it focused on ships rather than people. Just my $0.02 of course.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Excession was probably the best",
          "reason": "Calls it probably the best, largely because it focuses on ships rather than people.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment criticizes the Culture series overall.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Iain M. Banks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "culture series",
        "first contact"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "flash-boys-fd8d12",
      "title": "Flash Boys",
      "author": "Michael Lewis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46431336,
          "author": "ILoveHorses",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-30T09:38:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46431336",
          "commentText": "I wanted to challenge myself in 2025 and alternate between fiction and non-fiction, so here are my highlights\n- Crime and Punishment\n - Homo Deus\n - Catch 22\n - Flash Boys\n - The Art of Strategy\n - Moby Dick (could only get halfway through though :()\n - The Great Gatsby\n - How to be Alone (couldn't get past 2 chapters)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Flash Boys",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32197631,
          "author": "rohithkp",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:02:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197631",
          "commentText": "Reading Flash Boys by Michael Lewis since last night.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Reading Flash Boys by Michael Lewis since last night.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25319088,
          "author": "fluxic",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T22:36:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319088",
          "commentText": "Editing: Editor of Genius by A. Scott Berg\n>>> Max Perkins was the editor of Hemingway, Thomas Wolfe, F Scott Fitzgerald, and other famous 20th century writers. Great, great, book.\nBartending: Cosmopolitan by Toby Cecchini\n>>> Very well-written memoir of a bartender in New York in the late 1980s. He invented the Cosmo in NYC while working at the Odeon — on a lark, without thinking much of it. The drink took off, but I think he's still a working bartender in NYC.\nCooking: Kitchen Confidential by Bourdain\nPainting: Interviews with Francis Bacon by David Sylvester\nMusic: Meet me in the Bathroom by Lizzy Goodman\nTech: Chaos Monkeys by AGM\nAnd seconding swyx's recommendations for all things Michael Lewis, who can spin a good yarn about any profession — whether it's baseball managers, junk bond salesmen, or high frequency traders, etc.\nI've also picked up lots of good recommendations from this thread https://ask.metafilter.com/243036/Recommend-a-nonfiction-aut... (https://ask.metafilter.com/243036/Recommend-a-nonfiction-author-who-has-a-style-like-Anthony-Bourdain) (I, too, like \"insidery\" type business books. I'm currently reading \"The Emperor of Scent\" about the world of perfume and it's pretty good! Also looking forward to reading \"Ninety Percent of Everything\" about the shipping industry.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "all things Michael Lewis, who can spin a good yarn about any profession — whether it's baseball managers, junk bond salesmen, or high frequency traders",
          "reason": "The commenter endorses Michael Lewis's books about professions, including this named title in the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25318867,
          "author": "gonehome",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T22:07:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25318867",
          "commentText": "Patio11 specifically calls out flash boys as bad and inaccurate.\nHe recommends: https://www.amazon.com/Flash-Boys-Insiders-Perspective-High-... (https://www.amazon.com/Flash-Boys-Insiders-Perspective-High-Frequency-ebook/dp/B00P0QI2M2)\nWhich I’ve had on my shelf for a while, but haven’t yet read.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "https://www.amazon.com/Flash-Boys-Insiders-Perspective-High-...",
          "reason": "The commenter says Patio11 recommends the book, while noting they have not read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25318778,
          "author": "swyx",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T21:54:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25318778",
          "commentText": "Ex finance guy here - Liar's Poker for 1980s Wall Street, When Genius Failed for 1990s, More Money Than God for 2000s, Flash Boys for 2010s\n- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liar%27s_Poker\n- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_Genius_Failed\n- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/More_Money_Than_God\n- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_Boys\nobviously these do not represent all of finance but its a nice decade-by-decade recap of talking points, i figured i'd try to do it and was surprised how nicely it broke out",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Flash Boys for 2010s",
          "reason": "Presented as a decade-by-decade account of finance, specifically the 2010s.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in finance and its history.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these books do not represent all of finance.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22576513,
          "author": "avita1",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T16:31:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22576513",
          "commentText": "Specifically about the stock market, Flash Boys by Michael Lewis is a fun read and taught me a lot about what the stock market is.  It's not the densest book. It's more of a narrative than a teaching tool, but for what it is I found it very informative.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Flash Boys by Michael Lewis is a fun read and taught me a lot about what the stock market is. It's not the densest book. It's more of a narrative than a teaching tool, but for what it is I found it very informative.",
          "reason": "Recommended as an engaging, informative narrative about the stock market.",
          "audience": "Readers interested specifically in the stock market.",
          "caveat": "Not the densest book; more narrative than teaching tool.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18827386,
          "author": "parallel_item",
          "createdAt": "2019-01-04T20:38:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 18824130,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What article/book do you recommend for my next flight?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18827386",
          "commentText": "Some finance books I love (and reread frequently). These books are more about characters and stories, more than traditional non-fiction.\nMy Life as a Quant by Emanuel Derman\nThe Quants by Scott Patterson\nA Man for All Markets by Edward O. Thorp\nReminiscences of a Stock Operator by Edwin Lefevre\nFlash Boys by Michael Lewis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Flash Boys by Michael Lewis",
          "reason": "Includes it among finance books the commenter loves and rereads frequently.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in finance books focused on characters and stories.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these books are more about characters and stories than traditional nonfiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567451,
          "author": "prateek_mir",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T16:13:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567451",
          "commentText": "\"Flash Boys\" - Michael Lewis",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Flash Boys\" - Michael Lewis",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10854941,
          "author": "altrop",
          "createdAt": "2016-01-07T00:03:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 10833032,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book you've recently read and enjoyed?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10854941",
          "commentText": "Flash Boys - Michael Lewis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Flash Boys - Michael Lewis",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for a recently read and enjoyed book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109332,
          "author": "dllthomas",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:48:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109332",
          "commentText": "Flash Boys is a little strange.  It's presented as David vs. Goliath, but \"the little guy\" is J. P. Morgan and Goldman Sachs.\nWhich is not to say there's nothing that could be done to improve our financial infrastructure, or no problems relating to anything deserving the HFT label - there's plenty of both.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Flash Boys is a little strange. It's presented as David vs. Goliath, but \"the little guy\" is J. P. Morgan and Goldman Sachs.",
          "reason": "Criticizes the book's David-versus-Goliath framing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109063,
          "author": "film42",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:12:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109063",
          "commentText": "\"Flash Boys\" by Michael Lewis\nIt's about High Frequency Trading (algorithmic trading) and how the market reacted; and what a few individuals did to solve the problem. It's a seriously addicting book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a seriously addicting book.",
          "reason": "Describes it as seriously addicting; discusses high-frequency trading and the market's response.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8106986,
          "author": "alphadevx",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:30:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106986",
          "commentText": "I just finished reading The Martian recently, inspired to write a review: http://www.alphadevx.com/a/453-Review-of-The-Martian\nCurrently reading Flash Boys by Michael Lewis, which is about High Frequency Trading in Wall Street which is interesting for the technology involved.\nFavorite book of all time is Frank Herbert's Dune, the six books are great in fact.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Currently reading Flash Boys by Michael Lewis",
          "reason": "The commenter says its subject is interesting for the technology involved.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8026301,
          "author": "natedawg",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-13T01:17:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 8025870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8026301",
          "commentText": "Flash Boys by Michael Lewis\nSo far so good, it gets a little complicated at times when he's trying to describe the different problems in the stock market (I don't have prior stock market knowledge). All in all, I'm enjoying this book very much and have less than 100 pages left to go.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm enjoying this book very much",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are enjoying it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Stock market problems become complicated at times; the commenter lacked prior stock market knowledge.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Lewis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "high frequency trading",
        "financial markets",
        "wall street",
        "finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "guns-germs-and-steel-the-fates-of-human-societies-2abc47",
      "title": "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies",
      "author": "Jared Diamond",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37937148,
          "author": "david927",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:33:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937148",
          "commentText": "Guns, Germs, and Steel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Guns, Germs, and Steel",
          "reason": "Listed as a book that had a major impact on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23859153,
          "author": "sradman",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T14:12:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859153",
          "commentText": "> by mainstream historians and anthropologists\nIndeed it is but mainstream historians and anthropologists are not the arbiters of good science. The criticisms, that I'm aware of, come down to incomplete research on Yali (not a critical aspect of the narrative and absent from The Third Chimpanzee) and an over-enthusiastic pre-emptive argument against a neo-darwinian interpretation of genetic data.\nI agree with carterklein13, Guns, Germs, and Steel is near the top of my list of influential books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Guns, Germs, and Steel is near the top of my list of influential books.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is near the top of their list of influential books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803308,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T14:43:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803308",
          "commentText": "I hilariously overestimate the number of books I can get through when I make these lists, but my current list for 2020 is as follows:\nDigital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World\nThe Man Who Solved the Market: How Jim Simons Launched the Quant Revolution\nBook of Proof\nDesigning Data-Intensive Applications: The Big Ideas Behind Reliable, Scalable, and Maintainable Systems\nSeeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed\nGuns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies\nWe Make the Road by Walking: A Year-Long Quest for Spiritual Formation, Reorientation, and Activation\nSoul Repair: Recovering from Moral Injury after War (for a friend)\nMaster and Commander\nEducated\nWithout Getting Killed or Caught: The Life and Music of Guy Clark\nStretch goal: The Power Broker, as a warm-up for Caro's LBJ series\nThe Bible (perpetual, I don't get through it every year, but I get through much of it, often)\nEDIT: I also hilariously underestimate the number of books I want to read. Here's one more I think is vital for my 2020:\nThe Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14860927,
          "author": "tzs",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T22:24:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14860927",
          "commentText": "I typically have several books in progress. I'll read a chapter from whichever one I'm in the mood for when I have some time for reading. Currently in progress:\n\"A Book of Abstract Algebra: Second Edition\" by Charles C. Pinter [1].\n\"How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking\" by Jordan Ellenberg [2].\n\"Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies\" by Jared Diamond [3].\n\"Introduction to Analytic Number Theory\" by Tom M. Apostol [4].\n\"Algorithmic Puzzles\" by Levitin and Levitin [7].\nI've also got a 46 books in my Safari Library queue, although only about half a dozen are actually in the in progress state.\nIn addition to the above, I'm about 3 years behind on Analog, the science fiction magazine. Those are all on my Kindle and I'm slowly trying to catch up.\nRecently finished:\n\"Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything\" by Joshua Foer [5].\nProbably going to pick up soon:\n\"The Greatest Story Ever Told--So Far\" by Lawrence M. Krauss [6]. Flipped through it at a bookstore and there were some very interesting things in it.\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/Book-Abstract-Algebra-Second-Mathemat... (https://www.amazon.com/Book-Abstract-Algebra-Second-Mathematics/dp/0486474178/)\n[2] https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00G3L6JQ4/\n[3] https://www.amazon.com/Guns-Germs-Steel-Fates-Societies/dp/0... (https://www.amazon.com/Guns-Germs-Steel-Fates-Societies/dp/0393354326/)\n[4] https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Analytic-Number-Theory-A... (https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Analytic-Number-Theory-Apostol/dp/0387901639/)\n[5] https://www.amazon.com/Moonwalking-Einstein-Science-Remember... (https://www.amazon.com/Moonwalking-Einstein-Science-Remembering-Everything-ebook/dp/B004H4XI5O/)\n[6] https://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Story-Ever-Told-So-Far-ebook... (https://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Story-Ever-Told-So-Far-ebook/dp/B01HMXUZIO/)\n[7] https://www.amazon.com/Algorithmic-Puzzles-Anany-Levitin/dp/... (https://www.amazon.com/Algorithmic-Puzzles-Anany-Levitin/dp/0199740445/)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies\" by Jared Diamond",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10029114,
          "author": "qrendel",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-09T00:47:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10029114",
          "commentText": "I read Sapiens after seeing the same edge.org conversation, and while it was mostly good, I think it started off strong and then became less so as it went on. Especially towards the end it became almost a hot list of current events the author had read about in the newspaper, like browsing through a lot of TED talks, without a lot of coherence to a larger picture. My other complaint would be that some portions seemed less scholarly and heavily influenced by the author's opinions and personal worldview. Not a bad book by any means but somewhat less than the \"history of humankind\" I had hoped for. The first quarter focusing on prehistory through agriculture was very informative, though leaves me questioning if I'm just suffering from Gell-Mann amnesia. Rated it 4/5 on Goodreads when I was finished.\nI found Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond to be perhaps a better book of similar nature overall, and would add in The 10,000 Year Explosion by Cochran and Harpending as another good one for those who liked Sapiens.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I found Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond to be perhaps a better book of similar nature overall",
          "reason": "Recommends it as perhaps a better book of similar scope.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comparison is qualified with “perhaps.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10028213,
          "author": "sampo",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T18:35:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10028213",
          "commentText": "The first link in that reddit comment points to [1] which is a critique of another Diamond's book. But if you let me give two comments on it:\n(1) In the first sentences, the author (a PhD student in history) cannot really hide his irritation that someone with a background in animal physiology has written a popular book about history. I have seen this ad hominem several times about Jared Diamond. Somehow those historians cannot stand that someone with no degree in history has written such a popular book.\n(2) \"Guns, Germs, and Steel attacked the notion that racial superiority explained Western global pre-eminence, a view taken seriously by almost no one who’s taken seriously\"\nActually, what Guns, Germs, and Steel did, was to provide a first comprehensive theory (that I have heard of, anyway) that explains why Europe, and not someone else, rose to dominance. This is the merit. The main merit is not that it, as a side product, discredited the racially based theories.\nFailing to understand this difference does not speak highly of the writer of the review.\n[1] http://www.columbia.edu/~saw2156/HunterBlatherer.pdf",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "what Guns, Germs, and Steel did, was to provide a first comprehensive theory (that I have heard of, anyway) that explains why Europe, and not someone else, rose to dominance. This is the merit.",
          "reason": "The commenter credits it with offering a comprehensive theory explaining Europe's rise to dominance.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is arguing about the book's merits and a review of it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8108023,
          "author": "Shorel",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T13:40:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8108023",
          "commentText": "Even Eduardo Galeano himself dismisses that book as shortsighted.\nhttp://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/24/books/eduardo-galeano-disa... (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/24/books/eduardo-galeano-disavows-his-book-the-open-veins.html?_r=0)\nIf you want a good view of the matter, please read Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you want a good view of the matter, please read Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by Jared Diamond.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a good account of the matter under discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6333864,
          "author": "PeterWhittaker",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-05T13:05:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 6329955,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which two books were the most influential on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6333864",
          "commentText": "Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman. Should be read by all who wonder how our minds work - and how much happens \"behind the scenes\", \"under the covers\".\nDarwin's Dangerous Idea, by Daniel Dennett. Should be read by all curious to know the full implications of mechanistic evolution (hint: think about what came before life).\nThe Mating Mind, by Geoffrey Miller. Must-read for anyone in marketing, or anyone wondering why the other guy got laid and you didn't.\nGuns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, by Jared Diamond. Why are we rich and they poor? Why so few domesticated African animals? Why one big China and a many-state Europe?\nThe Laughter of Triumph: William Hone and the Fight for the Free Press, by Ben Wilson. Great read about an early 19th C. struggle against unjust laws used to gag journalism. Relevant in today's age of bloggers, etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Why are we rich and they poor? Why so few domesticated African animals?",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875975,
          "author": "kirpekar",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T04:13:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875975",
          "commentText": "Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid; Douglas Hofstadter.\nGuns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies; Jared Diamond.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies; Jared Diamond.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 57425,
          "author": "endlessvoid94",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-20T15:03:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=57425",
          "commentText": "Guns Germs and Steel is possibly one of the most fascinating books I've read in years.  No wonder it won a Pulitzer.\nAlso I have to add a Carl Sagan book.  \"Varieties of Scientific Experience\" is fantastic.  \"pale blue dot\", as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Guns Germs and Steel is possibly one of the most fascinating books I've read in years.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the most fascinating books they've read in years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says \"possibly.\"",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jared Diamond"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human societies",
        "civilization",
        "geography",
        "historical geography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "refactoring-de3e3e",
      "title": "Refactoring",
      "author": "Martin Fowler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33862651,
          "author": "supr_strudl",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-05T07:37:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33862651",
          "commentText": "The Pragmatic Programmer (Hunt)\nRefactoring (Folwer)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Refactoring (Folwer)",
          "reason": "Listed as a reading suggestion in response to a request for books.",
          "audience": "Software engineers seeking to improve their work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33858182,
          "author": "mooreds",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T21:37:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33858182",
          "commentText": "Hiya,\nI'd consider these books/articles/podcasts:\n* Secrets of Consulting by Gerald Weinberg: http://geraldmweinberg.com/Site/Consulting_Secrets.html Every problem is a people problem.\n* Refactoring by Martin Fowler et. al: https://martinfowler.com/books/refactoring.html talks about how and why to refactor, as well as providing a nomenclature for the process.\n* Code Complete by Steve McConnell. https://stevemcconnell.com/books/ A bit dated (the last version I could find was from 2004) but a great overview of the entire software process, from requirements to maintenance.\n* The Mythical Man-Month by Fred Brookes: https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/mythical-man-month-the/... (https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/mythical-man-month-the/0201835959/) best practices about software development, written about a project from the 1960 and 1970s.\n* The Joel On Software Strategy Letters: https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/05/12/strategy-letter-i-... (https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/05/12/strategy-letter-i-ben-and-jerrys-vs-amazon/) is the first one. All of them (I think there are five) are great.\n* Letters to a New Developer: https://letterstoanewdeveloper.com/the-book/ Please note I wrote this, but I still think it does a good job of discussing the \"soft skills\" in an easily digestible format.\n* Pragmatic Programmer by Dave Thomas and Andy Hunt: https://pragprog.com/titles/tpp20/the-pragmatic-programmer-2... (https://pragprog.com/titles/tpp20/the-pragmatic-programmer-20th-anniversary-edition/) Haven't read the revised 20th anniversary edition, but the first one opened my eyes to the craft of software.\n* High Output Management by Andy Grove: https://bookshop.org/p/books/high-output-management-andrew-s... (https://bookshop.org/p/books/high-output-management-andrew-s-grove/6730629) a great way to think about throughput\n* The Phoenix Project by Gene Kim et. al: https://itrevolution.com/product/the-phoenix-project/ Fun novel(!) about applying lean management principles to software engineering.\n* Radical Candor (haven't read, but it's been recommended): https://www.radicalcandor.com/ About communication.\n* Good to Great by Jim Collins: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_to_Great Focuses on what great companies bring to the table. Helps me evaluate where to work.\n* Mastery Autonomy and Purpose: A great video about what people really want in work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzXXC4MZZnY\n* https://www.manager-tools.com/podcasts a podcast about managing people. You didn't say you wanted to be a people manager, but knowing what managers think about will make you more effective in any org.\n* Managing Humans by Michael Lopp: https://managinghumans.com/ The whole Rands site is work reading, but I enjoyed this book about how to manage teams and build software. See above.\n* Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug: https://sensible.com/dont-make-me-think/ Easy ways to think about usability, focusing on webapps. Short and easy.\n* Badass: Making Users Awesome, by Kathy Sierra: http://seriouspony.com/badass-users-the-book Will help you put yourself in the shoes of your users and think about how to build software they will love. Short and easy.\nHope this helps.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Refactoring by Martin Fowler et. al",
          "reason": "Described as covering how and why to refactor and providing terminology for the process.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22307077,
          "author": "bszupnick",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-12T08:45:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22307077",
          "commentText": "Refactoring by Martin Fowler.\nHe takes you through a piece of code and refactors it all into smaller and more usable parts explaining what he's doing along the way. He does this with two difference pieces of code, if I recall correctly, then the third part is an index of all possible refactors.\nI read it cover to cover in less than a week and has totally changed the way I program.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Refactoring by Martin Fowler.",
          "reason": "Explains refactoring through worked code examples and describes available refactorings.",
          "audience": "Programmers looking to improve how they structure code.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21822231,
          "author": "derangedHorse",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-18T05:54:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21822231",
          "commentText": "Code Complete seemed to be a book with a lot of dense, redundant content. Reading what was written had me feeling like I was reading information that could have been written by myself. Clean Code on the other hand (along with Refactoring by Martin Fowler) changed the way I write code for the better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Refactoring by Martin Fowler",
          "reason": "The commenter says this book, along with Clean Code, changed the way they write code for the better.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17913331,
          "author": "lcall",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T22:16:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17913331",
          "commentText": "Upvoted, and I would also say the Book of Mormon, with the Bible.  The BoM reinforces the Bible's teachings powerfully, and as I age and read again, sometimes in other languages, and some scholarly things about it, they both just keep getting better and better.  Including in their effect on me.  You can get a copy of either one for free.\nEdit:\nAdditionally, some which have been mentioned or not:\n- a couple of biographies of Lincoln (one is free on gutenberg.org, the other more recent by Doris Kearns Goodwin), and one of Washington whose name I forget now, but there are good ones out there.\n- the 7 Habits book (Covey), and How to Win Friends and Influence People by Carnegie.\n- Refactoring ..., by Martin Fowler.\n- some thick Scheme programming book from college (sorry, it's downstairs).  And \"The Little Schemer\", also about Scheme (one of the authors, Friedman, was also our instructor).\n- Since Cumorah, by Hugh Nibley (maybe dated now, but there is a lot of related work).  Really got me interested in related topics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Refactoring ..., by Martin Fowler.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17034365,
          "author": "InclinedPlane",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T21:36:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17034365",
          "commentText": "- The Pragmatic Programmer\n- Refactoring\n- Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering\n- Code Complete",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Refactoring",
          "reason": "Lists it as a book answering the thread's request for career reading recommendations.",
          "audience": "People starting a software engineering or computer science career",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16756553,
          "author": "tejinderss",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T16:53:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16756553",
          "commentText": "Refactoring by Martin Fowler. Working Effectively with legacy code by Michael Feathers",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Refactoring by Martin Fowler.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14843022,
          "author": "gnaritas",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-24T21:47:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14843022",
          "commentText": "Smalltalk Best Practice Patterns by Kent Beck.\nRefactoring by Martin Fowler. Design Patterns by the Gang of Four. Domain Driven Design by Eric Evans.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Refactoring by Martin Fowler.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that shaped code structure.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14842905,
          "author": "InclinedPlane",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-24T21:31:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14842905",
          "commentText": "Refactoring. If I could shove that book down every coder's throat in the world I would. Or, if I could even just get them to use extract method like ... half the times they should I'd consider that to be a major historical achievement.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Refactoring. If I could shove that book down every coder's throat in the world I would.",
          "reason": "The commenter emphatically wants every coder to read it and praises its extract method guidance.",
          "audience": "Coders",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9349316,
          "author": "dotdi",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T17:31:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9349316",
          "commentText": "Last week I finished re-reading LOTR. It was awesome.\nBesides that, I am currently reading Scala in Depth (Suereth) and re-reading Refactoring (Fowler).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "re-reading Refactoring (Fowler)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7756904,
          "author": "npsimons",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:14:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7756904",
          "commentText": "\"Refactoring\" is next on my list, but I started with \"UML Distilled\", and am currently working on \"Design Patterns\", partly in preparation for \"Refactoring\" (and \"UML Distilled\" was partly in preparation for \"Design Patterns\").",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Refactoring\" is next on my list",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is on their reading list, without evaluating it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7756793,
          "author": "isuraed",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T17:58:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7756793",
          "commentText": "Refactoring by Martin Fowler. Extremely practical if you work with old and large code bases.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Extremely practical if you work with old and large code bases.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it extremely practical for working with old and large codebases.",
          "audience": "People working with old and large codebases.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin Fowler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "refactoring",
        "software design",
        "software refactoring",
        "legacy code"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-code-book-the-science-of-secrecy-from-ancient-egypt-to-quantu-1f4d5a",
      "title": "The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography",
      "author": "Simon Singh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43612687,
          "author": "dharmab",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T15:34:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43612687",
          "commentText": "_The Code Book_ by Simon Singh changed the course of my life when I read it as a kid.\nI'd love an update to cover elliptic curves and lattice based cryptography, and to update the at the time speculative section on quantum computing. But the majority of the book covers historical events and is still just as valid as it was then.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "_The Code Book_ by Simon Singh changed the course of my life when I read it as a kid.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed the course of their life and that most of its historical coverage remains valid.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in cryptography and its history.",
          "caveat": "The commenter would like an update covering elliptic curves, lattice-based cryptography, and quantum computing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36601695,
          "author": "matricaria",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:23:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601695",
          "commentText": "The Code Book – Simon Singh (1999)\nIt’s not about technology in general but encryption only, but it covers its history pretty well.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Code Book – Simon Singh (1999)\nIt’s not about technology in general but encryption only, but it covers its history pretty well.",
          "reason": "Covers the history of encryption well.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Focuses on encryption rather than technology in general.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20334289,
          "author": "kishansundar",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T12:21:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20334289",
          "commentText": "The Code Book (The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography) By Simon Singh",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Code Book (The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography) By Simon Singh",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13237838,
          "author": "satyajitranjeev",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T15:30:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237838",
          "commentText": "Things I completed:\n1. Elon Musk: Inventing the Future\n2. The Code Book - Simon Singh\n3. Fermat's Enigma - Simon Singh\n4. Deep Work - Cal Newport\n5. Smarter Faster Better - Charles Duhigg\n6. 1984\n7. So good they can't ignore you - Cal Newport\n8. Distributed Systems for fun and profit\n9. Classic Shell Scripting\nThings I partially read and hope to complete some time:\n1. The music of Primes\n2. Traction\n3. Founders at work\n4. Your Memory: How it works and how to improve it\nThings I would recommend:\nFermat's Enigma and The Code Book are very interesting reads if you are into Mathematics. They are both written very well and you don't need to know too much of Mathematics to understand it. On the other hand The Music of Primes started of very interesting and then got a bit too heavy for an evening read. If you can chug along I think it would be a good one too.\nOf all the self help books I mentioned I think Duhiggs Smarter, faster better is the one that stands out. It is more of an analysis of various teams and people and how they got to work efficiently.\nFounders at work is a long read but something that you can read a chapter independently and that's why it is under half read but definitely something to look at.\n[EDIT: formatting]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fermat's Enigma and The Code Book are very interesting reads if you are into Mathematics.",
          "reason": "Calls it a very interesting read for people into mathematics and says it is well written.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in mathematics and cryptography.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says extensive mathematical knowledge is not required.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229829,
          "author": "chris_st",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T16:01:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229829",
          "commentText": "I highly recommend \"The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography\" by Simon Singh.  Really readable history of cryptography, without much math.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend \"The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography\" by Simon Singh. Really readable history of cryptography, without much math.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it as a readable history of cryptography.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in cryptography or its history.",
          "caveat": "Does not use much math.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10833649,
          "author": "trungtrontria",
          "createdAt": "2016-01-04T02:08:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 10833032,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book you've recently read and enjoyed?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10833649",
          "commentText": "The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography by Simon Singh",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography by Simon Singh",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10029196,
          "author": "Blahah",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-09T01:28:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10029196",
          "commentText": "A good option is to look for winners of science book prizes.\nThe Royal Society Winton Prize is excellent: http://www.theguardian.com/books/royal-society-science-book-... (http://www.theguardian.com/books/royal-society-science-book-prize).\nSome personal favourites:\nThe Incredible Unlikeliness Of Being by Alice Roberts is a wonderful book that describes how a human being develops from conception to adulthood in minute biological detail.\nThe Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography by Simon Singh is fantastic, if a little out of date by now.\nCosmos: The Story of Cosmic Evolution, Science and Civilisation by Carl Sagan.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography by Simon Singh is fantastic, if a little out of date by now.",
          "reason": "Calls it fantastic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may be a little out of date.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10027646,
          "author": "uxcn",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T16:05:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027646",
          "commentText": "Without going into heavily technical books, I'd recommend The Code Book by Simon Singh.  There's also Fermat's Last Theorem by the same author.\nOn the more technical side, it's somewhat cliche but, TAOCP really is excellent.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend The Code Book by Simon Singh.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the book in response to the request for high signal to noise books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Simon Singh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cryptography",
        "codebreaking",
        "codes and ciphers",
        "codes"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-design-of-everyday-things-9230da",
      "title": "The Design of Everyday Things",
      "author": "Donald A. Norman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41417662,
          "author": "riwsky",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-01T15:17:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41417662",
          "commentText": "Two of the best books for software engineers are actually not specific to software engineering:\n  * “The Design of Everyday Things”. Have you ever pushed on a pull door, or vice-versa, because it was unclear how it worked? Designers call those doors “Norman Doors”, now, after the author of this book Donald Norman so effectively dissected and criticized them (among plenty other objects). Too many APIs suffer similar problems—and if you don’t want yours to, this book is a great place to start.\n  * “On Writing Well”, by William Zinsser. Good code and good prose have a lot in common: they know what they’re trying to do, are stripped to their clearest components, and have internal structure that supports understanding. Add to that the fact you’ll be writing lots of prose anyway (design docs, postmortems, etc), and the value of writing well should be clear.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“The Design of Everyday Things”",
          "reason": "Recommended as a useful starting point for designing APIs that are clear to users.",
          "audience": "Software engineers designing APIs.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is not specific to software engineering.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41417138,
          "author": "smusamashah",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-01T14:15:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41417138",
          "commentText": "Just want to add vote for Design of Everyday Things. If you are into creating anything that other people use (software, code, appliances, doors), you should read this book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just want to add vote for Design of Everyday Things.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it for people creating things that other people use.",
          "audience": "People creating software, code, appliances, doors, or other things people use.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30831040,
          "author": "georgeecollins",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T14:48:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30831040",
          "commentText": "Thumbs up Design of Everyday Things!  I had a class with Donald Norman when I was in college because he was the head of my department.  I thought I was going to go into research at that time because I worked in a lab.  Later when I was a video game designer I realized that was probably the most useful class I ever took.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thumbs up Design of Everyday Things!",
          "reason": "The commenter endorses the book and recalls its ideas as useful in their later work as a video game designer.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in design and game design.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18668458,
          "author": "gcb0",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T22:57:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 18662992,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on modern UI/UX?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18668458",
          "commentText": "don's book is good and all, but it is a equivalent to a TED talk. I would never recommend it to anyone looking for anything other than entertaining highly-specific annecdotes.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "don's book is good and all, but it is a equivalent to a TED talk. I would never recommend it to anyone looking for anything other than entertaining highly-specific annecdotes.",
          "reason": "Acknowledges some merit but criticizes its limited value and says they would not recommend it for most purposes.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking practical or broad guidance in design.",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds it entertaining only for highly specific anecdotes.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18668287,
          "author": "keithnz",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T22:29:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 18662992,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on modern UI/UX?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18668287",
          "commentText": "\"The design of everyday things\" would be the book to read about that kind of stuff.  It's a classic and very good, I would consider that a possible \"minimum\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The design of everyday things\" would be the book to read about that kind of stuff. It's a classic and very good, I would consider that a possible \"minimum\"",
          "reason": "Calls it a classic and very good, and suggests it as essential reading.",
          "audience": "Readers learning about design and UX.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16758302,
          "author": "icc97",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T19:47:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16758302",
          "commentText": "Joe Celko's SQL for Smarties.\nTufte's Visual Display of Quantitive Information.\nDonald Norman's Design of Everyday Things.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Donald Norman's Design of Everyday Things.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6231363,
          "author": "hcarvalhoalves",
          "createdAt": "2013-08-18T02:27:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 6231052,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is a good book for learning front end design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6231363",
          "commentText": "Try to learn and understand design as a discipline before going into the specifics of user interfaces and interaction design. For that I recommend:\n- Universal Principles of Design - William Lidwell\n- The Design of Everyday Things - Donald A. Norman\nThen for more practical knowledge:\n- Forms that Work: Designing Web Forms for Usability - Caroline Jarrett\n- Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability - Steve Krug\n- Designing the Obvious: A Common Sense Approach to Web & Mobile Application Design - Robert Hoekman Jr.\n- Sketching User Experiences: Getting the Design Right and the Right Design - Bill Buxton",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Design of Everyday Things - Donald A. Norman",
          "reason": "Recommended for learning design as a discipline before studying interfaces.",
          "audience": "Readers learning design before focusing on UI and interaction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5408642,
          "author": "tr0ss",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-20T17:12:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 5401749,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What interesting books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5408642",
          "commentText": "The Design of Everyday Things by Donald A. Norman",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Design of Everyday Things by Donald A. Norman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875743,
          "author": "pgbovine",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T02:03:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875743",
          "commentText": "Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Flow-Psychology-Experience-Mihaly-Csik... (http://www.amazon.com/Flow-Psychology-Experience-Mihaly-Csikszentmihalyi/dp/0060920432)\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Design-Everyday-Things-Donald-Norman/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Design-Everyday-Things-Donald-Norman/dp/0385267746)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Design of Everyday Things",
          "reason": "Named in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797174,
          "author": "navshaikh",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T02:25:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797174",
          "commentText": "Dreaming in Code: Two Dozen Programmers, Three Years, 4,732 Bugs, and One Quest for Transcendent Software\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Dreaming-Code-Programmers-Transcendent... (http://www.amazon.com/Dreaming-Code-Programmers-Transcendent-Software/dp/1400082463)\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Design-Everyday-Things-Donald-Norman/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Design-Everyday-Things-Donald-Norman/dp/0465067107/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251771897&sr=1-1)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Design of Everyday Things",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 295896,
          "author": "runevault",
          "createdAt": "2008-09-05T15:02:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 295871,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HC: Which books on user interface design do you wish your CEO/Cofounders would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=295896",
          "commentText": "Since Don't Make Me Think already came up, going to add\nAbout Face (have 2.0 but heard 3.0 is even better)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/About-Face-Essentials-Interaction-Desi... (http://www.amazon.com/About-Face-Essentials-Interaction-Design/dp/0470084111/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1220626879&sr=8-1)\nand Design of Everyday Things\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Design-Everyday-Things-Donald-Norman/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Design-Everyday-Things-Donald-Norman/dp/0465067107/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1220626908&sr=1-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Design of Everyday Things",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240850,
          "author": "trotzke",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T06:28:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240850",
          "commentText": "On my desk:\nGetting Real (37Signals),\nHardball (Chris Mathews),\nPrioritizing Web Usability (Jakob Nielsen)\nNearby shelf:\nThe Design of Everyday Things,\nMaverick,\nFounders at work,\nA Brief History of Time,\nA Pattern Language,\nPeopleware,\nMade to stick,\nWeb Standards Solutions,\nDesigning Interactions,\nThe Pragmatic Programmer,\nThe Mythical Man-Month,\nOh, the Places You'll Go!\nOther good reads:\nBlink,\nTipping Point,\nLong Tail,\nFreakonomics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Design of Everyday Things,",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for recommended books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donald A. Norman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human centered design",
        "usability",
        "user centered design",
        "product design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dictator-s-handbook-47e776",
      "title": "The Dictator's Handbook",
      "author": "Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Alastair Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39249854,
          "author": "nihzm",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T13:00:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249854",
          "commentText": "Right now, One hundred years of solitude by Gabriel García. I have been taking a break from scifi and nonfiction to enjoy some classics. The latest book I've read just before this one were\n1. The Dictator's Handbook by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Alastair Smith. They present a compelling argument for their framework to understand political structure and action based on the size of the coalition. The book is actually a condensed, much more readable version of the academic research of both authors. It was both a depressing and exhilarating read (as implied by the title, the whole book has a very sarcastic tone). It was also very interesting many of their arguments also apply in corporate environments just as they do in \"normal politics\"; the corporate power structure is not that far removed from the royal palaces of the kingdom or more generally from a dictatorship. Recommended read.\n2. Social Acceleration by Hartmut Rosa. This one was a though read, but absolutely illuminating. It presents an extremely clear analytic analysis on why we increasingly feel like like \"we don't have enough time\".\nIt starts by arguing how the preception of time in the preindustrial age was slower than the industrialized one (in short, mostly because in the preindustrialized society major sociotechnological change took longer than thee generations to occurr, making your life look not that different than from those of your parents and grandparents), and then it discusses the age of industrialization (standardization of national time, introduction of schedules for factory working hours) which by necessity introduced \"temporal structures\" to coordinate these new massive social structures. Also, the rate of technological progress became such that your life was no longer like your parents and grandparent's one, i.e. there were major inter-generational sociotechnological changes; Further, compounded on top of that was the secularization of western society and the romantic belief that enjoying more wordly experiences (as opposed to the afterlife) implied living a fuller or \"more complete\" life, introducing the need to experience more and faster to the masses (cf. mass tourism etc.).\nFinally it reaches the (post)modern age where the author argues that the introduction of instant worldwide communication (& internet) began eroding the temporal structure of the 20th century since they are no longer needed, as the technology now allows for (nearly) instantaneous coordination (eg. home working, international firms, etc). Moreover, technological progress is also accelerated as the internet allows for faster global exchange of ideas between more people.\nHowever, even though we are freed from the \"temporal structures\" of the 20th century we are not going back to the preindustrial slower perception of time. On the contrary, because we still have these structures and can now bring about major changes even faster there is intra-generational sociotechnological change, i.e. society can change by a lot more than before within your own lifetime. So even though we have supposedly \"more time\" thanks to the efficiency introduced by technological advancements, we actually end up feeling like we have less because of how fast change occurrs. And this is does not refer only to greater social change, but also to the life of the individual that is increasingly filled with last minute rescheduling and planning changes that reach them outside of working hours.\nParallel to all of this, the internet also allows to experience more, faster than any other technology before. This latches on the romatic idea of the previous century and naturally leads to the current \"attention span crisis\" induced by the exploitation of this myth by tech companies. All of this, of course, is not good for your psyche as people need to have some constants in their lives, and the author concludes with a warning on the effects of indefinitely sustained social acceleration.\nSo that was the gist of it, more or less. The book has a lot more (eg. connections to the capitalist economic model, the problem(s) all of this causes to the construction your own identity) but as I said it is rather though to read because of its academic style of writing. Not recommended unless you're motivated, but I wanted to share the author's ideas, since reading this book really helped me to find more time in my life by seeing _why_ I felt like I had none.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dictator's Handbook by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Alastair Smith.",
          "reason": "Recommends it and describes its framework for understanding political structures and action.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30735764,
          "author": "jwood27",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:37:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735764",
          "commentText": "The following have all had a significant effect on my worldview. You can find more information at [1].\n- The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow\n- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\n- Crime and Punishment\n- The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York\n- Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies\n- The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity\n- Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead\n- Franny and Zooey\n- Master of the Senate\n- Atlas Shrugged\n- Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed\n- Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap?\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\n- The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics\n- The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don't\n- Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans\n- Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\n- Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World\n- Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones\n- Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow\n- Ethics in the Real World: 86 Brief Essays on Things that Matter\n- A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life\n- Humankind: A Hopeful History\n- The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think\n[1] https://jacobw.xyz/books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics",
          "reason": "Listed among books that significantly affected the commenter’s worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23859012,
          "author": "credit_guy",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:54:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859012",
          "commentText": "I'll second \"The Dictator's Handbook\". And if anyone is thinking, \"I don't need this, I don't have any plans to become a dictator\", you're thinking just like I was thinking a few years ago. When finally I read it, I kicked myself for passing on such a great book because of its silly name. This book does indeed change the way you understand the world (Small caveat: the authors stretch their theory to cover some cases such as corporate governance. That part felt quite weak to me. You can just ignore it. The rest of the book more than makes up for this).\nAnd here's another one that's somewhat similar: \"Coup d'Etat: A Practical Handbook\". The title is not just a joke, unfortunately. Some coups were indeed carried out following the advice in this book (which was obviously not the author's intention, but life sometimes takes unexpected turns). The second edition of this book was published in 2015, just one year before the attempted coup in Turkey. Armed with the knowledge from this book, you can go and analyze what happened in Turkey and it's going to make a lot of sense.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'll second \"The Dictator's Handbook\".",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changes how you understand the world and praises most of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The authors' extension of the theory to some corporate governance cases felt weak; the commenter says that part can be ignored.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19091223,
          "author": "_jgdh",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T23:35:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19091223",
          "commentText": "* Factfulness and Thinking Fast And Slow. The latter helped me internalise that my thinking, like most humans, is biased. Even being aware of those biases doesn’t always help. We need to go above and beyond to overcome our biases.  Factfulness goes into detail about what those biases are and how they lead to a distorted world view. Rather than taking the easy way out by blaming journalists/politicians/rich people, he turns the focus onto us and our biases and speaks about how to look at the world in an objective fact based manner.\n* The Dictator’s Handbook. One simple axiom - leaders do what is necessary to stay in power. Using that idea they explain the basis of all political systems, whether autocracy or democracy or somewhere in between. I didn’t really understand politics before I read this. CGPGrey has a video where he summarises the book. [1]\n* (Only for Indians) India After Gandhi. You can’t really understand your country if you don’t know it’s history. History stopped in 1947 according to our history books, and most people are blissfully unaware of what came after. They don’t know how close India came to losing democracy or how easily it could happen again. They don’t understand the dangers of promoting one language at the expense of others because they don’t know that it’s been tried before. Every Indian needs to know so we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past over and over.\n[1] - https://youtu.be/rStL7niR7gs",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I didn’t really understand politics before I read this.",
          "reason": "Uses the idea that leaders act to stay in power to explain political systems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14859682,
          "author": "r3bl",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T19:58:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859682",
          "commentText": "Deep Thinking really sounds fun! I agree, The Dictator's Handbook is really good, but sometimes really repetitive and it takes a bit of dedication to finish it.\nAs for my current one, I'm really enjoying Ted Chiang's Stories of Your Life and Others.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Dictator's Handbook is really good, but sometimes really repetitive",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it really good while noting it can be repetitive.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Sometimes really repetitive; it takes dedication to finish.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14859638,
          "author": "ronald_raygun",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T19:54:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859638",
          "commentText": "I'm reading a few. The Power Broker (really good, but really long). The dictators handbook (good, but repetitive). Deep thinking (easy and enjoyable if you're interested in AI). Investment Science (very good if you're interested in math finance).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The dictators handbook (good, but repetitive).",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it good but repetitive.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Repetitive.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13804336,
          "author": "xemoka",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:38:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804336",
          "commentText": "- Ishmael and Story of B by Daniel Quinn\nHis thoughts on religion and interpretation of religion as propaganda and how we've framed our taker society very much influenced my young mind.\n- 1491 and 1493 by Charles C. Mann\nThe way we look at the new world and how vastly different standard teachings and what actually happened are.\n- A Guide to the Good Life by William Irvine\nPut to words what I already mostly practise, it identified my issues I had with buddhism.\n- A Dictators Handbook by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita\nAn interesting flip on politics, it made me stop worrying so much about the here-and-now of it, and quelled my anger with the (further?) realisation that it is a game. If we want to fix what's happening we need to fix the rules, not the players.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Dictators Handbook by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita",
          "reason": "The commenter says its view of politics changed their outlook and argues that rules, rather than players, need fixing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238226,
          "author": "skadamou",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:19:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238226",
          "commentText": "For my birthday this year some friends got me The Dictator’s Handbook by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Marx’s Capital Illustrated by David Smith. I’ve always been at least tangentially interested in political/economic theory and these two books offered an easily accessible new perspective on their respective subjects I hadn’t gotten before. The Dictator’s Handbook I found to be particularly insightful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dictator’s Handbook by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Marx’s Capital Illustrated by David Smith.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it particularly insightful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruce Bueno de Mesquita",
        "Alastair Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Society",
        "Economics",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political science",
        "power",
        "elite politics",
        "governance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-last-lecture-0d6769",
      "title": "The Last Lecture",
      "author": "Randy Pausch",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40878537,
          "author": "TheAlchemist",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-04T22:22:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40878537",
          "commentText": "\"The last lecture\" by Randy Pausch - there is a book,  but also a talk you can watch online.\nIf you've never seen it, I highly recommend to watch it.\nNot giving any spoilers, but as a father, the ending of the talk made me shed a tear.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The last lecture\" by Randy Pausch",
          "reason": "Recommends watching the talk and says its ending moved them to tears; notes there is also a book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31988129,
          "author": "high_byte",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-05T13:46:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31988129",
          "commentText": "The Last Lecture, Randy Pausch",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Last Lecture, Randy Pausch",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29847793,
          "author": "therealmitchel",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-08T02:03:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29847793",
          "commentText": "The Last Lecture is a must read - esp at 18 y/o. Some great life lessons and an all around great story.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Last Lecture is a must read - esp at 18 y/o.",
          "reason": "Called a must-read for an 18-year-old, with life lessons and a compelling story.",
          "audience": "Readers around age 18.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12243869,
          "author": "bertique",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-07T21:50:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12243869",
          "commentText": "The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4787443,
          "author": "fsethi",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:27:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787443",
          "commentText": "Some old that I have re-read, some new, all worth your time:\nOld Man And The Sea - Ernest Hemingway\nIQ84 - Haruki Murakami\nThe Last Lecture - Randy Pausch\nOn Writing - Stephen King\nWhen Bad Things Happen To Good People - Harold Kushner\nCatcher In The Rye - J.D. Salinger\nNotes To Myself - Hugh Prather",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Last Lecture - Randy Pausch",
          "reason": "Included among books described as worth the reader's time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4787418,
          "author": "timmm",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:19:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787418",
          "commentText": "The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho.\nKing, Warrior, Magician, Lover by Moore and Gillette\nThe lean startup\nPaul Graham how to start a startup\nMark Hyman Ultimate Mind Solution\nTribal Leadership\nWheel of Time\nThink and Grow Rich\nSuperior Man David Deida\nThe Fountain Head\nEckhart Tolle New Earth\n50th Law\nGood to Great\nJed Mckenna\nEarl Nightengale\nLong Walk to Freedom\nOutliers\nGood to Great\nPsycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz (Self-image)\nSeven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey(Being awesome)\nWealth of Nations\nWayne Dyer The Tao\nSystem of the World\nOrigin of Species\nBrave new world\nThank you economy\nCrush it\nBuilt to Last\nWho Moved my Cheese\nStillness Speak Eckhert Tolle\nMastery George Leonard\nSteve Jobs Biography\nThe Last Lecture\nSteve Pavlina Books\nIacocca\nStriking Thoughts Bruce Lee\nCarlos Castaneda\nGhost in the Wires\nRichest Man in Babylon\nWay of the Superior Man\nLosing My Virginity\nThink and Grow Rich\nDelivering Happiness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Last Lecture",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752538,
          "author": "bobds",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T11:37:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752538",
          "commentText": "I didn't know he wrote a book about it, thanks. I've watched the speech a few times and it is excellent.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I didn't know he wrote a book about it, thanks.",
          "reason": "The commenter acknowledges the book mentioned in the parent comment without evaluating it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1632846,
          "author": "matthewphiong",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T14:05:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1632846",
          "commentText": "The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch -- http://www.thelastlecture.com/\nEverybody should read it, or at least watch the video on Youtube. It changed my life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Everybody should read it, or at least watch the video on Youtube. It changed my life.",
          "reason": "Urges everyone to read it and says it changed their life.",
          "audience": "General readers.",
          "caveat": "The commenter also suggests watching the video.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226794,
          "author": "scorpioxy",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:15:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226794",
          "commentText": "Oh, lots! I wish you'd narrow down to some categories you're interested in.\nA few example i enjoyed:\nThe State of Africa, Martin Meredith\nThe Code Book, Simon Singh\nPity the Nation, Robert Fisk\nThe Great War for Civilization, Robert Fisk\nAlan Turing: The Enigma, Andrew Hodges\nLong Walk to Freedom, Nelson Mandela\nThe Last Lecture, Randy Pausch\nFermat's Engima, Simon Singh\nLots more....",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Last Lecture, Randy Pausch",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Randy Pausch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "life lessons",
        "memoir",
        "inspirational"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-magicians-c32164",
      "title": "The Magicians",
      "author": "Lev Grossman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40045903,
          "author": "bediger4000",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-15T21:35:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40045903",
          "commentText": "The Magicians, Lev Grossman\nA Wizard of Earthsea",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Magicians, Lev Grossman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467724,
          "author": "AndrewLiptak",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:54:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467724",
          "commentText": "A bunch of books: Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey (as well as several of the sequels), American Gods by Neil Gaiman, The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi, The Magicians by Lev Grossman, Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie, Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin, and a bunch of others.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Magicians by Lev Grossman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20982706,
          "author": "kalado",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T10:35:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20982706",
          "commentText": "Non-Fiction:\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman | \nbook on human rationality and irrationality\n- An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield\nFiction:\n- Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality | \nPetunia married a professor, and Harry grew up reading science and science fiction.\nhttp://www.hpmor.com/\n-  Off to Be the Wizard (Magic 2.0 Book 1) by Scott Meyer | \nReality is defined in a text file, making the protagonist a wizard when he discovers it while hacking a company.\n-  The Magicians (series) by Lev Grossman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-  The Magicians (series) by Lev Grossman",
          "reason": "Explicitly identified as a series in the fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18664444,
          "author": "jatsign",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T15:02:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664444",
          "commentText": "Man, the Magicians has to be the most controversial book, in terms of people either LOVE it or HATE it.  I fall in the former camp and consider it my favorite book of all time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "consider it my favorite book of all time",
          "reason": "The commenter says this is their favorite book of all time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is controversial and divides readers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18663924,
          "author": "Arkdy",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T14:00:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663924",
          "commentText": "I'll push back just a little and say that a lot of the first book was written from Quentin's perspective, so that's why it might have come off as clueless wrt how it handled sexuality. However, that might have been by design because in the rest of the series there's a lot of, \"Expectations vs Reality.\" \nMeaning, \"Here's how Quentin expects the women around him to exist,\" but \"Here's how they actually exist.\"\nPlus, a big chunk of the rest of the series revolves around <spoiler> Julia healing from sexual trauma </spoiler> and it was both nuanced and satisfying.\nI won't go so far as suggesting that you give it another try, but it's not as terrible as it might seem :)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Plus, a big chunk of the rest of the series revolves around <spoiler> Julia healing from sexual trauma </spoiler> and it was both nuanced and satisfying.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the treatment of Julia's healing as nuanced and satisfying, while declining to urge another try.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter explicitly says they will not suggest giving it another try.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18663395,
          "author": "Arkdy",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:44:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663395",
          "commentText": "Wow, that's interesting. We must have approached Grossman from completely different perspectives. Last year (2017) I read the entire Magicians series and thoroughly enjoyed them because they made me uncomfortable. I was trash, in the same way that Quentin was trash, so following his arc was introspective.\nAt the time I contrasted it to the optimism in \"All the Birds in the Sky\" by Charlie Jane Anders (if you're familiar)\nWhat was your experience like?\nFor reference, my most recent fiction is:\n- \"Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World\" by Murakami\n- \"Uprooted\" by Naomi Novik\n- \"God Emperor of Dune\" by Frank Herbert",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read the entire Magicians series and thoroughly enjoyed them because they made me uncomfortable.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they thoroughly enjoyed the series and found following Quentin's arc introspective.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in uncomfortable, introspective fantasy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18663362,
          "author": "bun_at_work",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:38:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663362",
          "commentText": "Yes - it was truly atrocious. It was nominated in our book club, but I wouldn't have finished it otherwise.\nI wonder how it managed to get published in the first place. Also, I love this review from George RR Martin, where he manages to discuss the book without complimenting it:\n“The Magicians is to Harry Potter as a shot of Irish whiskey is to a glass of weak tea. Solidly rooted in the traditions of both fantasy and mainstream literary fiction, the novel tips its hat to Oz and Narnia as well to Harry, but don’t mistake this for a children's book. Grossman’s sensibilities are thoroughly adult, his narrative dark and dangerous and full of twists.  Hogwarts was never like this.”",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Yes - it was truly atrocious.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they found it atrocious and would not have finished it otherwise.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They say it was nominated for their book club, but they would not have finished it otherwise.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18663282,
          "author": "bun_at_work",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:22:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663282",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction:\n- Factfulness by Hans Rosling\n- The War on Science by Shawn Otto\n- Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell\n- A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson\n- The Storm Before the Storm by Mike Duncan\n- The Enigma of Reason by Hugo Mercier\nFiction:\n- And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie\n- The Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson\n- The Magicians by Lev Grossman\nThe non-fiction books were all incredible and highly recommended. I especially appreciate The War on Science as it is highly relevant in today's polarized and emotional political climate.\nThe fiction books were good, for the most part. However, The Magicians might be the worst book I have ever read, not limited to fiction or fantasy. For more on that, ask.\nI managed to read significantly more books this year due to joining an at-work book club, which has been very nice.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The Magicians might be the worst book I have ever read, not limited to fiction or fantasy.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it possibly the worst book they have ever read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783459,
          "author": "Sherlock",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:37:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783459",
          "commentText": "\"The Magicians\", \"The Magician King\", \"The Magician's Land\" - Lev Grossman. 4/5\n\"Inside Job\" - Connie Willis. 4/5\n\"Norwegian Wood (Tokio Blues)\" - Haruki Murakami. 4/5\n\"Old Man's War\" - John Scalzi. 5/5\n\"Persepolis\" - Marjane Satrapi. 5/5\nNon fiction:\n\"The 10,000 year explosion\" about recent evolution. 3/5 ton of evidence for their thesis, but lacks predictions.\n\"What if\" well known by HN. 5/5\n\"The nurture assumption\" about education, 2/5. Maybe a 4/5 when it was published, but now their ideas are in the water supply.\n\"The man who mistook his wife for a hat\", by Oliver Sacks 4/5. Several stories about neurological deficits.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Magicians\", \"The Magician King\", \"The Magician's Land\" - Lev Grossman. 4/5",
          "reason": "Part of a trilogy rated 4/5.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4968193,
          "author": "imrehg",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T04:58:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4968193",
          "commentText": "Gravity's Rainbow - took 4 months out of my year, but and it's still mostly a whoosh, but every time I started reading another book after that, it was just amazing how much better Pyncheon writes. Will revisit it for sure, though not very soon.\nAnna Karenina - just a whole different level, Tolstoy's writing in a way I don't feel many contemporary writes could. Feels creepy how similar the people's lives in the 19th Century was to ours. Creepy but fun too.\nIf On A Winter's Night A Traveller - Italo Calvino will just punch you in the face, this is a book for people who love reading books.\nThe Magicians - adult magic fiction, and somehow it feels that if magic was indeed real, it would be like it is depicted here, not like anything in Harry Potter's (no matter how much I loved the storytelling, the magic theory was just so full of plotholes).\nThe Casual Vacancy - JKRowling's not-Harry-Potter-book. It's very gritty, and feels very real. Still having my cold shivers thinking of small-town living after this.\n(Except for the last one the others are older releases, don't usually jump into the newest ones, I just take it casual)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Magicians - adult magic fiction, and somehow it feels that if magic was indeed real, it would be like it is depicted here",
          "reason": "The commenter finds its depiction of magic convincing, while criticizing Harry Potter's magic theory for plot holes.",
          "audience": "Readers of adult magic fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4242680,
          "author": "kappaloris",
          "createdAt": "2012-07-14T00:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 4239104,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read & liked in 2012 till now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4242680",
          "commentText": "The magicians + sequel.\nI found it interesting mainly because it's a fantasy book about fantasy books.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The magicians + sequel.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they found it interesting because it is fantasy about fantasy books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lev Grossman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dark fantasy",
        "literary fantasy",
        "magical school",
        "adult fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-obstacle-is-the-way-aab220",
      "title": "The Obstacle Is the Way",
      "author": "Ryan Holiday",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40283398,
          "author": "pedalpete",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T08:07:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40283398",
          "commentText": "The Obstacle is the Way - Ryan Holiday\nHoliday, in most of his books, makes stoic philosophy relatable and gives examples of we'd be familiar with in modern day. It's a fairly easy read, and I gift it the most as well.\nAs a software engineer, I found his less popular book Perennial Seller to also be very good. It describes his writing style, which honestly is very similar to coding, but also talks about his approach to marketing his books, which drives the content.\nPlay Bigger by Al Ramadan (and a few others) which talks about category design. I haven't tried their newer books, but I'm somewhat tempted.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Obstacle is the Way - Ryan Holiday",
          "reason": "Says Holiday makes Stoic philosophy relatable with familiar modern examples; calls it an easy read and says they gift it most.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in accessible Stoic philosophy.",
          "caveat": "Describes the book as fairly easy to read.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20336383,
          "author": "sanabriarenato",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T15:58:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20336383",
          "commentText": "The obstacle is the way (https://www.amazon.com/Obstacle-Way-Timeless-Turning-Triumph... (https://www.amazon.com/Obstacle-Way-Timeless-Turning-Triumph/dp/1591846358)) is also a good one on the Stoic philosophy, could serve as in introduction to Meditations",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The obstacle is the way (https://www.amazon.com/Obstacle-Way-Timeless-Turning-Triumph...) is also a good one on the Stoic philosophy, could serve as in introduction to Meditations",
          "reason": "Calls it a good introduction to Stoic philosophy and to Meditations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14486243,
          "author": "K0SM0S",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T09:15:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14486243",
          "commentText": "Meditations by Marcus Aurelius.\nStoicism is by far the best philosophy I've ever encountered. Some people call it \"the best operating system for the mind\", and I very much agree with that statement.\nIt changed my life more than any other corpus of ideas. I can't overstate how much better I feel now that my brain is running on a 'Stoic OS', especially on an emotional level --which was the hardest to deal with as I'm rather hyper-sensitive; now my emotions have truly become an almost entirely positive force in my experience of life, regardless of their nature, good or bad, of said emotions; in fact I no longer even qualify emotions on this scale; and the same goes true for an overwhelming majority of my thinking.\nThis book is the personal journal of one of the greatest roman emperors, leader of the (western) world at the time. A rare enough occurrence in the history of leaders, he was deemed 'worthy of his position' on a human and philosophical level by most people who knew him.\nA couple remarks: \"philosophy\" as seen by ancient authors and thinkers is not a strictly intellectual or abstract endeavor, not a scholarly matter, at least not at its core. Philosophy is the closest equivalent they had to what we'd call \"self-development\" today. It's very down to earth, 'life recipes' of sorts, simply to educate and help people deal with this elusive brain of ours. Seneca's and Epictetus writings are also excellent food for thought, food for one's mind. Imho, philosophy, litterally the \"love of wisdom\", is something we should deeply reappropriate, both as individuals and whole societies.\nRelatingly, Stoicism used to be taught from childhood throughout most of human history in the western world (and it could be argued that Asia has its own equivalent philosophies). For some reason, we ceased teaching philosophy to children around the turn of of the 20th century, which leaves most people with a lack of means to deal with their emotional circumstances. I'm one of those who consider this to be a dire pity, especially in our day and age. I think it sorely shows in public discourse and interpersonal relationships, and the end result is too much suffering that is entirely preventable.\nMeditations is easy enough to read, but if you want something more modern, I found The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday to be a very good introduction to Stoicism.\n____\nAs A Man Thinketh by James Allen. It's as short as it is good for the mind, the building/making of one's persona. Well worth a read at least once in your life, there are many 20th and 21st century self-development books (e.g. How to Win Friends and Influence People) that I believe drew some of their teachings from this 1903 classic.\n____\nThe Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. Regardless of where you find the information contained in this book (there are many works on the topic, both modern and throughout history), this book helps understanding that living in the present moment is critically important, and a key to happiness. Notwithstanding the 'wu-wu' aspects of Tolle's particular take, it just works. If you find yourself constantly dwelling on the past, or being a 'nostalgic of the future' (as I both used to do), knowing the value of living 'in the now' may be the difference between chronic depression and a fulfilling experience of life. It certainly is for me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday to be a very good introduction to Stoicism.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a good introduction to Stoicism.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a modern introduction to Stoicism.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416503,
          "author": "mikejames16",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:45:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416503",
          "commentText": "Depends on what you're after. If you like the 4 hour work week and want to change your lifestyle then I'd read inspiration for the four hour work week; vagabonding by Ralf Potts and more recently the obstacle is the way by Ryan Holiday. At the end of this month I'll be heading off on a round the world trip with no return ticket starting in india. I have the four hour work week to thank for that, I changed my job to one where I was able to work remote, started my own product gocaller.co.uk whether it's going to bring income to support long term travel will be interesting to see, nevertheless it's a fun ride. I feel more confident now that I can go back to doing what im doing now I love software development and the interesting people I've had the pleasure of working with",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the obstacle is the way by Ryan Holiday",
          "reason": "Includes it among books to read for readers interested in changing their lifestyle.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229635,
          "author": "toumhi",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T14:51:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229635",
          "commentText": "Self-help/personal development/philosophy:\n- The obstacle is the way (Ryan Holiday)\n- Meditations (Marcus Aurelius)\n- Level up your life: how to unlock adventure and happiness by becoming the hero of your own story\n- the six pillars of self-esteem\n- so good they can’t ignore you\n- the power of habit\n- how to fail at almost everything and still win big\nBusiness:\n- soft sell: the new art of selling\n- essentialism: the disciplined pursuit of less\n- the magic of thinking big\n- everything is negotiable\n- making things happen\n- lean customer development\n- what customers want\n- inspired: how to create products customers love\n- delivering happiness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The obstacle is the way (Ryan Holiday)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8720673,
          "author": "hvass",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-09T02:42:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8720673",
          "commentText": "You're definitely going to like The Obstacle Is The Way if you want to go deeper into stoicism.\nIt is based on that line from Marcus Aurelius's Meditations and it's about turning obstacles upside down.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You're definitely going to like The Obstacle Is The Way if you want to go deeper into stoicism.",
          "reason": "Recommends it to someone who wants to explore Stoicism further.",
          "audience": "Readers who want to go deeper into Stoicism.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8716409,
          "author": "q-base",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T14:04:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8716409",
          "commentText": "Antifragile or The Obstacle Is The Way - are probably the most influential",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Antifragile or The Obstacle Is The Way - are probably the most influential",
          "reason": "Named as one of the books the commenter considers most influential in response to the life-changing-book question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter presents it as one of two possibilities.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109099,
          "author": "selleck",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:18:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109099",
          "commentText": "Morning train ride: The Personal MBA.\nEvening train ride: Problem Solving with Algorithms and Data Structures using Python.\nBest read in a while: The Obstacle is the Way. Great intro to Stoicism, and only $4.00 on the kindle.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Best read in a while: The Obstacle is the Way. Great intro to Stoicism",
          "reason": "Calls it their best read in a while and a great introduction to Stoicism.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an introduction to Stoicism.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ryan Holiday"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "stoicism",
        "resilience",
        "personal development",
        "practical philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-omnivore-s-dilemma-8aa760",
      "title": "The Omnivore's Dilemma",
      "author": "Michael Pollan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40889507,
          "author": "nataliste",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-06T10:32:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40889507",
          "commentText": "Here are some books that pop bubbles, but must be read with humility to avoid becoming its own new bubble, as the world is complex and contains contradictions:\nHoward Zinn's People's History of the United States\nJared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel\nMichael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma\nAyn Rand's the Fountainhead\nThomas Sowell's Basic Economics\nJulian Jaynes's the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind\nIain McGilchrist's the Master and his Emmisary\nVarlam Sharlamov's the Kolyma Tales\nJacques Ellul's Propaganda: the Formation of Men's Attitudes (or alternatively Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma",
          "reason": "Listed as a book that pops bubbles.",
          "audience": "Readers who want their assumptions challenged.",
          "caveat": "Read with humility; the world is complex and contains contradictions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17982570,
          "author": "roymurdock",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-13T21:04:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17982570",
          "commentText": "omnivore's dilemma - fantastic look at modern day industrial food supply chain and consequences/alternatives. perfect amount of science, business, psychology analysis applied to a topic that affects all of us 3+ times a day",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "omnivore's dilemma - fantastic look at modern day industrial food supply chain and consequences/alternatives.",
          "reason": "Praises its treatment of the industrial food supply chain and its consequences and alternatives.",
          "audience": "People interested in food systems and their effects.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4596744,
          "author": "noashx",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-01T13:09:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 4596721,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4596744",
          "commentText": "I'm trying to expand my horizons a bit, so I'm reading \"The Omnivore's Dilemma\". Amazing!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm trying to expand my horizons a bit, so I'm reading \"The Omnivore's Dilemma\". Amazing!",
          "reason": "Calls the book amazing while describing it as part of an effort to expand their horizons.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2335611,
          "author": "tastefulwords",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-17T10:03:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 2329700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that change your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2335611",
          "commentText": "Stranger in a Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein\nFlatland, by Edwin Abbott\nGang Leader for a Day, by Sudhir Venkatesh\nThe Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Omnivore's Dilemma",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1228183,
          "author": "ryanwanger",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-30T02:32:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1228183",
          "commentText": "One of his other books, In Defense of Food, might almost be a better recommendation to read first. If they like that, go for the novel version - The Omnivore's Dilemma.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If they like that, go for the novel version - The Omnivore's Dilemma.",
          "reason": "Suggests reading it if the reader likes In Defense of Food.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Conditional on liking In Defense of Food.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226868,
          "author": "bhousel",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:41:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226868",
          "commentText": "The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan\nOne of the few books that I think really everybody should read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan\nOne of the few books that I think really everybody should read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says nearly everybody should read it.",
          "audience": "Everyone, according to the commenter.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797591,
          "author": "jrockway",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T07:36:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797591",
          "commentText": "Me too.  This book has taken me a long time to get through for some reason, but it's good, and I'm almost done :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book has taken me a long time to get through for some reason, but it's good",
          "reason": "Calls the book good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It took the commenter a long time to get through.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797132,
          "author": "carbon8",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T02:04:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797132",
          "commentText": "Omnivore's Dilemma. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Omnivore%27s_Dilemma",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Omnivore's Dilemma.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Pollan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Society",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "food systems",
        "agriculture",
        "nutrition",
        "food culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-open-society-and-its-enemies-085b0c",
      "title": "The Open Society and Its Enemies",
      "author": "Karl Popper",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34162547,
          "author": "sukunrt",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T16:25:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34162547",
          "commentText": "1. The art of doing science and engineering by Richard Hamming. This might be the best engineering book I've ever read. Hamming's breadth and depth are fascinating. His back of the envelope calculations are crazy accurate and early accounts of computing hilarious(real programmers write machine code). There is a great account of his discovery of error correcting codes and a great account of his failure to discover FFT. All in all it's a wonderful book on how to think about things in science and engineering.\n2. The open society and its enemies by Karl Popper. This is a great book on open society and liberal democracy. Broadly the book is a critic of historicist theories of Plato and Marx. There is also good philosophy on essentialism and the futility of getting closer to the truth by defining things more precisely.\n3. Printing Press as an agent of change by Elizabeth Eisenstein. This account of the impact of the printing press on Europe is very long but worth it. The parts on the scientific revolution are particularly good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is a great book on open society and liberal democracy.",
          "reason": "The commenter discusses its critique of historicism and its arguments about essentialism and truth.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in open society, liberal democracy, and philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32945136,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T21:55:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32945136",
          "commentText": "Karl Popper - The Open Society and its Enemies. How to work against totalitarianism\nI've had this on my shelf waiting to be read for quite some time. I suddenly get the sense that it's more timely and topical than ever. Will probably start it soon.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Karl Popper - The Open Society and its Enemies.",
          "reason": "Says the book seems timely and that they will probably start reading it soon.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Has not read it yet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32937273,
          "author": "dotsam",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T11:08:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937273",
          "commentText": "* Philosophy\nArthur Schopenhauer - The World as Will and Representation.\nSurprisingly readable and insightful, even if you don't buy his metaphysics. Einstein had Schopenhauer's portrait on his wall and considered him a genius.\n* Poetry\nJohn Milton - Paradise Lost\nPowerful and beautiful writing.\n* Fiction\nRabelais - Gargantua and Pantagruel. Funny and a real feast of words (the translation is a work of art in itself)\nThomas Mann - The Magic Mountain. Haunting and moving\nPierre Choderlos de Laclos - Dangerous Liaisons. Scandalous, gripping.\nIvan Turgenev - First Love. A masterclass in writing. Short, sensitive and exquisitely told.\nMarcel Proust - In Search of Lost Time. Exceptionally rich and a beautiful study of love. Reading it is like living another life.\nPG Wodehouse - the Jeeves series. Hilarious, perfectly frivolous, light and sunny\n* Non-fiction\nStuart Russell - Human Compatible: AI and the Problem of Control. Potential bad outcomes from AI and what we might be able to do about them\nNoam Chomsky - Necessary Illusions: Thought Control in Democratic Societies. How public discourse is shaped and controlled\nKarl Popper - The Open Society and its Enemies. How to work against totalitarianism",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Karl Popper - The Open Society and its Enemies. How to work against totalitarianism",
          "reason": "Described as a guide to working against totalitarianism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15159375,
          "author": "mrmyers",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T02:26:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15159375",
          "commentText": "Modeling the world generally (as in, why mathematics works and can apply to the real world):\n  =Bertrand Russell=\n  * An Inquiry into Meaning and Truth\n  * A Theory of Knowledge\n  * Logic and Knowledge\n  =W.V. Quine=\n  * Word and Object\n  * Mathematical Logic\n  =Norbert Weiner=\n  * Cybernetics: Or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine\n  =Smullyan=\n  * Diagonalization and Self Reference\n\nSquishy Human Things:\n  Thomas Kuhn      - The Structure of Scientific Revolutions\n  Norbert Weiner   - The Human Use of Human-Beings\n  Bertrand Russell - A History of Western Philosophy\n  Karl Popper      - The Open Society and Its Enemies\n  Daniel Dennet    - Consciousness Explained\n  E. Abbot Abbot   - Flatland",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Open Society and Its Enemies",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8528127,
          "author": "jordanpg",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-29T16:35:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 8528058,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Book Has the Most Page-for-Page Wisdom?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8528127",
          "commentText": "- The Open Society and Its Enemies by Karl Popper\n- Writings on an Ethical Life by Peter Singer\n- Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas R. Hofstadter\n- Arguably: Essays by Christopher Hitchens",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Open Society and Its Enemies by Karl Popper",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503745,
          "author": "harscoat",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T15:09:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503745",
          "commentText": "It depends if you want to be knowledgeable \"about\" philosophy and knowledge or if you want to apply it to you life.\n* K.Popper (in both cases;): _Open society and its ennemies_ http://www.archive.org/stream/opensocietyandit033120mbp#page... (http://www.archive.org/stream/opensocietyandit033120mbp#page/n7/mode/2up)\nfor \"Ars Vitae\" (applicable to one's life)\n* Plato: _Gorgias_\n* Marc Aurélius: _Meditations_\n* Friedrich Nietzsche: _Beyond good & evil_\nI agree with others on Hume, Russell, Husserl.\nAnother great thinker while he does not pretend to be a philosopher is Dan Sperber, I think of 2 books\n* Dan Sperber (with Deirdre Wilson) _Relevance. Communication and Cognition_ (Blackwell, 1986)\n* Sperber, Dan (1996) Explaining culture: _A naturalistic approach._ (Oxford: Blackwell)\nFinally philosophical literature: \n* Doistoievski: _The Brothers Karamazov_ (question of God is asked)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "K.Popper (in both cases;): _Open society and its ennemies_",
          "reason": "Listed for readers seeking knowledge about or application of philosophy.",
          "audience": "People interested in philosophy, including its application to life.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503577,
          "author": "igravious",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T13:05:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503577",
          "commentText": "While it is eye-opening I could hardly recommend the Tractatus unless you get it with a commentary. How about The Routledge Philosophy Guidebook to Wittgenstein and the Tractatus by Michael Morris?\nGood call with Karl Popper. On Liberty is archaic somewhat. To recommend just that book by John McCarthy is too narrow, and besides logic and the theory of computation are not a part of philosophy per se. Logic is a tool of philosophers. The theory of computation could possibly be folded into philosophy of mind but I've never seen it done so, there is a strong argument that it should be.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Good call with Karl Popper.",
          "reason": "Affirms the prior recommendation of Popper in this book-recommendation discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143367,
          "author": "macmac",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T16:08:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143367",
          "commentText": "The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert M. Pirsig\nLila: An Inquiry into Morals - Robert M. Pirsig\nThe Open Society and its Enemies - Karl. R. Popper\nThe Player of Games - Iain M. Banks\nPale Blue Dot - Carl Sagan\nThe God Delusion - Richard Dawkins\n\"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—\t\nI took the one less traveled by,\t\nAnd that has made all the difference.\" from \"The Road not Taken\" by Robert Frost",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Open Society and its Enemies - Karl. R. Popper",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86338,
          "author": "h3st",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T17:58:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86338",
          "commentText": "The Ego and its Own, by Max Stirner.\nThe Open Society and its Enemies, by Karl Popper.\nThe Illuminatus! trilogy.\nRobin Hobb books (with special mention of the farseer trilogy), Neal Stephenson, Alan Moore, Terry Pratchett.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Open Society and its Enemies, by Karl Popper.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Karl Popper"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political philosophy",
        "open society",
        "totalitarianism",
        "historicism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-quran-e6d04b",
      "title": "The Quran",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36112476,
          "author": "drtrq",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-29T10:15:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36112476",
          "commentText": "The Quran.\nBecause it answers fundamental questions about religion. In fact, 1/3rd of Quran is about religion(s). And how to think and reflect about it.\nFor Example:\n- Mankind religion was one. Why the division happened?\n- How to seek evidence of correct religion and tools of reasoning outside leap of faith. By thinking and reflecting\n- Who is God?  i.e. Chapter 112\n- What are the attributes of God and his names? Almost in every verse.\n- Why it is impossible to have many Gods - logical reasons (Chapter 23)\n- Guide to find the correct God from many false gods through Abraham journey and his fascinating logical debate with his people (chapter 6).\n- The reason for sending prophets?\n- Who was Jesus ? Why he should (be) respect ? What happened to him?  Chapter 3,Chapter 6 Chapter 16. \n- Where and when the corruption in religions happened?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Quran.",
          "reason": "Recommended because it addresses fundamental questions about religion and ways to reason about it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35170014,
          "author": "aerodog",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T15:41:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35170014",
          "commentText": "The Quran",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Quran",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30789382,
          "author": "AhmedMHassan",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-24T13:23:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30789382",
          "commentText": "The Quran, have you wondered what is inside it?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Quran, have you wondered what is inside it?",
          "reason": "Raises it as a book worth exploring.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30746251,
          "author": "kcartlidge",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T20:24:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30746251",
          "commentText": "- Total Freedom by Jiddu Krishnamurti.\nInitially this came across as shallow truths masquerading as profundity, especially with his unwillingness/inability to explain himself during discussions. Finally I read enough that some things just 'clicked' into place and my perspectives shifted along with my outlook on life.\n- Letters from the Desert by Carlo Carretto (first half).\nI was brought up a protestant so was never really exposed to catholic thought in my formative years. When I finally started exploring the classics for myself I found them often overly wordy and mystical, so I moved on to more modern (relatively speaking) works like this and the Way of the Pilgrim too. The simplicity of the writing and the clarity of the thoughts in the first few chapters of Letters from the Desert hit me hard.\n- The Quran\nA wonderfully phrased book that captures its times very well. Ideally to be read alongside something like Islam: A Short History or Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet, both by Karen Armstrong, to provide the context.\nAs an aside the Qu'ran is available for free online in audio format both as interlinear English/Arabic but also as Arabic only, and as a non-speaker of Arabic I often find listening to it being chanted a very calming and uplifting experience despite having no clue what is being said.\n- Getting Real by 37 Signals.\nAs a programmer/developer/engineer since the late 1980s this was a revelation, bringing a clarity to my own thoughts and feelings about much of the world of enterprise software development. Very obvious points in retrospect that nobody ever (including me) seemed to have realised during my entire career before then.\n- Web Copy that Sells by Maria Veloso.\nA strange choice, given that there is nothing 'profound' in here. What it is, though, is a very well written book on persuasion which finally got me to see that I'd spent years avoiding 'sales' as something that wasn't for me whereas in reality it's for everyone and we do it all the time.\n- The Body by Charles Colson.\nColson was jailed for his part in the Nixon stuff, then became a Christian. It's an incredibly moving book which is not his autobiography but an analysis of what is going wrong with the church. The impact comes from the stories he relates at the start of the chapters (especially the opening ones about 9/11). Those tales gave me an understanding of the potential 'greatness' in people.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Quran",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it wonderfully phrased and says it captures its times well.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Suggests reading it alongside historical context.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27661231,
          "author": "someearth",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-28T12:49:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27661231",
          "commentText": "Reading the Quran ... from \"The Greatest Lier in History\" ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n527uhH6RWE",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Reading the Quran",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23859244,
          "author": "apta",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T14:21:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859244",
          "commentText": "The Quran.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Quran.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21904786,
          "author": "nobrains",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T08:21:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21904786",
          "commentText": "\"I read the Bible out of curiosity and ended up joining a church, so that's pretty consequential.\"\nIn that case, to be fair to yourself, did you also read the Quran, for comparison? Other religious texts?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "In that case, to be fair to yourself, did you also read the Quran, for comparison?",
          "reason": "Asks whether the other commenter read it for comparison.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15160659,
          "author": "pbhjpbhj",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T10:16:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15160659",
          "commentText": "The synoptic gospels and NT, but to choose one book from the NT, ...\nThe Epistle of James - as it has some strong counterpoints to other parts of the NT particularly the contrast of Pauline notions of grace with charity/works.\nEmperor's New Mind, Penrose - probably my biggest take away from it was to consider how human perception works alongside, and co-mingles with, physics.\nWeb of Life, Capra - considering holistic nature of life, one's connection to the World at large; emergent patterns, complex structure birthing from simplicity (goes well with what I recall of Gleick's Chaos).\nZen and the Art ... - what is value, what is valuable to me, whither/whence/wherefore value; how should I relate to my children (long before i had any) and how to challenge them philosophically.\nRepublic, Plato - the first book that really set me thinking about the structure of society, about inequalities. And of course about stepping out of The Cave.\nKoran & Hadith (partial readings, ie whole sections; couple of major hadith only) - [redacted]; but greater understanding of Islam and of religion in general; taught me to watchfully avoid being tainted by the labels people give themselves and look instead to their actions.\nMein Kampf (partial reading) - ideas have intrinsic moral value, that we should judge ideas on their merits and not by who has them; we should be careful about tarring people by simple association.\nArt of War - preparedness, looking to supply lines, avoiding conflicts, not entering \"battles\" you know you'll lose (which I'd take as 'learn nothing from').\nChristianarchy - what it means to be a Christian, who is and isn't \"in\".\nAgrarian Justice, Paine - what is my place politically and economically in the world, whence do I derive the 'rights' to own what I do, whether such ownership is good.\nWorth noting here that the ideas and impressions I got are unlikely to be what you will get, we react to books based on who we are, our frame of mind, moods, etc.. Most of these books I read as a late teenager, that at least in part boosts their impact. The impact is not necessarily the purpose of the book, quite the opposite in some cases.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Koran & Hadith (partial readings, ie whole sections; couple of major hadith only)",
          "reason": "The commenter says the reading led to greater understanding of Islam and religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Partial readings.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229681,
          "author": "shpx",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:15:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229681",
          "commentText": "The Design of Everyday Things. Probably the quintessential book on design, the basic premise is that if you can't figure out how a thing works, it's not your fault.\nStructures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down. About the engineering of various things, mostly buildings. Highly recommend.\nThe Elements of Computer Systems (better known as NAND to Tetris). Describes a computer from the bottom up.\nA History of the Arab Peoples\nThe Quran\nThe Bible\nSpace and Time in General Relativity by David Mermin\nFeynman QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Quran",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9680568,
          "author": "moubarak",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-08T17:18:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9680568",
          "commentText": "Your opinion of the book is interesting. is it safe to say that you haven't read it? i'm assuming that because there is no poetry in there. Just assuming. Otherwise your opinion is interesting because there is a large group of people who share the same. i personally found it mind blowing.\nEdit: Typo",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "there is a large group of people who share the same. i personally found it mind blowing.",
          "reason": "Defends the book as mind-blowing and says many share the positive view.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9680524,
          "author": "Sven7",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-08T17:13:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9680524",
          "commentText": "It's nonsense written 1500 years ago which is why it's hard to read. There are interesting themes. Great poetry but nothing too \"mind blowing\" when compared with similar texts of the period from other religions and cultures.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "It's nonsense written 1500 years ago which is why it's hard to read.",
          "reason": "Calls it nonsense and says its age makes it hard to read, while acknowledging interesting themes and poetry.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter considers it unremarkable compared with similar texts from other religions and cultures.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9678941,
          "author": "moubarak",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-08T13:40:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9678941",
          "commentText": "It's a religious scripture. Unfortunately you need to learn Arabic first. Translations don't do it justice to say the least. The book is called The Quran. It talks about parallel universes, \"aliens\", super heroes, travelling through space and time, how ants communicate, and even modern superpower alliances. It's a hard read even if you know Arabic. For instance, reading a phrase from the first chapter will not make sense unless you reach later chapters. It even has encrypted letter combinations that have not been unlocked yet. i've read it twice from cover to cover, and about to start my third.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book is called The Quran.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Arabic is needed for the original to do it justice and that it is a hard read even for Arabic speakers.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "islam",
        "islamic scripture",
        "religion",
        "scripture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-unix-programming-environment-fc01fd",
      "title": "The UNIX Programming Environment",
      "author": "Brian W. Kernighan and Rob Pike",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35954262,
          "author": "vram22",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-15T20:46:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35954262",
          "commentText": "Not all of the ones below may be textbooks, sorry, but IMO they are all very good. I cut my programming teeth on some of them, and read others at different times later in my career.\nHow to Solve It, by Georg Polya. \nA famous Hungarian mathematician. \nA text on general problem solving principles or techniques. A classic.\nHow to Solve It by Computer, by Dromey, an AU CS professor. In the same spirit as the Polya book, but applied to iteratively working out algorithms and pseudocode for common important programming problems.\nThe K&R C book. What to say.\nThe Unix Programming Environment, by Kernighan and Pike. Ditto.\nProgramming Pearls, and More Programming Pearls, by Jon Bentley.\nAmong many other things, some clever / advanced uses of awk.\nWriting Efficient Programs, also by Bentley. I had mentioned it on HN earlier, and someone replied saying they had used it in real life, and it was gold.\nSQL for Professionals, by authors whose names I forget.\nThe Object Primer, by can't remember who, but good.\nA Unix book by Kochan, IIRC.\nObject-Oriented Software Construction, by Bertrand Meyer, creator of the Eiffel programming language.\nA book on object-oriented analysis / design, can't remember the name, by Rebecca Wirfs-Brock (?) and others. Learned about CRC  cards from it. Very cool concept and technique.\nA book on Object-Oriented Design, by Grady Booch, from a time before he co-invented UML. Forget the exact name.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Unix Programming Environment, by Kernighan and Pike.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30486432,
          "author": "nonrandomstring",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T08:26:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486432",
          "commentText": "I still have these on my shelf looking dog-eared and well read You can\nprobably tell from these exactly which year I took CSEE :)\n- Biggs: Discrete Maths\n- Stroud: Engineering Mathematics\n- Solkolnikoff: Mathematics of Physics and Modern Engineering\n- Sommerville: Software Engineering\n- Aho: Compilers\n- Kernighan and Ritchie: The C Programming Language\n- Kernighan and Pike: The UNIX Programming Environment\n- Ben Ari: Principles of Concurrent Programming\n- Clements: Microprocessor Systems Design\n- Tannenbaum: Distributed Operating Systems\n- Dean, Allen, Aloimonos: Articficial Intelligence\n- Knuth: The Art of Computer Programming\n- Yourdon: Object Oriented Systems Design\n- Abelson and Sussman: Structure and Interpretation\nMaybe the one that ones that changed me most:\n- Polya: How to Solve it\n - Hofstadter: Godel Escher Bach",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Kernighan and Pike: The UNIX Programming Environment",
          "reason": "The commenter lists it among books on their shelf.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30486370,
          "author": "arisbe__",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T08:14:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486370",
          "commentText": "What initially turned me into a curious person were Surely You Are Joking Mr Feynman & Godel, Escher, Bach. Then Book of Proof & Forallx: an introduction to formal logic helped me develop an interest in mathematics. But what was really a kind of aesthetic crack was The UNIX Programming Environment and The TeXbook.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "But what was really a kind of aesthetic crack was The UNIX Programming Environment and The TeXbook.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it had a strong effect on them, describing it as an “aesthetic crack.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17044555,
          "author": "charlysl",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T02:25:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17044555",
          "commentText": "\"The unix programming environment\"\nI read this in like a week at one of my first jobs. I learned so much that in a few days my status in the team radically changed and became the go to person when people's scripts didn't work; word spread and soon I had people from other teams seeking help with their scripts too. No one else read the book though AFIK ...\nWhat I really liked about this book at the time:\n- it explains the few key concepts extremelly well\n- the exercises were truly outstanding, really testing your understanding of subtleties of above concepts\nOne for the ages.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The unix programming environment\" I read this in like a week at one of my first jobs.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes how reading it rapidly built their knowledge and made them a go-to person for scripting help.",
          "audience": "Programmers working with Unix and scripts.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says no one else read the book, as far as they know.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17033235,
          "author": "heinrichhartman",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T19:43:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17033235",
          "commentText": "I like (1) The unix programming environment\nIt's very old and underrated. Many people have problems getting started with the command line and basic UNIX tools.\nThis is _THE_ place to learn about this.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I like (1) The unix programming environment\nIt's very old and underrated. Many people have problems getting started with the command line and basic UNIX tools.\nThis is _THE_ place to learn about this.",
          "reason": "Calls it underrated and the place to learn command-line and basic Unix tools.",
          "audience": "People getting started with the command line and basic Unix tools",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it is very old.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032345,
          "author": "mfrw",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:17:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032345",
          "commentText": "My take on some which I think should be atleast read once:\n  1) The unix programming environment\n  2) The design of the unix operating system\n  3) The Pragmatic Programmer\n  4) Programming Pearls\n  5) Computer Systems: A Programmers Prespective\n  6) K & R C\n  7) The art of Unix Programming.\n\nPS: I admit my bias towards systems.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The unix programming environment",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books the commenter thinks should be read at least once.",
          "audience": "People starting careers in software engineering or computer science, as implied by the thread question.",
          "caveat": "The commenter admits a bias toward systems.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14489700,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T17:57:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14489700",
          "commentText": "+1. I have a corner of a bookshelf reserved for everything Kernighan, e.g. both Software Tools editions, both C Language editions, The Unix Programming Environment, The Practice of Programming, The AWK Language, even a copy of The Elements of Programming Style. I, and my employers and clients, may owe more to Mr. Kernighan for his teaching and programming style, than anyone else.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Unix Programming Environment",
          "reason": "Endorses Kernighan’s teaching and programming style and says they may owe him more than anyone else.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12494191,
          "author": "dredmorbius",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-14T04:13:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12494191",
          "commentText": "From a recent HN comment,  a list, some authors, and some guidelines, largely based on books which radically changed my thinking.\nCurrently:  Vaclav Smil, Energy in World History (1994), and Manfred Weissenbacher, Sources of Power (2009).  Both detail the role and impact of energy through world history.  The latter draws strongly on the first, both are exceedingly well documented.  TL;DR: coal changed much, oil changed everything.\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/3... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/30398523&referer=brief_results)\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foragin... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foraging-agriculture-and-coal/oclc/837625798&referer=brief_results)\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625970&referer=brief_results)\nJames Burke's books Connections and The Day the Universe Changed, and their accompanying television series, were a profound introduction to the history of technology, science, ideas, and philosophy.  Though 30+ years old, they remain highly current and relevant.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/connections/oclc/4494136\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/day-the-universe-changed/oclc... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/day-the-universe-changed/oclc/12049817)\nJeremy Campbell's Grammatical Man (1984) introduced the concepts of information theory and their deep, deep, deep interconnections to a tremendous number of interconnected systems, many not explored within his book.  Darwin's The Origin of Species, James Gleick's Chaos, and many of the works of Santa Fe Institute members, including John C. Holland, J. Doyne Farmer, Geoffrey West, W. Brian Arthur, David Krakauer, and Sander van der Leeuw, continue these themes.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-e... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-entropy-language-and-life/oclc/8306673)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/chaos-making-a-new-science/oc... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/chaos-making-a-new-science/oclc/15366709)\nWilliam Ophuls' Ecology and the Politics of Scarcity (1977) is perhaps the best, most comprehensive, shortest, and most readable exposition of the fact, reality, dynamics, and interactions of limits on the present phase of fossil-fuel fed economic growth I've found.  This is a book I recommend not only for the message, but the author's clarity of thought and exposition, his meticulous research, exquisite bibliographical notes, and, given the nearly 30 years elapsed, testability numerous of his predictions, some failed, yes, others uncannily accurate.  Rather more the latter.  In a similar vein, William R. Catton's Overshoot looks at the ecological dynamics in more depth, with much wisdom, the writings of Richard Heinberg cover the ground of limits fairly accessibly and more recently.  Vaclav Smil in numerous books addresses technical factors of the profound nature of the past 250 years, and implications for the future.  Meadows, et al, in Limits to Growth set off much of the post-1970 discussion (though they're hardly the first to raise the question -- it dates to Seneca the Elder),\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-s... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-scarcity-prologue-to-a-political-theory-of-the-steady-state/oclc/2524932)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/overshoot-the-ecological-basi... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/overshoot-the-ecological-basis-of-revolutionary-change/oclc/6195764)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Aheinberg%2C+richard&a... (https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Aheinberg%2C+richard&amp;qt=owc_search)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Asmil%2C+vaclav&amp;qt... (https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Asmil%2C+vaclav&amp;qt=results_page)\nThough hardly pessimistic, Daniel Yergin's book The Prize (and TV series) impressed upon me more than any other just how much petroleum specifically changed and transformed the modern world.  Though intended largely as laudetory and championing the oil industry by the author, my read of it was exceptionally cautionary.  The impacts on business, everyday life, politics, wars, industry, and transport, and the rate at which they occurred, are simply staggering.  You can continue this exploration in Vaclav Smil's Energy in World History (1994) (I've recommended Smil independently elsewhere), and a rare but profound two-volume set I'm currently reading, Manfred Weissenbacher's Sources of Power: How energy forges human history (2009).  The shear physicality of this book speaks to the message -- it's divided into five parts:  1) Foraging Age (6 pages), 2) Agricultural Age (156 pp), 3) Coal Age (160 pp),  4) Oil Age (296 pp), and 5) Beyond the Oil Age (142 pp).  That is, the ~2 million years of pre-agricultural existence are little more than a footnote, the 8,000 years of agriculture roughly equal to the 150 years of coal, and the 100 years of petroleum use roughly twice either.  The oil and post-oil ages comprise their own volume.  Yergin followed up with The Quest, continuing the search for oil, though I've been less impressed by it.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/prize-the-epic-quest-for-oil-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/prize-the-epic-quest-for-oil-money-and-power/oclc/22381448)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/30398523)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foragi... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foraging-agriculture-and-coal/oclc/837625798)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/83762... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625970)\nAdam Smith's An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations is among the most-cited (and most incorrectly cited), least-read books of high influence I'm aware of, outside religious texts (and perhaps it is a religious text to some…).  The author's message has been exceptionally shaped and manipulated by a powerful set of forces, quite often utterly misrepresenting Smith's original intent.  Reading him in his own words, yourself, is strongly recommended.  I'd also recommend scholarship particularly by Emma Rothschild and Gavin Kennedy, though also others, on Smith. Contrast with the portrayal by the propaganda disinformation front of the Mont Pelerin Society / Atlas Network / so-called Foundation for Economic Education, and much of the modern American Libertarian movement (von Mises, Hayek, Friedman, Hazlett, Rothbard, and more recently, Norberg).  Contrast The Invisible Hand (1964), a compilation of essays published by Libertarian house Regnery Press in 1966, at the beginning of the rise in public use of Smith's metaphor to indictate mechanism rather than an expression of the unknown.\nThere are numerous editions of Smith, I believe the Glasgow is frequently cited by Smith scholars:  https://www.worldcat.org/title/glasgow-edition-of-the-works-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/glasgow-edition-of-the-works-and-correspondence-of-adam-smith-2-an-inquiry-into-the-nature-and-causes-of-the-wealth-of-nations-vol-1/oclc/832488566)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/economic-sentiments-adam-smit... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/economic-sentiments-adam-smith-condorcet-and-the-enlightenment/oclc/45282974)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smith-and-the-invisible-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smith-and-the-invisible-hand/oclc/820387997)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smiths-lost-legacy/oclc/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smiths-lost-legacy/oclc/56598640)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/invisible-hand-a-collection-o... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/invisible-hand-a-collection-of-essays-on-the-economic-philosophy-of-free-enterprise/oclc/326622)\nI'd like to put in recommendations on technology specifically, but am still searching for a good general text.  The material's covered somewhat in the chaos and complexity recommendations above (Campbell et al), though I'd add Joseph Tainter's The Collapse of Complex Societies.  Charle's Perrow has several excellent books including Normal Accidents and Organizing America.   I'd like to reference something concerning Unix, Linux, and programming, perhaps Kernighan and Pike's The Unix Programming Environment, Linus Torvalds' Just for Fun, Richard Stallman's The GNU Manifesto, and Steve McConnel's Code Complete.  The O'Reilly book Unix Power Tools also encapsulates much the strength of the Unix toolset.  All these are somewhat dated.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/collapse-of-complex-societies... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/collapse-of-complex-societies/oclc/15083222)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/normal-accidents-living-with-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/normal-accidents-living-with-high-risk-technologies/oclc/10229932)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/organizing-america-wealth-pow... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/organizing-america-wealth-power-and-the-origins-of-corporate-capitalism/oclc/939707157)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-programming-environment/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-programming-environment/oclc/10269821)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/5238168... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/52381684)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "perhaps Kernighan and Pike's The Unix Programming Environment",
          "reason": "Suggested as a possible reference on Unix, Linux, and programming.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these technology books are somewhat dated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9350098,
          "author": "steakejjs",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T19:00:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350098",
          "commentText": "They are technical.\nBrushing up on:\nK&R     - The C Programming Language\nK&P     - The Unix Programming Environment\nK&P     - The Practice of Programming\nKerrisk - The Linux Programming Interface (Not light reading)\nEven though it is mostly review, reading code and seeing commands that K&R&P run has actually helped my workflow, code quality, etc.\nHighly recommend re-reading if it has been a while. Even things like variable names have noticeably improved since beginning re-reading.\nAnd, the Linux Programming Interface....is huge. There's always more to learn in there.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "K&P     - The Unix Programming Environment",
          "reason": "Included among the technical books the commenter recommends rereading.",
          "audience": "Readers who have read these programming books before.",
          "caveat": "The Linux Programming Interface is described as huge and not light reading.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7060144,
          "author": "vram22",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-14T22:10:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 7048683,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best development book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7060144",
          "commentText": "Can't really single out one book as the best I've read.\nBut many come close:\n- Code Complete - 1st Edition. I have both Editions 1 and 2.\nEdition 1 is very good and has a lot of stuff worth reading and practicing.\nKernighan and Pike's The Unix Programming Environment.\nKernighan and Ritchie's The C Programming Language.\nWould have to think of other good ones, though there are sure to be some.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kernighan and Pike's The Unix Programming Environment.",
          "reason": "Lists the book among several that come close to being the best they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian W. Kernighan",
        "Rob Pike"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "unix",
        "programming",
        "shell programming",
        "systems programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-undercover-economist-5121e7",
      "title": "The Undercover Economist",
      "author": "Tim Harford",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21793190,
          "author": "ellius",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T23:39:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793190",
          "commentText": "• The Revolt of the Public: No book has done a better job of describing the current moment in history\n• Masters of Doom: Reminded me what it means to care about work and have fun doing it\n• Team of Rivals: A remarkable work of history and portrait of a man\n• The Undercover Economist\n• Fooled by Randomness\n• The Prize",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Undercover Economist",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14859591,
          "author": "muhblah",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T19:50:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859591",
          "commentText": "- Essentialism by Greg McKeown\n- The Undercover Economist by Tim Harford",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Undercover Economist by Tim Harford",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416227,
          "author": "lifeisstillgood",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T20:57:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416227",
          "commentText": "Up the organization\nhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Up-Organization-Corporation-Stiflin... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Up-Organization-Corporation-Stifling-Strangling/dp/0787987751)\nThe complete Yes Minister\nhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Yes-Minister-Prime-Complete-Collect... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Yes-Minister-Prime-Complete-Collection/dp/B000HXDM0U)\nThe undercover economist and it's follow up\nhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Undercover-Economist-Tim-Harford/dp... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Undercover-Economist-Tim-Harford/dp/0349119856)\nI would struggle to encapsulate it all except \"people and organizations can be vicious and complex but we all innately want them to be simple, fair and if we can find someone believable we can turn around any hideous situation\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The undercover economist and it's follow up",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107093,
          "author": "mrcdima",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T09:05:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107093",
          "commentText": "Some titles I've recently read or at least have placed on my reading list.\n--------------------\nPhilosohpy\nLetters from a Stoic: Epistulae Morales Ad Lucilium - Seneca\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius (must read)\nThe Republic - Plato\n--------------------\nHistory\nFive Chimneys - Olga Lengyel\nThe Gulag Archipelago - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (must read)\nThe Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank\n--------------------\nFiction\n(particularly dystopian) 1984, Brave New World, Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451\n(crime/action) Child 44, The Secret Speech, Agent 6 - Tom Rob Smith\n--------------------\nEconomics\nCapital in the Twenty-First Century - Thomas Piketty\nPoor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty - Banerjee, Duflo\nWhy Nations Fail - Robinson\n--------------------\nEconomics/Decision making/Psychology\nUndercover Economist, Freakonomics, Nudge, Thinking Fast and Slow\n--------------------\nRandom titles\nThe Selfish Gene, Self-Reliance, The Elements of Style (about writing), Slaughterhouse-Five\n--------------------\nSome links to inspire your reading (though you may want to checkout the websites first to get an idea of the topics they cover)\nhttp://www.gatesnotes.com/Books\nhttp://bookpickings.brainpickings.org/\nhttp://www.farnamstreetblog.com/reading/\nhttp://www.ryanholiday.net/reading-newsletter\nI’m just a working-class guy trying to take part in the conversation that all the smart people are having. What books should I read? - http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-cl... (http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-class-guy-trying-to-take-part-in-the-conversation-that-all-the-smart-people-are-having-what-books-should-i-read/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Undercover Economist",
          "reason": "Listed as a title in response to the thread's request for book suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5865753,
          "author": "Sealy",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-12T00:49:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 5859004,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5865753",
          "commentText": "Other books that I've found helpful are the many socioeconomics books out there:\nMalcolm Gladwell - Tipping Point, Blink, Outliers\nTim Harford - The Undercover Economist\nNassim Taleb - The Black Swan\nI enjoyed the Steve Jobs book too, I liked the fact that he believed in what he was working on (no matter how crazy or disruptive) and saw so much beauty in perfection. There's a lot we can learn from his persistence and attitude towards persevering in the face of failure.\nAnd for entertainment, I like profound books: The Alchemist, The Little Prince",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tim Harford - The Undercover Economist",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter says they found helpful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1465359,
          "author": "hardik",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T11:41:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1465359",
          "commentText": "I agree, it lays out many economic concepts in easily understandable form for persons new to the subject.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I agree, it lays out many economic concepts in easily understandable form for persons new to the subject.",
          "reason": "Agrees with the parent comment's positive assessment of the book's accessible explanation of economics.",
          "audience": "People new to economics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1464975,
          "author": "techiferous",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T05:13:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1464975",
          "commentText": "The Undercover Economist is quite a fun read and very accessible to the layperson: http://www.amazon.com/Undercover-Economist-Exposing-Poor-Dec... (http://www.amazon.com/Undercover-Economist-Exposing-Poor-Decent/dp/0195189779)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Undercover Economist is quite a fun read and very accessible to the layperson",
          "reason": "Praised as fun and accessible to lay readers.",
          "audience": "Lay readers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 180718,
          "author": "mooders",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-04T08:17:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 180589,
          "threadTitle": "Good book for economics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=180718",
          "commentText": "Tim Harford's http://www.amazon.co.uk/Undercover-Economist-Tim-Harford/dp/... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Undercover-Economist-Tim-Harford/dp/0349119856/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209888755&sr=1-1)\"Undercover Economist and http://www.amazon.co.uk/Logic-Life-Uncovering-Economics-Ever... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Logic-Life-Uncovering-Economics-Everything/dp/0316027561/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209888990&sr=1-1) Logic of Life are both excellent at drawing out serious economic principles from  everyday experiences.\nPhilip Coggan's http://www.amazon.co.uk/Money-Machine-Penguin-Business-Libra... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Money-Machine-Penguin-Business-Library/dp/0141009306/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209888653&sr=8-1) Money Machine is not directly an economics book, but details the movement of money through the global economy (but focused on London, specifically) and is an excellent overview of fiscal policy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Undercover Economist and http://www.amazon.co.uk/Logic-Life-Uncovering-Economics-Ever... Logic of Life are both excellent at drawing out serious economic principles from  everyday experiences.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is excellent at drawing economic principles from everyday experiences.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in accessible applications of economics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86046,
          "author": "paulgb",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T19:17:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86046",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed The Undercover Economist. I especially recommend it if you liked Freakonomics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed The Undercover Economist. I especially recommend it if you liked Freakonomics.",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed it and explicitly recommends it to readers who liked Freakonomics.",
          "audience": "Readers who liked Freakonomics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tim Harford"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "everyday economics",
        "popular economics",
        "behavioral economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "when-breath-becomes-air-8ab0e9",
      "title": "When Breath Becomes Air",
      "author": "Paul Kalanithi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40878515,
          "author": "TheAlchemist",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-04T22:18:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40878515",
          "commentText": "It's a fantastic memoir indeed, very moving.\nLove this quote from the book: \"You can't ever reach perfection, but you can believe in an asymptote toward which you are ceaselessly striving\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Love this quote from the book:",
          "reason": "Calls the memoir very moving and quotes a line from it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40878192,
          "author": "cfors",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-04T21:29:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40878192",
          "commentText": "When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanthi.\nA fascinating memoir by a philosopher turned brain surgeon, facing a terminal cancer diagnosis. A person who spent their entire life pondering the morality of life being faced with their own ultimatum.\nI reread it once a year, at minimum. A deeply moving book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanthi.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it fascinating and deeply moving, and says they reread it at least once a year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A memoir about a terminal cancer diagnosis.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25319077,
          "author": "dangets",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T22:35:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319077",
          "commentText": "I'll plug 'When Breath Becomes Air', also for brain surgeon.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'll plug 'When Breath Becomes Air', also for brain surgeon.",
          "reason": "Suggested as another book about a brain surgeon.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17911071,
          "author": "tuxguy",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T17:42:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17911071",
          "commentText": "\"when breath becomes air\" by Paul Kalanithi.\nInfluenced me a great deal & one of my all time fav reads.\nA short excerpt :\nhttps://stanmed.stanford.edu/2015spring/before-i-go.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"when breath becomes air\" by Paul Kalanithi.\nInfluenced me a great deal & one of my all time fav reads.",
          "reason": "Says it influenced them greatly and is one of their all-time favorite reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17046842,
          "author": "aizatto",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T12:39:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17046842",
          "commentText": "I can say I've got through something similar.\nA book that made me very introspective was David Brook's The Road To Character . It made me ask my self a lot of questions which I have documented here https://www.deepthoughtapp.com/packages/55/david-brooks-humi... (https://www.deepthoughtapp.com/packages/55/david-brooks-humility-code-from-the-road-to-character/)\nAnother book was Paul Kalanathi's When Breath Becomes Air I also copied some quotes, questions, and answers here  https://www.deepthoughtapp.com/packages/135/paul-kalanithis-... (https://www.deepthoughtapp.com/packages/135/paul-kalanithis-when-breath-becomes-air/)\nI'd recommend reading biographies because they can help you give perspective about how a person leads their life. The ones I found thoroughly fun was Trevor Noah's Born a Crime, Phil Knight's Shoe Dog.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another book was Paul Kalanathi's When Breath Becomes Air",
          "reason": "Named among books discussed in response to a request for introspective recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15987096,
          "author": "sitajay",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-22T12:57:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15987096",
          "commentText": "When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi, it's a memoir of a neurologist who comes across lung cancer himself and how his life changes from being a doctor to the patient. I recently finished reading it and let me tell you, I had to pause every other page to reflect upon those words as they were surreal.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I recently finished reading it and let me tell you, I had to pause every other page to reflect upon those words as they were surreal.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the memoir's words were surreal and prompted frequent reflection.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238413,
          "author": "aml183",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:44:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238413",
          "commentText": "When Breathe Becomes Air (https://www.amazon.com/When-Breath-Becomes-Paul-Kalanithi/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/When-Breath-Becomes-Paul-Kalanithi/dp/081298840X)) and Man's Search for Meaning (https://www.amazon.com/Mans-Search-Meaning-Viktor-Frankl/dp/... (https://www.amazon.com/Mans-Search-Meaning-Viktor-Frankl/dp/080701429X))",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "When Breathe Becomes Air",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12991353,
          "author": "matt101589",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-19T01:02:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12991353",
          "commentText": "Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike\nGreat founder story\nWhen Breathe Becomes Air\nStory about the meaning of life. Not sure how anyone can go through this and not cry. (First book I've ever cried reading)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "When Breathe Becomes Air\nStory about the meaning of life. Not sure how anyone can go through this and not cry.",
          "reason": "A moving story about the meaning of life; the commenter says it made them cry.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229751,
          "author": "tetraodonpuffer",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:42:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229751",
          "commentText": "some recommendations on mixed topics from my recent non-fiction reads, I enjoyed all of them for different reasons (the song machine book even got me to listen to music I would never have thought I'd enjoy, but can't argue Max Martin knows how to write a catchy song!)\nWhen breath becomes air\nhttp://smile.amazon.com/When-Breath-Becomes-Paul-Kalanithi/d... (http://smile.amazon.com/When-Breath-Becomes-Paul-Kalanithi/dp/081298840X/)\nDo no harm, Stories of Life, Death, and Brain Surgery\nhttp://smile.amazon.com/Do-No-Harm-Stories-Surgery/dp/125006... (http://smile.amazon.com/Do-No-Harm-Stories-Surgery/dp/125006581X/)\nThe Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory\nhttp://smile.amazon.com/Song-Machine-Inside-Hit-Factory/dp/0... (http://smile.amazon.com/Song-Machine-Inside-Hit-Factory/dp/0393241920/)\nWhy we work\nhttp://smile.amazon.com/Why-We-Work-TED-Books/dp/1476784868/\nEnlightenment 2.0\nhttp://smile.amazon.com/Enlightenment-2-0-Restoring-politics... (http://smile.amazon.com/Enlightenment-2-0-Restoring-politics-economy/dp/0062342894/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "some recommendations on mixed topics from my recent non-fiction reads, I enjoyed all of them",
          "reason": "Included in a list of nonfiction books the commenter recommends and enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Kalanithi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Health",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "medicine",
        "mortality",
        "terminal illness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "where-wizards-stay-up-late-the-origins-of-the-internet-ada4a0",
      "title": "Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet",
      "author": "Katie Hafner and Matthew Lyon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43085078,
          "author": "ggm",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-18T01:22:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 43084739,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction/non-fiction book should everyone read on the topic of CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43085078",
          "commentText": "Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet, (Katie Hafner, 1998)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet, (Katie Hafner, 1998)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42656122,
          "author": "js2",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T14:58:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42656122",
          "commentText": "- Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins Of The Internet\n- A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins Of The Internet",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for books about how hard things got done.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36602706,
          "author": "marklar423",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T16:25:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36602706",
          "commentText": "I can second Where Wizards Stay Up Late, I enjoyed it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can second Where Wizards Stay Up Late, I enjoyed it.",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the recommendation and says they enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22708572,
          "author": "mitchelldeacon9",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T01:58:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22708572",
          "commentText": "The following is a list of my favorite books on software engineering, cyber-security, and the history of IT business development.\nBowden, Mark (2011) Worm: The First Digital World War\nBrooks, Frederick (1995) Mythical Man-Month, 2nd ed.\nChristensen, Clayton (1997) Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail\nHafner, Katie and Matthew Lyon (1996) Where Wizards Stay Up Late: Origins of the Internet\nHunt, Andrew and David Thomas (1999) Pragmatic Programmer\nMacCormick, John (2012) Nine Algorithms that Changed the Future\nMcConnell, Steve (2004) Code Complete, 2nd ed.\nMitnick, Kevin and William Simon (2002) Art of Deception\nPoulsen, Kevin (2011) Kingpin: How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cyber-Crime Underworld\nRaymond, Eric (2003) Art of Unix Programming\nStone, Brad (2013) The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon\nTorvalds, Linus and David Diamond (2001) Just for Fun: Story of an Accidental Revolutionary\nWallace, James and Jim Erickson (1992) Hard Drive: Bill Gates and Making of the Microsoft Empire\nWilliams, Sam (2002) Free as in Freedom: Richard Stallman's Crusade for Free Software\nWilson, Mike (1996) The Difference between God and Larry Ellison: Inside Oracle Corp",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hafner, Katie and Matthew Lyon (1996) Where Wizards Stay Up Late: Origins of the Internet",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22706496,
          "author": "mhh__",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T20:24:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22706496",
          "commentText": "I haven't touched it in ages but \"where wizards stay up late\" is about the origins of the internet",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"where wizards stay up late\" is about the origins of the internet",
          "reason": "Points to the book as a history of the internet in a thread seeking computer history books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they haven't touched it in ages.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19556311,
          "author": "kastan",
          "createdAt": "2019-04-02T17:03:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 19556208,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on the early history of the Internet and/or Web?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19556311",
          "commentText": "Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet\nBy Katie Hafner & Matthew Lyon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet\nBy Katie Hafner & Matthew Lyon",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17205434,
          "author": "indescions_2018",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T14:08:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205434",
          "commentText": "Now this is a great list ;)\nI'll just add:\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins Of The Internet\nAgainst The Gods: The Remarkable Story Of Risk",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins Of The Internet",
          "reason": "Added as a title to an explicit request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4600844,
          "author": "khakimov",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-02T06:46:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 4596721,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4600844",
          "commentText": "Where wizards stay up late. The origins of the INTERNET.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Where wizards stay up late. The origins of the INTERNET.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Katie Hafner",
        "Matthew Lyon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "internet history",
        "arpanet",
        "computer networking",
        "history of the internet"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "calculus-made-easy-7a7a9a",
      "title": "Calculus Made Easy",
      "author": "Silvanus P. Thompson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34442397,
          "author": "djrockstar1",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T16:46:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34442397",
          "commentText": "Had to do a Calculus course in uni despite not having taken any calc or pre-calc in high school. \"Precalculus Mathematics in a Nutshell\" and \"Calculus Made Easy\" were complete lifesavers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Precalculus Mathematics in a Nutshell\" and \"Calculus Made Easy\" were complete lifesavers.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book was a lifesaver while taking university calculus without prior calculus or precalculus.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34441583,
          "author": "tylerstorm",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T15:49:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34441583",
          "commentText": "I second this suggestion for Calculus Made Easy by Thompson. It's become a bit of a classic...was published in like 1915. Super unique approach to teaching calculus.  It's an excellent supplement...lots of good insights. It may be particularly good for people who believe they're bad at math. His style may convince people otherwise.\nAlso, Vibrations and Waves, by AP French. Granted, this is a physics book, but I appreciate his style so much. He makes use of a lot of geometric methods to solving problems. It definitly expanded my math horizons!  His other books are good too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second this suggestion for Calculus Made Easy by Thompson.",
          "reason": "Seconded as an excellent supplement with a distinctive approach and useful insights.",
          "audience": "People who believe they're bad at math.",
          "caveat": "Presented as a supplement; the author’s style may especially appeal to people who doubt their math ability.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31499516,
          "author": "gfaregan",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-25T01:14:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31499516",
          "commentText": "I liked that book. It uses differentials to give simple explanations of various derivatives, which seems to be frowned upon these days. You can download the book for free if I'm not mistaken. I once recommended it to a calculus class I was TAing for, though I don't think they were very impressed.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I liked that book.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they liked the book, noting its simple explanations of derivatives.",
          "audience": "A calculus class, though the commenter says students were not very impressed.",
          "caveat": "The differential-based explanations seem to be frowned upon today.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31489123,
          "author": "poulpy123",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T07:33:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31489123",
          "commentText": "Nothing can replace a teacher, much less a good one, but I recently stumbled upon an introduction book on calculus from 1910 (yes last century) that had a really nice way to explain things.\nI just read the beginning so I don't know how far it goes but anyway here the link https://calculusmadeeasy.org/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "an introduction book on calculus from 1910",
          "reason": "Recommended as a book with a nice way of explaining calculus.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has only read the beginning and does not know how far the book goes.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31488706,
          "author": "hsn915",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T06:32:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31488706",
          "commentText": "I believe Richard Feynman has mentioned in interviews that he learned calculus from \"Calculus Made Easy\".\nIIRC there might have been other books in a \"Made Easy\" series about math, but I'm not sure.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "he learned calculus from \"Calculus Made Easy\".",
          "reason": "Mentioned as the book Feynman reportedly used to learn calculus.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether there were other books in a related series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23727832,
          "author": "gramie",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T21:29:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23727832",
          "commentText": "You could check out Burn Math Class: https://www.amazon.com/Burn-Math-Class-Reinvent-Mathematics/... (https://www.amazon.com/Burn-Math-Class-Reinvent-Mathematics/dp/0465053734#reader_B017QL8UHU)\nor Calculus Made Easy: https://www.math.wisc.edu/~keisler/keislercalc-09-04-19.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "or Calculus Made Easy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21347237,
          "author": "tchalla",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T17:53:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21347237",
          "commentText": "\"Calculus Made Easy\" by Silvanus P. Thompson (1910). It is availably freely online via the Gutenberg project and many other forms too. Chapter 1 is probably the best mathematics chapter I have ever read [0]. In two paragraphs, it beats most other calculus books.\n[0] http://calculusmadeeasy.org/1.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Chapter 1 is probably the best mathematics chapter I have ever read",
          "reason": "The commenter strongly praises the opening chapter, saying it beats most calculus books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12244259,
          "author": "omginternets",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-07T23:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244259",
          "commentText": "Calculus Made Easy by Silvanus P. Thompson\nI was surprised to find out how old this text was. It hasn't aged a day!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I was surprised to find out how old this text was. It hasn't aged a day!",
          "reason": "Says the book remains fresh despite its age.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 665304,
          "author": "menloparkbum",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T15:40:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665304",
          "commentText": "I want some recommendations on good math books on: calculus, discrete math, probabilities, statistics\nCalculus Made Easy by Silvanius P. Thompson  (Feynman taught himself calc with this book)\nConcrete Mathematics by Knuth, Graham, Patashnik\nFundamentals of Applied Probability Theory by Alvin Drake\nYou probably want to learn Linear Algebra - get Gilbert Strang's book.\nThe Schuam's outlines in each topic are good for review. I like the ancient ones, usually there are dozens of them for next to nothing at any good used bookstore.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Calculus Made Easy by Silvanius P. Thompson",
          "reason": "Listed in response to an explicit request for math book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Silvanus P. Thompson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "calculus",
        "self study",
        "introductory textbook",
        "math intuition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "capitalism-and-freedom-034f78",
      "title": "Capitalism and Freedom",
      "author": "Milton Friedman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12565777,
          "author": "marmot777",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T16:23:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12565777",
          "commentText": "These are important books but obviously not a comprehensive list.\n* John Locke's Two Treatises of Government - It's political philosophy but it's hard to understand Classical Liberalism without having read some Locke.\n* Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations - He and Locke are the two main guys to read for a solid start on Classical Liberalism, which is completely different than modern political liberalism. It's like having two features in an app with nearly the same name. Confusing as fuck.\n* E. F. Schumacher's Small Is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered - This book will shift your perspective, useful to avoid becoming an a mindless advocate for one school of thought or another.\n* Marx is a tough one as Capital is massive and unreadable and The Communist Manifesto is a propaganda pamphlet but I think you need to at least find some articles that summarize the basics.\n* Keynes and Hayek - This hip hop battle is a decent start:\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0nERTFo-Sk\nthen read Keynes' The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money and Hayek's The Road to Serfdom.\n* Milton Friedman's - Yes, read Capitalism and Freedom. I hesitated to include it as the guy's so good at making the case that it can turn you into a market advocate bot. Please resist that.\nCan someone help me on this, is there a book balance Hayek and a book to balance Friedman? I'm sorry but Keynes doesn't do it for me. Look at the difference in titles between Hayek and Keynes. It's hard to motivate to read the Keynes book but nobody ever has trouble reading Hayek.\nI see a lot of these ideas come up on HN a lot. What I don't like so much is when someone becomes an advocate for a particular ism. To me, all isms are rubbish. All of them. Understand but do not become a shill for an ideology.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Yes, read Capitalism and Freedom.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommended, with a warning about its persuasive case for markets.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring economic ideas and ideologies.",
          "caveat": "The commenter warns it can turn readers into market advocates and urges resistance.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12561975,
          "author": "AndrewKemendo",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T02:47:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12561975",
          "commentText": "The following list will introduce you to Western Economic Philosophy as it relates to modern history specifically. This list is weighted heavily toward neo-classical economics and does not get into computational model based economics - specifically microeconomics, which comprises the bulk of economics education today:\nSchumpeter - History of economic analysis\nAdam Smith - Theory of Moral Sentiments\nKaynes - The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money\nMarx - Capital\nBenjamin Graham - The Intelligent Investor\nGalbraith - The Affluent Society\nGalbraith - The Great Crash\nMilton Friedman - Capitalism and Freedom\nNassim Taleb - Black Swan\nRon Suskind - Confidence Men\nScott Patterson - Dark Pools\nIf you want to delve into heterodox economics afterward, start with the following:\nHayek - Individualism and Economic Order\nMises - Human Action\nRothbard - Man, Economy, State",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Milton Friedman - Capitalism and Freedom",
          "reason": "Included in a list described as an introduction to Western economic philosophy.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring economic thought in modern history.",
          "caveat": "The list is weighted toward neoclassical economics and excludes computational model based economics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2927323,
          "author": "adamtmca",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-26T03:53:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 2919368,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have changed the way you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2927323",
          "commentText": "Capitalism and Freedom - Milton Friedman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Capitalism and Freedom - Milton Friedman",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed how people think.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971251,
          "author": "loganfrederick",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T08:41:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971251",
          "commentText": "+ Hacker Ethic by Steven Levy\n+ Masters of Doom by David Kushner\n+ The Millionaire Mind by Dr. Thomas Stanley\n+ The Intelligent Investor by Ben Graham\n+ The Essays of Warren Buffet by Lawrence Cunningham\n+ Buffet by Roger Lowenstein\n+ The Knack by Norm Brodsky\n+ Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar by Thomas Cathcart, Daniel Klein\n+ The Return of the Great Depression by Vox Day\n+ Capitalism and Freedom by Milton Friedman\n+ Road to Serfdom by Hayek\n+ Iacocca:An Autobiography by Lee Iacocca",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Capitalism and Freedom by Milton Friedman",
          "reason": "Listed as a book to give the commenter's younger self.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569535,
          "author": "JangoSteve",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T23:39:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569535",
          "commentText": "Capitalism and Freedom by Milton Friedman\nAlso, as a good counterpoint (sort of)...\nSmall is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered by E.F. Schumacher\nI personally don't think the whole book is that great, but the chapter, \"Buddhist Economics\", is really good and reprinted here: http://www.smallisbeautiful.org/buddhist_economics/english.h... (http://www.smallisbeautiful.org/buddhist_economics/english.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Capitalism and Freedom by Milton Friedman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1465109,
          "author": "grandalf",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T06:51:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1465109",
          "commentText": "Capitalism and Freedom by Milton Friedman...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Capitalism and Freedom by Milton Friedman...",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1464845,
          "author": "nickpinkston",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T03:47:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1464845",
          "commentText": "Yea, it's a classic book in the same way Keynes' \"General Theory\" was, but I'm not sure I'd say that Austrian economics (such as Hazlett, Hayek, Mises, etc.) is a good way of understanding our modern system.\nTo get a good balance, I'd say to read something from Paul Krugman, Rob Reich, Greg Mankiw to understand left, center and rightist views on neo-Keynesian thought. For \"Chicago School\" / monetarist thought, Milton Friedman's \"Capitalism & Freedom\" is a good primer.\nFor a more scholarly view, \"Money, Markets, and Sovereignty\" is a great one for global-economic thought at the most macro level, and \"Financial Innovation\" (Molyneux) is awesome for showing where all of this came from - though only the first three chapters are accessible for someone who isn't comfortable with math.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Milton Friedman's \"Capitalism & Freedom\" is a good primer.",
          "reason": "Calls it a good primer on Chicago School and monetarist thought.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a primer on Chicago School or monetarist thought.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 180618,
          "author": "ivankirigin",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-04T03:24:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 180589,
          "threadTitle": "Good book for economics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=180618",
          "commentText": "Milton Friedman is an excellent writer. Try \"Capitalism and Freedom\" or \"Free To Choose\". Not so much academic discussions about partial derivatives applied to indifference curves, but very informative.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Try \"Capitalism and Freedom\"",
          "reason": "Suggests it in response to a request for an economics introduction.",
          "audience": "Someone seeking an introduction to economics.",
          "caveat": "Not an academic treatment of partial derivatives applied to indifference curves.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Milton Friedman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political economy",
        "free market economics",
        "free markets",
        "chicago school"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "foucault-s-pendulum-bc312d",
      "title": "Foucault's Pendulum",
      "author": "Umberto Eco",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32791257,
          "author": "wunderlust",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T15:04:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32791257",
          "commentText": "My field of study (what I really like to think and learn about) isn't my field of work, but I like the question so I'll spill some thoughts.\nI spend a lot of time thinking about philosophical-ish stuff, so here are some books that have had the strongest residual effects (whether that's changing how I think, changing what I think about, changing my values, or simply getting the thought ball rolling faster):\nIshmael (Daniel Quinn)\n1984 (George Orwell)\nBrave New World (Aldous Huxley)\nGodel, Escher, Bach (Douglas Hofstadter)\nThe Republic [imp. \"the allegory of the cave\"] (Plato)\nThe Genealogy of Morals (Friedrich Nietzsche)\nThe Social Construction of Reality (Peter L. Berger, Thomas Luckmann)\nTractatus Logico-Philosophicus (L. Wittgenstein)\nDissemination [imp. \"The Pharmakon\"] (Jacques Derrida)\nThe Quest for Reality (Barry Stroud)\nLanguages of Art (Nelson Goodman)\nThe Structure of Scientific Revolutions (Thomas Kuhn)\nConcepts (Jerry Fodor)\nThe Web of Life (Fritjof Capra)\nFoucault's Pendulum (Umberto Eco)\nNaming and Necessity (Saul Kripke)\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Robert Pirsig)\nThere are others, and a lot of essays (by thinkers like Bertrand Russell, Carl Hempel, Hilary Putnam, WVO Quine, Karl Popper, Alfred Tarski, Gottlob Frege, David Chalmers, Daniel Dennett, Michel Foucault, Jean Baudrillard, Mikhail Bakunin, CS Peirce, and David Hume, among many others), but these seem apropos as they most readily came to mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Foucault's Pendulum (Umberto Eco)",
          "reason": "Listed among books with strong residual effects on the commenter’s thinking and values.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467743,
          "author": "wazoox",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:56:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467743",
          "commentText": "The book I've reread the most is The Odyssey. For a long time, I've read it once every year.\nAnother book I've read many times is Eco's Foucault's Pendulum.\nI've read Asimov's cycle of Foundation many times. Don't know how many, actually.\nI've also read several times some philosophy classics, particularly Plato's Symposium, Phaedrus, Apology and Republic.\nThen there are many books that I've read at least twice, almost all considered classics (from 1984 to LoTR, Great expectations to Tom Sawyer, Crime and punishment to Twenty thousand leagues under the sea, etc).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another book I've read many times is Eco's Foucault's Pendulum.",
          "reason": "The commenter has reread it many times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13975820,
          "author": "osullivj",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-28T12:02:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13975820",
          "commentText": "Loved Foucault's Pendulum, but I think Name of the Rose is a better novel. The characters are more convincing, the narrative momentum more propulsive, and the intellectual pyrotechnics just as satisfying. The film, with Sean Connery, is pretty good too...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Loved Foucault's Pendulum",
          "reason": "The commenter says they loved it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9706866,
          "author": "jgrzymski",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-12T16:23:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9706866",
          "commentText": "Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace\nThe Making of the Atomic Bomb - Richard Rhodes\nFoucault's Pendulum - Umberto Eco",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Foucault's Pendulum - Umberto Eco",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to the question asking for a mind-blowing book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674296,
          "author": "fenomas",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T11:59:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674296",
          "commentText": "Foucault's Pendulum.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Foucault's Pendulum.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348681,
          "author": "decasteve",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:19:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348681",
          "commentText": "Upon completion of the book I was left with the feeling that there was no book in the universe too complex or erudite that I couldn't tackle.\nIt also gave everyone who read it a valid excuse not to read anything by Dan Brown.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Upon completion of the book I was left with the feeling that there was no book in the universe too complex or erudite that I couldn't tackle.",
          "reason": "The commenter credits it with building confidence to tackle complex books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348321,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:40:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348321",
          "commentText": "Foucault's Pendulum, Umberto Eco.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Foucault's Pendulum, Umberto Eco.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5692680,
          "author": "maxerickson",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-12T00:41:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5692680",
          "commentText": "Nobody has suggested Umberto Eco yet.I would try The Island of the Day Before or Baudolino before Foucault's Pendulum.\nAlistair Reynolds is space opera done nicely (if you want to look in that direction). Chasm City stands on its own, but there are some similar works there.\nTwain fits in with some of your other comments.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "before Foucault's Pendulum.",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a point of comparison in a reading-order suggestion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter suggests two other Eco novels before this one.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4968158,
          "author": "jamesmcn",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T04:36:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4968158",
          "commentText": "Walter Jon Williams' The Green Leopard Plague, which is also part of an anthology of the same name. The anthology includes several other stories that build up the world that GLP takes place in. Some interesting ideas about identity and consciousness in a society with extremely advanced bioengineering.\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Green_Leopard_Plague\nUmberto Eco's Prague Cemetery which expands greatly on a tiny section of Foucault's Pendulum. Eco's writing is extremely dense. Similar to Neal Stephenson, but with more of a literary flavor than a technogeek flavor. A nice way to balance out your reading if you find you are a bit too focused on modern technology.\nI finally read Robert Anton Wilson's Illuminatus! trilogy. Early Internet and web culture was so deeply infused with RAW's ideas that the trilogy felt like one long déjà vu session. Lots of fun. RAW + Eco are a great antidote to taking conspiracy theories seriously, while having a ton of fun at the same time.\nGibson's Sprawl trilogy. Wow. Since the release of the Blue Ant books, I've been telling people that Blue Ant is the place to start, as it updates a lot of the underlying themes of Sprawl for this decade. But Sprawl is still very current and relevant. If you read Sprawl during or before the dot-com bubble like I did, you probably focused on the prophetic internet stuff. If you read it again, you will find out that there is plenty more interesting stuff to feed your brain in Gibson's early novels.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Foucault's Pendulum",
          "reason": "Mentioned as the book containing a section that Prague Cemetery expands on.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027000,
          "author": "blahblahblah",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T09:17:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027000",
          "commentText": "Revelation Space, by Alastair Reynolds - Quirky sci-fi novel with a xenoarchaeology angle\nHunters of Dune, by Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson - I'm not recommending this one on the basis of the writing.  I'd recommend it only to those who read all of Frank Herbert's original Dune series and have been hanging in suspense ever since because the cliffhanger ending of Chapterhouse Dune was never resolved due to Frank's untimely death.  They based the book on Frank's outline, but it clearly would have been a better book if it had been written by Frank.  Nonetheless, it is satisfying to resolve the unanswered questions:  Who the heck are these Honored Matres and what were they running away from?\nLabyrinths:  Selected Stories & Other Writings, by Jorges Luis Borges - This is kind of a quirky collection of short stories that are all mindbenders of one variety or another.  The best description I can give of Borges is that reading him is kind of like solving puzzles.\nAcross the Nightingale Floor:  Tales of the Otori, by Lain Hearn - Historical fiction set in feudal Japan with lords and their retainers, assassins, etc.\nThe Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown - If you liked The Da Vinci Code or Angels & Demons, you'll probably like this one as well.  While Dan Brown will probably never write anything that matches the utter genius of Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum, he is entertaining in his own way and worth a read.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Dan Brown will probably never write anything that matches the utter genius of Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum",
          "reason": "Praised in comparison with Dan Brown’s writing, though the comment does not directly recommend it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876383,
          "author": "dantheman",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T09:57:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876383",
          "commentText": "Also  by Umberto Eco check out Foucault's Pendulum",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "check out Foucault's Pendulum",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Umberto Eco"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "conspiracy",
        "literary fiction",
        "conspiracy fiction",
        "literary thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-the-theory-of-computation-1d7a57",
      "title": "Introduction to the Theory of Computation",
      "author": "Michael Sipser",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32790740,
          "author": "f1shy",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T14:03:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790740",
          "commentText": "Computer science: Knuth's TAOCP. And Sipser's Introduction to the Theory of Computation.\nProgramming: SICP, K&R, and Stroustrup. Siebel's Practical common lisp.\nArtificial intelligence: AI a modern approach.\nSignals and Systems: Oppenheim's book\nProbability and statistics: Probability Theory: The Logic of Science by Jaynes",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sipser's Introduction to the Theory of Computation",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30486653,
          "author": "OJFord",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T09:19:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486653",
          "commentText": "The Annotated Turing by Petzold (On Computable Numbers broken down, annotated, explained, and talked around. Would recommend to anyone interested in CS but without (yet) having formally studied it. I read it in sixth form, and it probably swung me more towards CS from my since-childhood intention of studying electronics. (Ended up doing a mix, but applied to some straight CS too.))\nTheory of Computation by Sipser. (More subject specific and just a textbook really, I just thought it was a really great one and was able to read it ahead of my most relevant course.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Theory of Computation by Sipser.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it a great textbook and read it ahead of a relevant course.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as subject-specific and textbook-like.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21313777,
          "author": "sixstringtheory",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T16:00:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21313777",
          "commentText": "Sipser was the one my alma mater used, so if you could, please post the one you used! I’d be interested in an alternative.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Sipser was the one my alma mater used",
          "reason": "Identifies Sipser's book as the one used at their alma mater while asking for an alternative.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Does not express an evaluation of the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21312313,
          "author": "bo1024",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T14:01:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21312313",
          "commentText": "CS is like math, not philosophy -- the fundamental ideas are gradually refined by a community, and eventually someone puts them into a book. Usually there are many books and people have different favorites.\nSo the closest parallels are original research papers like Turing's and Shannon's; but you're probably better off reading more recent textbooks.\nThat said, to balance out the heavy emphasis on programming and engineering books here, some recommendations:\n- Sipser. Introduction to the Theory of Computation.\n- Russell, Norvig. AI: A Modern Approach.\n- For algorithms I don't have a preference. There is Dasgupta-Papadimitriou-Vazirani; Cormen-Leisersen-Rivest-Stein; Kleinberg-Tardos; and more.\nA bit farther from core CS, I also like:\n- Cover, Thomas. Elements of Information Theory.\n- Li, Vitanyi. An Introduction to Kolmogorov Complexity and Its Applications",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sipser. Introduction to the Theory of Computation.",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20731322,
          "author": "formalsystem",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T16:51:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20731322",
          "commentText": "There's so much more to CS theory than big O notation and you're in for a treat if you check out any of the below - happy to share more if people are interested.\n1. https://www.amazon.com/Computational-Complexity-Approach-San... (https://www.amazon.com/Computational-Complexity-Approach-Sanjeev-Arora/dp/0521424267/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=complexity+theory&qid=1566146955&s=gateway&sr=8-3)\n2. https://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Computing-since-Democritus-Aa... (https://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Computing-since-Democritus-Aaronson/dp/0521199565/ref=sr_1_1?crid=H43HH53HNDKQ&keywords=quantum+computing+since+democritus&qid=1566146985&s=gateway&sprefix=quantum+computing+since+dem%2Caps%2C191&sr=8-1)\n3. https://www.amazon.com/G%C3%B6del-Escher-Bach-Eternal-Golden... (https://www.amazon.com/G%C3%B6del-Escher-Bach-Eternal-Golden/dp/0465026567/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=godel+escher+bach&qid=1566147014&s=gateway&sr=8-1)\n4. https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Theory-Computation-Micha... (https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Theory-Computation-Michael-Sipser/dp/113318779X/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=sipser&qid=1566147058&s=gateway&sr=8-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Theory-Computation-Micha...",
          "reason": "Included in a list of suggested resources for exploring CS theory beyond big O notation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20729834,
          "author": "h8hawk",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T12:39:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20729834",
          "commentText": "This is a great book. I recommend learning this book with professor Porter's course on theory of computation. \nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOsMcgIK95k&list=PLbtzT1TYeo... (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOsMcgIK95k&list=PLbtzT1TYeoMjNOGEiaRmm_vMIwUAidnQz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is a great book. I recommend learning this book with professor Porter's course on theory of computation.",
          "reason": "Called a great book and recommended alongside a course on theory of computation.",
          "audience": "Readers studying theory of computation.",
          "caveat": "The suggested course is by Professor Porter.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20729540,
          "author": "mwerty",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T11:14:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20729540",
          "commentText": "Mike Sipser's book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/113318779X",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mike Sipser's book",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13408605,
          "author": "derstander",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T07:14:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13408605",
          "commentText": "I haven't re-read it in its entirety, but I always enjoy picking up Sipser's \"Introduction to the Theory of Computation\" and reading through one or another of the chapters and playing with things in my head or on paper.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I always enjoy picking up Sipser's \"Introduction to the Theory of Computation\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says they always enjoy reading chapters from it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They have not reread it in its entirety.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414395,
          "author": "T-R",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T08:57:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414395",
          "commentText": "It really depends on what you feel you're missing and what you're hoping to do (definitions of \"daily work\" vary widely). If you're looking to get up on theory by doing your own program of sorts, you could do worse than start with these (in roughly this order):\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs - Abelson, Sussman, and Sussman\nIntroduction to Algorithms - Cormen, Leiserson, Rivest, and Stein\nThe Art of Assembly Language - Hyde\na digital logic book (not sure which is most recommended), and an architecture book (see reply by tftfmacedo)\nModern Operating Systems - Tanenbaum\nIntroduction to the Theory of Computation - Sipser\nCompilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools - Aho, Lam, Sethi, and Ullman (a.k.a. \"Dragon Book\")\nProgramming Language Pragmatics - Scott\nA database design book (one that covers Relational Algebra, not just a book on SQL), and maybe a book on Networks. Also, Roy Fielding's paper on REST is both academic and applicable (and more approachable than you'd expect of a Ph.D paper). If you want to go all the way, an undergraduate program usually also has Calculus, Discrete Math, Linear Algebra, and Statistics. Some schools would also require Physics and Differential Equations. I'm sure I'm missing some topics, too, particularly electives.\nIf you can get through those and the associated problem sets, you'll have a better foundation than most.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Introduction to the Theory of Computation - Sipser",
          "reason": "Included in a suggested sequence for studying computer science theory.",
          "audience": "Readers studying computer science theory independently.",
          "caveat": "The list is conditional on what the reader feels they are missing and hopes to do.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Sipser"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "theory of computation",
        "automata theory",
        "complexity theory",
        "automata"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "practical-object-oriented-design-in-ruby-213fb4",
      "title": "Practical Object-Oriented Design in Ruby",
      "author": "Sandi Metz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21370355,
          "author": "cben",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-27T15:36:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21370355",
          "commentText": "My recommendations are not exactly what you ask but what I suspect you'll enjoy if you're asking this.\n(1) \"Understanding Computation\" by Tom Stuart.\nNot \"fundamental\" as a deep textbook, but very approachable for programmers intro into a big chunk of CS, explaining deep ideas about languages using rigorous working clean code (in Ruby, no prior knowledge needed).\nI especially loved the first few chapters about what it means to define a programming languange and various kinds of formal semantics.\n(2) Designing Data-Intensive Applications, Martin Kleppmann.  This gives you a phenomenally good survey of concepts and practice of distributed systems.  This is more software engineering than pure CS, but in my view you can't approach the field of distributed systems without blending both anyway.\n(3) POODR — Practical Object-Oriented Design, in Ruby, by Sandi Metz.  This is 100% software engineering, where there is no single definition of \"foundational\", but many people who read this swear by it.  It's remarkably thin but lucid distillation of ideas that were \"in the air\" but Sandi nailed them down.  An important thesis is that good code is not an aesthetic judgement of how it _now_ looks, but objective question how easy it will be to _change in the future_.  Not Ruby-specific at all, but it teaches the original Smalltalk \"message-passing\" view of OOP, that for people that only learnt statically-typed Java, C++ etc view of OOP is a fundamental idea they're missing on.\nFinally, not a book, but \"the morning paper\" https://blog.acolyer.org/ is excellent \"return on your time\" if you want to sample academic papers, both classic foundational ones, as well as cutting edge.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "POODR — Practical Object-Oriented Design, in Ruby, by Sandi Metz. This is 100% software engineering",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's recommendations; praised as a lucid distillation of ideas and for its focus on making code easier to change.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes there is no single definition of foundational in software engineering.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13408396,
          "author": "Dangeranger",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T05:35:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13408396",
          "commentText": "Practical Object-Oriented Design in Ruby (POODR) by Sandi Metz\nhttp://www.poodr.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Practical Object-Oriented Design in Ruby (POODR) by Sandi Metz",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9758519,
          "author": "cfeduke",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T14:27:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758519",
          "commentText": "Any book written by Charles Petzold is an enjoyable read, though particularly the non-MS specific titles Code and The Annotated Turing.\nJava Concurrency in Practice (2006) is older but relevant and clearly describes concurrency on the JVM. A must read for any Java, Scala, Clojure, etc. software engineer; well-written, enjoyable, concise.\nPractical Object Oriented Design in Ruby by Sandi Metz is a fun read packed with good principles for working in Ruby that are applicable in general to object oriented programming.\nSmalltalk Best Practice Patterns by Kent Beck is worth a read because the general principles are applicable to any OOP language.\nClean Code by Robert Martin is excellent but a time commitment. (If you had to pick between SICP and Clean Code because time is at a premium I'd err on the side of Clean Code for practicality. Writing maintainable code is paramount.)\nThe Joy of Clojure (Fogus/Houser) is excellent and mentally digestable even if you have no Lisp or Clojure background.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Practical Object Oriented Design in Ruby by Sandi Metz is a fun read packed with good principles",
          "reason": "Calls it a fun read packed with good principles applicable beyond Ruby.",
          "audience": "Readers working with Ruby or object-oriented programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9758294,
          "author": "jrochkind1",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T13:54:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758294",
          "commentText": "Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software http://www.amazon.com/Design-Patterns-Elements-Reusable-Obje... (http://www.amazon.com/Design-Patterns-Elements-Reusable-Object-Oriented/dp/0201633612/)\nPractical Object-Oriented Design in Ruby by Sandi Metz. http://www.poodr.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Practical Object-Oriented Design in Ruby by Sandi Metz.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8798157,
          "author": "clark-kent",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-26T05:30:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8798157",
          "commentText": "Practical Object-Oriented Design in Ruby",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Practical Object-Oriented Design in Ruby",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8000922,
          "author": "jconn",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T19:44:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8000922",
          "commentText": "+1 for Practical Object-Oriented Design in Ruby. I'm admittedly a relative novice (my background is in finance, but I've been learning to program through books and online resources for about a year now).\nReading this book led to many \"Aha\" moments where I really started to understand the benefits of OOP. Great read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for Practical Object-Oriented Design in Ruby. I'm admittedly a relative novice",
          "reason": "Praised as a great read that helped the commenter understand the benefits of object-oriented programming.",
          "audience": "Relative novices learning to program.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7999937,
          "author": "gyardley",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T17:17:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7999937",
          "commentText": "Sandi Metz's Practical Object-Oriented Design in Ruby.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Sandi Metz's Practical Object-Oriented Design in Ruby.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7757057,
          "author": "jbeja",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:29:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7757057",
          "commentText": "\"Practical Object-Oriented Design in Ruby. A Agile Primer\" By Sandi Metz. I am not so much a ruby fan, but don't let the title decive you, ruby is just the tool (since it could use any other OOP language) to show what the book is realy about (OOP Design shown in the best way possible).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "ruby is just the tool (since it could use any other OOP language) to show what the book is realy about (OOP Design shown in the best way possible).",
          "reason": "The commenter praises it as an excellent way to explain object-oriented design.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Ruby serves as the teaching tool; the commenter says the ideas apply to other object-oriented languages.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7757016,
          "author": "Skoofoo",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:25:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7757016",
          "commentText": "I thought I knew how to write good Ruby code, but then I read \"Practical Object-Oriented Design in Ruby\". http://www.poodr.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I thought I knew how to write good Ruby code, but then I read \"Practical Object-Oriented Design in Ruby\".",
          "reason": "The book challenged the commenter's confidence about writing good Ruby code.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sandi Metz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ruby",
        "object oriented design",
        "object oriented programming",
        "software engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "quran-080e3e",
      "title": "Quran",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46424449,
          "author": "asim",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-29T19:29:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46424449",
          "commentText": "People read a lot of different things so I'm going to throw this one out there. I read the Quran. I read it continuously and it takes a while to finish but every time I read it I discover something new. People tend to discount a religious text as not for them but I think actually the translation or English narrative needs to fit the people and the times. Also the medium by which we read. I wrote an app to that effect to help me.\nTo anyone interested not just in reading it but asking it questions here's the app I wrote https://reminder.dev",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read the Quran. I read it continuously and it takes a while to finish but every time I read it I discover something new.",
          "reason": "Describes repeatedly reading the Quran and finding new things in it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says the translation or English narrative should fit readers and the times.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36135179,
          "author": "hello_computer",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-31T06:31:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36135179",
          "commentText": "Start with the originals--Torah, Bible, Koran, Vedas, Buddhist Canons, Greco-Roman Mythologies, Avesta, Enûma Eliš--then work your way out toward commentaries, sects, cults, precursors, apocrypha, heresies, schisms, etc.  The problem with any condensed \"Grand Tour of Religion\" is the inevitable editorial bias (i.e. adopting someone else's understanding instead of developing your own).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bible, Koran, Vedas, Buddhist Canons",
          "reason": "Included among primary religious texts to start with.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter recommends a broad sequence of primary texts before commentaries and other traditions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36112676,
          "author": "KrazyHamburger",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-29T10:50:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36112676",
          "commentText": "The Quran, away from the religion it self, its authenticity is out of this world, not even gpg can do anything near it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Quran, away from the religion it self, its authenticity is out of this world",
          "reason": "Presented as an emphatic positive assessment of the Quran's authenticity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter distinguishes the text's authenticity from the religion itself.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36104902,
          "author": "amusingimpala75",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T15:32:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36104902",
          "commentText": "If you have the time you could read the religions’ foundational texts (Bible for Christianity, Quran for Islam, etc.) before commentaries on them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Quran for Islam",
          "reason": "Suggests reading foundational religious texts before commentaries.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31971664,
          "author": "koots",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T22:49:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31971664",
          "commentText": "Quran",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Quran",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27629526,
          "author": "someearth",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T11:45:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27629526",
          "commentText": "Quran for sure!\nThe best ever book that you *must* read!\nSee:\nhttps://quran.com/ (With Translations)\nhttps://tafsir.app/ (ARABIC)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Quran for sure!\nThe best ever book that you *must* read!",
          "reason": "The commenter emphatically recommends it as a must-read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23862235,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T18:36:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23862235",
          "commentText": "I'm not surprised. There are a fair number of people here who are somewhat hostile to religion. Heck, you could borderline count me as one of them. I think religion is a blight on our world. But I wouldn't downvote somebody for mentioning a religious text in this context because - like it or not - these works tend to be HIGHLY influential, and if you want to \"understand the world\" I think that understanding absolutely has to incorporate some knowledge of religion and religious beliefs.\nI'm an atheist myself, but I have a whole shelf full of religious texts, including the Quran, several Bibles, Bhagavad Gita, Gnostic Bible, the Norse myths, etc. for just this reason. I doubt the historicity and literal veracity of a lot of this stuff, but knowing it has value when many other people do take it all literally.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "including the Quran, several Bibles, Bhagavad Gita, Gnostic Bible, the Norse myths",
          "reason": "The commenter keeps religious texts to understand religion's influence and beliefs.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking to understand religion and religious beliefs.",
          "caveat": "The commenter doubts the historicity and literal veracity of much of the material.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13236391,
          "author": "khorchanov",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T10:50:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13236391",
          "commentText": "Quran, a very superior all in one book, I have never seen a book as expressive as this one, I invite anyone just to \"try\" it ;)\nFreakonomics, is a good one about economy from a new angle of view",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I invite anyone just to \"try\" it ;)",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it expressive and invites people to try it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "islam",
        "religious text",
        "islamic scripture",
        "scripture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-box-how-the-shipping-container-made-the-world-smaller-and-the-2a81bb",
      "title": "The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger",
      "author": "Marc Levinson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42653834,
          "author": "riffraff",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T08:43:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42653834",
          "commentText": "I second this recommendation of a fantastic book, mildly inconvenienced by the author delving into _very specific details_, like whole paragraphs of different sizes of locks that felt like line noise to me.\nIt also offers a very interesting perspective on the fears of the AI/automation craze, like, what happened to whole towns of dock workers who used to manually pack goods in round-hulled ships and got replaced by a single machine moving a container on a flat ship.\nStill, I'm not sure it's exactly \"people who did hard things\" as much as the story of decades-long incremental changes brought by a bunch of people.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I second this recommendation of a fantastic book",
          "reason": "Endorses the book while criticizing its detailed digression on lock sizes and noting its account of automation's effects on dock workers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The author includes paragraphs of detail about lock sizes; the commenter says it may be less about individuals doing hard things than incremental change.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42653422,
          "author": "abtinf",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T07:18:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42653422",
          "commentText": "The Box by Marc Levinson is the incredible story of the dawn of containerized shipping.\nIt is a little shocking just how recently this happened (the very first experimental loads were in the 1950s), and that the standard of shipping before containers was for longshoremen to literally hand carry boxes of stuff onto ships and stuff them just anywhere. You would be stunned to realize just how new and unused the piers of San Francisco really are, because they were built with massive government subsidies at exactly the wrong time.\nThe book covers the courageous people involved, the political and economic impacts, and how the industry truly found its footing prioritizing absolutely reducing operational costs over all other concerns (like delivery speed).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Box by Marc Levinson is the incredible story of the dawn of containerized shipping.",
          "reason": "Covers the emergence of container shipping, its people, and its political and economic effects.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36666587,
          "author": "HamptonFounders",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-10T14:01:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36666587",
          "commentText": "Not sure if this is helpful, but a friend fed this conversation through ChatGPT and had it summarize for easier reading:\n-The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy -Bigger by Marc Levinson\n-The Machine That Changed the World: The Story of Lean Production-- Toyota's Secret Weapon in the Global Car Wars That Is Now Revolutionizing World Industry by James P. Womack, Daniel T. Jones, and Daniel Roos\n-Empires of the Sky: Zeppelins, Airplanes, and Two Men's Epic Duel to Rule the World by Erik Larson\n-Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America by Richard -White\n-The Arms of Krupp: The Rise and Fall of the Industrial Dynasty that Armed Germany at War by William Manchester\n-Edison by Edmund Morris\n-Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow\n-The People's Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century by Steven Watts\n-Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler\n-The Victorian Internet by Tom Standage\n-The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood by James Gleick\n-Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age by Michael S. Malone\n-The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester\n-The Innovators by Walter Isaacson\n-Medieval Technology and Social Change by Lynn White Jr.\n-The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation by Jon Gertner\n-Electricity in the 17th and 18th Centuries: A Study of Early Modern Physics by Eric H. Chaney\n-Early Electrical Communication by A. F. Marland\n-Bibliographical History of Electricity and Magnetism by Silvanus P. Thompson\n-Electric Science: Its History, Phenomena, and Applications by J. J. Fahie\n-The History and Present State of Electricity by Andrew Ure\n-https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/\n-De Re Metallica by Georgius Agricola",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy -Bigger by Marc Levinson",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books offered in response to the history of technology question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36601373,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:00:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601373",
          "commentText": "Here are some histories of specific industries I've read recently and supremely enjoyed:\n- The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger\n- The Machine That Changed the World: The Story of Lean Production-- Toyota's Secret Weapon in the Global Car Wars That Is Now Revolutionizing World Industry\n- Empires of the Sky: Zeppelins, Airplanes, and Two Men's Epic Duel to Rule the World\n- Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America (of all of these not the most amazing but still interesting)\n- The Arms of Krupp: The Rise and Fall of the Industrial Dynasty that Armed Germany at War\nAnd then you can learn a lot by reading about the people who built the industries too. Here are a few I've been reading about recently that I recommend:\n- Edison by Edmund Morris (Just read it backwards, you'll see.)\n- Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow\n- The People's Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century by Steven Watts\n- Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler\nI also got some interesting suggestions asking a similar question on Twitter a bit ago.\nhttps://twitter.com/eatonphil/status/1668625835350454273",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger",
          "reason": "Listed among industry histories the commenter recently read and greatly enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229671,
          "author": "_asummers",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:09:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229671",
          "commentText": "I've been reading Boxes - How The Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger by Marc Levison lately. It's pretty interesting and enjoyable.\nhttp://smile.amazon.com/The-Box-Shipping-Container-Smaller/d... (http://smile.amazon.com/The-Box-Shipping-Container-Smaller/dp/0691136408?sa-no-redirect=1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've been reading Boxes - How The Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger by Marc Levison lately. It's pretty interesting and enjoyable.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book is interesting and enjoyable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is currently reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175556,
          "author": "Traut",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:21:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175556",
          "commentText": "Finished «The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger» by Marc Levinson and started Think Complexity By Allen B. Downey (O'Reilly series)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Finished «The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger» by Marc Levinson",
          "reason": "The commenter reports having finished the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9350032,
          "author": "loudmax",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T18:52:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350032",
          "commentText": "Stories of Your Life and Others is a collection of short stories by Ted Chiang.  The stories explore wildly different topics, but every one of them is amazing.\nSomeone on HN had recommended The Box by Marc Levinson.  It's a history of the shipping container.  That sounds dreadfully prosaic, but the book is well written and the shipping container's influence on our modern global economy cannot be overstated.\nNot reading per se, but Dan Carlin's WWI podcasts on the Hardcore History blog are well worth listening to.  http://www.dancarlin.com/hardcore-history-series/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the book is well written and the shipping container's influence on our modern global economy cannot be overstated.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the writing and describes the container's major economic influence.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in shipping, globalization, or economic history.",
          "caveat": "The subject may sound prosaic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401322,
          "author": "cbovis",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:07:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401322",
          "commentText": "Recently read:\nFluent in 3 Months - Benny Lewis\nCurrently reading:\nThe Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger\nLooking forward to:\nDataclysm: Who We Are (When We Think No One's Looking)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6975703,
          "author": "mehdim",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T18:35:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6975703",
          "commentText": "\"The Box\" Marc Levinson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Box\" Marc Levinson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3650815,
          "author": "darnton",
          "createdAt": "2012-03-01T03:40:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 3643009,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-technical book you've read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3650815",
          "commentText": "The Box: How The Shipping Container Made The World Smaller And The World Economy Bigger - Marc Levinson.\nThere are so many facets to this book. It's the story of Malcom McLean's drive to make containerisation a reality. It's a history of the global economy since WWII. It goes into detail about labour relations on the docks and about how changes in shipping change the fortunes of cities.\nOne stand out chapter details the logistics of getting military materiel into Vietnam before and after containerisation and then McLean's idea that there was no point bringing all those empty boxes back - might as well stop off at Japan and pick up some transistor radios.\nThis book is well worth your time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book is well worth your time.",
          "reason": "Says the book is well worth the reader's time and describes its historical and economic scope.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marc Levinson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "global trade",
        "shipping containers",
        "container shipping",
        "globalization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-checklist-manifesto-8a8632",
      "title": "The Checklist Manifesto",
      "author": "Atul Gawande",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21861303,
          "author": "thorlon",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-23T03:31:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21861303",
          "commentText": "The Unicorn Project,\nThe 7 habits of highly effective people by Stephen Covey,\nPermanent Record, \nTurn the ship around,\nThe Checklist Manifesto,\nThese are good ones!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Checklist Manifesto,",
          "reason": "Listed as a good audiobook in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "People looking for audiobooks for developers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18744972,
          "author": "lihaciudaniel",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T07:50:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744972",
          "commentText": "* A mind for numbers - Barbara Oakley\n - great framework for learning how to learn\n* Checklist manifesto\n- good for investing better \n* 12 Rule for life by JP\n- Great read, very in depth but only two rules (guidelines) are that needed.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Checklist manifesto\n- good for investing better",
          "reason": "Says it is good for improving investing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416396,
          "author": "cwbrandsma",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:25:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416396",
          "commentText": "* Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell\n* Freakenomics\n* Slideology\n* The Checklist Manifesto",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Checklist Manifesto",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10786419,
          "author": "goddess_divine",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T00:21:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786419",
          "commentText": "i read a shit ton of books, but only keep the ones i'd like enough to read again. New to my library this year:\nthe checklist manifesto\nfriday\nthe left hand of darkness\nbanker for the poor\niq52\nthe pragmatic programmer\nstar diaries\ncat's cradle\nthe dead mountainer's inn\nspanner darkley",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the checklist manifesto",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10027456,
          "author": "danso",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T15:15:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027456",
          "commentText": "The best book I've read in the last 5 years is David Simon's, \"Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets\"...if you've watched The Wire, half of its material is derived from this real life account of being embedded in Baltimore's homicide unit: https://books.google.com/books/about/Homicide.html?id=N8LS0b... (https://books.google.com/books/about/Homicide.html?id=N8LS0b0_bvUC&hl=en)\nAll of Atul Gawande's books, notably:\nThe Checklist Manifesto [1]: http://atulgawande.com/book/the-checklist-manifesto/\nBetter: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance: http://atulgawande.com/book/better/\n[1] You can read the essay that this book is based on in the New Yorker: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/12/10/the-checklist",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All of Atul Gawande's books, notably:\nThe Checklist Manifesto [1]",
          "reason": "Includes it among the author's notable books in a list answering a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that the book is based on a New Yorker essay.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5414411,
          "author": "meerita",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-21T11:52:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 5401749,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What interesting books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5414411",
          "commentText": "I just finished The Checklist Manifesto. Jack Dorsey gift this when you enter Square.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I just finished The Checklist Manifesto.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5000900,
          "author": "tokenadult",
          "createdAt": "2013-01-03T03:26:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 5000101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5000900",
          "commentText": "The Checklist Manifesto, recommended by multiple HN participants. I read it and learned a lot, and it's an enjoyable read besides giving you new perspectives on old problems.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Checklist-Manifesto-How-Things-Right/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Checklist-Manifesto-How-Things-Right/dp/0312430000)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Checklist Manifesto, recommended by multiple HN participants. I read it and learned a lot, and it's an enjoyable read besides giving you new perspectives on old problems.",
          "reason": "Says it was enjoyable, informative, and offered new perspectives on old problems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3277922,
          "author": "AJ007",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T19:07:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3277922",
          "commentText": "I read that book, and I think everyone should, but I don't think it falls in the category of developing mental models.\nAs for cognition, the book is a reminder, or a message, that humans have imperfect memories and we must use outside factors rather than obsessing an idealized form of godlike memory.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I think everyone should",
          "reason": "The commenter says everyone should read the book referenced in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "Everyone, in the commenter's view.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not specifically about developing mental models.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3277742,
          "author": "billswift",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T18:12:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3277742",
          "commentText": "I will definitely second Atul Gawande's Checklist Manifesto.\nEliyahu Goldratt's books (I have read Critical Chain and It's Not Luck as well as The Goal) are not as original as often claimed.  They are very readable introductions, but a good project management text will cover most of what they do and more.  The project management book that I have found most helpful is Project Management With Cpm, Pert and Precedence Diagramming; despite its age (1983) it covers a wider variety of techniques with more detail and less extraneous crud than any of the others I have seen (note I am still researching this area, anyone who has a favorite book can leave it in a comment).  http://www.amazon.com/Project-Management-Pert-Precedence-Dia... (http://www.amazon.com/Project-Management-Pert-Precedence-Diagramming/dp/0442254156/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322244392&sr=8-1)\nJonathan Baron's Thinking and Deciding is one of the best books on improving your thinking in general that I have ever read.  http://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Deciding-Jonathan-Baron/dp/05... (http://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Deciding-Jonathan-Baron/dp/0521680433/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322244137&sr=8-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I will definitely second Atul Gawande's Checklist Manifesto.",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds another commenter's recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3277623,
          "author": "Luc",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T17:38:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3277623",
          "commentText": "Good list. I'd add 'The Checklist Manifesto' by Atul Gawande ( http://www.amazon.com/Checklist-Manifesto-How-Things-Right/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Checklist-Manifesto-How-Things-Right/dp/0312430000/) ), about how experts with decades of experience in highly complex tasks can still benefit from simple, short and obvious checklists.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd add 'The Checklist Manifesto' by Atul Gawande",
          "reason": "Adds the book to a discussion asking for recommendations on thinking and cognition.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Atul Gawande"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "checklists",
        "error prevention",
        "process improvement",
        "patient safety"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-cyberiad-b3e7ef",
      "title": "The Cyberiad",
      "author": "Stanisław Lem",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33382793,
          "author": "MattPalmer1086",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T10:38:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382793",
          "commentText": "Seconded for the Cyberiad.  That's probably one of the more accessible Lem books, and it's absolutely hilarious.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seconded for the Cyberiad.",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the recommendation; says it is accessible and hilarious.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17537426,
          "author": "xteze",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T22:26:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537426",
          "commentText": "For fun and/or lighthearted, I enjoyed: \nStanislaw Lem: Cyberiad, The Futurological Congress, Tales of Pirx the Pilot;\nSteven Paul Leiva: Traveling in Space;\nTed Chiang: Stories of your Life;\nJohn Scalzi: Old Man's War (and sequels)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stanislaw Lem: Cyberiad",
          "reason": "Suggested as a fun or lighthearted read.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for fun or lighthearted fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15438897,
          "author": "mollerup",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-10T02:38:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15438897",
          "commentText": "An amazing short story. A lot of the themes can be found in other of Lems books. If you haven't picked up Solaris yet you really should. It is a great book, and probably the best sci-fi book I've read. Of course there's also his silly short stories 'The Cyberiad' where the stupidest thinking robot appears.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "there's also his silly short stories 'The Cyberiad'",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a collection of silly short stories.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as silly.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10176218,
          "author": "sshine",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T22:16:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10176218",
          "commentText": "Just finished:\n— Roadside Picnic, by the Strugatsky brothers. The very thematic Soviet sci-fi behind STALKER.\n— The Cyberiad, by Stanislaw Lem. A brilliant collection of short stories on language, philosophy, futurism.\nCurrently:\n— Nexus, by Ramez Naam (book 1 of 3). Nanobots meet augmented reality, transhumanism. Good.\n— Breakfast of Champions, by Kurt Vonnegut. Hilarious stuff.\n— Poe's collected works.\nNext:\n— The Three-Body Problem, by Cixin Liu. I have my hopes high.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A brilliant collection of short stories on language, philosophy, futurism.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a brilliant collection of stories.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9058553,
          "author": "mdpm",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T19:06:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9058553",
          "commentText": "IMB is a yes. All of it. Devour. Much like the works of Steven Erikson (Not SF) they're fantastically detailed, which isn't everyone's taste.\nThe Cyberiad is a trove of beauty, ridiculous, sublime, educational - touching on things as far apart as philosophy and maxwell's demon. Amazing that they're not even in English given the wonderous translation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Cyberiad is a trove of beauty, ridiculous, sublime, educational",
          "reason": "Strongly praises the book's beauty, humor, and educational qualities.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is read in translation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9057136,
          "author": "secstate",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T15:01:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9057136",
          "commentText": "Just finished reading \"Fiasco\" by Stanislaw Lem. Between that \"Cyberiad\" I feel like Lem doesn't get enough credit. Maybe part of it is not being in the Western European writer's camp?\nAt any rate, I would say:\nMoon is a Harsh Mistress, Heinlein\nThe Dispossessed, Le Guin\nThe Stars My Destination, Bester\nChildhood's End, Clarke\nStand out as some of my favorites. I'm pretty terrible at making top-5 lists, but those stand out as ones that I would read again in a heartbeat if there weren't already 50 books on the floor next to my bed waiting for me :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Between that \"Cyberiad\" I feel like Lem doesn't get enough credit.",
          "reason": "Praises Lem's work and argues that he deserves more recognition.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043498,
          "author": "PilotPirx",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:09:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043498",
          "commentText": "I don't read that much lately, but want to throw in a few names:\n- Stanislaw Lem (Solaris, The Cyberiad, His Masters Voice, Fiasco)\n- William Gibson - evrything worth reading)\n- Bruce Sterling",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Stanislaw Lem (Solaris, The Cyberiad, His Masters Voice, Fiasco)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043476,
          "author": "gnosis",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:01:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043476",
          "commentText": "They are all equally excellent in their own way, and fall in to a variety of scifi sub-genres.  The HHGTTG, Cyberiad and the Illuminatus could be called scifi parodies (though the Illuminatus is very difficult to categorize, as it spans various genres).  The Dune books are much more straight scifi.  And the PKD books are really mindbending, kind of nightmarish books.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The HHGTTG, Cyberiad and the Illuminatus could be called scifi parodies",
          "reason": "Describes it as a science fiction parody.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043450,
          "author": "gnosis",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T19:54:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043450",
          "commentText": "* Heretics of Dune\n\n  * Chapterhouse: Dune\n\n  * Lem's Cyberiad\n\n  * PKD's Ubik, Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldrich, and Martian Time-Slip\n\n  * The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\n\n  * The Illuminatus Trilogy",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Lem's Cyberiad",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865164,
          "author": "deafmetal",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T15:43:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865164",
          "commentText": "I also heartily recommend \"Cyberiad\", a timeless collection of short stories.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also heartily recommend \"Cyberiad\", a timeless collection of short stories.",
          "reason": "Heartily recommends it and calls it a timeless short story collection.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy short stories.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865034,
          "author": "narag",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T15:08:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865034",
          "commentText": "It seems that most recomendations fall in the sci-fi genre. I'll add my personal favourite: Stanisław Lem (the author of Solaris). The Star Diaries and Cyberiad are a lot of fun mixed with really interesting ideas.\nBut if you want to read a very actual story, including an anticipation of the Internet, take a look at this 1961 story:\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Return_from_the_Stars",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Star Diaries and Cyberiad are a lot of fun mixed with really interesting ideas.",
          "reason": "Says the books are a lot of fun and contain interesting ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140490,
          "author": "nazgulnarsil",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T02:59:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140490",
          "commentText": "depends on the subgenre :)\nSuperhuman:\nSlan by A.E. Van Vogt\nMore Than Human by Theodore STurgeon\nOdd John by Olaf Stapledon\nPost Apocalyptic:\nThe Day of The Triffids by John Whyndham\nEarth Abides by George R. Stewart\nA Canticle for Lebowitz by...don't remember\nSpace Opera/Adventure:\nany of The Culture novels by Iain M. Banks\nThe Reality Dysfunction series by ...don't remember\nHyperion series by Dan Simmons\nTo Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer\nDystopian:\nWe by Yevgeny Zamyatin <---highly overlooked, predates 1984 and Brave New World\nBut the Absolute Best would be anything by:\nStanislaw Lem (Cyberiad, Futurological Congress, Solaris)\nAlfred Bester (The STars my Destination, The Demolished Man)\nor Samuel R. Delany (Babel-17, Dhalgren, Trtion, Nova)\noh and Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light and This Immortal are both great.\nSome of Philip K. Dick's stuff is great, but everyone recommends him. :)\nalmost forgot John Brunner, check out Steel Beach, The Sheep Look Up, and Stand on Zanzibar.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stanislaw Lem (Cyberiad, Futurological Congress, Solaris)",
          "reason": "Says Lem is among the absolute best and lists this title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stanisław Lem"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "robot stories",
        "satire",
        "short stories",
        "science fiction satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dresden-files-e3edf6",
      "title": "The Dresden Files",
      "author": "Jim Butcher",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46400128,
          "author": "tstrimple",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T08:12:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46400128",
          "commentText": "You've got some great ones on here. I'm curious how you found some of them to be.\nJim Butcher \"Brief Cases\": I'm a huge fan of the Dresden series. I find it to be very enlightening as we watch an author grow with his primary character. The early books were particularly weak, but they grow and get better and better. However, I'm unfairly biased against short stories, so I avoid all the X.5 releases. Are these worth exploring as I'm waiting for the followup to Battleground?\nMother of Learning: I generally don't like litrpg or progression fantasy, but I'm a sucker for time loops. I enjoyed this series and craved more like it. Anything else you'd recommend in this genre?\nI read the Fitz books... fuck... decades ago at this point. Is it worth revisiting in audiobook? I've been burned so many times by nostalgia that I'm reluctant to revisit old favorites.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'm a huge fan of the Dresden series. I find it to be very enlightening as we watch an author grow with his primary character.",
          "reason": "Calls themself a huge fan and says the series improves as the author and character grow.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The early books were particularly weak.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26593788,
          "author": "Kratisto",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-26T16:10:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26593788",
          "commentText": "I'm really into the Dresden novels as well.  Also read all of the Cosmere, and I highly recommend.  1/3rd of the way through Wheel of Time right now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm really into the Dresden novels as well.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are really into the novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26593699,
          "author": "jakebasile",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-26T16:04:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26593699",
          "commentText": "I read in waves - I'll get the itch occasionally and knock out one or two novels in a few days each then ease back into a much slower pace.\nAlmost exclusively fiction. I like the Harry Dresden novels, and lots of older science fiction and horror.\nReading on a Kindle really improves the experience vs on a LCD/OLED screen.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I like the Harry Dresden novels",
          "reason": "The commenter says they like the novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25846127,
          "author": "twoquestions",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T13:25:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25846127",
          "commentText": "I'll stand by most of the other recommendations here that I've read, here are some books I liked that I haven't seen here yet:\nWe Are Legion (We Are Bob) is a pretty good and campy series.\nThe Dresden Files series is also good, I tried to get into it but I hated the mumbly voice actor on Audible unfortunately.\nIain Banks is good, especially Player of Games, Consider Phlebas and The Algebraist.  Use of Weapons put a bad taste in my mouth.\nGood luck!\nEDIT: Forgot to mention Isaac Asimov, I've yet to see anything bad by him. Still trying to get through the Foundation series.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Dresden Files series is also good, I tried to get into it but I hated the mumbly voice actor on Audible unfortunately.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the series is good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They could not get into the audiobook because they hated the voice actor's delivery.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22720383,
          "author": "stevekemp",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T16:44:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22720383",
          "commentText": "Agreed.  No specific book has every \"changed my life\", or specifically been the source of positive impacts.\nBut reading stories is fun, and something I do constantly.  Currently I'm re-reading Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive.  Every year or two I re-read Dune, Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Amber, and Steven Brust's Taltos series.  Always a pleasure.\nMy recommendations would probably echo those already posted, with the addition of small random stories that I remember fondly because they were just fun, interesting, or surprising  (e.g. H. G. Wells: The Door in the Wall, or the original Mary Poppins books recently completed after finishing the Dresden Files for the first time.)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "after finishing the Dresden Files for the first time",
          "reason": "Mentions having finished the series for the first time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17338714,
          "author": "teilo",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T14:59:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17338714",
          "commentText": "The Dresden Files.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dresden Files.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337266,
          "author": "3rdAccount",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:09:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337266",
          "commentText": "Not a single book, but The Dresden Files series is really good. The first few books are a little on the weak side, but the author gets better and better and the world building is very deep. There's gotta be a zillion characters interacting to a point where it feels real. Good arc going on too. It's a wizard detective series set in modern times.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Dresden Files series is really good. The first few books are a little on the weak side, but the author gets better and better and the world building is very deep.",
          "reason": "Praises the series' worldbuilding and story arc, while noting the early books are weaker.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The first few books are a little on the weak side.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630899,
          "author": "throwaway7645",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T18:53:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630899",
          "commentText": "Neverwhere => wonderful setting full of fantastic things\nThe Dark Tower => a massive epic that starts out western and goes multiverse SciFi and links together many of kings works. I felt like i was on a grand quest\nVarious short story collections from Gaiman & Stephen King => most are like twilight zone episodes (short little mind benders I can digest in one sitting)\nTed Chiang's short stories=> each one of these was amazing...particularly the one that inspired Arrival movie and the one with the guy that gets super intelligence.\nThe Dresden files => this won't win any awards from literary critics, but is one of my favorite series that just keeps on getting better and more captivating. There are so many complex characters. They don't exist in isolation either, but interact. There are so many main and sub plots. Themes about good & evil, how many things are gray, love, redemption, faith, corruption , perseverance, tactics & strategy...it's all there. It's very unpredictable plot wise. So many books just blow me away.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Dresden files => this won't win any awards from literary critics, but is one of my favorite series that just keeps on getting better and more captivating.",
          "reason": "Calls it a favorite series that keeps getting better and more captivating.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Notes it may not win awards from literary critics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249434,
          "author": "qwertyuiop924",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T11:39:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249434",
          "commentText": "I'll second The Baroque Cycle (or Cryptonomicon: it doesn't matter which). But might I also suggest the works of Terry Pratchett, particularly Discworld? Sir Pterry's work is among the best I've ever read.\nIf you're looking for something a bit fluffier than the above, then I would suggest The Dresden Files. Sure, it's mindless fluff, but man, it's good mindless fluff. The same applies to The Codex Alera (which apparently resulted from a bet that the author couldn't make a good book from an awful idea: the idea given was the lost roman legion crossed with Pokemon).\nI can also suggest Ready Player one in this category. Ready Player One is essentially geek culture (especially gaming culture) furiously... well, you know. Giving itself one. But it's a fun ride (unlike Armada. But that's another story).\nFinally, I can reccomend The Laundry Files. Do you like computing? Do you like lovecraftian nightmares? Go buy these now. The first book is okay, but has a rather nasty problem, sort of: It keeps winking at the audience incessantly. I didn't mind too much, myself, but I know others have been put off by it. Don't worry, the winking lessens to a manageable rate (although never quite fully goes away: after all, this is a series about a CS Student turned Sysadmin turned hunter of unspeakable monstrosities named Bob Oliver Francis Howard. Think about that for a second). And it is one of very few horror series that I have enjoyed. Take that as you will.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I would suggest The Dresden Files",
          "reason": "Suggested as a light, enjoyable read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as mindless fluff.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8262665,
          "author": "webmaven",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-03T12:42:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8262665",
          "commentText": "Currently?\nFiction:\n* The Hollows series by Kim Harrison: https://www.goodreads.com/series/40628-the-hollows\n* Discworld series by Terry Pratchett: https://www.goodreads.com/series/40650-discworld\n* Dresden FIles by Jim Butcher: https://www.goodreads.com/series/40346-the-dresden-files\n* Wiz by Rick Cook: https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\nNon-Fiction:\n* Programming Google App Engine with Python: http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920033219.do\n* The latest additions to the Lean Series: http://shop.oreilly.com/category/series/lean.do\n* Think Stats: http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920034094.do",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "* Dresden FIles by Jim Butcher",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231499,
          "author": "jhaddon",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T19:13:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231499",
          "commentText": "I'm still slowly working my way through GEB.  Also reading Ghost Story (Dresden Files #13) for some lighter fare.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Dresden Files #13",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jim Butcher"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "urban fantasy",
        "detective fiction",
        "wizard detective"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-master-algorithm-5c8338",
      "title": "The Master Algorithm",
      "author": "Pedro Domingos",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20677082,
          "author": "UncleOxidant",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T16:39:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20677082",
          "commentText": "For your category 2 book I would recommend:\nThe Master Algorithm: How the Quest for the Ultimate Learning Machine \nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24612233-the-master-algo... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24612233-the-master-algorithm)\nWhat I like about this book is that it covers the various ML camps. Not just Deep Learning, but the Baysean approach as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For your category 2 book I would recommend:\nThe Master Algorithm: How the Quest for the Ultimate Learning Machine",
          "reason": "Recommended for the requested popular, cross-disciplinary perspective on machine learning.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an accessible overview of different machine learning approaches.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20675703,
          "author": "jfdi",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T14:28:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20675703",
          "commentText": "Type 1: Not sure.\nType 2: The Master Algorithm by Pedro Domingos",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Type 2: The Master Algorithm by Pedro Domingos",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for a book in category (2).",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a pop science or cross disciplinary perspective on neural networks.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20675229,
          "author": "banjo_milkman",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T13:32:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20675229",
          "commentText": "1. The Goodfellow book is the obvious one.\nAnother option is 'Machine Learning: A probabilistic perspective' by Kevin Murphy, which does have exercises but has less material on CNNs IIRC and is slightly older. Also Bishop 'Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning' is a classic reference but even older.\n2. The Pedro Domingos book the Master Algorithm tries to address this itch / may be less philosophical that you want. It is >okay< but I don't think people love it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Pedro Domingos book the Master Algorithm tries to address this itch / may be less philosophical that you want.",
          "reason": "Suggests it as addressing the requested interest, while noting it may be less philosophical than desired.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "May be less philosophical than requested; commenter says it is okay but not widely loved.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17534144,
          "author": "joddystreet",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T07:12:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17534144",
          "commentText": "Bhagvad Gita (as it is) - A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada\nNot just a spiritual book, more like the guiding principles that anyone, starting something new, could use.\nThe Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation - Jon Gertner\nBell Labs, the RnD wing of AT&T-was the best laboratory for new ideas in the world. The book tells a story about the life and work of a small group of brilliant people - Mervin Kelly, Bill Shockley, Claude Shannon, John Pierce, and Bill Baker.\nPeak - Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool\nYou must have heard this a 1000 times - \"you can do this\", the book is about - \"yes, and this is how\"\nThe master algorithm - Pedro Domingos\nBook details out the philosophies of various schools of thought in AI - deep learning, bayesian, genetic, reasoning - in a very simple language.\nWhat technology wants - Kevin Kelly\nTechnology is a living organism and there are patterns to the technology evolution, not unlike the organic evolution.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Book details out the philosophies of various schools of thought in AI - deep learning, bayesian, genetic, reasoning - in a very simple language.",
          "reason": "Explains several schools of thought in AI in simple language.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521167,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T07:42:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521167",
          "commentText": "Here are the best books I've read over the last few months:\n- Lost and Founder - the founder of Moz shares his advice and experience from building a 40M/year company. I found the things he says about building a startup extremely insightful and practically useful. Reading it feels like having a dinner with a friend who shares with you the things he has learned in a very honest, down to earth way. Highly recommend it.\n- Rationality from AI to Zombies - probably the most influential book I've read in my life, profoundly changed the way I think. It's a collection of LessWrong essays on science and rationality. (recently they've released an an audio version by the way).\n- \"A Short History of Nearly Everything\" and \"Our Mathematical Universe\" - two general popular science books I'm enjoying a lot. Haven't finished reading them yet, but so far they're brilliant(and very easy to understand, authors do an amazing job explaining complicated things in a simple, accessible way).\n- Hacking Growth - an AMAZING book on \"growth hacking\". It provides a framework for marketing a startup, gives a ton of practical advice and specific tactics. It breaks down step by step how  startups and big tech companies grow their products. Most of the books I've read on the subject were bullshit, but this one is absolutely fantastic, can't recommend it enough.\nOther great books I should mention:  This Idea is Brilliant, Actionable Gamification, The Design of Everyday Things, The Master Algorithm (great overview of machine learning techniqes), Springfield Confidential (fun behind the scenes from one of the writers on Simpsons), Homo Deus(from the author of Sapiens).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Master Algorithm (great overview of machine learning techniqes)",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great overview of machine learning.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in machine learning.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13900898,
          "author": "krosaen",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T12:01:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13900898",
          "commentText": "Some on this thread have recommended Norvig's PAIP, but that's kind of an old school AI book in that it focuses on heuristic search and logic (implementing prolog in lisp at one point, very impressive stuff actually); but is lacking any coverage of statistical machine learning, which is the approach that underlies most of the cool stuff these days. It's still a great book, but I'd instead recommend a path that focuses on machine learning:\n- The Master Algorithm: made for a general audience, gives you a lay of the land\n- Python Machine Learning by Sebastian Raschka: gives you practical skills using python, scikit-learn, numpy, jupyter notebooks, pandas etc. From zero to kaggle in 4 chapters, goes deeper after that. Also goes into enough theory you aren't flying completely blind.\nAfter that, I'm afraid I think you do need to go \"academic\", if by that you mean learning some of the underlying math to approach AI / ML from a more rigorous probabilistic perspective. I'd recommend studying probability theory and then working your way through Bishop's Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning. After that a lot more doors open up too more specialized topics like computer vision, reinforcement learning etc.\nI've written up a lot more about this here:\nhttp://karlrosaen.com/ml/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Master Algorithm: made for a general audience, gives you a lay of the land",
          "reason": "Described as a general-audience introduction that gives an overview of the field.",
          "audience": "General audience.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13805365,
          "author": "jonbaer",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T19:34:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805365",
          "commentText": "Prisoners of Geography - Tim Marshall\nThe Revenge of Geography - Robert D. Kaplan\nPrisoner's Dilemma - William Poundstone\nThe Master Algorithm - Pedro Domingos\nZero-Sum Future - Gideon Rachman\nThe End of History and the Last Man - Francis Fukuyama\nEntanglement - Amir Aczel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Master Algorithm - Pedro Domingos",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13410038,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T14:12:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13410038",
          "commentText": "Recently?  And actually finished as opposed to skimming or working through parts of?\nCode by Charles Petzold.\nOf the ones that I haven't finished, but have at least looked at, I think I'd say:\nMachine Learning for Hackers by Drew Conway and John Myles White\nand\nThe Master Algorithm by Pedro Domingos",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "and\nThe Master Algorithm by Pedro Domingos",
          "reason": "Names it among books the commenter has looked at but not finished.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter had not finished it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13407024,
          "author": "jonbaer",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-15T23:15:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13407024",
          "commentText": "The Master Algorithm by Pedro Domingos",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Master Algorithm by Pedro Domingos",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10766433,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T08:01:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10766433",
          "commentText": "Not sure about \"significantly affected how I think\", but here are a couple of the standouts from 2015 that come to mind:\nThe First World War: A Complete History\nPredictable Revenue\nSuperforecasting\nThe Master Algorithm\nNatural Born Heroes",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Master Algorithm",
          "reason": "Listed as a standout read in response to a question about books that affected the reader's thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether it significantly affected their thinking.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pedro Domingos"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "machine learning",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "bayesian methods"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-rise-and-fall-of-the-third-reich-a30b95",
      "title": "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich",
      "author": "William L. Shirer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49729318,
          "author": "kbelder",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-16T16:19:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 49724691,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most career altering course or book you have gone through?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49729318",
          "commentText": ">The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich\nAn amazing book.  I'm not sure how it's particularly career-path-impacting, but it is fascinating being able to follow the cause and effect chain in Germany leading up to and all through the war (in excruciating detail).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An amazing book.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises it as fascinating for following the chain of events leading up to and through the war.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure how it affects career paths.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 49727450,
          "author": "firefax",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-16T14:19:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 49724691,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most career altering course or book you have gone through?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49727450",
          "commentText": "Two books I read after 9/11 shaped my path greatly:\n1.) Stasi: The Untold Story Of The East German Secret Police\nISBN #: 0813337445\n2.) The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich\nISBN #: 9780671728694\nBoth should be available in most public libraries, but with the ISBN you can usually get almost anything via inter-library loan.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich",
          "reason": "The commenter says it shaped their path after 9/11.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42965389,
          "author": "k310",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-06T19:01:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42965389",
          "commentText": "Walden, by Thoreau\nThe Myth of the Machine, by Lewis Mumford\nCloud Hidden, by Alan Watts\nComputer Lib/Dream Machines, by Ted Nelson (Technology purpose and arrow)\nThe Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, by William L. Shirer\nSmall is Beautiful, by E. F. Schumacher",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, by William L. Shirer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937200,
          "author": "tiffanyg",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:40:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937200",
          "commentText": "Ah, a literalist.\nI see your literality, and raise:\nenabled a pivotal moment in my life\nLike that time you beat Archimedes to the punch and moved the world with a cantilever?\nTo not just 'standup philosopher'-post: Gödel, Escher, Bach (already mentioned by another I see); Euclid's Elements; Polya's How To Solve It; The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich; Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats - clearly non-fiction, if you know cats. :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich",
          "reason": "Listed among books with a pivotal impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36429772,
          "author": "maxilevi",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T09:30:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36429772",
          "commentText": "The rise and fall of the third reich. Nazi Germany history tends to be looked from a far and trivialized, with phrases like \"oh he attacked russia in the winter, what a dumbass\", \"it was another totalitarian government that got out of hand\".\nThis book gave me a proper example and details on how horrible things begin, continue and end.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The rise and fall of the third reich.",
          "reason": "Says it provided a detailed example of how Nazi Germany's horrors begin, continue, and end.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32197768,
          "author": "sg47",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:16:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197768",
          "commentText": "2022:\nThe Ministry for the Future, Rise and Fall of Third Reich, Benjamin Franklin's biography by Walter Isaacson, Leonardo Da Vinci's biography, Crafting Interpreters, The Overstory",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Rise and Fall of Third Reich",
          "reason": "Listed among books read in 2022.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30735764,
          "author": "jwood27",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:37:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735764",
          "commentText": "The following have all had a significant effect on my worldview. You can find more information at [1].\n- The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow\n- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\n- Crime and Punishment\n- The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York\n- Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies\n- The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity\n- Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead\n- Franny and Zooey\n- Master of the Senate\n- Atlas Shrugged\n- Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed\n- Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap?\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\n- The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics\n- The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don't\n- Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans\n- Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\n- Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World\n- Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones\n- Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow\n- Ethics in the Real World: 86 Brief Essays on Things that Matter\n- A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life\n- Humankind: A Hopeful History\n- The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think\n[1] https://jacobw.xyz/books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany",
          "reason": "Listed among books that significantly affected the commenter’s worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21802764,
          "author": "0xmohit",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T13:12:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21802764",
          "commentText": "Plan to read again:\n- How Democracies Die  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_Democracies_Die\n- The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rise_and_Fall_of_the_Third... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rise_and_Fall_of_the_Third_Reich)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12245283,
          "author": "syngrog66",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T03:19:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12245283",
          "commentText": "Steven Levy's Hackers, to a boy considering a career in computers\nShirer's Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, to a fan of history",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shirer's Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, to a fan of history",
          "reason": "Named as a gift for a history fan.",
          "audience": "A fan of history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12244515,
          "author": "madao",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T00:06:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244515",
          "commentText": "This is true, however I think its safe to say that most of his work was from primary sources, he kept extensive journals during the period and was also lucky enough to talk to several generals of OKW and get access to their journals. Not to mention that he also gained access to the Nuremberg trial records and German records (very well documented) after the war. Well worth the read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Well worth the read.",
          "reason": "Calls the book well worth reading while defending the author's use of primary sources.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12244493,
          "author": "noinsight",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T00:01:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244493",
          "commentText": "There's a new trilogy by Richard J. Evans about the same subject. I have them sitting on my bookshelf but have yet to read them.\nApparently Shirer's book has drawn some criticism because he was a journalist and not a historian whereas Evans is a historian.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Third_Reich_Trilogy",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Apparently Shirer's book has drawn some criticism because he was a journalist and not a historian whereas Evans is a historian.",
          "reason": "Reports criticism of Shirer's work based on his background as a journalist rather than a historian.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter relays criticism without endorsing it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9350868,
          "author": "krishna2",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T20:40:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350868",
          "commentText": "Currently reading \"The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich\".\nWould appreciate more suggestions for World War 1, World War 2 histories, especially Russian History books.\nAlready on my reading list (a few related to the above):\n- Gulag\n- Guns of August\n- Churchill",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Currently reading \"The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich\".",
          "reason": "Reports currently reading it without expressing an evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387611,
          "author": "PankajGhosh",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T00:03:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387611",
          "commentText": "Last 3 books: Game of thrones (1, 2, 3)\nCurrently reading: The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich (one of the comprehensive and popular works on the topic)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Currently reading: The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich (one of the comprehensive and popular works on the topic)",
          "reason": "Describes it as a comprehensive and popular work on the subject.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William L. Shirer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nazi germany",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "why-nations-fail-df616a",
      "title": "Why Nations Fail",
      "author": "Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23858983,
          "author": "jakozaur",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:53:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858983",
          "commentText": "Forward looking:\nDisunited Nations: The Scramble for Power in an Ungoverned World\nDoughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist\nAI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order\nHistorical:\nThe Birth of Plenty: How the Prosperity of the Modern World was Created\nWhy Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty\nGeneral:\nPredictably Irrational, Revised and Expanded Edition: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions\nThe Square and the Tower: Networks and Power, from the Freemasons to Facebook",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21811514,
          "author": "james_s_tayler",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-17T07:43:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21811514",
          "commentText": "Why Nations Fail was incredible. One of the best things I've ever read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Why Nations Fail was incredible. One of the best things I've ever read.",
          "reason": "Calls it incredible and one of the best things they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804822,
          "author": "wnorris",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:23:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804822",
          "commentText": "Agree on this one.   Why Nations Fail is a fabulous book.  I recommend reading Guns, Germs, and Steel first if you are going to read both.  Highly recommend both.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Why Nations Fail is a fabulous book.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a fabulous book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803851,
          "author": "habnds",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:46:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803851",
          "commentText": "A book to read immediately after Guns Germs and Steel is Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu.\nIt's also useful to know that Diamond does not have a degree in Geography and many geographers aren't particularly on board with his ideas.\nI think of him the same way I do Malcom Gladwell, a good story teller but he does this by cherrypicking anecdotes more than by a robust assessment of reality.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A book to read immediately after Guns Germs and Steel is Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as a follow-up to Guns, Germs, and Steel.",
          "audience": "Readers who have read Guns, Germs, and Steel.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12565132,
          "author": "baristaGeek",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T15:03:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12565132",
          "commentText": "People have mentioned different authors across different schools of economic thoughts such as Mankiw, Rothbard, Friedman, Hayek, Smith, Keynes, etc. There's one that's also being mentioned which I particularly would avoid recommending which is Piketty.\nThose are the best recommendations.\nI would like to give a recommendation that might be a little bit different: 'Why Nations Fail' by Acemoglu.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Why Nations Fail' by Acemoglu",
          "reason": "Offered as a recommendation in an economics book discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12097907,
          "author": "nicostouch",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-14T23:14:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12097907",
          "commentText": "Why Nations Fail - amazing book for understanding why some countries are dirt poor while others are rich. Absolutely phenomenal read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Why Nations Fail - amazing book for understanding why some countries are dirt poor while others are rich.",
          "reason": "Calls it amazing and recommends it for understanding differences in national prosperity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785552,
          "author": "benajibayassine",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:50:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785552",
          "commentText": "1- The Emperor's Handbook by Marcus Aurelius. Jan, 10th 2015\n2- The crowd, a study of the popular mind by Gustave Le Bon. Jan, 10th 2015\n3- Remote by Jason Fried. Jan, 11th 2015\n4- The shape of the world to come by Laurent Cohen-Tanugi, Jan, 20th, 2015\n5- Post office by Charles Bukowski. Jan, 23rd 2015\n6- Gang leader for a day by Sudhir Venkatesh. Feb, 6th 2015\n7- Zen mind, beginner's mind by Shunryu Suzuki. Feb, 8th 2015\n8- The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Feb, 23rd 2015\n9- Darkness Visible by William Styron. March, 1st 2015\n10- Zero to One by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters. March, 9th 2015\n11- The Kaizen way: One small step can change your life by Robert Mauter. March, 11th 2015\n12- Time by Alexander Waugh. March, 12th 2015\n13- Max and the cats by Moacyr Scliar. March, 14th 2015\n14- Scattered by Gabor Mate. March, 20th 2015\n15- East of Eden by John Steinbeck. March, 30th 2015\n16- Crossing the unknown sea by David Whyte. April, 7th 2015\n17- Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. April, 13th 2015\n18- The World beyond your Head by Matthew Crawford. April, 22nd 2015\n19- How to Think about Exercise by Damon Young. April, 23rd 2015\n20- Solitude by Anthony Storr. May, 8th 2015\n21- Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. June, 10th 2015\n22- The bastard of Istanbul (in Arabic) by Elif Shafak. June, 21st 2015\n23- L’ordre libertaire: la vie philosophique d’Albert Camus by Michel Onfray. July, 7th 2015\n24- Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse. July, 10th 2015\n25- The arab uprisings by James Gelvin. July, 13th 2015\n26- How to worry less about money by John Armstrong. July, 13th 2015\n27- Self comes to mind by Antonio Damasio. July, 31st2015\n28- Muhammad: The First Muslim by Lesley Hazleton. August, 4th t2015\n29- Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. August, 15th 2015 \n30- Heidegger's Being and Time by William Blattner. August, 18th 2015 \n31- Heidegger and a hippo walk through those pearly gates by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. August, 19th 2015 \n32- Why nations fail by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson. October, 3rd 2015 \n33- Charlie Munger: the complete investor by Tren Griffin October, 9th 2015 \n34- The selfish gene by Richard Dawkins October, 23rd 2015\n35- The philosophical baby by Alison Gopnik October, 28th 2015\n36- The three-body problem by Cixin Liu November, 1st 2015\n37- Open letter to a young man by Andre Maurois November, 13th 2015\n38- Thinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman November, 16th 2015\n39- What do you care what people think by Richard Feynman November, 18th 2015\n40- When the body says No by Gabor Maté November, 29th 2015\n41- The truth will set you free by Alice Miller. December, 5th 2015\n42- The shallows by Nicholar Carr. December, 7th 2015\n43- What matters most byJames Hollis. December, 14th 2015\n44- Finding meaning in the second jalf of life byJames Hollis. December, 20yh2015",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Why nations fail by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson",
          "reason": "Included in a dated list of books read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10029440,
          "author": "programnature",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-09T03:41:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10029440",
          "commentText": "Definitely a must-read. Also: Why Nations Fail, and Violence and Social Orders. People in tech would be well-served by a deeper understanding of the systems we operate in and hope to change.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Why Nations Fail",
          "reason": "Named as a must-read, alongside two other books.",
          "audience": "People in tech interested in the systems they operate in and hope to change.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107093,
          "author": "mrcdima",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T09:05:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107093",
          "commentText": "Some titles I've recently read or at least have placed on my reading list.\n--------------------\nPhilosohpy\nLetters from a Stoic: Epistulae Morales Ad Lucilium - Seneca\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius (must read)\nThe Republic - Plato\n--------------------\nHistory\nFive Chimneys - Olga Lengyel\nThe Gulag Archipelago - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (must read)\nThe Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank\n--------------------\nFiction\n(particularly dystopian) 1984, Brave New World, Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451\n(crime/action) Child 44, The Secret Speech, Agent 6 - Tom Rob Smith\n--------------------\nEconomics\nCapital in the Twenty-First Century - Thomas Piketty\nPoor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty - Banerjee, Duflo\nWhy Nations Fail - Robinson\n--------------------\nEconomics/Decision making/Psychology\nUndercover Economist, Freakonomics, Nudge, Thinking Fast and Slow\n--------------------\nRandom titles\nThe Selfish Gene, Self-Reliance, The Elements of Style (about writing), Slaughterhouse-Five\n--------------------\nSome links to inspire your reading (though you may want to checkout the websites first to get an idea of the topics they cover)\nhttp://www.gatesnotes.com/Books\nhttp://bookpickings.brainpickings.org/\nhttp://www.farnamstreetblog.com/reading/\nhttp://www.ryanholiday.net/reading-newsletter\nI’m just a working-class guy trying to take part in the conversation that all the smart people are having. What books should I read? - http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-cl... (http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-class-guy-trying-to-take-part-in-the-conversation-that-all-the-smart-people-are-having-what-books-should-i-read/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Why Nations Fail - Robinson",
          "reason": "Listed as a title in response to the thread's request for book suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daron Acemoglu",
        "James A. Robinson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "institutions",
        "economic development",
        "political economy",
        "development economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "c-programming-a-modern-approach-d521a4",
      "title": "C Programming: A Modern Approach",
      "author": "K. N. King",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42694351,
          "author": "purple-leafy",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-14T06:25:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 42686034,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read regarding software development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42694351",
          "commentText": "C Programming: A Modern Approach (K N King) that I recently finished, has been great.\nPrior to that, JavaScript the Definitive Guide.\nAlso cracked into Crafting Interpreters (was great) but got sidetracked.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "C Programming: A Modern Approach (K N King) that I recently finished, has been great.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book they recently finished.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33595961,
          "author": "spiffytech",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-14T16:00:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33595961",
          "commentText": "When I studied C in college everyone recommended the K&R C book.\nI found it the be of no value to me for learning the language. Instead I found King's C Programming: A Modern Approach much more enlightening.\nI know K&R is widely well-regarded, so I found it interesting how difficult it was for me to learn from it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "King's C Programming: A Modern Approach much more enlightening",
          "reason": "The commenter found it more enlightening for learning C.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33133038,
          "author": "stusmall",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T15:21:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33133038",
          "commentText": "This is my favorite of the bunch.  I remember picking it up as a long time C dev hoping to learn a new, modern approaches.  It helped hammer home that you can only modernize a 50 year old language so much.  I didn't come away with from it with a lot of new tricks or techniques.  It's just a dated language that has a very specific time and place and when using it, you have to deal with its age.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "This is my favorite of the bunch.",
          "reason": "Says it did not provide many new techniques and illustrates the limits of modernizing C.",
          "audience": "An experienced C developer seeking modern approaches.",
          "caveat": "The commenter found few new tricks or techniques and considers the language dated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33132301,
          "author": "miguendes",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T13:56:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33132301",
          "commentText": "+1.\nKing’s is amazing, IMO. Very didactic and covers C in depth.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "King’s is amazing, IMO. Very didactic and covers C in depth.",
          "reason": "Strongly praises the book's teaching and depth.",
          "audience": "Readers learning C.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33131552,
          "author": "throwaway2037",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T11:52:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33131552",
          "commentText": "I needed to re-learn C programming for a mid-career change.  This book was a life saver.  I will never forget how details the explaination was about printf.  That book is incredibly thorough.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book was a life saver.",
          "reason": "Says the book was valuable for relearning C and praises its detailed explanation of printf.",
          "audience": "Someone relearning C.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33130944,
          "author": "armitron",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T09:23:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33130944",
          "commentText": "King is good, also Seacord’s books: Effective C and Secure Coding ..\nJust ignore suggestions (parroting really) for K&R. It’s probably the worst introduction to C when it comes to good habits, undefined behavior and writing secure code, since it doesn’t even attempt to cover any of these but presents a total facade regarding what programming in C is like.\nK&R has created generations of people who call themselves C programmers but are essentially clueless when it comes to deep understanding of the language. Anyone that recommends K&R today is someone you want to avoid taking any advice on programming from.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "King is good",
          "reason": "The commenter says King is good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33130845,
          "author": "equilibrium",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T08:55:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33130845",
          "commentText": "C Programming: A Modern Approach by King\nEdit: I just saw your post history - if you don't mind me asking what approach/resources did you take with self-teaching yourself?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "C Programming: A Modern Approach by King",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28661231,
          "author": "gompertz",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T14:40:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28661231",
          "commentText": "If that's what your looking for, I find books that are adopted as university textbooks are best. i.e. C Programming Modern Approach by KN King, Object Pascal Handbook by Marco Cantu. Generally I'm staying away from O'Reilly, No Starch Press  etc.. They all feel like books created by pasting a bunch of blog posts together. University texts are usually twice the price, but IMHO worth it - they are made for teaching knowledge, not just sharing it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "C Programming Modern Approach by KN King",
          "reason": "Recommended as a university textbook for teaching programming knowledge.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a programming book with a teaching focus.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says university textbooks are usually twice the price.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7757468,
          "author": "stusmall",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T19:32:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7757468",
          "commentText": "Have you tried C Programming: A Modern Approach?  It is very good with C99 but there is no C11.  My only problem is that it spends too much time for people who are new to C.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It is very good with C99 but there is no C11. My only problem is that it spends too much time for people who are new to C.",
          "reason": "Calls it very good for C99, while noting it does not cover C11 and spends too long on C beginners.",
          "audience": "Readers focused on C99.",
          "caveat": "No C11 coverage; spends too much time on material for new C programmers.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "K. N. King"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming",
        "c",
        "programming languages",
        "textbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cracking-the-coding-interview-1f902f",
      "title": "Cracking the Coding Interview",
      "author": "Gayle Laakmann McDowell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41562205,
          "author": "muzani",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-16T23:16:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41562205",
          "commentText": "If you've read the right books, you will be motivated. I started a startup after binging through Paul Graham's essays and The Startup Owner's Manual; it made the whole idea of a startup seem like an easy step-by-step process. Some people do the same after reading CTCI and applying for FAANG.\nI'd argue too many read the simple books. You have to slog through the tough content, actually apply the content to your work, and find a book that fixes the next problem you hit.\nAction is the spark that ignites the fire, but knowledge is the fuel. I've worked almost 10 years in startups and I wish the people who ran them read books other than Rich Dad Poor Dad.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Some people do the same after reading CTCI and applying for FAANG.",
          "reason": "Cited as an example of people reading a book and then pursuing jobs at large tech companies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29290530,
          "author": "jsonjason",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-20T18:26:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29290530",
          "commentText": "Another vote for Tim Roughgarden’s work. As someone who recently became a software engineer without a cs degree, his Stanford Algorithms I & II lectures (similar content to his books) have been the best instruction I’ve had on DS&A. I’ve dabbled with Skiena’s book, Grokking Algorithms, CTCI, and I now also have a copy CLRS that I use for reference or to go deeper on certain things. But I revisit Tim’s work all the time. Can’t recommend him enough.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "CTCI",
          "reason": "Mentioned among books the commenter has tried.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29220201,
          "author": "tarsinge",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T20:11:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29220201",
          "commentText": "I recommend to start with \"Elements of Programming Interviews (in Java or Python)\". It serves as a nice practical overview of the main algorithms and data structures and when to use them. Personally I found it more complete than the usually recommended \"Cracking the Coding Interview\" while being equally approachable.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "more complete than the usually recommended \"Cracking the Coding Interview\" while being equally approachable.",
          "reason": "Compares it favorably with Elements of Programming Interviews for completeness while saying they are equally approachable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29219140,
          "author": "laxmena",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T18:14:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29219140",
          "commentText": "Introduction to Algorithms -Thomas H. Cormen\nGrokking Algorithms -Aditya Bhargava\nCracking the Coding Interview\nBook by Gayle Laakmann McDowell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cracking the Coding Interview\nBook by Gayle Laakmann McDowell",
          "reason": "Lists it as an answer to the thread's book request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26322337,
          "author": "trykondev",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-02T22:58:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 26321793,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books made you the most money?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26322337",
          "commentText": "Definitely has to be Cracking the Coding Interview for me",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Definitely has to be Cracking the Coding Interview for me",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20763226,
          "author": "therealdrag0",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-21T23:54:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20763226",
          "commentText": "\"complexity analysis\" ... \"stuff you would learn in a computer science degree\".\nDoes she want theory? Does she want Software Engineering skills? Does she want to be able to get a job?\nCracking the Code Interview might be a fine jumping off point. It covers a lot of topics at a very readable level. If she doesn't understand it from the books angle, then she can do research on her own until she gets there. It covers stuff like \"complexity analysis\" in-depth enough for most people.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cracking the Code Interview might be a fine jumping off point. It covers a lot of topics at a very readable level.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a readable starting point covering computer science topics, including complexity analysis.",
          "audience": "Someone seeking a footing in computer science topics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it covers complexity analysis in-depth enough for most people.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144255,
          "author": "deadmik3",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:48:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144255",
          "commentText": "\"Cracking the Coding Interview\" (probably wouldn't even have a career without this book)\n\"The Little Schemer\"\n\"Stories of Cats and the Lives They Touch\" by Peggy Schaefer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Cracking the Coding Interview\" (probably wouldn't even have a career without this book)",
          "reason": "The commenter credits the book with making their career possible.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9045612,
          "author": "Yadi",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-13T17:38:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 9044833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I have $2k for books, training and confs. What should I spend it on?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9045612",
          "commentText": "I would buy and look into the following books:\n# HTTP: The Definitive Guide - O'Reilly Media\n# Algorithms by Sedgewick\n# Introduction to Algorithms by Cormen.\nCheck out some Machine Learning books:\n# Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning\n# Computer Networks (5th Edition)\nI would look at the following book if you wanted more Q&A and interview questions:\n# Cracking the Coding Interview: 150 Programming Questions ...\nTutorial memberships:\n# I would buy a Tuts+ account, they have been very slow in releasing new content (too bad), however they have lots of great Web Development stuff.\nI would read some other non-technical books:\n# Hackers & Painters: Big Ideas from the Computer Age by Paul Graham\n# The Hard Thing About Hard Things by  Ben Horowitz\n# The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book That Will Change The Way You Do Business by Clayton M. Christenen,\n# Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman\n# How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie\nIf you wanted to understand some Cloud stuff, look into the Whitepapers from Amazon Web Services:\n# https://aws.amazon.com/whitepapers/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cracking the Coding Interview: 150 Programming Questions ...",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9045519,
          "author": "cunninghamd",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-13T17:29:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 9044833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I have $2k for books, training and confs. What should I spend it on?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9045519",
          "commentText": "If you want to work for Microsoft or Google, while you likely can't get away with using your employers's $2K, the best books to read are Cracking the Coding Interview and Elements of Programming Interviews. Both books have very solid algorithm questions which you can use to go research the various algorithms and learn them. Although, I'd wait for Elements of Programming Interviews v2 which will include Java samples, as opposed to C++, but that's just me.\nMcDowell's The Google Resume also has some useful tidbits in it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the best books to read are Cracking the Coding Interview and Elements of Programming Interviews",
          "reason": "Recommended for solid algorithm questions to research and learn algorithms.",
          "audience": "People preparing to work for Microsoft or Google.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9045167,
          "author": "mahyarm",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-13T16:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 9044833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I have $2k for books, training and confs. What should I spend it on?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9045167",
          "commentText": "If you want to work at those companies, your time is better spent with something like Cracking the Coding Interview and reviewing it on the weekend. If you actually go through the entire book, you'd stand a pretty good chance at doing really well on all of your interviews as far as stuff you don't use on the job frequently questions go.\nThis former googler who's interviewed a lot agrees with me:\n\"For instance, if you read Cracking the Coding Interview and were diligent about it (i.e., actually worked through the problems and practiced at them), you'd stand a good chance of doing really well during Google's interview process.\"\nhttp://piaw.blogspot.com/2014/10/gaming-coding-interview.htm... (http://piaw.blogspot.com/2014/10/gaming-coding-interview.html)\nIf you have never studied any of these topics, keeping this book in mind as you study for your algorithms course will be definitely helpful for your grade and your future interviews!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "your time is better spent with something like Cracking the Coding Interview and reviewing it on the weekend.",
          "reason": "Recommended for preparing for interviews at the named companies.",
          "audience": "People preparing for software engineering interviews.",
          "caveat": "Best used alongside studying algorithms; work through the problems for the predicted benefit.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gayle Laakmann McDowell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "coding interviews",
        "technical interviews",
        "algorithm practice"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-innovators-how-a-group-of-hackers-geniuses-and-geeks-created--a6ae47",
      "title": "The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution",
      "author": "Walter Isaacson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36666587,
          "author": "HamptonFounders",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-10T14:01:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36666587",
          "commentText": "Not sure if this is helpful, but a friend fed this conversation through ChatGPT and had it summarize for easier reading:\n-The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy -Bigger by Marc Levinson\n-The Machine That Changed the World: The Story of Lean Production-- Toyota's Secret Weapon in the Global Car Wars That Is Now Revolutionizing World Industry by James P. Womack, Daniel T. Jones, and Daniel Roos\n-Empires of the Sky: Zeppelins, Airplanes, and Two Men's Epic Duel to Rule the World by Erik Larson\n-Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America by Richard -White\n-The Arms of Krupp: The Rise and Fall of the Industrial Dynasty that Armed Germany at War by William Manchester\n-Edison by Edmund Morris\n-Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow\n-The People's Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century by Steven Watts\n-Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler\n-The Victorian Internet by Tom Standage\n-The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood by James Gleick\n-Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age by Michael S. Malone\n-The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester\n-The Innovators by Walter Isaacson\n-Medieval Technology and Social Change by Lynn White Jr.\n-The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation by Jon Gertner\n-Electricity in the 17th and 18th Centuries: A Study of Early Modern Physics by Eric H. Chaney\n-Early Electrical Communication by A. F. Marland\n-Bibliographical History of Electricity and Magnetism by Silvanus P. Thompson\n-Electric Science: Its History, Phenomena, and Applications by J. J. Fahie\n-The History and Present State of Electricity by Andrew Ure\n-https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/\n-De Re Metallica by Georgius Agricola",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Innovators by Walter Isaacson",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books offered in response to the history of technology question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22709593,
          "author": "occamschainsaw",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T06:22:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22709593",
          "commentText": "The Innovators by Walter Isaacson looks at the different eras in the history of computing, from Ada Lovelace, looms to transistors and microchips to the development of the web. It's a fun read with emphasis on both the technology and the people behind it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Innovators by Walter Isaacson looks at the different eras in the history of computing",
          "reason": "Recommended as an enjoyable account of computing history and the people behind it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22708745,
          "author": "qchris",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T02:41:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22708745",
          "commentText": "I finished this one a couple months ago, highly recommended! After I started his Einstein biography in college, I missed several classes after getting caught up in it and losing track of time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I finished this one a couple months ago, highly recommended!",
          "reason": "The reply identifies the referenced book as The Innovators and highly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The title is supplied by the parent comment; the target says “this one,” clearly referring to it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22707833,
          "author": "mr-ron",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T23:29:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22707833",
          "commentText": "The innovators by Walter Isaacson.\nHe did Steve jobs bio, Ben Franklin bio, Leonardo davinchi bio, but this is my favorite since it's basically 30 biographies in one.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The innovators by Walter Isaacson.",
          "reason": "Says it is their favorite because it brings together around 30 biographies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22706760,
          "author": "CiscoCodex",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T20:51:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22706760",
          "commentText": "I'm still working thru \"The Innovators\"! and so far it has been a delight. One of the main points of the book was the importance of teamwork. It's a great take on the idea that in the shadow of great figures, like Steve Jobs and IBM, lie hundreds of lesser known innovators.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm still working thru \"The Innovators\"! and so far it has been a delight.",
          "reason": "The commenter is enjoying the book and says it emphasizes the importance of teamwork and lesser-known innovators.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the people and collaboration behind computing history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22706639,
          "author": "kratom_sandwich",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T20:38:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22706639",
          "commentText": "Haven't read them, but they are on my to-do-list:\n\"Turing's Cathedral\"\nhttps://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/mar/25/turings-cathed... (https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/mar/25/turings-cathedral-george-dyson-review)\n\"The Innovators\"\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Innovators_%28book%29",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The Innovators\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is on their to-do list.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the history of computing and digital technology.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have not read it yet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17205215,
          "author": "godelmachine",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T13:45:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205215",
          "commentText": "The Innovators by Walter Isaacson is your book",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Innovators by Walter Isaacson is your book",
          "reason": "Directly recommends it as a fit for the request.",
          "audience": "The person seeking books about technology and its history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17205212,
          "author": "godelmachine",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T13:44:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205212",
          "commentText": "I will recommend The Innovators a 1000 times",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I will recommend The Innovators a 1000 times",
          "reason": "The commenter emphatically recommends the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17205090,
          "author": "mr-ron",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T13:31:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205090",
          "commentText": "The Innovaters by Walter Issacson. It's literally about 20 biographies in one book, documenting the internet creation, and the computer, which meet in the middle in the 80s and 90s.\nI can't recommended it enough of you are looking for stories of people and companies to how we got to where we are today.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can't recommended it enough of you are looking for stories of people and companies to how we got to where we are today.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommended for its stories about people and companies behind the internet and computer history.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking stories about the people and companies behind computing and the internet.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783443,
          "author": "SuperChihuahua",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:34:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783443",
          "commentText": "I've read 33 books so I'm not going to publish the list here, but i blogged about it: http://blog.habrador.com/2015/12/books-ive-read-in-2015.html\nThe books I liked the most were:\n-  The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes - and Why\n- On Intelligence\n- The Martian\n- The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution\n- Einstein: His Life and Universe\n- Alan Turing: The Enigma\n- Neuroscience for Dummies\n- Thunder Run - (which is about the battle of Baghdad in 2003)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution",
          "reason": "Includes it among the books they liked most.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Walter Isaacson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 8,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "digital revolution",
        "computing history",
        "history of computing",
        "technology biography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "blue-ocean-strategy-4ded06",
      "title": "Blue Ocean Strategy",
      "author": "W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37159790,
          "author": "loxias",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T10:59:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37159790",
          "commentText": "I also liked \"Never Split the Difference\", I rarely read and enjoy books in that category.\nRelated, I got a lot out of \"Blue Ocean Strategy\", though that was more than a decade ago.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Related, I got a lot out of \"Blue Ocean Strategy\", though that was more than a decade ago.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they got a lot out of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter read it more than a decade ago.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35184007,
          "author": "achenatx",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-16T16:15:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35184007",
          "commentText": "I like books that are actionable. Lots of books are inspirational but not that useful (e.g. crossing the chasm). I run a curriculum in my company which uses a few books I have read over the years.\nemyth revisited (how to think about and structure an org)\ngetting to yes (negotiation)\ninfluence the psychology of persuasion (negotiation)\nspin selling (enterprise sales, supplanted by sandler)\nYou cant teach a kid to ride a bike at a seminar (sandler sales)\n5 dysfunctions of a team (one of the best leadership books)\nfirst break all the rules (management)\naccounting for dummies\npurple cow (differentiation)\nblue ocean strategy (differentiation)\ntraction (strategy/operations)\nrocketfuel (strategy/operations)\nfor professional services:\nmanaging the professional services firm\ngetting naked",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "blue ocean strategy (differentiation)",
          "reason": "Includes it in a company curriculum on differentiation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12476043,
          "author": "tlackemann",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T22:21:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12476043",
          "commentText": "Blue Ocean Strategy by Renée Mauborgne and W. Chan Kim\nAs a software engineer, I've come to really love how good products are built and how to explore new markets. While I don't think it's a life-changing book, it's certainly a good read and I'd recommend it to any engineer that wants to be more product-focused (also Inspired, Creativity Inc, and Zero to One)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it's certainly a good read and I'd recommend it to any engineer that wants to be more product-focused",
          "reason": "Recommended for engineers interested in products and exploring new markets.",
          "audience": "Engineers who want to be more product-focused.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not life-changing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5833121,
          "author": "jborden13",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T15:47:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5833121",
          "commentText": "I purposely left it open-ended.  I probably haven't read a fiction book in 15 years.  I've been so heavy on business/marketing/tech/startup/biography books that I'm not even sure what fiction I would enjoy anymore.\nBooks I've enjoyed recently are Titan, Outliers, Blue Ocean Strategy.  I think a portion of my burnout is losing my sense of fun - hence my general attitude towards fiction over the last decade+ has been it's fake and thus a waste of time.  While I know that's not true (the waste of time part), it just hasn't been 'productive' to read a fiction book.\nSo I was just curious which fiction books everyone else enjoyed, and I was going to pick a couple from the list that was created.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Books I've enjoyed recently are Titan, Outliers, Blue Ocean Strategy.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed it recently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned as context about nonfiction reading, not as a fiction pick.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4967193,
          "author": "jkuria",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T21:48:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967193",
          "commentText": "Blue Ocean strategy -- Really solid and well researched book on how to create things customers will gladly pay for while minimizing your own costs. Creating uncontested market space for yourself and making the competition irrelevant.\nVisual Communication -- old book currently out of print but timeless principles for effective communication. Visual communication is often more effective than words.\nEat, Drink and Be Healthy -- How to enjoy food but stay in great shape. You do not need to live on steamed  broccoli and granola to do this! Lots of bland foods are unhealthy and lots of healthy foods are actually tasty. You just need to know which ones.\nHow to build a start up community in your city -- Book by Brad Feld with some interesting ideas about 'leaders' and 'feeders'. Read it to to build a community around http://AfriTech.org\nPositioning -- interesting ideas on how to succeed in a crowded market place\nWriting Non Fiction -- another old book that is out of print but lots of good ideas on how to communicate effectively",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blue Ocean strategy -- Really solid and well researched book on how to create things customers will gladly pay for while minimizing your own costs.",
          "reason": "Described as solid and well researched, with practical guidance on creating uncontested market space.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4476568,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-04T21:12:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 4476107,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN : What are some great books an aspiring entrepreneur should read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4476568",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps to the Epiphany - Steve Blank\nThe Art of the Start - Guy Kawasaki\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nBusiness Model Generation - Alex Osterwalder\nThe Personal MBA - Josh Kaufman\nBlue Ocean Strategy - W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne\nAlso, see:\nhttp://www.quora.com/What-are-some-must-read-books-for-entre... (http://www.quora.com/What-are-some-must-read-books-for-entrepreneurs)\nhttp://www.quora.com/Business-Books/What-business-books-must... (http://www.quora.com/Business-Books/What-business-books-must-an-entrepreneur-read)\nhttp://www.quora.com/What-are-3-books-you-would-suggest-any-... (http://www.quora.com/What-are-3-books-you-would-suggest-any-entrepreneur-make-their-top-3-must-reads)\nand\nhttp://personalmba.com/best-business-books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blue Ocean Strategy - W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books aspiring entrepreneurs should read.",
          "audience": "Aspiring entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3987064,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-17T14:17:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3987064",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nBlue Ocean Strategy - W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne\nBusiness Model Generation - Alexander Osterwalder",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blue Ocean Strategy - W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for a great book read recently.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in business strategy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 674923,
          "author": "skmurphy",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-26T03:58:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 673487,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there any good Internet marketing books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=674923",
          "commentText": "I would recommend these books for a good grounding in marketing and fostering innovation:\n   The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen\n   Crossing the Chasm and Inside the Tornado by Geoffrey Moore\n   Innovation and Entrepreneurship by Peter Drucker\n   Marketing High Technology by William Davidow\n   Four Steps to the Epiphany by Steve Blank\n   Jumpstart Your Business Brain by Doug Hall\n   E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber\n   Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim & R. Mauborgne\n   Influence The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini\n   The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries and Jack Trout\n   Secrets of Consulting by Gerald Weinberg\n\nFor an article that summarizes key concepts see http://skmurphy.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/Crucial%20Mar... (http://skmurphy.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/Crucial%20Marketing%20Concepts.pdf)\nThere is a companion slide deck here http://www.skmurphy.com/f/SDForum061211.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim & R. Mauborgne",
          "reason": "Recommended for grounding in marketing and fostering innovation.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a grounding in marketing and innovation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5613,
          "author": "dropbox",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T04:36:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5613",
          "commentText": "some that haven't been mentioned:\n- the innovator's dilemma by clayton christensen\n- blue ocean strategy (kim and mauborgne) -- these two books give you a little bit more of a framework to evaluate where your idea adds value and give you examples of how/why some successful companies have been successful\n- high tech startup by nesheim -- a little dated, but lots of info\n- negotiation/people books: getting to yes (fisher, ury) and getting past no (ury), influence by cialdini\n (useful for more than just startups)\n- maybe some management books: peopleware (demarco and lister), the art of project management (berkun), first, break all the rules (buckingham)\n- founders at work (livingston) to get inspired\n+1 to crossing the chasm, and the godin & gladwell books, art of the start\nblogs: onstartups.com, fred wilson, brad feld, seth godin, etc., guy kawasaki\n-drew",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "blue ocean strategy (kim and mauborgne)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the thread asking which books founders found most helpful.",
          "audience": "Startup founders evaluating business ideas and sources of value.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. Chan Kim",
        "Renée Mauborgne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "market creation",
        "competitive strategy",
        "business strategy",
        "market strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-measure-anything-579016",
      "title": "How to Measure Anything",
      "author": "Douglas W. Hubbard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35169519,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T15:10:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35169519",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps to the Epiphany - Steve Blank\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Fred Wiersema and Michael Treacy\nIt's Not the Big that Eat the Small...It's the Fast that Eat the Slow - Jason Jennings\nMastering The Complex Sale - Jeff Thull\nHow To Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How To Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32797548,
          "author": "bmitc",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-11T07:27:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32797548",
          "commentText": "> How to measure anything.\nI think I found out about this book from Hacker News. I haven't gotten to it yet, but I need to. Seems very unique.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I think I found out about this book from Hacker News. I haven't gotten to it yet, but I need to. Seems very unique.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they intend to read it and find it distinctive.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it yet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27647193,
          "author": "aalhour",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T00:06:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27647193",
          "commentText": "* Thinking Fast and Slow\n* The Selfish Gene\n* Probability: For the Enthusiastic Beginner\n* How to Measure Anything\n* Rationality: From AI to Zombies\n* Cynefin: Weaving Sense-making into the fabric of our world\n* Major works of Friedrich Nietzsche",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Measure Anything",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18663308,
          "author": "ivanmaeder",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:27:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663308",
          "commentText": "My highlights from this year:\n1. \"How to Measure Anything\" (Douglas Hubbard)\nPresents a few simple techniques (confidence intervals, Monte Carlo simulations, regression analysis, Bayes, etc) to help with decision-making. E.g., should we build this feature or spend the same money on marketing?\nI put it alongside \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" (Daniel Kahneman), \"Superforecasting\" (Philip Tetlock), \"The Art of Thinking Clearly\" (Rolf Dobelli), etc. These books explain how our thinking is often flawed; \"How to Measure Anything\" gives you some tools to avoid flawed thinking.\nNote: if you already know the math (a lot of people on HN would), you might not get that much out of it.\n2. \"Why We Sleep\" (Matthew Walker)\nAs I read this book I kept thinking about all the people I knew who would benefit from it: family and friends whom I want to have healthy happy lives, managers who believe that they'll get more out of people by pushing them to work crazy hours… and lots of people who think they’ll get more out of themselves if they sleep less.\nWith references to studies, the book explains the different factors that influence sleep, what your body does during sleep and the different phases of sleep, how your body—mostly the brain—benefits, etc.\nFor days after reading it I kept telling friends about things I'd learnt from it. One of my favourite was how certain types of bird are able to sleep: they line themselves up in a row, with the birds on each end putting only half their brain to sleep. This way they can keep one of their eyes open—the one furthest to the end—so they can keep watch. Then after a while the birds on the end will turn around and sleep the other side of their brain.\nFascinating!\nMy only complaint is that it very rarely mentions the actual numbers behind studies. E.g., there might be a mention of a lack of sleep and an increased risk of diabetes or depression or heart attacks, but there's no reference to the amount the risks increase by.\n3. \"Shoe Dog\" (Phil Knight)\nThe story of Nike, told by the founder. I honestly don't care about Nike but that's not the takeaway—it's not about shoes or T-shirts or Michael Jordan. It's about a guy trying to keep a business alive: almost from day one there no let-up, the company is continually under threat.\nAlso the early employees are a really fun bunch.\n4. \"The Master and Margarita\" (Mikhail Bulgakov)\nFiction. It took me a while to warm up to this but I'm glad I stuck it out. I think the charm is in the language and the crazy mix of characters, the way religion is dealt with in a very human way; the tension, the fun…\nI really struggle to describe this book.\n5. \"Shantaram\" (David Gregory Roberts)\nFiction. I was looking for a book about India. I've never been, and I thought I might learn something and get a feeling of what it's like to be there.\nI didn't. Not in the same way that I could feel the heat in \"Heart of Darkness\" (Joseph Conrad) or the sun and the trees in \"From the Holy Mountain\" (William Dalrymple) or the weight of the world in \"Suttree\" (Cormac McCarthy).\nBut it's a good ride of a story.\n6. \"In Dreams Begin Responsibilities and Other Stories\" (Delmore Schwartz)\nI knew this book from university. And then a few weeks ago: I needed a break from the world of tech and productivity and work, and this did the trick. It is so far away from that. Think: creative types working on books and poems and plays during the depression, struggling, self-conscious, observant, talkative…",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Measure Anything",
          "reason": "The commenter highlights its techniques for decision making and places it alongside other books about flawed thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144365,
          "author": "kozak",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T16:01:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144365",
          "commentText": "1. \"The Lean Startup\" by Eric Ries\n2. \"Insanely Simple\" by Ken Segall\n3. \"How to Measure Anything\" by Douglas W. Hubbard",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How to Measure Anything\" by Douglas W. Hubbard",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which books impacted the commenter's career.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12098835,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T03:47:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12098835",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nCode by Charles Petzold\nArtificial Life - Steven Levy\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Singularity is Near - Ray Kurzweil\nSurfaces and Essences - Douglas Hofstadter\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\n-- One of my favorites is How Not to Be Wrong by Jordan Ellenbreg\nI have that on my list of \"to read real soon now\".  Sounds fascinating.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10787209,
          "author": "theologic",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T05:16:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787209",
          "commentText": "Got a new job in May so slowed me down, but got through around 8 this year.\nI'm a Lencioni fan:\nDeath by Meeting --  Describes 3 types of meetings\nGetting Naked -- Describes how to consult\nI'm also a Marshall Goldsmith fan:\nWhat Got You Here Won't Get You There -  Once you get beyond a Director level with some mistakes, read this book\nMojo, How to Get It, How To Keep It - Another \"look yourself in the mirror\" book\nAlso:\n21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership  - John Maxwell. A little prod to act more like a leader.\nReady Player One -- Ernest Cline, Great Young Adult Book.  Escapist fantasy.\nEvery Shot Counts -- Mark Broady, Statistical Look At Golf, but has some smell of Kahnemann\nTo Kill A Mockingbird -- Timeless Classic I Never Got To.  Loved Atticus.  I won't read a Watchman if it spoils my view of what Atticus was all about.\nStarted But Not Finished:\nBusiness Dynamics Thinking -- Sterman (out of MIT). I need to take off work to read this 'cause it is so massive.  Basically it is control theory applied to business modelling.  However, I am convinced if somebody can apply these models, it really is the best competitive advantage.  However, too people willing to stick with it.\nHow to Measure Anything -- Douglas Hubbard.  Sort of makes me mad because it is so commonsense, yet most businesses don't apply this commonsense approach.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Sort of makes me mad because it is so commonsense, yet most businesses don't apply this commonsense approach.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book's approach is commonsense and businesses fail to apply it.",
          "audience": "People interested in measurement and business decisions.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the book's advice seems commonsense.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10787117,
          "author": "brikis98",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T04:27:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787117",
          "commentText": "My full list of books, including reviews, is here: https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2015\nFrom that list, my favorite ones were:\nThe Four Steps to the Epiphany: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/827338560\nMade to Stick: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/897777811\nHow to Measure Anything: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/698402984\nThe Non-Designer's Design Book: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1170518622\nMasters of Doom: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/899580915\nThe Martian: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1136330196\nThe Mistborn Trilogy: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1388373037",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Measure Anything",
          "reason": "Explicitly listed among the commenter's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8795694,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T07:00:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795694",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nPredictable Revenue - Aaron Ross, Marylou Tyler\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nThe Ultimate Question 2.0 - Fred Reichheld‎\nThe Singularity is Near - Ray Kurzweil\nMoonshot! - John Sculley\nZero To One - Peter Thiel\nRepublic - Plato\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius\nNineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell\nFahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury\nThe Mysterious Island - Jules Verne\nDiscipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy, Fred Wiersema\nFalse Memory - Dean Koontz\nNOS4A2- Joe Hill\nRevival - Stephen King\nBarbarians At The Gate - John Helyar and Bryan Burrough\nInto Thin Air - John Krakauer\nHow To Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nand any collection of the works of H.P. Lovecraft.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How To Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for impactful or liked books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas W. Hubbard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "measurement",
        "decision analysis",
        "risk analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "permanent-record-07b464",
      "title": "Permanent Record",
      "author": "Edward Snowden",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42971496,
          "author": "maxbrt",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-07T11:35:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42971496",
          "commentText": "1984, George Orwell\nPermanent Record, Edward Snowden\nMy Early Life, Winston S. Churchill\nFlowers for Algernon, Daniel Keyes\nAtlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand\nEdit: To some extent probably also:\nThe Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas\nDon Quijote, Miguel de Cervantes",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Permanent Record, Edward Snowden",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37960159,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:07:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960159",
          "commentText": "* \"Amusing Ourselves to Death\" by Neil Postman (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Postman contrasts the dystopian visions of George Orwell's \"1984\" and Aldous Huxley's \"Brave New World\" to argue that western society is becoming a shallow, entertainment-driven culture shaped by television and other media. He discusses the profound effects of television on politics, education, and other aspects of society.\n* \"Howard Zinn: A People's History of the US\" by Howard Zinn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers an alternative exploration of American history from the perspective of ordinary people and marginalized groups rather than from political leaders, emphasizing class struggles and systemic injustices.\n* \"The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science\" by Isaac Asimov (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive outline of scientific knowledge, covering fields like physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, and earth science. It communicates complex scientific concepts in a way that is accessible to non-specialist readers.\n* \"Das Kapital\" by Karl Marx (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive critique of capitalism highlighting its inherent contradictions and imbalances. Marx diagnoses the capitalist system as one in which the rich get richer at the expense of the working class. The book has been influential in shaping socialist and communist thought.\n* \"Handbook of Electronic Circuits\" (1 mention, authors not specified)\n    * Summary: An extensive reference guide that provides information on basic electronic circuits and components. It delves into the world of electronics with detailed illustrations and designs, making it a valuable resource for both beginners and professionals in the field.\n* \"Simulacra and Simulation\" by Jean Baudrillard (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This philosophical work explores the nature and cultural implications of signs and images in contemporary society. Baudrillard posits that symbols and signs have replaced reality and meaning, creating a hyperreal world where simulations of reality have become more real than reality itself.\n* \"LSD: My Problem Child\" by Albert Hofmann (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This autobiographical work by Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who first synthesized LSD, discusses his discovery and personal experiences with the drug, exploring both the positive and negative effects of LSD, its influence on society, and its potential therapeutic uses.\n* \"Requiem for the American Dream: The 10 Principles of Concentration of Wealth & Power\" by Noam Chomsky (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Chomsky provides an extensive critique of inequality in America, arguing that the concentration of wealth and power among a small elite is undermining democracy. He lays out 10 principles of concentration of wealth and power that have led to this situation.\n* \"Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\" by Alfred Lansing (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This true account of Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton's 1914-1916 expedition turned survival story. When his ship, the Endurance, was crushed by ice and left Shackleton and his crew stranded, they embarked on a harrowing and miraculous voyage to safety.\n* \"Hacker's Handbook\" by Hugo Cornwall (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A guidebook for computer enthusiasts that provides a look at the world of hacking. It covers a range of topics, including telephone and computer hacking, as well as legal implications.\n* \"Cosmos\" by Carl Sagan (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This widely-admired book introduces the universe beyond the Earth. Sagan explores our place in the universe, the history of scientific discovery, and the crucial role of critical thinking in grasping our world and the vast cosmos we are part of.\n* \"Six Pillars of Self-Esteem\" by Nathaniel Branden (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book provides a comprehensive exploration of self-esteem, its importance, its sources, and how to cultivate it. It offers concrete strategies to enhance self-esteem, which Branden argues is a key component of psychological health and personal fulfillment.\n* \"Future Shock\" by Alvin Toffler (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Future Shock examines the psychological and sociological impact of accelerating technological and social change. Toffler introduces the concept of \"future shock\" as a form of psychological disorientation caused by a rapid change in society and advocates for a more measured and conscious approach to future planning.\n* \"The Metropolis and Mental Life\" by Georg Simmel (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This seminal essay analyzes the effects of the urban environment on the individual's mind and social relationships. Simmel argues that the impersonality and money-centered economy of the metropolis lead to individuals feeling more alienated and adopting a defensive, blase attitude towards life.\n* \"The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power\" by Shoshana Zuboff (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book provides an extensive critique of the commodification of personal data by corporations in the digital age. Zuboff explores the rise of surveillance capitalism, where businesses harvest and analyze customer data to predict and influence behaviors.\n* \"Permanent Record\" by Edward Snowden (1 mention)\n    * Summary: In this powerful memoir, whistle-blower Edward Snowden tells his story on why he decided to expose the mass surveillance practices of the U.S. government. Permanent Record opens a broader conversation about free societies, privacy, surveillance, and what makes a country strong.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Permanent Record\" by Edward Snowden (1 mention)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937135,
          "author": "c420",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:31:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937135",
          "commentText": "The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power by Shoshana Zuboff\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Age_of_Surveillance_Capi... (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Age_of_Surveillance_Capitalism)\nAnd Permanent Record by Snowden",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "And Permanent Record",
          "reason": "Listed as a book that had a major impact on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33852658,
          "author": "Orange1688",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T11:30:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33852658",
          "commentText": "An excellent gauge for how good a book is can be found in how many times you catch yourself thinking back on it even after some time has passed. Through this, my favorite this entire year is The Diary of a Young Girl (Anne Frank's diary). Without a doubt one of the best books I have ever read, just through how supremely human it is.\nOther books are:\n-The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson\n-Sapiens by Yuval Yuval Noah Harari\n-21 Lessons for the 21st Century\n-Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feyn\nman!: Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard Feynman\n-Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson\n-Permanent Record by Edward Snowden",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-Permanent Record by Edward Snowden",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's other books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30241407,
          "author": "dgellow",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T07:27:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241407",
          "commentText": "Permanent Record, by Edward Snowden",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Permanent Record, by Edward Snowden",
          "reason": "Offers it as an answer to the request for a book recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21861303,
          "author": "thorlon",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-23T03:31:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21861303",
          "commentText": "The Unicorn Project,\nThe 7 habits of highly effective people by Stephen Covey,\nPermanent Record, \nTurn the ship around,\nThe Checklist Manifesto,\nThese are good ones!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Permanent Record,",
          "reason": "Listed as a good audiobook in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "People looking for audiobooks for developers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21802734,
          "author": "dgellow",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T13:08:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21802734",
          "commentText": "I want to finish to read Snowden’s autobiography: “Permanent Record”.\nI started during a long train trip recently and found that I really enjoyed the tone of the first few chapters.\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permanent_Record_(autobiogra... (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permanent_Record_%28autobiography%29)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "found that I really enjoyed the tone of the first few chapters",
          "reason": "Enjoyed the tone of the opening chapters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The positive evaluation is limited to the first few chapters.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21792873,
          "author": "auslegung",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T22:44:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21792873",
          "commentText": "Edward Snowden's \"Permanent Record\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Edward Snowden's \"Permanent Record\".",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21458949,
          "author": "canada_dry",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T01:46:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21458949",
          "commentText": "Permanent Record by Edward Snowden.\nI've followed his wild ride since the beginning and have always had mixed opinions about his motives, but this book is as craftily written as it is interesting/informative.\nHe quite purposefully and methodically shares many personal anecdotes and intimate details of his life that put a very human face onto his story.  Whoever helped craft and edit this book (with Snowden) deserves much credit - if not second billing.\nA worthy read as it fills in many of the missing details of when and how.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "this book is as craftily written as it is interesting/informative.",
          "reason": "Praises its writing and calls it interesting and informative; says it fills in missing details.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have mixed opinions about Snowden’s motives.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward Snowden"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Society",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "surveillance",
        "whistleblowing",
        "memoir",
        "privacy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-trial-e18e21",
      "title": "The Trial",
      "author": "Franz Kafka",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30765205,
          "author": "raymond_goo",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-22T12:27:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30765205",
          "commentText": "The Trial by Franz Kafka!!!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Trial by Franz Kafka!!!",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23151640,
          "author": "sumosudo",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T08:15:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23151640",
          "commentText": "The Trial -- Kafka",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Trial -- Kafka",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for mind-bending books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15631426,
          "author": "kapauldo",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T20:39:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15631426",
          "commentText": "The Trial. It is a book end on how bleak life could possibly be and has served me incredibly well for the 20 years since I read it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Trial. It is a book end on how bleak life could possibly be and has served me incredibly well for the 20 years since I read it.",
          "reason": "Values it as a compelling illustration of life's bleakness and says it has served them well for decades.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12069367,
          "author": "klez",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T07:15:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12069367",
          "commentText": "Not in order\n1 - Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n2 - The Trial (Franz Kafka)\n3 - Beyond the door (Philip K Dick - short story)\n4 - The eyes have it (Philip K Dick - short story)\n5 - Seven brief lessons on Physics (Carlo Rovelli)\n6 - I have no mouth, and I must scream (Herlan Ellison - short story)\n7 - The art of simplicity (Dominique Loreau)\n8 - On anarchism (Noam Chomsky)\n9 - The difference engine (William Gibson, Bruce Sterling)\n10 - Utopia (Thomas More)\n11 - Sophie's world (Jostein Gaarder)\n12 - Rete padrona (Federico Rampini - essays about the 'dark side' of the corporate web)\n13 - The art of discarding (Nagisa Tatsumi)\n14 - Symposium (Plato)\nAnd a couple of very short philosophy booklets by Zizek (about the Matrix) and Baudrillard (about 'cyberphilosophy')",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Trial (Franz Kafka)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11556961,
          "author": "thorin",
          "createdAt": "2016-04-23T19:07:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 11556470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your favorite dystopian novel and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11556961",
          "commentText": "Probably the trial (kafka) or the plague (camus) but the one book I struggle to put down to put down is l'etranger as it's so easy to read in a single sitting and do compelling.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Probably the trial (kafka)",
          "reason": "Named as one of the commenter's possible favorite dystopian novels.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in dystopian fiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says “probably,” rather than choosing definitively.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10786739,
          "author": "hackerbloos",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T02:19:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786739",
          "commentText": "I've just updated my list of books I read this year. Scores are out of 5. If there is a + it means I found it to be extra special for some reason or other.\n= Jan =\nSmarter Than You Think - Clive Thompson 3\nThe positives of tech and the internet.\n= Feb =\nSuper Sad True Love Story - Gary Shteyngart 4\nScience fiction set in the not too distant future. Main themes include life extension and surveillance.\n= Mar =\nThe HitchHiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams 4\nThe Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams 3\nHad never read this series, thought it might be about time.\n= Apr =\nWhat does it all Mean? - Thomas Nagel 2 (though it is kind of meant for people who have never done any Philosophy, ever, so would recommend to someone like that. Will pass it on to someone taking an interest in the subject)\nAn introduction to Philosophy.\nEarth - David Brin 5+\nScience fiction set in the not too distant future, written in the 90s. Really interesting themes / vision of post climate change world.\nSlaughterHouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut 5\nSemi autobiographical account of the bombing of Dresden in WW2. Really funny and clever ideas. Very good.\n= May =\nNick Cohen - What’s Left? 4\nAccount of how the left has degenerated since the collapse of the hard left and the winning of liberal battles e.g. LGBT rights. Basic premise is that those on the left hate the West and the status quo so much they stoop to allying themselves with anyone who also opposes the status quo.\n= June =\nPlato at the Googleplex: Why Philosophy won’t go away - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 5+\nPlato has somehow appeared in the 21st century and is doing a talk at Google! A really enjoyable account of how Plato’s philosophy could be applied to modern issues. Really good. I want to go to Athens.\n= July =\nThe Mind Body Problem - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 4\nNovel about a female philosophy student shagging around and philosophising about it.\nBelieving Bullshit - Stephen Law 4\nBook detailing the various tricks / schemes played by charlatans and how to avoid being taken in by them.\n= August =\n36 Arguments for the Existence of God: a work of fiction - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 3\nNovel about an academic and his mentor. It was ok.\n= September =\nThe Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams 3\nThink I’m done reading these for now, don’t feel the urge to finish the set.\nKafka - The Trial 5\nReally good. Love the surrealism - the nightmarish / dreamish-ness of it. Saw it in the Theatre as well after reading it, thought that was great too.\n= October =\n= November =\nExistence - David Brin 3\nNot as good as Earth. Glad I read that first. Interesting imagining of what form contact from alien life could take though. Also interesting look at existential risks. The main part I didn’t like was how it skipped forward in time 3 decades about 3/4s of the way through, I had thought the characters were a little weak in general up until then anyway, and then they were pretty much gone entirely at that point.\n= December =\nAlone Together - Sherry Turtle 4\nThe negatives of tech, robotics and the internet. Interesting and important read.\nImperium - Robert Harris 5\nFirst in the semi-fictional trilogy accounting the fall of the Roman Republic, told through the eyes of Cicero’s secretary, Tiro. Really good. The politics, the corruption, the ancient city really brought to life. Enhanced by having visited Rome in the Summer.\nAlso currently reading ‘Reclaiming Conversation’ by Sherry Turkle, an account of the negative affect being permanently tethered to the internet has on our conversations, our capacity for empathy and our relationships, and Nietzsche’s 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra'.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kafka - The Trial 5",
          "reason": "Rated 5 and praised for its surreal, nightmarish quality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10327395,
          "author": "kapauldo",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-04T12:53:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10327395",
          "commentText": "Big Bang, Simon Singh\nThe Trial, Franz Kafka\nProbably the best non fiction and fiction books I've ever read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Probably the best non fiction and fiction books I've ever read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of the best fiction books they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387689,
          "author": "mjn",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T00:28:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387689",
          "commentText": "I recently read one of Victor Hugo's shorter books, The Toilers of the Sea, and quite enjoyed it. I like Hugo's writing in general: has a rich feeling of time and place, with the style of the sentences he crafts sort of feeding into it. He's not exactly underrated in general, but I don't meet many people in my circles who read his novels.\nI also recently read Kafka's The Trial, which I've long known about but never read, and it was good but not at all what I expected. For some reason I expected Kafka to be an intimidating, serious writer, based on how his name has come to be used metaphorically. But The Trial is a very easy read, engaging and plot-driven, moving along at a fast pace. You can read it in a few hours, and it feels like light reading, despite having some serious content.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Trial is a very easy read, engaging and plot-driven, moving along at a fast pace.",
          "reason": "Describes it as easy to read, engaging, and fast-paced.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it was not what they expected.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 407426,
          "author": "swombat",
          "createdAt": "2008-12-23T09:31:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 407067,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Let's start a Hacker News book club",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=407426",
          "commentText": "EDIT3: If we're going to go with fiction, this looks like a good list to pick from:\nhttp://www.goodreads.com/list/show/6.Best_Books_of_the_20th_... (http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/6.Best_Books_of_the_20th_Century)\nPersonally, I've read almost none of these!\n1) How can you have read none of these? Get started already! And don't wait for others to tell you which books to read!\n2) That list is very suspect... I don't know how they compiled it, but it's a bit strange that it does contain some good books but then simultaneously allocates several positions to enjoyable but trashy books such as Harry Potter. Also gives several position to LotR (one is warranted, no more!), including one for the Silmarillion (wtf? I enjoyed it, but \"best book of the 20th century\"? no way!) Memoirs of a Geisha is also nice but hardly a thought leader. And it seems to be completely missing immortal masterpieces such as Narziss & Goldmund (Herman Hesse), Joseph and his Brothers (Thomas Mann), The Trial (Kafka), and many others.\nAn \"OK\" starting point, but not even the shadow of a definitive list.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Trial (Kafka)",
          "reason": "Presents it as an immortal masterpiece and a stronger choice for the list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Franz Kafka"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 8,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "absurdism",
        "existentialism",
        "absurdist fiction",
        "bureaucracy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "born-to-run-e0a5f5",
      "title": "Born to Run",
      "author": "Christopher McDougall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42970496,
          "author": "unfixed",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-07T08:05:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42970496",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand\n1984, by Orwell\nWalden, by Thoreau\nSiddhartha, by Hermann Hesse\nBut really, the one that had most direct impact in my life was Born to Run, by Christopher McDougall. Not in my vision of the world but in my lifestyle.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the one that had most direct impact in my life was Born to Run",
          "reason": "The commenter says it had the most direct impact on their life and lifestyle.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They distinguish its impact on lifestyle from their vision of the world.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21902267,
          "author": "hirundo",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T22:31:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902267",
          "commentText": "Born to Run changed my sole, which healed my plantar fasciitis and knee pain.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Born to Run changed my sole, which healed my plantar fasciitis and knee pain.",
          "reason": "Credits the book with changing their outlook and helping heal foot and knee pain.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment does not explain how the book led to healing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8125672,
          "author": "lancewiggs",
          "createdAt": "2014-08-02T19:10:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 8125375,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I save for offline reading during 5 weeks without Internet?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8125672",
          "commentText": "Great question, and one that I asked just before going to Mozambique for 10 weeks a few years back. I'd just bought a kindle, which were not available outside the USA back then, and asked a few interesting folks I was chatting to at Foo. Here are my resulting first few kindle purchases:\nThe Match King\nHeros Die (I bought the rest of them)\nThe city and the city\nEvery patient tells a story\nBlindsight\nBorn to Run\nHot, Flat & Crowded\nThe Autobiography of Ben Franklin\nThe Hunger Games (!)\nAnd on it went - asking for recommendations was a fantastic thing to do.  I'd asked for fiction as I was going there to work and would be too exhausted at first to do much else.\nSo I do encourage everyone to give some names of books. And yes - do take a good camera, do take binoculars - Leica if you can afford them, and embrace the experience.\nA few years later I went to Antarctica on a boat for 30 days offline. By then I had hundreds of books on kindle, and several devices to read them. This is basically a solved problem now. I did take Wikipedia in offline state, which was useful.\nIn decades previous when traveling I cared about weight and price per word and focused on \"good\" books - books that you know you should read but which need a bit of effort. When you are off the grid and in countries where there are few English books then it was a great way to read great books. \nBut now the Internet is everywhere. It might be flaky, and it might be painful to access, but you'll be able to find access to buy and download books relatively easily.\nThree recommendations, aside from the above which I enjoyed a lot.\nBill Aulet: Disciplined Entrepreneurship, covers the topic very well and generously references everything else.\nThe Circle by Dave Eggers paints a picture that's creepily familiar already.\nLeague of Denial will have you shake your head gently and sadly at NFL and other contact sports.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Born to Run",
          "reason": "Listed among the books the commenter bought for offline reading, later described as books they enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4787229,
          "author": "GuiA",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T05:18:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787229",
          "commentText": "A varied assortment:\n---\nThe Lifecycle of Software Objects\nZen Mind, Beginner's Mind\nWhat Is Property\nThe City of Dreaming Books\nBorn to Run\nGödel, Escher, Bach",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Born to Run",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Born to Run",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226892,
          "author": "RyanMcGreal",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:46:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226892",
          "commentText": "Some recent engaging reads:\n* Dan Ariely, Predictably Irrational\n* Christopher McDougall, Born to Run\n* Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers\n* Jeb Brugman, Welcome to the Urban Revolution\n* Richard Florida, Who's Your City?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Christopher McDougall, Born to Run",
          "reason": "Included among recent engaging reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026999,
          "author": "DTrejo",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T09:17:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026999",
          "commentText": "Born to Run\nA book which touches on how we evolved to be super distance runners and \"persistence\" hunters.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Born to Run\nA book which touches on how we evolved to be super distance runners and \"persistence\" hunters.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books others enjoyed and recommend.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in human evolution and distance running.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797098,
          "author": "DanielBMarkham",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T01:40:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797098",
          "commentText": "I got books like sheiks got oil. I'm swimming in them. I try to read a little from at least four books every day. (You'll have to look up these links yourself)\n-----------------------------------------------------------\nOn my Kindle:\nAnna Karenina, Tolstoy; Clean Code, Uncle Bob; Palm WebOS; Antoninus Meditations, Marcus Aurelius, Emperor; Never Eat Alone, and Other Secrets to Success, Ferrazzi\n-----------------------------------------------------------\nIn my stack:\nDaniel-X, James Patterson; Born To Run, Christopher McDougall; The Existential Jesus, John Carroll; Fear and Trembling - Repetition, Soren Kierkegaard\n-----------------------------------------------------------\nOn the way in from Amazon:\nThe Trusted Advisor, Maister; Secrets of Consulting: A Guide to Giving and Getting Advice Successfully, Weinberg; Rain Making: Attract New Clients No Matter What Your Field, Harding\n-----------------------------------------------------------\nI'm thinking about growing another pair of eyeballs so I can read two books at once. I'll let you know how the genetic engineering goes. (grin)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Born To Run, Christopher McDougall",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher McDougall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ultrarunning",
        "running",
        "distance running",
        "endurance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Navigate life",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "contact-a7cd9f",
      "title": "Contact",
      "author": "Carl Sagan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17536914,
          "author": "pasbesoin",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T20:31:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536914",
          "commentText": "\"Contact\", by Carl Sagan.  It's not \"light\" and \"easy\", but it ties our current world to future promise.  And it has some wonderful storytelling and writing putting this into context.\nThe main character, Ellie, is a superb and rich portrayal.  Friends to whom I've recommended the book agree on this.\nIf you've seen the movie, it's an ok Hollywood production.  The book is much, much more.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Contact\", by Carl Sagan. It's not \"light\" and \"easy\", but it ties our current world to future promise. And it has some wonderful storytelling and writing putting this into context.\nThe main character, Ellie, is a superb and rich portrayal. Friends to whom I've recommended the book agree on this.",
          "reason": "Praises the storytelling, writing, and portrayal of Ellie, and says friends agree after recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers open to a science fiction story that connects present-day life with future possibilities.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not light or easy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13568523,
          "author": "snowpalmer",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T19:24:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13568523",
          "commentText": "I've read two books recently:\n* Contact \n  by Carl Sagan\nI had previously seen the movie. The book (or rather the movie) takes a bit of a departure. The backgrounds on all the different characters as well as the political parts weren't that interesting to me. But overall the book was great.\n* We Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse) \n  by Dennis Taylor\nI'd suggest listening to it on Audiobook. Excellent read. Makes me want to buy the book and read through it again. I can't wait until the next one comes out in (March?)\n[0] https://www.amazon.com/Contact-Carl-Sagan/dp/0671004107/ref=... (https://www.amazon.com/Contact-Carl-Sagan/dp/0671004107/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486236067&sr=8-1&keywords=contact+book)\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/We-Are-Legion-Bob-Bobiverse/dp/168068... (https://www.amazon.com/We-Are-Legion-Bob-Bobiverse/dp/1680680323/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486235995&sr=8-1&keywords=we+are+legion+we+are+bob)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "But overall the book was great.",
          "reason": "Despite finding the character backgrounds and political parts uninteresting, says the book was great overall.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in science fiction.",
          "caveat": "The character backgrounds and political parts were not interesting to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10843267,
          "author": "osullivj",
          "createdAt": "2016-01-05T14:05:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 10833032,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book you've recently read and enjoyed?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10843267",
          "commentText": "Currently reading Carl Sagan's Contact. Loved the 1997 film with Jodie Foster as Ellie Arroway. The book is a real treat.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Currently reading Carl Sagan's Contact. Loved the 1997 film with Jodie Foster as Ellie Arroway. The book is a real treat.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the book a real treat.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056570,
          "author": "elorant",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:27:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056570",
          "commentText": "Everything from Asimov.\nThe Mars trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson.\nThe Culture books from Iain Banks.\nThe Rama series from Clarke although it got tiresome after a while.\nThe Sparrow and Children of God from Mary Doria Russell.\nContact by Sagan which by the way is one of the very few sci-fi books that were successfully depicted in movies.\nBrave new world from Huxley. Old one but still highly relevant.\nThe first ones from Gibson.\nThe Enter series by Orson Scott Card.\nBradbury's Farhenheit 451. This one is a classic.\nRevelation Space from Alaistair Reynolds who writes the most hardcore sci-fi I've ever come across.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Contact by Sagan which by the way is one of the very few sci-fi books that were successfully depicted in movies.",
          "reason": "Listed among favorite books and praised for its film adaptation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8110192,
          "author": "sogen",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T18:49:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8110192",
          "commentText": "* Anything by Cortázar.\n* Trainspotting,\n* Fight Club\n* Anything by Carl Sagan, specially Contact\n* Lord of the Rings\n* The Hobbit\n* And finally:\nAnything by Michael Ende:\nThe Neverending Story,\nMomo (one of my faves).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "specially Contact",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a request for book suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5834183,
          "author": "saturdayplace",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T18:17:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5834183",
          "commentText": "Contact by Carl Sagan. I first read it as an adult and it took my breath away. The movie was a fair adaptation.\nAlso, I like to read Ender's Game once a year or so.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Contact by Carl Sagan. I first read it as an adult and it took my breath away.",
          "reason": "Says it took their breath away.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3337454,
          "author": "limita",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T12:04:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3337454",
          "commentText": "Fiction: Carl Sagan - Contact\nNon-fiction: Uresh Vahalia - Unix Internals",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Fiction: Carl Sagan - Contact",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140800,
          "author": "dronethebone",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T14:08:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140800",
          "commentText": "Carl Sagan's \"Contact\" was surprisingly good, educational, and even a bit inspirational.  The movie was only so-so, so don't let the movie put you off.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Carl Sagan's \"Contact\" was surprisingly good, educational, and even a bit inspirational.",
          "reason": "Calls it surprisingly good, educational, and somewhat inspirational.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the movie was only so-so and advises not letting it put you off the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carl Sagan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "seti",
        "extraterrestrial intelligence",
        "radio astronomy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "domain-driven-design-tackling-complexity-in-the-heart-of-software-05fc45",
      "title": "Domain-Driven Design: Tackling Complexity in the Heart of Software",
      "author": "Eric Evans",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41388961,
          "author": "john_the_writer",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T09:36:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41388961",
          "commentText": "Waist of time.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Waist of time.",
          "reason": "Calls the discussed book a waste of time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment gives no explanation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41388955,
          "author": "john_the_writer",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T09:35:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41388955",
          "commentText": "I'll be honest.  I hated it.  Any book that contains the text \"obviously ...\" loses my trust.  I can't respect an author who's too lazy to make his point.\nHe used it quite a few times in the beginning of the book.\n\"Obviously\" is used for two reasons.  Derision, or to escape criticism.\nI'm obviously right.\nNow the real critique.  The book assumes experts are on hand to ask, and that terms don't change.  I worked at a place where what we called user changed 3 times in 4 years.  Runners/workers/producers.  You would know when a bit of code was written based on the names for users in the api.\nIt also assumes that all experts agree.  I worked on an education app where teachers in schools were the experts.  Different schools in the same city had different terms for the same thing. So which expert do you trust.\nIs it a trunk or a boot?  Is it an elevator or a lift? And that's if you're writing an app for english only speaking experts.\nFinally, we have to understand the mind of the dev, to know how they organised their walls. The dev that left the company 5 years ago.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I hated it.",
          "reason": "The commenter criticizes the book's language and assumptions about experts and terminology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter objects to the book's use of “obviously” and says its assumptions do not match their experience.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41388770,
          "author": "misterflibble",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T08:59:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41388770",
          "commentText": "I'm eager to hear other opinions on Eric's DDD book too :-D I still don't understand it!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Eric's DDD book",
          "reason": "The commenter says they still do not understand the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they still do not understand it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41387943,
          "author": "Scarblac",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T06:31:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387943",
          "commentText": "Wondering what people's opinion on the _Domain Driven Design_ book is.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the _Domain Driven Design_ book",
          "reason": "Asks what people think of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41387187,
          "author": "TheAlchemist",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T04:04:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387187",
          "commentText": "2 books I consider excellent:\n- A Philosophy of Software Design by John Ousterhout\n- Domain-driven Design: Tackling Complexity in the Heart of Software by Eric Evans\nThey both manage to explain some ideas that are really important, in a very simple way (which makes me feel like an idiot).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Domain-driven Design: Tackling Complexity in the Heart of Software by Eric Evans",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it excellent and says it explains important ideas simply.",
          "audience": "Software engineers seeking to improve.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33857090,
          "author": "la_fayette",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T19:50:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33857090",
          "commentText": "Elicitating the real needs of customers is the most challenging part for me within a software development process. The concept of Domain Driven Design (book by Eric Evan) helped me a lot to decode the language of the customer and transform it into an object model.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The concept of Domain Driven Design (book by Eric Evan) helped me a lot",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped decode customer language and turn it into an object model.",
          "audience": "Software developers eliciting customer needs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24384778,
          "author": "hoorayimhelping",
          "createdAt": "2020-09-05T16:29:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 24383180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Suggestions for books about API design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24384778",
          "commentText": "Domain Driven Design: https://smile.amazon.com/Domain-Driven-Design-Tackling-Compl... (https://smile.amazon.com/Domain-Driven-Design-Tackling-Complexity-Software/dp/0321125215)\nIt's not about designing APIs, it's about designing your software to reflect the reality you're encoding into your software. It's a book of first principles that you can apply to any software you design.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Domain Driven Design:",
          "reason": "The commenter says it applies first principles to software design.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It's not about designing APIs; it's about designing software to reflect the reality it encodes.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21313039,
          "author": "discreteevent",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T15:01:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21313039",
          "commentText": "You make a fair point but I think it raises a more general question that has come up before plenty of times and that is whether classical computer science is good training for 95% of students.\nTake civil engineers. Yes they will do some physics but usually only basic stuff in first year. After that they focus more on the higher level systems they will be working with because most working civil engineers will never need anything more advanced than first year physics.\nSo if the person who posted this Ask HN is not going to do CS research (or the like) then Domain Driven Design might be as fundamental to their education as structural engineering is to a civil engineer. The fact is that nearly all systems that we work with are composed of services/models of some kind. DDD deals with these but more importantly deals with the domain where you can make the most impact as a working engineer (as opposed to a scientist who is like a force multiplier but we need a lot less of them).\n\"Domain work is messy and demands a lot of complicated new knowledge that doesn’t seem to add to a computer scientist’s capabilities. Instead, the technical talent goes to work on elaborate frameworks, trying to solve domain problems with technology. Learning about and modeling the domain is left to others. Complexity in the heart of software has to be tackled head-on. To do otherwise is to risk irrelevance\" - Eric Evans",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Domain Driven Design might be as fundamental to their education",
          "reason": "Argues that DDD may be fundamental for engineers who work on real-world systems.",
          "audience": "Software engineers modeling complex business domains.",
          "caveat": "The claim is conditional on not pursuing CS research.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21312299,
          "author": "un_montagnard",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T13:59:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21312299",
          "commentText": "Refactoring by Martin Fowler and Kent Beck.\nPatterns of Enterprise Application Architecture by Martin Fowler.\nDomain Driven Design by Eric Evans.\nGrowing Object-Oriented Software, guided by tests by Steve Freeman and Nat Pryce.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Domain Driven Design by Eric Evans.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12150875,
          "author": "de107549",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-23T20:24:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12150875",
          "commentText": "There were different book that impacted different stages of my career:\nAs a programmer :\n1. The C++ Programming Language by Bjarne Stroustrup.\n2. Operating System Concepts by Silberschatz\n3. Compilers by Aho\nAs an agile software developer:\n1. eXtreme Programming by Kent Beck\n2. Pragmatic Programmer by Hunt and Thomas\n3. Continuous Delivery by Jez Humble\nAs an architect:\n1. Domain Driven Design by Evans\n2. Pattern-Oriented Software Architecture by Buschmann\n3. Envisioning Information by Edward Tufte\nAs a CEO:\n1. Good To Great by Collins\n2. Lean Startup by Eric Ries\n3. Beyond Budgeting by Pfläging",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Domain Driven Design by Evans",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229625,
          "author": "un_montagnard",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T14:47:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229625",
          "commentText": "Domain Driven Design by Eric Evans.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Domain Driven Design by Eric Evans.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2418253,
          "author": "cpeterso",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-07T04:58:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2418253",
          "commentText": "Eric Evans' \"Domain-Driven Design: Tackling Complexity in the Heart of Software\" blew my mind. Domain modeling gets to the heart of object-oriented programming. The book is a bit academic and long-winded, but very deep and complete. This is an immediate classic and required reading for any serious engineer.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Domain-Driven Design: Tackling Complexity in the Heart of Software\" blew my mind.",
          "reason": "Calls it an immediate classic and required reading for serious engineers.",
          "audience": "Serious engineers interested in domain modeling and object-oriented programming.",
          "caveat": "Described as a bit academic and long-winded.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Evans"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "domain driven design",
        "software architecture",
        "software design",
        "customer requirements"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "game-programming-patterns-64f047",
      "title": "Game Programming Patterns",
      "author": "Robert Nystrom",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42690354,
          "author": "Fyid",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-13T22:28:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 42686034,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read regarding software development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42690354",
          "commentText": "Game programmer here. The book Game Programming Patterns by Robert Nystrom is a great book that expands upon some of those in Design Patterns, and even teaches about additional ones that are very core to game development. It's a great read; I own physical copies of both books I find them so valuable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book Game Programming Patterns by Robert Nystrom is a great book",
          "reason": "Expands on patterns from Design Patterns and covers additional patterns central to game development.",
          "audience": "Game programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28661372,
          "author": "markus_zhang",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T14:59:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28661372",
          "commentText": "Game programming patterns,\nGame scripting mastery",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Game programming patterns",
          "reason": "Listed as a programming book recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17036419,
          "author": "hemantv",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-10T04:36:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17036419",
          "commentText": "Effective Engineer by Edmond Lau\nGame Programming Patterns",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Game Programming Patterns",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a thread asking which books people should have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14488079,
          "author": "demircancelebi",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T15:02:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14488079",
          "commentText": "I have been reading Game Programming Patterns lately. It explains the design patterns with examples from games, and it is really well written by an engineer at Google (Bob Nystrom): http://gameprogrammingpatterns.com/\nAfter I complete this book, I think I'll read his other book: Crafting Interpreters. This one teaches about implementing a programming language from scratch, once in Java and a second time in C.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I have been reading Game Programming Patterns lately.",
          "reason": "Describes the book as well written and explains its use of game examples to teach design patterns.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in design patterns, especially with game examples.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13911806,
          "author": "fapjacks",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-20T04:55:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13911806",
          "commentText": "I've got a book called \"Game Programming Patterns\" by Robert Nystrom which goes into this. It's not advanced, but it's very good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've got a book called \"Game Programming Patterns\" by Robert Nystrom which goes into this. It's not advanced, but it's very good.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book covers AI in game development and calls it very good.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a book on AI in game development.",
          "caveat": "Not advanced.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9612060,
          "author": "icbat",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T15:30:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9612060",
          "commentText": "http://gameprogrammingpatterns.com/\nAn example-driven guide to design patterns used in Games. Some overlap in to more general design patterns, but it provides especially tangible examples for those, too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An example-driven guide to design patterns used in Games.",
          "reason": "Offers an example-driven guide to game design patterns, with tangible examples of general patterns too.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some overlap with more general design patterns.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8000718,
          "author": "phloxicon",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T19:11:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8000718",
          "commentText": "Game Programming Patterns:\nhttp://gameprogrammingpatterns.com",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Game Programming Patterns:\nhttp://gameprogrammingpatterns.com",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Nystrom"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software design patterns",
        "game programming",
        "game development",
        "design patterns"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "his-dark-materials-3fda72",
      "title": "His Dark Materials",
      "author": "Philip Pullman",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40879976,
          "author": "handyman5",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-05T05:08:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40879976",
          "commentText": "The His Dark Materials series. There were lots of pieces and ideas which I carry with me (particularly the bit with the harpies and what they come to value), but the circumstances around the ultimate disposition of the subtle knife truly broke me.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The His Dark Materials series.",
          "reason": "Says parts of the series stayed with them and its ending deeply affected them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20982248,
          "author": "quirkafleeg3",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T09:05:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20982248",
          "commentText": "Mattimeo, the third of the Redwall books by Brian Jacques. Charming, funny and surprisingly action-packed.\nCurrently reading Northern Lights, the first of the His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman. My first time reading it, great so far.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the first of the His Dark Materials trilogy",
          "reason": "Says the first book is great so far and identifies it as part of the trilogy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has only just started the first book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13970043,
          "author": "s_kilk",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T17:52:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13970043",
          "commentText": "I think the \"His Dark Materials\" series by Philip Pullman had the greatest impact on me as a youngster. That series opened my mind to some really interesting ideas, and lead on to reading Milton, then taking up a general interest in philosophy.\nI don't think I'd be who I am now without having read those books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "That series opened my mind to some really interesting ideas",
          "reason": "The commenter says the series had a major impact and led to a broader interest in philosophy.",
          "audience": "Younger readers interested in imaginative fiction and philosophical ideas.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2087883,
          "author": "bkudria",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T08:27:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2087883",
          "commentText": "Reposted from my site: (http://ben.kudria.net/post/2548785108/my-favorite-books-of-2... (http://ben.kudria.net/post/2548785108/my-favorite-books-of-2010)). Affiliate links there, for those inclined.\n===\nIn 2010, every single book I read, I read on my Kindle. Buying a Kindle has been the best thing I have ever done for my reading addiction. I recently upgraded to a Kindle 3, and I wholeheartedly recommended you get one as well, even if you currently have a Kindle 2.\nHere are the top books I enjoyed in 2010, and you will enjoy also.\n- The His Dark Materials Trilogy. Start with The Golden Compass.\n- The City & The City by China Miéville. Quite the post-modern detective story. (Read also his novel Perdido Street Station)\n- Surface Detail, the new novel by Iain M. Banks, who has quickly catapulted to the very top of my “Favorite Sci-Fi Authors” list. Surface Detail may not be the best novel for a Banks-unfamiliar reader, however — you may wish to start with something like Consider Phlebas or Look To Windward.\n- I re-read Robert M. Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Read this book carefully and it will change your life. (N.B. It’s not really about Zen, although it kinda is.)\n- The true story Zeitoun, by Dave Eggers, about Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a Syrian-born painting contractor in New Orleans. What Zeitoun does for the people of New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina is heartwarming and truly American, and what the US Government does to him and his family is terrifying and utterly infuriating.\n- The Wind-up Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi is a fun Thai cyber/gene-punk yarn. Bacigalupi is a new author, and I look forward to reading more of his stuff.\n- Dan Simmons’ Song Of Kali has an invasive and palpable stench of suspense. This horror novel set in Calcutta is an excruciating, brutal, and brilliant read.\n- Kafka On the Shore by Haruki Murakami. I’ve always been a fan of Murakami’s works, but this novel from 2002 is, in my opinion, one of his greatest. It’s beautiful, haunting, and superbly thought-provoking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The His Dark Materials Trilogy. Start with The Golden Compass.",
          "reason": "Included among the top books the commenter enjoyed and expects readers to enjoy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says to start with The Golden Compass.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043481,
          "author": "wwortiz",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043481",
          "commentText": "Snow Crash and The Diamond Age are good books, especially for just starting to read again.\nUbik is my favorite PKD book followed closely by Electric Sheep.\nThe His Dark Materials isn't really sci-fi so much as fantasy but it is quite a good read (though if you didn't have a kindle it might be embarrassing buying them from the young adult section, they are quite adult though).\nI think a huge thing missing from your list is the Foundation series from Asimov (I recommend going in order of publishing, start with Foundation move onto Foundation and Empire then Second Foundation and more if you are into it).\nMy 2 cents.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The His Dark Materials isn't really sci-fi so much as fantasy but it is quite a good read",
          "reason": "Calls the series a good read while classifying it as fantasy rather than science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is fantasy rather than science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226921,
          "author": "evanrmurphy",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:55:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226921",
          "commentText": "If you're feeling really introspective, His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman and Demian by Hermann Hesse.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman",
          "reason": "Suggested for someone feeling introspective.",
          "audience": "Readers feeling introspective.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85888,
          "author": "pierrefar",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T10:16:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85888",
          "commentText": "Philip Pullman's trilogy His Dark Material which kicks off with the Golden Compass is a great read. \nSherlock Holmes stories are fun.\nThe Art of Deception by Kevin Mitnick is also a good read.\nPierre",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Philip Pullman's trilogy His Dark Material which kicks off with the Golden Compass is a great read.",
          "reason": "Calls the trilogy a great read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip Pullman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "parallel worlds",
        "coming of age",
        "children s fantasy",
        "coming of age fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "house-of-suns-f01af4",
      "title": "House of Suns",
      "author": "Alastair Reynolds",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36026772,
          "author": "andrei_says_",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-22T02:30:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36026772",
          "commentText": "Galactic North - Alastair Reynolds\nHouse of Suns  - Alastair Reynolds\nLilith’s Brood - Octavia Butler\nThe Expanse",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "House of Suns  - Alastair Reynolds",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36024849,
          "author": "jemmyw",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T21:27:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36024849",
          "commentText": "House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds. The world building in this one book is amazing, wish he'd made a series out of it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds. The world building in this one book is amazing",
          "reason": "Praises the worldbuilding and says they wish the author had made it a series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter wishes it had been expanded into a series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25845746,
          "author": "TimSchumann",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T12:43:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25845746",
          "commentText": "House of Suns - Alistair Reynolds",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "House of Suns - Alistair Reynolds",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20333889,
          "author": "TimSchumann",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T11:00:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20333889",
          "commentText": "I’ve read all of them. You won’t be disappointed.\nI’d start Alistair Reynold’s stuff off with ‘House of Suns’ though. It’s a standalone, but it’s one of his best works IMO. Then go ahead and devour the ‘Revelation Space’ series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "‘House of Suns’ though. It’s a standalone, but it’s one of his best works IMO.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of the author's best works and recommends starting with it.",
          "audience": "Readers starting Alastair Reynolds's science fiction.",
          "caveat": "It is a standalone novel.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15431167,
          "author": "unholythree",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-09T02:14:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15431167",
          "commentText": "I quite liked his book House of Suns. \nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Suns\nThere might be a few aspects that of the story that push it out of the \"Hard Sci-Fi\" category; but most of it seems to obey the laws of physics as we understand them.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I quite liked his book House of Suns. \nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Suns\nThere might be a few aspects that of the story that push it out of the \"Hard Sci-Fi\" category; but most of it seems to obey the laws of physics as we understand them.",
          "reason": "Says they liked the book and that most of it follows known physics.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in science fiction grounded in known physics.",
          "caveat": "Some aspects may put it outside the hard science fiction category.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249464,
          "author": "renke1",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T11:50:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249464",
          "commentText": "Science fiction:\n- House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds\n- A Deepness in the Sky and A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge\nAll of which were recommended here on HN and I really love them, especially House of Suns.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "House of Suns by Alastair Reynolds",
          "reason": "Listed among science-fiction books the commenter says they really love, especially this one.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10787298,
          "author": "yetanotheracc",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T06:03:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787298",
          "commentText": "Absolutely amazing, changed the way I look at the society, will re-read:\n- George Orwell, Keep the Aspidistra Flying\nLoved:\n- Alastair Reynolds, House of Suns\n- Andy Weir, The Martian\n- Neal Stephenson, Seveneves\n- Greg Egan, Teranesia\nLiked:\n- Arthur C. Clarke, 3001: The Final Odyssey\n- Arthur C. Clarke, 2061: Odyssey Three\n- Richard Feynman, The Character of Physical Laws\n- Richard Feynman, The Pleasure of Finding Things Out\n- Jonathan Slack, Stem Cells: A Very Short Introduction\n- John Scalzi, Fuzzy Nation (bought the audiobook for Wil Wheaton's narration)\n- Ray Monk, Robert Oppenheimer: A Life Inside the Center\n- Alastair Reynolds,  Revelation Space\n- David C. Cassidy, Beyond Uncertainty: Heisenberg, Quantum Physics, and the Bomb\nFound full of BS, did not finish:\n- Noam Chomsky, Understanding Power\nTextbooks:\n- order of 10^3 pages of Open University textbooks\n- Klauber, Student Friendly Quantum Field Theory\n- Feynman & Hibbs, Quantum Mechanics and Path Integrals\n- Wald, General Relativity (5 chapters)\n- Peskin & Schroeder, An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory (5 chapters)\nNot as bad as I felt before making the list, but underwhelming in terms of quantity. I intend to read a whole lot more in 2016.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Loved:\n- Alastair Reynolds, House of Suns",
          "reason": "The commenter says they loved it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056610,
          "author": "mattkevan",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:38:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056610",
          "commentText": "Anything by Alastair Reynolds - his Revelation Space series is great, and House of Suns is a fantastic one-off. He's probably the  closest to Ian Banks in creating galaxy-spanning civilisations across eons of time.\nIan MacDonald is another good one. My favourite of his is The Dervish House, but his others are definitely worth reading.\nCharles Stross is good. Didn't get on with Accelerando, but his Laundry books are a fun mix of HP Lovecraft/Len Deighton/IT Crowd. Halting State and Rule 34 are good explorations of pervasive augmented reality and intelligent algorithms. Also Glasshouse as an exploration of post-singularity society. Never managed to finish a Cory Doctorow book though.\nI found William Gibson's Bigend trilogy a slog, but I really enjoyed The Peripheral - it's a fun read.\nEnders Game and Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card are fantastic, but the remaining books suffer from diminishing returns (with the possible exception of Ender's Shadow). There are a lot of books in the series, but basically, the series finishes wherever you get bored reading it.\nAnything by China Mieville is well worth your time.\nOh, I also really enjoyed Elizabeth Bear's Jacobs Ladder trilogy, set on a generation ship where the inhabitants have forgotten who they are and where they're going.\nFor some older stuff:\nThe Stars my Destination by Alfred Bester – I was surprised at how good it is and how well it stands up. I couldn't believe it was written nearly 50 years ago.\nThe Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein - possibly my favourite of his. I want to start a lunar revolution with a sentient mainframe...\nI'm currently working my way through all the Hugo Award winners, from 1953 up, and there's some real gems there.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "House of Suns is a fantastic one-off.",
          "reason": "Calls it a fantastic standalone novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alastair Reynolds"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "deep time",
        "far future",
        "generational saga"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "land-of-lisp-924851",
      "title": "Land of Lisp",
      "author": "Conrad Barski",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22302337,
          "author": "ballpark",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-11T20:17:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22302337",
          "commentText": "- Practical Common Lisp\n- Land of Lisp - http://landoflisp.com/ - watch the video, it's hilarious\n- Build Your Own Lisp - http://www.buildyourownlisp.com/ - Learn C by creating a lisp in C\n- In the spirit of making your own lisp, I would recommend https://github.com/kanaka/mal - learn any language, by making a lisp in that language",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Land of Lisp",
          "reason": "Presented as a book suggestion; commenter also recommends its video.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21765787,
          "author": "marttt",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-11T19:21:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 21765528,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fun Tech Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21765787",
          "commentText": "\"Land of Lisp\" by Conrad Barski: http://landoflisp.com\nOh, and his Haskell tutorial seems fun as well: http://lisperati.com/haskell/hasktut.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Land of Lisp\" by Conrad Barski",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for fun technical book recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in learning Lisp.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13662176,
          "author": "TeMPOraL",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-16T18:16:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13662176",
          "commentText": "Maybe not best in the \"build a project\" genre, but about (Common) Lisp, you have Land of Lisp - in which you build several small games and sort of reuse some code between chapters, and Let Over Lambda, which does build its further code on top of earlier code, although it's more of an exercise in bending Lisp to your will than a well-defined project. I recommend both books; I found them very good.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I recommend both books; I found them very good.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it and describes it as very good.",
          "audience": "People learning Common Lisp through small games.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it builds several small games rather than one complete project.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9758273,
          "author": "itg",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T13:50:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758273",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed Land of Lisp\nhttp://landoflisp.com",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed Land of Lisp",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3580307,
          "author": "sheff",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-11T22:02:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 3564256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best programming books for someone in prison?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3580307",
          "commentText": "Just a suggestion, but what about books which don't look at all technical but are full of cartoons and humour, eg \"Land of Lisp\" ( http://nostarch.com/lisp.htm ) , the Head First books and so on ? These might be acceptable.\nSecondly, one of the most common comments on HN is how few programmers are also any good at design, so perhaps books focused on design, usability and typography would be another option.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Land of Lisp\"",
          "reason": "Suggested as a possibly acceptable technical book because it looks nontechnical and uses cartoons and humor.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in learning Lisp through humorous illustrations.",
          "caveat": "The suggestion is conditional on whether the prison would accept it.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395864,
          "author": "nonrecursive",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T14:45:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395864",
          "commentText": "\"Bridge of Birds\" by Barry Hughart was great. It's a hilarious \"detective\" novel set in a fictional ancient China. One of the two main characters is an 80 year old sage with a drinking problem and the ability to con almost anybody. The pace never slows and it always has you wondering what'll happen next.\nTechnically, I'd say \"Land of Lisp\" has been the most fun and the most rewarding.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Land of Lisp\" has been the most fun and the most rewarding.",
          "reason": "Calls it the most fun and rewarding book of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2381053,
          "author": "malandrew",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-29T02:15:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 2380810,
          "threadTitle": "Best program and books to learn how to code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2381053",
          "commentText": "In addition to what others have said, I would add The Little Schemer to the list. It may not seem like the most practical book, but it will make you a better programmer.\nBeyond that, I would reiterate the following suggestions put forth by others:\n-- How to Design Programs (get version 2. Racket, the IDE for this book, is practically plug-and-play, so you won't waste time prepping your development environment)\n-- Think Python by Allen Downey (i haven't read this one, but it comes very highly recommended. the excerpts I've read show that Allen communicates the concepts very clearly)\n-- Eloquent Javascript (very good introduction, all examples can be done directly in the browser with the specially-made console. This eliminates the time and confusion you will experience trying to set up a development environment with other languages.)\nOn top of those I'd also add:\n-- The C Programming Language by K&R (if you are interested in C)\n-- Dive into HTML5 (if you are interested in web development. HTML is a markup language, but you are going to need it to be able to build web stuff. This book complements Eloquent Javascript nicely)\n-- Land of Lisp\n-- DOM Scripting (Pair this book with Eloquent Javascript. It's the best introduction to the DOM that I've seen and will bridge the gap between HTML and Javascript)\nThe best books on coding are those that place equal emphasis on good prose and good programming practice and that de-emphasize syntax.\nAlso, look for books where the examples are real-world examples. i.e. things that people have actually had to implement at one time or another. Avoid books with completely imaginary examples that use made up names like foo, bar, widget, etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-- Land of Lisp",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Conrad Barski"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "lisp",
        "programming",
        "common lisp",
        "game programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "losing-my-virginity-6274bd",
      "title": "Losing My Virginity",
      "author": "Richard Branson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9347895,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T14:48:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9347895",
          "commentText": "Here's my usual list of recommendations, the best books I've read in the past 5 years.\nFiction:\n- Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\nIf you know nothing about this book you might naturally hesitate to read \"Harry Potter fanfiction\" and assume that it's dumb/horrbile, but it's not. Just suspend your disbelief and read the first 5-10 chapters. Trust me, it's brilliant, hilarious, and life-changing.\n- Atlas Shrugged\nControversial, I know, a lot of people here hate it for some reason, but it was incredibly influential on me, inspired my passion for entrepreneurship and science and philosophy. Still is one of the best books I am aware of.\nNonfiction:\n- Hackers and Painters by Paul Graham\nAlso a collection of his essays that you can find on github. He is one of the most clever writers I am aware of, but I assume you know that, since you're on HN.\n- \"On Intelligence\" by Jeff Hawkins\nThis book explains in simple terms a very awesome and elegant theory on how mind works. Incredibly fascinating, I've learned a lot from it and it explains a lot of things, and will change the way you think about thinking process.\n- The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins\nEngaging and entertaining explanation of evolution, absolutely fantastic book.\n- The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli.\nDespite the stigma, and people thinking that Machhiavellian = \"evil\", I've found this book extremely clever and wise.\n- Serious Creativity by Edward De Bono\nThe best book on creativity and the process of generating ideas that I'm aware of.\n- Abundance\nThis is a very inspiring and optimistic book about the future of technology.\nEntrepreneurhsip:\n- Start Small, Stay Small\nGuide to creating your first product/business for hackers. It lays out all the basics of entrepreneurship in a very concise and clear ways, my favorite introduction to startups.\n- Rework\nVery wise and intelligent advice about startups, intelligent and witty, must read.\n- Lean Startup\nClassic book on \"lean startup methodology\", very useful.\n- 4-Hour Workweek\nDespite the silly title I think it is a great book and is very much worth reading. Many people here dislike Tim Ferris, but whatever, I think this book is cool.\nAutobiographies:\n- Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman\n- Ghost In The Wires by Kevin Mitnick\n- Catch me if you can by Abagnale\n- iWoz by Steve Wozniak\n- Losing my Virginity by Richard Branson\nAll these are fantastic and very intelligent autobiographies by the very awesome people.\nNow I'm reading \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" and \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies.\"\n\"Rationality\" is great and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. Can't say much about GEB, I've only started reading it, but everyone is saying that it is so great and the best book ever, so I think it's definitely worth checking out.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All these are fantastic and very intelligent autobiographies by the very awesome people.",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of autobiographies the commenter calls fantastic and intelligent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4787418,
          "author": "timmm",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:19:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787418",
          "commentText": "The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho.\nKing, Warrior, Magician, Lover by Moore and Gillette\nThe lean startup\nPaul Graham how to start a startup\nMark Hyman Ultimate Mind Solution\nTribal Leadership\nWheel of Time\nThink and Grow Rich\nSuperior Man David Deida\nThe Fountain Head\nEckhart Tolle New Earth\n50th Law\nGood to Great\nJed Mckenna\nEarl Nightengale\nLong Walk to Freedom\nOutliers\nGood to Great\nPsycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz (Self-image)\nSeven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey(Being awesome)\nWealth of Nations\nWayne Dyer The Tao\nSystem of the World\nOrigin of Species\nBrave new world\nThank you economy\nCrush it\nBuilt to Last\nWho Moved my Cheese\nStillness Speak Eckhert Tolle\nMastery George Leonard\nSteve Jobs Biography\nThe Last Lecture\nSteve Pavlina Books\nIacocca\nStriking Thoughts Bruce Lee\nCarlos Castaneda\nGhost in the Wires\nRichest Man in Babylon\nWay of the Superior Man\nLosing My Virginity\nThink and Grow Rich\nDelivering Happiness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Losing My Virginity",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569317,
          "author": "msuprovici1",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T22:19:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 1567456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I want to start a web company what books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569317",
          "commentText": "Free - Chris Anderson;\n4 Steps to Epiphany;\nFounders at Work;\nCrossing the Chasm;\nViral Loop;\nGroundswell;\nLoosing My Virginity - Richard Brandson;\nGood to Great - Collins;\nEntrepreneurs guide to Business Law;",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Loosing My Virginity - Richard Brandson;",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026346,
          "author": "nopassrecover",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T22:20:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026346",
          "commentText": "Some books that stood out this year (many not for their intended reasons)\nThe 4 Hour Work Week (Tim Ferriss)\n- In parts entertaining, interesting, self-promoting, educational, inspirational, attractive and undesirable. Definitely worth the read and a great call to action. Will make you consider what you want and how you can achieve it.\nThe Game (Neil Strauss)\n- Truly interesting story and an interesting view on human dynamics and hacking one of the more important systems (dating). A great view on what is most important - ends or means. Will make you consider how people work, what motivates them and whether success cures emptiness.\nLosing my Virginity (Richard Branson)\n- The awesome and entertaining story of Virgin with lots of great advice and startup David vs Goliath inspiration. Will make you consider what determination and the little guy can achieve.\nBusiness Stripped Bare (Richard Branson)\n- Branson's more focused take on business advice and patches on bits of the Virgin story since the first book. Will make you consider the power of being genuine and growing a company with people treated as smart humans.\nOn Writing (Stephen King)\n- Most inspirational and compelling book on writing I've read. Half writing advice half King biography all awesome. Will make you consider becoming a novelist.\nCoders at Work (Peter Siebel)\n- Haven't finished yet but great interviews of leading coders. I didn't enjoy Founders at Work (personally found it a bit indirect/not deep enough) but in Coders at Work you really feel the connection between interviewer and interviewee while at the same time getting a lot of incidental startup advice as these coders have all had decent roles to play in Silicon Valley etc. history. Will make you consider if you're actually a better coder than you thought.\nThink and Grow Rich (Napoleon Hill)\n- Reads a bit like a bad Internet ad at times but that's because they stole that technique from here. This book summarizes the techniques that lead to success based on numerous interviews of most of the greatest leaders of the early 20th century. Pretty good bits in here and again inspiration fuel. Will make you consider how you can take charge of your self and your life.\nLetters From a Stoic (Seneca)\n- Decent musings on living life and mastering oneself. As relevant today as 2 thousand years ago. Will make you consider how you can master your self and what you will let affect you.\nHere Comes Everybody (Clay Shirky)\n- The best book on online community I've read. Shirky makes you want to make a difference and communicates his enthusiasm for the power of the masses with ease. Will make you consider how to enable communities to achieve unthought of goals.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The awesome and entertaining story of Virgin with lots of great advice and startup David vs Goliath inspiration.",
          "reason": "Praises the entertaining story, advice, and startup inspiration.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 687149,
          "author": "iterationx",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-04T13:33:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 687066,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on getting rich?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=687149",
          "commentText": "The best selling book is Tony Robbins \"Unlimited Power\" with like 9 million copies sold, but its also about fitness, so its not as targeted as you might like, although I liked it, but I'm not rich.\nAnother one which I liked was, \"Losing My Virginity: How I've Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way\" Richard Branson\nIt's how Branson got rich which is pretty interesting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another one which I liked was, \"Losing My Virginity: How I've Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way\" Richard Branson\nIt's how Branson got rich which is pretty interesting.",
          "reason": "Says they liked the book and found Branson's path to wealth interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240867,
          "author": "colinplamondon",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T06:55:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240867",
          "commentText": "The World is Flat\nThe Post American World\nLosing My Virginity - Richard Branson's Autobiography\nAutobiography of Andrew Carnegie\nThe Second Coming of Steve Jobs\nInside Steve's Brain\nThe Seven Day Weekend- Book by Ricardo Semler of Semco on company organization and management, Semco essentially operates as a socialist enterprise with election of bosses, profit sharing, open information, flex-time, etc, but with the twist that Ricardo is the majority stock owner. Fascinating book and well-written to boot.\nFounders at Work should go without saying :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Losing My Virginity - Richard Branson's Autobiography",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for recommended books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 203260,
          "author": "augustus",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T13:43:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=203260",
          "commentText": "I must have read close to 50 biographies.\nI love \"Titan\" about John D. Rockefeller (in many ways a hero of mine).\nand\nLosing my Virginity - Richard Branson (so honest and realistic).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Losing my Virginity - Richard Branson (so honest and realistic).",
          "reason": "Praised as honest and realistic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 203117,
          "author": "colinplamondon",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T08:02:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=203117",
          "commentText": "The Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie- there's an unmistakably personal feel to it, as if Carnegie is sitting right there imparting the lessons and stories of his life to you and you alone. He's an incredible writer and it shines through in every page.\nFree download link (don't you love the public domain?):\nhttp://manybooks.net/titles/carnegiea1797617976-8.html\nRichard Branson's autobiography, Losing My Virginity, is also a great read even discounting the perfect title- together, Branson and Carnegie really drive home the importance of taking risks and leveraging up at every opportunity.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Richard Branson's autobiography, Losing My Virginity, is also a great read",
          "reason": "Called a great read; paired with Carnegie's autobiography as illustrating the importance of taking risks.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Branson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "memoir",
        "autobiography",
        "business memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mathematics-its-content-methods-and-meaning-cf4ca1",
      "title": "Mathematics: Its Content, Methods and Meaning",
      "author": "A. D. Aleksandrov, A. N. Kolmogorov, and M. A. Lavrent'ev",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30486478,
          "author": "linguae",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T08:39:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486478",
          "commentText": "I discovered Mathematics: From the Birth of Numbers in the summer of 2003 at my local library.  At the time I was a high school student taking a summer Algebra 2 class in order to be able to take calculus my senior year for college admissions purposes.  This book instilled in me a love for mathematics, even if I sometimes struggled with the topic.\nJust a few hours ago my copy of Mathematics: Its Content, Methods and Meaning just arrived; I bought this book as a reference of undergraduate-level math concepts based on Hacker News recommendations since I'm right now in the process of reviewing undergraduate-level math to strengthen my understanding of deep learning fundamentals.  I had the opportunity to glance through this book, and I wish I had discovered this book when I was in high school or during my undergraduate years; it appears to be an excellent, more technical companion to Mathematics: From the Birth of Numbers.\nGiven the direction in my career (I went from focusing on systems software to deep learning and data mining), I wish I had majored in mathematics as an undergraduate instead of computer science.  I'm able to pick up computer science concepts rather quickly, but mathematics requires more effort for me.  A part of me almost wants to do an online second bachelor's in math, but right now I use some of my spare time studying math.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I bought this book as a reference of undergraduate-level math concepts",
          "reason": "The commenter bought it as an undergraduate-level mathematics reference and found it a more technical companion to another book.",
          "audience": "Readers reviewing undergraduate-level mathematics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter had only just received it and had glanced through it.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23721531,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T06:24:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23721531",
          "commentText": "Some of the books that you mention seem a bit too hard for a teen, so you have to be careful not to demotivate them by expecting too much of them; instead i suggest a simpler approach before tackling the big ones;\n* Functions and Graphs by Gelfand et al. - A small but great book to develop intuition.\n* Who is Fourier? A Mathematical Adventure - A great \"manga type\" book to build important concepts from first principles\n* Concepts of Modern Mathematics by Ian Stewart - A nice overview in simple language.\n* Mathematics: Its Content, Methods and Meaning by Kolmogorov et al. - A broad but concise presentation of a lot of mathematics.\n* Methods of Mathematics Applied to Calculus, Probability, and Statistics by Richard Hamming - A very good applied maths book. All of Hamming's books are recommended.\nThere are of course plenty more but the above should be good for understanding.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mathematics: Its Content, Methods and Meaning by Kolmogorov et al. - A broad but concise presentation of a lot of mathematics.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for a broad but concise presentation of mathematics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21352760,
          "author": "rsj_hn",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-25T07:46:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21352760",
          "commentText": "I can second this. An amazing volume. If you want more details, I'd stick with the Soviet math school, which was amazing in it's pedagogical soundness and user friendly texts. Anything from the EMS -- Encyclopedia of Mathematical Sciences -- is worth picking up.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can second this. An amazing volume.",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the parent comment's praise of the volume.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a broad mathematics book with strong pedagogy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21351072,
          "author": "amagumori",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-25T01:50:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21351072",
          "commentText": "Oh shit, it’s authored by the Kolmogorov!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Oh shit, it’s authored by the Kolmogorov!",
          "reason": "Reacting to the book's authorship; the comment does not state an evaluation of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18755056,
          "author": "madrafi",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-25T00:21:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18755056",
          "commentText": "- Rationality From AI to Zombies (huge collection of essays about (rationality,intelligence,quantum physics,bayesian probability,philosophy...) that can be read on lesswrong.com)\n-Intuition Pumps and other Thinking Tools\n-Sapiens\n-Edward.O Wilson Letters to a young scientist\n-Cédric Villani Birth of a Theorem\n-Emanuel Derman Models Behaving Badly\n-Letters From A Stoic by Seneca\n-Mathematics it's contents methods 3 Volumes (Aleksandrov et al.)\n-Nick Bostrom Superinteligence\n-The Moral Animal by Robert Wright",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mathematics it's contents methods 3 Volumes (Aleksandrov et al.)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite nonfiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785476,
          "author": "ThrustVectoring",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:31:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785476",
          "commentText": "Books I'm glad I've read:\nThe Inner Game of Tennis\nImpro by Keith Johnstone\nSeeing Like a State\nThe Timeless Way of Building\nLinear and Geometric Algebra by Alan Macdonald\nMeditations by Marcus Aurelius (read this one thrice)\nThe Tao of Pooh\nScience, Strategy and War: The Strategic Theory of John Boyd\nThe Drama of the Gifted Child\nInteraction Ritual\nWhat Do You Say After You Say Hello?\nOf niche use:\nMathematics: its Content, Methods and Meaning - mostly useful for figuring out what math you don't know. I recommend reading it at a fairly decent pace, and noting what subjects don't sound like an overview of something you've already learned.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I recommend reading it at a fairly decent pace",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly recommends reading it at a fairly steady pace.",
          "audience": "Readers identifying gaps in their mathematical knowledge.",
          "caveat": "Mostly useful for figuring out which math topics the reader does not know.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8795309,
          "author": "147",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T03:28:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795309",
          "commentText": "I just bought 4 books off of Amazon and got them today:\nMathematics: Its Content, Methods and Meaning. Highly recommended overview of math by some HNers so I figured I would check it out.\nVenture capitalists at work. I didn't realize there were more \"at work\" series books other than coders and founders, so this one sounds right up my alley.\nInformation Rules, a book that's supposedly dated on economics and how it applies to the internet world. Recommended on Chris Dixon's blog and looked interesting. Thought I might get some new insights to bitcoin or something with it.\nAnd Walter Isaacson's new book, the innovators.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Highly recommended overview of math by some HNers",
          "reason": "The commenter is checking out this highly recommended overview of mathematics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7578333,
          "author": "ivan_ah",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T16:45:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578333",
          "commentText": "Recently, I've been reading this mega book that covers a lot of advanced topics in math by Kolmogorov et al. It is nice because it covers a lot of topics w/o in a fairly short text --- it is a brick but it covers 2000 years of knowledge! http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Content-Methods-Meaning-Do... (http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Content-Methods-Meaning-Dover/dp/0486409163)\nFor first-year stuff, I would recommend No bullshit guide to math and physics[1] and the No bullshit guide to linear algebra[2] of which I am the author.\n[1] http://minireference.com/\n[2] http://gum.co/noBSLA",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this mega book that covers a lot of advanced topics in math by Kolmogorov et al.",
          "reason": "Describes the book favorably for its broad coverage and concise treatment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "A. D. Aleksandrov",
        "A. N. Kolmogorov",
        "M. A. Lavrent'ev"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematics overview",
        "mathematics survey",
        "mathematical foundations",
        "mathematical overview"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "off-to-be-the-wizard-4ecbc7",
      "title": "Off to Be the Wizard",
      "author": "Scott Meyer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46161500,
          "author": "ashtavakra",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-05T14:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46161500",
          "commentText": "I consolidated the comments for my reference later. Someone else might also find it useful:\n# Fiction Books Recommended for Programmers (HN Thread 46128404)\n## Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- *Children of Time* — Science Fiction (Evolution, Space Opera)  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)\n## Rick Cook — Wizardry Series\n- *Wizard’s Bane* — Fantasy, Programming/Magic Mashup  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112616.Wizard_s_Bane\n- *Wizardry Series (overview)*  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\n## James P. Hogan\n- *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/743568.Inherit_the_Stars\n- *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifem... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifemaker)\n- *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_Tomorrow)\n## D. F. Jones — Colossus Trilogy\n- *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806105.Colossus\n- *The Fall of Colossus* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colos... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colossus)\n- *Colossus and the Crab* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_Crab)\n## Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner)\n- *A Logic Named Joe* — Golden-Age Sci-Fi, AI Precursor  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-j... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-joe)\n## David Gerrold\n- *When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One* — AI, Classic Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_Was_One)\n## William Gibson / Bruce Sterling\n- *Neuromancer* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer\n- *The Difference Engine* — Steampunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Eng... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Engine)\n## Neal Stephenson\n- *Snow Crash* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash\n- *Cryptonomicon* — Techno-thriller, Cyber-history  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/816.Cryptonomicon\n- *Anathem* — Philosophical Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2845024-anathem\n- *The Diamond Age* — Nanopunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827.The_Diamond_Age\n## Fred Saberhagen\n- *Octagon* — AI, Techno-thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1891958.Octagon\n## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga\n- *Series Overview* — Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/40946-vorkosigan-saga\n## Richard Powers\n- *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45104.Galatea_2_2\n## Scott Meyer\n- *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-wizard)\n## Daniel Suarez\n- *Daemon* — Cyber-thriller, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665844-daemon\n## Thomas J. Ryan\n- *The Adolescence of P-1* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_o... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_of_P_1)\n## Ernest Cline\n- *Ready Player One* — Sci-Fi, Gaming, Pop-Culture Adventure  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one\n## Dennis E. Taylor\n- *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)* — Humorous Sci-Fi, AI, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-we-are-bob)\n## Ted Chiang\n- *Stories of Your Life and Others* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\n- *Exhalation* — Speculative Fiction, Philosophy, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation\n- *The Lifecycle of Software Objects* — AI, Digital Consciousness  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of-software-objects)\n## Charles Stross\n- *Laundry Files Series* — Math-based Magic, Techno-Fantasy  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files\n## Ken Liu\n- *The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menag... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories)\n- *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, AI, VR  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl-and-other-stories)\n## Ellen Ullman\n- *The Bug* — Tech Industry Literary Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/703.The_Bug\n## Cory Doctorow\n- *Radicalized* — Techno-sociopolitical Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40604122-radicalized\n## qntm (Sam Hughes)\n- *Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans-in-transit-and-other-stories)\n## Roger Williams\n- *The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect* — AI, Post-Singularity SF  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)\n## Greg Bear\n- *Eon* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/924843.Eon\n## Vernor Vinge\n- *A Deepness in the Sky* — Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the_Sky)\n## Terry Pratchett\n- *Going Postal* — Comic Fantasy, Satire of Bureaucracy & Tech  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64222.Going_Postal\n## Bruce Bethke\n- *Headcrash* — Cyber-satire  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213465.Headcrash\n## Mary Shelley\n- *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* — Classic Gothic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein\n## Douglas Adams\n- *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* — Comic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guid... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)\n## Jorge Luis Borges\n- *The Library of Babel* — Metaphysical Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-babel)\n## Greg Egan\n- *Permutation City* — Simulation Theory, Hard Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156784.Permutation_City\n## Cixin Liu\n- *The Three-Body Problem* — Hard Sci-Fi, First Contact  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes",
          "reason": "Lists the title in a compilation of fiction books recommended for programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46135665,
          "author": "code_Whisperer",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T15:33:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46135665",
          "commentText": "\"Galatea 2.2\" by (my all-time favorite author) Richard Powers\n\"Off to Be the Wizard\" by Scott Meyer\n\"Daemon\" by Daniel Suarez\n\"The Adolescence of P1\" (vintage) by Thomas Ryan\n\"Snow Crash\" by William Gibson\n\"Ready Player One\" by Ernest Cline\n\"We are Legion [We are Bob]\" by Dennis Taylor",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Off to Be the Wizard\" by Scott Meyer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20982706,
          "author": "kalado",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T10:35:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20982706",
          "commentText": "Non-Fiction:\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman | \nbook on human rationality and irrationality\n- An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield\nFiction:\n- Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality | \nPetunia married a professor, and Harry grew up reading science and science fiction.\nhttp://www.hpmor.com/\n-  Off to Be the Wizard (Magic 2.0 Book 1) by Scott Meyer | \nReality is defined in a text file, making the protagonist a wizard when he discovers it while hacking a company.\n-  The Magicians (series) by Lev Grossman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-  Off to Be the Wizard (Magic 2.0 Book 1) by Scott Meyer",
          "reason": "Listed with a description of its premise in response to the book request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536575,
          "author": "geuis",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:20:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536575",
          "commentText": "I highly recommend Off to be the Wizard, https://audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/Off-to-Be-the-Wizard-A... (https://audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/Off-to-Be-the-Wizard-Audiobook/B00IIS32NI). It’s fun and lighthearted.\nAlso the Bobiverse series. https://mobile.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/We-Are-Legion-W... (https://mobile.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/We-Are-Legion-We-Are-Bob-Audiobook/B01L082HJ2)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend Off to be the Wizard, https://audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/Off-to-Be-the-Wizard-A.... It’s fun and lighthearted.",
          "reason": "Highly recommended and described as fun and lighthearted.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15963577,
          "author": "wink",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T19:52:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15963577",
          "commentText": "1. Off to Be the Wizard (Scott Meyer) - Very good.\n2. Ready Player One (Ernest Cline) - I liked it although it's kinda ridiculous and one-sided.\n3. The Bloodline Feud (Charles Stross) - Actually part 1&2 of a series. Really need to continue, very good. I'd say this was not \"oh I know what will happen next\" which is kinda rare.\n4. The Graveyard Book (Neil Gaiman) - It's ok, but not as good as I had hoped.\n5. Coraline (Neil Gaiman) - It's a children's book, and very short, but I liked it a lot.\n6. Accelerated C++ (Koening/Moo) - Not finished, I was under the impression it's \"C++ for programmers well-versed in other languages\" and for that it's a bit slow-starting, but not bad I guess\nI really need to read more. :|",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Off to Be the Wizard (Scott Meyer) - Very good.",
          "reason": "Rates it very good in a list answering which books the commenter would recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238121,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:01:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238121",
          "commentText": "Last year I gave myself a Zuckerberg-style goal to read a book every two weeks. It started well, but some months were harder than others (usually when the book wasn't very good, so I would switch to podcasts for a few weeks, before getting back on track).\nHere's an unordered list of the best:\n[BUSINESS / SELF-IMPROVEMENT]\n- \"Work Rules!\" - about Google's culture and values\n- \"Search Inside Yourself\" - about mindfulness, meditation, and the impact on your life.\n- \"What got you here won't get you there\" - Liked a lot more than I expected.\n- \"Re-read Innovator's Dilemma\" - a great classic; never gets old.\n- \"How will you measure your life\" - from the same author. Also excellent.\n- \"The Best Service is No Service\" - good overview on why Amazon's customer service is so good\n- \"Crucial Conversations\" - half is common sense; half is good tips to practice everyday.\n[PROGRAMMING]\n- \"Fluent Python\" - was afraid it'd be too basic, but not really. Enjoyed it a lot.\n- \"Think Complexity\" - about algorithm complexity, data structures, etc. Great read.\n- \"Python Data Science Handbook\" - meh.\n- \"Fundamentals of Deep Learning\" - good intro. Helped me solidify some concepts from Andrew Ng's ML course\n- \"Deep Learning\" - by Goodfellow and Bengio. Just started, but really liking it.\n[STARTUPS] (all excellent; in order)\n- \"The Hard Things about Hard Things\"\n- \"Zero to One\"\n- \"The Founder's Dilemmas\"\n- \"The Launch Pad\"\n[FICTION]\n- Trilogy: \"Off to be a wizard / An Unwelcome Quest / Spell or High Water\"\n- \"Infinite Jest\" - tried but failed to finish. May try again later.\n- \"Ready Player One\" - nice, but repetitive after a while. Good read before the movie comes out.\n[NON-FICTION]\n- \"What If?\" - xkcd FTW\n- \"How to Read a Book\" - good concepts, but should be a 10 pages blog post, not a book\n- \"Spark\" - Science of the Exercise and the Brain - Long, but good\n- \"Sugar Shock\" - still reading; hopefully will help me cut my sweet cravings\n[BIOGRAPHIES]\n- \"The New New Thing\" - about Jim Clark's life, one of the very first entrepreneurs\n- \"Machines of Loving Grace\" - about the research and the rise of AI\n- \"Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution\"\n- \"The Second Coming of Steve Jobs\" - About Pixar's story. Liked more than Isaacson's biography\n- \"The Innovators\" - great summary of computer industry, from the 1800's till today\n- \"Ghost in the Wires\" - Kevin Mitnick's story. Had started years ago, but finally finished it\n- \"Idea Man\" - about Paul Allen's story. Quite an impressive man.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Off to be a wizard / An Unwelcome Quest / Spell or High Water\"",
          "reason": "Listed as a trilogy in the comment’s unordered list of best books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12475769,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T21:12:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12475769",
          "commentText": "Here's the best books I've read in the last year or so:\n>> Computer History & biographies:\nThe New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story, Michael Lewis\nThe Second Coming of Steve Jobs, by Alan Deutschman\nMachines of Loving Grace, by John Markoff\nThe Innovators, by Walter Isaacson\nGhost in the Wires, by Kevin Mitnick\nIdea Man: A Memoir by the Cofounder of Microsoft, by Paul Allen\nCreativity, Inc, by Ed Catmull (reading)\n>> Startups:\nThe Hard Thing About Hard Things, by Ben Horowitz\nThe Founder's Dilemmas, Noam Wasserman\nThe Launch Pad, by Randall Stross\n>> Other books:\nTrilogy: Off to Be the Wizard (series), by Scott Meyer\nSearch Inside Yourself, Chade-Meng Tan\nJoy on Demand, Chade-Meng Tan (reading)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Off to Be the Wizard (series), by Scott Meyer",
          "reason": "Listed among the writer's best books read over the past year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9347824,
          "author": "monk_e_boy",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T14:38:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9347824",
          "commentText": "\"Off to be the wizard\" is pretty light and fun. \"John dies at the end\" was fun, not really sci-fi, more buffy the vampire slayer esque. \"Existence\" by David Brin made me want to puke it had so many good ideas. A tiny bit dated, but very smart. \"The Martian\" I expect you've read it. Good romp, easy to read. Reminded me of a Michael Crichton. \"World War Z\" was good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Off to be the wizard\" is pretty light and fun.",
          "reason": "Describes it as light and fun.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Pretty light.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7970785,
          "author": "will_work4tears",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T14:16:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7970785",
          "commentText": "I just finished Alan Dean Foster's \"Taken\" Trilogy and really enjoyed it.  It's probably \"not as bad\" as Dan Brown (opinion only, possibly), but it's what most here would just classify as escapist trash.\nAlso Scott Meyer released a sequel to his \"Off to be the Wizard\" book (Spell or Highwater) and I finished reading it soon after the Taken trilogy.  It's a great series too.\nI bought the \"Everything is Bullshit\" book and I'm on a plane tomorrow, so I'll probably finish it during the flight.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "his \"Off to be the Wizard\" book",
          "reason": "Mentioned as the first book in the series whose sequel the commenter enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Meyer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fantasy",
        "technology",
        "audiobook",
        "hacking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-the-road-d2c7e0",
      "title": "On the Road",
      "author": "Jack Kerouac",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31975550,
          "author": "mif",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-04T10:32:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31975550",
          "commentText": "„Be not content - A subterranean journal“ is pretty eternal for me. So is „On the road“. Or take „Middlesex“. Why, they tell the story about a different life. If you want to spend the rest of your life miserable then „Im Westen nichts Neues“ (All quiet on the western front).\nLove those Ask HN lists, btw!!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "So is „On the road“.",
          "reason": "Named as an enduring rereading choice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29818156,
          "author": "2OEH8eoCRo0",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-06T01:59:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29818156",
          "commentText": "Read good fiction.\nJack Kerouac - On The Road\nKurt Vonnegut - Slaughterhouse-Five\nCharles Bukowski - Post Office",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jack Kerouac - On The Road",
          "reason": "Listed as an example of good fiction to read.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for good fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467569,
          "author": "justinzollars",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:39:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467569",
          "commentText": "Jewish Wisdom for Business Success, Dune, Shoe Dog, On The Road",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On The Road",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to the question about books read more than once.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521441,
          "author": "sdevoid",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T08:52:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521441",
          "commentText": "I read The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed at the beginning of the year, just before she passed away. This summer I the first four books of the Earthsea series and will probably read The Other Wind and Tales soon. I've really enjoyed both universes--with Earthsea I keep wishing someone would make a game with this kind of magic system. The Lathe of Heaven is such a wonderful title, I'm looking forward to reading that as well.\nI read her translation of Tao Te Ching while waiting in 2 hours of traffic for a ferry and it was wonderful and really informs the rest of her works.\nI'm currently reading Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner, on the history of U.S. water policy in the West. Frustratingly dry.\nAlso re-reading On the Road but unlike 16 years ago I'm reading the 'Original Scroll Edition' this time: no chapters, paragraph breaks, invented character names, censors, etc. The book you read in high school is, in fact, the novelization of the original, which Kerouac wrote in twenty days. I've kept my beat-up paperback copy of the 'novel' nearby and I've preferred the scroll edition for the most part.\nOn the nightstand:\n- Annals of the Former World by John McPhee 300 pages into it, but I got a bit tired of the redundancy inherent in combining multiple books into one.\n- The Vulgar Tongue by Jonathon Green. 40 pages in. I've been looking for a copy of the dictionary.\n- The Path to the Nest of Spiders by Italo Calvino.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've preferred the scroll edition for the most part.",
          "reason": "Prefers the original scroll edition to the revised novel edition.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The preference is relative to the standard edition; no broad evaluation is stated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961140,
          "author": "maephisto",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:06:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961140",
          "commentText": "Worth mentioning:\n1. Ready Player One\n2. On The Road (re-read)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2. On The Road (re-read)",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter’s “Worth mentioning” list in the book discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14481937,
          "author": "dinosaurs",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-04T15:12:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14481937",
          "commentText": "On the Road by Jack Kerouac.\nI read it at 18 and I wish I had read it way earlier. It taught me to be mad, to live life, to get out and see the world. But looking back at it, it also taught me how to be responsible and how to not to be a jerk.\nIt, above all, showed me what beautiful writing is.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It taught me to be mad, to live life, to get out and see the world. But looking back at it, it also taught me how to be responsible and how to not to be a jerk.",
          "reason": "The commenter credits it with shaping their outlook and behavior.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13805488,
          "author": "notliketherest",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T19:50:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805488",
          "commentText": "On The Road - Jack Kerouac. How to live in the present moment and have a voracious appetite for travel and new experiences.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to live in the present moment and have a voracious appetite for travel and new experiences.",
          "reason": "The commenter connects the book with living in the present and seeking travel and new experiences.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jack Kerouac"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "beat generation",
        "road novel",
        "american literature",
        "beat literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "paradigms-of-artificial-intelligence-programming-case-studies-in--bb7c8a",
      "title": "Paradigms of Artificial Intelligence Programming: Case Studies in Common Lisp",
      "author": "Peter Norvig",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34412534,
          "author": "larve",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-17T14:11:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 34412069,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach programming by building a series of small projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34412534",
          "commentText": "Peter norvig’s paradigms of artificial intelligence programming, despite its age, is a delight.\nhttps://norvig.github.io/paip-lisp/#/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Peter norvig’s paradigms of artificial intelligence programming, despite its age, is a delight.",
          "reason": "Praises the book despite its age.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it is old.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28482901,
          "author": "abecedarius",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-10T15:26:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 28478751,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach you programming languages via systems projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28482901",
          "commentText": "Norvig, https://github.com/norvig/paip-lisp (free online now).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Norvig, https://github.com/norvig/paip-lisp (free online now).",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16079419,
          "author": "boysabr3",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-05T16:09:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16079419",
          "commentText": "Haven't read it personally but heard great things about: Paradigms of Artificial Intelligence Programming: Case Studies in Common Lisp - Peter Norvig\nhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/1558601910",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Haven't read it personally but heard great things about: Paradigms of Artificial Intelligence Programming: Case Studies in Common Lisp",
          "reason": "The commenter reports hearing great things about the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it personally.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14844975,
          "author": "kod",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T03:42:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14844975",
          "commentText": "What I wouldn't give for 5 more books of equal quality to PAIP...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "5 more books of equal quality to PAIP",
          "reason": "Praises the book's quality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13900558,
          "author": "hellofunk",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T09:20:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13900558",
          "commentText": "Just to inform others, PAIP is not just an AI book, it is also a book on learning Common Lisp from scratch, and uses AI for the domain examples.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "PAIP is not just an AI book, it is also a book on learning Common Lisp from scratch",
          "reason": "Describes it as a book that teaches Common Lisp from scratch through AI examples.",
          "audience": "Readers learning Common Lisp from scratch.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13900472,
          "author": "curuinor",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T08:38:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13900472",
          "commentText": "Unfortunately, there is not a drop of numerics in that book. It's a good book for learning about symbolic AI. There is, to a solid first order approximation, zero symbolic AI in a system like, say, Google speech recognition.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's a good book for learning about symbolic AI.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a good book for learning symbolic AI.",
          "audience": "Readers learning symbolic AI.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it has no numerics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2639808,
          "author": "argimenes",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T04:32:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639808",
          "commentText": "Sci-Fi: The Dune series. All of them. There is no excuse to give up after the first one. Frank Herbert was a philosopher who worked in the medium of the sci-fi novel.\nFantasy: \"The Worm Ourobourous\".  If Christoper Marlowe had invented the fantasy novel genre, this is what he would have written. The prose makes modern fantasy look like milquetoast.\nCriticism: \"The Art and Craft of Drawing\" by Vernon Blake. The best attempt to capture the mental processes involved in drawing like the Masters. It was written in the 1920s when artists could still draw like the Masters and knew the tradition.\nProgramming: \"Paradigms of Artificial Intelligence Programming: Case Studies in Common Lisp\". A gymnasium for the programming mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A gymnasium for the programming mind.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a gymnasium for the programming mind.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135739,
          "author": "victorkryukov",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-13T04:32:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135739",
          "commentText": "Paradigms of Artificial Intelligence Programming: Case Studies in Common Lisp by Peter Norvig\n(an excellent book even if you don't want to become a Lisp programmer)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "(an excellent book even if you don't want to become a Lisp programmer)",
          "reason": "Calls it an excellent book and says it is useful even for readers who do not plan to program in Lisp.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in AI programming or Common Lisp.",
          "caveat": "You need not want to become a Lisp programmer.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Norvig"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "common lisp",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "ai programming",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "principles-eca172",
      "title": "Principles",
      "author": "Ray Dalio",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Principles (Ray Dalio)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29818447,
          "author": "jpster",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-06T02:34:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29818447",
          "commentText": "Non-violent Communication\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/71730.Nonviolent_Communi... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/71730.Nonviolent_Communication)\nThe 7 Habits of Highly Effective People\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36072.The_7_Habits_of_Hi... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36072.The_7_Habits_of_Highly_Effective_People)\nPrinciples by Ray Dalio\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34536488-principles",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Principles by Ray Dalio",
          "reason": "Listed as a book suggestion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21916761,
          "author": "vforissi",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-30T21:12:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21916761",
          "commentText": "- Hpmor, from Yudkowsky the guy who created the ML Research Institute, simply one of the funniest and smartest book I ever read.\n- Martin Eden, a great tragic adventure from the late 19th century about a poor smart guy from the slums who tries to make his riches as a writer\n- The Moon is Harsh Mistress, Elon’s favorite sci-fi books\n- Foundation by Asimov\n- Homo Deus by Harari\n- Principles by Ray Dalio",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Principles by Ray Dalio",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list of books for the decade.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21713523,
          "author": "abhiyerra",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T16:16:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21713523",
          "commentText": "- High-Ouput Management\n- Five Disfunctions of a Team\n- The Goal\n- Principles by Ray Dalio\n- Good Profit by Charles Koch\nAll of the books above cover some aspect of what you want but don’t seem to cover the whole picture. Further, a lot of it comes down to shared mental models. If you are coming from the perspective of action taking then the other person also assumes that you will take the action. I think Leader Eat Last explains this brilliantly and actually significantly changed the way I am trying to approach leadership as well as how I work with other people in general.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Principles by Ray Dalio",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19089775,
          "author": "war1025",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T21:00:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19089775",
          "commentText": "I think I got about halfway through Principles and just could make myself finish it. I get that the guy is super methodical, but it seemed too much for me.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I think I got about halfway through Principles and just could make myself finish it. I get that the guy is super methodical, but it seemed too much for me.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it overly methodical and could not finish it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They read about half of it before stopping.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18745636,
          "author": "jordz",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T11:56:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18745636",
          "commentText": "Since setting up a business in 2016, I needed to better understand how to build a business:\nPrinciples by Ray Dalio - I found this really motivating to ensure our business sticks to and has a set of principles that evolve based on mistakes made (sounds obvious).\nHard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz - I loved listening to this (audible) because being a CEO can be lonely and hearing other peoples thoughts and advice based on their experience (that you can relate to) is really uplifting.\n2018 has been a great year for us and I do think these books have helped me get through the roller coaster that is building a technology startup.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Principles by Ray Dalio - I found this really motivating to ensure our business sticks to and has a set of principles that evolve based on mistakes made (sounds obvious).",
          "reason": "Found the book motivating for setting and evolving business principles based on mistakes.",
          "audience": "People building a business.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18474115,
          "author": "chasedehan",
          "createdAt": "2018-11-17T05:27:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 18473561,
          "threadTitle": "Best book/paper you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18474115",
          "commentText": "Subtle art of not giving a f$@k\nAnd Ray Dalio’s Principles.\nBoth of those gave me personal aha moments. Neither was what I expected but both delivered.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "And Ray Dalio’s Principles.",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question asking for the best book or paper read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Neither was what the commenter expected.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521620,
          "author": "ry4n413",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T09:42:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521620",
          "commentText": "The audio version of Principles in much better, imo.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The audio version of Principles in much better, imo.",
          "reason": "Says the audiobook is much better, implying a positive comparison with another version.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Specific praise is limited to the audio version.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630284,
          "author": "stevenj",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:04:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630284",
          "commentText": "SURELY YOU'RE JOKING MR. FEYNMAN BY RICHARD FEYNMAN\n-I loved this book for its humor, everyday practicality, how relatable it felt even without having a background in physics or knowledge about the pranks and experiments he conducted. As well as the book being well-written in the sense that it reads as if you're sitting on the couch with him as he's telling you stories about his life, all with a child-like sense of wonder and enthusiasm about the world.\nTHE $12 MILLION STUFFED SHARK BY DON THOMPSON\n-I'm interested in the high-finance and fine-art worlds and this book discussed how they both go together - money and art - in an informative, quick-paced way.\nTHE BUY SIDE BY TURNEY DUFF\n-For its humor, honesty, and how well written it was in terms of it being a page turner while also providing you with an insightful account about the high-finance industry.\nMOLLY'S GAME BY MOLLY BLOOM\n-It was an entertaining, quick-paced read about the private, high-stakes poker industry with an assortment of participants.\nMONEYBALL, LIAR'S POKER & THE BIG SHORT BY MICHAEL LEWIS\n-I thought they were all entertaining reads, while also being insightful about their respective subjects.\nSTEVE JOBS BY WALTER ISAACSON\n-It was an illuminating read to me.\n- - -\nSeparately, these books are on my list to read if anyone has opinions about them:\n-Ghost in the Wires by Kevin \nMitnick\n-Principles by Ray Dalio\n-A Man For All Markets by Edward Thorp",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Principles by Ray Dalio",
          "reason": "Lists it as a book on their list to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6414260,
          "author": "hvass",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-19T20:59:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6414260",
          "commentText": "The Black Swan (anything by Taleb really), Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Letters from a Stoic by Seneca, Epictetus' Discourses, Fish that ate the whale by Rich Cohen, Man's Search for Meaning,  Titan, Principles by Ray Dalio (not really a book, but really worth reading, plus it's free), 4HW by Tim Ferris, The Strategy Paradox.\nAlso Teddy Roosevelt's biography has been very influential.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Principles by Ray Dalio (not really a book, but really worth reading, plus it's free)",
          "reason": "Calls it really worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not really a book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ray Dalio"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "decision making",
        "management",
        "entrepreneurship",
        "investing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "purple-cow-f7cbd4",
      "title": "Purple Cow",
      "author": "Seth Godin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38568146,
          "author": "ssowonny",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T12:21:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38568146",
          "commentText": "Effectuation - I felt comforted knowing that I wasn't the only one struggling.\nPurple Cow - It's classic but seems quite relevant to AI era.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Purple Cow - It's classic but seems quite relevant to AI era.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds this classic still relevant in the AI era.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35184007,
          "author": "achenatx",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-16T16:15:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35184007",
          "commentText": "I like books that are actionable. Lots of books are inspirational but not that useful (e.g. crossing the chasm). I run a curriculum in my company which uses a few books I have read over the years.\nemyth revisited (how to think about and structure an org)\ngetting to yes (negotiation)\ninfluence the psychology of persuasion (negotiation)\nspin selling (enterprise sales, supplanted by sandler)\nYou cant teach a kid to ride a bike at a seminar (sandler sales)\n5 dysfunctions of a team (one of the best leadership books)\nfirst break all the rules (management)\naccounting for dummies\npurple cow (differentiation)\nblue ocean strategy (differentiation)\ntraction (strategy/operations)\nrocketfuel (strategy/operations)\nfor professional services:\nmanaging the professional services firm\ngetting naked",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "purple cow (differentiation)",
          "reason": "Includes it in a company curriculum on differentiation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4001596,
          "author": "andrewhillman",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-21T06:33:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 3991620,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What PR book should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4001596",
          "commentText": "Read some Seth Godin books.... purple cow, free prize inside etc... and you will learn how to market/pr. One of my college degrees is in PR but I learned more via Seth Godin's books",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "purple cow, free prize inside etc... and you will learn how to market/pr.",
          "reason": "Recommended to learn marketing and PR.",
          "audience": "People learning marketing or PR.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1568243,
          "author": "javery",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T17:19:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 1567456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I want to start a web company what books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1568243",
          "commentText": "Agree on Four Steps and Getting Real, also check out:\nPurple Cow and The Dip by Seth Godin\nThe Long Tail and Free by Anderson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Purple Cow and The Dip by Seth Godin",
          "reason": "Listed as a book to check out in response to the request for books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1080759,
          "author": "javery",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-27T16:05:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 1080708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Marketing Books for Developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1080759",
          "commentText": "I would start with the Purple Cow and Free Prize Inside by Godin, they are high level but they talk about that fact that you need to make your product exceptional instead of pouring money into marketing.\nI would also check out Inbound Marketing by Halligan and Shah, I just got it and started it but so far it looks good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would start with the Purple Cow and Free Prize Inside by Godin, they are high level but they talk about that fact that you need to make your product exceptional instead of pouring money into marketing.",
          "reason": "Suggests starting with the book for its advice on making a product exceptional.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as high level.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 193375,
          "author": "swhnorton",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-18T14:48:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 193308,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What books on marketing do you recomend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=193375",
          "commentText": "Purple Cow and Trading Up",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Purple Cow",
          "reason": "Listed as a response to a request for marketing book recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for marketing books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 193338,
          "author": "bigbee",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-18T13:18:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 193308,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What books on marketing do you recomend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=193338",
          "commentText": "Everything from Seth Godin. Permission Marketing, All Marketers are Liers and Purple Cow are my personal favorites.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Purple Cow are my personal favorites.",
          "reason": "The commenter names it among their personal favorites.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in marketing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5725,
          "author": "nostrademons",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T17:07:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5725",
          "commentText": "My list, categorized:\nBusiness & Management\n1. Innovator's Dilemma and Innovator's Solution by Clayton Christensen\n2. Built to Last and Good to Great by Jim Collins.  Built to Last is more applicable for startups.\n3. Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks.  Anyone who has to manage a team of programmers and hasn't read this will fail utterly, unless they've already failed before (or been on a failing team).  There's a lot that's counterintuitive about software project management.\n4. Peter Drucker's work.  Kinda long and repetitive, but some good insights.\nMarketing\n1. All Marketers are Liars by Seth Godin.  I like this better than Purple Cow, Guerilla Marketer's Handbook, and The Big Red Fez.  Most of those have fairly obvious stuff.\n2. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell\n3. Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore\nTechnical\n1. Building Scalable Websites by Cal Henderson\n2. High Performance MySQL by Jeremy Zawodny\n3. Pragmatic Programmer by...well, it's mentioned elsewhere here.\nThere are lots of other technical books I like, but most of them aren't directly relevant to the startup I'm building",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I like this better than Purple Cow, Guerilla Marketer's Handbook, and The Big Red Fez.  Most of those have fairly obvious stuff.",
          "reason": "Says the material is fairly obvious and prefers another title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5574,
          "author": "python_kiss",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T02:11:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5574",
          "commentText": "About 14 months ago, I had little knowledge of how to execute a startup. In particular, I wasn't familiar with any online marketing tactics. The following books helped me a lot in that respective, and more:\n\n1. Positioning, 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing/Branding, Focus, Marketing Warfare\n2. Purple Cow, All Marketers are Liars, Permission Marketing (I didn't like \"The Big Moo\", \"Free prize inside\" or \"Small is the new Big\").\n3. Founters At Work\n4. Wikinomics, Wisdom of Crowds, The Tipping Point (Blink! was alright). I am looking forward to reading \"The Long Tail\" and \"The starfish and the spider\"...has anyone read them yet?\n6. Why We Buy\n7. Hackers and Painters\n8. The E-Myth revisited\n9. The Art of the Start\n10. On War, The Art of War by Machiavelli and Sun Tzu (not exactly for startups, but definitely useful)\n11. Crossing the Chasm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Purple Cow",
          "reason": "Listed among books that helped the commenter learn startup execution and online marketing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Seth Godin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marketing",
        "marketing strategy",
        "brand differentiation",
        "differentiation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "seeking-wisdom-from-darwin-to-munger-c8baa0",
      "title": "Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger",
      "author": "Peter Bevelin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43612522,
          "author": "treetalker",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T15:20:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43612522",
          "commentText": "Peter Bevelin's Seeking Wisdom.\nThe other day someone on here recommended The Philosopher's Toolkit, and I ordered a copy based on that recommendation. I've only started to dip into various parts, but I can already confirm that it is a good introductory compendium of the basics of philosophy, logic, and argumentation. In the same vein is Daniel Dennett's Intuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking.\nA personal favorite is Frances  Yates's The Art of Memory (think: intersection of rhetoric, mnemonic systems, philosophical systems, and the occult during the Renaissance).\nMatthew Butterick's Practical Typography and Typography for Lawyers. Bryan Garner's The Winning Brief.\nUmberto Eco's How to Write a Thesis. Adler's How to Read a Book. Pierre Bayard's How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read.\nI could go on. Book posts are my favorite posts on HN, but they always lighten my wallet and at home I'm surrounded with ever-growing piles of great material.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Peter Bevelin's Seeking Wisdom.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19896197,
          "author": "andrenth",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T03:14:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19896197",
          "commentText": "* Poor Charlie's Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger\n* Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger\n* The Model Thinker: What You Need to Know to Make Data Work for You\n* The Great Mental Models",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17046447,
          "author": "jpamata",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T11:35:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17046447",
          "commentText": "1. A Guide to the Good Life by William Irvine\n-my first introduction to stoicism.\n2. Mastery by Robert Greene\n-stories about the lives of luminaries such as Henry Ford, Michael Faraday, and Da Vinci on what it takes to be successful.\n3. Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story by Arnold Schwarzenegger\n-for providing me a new mental framework on building discipline and confidence.\n4. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain\n-for giving me a paradigm shift on how to think about myself and others.\n5. Seeking Wisdom From Darwin to Munger by Peter Bevelin\n-a compendium of cognitive biases and mental models.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seeking Wisdom From Darwin to Munger by Peter Bevelin",
          "reason": "Listed as a compendium of cognitive biases and mental models in response to a recommendation request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15175618,
          "author": "makerleader",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-05T14:38:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15175618",
          "commentText": "This is the best \"reference\" book out there in my opinion.\nMy algorithm for making decisions now boils down to:\nFilling out this:\nhttps://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2014/02/decision-journal/\nand referencing applicable models from Seeking Wisdom and https://www.farnamstreetblog.com/mental-models/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "referencing applicable models from Seeking Wisdom",
          "reason": "Uses it as a reference for applicable mental models in making decisions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348722,
          "author": "steveeq1",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:23:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348722",
          "commentText": "Interesting. I hate books that teach you how to negotiate like a scumbag (ie most trial attorneys and car salesmen) so this is a refreshing change of pace. I will put this on my to-read list. A book in similar vein is \"Getting to Yes\". which influenced me greatly in how to handle disputes. It was recommended by Charlie Munger, in his book \"Poor Charlie's Almanack\" (antoher great book).\nAlso, check out \"Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger\". Both that and Poor Charlie's Almanack are two books that describe the Warren Buffett/Charlie Munger way of thinking. In fact, I found out about \"Getting to Yes\" through those two books. Read them, these three books changed my outlook on life in a big way.\nA summary of these books is here: http://sivers.org/book/SeekingWisdom",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also, check out \"Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger\". Both that and Poor Charlie's Almanack are two books that describe the Warren Buffett/Charlie Munger way of thinking.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as a book describing Buffett and Munger's approach to thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6975885,
          "author": "arkitaip",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T19:09:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6975885",
          "commentText": "Seeking Wisdom is very hard to come by, especially if you live outside the US. Any idea where it can be purchased online?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Seeking Wisdom is very hard to come by, especially if you live outside the US.",
          "reason": "Asks where the book can be purchased.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6975712,
          "author": "ryan112",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T18:39:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6975712",
          "commentText": "\"Seeking Wisdom - From Darwin to Munger\" - by Peter Bevlin\nWhat struck me about this book is that it's a summary of insights about how to think better from some of the best thinkers ever (Munger to Twain to Einstein to Feynman).\nIf you're looking for more book recs, Farnam Street (blog dedicated to extracting wisdom from the best of what other people have figured out) is another great resource - http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Seeking Wisdom - From Darwin to Munger\" - by Peter Bevlin\nWhat struck me about this book is that it's a summary of insights about how to think better",
          "reason": "Describes it as a summary of insights on how to think better.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3396234,
          "author": "stevanl",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T16:27:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3396234",
          "commentText": "I've been trying to get a hold of this book for a while in the UK, but it seems very tough to get a copy of without paying through the teeth for international shipping. Anyone have any tips?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "this book",
          "reason": "The commenter is trying to obtain the book but gives no opinion on it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Hard to find in the UK without expensive international shipping.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3277949,
          "author": "technology",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T19:19:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3277949",
          "commentText": "maybe it is indeed part of some mental model, when we talk about systems we also talk about having checklists for systems, so its good :)\nHere's some quotes from the book notes of Seeking Wisdom  by Peter Bevelin:\n\"Take all the main models from psychology and use them as a checklist in reviewing outcomes in complex systems.\" [1]\n\"It's a great overview of the lessons of Charlie Munger (partner of Warren Buffett) - and his approach to checklists of multi-disciplinary models to guide clear thinking\" [1]\n\"Simplify and standardize processes, and use checklists to decrease the likelihood of operator errors.\" [1]\n[1] http://sivers.org/book/SeekingWisdom",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Here's some quotes from the book notes of Seeking Wisdom by Peter Bevelin",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226850,
          "author": "keyist",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:36:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226850",
          "commentText": "Don't miss sivers's great list: http://sivers.org/book\nAs for mine,\nScience Fiction (I like these authors so I'd recommend most of their books -- listing which ones I think are a good 'starter novel' for them):\n  Charles Stross: Halting State\n  Vernor Vinge: A Fire Upon The Deep\n  Iain M. Banks: Culture novels, start with Player of Games\n  David Louis Edelman: Jump 225 Trilogy\n  Daniel Suarez: Daemon and Freedom(tm)\n  John Scalzi: Old Man's War series\n  Dan Simmons: Hyperion\n\nSelf-improvement:\n  The Talent Code\n  Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger\n  Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion\n\nNon-fiction:\n  Amusing Ourselves To Death (highly recommended)\n  The Science of Fear\n  The Black Swan\n  Tokyo Vice\n  Racing The Beam (Atari history, very cool)\n  books by Daniel Pink\n  Guns, Germs, and Steel\n  The Prize by Daniel Yergin\n\nFantasy:\nAnything by Gaiman or China Mieville, pretty much.\nEDIT: links to previews (legally) available online\nCharles Stross's Accelerando (entire book): http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelera... (http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelerando/accelerando-intro.html)\nDavid Louis Edelman's Infoquake (1st 7 chapters): http://www.davidlouisedelman.com/jump225/infoquake/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Bevelin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Business",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mental models",
        "decision making",
        "cognitive biases"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "starship-troopers-38b182",
      "title": "Starship Troopers",
      "author": "Robert A. Heinlein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42967801,
          "author": "cblum",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-07T00:05:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42967801",
          "commentText": "Other than the Bible, that would be Dune and Starship Troopers. I can't really put my finger on how specifically they influenced me, but I often find myself recalling scenes and quotes from those two books when discussing deeper topics with family and friends.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "that would be Dune and Starship Troopers",
          "reason": "Names it as a book that influenced them; they recall its scenes and quotes in deeper discussions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41770167,
          "author": "0xBDB",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T19:46:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41770167",
          "commentText": "Not the person you were responding to, but if you ignore the hundred-page speech (which isn't that difficult to do) it's a fairly serviceable pulp sci-fi romance novel. It's far from Shakespeare and far from my favorite thing I've ever read, but it'll do in a pinch.\nI don't care for the philosophy/politics, but I've read a lot of good sci-fi that I didn't care for the philosophy behind. I like Starship Troopers, which isn't as fascist as some people think but is certainly right-wing. I like Orson Scott Card, regardless of what I think of his opinions on gay people. I like the Culture novels, which are lowkey anarcho-communist. I like China Mieville, and he's an unsubtle hardcore Marxist.\nThose are all much better than Rand, but not totally out of the ballpark (I think the Fountainhead is actually much better written than Atlas Shrugged).\nI agree with the original thread comment: people who can't separate literary and political merit are usually pretty tiresome in lots of other ways.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I like Starship Troopers, which isn't as fascist as some people think but is certainly right-wing.",
          "reason": "Says they like the novel despite its right-wing politics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes it as certainly right-wing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803711,
          "author": "Balgair",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:29:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803711",
          "commentText": "USMC Commandant's 2020 Reading List.\nThis year I am finishing up the Harvard Classics and am looking for a new view point. https://www.myharvardclassics.com/categories/20120612_1\nUnfortunately, the military only publish on New Years Day (traditionally as a sort of holiday gift to those under command), so the 2020 list is not out yet. Every title is free via either the base library or the Navy Digital Library. Most have free audio book narration. There are discussion guides also provided for free. The website is very easy to use and poke around in, I'd suggest looking at it from a Dev standpoint alone. That said, the 2019 list is here: https://grc-usmcu.libguides.com/usmc-reading-list\nThere are a LOT of titles so here are the Poolee through PFC levels:\nPoolee:\nBATTLE CRY by Leon Uris\nCORPS VALUES by Zell Miller\nGATES OF FIRE: AN EPIC NOVEL OF THE BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE by Steven Pressfield\nGRIT: THE POWER OF PASSION AND PERSEVERANCE by Angela Duckworth\nSTARSHIP TROOPERS by Robert A. Heinlein\nPFC through Lance Corporal:\nCHESTY by Jon T. Hoffman\nENDER'S GAME by Orson Scott Card\nTHE LAST STAND OF FOX COMPANY: A TRUE STORY OF U.S. MARINES IN COMBAT by Bob Drury\nTHE MARINES OF MONTFORD POINT: AMERICA'S FIRST BLACK MARINES by Melton Alonza McLaurin\nON CALL IN HELL by Richard Jadick; Thomas Hayden\nREADY PLAYER ONE by Ernest Cline\nRIFLEMAN DODD: A NOVEL OF THE PENINSULAR CAMPAIGN by C. S. Forester\nTHE WARRIOR ETHOS by Steven Pressfield\nThe 2020 list should have some froth in it (Greitens likely won't stay, but who knows, judge the art not the artist). I think it'll be a good look into a Corps that has been punched for a long time in Afghanistan. Still, some great titles in there.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "STARSHIP TROOPERS by Robert A. Heinlein",
          "reason": "Listed as a title in the USMC Commandant's reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17596605,
          "author": "kevinofe",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-23T22:39:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17596605",
          "commentText": "Wow, I can’t believe I just found this thread and not one mention of Jack Vance. His \"Planet of Adventure\" series, Alastor series or Demon Princes novels are classics. His command of language and dialogue is unparalleled. Every modern sci-fi author cites him as an influence.\nGateway by Frederik Pohl is another underrated one from the 70s although the sequels are disappointing.\nThe Forever War Joe Haldeman and Robert Heinlein’s Starship Troopers are also indispensable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Robert Heinlein’s Starship Troopers are also indispensable.",
          "reason": "Called indispensable in response to a request for recommended science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238537,
          "author": "kirubakaran",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:59:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238537",
          "commentText": "Here is my full bookshelf: http://www.kirubakaran.com/books-read.html\nBooks Read in 2016:\n1. The Recursive Universe: Cosmic Complexity and the Limits of Scientific Knowledge\n- Poundstone, William\n2. My Brain is Open: The Mathematical Journeys of Paul Erdos\n- Schechter, Bruce\n3. One Summer: America, 1927\n- Bryson, Bill\n4. The Three-Body Problem (Remembrance of Earth’s Past, #1)\n- Liu, Cixin\n5. The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit\n- Godin, Seth\n6. At Home: A Short History of Private Life\n- Bryson, Bill\n7. Kings of Kings (Hardcore History, #56-58)\n- Carlin, Dan\n8. Blueprint for Armageddon (Hardcore History #50-55)\n- Carlin, Dan\n9. Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal\n- Klaff, Oren\n10. William Shakespeare: The World as Stage\n- Bryson, Bill\n11. So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love\n- Newport, Cal\n12. The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles\n- Pressfield, Steven\n13. In a Sunburned Country\n- Bryson, Bill\n14. Cannery Row\n- Steinbeck, John\n15. Traction: A Startup Guide to Getting Customers\n- Weinberg, Gabriel\n16. Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World\n- Newport, Cal\n17. Starship Troopers\n- Heinlein, Robert A.\n18. No Touch Monkey!: And Other Travel Lessons Learned Too Late\n- Halliday, Ayun",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Starship Troopers",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6923250,
          "author": "angersock",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-17T19:25:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 6921805,
          "threadTitle": "What book has inspired you the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6923250",
          "commentText": "Not a book, but the essay \"Conscience of a Hacker\" has never been far from my mind.\nIn middle-school, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and Starship Troopers started a fairly strong libertarian bend as well as a somewhat antiauthortarian\nIn high-school, Atlas Shrugged gave me a clear vision of how important it was to create things with the skills I'd learned, and how naked self-interest could shape a society.\nIn college, Pump Six illustrated the failings of \"In the future, it's going to be even more awesome to be rich and white\".\nAfter college, The Jungle showed me both the importance of social safety nets and how easily people who say \"I'll just work harder\" get screwed by the system--any system. Makers gave me a better appreciation for taking care of my self and my body.\n~\nIt's important, I think, to constantly be reading new things and taking in new ideas; had I stopped with Atlas Shrugged, for example, I'd probably be a lot different (and more naive) than I am today.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and Starship Troopers started a fairly strong libertarian bend as well as a somewhat antiauthortarian",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped shape their libertarian and somewhat antiauthoritarian outlook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395263,
          "author": "drac",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T09:28:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395263",
          "commentText": "Did you mean Robert Heinlein? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starship_Troopers",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Robert Heinlein?",
          "reason": "Corrects the author attributed to Starship Troopers in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043506,
          "author": "mhd",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:12:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043506",
          "commentText": "Snow Crash is great. Generally I'd recommend some \"classics\", just to see who treaded some ground first, i.e. who gets copied by everyone.\nIsaac Asimov - Foundation (and the rest of the trilogy)\nRobert A. Heinlein - Stranger in a Strange Land / Starship Troopers / The Moon is a Harsh Mistress\nAlfred Bester - The Demolished Man / The Stars My Destination\nJack Vance - The Dying Earth\nPhilip K. Dick - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep / The Man in the High Castle\nLarry Niven - Ringworld\netc. etc.\nA list of Hugo Award winners[1] might come in helpful.\nAnother advantage of having read \"the greats\" is that if some critic says that new author X writes \"in the style of Y\" you have a slightly better idea if you might like it.\nTastes vary, of course. Personally I never got what's supposed to be so great about Ender's Game. Teen Mary Sue geek power fantasy with questionable morals. Then again, lots of people said similar things about Heinlein…\n[1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Award_for_Best_Novel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Starship Troopers",
          "reason": "Included in a list of science fiction classics recommended to explore influential works.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring science fiction classics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865228,
          "author": "ww520",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T16:05:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865228",
          "commentText": "If you like Foundation, you might like the Ringworld series by Larry Niven.  Ringworld is a classic.\nRobert Heinlein's books are great.  Some come to mine are The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, Starship Troopers (much better than the movies), Stranger in a Strange Land, Double Stars, and The Puppet Masters.\nUrsula K. Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness is amazing.  The Earthsea series are fun read if you want to get beyond SciFi.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Starship Troopers (much better than the movies)",
          "reason": "Listed among Heinlein books described as great; praised against the movie adaptations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The book is said to be much better than the movies.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 142949,
          "author": "PCGuy",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T00:19:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=142949",
          "commentText": "Anything by Heinlein - \"Starship Troopers\" especially\nAyn Rand - \"Atlas Shrugged\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anything by Heinlein - \"Starship Troopers\" especially",
          "reason": "Highlights this title while naming Heinlein's work as influential.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert A. Heinlein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military science fiction",
        "citizenship",
        "moral influence",
        "political fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-book-on-the-taboo-against-knowing-who-you-are-b61dc3",
      "title": "The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are",
      "author": "Alan Watts",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36428701,
          "author": "8bitsrule",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T06:38:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36428701",
          "commentText": "The works of Alan Watts (starting with The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are) helped me see outside of Western religions and philosophies. It led me to explore many other perspectives on this amazing planet and its people, and to more completely trusting my intuitions.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them see beyond Western religions and philosophies and trust their intuitions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30241360,
          "author": "tcmb",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T07:19:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241360",
          "commentText": "'The Book' by Alan Watts",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Book' by Alan Watts",
          "reason": "Offers it as an answer to the request for a book recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25537215,
          "author": "jefallbright",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-25T16:10:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25537215",
          "commentText": "Alan Watts' Wisdom of Insecurity\nAlan Watts' The Book on the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Alan Watts' The Book on the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15764732,
          "author": "xaedes",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T13:01:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15764732",
          "commentText": "I recommend reading George Campbell's \"The Hero with a Thousand Faces\".\nThis is about comparative mythology, aka comparative story telling. He works out the core elements and common concepts that appear in story telling across cultures and time.\nIt opened my mind to be able to understand all kinds of storys on another level.\nIn school I always hated literature. It was like they tried to make me do something I just didn't understand at all. Literature was just random stories for me and all interpretation and attribution of meaning was fruitless and had I to just guess/fake it. Yea maybe my education was just bad who knows, doesn't matter now.\nThe Hero with a Thousand Faces changed that. Now I was open for all the literature and saw everything in a new light. I could recognize common concepts in stories and human life in general.\nIt also opened my mind for later Alan Watts reads on the interconnected-ness of everything.\nSomeone already recommended \"The Way of Zen\" by Alan Watts, which I can only approve of! I'd also like to add \"The Book - On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are\", also by Watts.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd also like to add \"The Book - On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are\", also by Watts.",
          "reason": "The commenter adds the book to their recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13805409,
          "author": "e_tm_",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T19:40:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805409",
          "commentText": "Understanding Media - Marshall McLuhan\nThe Book: on the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are - Alan Watts\nThe Limits to Growth - Donella Meadows\nIshmael - Daniel Quinn",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Book: on the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are - Alan Watts",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297799,
          "author": "roymurdock",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:56:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297799",
          "commentText": "Older Stuff: The Bible/Quran, The Republic (Plato), The Social Contract (Rousseau), Tao Te Ching (Laozi), Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky), History of the Peloponnesian War (Thucydides)\nNewer Stuff: Nine Stories (Salinger), The Razor's Edge (Maugham), Nausea (Sartre), Siddartha (Hesse), Road to Serfdom (Hayek), The Book (Watts), Design of Everyday Things (Norman), Atlas Shrugged (Rand), Invisible Man (Ellison), Debunking Economics (Keen), Blood Meridian (McCarthy), The Center Cannot Hold (Saks), This Time Is Different (Reinhart/Rogoff), Infinite Jest (Wallace), Calvin and Hobbes (Watterson)\nAll of these books are well written and have given me some perspective on interesting people/situations/ways of thinking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Book (Watts)",
          "reason": "Listed among books said to have given the commenter perspective on interesting people, situations, and ways of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8717738,
          "author": "nickdandakis",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T17:41:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8717738",
          "commentText": "The Book - Alan Watts\nhttp://www.amazon.com/The-Book-Taboo-Against-Knowing/dp/0679... (http://www.amazon.com/The-Book-Taboo-Against-Knowing/dp/0679723005)\nI sometimes get stuck in a loop of existential questions, and even though I still do, that book taught me how to deal with them better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "that book taught me how to deal with them better",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them handle recurring existential questions.",
          "audience": "People who get caught in loops of existential questions.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan Watts"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self knowledge",
        "zen buddhism",
        "eastern philosophy",
        "existentialism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-jungle-deca2d",
      "title": "The Jungle",
      "author": "Upton Sinclair",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41176397,
          "author": "nicbou",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T23:01:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41176397",
          "commentText": "The Count of Monte Cristo. I rarely get this absorbed by a book. It was a very satisfying read.\nGrapes of Wrath stayed with me for a very long time. The Jungle too.\nThis is how you lose the time war. It was just damn unique and pleasant. Everyone who reads it loves it.\nCryptonomicon, another very entertaining read that every geek loves.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Jungle too.",
          "reason": "Lists the book alongside another that stayed with them for a long time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40878244,
          "author": "acacac",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-04T21:36:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40878244",
          "commentText": "the jungle by upton sinclair",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the jungle by upton sinclair",
          "reason": "Names it in response to a question about books with a deep impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20914961,
          "author": "awat",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T03:21:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914961",
          "commentText": "I do, I don’t know that I would categorize this at the top of what’s been listed but I still think it’s worth reading.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I do, I don’t know that I would categorize this at the top of what’s been listed but I still think it’s worth reading.",
          "reason": "Says the book is worth reading, though not among the best listed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Does not rank it at the top of the books listed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20914741,
          "author": "wireprotocol",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T02:27:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914741",
          "commentText": "A disturbing, compelling, and influential book. But do you still see it as relevant today, aside from understanding history?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A disturbing, compelling, and influential book. But do you still see it as relevant today, aside from understanding history?",
          "reason": "Calls it disturbing, compelling, and influential, and asks whether it remains relevant.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Questions its relevance beyond understanding history.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961428,
          "author": "jamestimmins",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:40:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961428",
          "commentText": "Recommend:\n1) The Power Broker - About Robert Moses, the most powerful city planner in New York from the 1930s to the 1960s. Great if you're interested in city planning, how people gain and exercise power, and the real politik of government.\n2) The Jungle - Remembered as an exposé of meatpacking, but really more than that. Phenomenal story about early 20th immigrants to Chicago trying to take part in the American Dream but struggling to survive. Surprisingly relevant today.\n3) The Big Con - Fascinating look at con artists in the first half of the 20th century.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Jungle - Remembered as an exposé of meatpacking, but really more than that.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a story of immigrants struggling to survive and pursue the American Dream.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in immigration and early 20th-century Chicago.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its reputation as a meatpacking exposé overlooks its broader story.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6923250,
          "author": "angersock",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-17T19:25:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 6921805,
          "threadTitle": "What book has inspired you the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6923250",
          "commentText": "Not a book, but the essay \"Conscience of a Hacker\" has never been far from my mind.\nIn middle-school, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and Starship Troopers started a fairly strong libertarian bend as well as a somewhat antiauthortarian\nIn high-school, Atlas Shrugged gave me a clear vision of how important it was to create things with the skills I'd learned, and how naked self-interest could shape a society.\nIn college, Pump Six illustrated the failings of \"In the future, it's going to be even more awesome to be rich and white\".\nAfter college, The Jungle showed me both the importance of social safety nets and how easily people who say \"I'll just work harder\" get screwed by the system--any system. Makers gave me a better appreciation for taking care of my self and my body.\n~\nIt's important, I think, to constantly be reading new things and taking in new ideas; had I stopped with Atlas Shrugged, for example, I'd probably be a lot different (and more naive) than I am today.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "After college, The Jungle showed me both the importance of social safety nets and how easily people who say \"I'll just work harder\" get screwed by the system--any system.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it showed the importance of social safety nets and how systems can exploit people.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875882,
          "author": "edw519",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T03:22:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875882",
          "commentText": "\"The Jungle\" by Upton Sinclair\n\"When Bad Things Happen to Good People\" by Harold Kushner",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Jungle\" by Upton Sinclair",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143032,
          "author": "edw519",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T02:11:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143032",
          "commentText": "The Jungle by Upton Sinclair\nBut not for the standard reasons of food safety or socialism\nTo get a real taste of how regular people lived and struggled back then.  That was the life my great-grandparents and grandparents escaped so that I could have a real life.\nSo whenever I \"think\" things are tough, I just slow down and imagine that it's Packingtown, Chicago in 1906.  Things suddenly seem a whole lot brighter now.\nHere and now is a special time and place.  Let's not any one of us squandor it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Jungle by Upton Sinclair",
          "reason": "The commenter uses the book to imagine the hardships of their ancestors’ lives and gain perspective on present difficulties.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its value for them is not the usual food safety or socialism reasons.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Upton Sinclair"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "labor",
        "american literature",
        "immigration",
        "social protest novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-man-who-mistook-his-wife-for-a-hat-92157a",
      "title": "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat",
      "author": "Oliver Sacks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30825229,
          "author": "amirkdv",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-27T23:30:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30825229",
          "commentText": "(1) Real Mathematical Analysis, by Charles Pugh is a wonderful introduction to pure mathematics for a mathematically inclined engineer. The back cover starts like this\n> Was plane geometry your favourite math course in high school? Did you like proving theorems? Are you sick of memorising integrals?\n(2) The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, by Oliver Sacks. I think it's impossible to read this (or a number of other works of Sacks') and not be mesmerized by the workings of the human brain. Disclaimer: I wouldn't call neuroscience my \"field of study\" even though I did study it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, by Oliver Sacks. I think it's impossible to read this (or a number of other works of Sacks') and not be mesmerized by the workings of the human brain.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a compelling way to become fascinated by the workings of the human brain.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says neuroscience is not their field of study.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30242292,
          "author": "glandium",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T09:23:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30242292",
          "commentText": "That's two books, but:\nThe man who mistook his wife for a hat - Oliver Sacks\nThe origin of consciousness in the breakdown of the bicameral mind - Julian Jaynes",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The man who mistook his wife for a hat - Oliver Sacks",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25319053,
          "author": "embit",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T22:33:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319053",
          "commentText": "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat By neurologist Oliver Sacks is a great book describing some of his very interesting cases. More importantly, his writing style is brilliant.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat By neurologist Oliver Sacks is a great book describing some of his very interesting cases.",
          "reason": "Praised for its accounts of a neurologist's cases and its writing style.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783459,
          "author": "Sherlock",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:37:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783459",
          "commentText": "\"The Magicians\", \"The Magician King\", \"The Magician's Land\" - Lev Grossman. 4/5\n\"Inside Job\" - Connie Willis. 4/5\n\"Norwegian Wood (Tokio Blues)\" - Haruki Murakami. 4/5\n\"Old Man's War\" - John Scalzi. 5/5\n\"Persepolis\" - Marjane Satrapi. 5/5\nNon fiction:\n\"The 10,000 year explosion\" about recent evolution. 3/5 ton of evidence for their thesis, but lacks predictions.\n\"What if\" well known by HN. 5/5\n\"The nurture assumption\" about education, 2/5. Maybe a 4/5 when it was published, but now their ideas are in the water supply.\n\"The man who mistook his wife for a hat\", by Oliver Sacks 4/5. Several stories about neurological deficits.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The man who mistook his wife for a hat\", by Oliver Sacks 4/5. Several stories about neurological deficits.",
          "reason": "Rated 4/5 and describes its stories about neurological deficits.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4967073,
          "author": "ratzinho87",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T20:48:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967073",
          "commentText": "Someone on HN recommended \"The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat\" by Oliver Sacks. I was fascinated by how fragile \"normal behaviour\" is.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I was fascinated by how fragile \"normal behaviour\" is.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book fascinated them with the fragility of normal behavior.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They say someone else recommended the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4521076,
          "author": "lb72",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-14T11:10:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 4513324,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading currently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4521076",
          "commentText": "The man who mistook his wife for a hat - Oliver Sacks - Book on neurological disorders",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The man who mistook his wife for a hat - Oliver Sacks - Book on neurological disorders",
          "reason": "Identifies the book as being about neurological disorders.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240824,
          "author": "dcurtis",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T05:32:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240824",
          "commentText": "V.S. Ramachandran's Phantoms in the Brain changed my life.\nThe Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat by Oliver Sacks solidified my interest in neuroscience\nAnd The Three Pound Enigma solidified my fascination with medicine in general.\nIf you only read one, read Phantoms in the Brain. It's like the bible of science, providing the crumbs for future research into the deeply interesting and previously philosophical realms of the human brain and who we are.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat by Oliver Sacks solidified my interest in neuroscience",
          "reason": "The commenter credits the book with solidifying their interest in neuroscience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 57193,
          "author": "viergroupie",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-20T02:36:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=57193",
          "commentText": "It depends on your age and level of education. Goedel, Escher, Bach was mind-blowing when I was 19. Four years (and some college) later it's a tedious bore. \nGabriel Garcia Marquez's \"Memories of My Melancholy Whores\" is pretty great. \nOliver Sacks' \"The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat\" is full of amazing case studies that will help you construct a personal theory of mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Oliver Sacks' \"The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat\" is full of amazing case studies that will help you construct a personal theory of mind.",
          "reason": "Praised for its case studies and usefulness in thinking about the mind.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Oliver Sacks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "case studies",
        "neurology",
        "neuroscience",
        "mind"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-man-in-the-high-castle-dcfc82",
      "title": "The Man in the High Castle",
      "author": "Philip K. Dick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31973110,
          "author": "plaguepilled",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-04T03:07:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31973110",
          "commentText": "Quantum Field Theory by Peskin and Schroeder. There are many things in that book I could make into a standalone project that could occupy years at a time.\nSome other picks:\nThe Man in The High Castle by Phil K. Dick. The Plague or The Outsider by Albert Camus. City of Thieves by David Benioff.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Man in The High Castle by Phil K. Dick.",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s other book picks.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23574593,
          "author": "raztogt21",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-19T14:00:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23574593",
          "commentText": "It's not about the river size. Do androids dream of electric sheep? has an amazing premise and a good \"main\" story.\nI don't want a full universe explaining every point; just a compelling story to drive the Man in the High Castle.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "just a compelling story to drive the Man in the High Castle.",
          "reason": "Says the book needs a compelling story to drive it; the target comment does not express a positive recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23566317,
          "author": "xamuel",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-18T18:51:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23566317",
          "commentText": "How would you improve Man in the High Castle? Like many PKD books it presents a premise which seems, naively, like a veritable paper mill that you could churn out endless books from--and then barely goes anywhere with it. That's part of PKD's style. Yes, the High Castle universe could be made to churn out whole series of formulaic literature, but it would be just that, formulaic. Go write it yourself--you don't need PKD to write it for you, once he's given you the premise.\nIt's like Kafka said. If you try to make a river too large, it will overflow and you'll end up with mud. There's a certain size at which a river is just right, and any more just detracts from it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "How would you improve Man in the High Castle? Like many PKD books it presents a premise",
          "reason": "Discusses the novel’s premise and argues that expanding it into a formulaic series would detract from it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23491970,
          "author": "raztogt21",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-11T18:39:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23491970",
          "commentText": "Don't you feel The Man in the High Castle could be so much better? The premise was great and the context was great, but I could never relate to the main story.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The Man in the High Castle could be so much better?",
          "reason": "The commenter likes the premise and context but could not relate to the main story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter found the main story hard to relate to and thought it could be better.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467533,
          "author": "xamuel",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:35:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467533",
          "commentText": "The Bible (technically working on my 2nd cover-to-cover readthrough, but have read individual books in it many times, especially the Gospel of Matthew).\nAll of Kafka's novels, but especially \"The Castle\".\nSeveral of PKD's novels: \"The Man in the High Castle\", \"Through a Scanner Darkly\", \"Ubiq\"\n\"The Silmarillion\" (when I was a young adult)\nDouglas Adams' \"Dirk Gentley's Holistic Detective Agency\" (when I was a teenager)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Man in the High Castle\"",
          "reason": "Lists it among novels reread several times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783919,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:07:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783919",
          "commentText": "[cont'd]\nMichael Frayn, Democracy. A compulsively readable play about an episode in the politics of West Germany in the 1970s, a subject I didn't know could be made so interesting to me. Superb.\nMichael Flynn, Eifelheim. Excellent and profound SF/historical novel about aliens crashing in the Germany of the Middle Ages, and how that would work out. Avoids cheap tricks, very strong on historical research and verisimilitude.\nRoss Thomas, The Cold War Swap, Cast a Yellow Shadow, Chinaman's Chance. Very well-written thrillers, typically stories about spying or political corruption. I'm usually bored by this genre, couldn't put these down. Will read more by this (hitherto unknown to me) author.\nUrsula K. Le Guin, The Wizard of Earthsea. (reread) Still as good as I remembered it to be.\nP.K.Dick, The Man in the High Castle. (reread) Very inventive and weird in a good way, but I wish the characters would be a little different (everyone is the same highly neurotic mouthpiece for the author), and the obsession with I Ching does nothing for me. Still worth reading.\nRobert Ryan, Dead Man's Land. A Sherlock Holmes novel in which 90% of the action is with John Watson rejoining the Army to help in World War I at his late middle age, and Holmes appears only briefly. Works quite well. Very detailed on day-to-day trench warfare and medicine at the front.\nMichael Frayn, Noises Off. A funny short play, very meta, not as good as his \"Democracy\".\nNeil Gaiman, The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Better than his two long novels of the 2000s. A self-contained fairy tale, fun to read and well-written, but not beyond that. Gaiman's unsurpassed masterpiece, to me, is still The Sandman.\nMichael Swansick, Chasing the Phoenix. SF, set on a future Earth where computers and electronic communication are outlawed following problems with runaway AIs, but there's lots of high technology (e.g. genetics) otherwise. Funny and amusing, a light read.\n[edit: deleted about 20 books I didn't like or hated]",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "P.K.Dick, The Man in the High Castle. (reread) Very inventive and weird in a good way, but I wish the characters would be a little different (everyone is the same highly neurotic mouthpiece for the author), and the obsession with I Ching does nothing for me. Still worth reading.",
          "reason": "Finds it inventive and weird in a good way, with character and I Ching reservations, but still worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The characters feel too similar and neurotic; the I Ching focus does not work for the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783593,
          "author": "fmax30",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:59:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783593",
          "commentText": "I had read zero books by April 2015.\nHave read the following since then.\n1. 1984 by Orwell\n2. Animal Farm by Orwell\n3. 40 Rules of Love by Elif Shafak\n4. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline\n5. The Man in the high castle by Philip k Dic\n6. Tuesdays with morrie by Mitch Albom\n7. Broken Verses by Kamila Shamsie\n8. The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell\n9. Veronica Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho\n10. The Little Prince by antoine saint exupery\n11. A Monster calls by Patrick ness\nBooks that I am currently reading very very slowly ( 1-3 chapters per week )\n1. The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking\n2. The Wind Up Bird Chronicles by Murakami (I am really enjoying the slow reading here)\n3. Zen and art of motorcycle by Robert Pirsig\nEdit: Formatting",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "5. The Man in the high castle by Philip k Dic",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10209169,
          "author": "V-2",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T20:09:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10209169",
          "commentText": "I know the pain. Well, it would be worth your while once you get to it - as I said, \"Ubik\" is pretty awesome. \"The Man in the High Castle\" too, although it's different, not that much of \"pure\" s-f element, it's political fiction, but still very Dickesque (it depicts a world where nazis won the war - where certain writer gains fame for his alternative history novel in which they actually lost :) ).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The Man in the High Castle\" too, although it's different, not that much of \"pure\" s-f element, it's political fiction",
          "reason": "Recommends it while noting its political fiction focus and relatively limited science-fiction elements.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it has less of a “pure” science-fiction element.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056461,
          "author": "auggierose",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T11:59:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056461",
          "commentText": "Philip K. Dick (Ubik, Man in the high castle, Flow my tears the police man said)\nFrederik Pohl (Gateway, the Space Merchants)\nUrsula K. Le Guin (The Dispossessed, Left Hand of Darkness)\nIain M. Banks (Culture novels)\nYou will find many Sci-Fi treasures by just going through http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SF_Masterworks",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Man in the high castle",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for favourite sci-fi books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2527540,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-09T04:15:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 2526568,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2527540",
          "commentText": "I recently have been reading Hugo Award Novels and recommend Roger Zelazny's This Immortal which is good enough to have shared the award with Dune in 1965. Lord of Light is also a great read and won a Hugo in 1968. Clifford Simak's Way Station, Phillip K. Dick's Man in the High Castle, and Walter Miller's Canticle for Leibowitz are other great Hugo novels from the early 1960's that tend to be overshadowed by more famous authors from that period such as Heinlein (not that I wouldn't recommend The Moon is a Harsh Mistress if you haven't read it).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Man in the High Castle",
          "reason": "Includes it among other great Hugo novels.",
          "audience": "Science fiction readers interested in Hugo Award novels.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043506,
          "author": "mhd",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:12:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043506",
          "commentText": "Snow Crash is great. Generally I'd recommend some \"classics\", just to see who treaded some ground first, i.e. who gets copied by everyone.\nIsaac Asimov - Foundation (and the rest of the trilogy)\nRobert A. Heinlein - Stranger in a Strange Land / Starship Troopers / The Moon is a Harsh Mistress\nAlfred Bester - The Demolished Man / The Stars My Destination\nJack Vance - The Dying Earth\nPhilip K. Dick - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep / The Man in the High Castle\nLarry Niven - Ringworld\netc. etc.\nA list of Hugo Award winners[1] might come in helpful.\nAnother advantage of having read \"the greats\" is that if some critic says that new author X writes \"in the style of Y\" you have a slightly better idea if you might like it.\nTastes vary, of course. Personally I never got what's supposed to be so great about Ender's Game. Teen Mary Sue geek power fantasy with questionable morals. Then again, lots of people said similar things about Heinlein…\n[1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Award_for_Best_Novel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Man in the High Castle",
          "reason": "Included in a list of science fiction classics recommended to explore influential works.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring science fiction classics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip K. Dick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternate history",
        "dystopian fiction",
        "hugo award",
        "political fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-millionaire-next-door-07baef",
      "title": "The Millionaire Next Door",
      "author": "Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43612391,
          "author": "daft_pink",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T15:07:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43612391",
          "commentText": "Learned Helplessness - Martin Seligman\nA Random Walk Down Wall Street - Malkiel\nThe Millionaire Next Door - Stanley\nAtlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand\nSecond the Incerto series by Nassim Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Millionaire Next Door - Stanley",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books worth the time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26324622,
          "author": "millstone",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-03T04:06:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 26321793,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books made you the most money?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26324622",
          "commentText": "Steer clear of Rich Dad, Poor Dad. It is a fun read, and it does contain some good advice. But the author lies about his past, and the origin and quantity of his wealth, and the book also contains dangerous and illegal advice.\nI suggest The Millionaire Next Door as a better book.\nA good takedown of Rich Dad from John T Reed:\nhttps://johntreed.com/blogs/john-t-reed-s-real-estate-invest... (https://johntreed.com/blogs/john-t-reed-s-real-estate-investment-blog/61651011-john-t-reeds-analysis-of-robert-t-kiyosakis-book-rich-dad-poor-dad-part-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I suggest The Millionaire Next Door as a better book.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a better alternative to Rich Dad Poor Dad.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17522685,
          "author": "mrfredward",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T13:21:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17522685",
          "commentText": "I have read that book, and survivorship bias is not a worry for most of the recommendations.\nThey find that most millionaires are quite frugal, have stable families, and live modest lifestyles--they have accumulated wealth but don't flaunt it and don't waste it. These are essentially the lowest risk strategies in life, and survivorship bias favors the exact opposite, i.e. the \"lottery ticket\" decisions.\nThe exception to the low risk mantra is that many millionaires run their own businesses, and of course entrepreneurship is risky. The authors do note the effects of survivorship bias here.\nI'd summarize the book by saying: \"work hard, live well below your means, and invest the difference. Also, don't spoil your kids if you want them to build wealth.\"",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I have read that book",
          "reason": "Explains that many millionaires build wealth through frugality, modest lifestyles, and investing the difference.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The authors note survivorship bias in the case of business owners.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17520304,
          "author": "wwweston",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T03:28:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17520304",
          "commentText": "> The Millionaire Next Door was a game changer for how I though about wealth accumulation. It's the findings of a statistical analysis of the life and habits of millionaires.\nSo, it's been a while since I dipped into this book, but my recollection was that I read the summary and intro and thought \"this sounds like an analysis which suffers significantly from survivorship bias.\" Did you find with a close read that was/wasn't a problem with the picture it presented?\n(Not that I think that the advice I skimmed over was bad, certainly, I don't like to buy depreciating assets like cars on credit, and more people could likely benefit from budgeting investing conscientiously.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Millionaire Next Door was a game changer for how I though about wealth accumulation.",
          "reason": "The commenter questions whether the book’s picture is affected by survivorship bias, while acknowledging that some advice seemed sound.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Questions whether its analysis suffers significantly from survivorship bias.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15793673,
          "author": "gvajravelu",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-28T02:13:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15793673",
          "commentText": "The Millionaire Next Door is advertised as a personal finance book, but I found it useful for many other areas of life.\nThe central point of the book is that most millionaires live ordinary middle class lifestyles. They saved a ton of money because they don't buy expensive things.\nThat taught me a few things. First, you have no idea what anyone else's situation is, financial or otherwise.\nJust because someone has a big house doesn't mean they're rich. They might be or they might not be. They might have a large income to buy that house, or they may have taken out huge amounts of debt to finance it. You just don't know.\nThe book also has great tips for careers, family, and marriage. I think it's well worth a read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think it's well worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it offers useful lessons about wealth, careers, family, and marriage.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in personal finance and its broader life lessons.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156750,
          "author": "kelukelugames",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T16:18:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156750",
          "commentText": "The first is the Millionaire Next Door. Gave me a better idea of how to manage my finances and what kind of spending habits to look for in a partner. If you are a tightwad then don't marry a spendthrift. Vice versa. [http://amzn.to/2vAmbW8]\nThe second is On Writing Well. This book changed my view regarding how to write and how important it is to write well. As an engineer I regret how much I avoided writing in school. Now I play catchup after realizing lawyers and others with client facing jobs write much better emails. [http://amzn.to/2vTXu27]\nAnd here are three other books that would be recommended by few on HN.\nThe Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing. I used to hate going home until I realized the clutter of stuff made me miserable.\n[http://amzn.to/2wwvS5h]\nWhy Men Love Bitches. 100% serious. This book is over the top but I stopped being a doormat in relationships and looked for partners with more self confidence. [http://amzn.to/2wwcYeZ]\nThe Low Down on Going Down. Yes the title is cheesy, but again I am 100% serious. I think a lot of us have unhealthy expectations due to Internet porn and this book sets the right attitude for the physical component in a relationship.[http://amzn.to/2vTSY41]\nAnd companion book: [http://amzn.to/2wwSpyY]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gave me a better idea of how to manage my finances and what kind of spending habits to look for in a partner.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it improved their understanding of managing finances and recognizing spending habits.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10040689,
          "author": "danesparza",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-11T13:07:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10040689",
          "commentText": "==For electronics:\nThe Art of Electronics 3rd Edition (interview with the one of the authors, if you're unconvinced: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCI3B5eT9NA )\n==For finances:\nThe Millionaire Next Door (filled with a lot of interesting facts and habits from extensive research)\n==For food/cooking:\nAlton Brown's Gear for Your Kitchen\nBakeWise: The Hows and Whys of Successful Baking",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Millionaire Next Door (filled with a lot of interesting facts and habits from extensive research)",
          "reason": "Praises its interesting facts and habits based on extensive research.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in personal finance.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 687138,
          "author": "teknician1",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-04T13:15:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 687066,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on getting rich?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=687138",
          "commentText": "Agree with The Richest Man in Babylon and Think and Grow Rich.\nI recommend: 4 Hour Work Week, Mommy Millionaire, and The Millionaire Next Door, Gorilla Marketing, and Execution.\nLOL, if I had to choose two, they would be Think and Grow Rich and 4 Hour Work Week.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Millionaire Next Door",
          "reason": "Lists it among recommended books in response to a request for favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas J. Stanley",
        "William D. Danko"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal finance",
        "wealth building",
        "frugality",
        "spending habits"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-picture-of-dorian-gray-b3cb93",
      "title": "The Picture of Dorian Gray",
      "author": "Oscar Wilde",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46396841,
          "author": "phtrivier",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T22:08:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46396841",
          "commentText": "I started the year with \"Right thing, right now\", and I'm ending it with \"wisdom takes work\" (R.Holiday), but I'm happy to say that I'm now a bit \"tired\" of re-reading the same rehashing of other people's book, and I want to read the original ones. Which, actually, is the pont.\nI wanted to read classics, and devoured \"The portrait of Dorian Gray\" (O.Wilde), where maybe 50% of all the \"as O.Wilde said...\" quotes seem to come from (uttered by a single, incredibly obnoxious character.)\nI challenged myself to read \"Les Miserables\" (V.Hugo), and actually managed to get two tomes out of five down. Eminently quotable, heavily skippable - why on earth spend half a time on describing the ins and out of Waterloo, except to show off ? - and, surprisingly, at times, _funny_.\nThe bio of Pierre Mendès France (J.Lacouture) was very much topical, given the mess in Franch politics. We had more PMs in one year than in a few chapters of the book. It's very weird to read that, at some point, some politicians were \"liked\" by the people - but lost power anyway.\nA small Edouard Phillipe book called \"Men who read\" almost made me like the guy - his next book is more serious and expected. It pains me to think that our next election is going to be about \"well read people who disappointed everyone\" vs \"popular jocks with no education who will end up disappointing everyone\".\n\"Abundance\" (E.Klein / D.Thompson) is an attempt from \"well read people\" to at least try and understand why everyone is disappointed and prefer the jocks. I don't think they included any solution in their book, though - maybe they save it for the sequel, or for E.Klein's presidential bid.\nI want to read all Stripe press - if only, because the covers rock, and they're optimistic. Started with \"Poor Charlie's Almanach\" (C.Munger), which a disappointing rehash of the same funny speech seven times. (Tldr : be multidisciplinary, study cognitive biases, don't trade). In the middle of \"The Origins of Efficiency \" (Potter)\n\"The Wave\" (Souleymane) was not optimistic. And not practical at all - sure, AI enabled drones carrying bioweapons will suck. \"The Age of predators\" (G. Da Empoli) reminds us that the AI enabled bioweapons carrying drones will come from an illiberal state enabled by billionaires from Silicon Valley, and Russian trolls. I wish someone told me where to go to avoid being targeted too early.\n\"Everything is tuberculosis\" (J. Greene) reminded me of a time when scientists were trying to solve problems as opposed to creating brand new ones - but at least the next generations won't die of boredom.\n\"We, programmers\" is a rehash of Uncle Bob's pre talks \"history of programming\". I loved the long and detailed parts about G.Hopper. He ends with a (failed) attempt to convince that programmers will still be needed in the age of AI.\nSteve Yegge's \"Vibe coding\" goes full \"resistance is futile\" about programming with agents, and, interestingly, ends up talking more about TDD than Uncle Bob - but the words \"electricity consumption\" and \"climate impact\" are not utured, because, why spoil the fun.\n\"The Common LISP cookbook\" tried to explain me the difference between ASDF, quicklisp and whatnot - 2025 was the closest year I ever go to actually writing something in LISP instead of reading books about it.\nAnd also, \"The baby is a mammal\" (M.Odent) and \"Becoming a dad for dummies\", because this year was probably the last one we're I'll get so much time to read :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I wanted to read classics, and devoured \"The portrait of Dorian Gray\" (O.Wilde)",
          "reason": "The commenter says they devoured it and notes that many familiar quotations seem to come from it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "One especially obnoxious character delivers many of the cited quotations.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30735602,
          "author": "thatjoeoverthr",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:20:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735602",
          "commentText": "Jacob’s Room, Virginia Woolf\nBefore this book I generally did not read, unless it was a Star Trek branded airport novel. I had just got an iPad and was rummaging around the Project Gutenberg texts they’d dumped into iBooks. I chose it impulsively.\nThis book set my brain and heart on fire and opened the world of literature for me. It’s very specific, though, and I can’t -recommend- it to anyone.\nThere is little spackle in this book, as if every sentence and scene is cropped a bit beyond the point of readability. But reading aloud it flows well. There is effectively no plot and a great deal of its merit is at the sentence level. Furthermore, this book in particular resonated with me emotionally.\nI was thirsty for more and read other classics. My favorites; To the Lighthouse, Picture of Dorian Grey and Thus Spake Zarathustra (the translation they have on Gutenberg).\nThis hobby dominated my attention for years. What displaced it was I had to learn Polish. At first I tried to combine these; I read Charlotte’s Web, the Little Prince and Pulp (bukowski) in Polish. But it really wasn’t an effective way to continue and Polish was the priority. All other hobbies had to go.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favorites; To the Lighthouse, Picture of Dorian Grey and Thus Spake Zarathustra (the translation they have on Gutenberg).",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15157874,
          "author": "dave_sullivan",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T19:55:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15157874",
          "commentText": "> \"A Portrait of Dorian Gray\" by Oscar Wilde\nDon't you mean \"The Picture of Dorian Gray\"? (Google it, it's Picture but everyone says Portrait for some reason)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Don't you mean \"The Picture of Dorian Gray\"?",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment corrects the title used in the parent comment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249747,
          "author": "sandstrom",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T13:53:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249747",
          "commentText": "The Picture of Dorian Gray",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Picture of Dorian Gray",
          "reason": "A title offered in response to a request for must-read fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11230741,
          "author": "calebm",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T19:50:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11230741",
          "commentText": "The Picture of Dorian Gray (by Oscar Wilde) is just so beautifully written. It was Oscar Wilde's only novel (he only needed one). It also has the absolute best preface of any book I've read: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/174/174-h/174-h.htm#chap00",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Picture of Dorian Gray (by Oscar Wilde) is just so beautifully written.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its writing and preface.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175569,
          "author": "acrooks",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:24:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175569",
          "commentText": "The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753875,
          "author": "rsl7",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T22:49:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753875",
          "commentText": "the Portrait of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. We all create alter-egos that cover for our worst sins.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Portrait of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. We all create alter-egos that cover for our worst sins.",
          "reason": "Connects the novel to the idea that people create alter egos to conceal their worst behavior.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 200144,
          "author": "chasingsparks",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-26T11:59:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 199722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=200144",
          "commentText": "The Picture of Dorian Gray",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Picture of Dorian Gray",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to the request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 192464,
          "author": "nmeyer",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-17T04:48:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=192464",
          "commentText": "Check out http://www.librivox.org. They have a HUGE catalogue of audio recordings of public-domain works. Grab a list of the 100 classic books of all time and download them.  Don Quixote, The Prince, Picture of Dorian Grey, Pride and Prejudice...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Don Quixote, The Prince, Picture of Dorian Grey, Pride and Prejudice...",
          "reason": "Listed as a classic to download in response to an audiobook recommendation question.",
          "audience": "Listeners seeking classic books in the public domain.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Oscar Wilde"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "gothic fiction",
        "classic literature",
        "aestheticism",
        "identity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sandman-d8f536",
      "title": "The Sandman",
      "author": "Neil Gaiman",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14859644,
          "author": "whatrusmoking",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T19:54:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859644",
          "commentText": "I figure this is a bit of an usual selection for HN, but here's the top of my in-progress list:\nMoral Boundaries -- Joan Tronso\nKnown and Strange Things -- Teju Cole\nThe Feeling of What Happens -- Antonio Damasio\nThe Promise of Hope: New and Selected Poems -- Kofi Awoonor\nAnd I just started Neil Gaiman's \"Sandman\".",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I just started Neil Gaiman's \"Sandman\".",
          "reason": "The commenter says they just started the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249886,
          "author": "falcolas",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T14:30:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249886",
          "commentText": "I'm going to a very different route than my colleagues: Sandman by Neil Gaiman. It's a series of graphic novels which delves deeply into theology, philosophy, and the human condition.\nSince it's in the form of a graphic novel, it's much more like \"reading\" a TV miniseries, and makes for a great introduction to Neil Gaiman's writing style (which will take you straight off the deep end into the fantasy genre). They're also easier to pick up and set down as the whim strikes.\nIf you really enjoy the setting, the Lucifer series of graphic novels takes one of the most interesting characters from the setting and expands upon it. It was adapted to a TV show as well, much to the chagrin of anybody who actually enjoyed the graphic novels.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sandman by Neil Gaiman. It's a series of graphic novels which delves deeply into theology, philosophy, and the human condition.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a deep, accessible introduction to Gaiman's writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783919,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:07:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783919",
          "commentText": "[cont'd]\nMichael Frayn, Democracy. A compulsively readable play about an episode in the politics of West Germany in the 1970s, a subject I didn't know could be made so interesting to me. Superb.\nMichael Flynn, Eifelheim. Excellent and profound SF/historical novel about aliens crashing in the Germany of the Middle Ages, and how that would work out. Avoids cheap tricks, very strong on historical research and verisimilitude.\nRoss Thomas, The Cold War Swap, Cast a Yellow Shadow, Chinaman's Chance. Very well-written thrillers, typically stories about spying or political corruption. I'm usually bored by this genre, couldn't put these down. Will read more by this (hitherto unknown to me) author.\nUrsula K. Le Guin, The Wizard of Earthsea. (reread) Still as good as I remembered it to be.\nP.K.Dick, The Man in the High Castle. (reread) Very inventive and weird in a good way, but I wish the characters would be a little different (everyone is the same highly neurotic mouthpiece for the author), and the obsession with I Ching does nothing for me. Still worth reading.\nRobert Ryan, Dead Man's Land. A Sherlock Holmes novel in which 90% of the action is with John Watson rejoining the Army to help in World War I at his late middle age, and Holmes appears only briefly. Works quite well. Very detailed on day-to-day trench warfare and medicine at the front.\nMichael Frayn, Noises Off. A funny short play, very meta, not as good as his \"Democracy\".\nNeil Gaiman, The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Better than his two long novels of the 2000s. A self-contained fairy tale, fun to read and well-written, but not beyond that. Gaiman's unsurpassed masterpiece, to me, is still The Sandman.\nMichael Swansick, Chasing the Phoenix. SF, set on a future Earth where computers and electronic communication are outlawed following problems with runaway AIs, but there's lots of high technology (e.g. genetics) otherwise. Funny and amusing, a light read.\n[edit: deleted about 20 books I didn't like or hated]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gaiman's unsurpassed masterpiece, to me, is still The Sandman.",
          "reason": "Calls it Gaiman's unsurpassed masterpiece.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10535419,
          "author": "sogen",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T20:03:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10535419",
          "commentText": "1.- Sandman\n2.- Toxic Sludge is Good For You: Lies, Damn Lies and the Public Relations Industry\n3.- The Advertised Mind: Groundbreaking Insights into How Our Brains Respond to Advertising\n4.- The Hidden Persuaders - \"A brisk, authoritative and frightening report on how manufacturers, fundraisers and politicians are attempting to turn the American mind into a kind of catatonic dough that will buy, give or vote at their command--The New Yorker",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1.- Sandman",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the question about the year's best books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395886,
          "author": "codypo",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T14:51:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395886",
          "commentText": "On the fiction side, I absolutely loved Shogun by Clavell. I didn't know what to expect, and I found an epic that was captivating in many ways.  I also started Neil Gaiman's Sandman series. I realize I'm about 10 years behind everyone else, and I've found it most deserving of all of the hubbub.\nWith respect to nonfiction, I enjoyed Schroeder's recent biography of Warren Buffett, entitled the Snowball. It was much less of a hagiography than much of what you read on him. He's a fascinating, complex man.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've found it most deserving of all of the hubbub.",
          "reason": "Calls the series deserving of the attention it has received.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865616,
          "author": "cgopalan",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T17:33:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865616",
          "commentText": "If you are not too particular about sci-fi, I would suggest Neil Gaiman's Sandman. Its fantasy, but extremely stimulating. Its a series of 10 graphic novels, but you need not necessarily read it in order. Some are better than others, but every book has a very high level of story-telling.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I would suggest Neil Gaiman's Sandman. Its fantasy, but extremely stimulating. Its a series of 10 graphic novels, but you need not necessarily read it in order. Some are better than others, but every book has a very high level of story-telling.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as extremely stimulating, with consistently strong storytelling.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some volumes are better than others; the commenter says it need not be read in order.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1760315,
          "author": "bmelton",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-05T16:22:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1760315",
          "commentText": "That is a splendid list.\nI'll add:\n\"Sandman\" by Neil Gaiman.  Also a graphic novel, but this series literally reinvented comics to me, and to many other readers.\n\"Lunar Park\" by Bret Easton Ellis.  Probably the safest introduction to Ellis if you aren't looking for a rampant gore-fest.  Spooky, creepy, chilling, but also insightful, confounding and enlightening.\n\"Catcher in the Rye\" by JD Salinger.  Mostly recommending as it fits into the above list, but I feel like it was missing.  I personally felt it was overhyped, but I'm the odd man out, as everybody I've ever talked to considers it profound.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Sandman\" by Neil Gaiman. Also a graphic novel, but this series literally reinvented comics to me, and to many other readers.",
          "reason": "Says the series transformed their view of comics and recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as a graphic novel series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876206,
          "author": "ramidarigaz",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T06:44:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876206",
          "commentText": "American Gods is awesome. One of Neil Gaiman's best works, along with the Sandman series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "along with the Sandman series",
          "reason": "Calls the series one of the author's best works.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neil Gaiman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "graphic novels",
        "mythology",
        "dark fantasy",
        "graphic novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sparrow-c6831b",
      "title": "The Sparrow",
      "author": "Mary Doria Russell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40878433,
          "author": "thepuppet33r",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-04T22:01:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40878433",
          "commentText": "The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell.\nhttps://marydoriarussell.net/novels/the-sparrow/\nAlmost didn't finish it. Whatever your feelings on religion are, it's a fascinating and heartbreaking exploration of how far a man can be pushed before he loses faith in his god.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell.",
          "reason": "Calls it a fascinating and heartbreaking exploration of faith under extreme pressure.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says reactions may vary with one's feelings about religion.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39729464,
          "author": "bookofjoe",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T21:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729464",
          "commentText": "\"A Canticle For Leibowitz\"\n\"The Sparrow\"\n\"Lord of Light\"\n\"The Immortal\"\n\"Hyperion\"\n\"The Last Question\"\n\"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?\"\n\"Stranger in a Strange Land\"\n\"The City and the Stars\"\n\"Childhood's End\"\n\"Anathem\"\n\"Eifelheim\"\n\"A Case of Conscience\"\n\"VALIS\" trilogy\n\"The Book of Strange New Things\"\n\"Behold The Man\"\n\"The God Engines\"\n\"Book of the New Sun\"\n\"The Parable of the Sower\"\n\"The Dosadi Experiment\"\n\"Grass\"\n\"Project Pope\"\n\"Calculating God\"\n\"Factoring Humanity\"\n\"Jesus on Mars\"\n\"Surface Detail",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Sparrow\"",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about books that changed perspectives on religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536654,
          "author": "dochtman",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:35:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536654",
          "commentText": "Isaac Asimov is one of the classics, of course. I'm particularly fond of the robot novels (all four of the Elijah Baley ones especially) and the entire Foundation series. Of course, you also can't miss the robot short stories. Oh, and The End of Eternity!\nAt some point I found Charles Stross' Accelerando, which is freely available online (along with a bunch of other short stories), and found everything I've read (which is most of it at this point, I think) enjoyably fast-paced. In particular the Laundry series (of which I've bought every iteration as soon as they came out over the past few years) -- though arguably these maybe cross-over from SF into fantasy a bit -- and the Halting State trilogy.\nIn terms of online available work, Cory Doctorow's work is also great. Like Stross, most of his work is more near-term SF, which I have liked, and a bunch of it is available online under a Creative Commons license. It often moves fast and is also politically interesting; sometimes the activism shines through a little blatantly, but the themes are always make me thing in various ways I appreciate (but maybe will fail your lighthearted criterion even if it is fun). His latest is Walkaway, which I would recommend.\nI got into Neal Stephenson through Cryptonomicon, which is one of the greats. Stephenson has a pretty rambly, wordy style, but at least that also makes his stories last a bit longer. After that, I mostly moved on to Anathem, Reamde and Seveneves all of which are big and interesting and great reads (it took me longer than usual to get up to speed on Anathem, but it was very much worth it in the end). I tried one of the more historic ones (I think it was Quicksilver) at some point but haven't finished it. The 2017 Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. was a bit lighter, but lots of fun, too.\nWilliam Gibson has already been mentioned, which I would also recommend. I read the Sprawl trilogy a very long time ago, and it's made a lasting expression. I've started rereading it recently. I also liked the Blue Ant trilogy and The Peripheral, but have so far missed the more recent work.\nMore in the one-off category: The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell is one of my all-time favorites, and mixes deep SF with psychology and religion in interesting ways. There's a sequel, but it's not as good. I also liked The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, which is also on the softer side. I read Scalzi's Redshirts and liked it (especially if you're familiar with the Star Trek universe), it feels similar to Ready Player One in some ways. Daniel Suarez's (or Leinad Zeraus as he originally published them) Daemon is fun and easy to digest, along with its sequel Freedom. I liked Robert J. Sawyer's The Terminal Experiment, but one person I recommended it too wasn't impressed -- I still think it's fun, if not very deep. I also bought his Factoring Humanity and liked it okay.\nHope that helps. Always interested in more recommendations based on this list!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell is one of my all-time favorites",
          "reason": "Calls it one of their all-time favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056570,
          "author": "elorant",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:27:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056570",
          "commentText": "Everything from Asimov.\nThe Mars trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson.\nThe Culture books from Iain Banks.\nThe Rama series from Clarke although it got tiresome after a while.\nThe Sparrow and Children of God from Mary Doria Russell.\nContact by Sagan which by the way is one of the very few sci-fi books that were successfully depicted in movies.\nBrave new world from Huxley. Old one but still highly relevant.\nThe first ones from Gibson.\nThe Enter series by Orson Scott Card.\nBradbury's Farhenheit 451. This one is a classic.\nRevelation Space from Alaistair Reynolds who writes the most hardcore sci-fi I've ever come across.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Sparrow and Children of God from Mary Doria Russell.",
          "reason": "Listed among favorite science fiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4967310,
          "author": "arram",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T22:39:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967310",
          "commentText": "I read 27 books in 2012. Here are some of the more interesting ones:\nShogun - James Clavel. 'Epic' is the best word I can use to describe this historical fiction. I first read it in 2009 and have reread all 1100 pages multiple times since. The first English pilot to reach the Japans discovers a culture that, while strange, is in many ways far more advanced than his own. The fictional Lord Toranaga is based on the historical Tokugawa Ieyasu, a brilliant strategist who founded a dynasty that lasted 268 years. The book is full of the real Tokugawa's writings, which can be very profound. For anyone familiar with the 'marshmallow test' for determining how well 5 year olds will do later in life, Tokugawa had it figured out 370 years before Walter Mischel:\n\"The strong manly ones in life are those who understand the meaning of the word patience. Patience means restraining one's inclinations. There are seven emotions: joy, anger, anxiety, adoration, grief, fear, and hate, and if a man does not give way to these he can be called patient. I am not as strong as I might be, but I have long known and practiced patience. And if my descendants wish to be as I am, they must study patience.\"\nLieutenant Hornblower - C.S. Forrester. Shogun taught me that reading historical fiction made regular history much more interesting, which made me seek out more historical fiction. This is a series of 12 books covering the career of a British navel man during the Napoleonic Wars. Gene Roddenberry based the character of Jean Luc Picard on its protagonist. My recommendation won't be as strong as these gentlemen though: \"I find Hornblower admirable.\" -Winston Churchill, and \"I recommend Forester to everyone literate I know,\" -Ernest Hemingway\nThe Sparrow - Mary Doria Russell. I found this through another Hacker News book thread. I enjoyed it so much that after reading the sequel I immediately went back and read the first book again. SETI discovers music coming from Alpha Centauri and the Jesuits are the first to launch an expedition to investigate. It's science fiction, but unlike most science fiction, the story is more about the characters and their relationships than it is about exploring the consequences of an interesting premise.\nCall Me Ted - Ted Turner. At the peak (before the AOL-Time Warner merger debacle) Ted Turner was worth $10 Billion. His autobiography is a great look into the sort of exceptional personality that creates that kind of exceptional result. Everything from growing up in the south and almost being lynched in school when someone started a rumor that he'd badmouthed General Robert E. Lee, to transforming his dad's billboard company several times until it was a media empire with TV channels like CNN, TNT, and Cartoon Network. Here's a great excerpt from a section written by a friend of his:\n\"And you know what I’m going to do next after I have the fourth network?” I said, “No, Ted, what’s that?” “I’m going to run for president and be elected.” Now I thought to myself, “This guy is absolutely nuts— and I’ve just agreed to lend him all this money!” I said to Ted, “Oh, Ted, don’t tell anybody else about that, okay?” And he said, “Cuz, your trouble is you don’t understand the power of television. Let me show you.” He pulled a little book of matches out of his desk drawer and he said, “Okay, it’s Saturday morning at 7: 30 and it’s Captain Teddy’s Kiddy Hour, and I come on television and I say, ‘Hey kids, today we’re going to play a game and it’s going to be so much fun. Now, don’t tell Mommy and Daddy, this is our secret between Captain Teddy and you. Now, everybody go get some matches. See Captain Teddy’s matches? Go get some just like this.’” Then he goes over to his window he says, “All right kids, everybody got your match? Go to the window and strike your match and light the curtain or the drape,” at which point he struck his match right near the old cheesecloth thing he had hanging in front of his window and then he flung the window open and he said to me, “At that point, I’d look out over Atlanta and watch it burn.” It was an incredible performance.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed it so much that after reading the sequel I immediately went back and read the first book again.",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed it enough to reread it after the sequel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The story focuses more on characters and relationships than on the premise's consequences.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2089188,
          "author": "DanielBMarkham",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T18:07:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2089188",
          "commentText": "This subject keeps coming up so much I made a site just to keep track of books hn'ers recommend to each other: http://hn-books.com\nI think out of all the books I read, the stoicism book made the biggest impact on me --  http://www.hn-books.com/Books/A-Guide-to-the-Good-Life-The-A... (http://www.hn-books.com/Books/A-Guide-to-the-Good-Life-The-Ancient-Art-of-Stoic-Joy.htm) . It really came out of left field and provided immediately useful advice on how to conduct myself both as a founder and as a hacker. But \"The Sparrow\" was the best sci-fi I have read in years, so I can't exclude that. Terrifically good book. http://www.hn-books.com/Books/The-Sparrow.htm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Sparrow\" was the best sci-fi I have read in years",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the best science fiction they had read in years and a terrifically good book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043523,
          "author": "coffeenut",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:17:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043523",
          "commentText": "The Sparrow - Mary Doria Russell.  Hands down one of the best sci-fi books I've ever read.\nOh, and anything by Neil Stephenson (except Zodiac).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Sparrow - Mary Doria Russell.  Hands down one of the best sci-fi books I've ever read.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the best sci-fi books they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mary Doria Russell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "religion",
        "jesuits",
        "theological science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "thinking-in-systems-5eac44",
      "title": "Thinking in Systems",
      "author": "Donella H. Meadows",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268867,
          "author": "fredoliveira",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:08:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268867",
          "commentText": "Read a lot this year — a lot more than most years. A few highlights:\nThe making of the atomic bomb by Richard Rhodes was probably the best of the bunch. I read it because I see some parallels between the discovery of atomic power and the search for AGI, and wanted an insight on the ethics and decision making of the time. It didn't disappoint.\nThe dawn of everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow was a solid read and retelling of how civilization began and evolved.\nThe message by Ta-Nehisi Coates, I read in two sittings — it was that impactful. A reminder of how the oppressed becomes the oppressor again and again. \"As it happens, you can See the world but never see the people in it\"\nOther highlights: The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt; re-read Thinking in Systems by Daniella Meadows; re-read Wherever You Go There You Are by Jon Kabat Zinn; The light eaters by Zoe Schlanger; I don't want to talk about it, by Terrence Real.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "re-read Thinking in Systems by Daniella Meadows",
          "reason": "Mentions rereading it among the year's highlights.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33800373,
          "author": "whoisjohnkid",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T13:27:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33800373",
          "commentText": "Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows\nThis introduced me to systems thinking which gives an interesting perspective on how to solve complex systemic problems.\nConcepts can be applied to engineering or any other field",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows",
          "reason": "Introduced the commenter to systems thinking as a way to approach complex systemic problems.",
          "audience": "Applicable to engineering and other fields.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32937407,
          "author": "codexjourneys",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T11:24:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937407",
          "commentText": "I'm reading The Once and Future World by J.B. MacKinnon, and I'm reading extra slowly because I'm enjoying it so much.\nIt's about nature, how we're wired to think the wild landscapes we grew up with were pristine, how it's truly evolved through history in response to humans' presence and it's hard to really pinpoint a baseline, and how much wildlife and plant life has vanished so far in the last two hundred years (from whatever fuzzy baseline we can arrive at).\nEarlier this year, I read Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows and on almost every page I was taking notes! A huge eye-opener and felt like a missing link across sciences and social sciences. Also extremely readable and engaging.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A huge eye-opener and felt like a missing link across sciences and social sciences. Also extremely readable and engaging.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its insights and readability.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23858918,
          "author": "seitzej",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:47:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858918",
          "commentText": "Thinking in Systems - Donella Meadows\nFinite and Infinite Games - James Carse",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking in Systems - Donella Meadows",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19899499,
          "author": "ncphillips",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T14:23:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19899499",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed this book a lot but  Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows is definitely a better introduction to systems thinking",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows is definitely a better introduction to systems thinking",
          "reason": "Praised as a better introduction to systems thinking than the book under discussion.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an introduction to systems thinking.",
          "caveat": "Presented as better than An Introduction to General Systems Thinking.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16759284,
          "author": "jquinby",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T21:25:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16759284",
          "commentText": "Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows\nGetting to Yes by Roger Fisher and William Ury\nARRL Handbook for Radio Communications\nARRL Antenna Book\nAmerican Heritage Dictionary, 5th Ed.\nBible/Lectionary, Breviary, and Catechism\nIf fiction counts, I will probably never delete Flatland or the complete Joseph Conrad from my Kindle.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14508601,
          "author": "vldx",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-07T18:14:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14508601",
          "commentText": "Peter Senge's Fifth Discipline is great. Related, I would also recommend \"Thinking in Systems\" by Donella Meadows and \"An Introduction to General Systems Thinking\" by Jerry Weinberg.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would also recommend \"Thinking in Systems\" by Donella Meadows",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it as a related book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donella H. Meadows"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "systems thinking",
        "feedback loops",
        "systems theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wool-b63b95",
      "title": "Wool",
      "author": "Hugh Howey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42511189,
          "author": "dmd",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T21:11:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42511189",
          "commentText": "Huh. Maybe I should try it again. I read a lot (https://3e.org/books/) and I found Wool to be so execrably awful I couldn't get last the first 100 pages. Like literally some of the worst writing I'd ever seen.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I found Wool to be so execrably awful I couldn't get last the first 100 pages.",
          "reason": "The commenter found the writing among the worst they had read and could not get past the first 100 pages.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021801,
          "author": "hesdeadjim",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:14:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021801",
          "commentText": "* Greg Egan’s short story collections, Diaspora, and Permutation City. Fair warning, Egan puts the “hard” in “hard sci-fi”.\n* Haven’t finished the Expanse final trilogy, but I really enjoyed the first two.\n* The Wool series\n* Project Hail Mary, for story reasons I’d recommend the audio book.\n* We Are Bob trilogy, fourth book is garbage.\n* Old Man’s War\n* The Culture Series by Ian Banks\n* If you enjoyed Seveneves, and thus can tolerate Stephenson’s consistent habit to drop the ball in the last 20% of his books, Diamond Age is enjoyable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Wool series",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32200252,
          "author": "ylee",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-23T04:06:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32200252",
          "commentText": "Currently actively reading:\nThe Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War by Clark\nThe Napoleonic Wars: A Global History by Mikaberidze\nAn Introduction to Programming in Emacs Lisp by Chassell\nThe Girl from the Channel Islands by Lecoat\nRecently completed:\nLeviathan Falls by Corey\nIron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia, 1600-1947 by Clark\nShowstopper! the Breakneck Race to Create Windows NT and the Next Generation at Microsoft by Zachary\nMercury Rising: John Glenn, John Kennedy, and the New Battleground of the Cold War by Shesol\nSeeking Love in Modern Britain: Gender, Dating and the Rise of 'the Single' by Strimpel\nThe Club: Johnson, Boswell, and the Friends Who Shaped an Age by Damrosch\nCome Fly with Us: NASA's Payload Specialist Program by Croft\nAerial Warfare: The Battle for the Skies by Ledwidge\nDe Gaulle by Jackson\n1913: The Year Before the Storm by Illies\nVichy France by Paxton\nYear Zero by Reid\nAnd the Show Went On: Cultural Life in Nazi-occupied Paris by Riding\nThe Kinsman Saga by Bova\nThe Triumph of William McKinley: Why the Election of 1896 Still Matters by Rove\nLa Place De La Concorde Suisse by McPhee\nEnd of a Berlin Diary by Shirer\nSeizing the Enigma: The Race to Break the German U-Boat Codes, 1933-1945 by Kahn\nHell and Good Company: The Spanish Civil War and the World it Made by Rhodes\nThe Forgotten Depression: 1921 : The Crash that Cured Itself by Grant\nBernard Baruch by Grant\nWool by Howey\nProject Hail Mary by Weir",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Wool by Howey",
          "reason": "Listed among recently completed books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17537021,
          "author": "tastyham",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T20:51:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537021",
          "commentText": "Wool",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wool",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to a request for enjoyable fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10532947,
          "author": "domaniac",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T13:46:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10532947",
          "commentText": "Wool by Hugh Howey (fiction)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wool by Hugh Howey (fiction)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for the best books read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107033,
          "author": "INTPenis",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:45:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107033",
          "commentText": "I really liked the Wool series, Wool, Shift, Dust.\nThe Expanse series is fast paced, hollywood-style action, sci-fi but gets sort of repetitive in the 4th book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really liked the Wool series, Wool, Shift, Dust.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really liked the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7301871,
          "author": "yawz",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T00:39:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7301871",
          "commentText": "Are you looking for something similar?\nIt's not easy to recommend something based on a single book but have a look at Vicious by V. E. Schwab, This Perfect Day by Ira Levin or Wool by Hugh Howey.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Wool by Hugh Howey",
          "reason": "Suggests the book as a possible read in response to a request for science-fiction suggestions.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking science-fiction suggestions.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that recommending from a single book is difficult.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6898810,
          "author": "bmelton",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T02:58:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6898810",
          "commentText": "The Silo Saga, by Hugh Howey.  Originally self-published and released as short Kindle \"Singles\", the first section of the series is collected in \"Wool\".  The Omnibus collects the first five singles, and is $6 on Amazon[1]... but if you want to test it out, the first single he released is still available for free in the Kindle store.  It ranks among the best zero dollars I spent all year.\nBehind that, I really enjoyed \"White Noise\" by Don Delillo, though I did have some problems with characterization (basically, all the characters were the author), and Democracy Incorporated: Managed Democracy and the Specter of Inverted Totalitarianism\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Wool-Part-One-Hugh-Howey-ebook/dp/B005... (http://www.amazon.com/Wool-Part-One-Hugh-Howey-ebook/dp/B005FC52L0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386903043&sr=8-1&keywords=Wool+Part+1)\n[2] http://www.amazon.com/Wool-Omnibus-Silo-Saga-ebook/dp/B0071X... (http://www.amazon.com/Wool-Omnibus-Silo-Saga-ebook/dp/B0071XO8RA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386903023&sr=8-1&keywords=Wool)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the first section of the series is collected in \"Wool\".",
          "reason": "Identified as the collection of the series' first section.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6700093,
          "author": "bmelton",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-09T00:38:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6700093",
          "commentText": "Not reading it currently, but I can't let a thread like this go by without suggesting the Silo Saga by Hugh Howey.  The first book in the series is \"Wool: Part 1\", which (last I looked) was a free Kindle book on Amazon, and I'd graduated to purchasing the rest of the series before finishing the second chapter.\nIt's a phenomenal series, and I'm a little embarrassed that it took me so long to find it.\nAside from that, I had started (before his passing) an Elmore Leonard marathon with the goal of completing every single novel that Leonard has ever written.  If you're ordinarily a sci-fi reader, perhaps this isn't the best suggestion, but I find the wit, terseness and change of pace extremely refreshing.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The first book in the series is \"Wool: Part 1\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387555,
          "author": "finin",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T23:45:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387555",
          "commentText": "Wool by Hugh Howey",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Wool by Hugh Howey",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4967456,
          "author": "mdavidgreen",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T23:32:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967456",
          "commentText": "Third that one. I'm not anxious to see a movie of Wool, but I hope one gets made for the sake of the author.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Third that one.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly seconds the recommendation for Wool.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is not eager to see a movie adaptation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4597567,
          "author": "joelhooks",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-01T15:36:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 4596721,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4597567",
          "commentText": "Molly Fyde series from Hugh Howey. Loved his WOOL books, so giving this series a go. Like it a lot.\nMindstorms: Children, Computers, And Powerful Ideas - just started this, and enjoying it so far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Loved his WOOL books",
          "reason": "The commenter says they loved these books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hugh Howey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopian fiction",
        "post apocalyptic",
        "dystopian",
        "post apocalyptic fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "all-marketers-are-liars-322b86",
      "title": "All Marketers Are Liars",
      "author": "Seth Godin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6130130,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2013-07-30T21:18:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 6130006,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read re marketing for my website?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6130130",
          "commentText": "I'm not sure if the fact that it's a game changes anything or not as I don't play in that space myself.  But just in terms of marketing in general, some of the essentials include:\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing - Al Ries & Jack Trout\nPositioning - Al Ries & Jack Trout\nRepositioning - Jack Trout (with Steve Rivkin)\nDifferentiate or Die - Jack Trout (with Steve Rivkin)\nThe Ultimate Marketing Plan - Dan S. Kennedy\nThe Ultimate Sales Machine - Chet Holmes\nAll Marketers Are Liars - Seth Godin\nThe Purple Cow - Seth Godin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All Marketers Are Liars - Seth Godin",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1080886,
          "author": "Alex3917",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-27T16:48:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 1080708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Marketing Books for Developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1080886",
          "commentText": "All Marketers are Liars, Permission Marketing, Crossing the Chasm, Positioning, 4 steps to the epiphany\nThat's probably enough for a while. And if you haven't already read Getting Real then read that too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All Marketers are Liars",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for marketing book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 193338,
          "author": "bigbee",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-18T13:18:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 193308,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What books on marketing do you recomend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=193338",
          "commentText": "Everything from Seth Godin. Permission Marketing, All Marketers are Liers and Purple Cow are my personal favorites.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All Marketers are Liers",
          "reason": "The commenter names it among their personal favorites.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in marketing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 142997,
          "author": "Alex3917",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T01:21:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=142997",
          "commentText": "I only read non-fiction that's counterintuitive. I figure, hey, I'm pretty smart, so if it's intuitive then I can probably figure it out on my own. A list of stuff I cite most often:\nNo Contest & Punished by Rewards by Alfie Kohn\nStatus Anxiety by Alain de Botton\nPG's essays & ITConversations interviews\nThe Underground History of American Education by John Taylor Gatto\nThe Singularity is Near by Kurzweil\nThis graph: http://alexkrupp.com/picture_library/plot.jpg\nDee Hock's essay on leadership\nA handful of blog posts by Mark Cuban\nAll Marketers are Liars & Free Prize Inside by Seth Godin. All of the books that Seth recommends are also worth reading.\nBruce Schneier's interview on ITConversations\nMagic Ink, an essay by Bret Victor\nWar Is A  Force That Gives Us Meaning by Chris Hedges\nThe Cluetrain Manifesto (the book)\nI'm sure there's a lot more, but that's what comes to mind right now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All Marketers are Liars & Free Prize Inside by Seth Godin.",
          "reason": "Includes it among the nonfiction works the commenter cites most often.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56855,
          "author": "samson",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T13:41:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56855",
          "commentText": "Here are three books that I have loved reading\n1. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie\nI know its been mentioned already, but truly this is a book worth mentioning twice. For the introverted or the arugmentative type and for anyone else, this book hits alot critical and sometimes overlooked human traits that everyone should be aware of in their daily interactions with other people.\nA few quotes by Carnegie.\nAvoid arguments\n\"you can't win an argument, because if you win it you lose it, and if you lose...well you lose it.\"\n\"few people think of themselves as bad people\"\n-means regardless of how they look,dress or talk, most people are appproachable with a smile and a \"hi\".\n\"people will always strive to justify themselves\".\nAll three of these quotes are connected.\n2. The Innovators Solution - Christensen and Raynor\nIf you've ever heard the quote \"First they ignore you,... then they fight you, then you win.\" by Gandhi. This book puts it in perspective in relation to how small companies over take large companies. \n3.The 48 Laws of Power _ Robert Greene.\n Go Go read if you haven't yet. This is a great book! It pullls lessons which you can learn from various types of people throughout history from painters,generals to presidents.\nMy favorite was Law 28: \"Enter action with boldness\". Be bold in your ideas, be bold in how your carry yourself in life.\nI know I said three 3, but Seth Godin still deserves some mention with All marketers are liars. Which simply I take to mean for us here is if your developing a startup, make sure it has a good...no a great story to tell.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seth Godin still deserves some mention with All marketers are liars.",
          "reason": "Connects the book's story-focused idea to developing a startup.",
          "audience": "People developing a startup.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56763,
          "author": "adsyoung",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T07:13:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56763",
          "commentText": "Fooled By Randomness by Nassim Taleb and Seth Godin's book All Marketers Are Liars have just completely changed the way I think about the business world. \nI'm looking forward to getting to The Black Swan by Nassim Taleb.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "have just completely changed the way I think about the business world.",
          "reason": "Says the book changed how they think about business.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in marketing and business.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5725,
          "author": "nostrademons",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T17:07:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5725",
          "commentText": "My list, categorized:\nBusiness & Management\n1. Innovator's Dilemma and Innovator's Solution by Clayton Christensen\n2. Built to Last and Good to Great by Jim Collins.  Built to Last is more applicable for startups.\n3. Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks.  Anyone who has to manage a team of programmers and hasn't read this will fail utterly, unless they've already failed before (or been on a failing team).  There's a lot that's counterintuitive about software project management.\n4. Peter Drucker's work.  Kinda long and repetitive, but some good insights.\nMarketing\n1. All Marketers are Liars by Seth Godin.  I like this better than Purple Cow, Guerilla Marketer's Handbook, and The Big Red Fez.  Most of those have fairly obvious stuff.\n2. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell\n3. Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore\nTechnical\n1. Building Scalable Websites by Cal Henderson\n2. High Performance MySQL by Jeremy Zawodny\n3. Pragmatic Programmer by...well, it's mentioned elsewhere here.\nThere are lots of other technical books I like, but most of them aren't directly relevant to the startup I'm building",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I like this better than Purple Cow, Guerilla Marketer's Handbook, and The Big Red Fez.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly prefers it to the other marketing books listed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The preference is relative to the other titles mentioned.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5574,
          "author": "python_kiss",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T02:11:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5574",
          "commentText": "About 14 months ago, I had little knowledge of how to execute a startup. In particular, I wasn't familiar with any online marketing tactics. The following books helped me a lot in that respective, and more:\n\n1. Positioning, 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing/Branding, Focus, Marketing Warfare\n2. Purple Cow, All Marketers are Liars, Permission Marketing (I didn't like \"The Big Moo\", \"Free prize inside\" or \"Small is the new Big\").\n3. Founters At Work\n4. Wikinomics, Wisdom of Crowds, The Tipping Point (Blink! was alright). I am looking forward to reading \"The Long Tail\" and \"The starfish and the spider\"...has anyone read them yet?\n6. Why We Buy\n7. Hackers and Painters\n8. The E-Myth revisited\n9. The Art of the Start\n10. On War, The Art of War by Machiavelli and Sun Tzu (not exactly for startups, but definitely useful)\n11. Crossing the Chasm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All Marketers are Liars",
          "reason": "Listed among books that helped the commenter learn startup execution and online marketing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Seth Godin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marketing",
        "storytelling",
        "branding",
        "marketing strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "commonwealth-saga-d18329",
      "title": "Commonwealth Saga",
      "author": "Peter F. Hamilton",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41803055,
          "author": "mjcurl",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-10T20:14:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41803055",
          "commentText": "The Commonwealth Saga. A sci fi series by Peter F. Hamilton, it covers so many ideas that I'd stay up wondering about. I got engrossed in the sci fi future it created.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Commonwealth Saga. A sci fi series by Peter F. Hamilton",
          "reason": "The commenter says it covers many ideas and created an engrossing science-fiction future.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32198147,
          "author": "jimmygrapes",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T23:00:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32198147",
          "commentText": "I haven't yet read the books (they're in the queue, but I'm currently going through Peter Hamilton's Commonwealth Saga/Universe[0] first)... but the show was both really interesting and really awful, imo. It had a good premise initially, the bit about mathematical formulae that can guide humanity through existential struggle, and then it just kinda dropped the ball on that concept beyond a few scenes. The show apparently introduced a concept not really emphasized in the books, according to others I've talked to, in the form of \"Empire\" - a singular man, cloned multiple times, with a youth version (Dawn), an adult version (Day), and an elderly version (Dusk), some of which overlap beyond just the 3 generations. That was one of the more interesting bits of the TV series to me, since the rest was somewhat muddled and incoherently presented. Acting ranged from decent to awful. Too much mystery building for a show with no guarantee of a renewal. Worth a shot if you're bored and into SF though.\n[0]: https://www.goodreads.com/series/108563-commonwealth-univers... (https://www.goodreads.com/series/108563-commonwealth-universe)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm currently going through Peter Hamilton's Commonwealth Saga/Universe[0] first",
          "reason": "Currently reading the Commonwealth Saga/Universe before the other books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20334368,
          "author": "aneidon",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T12:34:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20334368",
          "commentText": "I'm currently reading the Commonwealth Saga by Peter F. Hamilton, and would highly recommend it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "would highly recommend it",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly recommends the saga.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521617,
          "author": "kalimatas",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T09:41:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521617",
          "commentText": "Peter F. Hamilton, \"Commonwealth Saga\" and \"Void Trilogy\". Among the best Sci-Fi I've ever read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Commonwealth Saga\" and \"Void Trilogy\". Among the best Sci-Fi I've ever read.",
          "reason": "Calls the named series among the best science fiction they have read.",
          "audience": "Science fiction readers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249383,
          "author": "tavish1",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T11:22:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249383",
          "commentText": "I started reading sci-fi(mostly hard-sf) after I read the commonwealth saga, 'Pandora's star' and 'Judas unchained'. It was just really entertaining and unlike anything I've read. Also really recommend 'Snow crash'. Also adding a couple fantasy recommendations: Lies of Locke lamora, and any basically any novel by Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn: the final empire, Warbreaker, The way of kings etc.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I started reading sci-fi(mostly hard-sf) after I read the commonwealth saga,",
          "reason": "The commenter describes the saga as the starting point for their science-fiction reading and says the experience was entertaining.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy hard science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043657,
          "author": "Anon84",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T21:05:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043657",
          "commentText": "I've just finished Hamilton's Commonwealth Saga and it's definitely one of the best books I've read in a long time.\nThe first three Dune novels are particularly good. Dune has a tendency to get more philosophical in the later volumes (plans within plans within plans).\nIf I had to choose an all time favorite I would probably go with Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy (Red/Green/Blue Mars). An extremely well researched view of how Mars colonization and terraforming might proceed in a realistic way.\nHe also has a trilogy on the possible/likely consequences of runaway global warming (Forty Signs of Rain, Fifty Degrees Below, Sixty Days and Counting) but RGB Mars is definitely better.\nEdit: \"The content of Green Mars and the cover artwork for Red Mars are included on the Phoenix DVD, carried onboard Phoenix, a NASA lander that successfully touched down on Mars in May 2008. The First Interplanetary Library is intended to be a sort of time capsule for future Mars explorers and colonists.\" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_trilogy#On_Phoenix_spacecr... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_trilogy#On_Phoenix_spacecraft)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hamilton's Commonwealth Saga",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the best books they have read in a long time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1974693,
          "author": "arethuza",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T10:03:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974693",
          "commentText": "I've read Peter Hamilton's Night's Dawn trilogy and the Commonwealth Saga - the latter is much better but still suffers a lot, in my view, from poor characterization - something that Banks can be very good at (his bad guys can occasionally come from central casting though).\nBanks is in a different class from Hamilton - in general I think the quality of his work has dropped off a bit but some of his earlier writing is exceptional: Use of Weapons is particularly strong.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the Commonwealth Saga - the latter is much better but still suffers a lot, in my view, from poor characterization",
          "reason": "Says it is better than the Night's Dawn trilogy but criticizes its characterization.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Still suffers from poor characterization, in the commenter's view.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1974540,
          "author": "huhtenberg",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T08:47:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974540",
          "commentText": "Have you read Peter Hamilton? Specifically, the Commonwealth Saga.\nBanks is good, but I find his universes are to be sketchy and sometimes fairly shallow and not well-thought through (e.g. the one in the Algebraist). Hamilton is as creative as Banks, when it comes to the concepts, but he really delivers on the depth and complexity of the story lines and the actual execution. If you haven't read him, do it. If you have, I'd be curious to hear how you compare him to Banks.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Specifically, the Commonwealth Saga.",
          "reason": "Asks whether the other person has read it and urges them to read Hamilton if not.",
          "audience": "Readers comparing Peter Hamilton and Iain Banks.",
          "caveat": "Asks how the other person compares Hamilton to Banks.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter F. Hamilton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "first contact",
        "interstellar civilization",
        "far future"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "delivering-happiness-050eb9",
      "title": "Delivering Happiness",
      "author": "Tony Hsieh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229635,
          "author": "toumhi",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T14:51:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229635",
          "commentText": "Self-help/personal development/philosophy:\n- The obstacle is the way (Ryan Holiday)\n- Meditations (Marcus Aurelius)\n- Level up your life: how to unlock adventure and happiness by becoming the hero of your own story\n- the six pillars of self-esteem\n- so good they can’t ignore you\n- the power of habit\n- how to fail at almost everything and still win big\nBusiness:\n- soft sell: the new art of selling\n- essentialism: the disciplined pursuit of less\n- the magic of thinking big\n- everything is negotiable\n- making things happen\n- lean customer development\n- what customers want\n- inspired: how to create products customers love\n- delivering happiness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "delivering happiness",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785820,
          "author": "nkzednan",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T21:37:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785820",
          "commentText": "Riyria Revelations trilogy - quite good. Follows two thieves for hire. Read the books in publication order\nReady player one - liked it\nsamurai's garden\nExpanse series by James Corey entertaining\nSteelheart and Firefight by Sanderson- good but like Mistborn better\nWorm online serial parahumans good\nNonfiction I read: Delivering happiness, Drive, Power of Habit, Power of full engagement",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Delivering happiness, Drive, Power of Habit, Power of full engagement",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8716345,
          "author": "tdobson",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T13:47:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8716345",
          "commentText": "It's not a new book, but Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh has had a great impact on me.\nFun and easy to read book too. :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's not a new book, but Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh has had a great impact on me.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book had a great impact on them and describes it as fun and easy to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4787418,
          "author": "timmm",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:19:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787418",
          "commentText": "The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho.\nKing, Warrior, Magician, Lover by Moore and Gillette\nThe lean startup\nPaul Graham how to start a startup\nMark Hyman Ultimate Mind Solution\nTribal Leadership\nWheel of Time\nThink and Grow Rich\nSuperior Man David Deida\nThe Fountain Head\nEckhart Tolle New Earth\n50th Law\nGood to Great\nJed Mckenna\nEarl Nightengale\nLong Walk to Freedom\nOutliers\nGood to Great\nPsycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz (Self-image)\nSeven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey(Being awesome)\nWealth of Nations\nWayne Dyer The Tao\nSystem of the World\nOrigin of Species\nBrave new world\nThank you economy\nCrush it\nBuilt to Last\nWho Moved my Cheese\nStillness Speak Eckhert Tolle\nMastery George Leonard\nSteve Jobs Biography\nThe Last Lecture\nSteve Pavlina Books\nIacocca\nStriking Thoughts Bruce Lee\nCarlos Castaneda\nGhost in the Wires\nRichest Man in Babylon\nWay of the Superior Man\nLosing My Virginity\nThink and Grow Rich\nDelivering Happiness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Delivering Happiness",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4530118,
          "author": "Roelven",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-16T19:44:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 4530022,
          "threadTitle": "What to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4530118",
          "commentText": "Here are some of the top of my head, assuming you already read some:\n- The New Capitalist Manifesto - Umar Haque\n- Net Smart - Howard Rheingold\n- Delivering Happiness - Tony Hsieh\n- Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert M. Pirsig",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Delivering Happiness - Tony Hsieh",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to a request for nonfiction books to bring on holiday.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569339,
          "author": "atldev",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T22:26:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569339",
          "commentText": "I'm reading this right now. I have to say, I saw Tony on an episode of the Apprentice and was left with the (apparently wrong) impression that he didn't have much personality.\nHowever, in his writing, he comes across as humble, hard-working and brilliant. He also strikes me as someone who is a little crazy and probably a blast to hang out with.\nThe book is a great read and inspirational for anyone contemplating the tough road for a startup founder. It gives you a fascinating window into the mind of an entrepreneur who has built and sold quickly (LinkExchange) and then went on to build an \"overnight success\" 10 years in the making.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book is a great read and inspirational for anyone contemplating the tough road for a startup founder.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great, inspirational read for people considering the challenges of founding a startup.",
          "audience": "Anyone contemplating the tough road for a startup founder.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569194,
          "author": "eande",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:42:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569194",
          "commentText": "Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh (Zappos CEO)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh (Zappos CEO)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tony Hsieh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "company culture",
        "entrepreneurship",
        "customer service",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "getting-real-3fc1a9",
      "title": "Getting Real",
      "author": "Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson, and Matthew Linderman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42690522,
          "author": "schappim",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-13T22:42:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 42686034,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read regarding software development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42690522",
          "commentText": "When I was at university Getting Real was a big influence[1].\n[1] https://books.37signals.com/8/getting-real",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Getting Real was a big influence",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book was influential during university.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2330440,
          "author": "riskish",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-16T02:29:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 2329700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that change your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2330440",
          "commentText": "I have found these books to be very influential in my thinking on web startups and building things in general:\n1) Hackers & Painters - PG\n2) Smart & Get Things Done - Joel Spolsky\n3) Rework - Jason Fried\n4) Getting Real - Jason Fried\n5) Founders at Work - Jessica Livingston\n6) Joel on Software - Joel Spolsky\nThese are by far some of my favorites.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "4) Getting Real - Jason Fried",
          "reason": "Includes it among books they found influential and among their favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569793,
          "author": "tszming",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T01:42:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1567456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I want to start a web company what books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569793",
          "commentText": "Don't read too much before getting your feet wet.\nIf you must pick one, Getting Real is all what you need.\nhttp://gettingreal.37signals.com\nQuote: \"Everyone can read a book. Everyone can come up with an idea. Everyone has a cousin that's a web designer. Everyone can write a blog. Everyone can hire someone to hack together some code.\nThe difference between you and everyone else will be how well you execute. Success is all about great execution.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you must pick one, Getting Real is all what you need.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as the one book to choose for starting a web company.",
          "audience": "People starting a web company.",
          "caveat": "The commenter advises getting started before reading too much.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1568243,
          "author": "javery",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T17:19:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 1567456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I want to start a web company what books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1568243",
          "commentText": "Agree on Four Steps and Getting Real, also check out:\nPurple Cow and The Dip by Seth Godin\nThe Long Tail and Free by Anderson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Agree on Four Steps and Getting Real, also check out:\nPurple Cow and The Dip by Seth Godin\nThe Long Tail and Free by Anderson",
          "reason": "The commenter agrees with the prior recommendation and lists it among books to check out.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1080886,
          "author": "Alex3917",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-27T16:48:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 1080708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Marketing Books for Developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1080886",
          "commentText": "All Marketers are Liars, Permission Marketing, Crossing the Chasm, Positioning, 4 steps to the epiphany\nThat's probably enough for a while. And if you haven't already read Getting Real then read that too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "And if you haven't already read Getting Real then read that too.",
          "reason": "Suggested to readers who have not already read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 658101,
          "author": "jbr",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-15T07:47:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 657892,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite management books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=658101",
          "commentText": "Let my people go surfing -- Yvon Chouinard\nhttp://amzn.com/1594200726\nThe seven day weekend -- Ricardo Semler\nhttp://amzn.com/1591840260\nGetting Real\nhttp://gettingreal.37signals.com/\n--\nAlso, help flesh out the list of books for startups I just created for HN on my site:\nhttp://www.stormweight.com/lists/books-for-startups?p=OyAXcZ",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Getting Real",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 138300,
          "author": "jsmcgd",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-16T18:25:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=138300",
          "commentText": "I'm surprised that 'Getting Real' hasn't been suggested yet, perhaps it has something to do with the recent backlash against 37signals. Anyway I'll stand by it. Fantastic book. I might even go as far as to say 'essential'.\nhttp://gettingreal.37signals.com/toc.php",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fantastic book. I might even go as far as to say 'essential'.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it fantastic and possibly essential.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may be only suggested less often because of backlash against 37signals.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jason Fried",
        "David Heinemeier Hansson",
        "Matthew Linderman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "product development",
        "software startups",
        "web startups",
        "software business"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "head-first-design-patterns-cae2bf",
      "title": "Head First Design Patterns",
      "author": "Eric Freeman, Elisabeth Robson, Bert Bates, and Kathy Sierra",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33614629,
          "author": "dhosek",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-15T20:33:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33614629",
          "commentText": "A lot of confusion comes down to some bad use of inheritance. Probably the most important OO concept is the Liskov Substitution Principal, viz that if you specify a superclass in a certain place, then any subclass should be a valid use there. The strategy pattern (or its hyperpituitary cousin, IoC) takes advantage of this to allow for run-time change of behaviors, e.g., being able to choose through configuration how to serialize a data structure so the same basic logic can output, say, a dataset as a table or a graph. That said, as OO architecture has matured over the last few decades, there has definitely been a tendency to favor composition over inheritance for code flexibility.\nI would recommend Head-First Design Patterns as another great book for being able to “get” object-oriented architecture.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend Head-First Design Patterns as another great book for being able to “get” object-oriented architecture.",
          "reason": "Recommended to help readers understand object-oriented architecture.",
          "audience": "Readers trying to understand object-oriented architecture.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467680,
          "author": "pier25",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:50:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467680",
          "commentText": "- Sapiens\n- The Lord of the Rings\n- Siddhartha\n- Chaos: Making a New Science\n- The Death Gate cycle books\n- Neuromancer\n- Head First Design Patterns\n- Valis\n- Dune\n- The name of the rose\nI'm sure there are more, but these are the ones off the top of my head.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Head First Design Patterns",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12152169,
          "author": "re_todd",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-24T04:02:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12152169",
          "commentText": "Head First Design Patterns is awesome. I read a couple other Design Pattern books, but didn't really get it. I didn't want to buy a \"Head First\" book because it looked kind of silly, but this book has finally opened my eyes to what Design Patterns are about.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Head First Design Patterns is awesome.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them understand design patterns after other books did not.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144746,
          "author": "amerkhalid",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T16:46:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144746",
          "commentText": "1. Head First Design Patterns - Didn't learn patterns in school. This book made a lot of difference in communication with more experienced programmers.\n2. Pragmatic Programmer - A classic, learned many practical tips for day to day programming job.\n3. Founders at Work - Motivated me to work on my side projects and be constantly learning.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Head First Design Patterns",
          "reason": "Says it made a lot of difference in communicating with more experienced programmers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9761768,
          "author": "kat",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T23:20:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9761768",
          "commentText": "If you want a good alternative to the GoF book try Head First Design Patterns. I findit much more approachable and much more enjoyable to read.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Head-First-Design-Patterns-Freeman-ebo... (http://www.amazon.com/Head-First-Design-Patterns-Freeman-ebook/dp/B00AA36RZY)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I findit much more approachable and much more enjoyable to read.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a more approachable and enjoyable alternative to the GoF book.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for an alternative to the GoF book.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7756669,
          "author": "espinchi",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T17:32:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7756669",
          "commentText": "It depends heavily on what stage of your career as a programmer you are.\nI strongly suggest most junior programmers I work with to read Effective Java and Head First Design Patterns. To me, it's a great combination to help you write code that's easy to understand and maintain.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and Head First Design Patterns.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as part of a combination for writing understandable, maintainable code.",
          "audience": "Junior programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2528032,
          "author": "mullr",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-09T09:17:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 2524205,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books for soon to be Software Engineers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2528032",
          "commentText": "* The Pragmatic Programmer (Read this once every 6 months until it's obvious)\n* Head first design patterns\n* Agile Web Development with Rails\nIt's not obvious, but the rails book is a great introduction to test-driven development in general.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Head first design patterns",
          "reason": "Listed as a suggested book for a new software engineer.",
          "audience": "Soon-to-be software engineers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Freeman",
        "Elisabeth Robson",
        "Bert Bates",
        "Kathy Sierra"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software design patterns",
        "object oriented programming",
        "design patterns",
        "object oriented design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mathematics-from-the-birth-of-numbers-21945c",
      "title": "Mathematics: From the Birth of Numbers",
      "author": "Jan Gullberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34441116,
          "author": "steppi",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T15:11:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34441116",
          "commentText": "Some favorites below. Books 0-3 are accessible. The remaining books are more difficult but I'd highly recommend them to math students.\n0. Jan Gullberg, Mathematics, From the Birth of Numbers. A highly accessible popular survey on different branches of higher mathematics. I read this over the Summer between high school and starting my undergraduate degree. It's what made me want to study math. Previously I'd wanted to be a guitar player, but had to find a new ambition after an injury left me unable to play.\n1. The high school mathematics series by Israel Gelfand. Algebra, Trigonometry, The Method of Coordinates, and Functions and Graphs. I\ndidn't have much mathematics background in high school, but working through these really solidified my grasp on the basics.\n2. George Polya. How to Solve it. A short book giving excellent high level advice on mathematical problem solving.\n3. George E. Andrews, Number Theory. I worked through this freshman year contemporaneously with my first proof based class on simple logic and set theory. A very beautiful and accessible introduction to basic number theory. The combinatorial/geometric proofs of Fermat's Little Theorem and Wilson's Theorem are lovely. It also includes a very nice proof of Chebyshev's theorem on the asymptotic density of primes and even the Rogers-Ramanujan identities for integer partitions.\n4. Vladimir Arnold, Ordinary Differential Equations: Undergrad ODE classes are often taught in a cookbook fashion and if so, don't offer much enlightenment. This book explains what's going on at geometrical level. I didn't appreciate ODEs until I read this. See https://www.uni-muenster.de/Physik.TP/~munsteg/arnold.html for Arnold's views on teaching mathematics.\n5. E.C. Titchmarsh The Theory of Functions: Recommended by my undergraduate advisor because he noticed that I liked reading older books. It contains sections on complex analysis and real analysis with measure theory, but I've only read the complex analysis sections. It's not for everyone, if I recall correctly, there is not a single picture, but it is very lively and has a lot of material you won't find in a standard complex analysis book, including Dirichlet series. Excellent as a supplement to a standard complex analysis book.\n6. George Polya. Mathematics and Plausible Reasoning. An excellent expansion on Polya's ideas on How to Solve it. While the goal is to seek rigorous proofs, to get there it's powerful to be able to think based on intuition, heuristics, and plausible reasoning. A lot of math exposition is theorem/proof based and doesn't help develop these skills. In a similar vein, see also Terence Tao's classic post There's more to mathematics than rigour and proofs https://terrytao.wordpress.com/career-advice/theres-more-to-... (https://terrytao.wordpress.com/career-advice/theres-more-to-mathematics-than-rigour-and-proofs/).\n7. H.S.M Coxeter, An Introduction to Geometry. A book of very beautiful classical geometry. Something typically not touched on at all in a typical mathematics curriculum.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jan Gullberg, Mathematics, From the Birth of Numbers.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an accessible survey of higher mathematics and says it inspired them to study math.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an accessible survey of higher mathematics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter read it between high school and undergraduate study.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30486478,
          "author": "linguae",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T08:39:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486478",
          "commentText": "I discovered Mathematics: From the Birth of Numbers in the summer of 2003 at my local library.  At the time I was a high school student taking a summer Algebra 2 class in order to be able to take calculus my senior year for college admissions purposes.  This book instilled in me a love for mathematics, even if I sometimes struggled with the topic.\nJust a few hours ago my copy of Mathematics: Its Content, Methods and Meaning just arrived; I bought this book as a reference of undergraduate-level math concepts based on Hacker News recommendations since I'm right now in the process of reviewing undergraduate-level math to strengthen my understanding of deep learning fundamentals.  I had the opportunity to glance through this book, and I wish I had discovered this book when I was in high school or during my undergraduate years; it appears to be an excellent, more technical companion to Mathematics: From the Birth of Numbers.\nGiven the direction in my career (I went from focusing on systems software to deep learning and data mining), I wish I had majored in mathematics as an undergraduate instead of computer science.  I'm able to pick up computer science concepts rather quickly, but mathematics requires more effort for me.  A part of me almost wants to do an online second bachelor's in math, but right now I use some of my spare time studying math.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book instilled in me a love for mathematics, even if I sometimes struggled with the topic.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it instilled a love of mathematics.",
          "audience": "The commenter discovered it as a high school student.",
          "caveat": "The commenter sometimes struggled with the material.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23726302,
          "author": "bobmaxup",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T18:33:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23726302",
          "commentText": "Jan Gullberg - Mathematics: From the Birth of Numbers\nhttps://www.amazon.com/gp/product/039304002X\nAmazon.com Review\nWhat does mathematics mean? Is it numbers or arithmetic, proofs or equations? Jan Gullberg starts his massive historical overview with some insight into why human beings find it necessary to \"reckon,\" or count, and what math means to us. From there to the last chapter, on differential equations, is a very long, but surprisingly engrossing journey. Mathematics covers how symbolic logic fits into cultures around the world, and gives fascinating biographical tidbits on mathematicians from Archimedes to Wiles. It's a big book, copiously illustrated with goofy little line drawings and cartoon reprints. But the real appeal (at least for math buffs) lies in the scads of problems--with solutions--illustrating the concepts. It really invites readers to sit down with a cup of tea, pencil and paper, and (ahem) a calculator and start solving. Remember the first time you \"got it\" in math class? With Mathematics you can recapture that bliss, and maybe learn something new, too. Everyone from schoolkids to professors (and maybe even die-hard mathphobes) can find something useful, informative, or entertaining here. --Therese Littleton",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jan Gullberg - Mathematics: From the Birth of Numbers",
          "reason": "Suggested as a broad historical overview of mathematics, including problems with solutions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21348884,
          "author": "DrPhish",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T20:37:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21348884",
          "commentText": "I'm currently reading \"Mathematics: From the Birth of Numbers\nby Jan Gullberg\" with my 3 sons (16, 12 and 10), and by taking it slow (one minor number per day) with lots of work together its helping build things up for them from first principles.\nI read it myself years ago and it was a great and entertaining way to fill in the gaps from my meager math education.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/383087.Mathematics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it was a great and entertaining way to fill in the gaps from my meager math education",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as a great, entertaining way to fill gaps in their math education and is working through it with their children.",
          "audience": "The commenter reads it with their children, ages 10, 12, and 16.",
          "caveat": "They recommend taking it slowly and doing the work together.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14744629,
          "author": "Top19",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T14:49:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14744629",
          "commentText": "\"Mathematics: From the Birth of Numbers\".\nIf you've ever read \"Code\" by Charles Petzold, it's as illuminating as that was.\nAlso a little bit tragic, makes you realize there is a lot of fun and beauty and even social history in math. I didn't realize there is also a lot of complaints in how math is taught, and that the arithmetic we all learn is considered the most boring part.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also a little bit tragic, makes you realize there is a lot of fun and beauty and even social history in math.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it reveals the beauty and social history of mathematics, alongside criticism of how it is taught.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter also describes it as a little bit tragic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7580731,
          "author": "bananas",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-13T08:52:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7580731",
          "commentText": "Jan Gullberg wrote an excellent book:\nMathematics: from the Birth of Numbers.\nIt's mainly pure math but is a great foundation. I mean really better than anything else I've read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jan Gullberg wrote an excellent book:\nMathematics: from the Birth of Numbers.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it excellent and says it is a great foundation, better than anything else they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mainly pure mathematics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7579496,
          "author": "biot",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T22:47:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7579496",
          "commentText": "This might be along the lines of what you're looking for: http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Birth-Numbers-Jan-Gullberg... (http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Birth-Numbers-Jan-Gullberg/dp/039304002X)\n  \"This extraordinary work takes the reader on a long and\n   fascinating journey--from the dual invention of numbers\n   and language, through the major realms of arithmetic,\n   algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and calculus, to the\n   final destination of differential equations, with\n   excursions into mathematical logic, set theory, topology,\n   fractals, probability, and assorted other mathematical\n   byways. The book is unique among popular books on\n   mathematics in combining an engaging, easy-to-read\n   history of the subject with a comprehensive mathematical\n   survey text.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Birth-Numbers-Jan-Gullberg...",
          "reason": "The excerpt describes it as an engaging, easy-to-read history and broad survey of mathematics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jan Gullberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "History",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "popular mathematics",
        "history of mathematics",
        "mathematical history",
        "family learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "purely-functional-data-structures-70156d",
      "title": "Purely Functional Data Structures",
      "author": "Chris Okasaki",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33803547,
          "author": "jasone",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T16:56:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33803547",
          "commentText": "These are books that I've reread major portions of repeatedly because they consistently trigger broader thinking about their subject matter.\nPurely Functional Data Structures by Chris Okasaki broadened how I think about algorithmic complexity analysis, after decades of mostly imperative programming. Other books on lambda calculus, type theory, OCaml, Haskell, etc. preceded this in my reading list, but this book clinched my love of functional programming.\nThe Garbage Collection Handbook by Richard Jones, Antony Hosking, and Eliot Moss provides broad, yet sufficiently detailed, coverage of automatic memory management that most techniques can be understood and implemented without digging into the primary literature. That said, this book (actually its predecessor, Garbage Collection by Jones and Lins) inspired me to dig deep into memory management, and jemalloc is one of the incidental results.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Purely Functional Data Structures by Chris Okasaki broadened how I think about algorithmic complexity analysis, after decades of mostly imperative programming.",
          "reason": "Broadened the commenter’s thinking about complexity analysis and cemented their love of functional programming.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29311686,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T21:19:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29311686",
          "commentText": "> Purely Functional Data Structures\nA classic! Good suggestion.\nI'm curious to check out Programming on Purpose.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Purely Functional Data Structures",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a classic and says it is a good suggestion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29311672,
          "author": "scruple",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T21:18:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29311672",
          "commentText": "I think these meet the criteria...\nP. J. Plauger's \"Programming on Purpose\" series of essays.\nPurely Functional Data Structures by Chris Okasaki.\nI would put both of these alongside Bentley's \"Programming Pearls\" books which I saw mentioned in another comment.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Purely Functional Data Structures by Chris Okasaki.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it meets the thread's criteria.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21311770,
          "author": "agentultra",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T13:03:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21311770",
          "commentText": "The Art of Computer Programming\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\nPurely Functional Data Structures\nProgramming in the 1990s\nA Logical Approach to Discrete Math",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Purely Functional Data Structures",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14843536,
          "author": "fusiongyro",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-24T23:01:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14843536",
          "commentText": "A Mentoring Course in Smalltalk[0]. I was really surprised, after reading and really loving Design Patterns, that there was still so much to say about OO design.\nI did love Design Patterns a lot though. Purely Functional Data Structures by Chris Okasaki was also really useful for Haskell, as was Real World Haskell.\nProgramming Prolog probably had a bigger influence on my Prolog than the other books, even though I read Art of Prolog and Prolog Programming in Depth first. Especially the latest edition, it's a really beautiful book.\n[0]: http://www.lulu.com/us/en/shop/andres-valloud/a-mentoring-co... (http://www.lulu.com/us/en/shop/andres-valloud/a-mentoring-course-on-smalltalk/paperback/product-3788890.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Purely Functional Data Structures by Chris Okasaki was also really useful for Haskell",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was really useful for Haskell.",
          "audience": "Haskell programmers",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14487854,
          "author": "c3534l",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T14:33:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487854",
          "commentText": "> Purely functional data structures by Chris Okasaki\nIs that really language agnostic? I don't know how you could follow along with it without knowing some ML or Haskell.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Is that really language agnostic? I don't know how you could follow along with it without knowing some ML or Haskell.",
          "reason": "Questions its suitability as a language-agnostic recommendation.",
          "audience": "Readers without experience in ML or Haskell may struggle to follow it.",
          "caveat": "The commenter questions whether prior ML or Haskell knowledge is needed.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414532,
          "author": "T-R",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T10:18:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414532",
          "commentText": "If you want to go down the Functional rabbit hole more, \"Purely Functional Data Structures\" by Chris Okasaki would be a good next step. There's a book and a paper - from what I hear, the paper is just Okasaki's original work, whereas the book is a more complete coverage of the field.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Purely Functional Data Structures\" by Chris Okasaki would be a good next step.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a next step for readers exploring functional programming further.",
          "audience": "Readers who want to explore functional programming further.",
          "caveat": "The commenter distinguishes the book's broader coverage from the original paper.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797081,
          "author": "fogus",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T01:27:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797081",
          "commentText": "Okasaki's \"Purely Functional Data Structures\"\nGiola's \"The History of Jazz\"\nHerbert's \"Chapterhouse: Dune\"",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Okasaki's \"Purely Functional Data Structures\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris Okasaki"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "functional programming",
        "data structures",
        "algorithm analysis",
        "haskell"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rainbows-end-1232d3",
      "title": "Rainbows End",
      "author": "Vernor Vinge",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15445026,
          "author": "nathanasmith",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-10T20:21:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15445026",
          "commentText": "A few of my favorites like Accelerando and Neuromancer have been mentioned but I’ll add Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge. It’s set in the near future but features general AI, lots of intrigue and conspiring governments and corporations. Really a great story.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I’ll add Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge. It’s set in the near future but features general AI, lots of intrigue and conspiring governments and corporations. Really a great story.",
          "reason": "Adds it as a favorite and calls it a great story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10208213,
          "author": "aaron695",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T14:44:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10208213",
          "commentText": "Given what you've just read and a VR/AR requirement I'd suggest either -\nRainbows End - Vernor Vinge\nDaemon - Daniel Suarez\nThey are both more AR, which I suspect will be the next step rather than VR, AR novels have if anything proven to me it's more relevant than VR, for now.\nDaemon relies a bit more on AI to make the story.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd suggest either -\nRainbows End - Vernor Vinge",
          "reason": "Suggested as an AR-focused novel relevant to the discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6977482,
          "author": "Patrick_Devine",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-29T00:50:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6977482",
          "commentText": "Rainbows End is great.  It pretty much predicts wearable computing and Google Glass.  I'd recommend reading just about anything from Vinge as he's got a lot of great ideas.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rainbows End is great. It pretty much predicts wearable computing and Google Glass. I'd recommend reading just about anything from Vinge as he's got a lot of great ideas.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book and recommends Vinge's writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4661286,
          "author": "architgupta",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-16T18:54:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 4661261,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite Science Fiction book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4661286",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed reading \"Rainbows End\" by Vernor Vinge. Its exploration of evolution of wearable devices is something I enjoyed a lot.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed reading \"Rainbows End\" by Vernor Vinge. Its exploration of evolution of wearable devices is something I enjoyed a lot.",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed the book, especially its exploration of wearable devices.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865156,
          "author": "deafmetal",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T15:42:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865156",
          "commentText": "I recommend \"A Fire Upon The Deep\" and \"A Deepness In The Sky\" by Vernor Vinge. They're epic, emotional, and gripping, but also have some quite excellent hard science and future culture speculation. Also his book \"Rainbows End\" for something a little closer to home... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernor_Vinge",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also his book \"Rainbows End\" for something a little closer to home",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a story closer to home.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in near-future science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1864835,
          "author": "CWuestefeld",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T14:16:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1864835",
          "commentText": "RiderOfGiraffes also suggested Snow Crash; both would be excellent choices. I'd add to this Cryptonomicon, which is an interesting story, interesting thematic matter (relevant to software folks, and presented intelligently), and just full of different ways of looking at things (the scene that describes the Hindenburg disaster, or eating Captain Crunch cereal, were both perfectly clear, yet told in ways that took me some time to sync with what they were actually referring to.\nAlso consider most anything from Vernor Vinge. Some of my favorites from him are A Deepness in the Sky, Rainbows End, and A Fire Upon the Deep. Since he's a Comp Sci professor, he handles technology issues (and especially computer-related stuff) very realistically.\nAnd if you're looking back into the classics, consider Larry Niven's \"Known Space\" books, particularly Ringworld.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rainbows End",
          "reason": "Names it as one of the commenter's favorites in a recommendation list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 766739,
          "author": "abecedarius",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-16T21:03:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=766739",
          "commentText": "Since it's a vacation, here's a novel with lots of interesting ideas about ubiquitous computing, augmented reality, etc.:\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbows_End\nFun with Python: http://www.amazon.com/Programming-Collective-Intelligence-Bu... (http://www.amazon.com/Programming-Collective-Intelligence-Building-Applications/dp/0596529325)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Since it's a vacation, here's a novel with lots of interesting ideas about ubiquitous computing, augmented reality, etc.",
          "reason": "Recommends the novel for its ideas about ubiquitous computing and augmented reality.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in speculative technology and computing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vernor Vinge"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Computing",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "augmented reality",
        "near future",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "near future fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "security-analysis-a7e065",
      "title": "Security Analysis",
      "author": "Benjamin Graham and David Dodd",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22574472,
          "author": "kriro",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T11:10:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22574472",
          "commentText": "I think the first question that you will face is if you agree with the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) and the random walk. Basically they say that prices reflect all available information and that you cannot \"beat\" the market (there's a subtle difference between EMH and random walk). The return on an investment is a direct reflection of the risk.\nGood reading to get an understanding for this are \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" and papers by Eugene Fama (EMH will be covered by any intro to finance book as well). For a good overview of EMH, I like this paper: http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/fileadmin/UCL-CS/images/Research_Stu... (http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/fileadmin/UCL-CS/images/Research_Student_Information/RN_11_04.pdf)\nThe investment takeaway is that you should invest in passive index funds with low management cost (typically ETFs).\nThere's different contrasting points of view most notably behavioral finance. The EMH argument is basically the market is an aggregation of all available information. Due to the power of averaging it is going to be correct (if one person overestimates, another will underestimate and it will all cancel out). The behavioral counterargument is that there are certain human biases that lead to all parties being wrong in the same direction (such as risk aversion).\nAnother POV that is aligned with the behavioral view is that the theory of evolution provides a good framework for thinking about markets. I like the book \"Adaptive Markets\" which also gives a good overview of EMH and behavioral finance so I'll recommend that as a reference. I think together with \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" you're set for \"general framework of thought\" material.\nPersonally, I am a value investor so I can only recommend books from that school of thought. The basic idea is that you look at the fundamentals of a company and the stock market can misprice them. The holy grail is finding a company where the sum of (current) assets is worth more than the current market valuation via the stock price because in essence that means if the company would be liquidated and everything would be sold off, you'd still walk away with a profit. In essence, you're trying to buy 1$ for < 1$.\nThis is Buffett's philosophy and he has done really well with it. I'd recommend \"Value Investing\" by Greenwald, Kahn, Sonkin and van Biema as a good intro book that summarizes everything and has some easy to follow examples (because you can't usually just take the assets face value but have to discount them etc.). The classics are \"The Intelligent Investor\" and \"Security Analysis\" (more academic but for me this is the gold standard).\nIf you need a quick \"how to read balance sheets/income statement/cash flow statements\" I'd recommend \"Warren Buffett Accounting Book\"\nI think the best essay that describes what markets are good for is \"The use of Knowledge in Society\" by Hayek. At least it makes sense for me that they serve the function of aggregating local and specialized information.\nIf you're interested, it's also a decent idea to research the different theories of the business cycle. Keynesian, Real Business Cycle, Austrian etc.\ntl;dr:\n- A Random Walk Down Wall Street\n- Adaptive Markets\n- Value Investing (+ Warren Buffett Accounting Book)\nEdit: I'm assuming you want a \"quick overview\". Otherwise, get some mainstream Finance and Behavioral Finance textbooks :D",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Security Analysis\" (more academic but for me this is the gold standard).",
          "reason": "Described as the gold standard for value investing.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in value investing.",
          "caveat": "More academic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22573987,
          "author": "regularfry",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T08:37:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22573987",
          "commentText": "I've been having an interesting time working through Security Analysis by Graham and Dodd. It's ancient, but it really gets to the heart of what bonds and stocks actually are, and gives you an insight into how everything worked before it all got accelerated to the Nth degree. The historical perspective of the 1928 crash being recent memory is really interesting too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've been having an interesting time working through Security Analysis by Graham and Dodd.",
          "reason": "The commenter is enjoying the book and says it explains bonds, stocks, and how markets worked historically.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It's ancient.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12562927,
          "author": "rubyn00bie",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T07:30:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12562927",
          "commentText": "Preface: For a bit of I suppose... uhh, qualification, I took nearly every single upper division Economics class my university offered (~25). I did so because I LOVE Econ. Also, sorry for the rambling nature of this.\nFirst things first, finance is only sort of economics, it's really just finance. I'd highly recommend taking an accounting class (or book) and a grab an intro finance book. Accounting will really help with jargon, and just some really basic things (like balance sheets). Also, \"Security Analysis\" [0] is the \"only\" book you'll ever need, Warren Buffet recommended it to Bill Gates, and now Bill Gates recommends it to everyone.\nBack to Economics... There are two primary \"groups\" of thought... sort of like twins separated at birth who grow to hate each other.\n----------------------------------\nThe First: Neoclassical Economics\n----------------------------------\nFocuses primarily on microeconomics and largely mathematical. It's birth is largely due to Economists wanting to make econ a \"true science\" like we see the physical sciences (biology, chemistry, physics). It starts around the late 1800s and really picks up steam around the time of Einstein. Math was hot and being applied everywhere.\nA really interesting period to research and study is right after black Tuesday (and before the great depression) and what the central bank didn't do (before central bank intervention in markets). While I really detest the bastard, Milton Friedman's work on monetary policy is pretty science and generally good here. [1],[2].\nI'm a Keynesian (I suppose-- Econ gets deep fast), and so you'd be no where without reading some of what Keynes did to get our assess out of the great depression (i.e. government spending). It's also more or less the birth of Macroeconomics... You'll know you're good when you laugh at forgetting: Y = C + I + G + (X - M). Some good things to get started are looking at the IS-LM [3] model and AS-AD [4] model.\nThat gets you into the 60s - 70s. Tall Paul Volker is the unsung hero of the 80s, read about him (he ran the federal reserve). After that microeconomics starts to fragment into things involving game theory and behavioral economics (Daniel Kahneman is the man).\nEconometric analysis mathematically speaking is just multivariate regression analysis for time series or cross-sectional data. More \"modern\" analysis is probably using panel data [5] (combination of cross sectional and time series). Calculus, linear algebra, and differential equations should prepare one plenty for everything but panel data analysis. The real \"econ\" part is applying solid econ theory to the mathematics you're using, a textbook will help [6]. For finance this is your bread and butter.\nGame theory will apply a lot of different mathematical tools. You will need to love pure math. To really get into it requires pain or love. I like a healthy amount of both.\n----------------------------------\nThe Second: Heterodox Economics\n----------------------------------\nSo as it turns out, neoclassical economics is at most half of Economics. It's really where the \"philosophy\" comes into play. You're gonna need a quick history lesson to sort of see it's topic matter. Economics really didn't exist before... the 1500s. You can try to apply economics to earlier times but you could also just make shit up and post it to twitter. Both would be equally likely to contain truth.\nEconomics came into existence around the time the Dutch began developing trade routes (1550s). A by product of all this trade, is tons of cash, and goods-- currency (silver, metals, whatever) starts to actually be used in society (before that it was mostly just a status symbol). It pisses off a lot of _institutions_, most of all \"the church\" and monarchies because money is allowing people to gain power. It's usurping power from them. This is the rise of the \"merchant class\" and now thanks to money (trade really, but whatever it's complicated)-- people are liberating themselves from the social status they're born into. Eventually modern republics appear, and governments form. Nations trading globally becomes more common (Dutch, English, Spanish) and we get to Adam Smith, David Ricardo [7], et. al.\nNow it's the 1800s. People are seeing the birth and growth of capitalism, industry, corporations, and the tumultuous death of agrarian life. Now the way the \"common person\" lives their day dramatically changing, for a few it was better for most it was worse. Some economists begin to ask why are we replacing these now defunct _institutions_ with equally shitty, or possibly shittier, ones. This is more or less becomes the birth of heterodox economics which largely studies the more abstract ideas like \"institutions\"; by it's very nature the content tends to be philosophical.\nBy the 1920s heterodox economics is falling by the wayside. The content is less able to be tested like a physical science (i.e. no math/stats); so, it's treated like a misbegotten child... By the 1950s heterodox content was marginal at best-- the cold war and fear of communism made (makes) people insane. Economists pretty much had to be pro-capitalism or face being called \"commies\" and thrown in jail or worse being a narc in a witch hunt. This was more or less the nail in the coffin in mainstream heterodox economics (at least for research in the Occident). After the cold-war ended the nail got pulled out, but I wouldn't say it's really outta the coffin yet.\nThis book [8] isn't great but it's quickly digestible and will point you in the appropriate directions.\n----------------------------------\n----------------------------------\nSome Rambling to Finish\nI'd highly recommend not just learning how to use the tools, but why we have them and where they came from. Economics is vastly deeper than the average person will ever know. That depth is greatly empowering and guiding when using its lenses to see and solve problems. One last thing, know there's no going back, you will see the world differently.\n[0] https://www.amazon.com/Security-Analysis-Foreword-Buffett-Ed... (https://www.amazon.com/Security-Analysis-Foreword-Buffett-Editions/dp/0071592539)\n[1] \"The Role of Monetary Policy.\" American Economic Review, Vol. 58, No. 1 (Mar., 1968), pp. 1–17 JSTOR presidential address to American Economics Association\n[2] \"Inflation and Unemployment: Nobel lecture\", 1977, Journal of Political Economy. Vol. 85, pp. 451–72. JSTOR\n[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IS%E2%80%93LM_model\n[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AD%E2%80%93AS_model\n[5] The course I took on panel data, http://web.pdx.edu/%7Ecrkl/ec510/ec510-PD.htm\n[6] https://www.amazon.com/Using-Econometrics-Practical-Addison-... (https://www.amazon.com/Using-Econometrics-Practical-Addison-Wesley-Economics/dp/0131367730)\n[7] He more or less invented trade theory (competitive advantage) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Ricardo\n[8] https://www.amazon.com/Age-Economist-9th-Daniel-Fusfeld/dp/0... (https://www.amazon.com/Age-Economist-9th-Daniel-Fusfeld/dp/0321088123)\nEdit: for formatting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also, \"Security Analysis\" [0] is the \"only\" book you'll ever need",
          "reason": "Calls it the only book needed for finance and cites recommendations from Warren Buffett and Bill Gates.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a finance book.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5403550,
          "author": "orangethirty",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-19T20:50:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 5401749,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What interesting books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5403550",
          "commentText": "Security Analysis - 1940 Edition.\nRe-reading it for the one millionth time. Always learn something new from it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Security Analysis - 1940 Edition.\nRe-reading it for the one millionth time. Always learn something new from it.",
          "reason": "Says repeated reading consistently teaches them something new.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentions the 1940 edition.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1866106,
          "author": "notaddicted",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T19:27:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1866106",
          "commentText": "I probably have bookmarks in 20+ books but these are at the top of the pile:\nThe Art Of Probability , Richard Hamming. I find prob/stat frustratingly hard to master. This book is clearing up my confusion chapter by chapter. As an engineer this book appears to be written for someone with exactly my level of knowledge which helps a lot.\nConspiracy of Fools , Kurt Eichenwald. Very entertaining ... shining examples of what not to do.\nSecurity Analysis, 1934 Edition, Graham and Dodd. They authors are exquisitely clear thinkers. I don't know how useful the financial information is because it is 80 years old.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Security Analysis, 1934 Edition, Graham and Dodd. They authors are exquisitely clear thinkers. I don't know how useful the financial information is because it is 80 years old.",
          "reason": "The authors are described as exquisitely clear thinkers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure how useful the 1934 financial information remains.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 248542,
          "author": "simplyauser",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T15:09:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248542",
          "commentText": "I have read many of the recommend books. Here are my two pence.\nBooks on Wealth\n    1. \"Rich Dad Poor Dad\"\n     and find out exactly why someone becomes rich.\n    (if you like this one, at some point you may also\n     want to quickly scan through \"Cashflow Quadrant\n     Rich Dad's Guide to Financial Freedom\".)\n\n     2. Also \"chapter 6 - How to make wealth\"\n     from \"Hackers and Painters's chapter 6 - \"\n\n     3. \"The Way to Wealth by Benjamin Franklin\"\n\n\nInvesting books in this order\n    1. Peter Lynch's One Up on wall street\n    2. The Intelligent Investor  (Ben Graham)\n    3. Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits\n    4. Security Analysis (Ben Graham)\n    5. The Warren Buffet Way is a famous business read not exceptional but read it if you have some time left\n    6. A Random Walk Down Wall Street (Read it for a good laugh)\n\n\nDo NOT read\n    1. AA- The Motley Fool Money Guide\n    2. How Gerge Soros Knows What He Knows\n    3. Investing Online For Dummies\n    4. Malkiel Burton - A Random Walk Down Wall Street\n    5. Cracking the millionaire code\n    6. Joel Greenblatt - You Can Be A Stock Market Genius",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Security Analysis (Ben Graham)",
          "reason": "Listed in the suggested reading order for investing books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 141386,
          "author": "falsestprophet",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-20T03:25:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=141386",
          "commentText": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security_Analysis\nDifferent kind of security, but I'll check it out.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security_Analysis\nDifferent kind of security, but I'll check it out.",
          "reason": "Plans to check it out after clarifying it concerns a different kind of security.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment only says they will check it out.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 138044,
          "author": "falsestprophet",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-16T06:36:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=138044",
          "commentText": "The New New Thing\nFounders at Work\nHackers and Painters\nHow To Get Rich\nCompetitive Strategies\nThe Intelligent Investor (or Security Analysis)\nLiar's Poker",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Security Analysis",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Benjamin Graham",
        "David Dodd"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "value investing",
        "financial analysis",
        "investment analysis",
        "security analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "seeing-like-a-state-48a9e7",
      "title": "Seeing Like a State",
      "author": "James C. Scott",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49901691,
          "author": "wepple",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-29T22:31:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49901691",
          "commentText": "Seeing like a state is my next book to read. Weirdly, I cannot recall the chain of interests that led me to it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Seeing like a state is my next book to read.",
          "reason": "Identifies it as their next book to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33801454,
          "author": "camjohnson26",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T14:47:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33801454",
          "commentText": "“Out of the Crisis” by Demming: helped me see the best way to manage projects isn’t always about fixing problems, it starts with reducing uncertainty.\n“Seeing like a state”, “Knowledge and Power”, and “Antifragile”, top down control of a system always clashes with bottom up understanding, so experts in a field need humility when working with a new system and need to learn from the people who work with it every day.\n“Critique of Pure Reason”, there are things we can’t know using only logic, so don’t try to use it to understand everything.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Seeing like a state”",
          "reason": "The commenter says top-down control clashes with bottom-up understanding and that experts should learn from people working within a system.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30823917,
          "author": "ihodes",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-27T20:43:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30823917",
          "commentText": "This book is next on my reading list. One question that's come to mind before having read the book is if Singapore is an example of a highly-legible planned state's success?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "This book is next on my reading list.",
          "reason": "Plans to read the book and asks whether Singapore fits its account of state planning.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30823369,
          "author": "cl42",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-27T19:42:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30823369",
          "commentText": "\"Seeing Like a State\" by James C. Scott\nI started my career in international development, and the book above provides a dozen case studies on states using scientific management, stats, etc. to try and control their growth/populations/economies and failing miserably.\nIt is a beautiful book in that it illustrates how difficult it is to actually manage a country and economy well, especially if you are trying to completely change it (i.e., \"develop\" it, solve poverty, etc.). It humbled me as a 22 year old \"professional\" wanting to fix the world.\n\"The Death and Life of Great American Cities\" by Jane Jacobs is a close second to this theme of economic, technocratic development.\nEDIT: I notice 22 upvotes. WOW! If you are a fan of this book or curious to hear more, please comment. Happy to elaborate. If you want a third book, The Evolution of Civilizations[1] is another fun one here. It tries to apply scientific principles and hypothesis testing to historical analysis!\n[1] https://10millionsteps.com/review-evolution-of-civilizations",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Seeing Like a State\" by James C. Scott",
          "reason": "The commenter says it illustrates the difficulty of managing a country and economy well and humbled them.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in states, development, and economic management.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30735764,
          "author": "jwood27",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:37:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735764",
          "commentText": "The following have all had a significant effect on my worldview. You can find more information at [1].\n- The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow\n- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\n- Crime and Punishment\n- The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York\n- Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies\n- The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity\n- Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead\n- Franny and Zooey\n- Master of the Senate\n- Atlas Shrugged\n- Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed\n- Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap?\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\n- The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics\n- The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don't\n- Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans\n- Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\n- Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World\n- Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones\n- Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow\n- Ethics in the Real World: 86 Brief Essays on Things that Matter\n- A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life\n- Humankind: A Hopeful History\n- The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think\n[1] https://jacobw.xyz/books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed",
          "reason": "Listed among books that significantly affected the commenter’s worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21814178,
          "author": "wreath",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-17T15:10:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21814178",
          "commentText": "I read Seeing Like A State exactly around this time last year, and boy did I enjoy it. It somehow went well while reading Nassim Taleb’s Skin In The Game. One was an application of the other.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read Seeing Like A State exactly around this time last year, and boy did I enjoy it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they greatly enjoyed the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785476,
          "author": "ThrustVectoring",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:31:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785476",
          "commentText": "Books I'm glad I've read:\nThe Inner Game of Tennis\nImpro by Keith Johnstone\nSeeing Like a State\nThe Timeless Way of Building\nLinear and Geometric Algebra by Alan Macdonald\nMeditations by Marcus Aurelius (read this one thrice)\nThe Tao of Pooh\nScience, Strategy and War: The Strategic Theory of John Boyd\nThe Drama of the Gifted Child\nInteraction Ritual\nWhat Do You Say After You Say Hello?\nOf niche use:\nMathematics: its Content, Methods and Meaning - mostly useful for figuring out what math you don't know. I recommend reading it at a fairly decent pace, and noting what subjects don't sound like an overview of something you've already learned.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seeing Like a State",
          "reason": "Included under “Books I'm glad I've read.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5000764,
          "author": "Mz",
          "createdAt": "2013-01-03T02:33:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 5000101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5000764",
          "commentText": "Seeing like a state\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0300078153\nRiches for the poor: The Clemente course in humanities\nhttp://books.google.com/books/about/Riches_for_the_Poor.html... (http://books.google.com/books/about/Riches_for_the_Poor.html?id=ltZXCvg4ubAC)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seeing like a state",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James C. Scott"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "state planning",
        "social engineering",
        "development",
        "legibility"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sprawl-trilogy-c262a8",
      "title": "Sprawl trilogy",
      "author": "William Gibson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36022420,
          "author": "Maelcum",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T16:18:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36022420",
          "commentText": "Many of Philip K. Dick books and short stories, but Ubik and A Maze of Death are my favorites.\nWilliam Gibson's Sprawl trilogy (Neuromancer, Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive)\nDouglas N. Adams - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\nFrank Herbert's Dune books\nTheodore Sturgeon's More Than Human\nRobert A. Heinlein - Citizen of the Galaxy\nRobert Charles Wilson's Spin trilogy\nFrederik Pohl's Heechee books",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "William Gibson's Sprawl trilogy (Neuromancer, Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33381977,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T07:56:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33381977",
          "commentText": "Of the books I've read this year, the fiction ones that stand out to me would be:\n1. The entire Sprawl Trilogy by Gibson, and the entire Bridge Trilogy, also by Gibson. The former I'd read before (multiple times) while the latter I had not read all the way through until now. Neuromancer I've read probably 7 or 8 times total in my life by now. I'm not as crazy about Gibson's later stuff, but the Sprawl and Bridge books are great.\n2. The rest of the HHGTTG \"trilogy\" besides the first book. I'd read the first book a couple of years ago but never got around to reading the rest until this year. Note that when I say \"the rest\" I'm excluding that one book that was written by another author after Douglas Adams' passing. I may still read it one day, but I'm not in any hurry to do so.\nIn terms of non-fiction:\nReal-World Reasoning: Toward Scalable, Uncertain Spatiotemporal, Contextual and Causal Inference by Ben Goertzel, Nil Geisweiller, and Lucio Coelho is the stand-out of the lot. How the Mind Works by Steven Pinker and How Can the Human Mind Occur in the Physical Universe? by John R Anderson are also worthy of a mention.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The entire Sprawl Trilogy by Gibson",
          "reason": "The commenter says the trilogy stands out among the fiction they read and calls the books great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter had read it before, multiple times.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467660,
          "author": "anoonmoose",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:48:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467660",
          "commentText": "\"The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress\" by Robert Heinlein\n\"Neuromancer\" and sequels by William Gibson\n\"Slaughterhouse 5\" by Kurt Vonnegut\nI've read all of them dozens of times over.  Hard to explain why, they speak my language, and help me understand myself and the world around me, kind of like my favorite bands do.  Hard to put into words.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Neuromancer\" and sequels by William Gibson",
          "reason": "The commenter has reread the books dozens of times and says they speak to them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536654,
          "author": "dochtman",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:35:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536654",
          "commentText": "Isaac Asimov is one of the classics, of course. I'm particularly fond of the robot novels (all four of the Elijah Baley ones especially) and the entire Foundation series. Of course, you also can't miss the robot short stories. Oh, and The End of Eternity!\nAt some point I found Charles Stross' Accelerando, which is freely available online (along with a bunch of other short stories), and found everything I've read (which is most of it at this point, I think) enjoyably fast-paced. In particular the Laundry series (of which I've bought every iteration as soon as they came out over the past few years) -- though arguably these maybe cross-over from SF into fantasy a bit -- and the Halting State trilogy.\nIn terms of online available work, Cory Doctorow's work is also great. Like Stross, most of his work is more near-term SF, which I have liked, and a bunch of it is available online under a Creative Commons license. It often moves fast and is also politically interesting; sometimes the activism shines through a little blatantly, but the themes are always make me thing in various ways I appreciate (but maybe will fail your lighthearted criterion even if it is fun). His latest is Walkaway, which I would recommend.\nI got into Neal Stephenson through Cryptonomicon, which is one of the greats. Stephenson has a pretty rambly, wordy style, but at least that also makes his stories last a bit longer. After that, I mostly moved on to Anathem, Reamde and Seveneves all of which are big and interesting and great reads (it took me longer than usual to get up to speed on Anathem, but it was very much worth it in the end). I tried one of the more historic ones (I think it was Quicksilver) at some point but haven't finished it. The 2017 Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. was a bit lighter, but lots of fun, too.\nWilliam Gibson has already been mentioned, which I would also recommend. I read the Sprawl trilogy a very long time ago, and it's made a lasting expression. I've started rereading it recently. I also liked the Blue Ant trilogy and The Peripheral, but have so far missed the more recent work.\nMore in the one-off category: The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell is one of my all-time favorites, and mixes deep SF with psychology and religion in interesting ways. There's a sequel, but it's not as good. I also liked The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, which is also on the softer side. I read Scalzi's Redshirts and liked it (especially if you're familiar with the Star Trek universe), it feels similar to Ready Player One in some ways. Daniel Suarez's (or Leinad Zeraus as he originally published them) Daemon is fun and easy to digest, along with its sequel Freedom. I liked Robert J. Sawyer's The Terminal Experiment, but one person I recommended it too wasn't impressed -- I still think it's fun, if not very deep. I also bought his Factoring Humanity and liked it okay.\nHope that helps. Always interested in more recommendations based on this list!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read the Sprawl trilogy a very long time ago, and it's made a lasting expression.",
          "reason": "Says the trilogy left a lasting impression.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536437,
          "author": "gtdthrow",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T18:50:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536437",
          "commentText": "+1\nAnything Gibson, especially Sprawl Trilogy\nAnything Stephenson, though I particularly liked Diamond Age, Cryptonomicon, and Snow Crash, In the beginning was the command line.. oh, I like everything by him.\nSeriously though, In the beginning was the command line and Cryptonomicon are basically an ode to 90s hacker culture, the true neckbeard type of CS. Love that aesthetic, culture and ethics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "especially Sprawl Trilogy",
          "reason": "Recommends Gibson's Sprawl Trilogy as a particular favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056639,
          "author": "Bzomak",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:47:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056639",
          "commentText": "Some which I have re-read recently and still enjoyed:\n  William Gibson's Sprawl trilogy\n\n  Frank Herbert's Dune series\n\n  Isaac Asimov's Foundation series\n\n  Frederik Pohl's \"Gateway\"\n\n  Robert Heinlein's \"The Moon is a harsh Mistress\"\n\nSome which I remember liking when I read them many years ago as a teenager:\n  E.E. Doc Smith's Lensman series\n\n  David Brin's Uplift series\n\n  Peter F. Hamilton's Greg Mandel trilogy and The Night's \nDawn trilogy\n  Orson Scott Card's \"Ender's Game\"\n\n  George R. Dickson's \"Dorsai!\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "William Gibson's Sprawl trilogy",
          "reason": "Listed among science fiction works the commenter has reread recently and still enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8258168,
          "author": "drtse4",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T15:39:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8258168",
          "commentText": "_dt47, if you like it read everything else from Hesse (continue with Steppenwolf, Narcissus and Goldmund, The Glass Bead Game).\nRight now, as late night reading, i'm in the midst of the sprawl trilogy of Gibson, i read Neuromancer more than a few years ago and now i'm checking out the rest.\nOther than this, i started \"Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies\", but i'm quickly getting bored.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "i'm in the midst of the sprawl trilogy of Gibson",
          "reason": "Reports reading the trilogy and checking out its remaining books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4968158,
          "author": "jamesmcn",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T04:36:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4968158",
          "commentText": "Walter Jon Williams' The Green Leopard Plague, which is also part of an anthology of the same name. The anthology includes several other stories that build up the world that GLP takes place in. Some interesting ideas about identity and consciousness in a society with extremely advanced bioengineering.\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Green_Leopard_Plague\nUmberto Eco's Prague Cemetery which expands greatly on a tiny section of Foucault's Pendulum. Eco's writing is extremely dense. Similar to Neal Stephenson, but with more of a literary flavor than a technogeek flavor. A nice way to balance out your reading if you find you are a bit too focused on modern technology.\nI finally read Robert Anton Wilson's Illuminatus! trilogy. Early Internet and web culture was so deeply infused with RAW's ideas that the trilogy felt like one long déjà vu session. Lots of fun. RAW + Eco are a great antidote to taking conspiracy theories seriously, while having a ton of fun at the same time.\nGibson's Sprawl trilogy. Wow. Since the release of the Blue Ant books, I've been telling people that Blue Ant is the place to start, as it updates a lot of the underlying themes of Sprawl for this decade. But Sprawl is still very current and relevant. If you read Sprawl during or before the dot-com bubble like I did, you probably focused on the prophetic internet stuff. If you read it again, you will find out that there is plenty more interesting stuff to feed your brain in Gibson's early novels.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gibson's Sprawl trilogy",
          "reason": "The commenter says it remains current and relevant, with themes beyond its prophetic internet ideas.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in cyberpunk and themes beyond technology.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Gibson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyberpunk",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "dystopian fiction",
        "internet culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-c-programming-language-86280b",
      "title": "The C++ Programming Language",
      "author": "Bjarne Stroustrup",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36806260,
          "author": "galkk",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T20:26:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36806260",
          "commentText": "If you will go past first chapter, you will find wealth of knowledge, that is not programming language/api/backend/frontend specific. SICP is a book that is a bit hard to start.\nThis is a thing that I miss about C++ programming language, third edition by Stroustrup. The \"Design using C++\" section of about 100 pages in the end made me, at a time, better programmer. I do not read it now, though, to keep my good memories about it =)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "C++ programming language, third edition by Stroustrup.",
          "reason": "Recalls that its “Design using C++” section helped them become a better programmer.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter no longer reads it to preserve their good memories.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16769837,
          "author": "meifun",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-05T23:51:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16769837",
          "commentText": "Here are the books on my desk:\nC++:\n\"The C++ Programming Language\", Stroustrup\n\"Programming: Principles and Practice Using C++\", Stroustrup\nQuant:\n\"Quantitative Trading\", Dr. Ernest Chan\n\"Algorithmic Trading\", Dr. Ernest Chan\n\"Machine Trading: Deploying Computer Algorithms to Conquer the Markets\", Dr. Ernest Chan\n\"Advances in Financial Machine Learning\", Marcos Lopez de Prado\n\"Options, Futures and Other Derivatives (10th edition)\", John C. Hull\nBuddhism:\n\"Open Heart, Clear Mind\", Thubten Chodron\n\"Buddhism For Beginners\", Thubten Chodron\n\"Working with Anger\", Thubten Chodron\nReading For Pleasure:\n\"Naked Statistics\", Charles Wheelan\n\"Algorithms to Live By\", Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths\n\"Dark Pools\"\n\"The Quants\", Scott Patterson\n\"The Physics Of Wall Street\", James Owen Weatherall\nPlus some Chinese books, I wont bore with the details, unless anyone wants to know. Fun Fact, while I was in China for 8 weeks in late 2017 I bought 60 Chinese books and stuffed them in a suitcase. It cost me $4,000RMB (~$604 USD) to check all of my stuff and purchases home :-)\nThe Math books are:\n\"Discrete math\", Susan Epp\n\"Discrete with Ducks\"\nvarious Calc books. If you want to learn math, find books that work for you. We all learn differently here.\nMy opinion: The Chan books are just amazing. Thought provoking and motivational. I am still reading the Prado book.\nMy opinion 2: If you ever want to slow down in life and learn what you are about, read about Buddhism. I'm not trying to start a flame war. It just works for me. It isn't being told what to believe because that is the way it is. I feel Buddhism lets me explore myself to find the right answers that work for me. Since studying my anger levels are in check. I am a better Husband. My wife comes first always.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"The C++ Programming Language\", Stroustrup",
          "reason": "Listed among the books on the commenter’s desk.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16757120,
          "author": "microtonal",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T17:48:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16757120",
          "commentText": "I rely mostly on hypertext for referencing, mostly through Dash for macOS and man pages. Books that I still occasionally reference:\n- Speech and Language Processing, Jurafsky & Martin\n- K&R\n- Sedgewick & Wayne, but more for teaching than anything else.\nIn a previous life:\n- The C++ Standard Library, Nicolai Josuttis,\n- C++ GUI Programming with Qt 4, Jasmin Blanchette and Mark Summerfield\n- The C++ Programming Language, Bjarne Stroustrup\n- Effective Java, Joshua Bloch\n- Scott Meyers' Effective C++ books.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The C++ Programming Language, Bjarne Stroustrup",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned as a book from a previous phase of the commenter's life.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16352122,
          "author": "emmelaich",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T10:40:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16352122",
          "commentText": "All in no particular order....\nAs a Unix systems engineer, I would choose\n    1. W.R. Stevens books on Unix and Tcp/ip.\n    2. Rochkind's Advanced UNIX Programming.\n    3. Most of the Unix/Linux manual pages.\n    4. Bash FAQ\n\nAs a Unix systems programmer I would choose\n    1. Mythical Man Month\n    2. Jon Bentley's Programming Pearls.\n    3. K&R C and Stroustrup C++\n    4. A recent Java reference and Bloch's Java Puzzlers\n    5. a reference and cookbook for the language of your choice -- Python, Ruby, Perl, etc.\n    6. Google's style guides",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stroustrup C++",
          "reason": "Included among the author's choices for a Unix systems programmer.",
          "audience": "Unix systems programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12150875,
          "author": "de107549",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-23T20:24:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12150875",
          "commentText": "There were different book that impacted different stages of my career:\nAs a programmer :\n1. The C++ Programming Language by Bjarne Stroustrup.\n2. Operating System Concepts by Silberschatz\n3. Compilers by Aho\nAs an agile software developer:\n1. eXtreme Programming by Kent Beck\n2. Pragmatic Programmer by Hunt and Thomas\n3. Continuous Delivery by Jez Humble\nAs an architect:\n1. Domain Driven Design by Evans\n2. Pattern-Oriented Software Architecture by Buschmann\n3. Envisioning Information by Edward Tufte\nAs a CEO:\n1. Good To Great by Collins\n2. Lean Startup by Eric Ries\n3. Beyond Budgeting by Pfläging",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The C++ Programming Language by Bjarne Stroustrup.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144628,
          "author": "ericssmith",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T16:33:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144628",
          "commentText": "The headline and the body are posing two different questions. Regarding books that impacted my career in software. The top three are:\n1) K&R C\n2) Zen of Graphics Programming\n3) C++ Programming Language, 2E\nI wouldn't recommend any of these to a young version of myself today.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "C++ Programming Language, 2E",
          "reason": "Named as one of the top books that impacted the commenter's software career.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they would not recommend these books to their younger self today.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10182681,
          "author": "gtani",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-07T19:29:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10182681",
          "commentText": "the big 4, 2 very large dense books, and 2 small, very very very dense books:\n- Lippman et al, C++ Primer, 5th ed\n- Stroustrup, The c++ Language, 4th ed (which has earlier version \"A Tour of\" as 1st 150 pages\n- Meyers \"Effective C++\", 3rd ed and\n- \"Effective Modern C++\" http://www.aristeia.com/books.html (don't dismiss the others cause theyre 14+ years old, either",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stroustrup, The c++ Language, 4th ed",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s “big 4” C++ books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6333831,
          "author": "zura",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-05T12:59:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 6329955,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which two books were the most influential on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6333831",
          "commentText": "0) The C++ Programming Language by Bjarne Stroustrup\n1) Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs by Abelson and Sussman\n2) Kvachi Kvachantiradze by Mikheil Javakhishvili",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The C++ Programming Language by Bjarne Stroustrup",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135262,
          "author": "klocksib",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T16:59:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135262",
          "commentText": "Hmmm, here's a list of books I really like:\nMemory as a Programming Concept in C and C++ by Frenck\nThe Design and Implementation of the FreeBSD Operating System by McKusick/Neville-Neil\nLearning GNU Emacs by Cameron, et al.\nPractical Common Lisp by Seibel\nThe C Programming Language by K&R\nThe C++ Programming Language Stroustrup\nThe Design and Analysis of Algorithms by Leviten\nAssembly Language Programming for the IBM PC Family by Jones\nEssays/Collections:\nHackers & Painters by PG\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman by Feynman\nWhat Do You Care What Other People Think by Feynman\nThe Cathedral & The Bazaar by Raymond\nNovels:\nThe Soul of a New Machine by Kidder\nWhere Wizards Stay up Late by Hafner",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The C++ Programming Language Stroustrup",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books the commenter really likes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bjarne Stroustrup"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming",
        "c",
        "programming",
        "programming languages"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Reference",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dark-forest-e10526",
      "title": "The Dark Forest",
      "author": "Liu Cixin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42569137,
          "author": "weakfish",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-01T20:44:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42569137",
          "commentText": "I personally enjoyed the dark forest the most of the series - I just really loved the wallfacer concept, I think.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I personally enjoyed the dark forest the most of the series - I just really loved the wallfacer concept, I think.",
          "reason": "Says it was their favorite in the series and praises the Wallfacer concept.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39252883,
          "author": "andher",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T18:26:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39252883",
          "commentText": "Yup, I intend to finish it. I've heard The Dark Forest may be the best in the series, so looking forward to the next one.\nHow are the Murderbot books? I've been intending to pick them up",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've heard The Dark Forest may be the best in the series, so looking forward to the next one.",
          "reason": "The commenter has heard it may be the best in the series and looks forward to reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The claim that it may be the best is hearsay, not the commenter's own reading experience.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38565904,
          "author": "__rito__",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T06:03:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38565904",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- \"The Dark Forest\" by Liu Cixin and the whole Three Body Problem/Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy. Truly massive, grand SciFi. Would recommend 10/10. [HN]\n- \"Anna Karenina\" by Tolstoy. Made me face deeper parts of my mind. Attempted to answer some questions I had. Great story. Huge book. Historical fiction is something I like across languages.\n- \"Candide\" by Voltaire. Genuinely fun and entertaining, besides it being- you know- Voltaire.\n- \"The Diamond Age\" by Neal Stephenson. Very good story, world buulding, nice technology. Great thinking by the author.\nNon Fiction:\n- \"Fermat's Last Theorem\" by Simon Singh. Was very happy to see a Popular Math book where there are so many Popular Science books. Great book. Goes over FMT's solving history, with many many fun anecdotes, short biographies, etc. Truly enjoyable to read.\n- \"Code Book\" by Simon Singh. Genuinely fun and learned a lot. Cryptography's history, progress, and so much more. [HN]\nSelf-Help:\n- \"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\" by Robert Pirsig. Truly marvelous book and nice to read. This book requires the reader to be of certain kind attaining a certain level. Without that, this book will seem a fluff and overrated hugely. Fundamentally changed my thinking. [HN]\n- \"Four Thousand Weeks\" by Oliver Bourkeman. Thought this was about saner time management with some wisdom. But was much deeper than that. Will recommend.\nBengali:\n- \"Abhajaner Mahabharat\" by Mahbub Lilen. A fun and serious retelling of the Mahabharata. Goes deep, too. Really fun to read.\n- \"Khana Mihirer Dhipi\" by Bani Basu. An account of feminism in the light of female-dominated inner part of Bengali elite households- and that in the light of female dominated, fully maternalistic hunter-gatherers of early human history. Very thought provoking and unique.\n[HN]- chose primarily because recommendation in some past HN threads.\nRead 23 so far. Target is 25. Currently reading Snow Crash and Exhalation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Dark Forest\" by Liu Cixin",
          "reason": "Calls it massive and grand science fiction and recommends it 10/10.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21458726,
          "author": "aditchandra",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T01:03:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21458726",
          "commentText": "Tools for Conviviality - Ivan Illich; The Dark Forest - Liu Cixin",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Dark Forest - Liu Cixin",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17539642,
          "author": "sumitgs",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T08:33:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17539642",
          "commentText": "Remembrance of earth's past trilogy. There are three books in the series: 1) The Three Body Problem, 2) The Dark Forest, and 3) Death's end.  It talks about the ongoing tension between humanity and the alien race. It explores many facets of human nature and humanity. Must read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1) The Three Body Problem, 2) The Dark Forest, and 3) Death's end.",
          "reason": "Names the second book in the recommended trilogy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536697,
          "author": "spapas82",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:43:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536697",
          "commentText": "Here are a couple I like :\n- Seveneves: A really great hard sci-fi. Very thought provoking ideas and excellent plot! Warning this is a heavy themed book. Also keep in mind that at about 3/4 in the novel there's a conclusion to the main story; the rest of the novel feels rushed and doesnt keep up; you won't miss anything if you just skip it.\n- The Expanse series (starting with Leviathan wakes). A very good series. It has a light tone and mainly focuses on characters. Some books are better than the others. If you liked the 1st one then you wont regret reading the others. Not much philosofy of hard sci-fi ideas so probably near to your liking.\n- Rendezvous with Rama: Probably my favorite Arthur Clarke novel. The plot may not be so interesting but the ideas presented make up for it.\n- Red rising series: This is a great read, the plot feels something like a GoT of scifi; although the setting could also be considered a fantasy one. This is a plot intensive series but not many scifi philosophical ideas. Probably good for your linking.\n- The three body problem trilogy: This is not so light-hearted; it is serious sci-fi presenting some excellent ideas that would blow your mind. Especially after I read the 2nd one (The Dark Forest) I kept it in my mind for a long time; thinking over the things presented there. This is sci-fi at its best.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Especially after I read the 2nd one (The Dark Forest) I kept it in my mind for a long time",
          "reason": "Says the novel’s ideas stayed with them for a long time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Part of a series the commenter describes as serious and not lighthearted.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961435,
          "author": "fragmede",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:40:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961435",
          "commentText": "These are all hard sci-fi, and much like Dark Mirror, given today's troubles, it's simultaneously entertaining while being intellectually stimulating, but in a way that feels relevant, even if not immediately actionable.\nThe first is what got me hooked, and back into reading.\nThe Wages of Humanity, is a short story by Liu Cixin. The short story used to be available by itself on Amazon, but now it's been disappeared[1]. It can be found as the last story in The Wandering Earth: Classic Science Fiction Collection.[2]\nAn assassin is being offered exorbitant sum to kill the three poorest people for some reason, and the book explores why, to a thrilling conclusion.\nSince I found it as a stand alone story I cannot comment on the rest of the books in that collection. From there I read into The Three Body Problem[3], and Dark Forest by Liu Cixin; first two books of the Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy. The only reason I don't mention I have not (yet) finished reading the third book.\n[1] This link now returns a 404: https://amazon.com/dp/B00CSW0UZI but it's what the URL my Kindle points to. Search does not find the stand alone edition.\n[2] https://amazon.com/dp/B00CXUKNA2\n[3] https://amazon.com/dp/B00IQO403K",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "and Dark Forest by Liu Cixin; first two books of the Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they read it after finding “The Wages of Humanity.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No direct evaluation of this title.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12474756,
          "author": "navbaker",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T18:19:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12474756",
          "commentText": "I'll second this, along with its follow up book. I read it close to a year ago and the description of the particle unfolding into higher dimensions has still stuck with me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "along with its follow up book",
          "reason": "Recommends the follow-up alongside the book being seconded; the follow-up is identifiable from context.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783319,
          "author": "musgravepeter",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:12:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783319",
          "commentText": "\"Leaving Orbit - Notes from the last days of American spaceflight\" - pleasantly sentimental view of the wind down of the shuttle program.\n\"The Dark Forest\" 2nd installment in Three Body Problem series. Quite clever.\n\"This Changes Everything\" - triggered by a quote from the doc on the radio about trying not to think about climate change and whether it's possible to be bored by the end of the world. Lots of good info (including a visit to a climate deniers conference), bit long winded.\n\"The Princeton Companion to Applied Mathematics\". If I read only 10% still worth it. Lots of things to dip into.\n\"The Astronomer and the Witch\" Kepler fights to save his mother from persecution.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Dark Forest\" 2nd installment in Three Body Problem series. Quite clever.",
          "reason": "Calls it quite clever.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10533578,
          "author": "OopsCriticality",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T15:38:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10533578",
          "commentText": "I'm cheating a little on the date, but The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin stands out.  It was translated into english late last year, and received the Hugo this year for best story.  It's wonderful sci-fi written on a grand scale, and made all the more interesting and refreshing to me by coming from outside the Western perspective.  It's one of a trilogy: The Dark Forest english translation is out, and Death's End is coming beginning of next year.\nAlso enjoyed Seveneves by Stephenson, and H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald.  The former is likely known to the HN crowd; the latter draws comparisons to T.H. White's classic The Goshawk.\nAmong non-fiction books, I enjoyed The Little Prover by Friedman and Eastlund.  It was exactly what I expected, a gentle introduction into inductive proofs in the idiom established by The Little Schemer.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Dark Forest english translation is out",
          "reason": "Names it as the next book in the trilogy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Liu Cixin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "chinese science fiction",
        "alien civilizations",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mysterious-island-20596b",
      "title": "The Mysterious Island",
      "author": "Jules Verne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22723412,
          "author": "BenjiWiebe",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T22:35:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22723412",
          "commentText": "When I read the mysterious island for the first time, I thought of Jules Verne in terms of Journey to the Center of the Earth, or Around the World in 80 Days. The Mysterious Island absolutely bowled me over with the science and engineering.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "When I read the mysterious island for the first time",
          "reason": "Says its science and engineering made a strong impression.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22722949,
          "author": "SergeAx",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T21:30:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22722949",
          "commentText": "\"The Mysterious Island\". It was my first book by Jules Verne, and it striked me with it's utter realism. Most his other books, like \"20000 leagues under sea\" or \"Journey to the center of the Earth\" are based on a fictional devices or exceptional characters, but Cyrus Smith became for me a realistic exemplar of a man using his engineering skills and knowledge to change his life and world around him.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Mysterious Island\". It was my first book by Jules Verne",
          "reason": "Recommends the novel through a personal account of its impact and realism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20918199,
          "author": "idoubtit",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T13:58:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20918199",
          "commentText": "When I was a child, I loved Jules Vernes' novels. My favorite were \"L'île mystérieuse\" et \"Michel Strogoff\". I've read them again after a few decades, and I enjoyed them both.\n\"L'île mystérieuse\" is the survival adventure of a small and disparate group, but the main theme is how science can dominate nature. The mystery part is better enjoyed if the reader knows a bit of Jules Verne' other books.\n\"Michel Strogoff\" is a pure and romantic adventure in Russia, at the time of the Tatar invasions. It was sometimes brutal for a child reader, but I could still remember many scenes thirty years later.\nOther good novels are \"Voyage au centre de la terre\", \"Vingt-mille lieues sous les mers\", \"Cinq semaines en ballon\", \"Le tour du monde en 80 jours\", \"Les indes noires\". I've a few others which I enjoyed at a lesser point.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've read them again after a few decades, and I enjoyed them both.",
          "reason": "Says they reread and enjoyed this novel; describes it as a survival adventure where science dominates nature.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20915563,
          "author": "eitland",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T06:04:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20915563",
          "commentText": "We share some favorites.\n20000 leagues under the sea by Jules Verne was my introduction to science fiction and I also enjoyed Mysterious Island (which overlaps, but is less science fiction).\nI had forgotten James Fenimore Cooper, and I have forgotten almost everything about the books, but yes, these were in the school library too and I read them.\n(we had no TV when I grew up so I read a lot, mostly books in the styles mentioned above but also historical books and fiction from the WWII, but obviously none of these are over 100 years old.)\nAlso the Bible, it might not be highly regarded here, and I'm obviously biased, but as someone who reads other texts as well I think a number of people here could find parts of it interesting, especially contrasting it to what school and others might have told you. (Spoiler: besides the endless listings of who was who that most people will learn to skip, the full version is also a lot messier than what anyone working in school or wanting your money will tell you ; )",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also enjoyed Mysterious Island",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Overlaps with Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea; described as less science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20914527,
          "author": "iBelieve",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T01:36:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914527",
          "commentText": "The Bible.\nMysterious Island (1874), Around the World in Eighty Days (1873), and other books by Jules Verne.\nBooks by James Fenimore Cooper.\nThe Sea-Wolf (1904) by Jack London.\nThe Count of Monte Cristo (1844) by Alexandre Dumas.\nOliver Twist (1839) by Charles Dickens.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mysterious Island (1874)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17338858,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T15:19:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17338858",
          "commentText": "There's a few:\nThe Mysterious Island by Jules Verne\nFalse Memory by Dean Koontz\nNeuromancer by William Gibson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8795694,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T07:00:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795694",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nPredictable Revenue - Aaron Ross, Marylou Tyler\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nThe Ultimate Question 2.0 - Fred Reichheld‎\nThe Singularity is Near - Ray Kurzweil\nMoonshot! - John Sculley\nZero To One - Peter Thiel\nRepublic - Plato\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius\nNineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell\nFahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury\nThe Mysterious Island - Jules Verne\nDiscipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy, Fred Wiersema\nFalse Memory - Dean Koontz\nNOS4A2- Joe Hill\nRevival - Stephen King\nBarbarians At The Gate - John Helyar and Bryan Burrough\nInto Thin Air - John Krakauer\nHow To Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nand any collection of the works of H.P. Lovecraft.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mysterious Island - Jules Verne",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for impactful or liked books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8617286,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-17T08:04:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8617286",
          "commentText": "The Mysterious Island - Jules Verne\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nNineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell\nPerdido Street Station - China Mieville\nSnow Crash - Neal Stephenson\nEnder's Game - Orson Scott Card\nFoundation series - Asimov\namong others...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mysterious Island - Jules Verne",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140543,
          "author": "huhtenberg",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T04:40:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140543",
          "commentText": "Read the question, people, it's a trick one. The inspiring sci-fi book, not just a favorite one.\nWhile I have a long list of favorites, I can't readily think of one that would stand out as inspiring. Virtually any good sci-fi book is impressive as it's a result of imagination at work, but this does not equate to be motivating.\nSo in this light the question is not that simple at all. I'm very curious to see if there's an answer to it :)\n(edit)\nGot it ! Jules Verne, The Mysterious Island. I read when I was 14-15 years old and the amount, details and clarity of science exposure in the book was really astounding. In a very positive, inspiring way.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jules Verne, The Mysterious Island.",
          "reason": "The commenter says its clear, detailed science exposure was astounding and inspiring.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jules Verne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure",
        "survival",
        "engineering",
        "19th century fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-power-broker-robert-moses-and-the-fall-of-new-york-3879e5",
      "title": "The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York",
      "author": "Robert A. Caro",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42288984,
          "author": "mpbart",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-01T15:48:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42288984",
          "commentText": "The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert Caro. Fascinating book about Robert Moses’ rise to power in New York and how he managed to exert considerable influence over the city and state for decades despite never being elected to office. Caro is an exceptional author who manages to present a huge amount of information without it feeling dry.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert Caro.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it fascinating and praises Caro’s clear presentation of extensive information.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33850142,
          "author": "russnewcomer",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T03:03:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33850142",
          "commentText": "Top three (sorry)\nChristianity and the New Spirit of Capitalism by Kathryn Tanner. A really good look at how capitalism has been expressed in our modern world, and how Christianity should not enable the worst excesses of capitalism.\nThe Power Broker by Robert Caro. This one actually took me about 6 months between reading and Audible, because it is in some ways too detailed, but the naked use of power for maintaining power for a singular vision is illuminating. Even in an antagonistic biography, Moses leaps off the page as a bright, energetic, flawed human.  I enjoyed this a lot.\nRediscovering Scripture’s Vision for Women by Lucy Peppiat. A persuasive, intelligent, and solid look at how Christianity in America has taken many unfortunate turns away from reading Scripture as a document of equality and elevation, and toward a document of hierarchy and repression. I think Peppiat does a good job of discussing all theological avenues of thought and while clearly disfavoring some, not stooping to ridicule, caricature, or personal attack.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the naked use of power for maintaining power for a singular vision is illuminating",
          "reason": "Found its detailed account of power and Robert Moses illuminating and enjoyed the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter found it so detailed that reading it took about six months.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24289326,
          "author": "ibn-python",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-27T01:36:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 24286084,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading at the moment and what do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24289326",
          "commentText": "The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert Caro is a fascinating take on how power and corruption can manifest in modern era.\nThings Hidden Since The Foundation Of The World by Rene Girard explores through dialogues his theory of mimesis. Barely have made a dent into it and so am not sure if I’d recommend it yet but it’s had polarizing reviews.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert Caro is a fascinating take on how power and corruption can manifest in modern era.",
          "reason": "Described as a fascinating account of power and corruption in the modern era.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23859703,
          "author": "voisin",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T15:04:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859703",
          "commentText": "I read this too, and perhaps this isn’t a popular opinion given how people revere this book, but I found it to be 5x longer than it needed to be for the average reader not immersed in NYC from that period. The number of meetings and characters introduced felt unnecessary. I get that he is a historian trying to recreate the record of what happened and did so masterfully, but for the vast majority of readers I think it would be improved to have a “digest” version.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I read this too, and perhaps this isn’t a popular opinion given how people revere this book",
          "reason": "The commenter argues that the book would be improved by a digest version.",
          "audience": "Readers not immersed in New York City during that period.",
          "caveat": "They found it far longer than necessary, with excessive meetings and characters.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23859036,
          "author": "jnsaff2",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:57:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859036",
          "commentText": "The Origins of Political Order: From prehuman times to the French Revolution by Francis Fukuyama\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Origins_of_Political_Ord... (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Origins_of_Political_Order)\nThe Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York By Robert Caro\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Power_Broker",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York By Robert Caro",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803308,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T14:43:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803308",
          "commentText": "I hilariously overestimate the number of books I can get through when I make these lists, but my current list for 2020 is as follows:\nDigital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World\nThe Man Who Solved the Market: How Jim Simons Launched the Quant Revolution\nBook of Proof\nDesigning Data-Intensive Applications: The Big Ideas Behind Reliable, Scalable, and Maintainable Systems\nSeeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed\nGuns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies\nWe Make the Road by Walking: A Year-Long Quest for Spiritual Formation, Reorientation, and Activation\nSoul Repair: Recovering from Moral Injury after War (for a friend)\nMaster and Commander\nEducated\nWithout Getting Killed or Caught: The Life and Music of Guy Clark\nStretch goal: The Power Broker, as a warm-up for Caro's LBJ series\nThe Bible (perpetual, I don't get through it every year, but I get through much of it, often)\nEDIT: I also hilariously underestimate the number of books I want to read. Here's one more I think is vital for my 2020:\nThe Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Power Broker, as a warm-up for Caro's LBJ series",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as a stretch goal.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 715115,
          "author": "yan",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-20T20:27:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715115",
          "commentText": "\"A People's History of the United Sates\" by Howard Zinn. A decent history book, not exactly uplifting.\nReading currently: \"The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York\" by Robert Caro. Absolutely loving it.\nThat, and my usual climbing books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Absolutely loving it.",
          "reason": "Says they are absolutely loving the book they are currently reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240700,
          "author": "bokonist",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T02:44:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240700",
          "commentText": "The Power Broker is awesome.  One of the finest books for understanding the 20th century.  It's also fascinating to note that today we blame car culture on oil companies and selfish consumers.  Turns out that the one of the people most responsible for creating America's car dependent culture was a progressive named Robert Moses ( with a lot of help from the NY Times).\nBTW, another great book on urban themes is City: Urbanism and its End, by Doug Rae.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Power Broker is awesome.  One of the finest books for understanding the 20th century.",
          "reason": "Praised as awesome and one of the finest books for understanding the 20th century.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking to understand the 20th century or urban development.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240653,
          "author": "ctkrohn",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T02:07:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240653",
          "commentText": "This summer I've read/am reading/am planning to read:\n* The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York (Robert Caro)\n* Options Volatility & Pricing: Advanced Trading Strategies and Techniques (Sheldon Natenberg)\n* Gotham: A History of New York City to 1898 (Edwin Burrows & Mike Wallace)\n* Egil's Saga (anonymous)\n* Invisible Cities (Italo Calvino)\nIf you have any interest in the history of New York City at all, or if you're interested in seeing an incredibly well done character study, read \"The Power Broker.\"  Probably the best biography I've ever read... Ron Chernow's biographies of J. P. Morgan, Rockefeller, and Hamilton are all great, but Caro's on Robert Moses blew me away.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "read \"The Power Broker.\"  Probably the best biography I've ever read",
          "reason": "Recommended for readers interested in New York City history or a strong character study; praised as the best biography the commenter has read.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in New York City history or character studies.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert A. Caro"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "new york city",
        "urban history",
        "urban planning",
        "political biography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-signal-and-the-noise-785577",
      "title": "The Signal and the Noise",
      "author": "Nate Silver",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21771080,
          "author": "sunstone",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-12T11:53:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 21765528,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fun Tech Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21771080",
          "commentText": "\"The Signal and the Noise\" might qualify.  How to reason about systems of messy data.... like the weather for example.  Very well written and entertaining.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The Signal and the Noise\" might qualify.",
          "reason": "Called very well written and entertaining, and described as explaining how to reason about messy data.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether it qualifies.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18744393,
          "author": "rtchau",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T04:16:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744393",
          "commentText": "Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Signal and the Noise by Nate Silver",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Signal and the Noise by Nate Silver",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite nonfiction books read in 2018.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10839821,
          "author": "_m8fo",
          "createdAt": "2016-01-04T23:57:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 10833032,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book you've recently read and enjoyed?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10839821",
          "commentText": "Nate Silver's The Signal and the Noise [1] is excellent.\n[1] http://www.amazon.com/Signal-Noise-Many-Predictions-Fail--bu... (http://www.amazon.com/Signal-Noise-Many-Predictions-Fail--but/dp/0143125087/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451951860&sr=8-1&keywords=the+signal+and+the+noise)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nate Silver's The Signal and the Noise [1] is excellent.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9347104,
          "author": "pjc50",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T12:47:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9347104",
          "commentText": "Just finished Nate Silver's \"The Signal and The Noise\". Interesting collection of prediction case studies, seeing what can and can't be effectively predicted. Good for correcting black-and-white thinking.\nCurrently reading \"Naples 44\", diary of an intelligence officer there just after the US landings. The author is classically trained enough to immediately fall in love with the place despite the war, so it's a strange mix of lounging around Paestum and the stark effects of war.\nNext in queue: pick one to re-read from Iain M Banks or Pratchett.\n(Presumably Clausewitz is in your reading list somewhere as well; his book is unfinished but contains both good quotes to mine and real insight into how few military problems are about actual fighting itself.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Interesting collection of prediction case studies, seeing what can and can't be effectively predicted. Good for correcting black-and-white thinking.",
          "reason": "Useful perspective on prediction and black-and-white thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109331,
          "author": "loarabia",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:48:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109331",
          "commentText": "Just finished reading Hugh Howey's \"Dust\". The Wool, Shift, and Dust series from Hugh Howey are great dystopic sci-fi. Picked up The Signal and the Noise from Nate Silver as my next book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Picked up The Signal and the Noise from Nate Silver as my next book.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107038,
          "author": "khc",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:47:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107038",
          "commentText": "Poor Economics - Abhijit Banerjee & Esther Duflo\nThinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman\nThe Signal and The Noise - Nate Silver\nPredictably Irrational - Dan Ariely\nThis Time is Different - Carmen Reinhart & Kenneth Rogoff\nSubliminal - Leonard Mlodinow\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Taleb\nFor something more lighthearted, I also enjoyed:\nAn Economist Gets Lunch - Tyler Cowen\nInside Jokes - Matthew Hurley & others\n(mostly skipped the dense parts)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Signal and The Noise - Nate Silver",
          "reason": "Listed among books offered in response to the favorite-books request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968397,
          "author": "akg_67",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:45:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968397",
          "commentText": "Coincidently, I just finished reading The Signal and the Noise by Nate Silver too. I found it interesting and not too technical. It covered lot of ground.\nNow, I am reading Innumeracy by John Allen Paulos. It is more in depth and technical than Nate's.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I found it interesting and not too technical. It covered lot of ground.",
          "reason": "Says it was interesting and accessible, and covered a lot of ground.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes it as not too technical.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968256,
          "author": "rustyfe",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:13:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968256",
          "commentText": "I just finished reading The Signal and The Noise by Nate Silver. It was an interesting read, but it felt a bit shallow in it's analysis.\nI was feeling the need for some fiction, so I picked up Vladimir Nabokov's translation of Eugene Onegin by Aleksandr Pushkin. Not sure what to think about it yet, but it's interesting reading Nabokov's analysis and seeing into his mindset a little. Sheds some light on his work as well.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I just finished reading The Signal and The Noise by Nate Silver. It was an interesting read, but it felt a bit shallow in it's analysis.",
          "reason": "Finds it interesting but says its analysis felt shallow.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The analysis felt a bit shallow.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nate Silver"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "forecasting",
        "statistics",
        "prediction",
        "data analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-snowball-warren-buffett-and-the-business-of-life-ef1f58",
      "title": "The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life",
      "author": "Alice Schroeder",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32936258,
          "author": "fullsend",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T08:39:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936258",
          "commentText": "I enjoy content that adds curious new information and different views to topics full of cliches, while still being relatively respectable or well researched.\nComing Apart - this book described the coming separation of the US into two “classes” long before it was widely talked about. Today most talk about it as a political divide. This book tackles it as a divide between knowledge workers and the rest. A controversial take that adds much needed food for thought to the conversation. If you’ve lived poor and you’ve also lived in a place like Palo Alto, you’ll be astounded by how readily you can point and say, “that’s me”. Lots of fascinating statistics.\nBowling Alone - a great book about the collapse of US social life. Dense, lots of statistics, but a clear picture is laid out of increasing isolation and alienation. Read it alongside something like Consumer’s Republic to understand how so much of this stems from the selfishness and individuality encouraged by consumerism in post-war America.\nTriumph of the City - an excellent take that can be used as food for thought when people are talking about how dirty cities are. In truth, the author argues, they are our greenest “invention” ever. Lots of good evidence. Imagine collecting the trash if every human lived on their own acre of land. The sewage, the energy usage. Cities are incredibly efficient and clean.\nThe Man Who Solved The Market - everyone interested in finance needs to read this and it’s precursor More Money Than God. The Bogleheads and their index fund ilk are often correct when they say “money managers all lose to an index after fees”. Beating the market is nigh on impossible for all but a few. Most of those few work at Renaissance Technologies. Their Medallion Fund has made 36% after fees every single year since 1989. The fund does its best in market crash years. Closed to outside investors. A story of mathematicians essentially building models that can predict the future reliably. Utterly fascinating, the most successful money printer ever built. As a bonus, we learn that Jim Simons originally controlled this printer and spent the money helping US math teachers. He then ceded control to Robert Mercer, who used the printer’s output to fund Cambridge Analytica, Steve Bannon, Trump, etc.\nThe Snowball - a biography of Warren Buffet that tells an incredible story. The story is one of total obsession. Of a human who literally started from a few dollars, learned about some principles like compounding at age 6, and applied the exact same principles every day for the rest of his life with very little deviation. The craziest part of this story is how every 10 years, he’s surrounded by people saying “times have changed, you’re missing out”. Then those people get blown up by whatever black swan, and Warren’s snowball just grows and grows. He didn’t become a billionaire till he was in his 50’s but the snowball is still growing and he’s one of the richest people alive.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Snowball - a biography of Warren Buffet",
          "reason": "The commenter describes Buffett's long-term investing principles and the compounding of his wealth.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22575820,
          "author": "JacobDotVI",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T15:10:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22575820",
          "commentText": "House of Morgan - biography of JO Morgan and kin\nSnowball - biography of Warren Buffet\nThe Good Earth - novel about Chinese farmer\nFortune’s Children - the rise and fall of the Vanderbilts",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Snowball - biography of Warren Buffet",
          "reason": "Listed as a biography of Warren Buffett.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19088692,
          "author": "MikeCapone",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T19:15:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19088692",
          "commentText": "So many, and I wish I could write a long paragraph on each, but I'm unfortunately short on time. I'm posting any in case just one person who hasn't heard of those checks them out and gets value:\n-Godel, Escher, Bach (Douglas Hosfstadter)\n-The Mindbody Prescription (John E. Sarno, completely cured my long-term crippling RSI that kept me from using computers and was ruining my life)\n-Feeling Good (Dr. Burns, cognitive therapy mostly centered on depression, but I want to learn about this before I have depression so that I can avoid it and do 'maintenance' on myself)\n-The 5 Love Languages (Gary Chapman, made me understand a lot more about how people express and receive love, and the problems that arise from mismatched languages in relationships)\n-Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman (you guys probably already know this)\n-The Blank Slate (Steven Pinker)\n-The Snowball (Warren Buffett biography)\n-Influence (Robert B. Cialdini)\n-Your Money or Your Life (Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin)\n-When Heaven and Earth Changed Places: A Vietnamese Woman's Journey from War to Peace (Le Ly Hayslip)\n-The Halo Effect (Phil Rosenzweig)\n-The LessWrong.com sequences on rationality",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-The Snowball (Warren Buffett biography)",
          "reason": "Listed among books offered to readers who might get value from them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17912358,
          "author": "TheAlchemist",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T20:09:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17912358",
          "commentText": "Oh I can only agree ! Each year I'm eagerly waiting for it.\nTo complement, I would add two books from Buffett and Munger:\n- \"The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life\"  by Alice Schroeder\n- \"Poor Charlie's Almanack\" by Charlie Munger - a fantastic read",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life\"  by Alice Schroeder",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395886,
          "author": "codypo",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T14:51:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395886",
          "commentText": "On the fiction side, I absolutely loved Shogun by Clavell. I didn't know what to expect, and I found an epic that was captivating in many ways.  I also started Neil Gaiman's Sandman series. I realize I'm about 10 years behind everyone else, and I've found it most deserving of all of the hubbub.\nWith respect to nonfiction, I enjoyed Schroeder's recent biography of Warren Buffett, entitled the Snowball. It was much less of a hagiography than much of what you read on him. He's a fascinating, complex man.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed Schroeder's recent biography of Warren Buffett, entitled the Snowball.",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed the biography.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it was less hagiographic than much writing about Buffett.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395837,
          "author": "fduran",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T14:37:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395837",
          "commentText": "\"The snowball: Warren Buffett and the business of life\"\n\"The autobiography of Benjamin Franklin\"\n\"The toilet paper entrepreneur\"\n\"The lean startup\"\n\"Anything you want\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The snowball: Warren Buffett and the business of life\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1973912,
          "author": "sayemm",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T04:29:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1973912",
          "commentText": "\"The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life\", by Alice Schroeder - http://www.amazon.com/Snowball-Warren-Buffett-Business-Life/... (http://www.amazon.com/Snowball-Warren-Buffett-Business-Life/dp/0553384619/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1291609358&sr=1-1)\nThis is by far the best biography on the man. Alice Schroeder did an amazing job. His life story is incredibly instructive whether you're an entrepreneur or an investor. When you study Buffett's life you get a deep appreciation for the intangible qualities that define extraordinary entrepreneurs.\nBest business book I've ever read, and probably will ever read. I don't say that lightly. My copy is thoroughly dog-eared, highlighted, and I turn to it over and over again.\nWill teach you far more business than any MBA will -- but only if you're serious about learning, and reading through 832 pages.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is by far the best biography on the man. Alice Schroeder did an amazing job.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best Buffett biography and says it is instructive for entrepreneurs and investors.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs and investors; readers serious about learning business.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says learning from it requires commitment to reading its 832 pages.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alice Schroeder"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "investing",
        "warren buffett"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "there-is-no-antimemetics-division-17bdf4",
      "title": "There Is No Antimemetics Division",
      "author": "qntm",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48085463,
          "author": "rationalist",
          "createdAt": "2026-05-10T16:45:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 48084905,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci fi books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48085463",
          "commentText": "Somewhat lesser-known sci-fi novels I read in the past:\nThe Unincorporated Man (and three sequels)\nCross between science fiction and fantasy: Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality (\"HPMOR\") - the premise is that Harry Potter is raised by a good aunt and uncle, and is taught the Scientific Method and so he uses that when encountering magic.\nOld Man's War (and sequels) by John Scalzi\nRedshirts by John Scalzi\nScience-reality: Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\nRa by qntm\nThere is no Antiemetics Division by qntm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "There is no Antiemetics Division by qntm",
          "reason": "Listed as a science fiction read in response to a request for recent books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42268997,
          "author": "lowbloodsugar",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:29:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268997",
          "commentText": "qntm, There is no antimemetics division.\nTamsin Muir, Gideon the Ninth\nIain M Banks, The Algebraist\nD F Jones, Colossus\nJames S A Corey, The Mercy of Gods",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "qntm, There is no antimemetics division.",
          "reason": "Lists it among books read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40464796,
          "author": "admissionsguy",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-24T10:43:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40464796",
          "commentText": "I reluctantly admit, \"There Is No Antimemetics Division\" had the best idea, even though its pacing is reminiscent of the Skibidi Toilet series.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"There Is No Antimemetics Division\" had the best idea",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book had the best idea, while criticizing its pacing by comparison.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Its pacing is compared unfavorably to the Skibidi Toilet series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38564474,
          "author": "dinkleberg",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T01:58:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38564474",
          "commentText": "\"There Is No Antimemetics Division\" is a bit of a mind bender, it is definitely worth a read. I hadn’t read any SCP stuff before fwiw.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"There Is No Antimemetics Division\" is a bit of a mind bender, it is definitely worth a read.",
          "reason": "Says it is worth reading despite being a mind bender.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter had not read any SCP material before.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36022453,
          "author": "AndrewDucker",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T16:21:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36022453",
          "commentText": "A recent favourite is \"There is no anti-memetics division\".\nYou can read it over here, for free. Or buy a physical copy (which I did, and was very happy to)\nhttps://qntm.org/scp",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A recent favourite is \"There is no anti-memetics division\".",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a recent favorite and says they bought and enjoyed a physical copy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021753,
          "author": "pkd",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:08:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021753",
          "commentText": "- A Fire Upon The Deep\n- Brave New World\n- The Dispossessed\n- The Sirens of Titan / Slaughterhouse 5\n- Recursion\n- Exhalation\n- There Is No Antimemetics Division\n- Foundation Series",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "There Is No Antimemetics Division",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33867272,
          "author": "vector_rotcev",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-05T15:57:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33867272",
          "commentText": "This is absolutely fantastic, and above all the other choices here that I agree are wonderful, this is absolutely one of the most absorbing and interesting books you could spend your time in and realise \"oh, there isn't another book I could put in this next to as being of the same type\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this is absolutely one of the most absorbing and interesting books you could spend your time in",
          "reason": "Strongly praises the book as absorbing and interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "qntm"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memetics",
        "cosmic horror",
        "scp",
        "anomalies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "titan-the-life-of-john-d-rockefeller-sr-e198b3",
      "title": "Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.",
      "author": "Ron Chernow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36666587,
          "author": "HamptonFounders",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-10T14:01:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36666587",
          "commentText": "Not sure if this is helpful, but a friend fed this conversation through ChatGPT and had it summarize for easier reading:\n-The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy -Bigger by Marc Levinson\n-The Machine That Changed the World: The Story of Lean Production-- Toyota's Secret Weapon in the Global Car Wars That Is Now Revolutionizing World Industry by James P. Womack, Daniel T. Jones, and Daniel Roos\n-Empires of the Sky: Zeppelins, Airplanes, and Two Men's Epic Duel to Rule the World by Erik Larson\n-Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America by Richard -White\n-The Arms of Krupp: The Rise and Fall of the Industrial Dynasty that Armed Germany at War by William Manchester\n-Edison by Edmund Morris\n-Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow\n-The People's Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century by Steven Watts\n-Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler\n-The Victorian Internet by Tom Standage\n-The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood by James Gleick\n-Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age by Michael S. Malone\n-The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester\n-The Innovators by Walter Isaacson\n-Medieval Technology and Social Change by Lynn White Jr.\n-The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation by Jon Gertner\n-Electricity in the 17th and 18th Centuries: A Study of Early Modern Physics by Eric H. Chaney\n-Early Electrical Communication by A. F. Marland\n-Bibliographical History of Electricity and Magnetism by Silvanus P. Thompson\n-Electric Science: Its History, Phenomena, and Applications by J. J. Fahie\n-The History and Present State of Electricity by Andrew Ure\n-https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/\n-De Re Metallica by Georgius Agricola",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books offered in response to the history of technology question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36601373,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:00:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601373",
          "commentText": "Here are some histories of specific industries I've read recently and supremely enjoyed:\n- The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger\n- The Machine That Changed the World: The Story of Lean Production-- Toyota's Secret Weapon in the Global Car Wars That Is Now Revolutionizing World Industry\n- Empires of the Sky: Zeppelins, Airplanes, and Two Men's Epic Duel to Rule the World\n- Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America (of all of these not the most amazing but still interesting)\n- The Arms of Krupp: The Rise and Fall of the Industrial Dynasty that Armed Germany at War\nAnd then you can learn a lot by reading about the people who built the industries too. Here are a few I've been reading about recently that I recommend:\n- Edison by Edmund Morris (Just read it backwards, you'll see.)\n- Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow\n- The People's Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century by Steven Watts\n- Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler\nI also got some interesting suggestions asking a similar question on Twitter a bit ago.\nhttps://twitter.com/eatonphil/status/1668625835350454273",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow",
          "reason": "Listed among books about people who built industries that the commenter recommends.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401425,
          "author": "AndrewKemendo",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:22:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401425",
          "commentText": "I'm a good way through Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.\nSo far it has given a lot of insight into his upbringing and general history that would be the bedrock of his philosophy. Hopefully it gets into how he identified and executed on his business strategies.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it has provided insight into Rockefeller's upbringing and the roots of his philosophy so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They are still reading and hope it will discuss his business strategies.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2923957,
          "author": "salemh",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-25T06:25:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 2919368,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have changed the way you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2923957",
          "commentText": "Reality Tansurfing 1: The Space of Variations\n\"Choosing\" your own reality, positive mind frames, philosophy and actionable steps for goal attainment (no \"Secret\" wish fulfillment).\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1846941229/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1846941229/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1846941229)\n\" Some of Zeeland's techniques are very simple and practical; e.g. his methods of combining rational thinking with intuition for making practical decisions.  Other \"tools\" require a high degree of control over one's thoughts and/or emotions.\n    Zeeland also advocates reducing the amount of mental self-talk in favour of listening to one's intuition, which has some similarity with the teachings of Eckhart Tolle [[2]].\"\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vadim_Zeeland\nThe Tibetan Book of Living and Dying\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062508342/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062508342/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0062508342)\nThis novel has been of great help to me and family with recent deaths. Overall life outlook, happiness, and the like.\nEnders Game\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812550706/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812550706/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0812550706)\nI have read this novel over 15 years roughly 8 times. I get more, and a different perspective (which is interesting just examining my own reaction to re-reads based on my life and age at reading / re-reading).\nPrometheus Rising\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1561840564/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1561840564/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1561840564)\n\"Hacking\" reality, your mind, alternate viewpoints of reality and \"living\" accordingly (or not :D)\nPandora's Star\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345479211/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345479211/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0345479211)\nFascinating \"space opera\" wherein humanity masters worm-hole technology (and space colonization), ever lasting life (downloading / uploading) and a lovely read with a dose of astrophysics (though, the number of plot lines and characters gets far too muddled much of the time, symptomatic of Hamilton's books). Great \"look\" at a potential future of these potential advancements.\nNeuropath\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0765361574/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0765361574/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0765361574)\nScience fiction novel set in near-future based on new advanced in neuroscience; psychopath / serial killer thriller (one night read)on the brain as a chemical machine (and free-will arguments) with brutal thriller violence. This sticks with you for a number of weeks. Sending this to my sister was reacted with \"it was really good, fascinating..why the f* did you send this to me?\"\nThe Darkness That Comes Before (The Prince of Nothing, Book 1)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1841494089/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1841494089/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=1841494089)\nFantasy, philosophy, linguistics in Magic..dark, dark and a very old world. Brilliant, the best fantasy series this decade.\nTitan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400077303/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400077303/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1400077303)\nFrom dirt (literally), to one of the richest men in history, a genius accountant, inventor, process engineer, capitalist, competitive monster (crusher), also spawning much of modern medicine research centers (while he himself was a more holistic man who distrusted \"modern medicine). An incredible biography (oft cited by other novels on various Baron's / dynastic biographies) on the idiocyncrocies and the incredible desire for wealth and power, while abhoring lavish displays of wealth. From his rise, to consolidation, to \"war\" with the Rothschilds to the ultimate breakup of Standard Oil.\n1,000 Dollars and an Idea: Entrepreneur to Billionaire: Expanded Edition\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1557048487/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1557048487/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1557048487)\nSam Wyly, on building businesses to last, 15-20 years to \"flip\" or keep. Nuggets of wisdom for all industries and verticals.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An incredible biography (oft cited by other novels on various Baron's / dynastic biographies) on the idiocyncrocies and the incredible desire for wealth and power",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an incredible biography and describes its account of Rockefeller's rise and drive for wealth and power.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in business history and biographies.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 687161,
          "author": "edw519",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-04T13:57:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 687066,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on getting rich?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=687161",
          "commentText": "Biographies of the very rich and successful who started with nothing are usually very good.  I look for common themes and key points in their lives.   A few of my favorites:\nCarnegie by Peter Krass, http://www.amazon.com/Carnegie-Peter-Krass/dp/0471468835/ref... (http://www.amazon.com/Carnegie-Peter-Krass/dp/0471468835/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246715621&sr=8-7)\n\"Titan, The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.\" by Ron Chernow, http://www.amazon.com/Titan-Life-John-Rockefeller-Sr/dp/1400... (http://www.amazon.com/Titan-Life-John-Rockefeller-Sr/dp/1400077303/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246715706&sr=1-1)\n\"iWoz\", by Steve Wozniak, http://www.amazon.com/iWoz-Computer-Invented-Personal-Co-Fou... (http://www.amazon.com/iWoz-Computer-Invented-Personal-Co-Founded/dp/0393061434/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246715846&sr=1-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Titan, The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.\" by Ron Chernow",
          "reason": "Includes it among favorite biographies in response to a request for book suggestions.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in biographies of successful people who started with nothing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 203260,
          "author": "augustus",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T13:43:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=203260",
          "commentText": "I must have read close to 50 biographies.\nI love \"Titan\" about John D. Rockefeller (in many ways a hero of mine).\nand\nLosing my Virginity - Richard Branson (so honest and realistic).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I love \"Titan\" about John D. Rockefeller",
          "reason": "Says they love the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5663,
          "author": "raju",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T12:03:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5663",
          "commentText": "Founders at Work\nHackers and Painters\n(Disclaimer - I am moonlighting on my startup idea, but have these books to be a huge source of inspiration. Also, Joel's list is highly recommended. Another book, and it may seem off-topic is Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. It helps to study the lives of those who have managed to pull off very successful businesses)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It helps to study the lives of those who have managed to pull off very successful businesses",
          "reason": "Says it helps study people who built very successful businesses.",
          "audience": "Startup founders",
          "caveat": "Described as possibly off-topic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ron Chernow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "john d rockefeller",
        "american business",
        "business biography",
        "business history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-guide-to-the-good-life-7bba8f",
      "title": "A Guide to the Good Life",
      "author": "William B. Irvine",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24182971,
          "author": "gtirloni",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-17T01:32:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 24176902,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please suggest some good books you have read recently",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24182971",
          "commentText": "A Guide to the Good Life by William B. Irvine",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Guide to the Good Life by William B. Irvine",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17169047,
          "author": "mark_l_watson",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T20:54:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17169047",
          "commentText": "+1 for the book recommendation and the reading notes.\nI have always had a little bit of the spiritual side to me, but in the last ten years I have come even more to appreciate both the philosophy of stoicism and Buddhist teachings, which have a huge amount of overlap in my opinion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for the book recommendation and the reading notes.",
          "reason": "Endorses the recommendation and reading notes for the book discussed in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168712,
          "author": "lpolovets",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:36:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168712",
          "commentText": "\"A Guide to the Good Life\" by William Irvine. It's an approachable guide to stoicism and it helped me become less attached and less anxious about things that I have no control over. I really value the increased peace of mind.\nI took a lot of notes when I first read the book (https://booknotes.quora.com/Notes-on-A-Guide-to-the-Good-Lif... (https://booknotes.quora.com/Notes-on-A-Guide-to-the-Good-Life-by-Irvine)) and I still revisit them occasionally. (The notes don't replace reading the book, but give a good sense of its contents.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"A Guide to the Good Life\" by William Irvine. It's an approachable guide to stoicism and it helped me become less attached and less anxious about things that I have no control over. I really value the increased peace of mind.",
          "reason": "The commenter says its approachable Stoicism guide helped reduce attachment and anxiety and brought peace of mind.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13804336,
          "author": "xemoka",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:38:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804336",
          "commentText": "- Ishmael and Story of B by Daniel Quinn\nHis thoughts on religion and interpretation of religion as propaganda and how we've framed our taker society very much influenced my young mind.\n- 1491 and 1493 by Charles C. Mann\nThe way we look at the new world and how vastly different standard teachings and what actually happened are.\n- A Guide to the Good Life by William Irvine\nPut to words what I already mostly practise, it identified my issues I had with buddhism.\n- A Dictators Handbook by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita\nAn interesting flip on politics, it made me stop worrying so much about the here-and-now of it, and quelled my anger with the (further?) realisation that it is a game. If we want to fix what's happening we need to fix the rules, not the players.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Guide to the Good Life by William Irvine",
          "reason": "The commenter says it put their existing practices into words and identified issues with their understanding of Buddhism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12251510,
          "author": "jotux",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T23:26:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12251510",
          "commentText": "I've never thought of Meditations as religious or non-religious. It's all about really appreciating what you have and understanding the way you feel is derived from your perception of the world. I think that's pretty universal.\nIf anyone is interested in a more modern introduction to stoicism A Guide to the Good Life is a worthwhile read: https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic/dp/0195... (https://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic/dp/0195374614)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If anyone is interested in a more modern introduction to stoicism A Guide to the Good Life is a worthwhile read",
          "reason": "Recommended as a worthwhile modern introduction to Stoicism.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in a modern introduction to Stoicism.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7451055,
          "author": "compass-seeker",
          "createdAt": "2014-03-22T21:47:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 7450534,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's on your reading list? Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7451055",
          "commentText": "Well not all things startup related come from startups (if that makes any sense). A Guide to the Good Life sounds like a worthwhile read, added to my plan to read list!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A Guide to the Good Life sounds like a worthwhile read",
          "reason": "The commenter considers it worthwhile and has added it to their reading plan.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7451006,
          "author": "thecooluser",
          "createdAt": "2014-03-22T21:34:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 7450534,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's on your reading list? Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7451006",
          "commentText": "Recently did the Myer Briggs test and read \"The INTP: Personality, Careers, Relationships, & the Quest for Truth and Meaning\". Now I just need to read more criticism of the Myer Briggs test so I can have a more balanced view of it all, but the results/book seemed pretty darn spot on.\nAlso been loving \"The Little Book of Talent\" from the author of \"The Talent Code\" (which is another one of my favourite books).\nAnd after reading a lot of Stoic philosophy over the years, I've finally got around to \"A Guide to the Good Life\". Very clear explanation of Stoic ideas so probably would have been the best place to start. :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Very clear explanation of Stoic ideas so probably would have been the best place to start.",
          "reason": "Praised as a clear introduction to Stoic ideas and a good starting point.",
          "audience": "Readers starting to explore Stoic philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William B. Irvine"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "stoicism",
        "buddhist teachings",
        "practical philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "elements-314555",
      "title": "Elements",
      "author": "Euclid",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39249223,
          "author": "Frummy",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T10:54:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249223",
          "commentText": "Euclids Elements, Thomas Heath translation",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Euclids Elements, Thomas Heath translation",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937279,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:49:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937279",
          "commentText": "“Oh! Pascal!” is on my short list and I can see the influence of 'Elements', and Feynman as well.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I can see the influence of 'Elements'",
          "reason": "The commenter says they can see its influence.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The work is mentioned as an influence; no endorsement is expressed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937200,
          "author": "tiffanyg",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:40:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937200",
          "commentText": "Ah, a literalist.\nI see your literality, and raise:\nenabled a pivotal moment in my life\nLike that time you beat Archimedes to the punch and moved the world with a cantilever?\nTo not just 'standup philosopher'-post: Gödel, Escher, Bach (already mentioned by another I see); Euclid's Elements; Polya's How To Solve It; The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich; Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats - clearly non-fiction, if you know cats. :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Euclid's Elements",
          "reason": "Listed among books with a pivotal impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34444936,
          "author": "lordgrenville",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T20:06:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34444936",
          "commentText": "From what I've heard, Euclid is fairly accessible and was for centuries the standard geometry textbook for children; the Principia is incredibly daunting, and Newton even admitted that he made it extra confusing on purpose to deter readers who weren't already experts.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "From what I've heard, Euclid is fairly accessible and was for centuries the standard geometry textbook for children;",
          "reason": "The commenter describes Euclid's work as accessible and as a historical textbook for children.",
          "audience": "Children learning geometry.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says this is based on what they have heard.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34442346,
          "author": "racl101",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T16:43:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34442346",
          "commentText": "I had a print of Euclid's Elements as a kid.\nMy mom was really into mathematical proofs and I being a huge loser kid with no friends naturally took to this book as well.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I had a print of Euclid's Elements as a kid.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34441500,
          "author": "bombcar",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T15:42:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34441500",
          "commentText": "I didn't read Euclid in Greek or Newton in Latin; there are quite good translations available - even free!\nIn general I find that if someone is insisting that you study the philosophy of someone in their original language, they don't have a good enough translation yet.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I didn't read Euclid in Greek",
          "reason": "The commenter refers to having read Euclid in translation, discussing original-language study.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment advocates using good translations.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31999422,
          "author": "decasteve",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-06T11:33:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31999422",
          "commentText": "That would be a hard one. A book of appetizers without a main course. I read it when I was an undergrad wanting to get a broad sense of different areas in Math I could pursue.\nIf I had to pick one math book it would have to be a classic with some depth to it: Euclid’s Elements, Newton’s Principia, or Gauss’ Disquisitiones.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Euclid’s Elements",
          "reason": "Named as one of the classics the commenter would choose if picking a math book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21315153,
          "author": "playing_colours",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T17:51:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21315153",
          "commentText": "Focusing on mathematics, I think about two kinds of foundational books.\n1. Historically foundational: books that brought important ideas, introduced a new branch, progressed the maths significantly. You can read them these days, but their content, proofs, language, etc. is not up to date. Examples: Elements by Euclid, Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica by Newton, Disquisitiones Arithmeticae by Gauss.\n2. Modern foundational books: The ones that can be used for studying now. Books that are clearly written, popular, cover their subject well. Examples: Visual Complex Analysis, Spivak’s Calculus, Linear Algebra Done Right, Hardy’s \nAn Introduction to the Theory of Numbers.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Examples: Elements by Euclid",
          "reason": "Listed as a historically foundational mathematics book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says historical works may have outdated content, proofs, and language.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21314691,
          "author": "throwaway_bad",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T17:12:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21314691",
          "commentText": "I think you're right that you shouldn't learn from the \"fundamental\" books but there definitely are such a thing as fundamental books.\nThey are usually hugely influential in their times but have been refined or made easier to digest since. If you care deeply about your field you should read them at some point to see how ideas evolved historically.\nEnglish: Shakespeare\nBiology: Darwin's Origin of Species\nMath: Euclid's Elements\nFor OP's topic, I'd say Shannon's \"A Mathematical Theory of Communication\" is up there for computer science.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Math: Euclid's Elements",
          "reason": "Listed as an example of a historically influential foundational book.",
          "audience": "Readers who care deeply about their field and its intellectual history.",
          "caveat": "The comment says foundational books may have been refined or made easier to digest since.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20914679,
          "author": "glial",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T02:14:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914679",
          "commentText": "Spinoza's Ethics\nEuclid's Elements\nAristotle's Nicomachean Ethics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Euclid's Elements",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite old books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20914639,
          "author": "pmcjones",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T02:03:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914639",
          "commentText": "Euclid's _Elements_.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Euclid's _Elements_.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite old books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 755857,
          "author": "seanstickle",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T18:02:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755857",
          "commentText": "What you say makes a lot of sense.\nHowever, notation actually does affect the ideas, and deeply. Euclid did not consider 1 a number, for perfectly sound reasons. Multiplication is a very different animal in Euclid's math, and his proportions are not just funny-looking fractions.\nOverall, you are right. If someone is looking to get a broad survey of mathematics, Euclid is not a good source. But to start from scratch and learn rigorous math-by-proof, he has no equal.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "But to start from scratch and learn rigorous math-by-proof, he has no equal.",
          "reason": "Says Euclid is unmatched for starting from scratch and learning rigorous proof-based mathematics.",
          "audience": "Beginners seeking to learn rigorous mathematical proof.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 755773,
          "author": "timwiseman",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T17:34:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755773",
          "commentText": "Invalidates?  Absolutely none.  Good mathematics is eternal and the Elements has some beautiful mathematics.\nWhat I meant to say is that in the fullness of time they have been expanded on and surpassed.  You can still learn good and valid mathematics from Euclid, but you can learn it better form more modern sources.\nAs one example amoung many, good modern geometry books will let the reader know about the existence of non-Euclidean geometry and its differences, even if the focus is on traditional Euclidean geometry.\nAlso, modern books will use modern notation.  Notation of course does not affect the ideas which are what is important, but someone trying to learn math today will need to learn the notation so that they can read other more advanced books that will assume the reader knows that stuff.  Not to mention, notation can make things easier or harder (try doing multiplication in Roman Numerals).\nFinally, many things that were proven tediously before have easier proofs developped over time, often with the ability to take recourse in Algebra.  For the same reason, many open questions in Euclid's time now have answers.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Good mathematics is eternal and the Elements has some beautiful mathematics.",
          "reason": "Defends the mathematical value of Euclid's Elements, while noting later sources can teach some material better.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Modern sources may teach the material better and use more current notation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 755714,
          "author": "seanstickle",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T17:17:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755714",
          "commentText": "I'd be curious to know what you find difficult about them, and why you think they do not teach well.\nI find Euclid extraordinarily clear in his exposition of geometry. And I have not yet found a better teacher on conics than Appolonius, although Descartes comes very close with his analytic geometry.\nAre there some defective constructions in the Conic Sections or in the Elements that lead you to say that \"you'll know next to nothing about even basic notions of mathematics\"?\nIt's not clear to me why you think that the ancient texts are lacking in pedagogical power, except for perhaps a personal aesthetic preference.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "in the Conic Sections or in the Elements",
          "reason": "Asks whether there are flaws in the works, without expressing a view about recommending them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 755107,
          "author": "seanstickle",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T13:06:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755107",
          "commentText": "I heartily endorse reading the classic works of geometry as a way to both the subject as well as a way of thinking about math, proof, and argumentation.\nStart with Euclid's _Elements_, and then move onto Archimedes' short books on levers and floating bodies, Apollonius's wonderful treatise on conic sections, and Ptolemy's _Almagest_.\nThey are excellent for self-education, providing both geometrical knowledge in itself, as well as extensive training in sound reasoning. Don't be fooled by the antiquity of their origin: they teach more clearly than most modern day texts, and their content is timeless.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Start with Euclid's _Elements_",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a starting point for geometry, mathematical thinking, proof, and argumentation.",
          "audience": "Readers pursuing self-education in geometry and mathematical reasoning.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Euclid"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "euclidean geometry",
        "classical mathematics",
        "mathematical proofs",
        "geometry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "going-postal-7841c6",
      "title": "Going Postal",
      "author": "Terry Pratchett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46161500,
          "author": "ashtavakra",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-05T14:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46161500",
          "commentText": "I consolidated the comments for my reference later. Someone else might also find it useful:\n# Fiction Books Recommended for Programmers (HN Thread 46128404)\n## Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- *Children of Time* — Science Fiction (Evolution, Space Opera)  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)\n## Rick Cook — Wizardry Series\n- *Wizard’s Bane* — Fantasy, Programming/Magic Mashup  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112616.Wizard_s_Bane\n- *Wizardry Series (overview)*  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\n## James P. Hogan\n- *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/743568.Inherit_the_Stars\n- *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifem... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifemaker)\n- *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_Tomorrow)\n## D. F. Jones — Colossus Trilogy\n- *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806105.Colossus\n- *The Fall of Colossus* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colos... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colossus)\n- *Colossus and the Crab* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_Crab)\n## Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner)\n- *A Logic Named Joe* — Golden-Age Sci-Fi, AI Precursor  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-j... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-joe)\n## David Gerrold\n- *When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One* — AI, Classic Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_Was_One)\n## William Gibson / Bruce Sterling\n- *Neuromancer* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer\n- *The Difference Engine* — Steampunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Eng... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Engine)\n## Neal Stephenson\n- *Snow Crash* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash\n- *Cryptonomicon* — Techno-thriller, Cyber-history  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/816.Cryptonomicon\n- *Anathem* — Philosophical Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2845024-anathem\n- *The Diamond Age* — Nanopunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827.The_Diamond_Age\n## Fred Saberhagen\n- *Octagon* — AI, Techno-thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1891958.Octagon\n## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga\n- *Series Overview* — Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/40946-vorkosigan-saga\n## Richard Powers\n- *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45104.Galatea_2_2\n## Scott Meyer\n- *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-wizard)\n## Daniel Suarez\n- *Daemon* — Cyber-thriller, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665844-daemon\n## Thomas J. Ryan\n- *The Adolescence of P-1* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_o... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_of_P_1)\n## Ernest Cline\n- *Ready Player One* — Sci-Fi, Gaming, Pop-Culture Adventure  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one\n## Dennis E. Taylor\n- *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)* — Humorous Sci-Fi, AI, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-we-are-bob)\n## Ted Chiang\n- *Stories of Your Life and Others* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\n- *Exhalation* — Speculative Fiction, Philosophy, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation\n- *The Lifecycle of Software Objects* — AI, Digital Consciousness  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of-software-objects)\n## Charles Stross\n- *Laundry Files Series* — Math-based Magic, Techno-Fantasy  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files\n## Ken Liu\n- *The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menag... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories)\n- *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, AI, VR  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl-and-other-stories)\n## Ellen Ullman\n- *The Bug* — Tech Industry Literary Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/703.The_Bug\n## Cory Doctorow\n- *Radicalized* — Techno-sociopolitical Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40604122-radicalized\n## qntm (Sam Hughes)\n- *Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans-in-transit-and-other-stories)\n## Roger Williams\n- *The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect* — AI, Post-Singularity SF  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)\n## Greg Bear\n- *Eon* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/924843.Eon\n## Vernor Vinge\n- *A Deepness in the Sky* — Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the_Sky)\n## Terry Pratchett\n- *Going Postal* — Comic Fantasy, Satire of Bureaucracy & Tech  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64222.Going_Postal\n## Bruce Bethke\n- *Headcrash* — Cyber-satire  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213465.Headcrash\n## Mary Shelley\n- *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* — Classic Gothic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein\n## Douglas Adams\n- *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* — Comic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guid... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)\n## Jorge Luis Borges\n- *The Library of Babel* — Metaphysical Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-babel)\n## Greg Egan\n- *Permutation City* — Simulation Theory, Hard Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156784.Permutation_City\n## Cixin Liu\n- *The Three-Body Problem* — Hard Sci-Fi, First Contact  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- *Going Postal* — Comic Fantasy, Satire of Bureaucracy & Tech",
          "reason": "Lists the title in a compilation of fiction books recommended for programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46129065,
          "author": "GrumpyYoungMan",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T01:06:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46129065",
          "commentText": "Terry Pratchett's Going Postal seems particularly apropos these days as we have Reacher Gilts aplenty in tech news headlines.\nObscure and a bit dated but Bruce Betkhe's Head Crash is hilarious if you've been deeply immersed in the software industry.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Terry Pratchett's Going Postal seems particularly apropos these days as we have Reacher Gilts aplenty in tech news headlines.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds its themes particularly relevant to current tech news.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25848612,
          "author": "aidenn0",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T16:47:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25848612",
          "commentText": "Read the Discworld books by Terry Pratchett.  They are always funny, but not always light.\nFor the HN crowd \"going postal\" is probably a good first read.  You can mostly read them in arbitrary order.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"going postal\" is probably a good first read.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a good starting book in the Discworld series.",
          "audience": "HN readers starting Discworld.",
          "caveat": "Can mostly read Discworld books in arbitrary order.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18675016,
          "author": "fdw",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-13T19:02:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18675016",
          "commentText": "> The Color of Magic - Terry Pratchett (Kinda interesting, but rather odd)\nThis is the first book on Pratchett's Discworld. It definitely has a different tone than his later works. If you've not totally annoyed by it, or if you'd like to read fantasy which strongly mirrors our world, with a dry and playful humour, I'd recommend reading some later ones. They are quite independent of one another, so that you don't have to read them in order (although there's several sets with the same protagonists).\nPersonally, I'd always recommend Going Postal, maybe Night Watch (a bit of back story could help but is not necessary), or Monstrous Regiment.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Personally, I'd always recommend Going Postal",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends this book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17538918,
          "author": "minhazm423",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T05:13:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17538918",
          "commentText": "Hey unfortunately I have nothing to add but I'd like to make a request for sci fi books\nw/ these themes:\nfinance\ncurrency\neconomics\nmath\nmoney\npower\nSome common reccomendations I've seen are\nanything by Neal Stephenson\nThe other recommendations Ive seen are fantasy like\nThe Traitor Baru Cormorant\nThe Dagger and Coin series\nMaking Money\nGoing Postal\nDoes anyone have any similar recommendations?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Going Postal",
          "reason": "Listed among recommendations the commenter has seen while requesting similar books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter asks for similar recommendations and does not endorse this title.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2639606,
          "author": "iqster",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T03:02:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639606",
          "commentText": "Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. I'd also strongly recommend Terry P's Going Postal and Making Money.\nI have a long list of non-fiction books I've read and enjoyed. Most recently, I read Paul Graham's Hackers and Painters. Would definitely recommend it!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "strongly recommend Terry P's Going Postal",
          "reason": "The commenter strongly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 602299,
          "author": "jpd",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-10T17:46:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 601903,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fictional books related to startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=602299",
          "commentText": "Discworld's Going Postal and Making Money by Terry Pratchett are worth checking out. They are sort-of about startups; the main character has to re-organize the Post Office and the Banking system.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Discworld's Going Postal and Making Money by Terry Pratchett are worth checking out.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the books are worth checking out as stories involving reorganizing institutions.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in humorous fantasy with organizational themes.",
          "caveat": "Only sort-of about startups.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 601929,
          "author": "greendestiny",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-10T08:17:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 601903,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fictional books related to startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=601929",
          "commentText": "If you want something a little different, \"The Truth\" and \"Going Postal\" by Terry Pratchett both capture a sense of startupness.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Truth\" and \"Going Postal\" by Terry Pratchett both capture a sense of startupness.",
          "reason": "Said to capture a sense of startupness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter suggests them for a slightly different take.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry Pratchett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fantasy",
        "discworld",
        "satire",
        "bureaucracy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "managing-humans-a01ea6",
      "title": "Managing Humans",
      "author": "Michael Lopp",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33858182,
          "author": "mooreds",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T21:37:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33858182",
          "commentText": "Hiya,\nI'd consider these books/articles/podcasts:\n* Secrets of Consulting by Gerald Weinberg: http://geraldmweinberg.com/Site/Consulting_Secrets.html Every problem is a people problem.\n* Refactoring by Martin Fowler et. al: https://martinfowler.com/books/refactoring.html talks about how and why to refactor, as well as providing a nomenclature for the process.\n* Code Complete by Steve McConnell. https://stevemcconnell.com/books/ A bit dated (the last version I could find was from 2004) but a great overview of the entire software process, from requirements to maintenance.\n* The Mythical Man-Month by Fred Brookes: https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/mythical-man-month-the/... (https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/mythical-man-month-the/0201835959/) best practices about software development, written about a project from the 1960 and 1970s.\n* The Joel On Software Strategy Letters: https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/05/12/strategy-letter-i-... (https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/05/12/strategy-letter-i-ben-and-jerrys-vs-amazon/) is the first one. All of them (I think there are five) are great.\n* Letters to a New Developer: https://letterstoanewdeveloper.com/the-book/ Please note I wrote this, but I still think it does a good job of discussing the \"soft skills\" in an easily digestible format.\n* Pragmatic Programmer by Dave Thomas and Andy Hunt: https://pragprog.com/titles/tpp20/the-pragmatic-programmer-2... (https://pragprog.com/titles/tpp20/the-pragmatic-programmer-20th-anniversary-edition/) Haven't read the revised 20th anniversary edition, but the first one opened my eyes to the craft of software.\n* High Output Management by Andy Grove: https://bookshop.org/p/books/high-output-management-andrew-s... (https://bookshop.org/p/books/high-output-management-andrew-s-grove/6730629) a great way to think about throughput\n* The Phoenix Project by Gene Kim et. al: https://itrevolution.com/product/the-phoenix-project/ Fun novel(!) about applying lean management principles to software engineering.\n* Radical Candor (haven't read, but it's been recommended): https://www.radicalcandor.com/ About communication.\n* Good to Great by Jim Collins: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_to_Great Focuses on what great companies bring to the table. Helps me evaluate where to work.\n* Mastery Autonomy and Purpose: A great video about what people really want in work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzXXC4MZZnY\n* https://www.manager-tools.com/podcasts a podcast about managing people. You didn't say you wanted to be a people manager, but knowing what managers think about will make you more effective in any org.\n* Managing Humans by Michael Lopp: https://managinghumans.com/ The whole Rands site is work reading, but I enjoyed this book about how to manage teams and build software. See above.\n* Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug: https://sensible.com/dont-make-me-think/ Easy ways to think about usability, focusing on webapps. Short and easy.\n* Badass: Making Users Awesome, by Kathy Sierra: http://seriouspony.com/badass-users-the-book Will help you put yourself in the shoes of your users and think about how to build software they will love. Short and easy.\nHope this helps.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Managing Humans by Michael Lopp",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed it for its discussion of managing teams and building software.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21822270,
          "author": "derangedHorse",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-18T06:03:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21822270",
          "commentText": "Managing Humans was hilarious and definitely insightful. I saw myself in some of the stories he mentions lol.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Managing Humans was hilarious and definitely insightful.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it hilarious and insightful, and recognized themselves in its stories.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21717270,
          "author": "foobar_",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T22:20:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21717270",
          "commentText": "Excellent book! Adding Managing Humans to that.\nhttps://randsinrepose.com/books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Excellent book! Adding Managing Humans to that.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an excellent book and adds it as a recommendation.",
          "audience": "People interested in managing teams, especially in tech.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21714168,
          "author": "lynfogeek",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T17:25:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21714168",
          "commentText": "A few recommendations from me and peers in my company who highly value some of the following:\n- \"Managing Humans\" by Michael Lopp very insightful and easy to read.\n- \"Accelerate: The Science of Lean Software and DevOps: Building and Scaling High Performing Technology Organizations\" by Dr Nicole Forsgren brings a long research on how to organize teams for success.\n- \"The Manager's Path: A Guide for Tech Leaders Navigating Growth and Change\" by Camille Fournier which I especially recommend for new managers.\nLastly, and this time not tech-specific, but by far my best read of 2019:\n\"Trillion Dollar Coach: The Leadership Playbook of Silicon Valley's Bill Campbell\" written by Eric Schmidt & others.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Managing Humans\" by Michael Lopp very insightful and easy to read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it insightful and easy to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21712376,
          "author": "beh9540",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T14:13:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21712376",
          "commentText": "It depends on what your definition of \"leadership\" is - personally I found \"Managing Humans\" by Michael Lopp to be really insightful. It's really more a collection of anecdotes than a seminal work on the topic, but I think there's a bunch of good components in understanding team dynamics around technical / software engineering teams.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "personally I found \"Managing Humans\" by Michael Lopp to be really insightful.",
          "reason": "Calls it insightful and discusses its useful components for understanding team dynamics.",
          "audience": "Technical and software engineering team leaders.",
          "caveat": "More a collection of anecdotes than a seminal work on the topic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 715636,
          "author": "nopassrecover",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-21T02:57:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715636",
          "commentText": "Last: Crossing the Chasm\nCurrent: Managing Humans",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Current: Managing Humans",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as currently reading; no evaluation expressed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240672,
          "author": "rdoherty",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T02:21:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240672",
          "commentText": "* The Pragmatic Programmer\n* Becoming a Technical Leader\n* In Search of Stupidity\n* Hackers & Painters\n* Blockbusters\n* Joel on Software: And on Diverse and Occasionally Related Matters That Will Prove of Interest to Software Developers, Designers, and Managers, and to Those Who, Whether by Good Fortune or Ill Luck, Work with Them in Some Capacity\n* The Best Software Writing I\n* Behind Closed Doors\n* Managing Humans\n* The Mythical Man-Month\n* Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams\n* The Non-Designers Design Book\n* Founders at Work\n* Good to Great\n* Dreaming in Code\n* The Art of the Start\n* Maverick\n* The Design of Everyday Things\n* The Art of Project Management\n* The Art of Innovation",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Managing Humans",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Lopp"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "engineering management",
        "team leadership",
        "leadership",
        "management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "murderbot-diaries-a5cc5b",
      "title": "Murderbot Diaries",
      "author": "Martha Wells",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46391881,
          "author": "Mossy9",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T13:40:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46391881",
          "commentText": "Humble Bundle has spoiled me and my ebook library has grown by around a 100 books this year...\nTech book recommendations: 'Secure by Design', 'Designing Data-Intensive Applications', 'Building Secure and Reliable Systems' and 'Fundamentals of Software Architecture'.\nFor scifi: 'Murderbot Diaries' and 'The Expanse' - both are just great entertainment",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Murderbot Diaries'",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it great entertainment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39252883,
          "author": "andher",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T18:26:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39252883",
          "commentText": "Yup, I intend to finish it. I've heard The Dark Forest may be the best in the series, so looking forward to the next one.\nHow are the Murderbot books? I've been intending to pick them up",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "How are the Murderbot books? I've been intending to pick them up",
          "reason": "The commenter asks about the books and has been intending to read them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38570365,
          "author": "felipesabino",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T15:45:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38570365",
          "commentText": "The entire \"Murderbot\" series by Martha Wells is amazing, the writing style, humor and the whole story line is a must-read for sci-fi fans\nThe \"Silo\" series by Hugh Howey is excellent, I read it after watching the TV series from Amazon, and no regrets.\n\"Recursion\" and \"Dark Matter\" by Blake Crouch is also really great",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The entire \"Murderbot\" series by Martha Wells is amazing",
          "reason": "Praised for its writing style, humor, and storyline.",
          "audience": "sci-fi fans",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28062825,
          "author": "giaour",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T16:18:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28062825",
          "commentText": "Martha Wells' Murderbot series is a fun holiday read. It's about an autonomous humanoid bot that does security work for expeditions on distant worlds in a corporate-dystopian future and is going through an adolescent emotional crisis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Martha Wells' Murderbot series is a fun holiday read.",
          "reason": "Recommended as an enjoyable holiday read.",
          "audience": "Someone looking for a holiday read.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28060060,
          "author": "silicaroach",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T12:14:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28060060",
          "commentText": "The Expanse Series,\nMurderbot Series",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Murderbot Series",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28059025,
          "author": "johntdaly",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T09:35:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28059025",
          "commentText": "SciFi\nThe Bobiverse Series by Dennis E. Taylor\nThe Singularity Trap and Outland, also by Dennis E. Taylor\nThe Interdependency Series by John Scalzi\nSciFi + Comedy\nExpeditionary Force Series by Craig Alanson\nMilitary SciFi\nThe Lost Fleet Series by Jack Campbell\nThe Palladium Wars Series by Marko Kloos\nA bit of all of the above\nMurderbot Diaries Series by Martha Wells\nSciFi/SciFantasy + Comedy\nMagic 2.0 by Scott Mayer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Murderbot Diaries Series by Martha Wells",
          "reason": "Lists the series as a science fiction recommendation encompassing the listed styles.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking science fiction with varied elements.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17537852,
          "author": "rektide",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T00:15:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537852",
          "commentText": "Central Station by Lavie Tidhar is an amazing charming story of a world deeply steeped old sitting baking world where new things are coming about. It is charm & delight in the purest & simplest.\nSpin by Robert Charles Wilson. \"Robert Charles Wilson is a hell of a storyteller,\" said Stephen King and this wonderful tour through time and space, humanity & people's lives is incredible.\nThe Quantum Thief series by Hannu Rajaniemi is open, scenic, wild, & so so vivid, one of the most beautiful worlds I've ever visited, & it reminds me so much of a joyous wild swashbuckling run. The mystery of the main character is enchanting.\nInfoquake series by David Louis Edelson is a gripping suspenseful rise of a star entrepreneur that redefines and radically expands the world, amid an already boisterous & full & busy beautiful world already overflowing in seamless technology everywhere. Although the plot line whips along with some suspense & tension, the scenery and the voyage is incredible.\nLathe of Heaven by Ursala Le Guin could quite easily, quite simply be the best first contact story story ever. Touching, and sincere, & simple. This world is not bright and shiny but her writing and the bonding of characters is incredible. See also the rest of the Hainish cycle.\nLeft Hand of Darkness also by Ursala Le Guin is a shifting chaotic shizmatic tale, about picking our fates. \"Well, I did it through dreams. Phil would have done it another way. But yeah, homage to Phil [K.] Dick is right.\"\n- https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/a... (https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/all/)\nFallen Dragon is an early & involved Peter Hamilton adventure book. There's leaving home, & space ships, more space ships, bad guys, fighting back the bad guys, bigger ships, and action. There is A LOT going on, all the time, & violence, but damn this book comes together into something incredible, & telling, & powerful & strong, something that easily makes it my top pick for most-underappreciated Peter Hamilton.\nDiamond Age by Neal Stephenson, which I'm providing largely as a counterweight to the Snowcrash & Sevenses recommendations here. Diamond Age is much less dark, and way more a fun tail about an incredible & mysterious primer for a young lady.\nSirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut.\nAll Systems Red series by Martha Wells is a underprivileged barely coping robot dealing with the humans she hates having to talk to & a shitty planet trying to kill them. Simple, fun, some action & violence, but the main character is a total hoot the whole time with more loner/zero/drop-out attitude & spunk than anything I've read & it's unbelievably charming.\nLords of Light by Roger Zelazny has more style, pizzaz, & spirit than I feel like any of us deserve. An interesting, storied tale from the post-singularity, with a remarkable & robust cast.\nIllium/Olympos by Dan Simmons, are, in my mind still the clear winner, far above Hyperion. The cast is charming beyond belief, stumbling through a world they both know all too much about & far far too little. Some really incredible worldbuilding here.\nRainbow's End by Vernor Vinge. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE A Fire Upon the Deep. But Rainbow's End really is our planet, sometime not far out, and Vinge has the most tour of this next place we're headed, with threads, and annotations, and group chat being the defining new technologies of humanity. And the tale of the misfit happenstance adventurers who wind up ensnared in the plot line is a fun, roving hoot of a journey, a wonderful second chance at a coming of age story.\nMedusa Chronicles by two of my favorites, Alastair Reynolds & Stephen Baxter is probably my favorite exploring the solar system book, about a guy/robot a bit apart from humanity that really wants to see what the local area has to offer. A lot of high tension conflicting societal impulses that our somewhat aloof lead stumbles through, on his personal mission of exploration. Lots of interesting robot philosophy & very varied elements of space come together with the characters to make an incredibly fun space epic, set in a delightful & intriguing alternative history\nOther's recommendations I'd +1: Dune (but super heady material), The Stars My Destination (brimming with class & substance), Mote in God's Eye (some of the best Space Colonial Marines style stuff out there), Accelerando (and Iron Sky and ... overflowing playful scifi), Blue Ant series (dripping with style), Foundation series (and much more Asimov!), Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy (simple direct exciting hunt for treasure in Star Wars), Fuzzy Nation (fun tale)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All Systems Red series by Martha Wells is a underprivileged barely coping robot dealing with the humans she hates having to talk to",
          "reason": "Praises the funny, charming main character and engaging story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes some action and violence.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15455122,
          "author": "nikdaheratik",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-12T01:58:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15455122",
          "commentText": "Alot of good recommendations even if they may not meet strict personal definitions of either \"hard\" sci-fi, or \"AI\" sci-fi.\nIf you haven't read the Culture books, by Iain M. Banks, I'd recommend them (as others already have). I'd also add, the \"Murderbot Diaries\" (2017), \"Infomocracy\" (2016) and Lightless (2015).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'd also add, the \"Murderbot Diaries\" (2017)",
          "reason": "Adds the series to a list of recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "May not meet strict definitions of hard or AI science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martha Wells"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "humor",
        "ai protagonist"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "secrets-of-the-javascript-ninja-c14c17",
      "title": "Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja",
      "author": "John Resig",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37331746,
          "author": "darepublic",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-31T02:22:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 37325594,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books to learn web development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37331746",
          "commentText": "A long time ago I read secrets of the JavaScript ninja. I feel like perhaps that is outdated though.  I would probably recommend eloquent JavaScript at this point or googling for online materials",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A long time ago I read secrets of the JavaScript ninja. I feel like perhaps that is outdated though.",
          "reason": "The commenter has read it but thinks it may be outdated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may be outdated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14462610,
          "author": "lpa22",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-01T17:47:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14462610",
          "commentText": "I highly recommend Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja by John Resig. It boosted my career significantly by giving me enough low-level practical understanding to become much more productive writing JS. Highly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja by John Resig. It boosted my career significantly",
          "reason": "The commenter says it improved their practical JavaScript understanding and productivity.",
          "audience": "Readers learning JavaScript who want practical, low-level understanding.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14461705,
          "author": "thinkxl",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-01T16:27:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14461705",
          "commentText": "These:\n- Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja by John Resig (my favorite)\n- Eloquent JavaScript by Marijn Haverbeke",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja by John Resig (my favorite)",
          "reason": "Names it as the commenter's favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10183162,
          "author": "TimJRobinson",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-07T21:33:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10183162",
          "commentText": "Secrets of the Javascript Ninja (by John Resig, creator of jQuery) is amazing for Advanced level Javascript explanations and tips.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Secrets of the Javascript Ninja (by John Resig, creator of jQuery) is amazing",
          "reason": "Described as amazing for advanced JavaScript explanations and tips.",
          "audience": "Advanced JavaScript learners.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401623,
          "author": "almog",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:48:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401623",
          "commentText": "Read: \nThe Fall of Hyperion\nReading:\nEloquent Javascript 2nd edition\nLearn You a Haskell for Great Good\nNext:\nDiscworld series\nSecrets of The Javascript Ninja",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Secrets of The Javascript Ninja",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7757590,
          "author": "john0",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T20:00:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7757590",
          "commentText": "Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja http://www.manning.com/resig/  has helped me understand some of the more interesting parts of the language (such as functions being first class objects) better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja",
          "reason": "Says it helped them understand interesting parts of JavaScript better.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1464266,
          "author": "InclinedPlane",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-26T20:47:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 1463717,
          "threadTitle": "Need best Javascript books suggestion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1464266",
          "commentText": "Ah crap, I accidentally downvoted you instead of upvoting. This is a good book, and you can read a lot of it even before it's released via MEAP.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is a good book",
          "reason": "Calls the book good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Could be read before release via MEAP.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1464083,
          "author": "raju",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-26T18:49:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 1463717,
          "threadTitle": "Need best Javascript books suggestion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1464083",
          "commentText": "John Resig has a book in the works - \"Secrets of the Javascript Ninja\" - http://www.manning.com/resig/ (From what I have seen of the alpha release, it's nice).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Secrets of the Javascript Ninja\"",
          "reason": "Says the alpha release looks nice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The book was still in progress.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1463804,
          "author": "apgwoz",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-26T15:42:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 1463717,
          "threadTitle": "Need best Javascript books suggestion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1463804",
          "commentText": "He also wrote \"Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja\" -- which isn't officially released yet, but you can preorder and get a PDF of it: http://jsninja.com/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "He also wrote \"Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja\" -- which isn't officially released yet, but you can preorder and get a PDF of it:",
          "reason": "The commenter identifies the book and notes it can be preordered with PDF access.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not officially released at the time of the comment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Resig"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "javascript",
        "programming",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-doing-science-and-engineering-learning-to-learn-9fe484",
      "title": "The Art of Doing Science and Engineering: Learning to Learn",
      "author": "Richard W. Hamming",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39063813,
          "author": "pcvarmint",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-20T01:44:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39063813",
          "commentText": "That was the one I was going to recommend.\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AD4b-52jtos",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "That was the one I was going to recommend.",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the recommendation in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39057420,
          "author": "weyj4",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T16:39:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39057420",
          "commentText": "I've just purchased Richard Hamming's \"The Art of Doing Science and Engineering\" but haven't read it all yet, it looks pretty great.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Richard Hamming's \"The Art of Doing Science and Engineering\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says it looks pretty great, though they have not finished reading it.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in engineering and scientific practice.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it all yet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39057341,
          "author": "mezod",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T16:34:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39057341",
          "commentText": "Probably not what you are asking for but thought they might be worth a look\n- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61899637-philosophy-of-c... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61899637-philosophy-of-computer-science)\n- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60965426-the-creative-ac... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60965426-the-creative-act)\n- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/530415.The_Art_of_Doing_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/530415.The_Art_of_Doing_Science_and_Engineering)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/530415.The_Art_of_Doing_...",
          "reason": "Offered as a book worth a look in response to a request for engineering philosophy recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in engineering and scientific practice.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may not be what was asked for.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32937743,
          "author": "EdwardCoffin",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T12:10:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937743",
          "commentText": "The Art of Doing Science and Engineering: Learning to Learn by Richard W. Hamming.  This has chapters on a variety of science, engineering, and math topics, and each one has what I found to be pretty good insights and views on them.\nThe Rules for the Dance by Mary Oliver.  I already knew I liked certain kinds of poetry, but never really understood why.  This book breaks down metrical poetry and explains how it works.\nThe Rules for the Direction of the Mind by Descartes, aka the regulae.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This has chapters on a variety of science, engineering, and math topics, and each one has what I found to be pretty good insights and views on them.",
          "reason": "The commenter found useful insights across its science, engineering, and math topics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29821242,
          "author": "yla92",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-06T09:23:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29821242",
          "commentText": "I have a list books on my mind but if I have to choose one, I would say \"The Art of Doing Science and Engineering: Learning to Learn\" by Richard Hamming.  https://www.amazon.com/Art-Doing-Science-Engineering-Learnin... (https://www.amazon.com/Art-Doing-Science-Engineering-Learning/dp/1732265178)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Art of Doing Science and Engineering: Learning to Learn\" by Richard Hamming.",
          "reason": "Chosen as the single book the commenter would recommend from their list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24619980,
          "author": "the__alchemist",
          "createdAt": "2020-09-28T18:46:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 24582669,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24619980",
          "commentText": "The Art of doing Science and Engineering (Richard Hamming) is a nice book that goes into some topics like error correction codes in low detail. Its main focus is on preparing your attitude and mind to see what other are missing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of doing Science and Engineering (Richard Hamming) is a nice book",
          "reason": "Describes the book as covering topics such as error-correcting codes and preparing readers to notice what others miss.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Discusses error-correcting codes in low detail.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22709494,
          "author": "madhadron",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T05:45:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22709494",
          "commentText": "Hamming's 'Art of Doing Science nad Engineering' is absolutely worth reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hamming's 'Art of Doing Science nad Engineering' is absolutely worth reading.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommended as worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard W. Hamming"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "engineering",
        "scientific thinking",
        "engineering practice",
        "creative thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-big-short-ded398",
      "title": "The Big Short",
      "author": "Michael Lewis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22576560,
          "author": "dogman144",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T16:37:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22576560",
          "commentText": "Random Walk and Black Swan are two good reads. Even if you end up not agreeing with the two's takes, they'll make you sufficiently skeptical of how well a book claims to explain the industry, which is a good position to approach it from.\nMy bias will show, but the industry routinely blows itself on sometimes small or sometimes very large scales, sometimes or often through devices of its own creation. It's important to know that the system is entirely capable of doing this to itself, and therefore the system, and those in it, may not be able to explain itself well.\nEdit: another thing worth reading is Too Big to Fail, The Big Short, and Greatest Trade Ever. All are engaging books, and really walk through how 2008 started and ended through different perspectives of the system. TBtF will cover the Fed and Tier 1. BS/GTE cover the sell side. And then when you pair GTE with what happened to it's focus, John Paulson, after 2008, in that he didn't really have a repeat 'win,' it's a good anecdote for what I said above.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "another thing worth reading is Too Big to Fail, The Big Short, and Greatest Trade Ever.",
          "reason": "Recommended for its account of how the 2008 crisis unfolded from the sell side perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22574231,
          "author": "jayflux",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T09:50:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22574231",
          "commentText": "The big short is a great book, but not sure it’s a good primer on how the financial system works for someone learning.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The big short is a great book, but not sure it’s a good primer on how the financial system works for someone learning.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book but doubts its suitability as an introductory explanation of the financial system.",
          "audience": "Readers who are learning about the financial system.",
          "caveat": "May not be a good primer for beginners.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22573683,
          "author": "docdeek",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T07:03:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22573683",
          "commentText": "You can't go wrong with 'The Big Short'. I saw the film a few times before I ever bought the book, and it's still enlightening.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You can't go wrong with 'The Big Short'.",
          "reason": "Recommended in response to a request for books about money and financial systems.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in financial systems and the events behind the financial crisis.",
          "caveat": "The commenter had seen the film before reading the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20333585,
          "author": "l8mr4",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T09:46:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20333585",
          "commentText": "If you like Michael Lewis (the big short, moneyball, etc) try his favorite novel: The Confederacy of Dunces. The main character is an antihero. This can bother some people.  The story about the book which is usually in the prelude is interesting and tragic.  Really good fiction.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the big short",
          "reason": "Named as an example of Michael Lewis's work while recommending a different novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630284,
          "author": "stevenj",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:04:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630284",
          "commentText": "SURELY YOU'RE JOKING MR. FEYNMAN BY RICHARD FEYNMAN\n-I loved this book for its humor, everyday practicality, how relatable it felt even without having a background in physics or knowledge about the pranks and experiments he conducted. As well as the book being well-written in the sense that it reads as if you're sitting on the couch with him as he's telling you stories about his life, all with a child-like sense of wonder and enthusiasm about the world.\nTHE $12 MILLION STUFFED SHARK BY DON THOMPSON\n-I'm interested in the high-finance and fine-art worlds and this book discussed how they both go together - money and art - in an informative, quick-paced way.\nTHE BUY SIDE BY TURNEY DUFF\n-For its humor, honesty, and how well written it was in terms of it being a page turner while also providing you with an insightful account about the high-finance industry.\nMOLLY'S GAME BY MOLLY BLOOM\n-It was an entertaining, quick-paced read about the private, high-stakes poker industry with an assortment of participants.\nMONEYBALL, LIAR'S POKER & THE BIG SHORT BY MICHAEL LEWIS\n-I thought they were all entertaining reads, while also being insightful about their respective subjects.\nSTEVE JOBS BY WALTER ISAACSON\n-It was an illuminating read to me.\n- - -\nSeparately, these books are on my list to read if anyone has opinions about them:\n-Ghost in the Wires by Kevin \nMitnick\n-Principles by Ray Dalio\n-A Man For All Markets by Edward Thorp",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I thought they were all entertaining reads, while also being insightful about their respective subjects.",
          "reason": "Includes it among books the commenter found entertaining and insightful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4787426,
          "author": "spuiszis",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:23:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787426",
          "commentText": "Man's Search for Meaning - ViktorFrankl\nEndgame (Biography of Bobby Fischer) - Frank Brady\nWalt Disney - Bob Thomas\nThe Given Day - Dennis Lehane (Fiction)\nShutter Island - Dennis Lehane (Way better than movie)\nMichael Lewis - The Big Short\nChurchill - Paul Johnson (faster read than the others)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Michael Lewis - The Big Short",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3643068,
          "author": "jcarden",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-28T13:32:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 3643009,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-technical book you've read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3643068",
          "commentText": "The Theory That Would Not Die (http://amzn.to/w0N2Q6%29is a non-technical and nice historical overview of Bayes theorem and its applications. Another one I've enjoyed recently is Evening's Empire: A History of the Night in Early Modern Europe(http://amzn.to/zywusB). I started the Big Short too, but just couldn't really get into it. If you like things along that line then you should check out The Poker Face of Wall Street (http://amzn.to/zcbYHy)",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I started the Big Short too, but just couldn't really get into it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they could not get into it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter did not enjoy getting into it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1974234,
          "author": "pathik",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T06:33:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974234",
          "commentText": "Founders at Work\nThe Big Short",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Big Short",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1974093,
          "author": "rmanocha",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T05:41:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974093",
          "commentText": "I just got done reading \"The Big Short\" by Michael Lewis. Well written, does a good job explaining what bond traders were doing before 2008 and why this downturn started. Well worth the read, IMO (I was recommended the book by a hedge fund manager when I met him at my school).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Well written, does a good job explaining what bond traders were doing before 2008 and why this downturn started. Well worth the read",
          "reason": "Praises its writing and explanation, and says it is well worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971215,
          "author": "klbarry",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T08:02:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971215",
          "commentText": "\"The Big Short\", wait until 2008 and pocket a pretty penny.\nReal answer, I can't think of better books to have read than what I did then, unless I could force myself to memorize a language book or something.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"The Big Short\", wait until 2008 and pocket a pretty penny.",
          "reason": "Presented as a joke about using the book's subject matter to profit; no endorsement expressed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1866099,
          "author": "elechi",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T19:26:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1866099",
          "commentText": "The Big Short - Michael Lewis",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Big Short - Michael Lewis",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569107,
          "author": "arethuza",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:13:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569107",
          "commentText": "Recent favorites of mine:\nAnathem - Neal Stephenson\nA People's Tragedy: Russian Revolution, 1891-1924 - Orlando Figes\nThe Big Short - Michael Lewis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Big Short - Michael Lewis",
          "reason": "Listed as a recent favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Lewis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "2008 financial crisis",
        "financial crisis",
        "financial markets",
        "bond trading"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dream-machine-0244f0",
      "title": "The Dream Machine",
      "author": "M. Mitchell Waldrop",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48983767,
          "author": "andyjohnson0",
          "createdAt": "2026-07-20T19:32:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 48981842,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favourite science history book of the 20th century?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48983767",
          "commentText": "The Dream Machine by M. Mitchell Waldrop",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dream Machine by M. Mitchell Waldrop",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36606562,
          "author": "shove",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T20:23:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36606562",
          "commentText": "+1 for The Dream Machine about the rise of the personal computer. You may think you know the basic history but this really makes the pieces snap together.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for The Dream Machine",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the recommendation and says it connects the history of personal computing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36581482,
          "author": "conz",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-04T02:30:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36581482",
          "commentText": "In no order in particular, these are good books:\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/722412.The_Dream_Machine\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackers:_Heroes_of_the_Compute... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackers:_Heroes_of_the_Computer_Revolution)\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12625589-turing-s-cathed... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12625589-turing-s-cathedral)\nhttps://openlibrary.org/books/OL27198205M/Fire_in_the_valley",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/722412.The_Dream_Machine",
          "reason": "Listed as a good book on the history of technology.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the history of technology.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21853938,
          "author": "saasdev",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T23:24:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21853938",
          "commentText": "I agree that it’s tough to truly grok technical material in purely audio format. With that said, I think you can learn a ton by learning about the history, trends, and other software companies. Here are some of my favorites:\nThe Dream Machine\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer a Revolution\nHow the Internet Happened\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nAI Superpowers\nPlatform Revolution\nThe Everything Store",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Here are some of my favorites:\nThe Dream Machine",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of favorites answering an audiobook request.",
          "audience": "Listeners interested in computing history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804093,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:12:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804093",
          "commentText": "Writing a Go Interpreter\nWriting a Go Compiler\nNo One Cares about Crazy People\nI Heard You Paint Houses\nUNIX: A History and a Memoir\nRed Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine\nHow Asia Works\nThe Dream Machine\nBlack Earth\nThe Fabric of Reality\nBehave (tried twice, maybe third times a charm?)\nA Short History of Nearly Everything\nStiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers\nGenius: The Life and Science Richard Feynman\nSuper Thinking\nMan's Search for Meaning\nThe Cooking Gene\nThe Vital Question: Why is Life The Way it Is (re-read)\nThe Case Against Sugar\nThe 15 Decisive Battles of the World\nThe History of the Peloponnesian War\nThe Beginning of Infinity\nThe Book of Why",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dream Machine",
          "reason": "Listed in the commenter's planned reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19556623,
          "author": "lewisf",
          "createdAt": "2019-04-02T17:35:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 19556208,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on the early history of the Internet and/or Web?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19556623",
          "commentText": "Reading this now and agree that it's very well-written.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Reading this now and agree that it's very well-written.",
          "reason": "Agrees with the positive assessment of the book's writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19556502,
          "author": "fsloth",
          "createdAt": "2019-04-02T17:23:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 19556208,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on the early history of the Internet and/or Web?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19556502",
          "commentText": "'Innovators' by Walter Isaacson is pretty great when combined with 'The dream machine' as suggested by others.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "pretty great when combined with 'The dream machine' as suggested by others.",
          "reason": "Recommends it in combination with The Innovators.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "M. Mitchell Waldrop"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computing history",
        "internet history",
        "arpa",
        "computer history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-goal-a-process-of-ongoing-improvement-c63ad4",
      "title": "The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement",
      "author": "Eliyahu M. Goldratt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32212666,
          "author": "abbadadda",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-24T12:11:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32212666",
          "commentText": "> The characters are just obviously incompetent and/or malicious.\nMaybe Sarah, but I think the book makes at least three good points: (1) It is challenging to get an organization to change and to stop viewing IT/Ops as a cost center; (2) It is critical that IT/Ops understands how the business works; (3) Getting the organization to the point that The Thee Ways of DevOps are implemented requires cooperation between Dev and Ops to create the feedback loops necessary for both improvement of daily work and continual experimentation. This necessitates buy-in from management to try new things.\nThe book is based on The Goal by Eli Goldrat, and while it may be a bit heavy-handed in the portrayal of some characters, IMO it gets at the point that transforming a company’s culture is hard while also illustrating some of the steps necessary to get there.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The book is based on The Goal by Eli Goldrat",
          "reason": "Says the discussed book is based on it and notes that it can be heavy-handed in portraying characters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may be heavy-handed in its character portrayals.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29670278,
          "author": "gordon_freeman",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T04:40:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29670278",
          "commentText": "I think The Goal is one of those books that has had a profound positive impact on my life. Another one is Freakonomics. There are no books that would teach us concepts such as Theory of constraints and economic incentives in the fun and simple way like these books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Goal is one of those books that has had a profound positive impact on my life.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book had a profound positive impact and teaches the theory of constraints in a fun, simple way.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29670263,
          "author": "brunooliv",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T04:37:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29670263",
          "commentText": "\"The Goal: A process of ongoing improvement\" by Eliyahu M. Goldratt\nAn amazing introduction to the theory of constraints and the value in doing things in small, incremental improvements\n\"A universe from nothing\" was also amazing!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Goal: A process of ongoing improvement\" by Eliyahu M. Goldratt\nAn amazing introduction to the theory of constraints and the value in doing things in small, incremental improvements",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an amazing introduction to the theory of constraints and incremental improvement.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21735589,
          "author": "tikiman163",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-08T12:37:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21735589",
          "commentText": "I strongly recommend the following:\nGood to Great: Why some companies make the leap and Others Don't \nThe Goal: A process of Continuous Improvement \nTeam of Teams\nStrategy that Works: Bridging the Stategy to Execution Gap\nThere isn't a single book that will teach you everything you need to know, but these 5 books taken together will cover nearly everything. The points I suggest paying the most attention to are level 5 leadership, the hedgehog concept, the flywheel concept, Kaizen style continuous improvement, how to organize groups of teams to avoid micromanaging, and how to work with a company culture to make decisions supported by real data that tells you what the most effective decisions would be and how to achieve this by choosing concepts to promote to employees in order to guide their decision making.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I strongly recommend the following:\nGood to Great: Why some companies make the leap and Others Don't \nThe Goal: A process of Continuous Improvement",
          "reason": "Recommended as one of five books that together cover leadership and management.",
          "audience": "People learning leadership, especially for tech teams.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says no single book covers everything.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20198098,
          "author": "el_dev_hell",
          "createdAt": "2019-06-16T21:45:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 20196671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What to read after “Thinking in Systems”?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20198098",
          "commentText": "The Goal is both insightful and hilarious.\nThe system-oriented lessons/examples are great. The 80s style dialogues, integrations, and throwbacks are fun sideshows.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Goal is both insightful and hilarious.",
          "reason": "Calls the book insightful and hilarious, and praises its systems lessons.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The period dialogues, integrations, and throwbacks are fun sideshows.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20196709,
          "author": "elviejo79",
          "createdAt": "2019-06-16T17:27:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 20196671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What to read after “Thinking in Systems”?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20196709",
          "commentText": "The Fifth Discipline by Senge.\nAlso a great introduction to systems thinking.\nAlso everything written by Goldratt.\nIn particular:\nThe Goal and\nIt's not luck\nBoth are business novels, they read lightly but the lessons are profound.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Goal and",
          "reason": "Listed as a business novel that reads lightly and has profound lessons.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13411803,
          "author": "krschultz",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T18:22:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13411803",
          "commentText": "I didn't love this book, it was OK. It's heavily based off The Goal, and I thought that book was a bit better. I think if you have a certain dysfunction in your team AND the mandate to fix it, then The Phoenix Project is a must read. For everyone else it's kind of a waste.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I thought that book was a bit better.",
          "reason": "Rates it a bit better than The Phoenix Project.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297519,
          "author": "paulclinger",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:23:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297519",
          "commentText": "The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement by Eliyahu M. Goldratt. It's an old, but a good one.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement by Eliyahu M. Goldratt. It's an old, but a good one.",
          "reason": "Calls it a good book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes it as old.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eliyahu M. Goldratt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "theory of constraints",
        "operations management",
        "business novel",
        "process improvement"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-inner-game-of-tennis-c1b6ae",
      "title": "The Inner Game of Tennis",
      "author": "W. Timothy Gallwey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47315461,
          "author": "abmmgb",
          "createdAt": "2026-03-09T21:02:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 47315415,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47315461",
          "commentText": "Open by Andre Agassi. Intriguing to read on the struggles of a tennis legend which were concealed at the time. He provides great detail and insights. It is a great follow up from 'The inner game of tennis', speaking of how athletes, and anyone else really, can find punching themselves down through negative mindset which if overcome can unlock your true potential.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "'The inner game of tennis'",
          "reason": "Discussed as a follow-up in a comparison about mindset and athletic performance.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26324768,
          "author": "hdhdhdhchc",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-03T04:30:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 26321793,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books made you the most money?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26324768",
          "commentText": "The inner game of tennis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The inner game of tennis",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17169065,
          "author": "bjoli",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T20:58:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17169065",
          "commentText": "I am a classical musicianby profession (principal bassoon in Norrköping Symphony orchestra if that tells anyone anything). I have used the techniques in the inner game of tennis daily for about as long as I can remember. A teacher of mine noticed I had a very uneven level and made me read it. One of the most important books in my professional career.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One of the most important books in my professional career.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they use its techniques daily and calls it one of the most important books in their professional career.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168320,
          "author": "brogrammernot",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T18:31:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168320",
          "commentText": "The Inner Game of Tennis. My coach gave me his copy from like 1998 that was very, very worn and I could tell he had read it many many times.\nHe was a badass, grew up in South Central, would ride his bike to nicer areas of LA where there were tennis courts, and just hit against the wall until someone else would show up & he’d ask to play with them.\nEnded up playing in High School, and getting a full ride to a DI college.\nHe told me that reading this book when he was trying to get scholarships to college was one of the turning points in his life and then said, “How I’m teaching you to respond to adversity on the court is preparation for the more important challenges you’ll face in your life off the court.”\nTo this day, I often suggest this book to anyone as it played a similar role in my life as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "To this day, I often suggest this book to anyone as it played a similar role in my life as well.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book played a turning-point role for them and often suggests it to others.",
          "audience": "Anyone; the commenter recounts its role in responding to adversity.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12100408,
          "author": "gardano",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T12:13:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12100408",
          "commentText": "Back when I was still a student (of music), I read The Inner Game of Tennis and found it to be incredibly useful!\nI also recommend it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read The Inner Game of Tennis and found it to be incredibly useful!\nI also recommend it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was incredibly useful and explicitly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12098385,
          "author": "skylark",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T01:11:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12098385",
          "commentText": "I came here to post The Inner Game of Tennis and was pleasantly surprised to see it in the top comment.\nThe book is only tangentially related to tennis - the real meat of the book is about how to adopt useful mentalities which will help you succeed at a variety of things. It's an extremely easy read and can be finished casually in a few days.\nA great book which made me question some of my most deeply held beliefs about learning.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I came here to post The Inner Game of Tennis",
          "reason": "Says they came to recommend it and praises its useful mentalities and perspective on learning.",
          "audience": "People seeking mental approaches useful across different activities.",
          "caveat": "Only tangentially related to tennis.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12098333,
          "author": "throwaway26960",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T00:56:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12098333",
          "commentText": "The Inner Game of Tennis\nThink And Grow Rich - I based my cover letter off of some of the concepts in this book and it has worked remarkably well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Inner Game of Tennis",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11230833,
          "author": "ThrustVectoring",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T20:09:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11230833",
          "commentText": "Impro by Keith Johnstone\nThe Inner Game of Tennis\nA Guide to Better Movement: The Science and Practice of Moving with More Skill and Less Pain\nPunished by Rewards\nMicroeconomics: Behavior, Institutions, and Evolution by Bowles",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Inner Game of Tennis",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785476,
          "author": "ThrustVectoring",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:31:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785476",
          "commentText": "Books I'm glad I've read:\nThe Inner Game of Tennis\nImpro by Keith Johnstone\nSeeing Like a State\nThe Timeless Way of Building\nLinear and Geometric Algebra by Alan Macdonald\nMeditations by Marcus Aurelius (read this one thrice)\nThe Tao of Pooh\nScience, Strategy and War: The Strategic Theory of John Boyd\nThe Drama of the Gifted Child\nInteraction Ritual\nWhat Do You Say After You Say Hello?\nOf niche use:\nMathematics: its Content, Methods and Meaning - mostly useful for figuring out what math you don't know. I recommend reading it at a fairly decent pace, and noting what subjects don't sound like an overview of something you've already learned.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Inner Game of Tennis",
          "reason": "Included under “Books I'm glad I've read.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. Timothy Gallwey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Health",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sports psychology",
        "tennis",
        "performance psychology",
        "mental performance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-startup-owner-s-manual-ebe734",
      "title": "The Startup Owner's Manual",
      "author": "Steve Blank and Bob Dorf",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41545930,
          "author": "treme",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-15T07:43:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41545930",
          "commentText": "startup owner's manual should cover 80% of what you need to know",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "startup owner's manual should cover 80% of what you need to know",
          "reason": "The commenter says it should cover most of what a startup owner needs to know.",
          "audience": "Startup owners.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26430294,
          "author": "bobdorf",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-11T23:19:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 26321793,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books made you the most money?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26430294",
          "commentText": "as Steve Blank's co-author, I must comment that building a startup is NOT gambling...his and my work and book are often discussed as \"applying the scientific metnod to starups...\" have a hypothesis, develop a test to prove or disprove it, run the test, read the results, iterate and test again...It is a serious, demanding process that has generated many millions in value for thousands of startups around the world. There is no other process so detailed and granular in its step-by-step process. And luck is at best a trivial influence on startup success...lean methods conceived by steve and in our book are a a far better alternative to the startup casino...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "lean methods conceived by steve and in our book are a a far better alternative to the startup casino",
          "reason": "Defends the book’s lean startup methods as a detailed, serious process for building startups.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26326751,
          "author": "muzani",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-03T10:35:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 26321793,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books made you the most money?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26326751",
          "commentText": "The Startup Owner's Manual.\nIt's a classic, but for some reason not too popular. As the subtitle says, there are literally step-by-step instructions on how to build a great company. It's a little dry. It's a 600 page book. And checklists can be intimidating.\nI didn't even read the whole thing, but it shows how the process is more like R&D than gambling, and removes any doubt. I feel like a lot of modern startup \"advice\" was pulled from this book and mutated beyond recognition, becoming more like cargo cult.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Startup Owner's Manual.",
          "reason": "Shows a startup process as R&D rather than gambling and offers step-by-step company-building guidance.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is dry, long, and that they did not read all of it.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6334841,
          "author": "covgjai",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-05T15:43:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 6329955,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which two books were the most influential on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6334841",
          "commentText": "The Startup Owners Manual by Steve Blank and Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable by Seth Godin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Startup Owners Manual by Steve Blank",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4476202,
          "author": "dmix",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-04T19:47:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 4476107,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN : What are some great books an aspiring entrepreneur should read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4476202",
          "commentText": "Pricing for Profit\nStartup Owners Manual\nMade to Stick\nGetting Real (37signals first book)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Startup Owners Manual",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books aspiring entrepreneurs should read.",
          "audience": "Aspiring entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4476157,
          "author": "sparkawk",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-04T19:35:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 4476107,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN : What are some great books an aspiring entrepreneur should read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4476157",
          "commentText": "The Startup Owner's Manual",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Startup Owner's Manual",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books aspiring entrepreneurs should read.",
          "audience": "Aspiring entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4026753,
          "author": "blrsk",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-26T07:04:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4026753",
          "commentText": "The Startup Owner's Manual - Steve Blank\nDiscours de la Methode - Descartes",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Startup Owner's Manual - Steve Blank",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for a great book read recently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve Blank",
        "Bob Dorf"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "startups",
        "customer development",
        "business planning",
        "company building"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "12-rules-for-life-824ccd",
      "title": "12 Rules for Life",
      "author": "Jordan B. Peterson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38066928,
          "author": "Cosuper",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-30T08:33:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38066928",
          "commentText": "I have 3 books that have made me a before and after in my life:\n- the 4 hour work week\n- 48 laws of power\n- 12 rules for life",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- 12 rules for life",
          "reason": "Listed among three books the commenter says changed their life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32944951,
          "author": "Matake007",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T21:37:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32944951",
          "commentText": "The Millionaire Fastlane - MJ DeMarco\n12 Rules for Life - Jordan Peterson\nThe Carnivore Diet - Paul Saladino\nThe 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen Covey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "12 Rules for Life - Jordan Peterson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18745078,
          "author": "jaabe",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T08:31:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18745078",
          "commentText": "I read it to see what all the fuss was about, and I can see why it would get controversial reviews.\nI don’t think it comes off as sexist or right-wing in the big picture, in fact it seems like an extremely old fashioned self-help book founded on liberal (as in enlightenment) and Christian (mainly protestant) values. Considering the controversy already surrounding Peterson the author really does himself no favours. Of course it’s entirely possibly that it’s intentional.\nEspecially the first two chapters would easily be perceived as sexist if you were inclined to feminism. Every positive story Peterson tells in those two chapters is about order (and he uses masculinity to portray it), and every negative story is about chaos (which he uses femininity to portray). It’s so deeply rooted that every positive example story is even about a man while every negative example story is about a woman. Then at the end of chapter two or three he makes turns that upside down by displaying the negative sides of order along with the positive sides of chaos, and makes it clear that too much of either is bad. The path to a “good” life lies within the balance, showing how he’s not actually sexist at all, but I personally suspect most readers who would be offended, have long quit in anger by then.\nThroughout the book he remains critical of left-leaning ideologies, and presents rhetorically sound but also provocative argumentation against them. I’m not sure why right-leaning ideologs see him as their hero though, as it seems very evident that he doesn’t like them either, but I think it is easy to see why the provocative tone will turn a lot of left-leaning readers off.\nThen there is the branching into areas where the author clearly isn’t an expert. Like how our ability to think forward is attributed to hunter-gathered society, when it’s commonly accepted that it happened with our transitioning into farming, where planning for the next season was vital. A minor error that ultimately has nothing to do with the point the author is trying to make, but it does make you wonder what else he’s wrong about. Which is generally something that doesn’t go over well with reviewers of non-fiction. Because they’ll find and expose those other holes.\nI personally think it was an enjoyable book and I think there’s some genuinely good advice in there, and it’s advice you aren’t likely to find anywhere else. I also think the book could have easily been half the length.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I personally think it was an enjoyable book and I think there’s some genuinely good advice in there, and it’s advice you aren’t likely to find anywhere else.",
          "reason": "Enjoyed it and found genuinely good, distinctive advice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says the book could easily have been half as long; describes controversial framing and a minor factual error.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18744972,
          "author": "lihaciudaniel",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T07:50:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744972",
          "commentText": "* A mind for numbers - Barbara Oakley\n - great framework for learning how to learn\n* Checklist manifesto\n- good for investing better \n* 12 Rule for life by JP\n- Great read, very in depth but only two rules (guidelines) are that needed.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "12 Rule for life by JP\n- Great read, very in depth but only two rules (guidelines) are that needed.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great read while saying only two rules are needed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says only two of its rules are needed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18744918,
          "author": "gikochi",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T07:26:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744918",
          "commentText": "The review I read in the Guardian barely talks about the content of the book, and mostly talks about Peterson's ideology instead (in a negative way, which reflects how bad the left-right chasm is. This is not a book about politics)\nProbably a good book to read to understand why Peterson has a lot of fans.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Probably a good book to read to understand why Peterson has a lot of fans.",
          "reason": "Recommends reading it to understand Peterson's appeal.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking to understand why Peterson has many fans.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18744827,
          "author": "x220",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T06:52:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744827",
          "commentText": "I read this too. It was an enjoyable read. You can safely ignore any commentary or review you read about this book since I have not found a single one yet that isn't incredibly biased. About half of reviews I've read seem to be written by people who didn't read the book at all, let alone skimmed it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read this too. It was an enjoyable read. You can safely ignore any commentary or review you read about this book since I have not found a single one yet that isn't incredibly biased.",
          "reason": "Calls it an enjoyable read and argues reviews are biased.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17169713,
          "author": "senatorobama",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T23:22:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17169713",
          "commentText": "12 Rules for Life",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "12 Rules for Life",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which book changed the commenter’s life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jordan B. Peterson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self help",
        "life advice",
        "personal development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "elon-musk-tesla-spacex-and-the-quest-for-a-fantastic-future-752317",
      "title": "Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future",
      "author": "Ashlee Vance",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17206170,
          "author": "lsaac",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T15:25:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17206170",
          "commentText": "You might enjoy \"Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future\"[0]\n[0] - https://www.amazon.com/Elon-Musk-SpaceX-Fantastic-Future/dp/... (https://www.amazon.com/Elon-Musk-SpaceX-Fantastic-Future/dp/0062301233)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You might enjoy \"Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future\"",
          "reason": "Directly suggests the book as something the reader might enjoy.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Elon Musk, Tesla, and SpaceX.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14859703,
          "author": "pbamotra",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:00:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859703",
          "commentText": "Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future -- Ashlee Vance (ISBN: 978-0062301239)\nJab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy Social World -- Gary Vaynerchuk  (ISBN: 978-0062273062)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future -- Ashlee Vance",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11703094,
          "author": "brotchie",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-15T22:30:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11703094",
          "commentText": "How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia: A Novel - Mohsin Hamid. This is my book of choice for the year: I read it cover-to-cover in a single day. Refreshingly written in second-person perspective, totally engaging.\nFinally read the Zones of Thought series by Vernor Vinge. Love his slight twist on physics that allows for for both post-singularity tech and low-tech to exist in the same universe.\nThe Dark Forest by Cixin Liu (second book in the Remembrance of Earth's Past translated from Mandarin) had a bit of a slow start, but really built up to a good finale.\nElon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future - Ashlee Vance. Good read and made me really appreciate what Elon has done through financially to get Tesla and SpaceX up.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Good read and made me really appreciate what Elon has done through financially to get Tesla and SpaceX up.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a good read and says it increased their appreciation of Musk's efforts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10839933,
          "author": "pedrodelfino",
          "createdAt": "2016-01-05T00:18:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 10833032,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book you've recently read and enjoyed?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10839933",
          "commentText": "Elon Musk's biography by Ashlee Vance and \"How to win at the sport of Business\", by Mark Cuban.  I really enjoyed both of them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Elon Musk's biography by Ashlee Vance",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed both mentioned books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10787519,
          "author": "maxims",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T08:08:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787519",
          "commentText": "\"Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future\" - lots of lessons and an inspiring read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "lots of lessons and an inspiring read.",
          "reason": "Calls it inspiring and says it offers lots of lessons.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785428,
          "author": "ycom13__",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:23:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785428",
          "commentText": "Here are all the ones I read this year\n  A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire) by George R. R. Martin\n  A Feast for Crows: A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) by George R.R. Martin\n  The Confident Speaker: Beat Your Nerves and Communicate at Your Best in Any Situation by Harrison Monarth\n  House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewsk\n  To the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War by Jeff Shaara \n  Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson\n  Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader by Brent Schlender\n  George Washington's Secret Six: The Spy Ring That Saved the American Revolution by Brian Kilmeade\n  Think Like a Freak: The Authors of Freakonomics Offer to Retrain Your Brain by Steven D. Levitt\n  Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance\n  Finders Keepers: A Novel by Stephen King\n  The Guns of August: The Pulitzer Prize-Winning Classic About the Outbreak of World War I by Barbara W. Tuchman\n  The Wright Brothers by David McCullough\n  Seveneves: A Novel by Neal Stephenson\n  The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson\n  Hitler's Last Day: Minute by Minute by Emma Craigie\n  The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins\n  Robopocalypse: A Novel (Vintage Contemporaries) by Daniel H. Wilson\n  Robogenesis by Daniel H. Wilson\n  In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick\n\n\n\nMy 5 favorite ones from that list are\n  In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick\n  Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance\n  To the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War by Jeff Shaara \n  Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson\n  The Wright Brothers by David McCullough",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance",
          "reason": "Included in the list and later named among the commenter's five favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785281,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:00:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785281",
          "commentText": "I can vouch for the first two of these books:\n1. \"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\", fun bio, made me buy the Feynman lectures as well. Really glad I did.\n2. \"Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future\", Very inspiring indeed.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future\", Very inspiring indeed.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it very inspiring.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783529,
          "author": "Symmetry",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:46:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783529",
          "commentText": "Here are the ones I'd be willing to recommend, in reverse chronological order of when I read them.  I read 59 total.  Listen to books on tape while working out has maybe doubled my reading rate.\nGenghis Khan: His Conquests, His Empire, His Legacy - Great book on how the Mongol Empire came to be, who Genghis was, and it put the whole thing in perspective for me in a useful way.\nThe Knowledge: How to Rebuild Our World from Scratch - What it says on the tin.  Actually a good overview how some important technologies interrelate.\nSuperforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction - How to be wrong less often.  Based on the Good Judgement Project results.\nThe Three-Body Problem - Decent enough science fiction but extra interesting because it's science fiction from a different culture.\nIgnition!: An informal history of liquid rocket propellants - A history of things that go boom.  Engaging writing and I learned things about chemistry.\nThe Traitor Baru Cormorant - I'm nominating this for a Hugo.  It tells you it's going to stab you in the gut but when it does you don't see it coming.  Plus high quality scheming and speculation on economics, society, and empire.\nThe Sorcerer of the Wildeeps - Excellent use of voice and an overall good book.\nBloom - Made my skin crawl in places and also was good at making you feel a radical change in perspective.\nSeeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed - An interesting perspective on certain aspects of government.  A bit too negative for the topic, the factors outlined are also why commercial economies were able to develop more centralized economies than agrarian ones in the early modern era.\nPolitical Order and Political Decay: From the Industrial Revolution to the Globalization of Democracy - Quite good book on bureaucracy though not as excellent as the previous book on the origins of states.\nLast First Snow - It's always great to read books about the struggles between people with sympathetic motivations.\nThe Unwelcome Warlock - The latest in a series of fantasy books where people use magic in creative and sensible ways.\nAsteroid Mining 101: Wealth for the New Space Economy -Mostly about all the different sorts of asteroids.\nSeveneves - Neal Stephenson's latest.  If you like his books read it but maybe skip the last 1/3 after the timeskip.\nElon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future - Wow he did a lot of cool stuff.\nStories of Your Life and Others - Brilliant and poetic short stories.\nDarwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life - Some interesting perspective on materialism.\nPower, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life - Best science book I've read in a while!  Shows why mitochondria matter, the fundamental limits of prochariotic life, and several important ways mitochondria influence again and evolution.\nBlue Remembered Earth - Awesome near futureish book that does well at imagining a future that isn't just a linear extrapolation but is still believable.\nA Key, an Egg, an Unfortunate Remark - Not enough pacifist badass grandmothers in urban fantasy.\nQuantum Computing since Democritus - I understand QM much better now.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future - Wow he did a lot of cool stuff.",
          "reason": "Expresses admiration for Musk's accomplishments described in the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ashlee Vance"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "spacex",
        "tesla",
        "technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "malazan-book-of-the-fallen-5afd74",
      "title": "Malazan Book of the Fallen",
      "author": "Steven Erikson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49906748,
          "author": "fifticon",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T10:08:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49906748",
          "commentText": "I too am on DCC; I wonder why I like it, but I do.\nStrangely, one of the things it reminds me of,\nis the Malazan-Book-of-the-fallen series, in spite of how different they are.\nI was/have been on the 'book that wouldnt burn' series;\nI still have to read the final third book.\nIronically, I have not yet finished that series because I dread it;\nthe author is a little too good at writing truly loathable antagonists,\nand at the same time reading him, you have learned \nhe cares little for plot armor ('if he dies, he dies', sigh.)\nOther than that, Piranesi by Susanne Clarke;\nI have also gotten her earlier book, but not gotten far into it yet.\nDCC is strangely hypocritical -\na massive commercial success where we the readers revel-wallow in the graphic\nsuffering of the fictive protagonists/victims,\nand author & co are making truckloads of profits, \nprecisely on the kinds of sheenanigans the books on the surface critisize :-).\nIt is also a bit ironic, that the books/Carl critisize fascism,\nwhile at the same time, Carl is on a kind of one-man fascist/tyrant purging\nthe existing elite, with summary and graphic executions. Sigh :-)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the Malazan-Book-of-the-fallen series",
          "reason": "Says it reminds them of Dungeon Crawler Carl despite their differences.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46398879,
          "author": "RexySaxMan",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T03:39:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46398879",
          "commentText": "I read the entirety of Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen. I've been meaning to since I heard about it in college over a decade ago. With a new baby here and some extended parental leave, I ploughed through all 8000 pages or so and it was so, so worth it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read the entirety of Steven Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen.",
          "reason": "Says reading the entire series was very worthwhile.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 45301553,
          "author": "ryanchants",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-19T13:38:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 45283087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45301553",
          "commentText": "I'm always reading a few books across a categories.\nFiction: Reaper's Gale, book #7 of the fantasy series Malazan Book of the Fallen.\nNon-fiction(history): Denmark Vesey’s Garden: Slavery and Memory in the Cradle of the Confederacy\nAnd then I'm dabbling in a few books around the math behind and practical hands-on machine learning/deep learning.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "book #7 of the fantasy series Malazan Book of the Fallen.",
          "reason": "Identified as the series containing Reaper’s Gale.",
          "audience": "Readers of epic fantasy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38557293,
          "author": "NoNotTheDuo",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:18:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557293",
          "commentText": "Gardens of the Moon, Deadhouse Gates, Memories of Ice, House of Chains, Midnight Tides, The Bonehunters, Reaper's Gale, Toll the Hounds, Dust of Dreams, and The Crippled God - aka Malazan Book of the Fallen - all by Steven Erikson.\nTalk about a renewed interest in reading.  After getting through Gardens of the Moon, I realized that I didn't really know what was going on or why these characters were doing what they were doing.  I found a readalong podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ten-very-big-books-a-m... (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ten-very-big-books-a-malazan-readthrough-podcast/id1461716128)), which really helped me put into context the storylines throughout the series.\nIt's the most epic fantasy series out there.  The stories are based on GURPS games that Erikson and his gaming partner Ian Cameron Esslemont ran in the 1980s on archeological digs.\nAnd there are an additional 16 novels, written both by Erikson and Esslemont, which continue to flesh out the universe.\nI became completely enamored with the books.  I couldn't put them down.  It took me from about February through October to finish all 10.  There's so much content, and they really shine on a readthrough.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I became completely enamored with the books.  I couldn't put them down.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the series captivated them and praises its epic scope and readthrough experience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter initially found the first book confusing and relied on a readalong podcast for context.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38557155,
          "author": "Semaphor",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:06:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557155",
          "commentText": "I re-read the 10 doorstopper long \"Malazan Book of the Fallen\" high fantasy series by Steven Erikson and enjoyed it just as much as I did originally, slightly over a decade ago. Still my favorite series of all time. This took up a pretty big chunk of the year, so most other books were rather light urban fantasy novels.\nBut one other mini-series stood out (potentially going to be a trilogy, but both #1 & #2 can stand alone).\nTeixcalaan #1 & #2, \"A Memory Called Empire\" and \"A Desolation Called Peace\" by Arkady Martine for being very different feeling sci-fi books that are not your typical western-centric fare. Highlights are the language, and that the story feels both very small and contained, and also all-encompassing, at the same time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Still my favorite series of all time.",
          "reason": "The commenter reread the series and says it remains their favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A 10-book doorstopper series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38253918,
          "author": "beezlebroxxxxxx",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-13T19:10:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38253918",
          "commentText": "> Would I be at a disadvantage of not knowing anything about Malazan world or its tabletop RPG?\nNo. My understanding is the RPG world was entirely private and there is no published campaign or book about the specific RPG world at all. It was just what Erikson made before he started the Malazan series. It's not required at all.\nMalazan is decidedly more demanding as a reader though than Stormlight. I would say if you find Stormlight complicated or demanding then you might not enjoy Malazan, which is operating on a fundamentally more complex (on sheer number of characters, for an example) and mature level than Stormlight on almost every level. There is a reason Malazan is often brought up when discussing the greatest fantasy series of all time.\n(I still would put neither Malazan or Stormlight as really complex books though. They're fairly straightforward compared to more creative and formally interesting books like Ulysses or Finnegan's Wake, for instance. In general people who read fantasy tend to be rather hyperbolic when it comes to how complex the books are.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "There is a reason Malazan is often brought up when discussing the greatest fantasy series of all time.",
          "reason": "Says it is more demanding than Stormlight and often considered among the greatest fantasy series.",
          "audience": "Readers comfortable with complex, demanding epic fantasy.",
          "caveat": "May not suit readers who find Stormlight complicated or demanding.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38252421,
          "author": "beezlebroxxxxxx",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-13T17:05:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38252421",
          "commentText": "Stormlight is significantly easier to read than Malazan and, at least in my opinion, significantly simpler in almost every way.\nMalazan is really a narrative tour-de-force with an extremely satisfying way of bringing a number of storylines together and to conclusion in each book. It's also an interesting meditation on history, regret, and the arc of empires over time. The complexity and in media res nature of the beginning throws a lot of people off but you just have to keep reading. It's written in a way that has no handholding; the world is already built and ancient and you're dropped into it, while Sanderson, honestly, seems to be kind of making it up as you go along. (This is, in part, because Erikson had the entire Malazan world as a tabletop RPG before writing the books.)\nSanderson's books, in comparison, are more like Marvel movies. They're entertaining, but I don't find that they reinvent the wheel or do anything too interesting. Stormlight is also much less grim and mature in many ways than Malazan, which is either a pro or a con for some people.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Malazan is really a narrative tour-de-force with an extremely satisfying way of bringing a number of storylines together and to conclusion in each book.",
          "reason": "Praised for bringing storylines together and meditating on history, regret, and empires.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy complex fantasy with little handholding.",
          "caveat": "Its complex, in medias res opening throws many readers off; it is grim and mature.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38239436,
          "author": "vidyesh",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T12:01:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38239436",
          "commentText": "Dude! Thank you. But slow down for me will you?\nDo you mean to say The Stormlight Archive are better in your opinion than the Malazan book of the Fallen series? And KKC is the best of those three series?\nSidenote: Reading about KKC from other comments, seems like I might drop the idea of reading it for reason you too highlighted.\nI also checked out the Malazan Book for Fallen series properly, I was aware it was a series of 10 books but just now discovered Steven Erikson is a beast, that series including the prequels is a set of possibly 26 books! That is so exciting!\nOkay so I ask again, worth getting into? And some advice to survive the 1st book as you mentioned its the most difficult read?\nOR is The Stormlight series easier or first to read?",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Okay so I ask again, worth getting into? And some advice to survive the 1st book",
          "reason": "Asks whether the series is worth starting and seeks advice for its difficult first book.",
          "audience": "Potential new readers of epic fantasy.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has heard the first book is the most difficult read.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38238289,
          "author": "subtra3t",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T07:59:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238289",
          "commentText": "Malazan is amazing, possibly the best fantasy series I've ever read after Stormlight Archives (KKC would be on the list if not for the author's attitude towards the 3rd book). That said, it's really common for newcomers to the series to abandon the book even after a couple hundred pages.\nThink of it as being akin to being dropped in a completely foreign country, with no kind of guidance or language experience. The 1st book is the hardest to really \"get\" but if you do manage to get into it you'll have a really great time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Malazan is amazing, possibly the best fantasy series I've ever read after Stormlight Archives",
          "reason": "Calls it possibly the best fantasy series they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Newcomers often abandon it after a couple hundred pages; the first book is the hardest to get into.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38238144,
          "author": "vidyesh",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T07:28:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238144",
          "commentText": "Actively reading:\n- The Fountainhead\n- Project Hail Mary\n- Learning TypeScript\nPassively reading:\n- The Design of Everyday Things\n- Dive into Design Patterns\nConsidering to read - This is mostly for anyone who has read them and would like to give their opinion about it.\n- Algorithms to Live By\n- Name of the Wind\n- Malazan Book of the Fallen\n- Good Girl's guide to murder\n- The Paradox of Choice\n- Moonwalking with Einstein\n- The Boron Letters\n- Storyworthy\n-",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "- Malazan Book of the Fallen",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter is considering and offered for others' opinions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not said they have read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32198003,
          "author": "zmj",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:46:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32198003",
          "commentText": "\"The God is Not Willing\", the first book in a new trilogy by the author of the Malazan Book of the Fallen. Set in the same universe.\nA bit over halfway through, reading a chapter every few days.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the author of the Malazan Book of the Fallen",
          "reason": "Identifies the author's previous series as context for the book being read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21000692,
          "author": "mattmanser",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-17T22:22:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21000692",
          "commentText": "I found the Malazan books quite frustrating, every book he introduced a new character and storyline and left so many previous ones unfinished. Too many balls. And the end was just a bit silly for me.\nI thought they were pretty good, but I'm enjoying GoT more.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I found the Malazan books quite frustrating, every book he introduced a new character and storyline and left so many previous ones unfinished.",
          "reason": "Finds the series frustrating because new characters and storylines leave earlier ones unfinished.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter found the many unresolved storylines frustrating and the ending silly.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20981895,
          "author": "dilippkumar",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T07:45:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20981895",
          "commentText": "Just finished the second book of this series. I agree with the parent comment - strongly recommend.\nI also finished book 10 of the Malazan series.\nImagine Dan Carlin (Hardcore History podcast) and Quentin Tarantino took both the red pill and the blue pill that Morpheus offered Neo and ground both the pills together, snorted it, shook hands and agreed to create something better than Game of Thrones. I imagine they would have come up with something almost as good as the Malazan series.\nYou’ll have to power through the first book (Gardens of the Moon). It is notoriously difficult - I recommend following up each chapter with commentary on Tor’s Gardens of the Moon reread. I will also guarantee that the way book 1 ends will not make sense. But keep reading - the payoff is waiting as early as the end of book 2. And again at the end of book 3. And again all through books 4 and 5. And it’ll stay that good till the end.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "strongly recommend.",
          "reason": "The commenter strongly recommends it and praises its payoff across the series.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy sprawling epic fantasy.",
          "caveat": "The first book is notoriously difficult; the commenter recommends chapter commentary during the reread.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Erikson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "high fantasy",
        "complex worldbuilding",
        "dark fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nicomachean-ethics-7a9c19",
      "title": "Nicomachean Ethics",
      "author": "Aristotle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21855218,
          "author": "ARandomerDude",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-22T04:40:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21855218",
          "commentText": "System modeling is frequently the task of sorting the universal from particular, the substance from the accidents, etc.  This is especially true in the object-oriented world.  Functional programming and system integration are essentially answering the questions \"what causes this?\" and \"what ought to cause this?\"\nI'm not a fan of the Nichomachean Ethics.  I'm of the Augustinian school.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I'm not a fan of the Nichomachean Ethics.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are not a fan.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21852644,
          "author": "pyuser583",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T18:44:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21852644",
          "commentText": "Really!? My undergraduate degree was in philosophy. I spent a lot of time studying Aristotle’s “Metaphysics” (which isn’t about metaphysics). How does it apply to software development?\nNichomachean Ethics are very helpful.\nBut don't read Aristotle's actual work unless you have a philosophy background. Way too dense and complicated.\nTry \"Aristotle For Everyone\" by Mortimer J. Adler, and then \"Aristotle\" by David Ross.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nichomachean Ethics are very helpful.",
          "reason": "Says the work is very helpful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20918029,
          "author": "austincheney",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T13:40:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20918029",
          "commentText": "Nicomachean Ethics - http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/nicomachaen.html\nOn Liberty - https://www.utilitarianism.com/ol/one.html\nReading those allows a masterful foundation for understanding ethics, which is crucial for a deeper understanding of utility as a primitive concept.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Reading those allows a masterful foundation for understanding ethics",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a foundation for understanding ethics and utility.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20914679,
          "author": "glial",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T02:14:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914679",
          "commentText": "Spinoza's Ethics\nEuclid's Elements\nAristotle's Nicomachean Ethics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite old books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12249429,
          "author": "stryan",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T17:32:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12249429",
          "commentText": "\"Nicomachean Ethics\" by Aristotle.\nIt's easy sometimes to get caught up in the idea of doing things for technology sake or because it would be cool to implement or to make a lot of money. Reading this book really made me start to think about why I'm taking certain actions and the type of person I want to be. While you may not necessarily agree with Aristotle's conclusions on ethics or even some of the premises he starts from (his justification for slavery is notoriously...bad) the Ethics is great example about how to rationally determine the \"most ethical\" action to take in a situation or at the very least will introduce you to such types of reasoning.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Nicomachean Ethics\" by Aristotle.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it prompted reflection on their actions and offers a way to reason about ethical choices.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "You may disagree with Aristotle's conclusions or premises, including his justification for slavery.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503420,
          "author": "ionfish",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T09:28:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503420",
          "commentText": "Most of the \"eye-opening or incredibly interesting\" philosophical material that I've read has been in individual articles rather than books. That said, here are a few favourites from various areas. It's a bit heavily weighted towards recent material; Kant and Plato ought to be on there, but I can't stand Kant as a writer, even if his ideas are profound, and Plato's style has always irritated me for some reason I can't quite put my finger on. I could probably keep tying titles all day, so I'll stop with those that first popped into my head.\nAristotle, Nicomachean Ethics\nDavid Chalmers, The Conscious Mind: In Search of a Fundamental Theory\nGottlob Frege, Die Grundlagen der Arithmetik\nThomas Hobbes, Leviathan\nDavid Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding\nJ.S. Mill, On Liberty\nJohn Rawls, A Theory of Justice\nStewart Shapiro, Philosophy of Mathematics: Structure and Ontology",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503416,
          "author": "kkshin",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T09:21:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503416",
          "commentText": "It really depends on what you're looking for, but Philosophy is a field where one philosopher's work is built on top of the other's going all the way back to the ancient Greek's.  Its important (I think anyways) to read the raw texts before you read philosophical commentary so that you have a chance to form your own opinions.  That being said, here's some recommendations of mine that cover a breadth of philosophical subjects and time periods.  Its always good to see someone else want to learn more philsophy, especially if its of their own volition.\nPlato.  Strangely enough, Plato is probably one of the best introductions to philosophy, not only because he was one of the first whose writings survive to modern time, but also because its relatively simple to read and understand.  Some of my personal favorite are 'The Apology', 'The Symposium', and 'The Phaedrus', and of course 'The Republic'.  The weird thing with Plato is you'll never know how much of his writings are his thinking as opposed to Socrates teaching.  I still reread Plato because the stories (most of his writing is in narrative form) are so damn entertaining.\nAristotle.  This is a natural progression from reading Plato.  The 'Nichomachean Ethics' is a cornerstone of ancient philosophy and is a relative simple read.\nJohn Locke/Gottfried Leibniz.  I'll admit, I struggled through 'An Essay of Human Understanding' but this title and Leibniz's rebuttal 'New Essays on Human Understanding' illustrate a historically important philosophical debate between empiricists and rationalists.  Since you're reading 'Common Sense' you might also want to give Locke's 'Second Treatise on Civil Government' a gander.\nImmaneul Kant.  Since you're reading Schopenhauer you should read Kant as he was heavily influenced by him.  You'll hear him referenced a lot if you continue to read philosophy so you should familiarize yourself with his thinking, especially on his thoughts in epistemology.\nBertrand Russell.  People have already recommended him and he's one of the most popular philosopher's of modern times, mostly because he's so easy to read and was somewhat of a cultural icon during his time.  I have a particular fondness for his work because when I had doubts about my faith, \"Why I Am not A Christian\" helped me find words to communicate my break with Catholocism.  His \"History of Western Philosophy\" is considered a cornerstone history of philosophy book (although it is somewhat dated now).  His writings are usually rather short and concise.\nJacques Derrida/Gilles Deleuze.  Now we're getting into some wacky shit.  To be fair, I shouldn't even be commenting on it because I have no idea what these guys are talking about half the time.  These are the philosophers that people read and pretend to understand because they want to sound smart.  You know the stereotypical \"philosophy\" students that you see in movies.  Maybe you'll find something of substance in their work although many philsopher's believe these guys are/were hacks and purposefully obfuscate their writing to hide the fact that there's no substance in it.\nOne of the best ways to read philosophy is to start with a philosopher who truly changed the game with their work (such as Kant) and work your way out reading the work of his supporters as well as the work of those that disagree with him.  This way you'll get a worldy view on 'important' philosophical issues while starting to formulate your own opinions on th ematter.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 'Nichomachean Ethics' is a cornerstone of ancient philosophy and is a relative simple read.",
          "reason": "Described as a cornerstone of ancient philosophy and relatively simple to read.",
          "audience": "Readers progressing from Plato.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503302,
          "author": "tmsh",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T07:43:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503302",
          "commentText": "My favorites from college are: early dialogues of Plato (the most Socratic / least Platonic -- The Apology is a good start), Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason (on how deeply the very ideas about how we perceive things affect our understanding), and Aristotle's Nico. Ethics (the importance of habits, moderation, and the idea of the good).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Aristotle's Nico. Ethics (the importance of habits, moderation, and the idea of the good)",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s favorites for its discussion of habits, moderation, and the good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Aristotle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "virtue ethics",
        "ethics",
        "aristotelian philosophy",
        "ancient philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "positioning-the-battle-for-your-mind-53b325",
      "title": "Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind",
      "author": "Al Ries and Jack Trout",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6130177,
          "author": "krmmalik",
          "createdAt": "2013-07-30T21:28:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 6130006,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read re marketing for my website?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6130177",
          "commentText": "1. Positioning by Al Trout\n2. Lean Startup by Eric Ries\nPS - I help startups with marketing so if you need any advice let me know.\nContact details and bio on my website (see my profile)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Positioning by Al Trout",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6130130,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2013-07-30T21:18:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 6130006,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read re marketing for my website?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6130130",
          "commentText": "I'm not sure if the fact that it's a game changes anything or not as I don't play in that space myself.  But just in terms of marketing in general, some of the essentials include:\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing - Al Ries & Jack Trout\nPositioning - Al Ries & Jack Trout\nRepositioning - Jack Trout (with Steve Rivkin)\nDifferentiate or Die - Jack Trout (with Steve Rivkin)\nThe Ultimate Marketing Plan - Dan S. Kennedy\nThe Ultimate Sales Machine - Chet Holmes\nAll Marketers Are Liars - Seth Godin\nThe Purple Cow - Seth Godin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Positioning - Al Ries & Jack Trout",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4967193,
          "author": "jkuria",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T21:48:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967193",
          "commentText": "Blue Ocean strategy -- Really solid and well researched book on how to create things customers will gladly pay for while minimizing your own costs. Creating uncontested market space for yourself and making the competition irrelevant.\nVisual Communication -- old book currently out of print but timeless principles for effective communication. Visual communication is often more effective than words.\nEat, Drink and Be Healthy -- How to enjoy food but stay in great shape. You do not need to live on steamed  broccoli and granola to do this! Lots of bland foods are unhealthy and lots of healthy foods are actually tasty. You just need to know which ones.\nHow to build a start up community in your city -- Book by Brad Feld with some interesting ideas about 'leaders' and 'feeders'. Read it to to build a community around http://AfriTech.org\nPositioning -- interesting ideas on how to succeed in a crowded market place\nWriting Non Fiction -- another old book that is out of print but lots of good ideas on how to communicate effectively",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Positioning -- interesting ideas on how to succeed in a crowded market place",
          "reason": "The commenter describes the ideas as interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1080886,
          "author": "Alex3917",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-27T16:48:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 1080708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Marketing Books for Developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1080886",
          "commentText": "All Marketers are Liars, Permission Marketing, Crossing the Chasm, Positioning, 4 steps to the epiphany\nThat's probably enough for a while. And if you haven't already read Getting Real then read that too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Positioning",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for marketing book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1080753,
          "author": "tyohn",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-27T16:03:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 1080708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Marketing Books for Developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1080753",
          "commentText": "I recommend: \"Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices\" by Peter Drucker, \"Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind\", by Al Ries, Jack Trout and \"Re-imagine! Business Excellence in a Disruptive Age\" by Tom Peters. They aren't all strictly marketing books but they are awesome as well as informative.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind\", by Al Ries, Jack Trout",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for marketing books; the commenter calls the books awesome and informative.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 193740,
          "author": "SwellJoe",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-19T00:21:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 193308,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What books on marketing do you recomend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=193740",
          "commentText": "Ries and Trout are excellent.  I've read several of their books, and they all basically amount to the same ideas presented in Positioning, but they include a lot of great anecdotes that make things concrete--sometimes it's hard to see the right positioning for your products, so it can help to hear stories of how they found the right positioning for various products.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the same ideas presented in Positioning",
          "reason": "The commenter says the authors' books convey the same ideas and that their anecdotes make positioning concrete.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking to understand product positioning",
          "caveat": "The comment says several of their books cover largely the same ideas.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 193541,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-18T19:28:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 193308,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What books on marketing do you recomend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=193541",
          "commentText": "Ries & Trout \"Positioning\" is a classic, and a short read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ries & Trout \"Positioning\" is a classic, and a short read.",
          "reason": "Calls it a classic and notes that it is a short read.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in marketing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Al Ries",
        "Jack Trout"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "brand positioning",
        "marketing strategy",
        "marketing",
        "positioning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-road-to-reality-800e85",
      "title": "The Road to Reality",
      "author": "Roger Penrose",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34441145,
          "author": "fsloth",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T15:13:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34441145",
          "commentText": "”Road to reality” by Roger Penrose is an interesting book as a refresher and review if the content is otherwise within familiar territory.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "”Road to reality” by Roger Penrose",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as an interesting refresher and review when the material is already familiar.",
          "audience": "Readers already familiar with the content.",
          "caveat": "The commenter frames it as a refresher and review for familiar material.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23727847,
          "author": "analbumcover",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T21:32:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23727847",
          "commentText": "I would be absolutely flabbergasted if a layman could get through Road to Reality. Even those with an engineering or computer science background would struggle considerably.\nThat said, it serves as a great overview of physics for mathematicians and perhaps as very casual intro to twistor theory for physicists.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I would be absolutely flabbergasted if a layman could get through Road to Reality.",
          "reason": "Offers an overview of physics for mathematicians and a casual introduction to twistor theory.",
          "audience": "Mathematicians; perhaps physicists seeking a casual introduction to twistor theory.",
          "caveat": "A lay reader would likely struggle considerably; even readers with engineering or computer science backgrounds may find it difficult.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21354624,
          "author": "alok-g",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-25T13:20:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21354624",
          "commentText": "I have a love-hate relationship with that book.  It elegantly shows how to think about the topics, but it also left me with many unanswered questions to which I could never find answers with any amount of Internet searching (even though those answers are known to the humankind, buried in a set of complex topic-specific books).\nFeynman's Lectures are much more complete in that sense, even though as other comments on this thread note, the reader may not be able to use the learning to solve practical problems without going beyond Feynman's lectures.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I have a love-hate relationship with that book. It elegantly shows how to think about the topics, but it also left me with many unanswered questions",
          "reason": "Praised for its way of approaching the topics, but it left many questions unanswered.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter could not find answers to the remaining questions through online searching.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21348778,
          "author": "elorant",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T20:23:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21348778",
          "commentText": "It definitely is quite difficult, but it's also very inspiring in finding various topics to read more. I must have bought at least 20 books from the vast bibliography in the appendix of the book.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "quite difficult, but it's also very inspiring in finding various topics to read more",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it inspiring for discovering topics to explore further, while noting its difficulty.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Quite difficult.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21347943,
          "author": "iamaelephant",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T18:55:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21347943",
          "commentText": "As it happens I bought both Road to Reality and Lectures on Physics at the same time, about 14 year ago. I read and re-read Lectures on Physics but I was never able to finish Road to Reality. I have kept my aging copy and hope to one day get through it, but it's a MUCH more difficult read, at least in my opinion.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I read and re-read Lectures on Physics but I was never able to finish Road to Reality.",
          "reason": "Reports being unable to finish it and considers it a much more difficult read than Feynman's lectures.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says this is their opinion.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21347587,
          "author": "jfarlow",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T18:25:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21347587",
          "commentText": "Penrose's 'Road to Reality' [1] is a kind primer on where the math comes from, as it applies to physics.  Kind of a philosophical walkthrough of how math applies to physics.  It is nowhere near as concise as Feynman's lectures, but it does complement them pretty well, while getting more into the math, and why the math is needed to describe various aspects of physical reality.\n[1] https://www.math.columbia.edu/~woit/wordpress/?p=154",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Penrose's 'Road to Reality'",
          "reason": "Described as a philosophical walkthrough of how mathematics applies to physics and as a complement to Feynman's lectures.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not as concise as Feynman's lectures.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17169369,
          "author": "wrycoder",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T22:10:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17169369",
          "commentText": "Gravitation by Misner, Thorne, and Wheeler\nThe Road to Reality by Penrose\nThe Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli\n\"For a long time, we have tried to understand the world in terms of some primary substance.  Perhaps physics, more than any other discipline, has pursued this primary substance.  But the more we have studied it, the less the world seems comprehensible in terms of something that is.  It seems to be a lot more intelligible in terms of relations between events.\n...\nWe therefore describe the world as it happens, not as it is.  Newton's mechanics, Maxwell's equations, quantum mechanics, and so on, tell us how events happen, not how things are...we understand the world in its becoming, not in its being.  Things in themselves are only events that for a while are monotonous.  But only before returning to dust, everything returns to dust.\nThe absence of time does not mean, therefore, that everything is frozen and unmoving.  It means that the incessant happening that wearies the world is not ordered along a time line, is not measured by a gigantic tick-tocking.  It does not even form a four-dimensional geometry.  It is a boundless and disorderly network of quantum events.  The world is more like Naples than Singapore.\nIf by 'time' we mean nothing more than happening, then everything is time.  There is only that which exists in time.\"\nVery influential in my teens:\nAbsalom, Absalom by Faulkner\nUSA by John Dos Passos\nCache Lake Country by Rowlands",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Road to Reality by Penrose",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which book changed the commenter’s life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 755626,
          "author": "CamperBob",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T16:45:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755626",
          "commentText": "I agree with hyperbovine -- Road To Reality is a downright terrible book for the casually-interested nonprofessional, and I don't understand why it gets recommended so frequently.  Roger Penrose is a bright fellow and a good writer but this book is not for the person who did OK in high school math and physics and now wants to take it to the next level.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Road To Reality is a downright terrible book for the casually-interested nonprofessional",
          "reason": "Calls it a terrible book for casually interested nonprofessionals.",
          "audience": "People with high school math and physics who want to progress further.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not suitable for this audience.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roger Penrose"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical physics",
        "physics",
        "fundamental physics",
        "mathematics for physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "compilers-principles-techniques-and-tools-eb4db8",
      "title": "Compilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools",
      "author": "Alfred V. Aho, Ravi Sethi, Jeffrey D. Ullman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 137066,
          "author": "dfranke",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-14T19:07:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 136875,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good compiler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=137066",
          "commentText": "I second that recommendation, with a preemptive shush to anyone was about to whine that it spends so much time covering parser generators.  Those algorithms may be old hat, but they're nonetheless enlightening once you understand why they work.\nI do wish they covered optimization in more depth, though.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I second that recommendation, with a preemptive shush to anyone was about to whine that it spends so much time covering parser generators.",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the recommendation and says the parser-generator material is enlightening.",
          "audience": "Readers studying compiler design and parser generators.",
          "caveat": "The commenter wishes it covered optimization in more depth.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 136988,
          "author": "vchakrav",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-14T18:12:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 136875,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good compiler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=136988",
          "commentText": "I would say that there are two important things to consider:\n1. Understanding how a compiler works without getting bogged down by programming language details - This means that you should try and look at compilers written in Standard ML or Ocaml (my favorite), since   that would be much easier to follow. For example -- a datatype can be much more succinctly expressed as \n     type any_value = Int | String | Float\nrather than across 4 classes (as in the Java case).\n2. Start small, and understand it in chunks. For these, a lot of web based resources are ideal. For example, to understand regular expressions, it would be nice if you were able to visualize them, and play around with them visually -\nhttp://osteele.com/archives/2006/02/reanimator\nI would also look at simple examples of interpreters, and build up from that, looking at examples of toy compilers:\nhttp://min-caml.sourceforge.net/index-e.html\nThese will help, of course alongside a book like Appel's or the Dragon Book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "alongside a book like Appel's or the Dragon Book.",
          "reason": "Names it as one possible book to use alongside examples and web resources.",
          "audience": "Readers learning compiler construction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 136952,
          "author": "dedalus",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-14T17:53:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 136875,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good compiler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=136952",
          "commentText": "The fundamental book to read would be \"Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation\" (\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Automata-Theory-Languages... (http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Automata-Theory-Languages-Computation/dp/0321462254/))\nThen proceed to Dragonbook.\nAfter finishing Dragonbook, you might like this Linkers and loaders (http://www.amazon.com/Linkers-Kaufmann-Software-Engineering-... (http://www.amazon.com/Linkers-Kaufmann-Software-Engineering-Programming/dp/1558604960))\nIn general follow this guy Jeff Ullman and you would be good(http://infolab.stanford.edu/~ullman/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Then proceed to Dragonbook.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as the next book after studying automata theory.",
          "audience": "Readers studying compiler design.",
          "caveat": "Suggested after the automata theory book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 136948,
          "author": "yawl",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-14T17:47:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 136875,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good compiler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=136948",
          "commentText": "Modern Compiler Implementation by Andrew-Appel is a very good introduction book for people to get started on doing a compiler.\nAnd if you want to be more pragmatic, here is a shorter one: \nhttp://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/teaching/2004/CompConstr/NEJ/report.... (http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/teaching/2004/CompConstr/NEJ/report.pdf)\nThe dragon book is a MUST for compiler researcher and people who are serious on compiler, but it is hard to follow, and I do not recommend it as your first compiler book.\nFor ruby, you can take a look of the xruby compiler I did: http://xruby.googlecode.com (google code's server has some problem now, you may have to wait for a while)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The dragon book is a MUST for compiler researcher and people who are serious on compiler",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends it to compiler researchers and serious students.",
          "audience": "Compiler researchers and people serious about compiler study.",
          "caveat": "Hard to follow; not recommended as a first compiler book.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 136944,
          "author": "anupamkapoor",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-14T17:40:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 136875,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good compiler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=136944",
          "commentText": "another (more interactive) option might be to pickup a standard compilers text-book e.g aho-ullman / aho-ullman-sethi and follow the intro-compilers course-work available at any of the universities (e.g. stanford). work through the exercises i.e. hack, hack, hack !\nat least at stanford, you will end up writing a small compiler for a toy java like language. kind of nice. from there you can go onto more mature stuff e.g. llvm.\nedit: it would be even more fun, if you could take the tests too (within stipulated times ofcourse).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "another (more interactive) option might be to pickup a standard compilers text-book e.g aho-ullman / aho-ullman-sethi",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a textbook to pair with university compiler coursework.",
          "audience": "Readers studying compiler construction through coursework and exercises.",
          "caveat": "Suggested alongside course materials and hands-on exercises.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 136935,
          "author": "alec",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-14T17:32:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 136875,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good compiler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=136935",
          "commentText": "The nice thing about Appel's book is that you put together a compiler as you go along - it's easier to self-study.  The Dragon Book's compiler project is an appendix.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Dragon Book's compiler project is an appendix.",
          "reason": "Compares the placement of its compiler project with Appel's book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The compiler project is in an appendix.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 136911,
          "author": "jey",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-14T17:01:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 136875,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good compiler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=136911",
          "commentText": "\"Engineering a Compiler\" by Cooper and Torczon\nThe Dragon Book is not the best book these days, it focuses too much on stuff you won't care about and not enough on the stuff you do care about. (e.g. it focuses a lot on parser generators and says almost nothing about analysis and optimization)\nEDIT: A good followup text is \"Advanced Compiler Design and Implementation\" by Muchnick",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The Dragon Book is not the best book these days",
          "reason": "Criticizes its coverage as poorly matched to current interests.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a compiler book.",
          "caveat": "Says it overemphasizes parser generators and gives too little attention to analysis and optimization.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 136894,
          "author": "mk",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-14T16:50:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 136875,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good compiler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=136894",
          "commentText": "This is what is commonly refered to as \"the dragon book\". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compilers:_Principles,_Techniqu... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compilers:_Principles,_Techniques,_and_Tools)\nBut that may be too massive for what you are looking for. I found that Crockfords  essay http://javascript.crockford.com/tdop/tdop.html really helps if you know javascript. And reading something like tinypy http://www.philhassey.com/blog/2008/02/28/tinypy-10-mit-lice... (http://www.philhassey.com/blog/2008/02/28/tinypy-10-mit-license-and-swell-opengl-demo/)\nmay help.\nAlso not necessarily a compiler book, but The Little Schemer does have you building a basic scheme interpreter at the end of the book.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "This is what is commonly refered to as \"the dragon book\".",
          "reason": "Identifies the Dragon Book as the compiler text under discussion.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking compiler books.",
          "caveat": "May be too large for the reader's needs.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 136893,
          "author": "apathy",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-14T16:50:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 136875,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good compiler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=136893",
          "commentText": "The dragon book is Aho, Sethi, & Ullman.  If you look through modern string search algorithm implementation, for example, the number of hits for Aho is up there with Knuth.  Not that string searching has an awful lot to do with compilation, more lexing and parsing, but still.  Aho and Ullman are pillars and the book is sort of the bible.\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compilers:_Principles,_Techniqu... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compilers:_Principles,_Techniques,_and_Tools)\nIt's been updated to cover parallelization and other topics that were considered specialties when it was originally written.  I have an older copy and am now wondering whether it mightn't be fun to trade up.  We'll see.\nHave you played with ANTLR?  That's a neat tool.  The Ragel state machine compiler is a fun toy, as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the book is sort of the bible.",
          "reason": "Calls it a foundational reference for compiler topics.",
          "audience": "Compiler learners and practitioners.",
          "caveat": "The comment says string searching is not closely related to compilation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 136886,
          "author": "mk",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-14T16:38:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 136875,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good compiler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=136886",
          "commentText": "the dragon book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the dragon book.",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to a request for compiler book recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a compiler book.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alfred V. Aho, Ravi Sethi, Jeffrey D. Ullman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 7,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "compiler design",
        "parser generators",
        "lexing and parsing",
        "optimization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Reference",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-i-found-freedom-in-an-unfree-world-27664a",
      "title": "How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World",
      "author": "Harry Browne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37960149,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960149",
          "commentText": "* \"On Writing\" by Stephen King (1 mention)\n    * Summary: In his guide to the craft of writing, King masterfully conveys his views on how good writing is cultivated. The book provides personal insights into the author's life while serving as a guide for aspiring writers.\n* \"The Dictionary\" (1 mention, multiple authors)\n    * Summary: A reference book containing an alphabetical list of words in a specific language, providing definitions, pronunciations, etymology, and other details. It is a valuable resource for understanding and accurately using language.\n* \"Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book chronicles Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 1914-1916 survival journey across the Antarctic. Faced with treacherous weather conditions and a lack of provisions, the men battle to stay alive, highlighting the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.\n* \"The Experience of God\" by David Bentley Hart (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A philosophical exploration of the concept of God that goes beyond specific religious doctrines. Hart articulates a vision of ultimate reality that transcends religious, philosophical, and cultural boundaries.\n* \"A Mind for Numbers\" by Barbara Oakley (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book provides practical advice on how to learn effectively in math and science areas, but the techniques are applicable across disciplines. Oakley shares techniques to overcome learning obstacles and improve comprehension and retention.\n* \"A People's History of the US\" by Howard Zinn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers an alternative exploration of American history from the perspective of ordinary people and marginalized groups rather than political leaders, emphasizing class struggles and systemic injustices.\n* \"The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science\" by Isaac Asimov (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive outline of scientific knowledge, covering fields like physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, and earth science. It communicates complex scientific concepts in a way that is accessible to non-specialist readers.\n* \"Das Kapital\" by Karl Marx (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive critique of capitalism highlighting its inherent contradictions and imbalances. Marx diagnoses the capitalist system as one in which the rich get richer at the expense of the working class. The book has been influential in shaping socialist and communist thought.\n* \"You are Not So Smart\" by David McRaney (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book explores various cognitive biases, logical fallacies, and memory missteps that humans commonly succumb to. The author uses humor and personal anecdotes to make neuroscience and psychology accessible, challenging readers to question their perceptions of the world and themselves.\n* \"Blink\" by Malcolm Gladwell (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Gladwell explores the process of quick decision-making, also known as \"thin-slicing.\" The book delves into both the potential accuracy and the pitfalls of making snap judgments. It demonstrates how our subconscious biases often override our better instincts.\n* \"How To Sell at Margins Higher Than Your Competitors\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book offers detailed advice on how to avoid price competition by creating differentiators and adding value, thereby allowing readers to compete on things other than price.\n*  \"The Surrender Experiment\" by Michael Singer (1 mention)\n    * Summary: The book chronicles the author’s journey from solitude into the business world. It explores the idea of surrendering personal preferences to allow life to guide the way, challenging conventional views about control and outcomes.\n* \"How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World\" by Harry Browne (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This self-help book offers a blueprint for finding personal freedom. It encourages readers to embrace their individual sovereignty and to not be inhibited by societal conventions, effectively teaching how to live on one's own terms.\n* \"Happy by Derren Brown\" and \"The Daily Stoic\" (1 mention, authors not specified)\n    * Summary: \"Happy\" provides a perspective on happiness using the principles of stoic philosophy, challenging modern conceptions of happiness. \"The Daily Stoic\" provides a year's worth of philosophical wisdom from ancient stoics, aimed at allowing people to better respond to life's challenges.\n* \"Guns, Germs, and Steel\" by Jared Diamond (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Diamond investigates the geographical and environmental factors that have shaped the modern world. He argues that civilizations have developed differently across the globe due to variances in geography, climate, vegetation, and animal populations, more so than due to traits inherent to different racial or ethnic groups.\n* \"The Gulag Archipelago\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Solzhenitsyn unveils the brutal reality of the Soviet Union’s forced labor camp system. It's an exploration of the human capability for evil when unchecked by moral constraints, shedding light on the mechanisms of a totalitarian regime.\n* \"Ecclesiastes\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A book from the Bible that delves into the purpose of life and the vain pursuit of earthly things. It debates the merits of wisdom, wealth, and pleasure, underscoring the transience and ultimate futility of human endeavors, and urging readers to fear God and keep his commandments.\n* \"Women hold up half the sky\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A collection of personal stories illuminating the oppression and resistance of women in developing countries. The book confronts issues like gender inequality, sexual violence, maternal mortality and economic disparity while highlighting the resilience and strength of ordinary women in overcoming them.\n* \"Spell of the Sensuous\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book offers a radical reinterpretation of our relationship with the natural world. It critiques Western civilization’s estrangement from nature, exploring indigenous cultures and offering a philosophical enquiry into human perception and its relation to the environment.\n* \"Kids and the Amiga\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A guide to using the Amiga computer, aimed at children and early-tweens. It provides a hands-on approach to learning basic computer skills by creating practical programs.\n* \"Hackers\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: The book provides a comprehensive history of hackers, tracing the evolution of hacking culture from the 1950s to the present day. It details the personalities, philosophies, and technical exploits that have defined this diverse and innovative subculture.\n* \"LSD my problem child\" by Albert Hoffmann (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book is the autobiography of Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who first synthesized LSD. It chronicles his discovery, the subsequent fallout, and his personal experiences with the drug.\n* \"Electric cool aid acid test\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book tells the story of novelist Ken Kesey and his band of Merry Pranksters. They embarked on a cross-country bus journey, experimenting with LSD and challenging societal norms, becoming pivotal figures in the psychedelic movement and the counterculture of the 1960s.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World\" by Harry Browne (1 mention)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37938134,
          "author": "cagey",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T03:49:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37938134",
          "commentText": "How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World by Harry Browne",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World by Harry Browne",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28485704,
          "author": "leobg",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-10T18:58:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 28450555,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that impacted your work that few other people seem to care about?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28485704",
          "commentText": "“How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World” by Harry Browne.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World” by Harry Browne.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13970383,
          "author": "NumberCruncher",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T18:30:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13970383",
          "commentText": "The 48 laws of power by Robert Greene and How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World by Harry Browne. The two sides of the same coin: how the game of power is played and how to get immune to it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World by Harry Browne. The two sides of the same coin: how the game of power is played and how to get immune to it.",
          "reason": "Presented as the complement to understanding how power is played: learning to become immune to it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144321,
          "author": "scottlilly",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:56:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144321",
          "commentText": "\"The Goal\" - Started my interest in Lean principles, along with how to apply them to programming - imagining my programs as little data \"factories\", that need to be made efficient and efficiently.\n\"How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World\" - Taught me I don't need to follow the standard path that \"everyone else does\", and to focus on how I can actively change my world - instead of waiting for someone else to to change it for me.\n\"Code Complete\" - Get it. Read it. Live it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World\" - Taught me I don't need to follow the standard path",
          "reason": "Says it changed how they think about choosing their own path and taking action.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10330514,
          "author": "NumberCruncher",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-05T08:37:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10330514",
          "commentText": "A tudatállapotok szivárványa by Andrew Feldmar\nHow I Found Freedom in an Unfree World by Harry Browne\nA Guide To The Good Life: The Ancient Art Of Stoic Joy by William B. Irvine",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World by Harry Browne",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5333012,
          "author": "o4tuna",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-06T18:54:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 5323956,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: which are some good self-help books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5333012",
          "commentText": "How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World\nby Harry Browne\nThe Power of TED (The Empowerment Dynamic)\nby David Emerald\nLoving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life\nby Byron Katie\nGet Out of Your Own Way: Overcoming Self-Defeating Behavior\nby Mark Goulston and Philip Goldberg\nFeeling Good: The New Mood Therapy\nby David Burns\nMojo: How to Get It, How to Keep It, How to Get It Back if you Lose It\nby Marshall Goldsmith\nThe New Manual 2.0\nby Tripp Lanier\nthenewmanual.com",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World\nby Harry Browne",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2331132,
          "author": "mattm",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-16T07:00:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 2329700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that change your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2331132",
          "commentText": "How I found Freedom in an Unfree World\nConversations with God (the first book - I didn't get so much out of the 2nd and 3rd)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How I found Freedom in an Unfree World",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Harry Browne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal freedom",
        "individualism",
        "libertarianism",
        "personal liberty"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-will-you-measure-your-life-2b5806",
      "title": "How Will You Measure Your Life?",
      "author": "Clayton M. Christensen, James Allworth, and Karen Dillon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49750299,
          "author": "evaltoken",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-18T04:49:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 49724691,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most career altering course or book you have gone through?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49750299",
          "commentText": "How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton Christensen.\nHe basically took business strategy and applied it to personal life and career choices.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton Christensen.",
          "reason": "It applies business strategy to personal life and career choices.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27647507,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T00:55:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27647507",
          "commentText": "Another good pairing to GTD is \"How will you measure your Life?\" [1], by Prof. Clayton Christensen (also author of \"Innovator's Dilemma\", another excellent book).\nIt gives you a framework to think about life and your value system, which is a great complement to GTD.\n[1] https://hbr.org/2010/07/how-will-you-measure-your-life",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another good pairing to GTD is \"How will you measure your Life?\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says it provides a framework for thinking about life and values and complements GTD.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17936661,
          "author": "atlas1428",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T18:44:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17936661",
          "commentText": "- The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins\n- Godel Escher Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\n- Language, Truth, and Logic by A. J. Ayer\n- Thinking in Systems: A Primer by Donella Meadows\nBooks that serve as investment philosophy guides for those who've developed a habit of saving money but are looking for the \"next step\" in building more wealth. From the mind of one of the greatest investors of all time:\n- The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham (get the annotated version with an epilogue written by Warren Buffett!)\n- The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America\nA book that discusses what matters most in your life from a resource-allocation, measurable results standpoint (family, etc.):\n- How Will You Measure Your Life by Clayton Christensen\nA book I read 10 years ago that forever changed the way I manage productivity and organization both at work and in my personal life:\n- Getting Things Done by David Allen\nBooks that show that our universe is just as crazy, if not crazier, than science fiction:\n- Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy\n- Quantum Chance: Nonlocality, Teleportation and Other Quantum Marvels\n- ..and so on with intersecting topics!\nNot to mention, I love trying to have as deep an understanding as I can by reading highly technical textbooks on cosmology, gravitation, and quantum physics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How Will You Measure Your Life by Clayton Christensen",
          "reason": "Discusses what matters most through resource allocation and measurable results.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15020644,
          "author": "moh_maya",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T17:57:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15020644",
          "commentText": "I've sort of finished reading Clayton Christensen's book \"How will you measure your life?\" [1]\nUsing a series of personal anecdotes, stories, observations from sociological & psychological research, the book assisted me in developing a perspective & framework to understand what my priorities are & perhaps could / should be, helping me get a better sense of what I could / should do with my time. I found it very useful, given where I am in life.\nWhile I normally plough through books, this was one book where I found myself iterating(?) through the book. I'd read a few chapters, put the book away, come back after a few days, read from the start, perhaps ending at a further chapter, and then back to start.\nTo add, I found his observations about hygiene factors (salary, well laid out work environment, etc) vs factors that can motivate you (good team, ambitious objectives, etc) very very \"aha\" and insightful. I'm building a team, and I now consider these at every major decision..\n[1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13425570-how-will-you-me... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13425570-how-will-you-measure-your-life)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the book assisted me in developing a perspective & framework to understand what my priorities are",
          "reason": "Found it useful for clarifying priorities and deciding how to use time; its discussion of motivation informed team decisions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have only sort of finished it and read it iteratively.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238121,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:01:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238121",
          "commentText": "Last year I gave myself a Zuckerberg-style goal to read a book every two weeks. It started well, but some months were harder than others (usually when the book wasn't very good, so I would switch to podcasts for a few weeks, before getting back on track).\nHere's an unordered list of the best:\n[BUSINESS / SELF-IMPROVEMENT]\n- \"Work Rules!\" - about Google's culture and values\n- \"Search Inside Yourself\" - about mindfulness, meditation, and the impact on your life.\n- \"What got you here won't get you there\" - Liked a lot more than I expected.\n- \"Re-read Innovator's Dilemma\" - a great classic; never gets old.\n- \"How will you measure your life\" - from the same author. Also excellent.\n- \"The Best Service is No Service\" - good overview on why Amazon's customer service is so good\n- \"Crucial Conversations\" - half is common sense; half is good tips to practice everyday.\n[PROGRAMMING]\n- \"Fluent Python\" - was afraid it'd be too basic, but not really. Enjoyed it a lot.\n- \"Think Complexity\" - about algorithm complexity, data structures, etc. Great read.\n- \"Python Data Science Handbook\" - meh.\n- \"Fundamentals of Deep Learning\" - good intro. Helped me solidify some concepts from Andrew Ng's ML course\n- \"Deep Learning\" - by Goodfellow and Bengio. Just started, but really liking it.\n[STARTUPS] (all excellent; in order)\n- \"The Hard Things about Hard Things\"\n- \"Zero to One\"\n- \"The Founder's Dilemmas\"\n- \"The Launch Pad\"\n[FICTION]\n- Trilogy: \"Off to be a wizard / An Unwelcome Quest / Spell or High Water\"\n- \"Infinite Jest\" - tried but failed to finish. May try again later.\n- \"Ready Player One\" - nice, but repetitive after a while. Good read before the movie comes out.\n[NON-FICTION]\n- \"What If?\" - xkcd FTW\n- \"How to Read a Book\" - good concepts, but should be a 10 pages blog post, not a book\n- \"Spark\" - Science of the Exercise and the Brain - Long, but good\n- \"Sugar Shock\" - still reading; hopefully will help me cut my sweet cravings\n[BIOGRAPHIES]\n- \"The New New Thing\" - about Jim Clark's life, one of the very first entrepreneurs\n- \"Machines of Loving Grace\" - about the research and the rise of AI\n- \"Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution\"\n- \"The Second Coming of Steve Jobs\" - About Pixar's story. Liked more than Isaacson's biography\n- \"The Innovators\" - great summary of computer industry, from the 1800's till today\n- \"Ghost in the Wires\" - Kevin Mitnick's story. Had started years ago, but finally finished it\n- \"Idea Man\" - about Paul Allen's story. Quite an impressive man.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How will you measure your life\" - from the same author. Also excellent.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968396,
          "author": "jaymon",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:44:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968396",
          "commentText": "I started The Martian by Andy Weir about 3 days ago and I'm really enjoying it. It's a really entertaining book that I highly recommend!\nLast week I finished The Paradox of Choice and Zero Day. I enjoyed both of them, although I don't think I'll be reading any of the sequels to Zero Day.\nBefore that I went through The Maze Runner trilogy, those were entertaining reads.\nSome other books I've read recently that I can remember off the top of my head are the Divergent series of books (eh), How Will You Measure Your Life by Clayton Christensen (great read), Ready Player One (loved, loved, loved this book), Starters (didn't bother reading any more in the series) and Moon walking With Einstein (I enjoyed it).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How Will You Measure Your Life by Clayton Christensen (great read)",
          "reason": "Calls it a great read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7478844,
          "author": "hallidayjb13",
          "createdAt": "2014-03-27T05:50:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 7450534,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's on your reading list? Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7478844",
          "commentText": "You may have already come across it if you've read a lot of Stoic philosophy, but 'Meditations' by Marcus Aurelius is a good read.\nOther books I've really enjoyed are:\nTalent is overrated, by Geoff Colvin (short version: working hard is more than half the battle)\nDrive, by Daniel Pink (short version: to be motivated, you need to have/be working toward purpose, autonomy, and mastery)\nHow will you measure your life, by Clayton Christensen (short version: just read it - very good)\nFor the win - how game thinking can revolutionize your business, by Kevin Werbach and Dan Hunter (Note: one of the authors offers a Gamification MOOC on Coursera)\nAnd for fun:\nEastern Approaches, by Fitzroy Maclean (short version: a pseudo-biography about a british man who was a diplomat, politician, and special forces operator all in one lifetime. Incredible)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How will you measure your life, by Clayton Christensen (short version: just read it - very good)",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it very good and urges readers to read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Clayton M. Christensen",
        "James Allworth",
        "Karen Dillon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "life choices",
        "career",
        "career decisions",
        "life priorities"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "metaphors-we-live-by-3b094f",
      "title": "Metaphors We Live By",
      "author": "George Lakoff and Mark Johnson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37937038,
          "author": "xekul",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:19:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937038",
          "commentText": "Language in Thought and Action by S.I. Hayakawa\nMetaphors We Live By by Lakoff and Johnson\nThe Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan\nThe Denial of Death by Ernest Becker\nTao Te Ching (various translators)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Metaphors We Live By by Lakoff and Johnson",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a major impact on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30851756,
          "author": "marttt",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-30T05:25:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30851756",
          "commentText": "\"Philosophy in the Flesh\" has stubbornly been in my \"most relevant books\" reading list for several years, hmm. I came across it when I had interest in mind-body relationship, and immediately thought about it as the book for me. Unfortunately, those interests have shifted a little for now; or maybe it's just the 600+ pages that has been holding me back (considering that \"Metaphors We Live By\" was also quite a demanding book).\nThanks very much for reminding about this one, though. Feeling inspired to look into it again now.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Metaphors We Live By\" was also quite a demanding book",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a demanding book in the context of the commenter's shifted interests and hesitation to read Philosophy in the Flesh.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as demanding.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23859225,
          "author": "sradman",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T14:19:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859225",
          "commentText": "Interesting. Metaphors We Live By is near the top of my list of theories that were once a popular mainstream meme that dramatically crashed and burned when applied in the real world. The Democratic Party's embrace of Don't Think of an Elephant did not go well. My memory might be flawed, it usually is.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Metaphors We Live By is near the top of my list of theories that were once a popular mainstream meme that dramatically crashed and burned when applied in the real world.",
          "reason": "The commenter argues its theory failed when applied in the real world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter qualifies that their memory might be flawed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23858979,
          "author": "sambroner",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:52:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858979",
          "commentText": "Metaphors We Live By - George Lakoff, Mark Johnson\nIt's a linguistics focused book that suggests people use metaphor to understand abstract constructs. It also helped me understand people, conversation, and intent in an especially eye opening way.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Metaphors We Live By - George Lakoff, Mark Johnson",
          "reason": "Explains how metaphor shapes understanding of abstract concepts, people, conversation, and intent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19895968,
          "author": "ineedasername",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T02:15:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19895968",
          "commentText": "Perhaps a different flavor of mental model, but a great book: \"Metaphors We Live By\" by George Lakoff",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a great book: \"Metaphors We Live By\" by George Lakoff",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book and offers it as a mental-model recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17914326,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-05T01:12:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17914326",
          "commentText": "All these had a huge impact on me. The descriptions are inadequate, I've just tried to mention the subject matter.\nDeborah Tannen, You Just Don't Understand - how males and females talk different languages.\nLakoff & Johnson, Metaphors We Live By - how our language and thoughts are built from a fabric of conceptual metaphors. Philosophy In The Flesh is about the conceptual metaphors that philosophy is built from.\nJonathan Glover, Humanity: A Moral History of the Twentieth Century - WWI, WWII and other wars, nazism, communism etc\nPlutarch's Lives - biographies and stories from famous ancient Greeks and Romans. Amazing how little's changed.\nLin Yutang, The Importance of Understanding - introduced me to ancient Chinese philosophers. The Importance of Living - introduced me to ancient Chinese writers, poets and the Chinese way of life.\nHofstadter, Gödel, Escher, Bach - read it when I was 14, and I was into music, art and programming, so it blew my mind.\nSusan Faludi, STIFFED - men, work, jobs, masculinity, 20th C\nWalter Lippmann, Public Opinion - media, war, propaganda, democracy\nNoam Chomsky's political books\nE.F. Schumacher, Small is Beautiful - the world, development, government, planning, organization, humanity, sustainability\nJ.R. Saul, Voltaire's Bastards - power, history, democracy, technocracy, reason, rationality, history from late 18th C until today.\nRaymond Williams, Culture and Society 1780-1950 - the anti-industrialist tradition, politics, culture, society and the new language describing these things\nClifford Pickover, Computers, Patterns, Chaos, and Beauty - programming, mathematics, art, fractals, dynamical systems etc\nBen Zander, The Art of Possibility - hard to explain, kind of advanced self-help, the magic of changing attitudes, expectations, habits.\nMy favourite non-fiction books of all time, though, are the essays of Emerson, Hazlitt, RL Stevenson, GK Chesterton, Santayana, Bertrand Russell. And the books of Nietzsche, SARK and Robert Fulghum.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lakoff & Johnson, Metaphors We Live By - how our language and thoughts are built from a fabric of conceptual metaphors.",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books said to have had a huge impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15793462,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-28T01:24:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15793462",
          "commentText": "Metaphors We Live By - Lakoff/Johnson\nPhilosophy in the Flesh - L/J\nRationalism in Politics - Oakeshott\nErving Goffman – Presentation of Self in Everyday Life\nWalter Lippmann – Public Opinion\nArt as Experience - John Dewey\nPlutarch's Lives\nG.K. Chesterton – Heretics\n(essay) William James - On A Certain Blindness in Human Beings (and its sequel)\n(essay) R.L. Stevenson - The Lantern-Bearers",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Metaphors We Live By - Lakoff/Johnson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5691766,
          "author": "youngbenny",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T19:16:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5691766",
          "commentText": "Has anyone read Information: The New Language of Science by Hans Christian von Baeyer?\nI just read Metaphors We Live By by Lakoff, George and Johnson, Mark. It's an interesting study of how metaphors unconsciously drive thinking and perception.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I just read Metaphors We Live By by Lakoff, George and Johnson, Mark. It's an interesting study of how metaphors unconsciously drive thinking and perception.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls its study interesting and describes its subject.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503252,
          "author": "anonman1",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T07:18:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503252",
          "commentText": "\"History of Sexuality: Volume I\" -Michel Foucault\n\"Discipline and Punish\" -Michel Foucault\n\"Philosophy in the Flesh\" -George Lakoff\n\"Metaphors We Live By\" -George Lakoff\n\"Civilization and its Discontents\" -Sigmund Freud\nThese books allowed me to look at reality in a completely different manner.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Metaphors We Live By\" -George Lakoff",
          "reason": "The list responds to a request for philosophical books; the commenter says these books changed how they see reality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Lakoff",
        "Mark Johnson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "conceptual metaphor",
        "cognitive linguistics",
        "metaphor",
        "cognition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-law-d96762",
      "title": "The Law",
      "author": "Frédéric Bastiat",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20914562,
          "author": "bmmayer1",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T01:45:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914562",
          "commentText": "Economics:\n- The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith\n- Das Kapital, Karl Marx\n- That Which Is Seen, and That Which Is Not Seen, Frederic Bastiat\nPhilosophy / Politics:\n- The Republic, Plato\n- Second Treatise on Government, John Locke\n- The Law, Frederic Bastiat\n- Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes\n- Meditations, Marcus Aurelius\n- Democracy in America, Alexis de Toqueville\n- On Liberty, John Stuart Mill\nFiction:\n- The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, Mark Twain\n- The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin\n- Metamorphoses, Franz Kafka\n- Candide, Voltaire\n- The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Law, Frederic Bastiat",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168677,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:31:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168677",
          "commentText": "I can't give just one, but here are a few that had a strong influence on me: \n\"12 Rules for Life\" by Jordan Peterson, \"Why Switzerland?\" Jonathan Steinberg, \"Little Book of Common Sense Investing\" by John C. Bogle, \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" by Butron Malkiel, \"Liberalismus\" by Ludwig von Mises, \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann, \"Walden\" by Henry David Thoreau, \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"A Treatise on Political Economy\" by Jean-Baptiste Say, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy\" by Joseph Alois Schumpeter, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"My Correct Views on Everything\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"The Captive Mind\" Czesław Miłosz, \"One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, \"The House of the Dead\" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, \"Conversations with an Executioner\" by Kazimierz Moczarski, \"Diary 1954\" by Leopold Tyrmand, \"The Master and Margarita\" by Mikhail Bulgakov, \"A World Apart: A Memoir of the Gulag\" by Gustaw Herling-Grudziński",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a strong influence on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416563,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:55:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416563",
          "commentText": "\"I'm wondering which other books have you read that have had the most impact on you professionally or even personally?\"\nProfessionally: Peter F. Drucker's books.\nPersonally: \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann,  \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"Metaphysical Horror\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"Rationality in Economics\" by Vernon L. Smith, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about books with personal impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9612744,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T17:01:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9612744",
          "commentText": "The Law - Frédéric Bastiat. http://bastiat.org/en/the_law.html\nCapitalism - A Treatise on Economics - George Reisman.  http://www.capitalism.net/Capitalism/CAPITALISM_Internet.pdf\nThe Works of Lysander Spooner.  http://lysanderspooner.org/node/2\nThe Machinery of Freedom David Friedman. - http://daviddfriedman.com/The_Machinery_of_Freedom_.pdf\nDemocratizing Innovation - Eric Von Hippel. http://web.mit.edu/evhippel/www/democ1.htm\nThe Sources of Innovation - Eric Von Hippel. http://web.mit.edu/evhippel/www/sources.htm\nIntroduction to Information Retrieval - http://nlp.stanford.edu/IR-book/html/htmledition/irbook.html\nInformation Theory, Inference, and Learning Algorithms - David MacKay.  http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/itprnn/book.html\nIntroduction to Cybernetics - William Ross Ashby. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/books/IntroCyb.pdf\n\"Man-Computer Symbiosis\" and \"The Computer As A Communication Device\" - J.C.R. Licklider. http://memex.org/licklider.pdf\nDesign For A Brain - William Ross Ashby. https://archive.org/details/designforbrainor00ashb\nThe Writings of Douglas Engelbart. http://www.dougengelbart.org/library/library.html\nand if you like maths, don't miss this great list of free maths texts by George Cain:  https://people.math.gatech.edu/~cain/textbooks/onlinebooks.h... (https://people.math.gatech.edu/~cain/textbooks/onlinebooks.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Law - Frédéric Bastiat.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2616400,
          "author": "webgambit",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T14:18:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2616400",
          "commentText": "Audiobook:\nI just finished Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. I highly recommend it if you're into fantasy type novels. It has a unique magic system and is very well written. I've been off and on with War and Peace for a while. Kind of dry so far.\nKindle:\nThe Law by Frederic Bastiat, extremely good book describing the fundamental purpose of law and government.\nDead Tree:\nEssence of Discrete Mathematics by Neville Dean, seems to be pretty good book, just haven't devoted enough time to reading it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Law by Frederic Bastiat, extremely good book describing the fundamental purpose of law and government.",
          "reason": "Calls it an extremely good book about the fundamental purpose of law and government.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971391,
          "author": "tapiwa",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T10:50:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971391",
          "commentText": "Another vote for Atlas Shrugged. And like you, I found it put a lot of things I already felt, properly, albeit at times rather verbosely.\nAlong with this, I would insist on The Law, by Frederic Bastiat. Written in 1850, this book still wows me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Along with this, I would insist on The Law, by Frederic Bastiat. Written in 1850, this book still wows me.",
          "reason": "Says they would insist on the book and that it still wows them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 191902,
          "author": "rudyfink",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-16T16:10:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=191902",
          "commentText": "Fredric Bastiat - \"The Law\" - http://www.freeaudio.org/fbastiat/thelaw.html (audio book)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Law-Frederick-Bastiat/dp/1933550147/ (5 stars with 83 reviews so it's not just me)\nIt'll only take about forty minutes to finish.\nIf you go with a Teaching Company course I highly recommend their \"Great Minds\" series (though without a library it is a bit spendy):\nhttp://www.teach12.com/ttcx/coursedesclong2.aspx?cid=470&;",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fredric Bastiat - \"The Law\" - http://www.freeaudio.org/fbastiat/thelaw.html (audio book)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Law-Frederick-Bastiat/dp/1933550147/ (5 stars with 83 reviews so it's not just me)\nIt'll only take about forty minutes to finish.",
          "reason": "The commenter cites its rating approvingly and points to its audiobook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "About forty minutes long.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frédéric Bastiat"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political economy",
        "political philosophy",
        "liberalism",
        "classical liberalism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-magic-mountain-83c87a",
      "title": "The Magic Mountain",
      "author": "Thomas Mann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38562760,
          "author": "grafelic",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T22:37:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38562760",
          "commentText": "The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann. This book somehow stayed with me for a long time after having finished it. For me it encapsulates how we sometimes get stuck in systems which are unhealthy, but safe and feels better than an uncertain alternative. Also how pain and suffering binds people together in interesting, and in other circumstances, unlikely relationships. I enjoyed the humour as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann.",
          "reason": "Says it stayed with them and explores unhealthy but safe systems, suffering, relationships, and humor.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32937273,
          "author": "dotsam",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T11:08:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937273",
          "commentText": "* Philosophy\nArthur Schopenhauer - The World as Will and Representation.\nSurprisingly readable and insightful, even if you don't buy his metaphysics. Einstein had Schopenhauer's portrait on his wall and considered him a genius.\n* Poetry\nJohn Milton - Paradise Lost\nPowerful and beautiful writing.\n* Fiction\nRabelais - Gargantua and Pantagruel. Funny and a real feast of words (the translation is a work of art in itself)\nThomas Mann - The Magic Mountain. Haunting and moving\nPierre Choderlos de Laclos - Dangerous Liaisons. Scandalous, gripping.\nIvan Turgenev - First Love. A masterclass in writing. Short, sensitive and exquisitely told.\nMarcel Proust - In Search of Lost Time. Exceptionally rich and a beautiful study of love. Reading it is like living another life.\nPG Wodehouse - the Jeeves series. Hilarious, perfectly frivolous, light and sunny\n* Non-fiction\nStuart Russell - Human Compatible: AI and the Problem of Control. Potential bad outcomes from AI and what we might be able to do about them\nNoam Chomsky - Necessary Illusions: Thought Control in Democratic Societies. How public discourse is shaped and controlled\nKarl Popper - The Open Society and its Enemies. How to work against totalitarianism",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thomas Mann - The Magic Mountain. Haunting and moving",
          "reason": "Described as haunting and moving.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337593,
          "author": "jyriand",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T12:10:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337593",
          "commentText": "VALIS by Philip K. Dick and Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17047067,
          "author": "gtycomb",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T13:17:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17047067",
          "commentText": "Such introspection for me began at the end of my college days – Books and essays by Herman Hess, Camus, and Kafka. Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann was a high point. Its interesting that its these books that prepared me for the Bible, to start understanding it an entirely new way. But dont miss reading Steinbeck :-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann was a high point.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as a high point among books that began their introspection.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762357,
          "author": "megaman22",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T02:36:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762357",
          "commentText": "Lee's Lieutenants by Douglass Southall Freeman\nAndersonville by MacKinlay Kantor\nThe Magic Mountain Thomas Mann",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Magic Mountain Thomas Mann",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630270,
          "author": "gtycomb",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:01:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630270",
          "commentText": "Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann. The first time it was slow read, but I went back the book several times later in life and it has much to tell.\nThe Glass Beads Game by Herman Hess.\nSeveral books by Steinbeck - Travels with Charley, Log from the Sea of Cortez.\nThe Toilers of the Sea by Victor Hugo. A recent penguin translation is superb. Among the saddest and most memorable love stories.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it has much to tell.",
          "reason": "Says repeated returns to the book over the years revealed its depth.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The first reading was slow.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9349430,
          "author": "goodgoblin",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T17:42:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9349430",
          "commentText": "Thomas Mann's \"The Magic Mountain\" has always stuck with me.  I read it during my lunch break for about 6 months.  The book animates the ideas that brought about the modern world.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thomas Mann's \"The Magic Mountain\" has always stuck with me.",
          "reason": "Says the book has always stuck with them and animates ideas that shaped the modern world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968388,
          "author": "ctchocula",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:43:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968388",
          "commentText": "Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain, Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman, Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, Dale Carnegie's How To Win Friends and Influence People",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968377,
          "author": "swah",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:41:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968377",
          "commentText": "The Art of Thinking Clearly, Write Portable Code by Brian Hook, Thomas Mann's The magic mountain, The mythical man month, Intellectuals by Paul Johnson and Hegemony and Socialist Strategy, by Ernesto Laclau are on my table right now.\nBut I don't think reading many books in parallel is a good strategy...",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Thomas Mann's The magic mountain",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Mann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "modernist literature",
        "literary fiction",
        "european novel",
        "modernism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-metamorphosis-d93422",
      "title": "The Metamorphosis",
      "author": "Franz Kafka",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50119288,
          "author": "chistev",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T15:05:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50119288",
          "commentText": "1. Animal Farm by George Orwell\n2. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes [1]\n3. Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley\n4. I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette Mccurdy\n5. Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris\n6. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe [2]\n7. Cosmos by Carl Sagan\n8. The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution by Richard Dawkins [3]\n9. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson\n10. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander [4]\n11. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka\n12. Billions and Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium by Carl Sagan [5][6][7]\n13. Outgrowing God: A Beginner’s Guide to Atheism by Richard Dawkins\n[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50076596\n[2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47452253\n[3] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48326741\n[4] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49539535\n[5] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49751771\n[6] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49740712\n[7] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49739256",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka",
          "reason": "Listed among books read repeatedly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 44574451,
          "author": "chistev",
          "createdAt": "2025-07-15T18:40:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 44568054,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44574451",
          "commentText": "Hard to choose for myself who made the post.\nBut some of my favorites are -\n1. God: The Failed Hypothesis\nBook by Victor J. Stenger\n2. The God Delusion\nBook by Richard Dawkins\n3. Berlin: The Downfall 1945\nBook by Antony Beevor\n4. A Song of Ice and Fire\nNovel series by George R.R. Martin\n5. A Short History of Nearly Everything\nBook by Bill Bryson\n6. Billions and Billions\nBook by Carl Sagan\n7. Flowers for Algernon\nShort story by Daniel Keyes\n8. I'm Glad My Mom Died\nBook by Jennette McCurdy\n9. Manhunt: The Ten-Year Search for Bin Laden--from 9/11 to Abbottabad\nBook by Peter Bergen\n10. Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space\nBook by Carl Sagan\n11. The Metamorphosis\nNovella by Franz Kafka\n12. The Selfish Gene\nBook by Richard Dawkins\nGun to my head, pick one? The God Delusion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Metamorphosis",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34160619,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:11:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160619",
          "commentText": "This year I've put myself to the challenge to read at least one book per week which I primarily could complete by reading in the middle of the night while holding our sleeping baby in my arms. It has been an interesting challenge which gave me a lot of fulfilment and has certainly changed my mind on how I view the world. This comment became quite a long read, apologies for that.\nBooks I highly recommend:\nChurchill by Andrew Roberts (p:1105)\nA biography about one of the most interesting figures in politics and WWII. Roberts gives a very detailed description of the life of Churchill and manages to keep you interested the entire length of the book.\nThe God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (p:374)\nIn The God Delusion Dawkins gives arguments why there is no God, why we do not need a God and why religion is damaging to our society. If you are religious it might not be the book for you unless you are open to hear his arguments and line of reasoning. Dawkins will challenge your worldview.\nThe Bomb by Fred Kaplan (p:384)\nKaplan describes the policy of different US presidents on the atomic bomb and war in general. And primarily on the inability of US presidents and policy-makers to tune down its military. A chilling read which makes you appreciate a nuclear holocaust did not happen (yet)....\nPoor Economics by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo (p:320)\nBanerjee and Duflo give a gripping portrait of how poor people live. They offer an insight in the choices and decisions people make surviving on less than 1 USD a day (corrected for purchasing power). It made me completely rethink my own view on poverty and development aid; stressing even more that in order to help one need to have a complete understanding of the individual's situation and the local boundary conditions.\nProject Hail Mary  by Andy Weir (p:476)\nThis book triggered my science fiction reading. For some reason I never was interested in science fiction. Most likely triggered by reading Foundation by Asimov a few years back which apparently is not a book to my taste. But Andy Weir completely annihilated that wrong perspective on science fiction. Project Hail Mary is interesting, funny and gripping book.\nKindred by Octavia Butler  (p:287)\nThis book.... From page one I was hooked and almost read it in one go. Butler is a wonderful author and Kindred is a must-read. The book is about a woman traveling back in time to end up on a slave plantation. It's a chilling account of slavery.\nOther books I read this year, ask me anything about one of these books. I've added a + if I think its worth a recommendation\nBiography:\nNavalny by Dollbaum, Lallouet and Noble (p:280); The Man from the Future by Ananyo Bhattacharya (p:354) +\nSociology; Politics; Economics; Business:\nOnly the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove (p:224); The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli  (p:140); Winter is Coming by Garry Kasparov (p:290); Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum (p:224) +; Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl (p:164) +; We Are Bellingcat by Eliot Higgins (p:272); De Zeven Vinkjes by Joris Luyendijk (p:200); Waarom vuilnismannen meer verdienen dan bankiers by Rutger Bregman (p:104)\nComedy: The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (p:336)\nHistory:\nBand of Brothers  by Stephen E. Ambrose (p:432); The Nuclear Jihadist by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins (p:413) +; The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre (p:384) +; De Heineken Ontvoering by Peter R. de Vries (p:347); Red Famine by Anne Apllebaum (p:384); Night by Elie Wiesel (p:115) +\nScience, Technology, Mathematics:\nFermat's Enigma by Simon Singh (p:315) +; A Mathematician's Apology by G.H. Hardy (p:153); The Great Influenza by John M. Barry (p:546); The Rise and Fall of the Dinousaurs by Stephen Brusatte (p:404) ++; The Double Helix by James Watson (p:144)\nSport:\nRun or Die by Killian Jornet (p:208); The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton  (p:290) +; The Rise of the Ultra Runners by  (p:304); Tom Dumoulin by Patrick Bernhart (p:203)\nFiction:\nAnthem by Ayn Rand (p:105); Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (p:704); The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (p:566); Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (p:466); Live and Let die by Ian Fleming  (p:229)\nClassics:\nA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (p:104); The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (p:201); The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald (p:180); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (p:139); Animal Farm by George Orwell (p:122) +; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (p:227) +; The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (p:118)\nScience Fiction:\nThe Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (p:399); All Systems Red  by Martha Wells (p:144) +; A Memory Called Empire  by Arkady Martine (p:462) +; A Psalm built for the Wild by Becky Chambers (p:160); Dune by Frank Herbert (p:658); Foundation by Isaac Asimov (p:244); The Martian by Andy Weir (p:384) +;\nThe Forever War by Joe Haldeman (p:278)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19090108,
          "author": "nathias",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T21:39:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090108",
          "commentText": "Plato - Meno, Symposium, Parmenides, Gorgias, Protagoras\nPlotinus -Enneads\nMarkus Aurelius - Meditations\nDescartes - On method\nDescartes - Meditations\nSpinoza - On the improvement of Understanding\nLeibniz - Monadology\nLeibniz - Grace\nVoltaire - Candid\nDiderot - D'Alembert's Dream\nKant - How to orient oneself in thinking\nKant - Critique of Pure Reason\nKant - Critique of Judgment\nHegel - Phenomenology of Spirit\nHegel - Logic\nvon Kleist - Marionette Theatre\nKierkegaard - The Sickness Unto Death\nHeidegger - Being and Time\nSartre - Being and Nothingness\nSartre - Flies\nSartre - Nausea\nDeleuze - Difference and Repetition\nKafka - Metamorphosis\nKafka - The Castle\nLem - Magellan Nebula\nLem - His Master's Voice\nCioran - A Short History of Decay\nPessoa - Book Of Despair\nWolfe -  New Sun tetralogy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kafka - Metamorphosis",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18663336,
          "author": "0db532a0",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:32:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663336",
          "commentText": "Personal summaries and opinions on some books I’ve read this year:\nThe First Man - Camus: A semi-autobiographical novel about his childhood growing up in Algeria in a poor family, his friendships, his educational successes and becoming a man.\nThe Unbearable Lightness of Being - Kundera: A realistic, unromantic look at the ideals involved in love, sexual and romantic relationships.\nLaughable Loves - Kundera: More of the same in the form of a collection of short stories. Thoroughly enjoyed.\nThe Only Way to Stop Smoking Permanently - Alan Carr: I’m not particularly into self-help books, but this has actually worked so far. It focusses on removing the desire to smoke, rather than increasing willpower not to smoke.\nMetamorphosis - Kafka: Looks at duty to family, social alienation and the equation of a man’s worth with his career and earning ability.\nWhat we cannot Know - du Sautoy: A not too poppy pop-science look into the limits of human knowledge and consciousness. Delves into maths, astronomy, philosophy, existence of a god, quantum physics. Still interesting as a graduate of mathematics, and answers a few questions I had about quantum physics.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Looks at duty to family, social alienation and the equation of a man’s worth with his career and earning ability.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7008527,
          "author": "timonv",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-03T22:01:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 7001282,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7008527",
          "commentText": "In no particular order:\nPolitics and philosophy:\nIshmael - Daniel Quinn (even though in the end, it's just a cute, in essence a softies introduction to anarchist communism)\nOn property - Proudhon (Meta, ye oldist anarchy)\nDas Kapital (If you read Marx, also read on Marx, can't stress this enough)\nBeyond good and evil (but in his thought in general) - Nietzsche (Mainly for showing there are no absolutes, moral is what we make of it, and in that moral we can excel)\nAnd so, so many others, philosophy really adds up, just keep on reading, there's fundamental books for sure, but every publication adds up in some respect.\nSports and nutrition:\nStarting Strength (for making me bad ass strong in the last couple years)\n'Paleo' diet (for showing an extreme solution for a more simple problem, that actually worked and made me not fat anymore)\nSome random books that made a huge impression the last years:\nThe Alchemist, for showing how humble you can experience the wonders of life\nSiddhartha, same really.\nA short summer of anarchy (biography of Durrutti, rise of \nanarchism in 30s Spain, out of print)\nCrime and Punishment and Karamazov (There's beauty in the darkest corners of the human spirit, and so much more)\nThe Prince\nButler (For using Nietzsche's deconstruction to argue against 'genetic' discrimination, controversial, but very good)\nMetamorphosis - Kafka (I don't have a one liner to summarize this. Just read it, it's < 100 pages)\nFunny enough, as far as Tech and Business goes, I skim books to get some details, but at the end of the day most value comes from hacking around. For both.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Metamorphosis - Kafka (I don't have a one liner to summarize this. Just read it, it's < 100 pages)",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly urges readers to read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Under 100 pages.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5832481,
          "author": "leephillips",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T14:08:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5832481",
          "commentText": "Some favorites:\nPale Fire by Nabokov\nUlysses by Joyce\nEt Tu, Babe by Leyner\nMetamorphosis by Kafka (more a long story)\nThings Fall Apart by Achebe\nHamlet and Coriolanus by Shakespeare\nThe Code of the Woosters by Wodehouse\nThe Doorbell Rang by Stout",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Metamorphosis by Kafka (more a long story)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is more a long story.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1635259,
          "author": "lotusleaf1987",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-26T06:34:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1635259",
          "commentText": "Brave New World, 1984, The Metamorphosis, The Stranger, and...possibly Les Miserables if you have A LOT of free time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Metamorphosis",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed your life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876534,
          "author": "ilitirit",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T12:02:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876534",
          "commentText": "Franz Kafka - Metamorposis\nRoald Dahl - James and the giant peach",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Franz Kafka - Metamorposis",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Franz Kafka"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "absurdism",
        "existential fiction",
        "existentialism",
        "absurdist fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-neverending-story-24dcc3",
      "title": "The Neverending Story",
      "author": "Michael Ende",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41177664,
          "author": "basementcat",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T02:23:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41177664",
          "commentText": "A few that haven’t been mentioned:\nRed Plenty by Francis Spufford is a historical fiction story about the mathematicians and engineers who tried to optimize the Soviet economy.\nThe Neverending Story by Michael Ende is much deeper and more interesting than any of the theatrical versions. Reminiscent of the Matrix sequels, the Childlike Empress threatens to crash Fantastica with a stack overflow (via infinite recursion) to force Bastian to give her a name.\nAmerican Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin goes into much more detail than the film (Oppenheimer).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Neverending Story by Michael Ende",
          "reason": "Recommended as deeper and more interesting than its theatrical versions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22719691,
          "author": "basementcat",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T15:20:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22719691",
          "commentText": "The Neverending Story by Michael Ende. This is a book for children but I don’t think I fully appreciated the second half until I was an adult.\nAlso, there’s a cute attempt at a stack overflow crash in the middle :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Neverending Story by Michael Ende. This is a book for children but I don’t think I fully appreciated the second half until I was an adult.",
          "reason": "Reflects that its second half was better appreciated in adulthood.",
          "audience": "Children and adults.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as a children's book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8110192,
          "author": "sogen",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T18:49:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8110192",
          "commentText": "* Anything by Cortázar.\n* Trainspotting,\n* Fight Club\n* Anything by Carl Sagan, specially Contact\n* Lord of the Rings\n* The Hobbit\n* And finally:\nAnything by Michael Ende:\nThe Neverending Story,\nMomo (one of my faves).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Neverending Story,",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a request for book suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2639661,
          "author": "pwang",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T03:27:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639661",
          "commentText": "Best overall: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, and its less well-known sequel, Lila\nBest fantasy in terms of most imaginative and full of wonder: The Neverending Story by Michael Ende.  (I know, everyone saw the crappy movie; it simply does not do the book justice.)\nBest Scifi: The Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Best fantasy in terms of most imaginative and full of wonder: The Neverending Story by Michael Ende.  (I know, everyone saw the crappy movie; it simply does not do the book justice.)",
          "reason": "Praised as imaginative and full of wonder; the commenter says the film does not do the book justice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter criticizes the movie adaptation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752443,
          "author": "swombat",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T09:56:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752443",
          "commentText": "Most books by Hermann Hesse, really... Narziss&Goldmund changed my perspective on life. If you have anything artistic in you, it's a must-read. Steppenwolf, Siddharta and the Glass Bead Game are other must-reads.\nGabriel Garcia Marques, One hundred years of solitude.\nPractically all of Jorge Luis Borges' short stories. Mind-bending.\nMilan Kundera's Unbearable Lightness of Being.\nMichael Ende's Never Ending Story.\nEnjoy!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Michael Ende's Never Ending Story.",
          "reason": "Listed as a book suggestion in response to a request for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1725179,
          "author": "Willwhatley",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-24T20:02:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1725179",
          "commentText": "Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson.\nAlice in Wonderland iff still young enough not to think girls are gross. Otherwise you must sneak up on him with the poetry, then introduce the book. (I've had success with reciting 'Jabberwocky' and 'The Walrus and the Carpenter.')\nLearn 'If,' by Kipling, by heart. Then teach it slowly and patiently.\nAs an aside, quite a lot of Kipling is truly excellently boy friendly.\nThe Proverbs of Solomon, et al. Found in any Bible or Talmud. Bears repeated reading, as most eastern 'wisdom' literature does (The Book of Five Rings, The Art of War, etc.).\nWhile we're at, why not the Narnia books? I loved them, and I'd no idea the Lion was apparently Jesus until I was nine or so.\nBut by far do not DO NOT forget Michel Ende's marvelous 'The Neverending Story.'\nIf you're only familiar with it from a movie, you've missed the best part, when the boy 'Bastian must take up arms and become the adventurer he has read about and loved.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "do not DO NOT forget Michel Ende's marvelous 'The Neverending Story.'",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends it as a marvelous book for boys.",
          "audience": "Boys.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the movie omits the best part of the story.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876339,
          "author": "theblackbox",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T09:15:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876339",
          "commentText": "I would Second ANYTHING by Hesse, not got round to a thorough read of Siddhartha yet, but Damien is most excellent and The Glass Bead Games is a revelation for anyone who feels there is something just a little bit ill with the mind and motion of our modern age.\nOh, and something along the lines of The Neverending Story (The Silmarillion/LotR), because it's something to lose yourself in with kids and doesn't even have to be read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "something along the lines of The Neverending Story",
          "reason": "Recommended as an immersive story to share with children.",
          "audience": "People who want something to lose themselves in with kids.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it does not even have to be read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Ende"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "portal fantasy",
        "children s fantasy",
        "metafiction",
        "coming of age"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "alan-turing-the-enigma-6dfae6",
      "title": "Alan Turing: The Enigma",
      "author": "Andrew Hodges",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33855911,
          "author": "ruggeri",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T17:54:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33855911",
          "commentText": "I second this!\nIn a similar, but different, vein, I also recommend Alan Turing: The Enigma, by Andrew Hodges. Do not be turned off by the useless film adaptation. The book is intelligent and fascinating, and more aimed at someone with an undergraduate level understanding of math and logic, rather than a general layperson.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I also recommend Alan Turing: The Enigma, by Andrew Hodges. Do not be turned off by the useless film adaptation.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends this intelligent, fascinating biography while warning readers not to judge it by the film adaptation.",
          "audience": "Readers with an undergraduate-level understanding of math and logic, rather than general lay readers.",
          "caveat": "The commenter dislikes the film adaptation.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22710359,
          "author": "PaulAJ",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T10:44:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22710359",
          "commentText": "* Alan Turing: The Enigma of Intelligence by Andrew Hodges. The definitive biography, with lots of detailed explanations of his work.\n* Making Software, edited by Oram & Wilson. A bunch of papers about evidence-based software engineering.\n* Beautiful Code, also edited by Oram & Wilson. A bunch of papers about especially elegant pieces of software.\n* Eiffel, by Bertrand Meyer. What Java should have been.\n* The Devil's DP Dictionary, by Stan Kelly Bootle. A satirical look at the computer industry circa 1980.\n* The Jargon File. (http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/). The language of the Elder Days.\n* Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering by Robert Glass.\n* The Pragmatic Programmer by Hunt & Thomas.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Alan Turing: The Enigma of Intelligence by Andrew Hodges. The definitive biography, with lots of detailed explanations of his work.",
          "reason": "Presents the biography as definitive and notes its detailed explanations of Turing's work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783443,
          "author": "SuperChihuahua",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:34:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783443",
          "commentText": "I've read 33 books so I'm not going to publish the list here, but i blogged about it: http://blog.habrador.com/2015/12/books-ive-read-in-2015.html\nThe books I liked the most were:\n-  The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes - and Why\n- On Intelligence\n- The Martian\n- The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution\n- Einstein: His Life and Universe\n- Alan Turing: The Enigma\n- Neuroscience for Dummies\n- Thunder Run - (which is about the battle of Baghdad in 2003)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Alan Turing: The Enigma",
          "reason": "Includes it among the books they liked most.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9349751,
          "author": "tomahunt",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T18:19:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9349751",
          "commentText": "I'm reading the biography of Alan Turning by Andrew Hodges. After seeing the film I read all war year chapters and have now gone back to read the Cambridge years.  It fills in many  gaps about the war years and is just a lot of fun.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm reading the biography of Alan Turning by Andrew Hodges.",
          "reason": "Says it fills in gaps about the war years and is a lot of fun.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4246591,
          "author": "encladeus",
          "createdAt": "2012-07-15T09:26:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 4239104,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read & liked in 2012 till now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4246591",
          "commentText": "Alan Turing: The Enigma, by Andrew Hodges\nAlthough first published in 1983, I only managed to read it in 2012.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Alan Turing: The Enigma, by Andrew Hodges",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books read and liked.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "First published in 1983; the commenter read it in 2012.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226794,
          "author": "scorpioxy",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:15:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226794",
          "commentText": "Oh, lots! I wish you'd narrow down to some categories you're interested in.\nA few example i enjoyed:\nThe State of Africa, Martin Meredith\nThe Code Book, Simon Singh\nPity the Nation, Robert Fisk\nThe Great War for Civilization, Robert Fisk\nAlan Turing: The Enigma, Andrew Hodges\nLong Walk to Freedom, Nelson Mandela\nThe Last Lecture, Randy Pausch\nFermat's Engima, Simon Singh\nLots more....",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Alan Turing: The Enigma, Andrew Hodges",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew Hodges"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alan turing",
        "cryptography",
        "mathematical biography",
        "computer science history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-introduction-to-general-systems-thinking-aa6646",
      "title": "An Introduction to General Systems Thinking",
      "author": "Gerald M. Weinberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39060910,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T20:47:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39060910",
          "commentText": "A couple favorites that haven't been mentioned:\n'An Introduction to General Systems Thinking', Weinberg, and he's got a dozen more worthwhile books behind it.\n'The Logic of Failure: Recognizing and Avoiding Error in Complex Situations', Dietrich Dorner",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'An Introduction to General Systems Thinking', Weinberg",
          "reason": "Named as a favorite relevant to the discussion; the commenter adds that Weinberg has many other worthwhile books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33800078,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T13:03:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33800078",
          "commentText": "My three favorites from Gerald Weinberg:\n1. 'The Secrets of Consulting: A Guide to Giving and Getting Advice Successfully' I was put off for a decade by the click-bait title but this is a profound little book that helped me get perspective on problem solving in my work and myself.\n2. 'Becoming a Technical Leader' The text is great; working the exercises for yourself will make you a stronger thinker.\n3. 'An Introduction to General Systems Thinking' One of his densest, driest books, but a great summary of the highlights of the field with plenty of thought problems in the exercises and plenty of pointers for digging deeper.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "'An Introduction to General Systems Thinking'",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its overview, thought problems, and pointers for further study.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as dense and dry.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30828261,
          "author": "biofox",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T08:04:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30828261",
          "commentText": "Weinberg's book should be required reading for all scientists and engineers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Weinberg's book should be required reading for all scientists and engineers.",
          "reason": "Says the book should be required reading for scientists and engineers.",
          "audience": "Scientists and engineers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21769684,
          "author": "marttt",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-12T06:19:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 21765528,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fun Tech Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21769684",
          "commentText": "+1, Weinberg's \"An Introduction to General Systems Thinking\" [0] blessed me with the Systems Triumvirate:\n1. Why do I see what I see?\n2. Why do things stay the same?\n3. Why do things change?\nI notice that I am very often using these questions to get a general grasp of something I don't understand. I think this book is considered a classic in the systems thinking field by many.\n0: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/583766.An_Introduction_t... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/583766.An_Introduction_to_General_Systems_Thinking)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1, Weinberg's \"An Introduction to General Systems Thinking\"",
          "reason": "The book’s questions help the commenter get a general grasp of unfamiliar things; they call it a classic.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a general grasp of unfamiliar subjects.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19896616,
          "author": "jimmcslim",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T05:28:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19896616",
          "commentText": "'An Introduction to General Systems Thinking' [1] by the late, great Gerald Weinberg?\n[1] https://leanpub.com/generalsystemsthinking\nEdit: no relation (I believe?) to Gabriel Weinberg of Duck Duck Go who is also being mentioned in this discussion.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "'An Introduction to General Systems Thinking' [1] by the late, great Gerald Weinberg?",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Suggested tentatively.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14508601,
          "author": "vldx",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-07T18:14:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14508601",
          "commentText": "Peter Senge's Fifth Discipline is great. Related, I would also recommend \"Thinking in Systems\" by Donella Meadows and \"An Introduction to General Systems Thinking\" by Jerry Weinberg.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"An Introduction to General Systems Thinking\" by Jerry Weinberg",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it as a related book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14478905,
          "author": "smaddox",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T22:46:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478905",
          "commentText": "Non-Fiction:\n\"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" by Dale Carnegie, because it changed my understanding of people for the better.\n\"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\" by Richard Feynman, because it gave me a model for how to enjoy life.\n\"Models\" by Mark Manson, because it helped shape my understanding of heterosexual relationships.\n\"An Introduction to General Systems Thinking\" by Gerald Weinberg, because it illuminates the general laws underlying all systems.\nFiction:\n\"Stranger in a Strange Land\" by Robert A Heinlein, because it showed me a philosophy and \"spirituality\", for lack of a better word, that I could agree with.\n\"The Fountainhead\" and \"Atlas Shrugged\" by Ayn Rand, because they showed me how human systems break, and they provided human models for how to see and live in, through, and past those broken systems.\n\"Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\" by Eliezer Yudkowsky, because it set the bar (high) for all future fiction, especially when it comes to the insightful portrayal of the struggle between good and evil.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"An Introduction to General Systems Thinking\" by Gerald Weinberg, because it illuminates the general laws underlying all systems.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it illuminates general laws underlying systems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gerald M. Weinberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Computing",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "systems thinking",
        "general systems theory",
        "problem solving",
        "systems theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "axiomatic-1425ca",
      "title": "Axiomatic",
      "author": "Greg Egan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46397335,
          "author": "killerstorm",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T23:03:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46397335",
          "commentText": "I read a lot of books, the one I'd recommend the most is Greg Egan's \"Axiomatic\" short story collection.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Greg Egan's \"Axiomatic\" short story collection",
          "reason": "The commenter says this was the book they would recommend most.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Short story collection.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021500,
          "author": "eterps",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:49:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021500",
          "commentText": "- Project Hail Mary\n- Children of Time\n- Accelerando\n- The Forever War\n- Axiomatic",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Axiomatic",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for science fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21903345,
          "author": "CosmicShadow",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T02:02:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21903345",
          "commentText": "These books really challenge your thinking or force you to think hard and/or see things through another lens. They are also really good reads that are very hard to put down.\nHarry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\nFirefall series by Peter Watts (Blindsight & Echopraxia)\nAxiomatic by Greg Egan\nN.N. Taleb's books\nThese are all books I had seen written about in previous HN threads like this and ended up reading, so glad I did!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Axiomatic by Greg Egan",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter says challenge thinking and are hard to put down.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy idea-driven science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10209175,
          "author": "stuxnet79",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T20:10:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10209175",
          "commentText": "Boom! Another Greg Egan fan, here. Reading through Axiomatic right now and loving it.\nOne thing I've noticed (& which I'm sure a lot of people have stated) is that his fictional works are mostly just a platform for him to explore ideas. Whether or not they entertain is a side effect. A few stories on Axiomatic for instance end rather abruptly. It is as if Egan just couldn't be bothered with tying everything in a neat little package once he'd already finished exploring the implications of a particular philosophical idea.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Reading through Axiomatic right now and loving it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are loving the collection.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some stories end abruptly, and the commenter says the fiction primarily serves to explore ideas.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175643,
          "author": "wicker",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:42:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175643",
          "commentText": "I've just discovered Greg Egan, so I've read Diaspora, Quarantine, and I just finished Distress. I'm working on Axiomatic, which is a collection of his short stories. His characters are a little flat and his endings feel a little odd, but I love the worldbuilding and the ideas.\nI'm having trouble finding other people who've read him and want to talk about his books, though.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'm working on Axiomatic, which is a collection of his short stories.",
          "reason": "Mentions currently reading the collection, with mixed praise for Egan's work overall.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says the characters are flat and the endings odd, while praising the worldbuilding and ideas generally.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140918,
          "author": "gojomo",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T16:36:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140918",
          "commentText": "Second Egan, for 'Permutation City' and his short stories (in 'Axiomatic', especially).\nAlso, Greg Bear's 'Blood Music' inspired me both with its vision and its jumbling of genres, especially given its publication date (1985).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "his short stories (in 'Axiomatic', especially)",
          "reason": "Highlights this short story collection while seconding the recommendation of Egan.",
          "audience": "Readers drawn to idea-driven science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Greg Egan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories",
        "hard science fiction",
        "philosophical science fiction",
        "idea driven science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dark-matter-b1d559",
      "title": "Dark Matter",
      "author": "Blake Crouch",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42568006,
          "author": "jiscariot",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-01T18:32:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42568006",
          "commentText": "I liked Recursion and Dark Matter a lot, but the last two pages of Upgrade really left it on a poor note for me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I liked Recursion and Dark Matter a lot",
          "reason": "Says they liked it a lot.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38570365,
          "author": "felipesabino",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T15:45:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38570365",
          "commentText": "The entire \"Murderbot\" series by Martha Wells is amazing, the writing style, humor and the whole story line is a must-read for sci-fi fans\nThe \"Silo\" series by Hugh Howey is excellent, I read it after watching the TV series from Amazon, and no regrets.\n\"Recursion\" and \"Dark Matter\" by Blake Crouch is also really great",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Recursion\" and \"Dark Matter\" by Blake Crouch is also really great",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it really great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32207952,
          "author": "edanm",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-23T21:56:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32207952",
          "commentText": "I did the same! (Well, I audiobooked it).\nI thought it was really good too. Though personally I liked Dark Matter and Recursion more.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I liked Dark Matter and Recursion more.",
          "reason": "Compares it favorably with the book discussed in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20332763,
          "author": "void__",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T06:49:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20332763",
          "commentText": "If you like sci-fi, I would recommend Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. It really had some weird twists ! :))\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27833670-dark-matter",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend Dark Matter by Blake Crouch. It really had some weird twists ! :))",
          "reason": "Recommends it for its surprising twists.",
          "audience": "Readers who like science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665379,
          "author": "catacombs",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:45:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665379",
          "commentText": "> I was introduced to sci-fi last year and pretty much stuck to it throughout 2018.\nIf you're looking for additional science fiction suggestions:\n1. American War by Omar El Akkad\n2. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel\n3. Artemis by Andy Weir\n4. Daemon by Daniel Suarez\n5. Old Man's War by John Scalzi\n6. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch\n7. Red Rising series by Pierce Brown",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "6. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch",
          "reason": "Offered as an additional science fiction suggestion.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for additional science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13119380,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-07T00:03:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13119380",
          "commentText": "The Wayfarers books The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and A Closed and Common Orbit were quite good. Fantastic world building and characters, although the plots seem to meander about with not too much purpose.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/series/170872-wayfarers\nRecently ploughed through The Expanse series.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/series/56399-the-expanse\nDark Matter was a good read if you like parallel universes.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27833670-dark-matter\nThe Rho Agenda series was a surprisingly good read.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/series/61746-the-rho-agenda\nQuantum Night was something a bit different from Robert Sawyer.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25734179-quantum-night\nAnd Barsk: The Elephants’ Graveyard would probably have to be rated my favourite for the year.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25667916-barsk",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dark Matter was a good read if you like parallel universes.",
          "reason": "Calls it a good read for people who enjoy parallel universes.",
          "audience": "Readers who like parallel universes.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Blake Crouch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "parallel worlds",
        "thriller",
        "alternate realities",
        "identity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "demian-012ce7",
      "title": "Demian",
      "author": "Hermann Hesse",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46396350,
          "author": "brokegrammer",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T21:16:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46396350",
          "commentText": "Demian by Hermann Hesse. I wanted to scream \"Stop overthinking!\" to the protagonist. Something I can relate to.\nSiddharta by Hermann Hesse. Helped me understand that a perfect life is a collection of ups and downs and that one must accept it all.\nAmerika by Franz Kafka. Could relate to the protagonist because people take advantage of his naivety.\nFactfulness by Hans Rosling. Made me see the world in a less pessimistic way.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Demian by Hermann Hesse. I wanted to scream \"Stop overthinking!\" to the protagonist. Something I can relate to.",
          "reason": "Relates to the protagonist’s tendency to overthink.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The protagonist’s overthinking frustrated the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41175653,
          "author": "taylodl",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:37:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175653",
          "commentText": "- Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Pirsig)\n- Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid (Hofstadter)\n- Shadows of the Mind: A Search for the Missing Science of Consciousness (Penrose)\n- Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind (Suzuki)\n- Demian (Hesse)\n- The Stranger (Camus)\n- Slaughterhouse-Five (Vonnegut)\n- Another Roadside Attraction (Robbins)\nI have read many books that have had an impact on me for a time, but these are the books that have had an enduring impact going on now for decades.\nAnd yes, one of these books, Another Roadside Attraction, is unlike the others. You can substitute any Tom Robbins book, or read them all!, but this is the book that started it all for me. Tom Robbins' books taught me to not take life so seriously.\nDemian and The Stranger may be fiction, but let's just say their purpose is to get across a philosophical point.\nFinally, with regards to Slaughterhouse-Five, you'll just have to read it.\nEnjoy!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Demian and The Stranger may be fiction, but let's just say their purpose is to get across a philosophical point.",
          "reason": "Lists it among books with an enduring impact and says it conveys a philosophical point.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2147714,
          "author": "sharadgopal",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T13:35:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2147714",
          "commentText": "Demian - Hesse\nNarcissus and Goldmund - Hesse\nMan's Search for Meaning - Viktor Frankl",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Demian - Hesse",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed the reader’s way of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752784,
          "author": "sahglie",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T14:44:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752784",
          "commentText": "Anything by Hesse will change how you think!  \"Demian\" is also a must read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Demian\" is also a must read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a must-read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226921,
          "author": "evanrmurphy",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:55:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226921",
          "commentText": "If you're feeling really introspective, His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman and Demian by Hermann Hesse.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Demian by Hermann Hesse",
          "reason": "Suggested for someone feeling introspective.",
          "audience": "Readers feeling introspective.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876339,
          "author": "theblackbox",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T09:15:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876339",
          "commentText": "I would Second ANYTHING by Hesse, not got round to a thorough read of Siddhartha yet, but Damien is most excellent and The Glass Bead Games is a revelation for anyone who feels there is something just a little bit ill with the mind and motion of our modern age.\nOh, and something along the lines of The Neverending Story (The Silmarillion/LotR), because it's something to lose yourself in with kids and doesn't even have to be read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Damien is most excellent",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hermann Hesse"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coming of age",
        "self discovery",
        "coming of age fiction",
        "german literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "discrete-mathematics-and-its-applications-f85eff",
      "title": "Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications",
      "author": "Kenneth H. Rosen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30485966,
          "author": "EzJBg4GS",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T06:39:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30485966",
          "commentText": "I'm starting to learn CS all over again at the old age of 40, and had the pleasure to rediscover mathematics thanks to:\n- Discrete Mathematics with Applications, by Susanna Epp, or\n- Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications, by Kenneth Rosen (both have the same content, choose the style that you prefer), and\n- Concrete Mathematics, by our lord and savior Donald Knuth.\nI don't plan on reading TAOCP anymore as I would be dead by the time I finish reading everything else, but those introductory books are very good for beginners.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications, by Kenneth Rosen",
          "reason": "Recommended as one of two introductory books for learning CS and mathematics.",
          "audience": "Beginners relearning computer science or mathematics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it covers the same content as Epp's book and suggests choosing the preferred style.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29220975,
          "author": "morty_s",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T21:38:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29220975",
          "commentText": "CLRS does about 5 pages on linked lists. If you want more, my advice would be to implement one in your language of choice, then look at the API for the standard lib impl of a linked list in your language of choice (if there is one).\nOtherwise, for more reading on linked lists, read through adlist.c from redis, by antirez.\nNext, one of the best books (IMO) on algorithmic thinking is SICP. Get through a few chapters, do the exercises, grok recursion, etc.\nIn no particular order:\nAlgorithm Design Manual, Skiena\nAlgorithm Design, by Kleinberg/Tardos\nAlgorithms, Sedgwick 4th ed. (also Algorithms in C)\nIf you find you need or would like more math:\nDiscrete Mathematics (Epp is an easier read, Rosen seems more verbose)\nMathematical Proofs, Charrand\nFor interview prep:\nElements of Programming Interviews (EPI)\nDesigning Data Intensive Applications",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Rosen seems more verbose",
          "reason": "Compares Rosen's discrete mathematics text as more verbose.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned as an option if more math is needed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348299,
          "author": "humanarity",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:37:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348299",
          "commentText": "Meditations (Marcus Aurelius) - incredibly clear ideas probably clear-up 80% of issues you have with everyday life\nThe Bible (& The Gnostic Gospels) - I love the idea that Jesus was a real guy who (literally) petrified his childhood playmates because they \"vexed\" him by dispersing his anti-gravity water :)\nAtlas Shrugged - no excuses\nSelf and Others - personal pyschology\nSeth Speaks - a lady channels an interdimensional being\nThe Road Less Travelled - a psychoanalyst's memoirs\nLetters to a Young Artist - encouragement for going your own way, a series of letters\nThe Alchemist - help you read the signs from the heart of the World for your own path\nAn Introduction to Zen Buddhism, et al (T. Suzuki) - really interesting, non-duality, higher third unification of opposites\nHear the Wind Sing (Murakami) - really bizarre and pure, his first one written late nights at kitchen table after working in a bar, before he became famous\nRich Dad Poor Dad - solid advice\nDiscrete Maths (Rosen) - interesting and very learnable, a great reference\nAn Imaginary Life (Malouf) - great clarity of writing\nThe Solid Mandala (Patrick White) - amazing observation of people",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Discrete Maths (Rosen) - interesting and very learnable, a great reference",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it interesting, very learnable, and a great reference.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7579990,
          "author": "tannerj",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-13T02:49:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7579990",
          "commentText": "I actually just bought Rosen's 'Discrete Math and Applications' on amazon. My college education was in art, so needless to say, not much mathematical training in my undergrad education. In my current job I'm a web developer and I've been trying to cover a CS knowledge base through self study. Through reading reviews about discrete mathematics books I was pointed towards Epps' 'Discrete Math with Applications' http://amzn.com/0495391328 and Rosen's book. I was told Epps' book doesn't go into as much depth, but doesn't assume any prior knowledge from the student. This is great for someone like me with an art degree and the will to learn discrete math. All this is tangentially related to why I'm posting. All of these books mentioned are really expensive, mostly because they are used in college classes. A trick I've started using is buying previous additions of these books for pennies on the dollar. I got Rosen's fifth edition for $7 as opposed to ~$160 for the seventh. After reading the update pages online, I don't think I really miss all that much doing this either.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I actually just bought Rosen's 'Discrete Math and Applications' on amazon.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7578340,
          "author": "krick",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T16:48:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578340",
          "commentText": "Eh, I was thinking about something else, actually. What you listed are taught in every CS program, aren't they? It isn't what I imagined when I heard \"rigorous\" at all.\nTopology, number theory, abstract algebra (I mean, real one, not CS-course basics), statistics, tensor analysis? Isn't that \"undergrad math\"?\nFor things like Set theory/combinatorics/logic basics I'd recommend Rosen's \"Discrete Math and Applications\"[1]. CS oriented, simple, interesting, broad. Covers all the basic stuff.\nLinear algebra — two books, \"Linear algebra done Right\" and \"Linear algebra done Wrong\". Second one more math-oriented, the first one — pretty simple, pretty clear, fun to read.\nReal analysis (\"calculus\" you mean?) — I personally learned from different sources and probably the most concise book I read is Fichtengolz's \"differential and integral calculus\", but I don't know if it's available in english. I guess, almost any book on topic is fine.\nGeometry & Probability theory — not sure what to recommend, because books on topic vary in depth dramatically, I would appreciate myself if somebody would outline the borders for what to cover first. Anyway, most of what I read and found useful is in russian, unfortunately. But still, what do you mean by geometry and prob. theory? Differential geometry, Riemannian geometry, erlangen program covered or only basic euclidean/analytic geometry stuff? Same goes for probability. If you care only for very basics — Khan's academy (or any random youtube videos) is fine. Any intro book on statistics covers it as well.\n[1] - http://www.amazon.com/Discrete-Mathematics-Applications-Kenn... (http://www.amazon.com/Discrete-Mathematics-Applications-Kenneth-Rosen/dp/0072899050)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend Rosen's \"Discrete Math and Applications\"",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as a simple, interesting, broad introduction to basic discrete math.",
          "audience": "Readers learning set theory, combinatorics, and logic basics, especially with a CS orientation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2415191,
          "author": "quacker",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T14:31:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2415191",
          "commentText": "Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications by Rosen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications by Rosen",
          "reason": "Offered as a resource in response to a request for a book on discrete mathematics.",
          "audience": "People learning discrete mathematics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865877,
          "author": "devonrt",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T18:34:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865877",
          "commentText": "This is a really great textbook. Probably one of the only textbooks I kept around after school.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is a really great textbook.",
          "reason": "Calls it a really great textbook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kenneth H. Rosen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "discrete mathematics",
        "combinatorics",
        "graph theory",
        "textbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "enchiridion-d982d9",
      "title": "Enchiridion",
      "author": "Epictetus",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50119414,
          "author": "NishanStepak",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T15:13:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50119414",
          "commentText": "Frank Herbert Dune, book, there is a graphic novel of the latest edition which I glanced through.\nMachiavelli The Prince\nSun Tzu The Art of War\nEpictetus The Enchiridion\nTao Te Ching- different editions\nThe Odyssey in variety of formats, illustrated, graphic novel, book\nThe King James Bible-- Different pieces at various points. Proverbs many times.\nLewis Carroll-- Alices Adventures In Wonderland, book, annotated edition",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Epictetus The Enchiridion",
          "reason": "Listed among books read repeatedly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46693299,
          "author": "0xmattf",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-20T16:01:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 46690957,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What non-fiction do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46693299",
          "commentText": "I only read non-fiction; mostly philosophy. Here are some books off the top of my head:\n* The Inner Citadel/Philosophy as a Way of Life by Pierre Hadot\n* Plato's dialogues (someone already mentioned a few of them, but the Republic was missing from their list).\n* Epictetus (Discourses and Enchiridion)\n* The various essays/letters of Seneca\n* Matter and Consciousness by Churchland (older, but fascinating)\n* The Mediations of Marcus Aurelius\n* (mostly) any Buddhist texts\n* What a Plant Knows\n* Moonwalking with Einstein\nThere are tons of fascinating books, way too many to list.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Discourses and Enchiridion",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29829198,
          "author": "sbacic",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-06T20:04:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29829198",
          "commentText": "I expect I'll get a lot of flak for this one, but I'd like to suggest the \"4 hour work week\" by Tim Ferriss. I've read it at about the same age and it had a profound effect on me.\nAnother book I'd suggest is the Enchiridion of Epictetus.\nIf you ever intend to have kids, \"Summerhill\" by A.S.Neill is a good choice.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another book I'd suggest is the Enchiridion of Epictetus.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a book to buy for the reader's 18th birthday.",
          "audience": "An 18-year-old interested in nonfiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28452992,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-08T04:19:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 28450555,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that impacted your work that few other people seem to care about?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28452992",
          "commentText": "I have about half a dozen translations of the Meditations and i suggest the following;\n* Translation by Gregory Hays published in \"The Modern Library\" classics. This is highly approachable and should be the first one you start with.\n* Translation by Martin Hammond and published by Penguin Classics. Lots of illuminating Notes.\n* Translation by Robin Hard and published in \"Oxford World's Classics\" series. Robin Hard also has a translation of Epictetus' Discourses/Enchiridion/Fragments and Sayings and Anecdotes of Diogenes in the same Oxford series, both of which are also excellent.\nPS: All of the above contain a detailed Introduction to the work which you should not skip. They set the background, Worldview, Time etc. which help you understand the ideas in the book better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Robin Hard also has a translation of Epictetus' Discourses/Enchiridion/Fragments and Sayings and Anecdotes of Diogenes in the same Oxford series, both of which are also excellent.",
          "reason": "Mentions the Oxford translation as excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Part of a group of works listed as available in the Oxford series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23858789,
          "author": "seneca",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:35:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858789",
          "commentText": "I have nearly as many answers to this questions as books I have read. Even fiction helps you to understand another perspective, which I think is really one of the great things about reading.\nOne of the earliest books that gave me a good leap in understanding is the Tao of Pooh. As a preteen, it was my first real taste of philosophy outside of Christianity, and it was something radically different.\nAs far as impact, probably Epictetus' Enchiridion. It's literally a manual on how to live a good life. It's uncommonly practical advice and started a love for his school of philosophy that still hasn't faded.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "As far as impact, probably Epictetus' Enchiridion.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a practical manual for living well and says it sparked lasting interest in Stoicism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20333866,
          "author": "0kl",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T10:55:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20333866",
          "commentText": "I have always been of the opinion that you ought to read the stoics in the order of:\n1. Epictetus (foundational with the enchiridion) [trans Robert Dobbin]\n2. Seneca’s letters (eloquent exhortations from one person to another) [trans Robin Campbell]\n3. Aurelius’s meditations (powerful self-reflections not meant for publication) [trans Martin Hammond]\nI found that, going back, both Seneca or Epictetus were lesser reads than Aurelius, but I’m still glad I read them.\n[These are my preferred translations, but I did see this comment and just ordered the translation mentioned https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8717216]",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Epictetus (foundational with the enchiridion)",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's suggested reading order for the Stoics; described as foundational.",
          "audience": "Readers following the commenter's suggested order for reading the Stoics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Seneca and Epictetus were lesser reads than Aurelius, though they are glad they read them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19093293,
          "author": "crucini",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-06T07:03:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19093293",
          "commentText": "I'd like to read it. Of course, there's the Enchiridion:\nhttp://classics.mit.edu/Epictetus/epicench.html\nWhich is quite short.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Of course, there's the Enchiridion:",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is quite short.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Epictetus"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "stoicism",
        "ancient philosophy",
        "classical philosophy",
        "ethics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hackers-painters-big-ideas-from-the-computer-age-44b966",
      "title": "Hackers & Painters: Big Ideas from the Computer Age",
      "author": "Paul Graham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9045612,
          "author": "Yadi",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-13T17:38:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 9044833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I have $2k for books, training and confs. What should I spend it on?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9045612",
          "commentText": "I would buy and look into the following books:\n# HTTP: The Definitive Guide - O'Reilly Media\n# Algorithms by Sedgewick\n# Introduction to Algorithms by Cormen.\nCheck out some Machine Learning books:\n# Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning\n# Computer Networks (5th Edition)\nI would look at the following book if you wanted more Q&A and interview questions:\n# Cracking the Coding Interview: 150 Programming Questions ...\nTutorial memberships:\n# I would buy a Tuts+ account, they have been very slow in releasing new content (too bad), however they have lots of great Web Development stuff.\nI would read some other non-technical books:\n# Hackers & Painters: Big Ideas from the Computer Age by Paul Graham\n# The Hard Thing About Hard Things by  Ben Horowitz\n# The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book That Will Change The Way You Do Business by Clayton M. Christenen,\n# Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman\n# How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie\nIf you wanted to understand some Cloud stuff, look into the Whitepapers from Amazon Web Services:\n# https://aws.amazon.com/whitepapers/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hackers & Painters: Big Ideas from the Computer Age by Paul Graham",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7777452,
          "author": "joerich",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-21T10:18:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7777452",
          "commentText": "I recently got \"Hackers and painters\" by Paul Graham. I'm still reading but pretty cool so far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm still reading but pretty cool so far.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is pretty cool so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is still reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7049609,
          "author": "parthsetya",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-13T09:28:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 7048683,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best development book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7049609",
          "commentText": "\"HACKERS AND PAINTERS\"\nHands down one of the best books on software development(without any actual code). \nThe best bits are:\n-It comes from someone who has done some good, really good shit, and owned it out there.(He developed a web based platform a year before Hotmail even came into existence)\n-All throughout the book , Paul Graham advocates writing good software,good code. That's all!!\n-The book takes a philosophical approach, but is not \"a sacred collection of chants\", and is hence, awesome.\n-Its a collection of his essays , which he has written over years , and hence, traverses changing times and trends.\n-Though I strongly recommend that one read it page to page, the author himself claims that you can pick up any chapter from anywhere.\n- He is friends with Robert Morris!!!(Come on! He gets to hang out with the guy who \"invented\" First Computer WORM on the Internet)\nThe books cleanly talks about and focuses on writing good code and unlike a lot of others, tells why writing code is a craft and not a mere JOB.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"HACKERS AND PAINTERS\"\nHands down one of the best books on software development(without any actual code).",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the best books on software development and strongly recommends reading it page to page.",
          "audience": "Developers interested in software craftsmanship and essays about programming.",
          "caveat": "Contains no actual code; the author says chapters can be read in any order.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6998705,
          "author": "KenAdler",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-02T08:14:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 6981802,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good general technical books for teenagers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6998705",
          "commentText": "She might find inspiration in Paul Graham's \"Hackers and Painters\"\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Hackers-Painters-Big-Ideas-Computer/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/Hackers-Painters-Big-Ideas-Computer/dp/1449389554)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "She might find inspiration in Paul Graham's \"Hackers and Painters\"",
          "reason": "Suggests the book as a possible source of inspiration for the daughter.",
          "audience": "A teenager interested in art and biology, with limited enthusiasm for technology.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 948356,
          "author": "fara",
          "createdAt": "2009-11-18T14:57:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 947581,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN:  What's the best first business book for a programmer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=948356",
          "commentText": "Hackers and Painters by Paul Graham ;)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Hackers and Painters by Paul Graham ;)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875941,
          "author": "justlearning",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T03:52:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875941",
          "commentText": "among my favorites. Every time you pick a page to read, it's just like watching a sunset; it's never the same.\nHackers and painters\nGitanjali",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hackers and painters",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 767071,
          "author": "JunkDNA",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-17T00:37:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=767071",
          "commentText": "I find that reading fiction on vacation really stimulates my programming brain. There's a lot to be said for letting your mind roam free for a bit. I believe PG talks about the value of letting your mind roam in one of his essays (or possibly Hackers and Painters). In particular, I've found Neal Stephenson's books to be great for this purpose. If you haven't read Cryptonomicon, Snow Crash, or Diamond Age, I would suggest reading one of them. It will satisfy your need for some \"geek\" content on vacation, without being all business.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "PG talks about the value of letting your mind roam in one of his essays (or possibly Hackers and Painters).",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a possible source for an essay about letting the mind roam.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether the essay is in the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143048,
          "author": "iamelgringo",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T02:36:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143048",
          "commentText": "Hackers and Painters, especially How to Make Wealth.  I grew up overseas, and really didn't have a decent grasp of how the whole money thing worked until I started reading up on economics and money.  How to Make Wealth really crystalized a lot for me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hackers and Painters, especially How to Make Wealth.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book helped them understand money and economics, and that “How to Make Wealth” crystallized a lot for them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Graham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Writing",
        "Art"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "essays",
        "programming",
        "programming culture",
        "creativity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "head-first-b758ea",
      "title": "Head First",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49756375,
          "author": "ezulabs",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-18T16:03:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 49724691,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most career altering course or book you have gone through?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49756375",
          "commentText": "not career altering but worth to mention \"Head First Series\" when it comes to tech books.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Head First Series\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is worth mentioning among tech books.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in technology books.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not career altering.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37332005,
          "author": "saluki",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-31T03:09:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 37325594,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books to learn web development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37332005",
          "commentText": "The head first series are great.\nhttps://www.oreilly.com/library/view/head-first-html/9781449... (https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/head-first-html/9781449324469/)\nIt's not super advanced but gives you a great foundation and you learn by doing.\nAfter that it's best to pick out a challenging project you want to build for yourself and tackle that.\nOnce you have a good foundation in css I'd recommend checking out Tailwind CSS and Tailwind UI.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The head first series are great.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the series for building a foundation through hands-on learning.",
          "audience": "Readers building a foundation in web development.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not super advanced.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032205,
          "author": "kat",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:04:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032205",
          "commentText": "Find a book that introduces to programming patterns. \nI read 'Design Patterns' from the Head-First series when starting out\n http://www.headfirstlabs.com/books/hfdp/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "'Design Patterns' from the Head-First series",
          "reason": "Identifies the series that published the mentioned book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment does not recommend the series as a whole.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3580307,
          "author": "sheff",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-11T22:02:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 3564256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best programming books for someone in prison?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3580307",
          "commentText": "Just a suggestion, but what about books which don't look at all technical but are full of cartoons and humour, eg \"Land of Lisp\" ( http://nostarch.com/lisp.htm ) , the Head First books and so on ? These might be acceptable.\nSecondly, one of the most common comments on HN is how few programmers are also any good at design, so perhaps books focused on design, usability and typography would be another option.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the Head First books and so on",
          "reason": "Suggested as potentially acceptable books that look nontechnical and use cartoons and humor.",
          "audience": "Readers learning technical subjects through an approachable presentation.",
          "caveat": "The suggestion is conditional on whether the prison would accept them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3571433,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-09T15:21:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 3570099,
          "threadTitle": "Best book to study Java",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3571433",
          "commentText": "The Head First Series is \"Learn the Hard Way\" backed by modern educational theory - hands on, engaging multiple learning pathways, and offering problems at various levels of difficulty even on relatively advanced topics.\nThey are structured based on ideas about how people learn rather than ideas about how they should learn.\nThat's not say that \"Learn the Hard Way\" is not useful or that I don't admire what Zed Shaw is doing. I think it is really good work.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Head First Series is \"Learn the Hard Way\" backed by modern educational theory",
          "reason": "Praised for hands-on learning, engaging pathways, and problems at varied difficulty levels.",
          "audience": "Learners who benefit from varied, hands-on instruction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3570452,
          "author": "thuang513",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-09T09:57:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 3570099,
          "threadTitle": "Best book to study Java",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3570452",
          "commentText": "I love the Head first series books. Even though I already had experience with other languages when I started, Head First Java explained things clearly and enjoyably! http://amzn.to/ybDBJv",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I love the Head first series books.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they love the series and praises its clear, enjoyable explanation of Java.",
          "audience": "Readers learning programming concepts through an engaging style.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3382143,
          "author": "sheff",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-22T16:43:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 3380141,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Intro Programming Book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3382143",
          "commentText": "This is a good suggestion , as the Chris Pine book is a very easy, quick read.\nAlso, the O'Reilly Head First books are usually good - with a fairly light-hearted, humorous approach for starters - and their \"Head First Programming\" book is Python based. ( http://shop.oreilly.com/product/9780596802387.do?sortby=publ... (http://shop.oreilly.com/product/9780596802387.do?sortby=publicationDate#PowerReview) )\nDoes it have to be a book ? Maybe a subscription to something like Code School ( http://www.codeschool.com ) would also be quite cool, as they have courses like \"Try Ruby\" and \"Rails for Zombies\" .",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the O'Reilly Head First books are usually good",
          "reason": "Recommends the series for its light-hearted, humorous approach for starters.",
          "audience": "Starters.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 755318,
          "author": "intregus",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T14:53:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755318",
          "commentText": "There are a few math books in the \"Head First\" series (which I always love). Those might serve more as refreshers for most people, but for a true math noob (like me), they have really helped.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the \"Head First\" series",
          "reason": "The commenter says the math books in this series have helped them as a math beginner.",
          "audience": "Math beginners; may also serve as refreshers.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that the books may be more suited to refreshers for most people.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming education",
        "visual learning",
        "active learning",
        "beginner learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-the-mind-works-d41dae",
      "title": "How the Mind Works",
      "author": "Steven Pinker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33381977,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T07:56:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33381977",
          "commentText": "Of the books I've read this year, the fiction ones that stand out to me would be:\n1. The entire Sprawl Trilogy by Gibson, and the entire Bridge Trilogy, also by Gibson. The former I'd read before (multiple times) while the latter I had not read all the way through until now. Neuromancer I've read probably 7 or 8 times total in my life by now. I'm not as crazy about Gibson's later stuff, but the Sprawl and Bridge books are great.\n2. The rest of the HHGTTG \"trilogy\" besides the first book. I'd read the first book a couple of years ago but never got around to reading the rest until this year. Note that when I say \"the rest\" I'm excluding that one book that was written by another author after Douglas Adams' passing. I may still read it one day, but I'm not in any hurry to do so.\nIn terms of non-fiction:\nReal-World Reasoning: Toward Scalable, Uncertain Spatiotemporal, Contextual and Causal Inference by Ben Goertzel, Nil Geisweiller, and Lucio Coelho is the stand-out of the lot. How the Mind Works by Steven Pinker and How Can the Human Mind Occur in the Physical Universe? by John R Anderson are also worthy of a mention.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How the Mind Works by Steven Pinker",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is worthy of a mention among their nonfiction reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20988586,
          "author": "kedean",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T21:05:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20988586",
          "commentText": "I'm working my way through Steven Pinkers \"How The Mind Works\", it's a really interesting perspective on the brain and how it theoretically might produce human intelligence and consciousness. I didn't expect to be exercising my CS background while reading it, but it's very heavy on CS techniques and jargon despite being a psychology book (the author spends a solid chunk of the first chapter walking the reading through creating what turns out to basically be Prolog).\nOn the fiction side, I'm on my third Discworld book and loving them (Men At Arms).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it's a really interesting perspective on the brain and how it theoretically might produce human intelligence and consciousness",
          "reason": "The commenter finds its perspective on the brain and intelligence really interesting.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the brain, intelligence, consciousness, or computing.",
          "caveat": "Heavy on computer science techniques and jargon despite being a psychology book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9705607,
          "author": "semateos",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-12T13:12:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9705607",
          "commentText": "Yes!  Would highly recommend that one or 'How the Mind Works' by Pinker.  I'm constantly blown away by how few people are aware of modern cognitive science and just how much we DO understand about the operation of the mind.  It's also super useful if you do any kind design, UX, marketing or interact with other humans.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "or 'How the Mind Works' by Pinker.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the book as another option.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in cognitive science and how it informs design, UX, and marketing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6976329,
          "author": "trendoid",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T20:23:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976329",
          "commentText": "Reading 'How Mind Works'. Do you think his proposal matches the recent discoveries in neuroscience? Till now(120 pages in) he seems to be an evangelical of Computational theory of mind",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Reading 'How Mind Works'. Do you think his proposal matches the recent discoveries in neuroscience?",
          "reason": "The commenter asks whether the book's proposal matches recent neuroscience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter sees Pinker as an evangelical for computational theory of mind.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026506,
          "author": "paulgb",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T00:30:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026506",
          "commentText": "The best book I read in 2009 was The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. It's surprisingly accessible (I've never taken a biology class), and talks a lot about evolutionary game theory which I found fascinating.\nSome other books I read last year:\nHow the Mind Works by Steven Pinker. It was a great book, Pinker's writing is accessible and entertaining. Much more so than On Intelligence by Jeff Hawkins.\nMore with Less: Paul MacCready and the Dream of Efficient Flight by Paul Ciotti. I really enjoyed this one, it was the story of the first team to cross the English channel with human-powered flight.\nWhat the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell. I liked this one better than Gladwell's other books. There is less theorizing and arguing a point and more telling stories, which is what Gladwell excels at.\nThe Mind's I by Douglas Hofstadter and Daniel Dennett. If you are patient with what is sometimes (in my humble opinion) pointlessly arguing semantics, some of the sections are interesting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It was a great book, Pinker's writing is accessible and entertaining.",
          "reason": "Calls it great and praises its accessible, entertaining writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86503,
          "author": "greg",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-06T04:25:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86503",
          "commentText": "How about...\nHow the mind works (Pinker)\nZen and the art of motorcycle maintenance (Pirsig)\nSophie's World (Gaarder)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How the mind works (Pinker)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Pinker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognitive science",
        "evolutionary psychology",
        "computational theory of mind",
        "human intelligence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-win-friends-influence-people-682f0a",
      "title": "How to Win Friends & Influence People",
      "author": "Dale Carnegie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27653442,
          "author": "paulcole",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T17:34:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 27650775,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27653442",
          "commentText": "How to Win Friends & Influence Routers is a classic for a reason.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Win Friends & Influence Routers is a classic for a reason.",
          "reason": "A networking pun on the book title, used as a humorous recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The title is altered as a joke.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21852386,
          "author": "t3hprofit",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T17:49:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21852386",
          "commentText": "Not specifically about programming, but \"Every Tool's a Hammer\" by Adam Savage was really good. Tons of good information in here, and it tickles the Mythbusters itch.\nAre you looking for books about a programming language? or about methodologies, patters, best practices, etc.\nAs far as about specific programming languages, personally I think the internet is a far better resource. Books are better for the \"Soft\"er skills (communication, design, etc)\nHere are a few I've enjoyed:\n* The Phoenix Project\n* Accelerate\n* Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World\n* Rework\nFinally, if you've never read \"How to win Friends & Influence people\", do it now! I'm 34 and for whatever reason put off reading this until last month. I wish I had read that book 10 years ago. I'll definitely be adding it to my re-read list as there is a TON of good advice for building relationships, which is arguably more important than many technical things.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How to win Friends & Influence people\", do it now!",
          "reason": "Urges readers to read it and says they wish they had read it earlier, praising its advice on relationships.",
          "audience": "People looking to build relationships and communication skills.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416354,
          "author": "romanhn",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:18:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416354",
          "commentText": "Really surprised nobody has mentioned How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie yet. IMO, required reading for understanding and communicating with people.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "required reading for understanding and communicating with people",
          "reason": "Calls it required reading for understanding and communicating with people.",
          "audience": "People seeking to understand and communicate with others.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10233545,
          "author": "mbesto",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T14:30:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10233545",
          "commentText": "These are great books for starting off with the why and how of sales:\nDaniel Pink - To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others http://www.amazon.com/Sell-Human-Surprising-Moving-Others/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/Sell-Human-Surprising-Moving-Others/dp/1594631905/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8)\nDale Carnegie - How to Win Friends & Influence People http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/06... (http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0671027034/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1442499882&sr=1-1)\nAs you understand the macro details of sales, the more micro things (tactics, strategies, best practices) are probably best served by specific industry or specific aspects of sales. For example:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Behind-Cloud-Salesforce-com-Billion-Do... (http://www.amazon.com/Behind-Cloud-Salesforce-com-Billion-Dollar-Company-/dp/0470521163/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442500049&sr=8-1)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Sales-Acceleration-Formula-Technology-... (http://www.amazon.com/Sales-Acceleration-Formula-Technology-Inbound/dp/1119047072/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1442500089&sr=8-2)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Predictable-Revenue-Business-Practices... (http://www.amazon.com/Predictable-Revenue-Business-Practices-Salesforce-com/dp/0984380213/ref=pd_sim_14_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=08BC3RAFN4RSZDNWQJ9Q&dpID=51mYrIgNB6L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR104%2C160_)\nI also really like Jason Lemkin and his SaaStr blog: http://www.saastr.com/ Loads of SaaS sales practices on there.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dale Carnegie - How to Win Friends & Influence People",
          "reason": "Suggested as a good starting book for understanding sales.",
          "audience": "People starting to learn sales.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5324002,
          "author": "pkhamre",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-05T11:55:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 5323956,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: which are some good self-help books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5324002",
          "commentText": "The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business - http://www.amazon.com/Power-Habit-What-Life-Business/dp/1400... (http://www.amazon.com/Power-Habit-What-Life-Business/dp/1400069289)\nHow to Stop Worrying and Start Living - http://www.amazon.com/How-Stop-Worrying-Start-Living/dp/0671... (http://www.amazon.com/How-Stop-Worrying-Start-Living/dp/0671035975/)\nHow to Win Friends & Influence People - http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/06... (http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0671027034/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Win Friends & Influence People",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 569186,
          "author": "rivo",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-19T06:47:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 568556,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sales book recommendation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=569186",
          "commentText": "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Busine... (http://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Business-Essentials/dp/006124189X/)\nThe Definitive Book of Body Language\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Definitive-Book-Body-Language/dp/05538... (http://www.amazon.com/Definitive-Book-Body-Language/dp/0553804723/)\n+1 to How to Win Friends & Influence People",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 to How to Win Friends & Influence People",
          "reason": "Adds an explicit endorsement to the title in the sales-book suggestions thread.",
          "audience": "People seeking sales-related books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dale Carnegie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "interpersonal skills",
        "communication",
        "humor",
        "interpersonal communication"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "i-will-teach-you-to-be-rich-c3c485",
      "title": "I Will Teach You to Be Rich",
      "author": "Ramit Sethi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43413920,
          "author": "satvikpendem",
          "createdAt": "2025-03-19T16:12:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 43402403,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book/course/resource for personal finance or financial literacy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43413920",
          "commentText": "> - I Will Teach You To Be Rich\nThe author also has a great podcast [0] that discusses money issues with couples. Even if you are not a couple, the insights they have are very useful and interesting, as it acts as a sort of therapy for the guests and the listener. After all, money issues are often psychological in nature.\n[0] https://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/podcast/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "> - I Will Teach You To Be Rich",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43413915,
          "author": "runjake",
          "createdAt": "2025-03-19T16:11:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 43402403,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book/course/resource for personal finance or financial literacy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43413915",
          "commentText": "+1 for I Will Teach You To Be Rich. The title is a turn-off but the book is great. It has some life-changing financial literacy advice and is worth the price many times over, IMHO.\nAnd yeah, you can get an AI to dump the key points out of the book, but they don't do the book justice.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for I Will Teach You To Be Rich. The title is a turn-off but the book is great.",
          "reason": "Endorses the book and says its financial literacy advice is valuable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The title may put readers off.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43402807,
          "author": "jjice",
          "createdAt": "2025-03-18T18:18:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 43402403,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book/course/resource for personal finance or financial literacy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43402807",
          "commentText": "Some personal favorites:\n- Your Money Or Your Life\nGreat book on financial independence and simple investing. Get the 2017 version since they made modifications to their investing recs to be less bond centric.\n- I Will Teach You To Be Rich\nThe name is gaudy IMO, but the contents are very rational and cover pretty much all the foundations of personal finance, from investing to budgeting, to enjoying your life. The name feels like a get rich quick thing, but it's about what the other describes as \"living your rich life\" - essentially enjoying your money in addition to saving and investing for the future.\n- The Simple Path To Wealth\nGreat simple investing book. Probably the best investing book for the average person, in my opinion. Well written, to the point, and rational.\nThere are some other great books out there, but those are three solid ones to start with. I Will Teach You To Be Rich is the most catch all based on what you're looking for.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I Will Teach You To Be Rich",
          "reason": "Covers personal finance foundations including investing, budgeting, and enjoying your money.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a broad personal finance resource.",
          "caveat": "The title sounds like a get-rich-quick pitch to the commenter, but the content is described as rational.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40047646,
          "author": "jjice",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-16T01:51:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40047646",
          "commentText": "I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi. Corny name, but generally good advice for people who don't have an interest in personal finance. I buy it for friends when they get engaged.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi. Corny name, but generally good advice for people who don't have an interest in personal finance. I buy it for friends when they get engaged.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it offers generally good personal finance advice and buys it as an engagement gift.",
          "audience": "People without an interest in personal finance; friends who are engaged.",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls the name corny.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26325139,
          "author": "marksimi",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-03T05:33:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 26321793,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books made you the most money?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26325139",
          "commentText": "I Will Teach You to Be Rich.\nBad title, but this helped me to automate saving and put my energy into more important  things.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I Will Teach You to Be Rich.\nBad title, but this helped me to automate saving",
          "reason": "Helped the commenter automate saving and focus energy on more important things.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it has a bad title.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13237020,
          "author": "Jemaclus",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:13:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237020",
          "commentText": "I keep an active list of books I've read, along with my reviews at my book review website, https://books.brianseitel.com. One of the benefits of this is that my favorite books automatically populate on the left. In 2016, I read over 60 books. My top 10 for 2016 (so far) are, in rough order of favorite-ness:\n- \"All the Birds in the Sky\" by Charlie Jane Anders\n- \"The Shards of Heaven\" and its sequel \"The Gates of Hell\" by Michael Livingston (fictional story set in Roman times)\n- \"The Last Breath\" by Charlie Magee\n- \"The Guns of Empire\" by Django Wexler (Book 4 of The Shadow Campaigns series, which I highly recommend)\n- \"The King's Traitor\" by Jeff Wheeler (original take on Arthurian legend)\n- \"Uprooted\" by Naomi Novik\n- \"End Game\" by Lindsay Buroker (Book 8 of her sci-fi series, The Fallen Empire, which is a pretty fun series overall. Short and sweet adventures.)\n- \"Soulblade\" by Lindsay Buroker (Book 8 of her fantasy series, Dragon Blood, which is another great series. All of Buroker's books are good, imo.)\n- \"Ghost Talkers\" by Mary Robinette Kowal (It's WWII, ghosts are real... and they're spies.)\nThis year I also read books 1-3 of The Expanse, and I think they would also be in this list, except I haven't reviewed them yet. I'm currently reading Book 4, with the recently published book, Babylon's Ashes, in the queue. I fully expect these to make it into the top 10.\nObviously, I enjoy sci-fi / fantasy the most, but across a wide range of sub-genres. For non-sci-fi, my top read was \"I Will Teach You To Be Rich\" by Ramit Sethi, which really changed the way I organize my finances.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "my top read was \"I Will Teach You To Be Rich\" by Ramit Sethi, which really changed the way I organize my finances.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was their top nonfiction read and it changed how they organize their finances.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12244116,
          "author": "Jemaclus",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-07T22:36:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244116",
          "commentText": "\"I Will Teach You To Be Rich\" by Ramit Sethi (http://amzn.to/2aF1vjF). It's a fantastic, easy read that takes you step-by-step into automating your finances and making smart decisions toward not necessarily being rich, but being richer and having some financial security on a month to month basis.\nEvery once in awhile, I'll have a conversation with friends about finances, and they'll complain about how much work it is to manage money, and I'll go home and order them this book. It's an easy $10 gift, and they've all told me it changed the way they approach finances. Good stuff. Cannot recommend it enough.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cannot recommend it enough.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for automating finances and making smarter money decisions; says friends found it changed their approach.",
          "audience": "People who find managing money too much work",
          "caveat": "The stated aim is financial security and being richer, not necessarily becoming rich.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 687166,
          "author": "pneill",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-04T14:02:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 687066,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on getting rich?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=687166",
          "commentText": "I'll second this recommendation.  Very good for young single people.  It's not a get rich quick book. It's a get rich slow the old fashion way book.  What it does best is provides a framework for budgeting and saving that's easy to follow.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'll second this recommendation.",
          "reason": "Seconding the parent's recommendation and its assessment that the book is a decent read with budgeting and saving guidance.",
          "audience": "Young single people.",
          "caveat": "The parent says it is not a get rich quick book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 687122,
          "author": "jlees",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-04T12:46:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 687066,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on getting rich?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=687122",
          "commentText": "Ramit Sethi's I Will Teach You To Be Rich was nicely written and has a lot of supplementary stuff, mostly centred around managing personal finance well. Probably not one of the \"seminal\" books - it's new - but a decent read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I Will Teach You To Be Rich was nicely written and has a lot of supplementary stuff, mostly centred around managing personal finance well. Probably not one of the \"seminal\" books - it's new - but a decent read.",
          "reason": "Calls it nicely written and a decent read, while noting it may not be seminal.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is new and probably not one of the seminal books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ramit Sethi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal finance",
        "budgeting",
        "financial literacy",
        "financial automation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "in-defense-of-food-6817e0",
      "title": "In Defense of Food",
      "author": "Michael Pollan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46398558,
          "author": "ImaCake",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T02:38:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46398558",
          "commentText": "I read/listened/sampled a lot this year but a few have reached out into my life and changed me at least a little bit.\n- In Defense of Food - Michael Pollan. A brilliant \"not diet\" book about not eating crap and enjoying chocolate cake with your friends. I followed this up with Ultra Processed People to arm myself with the facts to defend not eating the junk people call food.\n- The Dispossesed - Ursula Le Guin: recommended in previous year's HN what did you reads. An absolutely triumph for how it manages to portray a believable anarchist society.\n- Adult Children of Alcoholics: useful to the multitude of us who grew up with an alcoholic parent(s). I used this to identify the common patterns I share with others who grew up like me. You are not alone!\n- The Invention of Clouds (not finished): I really like the context of \"dissenting science\" which the author conveys brilliantly. Turns out Dark Academia and Bro Science are not new.\n- The Art of Frugal Hedonism: Irreverant although it comes off a little pious. This book has helped me accept that I have enough stuff already.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A brilliant \"not diet\" book about not eating crap and enjoying chocolate cake with your friends.",
          "reason": "Presents it as a strong, enjoyable guide to eating well without a diet focus.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17986828,
          "author": "decasteve",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-14T12:55:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17986828",
          "commentText": "I read In Defense of Food first and that seemed to stick with me too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read In Defense of Food first and that seemed to stick with me too.",
          "reason": "The commenter says its message stuck with them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971376,
          "author": "tzs",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T10:27:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971376",
          "commentText": "\"In Defense of Food\" by Michael Pollan.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"In Defense of Food\" by Michael Pollan.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1228183,
          "author": "ryanwanger",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-30T02:32:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1228183",
          "commentText": "One of his other books, In Defense of Food, might almost be a better recommendation to read first. If they like that, go for the novel version - The Omnivore's Dilemma.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "In Defense of Food, might almost be a better recommendation to read first.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a possible first read before The Omnivore's Dilemma.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it might be the better book to read first.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026362,
          "author": "adamhowell",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T22:29:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026362",
          "commentText": "The War of Art (again) - I reread this book at least once a year. IMHO one of the best books ever written on the creative process, no matter what you're creating.\nIn Defense of Food - Best criticism of the problems with reductionist \"nutrition-ism\" I've read.\nThey Made America - Good, quick history of some of America's most revolutionary inventors, businessmen and women.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Best criticism of the problems with reductionist \"nutrition-ism\" I've read.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best criticism the commenter has read of reductionist nutritionism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 715347,
          "author": "blazamos",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-20T22:14:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715347",
          "commentText": "In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan (excellent; recently saw Food, Inc. as well)\nThe Next 100 Years by George Friedman (amusing; was given to me as a gag gift)\nCurrently reading: Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan (excellent",
          "reason": "Calls it excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Pollan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nutrition",
        "food systems",
        "food"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "influence-02b3a1",
      "title": "Influence",
      "author": "Robert B. Cialdini",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41704899,
          "author": "nikasakana",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-01T05:39:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 41693844,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good essays/books/advice about software sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41704899",
          "commentText": "Ordered it! I've been recommended this one handful of times.\nTime to read it, Thanks!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've been recommended this one handful of times.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they ordered the book being recommended in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Influence (Robert Cialdini)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30241841,
          "author": "fsloth",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T08:24:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241841",
          "commentText": "Influence by Robert Cialdini. We live in a commercialized world - Cialdini gives a very engineer friendly, pragmatic and empirical review of the psychological tricks used to make people comply.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Influence by Robert Cialdini.",
          "reason": "Recommends the book’s pragmatic, empirical review of psychological techniques used to gain compliance.",
          "audience": "Engineer-minded readers and people navigating a commercialized world.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16298962,
          "author": "koolhead17",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T19:00:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16298962",
          "commentText": "* Total Freedom by J Krishnamurti\n* Meditations by Marcus Aurelius\n* Wit and Wisdom from Poor Richard's Almanack by \nBenjamin Franklin\n* Influence by Robert B. Cialdini",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Influence by Robert B. Cialdini",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books the commenter wishes they had taken to heart.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229733,
          "author": "dontscale",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:36:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229733",
          "commentText": "Do a google search for Charlie munger reading list and you'll uncover gems like Influenc, guns germs and steel, poor Charlie's almanac",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "gems like Influenc",
          "reason": "Named as a gem on Charlie Munger's reading list.",
          "audience": "Readers looking up Charlie Munger's reading list.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10240701,
          "author": "tsattersten",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-18T17:39:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10240701",
          "commentText": "Our selections from The 100 Best Business Books of All Time were:\n-Selling The Invisible by Harry Beckwith (great look at selling services)\n-Secrets of Closing The Sale by Zig Ziglar (gets you prepared for objections)\n-How to Become A Rainmaker by Jeffrey Fox (shortcuts to better sales techniques)\n-The Little Red Book of Selling by Jeffrey Gitomer (best first book for first time salespeople)\nAs mentioned in other posts, I would also add SPIN Selling, Mastering the Complex Sale and The Referral Engine.\n\"Smart\" books in the sales space include Influence, Made To Stick, To Sell Is Human.\nFor motivation, read more Zig, Tony Robbins, and Dale Carnegie.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Smart\" books in the sales space include Influence",
          "reason": "Listed among smart books in the sales space.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert B. Cialdini"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "persuasion",
        "social psychology",
        "compliance",
        "negotiation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "life-of-pi-fd57a8",
      "title": "Life of Pi",
      "author": "Yann Martel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36428197,
          "author": "sonicshadow",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T05:07:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36428197",
          "commentText": "Life of Pi was very memorable in my childhood. The imagery in that book captured my young imagination. I thought about that book a lot. I feel like it contributed something meaningful, in that it’s ok to not take life too seriously.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Life of Pi was very memorable in my childhood.",
          "reason": "The commenter says its imagery captured their imagination and its message helped them take life less seriously.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5030163,
          "author": "australis",
          "createdAt": "2013-01-09T04:28:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 5000101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5030163",
          "commentText": "Guns, Germs and Steel\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Guns-Germs-Steel-Fates-Societies/dp/03... (http://www.amazon.com/Guns-Germs-Steel-Fates-Societies/dp/0393317552)\nLife of Pi\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Life-Pi-Yann-Martel/dp/0156027321\nBillions and Billions\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Billions-Thoughts-Death-Brink-Millenni... (http://www.amazon.com/Billions-Thoughts-Death-Brink-Millennium/dp/0345379187)\nThe Ancestor's Tale\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Ancestors-Tale-Pilgrimage-Dawn-Evoluti... (http://www.amazon.com/Ancestors-Tale-Pilgrimage-Dawn-Evolution/dp/061861916X)\nSorry for suggesting so many, I couldn't help myself",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Life of Pi",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Life of Pi",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1725114,
          "author": "kapilkaisare",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-24T19:48:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1725114",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n1. Life of Pi - Yann Martel\n2. The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas : An awesome closeup of revenge\n3. The complete Sherlock Holmes series : 'nuff said.\nNon fiction:\n1. Cosmos - Carl Sagan : I fell in love with science post-reading this book.\n2. October Sky - Homer Hickham : A real life story of how a group of boys in a backwater town build a rocket that changes their lives.\n3. Chariots of the Gods - Erich Von Daniken -  A real mind bender, even if you choose not to agree with his ideas.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Life of Pi - Yann Martel",
          "reason": "Listed in a response to a request for great books for boys.",
          "audience": "Boys.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027286,
          "author": "brown9-2",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T15:27:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027286",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction:\nCoders at Work by Peter Siebel and Founders at Work by Jessica Livingston - I loved reading about the founder's stories and first-hand perspectives of notable programmers.\nThe Pleasures and Sorrows of Work by Alain de Botton - really interesting perspective on \"work\" and various types of careers and people that find happiness in them/work itself.\nSuperfreakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner - even if you don't agree with their arguments or think that the authors are all fluff, I think that their writing style is exceptionally clear and easy to understand.\nThe Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb - some really interesting ideas and analysis, although the book could have been 1/2 as short\nFiction:\nAnathem by Neal Stephenson - starts out slow but after the first 200 pages it became a really great story that I couldn't put down.\nLife of Pi by Yann Martel - loved the main story of the book, the controversial ending didn't bother me too much because I don't feel like it takes away from the story at all.\nThe Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson - cheap fun and suspenseful\nThe Road by Cormac McCarthy - I don't think much needs to be said about this book\nWhite Tiger by Aravind Adiga - extremely interesting and gripping novel about a side of the world most of us Westerners never see\nHitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams - finally read this classic. I read the \"Ultimate Edition\" which contains all 5 of Adams' novel, loved the first one but the story felt like it started to putter out by the third.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "loved the main story of the book",
          "reason": "The commenter loved its main story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The controversial ending did not detract from the story for the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86512,
          "author": "tel",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-06T05:10:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86512",
          "commentText": "V. by Thomas Pynchon\nThe Life of Pi by Yann Martel\nthe McSweeney's Quarterly Concern (Not a book per se, but  \nvery enjoyable)\nShakespeare (Everything, I'm surprised he's only been mentioned once so far)\nThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald\nThe Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe\nShogun by James Clavell\n\nThen, of course, the regular hodgepodge of Card, Asimov, Adams, Gaiman, Pratchet, Stephenson, Feynman, and that LOTR guy, Tolkey or sommat. (In all seriousness, though, all of these authors are phenomenal, if well-known for being such)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Life of Pi by Yann Martel",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Yann Martel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "survival",
        "adventure",
        "adventure novel",
        "fable"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mastery-1d2604",
      "title": "Mastery",
      "author": "Robert Greene",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42654997,
          "author": "ttoinou",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T12:21:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42654997",
          "commentText": "Mastery by Robert Greene also mentions in a few pages this story about the Wright Brothers (they started from their expertise in bicycles, that’s how they got planes right) and it’s def a book the OP might be interested in.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mastery by Robert Greene",
          "reason": "Says the book discusses the Wright Brothers’ expertise in bicycles and recommends it to the original poster.",
          "audience": "The original poster, who is interested in how things got built.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17982957,
          "author": "monksy",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-13T21:49:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17982957",
          "commentText": "They're not as strong. But to echo that.\n21 Strategies of war  is good\nthe 51st law is not so great. \nMastery Is ok\nThe last I heard from Robert Greene was that he was working on a book about the motivations of people. However, I haven't heard of any progress.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Mastery Is ok",
          "reason": "Offers a mildly positive assessment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it is only okay.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910593,
          "author": "amrrs",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:58:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910593",
          "commentText": "1. Born a Crime (audiobook) by Trevor Noah is an entertaining yet thought-provoking listen\n2. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (just gives a different perception to success all together, at least did for me)\n3. Mastery (Robert Greene) - can be dismissed as Anecdotes but really powerful ones\n4. Deep Work (Cal Newport) - a guy who doesn't like to be on social media and I found reading about him and stumbled upon this and it's absolutely an insightful read\n5. The subtle art of not giving a fk - This is a short, beautiful and an amazing read even if you aren't looking for self improvement",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "really powerful ones",
          "reason": "The commenter finds its anecdotes powerful, despite noting they may be dismissed as anecdotes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that the book can be dismissed as anecdotes.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17046447,
          "author": "jpamata",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T11:35:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17046447",
          "commentText": "1. A Guide to the Good Life by William Irvine\n-my first introduction to stoicism.\n2. Mastery by Robert Greene\n-stories about the lives of luminaries such as Henry Ford, Michael Faraday, and Da Vinci on what it takes to be successful.\n3. Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story by Arnold Schwarzenegger\n-for providing me a new mental framework on building discipline and confidence.\n4. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain\n-for giving me a paradigm shift on how to think about myself and others.\n5. Seeking Wisdom From Darwin to Munger by Peter Bevelin\n-a compendium of cognitive biases and mental models.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mastery by Robert Greene",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for introspective book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10233430,
          "author": "ingen0s",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T14:14:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10233430",
          "commentText": "Check out anything by Zig Ziglar -> Napoleon Hill -> Andrew Carnegie and Tony Robbins.\nPeople miss that sales is not just technique or what you say but state of mind, belief and confidence.\nStay away from sales only focus books.\nIf you really want to learn something check \"Mastery\" by Robert Greene.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you really want to learn something check \"Mastery\" by Robert Greene.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for learning.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4967942,
          "author": "xiaoma",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T02:37:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967942",
          "commentText": "Mastery, by Robert Greene!\nIt's the result of years of his research on the process a human goes through to achieve mastery in a field.  It breaks the process down to key components and stages and examines masters of various disciplines that exemplify these concepts.  The subjects were pretty varied, from Leonardo to Darwin to PG!\nIn short this book is everything I had originally hoped for in Outliers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mastery, by Robert Greene!",
          "reason": "The commenter says it covers the stages of achieving mastery and is what they had hoped Outliers would be.",
          "audience": "People interested in how people develop mastery in a field.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Greene"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Business",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mastery",
        "personal development",
        "skill development",
        "craftsmanship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mere-christianity-891653",
      "title": "Mere Christianity",
      "author": "C. S. Lewis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39729917,
          "author": "joshuawright11",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T22:08:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729917",
          "commentText": "Mere Christianity - C.S. Lewis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mere Christianity - C.S. Lewis",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36105038,
          "author": "User23",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T15:42:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105038",
          "commentText": "For Christianity I highly recommend Saint Augustine’s Confessions. It is very readable and the author’s intellect shines throughout.\nEdit: I hear very good things about C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity too, but I've never read it.\nAlso there's always Aristotle. Thanks to him we know there is not really a clear line between theology and philosophy. It's fascinating to me that an ancient Greek pagan derived a kind of classical monotheism as being philosophically necessary. One may disagree, but I don't think anyone seriously interested in the subject denies the importance of his contributions.\nOthers have already suggested the various holy and foundational texts as being worth reading. I'm inclined to agree on account of for thousands of years before printing when keeping a book extant was extremely laborious people from every culture chose some writings as being particularly precious. Surely they had what seemed to them at least to be good reason.\nAnd casting a broader net, reading the myths and stories of the religions can give you a good feel for how believers see it. I'm mostly familiar with Viking and Greek myth, but there is a rich tradition of mythology in the east too. I've never made a serious study of the Vedic stories, but I've read a few adaptations and there is a lot of interest there too.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I hear very good things about C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity too, but I've never read it.",
          "reason": "The commenter has heard positive reports about the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has never read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32198813,
          "author": "JohnDeHope",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-23T00:22:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32198813",
          "commentText": "Mere Christianity, by C.S. Lewis, for the second time, since a few days ago, about 90% of the way through.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Mere Christianity, by C.S. Lewis, for the second time",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23154814,
          "author": "combatentropy",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T15:10:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23154814",
          "commentText": "Mere Christianity, by C. S. Lewis. Any of his nonfiction works have a style of writing that I seldom find. He has a dedication to reason and a step-by-step approach.\nThe Elements of Style, by William Strunk and E. B. White. I liked writing since I learned how to. I didn't find this book until I was 17, and it unlocked me to write in a way that better helped others.\nThe Language Instinct, by Steven Pinker. I guess I like writing and language. Like C. S. Lewis, Steven Pinker has a way of writing about hard things that makes them easy to understand, even enjoyable. The subject matter is also news to most people, I think, who don't appreciate just how much that language is built in to the human mind from conception.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mere Christianity, by C. S. Lewis. Any of his nonfiction works have a style of writing that I seldom find.",
          "reason": "Praises Lewis's writing style and step-by-step reasoning.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17982644,
          "author": "camjohnson26",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-13T21:12:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17982644",
          "commentText": "Mere Christianity by CS Lewis. As a teenager it gave me an intellectual basis for my faith and helped me see it could be defensible.\nDarwin's Doubt by Stephen Meyer. If God exists methodological naturalism can't be completely true. This book helped me see that there's still areas science can't fully explain, like the information explosion of the Cambrian Explosion.\nPlease don't burn me at the stake.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mere Christianity by CS Lewis. As a teenager it gave me an intellectual basis for my faith and helped me see it could be defensible.",
          "reason": "Says it provided an intellectual basis for their faith and helped them see it as defensible.",
          "audience": "People interested in Christian faith and arguments for it.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12246085,
          "author": "callmeed",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T07:47:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12246085",
          "commentText": "On Writing Well by Zinsser\nTraction by Weinberg & Mares\nPredictable Revenue by Ross\nChoose Yourself by Altucher\nLearn Python the Hard Way by Shaw\nMere Christianity by Lewis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mere Christianity by Lewis",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about books given as gifts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107077,
          "author": "kilo_man",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T09:00:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107077",
          "commentText": "Just listing books that have had a big impact on me:\n* The Now Habit - http://www.amazon.com/dp/1585425524\n* Getting Things Done - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0142000280\n* Simply Christian - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061920622\n* Surprised by Hope - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061551821\n* The Great Divorce - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060652950\n* Mere Christianity - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060652926\n* The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - http://www.amazon.com/dp/048629823X\n* Tao Te Ching - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060812451\nBooks from the Bible that I like:\n* Genesis\n* Judges\n* Ruth\n* Tobit\n* Job\n* Psalms\n* Ecclesiastes\n* Sirach/Ecclesiasticus\n* Everything written by John",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mere Christianity",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter says have had a big impact on them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "C. S. Lewis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christianity",
        "apologetics",
        "christian apologetics",
        "faith"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "never-eat-alone-8529e5",
      "title": "Never Eat Alone",
      "author": "Keith Ferrazzi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6698989,
          "author": "lazyant",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-08T20:40:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6698989",
          "commentText": "the modern equivalent of the book is \"Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the modern equivalent of the book is \"Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi\"",
          "reason": "Presents it as the modern equivalent of the book being discussed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5701428,
          "author": "codegeek",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-13T21:10:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5701428",
          "commentText": "Just read \"Never eat alone\" and it has changed my thinking significantly.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just read \"Never eat alone\" and it has changed my thinking significantly.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it significantly changed their thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4966795,
          "author": "napoleond",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T19:15:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4966795",
          "commentText": "These are the ones I remember, but not necessarily for being the best.\nSteve Jobs - Walter Isaacson. I thought it was interesting; an honest attempt at cataloguing the life of a fascinating and complex person.\nHow To Win Friends And Influence People - Dale Carnegie. I'd skimmed through it in high school, and decided it was full of obvious/cheesy platitudes, but was somehow convinced to take another look this year and I'm very glad I did. It is mostly full of very basic \"don't be an ass\" advice, but I needed it.\nNever Eat Alone - Keith Ferrazzi. I'm not sure what to think of this one. It's pretty low on actionable advice, but it did help me (together with HTWFAIF, above) reframe the way I approach interpersonal relationships.\nThe Cat's Table - Michael Ondaatje. I haven't finished this one yet, but it's part of a recent concerted effort to read more fiction. I've always loved Ondaatje's work, and this latest novel is no different.\nFreakonomics - Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner. I just started reading this last night, and I'm already 100 pages in. It's an addicting read, and is already causing me to re-evaluate the incentive systems that are everywhere.\nNapoleon Bonaparte - Alan Schom. I've been reading this one slowly for a while (it's a hefty book). It's a very well written account of Napoleon's entire life story--highly recommended.\nCrossing the Chasm - Geoffrey Moore. Just started this one last night as well (Christmas presents!) and so far it seems like it will live up to the hype.\nThe Education of Millionaires - Michael Ellsberg. This one, I can't recommend. As always, though, YMMV :)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Never Eat Alone - Keith Ferrazzi. I'm not sure what to think of this one. It's pretty low on actionable advice, but it did help me (together with HTWFAIF, above) reframe the way I approach interpersonal relationships.",
          "reason": "Says it helped reframe how they approach interpersonal relationships.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure what to think of it and finds it low on actionable advice.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027868,
          "author": "wushupork",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T23:49:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027868",
          "commentText": "I got a Kindle as a gift too and I love it as well. I highly recommend you play with it or at least borrow someone's (if they'll let you) if you doubt you'll like it.\n\"Inside Steve's Brain\" - Great book on the history of Apple, and the inner workings of the company and the philosophy.\n\"Never Eat Alone\" by Keith Ferrazzi on the importance of networking and building relationships.\n\"Trade-Off, Why Some Things Catch On, and Others Don't\"\n\"The Pixar Touch\" Great history of Pixar and how they came about.\n\"Call me Ted\" - Ted Turner's autobiography\n\"How the Mighty Fall\" Jim Collins",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "on the importance of networking and building relationships.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a book about networking and building relationships.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797098,
          "author": "DanielBMarkham",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T01:40:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797098",
          "commentText": "I got books like sheiks got oil. I'm swimming in them. I try to read a little from at least four books every day. (You'll have to look up these links yourself)\n-----------------------------------------------------------\nOn my Kindle:\nAnna Karenina, Tolstoy; Clean Code, Uncle Bob; Palm WebOS; Antoninus Meditations, Marcus Aurelius, Emperor; Never Eat Alone, and Other Secrets to Success, Ferrazzi\n-----------------------------------------------------------\nIn my stack:\nDaniel-X, James Patterson; Born To Run, Christopher McDougall; The Existential Jesus, John Carroll; Fear and Trembling - Repetition, Soren Kierkegaard\n-----------------------------------------------------------\nOn the way in from Amazon:\nThe Trusted Advisor, Maister; Secrets of Consulting: A Guide to Giving and Getting Advice Successfully, Weinberg; Rain Making: Attract New Clients No Matter What Your Field, Harding\n-----------------------------------------------------------\nI'm thinking about growing another pair of eyeballs so I can read two books at once. I'll let you know how the genetic engineering goes. (grin)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Never Eat Alone, and Other Secrets to Success, Ferrazzi",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135286,
          "author": "danw",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T17:22:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135286",
          "commentText": "Recommended:\n* Everyware: Dawning of the age of ubiquitous computing\n* Never Eat Alone\nA few biographies of people you admire too. My favourite is \"Buckminster Fuller's Universe\".\nHas anyone got a recommendation for a good biography on Walt Disney?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Never Eat Alone",
          "reason": "Listed as recommended reading for a hacker's bookshelf.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 57091,
          "author": "jamiequint",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T22:16:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=57091",
          "commentText": "Never Eat Alone,\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People,\nGetting to Yes,\nThe Effective Executive\n...and like 40 more, too many to list!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Never Eat Alone",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Keith Ferrazzi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "networking",
        "relationship building",
        "career development",
        "interpersonal relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pandora-s-star-bdfd93",
      "title": "Pandora's Star",
      "author": "Peter F. Hamilton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43613486,
          "author": "bloopernova",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T16:54:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43613486",
          "commentText": "The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors by James Hornfischer. The amazing courage shown by the US Navy sailors as their tiny 2,000 ton Destroyers and Destroyer Escorts faced a Japanese fleet of Battleships, Cruisers, and Destroyers at The Battle Off Samar. Inspiring and horrifying, the DDs and DEs of the US navy were protecting \"Escort Carriers\" which were smaller aircraft carriers made from cargo ship hulls. Warning, may inspire you to learn a whole bunch more about world war 2.\nAnd 2 books that sort of go together:\nIncredible Victory: The Battle of Midway by Walter Lord, and Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway by Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully. Read Incredible Victory first, learn about the luck, good and bad, that led to a much-needed victory in the Pacific. Then read Shattered Sword and get a fuller picture of events, especially from the Japanese side. Learn about how hubris and dogma led to the Japanese Navy's defeat. Then learn about how saving face led to history not being accurately told by the witnesses on the Japanese side.\nAll 3 are great books that are well worth your time.\nOthers that I've enjoyed:\nParable of the Sower by Octavia Butler (near future post-apocalyptic sci-fi).\nThe non-fiction Liberation Trilogy by Rick Atkinson (more WW2 non-fiction, nice details about North Africa through Italy, then France to Germany).\nMidnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham.\nMost Secret War by RV Jones (nerdy, funny history of one scientist's world war 2 experience).\nThe Discworld City Guard books, starting with Guards! Guards!, by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy fiction satire, hilarious and comforting. Highly, highly recommended!!\nPeter F Hamilton sci-fi adventure books: Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained are a duo of great space opera stretching across multiple planets and people. Don't spoil yourself by reading any descriptions of Judas Unchained before you read Pandora's Star. Also by the same author, The Night's Dawn Trilogy: The Reality Dysfunction, The Neutronium Alchemist, and The Naked God. Fantastic big canvas space opera with lots of threads, great world-building, and amazing situations. Both sets of books are highly recommended escapes from reality.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained are a duo of great space opera",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends this space opera duo.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy large-scale space opera.",
          "caveat": "Read this before Judas Unchained; avoid reading descriptions of the latter first.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31975936,
          "author": "M_bara",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-04T11:38:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31975936",
          "commentText": "Pandoras star by Peter f Hamilton. This along with pushing ice and the culture series opened a new vast world for me. Will keep rereading them every few years",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pandoras star by Peter f Hamilton.",
          "reason": "Named as a book the commenter will keep rereading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249383,
          "author": "tavish1",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T11:22:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249383",
          "commentText": "I started reading sci-fi(mostly hard-sf) after I read the commonwealth saga, 'Pandora's star' and 'Judas unchained'. It was just really entertaining and unlike anything I've read. Also really recommend 'Snow crash'. Also adding a couple fantasy recommendations: Lies of Locke lamora, and any basically any novel by Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn: the final empire, Warbreaker, The way of kings etc.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Pandora's star' and 'Judas unchained'. It was just really entertaining and unlike anything I've read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says reading these books was really entertaining and unlike anything they had read.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy hard science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056542,
          "author": "huhtenberg",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:22:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056542",
          "commentText": "Lord of the Light\nDune\nNeuromancer\nHyperion\nSnow Crash\nUse of Weapons\nPandora's Star / Judas Unchained",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pandora's Star / Judas Unchained",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite sci-fi books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8944477,
          "author": "poopchute",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-25T22:18:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944477",
          "commentText": "- Brave New World (dystopia/utopia, short read)\n- Pandora's Star (futuristic (2380), humans are immortal through rejuvenation and are colonizing new worlds using worm hole tech(I think they have 50 or so worlds), long read - lots of sequels if you enjoy the universe)\n- Ender's game (futuristic, the movie cuts off  1/2 the book that revolves around Ender's 2 siblings, both also are geniuses, short read - lots of sequels if you enjoy the universe)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pandora's Star (futuristic (2380), humans are immortal through rejuvenation and are colonizing new worlds using worm hole tech(I think they have 50 or so worlds), long read - lots of sequels if you enjoy the universe)",
          "reason": "Describes its future setting and notes it is a long read with many sequels.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy a long futuristic story and its universe.",
          "caveat": "Long read; has many sequels.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2923957,
          "author": "salemh",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-25T06:25:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 2919368,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have changed the way you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2923957",
          "commentText": "Reality Tansurfing 1: The Space of Variations\n\"Choosing\" your own reality, positive mind frames, philosophy and actionable steps for goal attainment (no \"Secret\" wish fulfillment).\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1846941229/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1846941229/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1846941229)\n\" Some of Zeeland's techniques are very simple and practical; e.g. his methods of combining rational thinking with intuition for making practical decisions.  Other \"tools\" require a high degree of control over one's thoughts and/or emotions.\n    Zeeland also advocates reducing the amount of mental self-talk in favour of listening to one's intuition, which has some similarity with the teachings of Eckhart Tolle [[2]].\"\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vadim_Zeeland\nThe Tibetan Book of Living and Dying\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062508342/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062508342/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0062508342)\nThis novel has been of great help to me and family with recent deaths. Overall life outlook, happiness, and the like.\nEnders Game\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812550706/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812550706/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0812550706)\nI have read this novel over 15 years roughly 8 times. I get more, and a different perspective (which is interesting just examining my own reaction to re-reads based on my life and age at reading / re-reading).\nPrometheus Rising\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1561840564/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1561840564/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1561840564)\n\"Hacking\" reality, your mind, alternate viewpoints of reality and \"living\" accordingly (or not :D)\nPandora's Star\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345479211/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345479211/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0345479211)\nFascinating \"space opera\" wherein humanity masters worm-hole technology (and space colonization), ever lasting life (downloading / uploading) and a lovely read with a dose of astrophysics (though, the number of plot lines and characters gets far too muddled much of the time, symptomatic of Hamilton's books). Great \"look\" at a potential future of these potential advancements.\nNeuropath\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0765361574/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0765361574/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0765361574)\nScience fiction novel set in near-future based on new advanced in neuroscience; psychopath / serial killer thriller (one night read)on the brain as a chemical machine (and free-will arguments) with brutal thriller violence. This sticks with you for a number of weeks. Sending this to my sister was reacted with \"it was really good, fascinating..why the f* did you send this to me?\"\nThe Darkness That Comes Before (The Prince of Nothing, Book 1)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1841494089/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1841494089/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=1841494089)\nFantasy, philosophy, linguistics in Magic..dark, dark and a very old world. Brilliant, the best fantasy series this decade.\nTitan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400077303/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400077303/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1400077303)\nFrom dirt (literally), to one of the richest men in history, a genius accountant, inventor, process engineer, capitalist, competitive monster (crusher), also spawning much of modern medicine research centers (while he himself was a more holistic man who distrusted \"modern medicine). An incredible biography (oft cited by other novels on various Baron's / dynastic biographies) on the idiocyncrocies and the incredible desire for wealth and power, while abhoring lavish displays of wealth. From his rise, to consolidation, to \"war\" with the Rothschilds to the ultimate breakup of Standard Oil.\n1,000 Dollars and an Idea: Entrepreneur to Billionaire: Expanded Edition\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1557048487/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1557048487/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1557048487)\nSam Wyly, on building businesses to last, 15-20 years to \"flip\" or keep. Nuggets of wisdom for all industries and verticals.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Fascinating \"space opera\" wherein humanity masters worm-hole technology (and space colonization), ever lasting life (downloading / uploading) and a lovely read with a dose of astrophysics",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it fascinating and a lovely read, praising its imagined future.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in space opera and speculative technology.",
          "caveat": "The plot lines and characters get far too muddled much of the time.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter F. Hamilton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "first contact",
        "wormholes",
        "hard science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "patterns-of-enterprise-application-architecture-f8bba8",
      "title": "Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture",
      "author": "Martin Fowler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42697763,
          "author": "jjice",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-14T14:42:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 42686034,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read regarding software development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42697763",
          "commentText": "My personal favorites:\n- Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture (Martin Fowler) - early-mid 2000s and it stays valuable to this day. It's nice to have a formalized view of concepts you know in practice.\n- Clean Architecture (Robert Martin) - Great application architecture concepts being formalized\n- Designing Data Intensive Applications (Martin Kleppmann) - Fantastic perspective on your application's data. This is probably the most recommended book I've seen on Hacker News.\n- SQL Performance Explained (Markus Winand) - Just a killer, concise book to make you truly understand basic DB performance, specifically with indexes. I've met so many developers (myself included before this book) who thought any index will work and then they'd just wing it. Your RDBMS has tools for finding the best optimizations in your queries and you should use them. Your indexes are also more picky than you may think, but they're also incredibly fast if you place them correctly. It's a lot easier to see once you understand.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture (Martin Fowler) - early-mid 2000s and it stays valuable to this day.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it valuable and says it formalizes concepts learned in practice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Published in the early to mid-2000s.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21312299,
          "author": "un_montagnard",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T13:59:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21312299",
          "commentText": "Refactoring by Martin Fowler and Kent Beck.\nPatterns of Enterprise Application Architecture by Martin Fowler.\nDomain Driven Design by Eric Evans.\nGrowing Object-Oriented Software, guided by tests by Steve Freeman and Nat Pryce.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture by Martin Fowler.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14845944,
          "author": "troels",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T07:52:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14845944",
          "commentText": "\"Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture\" by Martin Fowler made a big difference for me at the time. Also, \"Domain Driven Design\" by Eric Evans. Both have a focus on high level architecture.\nOf books that are more on the craft of programming, \"Refactoring\" (Also Fowler) is good. And I enjoyed \"Practical Common Lisp\" by Peter Seibel too.\nIn general, I suspect that the value of a book has more to do with where the reader is, than where the book is.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture\" by Martin Fowler made a big difference for me at the time.",
          "reason": "Says it made a big difference to how they think about architecture.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in high-level software architecture.",
          "caveat": "The value of a book depends on where the reader is.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109012,
          "author": "ninjakeyboard",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:05:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109012",
          "commentText": "Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture. Pretty basic - looking for a good read though and my reading list is running dry. Manning is releasing some good stuff on reactive development that I'd recommend - the Reactive Design Patterns material that is available is super good.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture. Pretty basic - looking for a good read though and my reading list is running dry.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it pretty basic and is looking for a good read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8000602,
          "author": "eddie_31003",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T18:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8000602",
          "commentText": "For me, there have been more than one. I'll list them in the order I read them. I have them all in an eBook form to read in my Kindle App on my Nexus 7. \n1) Clean Code\n2) Pragmatic Programmer\n3) Patterns for Enterprise Application Architecture\nThere's some overlap in contents, but I feel they complement each other very well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1) Clean Code\n2) Pragmatic Programmer\n3) Patterns for Enterprise Application Architecture\nThere's some overlap in contents, but I feel they complement each other very well.",
          "reason": "Lists it among technical ebooks and says the books complement each other well.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414791,
          "author": "netaustin",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T12:18:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414791",
          "commentText": "Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture by Martin Fowler helped me make the jump from small systems built for myself to large, sophisticated systems built for others.\nThe Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks really helped me learn to think about large projects from a personnel and planning perspective. There are some ideas there that have become part of the CS canon; \"no silver bullet\" and the slightly sexist but accurate metaphor for throwing more people at an overdue project, \"nine women can't make a baby in one month.\" The Mythical Man Month was written in 1975, but it holds up remarkably well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture by Martin Fowler helped me make the jump from small systems built for myself to large, sophisticated systems built for others.",
          "reason": "Says it helped them move from building small personal systems to large systems for others.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin Fowler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "enterprise architecture",
        "software architecture",
        "enterprise applications",
        "software design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "permission-marketing-2654e9",
      "title": "Permission Marketing",
      "author": "Seth Godin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6130025,
          "author": "cdvonstinkpot",
          "createdAt": "2013-07-30T21:03:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 6130006,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read re marketing for my website?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6130025",
          "commentText": "The Guerilla Marketing series are all good- by Jay Levinson.\nAs is the oldie but goodie 'Permission Marketing' by Seth Godin.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "As is the oldie but goodie 'Permission Marketing' by Seth Godin.",
          "reason": "Calls it an enduringly good marketing book.",
          "audience": "People seeking marketing guidance for a website.",
          "caveat": "Describes it as an old title.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5702280,
          "author": "Avalaxy",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-14T00:08:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5702280",
          "commentText": "Permission Marketing - Seth Godin, made me think about what he calls interruption marketing.\nPurple Cow - Seth Godin, made me think about standing out.\nThe Lean Startup - Eric Ries, really changed the way I think about... Well, nearly everything that costs effort.\nThe God Delusion - Richard Dawkins, good theory about why God most probably doesn't exist.\nThe magic of reality - Richard Dawkins, great story about evolution, religion, etc.\nA short history of nearly everything - Bill Bryson, brilliant book. Perfect summary of our scientific advancements during the last centuries. He made me think about possible natural disasters.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Permission Marketing - Seth Godin, made me think about what he calls interruption marketing.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it made them think about interruption marketing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1080886,
          "author": "Alex3917",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-27T16:48:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 1080708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Marketing Books for Developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1080886",
          "commentText": "All Marketers are Liars, Permission Marketing, Crossing the Chasm, Positioning, 4 steps to the epiphany\nThat's probably enough for a while. And if you haven't already read Getting Real then read that too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Permission Marketing",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for marketing book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 673498,
          "author": "jncraton",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-25T11:57:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 673487,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there any good Internet marketing books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=673498",
          "commentText": "Permission Marketing (Seth Godin)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Permission-Marketing-Turning-Strangers... (http://www.amazon.com/Permission-Marketing-Turning-Strangers-Customers/dp/0684856360)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Permission Marketing (Seth Godin)",
          "reason": "Listed as a title in response to a request for marketing books.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking books about internet marketing and advertising.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 193338,
          "author": "bigbee",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-18T13:18:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 193308,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What books on marketing do you recomend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=193338",
          "commentText": "Everything from Seth Godin. Permission Marketing, All Marketers are Liers and Purple Cow are my personal favorites.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Permission Marketing",
          "reason": "The commenter names it among their personal favorites.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in marketing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5574,
          "author": "python_kiss",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T02:11:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5574",
          "commentText": "About 14 months ago, I had little knowledge of how to execute a startup. In particular, I wasn't familiar with any online marketing tactics. The following books helped me a lot in that respective, and more:\n\n1. Positioning, 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing/Branding, Focus, Marketing Warfare\n2. Purple Cow, All Marketers are Liars, Permission Marketing (I didn't like \"The Big Moo\", \"Free prize inside\" or \"Small is the new Big\").\n3. Founters At Work\n4. Wikinomics, Wisdom of Crowds, The Tipping Point (Blink! was alright). I am looking forward to reading \"The Long Tail\" and \"The starfish and the spider\"...has anyone read them yet?\n6. Why We Buy\n7. Hackers and Painters\n8. The E-Myth revisited\n9. The Art of the Start\n10. On War, The Art of War by Machiavelli and Sun Tzu (not exactly for startups, but definitely useful)\n11. Crossing the Chasm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Permission Marketing",
          "reason": "Listed among books that helped the commenter learn startup execution and online marketing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Seth Godin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marketing",
        "permission marketing",
        "advertising",
        "digital marketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "probability-theory-the-logic-of-science-518f75",
      "title": "Probability Theory: The Logic of Science",
      "author": "E. T. Jaynes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36031959,
          "author": "ggr2342",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-22T14:32:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36031959",
          "commentText": "They were not textbooks for any course. But I liked these:\n1. Mathematics and Plausible Reasoning by George Pólya\n2. Probability Theory: The Logic of Science by E.T. Jaynes",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Probability Theory: The Logic of Science by E.T. Jaynes",
          "reason": "Listed as a liked book in response to a question about eye-opening textbooks.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter clarifies these were not textbooks for any course.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32790740,
          "author": "f1shy",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T14:03:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790740",
          "commentText": "Computer science: Knuth's TAOCP. And Sipser's Introduction to the Theory of Computation.\nProgramming: SICP, K&R, and Stroustrup. Siebel's Practical common lisp.\nArtificial intelligence: AI a modern approach.\nSignals and Systems: Oppenheim's book\nProbability and statistics: Probability Theory: The Logic of Science by Jaynes",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Probability Theory: The Logic of Science by Jaynes",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31490842,
          "author": "cancandan",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T11:53:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31490842",
          "commentText": "Probability Theory: The Logic of Science by E. T. Jaynes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Probability Theory: The Logic of Science by E. T. Jaynes.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17169820,
          "author": "coreyyanofsky",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T23:52:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17169820",
          "commentText": "Probability Theory: The Logic of Science by E. T. Jaynes\nI was doing a post-grad degree in biomedical engineering and that book set me on a path to become a statistician -- exclusively Bayesian at the start, but now well-versed in all sorts of approaches. (Still prefer Bayes, but I'm only dogmatic about it in theory, not in practice.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Probability Theory: The Logic of Science by E. T. Jaynes",
          "reason": "Credits the book with setting them on a path to become a statistician.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They began as exclusively Bayesian but now use a range of approaches, while still preferring Bayes.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8796261,
          "author": "m_ke",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T14:16:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8796261",
          "commentText": "Probability Theory: The Logic of Science\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Probability-Theory-The-Logic-Science/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Probability-Theory-The-Logic-Science/dp/0521592712)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Probability Theory: The Logic of Science",
          "reason": "Listed as a book in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2723526,
          "author": "revorad",
          "createdAt": "2011-07-03T11:40:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 2723436,
          "threadTitle": "Suggest good sites/books on probability",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2723526",
          "commentText": "Probability Theory: The Logic of Science by E. T. Jaynes\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Probability-Theory-Science-T-Jaynes/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/Probability-Theory-Science-T-Jaynes/dp/0521592712)\nhttp://bayes.wustl.edu/etj/prob/book.pdf\nhttp://omega.albany.edu:8008/JaynesBook.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Probability Theory: The Logic of Science by E. T. Jaynes",
          "reason": "Offered as a probability resource in response to a request for learning materials.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking to learn probability.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "E. T. Jaynes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "probability",
        "bayesian inference",
        "bayesian statistics",
        "bayesian probability"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "qed-the-strange-theory-of-light-and-matter-af07fd",
      "title": "QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter",
      "author": "Richard P. Feynman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30740577,
          "author": "systemvoltage",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T06:20:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30740577",
          "commentText": "QED +1. Legendary book, changed the way I look at the world forever.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "QED +1. Legendary book, changed the way I look at the world forever.",
          "reason": "Seconding the book as a life-changing read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19090626,
          "author": "vishnugupta",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T22:27:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090626",
          "commentText": "All the books below have shaped my thought process to a significant degree. I started reading late but I'm fortunate enough to have stumbled upon these gems.\n\"Debt: The First 5000 Years\": This is truly a magnum opus. Until I read this I had taken money, economy, market etc., for granted. And I had held onto the widely accepted, but naive, view that economic systems somehow grew out of barter systems. The range of topics discussed, and the way author shows how seemingly independent concepts are intertwined, is truly astonishing. I'm on my 2nd read.\n\"Thinking, Fast and Slow\": This book made me truly appreciate the value of psychology. I didn't even know the existence of a vast domain called behavioral science until I read this book. Now I'm deliberately conscious about the decisions I take and retrace my thought process multiple times just to make sure that I haven't fallen pray to some of the cognitive biases.\n\"The Tell-Tale Brain\": While I did know that human brain is a unique organ this book opened my eyes to its layered complexities. For instance, how \"seeing\" is not a single step but a multi step process. From image formation, to identifying the object, to evoking emotional response.\n\"QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter\": The book with the highest signal to noise ratio. I finally understood what science is about, a way to model nature and to keep refining it to fit the observation. There are no true/false theories/models only those that explain nature's behavior better or worse. Nature is agnostic to all our theories and models. She's just the way she is. For details read about double slit experiment.\n\"How the World Works\": This one along with \"Profit Over People: Neoliberalism & Global Order\" has greatly shaped my mental model about the workings of contemporary world. I now understand why does military gets all the funding, why do powerful governments tend to keep its subject under perpetual fear, why is it that the cost of education has been sky-rocketing.\n\"The Hanging of Afzal Guru and the Strange Case of the Attack on the Indian Parliament\": A glimpse into the working of Indian justice system.\n\"Broken Republic\": This is by far the most accurate description about current affairs in India. How India is being hollowed out and how its most vulnerable section is the one fighting against it.\n\"Grammatical Man: Information, Entropy, Language and Life\": I'm currently reading it (20% through) and it has already made a big impact. The meaning of information is deep and subtle and pervades not just human being but the life itself.\n\"The Order of Time\": The book that well and truly shook the foundation that I had taken for granted for my entire life. That space and time aren't something absolute and are personal has had a profound impact on me.\n\"The Upanisads\": A truly remarkable work of human mind. Just to think about some of the concepts uplifts my mood.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter\": The book with the highest signal to noise ratio.",
          "reason": "Calls it exceptionally concise and says it helped them understand science as a way to model nature.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238963,
          "author": "cgh",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T17:52:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238963",
          "commentText": "> 1. The Recursive Universe: Cosmic Complexity and the Limits of Scientific Knowledge - Poundstone, William\nWonderful, I have never once in my life encountered another person who has read this book. I first read it as a student in the '90s and, like \"Godel, Escher, Bach\" and \"QED\", it made such an impact on me.\nStrangely, just yesterday I found myself recommending it to someone who is currently reading the new John Conway biography and had questions about the Game of Life.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "and \"QED\", it made such an impact on me.",
          "reason": "Says the book made a strong impression while they were a student.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229681,
          "author": "shpx",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:15:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229681",
          "commentText": "The Design of Everyday Things. Probably the quintessential book on design, the basic premise is that if you can't figure out how a thing works, it's not your fault.\nStructures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down. About the engineering of various things, mostly buildings. Highly recommend.\nThe Elements of Computer Systems (better known as NAND to Tetris). Describes a computer from the bottom up.\nA History of the Arab Peoples\nThe Quran\nThe Bible\nSpace and Time in General Relativity by David Mermin\nFeynman QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Feynman QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10027828,
          "author": "auntienomen",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T16:45:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027828",
          "commentText": "A few books at various levels with very high signal-to-noise ratio:\nFeynman's little popular science book _QED:  The Strange Theory of Light & Matter_ is a gem.  It's very short and non-mathematical, but still manages to get remarkably close to the truth.\nIf you're more mathematically inclined (e.g., fluent in multivariate calculus) and know a little classical physics, the first 5 chapters of Wald's _General Relativity_ are an essentially complete introduction to the subject.\nAnother classic is Shannon's _A Mathematical Theory of Communication_, which introduces the subject of information theory, and then solves basically all the subject's main problems.\nIn economics, I think the record for signal to noise is probably held by Keynes _The Econonic Consequences of the Peace_, 118 pages, in which he basically forecasts the disastrous course of events from 1918 to 1939.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Feynman's little popular science book _QED:  The Strange Theory of Light & Matter_ is a gem.",
          "reason": "Calls it a gem and says it gets remarkably close to the truth.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a short, non-mathematical introduction to quantum electrodynamics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is non-mathematical.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1974543,
          "author": "Jach",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T08:48:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974543",
          "commentText": "Oh jeeze, I have to choose?\nNonfiction: QED, by Feynman. It made a large portion of quantum physics \"click\" for me intuitively and dispelled a bunch of popular notions about quantum physics that are just wrong.\nFiction: Probably the celebrated Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, for reasons others have stated over and again, or else Ass Goblins of Auschwitz for letting me explore an author's deliciously disturbing mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "QED, by Feynman. It made a large portion of quantum physics \"click\" for me intuitively",
          "reason": "Says it made much of quantum physics intuitive and dispelled popular misconceptions.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an intuitive explanation of quantum physics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865425,
          "author": "jackfoxy",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T16:52:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865425",
          "commentText": "QED, by Richard Feynman\nAlso watching the Messenger Lecture series Nima Arkani-Hamed gave recently http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1851016",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "QED, by Richard Feynman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard P. Feynman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "quantum electrodynamics",
        "physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "recursion-3bd477",
      "title": "Recursion",
      "author": "Blake Crouch",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42568006,
          "author": "jiscariot",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-01T18:32:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42568006",
          "commentText": "I liked Recursion and Dark Matter a lot, but the last two pages of Upgrade really left it on a poor note for me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I liked Recursion and Dark Matter a lot, but the last two pages of Upgrade really left it on a poor note for me.",
          "reason": "Says they liked it a lot.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38570365,
          "author": "felipesabino",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T15:45:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38570365",
          "commentText": "The entire \"Murderbot\" series by Martha Wells is amazing, the writing style, humor and the whole story line is a must-read for sci-fi fans\nThe \"Silo\" series by Hugh Howey is excellent, I read it after watching the TV series from Amazon, and no regrets.\n\"Recursion\" and \"Dark Matter\" by Blake Crouch is also really great",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Recursion\" and \"Dark Matter\" by Blake Crouch is also really great",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it really great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021753,
          "author": "pkd",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:08:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021753",
          "commentText": "- A Fire Upon The Deep\n- Brave New World\n- The Dispossessed\n- The Sirens of Titan / Slaughterhouse 5\n- Recursion\n- Exhalation\n- There Is No Antimemetics Division\n- Foundation Series",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Recursion",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33385444,
          "author": "jeffreportmill1",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T16:20:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33385444",
          "commentText": "Can’t believe I’m the first/only one to post these:\n- Upgrade by Blake Crouch\n- Biography of the Pixel by Alvy Ray Smith\nLike Project Hail Mary, Upgrade is the kind of book I really wanted back when I was a michael crichton fan. His last book, Recursion was really my favorite. I love books that secretly teach you a thing or two and celebrate science and engineering.\nBiography of the Pixel was a fascinating history of computer graphics and fundamental graphics concepts.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His last book, Recursion was really my favorite.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was their favorite of Blake Crouch's books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32207952,
          "author": "edanm",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-23T21:56:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32207952",
          "commentText": "I did the same! (Well, I audiobooked it).\nI thought it was really good too. Though personally I liked Dark Matter and Recursion more.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I liked Dark Matter and Recursion more.",
          "reason": "Compares it favorably with the book discussed in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29669795,
          "author": "icosahedron",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T03:27:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29669795",
          "commentText": "I didn't read as much as I normally do, mostly due to school, but I really enjoyed \"The Midnight Library\" and \"Recursion\" for fiction.\nI am mostly done with Antifragile, and it's pulling me between political and philosophical sides.  Don't know which side I'll land on, or how long I'll stay there.\nAs a side note, I've found \"Deep Learning: A Visual Approach\" to be very instructive.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed \"The Midnight Library\" and \"Recursion\" for fiction.",
          "reason": "Says they really enjoyed it as fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Blake Crouch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memory",
        "time travel",
        "thriller",
        "reality alteration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stoner-9d8c19",
      "title": "Stoner",
      "author": "John Williams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49909371,
          "author": "bichiliad",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T14:19:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49909371",
          "commentText": "I opened this thread to post about Dungeon Crawler Carl. I just finished the fantastic Three Body Problem series, and reading something so pulpy in contrast feels like cheating, but it’s making me happy and that’s what I’m looking for anyways.\nSome other bits I’ve read recently that I’ve loved:\n- Ken Liu’s “The Paper Menagerie” is a beautiful short story by the Three Body Problem’s translator\n- Cryptonomicon feels like a great balance between heady reading (it goes into WWII-era crypto thinking) and pulpy humor. I loved reading it. \n- “Stoner” by John Williams (not the Stoner you think, and also not the John Williams you think) is kinda in a different direction, but it’s a really well paced and beautifully written book about a farmer’s son who falls in love with literature. It’s one of those books that’s hard to sell in a sentence, but is effortless to read and makes you think a lot in a non-engineering-brained way.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It’s one of those books that’s hard to sell in a sentence, but is effortless to read and makes you think a lot in a non-engineering-brained way.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its pacing and writing and says it prompts reflection.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is hard to summarize in a sentence.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46397495,
          "author": "jaimefjorge",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T23:26:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46397495",
          "commentText": "All fiction.\n- The Great Gatsby. Really enjoyed it and seemed fitting with the current times.\n- Buddenbrooks, Thomas Mann. Generational wealth come and gone. Good for putting things into perspective.\n- Things Fall Apart, Achebe.\n- The Pearl, John Steinbeck\n- Hyperion (first book), Dan Simmons. Great sci-fi. Bought the second book and look forward to reading it.\n- Stoner, John Williams. Incredibly well written book\n- One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez. Still finishing but I hope to finish in time for next year",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stoner, John Williams. Incredibly well written book",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it incredibly well written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41240060,
          "author": "edtech_dev",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-13T21:29:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41240060",
          "commentText": "I recently read Stoner by John Williams. Would recommend.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recently read Stoner by John Williams. Would recommend.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41175683,
          "author": "the-smug-one",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:40:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175683",
          "commentText": "These aren't \"The best\" or whatever, but they're very good:\n- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Summer_Book\n- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoner_%28novel%29\n- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_on_a_winter%27s_night_a_tra... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_on_a_winter%27s_night_a_traveler)\n- I'm currently reading Pyotr Kropotkin's autobiography, it's interesting.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoner_(novel)",
          "reason": "Includes it among books the commenter says are very good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter qualifies that these aren't necessarily “the best.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22094158,
          "author": "TheGallopedHigh",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T21:18:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22094158",
          "commentText": "Stoner by John Williams. It is a slow burner, but it’s worth the effort. It’s novel about an average person living an average life, but the prose captures the emotion of life.\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoner_%28novel%29",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stoner by John Williams. It is a slow burner, but it’s worth the effort.",
          "reason": "The commenter says its prose captures the emotion of an ordinary life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is a slow burner.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229612,
          "author": "jakegarelick",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T14:42:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229612",
          "commentText": "My recent favorites: Jobs, The Hard Thing About Hard Things, High Output Management, Innovator's Dilemma, Lean Startup, On The Shortness Of Life, How Google Works, Zero To One, Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Power of Habit, Things Fall Apart, Stoner",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stoner",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's recent favorites in response to a book recommendation request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Williams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "academic life",
        "academic novel",
        "american literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "surface-detail-0641cf",
      "title": "Surface Detail",
      "author": "Iain M. Banks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39729464,
          "author": "bookofjoe",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T21:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729464",
          "commentText": "\"A Canticle For Leibowitz\"\n\"The Sparrow\"\n\"Lord of Light\"\n\"The Immortal\"\n\"Hyperion\"\n\"The Last Question\"\n\"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?\"\n\"Stranger in a Strange Land\"\n\"The City and the Stars\"\n\"Childhood's End\"\n\"Anathem\"\n\"Eifelheim\"\n\"A Case of Conscience\"\n\"VALIS\" trilogy\n\"The Book of Strange New Things\"\n\"Behold The Man\"\n\"The God Engines\"\n\"Book of the New Sun\"\n\"The Parable of the Sower\"\n\"The Dosadi Experiment\"\n\"Grass\"\n\"Project Pope\"\n\"Calculating God\"\n\"Factoring Humanity\"\n\"Jesus on Mars\"\n\"Surface Detail",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Surface Detail",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about books that changed perspectives on religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056564,
          "author": "circlefavshape",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:26:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056564",
          "commentText": "The Algebraist is my favourite Iain M. Banks book too - the breadth of imagination in it is amazing\nI think Surface Detail is my favourite Culture novel. Many Iain Banks books (regular fiction as well as sci-fi) are really just wish-fulfillment stories, but they're so stylish and fun to read that I love them (plus there's usually at least one very insightful rant by a minor character to be found in nearly every book)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think Surface Detail is my favourite Culture novel.",
          "reason": "Calls it their favorite Culture novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395633,
          "author": "metachris",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T13:02:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395633",
          "commentText": "I thoroughly enjoyed Iain M. Banks 'Culture' novels [1] (sci-fi), in particular 'Surface Detail',  'Matter' and 'The Player of Games'.\n[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Culture",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Surface Detail'",
          "reason": "Names it as a particular favorite among the Culture novels they thoroughly enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231200,
          "author": "giveaboneadog",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T17:20:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231200",
          "commentText": "Surface Detail, Iain M Banks",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Surface Detail, Iain M Banks",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2087883,
          "author": "bkudria",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T08:27:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2087883",
          "commentText": "Reposted from my site: (http://ben.kudria.net/post/2548785108/my-favorite-books-of-2... (http://ben.kudria.net/post/2548785108/my-favorite-books-of-2010)). Affiliate links there, for those inclined.\n===\nIn 2010, every single book I read, I read on my Kindle. Buying a Kindle has been the best thing I have ever done for my reading addiction. I recently upgraded to a Kindle 3, and I wholeheartedly recommended you get one as well, even if you currently have a Kindle 2.\nHere are the top books I enjoyed in 2010, and you will enjoy also.\n- The His Dark Materials Trilogy. Start with The Golden Compass.\n- The City & The City by China Miéville. Quite the post-modern detective story. (Read also his novel Perdido Street Station)\n- Surface Detail, the new novel by Iain M. Banks, who has quickly catapulted to the very top of my “Favorite Sci-Fi Authors” list. Surface Detail may not be the best novel for a Banks-unfamiliar reader, however — you may wish to start with something like Consider Phlebas or Look To Windward.\n- I re-read Robert M. Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Read this book carefully and it will change your life. (N.B. It’s not really about Zen, although it kinda is.)\n- The true story Zeitoun, by Dave Eggers, about Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a Syrian-born painting contractor in New Orleans. What Zeitoun does for the people of New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina is heartwarming and truly American, and what the US Government does to him and his family is terrifying and utterly infuriating.\n- The Wind-up Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi is a fun Thai cyber/gene-punk yarn. Bacigalupi is a new author, and I look forward to reading more of his stuff.\n- Dan Simmons’ Song Of Kali has an invasive and palpable stench of suspense. This horror novel set in Calcutta is an excruciating, brutal, and brilliant read.\n- Kafka On the Shore by Haruki Murakami. I’ve always been a fan of Murakami’s works, but this novel from 2002 is, in my opinion, one of his greatest. It’s beautiful, haunting, and superbly thought-provoking.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Surface Detail may not be the best novel for a Banks-unfamiliar reader, however — you may wish to start with something like Consider Phlebas or Look To Windward.",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter’s top books enjoyed in 2010.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "May not be the best starting point for readers unfamiliar with Banks.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2087668,
          "author": "endtime",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T06:06:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2087668",
          "commentText": "Not sure how many new books I read last year, but Surface Detail by Iain M. Banks is the first thing that comes to mind.  It's the latest book in the Culture universe; if you like sci-fi then I highly recommend it (though I don't know that Surface Detail is the best introduction to the series).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "if you like sci-fi then I highly recommend it (though I don't know that Surface Detail is the best introduction to the series)",
          "reason": "Highly recommended for science-fiction readers.",
          "audience": "Readers who like science fiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure it is the best introduction to the Culture series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1974474,
          "author": "smutticus",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T08:21:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974474",
          "commentText": "I've read all of his novels and must say I am an Ian M Banks addict.  I've read some of his fiction as well which he publishes under Ian Banks.\nMy favorite is The Use of Weapons.  I liked Surface Detail but I do think you should read the Culture novels in the order they were written.\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_series",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I liked Surface Detail",
          "reason": "Expresses liking for the novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1866050,
          "author": "bkudria",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T19:11:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1866050",
          "commentText": "Surface Detail, by Iain M. Banks. This man can make you laugh and cry within three pages, and it's damned good Sci-Fi, to boot.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Surface Detail, by Iain M. Banks. This man can make you laugh and cry within three pages, and it's damned good Sci-Fi, to boot.",
          "reason": "Praises its emotional range and calls it very good science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Iain M. Banks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "culture series",
        "culture universe",
        "virtual reality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-33-strategies-of-war-dc03e7",
      "title": "The 33 Strategies of War",
      "author": "Robert Greene",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17982957,
          "author": "monksy",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-13T21:49:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17982957",
          "commentText": "They're not as strong. But to echo that.\n21 Strategies of war  is good\nthe 51st law is not so great. \nMastery Is ok\nThe last I heard from Robert Greene was that he was working on a book about the motivations of people. However, I haven't heard of any progress.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "21 Strategies of war  is good",
          "reason": "Calls it good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says Greene's books are not as strong as the parent-mentioned book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16573112,
          "author": "muzani",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-13T01:07:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16573112",
          "commentText": "33 Strategies of War. It's good for dealing with any and all types of conflict, including conflicts with yourself. Half of the book is unconventional techniques most people don't even think of.\nSimilarly themed is Extreme Ownership, which covers leadership in chaotic situstions.\nMilitaries are designed to deal with the chaos of war, and a lot of principles apply to the chaos of software engineering too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's good for dealing with any and all types of conflict, including conflicts with yourself.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it offers useful ways to deal with conflict.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762568,
          "author": "muzani",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T03:41:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762568",
          "commentText": "The 33 Strategies of War & The 48 Laws of Power.\nBoth of these are history books, but don't expect just the cliches of Napoleon and Genghis Khan. Robert Greene covers case studies throughout history, from Roosevelt to Gandhi, to some much lesser known figures of history.\nBasically a lot of us deal with conflict. One book covers how to deal with politically, and the other one more directly. It's not all about attacking, but rather strategies around war - defense, deterrence, motivating your side, keeping the (moral) high ground, getting your adversaries to work for you.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 33 Strategies of War & The 48 Laws of Power.",
          "reason": "Presented as a book about strategies for dealing with conflict.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in strategies for conflict and dealing with adversaries.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6976788,
          "author": "vowelless",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T21:50:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976788",
          "commentText": "Its density and breadth took me by surprise. He does a great job analyzing various wars, battles, political campaigns, career trajectories and finding common themes among them all. The book, ultimately, is about the importance of balanced strategy, and how it has been applied and should be applied in the the real world.\nI've heard people compare it to Art of War, but that comparison is not proper. This book is driven by Greene's interpretation of actual historical events and literature (Art of War is indeed heavily quoted).\nI think this quote by Helmuth von Moltke in the book describes the book's motivation best:\n> [Strategy] is more than a science: it is the application of knowledge to practical life, the development of thought capable of modifying the original guiding idea in the light of ever-changing situations; it is the art of acting under the pressure of the most difficult conditions.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The book, ultimately, is about the importance of balanced strategy",
          "reason": "Describes the book's scope and central idea.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says comparisons to The Art of War are not proper; the book draws on Greene's interpretation of historical events and literature.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6976622,
          "author": "vowelless",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T21:14:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976622",
          "commentText": "If I were to choose one that benefitted me the most, directly, I would pick \"33 Strategies of War\" by Robert Greene.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would pick \"33 Strategies of War\" by Robert Greene.",
          "reason": "Picks it as the book that benefited them most directly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 456855,
          "author": "popschedule",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T18:38:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456855",
          "commentText": "The 33 Strategies of War (Robert Greene)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 33 Strategies of War (Robert Greene)",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer in a thread asking for good books about military strategy.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in military strategy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 456781,
          "author": "jedi_stannis",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T17:59:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456781",
          "commentText": "I'm reading The 33 Strategies of War by Robert Greene now and am enjoying it,  I have also previously read the 48 Laws of Power by him which is written in a similar fashion.  Very extensive and uses a lot of historical examples from both military and other fields such as politics and business.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm reading The 33 Strategies of War by Robert Greene now and am enjoying it",
          "reason": "Says they are enjoying the book.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in historical examples from military, political, and business contexts.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240671,
          "author": "gm",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T02:21:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240671",
          "commentText": "The 33 Strategies of War. - Robert Greene\nI am too nice a guy.  I am also the leader of my company.  The two don't mix.  You have to become somewhat detached, and somewhat of an asshole in order to effectively lead.  I found out the hard way that sometimes you have to say to your people \"because I freekin said so\" instead of trying to be nice to them and let them make the mistake you know they are going to make (silly me, I forgot this was a business, not a community college).\nThe hardest thing for me, by far, has been to fire someone.  I did it two months too late, and everyone in my company suffered for it.  My lesson?  Be an asshole at the right time.\nI love the book I mention because the lessons apply everywhere in business:  You need to motivate, you need to earn the respect of your people, you need to be decisive, you need to see the bigger goal, and you need to delegate correctly and put together the right structure in your company's leadership.\nI've learned a lot from this book.  Guess what?  Our productivity is about 2-3 times higher now (no joke, 200% to 300% more work gets done every day).  We're running fine, everyone is pulling their weight, and everyone is happy to be making professional progress.  My own lesson from this book was that I had to get some balls, crack the whip, and turn from a fellow programmer to a leader and mentor.  Your lesson from the book might be different, but I bet that almost everyone has something to learn from this book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I love the book I mention because the lessons apply everywhere in business",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book taught useful lessons for leadership, delegation, motivation, and company structure, and credits it with improved productivity.",
          "audience": "Business leaders and managers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Greene"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "strategy",
        "military history",
        "military strategy",
        "power"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Navigate life",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-blind-watchmaker-1e5897",
      "title": "The Blind Watchmaker",
      "author": "Richard Dawkins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40281682,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T02:23:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40281682",
          "commentText": "> Out of curiosity, would you say your understanding changed or deepened upon re-reading it?\nIt's hard to do justice to that in a few words. I think I had a different reason for reading it the second time, as opposed to the first time.\nThe first time around, I think I was more reading it because I like to think of myself as an educated, scientific-minded person, and it was one of \"those books\" that any self-respecting \"educated, scientific-minded person\" was sort of \"supposed to\" have read. That and I was mentally already in a place somewhere in the nether regions between \"agnostic\" and \"atheist\" and I knew of Dawkins as a strong advocate for atheist thinking, and I guess I was looking for something that might convince me one way or the other. Or maybe that's just post-hoc rationalization on my part, but that's what I felt like I found. I felt much better about just calling myself an atheist after reading the book.\nAnyway... one thing I was struck by though, was his discussion of things like kin altruism and reciprocal altruism and some of the game theoretical stuff, including mentions of Robert Axelrod and his research. So the second time I read the book, I was really looking to focus more on those sections, and take notes and do some further research. And all of that was really driven by my interest in evolutionary computing / genetic algorithms / etc. and a thought that I might find something there that I could apply to those areas. I wound up buying Axelrod's book The Evolution of Cooperation, but I sadly have not quite gotten around to reading it yet.\n> And read the author's sequel books to it.\nI've also read The Blind Watchmaker twice, although that was sort of by accident. I forgot I'd already read it, and I was moderately deep into the second read before I realized I'd read it before. It was worth it though.\nI still have Climbing Mount Improbable, The God Delusion, The Ancestor's Tale, and a couple of other Dawkins books queued up to read as well.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I've also read The Blind Watchmaker twice",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned as a reread, but no explicit evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23862271,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T18:37:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23862271",
          "commentText": "Good one. I can't believe I forgot to include that one. Definitely an important book.\nOn a related note, I just finished The Blind Watchmaker, also by Dawkins, and it's also very good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I just finished The Blind Watchmaker, also by Dawkins, and it's also very good.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as very good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20999529,
          "author": "w4tson",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-17T20:10:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20999529",
          "commentText": "I listened to the Selfish Gene on Audible recently and was blown away by it.\nAll through school I never had much of an interest in biology or genetics. I think if I’d read this earlier it may have changed my mind.\nPlanning on reading the Blind Watchmaker at some point.\nSpurred on by reading the former I thought I’d listen to A Brief History of Time. Wow that is a whole different kettle of fish. I had to stop because I realized it wasn’t the right format (Audiobook), for me at least.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Planning on reading the Blind Watchmaker at some point.",
          "reason": "Mentions plans to read it without giving an evaluation or recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19089022,
          "author": "tvladeck",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T19:47:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19089022",
          "commentText": "The Selfish Gene & The Blind Watchmaker by Dawkins\nEvolution is the reason we exist! Understanding how it happens and why it can lead to counterintuitive outcomes is very important. He also narrates his own audiobooks and is excellent at it.\nThe Blank Slate & The Better Angels of our Nature by Pinker\nBoth books counter much accepted wisdom. The second book, in particular, will make you think of humanity in a fundamentally different light.\nThe Black Swan & Fooled by Randomness by Taleb\nThe role of chance in everyday life! It plays a big role!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Selfish Gene & The Blind Watchmaker by Dawkins\nEvolution is the reason we exist! Understanding how it happens and why it can lead to counterintuitive outcomes is very important.",
          "reason": "The commenter presents the books as valuable for understanding evolution and its surprising consequences.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910801,
          "author": "mirceal",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T17:18:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910801",
          "commentText": "You know, when I first saw (many years ago) an animation of DNA replication my first though was: hey, this looks like code.  \nImagine my suprise seeing this Dawkins fellow comparing DNA to code in the beggining of the “The Blind Watchmaker”. Great minds... something something.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "comparing DNA to code in the beggining of the “The Blind Watchmaker”",
          "reason": "Mentions the book's comparison of DNA to code in passing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13975711,
          "author": "osullivj",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-28T11:34:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13975711",
          "commentText": "Never read Selfish Gene, but I loved Blind Watchmaker on publication in the 80s. Wonderfully clear explication of quite subtle concepts.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved Blind Watchmaker on publication in the 80s. Wonderfully clear explication of quite subtle concepts.",
          "reason": "The commenter loved it and praises its clear explanation of subtle concepts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8106989,
          "author": "cellover",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:32:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106989",
          "commentText": "I like understanding where I am located in space and time, that is why I love reading about science & science fiction ; it is indirectly related to religion in the sense that it makes you think about your world, about yourself.\nBuddhism / Religion / ... :\n- Siddartha - Hermann Hesse\n- The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho\nScience:\n- A brief history of time - Stephen Hawking (space, time)\n- The Blind Watchmaker - Richard Dawkins (evolution)\n- Le cerveau intime - Marc Jeannerod (in french only)\nScience-fiction:\n- The Road - Cormack Mc Carthy\n- City - Clifford D. Simack\n- Time is the simplest thing - Clifford D. Simack\n- Ringworld - Larry Niven",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Blind Watchmaker - Richard Dawkins",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4968560,
          "author": "arc_of_descent",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T07:45:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4968560",
          "commentText": "1. The Blind Watchmaker - Richard Dawkins\n2. Anxiety, Phobias, and Panic - Reneau Z. Peurifoy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1. The Blind Watchmaker - Richard Dawkins",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about the best books read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85916,
          "author": "vikram",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T13:23:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85916",
          "commentText": "Are your lights on - Jerry Weinberg\nThe blind watchmaker - Richard Dawkins",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The blind watchmaker - Richard Dawkins",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Dawkins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Philosophy",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolution",
        "natural selection",
        "biology",
        "molecular biology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-conquest-of-happiness-c70506",
      "title": "The Conquest of Happiness",
      "author": "Bertrand Russell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31972125,
          "author": "tchock23",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-04T00:09:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31972125",
          "commentText": "The Conquest of Happiness by Bertrand Russell.\nJust good reflections on happiness and life. Reminds me I need to read it again.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Conquest of Happiness by Bertrand Russell.\nJust good reflections on happiness and life. Reminds me I need to read it again.",
          "reason": "Values its reflections on happiness and life and says they want to reread it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21902992,
          "author": "anaphor",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T00:48:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902992",
          "commentText": "Most of mine are going to be books by philosophers or scientists (about philosophy or other things).\n- The Conquest of Happiness by Bertrand Russell was a pretty good one. He has a lot of ideas that were ahead of their time (positive psychology, etc). You can see a lot of parallels between his ideas and modern Stoicism (although Russell criticized it elsewhere, I think he came to some of the same conclusions).\n- Introduction To Mathematical Philosophy by Bertrand Russell. Another Russell one. I think this is probably the clearest and easiest to understand explanation I've ever read of the underpinnings of mathematical foundations. It's written in a style that should be accessible to almost anyone with a high school education. He wrote it while he was in prison (for refusing to be drafted) during WW1. Apparently he left a copy of it to the prison warden.\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding by David Hume. This is worth reading because it is the motivation for basically all of modern philosophy of science (at least in the west). It's also pretty easy to read and if you read it you'll be able to more easily understand other books and papers that are responses to it.\n- Turing's Cathedral by George Dyson. This book should be required reading for every programmer or aspiring programmer IMO. I learned so much about the history of computing that I didn't know before reading this. You will not regret buying this one.\n- I Am A Strange Loop by Douglas Hofstadter. Obviously everyone knows about GEB, but he also wrote a shorter follow up that in my opinion expresses his ideas much more clearly. I think that even if you disagree with him, it's worth reading because there are so many things you can take away from this book. For example, he talks about his wife's death, and ties that into his theory of mind and explains the unstated purposes of why we have funerals/wakes for people.\n- An Introduction to Information Theory by John R. Pierce. For someone like me who doesn't really have a very strong math background, this was a very clear intro to the ideas behind information theory, and why they're important historically. I would recommend this to anyone who feels like they need a gentle intro to the ideas and motivation for them. Dover mathematics books in general are great.\n- Borrow: The American Way of Debt by Louis Hyman. This is a fantastic historical overview of personal credit in the US that covers the past 120 years or so. I learned a ton from reading this that I had no clue about. Recommended to anyone who wants to understand the origins of credit cards / loans, and how society came to embrace being in debt.\nhttps://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.222834/page/n7\nhttps://people.umass.edu/klement/imp/imp-ebk.pdf\nhttps://archive.org/details/humeenquiry00humerich/page/n7\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Turings-Cathedral-Origins-Digital-Uni... (https://www.amazon.com/Turings-Cathedral-Origins-Digital-Universe/dp/1400075998)\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Am-Strange-Loop-Douglas-Hofstadter/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Am-Strange-Loop-Douglas-Hofstadter/dp/0465030793)\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Information-Theory-Symbo... (https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Information-Theory-Symbols-Mathematics/dp/0486240614)\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Borrow-American-Debt-Louis-Hyman/dp/0... (https://www.amazon.com/Borrow-American-Debt-Louis-Hyman/dp/0307741680)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Conquest of Happiness by Bertrand Russell was a pretty good one.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it good and notes ideas that anticipate positive psychology.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in happiness and Stoicism.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes Russell criticized Stoicism elsewhere.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17046256,
          "author": "godelmachine",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T10:55:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17046256",
          "commentText": "1) All of Robin Sharma's books - especially The Monk who sold his Ferrari\n2) The Conquest of Happiness by Bertrand Russell\n3) Self Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson\n4) The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius\n5) Barking up the wrong tree by Eric Barker\n6) This might be strange - but Harry Potter series also teach us a lot, especially about Courage and Conviction.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Conquest of Happiness by Bertrand Russell",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for introspective book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13239780,
          "author": "jdpigeon",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T19:47:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13239780",
          "commentText": "It was the second year of my \"read books like an adult\" effort and there were some great ones:\nInfinite Jest (David Foster Wallace)*\nI was blown away by how completely delightful it was to read. I went in to it with a lot of trepidation about its length and esoteric fixation, but found myself completely immersed in the book in a way that I hadn't been since I was kid. I didn't pick up any hard and fast lessons from the book (indeed, its thesis is mostly that life is hard and the easy answers that are out there are toxic), but I definitely came away from it feeling like it was a bit more acceptable to share what I really thought and felt with others. Reading the book is like entering an intimate communion with DFW's mind and it reinforced in me the importance of inter-human connection in that way.\nEvery Love Story is a Ghost Story (D.T. Max)\nDFW's biography, which I read after Infinite Jest. I highly recommend reading after IJ to get more background on where the books idea's came from. Two things I learned: 1. IJ basically took him ten years to write, 2: An incredible amount of it is drawn from personal issues and experiences, his struggles with addiction and loneliness were very real and he greatly downplayed them in his interviews.\nThe Invention of Nature (Andrea Wulf)\nThe best historical book I've ever read. Von Humbolt was one of the greatest scientists to ever live and I can't believe I'd ever heard of him before. The book itself does a great job of tying together the ideas of many great thinkers: Humboldt, Darwin, Thoreau, Muir, Goethe.\nThe Conquest of Happiness (Bertrand Russel)\nGreat little 'self-help' book from Russel. Perhaps a bit quaint in its datedness and Englishness, but a lot of the ideas still hold true. His thoughts on boredom were the high point of the book IMO.\nThe Hard Thing About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\nThe most 'make an adult of you'-feeling book I read this year. After attending an 'MBA bootcamp' style course, this book was the gritty, personal account that helped me tie all those lessons together. I got a job with a startup shortly afterwards and because I've never studied business (or worked in a real company before), I refer to the lessons in this book a lot.\nMy Struggle, first  volume (Karl Ove Knausgaard)\nStill reading this one and not entirely sure what to think. It's entertaining, heartfelt, and provides that sense of communion that good fiction needs. The book's purpose seems totally up in the air, however.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Great little 'self-help' book from Russel.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great little self-help book and praises its ideas about boredom.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds it quaint because of its age and Englishness.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Conquest of Happiness",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503245,
          "author": "ulvund",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T07:12:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503245",
          "commentText": "I would not recommend any compilations of philosophy. The great thing about philosophy is reading the rationales and the results, not only the results.\n\"Ricard+Revel - The Monk and the Philosopher\" http://www.amazon.com/Monk-Philosopher-Father-Discuss-Meanin... (http://www.amazon.com/Monk-Philosopher-Father-Discuss-Meaning/dp/0805211039)\n\"Socrates(/Plato) - The Allegory of the Cave\" http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/allegory.html\n\"Plato(/Socrates/others) - Symposium\" http://www.amazon.com/Symposium-Plato/dp/0872200760\n\"Bertrand Russell - The Conquest of Happiness\" http://www.amazon.com/Conquest-Happiness-Bertrand-Russell/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/Conquest-Happiness-Bertrand-Russell/dp/0871401622)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Bertrand Russell - The Conquest of Happiness\"",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for philosophical book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bertrand Russell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "happiness",
        "ethics",
        "self help",
        "stoicism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-denial-of-death-f346b5",
      "title": "The Denial of Death",
      "author": "Ernest Becker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37937038,
          "author": "xekul",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:19:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937038",
          "commentText": "Language in Thought and Action by S.I. Hayakawa\nMetaphors We Live By by Lakoff and Johnson\nThe Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan\nThe Denial of Death by Ernest Becker\nTao Te Ching (various translators)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a major impact on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27629502,
          "author": "folex",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T11:43:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27629502",
          "commentText": "The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker is also good",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker is also good",
          "reason": "Calls the book good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16351606,
          "author": "rotrux",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T07:15:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16351606",
          "commentText": "The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker (http://a.co/aGEmQBl)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the thread’s request for books colleagues should have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16095440,
          "author": "damionx7",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-08T08:34:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16095440",
          "commentText": "Denial of death by Ernest becker",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Denial of death by Ernest becker",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14479314,
          "author": "gtirloni",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-04T00:45:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14479314",
          "commentText": "The Denial of Death (Ernest Becker)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Denial of Death (Ernest Becker)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674587,
          "author": "kweinber",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T13:45:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674587",
          "commentText": "The Denial of Death by Becker. (The discussions of homosexuality are outdated but the rest is amazing).\nThe Wisdom of Insecurity by Watts helped center my adolescence.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Denial of Death by Becker. (The discussions of homosexuality are outdated but the rest is amazing).",
          "reason": "Says the rest of the book is amazing despite outdated discussions of homosexuality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its discussions of homosexuality are outdated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ernest Becker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "death",
        "existential psychology",
        "existentialism",
        "terror management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-elements-of-computing-systems-building-a-modern-computer-from-7a8d8c",
      "title": "The Elements of Computing Systems: Building a Modern Computer from First Principles",
      "author": "Noam Nisan and Shimon Schocken",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34424323,
          "author": "kriro",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-18T07:36:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 34412069,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach programming by building a series of small projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34424323",
          "commentText": "I highly recommend this, it made the whole topic of \"how does a computer actually work\" approachable for me. On their website there's a projects section where they highlight things their students did and there's a project that re-creates the built computer in an FPGA (I belive some ice40) I also recommend this as a follow up.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend this",
          "reason": "Recommends the book for making how computers work approachable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30489704,
          "author": "defphysics",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T16:14:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30489704",
          "commentText": "The book that did this for me:\nThe Elements of Computing Systems: Building a Modern Computer from First Principles (Nisan and Schocken)\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Elements-Computing-Systems-second-Pri... (https://www.amazon.com/Elements-Computing-Systems-second-Principles/dp/0262539802)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Elements of Computing Systems: Building a Modern Computer from First Principles (Nisan and Schocken)",
          "reason": "Names the book as the one that had this effect for them in response to the thread's recommendation question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27637745,
          "author": "mymanz",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T00:04:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27637745",
          "commentText": "Nand2Tetris, the book, and actually coding the entire project. It earned me a prestigious internship, from a no-name school, which subsequently lead to a FANG position.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nand2Tetris, the book",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book and completing its project helped earn a prestigious internship and later a FANG position.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in building a computer from first principles.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22301110,
          "author": "ColinWright",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-11T18:31:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22301110",
          "commentText": "NAND to Tetris?\nhttps://www.nand2tetris.org/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "NAND to Tetris?",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21766054,
          "author": "zarkov99",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-11T19:49:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 21765528,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fun Tech Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21766054",
          "commentText": "For me a fun book has to be clearly written and present new (for me) ideas in a somewhat aesthetic way. Density I suppose is secondary. SICP is one of the best examples of the right balance, also Elements of Computing Systems.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "also Elements of Computing Systems",
          "reason": "Listed alongside a book the commenter calls one of the best examples of an enjoyable technical read.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking enjoyable technical books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21315078,
          "author": "robto",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T17:45:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21315078",
          "commentText": "The Elements of Computing Systems: Building a Modern Computer from First Principles[0] and its accompanying class Nand to Tetris[1]. Starting at logic gates and moving up through the levels of abstraction until you can build a programming language and implement a video game is the most fundamental approach that I'm aware of.\n[0]https://www.nand2tetris.org/book\n[1]https://www.nand2tetris.org/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Elements of Computing Systems: Building a Modern Computer from First Principles",
          "reason": "Recommended as a fundamental, hands-on approach that builds from logic gates through programming languages and games.",
          "audience": "People seeking a fundamental, hands-on introduction to computer systems.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Noam Nisan",
        "Shimon Schocken"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer architecture",
        "digital logic",
        "build a computer",
        "computer systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-gulag-archipelago-669d0b",
      "title": "The Gulag Archipelago",
      "author": "Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 44570119,
          "author": "HenryBemis",
          "createdAt": "2025-07-15T11:41:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 44568054,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44570119",
          "commentText": "Books:\n  Siddartha: to think about myself and my changes/voyage through life.\n  Half-time: to think what-the-hell-comes-next (only if you are 40+)(it won't resonate with a 20yo)\n\n  Systemantics, Nexus: if you work in mega-big-corpos this will save your life\n\n  Hold on to your kids, The anxious generation: if you got kids\n\n  Strong Fathers Strong Daughters: (and mothers/sons) if you got kids (too Christian-y for my taste but an amazing 'manual' to manage the relationship with your kid(s))\n\n  1984, Animal Farm, Gulag Archipelago: ...\n\n  Light on Yoga: (also do practice yoga, it's good for most-if-not-all)\n\n\nYou asked for \"one book\"... but.. life.. is not 'one' thing. Systemantics (and Dilbert) have helped me stay afloat at work. Siddartha gave me a perspective in live about myself, the different 'people' I have been throughout my life.\nAll the listed ones are books I read and read again every few years. They shaped me the first time I read them, keep me 'grounded'/taking stock/thinking the 'change' in me and my life. I see them as a 'check-diff' and how I have changed/evolved/devolved since the last time I read it/them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984, Animal Farm, Gulag Archipelago: ...",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of books they reread every few years and say shaped them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43698374,
          "author": "HenryBemis",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-15T21:06:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 43685856,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What 3 Books Would You Recommend to Anyone?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43698374",
          "commentText": "1984 (Orwell)\n  Siddhartha (Hesse) \n  The Gulag Archipelago (Solzhenitsyn)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Gulag Archipelago (Solzhenitsyn)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37960149,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960149",
          "commentText": "* \"On Writing\" by Stephen King (1 mention)\n    * Summary: In his guide to the craft of writing, King masterfully conveys his views on how good writing is cultivated. The book provides personal insights into the author's life while serving as a guide for aspiring writers.\n* \"The Dictionary\" (1 mention, multiple authors)\n    * Summary: A reference book containing an alphabetical list of words in a specific language, providing definitions, pronunciations, etymology, and other details. It is a valuable resource for understanding and accurately using language.\n* \"Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book chronicles Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 1914-1916 survival journey across the Antarctic. Faced with treacherous weather conditions and a lack of provisions, the men battle to stay alive, highlighting the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.\n* \"The Experience of God\" by David Bentley Hart (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A philosophical exploration of the concept of God that goes beyond specific religious doctrines. Hart articulates a vision of ultimate reality that transcends religious, philosophical, and cultural boundaries.\n* \"A Mind for Numbers\" by Barbara Oakley (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book provides practical advice on how to learn effectively in math and science areas, but the techniques are applicable across disciplines. Oakley shares techniques to overcome learning obstacles and improve comprehension and retention.\n* \"A People's History of the US\" by Howard Zinn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers an alternative exploration of American history from the perspective of ordinary people and marginalized groups rather than political leaders, emphasizing class struggles and systemic injustices.\n* \"The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science\" by Isaac Asimov (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive outline of scientific knowledge, covering fields like physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, and earth science. It communicates complex scientific concepts in a way that is accessible to non-specialist readers.\n* \"Das Kapital\" by Karl Marx (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive critique of capitalism highlighting its inherent contradictions and imbalances. Marx diagnoses the capitalist system as one in which the rich get richer at the expense of the working class. The book has been influential in shaping socialist and communist thought.\n* \"You are Not So Smart\" by David McRaney (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book explores various cognitive biases, logical fallacies, and memory missteps that humans commonly succumb to. The author uses humor and personal anecdotes to make neuroscience and psychology accessible, challenging readers to question their perceptions of the world and themselves.\n* \"Blink\" by Malcolm Gladwell (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Gladwell explores the process of quick decision-making, also known as \"thin-slicing.\" The book delves into both the potential accuracy and the pitfalls of making snap judgments. It demonstrates how our subconscious biases often override our better instincts.\n* \"How To Sell at Margins Higher Than Your Competitors\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book offers detailed advice on how to avoid price competition by creating differentiators and adding value, thereby allowing readers to compete on things other than price.\n*  \"The Surrender Experiment\" by Michael Singer (1 mention)\n    * Summary: The book chronicles the author’s journey from solitude into the business world. It explores the idea of surrendering personal preferences to allow life to guide the way, challenging conventional views about control and outcomes.\n* \"How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World\" by Harry Browne (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This self-help book offers a blueprint for finding personal freedom. It encourages readers to embrace their individual sovereignty and to not be inhibited by societal conventions, effectively teaching how to live on one's own terms.\n* \"Happy by Derren Brown\" and \"The Daily Stoic\" (1 mention, authors not specified)\n    * Summary: \"Happy\" provides a perspective on happiness using the principles of stoic philosophy, challenging modern conceptions of happiness. \"The Daily Stoic\" provides a year's worth of philosophical wisdom from ancient stoics, aimed at allowing people to better respond to life's challenges.\n* \"Guns, Germs, and Steel\" by Jared Diamond (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Diamond investigates the geographical and environmental factors that have shaped the modern world. He argues that civilizations have developed differently across the globe due to variances in geography, climate, vegetation, and animal populations, more so than due to traits inherent to different racial or ethnic groups.\n* \"The Gulag Archipelago\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Solzhenitsyn unveils the brutal reality of the Soviet Union’s forced labor camp system. It's an exploration of the human capability for evil when unchecked by moral constraints, shedding light on the mechanisms of a totalitarian regime.\n* \"Ecclesiastes\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A book from the Bible that delves into the purpose of life and the vain pursuit of earthly things. It debates the merits of wisdom, wealth, and pleasure, underscoring the transience and ultimate futility of human endeavors, and urging readers to fear God and keep his commandments.\n* \"Women hold up half the sky\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A collection of personal stories illuminating the oppression and resistance of women in developing countries. The book confronts issues like gender inequality, sexual violence, maternal mortality and economic disparity while highlighting the resilience and strength of ordinary women in overcoming them.\n* \"Spell of the Sensuous\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book offers a radical reinterpretation of our relationship with the natural world. It critiques Western civilization’s estrangement from nature, exploring indigenous cultures and offering a philosophical enquiry into human perception and its relation to the environment.\n* \"Kids and the Amiga\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A guide to using the Amiga computer, aimed at children and early-tweens. It provides a hands-on approach to learning basic computer skills by creating practical programs.\n* \"Hackers\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: The book provides a comprehensive history of hackers, tracing the evolution of hacking culture from the 1950s to the present day. It details the personalities, philosophies, and technical exploits that have defined this diverse and innovative subculture.\n* \"LSD my problem child\" by Albert Hoffmann (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book is the autobiography of Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who first synthesized LSD. It chronicles his discovery, the subsequent fallout, and his personal experiences with the drug.\n* \"Electric cool aid acid test\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book tells the story of novelist Ken Kesey and his band of Merry Pranksters. They embarked on a cross-country bus journey, experimenting with LSD and challenging societal norms, becoming pivotal figures in the psychedelic movement and the counterculture of the 1960s.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"The Gulag Archipelago\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1 mention)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37939093,
          "author": "0xbadc0de5",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T06:06:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37939093",
          "commentText": "The Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn\nNone of this is taught in school - but it should be.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Gulag Archipelago, by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn\nNone of this is taught in school - but it should be.",
          "reason": "The commenter names the book in response to a question about impactful nonfiction and says its subject should be taught in school.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31969216,
          "author": "the_third_wave",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T17:10:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31969216",
          "commentText": "Not a book but the facilities to make one - access to either paper and pencils/pens/ink, glue, linen binding thread, leather for making covers and a book press to bind the thing. Given that I'd have the rest of my life I'd settle for access to the raw materials to make these.\nI'd write the book myself, it'd probably end up like a cross between Robinson Crusoë, Baden Powell's \"Scouting for Boys\", Zindell's \"Neverness\", Tolkien's \"Silmarillion\", The Gulag Archipelago - for what twisted mind would keep people from reading new (to them) books other than the same mind which created the GULAG system - and more of such. It would take years to write but that'd be a good thing given that it would keep me busy.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Gulag Archipelago",
          "reason": "Lists it as one influence for the book they would write.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned as an influence, not a recommendation to read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29032280,
          "author": "xupybd",
          "createdAt": "2021-10-28T21:30:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 29030285,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29032280",
          "commentText": "Thank you!\nI found a version on Audible that I'll add to my library.\nhttps://www.audible.com.au/pd/The-Gulag-Archipelago-Audioboo... (https://www.audible.com.au/pd/The-Gulag-Archipelago-Audiobook/1473570344)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found a version on Audible that I'll add to my library.",
          "reason": "Plans to add the audiobook to their library, referring to the linked title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29031117,
          "author": "dp-hackernews",
          "createdAt": "2021-10-28T20:03:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 29030285,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29031117",
          "commentText": "This should keep you out of trouble for a while\nThe Gulag Archipelago Audiobook by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn\n  1/7.5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zTwS1Xy0EM\n  2/7.5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSoJu1izRHU\n  3/7.5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kF7PEqZFso\n  4/7.5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MsWuC8qv_Q\n  5/7.5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6HeqUyjx60\n  6/7.5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iz8a03M11Bw\n  7/7.5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjGvPu2H3b8\n  7.5/7.5. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4lvztF9MVQ",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Gulag Archipelago Audiobook by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19092445,
          "author": "news_hacker",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-06T03:24:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19092445",
          "commentText": "Thank you! Appreciate the recommendations and explanations. I've been wanting to approach the Gulag Archipelago but was looking to enhance my understanding of the historical context and political climate of the times first.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I've been wanting to approach the Gulag Archipelago but was looking to enhance my understanding of the historical context and political climate of the times first.",
          "reason": "The commenter is considering reading it after learning more historical context.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Wants to understand the historical context and political climate first.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12067791,
          "author": "cryoshon",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-10T23:29:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12067791",
          "commentText": "I'm not going to list all 42, but here are the highlights:\nHow to Read a Book (Adler)\nWorld Order (Kissinger)\nDer Grundrisse (Marx)\nThe Grand Chessboard (Brzezinski)\nManufacturing Consent (Chomsky)\nGulag Archipelago (Solhenitzyn)\nOn War (Clausewitz)\nThe Hidden Persuaders (Packard)\nIntuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking (Dennett)\nThe Strategy of Desire (Dichter)\nSkills acquired: intentional syntopical reading, prediction of geopolitical hinge points, and identification of absent context in media... I'm always looking for another book to read.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Gulag Archipelago (Solhenitzyn)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107093,
          "author": "mrcdima",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T09:05:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107093",
          "commentText": "Some titles I've recently read or at least have placed on my reading list.\n--------------------\nPhilosohpy\nLetters from a Stoic: Epistulae Morales Ad Lucilium - Seneca\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius (must read)\nThe Republic - Plato\n--------------------\nHistory\nFive Chimneys - Olga Lengyel\nThe Gulag Archipelago - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (must read)\nThe Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank\n--------------------\nFiction\n(particularly dystopian) 1984, Brave New World, Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451\n(crime/action) Child 44, The Secret Speech, Agent 6 - Tom Rob Smith\n--------------------\nEconomics\nCapital in the Twenty-First Century - Thomas Piketty\nPoor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty - Banerjee, Duflo\nWhy Nations Fail - Robinson\n--------------------\nEconomics/Decision making/Psychology\nUndercover Economist, Freakonomics, Nudge, Thinking Fast and Slow\n--------------------\nRandom titles\nThe Selfish Gene, Self-Reliance, The Elements of Style (about writing), Slaughterhouse-Five\n--------------------\nSome links to inspire your reading (though you may want to checkout the websites first to get an idea of the topics they cover)\nhttp://www.gatesnotes.com/Books\nhttp://bookpickings.brainpickings.org/\nhttp://www.farnamstreetblog.com/reading/\nhttp://www.ryanholiday.net/reading-newsletter\nI’m just a working-class guy trying to take part in the conversation that all the smart people are having. What books should I read? - http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-cl... (http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-class-guy-trying-to-take-part-in-the-conversation-that-all-the-smart-people-are-having-what-books-should-i-read/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Gulag Archipelago - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (must read)",
          "reason": "Marked as a must read in a list of book suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3988417,
          "author": "mixonic",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-17T18:40:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3988417",
          "commentText": "This Maguire & Malmstad translation is what I read:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Petersburg-Andrei-Bely/dp/0253202191\nAnd I found it pretty tolerable. The footnotes are in the back (I think?) which kind of stinks for your first read. Unless you're a serious student of Petersburg history, the footnotes are requisite for understanding half of the nuance. Bely is doing all these tricks shifting the geography of the city and playing off places and events, and that's lost to the modern reader without help. I'm eager to read it again without paying attention to the notes though.\nI'll take a look at Moravagine, it looks great. It's in line after Volume 3 of Gulag A. and Orlando Figes's history of the Russian revolutions. I need more context for all this pre-WWI stuff!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "It's in line after Volume 3 of Gulag A.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they plan to read volume 3.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3987214,
          "author": "mixonic",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-17T14:51:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3987214",
          "commentText": "I don't tend to read biz books, but recently I've read a ton of great Russian texts.\nThe Master & Margarita\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Master_and_Margarita\nGoethe's Faust & the story of Pontius Pilate retold in 1930s Russia. Really, I mean really damn good. Very readable.\nBooks 1 & 2 of The Gulag Archipelago\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gulag_Archipelago\nAn expansive history of the Soviet prison camp system, almost a folk history.\nPetersburg\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petersburg_%28novel%29\nThink Joyce writing about a revolutionary plot in the Petersburg of 1910-something, involving patricide and a time-bomb set for 24 hours from now. Yeah.\nThat and slowly working through Proust (book 5). I'm not sure if I really recommend it, but I'd be interested to hear thoughts from other smarty-pants HN people.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An expansive history of the Soviet prison camp system, almost a folk history.",
          "reason": "Describes it as an expansive account of the Soviet prison camp system.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Soviet history.",
          "caveat": "The commenter mentions reading only books 1 and 2.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political repression",
        "soviet history",
        "soviet union",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-hunger-games-6f98ef",
      "title": "The Hunger Games",
      "author": "Suzanne Collins",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15968558,
          "author": "cesidio",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-20T10:47:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15968558",
          "commentText": "I had the same feeling with The Hunger Games. The first one is amazing, the second starts to be repetitive. Didn't manage to get to the third one.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I had the same feeling with The Hunger Games. The first one is amazing, the second starts to be repetitive.",
          "reason": "Praises the first book but says the second becomes repetitive.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The positive assessment applies to the first book; the second is described as repetitive, and the commenter did not read the third.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056628,
          "author": "akkartik",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:44:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056628",
          "commentText": "Several people including myself mentioned Ursula Le Guin, who should be #1 on any list of women authors.\nAlso, mentioning Mira Grant and Hunger Games on this thread strikes me as blasphemous.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "mentioning Mira Grant and Hunger Games on this thread strikes me as blasphemous",
          "reason": "The commenter objects to its inclusion in the recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056623,
          "author": "moomin",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:42:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056623",
          "commentText": "You realize not a single person has mentioned a female author? Let's fix that:\nThe Long Tomorrow by Leigh Brackett\nThe Doomsday Book by Connie Willis\nAmong Others by Jo Walton\nFeed by Mira Grant\nThe Hunger Games!\nThe Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin\nGrass by Sheri S Tepper\nGate of Ivrael and Downbelow Station by CJ Cherryh\nAnd the fabulous space opera:\nAncillary Justice by Ann Leckie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hunger Games!",
          "reason": "Listed as a sci-fi book in response to a favorites question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8125672,
          "author": "lancewiggs",
          "createdAt": "2014-08-02T19:10:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 8125375,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I save for offline reading during 5 weeks without Internet?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8125672",
          "commentText": "Great question, and one that I asked just before going to Mozambique for 10 weeks a few years back. I'd just bought a kindle, which were not available outside the USA back then, and asked a few interesting folks I was chatting to at Foo. Here are my resulting first few kindle purchases:\nThe Match King\nHeros Die (I bought the rest of them)\nThe city and the city\nEvery patient tells a story\nBlindsight\nBorn to Run\nHot, Flat & Crowded\nThe Autobiography of Ben Franklin\nThe Hunger Games (!)\nAnd on it went - asking for recommendations was a fantastic thing to do.  I'd asked for fiction as I was going there to work and would be too exhausted at first to do much else.\nSo I do encourage everyone to give some names of books. And yes - do take a good camera, do take binoculars - Leica if you can afford them, and embrace the experience.\nA few years later I went to Antarctica on a boat for 30 days offline. By then I had hundreds of books on kindle, and several devices to read them. This is basically a solved problem now. I did take Wikipedia in offline state, which was useful.\nIn decades previous when traveling I cared about weight and price per word and focused on \"good\" books - books that you know you should read but which need a bit of effort. When you are off the grid and in countries where there are few English books then it was a great way to read great books. \nBut now the Internet is everywhere. It might be flaky, and it might be painful to access, but you'll be able to find access to buy and download books relatively easily.\nThree recommendations, aside from the above which I enjoyed a lot.\nBill Aulet: Disciplined Entrepreneurship, covers the topic very well and generously references everything else.\nThe Circle by Dave Eggers paints a picture that's creepily familiar already.\nLeague of Denial will have you shake your head gently and sadly at NFL and other contact sports.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hunger Games (!)",
          "reason": "Listed among the books the commenter bought for offline reading, later described as books they enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3643803,
          "author": "Tcepsa",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-28T16:52:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 3643009,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-technical book you've read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3643803",
          "commentText": "\"The Hunger Games\" and \"Catching Fire\" by Suzanne Collins.  Am now waiting my turn for the library's copy of \"Mockingjay\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Hunger Games\" and \"Catching Fire\" by Suzanne Collins.",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to a question asking for recent non-technical books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3396148,
          "author": "alexanderberman",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T15:57:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3396148",
          "commentText": "In no particular order:\n* Boomerang by Michael Lewis\n* Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson\n* The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins\n* The Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2615875,
          "author": "wccrawford",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T11:03:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2615875",
          "commentText": "I just finished reading the Hunger Games trilogy.  In less than a week.  It was really good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Hunger Games trilogy",
          "reason": "Reports that the trilogy was really good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Suzanne Collins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "young adult",
        "dystopian fiction",
        "dystopia"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-last-question-c3f1bb",
      "title": "The Last Question",
      "author": "Isaac Asimov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39729464,
          "author": "bookofjoe",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T21:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729464",
          "commentText": "\"A Canticle For Leibowitz\"\n\"The Sparrow\"\n\"Lord of Light\"\n\"The Immortal\"\n\"Hyperion\"\n\"The Last Question\"\n\"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?\"\n\"Stranger in a Strange Land\"\n\"The City and the Stars\"\n\"Childhood's End\"\n\"Anathem\"\n\"Eifelheim\"\n\"A Case of Conscience\"\n\"VALIS\" trilogy\n\"The Book of Strange New Things\"\n\"Behold The Man\"\n\"The God Engines\"\n\"Book of the New Sun\"\n\"The Parable of the Sower\"\n\"The Dosadi Experiment\"\n\"Grass\"\n\"Project Pope\"\n\"Calculating God\"\n\"Factoring Humanity\"\n\"Jesus on Mars\"\n\"Surface Detail",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Last Question\"",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about books that changed perspectives on religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A short story, rather than a book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35406265,
          "author": "sergiotapia",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-02T01:47:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 35392063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Science Fiction books that predict where ChatGPT might lead us?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35406265",
          "commentText": "The Last Question by Isaac Asimov\nShows humanity over the centuries as this one AI becomes more and more prescient and helpful. It never turns bad but instead shows how this tool becomes more and more opaque until humans don't really need to service it at all.\nIt's really cool and a short read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Last Question by Isaac Asimov",
          "reason": "Describes an AI becoming increasingly helpful and opaque over centuries.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as a short read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33382991,
          "author": "rodolphoarruda",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T11:14:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382991",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction: Disinformation, Lt. Gen. Ion Mihai Pacepa\nFiction: Dune and Asimov's The Last Question.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Asimov's The Last Question",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536520,
          "author": "ArtWomb",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:10:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536520",
          "commentText": "Just a short story, but Asimov's The Last Question keeps popping up. FermiLab Cosmologist Dan Hooper recently posted to Arxiv a few conjectures on what it would take to survive expansion. And I can't help but think that looking for signs of Dyson Spheres and other star harvesting mega-structures may be key in detecting signs of intelligent extra-terrestrial life ;)\nAnother thing that really holds up over time is the Lawrence Lasker and Walter F. Parkes screenplay to the hit 1980s movie War Games. Not only does it talk about meta-learning and game theory. Its just a really great script!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Asimov's The Last Question keeps popping up.",
          "reason": "Mentions the story in passing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785719,
          "author": "martythemaniak",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T21:18:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785719",
          "commentText": "Leave it to Psmith - 10/10\nAnna Karenina - 8/10\nThe Code of the Woosters 8/10\nFooled by Randomness 7/10\nFinding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life 8/10\nHow to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia 9/10\nReluctant Fundamentalist 9/10\nThe Sense of an Ending - Julian Barnes 8/10\nThe Last Question - Asimov - 9/10\nThe Magic of Thinking Big - 6/10\nThe catcher in the Rye 8/10\nModels 7/10\nHigh Fidelity - Nick Hornby 8/10\nThe Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman 7/10\nThe Surrender Experiment - 10/10\nUntethered Soul - 9/10\nThe Autobiography of a Yogi - 7/10\nRaja Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 7/10\nSomething Fresh, something new - 7/10\nKarma Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 8/10\nThinking, Fast and Slow - 9/10\nFierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates 10/10\nThe Pearl by John Steinbeck 7/10",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Last Question - Asimov - 9/10",
          "reason": "Rates the story 9/10.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752881,
          "author": "blrgeek",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T15:44:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752881",
          "commentText": "Want to blow your mind?\nFiction\nKeep an open mind, and a sense of wonder when you read these for max effect!\nHitch-hikers guide to the galaxy. I was hooked at \"The big yellow ships hung in the air just the way bricks don't.\"\nDune - what does scarcity do to a society?\nIsaac Asimov - Robot series. Foundation series. All of his short stories, esp. The Last Question, Nightfall.\nA.C. Clarke - 2001 - series, Childhood's End, The Fountains of Paradise\nThe Little Prince, The Count of Monte Cristo, Catch-22, Siddhartha, Ender's Game, Sundiver, Wodehouse.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "esp. The Last Question",
          "reason": "Highlighted among the author's short stories in a fiction recommendation list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 141152,
          "author": "rms",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T21:29:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=141152",
          "commentText": "I like \"The Last Answer\" also. It says a lot about Asimov's religious views. My first exposure to Asimov short stories was Robot Dreams which has both The Last Question and The Last Answer.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "which has both The Last Question and The Last Answer",
          "reason": "Mentions the story as included in Robot Dreams.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140970,
          "author": "zeantsoi",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T17:31:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140970",
          "commentText": "I had always confused \"The Last Question\" with another Asimov work... \"The Last Answer\".\nI had first read TLQ many years ago, and had recently tried to find the story online, only to come across TLA. As hard as I tried, I couldn't come across the original story about the Multi-Vac (which, of course, is TLQ). I became briefly convinced that I had never actually read TLQ, but had made the story up in my head... until I read this post. Turns out I'm not actually genius. Kudos!\nhttp://destructionoverdrive.blogspot.com/2005/06/last-answer... (http://destructionoverdrive.blogspot.com/2005/06/last-answer-by-isaac-asimov.html)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the original story about the Multi-Vac (which, of course, is TLQ)",
          "reason": "Identifies the story they had read and later tried to find online.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140414,
          "author": "noodle",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T01:23:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140414",
          "commentText": "i can't narrow this down to one.  some of these are already named:\nCryptonomicon,\nSnow Crash,\n\"The Last Question\",\nEnder's Game/Shadow,\nDune,\nSlaughterhouse 5,\nRingworld",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Last Question\",",
          "reason": "Lists it among several choices in response to a request for inspiring science fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isaac Asimov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "cosmology",
        "entropy",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-lathe-of-heaven-fc88f8",
      "title": "The Lathe of Heaven",
      "author": "Ursula K. Le Guin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36022358,
          "author": "baerrie",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T16:12:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36022358",
          "commentText": "The Lathe of Heaven Ursula K. Le Guin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Lathe of Heaven Ursula K. Le Guin",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33382065,
          "author": "hgibbs",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T08:15:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382065",
          "commentText": "Earthsea is great. Ursula also wrote a lot of amazing science fiction: left hand of darkness, the dispossessed, the lathe of heaven, the word for world is forest etc. All are worth reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the lathe of heaven",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23860439,
          "author": "BJBBB",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T16:14:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23860439",
          "commentText": "This is going to be different, and is not intended to be sarcastic.\nThe Lathe of Heaven by Ursula Le Guin\nFirst read during my high school years in the Amazing SF magazine; and was later published as a book. The work was criticized by the 'elite' of the SF community at the time. Have recently re-read and got the same impressions of how as both a species and as individuals we are fools that understand very little; that is, we are too stupid to know that we are stupid.\nCalvin and Hobbs by Bill Waterson. \nWas my favorite non-mandatory read during my college years. Calvin Ball can teach us much about life, and his snow-men art is the dark that we always be in all of humans.\nMarine Corps Reference Publication (MCRP) 3 Rifle Marksmanship. [this is the current version, but am not certain of the designation for this manual when I first read it during the late 1970s].\nThis summarized the philosophy of combat, the physics of interior and exterior ballistics, and describes the zen-like state of the marksman. It is not as sterile as the US Army marksmanship manual, is more complete treatise of combat shooting and weapons care, and is brutally honest in that the USMC is preparing you to efficiently kill other humans. Very sobering.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula Le Guin",
          "reason": "The commenter says rereading it reinforced how little people understand.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17537852,
          "author": "rektide",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T00:15:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537852",
          "commentText": "Central Station by Lavie Tidhar is an amazing charming story of a world deeply steeped old sitting baking world where new things are coming about. It is charm & delight in the purest & simplest.\nSpin by Robert Charles Wilson. \"Robert Charles Wilson is a hell of a storyteller,\" said Stephen King and this wonderful tour through time and space, humanity & people's lives is incredible.\nThe Quantum Thief series by Hannu Rajaniemi is open, scenic, wild, & so so vivid, one of the most beautiful worlds I've ever visited, & it reminds me so much of a joyous wild swashbuckling run. The mystery of the main character is enchanting.\nInfoquake series by David Louis Edelson is a gripping suspenseful rise of a star entrepreneur that redefines and radically expands the world, amid an already boisterous & full & busy beautiful world already overflowing in seamless technology everywhere. Although the plot line whips along with some suspense & tension, the scenery and the voyage is incredible.\nLathe of Heaven by Ursala Le Guin could quite easily, quite simply be the best first contact story story ever. Touching, and sincere, & simple. This world is not bright and shiny but her writing and the bonding of characters is incredible. See also the rest of the Hainish cycle.\nLeft Hand of Darkness also by Ursala Le Guin is a shifting chaotic shizmatic tale, about picking our fates. \"Well, I did it through dreams. Phil would have done it another way. But yeah, homage to Phil [K.] Dick is right.\"\n- https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/a... (https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/all/)\nFallen Dragon is an early & involved Peter Hamilton adventure book. There's leaving home, & space ships, more space ships, bad guys, fighting back the bad guys, bigger ships, and action. There is A LOT going on, all the time, & violence, but damn this book comes together into something incredible, & telling, & powerful & strong, something that easily makes it my top pick for most-underappreciated Peter Hamilton.\nDiamond Age by Neal Stephenson, which I'm providing largely as a counterweight to the Snowcrash & Sevenses recommendations here. Diamond Age is much less dark, and way more a fun tail about an incredible & mysterious primer for a young lady.\nSirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut.\nAll Systems Red series by Martha Wells is a underprivileged barely coping robot dealing with the humans she hates having to talk to & a shitty planet trying to kill them. Simple, fun, some action & violence, but the main character is a total hoot the whole time with more loner/zero/drop-out attitude & spunk than anything I've read & it's unbelievably charming.\nLords of Light by Roger Zelazny has more style, pizzaz, & spirit than I feel like any of us deserve. An interesting, storied tale from the post-singularity, with a remarkable & robust cast.\nIllium/Olympos by Dan Simmons, are, in my mind still the clear winner, far above Hyperion. The cast is charming beyond belief, stumbling through a world they both know all too much about & far far too little. Some really incredible worldbuilding here.\nRainbow's End by Vernor Vinge. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE A Fire Upon the Deep. But Rainbow's End really is our planet, sometime not far out, and Vinge has the most tour of this next place we're headed, with threads, and annotations, and group chat being the defining new technologies of humanity. And the tale of the misfit happenstance adventurers who wind up ensnared in the plot line is a fun, roving hoot of a journey, a wonderful second chance at a coming of age story.\nMedusa Chronicles by two of my favorites, Alastair Reynolds & Stephen Baxter is probably my favorite exploring the solar system book, about a guy/robot a bit apart from humanity that really wants to see what the local area has to offer. A lot of high tension conflicting societal impulses that our somewhat aloof lead stumbles through, on his personal mission of exploration. Lots of interesting robot philosophy & very varied elements of space come together with the characters to make an incredibly fun space epic, set in a delightful & intriguing alternative history\nOther's recommendations I'd +1: Dune (but super heady material), The Stars My Destination (brimming with class & substance), Mote in God's Eye (some of the best Space Colonial Marines style stuff out there), Accelerando (and Iron Sky and ... overflowing playful scifi), Blue Ant series (dripping with style), Foundation series (and much more Asimov!), Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy (simple direct exciting hunt for treasure in Star Wars), Fuzzy Nation (fun tale)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "could quite easily, quite simply be the best first contact story story ever. Touching, and sincere, & simple.",
          "reason": "Calls it potentially the best first-contact story and praises its tone.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521441,
          "author": "sdevoid",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T08:52:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521441",
          "commentText": "I read The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed at the beginning of the year, just before she passed away. This summer I the first four books of the Earthsea series and will probably read The Other Wind and Tales soon. I've really enjoyed both universes--with Earthsea I keep wishing someone would make a game with this kind of magic system. The Lathe of Heaven is such a wonderful title, I'm looking forward to reading that as well.\nI read her translation of Tao Te Ching while waiting in 2 hours of traffic for a ferry and it was wonderful and really informs the rest of her works.\nI'm currently reading Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner, on the history of U.S. water policy in the West. Frustratingly dry.\nAlso re-reading On the Road but unlike 16 years ago I'm reading the 'Original Scroll Edition' this time: no chapters, paragraph breaks, invented character names, censors, etc. The book you read in high school is, in fact, the novelization of the original, which Kerouac wrote in twenty days. I've kept my beat-up paperback copy of the 'novel' nearby and I've preferred the scroll edition for the most part.\nOn the nightstand:\n- Annals of the Former World by John McPhee 300 pages into it, but I got a bit tired of the redundancy inherent in combining multiple books into one.\n- The Vulgar Tongue by Jonathon Green. 40 pages in. I've been looking for a copy of the dictionary.\n- The Path to the Nest of Spiders by Italo Calvino.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Lathe of Heaven is such a wonderful title, I'm looking forward to reading that as well.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Praises the title wording, not the book itself; looking forward to reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521303,
          "author": "jboynyc",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T08:16:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521303",
          "commentText": "I recently read The Dispossessed and The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin, and will continue reading her stuff over the summer for sure. It's really great. (HN discussion about her obituary: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16218439)\nThe other day I started Pictures of a Gone City, a book about the Bay Area by critical geographer Richard Walker. It was recently discussed here (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17473141). I'm only about fifty pages in, but I can tell this is going to be worthwhile.\nI'm also still finishing Kids These Days: Human Capital and the Making of Millennials by Malcolm Harris. It's a very compelling account of the crises and pressures confronting today's young adults (among which I can still, just barely, count myself).\nOther books I've got lined up for the summer:\n• The Boy Kings: A Journey Into the Heart of the Social Network, by Kate Losse. This memoir by an early Facebook employee came out a few years ago, and I finally want to read it.\n• Social Creature, by Tara Isabella Burton. Recently published novel that's been getting rave reviews. It's been described as \"a literary novel about social media.\"\n• Surveys, by Natasha Stagg. A novel about microcelebrity/instafame that came out in 2016.\nPS: LitHub runs a \"Rotten Tomatoes for Book Reviews\" site at https://bookmarks.reviews/ that I'm finding to be a useful resource to discover new books coming out. That's how I found out about the Burton and Stagg books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recently read The Dispossessed and The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin",
          "reason": "Says it was really great and plans to continue reading Le Guin over the summer.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140404,
          "author": "dhimes",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T01:10:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140404",
          "commentText": "The Lathe of Heaven\n (also: The Forever War;\n  The Einstein Intersection).\nHmmm.  My favs seem to all start with \"The.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Lathe of Heaven",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ursula K. Le Guin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dreams",
        "reality alteration",
        "first contact",
        "reality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-overstory-d6aa63",
      "title": "The Overstory",
      "author": "Richard Powers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41177210,
          "author": "retzkek",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T01:04:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41177210",
          "commentText": "The Overstory by Richard Powers - an intertwining of lives, as witnessed by the oldest beings on Earth, putting things into a rather different perspective.\nThe Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi - compassion and redemption, set in a terrifyingly plausible near future where the oil and tech companies have been replaced by gene and agro conglomerates. Calories or joules, it’s just energy.\nWeaveworld by Clive Barker - a dark, fantastical yarn of vivid (sometimes grotesque) imagery, spinning a new take on the oldest tale, that of good vs. evil.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Overstory by Richard Powers",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite; described as putting things in a different perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36083958,
          "author": "code_Whisperer",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-26T13:38:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36083958",
          "commentText": "Easily these (so far):\nThis is How You Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (actually now one of my all-time favorites, without regard to genre. Just amazing)\nChildren of Time - Adrian Tchaikovsky\nThe Book of Strange New Things - Michael Faber\nTed Chiang's short story collections (Exhalations and Stories of your life and others)\nDaemon - Daniel Suarez\nThe City and the City - China Miéville\nRoadside Picnic - Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (this one still haunts my dreams at times)\nWe Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse Book 1) - Dennis Taylor (just finished this series for book club)\nGalatea 2.2, The Overstory, Bewilderment, The Gold Bug Variations - 4 different books, all by Richard Powers - what can I say, the man is a genius and a treasure\nEifelheim - Michael Flynn - ok, this book can be a slog at times, but it is very rewarding for those who persevere, and has stuck in my brain for many years\nChocky - John Wyndham - A quiet, delightful surprise\nProvidence - Max Barry - This book flows like a movie. It will make a great movie. I found myself LITERALLY out of breath a couple of times\nHench: A Novel - Natalie Zina Walschots - Quirky, memorable\nThe Peacemaker's Code - Deepak Malhotra - Why hasn't this guy written more sci-fi?\nOrange World and Other Stories - Karen Russell - OK, maybe not strictly sci-fi, but this book tickles my brain\nGUILTY PLEASURE SCI-FI FAVORITE: The Vaz series by Laurence Dahners. I think I've read that series 3 times now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Overstory",
          "reason": "Included among four books by the author.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32937220,
          "author": "oracardo",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T11:01:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937220",
          "commentText": "The Overstory by Richard Powers: this book changed the way I look at trees. I'll be driving some days and out of nowhere notice a tree and appreciate it. This book inspired me to consider that there is an objective meaning to life.\nThe Incerto Series by Nassim Nicholas Taleb: where to start...I started reading this series over a decade ago and I still think about it weekly. It can be very dense to get through as I took a lot of notes. But I think it's worth the trouble. One of my favorite chapters is via negativa. This is the concept that it is easier to know what NOT to do than what should be done. Many interested ideas flow out from that when it comes to personal health, public policy, and morality.\nThinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman: this book opened up my eyes to a host of mental biases. It's similar to some of Taleb's work but IMO easier to read. My favorite chapter surrounded the idea of the self as your memory vs your experience. Thought experiment: if you could take your dream vacation at no expense but would have no memories or photos/videos of the trip would you do it?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Overstory by Richard Powers: this book changed the way I look at trees.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed how they see trees and inspired them to consider objective meaning in life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32197768,
          "author": "sg47",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:16:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197768",
          "commentText": "2022:\nThe Ministry for the Future, Rise and Fall of Third Reich, Benjamin Franklin's biography by Walter Isaacson, Leonardo Da Vinci's biography, Crafting Interpreters, The Overstory",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Overstory",
          "reason": "Listed among books read in 2022.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30241756,
          "author": "danieloj",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T08:14:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241756",
          "commentText": "The Overstory by Richard Powers\nA book that encourages your imagination",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Overstory by Richard Powers\nA book that encourages your imagination",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a book that encourages imagination.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25845350,
          "author": "dkeyes",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T11:58:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25845350",
          "commentText": "The Overstory by Richard Powers is an incredible read. It's a story about trees and humans -- and how they are connected in untold ways. The writing is truly fantastic and you learn a massive amount about the magic of trees and forests along the way.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Overstory by Richard Powers is an incredible read.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it and praises its writing and subject.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21802662,
          "author": "L_Rahman",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T12:55:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21802662",
          "commentText": "Seeing Like a State\nRobert Caro's Lyndon B. Johnson biographies\nThe Overstory",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Overstory",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books the commenter plans to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No opinion or evaluation stated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21000933,
          "author": "bill_rr",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-17T22:59:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21000933",
          "commentText": "The Overstory\nPS Does anybody use Goodreads anymore?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Overstory",
          "reason": "Listed as a book in response to a question asking for good recent reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Powers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Nature",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "trees",
        "environmental fiction",
        "literary fiction",
        "interconnected lives"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-prophet-0dbf60",
      "title": "The Prophet",
      "author": "Kahlil Gibran",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50119582,
          "author": "pmpmpmpm",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T15:25:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50119582",
          "commentText": "I can’t resist an invocation:)\nMost of these are old since I’ve been reading more articles these days but here are a few good books or series I’ve read more than twice: The Hobbit, LOTR, the Silmarillion, Neuromancer, the Chronicles of Narnia, Hong Lou Meng, The Heart Sutra, The Bhagavad Gita, The Tao De Ching, The Wheel of Time series, No country for old men, Persuasion, Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice, The Way of Kings, The Talisman, the Dark Tower Series, and The Prophet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Prophet",
          "reason": "Included among good books read more than twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17984596,
          "author": "newscracker",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-14T04:03:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17984596",
          "commentText": "One book is too restrictive to decide. People change, surroundings change, situations change...so would it be with books that have changed us or influenced us.\nI'll leave you here not with a book, but with one tiny piece of one tiny book:\nThe first chapter of \"Illusions\" by Richard Bach. As with other fantastic works that others have listed here, a distinguishing factor about these impactful or \"life changing\" works is that you can re-read them countless times and benefit from them anew on every read. This first chapter is one such work for me.\nI'm not implying that the rest of \"Illusions\" is worse than this first chapter (on the contrary, it's great), but this chapter is short, yet so powerful, and best of all, it stands by itself.\nBonus, if you like to read brief but powerful pieces, pick up \"The Prophet\" by Kahlil Gibran and read the chapters that interest you. I'd suggest the \"On Giving\" chapter as a great start.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "pick up \"The Prophet\" by Kahlil Gibran and read the chapters that interest you.",
          "reason": "The commenter suggests it to readers who like brief but powerful pieces.",
          "audience": "Readers who like brief but powerful pieces.",
          "caveat": "The commenter suggests choosing chapters that interest you, starting with “On Giving.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337281,
          "author": "imdhmd",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:13:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337281",
          "commentText": "the prophet by khalil gibran",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the prophet by khalil gibran",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9349272,
          "author": "deskamess",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T17:26:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9349272",
          "commentText": "The Prophet - By Kahlil Gibran.\nBeautifully written prose. A co-worker lend it to me and I kept it in my desk until I was clearing up before leaving the company. Decided to read it before giving it back to him... it had an impact on me (more compassionate and considerate).\nSounds silly, but I still look back fondly at my decision to read it before giving it back - it meant that much to me!!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Beautifully written prose.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it had an impact on them, making them more compassionate and considerate.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8108001,
          "author": "Shorel",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T13:38:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8108001",
          "commentText": "I just finished this: http://www.amazon.com/The-Antidote-Happiness-Positive-Thinki... (http://www.amazon.com/The-Antidote-Happiness-Positive-Thinking/dp/0865478015)\nI think you will like it. It paints Buddhism and Stoicism in a very pragmatic light.\nI second the Discworld recomendation. The series is fantastic. Read everything Pratchett has written, it is worth it.\nAlso: Ishmael by Daniel Quinn: the only book to truly explain the genesis scripture.\nThe prophet by Khalil Gibran: One of the most beautiful books I've read.\nAnd please ignore Paulo Coelho books. Paulo Coelho is to Richard Bach what Dan Brown is to Humberto Eco.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The prophet by Khalil Gibran: One of the most beautiful books I've read.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the most beautiful books they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503307,
          "author": "ashutoshm",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T07:46:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503307",
          "commentText": "Beyond Good and Evil - Nietzsche\nAshtavakra Gita - Ashtavakra\nThe Prophet - Gibran",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Prophet - Gibran",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for eye-opening and interesting philosophy books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kahlil Gibran"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "poetic prose",
        "spirituality",
        "philosophical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-remains-of-the-day-98cc70",
      "title": "The Remains of the Day",
      "author": "Kazuo Ishiguro",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18666659,
          "author": "kailden",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T18:57:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18666659",
          "commentText": "I liked “Remains of the Day” - the subtlety in the tone seems to be intentional given the theme, and tempts the reader to miss the point that lies between the lines - the same theme as the book itself is wrapped around and the main character doesn’t see.  I think it is well done.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I liked “Remains of the Day” - the subtlety in the tone seems to be intentional given the theme",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its subtle tone and thematic subtlety.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17520502,
          "author": "natrik",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T04:22:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17520502",
          "commentText": "The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro\nAmazing short fictional novel by a Nobel Prize winning author.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro\nAmazing short fictional novel by a Nobel Prize winning author.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an amazing novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15964286,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T21:09:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15964286",
          "commentText": "The movie adaptation starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson is also excellent.\nhttp://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107943/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The movie adaptation starring Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson is also excellent.",
          "reason": "Discusses the film adaptation of the book praised in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961410,
          "author": "egonschiele",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:38:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961410",
          "commentText": "Seconding Murakami. The Remains Of The Day is the best book I read this year. It talks through a lot of ideas I see get mentioned on HN.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Remains Of The Day is the best book I read this year.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the best book they read that year and says it discusses ideas they see on HN.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in ideas commonly discussed on Hacker News.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762532,
          "author": "Cyph0n",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T03:31:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762532",
          "commentText": "I just finished reading \"The Remains of the Day\" earlier today!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I just finished reading \"The Remains of the Day\" earlier today!",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15761791,
          "author": "troydavis",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T00:11:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15761791",
          "commentText": "You’ll get enough non-fiction recommendations. Something fictional (barely) and a lot more relaxed: The Remains of the Day, Ishiguro. It’s a chance to think about work/life split, life accomplishments, and professional vs personal identity.\nIf you like that, check out Larry’s Party by Carol Shields.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It’s a chance to think about work/life split, life accomplishments, and professional vs personal identity.",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a chance to reflect on work and life, accomplishments, and professional versus personal identity.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a relaxed fictional prompt for reflection.",
          "caveat": "Described as fictional, barely, and more relaxed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630111,
          "author": "jackschultz",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:32:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630111",
          "commentText": "Whenever anyone asks:\nCatch-22\nEast of Eden\nRemains of the Day\nSurely You're Joking Mr Feynman\nThese threads where people suggest multiple books are good to run through. If you see one in a comment that someone else liked, probably try to read the others they listed.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Remains of the Day",
          "reason": "Suggested as one of several books to try after seeing someone like another title on the list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387522,
          "author": "dshipper",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T23:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387522",
          "commentText": "Kazuo Ishiguro is a favorite: Remains of the Day, Never Let Me Go",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kazuo Ishiguro is a favorite: Remains of the Day, Never Let Me Go",
          "reason": "Listed as a work by an author the commenter calls a favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kazuo Ishiguro"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Psychology",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "historical fiction",
        "memory",
        "british class"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-way-of-the-superior-man-0eb19b",
      "title": "The Way of the Superior Man",
      "author": "David Deida",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32936161,
          "author": "epolanski",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T08:23:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936161",
          "commentText": "- The Way of The Superior Man. The only \"self help\" book I give any credit. It really boils down to encouraging people to have a purpose in life and accept ourselves.\n- The Stupidity Paradox. Ever feel the world works in a \"stupid\" way? That your organization keeps promoting stupid ideas? Read this book and get into the roots of functional stupidity. It's a bit repetitive, but extremely insightful book.\n- Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs. The book I most recommend for any software professional.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Way of The Superior Man. The only \"self help\" book I give any credit.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it encourages people to have a purpose in life and accept themselves.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it the only self-help book they give any credit.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17046886,
          "author": "andersthue",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T12:46:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17046886",
          "commentText": "The most important book I have read currently is “The Anatomy of Peace” by the arbinger institute. This book teaches me how to stay out of interpersonal conflicts and become a person pthers want to be together with.\n“Crucial Conversations” is another really important book that teaches how to safely deal with very hard conversations.\nFor my own personal development/relationship with women I must say that “No more mister nice guy” and “the way of the superior man” has both helped me.\nLastly the letting go e-book by Leo Babauta from zenhabits also is really good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“No more mister nice guy” and “the way of the superior man” has both helped me.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped with personal development and relationships with women.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13804298,
          "author": "embarassed_toss",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:34:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804298",
          "commentText": "Throwaway since this is a bit embarrassing.\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People. Crucial Conversations. 5 Love Languages. The Way of the Superior Man.\nI'm 37 and I'm a stereotypical geeky, low-social-capability guy. Coasted through life on being smart, to the exclusion of much else. I'd get pedantic and into pointless arguments, but justify it because I was right -- sorta being a dick though not intentionally, just emergent behavior. I did poorly on romantic relationships despite being married a decade. I'd stumble around conversations awkwardly or interject stupid facts and just overall sucked at the personal side of life.\nLearning to talk to people, to deal with people, learning the give and take of conversations and to try to be interested in people -- this has completely changed my life. It works in business, it works in personal relationships. People that I'd usually mock (think homeopathic hippy type folks), the kind of folks that'd usually dismiss me, they have actually said glowing things about me to other people, and I now have friendships with such folks. Even with guy friends: I'm constantly surprised how powerful a simple \"How are you doing?\" or \"Did you get home OK?\" -- just small displays of interest, really can strengthen relationships.\nThe last book I mention, The Way of the Superior Man, I hesitate. Some of it is a bit silly. And it comes off VERY macho/chauvinistic. In fact, the first time I looked at it I tossed it in disgust. But damn, it'd have saved me so much grief. There are feminine/masculine differences (as personalities, not just sex or gender.) Just basic stuff like \"held and heard\": you don't need to try to solve her every problem[1], just listen and support her in what she does -- stuff as an engineer I wouldn't do at work and that bled over into personal life. Not attacking people when they say silly things... I've had a girl tell my family I'm the kindest guy she's ever dated. They all went silent and looked back and forth \"... him?\" 3 years ago I could never, ever, have imagined anyone saying that about me in any situation, let alone romantically. When people blow up and want to fight with me, I recognize the words don't really matter and it's just emotion and try to respond to that. Even my ex has ended up apologizing after yelling at me and saying I'm a good guy - another timeline I never thought I'd be in.\nAnd I know, this sounds like manipulation. But the bizarre thing is that after you set out to be like this and try to care, you actually end up caring and it's totally sincere. Life isn't C, being \"lenient\" on people and trying to think about them instead of picking at the specifics of what they said won't get you into trouble.\n[This might be relationships 101, but I know a lot of guys in a similar social situation and a few of them tried the same approaches and are way happier too. So maybe this will help someone.]\n1: https://xkcd.com/306/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The last book I mention, The Way of the Superior Man, I hesitate. Some of it is a bit silly. And it comes off VERY macho/chauvinistic.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped with relationships, while expressing reservations about its tone and content.",
          "audience": "Men seeking help with relationships and listening.",
          "caveat": "Some content seems silly and very macho/chauvinistic to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9353543,
          "author": "galfarragem",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-10T11:06:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9353543",
          "commentText": "IMHO to really change your whole life perspective, you must experience a traumatic event, not reading a book.\nAnyway I would say that a book can trigger a change of perspective on a particular aspect of your life:\n'4-hour workweek' - Tim Ferriss (on lifestyle)\n'Get Things Done' - David Allen (on organization and productivity)\n'The Way of the Superior Man' - David Deida (on relationships)\n'The prince' - Machiavelli' (on business and strategy)\n'The little prince' - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (on meaning of life)\n'The Feynman Lectures on Physics' - Richard Feynman' (to remember you to be humble)\nA lot of other books had broaden my perspective of life even if they weren't enough to trigger a change. That list would be immense.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Way of the Superior Man' - David Deida (on relationships)",
          "reason": "Lists it as a book that can trigger a change of perspective on relationships.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in relationships.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says books can shift a particular aspect of life, while a traumatic event is needed to change one's whole perspective.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5704008,
          "author": "joelmaat",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-14T10:44:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5704008",
          "commentText": "The Way of The Superior Man\nThe Art of Learning\nAs a Man Thinketh\nThinking, Fast and Slow\nThink and Grow Rich!\nPsycho-Cybernet​ics\nPeopleware: Productive Projects and Teams\nRich Dad, Poor Dad",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Way of The Superior Man",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4787418,
          "author": "timmm",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:19:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787418",
          "commentText": "The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho.\nKing, Warrior, Magician, Lover by Moore and Gillette\nThe lean startup\nPaul Graham how to start a startup\nMark Hyman Ultimate Mind Solution\nTribal Leadership\nWheel of Time\nThink and Grow Rich\nSuperior Man David Deida\nThe Fountain Head\nEckhart Tolle New Earth\n50th Law\nGood to Great\nJed Mckenna\nEarl Nightengale\nLong Walk to Freedom\nOutliers\nGood to Great\nPsycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz (Self-image)\nSeven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey(Being awesome)\nWealth of Nations\nWayne Dyer The Tao\nSystem of the World\nOrigin of Species\nBrave new world\nThank you economy\nCrush it\nBuilt to Last\nWho Moved my Cheese\nStillness Speak Eckhert Tolle\nMastery George Leonard\nSteve Jobs Biography\nThe Last Lecture\nSteve Pavlina Books\nIacocca\nStriking Thoughts Bruce Lee\nCarlos Castaneda\nGhost in the Wires\nRichest Man in Babylon\nWay of the Superior Man\nLosing My Virginity\nThink and Grow Rich\nDelivering Happiness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Superior Man David Deida",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Deida"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Parenting",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "masculinity",
        "relationships",
        "personal development",
        "self help"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "things-fall-apart-c7af5b",
      "title": "Things Fall Apart",
      "author": "Chinua Achebe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50119288,
          "author": "chistev",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T15:05:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50119288",
          "commentText": "1. Animal Farm by George Orwell\n2. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes [1]\n3. Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley\n4. I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette Mccurdy\n5. Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris\n6. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe [2]\n7. Cosmos by Carl Sagan\n8. The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution by Richard Dawkins [3]\n9. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson\n10. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander [4]\n11. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka\n12. Billions and Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium by Carl Sagan [5][6][7]\n13. Outgrowing God: A Beginner’s Guide to Atheism by Richard Dawkins\n[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50076596\n[2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47452253\n[3] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48326741\n[4] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49539535\n[5] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49751771\n[6] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49740712\n[7] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49739256",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe [2]",
          "reason": "Listed among books read repeatedly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46397495,
          "author": "jaimefjorge",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T23:26:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46397495",
          "commentText": "All fiction.\n- The Great Gatsby. Really enjoyed it and seemed fitting with the current times.\n- Buddenbrooks, Thomas Mann. Generational wealth come and gone. Good for putting things into perspective.\n- Things Fall Apart, Achebe.\n- The Pearl, John Steinbeck\n- Hyperion (first book), Dan Simmons. Great sci-fi. Bought the second book and look forward to reading it.\n- Stoner, John Williams. Incredibly well written book\n- One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez. Still finishing but I hope to finish in time for next year",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Things Fall Apart, Achebe.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762748,
          "author": "charlysl",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T04:31:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762748",
          "commentText": "1984 - because it was the first book in English that I read front to cover, with a dictionary by my side, and learned so much recurring essential vocabulary that after that effort I could read anything; by now I have read much more from the much larger pool of writings in English than in my mother language. And, of course, it made me look differently at so many things.\nThings Fall Appart - because it helped me understand how religions like Christianity  and other initially subversive beliefs spread, and the sudden impact of Western culture on other cultures.\nAnthropology (Marvin Harris) - because it impacted the way I look at humanity, society and history, and also helped me understand that marxism is much more than an arguably failed political doctrine.\nThe Bernstein Tapes about Critique of Pure Reason - I am still working through this, but has already impacted my conception of what knowledge is\nHistory of Western Philosophy (Bertrand Russel) - because it made me understand the interwining between ideas and history. A desert island book\nConcepts Techniques Models of Computer Programming - still working through it, because ir is making me realize I had no clue about programming and design. Best programming book I have come across\nThe Prince (Maquiavelli) - because it completely changed the way I look at politics and society\nThe Making of The Atomic Bomb - because it is a great way to see the incremental progress of science, and made me realize how much those at the leading edge extract from a few crumbles of information. Also the starkest description of the impact of industrialized killing in WW1,",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Things Fall Appart - because it helped me understand how religions like Christianity and other initially subversive beliefs spread, and the sudden impact of Western culture on other cultures.",
          "reason": "Says it helped them understand the spread of religions and the impact of Western culture.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229612,
          "author": "jakegarelick",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T14:42:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229612",
          "commentText": "My recent favorites: Jobs, The Hard Thing About Hard Things, High Output Management, Innovator's Dilemma, Lean Startup, On The Shortness Of Life, How Google Works, Zero To One, Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Power of Habit, Things Fall Apart, Stoner",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Things Fall Apart",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's recent favorites in response to a book recommendation request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5832481,
          "author": "leephillips",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T14:08:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5832481",
          "commentText": "Some favorites:\nPale Fire by Nabokov\nUlysses by Joyce\nEt Tu, Babe by Leyner\nMetamorphosis by Kafka (more a long story)\nThings Fall Apart by Achebe\nHamlet and Coriolanus by Shakespeare\nThe Code of the Woosters by Wodehouse\nThe Doorbell Rang by Stout",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Things Fall Apart by Achebe",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395139,
          "author": "david927",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T08:22:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395139",
          "commentText": "Achebe's \"Things Fall Apart\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Achebe's \"Things Fall Apart\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875884,
          "author": "falsestprophet",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T03:23:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875884",
          "commentText": "I'm not sure I have two most favored books. But, I'll recommend two:\n  The Life and Death of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs\n  Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chinua Achebe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "colonialism",
        "african literature",
        "nigeria",
        "postcolonial literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "thinking-forth-e4004c",
      "title": "Thinking Forth",
      "author": "Leo Brodie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17032702,
          "author": "dmux",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:51:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032702",
          "commentText": "(1) Object Thinking by David West.\n(2) Thinking Forth by Leo Brodie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "(2) Thinking Forth by Leo Brodie",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question asking which books someone starting a software career should read.",
          "audience": "People starting a software engineering career.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14853977,
          "author": "mikekchar",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T06:12:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14853977",
          "commentText": "Yes, this is pretty much the same as me.  The focus of Thinking Forth (as much as I remember it -- I should re-read it now that I can download it) is about creating small words that you can compose.  The idea was that you could interactively tests the words as you were writing the code.  FORTH is a bit like Smalltalk in that the environment is always loaded, so you're always jumping in and out of the editor to try things.\nLater when I learned about refactoring and TDD, it felt really natural.  Until now I hadn't made the connection, but it was exactly the same thing I was doing when I was writing FORTH code.\nI also program everything bottom up, rather than top down.  I'm pretty sure this is from the influence Thinking Forth had on me as a programmer.  I'll make a mental sketch of how things will fit together overall, pick a spot, drill down and then start building the pieces I'm going to need.  I refactor as I go.  Finally I plug everything together.  This also leads me to do subsystem decomposition very, very late in the process.  Only after I've built the pieces do I start thinking about where they should ultimately end up.  This makes refactoring a lot easier: first when you are building the pieces because you don't have to jump through hoops to get at things, and second when you are assembling because the pieces will naturally fall into places based on what data they interact with.  If you have problems understanding where a piece should go, then it's a good indication that you have more refactoring to do.\nSome people hate the way I do evolutionary design :-)  It works for me, though.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm pretty sure this is from the influence Thinking Forth had on me as a programmer.",
          "reason": "Describes the book's influence on the commenter’s bottom-up programming and evolutionary design approach.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says this approach works for them, while noting that some people dislike it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14852625,
          "author": "vram22",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T23:09:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14852625",
          "commentText": ">Thinking Forth. Nearly 35 years later it still probably dominates my approach.\nThat's interesting. Can you elaborate on why you think it dominates your approach? I'm interested because I had read a good amount of Starting Forth by Leo Brodie some years ago, and liked the language, and had played around with it a bit (only got access to a Forth system for a short time, so could not go deeply into it, on the practical side). But I remember liking the language. I don't think I have read Thinking Forth.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I don't think I have read Thinking Forth.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14842736,
          "author": "abecedarius",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-24T21:13:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14842736",
          "commentText": "Thinking Forth; Software Tools; SICP; Abstraction and Specification in Program Development; Essentials of Programming Languages; Paradigms of AI Programming; I'd like to list something about OO too, but no book I know really measures up to learning from other programmers. But there's Mark S. Miller's thesis Robust Composition.\n(in roughly chronological order. As you can see from the chronology, it took me a long time to start to like OOP.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking Forth",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which books shaped the commenter's approach to code structure.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14486900,
          "author": "throwaway7645",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T11:45:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14486900",
          "commentText": "Reading this one after Starting Forth. I wonder how many have read this that have never written a line of Forth?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Reading this one after Starting Forth.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are reading it after Starting Forth.",
          "audience": "Readers curious about Forth, including those who have not programmed in it.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14486823,
          "author": "sgt",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T11:32:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14486823",
          "commentText": "Thinking Forth\nhttp://thinking-forth.sourceforge.net/\nTeaches you to think simple and elegant.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Teaches you to think simple and elegant.",
          "reason": "Praised for teaching simple, elegant thinking.",
          "audience": "Programmers interested in language-agnostic ideas.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144529,
          "author": "fogus",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T16:24:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144529",
          "commentText": "\"Thinking Forth\" by Leo Brodie --> http://thinking-forth.sourceforge.net/\n\"How Buildings Learn: What Happens After They're Built\" by Stewart Brand --> http://www.openculture.com/2015/07/watch-stewart-brands-6-pa... (http://www.openculture.com/2015/07/watch-stewart-brands-6-part-series-how-buildings-learn-with-music-by-brian-eno.html)\n\"Programmer's Guide to the 1802\" by Tom Swan --> http://www.tomswan.com/store/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Thinking Forth\" by Leo Brodie",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the books that impacted the commenter's career.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414472,
          "author": "T-R",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T09:33:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414472",
          "commentText": "So far the comments in this thread cover Functional (SICP, Haskell books), Logic (Prolog Books), and Procedural/OO (Almost everything else) Languages, so I figure I should add a reference for Stack/Concatenative Languages:\nThinking Forth - Brodie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I figure I should add a reference for Stack/Concatenative Languages:\nThinking Forth - Brodie",
          "reason": "Adds it as a reference on stack and concatenative languages in a thread asking for useful CS books.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in stack or concatenative languages.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865893,
          "author": "sea6ear",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T18:37:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865893",
          "commentText": "Thinking Forth by Leo Brodie.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Thinking Forth by Leo Brodie.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 177062,
          "author": "jksmith",
          "createdAt": "2008-04-29T22:22:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 176803,
          "threadTitle": "Which is your favorite 70-80s computer book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=177062",
          "commentText": "Damn straight. His \"Thinking Forth\" also. Abrash's \"Zen of Assembly\" was also another memorable book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His \"Thinking Forth\" also.",
          "reason": "Adds it as another valued book in the discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leo Brodie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "forth",
        "forth programming",
        "programming",
        "programming language design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tractatus-logico-philosophicus-bbd3b7",
      "title": "Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus",
      "author": "Ludwig Wittgenstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41175841,
          "author": "montgomery_r",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:58:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175841",
          "commentText": "Aargh, Formatting! Try 2 :\nFor the value of ‘best’ that includes\n(a) had a deep and long lasting impact on how I think about the world and\n(b) I consider beautiful pieces of writing in their own right,\nhere are some in no particular order:\nThe Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins\nThinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nNaming and Necessity, Saul Kripke\nTractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein\n(These you might want to approach via a gentle introduction if you did not study Philosophy to degree level)\nThe Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle\nDarkness at Noon, Arthur Koestler\nThe Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse\nA Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh\nDiaries, Samuel Pepys\nFalling Off the Map, Pico Iyer\nA Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor\nThe Lonely Sea and the Sky, Francis Chichester\nThe Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope\nBevis, Richard Jeffries\nThe Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith\nThe Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse\nHitch-22, essays, Christopher Hitchens\nCollected Essays, William Hazlitt\nVenice, Martin Gayford\nThe Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski\nThe Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch\nToo obvious a list, perhaps, but some gems for all that! Happy reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein",
          "reason": "Includes the title among books considered impactful and beautifully written.",
          "audience": "Readers without degree-level philosophy study may want a gentle introduction first.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41175718,
          "author": "montgomery_r",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:45:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175718",
          "commentText": "For the value of ‘best’ that includes  (a) had a deep and long lasting impact on how I think about the world and (b) I consider beautiful pieces of writing in their own right, here are some in no particular order: \nThe Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins \nThinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nNaming and Necessity, Saul Kripke\nTractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein\n(These you might want to approach via a gentle introduction if you did not study Philosophy to degree level) \nThe Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle\nDarkness at Noon,\nArthur Koestler\nThe Glass Bead Game,\nHermann Hesse\nA Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh\nDiaries, Samuel Pepys\nFalling Off the Map, Pico Iyer\nA Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor\nThe Lonely Sea and the Sky,\nFrancis Chichester\nThe Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope\nBevis, Richard Jeffries\nThe Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith\nThe Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse\nHitch-22, essaysChristopher Hitchens \nCollected Essays, William Hazlitt\nVenice, Martin Gayford\nThe Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski\nThe Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch\nToo obvious a list, perhaps, but some gems for all that! Happy reading.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Tractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a book with lasting impact on how they think and as beautiful writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Suggests a gentle introduction for readers without degree-level philosophy study.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32791257,
          "author": "wunderlust",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T15:04:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32791257",
          "commentText": "My field of study (what I really like to think and learn about) isn't my field of work, but I like the question so I'll spill some thoughts.\nI spend a lot of time thinking about philosophical-ish stuff, so here are some books that have had the strongest residual effects (whether that's changing how I think, changing what I think about, changing my values, or simply getting the thought ball rolling faster):\nIshmael (Daniel Quinn)\n1984 (George Orwell)\nBrave New World (Aldous Huxley)\nGodel, Escher, Bach (Douglas Hofstadter)\nThe Republic [imp. \"the allegory of the cave\"] (Plato)\nThe Genealogy of Morals (Friedrich Nietzsche)\nThe Social Construction of Reality (Peter L. Berger, Thomas Luckmann)\nTractatus Logico-Philosophicus (L. Wittgenstein)\nDissemination [imp. \"The Pharmakon\"] (Jacques Derrida)\nThe Quest for Reality (Barry Stroud)\nLanguages of Art (Nelson Goodman)\nThe Structure of Scientific Revolutions (Thomas Kuhn)\nConcepts (Jerry Fodor)\nThe Web of Life (Fritjof Capra)\nFoucault's Pendulum (Umberto Eco)\nNaming and Necessity (Saul Kripke)\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Robert Pirsig)\nThere are others, and a lot of essays (by thinkers like Bertrand Russell, Carl Hempel, Hilary Putnam, WVO Quine, Karl Popper, Alfred Tarski, Gottlob Frege, David Chalmers, Daniel Dennett, Michel Foucault, Jean Baudrillard, Mikhail Bakunin, CS Peirce, and David Hume, among many others), but these seem apropos as they most readily came to mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus (L. Wittgenstein)",
          "reason": "Listed among books with strong residual effects on the commenter’s thinking and values.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29816383,
          "author": "conformist",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-05T22:58:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29816383",
          "commentText": "Wittgenstein's Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus is always worth having a look at. \nNot everyone's cup of tea, but I  greatly enjoyed it at around that age.\nEd Thorp's autobiography \"A man for all markets\" is fun, in particular if you're interested in maths, gambling or finance.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Wittgenstein's Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus is always worth having a look at.",
          "reason": "Recommends looking at it, while noting it may not suit everyone.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not everyone's cup of tea.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10766854,
          "author": "lilcarlyung",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T12:20:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10766854",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.\nFree Will by Sam Harris.\nTractatus Logico-Philosophicus by Ludwig Wittgenstein",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus by Ludwig Wittgenstein",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that affected the reader's thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5691797,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T19:25:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5691797",
          "commentText": "He wrote a significant portion while a POW.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "He wrote a significant portion while a POW.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5691669,
          "author": "youngbenny",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T18:53:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5691669",
          "commentText": "Wittgenstein is tough reading. Amazing that he conceived of Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus in the trenches of WW1 (literally).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Amazing that he conceived of Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus in the trenches of WW1 (literally).",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described in the parent comment as tough reading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752362,
          "author": "metamemetics",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T08:13:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752362",
          "commentText": "Gravity's Rainbow (Pynchon)\nThe Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge (Rilke)\nThe Age of Extremes: A History of the World, 1914-1991 (Hobsbawm)\nBhagavad Gita\nUpanishads\nCrimes Against Logic: Exposing the Bogus Arguments of Politicians, Priests, Journalists, and Other Serial Offenders (Whyte)\nTractatus Logico-Philosophicus (Wittgenstein)\nedit: added 2 more & author names",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus (Wittgenstein)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503577,
          "author": "igravious",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T13:05:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503577",
          "commentText": "While it is eye-opening I could hardly recommend the Tractatus unless you get it with a commentary. How about The Routledge Philosophy Guidebook to Wittgenstein and the Tractatus by Michael Morris?\nGood call with Karl Popper. On Liberty is archaic somewhat. To recommend just that book by John McCarthy is too narrow, and besides logic and the theory of computation are not a part of philosophy per se. Logic is a tool of philosophers. The theory of computation could possibly be folded into philosophy of mind but I've never seen it done so, there is a strong argument that it should be.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I could hardly recommend the Tractatus unless you get it with a commentary.",
          "reason": "Recommends it only with a commentary.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Best read with a commentary.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ludwig Wittgenstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "logic",
        "analytic philosophy",
        "language",
        "philosophy of language"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "who-moved-my-cheese-3caaec",
      "title": "Who Moved My Cheese?",
      "author": "Spencer Johnson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36432775,
          "author": "supportengineer",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T14:34:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36432775",
          "commentText": "Who Moved My Cheese?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Who Moved My Cheese?",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13968292,
          "author": "davemel37",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T15:05:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13968292",
          "commentText": "Who moved my cheese. Its not my favorite book but its influenced me the most and I read it atleast once a year. \nIt is a powerful parable about making things happen for yourself and focusing on things you can control and not blaming a bad hand or rough circumstances.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Who moved my cheese. Its not my favorite book but its influenced me the most",
          "reason": "Says it is not a favorite, but that it influenced them most and describes its practical lesson.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not the commenter’s favorite book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13805675,
          "author": "bynkman",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T20:13:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805675",
          "commentText": "Average is Over by Tyler Cowen. About educated middle class workers working with collaborative automated systems vs non-educated and a changing society.\nWho Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson. An allegory about how our modern jobs are changing.\nMindset by Carol Dweck. About the belief of fixed mindset vs a growth or learning mindset, and the effects of both.\nThe Icarus Deception by Seth Godin. How our industrial (conformity) economy has evolved into a connection (post-industrial) economy, and what it takes to survive in this new world.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson. An allegory about how our modern jobs are changing.",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about books that changed one’s worldview and describes its subject.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12246637,
          "author": "rplnt",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T10:28:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12246637",
          "commentText": "The reviews on goodreads[1] are hilarious. Ordered it right away, though I mostly don't read books that I order, so...\n1. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4894.Who_Moved_My_Cheese_",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The reviews on goodreads[1] are hilarious. Ordered it right away, though I mostly don't read books that I order, so...",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter ordered it but says they mostly do not read books they order; no endorsement is expressed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297252,
          "author": "pkhamre",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T13:52:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297252",
          "commentText": "Who Moved My Cheese?\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Who-Moved-My-Cheese-Amazing/dp/0399144... (http://www.amazon.com/Who-Moved-My-Cheese-Amazing/dp/0399144463)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Who Moved My Cheese?",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348233,
          "author": "herghost",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:29:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348233",
          "commentText": "\"Who Moved My Cheese\" by Spencer Johnson.\nIt's only a short tale, but it changed my approach to more or less everything.  I am eternally grateful to my good friend who showed it to me in about 2000/2001 ish.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it changed my approach to more or less everything. I am eternally grateful to my good friend who showed it to me",
          "reason": "Credits the short tale with changing the author's approach to nearly everything.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a short tale.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7002244,
          "author": "johnatwork",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-02T21:00:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 7001282,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7002244",
          "commentText": "\"Who moved my Cheese\" (http://www.amazon.com/Who-Moved-My-Cheese-Amazing/dp/0399144... (http://www.amazon.com/Who-Moved-My-Cheese-Amazing/dp/0399144463))\nAnd in conjunction to that, this article \"Someone is Coming to Eat You\" (http://randsinrepose.com/archives/someone-is-coming-to-eat-y... (http://randsinrepose.com/archives/someone-is-coming-to-eat-you/))",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Who moved my Cheese\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4787418,
          "author": "timmm",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:19:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787418",
          "commentText": "The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho.\nKing, Warrior, Magician, Lover by Moore and Gillette\nThe lean startup\nPaul Graham how to start a startup\nMark Hyman Ultimate Mind Solution\nTribal Leadership\nWheel of Time\nThink and Grow Rich\nSuperior Man David Deida\nThe Fountain Head\nEckhart Tolle New Earth\n50th Law\nGood to Great\nJed Mckenna\nEarl Nightengale\nLong Walk to Freedom\nOutliers\nGood to Great\nPsycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz (Self-image)\nSeven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey(Being awesome)\nWealth of Nations\nWayne Dyer The Tao\nSystem of the World\nOrigin of Species\nBrave new world\nThank you economy\nCrush it\nBuilt to Last\nWho Moved my Cheese\nStillness Speak Eckhert Tolle\nMastery George Leonard\nSteve Jobs Biography\nThe Last Lecture\nSteve Pavlina Books\nIacocca\nStriking Thoughts Bruce Lee\nCarlos Castaneda\nGhost in the Wires\nRichest Man in Babylon\nWay of the Superior Man\nLosing My Virginity\nThink and Grow Rich\nDelivering Happiness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Who Moved my Cheese",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2645512,
          "author": "colson04",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-12T02:52:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2645512",
          "commentText": "I briefly checked out the first 20 or 30 reviews on Amazon and was not surprised by the comments, but by the ratings.  My take on the comments?  True:  if you are a long time follower of the signal vs. noise blog then you will have seen some of the material before.  \nTrue:  some of the advice is ambiguous, but necessarily so - this is not a \"how to start a web company\" step-by-step manual.  It is an aid to seeing business from a total non-traditional platform.  \nTrue:  the book is short on pages and word-count - you can easily read it in an afternoon.  Every other page is an illustration (no informational value) of some kind taking away from actual information space - I did feel I was mislead by this.  \nTrue:  They do use their own company as an example quite a lot which took away credibility.  Their biz is the extreme example in a few ways but it is very interesting how they embrace obstacles that others run from i.e. having globally spread employees.\nI got over my own negativities when I read the book for the second time three months later.  The book is written in such a way that, to me, the message will adapt and be meaningful regardless of the current situation.  Kind of like the bookd Who Moved My Cheese is still taught and changes meaning for each reader, each time they read it.\nIn my opinion it's definitely worth reading - take that for what you will.\nOther suggestions?  I've got plenty if you want 'em.  I read a book or two a week.  Here's two more of my fav business-type books.\nSeeking Wisdom by Peter Bevelin &\nThe E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber - a classic\nHere's a short cut to the best reading on business and entrepreneurship - take the following links and cross reference.  If a book is on both lists it's usually very good.\nhttp://sivers.org/book\nhttp://personalmba.com/best-business-books/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Kind of like the bookd Who Moved My Cheese is still taught and changes meaning for each reader, each time they read it.",
          "reason": "Used as a comparison for how a book can take on meaning across readers and rereadings.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Spencer Johnson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "change management",
        "parable",
        "workplace",
        "workplace change"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "writing-an-interpreter-in-go-ffb1fa",
      "title": "Writing An Interpreter In Go",
      "author": "Thorsten Ball",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47730897,
          "author": "stevekemp",
          "createdAt": "2026-04-11T14:24:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 47728352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on building a programming language",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47730897",
          "commentText": "Crafting Interpreters is a good recommendation, and in the same spirit \"Writing an Interpreter in Go\" (and it's followup about writing a virtual machine) is a good addition.\nA lot of the complexity and front-work of these kinda things is the parsing step though, so you can follow MAL (or any other make a lisp tutorial) though that won't necessarily help with other languages it frees you to jump to the interesting parts.\nFORTH, mentioned in another comment, has that same appeal.  I wrote a quick tutorial here, back in the day:\nhttps://github.com/skx/foth",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Writing an Interpreter in Go\" (and it's followup about writing a virtual machine) is a good addition.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a good companion resource alongside Crafting Interpreters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28481558,
          "author": "wishinghand",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-10T13:52:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 28478751,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach you programming languages via systems projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28481558",
          "commentText": "There's the Writing an Interpreter/Compiler in Go books: https://interpreterbook.com/ (Compiler book link is on that page too).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "There's the Writing an Interpreter/Compiler in Go books",
          "reason": "Offers the Go interpreter book as a suggestion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27629992,
          "author": "divtiwari",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T12:40:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27629992",
          "commentText": "I would recommend reading/implementing the below:\n1. 'Write a Interpreter in Go' by Thorsten Ball\n2. 'Write a Compiler in Go' by Thorsten Ball\n3. 'Crafting Interpreters' by Bob Nystrom\n4. 'Ruby under a Microscope' by Pat Shaughnessy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Write a Interpreter in Go' by Thorsten Ball",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends reading and implementing it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22300940,
          "author": "benjaminjosephw",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-11T18:17:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22300940",
          "commentText": "Thorsten Ball's Writing An Interpreter In Go.\nA fantastically written technical book that walks through writing an interpreter for a simple programming language. It's test driven and a great introduction to the core concepts. Also a good book to get hands on with idiomatic Go code.\nhttps://interpreterbook.com/\nThorsten does a great job talking about the concepts in the book in this Go Time podcast: https://changelog.com/gotime/107",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thorsten Ball's Writing An Interpreter In Go.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it well written and says it teaches interpreter concepts and idiomatic Go through a hands-on project.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804093,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:12:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804093",
          "commentText": "Writing a Go Interpreter\nWriting a Go Compiler\nNo One Cares about Crazy People\nI Heard You Paint Houses\nUNIX: A History and a Memoir\nRed Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine\nHow Asia Works\nThe Dream Machine\nBlack Earth\nThe Fabric of Reality\nBehave (tried twice, maybe third times a charm?)\nA Short History of Nearly Everything\nStiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers\nGenius: The Life and Science Richard Feynman\nSuper Thinking\nMan's Search for Meaning\nThe Cooking Gene\nThe Vital Question: Why is Life The Way it Is (re-read)\nThe Case Against Sugar\nThe 15 Decisive Battles of the World\nThe History of the Peloponnesian War\nThe Beginning of Infinity\nThe Book of Why",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Writing a Go Interpreter",
          "reason": "Listed in the commenter's planned reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803515,
          "author": "lghh",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:10:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803515",
          "commentText": "Leisure Stuff:\nBoom Town: The Fantastical Saga Of Oklahoma City, It's Chaotic Founding... by Sam Anderson\nMidnight In Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham\nDune by Frank Herbert\nThe Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu (tried it this year and stopped, want to give it another go)\nStories of Your Life and Others - Ted Chiang (just finished Exhalation and I think it's great)\nAn Ursula K. Le Guin novel, have not picked one out yet\nA book related to basketball (possibly Dream Team, but IDK yet)\nLess Leisure Stuff:\nLocked In: The True Causes of Mass Incarceration and How to Achieve Real Reform by John Pfaff\nEvicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond\nThe End Of Policing by Alex S Vitale\nEither Manufacturing Consent or Understanding Power by Chomsky\nThe Annotated Turing by Charles Petzold\nWork:\nCode Complete 2 by Steve McConnell\nThe Web Application Hacker's Handbook: Finding and Exploiting Security Flaws by Dafydd Stuttard,  Marcus Pinto\nFinish Writing An Interpreter In Go by Thorsten Ball\nIf I can get through all of these, I will be very pleased. Throw in a book or two at recommendation from friends and I think I'm full for the year.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Finish Writing An Interpreter In Go by Thorsten Ball",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21766740,
          "author": "alexbilbie",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-11T20:56:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 21765528,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fun Tech Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21766740",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed Writing an Interpreter in Go - https://interpreterbook.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed Writing an Interpreter in Go",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13661305,
          "author": "crasm",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-16T16:43:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13661305",
          "commentText": "I haven't bought or started this yet, but this book on interpreters is on my todo list: https://interpreterbook.com/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "this book on interpreters is on my todo list",
          "reason": "Plans to read it; no positive evaluation or recommendation is stated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thorsten Ball"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "go",
        "interpreter implementation",
        "interpreters",
        "go programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "1q84-43ff8c",
      "title": "1Q84",
      "author": "Haruki Murakami",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49907850,
          "author": "ankkalinna",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T12:21:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49907850",
          "commentText": "I've been re-reading 1Q84 by Murakami. It left a very light and magical impression on me in high school, but I couldn't remember much at all of it anymore so decided to pick it up again and dust it off.\nI'm also trying to transition into software development and have been watching John Ousterhout's talks and just yesterday started reading \"A Philosophy of Software Design\" - enjoying it so far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've been re-reading 1Q84 by Murakami. It left a very light and magical impression on me in high school, but I couldn't remember much at all of it anymore so decided to pick it up again and dust it off.",
          "reason": "The commenter is revisiting it after a memorable, light, magical impression in high school.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42268721,
          "author": "MarcelOlsz",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T21:44:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268721",
          "commentText": "Best one was Something Happened by Joseph Heller (Catch 22 guy). Worst one was 1Q84 by Murakami (so far).",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Worst one was 1Q84 by Murakami (so far).",
          "reason": "The commenter names it as the worst book they read so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter qualifies this judgment with “so far.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13239670,
          "author": "thisisforyou",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T19:33:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13239670",
          "commentText": "Nice! Recommend 'Hard Boiled Wonderland' as well. His most tightly plotted and laid out book, if you like that part of his work. His non-fic is great as well. IQ84 is a bit long winded and sort of a 'b-side' IMO, might want to save that for last.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "IQ84 is a bit long winded and sort of a 'b-side' IMO, might want to save that for last.",
          "reason": "Suggests saving it for last because they find it long-winded and somewhat secondary.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter considers it long-winded and a bit of a B-side.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12475095,
          "author": "FLGMwt",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T19:19:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12475095",
          "commentText": "The Compass Rose - Ursula Le Guin\nWitch Piss - Sam Pink\n1Q84 - Haruki Murakami",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "1Q84 - Haruki Murakami",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12244711,
          "author": "Ar-Curunir",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T00:49:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244711",
          "commentText": "1Q84 is probably my favourite Murakamai book so far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1Q84 is probably my favourite Murakamai book so far.",
          "reason": "Calls it probably their favorite Murakami book so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says “probably” and “so far.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10784101,
          "author": "skorgu",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:39:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10784101",
          "commentText": "I was on a sf kick this year apparently.\nFull list (why can't amazon show me the read dates of my kindle books?!):\n- Ancillary Sword\n- The Magician's Land\n- The Three Body Problem (incomplete)\n- Libriomancer, Codex Born, Unbound\n- Thank You, Jeeves\n- Omon Ra (incomplete)\n- Stations of the Tide\n- 1Q84 (staggeringly incomplete)\n- The Desert Spear (incomplete)\n- The Lost Fleet: {Dauntless,Fearless,Courageous} (third \none incomplete)\n- Superintelligence\n- Nexus, Crux (incomplete)\n- Another Fine Myth\n- The Annihilation Score\n- The Man with the Golden Torc, Daemons are Forever\n- The Fractal Prince (incomplete)\n- Crooked\n- Ancillary Mercy\n- The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet\n- The Traitor Baru Cormarant\n- Excession\n- Hive Mind\n- Seveneves",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "- 1Q84 (staggeringly incomplete)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Marked staggeringly incomplete.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4967473,
          "author": "platz",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T23:37:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967473",
          "commentText": "I liked 1Q84.  I felt it could have been a bit shorter without much loss to the story though. 'The Wind Up Bird Chronicle' and 'Hard Boiled Wonderland and The End of the World' remain my favorite Murakami novels.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I liked 1Q84.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they liked it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter thinks it could have been shorter without much loss to the story.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4966619,
          "author": "lemma",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T18:26:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4966619",
          "commentText": "1Q84. True \"literature\" without feeling like it. I wish I could read the original Japenese. Also, too bizarre to really describe accurately.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1Q84. True \"literature\" without feeling like it.",
          "reason": "Praises it as literature that does not feel like it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter wishes they could read the Japanese original and says the book is too bizarre to describe accurately.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4787443,
          "author": "fsethi",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:27:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787443",
          "commentText": "Some old that I have re-read, some new, all worth your time:\nOld Man And The Sea - Ernest Hemingway\nIQ84 - Haruki Murakami\nThe Last Lecture - Randy Pausch\nOn Writing - Stephen King\nWhen Bad Things Happen To Good People - Harold Kushner\nCatcher In The Rye - J.D. Salinger\nNotes To Myself - Hugh Prather",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "IQ84 - Haruki Murakami",
          "reason": "Included among books described as worth the reader's time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4776515,
          "author": "viviantan",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-13T05:03:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 4770238,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fiction books that entertain and educate?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4776515",
          "commentText": "Haruki Murakami:\n1Q84 -- title's a nod to Orwellian dystopia; awesome mystery with a dash of sci-fi that takes place in a parallel universe sort of Tokyo; the English editon's 3 books in one so it's quite looong\nWind Up Bird Chronicle -- another 3-books-in-one psychological thriller, but the plotline's really just a device for telling the story of the Soviet-Japan border clashes during WWII and the atrocities committed by both sides; I loved the story but it's long and really weird, even for Murakami\nHardboiled Wonderland And The End Of The World -- really fun and imaginative book about a guy who can encrypt data by passing it through his subconsciousness, and ends up getting stuck there himself; I think this was the book that made Murakami famous in the US",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1Q84 -- title's a nod to Orwellian dystopia; awesome mystery with a dash of sci-fi that takes place in a parallel universe sort of Tokyo; the English editon's 3 books in one so it's quite looong",
          "reason": "Described as an awesome mystery with science fiction elements.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The English edition combines three books and is quite long.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Haruki Murakami"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Fantasy",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "magical realism",
        "literary fiction",
        "alternate reality",
        "japanese literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "2001-a-space-odyssey-4c66b6",
      "title": "2001: A Space Odyssey",
      "author": "Arthur C. Clarke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35394255,
          "author": "ckorhonen",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-31T22:01:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 35392063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Science Fiction books that predict where ChatGPT might lead us?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35394255",
          "commentText": "There are numerous science fiction books that have explored the potential impact of artificial intelligence on humanity, ranging from utopian to dystopian scenarios. Here are some of the most interesting and relevant titles that address the questions and fears you've mentioned:\n\"Neuromancer\" by William Gibson (1984): This cyberpunk classic envisions a future where AI is deeply ingrained in human society and plays a significant role in shaping it.\n\"2001: A Space Odyssey\" by Arthur C. Clarke (1968): The novel, as well as the film adaptation by Stanley Kubrick, explores the relationship between humans and AI, particularly when AI begins to develop its own goals and intentions.\n\"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?\" by Philip K. Dick (1968): This novel, which inspired the movie \"Blade Runner,\" questions the nature of humanity and consciousness as it relates to artificial beings.\n\"I, Robot\" by Isaac Asimov (1950): A collection of short stories that feature the famous \"Three Laws of Robotics\" and explore various aspects of AI and their impact on society.\n\"The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress\" by Robert A. Heinlein (1966): This novel features an AI that becomes self-aware and partners with humans in a fight for lunar independence.\n\"The Culture\" series by Iain M. Banks: This series of novels is set in a post-scarcity society managed by benevolent, hyper-intelligent AIs called Minds.\n\"The Singularity is Near\" by Ray Kurzweil (2005): Though not a novel, this non-fiction book predicts the future of AI, discussing the potential for AI to surpass human intelligence and the implications of this eventuality.\n\"Accelerando\" by Charles Stross (2005): The novel explores a future in which AI, augmented humans, and post-humans coexist, addressing various ethical and societal issues along the way.\n\"Daemon\" by Daniel Suarez (2006): This techno-thriller features an AI created by a deceased programmer that sets out to create a new world order.\n\"Altered Carbon\" by Richard K. Morgan (2002): This cyberpunk novel touches on AI's impact on society, particularly in the context of human consciousness and digital immortality.\nThese books offer thought-provoking explorations of the possible consequences, both positive and negative, of advanced AI systems like ChatGPT. While each of these works is fictional and speculative in nature, they can still provide valuable insights and stimulate important discussions about the future of AI and humanity.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"2001: A Space Odyssey\" by Arthur C. Clarke (1968): The novel, as well as the film adaptation by Stanley Kubrick, explores the relationship between humans and AI, particularly when AI begins to develop its own goals and intentions.",
          "reason": "Listed among titles addressing AI's potential effects on humanity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15633859,
          "author": "AquiGorka",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-06T07:09:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15633859",
          "commentText": "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series.\nFoundation series.\nSnow Crash.\n2001: A space odyssey.\nWhy?\nAll are so much fun to read over and over again.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2001: A space odyssey.",
          "reason": "Says it is fun to reread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056509,
          "author": "lwgray",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:14:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056509",
          "commentText": "Top 3 for me, would be\n1. Ender's Game\n2.  2001 Space Odyssey - I sit down with Arthur for Tea at his home in Colombo, Sri Lanka - He gave me a copy of his article in which he first described telecommunication via satellites\n3.  Snow Crash",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2.  2001 Space Odyssey",
          "reason": "Named among the commenter's top three.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8947112,
          "author": "user_235711",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-26T14:25:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8947112",
          "commentText": "Invasion of the Body Snatchers by Jack Finney\n2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke\nBrave New World by Aldous Huxley\nMission of Gravity by Hal Clement\nThe Song and the Pendant by Magnus Von Black",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 141236,
          "author": "gcheong",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T23:15:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=141236",
          "commentText": "2001: A Space Odyssey - What hacker read that and then didn't want to create HAL?\nHHGTTG: Insipired me to keep the relative unimportance of most things in perspective",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2001: A Space Odyssey - What hacker read that and then didn't want to create HAL?",
          "reason": "Offered as an inspiring science-fiction book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 141045,
          "author": "ken",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T19:16:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=141045",
          "commentText": "Arthur C. Clarke's \"2001: A Space Odyssey\".\nI kind of wonder about the people who are claiming books like \"1984\" are inspirational.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Arthur C. Clarke's \"2001: A Space Odyssey\".",
          "reason": "Names the novel as an answer to which science fiction book is inspiring.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in classic science fiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter questions whether some other named books are inspirational.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur C. Clarke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space exploration",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "first contact"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "against-the-gods-the-remarkable-story-of-risk-c5762f",
      "title": "Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk",
      "author": "Peter L. Bernstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42654309,
          "author": "llamaimperative",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T10:07:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42654309",
          "commentText": "Agreed not sure it exactly fits the prompt but this is a really fascinating book. One of those things where I didn’t fully bring into conscious awareness until reading it: statistics are tools that didn’t always exist, and had to be developed alongside multiple philosophical revolutions.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "this is a really fascinating book.",
          "reason": "Calls the book fascinating and connects it to the development of statistics and philosophical ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it may not exactly fit the prompt.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42220961,
          "author": "throw0101d",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T14:13:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42220961",
          "commentText": "If I had to pick one: The rise and fall of American growth: the U.S. standard of living since the Civil War by Robert Gordon. The gains that we have made in the (early) 20th century are unlikely to ever be repeated, and progress in many metrics has measurably slowed or even stalled since ~1970s (likely being asymptotic). And while the Internet (classified under the Information, Communication, Technology (ICT) chapters) gave a bump in the 1990s, it's mostly been flat since 2004.\nMore economic history with Slouching towards Utopia: an economic history of the twentieth century by J. Bradford Delong. More economic ideas stuff in Value(s): building a better world for all by Mark Carney (ran the Banks of Canada and England). Also Waphsott's Keynes Hayek: the clash that defined modern economics and Samuelson Friedman: the battle over the free market.\nThe currency of politics: the political theory of money from Aristotle to Keynes by Sefan Eich, Money: the true story of a made-up thing by Jacob Goldstein, and The power of gold: the history of an obsession by Peter Bernstein (also his Against the Gods on risk). Show how much of a human construct \"money\" is, how its meaning changes in different times and places/cultures. Should be required reading by all the 'hard money' folks (gold standard, BTC).\nThe good life: lessons from the world's longest scientific study of happiness by Waldinger and Schultz (directors of the Harvard study). If there's one 'magic' thing for health and happiness it seems to be having good relationships (family, friends) in your life.\nReligion: what it is, how it works, and why it matters by Christian Smith and Strange rites: new religions for a godless world by Tara Burton. While many think that religion is in decline, the non-material/supernatural things that people believe in has actually shifted. And having beliefs in a super-human entity seems to be the basis of most societies and civilizations. Related, The warfare between science and religion : the idea that wouldn't die, a series of essays; the conflict thesis bunk, both historically and presently.\nThe origins of Canadian and American political differences by Jason Kaufman, two seemingly-the-same neighbouring countries that have had different development paths when it comes to culture and government. (I'm Canadian.)\nSpeaking of government: Civil resistance: what everyone needs to know by Erica Chenoweth. Seems violence/force is generally a less effective way to affect change in society than non-violence.\nThe week: a history of the unnatural rhythms that made us who we are by David Henkin. Seems that while seven days has been around for a long while, making it a really 'hard' structure/schedule around it is a more recent phenomenon than you'd expect.\nIf you have kids, Karen Le Billon's French kids eat everything (and yours can, too) and Getting to YUM: the 7 secrets of raising eager eaters, her husband is French and she lived there for a year and found many things done better there than US/CA. See also The happiest kids in the world: how Dutch parents help their kids and themselves by doing less by Acosta and Hutchison.\nFlying blind: the 737 MAX tragedy and the fall of Boeing by Peter Robison is an HN favourite. While we get a lot of engineer vs MBA comments, I think the bigger problem (associated with the MBA-types) is financialization, i.e., returns over everything else. Having non-engineers/MBAs can be 'fine' also long as trying to squeeze blood/money from a stone at the cost of everything else.\nSome philosophy with Alasdair C. MacIntyre: After Virtue is a good starting point. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/After_Virtue",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "also his Against the Gods on risk",
          "reason": "Mentions it as another book by Bernstein, on risk.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in risk.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17911376,
          "author": "sonabinu",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T18:09:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17911376",
          "commentText": "Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk\nby Peter L. Bernstein \nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/128429.Against_the_Gods\nThe Physics of Wall Street: A Brief History of Predicting the Unpredictable\nby James Owen Weatherall https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13356644-the-physics-of-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13356644-the-physics-of-wall-street)\nFaster Than Thought: A Symposium on Digital Computing Machines\n(1953) by B. V. Bowden. http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/10719/Faster-Than-Tho... (http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/10719/Faster-Than-Thought-A-Symposium-on-Digital-Computing-Machines-1953/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk\nby Peter L. Bernstein",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17205434,
          "author": "indescions_2018",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T14:08:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205434",
          "commentText": "Now this is a great list ;)\nI'll just add:\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins Of The Internet\nAgainst The Gods: The Remarkable Story Of Risk",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Against The Gods: The Remarkable Story Of Risk",
          "reason": "Added as a title to an explicit request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 57595,
          "author": "ctkrohn",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-20T20:48:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=57595",
          "commentText": "That book was OK, but the later parts (where he talks about CAPM and so forth) are uninformative to anyone who knows about modern mathematical finance.\nIf you're looking for pop-math/finance books that could change how you look at the world, I'd recomment Taleb's \"Fooled by Randomness\" instead.  Taleb is smug, but he makes an important point: people are way too eager to see patterns where none exist.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "That book was OK, but the later parts (where he talks about CAPM and so forth) are uninformative to anyone who knows about modern mathematical finance.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it OK but says its later material is uninformative to readers familiar with modern mathematical finance.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the history of probabilistic thought.",
          "caveat": "Later sections may not inform readers who know modern mathematical finance.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 57126,
          "author": "davidmathers",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-20T00:00:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=57126",
          "commentText": "Against the Gods by Peter Bernstein. At worst, a good background education on the history of probabilistic thought. At best, could fundamentally alter your world view.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Against the Gods by Peter Bernstein. At worst, a good background education on the history of probabilistic thought. At best, could fundamentally alter your world view.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as background on probabilistic thought and says it could change the reader's worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Frames the potential to alter one's worldview as the best case; at minimum it offers background education.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter L. Bernstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "risk",
        "probability",
        "financial history",
        "decision making"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "being-and-time-611403",
      "title": "Being and Time",
      "author": "Martin Heidegger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19090108,
          "author": "nathias",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T21:39:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090108",
          "commentText": "Plato - Meno, Symposium, Parmenides, Gorgias, Protagoras\nPlotinus -Enneads\nMarkus Aurelius - Meditations\nDescartes - On method\nDescartes - Meditations\nSpinoza - On the improvement of Understanding\nLeibniz - Monadology\nLeibniz - Grace\nVoltaire - Candid\nDiderot - D'Alembert's Dream\nKant - How to orient oneself in thinking\nKant - Critique of Pure Reason\nKant - Critique of Judgment\nHegel - Phenomenology of Spirit\nHegel - Logic\nvon Kleist - Marionette Theatre\nKierkegaard - The Sickness Unto Death\nHeidegger - Being and Time\nSartre - Being and Nothingness\nSartre - Flies\nSartre - Nausea\nDeleuze - Difference and Repetition\nKafka - Metamorphosis\nKafka - The Castle\nLem - Magellan Nebula\nLem - His Master's Voice\nCioran - A Short History of Decay\nPessoa - Book Of Despair\nWolfe -  New Sun tetralogy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Heidegger - Being and Time",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13805792,
          "author": "mathoff",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T20:28:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805792",
          "commentText": "Heidegger: Sein und Zeit https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21477742-martin-heidegge... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21477742-martin-heidegger) (translation: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/92307.Being_and_Time ). \nGreat philosophy, and, alas, nazi author. But you can't choose your family either.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Heidegger: Sein und Zeit https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21477742-martin-heidegge... (translation: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/92307.Being_and_Time ). Great philosophy, and, alas, nazi author.",
          "reason": "Praises its philosophy while noting that Heidegger was a Nazi.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The author was a Nazi, as the commenter notes.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752295,
          "author": "oscilloscope",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T07:13:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752295",
          "commentText": "\"Will to Power\" by Friedrich Nietzsche, who you'll probably love if you like Rand.\n\"A Thousand Plateaus\" by Deleuze & Guattari.  A psychedelic philosophy of complexity.  Not exactly an airtight philosophical system, but it will blow your mind several times per page.\n\"Being & Time\" by Martin Heidegger.  An intense, logical investigation of individual existence.  A deeply nuanced philosophical take on death, being, and temporality.  This is the book to grapple with your inevitable annihilation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Being & Time\" by Martin Heidegger. An intense, logical investigation of individual existence. A deeply nuanced philosophical take on death, being, and temporality. This is the book to grapple with your inevitable annihilation.",
          "reason": "Recommended for grappling with existence, death, and temporality.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in existential philosophy.",
          "caveat": "Described as intense.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503706,
          "author": "edna_piranha",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T14:46:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503706",
          "commentText": "If you're interested in phenomenology and/or existentialism and works that are somewhat readable (this is subjective of course), I'd suggest:\n1. Maurice Merleau-Ponty - The Phenomenology of Perception\n2. Simone de Beauvoir - Ethics of Ambiguity\n3. Friedrich Nietzsche - Will to Power\nI'd highly recommend NOT reading Being and Time by Heidegger - you'll want to stab your eyes out ten times.\nOutside of pure philosophical texts and more emphasis on fictional works related to philosophy, I'd suggest indirect material that encourage ideas of subjective perception and point-of-view. Examples are works by Franz Kafka, Ryu Murakami and William S. Burroughs.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I'd highly recommend NOT reading Being and Time by Heidegger - you'll want to stab your eyes out ten times.",
          "reason": "Strongly advises against reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter emphatically discourages reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503549,
          "author": "humblepatience",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T12:38:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503549",
          "commentText": "I agree, Being and Time is an impossible read - Betrand Russell is a good start",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Being and Time is an impossible read",
          "reason": "Calls it an impossible read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503488,
          "author": "michael_dorfman",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T11:16:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503488",
          "commentText": "I think the quality of advice you're getting on this thread is very mixed.\nSome of the books mentioned are absolutely great-- like \"Being and Time\", or Husserl's \"Logical Investigations\"-- but incredibly difficult to read unprepared.  If you were ready to be reading them, you wouldn't be asking the question here.\nThe two books you mention in the question (Common Sense and \"On the Fourfold Root\") are both quite readable, as are a few of the primary texts mentioned in the responses (\"Existentialism is a Humanism\", \"Thus Spoke Zarathustra\") but in general, I'd have to suggest you stay away from primary texts at first.\nIn other words, begin by reading works about philosophy, rather than works of philosophy.\nA single-volume work on the history of philosophy will give you the broad scope (for example, Durant, or Russell, or \"Sophie's World\" if you prefer fiction), but will tend to turn the philosophers discussed into caricatures of themselves.\nYou mention that you are in school; I'd suggest you take a philosophy course or two, if you are interested in the field.  Having an experienced guide will definitely help.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "like \"Being and Time\"",
          "reason": "Described as incredibly difficult to read without preparation.",
          "audience": "Readers approaching primary philosophy texts.",
          "caveat": "The comment says it is difficult to read unprepared.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503244,
          "author": "vlorch",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T07:11:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503244",
          "commentText": "being and time - Martin Heidegger",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "being and time - Martin Heidegger",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143380,
          "author": "_5y6p",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T16:32:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143380",
          "commentText": "Without a doubt, Heidegger's explanation of readiness-to-hand in Being and Time has done more for my usability and process inefficiency evaluating skills than even Don Norman's Design of Everyday Things or any HCI book I've ever read.  While Norman's book comes in a strong second, the benefit of the first few chapters of Being and Time is the incredibly low-level cognitive access it gives you to the work your brain does when engaged in a task.  (If you're interested and don't mind slogging through some tough writing, pick up the hardcover version and Dreyfus' Being-in-the-World and read them together.  Reading a Wikipedia article or some other summary fails to deliver the same degree of low-level access.)\nI'll also mention Ayn Rand as someone who wrote inspiringly about the entrepreneur as a (potentially) heroic figure, but hasten to add that her sociology of looters and movers is way too simplistic to ground some of her views on ethics.\nJohn Stuart Mill's \"Utilitarianism\" was my first assigned reading in a political philosophy class, and remains my favorite.\nNietzsche's On the Genealogy of Morals prompted me to question whether the values I had always held were really all that valuable.\nEleanor Rosch's work on basic categories and prototype theory (without which Lakoff's Women, Fire, and Dangerous Things--not to mention Weinberger's Everything is Miscellaneous--would likely not have been written) is fantastic, debunking empirically the Aristotelian theory of categories as being defined by necessary and sufficient conditions (they can be, where we intentionally define them to be from a top-down point of view, as in geometry, but bottom-up the construction of categories is much looser and based on family resemblances with one or several prototypes serving as the central point of comparison: hence, when I say \"bird\" you're more likely to think of a bluebird-type bird than a penguin or an ostrich).  Knowing this does a lot to help loosen up your understanding of things, which can become rigidified by traditional mathematical, scientific, and analytic philosophical education.\nSeveral others worth mentioning, but I've got to get back to work!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Heidegger's explanation of readiness-to-hand in Being and Time has done more for my usability and process inefficiency evaluating skills",
          "reason": "The commenter says it improved their ability to evaluate usability and process inefficiency.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in usability, cognition, and philosophy.",
          "caveat": "Described as tough writing; the commenter suggests reading it alongside Being-in-the-World.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin Heidegger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "phenomenology",
        "existentialism",
        "readiness to hand"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "calculus-on-manifolds-e18800",
      "title": "Calculus on Manifolds",
      "author": "Michael Spivak",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35934401,
          "author": "replicant",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-14T01:10:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35934401",
          "commentText": "Not the person you are responding, but I also used Spivak for single variable. For multivariable calculus I used Marsden and Tromba.\nThe other Spivak is a great book, but maybe too much for a first approach to the subject.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The other Spivak is a great book, but maybe too much for a first approach to the subject.",
          "reason": "Described as a good book, with a caution about using it as a first introduction.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a first approach to the subject.",
          "caveat": "May be too much for a first approach.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35930825,
          "author": "okaleniuk",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T17:52:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35930825",
          "commentText": "Calculus on Manifolds by Michael Spivak. http://www.strangebeautiful.com/other-texts/spivak-calc-mani... (http://www.strangebeautiful.com/other-texts/spivak-calc-manifolds.pdf)\nFor me, the eye opening thing was that any n-dimensional body is a transformation of the n-dimensional standard cube. This brings some mathematical consequences I don't understand, but what's important for me is that equations get much easier for the standard cube transformations because your corners are just ones and zeros.\nE. g. I wrote an app that \"unbends\" a book page from a photo so it looks flat. It can be done with a single but rather large transformation, or with a pair of transformations: to and from the standard cube, and each transformation is then much simpler than their composition. 15 years after I learned that trick and 10 years after I wrote an app, I wrote a book called Geometry for Programmers.\nIf not for Spivak, I would have drowned in equations, never written the app and would have had nothing to write a book about.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Calculus on Manifolds by Michael Spivak.",
          "reason": "Credits it with introducing a geometric transformation idea that later helped them write an app and a book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They say some mathematical consequences of the idea remain beyond their understanding.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34442367,
          "author": "VyseofArcadia",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T16:44:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34442367",
          "commentText": "Seconding all of Spivak's books. My favorite treatment of differential geometry.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seconding all of Spivak's books.",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds all of Spivak’s books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23726902,
          "author": "KenoFischer",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T19:48:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23726902",
          "commentText": "If you want to get away from analysis, I've found that cryptography can be quite an engaging subject. If you have the right book, it can have the rigors of more mathematical subjects, while being accessible without extensive background and having visible real-world applications. I unfortunately don't have much experience with books in this area, but I do like https://files.boazbarak.org/crypto/lnotes_book.pdf (plus it's free ;) ).\n[EDIT: Previously I recommended Calculus on Manifolds here also, but on further reflection and reading some of the other responses I think I both misremembered the difficulty level of the book and overestimated what early-undergrad level means]",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Previously I recommended Calculus on Manifolds here also, but on further reflection and reading some of the other responses I think I both misremembered the difficulty level of the book and overestimated what early-undergrad level means",
          "reason": "The commenter retracts the recommendation after reconsidering the book's difficulty for the intended level.",
          "audience": "Early-undergraduate readers, as discussed in the thread.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they misremembered the difficulty and overestimated what early-undergraduate level means.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17985394,
          "author": "enriquto",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-14T07:36:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17985394",
          "commentText": "Calculus on Manifolds, by Michael Spivak",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Calculus on Manifolds, by Michael Spivak",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7578160,
          "author": "j2kun",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T15:53:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578160",
          "commentText": "Sheldon Axler's \"Linear Algebra Done Right\" has my highest recommendation if you want expertise in linear algebra.\nAs a followup, Paolo Aluffi's \"Algebra: Chapter Zero\" is the best synthesizing text for abstract algebra for a beginning graduate student. The thing that makes it so amazing is the writing style: it introduces and demystifies category theory, and then discusses groups, rings, modules, linear algebra, fields, r-modules, and advanced topics (toward the end) with the unifying theme of how they work and relate as categories. It is very much a book that focuses on the why over the what and how. And there are many many many juicy exercises.\nI would recommend against Spivak's Calculus on manifolds. It's too dense and too focused on advanced topics (unless you're an ivy league undergrad, you don't learn cohomology). That being said I don't have an analysis reference that fits your request.\nAs a CS person I can continue with book recommendations related to computing-related topics in math (computational algebraic geometry comes to mind). Let me know if you're interested.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I would recommend against Spivak's Calculus on manifolds. It's too dense and too focused on advanced topics",
          "reason": "The commenter advises against it because it is too dense and focused on advanced topics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may suit an Ivy League undergraduate.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 756950,
          "author": "travisjeffery",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-12T00:45:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=756950",
          "commentText": "I'm pretty at Mathematics and doing that takes a lot of work. And the Mathematics books for noobs are no good.\nThe better approach is to get a theoretical book, something like Spivak's Calculus or Linear Algebra by Friedberg, Insel and Spence. And then from there whenever you have difficulty with the material spread out laterally and you really start to gradually grow an understanding of mathematics.\nAnd then perhaps, one day you'll be up for Spivak's Calculus on Manifolds!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "And then perhaps, one day you'll be up for Spivak's Calculus on Manifolds!",
          "reason": "Presented as a later book to tackle after gradually building mathematical understanding.",
          "audience": "Readers who have developed stronger mathematical foundations.",
          "caveat": "Suggested for a later stage, after building understanding.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Spivak"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "manifolds",
        "multivariable calculus",
        "calculus",
        "differential forms"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "confessions-of-an-economic-hit-man-9ccfdd",
      "title": "Confessions of an Economic Hit Man",
      "author": "John Perkins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49903560,
          "author": "Hasz",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T02:13:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49903560",
          "commentText": "Confessions of an Economic Hitman.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confessions_of_an_Economic_Hit... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confessions_of_an_Economic_Hit_Man)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Confessions of an Economic Hitman.",
          "reason": "Lists the book without further comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20332600,
          "author": "teekert",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T06:16:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20332600",
          "commentText": "In the wake of China's expansion into Africa, I'd recommend \"Confessions of an economic hitman\" by John Perkins.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend \"Confessions of an economic hitman\" by John Perkins.",
          "reason": "Recommended in the context of China's expansion into Africa.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17933767,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T12:39:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933767",
          "commentText": "I found that a fun read. No idea how much of it is real.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I found that a fun read. No idea how much of it is real.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it an enjoyable read, while remaining unsure how much is factual.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No idea how much of it is real.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17925743,
          "author": "justaguyhere",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-06T12:35:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17925743",
          "commentText": "You might like this one, not sure how much of it is true and how much is made up\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Economic-Hit-John-Perkins... (https://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Economic-Hit-John-Perkins/dp/0452287081/)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "You might like this one, not sure how much of it is true and how much is made up",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the book while questioning how much of it is true.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure how much is true versus made up.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13236372,
          "author": "n3on_net",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T10:47:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13236372",
          "commentText": "Here is my list of 2016:\n- The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory\n- The 48 Laws Of Power\n- Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything\n- Crossing the Chasm\n- The Richest Man in Babylon\n- Confessions of an Economic Hit Man\n- Europe: A History\n- The Penguin History of Europe\n- The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon\n- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\nEvery of the books was awesome. The only thing is that I haven't finished Europe: A History from Norman and read The Penguin History of Europe instead because the Norman book was just too long for me. But It has way more details.\nI switch between business-related books and non-business related (it can be everything from philosophy to language history to hardcore science) but I don't read fiction (The Richest Man in Babylon is fictional, but still the focus is on self-development).\nHope you could see some titles that might interest you.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Every of the books was awesome.",
          "reason": "The commenter says every listed book was awesome.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968507,
          "author": "sir-pinecone",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T00:13:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968507",
          "commentText": "Just finished Confessions of an Economic Hitman by John Perkins. It was quite the eye opener.\nNow I'm on Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. Very funny book so far. The main character, Ignatius, is such a piece of work. I was slightly annoyed at first, but he's so odd and unique that it kept me captivated. Now everything is just really funny.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Just finished Confessions of an Economic Hitman by John Perkins. It was quite the eye opener.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as an eye opener.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86192,
          "author": "modulus",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T02:54:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86192",
          "commentText": "Confessions of an Economic Hitman,\nThe Wealth of Nations,\nThe Great Gatsby,\nSee No Evil,\nHannibal",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Confessions of an Economic Hitman,",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite in response to the thread’s book question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Perkins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "international development",
        "economic imperialism",
        "memoir",
        "africa"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "creativity-inc-29ea1c",
      "title": "Creativity, Inc.",
      "author": "Ed Catmull and Amy Wallace",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35170702,
          "author": "bikeformind",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T16:24:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35170702",
          "commentText": "Here are some suggestions on the more creative and less tactical spectrum.\nHow To Get Rich: Felix Dennis\nDon’t be fooled by the title. A lifetime of insights and experience from a pioneering publishing magnate condensed into a light enjoyable read.\nCreativity Inc by Ed Catmull\ngoes into great detail about the early days of Pixar. So many actionable lessons about entrepreneurship and operating a creative organization.\nThe War of Art by Steven Pressfield\nNot just for artists this book is a bible for anyone who has difficulty getting out of their own way. provides useful frameworks to understand the concept of resistance and recognize negative self defeating thought patterns that many entrepreneurs struggle with.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "So many actionable lessons about entrepreneurship and operating a creative organization.",
          "reason": "Offers actionable lessons about entrepreneurship and running a creative organization.",
          "audience": "People interested in entrepreneurship and creative organizations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21713941,
          "author": "jppope",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T17:01:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21713941",
          "commentText": "Here's my shortlist:\n- The Art of the Advantage (33 stratagems)\n- Winning By Jack Welch\n- Tribal Leadership\n- Creativity Inc\n- The Lean Startup (~leadership in the face of uncertainty)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Creativity Inc",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21712780,
          "author": "zt",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T15:00:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21712780",
          "commentText": "I think this is a more complicated question that it first appears. What do you mean by leadership? Getting things done for some strict definition? Managing a team? Managing a huge enterprise? I think reading books across the spectrum of leadership and management is critical, as each gives you some feeling of the underlying “truth” that you’re trying to find.\nI think the best book on the topic as I think you mean it is High Output Management by Andy Grove. It’s a classic. Incredibly well written. Direct.\nFrom there, I’d actually take a pivot and read MCDP 1 Warfighting, which is concise, brilliant, generally applicable, and completely aligned with the thinking of Grove. Along the same lines, I’d consider reading about OODA (I like “Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War” but not strictly necessary to read an entire biography). I think then you start to see that “Management” began to mean something particular in the post-war era for those who could see it, that it’s been lost in most organizations. Agile, lean, blah blah blah is all sort of derived from here.\nThen get some conditioning on how it all goes wrong, for which I would suggest the classic “The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering”, which is generally applicable.\nThen personally, I era toward thinking about organizations that have accomplished great things, so suggest “Creativity, Inc”, “Doing the Impossible: George E. Mueller & the Management of NASA's Human Spaceflight Program”, and books of those type.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "suggest “Creativity, Inc”",
          "reason": "Suggests it as an example of a book about organizations that accomplished great things.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in organizations and management.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910210,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:25:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910210",
          "commentText": "- \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies\" - probably the most influential book I've read in my life, profoundly changed the way I think. It's a collection of LessWrong essays on science and rationality.\n- \"On Intelligence\" and \"I am a Strange Loop\" - how mind works.\n- \"Rework\", \"Zero to One\", \"Start Small, Stay Small\" - insightful startup advice.\n- Fun autobiographies: Ghost in the Wires (Kevin Mitnick), iWoz (Steve Wozniak), Catch me if you can (Frank Abagnale), Just for Fun (Linus Torvalds), Elon Musk, Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\n- How companies work: Creativity Inc (Pixar), In the Plex (Google)\n- On writing: Art of fiction/nonfiction by Ayn Rand, Story by Robert McKee, Save the Cat, Step by Step to Standup Comedy.\n- Other: The Selfish Gene, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Serious Creativity, Hackers & Painters, Hacking Growth, Angel (on angel investing, by Jason Calacanis).\nAlso collections of essays by Paul Graham [1] and Scott Alexander [2]:\n[1] https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%20Complete%20Essays.epub?dl=0)\n[2] https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of%20Scott%20Alexandria%20-%20Scott%20Alexander.epub?dl=0)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Creativity Inc (Pixar)",
          "reason": "Listed among the books about how companies work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144444,
          "author": "benkarst",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T16:13:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144444",
          "commentText": "1. \"The Age of Spiritual Machines\" (2000) by Ray Kurzweil. This futurist book sparked my imagination at a young age as to what was possible with technology. Several of its predictions that have come true today.\n2. \"Creativity Inc.\" (2014) by Ed Catmull. Fascinating stories and lessons from the man who ran Pixar, the animated film company with 11 straight number 1's at the box office.\n3. \"Outliers\" by Malcolm Gladwell. Along with talent and hard work, being well-positioned is a big part of success. Put in 10,000 hours to be great at anything.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fascinating stories and lessons from the man who ran Pixar",
          "reason": "Praises its stories and lessons from Pixar's former head.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229655,
          "author": "climber_mac",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T14:59:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229655",
          "commentText": "Creativity Inc., by Ed Catmull (co-founder of Pixar). A book on the structure and processes used at Pixar to sustain the creative process - It's one of the best books I've read on business/management and personal development.\nEd is an incredible human being! Go read it!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's one of the best books I've read on business/management and personal development.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of the best books they have read and says, “Go read it!”",
          "audience": "Readers interested in business, management, or personal development.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ed Catmull",
        "Amy Wallace"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Art",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creative leadership",
        "pixar",
        "company culture",
        "creative organizations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "facts-and-fallacies-of-software-engineering-1c60e2",
      "title": "Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering",
      "author": "Robert L. Glass",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22710359,
          "author": "PaulAJ",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T10:44:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22710359",
          "commentText": "* Alan Turing: The Enigma of Intelligence by Andrew Hodges. The definitive biography, with lots of detailed explanations of his work.\n* Making Software, edited by Oram & Wilson. A bunch of papers about evidence-based software engineering.\n* Beautiful Code, also edited by Oram & Wilson. A bunch of papers about especially elegant pieces of software.\n* Eiffel, by Bertrand Meyer. What Java should have been.\n* The Devil's DP Dictionary, by Stan Kelly Bootle. A satirical look at the computer industry circa 1980.\n* The Jargon File. (http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/). The language of the Elder Days.\n* Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering by Robert Glass.\n* The Pragmatic Programmer by Hunt & Thomas.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering by Robert Glass.",
          "reason": "Lists the book as a recommendation in response to a request for computing books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17034365,
          "author": "InclinedPlane",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T21:36:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17034365",
          "commentText": "- The Pragmatic Programmer\n- Refactoring\n- Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering\n- Code Complete",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering",
          "reason": "Lists it as a book answering the thread's request for career reading recommendations.",
          "audience": "People starting a software engineering or computer science career",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14487431,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T13:30:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487431",
          "commentText": "'Implementation Patterns', Kent Beck. A semi-language-agnostic extension of his 'Smalltalk Patterns'for how to clearly and consistently express what you're saying when you code.\n'Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering', Robert Glass.  Glass presents a list of things everybody knows, or ought to know, and gives both academic and opinionated support and/or critique for why they are and aren't so.\n'Making Software', Oram and Wilson. An edited collection of papers on evidence-based software engineering.\n'The Deadline', Tom DeMarco. A thinly disguised commercial for his advice on how to organize software development teams and organizations, packaged as light, light novel.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering', Robert Glass.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for programming books to add to a library.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297375,
          "author": "koja86",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:07:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297375",
          "commentText": "In context of software development these books (and other works by same people) might be interesting. I have not read them all yet but have been recommended by a colleague. My perspective is defined by being a developer in circa 100 people company.\n* The Mythical Man-Month by Fred Brooks https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mythical_Man-Month\n* Facts and fallacies of software engineering by Robert L. Glass https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_L._Glass\n* Lessons learned from 25 years of process improvement: \nThe Rise and Fall of the  \nNASA Software Engineering Laboratory https://www.cs.umd.edu/users/basili/publications/proceedings... (https://www.cs.umd.edu/users/basili/publications/proceedings/P94.pdf)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "* Facts and fallacies of software engineering by Robert L. Glass",
          "reason": "The commenter lists it among books recommended by a colleague.",
          "audience": "Developers in software development, including those at companies of around 100 people.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read all the listed books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297327,
          "author": "niHiggim",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:01:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297327",
          "commentText": "Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering (http://www.amazon.com/Facts-Fallacies-Software-Engineering-R... (http://www.amazon.com/Facts-Fallacies-Software-Engineering-Robert/dp/0321117425)).  It may be starting to get a little dated, so it's hard to say that all the referenced research is still applicable in the same way.  But it's a good antidote to a common problem everywhere I've worked: the idea that our team is in some way special or unique in a way that implies reasonable standards of software engineering practice don't apply.  It's almost always part of a rationalization cycle that justifies the way things have always been done or some kind of Taylorist management practice.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "But it's a good antidote to a common problem everywhere I've worked: the idea that our team is in some way special or unique",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a good antidote to teams claiming ordinary software engineering standards do not apply to them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may be getting dated and questions whether all referenced research still applies in the same way.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9757988,
          "author": "a_bonobo",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T13:07:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9757988",
          "commentText": "You may also enjoy Glass' Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering, it's similar to Mythical Man Month (and cites it and overlaps in parts) but the focus is a bit wider, with many small essays on a particular problem in programming or management of programmers",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Glass' Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering",
          "reason": "Says it is similar to The Mythical Man-Month, with a wider focus and short essays on programming and management topics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert L. Glass"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software engineering",
        "software management",
        "programmer management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "frankenstein-b5f901",
      "title": "Frankenstein",
      "author": "Mary Shelley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41759319,
          "author": "aireo",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-06T19:04:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41759319",
          "commentText": "Several immediately come to mind.\nShort stories: The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories (Ken Liu); Stories of Your Life and Others and Exhalation (Ted Chiang); The Martian Chronicles (Ray Bradbury)\nNovels: The Monk (Matthew Gregory Lewis); Frankenstein (Mary Shelley)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Frankenstein (Mary Shelley)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18664739,
          "author": "nop_slide",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T15:35:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664739",
          "commentText": "- A Random Walk Down Wall Street: I got much more interested in personal finance this year, and definitely recommend this book as a stepping stone for learning about investing.\n- Frankenstein: Highly recommend! It is nothing like it is portrayed to be in pop culture and I thoroughly enjoyed it.\n- Unbelievable: My Front-Row Seat to the Craziest Campaign in America: It is literally unbelievable. It follows Katy Tur, a reporter tasked with following Trump leading up to the election. If you aren't already fed up with Trump, then give this a whirl.\n- Dune: 5/5 sci-fi\n- The Society of the Spectacle: I had trouble with this one. I think some things get lost in translation, and the philosophical arguments are so abstract it was a bit hard to follow along. I had a few key take-aways but to be honest it was kind of a chore to read.\n- How Not to Die: Argues for prioritizing a plant-based diet, and definitely changed my relationship with food.\n- East of Eden: My wife's favorite book and is now one of my favorites.\n- Sapiens: Very enjoyable, but some of it can feel pseudo-sciency and gets a bit nihilistic in the end.\n- Man's Search for Meaning: Also very enjoyable, a good reminder to appreciate the people and things around you.\n- A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy: Very accessible intro to Stoicism\n- Red Notice: A True Story of Finance, Murder, and One Man's Fight for Justice: Very interesting and reads like a fiction thriller. TLDR Russia doesn't fuck around",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Highly recommend! It is nothing like it is portrayed to be in pop culture and I thoroughly enjoyed it.",
          "reason": "The commenter strongly recommends it and says they thoroughly enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Unlike its portrayal in pop culture.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8717188,
          "author": "agentultra",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T16:18:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8717188",
          "commentText": "Permutation City by Greg Egan takes the cake this year in fiction. Although a very close second would be the Hardcover Penguin Classic's edition of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley mainly for it's deftly abridged version and preface which gave a new dimension to the story for me.\nNon-fiction would either be Mortality by the late Christopher Hitchens or \"On Numbers and Games\" by John H. Conway.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a very close second would be the Hardcover Penguin Classic's edition of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley",
          "reason": "Named as a close second; the edition's abridgment and preface added a new dimension to the story for the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Praise is specific to this abridged edition and its preface.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5691628,
          "author": "thoughtcriminal",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T18:46:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5691628",
          "commentText": "I read Frankenstein recently and its pretty intense. Recommended.\nProbably the most exhilarating read for me in a long while has been \"The Secret Race\" by Tyler Hamiliton. But don't take my word on it, read the reviews.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read Frankenstein recently and its pretty intense. Recommended.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it “pretty intense” and recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as intense.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5691391,
          "author": "bloodorange",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T17:53:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5691391",
          "commentText": "\"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland\" - Lewis Carroll\n\"Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There\" - Lewis Carroll\n\"Dracula\" - Bram Stoker\n\"Frankenstein\" - Mary Shelly\n\"On Education\" - Bertrand Russell\n\"The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy\" - Douglas Adams\n\"Animal Farm\" - George Orwell\n\"1984\" - George Orwell\n\"Lord of The Flies\" - William Golding\n\"Brave New World\" - Aldous Huxley\n\"Gulliver's Travels\" - Jonathan Swift\n\"The Selfish Gene\" - Richard Dawkins",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Frankenstein\" - Mary Shelly",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for good book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 606824,
          "author": "wallflower",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-13T13:13:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 601903,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fictional books related to startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=606824",
          "commentText": "This just occurred to me: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This just occurred to me: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley",
          "reason": "Offered as a title in response to a request for fiction related to startups and technology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mary Shelley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction",
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "gothic fiction",
        "classic literature",
        "gothic horror",
        "science and ethics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "franny-and-zooey-a883fb",
      "title": "Franny and Zooey",
      "author": "J. D. Salinger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30735764,
          "author": "jwood27",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:37:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735764",
          "commentText": "The following have all had a significant effect on my worldview. You can find more information at [1].\n- The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow\n- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\n- Crime and Punishment\n- The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York\n- Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies\n- The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity\n- Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead\n- Franny and Zooey\n- Master of the Senate\n- Atlas Shrugged\n- Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed\n- Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap?\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\n- The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics\n- The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don't\n- Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans\n- Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\n- Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World\n- Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones\n- Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow\n- Ethics in the Real World: 86 Brief Essays on Things that Matter\n- A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life\n- Humankind: A Hopeful History\n- The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think\n[1] https://jacobw.xyz/books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Franny and Zooey",
          "reason": "Listed among books that significantly affected the commenter’s worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630071,
          "author": "molikto",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:24:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630071",
          "commentText": "Nine Stories\nFranny and Zooey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Franny and Zooey",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348539,
          "author": "ashark",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:06:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348539",
          "commentText": "Franny and Zooey -- Salinger\nMostly by introducing me to the Stoics (Aurelius especially) and a variety of Eastern, especially Zen Buddhist, works.\nRevolutionary Road -- Yates\nYay, mentioned that one in two threads today and it's not even noon yet!\nA History of Western Philosophy -- Russell\nVonnegut in general. Bluebeard serves as a good overview of his major themes and ideas, to pick just one book. The part about how people with small talents who were once valued by their communities have been rendered eccentrics of no special value to anyone by easy, cheap, global distribution of media is always near the front of my mind.\nHow to Read a Book -- Adler",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Franny and Zooey -- Salinger\nMostly by introducing me to the Stoics (Aurelius especially) and a variety of Eastern, especially Zen Buddhist, works.",
          "reason": "Credits the book with introducing them to Stoicism and Eastern works.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6705176,
          "author": "gruseom",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-10T04:19:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6705176",
          "commentText": "I haven't seen it! I haven't seen anything.\nI finished F&Z last night. The thing is a train wreck. Now I'm curious to read the rest of what Salinger published (pretty easy to do) because Catcher and Nine Stories are so good and F&Z borderline intolerable. Perhaps it was his Metal Machine Music.\nDoes Tenenbaums principally consist of turgid dialogue about mysticism?",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I finished F&Z last night. The thing is a train wreck.",
          "reason": "The commenter strongly dislikes the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6704853,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-10T02:34:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6704853",
          "commentText": "Did you like _The Royal Tenenbaums_? NPR's pop culture critic says that movies is basically F&Z filmed.\n(_Tenenbaums_ is among my least favorite Wes Anderson movies).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Did you like _The Royal Tenenbaums_? NPR's pop culture critic says that movies is basically F&Z filmed.",
          "reason": "The commenter asks about a film described as closely based on the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6700101,
          "author": "bmelton",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-09T00:40:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6700101",
          "commentText": "Could it also be that _Zooey_ was simply read at a different time in your life?  I first read _Catcher_ when I was the disgruntled youth that you expect to read it, and found it brilliant.  I've re-read it a couple times since then and now find it far less so.\nI acknowledge that the writing is still really great, but I'm just not able to connect to it the same way I do other books that I read from the same era.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "other books that I read from the same era",
          "reason": "The comment refers to Zooey by its abbreviated title, discussing difficulty connecting with the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6698213,
          "author": "gruseom",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-08T18:46:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6698213",
          "commentText": "Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger. I can't figure it out. It seems like it might be terrible. I'm half enjoying it and half sort of hypnotized like a chicken by it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger. I can't figure it out. It seems like it might be terrible.",
          "reason": "The commenter is unsure how to evaluate it and says it might be terrible.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They are half enjoying it and half hypnotized by it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231338,
          "author": "flomincucci",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T18:05:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231338",
          "commentText": "Currently reading Franny and Zooey by JD Salinger. Interesting concepts :)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Currently reading Franny and Zooey by JD Salinger. Interesting concepts :)",
          "reason": "Calls its concepts interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. D. Salinger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "american literature",
        "coming of age",
        "stoicism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-change-your-mind-4dcbfa",
      "title": "How to Change Your Mind",
      "author": "Michael Pollan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23157861,
          "author": "ExactActuation",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T18:37:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23157861",
          "commentText": "Food of the Gods by Terrence McKenna (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/111941/food-of-the-... (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/111941/food-of-the-gods-by-terrence-mckenna/))\nHow to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/529343/how-to-chang... (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/529343/how-to-change-your-mind-by-michael-pollan/))\nFellowship of the River by Joe Tafur, MD (https://www.drjoetafur.com/the-fellowship-of-the-river)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for mind bending books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21904369,
          "author": "palerdot",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T06:15:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21904369",
          "commentText": "Edit:\nI read Robin Buss Unabridged version from penguin for \"The Count of Monte Cristo\".\nAlso, some of other interesting books I forgot to mention in my original list\n- How to Change Your Mind (don't be put off by title)\n- Meditations, Marcus Aurelius (good peek into the mind of one of the greatest emperors of all time)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- How to Change Your Mind (don't be put off by title)",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter forgot to include in their original list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says not to be put off by the title.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21902464,
          "author": "jdkee",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T23:10:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902464",
          "commentText": "How to Change Your Mind, Michael Pollan.\nTuring's Vision: The Birth of Computer Science, Chris Bernhardt.\nThe Peripheral, William Gibson.\nLila, Robert Pirsig. (re-read)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Change Your Mind, Michael Pollan.",
          "reason": "Named in response to a question about influential books read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21793492,
          "author": "ronyfadel",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-15T00:33:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793492",
          "commentText": "Nonfiction I’ve read this year and enjoyed greatly:\n- How to change your mind by Michael Pollan\n- The Lean Startup\n- Company of One",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to change your mind by Michael Pollan",
          "reason": "Includes it among nonfiction books read and greatly enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18745409,
          "author": "thenaturalist",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T10:33:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18745409",
          "commentText": "Gee, I guess people just don't read books the same way. What might be annoying to you might be an enjoyable style of writing to others.\nI respect your opinion, but your verdict is just not the single truth out there. Personally, I read such books very different from reading at a younger age or non-fiction books.\nEncounter a paragraph which does not catch your interest or you don't like the writing style? Skim over it. Familiarize yourself with the rough contents of a chapter before you read it, as to understand the general topic - makes skipping single paragraphs much easier.\nThe goal is not school like reading, where you ought to know all the contents to fill out a standardized test, but reflect your own personal values and experiences against what you are reading. If there are passages which don't give you anything - people are very diverse - then, well, skip them. The author did not conspire to make the experience unpleasant for you.\nUltimately, this is a fascinating topic for many, whether you prefer the podcast or the book should be left for everyone personally to decide.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Ultimately, this is a fascinating topic for many, whether you prefer the podcast or the book should be left for everyone personally to decide.",
          "reason": "Defends readers’ differing preferences for the book or podcast; does not directly endorse the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says personal preference should decide between the book and podcast.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18745287,
          "author": "mxschumacher",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T09:48:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18745287",
          "commentText": "the topic of psychedelic drugs is truly fascinating, but I think Pollan's books \"How to change your mind\" is poor. I read most of it and felt angry and hollow after. I don't recommend a purchase.\nHere's the review I left on Amazon (2 star):\n\"How tot change your mind\" delivers and important core message, but it should have been an article or a podcast episode. Cutting the fluff offers vast room for lossless compression.\nIf you listen to the episode of Russ Robert's Econtalk (a podcast) with Pollan you'll know everything the book has to say.\nSome takeaways:\nWhen LSD and psilocybin (the active ingredient in magic mushrooms) were first studied by western science, there was a lot of hope for their potential use as medical treatment. Recreational use exploded and governments around the world banned the drugs, crudely throwing psychedelics in the same bucket as Heroin. Research stalled for 40 years but has recently picked up again. Partial legalization and increased medical use can be expected in the near future.\nPsychedelics can move humans away from the \"default mode\" of consciousness and lead to ego dissolution. This is a trans formative experience for many.\nPsychedelics harbor the potential for alleviation: Within the right medical setting (non-supervised usage is discouraged), the use of these substances can help addicts, those close to death and the depressed.\nLSD and psilocybin are neither toxic or addictive.\nAccording to some, it is possible to reach the enlightened states through a long term meditative practice, psychedelics can be seen as a shortcut.\n---\nWhat annoyed me about the book is that acronyms are spelled out repeatedly (for readers who don't pay attention?) while deeper explanations, especially regarding Timothy Leary are made too late in the book (e.g. only after the name has been mentioned several times - I am reminded of the frequent mentioning of John Galt in Ayn Rand's \"Atlas Shrugged\").\nNumerous academic researchers are introduced, I'm fine with an elaboration on their respective academic affiliations and educational backgrounds - but spending a third of a page on the description of their physical appearance is disrespectful of the reader's time.\nHow others can refer to this book as \"the best book they've ever read\" is beyond me. I'm going to try to send the book back, I don't want it in my library.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "the topic of psychedelic drugs is truly fascinating, but I think Pollan's books \"How to change your mind\" is poor. I read most of it and felt angry and hollow after. I don't recommend a purchase.",
          "reason": "Calls it poor and explicitly advises against purchasing it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Finds it padded and poorly structured despite considering its core message important.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18744183,
          "author": "crazygringo",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T03:19:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744183",
          "commentText": "Michael Pollan: How to Change Your Mind [1]\nNot just about an utterly fascinating topic (psychadelic drugs), in terms of history (LSD turning from a scientific wonder drug to illegal), his personal experiences, and the neuroscience behind it, but also just extremely well-written -- a real page-turner. A crazy potent combination of science, spirituality (from a skeptic), and narrative. I expect his book will be a significant part of why psychadelic drugs will be legalized in the near future specifically for therapeutic purposes.\nAlso +1 for 2017's Why We Sleep [2]. After reading it, I couldn't believe how shockingly ignorant I'd been of how I spend a full third of my life, and how much it affects the other two-thirds -- and the degree to which a lack of sleep prevents us from perceiving the effects of lack of sleep, in a kind of vicious cycle.\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/Change-Your-Mind-Consciousness-Transc... (https://www.amazon.com/Change-Your-Mind-Consciousness-Transcendence/dp/1594204225)\n[2] https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501... (https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501144324)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "also just extremely well-written -- a real page-turner.",
          "reason": "Praises its writing and engaging narrative about psychedelics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The author expects the book to contribute to future legalization specifically for therapeutic purposes.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18663451,
          "author": "jger15",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:54:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663451",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction:\n7 Powers: The Foundations of Business Strategy - Hamilton Helmer\nAmerican Wolf - Nate Blakeslee\nAtomic Habits - James Clear\nConspiracy - Ryan Holiday\nCourage To Be Disliked - Ichiro Kishimi\nHow To Change Your Mind - Michael Pollan\nOpen - Andre Agassi\nWhy We Sleep - Matthew Walker\nWorld After Capital - Albert Wenger\nFiction:\nChocky - John Wyndham\nConvenience Store Woman - Sayaka Murata\nThe Eight Mountains - Paolo Cognetti\nThe Invisibility Cloak - Ge Fei\nThe Midnight Fox - Betsy Byars\nSuch Small Hands - Andres Barba\nThe Thief - Fuminori Nakamura\nTies - Domenico Starnone\nTrick - Domenico Starnone",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "How To Change Your Mind - Michael Pollan",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17520639,
          "author": "ryanSrich",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T05:04:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17520639",
          "commentText": "Books finished in June:\n\"How to Change Your Mind\" by Michael Pollan. A fascinating look into the world and science of psychedelic drugs.\n\"Rendezvous with Rama\" by Arthur C. Clarke. One of, if not Clarke's best. It's short for a sci-fi book and almost impossible not to like.\n\"The Hydrogen Sonata\" By Iain M. Banks. It certainly wasn't my favorite culture entry, but it's worth a read none the less. If you haven't read the others in the series I wouldn't suggest starting with it.\n\"Children of Time\" by Adrian Tchaikovsky. It took me a bit to get into this book, but once I did, I really enjoyed it. If you're into long timelines and human existential crisis this is your book.\nAs far as July goes, I'm digging into \"Matterhorn\" by Karl Marlantes and \"The Origins of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind\" by Julian Jaynes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A fascinating look into the world and science of psychedelic drugs.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a fascinating look at psychedelic drugs and their science.",
          "audience": "Readers curious about psychedelic drugs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Pollan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "psychedelics",
        "consciousness",
        "drug research",
        "lsd"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-lie-with-statistics-f4de87",
      "title": "How to Lie with Statistics",
      "author": "Darrell Huff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33801921,
          "author": "yboris",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T15:20:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33801921",
          "commentText": "A classic in the Math field is How to Solve It by Georg Polya\nhttps://www.amazon.com/How-Solve-Mathematical-Princeton-Scie... (https://www.amazon.com/How-Solve-Mathematical-Princeton-Science/dp/069111966X)\nAnd for improving statistical thinking, the classic How to Lie With Statistics by Darrell Huff\nhttps://www.amazon.com/How-Lie-Statistics-Darrell-Huff-ebook... (https://www.amazon.com/How-Lie-Statistics-Darrell-Huff-ebook/dp/B00351DSX2/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "for improving statistical thinking, the classic How to Lie With Statistics by Darrell Huff",
          "reason": "Recommended for improving statistical thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296435,
          "author": "sogen",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T06:07:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296435",
          "commentText": "another Cialdini fan!\nYou're going to love \"How to lie with statistics\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You're going to love \"How to lie with statistics\"",
          "reason": "Directly recommends the book to the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296420,
          "author": "gumby",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T06:01:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296420",
          "commentText": "How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff.  How much of what you read is really true?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff. How much of what you read is really true?",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785453,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:27:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785453",
          "commentText": "I'll skip some mentioned already by others. Books I really enjoyed this year:\nThe Wright Brothers, David McCullough - wonderful book on the Wright Brothers, easy to read, shows that persistence and logic thinking pays out. 5/5\nThe autobiography of Malcom X, Malcolm X - Nice bio, a bit repetitive sometimes. 3/5\nAtlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand - Although the book has more than 1200 pages it really kept me going. I read this book to get a better understanding of the ideology of some republicans. Fun read. 4.5/5\nFreakonomics, Steven D. Levitt - Levitt studies all kind of different everyday questions using economics. 4/5, short, easy to read\nGuantanamo Diary, Mohamedou Ould Slahi - Diary of a Guantanamo prisoner who has been imprisoned since 2002. The US has never charged him with a crime. Profound and disturbing. 5/5\nNo place to hide, Glenn Greenwald - Story on Edward Snowden, probably read by most of HN. Enjoyed it, that's it. 4/5\nHow to lie with statistics, Darrel Huff - Short book on statistics, easy to read and fun. 4/5",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Short book on statistics, easy to read and fun. 4/5",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it easy to read and fun and rates it 4/5.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401292,
          "author": "wyc",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:02:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401292",
          "commentText": "Reading: How to Lie with Statistics - Darrell Huff\nA very entertaining read: throughout the short book, Huff satirically likens abusers of statistics to criminals.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A very entertaining read",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it entertaining and describes its satirical treatment of statistical abuse.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6982220,
          "author": "dmlorenzetti",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-30T00:01:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 6981802,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good general technical books for teenagers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6982220",
          "commentText": "Check out \"Physics for Future Presidents\" by Richard Muller.  It gives an overview of physics, emphasizing why the concepts are important in the modern world, rather than the math details.\nIf she's interested in biology, you might consider \"Animals in Translation\" by Temple Grandin.  It's more about animals than about technology, but it touches on how understanding animals affects the low-tech systems that you use to handle them.\nFor interesting/easy intros to why some math skills are important, look at Darrell Huff's \"How to Lie With Statistics\" or John Allen Paulos' \"Innumeracy\" (or \"A Mathematician Reads the Newspaper\").\nI haven't read any of them, but I hear Petroski's books recommended.\nFor a great short read that touches on architectural engineering, law, and ethics, look for Joe Morgenstern's \"Fifty-Nine Story Crisis\" which appeared in the New Yorker in May 1995.  It's about how the structural engineer for the Citicorp tower realized its design was flawed, after the tower had been built and occupied.  You can find it on the web.\nSome of these are not overtly about \"learn this technology\", but to me they all sell the idea of technology and science as both central to our lives and interesting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "look at Darrell Huff's \"How to Lie With Statistics\"",
          "reason": "Suggested as an easy introduction to why math skills matter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Darrell Huff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "statistics",
        "data literacy",
        "critical reading"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "intuition-pumps-and-other-tools-for-thinking-2e6579",
      "title": "Intuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking",
      "author": "Daniel C. Dennett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43612522,
          "author": "treetalker",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T15:20:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43612522",
          "commentText": "Peter Bevelin's Seeking Wisdom.\nThe other day someone on here recommended The Philosopher's Toolkit, and I ordered a copy based on that recommendation. I've only started to dip into various parts, but I can already confirm that it is a good introductory compendium of the basics of philosophy, logic, and argumentation. In the same vein is Daniel Dennett's Intuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking.\nA personal favorite is Frances  Yates's The Art of Memory (think: intersection of rhetoric, mnemonic systems, philosophical systems, and the occult during the Renaissance).\nMatthew Butterick's Practical Typography and Typography for Lawyers. Bryan Garner's The Winning Brief.\nUmberto Eco's How to Write a Thesis. Adler's How to Read a Book. Pierre Bayard's How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read.\nI could go on. Book posts are my favorite posts on HN, but they always lighten my wallet and at home I'm surrounded with ever-growing piles of great material.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In the same vein is Daniel Dennett's Intuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking.",
          "reason": "Offered as a book in the same vein as a philosophy and reasoning compendium.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19909295,
          "author": "enkiv2",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-14T13:36:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19909295",
          "commentText": "I second the recommendation of Intuition Pumps.\nTo that, I would add Metamagical Themas by Douglas Hofstader & Prometheus Rising by Robert Anton Wilson. (Wilson gets a little hippieish, but he does a better job of knocking down unjustified tunnel-vision than Hofstader or Dennett do.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second the recommendation of Intuition Pumps.",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the recommendation in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19896678,
          "author": "imakwana",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T05:51:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19896678",
          "commentText": "# Intuition Pump and other tools for thinking by Daniel Dennett\n# Books edited by John Brockman - 1) This Explains Everything, 2) This Idea is Brilliant, 3) This Will Make You Smarter, 4) Thinking\n# Personal MBA by Josh Kaufman\nAlso second the recommendation of other books based on Charlie Munger's wisdom and farnam street's reading list.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Intuition Pump and other tools for thinking by Daniel Dennett",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18755056,
          "author": "madrafi",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-25T00:21:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18755056",
          "commentText": "- Rationality From AI to Zombies (huge collection of essays about (rationality,intelligence,quantum physics,bayesian probability,philosophy...) that can be read on lesswrong.com)\n-Intuition Pumps and other Thinking Tools\n-Sapiens\n-Edward.O Wilson Letters to a young scientist\n-Cédric Villani Birth of a Theorem\n-Emanuel Derman Models Behaving Badly\n-Letters From A Stoic by Seneca\n-Mathematics it's contents methods 3 Volumes (Aleksandrov et al.)\n-Nick Bostrom Superinteligence\n-The Moral Animal by Robert Wright",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Intuition Pumps and other Thinking Tools",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite nonfiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12090579,
          "author": "cryoshon",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-13T23:34:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12090579",
          "commentText": "belated reply: it's okay. a bit philosophy-undergrad centric, but entertaining nonetheless. if you're not acquainted with formal philosophy and philosophy of mind, i'd pick it up. dennett is notoriously biased to materialism, but he's intellectually honest.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it's okay. a bit philosophy-undergrad centric, but entertaining nonetheless.",
          "reason": "Describes it as okay and entertaining, with a philosophy-undergraduate focus.",
          "audience": "Readers acquainted with formal philosophy and philosophy of mind.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is philosophy-undergraduate centric and notes Dennett's materialist bias.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12067791,
          "author": "cryoshon",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-10T23:29:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12067791",
          "commentText": "I'm not going to list all 42, but here are the highlights:\nHow to Read a Book (Adler)\nWorld Order (Kissinger)\nDer Grundrisse (Marx)\nThe Grand Chessboard (Brzezinski)\nManufacturing Consent (Chomsky)\nGulag Archipelago (Solhenitzyn)\nOn War (Clausewitz)\nThe Hidden Persuaders (Packard)\nIntuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking (Dennett)\nThe Strategy of Desire (Dichter)\nSkills acquired: intentional syntopical reading, prediction of geopolitical hinge points, and identification of absent context in media... I'm always looking for another book to read.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Intuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking (Dennett)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8066663,
          "author": "sk314",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-21T23:38:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 8025870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8066663",
          "commentText": "Intuition Pumps And Other Tools for Thinking by Daniel Dennett",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Intuition Pumps And Other Tools for Thinking by Daniel Dennett",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel C. Dennett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "critical thinking",
        "philosophy of mind",
        "cognitive tools",
        "intuition pumps"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "let-over-lambda-cd87da",
      "title": "Let Over Lambda",
      "author": "Doug Hoyte",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40291667,
          "author": "JackMorgan",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T21:23:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40291667",
          "commentText": "I just get into flow state when working in lisp, more than any other language family.\nRunning and writing code blended together with a connected REPL is like being jacked into the machine. Imaging how much of an improvement a connected debugger is over reading through logs. This is that much of an improvement over a connected debugger. The code is live running right in the editor all the time. More like magic than debugging.\nAnd then macros, both anaphoric and hygenic, that let you write your own language inside the lisp itself. They should be used extremely sparingly, but when used at the right time it can literally change the language itself to better suit your need.\nAnd then the code itself being a data structure, it all feels so connected, integrated, and unified.\nI have never had as much fun as I do when working in Lisps. I haven't done it for money in a while, but maybe one day again.\nLet Over Lambda and SICP are what really got me turned into a lifetime lisp lover. By the end of LoL you make a version of Forth inside of lisp! https://letoverlambda.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Let Over Lambda and SICP are what really got me turned into a lifetime lisp lover.",
          "reason": "Names it as one of the books that sparked a lasting love of Lisp.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39249782,
          "author": "djaouen",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T12:43:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249782",
          "commentText": "Let Over Lambda\nOn Lisp",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Let Over Lambda",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27638278,
          "author": "lanstin",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T01:41:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27638278",
          "commentText": "I loved Let over Lambda, but I always hesitate to recommend it, any more than I'd recommend TAOCP Semi-Numerical Algorithms, although that totally blew my mind.  Even just the first chapter or two; I don't care that much about class implementations, but the power and the elegance and bootstrapping so high from such simple beginnings of lexical closures, all a true pleasure of life to learn such things.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I loved Let over Lambda, but I always hesitate to recommend it",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed it but hesitates to recommend it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they hesitate to recommend it.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27638167,
          "author": "codemac",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T01:22:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27638167",
          "commentText": "* Getting Things Done by David Allen\nThis book taught me so much about how to manage my life, and taught me how to review my own systems.\n* SICP, On Lisp, and Let over Lambda\nIt's hard to pick one exactly, because really it's about opening your mind to radically different programming paradigms than what's popular.\nLearning lisp well enough gives you confidence to attempt to create new programming languages, through code generation, or even mentally thinking about an API as a language rather than just a series of functions.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SICP, On Lisp, and Let over Lambda",
          "reason": "Groups it with books that opened their mind to programming paradigms and Lisp.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21766866,
          "author": "fu86",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-11T21:13:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 21765528,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fun Tech Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21766866",
          "commentText": "LOL (Let Over Lambda) is fun to read if you are not try to get the information in your head as fast as possible but rather read two or three pages a day very carefully and feel how your brain bends :) It is a hardcore technical book, but the language (Common Lisp) will not make you more money in 2020 or boost your new startup faster to market. So, read it to entertain your brain, it is worth it!\nhttps://letoverlambda.com/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "LOL (Let Over Lambda) is fun to read",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as entertaining and worth reading for the experience of working through its ideas.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy carefully working through challenging material a few pages at a time.",
          "caveat": "A hardcore technical book; the commenter says Common Lisp is unlikely to help with income or startup speed.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14499068,
          "author": "neutronicus",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-06T17:25:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14499068",
          "commentText": "Let Over Lambda is by Doug Hoyte.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Let Over Lambda is by Doug Hoyte.",
          "reason": "Identifies the author of a book mentioned in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13662176,
          "author": "TeMPOraL",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-16T18:16:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13662176",
          "commentText": "Maybe not best in the \"build a project\" genre, but about (Common) Lisp, you have Land of Lisp - in which you build several small games and sort of reuse some code between chapters, and Let Over Lambda, which does build its further code on top of earlier code, although it's more of an exercise in bending Lisp to your will than a well-defined project. I recommend both books; I found them very good.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I recommend both books; I found them very good.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it and describes it as very good.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in advanced Common Lisp and macro programming.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it focuses more on bending Lisp to your will than on a defined project.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7757046,
          "author": "mystral",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:28:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7757046",
          "commentText": "Last one was probably Let Over Lambda.  One of the few programming books I've read cover to cover.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Last one was probably Let Over Lambda.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is one of few programming books they have read cover to cover.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 407355,
          "author": "shaunxcode",
          "createdAt": "2008-12-23T06:49:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 407067,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Let's start a Hacker News book club",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=407355",
          "commentText": "all I can say is \"yes!\". I have a ton of programming books that I would love to re-read and discuss even (the art of the meta object protocol, let over lambda, on lisp etc.) but I would also be down with relevant math and fiction stuff.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "let over lambda",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Doug Hoyte"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "macros",
        "common lisp",
        "lisp",
        "metaprogramming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "modern-operating-systems-44e9e4",
      "title": "Modern Operating Systems",
      "author": "Andrew S. Tanenbaum",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21313374,
          "author": "guiraldelli",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T15:27:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21313374",
          "commentText": "I don't think there is a definitive answer for your question because computer science is a relative new area of knowledge and “fundamental books” are still being published.\nIf I had to say one text that is the fundamental one, I would go with a paper: “On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem” [1], by Alan Turing.\n---\nBut if you just started your course in Computer Science, then I will give you some “bookshelf advice\" based on my experience. I had the pleasure to study all the books I am going to recommend you, and most of them I was able to read cover-to-cover during the university years. And they are also in my bookshelf for reference.\nThe book order does not represent rank of importance.\n* “Introduction to the Theory of Computation”, by Michael Sipser.\n    * I also recommend the “Elements of the Theory of Computation”, by Christos Papadimitriou.\n\n    * Another good complement is “Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages and Computation”, by Hopcroft and Ullman. (Thanks, @reacweb, for the reminder.)\n\n* “Graph Theory”, by Reinhard Diestel.\n    * If you feel you want to go deeper, and like a book which you cannot skip a single word, I strongly recommend “Modern Graph Theory”, by Béla Bollobás: it is one of my favorite textbooks ever!\n\n* “The Algorithm Design Manual”, by Steven Skiena.\n    * While a lot of people seems to praise either the Cormen et al. or the Sedgewick books, I have the feeling that “Algorithms” by Dasgupta, Papadimitriou  and Vazirani is my choice for “fundamental” book. But I decided to\n\n* “Computer Architecture: a Quantitative Approach”, by Hennessy and Patterson.\n* “Modern Operating Systems”, by Andrew Tanenbaum.\n* “Artificial Intelligence: a Modern Approach”, by Russel and Norvig.\n* “Modern Compiler Implementation (in ML)”, by Andrew Appel.\nI would like to also recommend “Concrete Mathematics”, by Graham, Knuth and Patashnik, but I remember to not feel it the most pedagogical book on the subject.\nGood luck!\n---\n[1]: https://www.cs.virginia.edu/~robins/Turing_Paper_1936.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Modern Operating Systems”, by Andrew Tanenbaum",
          "reason": "Includes it among the books recommended for a CS bookshelf.",
          "audience": "People starting a computer science course.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16084648,
          "author": "vmarshall23",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-06T10:14:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16084648",
          "commentText": "Well, for nerd books, \"Modern Operating Systems\" by Andrew Andrew Tanenbaum. It was until years later that I realized just how much I had learned from that book, and the consolidated notes from the Usenet flame war between him and Linus Torvalds.\nThere's just so much \"how does all this shit actually work\" in there ....",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It was until years later that I realized just how much I had learned from that book",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book taught them a great deal and praises its practical explanations.",
          "audience": "Readers curious about how operating systems work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7757890,
          "author": "wink",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T21:01:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7757890",
          "commentText": "Modern Operating Systems by Tanenbaum, although it's more basics, still relevant for low-level stuff.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Modern Operating Systems by Tanenbaum",
          "reason": "Describes it as still relevant for low-level material, while noting it is more basic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "More focused on basics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4388779,
          "author": "jfaucett",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-15T22:58:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 4382456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: reading list for high school students interested in CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4388779",
          "commentText": "what programming languages do you teach? I ask because, I remember now back to when I first really started trying to program, and I think it would have been great to get introduced to interesting code bases back then. So guess, I'm just looking back now and will recommend what I wish I had had, maybe some of it help:)\nAs a teen, I fumbled around for a while before discovering linux and open source and that good feeling you get when you download the src and start perusing and firing up your debugger. Having said that if you teach js, I'd highly recommend dojo, underscore, I guess most c /c++ might be too advanced but if not Webkit, Redis, and glib are clean fun code bases and dissecting Lisp / Emacs was a blast. As far as answering you actual question goes, I really liked Gödel, Escher, Bach back then, also thinking recursively by Roberts. The only \"technical\" book I enjoyed reading was Modern Operating Systems by Tanenbaum ( don't know what current editions are like, the roughly 2000-2001 version was great though). Its was simple, very clear, humorous, and a gives a great overview of how the os works.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The only \"technical\" book I enjoyed reading was Modern Operating Systems by Tanenbaum",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was enjoyable, simple, clear, humorous, and gave a great overview of operating systems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Praise is specifically for the roughly 2000–2001 version; the commenter is unsure about current editions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2416880,
          "author": "rshepherd",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T20:45:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2416880",
          "commentText": "This response is late that I doubt will even be read by the poster, but I will throw this out there anyway.\nI was (am?) a self-taught programmer, I guess I am transitioning away of that label. I am a bit less than halfway through the MSCS program at the moment. I really cannot recommend it enough.\nI think I was a pretty good software engineer prior to getting some formal education, but I cannot tell you how often in class the light from heaven just shines right down.. \"oh so that's why x is y\". If you enjoy the work, its a real pleasure (albeit a painful amount of work at times).\nSo finally I get to the point. I can see that you have already received a lot of good recommendations. I think most of them are quite good. However, I have a couple of  observations about specific books.\nIntro to Algorithms - Cormen etc.\nIf you feel you need a discrete math course, then this book is probably not a good place to start with algorithms. It is a rigorous treatment of the subject. However, if you lack mathematical sophistication, this book can be tough. I aced my discrete course prior to taking an algorithms course taught with this book, and I struggled mightily to get an A-. I found the proofs in the book difficult to understand on many occasions.\nModern Operating Systems - Tannenbaum\nThis book is very easy to understand and provided me with so many \"A HA!\" moments. A real pleasure. I am not sure what your current work is, but the only pre-req on this book is a modest amount of C/C++ programming. The reason I say this is because I found that having that, this book allowed me to finally understand what is happening from compile time down to the CPU at runtime. A really rewarding journey.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book is very easy to understand and provided me with so many \"A HA!\" moments. A real pleasure.",
          "reason": "Calls it easy to understand and a rewarding way to understand what happens from compile time to runtime.",
          "audience": "Readers with a modest amount of C or C++ programming experience.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it requires some C/C++ experience.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414395,
          "author": "T-R",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T08:57:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414395",
          "commentText": "It really depends on what you feel you're missing and what you're hoping to do (definitions of \"daily work\" vary widely). If you're looking to get up on theory by doing your own program of sorts, you could do worse than start with these (in roughly this order):\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs - Abelson, Sussman, and Sussman\nIntroduction to Algorithms - Cormen, Leiserson, Rivest, and Stein\nThe Art of Assembly Language - Hyde\na digital logic book (not sure which is most recommended), and an architecture book (see reply by tftfmacedo)\nModern Operating Systems - Tanenbaum\nIntroduction to the Theory of Computation - Sipser\nCompilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools - Aho, Lam, Sethi, and Ullman (a.k.a. \"Dragon Book\")\nProgramming Language Pragmatics - Scott\nA database design book (one that covers Relational Algebra, not just a book on SQL), and maybe a book on Networks. Also, Roy Fielding's paper on REST is both academic and applicable (and more approachable than you'd expect of a Ph.D paper). If you want to go all the way, an undergraduate program usually also has Calculus, Discrete Math, Linear Algebra, and Statistics. Some schools would also require Physics and Differential Equations. I'm sure I'm missing some topics, too, particularly electives.\nIf you can get through those and the associated problem sets, you'll have a better foundation than most.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Modern Operating Systems - Tanenbaum",
          "reason": "Included in a suggested sequence for studying computer science theory.",
          "audience": "Readers studying computer science theory independently.",
          "caveat": "The list is conditional on what the reader feels they are missing and hopes to do.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew S. Tanenbaum"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "operating systems",
        "computer architecture",
        "computer systems",
        "systems programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "moonwalking-with-einstein-the-art-and-science-of-remembering-ever-444d88",
      "title": "Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything",
      "author": "Joshua Foer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42653857,
          "author": "ppsreejith",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T08:46:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42653857",
          "commentText": "Great book! IIRC, after attending the 2005 USA memory championships as a journalist, he became intrigued and started training and in one year became USA Memory champion in 2006 at age 24\nI'd tried applying memory training lessons from this book a few years ago and written about my experience: http://web.archive.org/web/20210301185111/https://ppsreejith... (http://web.archive.org/web/20210301185111/https://ppsreejith.net/posts/memory-training-and-sania-mirza/)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'd tried applying memory training lessons from this book a few years ago",
          "reason": "Describes applying the book’s memory-training lessons.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42653317,
          "author": "hashishen",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T07:00:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42653317",
          "commentText": "moonwalking with Einstein is about a man who decides to get into memory competitions upon learning it's more skill based than he realized.  this in turn helped me develop more confidence in my own abilities with day to day routine and not be afraid to try new things i never considered myself naturally good at",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "moonwalking with Einstein is about a man who decides to get into memory competitions",
          "reason": "Describes a man's entry into memory competitions and says the book helped build confidence and openness to trying new things.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14860927,
          "author": "tzs",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T22:24:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14860927",
          "commentText": "I typically have several books in progress. I'll read a chapter from whichever one I'm in the mood for when I have some time for reading. Currently in progress:\n\"A Book of Abstract Algebra: Second Edition\" by Charles C. Pinter [1].\n\"How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking\" by Jordan Ellenberg [2].\n\"Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies\" by Jared Diamond [3].\n\"Introduction to Analytic Number Theory\" by Tom M. Apostol [4].\n\"Algorithmic Puzzles\" by Levitin and Levitin [7].\nI've also got a 46 books in my Safari Library queue, although only about half a dozen are actually in the in progress state.\nIn addition to the above, I'm about 3 years behind on Analog, the science fiction magazine. Those are all on my Kindle and I'm slowly trying to catch up.\nRecently finished:\n\"Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything\" by Joshua Foer [5].\nProbably going to pick up soon:\n\"The Greatest Story Ever Told--So Far\" by Lawrence M. Krauss [6]. Flipped through it at a bookstore and there were some very interesting things in it.\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/Book-Abstract-Algebra-Second-Mathemat... (https://www.amazon.com/Book-Abstract-Algebra-Second-Mathematics/dp/0486474178/)\n[2] https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00G3L6JQ4/\n[3] https://www.amazon.com/Guns-Germs-Steel-Fates-Societies/dp/0... (https://www.amazon.com/Guns-Germs-Steel-Fates-Societies/dp/0393354326/)\n[4] https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Analytic-Number-Theory-A... (https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Analytic-Number-Theory-Apostol/dp/0387901639/)\n[5] https://www.amazon.com/Moonwalking-Einstein-Science-Remember... (https://www.amazon.com/Moonwalking-Einstein-Science-Remembering-Everything-ebook/dp/B004H4XI5O/)\n[6] https://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Story-Ever-Told-So-Far-ebook... (https://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Story-Ever-Told-So-Far-ebook/dp/B01HMXUZIO/)\n[7] https://www.amazon.com/Algorithmic-Puzzles-Anany-Levitin/dp/... (https://www.amazon.com/Algorithmic-Puzzles-Anany-Levitin/dp/0199740445/)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything\" by Joshua Foer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12421719,
          "author": "codyZ",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-03T23:10:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12421719",
          "commentText": "Moonwalking with Einstein -Definitely. Also Brain Rules is a good one as well.\nI would be cautious with Cal Newport's books and take it with a box of salt, however. To be fair, I only read one of his books (So Good They Can't Ignore You). His intentions with framing the book and its details are great. But I found it hard to trust that he actually believes in some of the things he writes - as opposed to just writing books that can sell well",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Moonwalking with Einstein -Definitely.",
          "reason": "The commenter emphatically names it as a recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4966391,
          "author": "msohcw",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T17:04:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4966391",
          "commentText": "Moonwalking with Einstein. Not particularly new but a pretty entertaining book on the Art of Memory. Not particularly useful (the book kind of says so itself) but insightful and methods of loci is still a marginally useful skill to have.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Not particularly new but a pretty entertaining book on the Art of Memory.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it pretty entertaining.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not particularly useful, though insightful; its method of loci is marginally useful.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4599282,
          "author": "eduardordm",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-01T20:51:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 4596721,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4599282",
          "commentText": "+1 It's a shame that Moonwalking with Einstein didn't get to the top. Great book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a shame that Moonwalking with Einstein didn't get to the top. Great book.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2963450,
          "author": "fabiandesimone",
          "createdAt": "2011-09-05T22:07:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 2963294,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Got a Kindle. What now? What books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2963450",
          "commentText": "Forget about the spammy title, this is an amazing book on copy writting:\nCashvertising:\nhttp://amzn.to/nrwKnf (all links have my affiliate link. On my way to richness baby! ;)\nI'm currently reading this one, so far so good:\nMoonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything\nhttp://amzn.to/nGEnkv\nThis is a small list of books I want to read:\nThe Secret Life of Pronouns: What Our Words Say About Us\nhttp://amzn.to/oiEIDs\nWillpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength\nhttp://amzn.to/qTNpgB\nDo More Faster: TechStars Lessons to Accelerate Your Startup\nhttp://amzn.to/njSDPh\nThe Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement\nhttp://amzn.to/okuaFh\nThe Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal\nhttp://amzn.to/rptuZ9\nThe Upside of Irrationality: The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic at Work and at Home\nhttp://amzn.to/oaIDgu",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'm currently reading this one, so far so good:\nMoonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything",
          "reason": "The commenter is currently reading it and says it is so far going well.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "This is an early impression while still reading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joshua Foer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memory",
        "mnemonics",
        "memory competitions",
        "memory techniques"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "notes-on-the-synthesis-of-form-aa23a8",
      "title": "Notes on the Synthesis of Form",
      "author": "Christopher Alexander",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39058105,
          "author": "hyggetrold",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T17:22:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39058105",
          "commentText": "Yes! Christopher Alexander is a must-read for engineers. Notes on the Synthesis of Form is also very excellent.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Notes on the Synthesis of Form is also very excellent.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a must-read for engineers.",
          "audience": "Engineers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12711221,
          "author": "ryanSrich",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-14T21:28:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12711221",
          "commentText": "Here's a list of all design books that I give to new hires:\nBranded Interactions: Creating the Digital Experience - (https://www.amazon.com/Branded-Interactions-Creating-Digital... (https://www.amazon.com/Branded-Interactions-Creating-Digital-Experience/dp/0500518173))\nThe Visual Display of Quantitative Information - https://www.amazon.com/Visual-Display-Quantitative-Informati... (https://www.amazon.com/Visual-Display-Quantitative-Information/dp/0961392142/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480332&sr=1-1&keywords=Edward+Tufte)\nUniversal Principles of Design - https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Principles-Design-Revised-U... (https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Principles-Design-Revised-Updated/dp/1592535879/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480359&sr=1-1&keywords=universal+principles+of+design)\nThe Interface: IBM and the Transformation of Corporate Design, 1945-1976 - https://www.amazon.com/Interface-Transformation-Corporate-19... (https://www.amazon.com/Interface-Transformation-Corporate-1945-1976-Quadrant/dp/0816670390/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480388&sr=1-1&keywords=the+interface+ibm)\nMultiple Signatures: On Designers, Authors, Readers and Users - https://www.amazon.com/Multiple-Signatures-Designers-Authors... (https://www.amazon.com/Multiple-Signatures-Designers-Authors-Readers/dp/0847839737/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480427&sr=1-1&keywords=Multiple+Signatures)\nChange by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation - https://www.amazon.com/Change-Design-Transforms-Organization... (https://www.amazon.com/Change-Design-Transforms-Organizations-Innovation/dp/0061766089/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480449&sr=1-1&keywords=Change+by+design)\nThoughts on Design - https://www.amazon.com/Thoughts-Design-Paul-Rand/dp/08118754... (https://www.amazon.com/Thoughts-Design-Paul-Rand/dp/081187544X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480478&sr=1-1&keywords=Thoughts+on+design)\nNotes on the Synthesis of Form - https://www.amazon.com/Notes-Synthesis-Form-Harvard-Paperbac... (https://www.amazon.com/Notes-Synthesis-Form-Harvard-Paperbacks/dp/0674627512/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480495&sr=1-1&keywords=notes+on+the+synthesis+of+form)\n..and a list of ones I'm considering adding:\nUnflattening - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0674744438/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0674744438/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\nCreative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All  - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/038534936X/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/038534936X/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\nThe Design Method - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321928849/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321928849/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\nProduct Design for the Web: Principles of Designing and Releasing Web Products- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321929039/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321929039/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Here's a list of all design books that I give to new hires:",
          "reason": "Included in a design book list given to new hires.",
          "audience": "New hires.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10028036,
          "author": "fsloth",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T17:42:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10028036",
          "commentText": "Notes on the synthesis of form by Christopher Alexander. Purports to be about architectural theory but has actually deep things to say about systems design and organizational learning in general.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Notes on the synthesis of form by Christopher Alexander.",
          "reason": "Names it and describes its implications for systems design and organizational learning.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it purports to be about architectural theory.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10027914,
          "author": "ryanmarsh",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T17:10:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027914",
          "commentText": "Notes on the Synthesis of Form by Christipher Alexander is the most meaning-dense book I've ever read. The number and quality of his footnotes serve as proof.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Notes-Synthesis-Form-Harvard-Paperback... (http://www.amazon.com/Notes-Synthesis-Form-Harvard-Paperbacks/dp/0674627512)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Notes on the Synthesis of Form by Christipher Alexander is the most meaning-dense book I've ever read.",
          "reason": "Calls it the most meaning-dense book they've read and cites its footnotes as proof.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401556,
          "author": "ComNik",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:36:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401556",
          "commentText": "Would also recommend Christopher Alexander's \"Notes on the Synthesis of Form\".\nIs Zero to One worth the read?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Would also recommend Christopher Alexander's \"Notes on the Synthesis of Form\".",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6921941,
          "author": "hcarvalhoalves",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-17T16:25:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 6921805,
          "threadTitle": "What book has inspired you the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6921941",
          "commentText": "Notes on the synthesis of form by Christopher Alexander [1], and subsequent works, deeply changed how I approach problems and perceive the world.\n[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notes_on_the_Synthesis_of_Form",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Notes on the synthesis of form by Christopher Alexander [1], and subsequent works, deeply changed how I approach problems and perceive the world.",
          "reason": "The book deeply changed how the commenter approaches problems and perceives the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher Alexander"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Art",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "architectural theory",
        "design theory",
        "systems design",
        "systems thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-liberty-4342df",
      "title": "On Liberty",
      "author": "John Stuart Mill",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42968080,
          "author": "austin-cheney",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-07T00:47:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42968080",
          "commentText": "* A Thousand Splendid Suns\n* Foundation and Empire\n* On Liberty\n* Good to Great\nThose books shaped how I interact with other people, which is:\n* I will move forward. I am not waiting for you to make a decision. If you need time then it’s on your own time and can catch up at your liability, otherwise it’s absolute empathy and self-sacrifice in all things.\n* As for other people I want to avoid people that state firm conclusions lacking evidence or measures. I consider that stupidity but it could just be bias or autism. Either way it’s a problem. If people do that and can’t help but talk about themselves then they are definitely either autistic or a sociopath. If those people are charming then they are definitely sociopaths.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On Liberty",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter says shaped how they interact with other people.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20918029,
          "author": "austincheney",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T13:40:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20918029",
          "commentText": "Nicomachean Ethics - http://classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/nicomachaen.html\nOn Liberty - https://www.utilitarianism.com/ol/one.html\nReading those allows a masterful foundation for understanding ethics, which is crucial for a deeper understanding of utility as a primitive concept.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Reading those allows a masterful foundation for understanding ethics",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a foundation for understanding ethics and utility.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20914562,
          "author": "bmmayer1",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T01:45:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914562",
          "commentText": "Economics:\n- The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith\n- Das Kapital, Karl Marx\n- That Which Is Seen, and That Which Is Not Seen, Frederic Bastiat\nPhilosophy / Politics:\n- The Republic, Plato\n- Second Treatise on Government, John Locke\n- The Law, Frederic Bastiat\n- Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes\n- Meditations, Marcus Aurelius\n- Democracy in America, Alexis de Toqueville\n- On Liberty, John Stuart Mill\nFiction:\n- The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, Mark Twain\n- The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin\n- Metamorphoses, Franz Kafka\n- Candide, Voltaire\n- The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On Liberty, John Stuart Mill",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168677,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:31:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168677",
          "commentText": "I can't give just one, but here are a few that had a strong influence on me: \n\"12 Rules for Life\" by Jordan Peterson, \"Why Switzerland?\" Jonathan Steinberg, \"Little Book of Common Sense Investing\" by John C. Bogle, \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" by Butron Malkiel, \"Liberalismus\" by Ludwig von Mises, \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann, \"Walden\" by Henry David Thoreau, \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"A Treatise on Political Economy\" by Jean-Baptiste Say, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy\" by Joseph Alois Schumpeter, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"My Correct Views on Everything\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"The Captive Mind\" Czesław Miłosz, \"One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, \"The House of the Dead\" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, \"Conversations with an Executioner\" by Kazimierz Moczarski, \"Diary 1954\" by Leopold Tyrmand, \"The Master and Margarita\" by Mikhail Bulgakov, \"A World Apart: A Memoir of the Gulag\" by Gustaw Herling-Grudziński",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a strong influence on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416563,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:55:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416563",
          "commentText": "\"I'm wondering which other books have you read that have had the most impact on you professionally or even personally?\"\nProfessionally: Peter F. Drucker's books.\nPersonally: \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann,  \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"Metaphysical Horror\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"Rationality in Economics\" by Vernon L. Smith, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about books with personal impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503577,
          "author": "igravious",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T13:05:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503577",
          "commentText": "While it is eye-opening I could hardly recommend the Tractatus unless you get it with a commentary. How about The Routledge Philosophy Guidebook to Wittgenstein and the Tractatus by Michael Morris?\nGood call with Karl Popper. On Liberty is archaic somewhat. To recommend just that book by John McCarthy is too narrow, and besides logic and the theory of computation are not a part of philosophy per se. Logic is a tool of philosophers. The theory of computation could possibly be folded into philosophy of mind but I've never seen it done so, there is a strong argument that it should be.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "On Liberty is archaic somewhat.",
          "reason": "Calls the book somewhat archaic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as somewhat archaic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503420,
          "author": "ionfish",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T09:28:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503420",
          "commentText": "Most of the \"eye-opening or incredibly interesting\" philosophical material that I've read has been in individual articles rather than books. That said, here are a few favourites from various areas. It's a bit heavily weighted towards recent material; Kant and Plato ought to be on there, but I can't stand Kant as a writer, even if his ideas are profound, and Plato's style has always irritated me for some reason I can't quite put my finger on. I could probably keep tying titles all day, so I'll stop with those that first popped into my head.\nAristotle, Nicomachean Ethics\nDavid Chalmers, The Conscious Mind: In Search of a Fundamental Theory\nGottlob Frege, Die Grundlagen der Arithmetik\nThomas Hobbes, Leviathan\nDavid Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding\nJ.S. Mill, On Liberty\nJohn Rawls, A Theory of Justice\nStewart Shapiro, Philosophy of Mathematics: Structure and Ontology",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "J.S. Mill, On Liberty",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797257,
          "author": "Oompa",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T03:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797257",
          "commentText": "Second Treatise of Government - Locke\nOn Liberty - Mill\nThe Communist Manifesto - Marx & Engels\nEros & Civilization - Marcuse\nCivilization and Its Discontents - Freud\nThe Road To Serfdom - Hayak\nMilestones - Qutb",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "On Liberty - Mill",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Stuart Mill"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "liberalism",
        "political philosophy",
        "individual liberty"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "shadow-divers-d86646",
      "title": "Shadow Divers",
      "author": "Robert Kurson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47330488,
          "author": "devrundown",
          "createdAt": "2026-03-11T00:26:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 47315415,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47330488",
          "commentText": "Just finished up the first two Game of Thrones book. Before continuing wanted to check out a couple of other books.\nRead Shadow Divers which was really good. Saw it suggested a lot and it did not disappoint.\nNow reading The Pearl by Steinbeck and Red Dwarf: Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers by Grant Naylor.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read Shadow Divers which was really good. Saw it suggested a lot and it did not disappoint.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was really good and lived up to recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42687704,
          "author": "petesmithy",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-13T19:30:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42687704",
          "commentText": "Shadow Divers (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9530.Shadow_Divers) - story of amateur deep sea divers who discover a sunken German U-Boat and spend years trying to get into it. Genuinely riveting story, absolute nutters operating at the edge of what’s possible (and what should be done?).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shadow Divers (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9530.Shadow_Divers) - story of amateur deep sea divers who discover a sunken German U-Boat and spend years trying to get into it.",
          "reason": "A riveting account of amateur divers discovering a sunken German U-Boat and trying to enter it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The divers operate at the edge of what’s possible and what should be done.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40436227,
          "author": "ElCapitanMarkla",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-22T01:03:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40436227",
          "commentText": "Shadow Divers was so good. Did you find that via a HN comment too?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shadow Divers was so good. Did you find that via a HN comment too?",
          "reason": "Calls the book very good and asks whether it was discovered through HN.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40429433,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T15:07:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40429433",
          "commentText": "Shadow Divers was amazing: https://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Divers-Adventure-Americans-Eve... (https://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Divers-Adventure-Americans-Everything/dp/0739320831)\nThe Tiger was also amazing: https://www.amazon.com/Tiger-Vengeance-Survival-Vintage-Depa... (https://www.amazon.com/Tiger-Vengeance-Survival-Vintage-Departures/dp/0307389049)\nBoth non-fiction",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shadow Divers was amazing",
          "reason": "Calls it amazing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Nonfiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10836593,
          "author": "searine",
          "createdAt": "2016-01-04T16:47:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 10833032,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book you've recently read and enjoyed?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10836593",
          "commentText": "Oh boy, you fucked up now. Here are the books I read this past year that I felt were \"Good\", starting from the most recent :\nTo Kill A Mocking Bird (Insanely good)\nTrue Grit (Insanely good)\nThe Little Friend (Good)\nPriceless (Very good, about art theft)\nThe Secret History (Insanely good)\nReady Player One (Good, nerdy)\nShadow Divers (Very good, history nerd book)\nDiary of Anne Frank (Very good)\nUnbroken (Very good, way better than the movie)\nWith The Old Breed at Peleliu and Okinawa (Very good)\nSeveneves (good, but I'm a Stephenson fanboy)\nThe Martian (Very good, but just watch the movie).\nI read a bunch of other stuff, but that's what I found really \"good\" this past year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shadow Divers (Very good, history nerd book)",
          "reason": "Described as “Very good,” and called a history nerd book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865554,
          "author": "codypo",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T17:21:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865554",
          "commentText": "Currently reading A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson.  So far, it's a really charming history of science (and well, everything else), starting from the Big Bang.  Bryson has never let me down before.\nI just finished Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson.  That was an intense book!  If you like deep sea adventure or anything U-boat, it's a worthy read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I just finished Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson. That was an intense book! If you like deep sea adventure or anything U-boat, it's a worthy read.",
          "reason": "Calls it intense and a worthy read for readers interested in deep-sea adventure or U-boats.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in deep-sea adventure or U-boats.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Kurson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Biography",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "world war ii",
        "shipwreck diving",
        "shipwrecks",
        "underwater exploration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "so-good-they-can-t-ignore-you-6e6148",
      "title": "So Good They Can't Ignore You",
      "author": "Cal Newport",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40048824,
          "author": "skydhash",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-16T06:05:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40048824",
          "commentText": "Depends on the audience. Generally, it's always \"Getting Things Done\" and \"So Good They Can't Ignore You\". For fellow programmers it's \"Clean Coder\" and \"The Pragmatic Programmer\". And I always wish my managers and tech leads read \"The Mythical Man-Month\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and \"So Good They Can't Ignore You\"",
          "reason": "Says this is a book they generally give as a gift.",
          "audience": "Gift recipients generally.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33382564,
          "author": "itcrowd",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T09:58:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382564",
          "commentText": "Having read Newports work, I feel his books are mostly in the category of books-that-could-have-been-blogposts. What are your thoughts on this?",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Having read Newports work, I feel his books are mostly in the category of books-that-could-have-been-blogposts.",
          "reason": "The commenter criticizes Newport's books as content that could have been blog posts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23153506,
          "author": "tpaschalis",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T13:04:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23153506",
          "commentText": "So many good suggestions here! I'll try adding two more\n[1] \"So Good They Can’t Ignore You\" by Cal Newport. It changed the way I look at my career and how I view my personal development.\n[2] ADP 6-22 Army Leadership and the Profession by the US Army. Looking past the militaristic stuff, it made me change the way I see leader/subordinate relationships and how to start becoming a person others can depend on and look up to.\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/Good-They-Cant-Ignore-You/dp/14555091... (https://www.amazon.com/Good-They-Cant-Ignore-You/dp/1455509124)\n[2] https://www.amazon.com/Army-Doctrine-Publication-Leadership-... (https://www.amazon.com/Army-Doctrine-Publication-Leadership-Profession/dp/1689088931)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"So Good They Can’t Ignore You\" by Cal Newport. It changed the way I look at my career and how I view my personal development.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed how they view their career and personal development.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665209,
          "author": "PostPost",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:26:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665209",
          "commentText": "Sorry for the wall of text.\n1. Bourne (The language and world of this novel are extraordinary - everything is falling apart yet brimming with life. Strangely moving)\n2. The Design of Everyday things (Essential for anyone in UI/UX)\n3. All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (Highly engaging, entertaining sci-fi novella series, from an author that can write a very decent robot protagonist)\n4. The Power (Interesting story with sci-fi elements on the dynamics of power, sex, and gender roles. I didn't care for the book, but the first 3/4 of the book are amazing)\n5. Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days\n6. 7 brief Lessons on Physics\n7. The Last Lecture (The energy and positivity coming from a man knowing he's about to die is infectious. Great read)\n8. A wizard of Earthsea (Move over Harry Potter, this is the essential children's story about wizards)\n9. Exploring diabetes with owls (Funny, irreverent)\n10. Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children (Made an effort to read more YA this year - this was the best in this series, but I still hated it. There's a host of better YA series out there.)\n11. A Wizard of Earthsea: The Tombs of Atuan (See 8.)\n12. The Girl in the Dark (Interesting book about a skin condition I had never heard of, and the trials of living with a very rare condition)\n13. The Phantom Tollbooth (Clever children's book)\n14. Black hole blues and songs from outer space (Informative book about the study of space,  the political and economic forces standing in the way of science, and the incredible individuals working in this field)\n15. Welcome to Night Vale (Hugely entertaining, clever and weird)\n16. You need a budget (Basic economics book explaining how to budget in a way that lets you do more with your money)\n17. To fight Against This Age (Incredibly pretentious, \nIvory Tower philosophizing)\n18. Infinity Gauntlet (Half the Universe dying because Thanos wanted to sleep with Lady Death will never not be ridiculous)\n19. The Right and Wrong Stuff (Great read explaining how to anticipate and avoid career pitfalls)\n20. Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children: Hollow City (pretty shitty)\n21. The Farthest Shore (Ursula K. Le Guin was the biggest loss this year)\n22. Miss peregrine's home for Peculiar Children: Library of Souls (I hate this book and all its characters)\n23. Every Good Endevour (Religious book about a Christian worldview and the value of labor - not a bad read)\n24. When to Rob a Bank and 131 warped suggestions… (interesting, funny, from the writers of Freakonomics)\n25. Weapons of Math Destruction (Probably the most useful book on this list, if you're reading this on \"hackernews\")\n26. Holes (Perfect summer paperback read)\n27. Silver Screen Sirens (Essential for film geeks)\n28. A full life: reflections at 90 (I gained a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter: he lived an incredible life and does great things)\n29. Call Me by your name (Very good romance novel to send to your bigoted relatives at Christmas)\n30. Hyperbole and a half (Incredibly entertaining, very distinctive art style)\n31. The Murderbot diaries: Artificial Condition (See 3.)\n32. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Best children's book, fight me)\n33. Less (Exceptionally well-written)\n34. Resilience (Great book, especially for those that have gone through extremely difficult circumstances)\n35. The Strange Bird (Dark, bleak, full of life, see 1.)\n36. The Murderbot diaries: Rogue Protocol (See 3.)\n37. His Dark Materials: The subtle knife (See 32.)\n38. Tap Dancing to Work (Very dry, some stories/articles are fantastic, others very, very boring for people that do not care about finance)\n39. So Good They Can't Ignore You (Pretty good)\n40. His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass (Amazing YA, see 32.)\n41. Uncontainable (Inspirational book about conscious capitalism)\n42. The Emperor of All Maladies (Pretty much everything you'll ever want to know about Cancer, written in a very engaging way)\n43. Blind Spot\n44. Shoe dog (Great story, see madmax108's comment, totally agree)\n45. The Faithful Spy (Beautiful artwork describing a Christian pastor's fight against fascism during WW2)\n46. Zero to One\n47. You'll grow out of it\n48. The Happiness advantage (Really fantastic book about the value of positive psychology)\n49. Dreams from my father (Enlightening look into Obama's \nearly days)\n50. Ayoade on Ayoade (Entertaining, extremely scatter-brained, not as funny as his interviews or tv programs)\n51. The Diabolic (badly written YA Sci-Fi)\n52. The Physics of Everyday Things (surprisingly informative, recommended for non science-people interested in the way things work)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Pretty good",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as pretty good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mild praise.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13237838,
          "author": "satyajitranjeev",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T15:30:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237838",
          "commentText": "Things I completed:\n1. Elon Musk: Inventing the Future\n2. The Code Book - Simon Singh\n3. Fermat's Enigma - Simon Singh\n4. Deep Work - Cal Newport\n5. Smarter Faster Better - Charles Duhigg\n6. 1984\n7. So good they can't ignore you - Cal Newport\n8. Distributed Systems for fun and profit\n9. Classic Shell Scripting\nThings I partially read and hope to complete some time:\n1. The music of Primes\n2. Traction\n3. Founders at work\n4. Your Memory: How it works and how to improve it\nThings I would recommend:\nFermat's Enigma and The Code Book are very interesting reads if you are into Mathematics. They are both written very well and you don't need to know too much of Mathematics to understand it. On the other hand The Music of Primes started of very interesting and then got a bit too heavy for an evening read. If you can chug along I think it would be a good one too.\nOf all the self help books I mentioned I think Duhiggs Smarter, faster better is the one that stands out. It is more of an analysis of various teams and people and how they got to work efficiently.\nFounders at work is a long read but something that you can read a chapter independently and that's why it is under half read but definitely something to look at.\n[EDIT: formatting]",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "So good they can't ignore you - Cal Newport",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11239184,
          "author": "kele",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-07T14:54:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11239184",
          "commentText": "\"So Good They Can't Ignore You\" by Cal Newport is awesome.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"So Good They Can't Ignore You\" by Cal Newport is awesome.",
          "reason": "Explicitly calls the book awesome.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229635,
          "author": "toumhi",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T14:51:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229635",
          "commentText": "Self-help/personal development/philosophy:\n- The obstacle is the way (Ryan Holiday)\n- Meditations (Marcus Aurelius)\n- Level up your life: how to unlock adventure and happiness by becoming the hero of your own story\n- the six pillars of self-esteem\n- so good they can’t ignore you\n- the power of habit\n- how to fail at almost everything and still win big\nBusiness:\n- soft sell: the new art of selling\n- essentialism: the disciplined pursuit of less\n- the magic of thinking big\n- everything is negotiable\n- making things happen\n- lean customer development\n- what customers want\n- inspired: how to create products customers love\n- delivering happiness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "so good they can’t ignore you",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8795412,
          "author": "akulbe",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T04:30:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795412",
          "commentText": "The Personal MBA - Josh Kaufman\nThe First 20 Hours - Josh Kaufman\nSo Good They Can't Ignore You - Cal Newport\nThe 4-Hour Workweek - Tim Ferriss\nThe 4-Hour Body - Tim Ferriss\nStop Acting Rich - Thomas J. Stanley\nJames Altucher - Choose Yourself",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "So Good They Can't Ignore You - Cal Newport",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cal Newport"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "career development",
        "work",
        "skill building",
        "craft"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-bhagavad-gita-28b573",
      "title": "The Bhagavad Gita",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50119582,
          "author": "pmpmpmpm",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T15:25:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50119582",
          "commentText": "I can’t resist an invocation:)\nMost of these are old since I’ve been reading more articles these days but here are a few good books or series I’ve read more than twice: The Hobbit, LOTR, the Silmarillion, Neuromancer, the Chronicles of Narnia, Hong Lou Meng, The Heart Sutra, The Bhagavad Gita, The Tao De Ching, The Wheel of Time series, No country for old men, Persuasion, Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice, The Way of Kings, The Talisman, the Dark Tower Series, and The Prophet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bhagavad Gita",
          "reason": "Included among good books read more than twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41178853,
          "author": "fuzztester",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T06:53:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41178853",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\nTaipan, by James Clavell\nThe Navigator, by Morris West\nNon-fiction:\nThe Upanishads (not a single book, but a bunch of them)\nThe Bhagavad Gita",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bhagavad Gita",
          "reason": "Listed under nonfiction in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40279562,
          "author": "krishna2",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-06T21:10:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40279562",
          "commentText": "Likewise![1] I apply it to all aspects of life and also whatever book[2] I read, I end up seeing something from the Gita in there. (or a movie or song).\n[1] https://krishna2.com/bg\n[2] https://krishna2.com/books",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I apply it to all aspects of life and also whatever book[2] I read, I end up seeing something from the Gita in there.",
          "reason": "The commenter applies it to all aspects of life and sees something from it in other books, movies, and songs.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40279494,
          "author": "numbsafari",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-06T21:03:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40279494",
          "commentText": "The Bhagavad Gita",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bhagavad Gita",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17338478,
          "author": "hungerstrike",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T14:26:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17338478",
          "commentText": "The Bhagavad Gita translated by Jack Hawley",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bhagavad Gita translated by Jack Hawley",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1634144,
          "author": "Arun2009",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T21:01:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1634144",
          "commentText": "Man's search for meaning, by Viktor Frankel\nThe Republic, by Plato. It introduced me to a whole new way of thinking.\nThe Gita. I later came to know about the chariot allegory in the Kathopanishad (http://www.atmajyoti.org/up_katha_upanishad_17.asp), and thought that the writer's depiction of the charioteer as Krishna and the rider as Arjuna was just brilliant.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Gita. I later came to know about the chariot allegory in the Kathopanishad",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed your life; the commenter praises its depiction of the charioteer and rider.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hindu scripture",
        "spirituality",
        "hindu philosophy",
        "hinduism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-black-company-2c8920",
      "title": "The Black Company",
      "author": "Glen Cook",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41768950,
          "author": "loufe",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T18:02:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41768950",
          "commentText": "I second the Black Company. I recently turned some friends onto it and got back in as a consequence. It was such a great twist on how a dark fantasy reads. Totally agree for Garret PI.\nI'll have to add my other fantasy favourites : The Kingkiller Chronicles (though be prepared to be left hanging) and the Stormlight Archives are truly excellent.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second the Black Company.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly seconds the recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41768759,
          "author": "ChrisMarshallNY",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T17:46:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41768759",
          "commentText": "These threads often end up, with everyone trying to prove they are literary scholars.\nI prefer junky fantasy books. I'm really too old and cynical to give a damn what y'all think of me.\nI probably liked David Edding's Belgariad series, along with the Mallorean series, the most. I reread them, regularly, and go through all ten books, in a couple of weeks. They are an easy read.\nAlso, Glen Cook's Black Company books are awesome. It's a toss-up, between them. Eleven books, in that series. His Garret PI series are fun, but really kind of \"filler.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also, Glen Cook's Black Company books are awesome.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the books awesome.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23561337,
          "author": "amesdemarbre",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-18T09:20:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 23561163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book that nobody you know has heard of?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23561337",
          "commentText": "Gotta give it to Glen Cook - The dragon never sleeps. He's better known  for  the Black Company series.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "He's better known  for  the Black Company series.",
          "reason": "Says the author is better known for this series, without expressing an opinion about it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15019224,
          "author": "JCSato",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T15:40:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15019224",
          "commentText": "Glen Cook's The Black Company. Really moody, terse writing style; very refreshing contrast to your typical fantasy novel.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Really moody, terse writing style; very refreshing contrast to your typical fantasy novel.",
          "reason": "Praises its distinctive, refreshing writing style.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4239488,
          "author": "gadders",
          "createdAt": "2012-07-13T12:23:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 4239104,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read & liked in 2012 till now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4239488",
          "commentText": "The Black Company series by Glen Cook.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Black Company series by Glen Cook.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books read and liked.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226945,
          "author": "berntb",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T17:06:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226945",
          "commentText": "I also liked most of those. I'm just reading Blindsight, wonderful.\nThe only one I hated was \"Market forces\" by Morgan. It felt like reading \"The Pilgrim's Progress\", but with Chomsky as Jesus -- a little bit too heavy handed in political propaganda. For that kind of stuff done in a fascinating way, check Ken MacLeod's \"The Stone Canal\" and following.\n(Asher got a little too much of Space Opera for me, in the end.)\nFor sf, I'd add Greg Egan (Stross has been mentioned multiple times).\nI'd also like to recommend the worst author I used to buy books in hardcover from -- Robert L Forward. The guy couldn't have written a believable character to save his life, but he had some cool physics ideas. RIP.\nFor fantasy, which I didn't see mentioned, I'd add Scott Lynch, most stuff by Jack Vance, the black company series (Glen Cook), Joe Abercrombie and Vlad Taltos (Brust).\nDawkins' Selfish Gene has been mentioned. Steven Pinker was interesting.\nEdit: Re Schoeder, I've heard good things but not read anything yet. Thanks for advice and kick to start.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the black company series (Glen Cook)",
          "reason": "Listed among fantasy authors and series to add.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86223,
          "author": "icky",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:37:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86223",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- The Time Machine (still holds up very well, and seems strangely eerie and prescient in places)... (H. G. Wells)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Hobbit (and LotR) (Tolkien)\n- Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n- Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties (I picked up Idoru first, so I haven't yet read Virtual Light) (also Gibson)\n- The Difference Engine (Gibson, Sterling)\n- Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n- Cryptonomicon (\" \")\n- Circuit of Heaven, End of Days (Dennis Danvers)\n- All of the \"Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser\" stories and novels. (Fritz Leiber)\n- The Earthsea trilogy (Ursula K. LeGuin)\n- 'salem's Lot (Stephen King)\n- Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein)\n- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)\n- the Coldfire trilogy (C. S. Friedman)\n- various Cory Doctorow short stories\n- Kamikaze L'Amour (Richard Kadrey)\n- Lightpaths (Howard V. Hendrix)\n- A Canticle For Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)\n- Moonwar, Venus (Ben Bova)\n- the Stainless Steel Rat series (Harry Harrison)\n- Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)\n- Ringworld (Larry Niven)\n- Cthon (Piers Anthony) -- Trippiness level approaching Philip Jose Farmer ;-)\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (Douglas Adams)\n- The Black Company (Glen Cook)\n- there's one particularly good post-cyberpunk series that takes place in a world in which Canada emerged as a major world power, but for the life of me I can't rememeber the title.\n- the 1632 series (Eric Flint)... see also S. M. Stirling's Nantucket series (\"Island in the Sea of Time\", et al.), and H. Beam Piper's novel Kalvan of Otherwhen\nNon-fiction:\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (Hume)\n- the surviving words and works of Epicurus, and Diogenes the Cynic\n- Freakonomics (Levitt, Dubner)\n- The Gay Science (Nietzsche)\n- The Jefferson Bible (Christ, Jefferson (ed.))\n- The Devil's Dictionary (Bierce)\n- Brain Droppings (George Carlin)\n- anything by P. J. O'Rourke\n- anything by Dave Barry",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Black Company (Glen Cook)",
          "reason": "Listed under fiction in response to the thread’s question about favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Glen Cook"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dark fantasy",
        "military fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-blank-slate-dd4c2d",
      "title": "The Blank Slate",
      "author": "Steven Pinker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42967215,
          "author": "DataDaoDe",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-06T22:37:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42967215",
          "commentText": "The Old Man and the sea - Hemmingway - so many things, with every reread I find something new.\nThe Heart of the Buddhas Teaching - Thich Nhat Hanh, useful prayers, concepts for understanding and dealing with life and a moral compass for going through it.\nThe Way of Zen - Alan Watts, opened my eyes to different forms of religious experience\nAlso a lot of psychology and philosophy books in undergrad were foundational to my thinking. The Moral Animal, the Moral Landscape, The Blank Slate, The Republic and Plato’s writings on Socrates, Tao te Ching, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, the Tanakh and parts of the Talmud, but many of these were more academic, still holistically they have shaped my thinking and moral compass.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Blank Slate",
          "reason": "Lists it among books and writings that shaped their thinking and moral compass.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Grouped with academic works.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19089022,
          "author": "tvladeck",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T19:47:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19089022",
          "commentText": "The Selfish Gene & The Blind Watchmaker by Dawkins\nEvolution is the reason we exist! Understanding how it happens and why it can lead to counterintuitive outcomes is very important. He also narrates his own audiobooks and is excellent at it.\nThe Blank Slate & The Better Angels of our Nature by Pinker\nBoth books counter much accepted wisdom. The second book, in particular, will make you think of humanity in a fundamentally different light.\nThe Black Swan & Fooled by Randomness by Taleb\nThe role of chance in everyday life! It plays a big role!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Blank Slate & The Better Angels of our Nature by Pinker\nBoth books counter much accepted wisdom.",
          "reason": "The commenter says both books challenge accepted wisdom.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19088692,
          "author": "MikeCapone",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T19:15:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19088692",
          "commentText": "So many, and I wish I could write a long paragraph on each, but I'm unfortunately short on time. I'm posting any in case just one person who hasn't heard of those checks them out and gets value:\n-Godel, Escher, Bach (Douglas Hosfstadter)\n-The Mindbody Prescription (John E. Sarno, completely cured my long-term crippling RSI that kept me from using computers and was ruining my life)\n-Feeling Good (Dr. Burns, cognitive therapy mostly centered on depression, but I want to learn about this before I have depression so that I can avoid it and do 'maintenance' on myself)\n-The 5 Love Languages (Gary Chapman, made me understand a lot more about how people express and receive love, and the problems that arise from mismatched languages in relationships)\n-Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman (you guys probably already know this)\n-The Blank Slate (Steven Pinker)\n-The Snowball (Warren Buffett biography)\n-Influence (Robert B. Cialdini)\n-Your Money or Your Life (Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin)\n-When Heaven and Earth Changed Places: A Vietnamese Woman's Journey from War to Peace (Le Ly Hayslip)\n-The Halo Effect (Phil Rosenzweig)\n-The LessWrong.com sequences on rationality",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-The Blank Slate (Steven Pinker)",
          "reason": "Listed among books offered to readers who might get value from them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7450702,
          "author": "chunky1994",
          "createdAt": "2014-03-22T20:18:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 7450534,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's on your reading list? Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7450702",
          "commentText": "The Extended Phenotype: Richard Dawkins.\nApplied Cryptography: Bruce Schiener.\nLinear Algebra: Friedberg, Insel and Spence.\nSteven Pinker: The Blank Slate\nI've recently finished Dan Gilbert's: Stumbling on Happiness and I highly recommend it. It's witty and gives you a very different way of looking at what you think makes you happy.\nI know these aren't start-up books, but unfortunately I haven't read any to recommend.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Steven Pinker: The Blank Slate",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1755377,
          "author": "nova",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-04T12:07:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1755377",
          "commentText": "Two great books that really impacted me, both about the horrors of bad research:\n\"Good Calories, Bad Calories\", by Gary Taubes, on nutrition and health.\n\"The Blank Slate\", by Steven Pinker, on human nature.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Blank Slate\", by Steven Pinker, on human nature.",
          "reason": "Includes it among two great books that had a strong impact on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment frames it as a book about the horrors of bad research.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227034,
          "author": "a-priori",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T17:34:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227034",
          "commentText": "I recommend The Blank Slate by Steven Pinker.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend The Blank Slate by Steven Pinker.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026759,
          "author": "joe_bleau",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T04:13:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026759",
          "commentText": "Influence, \nPredictably Irrational, \nFooled by Randomness, \nThe Blank Slate, \nHouse of Cards, \nand Planar Microwave Engineering come to mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Blank Slate,",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for great books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Pinker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human nature",
        "evolutionary psychology",
        "behavioral science",
        "innate behavior"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-cathedral-and-the-bazaar-c03d1a",
      "title": "The Cathedral and the Bazaar",
      "author": "Eric S. Raymond",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22710720,
          "author": "RMPR",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T12:25:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22710720",
          "commentText": "I wonder why\nFree as in freedom, Sam Williams\nWasn't mentioned (maybe it's too recent?), the book is written as biographical snapshots of Richard Stallman, basically the story of the Free software, I think it's a great complement for The Cathedral and the Bazaar which was already mentioned.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a great complement for The Cathedral and the Bazaar which was already mentioned.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great complement to Free as in Freedom.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22710126,
          "author": "Rerarom",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T09:28:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22710126",
          "commentText": "Curious that \"The Cathedral and the Bazaar\" by Eric S. Raymond hasn't been mentioned yet.\nAlso: Logicomix, about the development of modern logic up to Gödel.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Cathedral and the Bazaar\" by Eric S. Raymond hasn't been mentioned yet.",
          "reason": "Notes that it has not yet been mentioned in a request for computing and computer history books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14487288,
          "author": "mathnode",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T13:04:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487288",
          "commentText": "- The Pragmatic Programmer\n- The Practice of Programming\n- The Mythical Man Month\n- The Cathedral and the Bazaar\n- The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\n- Introduction to Algorithms\n- Hackers and Painters\nSome of these do contain mixed language code examples, but they are expressed in a way to be agnostic. A problem is a problem; in any language.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The Cathedral and the Bazaar",
          "reason": "Included in a list answering a request for language-agnostic programming books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13410985,
          "author": "progrocks9",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T16:40:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13410985",
          "commentText": "The Cathedral and the Bazaar by Eric S. Raymond. It's inspiring for embrace Open Source collaboration and also very useful for manage projects. In Guy Kawasaki's quote \"The most important book about technology today, with implications that go far beyond programming\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's inspiring for embrace Open Source collaboration and also very useful for manage projects.",
          "reason": "Calls it inspiring about open source collaboration and useful for project management.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in open source collaboration and managing projects.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2528425,
          "author": "rlawson",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-09T12:18:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 2524205,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books for soon to be Software Engineers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2528425",
          "commentText": "hopefully your new company will be ok with using opensource components - so for sure read The Cathedral and the Bazaar by ESR",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "for sure read The Cathedral and the Bazaar by ESR",
          "reason": "Recommends reading it in connection with using open source components.",
          "audience": "Software engineers whose companies use open source components.",
          "caveat": "The recommendation is conditional on the company being okay with open source components.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1465451,
          "author": "kiba",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T13:22:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1465451",
          "commentText": "Whoa what with the hacker love for Austrian economics?\nIt like everyone take after Eric S. Raymond, the hacker who extends Austrian(Hayekian to be more exact) economics to the field of software development in his The Cathedral and the Bazaar.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "in his The Cathedral and the Bazaar",
          "reason": "Cited as Raymond’s work extending Austrian economics to software development.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135262,
          "author": "klocksib",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T16:59:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135262",
          "commentText": "Hmmm, here's a list of books I really like:\nMemory as a Programming Concept in C and C++ by Frenck\nThe Design and Implementation of the FreeBSD Operating System by McKusick/Neville-Neil\nLearning GNU Emacs by Cameron, et al.\nPractical Common Lisp by Seibel\nThe C Programming Language by K&R\nThe C++ Programming Language Stroustrup\nThe Design and Analysis of Algorithms by Leviten\nAssembly Language Programming for the IBM PC Family by Jones\nEssays/Collections:\nHackers & Painters by PG\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman by Feynman\nWhat Do You Care What Other People Think by Feynman\nThe Cathedral & The Bazaar by Raymond\nNovels:\nThe Soul of a New Machine by Kidder\nWhere Wizards Stay up Late by Hafner",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Cathedral & The Bazaar by Raymond",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books the commenter really likes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric S. Raymond"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software development",
        "open source software",
        "open source",
        "project management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-culture-series-b31b62",
      "title": "The Culture series",
      "author": "Iain M. Banks",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46416728,
          "author": "jharohit",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-29T02:15:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46416728",
          "commentText": "sharing a few books I recommended in my annual list (recommend reading!)\nhttps://rohitjha.com/blog/reading-highlights-2025/\nNon Fiction:\n- Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future by Dan Wang (2025)\n- How to Live an Extraordinary Life by Anthony Pompliano (2024)\nFiction:\n- The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester (1956)\n- Consider Phlebas (Culture Series #1) by Iain M. Banks (1987)\n- The Way of Kings (2010, Stormlight #1) & Words of Radiance (2014, Stormlight #2) by Brandon Sanderson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "(Culture Series #1)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35403818,
          "author": "koverstreet",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-01T20:34:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 35392063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Science Fiction books that predict where ChatGPT might lead us?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35403818",
          "commentText": "The Culture series, by Ian M. Banks",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Culture series, by Ian M. Banks",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22724556,
          "author": "barnabee",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T02:03:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22724556",
          "commentText": "William Gibson. The Bridge trilogy and the Sprawl trilogy, at a minimum. They still feel like maps to the future even now. You have to work at it, the map is not the territory after all, but the realisations about the impact of technology, progress, and the choices we make when we let society work a certain way have been profound, for me at least.\nAlso The Peripheral, and Gibson’s essay in Wired about undersea cables, and... yeah. Having read Gibson feels like a superpower.\nAs others have said:\n- The Hitch Hiker’s Guide\n- Stepehnson’s Diamond Age, Cryptonomicon, Seveneves, Anathem (aside: totally surprised how much love there is for Anathem, I remember it not being received very kindly at the time by people around me, though I liked it.)\n- The Culture series (special shout out to The Player of Games.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Culture series (special shout out to The Player of Games.)",
          "reason": "The commenter gives a special shout out to The Player of Games.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22720963,
          "author": "is0tope",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T17:50:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22720963",
          "commentText": "One of my favourite series of books. In many ways quite dark, but with a thread of ironic optimism rarely found in other sci fi books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One of my favourite series of books. In many ways quite dark, but with a thread of ironic optimism rarely found in other sci fi books.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of their favorite series and praises its ironic optimism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes the series as quite dark.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630349,
          "author": "sho",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:16:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630349",
          "commentText": "He's the guy for whom the Sapir-Whorf hypotheis - that the languages we use can themselves shape what we say and even how we think, an idea I think is 100% true.\nWhich brings me to one of my favourite scifi epics - the Culture series, the titular people (and machines) of which consciously designed their language Marain to encode desirable aspects of reasonableness and peaceableness according to that very hypothesis. Nice connection!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "one of my favourite scifi epics - the Culture series",
          "reason": "Calls it one of their favorite science fiction epics and praises its connection to the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043747,
          "author": "SpikeGronim",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T21:47:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043747",
          "commentText": "Any of the The Culture novels by Iain M. Banks. You can start with the first, \"Consider Phlebas\". They're space opera with a lot of dark wit.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Any of the The Culture novels by Iain M. Banks.",
          "reason": "Recommends any of the novels in the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Iain M. Banks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "post scarcity society",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "constructed languages"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-death-of-ivan-ilyich-e8ba28",
      "title": "The Death of Ivan Ilyich",
      "author": "Leo Tolstoy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42275555,
          "author": "_hdki",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T17:46:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42275555",
          "commentText": "A few of this year's highlights for me and my notes on the books, where available.\nFiction -\nNotes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/2ab29d16-0cb1-4ef8-8cde... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/2ab29d16-0cb1-4ef8-8cde-8c9d90db0daf)\nPride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/65214629-29ac-45a6-b474... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/65214629-29ac-45a6-b474-b9fad1285564)\nBleak House by Charles Dickens\nThe Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/bd090cb4-bc9a-41cb-9833... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/bd090cb4-bc9a-41cb-9833-f60834ccd28c)\nNonfiction -\nThe House of Government by Yuri Slezkine (my luckiest find of the year)\nStalin: The Court of The Red Tsar by Simon Sebag Montefiore - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/13ebec0d-0859-4858-864a... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/13ebec0d-0859-4858-864a-8c28bacfed8f)\nVienna by Richard Cockett - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/c0e1d1fb-dea7-456b-a95e... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/c0e1d1fb-dea7-456b-a95e-fcccdd63814a)\nThe House That Madigan Built by Ray Long (an interesting history of a legendary figure in Illinois state politics)\nSay Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s highlights of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28466559,
          "author": "marttt",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-09T05:25:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 28450555,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that impacted your work that few other people seem to care about?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28466559",
          "commentText": "\"A Confession\" [1] and \"The Kingdom of God is Within You\" [2] by Leo Tolstoy. I believe Mahatma Gandhi considered the latter as a core influence for his nonviolent resistance philosophy.\nAlso, \"The Death of Ivan Ilych\" [3] by Tolstoy. I felt like a ping-pong ball in the hands of the author: whichever way he wanted me to think at a certain point in the plot, I did. Masterful insight into the life and death of an ordinary, diligent man. And, above and beyond that, it depicts the rarely avoidable self-centeredness of humans.\nOh, and lately, the prominent Finnish deep ecologist Pentti Linkola [4] has been a huge influence on me. In the Nordic countries, he is sometimes called \"ecofascist\", but this is an obvious cherry-picked overstatement of his views to my mind. I think only one of his books has been translated into English, though: \"Can Life Prevail?\" [5].\n1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Confession\n2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kingdom_of_God_Is_Within_Y... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kingdom_of_God_Is_Within_You)\n3: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Death_of_Ivan_Ilyich\n4: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentti_Linkola and a fan page at http://www.penttilinkola.com/\n5: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6397542-can-life-prevail",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also, \"The Death of Ivan Ilych\" [3] by Tolstoy.",
          "reason": "Praises its insight into an ordinary man’s life and death and its depiction of human self-centeredness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20930026,
          "author": "antoniorosado",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-10T16:33:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20930026",
          "commentText": "The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy is a tremendous book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy is a tremendous book.",
          "reason": "Calls it a tremendous book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20914764,
          "author": "stevedis",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T02:32:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914764",
          "commentText": "Tons of good stuff already here. I love lists like this.\nTwo short b-sides:\n- The Short, Happy Life of Francis Macomber by Ernest Hemingway\n- The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy",
          "reason": "Included among two short works in response to a question about favorite old books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521472,
          "author": "Insanity",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T09:00:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521472",
          "commentText": "Some books that I recently read and enjoyed:\nNon-fiction\na) Sapiens (Yuval Noah Harari)\nb) Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon (Kim Zetter)\nc) Hackers: Heroes of the computer revolution (Steven Levy)\nd) Masters of Doom (David Kushner)\nFiction:\ne) The Death of Ivan Ilyich (Leo Tolstoy)\nf) Ready Player One (Ernest Cline)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Death of Ivan Ilyich (Leo Tolstoy)",
          "reason": "Listed among books recently read and enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1570073,
          "author": "sr3d",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T03:59:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1570073",
          "commentText": "Not in any particular order, but I'd highly recommend these interesting books:\nHow to run a Thriving Business - Ralph Warner (the founder of Nolo book)\nThe Death of Ivan Ilyich - Leo Tolstoy (I read this based on a recommendation by a fellow HNer)\nPredictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions - Dan Ariely.\nThe Winner-Take-All Society - Robert H. Frank, et all.\nGun, Germs, and Steel - Jared Diamond.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Death of Ivan Ilyich - Leo Tolstoy (I read this based on a recommendation by a fellow HNer)",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter highly recommends.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leo Tolstoy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "russian literature",
        "mortality",
        "novella",
        "existentialism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-emperor-of-all-maladies-f933bf",
      "title": "The Emperor of All Maladies",
      "author": "Siddhartha Mukherjee",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41770957,
          "author": "MrDresden",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T20:56:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41770957",
          "commentText": "In the fictional corner I must place the Nights Dawn Trilogy and Dune.\nOther corners don't really have a best book, for me. Recently read 'Emperor of all maladies' and found it a fascinating journey through cancer, both as an illness and as a research subject.\nAlso recently read 'The Grand Chessboard' which was also fascinating for a completely different reason.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Emperor of all maladies'",
          "reason": "Described as a fascinating account of cancer as an illness and research subject.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34167986,
          "author": "dysoco",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-29T00:34:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34167986",
          "commentText": "I'm very interested in The Song of the Cell, thanks, I love books like that and I tried to read The Emperor of All Maladies and I enjoyed the writing but I just couldn't keep reading, Cancer and terminal illnesses just terrify me, that was truly a horror book for me.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I tried to read The Emperor of All Maladies",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed the writing but could not continue because cancer and terminal illnesses frightened them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The subject matter was too frightening to continue reading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18696898,
          "author": "greenido",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-17T04:30:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18696898",
          "commentText": "Some books I've enjoyed in the past year:\nWish to laugh?\n* Born a Crime, by Trevor Noah\n* Yes please! by Amy Poehler\nThink?\n* Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell\n* Where Good Ideas Come from, by Steven Johnson\n* The Emperor of All Maladies and The Gene: An Intimate History both by Mukherjee Siddhartha\nLearn (more) about great thinkers?\n* Einstein or Leonardo da Vinci or Steve Jobs, by Walter Isaacson\n* Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike, by Phil Knight\nYuval Noah Harari 3 good ones:\n* Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow\n* Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\n* 21 lessons for the 21st century\nFrom time to time, I try to put some good ones over here: https://greenido.wordpress.com/?s=book",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Emperor of All Maladies",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a book that prompts thought.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665209,
          "author": "PostPost",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:26:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665209",
          "commentText": "Sorry for the wall of text.\n1. Bourne (The language and world of this novel are extraordinary - everything is falling apart yet brimming with life. Strangely moving)\n2. The Design of Everyday things (Essential for anyone in UI/UX)\n3. All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (Highly engaging, entertaining sci-fi novella series, from an author that can write a very decent robot protagonist)\n4. The Power (Interesting story with sci-fi elements on the dynamics of power, sex, and gender roles. I didn't care for the book, but the first 3/4 of the book are amazing)\n5. Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days\n6. 7 brief Lessons on Physics\n7. The Last Lecture (The energy and positivity coming from a man knowing he's about to die is infectious. Great read)\n8. A wizard of Earthsea (Move over Harry Potter, this is the essential children's story about wizards)\n9. Exploring diabetes with owls (Funny, irreverent)\n10. Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children (Made an effort to read more YA this year - this was the best in this series, but I still hated it. There's a host of better YA series out there.)\n11. A Wizard of Earthsea: The Tombs of Atuan (See 8.)\n12. The Girl in the Dark (Interesting book about a skin condition I had never heard of, and the trials of living with a very rare condition)\n13. The Phantom Tollbooth (Clever children's book)\n14. Black hole blues and songs from outer space (Informative book about the study of space,  the political and economic forces standing in the way of science, and the incredible individuals working in this field)\n15. Welcome to Night Vale (Hugely entertaining, clever and weird)\n16. You need a budget (Basic economics book explaining how to budget in a way that lets you do more with your money)\n17. To fight Against This Age (Incredibly pretentious, \nIvory Tower philosophizing)\n18. Infinity Gauntlet (Half the Universe dying because Thanos wanted to sleep with Lady Death will never not be ridiculous)\n19. The Right and Wrong Stuff (Great read explaining how to anticipate and avoid career pitfalls)\n20. Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children: Hollow City (pretty shitty)\n21. The Farthest Shore (Ursula K. Le Guin was the biggest loss this year)\n22. Miss peregrine's home for Peculiar Children: Library of Souls (I hate this book and all its characters)\n23. Every Good Endevour (Religious book about a Christian worldview and the value of labor - not a bad read)\n24. When to Rob a Bank and 131 warped suggestions… (interesting, funny, from the writers of Freakonomics)\n25. Weapons of Math Destruction (Probably the most useful book on this list, if you're reading this on \"hackernews\")\n26. Holes (Perfect summer paperback read)\n27. Silver Screen Sirens (Essential for film geeks)\n28. A full life: reflections at 90 (I gained a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter: he lived an incredible life and does great things)\n29. Call Me by your name (Very good romance novel to send to your bigoted relatives at Christmas)\n30. Hyperbole and a half (Incredibly entertaining, very distinctive art style)\n31. The Murderbot diaries: Artificial Condition (See 3.)\n32. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Best children's book, fight me)\n33. Less (Exceptionally well-written)\n34. Resilience (Great book, especially for those that have gone through extremely difficult circumstances)\n35. The Strange Bird (Dark, bleak, full of life, see 1.)\n36. The Murderbot diaries: Rogue Protocol (See 3.)\n37. His Dark Materials: The subtle knife (See 32.)\n38. Tap Dancing to Work (Very dry, some stories/articles are fantastic, others very, very boring for people that do not care about finance)\n39. So Good They Can't Ignore You (Pretty good)\n40. His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass (Amazing YA, see 32.)\n41. Uncontainable (Inspirational book about conscious capitalism)\n42. The Emperor of All Maladies (Pretty much everything you'll ever want to know about Cancer, written in a very engaging way)\n43. Blind Spot\n44. Shoe dog (Great story, see madmax108's comment, totally agree)\n45. The Faithful Spy (Beautiful artwork describing a Christian pastor's fight against fascism during WW2)\n46. Zero to One\n47. You'll grow out of it\n48. The Happiness advantage (Really fantastic book about the value of positive psychology)\n49. Dreams from my father (Enlightening look into Obama's \nearly days)\n50. Ayoade on Ayoade (Entertaining, extremely scatter-brained, not as funny as his interviews or tv programs)\n51. The Diabolic (badly written YA Sci-Fi)\n52. The Physics of Everyday Things (surprisingly informative, recommended for non science-people interested in the way things work)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pretty much everything you'll ever want to know about Cancer, written in a very engaging way",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its engaging account of cancer and its extensive coverage.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an engaging introduction to cancer.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11701815,
          "author": "ddxv",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-15T17:31:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11701815",
          "commentText": "I will add a couple books I've read so far in 2016, both of which are not from 2016:\nSapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. This book was an unexpectedly  amazing overview of the history, current status and possible future of human beings.\nThe Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee. I put this off because I'm not very interested in medicine.  It was a mistake, this is one of the most well written non fiction books I've ever read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this is one of the most well written non fiction books I've ever read.",
          "reason": "Praised as one of the best-written nonfiction books the commenter has read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter initially expected not to be interested because the subject is medicine.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10787625,
          "author": "aws_ls",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T09:09:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787625",
          "commentText": "1) Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree - Rating 3/5 - Got an idea about the times in receding Muslim powers, at the end of the 15th Century, in Spain -  The author is an historian so positive point is that fiction rooted in history. But some of the fictional narratives could have been better, as he was not a fiction writer when he started out.\n2) Zero to One - Rating 4/5 - Thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. Insights into and anecdotal examples of Paypal mafia, among the numerous over there.\n3) Liar's Poker - Rating 4/5 - The first of several best seller's by Michael Lewis, gives insights into the working of Investment Finance business, and in a very interesting way (lots of humor)\n4) Devotion of Suspect X - Rating 4/5 - Work of fiction by the Japanese best seller author Keigo Higashino. Enjoyable read - contrasts a Physicist and a Mathematician trying to out think each other in a crime context (reference to Maths/Physics are just pop-level so don't expect too much)\n5) 'Digital Gold...' by Nathaniel Popper - Currently reading (very enjoyable at around 41%) - Captures the history of evolution of Bitcoin. Also made me sad for various people for different reasons, e.g. Hal Finney, who was the first adopter of Satoshi Nakamoto's idea. Reading this book made me appreciate why not knowing who is SN is important. I am no longer curious.\n6) Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond - Rating 5/5 - A perspective changing book, if there can be one. Had picked it up from Gates notes' reading list couple years back. After reading this, my entire perspective on religions, politics, culture changed and I view everything from the reference point of when we started to do agriculture some 20,000 years ago, and of course geographical perspective.\nSome others in my to-read list (hope to pick one before the turn of the year):\n1) Emperor of all maladies - book on cancer research\n2) Ashley Vance's book on Elon Musk\n3) 100 years of solitude\n4) The selfish gene\n5) The hard thing about hard things\n6) Or, if I see any other book: either on this page, or on Gates Notes or on HN reading share the other day. Am a big fan of exchanging/sharing reading lists.\nEdit: Formatting. HN post editor needs two new lines ('\\n') to display one\nEdit 2: Had wrongly named book #4 as Salvation of a saint (which is another book, I read earlier by the same author)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Some others in my to-read list (hope to pick one before the turn of the year):\n1) Emperor of all maladies - book on cancer research",
          "reason": "Lists it as a possible future read without evaluating it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It is on the to-read list.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785676,
          "author": "neilsharma",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T21:11:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785676",
          "commentText": "\"The Righteous Mind\" - Jonathan Haidt. This book helped me understand conservative thinking, made me less heated in my opinions, and provided a convincing framework for me to understand moral arguments\n\"Emperor of All Maladies\" - Siddhartha Mukherjee. An excellently written history of cancer.\n\"Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\" - Lansing Alfred. A true story of one of the last great explorations man has taken",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An excellently written history of cancer.",
          "reason": "Praises its writing and describes it as a history of cancer.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Siddhartha Mukherjee"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cancer",
        "medical history",
        "cancer research",
        "history of cancer"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-laundry-files-75250c",
      "title": "The Laundry Files",
      "author": "Charles Stross",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46161500,
          "author": "ashtavakra",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-05T14:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46161500",
          "commentText": "I consolidated the comments for my reference later. Someone else might also find it useful:\n# Fiction Books Recommended for Programmers (HN Thread 46128404)\n## Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- *Children of Time* — Science Fiction (Evolution, Space Opera)  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)\n## Rick Cook — Wizardry Series\n- *Wizard’s Bane* — Fantasy, Programming/Magic Mashup  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112616.Wizard_s_Bane\n- *Wizardry Series (overview)*  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\n## James P. Hogan\n- *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/743568.Inherit_the_Stars\n- *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifem... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifemaker)\n- *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_Tomorrow)\n## D. F. Jones — Colossus Trilogy\n- *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806105.Colossus\n- *The Fall of Colossus* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colos... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colossus)\n- *Colossus and the Crab* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_Crab)\n## Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner)\n- *A Logic Named Joe* — Golden-Age Sci-Fi, AI Precursor  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-j... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-joe)\n## David Gerrold\n- *When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One* — AI, Classic Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_Was_One)\n## William Gibson / Bruce Sterling\n- *Neuromancer* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer\n- *The Difference Engine* — Steampunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Eng... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Engine)\n## Neal Stephenson\n- *Snow Crash* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash\n- *Cryptonomicon* — Techno-thriller, Cyber-history  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/816.Cryptonomicon\n- *Anathem* — Philosophical Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2845024-anathem\n- *The Diamond Age* — Nanopunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827.The_Diamond_Age\n## Fred Saberhagen\n- *Octagon* — AI, Techno-thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1891958.Octagon\n## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga\n- *Series Overview* — Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/40946-vorkosigan-saga\n## Richard Powers\n- *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45104.Galatea_2_2\n## Scott Meyer\n- *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-wizard)\n## Daniel Suarez\n- *Daemon* — Cyber-thriller, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665844-daemon\n## Thomas J. Ryan\n- *The Adolescence of P-1* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_o... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_of_P_1)\n## Ernest Cline\n- *Ready Player One* — Sci-Fi, Gaming, Pop-Culture Adventure  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one\n## Dennis E. Taylor\n- *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)* — Humorous Sci-Fi, AI, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-we-are-bob)\n## Ted Chiang\n- *Stories of Your Life and Others* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\n- *Exhalation* — Speculative Fiction, Philosophy, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation\n- *The Lifecycle of Software Objects* — AI, Digital Consciousness  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of-software-objects)\n## Charles Stross\n- *Laundry Files Series* — Math-based Magic, Techno-Fantasy  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files\n## Ken Liu\n- *The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menag... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories)\n- *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, AI, VR  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl-and-other-stories)\n## Ellen Ullman\n- *The Bug* — Tech Industry Literary Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/703.The_Bug\n## Cory Doctorow\n- *Radicalized* — Techno-sociopolitical Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40604122-radicalized\n## qntm (Sam Hughes)\n- *Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans-in-transit-and-other-stories)\n## Roger Williams\n- *The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect* — AI, Post-Singularity SF  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)\n## Greg Bear\n- *Eon* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/924843.Eon\n## Vernor Vinge\n- *A Deepness in the Sky* — Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the_Sky)\n## Terry Pratchett\n- *Going Postal* — Comic Fantasy, Satire of Bureaucracy & Tech  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64222.Going_Postal\n## Bruce Bethke\n- *Headcrash* — Cyber-satire  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213465.Headcrash\n## Mary Shelley\n- *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* — Classic Gothic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein\n## Douglas Adams\n- *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* — Comic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guid... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)\n## Jorge Luis Borges\n- *The Library of Babel* — Metaphysical Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-babel)\n## Greg Egan\n- *Permutation City* — Simulation Theory, Hard Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156784.Permutation_City\n## Cixin Liu\n- *The Three-Body Problem* — Hard Sci-Fi, First Contact  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "## Charles Stross\n- *Laundry Files Series* — Math-based Magic, Techno-Fantasy",
          "reason": "Lists the series in a compilation of fiction books recommended for programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46133335,
          "author": "argo_navis",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T11:39:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46133335",
          "commentText": "Laundry Files Series by Charles Stross\nWritten by a ex-programmer, features a world where magic is a branch of mathematics, so you can for example write an app to summon demons, or accidentally turn yourself into a vampire by implementing a particularly extravagant algorithm.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Laundry Files Series by Charles Stross",
          "reason": "The commenter describes a series where magic is a branch of mathematics and can be implemented through software.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25846973,
          "author": "tensility",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T14:43:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25846973",
          "commentText": "For whatever it's worth, I've quite enjoyed the Laundry Files series by Charles Stross, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Laundry_Files>.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've quite enjoyed the Laundry Files series",
          "reason": "Says they have quite enjoyed the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter qualifies the recommendation with “For whatever it's worth.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17169059,
          "author": "z66is",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T20:56:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17169059",
          "commentText": "The Laundry Files.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Laundry Files.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15021255,
          "author": "moh_maya",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T19:00:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15021255",
          "commentText": "Have you read the Laundry Files, by Charles Stress? On similar lines..",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Have you read the Laundry Files, by Charles Stress? On similar lines..",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13566821,
          "author": "nickcw",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T12:55:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13566821",
          "commentText": "I wanted some light relief so I started re-reading Charles Stross' Laundry files, starting with The Atrocity Archives.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/101869.The_Atrocity_Arch... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/101869.The_Atrocity_Archives)\nThere are 7 books in the series now, and hopefully I'll finish the re-read not too long before the next one comes out!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I wanted some light relief so I started re-reading Charles Stross' Laundry files",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8944867,
          "author": "iambot",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-26T00:21:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944867",
          "commentText": "Diamond age: a young ladies illustrated primer. Anathem. Halting state. Accelerando. Rant: an oral biography of buster casey. Enders game. The laundry files.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The laundry files.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109861,
          "author": "mojotoad",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T17:54:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109861",
          "commentText": "The Rhesus Chart...the latest Laundry novel by Charles Stross.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the latest Laundry novel by Charles Stross.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4967453,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T23:30:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967453",
          "commentText": "Will do!  I have a handful of other Stross books waiting in a pile to be ready already, but not sure I have any more of the Laundry ones yet.  I know I have several of his other traditional sci-fi works waiting, and I'll definitely get to the rest of the Laundry books eventually.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'll definitely get to the rest of the Laundry books eventually.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not yet read the rest and is not sure they own any more of the series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043581,
          "author": "rst",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:36:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043581",
          "commentText": "Oh, a little more Stross:  the Laundry books, starting with The Atrocity Archives.  The British Secret Service has a division which guards against Lovecraftian occult horrors --- and your narrator is one of its I.T. grunts.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Laundry books",
          "reason": "Recommends the series and names The Atrocity Archives as a starting point.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Stross"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "spy fiction",
        "lovecraftian horror",
        "british secret service",
        "comic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-long-tail-2a8985",
      "title": "The Long Tail",
      "author": "Chris Anderson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15159707,
          "author": "edpichler",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T04:31:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15159707",
          "commentText": "- The Lean Startup, by Eric Rives\n- The Long Tail, by Chris Anderson\n- The Blue Ocean Strategy, by W. Chan Kim\n- On the shortness of life, by Seneca\n- 1984, by George Orwell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Long Tail, by Chris Anderson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1568243,
          "author": "javery",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T17:19:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 1567456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I want to start a web company what books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1568243",
          "commentText": "Agree on Four Steps and Getting Real, also check out:\nPurple Cow and The Dip by Seth Godin\nThe Long Tail and Free by Anderson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Long Tail and Free by Anderson",
          "reason": "Listed as a book to check out in response to the request for books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 241315,
          "author": "mattmaroon",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T16:17:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=241315",
          "commentText": "It's a flawed conclusion based on flawed data. You read about it, and it sounds compelling, and then you find out that reality just doesn't work that way.\nI'd say it's not worth the time spent.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I'd say it's not worth the time spent.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book is not worth the time, following criticism of its conclusion and supporting data.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The parent identifies the book as The Long Tail.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240899,
          "author": "trotzke",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T07:47:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240899",
          "commentText": "It's trendy to bash Long Tail, but doesn't your comment imply that it's prevalent enough that a entrepreneur should read, disagree or agree with it?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "doesn't your comment imply that it's prevalent enough that a entrepreneur should read, disagree or agree with it?",
          "reason": "Argues that entrepreneurs should read the book, whether they agree with it or not.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs",
          "caveat": "Read it to assess the idea, whether in agreement or disagreement.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240850,
          "author": "trotzke",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T06:28:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240850",
          "commentText": "On my desk:\nGetting Real (37Signals),\nHardball (Chris Mathews),\nPrioritizing Web Usability (Jakob Nielsen)\nNearby shelf:\nThe Design of Everyday Things,\nMaverick,\nFounders at work,\nA Brief History of Time,\nA Pattern Language,\nPeopleware,\nMade to stick,\nWeb Standards Solutions,\nDesigning Interactions,\nThe Pragmatic Programmer,\nThe Mythical Man-Month,\nOh, the Places You'll Go!\nOther good reads:\nBlink,\nTipping Point,\nLong Tail,\nFreakonomics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Long Tail,",
          "reason": "Listed among other good reads in response to a request for recommended books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240696,
          "author": "mattmaroon",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T02:39:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240696",
          "commentText": "First person to say \"The Long Tail\" gets expelled.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "First person to say \"The Long Tail\" gets expelled.",
          "reason": "The commenter jokes that the first person to mention the book will be expelled.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 192237,
          "author": "asnyder",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-16T21:09:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=192237",
          "commentText": "1.\"The Long Tail\" by Chris Anderson\n2.\"Super Crunchers\" by Ian Ayres\n3.\"Six Great Scientists\" by J.G Crowther\n4.\"The Meaning of It All\" by Richard Feynman\n5.\"Dealers of Lightning\"(The story of XEROX Parc) by Michael Hiltzik \n6.\"What I Believe\" by Betrand Russell\nThe above titles can all be found at audible.com, and probably through itunes too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Long Tail\" by Chris Anderson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5706,
          "author": "bhb",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T16:11:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5706",
          "commentText": "\"The Long Tail\" is definitely worth reading, although I sort of felt it was a topic that only deserved a long essay expanded into an entire book. Then again, I felt the same way about \"The Tipping Point\" - interesting idea and points, but it probably could have made just as big an impact in a book half the size.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The Long Tail\" is definitely worth reading, although I sort of felt it was a topic that only deserved a long essay expanded into an entire book.",
          "reason": "Calls it worth reading, while saying the subject could have fit a long essay.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter felt the topic did not warrant a full-length book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5704,
          "author": "bhb",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T16:03:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5704",
          "commentText": "Some of these have been mentioned, but these stand out for me\nProgramming:\nGetting Real\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nHackers and Painters\nBusiness:\nGood to Great\nStart Your Own Business (I knew basically nothing about \nsmall business before I started, and it's a good intro)\nCrossing the Chasm (good so far, haven't finished)\nTechnology/Culture:\nThe Long Tail\nThe World is Flat\nProductivity/People:\nGetting Things Done\nGetting to Yes\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Long Tail",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5576,
          "author": "danw",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T02:19:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5576",
          "commentText": "Very good list. I've been compiling a list for a while now using google notebook. Its a big mess and many of the books I have yet to read but it links to a few good lists such as the ones on joelonsoftware and onstartups.\nhttp://www.google.com/notebook/public/14636089903511277449/BDQiPSgoQ98yW0vQh\nAlso python: long tail is a good read, drags out a bit though. Possibly more my attention span at fault there.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "long tail is a good read, drags out a bit though",
          "reason": "Calls it a good read, while noting that it drags out.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it drags out a bit.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5574,
          "author": "python_kiss",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T02:11:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5574",
          "commentText": "About 14 months ago, I had little knowledge of how to execute a startup. In particular, I wasn't familiar with any online marketing tactics. The following books helped me a lot in that respective, and more:\n\n1. Positioning, 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing/Branding, Focus, Marketing Warfare\n2. Purple Cow, All Marketers are Liars, Permission Marketing (I didn't like \"The Big Moo\", \"Free prize inside\" or \"Small is the new Big\").\n3. Founters At Work\n4. Wikinomics, Wisdom of Crowds, The Tipping Point (Blink! was alright). I am looking forward to reading \"The Long Tail\" and \"The starfish and the spider\"...has anyone read them yet?\n6. Why We Buy\n7. Hackers and Painters\n8. The E-Myth revisited\n9. The Art of the Start\n10. On War, The Art of War by Machiavelli and Sun Tzu (not exactly for startups, but definitely useful)\n11. Crossing the Chasm",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I am looking forward to reading \"The Long Tail\"",
          "reason": "The commenter is looking forward to reading it but gives no evaluation or recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Reading interest alone does not establish endorsement.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris Anderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "digital markets",
        "long tail economics",
        "marketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-new-new-thing-87b450",
      "title": "The New New Thing",
      "author": "Michael Lewis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36601356,
          "author": "Zelphyr",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T14:59:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601356",
          "commentText": "It's quite old and so doesn't include the rise of the Internet and subsequent innovations but, Accidental Empires is pretty good: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accidental_Empires\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late - on the creation of the Internet\nThe Soul of a New Machine - On computing in the 70's and 80's\nThe Difference Between God and Larry Ellison - On the rise of Oracle (also has the best title)\nMasters of Doom - A history of id Software\nWhat The Dormouse Said - How the 60's counterculture influenced computing\nThe New New Thing - Follows Jim Clark around while he creates SGI, Netscape, etc...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The New New Thing",
          "reason": "Described as following Jim Clark as he builds SGI and Netscape.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238121,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:01:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238121",
          "commentText": "Last year I gave myself a Zuckerberg-style goal to read a book every two weeks. It started well, but some months were harder than others (usually when the book wasn't very good, so I would switch to podcasts for a few weeks, before getting back on track).\nHere's an unordered list of the best:\n[BUSINESS / SELF-IMPROVEMENT]\n- \"Work Rules!\" - about Google's culture and values\n- \"Search Inside Yourself\" - about mindfulness, meditation, and the impact on your life.\n- \"What got you here won't get you there\" - Liked a lot more than I expected.\n- \"Re-read Innovator's Dilemma\" - a great classic; never gets old.\n- \"How will you measure your life\" - from the same author. Also excellent.\n- \"The Best Service is No Service\" - good overview on why Amazon's customer service is so good\n- \"Crucial Conversations\" - half is common sense; half is good tips to practice everyday.\n[PROGRAMMING]\n- \"Fluent Python\" - was afraid it'd be too basic, but not really. Enjoyed it a lot.\n- \"Think Complexity\" - about algorithm complexity, data structures, etc. Great read.\n- \"Python Data Science Handbook\" - meh.\n- \"Fundamentals of Deep Learning\" - good intro. Helped me solidify some concepts from Andrew Ng's ML course\n- \"Deep Learning\" - by Goodfellow and Bengio. Just started, but really liking it.\n[STARTUPS] (all excellent; in order)\n- \"The Hard Things about Hard Things\"\n- \"Zero to One\"\n- \"The Founder's Dilemmas\"\n- \"The Launch Pad\"\n[FICTION]\n- Trilogy: \"Off to be a wizard / An Unwelcome Quest / Spell or High Water\"\n- \"Infinite Jest\" - tried but failed to finish. May try again later.\n- \"Ready Player One\" - nice, but repetitive after a while. Good read before the movie comes out.\n[NON-FICTION]\n- \"What If?\" - xkcd FTW\n- \"How to Read a Book\" - good concepts, but should be a 10 pages blog post, not a book\n- \"Spark\" - Science of the Exercise and the Brain - Long, but good\n- \"Sugar Shock\" - still reading; hopefully will help me cut my sweet cravings\n[BIOGRAPHIES]\n- \"The New New Thing\" - about Jim Clark's life, one of the very first entrepreneurs\n- \"Machines of Loving Grace\" - about the research and the rise of AI\n- \"Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution\"\n- \"The Second Coming of Steve Jobs\" - About Pixar's story. Liked more than Isaacson's biography\n- \"The Innovators\" - great summary of computer industry, from the 1800's till today\n- \"Ghost in the Wires\" - Kevin Mitnick's story. Had started years ago, but finally finished it\n- \"Idea Man\" - about Paul Allen's story. Quite an impressive man.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The New New Thing\" - about Jim Clark's life, one of the very first entrepreneurs",
          "reason": "Included in the comment’s unordered list of best books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 621401,
          "author": "neilc",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-22T01:03:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621401",
          "commentText": "\"The New New Thing\" by Michael Lewis is great: entertainingly written, and actually quite instructive about SV culture. \"Startup: A Silicon Valley Adventure\" by Jerry Kaplan was also very good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The New New Thing\" by Michael Lewis is great: entertainingly written, and actually quite instructive about SV culture.",
          "reason": "Praised as entertaining and instructive about Silicon Valley culture.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 138224,
          "author": "dedalus",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-16T16:05:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=138224",
          "commentText": "The New New Thing(http://www.wwnorton.com/catalog/fall99/newnewthing.htm)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The New New Thing",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 138044,
          "author": "falsestprophet",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-16T06:36:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=138044",
          "commentText": "The New New Thing\nFounders at Work\nHackers and Painters\nHow To Get Rich\nCompetitive Strategies\nThe Intelligent Investor (or Security Analysis)\nLiar's Poker",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The New New Thing",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135284,
          "author": "DarrenStuart",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T17:20:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135284",
          "commentText": "designing the obvious - a common sense approach to web application design by Robert Hoekman Jr\nThe New New Thing\nMasters of Doom (story of id software, great story)\nSmart Start-ups: How Entrepreneurs and Corporations Can Profit by Starting Online Communities\nsteven levy's Hackers and crypto also for the history.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The New New Thing",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books for a hacker's bookshelf.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Lewis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Biography",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "silicon valley",
        "entrepreneurship",
        "technology entrepreneurship",
        "startup culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories-afb628",
      "title": "The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories",
      "author": "Ken Liu",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46161500,
          "author": "ashtavakra",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-05T14:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46161500",
          "commentText": "I consolidated the comments for my reference later. Someone else might also find it useful:\n# Fiction Books Recommended for Programmers (HN Thread 46128404)\n## Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- *Children of Time* — Science Fiction (Evolution, Space Opera)  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)\n## Rick Cook — Wizardry Series\n- *Wizard’s Bane* — Fantasy, Programming/Magic Mashup  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112616.Wizard_s_Bane\n- *Wizardry Series (overview)*  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\n## James P. Hogan\n- *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/743568.Inherit_the_Stars\n- *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifem... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifemaker)\n- *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_Tomorrow)\n## D. F. Jones — Colossus Trilogy\n- *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806105.Colossus\n- *The Fall of Colossus* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colos... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colossus)\n- *Colossus and the Crab* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_Crab)\n## Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner)\n- *A Logic Named Joe* — Golden-Age Sci-Fi, AI Precursor  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-j... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-joe)\n## David Gerrold\n- *When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One* — AI, Classic Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_Was_One)\n## William Gibson / Bruce Sterling\n- *Neuromancer* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer\n- *The Difference Engine* — Steampunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Eng... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Engine)\n## Neal Stephenson\n- *Snow Crash* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash\n- *Cryptonomicon* — Techno-thriller, Cyber-history  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/816.Cryptonomicon\n- *Anathem* — Philosophical Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2845024-anathem\n- *The Diamond Age* — Nanopunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827.The_Diamond_Age\n## Fred Saberhagen\n- *Octagon* — AI, Techno-thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1891958.Octagon\n## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga\n- *Series Overview* — Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/40946-vorkosigan-saga\n## Richard Powers\n- *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45104.Galatea_2_2\n## Scott Meyer\n- *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-wizard)\n## Daniel Suarez\n- *Daemon* — Cyber-thriller, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665844-daemon\n## Thomas J. Ryan\n- *The Adolescence of P-1* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_o... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_of_P_1)\n## Ernest Cline\n- *Ready Player One* — Sci-Fi, Gaming, Pop-Culture Adventure  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one\n## Dennis E. Taylor\n- *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)* — Humorous Sci-Fi, AI, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-we-are-bob)\n## Ted Chiang\n- *Stories of Your Life and Others* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\n- *Exhalation* — Speculative Fiction, Philosophy, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation\n- *The Lifecycle of Software Objects* — AI, Digital Consciousness  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of-software-objects)\n## Charles Stross\n- *Laundry Files Series* — Math-based Magic, Techno-Fantasy  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files\n## Ken Liu\n- *The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menag... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories)\n- *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, AI, VR  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl-and-other-stories)\n## Ellen Ullman\n- *The Bug* — Tech Industry Literary Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/703.The_Bug\n## Cory Doctorow\n- *Radicalized* — Techno-sociopolitical Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40604122-radicalized\n## qntm (Sam Hughes)\n- *Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans-in-transit-and-other-stories)\n## Roger Williams\n- *The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect* — AI, Post-Singularity SF  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)\n## Greg Bear\n- *Eon* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/924843.Eon\n## Vernor Vinge\n- *A Deepness in the Sky* — Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the_Sky)\n## Terry Pratchett\n- *Going Postal* — Comic Fantasy, Satire of Bureaucracy & Tech  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64222.Going_Postal\n## Bruce Bethke\n- *Headcrash* — Cyber-satire  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213465.Headcrash\n## Mary Shelley\n- *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* — Classic Gothic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein\n## Douglas Adams\n- *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* — Comic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guid... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)\n## Jorge Luis Borges\n- *The Library of Babel* — Metaphysical Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-babel)\n## Greg Egan\n- *Permutation City* — Simulation Theory, Hard Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156784.Permutation_City\n## Cixin Liu\n- *The Three-Body Problem* — Hard Sci-Fi, First Contact  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- *The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction",
          "reason": "Lists the title in a compilation of fiction books recommended for programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46136691,
          "author": "agarv",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T16:46:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46136691",
          "commentText": "The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories and The Hidden Girl and Other Stories by Ken Liu\nThe Bug by Ellen Ullman\nRadicalized by Corey Doctrow\nValuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories by qntm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories and The Hidden Girl and Other Stories by Ken Liu",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41759319,
          "author": "aireo",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-06T19:04:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41759319",
          "commentText": "Several immediately come to mind.\nShort stories: The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories (Ken Liu); Stories of Your Life and Others and Exhalation (Ted Chiang); The Martian Chronicles (Ray Bradbury)\nNovels: The Monk (Matthew Gregory Lewis); Frankenstein (Mary Shelley)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories (Ken Liu)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28067824,
          "author": "minnca",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T23:35:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28067824",
          "commentText": "Ken Liu has some excellent short stories. His collection The Paper Menagerie from a few years ago was particularly great. (The titular short story won a Hugo.) He also translated the first and third books in the Three-Body Problem series.\nTed Chiang is another great SF short story writer.\nDefinitely Maybe by the Strugatsky brother is excellent – though it was published in the 70s so maybe not \"modern.\"\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Definitely_Maybe_%28novel%29",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His collection The Paper Menagerie from a few years ago was particularly great.",
          "reason": "The commenter singles out the collection as particularly great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25846605,
          "author": "red_hare",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T14:11:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25846605",
          "commentText": "If you’d like to try some short fiction, ‘the paper menagerie and other stories’ is hands down my favorite collection of science fiction.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "‘the paper menagerie and other stories’ is hands down my favorite collection of science fiction",
          "reason": "Calls it a favorite short fiction collection.",
          "audience": "Readers looking to try short fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18664099,
          "author": "whym",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T14:24:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664099",
          "commentText": "> Three Body Problem - Ken Liu\nThis isn't entirely wrong, but it's written by Liu Cixin in Chinese originally. Ken Liu is the translator. I haven't read it yet, but I'm looking foward to it. Stories in \"Paper Menagerie\" convinced me that he could skillfully deliver different kinds of stories in different voices - and good translators need that.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Paper Menagerie\" convinced me",
          "reason": "Its stories convinced the commenter that Ken Liu could skillfully translate works in different voices.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ken Liu"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories",
        "speculative fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-reality-dysfunction-8dce89",
      "title": "The Reality Dysfunction",
      "author": "Peter F. Hamilton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43613486,
          "author": "bloopernova",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T16:54:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43613486",
          "commentText": "The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors by James Hornfischer. The amazing courage shown by the US Navy sailors as their tiny 2,000 ton Destroyers and Destroyer Escorts faced a Japanese fleet of Battleships, Cruisers, and Destroyers at The Battle Off Samar. Inspiring and horrifying, the DDs and DEs of the US navy were protecting \"Escort Carriers\" which were smaller aircraft carriers made from cargo ship hulls. Warning, may inspire you to learn a whole bunch more about world war 2.\nAnd 2 books that sort of go together:\nIncredible Victory: The Battle of Midway by Walter Lord, and Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway by Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully. Read Incredible Victory first, learn about the luck, good and bad, that led to a much-needed victory in the Pacific. Then read Shattered Sword and get a fuller picture of events, especially from the Japanese side. Learn about how hubris and dogma led to the Japanese Navy's defeat. Then learn about how saving face led to history not being accurately told by the witnesses on the Japanese side.\nAll 3 are great books that are well worth your time.\nOthers that I've enjoyed:\nParable of the Sower by Octavia Butler (near future post-apocalyptic sci-fi).\nThe non-fiction Liberation Trilogy by Rick Atkinson (more WW2 non-fiction, nice details about North Africa through Italy, then France to Germany).\nMidnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham.\nMost Secret War by RV Jones (nerdy, funny history of one scientist's world war 2 experience).\nThe Discworld City Guard books, starting with Guards! Guards!, by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy fiction satire, hilarious and comforting. Highly, highly recommended!!\nPeter F Hamilton sci-fi adventure books: Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained are a duo of great space opera stretching across multiple planets and people. Don't spoil yourself by reading any descriptions of Judas Unchained before you read Pandora's Star. Also by the same author, The Night's Dawn Trilogy: The Reality Dysfunction, The Neutronium Alchemist, and The Naked God. Fantastic big canvas space opera with lots of threads, great world-building, and amazing situations. Both sets of books are highly recommended escapes from reality.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Reality Dysfunction, The Neutronium Alchemist, and The Naked God.",
          "reason": "Named as part of a trilogy the commenter recommends.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy large-scale space opera.",
          "caveat": "Part of The Night's Dawn Trilogy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229877,
          "author": "fsiefken",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T16:16:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229877",
          "commentText": "That's a very broad question, so I read your comments to get a feel from where you might be coming from and/or going to and where you and I might overlap:\n* Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Antifragile, things that gain from disorder http://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Incer... (http://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Incerto/dp/0812979680/)\n* Jared Diamond. The World until yesterday, what can we learn from traditional societies http://www.amazon.com/World-Until-Yesterday-Traditional-Soci... (http://www.amazon.com/World-Until-Yesterday-Traditional-Societies/dp/0143124404)\n* Frans de Waal. The Bonobo and the Atheist: In Search of Humanism Among the Primates http://www.amazon.com/Bonobo-Atheist-Search-Humanism-Primate... (http://www.amazon.com/Bonobo-Atheist-Search-Humanism-Primates/dp/0393347796/)\n* John Higgs. The KLF: Chaos, Magic... http://www.amazon.com/KLF-Chaos-Magic-Music-Money-ebook/dp/B... (http://www.amazon.com/KLF-Chaos-Magic-Music-Money-ebook/dp/B00ABFHOS0/)\n* Joseph Jaworski. Synchronicity, the inner Path of leadership http://www.amazon.com/Synchronicity-The-Inner-Path-Leadershi... (http://www.amazon.com/Synchronicity-The-Inner-Path-Leadership-ebook/dp/B0051ANRBI)\n* Piero Ferrucci. Your Inner Will, finding personal strength in critical times http://www.amazon.com/Your-Inner-Will-Personal-Strength/dp/0... (http://www.amazon.com/Your-Inner-Will-Personal-Strength/dp/0399174931)\n* William Irvine. A Guide to the good life, the ancient art of stoic joy http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic/dp/01953... (http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic/dp/0195374614)\n* Chogyam Trungpa. Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior http://www.amazon.com/Shambhala-Sacred-Warrior-Chogyam-Trung... (http://www.amazon.com/Shambhala-Sacred-Warrior-Chogyam-Trungpa/dp/1590304519/)\n* Tomas Malik. Patience with God: The Story of Zacchaeus Continuing In Us http://www.amazon.com/Patience-God-Story-Zacchaeus-Continuin... (http://www.amazon.com/Patience-God-Story-Zacchaeus-Continuing/dp/0385524498/)\n* Nick Winter. The Motivation Hacker http://www.amazon.com/Motivation-Hacker-Nick-Winter/dp/09892... (http://www.amazon.com/Motivation-Hacker-Nick-Winter/dp/0989279820)\n* Chas Emerick, Brian Carper, Christophe Grad. Clojure Programming http://www.amazon.com/Clojure-Programming-Chas-Emerick/dp/14... (http://www.amazon.com/Clojure-Programming-Chas-Emerick/dp/1449394701)\nFiction:\n* Peter Hamilton - The Reality Dysfunction\n* Neal Stephenson - Cryptonomicon (his other hit: Snow Crash is surprisingly more history then SF now...)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Peter Hamilton - The Reality Dysfunction",
          "reason": "Included in a response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3799583,
          "author": "ninjaweasel",
          "createdAt": "2012-04-04T20:07:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 3781486,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi Books for Hackers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3799583",
          "commentText": "Space Operas:\n- The Reality Dysfunction (Peter Hamilton)\n- Gridlinked (Neal Asher)\n- Hidden Empire (Kevin J Anderson)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Reality Dysfunction (Peter Hamilton)",
          "reason": "Listed as a space opera in response to a request for science fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in space opera.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1228361,
          "author": "TeHCrAzY",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-30T04:16:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1228361",
          "commentText": "I would second Reality Dysfunction. The series is very well written, and takes some interesting ideas on technology, genetics and human modification and pushes them through to interesting endpoints. Well thumbed copies are on my bookshelf.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would second Reality Dysfunction. The series is very well written",
          "reason": "Seconding the recommendation and praising the series' writing and ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226847,
          "author": "aarongough",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:34:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226847",
          "commentText": "I'm a big fan of Sci-Fi because I feel it makes people think about what they want the future to be, as well as avoiding the re-hashing of historical and current events that many fiction books set in the present do. With that in mind a list of great books to read:\n  The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson\n  Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson\n  Gridlinked - Neal Asher\n  Neuromancer - William Gibson\n  The Reality Dysfunction - Peter F. Hamilton\n  The Dreaming Void - Peter F. Hamilton\n  Fallen Dragon - Peter F. Hamilton\n  Altered Carbon - Richard Morgan\n  Market Forces - Richard Morgan\n  Blindsight - Peter Watts\n  The Electric Church - Jeff Somers\n  Tunnel in the Sky - Robert A. Heinlein\n  The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Robert A. Heinlein\n  1984 - George Orwell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Reality Dysfunction - Peter F. Hamilton",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140490,
          "author": "nazgulnarsil",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T02:59:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140490",
          "commentText": "depends on the subgenre :)\nSuperhuman:\nSlan by A.E. Van Vogt\nMore Than Human by Theodore STurgeon\nOdd John by Olaf Stapledon\nPost Apocalyptic:\nThe Day of The Triffids by John Whyndham\nEarth Abides by George R. Stewart\nA Canticle for Lebowitz by...don't remember\nSpace Opera/Adventure:\nany of The Culture novels by Iain M. Banks\nThe Reality Dysfunction series by ...don't remember\nHyperion series by Dan Simmons\nTo Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer\nDystopian:\nWe by Yevgeny Zamyatin <---highly overlooked, predates 1984 and Brave New World\nBut the Absolute Best would be anything by:\nStanislaw Lem (Cyberiad, Futurological Congress, Solaris)\nAlfred Bester (The STars my Destination, The Demolished Man)\nor Samuel R. Delany (Babel-17, Dhalgren, Trtion, Nova)\noh and Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light and This Immortal are both great.\nSome of Philip K. Dick's stuff is great, but everyone recommends him. :)\nalmost forgot John Brunner, check out Steel Beach, The Sheep Look Up, and Stand on Zanzibar.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Reality Dysfunction series by ...don't remember",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not remember the author.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter F. Hamilton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "genetic engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-road-to-reality-a-complete-guide-to-the-laws-of-the-universe-644d38",
      "title": "The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe",
      "author": "Roger Penrose",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46478252,
          "author": "senorcrab",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-03T16:09:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 46473352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Expository/Succinct Books on Modern Physics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46478252",
          "commentText": "Freshman university textbooks have what you need. Two of the most popular are:\n- University Physics by Young and Freedman\n- Fundamentals of Physics by Halliday, Resnick, Walker\n- Modern Physics by Krane\nYou might guess that real physics is not actually in freshman textbooks, and you are right. Modern physics requires rigorous mathematics.\nFor a nonrigorous introduction/overview:\n- The Road to Reality by Roger Penrose\nIf you want to actually learn almost all of physics at a high level:\n- Course of Theoretical Physics by Landau\nNote that Landau is extremely difficult.\nIf you want to learn the math needed for modern physics (topology) in the context of physics, nonrigorously:\n- Geometry, Topology, and Physics by Nakahara",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Road to Reality by Roger Penrose",
          "reason": "Suggested as a nonrigorous introduction and overview.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a nonrigorous physics overview.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46478190,
          "author": "QuadmasterXLII",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-03T16:05:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 46473352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Expository/Succinct Books on Modern Physics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46478190",
          "commentText": "Roger Penrose’s (Yes that Penrose) Road to Reality is excellent. Be warned the first 382 pages are just building the mathematical foundation he needs for the second half. But if you don’t do this, you can’t really write a book about modern physics targeting undergrad math.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Road to Reality is excellent.",
          "reason": "Calls the book excellent.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a book on modern physics at an undergraduate mathematics level.",
          "caveat": "The first 382 pages build the mathematical foundation for the second half.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23726919,
          "author": "Koshkin",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T19:50:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23726919",
          "commentText": "This book is totally inappropriate for learning mathematics, especially for a teenager. A well-prepared layman, maybe, but not a teenager who just wants a good introduction to the subject.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "This book is totally inappropriate for learning mathematics, especially for a teenager.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is a poor introduction to mathematics for a teenager.",
          "audience": "A well-prepared layman may be better suited than a teenager seeking an introduction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter allows it may suit a well-prepared layman.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23726795,
          "author": "tobinfricke",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T19:33:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23726795",
          "commentText": "The Road to Reality by Roger Penrose.\nhttps://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/27/books/review/the-road-to-... (https://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/27/books/review/the-road-to-reality-a-really-long-history-of-time.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Road to Reality by Roger Penrose.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a maths book for a teenager.",
          "audience": "A teenager interested in maths.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10028558,
          "author": "sgt101",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T20:22:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10028558",
          "commentText": "The Road To Reality by Roger Penrose.\nAll (literally all) signal",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Road To Reality by Roger Penrose.\nAll (literally all) signal",
          "reason": "Presents it as entirely high-signal.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3235074,
          "author": "waterlesscloud",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-14T18:33:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3235074",
          "commentText": "The Road To Reality - Roger Penrose.  Slowly, step by step.\nNeuromancer - William Gibson.  6th or 7th time through. Coming to it now after having read Delany's Nova, and the influence is clear.\nLittle Heroes - Norman Spinrad.  All that's good about Spinrad and all that's bad.  He does write well about Hollywood.\nHistory Of Film- David Parkinson.  A short survey text, sort of a review for me.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Road To Reality - Roger Penrose. Slowly, step by step.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1868724,
          "author": "yesbabyyes",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-04T13:26:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1868724",
          "commentText": "I picked up The Road to Reality: A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe by Roger Penrose, for the third time. It's really interesting and well written, but I still feel it's a pretty heavy read. I figure that I'll get through it with Sal Khan's help, when I hit math and physics that's above my level.\nI hope it will be a good way for me to improve my math, while learning about our history and the universe all at the same time.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's really interesting and well written, but I still feel it's a pretty heavy read.",
          "reason": "Finds it interesting and well written, while describing it as a heavy read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A heavy read; the commenter expects to need help with math and physics above their level.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797903,
          "author": "sammyo",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T12:48:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797903",
          "commentText": "Warped Passages: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe's Hidden Dimensions\nThe Road to Reality  (and I'll probably be able to post this for the next 3 or more  threads of this type :)\nDead Until Dark (well when it comes in, certainly not going to buy this, and the library reserve goes nuts for books that spawn your popular vapire drama)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Road to Reality",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter expects to keep mentioning it in future reading threads.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 755258,
          "author": "jimbokun",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T14:25:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755258",
          "commentText": "Maybe more on topic than you suggest, as some Physics books double as pretty good books about math.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Road-Reality-Complete-Guide-Universe/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Road-Reality-Complete-Guide-Universe/dp/0679776311/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1250000533&sr=1-1)\nOK, I haven't actually read it, but it looked like a really good book for learning a lot of interesting math when I thumbed through its contents at the library. :)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "http://www.amazon.com/Road-Reality-Complete-Guide-Universe/d...",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a possible source for learning interesting mathematics.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in learning mathematics through physics books.",
          "caveat": "The commenter had not read it and based the suggestion on browsing its contents.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roger Penrose"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical physics",
        "cosmology",
        "modern physics",
        "fundamental physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-unicorn-project-c4b668",
      "title": "The Unicorn Project",
      "author": "Gene Kim",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43189428,
          "author": "xvash",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-26T23:20:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 43084739,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction/non-fiction book should everyone read on the topic of CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43189428",
          "commentText": "Came here to recommend this. Also the book, \"The Unicorn Project\" is the SW Dev side of the Phoenix Project.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also the book, \"The Unicorn Project\" is the SW Dev side of the Phoenix Project.",
          "reason": "Recommended as the software development side of The Phoenix Project.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39252836,
          "author": "andher",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T18:22:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39252836",
          "commentText": "I read The Phoenix Project a while back and really liked it, have been intending to pick up the The Unicorn Project for some time now. Did you think just the audiobook wasn't better or in general it wasn't as good as The Phoenix Project?",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "have been intending to pick up the The Unicorn Project for some time now.",
          "reason": "The commenter has been intending to read it and asks how it compares with The Phoenix Project.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39249080,
          "author": "abbadadda",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T10:29:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249080",
          "commentText": "I started listening to \"The Unicorn Project\" on audiobook. It is not as good as \"The Phoenix Project\" audiobook, but it does a decent job of describing problems from the software engineer's perspective. The problem is I need a version of these books from Sarah Molton/Steve Master's point of view (a novel about being a product manager or CEO?) to better understand what motivates that side of the org. I have been mired in \"The Core Chronic Conflict\" for years, paying down tech debt, and turns out changing an org to learn/understand/care about DevOps is Hard.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I started listening to \"The Unicorn Project\" on audiobook.",
          "reason": "The commenter is listening to it and says it describes problems from software engineers' perspective.",
          "audience": "Software engineers",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not as good as The Phoenix Project audiobook.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29679491,
          "author": "floydnoel",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-25T01:36:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29679491",
          "commentText": "I didn’t read The Phoenix Project yet, but I got a sale on its sequel, The Unicorn Project. I got a couple chapters in and found it almost repulsive. At the start a “rockstar” developer gets blamed for something that isn’t her fault, and sent to a shit team. It then gushes about how amazing the rockstar is by highlighting what text editor she uses, and how she can back up a server while it’s on fire, and how she’s the most in-demand consultant in the world, along with a million other clichés. It’s the only book I have ever returned. It’s like a manager dreamt up the “perfect” employee cog and wrote a book about it.\nI mostly bought the book because I had heard good things about TPP, but I was turned off after trying to read the sequel. Would you please elaborate on what you found valuable about it? I’d like to read it (I read a lot) if it’s actually useful, but I haven’t heard much about how or what was valuable about it. Just that people seem to enjoy it. I’d love to hear more about why, if you’re so inclined!",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I didn’t read The Phoenix Project yet, but I got a sale on its sequel, The Unicorn Project. I got a couple chapters in and found it almost repulsive.",
          "reason": "Describes finding the opening chapters repulsive and criticizes its portrayal of an idealized developer.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter read only a couple of chapters.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27897643,
          "author": "_benj",
          "createdAt": "2021-07-20T18:50:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 27879593,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27897643",
          "commentText": "Another vote for \"The Phoenix Project\" and \"The Unicorn Project\".\nBoth of those books are technically fiction but they are incredibly insightful into what goes all around coding and how to optimize those processes.\nThe characters are very engaging and I found myself relating and taking ideas to improve my work/organization!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another vote for \"The Phoenix Project\" and \"The Unicorn Project\".",
          "reason": "Recommends it for insights into coding processes and improving work or organization.",
          "audience": "People interested in software development processes and organizational improvement.",
          "caveat": "Technically fiction.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21861303,
          "author": "thorlon",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-23T03:31:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21861303",
          "commentText": "The Unicorn Project,\nThe 7 habits of highly effective people by Stephen Covey,\nPermanent Record, \nTurn the ship around,\nThe Checklist Manifesto,\nThese are good ones!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Unicorn Project,",
          "reason": "Listed as a good audiobook in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "People looking for audiobooks for developers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21851596,
          "author": "Hates_",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T15:29:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21851596",
          "commentText": "The Pheonix Project and The Unicorn Project are two good audiobooks centred around Devops and Software Development.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Pheonix Project and The Unicorn Project are two good audiobooks",
          "reason": "Calls it a good audiobook centered around DevOps and software development.",
          "audience": "Developers interested in DevOps and software development.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21712594,
          "author": "bakenator",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T14:43:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21712594",
          "commentText": "When managing people in tech, I think it is equally as important to know how to organize as it is to know how to lead.  I would recommend \"The Phoenix Project\" and \"The Unicorn Project\" and \"The Goal\" to all tech managers.\nNo matter how good your communication/leadership skills are, your team will be severely handicapped if they are working in an inefficient/limiting environment.\nComing at the same lessons from a different perspective, I have also found \"Turn The Ship Around!\" to be a very good resource.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend \"The Phoenix Project\" and \"The Unicorn Project\" and \"The Goal\" to all tech managers.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it to all tech managers.",
          "audience": "Tech managers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gene Kim"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Business",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "devops",
        "software development",
        "it management",
        "organizational change"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "why-s-poignant-guide-to-ruby-92cbca",
      "title": "Why's (Poignant) Guide to Ruby",
      "author": "Why the Lucky Stiff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29307305,
          "author": "jrmiii",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T15:24:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29307305",
          "commentText": "Based on the prompt, I feel like Why’s (Poignant) Guide to Ruby would qualify.\nhttps://poignant.guide/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Why’s (Poignant) Guide to Ruby",
          "reason": "The commenter says it fits the requested kind of book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28661269,
          "author": "m3talsmith",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T14:45:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28661269",
          "commentText": "1. Why’s Poignant Guide to Ruby\n2. Practical Common Lisp\n3. A Programmer’s Introduction to Mathematics\n4. Data Structures and Programming Design in C\n5. The Art of Agent Oriented Modeling",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Why’s Poignant Guide to Ruby",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s programming book selections.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21769475,
          "author": "aganame",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-12T05:22:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 21765528,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fun Tech Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21769475",
          "commentText": "https://poignant.guide/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://poignant.guide/",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9758766,
          "author": "jashkenas",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T14:59:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758766",
          "commentText": "Yo progg'n books — I'm really happy for you, I'll let you finish, but The Poignant Guide is one of the best books on programming of all time. One of the best of all time!\nhttp://mislav.uniqpath.com/poignant-guide/book/chapter-1.htm... (http://mislav.uniqpath.com/poignant-guide/book/chapter-1.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Poignant Guide is one of the best books on programming of all time.",
          "reason": "Strongly praises it as one of the best programming books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9757982,
          "author": "cjpa",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T13:06:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9757982",
          "commentText": "The Little Schemer By Daniel P. Friedman and Matthias Felleisen - https://mitpress.mit.edu/index.php?q=books/little-schemer\nWhy's poignant guide to Ruby - http://mislav.uniqpath.com/poignant-guide/book/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Why's poignant guide to Ruby",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14686,
          "author": "madanella",
          "createdAt": "2007-04-19T17:28:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 14675,
          "threadTitle": "What is the best RoR book for beginners? Best online resources?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14686",
          "commentText": "http://poignantguide.net/ruby/ is one of the most entertaining writings I have read, not just out of technical books, overall. Highly recommended. \nRolling On Rails from OnLamp is a very quick and useful tutorial found here: http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/onlamp/2005/01/20/rails.html\nThis is the easiest and fastest way to get started: http://tryruby.hobix.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "http://poignantguide.net/ruby/ is one of the most entertaining writings I have read, not just out of technical books, overall. Highly recommended.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the most entertaining technical books they have read and highly recommends it.",
          "audience": "People learning Ruby",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Why the Lucky Stiff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ruby",
        "programming",
        "programming languages",
        "ruby programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "jpod-d7d31b",
      "title": "jPod",
      "author": "Douglas Coupland",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17206449,
          "author": "blakesterz",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T15:47:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17206449",
          "commentText": "So it's not exactly what you asked for (Fiction) but you might want to check out Microserfs, by Douglas Coupland. Also, Jpod from Coupland, it's along the same lines. Quoting wikipedia: \"Set in the early 1990s, it captures the state of the technology industry before Windows 95, and anticipates the dot-com bubble of the late 1990s.\"",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Also, Jpod from Coupland, it's along the same lines.",
          "reason": "Suggested as another related work about the technology industry.",
          "audience": "Readers open to fiction about the technology industry.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is fiction and not an exact fit for the request.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348782,
          "author": "moron4hire",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:29:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348782",
          "commentText": "A lot of good suggestions. To try to avoid repeating what others have said too much, here are some from a different perspective.\n# \"JPod\" by Douglas Coupland helped me realize that it was corporatism, not me, that was broken.\n# Benjamin Franklin's autobiography showed me a history that was made of people, a people no different than me and mine, and that success comes from standing up and going your own way.\n# \"Time Enough for Love\" by Robert Heinlein taught me that, while culture is arbitrary and we should be free to try to make it what we wish, that doesn't make it fake or ignorable.\n# \"Sherlock Holmes\" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, re-read as an adult, taught me the importance of formula in consistency and how much a market of fans love predictability.\n# \"Game of Thrones\" by George R.R. Martin taught me that the movie can be a lot better than the book and that there is a problem with modern generations making an affectation out of book reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"JPod\" by Douglas Coupland helped me realize that it was corporatism, not me, that was broken.",
          "reason": "The commenter credits the book with changing their perspective on corporatism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865205,
          "author": "wlievens",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T15:57:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865205",
          "commentText": "Read the Cryptonomicon. It's an awesome work of fiction, and it involves lots of geek interests. Alternative suggestions are Microserfs and JPod.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Alternative suggestions are Microserfs and JPod.",
          "reason": "Offered as an alternative reading suggestion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 602244,
          "author": "mh77",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-10T16:43:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 601903,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fictional books related to startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=602244",
          "commentText": "Thanks for all suggestions! Looking forward to some good reading this summer.\nI have read Microserfs and JPod. Really enjoyed both of them. Also, the TV version of JPod is not that bad.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I have read Microserfs and JPod. Really enjoyed both of them.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 602080,
          "author": "cjbos",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-10T13:14:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 601903,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fictional books related to startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=602080",
          "commentText": "He also wrote a more recent one called JPod http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jpod which is more about a cubicle farm environment than startup.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "He also wrote a more recent one called JPod",
          "reason": "Described as more about a cubicle farm than startups.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "More about a cubicle farm environment than startups.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 601939,
          "author": "Tichy",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-10T08:42:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 601903,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fictional books related to startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=601939",
          "commentText": "The Deadline by Tom DeMarco\njPod (not sure, too long ago that I read it)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "jPod (not sure, too long ago that I read it)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure about it, having read it too long ago.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 191867,
          "author": "chuchurocka",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-16T15:39:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=191867",
          "commentText": "1. People's History of the United States: Highlights from the 20th century - Howard Zinn\n2. Snow Crash - Neil Stephenson\n3. jPod - Douglas Coupland\n4. the world is flat 2.0",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "jPod - Douglas Coupland",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Coupland"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "technology industry",
        "office culture",
        "corporate culture",
        "dot com culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-mathematician-s-apology-a8cf34",
      "title": "A Mathematician's Apology",
      "author": "G. H. Hardy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34160619,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:11:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160619",
          "commentText": "This year I've put myself to the challenge to read at least one book per week which I primarily could complete by reading in the middle of the night while holding our sleeping baby in my arms. It has been an interesting challenge which gave me a lot of fulfilment and has certainly changed my mind on how I view the world. This comment became quite a long read, apologies for that.\nBooks I highly recommend:\nChurchill by Andrew Roberts (p:1105)\nA biography about one of the most interesting figures in politics and WWII. Roberts gives a very detailed description of the life of Churchill and manages to keep you interested the entire length of the book.\nThe God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (p:374)\nIn The God Delusion Dawkins gives arguments why there is no God, why we do not need a God and why religion is damaging to our society. If you are religious it might not be the book for you unless you are open to hear his arguments and line of reasoning. Dawkins will challenge your worldview.\nThe Bomb by Fred Kaplan (p:384)\nKaplan describes the policy of different US presidents on the atomic bomb and war in general. And primarily on the inability of US presidents and policy-makers to tune down its military. A chilling read which makes you appreciate a nuclear holocaust did not happen (yet)....\nPoor Economics by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo (p:320)\nBanerjee and Duflo give a gripping portrait of how poor people live. They offer an insight in the choices and decisions people make surviving on less than 1 USD a day (corrected for purchasing power). It made me completely rethink my own view on poverty and development aid; stressing even more that in order to help one need to have a complete understanding of the individual's situation and the local boundary conditions.\nProject Hail Mary  by Andy Weir (p:476)\nThis book triggered my science fiction reading. For some reason I never was interested in science fiction. Most likely triggered by reading Foundation by Asimov a few years back which apparently is not a book to my taste. But Andy Weir completely annihilated that wrong perspective on science fiction. Project Hail Mary is interesting, funny and gripping book.\nKindred by Octavia Butler  (p:287)\nThis book.... From page one I was hooked and almost read it in one go. Butler is a wonderful author and Kindred is a must-read. The book is about a woman traveling back in time to end up on a slave plantation. It's a chilling account of slavery.\nOther books I read this year, ask me anything about one of these books. I've added a + if I think its worth a recommendation\nBiography:\nNavalny by Dollbaum, Lallouet and Noble (p:280); The Man from the Future by Ananyo Bhattacharya (p:354) +\nSociology; Politics; Economics; Business:\nOnly the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove (p:224); The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli  (p:140); Winter is Coming by Garry Kasparov (p:290); Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum (p:224) +; Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl (p:164) +; We Are Bellingcat by Eliot Higgins (p:272); De Zeven Vinkjes by Joris Luyendijk (p:200); Waarom vuilnismannen meer verdienen dan bankiers by Rutger Bregman (p:104)\nComedy: The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (p:336)\nHistory:\nBand of Brothers  by Stephen E. Ambrose (p:432); The Nuclear Jihadist by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins (p:413) +; The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre (p:384) +; De Heineken Ontvoering by Peter R. de Vries (p:347); Red Famine by Anne Apllebaum (p:384); Night by Elie Wiesel (p:115) +\nScience, Technology, Mathematics:\nFermat's Enigma by Simon Singh (p:315) +; A Mathematician's Apology by G.H. Hardy (p:153); The Great Influenza by John M. Barry (p:546); The Rise and Fall of the Dinousaurs by Stephen Brusatte (p:404) ++; The Double Helix by James Watson (p:144)\nSport:\nRun or Die by Killian Jornet (p:208); The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton  (p:290) +; The Rise of the Ultra Runners by  (p:304); Tom Dumoulin by Patrick Bernhart (p:203)\nFiction:\nAnthem by Ayn Rand (p:105); Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (p:704); The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (p:566); Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (p:466); Live and Let die by Ian Fleming  (p:229)\nClassics:\nA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (p:104); The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (p:201); The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald (p:180); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (p:139); Animal Farm by George Orwell (p:122) +; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (p:227) +; The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (p:118)\nScience Fiction:\nThe Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (p:399); All Systems Red  by Martha Wells (p:144) +; A Memory Called Empire  by Arkady Martine (p:462) +; A Psalm built for the Wild by Becky Chambers (p:160); Dune by Frank Herbert (p:658); Foundation by Isaac Asimov (p:244); The Martian by Andy Weir (p:384) +;\nThe Forever War by Joe Haldeman (p:278)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "A Mathematician's Apology by G.H. Hardy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762036,
          "author": "ambrosite",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T01:03:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762036",
          "commentText": "A Mathematician's Apology by G. H. Hardy. Went into it thinking I was reading a book on math and ended up reading a book about life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Mathematician's Apology by G. H. Hardy. Went into it thinking I was reading a book on math and ended up reading a book about life.",
          "reason": "Says the book turned out to be about life as well as mathematics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1974974,
          "author": "dheerosaur",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T12:53:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974974",
          "commentText": "The Catcher in the Rye by J.D.Salinger because of the Holden Caulfield in me who couldn't tolerate all the phoniness around.\nAlso enjoyed The Man Who Knew Infinity by Robert Kanigel. After reading about Hardy in this book, I have read \"A Mathematician's Apology\" which was excellent too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "After reading about Hardy in this book, I have read \"A Mathematician's Apology\" which was excellent too.",
          "reason": "Calls the book excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Mathemematician's Apology",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143493,
          "author": "tel",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T19:27:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143493",
          "commentText": "A Mathematician's Apology is a beautiful read, by definitions both plain and, to some degree, those elaborated in the essay itself.\nOne interesting thing about the relevancy of the essay is the potential change in the aesthetics of mathematics in wake of the proof of the Four Color Theorem. Personally, I have to believe that some day someone will find a proof that has all the elegance mathematicians are looking for.\n\"We do not want many ‘variations’ in the proof of a \nmathematical theorem: ‘enumeration of cases’, indeed, is one of the duller forms of mathematical argument. A mathematical proof should resemble a simple and clear-cut constellation, not a scattered cluster in the Milky Way.\"\nIf you consider his constant foil in Chess, it's fun to think that perhaps he'd see some degree of beauty in computer algorithms that solve the many enumerations of chess in far more \"general\" and \"surprising\" ways.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Mathematician's Apology is a beautiful read",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a beautiful read and discusses its mathematical aesthetics.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in mathematics and mathematical proof.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143329,
          "author": "Alex3917",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T15:09:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143329",
          "commentText": "I just read A Mathematician's Apology. Really interesting, it really puts Hesse's Glass Bead Game in context.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I just read A Mathematician's Apology.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was really interesting and that it puts Hesse's Glass Bead Game in context.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143078,
          "author": "andreyf",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T03:46:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143078",
          "commentText": "For those interested, A Mathematician's Apology is available online here:\nhttp://www.math.ualberta.ca/~mss/misc/A%20Mathematician's%20... (http://www.math.ualberta.ca/~mss/misc/A%20Mathematician's%20Apology.pdf)\nYouTube links to the first episode of the series \"Connections 1\" (from 1978):\n1/5 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTbCNycm0nQ\n2/5 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlKykc6ipY4\n3/5 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIVnaq0spdE\n4/5 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNPL92tvqhY\n5/5 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnRZ18GpOhg\nThe rest are on YouTube also, as well as bittorent:\nhttp://thepiratebay.org/tor/4039213/BBC_-_Connections_-__Com... (http://thepiratebay.org/tor/4039213/BBC_-_Connections_-__Complete__History__Science)\nDepending on whether or not you think paying ~$500 for them would serve \"to promote the progress of science and useful arts\", you might be legally obliged to buy them on Amazon.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "A Mathematician's Apology is available online here:",
          "reason": "The commenter points readers to an online copy of the named book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 142948,
          "author": "pg",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T00:18:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=142948",
          "commentText": "When I was a kid, the documentary series Connections.  It was the\nfirst time I'd ever seen someone follow vectors through history\ninstead of recounting it one period at a time, like most books and\nclasses do.\nDiscovering Lisp was a big one.  This was in 1983, when the default\nprogramming language was Pascal.  Lisp seemed (and in retrospect\nwas) startlingly better.  There was no one single book or quotation,\nbut I remember how excited I was to get my hands on a photocopy\nof the InterLisp manual.\nKenneth Clark's documentary series Civilisation (and the accompanying\nbook) impressed me a lot.  In fact, it was clearly the model for\nConnections.  I've never read anything else better about art.   His ideas\nare extremely subversive, but few get it because he usually speaks\nin code. And he\nhad access to stuff like no one else ever will again.\nI also learned a lot from his book The Nude.\nOne of the biggest influences on my ideas about startups was an\nessay by TJ Rogers, the CEO of Cypress Semiconductor.  I don't\nremember the title, but it cut through the usual corporate bullshit\nlike a knife.  For me the important thing was not just what he said,\nbut that one could even be that candid.\nOf all the books I've read in the last 5 years or so, Hardy's A\nMathematician's Apology is probably the one that stuck most in my\nhead.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hardy's A\nMathematician's Apology is probably the one that stuck most\nin my head.",
          "reason": "Says it was the book that stuck most in their mind among recent reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "G. H. Hardy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Biography",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical aesthetics",
        "mathematical creativity",
        "mathematics",
        "mathematical life"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "computer-architecture-a-quantitative-approach-38b22a",
      "title": "Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach",
      "author": "John L. Hennessy and David A. Patterson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46487237,
          "author": "Agingcoder",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-04T12:12:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 46483863,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading list for being a better engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46487237",
          "commentText": "Computer architecture a quantitative approach by Patterson and hennessy\nIt’s the real life exchange rate for algorithms and data structures. Basically understanding your infrastructure and its performance characteristics will help you design simpler ( and therefore better )systems",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Computer architecture a quantitative approach by Patterson and hennessy",
          "reason": "Recommended for understanding infrastructure and its performance characteristics to design simpler systems.",
          "audience": "Software engineers seeking to improve their engineering skills.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40111403,
          "author": "RheingoldRiver",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-22T04:26:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 40104823,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books/resources to understand modern Assembler?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40111403",
          "commentText": "You have a typo that will make an amazon search fail on copy paste, corrected version is \"Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach\"\nkinda amazing to me that amazon cannot fix this but it returns 0 results (at least for me)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "corrected version is \"Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach\"",
          "reason": "Supplies the corrected title after a typo in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the typo makes an Amazon search fail.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40106499,
          "author": "sargstuff",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-21T15:28:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 40104823,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books/resources to understand modern Assembler?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40106499",
          "commentText": "'Computer Architeture: A Quantitative Apporach\" and/or more specific design types (mips, arm, etc) can be found under the Morgan Kaufmann Series in Computer Architeture and Design.\n\"Getting Started with LLVM Core Libraries: Get to Grips With Llvm Essentials and Use the Core Libraries to Build Advanced Tools \"\n\"The Architecture of Open Source Applications (Volume 1) : LLVM\" https://aosabook.org/en/v1/llvm.html\n\"Tourist Guide to LLVM source code\" : https://blog.regehr.org/archives/1453\nllvm home page : https://llvm.org/\nllvm tutorial : https://llvm.org/docs/tutorial/\nllvm reference : https://llvm.org/docs/LangRef.html\nlearn by examples :  C source code to 'llvm' bitcode : https://stackoverflow.com/questions/9148890/how-to-make-clan... (https://stackoverflow.com/questions/9148890/how-to-make-clang-compile-to-llvm-ir#9149406)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Computer Architeture: A Quantitative Apporach\"",
          "reason": "Listed among resources for learning about LLVM and assembly.",
          "audience": "Someone learning assembly, LLVM, and low-level programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32790268,
          "author": "lizknope",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T13:08:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790268",
          "commentText": "Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach by John L. Hennessy the creator of MIPS and David Patterson the creator of Berkeley RISC (later SPARC)\nAdvanced Programming in the Unix Environment by W. Richard Stevens",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach by John L. Hennessy the creator of MIPS and David Patterson the creator of Berkeley RISC (later SPARC)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21314063,
          "author": "mongol",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T16:20:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21314063",
          "commentText": "Is Hennesy & Patterson, \"Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach\" still used in universities?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Is Hennesy & Patterson, \"Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach\" still used in universities?",
          "reason": "Asks whether the book is still used in universities.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No recommendation or evaluation is expressed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12148747,
          "author": "pllbnk",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-23T07:46:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12148747",
          "commentText": "Interesting that this book is mentioned in this thread several times. I didn't find this book bringing almost any value to me. What it did was giving names (e.g. orthogonality) that I didn't know before to the common programming concepts that all developers with some practical experience should be aware of anyway as a common sense. But that might just be due to a different approach to programming.\nI find the books such as Andrew Tanenbaum's \"Computer Networks\" which are bringing historical perspective as well as a lot of technical information without going into the tiny details the best balance of useful and interesting.\nTherefore \"Computer Architecture - A Quantitative Approach\" is much better for me in that aspect and the C programming should be really interesting too, although I haven't read it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Therefore \"Computer Architecture - A Quantitative Approach\" is much better for me in that aspect",
          "reason": "The commenter prefers it for the balance of technical detail and interest.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12145410,
          "author": "rffn",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T18:04:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12145410",
          "commentText": "- The Pragmatic Programmer (Hunt/Thomas)\n- Computer Architecture - A Quantitative Approach (Hennessy/Patterson)\n- Expert C Programming - Deep C Secrets (van der Linden)\nI woud call the Pragmatic Programmer though by far the most influential.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Computer Architecture - A Quantitative Approach (Hennessy/Patterson)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144339,
          "author": "lazyjones",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:59:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144339",
          "commentText": "First part of the question (actual influences):\n1) Philip and Alex's Guide to Web Publishing (not strictly a book). http://philip.greenspun.com/panda/\n2) The \"Dragon Book\" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principles_of_Compiler_Design\n3) Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach\nSecond part (at hindsight):\n1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rich_Dad_Poor_Dad (cheesy, but useful)\n2) http://toddkashdan.com/upside.php\n3) https://www.schranner.com/de/news/2012/04/16/-verhandeln-im-... (https://www.schranner.com/de/news/2012/04/16/-verhandeln-im-grenzbereich-und-teure-fehler-jetzt-auch-im-apple-ibook-store) - German book about negotiations written by an experienced hostage negotiator.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach",
          "reason": "Listed among actual influences in response to the books question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John L. Hennessy",
        "David A. Patterson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer architecture",
        "performance",
        "processor design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "domain-driven-design-5e60b9",
      "title": "Domain-Driven Design",
      "author": "Eric Evans",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41387615,
          "author": "curtis3389",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T05:20:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387615",
          "commentText": "Domain-Driven Design is fantastic.\nTest-Driven Design by Example is a good (and fun) read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Domain-Driven Design is fantastic.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it fantastic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27629115,
          "author": "Jtsummers",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T10:49:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27629115",
          "commentText": "Eric Evans' Domain-Driven Design. I've heard enough about DDD over the years that I figured I'd just go to the source. Liking it so far, I have some good takeaways but we'll see how effectively I'm able to use the ideas over the next couple years.\nMartin Kleppmann's Designing Data-Intensive Applications. Based on the frequent praise it receives here, haven't gotten far yet. I have some project ideas (for personal and professional projects) that could benefit from reading through it.\nMartin Fowler's 2018 update to Refactoring. I read the original one a long time ago. In context, we have a work lunch & learn series and I'm interested in doing some presentations on the topic of refactoring (why, how, and when in particular) so it seemed appropriate to refresh my memory on some specific terminology from the book as well as to see if it's an appropriate book to recommend to colleagues. My recollection of the first edition is that I'd recommend it to colleagues, but it's been so long I'd rather read it once more before actually recommending it.\nI reread Robert C. Martin's Clean Code based on some recent discussion here where it was rather strongly dismissed by a fair number of people. I didn't recall it being bad, my reread confirmed it is not, in fact, bad. Java-heavy, which is now an unpopular style of OOP, but otherwise a very good book. I'd still recommend it to junior colleagues paired with some caveats about avoiding seeing the world in black & white. There is no singular Way of Programming, but learn various ways and find what works for you and your team.\nThere are some more, but it's almost 5am and I haven't been able to sleep so I don't recall everything that's in the book stack or ebook queue. These are the ones I'm most interested in at present.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Eric Evans' Domain-Driven Design.",
          "reason": "The commenter is reading it to learn about DDD, and says they are liking it so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They will see how effectively they can use the ideas over the next couple of years.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14846482,
          "author": "BJanecke",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T09:59:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14846482",
          "commentText": "* Douglas Hofstadter - Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid\n* Fred Brooks -  Design Of Design\n* Fred Brooks - The Mythical Man month\n* Eric J. Evans - Domain Driven Design\n* Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software\n* Kent Beck - Extreme Programming Explained\n* Kent Beck - Planning Extreme Programming\n*  Michael C. Feathers - Working Effectively with Legacy Code\n* Daniel Kahneman - Thinking, Fast and Slow\n[EDIT] Correct the author for legacy code",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Domain Driven Design",
          "reason": "Included in a list answering which books affected how the commenter structures code.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14845944,
          "author": "troels",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T07:52:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14845944",
          "commentText": "\"Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture\" by Martin Fowler made a big difference for me at the time. Also, \"Domain Driven Design\" by Eric Evans. Both have a focus on high level architecture.\nOf books that are more on the craft of programming, \"Refactoring\" (Also Fowler) is good. And I enjoyed \"Practical Common Lisp\" by Peter Seibel too.\nIn general, I suspect that the value of a book has more to do with where the reader is, than where the book is.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Domain Driven Design\" by Eric Evans. Both have a focus on high level architecture.",
          "reason": "Includes it among books that made a difference and says it focuses on high-level architecture.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in high-level software architecture.",
          "caveat": "The value of a book depends on where the reader is.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14843022,
          "author": "gnaritas",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-24T21:47:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14843022",
          "commentText": "Smalltalk Best Practice Patterns by Kent Beck.\nRefactoring by Martin Fowler. Design Patterns by the Gang of Four. Domain Driven Design by Eric Evans.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Domain Driven Design by Eric Evans.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that shaped code structure.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14486936,
          "author": "timclark",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T11:52:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14486936",
          "commentText": "Domain Driven Design by Eric Evans\nImplementing Domain Driven Design by Vaughn Vernon\nClean Code by Robert Martin\nI think you will find some code in all of the books but the ideas are applicable almost everywhere.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Domain Driven Design by Eric Evans",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books to add to the library.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Evans"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Business",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software architecture",
        "domain driven design",
        "domain modeling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lonesome-dove-9734ea",
      "title": "Lonesome Dove",
      "author": "Larry McMurtry",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49908211,
          "author": "greset",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T12:51:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49908211",
          "commentText": "Just finished Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann. One of the best books I've read, ever. \nIt's long and tedious, and if you like getting lost in minute descriptions of mundane objects and daily routines of people who lived in past eras, then you'll love it and feel sad when it's over.\nI also find books like this to be a great antidote to the pace of current life, where you're pressured to \"read n books in 1 year\" or you're not deemed a proper reader.\nNext up is going to be Lonesome Dove, suggested by someone in this very thread!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Next up is going to be Lonesome Dove, suggested by someone in this very thread!",
          "reason": "The commenter plans to read it after it was suggested in the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 49903433,
          "author": "kstrauser",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T01:53:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49903433",
          "commentText": "Just finished: \"Lonesome Dove\", by Larry McMurtry. From the name, I'd somehow assumed it was a romance novel. No, it's absolutely not. If it were released today, I think I'd describe it as \"horsepunk\": instead of cyberpunk's high tech low-lifes, it's basically horseback low-lifes. That's not entirely fair because there's a lot of moral strength in some of the characters, but they're all living on the brutal edges of a society where any random event might bring death, or worse.\nNow reading: \"null: $cat /dev/null_\", by Dienw Neb[0]. I don't know what it's about yet. I heard about it in an ad in the back of \"2600 Magazine\" and it caught my attention. Initial impressions are that 1) Neb is really good at dialog, and 2) their recreations of IRC chats is so perfect that I know they had to've spend many hours online in the middle of the night. Basically, the author knows how to write things I want to read. I do so hope they stick the landing and that the story turns out as wonderful as the writing.\n[0]https://nebulaofbooks.com/books/null-cat-dev-null_/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Just finished: \"Lonesome Dove\", by Larry McMurtry.",
          "reason": "Describes its harsh setting and morally strong characters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The author's description as 'horsepunk' is qualified as 'not entirely fair.'",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 45652272,
          "author": "bix6",
          "createdAt": "2025-10-21T03:46:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 45651938,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45652272",
          "commentText": "I’ve heard this is great, just put a hold in. Thanks!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I’ve heard this is great, just put a hold in. Thanks!",
          "reason": "The commenter acts on the praise by placing a hold on the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 45652189,
          "author": "SubGenius",
          "createdAt": "2025-10-21T03:33:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 45651938,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45652189",
          "commentText": "I just finished rereading Lonesome Dove, again. Don't let the western theme fool you. It's quite possibly one of the best novels ever written. Every word, every character, every like of dialogue is crafted to perfection. It will leave you with a book hangover like nothing else.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's quite possibly one of the best novels ever written.",
          "reason": "Strongly praises the novel’s writing and recommends it despite its western theme.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The western theme may mislead readers about the novel.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42269506,
          "author": "dontknowmuch",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T23:47:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42269506",
          "commentText": "Either David Copperfield by Charles Dickens or Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. Both are very long novels that get better and better with every page.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "or Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry.",
          "reason": "Names it as one of two best books read this year and says it improves with every page.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It is very long.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467732,
          "author": "jackschultz",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:55:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467732",
          "commentText": "These threads are posted a lot, but I still like reading the comments for new book recommendations if I see a match. Also, hopefully this can show people how great fiction is. I've seen comments that shun people for liking fiction compared to non.\nFor me:\nLonesome Dove\n100 Years of Solitude\nCatch-22\nThe Sellout (very relevant again)\nEast of Eden\nKafka on the Shore (and all the stories in Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lonesome Dove",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17381914,
          "author": "asimpletune",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T16:17:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17381914",
          "commentText": "Foreign:\n* Life: a users manual by George s Perec.\n* Too Loud a Solitude by Bohumil Hrabal\n* Auto-da-fe by Elias Canetti\nDomestic:\nThese are harder because I feel like they’re all pretty well known, but maybe they’re not actually read. Like, known bc people have heard the name, but are not read as much anymore.\n* Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson\n* Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon\n* Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy\nActually unknown (but super good) domestic:\n* Stuff by Larry McMurtry (only famous for lonesome dove)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "only famous for lonesome dove",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Larry McMurtry"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "western",
        "american frontier",
        "western fiction",
        "american literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "naive-set-theory-740ead",
      "title": "Naive Set Theory",
      "author": "Paul R. Halmos",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34443134,
          "author": "jsenn",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T17:41:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34443134",
          "commentText": "* The Art of Probability by Hamming. An opinionated, slightly quirky text on probability. Unlike the text used in my university course its explanations were clear and rigourous without being pedantic. The exercises were both interesting and enlightening. The only book in this list that taught skills I've actually used in the real world.\n* Calculus by Spivak. This was used in my intro calculus course in university. It's very much a bottom-up, first-principles construction of calculus. Very proof-based, so you have to be into that. Tons of exercises, including some that sneakily introduce pretty advanced concepts not explicitly covered in the main text. This book, along with the course, rearranged by brain. Not sure how useful it would be for self-study though.\n* Measurement by Lockhart. I haven't read the whole thing, but have enjoyed working through some of the exercises. A good book for really grokking geometric proofs and understanding \"mathematical beauty\", rather than just cranking through algebraic proofs step by step.\n* Naive Set Theory by Halmos. Somewhat spare, but a nice, concise introduction to axiomatic set theory. Brings you from nothing up to the Continuum Hypothesis. I read this somewhere around my first year in university and it was another brain-rearranger.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Naive Set Theory by Halmos.",
          "reason": "A concise introduction to axiomatic set theory, from the basics through the Continuum Hypothesis.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as somewhat spare.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31496932,
          "author": "blindmute",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T20:05:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31496932",
          "commentText": "In order:\n1. Book of Proof\n1a. How to Prove It: A Structured Approach\n2. Elements of Set Theory - Enderton\n2a. Naive Set Theory - Halmos\n3. Foundations of Analysis - Landau\n4. Basic Mathematics - Lang\n5. Principles of Mathematics - Allendoerfer & Oakley\n6. A Transition to Advanced Mathematics\n6a. Concept of Modern Mathematics - Stewart\n7. Calculus - Apostol or Spivak\nDon't skip any",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2a. Naive Set Theory - Halmos",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7579565,
          "author": "pmiller2",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T23:17:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7579565",
          "commentText": "Set theory: You should definitely look at Naive Set Theory by Halmos.  Despite the name, it's  totally rigorous development of ZF set theory with discussion on the meaning and equivalent statements of AC.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You should definitely look at Naive Set Theory by Halmos.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends it as a rigorous development of ZF set theory.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Despite the name, it is rigorous.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7579417,
          "author": "hadoukenio",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T22:16:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7579417",
          "commentText": "Naive set theory by Paul Halmos",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Naive set theory by Paul Halmos",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 756907,
          "author": "mahmud",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-12T00:23:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=756907",
          "commentText": "Set Theory is the building blocks of mathematics, and Halmos is a first-rate mathematician and teacher. Excellent recommendation Paul. I worked through Halmos 8 months into my mathematics self-study and loved it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Set Theory is the building blocks of mathematics, and Halmos is a first-rate mathematician and teacher. Excellent recommendation Paul.",
          "reason": "Clearly seconds the recommendation of Halmos's book, praising the author and calling it an excellent recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 755701,
          "author": "paulreiners",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T17:11:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755701",
          "commentText": "\"Naive Set Theory\" by Paul R. Halmos.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Naive Set Theory\" by Paul R. Halmos.",
          "reason": "Names the book in response to a request for math book recommendations.",
          "audience": "Someone learning mathematics from the basics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul R. Halmos"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "set theory",
        "axiom of choice",
        "axiomatic mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "no-more-mr-nice-guy-df2688",
      "title": "No More Mr. Nice Guy",
      "author": "Robert A. Glover",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25534951,
          "author": "TheCapeGreek",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-25T07:39:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25534951",
          "commentText": "Sounds like the right way to go! For further reading, look at:\nModels - Mark Manson\nNo More Mr. Nice Guy - Robert Glover\nWhat also helped change mindsets to positive-by-default interactions with potential partners, I recommend The Alabaster Girl by Zan Perrion. Very flowery book, but an enjoyable read and at worst a decent mode of mind to consider.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "No More Mr. Nice Guy - Robert Glover",
          "reason": "Listed as further reading in a discussion about changing mindsets in interactions with potential partners.",
          "audience": "People seeking to change their mindset about interactions with potential partners.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17046886,
          "author": "andersthue",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T12:46:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17046886",
          "commentText": "The most important book I have read currently is “The Anatomy of Peace” by the arbinger institute. This book teaches me how to stay out of interpersonal conflicts and become a person pthers want to be together with.\n“Crucial Conversations” is another really important book that teaches how to safely deal with very hard conversations.\nFor my own personal development/relationship with women I must say that “No more mister nice guy” and “the way of the superior man” has both helped me.\nLastly the letting go e-book by Leo Babauta from zenhabits also is really good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“No more mister nice guy” and “the way of the superior man” has both helped me.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped with personal development and relationships with women.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144238,
          "author": "benjohnson",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:47:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144238",
          "commentText": "As a christian, I found parts of No More Mr. Nice Guy a bit less worthy, but I can highly recommend the book as a whole if you find yourself unbalanced.\nThe author isn't recommending anybody to be a jerk, but his admonitions to being more forthright, up-front, and a bit less scheming will help people find balance. And in consequence actually treating people with respect rather than project a somewhat false \"nice-guy\" facade.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I can highly recommend the book as a whole if you find yourself unbalanced.",
          "reason": "Highly recommended overall, though the commenter finds parts less worthy.",
          "audience": "Readers who find themselves unbalanced.",
          "caveat": "The commenter, as a Christian, finds parts of the book less worthy.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12143826,
          "author": "HeyLaughingBoy",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T14:46:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12143826",
          "commentText": "I've not read any of those, but the title of #2 struck a chord.\nI remember years ago complaining to someone that the manager of a project whose code I needed kept refusing to fix the showstopping bugs in it. His answer was \"go over his head to his manager. No more Mr Nice Guy.\"\nI thought it over and he was right: I'd tried being reasonable for as long as I could and this guy was preventing me from doing my job properly. I spoke to his manager (who I had a great relationship with BTW) and the problem was fixed literally within minutes.\nSince then I've taken that approach to heart: either work with me or get the hell out of my way because I won't be held back.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the title of #2 struck a chord.",
          "reason": "The commenter relates to the phrase in the title through a work anecdote, but does not evaluate the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have not read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12142466,
          "author": "l33tbro",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T09:00:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12142466",
          "commentText": "Practical skills are easily acquired.  Personal skills  and greater self-awareness are what really fast-track you.\n1) Scott Adams 'How to fail at almost everything' for life strategy.\n2) Robert Glover's 'No more Mr Nice Guy' for assertiveness and being your authentic self no matter what.\n3) As cliche as it is, 'The Power of Now' is a great source to return to in times of personal and professional woes.\nGood luck and Godspeed in your career(s).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'No more Mr Nice Guy' for assertiveness and being your authentic self no matter what.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for assertiveness and being authentic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968504,
          "author": "xpop2027",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T00:13:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968504",
          "commentText": "I've read No More Mr Nice Guy and helped me big time with my emotional development as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've read No More Mr Nice Guy and helped me big time with my emotional development as well.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book helped significantly with emotional development.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968417,
          "author": "personjerry",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:50:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968417",
          "commentText": "\"48 Laws of Power\" and \"No More Mr Nice Guy\".\nLaws of Power: Not for everyone but the book is damn useful if you're ambitious and can translate examples and vague concepts into your own situations in life.\nNo More Mr Nice Guy: Not very far into it but it's almost cathartic if it applies to you and I feel like its a huge step in social/emotional development for me.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "No More Mr Nice Guy: Not very far into it but it's almost cathartic if it applies to you and I feel like its a huge step in social/emotional development for me.",
          "reason": "Says it feels almost cathartic and like a major step in social and emotional development, if it applies.",
          "audience": "Readers who recognize the book's subject as relevant to them.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read very far and qualifies the reaction with “if it applies to you.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert A. Glover"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Health",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "relationships",
        "assertiveness",
        "personal development",
        "dating"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nuclear-war-a-scenario-bd3fc2",
      "title": "Nuclear War: A Scenario",
      "author": "Annie Jacobsen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49933161,
          "author": "pw4001",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-02T13:10:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49933161",
          "commentText": "Just finished Annie Jacobsen's \"Nuclear War\" book last week. Well put together, the timeline is interesting as is the idea that North Korea would use 1MT weapons, and that Russian missile detection is so poor that they can't tell the difference between something overflying them to detonate elsewhere and something aimed at them. I hope that's an incorrect US evaluation.\nAbout to start her Biological War.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Just finished Annie Jacobsen's \"Nuclear War\" book last week.",
          "reason": "The commenter discusses its timeline and scenario.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter hopes one of the book's evaluations is incorrect.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 45951150,
          "author": "chistev",
          "createdAt": "2025-11-17T05:55:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 45947737,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45951150",
          "commentText": "Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker\nNuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen\nAnimal Farm by George Orwell (a reread)\nNight by Elie Wiesel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen",
          "reason": "Listed as a book read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42268827,
          "author": "christudor",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:03:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268827",
          "commentText": "Read this earlier this year -– enjoyable!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read this earlier this year -– enjoyable!",
          "reason": "The commenter says they read the parent-mentioned book earlier in the year and enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42268769,
          "author": "mongol",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T21:52:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268769",
          "commentText": "Read that one too. Chilling.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Read that one too. Chilling.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they also read the parent-mentioned book and found it chilling.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42268760,
          "author": "mongol",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T21:51:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268760",
          "commentText": "I only read two books. Lost in Maths by Sabine Hossenfelder, and Nuclear War A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen. Both were worthwhile. I want to read more.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nuclear War A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen. Both were worthwhile.",
          "reason": "The commenter says both books they read were worthwhile.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42268745,
          "author": "gnat",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T21:49:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268745",
          "commentText": "Nuclear War: A Scenario, by Annie Jacobsen. It's a short book, with second-by-second description of the unfolding of a research-based hypothetical nuclear war that starts with North Korea launching an ICBM towards the United States. Alarming (as only the facts about the parlous state of detection and defence can alarm) and edifying in one.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nuclear War: A Scenario, by Annie Jacobsen. It's a short book, with second-by-second description of the unfolding of a research-based hypothetical nuclear war",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it alarming and edifying.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It presents a hypothetical nuclear war scenario beginning with a North Korean ICBM launch.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40459909,
          "author": "fdlaks",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-23T21:05:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40459909",
          "commentText": "\"Nuclear War: A Scenario\" - Annie Jacobson\nThe book goes through a potential (not far fetched) scenario in which a nuclear war takes place. It's absolutely fascinating the way the story is told, and goes into great detail about the US and other countries nuclear programs, the technology behind said programs, and the devastating effects of these weapons.\nIt was really interesting to learn so much about how much state of the art technology is used in these systems, and reading it will definitely make you think a lot about how close we are as a species to being able to completely destroy ourselves at any moment.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Nuclear War: A Scenario\" - Annie Jacobson",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the scenario fascinating and says the book prompted reflection on humanity's ability to destroy itself.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It presents a potential nuclear war scenario described as not far-fetched, with devastating consequences.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Annie Jacobsen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nuclear weapons",
        "scenario analysis",
        "military scenario",
        "military technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "orthodoxy-2615e5",
      "title": "Orthodoxy",
      "author": "G. K. Chesterton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20914450,
          "author": "033803throwaway",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T01:18:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914450",
          "commentText": "Progress & Poverty (1879) by Henry George\nOrthodoxy (1908) by G.K. Chesterton\nThe Brothers Karamazov (1880) by Fyodor Dostoevsky",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Orthodoxy (1908) by G.K. Chesterton",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17927692,
          "author": "cdoxsey",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-06T17:06:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17927692",
          "commentText": "GK Chesteron's Orthodoxy: http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/130/pg130-images.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "GK Chesteron's Orthodoxy",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite nonfiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348932,
          "author": "wankel",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:47:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348932",
          "commentText": "The only reason anyone needs to never read anything by Dan Brown is Dan Brown's writing.\nI'm terrible at random-access, on-demand list building like this, but I strongly agree about a few of the other things mentioned here:\nMeditations by Marcus Aurelius\nGodel, Escher, Bach by Hofstadter\nOrthodoxy by GK Chesterton\nThe Abolition of Man by CS Lewis\nWalden by Thoreau\nA few of the better and more philosophical bits out of the bible (especially in a good modern translation), including Ecclesiastes and 1 Corinthians 13\nTo this list, I would also add Ralph Waldo Emerson's classic essays, including Self-Reliance and Experience",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Orthodoxy by GK Chesterton",
          "reason": "Strongly agrees with the book being included in a list of perspective-changing books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348481,
          "author": "smizell",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:00:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348481",
          "commentText": "I thought the same of Orthodoxy. Chesterton just has a way with words and thoughts.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I thought the same of Orthodoxy. Chesterton just has a way with words and thoughts.",
          "reason": "Agrees with the parent comment and praises Chesterton's writing and ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348359,
          "author": "carsongross",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:45:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348359",
          "commentText": "\"Orthodoxy\" - GK Chesterton\n\"The Abolition of Man\" - CS Lewis\n\"The Master and Margarita\" - Mikhail Bulgakov\n\"The Brothers Karamazov\" - Fyodor Dostoyevsky",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Orthodoxy\" - GK Chesterton",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109628,
          "author": "joeclark77",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T17:22:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109628",
          "commentText": "How can there be 71 comments and not one mention of G. K. Chesterton?  Go out, right now, and check out The Everlasting Man and Orthodoxy from your local library.\nI would also throw out there Shop Class as Soulcraft by Matthew Crawford, as something to inspire makers & engineers without being a technical book.  If you like history, David McCullough's biography John Adams is a masterpiece (also see 1776 by the same author).\nI can't think of anything else that hasn't already been mentioned.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Go out, right now, and check out The Everlasting Man and Orthodoxy from your local library.",
          "reason": "Directly urges readers to check it out in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking interesting, perspective-expanding books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "G. K. Chesterton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian apologetics",
        "religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "redwall-f701b5",
      "title": "Redwall",
      "author": "Brian Jacques",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34637920,
          "author": "xedrac",
          "createdAt": "2023-02-03T06:45:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 34634274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books your kids like most",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34637920",
          "commentText": "\"The Twits\" was a favorite of my younger kids.  I recently read \"The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe\" to them, and they loved it.  Of course we had to make Turkish Delight after learning about it in the book.  Other winners include:  Redwall series, The Wingfeather Saga, Artemis Foul series, The Phantom Toll Booth.  But 4 is a bit young for those.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Other winners include:  Redwall series",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the series a winner, then says the listed books may be too old for a four-year-old.",
          "audience": "Older children",
          "caveat": "The commenter says four is a bit young for it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34635451,
          "author": "lizzardbraind",
          "createdAt": "2023-02-03T00:29:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34634274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books your kids like most",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34635451",
          "commentText": "The Phantom Tollbooth.\nBrian Jaques' Redwall series.\nTry reading to them every night and let them pick it up.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brian Jaques' Redwall series.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a children's series.",
          "audience": "Children.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20982274,
          "author": "lmiller1990",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T09:10:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20982274",
          "commentText": "I read the Redwall books in high school! Great fun, maybe I’ll revisit. My favorites were Mossflower and Martin the Warrior.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read the Redwall books in high school! Great fun, maybe I’ll revisit.",
          "reason": "Remembers the books as great fun and says they might revisit them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is considering rereading them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20982248,
          "author": "quirkafleeg3",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T09:05:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20982248",
          "commentText": "Mattimeo, the third of the Redwall books by Brian Jacques. Charming, funny and surprisingly action-packed.\nCurrently reading Northern Lights, the first of the His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman. My first time reading it, great so far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the third of the Redwall books",
          "reason": "Calls the books charming, funny, and surprisingly action-packed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13237416,
          "author": "Raphmedia",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T14:29:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237416",
          "commentText": "Finally got around to read hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy.\nMy favourite books of the year were Brian Jacques Redwall series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favourite books of the year were Brian Jacques Redwall series.",
          "reason": "Names the Redwall books as the commenter's favorites of the year.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in animal fantasy adventures.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6416411,
          "author": "seanccox",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-20T07:28:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6416411",
          "commentText": "White Teeth, Zadie Smith\nFierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates, Tom Robbins\nHomage to Catalonia, George Orwell\nCatch 22, Joseph Heller\nTimequake; Mother Night, Kurt Vonnegut Jr.\nSeven Pillars of Wisdom, TE Lawrence\nThe Histories, Tacitus\nThe Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger (caveat, it was most effective when I read it at 16)\nRedwall, Brian Jaques (got me really excited about reading when I was in the fourth grade)\nThis list could be much, much longer, but those are the most prominent 'life-changers' that come to mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Redwall, Brian Jaques (got me really excited about reading when I was in the fourth grade)",
          "reason": "Says it got them really excited about reading.",
          "audience": "Young readers.",
          "caveat": "The effect is recalled from fourth grade.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Jacques"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure",
        "talking animals",
        "children s fantasy",
        "animal fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "reinforcement-learning-an-introduction-ab1875",
      "title": "Reinforcement Learning: An Introduction",
      "author": "Richard S. Sutton and Andrew G. Barto",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16080867,
          "author": "Eridrus",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-05T19:19:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16080867",
          "commentText": "Reinforcement Learning 2nd Ed By Sutton & Barto was surprisingly readable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Reinforcement Learning 2nd Ed By Sutton & Barto was surprisingly readable.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book was surprisingly readable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13902478,
          "author": "_xhok",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T17:43:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13902478",
          "commentText": "Get your feet wet:\n* http://cs231n.stanford.edu/ (the course notes are excellent)\n* http://neuralnetworksanddeeplearning.com/\n* http://www.deeplearningbook.org/\nUse Tensorflow to train a few small neural nets. Move on to CNNs and RNNs. Make sure you actually do this. By this point you'll have read a lot, and retain none of it if you don't put it to use. Look at reinforcement learning. Use the book by Sutton and Barto, the new edition: https://webdocs.cs.ualberta.ca/~sutton/book/the-book-2nd.htm... (https://webdocs.cs.ualberta.ca/~sutton/book/the-book-2nd.html) Read the first 4-5 chapters, then go online and read about Deep Q learning, policy gradients, DDPG, etc. Then try to solve some problems on OpenAI Gym.\nOnce you have an idea of the kinds of problems you can solve, and have a couple you're interested in, go back and learn the foundational math, and start reading research papers.\nIn general, start with modern books that mention deep learning. With older books or high-level-overview books, you'll get frustrated when you see something cool on /r/machinelearning and can't find any mention of it in the book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Use the book by Sutton and Barto, the new edition:",
          "reason": "Recommends this book as part of a practical learning path in reinforcement learning.",
          "audience": "Learners who have started with modern deep learning resources and want to study reinforcement learning.",
          "caveat": "Suggests reading the first four or five chapters before moving to online resources and exercises.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13900946,
          "author": "deepnet",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T12:16:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13900946",
          "commentText": "Sutton & Barto's Reinforment Learning complete this triumvirate\nhttps://webdocs.cs.ualberta.ca/~sutton/book/the-book-2nd.htm... (https://webdocs.cs.ualberta.ca/~sutton/book/the-book-2nd.html)\nDavid Silver's Reinforcement Course is based on Sutton & Barto\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pWv7GOvuf0",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sutton & Barto's Reinforment Learning",
          "reason": "Presented as completing a trio of AI learning books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13900551,
          "author": "curuinor",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T09:16:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13900551",
          "commentText": "Strang's class is very pretty and excellent and just a little bit off from the center of the sorts of linear algebra used in machine learning. Not a lot off, but a little off.\nA field that does inspire a lot of deep learning folks and never gets mentiond in this sort of thing is the theory of physical dynamical systems. Attractor is a term that came from here, for example, and much of the mathematics behind the numerical fuckery behind deep nets is dynamical in nature. RNN's are entirely dynamical systems. Classic there is Strogatz book (https://www.amazon.com/Nonlinear-Dynamics-Chaos-Applications... (https://www.amazon.com/Nonlinear-Dynamics-Chaos-Applications-Nonlinearity/dp/0738204536)).\nThere is also information theory, of course, which is part of the MacKay source.\nMany of the earlier papers in deep learning-land are really nontrivial to read, because the terminology and worldview of everybody has changed so much. So reading original Werbos or Rumelhart is really difficult. This is really not the case for Sutton and Barto, \"RL: An Introduction\" (http://webdocs.cs.ualberta.ca/~sutton/book/the-book.html). Two editions, apparently the second edition is basically getting with the program on shoving DL into everything.\nSchmidhuber often mentions that Gauss was the original shallow learner. This is a technically correct statement (best kind of statement), but you definitely should probably know linear and logistic regression like the back of your hand before starting on DL too much.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is really not the case for Sutton and Barto, \"RL: An Introduction\"",
          "reason": "Presents it as an exception to the difficulty of reading older deep learning papers.",
          "audience": "Readers of reinforcement learning and deep learning literature.",
          "caveat": "The second edition incorporates deep learning broadly.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13406782,
          "author": "Eridrus",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-15T22:36:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13406782",
          "commentText": "I tend to get most of my CS content from papers & web pages, but Sutton & Barto's Reinforcement Learning book is pretty good: https://webdocs.cs.ualberta.ca/~sutton/book/the-book-2nd.htm... (https://webdocs.cs.ualberta.ca/~sutton/book/the-book-2nd.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sutton & Barto's Reinforcement Learning book is pretty good",
          "reason": "Calls the book pretty good in response to a question about computer science books.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in reinforcement learning.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 79564,
          "author": "queensnake",
          "createdAt": "2007-11-13T23:19:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 79359,
          "threadTitle": "Can anyone recommend good books, articles or essays that introduce machine learning?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=79564",
          "commentText": "I wish they'd make a new edition; but, probably, the field is moving too fast.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I wish they'd make a new edition; but, probably, the field is moving too fast.",
          "reason": "Wishes the book had a new edition, while suggesting the field may be changing too quickly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter suggests the field may be moving too fast for a new edition.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 79544,
          "author": "alec",
          "createdAt": "2007-11-13T22:22:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 79359,
          "threadTitle": "Can anyone recommend good books, articles or essays that introduce machine learning?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=79544",
          "commentText": "Sutton and Barto's book on reinforcement learning is available online at http://www.cs.ualberta.ca/~sutton/book/the-book.html, and is probably the definitive work on the subject.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sutton and Barto's book on reinforcement learning is available online",
          "reason": "Called probably the definitive work on reinforcement learning.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard S. Sutton and Andrew G. Barto"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "reinforcement learning",
        "machine learning",
        "deep learning",
        "neural networks"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rich-dad-poor-dad-46a9ff",
      "title": "Rich Dad Poor Dad",
      "author": "Robert Kiyosaki",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9350231,
          "author": "ArekDymalski",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T19:15:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350231",
          "commentText": "In order of appearance:\n\"Fables for Robots\" by Stanislaw Lem - it shaped my love for SF for the rest of my life\n\"Mindwatching: Why We Behave the Way We Do\" by Hans and Michael Eysenck - it influenced my choice of studies\n\"The social animal\" by Elliot Aronson - it helped me to understand people a bit better :)\n\"Rich dad, poor dad\" by Robert Kiyosaki - it really helped me in the transition from the corporate world to own business",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it really helped me in the transition from the corporate world to own business",
          "reason": "Says it helped with the transition from corporate work to owning a business.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5501176,
          "author": "onelovelyname",
          "createdAt": "2013-04-05T21:33:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 5501062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Business Book For a 13-year-old Girl?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5501176",
          "commentText": "I was once a 13-year-old girl and loved writing short stories and learning about business. Some books that worked for me:\n- The 4-Hour Work Week, by Tim Ferriss\n- Rich Dad, Poor Dad, by Guy Kawasaki\n- The Magic of Thinking Big, by David. J Schwartz\n- Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey\nOne not super related to business but a great short read: Vagabonding by Rolf Potts. That book taught me to think creatively about my goals and not to allow traditional expectations to stop me from accomplishing them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rich Dad, Poor Dad, by Guy Kawasaki",
          "reason": "Offered among books that worked for the commenter when learning about business.",
          "audience": "A young person interested in business.",
          "caveat": "The comment attributes it to Guy Kawasaki.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752555,
          "author": "chegra",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T11:59:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752555",
          "commentText": "These books, although some now I might not endorse some of their teaching but they have help me to see the world in a different light:\nThe Mystery Method -  Erik Von Markovik[Social Engineering at its best]\nRich Dad Poor Dad: Guide to Investing - Robert Kiyoski\nThe Thoughtworks Anthology: Essays on Software Technology and Innovation (Pragmatic Programmers)\nBible - First class book in teaching how to behave towards others, especially proverbs.\nTao Te Ching - For this two verse you should read it:\n\"When people see some things as beautiful,\nother things become ugly.\nWhen people see some things as good,\nother things become bad.\nBeing and non-being create each other.\nDifficult and easy support each other.\nLong and short define each other.\nHigh and low depend on each other.\nBefore and after follow each other\"\nCyropaedia - \"Along with the The prince this book was required reading by all former statesmen.\"",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Rich Dad Poor Dad: Guide to Investing - Robert Kiyoski",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter says helped them see the world differently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they may no longer endorse some of the books' teachings.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 687664,
          "author": "jwecker",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-04T22:45:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 687066,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on getting rich?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=687664",
          "commentText": "The guy has never made a cent from anything but MLM and this series of books.  The \"rich dad\" is not a real person, though he still markets it as autobiographical.  Much of the specific business advice he gives is 1) provably dumb, 2) unethical, 3) sometimes illegal.\nHe's built a whole cottage industry around one basic premise- you get rich if you have lots of residual income that doesn't require you to put in proportional hours.  If you need a series of 7 books (or even the first one) to teach you that (though I admit the board game is fun on its own merits)... perhaps your not entrepreneur material?",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "He's built a whole cottage industry around one basic premise- you get rich if you have lots of residual income that doesn't require you to put in proportional hours.",
          "reason": "Criticizes the book’s premise and says the series is unnecessary.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment critiques the premise and advice; it says the board game is fun.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 687131,
          "author": "DXL",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-04T13:06:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 687066,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on getting rich?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=687131",
          "commentText": "I think reality has catched up with a lot of what RDPD is about, namely buying real estate properties and then letting others rent them, when the housing and credit markets crashed. The one good lesson from the book now seems to be that you cannot expect high returns without high risks.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "a lot of what RDPD is about, namely buying real estate properties and then letting others rent them, when the housing and credit markets crashed. The one good lesson from the book now seems to be that you cannot expect high returns without high risks.",
          "reason": "Critiques its real estate advice in light of the housing and credit crash, while identifying one useful lesson about risk and returns.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter sees its lesson about high returns and high risks as its one good lesson.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 687115,
          "author": "cabalamat",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-04T12:25:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 687066,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on getting rich?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=687115",
          "commentText": "\"Rich Dad, Poor Dad\" is quite a good book; at any rate, I got useful information about it.\nDon't bother with any of the sequels, they're content-free crap.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Rich Dad, Poor Dad\" is quite a good book; at any rate, I got useful information about it.",
          "reason": "Calls it quite good and says they got useful information from it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 687069,
          "author": "lucraft",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-04T10:47:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 687066,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on getting rich?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=687069",
          "commentText": "Well, it depends what you are after. Do you actually want to get rich, or do you just want to get a warm fuzzy feeling reading about getting rich? Because if the latter then Rich Dad is exactly what you need.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "if the latter then Rich Dad is exactly what you need",
          "reason": "Says the book suits readers seeking a warm, fuzzy feeling about getting rich.",
          "audience": "Readers who want a feel good read about getting rich.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 687067,
          "author": "satyajit",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-04T10:32:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 687066,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on getting rich?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=687067",
          "commentText": "Whatever you read, just don't read Robert Kiyasaki (\"Rich Dad, Poor Dad\") series - stay away from the Amway MLM overtones.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "just don't read Robert Kiyasaki (\"Rich Dad, Poor Dad\") series - stay away from the Amway MLM overtones",
          "reason": "Warns readers away because of the Amway MLM overtones.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter flags Amway MLM overtones.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Kiyosaki"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal finance",
        "wealth building",
        "investing",
        "entrepreneurship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-creative-act-a-way-of-being-c6447f",
      "title": "The Creative Act: A Way of Being",
      "author": "Rick Rubin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45954218,
          "author": "bicepjai",
          "createdAt": "2025-11-17T15:05:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 45947737,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45954218",
          "commentText": "This why I love HN, my next book will be creative act",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "my next book will be creative act",
          "reason": "The commenter says it will be their next book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 45948227,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2025-11-16T20:43:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 45947737,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45948227",
          "commentText": "The Creative Act, Rick Rubin\nBut I do not read a lot of books in a year anymore.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Creative Act, Rick Rubin",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they do not read many books in a year anymore.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39249039,
          "author": "jerpint",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T10:22:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249039",
          "commentText": "I’m listening to “the creative act - Rick Rubin”, the audiobook is narrated by him and he has such a soothing voice , highly recommended",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“the creative act - Rick Rubin”",
          "reason": "The commenter is listening to the audiobook and highly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39057378,
          "author": "jpiburn",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T16:35:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39057378",
          "commentText": "I second Rick Rubins book",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rick Rubins book",
          "reason": "Seconding the previously suggested book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39057341,
          "author": "mezod",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T16:34:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39057341",
          "commentText": "Probably not what you are asking for but thought they might be worth a look\n- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61899637-philosophy-of-c... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61899637-philosophy-of-computer-science)\n- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60965426-the-creative-ac... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60965426-the-creative-act)\n- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/530415.The_Art_of_Doing_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/530415.The_Art_of_Doing_Science_and_Engineering)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60965426-the-creative-ac...",
          "reason": "Offered as a book worth a look in response to a request for engineering philosophy recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in creative practice.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may not be what was asked for.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37159055,
          "author": "mikhailfranco",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T09:05:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37159055",
          "commentText": "Just finished The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin, a tremendously accomplished music producer.\nIt's a beautifully written guide to artistic work, but also a manual for a mindful life. Savor every page packed with insight, subtlety and poetic aphorisms.\nAlso recommend The Dawn of Everything by Graeber & Wengrow, previously cited on this page.\nNext will be The Matter with Things by Iain McGilchrist. The two hefty volumes are staring at me from my desk...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just finished The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin, a tremendously accomplished music producer.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a beautifully written guide to artistic work and a manual for mindful living.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rick Rubin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Writing",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creativity",
        "creative practice",
        "mindfulness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-non-designer-s-design-book-20c91f",
      "title": "The Non-Designer's Design Book",
      "author": "Robin Williams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12711178,
          "author": "eDISCO",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-14T21:22:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12711178",
          "commentText": "\"The non-designer's design book : design and typographic principles for the visual novice\" - very easy to follow.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The non-designer's design book : design and typographic principles for the visual novice\" - very easy to follow.",
          "reason": "Says it is very easy to follow.",
          "audience": "Visual design novices.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10787117,
          "author": "brikis98",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T04:27:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787117",
          "commentText": "My full list of books, including reviews, is here: https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2015\nFrom that list, my favorite ones were:\nThe Four Steps to the Epiphany: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/827338560\nMade to Stick: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/897777811\nHow to Measure Anything: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/698402984\nThe Non-Designer's Design Book: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1170518622\nMasters of Doom: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/899580915\nThe Martian: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1136330196\nThe Mistborn Trilogy: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1388373037",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Non-Designer's Design Book",
          "reason": "Explicitly listed among the commenter's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 295910,
          "author": "endlessvoid94",
          "createdAt": "2008-09-05T15:13:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 295871,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HC: Which books on user interface design do you wish your CEO/Cofounders would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=295910",
          "commentText": "\"The Non-Designers Design Book\" by Robin Williams.\nIt was written without the web in mind.  It's mostly about typography and spacing for posters, business cards, flyers, etc.  But it translates suprisingly well to web design.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Non-Designers-Design-Book-Robin-Willia... (http://www.amazon.com/Non-Designers-Design-Book-Robin-Williams/dp/0321534042/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1220627590&sr=8-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Non-Designers Design Book\" by Robin Williams.\nIt was written without the web in mind. It's mostly about typography and spacing for posters, business cards, flyers, etc. But it translates suprisingly well to web design.",
          "reason": "Its design principles translate surprisingly well to web design.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Written without the web in mind; focuses mostly on typography and spacing for print materials.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240780,
          "author": "mullr",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T04:19:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240780",
          "commentText": "The Non-Designer's design book has helped me 1 of every 5 days in the past month.  I also recommend it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Non-Designer's design book has helped me 1 of every 5 days in the past month. I also recommend it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it has helped them repeatedly and explicitly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240688,
          "author": "breck",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T02:34:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240688",
          "commentText": "-Black Swan & Fooled by Randomness\n-The C Programming Language\n-The Non-Designers Design Book\n-How to Read a Book\n-Never Eat Alone\n-Art of War\n-Bill Bryson's a History of Everything(~)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-The Non-Designers Design Book",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240672,
          "author": "rdoherty",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T02:21:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240672",
          "commentText": "* The Pragmatic Programmer\n* Becoming a Technical Leader\n* In Search of Stupidity\n* Hackers & Painters\n* Blockbusters\n* Joel on Software: And on Diverse and Occasionally Related Matters That Will Prove of Interest to Software Developers, Designers, and Managers, and to Those Who, Whether by Good Fortune or Ill Luck, Work with Them in Some Capacity\n* The Best Software Writing I\n* Behind Closed Doors\n* Managing Humans\n* The Mythical Man-Month\n* Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams\n* The Non-Designers Design Book\n* Founders at Work\n* Good to Great\n* Dreaming in Code\n* The Art of the Start\n* Maverick\n* The Design of Everyday Things\n* The Art of Project Management\n* The Art of Innovation",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* The Non-Designers Design Book",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robin Williams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Art"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "graphic design",
        "graphic design principles",
        "typography",
        "visual design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-phantom-tollbooth-018104",
      "title": "The Phantom Tollbooth",
      "author": "Norton Juster",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50039251,
          "author": "AstroJetson",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T02:30:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50039251",
          "commentText": "Phantom Toll Booth, The Encyclopedia Brown series and the Tom Swift books when I was older.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Phantom Toll Booth",
          "reason": "Listed as a book the commenter read when older.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34637920,
          "author": "xedrac",
          "createdAt": "2023-02-03T06:45:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 34634274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books your kids like most",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34637920",
          "commentText": "\"The Twits\" was a favorite of my younger kids.  I recently read \"The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe\" to them, and they loved it.  Of course we had to make Turkish Delight after learning about it in the book.  Other winners include:  Redwall series, The Wingfeather Saga, Artemis Foul series, The Phantom Toll Booth.  But 4 is a bit young for those.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Phantom Toll Booth.",
          "reason": "The commenter includes the book among other winners, then says the listed books may be too old for a four-year-old.",
          "audience": "Older children",
          "caveat": "The commenter says four is a bit young for it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34635451,
          "author": "lizzardbraind",
          "createdAt": "2023-02-03T00:29:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34634274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books your kids like most",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34635451",
          "commentText": "The Phantom Tollbooth.\nBrian Jaques' Redwall series.\nTry reading to them every night and let them pick it up.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Phantom Tollbooth.",
          "reason": "Listed as a suggested book for children.",
          "audience": "Children.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23471583,
          "author": "tkjef",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T22:18:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23471583",
          "commentText": "The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster\nRead it every year from 3rd grade to 8th.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster",
          "reason": "The commenter reread it annually from third through eighth grade.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665209,
          "author": "PostPost",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:26:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665209",
          "commentText": "Sorry for the wall of text.\n1. Bourne (The language and world of this novel are extraordinary - everything is falling apart yet brimming with life. Strangely moving)\n2. The Design of Everyday things (Essential for anyone in UI/UX)\n3. All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (Highly engaging, entertaining sci-fi novella series, from an author that can write a very decent robot protagonist)\n4. The Power (Interesting story with sci-fi elements on the dynamics of power, sex, and gender roles. I didn't care for the book, but the first 3/4 of the book are amazing)\n5. Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days\n6. 7 brief Lessons on Physics\n7. The Last Lecture (The energy and positivity coming from a man knowing he's about to die is infectious. Great read)\n8. A wizard of Earthsea (Move over Harry Potter, this is the essential children's story about wizards)\n9. Exploring diabetes with owls (Funny, irreverent)\n10. Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children (Made an effort to read more YA this year - this was the best in this series, but I still hated it. There's a host of better YA series out there.)\n11. A Wizard of Earthsea: The Tombs of Atuan (See 8.)\n12. The Girl in the Dark (Interesting book about a skin condition I had never heard of, and the trials of living with a very rare condition)\n13. The Phantom Tollbooth (Clever children's book)\n14. Black hole blues and songs from outer space (Informative book about the study of space,  the political and economic forces standing in the way of science, and the incredible individuals working in this field)\n15. Welcome to Night Vale (Hugely entertaining, clever and weird)\n16. You need a budget (Basic economics book explaining how to budget in a way that lets you do more with your money)\n17. To fight Against This Age (Incredibly pretentious, \nIvory Tower philosophizing)\n18. Infinity Gauntlet (Half the Universe dying because Thanos wanted to sleep with Lady Death will never not be ridiculous)\n19. The Right and Wrong Stuff (Great read explaining how to anticipate and avoid career pitfalls)\n20. Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children: Hollow City (pretty shitty)\n21. The Farthest Shore (Ursula K. Le Guin was the biggest loss this year)\n22. Miss peregrine's home for Peculiar Children: Library of Souls (I hate this book and all its characters)\n23. Every Good Endevour (Religious book about a Christian worldview and the value of labor - not a bad read)\n24. When to Rob a Bank and 131 warped suggestions… (interesting, funny, from the writers of Freakonomics)\n25. Weapons of Math Destruction (Probably the most useful book on this list, if you're reading this on \"hackernews\")\n26. Holes (Perfect summer paperback read)\n27. Silver Screen Sirens (Essential for film geeks)\n28. A full life: reflections at 90 (I gained a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter: he lived an incredible life and does great things)\n29. Call Me by your name (Very good romance novel to send to your bigoted relatives at Christmas)\n30. Hyperbole and a half (Incredibly entertaining, very distinctive art style)\n31. The Murderbot diaries: Artificial Condition (See 3.)\n32. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Best children's book, fight me)\n33. Less (Exceptionally well-written)\n34. Resilience (Great book, especially for those that have gone through extremely difficult circumstances)\n35. The Strange Bird (Dark, bleak, full of life, see 1.)\n36. The Murderbot diaries: Rogue Protocol (See 3.)\n37. His Dark Materials: The subtle knife (See 32.)\n38. Tap Dancing to Work (Very dry, some stories/articles are fantastic, others very, very boring for people that do not care about finance)\n39. So Good They Can't Ignore You (Pretty good)\n40. His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass (Amazing YA, see 32.)\n41. Uncontainable (Inspirational book about conscious capitalism)\n42. The Emperor of All Maladies (Pretty much everything you'll ever want to know about Cancer, written in a very engaging way)\n43. Blind Spot\n44. Shoe dog (Great story, see madmax108's comment, totally agree)\n45. The Faithful Spy (Beautiful artwork describing a Christian pastor's fight against fascism during WW2)\n46. Zero to One\n47. You'll grow out of it\n48. The Happiness advantage (Really fantastic book about the value of positive psychology)\n49. Dreams from my father (Enlightening look into Obama's \nearly days)\n50. Ayoade on Ayoade (Entertaining, extremely scatter-brained, not as funny as his interviews or tv programs)\n51. The Diabolic (badly written YA Sci-Fi)\n52. The Physics of Everyday Things (surprisingly informative, recommended for non science-people interested in the way things work)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Clever children's book",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as a clever children's book.",
          "audience": "Children and readers of children's fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1731350,
          "author": "squidsoup",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-27T11:40:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1731350",
          "commentText": "The Phantom Tollbooth is wonderful, especially for an up and coming logician or programmer! :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Phantom Tollbooth is wonderful",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book and highlights its appeal to aspiring logicians or programmers.",
          "audience": "An up-and-coming logician or programmer.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1725558,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-24T21:51:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1725558",
          "commentText": "Little Boys:\nAnything by Sendak, Donald Crews, Byron Barton.\nDorling Kindersly Eyewitness series.\nBigger Boys:\nPhantom Tollbooth,Avi,anything with swords\nOlder:\nJack London, \nShakespere",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Phantom Tollbooth",
          "reason": "Listed among suggestions for bigger boys.",
          "audience": "Bigger boys.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Norton Juster"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "wordplay",
        "children s literature",
        "children s fantasy",
        "adventure"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "understanding-analysis-9fff38",
      "title": "Understanding Analysis",
      "author": "Stephen Abbott",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34443270,
          "author": "blahblahblah10",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T17:51:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34443270",
          "commentText": "Out of this list, the books I am familiar with, are great (Hilbert-Courant, Spivak, Korner's books). At the same time, even with extensive mathematical training, I haven't read them from start to finish. I wouldn't even like to say \"read\". For someone who's not used to mathematical reading, some of these books require careful study. That means generating examples to understand results (theorems), trying your own conjectures, proving things yourself etc. Over time, one becomes familiar with most/all the material in a book but the knowledge might have been acquired through various books (and courses) over time.\nAlso, mathematics is a massive field. The first question would be what kinds of mathematics would you like to get better at. There are great books in analysis. If you are starting out with a solid calculus knowledge, try Abbott's Understanding Analysis [1] or Duren's Invitation to Classical Analysis [2]. For asymptotic methods in PDEs, try Bender and Orszag  [3] which is a wonderful book. But again, this might not be your cup of tea at all and there are more abstract or formal books like Rudin's.\nIf you want to approach fields without a lot of machinery, graph theory books by Bollobas are great (but difficult). See his Modern Graph Theory book [4] as an example.\nFor linear algebra, one of my favorites (but it was after I already learned the subject) is Trefethen's Numerical Linear Algebra book [5]. Another beautiful topic is at the intersection of linear algebra and combinatorics. See Babai and Frankl's lectures freely available online.\nThen there are wonderful topics in geometry. A massive mountain to climb would be algebraic geometry. For one starting point, see [6]. Differential geometry (Spivak's multi-volume work or Needham's differential forms book) is another wonderful area. I would recommend Crane's discrete differential geometry course at Carnegie Mellon [7] if you want a concrete introduction.\nYou might want to demystify a topic you have heard about. E.g. Galois theory and the unsolvability of quintic equations. You could look at [8] which guides your way through wonderful problems.\nWe haven't even touched huge swathes of mathematics including anything topological or number theory. Even within the topics mentioned above, once you start, your journey will take a life of its own and you'll encounter multiple books and papers opening up new sub-fields.\nThe only approach that worked well for me in the past was to get completely consumed by what one topic one was studying. This meant not getting distracted by multiple topics. Once one enters the workforce, this is very hard (or at least has been for me). Without knowing someone, it's hard to recommend anything but the advantage with topics like graph theory and combinatorics is that one needs less machinery (as opposed to something like algebraic geometry). These fields lead you to interesting problems very rapidly and one can wrestle with them part-time.\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Analysis-Undergraduate-... (https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Analysis-Undergraduate-Texts-Mathematics/dp/1493927116)\n[2] https://www.amazon.com/Invitation-Classical-Analysis-Applied... (https://www.amazon.com/Invitation-Classical-Analysis-Applied-Undergraduate/dp/0821869329)\n[3] https://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Mathematical-Methods-Scienti... (https://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Mathematical-Methods-Scientists-Engineers/dp/0387989315)\n[4] https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Graph-Theory-Graduate-Mathemat... (https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Graph-Theory-Graduate-Mathematics/dp/0387984887/)\n[5] https://www.amazon.com/Numerical-Linear-Algebra-Lloyd-Trefet... (https://www.amazon.com/Numerical-Linear-Algebra-Lloyd-Trefethen/dp/0898713617/)\n[6] https://www.amazon.com/Algebraic-Geometry-Approach-Mathemati... (https://www.amazon.com/Algebraic-Geometry-Approach-Mathematical-Subseries/dp/0821893963)\n[7] https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~kmcrane/Projects/DDG/\n[8] https://www.amazon.com/Through-Exercises-Springer-Undergradu... (https://www.amazon.com/Through-Exercises-Springer-Undergraduate-Mathematics/dp/3319723251)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "try Abbott's Understanding Analysis",
          "reason": "Suggested as a book on analysis.",
          "audience": "Readers starting out with solid calculus knowledge.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31491314,
          "author": "laichzeit0",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T12:49:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31491314",
          "commentText": "Supposing you have at least high school mathematics under the belt:\n1. Book of Proof by Hammack [1]\n2. Tom Apostol Calculus Vol 1 (stop at Linear Algebra)\n3. Linear Algebra by Insel, Spence & Friedberg\n4. Understanding Analysis by Stephen Abbott\n5. Tom Apostol Calculus Vol 2\nThese are books with excellent exposition, and solution manuals are available when needed. You are absolutely required to do all the exercises.  To learn mathematics is to do mathematics.\nTwo other excellent books are Spivak - Calculus, the problems in this book are very good, but much more difficult than Apostol.  For more advanced analysis there's Walter Rudin's Principles of Mathematical Analysis (baby Rudin), which on its own is too difficult as a first exposure to analysis, but there's a cool professor that recorded an entire semester of baby Rudin lecture videos [2].  This is as close as it gets without being enrolled in a university.\n[1] https://www.people.vcu.edu/~rhammack/BookOfProof/\n[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab41LEw9oiI&list=PLun8-Z_lTk... (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab41LEw9oiI&list=PLun8-Z_lTkC6qJF1sVh3_Hx7aL6FPd0IN) (the first video is a bit blurry, it gets better)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Understanding Analysis by Stephen Abbott",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Readers with at least high-school mathematics",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31490479,
          "author": "mikevm",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T11:06:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31490479",
          "commentText": "I couldn't disagree more. I studied Analysis in the Uni, and even in that environment Rudin is pretty bad. For a total newcomer that book will leave you completely helpless. Also, solutions are a must have, without them you are almsot totally lost. In their absence, it is OK to ask on StackExchange or #math on EFnet.\nFirst let's start with a few books to prep you for college-level maths:\n* https://www.amazon.com/How-Study-as-Mathematics-Major-ebook/... (https://www.amazon.com/How-Study-as-Mathematics-Major-ebook/dp/B00B9CIORY)\n* https://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Proofs-Introduction-Mathemat... (https://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Proofs-Introduction-Mathematical-ebook-dp-B00I8XF6TQ/dp/B00I8XF6TQ) ; or\n* https://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Proofs-Modular-Mathematics-Al... (https://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Proofs-Modular-Mathematics-Allenby/dp/0340676531) ; or\n* https://www.amazon.com/How-Prove-Structured-Daniel-Velleman-... (https://www.amazon.com/How-Prove-Structured-Daniel-Velleman-dp-1108439535/dp/1108439535) (I believe you can find solutions to the 2nd edition online)\nFor Single-Variable Analysis\n* https://www.amazon.com/Think-About-Analysis-Lara-Alcock/dp/0... (https://www.amazon.com/Think-About-Analysis-Lara-Alcock/dp/0198723539)\n* https://www.amazon.com/How-Why-One-Variable-Calculus/dp/1119... (https://www.amazon.com/How-Why-One-Variable-Calculus/dp/1119043387)\n* https://www.amazon.com/Mathematical-Analysis-Straightforward... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematical-Analysis-Straightforward-Approach-2nd/dp/0521288827) (contains solutions to exercises)\n* https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Analysis-Undergraduate-... (https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Analysis-Undergraduate-Texts-Mathematics-ebook/dp/B00XWDQUH4) (there are solutions online for the 2nd edition)\n* https://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Functions-Steps-into-Analysis... (https://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Functions-Steps-into-Analysis/dp/0521788366) (this book is a brilliant exercise-guided approach that helps you build up your knowledge step by step + solutions are provided).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Analysis-Undergraduate-...",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says solutions are available online for the second edition.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27629435,
          "author": "thraxil",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T11:34:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27629435",
          "commentText": "Does math count as \"technical?\"\nI was originally a Physics major and lately I've been on a kick of filling in the mathematics that was used in my Physics classes but that I feel like was never really gone into in much depth.\nMy current reading list is:\n- \"Analysis I\" (and II) by Terence Tao (I finished the first volume and am now on the second, but I consider them really one book)\n- \"Understanding Analysis\" by Stephen Abbott\n- \"Topology Through Inquiry\" by Starbird and Su\n- \"Introduction To Topology And Modern Analysis\" by George F. Simmons\nThe Terence Tao books are amazing so far. Extremely readable introduction to Real Analysis. Abbott also came highly recommended and from reading the first couple chapters I can see why as it also seems to be very readable. I don't know if it would be a better introduction than Tao, but it covers mostly the same material and I think having two different perspectives will really help solidify things for me.\nOnce I finish those, I'll see whether I want to go deeper into Topology or move to Complex Analysis or Differential Geometry.\nI also have a copy of Emily Riehl's Category Theory in Context. I've read some Category Theory before and have a basic grasp, but after reading a few pages of her book, I put it aside until I feel like I'm much more well versed in Topology (the content looks amazing and I really want to read it, but it relies on Algegraic Topology more heavily than other Category Theory material I've seen). So I'll see where I'm at after getting through those Topology books.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Abbott also came highly recommended and from reading the first couple chapters I can see why as it also seems to be very readable.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds it very readable and says it was highly recommended.",
          "audience": "Readers learning real analysis.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether it is a better introduction than Tao’s books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7578787,
          "author": "kliao",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T19:02:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578787",
          "commentText": "I like Pugh too. All three are sitting on my bookshelf :). Coming from very little formal math training, and trying to self-study analysis, I would bounce from Rudin if I got stuck, go to Abbott for a confidence boost, and try out some Pugh for a different viewpoint. Pugh might have been just right in terms of rigor and accessibility.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "go to Abbott for a confidence boost",
          "reason": "Describes turning to Abbott for confidence, implying help but not a clear recommendation.",
          "audience": "Self-studiers studying analysis.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7578439,
          "author": "daffodil2",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T17:20:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578439",
          "commentText": "I've tried reading Rudin a couple times, but it's a bit of a slog. There are easier analysis texts. Abbott's Understanding Analysis is good, though a bit basic. I'm currently reading Terence Tao's Analysis I, which is very good if you're in the right frame of mind for it. The first 150 pages are spent building the real numbers from scratch, starting with set theory and the Peano axioms. You successively construct the naturals, the integers, the rationals, and then the reals (as equivalence classes of Cauchy sequences of rationals). It's fun to see how the sausage is made, but I can also admit that when I was just starting out in math I might have found this book unbearably tedious.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Abbott's Understanding Analysis is good, though a bit basic.",
          "reason": "Calls it good while noting that it is somewhat basic.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an easier real analysis text.",
          "caveat": "The commenter considers it a bit basic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7578089,
          "author": "kliao",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T15:31:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578089",
          "commentText": "Echo the above. Pairing little Rudin with a more user-friendly book like Understanding Analysis by Abbott is a great way to learn the material if you get stuck.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a more user-friendly book like Understanding Analysis by Abbott is a great way to learn the material",
          "reason": "Recommended as an approachable companion for learning analysis.",
          "audience": "Readers who get stuck with the material.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Abbott"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "real analysis",
        "self study",
        "analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "when-genius-failed-5c258a",
      "title": "When Genius Failed",
      "author": "Roger Lowenstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25319110,
          "author": "kippinitreal",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T22:39:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319110",
          "commentText": "“When Genius Failed” is really good. Lot of parallels to tech where folks are visionaries right up until the day that they’re not and how things that we don’t truly understand can go haywire",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“When Genius Failed” is really good.",
          "reason": "Praised as a good book, with parallels to tech and how misunderstood systems can fail.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25319088,
          "author": "fluxic",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T22:36:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319088",
          "commentText": "Editing: Editor of Genius by A. Scott Berg\n>>> Max Perkins was the editor of Hemingway, Thomas Wolfe, F Scott Fitzgerald, and other famous 20th century writers. Great, great, book.\nBartending: Cosmopolitan by Toby Cecchini\n>>> Very well-written memoir of a bartender in New York in the late 1980s. He invented the Cosmo in NYC while working at the Odeon — on a lark, without thinking much of it. The drink took off, but I think he's still a working bartender in NYC.\nCooking: Kitchen Confidential by Bourdain\nPainting: Interviews with Francis Bacon by David Sylvester\nMusic: Meet me in the Bathroom by Lizzy Goodman\nTech: Chaos Monkeys by AGM\nAnd seconding swyx's recommendations for all things Michael Lewis, who can spin a good yarn about any profession — whether it's baseball managers, junk bond salesmen, or high frequency traders, etc.\nI've also picked up lots of good recommendations from this thread https://ask.metafilter.com/243036/Recommend-a-nonfiction-aut... (https://ask.metafilter.com/243036/Recommend-a-nonfiction-author-who-has-a-style-like-Anthony-Bourdain) (I, too, like \"insidery\" type business books. I'm currently reading \"The Emperor of Scent\" about the world of perfume and it's pretty good! Also looking forward to reading \"Ninety Percent of Everything\" about the shipping industry.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "all things Michael Lewis, who can spin a good yarn about any profession — whether it's baseball managers, junk bond salesmen, or high frequency traders",
          "reason": "The commenter endorses Michael Lewis's books about professions, including this named title in the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25318778,
          "author": "swyx",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T21:54:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25318778",
          "commentText": "Ex finance guy here - Liar's Poker for 1980s Wall Street, When Genius Failed for 1990s, More Money Than God for 2000s, Flash Boys for 2010s\n- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liar%27s_Poker\n- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_Genius_Failed\n- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/More_Money_Than_God\n- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_Boys\nobviously these do not represent all of finance but its a nice decade-by-decade recap of talking points, i figured i'd try to do it and was surprised how nicely it broke out",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "When Genius Failed for 1990s",
          "reason": "Presented as a decade-by-decade account of finance, specifically the 1990s.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in finance and its history.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these books do not represent all of finance.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22576671,
          "author": "habosa",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T16:52:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22576671",
          "commentText": "\"The End of Alchemy\" by Mervyn King is a great book that explains fiscal/monetary policy and the modern banking system from the ground up.  King was the head of the Bank of England during the last recession.  This was the book that made me \"get it\".\n\"When Genius Failed\" by Roger Lowenstein is the story of the fall of Long Term Capital Management which was basically the biggest hedge fund failure ever.  Teaches you a lot about modern high finance and systemic risk.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"When Genius Failed\" by Roger Lowenstein is the story of the fall of Long Term Capital Management which was basically the biggest hedge fund failure ever. Teaches you a lot about modern high finance and systemic risk.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a story of LTCM's collapse that teaches about high finance and systemic risk.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17227438,
          "author": "linuxlizard",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-04T13:19:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17227438",
          "commentText": "Did read _When Genius Failed_. Is indeed a great read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Did read _When Genius Failed_. Is indeed a great read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is a great read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "When Genius Failed",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1570734,
          "author": "mrcalzone",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T10:49:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1570734",
          "commentText": "When Genius failed, a story related to (and mentioned in) Fooled by Randomness.\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_Genius_Failed",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "When Genius failed, a story related to (and mentioned in) Fooled by Randomness.",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a related story in Fooled by Randomness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roger Lowenstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hedge funds",
        "long term capital management",
        "finance",
        "financial crisis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "c-interfaces-and-implementations-fe2555",
      "title": "C Interfaces and Implementations",
      "author": "David R. Hanson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33136126,
          "author": "sfpotter",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T21:20:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33136126",
          "commentText": "I don't take the point of this book to be \"how to implement an STL-like data structures and algorithms library in C\"---although you were his coworker, so maybe you know better. I've always viewed it more as \"how to build data structures with useful interfaces in C\". In the book, the set of libraries presented are an example which illustrates how to approach this using the features that C provides. If you are new to C and don't know how to manage complexity by building up useful interfaces for your data structures, reading Hanson's book is a reasonable way to get some ideas. Another way to go would be to just read through the source of any of the libraries you mentioned, all of which do in fact use ideas which feature in this book. This is obviously not to say that Hanson's book originated these ideas. I also think focusing on the exact style of the code in this book is maybe a bit of a red herring.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "reading Hanson's book is a reasonable way to get some ideas.",
          "reason": "Calls it a reasonable source of ideas for building data structures with useful interfaces in C.",
          "audience": "People new to C who want to learn to manage complexity with useful interfaces.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33131392,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T11:19:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33131392",
          "commentText": "Yes, Absolutely.\nHowever, i am not clear what you mean by \"language agnostic\"? Obviously Code cannot be language independent but if you can read C then you should be able to translate the data structures/algorithms given in this book to a language of your choice; the difficulty might vary (eg. how would you represent pointers in your language to implement say recursive tree structures?) but it can be done. The data structures/algorithms given in Hanson's book are \"industrial strength\" with no missing parts (i.e. no exercise left to the reader). So you get complete code all written in the \"Literate Programming\" style which takes a little getting used to but is eminently worth it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The data structures/algorithms given in Hanson's book are \"industrial strength\"",
          "reason": "Praises its complete implementations of data structures and algorithms, written in literate programming style.",
          "audience": "Readers who can read C and want to understand reusable data structures and algorithms.",
          "caveat": "The literate programming style takes a little getting used to.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13239142,
          "author": "a3n",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T18:16:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13239142",
          "commentText": "(Some of the +below are O'Reilly DRM-free ebooks. Big fan.)\nPython:\n+Effective Computation in Physics. Probably the most practical full-environment treatment of Python I've seen. Write, test, package, distribute. Third party libs.\nEffective Python, Brett Slatkin. Sort of an \"N ways to improve your Python.\" Part of a series edited by Scott Meyers.\nGetting my C mojo back:\nI left C/C++ 15 years ago. C++ will likely stay left, but I miss C.\n+Reading 21st Century C, Ben Klemens. The first half is the development environment, which is great, since there's some new stuff since I left, and lots of stuff I've forgotten or never knew.\nRereading Expert C Programming: Deep C Secrets by Van der Linden. The guy's a riot. It's dated but still relevant. The inside baseball stuff on problems seen while working in Sun's compiler group is fascinating.\nRereading C Interfaces and Implementations, Hanson. Hoping this will serve as my C version of Large Scale C++ Design by Lakos. Honestly though, the literate programming style of presentation is off-putting. Are we still talking about that?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Rereading C Interfaces and Implementations, Hanson. Hoping this will serve as my C version of Large Scale C++ Design by Lakos. Honestly though, the literate programming style of presentation is off-putting.",
          "reason": "The commenter hopes it will fill a role for C similar to another design book, but finds its presentation style off-putting.",
          "audience": "C programmers seeking interface and implementation design guidance.",
          "caveat": "The literate programming presentation style is off-putting to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1213176,
          "author": "Maro",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-23T15:44:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 1212675,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I use and love Python. What's the best book to learn C ?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1213176",
          "commentText": "A number of people have recommended David R. Hanson's C Interfaces and Impementations, so I'll mention his A Retargetable C Compiler: Design and Implementation. I own this book though I haven't read it, but it's about writing a C compiler in C. You should pretty much just go out and buy these two books because they'll eventually go out of print, and then you'll be screwed. CII used to be out of print and impossible to obtain until Addison-Wesley started printing it again a year ago.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You should pretty much just go out and buy these two books",
          "reason": "Included among the two books the commenter recommends buying before they go out of print.",
          "audience": "C programmers interested in systems programming and implementation.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it had previously been out of print and difficult to obtain.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1213118,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-23T15:25:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1212675,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I use and love Python. What's the best book to learn C ?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1213118",
          "commentText": "No, I'm actually pretty skittish about publishing things these days; it's all risk and no reward. I've been writing C since '94 and I guarantee you there's some douchebag who will build an entire website about how little I know about C once the courseware hits Reddit. Pass.\nThe structure I'm chasing is:\n* C Interfaces and Implementations.\n* Every month, a couple hours worth of casual exercises, spread over 2 weeks, along with background material and basic courseware (cheat sheets, notes on the book, etc).\n* \"Tech support\" style assistance for those exercises (ie, send me your code and I'll tell you what's wrong).\n* Once a month, several hours of lab-style class time. Each class presumes you did the exercises and, if you had trouble, that you chatted me up about them and we got through it. Each class is 2-3 small coding projects. All are security-focused, because that's why we're doing the class; so, for instance, in week 1 we'll probably write an XML fuzzer and a password cracker.\n* If you came to class prepared, I'm buying unlimited drinks and pork product at The Publican afterwards.\nI'm planning on the following arc for the class:\n* Month 1: Basics (Compiling/running, hello-world, malloc and free, the C type system, very basic pointers, using libraries).\n* Month 2: Network programming (Stevens-style socket programming, binary formats, I/O).\n* Month 3: Design (Library design, voidstar, function pointers,  dlopen, object-oriented C).\n* Month 4: Secure programming in C (mostly, memory corruption and string handling).\nI guess I'm writing all this here not so much to sell a class that I'm not offering publicly so much as to advocate for the idea of doing things like this at your own company, and to solicit critiques. I've spent a long time giving lip service to training and growing a team, and giving up a couple weekends and plying team members with high-end whiskey seemed like a way of putting my money where my mouth was. (Also, this is the next thing Erin wanted me to teach her. So I'm pretty motivated.)\n(If you ping me offline, I'm happy to share stuff privately).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "* C Interfaces and Implementations.",
          "reason": "Named as the book around which the proposed C course is structured.",
          "audience": "People learning C through course exercises and projects.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes a proposed course structure, not an explicit evaluation of the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1212758,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-23T12:49:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 1212675,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I use and love Python. What's the best book to learn C ?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1212758",
          "commentText": "C Interfaces and Implementations by Hanson. It'll give you back most of the things you depend on in Python, like variable length strings and dictionaries.\nI'm teaching a 4-month weekend C class for Ruby programmers starting in April, and my syllabus is pretty much built around CII.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "C Interfaces and Implementations by Hanson. It'll give you back most of the things you depend on in Python, like variable length strings and dictionaries.",
          "reason": "Recommended for learning C data structures and implementations, including strings and dictionaries.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1212699,
          "author": "plinkplonk",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-23T12:05:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1212675,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I use and love Python. What's the best book to learn C ?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1212699",
          "commentText": "First, K&R. Second , C interfaces and Implementations by David Hanson.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "C interfaces and Implementations by David Hanson.",
          "reason": "Recommended second in response to a question asking for an introductory C book.",
          "audience": "Readers learning C.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David R. Hanson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming",
        "data structures",
        "software interfaces",
        "literate programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "computer-networking-a-top-down-approach-aeda43",
      "title": "Computer Networking: A Top-Down Approach",
      "author": "James F. Kurose and Keith W. Ross",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35929791,
          "author": "shauryamanu",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T16:13:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35929791",
          "commentText": "Computer Networking: A Top-down Approach by Kurose and Ross",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Computer Networking: A Top-down Approach by Kurose and Ross",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30496353,
          "author": "Lamad123",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-28T04:16:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30496353",
          "commentText": "Amazing book, though the network layer chapter was kinda daunting!!!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Amazing book, though the network layer chapter was kinda daunting!!!",
          "reason": "Calls the book amazing but says its network layer chapter was daunting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The network layer chapter felt daunting to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30493837,
          "author": "teleforce",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T23:14:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30493837",
          "commentText": "Come here to recommend this excellent networking book and it's much better than the Tanembaum's one. If you are in networking field you owe yourself to read this book and the latest 8th edition is the best version yet because the authors have removed the chapter on multimedia networking and focusing more on SDN. Heck, any aspiring textbook writer should read this book as a golden reference on how to write a proper textbook.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Come here to recommend this excellent networking book and it's much better than the Tanembaum's one. If you are in networking field you owe yourself to read this book and the latest 8th edition is the best version yet because the authors have removed the chapter on multimedia networking and focusing more on SDN.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the networking book and favors its eighth edition.",
          "audience": "People in the networking field and aspiring textbook writers.",
          "caveat": "The commenter prefers it to Tanenbaum's book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27676271,
          "author": "wink",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-29T14:30:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 27650775,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27676271",
          "commentText": "I really didn't like it (whatever version was current in 2004?ish), so I'd suggest Tanenbaum's Computer Networks. Not sure if it got updated in the last 15 years, but the basics should still be there.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I really didn't like it",
          "reason": "The commenter says they did not like the book recommended in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They refer to a version current around 2004.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27659886,
          "author": "danielmarkbruce",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-28T10:07:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 27650775,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27659886",
          "commentText": "+1.\nI read a few different books and Kurose was the best.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read a few different books and Kurose was the best.",
          "reason": "The commenter says Kurose's book was the best among the ones they read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27654448,
          "author": "mistahenry",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T19:24:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 27650775,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27654448",
          "commentText": "I read Kurose’s book in college and recommend it as the perfect book for this topic. As a neophyte at the time, I remember really drilling into the details of TCP and just being in awe of how well thought out the whole system was. This book laid such a good foundation for my career as a software engineer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read Kurose’s book in college and recommend it as the perfect book for this topic.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends Kurose’s book and says it laid a strong foundation for their software engineering career.",
          "audience": "People learning computer networking concepts.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27653163,
          "author": "read_if_gay_",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T16:59:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 27650775,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27653163",
          "commentText": "This and the Ross/Kurose one are definitely the canonical textbooks, but Beej's Guide is a lighthearted and more easily digestible alternative if you don't want to learn everything in detail.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the Ross/Kurose one are definitely the canonical textbooks",
          "reason": "Described as a canonical networking textbook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27652879,
          "author": "yagizdegirmenci",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T16:25:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 27650775,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27652879",
          "commentText": "Yes! Kurose's book was the first book that i read about networking and it gave me a pretty good level of foundational knowledge, highly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kurose's book was the first book that i read about networking",
          "reason": "The commenter says it gave them foundational knowledge and highly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27652810,
          "author": "teleforce",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T16:19:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 27650775,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27652810",
          "commentText": "I'd recommend Kurose's Computer Networking: A Top Down Approach (now in 8th edition) book if you want to learn a proper computer networks concepts because this is the definitive textbook.\nIf you want the practical aspects of computer networks, you can try Niall Manfields' Practical TCP/IP designing, using and troubleshooting TCP/IP networks on Linux and Windows book.  Granted it's a bit old (2nd edition is essentially the same 1st edition), but because you are after the essentials it should be more than fine. Here's the review of the book:\nhttps://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=122... (https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=1220683)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kurose's Computer Networking: A Top Down Approach",
          "reason": "Recommended for learning computer network concepts as a definitive textbook.",
          "audience": "People who want to learn computer network concepts.",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it a textbook.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James F. Kurose",
        "Keith W. Ross"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer networking",
        "network protocols",
        "computer networks",
        "software defined networking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "javascript-the-definitive-guide-c2f7a9",
      "title": "JavaScript: The Definitive Guide",
      "author": "David Flanagan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42694351,
          "author": "purple-leafy",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-14T06:25:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 42686034,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read regarding software development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42694351",
          "commentText": "C Programming: A Modern Approach (K N King) that I recently finished, has been great.\nPrior to that, JavaScript the Definitive Guide.\nAlso cracked into Crafting Interpreters (was great) but got sidetracked.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Prior to that, JavaScript the Definitive Guide.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37326037,
          "author": "code_primer",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-30T17:50:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 37325594,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books to learn web development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37326037",
          "commentText": "A textbook which gives a good introduction to Web Development is:\n1) Fundamentals of Web Development (Randy Connolly and Ricardo Hoar).\nI have the 2nd Ed but the 3rd Ed is out and is more contemporary.\nSpecific books for HTML and CSS are:\n1) HTML and CSS - The Comprehensive Guide (decent contemporary introduction)\n2) CSS in Depth\n3) CSS The Definite Guide - 5th Ed - Reference\nSpecific books for JavaScript.\n1) Javascript - The Comprehensive Guide (decent contemporary introduction)\n2) Eloquent JavaScript - 3rd Ed\n3) Javascipt - The Definite Guide - 7th Ed",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Javascipt - The Definite Guide - 7th Ed",
          "reason": "Lists it as a JavaScript book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1465233,
          "author": "tlrobinson",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T08:43:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 1463717,
          "threadTitle": "Need best Javascript books suggestion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1465233",
          "commentText": "I learned JavaScript from The Definitive Guide before The Good Parts came out, so maybe my opinion is skewed, but I don't think Good Parts covers enough material to be useful on it's own (Good Parts doesn't cover DOM APIs at all, for example).\nI can tell you Definitive Guide also sat next to my desk to serve as a reference for a long time, though most of the same material can be found on https://developer.mozilla.org/en/JavaScript http://www.w3schools.com/js/default.asp and many other websites.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I learned JavaScript from The Definitive Guide",
          "reason": "The commenter learned JavaScript from it and used it as a desk reference for a long time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Most of the same material can also be found on websites.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1465006,
          "author": "irahul",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T05:31:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 1463717,
          "threadTitle": "Need best Javascript books suggestion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1465006",
          "commentText": "My personal experience is \"Javascript: The Definitive Guide\" feels like a tome. It's a big, dry book. It doesn't stimulate my mind and I skimmed through most of it(chapters dedicated to looping syntax et al.).\n\"Javascript: The Good Parts\" worked wonders for me. I understand the language and I use JQuery for dom manipulation. I understand ground-level DOM and can use it when required. Do you think \"Javascript: The Definitive Guide\" adds something good which \"Javascript: The Good Parts\" skips? There are many things but I am talking things which make you a better Javascripter.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "\"Javascript: The Definitive Guide\" feels like a tome. It's a big, dry book. It doesn't stimulate my mind and I skimmed through most of it",
          "reason": "The commenter found it long, dry, and unstimulating, and asks whether it adds useful material.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they skimmed most of it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1464163,
          "author": "miguelpais",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-26T19:44:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1463717,
          "threadTitle": "Need best Javascript books suggestion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1464163",
          "commentText": "The book is very concise and probably one of the books with higher ratio of relevant content per page. It also teaches you the grammar of JavaScript in one of the most simple and unambiguous ways I ever seen in a book (railroad diagrams).\nOn the other hand it was one of the shortest book I ever read in which I had to reread and go back more times. JavaScript can be a bit confusing at times and the book only says things once and in a succinct way.\nEverything was going fine until Prototypes and Constructors and the very bad 'new' operator, that somewhat surprisingly was used in the good function which achieved Prototype Inheritance (example in here: http://javascript.crockford.com/prototypal.html), but after a while I got it. ;)\nIt's the only book I've read about JavaScript yet. I consider it very good if you already are proficient in other programming languages, but it doesn't really show you what to do with it (and it wasn't supposed to), so I'm now planing to buy JavaScript the Definitive Guide.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm now planing to buy JavaScript the Definitive Guide.",
          "reason": "Plans to buy it after reading The Good Parts; no evaluation of this title is given.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1464159,
          "author": "henryw",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-26T19:38:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 1463717,
          "threadTitle": "Need best Javascript books suggestion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1464159",
          "commentText": "JavaScript: The Definitive Guide covers almost everything. If you take the time to read it, you'll know javascript very well. Then get into jQuery (this guide looks good: http://www.rebeccamurphey.com/jqfundamentals).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "JavaScript: The Definitive Guide covers almost everything. If you take the time to read it, you'll know javascript very well.",
          "reason": "Says it covers almost everything and will teach readers JavaScript very well.",
          "audience": "People learning JavaScript.",
          "caveat": "Requires time to read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1463930,
          "author": "Kevin_M_Miller",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-26T17:10:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 1463717,
          "threadTitle": "Need best Javascript books suggestion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1463930",
          "commentText": "Check here.  It's a rating of what people consider the best JavaScript books:\nhttp://stackoverflow.com/questions/74884/good-javascript-boo... (http://stackoverflow.com/questions/74884/good-javascript-books/74903)\nBut personally, I like Crockford's book the good parts.  The Oreilly definitive guide isn't bad either.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Oreilly definitive guide isn't bad either.",
          "reason": "Says the book isn't bad.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1463890,
          "author": "pdelgallego",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-26T16:41:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 1463717,
          "threadTitle": "Need best Javascript books suggestion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1463890",
          "commentText": "Just for the record Flanagan book has a new edition covering ECMAScript 5.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Flanagan book has a new edition covering ECMAScript 5",
          "reason": "Notes the book's new edition and its ECMAScript 5 coverage.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1463838,
          "author": "tlrobinson",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-26T16:10:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 1463717,
          "threadTitle": "Need best Javascript books suggestion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1463838",
          "commentText": "\"JavaScript: The Good Parts\" by Crockford and \"JavaScript: The Definitive Guide\" by Flanagan are all you need, at least for the language itself",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"JavaScript: The Definitive Guide\" by Flanagan",
          "reason": "Says it is one of the books needed to learn JavaScript.",
          "audience": "People learning JavaScript.",
          "caveat": "Only for the language itself.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1463747,
          "author": "kls",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-26T14:56:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 1463717,
          "threadTitle": "Need best Javascript books suggestion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1463747",
          "commentText": "JavaScript: The Good Parts\nAbsolutely, it is really the 101 of JavaScript and helps you avoid a lot of the pitfalls that gave the language a bad name for so many years.\nJavaScript: the definitive guide, is also a good book.\nObject-Oriented JavaScript: Create scalable, reusable high-quality JavaScript applications and libraries.\nAs well most all of John Resig books are good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "JavaScript: the definitive guide, is also a good book.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a good book in response to a request for JavaScript book suggestions.",
          "audience": "JavaScript learners.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135339,
          "author": "jraines",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T18:09:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135339",
          "commentText": "Getting Real (37 Signals)\nProgramming Ruby (Pragmatic Programmers)\nAgile Web Development with Rails (Pragmatic Programmers)\nJavascript: The Definitive Guide (O'Reilly)\na good text on database design & normalization, performance issues, and SQL\nsomething to teach *nix basics, which I don't have but could have used",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Javascript: The Definitive Guide (O'Reilly)",
          "reason": "Listed as a book for a hacker's bookshelf.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Flanagan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "javascript",
        "programming reference",
        "ecmascript",
        "programming languages"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "learn-python-the-hard-way-6e8766",
      "title": "Learn Python the Hard Way",
      "author": "Zed A. Shaw",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28482261,
          "author": "cameron_b",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-10T14:44:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 28478751,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach you programming languages via systems projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28482261",
          "commentText": "Learn Python the Hard Way, [0]\nIt isn't the most grand systems approach, but does build a text dungeon crawler and then makes it a web application.\n[0] https://learnpythonthehardway.org/python3/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Learn Python the Hard Way",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a Python learning resource.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not the most comprehensive systems approach.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12246085,
          "author": "callmeed",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T07:47:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12246085",
          "commentText": "On Writing Well by Zinsser\nTraction by Weinberg & Mares\nPredictable Revenue by Ross\nChoose Yourself by Altucher\nLearn Python the Hard Way by Shaw\nMere Christianity by Lewis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Learn Python the Hard Way by Shaw",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about books given as gifts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3384519,
          "author": "karlzt",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-23T03:40:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 3380141,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Intro Programming Book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3384519",
          "commentText": ">> What's currently considered to be the best intro to programming?\nLPTHW http://learncodethehardway.org/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "LPTHW http://learncodethehardway.org/",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Beginning programmers, especially those learning Python.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3380563,
          "author": "andrewhillman",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-22T05:43:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 3380141,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Intro Programming Book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3380563",
          "commentText": "Learn Python the Hard Way... you can check the free html formatted version http://bit.ly/tRvpWo to see it first hand.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Learn Python the Hard Way",
          "reason": "Offered as an answer to a request for an introductory programming book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3380227,
          "author": "anthonyb",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-22T03:29:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 3380141,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Intro Programming Book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3380227",
          "commentText": "It might help to have a bit more background on your nephew and his interests.\nIf he's generally geeky, then Learn Python the Hard Way is excellent - but you need to already be very motivated to sit down and work through the exercises.\nSimilarly, Hello World! is a good book for the complete beginner, but a 17 year old might find it a bit easy.\nAnd based on the reviewers who've looked at it so far, Hello Python! tends to do well with relative beginners, but complete novices find it a bit hard, and it annoys the hell out of some experienced programmers - not sure why, I think it's because I don't explain everything in detail and gloss over to the interesting bits :)\nHave you considered something along the lines of an Arduino + book? Some people seem to get a kick out of making things actually happen, rather than just appear on a screen...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Learn Python the Hard Way is excellent",
          "reason": "Called excellent as a choice for a generally geeky beginner.",
          "audience": "Generally geeky learners who are already motivated.",
          "caveat": "Requires motivation to work through the exercises.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3380196,
          "author": "cschmidt",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-22T03:16:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 3380141,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Intro Programming Book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3380196",
          "commentText": "My son liked \"Hello World! Computer Programming for Kids and Other Beginners\", which teaches python.  He preferred it to Zed Shaw's \"Learn Python the Hard Way\".",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "He preferred it to Zed Shaw's \"Learn Python the Hard Way\".",
          "reason": "The son preferred another named book to this one.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Only a comparison is given; no evaluation of this book beyond the preference.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3380191,
          "author": "alexgodin",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-22T03:13:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 3380141,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Intro Programming Book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3380191",
          "commentText": "Learn Python the Hard Way",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Learn Python the Hard Way",
          "reason": "Offered as an answer to a request for an introductory programming book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Zed A. Shaw"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "python",
        "programming education",
        "programming for beginners",
        "programming tutorial"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-war-258884",
      "title": "On War",
      "author": "Carl von Clausewitz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12067791,
          "author": "cryoshon",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-10T23:29:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12067791",
          "commentText": "I'm not going to list all 42, but here are the highlights:\nHow to Read a Book (Adler)\nWorld Order (Kissinger)\nDer Grundrisse (Marx)\nThe Grand Chessboard (Brzezinski)\nManufacturing Consent (Chomsky)\nGulag Archipelago (Solhenitzyn)\nOn War (Clausewitz)\nThe Hidden Persuaders (Packard)\nIntuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking (Dennett)\nThe Strategy of Desire (Dichter)\nSkills acquired: intentional syntopical reading, prediction of geopolitical hinge points, and identification of absent context in media... I'm always looking for another book to read.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "On War (Clausewitz)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9347104,
          "author": "pjc50",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T12:47:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9347104",
          "commentText": "Just finished Nate Silver's \"The Signal and The Noise\". Interesting collection of prediction case studies, seeing what can and can't be effectively predicted. Good for correcting black-and-white thinking.\nCurrently reading \"Naples 44\", diary of an intelligence officer there just after the US landings. The author is classically trained enough to immediately fall in love with the place despite the war, so it's a strange mix of lounging around Paestum and the stark effects of war.\nNext in queue: pick one to re-read from Iain M Banks or Pratchett.\n(Presumably Clausewitz is in your reading list somewhere as well; his book is unfinished but contains both good quotes to mine and real insight into how few military problems are about actual fighting itself.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "his book is unfinished but contains both good quotes to mine and real insight into how few military problems are about actual fighting itself.",
          "reason": "Says it offers useful quotations and insight into the nature of military problems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the book is unfinished.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 458891,
          "author": "barry-cotter",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-30T23:10:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=458891",
          "commentText": "The author said he'd read Vom Kriege, which is Clausewitz's \"On War\"",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The author said he'd read Vom Kriege, which is Clausewitz's \"On War\"",
          "reason": "The commenter identifies Vom Kriege as Clausewitz's On War while discussing what another author read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 457944,
          "author": "uuilly",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-30T10:15:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=457944",
          "commentText": "I've been waiting years for someone to ask this question :)\nWishlited this last night on amazon:\nCarnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise to Western Power by Victor Davis Hanson\nHave read these and enjoyed these:\nGeneral Warfare theory:\nHistory of Warfare by Keegan\nIntel:\nIntelligence and War by Keegan\nCounterinsurgency:\n\"Ghost Wars\" by Steve Coll.  For a really enjoyable experience read \"The Great Game\"  by Hopkirk first.\nThe Civil War deserves it's own category. Watch the PBS dvds, actually buy them.  If you're hungry for more dig into \"The Civil War\" by Shelby Foote is hefty but it's satisfying.\n1776 is a classic.\n\"Blind mans bluff\" is a great book about submarine warfare.\nFor more current stuff Robert Kagan is probably the most informed pundit on war and military strategy.\nWW-II\n\"The Last Lion\" books 1 and 2 are about Churchill and they involve lots of military strategy.  You should also check out \"The gathering storm + the other six books Churchill wrote on WWII.\nMan I could go on forever.  I have \"Panzer General\" and \"Caesar's Conquest of Gaul\" on my nightstand...\nEnjoy...\nPS:  Once you're well versed you'll hear people referring to Clauswitz a lot.  When you're sick of hearing his name and you want more than the wikipedia entry go read \"On War.\"  Art of War goes w/o saying as well...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "When you're sick of hearing his name and you want more than the wikipedia entry go read \"On War.\"",
          "reason": "The commenter directly advises reading it for a deeper understanding of Clausewitz.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 456378,
          "author": "niels_olson",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T14:40:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456378",
          "commentText": "If you want to understand the context behind all other books on military strategy written since Clausewitz (any book written in the last hundred years), you must read Clausewitz. If you want to understand why the US Army was so dead set on failing to anticipate the next war and continued to train for symmetric war until very recently, you must read Clausewitz. If you want to understand why the new Army and Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual written by General Petraeus, Lt General Amos, and Lt Colonel Nagl is so celebrated, you must read Clausewitz.\nYou should also read Petraeus et al's Counterinsurgency Field Manual. The difference in tone and scope is staggering. If you want to understand military strategy going forward, you must understand Petraeus's book. I assure you, it is on the nightstand of the President and every military officer (and not because it says that on the cover, but because I'm one of them).\nIf you are running a startup, read the Petraeus book as though you are the insurgent. If you are at MSFT or Google, read it as though you are in the US Army.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you must read Clausewitz",
          "reason": "The commenter strongly recommends reading Clausewitz to understand the context behind later military strategy books.",
          "audience": "Readers studying modern military strategy or military history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 456349,
          "author": "notaddicted",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T14:16:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456349",
          "commentText": "Have you read Clausewitz On War? That was one of my favorite books last year.\nThis is more general than you are looking for and it stops a bit short of air war but it helped me to put historical events into a global context.\nThe outline of history; being a plain history of life and mankind. Rev. and brought up to date by Raymond Postgate and G.P. Wells. With maps and plans by J.F. Horrabin.\nWells, H. G. 1866-1946. (Herbert George),\nGarden City, N.Y. Doubleday 1971,\nBook. 1103p., D21 .W4 1971\nI'd say definitely search for books written about Iraq and Afghanistan, that should give you some information about current strategies.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "That was one of my favorite books last year.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of their favorite books.",
          "audience": "Readers wanting historical events in a global context.",
          "caveat": "More general than requested and stops short of air war.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 456347,
          "author": "pskomoroch",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T14:15:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456347",
          "commentText": "I used to have a lot more time for non CS reading and actually made an Amazon list on this topic back in 2005:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/2INJSM38... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/2INJSM38IDMDZ/ref=cm_sw_r_de_lm)\n1.  On War (Everyman's Library (Cloth)) by Carl Von Clausewitz\n2.  Leadership: The Warrior's Art by Barry R. McCaffrey\n3.  Small Unit Leadership: A Commonsense Approach by Dandridge M. Malone\n4.  The Defense of Hill 781: An Allegory of Modern Mechanized Combat by James R. McDonough\n5.  The Art of Maneuver: Maneuver-Warfare Theory and AirLand Battle by Robert Leonhard\n6.  Strategy: Second Revised Edition (Meridian) by B. H. Liddell Hart\n7.  The Art of War by Niccolò Machiavelli\n8.  Hagakure: The Book of the Samauri by Tsunetomo Yamamoto\n9.  The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius\n10.  The Art of War (Shambhala classics) by Sun Tzu\n11.  The Prince (Bantam Classics) by Niccolo Machiavelli\n12.  Evolutionary Game Theory by Jörgen W. Weibull\n13.  On Guerrilla Warfare by Mao Tse-tung\n14.  The History of the Peloponnesian War: Revised Edition (Penguin Classics) by Thucydides\n15.  The Histories (Penguin Classics) by Herodotus\n16.  The Persian Expedition (Penguin Classics) by Xenophon\n17.  Plutarch: Lives of Noble Grecians and Romans (Modern Library Series, Vol. 1) by Plutarch\n18.  Plutarch's Lives, Volume 2 (Modern Library Classics) by Plutarch\n19.  Livy: The Early History of Rome, Books I-V (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 1-5) by Titus Livy\n20.  The History of Rome from Its Foundation, Books XXI-XXX: The War with Hannibal (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 21-30) by Titus Livius Livy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1.  On War (Everyman's Library (Cloth)) by Carl Von Clausewitz",
          "reason": "Included in a list of military strategy books answering the thread's request.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking books about military strategy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5574,
          "author": "python_kiss",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T02:11:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5574",
          "commentText": "About 14 months ago, I had little knowledge of how to execute a startup. In particular, I wasn't familiar with any online marketing tactics. The following books helped me a lot in that respective, and more:\n\n1. Positioning, 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing/Branding, Focus, Marketing Warfare\n2. Purple Cow, All Marketers are Liars, Permission Marketing (I didn't like \"The Big Moo\", \"Free prize inside\" or \"Small is the new Big\").\n3. Founters At Work\n4. Wikinomics, Wisdom of Crowds, The Tipping Point (Blink! was alright). I am looking forward to reading \"The Long Tail\" and \"The starfish and the spider\"...has anyone read them yet?\n6. Why We Buy\n7. Hackers and Painters\n8. The E-Myth revisited\n9. The Art of the Start\n10. On War, The Art of War by Machiavelli and Sun Tzu (not exactly for startups, but definitely useful)\n11. Crossing the Chasm",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "On War",
          "reason": "Described as useful, though not specifically for startups.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not exactly for startups.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carl von Clausewitz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military strategy",
        "war theory",
        "warfare",
        "strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tcp-ip-illustrated-volume-1-the-protocols-27163f",
      "title": "TCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 1: The Protocols",
      "author": "W. Richard Stevens",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27654703,
          "author": "netfortius",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T19:54:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 27650775,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27654703",
          "commentText": "I was waiting for someone to post this.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I was waiting for someone to post this.",
          "reason": "The commenter affirms the TCP/IP Illustrated recommendation in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27654040,
          "author": "OminousWeapons",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T18:40:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 27650775,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27654040",
          "commentText": "This is my favorite networking book but I think it would be overkill for OP's needs. TCP/IP illustrated walks through basically every protocol in depth starting from layer 2 and it sounds like OP really just wants to understand the basics of network administration like what you would see in a CCNA exam, and even that might be excessive for their needs.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "This is my favorite networking book but I think it would be overkill for OP's needs.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a favorite but says its depth would exceed the original poster’s needs.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking detailed coverage of network protocols.",
          "caveat": "May be overkill for someone seeking basic network administration concepts.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27653996,
          "author": "joethrow29292",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T18:35:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 27650775,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27653996",
          "commentText": "This, and any book by W. Richard Stevens. I also cut my teeth on Internetworking with TCP/IP by Comer. https://www.amazon.com/Internetworking-TCP-IP-One-6th/dp/013... (https://www.amazon.com/Internetworking-TCP-IP-One-6th/dp/013608530X)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This, and any book by W. Richard Stevens.",
          "reason": "“This” refers to the TCP/IP Illustrated book in the parent comment; the commenter also recommends Stevens’s books generally.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27653736,
          "author": "jijji",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T18:07:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 27650775,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27653736",
          "commentText": "TCP/IP Illustrated, Vol. 1: The Protocols by W. Richard Stevens [0]\n[0] https://www.amazon.com/TCP-Illustrated-Vol-Addison-Wesley-Pr... (https://www.amazon.com/TCP-Illustrated-Vol-Addison-Wesley-Professional/dp/0201633469)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "TCP/IP Illustrated, Vol. 1: The Protocols by W. Richard Stevens",
          "reason": "A direct book recommendation by title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17982608,
          "author": "contingencies",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-13T21:08:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17982608",
          "commentText": "TCP/IP Illustrated Volume 1: The Protocols. It changed my life because I realised I could better comprehend systems others had already pored over and offer new insights. By comparing the contents of this book to RFCs I was able to propose numerous new remote operating system detection strategies which I published. I then had contact from a hacker group on the other side of the world, plus web visits from a swathe of militaries globally. (This was back in the mid-late 1990s when people didn't bother obfuscating their IP.) Gave me the confidence to go do my own thing in a lot of ways, including leaving Australia for its lack of R&D opportunities outside of military/academia, and probably a significant historical factor in my current position as a founder.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "TCP/IP Illustrated Volume 1: The Protocols. It changed my life",
          "reason": "Says the book changed their life by giving them confidence to understand systems, develop new insights, and pursue their own path.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in understanding TCP/IP and network protocols.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12562316,
          "author": "contingencies",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T04:29:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12562316",
          "commentText": "I also came to recommend this: it's possibly the most interesting book I've ever read.  (Maybe save TCP/IP Illustrated Volume 1: The Protocols)\nIt cops a lot of flak from some conservative established economists though, probably because most of the book is dedicated to disassembling economic myth from the perspective of history and anthropology.\nGreat case study of a fresh pair of eyes and an example of someone from one field applying different thinking to another field and coming to some very different conclusions. Can't recommend it enough.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "(Maybe save TCP/IP Illustrated Volume 1: The Protocols)",
          "reason": "Suggests saving this book, though the intended context is unclear.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7759002,
          "author": "sytelus",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-17T02:11:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7759002",
          "commentText": "Doing Bayesian Data Analysis\nInteresting topics: MCMC, Gibbs Sampling\nF# for C# Developers\nThis book seems to leave lot out in order to simplify but good starting book nonetheless\nTCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 1: The Protocols, Second Edition\nI wanted to know what really \"connection\" means. This book has answer.\nAn Introduction to R\nI guess everyone dealing with data should know R, right?\nHere's my Amazon list with quite a few very interesting books collected over time: http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/RXLC4WK1ZOJR",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I wanted to know what really \"connection\" means. This book has answer.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it answered their question about what a connection means.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. Richard Stevens"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "network protocols",
        "tcp ip"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-martian-chronicles-a1591a",
      "title": "The Martian Chronicles",
      "author": "Ray Bradbury",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41759319,
          "author": "aireo",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-06T19:04:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41759319",
          "commentText": "Several immediately come to mind.\nShort stories: The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories (Ken Liu); Stories of Your Life and Others and Exhalation (Ted Chiang); The Martian Chronicles (Ray Bradbury)\nNovels: The Monk (Matthew Gregory Lewis); Frankenstein (Mary Shelley)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Martian Chronicles (Ray Bradbury)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17538863,
          "author": "nataz",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T04:56:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17538863",
          "commentText": "+ another 1 for Martian Chronicles. It's Hienlin at his best (poingint short stories linking into a lather narrative), without the baggage of Laz Long that ties together his more famous works (which I love, but aren't exactly light hearted).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+ another 1 for Martian Chronicles.",
          "reason": "Seconds the recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17537636,
          "author": "mud_dauber",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T23:15:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537636",
          "commentText": "+1 for the Martian Chronicles.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for the Martian Chronicles.",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17537359,
          "author": "Automatic_Jack",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T22:10:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537359",
          "commentText": "Martian Chronicles, Crystal Express+Cysmatrix, Neuromancer,Hyperion, Portico...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Martian Chronicles",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8944977,
          "author": "ilzmastr",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-26T00:50:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944977",
          "commentText": "Childhoods end - Humanity takes the next step in evolution\nAnhilliation - Fish out of water like story of exploring a mysterious, horrific, environment (2 sequels drag on for too much after this one though)\nMany Ray Bradbury stories (Martian chronicles, and the Everyman collection contain the best ones)\nInfinite Jest (Alternate American future of a culture of addiction and depravity, partly mediated by technology)\nThe Circle (haven't read, but like the author, life inside the biggest tech company of the future)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Martian chronicles",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8944625,
          "author": "Tycho",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-25T23:05:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944625",
          "commentText": "Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, Dune, Foundation series, Martian Chronicles & Illustrated Man, Ender's Game, Accelerando, Hyperion, The Forever War, Player of Games, Snow Crash",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Martian Chronicles",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ray Bradbury"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mars",
        "short stories",
        "classic science fiction",
        "linked stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-tibetan-book-of-living-and-dying-b02587",
      "title": "The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying",
      "author": "Sogyal Rinpoche",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4967140,
          "author": "sb",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T21:26:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967140",
          "commentText": "This year I either read, or started to read the following interesting books:\nMathematics: Form and Function by Saunders Mac Lane. This is one of my favorite books concerning the \"build-up\" of mathematics (it also contains nice diagrams of \"relatedness\" of subjects). On HN somebody once recommended Mathematics: Its contents, methods, and meaning (from Russian mathematicians in the 50s) which is similar but without the cross references.\nProofs and Refutations by Imre Lakatos. I have started reading this only recently and have to say that I find the approach and idea excellent. It would be great if we had something comparable for CS theory as well.\nNotes on Introductory Combinatorics by Polya, Tarjan, and Woods. Have not read this exhaustively, but the introduction with Pascal's triangle and some of Polya' legendary problem solving insights (paraphrased from my memory: \"you are on to something once you find a pattern\") are definitely highlights in this book.\nMathematical Discovery: On Understanding, Learning and Teaching Problem Solving by George Polya. Based on the previous book and my fond memories of reading \"How to Solve it\", I got this one from the library. Again I can't attest for all of the contents, but AFAICT now it's another gem from Polya.\nFrom HN advice in previous years I read The Tibetan Book on Living and Dying, which I can heartily recommend, too. It is an anti-thesis to Christian theology and I find it to contain many insightful comments and different views on leading a good, meaningful life. I disagree with some of the church-y comments on that it really is important to have a master and that only the master can do certain things, but that's probably just me being an atheist all along.\nI actually read some other books, but the list is already kind of long and might hold interesting pointers for other mathematically inclined readers, too. I for one am always fascinated on how much advice on problem solving in mathematics translates to CS.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "From HN advice in previous years I read The Tibetan Book on Living and Dying, which I can heartily recommend, too.",
          "reason": "The commenter heartily recommends it and finds it insightful about living a meaningful life.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in different perspectives on living a meaningful life.",
          "caveat": "The commenter disagrees with some claims about needing a master.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2923957,
          "author": "salemh",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-25T06:25:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 2919368,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have changed the way you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2923957",
          "commentText": "Reality Tansurfing 1: The Space of Variations\n\"Choosing\" your own reality, positive mind frames, philosophy and actionable steps for goal attainment (no \"Secret\" wish fulfillment).\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1846941229/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1846941229/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1846941229)\n\" Some of Zeeland's techniques are very simple and practical; e.g. his methods of combining rational thinking with intuition for making practical decisions.  Other \"tools\" require a high degree of control over one's thoughts and/or emotions.\n    Zeeland also advocates reducing the amount of mental self-talk in favour of listening to one's intuition, which has some similarity with the teachings of Eckhart Tolle [[2]].\"\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vadim_Zeeland\nThe Tibetan Book of Living and Dying\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062508342/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062508342/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0062508342)\nThis novel has been of great help to me and family with recent deaths. Overall life outlook, happiness, and the like.\nEnders Game\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812550706/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812550706/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0812550706)\nI have read this novel over 15 years roughly 8 times. I get more, and a different perspective (which is interesting just examining my own reaction to re-reads based on my life and age at reading / re-reading).\nPrometheus Rising\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1561840564/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1561840564/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1561840564)\n\"Hacking\" reality, your mind, alternate viewpoints of reality and \"living\" accordingly (or not :D)\nPandora's Star\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345479211/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345479211/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0345479211)\nFascinating \"space opera\" wherein humanity masters worm-hole technology (and space colonization), ever lasting life (downloading / uploading) and a lovely read with a dose of astrophysics (though, the number of plot lines and characters gets far too muddled much of the time, symptomatic of Hamilton's books). Great \"look\" at a potential future of these potential advancements.\nNeuropath\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0765361574/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0765361574/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0765361574)\nScience fiction novel set in near-future based on new advanced in neuroscience; psychopath / serial killer thriller (one night read)on the brain as a chemical machine (and free-will arguments) with brutal thriller violence. This sticks with you for a number of weeks. Sending this to my sister was reacted with \"it was really good, fascinating..why the f* did you send this to me?\"\nThe Darkness That Comes Before (The Prince of Nothing, Book 1)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1841494089/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1841494089/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=1841494089)\nFantasy, philosophy, linguistics in Magic..dark, dark and a very old world. Brilliant, the best fantasy series this decade.\nTitan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400077303/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400077303/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1400077303)\nFrom dirt (literally), to one of the richest men in history, a genius accountant, inventor, process engineer, capitalist, competitive monster (crusher), also spawning much of modern medicine research centers (while he himself was a more holistic man who distrusted \"modern medicine). An incredible biography (oft cited by other novels on various Baron's / dynastic biographies) on the idiocyncrocies and the incredible desire for wealth and power, while abhoring lavish displays of wealth. From his rise, to consolidation, to \"war\" with the Rothschilds to the ultimate breakup of Standard Oil.\n1,000 Dollars and an Idea: Entrepreneur to Billionaire: Expanded Edition\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1557048487/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1557048487/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1557048487)\nSam Wyly, on building businesses to last, 15-20 years to \"flip\" or keep. Nuggets of wisdom for all industries and verticals.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062508342/ref=as_li_ss_tl?...\nThis novel has been of great help to me and family with recent deaths.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them and their family through recent deaths.",
          "audience": "People dealing with death or bereavement.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1866603,
          "author": "KClough",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T21:28:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1866603",
          "commentText": "The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying - Sogyal Rinpoche\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Tibetan-Book-Living-Dying-Internationa... (http://www.amazon.com/Tibetan-Book-Living-Dying-International/dp/0062508342)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying - Sogyal Rinpoche",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1767191,
          "author": "PemaChotse",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-07T08:21:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 1763111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Anyone read Tibetan Book of Living and Dying?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1767191",
          "commentText": "BTW -- Sogyal did not write the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. Sogyal is barely literate and cannot read Tibetan.He left Tibet at age 2 and received a basic education in India. He was never trained as a lama. The idea for the TBOLD came from Christine Longaker. Patrick Gaffney did the research. Andrew Harvey wrote the book. Compare the style and content to other books by Harvey.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Sogyal did not write the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying.",
          "reason": "The comment disputes the book's credited authorship.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Claims Andrew Harvey wrote it; the comment does not endorse the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1764371,
          "author": "rblion",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-06T15:37:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 1763111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Anyone read Tibetan Book of Living and Dying?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1764371",
          "commentText": "The latter is the source of the material covered in the first. Dalai Lama introduces the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Dalai Lama introduces the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying",
          "reason": "Names the modern book in a factual statement about its introduction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1764355,
          "author": "GiraffeNecktie",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-06T15:34:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 1763111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Anyone read Tibetan Book of Living and Dying?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1764355",
          "commentText": "Just wanted to note that some people are confusing the recent Tibetan Book of Living and Dying http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tibetan_Book_of_Living_and_... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tibetan_Book_of_Living_and_Dying) with the ancient Tibetan Book of the Dead http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tibetan_book_of_the_dead",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the recent Tibetan Book of Living and Dying",
          "reason": "Identifies the book to distinguish it from the older text.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1763724,
          "author": "hunterjrj",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-06T13:07:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 1763111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Anyone read Tibetan Book of Living and Dying?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1763724",
          "commentText": "Thats an interesting argument. Let me apply it to a different situation: A priest coerces an altar boy into a sexual act. The priest will certainly argue that he succumbed to a primal urge, that he is only human, etc. Can you attend his Sunday mass and digest the message that he is sending strictly in context, completely ignoring what the man has done?\nI'm not trying to provoke with the above, I'm just pointing out that the argument doesn't hold water if you look at it in its strictest terms and apply it universally.\nThis is what turned me off the book and its also what turned me off the writings of Jiddhu Krishnamurti (accused of committing adultery with his best friend's wife).\nI'd be glad to continue discussing this with you outside of HN. Feel free to email me at jrhunter at hotmail dot com",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "This is what turned me off the book",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book's argument turned them off.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The title is implicit from the thread context.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1763592,
          "author": "hunterjrj",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-06T12:20:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 1763111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Anyone read Tibetan Book of Living and Dying?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1763592",
          "commentText": "Tricky question. The sections that describe the process of dying were fascinating, especially those sections that describe the grand luminosity. I found the message behind the ideas and processes he describes very positive.\nHowever, Sogyal Rinpoche's message about compassion seems a little thin to me in light of the allegation. He is accused of abusing his position to coerce followers into a sexual relationship. Doesn't seem compassionate to me.\nI'll admit that I've judged the man based solely on accusations and intimations. But the accusations are strong and are repeated. I encourage you to read the article I linked in my original response.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The sections that describe the process of dying were fascinating, especially those sections that describe the grand luminosity.",
          "reason": "Finds the descriptions of dying fascinating and the ideas' message positive.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Questions the author's compassion in light of repeated allegations, while acknowledging judgment is based on accusations and intimations.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1763556,
          "author": "hunterjrj",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-06T12:04:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 1763111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Anyone read Tibetan Book of Living and Dying?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1763556",
          "commentText": "After reading it I began to research Sogyal Rinpoche and came across the allegation that he had abused his position and assaulted a woman.\nhttp://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/ireland/article6... (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/ireland/article6638586.ece)\nDefinitely tainted the advice presented in the book: \"Do as I say, not as I do\", etc.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "After reading it I began to research Sogyal Rinpoche",
          "reason": "Says the allegations against the author tainted the advice in the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The author is alleged to have abused his position and assaulted a woman.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1763204,
          "author": "rblion",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-06T08:46:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1763111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Anyone read Tibetan Book of Living and Dying?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1763204",
          "commentText": "Me too. I avoid New Age-y books altogether. This is one gem in a pile of rhinestones. This wisdom in this book seems to be in universal in nature and applies to all atoms, cells, being, and stars.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is one gem in a pile of rhinestones. This wisdom in this book seems to be in universal in nature and applies to all atoms, cells, being, and stars.",
          "reason": "Calls the book a rare gem and praises its wisdom as universal.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter contrasts it with other New Age books they avoid.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1763190,
          "author": "jasonwatkinspdx",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-06T08:36:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1763111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Anyone read Tibetan Book of Living and Dying?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1763190",
          "commentText": "Once a long time ago. I recall some of being quite striking, but these days I'm (overly?) cynical about things that have the scent of mysticism.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Once a long time ago. I recall some of being quite striking, but these days I'm (overly?) cynical about things that have the scent of mysticism.",
          "reason": "Remembers parts as striking, while expressing current skepticism toward mystical ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is now cynical about material with a mystical quality.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1763124,
          "author": "codedivine",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-06T07:53:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 1763111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Anyone read Tibetan Book of Living and Dying?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1763124",
          "commentText": "Yes I did. Fantastic book.\nedit: Has been some time though.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Yes I did. Fantastic book.",
          "reason": "Calls the book fantastic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It has been some time since the commenter read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sogyal Rinpoche"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "death and dying",
        "tibetan buddhism",
        "meaning of life"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dive-into-python-72bb06",
      "title": "Dive Into Python",
      "author": "Mark Pilgrim",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8000635,
          "author": "jacinda",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T18:59:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8000635",
          "commentText": "Dive Into Python - http://www.diveintopython.net/\nSome of the examples are a bit dated now, and this type of immersive learning at intermediate/advanced levels is increasingly common (e.g. the Head First series, Codecademy, etc) but when this book came out it was rare to have this learning method presented for anything other than the most beginning levels of a language.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Dive Into Python - http://www.diveintopython.net/\nSome of the examples are a bit dated now, and this type of immersive learning at intermediate/advanced levels is increasingly common",
          "reason": "Describes its immersive learning approach as unusual when the book appeared.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some examples are dated; this approach is now increasingly common at intermediate and advanced levels.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3337050,
          "author": "bmajz",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T05:41:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3337050",
          "commentText": "Dive Into Python (http://www.diveintopython.net/)\nThe Facebook Effect (http://www.amazon.com/Facebook-Effect-Inside-Company-Connect... (http://www.amazon.com/Facebook-Effect-Inside-Company-Connecting/dp/B005DI7YAS))\nThe Name of the Wind (http://www.amazon.com/Name-Wind-Kingkiller-Chronicles-Day/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/Name-Wind-Kingkiller-Chronicles-Day/dp/075640407X))",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Dive Into Python",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 122193,
          "author": "manvsmachine",
          "createdAt": "2008-02-23T20:50:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 121779,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What is the best Python book for a beginner?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=122193",
          "commentText": "When I started, I read \"How to Think Like A Computer Scientist: Learning With Python\" Since then the revised edition has had a draft out, \" How to Think Like a (Python) Programmer\".  This series is really good at getting the basics down clearly and quickly (I read through it in under a week).  After that, Dive into Python fleshed things out more for me.\nhttp://www.greenteapress.com/thinkpython/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "After that, Dive into Python fleshed things out more for me.",
          "reason": "Says it built on the basics after the first book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 121974,
          "author": "mtts",
          "createdAt": "2008-02-23T10:55:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 121779,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What is the best Python book for a beginner?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=121974",
          "commentText": "If you're posting here, presumably you know how to program already. In that case working through the free \"Dive into Python\" PDF really is the first step you should take. After the first seven chapters you should then be able to make do with the online docs (the remaining chapters cover specialized material like HTML parsing, SOAP calls and test based development which are, in my opinion, not the first thing you should be worried about when learning a new language).\n\"Learning Python\" and especially \"How to think like a computer scientist\" are targeted towards people with very little programming experience. If that's you, my vote goes to \"How to think like a computer scientist\" (ymmv).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "working through the free \"Dive into Python\" PDF really is the first step you should take",
          "reason": "Calls it the first step for readers who already know how to program.",
          "audience": "People who already know how to program.",
          "caveat": "Recommends using the online docs after the first seven chapters.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 121881,
          "author": "fireandfury",
          "createdAt": "2008-02-23T06:16:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 121779,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What is the best Python book for a beginner?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=121881",
          "commentText": "I read about half of Dive Into Python, and it was pretty advanced stuff. It's good if you know another programming language very well. The book starts out slow, but the difficulty curve accelerates very fast. I wouldn't read it cover to cover. It would be a good reference to have though.\nI'd suggest skimming the table of contents of both books first.\nThen again, Dive Into Python is free, so you might as well start with that, and if it's too advanced, switch to Learning Python (I read the first 100 pages of it last summer, and I thought it was good, I'm a fan of O'Reilly).\nIf you really want a beginner book, Learning Python is a great choice. It was just updated too. Good luck.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I read about half of Dive Into Python, and it was pretty advanced stuff.",
          "reason": "Says it is advanced and suitable as a reference; recommends it as a starting point if it is not too advanced.",
          "audience": "Readers who already know another programming language well.",
          "caveat": "Difficulty accelerates quickly; commenter suggests switching to Learning Python if it proves too advanced.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 121863,
          "author": "matstc",
          "createdAt": "2008-02-23T05:27:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 121779,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What is the best Python book for a beginner?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=121863",
          "commentText": "I went through \"dive into python\", \"learning python\", and the python cookbook by oreilly, in that order. If I had to do it again, I would skip dive into python which I found a bit easy. Cookbooks are usually dry and this one is too, but it does beef up your skills.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I went through \"dive into python\", \"learning python\", and the python cookbook by oreilly, in that order.",
          "reason": "Says they would skip it if starting over because they found it a bit easy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Found it a bit easy.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 121855,
          "author": "prakash",
          "createdAt": "2008-02-23T04:52:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 121779,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What is the best Python book for a beginner?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=121855",
          "commentText": "here's the web link to the book: http://www.diveintopython.org",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "here's the web link to the book: http://www.diveintopython.org",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 121833,
          "author": "maheshcr",
          "createdAt": "2008-02-23T04:28:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 121779,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What is the best Python book for a beginner?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=121833",
          "commentText": "Dive into Python by far, for me at least!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Dive into Python by far, for me at least!",
          "reason": "Chooses it as the strongest recommendation, with a personal qualifier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Personal preference.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 121827,
          "author": "ivankirigin",
          "createdAt": "2008-02-23T04:01:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 121779,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What is the best Python book for a beginner?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=121827",
          "commentText": "Dive into Python is great.\nI started learning Python from a Mark Lutz seminar actually. He is a great teacher.\nYou'll find a limit to your knowledge of python if you just start hacking. Knowing C and how python is built help build an intuition for how things really work. I find it invaluable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dive into Python is great.",
          "reason": "Describes it as great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 121793,
          "author": "inklesspen",
          "createdAt": "2008-02-23T03:02:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 121779,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What is the best Python book for a beginner?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=121793",
          "commentText": "Why not read Dive into Python -- it's excellent -- and then learn about the new stuff in 2.5 later. The new stuff gives minor efficiency improvements, but Dive into Python is plenty good.\nhttp://docs.python.org/whatsnew/whatsnew25.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Why not read Dive into Python -- it's excellent -- and then learn about the new stuff in 2.5 later.",
          "reason": "Calls it excellent and says it is plenty good for learning Python.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Learn Python 2.5 updates afterward; its coverage is considered adequate despite those updates.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Pilgrim"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "python",
        "programming",
        "python programming",
        "immersive learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-doing-science-and-engineering-learning-to-learn-3230b6",
      "title": "The Art of Doing Science and Engineering: Learning to Learn",
      "author": "Richard Hamming",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48983880,
          "author": "SoleilAbsolu",
          "createdAt": "2026-07-20T19:41:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 48981842,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favourite science history book of the 20th century?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48983880",
          "commentText": "Richard Hamming's \"The Art of Doing Science and Engineering: Learning to Learn\" is an insider's (Manhattan Project, Bell Labs) view of how computer science as we know it developed.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Richard Hamming's \"The Art of Doing Science and Engineering: Learning to Learn\" is an insider's (Manhattan Project, Bell Labs) view of how computer science as we know it developed.",
          "reason": "Described as an insider's view of how computer science developed.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the development of computer science and research culture.",
          "caveat": "The comment frames it as an insider's view.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39064443,
          "author": "demondemidi",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-20T03:40:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39064443",
          "commentText": "I read this and I was really surprised by how dismissive he was of his peers! Like it was almost catty. Great book tho.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Great book tho.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the book great while noting its author was dismissive of his peers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The author seemed dismissive and almost catty toward his peers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39061854,
          "author": "tracerbulletx",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T22:00:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39061854",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed The Art of Doing Science and Engineering: Learning to Learn by Richard Hamming a lot.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Art-Doing-Science-Engineering-Learnin... (https://www.amazon.com/Art-Doing-Science-Engineering-Learning/dp/1732265178)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed The Art of Doing Science and Engineering: Learning to Learn by Richard Hamming a lot.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39059054,
          "author": "kesavvaranasi",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T18:20:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39059054",
          "commentText": "For software engineering, I recommend A Philosophy of Software Design. It has principles that I think translate well to other engineering fields.\nFor engineering in general:\nTo Engineer is Human - Henry Petroski\nThe Art of Doing Science and Engineering - Richard Hamming\nStructures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down - J.E. Gordon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Doing Science and Engineering - Richard Hamming",
          "reason": "Listed as a book about engineering in general.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in engineering broadly.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39057897,
          "author": "hyggetrold",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T17:09:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39057897",
          "commentText": "I read it last year and it is fantastic - super absolutely ultra highly recommend that everybody read it. Run, don't walk, towards this book!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "super absolutely ultra highly recommend that everybody read it.",
          "reason": "The commenter strongly recommends the book being discussed in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "Everybody, according to the commenter.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39057508,
          "author": "javiramos",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T16:44:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39057508",
          "commentText": "The Art of Doing Science and Engineering",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Doing Science and Engineering",
          "reason": "Offered as a book suggestion in response to a request for books on engineering philosophy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Hamming"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "engineering practice",
        "scientific thinking",
        "engineering",
        "computer science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-challenger-sale-2bd82f",
      "title": "The Challenger Sale",
      "author": "Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41753641,
          "author": "derekperkins",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-05T23:31:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 41693844,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good essays/books/advice about software sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41753641",
          "commentText": "Came here to recommend the Challenger Sale",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Came here to recommend the Challenger Sale",
          "reason": "Recommends the book in response to a question about software sales.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41732659,
          "author": "noashavit",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-03T17:10:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 41693844,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good essays/books/advice about software sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41732659",
          "commentText": "Crossing the chasm, repeatable revenue the challenger sale, start with why",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the challenger sale",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41702775,
          "author": "DrStartup",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-30T22:25:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 41693844,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good essays/books/advice about software sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41702775",
          "commentText": "Challenger sale",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Challenger sale",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10235270,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T18:41:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10235270",
          "commentText": "I can't say that I've actually applied a lot of what's in The Challenger Sale yet, but I really liked the book, and it just feels right on some intuitive level.  I'm intrigued enough that it's something I'm making a pointed effort to integrate into my approach.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I really liked the book, and it just feels right on some intuitive level.",
          "reason": "The commenter liked the book and is making a pointed effort to integrate its approach.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They have not yet applied much of its advice.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10235246,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T18:37:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10235246",
          "commentText": "I'm a fan of The Challenger Sale, The New Solution Selling and all three books by Jeff Thull:  Mastering The Complex Sale, Exceptional Selling and The Prime Solution.   I really like Thull's approach, especially his \"always be leaving\" mindset, as opposed to the old \"always be closing\" idea.  Thull's thinking is much more focused on providing an authentic and honest experience, and genuinely trying to help the customer - as opposed to stuff about how to \"trick\" the customer into saying yes.\nI also like a lot of what I've read from Jeffrey Gittomer and Grant Cardone.\nOh, and The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes as well.  He (Chet H.) did a series of videos with Anthony Robbins that is really good.  I really recommend watching those.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm a fan of The Challenger Sale",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are a fan of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10234487,
          "author": "rdl",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T16:47:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10234487",
          "commentText": "SPIN is still great.  I've heard about Challenger Sales, I'll read it and should have an opinion in a few weeks.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I've heard about Challenger Sales, I'll read it and should have an opinion in a few weeks.",
          "reason": "The comment only says the commenter plans to read it and has not yet formed an opinion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it and expects to form an opinion later.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10234075,
          "author": "dave_sullivan",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T15:57:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10234075",
          "commentText": "There are 3 books you should read: SPIN Selling. The Challenger Sale. The Charisma Myth. In that order. You will learn so many jedi mind tricks.\nYes, there is such a thing as sales. But do yourself a favor and don't sell shitty products. There's a wide range of incomes among people selling the best products, and the difference is stuff you can at least read about in those books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Challenger Sale.",
          "reason": "Listed among three books the commenter says the reader should read.",
          "audience": "People seeking to learn sales.",
          "caveat": "The commenter warns against selling poor products.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10233939,
          "author": "curiousjorge",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T15:39:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10233939",
          "commentText": "I've read SPIN selling and now reading Challenger Sales.\nSPIN is much easier to read, know and understand while I found Challenger Sales a lot difficult to follow and put into practice.\nChallenger Sale's major premise is the assumption that SPIN selling doesn't work anymore for some reason because of the 2008 recession. I'm not sure how true this assumption is but I'll leave this up for the real sales people.\nI'm interested in hacking enterprise sales. ANother HN user's blog on the subject here is excellent as well: http://doanhdo.blogspot.ca/",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I found Challenger Sales a lot difficult to follow and put into practice.\nChallenger Sale's major premise is the assumption that SPIN selling doesn't work anymore for some reason because of the 2008 recession. I'm not sure how true this assumption is",
          "reason": "Finds it difficult to follow and apply, and expresses uncertainty about its premise.",
          "audience": "Readers learning sales techniques.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are unsure how true its premise is.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10233668,
          "author": "JSeymourATL",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T14:53:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10233668",
          "commentText": "There have been several worthy recommendations in this string. Keep in mind, the more you read-- the more data you compile and master the subject.  Here are a couple not already mentioned--\nThe best book I've read in ages on prospecting and business development, New Sales, Simplified by Mike Weinberg.   If you read nothing else, Chapter 14: Planning & Executing the Attack is pure protein! http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15863998-new-sales-simpli... (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15863998-new-sales-simplified)\nHere's a video presentation by Matt Dixon on The Challenger Sale. It's a bit long, just over an hour.  But give it 15 minutes-- you'll see it's solid material. Good insights on how marketing supports & equips sales. Read the book!\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSfE8zZUoMc",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Here's a video presentation by Matt Dixon on The Challenger Sale. It's a bit long, just over an hour. But give it 15 minutes-- you'll see it's solid material. Good insights on how marketing supports & equips sales. Read the book!",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the material solid, says it offers good insights, and recommends reading the book.",
          "audience": "People interested in sales and marketing support.",
          "caveat": "The video is a bit long, just over an hour.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthew Dixon",
        "Brent Adamson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sales",
        "b2b sales",
        "sales methodology",
        "sales strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "trading-and-exchanges-market-microstructure-for-practitioners-c08259",
      "title": "Trading and Exchanges: Market Microstructure for Practitioners",
      "author": "Larry Harris",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22573930,
          "author": "talolard",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T08:20:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22573930",
          "commentText": "I liked Trading and Exchanges by Larry Harris",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I liked Trading and Exchanges by Larry Harris",
          "reason": "The commenter expresses a positive view of the book in a thread asking for recommendations about financial systems.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in trading and financial markets.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3184995,
          "author": "rfurlan",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-02T01:39:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 3177815,
          "threadTitle": "Good books for hackers interested in quant finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3184995",
          "commentText": "Books I would recommend for beginners:\nEvidence Based Technical Analysis:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Evidence-Based-Technical-Analysis-Scie... (http://www.amazon.com/Evidence-Based-Technical-Analysis-Scientific-Statistical/dp/0470008741)\nPairs Trading:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Pairs-Trading-Quantitative-Methods-Ana... (http://www.amazon.com/Pairs-Trading-Quantitative-Methods-Analysis/dp/0471460672)\nQuantitative Trading:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Quantitative-Trading-Build-Algorithmic... (http://www.amazon.com/Quantitative-Trading-Build-Algorithmic-Business/dp/0470284889)\nAn Introduction to High Frequency Finance:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Introduction-High-Frequency-Finance-Ra... (http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-High-Frequency-Finance-Ramazan-Dacorogna/dp/0122796713)\nTrading and Exchanges: Market Microstructure for Practitioners:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Trading-Exchanges-Market-Microstructur... (http://www.amazon.com/Trading-Exchanges-Market-Microstructure-Practitioners/dp/0195144708)\nI also wrote a couple of very introductory articles, sadly I never got past part #2:\nhttp://www.bitcortex.com/2008/12/28/pragmatic-automated-trad... (http://www.bitcortex.com/2008/12/28/pragmatic-automated-trading-part-1/)\nhttp://www.bitcortex.com/2009/01/04/pragmatic-automated-trad... (http://www.bitcortex.com/2009/01/04/pragmatic-automated-trading-part-2/)\nI am could mentor 1-2 HN readers that are serious about getting into quant trading. Just let me know you are interested :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Trading and Exchanges: Market Microstructure for Practitioners:",
          "reason": "Listed among books recommended for beginners.",
          "audience": "Beginners in quant trading.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3178323,
          "author": "steve8918",
          "createdAt": "2011-10-31T17:58:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 3177815,
          "threadTitle": "Good books for hackers interested in quant finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3178323",
          "commentText": "It really depends on which angle you're coming from, when you mean \"hacker\".\nQuantitative finance is all math, so in order to really understand it, you need a solid background in probability and statistics.  Even the most basic concepts make heavy use of probability, so without strong fundamentals you won't get very far.\nThere are other concepts, such as risk-free returns, etc that also play a big part in quant finance.  A book that I really enjoyed that gave a good background in a lot of these concepts was \"Trading Strategies for Capital Markets\".\nOne of the basic concepts of quantitative finance revolves around the Black-Scholes equation, which calculates a price for an option.  I would suggest first looking this up as well as how it was derived, to see if you want to pursue this further.  If you're having a hard time with this, then quant finance may not be what you're looking for.\nA video tutorial website that seems decent for quant finance is Nathan's Lessons:\nhttp://nathanslessons.com/?paged=3\n-------------------\nIf what you REALLY mean is you want to program trading algorithms, that's a bit of a different beast.  For that you really need to understand how algorithmic trading works, how the market microstructure works, how to place trades, etc.  For this there are a bunch of books but the best introductory book is definitely \"Trading and Exchanges: Market Microstructure for Practitioners\".  It's a bit old, but still largely relevant and gives you a lot of the history.  I really wish they would update this book, because I would buy it again.  Another decent book is \"Algorithmic Trading and DMA\".",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the best introductory book is definitely",
          "reason": "Called the best introductory book for understanding algorithmic trading, market microstructure, and placing trades.",
          "audience": "Readers who want to program trading algorithms.",
          "caveat": "A bit old, but still largely relevant.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3178313,
          "author": "veyron",
          "createdAt": "2011-10-31T17:55:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 3177815,
          "threadTitle": "Good books for hackers interested in quant finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3178313",
          "commentText": "You need to be a little more specific regarding your interests and background.  If you are interested in theory, there are plenty of books discussing specific models.  However, most practical or buzzword (e.g. HFT) books are rubbish (think about it: if you have a profitable operation, why would you write a book?  Unless, like me, you have a screw loose :P )\nIf you want some practical discussions, \"Trading and Exchanges\" by Larry Harris is a bit dated, but nothing comes close.  Most of the descriptions are still valid today (even if some of the mechanics have changed)\nIf you want something more along the lines of what a financial engineer would know:\n- \"Options, Futures, and other Derivatives\" by John Hull (goes over basic models without delving too deeply into theoretical math aspects)\n- \"Stochastic Calculus for Finance II\" by Steve Shreve (goes over the basic stuff but has enough stats to keep a grad student happy)\n- \"Monte Carlo Methods in Financial Engineering\" by Paul Glasserman (much more practical, and goes over subtleties of monte carlo simulation and other stuff like low discrepancy sampling)\n- \"Modelling Fixed Income Securities and Interest Rate Options\" by Robert Jarrow (walks through how to perform certain simulations, covers lots of little details most theoretical books skip)\nIf you want something more theoretical:\n- \"Introduction to Stochastic Calculus Applied to Finance\" by Lamberton and Lapeyre (Nice little intro)\n- \"Arbitrage Theory in Continuous Time\" by Tomas Bjork (Slower discussion, larger breadth)\n- \"Brownian Motion and Stochastic Calculus\" and \"Methods of Mathematical Finance\" by Karatzas and Shreve (Solid theoretical foundation, for the more mathematically inclined)\nThere was a good non-measure theoretic discussion of financial models but the name escapes me ATM.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "nothing comes close",
          "reason": "Recommended for practical discussions of trading and exchanges; described as dated, though most descriptions remain valid.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking practical discussions of markets.",
          "caveat": "A bit dated; some mechanics have changed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3178185,
          "author": "kevinpet",
          "createdAt": "2011-10-31T17:24:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 3177815,
          "threadTitle": "Good books for hackers interested in quant finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3178185",
          "commentText": "Trading and Exchanges was my detailed introduction to what really happens in the markets. I wish I could find a similarly detailed and coherent book on corporate actions.\nIt's a few years out of date, but not painfully so. Madoff was still a huge market maker, not a scandal, and it makes no mention liquidity rebates.\nEdit: I should add that I had no trading background before reading the book, I was just an engineer at a finance startup who still thought \"order\" and \"trade\" were synonyms.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Trading and Exchanges was my detailed introduction to what really happens in the markets.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as a detailed introduction to market operations.",
          "audience": "Readers with no trading background, including engineers entering finance.",
          "caveat": "A few years out of date; the commenter says it omits liquidity rebates and predates Madoff's scandal.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3178051,
          "author": "JabavuAdams",
          "createdAt": "2011-10-31T16:51:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 3177815,
          "threadTitle": "Good books for hackers interested in quant finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3178051",
          "commentText": "Trading and Exchanges: Market Microstructure for Practitioners.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Trading-Exchanges-Market-Microstructur... (http://www.amazon.com/Trading-Exchanges-Market-Microstructure-Practitioners/dp/0195144708/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320079747&sr=8-1)\nI'm finding this a more interesting and detailed read than _Capital Markets for Quantitative Professionals_. For instance, the book traces through everything that happens when placing, executing, and settling typical trades.\nOn the other hand, I've taken the Canadian Securities Course, so perhaps Capital Markets is a better introduction for total beginners.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm finding this a more interesting and detailed read",
          "reason": "The commenter finds it more interesting and detailed than Capital Markets for Quantitative Professionals.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has taken the Canadian Securities Course and says Capital Markets may suit total beginners better.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Larry Harris"
      ],
      "recommenders": 6,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "market microstructure",
        "trading",
        "quantitative finance",
        "algorithmic trading"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "last-and-first-men-2ba41e",
      "title": "Last and First Men",
      "author": "Olaf Stapledon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42269293,
          "author": "mat41",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T23:13:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42269293",
          "commentText": "Olaf Stapledon, Last and First Men (1930)\nOlaf Stapledon, Star Maker (1937)\nRather difficult reads for me as a non-native english speaker, but it was worth it. It is hard to imagine a more epic science fiction scenario than \"Star Maker\".",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Olaf Stapledon, Last and First Men (1930)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter found the books rather difficult as a non-native English speaker.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23858962,
          "author": "walterbell",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:51:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858962",
          "commentText": "Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon, 1930 (free online text), https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_and_First_Men\n> A work of unprecedented scale in the genre, it describes the history of humanity from the present onwards across two billion years and eighteen distinct human species, of which our own is the first.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Last and First Men by Olaf Stapledon, 1930",
          "reason": "Described as a sweeping account of humanity's future across billions of years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567489,
          "author": "stevekemp",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T16:21:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567489",
          "commentText": "For a moment I thought you were going to say \"The First and Last Men\" - but then I realized I'd mis-remembered the title:\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_and_First_Men\nThis is an excellent sci-fi exploration of possible future, especially given the year in which it was written.  I've not re-read it since I've only finished it a few months ago, but it was an excellent read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is an excellent sci-fi exploration of possible future, especially given the year in which it was written. I've not re-read it since I've only finished it a few months ago, but it was an excellent read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an excellent science fiction exploration and an excellent read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not reread it because they finished it only a few months ago.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10325373,
          "author": "walterbell",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T21:05:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325373",
          "commentText": "Thanks, that was a thought-provoking essay on its own merits.  The book itself is worth reading for the relentless pace of socio-techno-cultural change, best experienced as a dramatic deluge rather than exceprts.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book itself is worth reading for the relentless pace of socio-techno-cultural change, best experienced as a dramatic deluge rather than exceprts.",
          "reason": "Says the book is worth reading for its portrayal of rapid socio-technological and cultural change.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Recommends experiencing the dramatic progression as a whole rather than through excerpts.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10324794,
          "author": "walterbell",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T18:12:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10324794",
          "commentText": "Nine Hundred Grandmothers, by R.A. Lafferty (out of print except for \"The Books of Sand\")\nLast and First Men, by Olaf Stapledon, free at http://www.feedbooks.com/book/2028/last-and-first-men\nAccelerando, by Charles Stross, free at http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelera... (http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelerando/accelerando.html)\nThe Doubter's Companion, by John Ralston Saul, http://www.amazon.com/The-Doubters-Companion-Dictionary-Aggr... (http://www.amazon.com/The-Doubters-Companion-Dictionary-Aggressive/dp/0743236602)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Last and First Men, by Olaf Stapledon",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes a free online edition.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10210050,
          "author": "walterbell",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-13T01:44:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10210050",
          "commentText": "Same for 1930's Last and First Men, by Olaf Stapledon, which spans 2 billion years and eighteen species of variously augmented humans, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_and_First_Men",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Same for 1930's Last and First Men, by Olaf Stapledon, which spans 2 billion years and eighteen species of variously augmented humans",
          "reason": "Offers it as another book to read and describes its vast time span and human species.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9087488,
          "author": "mif",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-21T23:34:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9087488",
          "commentText": "Last and First Men is incredible and one of my favourites. Also because of it's unprecedented time scale.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Last and First Men is incredible and one of my favourites.",
          "reason": "Calls it incredible and one of the commenter's favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140842,
          "author": "kryptos",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T15:19:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140842",
          "commentText": "Stanislaw lem.. i agree... Solaris was special.. and most purists seemed to suggest the translation from Polish was bad!... Olaf stapledon's last and first men, starMaker were both stunning... \nUrsula le guin also come to mind",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Olaf stapledon's last and first men, starMaker were both stunning",
          "reason": "Calls it stunning.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Olaf Stapledon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "future history",
        "evolution",
        "evolutionary fiction",
        "evolutionary history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "writing-solid-code-3099f9",
      "title": "Writing Solid Code",
      "author": "Steve Maguire",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35711146,
          "author": "ChrisMarshallNY",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-26T09:08:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 35710671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell still a recommended read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35711146",
          "commentText": "Heck, I still use stuff I picked up from Writing Solid Code.\nThat book hasn’t aged as well, but it had some parts that are still quite relevant, today.\nI always thought that Rapid Development was better than Code Complete.\nI’ve probably read all of McConnell’s stuff (and I’ve taken a lot of Construx courses). At one time, I was quite the fanboi.\nA lot of folks around here don’t seem to like him, which I find odd.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I still use stuff I picked up from Writing Solid Code.",
          "reason": "Says they still use lessons from the book, while noting it has aged less well.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it hasn’t aged as well, though some parts remain relevant.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33856014,
          "author": "ChrisMarshallNY",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T18:05:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33856014",
          "commentText": "> Code Complete by Steve McConnell\n+1. Also, Rapid Development, by McConnell[0]. I would say that it's even better than Code Complete.\nIt would be considered \"quaint,\" these days, but Writing Solid Code[1], by Steve Maguire, was a seminal book in my education. I still use many of the techniques he mentioned.\nAnd I cannot say enough about The Design of Everyday Things, by Don Norman[2]. That book changed my life. I would consider it required reading, for anyone that develops anything that will be used by other humans.\n[0] https://www.microsoftpressstore.com/store/rapid-development-... (https://www.microsoftpressstore.com/store/rapid-development-9780735691490)\n[1] https://writingsolidcode.com\n[2] https://jnd.org/the-design-of-everyday-things-revised-and-ex... (https://jnd.org/the-design-of-everyday-things-revised-and-expanded-edition/)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Writing Solid Code[1], by Steve Maguire, was a seminal book in my education. I still use many of the techniques he mentioned.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was formative and that they still use techniques from it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it may be considered quaint today.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33135249,
          "author": "ljosifov",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T19:29:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33135249",
          "commentText": "Mentioned by most, still another vote for K&R \"The C Programming Language\" - for the sheer joy of it! It still puts a smile on my face recalling how much fun it made learning C. :-) Don't think I've read as measured and not-boring for another language since. Close to as much fun to read was maybe Steve Maguire's \"Writing Solid Code\". Not strictly about learning C, but the examples are all in C. (some people dislike it's K&R not ANSI C)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Close to as much fun to read was maybe Steve Maguire's \"Writing Solid Code\".",
          "reason": "Compares its reading enjoyment with K&R and notes its C examples.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not strictly about learning C; some people dislike its K&R rather than ANSI C.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26841088,
          "author": "cotsog",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-17T02:16:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 26833319,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book for software engineers (besides the well-known ones)?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26841088",
          "commentText": "Writing Solid Code by Steve Maguire\nReally well written and an easy read. Examples in C but applicable to any language. At some point I was reading it once a year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Writing Solid Code by Steve Maguire\nReally well written and an easy read.",
          "reason": "Recommended as well written and easy to read; the commenter used to reread it yearly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Examples are in C, though the commenter says they apply to any language.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23367112,
          "author": "cotsog",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-31T04:10:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23367112",
          "commentText": "Writing Solid Code by Steve Maguire - 245 pages but really well written and an enjoyable read. Examples in C but principles are applicable with any language.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Writing Solid Code by Steve Maguire - 245 pages but really well written and an enjoyable read.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a well-written, enjoyable book on programming; its C examples have language-independent principles.",
          "audience": "Software developers; examples use C, but principles apply to any language.",
          "caveat": "245 pages, so it exceeds the 200-page limit.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16358031,
          "author": "xstartup",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-12T11:40:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16358031",
          "commentText": "McConnell, Steve. Code Complete. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Press, 1993.\nMcConnell, Steve. Software Project Survival Guide. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Press, 1998.\nMaguire, Steve. Writing Solid Code. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Press, 1993.\nRanade and Nash. The Elements of C Programming Style. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1992.\nKernighan and Plauger. The Elements of Programming Style. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1982.\nCaner, Cem, et al. Testing Computer Software, Second Edition. New York: Wiley Computer Publishing, 1999.\nHunt, Andrew, et al. The Pragmatic Programmer. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 2000.\nHolub, Allen. Enough Rope to Shoot Yourself in the Foot: Rules for C and C++ Programming. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1995.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Maguire, Steve. Writing Solid Code.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the question about books colleagues should have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135348,
          "author": "slackerIII",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T18:15:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135348",
          "commentText": "Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War  (for thoughts on competition)\nManaging Gigabytes (if you are doing anything related to search)\nWriting Solid Code (especially if you are using C/C++)\nMost of the research papers that come out of OSDI/SOSP:  Dynamo, BigTable, Sawzall, GFS, Chubby, etc",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Writing Solid Code (especially if you are using C/C++)",
          "reason": "Recommended, especially for people using C or C++.",
          "audience": "C and C++ programmers.",
          "caveat": "Especially relevant if using C/C++.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve Maguire"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 7,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software quality",
        "c programming",
        "c",
        "software development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "autobiography-of-a-yogi-246f32",
      "title": "Autobiography of a Yogi",
      "author": "Paramahansa Yogananda",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49908270,
          "author": "rvshchwl",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T12:56:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49908270",
          "commentText": "The book opened my mind on the inter-connected nature of various religions and the overall benefits of Meditation and Yoga. The stories are fascinating and interesting, and I read some amazing quotes from the book that I'll end up quoting more often.\nThe Meditation and Yoga techniques are still theoretical to me though and likely require some amount of practice to believe further in their benefits, or realize their value.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book opened my mind on the inter-connected nature of various religions and the overall benefits of Meditation and Yoga. The stories are fascinating and interesting, and I read some amazing quotes from the book that I'll end up quoting more often.",
          "reason": "The commenter found its stories and quotes interesting and says it broadened their perspective on religions, meditation, and yoga.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not yet tried the meditation and yoga techniques in practice.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31970298,
          "author": "dedalus",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T19:30:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31970298",
          "commentText": "\"Autobiography of a Yogi\" by Paramahamsa Yogananda as its a book thats on one level about a chockful of miracles in India and weird bugs about reality (like what you see if not what you get) but on a deeper level about reality in the way that steve jobs felt compelled to hand it as his parting gift at his funeral",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Autobiography of a Yogi\" by Paramahamsa Yogananda",
          "reason": "Describes it as presenting miracles and ideas about reality, and notes Steve Jobs gave it as a parting gift.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24587857,
          "author": "zenincognito",
          "createdAt": "2020-09-25T08:40:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 24582669,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24587857",
          "commentText": "Autobiography of a yogi is a surprisingly good read. Also a fave of steve jobs..",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Autobiography of a yogi is a surprisingly good read.",
          "reason": "Recommends the book as a surprisingly good read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12249641,
          "author": "umbs",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T18:00:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12249641",
          "commentText": "\"Autobiography of a Yogi\" [1] - If you grew up with people doing Yoga and Meditation, or at least were exposed to these topics for some time, this book is a great window in that world. It is from a person who brought Meditation and concept of Self-Reliazation to the West [2].\nAt the risk of being ridiculed, I'll venture to say this: There's a big part of us that we don't fully know. All of us are trying to different things to find happiness. Above book proposes that Meditation has answers to most of the questions and talks about various Yogi's. This triggered a deep desire for me to know more. I learnt Meditation from a different organization and am very happy at where I am. This book started that journey.\nWarning: There will be a bit of mysticism in all this. Take what your gut says and leave the rest.\n[1] https://www.ananda.org/autobiography/\n[2] https://www.yogananda-srf.org/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Autobiography of a Yogi\" [1] - If you grew up with people doing Yoga and Meditation, or at least were exposed to these topics for some time, this book is a great window in that world.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it sparked their interest in meditation and recommends it as a window into yoga and meditation.",
          "audience": "Readers familiar with yoga or meditation, or exposed to those topics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter warns that it contains mysticism and suggests readers take what resonates.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785719,
          "author": "martythemaniak",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T21:18:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785719",
          "commentText": "Leave it to Psmith - 10/10\nAnna Karenina - 8/10\nThe Code of the Woosters 8/10\nFooled by Randomness 7/10\nFinding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life 8/10\nHow to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia 9/10\nReluctant Fundamentalist 9/10\nThe Sense of an Ending - Julian Barnes 8/10\nThe Last Question - Asimov - 9/10\nThe Magic of Thinking Big - 6/10\nThe catcher in the Rye 8/10\nModels 7/10\nHigh Fidelity - Nick Hornby 8/10\nThe Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman 7/10\nThe Surrender Experiment - 10/10\nUntethered Soul - 9/10\nThe Autobiography of a Yogi - 7/10\nRaja Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 7/10\nSomething Fresh, something new - 7/10\nKarma Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 8/10\nThinking, Fast and Slow - 9/10\nFierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates 10/10\nThe Pearl by John Steinbeck 7/10",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Autobiography of a Yogi - 7/10",
          "reason": "Rates the book 7/10.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674190,
          "author": "umbs",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T11:22:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674190",
          "commentText": "Autobiography of a Yogi by Sri Paramahamsa Yogananda",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Autobiography of a Yogi by Sri Paramahamsa Yogananda",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9347742,
          "author": "vayarajesh",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T14:27:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9347742",
          "commentText": "I am reading \"Autobiography of a Yogi\" (after reading the steve jobs book, I got to know about this book. It was the only book in Steve jobs iPad)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I am reading \"Autobiography of a Yogi\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7975093,
          "author": "hooda",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-02T03:52:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7975093",
          "commentText": "I am reading 'Autobiography of a Yogi'. While reading Steve Jobs biography I got to know that he had read this book many times.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Autobiography-Complete-Edition-Paramah... (http://www.amazon.com/Autobiography-Complete-Edition-Paramahansa-Yogananda/dp/0876120796)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I am reading 'Autobiography of a Yogi'. While reading Steve Jobs biography I got to know that he had read this book many times.",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a book Steve Jobs had read many times; the commenter gives no personal evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter only says they are reading it and mentions Steve Jobs rereading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paramahansa Yogananda"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Philosophy",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "yoga",
        "spiritual autobiography",
        "meditation",
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "crucial-conversations-42e4f5",
      "title": "Crucial Conversations",
      "author": "Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17046886,
          "author": "andersthue",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T12:46:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17046886",
          "commentText": "The most important book I have read currently is “The Anatomy of Peace” by the arbinger institute. This book teaches me how to stay out of interpersonal conflicts and become a person pthers want to be together with.\n“Crucial Conversations” is another really important book that teaches how to safely deal with very hard conversations.\nFor my own personal development/relationship with women I must say that “No more mister nice guy” and “the way of the superior man” has both helped me.\nLastly the letting go e-book by Leo Babauta from zenhabits also is really good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Crucial Conversations” is another really important book that teaches how to safely deal with very hard conversations.",
          "reason": "Recommended for handling difficult conversations safely.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16352005,
          "author": "andersthue",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T09:50:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16352005",
          "commentText": "Leaders and Self Deception\nCrucial Conversation\nThese two books will teach you and your colleagues how to communicate and maintain an open and centered dialouge while removing bad intentions and bad mindsets from your being.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crucial Conversation",
          "reason": "Listed as a book that will help colleagues communicate and maintain open dialogue.",
          "audience": "Colleagues seeking better communication.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762046,
          "author": "cniemira",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T01:05:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762046",
          "commentText": "Another +1. \"Nonviolent Communication\" as well as \"Crucial Conversations\" can be life changers if you follow even a little of their guidance. The techniques I've picked up have helped me build stronger relationships with my spouse, my children, my customers, my employees, and my peers.\nThere are other books on communication, but these are my top two. They're actionable, in that they provide specific techniques as well as discussing thoery. Both books lay a similar foundation that any book on communication worth its salt will likely have in common: we're all emotionally driven beings and we communicate most effectively when we're able to separate observations from judgements.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Nonviolent Communication\" as well as \"Crucial Conversations\" can be life changers if you follow even a little of their guidance.",
          "reason": "Says its guidance can be life-changing and describes techniques that helped relationships.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The benefit depends on following at least some of its guidance.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156374,
          "author": "i_dont_know_",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:17:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156374",
          "commentText": "Two that I almost never see on these kinds of lists, but really think they should get more acknowledgement:\n\"Crucial Conversations\" - breaks down how to have what might otherwise be an uncomfortable conversation about anything. I really think everyone should read it.\n\"The Enchiridion\" - A stoic guide, boiled down, short, and very very relatable even in the modern age.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really think everyone should read it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it explains how to handle potentially uncomfortable conversations and recommends it to everyone.",
          "audience": "Everyone, especially people facing uncomfortable conversations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13804298,
          "author": "embarassed_toss",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:34:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804298",
          "commentText": "Throwaway since this is a bit embarrassing.\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People. Crucial Conversations. 5 Love Languages. The Way of the Superior Man.\nI'm 37 and I'm a stereotypical geeky, low-social-capability guy. Coasted through life on being smart, to the exclusion of much else. I'd get pedantic and into pointless arguments, but justify it because I was right -- sorta being a dick though not intentionally, just emergent behavior. I did poorly on romantic relationships despite being married a decade. I'd stumble around conversations awkwardly or interject stupid facts and just overall sucked at the personal side of life.\nLearning to talk to people, to deal with people, learning the give and take of conversations and to try to be interested in people -- this has completely changed my life. It works in business, it works in personal relationships. People that I'd usually mock (think homeopathic hippy type folks), the kind of folks that'd usually dismiss me, they have actually said glowing things about me to other people, and I now have friendships with such folks. Even with guy friends: I'm constantly surprised how powerful a simple \"How are you doing?\" or \"Did you get home OK?\" -- just small displays of interest, really can strengthen relationships.\nThe last book I mention, The Way of the Superior Man, I hesitate. Some of it is a bit silly. And it comes off VERY macho/chauvinistic. In fact, the first time I looked at it I tossed it in disgust. But damn, it'd have saved me so much grief. There are feminine/masculine differences (as personalities, not just sex or gender.) Just basic stuff like \"held and heard\": you don't need to try to solve her every problem[1], just listen and support her in what she does -- stuff as an engineer I wouldn't do at work and that bled over into personal life. Not attacking people when they say silly things... I've had a girl tell my family I'm the kindest guy she's ever dated. They all went silent and looked back and forth \"... him?\" 3 years ago I could never, ever, have imagined anyone saying that about me in any situation, let alone romantically. When people blow up and want to fight with me, I recognize the words don't really matter and it's just emotion and try to respond to that. Even my ex has ended up apologizing after yelling at me and saying I'm a good guy - another timeline I never thought I'd be in.\nAnd I know, this sounds like manipulation. But the bizarre thing is that after you set out to be like this and try to care, you actually end up caring and it's totally sincere. Life isn't C, being \"lenient\" on people and trying to think about them instead of picking at the specifics of what they said won't get you into trouble.\n[This might be relationships 101, but I know a lot of guys in a similar social situation and a few of them tried the same approaches and are way happier too. So maybe this will help someone.]\n1: https://xkcd.com/306/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crucial Conversations.",
          "reason": "The commenter credits learning to communicate and deal with people to the listed books.",
          "audience": "Readers who struggle with social interactions and relationships.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238121,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:01:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238121",
          "commentText": "Last year I gave myself a Zuckerberg-style goal to read a book every two weeks. It started well, but some months were harder than others (usually when the book wasn't very good, so I would switch to podcasts for a few weeks, before getting back on track).\nHere's an unordered list of the best:\n[BUSINESS / SELF-IMPROVEMENT]\n- \"Work Rules!\" - about Google's culture and values\n- \"Search Inside Yourself\" - about mindfulness, meditation, and the impact on your life.\n- \"What got you here won't get you there\" - Liked a lot more than I expected.\n- \"Re-read Innovator's Dilemma\" - a great classic; never gets old.\n- \"How will you measure your life\" - from the same author. Also excellent.\n- \"The Best Service is No Service\" - good overview on why Amazon's customer service is so good\n- \"Crucial Conversations\" - half is common sense; half is good tips to practice everyday.\n[PROGRAMMING]\n- \"Fluent Python\" - was afraid it'd be too basic, but not really. Enjoyed it a lot.\n- \"Think Complexity\" - about algorithm complexity, data structures, etc. Great read.\n- \"Python Data Science Handbook\" - meh.\n- \"Fundamentals of Deep Learning\" - good intro. Helped me solidify some concepts from Andrew Ng's ML course\n- \"Deep Learning\" - by Goodfellow and Bengio. Just started, but really liking it.\n[STARTUPS] (all excellent; in order)\n- \"The Hard Things about Hard Things\"\n- \"Zero to One\"\n- \"The Founder's Dilemmas\"\n- \"The Launch Pad\"\n[FICTION]\n- Trilogy: \"Off to be a wizard / An Unwelcome Quest / Spell or High Water\"\n- \"Infinite Jest\" - tried but failed to finish. May try again later.\n- \"Ready Player One\" - nice, but repetitive after a while. Good read before the movie comes out.\n[NON-FICTION]\n- \"What If?\" - xkcd FTW\n- \"How to Read a Book\" - good concepts, but should be a 10 pages blog post, not a book\n- \"Spark\" - Science of the Exercise and the Brain - Long, but good\n- \"Sugar Shock\" - still reading; hopefully will help me cut my sweet cravings\n[BIOGRAPHIES]\n- \"The New New Thing\" - about Jim Clark's life, one of the very first entrepreneurs\n- \"Machines of Loving Grace\" - about the research and the rise of AI\n- \"Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution\"\n- \"The Second Coming of Steve Jobs\" - About Pixar's story. Liked more than Isaacson's biography\n- \"The Innovators\" - great summary of computer industry, from the 1800's till today\n- \"Ghost in the Wires\" - Kevin Mitnick's story. Had started years ago, but finally finished it\n- \"Idea Man\" - about Paul Allen's story. Quite an impressive man.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Crucial Conversations\" - half is common sense; half is good tips to practice everyday.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it offers good tips to practice every day.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says half the book is common sense.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Business",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "communication",
        "conflict resolution",
        "difficult conversations",
        "interpersonal communication"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dealers-of-lightning-994bc0",
      "title": "Dealers of Lightning",
      "author": "Michael A. Hiltzik",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36601396,
          "author": "topherjaynes",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:02:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601396",
          "commentText": "Have you looked for online courses? Here are a few of the books I'd go through around computers, but are you thinking more extensive history of \"technology?\" Like how we've grown from printing press as innovation?\nSoul of a New Machine is a great non-fiction but reads like a fiction account of trying to overtake the Vax by building one of the first 32-bit machines https://www.amazon.com/Soul-New-Machine-Tracy-Kidder/dp/0316... (https://www.amazon.com/Soul-New-Machine-Tracy-Kidder/dp/0316491977)\nA Biography of the Pixel https://www.amazon.com/Biography-Pixel-Leonardo-Alvy-Smith/d... (https://www.amazon.com/Biography-Pixel-Leonardo-Alvy-Smith/dp/0262542455) great overview of the innovation and math that pushed graphics forwrard\nThe Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood https://www.amazon.com/Information-History-Theory-Flood/dp/1... (https://www.amazon.com/Information-History-Theory-Flood/dp/1400096235) walks through information theory and how we got to the internet\nDealers of lightning: https://www.amazon.com/Dealers-of-Lightning-audiobook/dp/B00... (https://www.amazon.com/Dealers-of-Lightning-audiobook/dp/B0000546R7/) how a lot of modenr computing grew out of Xerox",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dealers of lightning",
          "reason": "Described as explaining how much of modern computing grew out of Xerox.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31168714,
          "author": "ivanmaeder",
          "createdAt": "2022-04-26T15:29:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 31166475,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Top inspiring books on crucial CS ideas?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31168714",
          "commentText": "Great question, I will come back to see what ideas people have. Thanks for the Turing book suggestion too.\nI have read lots of non-fiction books about programmers and engineers that have been very inspiring, they're just not technical: \"Masters of Doom\", \"Blood, Sweat, and Pixels\", \"Coders at Work\", \"The Idea Factory\", \"The Soul of a New Machine\", \"Dealers of Lightning\"...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Dealers of Lightning\"...",
          "reason": "Listed among non-fiction books about programmers and engineers that the commenter found inspiring.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these books are inspiring but not technical.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21460116,
          "author": "ivanmaeder",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T06:08:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21460116",
          "commentText": "Right now: \"Never Enough: The Neuroscience and Experience of Addiction\" (Judith Grisel)\nRecommend. Addict turned neuroscientist who doesn't hold back, so a good mix of gritty details—\n> After I got sober, it took me a little over a year to go a single day without wishing for a drink, but it was more than nine years before my craving to get high abated.\n—and science.\nBefore that: \"Educated: A Memoir\" (Tara Westover)\nRecommend. A good break from typical non-fiction books: easy to read, sometimes thrilling, and emotional.\nBefore that: \"The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America\" (Margaret Pugh O'Mara)\nDon't recommend. I really wanted to like this book, and I believe some of the themes are important and aren't often discussed. E.g., the support the Valley received from politicians, the lobby groups, the size of military spending back in the day…\nIt's possible my expectations were in the wrong place—I wanted to be inspired like with \"The Idea Factory\" (Jon Gertner), \"The Soul of a New Machine\" (Tracy Kidder), \"Dealers of Lightning\" (Michael A Hiltzik), etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Dealers of Lightning\" (Michael A Hiltzik)",
          "reason": "Listed as a book the commenter found inspiring.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910521,
          "author": "adventured",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:53:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910521",
          "commentText": "In no particular order.\nEmpires of Light, by Jonnes. Titan, by Chernow. The Wright Brothers, by McCullough. His Excellency, by Ellis. The Wizard of Menlo Park, by Stross. I Invented the Modern Age, by Snow. Dealers of Lightning, by Hiltzik. Margin of Safety, by Klarman. Masters of Doom, by Kushner. Andrew Carnegie, by Nasaw. Infidel, by Hirsi Ali. Buffett, by Lowenstein. Where Wizards Stay Up Late, by Hafner. Shoe Dog, by Knight. The Making of the Atomic Bomb, by Rhodes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dealers of Lightning, by Hiltzik.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17524074,
          "author": "kevas",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T16:01:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17524074",
          "commentText": "For me...\n1. Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets by John Murphy\n2. Options as a Strategic Investment by Lawrence G. McMillan\n3. [just finished] The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right By Atul Gawande\n4. [finished last week] Dealers of Lightning by Michael A. Hiltzik\n5. [currently working on] Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software By GOF\n6. [currently working on] Dan Appleman's Visual Basic Programmer's Guide to the Win32 API by Dan Appleman\n7. [next on the list] Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed by Ben Rich, Leo Janos",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Dealers of Lightning by Michael A. Hiltzik",
          "reason": "Listed as recently finished.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter provides no evaluation of the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3335596,
          "author": "da02",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-09T21:01:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3335596",
          "commentText": "The Unheavenly City by Edward Banfield:\nPDF: http://www.kevinrkosar.com/Edward-C-Banfield/Edward-C-Banfie... (http://www.kevinrkosar.com/Edward-C-Banfield/Edward-C-Banfield-The-Unheavenly-City-Revisited.pdf)\nReview: http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/92789.html\nHis time preference classes explains so much of people regardless of race, religion, nationality, etc.\nRise of the Fourth Reich: http://www.amazon.com/Rise-Fourth-Reich-Societies-Threaten/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Rise-Fourth-Reich-Societies-Threaten/dp/0061245593/)\nThis is where I learned about Konrad Zuse creating a digital computer and programming language miles away from Bletchley Park in the early 40s.\nDealers of Lightning: http://www.amazon.com/Dealers-Lightning-Xerox-PARC-Computer/... (http://www.amazon.com/Dealers-Lightning-Xerox-PARC-Computer/dp/0887309895)\nIt's about XEROX PARC. Unfortunately, they did not talk about how PARC made the OS and apps obsolete by using objects communicating over a network. I had to learn about that from an Alan Kay video.  It did show how PARC contributed to the Internet by creating an internet before ARPANET.\nLast and best of all: http://vpri.org/html/writings.php\nThe latest report, \"Steps Toward Expressive Programming Systems\", describes a computer system without an OS.  They seem to be refining what PARC did back in the late 1970s.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Dealers of Lightning:",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is about Xerox PARC and notes gaps in its coverage.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it omits how PARC made the OS and apps obsolete through objects communicating over a network.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael A. Hiltzik"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "xerox parc",
        "computer history",
        "technology history",
        "innovation history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "long-walk-to-freedom-2e8efe",
      "title": "Long Walk to Freedom",
      "author": "Nelson Mandela",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38574950,
          "author": "lavixu123",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T21:46:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38574950",
          "commentText": "2023 has been a good year with regard to reading. This has been year of History, Memoirs and Mythology. Some books I liked and would recommend are:\n1) Nothing To Fear - This book is about the Great Depression in the USA and how president JFK took steps to bring the economy back.\n2) Digital Minimalism - This is one book I would like to revisit every two years. About digital distractions and how to minimize it.\n3) The Odyssey By Emily Wilson- This was a surprising easy read with author's notes on the backdrop. Helps you understand Greek mythology and some unraveling of human emotions. Pretty deep. Highly recommend.\n4) Long Walk to Freedom - Autobiography of Nelson Mandela plus a good history of events in South Africa during his time.\n5) Lies My Teacher Told me - This is about lies that usually are represented in US high school history and the author debunks some myths. This is also a USA history primer, but all the tones associated are negative.\n6) India After Gandhi - Sneak peak into some Indian History and political environment after Independence, events leading to formation of states etc.\n7) Lend Me Your ears: Great Speeches in History - This is a great collection of speeches grouped by events. Highly recommend. Nice way to learn some history through speeches.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Long Walk to Freedom - Autobiography of Nelson Mandela",
          "reason": "Recommended as Mandela's autobiography and a history of South Africa during his lifetime.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21920058,
          "author": "dr_j_",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-31T10:20:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21920058",
          "commentText": "Nelson Mandela's Long Walk to Freedom -- truly inspirational",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nelson Mandela's Long Walk to Freedom -- truly inspirational",
          "reason": "Called truly inspirational.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13236323,
          "author": "chimprich",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T10:37:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13236323",
          "commentText": "* The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee. The prose was a bit purple for me but fascinating book about the progress of cancer treatment including recent advances. Second half of the book is more interesting in my opinion so don't give up if you find the history of cancer a little do dry.\n* Tuf Voyaging by George RR Martin. I thought this was a stupid premise (guy travels the universe in a huge ship with cat companions?) but a friend strongly recommended it and I found it stupidly readable and very entertaining.\n* Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery by Henry Marsh. Deeply interesting and humane book about the work of an eminent brain surgeon.\n* The Better Angels of Our Nature: The Decline of Violence In History And Its Causes by Steven Pinker. Strong persuasive central thesis even if though I didn't agree with all his arguments. Very wide-ranging book with many ideas from philosophy and history.\n* Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic by David Quammen. Informative and scary book about zoonotic diseases. Like a non-fiction cross between the detective, horror and sci-fi genres.\n* The Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela. Read this because I felt I should rather than out of pure interest, but it was a good decision: fascinating biography and startling how intelligent and occasionally ruthless Mandela was.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "fascinating biography and startling how intelligent and occasionally ruthless Mandela was.",
          "reason": "The biography was fascinating, despite the reader's initial sense of obligation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter read it because they felt they should, rather than from pure interest.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109029,
          "author": "rohan404",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:07:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109029",
          "commentText": "Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela!",
          "reason": "Listed as a response to a request for what others are reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226794,
          "author": "scorpioxy",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:15:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226794",
          "commentText": "Oh, lots! I wish you'd narrow down to some categories you're interested in.\nA few example i enjoyed:\nThe State of Africa, Martin Meredith\nThe Code Book, Simon Singh\nPity the Nation, Robert Fisk\nThe Great War for Civilization, Robert Fisk\nAlan Turing: The Enigma, Andrew Hodges\nLong Walk to Freedom, Nelson Mandela\nThe Last Lecture, Randy Pausch\nFermat's Engima, Simon Singh\nLots more....",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Long Walk to Freedom, Nelson Mandela",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 200099,
          "author": "scorpioxy",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-26T09:39:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 199722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=200099",
          "commentText": "Well, for non-technical books; I have enjoyed the following in no particular order:\n- Founders At Work\n- Eric Sink on the Business of Software\n- The Great War for Civilization\n- Pity the Nation\n- On Intelligence\n- The State of Africa\n- Long Walk to Freedom\n....etc",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Long Walk to Freedom",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter has enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nelson Mandela"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "south africa",
        "memoir",
        "nelson mandela",
        "apartheid"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "middlemarch-54643f",
      "title": "Middlemarch",
      "author": "George Eliot",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46397641,
          "author": "LeonardoTolstoy",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T23:46:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46397641",
          "commentText": "I read close to 40 books this year which I assume is up from the previous year, and way more than I used to read prior to starting to do the Rochester Library reading challenge (which I've done for the past two years). I won't get into a lot of it, but after reading Middlemarch three years ago, Napoleon: A Life two years ago, and The Power Broker last year I decided to read two \"big\" books.\nIn the first half of the year War and Peace, which obviously was excellent, although I liked Middlemarch more.\nIn the second half of the year David Copperfield which was very excellent. Just beautifully written. I still think I probably like Middlemarch more... but it might now require a re-read to know for sure.\nThis year is going to be Tom's Crossing to start as I just got that for Christmas.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "after reading Middlemarch three years ago",
          "reason": "The commenter says they liked it more than both War and Peace and David Copperfield.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The preference is based on a reading three years earlier and may need a reread to confirm.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 44569758,
          "author": "LeonardoTolstoy",
          "createdAt": "2025-07-15T10:35:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 44568054,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44569758",
          "commentText": "Middlemarch by George Eliot. Well worth a read, possibly the greatest English novel ever written.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Middlemarch by George Eliot. Well worth a read, possibly the greatest English novel ever written.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as well worth reading and calls it possibly the greatest English novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The “greatest” claim is qualified as possibly.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41176867,
          "author": "nimih",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T00:03:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41176867",
          "commentText": "Paradise Lost, Gravity's Rainbow, Middlemarch, and 2666.\nedit: The short stories which have stuck with me the most over the years are probably Joyce's \"The Dead,\" O'Connor's \"Good Country People,\" and a solid half of Borges's \"Ficciones.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Middlemarch",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31969010,
          "author": "daverol",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T16:40:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31969010",
          "commentText": "Middlemarch by George Eliot - the greatest fiction exploration of how to live a life of integrity and significance in a world that often seems overwhelming and meaningless.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Middlemarch by George Eliot - the greatest fiction exploration of how to live a life of integrity and significance",
          "reason": "Praises it as an exploration of living with integrity and significance amid an overwhelming world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20334460,
          "author": "playing_colours",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T12:46:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20334460",
          "commentText": "I decided to try reading the classic literature this year. The books that stood the test of time. I started with\n  Brothers Karamazov by F.Dostoyevsky\n  Middlemarch by G.Eliot\n\nAfter that I plan to continue with\n  East of Eden by J.Steinbeck\n  Ulysses by J.Joyce\n\nThey all have incredible characters, deep thoughts, delicious language. Sure, not an easy read after contemporary fiction, but I noticed that the more classic literature I read the better I understand and enjoy it. Also, I own Folio Society's copies of last three titles, and it's an an additional pleasure to hold, touch, and read physical books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "They all have incredible characters, deep thoughts, delicious language.",
          "reason": "Included among the classics the commenter is reading; they praise the titles together for their characters, ideas, and language.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in classic literature.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says classic literature can be challenging after contemporary fiction.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168638,
          "author": "viburnum",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:24:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168638",
          "commentText": "Middlemarch.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Middlemarch.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Eliot"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "victorian literature",
        "social novel",
        "classic literature",
        "english novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "real-and-complex-analysis-b7fc62",
      "title": "Real and Complex Analysis",
      "author": "Walter Rudin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32790203,
          "author": "fermigier",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T12:58:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790203",
          "commentText": "Physics: Feynman's lectures on physics.\nMaths: Rudin's Real and Complex analysis.\nSoftware engineering: The Mythical Man-Month.\nComputer science: Knuth's TAOCP.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Maths: Rudin's Real and Complex analysis.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31492387,
          "author": "eyphka",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T14:14:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31492387",
          "commentText": "Books that are given nicknames by grad students. :) For a foundational understanding of Calculus, and just becoming a better mathematician, a good start would be ->\nBaby Rudin (Principles of Mathematical Analysis, Walter Rudin)\nPapa Rudin (Real and Complex Analysis, Walter Rudin)\nGrandpa Rudin (Functional Analysis, Walter Rudin)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Papa Rudin (Real and Complex Analysis, Walter Rudin)",
          "reason": "Included in a suggested Rudin sequence for building mathematical understanding.",
          "audience": "People pursuing further mathematics study.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31491923,
          "author": "graycat",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T13:38:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31491923",
          "commentText": "Bluntly, with only occasional exceptions, have to learn from the books.  Period.  No biggie:  Once are in grad school or a prof, have to learn from papers, and the good books are typically MUCH easier to read than the papers!\nFor first calculus, read one of the well respected books.  In my experience and opinion, don't need high school advanced placement calculus -- regard it as a waste of time.  Also the last time I looked at Khan Academy, I concluded that it was a waste or worse and by people who didn't have a good background in calculus.  Generally the Internet sources are too elementary.  Solution:  Just use some good books.  Protter and Morrey is good (I taught from it), but it is a bit elementary.  I learned from Johnson and Kiokmeister; I like it.  At the time it was also being used at Harvard.  The exercises are especially good.  It's old, but calculus hasn't changed much since 1950 or so about when it gave up on teaching infinitesimals.\nBut might check out the Maxima software for symbolic indefinite integration -- as I recall, its algorithms are so good they do any indefinite integration that can be done in closed form.\nFor linear algebra, sure, Nering (a student of E. Artin at Princeton) and then Halmos (a finite dimensional introduction to Hilbert space and written when Halmos was an assistant to von Neumann, office not far from Einstein), etc.  For still more, R. Bellman has a good book -- he went all over active and put in everything including the kitchen sink.  Then for numerical work, old but a start, Forsythe and\nMoler and/or the documentation of LINPAK.\nFor multivariate calculus through the divergence theorem and as needed, e.g., for Maxwell's equations, start with the most elementary treatments of vector analysis and f'get about the lack of proofs.  Actually notice, can see via a Google search, that the divergence theorem on a box is just a dirt simple application of the fundamental theorem of freshman calculus.  Then the difficulty is proving the thing on other shapes.  Then do multivariate calculus again via, say, Apostol, Mathematical Analysis: A Modern Approach to Advanced Calculus.  That he uses the Jordan curve theorem is a bit much but just go with the flow.  Fleming's Functions of Several Variables does it with both measure theory and exterior algebra.  Or W. Rudin's, as I recall, third edition, Principles of Mathematical Analysis.  For calculus done via Lebesgue's measure theory, Royden's Real Analysis and/or the first half of Rudin's Real and Complex Analysis.\nMy favorite author on ordinary differential equations is Coddington, and his elementary An Introduction to Ordinary\nDifferential Equations is nicely done and likely enough for nearly any applications might encounter.  Will want some of this if do A/C circuit theory or deterministic optimal control.\nFor basic abstract algebra Herstein, Topics in Algebra should usually be enough and is well written.  With that will be well prepared for, say, algebraic coding theory which actually has some important applications.\nOnce have a background in measure theory, for probability, of course, Loeve or either of his students Breiman or Neveu.  Breiman is really nice to read. Neveu is a good candidate for  the most polished and elegantly done math book or writing of any kind in all of civilization.   Be sure to get to the good stuff on the Radon-Nikodym theorem, conditional expectation, martingales, and ergodic processes.\nFor relatively good results, better than hardly any students get just from courses, study the theorems and proofs until can do them yourself and can also explain them to any common man in the street and also explain where they fit in more generally.  Also be able to do the exercises.  E.g., Rudin's Principles has the inverse and implicit function theorems as exercises!  Fleming applies them to Lagrange multipliers. These two theorems are the main prerequisites of differential geometry -- some parts of physics, now popular, touch on this math!\nIn my Ph.D. program I led the class in 4 of the five qualifying exams, and for the analysis and linear algebra exams, the books above were the secret.  After I did that, the department tried to have the students do better by offering a course from Rudin's Principles; the course didn't work; that book is too hard for a course and needs weeks of quiet time where a student can chew on the text slowly line by line. Rudin has some of the most precise presentations on Fourier theory.  So when physics uses Fourier theory or engineers use the fast Fourier transform, you will likely know Fourier theory quite a lot better than they do.  Right, the uncertainty principle in quantum mechanics is just a basic result in Fourier theory.  With Fourier theory and linearity, Schroedinger's equation starts to make sense.  A good exercise in early measure theory is differentiation under the integral sign, Leibniz's rule -- be sure to cover that with a good proof.\nWith the background from the books above will be well prepared for a wide range of more narrow topics in pure and applied math.\nNearly all these books are available used in nearly new condition for low prices.  In a move I lost some of my library and rebuilt with used copies.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the first half of Rudin's Real and Complex Analysis.",
          "reason": "Suggested for studying calculus through Lebesgue measure theory.",
          "audience": "People studying measure theory and analysis.",
          "caveat": "The suggestion is specifically for the first half.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23728159,
          "author": "graycat",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T22:24:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23728159",
          "commentText": "Linear algebra, and more than one such book.\nIMHO long and still the best linear algebra book is\nHalmos, Finite Dimensional Vector Spaces (FDVS).\nIt was written in 1942 when Halmos was an \"assistant\" to John von Neumann at the Institute for Advanced Study.  It is intended to be finite dimensional vector spaces but done with the techniques of Hilbert space.  The central result in the book, according to Halmos, is the spectral decomposition.  One result at a time, the quality of von Neumann comes through.  Commonly physicists have been given that book as their introduction to Hilbert space for quantum mechanics.\nBut FDVS is a little too much for a first book on linear algebra, or maybe even a second book, should be maybe a third one.\nAlso high quality is Nering, Linear Algebra and Matrix Theory.  Again, the quality comes through:  Nering was a student of Artin at Princeton.  There Nering does most of linear algebra on just finite fields, not just the real and complex fields; finite fields in linear algebra are important in error correcting codes.  So, that finite field work is a good introduction to abstract algebra.\nFor a first book on linear algebra, I'd recommend something easy.  The one I used was\nMurdoch,\nLinear Algebra for Undergraduates.\nIt's still okay if can find it.\nFor a first book, likely the one by Strang at MIT is good.  Just use it as a first book and don't take it too seriously since are going to cover all of it and more again later.\nI can recommend the beginning sections on vector spaces, convexity, and the inverse and implicit function theorems in\nFleming, Functions of Several Variables\nFleming was long at the Brown University Division of Applied Math. The later chapters are on measure theory, the Lebesgue integral, and the exterior algebra of differential forms, and there are better treatments.\nAlso there is now\nStephen Boyd and Lieven Vandenberghe, Introduction to Applied Linear Algebra – Vectors, Matrices, and Least Squares\nat\nhttp://vmls-book.stanford.edu/vmls.pdf\nSince the book is new, I've only       looked through it -- it looks like a good selection and arrangement of topics.  And Boyd is good, wrote a terrific book, maybe, IMHO likely, the best in the world, on convexity, which is in a sense is half of linearity.\nSome course slides are available at\nhttp://vmls-book.stanford.edu/\nFor reference for more, have a copy of\nRichard Bellman,\nIntroduction to Matrix Analysis:\nSecond Edition.\nBellman was famous for dynamic programming.\nFor computations in linear algebra, consider\nGeorge E. Forsythe and\nCleve B. Moler,\nComputer Solution of Linear Algebraic Systems\nalthough now the Linpack materials might be a better starting point for numerical linear algebra.  Numerical linear algebra is now a well developed specialized field, and the Linpack materials might be a good start on the best of the field.  Such linear algebra is apparently the main yardstick in evaluating the highly parallel supercomputers.\nAfter linear algebra go through\nRudin, Principles of Mathematical Analysis, Third Edition.\nHe does the Riemann integral very carefully, Fourier series, vector analysis via exterior algebra, and has the inverse and implicit function theorems (key to differential geometry, e.g., for relativity theory) as exercises.\nAll of this material is to get to the main goals of measure theory, the Lebesgue integral, Fourier theory, Hilbert space and Banach space as in, say, the first, real (not complex) half of\nRudin, Real and Complex Analysis\nBut for that I would start with\nRoyden, Real Analysis\nsweetheart writing on that math.\nDepending on the math department, those books might be enough to pass the Ph.D. qualifying exam in Analysis.  It was for me:  From those books I did the best in the class on that exam.\nMoreover, from independent study of Halmos, Nering, Fleming, Forsythe, linearity in statistics, and some more, I totally blew away all the students in a challenging second (maybe intentionally flunk out), advanced course in linear algebra and, then, did the best in the class on the corresponding qualifying exam, that is, where that second course was my first formal course in linear algebra.\nLesson:  Just self study of those books can give a really good background in linear algebra and its role in the rest of pure and applied math.\nNo joke, linear algebra, and the associated vector spaces, is one of the most important courses for more work in pure and applied math, engineering, and likely the future of computing.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Rudin, Real and Complex Analysis",
          "reason": "Presented as a route to measure theory, Lebesgue integration, Fourier theory, and Hilbert and Banach spaces.",
          "audience": "Readers pursuing advanced analysis.",
          "caveat": "The commenter suggests starting with the real-analysis portion.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21351488,
          "author": "math_phd_to_dev",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-25T03:08:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21351488",
          "commentText": "I think that those who are down-voting people suggesting Rudin are missing the forest for the trees. The level is not as low as Feynman's lectures, but if you want a text that has the hallmarks of a true master at work, Rudin fits the bill. I personally always felt that what made Feynman's lectures what they are were, was that the man actually understood the subjects on such a deep level that his mind was able to hone in on those little simple thought experiments and ways of looking at things that gave you huge insight into what he was lecturing on. Rudin comes at analysis with the same level of understanding and that's why Real & Complex and Baby Rudin are still the gold standard for analysis texts. It is impossible to convey the sense of elegance that mathematicians speak about until you've seen it and been blown away by it. Rudin will do that and leave you speechless, he's the master. I can tell you that my first encounter with Real & Complex leaving me thinking that Rudin was on a fundamentally higher plane than any author I had read before, it was like watching a magician. If you're looking for a real Feynman in mathematics, IMHO Rudin is your man.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Real & Complex and Baby Rudin are still the gold standard for analysis texts.",
          "reason": "Called a gold-standard analysis text, with the author's deep understanding and elegance praised.",
          "audience": "Readers studying mathematical analysis.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6343727,
          "author": "graycat",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-07T02:46:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 6329955,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which two books were the most influential on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6343727",
          "commentText": "Halmos, 'Finite Dimensional Vector Spaces'\nRudin, 'Real and Complex Analysis'",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rudin, 'Real and Complex Analysis'",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2734410,
          "author": "NY_Entrepreneur",
          "createdAt": "2011-07-06T15:46:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 2723436,
          "threadTitle": "Suggest good sites/books on probability",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2734410",
          "commentText": "\"Can you please suggest on-line resource to learn great beginning and advanced probability concepts?\"\nYup!  The subject at the level you ask is a major topic in applied math but is not very popular in US universities.  So, you will not get many good answers.  In particular, the 'computer science' community, with 'machine learning' and 'artificial' this, Bayesian that, likely won't have good answers.\nYour \"on-line\" part is asking a bit much; I can give you references to books but not all on-line.  There may be some PDF files on-line, from TeX, that have such material; try some Google searching with the keywords used here.\nThe intuitive foundations of probability went back to gambling.\n'Probability' is a field of 'applied' math and as such is well defined:\nAbout 100 years ago, E. Borel student H. Lebesgue invented 'measure theory' which essentially 'rewrote' classic calculus, especially the part about integration.  For the simple cases, what Lebesgue did gets the same numerical values as the classic Riemann integral.  The difference is that in theoretical work Lebesgue's integral is much more general and much better 'behaved'.\nBut 'measure theory' has to do with, intuitively, 'length', 'area', 'volume' and various generalizations of these.  Well, in probability, for probability P and event A, the 'probability' of A is P(A) and is a number in [0,1] and acts much like the 'area' of A. The connection is so close that, in the end, we have to accept that the foundations of probability are measure theory.\nThen\nA. N. Kolmogorov, 'Foundations of the Theory of Probability, Second English Edition', Chelsea Publishing Company, New York, 1956.  English translation of the original German '\"Grundbegriffe der Wahrscheinlichkeitrechnung,\"' 'Ergebnisse Der Mathematik', 1933.\napplied Lebesgue's work to make probability a solid field of math.  Since then Kolmogorov's foundations have been nearly the only one taken seriously in any 'modern' or 'advanced' work in probability, stochastic processes, or mathematical statistics.\nA good start on a good text in stochastic processes was:\nJ. L. Doob, 'Stochastic Processes', John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1953.\nDoob was long at University of Illinois.  One of his students was P. Halmos who was later an assistant to von Neumann at the Institute for Advanced Study and in about 1942 wrote the first version of the still standard:\nPaul R. Halmos, 'Finite-Dimensional Vector Spaces, Second Edition', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, New Jersey, 1958.\nLater he wrote:\nPaul R. Halmos, 'Measure Theory', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, NJ, 1950.\nwith at the end a NICE introduction to probability and stochastic processes based on measure theory.\nLikely the first rock solid, quite comprehensive, highly polished presentation of 'modern' probability was the first edition of:\nM. Loeve, 'Probability Theory, I and II, 4th Edition', Springer-Verlag, New York, 1977.\nLoeve was long at Berkeley.  One of his students did:\nJacques Neveu, 'Mathematical Foundations of the Calculus of Probability', Holden-Day, San Francisco, 1965.\nand another did:\nLeo Breiman, 'Probability', ISBN 0-89871-296-3, SIAM, Philadelphia, 1992.\nEither of these two can be regarded as a more succinct presentation of the more important material in Loeve.  Breiman is the more 'practical' and 'accessible'; Neveu is a crown jewel of elegance and succinctness but not always easy to read.\nOther good presentations of much the same material include:\nKai Lai Chung, 'A Course in Probability Theory, Second Edition', ISBN 0-12-174650-X, Academic Press, New York, 1974.\nand\nYuan Shih Chow and Henry Teicher, 'Probability Theory:  Independence, Interchangeability, Martingales', ISBN 0-387-90331-3, Springer-Verlag, New York, 1978.\nIn total, those texts nail down 'probability' at all four corners and make it a rock solid topic in applied math.  Good knowledge of, say, Breiman is a necessary and sufficient condition for knowing 'probability' at a serious level, that is, without being watered down for 'general audiences'.\nFor more, proceed with stochastic processes, stochastic optimal control, mathematical statistics, etc.\nFor learning probability, minimal prerequisites (more would be helpful) would be abstract algebra, linear algebra, 'analysis', measure theory, and functional analysis.\nFor abstract algebra, there are many texts.  Sufficient is\nI. N. Herstein, 'Topics in Algebra', Blaisdell, New York, 1964.\nbut can consider S. Lang, etc.\nFor linear algebra, there are many texts, but the old:\nPaul R. Halmos, 'Finite-Dimensional Vector Spaces, Second Edition', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, New Jersey, 1958.\nremains a good 'second' text.  It is also an introduction to functional analysis.\nThe main text for 'analysis' is just:\nWalter Rudin, 'Principles of Mathematical Analysis', McGraw-Hill, New York.\nin whatever is the latest edition.\nCan skip the material on exterior algebra or just get it from the original source, now in English:\nHenri Cartan, 'Differential Forms', ISBN 0-486-45010-4, Dover, Mineola, NY, 2006.\nFor measure theory and functional analysis, the standards are:\nH. L. Royden, 'Real Analysis:  Second Edition', Macmillan, New York.\nand the first (real) half of:\nWalter Rudin, 'Real and Complex Analysis', ISBN 07-054232-5, McGraw-Hill, New York.\nActually, Loeve also covers much of this material.  Neveu slips in quite a lot.\nThen you will be ready for Breiman, Neveu, Chung, Chow and Teicher, or Loeve.\nYou will discover:\nThe start of probability theory is a 'probability space'.  For that, there are three parts, (1) the 'sample space', (2) the 'events', and (3) the 'probability measure'.\nThe 'sample space' is just a set of points; to support any reasonably serious work in probability, the sample space has to be uncountably infinite.  In all our work, we do some one 'trial', and that corresponds to some one point in the sample space.  The other points in the sample space are what 'might' have been our trial.\nAn 'event' is a set of trials.  We ask that the collection of all events have some 'closure' properties to make that collection a 'sigma algebra'.  So, briefly, the collection of events has as one event the whole sample space and is closed under relative complements and countable unions.\nIn terms of measure theory, the sample space and the sigma algebra of events form a 'measurable space'.  A 'probability measure' is just a positive measure with total 'mass' 1. Thank you Lebesgue and measure theory.\nOn the reals R, we can take the open sets and, then, the Borel sets, that is, the smallest sigma algebra that contains the open sets.  A 'random variable' is a function from the probability space to the reals that is 'measurable', that is, the inverse image of a Borel set is an event.\nAs an alternative, we can ask that the inverse image of the Lebesgue measurable sets of R be events.\nIf X is such a random variable, then its 'expectation' E[X] is just the Lebesgue ('abstract') integral of X over the probability space.  For E[X] to exist, we need only that X be measurable and that the integral of both the positive and the negative parts of X not be infinite (we don't want to subtract one infinity from another).  E.g., Lebesgue integration is very 'general':  All we need is measurability and not subtract one infinity from another.\nBy a change of variable, we can also write the expectation as a Lebesgue integral over the real line with respect to the 'distribution' of X on R. Or, X 'induces' a probability measure on R.\nWe can discuss convergence of random variables -- in distribution, probability, mean square, and almost surely.\nThen we can define independence for events, sigma algebras, and random variables.  E.g., with this approach, if X and Y are independent random variables and f and g are functions, then f(X) and g(Y) are independent random variables.  Don't try to prove this the elementary way!\nWith independent random variables, we can cover the classic limit theorems -- central limit theorem, weak and strong laws of large numbers, and the law of the iterated logarithm.\nUsing the Radon-Nikodym theorem of measure theory, for random variables X and Y we can define their 'conditional expectation' E[Y|X].\nWith such 'conditioning' we can discuss Markov processes, martingales, and the martingale convergence theorem.\nWe can also move on to ergodic theory and, say, Poincare recurrence (keep stirring the coffee and the cream will separate back, close to where it was when it was poured in).\nThose are the previews of coming attractions.\nNote:  This material is not very popular in US universities.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Walter Rudin, 'Real and Complex Analysis', ISBN 07-054232-5, McGraw-Hill, New York.",
          "reason": "Listed as a standard text for measure theory and functional analysis preparation.",
          "audience": "Readers preparing for advanced probability.",
          "caveat": "The commenter specifies the first, real-analysis half.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Walter Rudin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "real analysis",
        "complex analysis",
        "measure theory",
        "functional analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-innovators-55b8ad",
      "title": "The Innovators",
      "author": "Walter Isaacson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36600713,
          "author": "themadmedic",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T14:09:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36600713",
          "commentText": "I just finished The Innovators by Walter Isaacson (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Innovators_%28book%29), definitely more on the pop side of things but found it interesting and introduced me to people and topics I was able to research further on my own.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Innovators by Walter Isaacson",
          "reason": "The commenter found it interesting and says it introduced them to people and topics for further research.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as more on the pop side.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19556516,
          "author": "fsloth",
          "createdAt": "2019-04-02T17:25:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 19556208,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on the early history of the Internet and/or Web?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19556516",
          "commentText": "Walter Isaacson's innovators is that book - yes, it refers to that Usenet posting as well :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Walter Isaacson's innovators is that book",
          "reason": "Identifies it as a fitting answer to the thread's request for the best book on early internet history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19556502,
          "author": "fsloth",
          "createdAt": "2019-04-02T17:23:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 19556208,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on the early history of the Internet and/or Web?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19556502",
          "commentText": "'Innovators' by Walter Isaacson is pretty great when combined with 'The dream machine' as suggested by others.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Innovators' by Walter Isaacson is pretty great",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book in response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910256,
          "author": "cbush06",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:30:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910256",
          "commentText": "\"The Innovators\" by Walter Isaacson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Innovators\" by Walter Isaacson",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for favorite nonfiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238121,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:01:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238121",
          "commentText": "Last year I gave myself a Zuckerberg-style goal to read a book every two weeks. It started well, but some months were harder than others (usually when the book wasn't very good, so I would switch to podcasts for a few weeks, before getting back on track).\nHere's an unordered list of the best:\n[BUSINESS / SELF-IMPROVEMENT]\n- \"Work Rules!\" - about Google's culture and values\n- \"Search Inside Yourself\" - about mindfulness, meditation, and the impact on your life.\n- \"What got you here won't get you there\" - Liked a lot more than I expected.\n- \"Re-read Innovator's Dilemma\" - a great classic; never gets old.\n- \"How will you measure your life\" - from the same author. Also excellent.\n- \"The Best Service is No Service\" - good overview on why Amazon's customer service is so good\n- \"Crucial Conversations\" - half is common sense; half is good tips to practice everyday.\n[PROGRAMMING]\n- \"Fluent Python\" - was afraid it'd be too basic, but not really. Enjoyed it a lot.\n- \"Think Complexity\" - about algorithm complexity, data structures, etc. Great read.\n- \"Python Data Science Handbook\" - meh.\n- \"Fundamentals of Deep Learning\" - good intro. Helped me solidify some concepts from Andrew Ng's ML course\n- \"Deep Learning\" - by Goodfellow and Bengio. Just started, but really liking it.\n[STARTUPS] (all excellent; in order)\n- \"The Hard Things about Hard Things\"\n- \"Zero to One\"\n- \"The Founder's Dilemmas\"\n- \"The Launch Pad\"\n[FICTION]\n- Trilogy: \"Off to be a wizard / An Unwelcome Quest / Spell or High Water\"\n- \"Infinite Jest\" - tried but failed to finish. May try again later.\n- \"Ready Player One\" - nice, but repetitive after a while. Good read before the movie comes out.\n[NON-FICTION]\n- \"What If?\" - xkcd FTW\n- \"How to Read a Book\" - good concepts, but should be a 10 pages blog post, not a book\n- \"Spark\" - Science of the Exercise and the Brain - Long, but good\n- \"Sugar Shock\" - still reading; hopefully will help me cut my sweet cravings\n[BIOGRAPHIES]\n- \"The New New Thing\" - about Jim Clark's life, one of the very first entrepreneurs\n- \"Machines of Loving Grace\" - about the research and the rise of AI\n- \"Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution\"\n- \"The Second Coming of Steve Jobs\" - About Pixar's story. Liked more than Isaacson's biography\n- \"The Innovators\" - great summary of computer industry, from the 1800's till today\n- \"Ghost in the Wires\" - Kevin Mitnick's story. Had started years ago, but finally finished it\n- \"Idea Man\" - about Paul Allen's story. Quite an impressive man.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Innovators\" - great summary of computer industry, from the 1800's till today",
          "reason": "Praised as a great summary of the computer industry.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12475769,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T21:12:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12475769",
          "commentText": "Here's the best books I've read in the last year or so:\n>> Computer History & biographies:\nThe New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story, Michael Lewis\nThe Second Coming of Steve Jobs, by Alan Deutschman\nMachines of Loving Grace, by John Markoff\nThe Innovators, by Walter Isaacson\nGhost in the Wires, by Kevin Mitnick\nIdea Man: A Memoir by the Cofounder of Microsoft, by Paul Allen\nCreativity, Inc, by Ed Catmull (reading)\n>> Startups:\nThe Hard Thing About Hard Things, by Ben Horowitz\nThe Founder's Dilemmas, Noam Wasserman\nThe Launch Pad, by Randall Stross\n>> Other books:\nTrilogy: Off to Be the Wizard (series), by Scott Meyer\nSearch Inside Yourself, Chade-Meng Tan\nJoy on Demand, Chade-Meng Tan (reading)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Innovators, by Walter Isaacson",
          "reason": "Included in the writer's list of best books read over the past year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8795309,
          "author": "147",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T03:28:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795309",
          "commentText": "I just bought 4 books off of Amazon and got them today:\nMathematics: Its Content, Methods and Meaning. Highly recommended overview of math by some HNers so I figured I would check it out.\nVenture capitalists at work. I didn't realize there were more \"at work\" series books other than coders and founders, so this one sounds right up my alley.\nInformation Rules, a book that's supposedly dated on economics and how it applies to the internet world. Recommended on Chris Dixon's blog and looked interesting. Thought I might get some new insights to bitcoin or something with it.\nAnd Walter Isaacson's new book, the innovators.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "And Walter Isaacson's new book, the innovators.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8717100,
          "author": "marmot1101",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T16:05:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8717100",
          "commentText": "Work related:  Inspired by Mary Cagan, The Innovators by Walter Isaacson\nNon-Work related: The Supreme Gift and Warrior of Light by Coelho.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Innovators by Walter Isaacson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Walter Isaacson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of computing",
        "technology innovators",
        "computing history",
        "innovation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-name-of-the-rose-662a26",
      "title": "The Name of the Rose",
      "author": "Umberto Eco",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49905045,
          "author": "forlorn",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T06:12:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49905045",
          "commentText": "The thing is you have to get used to the pace of the book resembling the pace of monastery life.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the pace of the book resembling the pace of monastery life",
          "reason": "Explains that the book's pace resembles monastery life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467680,
          "author": "pier25",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:50:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467680",
          "commentText": "- Sapiens\n- The Lord of the Rings\n- Siddhartha\n- Chaos: Making a New Science\n- The Death Gate cycle books\n- Neuromancer\n- Head First Design Patterns\n- Valis\n- Dune\n- The name of the rose\nI'm sure there are more, but these are the ones off the top of my head.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The name of the rose",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803783,
          "author": "dmos62",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:38:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803783",
          "commentText": "I've begun reading The Name of the Rose, by Umberto Eco, his first novel. It's left a very good impression so far. It's a fourteenth century murder mystery, set in a monastery, where the mystery is mostly an excuse for exploring the historical and cultural contexts, which are very interesting. Wikipedia has a nice summary: \"an intellectual mystery combining semiotics in fiction, biblical analysis, medieval studies, and literary theory\". Eco was a semiotician and a philosopher and he brings the best of that to the table in this book.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've begun reading The Name of the Rose, by Umberto Eco, his first novel. It's left a very good impression so far.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the novel has made a very good impression and describes its historical and cultural interests positively.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in medieval history, cultural context, and intellectual mysteries.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has begun reading it and describes their impression so far.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13975820,
          "author": "osullivj",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-28T12:02:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13975820",
          "commentText": "Loved Foucault's Pendulum, but I think Name of the Rose is a better novel. The characters are more convincing, the narrative momentum more propulsive, and the intellectual pyrotechnics just as satisfying. The film, with Sean Connery, is pretty good too...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Name of the Rose is a better novel. The characters are more convincing, the narrative momentum more propulsive, and the intellectual pyrotechnics just as satisfying.",
          "reason": "The commenter prefers it to Foucault's Pendulum, praising its characters, momentum, and intellectual content.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13240800,
          "author": "cicero",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T22:06:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13240800",
          "commentText": "A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter Miller (recommended SF classic)\nThe Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis (an old favorite, recommended)\nThe Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco (some interesting parts, but overall a disappointment)\nTheology and Sanity - Frank Sheed (recommended; a very written description of the Catholic faith; weaknesses are it's long and it's aimed to a mid 20th c. audience)\nChristianity for Modern Pagans: Pascal's Pensees - Peter Kreeft (recommended; a good exposition of Blaise Pascal's thought)\nCatholicism: A journey to the heart of the faith - Robert Barron (recommended; a good explanation of Catholicism for the common person)\nHis Master's Voice - Stanislaw Lem (recommended; very intellectual look at the problem of first contact)\nThe Industries of the Future - Alec Ross (the robotics chapter is best; other parts are more light-weight; easy read)\nClouds of Witnesses - Dorothy Sayers (not my favorite Sayers mystery, but enjoyable)\nA Study in Scarlet - Arthur Conan Doyle (recommended)\nWhy Gender Matters - Leonard Sax (recommended; most of the book is based on good science, but he does go out on a limb a time or two.)\nOld School - Tobias Wolff (recommended; a world before widespread TV where high school boys actually got excited about literature)\nInfinite Space, Infinite God - Karina and Robert Fabian editors (story quality varies; I enjoyed some of them)\nThe Sign of Four - Arthur Conan Doyle (recommended)\nOn Stranger Tides - Tim Powers (recommended; I love Powers, but Anubis Gates and Last Call are better. Still, if you like pirates you should like this)\nThe Art of Worldly Wisdom - Baltasar Gracian (interesting)\nAquinas at Prayer: the Bible, Mysticism, and Poetry - Paul Murray (recommended; this shows a different side of Thomas Aquinas)\nAristotle for Everybody: Difficult Thought Made Easy - Mortimer Adler (recommended; I almost think this should be required reading)\nThe Pilgrim's Regress - C.S. Lewis (I enjoyed it, but the ideas Lewis argues against are somewhat dated.)\nEdit for formatting",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco (some interesting parts, but overall a disappointment)",
          "reason": "The commenter found some parts interesting but says the book was an overall disappointment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Overall a disappointment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10843279,
          "author": "osullivj",
          "createdAt": "2016-01-05T14:08:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 10833032,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book you've recently read and enjoyed?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10843279",
          "commentText": "Been a big Stephenson fan since Cryptonomicon. Enjoyed the Baroque Trilogy, Anathem & Reamde, but non of them are as good as Cryptonomicon. It's a bit like be an Umberto Eco fan - nothing since Name of the Rose has been quite as good. Or Wes Anderson for that matter; there's been good stuff, but nothing's touched the heights of Royal Tenenbaums.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "nothing since Name of the Rose has been quite as good",
          "reason": "The commenter says later work has not been as good as this title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5693965,
          "author": "meerita",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-12T12:01:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5693965",
          "commentText": "Good author. A bit, elitist in their prose and a bit rude with the reader. He makes you read a lot before getting a bit of emotion. In Il nome della rosa he does a masterful work, to me.\nI really liked Patricia Highsmith with the sequels of Mr. Ripley. I also love the french book write Jean-Christophe Grangé with their beloved black novel books. Love the all of them.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "In Il nome della rosa he does a masterful work, to me.",
          "reason": "Says Eco does masterful work in this book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment also describes Eco's prose as elitist and a bit rude with the reader.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876362,
          "author": "dlgtho",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T09:39:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876362",
          "commentText": "Walden; or, Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau\nName of the Rose by Umberto Eco",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to the thread’s request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Umberto Eco"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical mystery",
        "historical fiction",
        "literary fiction",
        "medieval abbey"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-personal-mba-cd293d",
      "title": "The Personal MBA",
      "author": "Josh Kaufman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35169319,
          "author": "blowski",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T14:58:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35169319",
          "commentText": "- The Mom Test\n- 4 Steps to the Epiphany\n- The Personal MBA (Josh Kaufman)\n- Lean Analytics\n- Good Strategy Bad Strategy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Personal MBA (Josh Kaufman)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804348,
          "author": "JonathanMerklin",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:41:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804348",
          "commentText": "Great thread. 2019 was the first time in about 7-8 years I made reading for pleasure a tertiary priority ((school+career)work/sleep/exercise+socializing+(NEW!)reading) and I got through about 20 books of varying length and difficulty, so here are the next 20 in my queue:\n- Infinite Jest (already started, will likely finish in early Jan. I love it so far.)\n- Quantum Computing Since Democritus (started in November as my nonfiction read, but took a break; I think I want to finish IJ first. Scott is an excellent writer and I was really enjoying this)\n- Building Microservices\n- The Code Book\n- How Cars Work (I want to turn the projection of a car in my brain from a black box to a gray box this year, and I don't mean by purchasing a Cybertruck)\n- To Kill a Mockingbird\n- The Personal MBA (for years I laughed off caring about the business of business and lived in my fantasy land of being satisfied with just the technical details and being focused on only implementing great software/learning how to do so. With a few years in the workforce under my belt, I realize that such an outlook was of great detriment to me. I'm open to other suggestions on similar \"catch me up to speed on general business education\" material)\n- Designing Data-Intensive Applications\n- Island (I have a copy of this but not Brave New World. Multiple friends of mine demand I try Huxley, so here we are.)\n- The Annotated Turing\n- How to Invent Everything\n- Soonish (SMBC is a daily read for me and I'm excited to get to this.)\n- How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems (ditto XKCD modulo release schedule)\n- Basic Economics\n- Thus Spoke Zarathustra\n- Seveneves\n- The Prince\n- Pacific Rims: Beermen Ballin' in Flip-Flops and the Philippines' Unlikely Love Affair with Basketball\n- Elevator Music: A Surreal History of Muzak, Easy-Listening, and Other Moodsong\n- Fahrenheit 451\nAdditionally, to tickle the part of my brain that fancies mathematics (one of my my majors in undergrad), I try to work through a chapter or two of Evan Chen's \"An Infinitely Long Napkin\" on a quarterly basis. If you don't mind a conversational tone to your math textbooks, I've found this to be an excellent resource for scraping the surface of a wide variety of topics and fields (including, well, topics like fields). I think I'll continue this habit.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Personal MBA",
          "reason": "The commenter wants to catch up on general business education and recognizes that ignoring business knowledge was detrimental.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking general business education.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19896678,
          "author": "imakwana",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T05:51:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19896678",
          "commentText": "# Intuition Pump and other tools for thinking by Daniel Dennett\n# Books edited by John Brockman - 1) This Explains Everything, 2) This Idea is Brilliant, 3) This Will Make You Smarter, 4) Thinking\n# Personal MBA by Josh Kaufman\nAlso second the recommendation of other books based on Charlie Munger's wisdom and farnam street's reading list.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Personal MBA by Josh Kaufman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16301863,
          "author": "akulbe",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-04T07:57:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16301863",
          "commentText": "My five year old is a voracious reader. I feel like this is one of the most important educational tools you can give anyone. We stress to her that if you can read, and comprehend, there's nothing you cannot learn. That's why I included the first two on this list.\nHow to Read a Book - Mortimer Adler\nHow to Read Slowly - James Sire\nThe Personal MBA - Josh Kaufman\nThe Intelligent Investor - Benjamin Graham\nThink and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Personal MBA - Josh Kaufman",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the question about books to read earlier in life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8795412,
          "author": "akulbe",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T04:30:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795412",
          "commentText": "The Personal MBA - Josh Kaufman\nThe First 20 Hours - Josh Kaufman\nSo Good They Can't Ignore You - Cal Newport\nThe 4-Hour Workweek - Tim Ferriss\nThe 4-Hour Body - Tim Ferriss\nStop Acting Rich - Thomas J. Stanley\nJames Altucher - Choose Yourself",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Personal MBA - Josh Kaufman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109099,
          "author": "selleck",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:18:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109099",
          "commentText": "Morning train ride: The Personal MBA.\nEvening train ride: Problem Solving with Algorithms and Data Structures using Python.\nBest read in a while: The Obstacle is the Way. Great intro to Stoicism, and only $4.00 on the kindle.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Morning train ride: The Personal MBA.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4476568,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-04T21:12:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 4476107,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN : What are some great books an aspiring entrepreneur should read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4476568",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps to the Epiphany - Steve Blank\nThe Art of the Start - Guy Kawasaki\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nBusiness Model Generation - Alex Osterwalder\nThe Personal MBA - Josh Kaufman\nBlue Ocean Strategy - W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne\nAlso, see:\nhttp://www.quora.com/What-are-some-must-read-books-for-entre... (http://www.quora.com/What-are-some-must-read-books-for-entrepreneurs)\nhttp://www.quora.com/Business-Books/What-business-books-must... (http://www.quora.com/Business-Books/What-business-books-must-an-entrepreneur-read)\nhttp://www.quora.com/What-are-3-books-you-would-suggest-any-... (http://www.quora.com/What-are-3-books-you-would-suggest-any-entrepreneur-make-their-top-3-must-reads)\nand\nhttp://personalmba.com/best-business-books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Personal MBA - Josh Kaufman",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books aspiring entrepreneurs should read.",
          "audience": "Aspiring entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Josh Kaufman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business fundamentals",
        "management",
        "self education",
        "self study"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-memory-called-empire-41e46b",
      "title": "A Memory Called Empire",
      "author": "Arkady Martine",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49901944,
          "author": "nozzlegear",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-29T22:56:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49901944",
          "commentText": "I'm reading A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine, it's the sequel to A Memory Called Empire. I'm enjoying it!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the sequel to A Memory Called Empire",
          "reason": "Names the preceding novel to identify the sequel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 48089141,
          "author": "cheese_van",
          "createdAt": "2026-05-10T23:16:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 48084905,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci fi books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48089141",
          "commentText": "I can recommend A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine.  Heartily recommend in fact.\nAnd if you're like me, always looking for a series to fill the time, I can recomend the Solar Clipper series by Nathan Lowell.  It's nothing dramatic, just human interactions, which I found refreshing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can recommend A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine. Heartily recommend in fact.",
          "reason": "Explicitly and heartily recommends the novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38567188,
          "author": "disgruntledphd2",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T09:57:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38567188",
          "commentText": "> Teixcalaan #1 & #2, \"A Memory Called Empire\" and \"A Desolation Called Peace\" by Arkady Martine for being very different feeling sci-fi books that are not your typical western-centric fare. Highlights are the language, and that the story feels both very small and contained, and also all-encompassing, at the same time.\nThese were marvellous, well worth reading for any fans of Malazan/other fantasy or sci-fi.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"A Memory Called Empire\" and \"A Desolation Called Peace\" by Arkady Martine",
          "reason": "Recommended as a distinctive science-fiction read with compelling language and scope.",
          "audience": "Fans of Malazan or other fantasy and science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36026544,
          "author": "shoo",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-22T01:55:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36026544",
          "commentText": "I'll plug some excellent work that is underrepresented here:\nCJ Cherryh's \"Cyteen\". Won the Hugo for best novel in '89. The backdrop is Cherryh's Alliance-Union universe -- which is arguably one of those classic \"cold war in space\" type space opera settings of science fiction of a certain vintage -- but that conflict isn't the focus of this novel. Cyteen is set in the research organisation that designs, grows and conditions the \"azi\" clone slave caste that generates population of labourers and specialists required to keep the Union society running. I found it initially slow going, but it turned out to be one of the best novels I've read in a long time. The plot is a kind of coming-of-age / political-intrigue / murder mystery tale. Not a space opera - power games, paranoia, abuse. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyteen\nYoon Ha Lee's \"Ninefox Gambit\" (first of a trilogy, each book in the trilogy shortlisted for Hugo best novel 2017/2018/2019). Space opera / military sci-fi. The political stability of the empire depends upon adherence to the empire's standard 'calendar', which is maintained through ritual torture of heretics. Much exotic technology depends upon calendric properties, and fails in regions where populations are following a nonstandard heretical calendar. The outcomes of battles depend not only on how many fleets or waves of infantry can be expended, but each side's mathematical ability to understand the local calendrical properties and adapt their tactics and technology accordingly. The plot follows a military officer's mission to quash a rebellion at a key star fortress -- and her attempt to improve the chances of success by having the mind of a dead undefeated war-criminal general loaded into her head. Space opera / military sci-fi.\nArkady Martine's \"A Memory Called Empire\" (won Hugo best novel in 2020). A tiny independent station sends a replacement diplomat into the heart of a neighboring empire, in an attempt to direct the empire's attention elsewhere and maintain independent station sovereignty, and discover what happened to the previous diplomat. Backdrop is suitable for a space opera, the story is political intrigue. The station society is one where memories and personalities can be artificially recorded and stored, and then re-implanted into future generations to preserve skills and knowledge. The novel explores attraction and intoxication with the culture and language of a dominant foreign power that is threatening to engulf one's own home.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Arkady Martine's \"A Memory Called Empire\"",
          "reason": "Describes a diplomat navigating a neighboring empire and explores cultural influence and memory preservation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34160619,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:11:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160619",
          "commentText": "This year I've put myself to the challenge to read at least one book per week which I primarily could complete by reading in the middle of the night while holding our sleeping baby in my arms. It has been an interesting challenge which gave me a lot of fulfilment and has certainly changed my mind on how I view the world. This comment became quite a long read, apologies for that.\nBooks I highly recommend:\nChurchill by Andrew Roberts (p:1105)\nA biography about one of the most interesting figures in politics and WWII. Roberts gives a very detailed description of the life of Churchill and manages to keep you interested the entire length of the book.\nThe God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (p:374)\nIn The God Delusion Dawkins gives arguments why there is no God, why we do not need a God and why religion is damaging to our society. If you are religious it might not be the book for you unless you are open to hear his arguments and line of reasoning. Dawkins will challenge your worldview.\nThe Bomb by Fred Kaplan (p:384)\nKaplan describes the policy of different US presidents on the atomic bomb and war in general. And primarily on the inability of US presidents and policy-makers to tune down its military. A chilling read which makes you appreciate a nuclear holocaust did not happen (yet)....\nPoor Economics by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo (p:320)\nBanerjee and Duflo give a gripping portrait of how poor people live. They offer an insight in the choices and decisions people make surviving on less than 1 USD a day (corrected for purchasing power). It made me completely rethink my own view on poverty and development aid; stressing even more that in order to help one need to have a complete understanding of the individual's situation and the local boundary conditions.\nProject Hail Mary  by Andy Weir (p:476)\nThis book triggered my science fiction reading. For some reason I never was interested in science fiction. Most likely triggered by reading Foundation by Asimov a few years back which apparently is not a book to my taste. But Andy Weir completely annihilated that wrong perspective on science fiction. Project Hail Mary is interesting, funny and gripping book.\nKindred by Octavia Butler  (p:287)\nThis book.... From page one I was hooked and almost read it in one go. Butler is a wonderful author and Kindred is a must-read. The book is about a woman traveling back in time to end up on a slave plantation. It's a chilling account of slavery.\nOther books I read this year, ask me anything about one of these books. I've added a + if I think its worth a recommendation\nBiography:\nNavalny by Dollbaum, Lallouet and Noble (p:280); The Man from the Future by Ananyo Bhattacharya (p:354) +\nSociology; Politics; Economics; Business:\nOnly the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove (p:224); The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli  (p:140); Winter is Coming by Garry Kasparov (p:290); Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum (p:224) +; Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl (p:164) +; We Are Bellingcat by Eliot Higgins (p:272); De Zeven Vinkjes by Joris Luyendijk (p:200); Waarom vuilnismannen meer verdienen dan bankiers by Rutger Bregman (p:104)\nComedy: The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (p:336)\nHistory:\nBand of Brothers  by Stephen E. Ambrose (p:432); The Nuclear Jihadist by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins (p:413) +; The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre (p:384) +; De Heineken Ontvoering by Peter R. de Vries (p:347); Red Famine by Anne Apllebaum (p:384); Night by Elie Wiesel (p:115) +\nScience, Technology, Mathematics:\nFermat's Enigma by Simon Singh (p:315) +; A Mathematician's Apology by G.H. Hardy (p:153); The Great Influenza by John M. Barry (p:546); The Rise and Fall of the Dinousaurs by Stephen Brusatte (p:404) ++; The Double Helix by James Watson (p:144)\nSport:\nRun or Die by Killian Jornet (p:208); The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton  (p:290) +; The Rise of the Ultra Runners by  (p:304); Tom Dumoulin by Patrick Bernhart (p:203)\nFiction:\nAnthem by Ayn Rand (p:105); Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (p:704); The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (p:566); Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (p:466); Live and Let die by Ian Fleming  (p:229)\nClassics:\nA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (p:104); The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (p:201); The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald (p:180); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (p:139); Animal Farm by George Orwell (p:122) +; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (p:227) +; The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (p:118)\nScience Fiction:\nThe Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (p:399); All Systems Red  by Martha Wells (p:144) +; A Memory Called Empire  by Arkady Martine (p:462) +; A Psalm built for the Wild by Becky Chambers (p:160); Dune by Frank Herbert (p:658); Foundation by Isaac Asimov (p:244); The Martian by Andy Weir (p:384) +;\nThe Forever War by Joe Haldeman (p:278)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Memory Called Empire  by Arkady Martine",
          "reason": "Marked with a plus as worth recommending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28058906,
          "author": "mvuijlst",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T09:18:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28058906",
          "commentText": "I recently read and liked A Memory Called Empire and A Desolation Called Peace.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recently read and liked A Memory Called Empire",
          "reason": "Says they recently read and liked it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arkady Martine"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "political intrigue",
        "political science fiction",
        "memory technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-mind-for-numbers-489fdf",
      "title": "A Mind for Numbers",
      "author": "Barbara Oakley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37960149,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960149",
          "commentText": "* \"On Writing\" by Stephen King (1 mention)\n    * Summary: In his guide to the craft of writing, King masterfully conveys his views on how good writing is cultivated. The book provides personal insights into the author's life while serving as a guide for aspiring writers.\n* \"The Dictionary\" (1 mention, multiple authors)\n    * Summary: A reference book containing an alphabetical list of words in a specific language, providing definitions, pronunciations, etymology, and other details. It is a valuable resource for understanding and accurately using language.\n* \"Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book chronicles Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 1914-1916 survival journey across the Antarctic. Faced with treacherous weather conditions and a lack of provisions, the men battle to stay alive, highlighting the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.\n* \"The Experience of God\" by David Bentley Hart (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A philosophical exploration of the concept of God that goes beyond specific religious doctrines. Hart articulates a vision of ultimate reality that transcends religious, philosophical, and cultural boundaries.\n* \"A Mind for Numbers\" by Barbara Oakley (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book provides practical advice on how to learn effectively in math and science areas, but the techniques are applicable across disciplines. Oakley shares techniques to overcome learning obstacles and improve comprehension and retention.\n* \"A People's History of the US\" by Howard Zinn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers an alternative exploration of American history from the perspective of ordinary people and marginalized groups rather than political leaders, emphasizing class struggles and systemic injustices.\n* \"The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science\" by Isaac Asimov (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive outline of scientific knowledge, covering fields like physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, and earth science. It communicates complex scientific concepts in a way that is accessible to non-specialist readers.\n* \"Das Kapital\" by Karl Marx (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive critique of capitalism highlighting its inherent contradictions and imbalances. Marx diagnoses the capitalist system as one in which the rich get richer at the expense of the working class. The book has been influential in shaping socialist and communist thought.\n* \"You are Not So Smart\" by David McRaney (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book explores various cognitive biases, logical fallacies, and memory missteps that humans commonly succumb to. The author uses humor and personal anecdotes to make neuroscience and psychology accessible, challenging readers to question their perceptions of the world and themselves.\n* \"Blink\" by Malcolm Gladwell (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Gladwell explores the process of quick decision-making, also known as \"thin-slicing.\" The book delves into both the potential accuracy and the pitfalls of making snap judgments. It demonstrates how our subconscious biases often override our better instincts.\n* \"How To Sell at Margins Higher Than Your Competitors\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book offers detailed advice on how to avoid price competition by creating differentiators and adding value, thereby allowing readers to compete on things other than price.\n*  \"The Surrender Experiment\" by Michael Singer (1 mention)\n    * Summary: The book chronicles the author’s journey from solitude into the business world. It explores the idea of surrendering personal preferences to allow life to guide the way, challenging conventional views about control and outcomes.\n* \"How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World\" by Harry Browne (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This self-help book offers a blueprint for finding personal freedom. It encourages readers to embrace their individual sovereignty and to not be inhibited by societal conventions, effectively teaching how to live on one's own terms.\n* \"Happy by Derren Brown\" and \"The Daily Stoic\" (1 mention, authors not specified)\n    * Summary: \"Happy\" provides a perspective on happiness using the principles of stoic philosophy, challenging modern conceptions of happiness. \"The Daily Stoic\" provides a year's worth of philosophical wisdom from ancient stoics, aimed at allowing people to better respond to life's challenges.\n* \"Guns, Germs, and Steel\" by Jared Diamond (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Diamond investigates the geographical and environmental factors that have shaped the modern world. He argues that civilizations have developed differently across the globe due to variances in geography, climate, vegetation, and animal populations, more so than due to traits inherent to different racial or ethnic groups.\n* \"The Gulag Archipelago\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Solzhenitsyn unveils the brutal reality of the Soviet Union’s forced labor camp system. It's an exploration of the human capability for evil when unchecked by moral constraints, shedding light on the mechanisms of a totalitarian regime.\n* \"Ecclesiastes\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A book from the Bible that delves into the purpose of life and the vain pursuit of earthly things. It debates the merits of wisdom, wealth, and pleasure, underscoring the transience and ultimate futility of human endeavors, and urging readers to fear God and keep his commandments.\n* \"Women hold up half the sky\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A collection of personal stories illuminating the oppression and resistance of women in developing countries. The book confronts issues like gender inequality, sexual violence, maternal mortality and economic disparity while highlighting the resilience and strength of ordinary women in overcoming them.\n* \"Spell of the Sensuous\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book offers a radical reinterpretation of our relationship with the natural world. It critiques Western civilization’s estrangement from nature, exploring indigenous cultures and offering a philosophical enquiry into human perception and its relation to the environment.\n* \"Kids and the Amiga\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A guide to using the Amiga computer, aimed at children and early-tweens. It provides a hands-on approach to learning basic computer skills by creating practical programs.\n* \"Hackers\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: The book provides a comprehensive history of hackers, tracing the evolution of hacking culture from the 1950s to the present day. It details the personalities, philosophies, and technical exploits that have defined this diverse and innovative subculture.\n* \"LSD my problem child\" by Albert Hoffmann (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book is the autobiography of Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who first synthesized LSD. It chronicles his discovery, the subsequent fallout, and his personal experiences with the drug.\n* \"Electric cool aid acid test\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book tells the story of novelist Ken Kesey and his band of Merry Pranksters. They embarked on a cross-country bus journey, experimenting with LSD and challenging societal norms, becoming pivotal figures in the psychedelic movement and the counterculture of the 1960s.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"A Mind for Numbers\" by Barbara Oakley (1 mention)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37938529,
          "author": "huijzer",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T04:42:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37938529",
          "commentText": "A Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley. I’ve ingrained many of her lessons as habits.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley. I’ve ingrained many of her lessons as habits.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have made many of the book’s lessons into habits.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18744972,
          "author": "lihaciudaniel",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T07:50:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744972",
          "commentText": "* A mind for numbers - Barbara Oakley\n - great framework for learning how to learn\n* Checklist manifesto\n- good for investing better \n* 12 Rule for life by JP\n- Great read, very in depth but only two rules (guidelines) are that needed.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A mind for numbers - Barbara Oakley\n - great framework for learning how to learn",
          "reason": "Praises its framework for learning how to learn.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665060,
          "author": "billybatson",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:11:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665060",
          "commentText": "A Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley: Decent. I think this book would best be read in conjunction while working through a textbook. I will admit that it did do quite a bit to help relieve math anxiety, but the nature of the book is practicality.\nBrave New World by Aldous Huxley: A reread. A bit depressing considering the state of the world today. I found myself wondering which reality would be preferable.\nLetters to a Young Mathematician by Ian Stewart: Easy, but fruitful read. I've struggled a lot with math confidence, and this helped alleviate a lot of that.\nHow to Speak, How to Listen by Mortimer J. Adler: A lot of practical advice. My biggest takeaway was this: if it's worth talking about, even if the conversation sucks or the other person doesn't understand, any bit of advancement and understanding is worth the effort. Really helped me increase my patience when talking to people.\nQuack This Way by David Foster Wallace and Bryan Garner: Super useful and practical discussion between two lovers of language. I keep a copy with me at all times.\nThe Autobiography of Gucci Mane: Just a fun read while on vacation. \"If Gucci can do it, you can do it\".\nJesus' Son by Denis Johnson: A nice if brutal read. It was my first foray in DJ. I felt Cormac McCarthyish vibes.\nBlood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy: A classic. The Judge.\nThinking About Mathematics by Stuart Shapiro: Highly recommended for anyone interested in the philosophical questions of mathematics. Shapiro writes clearly, concisely, and in a manner that is easy to read.\nThe Liars' Club by Mary Karr: Pretty great but brutal.\nThe Broom of the System by David Foster Wallace: I really enjoyed it. It's ode to Wittgenstein and it helped me cope with a lot of questions that I felt after studying LW.\nThe Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: I think we've all been in Werther's shoes. Though I hope that nobody comes to the same conclusion he came to.\nManage Your Day-To-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, & Sharpen Your Creative Mind: A pretty great book. I find myself writing a book report on it to make sure I internalize a lot of the lessons. If you're having trouble doing creative work while working, read this.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Decent. I think this book would best be read in conjunction while working through a textbook. I will admit that it did do quite a bit to help relieve math anxiety",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped relieve math anxiety, but suggests pairing it with a textbook.",
          "audience": "Readers working through a mathematics textbook or dealing with math anxiety.",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it decent and recommends reading it alongside a textbook.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12162419,
          "author": "sn9",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-25T23:54:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 12160209,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 12 year old tech savvy girl – books, programs, events, advice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12162419",
          "commentText": "She can learn just about anything nowadays from sites like Coursera, edx, and Udacity.\nBooks like Realm of Racket can be fun introductions to programming that happen to teach some advanced stuff.\nBooks that the parent's might like are Carol Dweck's Mindset, Barbara Oakley's A Mind for Numbers, and Angela Duckworth's Grit. If she shows an interest in mathematics, the Art of Problem Solving books and forums are great.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Barbara Oakley's A Mind for Numbers",
          "reason": "Suggested among books the parent might like.",
          "audience": "The parent.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11252763,
          "author": "kennyfrc",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-09T13:19:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11252763",
          "commentText": "Ha! Just had that binge too...\n... Here's what I like:\nOn the business end:\n- Badass by Kathy Sierra\n- Impossible to Inevitable by Aaron Ross\n- Traction by Gabriel Weinberg\n- Cold Calling Early Customers by Robert Graham\n- Learn or Die by Edward Hess\nOn \"refining your thought process\":\n- Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley\n- Racing Towards Excellence by Jan Sramek\n- Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin\n- Case Interview Secrets by Victor Cheng (helps you think in a nice, structured way)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley",
          "reason": "Included under the commenter’s books for refining thought processes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Barbara Oakley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "learning strategies",
        "learning how to learn",
        "math study",
        "learning techniques"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-time-of-gifts-b78d2f",
      "title": "A Time of Gifts",
      "author": "Patrick Leigh Fermor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41175841,
          "author": "montgomery_r",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:58:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175841",
          "commentText": "Aargh, Formatting! Try 2 :\nFor the value of ‘best’ that includes\n(a) had a deep and long lasting impact on how I think about the world and\n(b) I consider beautiful pieces of writing in their own right,\nhere are some in no particular order:\nThe Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins\nThinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nNaming and Necessity, Saul Kripke\nTractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein\n(These you might want to approach via a gentle introduction if you did not study Philosophy to degree level)\nThe Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle\nDarkness at Noon, Arthur Koestler\nThe Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse\nA Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh\nDiaries, Samuel Pepys\nFalling Off the Map, Pico Iyer\nA Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor\nThe Lonely Sea and the Sky, Francis Chichester\nThe Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope\nBevis, Richard Jeffries\nThe Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith\nThe Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse\nHitch-22, essays, Christopher Hitchens\nCollected Essays, William Hazlitt\nVenice, Martin Gayford\nThe Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski\nThe Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch\nToo obvious a list, perhaps, but some gems for all that! Happy reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor",
          "reason": "Includes the title among books considered impactful and beautifully written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41175718,
          "author": "montgomery_r",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:45:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175718",
          "commentText": "For the value of ‘best’ that includes  (a) had a deep and long lasting impact on how I think about the world and (b) I consider beautiful pieces of writing in their own right, here are some in no particular order: \nThe Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins \nThinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nNaming and Necessity, Saul Kripke\nTractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein\n(These you might want to approach via a gentle introduction if you did not study Philosophy to degree level) \nThe Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle\nDarkness at Noon,\nArthur Koestler\nThe Glass Bead Game,\nHermann Hesse\nA Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh\nDiaries, Samuel Pepys\nFalling Off the Map, Pico Iyer\nA Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor\nThe Lonely Sea and the Sky,\nFrancis Chichester\nThe Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope\nBevis, Richard Jeffries\nThe Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith\nThe Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse\nHitch-22, essaysChristopher Hitchens \nCollected Essays, William Hazlitt\nVenice, Martin Gayford\nThe Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski\nThe Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch\nToo obvious a list, perhaps, but some gems for all that! Happy reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor",
          "reason": "Includes it among books with lasting impact on how they think and that they consider beautiful writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24180692,
          "author": "fiftyacorn",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-16T19:55:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 24176902,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please suggest some good books you have read recently",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24180692",
          "commentText": "A time for gifts by Patrick fermor\nI became interested in fermor after reading about his kidnap of a German general during ww2.\nThis books is about his walking across Europe during the 30s. Well written snapshot of this period",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A time for gifts by Patrick fermor",
          "reason": "Describes Fermor's walk across Europe in the 1930s and calls it a well-written snapshot of the period.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337252,
          "author": "gerikson",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:06:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337252",
          "commentText": "Used to be the Swallows and Amazon series (when I was much younger).\nThen it was the 2 memoirs by Patrick Leigh Fermor: \"A Time of Gifts\" and \"Between the Woods and the Water\".\nLately it's the Aubrey-Maturin by Patrick O'Brian series which I have re-read multiple times.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Time of Gifts",
          "reason": "Named among the commenter's past and current comfort reads, which they have returned to over time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15635202,
          "author": "dodgyb",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-06T13:21:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15635202",
          "commentText": "Fiction - Narcissus and Goldmund by Hermann Hesse. Contrasting the lives of a free spirit and a disciplined mind.\nNon Fiction - A Time of Gifts/Between the Woods and the Water/The Broken Road by Patrick Leigh Fermor. Recounting a trip from Holland to Constantinople by foot in the 1930's when he was a teenager. A trilogy of books written when he was in his 60's and 70's. An erudite raconteur.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Time of Gifts/Between the Woods and the Water/The Broken Road by Patrick Leigh Fermor.",
          "reason": "Part of a trilogy recounting the author's journey on foot from Holland to Constantinople in the 1930s.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109127,
          "author": "11001",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:22:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109127",
          "commentText": "Just finished Patrick Leigh Fermor's \"A time of gifts\" and I can't recommend it enough! One of the best English books that I have read. You will particularly like it if you're interested in European history (political, as well as art history), if you like traveling, if you're into foreign languages and if you don't mind using a dictionary once in a while. I'm really excited to start its sequel \"Between the woods and the water\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can't recommend it enough! One of the best English books that I have read.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends it for its writing and travel through European history, art, and languages.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in European history, travel, and foreign languages.",
          "caveat": "May require using a dictionary.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Patrick Leigh Fermor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "travel writing",
        "memoir",
        "travel memoir",
        "europe"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-wild-sheep-chase-c0489b",
      "title": "A Wild Sheep Chase",
      "author": "Haruki Murakami",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46398713,
          "author": "__alexander",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T03:08:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46398713",
          "commentText": "Murakami’s fiction novels are extremely different from “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running”. If you want to try another non-fiction book of his check-out “Underground : The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche”, I loved it. If you go the fiction route “Kafka on the Shore” and “A Wild Sheep Chase” are a good starting point. Avoid some of his longer works unless you enjoy his style.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Kafka on the Shore” and “A Wild Sheep Chase” are a good starting point.",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a good starting point for Murakami's fiction.",
          "audience": "Readers trying Murakami's fiction.",
          "caveat": "Avoid some of his longer works unless you enjoy his style.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25906478,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T18:05:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25906478",
          "commentText": "I read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle based on suggestions\nI have that on my list to read \"sometime soon.\" So far I've really enjoyed all the Murakami I've read - After Dark, Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and A Wild Sheep Chase. Definitely planning to read the rest of his works eventually.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and A Wild Sheep Chase",
          "reason": "Includes it among Murakami works the commenter has enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25531718,
          "author": "jamesmehaffey",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T21:44:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25531718",
          "commentText": "A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami. I really cannot summarize the plot, but it is such a good read. My favorite author.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami. I really cannot summarize the plot, but it is such a good read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a good read and names Murakami as their favorite author.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they cannot summarize the plot.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22722401,
          "author": "gautamcgoel",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T20:27:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22722401",
          "commentText": "Surprised no one mentioned any of Haruki Murakami's books. Norwegian Wood made a big impression on me as a young man in my late teens. Kafka on the shore and the Wind-up Bird Chronicle are both trips. A Wild Sheep Chase is hilarious.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Wild Sheep Chase is hilarious.",
          "reason": "Praises the novel as hilarious.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13237860,
          "author": "dejv",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T15:32:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237860",
          "commentText": "Out of 32 books I read this year I recommend:\nSomehow tech/startup related:\n- Spelunky, Derek Yu: book about creating the game of Spelunky + notes on game design\n- Disrupted, Dan Lyons: book about \"old\" guy working in startup\n- Hatching Twitter, Nick Bilton: book about Twitter\nNon-startupy books:\n- A Wild Sheep Chase, Haruki Murakami: modern Japanese novel\n- The Hills of Chianti, Piero Antinori: story about wine company and notes on wine making, wine marketing and other stuff from one of the most notable wine company from Italy (700 years old, owned by one family whole history)\n- The City and the Stars, Arthur C. Clark: scifi classic",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- A Wild Sheep Chase, Haruki Murakami: modern Japanese novel",
          "reason": "Included among the non-startup books the commenter recommends.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in modern Japanese fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Haruki Murakami"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "japanese literature",
        "surrealism",
        "literary fiction",
        "magical realism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "altered-carbon-19275e",
      "title": "Altered Carbon",
      "author": "Richard K. Morgan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36021948,
          "author": "jillesvangurp",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:30:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021948",
          "commentText": "Anything Neal Stephenson. I've read them all. Multiple times.\nBut some other stuff that people haven't yet mentioned that I enjoyed:\n- Matt Haig: The Humans, How to Stop Time\n- Richard Morgan: Altered Carbon trilogy\n- Ramez Naam: Nexus Trilogy\n- Hugh Howie: Silo series\n- Ann Leckie: Ancillary Justice\n- Ernest Cline: Ready Player 1",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Altered Carbon trilogy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35394255,
          "author": "ckorhonen",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-31T22:01:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 35392063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Science Fiction books that predict where ChatGPT might lead us?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35394255",
          "commentText": "There are numerous science fiction books that have explored the potential impact of artificial intelligence on humanity, ranging from utopian to dystopian scenarios. Here are some of the most interesting and relevant titles that address the questions and fears you've mentioned:\n\"Neuromancer\" by William Gibson (1984): This cyberpunk classic envisions a future where AI is deeply ingrained in human society and plays a significant role in shaping it.\n\"2001: A Space Odyssey\" by Arthur C. Clarke (1968): The novel, as well as the film adaptation by Stanley Kubrick, explores the relationship between humans and AI, particularly when AI begins to develop its own goals and intentions.\n\"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?\" by Philip K. Dick (1968): This novel, which inspired the movie \"Blade Runner,\" questions the nature of humanity and consciousness as it relates to artificial beings.\n\"I, Robot\" by Isaac Asimov (1950): A collection of short stories that feature the famous \"Three Laws of Robotics\" and explore various aspects of AI and their impact on society.\n\"The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress\" by Robert A. Heinlein (1966): This novel features an AI that becomes self-aware and partners with humans in a fight for lunar independence.\n\"The Culture\" series by Iain M. Banks: This series of novels is set in a post-scarcity society managed by benevolent, hyper-intelligent AIs called Minds.\n\"The Singularity is Near\" by Ray Kurzweil (2005): Though not a novel, this non-fiction book predicts the future of AI, discussing the potential for AI to surpass human intelligence and the implications of this eventuality.\n\"Accelerando\" by Charles Stross (2005): The novel explores a future in which AI, augmented humans, and post-humans coexist, addressing various ethical and societal issues along the way.\n\"Daemon\" by Daniel Suarez (2006): This techno-thriller features an AI created by a deceased programmer that sets out to create a new world order.\n\"Altered Carbon\" by Richard K. Morgan (2002): This cyberpunk novel touches on AI's impact on society, particularly in the context of human consciousness and digital immortality.\nThese books offer thought-provoking explorations of the possible consequences, both positive and negative, of advanced AI systems like ChatGPT. While each of these works is fictional and speculative in nature, they can still provide valuable insights and stimulate important discussions about the future of AI and humanity.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Altered Carbon\" by Richard K. Morgan (2002): This cyberpunk novel touches on AI's impact on society, particularly in the context of human consciousness and digital immortality.",
          "reason": "Listed among titles addressing AI's potential effects on humanity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9059820,
          "author": "tkimmel",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T23:53:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9059820",
          "commentText": "Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan is one of my favorite books of all time, and if you like it there are 2 more in the series.\nVery smart, noir sci-fi with a lot of heady concept play -- some consider it to be genre-defining.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan is one of my favorite books of all time",
          "reason": "Calls it one of their favorite books of all time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says there are two more books in the series if you like it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7302773,
          "author": "maxerickson",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T03:49:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7302773",
          "commentText": "Altered Carbon\nI liked Peter Watts stuff: http://www.rifters.com/real/shorts.htm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Altered Carbon",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for science-fiction suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4968292,
          "author": "dgtized",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T05:37:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4968292",
          "commentText": "Didn't get aorund reading it till this year, but I highly recommend _The Windup Girl_ by Paolo Bacigalupi. _Pump 6 and Other Stories_ by him is also quite good. Finally got around to reading the Takahashi Kovec's novels, _Altered Carbon_ by Richard K Morgan and it's sequels.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "_Altered Carbon_ by Richard K Morgan and it's sequels.",
          "reason": "Names it as part of the novels they read; no evaluation is given.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4353804,
          "author": "SinFulNard",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-08T03:53:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 4353632,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon.  What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4353804",
          "commentText": "Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan - highly. highly. Recommend. Ready Player One... meh. Much preferred MetaGame (only $2!). Otherwise - The Quantum Thief was a great mind blower. Haven't heard of Daemon, loved Snow Crash. Will look into.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "highly. highly. Recommend.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommended.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard K. Morgan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyberpunk",
        "noir",
        "body swapping",
        "consciousness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "amusing-ourselves-to-death-8db71e",
      "title": "Amusing Ourselves to Death",
      "author": "Neil Postman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40889507,
          "author": "nataliste",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-06T10:32:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40889507",
          "commentText": "Here are some books that pop bubbles, but must be read with humility to avoid becoming its own new bubble, as the world is complex and contains contradictions:\nHoward Zinn's People's History of the United States\nJared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel\nMichael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma\nAyn Rand's the Fountainhead\nThomas Sowell's Basic Economics\nJulian Jaynes's the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind\nIain McGilchrist's the Master and his Emmisary\nVarlam Sharlamov's the Kolyma Tales\nJacques Ellul's Propaganda: the Formation of Men's Attitudes (or alternatively Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death",
          "reason": "Offered as an alternative to Ellul's book in a list of books that pop bubbles.",
          "audience": "Readers who want their assumptions challenged.",
          "caveat": "Read with humility; the world is complex and contains contradictions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37960159,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:07:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960159",
          "commentText": "* \"Amusing Ourselves to Death\" by Neil Postman (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Postman contrasts the dystopian visions of George Orwell's \"1984\" and Aldous Huxley's \"Brave New World\" to argue that western society is becoming a shallow, entertainment-driven culture shaped by television and other media. He discusses the profound effects of television on politics, education, and other aspects of society.\n* \"Howard Zinn: A People's History of the US\" by Howard Zinn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers an alternative exploration of American history from the perspective of ordinary people and marginalized groups rather than from political leaders, emphasizing class struggles and systemic injustices.\n* \"The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science\" by Isaac Asimov (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive outline of scientific knowledge, covering fields like physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, and earth science. It communicates complex scientific concepts in a way that is accessible to non-specialist readers.\n* \"Das Kapital\" by Karl Marx (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive critique of capitalism highlighting its inherent contradictions and imbalances. Marx diagnoses the capitalist system as one in which the rich get richer at the expense of the working class. The book has been influential in shaping socialist and communist thought.\n* \"Handbook of Electronic Circuits\" (1 mention, authors not specified)\n    * Summary: An extensive reference guide that provides information on basic electronic circuits and components. It delves into the world of electronics with detailed illustrations and designs, making it a valuable resource for both beginners and professionals in the field.\n* \"Simulacra and Simulation\" by Jean Baudrillard (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This philosophical work explores the nature and cultural implications of signs and images in contemporary society. Baudrillard posits that symbols and signs have replaced reality and meaning, creating a hyperreal world where simulations of reality have become more real than reality itself.\n* \"LSD: My Problem Child\" by Albert Hofmann (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This autobiographical work by Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who first synthesized LSD, discusses his discovery and personal experiences with the drug, exploring both the positive and negative effects of LSD, its influence on society, and its potential therapeutic uses.\n* \"Requiem for the American Dream: The 10 Principles of Concentration of Wealth & Power\" by Noam Chomsky (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Chomsky provides an extensive critique of inequality in America, arguing that the concentration of wealth and power among a small elite is undermining democracy. He lays out 10 principles of concentration of wealth and power that have led to this situation.\n* \"Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\" by Alfred Lansing (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This true account of Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton's 1914-1916 expedition turned survival story. When his ship, the Endurance, was crushed by ice and left Shackleton and his crew stranded, they embarked on a harrowing and miraculous voyage to safety.\n* \"Hacker's Handbook\" by Hugo Cornwall (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A guidebook for computer enthusiasts that provides a look at the world of hacking. It covers a range of topics, including telephone and computer hacking, as well as legal implications.\n* \"Cosmos\" by Carl Sagan (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This widely-admired book introduces the universe beyond the Earth. Sagan explores our place in the universe, the history of scientific discovery, and the crucial role of critical thinking in grasping our world and the vast cosmos we are part of.\n* \"Six Pillars of Self-Esteem\" by Nathaniel Branden (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book provides a comprehensive exploration of self-esteem, its importance, its sources, and how to cultivate it. It offers concrete strategies to enhance self-esteem, which Branden argues is a key component of psychological health and personal fulfillment.\n* \"Future Shock\" by Alvin Toffler (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Future Shock examines the psychological and sociological impact of accelerating technological and social change. Toffler introduces the concept of \"future shock\" as a form of psychological disorientation caused by a rapid change in society and advocates for a more measured and conscious approach to future planning.\n* \"The Metropolis and Mental Life\" by Georg Simmel (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This seminal essay analyzes the effects of the urban environment on the individual's mind and social relationships. Simmel argues that the impersonality and money-centered economy of the metropolis lead to individuals feeling more alienated and adopting a defensive, blase attitude towards life.\n* \"The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power\" by Shoshana Zuboff (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book provides an extensive critique of the commodification of personal data by corporations in the digital age. Zuboff explores the rise of surveillance capitalism, where businesses harvest and analyze customer data to predict and influence behaviors.\n* \"Permanent Record\" by Edward Snowden (1 mention)\n    * Summary: In this powerful memoir, whistle-blower Edward Snowden tells his story on why he decided to expose the mass surveillance practices of the U.S. government. Permanent Record opens a broader conversation about free societies, privacy, surveillance, and what makes a country strong.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Amusing Ourselves to Death\" by Neil Postman (1 mention)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937122,
          "author": "genghisjahn",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:30:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937122",
          "commentText": "Seneca\nAmusing Ourselves to Death\nThe Color of Law",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Amusing Ourselves to Death",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a major impact on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34162392,
          "author": "hecanjog",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T16:10:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34162392",
          "commentText": "I read Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death recently after seeing Alan Kay mention it glowingly in interviews. There are many great insights in the book, one that stuck with me in particular is to observe the relationship between the nature of a medium and the goal it is ostensibly trying to accomplish. For example learning by watching a video where the activity is passive observation when the goal is to become adept at something that doesn't have anything to do with passive observation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death recently",
          "reason": "The commenter highlights insights about how a medium relates to its intended goal.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229805,
          "author": "noblethrasher",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:54:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229805",
          "commentText": "Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman.",
          "reason": "Offered as a book suggestion in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10767704,
          "author": "noblethrasher",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T18:01:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10767704",
          "commentText": "On Intelligence, by Jeff Hawkins — At some point, he off-handily mentions that what we call “consciousness” may just be what it feels like to have a neocortex, similar to how vision is nothing more than just what it feels like to have eyes.\nAmusing Ourselves to Death, by Neil Postman — Among lots of other ideas, he defends the thesis that /writing/ is still humankind’s greatest invention, and that our thoughtless eagerness to replace it with newer forms of media, such as television and computers—just because they're newer—is dumb and dangerous.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Amusing Ourselves to Death, by Neil Postman",
          "reason": "Summarizes the book's argument about writing, newer media, and television.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226850,
          "author": "keyist",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:36:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226850",
          "commentText": "Don't miss sivers's great list: http://sivers.org/book\nAs for mine,\nScience Fiction (I like these authors so I'd recommend most of their books -- listing which ones I think are a good 'starter novel' for them):\n  Charles Stross: Halting State\n  Vernor Vinge: A Fire Upon The Deep\n  Iain M. Banks: Culture novels, start with Player of Games\n  David Louis Edelman: Jump 225 Trilogy\n  Daniel Suarez: Daemon and Freedom(tm)\n  John Scalzi: Old Man's War series\n  Dan Simmons: Hyperion\n\nSelf-improvement:\n  The Talent Code\n  Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger\n  Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion\n\nNon-fiction:\n  Amusing Ourselves To Death (highly recommended)\n  The Science of Fear\n  The Black Swan\n  Tokyo Vice\n  Racing The Beam (Atari history, very cool)\n  books by Daniel Pink\n  Guns, Germs, and Steel\n  The Prize by Daniel Yergin\n\nFantasy:\nAnything by Gaiman or China Mieville, pretty much.\nEDIT: links to previews (legally) available online\nCharles Stross's Accelerando (entire book): http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelera... (http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelerando/accelerando-intro.html)\nDavid Louis Edelman's Infoquake (1st 7 chapters): http://www.davidlouisedelman.com/jump225/infoquake/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Amusing Ourselves To Death (highly recommended)",
          "reason": "Explicitly marked highly recommended.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neil Postman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "media criticism",
        "television",
        "public discourse",
        "media ecology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "asian-saga-c73bb0",
      "title": "Asian Saga",
      "author": "James Clavell",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268850,
          "author": "satvikpendem",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:05:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268850",
          "commentText": "Shogun, after having watched the show. I also read the other books in Clavell's series, I thought Tai Pan and Gai Jin were interesting but not as much as Shogun. Gai Jin in particular felt like it had lots of filler.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I also read the other books in Clavell's series",
          "reason": "Mentions reading the other books in Clavell's series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467700,
          "author": "clairity",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:52:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467700",
          "commentText": "i recently re-read the wisdom of crowds, ~15 years now since i first read it. still good, still relevant. there's even a section on how quickly SARS was identified in international collaboration despite no central, coordinating entity.\nit's covertly a book about statistical reasoning, but with no dry statistical language, subversive in a way. we need more statistical reasoning in the world, particularly around risk assessment, to subdue fear and panic.\nedit: as for fiction,\njames clavell's asian saga[0] series is entertaining historical fiction, which i've read twice.\npat conroy's southern portraits, particularly the lords of discipline and the prince of tides, both wrenching, haunting, and beautiful.\nalso in the historical/cultural fiction realm: anna karenina, crime and punishment, a tale of two cities, les miserables.\n[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Asian_Saga",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "james clavell's asian saga[0] series is entertaining historical fiction, which i've read twice.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the series entertaining historical fiction and says they read it twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175597,
          "author": "engi_nerd",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:30:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175597",
          "commentText": "I highly recommend all of his Asian series. They're fantastic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend all of his Asian series.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the author's Asian series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6397823,
          "author": "kyzyl",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-17T05:55:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6397823",
          "commentText": "Yeah the Asian Saga includes King Rat, Shogun, Noble House, Taipan as well as Gai-gin, The Whirlwind. They're all pretty good books but I believe Taipan, Noble House and Shogun are considered Clavell's best work, in that order (personally I like Noble House best).\nThanks for the recommendation though.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Asian Saga includes King Rat, Shogun, Noble House, Taipan as well as Gai-gin, The Whirlwind.",
          "reason": "Identifies the books as part of the Asian Saga and says they are pretty good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter believes the listed ranking of Clavell’s best work may be a matter of general consensus.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4969039,
          "author": "theballwatcher",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T12:30:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4969039",
          "commentText": "Shogun is a great read. It got me started on the whole historical fiction genre. The rest of the books in Clavell's Asian Saga are pretty good too except for maybe Gai-jin. I also enjoyed reading Gore Vidal's Lincoln and Burr from his Narratives of the Empire series - very entertaining and definitely not run-of-the-mill biographic portrayals.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The rest of the books in Clavell's Asian Saga are pretty good too except for maybe Gai-jin.",
          "reason": "Says the other books in the saga are pretty good, with a possible exception.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter makes a possible exception for Gai-jin.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1974722,
          "author": "relic17",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T10:17:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974722",
          "commentText": "Clavell's whole Asian Saga (Shogun, Tai-Pan, Gai-Jin, King Rat, Noble House, and Whirlwind) is amazing. My favorite is Tai-Pan - the book had a tremendous impact on me, and I'd imagine it would appeal to every real entrepreneur. The underlying themes are freedom, individualism, honor, risk-taking, and ultimately, building something and defending it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Clavell's whole Asian Saga (Shogun, Tai-Pan, Gai-Jin, King Rat, Noble House, and Whirlwind) is amazing.",
          "reason": "Calls the series amazing and says its themes include freedom, risk-taking, and building something.",
          "audience": "The commenter imagines it would appeal to entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Clavell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "asia",
        "asian history",
        "asian settings"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "badass-making-users-awesome-b66bde",
      "title": "Badass: Making Users Awesome",
      "author": "Kathy Sierra",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43725748,
          "author": "rozenmd",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-18T07:09:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 43723077,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on talking to users?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43725748",
          "commentText": "- The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick\n- Deploy Empathy by Michele Hansen\n- Badass: Making Users Awesome by Kathy Sierra",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Badass: Making Users Awesome by Kathy Sierra",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "People looking to improve user interviewing and communication.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35172144,
          "author": "rigmarole",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:53:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172144",
          "commentText": "“Badass: Making Users Awesome” by Kathy Sierra. I don’t see it often in lists like these. But it’s an awesome and approachable book for framing your products, services, user journey, and marketing from the viewpoint of how they’ll make your users successful and feeling amazing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Badass: Making Users Awesome” by Kathy Sierra.",
          "reason": "Approachable framework for product, services, user journeys, and marketing focused on user success.",
          "audience": "People framing products, services, user journeys, and marketing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33858182,
          "author": "mooreds",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T21:37:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33858182",
          "commentText": "Hiya,\nI'd consider these books/articles/podcasts:\n* Secrets of Consulting by Gerald Weinberg: http://geraldmweinberg.com/Site/Consulting_Secrets.html Every problem is a people problem.\n* Refactoring by Martin Fowler et. al: https://martinfowler.com/books/refactoring.html talks about how and why to refactor, as well as providing a nomenclature for the process.\n* Code Complete by Steve McConnell. https://stevemcconnell.com/books/ A bit dated (the last version I could find was from 2004) but a great overview of the entire software process, from requirements to maintenance.\n* The Mythical Man-Month by Fred Brookes: https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/mythical-man-month-the/... (https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/mythical-man-month-the/0201835959/) best practices about software development, written about a project from the 1960 and 1970s.\n* The Joel On Software Strategy Letters: https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/05/12/strategy-letter-i-... (https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/05/12/strategy-letter-i-ben-and-jerrys-vs-amazon/) is the first one. All of them (I think there are five) are great.\n* Letters to a New Developer: https://letterstoanewdeveloper.com/the-book/ Please note I wrote this, but I still think it does a good job of discussing the \"soft skills\" in an easily digestible format.\n* Pragmatic Programmer by Dave Thomas and Andy Hunt: https://pragprog.com/titles/tpp20/the-pragmatic-programmer-2... (https://pragprog.com/titles/tpp20/the-pragmatic-programmer-20th-anniversary-edition/) Haven't read the revised 20th anniversary edition, but the first one opened my eyes to the craft of software.\n* High Output Management by Andy Grove: https://bookshop.org/p/books/high-output-management-andrew-s... (https://bookshop.org/p/books/high-output-management-andrew-s-grove/6730629) a great way to think about throughput\n* The Phoenix Project by Gene Kim et. al: https://itrevolution.com/product/the-phoenix-project/ Fun novel(!) about applying lean management principles to software engineering.\n* Radical Candor (haven't read, but it's been recommended): https://www.radicalcandor.com/ About communication.\n* Good to Great by Jim Collins: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_to_Great Focuses on what great companies bring to the table. Helps me evaluate where to work.\n* Mastery Autonomy and Purpose: A great video about what people really want in work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzXXC4MZZnY\n* https://www.manager-tools.com/podcasts a podcast about managing people. You didn't say you wanted to be a people manager, but knowing what managers think about will make you more effective in any org.\n* Managing Humans by Michael Lopp: https://managinghumans.com/ The whole Rands site is work reading, but I enjoyed this book about how to manage teams and build software. See above.\n* Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug: https://sensible.com/dont-make-me-think/ Easy ways to think about usability, focusing on webapps. Short and easy.\n* Badass: Making Users Awesome, by Kathy Sierra: http://seriouspony.com/badass-users-the-book Will help you put yourself in the shoes of your users and think about how to build software they will love. Short and easy.\nHope this helps.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Badass: Making Users Awesome, by Kathy Sierra",
          "reason": "Recommended for its focus on understanding users and building software they will love.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is short and easy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11252763,
          "author": "kennyfrc",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-09T13:19:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11252763",
          "commentText": "Ha! Just had that binge too...\n... Here's what I like:\nOn the business end:\n- Badass by Kathy Sierra\n- Impossible to Inevitable by Aaron Ross\n- Traction by Gabriel Weinberg\n- Cold Calling Early Customers by Robert Graham\n- Learn or Die by Edward Hess\nOn \"refining your thought process\":\n- Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley\n- Racing Towards Excellence by Jan Sramek\n- Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin\n- Case Interview Secrets by Victor Cheng (helps you think in a nice, structured way)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Here's what I like:\nOn the business end:\n- Badass by Kathy Sierra",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s liked business books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kathy Sierra"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Design",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "user experience",
        "product design",
        "customer success",
        "product development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "be-here-now-626a02",
      "title": "Be Here Now",
      "author": "Ram Dass",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40431069,
          "author": "Wonnk13",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T17:08:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40431069",
          "commentText": "Be Here Now: Ram Dass\nAvadhuta Gita\nThe Art of Communicating: Thich Nhat Hanh\nOpen to other recs for non dual meditation / spirituality without a lot of religious dogma.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Be Here Now: Ram Dass",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in non-dual meditation or spirituality.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39729916,
          "author": "dpig_",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T22:08:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729916",
          "commentText": "Be Here Now, Ram Dass",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Be Here Now, Ram Dass",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30736304,
          "author": "kettunen",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T18:25:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30736304",
          "commentText": "While being definitely more on the hippy-dippy side for some, for me the book that affected me the most was Ram Dass' Be Here Now.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Ram Dass' Be Here Now",
          "reason": "The commenter says this book affected them the most.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as hippy-dippy by some.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23862931,
          "author": "revicon",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T19:33:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23862931",
          "commentText": "Be Here Now by Ram Dass\nhttps://smile.amazon.com/Be-Here-Now-Ram-Dass/dp/0517543052",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Be Here Now by Ram Dass",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7009650,
          "author": "DonGateley",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-04T02:25:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 7001282,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7009650",
          "commentText": "The message is pretty much the same but the presentation is considerably different.  After the wordy introduction which is more or less the story of his transformation from Richard Alpert to Ram Dass, Be Here Now is as much a work of art as it is a book.  It tries to reach around your intellect.\nI haven't had a copy for many years and just ordered one from Amazon because you made me think about it fondly again.  I first read it shortly after it was published in '71 and it's time to read it again.  :-)\nThere is a trap in the thinking that it took me a long time to understand.  The present is a consequence of past behavior that cannot be safely ignored.  The future is a consequence of present behavior and cannot be safely ignored.  Discarding that caution  brought me a lot of trouble I would have been better off avoiding.  This is obvious but excess enthusiasm for mindfulness of the present can easily lead one to places that one wouldn't want to be.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Be Here Now is as much a work of art as it is a book.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its presentation as a work of art and describes its approach as reaching beyond intellect.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter cautions that excessive focus on the present can lead to ignoring past and future consequences.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7008654,
          "author": "deadfall",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-03T22:23:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 7001282,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7008654",
          "commentText": "Ram Das has such great lectures. I have yet to read his books. I am reading The Power of Now and I wonder how different it is to Be Here Now.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I wonder how different it is to Be Here Now.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7002816,
          "author": "DonGateley",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-02T22:31:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 7001282,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7002816",
          "commentText": "Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test - Tom Wolfe\nBe Here Now - Ram Das\nWhole Earth Catalog - Stewart Brand\nInfinite Jest - David Foster Wallace\nSavage Continent - Keith Lowe\nForged - Bart D. Ehrman\nYoung Stalin - Simon Sebag Montefiore\nCourt of the Red Czar - Simon Sebag Montefiore",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Be Here Now - Ram Das",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ram Dass"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "spirituality",
        "meditation",
        "mindfulness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "built-to-last-51d8b2",
      "title": "Built to Last",
      "author": "Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12416854,
          "author": "obihill",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T23:00:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416854",
          "commentText": "\"Built to Last\", by James Collins and Jerry Porras. Great book that goes into the principles of how to build enduring businesses.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Built to Last\", by James Collins and Jerry Porras. Great book that goes into the principles of how to build enduring businesses.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book about principles for building enduring businesses.",
          "audience": "People interested in building lasting businesses.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4787418,
          "author": "timmm",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:19:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787418",
          "commentText": "The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho.\nKing, Warrior, Magician, Lover by Moore and Gillette\nThe lean startup\nPaul Graham how to start a startup\nMark Hyman Ultimate Mind Solution\nTribal Leadership\nWheel of Time\nThink and Grow Rich\nSuperior Man David Deida\nThe Fountain Head\nEckhart Tolle New Earth\n50th Law\nGood to Great\nJed Mckenna\nEarl Nightengale\nLong Walk to Freedom\nOutliers\nGood to Great\nPsycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz (Self-image)\nSeven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey(Being awesome)\nWealth of Nations\nWayne Dyer The Tao\nSystem of the World\nOrigin of Species\nBrave new world\nThank you economy\nCrush it\nBuilt to Last\nWho Moved my Cheese\nStillness Speak Eckhert Tolle\nMastery George Leonard\nSteve Jobs Biography\nThe Last Lecture\nSteve Pavlina Books\nIacocca\nStriking Thoughts Bruce Lee\nCarlos Castaneda\nGhost in the Wires\nRichest Man in Babylon\nWay of the Superior Man\nLosing My Virginity\nThink and Grow Rich\nDelivering Happiness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Built to Last",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135359,
          "author": "kintro",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T18:33:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135359",
          "commentText": "Peopleware by Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister\nBuild to Last by James C. Collins , Jerry I. Porras",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Build to Last by James C. Collins , Jerry I. Porras",
          "reason": "Listed as a book for a hacker's bookshelf.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56807,
          "author": "jamongkad",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T10:24:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56807",
          "commentText": "Non hacker books: \nFrom Good to Great and\nBuilt to Last",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Built to Last",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5725,
          "author": "nostrademons",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T17:07:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5725",
          "commentText": "My list, categorized:\nBusiness & Management\n1. Innovator's Dilemma and Innovator's Solution by Clayton Christensen\n2. Built to Last and Good to Great by Jim Collins.  Built to Last is more applicable for startups.\n3. Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks.  Anyone who has to manage a team of programmers and hasn't read this will fail utterly, unless they've already failed before (or been on a failing team).  There's a lot that's counterintuitive about software project management.\n4. Peter Drucker's work.  Kinda long and repetitive, but some good insights.\nMarketing\n1. All Marketers are Liars by Seth Godin.  I like this better than Purple Cow, Guerilla Marketer's Handbook, and The Big Red Fez.  Most of those have fairly obvious stuff.\n2. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell\n3. Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore\nTechnical\n1. Building Scalable Websites by Cal Henderson\n2. High Performance MySQL by Jeremy Zawodny\n3. Pragmatic Programmer by...well, it's mentioned elsewhere here.\nThere are lots of other technical books I like, but most of them aren't directly relevant to the startup I'm building",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Built to Last is more applicable for startups.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is more applicable to startups.",
          "audience": "Startup founders",
          "caveat": "Compared with Good to Great, it is the more applicable choice for startups.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "company building",
        "organizational culture",
        "business strategy",
        "organizational longevity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "collapse-how-societies-choose-to-fail-or-succeed-de2a02",
      "title": "Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed",
      "author": "Jared Diamond",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17338060,
          "author": "himom",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T13:30:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17338060",
          "commentText": "A book? I can’t color between the lines on this one, maybe I can’t read between them either. Here’s 3:\nCollapse by Jared Diamond\nThe History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Gibbon\nBrevísima relación de la destrucción de las Indias (English: A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies ) by Bartolomé de las Casas",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Collapse by Jared Diamond",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296414,
          "author": "ArslanAtajanov",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T05:58:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296414",
          "commentText": "\"Letters from a Stoic\" by Seneca\n\"The Selfish Gene\" by Richard Dawkins\n\"Deep Work\" by Cal Newport\n\"Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed\" by Jared Diamond",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed\" by Jared Diamond",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15642103,
          "author": "tcx",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-07T10:00:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15642103",
          "commentText": "Jared Diamond - \"Collapse: how societies choose to fail or succeed\" (non-fiction)\nIván Repila - \"The Boy Who Stole Attila’s Horse\": short intense novel about 2 boys who are trapped in a well\nMargaret Atwood - \"The handmaid's tale\"\nKhaled Hosseini - \"The kite runner\"\nAgatha Christie - \"The murder of Roger Ackroyd\" (very surprising plot)\nAndy Weir - \"The Martian\"\nCharles Dickens - \"David Copperfield\"\nClare Mackintosh - \"I let you go\"\nCarlos Ruiz Zafón - \"The Shadow of the Wind\"\nM.R. Carey - \"The girl with all the gifts\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jared Diamond - \"Collapse: how societies choose to fail or succeed\" (non-fiction)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13803959,
          "author": "yesbabyyes",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T16:59:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13803959",
          "commentText": "Fundamentally changed are so big words but these were pretty cool:\n- Douglas Hofstadter's GEB: An Eternal Golden Braid\n- Debt: The First 5,000 Years by David Graeber\n- Ursula K. LeGuin's The Word for World is Forest\n- Propaganda by Edward Bernays\n- Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond\n-  Empires: The Logic of World Domination from Ancient Rome to the United States by Herfried Münkler\n- Smedley D. Butler's War is a Racket (more of an exposé)\n- In Praise of Idleness by Bertrand Russell (ditto)\n- Neuromancer by William Gibson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond",
          "reason": "Listed among books that changed the way the commenter thinks about the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752520,
          "author": "Kliment",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T11:22:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752520",
          "commentText": "I loved G,G&S, but found Collapse disappointing in comparison. There was a lot of unnecessary personal gushing about his home state which had no contribution to the work and undermined the credibility of the argument. It picks up after that though. It's a much more political and argumentative book than G,G&S, and seems to force a view on the reader (a view I happen to agree with, but still felt uncomfortable with the amount of persuasion in there).",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "found Collapse disappointing in comparison.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it disappointing compared with Guns, Germs, and Steel and says its personal asides undermined its credibility.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it picks up later, but found it more political and persuasive than expected.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026581,
          "author": "Asa-Nisse",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T01:50:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026581",
          "commentText": "Recommendations:\n- Collapse by Jared Diamond, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collapse_%28book%29 about how we over-exploit our planet.\n- The Lucifer Principle by Howard Bloom, psychological and cultural explanations of how humans react to \"memes\" amongst other gems of knowledge.\n- The Eschaton series by Charles Stross (sci-fi).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Collapse by Jared Diamond",
          "reason": "Listed as a recommendation about human over-exploitation of the planet.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jared Diamond"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "environmental history",
        "societal collapse"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "critique-of-pure-reason-4efdc7",
      "title": "Critique of Pure Reason",
      "author": "Immanuel Kant",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33801454,
          "author": "camjohnson26",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T14:47:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33801454",
          "commentText": "“Out of the Crisis” by Demming: helped me see the best way to manage projects isn’t always about fixing problems, it starts with reducing uncertainty.\n“Seeing like a state”, “Knowledge and Power”, and “Antifragile”, top down control of a system always clashes with bottom up understanding, so experts in a field need humility when working with a new system and need to learn from the people who work with it every day.\n“Critique of Pure Reason”, there are things we can’t know using only logic, so don’t try to use it to understand everything.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Critique of Pure Reason”",
          "reason": "The commenter says some things cannot be known through logic alone, so logic should not be used to understand everything.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20915791,
          "author": "void_nill",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T06:52:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20915791",
          "commentText": "Here a short list\n - The Edda\n - Lots of Latvian Dainas[1]\n - Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, Immanuel Kant, (1785) and Critique of Pure Reason (second edition 1787)  \n - Goethe's Faust, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, (1828–29 edition\n - Divina Commedia, Dante Alighieri, (1320)\n[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daina_%28Latvia%29",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and Critique of Pure Reason (second edition 1787)",
          "reason": "Lists the work in response to a request for favorite old books and essays.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19090108,
          "author": "nathias",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T21:39:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090108",
          "commentText": "Plato - Meno, Symposium, Parmenides, Gorgias, Protagoras\nPlotinus -Enneads\nMarkus Aurelius - Meditations\nDescartes - On method\nDescartes - Meditations\nSpinoza - On the improvement of Understanding\nLeibniz - Monadology\nLeibniz - Grace\nVoltaire - Candid\nDiderot - D'Alembert's Dream\nKant - How to orient oneself in thinking\nKant - Critique of Pure Reason\nKant - Critique of Judgment\nHegel - Phenomenology of Spirit\nHegel - Logic\nvon Kleist - Marionette Theatre\nKierkegaard - The Sickness Unto Death\nHeidegger - Being and Time\nSartre - Being and Nothingness\nSartre - Flies\nSartre - Nausea\nDeleuze - Difference and Repetition\nKafka - Metamorphosis\nKafka - The Castle\nLem - Magellan Nebula\nLem - His Master's Voice\nCioran - A Short History of Decay\nPessoa - Book Of Despair\nWolfe -  New Sun tetralogy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kant - Critique of Pure Reason",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168361,
          "author": "porter",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T18:37:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168361",
          "commentText": "Immanuel Kant's critique of pure reason",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Immanuel Kant's critique of pure reason",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to the question asking for one book that changed the commenter’s life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10210406,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-13T05:02:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10210406",
          "commentText": "Kant, Critique of Pure Reason.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Kant, Critique of Pure Reason.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503302,
          "author": "tmsh",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T07:43:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503302",
          "commentText": "My favorites from college are: early dialogues of Plato (the most Socratic / least Platonic -- The Apology is a good start), Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason (on how deeply the very ideas about how we perceive things affect our understanding), and Aristotle's Nico. Ethics (the importance of habits, moderation, and the idea of the good).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s favorite philosophical books; praised for its account of perception and understanding.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027538,
          "author": "julius_geezer",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T19:28:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027538",
          "commentText": "Some on this list are great, some just good:\n_The Critique of Pure Reason_--got about halfway through 30 years ago, set it aside, picked it up again. Probably shorter than <i>The Fountainhead</i> but takes a long time to read.\n_The Vindication of Tradition_, Jaroslav Pelikan, theology, very short quick read.\n_Netherland_ by Joseph O'Neill, via the neighborhood book club. Interesting picture of New York, thin characterization.\n_The Library at Night_, Alberto Manguel, actually a gift to my wife from a friend of hers. Good browsing book.\n_Untimely Thoughts_ by Nietzche. Probably not a great place to start Nietzche, but at least the first essay is interesting.\n_The Spectator Bird_, Wallace Stegner. Good novel, though maybe not my favorite Stegner.\n_Germany 1866-1945_ by Gordon Craig. Long, very readable.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Probably shorter than <i>The Fountainhead</i> but takes a long time to read.",
          "reason": "Reports having resumed it and read about halfway through; says it takes a long time to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not give an overall recommendation.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Immanuel Kant"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epistemology",
        "metaphysics",
        "kant"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "daring-greatly-a4ba7d",
      "title": "Daring Greatly",
      "author": "Brené Brown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30735764,
          "author": "jwood27",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:37:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735764",
          "commentText": "The following have all had a significant effect on my worldview. You can find more information at [1].\n- The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow\n- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\n- Crime and Punishment\n- The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York\n- Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies\n- The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity\n- Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead\n- Franny and Zooey\n- Master of the Senate\n- Atlas Shrugged\n- Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed\n- Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap?\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\n- The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics\n- The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don't\n- Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans\n- Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\n- Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World\n- Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones\n- Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow\n- Ethics in the Real World: 86 Brief Essays on Things that Matter\n- A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life\n- Humankind: A Hopeful History\n- The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think\n[1] https://jacobw.xyz/books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead",
          "reason": "Listed among books that significantly affected the commenter’s worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910106,
          "author": "xhrpost",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:15:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910106",
          "commentText": "Daring Greatly by Brene Brown\nThis book has had a profound impact for years now on how I look at myself and those around me. I never saw shame as it's own entity beforehand and simply thought it was part of culture and the way things are. Now I see it as something to avoid like the plague for the sake of myself and those around me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Daring Greatly by Brene Brown\nThis book has had a profound impact",
          "reason": "The commenter says it profoundly affected how they see themselves and others.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785513,
          "author": "projektir",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:40:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785513",
          "commentText": "Daring Greatly by Brené Brown - discussion of shame culture, its effects on people, and how to combat it - pretty good book about a topic that doesn't get raised often enough, even if I don't agree with everything the author says.\nThe Sports Gene by David Epstein - how genetics may affect sport performance (and not only that); a bit of a counterpoint to Gladwell's Outliers - probably my favorite book this year.\nThe Martian by Andy Weir - a guy tries to survive on Mars - found this one rather bland. I would have liked to see more psychology and less calculations, and I am not sure how I feel about its presentation of the scientific community.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "pretty good book about a topic that doesn't get raised often enough, even if I don't agree with everything the author says.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a pretty good book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter disagrees with some of the author's claims.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10533544,
          "author": "JSeymourATL",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T15:33:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10533544",
          "commentText": "Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead > http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13588356-daring-greatly\nTremendous insight into our own inner critic and interaction with people. Got turned onto to this book after hearing the author interviewed by Tim Ferriss, highly recommend> http://fourhourworkweek.com/2015/08/28/brene-brown-on-vulner... (http://fourhourworkweek.com/2015/08/28/brene-brown-on-vulnerability-and-home-run-ted-talks/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tremendous insight into our own inner critic and interaction with people. Got turned onto to this book after hearing the author interviewed by Tim Ferriss, highly recommend",
          "reason": "Calls it insightful and explicitly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348752,
          "author": "andrea_sdl",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:26:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348752",
          "commentText": "Tiny beautiful things by Cheryl Strayed.\nOut of the overcrowded self-help world this book will challenge you and get to your heart.\nThere's something to learn in every story.\nAnother one is \"The power of vulnerability\" by Brene Brown, actually it's an audiobook, I think the book has no equivalent written version but it might be something on the line of \"Daring greatly\" (same author).\nThese books will challenge you in many ways.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "it might be something on the line of \"Daring greatly\" (same author).",
          "reason": "Suggested as a possible related book by the same author.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether this is the equivalent of the audiobook.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6976050,
          "author": "andersthue",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T19:37:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976050",
          "commentText": "I _have_ to choose between:\nDrive: the surprising truth about what motivates us\nand\nDaring greatly by Brene Brown\nI think Daring greatly will be the winner, since it has had the biggest influence on how I run my business and where I am going in the future.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think Daring greatly will be the winner, since it has had the biggest influence on how I run my business and where I am going in the future.",
          "reason": "Identifies it as the likely winner and says it strongly influenced business and future plans.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brené Brown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "vulnerability",
        "courage",
        "shame",
        "personal growth"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dragon-s-egg-572fb0",
      "title": "Dragon's Egg",
      "author": "Robert L. Forward",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36022197,
          "author": "gverri",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:53:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36022197",
          "commentText": "Dragon's Egg, by Robert L. Forward\nNexus Trilogy, by Ramez Naam\nAnathem, By Neal Stephenson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dragon's Egg, by Robert L. Forward",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34162369,
          "author": "ad-astra",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T16:08:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34162369",
          "commentText": "If you’re into Science Fiction:\n(Note: I listed to these all via the Audible audiobooks, they were all very well narrated and I’d highly recommend listening this way.)\n#1: The Children of Time series by Adrian Tchaikovsky.\nThis is amazingly fascinating from beginning to end, if you like speculative evolution zenofiction space operas, you’re in for a real treat. I feel like these books were written for me. I went the audiobook route and chugged through each (roughly 600 page) book, neglecting focus to almost anything else in my life. I would be playing Tetris on my phone (via the Tappy app) while listening at 1.1x speed, which is the perfect amount of mental stimulation to have massive amounts of time go by without noticing.\n#2: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.\nI don’t want to spoil too much, but this is a must-read for engineer-brain nerds like me that yearn to understand complex systems recreationally. Enough said. Mandatory. I read Artemis by Andy Weir afterwards and enjoyed it too, but Hail Mary is my fave.\n#3: The Final Architecture series by Adrian Tchaikovsky.\nAfter obsessively finishing the Children of Time series there was a huge hole in my heart, so I started this series. I didn’t really latch on until 15% through the first book, but once I did I was once again obsessively hooked.\n#4 (Bonus) I’m now reading Dragon’s Egg by Robert L. Forward and am very excited to report back when I eventually finish. It involves alien life that evolved in the atomic strata of neutron stars (nerd drool).\nI’ve now mostly taken a break from reading as it became all-consuming. But it was very worth it overall, best reading year in my life so far.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I’m now reading Dragon’s Egg by Robert L. Forward",
          "reason": "The commenter is currently reading it and is excited to report back.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not finished it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20333212,
          "author": "aerique",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T08:20:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20333212",
          "commentText": "If we're recommending scifi I'd like to add Dragon's Egg by Robert L. Forward.\nExcept he's now up to three books.\nIt's hard scifi of a neutron star passing through the solar system and Earth scrambling to research it.  At the same time life is developing on the neutron star.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If we're recommending scifi I'd like to add Dragon's Egg by Robert L. Forward.",
          "reason": "Adds it as a science fiction recommendation in response to the discussion.",
          "audience": "Science fiction readers, especially those interested in hard science fiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that there are now three books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536568,
          "author": "tass",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:19:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536568",
          "commentText": "I’m a big fan of the foundation series.\nAnother book which I recently enjoyed was Dragon’s Egg.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another book which I recently enjoyed was Dragon’s Egg.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they recently enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15428928,
          "author": "curtis",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:54:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428928",
          "commentText": "I think all of Robert Forward's stuff would qualify.  My favorites are\nRocheworld (AKA The Flight of the Dragonfly) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocheworld\nand\nDragon's Egg - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon%27s_Egg",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dragon's Egg - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon%27s_Egg",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorite works by Robert Forward.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056752,
          "author": "akkartik",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T13:21:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056752",
          "commentText": "That sounds tantalizing. I tried googling around but couldn't figure out which book that might be. Can you try to dig up the name? The only Robert Forward I've read is Dragon's Egg, which was great. I should read more by him.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The only Robert Forward I've read is Dragon's Egg, which was great.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it great and says they should read more by the author.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert L. Forward"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hard science fiction",
        "alien life",
        "neutron stars",
        "first contact"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "drive-the-surprising-truth-about-what-motivates-us-a8dc33",
      "title": "Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us",
      "author": "Daniel H. Pink",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33856215,
          "author": "loloquwowndueo",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T18:27:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33856215",
          "commentText": "I got a ton of value out of “Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams”. Even if you’re not a manager that can directly follow the advice, as an engineer it will provide great clues on how to ensure environment and team dynamics can greatly influence efficiency and chances of success.\nOf course my all time favorite is The Mythical Man-Month. But that’s already mentioned elsewhere in this thread.\nI haven’t read “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us” but some of the concepts it talks about are also of interest (on how to ensure workers are motivated and I’m not talking about “the beatings will continue until morale improves” :) )",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I haven’t read “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us”",
          "reason": "Notes that its concepts about worker motivation are of interest.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in motivating workers.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144286,
          "author": "andersthue",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:53:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144286",
          "commentText": "1. Start with why, Simon Sinek - to get my younger self to figure out why I am doing what I am doing\n2. Drive, the surprising truth..., Daniel Pink - to understand happiness and motivation\n3. Crucial Conversations, to learn how to talk and listen and talk to people without ruining the conversation and the possibilities from it",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Drive, the surprising truth..., Daniel Pink - to understand happiness and motivation",
          "reason": "Named as a book to understand happiness and motivation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11298351,
          "author": "alimnemonic",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T16:05:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11298351",
          "commentText": "Drive by Daniel Pink, looks at what motivates people in general. Explains why a guy that codes all day goes home to work on open source project...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Drive by Daniel Pink, looks at what motivates people in general.",
          "reason": "Offered as a relevant book about what motivates people.",
          "audience": "Managers interested in understanding motivation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7478844,
          "author": "hallidayjb13",
          "createdAt": "2014-03-27T05:50:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 7450534,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's on your reading list? Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7478844",
          "commentText": "You may have already come across it if you've read a lot of Stoic philosophy, but 'Meditations' by Marcus Aurelius is a good read.\nOther books I've really enjoyed are:\nTalent is overrated, by Geoff Colvin (short version: working hard is more than half the battle)\nDrive, by Daniel Pink (short version: to be motivated, you need to have/be working toward purpose, autonomy, and mastery)\nHow will you measure your life, by Clayton Christensen (short version: just read it - very good)\nFor the win - how game thinking can revolutionize your business, by Kevin Werbach and Dan Hunter (Note: one of the authors offers a Gamification MOOC on Coursera)\nAnd for fun:\nEastern Approaches, by Fitzroy Maclean (short version: a pseudo-biography about a british man who was a diplomat, politician, and special forces operator all in one lifetime. Incredible)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Drive, by Daniel Pink (short version: to be motivated, you need to have/be working toward purpose, autonomy, and mastery)",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter has really enjoyed; its summary highlights purpose, autonomy, and mastery as motivators.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6976050,
          "author": "andersthue",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T19:37:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976050",
          "commentText": "I _have_ to choose between:\nDrive: the surprising truth about what motivates us\nand\nDaring greatly by Brene Brown\nI think Daring greatly will be the winner, since it has had the biggest influence on how I run my business and where I am going in the future.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I _have_ to choose between:\nDrive: the surprising truth about what motivates us",
          "reason": "Names it as one of two books being considered for the thread’s life-changing book question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Daring Greatly will probably be the winner.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2172830,
          "author": "erik_p",
          "createdAt": "2011-02-02T23:59:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 2172825,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: If you could recommend only three management books...",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2172830",
          "commentText": "Although it's not quite what you're looking for (sounds like you want a manual / howto) I highly recommend \"Drive\" by Daniel Pink.\nhttp://www.danpink.com/drive",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend \"Drive\" by Daniel Pink.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the book, while noting it may not fit the request for a manual or how-to.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not quite what the requester is looking for.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel H. Pink"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "motivation",
        "workplace psychology",
        "behavior",
        "management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "eloquent-ruby-3af11a",
      "title": "Eloquent Ruby",
      "author": "Russ Olsen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49904107,
          "author": "isityettime",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T03:40:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49904107",
          "commentText": "I'm reading Becky Chambers' The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, the latest edition of Eloquent Ruby, and Mastering Emacs.\nI'm not sure any are that cognitively challenging, but all of them are certainly lovely.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the latest edition of Eloquent Ruby",
          "reason": "Says it is lovely.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not particularly cognitively challenging.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28663628,
          "author": "macando",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T19:07:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28663628",
          "commentText": "Most influential - Clean Code and The Joy of C (the first programming book I've read)\nMost informative - Effective Java\nFunniest - Learn You a Haskell for Great Good!\nBest written - Eloquent Ruby\nMost useful - Data Modeling Essentials",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Best written - Eloquent Ruby",
          "reason": "Listed as the best-written book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15157831,
          "author": "whalesalad",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T19:44:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15157831",
          "commentText": "Influence by Robert Cialdini. Models by Mark Manson. Eloquent Ruby by Russ Olsen.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Eloquent Ruby by Russ Olsen.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking which books had the biggest impact on mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9758428,
          "author": "rubiquity",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T14:14:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758428",
          "commentText": "Eloquent Ruby is one of my favorite books, too. That book really motivated me to learn how programming languages work. Here are a few other books I found to be enjoyable and well-written:\nProgramming Erlang by Joe Armstrong\nProgramming Elixir by Dave Thomas\nSeven (more) Languages In Seven Weeks by Bruce Tate\nThink Bayes, Think OS, How To Think Like A Functional Programmer (Think OCaml) and The Little Book of Semaphores by Allen B. Downey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Eloquent Ruby is one of my favorite books, too.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of their favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8026364,
          "author": "Ryel",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-13T01:47:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 8025870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8026364",
          "commentText": "Just finished \"Eloquent Ruby\"\nI usually re-read chapters of Crockford's \"Javascript: The Good Parts\" until I find another book to get into.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Just finished \"Eloquent Ruby\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8021814,
          "author": "cfeduke",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-11T18:58:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8021814",
          "commentText": "Eloquent Ruby[1] by Russ Olsen\nIf you are an experienced programmer coming to Ruby this is definitely the place to start. Especially if you are a Java or .NET EE-indoctrinated programmer. The people who maintain your code after you will be thankful that you read this and wrote idiomatic Ruby.\nIf you just want to learn Ruby or read an excellent technical book as mind food this book is also a great choice.\n(Code by Petzold is actually my favorite technical book, but its already been picked.)\n[1] http://eloquentruby.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this is definitely the place to start",
          "reason": "Recommended as a starting point for experienced programmers coming to Ruby; also praised as an excellent technical book.",
          "audience": "Experienced programmers learning Ruby, especially Java or .NET programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Russ Olsen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming",
        "ruby",
        "ruby programming",
        "idiomatic ruby"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "feeling-good-the-new-mood-therapy-77cd12",
      "title": "Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy",
      "author": "David D. Burns",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33799902,
          "author": "bsenftner",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T12:45:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33799902",
          "commentText": "Feeling Good, by Dr. David Burns is the Cognitive Distortion description and analysis book that deep dives and destroys Imposter Syndrome, as well as a huge number of other self deceptive mechanisms in one's self conversation. It is literally a revolution for many self critical personalities, as it provides the self arguments necessary to defeat one's self critic. After that self criticism is quelled, the tools provided continue to serve as fantastic and scientific discrimination tools for discerning subtle information, maintaining an objectivity that is easily deluded and lost.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Feeling Good, by Dr. David Burns",
          "reason": "The commenter says it explains cognitive distortions and offers tools to challenge self-criticism and support objectivity.",
          "audience": "Self-critical people, according to the commenter",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21904898,
          "author": "f2000",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T08:53:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21904898",
          "commentText": "\"Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy\" by Dr. David Burns.\nIf you've got even a hint of depression or anxiety this is a great resource.  Reading/understanding the \"10 cognitive distortions\" in this book is worth the time for anyone, imho.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy\" by Dr. David Burns.\nIf you've got even a hint of depression or anxiety this is a great resource.  Reading/understanding the \"10 cognitive distortions\" in this book is worth the time for anyone, imho.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great resource and says learning its cognitive distortions is worthwhile.",
          "audience": "People experiencing depression or anxiety; the commenter says it is worthwhile for anyone.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19088692,
          "author": "MikeCapone",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T19:15:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19088692",
          "commentText": "So many, and I wish I could write a long paragraph on each, but I'm unfortunately short on time. I'm posting any in case just one person who hasn't heard of those checks them out and gets value:\n-Godel, Escher, Bach (Douglas Hosfstadter)\n-The Mindbody Prescription (John E. Sarno, completely cured my long-term crippling RSI that kept me from using computers and was ruining my life)\n-Feeling Good (Dr. Burns, cognitive therapy mostly centered on depression, but I want to learn about this before I have depression so that I can avoid it and do 'maintenance' on myself)\n-The 5 Love Languages (Gary Chapman, made me understand a lot more about how people express and receive love, and the problems that arise from mismatched languages in relationships)\n-Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman (you guys probably already know this)\n-The Blank Slate (Steven Pinker)\n-The Snowball (Warren Buffett biography)\n-Influence (Robert B. Cialdini)\n-Your Money or Your Life (Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin)\n-When Heaven and Earth Changed Places: A Vietnamese Woman's Journey from War to Peace (Le Ly Hayslip)\n-The Halo Effect (Phil Rosenzweig)\n-The LessWrong.com sequences on rationality",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-Feeling Good (Dr. Burns, cognitive therapy mostly centered on depression, but I want to learn about this before I have depression so that I can avoid it and do 'maintenance' on myself)",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as a way to learn about cognitive therapy and maintain mental health.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521454,
          "author": "r3n",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T08:56:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521454",
          "commentText": "Not new books, just something I'm currently reading.\n- Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy\nThis book teach you about depression and how you can apply cognitive therapy techniques to help you. I'm in the second part of the book and already learn some valuable information. It seems like HN recommend this book as well [1].\n- Common Sense on Mutual Funds\nOne of the classic investment books from John C. Bogle. In this book he talks about what he think is the better way to invest in mutual funds and why.\nThis is one of the reading assignment form another short book I'm reading called \"If You Can\" [2], which recommended by Bogleheads.\n[1] http://ramiro.org/vis/hn-most-linked-books/\n[2] https://www.etf.com/docs/IfYouCan.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book teach you about depression and how you can apply cognitive therapy techniques to help you. I'm in the second part of the book and already learn some valuable information.",
          "reason": "Says it has already taught them valuable information, describes its CBT guidance, and notes HN recommends it.",
          "audience": "People seeking self-help information about depression and cognitive therapy.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is partway through the book.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5333012,
          "author": "o4tuna",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-06T18:54:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 5323956,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: which are some good self-help books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5333012",
          "commentText": "How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World\nby Harry Browne\nThe Power of TED (The Empowerment Dynamic)\nby David Emerald\nLoving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life\nby Byron Katie\nGet Out of Your Own Way: Overcoming Self-Defeating Behavior\nby Mark Goulston and Philip Goldberg\nFeeling Good: The New Mood Therapy\nby David Burns\nMojo: How to Get It, How to Keep It, How to Get It Back if you Lose It\nby Marshall Goldsmith\nThe New Manual 2.0\nby Tripp Lanier\nthenewmanual.com",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy\nby David Burns",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David D. Burns"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognitive behavioral therapy",
        "depression",
        "anxiety",
        "cognitive distortions"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "grokking-algorithms-152514",
      "title": "Grokking Algorithms",
      "author": "Aditya Bhargava",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30486599,
          "author": "cenny",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T09:09:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486599",
          "commentText": "The three books that I have appreciated the most when it comes to computer science must be:\n- Code The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software (https://www.programmingbooks.dev/#code)\n- Grokking Algorithms (https://www.programmingbooks.dev/#grokking-algorithms)\n- The Little Schemer (https://www.programmingbooks.dev/#the-little-schemer)\nThese two books I really found interesting as well:\n- Nine Algorithms That Changed the Future (https://www.programmingbooks.dev/extra/#nine-algorithms-that... (https://www.programmingbooks.dev/extra/#nine-algorithms-that-changed-the-future))\n- Good Math (https://www.programmingbooks.dev/extra/#good-math)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Grokking Algorithms",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s most appreciated computer science books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29219140,
          "author": "laxmena",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T18:14:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29219140",
          "commentText": "Introduction to Algorithms -Thomas H. Cormen\nGrokking Algorithms -Aditya Bhargava\nCracking the Coding Interview\nBook by Gayle Laakmann McDowell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Grokking Algorithms -Aditya Bhargava",
          "reason": "Lists it as an answer to the thread's book request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27891305,
          "author": "AllanLRH",
          "createdAt": "2021-07-20T08:36:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 27879593,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27891305",
          "commentText": "I think _terrible _ might be a bit harsh on Grokking Algorithms, but most of it’s curriculum is rather basic, and the few last chapters about graphs, which I’d say is a bit less basic, pretty much require that you inspect the accompanying pdf with illustrations… this might not be a problem of you’re listening while sitting in a train, but it will be a problem if you’re listening while walking the dog (like me).\nI would just describe Grokking Algorithms as a bad book, and mostly relevant if you have zero prior experience with Algorithms.\nOh, and the narration of the code snippets is also pretty useless IIRC.\nOk, while writing this, I realize that “terrible“ might actually be well deserved.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I would just describe Grokking Algorithms as a bad book",
          "reason": "Calls it a bad book, while noting it may suit readers with no prior algorithm experience.",
          "audience": "Readers with zero prior experience with algorithms.",
          "caveat": "Mostly basic; later graph chapters require inspecting the accompanying PDF illustrations, and code narration is unhelpful.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27879673,
          "author": "chana_masala",
          "createdAt": "2021-07-19T05:58:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 27879593,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27879673",
          "commentText": "I agree that the Pragmatic Programmer is well done in it's audio form, and I also agree that Grokking Algorithms is terrible.\nI am currently listening Designing Data Intensive Applications and it's phenomenally done - the author clearly worked with the narrator to adapt the content to audio format, and the narrator seems to have experience or familiarity with the subject because he pronounces the technical jargon very naturally.\nI hope to find other software related audiobooks as good as DDAI is.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I also agree that Grokking Algorithms is terrible.",
          "reason": "The commenter agrees with the parent’s negative assessment of the audiobook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The criticism is specifically about the audio form.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23365841,
          "author": "pottertheotter",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-30T23:39:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23365841",
          "commentText": "That's a terrific book. I'm not a professional programmer and had no training in algorithms when I saw it and picked it up. It was a great introduction for me, and I had a lot of fun discussing the topics with my father, who is a software engineer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "That's a terrific book.",
          "reason": "Calls the book terrific and says it introduced them to algorithms.",
          "audience": "Readers new to algorithms.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20729573,
          "author": "rhizome31",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T11:23:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20729573",
          "commentText": "For a gentle introduction to algorithms and Big O, \"Grokking Algorithms\" is easy to read and fun. For more in depth and systematic study, Sedgwick's \"Algorithms\" is a very clear and beautiful book.\nFor computer architecture, Petzold's \"Code\" is wonderful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Grokking Algorithms\" is easy to read and fun",
          "reason": "Suggested as a gentle introduction to algorithms and Big O.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a gentle introduction to algorithms and Big O.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13407065,
          "author": "kartD",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-15T23:22:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13407065",
          "commentText": "Grokking algorithms. Great book, especially for someone like me who doesn't deal too much with this stuff (as an embedded systems engineer).\nGrokking functional programming and deep learning seem awesome as well, but I haven't finished either so take my recommendation with a pinch of salt.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Grokking algorithms. Great book",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great book.",
          "audience": "People who do not work with algorithms often.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Aditya Bhargava"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "beginner friendly",
        "big o",
        "visual learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "homage-to-catalonia-112bb7",
      "title": "Homage to Catalonia",
      "author": "George Orwell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30241553,
          "author": "ImaCake",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T07:45:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241553",
          "commentText": "I know people love 1984 but I found it exceedingly boring when I tried to read it. But it does have some very interesting ideas. My issue with 1984 may have been prior exposure to it's best ideas elsewhere.\nOrwell is a great writer, highly recommend both \"Homage to Catalonia\" and \"Animal Farm\". Complex topics written in an accessible style.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "highly recommend both \"Homage to Catalonia\" and \"Animal Farm\".",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it as accessible writing on complex topics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13240001,
          "author": "unimpressive",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T20:14:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13240001",
          "commentText": "You may be interested in Homage To Catalonia, a non-fiction book about some of the real life experiences Orwell went through that inspired him to write 1984. It's available online to boot:\nhttp://www.george-orwell.org/Homage_to_Catalonia/\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homage_to_catalonia",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You may be interested in Homage To Catalonia, a non-fiction book",
          "reason": "Suggested as a book about Orwell's real-life experiences that inspired 1984.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348558,
          "author": "dghf",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:07:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348558",
          "commentText": "Robert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson, Illuminatus!\nCarl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World.\nDaniel Dennett, Consciousness Explained.\nT.H. White, The Once and Future King.\nGeorge Orwell, Homage to Catalonia.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "George Orwell, Homage to Catalonia.",
          "reason": "Lists it as an answer to which books changed their perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6416411,
          "author": "seanccox",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-20T07:28:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6416411",
          "commentText": "White Teeth, Zadie Smith\nFierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates, Tom Robbins\nHomage to Catalonia, George Orwell\nCatch 22, Joseph Heller\nTimequake; Mother Night, Kurt Vonnegut Jr.\nSeven Pillars of Wisdom, TE Lawrence\nThe Histories, Tacitus\nThe Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger (caveat, it was most effective when I read it at 16)\nRedwall, Brian Jaques (got me really excited about reading when I was in the fourth grade)\nThis list could be much, much longer, but those are the most prominent 'life-changers' that come to mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Homage to Catalonia, George Orwell",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the most prominent life-changers that come to mind.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2963489,
          "author": "achompas",
          "createdAt": "2011-09-05T22:28:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 2963294,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Got a Kindle. What now? What books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2963489",
          "commentText": "For a book on a literal revolution, read George Orwell's \"Homage to Catalonia.\" For a book on how to generate revolutionary ideas, I'd recommend Steven Johnson's \"Where Good Ideas Come From.\"\nMore generally, Kindle lets you sample the first chapter of any book for free. Amazon also lets you lend books to other Kindle owners, but I've never found that feature for myself...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For a book on a literal revolution, read George Orwell's \"Homage to Catalonia.\"",
          "reason": "Directly recommended for learning about a historical revolution.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the Spanish Civil War and political history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797498,
          "author": "dionidium",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T06:04:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797498",
          "commentText": "The Spanish Labyrinth: An Account of the Social and Political Background of the Spanish Civil War, Brenan\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Spanish-Labyrinth-Account-Political-Ba... (http://www.amazon.com/Spanish-Labyrinth-Account-Political-Background/dp/0521398274)\nHomage to Catalonia, Orwell\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Homage-Catalonia-George-Orwell/dp/0156... (http://www.amazon.com/Homage-Catalonia-George-Orwell/dp/0156421178/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251784961&sr=1-1)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Homage to Catalonia, Orwell",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Orwell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "spanish civil war",
        "memoir",
        "political memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "kill-decision-8ae6b8",
      "title": "Kill Decision",
      "author": "Daniel Suarez",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36021727,
          "author": "atlasunshrugged",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:06:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021727",
          "commentText": "My absolute favorite is Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner, The Jagged Orbit was also excellent. Other than that, of course Snow Crash is a masterpiece, but I think my favorite Stephenson book is The Diamond Age. Another excellent one is Daemon by Daniel Suarez whose books are quite fascinating and look at generally pretty topical plotlines (I was just thinking I have to revisit his book Kill Decision about AI enabled killer drones).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I have to revisit his book Kill Decision",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a book the commenter plans to revisit.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes its plot as involving AI-enabled killer drones.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17749688,
          "author": "Dowwie",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T12:57:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17749688",
          "commentText": "\"Daemon\" or \"Kill Decision\"  by Daniel Suarez\n\"Snow Crash\" by Neil Stephenson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Daemon\" or \"Kill Decision\"  by Daniel Suarez",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to a request for similar novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13117560,
          "author": "pavel_lishin",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-06T19:33:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13117560",
          "commentText": "I thought for a second this was Daniel Suarez's Kill Decision, which deals with autonomous drones. It was a fun technothriller, but focused too much on one particular weird model that I thought wasn't too realistic.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It was a fun technothriller, but focused too much on one particular weird model that I thought wasn't too realistic.",
          "reason": "Calls it a fun technothriller, while criticizing its focus on an unrealistic model.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter found its focus on one particular model unrealistic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056399,
          "author": "macmac",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T11:42:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056399",
          "commentText": "Anything by Iain M. Banks. Start with \"The Player of Games\" and \"Consider Phlebas\".\nAnything by Vernor S. Vinge especially \"Zones of Thought\" series.\n\"Daemon\", \"Freedom(tm)\", \"Kill Decision\" and \"Influx\" by Daniel Suarez.\n\"The Martian\" by Andy Weir.\nAnything by Neal Stephenson, especially \"Reamde: A Novel\" and \"Cryptonomicon\".\nAnything by Hannu Rajaniemi, especially \"The Fractal Prince\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Daemon\", \"Freedom(tm)\", \"Kill Decision\" and \"Influx\" by Daniel Suarez.",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s sci-fi recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6388569,
          "author": "dietervds",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T09:40:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6388569",
          "commentText": "I'm a huge fan of Daemon and Freedom(tm) by Daniel Suarez. I guess you can call it a 'technology thriller', with some amazing ideas and impressions of our society. His most recent book, Kill Decision, is along similar lines and also great.\nI love reading actual sci-fi too, and was most impressed by the Lost Fleet series by Jack Campbell. Can absolutely recommend those.\nNote: I didn't come to these titles myself, they were recommended by Steve Gibson from the 'Security Now' podcast. I couldn't agree more with his taste.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His most recent book, Kill Decision, is along similar lines and also great.",
          "reason": "Calls it great and says it is along similar lines.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5832761,
          "author": "makerops",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T14:55:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5832761",
          "commentText": "Reamde by Neal Stephenson,\nDaniel Surez freedom (tm), deamon, and kill decision.\nready player one\nanything by mark twain",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "kill decision",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4414486,
          "author": "Daviey",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-21T20:01:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 4353632,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon.  What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4414486",
          "commentText": "& Suarez's third book, Kill Decision.. I read that in two days flat. :o.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Kill Decision.. I read that in two days flat.",
          "reason": "The comment names Suarez's third book and says the commenter read it in two days.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Suarez"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Computing",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military thriller",
        "drones",
        "autonomous weapons",
        "technology thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "labyrinths-b5522c",
      "title": "Labyrinths",
      "author": "Jorge Luis Borges",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41175840,
          "author": "clipsy",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:58:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175840",
          "commentText": "Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges probably tops the list for me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges probably tops the list for me.",
          "reason": "Says it probably tops their list of favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40054448,
          "author": "gnatman",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-16T17:02:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40054448",
          "commentText": "Labyrinths - Jorge Borges (I've gifted this many times)\nDuino Elegies - Rainer Rilke, translated by Robert Hunter",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Labyrinths - Jorge Borges (I've gifted this many times)",
          "reason": "Says they have gifted it many times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22721944,
          "author": "elliotpo",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T19:35:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22721944",
          "commentText": "Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges. Especially great if you enjoy seeing mathematical concepts kind of bent into the background texture of rigorous yet fancicful stories.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges. Especially great if you enjoy seeing mathematical concepts kind of bent into the background texture of rigorous yet fancicful stories.",
          "reason": "Recommends the collection for its mathematically inflected stories.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy mathematical concepts woven into fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9349919,
          "author": "javamonn",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T18:40:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9349919",
          "commentText": "I read three books at a time, and only pick up/start/buy a new one once I finish one. Helps acquiring a large back log of unread literature around the apartment. :)\n  * Labyrinths - Jorge Louis Borges [0]\nI believe HN was the reason I picked this up, if I remember correctly. It's a collection of short stories, each of which can be finished in a night, which is satisfying. I really dig his writing style and fantastical nature of the stories. I've done a bit of philosophical reading but a lot of the references he makes go over my head, leaving me to do a bit of research after each story.\n  * The Design of Everyday Things - Don Norman [1]\nPicked this up after finishing Debbie Millman's How to Think Like a Great Graphic Designer [2] (Misleading title, I would 100% recommend this book to anyone). I'm not sure what I expected, but so far this hasn't been satisfying. The first couple of chapters have been laying out a framework and defining terms. Considering swapping this out for Jon Kolko's Well Designed - How to Use Empathy To Create Products People Love [3], which seemed much more actionable after picking it up at Barnes and Noble.\n  * Real World OCaml - Yaron Minsky, Anil Madhavapeddy, Jason Hickey [4]\n\nSecond time picking this up, originally read up to chapter on Functors over the summer. I started over this time and I'm about finished with the first section, \"Language Concepts\", now. It's worth noting that the entire text is available online for free on the book's website. [5] I did some Scheme in high school and read through the fist half of SICP and dabble in functional js, but this is my first experience with a semi pure functional language and I'm loving it. I'm going through the functional challenges on Hackerrank in OCaml at the same time to solidify some of the language concepts. Decided to go with OCaml over Haskell or Clojure because I'm super interested in using/contributing to Mirage OS [6]\n[0] http://www.amazon.com/Labyrinths-Directions-Paperbook-Jorge-... (http://www.amazon.com/Labyrinths-Directions-Paperbook-Jorge-Borges/dp/0811216993)\n[1] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0465050654\n[2] http://www.amazon.com/Think-Like-Great-Graphic-Designer/dp/1... (http://www.amazon.com/Think-Like-Great-Graphic-Designer/dp/1581154968)\n[3] http://www.amazon.com/Well-Designed-Empathy-Create-Products-... (http://www.amazon.com/Well-Designed-Empathy-Create-Products-People/dp/1625274793)\n[4] http://www.amazon.com/Real-World-OCaml-Functional-programmin... (http://www.amazon.com/Real-World-OCaml-Functional-programming/dp/144932391X)\n[5] https://realworldocaml.org/v1/en/html/index.html\n[6] http://openmirage.org/\nedit: formatting",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I really dig his writing style and fantastical nature of the stories.",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoys Borges's writing style and the stories' fantastical nature.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Philosophical references can go over the reader's head.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971785,
          "author": "jimfl",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T15:34:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971785",
          "commentText": "\"Labyrinths\" by Borges.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Labyrinths\" by Borges.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jorge Luis Borges"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Fantasy",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories",
        "literary fiction",
        "mathematical fiction",
        "metafiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "leviathan-wakes-7eef6e",
      "title": "Leviathan Wakes",
      "author": "James S. A. Corey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45956850,
          "author": "bencornia",
          "createdAt": "2025-11-17T19:08:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 45947737,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45956850",
          "commentText": "- Philosophy of Software Design by John Ousterhout\n- Leviathan Wakes by James Corey\n- UNIX: A History and a Memoir by Brian Kernighan\n- Efficient Linux at the Command Line by Daniel Barrett",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Leviathan Wakes by James Corey",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42268930,
          "author": "k__",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:19:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268930",
          "commentText": "My reads this year with my personal ratings:\nGreg Egan, Diaspora (7/10)\nDan Simmons, Hyperion 1-4 (9/10)\nJames S.A. Corey, Leviathan Wakes (6/10)\nScott Alexander, Unsong (7/10)\nQtmn, Ra (7/10)\nQtmn, Fine Structure (6/10)\nAndy Weir, Project Hail Mary (6/10)\nWildbow, Worm (8/10)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "James S.A. Corey, Leviathan Wakes (6/10)",
          "reason": "Rates it 6 out of 10.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467724,
          "author": "AndrewLiptak",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:54:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467724",
          "commentText": "A bunch of books: Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey (as well as several of the sequels), American Gods by Neil Gaiman, The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi, The Magicians by Lev Grossman, Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie, Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling, The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin, and a bunch of others.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20332889,
          "author": "sho",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T07:16:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20332889",
          "commentText": "I mainly read SF to relax (biased towards hard space opera) and have accumulated a \"best of the best\" list of my own:\nLeviathan Wakes - James S. A. Corey (TV show The Expanse is loosely based on this, but IMO doesn't even come close)\nRevelation Space - Alastair Reynolds\nThree Body Problem (all 3 books) - Liu Cixin\nConsider Phlebas - Iain M. Banks (your gateway drug into the Culture universe)\nGenuinely wish I could experience all the above for the first time again. And looking forward to checking out some of the others mentioned here.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Leviathan Wakes - James S. A. Corey (TV show The Expanse is loosely based on this, but IMO doesn't even come close)",
          "reason": "Part of the commenter’s personal “best of the best” SF list; they wish they could experience it again.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy hard space opera.",
          "caveat": "The commenter prefers the book to its TV adaptation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18708770,
          "author": "rexaliquid",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-18T17:57:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18708770",
          "commentText": "Some fiction from this year I would recommend:\nLeviathan Wakes (The Expanse #1) by James S. A. Corey - I enjoyed this whole series. I like that the physics of space travel is respected among the politics/mystery. Each book in the series is a bit of a different genre set in the universe.\nSpinning Silver by Naomi Novak - Eastern European folk tale akin to Rumplestiltskin.\nAn Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green - Contemporary fiction with a scifi bent. Ultimately hopeful, it explores the consequences of viral fame.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Leviathan Wakes (The Expanse #1) by James S. A. Corey",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it and says they enjoyed the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that books in the series vary in genre.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536697,
          "author": "spapas82",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:43:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536697",
          "commentText": "Here are a couple I like :\n- Seveneves: A really great hard sci-fi. Very thought provoking ideas and excellent plot! Warning this is a heavy themed book. Also keep in mind that at about 3/4 in the novel there's a conclusion to the main story; the rest of the novel feels rushed and doesnt keep up; you won't miss anything if you just skip it.\n- The Expanse series (starting with Leviathan wakes). A very good series. It has a light tone and mainly focuses on characters. Some books are better than the others. If you liked the 1st one then you wont regret reading the others. Not much philosofy of hard sci-fi ideas so probably near to your liking.\n- Rendezvous with Rama: Probably my favorite Arthur Clarke novel. The plot may not be so interesting but the ideas presented make up for it.\n- Red rising series: This is a great read, the plot feels something like a GoT of scifi; although the setting could also be considered a fantasy one. This is a plot intensive series but not many scifi philosophical ideas. Probably good for your linking.\n- The three body problem trilogy: This is not so light-hearted; it is serious sci-fi presenting some excellent ideas that would blow your mind. Especially after I read the 2nd one (The Dark Forest) I kept it in my mind for a long time; thinking over the things presented there. This is sci-fi at its best.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "starting with Leviathan wakes",
          "reason": "Identifies the first book in the recommended series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9637547,
          "author": "ice303",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-01T09:51:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 9636361,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9637547",
          "commentText": "Leviathan Wakes \nhttp://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8855321-leviathan-wakes",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Leviathan Wakes",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed without an evaluation or recommendation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James S. A. Corey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "hard science fiction",
        "political intrigue",
        "political thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lila-an-inquiry-into-morals-6c4267",
      "title": "Lila: An Inquiry into Morals",
      "author": "Robert M. Pirsig",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41802421,
          "author": "xkcd-sucks",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-10T19:18:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41802421",
          "commentText": "Moby Dick, Herman Melville\nVALIS, Philip K Dick\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance + also Lila, Robert Pirsig\nNaked Lunch, William Burroughs\nImmortality, Milan Kundera\nCatch-22, Joseph Heller (pair with The Deserters, Charles Glass -- In fact a lot of the stuff in Catch-22 is actually toned down from reality)\nMastering the Core Teachings of Buddha, Daniel Ingram (but ignore 80% of it)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lila, Robert Pirsig",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22095672,
          "author": "jdkee",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T02:07:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22095672",
          "commentText": "Lila delves further in the Pirsig's Metaphysics of Quality (MOQ) which is quite fascinating. His dialogues on static vs dynamic quality coloured my view of the world for years.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Lila delves further in the Pirsig's Metaphysics of Quality (MOQ)",
          "reason": "The commenter discusses the book's treatment of the Metaphysics of Quality and says its ideas shaped their view for years.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Pirsig's Metaphysics of Quality.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21902464,
          "author": "jdkee",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T23:10:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902464",
          "commentText": "How to Change Your Mind, Michael Pollan.\nTuring's Vision: The Birth of Computer Science, Chris Bernhardt.\nThe Peripheral, William Gibson.\nLila, Robert Pirsig. (re-read)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lila, Robert Pirsig. (re-read)",
          "reason": "Named in response to a question about influential books read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they reread it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16355646,
          "author": "skilesare",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-12T00:27:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16355646",
          "commentText": "Chris Alexander’s Timeless way of building and Nature of order\nRobert Pirsig’s Lila",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Robert Pirsig’s Lila",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the question about books colleagues should have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229809,
          "author": "billybofh",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:54:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229809",
          "commentText": "Have you tried the follow up - 'Lila'? It goes at it somewhat differently.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Have you tried the follow up - 'Lila'? It goes at it somewhat differently.",
          "reason": "Asks whether the other commenter has tried the follow-up and describes its approach.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143367,
          "author": "macmac",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T16:08:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143367",
          "commentText": "The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert M. Pirsig\nLila: An Inquiry into Morals - Robert M. Pirsig\nThe Open Society and its Enemies - Karl. R. Popper\nThe Player of Games - Iain M. Banks\nPale Blue Dot - Carl Sagan\nThe God Delusion - Richard Dawkins\n\"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—\t\nI took the one less traveled by,\t\nAnd that has made all the difference.\" from \"The Road not Taken\" by Robert Frost",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lila: An Inquiry into Morals - Robert M. Pirsig",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56941,
          "author": "tocomment",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T16:42:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56941",
          "commentText": "The Robert Pirsig books are excellent: Zen and the Art of Motercycle maintenance, and its sequal Lila.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "its sequal Lila",
          "reason": "Calls the Robert Pirsig books excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert M. Pirsig"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "metaphysics",
        "morality",
        "quality",
        "philosophical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "man-s-search-for-meaning-163afa",
      "title": "Man's Search for Meaning",
      "author": "Viktor Frankl",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36429155,
          "author": "piloto_ciego",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T07:47:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36429155",
          "commentText": "Viktor Frankl’s “Man’s Search for Meaning.”\nIt gave me a toolkit to survive getting sick and dealing with a life changing event.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Viktor Frankl’s “Man’s Search for Meaning.”\nIt gave me a toolkit to survive getting sick and dealing with a life changing event.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it gave them tools to cope with illness and a life-changing event.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29669066,
          "author": "michaelbarton",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T01:51:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29669066",
          "commentText": "> man’s search for meaning\nLoved this book the first time I read it. Couldn’t finish it a second time. I think some of the darker parts were too much during an already difficult year.\nGiving it as a gift to my nephew though.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Loved this book the first time I read it. Couldn’t finish it a second time.",
          "reason": "Loved it on the first read and is giving it as a gift.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Couldn’t finish it on a second read; its darker parts felt like too much during a difficult year.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467651,
          "author": "hpoe",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:47:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467651",
          "commentText": "Man's Search  for Meaning - Viktor Frankel, it is his experience of how he managed to survive the concentration camps.\nBook of Mormon\nThe Stormlight Archive series (Way of Kings, Words of Radience, Oathbringer) - Brandon Sanderson, I've heard it compared to the Kingkiller Chronicles in terms of depth, intricacies and overall masterfully executed plot but Sanderson is also one of the best authors at making characters real and captivating that I've ever met.\nMistborn Series (The Final Empire, Well of Ascension, Hero of Ages) by the same author as The Stormlight Archives and for the same reasons.\nThe Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis, even if you aren't religious it has helped me see so much clearly the tactics and obstacles that prevent me from being the person I want to be.\nI've read quite a few more books more often but these are the books that I have reread multiple times because they have changed who I am and helped me recognize that each time I fall I can rise again a better man.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Man's Search  for Meaning - Viktor Frankel, it is his experience of how he managed to survive the concentration camps.",
          "reason": "Describes Frankl's experience of surviving concentration camps.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21908498,
          "author": "celticmusic",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T21:09:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21908498",
          "commentText": "Mans Search For Meaning affected me in a way that very few books ever have.  You grow up knowing about the holocaust, you see the imagery, but it's all impersonal.  You understand why it's a horrific deed, why hitler was a horrible human being, and why we as a society should never allow that to happen again.\nBut there's just something about Frankl's descriptions, at least for me.  It personalized it in a way I had never really experienced before.  That book horrified me in a way that none of the other material on the holocaust ever had.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "That book horrified me in a way that none of the other material on the holocaust ever had.",
          "reason": "The commenter says Frankl's descriptions made the Holocaust personal and deeply affected them.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a personal account of the Holocaust and its human impact.",
          "caveat": "The book's account was horrifying to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4787426,
          "author": "spuiszis",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:23:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787426",
          "commentText": "Man's Search for Meaning - ViktorFrankl\nEndgame (Biography of Bobby Fischer) - Frank Brady\nWalt Disney - Bob Thomas\nThe Given Day - Dennis Lehane (Fiction)\nShutter Island - Dennis Lehane (Way better than movie)\nMichael Lewis - The Big Short\nChurchill - Paul Johnson (faster read than the others)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Man's Search for Meaning - ViktorFrankl",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Viktor Frankl"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Biography",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "logotherapy",
        "meaning",
        "holocaust",
        "holocaust memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mastering-regular-expressions-8d21c5",
      "title": "Mastering Regular Expressions",
      "author": "Jeffrey E. F. Friedl",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43105795,
          "author": "hiAndrewQuinn",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-19T18:48:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 43084739,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction/non-fiction book should everyone read on the topic of CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43105795",
          "commentText": "Naming only ones I haven't seen mentioned in other comments:\n- Networking for Systems Administrators, by Michael W. Lucas. Its explicit goal is to teach you just enough about networking, from the electron up, that you can talk to an actual network engineer and not make a fool out of yourself. It's a phenomenally high-ROI read if networking isn't your strong suit.\n- The first 3 chapters of Mastering Regular Expressions. Regexes are up there with Vim keybindings in terms of sheer ubiquitous use no matter what stack you find yourself in. The rest of the book is excellent if you want to actually implement a regex engine.\n- The Art of Unix Programming. Less technical. Gives you an idea of why exactly 'nix machines are like that, especially older commands. The 18 rules of design are worth committing to memory.\n- The Linux Programming Interface. More technical. Pairs esp nicely with the above. Lots of practice C code one can run, plenty of short self-contained chapters.\n- Not a book, but an online paper: https://how.complexsystems.fail . I see echoes of this everywhere I work, and it often helps me understand what kinds of \"bad\" things are secretly highly evolved resiliency measures.\n- The Little Schemer. Just for the joy of solving problems.\nMost of the others I can think of are too specialized to be of worth to everyone, but for what it's worth, William S. Vincent's Django for Beginners, APIs, and Professionals are a lovely triptych for anyone wanting to get into backend web dev.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The first 3 chapters of Mastering Regular Expressions.",
          "reason": "The first three chapters cover a broadly useful tool; the rest is recommended for readers wanting to implement a regex engine.",
          "audience": "Readers across different software stacks; the rest suits those interested in implementing a regex engine.",
          "caveat": "The commenter specifically recommends the first three chapters for general usefulness.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30740108,
          "author": "nnadams",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T04:26:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30740108",
          "commentText": "I came here to post that same book!\nWhen I was a kid I wanted to make an IRC chatbot. I didn't know much, but I read online you could use regular expressions to match text commands. I felt like I needed a book, saved up money, and got my mom to drive me to the next town. Our little library didn't have any computer books. I remember her paging through and asking if I really wanted this \"technical manual\".\nMastering Regular Expressions was the start to my programming career as well. Having references to a bunch of other languages spurred my curiosity to learn them. I eventually bought some of the O'Reilly Perl books as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mastering Regular Expressions was the start to my programming career as well.",
          "reason": "Credits the book with sparking their programming career and curiosity about other languages.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10182348,
          "author": "jdkanani",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-07T17:55:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10182348",
          "commentText": "\"Mastering Regular Expressions\" by Jeffrey E. F. Friedl - http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Regular-Expressions-Jeffrey-... (http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Regular-Expressions-Jeffrey-Friedl/dp/0596528124) It's not on particular programming language or recently updated, but related and very helpful.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's not on particular programming language or recently updated, but related and very helpful.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as related and very helpful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not specific to a programming language and not recently updated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2639677,
          "author": "dirkgadsden",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T03:32:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639677",
          "commentText": "Mastering Regular Expressions by Jeffrey Friedl, the first edition (a.k.a. \"The Perl Edition\", http://regex.info/ for more information about the book and its editions)\nIt's my standard litmus test judging a programmer; if you haven't read or don't care to read a book on regular expressions, then I probably don't want to write code with you. It's also useful to remind people who think they're nerds because they own a smartphone and can download \"apps\" that they're in a league far below.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mastering Regular Expressions by Jeffrey Friedl, the first edition (a.k.a. \"The Perl Edition\"",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a standard for judging programmers and says it is useful.",
          "audience": "Programmers, especially those who work with regular expressions.",
          "caveat": "The commenter specifically praises the first edition, also called the Perl Edition.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2415365,
          "author": "nikcub",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T15:08:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2415365",
          "commentText": "The best way to learn the UNIX tools is in the context of shell scripting and using the combination of tools to achieve a purpose (such as parsing log files, setting up shortcuts as part of your dev toolchain)\n1. Understand the philosophy behind UNIX. ie. everything is a file and it is small apps that are very good at a single task that can be combined through pipes etc. to process larger tasks (this has lost its way somewhat in Linux, but still holds true)\n2. Look at your computer usage through development, sysadmin, etc. and find parts that you want to automate, and then set out to write scripts to complete these tasks. for eg. in each one of my projects I have a script called start.sh which has a bunch of tasks implemented (eg. backup, serve, dns (to update dyndns for callbacks), push, diff, deploy, stage (run remote commands) etc.). Remember that git is itself a set of shell scripts, as are most server management commands. Take a peak inside each of these to learn how they are implemented.\n3. Once you have a good understanding of what you want to implement, just go for it. Learn along the way by using Bash scripting, regular expressions, an understanding of UNIX/Linux, sed, awk, yacc/bison (to analyze code and extract info). You will end up building your own collection of shell scripts, environment variables, .vimrc, ssh, curl (you can do almost any API request and auth with curl and a shell script - automate tweets, RSS feeds) etc. (I have been meaning to publish my own, the most recent one I wrote greps my code for TODO's and pushes them to a simple webapp where I can view them, sort them, etc. along side my 'personal' todo list)\n4. You need two sets of resources, one is for learning, the other is for reference which you keep handy. Here are my own recommendations:\nLearning:\nThe learning style book comes down a lot to personal preference. You can go wrong, so get a feel for each topic by reading online tutorials and then scan the TOC and sample chapters of books that look good. A subscription to O'Reilly Safari comes in handy. There are now also a lot of screencasts online, try searching YouTube for the topic with 'screencast' or 'tutorial', once you find a good screencast publisher look at the rest of his/her videos.\nYou can also get the O'Reilly books on special in bundles sometimes, check their website\nThere is no book that really introduces UNIX and then covers most of these topics as I described. ie. 'UNIX for Developers'.\n* UNIX:\n- FreeBSD handbook: http://www.freebsd.org/doc/handbook/\n- Linux Documentation Project: http://tldp.org/LDP/\n- Linux Command Line and Shell Scripting Bible: http://www.amazon.com/Linux-Command-Shell-Scripting-Bible/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/Linux-Command-Shell-Scripting-Bible/dp/047025128X/)\n- UNIX In a Nutshell (I haven't read this in a while but it is on my shelf): http://oreilly.com/catalog/9781565924277\n- Learning UNIX (also O'Reilly): http://www.amazon.com/Learning-UNIX-Operating-System-Fifth/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Learning-UNIX-Operating-System-Fifth/dp/0596002610)\n* Bash:\n- http://linuxcommand.org/\n- http://bash.cyberciti.biz/guide/Main_Page (better, and v good)\n- Learning the Bash shell: http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596009656/\n- Advanced Bash Scripting (online): http://tldp.org/LDP/abs/html/\n- YouTube playlist: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=2284887FAE36E6D8\n* Regular Expressions:\n- Mastering Regular Expressions (this is such a great book. I didn't like regexp until I picked this up eons ago): http://oreilly.com/catalog/9781565922570\n* sed/awk/grep etc.\n- sed & awk (O'Reilly): http://oreilly.com/catalog/9781565922259\n* Vim/Vi:\n- vimcasts (screencasts): http://vimcasts.org\n- more screencasts (these are great): http://vimeo.com/user1690209/videos\n- learning vi: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1565924266\nReference:\nOn my browser toolbar, I have a folder called '_ref', it has around 70+ bookmarks (online documentation, cheatsheats) in it each titled what the link is a reference for (ie. 'vi', 'bash' etc.). I will publish it online, and will post the links here. I have collected the links over years.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Mastering Regular Expressions (this is such a great book. I didn't like regexp until I picked this up eons ago)",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book and says it changed their view of regular expressions.",
          "audience": "Readers learning regular expressions.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeffrey E. F. Friedl"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "regular expressions",
        "perl",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "maverick-b01dbc",
      "title": "Maverick",
      "author": "Ricardo Semler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35219113,
          "author": "tmcdos",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-19T14:14:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35219113",
          "commentText": "I am not an entrepreneur (yet) but I still want to share a few titles with you:\n- \"Maverick or The seven day weekend\" by Ricardo Semler\n- \"Rework\" by Jason Fried and David Hansson\n- \"Startup - an insider's guide to launching and running a business\" by Kevin Ready\n- \"Bookkeeping and Cost Accounting for Factories\" by William Kent (1918)\n- \"Practice what you preach\" by David Maister\n- \"Don't oil the squeaky wheel\" by Wolf Rinke\n- \"Selling The Wheel: Choosing The Best Way To Sell For You Your Company Your Customers\" by Jeff Cox\n- \"The power of stupidity\" by Giancarlo Livraghi\n- \"How to write a good advertisement\" by Victor Schwab\n- \"How to Make Money Out of Thin Air\" by Brian Sher\n- \"Good manners and business etiquette. Illustrated Guide\" by Elena Ber\n- \"Don't just roll the dice: A usefully short guide to software pricing\" by Neil Davidson\n- \"Message to Garcia\" by Elbert Hubbard\n- the TopLeaf course of 36 video lectures on management by dr. Izhak Adizes can be purchased on https://vimeo.com/ondemand/topleaf or found on ru tracker (if you have access)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Maverick or The seven day weekend\" by Ricardo Semler",
          "reason": "Shares the title among several books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are not yet an entrepreneur.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026847,
          "author": "nathanmarz",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T05:49:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026847",
          "commentText": "\"Maverick\" by Ricardo Semler - This book is about the company Semco in Brazil and challenges everything you think you know about business. Semler advocates radical ideas like public self-set salaries and workplace democracy. I don't necessarily agree with everything in the book, but the ideas sure are interesting.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I don't necessarily agree with everything in the book, but the ideas sure are interesting.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds the book’s ideas interesting while qualifying their agreement with them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not agree with everything in the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876420,
          "author": "danspodcast",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T10:23:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876420",
          "commentText": "Maverick - Ricardo Semler (For inspiration)\nThe Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemmingway(For enjoying the process)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Maverick - Ricardo Semler (For inspiration)",
          "reason": "Listed as an inspirational favorite in response to the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797476,
          "author": "adityakothadiya",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T05:39:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797476",
          "commentText": "Maverick - By Ricardo Semler of Semco. It's a must read book for every entrepreneur. I've read few business books, but this is one of those books I'll always recommend everyone with Founders at Work and Art of the Start.\nIt's a real story of Semco with great business lessons.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Maverick - By Ricardo Semler of Semco. It's a must read book for every entrepreneur.",
          "reason": "Calls it a must read for every entrepreneur and says they will always recommend it.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240850,
          "author": "trotzke",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T06:28:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240850",
          "commentText": "On my desk:\nGetting Real (37Signals),\nHardball (Chris Mathews),\nPrioritizing Web Usability (Jakob Nielsen)\nNearby shelf:\nThe Design of Everyday Things,\nMaverick,\nFounders at work,\nA Brief History of Time,\nA Pattern Language,\nPeopleware,\nMade to stick,\nWeb Standards Solutions,\nDesigning Interactions,\nThe Pragmatic Programmer,\nThe Mythical Man-Month,\nOh, the Places You'll Go!\nOther good reads:\nBlink,\nTipping Point,\nLong Tail,\nFreakonomics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Maverick,",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for recommended books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ricardo Semler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "management",
        "business memoir",
        "employee autonomy",
        "employee self management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "night-708886",
      "title": "Night",
      "author": "Elie Wiesel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45951150,
          "author": "chistev",
          "createdAt": "2025-11-17T05:55:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 45947737,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45951150",
          "commentText": "Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker\nNuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen\nAnimal Farm by George Orwell (a reread)\nNight by Elie Wiesel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Night by Elie Wiesel",
          "reason": "Listed as a book read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34160619,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:11:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160619",
          "commentText": "This year I've put myself to the challenge to read at least one book per week which I primarily could complete by reading in the middle of the night while holding our sleeping baby in my arms. It has been an interesting challenge which gave me a lot of fulfilment and has certainly changed my mind on how I view the world. This comment became quite a long read, apologies for that.\nBooks I highly recommend:\nChurchill by Andrew Roberts (p:1105)\nA biography about one of the most interesting figures in politics and WWII. Roberts gives a very detailed description of the life of Churchill and manages to keep you interested the entire length of the book.\nThe God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (p:374)\nIn The God Delusion Dawkins gives arguments why there is no God, why we do not need a God and why religion is damaging to our society. If you are religious it might not be the book for you unless you are open to hear his arguments and line of reasoning. Dawkins will challenge your worldview.\nThe Bomb by Fred Kaplan (p:384)\nKaplan describes the policy of different US presidents on the atomic bomb and war in general. And primarily on the inability of US presidents and policy-makers to tune down its military. A chilling read which makes you appreciate a nuclear holocaust did not happen (yet)....\nPoor Economics by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo (p:320)\nBanerjee and Duflo give a gripping portrait of how poor people live. They offer an insight in the choices and decisions people make surviving on less than 1 USD a day (corrected for purchasing power). It made me completely rethink my own view on poverty and development aid; stressing even more that in order to help one need to have a complete understanding of the individual's situation and the local boundary conditions.\nProject Hail Mary  by Andy Weir (p:476)\nThis book triggered my science fiction reading. For some reason I never was interested in science fiction. Most likely triggered by reading Foundation by Asimov a few years back which apparently is not a book to my taste. But Andy Weir completely annihilated that wrong perspective on science fiction. Project Hail Mary is interesting, funny and gripping book.\nKindred by Octavia Butler  (p:287)\nThis book.... From page one I was hooked and almost read it in one go. Butler is a wonderful author and Kindred is a must-read. The book is about a woman traveling back in time to end up on a slave plantation. It's a chilling account of slavery.\nOther books I read this year, ask me anything about one of these books. I've added a + if I think its worth a recommendation\nBiography:\nNavalny by Dollbaum, Lallouet and Noble (p:280); The Man from the Future by Ananyo Bhattacharya (p:354) +\nSociology; Politics; Economics; Business:\nOnly the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove (p:224); The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli  (p:140); Winter is Coming by Garry Kasparov (p:290); Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum (p:224) +; Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl (p:164) +; We Are Bellingcat by Eliot Higgins (p:272); De Zeven Vinkjes by Joris Luyendijk (p:200); Waarom vuilnismannen meer verdienen dan bankiers by Rutger Bregman (p:104)\nComedy: The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (p:336)\nHistory:\nBand of Brothers  by Stephen E. Ambrose (p:432); The Nuclear Jihadist by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins (p:413) +; The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre (p:384) +; De Heineken Ontvoering by Peter R. de Vries (p:347); Red Famine by Anne Apllebaum (p:384); Night by Elie Wiesel (p:115) +\nScience, Technology, Mathematics:\nFermat's Enigma by Simon Singh (p:315) +; A Mathematician's Apology by G.H. Hardy (p:153); The Great Influenza by John M. Barry (p:546); The Rise and Fall of the Dinousaurs by Stephen Brusatte (p:404) ++; The Double Helix by James Watson (p:144)\nSport:\nRun or Die by Killian Jornet (p:208); The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton  (p:290) +; The Rise of the Ultra Runners by  (p:304); Tom Dumoulin by Patrick Bernhart (p:203)\nFiction:\nAnthem by Ayn Rand (p:105); Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (p:704); The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (p:566); Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (p:466); Live and Let die by Ian Fleming  (p:229)\nClassics:\nA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (p:104); The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (p:201); The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald (p:180); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (p:139); Animal Farm by George Orwell (p:122) +; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (p:227) +; The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (p:118)\nScience Fiction:\nThe Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (p:399); All Systems Red  by Martha Wells (p:144) +; A Memory Called Empire  by Arkady Martine (p:462) +; A Psalm built for the Wild by Becky Chambers (p:160); Dune by Frank Herbert (p:658); Foundation by Isaac Asimov (p:244); The Martian by Andy Weir (p:384) +;\nThe Forever War by Joe Haldeman (p:278)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Night by Elie Wiesel",
          "reason": "Marked with a plus as worth recommending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23859753,
          "author": "voisin",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T15:08:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859753",
          "commentText": "Night by Eli Wiesel and Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl.\nStories of how and why some people survived Auschwitz and found meaning despite their context, from two very different perspectives (a child and a psychologist).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Night by Eli Wiesel",
          "reason": "Paired as a story about survival in Auschwitz and finding meaning despite circumstances.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Presented from a child’s perspective.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12247512,
          "author": "strimp099",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T13:27:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12247512",
          "commentText": "Night by Elie Wiesel. It showed me how resilient a human being can be.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Night by Elie Wiesel. It showed me how resilient a human being can be.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book showed them human resilience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86041,
          "author": "oditogre",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T19:03:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86041",
          "commentText": "- Brave New World\n- Night\n- Hitchhiker's Guide series\n- Dark Tower series (Mostly just the first 4, though)\n- Eats, Shoots & Leaves\n- Just about any George Carlin or Patrick F. McManus books\n- Wheel of Time Series\n- Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Night",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Elie Wiesel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "holocaust memoir",
        "holocaust",
        "memoir",
        "auschwitz"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "notes-from-underground-a26016",
      "title": "Notes from Underground",
      "author": "Fyodor Dostoevsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42275555,
          "author": "_hdki",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T17:46:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42275555",
          "commentText": "A few of this year's highlights for me and my notes on the books, where available.\nFiction -\nNotes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/2ab29d16-0cb1-4ef8-8cde... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/2ab29d16-0cb1-4ef8-8cde-8c9d90db0daf)\nPride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/65214629-29ac-45a6-b474... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/65214629-29ac-45a6-b474-b9fad1285564)\nBleak House by Charles Dickens\nThe Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/bd090cb4-bc9a-41cb-9833... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/bd090cb4-bc9a-41cb-9833-f60834ccd28c)\nNonfiction -\nThe House of Government by Yuri Slezkine (my luckiest find of the year)\nStalin: The Court of The Red Tsar by Simon Sebag Montefiore - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/13ebec0d-0859-4858-864a... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/13ebec0d-0859-4858-864a-8c28bacfed8f)\nVienna by Richard Cockett - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/c0e1d1fb-dea7-456b-a95e... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/c0e1d1fb-dea7-456b-a95e-fcccdd63814a)\nThe House That Madigan Built by Ray Long (an interesting history of a legendary figure in Illinois state politics)\nSay Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s highlights of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41237565,
          "author": "markus_zhang",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-13T17:40:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41237565",
          "commentText": "Anything by Dostoevsky, but specifically \"Notes from Underground\" and \"The Brothers Karamazov\".\n\"Jean-Christophe\" by Romain Rolland.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Notes from Underground\"",
          "reason": "Specifically named among the author's works in response to a request for favorite classic books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40878889,
          "author": "hnthrowaway0328",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-04T23:40:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40878889",
          "commentText": "\"Brother Karamazov\" and \"Notes from underground\".",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Notes from underground\"",
          "reason": "Names it as an answer to which books affected the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521779,
          "author": "charlchi",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T10:28:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521779",
          "commentText": "If you enjoy The Brothers Karamazov I couldn't recommend one of Dostoevsky's other books enough: Notes from the underground. IMO a must read for any intellectual that has ever struggled with anything from self-deprecating thoughts to superiority complexes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I couldn't recommend one of Dostoevsky's other books enough: Notes from the underground.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends it, especially to readers who have struggled with self-deprecation or superiority complexes.",
          "audience": "Readers who have struggled with self-deprecating thoughts or superiority complexes.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875838,
          "author": "mynameishere",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T02:59:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875838",
          "commentText": "I don't have any favorites, but the books I've read the most are \"Notes from the Underground\" and Walden.  The last time I read Walden I didn't enjoy it much, so maybe I shouldn't mention it...\nThe first should be read by everyone though http://www.gutenberg.org/files/600/600.txt",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Notes from the Underground\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fyodor Dostoevsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "existentialism",
        "russian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "of-human-bondage-69129e",
      "title": "Of Human Bondage",
      "author": "W. Somerset Maugham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36431974,
          "author": "giaour",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T13:37:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36431974",
          "commentText": "I'm not even sure if I would like it if I were to reread it today, but reading Of Human Bondage when I was 21 led me to rethink a lot of my life and make some pretty impactful changes (e.g., got out of an unhealthy relationship, decided to pick up a practical skill (programming) on the side while in a PhD program in comparative literature).\nI guess you never really know what's going to speak to you at a given point in your life, so read widely!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "reading Of Human Bondage when I was 21 led me to rethink a lot of my life",
          "reason": "Reading it led the commenter to rethink their life and make consequential changes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether they would like it on rereading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25532522,
          "author": "LordNight",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T23:24:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25532522",
          "commentText": "Although I am an avid reader and have been reading on average 1 or 2 books each week for the past 15 years, I don't think I've ever read a book than \"changed my life\". Looking back, I think the most impactfull book for me was The Art of Loving (1956) by Erich Fromm because it opened up  a world of psychology and psychoanalysis and significantly altered my view on how humans think.\nAmong the classic fiction the best so far were: T. Dreiser - The Bulwark, S. Maugham - Of Human Bondage, L. Tolstoy - The Kreutzer Sonata and E. Zola - l'Oeuvre & Germinal.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "S. Maugham - Of Human Bondage",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorite classic fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17984316,
          "author": "dbs",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-14T02:29:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17984316",
          "commentText": "Demon Haunted World (Sagan). The art of baloney detection and scientific thinking.\nLetters from a Stoic (Seneca). The pursuit of happiness is meaningless, focus on the pursuit of wisdom.\nPoor Charlie's Almanac (Charles T. Munger). A library of mental/thinking models can take you a long way.\nOf Human Bondage (Maugham). What is the meaning of life?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Of Human Bondage (Maugham). What is the meaning of life?",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to the life-changing-book question and associates it with the meaning of life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10218318,
          "author": "browseatwork",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-15T00:29:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 10211331,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10218318",
          "commentText": "Of Human Bondage by Somerset Maugham\nGold by Isaac Asimov",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Of Human Bondage by Somerset Maugham",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2639720,
          "author": "colson04",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T03:46:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639720",
          "commentText": "Fiction: tie between Of Human Bondage by W.Somerset Maugham or The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky\nNon-Fiction: Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond\nBusiness:  Rework by Jason Fried - one of the best in a long time",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "tie between Of Human Bondage by W.Somerset Maugham",
          "reason": "Named as a tie for the greatest fiction book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. Somerset Maugham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classic literature",
        "coming of age",
        "literary fiction",
        "meaning of life"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "paradise-lost-aa7dda",
      "title": "Paradise Lost",
      "author": "John Milton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49909223,
          "author": "PaulRobinson",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T14:08:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49909223",
          "commentText": "There's a lovely and eccentric quiz show on the BBC called Only Connect. Last year the host as part of her bit to fill time tried to fill it with reading excerpts from Paradise Lost. It was funny, and the in-joke I think was to remind us all of what Samuel Johnson once said of it:\n> \"Paradise Lost is one of the books which the reader admires and lays down, and forgets to take up again. None ever wished it longer than it is.\"\n\"working through it\" does indeed seem like the right phrasing from what little I've been exposed to. Good luck!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Paradise Lost is one of the books which the reader admires and lays down, and forgets to take up again. None ever wished it longer than it is.\"",
          "reason": "The commenter quotes Samuel Johnson’s humorous criticism and says the description seems apt.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has had little exposure to the work and characterizes it as easy to set aside.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 49908378,
          "author": "einhard",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T13:04:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49908378",
          "commentText": "I am working through Paradise Lost right now for something to read studiously.\nFor reading before bed, I recently finished \"The Mountain In the Sea\" by Ray Nayler. I found it very good, with primary themes centered around the nature of consciousness, robots, AI, and corporatism. Highly recommended.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I am working through Paradise Lost right now for something to read studiously.",
          "reason": "The commenter is reading it studiously.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41176867,
          "author": "nimih",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T00:03:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41176867",
          "commentText": "Paradise Lost, Gravity's Rainbow, Middlemarch, and 2666.\nedit: The short stories which have stuck with me the most over the years are probably Joyce's \"The Dead,\" O'Connor's \"Good Country People,\" and a solid half of Borges's \"Ficciones.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Paradise Lost",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32937273,
          "author": "dotsam",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T11:08:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937273",
          "commentText": "* Philosophy\nArthur Schopenhauer - The World as Will and Representation.\nSurprisingly readable and insightful, even if you don't buy his metaphysics. Einstein had Schopenhauer's portrait on his wall and considered him a genius.\n* Poetry\nJohn Milton - Paradise Lost\nPowerful and beautiful writing.\n* Fiction\nRabelais - Gargantua and Pantagruel. Funny and a real feast of words (the translation is a work of art in itself)\nThomas Mann - The Magic Mountain. Haunting and moving\nPierre Choderlos de Laclos - Dangerous Liaisons. Scandalous, gripping.\nIvan Turgenev - First Love. A masterclass in writing. Short, sensitive and exquisitely told.\nMarcel Proust - In Search of Lost Time. Exceptionally rich and a beautiful study of love. Reading it is like living another life.\nPG Wodehouse - the Jeeves series. Hilarious, perfectly frivolous, light and sunny\n* Non-fiction\nStuart Russell - Human Compatible: AI and the Problem of Control. Potential bad outcomes from AI and what we might be able to do about them\nNoam Chomsky - Necessary Illusions: Thought Control in Democratic Societies. How public discourse is shaped and controlled\nKarl Popper - The Open Society and its Enemies. How to work against totalitarianism",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "John Milton - Paradise Lost\nPowerful and beautiful writing.",
          "reason": "Praised for its powerful and beautiful writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16297231,
          "author": "timellis-smith",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T11:41:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16297231",
          "commentText": "Fiction\nWar and Peace\nCrime and Punishment\nCount of Monte Christo\n1984\nGod of Small Things\nParadise lost\nDivine comedy\nNon fiction\nSelfish gene\nMeditations\nMadness explained (the best book I've encountered for explaining how the mind works)\nThe Red Queen\nTao te Ching",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Paradise lost",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the question about books the commenter wishes they had read earlier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10027667,
          "author": "riemannzeta",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T16:09:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027667",
          "commentText": "Great question. Reminds me of what Samuel Johnson had to say about Paradise Lost (\"great, but nobody ever wished it was longer\")\nMy $0.02:\nAndy Groves - High Output Management fits your bill\nMost Seneca\nRobert Frost poems (but maybe S/N is TOO high for comfortable consumption here)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Reminds me of what Samuel Johnson had to say about Paradise Lost (\"great, but nobody ever wished it was longer\")",
          "reason": "Quoted approvingly as an example of a work with high signal density.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The quoted remark says readers do not wish it were longer.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4597801,
          "author": "ascuttlefish",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-01T16:16:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 4596721,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4597801",
          "commentText": "Essays and aphorisms by Arthur Schopenhauer\nJohn A. MacDonald: The young politician by Donald Creighton\nComedy of errors by Wm. Shakespeare\nParadise Lost by John Milton",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Paradise Lost by John Milton",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Milton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Art",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic poetry",
        "christian theology",
        "17th century literature",
        "biblical"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-erlang-aad457",
      "title": "Programming Erlang",
      "author": "Joe Armstrong",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29307981,
          "author": "thoughtFrame",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:14:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29307981",
          "commentText": "Somewhat varied but I think some of these may fit your criteria.\nProgramming Erlang by Joe Armstrong\nCommunicating Sequential Processes by Hoare\nThe algorithmic beauty of plants by Prusinkiewicz, Lindenmayer\nNetwork Performance Analysis Using the J Programming Language by Alan Holt\nRelational Programming in miniKanren by William Byrd\nExercises in Programming Style by Cristina Videira Lopes\nedit: also \"SAT/SMT by example\" by Dennis Yurichev",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming Erlang by Joe Armstrong",
          "reason": "Listed as a suggestion in response to the request for books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16794095,
          "author": "ojuara",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-09T15:55:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16794095",
          "commentText": "Programming Erlang.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming Erlang.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9758428,
          "author": "rubiquity",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T14:14:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758428",
          "commentText": "Eloquent Ruby is one of my favorite books, too. That book really motivated me to learn how programming languages work. Here are a few other books I found to be enjoyable and well-written:\nProgramming Erlang by Joe Armstrong\nProgramming Elixir by Dave Thomas\nSeven (more) Languages In Seven Weeks by Bruce Tate\nThink Bayes, Think OS, How To Think Like A Functional Programmer (Think OCaml) and The Little Book of Semaphores by Allen B. Downey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Here are a few other books I found to be enjoyable and well-written:\nProgramming Erlang by Joe Armstrong",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter found enjoyable and well-written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8716627,
          "author": "kabdib",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T14:43:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8716627",
          "commentText": "Armstrong's book on Erlang (2007) is a great read, so you're missing that. (Erlang itself I haven't really used much, but I like some of the concepts).\nAlexandrescu's Modern C++ Design (2001) is a real eye-opener (though I wouldn't use most of the stuff from the latter half of book in real production).\nHerb Sutter's books on Exception C++ (1999) are must-reads if you intend to use exceptions. at. all. [Whereupon, these books will convince you not to use exceptions in C++ :-) ]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Armstrong's book on Erlang (2007) is a great read, so you're missing that.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great read and recommends adding it to the programming book selection.",
          "audience": "Readers of programming books, especially those interested in Erlang.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8004830,
          "author": "pbr_rob",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-08T15:04:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8004830",
          "commentText": "Best \"learn a language\" book I've read was the first edition of Joe Armstrong's Programming Erlang book.\nFor a Software Engineering book, it's hard to beat The Pragmatic Programmer.\nA good working-with-other-people book is Extreme Programming Explained 2nd ed.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Best \"learn a language\" book I've read was the first edition of Joe Armstrong's Programming Erlang book.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the best language-learning book they have read.",
          "audience": "Readers learning Erlang.",
          "caveat": "Praise is specifically for the first edition.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240710,
          "author": "kylec",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T03:03:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240710",
          "commentText": "I thought about posting this here after a relative success asking the question on Reddit:\nhttp://www.reddit.com/info/6mikl/comments/\nbut it looks like you've beaten me to it!\nI did create a listing of the most popular books mentioned on the comment thread, if you're interested. The following were mentioned by 4 or more people:\n14 The C Programming Language\n11 Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\n8 Introduction to Algorithms\n7 Compilers: Principles, Techniques and Tools\n6 Programming Erlang\n5 The Mythical Man-Month\n5 The Pragmatic Programmer\n5 Applied Cryptography\n4 Beautiful Code\n4 The Little Schemer\n4 Programming Perl\nmore here: http://www.reddit.com/info/6mikl/comments/c04abpy",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "6 Programming Erlang",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the most frequently mentioned books in the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joe Armstrong"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "erlang",
        "functional programming",
        "concurrent programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "punished-by-rewards-7b63ba",
      "title": "Punished by Rewards",
      "author": "Alfie Kohn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762368,
          "author": "wpietri",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T02:39:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762368",
          "commentText": "Franz de Waal's \"Chimpanzee Politics\". It's nominally about the social relationships of a chimp colony in a Dutch zoo. But it made me see the extent to which humans are just another great ape, and a lot of human dynamics are really primate dynamics, especially around social power.\nJohnstone's \"Impro\". It's about improvisational theater, and mainly meant for people learning improv. But the section on status transactions helped me see a lot about how we express those primate dominance dynamics. There's also great material on the nature of creativity.\n\"Getting to Yes\" is a great book about business negotiation, but is lessons about shifting discussions from zero-sum to positive-sum are things I use a lot.\nBraitenberg's \"Vehicles: Experiments in Synthetic Psychology\" is a way of thinking about psychology (and our inference of mind) by examining imaginary robots.\n\"The Toyota Way\" and other books on Lean Manufacturing are about running extremely effective manufacturing operations. But they have deeply changed how I think about systems of making software and running businesses. Other great books in this category include \"Toyota Kata\" and \"Principles of Product Development Flow\".\n\"Crossing the Chasm\" is about how tech products get adopted. But its mindset around segmenting audiences and building credibility taught me a lot about any sort of social change.\n\"Why Does He Do That? Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men\" is nominally about abuse in romantic relationships. But its insights about power and control have  been useful to me way beyond that. E.g., so much behavior in large corporations is inexplicable if you look at it in business terms, and perfectly sensible if you think about if from the perspective of, \"What would a person with abusive tendencies gain from this situation?\"\nAlso, hearty +1s for books \"Design of Everyday Things\", \"Finite and Infinite Games\", and \"Punished by Rewards\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Punished by Rewards\"",
          "reason": "Included in the author's hearty endorsements.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15761806,
          "author": "abuiles",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T00:14:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15761806",
          "commentText": "+1 on \"Nonviolent Communication\" - if anyone is interested I have some directive like notes from the book here https://blog.abuiles.com/reading-feed/nonviolent-communicati... (https://blog.abuiles.com/reading-feed/nonviolent-communication/) -- going through the book is important for the context but this can give you a quick overview of what it is about.\nOther books in my list are:\n- Punished by rewards by Alfie Kohn\n- On the shortness of life by Seneca",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Punished by rewards by Alfie Kohn",
          "reason": "Lists it as one of their books in response to a question asking for books useful across areas of daily life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11230833,
          "author": "ThrustVectoring",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T20:09:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11230833",
          "commentText": "Impro by Keith Johnstone\nThe Inner Game of Tennis\nA Guide to Better Movement: The Science and Practice of Moving with More Skill and Less Pain\nPunished by Rewards\nMicroeconomics: Behavior, Institutions, and Evolution by Bowles",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Punished by Rewards",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 142997,
          "author": "Alex3917",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T01:21:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=142997",
          "commentText": "I only read non-fiction that's counterintuitive. I figure, hey, I'm pretty smart, so if it's intuitive then I can probably figure it out on my own. A list of stuff I cite most often:\nNo Contest & Punished by Rewards by Alfie Kohn\nStatus Anxiety by Alain de Botton\nPG's essays & ITConversations interviews\nThe Underground History of American Education by John Taylor Gatto\nThe Singularity is Near by Kurzweil\nThis graph: http://alexkrupp.com/picture_library/plot.jpg\nDee Hock's essay on leadership\nA handful of blog posts by Mark Cuban\nAll Marketers are Liars & Free Prize Inside by Seth Godin. All of the books that Seth recommends are also worth reading.\nBruce Schneier's interview on ITConversations\nMagic Ink, an essay by Bret Victor\nWar Is A  Force That Gives Us Meaning by Chris Hedges\nThe Cluetrain Manifesto (the book)\nI'm sure there's a lot more, but that's what comes to mind right now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "No Contest & Punished by Rewards by Alfie Kohn",
          "reason": "Includes it among the nonfiction works the commenter cites most often.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85875,
          "author": "Alex3917",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T09:10:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85875",
          "commentText": "No Contest / Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nThe Underground History of American Education (John Taylor Gatto)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "No Contest / Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alfie Kohn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Learning",
        "Parenting"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "education",
        "motivation",
        "rewards and motivation",
        "rewards"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "red-plenty-71d41c",
      "title": "Red Plenty",
      "author": "Francis Spufford",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41177664,
          "author": "basementcat",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T02:23:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41177664",
          "commentText": "A few that haven’t been mentioned:\nRed Plenty by Francis Spufford is a historical fiction story about the mathematicians and engineers who tried to optimize the Soviet economy.\nThe Neverending Story by Michael Ende is much deeper and more interesting than any of the theatrical versions. Reminiscent of the Matrix sequels, the Childlike Empress threatens to crash Fantastica with a stack overflow (via infinite recursion) to force Bastian to give her a name.\nAmerican Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin goes into much more detail than the film (Oppenheimer).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Red Plenty by Francis Spufford",
          "reason": "Offered as a book that has not been mentioned; described as historical fiction about Soviet economic planning.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33850229,
          "author": "jeffreyrogers",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T03:17:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33850229",
          "commentText": "Red Plenty, a novel that is loosely about the invention of linear programming in the Soviet Union (a branch of mathematics, only somewhat related to computer programming). Good description of what the process of scientific invention feels like in the first part of the book. (if you want more depth on the mathematics of linear programming, Understanding and Using Linear Programming is a very readable (and short) textbook that only requires basic linear algebra knowledge).\nMoneyball, people have been recommending this to me for years but I never read it because I find baseball so boring. I'm glad I finally read it. It's not really a book about baseball it's about finding and exploiting unappreciated edges.\nWho We Are and How We Got Here, makes a lot of the recent genetic research on human origins understandable. Especially relevant this year due to Svante Paabo's nobel prize.\nOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood, possibly better than the movie (which I love). Reads a bit like a script. The dialog is very good and contains many \"scenes\" that aren't in the movie.\n$12 Million Dollar Stuffed Shark, if you are interested in modern art or how things that look like something anyone could do can sell for absurd amounts of money this book is worth reading.\nA Sailor of Austria: In Which Without Really Intending to, Otto Prohaska Becomes Official War Hero No. 27 of the Hapsburg Empire, one of the reviews I read before starting this described it as something like \"a techno-thriller set on an austrian submarine in world war one\". If that sounds appealing to you, you'll probably like this book. If not don't bother starting it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Red Plenty, a novel that is loosely about the invention of linear programming in the Soviet Union",
          "reason": "Likes its description of what scientific invention feels like in the first part.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17524694,
          "author": "Uhhrrr",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T17:05:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17524694",
          "commentText": "A couple people recommended Red Plenty on one of these threads, and I took the recommendation and agree, it's great. Earnest Soviet economists try to solve the Russian economy with mathematical models running on computers. The story is told in a series of anecdotes, kind of similar to Kim Stanley Robinson's Red Mars.\nThere are diversions along the way about Soviet cars, the probability of getting lung cancer from any given cigarette, academic freedom, etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I took the recommendation and agree, it's great.",
          "reason": "Agrees with earlier recommendations and calls the book great.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Soviet economic planning and mathematical models.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17381995,
          "author": "pavlov",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T16:32:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17381995",
          "commentText": "Francis Spufford is a brilliant English author who should be more widely known.\nFor the HN crowd I would heartily recommend \"Red Plenty\" (2010). It's a semi-fictional novel about that brief moment in time around 1959 when the Soviets really thought that the dream of Communism was within reach.\nThe characters (most of them real people) include mathematicians, biologists, party officials, computer designers... There's probably no other novel that could afford to spend so many pages on discussing linear optimization and centralized economic planning without sacrificing the emotional narrative. I can't recommend it enough.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would heartily recommend \"Red Plenty\" (2010).",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a semi-fictional novel about Soviet hopes for communism and says they can't recommend it enough.",
          "audience": "Recommended for the HN crowd.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13243351,
          "author": "noufalibrahim",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-23T07:00:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13243351",
          "commentText": "1. Red Plenty (Francis Spufford) - Fascinating fictionalised account of the history of the USSR. Gets a little tedious at times but worth it.\n2. Anils Ghost (Michael Ondaatje) - Drama with a war background. Nice read.\n3. Financial intelligence for Entrepreneurs - Very useful now that I have a small company of my own.\n4. How to Speak How to listen (Mortimer Adler) - Worth it. I enjoy public speaking and this was well written and quite useful.\n2016's been a bad year for me as far as books go.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Fascinating fictionalised account of the history of the USSR. Gets a little tedious at times but worth it.",
          "reason": "A fascinating fictionalized account, though it gets tedious at times; the commenter says it is worth it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Gets a little tedious at times.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Francis Spufford"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "soviet union",
        "centralized economic planning",
        "economic history",
        "historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "redshirts-e5ab59",
      "title": "Redshirts",
      "author": "John Scalzi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48085463,
          "author": "rationalist",
          "createdAt": "2026-05-10T16:45:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 48084905,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci fi books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48085463",
          "commentText": "Somewhat lesser-known sci-fi novels I read in the past:\nThe Unincorporated Man (and three sequels)\nCross between science fiction and fantasy: Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality (\"HPMOR\") - the premise is that Harry Potter is raised by a good aunt and uncle, and is taught the Scientific Method and so he uses that when encountering magic.\nOld Man's War (and sequels) by John Scalzi\nRedshirts by John Scalzi\nScience-reality: Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\nRa by qntm\nThere is no Antiemetics Division by qntm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Redshirts by John Scalzi",
          "reason": "Listed as a science fiction read in response to a request for recent books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27889066,
          "author": "xupybd",
          "createdAt": "2021-07-20T01:04:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 27879593,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27889066",
          "commentText": "I'm the same. I like Wil but not as a narrator. I did not enjoy Red Shirts. I think I just prefer a different style. I'm a big fan of R.C.Bray. I think it's just different strokes for different folks.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I did not enjoy Red Shirts.",
          "reason": "Says they did not enjoy the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25846738,
          "author": "Zanni",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T14:23:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25846738",
          "commentText": "Ted Chiang's Stories of Your Life and Others is the best, single-author collection of short stories I've ever read. If you like that, you might also enjoy The Lifecycle of Software Objects, an absolutely heartbreaking novella about simulated children, and his follow-up collection Exhalation.\nOrson Scott Card's Ender's Game is fantastic, and it's follow-up, Speaker for the Dead is even better, and my favorite science fiction novel of all time. They won back to back Hugo and Nebula awards. Card is a polarizing figure for his outspoken political opinions, but if ever the art should be separated from the artist, it's Speaker, which is an incredible exploration of empathy and responsibility, in addition to being a gripping, action-packed, science-literate read. Many more in this series, if you get into it.\nJohn Scalzi's Old Man's War series is fantastic, if you're into military science-fiction, or even if you're not. Smart, funny, engaging and accessible, and reminiscent of Heinlein at his prime, minus the weird incest fetish. Redshirts, a Star Trek parody, rivals Galaxy Quest and only falls short because Galaxy Quest is so goddamn brilliant. Agent to the Stars is less appreciated, but in my opinion his finest novel, rising way above its goofy premise by taking it seriously, exploring the consequences and treating the characters with empathy and respect. Also hilarious.\nSeconding Dune, which is a classic for a reason, and Stranger in a Strange Land (though I think The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is a better place to start with Heinlein). Also Neal Stephenson, though I'd suggest Cryptonomicon over Diamond Age.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Redshirts, a Star Trek parody, rivals Galaxy Quest",
          "reason": "Compares it favorably to Galaxy Quest.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy Star Trek parody and Galaxy Quest.",
          "caveat": "Said to fall short of Galaxy Quest.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18663832,
          "author": "djtalia",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T13:49:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663832",
          "commentText": "Lock In And Head On by John Scalzi. The only book of his I've enjoyed more is Red Shirts.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The only book of his I've enjoyed more is Red Shirts.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have enjoyed it more than Lock In and Head On.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536654,
          "author": "dochtman",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:35:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536654",
          "commentText": "Isaac Asimov is one of the classics, of course. I'm particularly fond of the robot novels (all four of the Elijah Baley ones especially) and the entire Foundation series. Of course, you also can't miss the robot short stories. Oh, and The End of Eternity!\nAt some point I found Charles Stross' Accelerando, which is freely available online (along with a bunch of other short stories), and found everything I've read (which is most of it at this point, I think) enjoyably fast-paced. In particular the Laundry series (of which I've bought every iteration as soon as they came out over the past few years) -- though arguably these maybe cross-over from SF into fantasy a bit -- and the Halting State trilogy.\nIn terms of online available work, Cory Doctorow's work is also great. Like Stross, most of his work is more near-term SF, which I have liked, and a bunch of it is available online under a Creative Commons license. It often moves fast and is also politically interesting; sometimes the activism shines through a little blatantly, but the themes are always make me thing in various ways I appreciate (but maybe will fail your lighthearted criterion even if it is fun). His latest is Walkaway, which I would recommend.\nI got into Neal Stephenson through Cryptonomicon, which is one of the greats. Stephenson has a pretty rambly, wordy style, but at least that also makes his stories last a bit longer. After that, I mostly moved on to Anathem, Reamde and Seveneves all of which are big and interesting and great reads (it took me longer than usual to get up to speed on Anathem, but it was very much worth it in the end). I tried one of the more historic ones (I think it was Quicksilver) at some point but haven't finished it. The 2017 Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. was a bit lighter, but lots of fun, too.\nWilliam Gibson has already been mentioned, which I would also recommend. I read the Sprawl trilogy a very long time ago, and it's made a lasting expression. I've started rereading it recently. I also liked the Blue Ant trilogy and The Peripheral, but have so far missed the more recent work.\nMore in the one-off category: The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell is one of my all-time favorites, and mixes deep SF with psychology and religion in interesting ways. There's a sequel, but it's not as good. I also liked The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, which is also on the softer side. I read Scalzi's Redshirts and liked it (especially if you're familiar with the Star Trek universe), it feels similar to Ready Player One in some ways. Daniel Suarez's (or Leinad Zeraus as he originally published them) Daemon is fun and easy to digest, along with its sequel Freedom. I liked Robert J. Sawyer's The Terminal Experiment, but one person I recommended it too wasn't impressed -- I still think it's fun, if not very deep. I also bought his Factoring Humanity and liked it okay.\nHope that helps. Always interested in more recommendations based on this list!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read Scalzi's Redshirts and liked it (especially if you're familiar with the Star Trek universe)",
          "reason": "Says they liked it, especially for readers familiar with Star Trek.",
          "audience": "Readers familiar with the Star Trek universe.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249502,
          "author": "wink",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T12:10:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249502",
          "commentText": "Wouldn't call it must read, but I found Joyce's Dubliners quite entertaining and at least close to stuff that's recommended for serious reading.\nThe last book I thoroughly enjoyed was Scalzi's Redshirts, but it's probably less funny if you're not familiar with Star Trek at all.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I thoroughly enjoyed was Scalzi's Redshirts",
          "reason": "The commenter thoroughly enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "Readers familiar with Star Trek may get more of the humor.",
          "caveat": "Probably less funny if unfamiliar with Star Trek.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Scalzi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "parody",
        "science fiction comedy",
        "space opera",
        "star trek"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "seeing-like-a-state-how-certain-schemes-to-improve-the-human-cond-c20d2c",
      "title": "Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed",
      "author": "James C. Scott",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34162020,
          "author": "jsenn",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T15:37:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34162020",
          "commentText": "* Three Body Problem. I've heard of it many times, but never read it. Picked it up a month or two ago, read the whole thing in a few sessions, one of my favourite sci-fi books ever. Will read the next book in the series.\n* Immune: A Journey into the Mysterious System that Keeps You Alive. Best pop-sci book I've read in a while. Strikes the right balance between including pertinent information without being overwhelming, explaining things in a digestible way without dumbing down, etc. Inspired me to read a proper immunology primer (How the Immune System Works), which was also very good.\n* How Rights Went Wrong. An excellent, level-headed take on the U.S. conception of rights, and how it leads to zero-sum thinking in supreme court cases. The author is so relentlessly reasonable that it's hard not to buy into his argument. Even though this book is about the U.S., it has lots of case studies where it contrasts with various other countries, which helped me understand my country's (Canada's) court system and system of rights better.\nLet-downs:\n* Seeing Like a State. The first few chapters are interesting, and do a good job of explaining the world-view of the author. Worth buying just for this. However, the last half or two-thirds of the book is a tedious re-hashing of the same ideas through various examples.\n* The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity. Many interesting factoids in here (killer asteroids: solved problem). However, the book's central argument failed to convince me. Many of the analyses and probability estimates were disappointingly shallow and hand-wavy, especially for the #1 risk cited in the book--unaligned AI--which he thinks has a 10% chance of ending civilization this century.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The first few chapters are interesting, and do a good job of explaining the world-view of the author. Worth buying just for this. However, the last half or two-thirds of the book is a tedious re-hashing of the same ideas through various examples.",
          "reason": "The commenter values the opening chapters but finds most of the rest tedious and repetitive.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the last half or two-thirds rehashes the same ideas tediously.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803308,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T14:43:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803308",
          "commentText": "I hilariously overestimate the number of books I can get through when I make these lists, but my current list for 2020 is as follows:\nDigital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World\nThe Man Who Solved the Market: How Jim Simons Launched the Quant Revolution\nBook of Proof\nDesigning Data-Intensive Applications: The Big Ideas Behind Reliable, Scalable, and Maintainable Systems\nSeeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed\nGuns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies\nWe Make the Road by Walking: A Year-Long Quest for Spiritual Formation, Reorientation, and Activation\nSoul Repair: Recovering from Moral Injury after War (for a friend)\nMaster and Commander\nEducated\nWithout Getting Killed or Caught: The Life and Music of Guy Clark\nStretch goal: The Power Broker, as a warm-up for Caro's LBJ series\nThe Bible (perpetual, I don't get through it every year, but I get through much of it, often)\nEDIT: I also hilariously underestimate the number of books I want to read. Here's one more I think is vital for my 2020:\nThe Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21802662,
          "author": "L_Rahman",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T12:55:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21802662",
          "commentText": "Seeing Like a State\nRobert Caro's Lyndon B. Johnson biographies\nThe Overstory",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Seeing Like a State",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books the commenter plans to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No opinion or evaluation stated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20333499,
          "author": "olau",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T09:29:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20333499",
          "commentText": "Read an intro book on biology at university level. I think I read this one, but feel free to grab a newer one:\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Zoology-Robert-Dorit/dp/0030305047/re... (https://www.amazon.com/Zoology-Robert-Dorit/dp/0030305047/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=zoology+Dorit+walker&qid=1562059433&s=books&sr=1-1)\nI used to read books on physics, but I think I learned an order of magnitude more about the world we live in from the above book, and it didn't require more than a high school level understanding of chemistry and biology. I read three more books on various topics in biology afterwards.\nOtherwise, if you are the sort of person who can stomach a theoretical book, Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed is really the kind of book that takes a while to get through, but you start seeing things differently afterwards. It discusses how large organizations can mean well and do evil.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it, saying it changes how readers see things and discusses how well-meaning large organizations can do harm.",
          "audience": "Readers willing to engage with a theoretical book.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it takes a while to get through.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783529,
          "author": "Symmetry",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:46:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783529",
          "commentText": "Here are the ones I'd be willing to recommend, in reverse chronological order of when I read them.  I read 59 total.  Listen to books on tape while working out has maybe doubled my reading rate.\nGenghis Khan: His Conquests, His Empire, His Legacy - Great book on how the Mongol Empire came to be, who Genghis was, and it put the whole thing in perspective for me in a useful way.\nThe Knowledge: How to Rebuild Our World from Scratch - What it says on the tin.  Actually a good overview how some important technologies interrelate.\nSuperforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction - How to be wrong less often.  Based on the Good Judgement Project results.\nThe Three-Body Problem - Decent enough science fiction but extra interesting because it's science fiction from a different culture.\nIgnition!: An informal history of liquid rocket propellants - A history of things that go boom.  Engaging writing and I learned things about chemistry.\nThe Traitor Baru Cormorant - I'm nominating this for a Hugo.  It tells you it's going to stab you in the gut but when it does you don't see it coming.  Plus high quality scheming and speculation on economics, society, and empire.\nThe Sorcerer of the Wildeeps - Excellent use of voice and an overall good book.\nBloom - Made my skin crawl in places and also was good at making you feel a radical change in perspective.\nSeeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed - An interesting perspective on certain aspects of government.  A bit too negative for the topic, the factors outlined are also why commercial economies were able to develop more centralized economies than agrarian ones in the early modern era.\nPolitical Order and Political Decay: From the Industrial Revolution to the Globalization of Democracy - Quite good book on bureaucracy though not as excellent as the previous book on the origins of states.\nLast First Snow - It's always great to read books about the struggles between people with sympathetic motivations.\nThe Unwelcome Warlock - The latest in a series of fantasy books where people use magic in creative and sensible ways.\nAsteroid Mining 101: Wealth for the New Space Economy -Mostly about all the different sorts of asteroids.\nSeveneves - Neal Stephenson's latest.  If you like his books read it but maybe skip the last 1/3 after the timeskip.\nElon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future - Wow he did a lot of cool stuff.\nStories of Your Life and Others - Brilliant and poetic short stories.\nDarwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life - Some interesting perspective on materialism.\nPower, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life - Best science book I've read in a while!  Shows why mitochondria matter, the fundamental limits of prochariotic life, and several important ways mitochondria influence again and evolution.\nBlue Remembered Earth - Awesome near futureish book that does well at imagining a future that isn't just a linear extrapolation but is still believable.\nA Key, an Egg, an Unfortunate Remark - Not enough pacifist badass grandmothers in urban fantasy.\nQuantum Computing since Democritus - I understand QM much better now.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed - An interesting perspective on certain aspects of government. A bit too negative for the topic, the factors outlined are also why commercial economies were able to develop more centralized economies than agrarian ones in the early modern era.",
          "reason": "Finds its perspective on government interesting but too negative.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter considers it a bit too negative.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10028258,
          "author": "hammeringtime",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T18:45:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10028258",
          "commentText": "* Influence by Cialdini - great overview of the psychology of human motivation and influence. You'll get the inside dirt on a lot of sales and marketing tricks.\n* Seeing like a State by James Scott - a good political history with lots of insight into many conventions in our modern society, such as even last names, were created to make society manageable by a central government.\n* Europe and the Europeans by Barzini - the closest thing I have found to being a time traveler, skipping between different places and times in Europe from 1920 to the 1970's.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Seeing like a State by James Scott - a good political history with lots of insight into many conventions in our modern society",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a good political history and praises its insights into modern society.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8795568,
          "author": "wallflower",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T05:50:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795568",
          "commentText": "From Ruby Rogues 184 RR\n\"JESSICA:  Alright. So, I am going to echo one of Greg’s picks because it was on my list but for a different reason. ‘Seeing like a State’ is an amazing book. And I think it’s drastically changed the way I look at software, not for the same reason as Greg talked about but because it shows why what we do is hard. ‘Seeing like a State’ talks about all the subtleties of human systems and human interactions at the local context level. It talks about all the improvisation that everyone does on a day-to-day basis and how in real human communities, we’re constantly changing the system to adjust to a slightly different reality, to corner cases we hadn’t seen before but now we have. It’s shifting and it’s not well-defined. And suddenly it makes complete sense that the hardest part of software is figuring out what we want to do. That’s it. It’s a great book.\"\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Seeing-like-State-Certain-Condition/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/Seeing-like-State-Certain-Condition/dp/0300078153)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "‘Seeing like a State’ is an amazing book. And I think it’s drastically changed the way I look at software",
          "reason": "Calls it amazing and says it changed how they view software.",
          "audience": "Software developers interested in human systems and why software work is hard.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5701770,
          "author": "Mz",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-13T22:15:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5701770",
          "commentText": "\"Seeing like a state\" by James Scott\n\"Riches for the poor: The Clemente Course in Humanities\" by Earl Shorris",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Seeing like a state\" by James Scott",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James C. Scott"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Society",
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "state planning",
        "social engineering",
        "state formation",
        "government"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "small-giants-95678d",
      "title": "Small Giants",
      "author": "Bo Burlingham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35170453,
          "author": "iancmceachern",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T16:06:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35170453",
          "commentText": "Small Giants",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Small Giants",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18774757,
          "author": "gmishuris",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-28T03:44:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18774757",
          "commentText": "Three of my favorites were:\n1. The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle\nAn excellent analysis of what makes some cultures great and others toxic.\n2. Measure What Matters by John Doerr\nJohn Doerr describes a simple yet effective management system that has helped Google succeed and scale. The Objective and Key Results approach can be effective for anyone from a single contributor to a large organization trying to encourage a culture of effective collaboration and achievement.\n3. Small Giants by Bo Burlingham\nThe stories about a handful of companies that chose to be great rather than big.\nSome of the other books that I have enjoyed are listed here: https://behavioralvalueinvestor.com/other-interesting-books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Small Giants by Bo Burlingham\nThe stories about a handful of companies that chose to be great rather than big.",
          "reason": "Names it a favorite and notes its stories of companies that prioritized being great over growing large.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2330082,
          "author": "dterra",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-16T00:10:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 2329700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that change your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2330082",
          "commentText": "Two books that changed my way of thinking about business are,\nSmall Giants and The Responsible Entrepreneur.\nI read them when I was young, so more than changing me, they have me a direction and a basis on what to focus. I read some chapters now and then...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Two books that changed my way of thinking about business are,\nSmall Giants",
          "reason": "Says the books changed their thinking about business.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Small Giants",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9660,
          "author": "Mistone",
          "createdAt": "2007-04-06T18:17:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 9614,
          "threadTitle": "What books have you found to be helpful in starting your business?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9660",
          "commentText": "The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber - its all about vision, systems, and building a business that can scale.\nSmall Giants by Bo Burlingham",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Small Giants by Bo Burlingham",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for helpful business books.",
          "audience": "People starting a business",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bo Burlingham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "company culture",
        "business culture",
        "company building",
        "entrepreneurship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "start-with-why-3f491f",
      "title": "Start with Why",
      "author": "Simon Sinek",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41732659,
          "author": "noashavit",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-03T17:10:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 41693844,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good essays/books/advice about software sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41732659",
          "commentText": "Crossing the chasm, repeatable revenue the challenger sale, start with why",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "start with why",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Start with Why (Simon Sinek)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15964246,
          "author": "matchmike1313",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T21:05:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15964246",
          "commentText": "1. 10% Happier\n2. Traction\n3. Unshakable\n4. Shoe Dog (This has been my favorite book thus far of 2017, I did not think it would of left such a lasting impression on me about life and success and business)\n5. Start with Why\n6. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*uck",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "5. Start with Why",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking which books the commenter would recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14478716,
          "author": "febin",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T21:58:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478716",
          "commentText": "The Holy Bible\nStart With Why\nThe Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck\nThink Like a Freak\nSmartCuts",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Start With Why",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144286,
          "author": "andersthue",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:53:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144286",
          "commentText": "1. Start with why, Simon Sinek - to get my younger self to figure out why I am doing what I am doing\n2. Drive, the surprising truth..., Daniel Pink - to understand happiness and motivation\n3. Crucial Conversations, to learn how to talk and listen and talk to people without ruining the conversation and the possibilities from it",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Start with why, Simon Sinek - to get my younger self to figure out why I am doing what I am doing",
          "reason": "Named in response to a request for books that impacted a career.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5402173,
          "author": "woodruffc",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-19T17:12:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 5401749,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What interesting books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5402173",
          "commentText": "Also \"Start With Why\" Simon Sinek",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Also \"Start With Why\" Simon Sinek",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Simon Sinek"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "purpose",
        "purpose driven business"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "surely-you-re-joking-mr-feynman-4d3200",
      "title": "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!",
      "author": "Richard P. Feynman and Ralph Leighton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48085463,
          "author": "rationalist",
          "createdAt": "2026-05-10T16:45:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 48084905,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci fi books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48085463",
          "commentText": "Somewhat lesser-known sci-fi novels I read in the past:\nThe Unincorporated Man (and three sequels)\nCross between science fiction and fantasy: Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality (\"HPMOR\") - the premise is that Harry Potter is raised by a good aunt and uncle, and is taught the Scientific Method and so he uses that when encountering magic.\nOld Man's War (and sequels) by John Scalzi\nRedshirts by John Scalzi\nScience-reality: Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\nRa by qntm\nThere is no Antiemetics Division by qntm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!",
          "reason": "Listed as a science-reality read in response to a request for books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter distinguishes it as science-reality.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42282556,
          "author": "ivan_ah",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-30T16:56:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42282556",
          "commentText": "I recently learned[1] that he didn't write this book. He was telling stories to Ralph Leighton, who then wrote the books, and there is reason to believe many of the stories were embellished/enhanced. I'm kind of disappointed now that he didn't write the book himself, but I remember enjoying it when I read it as an undergrad.\n[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwKpj2ISQAc",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "he didn't write this book. He was telling stories to Ralph Leighton, who then wrote the books",
          "reason": "Discusses authorship and the accuracy of the stories; the commenter recalls enjoying it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says some stories may have been embellished or enhanced.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910210,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:25:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910210",
          "commentText": "- \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies\" - probably the most influential book I've read in my life, profoundly changed the way I think. It's a collection of LessWrong essays on science and rationality.\n- \"On Intelligence\" and \"I am a Strange Loop\" - how mind works.\n- \"Rework\", \"Zero to One\", \"Start Small, Stay Small\" - insightful startup advice.\n- Fun autobiographies: Ghost in the Wires (Kevin Mitnick), iWoz (Steve Wozniak), Catch me if you can (Frank Abagnale), Just for Fun (Linus Torvalds), Elon Musk, Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\n- How companies work: Creativity Inc (Pixar), In the Plex (Google)\n- On writing: Art of fiction/nonfiction by Ayn Rand, Story by Robert McKee, Save the Cat, Step by Step to Standup Comedy.\n- Other: The Selfish Gene, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Serious Creativity, Hackers & Painters, Hacking Growth, Angel (on angel investing, by Jason Calacanis).\nAlso collections of essays by Paul Graham [1] and Scott Alexander [2]:\n[1] https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%20Complete%20Essays.epub?dl=0)\n[2] https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of%20Scott%20Alexandria%20-%20Scott%20Alexander.epub?dl=0)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's fun autobiographies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229610,
          "author": "Kenji",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T14:41:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229610",
          "commentText": ">Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: An excellent book with autobiographic content about Richard Feynman, contains many funny stories and interesting insights of this brilliant man.\n>J. Hromkovic: Theoretical Computer Science: An excellent introduction to complexity theory, kolmogorov complexity, automata and turing machine, language and grammar theory\n>Harris & Harris: Digital Design and Computer Architecture: Introduction to electrical engineering, graudally builds your knowledge until you could implement a simple little CPU in e.g. Verilog.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: An excellent book with autobiographic content about Richard Feynman, contains many funny stories and interesting insights of this brilliant man.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it excellent and highlights its funny stories and insights.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Richard Feynman's life and stories.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135262,
          "author": "klocksib",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T16:59:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135262",
          "commentText": "Hmmm, here's a list of books I really like:\nMemory as a Programming Concept in C and C++ by Frenck\nThe Design and Implementation of the FreeBSD Operating System by McKusick/Neville-Neil\nLearning GNU Emacs by Cameron, et al.\nPractical Common Lisp by Seibel\nThe C Programming Language by K&R\nThe C++ Programming Language Stroustrup\nThe Design and Analysis of Algorithms by Leviten\nAssembly Language Programming for the IBM PC Family by Jones\nEssays/Collections:\nHackers & Painters by PG\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman by Feynman\nWhat Do You Care What Other People Think by Feynman\nThe Cathedral & The Bazaar by Raymond\nNovels:\nThe Soul of a New Machine by Kidder\nWhere Wizards Stay up Late by Hafner",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman by Feynman",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books the commenter really likes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard P. Feynman",
        "Ralph Leighton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "physics",
        "scientist memoir",
        "anecdotes"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tcp-ip-illustrated-4ab178",
      "title": "TCP/IP Illustrated",
      "author": "W. Richard Stevens",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32793916,
          "author": "robotburrito",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T19:35:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32793916",
          "commentText": "TCP/IP Illustrated was my bible when I worked at ICSA Labs.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "TCP/IP Illustrated was my bible",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as their essential reference while working at ICSA Labs.",
          "audience": "People working with TCP/IP networking.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29816049,
          "author": "contingencies",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-05T22:32:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29816049",
          "commentText": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_and_Civilisation_in_Ch... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_and_Civilisation_in_China)\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TCP/IP_Illustrated#Volume_1:_T... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TCP/IP_Illustrated#Volume_1:_The_Protocols)\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debt:_The_First_5000_Years\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_Not_Being_Governed",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TCP/IP_Illustrated#Volume_1:_T...",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26339555,
          "author": "gnunez",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-04T07:10:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 26321793,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books made you the most money?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26339555",
          "commentText": "TCP/IP Illustrated, It was that first time I realized that all the magic the computer was doing could be understood on a bit by bit level. It launched me into a rewarding career.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "TCP/IP Illustrated, It was that first time I realized that all the magic the computer was doing could be understood on a bit by bit level.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book sparked their understanding of computers and launched a rewarding career.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144298,
          "author": "cmax",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:54:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144298",
          "commentText": "1) The Art of Unix Programming\n2) TCP/IP Illustrated \n3) 97 Things Every Programmer Should Know",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "TCP/IP Illustrated",
          "reason": "Named in response to a request for books that impacted a career.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8000845,
          "author": "r4um",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T19:33:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8000845",
          "commentText": "All the books by W. Richard Stevens[1], especially the TCP/IP Illustrated Volumes. \nNo one covers theory with actual illustration and real world examples like Stevens does in his books.\n[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._Richard_Stevens",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All the books by W. Richard Stevens[1], especially the TCP/IP Illustrated Volumes. \nNo one covers theory with actual illustration and real world examples like Stevens does in his books.",
          "reason": "Especially recommends the TCP/IP Illustrated volumes, praising their use of illustrations and real-world examples to explain theory.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. Richard Stevens"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "tcp ip",
        "computer networking",
        "network protocols",
        "networking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-adventures-of-sherlock-holmes-86a56a",
      "title": "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes",
      "author": "Arthur Conan Doyle",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36429831,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T09:42:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36429831",
          "commentText": "In no particular order and off the top of my head;\nThe Sherlock Holmes canonical stories - The importance of logical reasoning and brain over brawn. Instrumental in teaching me to think.\nPhysics for Entertainment (and other books) by Ya. Perelman - Beauty and understanding of Science. Instrumental in giving me a lifelong interest in Science/Technology.\nStructured Computer Organization by Andrew Tanenbaum - Instrumental in teaching me the layering of abstractions by which something complex can arise from more simpler and detailed components.\nRaja Yoga by Swami Vivekananda and The Science of Yoga by Swami Sivananda - Instrumental in introducing me to Hindu philosophy.\nBruce lee's fighting method (3 vols) - Instrumental in introducing me to Martial Arts and physical culture.\nThe above books were the ones which sparked my interest in their respective domains decades ago (late 1980s/early 1990s in India) when books were hard to come by and money wasn't available either. When i look around today, books are so easily available and yet people have stopped reading and even seem to lack curiosity.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Sherlock Holmes canonical stories",
          "reason": "The stories taught the commenter logical reasoning and sparked their interest.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936797,
          "author": "lightmyst",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T09:59:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936797",
          "commentText": "I don't really read books, but I've really enjoyed reading a lot of Sherlock Holmes lately. The stories themselves aren't that interesting but the way Holmes collects, processes and works with data assisted by his methodical and almost pedantic approach to draw relevant conclusions from said data using his extensive knowledge of previous cases is extremely engaging. Now that the 21st century is entirely data driven, I feel these books give a very amateurish but still relevant perspective as to all the things we could do with the knowledge available to us.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've really enjoyed reading a lot of Sherlock Holmes lately.",
          "reason": "Enjoys reading the Sherlock Holmes stories and their methodical approach to drawing conclusions from data.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says the stories themselves are not that interesting.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2963436,
          "author": "aorshan",
          "createdAt": "2011-09-05T21:59:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 2963294,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Got a Kindle. What now? What books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2963436",
          "commentText": "I would recommend taking a look through all of the free classics available on the Kindle store. There are thousands of old books that are out of copyright and are completely free to download. You can find stuff like the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, papers by einstein, Gulliver's Travels, Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde, Dracula, and lots of other really great reads.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You can find stuff like the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, papers by einstein, Gulliver's Travels, Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde, Dracula, and lots of other really great reads.",
          "reason": "Recommended as one of the free classics available on Kindle.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for free classic books on Kindle.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2526940,
          "author": "revorad",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-08T23:09:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 2526568,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2526940",
          "commentText": "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about essential reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876399,
          "author": "sidmitra",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T10:11:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876399",
          "commentText": "Just to name two out of the many i love:\nHitchhiker's Guide to the galaxy and The adventures of Sherlock Holmes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The adventures of Sherlock Holmes",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter loves.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur Conan Doyle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "detective fiction",
        "short stories",
        "classic literature",
        "logical reasoning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-learning-ff097e",
      "title": "The Art of Learning",
      "author": "Josh Waitzkin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14479541,
          "author": "travmatt",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-04T02:07:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14479541",
          "commentText": "I'd second Waitzkin, that was an amazing book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd second Waitzkin, that was an amazing book.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an amazing book and seconds the recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144278,
          "author": "dasboth",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:51:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144278",
          "commentText": "I didn't realise he wrote a book. His chess videos in Chessmaster made me a much better player, I'll definitely have a look at the book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I didn't realise he wrote a book.",
          "reason": "The commenter plans to check out the book after learning the referenced person wrote one.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144244,
          "author": "adrice727",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:47:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144244",
          "commentText": "\"The Art of Learning\" by Josh Waitzkin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Art of Learning\" by Josh Waitzkin",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for career-impacting book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12097160,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-14T21:04:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12097160",
          "commentText": "I just started reading the Art of Learning\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Art-Learning-Journey-Optimal-Performa... (https://www.amazon.com/Art-Learning-Journey-Optimal-Performance/dp/0743277465)\nI finished Linchpin a few weeks back and that was an amazing book  \nhttps://www.amazon.com/Linchpin-Are-Indispensable-Seth-Godin... (https://www.amazon.com/Linchpin-Are-Indispensable-Seth-Godin/dp/1591844096)\nWill It Fly is a great book I learning a lot of great marketing tricks from\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Will-Test-Business-Waste-Money/dp/099... (https://www.amazon.com/Will-Test-Business-Waste-Money/dp/0997082305)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I just started reading the Art of Learning",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11252763,
          "author": "kennyfrc",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-09T13:19:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11252763",
          "commentText": "Ha! Just had that binge too...\n... Here's what I like:\nOn the business end:\n- Badass by Kathy Sierra\n- Impossible to Inevitable by Aaron Ross\n- Traction by Gabriel Weinberg\n- Cold Calling Early Customers by Robert Graham\n- Learn or Die by Edward Hess\nOn \"refining your thought process\":\n- Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley\n- Racing Towards Excellence by Jan Sramek\n- Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin\n- Case Interview Secrets by Victor Cheng (helps you think in a nice, structured way)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin",
          "reason": "Included under the commenter’s books for refining thought processes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5704008,
          "author": "joelmaat",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-14T10:44:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5704008",
          "commentText": "The Way of The Superior Man\nThe Art of Learning\nAs a Man Thinketh\nThinking, Fast and Slow\nThink and Grow Rich!\nPsycho-Cybernet​ics\nPeopleware: Productive Projects and Teams\nRich Dad, Poor Dad",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Learning",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227716,
          "author": "aik",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T22:20:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227716",
          "commentText": "I very much wish I would have read the below books in (or pre) high school.  I'm not sure if they have the same effect on everyone, but for me they were huge in redefining elements of my life that needed to be fixed/unlearned/enhanced.\nAll related to having a passion for learning and life in general:\n\"Art of Learning\" by Josh Waitzkin\n\"Mastery\" by George Leonard\n\"A Mathematician's Lament\" by Paul Lockhart\n\"Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\" by Richard Feynman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Art of Learning\" by Josh Waitzkin",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of books the commenter wishes they had read earlier, saying these books helped redefine parts of their life.",
          "audience": "People interested in learning and personal development.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the books' effects may vary by person.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Josh Waitzkin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "deliberate practice",
        "mastery",
        "performance",
        "skill acquisition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-thinking-clearly-550da1",
      "title": "The Art of Thinking Clearly",
      "author": "Rolf Dobelli",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39249363,
          "author": "_____k",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T11:16:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249363",
          "commentText": "- The Oxygen Advantage: Simple, Scientifically Proven Breathing Techniques to Help You Become Healthier, Slimmer, Faster, and Fitter\n- The Art of Thinking Clearly",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Art of Thinking Clearly",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33800986,
          "author": "arnejenssen",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T14:12:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33800986",
          "commentText": "\"The art of thinking clearly\" by Rolf Dobelli https://www.amazon.com/Art-Thinking-Clearly-Rolf-Dobelli/dp/... (https://www.amazon.com/Art-Thinking-Clearly-Rolf-Dobelli/dp/0062219693)\n99 cognitive biases with memorable examples and stories.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The art of thinking clearly\" by Rolf Dobelli",
          "reason": "Presents 99 cognitive biases with memorable examples and stories.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19906571,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-14T03:33:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19906571",
          "commentText": "I have found Poor Charlies Almanack by Charlie Muenger to have quite a few.\nThinking Fast and Slow is another great book that explains some of the mental models well.\nThe Art of Thinking Clearly is yet another that is actually more like a dictionary of mental models.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Thinking Clearly is yet another that is actually more like a dictionary of mental models.",
          "reason": "Presented as a book that serves as a dictionary of mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18663308,
          "author": "ivanmaeder",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:27:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663308",
          "commentText": "My highlights from this year:\n1. \"How to Measure Anything\" (Douglas Hubbard)\nPresents a few simple techniques (confidence intervals, Monte Carlo simulations, regression analysis, Bayes, etc) to help with decision-making. E.g., should we build this feature or spend the same money on marketing?\nI put it alongside \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" (Daniel Kahneman), \"Superforecasting\" (Philip Tetlock), \"The Art of Thinking Clearly\" (Rolf Dobelli), etc. These books explain how our thinking is often flawed; \"How to Measure Anything\" gives you some tools to avoid flawed thinking.\nNote: if you already know the math (a lot of people on HN would), you might not get that much out of it.\n2. \"Why We Sleep\" (Matthew Walker)\nAs I read this book I kept thinking about all the people I knew who would benefit from it: family and friends whom I want to have healthy happy lives, managers who believe that they'll get more out of people by pushing them to work crazy hours… and lots of people who think they’ll get more out of themselves if they sleep less.\nWith references to studies, the book explains the different factors that influence sleep, what your body does during sleep and the different phases of sleep, how your body—mostly the brain—benefits, etc.\nFor days after reading it I kept telling friends about things I'd learnt from it. One of my favourite was how certain types of bird are able to sleep: they line themselves up in a row, with the birds on each end putting only half their brain to sleep. This way they can keep one of their eyes open—the one furthest to the end—so they can keep watch. Then after a while the birds on the end will turn around and sleep the other side of their brain.\nFascinating!\nMy only complaint is that it very rarely mentions the actual numbers behind studies. E.g., there might be a mention of a lack of sleep and an increased risk of diabetes or depression or heart attacks, but there's no reference to the amount the risks increase by.\n3. \"Shoe Dog\" (Phil Knight)\nThe story of Nike, told by the founder. I honestly don't care about Nike but that's not the takeaway—it's not about shoes or T-shirts or Michael Jordan. It's about a guy trying to keep a business alive: almost from day one there no let-up, the company is continually under threat.\nAlso the early employees are a really fun bunch.\n4. \"The Master and Margarita\" (Mikhail Bulgakov)\nFiction. It took me a while to warm up to this but I'm glad I stuck it out. I think the charm is in the language and the crazy mix of characters, the way religion is dealt with in a very human way; the tension, the fun…\nI really struggle to describe this book.\n5. \"Shantaram\" (David Gregory Roberts)\nFiction. I was looking for a book about India. I've never been, and I thought I might learn something and get a feeling of what it's like to be there.\nI didn't. Not in the same way that I could feel the heat in \"Heart of Darkness\" (Joseph Conrad) or the sun and the trees in \"From the Holy Mountain\" (William Dalrymple) or the weight of the world in \"Suttree\" (Cormac McCarthy).\nBut it's a good ride of a story.\n6. \"In Dreams Begin Responsibilities and Other Stories\" (Delmore Schwartz)\nI knew this book from university. And then a few weeks ago: I needed a break from the world of tech and productivity and work, and this did the trick. It is so far away from that. Think: creative types working on books and poems and plays during the depression, struggling, self-conscious, observant, talkative…",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "These books explain how our thinking is often flawed",
          "reason": "The commenter says it explains how thinking can be flawed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168564,
          "author": "21stio",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:12:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168564",
          "commentText": "Its about thinking biases, by far the book with the greatest information density I have ever read. 2 pages per thinking bias. Paid of a 1000 times.\nhttps://www.amazon.de/Art-Thinking-Clearly-Better-Decisions/... (https://www.amazon.de/Art-Thinking-Clearly-Better-Decisions/dp/144475954X)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2 pages per thinking bias. Paid of a 1000 times.",
          "reason": "Praised for its concise coverage of thinking biases and high information density.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15770324,
          "author": "kerouanton",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-24T09:48:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15770324",
          "commentText": "The Art of Thinking Clearly : a 2013 book by the Swiss writer Rolf Dobelli which describes in short chapters 99 of the most common thinking errors - ranging from cognitive biases to elements like envy and social distortions. Really changed my way of life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Thinking Clearly : a 2013 book by the Swiss writer Rolf Dobelli which describes in short chapters 99 of the most common thinking errors - ranging from cognitive biases to elements like envy and social distortions. Really changed my way of life.",
          "reason": "Says the book really changed their way of life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14879144,
          "author": "x009",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-29T02:18:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14879144",
          "commentText": "The Art of Thinking Clearly",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Art of Thinking Clearly",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968377,
          "author": "swah",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:41:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968377",
          "commentText": "The Art of Thinking Clearly, Write Portable Code by Brian Hook, Thomas Mann's The magic mountain, The mythical man month, Intellectuals by Paul Johnson and Hegemony and Socialist Strategy, by Ernesto Laclau are on my table right now.\nBut I don't think reading many books in parallel is a good strategy...",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Art of Thinking Clearly",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rolf Dobelli"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognitive biases",
        "decision making",
        "mental models",
        "thinking errors"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-worldly-wisdom-7edd0d",
      "title": "The Art of Worldly Wisdom",
      "author": "Baltasar Gracián",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40281894,
          "author": "WorkerBee28474",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T02:59:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40281894",
          "commentText": "The Art of Worldly Wisdom by Baltasar Gracián really is a hidden gem",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Worldly Wisdom by Baltasar Gracián really is a hidden gem",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a hidden gem.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33816966,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-01T14:53:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33816966",
          "commentText": "If you liked that book, you should read the original sources from which Robert Greene derived his (too simplified) work viz. the works of Baltasar Gracian, Machiavelli, Francesco Guicciardini, Baldassare Castiglione etc.\nThese are far more nuanced and all-encompassing books on what i call \"Worldly Wisdom\" i.e. dealing with the World as is rather than how you would like it to be. These sort of books are some of my favourites that i constantly keep going back to.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the works of Baltasar Gracian",
          "reason": "Suggested as an original source behind Robert Greene’s simplified work; the commenter says these books offer nuance and worldly wisdom.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20918022,
          "author": "michael-ax",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T13:39:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20918022",
          "commentText": "Witter Bynner's Translation is truly the one. Its complemented in me by\nMartin Fischer's Translation of Baltasar Gracian's \"The Art of Worldly Wisdom\". (Amazon seems to have a few)\nQuoth Nietzsche: \"Europe has never produced anything finer or more complicated in matters of moral subtlety.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Martin Fischer's Translation of Baltasar Gracian's \"The Art of Worldly Wisdom\".",
          "reason": "Offers Fischer's translation as a complement to the Tao Te Ching.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13240800,
          "author": "cicero",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T22:06:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13240800",
          "commentText": "A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter Miller (recommended SF classic)\nThe Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis (an old favorite, recommended)\nThe Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco (some interesting parts, but overall a disappointment)\nTheology and Sanity - Frank Sheed (recommended; a very written description of the Catholic faith; weaknesses are it's long and it's aimed to a mid 20th c. audience)\nChristianity for Modern Pagans: Pascal's Pensees - Peter Kreeft (recommended; a good exposition of Blaise Pascal's thought)\nCatholicism: A journey to the heart of the faith - Robert Barron (recommended; a good explanation of Catholicism for the common person)\nHis Master's Voice - Stanislaw Lem (recommended; very intellectual look at the problem of first contact)\nThe Industries of the Future - Alec Ross (the robotics chapter is best; other parts are more light-weight; easy read)\nClouds of Witnesses - Dorothy Sayers (not my favorite Sayers mystery, but enjoyable)\nA Study in Scarlet - Arthur Conan Doyle (recommended)\nWhy Gender Matters - Leonard Sax (recommended; most of the book is based on good science, but he does go out on a limb a time or two.)\nOld School - Tobias Wolff (recommended; a world before widespread TV where high school boys actually got excited about literature)\nInfinite Space, Infinite God - Karina and Robert Fabian editors (story quality varies; I enjoyed some of them)\nThe Sign of Four - Arthur Conan Doyle (recommended)\nOn Stranger Tides - Tim Powers (recommended; I love Powers, but Anubis Gates and Last Call are better. Still, if you like pirates you should like this)\nThe Art of Worldly Wisdom - Baltasar Gracian (interesting)\nAquinas at Prayer: the Bible, Mysticism, and Poetry - Paul Murray (recommended; this shows a different side of Thomas Aquinas)\nAristotle for Everybody: Difficult Thought Made Easy - Mortimer Adler (recommended; I almost think this should be required reading)\nThe Pilgrim's Regress - C.S. Lewis (I enjoyed it, but the ideas Lewis argues against are somewhat dated.)\nEdit for formatting",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Art of Worldly Wisdom - Baltasar Gracian (interesting)",
          "reason": "Described as interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12244566,
          "author": "Mendenhall",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T00:20:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244566",
          "commentText": "Reading \"Art of worldly wisdom\" as a kid. Still read it often. I find it incredibly useful in interactions with people in almost every facet and I strongly suggest reading it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I strongly suggest reading it",
          "reason": "Finds it incredibly useful in interactions with people and strongly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Baltasar Gracián"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "practical wisdom",
        "aphorisms"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-autobiography-of-malcolm-x-77f3bc",
      "title": "The Autobiography of Malcolm X",
      "author": "Malcolm X and Alex Haley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29815501,
          "author": "mtalantikite",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-05T21:50:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29815501",
          "commentText": "Autobiography of Malcolm X. Read it when I was 18 and it was awakening. I've re-read it every few years since then.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Autobiography of Malcolm X. Read it when I was 18 and it was awakening. I've re-read it every few years since then.",
          "reason": "Describes the book as awakening and says they reread it every few years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17047738,
          "author": "Isamu",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T14:59:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17047738",
          "commentText": "It's worth getting all the way through.  He becomes transformed at a certain point, and realizes his earlier beliefs were wrong.  Malcolm wanted to delete or revise the earlier part of the book at that point but Alex Haley prevailed to keep it as it was.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Malcolm wanted to delete or revise the earlier part of the book at that point but Alex Haley prevailed to keep it as it was.",
          "reason": "Adds context about the book's account of Malcolm X's transformation and its editing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17047475,
          "author": "Zaheer",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T14:23:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17047475",
          "commentText": "The Autobiography of Malcolm X - Especially interesting read in today's political climate - pivotal nonetheless",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Especially interesting read in today's political climate - pivotal nonetheless",
          "reason": "Calls the book interesting and pivotal.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156326,
          "author": "RodericDay",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:08:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156326",
          "commentText": "Ludwig Wittgenstein: Duty of Genius was a great ride, as well as a fantastic introduction to powerful ideas about communication and non-scientific disciplines' wish to imitate science.\nThe Autobiography of Malcolm X makes a brilliant case for angry speech, making the mainstream portrayal of figures like Gandhi and MLK Jr. seem like straight-up whitewashed propaganda.\nDelusions of Gender is a fierce analysis of the nature/nurture discussion that rears its head over and over, explaining various mistakes people when interpreting results, both at the research level and at the journalistic level.\nMarx's Inferno reinvents Marx in a super clever way.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "makes a brilliant case for angry speech",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its argument for angry speech and its challenge to mainstream portrayals of Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13967910,
          "author": "thomasreggi",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T14:22:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13967910",
          "commentText": "The Autobiography of Malcolm X\nIt's a deep dive in understanding and empathizing with another human being, and reflecting and finding the things one is grateful for in their own life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a deep dive in understanding and empathizing with another human being, and reflecting and finding the things one is grateful for in their own life.",
          "reason": "Presents the autobiography as a way to understand and empathize with someone and reflect on one's life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13237156,
          "author": "impostervt",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:37:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237156",
          "commentText": "\"The Autobiography of Malcom X\"\nWhat a crazy life he led.\n\"Napoleon: A Life\" - Andrew Roberts\nA gigantic book that still felt rushed because of how much he did during his life.\n\"Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization\" Kriwaczek, Paul\nInteresting introduction but I was hoping for more of a focus on a specific period of time. Instead if covers several thousand years of history.\n\"Buddhism Without Belief\" - Stephen Bachelor\nMeh.\n\"The Book of Magic: From Antiquity to the Enlightenment\" - Copenhaver, Brian\n\"The Philosophy Book\" - Will Buckingham\nGreat into to the history of Philosophy\n\"The Vindication of Man\" by John C Wright\nGreat, great series.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"The Autobiography of Malcom X\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785453,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:27:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785453",
          "commentText": "I'll skip some mentioned already by others. Books I really enjoyed this year:\nThe Wright Brothers, David McCullough - wonderful book on the Wright Brothers, easy to read, shows that persistence and logic thinking pays out. 5/5\nThe autobiography of Malcom X, Malcolm X - Nice bio, a bit repetitive sometimes. 3/5\nAtlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand - Although the book has more than 1200 pages it really kept me going. I read this book to get a better understanding of the ideology of some republicans. Fun read. 4.5/5\nFreakonomics, Steven D. Levitt - Levitt studies all kind of different everyday questions using economics. 4/5, short, easy to read\nGuantanamo Diary, Mohamedou Ould Slahi - Diary of a Guantanamo prisoner who has been imprisoned since 2002. The US has never charged him with a crime. Profound and disturbing. 5/5\nNo place to hide, Glenn Greenwald - Story on Edward Snowden, probably read by most of HN. Enjoyed it, that's it. 4/5\nHow to lie with statistics, Darrel Huff - Short book on statistics, easy to read and fun. 4/5",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Nice bio, a bit repetitive sometimes. 3/5",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as a nice biography and rates it 3/5.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter found it a bit repetitive.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Malcolm X",
        "Alex Haley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "civil rights",
        "african american history",
        "autobiography",
        "black history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-bible-fa7812",
      "title": "The Bible",
      "author": "Unknown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42696169,
          "author": "Breza",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-14T11:52:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 42686034,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read regarding software development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42696169",
          "commentText": "Honestly, reading the Bible helped me in ways I never anticipated. Books like Esther are master classes in how to interact with people.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "reading the Bible helped me in ways I never anticipated. Books like Esther are master classes in how to interact with people.",
          "reason": "The commenter says reading the Bible helped them and praises Esther as a model for interpersonal skills.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32938515,
          "author": "memling",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T13:30:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938515",
          "commentText": "> There are much less obscure texts, roughly contemporary with the Bible, which discuss humanistic values such as might be associated with 'Western Civilization'. Some of these have been treated as holy by various religious groups including Early Christians, or as of a quasi-religious importance in the organization of society and its institutions. Many of these were widely read throughout the Christian era and are much easier to see as having influenced 'Enlightenment' and 'Modern Secular' values. For example, Plato's Republic. Any suggestion that the Bible is more important than that or similar works to gain \"an understanding of the process of how Western Civilization is formed as it is today\" just seems to me to be a hangover from Christian apologetics and bigotry.\nHave an upvote!\nCan you draw some broader pictures here for the relatively uninformed how you would get a broadly humanistic view from, e.g., The Republic?  If that's too broad an ask, could you draw a line from Plato (and others) to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the Bible is more important than that or similar works",
          "reason": "Discusses the Bible's importance in understanding how Western civilization formed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32938264,
          "author": "alfor",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T13:05:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938264",
          "commentText": "Hardcore zen\nMan in search of meaning\nAtlas shrugged: too long winded, but popped my progressive reality buble.\nReturn to religion: made me see how most of our \nproblems(depression, anxiety, meaninglessness) are caused by our lack of transcendental\nRecently the bible, Marc, Genesis. But I saw the Peterson biblical lecture before, without that I would have not appreciated for sure.\nI see all around me that the progressives are captured by ideologies, most cannot see clearly because their religious shaped hole almost always get filled with the ideology du jour.\nThey tend to live meaningless lives, don’t have kids or very few, their couples are brittle, they run after money, travel, pleasures and then find out that it doesn’t give sustainable happiness.\nMy take is that our mind is religious even if you don’t want it to be, kind of our operating system. Better put something tested and reliable (with a few updates) than rewrite from scratch and fall in the same traps than everyone before.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Recently the bible, Marc, Genesis.",
          "reason": "Mentions recently reading the Bible and Genesis.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17913331,
          "author": "lcall",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T22:16:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17913331",
          "commentText": "Upvoted, and I would also say the Book of Mormon, with the Bible.  The BoM reinforces the Bible's teachings powerfully, and as I age and read again, sometimes in other languages, and some scholarly things about it, they both just keep getting better and better.  Including in their effect on me.  You can get a copy of either one for free.\nEdit:\nAdditionally, some which have been mentioned or not:\n- a couple of biographies of Lincoln (one is free on gutenberg.org, the other more recent by Doris Kearns Goodwin), and one of Washington whose name I forget now, but there are good ones out there.\n- the 7 Habits book (Covey), and How to Win Friends and Influence People by Carnegie.\n- Refactoring ..., by Martin Fowler.\n- some thick Scheme programming book from college (sorry, it's downstairs).  And \"The Little Schemer\", also about Scheme (one of the authors, Friedman, was also our instructor).\n- Since Cumorah, by Hugh Nibley (maybe dated now, but there is a lot of related work).  Really got me interested in related topics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "with the Bible.  The BoM reinforces the Bible's teachings powerfully",
          "reason": "Says both books keep getting better on rereading and have an effect on them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14479953,
          "author": "cconcepts",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-04T04:57:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14479953",
          "commentText": "Personally, because a thorough understanding of the Bible shows that its teaching is quite different to what is often portrayed in media and in the assumptions of people like myself who had not previously read it.\nYou can take many individual parts of the Bible out of context and make it sound like madness but reading the whole in its entirety has a narrative that many miss.\nFor those raised on the internet and faster gratification (like me), try The Jesus Storybook Bible which I personally think is a great effort at paraphrasing the original.\nEDIT: clarity",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a thorough understanding of the Bible shows that its teaching is quite different",
          "reason": "Argues that reading the Bible in full reveals its narrative and teaching beyond misleading excerpts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348932,
          "author": "wankel",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:47:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348932",
          "commentText": "The only reason anyone needs to never read anything by Dan Brown is Dan Brown's writing.\nI'm terrible at random-access, on-demand list building like this, but I strongly agree about a few of the other things mentioned here:\nMeditations by Marcus Aurelius\nGodel, Escher, Bach by Hofstadter\nOrthodoxy by GK Chesterton\nThe Abolition of Man by CS Lewis\nWalden by Thoreau\nA few of the better and more philosophical bits out of the bible (especially in a good modern translation), including Ecclesiastes and 1 Corinthians 13\nTo this list, I would also add Ralph Waldo Emerson's classic essays, including Self-Reliance and Experience",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "including Ecclesiastes and 1 Corinthians 13",
          "reason": "Strongly agrees with these biblical passages being included in a list of perspective-changing reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Specifically praises selected philosophical passages, especially in a good modern translation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348876,
          "author": "plongeur",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:40:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348876",
          "commentText": "I'm agnostic and I don't agree with you. Sure, there are without any doubt some wise statements to be found in the Bible.\nBut each and every of those thoughts have been presented and discussed in other books in a more concise, clear, less ambiguous and more applicable fashion.\nAdditionally, the Bible is full of rather tasteless anecdotes - judging from a modern perspective.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "the Bible is full of rather tasteless anecdotes - judging from a modern perspective.",
          "reason": "Criticizes its anecdotes as tasteless from a modern perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2091061,
          "author": "JoshCole",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-11T05:47:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2091061",
          "commentText": "My favorite book was probably \"Surely Your Joking Mr. Feynman.\" I liked it, because it was fun to read, especially when he played a practical joke.\nA bit farther down the list would be the newest Wheel of Time books. Brandon Sanderson annoyed me at first, but once I got over that I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it had a very similar style to the original. I enjoyed it immensely.\nSomewhere after that are a few of the slightly more technical books I read. Maybe Coders At Work? It gave me a better sense of the history of the industry, but I don't think you should read it if your goal is to learn how to be a better hacker.\nFinally there is The Bible, which I would recommend to anyone.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Finally there is The Bible, which I would recommend to anyone.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly recommends it to anyone.",
          "audience": "Anyone, according to the commenter.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "religious text",
        "biblical studies",
        "christianity",
        "interpersonal relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-coddling-of-the-american-mind-d04b18",
      "title": "The Coddling of the American Mind",
      "author": "Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38238214,
          "author": "wolframhempel",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T07:45:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238214",
          "commentText": "Yup. I've been looking for books that explain the underlying structures and dynamics of \"wokeness\" for a while. I feel \"the Coddling\" does a good job for some aspects of it. The best book I found so far in this regard is \"Cynical Theories\" by Helen Pluckrose. You read it and just think: \"yeah, this is it\". Unfortunately it's written like a PhD thesis, so not the lightest read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I feel \"the Coddling\" does a good job for some aspects of it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it explains some aspects of the dynamics they are investigating.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for explanations of the structures and dynamics of “wokeness.”",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it covers only some aspects.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38237881,
          "author": "wolframhempel",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T06:34:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38237881",
          "commentText": "Last three things I read (slightly all over the place):\n- Aleister Crowley by Steven Ashe: A biography of the British occultist.\n- Going Infinite by Michael Lewis: A (very well meaning) story of Sam Bankman-Fried\n- The Coddling of the American Mind by Jonathan Haidt: A book about \"safety culture\" on campus and it's implications at large.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Coddling of the American Mind by Jonathan Haidt",
          "reason": "Listed among the last three things the commenter read and described as a book about campus safety culture and its wider implications.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937340,
          "author": "fiforpg",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:57:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937340",
          "commentText": "The big impact books tend to be the ones read in youth. One that I re-read many times was the biography of Robert Wood by William Seabrook (both really fascinating characters):\nDoctor Wood, Modern Wizard of the Laboratory\nFor a more recent, although not nearly as formative read:\nThe Coddling of the American Mind",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Coddling of the American Mind",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a more recent read, though not as formative as the earlier pick.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it was not nearly as formative.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34161496,
          "author": "psithurism",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T14:53:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161496",
          "commentText": "Sociology:\n- The Coddling of the American Mind\n- The Tao of Pooh\n- Guns, Germs, and Steel\n- Weapons of the Weak\nReligious:\n- Guru Granth Sahib\n- Bible (King James Version)\n- Q’uran\n- The Book of Mormon \n- Tipitaka\nFantasy:\n- Dawn of Wonder by Jonathan Renshaw\n- The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan \n- The Way of Kings series by Brandon Sanderson\n- Mistborn also by Brandon Sanderson\n- Red Rising by Pierce Brown\n- The Licanius trilogy by James Islington\n- Saga of the Forgotten Warrior series by Larry Correia\nBiography\n- John Adams by David McCullough",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The Coddling of the American Mind",
          "reason": "Listed under sociology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33849955,
          "author": "prepend",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T02:31:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33849955",
          "commentText": "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood by Quentin Tarantino, a great companion to the movie and expands on characters in really unique ways that make me think about them.\nTermination Shock by Neal Stephenson, a near future book about climate change and trying to fix it with an interesting geopolitical look of China acting like the US. I also liked Ministry of the Future but it was less fun of a read.\nCoddling of the American Mind by Jonathan Haidt, a reasoned look at how social media and devices are negatively impacting society and children.\nBorne by Jeff VanderMeer, a weird near future declinepunk with bioengineering and evil corporations.\nHeart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, very short book with a glimpse into post colonial colonialism in remote locations. Wanted to read a book about Congo.\nInvisible Man by Ralph Ellison, a portrait of a character in a time I didn’t experience.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a reasoned look at how social media and devices are negatively impacting society and children",
          "reason": "Describes it as a reasoned look at social media and devices' effects on society and children.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21901669,
          "author": "4NDR10D",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T20:56:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21901669",
          "commentText": "The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure [1] by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt\nI didn't necessarily agree with all of it but it helped me understand the changes I've seen across workplaces, colleges and beyond. It was also a nice way of thinking more \"grey\" in terms of the current political climate, and trying to understand the reasons behind people's actions regardless of their political stance.\n[1] https://www.thecoddling.com/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I didn't necessarily agree with all of it but it helped me understand the changes I've seen across workplaces, colleges and beyond.",
          "reason": "Says it helped explain changes and encouraged a more nuanced way to understand people's actions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter did not agree with all of it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Greg Lukianoff",
        "Jonathan Haidt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society",
        "Parenting"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "campus culture",
        "political polarization",
        "child development",
        "higher education"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dawn-of-everything-ffec77",
      "title": "The Dawn of Everything",
      "author": "David Graeber and David Wengrow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45098047,
          "author": "i7l",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-02T01:02:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 45097025,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What great book are you currently reading or recently finished?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45098047",
          "commentText": "The Dawn of Everything by Graeber and Wengrow. It retells human history from the perspective of modern archaeology and anthropology with a focus on North American natives and their influence on European philosophy or what we believe it to be.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dawn of Everything by Graeber and Wengrow.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a retelling of human history through modern archaeology and anthropology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42269213,
          "author": "fredoliveira",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T23:01:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42269213",
          "commentText": "I'd say so. I didn't dislike Sapiens, but found The Dawn of Everything to be deeper in many ways.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "found The Dawn of Everything to be deeper in many ways.",
          "reason": "Judges it deeper than Sapiens in many ways.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42268897,
          "author": "christudor",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:13:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268897",
          "commentText": "The Making of the Atomic Bomb is in my top three non-fiction books I have ever read.\nWill I like The Dawn of Everything if I didn't like Harari's Sapiens? (I loved Graeber's Debt: The First 5000 Years)",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Will I like The Dawn of Everything if I didn't like Harari's Sapiens?",
          "reason": "Asks whether they would like it, given their reaction to another book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter did not like Sapiens and is unsure whether this will suit them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42268867,
          "author": "fredoliveira",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:08:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268867",
          "commentText": "Read a lot this year — a lot more than most years. A few highlights:\nThe making of the atomic bomb by Richard Rhodes was probably the best of the bunch. I read it because I see some parallels between the discovery of atomic power and the search for AGI, and wanted an insight on the ethics and decision making of the time. It didn't disappoint.\nThe dawn of everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow was a solid read and retelling of how civilization began and evolved.\nThe message by Ta-Nehisi Coates, I read in two sittings — it was that impactful. A reminder of how the oppressed becomes the oppressor again and again. \"As it happens, you can See the world but never see the people in it\"\nOther highlights: The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt; re-read Thinking in Systems by Daniella Meadows; re-read Wherever You Go There You Are by Jon Kabat Zinn; The light eaters by Zoe Schlanger; I don't want to talk about it, by Terrence Real.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The dawn of everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow was a solid read and retelling of how civilization began and evolved.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a solid account of how civilization began and evolved.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37159055,
          "author": "mikhailfranco",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T09:05:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37159055",
          "commentText": "Just finished The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin, a tremendously accomplished music producer.\nIt's a beautifully written guide to artistic work, but also a manual for a mindful life. Savor every page packed with insight, subtlety and poetic aphorisms.\nAlso recommend The Dawn of Everything by Graeber & Wengrow, previously cited on this page.\nNext will be The Matter with Things by Iain McGilchrist. The two hefty volumes are staring at me from my desk...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also recommend The Dawn of Everything by Graeber & Wengrow",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34161285,
          "author": "wahnfrieden",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T14:30:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161285",
          "commentText": "dawn of everything by graeber & wengrow",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "dawn of everything by graeber & wengrow",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33383079,
          "author": "morelisp",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T11:28:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33383079",
          "commentText": "For non-fiction, Graeber and Wengrow's The Dawn of Everything (which I'm still working through the references of as well, many of which are also good).\nFor fiction, my sample size this year is sadly small but probably Becky Chambers's The Galaxy, and the Ground Within, the final(?) book in the Wayfarers (The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet) series. A great end to the series, and given that it must have been plotted originally pre-2020 oddly contemporary.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "For non-fiction, Graeber and Wengrow's The Dawn of Everything",
          "reason": "Names it as their favorite nonfiction book of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They are still working through its references.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Graeber",
        "David Wengrow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "anthropology",
        "archaeology",
        "human origins",
        "social evolution"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-demolished-man-5c1e36",
      "title": "The Demolished Man",
      "author": "Alfred Bester",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9708974,
          "author": "teenie",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-12T22:32:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9708974",
          "commentText": "TIE!!! \n\"The Crying of Lot 49\" by Pynchon // \"The Demolished Man\" by Bester // \"Ubik\" by Dick\n!!!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Demolished Man\" by Bester",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8622265,
          "author": "dllthomas",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-18T03:42:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8622265",
          "commentText": "A single book?  Impossible.  I don't think I could even name my favorite Zelazny or PKD.  Many of the works of both are in the running.  As is \"Dune\", for sure.  Possibly \"Snow Crash\". \"Protector\" might not quite make the cut, but comes somewhat close - from my recollection it was my favorite Niven (not counting short stories)...  I'm currently finally getting around to \"The Mote In God's Eye\".  Further back, \"Foundation\" was pretty amazing, and I've a bit of a soft spot for \"Childhood's End\".  Bester's \"The Demolished Man\" is well worth a read, but I think also doesn't quite make the cut.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Bester's \"The Demolished Man\" is well worth a read, but I think also doesn't quite make the cut.",
          "reason": "Says it is well worth reading, though it does not quite make their favorites list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it does not quite make the cut as a favorite.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3783897,
          "author": "latch",
          "createdAt": "2012-04-01T15:28:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 3781486,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi Books for Hackers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3783897",
          "commentText": "Non-developer specific good sci-fi books:\n-Dune\n-Hyperion + The Fall of Hyperion\n-The Book Of The New Sun\n-Ilium + Olympos\n-Takeshi Kovacs trilogy\n-The Culture Series (meh..)\n-The Demolished Man\nMore dev-oriented:\n-Reamde (which I hated, but I seem to be in a minority)\n-Neuromancer\nI'll always have a special place in my heart for Calculating God (not science fiction), because its the book that got me into reading seriously.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-The Demolished Man",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for science fiction book recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking science fiction, including developer oriented fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043506,
          "author": "mhd",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:12:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043506",
          "commentText": "Snow Crash is great. Generally I'd recommend some \"classics\", just to see who treaded some ground first, i.e. who gets copied by everyone.\nIsaac Asimov - Foundation (and the rest of the trilogy)\nRobert A. Heinlein - Stranger in a Strange Land / Starship Troopers / The Moon is a Harsh Mistress\nAlfred Bester - The Demolished Man / The Stars My Destination\nJack Vance - The Dying Earth\nPhilip K. Dick - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep / The Man in the High Castle\nLarry Niven - Ringworld\netc. etc.\nA list of Hugo Award winners[1] might come in helpful.\nAnother advantage of having read \"the greats\" is that if some critic says that new author X writes \"in the style of Y\" you have a slightly better idea if you might like it.\nTastes vary, of course. Personally I never got what's supposed to be so great about Ender's Game. Teen Mary Sue geek power fantasy with questionable morals. Then again, lots of people said similar things about Heinlein…\n[1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Award_for_Best_Novel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Alfred Bester - The Demolished Man / The Stars My Destination",
          "reason": "Included in a list of science fiction classics recommended to explore influential works.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring science fiction classics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140490,
          "author": "nazgulnarsil",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T02:59:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140490",
          "commentText": "depends on the subgenre :)\nSuperhuman:\nSlan by A.E. Van Vogt\nMore Than Human by Theodore STurgeon\nOdd John by Olaf Stapledon\nPost Apocalyptic:\nThe Day of The Triffids by John Whyndham\nEarth Abides by George R. Stewart\nA Canticle for Lebowitz by...don't remember\nSpace Opera/Adventure:\nany of The Culture novels by Iain M. Banks\nThe Reality Dysfunction series by ...don't remember\nHyperion series by Dan Simmons\nTo Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer\nDystopian:\nWe by Yevgeny Zamyatin <---highly overlooked, predates 1984 and Brave New World\nBut the Absolute Best would be anything by:\nStanislaw Lem (Cyberiad, Futurological Congress, Solaris)\nAlfred Bester (The STars my Destination, The Demolished Man)\nor Samuel R. Delany (Babel-17, Dhalgren, Trtion, Nova)\noh and Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light and This Immortal are both great.\nSome of Philip K. Dick's stuff is great, but everyone recommends him. :)\nalmost forgot John Brunner, check out Steel Beach, The Sheep Look Up, and Stand on Zanzibar.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Alfred Bester (The STars my Destination, The Demolished Man)",
          "reason": "Says Bester is among the absolute best and lists this title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alfred Bester"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crime",
        "telepathy",
        "crime fiction",
        "psychic powers"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-elements-of-programming-style-e4f1cb",
      "title": "The Elements of Programming Style",
      "author": "Brian W. Kernighan and P. J. Plauger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35929640,
          "author": "sema4hacker",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T15:59:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35929640",
          "commentText": "The Elements of Programming Style by Kernighan and Plauger\nSoftware Tools by Kernighan and Plauger\nThe Psychology of Computer Programming by Weinberg\nA cartoon-illustrated DIY Honda Civic repair book from the 80's I no longer remember the name of.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Elements of Programming Style by Kernighan and Plauger",
          "reason": "Lists it among books that were eye-opening to the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30558781,
          "author": "steveharville",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-04T18:51:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30558781",
          "commentText": "The Elements of Programming Style",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Elements of Programming Style",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23366696,
          "author": "undecidabot",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-31T02:35:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23366696",
          "commentText": "Brian Kernighan (the K in K&R and AWK) also wrote a similar book\nwith P. J. Plauger called \"The Elements of Programming Style\" [1].\nThere's even a talk by him about it online (2009) [2].\nKernighan also co-authored a (imo) really great book with Rob Pike\n(once an assistant of Penn & Teller [3]) called \"The Practice of Programming\" [4].\nUnfortunately, this one is a bit over the 200 page limit.\n[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Elements_of_Programming_St... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Elements_of_Programming_Style)\n[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SUkrR7ZfTA\n[3] https://youtu.be/z4iVAcYyWN0?t=180\n[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Practice_of_Programming",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Brian Kernighan (the K in K&R and AWK) also wrote a similar book\nwith P. J. Plauger called \"The Elements of Programming Style\"",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a similar book to the one discussed in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16358031,
          "author": "xstartup",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-12T11:40:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16358031",
          "commentText": "McConnell, Steve. Code Complete. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Press, 1993.\nMcConnell, Steve. Software Project Survival Guide. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Press, 1998.\nMaguire, Steve. Writing Solid Code. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Press, 1993.\nRanade and Nash. The Elements of C Programming Style. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1992.\nKernighan and Plauger. The Elements of Programming Style. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1982.\nCaner, Cem, et al. Testing Computer Software, Second Edition. New York: Wiley Computer Publishing, 1999.\nHunt, Andrew, et al. The Pragmatic Programmer. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 2000.\nHolub, Allen. Enough Rope to Shoot Yourself in the Foot: Rules for C and C++ Programming. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1995.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kernighan and Plauger. The Elements of Programming Style.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the question about books colleagues should have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14489700,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T17:57:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14489700",
          "commentText": "+1. I have a corner of a bookshelf reserved for everything Kernighan, e.g. both Software Tools editions, both C Language editions, The Unix Programming Environment, The Practice of Programming, The AWK Language, even a copy of The Elements of Programming Style. I, and my employers and clients, may owe more to Mr. Kernighan for his teaching and programming style, than anyone else.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Elements of Programming Style",
          "reason": "Endorses Kernighan’s teaching and programming style and says they may owe him more than anyone else.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7756759,
          "author": "walexander",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T17:50:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7756759",
          "commentText": "Not trying to sound cute, but The Elements of Programming Style by Kernighan and Plaugher (1974). Just read this last week during a day of plane travel.\nIt's all PLI and Fortran, with lots of GOTO being harmful examples, but surprisingly much of it is still relevant. It's a quick read and interesting look at some of the problems they had back then (and some that we still create plenty of today).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "surprisingly much of it is still relevant. It's a quick read and interesting look at some of the problems they had back then",
          "reason": "The commenter says it remains relevant and is an interesting, quick read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Examples use PL/I and Fortran.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian W. Kernighan",
        "P. J. Plauger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming style",
        "code quality",
        "code readability"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-first-law-7a8786",
      "title": "The First Law",
      "author": "Joe Abercrombie",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33400596,
          "author": "therealdrag0",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-31T00:28:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33400596",
          "commentText": "First law is great. Love his usage of little sayings that each character repeats. “A body floating by the docks”",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "First law is great.",
          "reason": "Calls The First Law great and praises its recurring character sayings.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32207972,
          "author": "edanm",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-23T21:59:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32207972",
          "commentText": ">My TBR pile is about 140 books long at this point, so I don't think I'll run out of things to read. :)\nHaha, my main list of books to read is 748 books long... :|\nI highly recommend First Law, one of the better fantasy series I've ever read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend First Law",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the fantasy series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32197956,
          "author": "zachwill",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:40:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197956",
          "commentText": "grugq recommended The Blacktongue Thief a few months ago, and it was fantastic: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29670545\nSince then, I've read several of the author's other books — and recently I've been re-listening to The First Law trilogy. (Steven Pacey is the best Audible narrator in the game.)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "recently I've been re-listening to The First Law trilogy.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32197872,
          "author": "Jemaclus",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:29:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197872",
          "commentText": "I read about 60-70 books per year, predominantly fiction. I'm currently halfway through _Jade War_ by Fonda Lee, and after that I'll read the third book in that series. Up next would be either Joe Abercrombie's _First Law_ series or maybe pick up the second book in Josiah Bancroft's _Babel_ series.\nMy TBR pile is about 140 books long at this point, so I don't think I'll run out of things to read. :)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Up next would be either Joe Abercrombie's _First Law_ series",
          "reason": "The commenter is considering reading the series next.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25913977,
          "author": "asicsp",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-26T09:34:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25913977",
          "commentText": "See https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/wiki/lists\nMy recommendations, in no particular order:\n* The Riyria Revelations by Michael Sullivan\n* Memory, Sorrow and Thorn by Tad Williams\n* To Ride Hell's Chasm by Janny Wurts\n* Worm by Wildbow\n* Cradle by Will Wight (think anime like Naruto in book form, but without fillers/fan-service)\n* Farseer by Robin Hobb\n* Powder Mage by Brian McClellan\n* The First Law by Joe Abercrombie\n* The Dagger and the Coin by Daniel Abraham",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* The First Law by Joe Abercrombie",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's fantasy recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking fantasy novels or epics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23472163,
          "author": "photonemitter",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T23:31:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23472163",
          "commentText": "I’ve read most Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett 3 or more times.\nFinite and Infinite Games, by James P. Carse is another philosophical favourite when it comes to getting something new each read through.\nBook of Mirdad, which is like a modern take on the Abramelin, don’t recall the author’s name, but it’s very much into the symbolic/mystic/esoteric ways and very revealing to that side without explicitly stating any “secrets”\nFirst Law trilogy, by Abercrombie. This is what Gritty Fantasy should read like. It’s got scenes in them that I want to reread the books just to get to. Really hope these would be made into a series or films, as the cinematography in them is already perfect. Without spoiling the first book as it’s revealed early on; Logan Ninefingers is essentially a Barbarian, but throughout you get the feeling he’s deeply afraid of that side. (If you’ve watched how Mike Tyson talked about his fear of that side in him on his podcast, this is essentially it...)\nThere’s been other books as well, but these are the biggest reread-able ones for me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "First Law trilogy, by Abercrombie.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its gritty fantasy and says there are scenes worth rereading the books for.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14860091,
          "author": "spapas82",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:38:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14860091",
          "commentText": "Right now: The Poet by Michael Connelly. Very interesting crime novel.\nBefore that: Best served cold by Joe Abercrombie. A great fantasy novel, the fourth after the First Law trilogy. I recommend it to fantasy lovers! It is standalone but I recommend reading The First Law first to have more info about characters and the universe of this novel.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend reading The First Law first to have more info about characters and the universe of this novel.",
          "reason": "Recommends reading the series first for more context about the characters and world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joe Abercrombie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "grimdark fantasy",
        "epic fantasy",
        "grimdark"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-gods-themselves-b3d0aa",
      "title": "The Gods Themselves",
      "author": "Isaac Asimov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34171806,
          "author": "drakonka",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-29T12:03:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34171806",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov and Walls of Wind by J. A. McLachlan this year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33850149,
          "author": "JamesBrooks",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T03:05:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33850149",
          "commentText": "Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir (top recommendation of the year)\nSanderson's Skyward Flight series (a few things came out this year, it's young-adult but thoughtfully enjoyable and easy to consume).\nI read a few Asimov's this year I hadn't gotten around to, but the two that really stood out were 'The Gods Themselve's and 'The End of Eternity'.\n(I primarily read to sci-fi/fantasy)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the two that really stood out were 'The Gods Themselve's",
          "reason": "Says this was one of the two Asimov books that stood out.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961207,
          "author": "frlnBorg",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:16:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961207",
          "commentText": "The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov was definitely my favorite.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov was definitely my favorite.",
          "reason": "Calls it their favorite book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9676012,
          "author": "tzs",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T19:23:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9676012",
          "commentText": "There's an interesting song based on the moral conflict faced by the three aliens in \"The Gods Themselves\", by Bob Kanefsky, and sung by Julia Ecklar: [1].\nKanefsky may be familiar to many HN readers for his song \"Eternal Flame\", about the superiority of Lisp to other languages, also sung by Julia Ecklar [2].\n[1] http://www.last.fm/music/Julia+Ecklar/_/Meltdown+(Julia+Eckl... (http://www.last.fm/music/Julia+Ecklar/_/Meltdown+%28Julia+Ecklar%29)\n[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-OjTPj7K54",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "There's an interesting song based on the moral conflict faced by the three aliens in \"The Gods Themselves\", by Bob Kanefsky",
          "reason": "Mentions the book as the subject of a song's moral conflict; the comment gives no independent endorsement.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674473,
          "author": "brown-dragon",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T12:59:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674473",
          "commentText": "\"The Gods Themselves\" is a easy to read but truly mind blowing book. Asimov's characters are a bit wooden but the ideas in the book really got me to look at the world differently.\nThe line \"I have an idea, a simple idea, based on the quite obvious fact that the number two is ridiculous and can't exist.\" has stayed with me for over a decade now as has the surprising lovemaking of the aliens.\nFor a hard read that you may enjoy I'd suggest \"The Book of the New Sun\".  I'm re-reading it for the fourth time and it just gets better.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The Gods Themselves\" is a easy to read but truly mind blowing book.",
          "reason": "Calls it truly mind-blowing and says its ideas changed how they look at the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds Asimov’s characters a bit wooden.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056451,
          "author": "pelario",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T11:56:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056451",
          "commentText": "Most of Asimov's books, specially:\n* Foundation Series / Robot Series / Empire Series\n* The Gods Themselves",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* The Gods Themselves",
          "reason": "Provided as an answer to the request for favourite sci-fi books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isaac Asimov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alien life",
        "first contact",
        "parallel universes",
        "alien contact"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-holy-bible-cf6493",
      "title": "The Holy Bible",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27724461,
          "author": "aerovistae",
          "createdAt": "2021-07-03T20:07:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27724461",
          "commentText": "Okay, Ecclesiastes is one of my favorite books ever, but referring to its message as if it were the message of the whole Bible is incredibly disingenuous, misleading, and unlikely to get anyone to actually read what you're talking about -- how would they know it was that _one_ section?\nAnd quoting it in Latin with no translation is incredibly pompous.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "referring to its message as if it were the message of the whole Bible is incredibly disingenuous",
          "reason": "The commenter criticizes a claim that Ecclesiastes represents the message of the whole Bible.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment objects to generalizing from one section and to quoting Latin without translation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17982814,
          "author": "RickJWagner",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-13T21:31:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17982814",
          "commentText": "The Holy Bible.\nEven without the religious aspects, it's an incredible document.  A lot of human nature is explained.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Holy Bible.",
          "reason": "Calls it an incredible document that explains much of human nature.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says its value holds even without the religious aspects.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337397,
          "author": "RickJWagner",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:34:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337397",
          "commentText": "The Holy Bible.  Especially in times of stress, bereavement, worry, etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Holy Bible. Especially in times of stress, bereavement, worry, etc.",
          "reason": "Names it as a source of comfort, especially during difficult times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14478716,
          "author": "febin",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T21:58:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478716",
          "commentText": "The Holy Bible\nStart With Why\nThe Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck\nThink Like a Freak\nSmartCuts",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Holy Bible",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13805640,
          "author": "narrator",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T20:09:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805640",
          "commentText": "I read the Bible cover to cover.  I liked the bible because it dealt with fear a lot.  Fear of the guy coming over the hill and slaughtering your whole tribe on a moment's notice.  Fear of your whole legacy being destroyed and lost when people you've never heard of show up.  I also liked the view of god that he's a jerk, but that's all that there is.  It was like they were trying to put together a worldview that corresponded to a reality where terrible things happen all the time, so they made god a jerk.  I just think back to what people in the old testament had to deal with on a daily basis and think my life is really not that bad.\n\"Prices and Production and other Works\" which is a compilation of F.A Hayek's work by Joseph Salerno.  It contains a lot of great criticisms of Keynes theories during the 30s.  I used to really think I could understand mainstream economics, but Hayek totally demolished it in my mind and I can't have productive discussions with academically trained economists anymore because I have to start over from first principles with them.\n\"The Edge Effect\" by Eric Braverman was a great book for understanding my mind.  I got a lot out of it and it changed my understanding of my personal psychology.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read the Bible cover to cover. I liked the bible because it dealt with fear a lot.",
          "reason": "Says its treatment of fear helped them understand the worldview it presents.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13805636,
          "author": "bgun",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T20:08:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805636",
          "commentText": "A world-changing book, to be sure; though perhaps better to understand it in its cultural context, than to read it literally. In either case, for mature audiences only.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A world-changing book, to be sure; though perhaps better to understand it in its cultural context, than to read it literally. In either case, for mature audiences only.",
          "reason": "Calls it world-changing while advising readers to approach it in cultural context.",
          "audience": "Mature audiences, in the commenter’s view.",
          "caveat": "The commenter recommends understanding it in cultural context rather than reading it literally.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12099706,
          "author": "personomas",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T09:11:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12099706",
          "commentText": "The Holy Bible :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Holy Bible :)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "religious texts",
        "christian scripture",
        "religion",
        "christianity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-iliad-ecf07d",
      "title": "The Iliad",
      "author": "Homer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25531674,
          "author": "scop",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T21:37:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25531674",
          "commentText": "1. New Testament (I was not raised in a religious household)\n2. The Imitation of Christ\n3. The Lord of the Rings\n4. The Iliad",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Iliad",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803978,
          "author": "jriot",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:57:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803978",
          "commentText": "I've curated my 2020 list over the last few months, eventually splitting it in two; 2021 has been started, but below is my 2020 list.\nBrave New World\nCatcher in the Rye (3rd read)\nTom Sawyer\nThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn\nWar and Peace\nCatch-22\nStranger in a Strange Lan\nThe Hobbit (3rd read)\nThe Illiad\nThe Odessey\nWalden\nLeisure, The Basis of Culture\nThe Seven Storey Mountain\nConfessions\nThe City of God\nWays of Life St Augustine\nCatechism of the Catholic Church\nThese Truths\nBattle Cry of Freedom\nThe Complete Guide to Fly Fishing\nThe Lure and Lore of Trout Fishing\nThe Duck Huntingest Gentlemen",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Illiad",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's curated 2020 reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Part of a planned reading list; title misspelled in the comment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20916602,
          "author": "voldacar",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T09:36:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20916602",
          "commentText": "The Odyssey\nThe Iliad\nMoby-Dick\nAnything by Dostoevsky",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Iliad",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the thread asking for favorite old books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16010565,
          "author": "jonvillage",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-26T19:55:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16010565",
          "commentText": "This year I've read:\nMaxims - Epictetus\nThe road to serfdom - Friedrich Hayek\nDe officiis - Cicero\nDe divinatione - Cicero\nLives of eminent philosophers - Diogenes Laertius\nConfessions - Al ghazali\nIlliad - Homer\nOdyssey - Homer\nInfluence - Robert Cialdini\nGuns, Germs and steel - Jared Diamond\nPoor Charlie's Almanack - Charlie Munger - 2nd reading\nAndrew Carnegie's Biography - Joseph Frazier\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Taleb - 2nd reading\nBed of Procrustes - Nassim Taleb\nNever Split the Difference - Christopher Voss\nThe intelligent investor - Benjamin Graham\nAutobiography - Benjamin Franklin\nI always remember this quote:\n\"In my whole life, I have known no wise people who didn't read all the time -- none, zero.\"  Charlie Munger",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Illiad - Homer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8108812,
          "author": "Aym_C",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T15:36:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8108812",
          "commentText": "Dive into the classics.\nJohn Cowper Powys may help you to plan a great journey :\nhttp://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/12914/pg12914.html\n(Despite a few bizarre choices. Paul Bourget, seriously ?)\nIf I had to choose myself : Homer (The Iliad and the Odyssey), the Bible (David's psalms and Job's book), Augustine, Dante, Saint Simon, Shakespeare, Rousseau, Dostoievsky, Proust, Céline.\nAparté :\nIf you like ambitious history with economic insights, I would strongly suggest to read Fernand Braudel works. He wrote three fantastic triptychs :\n- The Mediterranean: And the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II (his thesis)\n- Civilization and Capitalism, 15th-18th Century (the best history books I've ever read)\n- The Identity of France",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Homer (The Iliad and the Odyssey)",
          "reason": "Listed among the classics the commenter would choose.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5860044,
          "author": "jlengrand",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-11T06:09:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 5859004,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5860044",
          "commentText": "Currently, the old testament.\nI am not church-goer or anything, and still I find it quite impressive the amount of surprising stuff (good and bad) you can find in there. \nIt's actually as cool as the Iliad, and you may even find some good advice in there :).\nHey, who said everything had to be around software/startups.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's actually as cool as the Iliad",
          "reason": "Compares the Old Testament favorably to this as a work to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4967101,
          "author": "Bootvis",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T21:01:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967101",
          "commentText": "I read it in Dutch as translated by H.J. de Roy van Zuydewijn. If you want to read it in Dutch his translations of The Ilias and the Odyssey are highly recommended by me and more importantly my classics teacher. The Ilias is out of print but available in the second hand market at a premium.\nBy the way: If you (edit: or anyone else ;) wants to read them I can loan them to you.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "his translations of The Ilias and the Odyssey are highly recommended by me and more importantly my classics teacher.",
          "reason": "The commenter and their classics teacher highly recommend these Dutch translations.",
          "audience": "Dutch readers, or readers able to read Dutch.",
          "caveat": "The Ilias translation is out of print and available second-hand at a premium.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4966925,
          "author": "david927",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T19:55:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4966925",
          "commentText": "I just finished The Odyssey and it was also better than I expected.  I'll move on to The Iliad next.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'll move on to The Iliad next.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Homer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient greek epic",
        "epic poetry",
        "greek mythology",
        "ancient epic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-long-way-to-a-small-angry-planet-26d1ea",
      "title": "The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet",
      "author": "Becky Chambers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49904107,
          "author": "isityettime",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T03:40:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49904107",
          "commentText": "I'm reading Becky Chambers' The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, the latest edition of Eloquent Ruby, and Mastering Emacs.\nI'm not sure any are that cognitively challenging, but all of them are certainly lovely.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Becky Chambers' The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet",
          "reason": "Says it is lovely.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not particularly cognitively challenging.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33382011,
          "author": "gdy",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T08:02:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382011",
          "commentText": ">\"The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet\" by Becky Chambers\nThis one made me think, is there any sci-fi by female authors, which involves aliens, but doesn't depict or mention sex with them?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet",
          "reason": "The commenter asks whether there is similar science fiction by women authors involving aliens but not sex with them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Raised as a comparison in a question about sexual content involving aliens.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32198213,
          "author": "rektide",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T23:09:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32198213",
          "commentText": "A lot of sci-fi. I keep a couple things in flight all the time, go where I feel moved. Currently: Stand on Zanzibar, (Brunner, 1968) 88% through, 2 months. Babel 17, (Delany, 1966), 66% through / 1 month. Also, Revenant Gun, (Han Lee, 2018) about 15% through / 2 months. Also, Catcher in the Rye (Salinger, 1946), 60% through, 3 months. Gnomon, (Harkaway, 2017) 40% through, 4 months.\nCheating here accounting other recent reads, but I've finished a couple others in the intervening time. Long Way to a Small Angry Planet (Chambers, 2014, reread), Dark Tower (book 7), (King, 2004). Pattern Recognition, (Gibson, 2004, reread). Revolution Business (Book 5 of Merchant Prince, Stross, 2009). Aurora (Stanley-Robinson, 2015).\nI have some other stuff I read at a more leasiurely piece-by-piece pace, mostly materialistic philosophy / nerdery.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Long Way to a Small Angry Planet (Chambers, 2014, reread)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Reread.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28060631,
          "author": "code_Whisperer",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T13:14:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28060631",
          "commentText": "The one that sticks in my head the most (and which I did not think I would enjoy based on the book jacket blurb) is \"Children of Time\" by Adrian Tchaikovsky. I highly recommend to anyone who listens. I also recently encountered \"The Fifth Science\" by someone named 'Exurb1a' and enjoyed it so much that I am now reading another of his books named \"Geometry for Ocelots\"\nAndy Weir's \"Hail Mary\" is an imaginative and fun read, as is \"The Startup Wife\" by Tahmima Anam. Oh! And \"The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet' (or almost anything else) by Becky Chambers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet'",
          "reason": "Recommends this book and says they enjoy almost anything else by the author.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25846254,
          "author": "loriverkutya",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T13:38:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25846254",
          "commentText": "If you forgot how to read fiction, The long way to a small angry planet will put you back on track no time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The long way to a small angry planet will put you back on track no time.",
          "reason": "Recommended for someone returning to fiction.",
          "audience": "Readers who have forgotten how to read fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17537661,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T23:20:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537661",
          "commentText": "Farmer in the Sky by Robert Heinlein [1]\nThe Complete Robot by Isaac Asimov [2]\nThe Wrong Unit [3] wasn't a bad little humorous tale.\nPretty much anything by Timothy Zahn (sans Star Wars novelisations) [4] or Robert Sawyer [5] floats my boat.\nThe First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North [6]\nBarsk: The Elephants’ Graveyard by Lawrence M. Schoen [7] made me care about sentient elephants.\nFuzzy Nation by John Scalzi [8] is very funny. Audiobook version narrated by Wil Wheaton.\nOf ones already mentioned:\nThe Bobiverse was surprisingly good (including the audiobook version).\nThe Expanse is good.\nWith regards to Dune, there are some like myself who only ever liked the first book in the series. (Also there is a good audiobook version out there.)\nThe Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and sequels are great world building and characters, although the plots seem to meander about with not too much purpose.\nThe Martian is great.\n[1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50851.Farmer_in_the_Sky\n[2] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50091.The_Complete_Robot\n[3] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30959279-the-wrong-unit\n[4] https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12479.Timothy_Zahn\n[5] https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/25883.Robert_J_Sawyer\n[6] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295861-the-first-fifte... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295861-the-first-fifteen-lives-of-harry-august)\n[7] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25667916-barsk\n[8] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11167622-fuzzy-nation",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and sequels are great world building and characters, although the plots seem to meander about with not too much purpose.",
          "reason": "Praises the worldbuilding and characters, while criticizing the meandering plots.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The plots seem to meander without much purpose.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536556,
          "author": "joshwcomeau",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:16:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536556",
          "commentText": "The Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1), by Becky Chambers.\nReally touching story, great character development, and some interesting questions about AI and sentience.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22733729-the-long-way-to... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22733729-the-long-way-to-a-small-angry-planet)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Long Way To A Small, Angry Planet (Wayfarers #1), by Becky Chambers.\nReally touching story, great character development, and some interesting questions about AI and sentience.",
          "reason": "Praised for its touching story, character development, and questions about AI and sentience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13119380,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-07T00:03:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13119380",
          "commentText": "The Wayfarers books The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and A Closed and Common Orbit were quite good. Fantastic world building and characters, although the plots seem to meander about with not too much purpose.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/series/170872-wayfarers\nRecently ploughed through The Expanse series.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/series/56399-the-expanse\nDark Matter was a good read if you like parallel universes.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27833670-dark-matter\nThe Rho Agenda series was a surprisingly good read.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/series/61746-the-rho-agenda\nQuantum Night was something a bit different from Robert Sawyer.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25734179-quantum-night\nAnd Barsk: The Elephants’ Graveyard would probably have to be rated my favourite for the year.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25667916-barsk",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Wayfarers books The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and A Closed and Common Orbit were quite good.",
          "reason": "Includes it among books praised for world building and characters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The plots seem to meander without much purpose.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10784101,
          "author": "skorgu",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:39:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10784101",
          "commentText": "I was on a sf kick this year apparently.\nFull list (why can't amazon show me the read dates of my kindle books?!):\n- Ancillary Sword\n- The Magician's Land\n- The Three Body Problem (incomplete)\n- Libriomancer, Codex Born, Unbound\n- Thank You, Jeeves\n- Omon Ra (incomplete)\n- Stations of the Tide\n- 1Q84 (staggeringly incomplete)\n- The Desert Spear (incomplete)\n- The Lost Fleet: {Dauntless,Fearless,Courageous} (third \none incomplete)\n- Superintelligence\n- Nexus, Crux (incomplete)\n- Another Fine Myth\n- The Annihilation Score\n- The Man with the Golden Torc, Daemons are Forever\n- The Fractal Prince (incomplete)\n- Crooked\n- Ancillary Mercy\n- The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet\n- The Traitor Baru Cormarant\n- Excession\n- Hive Mind\n- Seveneves",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "- The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed in a reading list; no evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Becky Chambers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "character driven science fiction",
        "found family",
        "ai and sentience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-millionaire-fastlane-76acb1",
      "title": "The Millionaire Fastlane",
      "author": "M. J. DeMarco",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35173693,
          "author": "all2",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T19:43:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35173693",
          "commentText": "I joined their forums about 10 years ago and asked a question about a business idea. Basically I was asking about starting a gold/silver business directory thing based on some business described in the book. I was trying to understand some basics of what was being said. My post was not well received and MJ himself came in to tell me what an idiot I was.\nI don't think I asked any more questions, and I left the PDF in the ash heap of my reading pile.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I left the PDF in the ash heap of my reading pile.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes a bad experience with the author and abandoned the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The author called the commenter an idiot after they asked a question in the book's forums.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35169121,
          "author": "erybodyknows",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T14:48:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35169121",
          "commentText": "‘The Millionaire Fastlane’ by MJ DeMarco. Laughable title aside, the content is life changing.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "‘The Millionaire Fastlane’ by MJ DeMarco. Laughable title aside, the content is life changing.",
          "reason": "The commenter strongly recommends its content despite joking that the title is laughable.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls the title laughable.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29843397,
          "author": "ultrasounder",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-07T19:11:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29843397",
          "commentText": "Why not buy three?\n1. Should be Required reading for any rising senior at High School- Psychocybernetics by Dr. Maxwell Maltz. I got this for my 43 birthday and you will have a huge head start over others.\n2. Flow- Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi masterclass in writing exposition. Essentially how to find happiness in everything in life\n3. The Millionaire Fastlane: Crack the Code to Wealth and Live Rich for a Lifetime- cringy title but packed with practical nuggets on how to earn a living and create wealth outside of the scripted 9-5/30 years of employment. Very in your face but I am trying hard to apply what this book teaches.\nGood luck!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Millionaire Fastlane: Crack the Code to Wealth and Live Rich for a Lifetime- cringy title but packed with practical nuggets on how to earn a living and create wealth outside of the scripted 9-5/30 years of employment.",
          "reason": "Recommended for practical ideas on earning a living and building wealth outside conventional employment.",
          "audience": "An 18-year-old interested in nonfiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls the title cringy and says they are still trying to apply its lessons.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10767799,
          "author": "jordsmi",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T18:39:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10767799",
          "commentText": "the millionaire fastlane by mj demarco.\nIt has the same problem as the 4hww where the name sounds very scammy, but the idea behind the book is really good.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the idea behind the book is really good",
          "reason": "Says the book's underlying idea is really good despite its scammy-sounding title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The name sounds very scammy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6993514,
          "author": "vermasque",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-31T23:57:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6993514",
          "commentText": "I've listened to a few books this year (Audible saves me time), but I read/listened to a book that actually changed my life in the summer of 2012 (close enough).  I had wanted to become an entrepreneur, but then I read The Millionaire Fastlane by MJ DeMarco.  He described some of the things that I really don't want to do deal with:  hiring non-engineer employees, using the services of lawyers, marketing, and other business responsibilities.  It wasn't that I hadn't heard these themes before, but he said it in a way that made me recognize what I don't want.  I just want to be a great engineer.  I didn't give up on a dream; I found a better one.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I read The Millionaire Fastlane by MJ DeMarco.",
          "reason": "Describes how reading it helped him recognize he did not want the responsibilities of entrepreneurship and choose a different career goal.",
          "audience": "Someone considering entrepreneurship or career direction.",
          "caveat": "The book's effect was to clarify that he did not want the responsibilities it described.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395141,
          "author": "james-fend",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T08:24:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395141",
          "commentText": "The Fast Lane by MJ Demarco\nYou won't regret it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Fast Lane by MJ Demarco\nYou won't regret it.",
          "reason": "The commenter directly recommends the book and says readers will not regret it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "M. J. DeMarco"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "personal finance",
        "wealth building",
        "career choice"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ministry-for-the-future-223f76",
      "title": "The Ministry for the Future",
      "author": "Kim Stanley Robinson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268913,
          "author": "igor47",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:16:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268913",
          "commentText": "The Deluge -- a darker take on climate change than Ministry for the Future, but also felt pretty realistic.\nThis is how you lose the time war -- took me a long time to start this book, and then I couldn't put it down.\nNon fiction, I really enjoyed Slouching Towards Utopia. I'm a sucker for narrative history like that, and I got a few useful concepts from the book. I also really liked The Prince of Peace, a biography of Keynes.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "than Ministry for the Future",
          "reason": "Uses it as a comparison for The Deluge's treatment of climate change.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36022873,
          "author": "dopidopHN",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T17:09:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36022873",
          "commentText": "I getting thought anything by Kim S. Robinson. \nI read the Mars trilogy 20 years ago and plan to re-read it once I'm done.\nRecently went thought \"Ministry for the future\" from him. Weird mix of factual non fiction and SF. Read like a fan fiction of a iPCC Report.\nOutside of hard SF, Ursula K Leguin. Great world building.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Recently went thought \"Ministry for the future\" from him.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as a strange mix of factual nonfiction and science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it reads like fan fiction of an IPCC report.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34161106,
          "author": "megatest123",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T14:11:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161106",
          "commentText": "- The Ministry for the Future, by Kim Stanley Robinson\nReally solid cli-fi (climate-science-fiction). Tells the story of a fictional United Nations that begins to seriously take on the role of ensuring the survival of the human species.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Ministry for the Future, by Kim Stanley Robinson",
          "reason": "Presents a fictional UN tackling climate change and calls it solid climate fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33849955,
          "author": "prepend",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T02:31:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33849955",
          "commentText": "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood by Quentin Tarantino, a great companion to the movie and expands on characters in really unique ways that make me think about them.\nTermination Shock by Neal Stephenson, a near future book about climate change and trying to fix it with an interesting geopolitical look of China acting like the US. I also liked Ministry of the Future but it was less fun of a read.\nCoddling of the American Mind by Jonathan Haidt, a reasoned look at how social media and devices are negatively impacting society and children.\nBorne by Jeff VanderMeer, a weird near future declinepunk with bioengineering and evil corporations.\nHeart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, very short book with a glimpse into post colonial colonialism in remote locations. Wanted to read a book about Congo.\nInvisible Man by Ralph Ellison, a portrait of a character in a time I didn’t experience.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I also liked Ministry of the Future but it was less fun of a read.",
          "reason": "Liked it, though found it less fun to read than Termination Shock.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Less fun of a read, according to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33382606,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T10:05:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382606",
          "commentText": "Top 2 so far:\n   * Washington: A life by Ron Chernow\n   * The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won by Victor Davis Hanson\n\nThe Washington book is a very detailed by clear overview of his life. Easy to follow (even for complex situations) and very week written.\nThe WW2 book is amazing. Compares the countries fighting in around 20 different areas (technology, leadership, geography, aircraft) and says who is better and why.\nAlso very good:\n   * FDR by Jean Edward Smith\n   * Master of the Senate by Robert A. Caro\n   * The Penguin History of New Zealand by Michael King\n   * The years of Lyndon Johnson 2 – Means of Ascent by Robert Caro\n   * Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road by Kyle Buchanan\n   * Becoming Trader Joe: How I Did Business My Way and Still Beat the Big Guys by Joe Coulombe\n   * How Innovation Works: And Why It Flourishes in Freedom by Matt Ridley\n   * Yeager: An Autobiography by Chuck Yeager\n   * The years of Lyndon Johnson: The Path to Power by Robert Caro\n   * The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson\n   * Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson\n   * An Economist walks into a Brothel: And Other Unexpected Places to Understand Risk by Allison Schrager\n   * The Devil’s Candy: The Bonfire of the Vanities Goes to Hollywood by Julie Salamon\n   * Sam Walton: Made in America by Sam Walton",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32198161,
          "author": "y56366346767",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T23:02:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32198161",
          "commentText": "I couldn't finish Ministry for the Future; I found it just too depressing. And I like Kim Stanley Robinson but I just couldn't believe in the solutions he proposes for climate change. I think the problem is too big for us to solve and that humanity is almost certainly in for a few rough centuries while we adjust. A lot of people are going to suffer.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I couldn't finish Ministry for the Future; I found it just too depressing.",
          "reason": "Could not finish the book and found it too depressing; doubts its proposed climate solutions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Found it too depressing and could not believe in its proposed climate solutions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32197768,
          "author": "sg47",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:16:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197768",
          "commentText": "2022:\nThe Ministry for the Future, Rise and Fall of Third Reich, Benjamin Franklin's biography by Walter Isaacson, Leonardo Da Vinci's biography, Crafting Interpreters, The Overstory",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Ministry for the Future",
          "reason": "Listed among books read in 2022.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25848601,
          "author": "nknealk",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T16:46:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25848601",
          "commentText": "Ministry for the future.\nIt imagines a future where global warming goes unmitigated. I don’t want to spoil anything beyond that. Fantastic glimpse into what our future may hold.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ministry for the future.",
          "reason": "Presents it as a recommendation and describes its imagined unmitigated global warming future.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter withholds further plot details to avoid spoilers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kim Stanley Robinson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "climate fiction",
        "climate change",
        "climate policy",
        "geoengineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-moral-animal-471e1a",
      "title": "The Moral Animal",
      "author": "Robert Wright",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42967215,
          "author": "DataDaoDe",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-06T22:37:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42967215",
          "commentText": "The Old Man and the sea - Hemmingway - so many things, with every reread I find something new.\nThe Heart of the Buddhas Teaching - Thich Nhat Hanh, useful prayers, concepts for understanding and dealing with life and a moral compass for going through it.\nThe Way of Zen - Alan Watts, opened my eyes to different forms of religious experience\nAlso a lot of psychology and philosophy books in undergrad were foundational to my thinking. The Moral Animal, the Moral Landscape, The Blank Slate, The Republic and Plato’s writings on Socrates, Tao te Ching, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, the Tanakh and parts of the Talmud, but many of these were more academic, still holistically they have shaped my thinking and moral compass.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Moral Animal",
          "reason": "Lists it among books and writings that shaped their thinking and moral compass.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Grouped with academic works.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25531327,
          "author": "tech_tuna",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T20:55:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25531327",
          "commentText": "The Moral Animal",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Moral Animal",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18755056,
          "author": "madrafi",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-25T00:21:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18755056",
          "commentText": "- Rationality From AI to Zombies (huge collection of essays about (rationality,intelligence,quantum physics,bayesian probability,philosophy...) that can be read on lesswrong.com)\n-Intuition Pumps and other Thinking Tools\n-Sapiens\n-Edward.O Wilson Letters to a young scientist\n-Cédric Villani Birth of a Theorem\n-Emanuel Derman Models Behaving Badly\n-Letters From A Stoic by Seneca\n-Mathematics it's contents methods 3 Volumes (Aleksandrov et al.)\n-Nick Bostrom Superinteligence\n-The Moral Animal by Robert Wright",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Moral Animal by Robert Wright",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite nonfiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296370,
          "author": "maroonblazer",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T05:41:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296370",
          "commentText": "\"The Logic of Failure\" by Dietrich Dorner. Sort of an applied \"Heuristics and Biases\".\n\"The Moral Animal\" by Robert Wright. It unlocked the reasons why my impulses and aspirations were at such odds.\n\"The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin\". Very practical advice for how to better oneself.\nCaveat: Reading them earlier is one thing. Appreciating them is another.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Moral Animal\" by Robert Wright. It unlocked the reasons why my impulses and aspirations were at such odds.",
          "reason": "Says it helped explain the conflict between their impulses and aspirations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2919578,
          "author": "mbenjaminsmith",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-24T05:24:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 2919368,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have changed the way you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2919578",
          "commentText": "The Moral Animal - Robert Wright",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Moral Animal - Robert Wright",
          "reason": "Names the book as an answer to which books changed the way people think.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in evolutionary explanations of human behavior.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Wright"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolutionary psychology",
        "human behavior"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-nature-of-code-d9bba0",
      "title": "The Nature of Code",
      "author": "Daniel Shiffman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41387801,
          "author": "optymizer",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T06:00:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387801",
          "commentText": "I would split the books into two categories: those that improve the way you structure your code and deliver a software solution, and those that improve your technical understanding of the software platform and the computer you're using.\nThe first are books like Pragmatic Programmer, Mythical Man Month, Code Complete, Design Patterns, talks by Alan Kay on software systems and OOP, even Game Engine Architecture etc. A lot of the content there is distilled experience which is much faster to learn from a book than gain the hard way on the job.\nThe other books are practical deep dives. Here I would recommend a variety of books like Inside the Machine by Stokes, Computer Architecture by Hennessy, 21st Century C by Klemens, Crafting Interpreters by Nystrom, Compilers by Aho, Effective Java, Nature of Code by Shiffman, Ray Tracing Challenge by Buck, Hands on Hacking by Hickey, and others, depending on your interest and area of focus.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nature of Code by Shiffman",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a practical deep dive into software platforms and computers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32794529,
          "author": "lioeters",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T20:57:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32794529",
          "commentText": "The Planiverse: Computer contact with a two-dimensional world - by A.K. Dewdney\n> A mind-bending, paradigm shifting visit with Yedred, a denizen of the 2 dimensional Universe. It is written so that the physics comes through very easily for those without science training. A university student discovers that this being Yendred is communicating with him through his computer. There begins a lively dialog as both the 2D Yendred and the 3D author struggle to explain and understand each others worlds.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Planiverse\n---\nThe Glass Bead Game - by Hermann Hesse\n> The Glass Bead Game takes place at an unspecified date centuries in the future. Hesse suggested that he imagined the book's narrator writing around the start of the 25th century.\n> The setting is a fictional province of central Europe called Castalia, which was reserved by political decision for the life of the mind.. Castalia is home to an austere order of intellectuals with a twofold mission: to run boarding schools, and to cultivate and play the Glass Bead Game, whose exact nature remains elusive and whose devotees occupy a special school in Castalia known as Waldzell.\n> The rules of the game are only alluded to — they are so sophisticated that they are not easy to imagine. Playing the game well requires years of hard study of music, mathematics, and cultural history. The game is essentially an abstract synthesis of all arts and sciences.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Glass_Bead_Game\n---\nThe World as Will and Representation - by Arthur Schopenhauer\n> The phrase \"Tat Tvam Asi\" ('thou art that'), one of the Mahāvākyas of the Upanishads, displayed on an Indian temple. Schopenhauer uses this Sanskrit phrase to express a foundational tenet of his ethics: 'the will is the in-itself of every appearance, and as such is itself free from the form of appearance, and thus from all multiplicity'.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_as_Will_and_Represen... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_as_Will_and_Representation)\n---\nThe Shape of Ancient Thought: Comparative Studies in Greek and Indian Philosophies - by Thomas McEvilley\n> Spanning thirty years of intensive research, this book proves what many scholars could not explain: that today’s Western world must be considered the product of both Greek and Indian thought — Western and Eastern philosophies.\n> Thomas McEvilley explores how trade, imperialism, and migration currents allowed cultural philosophies to intermingle freely throughout India, Egypt, Greece, and the ancient Near East. This groundbreaking reference will stir relentless debate among philosophers, art historians, and students.\n---\nTemporary Autonomous Zone - by Hakim Bey\n    1. Pirate Utopias\n    2. Waiting for the Revolution\n    3. The Psychotopology of Everyday Life\n    4. The Net and the Web\n    5. Gone to Croatan\n    6. Music as an Organizational Principle\n    7. The Will To Power as Disappearance\n    8. Ratholes in the Babylon of Information\n\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temporary_Autonomous_Zone\n---\nNature of Code - by Daniel Shiffman\nhttps://natureofcode.com/\n> How can we capture the unpredictable evolutionary and emergent properties of nature in software? How can understanding the mathematical principles behind our physical world help us to create digital worlds?\n> This book focuses on a range of programming strategies and techniques behind computer simulations of natural systems, from elementary concepts in mathematics and physics to more advanced algorithms that enable sophisticated visual results.\n> Readers will progress from building a basic physics engine to creating intelligent moving objects and complex systems, setting the foundation for further experiments in generative design. Subjects covered include forces, trigonometry, fractals, cellular automata, self-organization, and genetic algorithms.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Nature of Code - by Daniel Shiffman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16081024,
          "author": "busterarm",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-05T19:39:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16081024",
          "commentText": "I've seen SICP and Elements of Computing mentioned already.  I'd like to throw \"The Nature of Code\" in with these.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd like to throw \"The Nature of Code\" in with these.",
          "reason": "Offers it as an answer to the question about the best textbook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12160520,
          "author": "nrjames",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-25T18:24:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 12160209,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 12 year old tech savvy girl – books, programs, events, advice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12160520",
          "commentText": "I'm a big fan of Processing or p5.js for teaching kids that age how to write code. The immediate visual feedback from a line or two of code creates a positive feedback loop that encourages learning. Shiffman's book Learning Processing is a great gentle introduction: https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Processing-Second-Programmin... (https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Processing-Second-Programming-Interaction/dp/0123944430/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1469470998&sr=1-3&keywords=nature+of+code)\nHis Nature of Code work -- simulating nature through code -- also is really interesting but requires a little background in coding.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "His Nature of Code work -- simulating nature through code -- also is really interesting but requires a little background in coding.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds it interesting and says it requires some coding background.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Requires a little background in coding.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9611503,
          "author": "iheredia",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T14:23:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9611503",
          "commentText": "The Nature of Code is one of my favorites free reads http://natureofcode.com/book/\nIt addresses topics from physics and math, and how to apply them to your code to make it more natural",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Nature of Code is one of my favorites free reads",
          "reason": "Calls it one of their favorite free reads and describes its applications to code.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8716563,
          "author": "yogiHacks",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T14:32:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8716563",
          "commentText": "Oh jeez, this'll be tough.  I'll start by saying that Tom Robbins \"Still Life with Woodpecker\" inspired me in the post-undergraduate world greatly.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Still-Life-Woodpecker-Tom-Robbins/dp/0... (http://www.amazon.com/Still-Life-Woodpecker-Tom-Robbins/dp/0553348973)\nLeaving college with such powerful to convictions of social evolution, scientific pragmatism, and the power of Art as a mental practice left me with some hard facets of reality to contend with.  This is the struggle of one of the the main characters, Leigh-Cheri.  She is a wide eyed idealist who is thoroughly disenfranchised with the way the systems in the world abuse and exploit people.\nShe meets a mad-bomber outlaw named Woodpecker, a revolutionary with bordering mythical aspirations.  Their affair is a wild journey of growth as characters and citizens, not of a royal bloodline or America, but of Earth and the ideas, and actions, which make this world a vibrantly beautiful place.\nMost important book of the year for me, with close runners up:\n\"The Nature of Code\" by Daniel Shiffman.  Excellent book on simulation of the natural, chaotic world in the Processing programming language.\nhttp://natureofcode.com/book/\n\"Nine Kinds of Naked\" by Tony Vigorito, which deals with the primacy of synchronicity and numeric harmony in the lives of twirling, interrelated characters.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Nine-Kinds-Naked-Tony-Vigorito/dp/0156... (http://www.amazon.com/Nine-Kinds-Naked-Tony-Vigorito/dp/015603123X)\nGood reads everyone!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Nature of Code\" by Daniel Shiffman. Excellent book on simulation of the natural, chaotic world in the Processing programming language.",
          "reason": "Described as an excellent book about simulation using Processing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Shiffman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creative coding",
        "physics simulation",
        "simulation",
        "complex systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-pragmatic-programmer-from-journeyman-to-master-ad6655",
      "title": "The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master",
      "author": "Andrew Hunt and David Thomas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31167257,
          "author": "Parker_Powell",
          "createdAt": "2022-04-26T13:33:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 31166475,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Top inspiring books on crucial CS ideas?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31167257",
          "commentText": "No matter how long you've been a programmer, you're always looking for new ways to hone your craft and learn new techniques. One of the best ways to do that is by reading books on programming—as in, books that are actually about programming. Here's our list of 10 of the best.\n1. Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software\n2. Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship\n3. Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code\n4. The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master\n5. Don't Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability\n6. The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering\n7. Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\n8. Introduction to Algorithms (The MIT Press)\n9. Programming Pearls (2nd Edition)\n10. The Art of Computer Programming",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "4. The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's ten recommended programming books.",
          "audience": "Programmers looking to hone their craft and learn techniques.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26593839,
          "author": "npsimons",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-26T16:15:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26593839",
          "commentText": "I've gotten a lot of good book referrals through HN, including \"Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training\" by Mark Rippetoe. So cutting out online stuff is just a bad idea (significantly reduces my \"surface area\").\nOTOH, I really need to get back into a habit of reading books, every day. I used to go through a goodly number of non-fiction books on a regular basis (another good book, \"The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master\" says you should read at least one non-fiction book in your field a quarter), but recently I've just lacked the discipline and habit to do so. I find myself reading a lot online, but so much of it is so low information and not in-depth enough.\nThat said, I also try to partake of fiction, although in that regard I'm not doing great either, as I opt for a lot of passive fiction in the form of video. Fiction can be just as good for expanding the mind, even exercising empathy. Just reading speculative fiction (to give a broader term to science fiction) can exercise one's mind in visualizing things or give one new ideas. Heck, Google Earth was supposedly inspired by a technology in \"Snow Crash\".\nETA: There's some great \"forgotten\" fiction out there, which hasn't been turned into other formats yet. \"The Stars my Destination\" and \"Lord of Light\" are excellent. Which reminds me, another good source I've found for books is /usr/games/fortune",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "another good book, \"The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master\"",
          "reason": "The commenter cites its advice to read a nonfiction book in one's field each quarter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21315532,
          "author": "kampsduac",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T18:26:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21315532",
          "commentText": "One of my favorite fundamental books is \"The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master\" by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One of my favorite fundamental books is \"The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master\" by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the commenter's favorite fundamental books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14859603,
          "author": "soothseer",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T19:51:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859603",
          "commentText": "- The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master - Andrew Hunt, David Thomas\n- The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals - Michael Pollan",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master - Andrew Hunt, David Thomas",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144777,
          "author": "quantum_nerd",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T16:50:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144777",
          "commentText": "1. \"The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People\" by Stephen Covey. Taught me how to be more productive and simplify thinking about productivity. One of the books I re-read every year.\n2. \"The Bible\" - I am not too religious, but I am a spiritual person. I find the new testament to be a good blueprint on how to live a righteous life.\n3. \"The Pragmatic Programmer: from journeyman to master\" - such a timeless classic. Just get it...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "such a timeless classic. Just get it...",
          "reason": "Calls it a timeless classic and urges readers to get it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7999580,
          "author": "galephico",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T16:19:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7999580",
          "commentText": "Hackers in-depth interviews: « Coders at Work »\nGeneral topic: « The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master »\nJava and more: « Effective Java » 2nd edition\nAbout unit testing with Java tools: « Practical Unit Testing with Mockito and JUnit »",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "General topic: « The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master »",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1974484,
          "author": "nadnerb",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T08:25:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974484",
          "commentText": "The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master",
          "reason": "Offered as an answer to a request for books that help developers become more productive.",
          "audience": "Developers seeking greater productivity and efficiency.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew Hunt",
        "David Thomas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming practices",
        "software craftsmanship",
        "software development",
        "programming practice"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ray-tracer-challenge-3a6762",
      "title": "The Ray Tracer Challenge",
      "author": "Jamis Buck",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42219103,
          "author": "kristianp",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T04:01:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42219103",
          "commentText": "The Ray Tracer Challenge by Jamis Buck.  It uses Cucumber tests to specify the behaviour of the code, without giving you the code. Not a single weekend project.  I've been doing it in C++ to learn about the modern language, but any language can be used.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Ray Tracer Challenge by Jamis Buck.",
          "reason": "Describes a project-based way to learn modern C++ using behavioral tests without being given the implementation.",
          "audience": "Programmers learning modern C++; the commenter says any language can be used.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not a single-weekend project.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34414411,
          "author": "ojl",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-17T16:20:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 34412069,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach programming by building a series of small projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34414411",
          "commentText": "That’s why I like The Ray Tracer Challenge. He gives you test scenarios and a little bit of pseudo code (sometimes). The actual implementation has to be done by the reader.\nhttp://raytracerchallenge.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "That’s why I like The Ray Tracer Challenge.",
          "reason": "Likes its guided, hands-on approach, with implementation left to the reader.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29311990,
          "author": "guilhermeasg",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T21:54:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29311990",
          "commentText": "The Feynman Lectures on Computation, Goedel's Proof, maybe Crafting Interpreters?\nI've been following the development of http://browser.engineering/ and it's so much fun to go through. Highly recommended!\nMazes for Programmers is on my bookshelf. I've gone through the first few chapters coding along in Go and going on weird diversions. It's totally pointless, and I love it. There's also \"The Ray Tracer Challenge\" by the same author, which looks phenomenal.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "There's also \"The Ray Tracer Challenge\" by the same author, which looks phenomenal.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it looks phenomenal.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not said they read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28480986,
          "author": "adamgordonbell",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-10T13:08:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 28478751,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach you programming languages via systems projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28480986",
          "commentText": "The Ray Tracer Challenge[0] is super fun and language agnostic. It might be a good second project when learning a language. He also has a book about mazes that is great but ruby specific. Though you could adapt it to another language.\nThe thing I like about the books is the emphasis on having fun. My understanding is Jamis used these projects to overcome career burnout. They are also good for exploring the basics of a new language though.\nI interviewed Jamis about this subject and burn out[1].\n[0]: http://raytracerchallenge.com/\n[1]: https://corecursive.com/025-burn-out-and-recreational-progra... (https://corecursive.com/025-burn-out-and-recreational-programming/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Ray Tracer Challenge[0] is super fun and language agnostic.",
          "reason": "Calls it fun and suggests it as a possible second project while learning a language.",
          "audience": "Someone learning a programming language; the commenter suggests it as a second project.",
          "caveat": "Language agnostic; suggested as a possible second project.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22306076,
          "author": "signa11",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-12T05:30:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22306076",
          "commentText": "i find that cpu based ray tracing is a good low-to-moderate effort project, specifically if you are getting into a new programming language f.e. lisp/modern-c++/rust/erlang(^^)/...\nthere are plenty of books around which can walk you through the whole thing, however, of late, i have found that this: https://pragprog.com/book/jbtracer/the-ray-tracer-challenge is a pretty comprehensive.\ncheck it out !\napproximately, on the same lines, nand-to-tetris is _very_ good as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this: https://pragprog.com/book/jbtracer/the-ray-tracer-challenge is a pretty comprehensive.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a comprehensive book for building a CPU-based ray tracer.",
          "audience": "People learning a programming language through a project.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21769944,
          "author": "johnsonjo",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-12T07:21:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 21765528,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fun Tech Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21769944",
          "commentText": "The same author Jamis Buck also recently came out with a book called The Ray Tracer Challenge [1]. He came to my University’s Game Dev class while I was there and he showed us all about maze algorithms and such. I thought one of the more interesting applications he brought up was over world (a.k.a. map/game world) generation using a maze algorithm. Which is awesome, because maze algorithms primarily try and create a single path between any two points which seems like a great property to have in a traversable game world. You could then choose to open up additional paths to your liking.\n[1]: https://pragprog.com/book/jbtracer/the-ray-tracer-challenge",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "a book called The Ray Tracer Challenge",
          "reason": "Mentioned in the context of an interesting application of maze algorithms; no clear endorsement of the book itself.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jamis Buck"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ray tracing",
        "computer graphics",
        "graphics programming",
        "project based learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-water-knife-15f236",
      "title": "The Water Knife",
      "author": "Paolo Bacigalupi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33390390,
          "author": "ttyprintk",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-30T02:25:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33390390",
          "commentText": "Second The Water Knife.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Second The Water Knife.",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the recommendation of the book in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630223,
          "author": "Panino",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:53:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630223",
          "commentText": "* Johnny Got His Gun, by Dalton Trumbo. Powerful anti-war story.\n  * Vagabonding, by Rolf Potts. Shaped my views on hard work and travel.\n  * 1984, by George Orwell. Brilliant and terrifying.\n  * The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle. Overcoming mental pain through consciousness. \n  * Planetwalker, by John Francis. Inspired me to walk and put myself into things more.\n  * Pure enjoyment: Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson), Ready Player One (Ernest Cline), Watchmen (Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons), Red Rising trilogy (Pierce Brown).\n\nHonorable mention: The Water Knife (Paolo Bacigalupi).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Honorable mention: The Water Knife (Paolo Bacigalupi).",
          "reason": "Names it as an honorable mention among favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as an honorable mention.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12099256,
          "author": "jimmywanger",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T06:30:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12099256",
          "commentText": "Try\nThe Forever War by Joe Haldeman. A great book about time dilation and Vietnam.\nThe Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi. A book about water rights in the south west that I can think of.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi. A book about water rights in the south west that I can think of.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a book about water rights in the Southwest.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10769841,
          "author": "miraj",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-21T06:06:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10769841",
          "commentText": "Some of the books that made me think and look at things differently (from 2015 readings only):\n- In the Light of What We Know\n- The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers\n- Bathing the Lion\n- The Art of Asking; or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help\n- The Tears of Dark Water\n- God Is Dead\n- A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life\n- The Water Knife",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The Water Knife",
          "reason": "Listed among books that made the commenter think and look at things differently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10554510,
          "author": "rluhar",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-12T17:21:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10554510",
          "commentText": "Return of a King (William Dalrymple 2013) - A book about the Anglo-Afghan wars of the 19th century. To paraphrase Mark Twain: History doesn't repeat, but it rhymes\nBeing Mortal (Atul Gawande, 2014) - Powerful book about old age and confronting the mortality of our loved ones\nThe Dark Forest (Cixin Liu, 2014) - Wonderful science fiction from China\nThe Peripheral (William Gibson, 2015) - Bleak, near future science fiction.\nThe Water Knife (Paolo Bacigalupi, 2015) - More bleak, near future science fiction.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Water Knife (Paolo Bacigalupi, 2015) - More bleak, near future science fiction.",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the question about the year's best books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as bleak near-future science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paolo Bacigalupi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "climate fiction",
        "water scarcity",
        "climate dystopia",
        "water rights"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-way-of-kings-540a95",
      "title": "The Way of Kings",
      "author": "Brandon Sanderson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50119582,
          "author": "pmpmpmpm",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T15:25:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50119582",
          "commentText": "I can’t resist an invocation:)\nMost of these are old since I’ve been reading more articles these days but here are a few good books or series I’ve read more than twice: The Hobbit, LOTR, the Silmarillion, Neuromancer, the Chronicles of Narnia, Hong Lou Meng, The Heart Sutra, The Bhagavad Gita, The Tao De Ching, The Wheel of Time series, No country for old men, Persuasion, Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice, The Way of Kings, The Talisman, the Dark Tower Series, and The Prophet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Way of Kings",
          "reason": "Included among good books read more than twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46416728,
          "author": "jharohit",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-29T02:15:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46416728",
          "commentText": "sharing a few books I recommended in my annual list (recommend reading!)\nhttps://rohitjha.com/blog/reading-highlights-2025/\nNon Fiction:\n- Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future by Dan Wang (2025)\n- How to Live an Extraordinary Life by Anthony Pompliano (2024)\nFiction:\n- The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester (1956)\n- Consider Phlebas (Culture Series #1) by Iain M. Banks (1987)\n- The Way of Kings (2010, Stormlight #1) & Words of Radiance (2014, Stormlight #2) by Brandon Sanderson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Way of Kings (2010, Stormlight #1)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34161496,
          "author": "psithurism",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T14:53:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161496",
          "commentText": "Sociology:\n- The Coddling of the American Mind\n- The Tao of Pooh\n- Guns, Germs, and Steel\n- Weapons of the Weak\nReligious:\n- Guru Granth Sahib\n- Bible (King James Version)\n- Q’uran\n- The Book of Mormon \n- Tipitaka\nFantasy:\n- Dawn of Wonder by Jonathan Renshaw\n- The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan \n- The Way of Kings series by Brandon Sanderson\n- Mistborn also by Brandon Sanderson\n- Red Rising by Pierce Brown\n- The Licanius trilogy by James Islington\n- Saga of the Forgotten Warrior series by Larry Correia\nBiography\n- John Adams by David McCullough",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The Way of Kings series by Brandon Sanderson",
          "reason": "Listed under fantasy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249383,
          "author": "tavish1",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T11:22:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249383",
          "commentText": "I started reading sci-fi(mostly hard-sf) after I read the commonwealth saga, 'Pandora's star' and 'Judas unchained'. It was just really entertaining and unlike anything I've read. Also really recommend 'Snow crash'. Also adding a couple fantasy recommendations: Lies of Locke lamora, and any basically any novel by Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn: the final empire, Warbreaker, The way of kings etc.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The way of kings etc.",
          "reason": "Named as an example within the author's recommended novels.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in fantasy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8947397,
          "author": "theonekeith",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-26T15:20:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8947397",
          "commentText": "Favorite fantasy book far and away is \"The Way of Kings\" (a random Sanderson), favorite sci-fi book is Snowcrash (Neal Stephenson)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Favorite fantasy book far and away is \"The Way of Kings\"",
          "reason": "Calls it their favorite fantasy book by far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brandon Sanderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "high fantasy",
        "magic systems",
        "world building"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-wisdom-of-insecurity-0e1363",
      "title": "The Wisdom of Insecurity",
      "author": "Alan Watts",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49918047,
          "author": "ogou",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-01T05:29:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49918047",
          "commentText": "The Wisdom of Insecurity, by Alan Watts. It's a counterintuitive exploration of letting go of things being definite and fixed. It's a Buddhist lens applied in pre-60s life.\nhttps://archive.org/details/wisdomofinsecuri00watt",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Wisdom of Insecurity, by Alan Watts. It's a counterintuitive exploration of letting go of things being definite and fixed.",
          "reason": "Explores letting go of certainty and fixed ideas through a Buddhist lens.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25537215,
          "author": "jefallbright",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-25T16:10:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25537215",
          "commentText": "Alan Watts' Wisdom of Insecurity\nAlan Watts' The Book on the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Alan Watts' Wisdom of Insecurity",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804924,
          "author": "entropyneur",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:31:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804924",
          "commentText": "> If anyone has read any and has feedback/notes, I'm looking forward to hearing them!\nThe wisdom of insecurity: very very good if you are at all interested in the matters it explores\nZero to one: the whole genre of business wisdom books is crap IMHO,  but at least this one is short\nBasic economics (Thomas Sowell): total must read",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The wisdom of insecurity: very very good if you are at all interested in the matters it explores",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as very good for readers interested in its subject.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the topics it explores.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12245275,
          "author": "physicsyogi",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T03:17:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12245275",
          "commentText": "I gave Joseph Brodsky's Watermark and Alan Watts' The Wisdom of Insecurity to two friends last year. And for  Mothers Day last year I gave my wife a book of themed photos and prose, Two, by Melissa Ann Pinney.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Alan Watts' The Wisdom of Insecurity",
          "reason": "Named as a book the commenter gave to a friend in response to a question about gift books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674587,
          "author": "kweinber",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T13:45:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674587",
          "commentText": "The Denial of Death by Becker. (The discussions of homosexuality are outdated but the rest is amazing).\nThe Wisdom of Insecurity by Watts helped center my adolescence.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Wisdom of Insecurity by Watts helped center my adolescence.",
          "reason": "Says it helped them feel centered during adolescence.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9350099,
          "author": "ph4",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T19:00:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350099",
          "commentText": "Alan Watts - The Wisdom of Insecurity\nAn exploration of man's quest for psychological security and spiritual certainty in religion and philosophy.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "An exploration of man's quest for psychological security and spiritual certainty in religion and philosophy.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1755187,
          "author": "mikek85",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-04T10:16:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1755187",
          "commentText": "The Wisdom Of Insecurity by Alan Watts\n^ it's tiny, easily the best book I've ever read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Wisdom Of Insecurity by Alan Watts\n^ it's tiny, easily the best book I've ever read.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best book they've ever read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes it as tiny.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan Watts"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "uncertainty",
        "zen buddhism",
        "existentialism",
        "buddhist philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-witcher-2293ea",
      "title": "The Witcher",
      "author": "Andrzej Sapkowski",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33383627,
          "author": "A4ET8a8uTh0",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T12:54:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33383627",
          "commentText": "Hmm. This year wasn't that great for me book-wise, but there were some decent contenders:\n- Ellul's - Technological Society - picked up on HN recommendation and I will admit it is interesting and worthwhile.\n- Cal Newport - Digital Minimalism - Hard to implement and certainly not a quick fix, but the author is onto something here.\nFiction:\nI am re-reading Witcher the series. It is still one of the few books, where it is worth to learn the author's language to read the original ( even though translation is also very good ). I forgot how good it is.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I am re-reading Witcher the series.",
          "reason": "The commenter is rereading it and says it is worth learning the author's language to read the original.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in reading the original language.",
          "caveat": "The translation is also described as very good.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804066,
          "author": "Delfino",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:09:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804066",
          "commentText": "I read about 25 books this year, here are the top 10 I look forward to reading in 2020, many of them informed by my favorites of 2019:\nHomo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari - I read Sapiens this year and really enjoyed it. I just started this today one so I may finish that before the end of the year.\nThinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman - I like books that make me think and from what I've heard, this will definitely do the trick. I read Factfulness this year and this was a suggested follow-up.\nThe Language Instinct by Steven Pinker - I've gotten really into natural languages since I've lived outside my country of origin for the last 2 and a half years and I've heard good things about this book being an entry point into linguistics.\nSword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski - With the new Witcher show coming out on Netflix I finally went back and beat The Witcher 3 then read the first book, The Last Wish. It was enjoyable enough that I want to keep going with the series.\nEducated by Tara Westover - Was convinced by Bill Gate's blog this is worthwhile. I'm a teacher so it wasn't hard to convince me.\nRobot Builder's Bonanza by Gordon McComb - I've been asked to teach a robotics course next year and this one seems to be The Book everyone recommends to dive into robotics.\nDivided by Partition: United by Resilience by Mallika Ahluwalia - I recently visited the Partition Museum in Amritsar, Punjab, India and purchased this book there to learn about more stories about people impacted by this event.\nThe Elements of Computing Systems by Noam Nisan and Shimon Shocken - I just read Code by Petzold and it was one of my favorite books. Even though I studied Computer Science in University and most of the concepts weren't new to me, it was such a fun experience mentally \"building\" a computer from relays/transistors to logic gates and up to assemblers, compilers, and interpreters. I want to keep going with this and jump into the Nand2Tetris online course.\nThe Annotated Turing by Charles Petzold - Again, I loved Petzold's Code so I looked up other books he wrote and this one looks great. I've never actually read Turing's work so I'm excited to have some background and explanation to help me not just read the words but grasp their significance.\nZACH-LIKE by Zachtronics - I played through several Zachtronics games this year (TIS-100, Shenzhen I/O and Opus Magnum) so I can't wait to dive into some of the thinking behind creating these and similar games.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I want to keep going with the series.",
          "reason": "The commenter wants to continue the series after finding its first book enjoyable enough.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The first book was enjoyable enough to continue.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20333819,
          "author": "Kuraj",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T10:42:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20333819",
          "commentText": "Yes!\nEspecially since the first two books are a collection of short stories that are super accessible and self-contained.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the first two books are a collection of short stories",
          "reason": "The comment affirms a recommendation of the series, noting that its first two books are accessible, self-contained short-story collections.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy fantasy and accessible, self-contained stories.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17385122,
          "author": "lappet",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-24T05:39:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17385122",
          "commentText": "Can you please provide more examples of Slavic literature? I am only aware of Russian authors. Any idea if the english translation of Witcher by Danusia Stok is good? I am very curious about Slavic culture and recently blogged about \"Slavs\"[1], I would love to add a literature section to my post.\n[1] https://raviramanujam.com/post/blog/slavs.html",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Any idea if the english translation of Witcher by Danusia Stok is good?",
          "reason": "Asks about the translation while expressing curiosity about Slavic culture; no endorsement stated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17381911,
          "author": "jxub",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T16:17:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17381911",
          "commentText": "From where I stand, Hispanic and Slavic literature is fairly unknown and underrated on the other side of the pond.\nRamón del Valle Inclán's \"Lights of Bohemia\": A great portrait of Madrid and the dirty guts of the Spain from 100 years ago, written in a gorgeously precise, dark and multifaceted range of vocabulary.\nOrtega y Gasset's \"Rebellion of the Masses\". It is centered in the individual \"I am me and my circumstances\" and its evolution since the enlightenment.\nSapkowski's \"Witcher\". Look for a good translation, lots of Slavic mythology tidbits and wonderfully juicy curse words.\nStanislaw Lem's \"The Star Diaries\". Nice if you like to fantasize about buying pieces for your spaceship in a shopping centre or think about chair-like aliens with 11 different sexes (in the book).\nGabriel Garcia Marquez's \"A hundred years of solitude\". The book is all about \"realismo fantástico\", joining the real and imaginary words in an unforgettable blend.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Sapkowski's \"Witcher\". Look for a good translation, lots of Slavic mythology tidbits and wonderfully juicy curse words.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for its Slavic mythology and colorful language.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Look for a good translation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337422,
          "author": "eddd",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:39:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337422",
          "commentText": "Wiedźmin (The Witcher)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wiedźmin (The Witcher)",
          "reason": "Names The Witcher as a comfort-book answer.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175700,
          "author": "kabouseng",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:56:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175700",
          "commentText": "The witcher series, done with 4 of the 7 books.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The witcher series, done with 4 of the 7 books.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrzej Sapkowski"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dark fantasy",
        "slavic mythology",
        "monster hunting",
        "polish fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "traction-how-any-startup-can-achieve-explosive-customer-growth-f78c1f",
      "title": "Traction: How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer Growth",
      "author": "Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41547864,
          "author": "mannyv",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-15T14:58:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41547864",
          "commentText": "“Traction: How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer Growth”\nSomeone in your startup needs to have read this. It’s a discussion of the different sales channels.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Traction: How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer Growth”",
          "reason": "Says someone at the startup needs to have read it for its discussion of sales channels.",
          "audience": "Someone on a startup team.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as a discussion of different sales channels.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13240445,
          "author": "satyajitranjeev",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T21:14:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13240445",
          "commentText": "Traction: How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer Growth by Gabriel Weinberg, Justin Mares. The book was quite straight to the point not too many frills.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The book was quite straight to the point not too many frills.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as straightforward and without many frills.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12981372,
          "author": "kirubakaran",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-17T20:47:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12981372",
          "commentText": "\"Deep Work\" and \"Traction\". More here: http://www.kirubakaran.com/books-read.html?utm_source=hnbook... (http://www.kirubakaran.com/books-read.html?utm_source=hnbooks2016)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Traction\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12070333,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T11:37:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12070333",
          "commentText": "So far, the best book about startups I have read is Traction, it's extremely useful overview of all the ways to get traffic/customers.\nI also making my way through GEB, it's relly interesting, though hard to read.\nAnd I am reading \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies\", it is a collection of rationality essays by Eliezer Yudkowsky, and it's amazing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's extremely useful overview of all the ways to get traffic/customers",
          "reason": "Calls it the best book about startups they have read and says it is extremely useful.",
          "audience": "People seeking ways to get traffic and customers for a startup.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11252763,
          "author": "kennyfrc",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-09T13:19:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11252763",
          "commentText": "Ha! Just had that binge too...\n... Here's what I like:\nOn the business end:\n- Badass by Kathy Sierra\n- Impossible to Inevitable by Aaron Ross\n- Traction by Gabriel Weinberg\n- Cold Calling Early Customers by Robert Graham\n- Learn or Die by Edward Hess\nOn \"refining your thought process\":\n- Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley\n- Racing Towards Excellence by Jan Sramek\n- Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin\n- Case Interview Secrets by Victor Cheng (helps you think in a nice, structured way)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Traction by Gabriel Weinberg",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s liked business books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gabriel Weinberg",
        "Justin Mares"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "customer acquisition",
        "startup growth",
        "startups",
        "marketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "types-and-programming-languages-ec0a01",
      "title": "Types and Programming Languages",
      "author": "Benjamin C. Pierce",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47731941,
          "author": "skydhash",
          "createdAt": "2026-04-11T16:37:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 47728352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on building a programming language",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47731941",
          "commentText": "> separate effect full code from pure logic\nThat’s a feature of the abstract machine. TM and Von Neuman is very reliant on a global (and locals) state. Lambda calculus does not and instead requires evaluation (or reduction in symbolic terms).\nBest bet for this is some book on computation theory, but as the name says, they’re full of theory, but it’s kinda the foundation of everything.\n> separate state and code\nNot really possible. The name “code” cames from the fact that you’re encoding logic and data to represent a process. It’s a closed system and the above books explain how and why it works.\n> ai native debugger\nWhat does that mean? A debugger is mostly the capability to stop a process and inspect the current state. How does AI helps?\n> native deterministic simulation testing\nWhat does that means?\n> coding proofs\nAgain, the books on computation theory will helps. Most of them will only explain the context free grammars (tightly coupled to TM). There’s a bunch of abstraction on top of that that leads to C, JavaScript and Python. There’s also the various other systems like Horn clauses, lambda calculus, and relational algebra. All have mathematical models that are the basics of such proofs.\n> explicit type system\nThe main book I can recommend is Types and Programming Languages by Pierce. It also requires a good knowledge of basic computation theory. Quick note: Computation does data transformation, types helps with proving that.\n> repl\nWhile not impossible, it clashes with the above. Explicit typing is cumbersome to write while REPL is all about quick iteration. Some simple software like ed and ksh can help there.\n> wasm target\nGoing from assembly to C is about design abstractions, compiling C to assembly is building those abstractions. Targeting wasm is about design what would take you to go from wasm to you abstract machine that is capable of executing your language and then starting to build it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The main book I can recommend is Types and Programming Languages by Pierce.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a main book for explicit type systems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Requires a good knowledge of basic computation theory.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32790763,
          "author": "madsbuch",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T14:06:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790763",
          "commentText": "Types and programming languages, Benjamin Pierce: https://www.cis.upenn.edu/~bcpierce/tapl/\nIts contents is what I consider the meta game of programming. Understanding types seems to be a real boost to think about architecture, implementation, etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Types and programming languages, Benjamin Pierce",
          "reason": "The commenter says understanding types boosts thinking about architecture and implementation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31176215,
          "author": "nextos",
          "createdAt": "2022-04-27T04:14:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 31166475,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Top inspiring books on crucial CS ideas?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31176215",
          "commentText": "You will get lots of PLT recommendations, so I will get a bit more theoretical but still close to applications.\nFor me CS is all about logic and types in the same way classical math is mostly about algebra and calculus.\nA great text for logic is Huth & Ryan: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AKE1QXQ\nA great text for type theory is TAPL: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08H18R67V\nA superb combination of both is Concrete Semantics: http://concrete-semantics.org/concrete-semantics.pdf\nKnowing the material in these books is sufficient to land a high end verification job.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A great text for type theory is TAPL:",
          "reason": "Recommends TAPL as a text for type theory.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21313367,
          "author": "sweeneyrod",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T15:27:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21313367",
          "commentText": "I don't think there are any. The problem with learning computer science from textbooks is that most textbooks will go a lot further than just the fundamentals on the subjects they cover. So if you try to learn the basics by choosing a textbook for each area and read it cover to cover you'll never finish. Perhaps the answer is to thoroughly read the first few chapters/skim the remainder of Introduction to Algorithms; the Dragon book; Computer Networks/Architecture/etc.: A Systems/Quantitative/etc. Approach; Types and Programming Languages; Security Engineering; AI: A Modern Approach and so on -- that was certainly my experience of undergrad CS. A few exceptions are K&R, The Mythical Man-Month and What Every Computer Scientist Should Know About Floating-Point Arithmetic which are short enough that you can easily read them in their entirety.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Types and Programming Languages",
          "reason": "Includes it among textbooks to study selectively when learning computer science.",
          "audience": "People learning undergraduate computer science.",
          "caveat": "Suggests reading the first chapters or skimming the remainder.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9349461,
          "author": "mjhoy",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T17:45:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9349461",
          "commentText": "Don Quixote. Touches on a lot: perception, value, narrative, ethics, creativity. Above all it is funny as hell and beautifully written.\nTypes and Programming Languages, Benjamin Pierce, slightly intimidating mathematically for me but worth diving in, lots of interesting ideas, I'm only through to the second chapter.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "slightly intimidating mathematically for me but worth diving in, lots of interesting ideas",
          "reason": "Despite finding it mathematically intimidating, the commenter says it is worth exploring and has interesting ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mathematically intimidating for the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Benjamin C. Pierce"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming languages",
        "type systems",
        "type theory",
        "programming language semantics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "unix-a-history-and-a-memoir-49ac4e",
      "title": "UNIX: A History and a Memoir",
      "author": "Brian W. Kernighan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43093707,
          "author": "jjice",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-18T19:03:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 43084739,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction/non-fiction book should everyone read on the topic of CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43093707",
          "commentText": "UNIX: A History and a Memoir by Brian Kernighan.\nBrian wrote The C Programming Language (the book), along with many other great books. He worked at Bell Labs during the time of Unix and it's a casual, whimsical telling of some of the history there.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "UNIX: A History and a Memoir by Brian Kernighan.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36601346,
          "author": "JakobJK",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T14:59:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601346",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed reading:\nUNIX: A History and a Memoir by Brian W Kernighan",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "UNIX: A History and a Memoir by Brian W Kernighan",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22709871,
          "author": "acd",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T08:03:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22709871",
          "commentText": "UNIX: A History and a Memoir by Brian Kernighan.\nUNIX is the predecessor to Linux/BSD and was created at Bell laboratories. Also C was created there.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Unix\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unix_philosophy\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C_%28programming_language%29\n\"Make each program do one thing well. To do a new job, build afresh rather than complicate old programs by adding new \"features\".\"\nOne could say Micro services is a form that, do one thing and do it well.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "UNIX: A History and a Memoir by Brian Kernighan.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22692498,
          "author": "nieksand",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-26T11:36:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22692498",
          "commentText": "Kernighan's \"UNIX: A History and a Memoir\" is a fun read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kernighan's \"UNIX: A History and a Memoir\" is a fun read.",
          "reason": "Describes the book as a fun read in a thread seeking computing and computer history books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804093,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:12:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804093",
          "commentText": "Writing a Go Interpreter\nWriting a Go Compiler\nNo One Cares about Crazy People\nI Heard You Paint Houses\nUNIX: A History and a Memoir\nRed Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine\nHow Asia Works\nThe Dream Machine\nBlack Earth\nThe Fabric of Reality\nBehave (tried twice, maybe third times a charm?)\nA Short History of Nearly Everything\nStiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers\nGenius: The Life and Science Richard Feynman\nSuper Thinking\nMan's Search for Meaning\nThe Cooking Gene\nThe Vital Question: Why is Life The Way it Is (re-read)\nThe Case Against Sugar\nThe 15 Decisive Battles of the World\nThe History of the Peloponnesian War\nThe Beginning of Infinity\nThe Book of Why",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "UNIX: A History and a Memoir",
          "reason": "Listed in the commenter's planned reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21772632,
          "author": "japhyr",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-12T15:34:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 21765528,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fun Tech Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21772632",
          "commentText": "Recently someone on HN recommended Unix: A History and a Memoir by Brian Kernighan. I'm almost finished, and it's been a wonderful read.\nI love reading about the development of early programming languages and computing environments, but I was surprised to find how helpful it is for deepening my understanding of things I use every day. It's amazing to me that tools like grep, which I use without a second thought, were written in the 1960s and 1970s and the code behind them hasn't been changed all that much.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/UNIX-History-Memoir-Brian-Kernighan/d... (https://www.amazon.com/UNIX-History-Memoir-Brian-Kernighan/dp/1695978552/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's been a wonderful read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was a wonderful read and found it helpful for understanding familiar tools.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in early programming languages and computing environments.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian W. Kernighan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "unix",
        "unix history",
        "computer history",
        "computing history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "understanding-power-9f6774",
      "title": "Understanding Power",
      "author": "Noam Chomsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42280171,
          "author": "neofrommatrix",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-30T07:36:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42280171",
          "commentText": "I discovered Noam Chomsky last year. Read “How the world works”, “Understanding Power” and “Manufacturing Consent”. \nAbsolutely blown away.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Understanding Power”",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter read before saying they were blown away.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41768296,
          "author": "imjonse",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T17:13:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41768296",
          "commentText": "For fiction no idea, really hard to come up with a criterion and that is great actually.\nFor non-fiction, by far the one that had the most novelty factor and effect of my worldview probably Chomsky - Understanding Power. Not 100% because it's almost a tie with Manufacturing Consent - this one being much darker.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Chomsky - Understanding Power.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it had a strong effect on their worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23858886,
          "author": "m0th87",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:45:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858886",
          "commentText": "Understanding Power by Chomsky had a big impact on me. I read it after this compelling blog post by Aaron Swartz (RIP): http://www.aaronsw.com/weblog/epiphany",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Understanding Power by Chomsky had a big impact on me.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it had a big impact on their understanding.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17382396,
          "author": "sima-qian",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T17:51:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17382396",
          "commentText": "In terms of nonfiction books, Understanding Power by Noam Chomsky has been eye-opening. I would strongly recommend reading the footnotes alongside it, though they double the length of the book.\nEven if you don't agree with Chomsky's politics or all of his conclusions, his analysis of American foreign and domestic policy is worth hearing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would strongly recommend reading the footnotes alongside it, though they double the length of the book.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends reading it with the footnotes; calls its analysis worth hearing.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in American foreign and domestic policy.",
          "caveat": "The footnotes double the book's length; you may disagree with Chomsky's politics or conclusions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13972686,
          "author": "pokler",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T23:19:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13972686",
          "commentText": "Understanding Power is a great place to start. Its a collection of past talks given by him and I found it to be a great primer for more focused Chomsky books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Understanding Power is a great place to start. Its a collection of past talks given by him and I found it to be a great primer for more focused Chomsky books.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a starting point and primer for Chomsky's other books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13970195,
          "author": "pokler",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T18:09:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13970195",
          "commentText": "Understanding Power by Noam Chomsky. I knew the United States was complicit in some nefarious things, both domestic and abroad, but wow, that book really blew my hair back.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "that book really blew my hair back.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book strongly affected their view of US actions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10787460,
          "author": "proxyswapi",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T07:33:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787460",
          "commentText": "I just bought \"Understanding Power\". Why do you think it's BS?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I just bought \"Understanding Power\". Why do you think it's BS?",
          "reason": "Asks why someone criticized it; no view of the book is stated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10787298,
          "author": "yetanotheracc",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T06:03:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787298",
          "commentText": "Absolutely amazing, changed the way I look at the society, will re-read:\n- George Orwell, Keep the Aspidistra Flying\nLoved:\n- Alastair Reynolds, House of Suns\n- Andy Weir, The Martian\n- Neal Stephenson, Seveneves\n- Greg Egan, Teranesia\nLiked:\n- Arthur C. Clarke, 3001: The Final Odyssey\n- Arthur C. Clarke, 2061: Odyssey Three\n- Richard Feynman, The Character of Physical Laws\n- Richard Feynman, The Pleasure of Finding Things Out\n- Jonathan Slack, Stem Cells: A Very Short Introduction\n- John Scalzi, Fuzzy Nation (bought the audiobook for Wil Wheaton's narration)\n- Ray Monk, Robert Oppenheimer: A Life Inside the Center\n- Alastair Reynolds,  Revelation Space\n- David C. Cassidy, Beyond Uncertainty: Heisenberg, Quantum Physics, and the Bomb\nFound full of BS, did not finish:\n- Noam Chomsky, Understanding Power\nTextbooks:\n- order of 10^3 pages of Open University textbooks\n- Klauber, Student Friendly Quantum Field Theory\n- Feynman & Hibbs, Quantum Mechanics and Path Integrals\n- Wald, General Relativity (5 chapters)\n- Peskin & Schroeder, An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory (5 chapters)\nNot as bad as I felt before making the list, but underwhelming in terms of quantity. I intend to read a whole lot more in 2016.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Found full of BS, did not finish:\n- Noam Chomsky, Understanding Power",
          "reason": "The commenter found it full of nonsense and did not finish it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter did not finish the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Noam Chomsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Society",
        "Philosophy",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political power",
        "media criticism",
        "american politics",
        "domestic policy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "warbreaker-673a9c",
      "title": "Warbreaker",
      "author": "Brandon Sanderson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33385896,
          "author": "DoingSomeThings",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T17:03:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33385896",
          "commentText": "Fiction - I started reading the Cosmere universe by Brandon Sanderson.\nMistborn Trilogy, Stormlight Archives, and Warbreaker.\nPick 1 - Start with Warbreaker or Mistborn.\nI'm new to fantasy fiction and his writing totally hooked me. I think of \"hard\" fantasy as a puzzle. The world has a unique physics and the plot of the story is based around characters figuring out how to operate inside of those physics... what are the bounds, how can it be manipulated, etc?\nWhat I've loved about Sanderson is the plot turns are never Ex Machina. Every new development fits inside the rules of the world and deepens your understanding of what can be.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Start with Warbreaker",
          "reason": "The commenter suggests starting with it as an entry point to Sanderson's fantasy.",
          "audience": "Someone new to fantasy fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249383,
          "author": "tavish1",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T11:22:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249383",
          "commentText": "I started reading sci-fi(mostly hard-sf) after I read the commonwealth saga, 'Pandora's star' and 'Judas unchained'. It was just really entertaining and unlike anything I've read. Also really recommend 'Snow crash'. Also adding a couple fantasy recommendations: Lies of Locke lamora, and any basically any novel by Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn: the final empire, Warbreaker, The way of kings etc.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Warbreaker",
          "reason": "Named as an example within the author's recommended novels.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in fantasy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783776,
          "author": "noxToken",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T15:40:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783776",
          "commentText": "Was light year for me:\nConfessions of a D-List Supervillain - Jim Bernheimer\nOrigins of a D-List Supervillain - Jim Bernheimer\nThe second is a prequel of the first. I haven't read the third in the series. Light reading about a guy's descent into villainy.\nYes Please - Amy Poehler: I love memoirs. I just didn't love this one. It read a lot like Leslie Knope was the author, but there was an obscene amount of name dropping that kept interrupting the flow of the book for me.\nFresh Off the Boat: A Memoir - Eddie Huang: Like I said, I'm a sucker for these things. Picked it up, because the series reminded me of a 90s Asian version of Everybody Hates Chris. The absurdity and random profanity was a little off-putting at first. Remembering how I felt as a black boy doing some of the same dumb things in the 90s really put it into perspective though.\nThe Serpent of Venice: A Novel - Christopher Moore: The follow up to Fool. It's a different take on Shakespearian story-telling. I can't recommend his novels enough.\nQuantum Lens - Douglas E. Richards: I read this solely because I liked Wired and Amped. No-frills action with a sci-fi element. You probably won't get engrossed, but you will be entertained.\nSpell or High Water & An Unwelcome Quest - Scott Meyer: Books 2 & 3 in a series about a group of guys who can manipulate reality through writing scripts. Good, but not my favorite.\nArmada: A Novel - Ernest Cline: Ah yes. The long awaited sophomore effort from the author of Ready Player One. This book fell harder than it deserved to, because people where expecting it to be analogous to Ready Player One. Spoiler: it's not. The novel does have its short-comings. Repetitive dialogue, shoe-horned classic pop-culture references and shallow writing plague this book. If you've got time for a short novel, give it a whirl, but don't expect anything amazing.\nWords of Radiance - Brandon Sanderson: Book 2 of the Stormlight Archives. If it's an epic by Sanderson, do yourself a favor and board the hype train. You won't be disappointed. It's everything you want in a long fantasy novel without being bogged down with side-plots and details.\nWarbreaker - Brandon Sanderson: This is a standalone novel with a tie-on to Words of Radiance. I'm only halfway through it. Would recommend so far, especially since it's free from the author.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Warbreaker - Brandon Sanderson: This is a standalone novel with a tie-on to Words of Radiance. I'm only halfway through it. Would recommend so far, especially since it's free from the author.",
          "reason": "Would recommend it based on the half they have read so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has read only half.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9068194,
          "author": "zblesk",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-18T12:46:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9068194",
          "commentText": "Oh, I love some good world-building, and especially when there is a set of rules that's followed to their consequences.  [Ayuc sums it up nicely in this comment. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056594 ]\nIf you look at it this way, it CAN be done in fantasy. Check out Brandon Sanderson's Warbreaker (a great one-off), or the Mistborn series. (There are quite a few similarities between them.)\nOr Max Brooks' World War Z was great in this way, I think. Although it's been quite a while since I read that.\n(I know this is an older thread, so I hope you'll find this comment. Made a HN account for this. :D )",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Check out Brandon Sanderson's Warbreaker (a great one-off)",
          "reason": "Recommends it for rule-based fantasy world-building.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a standalone fantasy novel.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968373,
          "author": "m3mnoch",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:40:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968373",
          "commentText": "i just finished listening to brandon sanderson's \"words of radiance\" as read to me by my digital personal assistant during my work commutes.  in the ivona amy voice, of course as she's pretty good with crazy names like \"urithiru\".\nmoving on to his \"warbreaker\" now.  apparently, they're all tied together in an uber-epic.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "moving on to his \"warbreaker\" now.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1869027,
          "author": "jasonlotito",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-04T14:36:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1869027",
          "commentText": "You won't be disappointed.  The WoKings was a bit odd at the start.  He dumps you right into the middle, and I was somewhat confused by everything changing so fast, but you quickly realise this is in a way intentional, and works well in the long run.\nAlso, if you haven't read the Mistborn trilogy, I highly suggest it.  It's a great, unique setting, and I had a great time with it.\nFinally, his other books are great as well.  Elantris and Warbreaker, each different, and great for single novel stories.  I'm a big fan of the long arcs of great epics, but these one-off's were well worth the time invested.\nBasically, he's an author that will require me to buy everything he writes for as long as he's writing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Elantris and Warbreaker, each different, and great for single novel stories.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great standalone story.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a single novel story.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brandon Sanderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "magic systems",
        "standalone fantasy",
        "cosmere"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "watchmen-df480f",
      "title": "Watchmen",
      "author": "Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38238472,
          "author": "sidkhanooja",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T08:35:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238472",
          "commentText": "Comics! I recently finished Wanted (which made for a shitty movie, but a decent comic) and Watchmen (I despair I hadn't gotten around to it sooner).\nNow I'm planning to read V for Vendetta, The Killing Joke, Batman: Year One, and some more. I've finally come around to comics as an art form, and I couldn't be happier!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and Watchmen (I despair I hadn't gotten around to it sooner).",
          "reason": "Expresses regret at not having read it sooner.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803908,
          "author": "andreilys",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:50:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803908",
          "commentText": "Well here are the books I’m currently reading (physical, kindle, and audible). I bounce around a lot. Sometimes it takes me a week to finish a book, other times I take a few months. Sometimes I never finish. But these are the ones I have some progress on so far:\n1. Faust by goethe\n2. I am That\n3. Book of why\n4. The gift by hafiz\n5. Simulacra and simulation\n6. Candide by Voltaire\n7. Meeting the shadow: the hidden power of the dark side of human nature\n8. Nonviolent communication\n9. After the ecstasy, the laundry\n10. Watchmen\n11. Noble heart by Pena chodron\n12. Developer hegemony\n13. Brothers karamazov",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Watchmen",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630223,
          "author": "Panino",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:53:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630223",
          "commentText": "* Johnny Got His Gun, by Dalton Trumbo. Powerful anti-war story.\n  * Vagabonding, by Rolf Potts. Shaped my views on hard work and travel.\n  * 1984, by George Orwell. Brilliant and terrifying.\n  * The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle. Overcoming mental pain through consciousness. \n  * Planetwalker, by John Francis. Inspired me to walk and put myself into things more.\n  * Pure enjoyment: Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson), Ready Player One (Ernest Cline), Watchmen (Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons), Red Rising trilogy (Pierce Brown).\n\nHonorable mention: The Water Knife (Paolo Bacigalupi).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pure enjoyment: Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson), Ready Player One (Ernest Cline), Watchmen (Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons)",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of books read for pure enjoyment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10534162,
          "author": "schlagetown",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T17:01:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10534162",
          "commentText": "Watchmen (Alan Moore)\nOrigins of Form (Christopher Williams)\nStarship & The Canoe (Kenneth Brower)\nThe Size of Lumber (Nicholson Baker)\nZen Mind, Beginner's Mind (Shunryu Suzuki)\nDeschooling Society (Ivan Illich)\nMoby Dick (Herman Melville)\nBolo'Bolo (P.M.)\nLe Ton beau de Marot (Douglas Hofstadter)\nGaia: A New Look at Life on Earth (James Lovelock)\nMouse or Rat: Translation as Negotiation (Umberto Eco)\nNeuromancer (William Gibson)\nThe Intelligent Investor (Benjamin Graham)\nDon Quixote (Miguel Cervantes)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Watchmen (Alan Moore)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about the best books read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6922495,
          "author": "rouma7",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-17T17:49:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 6921805,
          "threadTitle": "What book has inspired you the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6922495",
          "commentText": "The Watchmen, although technically a comic book Alan Moore tackles a lot of complex existential issues.\nAlso, The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus. How does one find meaning in life in a meaningless world?\nwww.goodreads.com has a lot of great reviews/suggestions as well",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Watchmen, although technically a comic book Alan Moore tackles a lot of complex existential issues.",
          "reason": "The commenter values its treatment of complex existential issues.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it is technically a comic book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5832627,
          "author": "thesash",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T14:31:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5832627",
          "commentText": "A few on my \"re-read every few years\" list: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Speaker for the Dead, Infinite Jest, Watchmen, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Watchmen",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list of books to reread every few years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1979312,
          "author": "arvinjoar",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-07T15:33:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1979312",
          "commentText": "Not one book, but two graphic novels.\n\"Watchmen\" and \"V for Vendetta\", Alan Moore's perspective is such a great perspective. Alan Moore tackles important philosophical questions in a really accessible medium. Alan Moore is a realist with very dramatic inclinations and all hackers will appreciate the references in his works. He combines the pretentious with the subtle in a way that will blow your mind. It's not very time-consuming to read through a graphic novel, but after reading them you will spend a lot of time processing the content in your mind, until you reread the graphic novels by Alan Moore.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Watchmen\" and \"V for Vendetta\", Alan Moore's perspective is such a great perspective.",
          "reason": "Praises the graphic novel and its philosophical questions and perspective.",
          "audience": "Hackers, according to the commenter.",
          "caveat": "The comment discusses both titles together.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753512,
          "author": "mapleoin",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T20:20:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753512",
          "commentText": "Could you put into words the chilling issues about ethics and morality found in The Watchmen? I've read it some year ago, but I really can't remember anything striking, though I'd like to.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Watchmen",
          "reason": "The commenter asks about the ethical and moral issues in it but expresses no endorsement.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan Moore",
        "Dave Gibbons"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Art",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "graphic novel",
        "superheroes",
        "existentialism",
        "superhero"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-the-dormouse-said-how-the-sixties-counterculture-shaped-the--1947aa",
      "title": "What the Dormouse Said: How the Sixties Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer Industry",
      "author": "John Markoff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43088046,
          "author": "cpach",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-18T10:22:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 43084739,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction/non-fiction book should everyone read on the topic of CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43088046",
          "commentText": "What the Dormouse Said: How the Sixties Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer Industry / John Markoff",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "What the Dormouse Said: How the Sixties Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer Industry / John Markoff",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38238094,
          "author": "newswasboring",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T07:17:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238094",
          "commentText": "Just got finished reading \"What the Dormouse Said\", not a phenomenal read due to the density of characters but definitely worth it for the exploration of early thought on computers. I had never read extensively about the work of Englebart and the Augment project and it was fascinating to see things we take for granted about human computer interaction slowly form amongst a community. I feel like I had lost touch with the idea of computers as extensions of human brains. It's a small shift in thinking, but not thinking of a computer as a separate thing opens up completely novel thought patterns.\nOn a lighter note I was expecting a lot more drugs than politics in this book. Oh well, we should appreciate things for what they are and what we want them to be.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Just got finished reading \"What the Dormouse Said\", not a phenomenal read due to the density of characters but definitely worth it for the exploration of early thought on computers.",
          "reason": "Worth reading for its account of early ideas about computers, despite a dense cast of characters.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in early computing and human-computer interaction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter found the characters dense and the read less than phenomenal.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22712047,
          "author": "robotbikes",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T16:15:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22712047",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed \"What the Dormouse Said\" https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_the_Dormouse_Said it was about how the 60s counter culture interacted with the personal computer industry being formed, so a lot of computer science interwoven with politics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed \"What the Dormouse Said\"",
          "reason": "Recommends the book about counterculture’s interaction with the emerging personal computer industry.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computing history and its political and cultural context.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22708939,
          "author": "gonehome",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T03:23:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22708939",
          "commentText": "I also think it's a great book, but partly because it is technical.\nCharles is great at explaining how computers actually work with circuit diagrams from the ground up in a way that's articulate, clear, and engaging. I think I learned more from this book than I did in my CS architecture class.\nThe historical context he puts it in helps with clarity since it's easier to understand when you know how each successive step built on the previous one.\nIn addition to the Dream Machine, I'd also mention Steven Levy's Hackers as an obvious one to read.\nSome others I've read:\n- What the dormouse said (this one was just okay, but interesting to see some of the cultural context at the time).\n- Crypto (about the history of cryptography). I really liked this one, but people I've recommended it to found it dry.\n- In the Plex (history of Google)\n- Masters of Doom (John Carmack, John Romero and Id Software)\nRelated Fiction:\n- Microserfs\n- The Soul of a New Machine\n- The Phoenix Project (fiction paired with the Dev Ops Handbook)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "What the dormouse said (this one was just okay, but interesting to see some of the cultural context at the time).",
          "reason": "The commenter found it only okay but interesting for its cultural context.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as just okay.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175598,
          "author": "robinwarren",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:30:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175598",
          "commentText": "Just finished Guns, Germs and Steel by Jarod Diamond. A bit longer than it needed to be for my purposes but he covers the material in some depth, I'd definitely recommend it.\nPrior to that I'd read Psycho Vertical by Andy Kirk Patrick which I would very strongly recommend, I don't think you need to be into climbing to enjoy it.\nI think I'm about to start reading What the doormouse said by John Markoff or finish reading Technical revolutions and financial capital by Carlota Perez. I think I'll leave the latter and restart it when I've more brain time to spend on it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I think I'm about to start reading What the doormouse said by John Markoff",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 621256,
          "author": "paulgb",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-21T23:02:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621256",
          "commentText": "I'm still reading \"What the Dormouse Said: How 60s Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer\", but I'm finding it quite good. Though I guess it's more about tech (counter)culture than tech itself.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm still reading \"What the Dormouse Said: How 60s Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer\", but I'm finding it quite good.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are finding the book quite good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They say it is more about tech counterculture than tech itself.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 602280,
          "author": "paulgb",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-10T17:32:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 601903,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fictional books related to startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=602280",
          "commentText": "Not fiction, but I'm enjoying \"What the Dormouse Said: How 60s Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm enjoying \"What the Dormouse Said: How 60s Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are enjoying the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They say it focuses more on tech counterculture than technology itself.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Markoff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "counterculture",
        "personal computing history",
        "personal computing",
        "1960s counterculture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "working-effectively-with-legacy-code-553935",
      "title": "Working Effectively with Legacy Code",
      "author": "Michael Feathers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33856481,
          "author": "summertime42",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T18:55:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33856481",
          "commentText": "I have all of these on my shelf. Fantastic reads.\n* Extreme Programming Explained by Kent Beck\n* Clean Code and The Clean Coder by Robert C. Martin\n* Soft Skills by John Sonmez (1st edition)\n* Pragmatic Programmer by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas\n* Working Effectively with Legacy Code by Michael Feathers\n* The Mythical Man-Month by Frederick Brooks\n(Selfish plug) Additionally, I wrote my own book concerning the entire industry, from just starting out to becoming a self employed consultant when you get sick of fulltime work - all soft skills from my decade or so of the industry, as well - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B43V1JJW",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Working Effectively with Legacy Code by Michael Feathers",
          "reason": "Includes it among books they describe as fantastic reads.",
          "audience": "Software engineers working with existing codebases.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27889746,
          "author": "user123456780",
          "createdAt": "2021-07-20T03:20:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 27879593,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27889746",
          "commentText": "Clean Code - Robert Martin. <-- this is without a doubt the number one book to read in my opinion\nWorking With Legacy Code - Michael Feathers",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Working With Legacy Code - Michael Feathers",
          "reason": "Listed as a book recommendation in response to the request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16756553,
          "author": "tejinderss",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T16:53:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16756553",
          "commentText": "Refactoring by Martin Fowler. Working Effectively with legacy code by Michael Feathers",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Working Effectively with legacy code by Michael Feathers",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16571170,
          "author": "joshka",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-12T20:20:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16571170",
          "commentText": "How to win friends and influence people. Helped me solve some approaches to handling people in general and highlighted a few approaches that I had been taking that were actively causing me problems.\nThe Secrets of Consulting: A Guide to Giving and Getting Advice Successfully by Gerald Weiberg. [1] Helped me understand why technical problems are rarely just technical.\nWorking effectively with legacy code by Michael Feathers [2]. Practicing some of the techniques in this helped me get my foot in the door in a job long ago where one of the interview scenarios was \"This is broken, go ahead and fix it.\". I recommend reading this for anyone working on a code base that's been around for a while.\n--\n[1]: https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Consulting-Giving-Getting-Suc... (https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Consulting-Giving-Getting-Successfully-ebook/dp/B004J35LHQ/)\n[2]: https://www.amazon.com/Working-Effectively-Legacy-Robert-Mar... (https://www.amazon.com/Working-Effectively-Legacy-Robert-Martin-ebook/dp/B005OYHF0A/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend reading this for anyone working on a code base that's been around for a while.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it to people working with older codebases and describes applying its techniques.",
          "audience": "People working on codebases that have been around for a while.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9242511,
          "author": "wyclif",
          "createdAt": "2015-03-21T12:02:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 9242384,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on debugging?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9242511",
          "commentText": "Working Effectively With Legacy Code by Michael Feathers http://www.amazon.com/Working-Effectively-Legacy-Michael-Fea... (http://www.amazon.com/Working-Effectively-Legacy-Michael-Feathers/dp/0131177052)\nDebugging with GDB: The GNU Source-Level Debugger by Stallman, Pesch, and Shebs http://www.amazon.com/Debugging-GDB-GNU-Source-Level-Debugge... (http://www.amazon.com/Debugging-GDB-GNU-Source-Level-Debugger/dp/1882114884/)\nThe Art of Debugging with GDB, DDD, and Eclipse by Matloff & Salzman http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1593271743",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Working Effectively With Legacy Code by Michael Feathers",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7999521,
          "author": "d4mi3n",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T16:08:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7999521",
          "commentText": "Working Effectively With Legacy Code: http://www.amazon.com/Working-Effectively-Legacy-Robert-Mart... (http://www.amazon.com/Working-Effectively-Legacy-Robert-Martin-ebook/dp/B005OYHF0A/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Working Effectively With Legacy Code:",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7811446,
          "author": "tonyedgecombe",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-28T17:05:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7811446",
          "commentText": "What do you think of it? I've been considering buying this for a while.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "What do you think of it? I've been considering buying this for a while.",
          "reason": "Asks for an opinion and is considering buying it, without expressing an evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7757081,
          "author": "pcmccull",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:32:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7757081",
          "commentText": "Working Effectively with Legacy Code, by Michael Feathers",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Working Effectively with Legacy Code, by Michael Feathers",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Feathers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "legacy code",
        "software maintenance",
        "software testing",
        "refactoring"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "worm-67e45a",
      "title": "Worm",
      "author": "Wildbow",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42271872,
          "author": "GeoAtreides",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T07:54:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42271872",
          "commentText": "Worm mentioned wooooo\namazing how a niche webserial from 10 years ago is still being read and having an impact\nalso, the ride doesn't have to end, lots of Worm fanfictions out there, some of them are really good",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Worm mentioned wooooo\namazing how a niche webserial from 10 years ago is still being read and having an impact\nalso, the ride doesn't have to end, lots of Worm fanfictions out there, some of them are really good",
          "reason": "Enthusiastically celebrates Worm and discusses its continuing readership and fanfiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A web serial rather than a traditionally published book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42268930,
          "author": "k__",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:19:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268930",
          "commentText": "My reads this year with my personal ratings:\nGreg Egan, Diaspora (7/10)\nDan Simmons, Hyperion 1-4 (9/10)\nJames S.A. Corey, Leviathan Wakes (6/10)\nScott Alexander, Unsong (7/10)\nQtmn, Ra (7/10)\nQtmn, Fine Structure (6/10)\nAndy Weir, Project Hail Mary (6/10)\nWildbow, Worm (8/10)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Wildbow, Worm (8/10)",
          "reason": "Rates it 8 out of 10.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36024500,
          "author": "pull_my_finger",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T20:39:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36024500",
          "commentText": "Worm by Wildbow is a pretty good tale. It was written as a web serial and follows a young girl in a world where \"capes\" (people with supernatural powers) are normal to a point they are regulated and entwined with education, government and crime.\nIt can be a little hard to get into initially, first few chapters are necessary set up, but once the ball starts rolling its a real page turner. There are a lot of entangled plot lines that almost all add major substance to the larger plot. I'm actually re-reading it again just because I remember it so fondly. With all the superhero/game-lore shows and movies out now, it would be a fan dream to see the Worm-verse come to life as a live-action or anime series. The serial nature of it would adapt naturally I'd imagine.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Worm by Wildbow is a pretty good tale.",
          "reason": "Calls it a pretty good tale and describes its superhero setting, elaborate plot, and page-turning pace.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in superhero fiction, web serials, and intricate plots.",
          "caveat": "The opening chapters are necessary setup and can be hard to get into.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25913977,
          "author": "asicsp",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-26T09:34:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25913977",
          "commentText": "See https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/wiki/lists\nMy recommendations, in no particular order:\n* The Riyria Revelations by Michael Sullivan\n* Memory, Sorrow and Thorn by Tad Williams\n* To Ride Hell's Chasm by Janny Wurts\n* Worm by Wildbow\n* Cradle by Will Wight (think anime like Naruto in book form, but without fillers/fan-service)\n* Farseer by Robin Hobb\n* Powder Mage by Brian McClellan\n* The First Law by Joe Abercrombie\n* The Dagger and the Coin by Daniel Abraham",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Worm by Wildbow",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's fantasy recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking fantasy novels or epics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783601,
          "author": "Jach",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T15:00:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783601",
          "commentText": "Meditations - Marcus Aurelius -- A fine classic I enjoyed.\nMight count, might not, since it finished in March but was going on before. I loved Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality - Eliezer Yudkowsky - http://hpmor.com/\nLoved Masters of Doom - David Kushner\nI liked Worm - Wildbow - https://parahumans.wordpress.com/table-of-contents/ -- but it falls short of overall greatness and I don't think it's worth its 22-average-books length if I were to go back in time and decide on rereading...\nLearn to Play Go: A Master's Guide to the Ultimate Game (Volume I) - Janice Kim -- I've been learning Go and thought this book was particularly excellent for beginners.\nThere are at least 4 other books I'm close to finishing and I might get one done before the end of the month... Volume 2 of the above Go series, Mythical Man-Month, A handbook of traditional living, or The Waking Dream.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I liked Worm - Wildbow - https://parahumans.wordpress.com/table-of-contents/ -- but it falls short of overall greatness and I don't think it's worth its 22-average-books length if I were to go back in time and decide on rereading...",
          "reason": "Liked it, but says it falls short of greatness and its length is not worth rereading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter considers its length excessive and says it falls short of overall greatness.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7969139,
          "author": "minikomi",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T04:14:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7969139",
          "commentText": "Just got a major literary hangover from finishing http://parahumans.wordpress.com/ .. not really a book, more an online series. Be warned - it is long, addictive (and sometimes a grind/confusing/difficult to suspend belief [only occasionally though]), but the world building & range of characters is astounding.\nThinking about doing a mind flush with either a short Kurt Vongegut or Terry Pratchett then on to tackle The Origin of Wealth, by Eric Beinhocker",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Just got a major literary hangover from finishing http://parahumans.wordpress.com/ .. not really a book, more an online series. Be warned - it is long, addictive (and sometimes a grind/confusing/difficult to suspend belief [only occasionally though]), but the world building & range of characters is astounding.",
          "reason": "Praises the world building and characters, while describing the series as addictive.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy long online serial fiction and detailed world building.",
          "caveat": "Long, sometimes a grind, confusing, and occasionally difficult to suspend disbelief.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Wildbow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "web serial",
        "superhero fiction",
        "superheroes",
        "world building"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "2666-f40e90",
      "title": "2666",
      "author": "Roberto Bolaño",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41176867,
          "author": "nimih",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T00:03:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41176867",
          "commentText": "Paradise Lost, Gravity's Rainbow, Middlemarch, and 2666.\nedit: The short stories which have stuck with me the most over the years are probably Joyce's \"The Dead,\" O'Connor's \"Good Country People,\" and a solid half of Borges's \"Ficciones.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2666",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40884069,
          "author": "rsync",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-05T16:29:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40884069",
          "commentText": "2666 by Roberto Bolano.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2666 by Roberto Bolano.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40878238,
          "author": "slibhb",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-04T21:35:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40878238",
          "commentText": "I've never really felt like Kafka seems to have and I read a lot, mostly novels. For what it's worth, I don't love Kafka's novels: I think he wanted them burned for a reason -- they're meandering failures. Very clever but they don't go anywhere. His short stories, though, are excellent.\nOff the top of my head, the most moving books I've read are The First Circle, any long Dostoevsky novel, The Master and Margarita, The Tartar Steppe, any Elena Ferrante, any Cormac McCarthy, some Murakami (Ryu and Haruki), Gene Wolf (The Book of the New Sun), 2666, parts of Moby Dick, any Alice Munro. All well known \"good books\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2666",
          "reason": "Includes it among the commenter’s most moving books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34162944,
          "author": "rcarr",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T16:55:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34162944",
          "commentText": "> Definitely the most important novel of this century.\nThere is no such thing as “the most important novel of this century”. “Importance” is subjective based on the values of the beholder.\nIt’s an especially ludicrous claim if by “this century” we are to assume you mean 2000 - 2100 considering we are not even a quarter of the way through it.\n> It feels like most novels are rather silly in comparison (2666 even pokes fun at literature in general for ignoring the atrocities in Mexico.\nI for one am glad that J K Rowling chose not to mention the atrocities occurring in Mexico in the Harry Potter series as it has zero relevance to the plot, as it probably does in 99.99% of all novels written.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "2666 even pokes fun at literature in general for ignoring the atrocities in Mexico.",
          "reason": "The commenter discusses the novel's criticism of literature for ignoring atrocities in Mexico.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter rejects the claim that it is the most important novel of the century and says its critique has little relevance to most novels.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21458722,
          "author": "vo2maxer",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T01:03:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21458722",
          "commentText": "During the past six months I have been challenged intellectually and aesthetically by these works:\nPaideia: The Ideals of Greek Culture, vol 1-3, by Werner Jaeger\nDiary by Witold Gombrowicz\nComputer Science: An Interdisciplinary Approach by Sedgewick\n2666 by Roberto Bolaño\nThe Linux Programming Interface by Michael Kerrisk\nTomie: No Use Escaping by Junji Ito\nL’homme aux cercles by Fred Vargas\nCryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson\nLab Girl by Hope Jahren\nOperating Systems: Three Easy Pieces by Arpaci-Dusseau\nI Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong.\nThe Weird by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer\nThe Federalist Papers,  ed. by Kesler\nThe Anti-Federalist Papers, ed. by Ketcham\nDoctor Faustus by Thomas Mann, new translation by John Woods\nSearching for Stars on an Island in Maine by Alan Lightman\nLoren Eiseley in the Library of America Edition\nTu rostro mañana by Javier Marías\nThe Complete Essays by Michel De Montaigne, translation by Screech\nEarning The Rockies by Kaplan\nDesperate Remedies by Thomas Hardy\nThe Notebooks of Joseph Joubert\nNature Stories by Jules Renard\nMac y su contratiempo by Enrique Vila-Matas\nOlinger Stories by John Updike\nGreek Science in Antiquity by Marshall Clagett\nAt The Existentialist Cafe by Sarah Bakewell\n100 Diagrams That Changed The World by Scott Christianson\nHeart of Europe: A History of the Holy Roman Empire by Peter Wilson\nAlec \"The Years Have Pants\" by Eddie Campbell\nLandmarks by Robert Macfarlane",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "2666 by Roberto Bolaño",
          "reason": "Listed among works that challenged the commenter intellectually and aesthetically.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2087500,
          "author": "kongqiu",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T04:40:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2087500",
          "commentText": "2666 by Roberto Bolano - makes you think or reconsider something on every single page\nThe Rings of Saturn by W.G. Sebald - a fascinating way of looking at the world",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2666 by Roberto Bolano - makes you think or reconsider something on every single page",
          "reason": "Praised for prompting thought or reconsideration on every page.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026332,
          "author": "andrewcooke",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T22:09:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026332",
          "commentText": "is fiction ok?  i live in chile and stumbled across bolano's books (particularly the savage detectives and 2666) in spanish just as they became popular in english in the usa (2666 was released in translation).\nsavage detectives is a funny account of adolescent \"poets\" in mexico; 2666 is a much darker, somewhat rambling tome that addresses \"evil\".  they're very different, but both great books.\nfor non-fiction the book i've used most this year is an old classic - harbison & steele's \"c a reference manual\".  it's invaluable (if you're writing c).  i don't know how people can prefer kernighan & ritchie...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "2666 is a much darker, somewhat rambling tome that addresses \"evil\".  they're very different, but both great books.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book while noting its darker, somewhat rambling style.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Much darker and somewhat rambling.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roberto Bolaño"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "latin american literature",
        "literary criticism",
        "mexican border"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-game-of-thrones-41b8fd",
      "title": "A Game of Thrones",
      "author": "George R. R. Martin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21803341,
          "author": "agentultra",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T14:48:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803341",
          "commentText": "Going to finish Crime and Punishment, Year of the Monkey (Patti Smith), The Children of Húrin (along with many cross references and letters) (Tolkien), re-reading A Game of Thrones for fun... as for 2020 I might read Slaughterhouse 5 again and work through George Sand.\nTechnical things I am working through are the:\n- https://www.extension.harvard.edu/open-learning-initiative/a... (https://www.extension.harvard.edu/open-learning-initiative/abstract-algebra) along with the Artin text, writing proofs out by hand and in Lean.\n- Seven Sketches in Compositionality: https://arxiv.org/abs/1803.05316",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "re-reading A Game of Thrones for fun",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175530,
          "author": "giaour",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:12:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175530",
          "commentText": "I'm reading A Game of Thrones because I realized the only books I'd read in years were technical. It's a nice break.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'm reading A Game of Thrones",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is a nice break from technical books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348831,
          "author": "andrea_sdl",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:35:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348831",
          "commentText": "Quiet by Susan Cain, great book about introversion and why we have the \"Extrovert Ideal\".\nIt's really fascinating to see how introverts have their qualities and how\nZen and the art of motorcycle maintenance - Robert Pirsig:\nFantastic book that talks about philosophy in a new way and goes deeper into discovering what's \"Quality\" and what are the main 2 ways of interacting/reading the world around us.\nAdam Smith, theory of moral sentiments: Just began the book under ryan holiday advice, but can't really say more about it.\nGame of thrones, 1st volume, I suppose this book doesn't need any explanation :)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Game of thrones, 1st volume, I suppose this book doesn't need any explanation :)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned as the first volume the commenter is reading, without an evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4240472,
          "author": "stevenspasbo",
          "createdAt": "2012-07-13T16:31:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 4239104,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read & liked in 2012 till now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4240472",
          "commentText": "I just finished Game of Thrones, I couldn't put it down and had to go out and buy the A Clash of Kings as soon as I was done.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I just finished Game of Thrones, I couldn't put it down",
          "reason": "Says they couldn't put it down, expressing strong enjoyment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231352,
          "author": "Fargren",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T18:09:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231352",
          "commentText": "A Game of Thrones and A Hitchhikers guide to teh galaxy. I've been using this past few months to read up a few things that I shyould have read long ago. Next up is Stranger in a Strange Land",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "A Game of Thrones",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231131,
          "author": "Mutinix",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T16:55:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231131",
          "commentText": "Accelerated C++ (Andrew Koenig and Barbara E. Moo)\nA Game of Thrones (George R. R. Martin)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "A Game of Thrones (George R. R. Martin)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2616766,
          "author": "Illgetthere",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T15:44:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2616766",
          "commentText": "Game of Thrones",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Game of Thrones",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2616156,
          "author": "szcukg",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T13:04:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2616156",
          "commentText": "Game of Thrones....One helluva of a book",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Game of Thrones....One helluva of a book",
          "reason": "“One helluva of a book.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569652,
          "author": "cludwin",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T00:35:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569652",
          "commentText": "+1 for A Game of Thrones.\nAs a side note HBO picked up the rights to AGOT and is currently filming the series which should be airing sometime in 2011.\nhttp://www.imdb.com/title/tt0944947/\nMartin is an incredible writer and the books have lots of depth.  His characters are amazing.  I've read them a couple times and continue to find them fantastic.\nMartin chooses each detail that he writes about with intent, while not always apparent on your first reading, he has an artful way of layering plot points or connecting characters with subtle details.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Martin is an incredible writer and the books have lots of depth. His characters are amazing.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the writing, depth, and characters, and says they keep finding the books fantastic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569552,
          "author": "johnfn",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T23:48:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569552",
          "commentText": "A Game of Thrones by George R R Martin. Fiction. Fantasy, but not _too_ fantasy; it's almost the same as the world we live in. But Martin is a genius. His world is deep and it seems like he's lived there for years. His characters are fascinating and unique, to a level I've never seen before. His writing style is subtly distinct, enough that you don't notice it initially but you gradually pick up on small changes that he made and appreciate it more. Last, his plot writing is truly masterful. If you're familiar with it, this is sort of \"The Wire\" of fantasy books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "But Martin is a genius. His world is deep and it seems like he's lived there for years. His characters are fascinating and unique, to a level I've never seen before.",
          "reason": "Praises the world, characters, writing, and plotting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Fantasy, though described as close to the world we live in.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George R. R. Martin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "political fantasy",
        "political intrigue",
        "character driven"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "algebra-d4911e",
      "title": "Algebra",
      "author": "Michael Artin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34447073,
          "author": "Py-o7",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T23:23:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34447073",
          "commentText": "Steele's The Cauchy-Schwarz Masterclass is actually quite good and seemingly designed for self study. (A lingering result of this book is I heavily use inequalities even outside of analysis.)\nArtin's Algebra probably has had the most impact on my math thinking.  The  development of groups and rings while tightly linking them to linear algebra was rather brilliant.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Artin's Algebra probably has had the most impact on my math thinking.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it had the most impact on their mathematical thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31711324,
          "author": "ABeeSea",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-12T04:05:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31711324",
          "commentText": "Agreed which is why I love Artin’s Algebra. It introduces the matrix determinant early and uses it as the prototypical example of a group homomorphism and the book uses matrix groups liberally.\nObviously not a beginner friendly book if you just want to understand matrix equations s. But I found the pedagogical approach great and there are some real gems in the exercises.\nI found it a better for learning versus the standard recommendations of Axler/Lang/Halmos for LA. (Lang’s exposition is kinda weird and Halmos’s choice of exercises isn’t my favorite).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I love Artin’s Algebra. It introduces the matrix determinant early and uses it as the prototypical example of a group homomorphism",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book’s teaching approach and says it worked better for learning than standard alternatives.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not beginner friendly if you only want to understand matrix equations.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30486265,
          "author": "orlandpm",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T07:48:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486265",
          "commentText": "_Algebraic Topology_ by Allen Hatcher.  This is quite an advanced book, but it was the first topology book I picked up and it blew my mind.  Without a serious math background you may only be able to read the first parts (some of chapters 0 and chapter 1), but even so it may amaze you.  It was insane to see how much mathematical machinery can be built up to understand concepts as simple as “space” and “continuity.”  Then these tools can be used to quickly prove facts about mind-boggling higher dimensional objects.\n_Introduction to Quantum Mechanics_ by David Griffiths.  Not CS or Math, but an amazing book because if you sit down and work through it it gives you a manageable intro to a completely non-intuitive and mysterious scientific field.  Prerequisites are “only” multivariable calc and linear algebra.\n_Algebra_ by Michael Artin.  This was the book I decided to grind through at the right time to learn abstract algebra and get better at rigorous proofs, and it was worth it.  Part of why I loved this book and subject is because it feels dry and mechanical at first, but if you work on it long enough you can see the beautiful bigger picture come together.\n_Introduction to Topological Manifolds_ by John M. Lee.  This was another “right book at the right time” for me.  The title is a bit jargony, but it is a rigorous introduction to the foundational objects of modern geometry (namely topological spaces and manifolds in particular).  Great warm-up for the first book on my list.\n_Algebra: Chapter 0_ by Paulo Aluffi.  Weird title, but the first few chapters are the best perspective on abstract algebra I’ve seen.  He focuses early on categories in a useful and philosophically interesting way, which is unique.\n_Gravitation_ by Misner, Thorne, and Wheeler.  Didn’t read the whole thing, but this book taught me a tensor is just a higher-order linear function.  Who knew?  Most physicists give really crappy explanations of tensors.  Also I love that this book, affectionately known as the “phone book”, is so heavy that one imagines spacetime curving around it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This was the book I decided to grind through at the right time to learn abstract algebra and get better at rigorous proofs, and it was worth it.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it worthwhile for learning abstract algebra and rigorous proofs.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The subject feels dry and mechanical at first, according to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7602095,
          "author": "zeta8",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-17T05:14:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7602095",
          "commentText": "I'm in a similar position as well - perhaps at just a wee bit higher level (am learning grad-level math by myself). Below is a list of books that I have enjoyed. Some might perhaps be at a slightly higher level than you might need right now though.\n1. Analysis - The Elias Stein, Rami Shakarchi Analysis series, Meassure Theory by Terrence Tao, Lebesgue Integration on Euclidean Spaces by Frank Jones, A radical approach to Lebesgue Integration by Bressoud\n2. Algebra - Can't do much better than the classic texts by Herstein & Artin here. I know Artin doesn't get much love but after a point, you really begin to appreciate it.\n3. Complex Analysis - is there a better math book than Visual Complex Analysis by Needham?\n4. Topology - i'm partial to a Dover book on Topology by Theodore Gamelin. I learnt the basics of point-set topology & homotopy form this book. Great exercises.\n5. Number Theory - check out the 2 problem books on number theory by Ram Murty. Melvyn Nathanson's book is quite good as well.\n6. Combinatorics - Combinatorics of Finite Sets by Ian Anderson. Extremal Combinatorics by Jukna.\n7. Graph Theory - Diestel or Bondy/Murty.\n8. Galois Theory - Rotman is great.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Herstein & Artin here. I know Artin doesn't get much love but after a point, you really begin to appreciate it.",
          "reason": "Says the book becomes appreciable after spending time with it.",
          "audience": "Readers learning undergraduate mathematics rigorously.",
          "caveat": "Acknowledges it is not widely liked.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7599203,
          "author": "swordswinger12",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-16T17:35:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7599203",
          "commentText": "Personally I have heard nothing but bad things about Artin. Most people I know recommend Dummit and Foote instead; its increase in difficulty is supposedly offset by superior presentation of the material.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Personally I have heard nothing but bad things about Artin.",
          "reason": "Reports hearing consistently negative opinions about Artin's book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "This is based on what the commenter has heard.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7579726,
          "author": "karamazov",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-13T00:41:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7579726",
          "commentText": "I'm a big fan of SICP. I'd describe it as \"hard-core\": requiring hard work, but extremely rewarding for the people who take the time and effort to go through it.\nI'd recommend the following three books to similarly cover the three main areas of higher mathematics (analysis, algebra, and topology):\n1. Principles of Mathematical Analysis by Rudin (http://www.amazon.com/Principles-Mathematical-Analysis-Inter... (http://www.amazon.com/Principles-Mathematical-Analysis-International-Mathematics/dp/007054235X))\n2. Algebra by Artin (http://www.amazon.com/Algebra-2nd-Featured-Titles-Abstract/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Algebra-2nd-Featured-Titles-Abstract/dp/0132413779))\n3. Topology by Munkres (http://www.amazon.com/Topology-2nd-James-Munkres/dp/01318162... (http://www.amazon.com/Topology-2nd-James-Munkres/dp/0131816292))\nWorking through all three (including the exercises!) will give you a solid understanding of the basis of modern mathematics. If you don't have experience with proofwriting, you might find them difficult at first - the activity is very different from performing calculations or solving equations. It's also best to have someone trained in mathematics talk to you about the proofs, until you develop a feel for the needed level of logical rigor.\nRudin, in particular, leaves a lot of work to the reader; going through that book is the most intellectually difficult work I've ever done. If you find it hard-going (which is completely natural), you might want to try Artin first, especially since you have some background in algebra.\n(Incidentally, these are the three books used to teach analysis, algebra, and topology to MIT mathematics majors. You can look up the assignments and exams for the three courses - 18.100B, 18.701, and 18.901 - for a good list of exercises to work through.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "2. Algebra by Artin",
          "reason": "Recommended as one of three books covering analysis, algebra, and topology.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a solid grounding in modern mathematics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter suggests starting with this if Rudin proves difficult.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Artin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "abstract algebra",
        "linear algebra",
        "proofs"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "applied-cryptography-73d080",
      "title": "Applied Cryptography",
      "author": "Bruce Schneier",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35726409,
          "author": "warrenm",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-27T11:24:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 35710671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell still a recommended read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35726409",
          "commentText": "In my opinion, it's as much a \"recommended read\" as a lot of other so-called \"classics\":\n- Rapid Application Development (also by McConnell)\n- Soul of a New Machine by Kidder\n- Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks\n- Programming Pearls by John Bentley\n- Applied Cryptography (2e) by Bruce Schneier\n- The Cuckoo's Egg by Cliff Stohl\n- Structured Computer Organization by Tanenbaum & Todd\n- Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software by Gamma, Helm, etc\n- A New Kind of Science by Wolfram\nAnd many more could be added to this list\nSure, some of them use acronyms or reference technology that you've either never heard of or has been supplanted\nBut you could [nearly] do a find-and-replace on those \"outdated\" terms with a \"current\" term, and the books would [effectively] be up-to-date\nDon't get hung-up on specific examples - they're just there to illustrate the problem domain",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Applied Cryptography (2e) by Bruce Schneier",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed among classics that may use outdated acronyms or technology references.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14488074,
          "author": "pvg",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T15:01:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14488074",
          "commentText": "You can probably make a book out of the recommendations for better books than dragon and applied crypto you can find just online.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "better books than dragon and applied crypto",
          "reason": "Mentions the title as a target of recommendations for better books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14488056,
          "author": "TallGuyShort",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T14:59:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14488056",
          "commentText": "I would recommend Schneier's Cryptography Engineering (or its predecessor) Practical Cryptography over Applied Cryptography, given the question. I agree Applied Cryptography is a very interesting book, but that's because I'm a crypto nerd. For someone looking to improve general software engineering skills, I think the other books do a better job of presenting best practices and the understanding behind them, with a bit less mathematical theory, etc.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I agree Applied Cryptography is a very interesting book, but that's because I'm a crypto nerd.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is interesting for crypto enthusiasts, but prefers other books for general software engineering skills.",
          "audience": "Crypto enthusiasts.",
          "caveat": "Not recommended for the stated goal of improving general software engineering skills.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14138414,
          "author": "JoachimSchipper",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T12:59:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14138414",
          "commentText": "This is old, and widely recommended against (e.g. https://sockpuppet.org/blog/2013/07/22/applied-practical-cry... (https://sockpuppet.org/blog/2013/07/22/applied-practical-cryptography/), if you trust tptacek.)\nIt's still a good reference manual for 90's crypto, and very useful if you want to know what mistakes to expect when reviewing crypto code; but you really shouldn't read the book as a handbook unless you have enough knowledge to spot the many, many parts that will lead you astray. (tptacek's page, linked earlier, has a bit of an overview.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's still a good reference manual for 90's crypto, and very useful if you want to know what mistakes to expect when reviewing crypto code; but you really shouldn't read the book as a handbook",
          "reason": "Useful as a reference for 1990s cryptography and spotting mistakes in crypto code.",
          "audience": "Experienced readers reviewing cryptographic code",
          "caveat": "The commenter warns against using it as a handbook; it is old and widely recommended against.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14136997,
          "author": "chauhankiran",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T07:06:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14136997",
          "commentText": "In Security ( or more precisely in Cryptography ) - Applied Cryptography by Bruce Schneier\nhttps://www.schneier.com/books/applied_cryptography/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Applied Cryptography by Bruce Schneier",
          "reason": "Named as a candidate for cryptography’s bible.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in cryptography",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7450702,
          "author": "chunky1994",
          "createdAt": "2014-03-22T20:18:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 7450534,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's on your reading list? Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7450702",
          "commentText": "The Extended Phenotype: Richard Dawkins.\nApplied Cryptography: Bruce Schiener.\nLinear Algebra: Friedberg, Insel and Spence.\nSteven Pinker: The Blank Slate\nI've recently finished Dan Gilbert's: Stumbling on Happiness and I highly recommend it. It's witty and gives you a very different way of looking at what you think makes you happy.\nI know these aren't start-up books, but unfortunately I haven't read any to recommend.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Applied Cryptography: Bruce Schiener.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135487,
          "author": "corentin",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T21:24:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135487",
          "commentText": "* \"Applied Cryptography\" by Bruce Schneier. The first chapters are a great introduction to cryptography, but I found the few following chapters presenting cryptographic protocols mind-blowing. Some of them are so simple yet very clever.\n* Political economy essays by Frédéric Bastiat ( http://bastiat.org ) were truly enlightening for me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Applied Cryptography\" by Bruce Schneier. The first chapters are a great introduction to cryptography, but I found the few following chapters presenting cryptographic protocols mind-blowing. Some of them are so simple yet very clever.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its introduction to cryptography and calls its protocol chapters mind-blowing and clever.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in cryptography and cryptographic protocols.",
          "caveat": "The praise specifically concerns the first chapters and the later protocol chapters.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruce Schneier"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cryptography",
        "computer security",
        "security protocols"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "automate-the-boring-stuff-with-python-b0670f",
      "title": "Automate the Boring Stuff with Python",
      "author": "Al Sweigart",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39249302,
          "author": "temeya",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T11:06:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249302",
          "commentText": "I mean, so far, its helped make things a bit easier for me to understand. I've also read \"Automate the Boring Stuff with Python\" by Al Sweigart, which as someone with a non-CS background, I found very helpful, even when going back as a reference.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've also read \"Automate the Boring Stuff with Python\" by Al Sweigart",
          "reason": "The commenter found it very helpful, including as a reference.",
          "audience": "People without a computer science background.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34431848,
          "author": "taffit",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-18T19:38:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 34412069,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach programming by building a series of small projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34431848",
          "commentText": "I would also recommend \"Automate the Boring Stuff with Python\" [1], as you are learning hands on with some practical stuff: from generating Excel-files to PDFs, from sending e-mails to work with files and folders.\nAt the end you will have some tools to automate some of your daily tasks for real. Oh, and it's free to read as well.\n[1] https://automatetheboringstuff.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would also recommend \"Automate the Boring Stuff with Python\"",
          "reason": "Recommends it for practical, hands-on Python automation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Free to read.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34412901,
          "author": "modernerd",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-17T14:43:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 34412069,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach programming by building a series of small projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34412901",
          "commentText": "For Swift:\nhttps://www.apple.com/swift/playgrounds/ (I've had more success introducing programming with this than with any of the links below; it's a very compelling intro for those who already own an iPad/Mac, and the core concepts are generalisable to other languages/environments even if it's specific to Apple's APIs and hardware.)\n~~~\nFor Python:\nhttps://automatetheboringstuff.com\nhttps://nostarch.com/big-book-small-python-projects\n~~~\nFor JS:\nhttps://eloquentjavascript.net (project-based and for beginners)\nhttps://javascript30.com (not for total beginners or self-study, would need a friend/tutor)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://automatetheboringstuff.com",
          "reason": "Listed under Python in response to a request for project-based programming books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13661163,
          "author": "vivekd",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-16T16:25:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13661163",
          "commentText": "Automate the boring stuff - Al Sweigart.\nThis book teaches you python through a series of example projects.  You can get it online or order a physical copy and help support the author here:\nhttps://automatetheboringstuff.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Automate the boring stuff - Al Sweigart. This book teaches you python through a series of example projects.",
          "reason": "Recommended for learning Python through example projects.",
          "audience": "Readers learning Python through practical projects.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9643365,
          "author": "paulornothing",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-02T01:53:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 9636361,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9643365",
          "commentText": "For Fun: The Girl on the Train - Just finished it, kept me interested not bad. http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Train-Paula-Hawkins/dp/1594633665... (http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Train-Paula-Hawkins/dp/1594633665/)\nFor learning: Automate the Boring Stuff http://www.amazon.com/Automate-Boring-Stuff-Python-Programmi... (http://www.amazon.com/Automate-Boring-Stuff-Python-Programming/dp/1593275994/)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "For learning: Automate the Boring Stuff",
          "reason": "Listed as a book for learning.",
          "audience": "Readers learning Python automation.",
          "caveat": "No evaluation is given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9612334,
          "author": "avinassh",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T16:06:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9612334",
          "commentText": "This repo maintains list of free programming books [0].\nMany of the books at Green Tea Press[1] are available for free:\n- Think Python: How To Think Like a Computer Scientist\n- Think Bayes: Bayesian Statistics in Python\n- Think Complexity: Exploring Complexity Science with Python\n- Think Stats: Probability and Statistics for Programmers\n- The Little Book of Semaphores\n- Physical Modeling in MATLAB\n- Learning Perl the Hard Way\nfew others. Do check the site.\nSecondly, books by Al Sweigart[2] are also freely available. They include:\n- Automate the Boring Stuff with Python[3]\n- Hacking Secret Ciphers with Python\n- Invent Your Own Computer Games with Python\n- Making Games with Python & Pygame\n[0] - https://github.com/vhf/free-programming-books\n[1] - http://www.greenteapress.com/\n[2] - https://inventwithpython.com/\n[3] - https://automatetheboringstuff.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Automate the Boring Stuff with Python",
          "reason": "Listed among freely available books by Al Sweigart in response to a request for free reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Al Sweigart"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "automation",
        "python",
        "beginner programming",
        "project based learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "beyond-good-and-evil-064b9a",
      "title": "Beyond Good and Evil",
      "author": "Friedrich Nietzsche",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23859039,
          "author": "omreaderhn",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:58:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859039",
          "commentText": "Fooled by Randomness - Nassim Taleb\nLetters from a Stoic - Seneca\nThe Bible\nBeyond Good and Evil - Nietzsche\nPsychological Types - Carl Jung",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Beyond Good and Evil - Nietzsche",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12250994,
          "author": "lolive",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T21:25:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12250994",
          "commentText": "Different books for different ages:\n- Discourse on the Method [1], to become a healthy criticist of everything (perfect for your 15's-20's development)\n- Beyond Good and Evil [2], a definition of the 20th century craziness by the crazy genius Nietzsche (perfect for your 30's burnout)\n- The Praise of Folly [3], to realize that life is just a game (perfect for your 40's post-burnout rehab)\n- Propaganda [4], because you want to play the game too (perfect for your 50's meteoric rise to fame & success :).\n[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discourse_on_the_Method\n[2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyond_Good_and_Evil\n[3]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Praise_of_Folly\n[4]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_%28book%29",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Beyond Good and Evil [2], a definition of the 20th century craziness by the crazy genius Nietzsche (perfect for your 30's burnout)",
          "reason": "Presented as a book for reflecting on the turmoil of the 20th century.",
          "audience": "The commenter suggests it for people in their 30s experiencing burnout.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7008527,
          "author": "timonv",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-03T22:01:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 7001282,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7008527",
          "commentText": "In no particular order:\nPolitics and philosophy:\nIshmael - Daniel Quinn (even though in the end, it's just a cute, in essence a softies introduction to anarchist communism)\nOn property - Proudhon (Meta, ye oldist anarchy)\nDas Kapital (If you read Marx, also read on Marx, can't stress this enough)\nBeyond good and evil (but in his thought in general) - Nietzsche (Mainly for showing there are no absolutes, moral is what we make of it, and in that moral we can excel)\nAnd so, so many others, philosophy really adds up, just keep on reading, there's fundamental books for sure, but every publication adds up in some respect.\nSports and nutrition:\nStarting Strength (for making me bad ass strong in the last couple years)\n'Paleo' diet (for showing an extreme solution for a more simple problem, that actually worked and made me not fat anymore)\nSome random books that made a huge impression the last years:\nThe Alchemist, for showing how humble you can experience the wonders of life\nSiddhartha, same really.\nA short summer of anarchy (biography of Durrutti, rise of \nanarchism in 30s Spain, out of print)\nCrime and Punishment and Karamazov (There's beauty in the darkest corners of the human spirit, and so much more)\nThe Prince\nButler (For using Nietzsche's deconstruction to argue against 'genetic' discrimination, controversial, but very good)\nMetamorphosis - Kafka (I don't have a one liner to summarize this. Just read it, it's < 100 pages)\nFunny enough, as far as Tech and Business goes, I skim books to get some details, but at the end of the day most value comes from hacking around. For both.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Beyond good and evil (but in his thought in general) - Nietzsche (Mainly for showing there are no absolutes, moral is what we make of it, and in that moral we can excel)",
          "reason": "Cited for presenting morality as human-made rather than absolute.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503745,
          "author": "harscoat",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T15:09:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503745",
          "commentText": "It depends if you want to be knowledgeable \"about\" philosophy and knowledge or if you want to apply it to you life.\n* K.Popper (in both cases;): _Open society and its ennemies_ http://www.archive.org/stream/opensocietyandit033120mbp#page... (http://www.archive.org/stream/opensocietyandit033120mbp#page/n7/mode/2up)\nfor \"Ars Vitae\" (applicable to one's life)\n* Plato: _Gorgias_\n* Marc Aurélius: _Meditations_\n* Friedrich Nietzsche: _Beyond good & evil_\nI agree with others on Hume, Russell, Husserl.\nAnother great thinker while he does not pretend to be a philosopher is Dan Sperber, I think of 2 books\n* Dan Sperber (with Deirdre Wilson) _Relevance. Communication and Cognition_ (Blackwell, 1986)\n* Sperber, Dan (1996) Explaining culture: _A naturalistic approach._ (Oxford: Blackwell)\nFinally philosophical literature: \n* Doistoievski: _The Brothers Karamazov_ (question of God is asked)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Friedrich Nietzsche: _Beyond good & evil_",
          "reason": "Listed among suggestions for exploring philosophy.",
          "audience": "People interested in philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503307,
          "author": "ashutoshm",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T07:46:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503307",
          "commentText": "Beyond Good and Evil - Nietzsche\nAshtavakra Gita - Ashtavakra\nThe Prophet - Gibran",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Beyond Good and Evil - Nietzsche",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for eye-opening and interesting philosophy books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227090,
          "author": "lionhearted",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T17:56:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227090",
          "commentText": "It's amazing how many good historical works are out of copyright and free. I got an Amazon Kindle as a gift, and it's been really wonderful for me.\nIf you like Roman history, you've got to check out Gibbons' History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. It's just a masterpiece. I flip through my copy of Meditations from time to time (actually, now I look at it on my Kindle, but I used to flip through my paper copy) and just pick out random quotes. A great work. \"It is not the thing itself that disturbs a man, but the man's perception of and reaction to the thing. The thing may not be able to be changed, but a man's perception and reaction may be changed.\" I'm butchering that quote, but it's incredibly meaningful to me, and I try to reflect on it when things seem to be going wrong or I get inconvenienced.\nWhile talking about classics, there's a lot of good philosophy out of copyright. Beyond Good and Evil and Thus Spoke Zarathustra aren't perfect works and I disagree with a fair bit of it, but there's some absolute jewels in them too.\nLately I've been looking for a decent electronic copy of Freud's Civilization and Its Discontents and Kierkegaard's Either/Or, but I've been having a hard time finding copies that are decently formatted and readable.\nAlso, got any other recommendations Staunch? I'm going to get Gallic Wars, and it seems like you and I have similar taste if you have other recommendations.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "there's some absolute jewels in them too",
          "reason": "The commenter says the work contains some valuable passages, despite disagreeing with parts of it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not perfect and disagrees with a fair bit of it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Friedrich Nietzsche"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nietzsche",
        "morality",
        "ethics",
        "nietzschean philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "city-0d350d",
      "title": "City",
      "author": "Clifford D. Simak",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50115941,
          "author": "johncoltrane",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T09:03:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50115941",
          "commentText": "J.R.R. Tolkien: The lord of the Rings (lost count)\nPhilip K. Dick: Ubik, Flow My Tears The Policeman Said, A Scanner Darkly, etc. too many to count (many more than twice)\nWilliam Gibson: everything at least twice\nNeal Stephenson: Snow crash (three times, I think)\nClifford D. Simak: City\nH. P. Lovecraft: everything at least twice. There is a French compilation of The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, The Silver Key, and Through the Gates of the Silver Key that I've read countless times. I've used two editions and I'm at my third.\nMaurice G. Dantec: Babylon Babies (three times)\nPossibly many others.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Clifford D. Simak: City",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter has read at least twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 47984579,
          "author": "johncoltrane",
          "createdAt": "2026-05-02T08:35:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 47984463,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47984579",
          "commentText": "A bunch of William Gibsons.\nPhilip K. Dick's Ubik, A Scanner Darkly, and Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said.\nClifford D. Simak's City.\nClassics.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Clifford D. Simak's City",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8106989,
          "author": "cellover",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:32:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106989",
          "commentText": "I like understanding where I am located in space and time, that is why I love reading about science & science fiction ; it is indirectly related to religion in the sense that it makes you think about your world, about yourself.\nBuddhism / Religion / ... :\n- Siddartha - Hermann Hesse\n- The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho\nScience:\n- A brief history of time - Stephen Hawking (space, time)\n- The Blind Watchmaker - Richard Dawkins (evolution)\n- Le cerveau intime - Marc Jeannerod (in french only)\nScience-fiction:\n- The Road - Cormack Mc Carthy\n- City - Clifford D. Simack\n- Time is the simplest thing - Clifford D. Simack\n- Ringworld - Larry Niven",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "City - Clifford D. Simack",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 877687,
          "author": "elmindreda",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T21:24:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=877687",
          "commentText": "City by Clifford D. Simak\nTao Te Ching by Lao Tzu",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "City by Clifford D. Simak",
          "reason": "Named as one of the commenter’s favorite books in response to the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140523,
          "author": "nickb",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T03:53:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140523",
          "commentText": "My favorites:\nChildhood's End by Clarke: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Childhood%27s_End\nFoundation series by Asimov: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Foundation_Series\nCity by Simak: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_(Clifford_D._Simak_novel)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "City by Simak",
          "reason": "Includes it among their favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140485,
          "author": "newtoncorp",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T02:56:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140485",
          "commentText": "City from Clifford D. Simak",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "City from Clifford D. Simak",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Clifford D. Simak"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "post apocalyptic",
        "robot fiction",
        "robot stories",
        "future society"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "computer-systems-a-programmer-s-perspective-d339d4",
      "title": "Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective",
      "author": "Randal E. Bryant; David R. O'Hallaron",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40113764,
          "author": "volkadav",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-22T12:37:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 40104823,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books/resources to understand modern Assembler?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40113764",
          "commentText": "If you're looking for introductory material, I'd highly recommend Computer Systems, A Programmer's Perspective by Bryant and O'Hallaron: https://csapp.cs.cmu.edu/ It sounds like the material you're after would mostly be in chapters two or three through five depending on where you'd want to start. The second edition is much cheaper used and follows broadly the same path, though it does have x86-32 in the main text with -64 as an appendix (\"web aside\"); third swaps that.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd highly recommend Computer Systems, A Programmer's Perspective by Bryant and O'Hallaron",
          "reason": "Highly recommended as introductory material for the topic.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking introductory material on assembly and computer systems.",
          "caveat": "The cited chapters vary depending on where you start; the second edition focuses on x86-32 in the main text, with x86-64 in an appendix.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28482246,
          "author": "markus_zhang",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-10T14:43:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 28478751,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach you programming languages via systems projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28482246",
          "commentText": "Yeah I absolutely have no idea why they did it. Looks like they hired someone to re-write the exercises (just using different numbers as you mentioned or switched orders) and in that way many answers are wrong :/",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "many answers are wrong :/",
          "reason": "Discusses errors in the book's international edition exercises.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The international edition's exercises contain errors, according to the comment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28482210,
          "author": "hackermailman",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-10T14:40:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 28478751,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach you programming languages via systems projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28482210",
          "commentText": "Searching YouTube for 15-213 there is lectures by the authors for that book too.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "lectures by the authors for that book too",
          "reason": "Refers to the book whose labs and lectures are being discussed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28480923,
          "author": "markus_zhang",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-10T13:03:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 28478751,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach you programming languages via systems projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28480923",
          "commentText": "Second this, don't buy global edition. The authors explicitly mentioned that they are NOT going to release an errata for it. Probably because it would be a book of itself...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Second this, don't buy global edition.",
          "reason": "Seconding the parent's endorsement of the book, while warning against the Global Edition.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the authors will not publish errata for the Global Edition.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28480347,
          "author": "mathieubordere",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-10T12:04:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 28478751,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach you programming languages via systems projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28480347",
          "commentText": "I can highly recommend this, on the following site you can find the labs accompanying the book http://csapp.cs.cmu.edu/3e/labs.html\nremark: DON'T buy the Global Edition of the book, it contains different exercises than the original book and is riddled with errors, it's basically unreadable/unusable.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I can highly recommend this",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the referenced book and its accompanying labs.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter warns that the Global Edition has different exercises and many errors, making it unusable.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20729430,
          "author": "MadameX",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T10:40:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20729430",
          "commentText": "Aho/Ullman \nFoundations of CS\nhttp://infolab.stanford.edu/~ullman/focs.html\nO'Halloran/Bryant\nCSPP\nhttps://csapp.cs.cmu.edu/\nDavid Money Harris \nDigital Design...\nhttps://booksite.elsevier.com/9780128000564/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "CSPP",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414971,
          "author": "metra",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T13:21:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414971",
          "commentText": "Along with the usual classics, I highly recommend Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective by Randal E. Bryant and David R. O'Hallaron of Carnegie Mellon. The authors wrote it after teaching a class on the subject. It's extremely readable and gives you an excellent introduction of machine level code, processor architecture and memory as well as a solid foundation of higher level concepts including networking and concurrency. If you're considering programming as a career, I'd say this book (or something similar, probably spread across multiple books) is a must-read. It's used by CMU, Stanford, Caltech, UIUC, Harvard and dozens of other schools.\nhttp://csapp.cs.cmu.edu/\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Computer-Systems-Programmers-Perspecti... (http://www.amazon.com/Computer-Systems-Programmers-Perspective-2nd/dp/0136108040)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Along with the usual classics, I highly recommend Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective by Randal E. Bryant and David R. O'Hallaron of Carnegie Mellon.",
          "reason": "Explicitly highly recommends the book and describes its coverage as readable and foundational.",
          "audience": "People considering programming as a career.",
          "caveat": "The commenter suggests a similar book or several books could cover the same material.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Randal E. Bryant",
        "David R. O'Hallaron"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer systems",
        "systems programming",
        "assembly language",
        "concurrency"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "convex-optimization-30e88d",
      "title": "Convex Optimization",
      "author": "Stephen Boyd and Lieven Vandenberghe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31710623,
          "author": "nextos",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-12T02:14:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31710623",
          "commentText": "I work in that area :)\nThe skills needed will vary a lot. Hence my concern about studying H&H. It's a good idea, as real analysis is the foundation. But it will take too much of your time to get to something useful. Probably you should try to learn more applied material in parallel and let both threads merge in the future.\nFor maximum likelihood, you need to learn convex optimization right after real analysis. The canonical reference is [1], but there's also a very simple and pragmatic linear algebra textbook by the same author that also covers some of the optimization basics [2]. This might be a good entry point, certainly easier than Spivak or H&H. There's also [3,4], which you probably know about. These are great and emphasize the modeling part. Maximum likelihood (via EM) is in the appendix, and you don't really need to know a lot of math to get going.\nIf you prefer a Bayesian or a variational point of view, modeling is the really important part. MCMC and message passing algorithms tend to be reused. For high level modeling of study results (e.g. differential expression on complicated designs), Gelman's Stan books [5] are a delight to learn from. If you need to roll your own custom inference, you should learn about graphical data structures such as factor graphs [6,7]. Here, knowhow from H&H is also required.\n[1] https://web.stanford.edu/~boyd/cvxbook/\n[2] https://web.stanford.edu/~boyd/vmls/\n[3] http://eddylab.org/cupbook.html\n[4] https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/problems-and-solutions-... (https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/problems-and-solutions-in-biological-sequence-analysis/38C7399A53970CF4B4499EA036074F35)\n[5] http://www.stat.columbia.edu/~gelman/books/\n[6] http://web4.cs.ucl.ac.uk/staff/D.Barber/pmwiki/pmwiki.php?n=... (http://web4.cs.ucl.ac.uk/staff/D.Barber/pmwiki/pmwiki.php?n=Brml.HomePage)\n[7] https://www.inference.org.uk/mackay/itila/book.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://web.stanford.edu/~boyd/cvxbook/",
          "reason": "Described as the canonical reference for convex optimization needed after real analysis for maximum likelihood.",
          "audience": "Readers learning maximum likelihood and convex optimization.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30485932,
          "author": "bhopro",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T06:30:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30485932",
          "commentText": "Convex Optimization - Boyd",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Convex Optimization - Boyd",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27639272,
          "author": "darawk",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T05:05:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27639272",
          "commentText": "Attempting to self study statistics and econometrics in a serious way. I just finished Casella and Berger's \"Statistical Inference\". I'm about halfway through Shumway and Stoffer's \"Time Series Analysis\", but then next on the list, in the order I tend to read them:\n  - Theory of Point Estimation Casella/Lehmann\n\n  - Bayesian Data Analysis 3rd ed.\n\n  - Convex Optimization - Boyd\n\n  - Econometrics - Hayashi\n\n  - New Introduction to Multiple Time Series Analysis\n\n  - Elements of Statistical Learning\n\n  - Machine Learning: A probabilistic perspective\n\nThere's a fair amount of overlap between these books, so it's not quite as much as it seems. But i'm hoping to make it through at least a chapter a week this year, which should get me most of the way through them. We'll see how it goes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Convex Optimization - Boyd",
          "reason": "Lists it next in their planned reading.",
          "audience": "People self-studying statistics and econometrics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27630911,
          "author": "benrbray",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T14:05:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27630911",
          "commentText": "I'm not sure \"Convex Optimization\" by B&V is a good self-study book.  I really struggled with it as student, and I struggled to teach with it as a TA.\nIt's one of those \"Step 2. Draw the Rest of the Owl!\" books.  Great as a reference manual, but not great pedagogically.  It's very complete and I would struggle to name anything better, though.  Mostly, I learned convex analysis by scouring Google for lecture notes written by random professors, then cross-referencing with B&V.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'm not sure \"Convex Optimization\" by B&V is a good self-study book.",
          "reason": "The commenter reports struggling with it as a student and as a teaching assistant, while still calling it a complete reference.",
          "audience": "Readers using it for self-study may find it difficult to learn from.",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it a great reference manual and says it is very complete, but not pedagogical.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27630136,
          "author": "gradschool",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T12:54:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27630136",
          "commentText": "some \"out there\" suggestions:\n- \"Extremal Combinatorics\" by Staysys Jukna\n- \"Convex Optimization\" by Boyd and Vandenberghe\n- \"Delay Insensitive Circuits\" [1]\n- \"An Introduction to Mathematical Cryptography\" by Hoffstein, Pipher, and Silverman\n- \"Quantum Computing since Democritus\" by Scott AAronson\n[1] https://www.delayinsensitive.com\ndisclosure: I'm the author.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Convex Optimization\" by Boyd and Vandenberghe",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 665428,
          "author": "pz",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T16:34:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665428",
          "commentText": "i second the David MacKay recommendation.  its a real pleasure to read. for me personally, his coverage of the fundamentals of information theory was amazing. the proofs are easy to follow and explained well so you can match the intuition to formula.\ni'd also like to recommend Boyd & Vanderberghe's book on Convex Optimization (available here http://www.stanford.edu/~boyd/cvxbook/).  This is maybe a little less fun but very deep and still well written and 'illustrated'.\nMy background is in ML and I came to realize over time that a lot of ML is just statistics and optimization theory rehashed by computer scientist.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "i'd also like to recommend Boyd & Vanderberghe's book on Convex Optimization",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the book, describing it as deep and well written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Maybe a little less fun.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Boyd",
        "Lieven Vandenberghe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "convex optimization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "crucial-conversations-tools-for-talking-when-stakes-are-high-049eb7",
      "title": "Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High",
      "author": "Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20332661,
          "author": "13of40",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T06:27:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20332661",
          "commentText": "When I was a pre-teen/teen, I grew up in a pretty nerdy family with a scientist dad, a brother who eventually became a linguist, and stacks of Byte Magazine, Omni, Particle Physics Digest, etc. as far as the eye could see.  I couldn't stomach the fantasy stuff my brother was into, and I was a bit on the technical side, so I decided my genre was Sci Fi.  I followed this to the point that I felt deeply guilty for reading anything else, until one summer I found myself at a cabin somewhere with nothing to do but lay in a hammock and read Double Whammy by Carl Hiaasen.  Oh my God, it went down so easy compared to the Sci Fi.  It really made me realize a joy in recreational reading that's stuck for 30 years.  Now I'm not saying that Florida Humor Noir is right for you, but don't feel obligated to spend your summer reading something like Nudge or Crucial Conversations.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "don't feel obligated to spend your summer reading something like Nudge or Crucial Conversations.",
          "reason": "Cited as an example of the kind of reading the commenter says readers need not feel obligated to choose.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16380716,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-14T23:48:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16380716",
          "commentText": "Actual titles: Leadership and Self-Deception and Crucial Conversations.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Actual titles: Leadership and Self-Deception and Crucial Conversations.",
          "reason": "Confirms these titles as the intended books in the recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16351560,
          "author": "jroes",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T06:58:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16351560",
          "commentText": "Crucial Conversations",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crucial Conversations",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the thread’s request for books colleagues should have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12418249,
          "author": "leandot",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-03T08:02:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12418249",
          "commentText": "Professionally by adding to soft skills - Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High\nPersonally - by helping me appreciated science better - Cosmos: Carl Sagan\nAs a side note - a lot of the startup stuff is learned on the job and by talking to others about their experiences. Doing a side project can be a good way to try out and you will be forced to think about marketing, sales, etc.\nShameless plug: http://hackernewsbooks.com/ - is what books the HN community comments on, maybe you find something interesting there",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Professionally by adding to soft skills - Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High",
          "reason": "Listed as a book that helped the commenter develop soft skills.",
          "audience": "People seeking to build soft skills.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144286,
          "author": "andersthue",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:53:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144286",
          "commentText": "1. Start with why, Simon Sinek - to get my younger self to figure out why I am doing what I am doing\n2. Drive, the surprising truth..., Daniel Pink - to understand happiness and motivation\n3. Crucial Conversations, to learn how to talk and listen and talk to people without ruining the conversation and the possibilities from it",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crucial Conversations, to learn how to talk and listen and talk to people without ruining the conversation and the possibilities from it",
          "reason": "Named as a book to improve conversation skills.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569505,
          "author": "rudyfink",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T23:29:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569505",
          "commentText": "Here are some nonfiction books that I've enjoyed.\nHow We Know What Isn't So: The Fallibility of Human Reason in Everyday Life - Gilovich - a good book on the inability of the human mind to accept things as random.\nCrucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High - Patterson, et all - fluffy but nice short and solid book for better skills at listening and responding in conversation\nFull Throttle: The Life & Fast Times of Racing Legend Curtis Turner - Edlestein - Curtis Turner was an influential figure in the development of what became NASCAR.  I enjoyed the book for his character and as insight into a pass time that I had not really understood.\nPeter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day - Reinhart - His latest book on quality home baking.  This is definitely a do along with the book kind of read, but I found it to be easy to follow, appealing to detail, and satisfying in producing delicious bread.\nVintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails: From the Alamagoozlum to the Zombie 100 Rediscovered Recipes and the Stories Behind Them - Haigh - If you're of age, this is an interesting background in cocktails and their evolution in America.\nI forget whether it was on HN or not, but I've been enjoying this list of great magazine articles http://www.kk.org/cooltools/the-best-magazi.php .",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "fluffy but nice short and solid book for better skills at listening and responding in conversation",
          "reason": "Described as a nice, short, solid guide to listening and responding.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it fluffy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Business",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "communication",
        "difficult conversations",
        "conflict resolution",
        "listening"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gateway-8afe62",
      "title": "Gateway",
      "author": "Frederik Pohl",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17596605,
          "author": "kevinofe",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-23T22:39:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17596605",
          "commentText": "Wow, I can’t believe I just found this thread and not one mention of Jack Vance. His \"Planet of Adventure\" series, Alastor series or Demon Princes novels are classics. His command of language and dialogue is unparalleled. Every modern sci-fi author cites him as an influence.\nGateway by Frederik Pohl is another underrated one from the 70s although the sequels are disappointing.\nThe Forever War Joe Haldeman and Robert Heinlein’s Starship Troopers are also indispensable.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Gateway by Frederik Pohl is another underrated one from the 70s",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as underrated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the sequels are disappointing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630308,
          "author": "roryisok",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:09:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630308",
          "commentText": "Day of the Triffids - John Wyndham - everyone goes blind and a bunch of sentient plants start eating people. one of the first science fiction books I ever read, and the one that introduced me to post apocalyptic fiction. Giant plants might sound silly, but its no more silly than walking corpses. And in fact the walking dead and 28 days later owe a lot to this book.\nJonathan Strange and Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke - beautifully inventive fantasy novel about two magicians bringing magic back to Britain during the Napoleonic wars. Fab read.\nGateway - Frederick Pohl - pulp sf at its best. Humans discover a hollowed out asteroid worth ftl ships preprogrammed with unknown destinations. Prospectors pack as much food as they can and hit 'launch' in the hopes that they'll discover something valuable and not land on a star or starve to death.\nThe Forever War - Joe Haldeman - more great pulp sci-fi about the first interstellar war. Old man's war by John Scalzi is very similar and almost as good.\nMost things by Iain (m) banks. Crow Road, Wasp Factory, The Bridge, Consider Phlebas, Use of Weapons, Player of Games etc. Song of stone was awful though, they're not all winners",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "pulp sf at its best.",
          "reason": "Calls it pulp science fiction at its best.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in science fiction and space exploration.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056639,
          "author": "Bzomak",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:47:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056639",
          "commentText": "Some which I have re-read recently and still enjoyed:\n  William Gibson's Sprawl trilogy\n\n  Frank Herbert's Dune series\n\n  Isaac Asimov's Foundation series\n\n  Frederik Pohl's \"Gateway\"\n\n  Robert Heinlein's \"The Moon is a harsh Mistress\"\n\nSome which I remember liking when I read them many years ago as a teenager:\n  E.E. Doc Smith's Lensman series\n\n  David Brin's Uplift series\n\n  Peter F. Hamilton's Greg Mandel trilogy and The Night's \nDawn trilogy\n  Orson Scott Card's \"Ender's Game\"\n\n  George R. Dickson's \"Dorsai!\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Frederik Pohl's \"Gateway\"",
          "reason": "Listed among science fiction works the commenter has reread recently and still enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056461,
          "author": "auggierose",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T11:59:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056461",
          "commentText": "Philip K. Dick (Ubik, Man in the high castle, Flow my tears the police man said)\nFrederik Pohl (Gateway, the Space Merchants)\nUrsula K. Le Guin (The Dispossessed, Left Hand of Darkness)\nIain M. Banks (Culture novels)\nYou will find many Sci-Fi treasures by just going through http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SF_Masterworks",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Frederik Pohl (Gateway, the Space Merchants)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for favourite sci-fi books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387386,
          "author": "bra-ket",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T22:55:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387386",
          "commentText": "Frederik Pohl's Gateway",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Frederik Pohl's Gateway",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frederik Pohl"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space exploration",
        "alien technology",
        "first contact"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "god-emperor-of-dune-1d17fe",
      "title": "God Emperor of Dune",
      "author": "Frank Herbert",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46397578,
          "author": "Barrin92",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T23:39:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46397578",
          "commentText": "Among non-fiction what stood out to me was David Bentley Hart's All Things are Full of Gods, great book also very fun to read written as a Platonic dialogue. To me one of the most compelling theologians today.\nBruno Maçães, World Builders. Good book on the impact of technology in geopolitics has been consistently interesting.\nAmong fiction re-read a lot of Lovecraft, noticed that I like the Dream Quest stories more than the horror these days which surprised me. But they're more compelling to me now because of how much you can see Lovecraft as a person in them.\nThe last three Dune books. Liked the last two about the Bene Gesserit a lot, was surprised how much I disliked God Emperor given the praise it gets, but it honestly reads like Frank Herbert posting twitter hot takes as a worm with no story\nMark Twain, The Mysterious Stranger. Among the best novellas I've ever read, very different in tone from most of his books.\nShūsaku Endō, Silence. Book about a Jesuit mission in early Edo Japan. My favorite Japanese book in a long time.\nAmong technical books, re-read The Mythical Man Month, probably more relevant than it ever was in an age of artifical man-hours added to projects. Robert Seacord Effective C, after not having written C in a long time. Really good intermediate level book for modern C. Also making my way through The Little Schemer as a replacement for advent of code in the second half of the month this year.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "was surprised how much I disliked God Emperor given the praise it gets, but it honestly reads like Frank Herbert posting twitter hot takes as a worm with no story",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly says they disliked the book and criticizes its style and lack of story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter recognizes it receives praise from others.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43695194,
          "author": "hulitu",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-15T16:30:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 43685856,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What 3 Books Would You Recommend to Anyone?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43695194",
          "commentText": "1984, Animal farm by George Orwell\nGod Emperor of Dune by Frank Herbert.\nThey fit very good to present time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "God Emperor of Dune by Frank Herbert.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22722086,
          "author": "karatestomp",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T19:50:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22722086",
          "commentText": "The first book’s the best one but there’s an arc that carries through to its conclusion in God Emperor that kinda completes the whole thing.\nI did read 5 and got about a third of the way through 6 before stopping and I still don’t know why either book exists. The previous story was over, and the new stuff’s muddled and not compelling.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "there’s an arc that carries through to its conclusion in God Emperor",
          "reason": "Says this installment completes the arc begun in the earlier Dune books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter stopped partway through book six and found the later material muddled and unconvincing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18663395,
          "author": "Arkdy",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:44:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663395",
          "commentText": "Wow, that's interesting. We must have approached Grossman from completely different perspectives. Last year (2017) I read the entire Magicians series and thoroughly enjoyed them because they made me uncomfortable. I was trash, in the same way that Quentin was trash, so following his arc was introspective.\nAt the time I contrasted it to the optimism in \"All the Birds in the Sky\" by Charlie Jane Anders (if you're familiar)\nWhat was your experience like?\nFor reference, my most recent fiction is:\n- \"Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World\" by Murakami\n- \"Uprooted\" by Naomi Novik\n- \"God Emperor of Dune\" by Frank Herbert",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "- \"God Emperor of Dune\" by Frank Herbert",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2641072,
          "author": "haysak",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T14:59:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2641072",
          "commentText": "God Emperor of Dune from the Dune series. Work up to it. It's incredibly rewarding.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "God Emperor of Dune from the Dune series. Work up to it. It's incredibly rewarding.",
          "reason": "Recommends working through the Dune series to reach this rewarding installment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Work up to it; it is part of the Dune series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140492,
          "author": "nazgulnarsil",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T03:02:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140492",
          "commentText": "Dune is fantasy >_>\nGod Emperor of Dune was my favorite even though it was the most preachy.  I thought the original Dune was a bit preachy being so strongly allegorical and all.\nI prefer Herbert's other novels like Whipping Star/The Dosadi Experiment",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "God Emperor of Dune was my favorite even though it was the most preachy.",
          "reason": "Calls it their favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Finds it the most preachy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140442,
          "author": "cocoy",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T02:07:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140442",
          "commentText": "Dune, Dune Messiah and Children of Dune by Frank Herbert are my favorites. the sequels God Emperor, Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse were good as well but I like the 1st three the most.\nDune was about how people shouldn't let supermen lead. it was complex. it was an ecological novel. they had quotable quotes like \"thou shall not make a machine in the likeness of the human mind\". people say it's the lord of the rings of science fiction. the characters are rich, the plot thick. i highly recommend Dune.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the sequels God Emperor, Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse were good as well",
          "reason": "Describes it as good, while preferring the first three books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Likes the first three books more.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frank Herbert"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dune universe",
        "political science fiction",
        "political fiction",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "good-calories-bad-calories-c3c230",
      "title": "Good Calories, Bad Calories",
      "author": "Gary Taubes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6425950,
          "author": "ra00l",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-22T05:53:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6425950",
          "commentText": "Good calories, bad calories by Gary Taubes - a very good book about what you eat and what you should eat",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Good calories, bad calories by Gary Taubes - a very good book about what you eat and what you should eat",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a very good book about food and nutrition.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1755377,
          "author": "nova",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-04T12:07:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1755377",
          "commentText": "Two great books that really impacted me, both about the horrors of bad research:\n\"Good Calories, Bad Calories\", by Gary Taubes, on nutrition and health.\n\"The Blank Slate\", by Steven Pinker, on human nature.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Good Calories, Bad Calories\", by Gary Taubes, on nutrition and health.",
          "reason": "Includes it among two great books that had a strong impact on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment frames it as a book about the horrors of bad research.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227156,
          "author": "MikeCapone",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T18:20:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227156",
          "commentText": "A few that I've read recently and liked:\nPredictably Irrational by Dan Ariely\nMostly about cognitive biases. Helps you think better by knowing your shortcomings.\nWhole Earth Discipline by Stewart Brand\nAbout protecting the environment, but with interesting takes on nuclear power, GMOs, cities and slums, etc.\nGood Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes\nMade me re-think a lot of things about food. Despite the \"pop-science\" title, this is a well researched book that looks at countless studies from the past 150 years.\nAmerican Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheier by Martin Sherwin and Kai Bird\nA biography of Robert Oppenheimer. Fascinating man.\nThe Blank Slate by Steven Pinker\nA must read. Evolutionary psychology.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this is a well researched book that looks at countless studies from the past 150 years.",
          "reason": "Praised as well researched and as a source of food for rethinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it has a pop-science title.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027201,
          "author": "billswift",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T14:01:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027201",
          "commentText": "I read that 2 years ago, and I agree it is excellent.  He goes well beyond the evidence against carbohydrates, but his claims for the politicization of diet recommendations is the best I have encountered.\nAs a side note, I tried an extremely low carb diet for a while after reading it, but noticed no real differences either pro or con.  I similarly noticed no real differences many years ago, when I was vegetarian for a couple of years.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read that 2 years ago, and I agree it is excellent.",
          "reason": "Agrees with the parent comment's positive assessment and praises its claims about politicized diet recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter noticed no real differences after trying a very low-carb diet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026772,
          "author": "frankus",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T04:30:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026772",
          "commentText": "Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes. He starts with a takedown of the dietary fat-heart disease hypothesis, moves on to the dietary fat-obesity link. Finally he makes a convincing argument that neither eating less nor exercising more are good ways to lose weight.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes.",
          "reason": "Presents the book's arguments as convincing about diet, obesity, and weight loss.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797121,
          "author": "timf",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T01:55:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797121",
          "commentText": "Good Calories, Bad Calories (Taubes)\nAbout 700 children's books (Assorted authors)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Good Calories, Bad Calories (Taubes)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gary Taubes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nutrition",
        "diet",
        "diet policy",
        "diet research"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "growing-a-business-c9cb7a",
      "title": "Growing a Business",
      "author": "Paul Hawken",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3338211,
          "author": "gruseom",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T19:17:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3338211",
          "commentText": "I love Pattern Language and use ideas from it all the time. It, and Alexander, are much more interesting than the mechanistic stuff that software people reduced him to. I think Chris Alexander is one of those rare cases where it's possible to see that an individual is right and an entire field is wrong.\nGrowing a Business I read because you recommended it on HN a few years ago!\nPeopleware I remember as being pretty enlightened in spirit and ahead of its time for software projects, but one of those once-you-get-it-you-get-it things. Also, they totally made shit up in that book (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=333694).\nGEB, meh. Hofstadter always struck me as the pseudo-profound type. Perhaps I am unfair.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Growing a Business I read because you recommended it on HN a few years ago!",
          "reason": "Says they read it after the other commenter recommended it; gives no evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3338040,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T18:05:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3338040",
          "commentText": "I read Cialdini years ago because Joel Spolsky recommended it here:\nhttp://www.joelonsoftware.com/navLinks/fog0000000262.html\nFrom that list, I also highly recommend:\n* Peopleware (get your cofounders to read it too)\n* Godel Escher Bach\n* A Pattern Language (but don't bother reading it straight through)\n* Growing A Business",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Growing A Business",
          "reason": "Included in the list the commenter says they highly recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 948929,
          "author": "HeyLaughingBoy",
          "createdAt": "2009-11-18T19:35:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 947581,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN:  What's the best first business book for a programmer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=948929",
          "commentText": "Three of my favorites are How Much Should I Charge Don't remember the author, but she reinforces the point that most small businesses are undercharging for their product/service and shows how to solve the problem.\nThe E-Myth Revisited kinda starts where the above one ends in that it points out the tragic flaw in many entrepreneurs: they want to practice their \"craft\" to the detriment of the actual business.\nGrowing A Business my copy of this disappeared over 10 years ago, but I still consider it one of the most important business books I've ever read.\nAnd pick up one of the many editions of The Portable MBA at a used bookstore. Good, basic foundations in Finance, Accounting, Marketing and HR.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I still consider it one of the most important business books I've ever read.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the most important business books they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter’s copy disappeared over 10 years ago.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 947759,
          "author": "zaidf",
          "createdAt": "2009-11-18T04:13:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 947581,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN:  What's the best first business book for a programmer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=947759",
          "commentText": "Growing a Business by Paul Hawken",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Growing a Business by Paul Hawken",
          "reason": "Listed as a resource in response to a question about learning business basics.",
          "audience": "Programmers interested in starting a business.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 601259,
          "author": "JustAGeek",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-09T18:58:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 600953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on the nuts and bolts of starting up",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=601259",
          "commentText": "\"Growing a Business\" by Paul Hawken - hands down one of the best books on starting a business I have read.\nDon't let yourself be scared away by the release date 1988, the advice in there is timeless.\nLots of the author's advice can still be found in other books on that topic.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Growing-Business-Paul-Hawken/dp/067167... (http://www.amazon.com/Growing-Business-Paul-Hawken/dp/0671671642/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241895162&sr=8-1)\nYou might also think the title sounds \"treehuggerish\", I found the book not to be like that at all but very inspiring and useful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "hands down one of the best books on starting a business I have read.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the best books on starting a business they have read.",
          "audience": "People starting a business.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that much of its advice appears in other books on the topic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 408020,
          "author": "gruseom",
          "createdAt": "2008-12-23T20:02:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 407067,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Let's start a Hacker News book club",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=408020",
          "commentText": "Those last three are great suggestions (I don't know #1). #2 is a classic, but I've read it a couple of times. #3 I've been meaning to read for years. #4 I'm actually in the middle of right now (I think because tptacek recommended it here) and unlike the vast majority of business books, it's superb. It's also older (pre-internet) which is actually a good thing as it focuses one's attention on fundamentals.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Those last three are great suggestions",
          "reason": "Calls it a great suggestion in response to the list of books the commenter would like to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 407275,
          "author": "jkkramer",
          "createdAt": "2008-12-23T04:26:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 407067,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Let's start a Hacker News book club",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=407275",
          "commentText": "I would be more inclined to do this if the book is non-technical. When you commit to reading a technical book, you're committing yourself to more than just the time spent reading: you're committing yourself to the time spent applying and fully understanding what you read -- installing tools, tinkering with syntax, coding, and so on. I've got enough of that now.\nWith non-technical books (literature, history, quality-of-life), most of the time will be invested into actual reading, with a bit of pondering and maybe discussing. We can have a conversation right away, and there's still knowledge and insight to be gained.\nHere are some non-technical books I'd like to read:\n* How to Read a Book - http://amazon.com/dp/0671212095\n* Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion - http://amazon.com/dp/006124189X\n* Liar's Poker - http://amazon.com/dp/0140143459\n* Growing a Business - http://amazon.com/dp/0671671642",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Growing a Business",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books the commenter says they would like to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Interest in reading it is not an endorsement.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Hawken"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "business growth",
        "business management",
        "small business"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-prove-it-a-structured-approach-a370f0",
      "title": "How to Prove It: A Structured Approach",
      "author": "Daniel J. Velleman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31501452,
          "author": "2143",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-25T07:09:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31501452",
          "commentText": "> she was an SRE engineer at uber\nYou might want to look into what she had to go through while she worked there. It's well known.\nAlso, Ms. Rigetti has similar guides for physics[1] and philosophy[2].\nI intend to slowly go through her math guide over the years. I already started working through How to Prove It by Vellman.\n[1] https://www.susanrigetti.com/physics\n[2] https://www.susanrigetti.com/philosophy",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "How to Prove It by Vellman",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have started working through it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31496932,
          "author": "blindmute",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T20:05:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31496932",
          "commentText": "In order:\n1. Book of Proof\n1a. How to Prove It: A Structured Approach\n2. Elements of Set Theory - Enderton\n2a. Naive Set Theory - Halmos\n3. Foundations of Analysis - Landau\n4. Basic Mathematics - Lang\n5. Principles of Mathematics - Allendoerfer & Oakley\n6. A Transition to Advanced Mathematics\n6a. Concept of Modern Mathematics - Stewart\n7. Calculus - Apostol or Spivak\nDon't skip any",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1a. How to Prove It: A Structured Approach",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31490479,
          "author": "mikevm",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T11:06:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31490479",
          "commentText": "I couldn't disagree more. I studied Analysis in the Uni, and even in that environment Rudin is pretty bad. For a total newcomer that book will leave you completely helpless. Also, solutions are a must have, without them you are almsot totally lost. In their absence, it is OK to ask on StackExchange or #math on EFnet.\nFirst let's start with a few books to prep you for college-level maths:\n* https://www.amazon.com/How-Study-as-Mathematics-Major-ebook/... (https://www.amazon.com/How-Study-as-Mathematics-Major-ebook/dp/B00B9CIORY)\n* https://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Proofs-Introduction-Mathemat... (https://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Proofs-Introduction-Mathematical-ebook-dp-B00I8XF6TQ/dp/B00I8XF6TQ) ; or\n* https://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Proofs-Modular-Mathematics-Al... (https://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Proofs-Modular-Mathematics-Allenby/dp/0340676531) ; or\n* https://www.amazon.com/How-Prove-Structured-Daniel-Velleman-... (https://www.amazon.com/How-Prove-Structured-Daniel-Velleman-dp-1108439535/dp/1108439535) (I believe you can find solutions to the 2nd edition online)\nFor Single-Variable Analysis\n* https://www.amazon.com/Think-About-Analysis-Lara-Alcock/dp/0... (https://www.amazon.com/Think-About-Analysis-Lara-Alcock/dp/0198723539)\n* https://www.amazon.com/How-Why-One-Variable-Calculus/dp/1119... (https://www.amazon.com/How-Why-One-Variable-Calculus/dp/1119043387)\n* https://www.amazon.com/Mathematical-Analysis-Straightforward... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematical-Analysis-Straightforward-Approach-2nd/dp/0521288827) (contains solutions to exercises)\n* https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Analysis-Undergraduate-... (https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Analysis-Undergraduate-Texts-Mathematics-ebook/dp/B00XWDQUH4) (there are solutions online for the 2nd edition)\n* https://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Functions-Steps-into-Analysis... (https://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Functions-Steps-into-Analysis/dp/0521788366) (this book is a brilliant exercise-guided approach that helps you build up your knowledge step by step + solutions are provided).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://www.amazon.com/How-Prove-Structured-Daniel-Velleman-...",
          "reason": "The commenter lists it among books to prepare for college-level mathematics.",
          "audience": "Readers preparing for college-level mathematics",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes solutions to the second edition may be available online.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30486412,
          "author": "janebrown",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T08:23:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486412",
          "commentText": "Math.\n1. How to Prove It: A Structured Approach, Velleman (perfectly prepares for reading of pretty much any math book)\n2. Higher Algebra and before that Elementary Algebra, Hall (just some intro stuff; general public license, can be freely downloaded from archive.org)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Prove It: A Structured Approach, Velleman (perfectly prepares for reading of pretty much any math book)",
          "reason": "The commenter says it prepares readers for almost any math book.",
          "audience": "Readers preparing to read mathematics books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 755098,
          "author": "unignorant",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T13:00:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755098",
          "commentText": "For proof based mathematics, I found \"How to Prove It:A Structured Approach\" helpful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For proof based mathematics, I found \"How to Prove It:A Structured Approach\" helpful.",
          "reason": "Says it was helpful for proof-based mathematics.",
          "audience": "Readers studying proof-based mathematics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 665078,
          "author": "J_McQuade",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T13:37:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665078",
          "commentText": "Well, if you're looking for an introduction to the basics of mathematics (which I would recommend for anyone looking to delve deeper into any specific area), you can't really beat 'How to Prove It' by Velleman. It covers the fundamental concepts of mathematical analysis and proof-writing (and, perhaps more importantly, reading proofs) and will help give you a great grounding for further reading, especially in the areas of discrete mathematics, set theory, and probability. I can't recommend it enough as an enjoyable introduction to the field.\nAlso, for a good probability textbook, I would point you to 'Probability and Random Processes' by Grimmett and Stirzaker. It may be a bit hard-going at first (which is why I recommend How to Prove It to get you used to rigorous maths), but it is a very thorough text that also happens to concentrate on many areas of interest to the average programmer (Markov chains and the like). Together with the companion book of exercises, it should be fantastic for self-teaching, too.\nIn calculus, you have so many options that I can only really suggest you go out and find one that you like. I used 'Early Transcendentals' by Stewart in my first year Calculus lectures and it's served as a good reference ever since, particularly for basic vector / multi-dimensional calculus. But, like I say, just look around.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you can't really beat 'How to Prove It' by Velleman.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends it as an enjoyable introduction to mathematical concepts and proof-writing.",
          "audience": "Readers new to proofs or building foundations for further mathematics study.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel J. Velleman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "proof writing",
        "discrete mathematics",
        "logic",
        "mathematical proof"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "illusions-the-adventures-of-a-reluctant-messiah-b028bb",
      "title": "Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah",
      "author": "Richard Bach",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22721100,
          "author": "vivekv",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T18:02:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22721100",
          "commentText": "Illusions - adventures of a reluctant messiah by Richard Bach\nJonathan Livingston seagull. Same author",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Illusions - adventures of a reluctant messiah by Richard Bach",
          "reason": "Listed as a fiction recommendation in response to the thread’s request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22719590,
          "author": "tonetheman",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T15:08:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22719590",
          "commentText": "Illusions Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah\nAn amazing book about choices. And what you can and cannot control in your life. I read it in college and have re-read it over the years.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Illusions-Adventures-Reluctant-Richar... (https://www.amazon.com/Illusions-Adventures-Reluctant-Richard-Bach-ebook/dp/B008IU9ZXW)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Illusions Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah\nAn amazing book about choices. And what you can and cannot control in your life.",
          "reason": "Calls it an amazing book about choices and what people can control in life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337377,
          "author": "EvanKnowles",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:31:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337377",
          "commentText": "Illusions, by Richard Bach.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Illusions, by Richard Bach.",
          "reason": "Names it as a comfort book in response to the thread question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13969486,
          "author": "VA3FXP",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T17:01:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13969486",
          "commentText": "Illusions - Richard Bach\nIt's about choosing the identity you want, and accepting all the beauty that the choice allows.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's about choosing the identity you want, and accepting all the beauty that the choice allows.",
          "reason": "The comment presents the book’s idea positively in response to a question about influential books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10325276,
          "author": "zafka",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T20:43:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325276",
          "commentText": "Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance\nGodel Escher Bach\nTime enough for love - Heinlein\nIllusions -Richard Bach\nA wrinkle in time\nStranger from the depths\nSidartha and all the other books by Hess\nZen MInd Beginners mind\nMOre to come\nBooks by Bradbury\nBooks by asimov\nJust starting Antifragile and it might make the list",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Illusions -Richard Bach",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Bach"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "spiritual fiction",
        "parable",
        "personal agency",
        "self discovery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "imperial-radch-d5ba0f",
      "title": "Imperial Radch",
      "author": "Ann Leckie",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43612541,
          "author": "tetris11",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T15:21:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43612541",
          "commentText": "Ann Leckie's Ancillary Justice series.\nCulture, gender identity, hive mind, all rolled up into one extremely dense universe with a rich history told through warfare and cutting remarks, humanising potentially inhuman central characters with a vague number of limbs.\nIt takes ten pages to get used to the dense yet clipped writing style, but once it clicks, you cannot put the book(s) down: the plot moves forward at breakneck speed.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ann Leckie's Ancillary Justice series.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its dense universe, themes, characters, and fast-moving plot.",
          "audience": "Readers willing to adjust to a dense, clipped writing style.",
          "caveat": "It takes about ten pages to get used to the writing style.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18666997,
          "author": "asplake",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T19:34:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18666997",
          "commentText": "Read/heard and thoroughly enjoyed all of those except Binti which is new to me. Wishlisted, thanks!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read/heard and thoroughly enjoyed all of those",
          "reason": "The commenter says they thoroughly enjoyed the listed books, including this series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13118207,
          "author": "elevensies",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-06T20:50:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13118207",
          "commentText": "Three books I enjoyed this year:\nthis census taker, China Mieville\nTo Say Nothing Of The Dog, Connie Willis\nThe Possibility of an Island, Houellebecq\nIf you enjoy science-fiction, it is quite possible that you wouldn't enjoy any of the books above or even classify them as science-fiction (I would though) -- so definitely look them up or try the kindle sample to see if they appeal to you.\nAlso, I see Ann Leckie's Ancillary trilogy mentioned elsewhere, I second that recommendation.\n[Also, honourable mention to the TV show Westworld -- if it were a book I would have included.]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second that recommendation.",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the recommendation for the Ancillary trilogy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13117504,
          "author": "heisenbit",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-06T19:26:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13117504",
          "commentText": "Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie (admittedly end 2015)\nVery good closing of the Hugo&Nebula Award series (Justice, Sword, Mercy) exploring the questions of identity and consciousness of individuals, androids and hive minds on the background of a galaxy spanning social, political and military struggle.\nYeah and I second the 3 Body Series by Liu Cixin - that is one for the ages too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Very good closing of the Hugo&Nebula Award series (Justice, Sword, Mercy)",
          "reason": "Describes the series conclusion as very good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9675319,
          "author": "junkblocker",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T16:38:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9675319",
          "commentText": "Ann Leckie was being touted as Iain M Bank's successor with her Imperial Radch series. But due to that expectation being set up I was underwhelmed. It was enjoyable on its own but doesn't compare in quality to Banks's works, e.g. Excession, in my opinion.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It was enjoyable on its own but doesn't compare in quality to Banks's works, e.g. Excession, in my opinion.",
          "reason": "Says the series was enjoyable but did not match the quality of Banks's work.",
          "audience": "Readers of science fiction, especially Iain M. Banks.",
          "caveat": "The commenter was underwhelmed because of expectations that Leckie would succeed Banks.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ann Leckie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "hive minds",
        "space opera",
        "gender identity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "jurassic-park-97d4a3",
      "title": "Jurassic Park",
      "author": "Michael Crichton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34160619,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:11:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160619",
          "commentText": "This year I've put myself to the challenge to read at least one book per week which I primarily could complete by reading in the middle of the night while holding our sleeping baby in my arms. It has been an interesting challenge which gave me a lot of fulfilment and has certainly changed my mind on how I view the world. This comment became quite a long read, apologies for that.\nBooks I highly recommend:\nChurchill by Andrew Roberts (p:1105)\nA biography about one of the most interesting figures in politics and WWII. Roberts gives a very detailed description of the life of Churchill and manages to keep you interested the entire length of the book.\nThe God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (p:374)\nIn The God Delusion Dawkins gives arguments why there is no God, why we do not need a God and why religion is damaging to our society. If you are religious it might not be the book for you unless you are open to hear his arguments and line of reasoning. Dawkins will challenge your worldview.\nThe Bomb by Fred Kaplan (p:384)\nKaplan describes the policy of different US presidents on the atomic bomb and war in general. And primarily on the inability of US presidents and policy-makers to tune down its military. A chilling read which makes you appreciate a nuclear holocaust did not happen (yet)....\nPoor Economics by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo (p:320)\nBanerjee and Duflo give a gripping portrait of how poor people live. They offer an insight in the choices and decisions people make surviving on less than 1 USD a day (corrected for purchasing power). It made me completely rethink my own view on poverty and development aid; stressing even more that in order to help one need to have a complete understanding of the individual's situation and the local boundary conditions.\nProject Hail Mary  by Andy Weir (p:476)\nThis book triggered my science fiction reading. For some reason I never was interested in science fiction. Most likely triggered by reading Foundation by Asimov a few years back which apparently is not a book to my taste. But Andy Weir completely annihilated that wrong perspective on science fiction. Project Hail Mary is interesting, funny and gripping book.\nKindred by Octavia Butler  (p:287)\nThis book.... From page one I was hooked and almost read it in one go. Butler is a wonderful author and Kindred is a must-read. The book is about a woman traveling back in time to end up on a slave plantation. It's a chilling account of slavery.\nOther books I read this year, ask me anything about one of these books. I've added a + if I think its worth a recommendation\nBiography:\nNavalny by Dollbaum, Lallouet and Noble (p:280); The Man from the Future by Ananyo Bhattacharya (p:354) +\nSociology; Politics; Economics; Business:\nOnly the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove (p:224); The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli  (p:140); Winter is Coming by Garry Kasparov (p:290); Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum (p:224) +; Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl (p:164) +; We Are Bellingcat by Eliot Higgins (p:272); De Zeven Vinkjes by Joris Luyendijk (p:200); Waarom vuilnismannen meer verdienen dan bankiers by Rutger Bregman (p:104)\nComedy: The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (p:336)\nHistory:\nBand of Brothers  by Stephen E. Ambrose (p:432); The Nuclear Jihadist by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins (p:413) +; The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre (p:384) +; De Heineken Ontvoering by Peter R. de Vries (p:347); Red Famine by Anne Apllebaum (p:384); Night by Elie Wiesel (p:115) +\nScience, Technology, Mathematics:\nFermat's Enigma by Simon Singh (p:315) +; A Mathematician's Apology by G.H. Hardy (p:153); The Great Influenza by John M. Barry (p:546); The Rise and Fall of the Dinousaurs by Stephen Brusatte (p:404) ++; The Double Helix by James Watson (p:144)\nSport:\nRun or Die by Killian Jornet (p:208); The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton  (p:290) +; The Rise of the Ultra Runners by  (p:304); Tom Dumoulin by Patrick Bernhart (p:203)\nFiction:\nAnthem by Ayn Rand (p:105); Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (p:704); The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (p:566); Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (p:466); Live and Let die by Ian Fleming  (p:229)\nClassics:\nA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (p:104); The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (p:201); The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald (p:180); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (p:139); Animal Farm by George Orwell (p:122) +; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (p:227) +; The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (p:118)\nScience Fiction:\nThe Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (p:399); All Systems Red  by Martha Wells (p:144) +; A Memory Called Empire  by Arkady Martine (p:462) +; A Psalm built for the Wild by Becky Chambers (p:160); Dune by Frank Herbert (p:658); Foundation by Isaac Asimov (p:244); The Martian by Andy Weir (p:384) +;\nThe Forever War by Joe Haldeman (p:278)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29838222,
          "author": "elnatro",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-07T12:20:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29838222",
          "commentText": "There’s an audiobook in Spotify. I can’t recommend it enough.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can’t recommend it enough.",
          "reason": "Clearly endorses the book referred to in the parent comment and notes an audiobook is available.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Audiobook availability is mentioned on Spotify.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29815133,
          "author": "downrightmike",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-05T21:23:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29815133",
          "commentText": "Jurassic Park if you haven't yet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jurassic Park if you haven't yet.",
          "reason": "Suggests the book directly in response to a book request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18662208,
          "author": "earthicus",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T08:09:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18662208",
          "commentText": "Ofer Gal - Baroque Science. A highly academic history of the scientific revolution, not the most readable book. It focused quite a bit on mathematization, especially in optics (and Kepler's optics revolution in particular), and also in observation via instrumentation like telescopes and microscopes.\nPaul Nahin - The Logician and the Engineer. About Boole and Shannon's work; I had already learned the material so i skimmed part of it and returned it to the library.\nIan Mortimer - The time traveler's guide to medieval england. Talks about what daily life was like for different social classes in 14th century England eg towns & cities, food, clothes, housing, employment, travel etc. I got about halfway through and lost interest in the subject matter.\nLucio Russo - The forgotten Revolution. A very readable academic history of the development of science in ptolomaic egypt (eg euclid, archimedes, etc). This was certainly the most surprising book I read all year. This time period has been almost completely deleted from history, which jumps straight from aristotle to the renaissance (with a quick stop in the islamic world if you're being spoiled), and their achievements were incredibly impressive!\nJim al-Khalili - The House of Wisdom. A pop-history book about arabic science that i got from the library. I was wary because it's written by a particle physicist and not a historian, and sure enough it is filled with so much nonsense that I through it down in disgust after a few chapters.\nColin Pask - Magnificent Principia. A brief tour of some of the highlights of Newton's Principia, using both newton's geometric diagrams and modern notation. Following the modern notation of course assumes some basic calculus. Highly recommended - it made me want to learn old fashioned celestial mechanics! Perhaps in 2019...\nRandall Munroe - What if. A fun light read about whimsical scenarios.\nSigmund - Exact thinking in demented times. About the vienna circle, the philosophical group associated with logical positivism.\nNewman [ed] - The world of mathematics vol 1. A varied Collection of mathematical writings, both contemporary and historical.\nRichard J Evans - The Coming of the Third Reich. Evans has recently written a three volume treatment of the third Reich. this is of course the first and starts with the origins of the modern form of antisemitism in the late 19th century. I hope to read the next two in 2019!\nRobert Harper - Practical foundations for programming languages. I've mostly just skimmed it so my understanding is quite superficial, maybe in a year or two I'll go through and do all the exercises. I liked that he avoided 'paradigms' and developed the subject more systematically. The book's table of contents is absolutely irresistible!\nTolkien - the Hobbit. I finally got around to reading it... I didn't care for it. I started the lord of the rings but i don't think i'm going to finish it.\nMichael Chriton - Jurassic Park. The movie was better.\nAgatha Christie - Murder on the Orient Express. I think i just don't like fiction. The few years before this I tried reading more fancy literature and i didn't like that, so this year I tried more popular literature... Recently i heard someone say they thought that history spoiled fiction for them. I think I've suffered the same problem.\nFindlay & O'Rourke - Power and Plenty. (in progress) An economic history of the 2nd millennium, absolutely fascinating so far. The discussion of the black death was particularly memorable. It's become something of a meme to point out how the peasant survivors were economically better off than their parents and grandparents. In fact that effect was limited to western europe. In eastern europe the economics were different and feudalism deepened, and in the arab world the reaction was different still: (if i remember my reading correctly) it was certain sects of military men who came out on top. I'm bringing it up because it is a perfect reminder that reality is more complicated than memes.\nRobert Harper - Programming in Standard ML. (in progress) Online notes about functional programming.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The movie was better.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter preferred the movie.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15157546,
          "author": "invalidOrTaken",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T18:44:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15157546",
          "commentText": "Complexity: The Emerging Science At The Edge of Order And Chaos was a good read.  I strongly recommend reading Jurassic Park at the same time, as the two were both influenced by the recognization of complexity as a \"thing\" in the late 80's/early 90's.  The two are really about the same thing, but JP tells it through dinosaurs.\nWhile I have the floor, I've mused lately that Jurassic Park is like the perfect scary morality tale for young researchers.  You hear cautions about endogeneity and omitted variable biases, simultaneity...but the worst that will happen if you mess these up is your paper is wrong.  Crichton described a world where lack of scientific discipline led to getting eaten by dinosaurs.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I strongly recommend reading Jurassic Park at the same time",
          "reason": "The commenter strongly recommends reading it alongside Complexity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter frames it as a scary morality tale for young researchers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238592,
          "author": "apocalypstyx",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T17:07:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238592",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\nInherent Vice  ---  Thomas Pynchon\nThe Great and Secret Show  ---  Clive Barker\nJurassic Park  ---  Michael Crichton\nThe Mothman Prophecies  ---  John A. Keel (1)\nThe Wind in the Willows  ---  Kenneth Grahame\nEnder's Game  ---  Orson Scott Card\nAll Quiet on the Western Front  ---   Erich Maria Remarque\nThe Drought  ---  J. G. Ballard\nThe Dead Father's Club  ---  Matt Harris\nChildren of Men  ---  P. D. James\nThe Islanders  ---  Pascal Garnier\nSilence of the Lambs  ---  Thomas Harris\nInherit the Wind  ---  Jerome Lawrence & Robert E. Lee\nThe Butt  ---  Will Self\nInside Outside  ---  Philip Jose Farmer\nThe Panda Theory  ---  Pascal Garnier\nFanshaw  ---  Nathaniel Hawthorne\nThe Scarlet Letter  ---  Nathaniel Hawthorne\nThis Census-Taker  ---  China Mieville\nThe House of the Seven Gables  ---  Nathaniel Hawthorne\nThe A26  ---  Pascal Garnier\nThe Blithedale Romance  ---  Nathaniel Hawthorne\nThe Weird  ---  Edited by Jeff VanderMeer & Ann VanderMeer (2)\nFront Seat Passenger  ---  Pascal Garnier\nNon-Fiction:\nThe Wealth of Networks  ---  Yochai Benkler\nField Notes from A Catastrophe  ---  Elizabeth Kolbert\nWhat Ever Happened to Modernism?  ---  Gabriel Josipovici\nEscape Velocity  ---  Mark Dery\nWhat We See When We Read  ---  Peter Mendelsund\n(1) Author described as non-fiction, publisher hedged bets and labelled in as such, supposedly.\n(2) If only this book could be picked by Subterranean or Centipede press so it'd be a better printed and bound book than Tor ever seems to want to do.\nI always recommend Ballard, even when not wanted.  Relevant quote:\n   A story by J. G. Ballard, as you know, calls for people who don't\n   think. One begins with characters who regard the physical universe\n   as a mysterious and arbitrary place, and who would not dream of\n   trying to understand its actual laws. Furthermore, in order to be\n   the protagonist of a J.G. Ballard novel, or anything more than a\n   very minor character therein, you must have cut yourself off from\n   the entire body of scientific education. In this way, when the world\n   disaster — be it wind or water — comes upon you, you are under\n   absolutely no obligation to do anything about it but sit and worship\n   it. Even more further, some force has acted to remove from the face\n   of the world all people who might impose good sense or rational\n   behavior on you, so that the disaster proceeds unchecked and unopposed\n   except by the almost inevitable thumb-rule engineer type who for\n   his individual comfort builds a huge pyramid (without huge footings)\n   to resist high winds, or trains a herd of alligators and renegade\n   divers to help him out in dealing with deep water.  Algis Budrys,\n   Galaxy magazine (December 1966)\n\n\nI'd recommend Pascal Garnier for anyone who likes sickly dark humor + surrealism + noir + a kind of Ballardian-air.  Also Pynchon.  Hawthorne might be the stand-out this year, in the sense of his works' subtle, implicit ability to question the authorial mode, the nature of the text itself, and the instability of it.\nIn non-fiction I'd recommend Dery's Escape Velocity; It's from the 90s but still deals too presciently with many of the issues around the near-religification of modern electronic technology.  And Josipovici if you lean toward depressive jolts of existential anxiety (it deals mostly with the arts, but I think there's a broader life applicability).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Jurassic Park  ---  Michael Crichton",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9649479,
          "author": "rdc12",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-02T22:34:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 9636361,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9649479",
          "commentText": "Fiction: Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (loved the movie as a kid, but never got round to reading the book), will follow up with the Lost World.\nNon-Fiction: Chaos by James Gleick.\nSemester break reading, Real World Ocaml and Modern Compilers in ML (assuming they arrive in time)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (loved the movie as a kid, but never got round to reading the book)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Has not read the book; enjoyment stated is of the movie.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6388137,
          "author": "b3b0p",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T04:43:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6388137",
          "commentText": "My favorite fiction book is Shadows of the Empire by Steve Perry. I am not a fan of the Star Wars books nor am I a hardcore Star Wars fan, but this book captures me every time.\nOther favorites, not including those mentioned by others already are Jurassic Park and the Harry Potter series. I like to go back and read these often.\nFor fun, my favorite, far and away is Foxtrot by Bill Amend.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Other favorites, not including those mentioned by others already are Jurassic Park",
          "reason": "Lists it among their other favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4663023,
          "author": "hiddenstage",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-17T03:13:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 4661261,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite Science Fiction book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4663023",
          "commentText": "Jurassic Park - Michael Crichton\nReally, anything by Michael Crichton.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jurassic Park - Michael Crichton",
          "reason": "Named as the commenter's favorite in response to the thread's question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Crichton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dinosaurs",
        "genetic engineering",
        "thriller",
        "biotechnology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lolita-dab17f",
      "title": "Lolita",
      "author": "Vladimir Nabokov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49903679,
          "author": "klodolph",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T02:31:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49903679",
          "commentText": "Currently reading: Tracks (re-read) by Erdrich. Just finished: The Bad Beginning by Daniel Handler. Before that, Lolita by Nabokov.\nI have a long-ish commute at the moment with some opportunities to read on the train, so I’ve been reading more. Been knocking out some of the books on my shelf.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Before that, Lolita by Nabokov.",
          "reason": "Names another book they recently read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37839915,
          "author": "clubm8",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-11T01:26:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37839915",
          "commentText": "i met that guy in a bar once he was amused i had no idea who he is and said his book was too complicated so i read lolita instead.\nwon't say where other than there was a social event he does -- apparently people low key stalk the poor bastard. it was weird to me, the koi no yukan style japanophile\nthen the other folks got pissed i started doing poetry at them centered around the fact they read nothing but pornography catering to their fetishes\n(\"lolita loving white feminist, name me any other nabokov\" is a fun way to have someone with a juris doctorate chuck a glass at your head)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "so i read lolita instead.",
          "reason": "Says they read it instead of the unnamed man's complicated book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18662508,
          "author": "amuresan",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T09:26:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18662508",
          "commentText": "1. La peste (Albert Camus) - entertaining if you're into French existentialism\n2. Linked (Barabasi) - insightful and useful to understand that most phenomenon we see in real life follow a power law and what that means\n3. Leonardo da Vinci (Walter Isaacson) - surprising how little of da Vinci's real personality is reflected in his modern image\n4. Matrix computations – third edition (Gene Golub, Charles van Loan) - good read if you're into linear algebra\n5. Giving effective feedback (Harvard business review) - useful for getting an understanding on how to handle human interaction\n6. The old man and the sea (Ernest Hemingway) - enjoyed it a lot, a reflection of Hemingway's romantic spirit. Also, a quick read.\n7. Screwjack (Hunter S. Thompson) - didn't resonate with me although I am a fan of existentialism\n8. Sun and steel (Yukio Mishima) - raw and intimate. before reading this book I'd recommend reading up on Mishima's life\n9. Stranger than fiction (Chuck Palahniuck) - somewhat entertaining, more so because it served as a glimpse into Palahniuck's creative process\n10. Thinking in Systems: A Primer (Dana Meadows) - useful for understanding that in modern life we have complex systems at work with emergent behavior that we didn't expect. Trying to isolate / model a single component of one of these systems is a flawed approach.\n11. Chaos monkeys (Antonio Garcia Martinez) - entertaining, but quite long\n12. Weapons of math destruction (Cathy O'Neil) - in a way, similar to Thinking in systems, but at an applied level. Shows how rules in modern society can have unintended negative consequences when hidden negative feedback loops emerge from the complex system they are embedded in.\n13. Lolita (Nabokov) - a brilliant novel from many points of view. Although the topic is controversial, it is a book that had to be written.\n14. The prince (Machiavelli) - an interesting read. It was intended as a guide to the young price Cesare Borgia from his teacher Machiavelli. The secret to enjoying it is not to judge it by modern morality.\n15. Give and take (Adam Grant) - psychology research about giving / taking / matching personality types presented in a book for the masses. I would not read it again; watching a presentation online should be enough to get the point across.\n16. Mécanique (Landau, Lifchitz) - refresh of mechanics\n17. Do androids dream of electric sheep (Philip K. Dick) - enjoyable and entertaining! I'm surprised how different the feel of the book is compared to the Blade runner films. In the book androids are purely rational beings, whereas the film wraps them in an aura of romanticism.\n18. How we learn (Benedict Carey) - decades of learning research condensed in a book\n19. Advanced Calculus: A Differential Forms Approach (Harold M. Edwards) - the best math book I've read so far! For me it was eye-opening in a fundamental way. Edwards is truly a gifted teacher.\n20. Three men in a boat (Jerome K. Jerome) - enjoyable and amusing\n21. Getting to yes (Roger Fisher, William Ury) - negotiation book, nicely written and structured\n22. Without a word (Zhang Jie) - historical novel by one of China's most acclaimed modern writers. I don't have a good reference to compare against since this was my first Chinese novel, but overall I did enjoy it. It felt real and raw.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a brilliant novel from many points of view. Although the topic is controversial, it is a book that had to be written.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it brilliant and says it had to be written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The topic is controversial.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2095421,
          "author": "fakelvis",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-12T08:10:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2095421",
          "commentText": "Of the twenty-three books I read in 2010, these seven really stand out:\n- Predictably Irrational. Everyone here knows this book, right? It had been on my reading list for too long, and I'm glad I eventually managed to read it. Much more enjoyable that I expected it to be, even given the fact that much of the material is well-known already. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predictably_Irrational\n- Longitude follows John Harrison's fascinating, painful and lengthy quest to win the Longitude Prize by creating a clock that was accurate enough to determine longitude at sea. Dava Sobel is a great writer and makes this topic totally engaging (aside: Sobel started her writing career as a technical writer at IBM). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longitude_%28book%29\n- Bad Science is Ben Goldacre's essential and extensive criticism of the media's health care reportage and of various health-related issues (vaccinations, placebos, etc.). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Science_%28book%29\n- Sum has had a fair bit of press over the last few months. It's a collection of forty stories on the afterlife, by David Eagleman. It's a novel exercise in philosophy, and I thoroughly enjoyed five or six of the stories. It's a very creative and original book (and short, too) and is a good lesson in constrained thinking.\n- The PayPal Wars is the story of PayPal's early years from the viewpoint of former PayPal marketing executive, Eric Jackson. I found it a riveting read on the trials and tribulations of a startup in a difficult market. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_PayPal_Wars\n- Made to Stick is interesting in many ways (such as marketing, psychology and rhetoric, to name a few) and is extremely well-written. Chip and Dan Heath really know their subject and explain how to make ideas or concepts memorable in this captivating book. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Made_to_Stick Tip: Read the extensive excerpts on the official website — http://www.madetostick.com/excerpts/ — and, if you enjoy them, read the full book.\n- Lolita is one of those books everyone knows about, even if they haven't read it. I decided to sit down with this beast of a book and am glad I did. It's a great story and will really get your moral cogs ticking over. As well as that, Nabokov has an amazing way with the English language, and from very near the beginning I become a lifelong fan of his style. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lolita",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a great story and will really get your moral cogs ticking over. As well as that, Nabokov has an amazing way with the English language",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the story, its moral questions, and Nabokov's use of language.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865978,
          "author": "starpilot",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T18:57:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865978",
          "commentText": "Lolita",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Lolita",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569082,
          "author": "agentargo",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569082",
          "commentText": "I've been into Klosterman lately\nDowntown Owl (novel)\nSex Drugs and Cocoa Puffs (essays on pop culture)\nEating the Dinosaur (more essays)\nOther Novels:\nLolita - Nabokov\nWhite Noise - Delillo",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Lolita - Nabokov",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026537,
          "author": "pingswept",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T01:18:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026537",
          "commentText": "Lolita is great. If you like puzzles, you might also consider Pale Fire, which is bizarre, but quite rewarding if you get into it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lolita is great.",
          "reason": "Calls it great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026526,
          "author": "tokenadult",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T00:56:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026526",
          "commentText": "Next on my reading list I would like to read some Vladimir Nabokov since I've never read any of his work. Has anyone else here read any of his books?\nI read a lot of Nabokov beginning in high school and continuing into my university studies (when I was initially a Russian language major). Nabokov is very interesting to read. I like Speak, Memory\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Speak-Memory-Everymans-Library-Cloth/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Speak-Memory-Everymans-Library-Cloth/dp/0375405534/)\nand his essays on literary criticism (which I'm not turning up just now as I do an Amazon search, but which you should be able to find in a library). I'm not such a big fan of his most famous novel, Lolita. I read it once and have never reread it.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I'm not such a big fan of his most famous novel, Lolita. I read it once and have never reread it.",
          "reason": "Says they are not a big fan.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Read once and never reread.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026477,
          "author": "iron_ball",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T23:56:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026477",
          "commentText": "Yes. As a reader and speaker of the English language, you are absolutely required to read Lolita as soon as possible. It is one of the best novels ever.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you are absolutely required to read Lolita as soon as possible. It is one of the best novels ever.",
          "reason": "Strongly urges readers to read it and calls it one of the best novels ever.",
          "audience": "Readers of English-language literature.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876089,
          "author": "david927",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T05:22:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876089",
          "commentText": "Crime and Punishment, Dostoevsky\nLolita, Nabokov",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lolita, Nabokov",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vladimir Nabokov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "unreliable narrator",
        "classic literature",
        "controversial themes"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "marooned-in-realtime-15d856",
      "title": "Marooned in Realtime",
      "author": "Vernor Vinge",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35395594,
          "author": "marstall",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-01T00:19:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 35392063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Science Fiction books that predict where ChatGPT might lead us?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35395594",
          "commentText": "\"Marooned in Realtime\" by Vernor Vinge contains a mind-expanding vision of exponentially accelerating AI. I kind of never stop thinking about it.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marooned_in_Realtime",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Marooned in Realtime\" by Vernor Vinge contains a mind-expanding vision of exponentially accelerating AI.",
          "reason": "Presents a vision of exponentially accelerating AI.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17520719,
          "author": "hasseio",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T05:30:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17520719",
          "commentText": "Try his Marooned in Realtime next. Excellent murder mystery!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Try his Marooned in Realtime next. Excellent murder mystery!",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as an excellent murder mystery.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoyed the preceding science-fiction recommendations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14743872,
          "author": "le-mark",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T13:16:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14743872",
          "commentText": "Non fiction and IT related:\nAlgorithmics The spirit of computing: this is a really great exploration of 'algorithmic' thinking, accessible to anyone:\nhttp://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2378136.Algorithmics\nSoul of a new machine: the book won the pulitzer, it's about now defunct Data General and implementing a new machine in the early 80's:\nhttp://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7090.The_Soul_of_a_New_Ma... (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7090.The_Soul_of_a_New_Machine)\nFiction:\nMarooned in Realtime: Vernor Vinge on a group of people who missed the singularity, and try to understand what happened. A damn good detective story too:\nhttp://www.goodreads.com/book/show/167847.Marooned_in_Realti... (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/167847.Marooned_in_Realtime)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A damn good detective story too",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a very good detective story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027206,
          "author": "billswift",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T14:05:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027206",
          "commentText": "The Peace War and Marooned in Realtime are also in a one volume Across Realtime, which also includes his entertaining novella The Ungoverned which introduces some of the characters, including W W Brierson (sp?) of Marooned.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Peace War and Marooned in Realtime are also in a one volume Across Realtime",
          "reason": "Names it as one of the works collected in Across Realtime.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026940,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T07:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026940",
          "commentText": "I got myself a Sony Reader mid-2009 and started reading about twice more than I had been before. 2009 was also the first year in which I wasn't too lazy to document which books I read (I'm really glad I wasn't). Here're some of the favourites this year:\nClassics:\nKafka's The Process and America - both stunning novels that deserve to be read as much as his most famous, The Castle.\nJan Potocki, The Manuscript Found in Saragossa - a trippy collection of tales organised in multiple nested frames.\nScott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby.\nLeo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina. Still as breathtaking as I'd remembered it from the previous reading five years ago.\nScience Fiction:\nGene Wolfe, The Book of the New Sun. Wolfe, whom I hadn't read before, turns out to be in a class of his own. It's literary SF, overwhelmingly masterful and beautiful in its prose and characters, yet it could give any hardcore SF novel a run in terms of its ideas. It demands and richly rewards a close reading. I'll be reading more Wolfe in 2010.\nTed Chiang, collected stories. Chiang writes only stories, and has written just a few of them, but nearly every one is a gem. Read Understand on the web (http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/stories/under.htm) to see if you like his style - I do.\nVernor Vinge, A Deepness in the Sky, The Peace War, Marooned in Realtime. All great novels, but start from A Fire Upon the Deep (I read that in 2008) if you haven't read Vinge before, it's the best introduction.\nGreg Egan, Diaspora, Quarantine, Distress. Egan is the best hardcore SF author out there. _Diaspora_ is a fascinating take on shared simulated reality that's very different from the usual fare. Quarantine will appeal to your inner quantum mechanical geek.\nContemporary fiction:\nPynchon, V. Pynchon is the best novelist we've got. I recommend The Crying of the Lot 49 as the best Pynchon to start from; V is more difficult and much longer, but rewards the patience. I still can't get over the fact that Pynchon wrote and published this novel when he was 26.\nOrhan Pamuk, The Black Book.\nAnnie Proulx, Fine Just The Way It Is. A new collection of stories from the best writer about rural America out there. Three are extraordinary, two so-so, the rest very good.\nNon-fiction:\nW. Sidney Allen, Vox Graeca and Vox Latina. If you want to know how ancient Greek and Latin sounded, these are the books to read.\nElizabeth Lloyd. The Case Of The Female Orgasm. An interesting study into how available evolutionary explanations of female orgasm fail in various ways. This is a book about evolutionary biology and its methodological soundness as much as it is about explaining female orgasm.\nComputer-related:\nPeter Seibel, Coders at Work. A fantastic collection of interview with great programmers. The one 2009 book no hacker should be without.\nSqueak by Example. Does a great job of explaining Smalltalk in general and Squeak in particular.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All great novels, but start from A Fire Upon the Deep",
          "reason": "The commenter calls these novels great and recommends starting with A Fire Upon the Deep.",
          "audience": "Readers new to Vernor Vinge.",
          "caveat": "The commenter recommends beginning with A Fire Upon the Deep, which they read in 2008.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026444,
          "author": "xorphy",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T23:29:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026444",
          "commentText": "I basically discovered Vernor Vinge.\nA Fire Upon the Deep, by Vernor Vinge\nA Deepness in the Sky, by Vernor Vinge\nThe Peace War, by Vernor Vinge\nMarooned in Realtime, by Vernor Vinge\nHyperion, by Dan Simmons\nMrs. Perkins's Electric Quilt, a fun book about some math and physics problems",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Marooned in Realtime, by Vernor Vinge",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vernor Vinge"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "time travel",
        "accelerating technology",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "detective fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mindset-e04e75",
      "title": "Mindset",
      "author": "Carol S. Dweck",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mindset (Carol Dweck)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13805675,
          "author": "bynkman",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T20:13:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805675",
          "commentText": "Average is Over by Tyler Cowen. About educated middle class workers working with collaborative automated systems vs non-educated and a changing society.\nWho Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson. An allegory about how our modern jobs are changing.\nMindset by Carol Dweck. About the belief of fixed mindset vs a growth or learning mindset, and the effects of both.\nThe Icarus Deception by Seth Godin. How our industrial (conformity) economy has evolved into a connection (post-industrial) economy, and what it takes to survive in this new world.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mindset by Carol Dweck. About the belief of fixed mindset vs a growth or learning mindset, and the effects of both.",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about books that changed one’s worldview and describes its subject.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13805672,
          "author": "kabalweg",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T20:13:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805672",
          "commentText": "1. Mindset - changed how I view new things/ideas I encounter or things I want to learn. I have introduced this to my wife and she loved it. She has now adapted the growth mindset (what the book teaches about).\n2. e-Myth Revisited - changed how I view and run business.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mindset - changed how I view new things/ideas I encounter or things I want to learn. I have introduced this to my wife and she loved it.",
          "reason": "Says it changed how they approach new ideas and learning; their wife loved it too.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12162419,
          "author": "sn9",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-25T23:54:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 12160209,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 12 year old tech savvy girl – books, programs, events, advice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12162419",
          "commentText": "She can learn just about anything nowadays from sites like Coursera, edx, and Udacity.\nBooks like Realm of Racket can be fun introductions to programming that happen to teach some advanced stuff.\nBooks that the parent's might like are Carol Dweck's Mindset, Barbara Oakley's A Mind for Numbers, and Angela Duckworth's Grit. If she shows an interest in mathematics, the Art of Problem Solving books and forums are great.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Carol Dweck's Mindset",
          "reason": "Suggested among books the parent might like.",
          "audience": "The parent.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2919384,
          "author": "planetcohen",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-24T03:52:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 2919368,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have changed the way you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2919384",
          "commentText": "Carol Dweck: Mindset",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Carol Dweck: Mindset",
          "reason": "Names the book as an answer to which books changed the way people think.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for books that can change their thinking.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carol S. Dweck"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "growth mindset",
        "motivation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "moonwalking-with-einstein-0693c3",
      "title": "Moonwalking with Einstein",
      "author": "Joshua Foer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46693651,
          "author": "vunderba",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-20T16:21:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 46690957,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What non-fiction do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46693651",
          "commentText": "Second the recommendation for \"Moonwalking with Einstein.\" Ed Cooke (the memory coach and world memory champion featured prominently in the book) is also a really nice chap.\nIf you have any interest in memorization or mnemonics, it's a great read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Second the recommendation for \"Moonwalking with Einstein.\"",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the recommendation and calls it a great read for people interested in memorization or mnemonics.",
          "audience": "People interested in memorization or mnemonics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46693299,
          "author": "0xmattf",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-20T16:01:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 46690957,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What non-fiction do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46693299",
          "commentText": "I only read non-fiction; mostly philosophy. Here are some books off the top of my head:\n* The Inner Citadel/Philosophy as a Way of Life by Pierre Hadot\n* Plato's dialogues (someone already mentioned a few of them, but the Republic was missing from their list).\n* Epictetus (Discourses and Enchiridion)\n* The various essays/letters of Seneca\n* Matter and Consciousness by Churchland (older, but fascinating)\n* The Mediations of Marcus Aurelius\n* (mostly) any Buddhist texts\n* What a Plant Knows\n* Moonwalking with Einstein\nThere are tons of fascinating books, way too many to list.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Moonwalking with Einstein",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38238144,
          "author": "vidyesh",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T07:28:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238144",
          "commentText": "Actively reading:\n- The Fountainhead\n- Project Hail Mary\n- Learning TypeScript\nPassively reading:\n- The Design of Everyday Things\n- Dive into Design Patterns\nConsidering to read - This is mostly for anyone who has read them and would like to give their opinion about it.\n- Algorithms to Live By\n- Name of the Wind\n- Malazan Book of the Fallen\n- Good Girl's guide to murder\n- The Paradox of Choice\n- Moonwalking with Einstein\n- The Boron Letters\n- Storyworthy\n-",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "- Moonwalking with Einstein",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter is considering and offered for others' opinions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not said they have read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15962640,
          "author": "rlease",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T18:34:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15962640",
          "commentText": "The full list: https://gitlab.com/rlease/Books\nMy list lines up with a lot of books that people have recommended here, so I'll try to add a few favorites that haven't been mentioned so far.\nFiction:\n1. Ubik - I read a bunch of Philip K. Dick this year, but this was my favorite. It's delightfully mind bending and left me thinking about it long after the book was done.\n2. All the Pretty Horses - Beautifully written. McCarthy has an uncanny ability to paint with words.\n3. Cannery Row - Short, witty, and full of interesting characters.\nNonfiction:\n1. The Idea Factory - A dive into how Bell Labs became such an innovation powerhouse and gives a rounded picture of the figureheads that brought it so much fame.\n2. Moonwalking with Einstein - A fun read about a journalist who took researching a memory competition a bit too seriously.\n3. Countdown to Zero Day - A fascinating look at the development and deployment of Stuxnet -- the virus built to set Iran's nuclear program back.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A fun read about a journalist who took researching a memory competition a bit too seriously.",
          "reason": "Calls it a fun read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416637,
          "author": "b_emery",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T22:10:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416637",
          "commentText": "Well, I'm still a work in progress! I'm working on a PhD and passed my oral exams because of these books. I have a weekly schedule that balances reading/doing math, writing and coding and producing toward the dissertation. These books have helped me 'discover' the process for becoming an expert. Cribbed from my notes:\nOne very important idea is the idea of intrinsic motivation: the best motivation is perhaps a really compelling and or interesting problem. Also, time is needed to learn and practice, and this practice comes at the cost of time spent elsewhere (eg producing). So there is a natural division of time into learning (incl. practicing) and producing. A lot of the Talent book is the sort of nuts and bolts of deliberate practice.\nFrom the Habit book: Have a plan for what to do when the pain or other emotional event threatens to derail your action. Such as when this happens, I will do __. Having a plan helps people to get through the event, encouraging will power, and continue on until the will power action becomes a habit (by being incorporated into long term memory I suppose). (Incidentally, this is why having a daily plan help one to be more productive. When you get tired and easily derailed, and are low in will power, you can fall back onto your plan).\n1) Cue, 2) Routine, 3) Reward. That is the habit loop.\nA book called Moonwalking with Einstein, as well as a number of Cal Newport's books have also been helpful with these goals.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A book called Moonwalking with Einstein, as well as a number of Cal Newport's books have also been helpful with these goals.",
          "reason": "Says it has been helpful toward the goals discussed.",
          "audience": "People pursuing learning and productivity goals.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8262878,
          "author": "pgathogo",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-03T13:30:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8262878",
          "commentText": "Age Of Reason by Thomas Paine\nA Tour of C++ by Bjarne Stroustrup\nEffective C++ by Scott Meyers\nMoon Walking With Einstein by Joshua Foer",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Moon Walking With Einstein by Joshua Foer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968396,
          "author": "jaymon",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:44:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968396",
          "commentText": "I started The Martian by Andy Weir about 3 days ago and I'm really enjoying it. It's a really entertaining book that I highly recommend!\nLast week I finished The Paradox of Choice and Zero Day. I enjoyed both of them, although I don't think I'll be reading any of the sequels to Zero Day.\nBefore that I went through The Maze Runner trilogy, those were entertaining reads.\nSome other books I've read recently that I can remember off the top of my head are the Divergent series of books (eh), How Will You Measure Your Life by Clayton Christensen (great read), Ready Player One (loved, loved, loved this book), Starters (didn't bother reading any more in the series) and Moon walking With Einstein (I enjoyed it).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Moon walking With Einstein (I enjoyed it)",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7452015,
          "author": "blufox",
          "createdAt": "2014-03-23T03:37:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 7450534,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's on your reading list? Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7452015",
          "commentText": "Currently reading 2 books - Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer; The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Currently reading 2 books - Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer;",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5859049,
          "author": "jeromesalimao",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-11T01:52:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 5859004,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5859049",
          "commentText": "Moonwalking with Einstein.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Moonwalking with Einstein.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4597352,
          "author": "yamsal",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-01T15:00:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 4596721,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4597352",
          "commentText": "\"Another Day of Life\" by Riszard Kapuscinski and \"Moonwalking with Einstein\" by Joshua Foer.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Moonwalking with Einstein\" by Joshua Foer.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joshua Foer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Learning",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memory",
        "mnemonics",
        "journalism",
        "memory techniques"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "never-split-the-difference-negotiating-as-if-your-life-depended-o-78d9e5",
      "title": "Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It",
      "author": "Chris Voss and Tahl Raz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35175029,
          "author": "vessenes",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T21:33:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35175029",
          "commentText": "I'll throw in some thoughts about Never split the difference -- there's a lot of useful perspective in that book, and I appreciated it. However, speaking 'technical founderese', the book is solely about a kind of negotiation that almost never occurs in business life: a single iteration game theoretic game.\nIn real life, especially when you're younger than 60 and in business, every negotiation is part of an iterated game -- you are, much more than negotiating any single deal / job offer / contract term, figuring out who you want to work with, making friends and allies and partners along the way.\nIn those terms, most of that book is toxic, or at least sociopathic. That's fine if your only job is to get terrorists to put away their guns. But, it's definitely less fine if you are cutting a deal with someone who you will definitely intersect with multiple times in your life. And that's most people, it turns out. :)\nAnyway, I think the book is super interesting, but I think technical types or those with a bit of ASD may find the relational approach hurts them more than winning any particular negotiation.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Anyway, I think the book is super interesting, but I think technical types or those with a bit of ASD may find the relational approach hurts them more than winning any particular negotiation.",
          "reason": "Finds the book interesting but warns its approach may harm ongoing business relationships.",
          "audience": "Technical people and people with a bit of ASD, according to the commenter.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the book focuses on single-iteration negotiations and may be toxic in relationships that continue over time.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35174415,
          "author": "rgbrenner",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T20:41:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35174415",
          "commentText": "It's been a while and I cant remember if that was a hypothetical applying his approach to a non-criminal negotiation, or if he was saying it was a real incident... but I remember reading it, and thinking: the only way that works is if the FBI is waiting to arrest you if you refuse. If he was saying those examples were real, I agree it sounds like bullshit. It's at best, a tactic that might be rarely useful.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "It's at best, a tactic that might be rarely useful.",
          "reason": "Says the tactic works only when the FBI threat of arrest backs it up, and may rarely help otherwise.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether the cited example was hypothetical or a real incident.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35174304,
          "author": "yamtaddle",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T20:30:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35174304",
          "commentText": "I dropped it about 2/3 through because too much of it was reading as plainly-bullshit. \"I got a great deal on my truck by just saying 'how can I do that?' over and over! Here's how it went!\" LOL, no you didn't, and no it didn't, and now I'm wondering whether literally any of your other stories were even a little true.\nI got a very little bit out of it, but the useful bit could have been a blog post. The rest was egotistical crap that seemed to mainly be content-marketing for his business.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I dropped it about 2/3 through because too much of it was reading as plainly-bullshit.",
          "reason": "The commenter found the book's anecdotes implausible and its useful advice too limited to justify the rest.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They got a little value from it but thought a blog post could have covered the useful part.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35174185,
          "author": "rgbrenner",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T20:20:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35174185",
          "commentText": "I thought that Voss's work as an FBI negotiator negated a lot of his advice. With the FBI, the building is surrounded, and the criminal is forced to negotiate with him. There are no alternatives, and there's a threat of violent action being taken against the criminal if the negotiations are refused or dont go the way Voss wants.\nIn business, the person on the other side has alternatives and they can walk away at any time. They don't even have to talk to you. You can be rejected because of the most minor thing or nothing at all. People say \"no\" all the time, and you can't send your coworkers into the building to murder them for it.\nVoss just ignores the violent threat the criminal faces, and pretends the criminal is talking to him freely. But everyone in his negotiations knows every word he says is backed up with the threat of violence.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Voss just ignores the violent threat the criminal faces, and pretends the criminal is talking to him freely.",
          "reason": "Argues that Voss's negotiation advice overlooks the coercive threat behind FBI hostage negotiations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The criticism is about how FBI negotiation advice applies to business negotiations.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35171863,
          "author": "nukenuke",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:34:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35171863",
          "commentText": "As a technical founder this book on negotiation was highly valuable: \"Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It\". Negotiation is a skill you need as a startup founder that is not necessarily needed for technical work.\n\"Innovators Dilemma\" - helps put in perspective acceptable state of early products and good strategies for deploying new innovative products",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "As a technical founder this book on negotiation was highly valuable: \"Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It\".",
          "reason": "The commenter found it highly valuable for negotiation.",
          "audience": "Technical startup founders.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25537039,
          "author": "meowzero",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-25T15:40:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25537039",
          "commentText": "Maybe not A book, but some books that helped me change my behavior just a little bit.\nBrain Rules for Baby: How to Raise a Smart and Happy Child from Zero to Five - if you're thinking of having children or have young children already. This book gives some good insight on possible, data-driven ways to raise a happy and smart kid. I currently have a newborn and have altered some ways I behave around her. It also helps to think about how you were raised, and if that impacted the way you are.\nThe Mind Illuminated: A Complete Meditation Guide Integrating Buddhist Wisdom and Brain Science for Greater Mindfulness - if you're into meditation, I think this is the book to get. I started out with Headspace and this book takes it to the next level.\nHow to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life - This was an entertaining book on how Scott Adams failed and succeeded. He gives some practical tips on what he did to get to where he is. Of course, there is survivorship bias, but I found some of it helpful.\nThe Charisma Myth: How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism - People aren't born Charismatic. You can practice it.\nNever Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It - A book about negotiation. I used to hate negotiating. Heck I still do. While I might not use the exact tactics outlined in the book, it helped me realize that I should try to negotiate more. And it might have helped me to get good deals or better salary just by asking.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It - A book about negotiation.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them see they should negotiate more and may have helped them get better deals or salary.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter might not use the exact tactics in the book and still dislikes negotiating.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16573498,
          "author": "quickpost",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-13T02:28:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16573498",
          "commentText": "Seconded on all counts. Except I'm not planning to recommend the book to my wife for exactly the reason you mentioned! ;)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Seconded on all counts. Except I'm not planning to recommend the book to my wife for exactly the reason you mentioned!",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the prior praise while noting the negotiation style did not work on the previous commenter’s wife.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they will not recommend it to their wife for the reason described in the parent comment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16353078,
          "author": "Recursing",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T15:36:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16353078",
          "commentText": "If you liked \"Getting To Yes\" you might also enjoy \"Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It\" https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062407805/ that has a somehow different perspective on negotiation",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you might also enjoy \"Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It\"",
          "reason": "Suggested as an enjoyable book with a different perspective on negotiation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The perspective differs from Getting to Yes.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris Voss",
        "Tahl Raz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "negotiation",
        "bargaining",
        "business relationships",
        "communication"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nine-princes-in-amber-7938f2",
      "title": "Nine Princes in Amber",
      "author": "Roger Zelazny",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17337357,
          "author": "stratosgear",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:26:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337357",
          "commentText": "\"Nine princes in Amber\", by Roger Zelazny. Read the whole series multiple teams and the Corwin Cycle some more...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Nine princes in Amber\", by Roger Zelazny. Read the whole series multiple teams and the Corwin Cycle some more...",
          "reason": "Names it as a comfort book and says they have reread the series many times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15631665,
          "author": "huhtenberg",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T21:21:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15631665",
          "commentText": "I find later books in the series to be... well... a garbage. And it pains me to say that, because Nine Princes in Amber was jaw-droppingly impressive.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nine Princes in Amber was jaw-droppingly impressive.",
          "reason": "Calls the first book jaw-droppingly impressive.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630245,
          "author": "itbeho",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:57:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630245",
          "commentText": "Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny. Great protagonist, characters and universe. Written in the 70’s but still holds up well by today’s standards.\nRumor has it that Robert Kirkman of Walking Dead fame has optioned it for TV.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great protagonist, characters and universe. Written in the 70’s but still holds up well by today’s standards.",
          "reason": "Praises the characters and setting, saying it still holds up.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8946127,
          "author": "dwarman",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-26T09:13:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8946127",
          "commentText": "Stand on Zanzibar, Snow Crash, Cryptonomicon, Childhood's End, A Cantilce for St Leibowitz, The Stars My Destination, Midnight At The Well of Souls, Nine Princes in Amber, Halting State, Strnger In A Strange Land, The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nine Princes in Amber",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1864842,
          "author": "nimrody",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T14:18:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1864842",
          "commentText": "May I suggest Roger Zelazny's classic \"Nine Princes in Amber\"? Short easy read and very well written.\nOtherwise, when you can affort more than a \"short attention span\" come back for more recommendations.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "May I suggest Roger Zelazny's classic \"Nine Princes in Amber\"?",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a classic, short, easy read, and very well written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roger Zelazny"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "portal fantasy",
        "classic fantasy",
        "multiverse",
        "parallel worlds"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "norwegian-wood-f7be3a",
      "title": "Norwegian Wood",
      "author": "Haruki Murakami",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23470257,
          "author": "psychomugs",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T20:01:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23470257",
          "commentText": "The Catcher in the Rye and Norwegian Wood. A goal is to read them both in Japanese, as the former was translated by the author of the latter.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Norwegian Wood",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter hopes to read it in Japanese.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22722401,
          "author": "gautamcgoel",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T20:27:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22722401",
          "commentText": "Surprised no one mentioned any of Haruki Murakami's books. Norwegian Wood made a big impression on me as a young man in my late teens. Kafka on the shore and the Wind-up Bird Chronicle are both trips. A Wild Sheep Chase is hilarious.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Norwegian Wood made a big impression on me as a young man in my late teens.",
          "reason": "Describes the novel’s strong personal impact.",
          "audience": "Young readers in their late teens, based on the commenter’s experience.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1632993,
          "author": "luffy",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T15:00:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1632993",
          "commentText": "Yes!  My mind was blown when I read this.  Here are some others:\n\"A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again\" by David Foster Wallace, pretty sure this book has changed how a generation writes.  At least it convinced a generation they'll never be as good as DFW.\n\"Norwegian Wood\" by Haruki Murakami, which I like to think of as a Japanese C.i.t.R.\nG.E.B. - power through it, soldier!\n\"Making Certain it Goes On\", by Richard Hugo. An instructional book on how to write poetry, or to basically do just about anything.  I highly recommend it to all programmers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "which I like to think of as a Japanese C.i.t.R.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The abbreviation in the comparison is not explained.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 202292,
          "author": "justindz",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-28T16:45:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 199722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=202292",
          "commentText": "You do.  I'm a fan of magical realism, so the esoteric content doesn't bother me but I totally get your ranking on that point.  Norwegian Wood is all psychology and no parapsychology.  If I remember correctly, South of the Border, West of the Sun is similar in that regard.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Norwegian Wood is all psychology and no parapsychology.",
          "reason": "Describes the book's subject matter favorably in the context of a discussion about Murakami's novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 200158,
          "author": "Tichy",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-26T12:49:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 199722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=200158",
          "commentText": "I'd recommend to start with Norwegian Wood for Murakami. Didn't like Sputnik Sweetheart at all, and many of his other books tend to be too esoterical for my taste. But NW was esoterics-free, if I remember correctly.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend to start with Norwegian Wood for Murakami.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a starting point for reading Murakami.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter recalls it as free of esoteric elements.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 199906,
          "author": "justindz",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-26T02:37:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 199722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=199906",
          "commentText": "Haruki Murakami.  Sputnik Sweetheart, Norwegian Wood, Kafka on the Shore.  After the Quake, if you like short stories.  Great stuff.\nIf you want something lighter, try Banana Yoshimoto.  If you want something with more sex and gruesome murders, try Ryu Murakami.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sputnik Sweetheart, Norwegian Wood, Kafka on the Shore. After the Quake, if you like short stories. Great stuff.",
          "reason": "Recommends these titles as “Great stuff.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Haruki Murakami"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "japanese literature",
        "coming of age",
        "magical realism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-lisp-100881",
      "title": "On Lisp",
      "author": "Paul Graham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39249782,
          "author": "djaouen",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T12:43:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249782",
          "commentText": "Let Over Lambda\nOn Lisp",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "On Lisp",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32937050,
          "author": "math-dev",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T10:36:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937050",
          "commentText": "On Lisp by Paul Graham",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On Lisp by Paul Graham",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27638167,
          "author": "codemac",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T01:22:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27638167",
          "commentText": "* Getting Things Done by David Allen\nThis book taught me so much about how to manage my life, and taught me how to review my own systems.\n* SICP, On Lisp, and Let over Lambda\nIt's hard to pick one exactly, because really it's about opening your mind to radically different programming paradigms than what's popular.\nLearning lisp well enough gives you confidence to attempt to create new programming languages, through code generation, or even mentally thinking about an API as a language rather than just a series of functions.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SICP, On Lisp, and Let over Lambda",
          "reason": "Groups it with books that opened their mind to programming paradigms and Lisp.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27638150,
          "author": "lanstin",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T01:19:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27638150",
          "commentText": "Metamathematics by Kleene. On Lisp by Graham. The Visual Display of Quantitative Information by Tufte.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On Lisp by Graham.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16080223,
          "author": "oumua_don17",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-05T17:57:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16080223",
          "commentText": "3 so far:\n1. Elements of Computing Systems\n2. On Lisp\n3. Game Engine Architecture\nEdit: 2 -> 3",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On Lisp",
          "reason": "Included in a list of answers to a question asking for the best textbook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9758510,
          "author": "abecedarius",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T14:25:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758510",
          "commentText": "Knuth: he's an excellent writer with a sense of humor.\nAnything coauthored by Kernighan is a good bet, though the material is not quite so ageless. Similar remarks for P.J. Plauger.\nNorvig doesn't just write exquisite code, but good prose too.\nI always liked Abelson & Sussman's style, even though it's more textbookish. Abelson also co-wrote Turtle Geometry, which is almost unknown these days and still eye-opening. (It's more of a math book than a programming one, but its point is to be both.)\nDaniel Hillis: The Pattern on the Stone, The Connection Machine.\nRichard O'Keefe, The Craft of Prolog.\nJon Bentley.\nI remember pg's On Lisp as good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I remember pg's On Lisp as good.",
          "reason": "Remembers the book as good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9613730,
          "author": "atomicbeanie",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T19:29:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9613730",
          "commentText": "Higher Order Perl: http://hop.perl.plover.com/\nOn Lisp: http://www.paulgraham.com/onlisp.html\nAlso http://it-ebooks.info/ has a wide selection of free ebooks with ads.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "On Lisp: http://www.paulgraham.com/onlisp.html",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 407355,
          "author": "shaunxcode",
          "createdAt": "2008-12-23T06:49:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 407067,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Let's start a Hacker News book club",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=407355",
          "commentText": "all I can say is \"yes!\". I have a ton of programming books that I would love to re-read and discuss even (the art of the meta object protocol, let over lambda, on lisp etc.) but I would also be down with relevant math and fiction stuff.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "on lisp",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Graham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "lisp",
        "macros",
        "programming languages",
        "common lisp"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "operating-systems-three-easy-pieces-09bdc6",
      "title": "Operating Systems: Three Easy Pieces",
      "author": "Remzi H. Arpaci-Dusseau and Andrea C. Arpaci-Dusseau",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35929734,
          "author": "Xunjin",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T16:07:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35929734",
          "commentText": "Working link for OSTEP: https://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~remzi/OSTEP/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Working link for OSTEP",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35929283,
          "author": "nindalf",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T15:26:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35929283",
          "commentText": "The books that taught me computer science\n- Operating Systems: Three Easy Pieces ( https://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~remzi/OSTEP/)\n- Designing Data Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann (https://dataintensive.net)\n- Crafting Interpreters by Robert Nystrom (http://craftinginterpreters.com)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Operating Systems: Three Easy Pieces",
          "reason": "Lists the book among those that taught the commenter computer science.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30491388,
          "author": "mayankkaizen",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T19:01:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30491388",
          "commentText": "Although I haven't completed it fully, but it is absolutely a masterpiece. The structure and the lucid explanation is something every author should learn from this. Not too yechnifal and yet covers every fundamental aspect.\nThis alongwith Nand2Tetris course can make your understanding of computer and programming works almost complete.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Although I haven't completed it fully, but it is absolutely a masterpiece. The structure and the lucid explanation is something every author should learn from this.",
          "reason": "Calls the book a masterpiece and praises its explanations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not completed it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30489068,
          "author": "sunny3",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T15:06:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30489068",
          "commentText": "This book broke down a hard and mysterious topic (operating systems) for a new CS student like me into everyday analogies, which almost eradicated my fear of the subject matter. It had the appropriate amount of technical details to be usefully informative for a college class while also inspiring a more in-depth read of other material that are much more boring. The book is the reason why I love operating system so much, and I continued to take more CS classes as a math major.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book broke down a hard and mysterious topic (operating systems) for a new CS student like me into everyday analogies",
          "reason": "Credits the book with making operating systems approachable and sparking a lasting interest in the subject.",
          "audience": "New CS students and readers learning operating systems.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30488530,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T14:07:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30488530",
          "commentText": "Despite high interest in learning to program, I was confused and bored in my first (FORTRAN) programming course. Browsing at the local bookstore I found 'The FORTRAN Coloring Book' and took it home. Kaufman's approach unlocked some kind of door for me, and the effort of going to find my own resources did as well. Forty years on,  'The Fortran Coloring Book' sits on the shelf next to 'Software Tools in Pascal' (same bookstore a few months later) and many of the other books listed in this thread (e.g. TAOCP, SICP, UPE, OSTEP.)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "OSTEP",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21458722,
          "author": "vo2maxer",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T01:03:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21458722",
          "commentText": "During the past six months I have been challenged intellectually and aesthetically by these works:\nPaideia: The Ideals of Greek Culture, vol 1-3, by Werner Jaeger\nDiary by Witold Gombrowicz\nComputer Science: An Interdisciplinary Approach by Sedgewick\n2666 by Roberto Bolaño\nThe Linux Programming Interface by Michael Kerrisk\nTomie: No Use Escaping by Junji Ito\nL’homme aux cercles by Fred Vargas\nCryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson\nLab Girl by Hope Jahren\nOperating Systems: Three Easy Pieces by Arpaci-Dusseau\nI Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong.\nThe Weird by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer\nThe Federalist Papers,  ed. by Kesler\nThe Anti-Federalist Papers, ed. by Ketcham\nDoctor Faustus by Thomas Mann, new translation by John Woods\nSearching for Stars on an Island in Maine by Alan Lightman\nLoren Eiseley in the Library of America Edition\nTu rostro mañana by Javier Marías\nThe Complete Essays by Michel De Montaigne, translation by Screech\nEarning The Rockies by Kaplan\nDesperate Remedies by Thomas Hardy\nThe Notebooks of Joseph Joubert\nNature Stories by Jules Renard\nMac y su contratiempo by Enrique Vila-Matas\nOlinger Stories by John Updike\nGreek Science in Antiquity by Marshall Clagett\nAt The Existentialist Cafe by Sarah Bakewell\n100 Diagrams That Changed The World by Scott Christianson\nHeart of Europe: A History of the Holy Roman Empire by Peter Wilson\nAlec \"The Years Have Pants\" by Eddie Campbell\nLandmarks by Robert Macfarlane",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Operating Systems: Three Easy Pieces by Arpaci-Dusseau",
          "reason": "Listed among works that challenged the commenter intellectually and aesthetically.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21315224,
          "author": "vips7L",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T17:57:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21315224",
          "commentText": "> Tanenbaum's Modern Operating Systems\nI found Operating Systems: Three Easy Pieces to be better.\nhttp://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~remzi/OSTEP/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found Operating Systems: Three Easy Pieces to be better.",
          "reason": "Says this book was better than Tanenbaum's Modern Operating Systems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comparison is specifically with Tanenbaum's Modern Operating Systems.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12068003,
          "author": "motxilo",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T00:25:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12068003",
          "commentText": "Blindsight (Watts)\nBetween the World and Me (Coates)\nEconomics in One Lesson (Hazlitt)\nCorporate Confidential: 50 Secrets Your Company Doesn't Want You to Know---and What to Do About Them (Shapiro)\nLos últimos españoles de Mauthausen (Hernández de Miguel)\nDistributed Systems for Fun and Profit (Takada)\nThe Knowledge: How to Rebuild Civilization in the Aftermath of a Cataclysm (Dartnell)\nHistoria mínima de España (Fusi)\nTurn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders (Marquet)\nWhat I Learned Losing A Million Dollars (Moynihan)\nSite Reliability Engineering: How Google Runs Production Systems (Google)\nAdventures in Human Being: A Grand Tour from the Cranium to the Calcaneum (Francis)\nOperating Systems: Three Easy Pieces (Arpaci-Dusseau)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Operating Systems: Three Easy Pieces (Arpaci-Dusseau)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9611584,
          "author": "nilkn",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T14:32:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9611584",
          "commentText": "I love \"Operating Systems: Three Easy Pieces\":\nhttp://pages.cs.wisc.edu/~remzi/OSTEP/\nReally useful book and really accessible (both because it's available for free and also because it's written with a lot of skill and friendliness towards the reader).\nI recommend it in particular to those who for whatever reason never took an operating systems class (e.g., you were self-taught or didn't major in CS). This book will really demystify a lot of stuff for you without overwhelming you at the same time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I love \"Operating Systems: Three Easy Pieces\":",
          "reason": "Praises it as useful, accessible, and effective at demystifying operating systems.",
          "audience": "Especially people who have not taken an operating systems class, including self-taught readers.",
          "caveat": "The recommendation is specifically for learning operating systems.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Remzi H. Arpaci-Dusseau",
        "Andrea C. Arpaci-Dusseau"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "operating systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pale-fire-3ae2e2",
      "title": "Pale Fire",
      "author": "Vladimir Nabokov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268888,
          "author": "number6",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:12:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268888",
          "commentText": "I read maybe half. Didn't get it. Somewhere in the middle he starts to comment about all that happened? Is it part of the book?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I read maybe half. Didn't get it. Somewhere in the middle he starts to comment about all that happened? Is it part of the book?",
          "reason": "Says they read half but did not understand the novel's structure.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter did not get it and asks whether the commentary is part of the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42268756,
          "author": "mlsu",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T21:51:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268756",
          "commentText": "I finally read Nabokov's Pale Fire. It is far and away the best book I have ever read. I think about it multiple times a week unprompted and I'm sad because I am certain that I will never find another book like it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I finally read Nabokov's Pale Fire. It is far and away the best book I have ever read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the best book they have ever read and says they think about it often.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter doubts they will find another book like it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5832481,
          "author": "leephillips",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T14:08:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5832481",
          "commentText": "Some favorites:\nPale Fire by Nabokov\nUlysses by Joyce\nEt Tu, Babe by Leyner\nMetamorphosis by Kafka (more a long story)\nThings Fall Apart by Achebe\nHamlet and Coriolanus by Shakespeare\nThe Code of the Woosters by Wodehouse\nThe Doorbell Rang by Stout",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pale Fire by Nabokov",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395618,
          "author": "wahnfrieden",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T12:54:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395618",
          "commentText": "And I read Pnin - Pale Fire's next!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Pale Fire's next!",
          "reason": "Says they plan to read it next; no evaluation or recommendation is expressed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1973782,
          "author": "jherdman",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T03:40:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1973782",
          "commentText": "Bloody amazing book. I just reread it a few weeks ago.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bloody amazing book. I just reread it a few weeks ago.",
          "reason": "Calls it amazing and says they reread it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026537,
          "author": "pingswept",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T01:18:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026537",
          "commentText": "Lolita is great. If you like puzzles, you might also consider Pale Fire, which is bizarre, but quite rewarding if you get into it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If you like puzzles, you might also consider Pale Fire, which is bizarre, but quite rewarding if you get into it.",
          "reason": "Recommends considering it for readers who like puzzles, while noting its unusual style.",
          "audience": "Readers who like puzzles.",
          "caveat": "Bizarre, but rewarding if you get into it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vladimir Nabokov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "metafiction",
        "experimental fiction",
        "meta fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "philosophical-investigations-1c139c",
      "title": "Philosophical Investigations",
      "author": "Ludwig Wittgenstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43614414,
          "author": "shpx",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T18:25:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43614414",
          "commentText": "The Machinery of Life by David Goodsell. It's a short book with beautiful diagrams and explanations of microbiology.\nThe Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. Its thesis is that everything is built up of smaller things that are all trying to replicate or get replicated.\nPhilosophical Investigations by Ludwig Wittgenstein. I haven't read the book, but reading about the book's argument that language is a type of multiplayer game, along with the aforementioned ideas about things being built out of smaller things that are trying to replicate changed how seriously I take ideas in general. I'm not looking for a universal truth anymore, I'm watching different collections of ideas compete with each other based on how well they replicate and how well they compete once they've entered a brain.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I haven't read the book, but reading about the book's argument that language is a type of multiplayer game",
          "reason": "The commenter says the argument they read about changed how seriously they take ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read the book itself.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43574733,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-03T20:08:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 43572949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books written on “How to think”?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43574733",
          "commentText": "Philosophical Investigations\nLLM’s are mechanisms simulating playing language games.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Philosophical Investigations",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13804126,
          "author": "hashslingrz",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:15:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804126",
          "commentText": "Gravity's Rainbow, Thomas Pynchon (1973). The Platonic ideal of the Postmodern novel that combines a deep understanding of modernity with deep understanding and pessimistic view of technology.\nPurgatory, Dante (1320). No other work so elegantly grasps Christian Sanctification and it's true difficulties.\nPhilosophical Investigations, Ludwig Wittgenstin (1953). Like Pynchon, Wittgenstein understood quite well the exhausting pedantic nature of modern life. A book that can stand on it's own without having read much philosophy, this work attacks the foundations of most of \"Modern\" (I would label this as post Medieval philosophy ). \nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, Abelsson, Sussman, Sussman (1985). For me, the definitive \"Programming is what exactly?\" book.\nComputer Systems, a Programmer's Perspective, Bryant & O'Hallaron (2012). The Concrete Systems yin to SICP's abstract yang. \nBattleCry of Freedom, McPhearson (1988). The best Civil War history in the past generation that also lays bear how much of  what we view as modern crisis in the U.S. ( partisanship, horrendous propagandized media coverage, etc ) is as old as the country itself.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A book that can stand on it's own without having read much philosophy",
          "reason": "Recommended as accessible without much prior philosophy and praised for its critique of modern philosophy.",
          "audience": "Readers without much prior philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5691600,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T18:40:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5691600",
          "commentText": "Blood Meridian, Cormac McCarthy.\nPhilosphical Investigations, Ludwig Witgenstein.\nThe Analects.\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, Ableson and Sussman.\nThe Hamet and The Town and The Mansion, William Faulkner.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Philosphical Investigations, Ludwig Witgenstein.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for good book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503692,
          "author": "telemachos",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T14:39:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503692",
          "commentText": "Some from the canon:\n\nPlato: Defence of Socrates, Euthyphro, Crito (translated by David Gallop)\nThe Modes of Scepticism by Julia Annas and Jonathan Barnes (a beautiful collection of texts from Pyrrhonian scepticism and analysis of their arguments; the best way I know to meet ancient scepticism)\nDescartes: Meditations on First Philosophy (The Cambridge University Press edition is very good; it's probably worth buying their Selected Philosophical Writings for a good basic Descartes text)\nDavid Hume: An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding and An Enquiry concerning the Principles of Morals (I recommend the Oxford Philosophical Texts editions)\nWittgenstein: Philosophical Investigations (terribly, terribly difficult, but very rewarding)\n  A few contemporary things:\n\nGilbert Ryle: The Concept of Mind\nWillard Van Orman Quine: From a Logical Point of View\nJ. L. Mackie: Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong\nThomas Nagel: Mortal Questions (short essays, well-written, very accessible)\nBernard Williams: Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy\nMichael Smith: The Moral Problem\n  Specialist, technical, odd:\n\nThe Frege Reader by Michael Beaney (for modern logic and the beginnings of contemporary philosophy in the analytic style)\nJ. L. Mackie: The Cement of the Universe: A Study of Causation\nWilliam Kingdon Clifford: The Ethics of Belief (he argues, oddly but powerfully, that it's immoral to believe things on insufficient evidence or irrationally - an offense to morality, not just reason)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "terribly, terribly difficult, but very rewarding",
          "reason": "Calls it very rewarding despite its difficulty.",
          "audience": "Readers prepared for a challenging work.",
          "caveat": "Described as terribly difficult.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503671,
          "author": "zppx",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T14:26:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503671",
          "commentText": "My list:\n- Pirkei Avot, it's a section of the Mishnah (a part of the Talmud), it summarizes the jewish moral thought (well, not for the Karaites Jews, they did not believe in the Talmud), I was born in a Orthodox Jewish family so it was important on my beliefs, even though I am an Atheist now.\n- Organon, it's a compilation of Aristotle's logic works, they are the basis for the logical thought of the Western civilization, I think it's easier to read the originals than compendiums.\n- Philosophical Investigations, the second book of Wittgenstein, it's dense, and obscure to some extent, but it's really eye-opener, some ideas that influenced the last century are introduced there.\n- Proofs and Refutations, a posthumous work by Imre Lakatos, it defied much of my established view on how Mathematics works.\n- Thus Spoke Zarathustra, a powerful book, it's dense and you can only drag many conclusions from it when you read other works from Nietzsche, which lead to my next book.\n- On the Genealogy of Morality, this is for me the most important of the 5 books that I have read from Nietzsche, in the first essay of the book the concept of master morality and slave morality is introduced, some people think that Nietzsche favors the first, I disagree, for me he describes and criticizes both.\n- Truth and Method, the classic of Gadamer, some people call it a \"postmodern\" work, this only serves to show how \"modern\" some of the \"postmodern\" were, the book basically addresses how our current beliefs and customs, which he calls traditions, plays an important part in our hermeneutics and how we always are biased to interpret something.\n- Epistemic Justification, this book of William Alston is a good refinement if you already know some epistemology, although I disagree with the \"justified true belief\" definition of knowledge, that is the main theme of the book and its essays, it introduced some questions about the nature and limitations of knowledge.\n- Inquiry into the Human Mind, by Thomas Reid is a good read and also a staunch defense of the common sense.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it's dense, and obscure to some extent, but it's really eye-opener",
          "reason": "Calls it eye-opening and says it introduced influential ideas.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Wittgenstein and modern philosophy.",
          "caveat": "Dense and somewhat obscure.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ludwig Wittgenstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "language",
        "philosophy of language",
        "wittgenstein",
        "language philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "poor-charlie-s-almanack-7db355",
      "title": "Poor Charlie's Almanack",
      "author": "Charlie Munger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46396841,
          "author": "phtrivier",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T22:08:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46396841",
          "commentText": "I started the year with \"Right thing, right now\", and I'm ending it with \"wisdom takes work\" (R.Holiday), but I'm happy to say that I'm now a bit \"tired\" of re-reading the same rehashing of other people's book, and I want to read the original ones. Which, actually, is the pont.\nI wanted to read classics, and devoured \"The portrait of Dorian Gray\" (O.Wilde), where maybe 50% of all the \"as O.Wilde said...\" quotes seem to come from (uttered by a single, incredibly obnoxious character.)\nI challenged myself to read \"Les Miserables\" (V.Hugo), and actually managed to get two tomes out of five down. Eminently quotable, heavily skippable - why on earth spend half a time on describing the ins and out of Waterloo, except to show off ? - and, surprisingly, at times, _funny_.\nThe bio of Pierre Mendès France (J.Lacouture) was very much topical, given the mess in Franch politics. We had more PMs in one year than in a few chapters of the book. It's very weird to read that, at some point, some politicians were \"liked\" by the people - but lost power anyway.\nA small Edouard Phillipe book called \"Men who read\" almost made me like the guy - his next book is more serious and expected. It pains me to think that our next election is going to be about \"well read people who disappointed everyone\" vs \"popular jocks with no education who will end up disappointing everyone\".\n\"Abundance\" (E.Klein / D.Thompson) is an attempt from \"well read people\" to at least try and understand why everyone is disappointed and prefer the jocks. I don't think they included any solution in their book, though - maybe they save it for the sequel, or for E.Klein's presidential bid.\nI want to read all Stripe press - if only, because the covers rock, and they're optimistic. Started with \"Poor Charlie's Almanach\" (C.Munger), which a disappointing rehash of the same funny speech seven times. (Tldr : be multidisciplinary, study cognitive biases, don't trade). In the middle of \"The Origins of Efficiency \" (Potter)\n\"The Wave\" (Souleymane) was not optimistic. And not practical at all - sure, AI enabled drones carrying bioweapons will suck. \"The Age of predators\" (G. Da Empoli) reminds us that the AI enabled bioweapons carrying drones will come from an illiberal state enabled by billionaires from Silicon Valley, and Russian trolls. I wish someone told me where to go to avoid being targeted too early.\n\"Everything is tuberculosis\" (J. Greene) reminded me of a time when scientists were trying to solve problems as opposed to creating brand new ones - but at least the next generations won't die of boredom.\n\"We, programmers\" is a rehash of Uncle Bob's pre talks \"history of programming\". I loved the long and detailed parts about G.Hopper. He ends with a (failed) attempt to convince that programmers will still be needed in the age of AI.\nSteve Yegge's \"Vibe coding\" goes full \"resistance is futile\" about programming with agents, and, interestingly, ends up talking more about TDD than Uncle Bob - but the words \"electricity consumption\" and \"climate impact\" are not utured, because, why spoil the fun.\n\"The Common LISP cookbook\" tried to explain me the difference between ASDF, quicklisp and whatnot - 2025 was the closest year I ever go to actually writing something in LISP instead of reading books about it.\nAnd also, \"The baby is a mammal\" (M.Odent) and \"Becoming a dad for dummies\", because this year was probably the last one we're I'll get so much time to read :)",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Started with \"Poor Charlie's Almanach\" (C.Munger), which a disappointing rehash of the same funny speech seven times.",
          "reason": "Found it disappointing and repetitive.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as repeating the same speech seven times.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43410806,
          "author": "TheAlchemist",
          "createdAt": "2025-03-19T12:03:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 43402403,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book/course/resource for personal finance or financial literacy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43410806",
          "commentText": "Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger.\nFrankly, I doubt you will find anything better in finance that what came from those 2 guys. It's pure, old school, wisdom. Backed by >50 years of outstanding financial results.\nIf you can afford it, buy them 'Poor Charlie's Almanack' by Charlie Munger - and let them go down the rabbit hole.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "buy them 'Poor Charlie's Almanack' by Charlie Munger",
          "reason": "Recommended as a resource for high school and college students exploring financial literacy.",
          "audience": "High school and college students learning personal finance.",
          "caveat": "The commenter suggests it for those who can afford it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19906571,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-14T03:33:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19906571",
          "commentText": "I have found Poor Charlies Almanack by Charlie Muenger to have quite a few.\nThinking Fast and Slow is another great book that explains some of the mental models well.\nThe Art of Thinking Clearly is yet another that is actually more like a dictionary of mental models.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I have found Poor Charlies Almanack by Charlie Muenger to have quite a few.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it contains quite a few mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19899492,
          "author": "emre",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T14:22:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19899492",
          "commentText": "I would recommend Poor Charlie's Almanack by Charlie Munger and these following two books:\nThe Model Thinker: What You Need to Know to Make Data Work for You by Scott Page\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Model-Thinker-What-Need-Know/dp/04650... (https://www.amazon.com/Model-Thinker-What-Need-Know/dp/0465094627)\nand\nThe Great Mental Models: General Thinking Concepts by Shane Parrish\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Great-Mental-Models-Thinking-Concepts... (https://www.amazon.com/Great-Mental-Models-Thinking-Concepts-ebook/dp/B07P79P8ST)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend Poor Charlie's Almanack by Charlie Munger",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommended in response to a discussion asking for books that teach mental models.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking books about mental models.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17912358,
          "author": "TheAlchemist",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T20:09:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17912358",
          "commentText": "Oh I can only agree ! Each year I'm eagerly waiting for it.\nTo complement, I would add two books from Buffett and Munger:\n- \"The Snowball: Warren Buffett and the Business of Life\"  by Alice Schroeder\n- \"Poor Charlie's Almanack\" by Charlie Munger - a fantastic read",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Poor Charlie's Almanack\" by Charlie Munger - a fantastic read",
          "reason": "Calls it a fantastic read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16010565,
          "author": "jonvillage",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-26T19:55:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16010565",
          "commentText": "This year I've read:\nMaxims - Epictetus\nThe road to serfdom - Friedrich Hayek\nDe officiis - Cicero\nDe divinatione - Cicero\nLives of eminent philosophers - Diogenes Laertius\nConfessions - Al ghazali\nIlliad - Homer\nOdyssey - Homer\nInfluence - Robert Cialdini\nGuns, Germs and steel - Jared Diamond\nPoor Charlie's Almanack - Charlie Munger - 2nd reading\nAndrew Carnegie's Biography - Joseph Frazier\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Taleb - 2nd reading\nBed of Procrustes - Nassim Taleb\nNever Split the Difference - Christopher Voss\nThe intelligent investor - Benjamin Graham\nAutobiography - Benjamin Franklin\nI always remember this quote:\n\"In my whole life, I have known no wise people who didn't read all the time -- none, zero.\"  Charlie Munger",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Poor Charlie's Almanack - Charlie Munger - 2nd reading",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says this was a second reading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3277958,
          "author": "AJ007",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T19:22:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3277958",
          "commentText": "\"Poor Charlie's Almanack\" was one of two books which had a profound impact on my way of thinking ( \"Charlie Munger - The Psychology of Human Misjudgment\", listed in the parent post is probably the best piece in this book.)\nThe other book, which I read when I was 15 or 16, \"The Age of Spiritual Machines: When Computers Exceed Human Intelligence\" by Ray Kurzweil was the other. Instead of looking at the universe through the question of why won't this work, I began thinking about problems as under what circumstances would this occur. Today, the book may be dated, but its effect for me remains.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Poor Charlie's Almanack\" was one of two books which had a profound impact on my way of thinking",
          "reason": "The commenter says it profoundly affected how they think.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3277713,
          "author": "sayemm",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T18:04:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3277713",
          "commentText": "- \"Models of My Life\" by Herbert A. Simon\n- \"Poor Charlie's Almanack\" by Charlie Munger",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- \"Poor Charlie's Almanack\" by Charlie Munger",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books about mental models and cognition.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charlie Munger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "investing",
        "mental models",
        "charlie munger",
        "cognitive bias"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "remote-office-not-required-5dd259",
      "title": "REMOTE: Office Not Required",
      "author": "Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13236892,
          "author": "cpach",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T12:46:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13236892",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction:\nBecoming Steve Jobs / Rick Tetzeli & Brent Schlender\nRemote: Office Not Required / David Heinemeier Hansson & Jason Fried\nFiction:\nRum Punch / Elmore Leonard",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Remote: Office Not Required / David Heinemeier Hansson & Jason Fried",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229687,
          "author": "scottyab",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:20:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229687",
          "commentText": "Remote: Office Not Required - https://37signals.com/remote",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Remote: Office Not Required",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348339,
          "author": "ryanSrich",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:42:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348339",
          "commentText": "I read remote almost two years ago shortly before starting my first remote job. I'm a huge 37signals fan but the book just didn't do it for me. I found the advice to be mostly obvious. That doesn't necessarily make it a bad book but I was really looking for more well tested industry specific advice. It would have been great to also hear of any remote working failures they endured during their 16 years in business.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I read remote almost two years ago shortly before starting my first remote job.",
          "reason": "The commenter found the advice mostly obvious and wanted more well-tested, industry-specific guidance.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They say it didn't do it for them and wanted more evidence-based, industry-specific advice.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9347744,
          "author": "prezjordan",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T14:28:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9347744",
          "commentText": "Great read with lots of sane advice. My only wish was that they talked more about \"junior\" folks and the whole mentoring aspect - steps to make that effective remotely (for both parties!)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Great read with lots of sane advice. My only wish was that they talked more about \"junior\" folks and the whole mentoring aspect",
          "reason": "Calls it a great read with practical advice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Wishes it covered mentoring junior staff and remote mentoring in more depth.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8717149,
          "author": "lordbusiness",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T16:13:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8717149",
          "commentText": "I second this.\nI've been a remote worker on and off for a long time, and have long sung the virtues (whilst objectively recognizing the drawbacks).\nThis book goes a long way to helping articulate my findings.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second this.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly seconds the parent recommendation and says the book articulates their experience with remote work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They acknowledge remote work has drawbacks.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8716492,
          "author": "kethinov",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T14:20:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8716492",
          "commentText": "Remote: Office Not Required by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson.\nThe book hit me at a particularly receptive moment. I was on an airplane headed to a meeting that easily could have done remotely just as effectively without the excessive time and money cost. Ironically, I read the entire book on the plane.\nThe book is great at illustrating what types of meetings need to be in person and what types don't, dispelling common myths along the way with solid research.\nThey concluded that our current default of a compulsory office presence with only occasional remote work permitted is exactly backwards. It should be the opposite. The types of meetings that require you to be in the same room to be collaborative are the exception, not the rule.\nIt's a truly great book and I recommend all creative professionals read it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a truly great book and I recommend all creative professionals read it.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it truly great and recommends it to creative professionals.",
          "audience": "Creative professionals.",
          "caveat": "The commenter supports the book's argument with solid research and notes exceptions for meetings that require in-person collaboration.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968372,
          "author": "amyunus",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:40:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968372",
          "commentText": "REMOTE. A very intriguing book I have ever read. By Jason Fried and David HH.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "REMOTE. A very intriguing book I have ever read. By Jason Fried and David HH.",
          "reason": "Calls it very intriguing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jason Fried",
        "David Heinemeier Hansson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "remote work",
        "management",
        "workplace",
        "distributed teams"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "radical-candor-e4af30",
      "title": "Radical Candor",
      "author": "Kim Scott",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Radical Candor (Kim Scott)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33858182,
          "author": "mooreds",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T21:37:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33858182",
          "commentText": "Hiya,\nI'd consider these books/articles/podcasts:\n* Secrets of Consulting by Gerald Weinberg: http://geraldmweinberg.com/Site/Consulting_Secrets.html Every problem is a people problem.\n* Refactoring by Martin Fowler et. al: https://martinfowler.com/books/refactoring.html talks about how and why to refactor, as well as providing a nomenclature for the process.\n* Code Complete by Steve McConnell. https://stevemcconnell.com/books/ A bit dated (the last version I could find was from 2004) but a great overview of the entire software process, from requirements to maintenance.\n* The Mythical Man-Month by Fred Brookes: https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/mythical-man-month-the/... (https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/mythical-man-month-the/0201835959/) best practices about software development, written about a project from the 1960 and 1970s.\n* The Joel On Software Strategy Letters: https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/05/12/strategy-letter-i-... (https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/05/12/strategy-letter-i-ben-and-jerrys-vs-amazon/) is the first one. All of them (I think there are five) are great.\n* Letters to a New Developer: https://letterstoanewdeveloper.com/the-book/ Please note I wrote this, but I still think it does a good job of discussing the \"soft skills\" in an easily digestible format.\n* Pragmatic Programmer by Dave Thomas and Andy Hunt: https://pragprog.com/titles/tpp20/the-pragmatic-programmer-2... (https://pragprog.com/titles/tpp20/the-pragmatic-programmer-20th-anniversary-edition/) Haven't read the revised 20th anniversary edition, but the first one opened my eyes to the craft of software.\n* High Output Management by Andy Grove: https://bookshop.org/p/books/high-output-management-andrew-s... (https://bookshop.org/p/books/high-output-management-andrew-s-grove/6730629) a great way to think about throughput\n* The Phoenix Project by Gene Kim et. al: https://itrevolution.com/product/the-phoenix-project/ Fun novel(!) about applying lean management principles to software engineering.\n* Radical Candor (haven't read, but it's been recommended): https://www.radicalcandor.com/ About communication.\n* Good to Great by Jim Collins: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_to_Great Focuses on what great companies bring to the table. Helps me evaluate where to work.\n* Mastery Autonomy and Purpose: A great video about what people really want in work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzXXC4MZZnY\n* https://www.manager-tools.com/podcasts a podcast about managing people. You didn't say you wanted to be a people manager, but knowing what managers think about will make you more effective in any org.\n* Managing Humans by Michael Lopp: https://managinghumans.com/ The whole Rands site is work reading, but I enjoyed this book about how to manage teams and build software. See above.\n* Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug: https://sensible.com/dont-make-me-think/ Easy ways to think about usability, focusing on webapps. Short and easy.\n* Badass: Making Users Awesome, by Kathy Sierra: http://seriouspony.com/badass-users-the-book Will help you put yourself in the shoes of your users and think about how to build software they will love. Short and easy.\nHope this helps.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Radical Candor (haven't read, but it's been recommended)",
          "reason": "Listed as a recommended book about communication.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25558237,
          "author": "abhayb",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-28T10:57:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 25554464,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books for dealing with workplace politics and dishonesty?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25558237",
          "commentText": "First, I understand what you are saying and understand the constraints keeping you at a job you have issues with. I've certainly seen organizations go too far on consensus even when each person individually (especially the ones at the top) would like more decisiveness. This is a hard and draining place. And all moves out require even more energy that you may not have and should not (in a just world) have to expend.\nSomeone recommended \"Moral Mazes\" and I heartily second it. Though mostly because it was so profoundly cynical that it pushed me to defend the systems I was so annoyed by.\nIf you want to learn the language of design by committee, \"Nonviolent Communication\" by Marshall Rosenberg is the book that the rest of the committee is playing from. It has genuinely useful pieces. But I also find it fundamentally dishonest in that it frames all other forms of communication as \"violent\" in a rank misuse of the word. Additionally, the techniques it recommends require that you put in all the effort of framing a situation as no-blame or shared-blame when it very much is not. You do not need to agree with your opponents' tactics manual to find value in its study.\n\"Radical Candor\" by Kim Scott is an attempt to bring directness in to otherwise passive aggressive situations. It's a valiant attempt but it's unclear to me how viable its recommendations are.\nHowever it's not clear to me that any amount of high or low level reading is going to help with your feelings of dissatisfaction here. It sounds like you're looking for a \"win\" instead of an \"out\". And despite the deeply cynical feelings it can generate, you cannot succeed at office politics through cynicism. Or irony. Or cynical, ironic, distance. The successful are either completely earnest, or sociopathic enough to fake complete earnestness. And from the outside those are indistinguishable.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Radical Candor\" by Kim Scott is an attempt to bring directness in to otherwise passive aggressive situations.",
          "reason": "Presented as an attempt to bring directness into passive aggressive situations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it a valiant attempt but is unsure how viable its recommendations are.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21721479,
          "author": "egads",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-06T13:15:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21721479",
          "commentText": "Radical Candor is easily the most impactful leadership book I've read. I've always struggled with finding the balance between being direct without being a jerk and being compassionate without being ineffective. I still feel like I nail it about 10% of the time, but at least I have a clearer picture of what the communication style I'm aiming for looks like.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Radical Candor is easily the most impactful leadership book I've read.",
          "reason": "Calls it the most impactful leadership book they have read and says it clarified their target communication style.",
          "audience": "Leaders working to balance directness and compassion.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they still achieve the desired balance only about 10% of the time.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21719355,
          "author": "aprdm",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-06T04:52:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21719355",
          "commentText": "I've been a team lead for close to four years now in two different companies, both times my teams spanned multiple time zones!\nI really enjoy this subject and read a lot about it. My favorite books so far are:\n- Radical Candor\n-- Gives a great framework for candid conversations and empathy which IMO are the most important thing! Clear #1 in my list.\n- Leading by Alex Ferguson\n-- A great successful leader in another area - Soccer - that had many years building effective teams. It's incredible how many concepts can be mapped over, he talks for example on how having \"rockstars\" in a team that aren't team players isn't worth it.\n- Ride of a lifetime by Bob Iger\n-- It's mostly a biography of Disney's most successful CEO, I thought it was very authentic and gave good advices on how to deal with creative people, empathy, setting goals and navigating hard situations (compartmentalizing)\n- Creativity Inc Amy / Ed\n-- Pixar's president biography on how to manage creative teams, it is a bit repetitive but it is golden! Lots of good ideas and insightful chapters that make you think about how to build a successful culture.\n- The Manager's Path: A Guide for Tech Leaders\n-- IMO a bit shallow compared to the other books I mentioned but it was a pleasant read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Clear #1 in my list.",
          "reason": "Names it as a favorite and says it gives a great framework for candid conversations and empathy.",
          "audience": "People interested in leadership and team communication.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kim Scott"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "communication",
        "feedback",
        "management",
        "leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ray-tracing-in-one-weekend-5d17ba",
      "title": "Ray Tracing in One Weekend",
      "author": "Peter Shirley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28481164,
          "author": "thrower123",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-10T13:22:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 28478751,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach you programming languages via systems projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28481164",
          "commentText": "The Maze book is really good. Definitely recommend.\nOne thing that I've found helpful often when learning a new language is taking some code written in a language I know already and porting it over into the new language.  That's more fun with a project that actually does something interesting, and if you've got the original-language version running, you can compare output.\nPeter Shirley's Ray Tracing in One Weekend book (and sequels) are also fun little projects\nhttps://raytracing.github.io/books/RayTracingInOneWeekend.ht... (https://raytracing.github.io/books/RayTracingInOneWeekend.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Peter Shirley's Ray Tracing in One Weekend book (and sequels) are also fun little projects",
          "reason": "Recommends the book as a fun project.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22301431,
          "author": "Insanity",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-11T18:57:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22301431",
          "commentText": "Was going to mention this myself. Can recommend this book, it's great fun and you can indeed get through it in a weekend.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Was going to mention this myself. Can recommend this book",
          "reason": "The reply endorses the book described in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it can be completed in a weekend.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22300367,
          "author": "eachro",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-11T17:29:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22300367",
          "commentText": "Ray Tracing in a Weekend(https://raytracing.github.io/books/RayTracingInOneWeekend.ht... (https://raytracing.github.io/books/RayTracingInOneWeekend.html)) is an incredible guide to work through to write a basic functioning ray tracer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ray Tracing in a Weekend",
          "reason": "Calls it an incredible guide to writing a basic functioning ray tracer.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14659934,
          "author": "pfranz",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-29T01:02:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 14652936,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on modern computer graphics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14659934",
          "commentText": "I just finished the first and I made it through in 2 days without really trying.  I went through it a second time, trying to use the example code as less of a crutch and do it myself, while following different topics that came up.\nIt's a great overview of the subject.  I /really/ like that each chapter is fairly short, you have a working example at the end of each one, he explains both the concept and why he approaches a certain way in code.\nI should also mention, learning raytracing won't directly help if you're trying to learn realtime computer graphics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I just finished the first",
          "reason": "Calls the book a great overview and praises its concise chapters, working examples, and explanations.",
          "audience": "Readers learning ray tracing.",
          "caveat": "Ray tracing won't directly help someone trying to learn realtime computer graphics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13661981,
          "author": "corysama",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-16T17:51:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13661981",
          "commentText": "Ray Tracing in One Weekend\nRay Tracing: The Next Week\nRay Tracing: The Rest of Your Life\nhttp://in1weekend.blogspot.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ray Tracing in One Weekend",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Shirley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ray tracing",
        "computer graphics",
        "project based learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "skunk-works-bdc96b",
      "title": "Skunk Works",
      "author": "Ben R. Rich and Leo Janos",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42657568,
          "author": "ashika",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T17:13:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42657568",
          "commentText": "worth reading for rich's crazy jokes alone. the fact he is telling them to senior military brass in the context of negotiating his division's survival after kelly johnson's retirement makes them even funnier. my favorite - a boy comes home from school, finds his dad, and proudly declares \"dad, i saved 25 cents by running alongside the bus instead of riding it!\". the father shakes his head and replies sternly, \"you fool, you should have run next to a taxi and saved five dollars\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "worth reading for rich's crazy jokes alone",
          "reason": "Recommends the book for Rich’s jokes and recounts one of them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42657278,
          "author": "geocrasher",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T16:45:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42657278",
          "commentText": "An excellent read, no doubt. I've actually read it a couple of times. Ben Rich was a great writer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've actually read it a couple of times. Ben Rich was a great writer.",
          "reason": "Positive response to the book in the parent comment; the commenter has reread it several times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467840,
          "author": "starpilot",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T16:07:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467840",
          "commentText": "Anna Karenina, 3x in two translations\nSkunk Works\nIntelligent Investor\nMan Who Was Thursday",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Skunk Works",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter reread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20983115,
          "author": "jfrd",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T11:48:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20983115",
          "commentText": "I read Cuckoo’s Egg and also liked “The Soul of a New Machine”, “SkunkWorks”, and “The Making of the Atomic Bomb”.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“SkunkWorks”",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter says they liked.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 621268,
          "author": "pg",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-21T23:11:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621268",
          "commentText": "Skunkworks",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Skunkworks",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ben R. Rich",
        "Leo Janos"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aerospace engineering",
        "lockheed",
        "aerospace",
        "engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "small-gods-c0718a",
      "title": "Small Gods",
      "author": "Terry Pratchett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32200628,
          "author": "fredsir",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-23T05:22:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32200628",
          "commentText": "Small Gods by Terry Pratchett.\nI've heard about, and tried to get into the Discworld a few times, but it never really happened. I think I tried Guard! Guards! twice. Maybe I was in a different headspace, or maybe it was just not for me. But then I tried Small Gods, and it's the best thing I've read since (the nutrition label on the back of) sliced bread. No, really, it's lovely! I'll be done tomorrow according to my Kobos statistics, and then I just need to figure out what I'm gonna read next. Cannot wait to find out about all the things out there in the Discworld that I don't know about yet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Small Gods by Terry Pratchett.",
          "reason": "Calls it a lovely, enjoyable read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Previous attempts to get into Discworld, including Guard! Guards!, did not work for the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17170821,
          "author": "Fuzzwah",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-28T06:12:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17170821",
          "commentText": "Operating Manual For Spaceship Earth\nBy Buckminster Fuller\nI first read it when I was ~25 and it made me think about the way the world is, the historical reasons it is this way and how we can nudge it towards being better.\nIt frustrates me that Fuller wrote the book nearly 50 years ago and all the same stupid crap continues to happen and humanity doesn't seem to be getting its collective shit together.\nBut then I remember the lessons from the book on why the world is like it is and how we can only nudge it slowly....\nYou can read it here: http://designsciencelab.com/resources/OperatingManual_BF.pdf\nEdit to also mention; Small Gods by Terry Pratchett (as well as basically every other book he ever wrote).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Edit to also mention; Small Gods by Terry Pratchett (as well as basically every other book he ever wrote).",
          "reason": "Adds it as another life-changing book in response to the thread question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762166,
          "author": "gerdesj",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T01:43:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762166",
          "commentText": "I'll present \"Small Gods\" by Terry Pratchett as foil that notes that one should be really careful about what happens when one presents a foil to a (any) religious based offering.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'll present \"Small Gods\" by Terry Pratchett as foil",
          "reason": "Presents it as a foil in a discussion of religious offerings, without evaluating the book itself.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156533,
          "author": "jeffersonheard",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:44:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156533",
          "commentText": "Getting More - Stuart Diamond. I still think this is the best book on the art of negotiation.\nGetting Things Done - David Allen. If you have adult ADHD like me, and you haven't read this, it's the first system that's really worked for productivity for me.\nMan's Search for Meaning - Victor Frankl.\nLiving Buddha, Living Christ - Thich Nhat Hanh.\nCosmos - Carl Sagan.\nThe Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. LeGuin.\nThe One who Walks Away from Omelas - U.K. LeGuin.\nWild Seed - Octavia Butler.\nThe Heike Monogatari - (tr. Helen Craig McCullough) “The sound of the Gion Shoja temple bells echoes the impermanence of all things; the color of the sala flowers reveals the truth that to flourish is to fall. The proud do not endure, like a passing dream on a night in spring; the mighty fall at last, to be no more than dust before the wind.” If you need a comparison. this is the Japanese historical equivalent of Game of Thrones combined with a bit of MacBeth. The rise and fall of two shogunate families, and an analysis of the tragic flaws of character that brought their fall about.\nLes Miserables - Victor Hugo.\nSmall Gods - Terry Pratchett.\nHeart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad.\nThe Guide - R. K. Narayan.\nEvidence - Mary Oliver.\nAll of Us - The Collected Poetry of Raymond Carver.\nSilence - Shusaku Endo.\nThe Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald.\nThe Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Murakami Haruki. This and the next four are odd choices, perhaps, since it's a surrealist book, but IMO books that force your imagination to work hard do as much for creativity and fresh ideas as any of the more popular methods.\nThe Well-Built City (The Physiognomy / Memoranda / The Beyond) Jeffery Ford - Surrealist novellas best described as about the protagonist living and achieving agency within the constructs, dreams, and nightmares of a \"Great Man's\" mind.\nSnow Crash - Neal Stephenson.\nGravity's Rainbow - Thomas Pynchon.\nDhalgren - Samuel L. \"Chip\" Delany.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Small Gods - Terry Pratchett.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8106971,
          "author": "AnkhMorporkian",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:26:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106971",
          "commentText": "Small Gods is a wonderful little book, and it's a great introduction the the humor of the series since it pretty much stands by itself.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Small Gods is a wonderful little book, and it's a great introduction",
          "reason": "Praised as a wonderful book and a good introduction to the series' humor.",
          "audience": "Readers new to the series' humor.",
          "caveat": "It pretty much stands by itself.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8106956,
          "author": "yen223",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:22:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106956",
          "commentText": "I binge-read Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. If you're looking for something religious-y, start with the brilliant Small Gods.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the brilliant Small Gods",
          "reason": "Suggested as a starting point for readers seeking something religious in tone.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for something religious-y.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry Pratchett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fantasy",
        "discworld",
        "religion",
        "religion and belief"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "software-tools-ab1f9b",
      "title": "Software Tools",
      "author": "Brian W. Kernighan and P. J. Plauger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35930627,
          "author": "chillpenguin",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T17:33:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35930627",
          "commentText": "+1 for Software Tools by Kernighan and Plauger. It was eye-opening for me because it really made me understand the unix philosophy of composing programs out of smaller programs.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for Software Tools by Kernighan and Plauger.",
          "reason": "Says it helped them understand the Unix philosophy of composing programs from smaller programs.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35929640,
          "author": "sema4hacker",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T15:59:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35929640",
          "commentText": "The Elements of Programming Style by Kernighan and Plauger\nSoftware Tools by Kernighan and Plauger\nThe Psychology of Computer Programming by Weinberg\nA cartoon-illustrated DIY Honda Civic repair book from the 80's I no longer remember the name of.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Software Tools by Kernighan and Plauger",
          "reason": "Lists it among books that were eye-opening to the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14842736,
          "author": "abecedarius",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-24T21:13:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14842736",
          "commentText": "Thinking Forth; Software Tools; SICP; Abstraction and Specification in Program Development; Essentials of Programming Languages; Paradigms of AI Programming; I'd like to list something about OO too, but no book I know really measures up to learning from other programmers. But there's Mark S. Miller's thesis Robust Composition.\n(in roughly chronological order. As you can see from the chronology, it took me a long time to start to like OOP.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Software Tools",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which books shaped the commenter's approach to code structure.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14489700,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T17:57:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14489700",
          "commentText": "+1. I have a corner of a bookshelf reserved for everything Kernighan, e.g. both Software Tools editions, both C Language editions, The Unix Programming Environment, The Practice of Programming, The AWK Language, even a copy of The Elements of Programming Style. I, and my employers and clients, may owe more to Mr. Kernighan for his teaching and programming style, than anyone else.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1. I have a corner of a bookshelf reserved for everything Kernighan, e.g. both Software Tools editions, both C Language editions, The Unix Programming Environment, The Practice of Programming, The AWK Language, even a copy of The Elements of Programming Style. I, and my employers and clients, may owe more to Mr. Kernighan for his teaching and programming style, than anyone else.",
          "reason": "Endorses Kernighan’s teaching and programming style and says they may owe him more than anyone else.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 177240,
          "author": "landondyer",
          "createdAt": "2008-04-30T03:01:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 176803,
          "threadTitle": "Which is your favorite 70-80s computer book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=177240",
          "commentText": "Dang, choices, choices.  K&R, of course.  Followed closely by _Software Tools_, and Lion's Notes on V6 Unix.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Followed closely by _Software Tools_",
          "reason": "Names it among favorite computer books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian W. Kernighan",
        "P. J. Plauger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software tools",
        "programming",
        "unix",
        "software design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "star-maker-025a94",
      "title": "Star Maker",
      "author": "Olaf Stapledon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49901612,
          "author": "black6",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-29T22:23:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49901612",
          "commentText": "Olaf Stapledon's Star Maker",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Olaf Stapledon's Star Maker",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42269293,
          "author": "mat41",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T23:13:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42269293",
          "commentText": "Olaf Stapledon, Last and First Men (1930)\nOlaf Stapledon, Star Maker (1937)\nRather difficult reads for me as a non-native english speaker, but it was worth it. It is hard to imagine a more epic science fiction scenario than \"Star Maker\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It is hard to imagine a more epic science fiction scenario than \"Star Maker\".",
          "reason": "Calls its science fiction scenario exceptionally epic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Rather difficult for the commenter as a non-native English speaker.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536595,
          "author": "RBerenguel",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:24:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536595",
          "commentText": "Agreed. I read it in one sitting and sits very up on my sci-fi hall of fame",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Agreed. I read it in one sitting and sits very up on my sci-fi hall of fame",
          "reason": "The reply clearly refers to the parent-mentioned book, saying it was read in one sitting and belongs in their science fiction hall of fame.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536540,
          "author": "Ancalagon",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:13:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536540",
          "commentText": "Olaf Stapledon's \"Star Maker\" Is one of my favorite books of all time. Its pretty much a grand exploration of this universe  and every other universe to ever exist, through the eyes of the main character. I'm rereading it right now again.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Olaf Stapledon's \"Star Maker\" Is one of my favorite books of all time.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of their favorite books and describes its expansive exploration of the universe.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056566,
          "author": "onion2k",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:26:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056566",
          "commentText": "Star Maker by Olaf Stapledon.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Star Maker by Olaf Stapledon.",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a favorite science fiction books question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140842,
          "author": "kryptos",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T15:19:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140842",
          "commentText": "Stanislaw lem.. i agree... Solaris was special.. and most purists seemed to suggest the translation from Polish was bad!... Olaf stapledon's last and first men, starMaker were both stunning... \nUrsula le guin also come to mind",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "starMaker were both stunning",
          "reason": "Calls it stunning.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Olaf Stapledon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cosmic scale",
        "philosophical science fiction",
        "cosmic fiction",
        "cosmic science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "switch-how-to-change-things-when-change-is-hard-613348",
      "title": "Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard",
      "author": "Chip Heath and Dan Heath",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35178460,
          "author": "wallflower",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-16T05:30:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35178460",
          "commentText": "“Team Topologies”\nhttps://teamtopologies.com/\n“Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard”\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Switch-Change-Things-When-Hard/dp/038... (https://www.amazon.com/Switch-Change-Things-When-Hard/dp/0385528752)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard”",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about organizational structure and incentives.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35174465,
          "author": "clarkevans",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T20:45:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35174465",
          "commentText": "Switch, How to Change Things When Change Is Hard, by Chip and Dan Heath.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Switch, How to Change Things When Change Is Hard, by Chip and Dan Heath.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3277592,
          "author": "lpolovets",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T17:30:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3277592",
          "commentText": "Category 1:\n- Simple Heuristics That Make Use Smart by Gigerenzer, et al. (http://www.amazon.com/Simple-Heuristics-That-Make-Smart/dp/0... (http://www.amazon.com/Simple-Heuristics-That-Make-Smart/dp/0195143817/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1322242265&sr=1-1)). I have heard good things about this book but have not read it yet.\nCategory 2:\n- Think Twice by Mauboussin (http://www.amazon.com/Think-Twice-Harnessing-Power-Counterin... (http://www.amazon.com/Think-Twice-Harnessing-Power-Counterintuition/dp/1422176754))\n- Influence by Cialdini (http://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Busine... (http://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Business-Essentials/dp/006124189X))\nCategory 3:\n- You already mentioned Michalko, but his other book, Thinkertoys, is also very good (http://www.amazon.com/Thinkertoys-Handbook-Creative-Thinking... (http://www.amazon.com/Thinkertoys-Handbook-Creative-Thinking-Techniques-2nd/dp/1580087736))\nCategory 5:\n- Switch by the Heath brothers is excellent (http://www.amazon.com/Switch-Change-Things-When-Hard/dp/0385... (http://www.amazon.com/Switch-Change-Things-When-Hard/dp/0385528752/))",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Switch by the Heath brothers is excellent",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly describes the book as excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2642504,
          "author": "pitchups",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T21:34:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2642504",
          "commentText": "Here are some more favorites (they may not qualify as the best books ever, but great books with original and useful  ideas):\n- Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation by Steven Johnson\n- The Upside of Irrationality: The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic at Work and at Home by Dan Ariely\n- Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip Heath, Dan Heath",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip Heath, Dan Heath",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorites and described as a great book with original, useful ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these may not qualify as the best books ever.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226975,
          "author": "pyronicide",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T17:14:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226975",
          "commentText": "Here are some books that are a mix of psychology and economics that I think are especially suited for HN:\nBehavioral Economics:\n  Predictably Irrational - Dan Ariely\n  Nudge - Richard Thaler\n  Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard - Chip and Dan Heath\n\nEconomics:\n  The Black Swan: Impact of the Highly Improbable - Nassim Taleb\n  Fooled by Randomness - Nassim Taleb\n  Drunkard's Walk - Leonard Mlodinow\n\nPsychology:\n  Opening Skinner's Box - Lauren Slater\n\nManagement:\n  The Education of a Coach - David Halberstam",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard - Chip and Dan Heath",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chip Heath",
        "Dan Heath"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "behavior change",
        "organizational change",
        "change management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-c-programming-language-7436ae",
      "title": "The C Programming Language",
      "author": "Brian W. Kernighan, Dennis M. Ritchie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32345902,
          "author": "noufalibrahim",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-04T17:39:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32345902",
          "commentText": "I don't know of any \"how to write tech. books\" kinds of books. I do have some recommendations of good examples of technical writing and right on top of the list is the C programming language closely followed by anything written by Brian Kernighan. The latters relaxed presentation with hard hitting examples drives home points in a way that no other book I've read does.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "right on top of the list is the C programming language closely followed by anything written by Brian Kernighan.",
          "reason": "Recommended as an example of strong technical writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not a how-to-write-technical-books guide.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21313367,
          "author": "sweeneyrod",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T15:27:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21313367",
          "commentText": "I don't think there are any. The problem with learning computer science from textbooks is that most textbooks will go a lot further than just the fundamentals on the subjects they cover. So if you try to learn the basics by choosing a textbook for each area and read it cover to cover you'll never finish. Perhaps the answer is to thoroughly read the first few chapters/skim the remainder of Introduction to Algorithms; the Dragon book; Computer Networks/Architecture/etc.: A Systems/Quantitative/etc. Approach; Types and Programming Languages; Security Engineering; AI: A Modern Approach and so on -- that was certainly my experience of undergrad CS. A few exceptions are K&R, The Mythical Man-Month and What Every Computer Scientist Should Know About Floating-Point Arithmetic which are short enough that you can easily read them in their entirety.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "K&R",
          "reason": "Names it as a short book that can be read in its entirety.",
          "audience": "People learning undergraduate computer science.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as an exception to textbooks that are too long to read cover to cover.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414509,
          "author": "dytrivedi",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T09:58:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414509",
          "commentText": "Godel, Escher, Bach\nSICP\nArt of Computer Programming\nC Programming Language\nIntroduction to Algorithms\nLand of Lisp\n-- Extracted from my wishlist - http://flipkart.com/wishlist/dhavaltrivedi",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "C Programming Language",
          "reason": "Lists it among books on the commenter's wishlist in a thread asking for useful CS books.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking computer science study resources.",
          "caveat": "Listed as a wishlist item; no specific evaluation is given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414503,
          "author": "nikcub",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T09:55:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414503",
          "commentText": "I am also self-taught, although I dropped out of University two years into a CompSci/Engineering double major, so I will recommend some resources to you that helped me immensely. Each of these books has an associated MIT course with lecture video, notes, etc. available online.\nFirst is Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs[1], which you can read online, and the associated course at MIT, which is 6.001[2]\nSecond is the famous 'Dragon Book', Compilers: Principals, Techniques and Tools[3] and the associated course which is 6.035[4]\nExtras would be the Python book 'How to think like a Computer Scientist'[5]. MIT course 6.00[6] uses the book as a reference, and the courseware is again available online.\nOther than that - the usual suspects on learning C (K&R), UNIX (TAOUP[7]), the bash shell along with grep, sed, awk, more algorithms(CLRS[8]), functional programming and machine learning. Take your time, it takes years to build the relevant experience and knowledge and you are never done.\nI love the MIT courses. Work and learn at your own rate. I feel that it is important to implement all the code yourself even if it looks easy in a lecture - there are little things you pick up as you write algorithms out.\nEven though I had worked through SICP I still watched all the lectures again and implemented all the examples with benchmarks and unit tests. I usually set aside one day on the weekend to work on study, and usually an extra evening or two mid-week to read papers and books. Once you get into the routine it is great.\nIt might be the best approach to set yourself a timetable and weekly schedule, just like in UNI (ie. every Saturday plus Tuesday and Thursday nights) and work through the MIT courseware and associated books in order (6.00, 6.001, 6.035). The more advanced MIT courseware is an excellent bonus.\n[1] http://xrl.us/sicp\n[2] http://xrl.us/6001\n[3] http://xrl.us/dragonbook\n[4] http://xrl.us/6035\n[5] http://xrl.us/thinkcs\n[6] http://xrl.us/6000\n[7] http://xrl.us/artunix\n[8] http://xrl.us/clrs",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the usual suspects on learning C (K&R)",
          "reason": "Names K&R among the usual resources for learning C.",
          "audience": "Readers learning C.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1213049,
          "author": "nfnaaron",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-23T15:02:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1212675,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I use and love Python. What's the best book to learn C ?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1213049",
          "commentText": "From my C days, I second and third Harbison & Steele. I learned from K&R, but I learned better from H&S.\nFrom this list (can't say how current they are),\nhttp://www.c-faq.com/resources/sd19.html\nI liked:\n  - K&R and H&S (if you have to choose, H&S)\n  - The Standard C Library, P.J.Plauger.\n  - C Traps and Pitfalls, Andrew Koenig.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I learned from K&R, but I learned better from H&S.",
          "reason": "The commenter learned from it but says Harbison and Steele was better.",
          "audience": "People learning C.",
          "caveat": "The commenter prefers Harbison and Steele if choosing between them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 177007,
          "author": "mironathetin",
          "createdAt": "2008-04-29T21:22:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 176803,
          "threadTitle": "Which is your favorite 70-80s computer book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=177007",
          "commentText": "Kernighan Ritchie: The C Programming Language.\nI had a copy lying near my unix lab computer. It must have been around 85 and I hated it back then (it was a very bad german translation).\n4 weeks ago I grabbed an old copy from our library (this time the american 2nd edition) and now I appreciate how well this book is written.\nIf you have some time, read it. Its a real pleasure!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kernighan Ritchie: The C Programming Language.",
          "reason": "After disliking a poor German translation, the commenter praises the American second edition's writing and calls it a pleasure to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The earlier German translation was described as very bad.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian W. Kernighan",
        "Dennis M. Ritchie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming",
        "c",
        "programming education",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-difference-engine-85ffa2",
      "title": "The Difference Engine",
      "author": "William Gibson and Bruce Sterling",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46161500,
          "author": "ashtavakra",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-05T14:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46161500",
          "commentText": "I consolidated the comments for my reference later. Someone else might also find it useful:\n# Fiction Books Recommended for Programmers (HN Thread 46128404)\n## Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- *Children of Time* — Science Fiction (Evolution, Space Opera)  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)\n## Rick Cook — Wizardry Series\n- *Wizard’s Bane* — Fantasy, Programming/Magic Mashup  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112616.Wizard_s_Bane\n- *Wizardry Series (overview)*  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\n## James P. Hogan\n- *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/743568.Inherit_the_Stars\n- *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifem... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifemaker)\n- *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_Tomorrow)\n## D. F. Jones — Colossus Trilogy\n- *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806105.Colossus\n- *The Fall of Colossus* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colos... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colossus)\n- *Colossus and the Crab* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_Crab)\n## Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner)\n- *A Logic Named Joe* — Golden-Age Sci-Fi, AI Precursor  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-j... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-joe)\n## David Gerrold\n- *When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One* — AI, Classic Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_Was_One)\n## William Gibson / Bruce Sterling\n- *Neuromancer* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer\n- *The Difference Engine* — Steampunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Eng... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Engine)\n## Neal Stephenson\n- *Snow Crash* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash\n- *Cryptonomicon* — Techno-thriller, Cyber-history  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/816.Cryptonomicon\n- *Anathem* — Philosophical Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2845024-anathem\n- *The Diamond Age* — Nanopunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827.The_Diamond_Age\n## Fred Saberhagen\n- *Octagon* — AI, Techno-thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1891958.Octagon\n## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga\n- *Series Overview* — Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/40946-vorkosigan-saga\n## Richard Powers\n- *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45104.Galatea_2_2\n## Scott Meyer\n- *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-wizard)\n## Daniel Suarez\n- *Daemon* — Cyber-thriller, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665844-daemon\n## Thomas J. Ryan\n- *The Adolescence of P-1* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_o... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_of_P_1)\n## Ernest Cline\n- *Ready Player One* — Sci-Fi, Gaming, Pop-Culture Adventure  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one\n## Dennis E. Taylor\n- *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)* — Humorous Sci-Fi, AI, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-we-are-bob)\n## Ted Chiang\n- *Stories of Your Life and Others* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\n- *Exhalation* — Speculative Fiction, Philosophy, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation\n- *The Lifecycle of Software Objects* — AI, Digital Consciousness  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of-software-objects)\n## Charles Stross\n- *Laundry Files Series* — Math-based Magic, Techno-Fantasy  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files\n## Ken Liu\n- *The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menag... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories)\n- *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, AI, VR  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl-and-other-stories)\n## Ellen Ullman\n- *The Bug* — Tech Industry Literary Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/703.The_Bug\n## Cory Doctorow\n- *Radicalized* — Techno-sociopolitical Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40604122-radicalized\n## qntm (Sam Hughes)\n- *Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans-in-transit-and-other-stories)\n## Roger Williams\n- *The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect* — AI, Post-Singularity SF  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)\n## Greg Bear\n- *Eon* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/924843.Eon\n## Vernor Vinge\n- *A Deepness in the Sky* — Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the_Sky)\n## Terry Pratchett\n- *Going Postal* — Comic Fantasy, Satire of Bureaucracy & Tech  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64222.Going_Postal\n## Bruce Bethke\n- *Headcrash* — Cyber-satire  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213465.Headcrash\n## Mary Shelley\n- *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* — Classic Gothic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein\n## Douglas Adams\n- *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* — Comic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guid... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)\n## Jorge Luis Borges\n- *The Library of Babel* — Metaphysical Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-babel)\n## Greg Egan\n- *Permutation City* — Simulation Theory, Hard Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156784.Permutation_City\n## Cixin Liu\n- *The Three-Body Problem* — Hard Sci-Fi, First Contact  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- *The Difference Engine* — Steampunk",
          "reason": "Lists the title in a compilation of fiction books recommended for programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46130213,
          "author": "LarryMade2",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T04:09:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46130213",
          "commentText": "These are all entertaining:\nDefinitely the Wizardry series by Rick Cook\nhttps://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/rick-cook/wizardry/\nProgramming meets magical realms\nJames Hogan\nInherit the Stars - Has supercomputers but not main characters\nCode of the Lifemaker Has Ancient Tech evolving into a robotic society\nTwo Faces of Tomorrow  - humans trying to get along with AI\nD.F.Jones\nColossus, the Fall of Colossus, and Colossus and the Crab\nHumans creating machines to protect humanity (computers have different idea) and the rebellion, and a new threat.\nA Logic Names Joe - radioplay of short story.\nhttps://archive.org/details/OTRR_X_Minus_One_Singles/XMinusO... (https://archive.org/details/OTRR_X_Minus_One_Singles/XMinusOne55-12-28031ALogicNamedJoe.mp3)\nThe internet and AI long before the internet and AI.\nDavid Gerrold - When H.A.R.L.I.E. was One - and other tales involving Artificial Super Intelligence\nWilliam Gibson - Neuromancer and related - Cyberpunk series, the Difference Engine - a Steampunk technology tale.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Difference Engine - a Steampunk technology tale.",
          "reason": "Listed among entertaining fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43137430,
          "author": "xeonmc",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-22T09:08:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 43084739,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction/non-fiction book should everyone read on the topic of CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43137430",
          "commentText": "The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12069367,
          "author": "klez",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T07:15:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12069367",
          "commentText": "Not in order\n1 - Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n2 - The Trial (Franz Kafka)\n3 - Beyond the door (Philip K Dick - short story)\n4 - The eyes have it (Philip K Dick - short story)\n5 - Seven brief lessons on Physics (Carlo Rovelli)\n6 - I have no mouth, and I must scream (Herlan Ellison - short story)\n7 - The art of simplicity (Dominique Loreau)\n8 - On anarchism (Noam Chomsky)\n9 - The difference engine (William Gibson, Bruce Sterling)\n10 - Utopia (Thomas More)\n11 - Sophie's world (Jostein Gaarder)\n12 - Rete padrona (Federico Rampini - essays about the 'dark side' of the corporate web)\n13 - The art of discarding (Nagisa Tatsumi)\n14 - Symposium (Plato)\nAnd a couple of very short philosophy booklets by Zizek (about the Matrix) and Baudrillard (about 'cyberphilosophy')",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The difference engine (William Gibson, Bruce Sterling)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7302029,
          "author": "dodders",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T01:07:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7302029",
          "commentText": "Lexicon - Max Barry.\nThe Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman.\nChannel Skin - Jeff Noon.\nThe Long Earth - Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter.\nThe Difference Engine - William Gibson.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Difference Engine - William Gibson.",
          "reason": "Lists the title in response to a request for science-fiction book suggestions.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking science-fiction novels.",
          "caveat": "The comment attributes it to William Gibson; Bruce Sterling co-wrote the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86223,
          "author": "icky",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:37:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86223",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- The Time Machine (still holds up very well, and seems strangely eerie and prescient in places)... (H. G. Wells)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Hobbit (and LotR) (Tolkien)\n- Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n- Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties (I picked up Idoru first, so I haven't yet read Virtual Light) (also Gibson)\n- The Difference Engine (Gibson, Sterling)\n- Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n- Cryptonomicon (\" \")\n- Circuit of Heaven, End of Days (Dennis Danvers)\n- All of the \"Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser\" stories and novels. (Fritz Leiber)\n- The Earthsea trilogy (Ursula K. LeGuin)\n- 'salem's Lot (Stephen King)\n- Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein)\n- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)\n- the Coldfire trilogy (C. S. Friedman)\n- various Cory Doctorow short stories\n- Kamikaze L'Amour (Richard Kadrey)\n- Lightpaths (Howard V. Hendrix)\n- A Canticle For Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)\n- Moonwar, Venus (Ben Bova)\n- the Stainless Steel Rat series (Harry Harrison)\n- Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)\n- Ringworld (Larry Niven)\n- Cthon (Piers Anthony) -- Trippiness level approaching Philip Jose Farmer ;-)\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (Douglas Adams)\n- The Black Company (Glen Cook)\n- there's one particularly good post-cyberpunk series that takes place in a world in which Canada emerged as a major world power, but for the life of me I can't rememeber the title.\n- the 1632 series (Eric Flint)... see also S. M. Stirling's Nantucket series (\"Island in the Sea of Time\", et al.), and H. Beam Piper's novel Kalvan of Otherwhen\nNon-fiction:\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (Hume)\n- the surviving words and works of Epicurus, and Diogenes the Cynic\n- Freakonomics (Levitt, Dubner)\n- The Gay Science (Nietzsche)\n- The Jefferson Bible (Christ, Jefferson (ed.))\n- The Devil's Dictionary (Bierce)\n- Brain Droppings (George Carlin)\n- anything by P. J. O'Rourke\n- anything by Dave Barry",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Difference Engine (Gibson, Sterling)",
          "reason": "Listed under fiction in response to the thread’s question about favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Gibson",
        "Bruce Sterling"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "History",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternate history",
        "steampunk"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-effective-engineer-6657ec",
      "title": "The Effective Engineer",
      "author": "Edmond Lau",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41419330,
          "author": "aronowb14",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-01T18:56:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41419330",
          "commentText": "When I first graduated I read a bunch of tech focused books: they’re all helpful but I think practice and learning from more senior engineers is the most effective road to mastery! You can probably get away with not reading any of these books if you have good coworkers :).\nThat being said, these have been my favorites:\n- designing data intensive applications (a great way of understanding systems + the basics of SRE)\n- the senior engineer (I love the prototyping process he lays out)\n- the effective engineer (lots of good gems for approaching prioritization)\n- debugging (by David agans)- a great resource for a formalized debugging process if you don’t have one\n- on writing well (I’m halfway through this, but it has been indispensable for writing tickets + messages at work)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the effective engineer",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s favorite books, with useful ideas for prioritization.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41387532,
          "author": "wenc",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T05:06:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387532",
          "commentText": "This book surprised me by how good it is -- it distills a lot of tribal knowledge about how software engineering works at the mid-level to (early) senior engineering levels, based on the author's experience working at SV companies.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Effective-Engineer-Engineering-Dispro... (https://www.amazon.com/Effective-Engineer-Engineering-Disproportionate-Meaningful/dp/0996128107)\nIf you're experienced (senior or higher), it's still a good read, but fewer things will surprise you.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book surprised me by how good it is -- it distills a lot of tribal knowledge about how software engineering works at the mid-level to (early) senior engineering levels",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its practical software engineering insights.",
          "audience": "Mid-level to early senior engineers; experienced senior engineers may find fewer surprises.",
          "caveat": "Senior or more experienced readers may find fewer things surprising.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39058566,
          "author": "wenc",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T17:48:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39058566",
          "commentText": "“The effective engineer” by Edmond Lau is a good book for the IC software engineer working in an engineering organization.\nThe most influential content on engineering in my life is not in a book but a YouTube talk entitled How Complex Systems Fail by Richard Cook, which is about designing resilient systems. I’ve applied these ideas to many aspects of life, not just engineering.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“The effective engineer” by Edmond Lau is a good book",
          "reason": "Recommended for individual contributor software engineers in engineering organizations.",
          "audience": "IC software engineers working in engineering organizations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17082822,
          "author": "skfist",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-16T14:48:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17082822",
          "commentText": "My favorites so far:\n- Pragmatic Thinking & Learning by Andy Hunt\n- The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman\n- The Effective Engineer* by Edmond Lau\n- The Pragmatic Programmer by Andy Hunt and Dave Thomas\n- SQL Performance Explained by Markus Winand\nAnd http://teachyourselfcs.com curriculum is pretty good as well.\nAs a side note, there's so much we can learn from game programmers and OS/database/compiler engineers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Effective Engineer* by Edmond Lau",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s favorites in a thread asking for books to read when starting a software engineering or computer science career.",
          "audience": "People starting a career in software engineering or computer science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17036419,
          "author": "hemantv",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-10T04:36:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17036419",
          "commentText": "Effective Engineer by Edmond Lau\nGame Programming Patterns",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Effective Engineer by Edmond Lau",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a thread asking which books people should have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13410475,
          "author": "henrik_w",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T15:31:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13410475",
          "commentText": "The Effective Engineer by Edmond Lau. Not CS, more SW dev, but it is fairly new and I thought it was very good: https://henrikwarne.com/2017/01/15/book-review-the-effective... (https://henrikwarne.com/2017/01/15/book-review-the-effective-engineer/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Effective Engineer by Edmond Lau. Not CS, more SW dev, but it is fairly new and I thought it was very good",
          "reason": "Recommends the book in response to the thread's request and says it was very good.",
          "audience": "Software developers and engineers.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is more about software development than computer science.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297175,
          "author": "jlhonora",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T13:42:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297175",
          "commentText": "Although the testimonies sound great, the landing page gives me mixed feelings about the book. Perhaps too much salesmanship. Could you tell us a bit more?",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "the landing page gives me mixed feelings about the book. Perhaps too much salesmanship.",
          "reason": "The commenter is wary of the book’s sales-oriented landing page and asks for more information.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the landing page creates mixed feelings and may involve too much salesmanship.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edmond Lau"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "engineering productivity",
        "software engineering",
        "career development",
        "engineering career"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-expanse-006b21",
      "title": "The Expanse",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28060060,
          "author": "silicaroach",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T12:14:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28060060",
          "commentText": "The Expanse Series,\nMurderbot Series",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Expanse Series",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24212085,
          "author": "frompdx",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-19T16:15:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 24176902,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please suggest some good books you have read recently",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24212085",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- The Expanse series.  Long but easy read.  Great science fiction.  I'm on book 5 so far.\nNon-fiction:\n- Bullshit Jobs.  Even if you don't agree with the Author's premise in the end I think this book is thought provoking and worth reading.\n- Dying for a Paycheck.  This book explores how work affects our health.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Expanse series.  Long but easy read.  Great science fiction.",
          "reason": "Described as an easy read and great science fiction; the commenter is on book five.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Long.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536561,
          "author": "laretluval",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:17:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536561",
          "commentText": "It sounds like The Expanse is what you want. The TV show is also very good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It sounds like The Expanse is what you want.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a match for the request for enjoyable science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15429261,
          "author": "moomin",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T18:17:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15429261",
          "commentText": "A novel that qualifies as hard SF in which every character is an AI? Saturn's Children by Charlie Stross. 100% not what you have in mind, though. (You'll enjoy it, though.)\nOTOH, I always find \"Hard SF\" a self-defeating category. I mean, anything with humans living on a different planet is pretty definitionally not Hard SF. Even Solar System stuff like The Expanse has troubles with economic plausibility. That leaves us with... well basically a couple of Vernor Vinge novels.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Even Solar System stuff like The Expanse has troubles with economic plausibility.",
          "reason": "Used as an example in a critique of the hard SF category's plausibility standards.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15428795,
          "author": "bradleyjg",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:27:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428795",
          "commentText": "The first Expanse book and most elements of A Darkness in the Sky are fairly hard, but the later Expanse books and A Fire Upon the Deep, I wouldn't consider hard SciFi.\nThat said, A Fire Upon the Deep is one of my favorite all time SciFi books and I'd highly recommend it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The first Expanse book and most elements of A Darkness in the Sky are fairly hard, but the later Expanse books",
          "reason": "Says the first book and most of the series are fairly hard sci-fi.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The later books are not considered hard sci-fi.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15428783,
          "author": "incomplete",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:23:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428783",
          "commentText": "i'm surprised no one has mentioned 'the expanse' series of books yet.  also, 'a fire upon the deep' and 'a darkness in the sky' by vernor vinge.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'the expanse' series of books",
          "reason": "Raised as a series the commenter is surprised no one has mentioned.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "hard science fiction",
        "political science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-fall-of-hyperion-93dbbc",
      "title": "The Fall of Hyperion",
      "author": "Dan Simmons",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49900824,
          "author": "bontaq",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-29T21:23:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49900824",
          "commentText": "I'd say it's some of best science (?) fiction written, so I'm biased, but yes books 3 & 4 are worth it.  It gets very bizarre and the ending has stuck with me for a long time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "books 3 & 4 are worth it. It gets very bizarre",
          "reason": "Recommends continuing with books 3 and 4 of the Hyperion Cantos.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The books get very bizarre.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630677,
          "author": "wensheng",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T18:08:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630677",
          "commentText": "In my youth, my favorite book is The Count of Monte Cristo, in college it is The Mind's I by Hofstadter and Dennett.  (Actually for both I read their Chinese translations as I was in China).  \nMy favorite English book is The Fall of Hyperion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favorite English book is The Fall of Hyperion.",
          "reason": "Names it as their favorite English book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401623,
          "author": "almog",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:48:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401623",
          "commentText": "Read: \nThe Fall of Hyperion\nReading:\nEloquent Javascript 2nd edition\nLearn You a Haskell for Great Good\nNext:\nDiscworld series\nSecrets of The Javascript Ninja",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Fall of Hyperion",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6418333,
          "author": "bpizzi",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-20T15:30:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6418333",
          "commentText": "Well I'm definitely into sci-fi literature.\nThere's simply nothing else nowadays (being in my early thirties) which can caught my attention and limited free time.\nIt's hard to sum it up to a couple of favorites... \nIf you prefer hardcore sci-fi over the rest - as I do, those are definitely first choices:\n- Iain M. Banks Culture books (\"Excession\" being the best of all to me)\n- Simmon's \"Hyperion\" and \"Fall of Hyperion\"\nSome authors managed to bring some good pieces of space-opera without being too much cheesy:\n- Hamilton and his Void books,\n- and, of course, Herbert and the Dune stuff.\nBut I must warn the casual reader here: those kind of books can get really massive.\nSecond choices - but still really good books, would be stuff written by great guys like Asimov (\"Foundation\"), OS Card (\"Enders game\") or RC Wilson (\"Spin\").",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Fall of Hyperion\"",
          "reason": "Listed among first choices for hardcore science fiction.",
          "audience": "Readers who prefer hardcore science fiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter warns that these books can be very long.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6388015,
          "author": "tartuffe78",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T03:23:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6388015",
          "commentText": "Dan Simmons Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion are two of the best novels I've read. I read a lot of scifi, and I think they have held up very well compared to some other works that came out in the 80s through the early 90s.\nThey present a lot of challenges that mankind may face in the future as our technology exceeds us, but they are also very entertaining.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion are two of the best novels I've read.",
          "reason": "Calls both novels among the best they've read and says they have held up well.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395705,
          "author": "dbalatero",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T13:41:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395705",
          "commentText": "+1 for \"Hyperion\" + \"Fall of Hyperion\" – both are amazing books that I just finished.\nAlso, \"Glasshouse\" by Charles Stross was pretty rad too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for \"Hyperion\" + \"Fall of Hyperion\" – both are amazing books",
          "reason": "Calls it an amazing book and seconds its recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Simmons"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "time travel",
        "far future"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-great-ceo-within-e334a1",
      "title": "The Great CEO Within",
      "author": "Matt Mochary",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25216409,
          "author": "rahimnathwani",
          "createdAt": "2020-11-26T02:47:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 25207732,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Suggest good books on bootstrapping a startup",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25216409",
          "commentText": "The Great CEO Within is now available in print and on Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/Great-CEO-Within-Tactical-Building/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Great-CEO-Within-Tactical-Building/dp/0578599287)\nIf you want to support the author, buy the book and/or write a review.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Great CEO Within is now available in print and on Kindle",
          "reason": "The commenter points readers to the book and suggests buying it or writing a review to support its author.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25215297,
          "author": "Unsimplified",
          "createdAt": "2020-11-25T23:06:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 25207732,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Suggest good books on bootstrapping a startup",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25215297",
          "commentText": "The Great CEO Within. Free ebook. Popular (1K+ HN points). Good methods.\nhttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZJZbv4J6FZ8Dnb0JuMhJxTnw... (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZJZbv4J6FZ8Dnb0JuMhJxTnwl-dwqx5xl0s65DE3wO8)\nUnicorns vs Horses. Article. Good perspective.\nhttps://medium.com/@awilkinson/unicorns-vs-horses-f81d8dd61f... (https://medium.com/@awilkinson/unicorns-vs-horses-f81d8dd61f17)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Great CEO Within. Free ebook. Popular (1K+ HN points). Good methods.",
          "reason": "Described as a free ebook with popular, useful methods.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21902980,
          "author": "baristaGeek",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T00:46:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902980",
          "commentText": "Best business books:\n-Secrets of Sandhill Road\n-Hackers and Painters\n-The Great CEO within\n-Venture Deals\n-Predictable Revenue\n-Zero to One\n-The Hard Thing About Hard Things\n-Lean customer development\n-Lost and founder\n-Lean B2B\n-From Impossible to Inevitable\n-Traction\nBest computer science books:\n-Competitive programming 3\n-Structure and interpretation of computer programs\nBest for fun (non-fiction):\n-Meditations\n-Sapiens\n-How to win friends and influence people\n-A brief history of time\n-Self-reliance\n-Frente a la estrella polar",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-The Great CEO within",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s best business books in response to a question about influential books.",
          "audience": "Founders and company leaders.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21712528,
          "author": "jordanf",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T14:35:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21712528",
          "commentText": "The Great CEO Within (great for non-CEO leaders too). Free here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZJZbv4J6FZ8Dnb0JuMhJxTnw... (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZJZbv4J6FZ8Dnb0JuMhJxTnwl-dwqx5xl0s65DE3wO8/edit#)!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Great CEO Within (great for non-CEO leaders too).",
          "reason": "Recommends it as useful for non-CEO leaders as well.",
          "audience": "Leaders, including those who are not CEOs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matt Mochary"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ceo skills",
        "leadership",
        "startup management",
        "ceos"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-gruffalo-df90a0",
      "title": "The Gruffalo",
      "author": "Julia Donaldson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50038501,
          "author": "stackghost",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T00:27:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50038501",
          "commentText": "I really wanted to like Iggy Peck, Ada Twist, and Rosie Revere, because they promote really positive messages. But man, the verse is really clumsy and poor in some areas.  Not stellar writing.\nTo add to your list: anything by Julia Donaldson. The Gruffalo, Super Worm, Room on the Broom, the Whale and the Snail.\nPerennial favs when my kids were 3-5",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Gruffalo, Super Worm, Room on the Broom, the Whale and the Snail.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends Julia Donaldson's children's books as perennial favorites.",
          "audience": "Children ages 3–5",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34636280,
          "author": "mike1o1",
          "createdAt": "2023-02-03T02:09:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 34634274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books your kids like most",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34636280",
          "commentText": "Everything Octonauts - though I actually find the tv series better than the books.\nJulia Donaldson books are great, such as The Gruffalo. Great art style and easy rhymes.\nWe’ve also had a lot of success with the various 5-minute collection books, such as 5-minute Winnie the Pooh stories. They love going from story to story.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Julia Donaldson books are great, such as The Gruffalo. Great art style and easy rhymes.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book's art style and easy rhymes.",
          "audience": "Children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34635636,
          "author": "shartshooter",
          "createdAt": "2023-02-03T00:51:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 34634274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books your kids like most",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34635636",
          "commentText": "The gruffalo books are great!\nThey’ve got a musical rhythm to them the kids get into. They’ve basically been able to memorize the books by singing them.\nThe author has put out other books as well, and my kids love them just as much.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The gruffalo books are great!",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the books for their musical rhythm and says the kids memorize them by singing.",
          "audience": "Children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26777436,
          "author": "cpach",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-12T09:25:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26777436",
          "commentText": "The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson is quite good IMHO.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson is quite good IMHO.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is quite good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23468088,
          "author": "chrismatheson",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T16:33:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23468088",
          "commentText": "HAHA yes!\nadd Gruffalo, Room on the broom and Snail and the wale for me",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "add Gruffalo, Room on the broom and Snail and the wale for me",
          "reason": "Added to the books the commenter has read repeatedly with children.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Julia Donaldson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Art",
        "Parenting"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "picture books",
        "read aloud",
        "rhyming stories",
        "animals"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-library-of-babel-cd02a9",
      "title": "The Library of Babel",
      "author": "Jorge Luis Borges",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46161500,
          "author": "ashtavakra",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-05T14:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46161500",
          "commentText": "I consolidated the comments for my reference later. Someone else might also find it useful:\n# Fiction Books Recommended for Programmers (HN Thread 46128404)\n## Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- *Children of Time* — Science Fiction (Evolution, Space Opera)  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)\n## Rick Cook — Wizardry Series\n- *Wizard’s Bane* — Fantasy, Programming/Magic Mashup  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112616.Wizard_s_Bane\n- *Wizardry Series (overview)*  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\n## James P. Hogan\n- *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/743568.Inherit_the_Stars\n- *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifem... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifemaker)\n- *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_Tomorrow)\n## D. F. Jones — Colossus Trilogy\n- *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806105.Colossus\n- *The Fall of Colossus* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colos... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colossus)\n- *Colossus and the Crab* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_Crab)\n## Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner)\n- *A Logic Named Joe* — Golden-Age Sci-Fi, AI Precursor  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-j... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-joe)\n## David Gerrold\n- *When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One* — AI, Classic Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_Was_One)\n## William Gibson / Bruce Sterling\n- *Neuromancer* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer\n- *The Difference Engine* — Steampunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Eng... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Engine)\n## Neal Stephenson\n- *Snow Crash* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash\n- *Cryptonomicon* — Techno-thriller, Cyber-history  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/816.Cryptonomicon\n- *Anathem* — Philosophical Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2845024-anathem\n- *The Diamond Age* — Nanopunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827.The_Diamond_Age\n## Fred Saberhagen\n- *Octagon* — AI, Techno-thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1891958.Octagon\n## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga\n- *Series Overview* — Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/40946-vorkosigan-saga\n## Richard Powers\n- *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45104.Galatea_2_2\n## Scott Meyer\n- *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-wizard)\n## Daniel Suarez\n- *Daemon* — Cyber-thriller, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665844-daemon\n## Thomas J. Ryan\n- *The Adolescence of P-1* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_o... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_of_P_1)\n## Ernest Cline\n- *Ready Player One* — Sci-Fi, Gaming, Pop-Culture Adventure  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one\n## Dennis E. Taylor\n- *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)* — Humorous Sci-Fi, AI, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-we-are-bob)\n## Ted Chiang\n- *Stories of Your Life and Others* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\n- *Exhalation* — Speculative Fiction, Philosophy, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation\n- *The Lifecycle of Software Objects* — AI, Digital Consciousness  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of-software-objects)\n## Charles Stross\n- *Laundry Files Series* — Math-based Magic, Techno-Fantasy  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files\n## Ken Liu\n- *The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menag... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories)\n- *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, AI, VR  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl-and-other-stories)\n## Ellen Ullman\n- *The Bug* — Tech Industry Literary Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/703.The_Bug\n## Cory Doctorow\n- *Radicalized* — Techno-sociopolitical Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40604122-radicalized\n## qntm (Sam Hughes)\n- *Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans-in-transit-and-other-stories)\n## Roger Williams\n- *The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect* — AI, Post-Singularity SF  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)\n## Greg Bear\n- *Eon* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/924843.Eon\n## Vernor Vinge\n- *A Deepness in the Sky* — Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the_Sky)\n## Terry Pratchett\n- *Going Postal* — Comic Fantasy, Satire of Bureaucracy & Tech  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64222.Going_Postal\n## Bruce Bethke\n- *Headcrash* — Cyber-satire  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213465.Headcrash\n## Mary Shelley\n- *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* — Classic Gothic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein\n## Douglas Adams\n- *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* — Comic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guid... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)\n## Jorge Luis Borges\n- *The Library of Babel* — Metaphysical Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-babel)\n## Greg Egan\n- *Permutation City* — Simulation Theory, Hard Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156784.Permutation_City\n## Cixin Liu\n- *The Three-Body Problem* — Hard Sci-Fi, First Contact  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- *The Library of Babel* — Metaphysical Fiction",
          "reason": "Lists the title in a compilation of fiction books recommended for programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46128489,
          "author": "bigyabai",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-02T23:44:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46128489",
          "commentText": "Library of Babel, Borges",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Library of Babel, Borges",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 45303706,
          "author": "carlnewton",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-19T16:44:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 45283087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45303706",
          "commentText": "For some reason I've been really enjoying stories with endless and well described repeating rooms. Borges' Library of Babel got me started, I have just finished Susanna Clarke's Piranesi - which was so wonderfully described, I don't know if I'll find anything to beat it. I'm now on A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L. Peck,  which outright mentions Borges' novel. If anyone has any similar recommendations I'd love to hear them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Borges' Library of Babel got me started",
          "reason": "The commenter says this story sparked their interest in settings with repeating rooms.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in labyrinthine or recursive settings.",
          "caveat": "This is a short story, not a book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296923,
          "author": "fiddyschmitt",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T09:37:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296923",
          "commentText": "The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood. An easily digestible summary of information and key figures in its history.\nTuring's Cathedral (or as my brothers call it: Von Neumann's Cathedral). An awesome account of the history of computation, and the obstacles that had to be overcome.\nCryptonomicon. Hilarious\nThe Strangest Man, by Graham Farmelo. A biography of delightfully awkward Paul Dirac.\nThe Library of Babel, by Jorge Luis Borges. Thought provoking and profound.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Library of Babel, by Jorge Luis Borges. Thought provoking and profound.",
          "reason": "Describes it as thought provoking and profound.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10324904,
          "author": "thescribe",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T18:39:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10324904",
          "commentText": "Two books come to mind almost immedatley one fiction, the other non-fiction.\nThe Library of Babel by Jorge Luis Borges, this really shook my belief in the meaning of ordered data.\nGödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter, I read this right after I finished high-school, and it turned a math-hating young man into a math obsessed man.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this really shook my belief in the meaning of ordered data.",
          "reason": "Says it challenged their belief in the meaning of ordered data.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jorge Luis Borges"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short story",
        "infinite library",
        "infinity",
        "labyrinths"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-lies-of-locke-lamora-4c3f3a",
      "title": "The Lies of Locke Lamora",
      "author": "Scott Lynch",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18828599,
          "author": "alltakendamned",
          "createdAt": "2019-01-04T23:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 18824130,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What article/book do you recommend for my next flight?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18828599",
          "commentText": "If you want some pleasant fiction, I suggest the Lies of Locke Lamora",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you want some pleasant fiction, I suggest the Lies of Locke Lamora",
          "reason": "Suggests it as pleasant fiction.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for pleasant fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961696,
          "author": "Tehchops",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T17:10:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961696",
          "commentText": "Currently reading: Hyperion.\n* Peak: Secretes From the New Science of Expertise\n* The Hard Thing About Hard Things\n* American Gods\n* The Dark Tower\n* Children of Time\n* Sapiens\n* The Lies of Locke Lamora: Gentleman Bastards #1\n* Red Seas Under Red Skies: Gentleman Bastards #2\n* Dark Matter\n* The Dark Tower #1\n* Guns of The Dawn\n* The Hunter Killers\n* Snow Crash",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Lies of Locke Lamora: Gentleman Bastards #1",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as a book in the commenter's list; no evaluation is given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249664,
          "author": "gpderetta",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T13:14:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249664",
          "commentText": "It seems that everybody has been recommending sci fi and fantasy... Well, so will I.\n- The Lies of Locke Lamora: fantasy (think fantastic Renaissance Venice), fairly light read, very well written, great characters.\n- Accelerando: from our own cstross. Postuhumanist episodic scifi, pretty much a required read for the average HN reader.\n- The Book of the New Sun: fantasy (or is it?), On the surface episodic adventures of an executioner, but it is built on multiple layers. Not an easy read, but masterfully written. Might require multiple reads. Long series.\n- Blindsight, bleak diamond hard scifi, about first contact, consciousness and life. Not an easy read, but strongly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Lies of Locke Lamora: fantasy (think fantastic Renaissance Venice), fairly light read, very well written, great characters.",
          "reason": "Listed as a fiction suggestion and praised for its writing and characters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Fairly light read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249383,
          "author": "tavish1",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T11:22:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249383",
          "commentText": "I started reading sci-fi(mostly hard-sf) after I read the commonwealth saga, 'Pandora's star' and 'Judas unchained'. It was just really entertaining and unlike anything I've read. Also really recommend 'Snow crash'. Also adding a couple fantasy recommendations: Lies of Locke lamora, and any basically any novel by Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn: the final empire, Warbreaker, The way of kings etc.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also adding a couple fantasy recommendations: Lies of Locke lamora,",
          "reason": "Included as a fantasy recommendation.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in fantasy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10216977,
          "author": "Jemaclus",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-14T19:33:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 10211331,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10216977",
          "commentText": "Just recently finished \"Seveneves\" by Neal Stephenson. It's sci-fi, but fantastic.\nFor non-sci-fi, my favorite fantasy book I've read recently was \"The Lies of Locke Lamora\" (and its sequels) by Scott Lynch. Another is \"Dirty Jobs\" by Christopher Moore, a bit on the Pratchett-inspired side of things.\nI also recently finished Felicia Day's memoir, \"You're Never Weird on the Internet,\" which I highly recommend.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "my favorite fantasy book I've read recently was \"The Lies of Locke Lamora\" (and its sequels)",
          "reason": "The commenter names it as their favorite recent fantasy read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8944515,
          "author": "parisidau",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-25T22:31:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944515",
          "commentText": "Discworld: Going Postal, Making Money, and Raising Steam (3 books total)\nThe Lies of Locke Lamora (and sequels, 3 books total so far)\nThe Name of the Wind (and sequels, 3 books total so far)\nAncillary Justice (and sequel, 2 books total so far)\nAll of Iain M. Banks Culture series\nOld Man's War (and sequels)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Lies of Locke Lamora (and sequels, 3 books total so far)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Lynch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "heist",
        "heist fantasy",
        "low fantasy",
        "fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-manager-s-path-ebeb7e",
      "title": "The Manager's Path",
      "author": "Camille Fournier",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49781129,
          "author": "apothegm",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-20T23:17:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 49724691,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most career altering course or book you have gone through?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49781129",
          "commentText": "Database Design for Mere Mortals. The first afternoon I spent reading and puzzling through that book was worth an entire semester of computer science classes on the topic — and caused me to fall in love with relational databases.\nWith special mentions to K&R as well as The Manager’s Path.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "as well as The Manager’s Path.",
          "reason": "Listed as a special mention in response to a question about career altering books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33855152,
          "author": "pieterr",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T16:38:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33855152",
          "commentText": "Camille Fournier - The Manager's Path\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Managers-Path-Leaders-Navigating-Grow... (https://www.amazon.com/Managers-Path-Leaders-Navigating-Growth/dp/1491973897/)\nhttps://www.elidedbranches.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Camille Fournier - The Manager's Path",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32937483,
          "author": "drunpy",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T11:35:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937483",
          "commentText": "The Pragmatic Programmer (Andrew Hunt, Dave Thomas),\nThe Manager's Path (Camille Fourier),\nHow To Win Friends and Influence People (Dale Carnegie).\nThese books helped me to realize that many insecurities I had where \"common\" in Software Engineering field. The last one is especially good if you're looking for improve your relations with people.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Manager's Path (Camille Fourier),",
          "reason": "Lists it among books that helped the commenter recognize common insecurities in software engineering.",
          "audience": "Software engineers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21714168,
          "author": "lynfogeek",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T17:25:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21714168",
          "commentText": "A few recommendations from me and peers in my company who highly value some of the following:\n- \"Managing Humans\" by Michael Lopp very insightful and easy to read.\n- \"Accelerate: The Science of Lean Software and DevOps: Building and Scaling High Performing Technology Organizations\" by Dr Nicole Forsgren brings a long research on how to organize teams for success.\n- \"The Manager's Path: A Guide for Tech Leaders Navigating Growth and Change\" by Camille Fournier which I especially recommend for new managers.\nLastly, and this time not tech-specific, but by far my best read of 2019:\n\"Trillion Dollar Coach: The Leadership Playbook of Silicon Valley's Bill Campbell\" written by Eric Schmidt & others.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Manager's Path: A Guide for Tech Leaders Navigating Growth and Change\" by Camille Fournier which I especially recommend for new managers.",
          "reason": "The commenter especially recommends it for new managers.",
          "audience": "New managers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21712711,
          "author": "ericskiff",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T14:54:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21712711",
          "commentText": "Seconding this",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seconding this",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the parent recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Camille Fournier"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "engineering management",
        "career development",
        "career growth",
        "tech leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ocean-at-the-end-of-the-lane-257bbc",
      "title": "The Ocean at the End of the Lane",
      "author": "Neil Gaiman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38557233,
          "author": "tsujamin",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:13:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557233",
          "commentText": "A pair of books I’d recommend for 2024, which I didn’t get the chance to reread this year, would be:\n- The Ocean at the End of the Lane (Gaiman), which is beautiful in a way I can’t quite describe\n- Century Rain (Reynolds), which is best described as a hard boiled 1930’s noir hard science fiction novel.\nBooks I read this year which I really enjoyed:’\n- Exploding The Phone (Lapsley): Super engrossing description of the phone phreak scene almost from its start to its end\n- Hyperion and sequels (Simmons): Probably one of my favourite science fiction series now, and I’ve already felt the need to go back and re-read passages from it. Also really enjoy how each part of the series (Hyperion, then Fall of Hyperion, then the Endymion books) re-invent the style and the story.\n- The Annotated American Gods (Gaiman, Klinger): 1000’s of footnotes is a great way to revisit the story :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Ocean at the End of the Lane (Gaiman), which is beautiful in a way I can’t quite describe",
          "reason": "Recommended for its hard-to-describe beauty.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785719,
          "author": "martythemaniak",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T21:18:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785719",
          "commentText": "Leave it to Psmith - 10/10\nAnna Karenina - 8/10\nThe Code of the Woosters 8/10\nFooled by Randomness 7/10\nFinding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life 8/10\nHow to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia 9/10\nReluctant Fundamentalist 9/10\nThe Sense of an Ending - Julian Barnes 8/10\nThe Last Question - Asimov - 9/10\nThe Magic of Thinking Big - 6/10\nThe catcher in the Rye 8/10\nModels 7/10\nHigh Fidelity - Nick Hornby 8/10\nThe Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman 7/10\nThe Surrender Experiment - 10/10\nUntethered Soul - 9/10\nThe Autobiography of a Yogi - 7/10\nRaja Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 7/10\nSomething Fresh, something new - 7/10\nKarma Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 8/10\nThinking, Fast and Slow - 9/10\nFierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates 10/10\nThe Pearl by John Steinbeck 7/10",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman 7/10",
          "reason": "Rates the book 7/10.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783919,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:07:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783919",
          "commentText": "[cont'd]\nMichael Frayn, Democracy. A compulsively readable play about an episode in the politics of West Germany in the 1970s, a subject I didn't know could be made so interesting to me. Superb.\nMichael Flynn, Eifelheim. Excellent and profound SF/historical novel about aliens crashing in the Germany of the Middle Ages, and how that would work out. Avoids cheap tricks, very strong on historical research and verisimilitude.\nRoss Thomas, The Cold War Swap, Cast a Yellow Shadow, Chinaman's Chance. Very well-written thrillers, typically stories about spying or political corruption. I'm usually bored by this genre, couldn't put these down. Will read more by this (hitherto unknown to me) author.\nUrsula K. Le Guin, The Wizard of Earthsea. (reread) Still as good as I remembered it to be.\nP.K.Dick, The Man in the High Castle. (reread) Very inventive and weird in a good way, but I wish the characters would be a little different (everyone is the same highly neurotic mouthpiece for the author), and the obsession with I Ching does nothing for me. Still worth reading.\nRobert Ryan, Dead Man's Land. A Sherlock Holmes novel in which 90% of the action is with John Watson rejoining the Army to help in World War I at his late middle age, and Holmes appears only briefly. Works quite well. Very detailed on day-to-day trench warfare and medicine at the front.\nMichael Frayn, Noises Off. A funny short play, very meta, not as good as his \"Democracy\".\nNeil Gaiman, The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Better than his two long novels of the 2000s. A self-contained fairy tale, fun to read and well-written, but not beyond that. Gaiman's unsurpassed masterpiece, to me, is still The Sandman.\nMichael Swansick, Chasing the Phoenix. SF, set on a future Earth where computers and electronic communication are outlawed following problems with runaway AIs, but there's lots of high technology (e.g. genetics) otherwise. Funny and amusing, a light read.\n[edit: deleted about 20 books I didn't like or hated]",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Neil Gaiman, The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Better than his two long novels of the 2000s. A self-contained fairy tale, fun to read and well-written, but not beyond that.",
          "reason": "Calls it fun to read and well-written, while describing it as limited beyond that.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not beyond being a fun, well-written fairy tale.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7302029,
          "author": "dodders",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T01:07:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7302029",
          "commentText": "Lexicon - Max Barry.\nThe Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman.\nChannel Skin - Jeff Noon.\nThe Long Earth - Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter.\nThe Difference Engine - William Gibson.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman.",
          "reason": "Lists the title in response to a request for science-fiction book suggestions.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking science-fiction novels.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6900556,
          "author": "jrjarrett",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T14:19:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6900556",
          "commentText": "1. The Ocean at the End Of The Lane - Neil Gaiman\n2. Ancillary Justice - Ann Leckie\n3. The January Dancer/Up Jim River/In The Lion's Mouth/On The Razor's Edge - Michael Flynn\n4. Ghost Spin - Chris Moriarity",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Ocean at the End Of The Lane - Neil Gaiman",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list answering which books were best.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neil Gaiman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mythic fantasy",
        "childhood",
        "literary fantasy",
        "dark fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-road-to-serfdom-2fb6aa",
      "title": "The Road to Serfdom",
      "author": "F. A. Hayek",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12563793,
          "author": "Dowwie",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T11:35:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12563793",
          "commentText": "Why finance?  Finance was the major viable option for people with your background but that's not the case anymore.  Every industry needs people with your background -- more than ever!\nHowever, if you're hell bent on going into finance and you're going to read one economics book, read Thomas Piketty, \"Capital for 21st Century\".\nThese are the classic economics tomes that you'd read over a lifetime:\nKarl Marx, \"Capital\"\nAdam Smith, \"The Theory of Moral Sentiments\"\nAdam Smith, \"The Wealth of Nations\"\nFA Hayek, \"The Road to Serfdom\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "FA Hayek, \"The Road to Serfdom\"",
          "reason": "Lists it among classic economics works to read over a lifetime.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring classic economics texts.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12563515,
          "author": "hga",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T10:27:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12563515",
          "commentText": "The single most interesting thing for me was the information theoretic, at least in style, exposition on how trying to centralize all economic decision making at the top of society simply can not work.\nAlso points out how essential economic freedom is to all other freedoms, for if all jobs come from the state, to disagree with it ... well, at the extreme, as two roommates from the PRC in 1988 explained it to me, the biggest change in their lifetimes was how getting on the wrong side of the local political committee was no longer an automatic death sentence through their refusing to issue you food ration coupons, it just meant you had to spend more money buying food on the free market.\nWikipedia entry is here, haven't reviewed it except to note it has links to condensed versions (Hayek was amazed at how well the Readers Digest did it) and citations of the published editions: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Road_to_Serfdom",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Wikipedia entry is here, haven't reviewed it except to note it has links to condensed versions (Hayek was amazed at how well the Readers Digest did it) and citations of the published editions: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Road_to_Serfdom",
          "reason": "Discusses the book's argument about centralized economic decision making and economic freedom.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have not reviewed the linked Wikipedia entry.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12561982,
          "author": "quantumhobbit",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T02:49:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12561982",
          "commentText": "Very much worth reading and not just to prove your right wing or libertarian bonafides.\nI think the essence of good economic thinking is understanding unintended consequences and reading the road to serfdom is a great way to really think about unintended consequences. Basically that well-meaning policies that have a side effect of centralizing power tend to do more harm than good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "reading the road to serfdom is a great way to really think about unintended consequences",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as a way to think about unintended consequences.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in economic policy and unintended consequences.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not just for proving right wing or libertarian credentials.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297799,
          "author": "roymurdock",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:56:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297799",
          "commentText": "Older Stuff: The Bible/Quran, The Republic (Plato), The Social Contract (Rousseau), Tao Te Ching (Laozi), Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky), History of the Peloponnesian War (Thucydides)\nNewer Stuff: Nine Stories (Salinger), The Razor's Edge (Maugham), Nausea (Sartre), Siddartha (Hesse), Road to Serfdom (Hayek), The Book (Watts), Design of Everyday Things (Norman), Atlas Shrugged (Rand), Invisible Man (Ellison), Debunking Economics (Keen), Blood Meridian (McCarthy), The Center Cannot Hold (Saks), This Time Is Different (Reinhart/Rogoff), Infinite Jest (Wallace), Calvin and Hobbes (Watterson)\nAll of these books are well written and have given me some perspective on interesting people/situations/ways of thinking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Road to Serfdom (Hayek)",
          "reason": "Listed among books said to have given the commenter perspective on interesting people, situations, and ways of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971251,
          "author": "loganfrederick",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T08:41:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971251",
          "commentText": "+ Hacker Ethic by Steven Levy\n+ Masters of Doom by David Kushner\n+ The Millionaire Mind by Dr. Thomas Stanley\n+ The Intelligent Investor by Ben Graham\n+ The Essays of Warren Buffet by Lawrence Cunningham\n+ Buffet by Roger Lowenstein\n+ The Knack by Norm Brodsky\n+ Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar by Thomas Cathcart, Daniel Klein\n+ The Return of the Great Depression by Vox Day\n+ Capitalism and Freedom by Milton Friedman\n+ Road to Serfdom by Hayek\n+ Iacocca:An Autobiography by Lee Iacocca",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Road to Serfdom by Hayek",
          "reason": "Listed as a book to give the commenter's younger self.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Road to Serfdom",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "F. A. Hayek"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political economy",
        "central planning",
        "economic freedom",
        "economic planning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-three-musketeers-9ac724",
      "title": "The Three Musketeers",
      "author": "Alexandre Dumas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31968935,
          "author": "TylerLives",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T16:32:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31968935",
          "commentText": "You might also enjoy The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You might also enjoy The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as a possible enjoyable read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20918348,
          "author": "idoubtit",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T14:13:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20918348",
          "commentText": "Monte Cristo is also my favorite novel by Alexandre Dumas, but I enjoyed many other books he wrote — he used to have assistants that wrote part of his books, and, IIRC, one of them claimed that he was the main author of some novels.\nI'd recommend reading \"Les 3 mousquetaires\", where the Lady is one of the most interesting characters I've ever met. The book was a huge success, and is still famous in France nowadays, like its main character, D'Artagnan. The two sequences are okay, \"Vingt ans après\" and \"Le vicomte de Bragelonne\".\nOther good historical novels by Dumas are \"La reine Margot\", \"Joseph Balsamo\", \"Le collier de la reine\". For the fans, there are dozens of lesser novels, like \"La tulipe noire\" (which I know I've read, but can't remember at all).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend reading \"Les 3 mousquetaires\"",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the novel and praises one of its characters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20915621,
          "author": "senjindarashiva",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T06:18:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20915621",
          "commentText": "It's been mentioned before but meditations is great, but I would also like to add \n\"How to live on 24 hours a day\" by Arnold Bennett https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2274\nIn fiction Sherlock Holmes and the Three Musketeers is some of my favorites.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In fiction Sherlock Holmes and the Three Musketeers is some of my favorites.",
          "reason": "Names it among their favorite fiction in response to a request for favorite old books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14860310,
          "author": "staz",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T21:00:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14860310",
          "commentText": "- How to Read Buildings: A Crash Course in Architecture ~~ Carol Davidson Cragoe\nIt's a quick crash course to historical architecture, teaching how to recognize the different parts from different time periods and why they where made this way.\n- The Three Musketeers ~~ Alexandre Dumas\nAn old classic, funny and give an interesting overview of France in the XVIIe",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An old classic, funny and give an interesting overview of France in the XVIIe",
          "reason": "Calls it funny and says it gives an interesting overview of seventeenth-century France.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8257663,
          "author": "alexcp_",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T14:15:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257663",
          "commentText": "The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2618480,
          "author": "imjonathanlee",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-04T00:13:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2618480",
          "commentText": "Currently reading: The girl who kicked the hornet's nest\nTop Favorites: Count of Monte Cristo, The three musketeers, Sherlock Homes and the Hound of Baskersville, Atlas Shrugged, The Client",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The three musketeers",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter’s top favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alexandre Dumas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical adventure",
        "adventure fiction",
        "historical fiction",
        "swashbuckling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-wisdom-of-crowds-24c74d",
      "title": "The Wisdom of Crowds",
      "author": "James Surowiecki",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467700,
          "author": "clairity",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:52:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467700",
          "commentText": "i recently re-read the wisdom of crowds, ~15 years now since i first read it. still good, still relevant. there's even a section on how quickly SARS was identified in international collaboration despite no central, coordinating entity.\nit's covertly a book about statistical reasoning, but with no dry statistical language, subversive in a way. we need more statistical reasoning in the world, particularly around risk assessment, to subdue fear and panic.\nedit: as for fiction,\njames clavell's asian saga[0] series is entertaining historical fiction, which i've read twice.\npat conroy's southern portraits, particularly the lords of discipline and the prince of tides, both wrenching, haunting, and beautiful.\nalso in the historical/cultural fiction realm: anna karenina, crime and punishment, a tale of two cities, les miserables.\n[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Asian_Saga",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "i recently re-read the wisdom of crowds, ~15 years now since i first read it. still good, still relevant.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it remains relevant and presents it as a book about statistical reasoning and risk assessment.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in statistical reasoning, especially for risk assessment.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026656,
          "author": "NathanKP",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T02:50:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026656",
          "commentText": "My favorite book of 2009 was The Wisdom of Crowds by James Surowiecki:\nhttp://experimentgarden.blogspot.com/2009/12/critical-analys... (http://experimentgarden.blogspot.com/2009/12/critical-analysis-wisdom-of-crowds-by.html)\nThe book shows how groups can work together to do great things.  It also shows why some groups fail miserably.  Overall I found it very helpful and enlightening in that it helped my understanding of group dynamics and how to take advantage of the full power of groups.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favorite book of 2009 was The Wisdom of Crowds by James Surowiecki",
          "reason": "Calls it their favorite book of the year and says it helped them understand group dynamics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 191912,
          "author": "JayNeely",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-16T16:21:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=191912",
          "commentText": "I found The Wisdom of Crowds hard to get through. Interesting subject matter, but the text just didn't flow for me.\n\"The Paradox of Choice\" by Barry Schwartz was a great read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I found The Wisdom of Crowds hard to get through. Interesting subject matter, but the text just didn't flow for me.",
          "reason": "Found the subject interesting but the text difficult to get through.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The text did not flow for the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 191784,
          "author": "coglethorpe",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-16T14:12:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=191784",
          "commentText": "1. \"The Wisdom of Crowds\" by James Surowiecki\n2. \"Predictably Irrational\" by Dan Ariely\n3. \"The Search\" by John Battelle\n4. \"Made to Stick\" by Chip Heath and Dan Heath\n5. \"The Tipping Point\" by Malcolm Gladwell\nThat should cover your trip. I've listened to all of them and really liked all of them.  \"Blink\" by Gladwell is also good, but not as business related.\nI would love to hear any other suggestions people have in this category.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Wisdom of Crowds\" by James Surowiecki",
          "reason": "Included in a list of suggested audiobooks; the commenter says they listened to and liked all the listed titles.",
          "audience": "Listeners interested in business related books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5574,
          "author": "python_kiss",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T02:11:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5574",
          "commentText": "About 14 months ago, I had little knowledge of how to execute a startup. In particular, I wasn't familiar with any online marketing tactics. The following books helped me a lot in that respective, and more:\n\n1. Positioning, 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing/Branding, Focus, Marketing Warfare\n2. Purple Cow, All Marketers are Liars, Permission Marketing (I didn't like \"The Big Moo\", \"Free prize inside\" or \"Small is the new Big\").\n3. Founters At Work\n4. Wikinomics, Wisdom of Crowds, The Tipping Point (Blink! was alright). I am looking forward to reading \"The Long Tail\" and \"The starfish and the spider\"...has anyone read them yet?\n6. Why We Buy\n7. Hackers and Painters\n8. The E-Myth revisited\n9. The Art of the Start\n10. On War, The Art of War by Machiavelli and Sun Tzu (not exactly for startups, but definitely useful)\n11. Crossing the Chasm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wisdom of Crowds",
          "reason": "Listed among books that helped the commenter learn startup execution and online marketing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Surowiecki"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "collective intelligence",
        "decision making",
        "group dynamics",
        "risk assessment"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "this-is-how-you-lose-the-time-war-c6efbe",
      "title": "This Is How You Lose the Time War",
      "author": "Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268913,
          "author": "igor47",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:16:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268913",
          "commentText": "The Deluge -- a darker take on climate change than Ministry for the Future, but also felt pretty realistic.\nThis is how you lose the time war -- took me a long time to start this book, and then I couldn't put it down.\nNon fiction, I really enjoyed Slouching Towards Utopia. I'm a sucker for narrative history like that, and I got a few useful concepts from the book. I also really liked The Prince of Peace, a biography of Keynes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is how you lose the time war -- took me a long time to start this book, and then I couldn't put it down.",
          "reason": "Says that after delaying starting it, they could not put it down.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It took the commenter a long time to begin reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41176397,
          "author": "nicbou",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T23:01:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41176397",
          "commentText": "The Count of Monte Cristo. I rarely get this absorbed by a book. It was a very satisfying read.\nGrapes of Wrath stayed with me for a very long time. The Jungle too.\nThis is how you lose the time war. It was just damn unique and pleasant. Everyone who reads it loves it.\nCryptonomicon, another very entertaining read that every geek loves.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is how you lose the time war. It was just damn unique and pleasant.",
          "reason": "Calls it unique and pleasant, and says everyone who reads it loves it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36083958,
          "author": "code_Whisperer",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-26T13:38:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36083958",
          "commentText": "Easily these (so far):\nThis is How You Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (actually now one of my all-time favorites, without regard to genre. Just amazing)\nChildren of Time - Adrian Tchaikovsky\nThe Book of Strange New Things - Michael Faber\nTed Chiang's short story collections (Exhalations and Stories of your life and others)\nDaemon - Daniel Suarez\nThe City and the City - China Miéville\nRoadside Picnic - Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (this one still haunts my dreams at times)\nWe Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse Book 1) - Dennis Taylor (just finished this series for book club)\nGalatea 2.2, The Overstory, Bewilderment, The Gold Bug Variations - 4 different books, all by Richard Powers - what can I say, the man is a genius and a treasure\nEifelheim - Michael Flynn - ok, this book can be a slog at times, but it is very rewarding for those who persevere, and has stuck in my brain for many years\nChocky - John Wyndham - A quiet, delightful surprise\nProvidence - Max Barry - This book flows like a movie. It will make a great movie. I found myself LITERALLY out of breath a couple of times\nHench: A Novel - Natalie Zina Walschots - Quirky, memorable\nThe Peacemaker's Code - Deepak Malhotra - Why hasn't this guy written more sci-fi?\nOrange World and Other Stories - Karen Russell - OK, maybe not strictly sci-fi, but this book tickles my brain\nGUILTY PLEASURE SCI-FI FAVORITE: The Vaz series by Laurence Dahners. I think I've read that series 3 times now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is How You Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (actually now one of my all-time favorites, without regard to genre. Just amazing)",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36020942,
          "author": "dcminter",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:00:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36020942",
          "commentText": "Fair warning, I only liked the first part of Seveneves; I thought the second part was stupid. You'll get a lot of recommendations for Liu Cixin's \"Three Body Problem\" which I personally hate (though the first part of the first book is very well written), but if you like all of Seveneves then it might suit you.\nMy personal favourites that might not already be on everyone else's lists:\nFiasco - Stanisław Lem\nThis is how you lose the time war - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone\nFeersum Endjinn - Iain Banks\nThe Dark Side of the Sun - Terry Pratchett (yes, that one)\nBlindsight - Peter Watts\nBloom - Wil McCarthy\nGood luck!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is how you lose the time war - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's personal favorites in response to a request for science fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28067831,
          "author": "minnca",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T23:36:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28067831",
          "commentText": "This is how you lose the time war is unlike any other book I've read! I thought it was super disorienting – and I loved that.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is how you lose the time war is unlike any other book I've read!",
          "reason": "The commenter says they loved its disorienting quality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The book felt very disorienting to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28061545,
          "author": "code_Whisperer",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T14:41:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28061545",
          "commentText": "Thank you for this! Based on your recommendation of Lem's \"Fiasco\" I have purchased \"This is How You Lose the Time War\". I had not heard of this one and it sounds excellent!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I have purchased \"This is How You Lose the Time War\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says they purchased it after receiving a recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28060693,
          "author": "dcminter",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T13:21:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28060693",
          "commentText": "The one really first rate recent SF novel I can recall is: \"This is how you lose the time war\" [0] by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. It's far from being Hard SF if you like that (I do) but the humour and poetry of it won me over very fast. I bought it purely on the basis of the delicious title!\nThe \"Lady Astronaut\" series [1] by Mary Robinette Kowal is not first rate, but it is reliably entertaining and a fairly Hard SF alternate history with some interesting choices.\nI'm going to take a liberty and also recommend a much older SF book that I rarely see mentioned; \"Fiasco\" by Stanisław Lem. This one's all about the characterization and the big picture of humanity's fatal flaws. Not hard SF as such, but he tells a good tall tale when he needs to mess with space and time.\n[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Is_How_You_Lose_the_Time_... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Is_How_You_Lose_the_Time_War)\n[1] https://www.goodreads.com/series/193730-lady-astronaut-unive... (https://www.goodreads.com/series/193730-lady-astronaut-universe)\n[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiasco_%28novel%29",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"This is how you lose the time war\"",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a first-rate recent SF novel, praising its humour and poetry.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Far from hard science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803166,
          "author": "john-radio",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T14:24:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803166",
          "commentText": "\"And Then There Were None\" by Agatha Christie\n\"The Left Hand of Darkness\" by Ursula Le Guin\n\"This Is How You Lose The Time War\" by Amal El-Mohtar\n\"Priestdaddy\" by Patricia Lockwood\n\"Black Leopard, Red Wolf\" by Marlon James\n\"Consider Phlebas,\" and maybe the rest of The Culture series of novels, by Iain Banks",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"This Is How You Lose The Time War\" by Amal El-Mohtar",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Amal El-Mohtar",
        "Max Gladstone"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "time travel",
        "epistolary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "traction-ce4bac",
      "title": "Traction",
      "author": "Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35169479,
          "author": "manv1",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T15:08:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35169479",
          "commentText": "Traction, by Weinberg.\nIt goes over the various sales channels. How you get customers should really be the #1 priority for your startup.\nBuilding stuff is easy. Getting customers is hard. And \"if you build it they will come\" doesn't really work most of the time IRL.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Traction, by Weinberg.",
          "reason": "Covers sales channels; the commenter says customer acquisition should be a startup's top priority.",
          "audience": "Startup founders seeking customers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21902980,
          "author": "baristaGeek",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T00:46:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902980",
          "commentText": "Best business books:\n-Secrets of Sandhill Road\n-Hackers and Painters\n-The Great CEO within\n-Venture Deals\n-Predictable Revenue\n-Zero to One\n-The Hard Thing About Hard Things\n-Lean customer development\n-Lost and founder\n-Lean B2B\n-From Impossible to Inevitable\n-Traction\nBest computer science books:\n-Competitive programming 3\n-Structure and interpretation of computer programs\nBest for fun (non-fiction):\n-Meditations\n-Sapiens\n-How to win friends and influence people\n-A brief history of time\n-Self-reliance\n-Frente a la estrella polar",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-Traction",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s best business books in response to a question about influential books.",
          "audience": "Startup founders looking for growth channels.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13258390,
          "author": "alc90",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-26T14:47:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13258390",
          "commentText": "My goal for this year was to read 10 books. Not a huge challenge but I'm happy I managed to complete it. I'm currently at my 16th book - so I might say that's pretty good.\nHere's my 2016 reading list:\n#1. Zero to One - Peter Thiel - 3.5*\n#2. The Alchemis - Paulo Coelho - 3.5*\n#3. Founders at Work - Jessica Livingston - 3*\n#4. Traction - Gabriel Weinberg - 4.5*\n#5. How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie -4*\n#6. Reinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations... - Frederic Laloux, Ken Wilber - 4*\n#7. Daily Rituals: How Artists Work - Mason Currey - 3*\n#8. Rich Dad, Poor Dad - Robert T. Kiyosak - 3*\n#9. The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs... - Eric Ries - 4.5*\n#10. Meaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly - Bernadette Jiwa - 3*\n#11. Elon Musk: Inventing the Future - Ashlee Vance - 4*\n#12. Rework - Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson - 4.5*\n#13. Anything You Want - Derek Sivers - 4.5*\n#14. South of the Border, West of the Sun - Haruki Murakami - 3.5*\n#15. As A Man Thinketh / The Path Of Prosperity - James Allen - 4*\nCurrently I'm reading If This Is a Man / The Truce by Primo Levi - and so far it seems to be one of the top 3 books I've read this year - definitely a 4+* book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "#4. Traction - Gabriel Weinberg - 4.5*",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12246085,
          "author": "callmeed",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T07:47:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12246085",
          "commentText": "On Writing Well by Zinsser\nTraction by Weinberg & Mares\nPredictable Revenue by Ross\nChoose Yourself by Altucher\nLearn Python the Hard Way by Shaw\nMere Christianity by Lewis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Traction by Weinberg & Mares",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about books given as gifts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9650268,
          "author": "kachhalimbu",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-03T02:46:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 9636361,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9650268",
          "commentText": "Technical: Build your own AngularJS http://teropa.info/build-your-own-angular\nNon-technical: Traction http://tractionbook.com/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Non-technical: Traction",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed without an evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9355742,
          "author": "robodale",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-10T17:17:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9355742",
          "commentText": "I just read Smartcuts, Made to Stick, and Traction - a great trio of books to get your mind in the right spot as you pursue a market to create a product.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I just read Smartcuts, Made to Stick, and Traction - a great trio of books to get your mind in the right spot as you pursue a market to create a product.",
          "reason": "Recommended as part of a trio for pursuing a product market.",
          "audience": "People pursuing a market to create a product.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gabriel Weinberg",
        "Justin Mares"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "startup growth",
        "customer acquisition",
        "marketing",
        "marketing channels"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "twenty-thousand-leagues-under-the-seas-244eec",
      "title": "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas",
      "author": "Jules Verne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467743,
          "author": "wazoox",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:56:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467743",
          "commentText": "The book I've reread the most is The Odyssey. For a long time, I've read it once every year.\nAnother book I've read many times is Eco's Foucault's Pendulum.\nI've read Asimov's cycle of Foundation many times. Don't know how many, actually.\nI've also read several times some philosophy classics, particularly Plato's Symposium, Phaedrus, Apology and Republic.\nThen there are many books that I've read at least twice, almost all considered classics (from 1984 to LoTR, Great expectations to Tom Sawyer, Crime and punishment to Twenty thousand leagues under the sea, etc).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "from 1984 to LoTR, Great expectations to Tom Sawyer, Crime and punishment to Twenty thousand leagues under the sea",
          "reason": "Included among classics the commenter has read at least twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22722949,
          "author": "SergeAx",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T21:30:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22722949",
          "commentText": "\"The Mysterious Island\". It was my first book by Jules Verne, and it striked me with it's utter realism. Most his other books, like \"20000 leagues under sea\" or \"Journey to the center of the Earth\" are based on a fictional devices or exceptional characters, but Cyrus Smith became for me a realistic exemplar of a man using his engineering skills and knowledge to change his life and world around him.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"20000 leagues under sea\"",
          "reason": "Names it as one of Verne's other books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20918199,
          "author": "idoubtit",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T13:58:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20918199",
          "commentText": "When I was a child, I loved Jules Vernes' novels. My favorite were \"L'île mystérieuse\" et \"Michel Strogoff\". I've read them again after a few decades, and I enjoyed them both.\n\"L'île mystérieuse\" is the survival adventure of a small and disparate group, but the main theme is how science can dominate nature. The mystery part is better enjoyed if the reader knows a bit of Jules Verne' other books.\n\"Michel Strogoff\" is a pure and romantic adventure in Russia, at the time of the Tatar invasions. It was sometimes brutal for a child reader, but I could still remember many scenes thirty years later.\nOther good novels are \"Voyage au centre de la terre\", \"Vingt-mille lieues sous les mers\", \"Cinq semaines en ballon\", \"Le tour du monde en 80 jours\", \"Les indes noires\". I've a few others which I enjoyed at a lesser point.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Other good novels are \"Voyage au centre de la terre\", \"Vingt-mille lieues sous les mers\"",
          "reason": "Includes it among other good novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20917017,
          "author": "m_t",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T11:04:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20917017",
          "commentText": "Some links from Project Gutenberg:\nEssays, by Michel de Montaigne\nIn English (Vol. 1), https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3581\nIn French (Vol. 1), https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/48529\nMeditations, by Marcus Aurelius\nEnglish translation by George W. Chrystal, 1902 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/55317\nEnglish translation by George Long, 1957 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/15877\nLes Misérables, by Victor Hugo\nIn English (Full), https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/135\nIn French (Vol. 1), https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/17489\n20000 leagues under the sea, by Jules Vernes\nIn English (slightly abridged), https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/164\nIn French (with illustration), https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/54873",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "20000 leagues under the sea, by Jules Vernes",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite books or essays.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536517,
          "author": "troebr",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:09:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536517",
          "commentText": "Vingt mille lieues sous les mers. I was a huge Jules Verne fan when I was a kid.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Vingt mille lieues sous les mers. I was a huge Jules Verne fan when I was a kid.",
          "reason": "Recalls being a huge Jules Verne fan as a child.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536452,
          "author": "Symbiote",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T18:55:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536452",
          "commentText": "In English, that's one of about three sci-fi books I was unable to finish.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "In English, that's one of about three sci-fi books I was unable to finish.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they were unable to finish the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Unable to finish it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536347,
          "author": "soufron",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T18:22:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536347",
          "commentText": "20000 lieux sous les mers !",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "20000 lieux sous les mers !",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14859692,
          "author": "hood_syntax",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T19:59:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859692",
          "commentText": "Love that book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Love that book.",
          "reason": "The comment clearly praises the book referenced in its parent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14859621,
          "author": "agentultra",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T19:53:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859621",
          "commentText": "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jules Verne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "undersea adventure",
        "classic literature",
        "underwater adventure",
        "classic science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "understanding-comics-the-invisible-art-e77e89",
      "title": "Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art",
      "author": "Scott McCloud",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18474690,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2018-11-17T09:02:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 18473561,
          "threadTitle": "Best book/paper you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18474690",
          "commentText": "Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art (1994), an amazing book on the history, science and philosophy of comics, is itself a comic...then checking out most of the cartoonists he mentions that I hadn't heard of[0], too many to mention. I discovered a load of great stuff from that, e.g. the graphic novels of Will Eisner and wordless novels of Lynd Ward.\n[0] Library Genesis's comics section helped with that http://libgen.io/comics/index.php",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art (1994), an amazing book",
          "reason": "Describes it as an amazing book on comics and discusses what it led them to discover.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in comics and their history, science, and philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17524869,
          "author": "carapace",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T17:23:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17524869",
          "commentText": "I gotta second \"Understanding Comics\", it's incredible!  McCloud is a under-recognized genius and comics are a profound medium!  I found a copy on the sidewalk.  I'm halfway through it now and he's blown my mind four or five times already.  Don't be too proud to read a comic about comics: it will change the way you think, not just about comics but about thinking itself!\nIt was published in '93.  I just looked and I couldn't find the exact quote, but at one point he says something like, \"even if you don't read comics, they will be influencing popular art and entertainment\" and I thought, \"Didn't a comicbook-based movie just gross two billion dollars?\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I gotta second \"Understanding Comics\", it's incredible!",
          "reason": "Seconding the recommendation, calls it incredible, and says it changed how they think.",
          "audience": "Readers curious about comics, popular art, or how people think.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17523146,
          "author": "latexr",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T14:17:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17523146",
          "commentText": "1. Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art, by Scott McCloud\nA comic about comics, but I don’t think you have to enjoy the medium to get something out of the book. If you enjoy exploring subjects to their core, give it a shot.\n2. The Sculptor, by Scott McCloud\nThe latest fiction graphic novel by the person who wrote a seminal book on comics. No surprise it does a lot of things right.\n3. S-Town, by Brian Reed\nTechnically a podcast, but it was released all at once and is a contained story that lasts for seven hours. I’d say a fairer assessment would be to call it a well produced non-fiction audiobook, which is what you’d expect from the producers of Serial and This American Life. When I recommend it I always tell people to give it until the end of the second episode before deciding if they’ll stick with it.\n4. Mindhunter, by John Douglas\nEnjoyed the Netflix show? There’s a good chance you’ll enjoy this.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you enjoy exploring subjects to their core, give it a shot.",
          "reason": "Recommended for its exploration of comics, even for readers who may not enjoy the medium.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy exploring subjects in depth.",
          "caveat": "You do not have to enjoy comics to get something out of it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961204,
          "author": "SJMosley",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:15:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961204",
          "commentText": "Recommendations:\n1) Einsteins Dreams - This book is a quick read, but shows a bunch of different perceptions of time. Fantastic.\n2) Rock warriors way - Even if you aren't a climber, I feel like this book has a lot of great lessons about committing without fear. Much more accessible as a climber though.\n3) Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art - Quick read, I learned a lot about storytelling in general.\n4) Agnotology: The Making and Unmaking of Ignorance - This is a series of essays and the first few were great views into companies creating ignorance in the 50's around smoking and link to cancer. Gets a little dense after a while.\nFull list:\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/list/18975415-samuel-mosley... (https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/18975415-samuel-mosley?shelf=read-2017)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art - Quick read, I learned a lot about storytelling in general.",
          "reason": "Recommends it after learning about storytelling from it.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in storytelling and comics.",
          "caveat": "Described as a quick read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12711191,
          "author": "franze",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-14T21:24:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12711191",
          "commentText": "\"Understanding Comics\" by Scott McCloud! Simply the single most important book to understand sequentional word/picture combinations. And yes, it's a comic!\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Understanding_Comics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Simply the single most important book to understand sequentional word/picture combinations.",
          "reason": "Calls it the most important book for understanding sequential word and picture combinations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it is a comic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott McCloud"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Design",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comics",
        "visual storytelling",
        "comics theory",
        "sequential art"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "vagabonding-3bec11",
      "title": "Vagabonding",
      "author": "Rolf Potts",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15630223,
          "author": "Panino",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:53:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630223",
          "commentText": "* Johnny Got His Gun, by Dalton Trumbo. Powerful anti-war story.\n  * Vagabonding, by Rolf Potts. Shaped my views on hard work and travel.\n  * 1984, by George Orwell. Brilliant and terrifying.\n  * The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle. Overcoming mental pain through consciousness. \n  * Planetwalker, by John Francis. Inspired me to walk and put myself into things more.\n  * Pure enjoyment: Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson), Ready Player One (Ernest Cline), Watchmen (Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons), Red Rising trilogy (Pierce Brown).\n\nHonorable mention: The Water Knife (Paolo Bacigalupi).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Vagabonding, by Rolf Potts. Shaped my views on hard work and travel.",
          "reason": "Says it shaped their views on hard work and travel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416558,
          "author": "hoodwink",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:54:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416558",
          "commentText": "I was similarly impacted by both books -- Four Hour Work Week led me to Vagabonding which is much better. If you haven't already, you should read the inspiration for Vagabonding: Walden by Thoreau.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Vagabonding which is much better",
          "reason": "Says it is much better than The 4-Hour Workweek.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in long-term travel and travel philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416551,
          "author": "mikejames16",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:53:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416551",
          "commentText": "+1",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1",
          "reason": "Signals agreement with the parent comment's positive recommendation.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in long-term travel and travel philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416503,
          "author": "mikejames16",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:45:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416503",
          "commentText": "Depends on what you're after. If you like the 4 hour work week and want to change your lifestyle then I'd read inspiration for the four hour work week; vagabonding by Ralf Potts and more recently the obstacle is the way by Ryan Holiday. At the end of this month I'll be heading off on a round the world trip with no return ticket starting in india. I have the four hour work week to thank for that, I changed my job to one where I was able to work remote, started my own product gocaller.co.uk whether it's going to bring income to support long term travel will be interesting to see, nevertheless it's a fun ride. I feel more confident now that I can go back to doing what im doing now I love software development and the interesting people I've had the pleasure of working with",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "vagabonding by Ralf Potts",
          "reason": "Includes it among books to read for readers interested in changing their lifestyle.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in long-term travel and lifestyle change.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11700120,
          "author": "drikerf",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-15T09:15:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11700120",
          "commentText": "Letters from a Stoic\nGetting Real\nCambodia Noir\nVagabonding\nAll great reads!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Vagabonding",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter calls great reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348289,
          "author": "schrodinger",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:36:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348289",
          "commentText": "Vagabonding by Rolf Potts.\nTalks about minimalistic long term travel.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Vagabonding by Rolf Potts.\nTalks about minimalistic long term travel.",
          "reason": "Names the book and says it discusses minimalist long-term travel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5501176,
          "author": "onelovelyname",
          "createdAt": "2013-04-05T21:33:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 5501062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Business Book For a 13-year-old Girl?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5501176",
          "commentText": "I was once a 13-year-old girl and loved writing short stories and learning about business. Some books that worked for me:\n- The 4-Hour Work Week, by Tim Ferriss\n- Rich Dad, Poor Dad, by Guy Kawasaki\n- The Magic of Thinking Big, by David. J Schwartz\n- Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey\nOne not super related to business but a great short read: Vagabonding by Rolf Potts. That book taught me to think creatively about my goals and not to allow traditional expectations to stop me from accomplishing them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "That book taught me to think creatively about my goals and not to allow traditional expectations to stop me from accomplishing them.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them think creatively about goals and resist limiting expectations.",
          "audience": "A young person interested in business and creative goal setting.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not super related to business.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rolf Potts"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Society",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "long term travel",
        "travel philosophy",
        "independent travel",
        "travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "vorkosigan-saga-35c9ba",
      "title": "Vorkosigan Saga",
      "author": "Lois McMaster Bujold",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46161500,
          "author": "ashtavakra",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-05T14:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46161500",
          "commentText": "I consolidated the comments for my reference later. Someone else might also find it useful:\n# Fiction Books Recommended for Programmers (HN Thread 46128404)\n## Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- *Children of Time* — Science Fiction (Evolution, Space Opera)  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)\n## Rick Cook — Wizardry Series\n- *Wizard’s Bane* — Fantasy, Programming/Magic Mashup  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112616.Wizard_s_Bane\n- *Wizardry Series (overview)*  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\n## James P. Hogan\n- *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/743568.Inherit_the_Stars\n- *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifem... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifemaker)\n- *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_Tomorrow)\n## D. F. Jones — Colossus Trilogy\n- *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806105.Colossus\n- *The Fall of Colossus* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colos... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colossus)\n- *Colossus and the Crab* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_Crab)\n## Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner)\n- *A Logic Named Joe* — Golden-Age Sci-Fi, AI Precursor  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-j... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-joe)\n## David Gerrold\n- *When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One* — AI, Classic Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_Was_One)\n## William Gibson / Bruce Sterling\n- *Neuromancer* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer\n- *The Difference Engine* — Steampunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Eng... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Engine)\n## Neal Stephenson\n- *Snow Crash* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash\n- *Cryptonomicon* — Techno-thriller, Cyber-history  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/816.Cryptonomicon\n- *Anathem* — Philosophical Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2845024-anathem\n- *The Diamond Age* — Nanopunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827.The_Diamond_Age\n## Fred Saberhagen\n- *Octagon* — AI, Techno-thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1891958.Octagon\n## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga\n- *Series Overview* — Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/40946-vorkosigan-saga\n## Richard Powers\n- *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45104.Galatea_2_2\n## Scott Meyer\n- *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-wizard)\n## Daniel Suarez\n- *Daemon* — Cyber-thriller, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665844-daemon\n## Thomas J. Ryan\n- *The Adolescence of P-1* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_o... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_of_P_1)\n## Ernest Cline\n- *Ready Player One* — Sci-Fi, Gaming, Pop-Culture Adventure  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one\n## Dennis E. Taylor\n- *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)* — Humorous Sci-Fi, AI, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-we-are-bob)\n## Ted Chiang\n- *Stories of Your Life and Others* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\n- *Exhalation* — Speculative Fiction, Philosophy, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation\n- *The Lifecycle of Software Objects* — AI, Digital Consciousness  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of-software-objects)\n## Charles Stross\n- *Laundry Files Series* — Math-based Magic, Techno-Fantasy  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files\n## Ken Liu\n- *The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menag... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories)\n- *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, AI, VR  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl-and-other-stories)\n## Ellen Ullman\n- *The Bug* — Tech Industry Literary Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/703.The_Bug\n## Cory Doctorow\n- *Radicalized* — Techno-sociopolitical Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40604122-radicalized\n## qntm (Sam Hughes)\n- *Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans-in-transit-and-other-stories)\n## Roger Williams\n- *The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect* — AI, Post-Singularity SF  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)\n## Greg Bear\n- *Eon* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/924843.Eon\n## Vernor Vinge\n- *A Deepness in the Sky* — Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the_Sky)\n## Terry Pratchett\n- *Going Postal* — Comic Fantasy, Satire of Bureaucracy & Tech  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64222.Going_Postal\n## Bruce Bethke\n- *Headcrash* — Cyber-satire  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213465.Headcrash\n## Mary Shelley\n- *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* — Classic Gothic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein\n## Douglas Adams\n- *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* — Comic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guid... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)\n## Jorge Luis Borges\n- *The Library of Babel* — Metaphysical Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-babel)\n## Greg Egan\n- *Permutation City* — Simulation Theory, Hard Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156784.Permutation_City\n## Cixin Liu\n- *The Three-Body Problem* — Hard Sci-Fi, First Contact  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga",
          "reason": "Lists the series in a compilation of fiction books recommended for programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46129114,
          "author": "netcoyote",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T01:14:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46129114",
          "commentText": "The Vorkosigan Series, by Louise McMasters Bujold. She’s won six (!!!) Hugo awards for her writing, and as Anne McCaffery says, “Boy, can she write”.\nSpace opera with warfare, intrigue, politics, drama, and world building.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Vorkosigan Series, by Louise McMasters Bujold.",
          "reason": "The commenter presents the series as a recommendation and describes its genre and themes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37158815,
          "author": "javajosh",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T08:35:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37158815",
          "commentText": "I always liked LeGuin. If you like her, maybe you'd like Louis McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga, which is an interesting combination of an unusually vulnerable protagonist and a traditional space opera setting. She's got some straight fantasy that's good, too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "maybe you'd like Louis McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan Saga",
          "reason": "Suggests the saga to readers who like Le Guin.",
          "audience": "Readers who like Ursula Le Guin.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14860111,
          "author": "mdekkers",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:40:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14860111",
          "commentText": "Vorkosigan Saga, by Lois McMaster Bujold - some of the books are great, some not so much, and one is like a Harlequin novel in space - not what I was aiming for. Finishing them for completeness, but after 10 or 11 or so, they become boring and mediocre.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Vorkosigan Saga, by Lois McMaster Bujold - some of the books are great, some not so much, and one is like a Harlequin novel in space - not what I was aiming for. Finishing them for completeness, but after 10 or 11 or so, they become boring and mediocre.",
          "reason": "Mixed appraisal: some books are great, but the series becomes boring and mediocre after about ten or eleven.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some installments disappoint; the series loses appeal after about ten or eleven books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9084077,
          "author": "madink",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-21T00:38:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9084077",
          "commentText": "What about Lois McMaster Bujold ?\n4 Hugo Award gota count for something !\nThe Vorkosigan serie is space opera so not hard scifi but it's damn good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Vorkosigan serie is space opera so not hard scifi but it's damn good.",
          "reason": "Explicitly praises the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment distinguishes it from hard science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109239,
          "author": "miningold",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:37:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109239",
          "commentText": "Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold and the rest of the Vorkosigan Saga",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the rest of the Vorkosigan Saga",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lois McMaster Bujold"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "military science fiction",
        "political intrigue",
        "warfare"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "why-we-sleep-unlocking-the-power-of-sleep-and-dreams-107ed1",
      "title": "Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams",
      "author": "Matthew Walker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40430584,
          "author": "throw0101b",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T16:29:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40430584",
          "commentText": "In rough order:\nThe Rise and Fall of American Growth: The U.S. Standard of Living since the Civil War:\n> In the century after the Civil War, an economic revolution improved the American standard of living in ways previously unimaginable. Electric lighting, indoor plumbing, motor vehicles, air travel, and television transformed households and workplaces. But has that era of unprecedented growth come to an end? Weaving together a vivid narrative, historical anecdotes, and economic analysis, The Rise and Fall of American Growth challenges the view that economic growth will continue unabated, and demonstrates that the life-altering scale of innovations between 1870 and 1970 cannot be repeated. Gordon contends that the nation's productivity growth will be further held back by the headwinds of rising inequality, stagnating education, an aging population, and the rising debt of college students and the federal government, and that we must find new solutions. A critical voice in the most pressing debates of our time, The Rise and Fall of American Growth is at once a tribute to a century of radical change and a harbinger of tougher times to come.\n* https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/26634594\nData Driven: Truckers, Technology, and the New Workplace Surveillance:\n> Long-haul truckers are the backbone of the American economy, transporting goods under grueling conditions and immense economic pressure. Truckers have long valued the day-to-day independence of their work, sharing a strong occupational identity rooted in a tradition of autonomy. Yet these workers increasingly find themselves under many watchful eyes. Data Driven examines how digital surveillance is upending life and work on the open road, and raises crucial questions about the role of data collection in broader systems of social control.\n* https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/60564512\nWhy We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams:\n> Neuroscientist and sleep expert Matthew Walker provides a revolutionary exploration of sleep, examining how it affects every aspect of our physical and mental well-being. Charting the most cutting-edge scientific breakthroughs, and marshalling his decades of research and clinical practice, Walker explains how we can harness sleep to improve learning, mood and energy levels, regulate hormones, prevent cancer, Alzheimer's and diabetes, slow the effects of aging, and increase longevity. He also provides actionable steps towards getting a better night's sleep every night.\n* https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34466963-why-we-sleep\nChip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology (which goes over the history semiconductors, and not just present day events):\n* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_War:_The_Fight_for_the_Wo... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_War:_The_Fight_for_the_World%27s_Most_Critical_Technology)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams:",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21793214,
          "author": "Jedd",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T23:43:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793214",
          "commentText": "> \"Why we sleep\" is, according to independent research, almost complete bullshit:\n> https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21546850\n> https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families... (https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families..).\n> https://guzey.com/books/why-we-sleep/\nComplete?  I wouldn't say so - as others have noted, there's a few issues that the author of that blog post has with some small assertions made by Matthew Walker.\nWhether that throws everything in the book into question is an interesting question, but if the whole book was 'complete bullshit' then I'd expect a more comprehensive debunking than that blog post.\nAs to the links you've cited there -- 1 and 3 are the same link (well, HN comments in (1) point to the actual story at (3).\nThe second link seems to agree with -- and be full of exactly the same myth debunking & recommendations that -- Matthew Walker makes.  As it happens I'm about 80% the way through the book now.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Whether that throws everything in the book into question is an interesting question, but if the whole book was 'complete bullshit' then I'd expect a more comprehensive debunking than that blog post.",
          "reason": "Argues that the cited criticism does not comprehensively debunk the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Acknowledges issues with some of Walker's assertions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21793087,
          "author": "janvdberg",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T23:20:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793087",
          "commentText": "These are a few of the ones I read this year and that the average HN reader would also probably enjoy (links are to my blog):\n* Why We Sleep: https://j11g.com/2019/05/31/why-we-sleep-matthew-walker/\n* The Effective Executive: https://j11g.com/2019/03/18/the-effective-executive-peter-dr... (https://j11g.com/2019/03/18/the-effective-executive-peter-drucker/)\n* High Output Management: https://j11g.com/2019/01/29/high-output-management-andrew-s-... (https://j11g.com/2019/01/29/high-output-management-andrew-s-grove/)\n* Bad Blood: https://j11g.com/2019/01/21/bad-blood-john-carreyrou/\n* The 7 Habits (I reread this after a long time and it still holds up!) https://j11g.com/2019/09/30/the-7-habits-of-highly-effective... (https://j11g.com/2019/09/30/the-7-habits-of-highly-effective-people-stephen-covey/)\n* A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again – David Foster Wallace (This is just an amazing book and became one of my all time favorites) https://j11g.com/2019/08/08/a-supposedly-fun-thing-ill-never... (https://j11g.com/2019/08/08/a-supposedly-fun-thing-ill-never-do-again-david-foster-wallace/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Why We Sleep: https://j11g.com/2019/05/31/why-we-sleep-matthew-walker/",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books the commenter read and thinks the average HN reader would enjoy.",
          "audience": "The average Hacker News reader, as described by the commenter.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17982015,
          "author": "davidandgoliath",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-13T20:05:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17982015",
          "commentText": "`Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams` by Matthew Walker. Still in the midst of it actually, and it's had a huge impact.\nRunner-up would be `the end of religion` by Bruxy Cavey.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Still in the midst of it actually, and it's had a huge impact.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it has had a huge impact while they are still reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not finished the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17230875,
          "author": "jjwalz17",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-04T18:50:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17230875",
          "commentText": "Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker.\nThis has changed how I approach sleep.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This has changed how I approach sleep.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book changed how they approach sleep.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthew Walker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sleep science",
        "dreams",
        "sleep",
        "sleep and health"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "world-war-z-c9b7d8",
      "title": "World War Z",
      "author": "Max Brooks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32197997,
          "author": "linsomniac",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:45:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197997",
          "commentText": "I just started The Hobbit a couple days ago.  For the last 3-4 months I've been checking out library books on the Kindle and reading as a bedtime ritual to help get me to sleep.  It's been working pretty well, I rarely lay there unable to go to sleep.\nI just finished Devolution by Max Brooks, it was good but not really in my wheelhouse.  I didn't realize when I started reading it, but he also did World War Z, which I felt the same way about, and also recently finished reading\nBefore that I finished Artemis by Andy Weir, good but not great.  Read because I had recently finished The Martian and absolutely loved it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "he also did World War Z, which I felt the same way about",
          "reason": "Says they felt the same way about it as Devolution.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it was not their wheelhouse.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9347824,
          "author": "monk_e_boy",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T14:38:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9347824",
          "commentText": "\"Off to be the wizard\" is pretty light and fun. \"John dies at the end\" was fun, not really sci-fi, more buffy the vampire slayer esque. \"Existence\" by David Brin made me want to puke it had so many good ideas. A tiny bit dated, but very smart. \"The Martian\" I expect you've read it. Good romp, easy to read. Reminded me of a Michael Crichton. \"World War Z\" was good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"World War Z\" was good.",
          "reason": "Calls it good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9068194,
          "author": "zblesk",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-18T12:46:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9068194",
          "commentText": "Oh, I love some good world-building, and especially when there is a set of rules that's followed to their consequences.  [Ayuc sums it up nicely in this comment. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056594 ]\nIf you look at it this way, it CAN be done in fantasy. Check out Brandon Sanderson's Warbreaker (a great one-off), or the Mistborn series. (There are quite a few similarities between them.)\nOr Max Brooks' World War Z was great in this way, I think. Although it's been quite a while since I read that.\n(I know this is an older thread, so I hope you'll find this comment. Made a HN account for this. :D )",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Or Max Brooks' World War Z was great in this way, I think.",
          "reason": "Praises the book's handling of world-building and rules.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it has been quite a while since reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1570071,
          "author": "gsaurus",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T03:58:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1570071",
          "commentText": "\"Into Thin Air\" (Krakauer) \nJournalist/Mountaineer account of an Everest expedition gone wrong. Read it, ponder, but know that there is some controversy. Very interesting look into expedition dynamics.\n\"Mountains Beyond Mountains\" (Kidder)\nAn account of Paul Farmer's work in Haiti, and later in other parts of the world. If you are interested in public health it is a great read, and may provide a fresh angle on recent Haiti <-> world politics.\n\"Three Cups of Tea\" (Oliver, I think)\nGreg Mortensen starts building schools in Pakistan / Afghanistan. Adventure ensues. There's some definite political bias here but it's worth a read.\nFun summer read: \"World War Z\".\nUnrelated, I use Shelfari [http://www.shelfari.com/] to organize my books-to-read, if you need an organization tool.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fun summer read: \"World War Z\".",
          "reason": "The commenter presents it as a fun summer read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569073,
          "author": "metellus",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:04:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569073",
          "commentText": "The print version of World War Z is very good as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The print version of World War Z is very good as well.",
          "reason": "Recommends the print version as very good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Max Brooks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "oral history",
        "zombie fiction",
        "oral history format",
        "zombie apocalypse"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-pattern-language-towns-buildings-construction-7d2505",
      "title": "A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction",
      "author": "Christopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa, and Murray Silverstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43688561,
          "author": "PaulHoule",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-15T02:51:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 43685856,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What 3 Books Would You Recommend to Anyone?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43688561",
          "commentText": "I love Dosadi and all the Busab books,  anything by Herbert that isn't Dune,  the trashier the better.\n\"A Pattern Language\" had very little impact on architecture but a huge impact on software design.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"A Pattern Language\" had very little impact on architecture but a huge impact on software design.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it had a huge impact on software design.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it had very little impact on architecture.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43687519,
          "author": "more_corn",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-14T23:47:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 43685856,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What 3 Books Would You Recommend to Anyone?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43687519",
          "commentText": "“Sapiens” read it twice, wish I could go back in time and give it to 18yr old me.\n“The Dosadi Experiment”, probably 5 life-changing concepts just tossed in for flavor.\n“A Pattern Language” on how spaces inform life and life informs spaces.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“A Pattern Language” on how spaces inform life and life informs spaces.",
          "reason": "The commenter highlights its ideas about how spaces and life inform one another.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9613136,
          "author": "strangetimes",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T17:56:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9613136",
          "commentText": "\"A Pattern Language\" by Christopher Alexander\nhttps://archive.org/details/APatternLanguage",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"A Pattern Language\" by Christopher Alexander",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3338211,
          "author": "gruseom",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T19:17:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3338211",
          "commentText": "I love Pattern Language and use ideas from it all the time. It, and Alexander, are much more interesting than the mechanistic stuff that software people reduced him to. I think Chris Alexander is one of those rare cases where it's possible to see that an individual is right and an entire field is wrong.\nGrowing a Business I read because you recommended it on HN a few years ago!\nPeopleware I remember as being pretty enlightened in spirit and ahead of its time for software projects, but one of those once-you-get-it-you-get-it things. Also, they totally made shit up in that book (http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=333694).\nGEB, meh. Hofstadter always struck me as the pseudo-profound type. Perhaps I am unfair.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I love Pattern Language and use ideas from it all the time.",
          "reason": "Says they love the book and use its ideas regularly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3338040,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T18:05:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3338040",
          "commentText": "I read Cialdini years ago because Joel Spolsky recommended it here:\nhttp://www.joelonsoftware.com/navLinks/fog0000000262.html\nFrom that list, I also highly recommend:\n* Peopleware (get your cofounders to read it too)\n* Godel Escher Bach\n* A Pattern Language (but don't bother reading it straight through)\n* Growing A Business",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "* A Pattern Language (but don't bother reading it straight through)",
          "reason": "Recommends it with a suggestion not to read it straight through.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter advises against reading it straight through.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher Alexander",
        "Sara Ishikawa",
        "Murray Silverstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Art",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "architecture",
        "design patterns",
        "software design",
        "spatial design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-tour-of-c-1727a4",
      "title": "A Tour of C++",
      "author": "Bjarne Stroustrup",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23383925,
          "author": "AnimalMuppet",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-01T21:15:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23383925",
          "commentText": "A Tour of C++, by Stroustrup.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Tour of C++, by Stroustrup.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10192947,
          "author": "raincom",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-09T17:56:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10192947",
          "commentText": "I have to second this 180 page book \"A tour of C++\". A best book out there to get an overview of the C++ land. There are so many bad books out there on C++; there is a guy in Israel, who maintains a list of bad books on C/C++.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I have to second this 180 page book \"A tour of C++\". A best book out there to get an overview of the C++ land.",
          "reason": "Endorses the parent recommendation and calls it the best book for an overview of C++.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an overview of C++.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10182606,
          "author": "aurelian15",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-07T19:05:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10182606",
          "commentText": "C++ - \"A tour of C++\"\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Tour-C--Depth/dp/0321958314\nI read this book after having programmed C++ with the common \"C++ is C with classes\" attitude for a while, and it really made me change the way I looked at this language.\nIt was the book that made me realize how beautiful the RAII idiom is, that the STL was clearly not hacked together by a bunch of crazy monkeys, that you rarely need raw pointers in your code and that -- in contrast to popular belief -- you seldom need to care about memory management.\nWhen I finished that book, and though in the full knowledge that I was dealing with this ugly monster of the Frankenstein kind; just like at the end of \"the beauty and the beast\", I had somehow come to respect and appreciate that language.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it really made me change the way I looked at this language.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed their view of C++ and led them to respect and appreciate the language.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8262878,
          "author": "pgathogo",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-03T13:30:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8262878",
          "commentText": "Age Of Reason by Thomas Paine\nA Tour of C++ by Bjarne Stroustrup\nEffective C++ by Scott Meyers\nMoon Walking With Einstein by Joshua Foer",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "A Tour of C++ by Bjarne Stroustrup",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7757080,
          "author": "sanderjd",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:32:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7757080",
          "commentText": "Came here to mention this. I've also found it to be a great resource for understanding a lot of the design decisions in Rust (if you're into that sort of thing), which are often informed by similar decisions in recent versions of C++ that \"Tour of C++\" discusses in detail.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "recent versions of C++ that \"Tour of C++\" discusses in detail.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book discusses recent C++ design decisions in detail.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7756922,
          "author": "Jake232",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:15:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7756922",
          "commentText": "Just purchased this. I'm hoping it can make up for a year of not attending my c++ lectures, to learn enough for my exam in 1.5weeks.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Just purchased this. I'm hoping it can make up for a year of not attending my c++ lectures",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter hopes it will help them prepare for an exam; no evaluation is given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7756845,
          "author": "pagade",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:07:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7756845",
          "commentText": "I thoroughly enjoyed it. Would recommend to anyone interested in quick overview of C++.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I thoroughly enjoyed it. Would recommend to anyone interested in quick overview of C++.",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed it and recommends it for a quick overview of C++.",
          "audience": "Anyone interested in a quick overview of C++.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7756678,
          "author": "tdicola",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T17:34:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7756678",
          "commentText": "Stroustrup's \"A Tour of C++\" is a great overview of C++11 and modern C++.  It's not very long and worth a read to see what's new in the C++ world.  The audience is aimed at people who already know C++ but want to know what's new with the latest version.  I've been doing a lot more with C++11 recently and am really impressed with the language--dare I say C++ is actually fun to use.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stroustrup's \"A Tour of C++\" is a great overview of C++11 and modern C++.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great overview of C++11 and modern C++.",
          "audience": "People who already know C++ and want to learn what's new.",
          "caveat": "Not very long.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bjarne Stroustrup"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c",
        "programming",
        "c 11",
        "programming languages"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "artificial-intelligence-a-modern-approach-48a948",
      "title": "Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach",
      "author": "Stuart Russell, Peter Norvig",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21313374,
          "author": "guiraldelli",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T15:27:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21313374",
          "commentText": "I don't think there is a definitive answer for your question because computer science is a relative new area of knowledge and “fundamental books” are still being published.\nIf I had to say one text that is the fundamental one, I would go with a paper: “On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem” [1], by Alan Turing.\n---\nBut if you just started your course in Computer Science, then I will give you some “bookshelf advice\" based on my experience. I had the pleasure to study all the books I am going to recommend you, and most of them I was able to read cover-to-cover during the university years. And they are also in my bookshelf for reference.\nThe book order does not represent rank of importance.\n* “Introduction to the Theory of Computation”, by Michael Sipser.\n    * I also recommend the “Elements of the Theory of Computation”, by Christos Papadimitriou.\n\n    * Another good complement is “Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages and Computation”, by Hopcroft and Ullman. (Thanks, @reacweb, for the reminder.)\n\n* “Graph Theory”, by Reinhard Diestel.\n    * If you feel you want to go deeper, and like a book which you cannot skip a single word, I strongly recommend “Modern Graph Theory”, by Béla Bollobás: it is one of my favorite textbooks ever!\n\n* “The Algorithm Design Manual”, by Steven Skiena.\n    * While a lot of people seems to praise either the Cormen et al. or the Sedgewick books, I have the feeling that “Algorithms” by Dasgupta, Papadimitriou  and Vazirani is my choice for “fundamental” book. But I decided to\n\n* “Computer Architecture: a Quantitative Approach”, by Hennessy and Patterson.\n* “Modern Operating Systems”, by Andrew Tanenbaum.\n* “Artificial Intelligence: a Modern Approach”, by Russel and Norvig.\n* “Modern Compiler Implementation (in ML)”, by Andrew Appel.\nI would like to also recommend “Concrete Mathematics”, by Graham, Knuth and Patashnik, but I remember to not feel it the most pedagogical book on the subject.\nGood luck!\n---\n[1]: https://www.cs.virginia.edu/~robins/Turing_Paper_1936.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Artificial Intelligence: a Modern Approach”, by Russel and Norvig",
          "reason": "Includes it among the books recommended for a CS bookshelf.",
          "audience": "People starting a computer science course.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21313367,
          "author": "sweeneyrod",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T15:27:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21313367",
          "commentText": "I don't think there are any. The problem with learning computer science from textbooks is that most textbooks will go a lot further than just the fundamentals on the subjects they cover. So if you try to learn the basics by choosing a textbook for each area and read it cover to cover you'll never finish. Perhaps the answer is to thoroughly read the first few chapters/skim the remainder of Introduction to Algorithms; the Dragon book; Computer Networks/Architecture/etc.: A Systems/Quantitative/etc. Approach; Types and Programming Languages; Security Engineering; AI: A Modern Approach and so on -- that was certainly my experience of undergrad CS. A few exceptions are K&R, The Mythical Man-Month and What Every Computer Scientist Should Know About Floating-Point Arithmetic which are short enough that you can easily read them in their entirety.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "AI: A Modern Approach",
          "reason": "Includes it among textbooks to study selectively when learning computer science.",
          "audience": "People learning undergraduate computer science.",
          "caveat": "Suggests reading the first chapters or skimming the remainder.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21312313,
          "author": "bo1024",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T14:01:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21312313",
          "commentText": "CS is like math, not philosophy -- the fundamental ideas are gradually refined by a community, and eventually someone puts them into a book. Usually there are many books and people have different favorites.\nSo the closest parallels are original research papers like Turing's and Shannon's; but you're probably better off reading more recent textbooks.\nThat said, to balance out the heavy emphasis on programming and engineering books here, some recommendations:\n- Sipser. Introduction to the Theory of Computation.\n- Russell, Norvig. AI: A Modern Approach.\n- For algorithms I don't have a preference. There is Dasgupta-Papadimitriou-Vazirani; Cormen-Leisersen-Rivest-Stein; Kleinberg-Tardos; and more.\nA bit farther from core CS, I also like:\n- Cover, Thomas. Elements of Information Theory.\n- Li, Vitanyi. An Introduction to Kolmogorov Complexity and Its Applications",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Russell, Norvig. AI: A Modern Approach.",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414953,
          "author": "gharbad",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T13:18:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414953",
          "commentText": "Knuth's Art of Computer Programming\nAside from that, there are typically only 1-2 extremely well regarded books in any given area. If you're going to be doing something specific, grab the appropriate book.\neg:\nCompilers - Dragon Book\nAI - Russel/Norvig's Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach\nOh.. everyone needs a whiteboard, as well - they're quite useful",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "AI - Russel/Norvig's Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach",
          "reason": "Names it as the example of a well-regarded book for AI.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 55485,
          "author": "ambition",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-17T02:25:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 55372,
          "threadTitle": "Question: What are the best books on algorithms?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=55485",
          "commentText": "It depends on what you want to get out of them. \nIf all you do is build a library, you'll never get anything out of it, since you actually need to study the books for that. :P\nIf you want a reference, then by all means take aston and Hexayurt's excellent suggestions. Especially CLRS.\nIf you don't know much about algorithms right now, then you'll find Cormen et al. very challenging to start with.\nIf you're like me, you want to be able to use algorithms as a tool to solve real problems. \nTo practice that, I have a few suggestions, if I may be so bold. \nPick up a copy of the Algorithm Design Manual and Programming Challenges, by Steven Skiena. Programming Challenges will introduce you to the ACM-ICPC repository of programming problems, which is a great low-pressure area to build some top-notch skill in algorithms. You'll want to get into TopCoder as well. \nFor a slightly different taste, pick up Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach, by Stuart Russell and Peter Norvig, also known as AIMA or the Green Book. Its discussion of search algorithms is unrivaled.\nGood luck!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "pick up Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach, by Stuart Russell and Peter Norvig, also known as AIMA or the Green Book.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for its discussion of search algorithms.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in a different approach to algorithms.",
          "caveat": "The specific praise is for its discussion of search algorithms.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stuart Russell, Peter Norvig"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "textbook",
        "search algorithms"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "deep-work-rules-for-focused-success-in-a-distracted-world-24afe9",
      "title": "Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World",
      "author": "Cal Newport",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21852386,
          "author": "t3hprofit",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T17:49:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21852386",
          "commentText": "Not specifically about programming, but \"Every Tool's a Hammer\" by Adam Savage was really good. Tons of good information in here, and it tickles the Mythbusters itch.\nAre you looking for books about a programming language? or about methodologies, patters, best practices, etc.\nAs far as about specific programming languages, personally I think the internet is a far better resource. Books are better for the \"Soft\"er skills (communication, design, etc)\nHere are a few I've enjoyed:\n* The Phoenix Project\n* Accelerate\n* Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World\n* Rework\nFinally, if you've never read \"How to win Friends & Influence people\", do it now! I'm 34 and for whatever reason put off reading this until last month. I wish I had read that book 10 years ago. I'll definitely be adding it to my re-read list as there is a TON of good advice for building relationships, which is arguably more important than many technical things.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Developers seeking books about software and professional skills.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16582639,
          "author": "q-base",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-14T05:46:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16582639",
          "commentText": "Pitch Anything - About selling and the psychology of selling. Really need to re-read that one actually.\nAnd +1 for Deep Work, So Good They Can't Ignore You or The World Beyond Your Head. They made me realize that being in a profession where you can reach \"flow state\" actually is a privilege.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "They made me realize that being in a profession where you can reach \"flow state\" actually is a privilege.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as one of three books that changed their view of reaching a flow state at work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238832,
          "author": "ggregoire",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T17:35:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238832",
          "commentText": "I'm not a big reader:\n- Elon Musk bio\n- Deep Work\n- Manna",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Deep Work",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238537,
          "author": "kirubakaran",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:59:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238537",
          "commentText": "Here is my full bookshelf: http://www.kirubakaran.com/books-read.html\nBooks Read in 2016:\n1. The Recursive Universe: Cosmic Complexity and the Limits of Scientific Knowledge\n- Poundstone, William\n2. My Brain is Open: The Mathematical Journeys of Paul Erdos\n- Schechter, Bruce\n3. One Summer: America, 1927\n- Bryson, Bill\n4. The Three-Body Problem (Remembrance of Earth’s Past, #1)\n- Liu, Cixin\n5. The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit\n- Godin, Seth\n6. At Home: A Short History of Private Life\n- Bryson, Bill\n7. Kings of Kings (Hardcore History, #56-58)\n- Carlin, Dan\n8. Blueprint for Armageddon (Hardcore History #50-55)\n- Carlin, Dan\n9. Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal\n- Klaff, Oren\n10. William Shakespeare: The World as Stage\n- Bryson, Bill\n11. So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love\n- Newport, Cal\n12. The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles\n- Pressfield, Steven\n13. In a Sunburned Country\n- Bryson, Bill\n14. Cannery Row\n- Steinbeck, John\n15. Traction: A Startup Guide to Getting Customers\n- Weinberg, Gabriel\n16. Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World\n- Newport, Cal\n17. Starship Troopers\n- Heinlein, Robert A.\n18. No Touch Monkey!: And Other Travel Lessons Learned Too Late\n- Halliday, Ayun",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13237838,
          "author": "satyajitranjeev",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T15:30:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237838",
          "commentText": "Things I completed:\n1. Elon Musk: Inventing the Future\n2. The Code Book - Simon Singh\n3. Fermat's Enigma - Simon Singh\n4. Deep Work - Cal Newport\n5. Smarter Faster Better - Charles Duhigg\n6. 1984\n7. So good they can't ignore you - Cal Newport\n8. Distributed Systems for fun and profit\n9. Classic Shell Scripting\nThings I partially read and hope to complete some time:\n1. The music of Primes\n2. Traction\n3. Founders at work\n4. Your Memory: How it works and how to improve it\nThings I would recommend:\nFermat's Enigma and The Code Book are very interesting reads if you are into Mathematics. They are both written very well and you don't need to know too much of Mathematics to understand it. On the other hand The Music of Primes started of very interesting and then got a bit too heavy for an evening read. If you can chug along I think it would be a good one too.\nOf all the self help books I mentioned I think Duhiggs Smarter, faster better is the one that stands out. It is more of an analysis of various teams and people and how they got to work efficiently.\nFounders at work is a long read but something that you can read a chapter independently and that's why it is under half read but definitely something to look at.\n[EDIT: formatting]",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Deep Work - Cal Newport",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12982125,
          "author": "PagingCraig",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-17T22:00:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12982125",
          "commentText": "I also recommend it. Given two copies to people this year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also recommend it. Given two copies to people this year.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the book and says they gave two copies to people.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12981583,
          "author": "bnchrch",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-17T21:08:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12981583",
          "commentText": "I can second \"Deep Work by Cal Newport\" the man gives some great insights and actionable advice on how to consistently get into the zone as a programmer and produce great work.\nI've gifted it twice already.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can second \"Deep Work by Cal Newport\" the man gives some great insights and actionable advice on how to consistently get into the zone as a programmer and produce great work.",
          "reason": "Endorses its insights and actionable advice for focused, productive work.",
          "audience": "Programmers seeking to focus and produce better work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12981372,
          "author": "kirubakaran",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-17T20:47:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12981372",
          "commentText": "\"Deep Work\" and \"Traction\". More here: http://www.kirubakaran.com/books-read.html?utm_source=hnbook... (http://www.kirubakaran.com/books-read.html?utm_source=hnbooks2016)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Deep Work\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cal Newport"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "focus",
        "productivity",
        "deep work"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "design-patterns-elements-of-reusable-object-oriented-software-6c1196",
      "title": "Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software",
      "author": "Erich Gamma, Richard Helm, Ralph Johnson, John Vlissides",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21312131,
          "author": "jakelazaroff",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T13:43:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21312131",
          "commentText": "Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software (also known colloquially as “Gang of Four”).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14849757,
          "author": "gnaritas",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T17:22:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14849757",
          "commentText": "He's talking about the original design patterns book which is a book of OO patterns, it's hardly surprising that many OO patterns are either invisible or simpler in a functional language, functional languages have different design patterns.  And yes, I know who Norvig is and I've read that article before.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the original design patterns book which is a book of OO patterns",
          "reason": "Describes the book and its object-oriented patterns in a discussion of their relevance to functional languages.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14849595,
          "author": "blain_the_train",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T17:10:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14849595",
          "commentText": "https://drewverlee.github.io/ i cover some (most) of the Design Patterns from the GOF book though the lens of Clojure. I stopped largely because i concluded the same thing Peter Norvig did many years ago, most DP in that book are work arounds for language limitations.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "some (most) of the Design Patterns from the GOF book",
          "reason": "Discusses the book's patterns and says many are workarounds for language limitations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter concluded many of its patterns work around language limitations.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14848100,
          "author": "jdmichal",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T14:47:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14848100",
          "commentText": "The person I replied to, sideshowb, explicitly asked about both design patterns and Design Patterns. Regardless, that book was what elevated design patterns into common knowledge within the object-oriented world. Their fate is tied together; the book and the patterns described within are practically synonymous.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The person I replied to, sideshowb, explicitly asked about both design patterns and Design Patterns.",
          "reason": "Identifies the book as the work that made design patterns common knowledge in object-oriented programming.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14845074,
          "author": "hyperpallium",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T04:13:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14845074",
          "commentText": "> build large systems\nDP are oft misused, but I think the main idea is a pattern language - a way to communicate to other developers what the architecture is. This is especially important on larger, more complex projects with more developers and developer turnover. Understanding the architecture of a project is crucial for grokking it, but usually not well documented. Even just \"DPs are naming conventions\" is helpful in this regard.\nI really disagree with the idea that most DPs are particularly clever or helpful - they are just the way you'd end up solving those kinds of problems yourself. If you look at your own pre-DP code, you'll see design patterns. What they give is a standardized terminology (\"pattern language\").\nSometimes an architecture seems more complex than necessary, but makes sense as you better understand the whole problem. e.g. how curl handles http. e.g. youtube-dl. (for me, when I reverse-engineered mini-versions of them, then studied their source)\ntl;dr \"DPs are docs\"",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "DP are oft misused, but I think the main idea is a pattern language",
          "reason": "Explains the value of design patterns as a shared vocabulary for describing architecture.",
          "audience": "Developers working on larger, complex projects with multiple contributors.",
          "caveat": "Patterns are often misused, and the commenter finds most neither especially clever nor helpful.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14844078,
          "author": "btilly",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T00:39:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14844078",
          "commentText": "As to that, Design Patterns did not influence my coding style very much.  By contrast Code Complete was the first book that I read about how to structure code, and I've gained more from it on multiple rereads.  I consider it a much better book.\nBut then again I'm hardly enthusiastic about OO.  See http://www.perlmonks.org/?node_id=318257 for more on my perspective.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Design Patterns did not influence my coding style very much.",
          "reason": "Says the book had little influence on their coding style.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14843885,
          "author": "sideshowb",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T00:03:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14843885",
          "commentText": "Agree on both those fronts, if you're not careful. Still dp influenced my coding more than any other book to date, which was the original question.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Still dp influenced my coding more than any other book to date",
          "reason": "Says it influenced their coding more than any other book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Agrees this book requires care.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9758114,
          "author": "sebastianconcpt",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T13:29:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758114",
          "commentText": "A remarkable classic\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Design-Patterns-Elements-Reusable-Obje... (http://www.amazon.com/Design-Patterns-Elements-Reusable-Object-Oriented/dp/0201633612)\nAnd Kent Beck's\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Smalltalk-Best-Practice-Patterns-Kent/... (http://www.amazon.com/Smalltalk-Best-Practice-Patterns-Kent/dp/013476904X)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A remarkable classic",
          "reason": "Described as a remarkable classic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3336069,
          "author": "pettinato",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-09T23:04:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3336069",
          "commentText": "The System of the World by Neal Stephenson - for pleasure\nHadoop: The Definitive Guide - for fun\nDesign Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software - for work\nEffective C++ by Scott Meyers - for work\nMore Effective C++ by Scott Meyers - for work",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software - for work",
          "reason": "Listed as currently read for work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Erich Gamma, Richard Helm, Ralph Johnson, John Vlissides"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "object oriented programming",
        "software design",
        "design patterns",
        "object oriented design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dirk-gently-s-holistic-detective-agency-a08b2e",
      "title": "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency",
      "author": "Douglas Adams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467709,
          "author": "alanfalcon",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:53:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467709",
          "commentText": "I find myself re-listening to large portions of my audible library fairly often. I pick up so much more on additional read/listen-throughs.\nI listen to or read Snow Crash at least once a year. I just enjoy most everything about it. Anathem required a couple listens, and a third listen was just for comfort food.\nThe Altered Carbon trilogy has depth and sublime world-building that I have now enjoyed at least a half dozen times.\nI second mentions of Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (and will mention The Long, Dark Tea Time of the Soul as well).\nEnder’s Game is also comfort food for me.\nBreaking from the speculative fiction reco’s above...\nThe Power of Vulnerability (Brené Brown) is more lecture series than audiobook, but as for non fiction I’ve recently given multiple listens to, that tops the list.\nI borrowed “Landline” from the local library, read it twice and then bought it so I could continue to read it when I want to. I think I was in just the right age group and life situation for this novel to hit home for me. Your mileage may vary, but IMO read it without knowing anything about it in advance if you’re going to read it. That means don’t read the back cover etc.\n(Blind borrowing of books from the library is fun and can be eye opening, try it sometime! Most places, you can borrow eBooks and even digital audiobooks without even leaving your home as long as you have a library card.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second mentions of Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly seconds earlier mentions of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467590,
          "author": "LeoPanthera",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:41:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467590",
          "commentText": "Douglas Adam's \"Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency\".\nProbably the finest work of fiction ever written, and my favorite book of all time. You kind of have to read it twice, the end completely changes the interpretation of the entire rest of the book. It's great.\nAvoid spoilers, and also avoid the TV versions - not even the same story, and quite disappointing. The audiobook version, read by Douglas Adams himself, is sublime.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Douglas Adam's \"Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency\".",
          "reason": "Calls it a favorite and says its ending changes how the rest of the book reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Avoid spoilers and the TV versions; the commenter found the adaptations disappointing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467533,
          "author": "xamuel",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:35:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467533",
          "commentText": "The Bible (technically working on my 2nd cover-to-cover readthrough, but have read individual books in it many times, especially the Gospel of Matthew).\nAll of Kafka's novels, but especially \"The Castle\".\nSeveral of PKD's novels: \"The Man in the High Castle\", \"Through a Scanner Darkly\", \"Ubiq\"\n\"The Silmarillion\" (when I was a young adult)\nDouglas Adams' \"Dirk Gentley's Holistic Detective Agency\" (when I was a teenager)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Douglas Adams' \"Dirk Gentley's Holistic Detective Agency\" (when I was a teenager)",
          "reason": "Lists it as a book reread when the commenter was a teenager.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8613630,
          "author": "db48x",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-16T06:55:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8613630",
          "commentText": "Almost anything by Vernor Vinge. \"A Deepness in the Sky\" in particular is amazing. I was/am particularly impress by how he handles the idea of fundamental limits on the scope of human achievement, and by how he weaves that into the story so that it's there at all levels.\n\"Diaspora\" by Greg Egan has a great story, huge ideas, and probably the most cogent explanation of sentience/sapience ever written.\n\"The Diamond Age, or A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer\" and \"Accelerando\" have already been mentioned.\n\"Reteif!\" Made me laugh out loud. Larry Niven's \"Destiny's Road\" points out the difficulty of interstellar colonization. \"Ringworld\" blew my mind. Gene Wolfe's \"The Book of the New Syn\" taught me to pay attention; \"Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency\" by Douglas Adams reinforced the lesson.\nThere are a lot of good ones; I could go on for ages...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency\" by Douglas Adams reinforced the lesson.",
          "reason": "Says it reinforced a lesson about paying attention.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85895,
          "author": "DarrenStuart",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T11:10:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85895",
          "commentText": "got to love Hitchhikers, I also enjoyed Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency and The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul by adams too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also enjoyed Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Adams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic mystery",
        "absurdism",
        "detective fiction",
        "comic fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dune-messiah-eb47b9",
      "title": "Dune Messiah",
      "author": "Frank Herbert",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33383130,
          "author": "ihuk",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T11:36:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33383130",
          "commentText": "Reread Dune Dune Messiah and Children of Dune.\nHighly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune Messiah",
          "reason": "Included in the reread and covered by the comment's high recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21461088,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T09:54:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21461088",
          "commentText": "Currently:\nThrough a Camel's Eye by Dorothy Johnston although admit I'm having trouble getting into it. Will give it another 50 pages before I decide.\nAnd today started listening to Dune Messiah on audiobook. I loved the first book which I've reread many times, but didn't enjoy the following books at all when I read them years and years ago. Decided to give them another try.\nRecommend:\nThe First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North for beautiful prose, charming writing and an inventive story. Her first and best book under that pseudonym.\nBarsk: The Elephants' Graveyard and The Moons of Barsk by Lawrence M. Schoen for making me care about anthropomorphic elephants.\nChildren of Time and Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky for almost making me care about non-anthropomorphic spiders.\nI Am Not a Serial Killer and sequels by Dan Wells for tricking me into reading a horror novel when I at first thought it was a thriller, but really enjoying it anyway.\nThe Lost Man by Jane Harper for being similar but so far a lot better than Through a Camel's Eye.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "today started listening to Dune Messiah on audiobook.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter loved the first book but did not enjoy the following books when previously read; they are trying them again.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15964334,
          "author": "dorian-graph",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T21:13:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15964334",
          "commentText": "I finished Dune about 2 months ago, and I'm currently a quarter through Dune Messiah. It so far is a great compliment and progression, and I constantly fight the desire to look up what happens because I want to know now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It so far is a great compliment and progression",
          "reason": "Calls it a great complement and progression to Dune.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Still reading; about a quarter finished.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15962029,
          "author": "benjohnson",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T17:41:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15962029",
          "commentText": "Messiah is just good enough to make you think that the thrid book will be ok... it's is indeed ok. The third book is ok enough to make you think the fourth book will be ok. It's not. It's rotten.\nMy advice: Even though Dune 2 is a good book - it's best to stay off the slide downwards or you'll wind up like me reading all of them and wondering if I could get the time back.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Even though Dune 2 is a good book",
          "reason": "Calls it a good book, but advises against continuing through the later books based on their downward slide.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes later books as progressively worse and the fourth as rotten.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961456,
          "author": "Scalestein",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:44:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961456",
          "commentText": "Oh man, I feel like Dune Messiah (dune 2) is such a fantastic compliment to the original. It is about half the length and has such a different tone that makes the original even better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune Messiah (dune 2) is such a fantastic compliment to the original.",
          "reason": "Calls it a fantastic complement to the original and says its different tone makes the original even better.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140442,
          "author": "cocoy",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T02:07:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140442",
          "commentText": "Dune, Dune Messiah and Children of Dune by Frank Herbert are my favorites. the sequels God Emperor, Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse were good as well but I like the 1st three the most.\nDune was about how people shouldn't let supermen lead. it was complex. it was an ecological novel. they had quotable quotes like \"thou shall not make a machine in the likeness of the human mind\". people say it's the lord of the rings of science fiction. the characters are rich, the plot thick. i highly recommend Dune.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune, Dune Messiah and Children of Dune by Frank Herbert are my favorites.",
          "reason": "Includes it among the commenter's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frank Herbert"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "political intrigue",
        "dune universe"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "engineering-a-compiler-c5cd3c",
      "title": "Engineering a Compiler",
      "author": "Keith D. Cooper and Linda Torczon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14491155,
          "author": "aalhour",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T20:02:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14491155",
          "commentText": "Hey, I seconded this, the Dragons Book is not the best textbook or introduction to the topic, there are a lot of better ones. The Dragons Book is more of a classic. If you want to read a good book on compilers construction then you're better off reading \"Engineering a Compiler\" by K. Cooper and L. Torczon or \"Modern Compiler Implementation in ML\" by A. Appel.\nIf you want more resources on Compilers other than books, such as tutorials, guides, talks and papers, then go ahead and check the Awesome Compilers vertical I compiled a while ago: https://github.com/aalhour/awesome-compilers\nCheers!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you want to read a good book on compilers construction then you're better off reading \"Engineering a Compiler\"",
          "reason": "Recommended as a good book on compiler construction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14491019,
          "author": "cestith",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T19:53:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14491019",
          "commentText": "- The Practice of Programming ; Kernighan and Pike\n- The Advent of the Algorithm ; Berlinski\n- Engineering a Compiler ; Torczon and Cooper\n- Advanced Programming in the Unix Environment ; Stevens and Rago\n- Databases, Types, and the Relational Model ; Date\n- Code ; Petzold",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Engineering a Compiler ; Torczon and Cooper",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for language-agnostic programming books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13407918,
          "author": "marai2",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T02:41:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13407918",
          "commentText": "This book was my greatest buy ever! I once went to Fry's electronics to their book section - my expectation was to find only popular books there, when lo and behold, I see this book on compilers. I turn it over to look at the price tag, thinking I'll have to shell out something like $80 for the book and to my shock and surprise the tag says,... wait for it... $0.01\nThat's right one cent! At first I think this is some kind of prank and somebody peeled off a price sticker from some discounted stale candy or something and stuck it on this book. I'm of half a mind to see if I can buy slip this book by the store checker and have them just scan the one cent price tag and not to a double take. But my concsience gets the better of me and I walk up to a store clerk point out the one cent price tag and ask them to do a real price check so I can find out the fair price. The clerk looks up the book in his computer and says, nope that is the correct price in their system! So I bought \"Engineering a Compiler 2nd Ed. By Cooper & Torczon\" for $0.01! My greatest book buy ever!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "So I bought \"Engineering a Compiler 2nd Ed. By Cooper & Torczon\" for $0.01!",
          "reason": "The commenter recounts buying the book as a remarkable bargain; the thread asks for a best computer science book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter praises the price and purchase, not the book's content.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13407059,
          "author": "DearVolt",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-15T23:21:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13407059",
          "commentText": "Engineering a Compiler 2nd Ed by Cooper & Torczon\nI used it to supplement my prescribed compiler construction textbook and it's incredibly useful! Also surprisingly easy to read compared to some texts with a very math-heavy approach.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Engineering a Compiler 2nd Ed by Cooper & Torczon",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is incredibly useful and easy to read as a supplement.",
          "audience": "Readers supplementing a compiler construction textbook.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 137722,
          "author": "jey",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-15T21:26:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 136875,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good compiler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=137722",
          "commentText": "Cooper & Torczon does cover scanners and parsers.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Cooper & Torczon does cover scanners and parsers.",
          "reason": "The commenter notes the book covers scanners and parsers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 137067,
          "author": "Xichekolas",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-14T19:07:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 136875,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good compiler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=137067",
          "commentText": "I'll second the vote for Engineering a Compiler.\nI'm not even that interested in actually making one, but the way they work is fascinating, and this book was excellent, and I kept it after the class was over.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'll second the vote for Engineering a Compiler.",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the recommendation and says the book was excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter isn't especially interested in making a compiler.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 136911,
          "author": "jey",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-14T17:01:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 136875,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good compiler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=136911",
          "commentText": "\"Engineering a Compiler\" by Cooper and Torczon\nThe Dragon Book is not the best book these days, it focuses too much on stuff you won't care about and not enough on the stuff you do care about. (e.g. it focuses a lot on parser generators and says almost nothing about analysis and optimization)\nEDIT: A good followup text is \"Advanced Compiler Design and Implementation\" by Muchnick",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Engineering a Compiler\" by Cooper and Torczon",
          "reason": "Listed as a compiler book in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking compiler books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Keith D. Cooper and Linda Torczon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "compiler construction",
        "compiler design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "golem-xiv-ce6f5e",
      "title": "Golem XIV",
      "author": "Stanisław Lem",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35393675,
          "author": "witrak",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-31T21:07:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 35392063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Science Fiction books that predict where ChatGPT might lead us?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35393675",
          "commentText": "Perhaps not exactly what OP expects but AFAIK the oldest book directly dealing with the subject.\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golem_XIV",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the oldest book directly dealing with the subject.\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golem_XIV",
          "reason": "Suggested as an early book dealing with the topic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Perhaps not exactly what OP expects.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17539141,
          "author": "charlesism",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T06:15:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17539141",
          "commentText": "\"Golem XIV\" is pretty great, if you're a fan of HAL 9000.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Golem XIV\" is pretty great, if you're a fan of HAL 9000.",
          "reason": "Describes it as great for readers who like HAL 9000.",
          "audience": "Fans of HAL 9000.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15429058,
          "author": "Nokinside",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T17:27:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15429058",
          "commentText": "Is there a category for deep scifi? hardcore scifi?  Golem XIV is the deepest scifi I have ever read.\nIt has many ideas that I have never seen expressed anywhere outside the book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Golem XIV is the deepest scifi I have ever read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the deepest science fiction they have read and praises its ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15428885,
          "author": "terhechte",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:46:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428885",
          "commentText": "+1 for Golem XIV. I was about to mention this but thankfully you already did.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for Golem XIV. I was about to mention this but thankfully you already did.",
          "reason": "Seconds the recommendation by adding +1.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15428861,
          "author": "nabla9",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:40:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428861",
          "commentText": "Stanislav Lem's Golem XIV published in his book Imaginary Magnitude https://www.amazon.com/Imaginary-Magnitude-Stanislaw-Lem/dp/... (https://www.amazon.com/Imaginary-Magnitude-Stanislaw-Lem/dp/0156441802)\nIt might be more philosophy of AI than science fiction. It takes form of series of lectures that superintelligent (singularity level AI) gives to humanity before it goes away.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Stanislav Lem's Golem XIV",
          "reason": "Named as an example of AI-focused fiction, with a caveat about its genre.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Might be more philosophy of AI than science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stanisław Lem"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "lectures",
        "machine intelligence",
        "philosophy of mind"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "kitchen-confidential-00a588",
      "title": "Kitchen Confidential",
      "author": "Anthony Bourdain",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25319287,
          "author": "huge87",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T23:02:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319287",
          "commentText": "Kitchen Confidential was really fun. The audiobook happens to be narrated by Bourdain, too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kitchen Confidential was really fun.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was fun to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25319265,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T23:00:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319265",
          "commentText": "I found 'The Prize', a history of the development of the oil industry, by Daniel Yergin, to be fascinating.\nPerhaps closer to your request, 'Kitchen Confidential' by Anthony Bourdain comes the closest to describing life in a restaurant kitchen in a very entertaining way. (Source: Was once a dishwasher and cook in a couple places.) If you like Bourdain, his friend, Michael Ruhlman has several books on being, and becoming, a chef.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Kitchen Confidential' by Anthony Bourdain comes the closest to describing life in a restaurant kitchen in a very entertaining way.",
          "reason": "Recommended as an entertaining account of restaurant kitchen life.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in restaurant work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25319088,
          "author": "fluxic",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T22:36:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319088",
          "commentText": "Editing: Editor of Genius by A. Scott Berg\n>>> Max Perkins was the editor of Hemingway, Thomas Wolfe, F Scott Fitzgerald, and other famous 20th century writers. Great, great, book.\nBartending: Cosmopolitan by Toby Cecchini\n>>> Very well-written memoir of a bartender in New York in the late 1980s. He invented the Cosmo in NYC while working at the Odeon — on a lark, without thinking much of it. The drink took off, but I think he's still a working bartender in NYC.\nCooking: Kitchen Confidential by Bourdain\nPainting: Interviews with Francis Bacon by David Sylvester\nMusic: Meet me in the Bathroom by Lizzy Goodman\nTech: Chaos Monkeys by AGM\nAnd seconding swyx's recommendations for all things Michael Lewis, who can spin a good yarn about any profession — whether it's baseball managers, junk bond salesmen, or high frequency traders, etc.\nI've also picked up lots of good recommendations from this thread https://ask.metafilter.com/243036/Recommend-a-nonfiction-aut... (https://ask.metafilter.com/243036/Recommend-a-nonfiction-author-who-has-a-style-like-Anthony-Bourdain) (I, too, like \"insidery\" type business books. I'm currently reading \"The Emperor of Scent\" about the world of perfume and it's pretty good! Also looking forward to reading \"Ninety Percent of Everything\" about the shipping industry.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cooking: Kitchen Confidential by Bourdain",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20982702,
          "author": "xtiansimon",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T10:34:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20982702",
          "commentText": "Hamilton, Gabrielle. “Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef.” (2011).\nThis is a chef’s journey in the same general category of Anthony Bourdain’s “Kitchen Confidential” (2000) or Bill Buford’s “Heat” (2007).\nBefore I had my current fabulous career, I was an out of work marketing / web designer and needed to make money. The latter two books were my ‘mentors’ for dealing with working in professional kitchens without any experience.\nI recommend all three for their insights into the world of professional chefs and food hospitality. And, of course, they all make you hungry. Haha",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend all three for their insights into the world of professional chefs and food hospitality.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it for insights into professional chefs and food hospitality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1973822,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T03:53:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1973822",
          "commentText": "It hasn't been a great year for books for me. Lots of things I found entertaining enough, nothing really stands out. Pinned down, I'd say _Game Change_, which I expected to hate (the story is getting very stale) but turned out to read like a West Wing season put to paper.\nI'm trying to read more fiction and am cruising this thread for ideas. Downthread, someone suggested _Into Thin Air_ as being startup-relevant (in an entrepreneurial, building something amazing up from nothing sense), and I added _Kitchen Confidential_ to that pile. Both are nonfiction. What are some good fiction titles that resonate the same way?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "and I added _Kitchen Confidential_ to that pile.",
          "reason": "Says they added it to their reading pile without evaluating it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is seeking fiction and notes this is nonfiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1973787,
          "author": "makmanalp",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T03:43:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1973787",
          "commentText": "Kitchen Confidential seconded. The account is surprisingly honest and also funny. Lots of tips on how to manage a business, how not to start a venture, now to keep on trying after failure, team interactions etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kitchen Confidential seconded. The account is surprisingly honest and also funny.",
          "reason": "Seconded as a recommendation, praising its honesty and humor.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anthony Bourdain"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "restaurant industry",
        "restaurant kitchens",
        "food memoir",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "linear-and-geometric-algebra-953bdd",
      "title": "Linear and Geometric Algebra",
      "author": "Alan Macdonald",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31712273,
          "author": "hgomersall",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-12T07:10:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31712273",
          "commentText": "Linear and Geometric Algebra, by Alan MacDonald.\nhttp://www.faculty.luther.edu/~macdonal/laga/\nIt's a great and very geometric presentation of linear algebra that takes it through to geometric algebra. A very nice presentation of a coherent set of geometric techniques.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Linear and Geometric Algebra, by Alan MacDonald.",
          "reason": "Described as a geometric presentation that develops linear algebra through geometric algebra.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31710474,
          "author": "Iwan-Zotow",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-12T01:48:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31710474",
          "commentText": "Alan Macdonald\nLinear and Geometric Algebra",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Alan Macdonald\nLinear and Geometric Algebra",
          "reason": "Listed as a book suggestion in response to a request for visually friendly linear algebra books.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a linear algebra book friendly to visual learners.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31707716,
          "author": "ThatGeoGuy",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-11T19:56:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31707716",
          "commentText": "\"Linear and Geometric Algebra\" by Alan Macdonald.\nIt's definitely not the norm compared to many of the other listings in this thread but it definitely gave me a better understanding of many algebraic properties and helped build an intuition around spaces, vectors, products, etc.\nIt doesn't have a ton of graphics, to which you might snub your nose at it (you mentioned visual learning), but the graphics it does have are incredibly useful for building a geometric understanding of what linear algebra concepts map to. The subsection on quaternions and pseudoscalars is one of the best descriptions of such in my experience.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Linear and Geometric Algebra\" by Alan Macdonald.",
          "reason": "Says it improved understanding and intuition about algebraic properties, spaces, vectors, and products.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It has few graphics, though the author says its graphics are useful for geometric understanding.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785476,
          "author": "ThrustVectoring",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:31:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785476",
          "commentText": "Books I'm glad I've read:\nThe Inner Game of Tennis\nImpro by Keith Johnstone\nSeeing Like a State\nThe Timeless Way of Building\nLinear and Geometric Algebra by Alan Macdonald\nMeditations by Marcus Aurelius (read this one thrice)\nThe Tao of Pooh\nScience, Strategy and War: The Strategic Theory of John Boyd\nThe Drama of the Gifted Child\nInteraction Ritual\nWhat Do You Say After You Say Hello?\nOf niche use:\nMathematics: its Content, Methods and Meaning - mostly useful for figuring out what math you don't know. I recommend reading it at a fairly decent pace, and noting what subjects don't sound like an overview of something you've already learned.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Linear and Geometric Algebra by Alan Macdonald",
          "reason": "Included under “Books I'm glad I've read.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348753,
          "author": "jules",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:26:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348753",
          "commentText": "Linear and Geometric Algebra by Alan Macdonald. It's a nice book but a bit slow for my taste. I wonder if anyone has a recommendation for a fast paced route to geometric algebra for somebody who is already familiar with conventional math?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Linear and Geometric Algebra by Alan Macdonald. It's a nice book but a bit slow for my taste.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a nice book, while finding its pace slow.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A bit slow for the commenter's taste.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan Macdonald"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "geometric algebra",
        "linear algebra"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "naked-economics-118259",
      "title": "Naked Economics",
      "author": "Charles Wheelan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12572690,
          "author": "rhelsing",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-24T21:16:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12572690",
          "commentText": "For what it's worth, I really enjoyed Naked Economics by Charles Wheelan, even though it may be considered a popular economics best seller. I though it offered a great introduction to a field I knew very little about.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed Naked Economics by Charles Wheelan",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed it and says it offered a great introduction to a field they knew little about.",
          "audience": "Readers new to economics.",
          "caveat": "It may be considered a popular economics bestseller.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971658,
          "author": "ebun",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T14:35:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971658",
          "commentText": "Naked Economics - A great book on understanding how the world works in simple economic terms",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A great book on understanding how the world works in simple economic terms",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great, accessible explanation of economics.",
          "audience": "Readers who want a simple introduction to economic ideas.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1466127,
          "author": "Ratufa",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T20:09:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1466127",
          "commentText": "Bookwise, some places to start for general overviews of economics are:\n\"New Ideas from Dead Economists\" by Todd Buchholtz\n\"Naked Economics\" by Charles Wheelan\nBlogwise:\nhttp://www.marginalrevolution.com/  is entertaining and filled with good insights from a libertarian point of view.\nhttp://economistsview.typepad.com/  has more centrist/liberal views on a variety of economic issues and has a good set of links to daily economic-related blog posts from various points of view.\nThe above blogs have enough links to other blogs to get you started, and they will give you different points of view on current topics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Naked Economics\" by Charles Wheelan",
          "reason": "Listed as a place to start with a general overview of economics.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a general overview of economics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1465237,
          "author": "ebun",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T08:48:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1465237",
          "commentText": "I second this rec. The author breaks down economics with common language and regular, everyday topics (no charts, graphs or formulas).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second this rec. The author breaks down economics with common language and regular, everyday topics (no charts, graphs or formulas).",
          "reason": "Seconds the recommendation, praising its accessible language and everyday examples.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for accessible economics without charts, graphs, or formulas.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1465216,
          "author": "callmeed",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T08:32:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1465216",
          "commentText": "Naked Economics by Wheelan\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Naked-Economics-Undressing-Dismal-Scie... (http://www.amazon.com/Naked-Economics-Undressing-Dismal-Science/dp/0393049825)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Naked Economics by Wheelan",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1464990,
          "author": "NeilCJames",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T05:21:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1464990",
          "commentText": "For an overview of mainstream modern econ, if you read nothing else, read Naked Economics by Charles Wheelan. For a good introduction to the major economic schools of thought check out Economics as Religion by Robert Nelson (he has written a new one on the same subject that I haven't yet read). To get into behavioral economics, I'd recommend Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely and The Winner's Curse by Richard Thaler.\nTread carefully, there is a lot of polemic posing as economics on bookstore shelves.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "if you read nothing else, read Naked Economics by Charles Wheelan.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommended for an overview of mainstream modern economics.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an overview of mainstream modern economics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Wheelan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "popular economics",
        "economics fundamentals",
        "economic literacy",
        "economics explained"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "physically-based-rendering-from-theory-to-implementation-fdd3c3",
      "title": "Physically Based Rendering: From Theory to Implementation",
      "author": "Matt Pharr, Wenzel Jakob, and Greg Humphreys",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22300760,
          "author": "clmul",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-11T18:03:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22300760",
          "commentText": "Physically Based Rendering is basically a complete guide to building a modern physically based rendering engine (it even won an Academy Award)\nhttps://pbrt.org/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Physically Based Rendering is basically a complete guide to building a modern physically based rendering engine",
          "reason": "A guide to building a physically based rendering engine.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14653508,
          "author": "bhouston",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-28T12:31:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 14652936,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on modern computer graphics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14653508",
          "commentText": "I sort of know this area....  There two separate paths -- realtime or non-real-time.\nFor non-real-time there is: http://www.pbrt.org/\nFor real-time there is this: http://www.realtimerendering.com/\nNeither book gets into the details of the specific API, they are theoretical.\nReal-time techniques change nearly complete about every 10 years because GPUs get faster and render more techniques possible and obsolete the older less good looking techniques.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For non-real-time there is: http://www.pbrt.org/",
          "reason": "Listed as the book for non-real-time rendering.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The books are theoretical and do not cover specific APIs.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14653409,
          "author": "jacobparker",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-28T12:13:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 14652936,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on modern computer graphics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14653409",
          "commentText": "If you're interested in something that's not strictly real-time a good book is physically based rendering http://www.pbrt.org/ . It uses a literate-programming style which is neat. It's about path-tracing which is similar to ray-tracing but can give an unbiased approximation to the rendering equation (which is a reasonably accurate model of \"everyday\" optics.) Here is a JS+WebGL (mostly WebGL ;) ) interactive path-tracer: http://madebyevan.com/webgl-path-tracing/\n---\nVulkan is pretty boring to be honest. I'm very doubtful that you want to bother with it if you're just starting. Using these APIs is like filling out tax forms, but Vulkan is a lot more effort than OpenGL (but, OpenGL is weird...) Learning shaders in OpenGL will be pretty transferable knowledge. Vulkan uses a lower-level assembly-like language, SPIR-V that doesn't pretend to be C (like GLSL) but there are GLSL to SPIR-V compilers. I can't comment on DX (I haven't used it.)\nHere's a tutorial on drawing you first triangle: https://software.intel.com/en-us/articles/api-without-secret... (https://software.intel.com/en-us/articles/api-without-secrets-introduction-to-vulkan-part-3) . Note that there is a lottttt of code to do this (this is part 3...) I really think you could learn more about modern graphics with glBegin(GL_TRIANGLES) and writing GLSL shaders than boring yourself with Vulkan.\nIf you do want to play with Vulkan there is this book (piggy-backing off the rep from the old \"OpenGL Bible\") https://www.amazon.com/Vulkan-Programming-Guide-Official-Lea... (https://www.amazon.com/Vulkan-Programming-Guide-Official-Learning/dp/0134464540) . I can't give it an honest review because I got bored; I plan to pick it up again later...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you're interested in something that's not strictly real-time a good book is physically based rendering",
          "reason": "Described as a good book for non-real-time rendering.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in rendering beyond real-time graphics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14653343,
          "author": "Jare",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-28T11:58:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 14652936,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on modern computer graphics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14653343",
          "commentText": "I would not advise anyone to try to get into computer graphics directly with the Vulkan or DX12 APIs. Start with DX11, modern OpenGL and/or WebGL, and work through your computer graphics theory (and a lot of practice) using those. Geometry, illumination, shaders, tools and GPU computation will take a lot of time to master. When you decide you want to go into low level APIs, if you are comfortable with Apple systems, Metal will likely be easier than Vulkan/DX12.\nA lot of the theory from classic books is still valid, so even a copy of Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice will look fine on your desk. \"Real Time Rendering\" by Moller/Haines and \"Physically Based Rendering\" by Pharr are excellent. \"Game Engine Architecture\" by Gregory and \"Mathematics for 3D Game Programming and Computer Graphics\" by Lengyel will probably prove very useful and relevant to you as well.\nOnline resources, the free https://learnopengl.com/ and the $10 http://graphicscodex.com/ are both fantastic. Make sure to read https://fgiesen.wordpress.com/2011/07/09/a-trip-through-the-... (https://fgiesen.wordpress.com/2011/07/09/a-trip-through-the-graphics-pipeline-2011-index/), and also study the techniques used for the craziest entries in https://www.shadertoy.com/\nAnd then, lots and lots of papers and presentations from the past 5 or 10 years of Game Developers Cconference and Siggraph.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Real Time Rendering\" by Moller/Haines and \"Physically Based Rendering\" by Pharr are excellent.",
          "reason": "Called excellent as a relevant computer graphics text.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13660136,
          "author": "detaro",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-16T14:38:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13660136",
          "commentText": "Physically Based Rendering – From Theory to Implementation doesn't necessarily have the reader build a project, but it explains its reference implementation very well, and you could go ahead and write your own in parallel based on it. http://www.pbrt.org/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Physically Based Rendering – From Theory to Implementation",
          "reason": "Suggested as a resource whose reference implementation readers can follow and reproduce.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in implementing a renderer alongside the book.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it does not necessarily have the reader build a project.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matt Pharr",
        "Wenzel Jakob",
        "Greg Humphreys"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer graphics",
        "physically based rendering",
        "rendering",
        "path tracing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "structure-and-interpretation-of-classical-mechanics-9b02a9",
      "title": "Structure and Interpretation of Classical Mechanics",
      "author": "Gerald Jay Sussman and Jack Wisdom",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14859920,
          "author": "pvarangot",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:23:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859920",
          "commentText": "Structure and Interpretation of Classical Mechanics is a nice book to read after SICP if you like torturing your brain with extremely thorough material written by and for geniuses that want to master something everybody think he knows bu he really doesn't.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Structure and Interpretation of Classical Mechanics is a nice book to read after SICP if you like torturing your brain with extremely thorough material written by and for geniuses that want to master something everybody think he knows bu he really doesn't.",
          "reason": "Recommended as an extremely thorough follow-up to SICP.",
          "audience": "Readers who want to master classical mechanics.",
          "caveat": "The material is described as brain-torturing and written for geniuses.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7579734,
          "author": "zbinga",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-13T00:45:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7579734",
          "commentText": "Heh. I bought SICM expecting it would be \"SICP for physics\". I started reading and felt out of my depth after just a few pages. But it seemed interesting, so I got a Lagrangian and Hamiltonian mechanics book and started reading that. That was 6 months ago, I'm about halfway through and I'm really enjoying it!\nLearning Lagrangian mechanics when all your life you only ever heard about the Newtonian approach is a lot like stumbling upon Scheme after years of programming in C.\nI'm looking forward to cracking the cover of SICM once more this summer!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I bought SICM expecting it would be \"SICP for physics\".",
          "reason": "Bought it expecting a physics counterpart, but found it difficult and started another mechanics book; says it seemed interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter felt out of their depth after a few pages.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7578361,
          "author": "reikonomusha",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T16:54:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578361",
          "commentText": "SICM is not like SICP at all. SICM assumes you're pretty well versed in classical mechanics and already have an understanding of both Lagrangian and Hamiltonian mechanics.\nDon't be fooled by the title and authors of the book!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "SICM is not like SICP at all. SICM assumes you're pretty well versed in classical mechanics",
          "reason": "Warns that the text assumes substantial prior knowledge of classical mechanics.",
          "audience": "Readers already well versed in classical mechanics and Lagrangian and Hamiltonian mechanics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not like SICP and cautions against being fooled by its title and authors.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7578301,
          "author": "agumonkey",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T16:36:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578301",
          "commentText": "Not Math, but Physics/Mechanics, by Sussman again. Title ? SICM hehe\nhttps://mitpress.mit.edu/sites/default/files/titles/content/... (https://mitpress.mit.edu/sites/default/files/titles/content/sicm/book.html)",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Physics/Mechanics, by Sussman again. Title ? SICM hehe",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7578075,
          "author": "cage433",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T15:27:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578075",
          "commentText": "Also by Sussman - well worth looking into\nhttp://mitpress.mit.edu/sites/default/files/titles/content/s... (http://mitpress.mit.edu/sites/default/files/titles/content/sicm/book.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also by Sussman - well worth looking into",
          "reason": "Suggested as another work by Sussman.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 755509,
          "author": "thunk",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T15:58:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755509",
          "commentText": "It's not strictly math, and I can't recommend it from experience, but I've always been curious what a beginner's reaction to _Structure and Interpretation of Classical Mechanics_ might be. It's free here:\nhttp://mitpress.mit.edu/SICM/book.html",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "_Structure and Interpretation of Classical Mechanics_",
          "reason": "Expresses curiosity about a beginner's reaction, while saying they cannot recommend it from experience.",
          "audience": "A beginner interested in mathematics or mechanics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it and cannot recommend it from experience; says it is not strictly math.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gerald Jay Sussman and Jack Wisdom"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classical mechanics",
        "lagrangian mechanics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-e-myth-revisited-why-most-small-businesses-don-t-work-and-wha-b41521",
      "title": "The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It",
      "author": "Michael E. Gerber",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41562105,
          "author": "muzani",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-16T23:04:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41562105",
          "commentText": "It's more suited to traditional businesses. Startups are somewhat different though some principles are universal.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's more suited to traditional businesses. Startups are somewhat different though some principles are universal.",
          "reason": "Says the book better suits traditional businesses, while some principles apply to startups.",
          "audience": "Traditional businesses.",
          "caveat": "Startups differ, though some principles are universal.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41549917,
          "author": "senkora",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-15T20:04:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41549917",
          "commentText": "This book was the subject of an episode of the cortex podcast: https://www.relay.fm/cortex/21\nI'm curious if you think think their take on the book was fair? (I realize that that's a lot to ask). Their basic take was that the book had some good ideas but was bizarrely written and much too long.\nI haven't felt the need to read it myself since they summarized what they believe to be the valuable parts of the book in the episode.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "This book was the subject of an episode of the cortex podcast",
          "reason": "Discusses the book’s podcast summary and asks whether its critical assessment was fair.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it and says the episode described it as bizarrely written and too long, while containing some good ideas.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41547305,
          "author": "chung8123",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-15T13:11:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41547305",
          "commentText": "I think \"The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It\" is a good book for the mindset and some of the processes around how to build the engine that is your business.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It\" is a good book for the mindset and some of the processes around how to build the engine that is your business.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for business-building mindset and processes.",
          "audience": "People building a business.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as useful for mindset and some processes.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16580937,
          "author": "superasn",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-13T23:44:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16580937",
          "commentText": "As a small business owner I'd have to say E-Myth Revisited and Work the system.\nBecause once you learn systems thinking, you see the world totally differently and from a business point of view, understanding how their systems work is like getting to have a look at the source code of that business.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "As a small business owner I'd have to say E-Myth Revisited",
          "reason": "The commenter names it among books that helped professionally and explains the value of systems thinking.",
          "audience": "Small business owners.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 947628,
          "author": "kaz",
          "createdAt": "2009-11-18T01:51:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 947581,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN:  What's the best first business book for a programmer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=947628",
          "commentText": "The E-Myth (the E stands for Entrepreneur): http://www.amazon.com/E-Myth-Revisited-Small-Businesses-Abou... (http://www.amazon.com/E-Myth-Revisited-Small-Businesses-About/dp/0887307280/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258509013&sr=8-1)\nDerek Sivers has a good collection of his notes (and many other biz-centric books) here: http://sivers.org/book/EMythRevisited\nHis opening line nails it: \"Everything needs to be a system. Think of your business as a franchise prototype. You should be able to hand the \"how-to\" manual to just anyone, to do it as good as you.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The E-Myth (the E stands for Entrepreneur)",
          "reason": "Suggested as a business book, with a quoted idea about treating a business as a system.",
          "audience": "A programmer interested in starting a venture.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael E. Gerber"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "small business",
        "business systems",
        "entrepreneurship",
        "systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-game-penetrating-the-secret-society-of-pickup-artists-dda635",
      "title": "The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists",
      "author": "Neil Strauss",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29851724,
          "author": "drakonka",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-08T13:59:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29851724",
          "commentText": "I spent a bit of time in the PU community after reading The Game. Many of these places were just toxic: focused on lying to women out of desperation to get sex. Everything from \"white lies\" about some exciting adventure you had to make you seem like a more interesting person to lying about your intentions, to putting women in very uncomfortable physical situations on purpose.\nSome were better. Most of the people who joined these communities had a similar pattern in the beginning: men who felt they can't communicate with women or who aren't conventionally attractive learn some canned openers based on stuff they read in The Game, memorize a bunch of \"techniques\", and basically fake it through \"outer game\".\nAfter a while, I noticed there were usually two paths they took:\nPath One was people who remained stuck in this \"outer game\" phase where they wear weird stuff to peacock and stand out (a la Mystery), regurgitate a bunch of lines, try to time their \"negs\" just right. Most of them burned out and/or grew resentful towards women from repeated rejection because the techniques are actually pretty cringe. Sometimes they became very vocal in these forums about how women just want to use them, or how shallow women are, or how much meaningless sex they're having (most of them weren't).\nPath Two was people who realized that instead of trying to fake being an interesting and attractive person, they might actually want to become an interesting and attractive person. They evolved to focusing on \"inner game\". They got a tiny foothold in just approaching women a lot and learned that rejection wasn't the end of the world, and then used that realization to grow as a person, have new legitimately interesting adventures, learn how to groom themselves, and generally just have something interesting that _actually happened_ and _didn't need to be exaggerated_ to have a conversation about. Instead of having to strategize how to bring a woman they're talking to down a notch to make themselves seem \"higher value\", they actually became \"higher value\" by improving themselves, and attracting more interesting people while they're at it. There was no incentive for them to lie to women about their experiences or intentions (by omission or otherwise). They could be honest about what they wanted out of life and know that there are plenty of people to meet who are genuinely up for that, too.\nI still have a couple of friends who were into that scene, ones who broke out onto Path Two and seem to be doing very well for themselves both in business and relationships. The other ones are long forgotten.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I spent a bit of time in the PU community after reading The Game.",
          "reason": "Discusses pickup communities and techniques associated with the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment describes many of these communities as toxic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29848323,
          "author": "rdtwo",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-08T03:23:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29848323",
          "commentText": "Read “ The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists”. It’s ultimately a work of fiction but there are some mind fuck ideas and perspective shifts there that are worth toying around with as a young man and searching for your own balance between his ideas  and your vision of yourself.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Read “ The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists”.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends reading it for ideas and perspective shifts to consider while forming one's own values.",
          "audience": "Young men exploring their own views and identity.",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it ultimately a work of fiction and advises balancing its ideas against one's own vision.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2897598,
          "author": "jseliger",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-18T01:25:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 2897515,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on overcoming shyness",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2897598",
          "commentText": "This might sound odd, but try reading The Game by Neil Strauss: http://www.amazon.com/Game-Penetrating-Secret-Society-Artist... (http://www.amazon.com/Game-Penetrating-Secret-Society-Artists/dp/0060554738?ie=UTF8&tag=thstsst-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957) . It's superficially about how to pick up women, but a lot of it is actually about how to understand social life, what incentives operate on people, and what kinds of things most \"normal\" (for lack of a better word) people like. Don't use \"negs,\" don't get too wrapped up in his questionable tales of sexual bravado, but do consider what he writes about how to understand the world.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "try reading The Game by Neil Strauss",
          "reason": "The commenter suggests it for understanding social life and what people like.",
          "audience": "Someone seeking to understand social life and become more comfortable socially.",
          "caveat": "The commenter warns against using \"negs\" and getting caught up in the book's questionable tales of sexual bravado.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2148160,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T15:37:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2148160",
          "commentText": "Yeah, I'm not trying to be a big-time PUA or anything either.  But as a guy who was the stereotypical geek in at least one regard - being horrible at meeting and interacting with women - I've learned a ton since reading The Game and joining some of the PUA forums and reading some of their material.\nI've gotten more dates and had more success in the past year and a half than I probably had in my life up to that point.\nTruth be told though, I think it's as much \"magic sword\" syndrome as anything.  I big part of being successful with women is confidence, as we've all been told.  Unfortunately you can't just tell somebody \"go out and be confident with women\" if they're not confident with women!  But you can say \"Here, here's this opener and some routines and some theories about attraction, and if you use this stuff you'll be successful\" which gives them a certain form of confidence, which leads to some success, which leads to more confidence, etc.   I look at it as  way to kick off a positive feedback loop.  Sorta like giving a young knight a \"magic sword\" to give him the confidence to go out and slay dragons.\nWhether there's really much to the actual theories and what-not is debatable, but I have no doubt that dabbling in the PUA world has improved my life.   And The Game was my \"gateway drug\" into that world, so it was definitely an influential book to me.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "And The Game was my \"gateway drug\" into that world, so it was definitely an influential book to me.",
          "reason": "Calls it an influential book and credits it with introducing them to the pickup artist community.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the theories are debatable and describes the effect partly as a confidence loop.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2148039,
          "author": "atgm",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T15:10:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2148039",
          "commentText": "The Game is an interesting book for a lot of reasons; I don't agree with the idea of picking up tons of random women or some of the methodology he espouses, but it's a powerful book for making people sit up and realize that yes, you can change your life, and yes, you have the tools to do it. It says that \"Hey, people think in certain ways and you can hack that,\" which may be the first time a lot of people encounter any kind of social engineering.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Game is an interesting book for a lot of reasons; I don't agree with the idea of picking up tons of random women or some of the methodology he espouses, but it's a powerful book for making people sit up and realize that yes, you can change your life, and yes, you have the tools to do it.",
          "reason": "Praises its impact while rejecting some of its ideas and methods.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Disagrees with the book’s approach to picking up women and some of its methodology.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2147885,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T14:28:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2147885",
          "commentText": "I can think of a handful of books that have had a major impact on me.  Off the top of my head:\nNineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell\nFahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury\nThe Game - Neil Strauss\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nAtlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand\nFour Steps to the Epiphany - Steve Blank\nBusiness @ The Speed of Thought - Bill Gates\nThe Art of the Start - Guy Kawasaki",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Game - Neil Strauss",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter says had a major impact on them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2147439,
          "author": "tstyle",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T11:32:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2147439",
          "commentText": "The Game - I never became a PUA per say, but it helped me a lot in dealing with co-workers, team members, investors, customers, and random people I come across every day.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Game - I never became a PUA per say, but it helped me a lot in dealing with co-workers, team members, investors, customers, and random people I come across every day.",
          "reason": "Says the book helped with interactions across work and everyday life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they never became a pickup artist.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 142947,
          "author": "bumbledraven",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T00:16:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=142947",
          "commentText": "Free 10-day Buddhist meditation retreats, incl. room & board, at one of the many Vipassana Meditation Centers world-wide (http://www.dhamma.org). Very old-school; the real deal.\nThe Goal, by Eliyahu Goldratt (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0884270610). Most real-world systems have a single constraint that limit the system's ability to achieve goal units. The best way to improve the system is to (0) define the system's owners and their goal for the system, (1) identify the constraint (2) improve the situation at the constraint in a way that does not require significant investment; (3) if the improvement resulting from the previous is not sufficient, decide how to improve the constraint in a way that does require significant investment; (4) subordinate everything else in the system to the decision arrived at in the previous step; (5) start over at step 1.\nThe Game, by Neil Strauss (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060554738)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Game, by Neil Strauss (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0060554738)",
          "reason": "Lists it among books and ideas that influenced them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No evaluation or recommendation is expressed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neil Strauss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "pickup artists",
        "social skills",
        "dating",
        "dating culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-little-book-of-semaphores-7e929f",
      "title": "The Little Book of Semaphores",
      "author": "Allen B. Downey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29307587,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T15:44:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29307587",
          "commentText": "That looks awesome. Thanks!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "That looks awesome. Thanks!",
          "reason": "Responds positively to the book suggestion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29307563,
          "author": "mcphage",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T15:42:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29307563",
          "commentText": "The Little Book of Semaphores: https://greenteapress.com/semaphores/LittleBookOfSemaphores.... (https://greenteapress.com/semaphores/LittleBookOfSemaphores.pdf)\nIt's about multithreading synchronization issues like the Dining Philosopher's problem, and it's brief, interesting, and very readable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Book of Semaphores:",
          "reason": "Describes it as a brief, interesting, readable book about multithreading synchronization.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9758428,
          "author": "rubiquity",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T14:14:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758428",
          "commentText": "Eloquent Ruby is one of my favorite books, too. That book really motivated me to learn how programming languages work. Here are a few other books I found to be enjoyable and well-written:\nProgramming Erlang by Joe Armstrong\nProgramming Elixir by Dave Thomas\nSeven (more) Languages In Seven Weeks by Bruce Tate\nThink Bayes, Think OS, How To Think Like A Functional Programmer (Think OCaml) and The Little Book of Semaphores by Allen B. Downey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Book of Semaphores by Allen B. Downey",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter found enjoyable and well-written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9758234,
          "author": "numeromancer",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T13:44:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758234",
          "commentText": "I like The Little Book of Semaphores: http://greenteapress.com/semaphores/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I like The Little Book of Semaphores",
          "reason": "The commenter says they like the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9612334,
          "author": "avinassh",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T16:06:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9612334",
          "commentText": "This repo maintains list of free programming books [0].\nMany of the books at Green Tea Press[1] are available for free:\n- Think Python: How To Think Like a Computer Scientist\n- Think Bayes: Bayesian Statistics in Python\n- Think Complexity: Exploring Complexity Science with Python\n- Think Stats: Probability and Statistics for Programmers\n- The Little Book of Semaphores\n- Physical Modeling in MATLAB\n- Learning Perl the Hard Way\nfew others. Do check the site.\nSecondly, books by Al Sweigart[2] are also freely available. They include:\n- Automate the Boring Stuff with Python[3]\n- Hacking Secret Ciphers with Python\n- Invent Your Own Computer Games with Python\n- Making Games with Python & Pygame\n[0] - https://github.com/vhf/free-programming-books\n[1] - http://www.greenteapress.com/\n[2] - https://inventwithpython.com/\n[3] - https://automatetheboringstuff.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Book of Semaphores",
          "reason": "Listed among freely available programming books in response to a request for free reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Allen B. Downey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "concurrency",
        "synchronization",
        "semaphores"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-way-of-zen-78452c",
      "title": "The Way of Zen",
      "author": "Alan Watts",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42967215,
          "author": "DataDaoDe",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-06T22:37:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42967215",
          "commentText": "The Old Man and the sea - Hemmingway - so many things, with every reread I find something new.\nThe Heart of the Buddhas Teaching - Thich Nhat Hanh, useful prayers, concepts for understanding and dealing with life and a moral compass for going through it.\nThe Way of Zen - Alan Watts, opened my eyes to different forms of religious experience\nAlso a lot of psychology and philosophy books in undergrad were foundational to my thinking. The Moral Animal, the Moral Landscape, The Blank Slate, The Republic and Plato’s writings on Socrates, Tao te Ching, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, the Tanakh and parts of the Talmud, but many of these were more academic, still holistically they have shaped my thinking and moral compass.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Way of Zen - Alan Watts, opened my eyes to different forms of religious experience",
          "reason": "Says it opened their eyes to different forms of religious experience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15764732,
          "author": "xaedes",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T13:01:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15764732",
          "commentText": "I recommend reading George Campbell's \"The Hero with a Thousand Faces\".\nThis is about comparative mythology, aka comparative story telling. He works out the core elements and common concepts that appear in story telling across cultures and time.\nIt opened my mind to be able to understand all kinds of storys on another level.\nIn school I always hated literature. It was like they tried to make me do something I just didn't understand at all. Literature was just random stories for me and all interpretation and attribution of meaning was fruitless and had I to just guess/fake it. Yea maybe my education was just bad who knows, doesn't matter now.\nThe Hero with a Thousand Faces changed that. Now I was open for all the literature and saw everything in a new light. I could recognize common concepts in stories and human life in general.\nIt also opened my mind for later Alan Watts reads on the interconnected-ness of everything.\nSomeone already recommended \"The Way of Zen\" by Alan Watts, which I can only approve of! I'd also like to add \"The Book - On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are\", also by Watts.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Someone already recommended \"The Way of Zen\" by Alan Watts, which I can only approve of!",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly approves of the prior recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762006,
          "author": "hackits",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T00:55:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762006",
          "commentText": "Wish I could up-vote you more, but I do agree Alan Watts was a turning point in my life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I do agree Alan Watts was a turning point in my life.",
          "reason": "Agrees that Alan Watts was personally transformative, referring to the book in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15761773,
          "author": "wu-ikkyu",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T00:04:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15761773",
          "commentText": "The Way of Zen by Alan Watts. The book is a historical analysis of the culmination of zen buddhism from its roots in hindu, buddhist, and toaist philosophies. Watts presents a perspective on how to approach your everyday life (relationships, communication, work, play, boredom, stress, anxiety, happiness, sadness) that is contrary to how we're taught to live in the \"western world\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Watts presents a perspective on how to approach your everyday life",
          "reason": "Describes its historical analysis and says it offers a perspective on approaching everyday life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8106947,
          "author": "tomp",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:17:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106947",
          "commentText": "Buddhism (and better living): Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Siddhartha (by Hermann Hesse), The Way of Zen (by Alan Watts - I learned a lot about meditation and satori).\nAlso: Think and Grow Rich (by Napoleon Hill, the original self-improvement book)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Way of Zen (by Alan Watts - I learned a lot about meditation and satori).",
          "reason": "Says they learned about meditation and satori from it.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Buddhism and better living.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan Watts"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "zen buddhism",
        "eastern philosophy",
        "meditation",
        "religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-wright-brothers-0d8c04",
      "title": "The Wright Brothers",
      "author": "David McCullough",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42656645,
          "author": "stevenfoster",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T15:48:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42656645",
          "commentText": "Fall of Carthage by Adrian Goldsworthy\nFew people understand the Punic wars and what it took to “delete” Carthage from the world. Delenda Cartago Est.\nGoldsworthy tells the story accessibly from both sides of the wars. Lessons that echo throughout history.\nMore of a biography but still fits your criteria is The Wright Brothers by David McCullough. It’s an easy read and hard to put down. I had no idea what it took to make flying a thing until that book. We definitely take for granted how much those two men changed the world.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Wright Brothers by David McCullough. It’s an easy read and hard to put down.",
          "reason": "Recommended as an engaging account of what it took to make flight possible.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the Wright brothers and the history of flight.",
          "caveat": "Described as more of a biography.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42656342,
          "author": "ubj",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T15:18:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42656342",
          "commentText": "\"The Wright Brothers\" by David McCullough - Shows how Orville and Wilbur surpassed the leading researchers of the day to be the first to achieve controlled, powered flight. Does a great job of describing their work ethic and research process.\n\"The Myths of Innovation\" by Scott Berkun - Not exactly about how hard things got done, but it discusses some of the misconceptions and assumptions we make about current technology and the process of inventing new tech.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Wright Brothers\" by David McCullough - Shows how Orville and Wilbur surpassed the leading researchers of the day",
          "reason": "Covers the brothers' achievement of powered flight and their work and research process.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910521,
          "author": "adventured",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:53:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910521",
          "commentText": "In no particular order.\nEmpires of Light, by Jonnes. Titan, by Chernow. The Wright Brothers, by McCullough. His Excellency, by Ellis. The Wizard of Menlo Park, by Stross. I Invented the Modern Age, by Snow. Dealers of Lightning, by Hiltzik. Margin of Safety, by Klarman. Masters of Doom, by Kushner. Andrew Carnegie, by Nasaw. Infidel, by Hirsi Ali. Buffett, by Lowenstein. Where Wizards Stay Up Late, by Hafner. Shoe Dog, by Knight. The Making of the Atomic Bomb, by Rhodes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Wright Brothers, by McCullough.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785453,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:27:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785453",
          "commentText": "I'll skip some mentioned already by others. Books I really enjoyed this year:\nThe Wright Brothers, David McCullough - wonderful book on the Wright Brothers, easy to read, shows that persistence and logic thinking pays out. 5/5\nThe autobiography of Malcom X, Malcolm X - Nice bio, a bit repetitive sometimes. 3/5\nAtlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand - Although the book has more than 1200 pages it really kept me going. I read this book to get a better understanding of the ideology of some republicans. Fun read. 4.5/5\nFreakonomics, Steven D. Levitt - Levitt studies all kind of different everyday questions using economics. 4/5, short, easy to read\nGuantanamo Diary, Mohamedou Ould Slahi - Diary of a Guantanamo prisoner who has been imprisoned since 2002. The US has never charged him with a crime. Profound and disturbing. 5/5\nNo place to hide, Glenn Greenwald - Story on Edward Snowden, probably read by most of HN. Enjoyed it, that's it. 4/5\nHow to lie with statistics, Darrel Huff - Short book on statistics, easy to read and fun. 4/5",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "wonderful book on the Wright Brothers, easy to read, shows that persistence and logic thinking pays out. 5/5",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it wonderful, easy to read, and rates it 5/5.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785428,
          "author": "ycom13__",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:23:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785428",
          "commentText": "Here are all the ones I read this year\n  A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire) by George R. R. Martin\n  A Feast for Crows: A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) by George R.R. Martin\n  The Confident Speaker: Beat Your Nerves and Communicate at Your Best in Any Situation by Harrison Monarth\n  House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewsk\n  To the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War by Jeff Shaara \n  Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson\n  Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader by Brent Schlender\n  George Washington's Secret Six: The Spy Ring That Saved the American Revolution by Brian Kilmeade\n  Think Like a Freak: The Authors of Freakonomics Offer to Retrain Your Brain by Steven D. Levitt\n  Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance\n  Finders Keepers: A Novel by Stephen King\n  The Guns of August: The Pulitzer Prize-Winning Classic About the Outbreak of World War I by Barbara W. Tuchman\n  The Wright Brothers by David McCullough\n  Seveneves: A Novel by Neal Stephenson\n  The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson\n  Hitler's Last Day: Minute by Minute by Emma Craigie\n  The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins\n  Robopocalypse: A Novel (Vintage Contemporaries) by Daniel H. Wilson\n  Robogenesis by Daniel H. Wilson\n  In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick\n\n\n\nMy 5 favorite ones from that list are\n  In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick\n  Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance\n  To the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War by Jeff Shaara \n  Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson\n  The Wright Brothers by David McCullough",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Wright Brothers by David McCullough",
          "reason": "Included in the list and later named among the commenter's five favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David McCullough"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aviation",
        "invention",
        "aviation history",
        "orville and wilbur wright"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "topics-in-algebra-250a7b",
      "title": "Topics in Algebra",
      "author": "I. N. Herstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31499240,
          "author": "MikeBVaughn",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-25T00:34:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31499240",
          "commentText": "I'm a big fan of Herstein's exposition. The text is plenty rigorous, without too getting bogged down in formalism, and he also manages to come across as personable and funny in a way that doesn't feel condescending.\nThe people who update/glue stuff onto the 23rd edition of those 1200-page doorstop undergrad calculus texts would do well to revisit books of that era and learn the difference between \"engaging\" and \"patronizing.\" That's not a dig at the books not being Spivak or Apostol - there's absolutely a place for that kind of undergrad textbook (though maybe not 1200 pages of it, updated every three years) - but in terms of attempts at being 'relevant' that transparently read as 'Hi, fellow kids!'\nI also dig Herstein's problem sets, there's a good breadth of difficulty, and they really elucidate key ideas, or point to other topics not covered in the text. Some of the problems are absolutely wicked, but in a good way. (IIRC, doesn't the introduction say that some are meant more to be attempted than actually solved?)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm a big fan of Herstein's exposition.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the rigorous but personable exposition and problem sets.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some problems are described as very difficult and intended more to be attempted than solved.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31492049,
          "author": "tzs",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T13:48:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31492049",
          "commentText": "His \"Topics in Algebra\", \"Abstract Algebra\", or both?",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "His \"Topics in Algebra\", \"Abstract Algebra\", or both?",
          "reason": "Asks which Herstein algebra title the parent meant.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The question does not express an endorsement.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31491923,
          "author": "graycat",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T13:38:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31491923",
          "commentText": "Bluntly, with only occasional exceptions, have to learn from the books.  Period.  No biggie:  Once are in grad school or a prof, have to learn from papers, and the good books are typically MUCH easier to read than the papers!\nFor first calculus, read one of the well respected books.  In my experience and opinion, don't need high school advanced placement calculus -- regard it as a waste of time.  Also the last time I looked at Khan Academy, I concluded that it was a waste or worse and by people who didn't have a good background in calculus.  Generally the Internet sources are too elementary.  Solution:  Just use some good books.  Protter and Morrey is good (I taught from it), but it is a bit elementary.  I learned from Johnson and Kiokmeister; I like it.  At the time it was also being used at Harvard.  The exercises are especially good.  It's old, but calculus hasn't changed much since 1950 or so about when it gave up on teaching infinitesimals.\nBut might check out the Maxima software for symbolic indefinite integration -- as I recall, its algorithms are so good they do any indefinite integration that can be done in closed form.\nFor linear algebra, sure, Nering (a student of E. Artin at Princeton) and then Halmos (a finite dimensional introduction to Hilbert space and written when Halmos was an assistant to von Neumann, office not far from Einstein), etc.  For still more, R. Bellman has a good book -- he went all over active and put in everything including the kitchen sink.  Then for numerical work, old but a start, Forsythe and\nMoler and/or the documentation of LINPAK.\nFor multivariate calculus through the divergence theorem and as needed, e.g., for Maxwell's equations, start with the most elementary treatments of vector analysis and f'get about the lack of proofs.  Actually notice, can see via a Google search, that the divergence theorem on a box is just a dirt simple application of the fundamental theorem of freshman calculus.  Then the difficulty is proving the thing on other shapes.  Then do multivariate calculus again via, say, Apostol, Mathematical Analysis: A Modern Approach to Advanced Calculus.  That he uses the Jordan curve theorem is a bit much but just go with the flow.  Fleming's Functions of Several Variables does it with both measure theory and exterior algebra.  Or W. Rudin's, as I recall, third edition, Principles of Mathematical Analysis.  For calculus done via Lebesgue's measure theory, Royden's Real Analysis and/or the first half of Rudin's Real and Complex Analysis.\nMy favorite author on ordinary differential equations is Coddington, and his elementary An Introduction to Ordinary\nDifferential Equations is nicely done and likely enough for nearly any applications might encounter.  Will want some of this if do A/C circuit theory or deterministic optimal control.\nFor basic abstract algebra Herstein, Topics in Algebra should usually be enough and is well written.  With that will be well prepared for, say, algebraic coding theory which actually has some important applications.\nOnce have a background in measure theory, for probability, of course, Loeve or either of his students Breiman or Neveu.  Breiman is really nice to read. Neveu is a good candidate for  the most polished and elegantly done math book or writing of any kind in all of civilization.   Be sure to get to the good stuff on the Radon-Nikodym theorem, conditional expectation, martingales, and ergodic processes.\nFor relatively good results, better than hardly any students get just from courses, study the theorems and proofs until can do them yourself and can also explain them to any common man in the street and also explain where they fit in more generally.  Also be able to do the exercises.  E.g., Rudin's Principles has the inverse and implicit function theorems as exercises!  Fleming applies them to Lagrange multipliers. These two theorems are the main prerequisites of differential geometry -- some parts of physics, now popular, touch on this math!\nIn my Ph.D. program I led the class in 4 of the five qualifying exams, and for the analysis and linear algebra exams, the books above were the secret.  After I did that, the department tried to have the students do better by offering a course from Rudin's Principles; the course didn't work; that book is too hard for a course and needs weeks of quiet time where a student can chew on the text slowly line by line. Rudin has some of the most precise presentations on Fourier theory.  So when physics uses Fourier theory or engineers use the fast Fourier transform, you will likely know Fourier theory quite a lot better than they do.  Right, the uncertainty principle in quantum mechanics is just a basic result in Fourier theory.  With Fourier theory and linearity, Schroedinger's equation starts to make sense.  A good exercise in early measure theory is differentiation under the integral sign, Leibniz's rule -- be sure to cover that with a good proof.\nWith the background from the books above will be well prepared for a wide range of more narrow topics in pure and applied math.\nNearly all these books are available used in nearly new condition for low prices.  In a move I lost some of my library and rebuilt with used copies.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For basic abstract algebra Herstein, Topics in Algebra should usually be enough and is well written.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a well-written book that should usually suffice for basic abstract algebra.",
          "audience": "People learning basic abstract algebra.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it should usually be enough.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31490291,
          "author": "moomin",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T10:40:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31490291",
          "commentText": "Came here to say Rudin. His presentation is “odd” in that he introduces powerful concepts and whacks large numbers of problems on the head with them, whereas the usual pedagogical approach is to teach techniques that correspond to these concepts but never explain the concept.\nI also really liked Herstein on algebra but I believe it’s out of print now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also really liked Herstein on algebra",
          "reason": "The commenter says they liked Herstein's algebra book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter believes it is out of print.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109318,
          "author": "dllthomas",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:47:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109318",
          "commentText": "In terms of studying, I'm revisiting Topics In Algebra and starting on SICP.\nIn terms of leisure, I'm starting on A Mote In God's Eye (Niven/Pournelle).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm revisiting Topics In Algebra",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7580382,
          "author": "radmuzom",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-13T05:45:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7580382",
          "commentText": "Great list. Another addition to the list would be\n4. Topics in Algebra by I.N.Herstein.\nIt has a slightly better (and tougher) set of problems than what you would find in the book by Artin.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another addition to the list would be\n4. Topics in Algebra by I.N.Herstein.",
          "reason": "Suggested as an addition to a list of recommended higher mathematics books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Its problem set is described as slightly better and tougher than Artin's.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2734410,
          "author": "NY_Entrepreneur",
          "createdAt": "2011-07-06T15:46:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 2723436,
          "threadTitle": "Suggest good sites/books on probability",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2734410",
          "commentText": "\"Can you please suggest on-line resource to learn great beginning and advanced probability concepts?\"\nYup!  The subject at the level you ask is a major topic in applied math but is not very popular in US universities.  So, you will not get many good answers.  In particular, the 'computer science' community, with 'machine learning' and 'artificial' this, Bayesian that, likely won't have good answers.\nYour \"on-line\" part is asking a bit much; I can give you references to books but not all on-line.  There may be some PDF files on-line, from TeX, that have such material; try some Google searching with the keywords used here.\nThe intuitive foundations of probability went back to gambling.\n'Probability' is a field of 'applied' math and as such is well defined:\nAbout 100 years ago, E. Borel student H. Lebesgue invented 'measure theory' which essentially 'rewrote' classic calculus, especially the part about integration.  For the simple cases, what Lebesgue did gets the same numerical values as the classic Riemann integral.  The difference is that in theoretical work Lebesgue's integral is much more general and much better 'behaved'.\nBut 'measure theory' has to do with, intuitively, 'length', 'area', 'volume' and various generalizations of these.  Well, in probability, for probability P and event A, the 'probability' of A is P(A) and is a number in [0,1] and acts much like the 'area' of A. The connection is so close that, in the end, we have to accept that the foundations of probability are measure theory.\nThen\nA. N. Kolmogorov, 'Foundations of the Theory of Probability, Second English Edition', Chelsea Publishing Company, New York, 1956.  English translation of the original German '\"Grundbegriffe der Wahrscheinlichkeitrechnung,\"' 'Ergebnisse Der Mathematik', 1933.\napplied Lebesgue's work to make probability a solid field of math.  Since then Kolmogorov's foundations have been nearly the only one taken seriously in any 'modern' or 'advanced' work in probability, stochastic processes, or mathematical statistics.\nA good start on a good text in stochastic processes was:\nJ. L. Doob, 'Stochastic Processes', John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1953.\nDoob was long at University of Illinois.  One of his students was P. Halmos who was later an assistant to von Neumann at the Institute for Advanced Study and in about 1942 wrote the first version of the still standard:\nPaul R. Halmos, 'Finite-Dimensional Vector Spaces, Second Edition', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, New Jersey, 1958.\nLater he wrote:\nPaul R. Halmos, 'Measure Theory', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, NJ, 1950.\nwith at the end a NICE introduction to probability and stochastic processes based on measure theory.\nLikely the first rock solid, quite comprehensive, highly polished presentation of 'modern' probability was the first edition of:\nM. Loeve, 'Probability Theory, I and II, 4th Edition', Springer-Verlag, New York, 1977.\nLoeve was long at Berkeley.  One of his students did:\nJacques Neveu, 'Mathematical Foundations of the Calculus of Probability', Holden-Day, San Francisco, 1965.\nand another did:\nLeo Breiman, 'Probability', ISBN 0-89871-296-3, SIAM, Philadelphia, 1992.\nEither of these two can be regarded as a more succinct presentation of the more important material in Loeve.  Breiman is the more 'practical' and 'accessible'; Neveu is a crown jewel of elegance and succinctness but not always easy to read.\nOther good presentations of much the same material include:\nKai Lai Chung, 'A Course in Probability Theory, Second Edition', ISBN 0-12-174650-X, Academic Press, New York, 1974.\nand\nYuan Shih Chow and Henry Teicher, 'Probability Theory:  Independence, Interchangeability, Martingales', ISBN 0-387-90331-3, Springer-Verlag, New York, 1978.\nIn total, those texts nail down 'probability' at all four corners and make it a rock solid topic in applied math.  Good knowledge of, say, Breiman is a necessary and sufficient condition for knowing 'probability' at a serious level, that is, without being watered down for 'general audiences'.\nFor more, proceed with stochastic processes, stochastic optimal control, mathematical statistics, etc.\nFor learning probability, minimal prerequisites (more would be helpful) would be abstract algebra, linear algebra, 'analysis', measure theory, and functional analysis.\nFor abstract algebra, there are many texts.  Sufficient is\nI. N. Herstein, 'Topics in Algebra', Blaisdell, New York, 1964.\nbut can consider S. Lang, etc.\nFor linear algebra, there are many texts, but the old:\nPaul R. Halmos, 'Finite-Dimensional Vector Spaces, Second Edition', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, New Jersey, 1958.\nremains a good 'second' text.  It is also an introduction to functional analysis.\nThe main text for 'analysis' is just:\nWalter Rudin, 'Principles of Mathematical Analysis', McGraw-Hill, New York.\nin whatever is the latest edition.\nCan skip the material on exterior algebra or just get it from the original source, now in English:\nHenri Cartan, 'Differential Forms', ISBN 0-486-45010-4, Dover, Mineola, NY, 2006.\nFor measure theory and functional analysis, the standards are:\nH. L. Royden, 'Real Analysis:  Second Edition', Macmillan, New York.\nand the first (real) half of:\nWalter Rudin, 'Real and Complex Analysis', ISBN 07-054232-5, McGraw-Hill, New York.\nActually, Loeve also covers much of this material.  Neveu slips in quite a lot.\nThen you will be ready for Breiman, Neveu, Chung, Chow and Teicher, or Loeve.\nYou will discover:\nThe start of probability theory is a 'probability space'.  For that, there are three parts, (1) the 'sample space', (2) the 'events', and (3) the 'probability measure'.\nThe 'sample space' is just a set of points; to support any reasonably serious work in probability, the sample space has to be uncountably infinite.  In all our work, we do some one 'trial', and that corresponds to some one point in the sample space.  The other points in the sample space are what 'might' have been our trial.\nAn 'event' is a set of trials.  We ask that the collection of all events have some 'closure' properties to make that collection a 'sigma algebra'.  So, briefly, the collection of events has as one event the whole sample space and is closed under relative complements and countable unions.\nIn terms of measure theory, the sample space and the sigma algebra of events form a 'measurable space'.  A 'probability measure' is just a positive measure with total 'mass' 1. Thank you Lebesgue and measure theory.\nOn the reals R, we can take the open sets and, then, the Borel sets, that is, the smallest sigma algebra that contains the open sets.  A 'random variable' is a function from the probability space to the reals that is 'measurable', that is, the inverse image of a Borel set is an event.\nAs an alternative, we can ask that the inverse image of the Lebesgue measurable sets of R be events.\nIf X is such a random variable, then its 'expectation' E[X] is just the Lebesgue ('abstract') integral of X over the probability space.  For E[X] to exist, we need only that X be measurable and that the integral of both the positive and the negative parts of X not be infinite (we don't want to subtract one infinity from another).  E.g., Lebesgue integration is very 'general':  All we need is measurability and not subtract one infinity from another.\nBy a change of variable, we can also write the expectation as a Lebesgue integral over the real line with respect to the 'distribution' of X on R. Or, X 'induces' a probability measure on R.\nWe can discuss convergence of random variables -- in distribution, probability, mean square, and almost surely.\nThen we can define independence for events, sigma algebras, and random variables.  E.g., with this approach, if X and Y are independent random variables and f and g are functions, then f(X) and g(Y) are independent random variables.  Don't try to prove this the elementary way!\nWith independent random variables, we can cover the classic limit theorems -- central limit theorem, weak and strong laws of large numbers, and the law of the iterated logarithm.\nUsing the Radon-Nikodym theorem of measure theory, for random variables X and Y we can define their 'conditional expectation' E[Y|X].\nWith such 'conditioning' we can discuss Markov processes, martingales, and the martingale convergence theorem.\nWe can also move on to ergodic theory and, say, Poincare recurrence (keep stirring the coffee and the cream will separate back, close to where it was when it was poured in).\nThose are the previews of coming attractions.\nNote:  This material is not very popular in US universities.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sufficient is\nI. N. Herstein, 'Topics in Algebra', Blaisdell, New York, 1964.",
          "reason": "Recommended as sufficient preparation in abstract algebra.",
          "audience": "Readers preparing to study advanced probability.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "I. N. Herstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "abstract algebra",
        "problem sets"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "turn-the-ship-around-4cce24",
      "title": "Turn the Ship Around!",
      "author": "L. David Marquet",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37814502,
          "author": "nickster",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-08T21:17:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37814502",
          "commentText": "In Computers? The Mythical Man Month Fred Brooks\nIn Management? Turn the Ship Around David Marquet\nIn literature? Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad\nIn Philosophy? The Republic Plato\nIn Religion? The Confessions St. Augustine\nIn Mathematics? The Elements Euclid\nIn History? Parallel lives Plutarch\nIn Physics? Principia Isaac Newton",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Turn the Ship Around David Marquet",
          "reason": "Listed as a book people in management may pretend to have read.",
          "audience": "People in management.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37810868,
          "author": "aniijbod",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-08T14:39:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37810868",
          "commentText": "In Computers? The Mythical Man Month Fred Brooks\nIn Mnaagement? Turn the Ship Around David Marquet\nIn literature? Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad\nIn Philosophy? The Republic Plato\nIn Religion? The Confessions St. Augustine\nIn Mathematics? The Elements Euclid\nIn History? Parallel lives Plutarch\nIn Physics? Principia Isaac Newton",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Turn the Ship Around David Marquet",
          "reason": "Listed as a book people in management may pretend to have read.",
          "audience": "People in management.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Comment calls it “THE book on delegation.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21861303,
          "author": "thorlon",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-23T03:31:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21861303",
          "commentText": "The Unicorn Project,\nThe 7 habits of highly effective people by Stephen Covey,\nPermanent Record, \nTurn the ship around,\nThe Checklist Manifesto,\nThese are good ones!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Turn the ship around,",
          "reason": "Listed as a good audiobook in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "People looking for audiobooks for developers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21712749,
          "author": "DailyHN",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T14:57:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21712749",
          "commentText": "+1 Turn the ship around! by L. David Marquet",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 Turn the ship around! by L. David Marquet",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the book recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21712732,
          "author": "snorberhuis",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T14:55:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21712732",
          "commentText": "Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink & Leif Babin\nThis book is about the lessons learned on leadership by two Navy Seal Officers and how they are applied in business. It learned me to take ownership on what is happening, always work together, keep it simple, focus on a single priority, and give ownership.\nTurn the ship around! by L. David Marquet\nThis book tells the story of a submarine captain that turns his subordinates into leaders and his submarine goes on becoming the best submarine in the US Navy. It learned me to move authority to information, train competence, and the power of clear communication.\nYou can find more good books at https://www.norberhuis.nl/books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Turn the ship around! by L. David Marquet\nThis book tells the story of a submarine captain that turns his subordinates into leaders and his submarine goes on becoming the best submarine in the US Navy. It learned me to move authority to information, train competence, and the power of clear communication.",
          "reason": "Describes lessons the commenter learned about delegating authority, competence, and communication.",
          "audience": "People interested in leadership and team development.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21712594,
          "author": "bakenator",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T14:43:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21712594",
          "commentText": "When managing people in tech, I think it is equally as important to know how to organize as it is to know how to lead.  I would recommend \"The Phoenix Project\" and \"The Unicorn Project\" and \"The Goal\" to all tech managers.\nNo matter how good your communication/leadership skills are, your team will be severely handicapped if they are working in an inefficient/limiting environment.\nComing at the same lessons from a different perspective, I have also found \"Turn The Ship Around!\" to be a very good resource.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I have also found \"Turn The Ship Around!\" to be a very good resource.",
          "reason": "Calls it a very good resource from a different perspective.",
          "audience": "Tech managers and leaders.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12068003,
          "author": "motxilo",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T00:25:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12068003",
          "commentText": "Blindsight (Watts)\nBetween the World and Me (Coates)\nEconomics in One Lesson (Hazlitt)\nCorporate Confidential: 50 Secrets Your Company Doesn't Want You to Know---and What to Do About Them (Shapiro)\nLos últimos españoles de Mauthausen (Hernández de Miguel)\nDistributed Systems for Fun and Profit (Takada)\nThe Knowledge: How to Rebuild Civilization in the Aftermath of a Cataclysm (Dartnell)\nHistoria mínima de España (Fusi)\nTurn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders (Marquet)\nWhat I Learned Losing A Million Dollars (Moynihan)\nSite Reliability Engineering: How Google Runs Production Systems (Google)\nAdventures in Human Being: A Grand Tour from the Cranium to the Calcaneum (Francis)\nOperating Systems: Three Easy Pieces (Arpaci-Dusseau)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders (Marquet)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "L. David Marquet"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "management",
        "team empowerment",
        "delegation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "agile-web-development-with-rails-607bfc",
      "title": "Agile Web Development with Rails",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40872328,
          "author": "logankeenan",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-04T04:27:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 40840658,
          "threadTitle": "Books to Dive in into Fullstack Development",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40872328",
          "commentText": "The Agile development with Rails series is a great full stack book. They come out with a new book when rails comes out with a new version. The latest book is below.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Agile-Web-Development-Rails-7/dp/1680... (https://www.amazon.com/Agile-Web-Development-Rails-7/dp/1680509292)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Agile development with Rails series is a great full stack book.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a full-stack development book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 782175,
          "author": "abyssknight",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-24T14:26:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 781079,
          "threadTitle": "Can you recommend some good RoR books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=782175",
          "commentText": "I'm running through this myself. Up to Chapter 11 so far, but it is a great book to both learn on and reference. Fair warning, it's a well sought after book. I think my Amazon order was \"backordered\" a few times before I canceled and paid the \"in-store tax\".\nOne great thing with this book is that the foot-notes reference the changes needed to get everything to play nice with 2.3 (the book was written for 2.2).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm running through this myself. Up to Chapter 11 so far, but it is a great book to both learn on and reference.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book for learning and reference.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Written for Rails 2.2; footnotes help adapt it to Rails 2.3.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 781951,
          "author": "WJSimacek",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-24T12:23:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 781079,
          "threadTitle": "Can you recommend some good RoR books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=781951",
          "commentText": "+1 for this book, although you either need to use Rails 2.2.2 or find the great site I found where a guy created a pdf with all the screenshots of working through the depot program with Rails 2.3.2. That saved me.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "+1 for this book, although you either need to use Rails 2.2.2 or find the great site I found where a guy created a pdf with all the screenshots of working through the depot program with Rails 2.3.2.",
          "reason": "The +1 endorses the book, while the comment notes version workarounds.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Requires Rails 2.2.2 or supplemental screenshots for Rails 2.3.2.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 781943,
          "author": "WJSimacek",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-24T12:16:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 781079,
          "threadTitle": "Can you recommend some good RoR books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=781943",
          "commentText": "+1 for this book, although you either need to use Rails 2.2.2 or find the great site I found where a guy created a pdf with all the screenshots of working through the depot program with Rails 2.3.2. That saved me.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "+1 for this book, although you either need to use Rails 2.2.2 or find the great site I found where a guy created a pdf with all the screenshots of working through the depot program with Rails 2.3.2.",
          "reason": "The +1 endorses the book, while the comment notes version workarounds.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Requires Rails 2.2.2 or supplemental screenshots for Rails 2.3.2.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 781663,
          "author": "keeptrying",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-24T07:01:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 781079,
          "threadTitle": "Can you recommend some good RoR books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=781663",
          "commentText": "AWD (to start) + Rails Way (for the details)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "AWD (to start)",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a starting point.",
          "audience": "People new to Rails.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 781207,
          "author": "isharan",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-23T23:36:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 781079,
          "threadTitle": "Can you recommend some good RoR books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=781207",
          "commentText": "The main thing you want to do when learning Rails is to make sure you're pretty solid in Ruby. David Black's Well-Grounded Rubyist covers a lot of Ruby.\nAs for Rails, I have nothing but good things to about Foundation Rails 2 by Eldon Alameda. He gives a brief introduction to Ruby at the beginning, and doesn't rely on scaffolding/plugins, something a lot of early Rails developers try and overuse. Although, now that I think about it, the routing chapter was a little weak. Of course there's also the standard Agile Web Development with Rails (3rd Edition) which was written by the creator of Rails.\nAfter that, the best place is to start writing apps and get some hands-on experience. If you want, there's another book that Eldon Alameda wrote called \"Practical Rails Projects\" which does exactly that -- guides you through 6 or 7 Rails projects to teach you all about Rails. However, it uses an older version of Rails (1.2.3 compared to the current 2.3.3) but I'm sure a lot of the concepts will still apply. You can always install an older version of Rails to follow along.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "there's also the standard Agile Web Development with Rails (3rd Edition)",
          "reason": "Names it as a standard Rails book in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ruby on rails",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "debunking-economics-aff1e5",
      "title": "Debunking Economics",
      "author": "Steve Keen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12566914,
          "author": "damptowel",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T18:35:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12566914",
          "commentText": "Debunking Economics by Steve Keen. Though be warned, you might not quite appreciate economic textbooks afterwards.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Debunking Economics by Steve Keen.",
          "reason": "Listed as a response to the request for must-read economics and finance books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter warns it may make economic textbooks less appealing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12562255,
          "author": "ddebernardy",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T04:12:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12562255",
          "commentText": "IMO start with a recent book that spells out useful pointers to give the classics a critical read:\n\"Debunking Economics\", by Steve Keen.\nKeen gave a talk at Google a few years back that was a pretty good summary of what's in the book's first version.\nIf you're into stats and finance also check out the author's finance classes on youtube. Besides a bunch of videos that cover what's in his book, there are quite a few on financial modeling, and at least one video in there that delves into power laws and financial markets.\nAlso, try to throw in a few history books to your mix: history of the world, of science, and of ideas. History helps contextualize and make sense of what was going on in the mind of contemporaries as economic theories matured.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "IMO start with a recent book that spells out useful pointers to give the classics a critical read: \"Debunking Economics\", by Steve Keen.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a starting point for reading economics classics critically.",
          "audience": "Readers beginning to explore economics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12562110,
          "author": "dredmorbius",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T03:25:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12562110",
          "commentText": "That's a pretty good list, though I have to take exception to your suggestions for heterodox economics all coming from the Hayek-Mises-Rothbard Austrian/Libertarian tradition.  There's considerably more to heterodox economics than Libertarian school.\n\"Heterodox economics\" is an umbrella term used to cover various approaches, schools, or traditions. These include socialist, Marxian, institutional, evolutionary, Georgist, Austrian, feminist,[3] social, post-Keynesian (not to be confused with New Keynesian),[2] and ecological economics among others.[4]\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heterodox_economics\nSteve Keen offers a fairly compelling criticism in Debunking Economics.\nHa-Joon Chang, of LSE, has several books providing criticisms and overviews of economics, his Economics: the user's guide is a light and readable overview.  http://www.worldcat.org/title/economics-the-users-guide/oclc... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/economics-the-users-guide/oclc/870896694&referer=brief_results)\n(It's worth noting that Ha-Joon Chang tends toward a Marxian view and in particular is a contrarian in trade and development concepts.  I happen to think his views have merits.)\nThere are several books which cover the history of economic thought, from more and less inclusive perspectives.  Roger Backhouse's The Ordinary Business of Life is extraordinarily dry, but reasonably encompasses the mainstream.  \nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/ordinary-business-of-life-a-hi... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/ordinary-business-of-life-a-history-of-economics-from-the-ancient-world-to-the-twenty-first-century/oclc/49198341&referer=brief_results)\nHeilbroner's The Worldly Philosophers is a classic:  http://www.worldcat.org/title/worldly-philosophers-the-lives... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/worldly-philosophers-the-lives-times-and-ideas-of-the-great-economic-thinkers/oclc/40762647&referer=brief_results)\nFor heterodoxy, I'd add to the Austrian side:\nHerman Daly on ecological economics.  http://www.worldcat.org/title/ecological-economics-principle... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/ecological-economics-principles-and-applications/oclc/804847292?referer=br&ht=edition)\nul\nit in f\nl.\nErick D. Beinhocker's The Origin of Wealth: Evolution, complexity, and the radical remaking of economics strikes me from reviews and a brief overview as one of the more interesting recent books on economics.  I've yet to read it in full.\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/origin-of-wealth-evolution-com... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/origin-of-wealth-evolution-complexity-and-the-radical-remaking-of-economics/oclc/64335906&referer=brief_results)\nThere's slew of other books, many quite bad, on the subject.  I'm largely convinced economics is vastly overdue for a robust remaking.  I'm not convinced that will happen.\n(It was my degree subject at uni.  I've been trying to comprehend it and rationalise its vast internal contradictions and inconsistencies since.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Steve Keen offers a fairly compelling criticism in Debunking Economics.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a fairly compelling criticism of economics.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in heterodox economics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12561912,
          "author": "crdoconnor",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T02:27:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12561912",
          "commentText": "Traders, Guns and Money - Satyajit Das\nDebunking Economics - Steve Keen\nThe Volatility Machine - Michael Pettis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Debunking Economics - Steve Keen",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for must-read economics and finance books.",
          "audience": "Someone learning about economics or finance.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297799,
          "author": "roymurdock",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:56:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297799",
          "commentText": "Older Stuff: The Bible/Quran, The Republic (Plato), The Social Contract (Rousseau), Tao Te Ching (Laozi), Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky), History of the Peloponnesian War (Thucydides)\nNewer Stuff: Nine Stories (Salinger), The Razor's Edge (Maugham), Nausea (Sartre), Siddartha (Hesse), Road to Serfdom (Hayek), The Book (Watts), Design of Everyday Things (Norman), Atlas Shrugged (Rand), Invisible Man (Ellison), Debunking Economics (Keen), Blood Meridian (McCarthy), The Center Cannot Hold (Saks), This Time Is Different (Reinhart/Rogoff), Infinite Jest (Wallace), Calvin and Hobbes (Watterson)\nAll of these books are well written and have given me some perspective on interesting people/situations/ways of thinking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Debunking Economics (Keen)",
          "reason": "Listed among books said to have given the commenter perspective on interesting people, situations, and ways of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve Keen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic theory",
        "heterodox economics",
        "critique of mainstream economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "deep-learning-with-python-d0f51a",
      "title": "Deep Learning with Python",
      "author": "François Chollet",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27887516,
          "author": "machinehermiter",
          "createdAt": "2021-07-19T21:35:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 27879593,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27887516",
          "commentText": "I second Designing Data-Intensive Applications.\nDeep Learning with Python by François Chollet I think works as an audiobook as well.\nI am a big non-fiction audio book fan and so much depends on the voice actor. I bad read can ruin the best content while Robertson Dean made Alan Greenspan's The Age of Turbulence into an enthralling adventure story.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Deep Learning with Python by François Chollet I think works as an audiobook as well.",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a book that works as an audiobook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is not certain it works well as an audiobook.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20678001,
          "author": "univalent",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T17:52:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20678001",
          "commentText": "+1 for this book. Such a pleasure to read and to work through the samples.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for this book. Such a pleasure to read and to work through the samples.",
          "reason": "The commenter agrees with the recommendation and says reading and working through the samples is a pleasure.",
          "audience": "Readers who want to learn deep learning through code examples.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20676810,
          "author": "chimprich",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T16:15:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20676810",
          "commentText": "This is a really excellent book - I'm currently reading it - but it seems to be everything the questioner wanted to avoid.\nIt's not heavy on maths, and it mostly sticks with one framework and language.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "This is a really excellent book - I'm currently reading it",
          "reason": "Praised as excellent while noting it may not match the questioner's preferences.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not math-heavy and mostly uses one framework and language.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20676605,
          "author": "yboris",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T15:57:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20676605",
          "commentText": "I loved Deep Learning with Python by François Chollet -- the creator of Keras\nhttps://www.manning.com/books/deep-learning-with-python\nAn excellent, coherent overview with working code to train a variety of neural networks.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved Deep Learning with Python by François Chollet",
          "reason": "Explicitly praised as an excellent, coherent overview with working code.",
          "audience": "Readers who want practical examples training neural networks with code.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20675161,
          "author": "stared",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T13:24:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20675161",
          "commentText": "I wrote a piece on that in: https://github.com/stared/thinking-in-tensors-writing-in-pyt... (https://github.com/stared/thinking-in-tensors-writing-in-pytorch#why-not-something-else)\n> If I wanted to learn some particular framework, I would just look up the documentation for that framework.\nWell, if you don't know deep learning, it is not how it works (unless it is a poor book, which only provides an introduction to some API). Still, I recommend \"Deep Learning in Python\" by Francois Chollet as it provides a good overview of practical deep learning. For practical applications, a book WILL use one framework or another or will be useless. If you understand overfitting, L2 or batch processing in Keras, you will be able to use in any other framework (after looking up its API).\nWhen it comes to the mathematical background, Deep Learning Book by Ian Goodfellow et al. is a great starting point, giving a lot of overview. Though, it requires a lot of interest in maths. Convolutional networks start well after page 300.\nI struggled to find something in the middle ground - showing mathematical foundations of deep learning, step by step, at the same time translating it into code. The closest example is CS231n: Convolutional Neural Networks for Visual Recognition (which is, IMHO, a masterpiece). Though, I believe that instead of using NumPy we can use PyTorch, giving a smooth transition between mathematical ideas and a practical, working code.\nNot a book per se, but better than any other.\nI am in the process of writing \"Thinking in Tensors, Writing in PyTorch\" (with an idea of showing maths, code, fundamentals or practical examples) but it is a slow process. It's a collaborative, open-source, repo - so open for collaborators and contributors. :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend \"Deep Learning in Python\" by Francois Chollet as it provides a good overview of practical deep learning.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for a good overview of practical deep learning.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "François Chollet"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "deep learning",
        "python",
        "keras",
        "neural networks"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "effective-c-1adca2",
      "title": "Effective C",
      "author": "Robert C. Seacord",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46397578,
          "author": "Barrin92",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T23:39:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46397578",
          "commentText": "Among non-fiction what stood out to me was David Bentley Hart's All Things are Full of Gods, great book also very fun to read written as a Platonic dialogue. To me one of the most compelling theologians today.\nBruno Maçães, World Builders. Good book on the impact of technology in geopolitics has been consistently interesting.\nAmong fiction re-read a lot of Lovecraft, noticed that I like the Dream Quest stories more than the horror these days which surprised me. But they're more compelling to me now because of how much you can see Lovecraft as a person in them.\nThe last three Dune books. Liked the last two about the Bene Gesserit a lot, was surprised how much I disliked God Emperor given the praise it gets, but it honestly reads like Frank Herbert posting twitter hot takes as a worm with no story\nMark Twain, The Mysterious Stranger. Among the best novellas I've ever read, very different in tone from most of his books.\nShūsaku Endō, Silence. Book about a Jesuit mission in early Edo Japan. My favorite Japanese book in a long time.\nAmong technical books, re-read The Mythical Man Month, probably more relevant than it ever was in an age of artifical man-hours added to projects. Robert Seacord Effective C, after not having written C in a long time. Really good intermediate level book for modern C. Also making my way through The Little Schemer as a replacement for advent of code in the second half of the month this year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Robert Seacord Effective C, after not having written C in a long time. Really good intermediate level book for modern C.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a really good intermediate-level book for modern C.",
          "audience": "Readers returning to C after a long break; intermediate C programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33137319,
          "author": "Blackstrat",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-09T00:29:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33137319",
          "commentText": "I agree on K&R and Expert C. I preferred Seacord’s Effective C to Modern C.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I preferred Seacord’s Effective C to Modern C.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33131527,
          "author": "jmercan",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T11:46:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33131527",
          "commentText": "I would say \"Effective C\" is a good book (and Robert is awesome) but personally I feel like I learned the most by writing and disassembling small quines under different compilers and flags more than anything else.\nAlso, reading through some codebases gave me good (and horrible) ideas and habits. However, C projects are usually messy and I am not sure whether recommending it would be helpful or just confusing. But I would say TenDRA, BearSSL, pkgconf, s6, kivaloo, apk-tools, libsodium, musl, OpenSSH and cosmopolitan libc are worth checking out.\nFinally increasing my tiny understanding of architectures, memory models and decades of safety issues was significantly helpful as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would say \"Effective C\" is a good book",
          "reason": "Recommends Effective C as a good book.",
          "audience": "Someone learning C.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33131350,
          "author": "GeneT45",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T11:10:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33131350",
          "commentText": "Agreed.  It's also worth pointing out that Effective C is the most current in terms of being up to date with present-day C standards.\nK&R is so obsolete it's now wrong about some things.  It's a pretty good read sometime down the road - when you can recognize its shortcomings - but it's not a book from which to start learning C.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Effective C is the most current in terms of being up to date with present-day C standards.",
          "reason": "Describes it as current with present-day C standards.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33130944,
          "author": "armitron",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T09:23:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33130944",
          "commentText": "King is good, also Seacord’s books: Effective C and Secure Coding ..\nJust ignore suggestions (parroting really) for K&R. It’s probably the worst introduction to C when it comes to good habits, undefined behavior and writing secure code, since it doesn’t even attempt to cover any of these but presents a total facade regarding what programming in C is like.\nK&R has created generations of people who call themselves C programmers but are essentially clueless when it comes to deep understanding of the language. Anyone that recommends K&R today is someone you want to avoid taking any advice on programming from.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Effective C",
          "reason": "Listed among books by Seacord.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert C. Seacord"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming",
        "secure coding",
        "systems programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fire-in-the-valley-the-making-of-the-personal-computer-bd8687",
      "title": "Fire in the Valley: The Making of the Personal Computer",
      "author": "Paul Freiberger and Michael Swaine",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27329280,
          "author": "helph67",
          "createdAt": "2021-05-29T23:47:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 27326937,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good book on companies/individuals failure stories?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27329280",
          "commentText": "Fire In The Valley (The making of the personal computer: McGraw Hill) includes the story of Steve Jobs being invited by Xerox Corp. to view what Xerox techs had been creating. Apple succeeded in selling the innovations, Xerox lost a packet!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Fire In The Valley (The making of the personal computer: McGraw Hill) includes the story",
          "reason": "Mentioned for its account of Xerox's lost opportunity and Apple's success selling the innovations.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in personal computing history and business failures.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22730267,
          "author": "blueyes",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T17:45:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22730267",
          "commentText": "Fire in the Valley: The Making of the Personal Computer\nHigh Stakes, No Prisoners - history of the birth of the Internet written by the founder of FrontPage, with a keen critique of Netscape's history - Charles Ferguson\nComputer Wars - a look at the decline of IBM by the early 90s - Charles Ferguson\nValley of Genius: The Uncensored History of Silicon Valley - An oral history of the Valley in the 80s and 90s.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fire in the Valley: The Making of the Personal Computer",
          "reason": "Listed as a suggested book on computer history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22708692,
          "author": "Uhhrrr",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T02:29:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22708692",
          "commentText": "I second Fire in the Valley - there are a lot of good Mac-era anecdotes. Hertzfeld put a lot of them at https://www.folklore.org/ as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second Fire in the Valley",
          "reason": "The commenter agrees with the recommendation and notes its Mac-era anecdotes.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in personal computer history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22707561,
          "author": "johnb",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T22:41:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22707561",
          "commentText": "A few good ones that haven't been mentioned yet:\n* \"IBM's 360 and Early 370 Systems\n\" https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/ibms-360-and-early-370-system... (https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/ibms-360-and-early-370-systems)\n* \"Broad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet\" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35953464-broad-band\n* \"Fire in the Valley: The Making of the Personal Computer\" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1427580.Fire_in_the_Vall... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1427580.Fire_in_the_Valley)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Fire in the Valley: The Making of the Personal Computer\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22703541,
          "author": "Macintosh007",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T15:19:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22703541",
          "commentText": "Check out “Fire in the Valley.” It’s a classic!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Check out “Fire in the Valley.” It’s a classic!",
          "reason": "Recommends the book in response to a request for computer science and computer history books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 621694,
          "author": "markchristian",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-22T06:57:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621694",
          "commentText": "Fire in the Valley, hands-down.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fire in the Valley, hands-down.",
          "reason": "Gives it as an answer to the favorite true story tech book question.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in personal computer history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Freiberger",
        "Michael Swaine"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal computer history",
        "silicon valley",
        "macintosh",
        "xerox parc"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-design-programs-ce5124",
      "title": "How to Design Programs",
      "author": "Matthias Felleisen, Robert Bruce Findler, Matthew Flatt, Shriram Krishnamurthi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36832877,
          "author": "emptysongglass",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-23T05:54:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36832877",
          "commentText": "The design approach to programming it teaches you will serve you for the rest of your career.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The design approach to programming it teaches you will serve you for the rest of your career.",
          "reason": "Endorses the book's programming design approach as useful throughout a career.",
          "audience": "Programmers seeking durable design techniques.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36821000,
          "author": "sn9",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-21T22:47:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36821000",
          "commentText": "The OP mentioned SICP more because it's famous, but the core of their desire is to improve as a self-taught programmer, and I've heard from even experienced developers that the design recipe and systematic techniques taught in HTDP have benefited them, and they're more directly related to the problems OP described as wanting to solve.\nWorst case, they find it too elementary and wasted a few weeks or months.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've heard from even experienced developers that the design recipe and systematic techniques taught in HTDP have benefited them",
          "reason": "Says its design recipe and systematic techniques have benefited experienced developers and relate to the original poster's goals.",
          "audience": "A self-taught programmer seeking to improve program design; experienced developers may benefit too.",
          "caveat": "It may be too elementary, potentially costing a few weeks or months.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36819548,
          "author": "nextos",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-21T20:51:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36819548",
          "commentText": "HtDP is a great book, but probably too elementary for the average HN reader looking to begin with SICP.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "HtDP is a great book, but probably too elementary for the average HN reader looking to begin with SICP.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book while cautioning that it may be too elementary for the stated audience.",
          "audience": "HN readers looking to begin with SICP.",
          "caveat": "May be too elementary for the average HN reader.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36817174,
          "author": "wk_end",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-21T17:59:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36817174",
          "commentText": "HtDP isn't really mind-blowing the same way SICP can be. It basically just tries to give you a mental framework and tools for breaking problems down into simple, composable, testable pieces - in terms of the work you're doing it's CS 101, but it's a particularly good implementation of CS 101. There's \"senior\" engineers at my company that I think would benefit from reading and absorbing HtDP. But, if I'm being honest, yes, an experienced developer would likely find it tedious.\nSICP's big mind-expanding thing is that it teaches CS 101 through the process of building, from within a computational system, an entirely new computational system - various kinds of programming languages and later even a machine and compiler. In this sense it kind of peels away a lot of the magic of how computers and programming languages work. For lots of CS students - and even professionals - who've never really thought about what makes their Python interpreter tick, that's a big discovery. It's also a real pedagogical feat.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "HtDP isn't really mind-blowing the same way SICP can be.",
          "reason": "Praises it as a particularly good introduction to CS 101 and explains its approach to problem solving.",
          "audience": "Beginners and experienced developers who could benefit from its problem-solving framework.",
          "caveat": "An experienced developer may find it tedious.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34413378,
          "author": "CraigJPerry",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-17T15:16:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 34412069,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach programming by building a series of small projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34413378",
          "commentText": "HTDPv2 https://htdp.org/ - it's about learning to program rather than teaching a specific language.\nI thought the little projects you build along the way struck a good balance of interest, e.g. you're building a snake game by section 2 (but crucially you've already been exposed to how to think about data so you're not just dropped into the deep end with some boilerplate to fiddle with).\nAnyway, i could write tons of praise for this book but it's convinced me to ditch python for teaching newbies and i LOVED python for getting newbies started real quick with projects for years.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "HTDPv2",
          "reason": "The commenter strongly praises its programming instruction and the balance of its projects.",
          "audience": "People learning to program; the commenter specifically mentions teaching beginners.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it led them to stop using Python to teach newcomers.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthias Felleisen",
        "Robert Bruce Findler",
        "Matthew Flatt",
        "Shriram Krishnamurthi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "problem solving",
        "programming education",
        "beginner programming",
        "program design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "machine-learning-234ed1",
      "title": "Machine Learning",
      "author": "Tom M. Mitchell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2414607,
          "author": "deong",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T11:00:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414607",
          "commentText": "The Mitchell book is definitely showing its age these days. It's not terrible, but anyone thinking of buying it should be aware that it is a broad but shallow tour of machine learning as it stood 15 years ago, and machine learning as a field has changed significantly since then. Most notably, there has been something of a Bayesian revolution that Mitchell basically ignores (understandable since the book predates it).\nDon't take this as a recommendation, because I haven't read it, but Stephen Marsland's Machine Learning book appears from a glance at the table of contents to be a much more modern attempt to provide the same type of coverage as Mitchell. But again, I can't speak to its quality.\nChris Bishop's Pattern Recognition book is also very good, but it's not the same sort of book. Bishop is exhaustively deep on the narrower range of ML that he covers, but you won't get the same sort of coverage of the wider view of the field.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The Mitchell book is definitely showing its age these days. It's not terrible, but anyone thinking of buying it should be aware that it is a broad but shallow tour of machine learning as it stood 15 years ago",
          "reason": "Says the coverage is broad but shallow and dated, and warns prospective buyers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The field has changed significantly; the book predates the Bayesian revolution.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414462,
          "author": "jdj",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T09:27:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414462",
          "commentText": "One book that I would suggest to anyone is Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation - HMU. It is very approachable and presents some very interesting topics (so you won't write a regex for matching HTML and will learn what P vs NP means). On a more practical side, I think that a must read for machine learning is Tom Mitchell - Machine Learning . Another book that from what I've heard is easier to digest is Data Mining: Practical Machine Learning Tools and Techniques.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think that a must read for machine learning is Tom Mitchell - Machine Learning",
          "reason": "Calls it a must read for machine learning.",
          "audience": "Readers studying machine learning.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 79649,
          "author": "queensnake",
          "createdAt": "2007-11-14T04:22:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 79359,
          "threadTitle": "Can anyone recommend good books, articles or essays that introduce machine learning?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=79649",
          "commentText": "This is kind of moot, truthfully I'd go, now (or look first at, but they're both getting praise so...) for Chris Bishop or Ethem Alpaydin's new books. But between Norvig and Mitchell, Norvig has 138 pages on learning vs Mitchell's ~390, but, Mitchell's is from a different era, Norvig is easier to read - larger pages, more diagrams, better writing, and you know where you are better - and fresher material. To each his own. But like I say, I'd probably go with one of the even newer ones. For a while Mitchell was all there was, then Norvig came along, and now there're a few to choose from.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "between Norvig and Mitchell, Norvig has 138 pages on learning vs Mitchell's ~390",
          "reason": "Compares its coverage and readability with the Norvig book; calls it from a different era.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as older and less readable than Norvig's book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 79598,
          "author": "jmzachary",
          "createdAt": "2007-11-14T00:55:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 79359,
          "threadTitle": "Can anyone recommend good books, articles or essays that introduce machine learning?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=79598",
          "commentText": "If you can read and understand Mitchell's book, you will have a very good foundation for understanding modern ML techniques. The poster was looking for references to introduce him to the field.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you can read and understand Mitchell's book, you will have a very good foundation for understanding modern ML techniques.",
          "reason": "Says understanding the book provides a very good foundation for modern machine learning.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for an introduction to machine learning.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 79563,
          "author": "queensnake",
          "createdAt": "2007-11-13T23:17:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 79359,
          "threadTitle": "Can anyone recommend good books, articles or essays that introduce machine learning?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=79563",
          "commentText": "I disagree wrt Mitchell; too dry and out-of-date. In its place I'd recommend the Norvig book which covers everything Mitchell does (IIRC) except 'Probably Approximately Correct' (PAC) learning. And, it's more up-to-date (Support Vector Machines) and is much more readable. Also, I haven't read it except a flip-through at a bookstore, but Christopher Bishop's one I'd look at (perhaps the Amazon comments).",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I disagree wrt Mitchell; too dry and out-of-date.",
          "reason": "Criticizes the book as too dry and out of date.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 79480,
          "author": "jgrahamc",
          "createdAt": "2007-11-13T20:41:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 79359,
          "threadTitle": "Can anyone recommend good books, articles or essays that introduce machine learning?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=79480",
          "commentText": "I agree on the Mitchell book.  \nIf you are looking for a light introduction to naive Bayesian text classification then there's always the piece I wrote for DDJ: http://www.ddj.com/development-tools/184406064\nJohn.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I agree on the Mitchell book.",
          "reason": "The commenter agrees with the prior suggestion of Mitchell's book.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a serious academic book on machine learning.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 79467,
          "author": "at",
          "createdAt": "2007-11-13T20:14:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 79359,
          "threadTitle": "Can anyone recommend good books, articles or essays that introduce machine learning?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=79467",
          "commentText": "books about machine learning applications/tools:\n- \"Programming Collective Intelligence\"\n  - http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9780596529321/\n- \"Data Mining: Practical Machine Learning Tools and Technique\"\n  - http://www.cs.waikato.ac.nz/~ml/weka/book.html\nbooks about machine learning background/theory:\n- \"machine learning\"\n  - http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~tom/mlbook.html\n- \"learning and soft computing\"\n  - http://cognet.mit.edu/library/books/view?isbn=0262112558\nFor a simple-to-use (Python-based) machine learning tool/API check out Orange: http://magix.fri.uni-lj.si/orange/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"machine learning\"",
          "reason": "Listed among books on machine learning background and theory.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking theoretical background in machine learning.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 79464,
          "author": "jmzachary",
          "createdAt": "2007-11-13T20:13:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 79359,
          "threadTitle": "Can anyone recommend good books, articles or essays that introduce machine learning?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=79464",
          "commentText": "Machine Learning by Tom Mitchell for a serious academic book. \nProgramming Collective Intelligence by Toby Segaran for a practical approach in Python.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Machine Learning by Tom Mitchell for a serious academic book.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a serious academic book on machine learning.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an academic treatment of machine learning.",
          "caveat": "Described as serious and academic.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom M. Mitchell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "machine learning",
        "academic textbook",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "bayesian methods"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-abolition-of-man-5dc49d",
      "title": "The Abolition of Man",
      "author": "C. S. Lewis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467677,
          "author": "hpoe",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:50:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467677",
          "commentText": "I've reread the Abolition Of Man recently and found his conjecture that there may yet come a time when using psychology and technology a small group of people may be able to control everyone else eerily reminiscent to the way ML is being used to custom craft ads that push one opinion or another.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the Abolition Of Man recently",
          "reason": "The commenter discusses the book's conjecture about psychology and technology enabling social control.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467422,
          "author": "KKPMW",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:22:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467422",
          "commentText": "\"The problems of philosophy\" by Bertrand Russell. ~8 times.\n\"The abolition of man\" by \"C.S. Lewis\" 3 times.\n\"The Reign of Quantity and the Signs of the Times\" by René Guénon. 3 times, and planning to set a weekend for another re-read soon.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The abolition of man\" by \"C.S. Lewis\" 3 times.",
          "reason": "Reports rereading it three times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348932,
          "author": "wankel",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:47:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348932",
          "commentText": "The only reason anyone needs to never read anything by Dan Brown is Dan Brown's writing.\nI'm terrible at random-access, on-demand list building like this, but I strongly agree about a few of the other things mentioned here:\nMeditations by Marcus Aurelius\nGodel, Escher, Bach by Hofstadter\nOrthodoxy by GK Chesterton\nThe Abolition of Man by CS Lewis\nWalden by Thoreau\nA few of the better and more philosophical bits out of the bible (especially in a good modern translation), including Ecclesiastes and 1 Corinthians 13\nTo this list, I would also add Ralph Waldo Emerson's classic essays, including Self-Reliance and Experience",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Abolition of Man by CS Lewis",
          "reason": "Strongly agrees with the book being included in a list of perspective-changing books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348639,
          "author": "AnimalMuppet",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:16:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348639",
          "commentText": "I second \"The Abolition of Man\".  Also \"The God Who Is There\" or \"Escape From Reason\" by Francis Schaeffer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second \"The Abolition of Man\".",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly seconds the recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348548,
          "author": "dcsommer",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:06:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348548",
          "commentText": "The Abolition of Man is a great essay. It's short and still relevant. Consideration of the \"men without chests\" is particularly interesting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Abolition of Man is a great essay. It's short and still relevant. Consideration of the \"men without chests\" is particularly interesting.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great, short, still relevant essay and highlights an interesting idea.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348359,
          "author": "carsongross",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:45:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348359",
          "commentText": "\"Orthodoxy\" - GK Chesterton\n\"The Abolition of Man\" - CS Lewis\n\"The Master and Margarita\" - Mikhail Bulgakov\n\"The Brothers Karamazov\" - Fyodor Dostoyevsky",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Abolition of Man\" - CS Lewis",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "C. S. Lewis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "education",
        "ethics",
        "moral philosophy",
        "christian philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-prolog-advanced-programming-techniques-39d38a",
      "title": "The Art of Prolog: Advanced Programming Techniques",
      "author": "Leon Sterling and Ehud Shapiro",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29310962,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T20:01:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29310962",
          "commentText": "I own it and have tried to read it but man I have a really hard time getting past the first chapter. I think it would be better for me to study Prolog first for a while before trying to continue reading this. I've always heard good things about it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I own it and have tried to read it but man I have a really hard time getting past the first chapter.",
          "reason": "Reports difficulty progressing beyond the first chapter and suggests studying Prolog first.",
          "audience": "Readers new to Prolog may benefit from studying it before tackling the book.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has struggled to get past chapter one.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29310942,
          "author": "mycl",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T20:00:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29310942",
          "commentText": "The Art of Prolog is now open access: https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/art-prolog-second-edition\nYou could think of it as \"SICP for Prolog\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Prolog is now open access: https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/art-prolog-second-edition",
          "reason": "Presents the book as a suggestion and notes that it is open access.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 870329,
          "author": "steve19",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-09T00:35:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 868994,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books to learn Prolog?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=870329",
          "commentText": "I have got a copy of \"The Art of Prolog\" sitting on my desk :) It is pretty good, but I agree with you, it is dated.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The Art of Prolog\" sitting on my desk :) It is pretty good, but I agree with you, it is dated.",
          "reason": "Calls it pretty good, while agreeing that it is dated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is dated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 869047,
          "author": "plinkplonk",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-08T14:36:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 868994,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books to learn Prolog?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=869047",
          "commentText": "\"one of the best texts around is \"the art of prolog, advanced programming techniques\" 2nd edition, by leon sterling and ehud shapiro.\"\nSeconded. This is a really good book, though a bit hard to find, the last time I checked.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Seconded. This is a really good book, though a bit hard to find",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the recommendation and calls it a really good book.",
          "audience": "People studying Prolog.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it was a bit hard to find.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 869042,
          "author": "sb",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-08T14:34:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 868994,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books to learn Prolog?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=869042",
          "commentText": "one of the best texts around is \"the art of prolog, advanced programming techniques\" 2nd edition, by leon sterling and ehud shapiro.\nhowever, by now, it seems a bit dated (e.g. on the constraint logic programming side), so there is another recommendable text \"programming prolog for artifical intelligence\" by ivan bratko\nso if you can afford, i would recommend both texts for self-study.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "one of the best texts around is \"the art of prolog, advanced programming techniques\" 2nd edition",
          "reason": "Recommended as one of the best texts for Prolog.",
          "audience": "People studying Prolog, including for self-study.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it seems dated in some areas, such as constraint logic programming.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leon Sterling",
        "Ehud Shapiro"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "logic programming",
        "prolog",
        "programming languages"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-perfectionists-how-precision-engineers-created-the-modern-wor-1a945c",
      "title": "The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World",
      "author": "Simon Winchester",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39057573,
          "author": "gooseyard",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T16:48:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39057573",
          "commentText": "Simon Winchester's \"The Perfectionists\" is worth reading",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Simon Winchester's \"The Perfectionists\" is worth reading",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36666587,
          "author": "HamptonFounders",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-10T14:01:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36666587",
          "commentText": "Not sure if this is helpful, but a friend fed this conversation through ChatGPT and had it summarize for easier reading:\n-The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy -Bigger by Marc Levinson\n-The Machine That Changed the World: The Story of Lean Production-- Toyota's Secret Weapon in the Global Car Wars That Is Now Revolutionizing World Industry by James P. Womack, Daniel T. Jones, and Daniel Roos\n-Empires of the Sky: Zeppelins, Airplanes, and Two Men's Epic Duel to Rule the World by Erik Larson\n-Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America by Richard -White\n-The Arms of Krupp: The Rise and Fall of the Industrial Dynasty that Armed Germany at War by William Manchester\n-Edison by Edmund Morris\n-Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow\n-The People's Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century by Steven Watts\n-Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler\n-The Victorian Internet by Tom Standage\n-The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood by James Gleick\n-Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age by Michael S. Malone\n-The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester\n-The Innovators by Walter Isaacson\n-Medieval Technology and Social Change by Lynn White Jr.\n-The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation by Jon Gertner\n-Electricity in the 17th and 18th Centuries: A Study of Early Modern Physics by Eric H. Chaney\n-Early Electrical Communication by A. F. Marland\n-Bibliographical History of Electricity and Magnetism by Silvanus P. Thompson\n-Electric Science: Its History, Phenomena, and Applications by J. J. Fahie\n-The History and Present State of Electricity by Andrew Ure\n-https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/\n-De Re Metallica by Georgius Agricola",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books offered in response to the history of technology question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36610944,
          "author": "mikewarot",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-06T03:49:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36610944",
          "commentText": "I found Herbert Hoover's translation of De Re Metallica[1] to be fascinating. A compendium of the technology of the day for processing most metals.\nI also found Longitude[2]: \"The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time\" to be an interesting account of the solving of the problem of nautical timekeeping.\nI second the nomination of Simon Winchester's book \"The Perfectionists\"\n[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_re_metallica\n[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longitude_%28book%29",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second the nomination of Simon Winchester's book \"The Perfectionists\"",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the book's nomination.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36607783,
          "author": "rookderby",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T22:01:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36607783",
          "commentText": "I came here to second this book by Simon Winchester, \"The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World\". Winchester has written may attention-worthy books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I came here to second this book by Simon Winchester, \"The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World\".",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the book recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36601461,
          "author": "cptaj",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:07:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601461",
          "commentText": "I liked this one about how the increasing precision in manufacture enabled the adoption of new technologies\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Perfectionists-Precision-Engineers-Cr... (https://www.amazon.com/Perfectionists-Precision-Engineers-Created-Modern/dp/0062652559)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I liked this one about how the increasing precision in manufacture enabled the adoption of new technologies",
          "reason": "Liked it for its account of how precision manufacturing enabled new technologies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Simon Winchester"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "precision engineering",
        "history of engineering",
        "manufacturing",
        "engineering history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-is-mathematics-d8a3a7",
      "title": "What Is Mathematics?",
      "author": "Richard Courant and Herbert Robbins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23729114,
          "author": "bade",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-04T01:08:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23729114",
          "commentText": "What is Mathematics? by Courant and Robbins",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "What is Mathematics? by Courant and Robbins",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23727688,
          "author": "wolfi1",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T21:10:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23727688",
          "commentText": "\"What is Mathematics\" by Courant, a classic",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"What is Mathematics\" by Courant, a classic",
          "reason": "Lists it as a classic in response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23727402,
          "author": "super_mario",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T20:43:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23727402",
          "commentText": "I would recommend highly \"What is Mathematics\" by Richard Courant and Herbert Robbins. This is very accessible book for high schoolers who are keen and interested in mathematics, and will expose the reader to a broad array of topics and pique the interest and awaken the imagination and instill the beauty of mathematics. This in turn can drive the reader to find out more and fall in love with the subject.\nI would second this by \"Concrete Mathematics\" by Graham, Knuth and Patashnik. This is actual university course book with very formal proofs and theory, but the subject matter is still largely accessible to serious high school students and demonstrates beautiful reasoning examples throughout. It is also very practical book, after covering techniques in this book, one can often times calculate exact sums of infinite series quicker than estimating their bounds. If your high school student decides to study math at university level, the techniques and skills taught in this book will prove invaluable in broad areas of study.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend highly \"What is Mathematics\" by Richard Courant and Herbert Robbins.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as an accessible survey that introduces many mathematical topics.",
          "audience": "Keen high school students interested in mathematics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23726397,
          "author": "zakk",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T18:44:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23726397",
          "commentText": "I suggest \"What Is Mathematics?\" by Richard Courant and Herbert Robbins.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_Is_Mathematics%3F",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I suggest \"What Is Mathematics?\" by Richard Courant and Herbert Robbins.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7578698,
          "author": "stiff",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T18:37:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578698",
          "commentText": "The only book on mathematics actually reassembling SICP I found is \"What is mathematics?\" by Richard Courant. I have read it after reading SICP, largely because I very much liked some of the more mathematical fragments in SICP, and surprisingly it felt like an actual follow up - it spends significant amount of time highlighting high level trends in mathematics, like use of abstraction and generalization, using very concrete examples. Sounds familiar?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The only book on mathematics actually reassembling SICP I found is \"What is mathematics?\" by Richard Courant.",
          "reason": "Identifies it as the closest mathematical counterpart to SICP.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Courant",
        "Herbert Robbins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical reasoning",
        "mathematical survey",
        "mathematical exposition",
        "mathematics overview"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-windows-86953c",
      "title": "Programming Windows",
      "author": "Charles Petzold",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40511901,
          "author": "runjake",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-29T13:41:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 40497383,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Can anyone recommend a Windows Systems programming book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40511901",
          "commentText": "Programming Windows and Inside Windows are the books you want.\nProgramming Windows covers systems programming in C and in later editions, in C#.\nInside Windows goes over the Window OS architecture in-depth. There’s not much programming in the book but you will come away with a deep understanding of the OS.\nBoth books are published by Microsoft Press. You’ll of course want the latest editions but if you come across earlier editions, those are fine too.\nI’m partial to the earlier Petzold editions of Programming Windows.\nThe technical docs at microsoft.com are also super helpful and up-to-date: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/docs/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming Windows and Inside Windows are the books you want.",
          "reason": "Recommended for Windows systems programming; covers programming in C and later editions in C#.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter prefers earlier Petzold editions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40511549,
          "author": "adamsilkey",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-29T13:03:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 40497383,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Can anyone recommend a Windows Systems programming book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40511549",
          "commentText": "This is the best answer.\nWindows Internals is a great book/reference for understanding how Windows work, but it won't teach you how to actually program Windows.\nThe Fifth Edition of Petzold's book will actually take you through the Win32 API, which is still usable even on modern Windows platforms.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Fifth Edition of Petzold's book will actually take you through the Win32 API",
          "reason": "Recommended for learning the Win32 API.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The claim is specifically about the fifth edition; the API is still usable on modern Windows.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40511527,
          "author": "_mlbt",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-29T13:01:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 40497383,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Can anyone recommend a Windows Systems programming book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40511527",
          "commentText": "Just a warning, that the very latest edition of this book is a complete rewrite for WinRT and Windows 8.  It’s still a great book, but you’ll probably want the previous edition to learn how to code traditional Win32 programs.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the very latest edition of this book is a complete rewrite for WinRT and Windows 8",
          "reason": "Clarifies which edition fits traditional Win32 programming.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The latest edition covers WinRT and Windows 8; an earlier edition is preferred for traditional Win32.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40511150,
          "author": "rlawson",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-29T12:20:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 40497383,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Can anyone recommend a Windows Systems programming book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40511150",
          "commentText": "Programming Windows - Petzold",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming Windows - Petzold",
          "reason": "Suggested as a Windows programming book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40510465,
          "author": "deaddodo",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-29T10:40:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 40497383,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Can anyone recommend a Windows Systems programming book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40510465",
          "commentText": "The reason you're not getting a good answer is because the ultimate answer is to just use Microsoft's Documentation:\nhttps://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/\nhttps://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/get-started/s... (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/apps/get-started/start-here)\nhttps://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/win32/api/\nIt covers near everything, is extremely exhaustive, and constantly updated. That being said, if you're more interested in how the Windows API is organized/works internally (why you have to give it handles/resources and what those mean, for instance), then Charles Petzold's series is generally considered the definitive resource:\nhttps://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JDMP71S/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Charles Petzold's series is generally considered the definitive resource",
          "reason": "Recommends the series for understanding how the Windows API is organized and works internally.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in how the Windows API is organized and works internally.",
          "caveat": "The comment points to a specific Amazon listing but does not state an edition or title.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Petzold"
      ],
      "recommenders": 5,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "windows programming",
        "win32 api",
        "windows api"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-chronicles-of-amber-8cd379",
      "title": "The Chronicles of Amber",
      "author": "Roger Zelazny",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40046469,
          "author": "jpiratefish",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-15T22:34:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40046469",
          "commentText": "* The Chronicles of Amber (10 volumes)\n* CODE - Microsoft Press\n* Snowcrash",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Chronicles of Amber (10 volumes)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23470741,
          "author": "stratosgear",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T20:49:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23470741",
          "commentText": "Roger Zelazny's, the Amber series.  I only like Corwin story arc. Must have read them 5 or 6 times...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Roger Zelazny's, the Amber series.",
          "reason": "The commenter reread the series five or six times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They only like Corwin's story arc.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22720383,
          "author": "stevekemp",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T16:44:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22720383",
          "commentText": "Agreed.  No specific book has every \"changed my life\", or specifically been the source of positive impacts.\nBut reading stories is fun, and something I do constantly.  Currently I'm re-reading Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive.  Every year or two I re-read Dune, Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Amber, and Steven Brust's Taltos series.  Always a pleasure.\nMy recommendations would probably echo those already posted, with the addition of small random stories that I remember fondly because they were just fun, interesting, or surprising  (e.g. H. G. Wells: The Door in the Wall, or the original Mary Poppins books recently completed after finishing the Dresden Files for the first time.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Every year or two I re-read Dune, Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Amber, and Steven Brust's Taltos series.",
          "reason": "Says they reread the series every year or two.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337357,
          "author": "stratosgear",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:26:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337357",
          "commentText": "\"Nine princes in Amber\", by Roger Zelazny. Read the whole series multiple teams and the Corwin Cycle some more...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read the whole series multiple teams",
          "reason": "Says they have read the whole series many times as a comfort read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8629448,
          "author": "rajacombinator",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-19T11:40:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8629448",
          "commentText": "\"The Golden Age\" by John C. Wright - just awesome, and I agree with the values of the main character\n\"Chronicles of Amber\" by Roger Zelazny - for imagination and badassery\nFavorite short story is \"Understand\" by Ted Chiang - mind-expanding ;)\nAlso in general the lesser known Heinlein books are amazing. Not a fan of Stranger in a Strange Land. Named my current company after a reference to The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "for imagination and badassery",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the series for its imagination and badassery.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8618620,
          "author": "mithras",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-17T15:37:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8618620",
          "commentText": "I have the Chronicles of amber on my reading list. Glad to be able to recommend Lord of Light, you won't regret it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I have the Chronicles of amber on my reading list.",
          "reason": "Mentions it is on their reading list without evaluating it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5833505,
          "author": "stevekemp",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T16:44:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5833505",
          "commentText": "Since you're going with \"classics\" I'd add:\n* Les Liaisons dangereuses\n* The Count of Monte Cristo\nPlus my personal picks; Taltos the assassin, Chronicles of Amber, Dune & LoTR.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Chronicles of Amber",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's personal picks.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roger Zelazny"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "multiverse",
        "epic fantasy",
        "parallel worlds",
        "classic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-grapes-of-wrath-893124",
      "title": "The Grapes of Wrath",
      "author": "John Steinbeck",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41758491,
          "author": "jebarker",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-06T17:03:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41758491",
          "commentText": "For me, it's The Grapes of Wrath. Simultaneously raised my bar for what I consider good writing and made me much more empathetic to the plight of those at the bottom of the socio-economic ladder through no fault of their own. As relevant today as when it was written.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For me, it's The Grapes of Wrath.",
          "reason": "Says it raised their standard for good writing and increased their empathy for people facing poverty.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes its continued relevance today.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41239119,
          "author": "nicbou",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-13T19:56:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41239119",
          "commentText": "Great book! I loved Grapes of Wrath even more, but anything by Steinbeck is a safe bet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved Grapes of Wrath even more",
          "reason": "The commenter says they loved it and recommends Steinbeck's work generally.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41176397,
          "author": "nicbou",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T23:01:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41176397",
          "commentText": "The Count of Monte Cristo. I rarely get this absorbed by a book. It was a very satisfying read.\nGrapes of Wrath stayed with me for a very long time. The Jungle too.\nThis is how you lose the time war. It was just damn unique and pleasant. Everyone who reads it loves it.\nCryptonomicon, another very entertaining read that every geek loves.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Grapes of Wrath stayed with me for a very long time.",
          "reason": "Says the book stayed with them for a long time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38238752,
          "author": "Bermion",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T09:34:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238752",
          "commentText": "The grapes of wrath, John Steinbeck. Still feels surprisingly relevant with regards to workers organizing and how we view migrants today.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The grapes of wrath, John Steinbeck. Still feels surprisingly relevant with regards to workers organizing and how we view migrants today.",
          "reason": "Says the novel remains relevant to workers organizing and views of migrants.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34161348,
          "author": "nicbou",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T14:37:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161348",
          "commentText": "This is one of the rare books I consider required reading for everyone",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is one of the rare books I consider required reading for everyone",
          "reason": "The commenter considers it required reading for everyone.",
          "audience": "Everyone",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10534280,
          "author": "stevesearer",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T17:17:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10534280",
          "commentText": "East of Eden and Grapes of Wrath are on my upcoming list of titles to read. A few others I've read since high school that I ought to have then are Red Badge of Courage, All Quiet On The Western Front, and Of Mice and Men.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "East of Eden and Grapes of Wrath are on my upcoming list of titles to read.",
          "reason": "Plans to read it; gives no evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8718219,
          "author": "therealdrag0",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T18:48:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8718219",
          "commentText": "This is what I thought about posting. I've read a lot of books this year (45 books totaling 22,000 pages), the most important being: History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Silent Spring, The Feminine Mystique, The Grapes of Wrath, The Price of Inequality, The Happiness Hypothesis.\nBut, out of all that (which I had to go look up on my Goodreads), HPMOR is what came to mind, both an engaging story, thought provoking ideas, and a lot of pages to work with :).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Grapes of Wrath",
          "reason": "Listed among books read this year; no individual evaluation is given.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4966962,
          "author": "jlangenauer",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T20:09:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4966962",
          "commentText": "Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofsteder. Barely needs any introduction here, but the depth of thought is just staggering.\nLights Out in Wonderland by D.B.C. Pierre. A wonderful story with a few incidental observations about modern society.\nThe Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. Sure, you can read about people who've made everything, but what about people who lose everything. Absolutely everything. Shattering, tragic fiction.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Absolutely everything. Shattering, tragic fiction.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as shattering, tragic fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1873196,
          "author": "mohsen",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-05T14:06:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1873196",
          "commentText": "The Grapes of Wrath by Steinbeck.  Long past due.\nEdit: I'm also reading this book called \"Hold Nothing Back\" by Mike Jones, it was gift from a good friend of mine.\nbtw kudos on an awesome question",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Grapes of Wrath by Steinbeck.  Long past due.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 400633,
          "author": "garnerwoods",
          "createdAt": "2008-12-17T06:24:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=400633",
          "commentText": "Usually I will find out what book famous people has read, what are their favorite books, hope that any book which bring influence on them, will bring good influence on me too.. also, as famous n successful people combined with their experience, I'm sure they have better taste on their choice too.\nStephen King's Favorite:\nThis Book Will Save Your Life by A. M. Homes\nSaturday by Ian McEwan\nThe Mad Cook of Pymatuning: A Novel by Christopher Lehmann-Haupt\nThe Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson\nThe Tenderness of Wolves: A Novel by Stef Penney\nWhen Will There Be Good News?: A Novel by Kate Atkinson\nJ.K. Rowling's Favorite:\nThe Five Red Herrings by Dorothy L. Sayers\nI Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith\nSkellig by David Almond\nThe Woman Who Walked into Doors by Roddy Doyle\nJeffrey Eugenides, author, Pulitzer prize winner\n\"Herzog,\" by Saul Bellow\n\"Love in a Fallen City,\" by Eileen Chang\n\"The Lay of the Land,\" by Richard Ford\nOprah Winfrey's Favorite:\nWhite Oleander by Janet Fitch\nThe Color Purple by Alice Walker\nA Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith\nThe Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz\nTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee\nThe Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison\nThe Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck\nFor complete list visit http://www.famouspal.com",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck",
          "reason": "Listed as one of Oprah Winfrey's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment reports it as someone else's favorite; it does not state the author's own endorsement.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Steinbeck"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "great depression",
        "american literature",
        "labor",
        "migration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-new-kind-of-science-a0f583",
      "title": "A New Kind of Science",
      "author": "Stephen Wolfram",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35726409,
          "author": "warrenm",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-27T11:24:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 35710671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell still a recommended read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35726409",
          "commentText": "In my opinion, it's as much a \"recommended read\" as a lot of other so-called \"classics\":\n- Rapid Application Development (also by McConnell)\n- Soul of a New Machine by Kidder\n- Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks\n- Programming Pearls by John Bentley\n- Applied Cryptography (2e) by Bruce Schneier\n- The Cuckoo's Egg by Cliff Stohl\n- Structured Computer Organization by Tanenbaum & Todd\n- Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software by Gamma, Helm, etc\n- A New Kind of Science by Wolfram\nAnd many more could be added to this list\nSure, some of them use acronyms or reference technology that you've either never heard of or has been supplanted\nBut you could [nearly] do a find-and-replace on those \"outdated\" terms with a \"current\" term, and the books would [effectively] be up-to-date\nDon't get hung-up on specific examples - they're just there to illustrate the problem domain",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A New Kind of Science by Wolfram",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed among classics that may use outdated acronyms or technology references.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23155776,
          "author": "kentf",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T16:20:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23155776",
          "commentText": "Wolfram, A new Kind of Science.\nCould re-define fundamental physics and computing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wolfram, A new Kind of Science.",
          "reason": "Suggests it could redefine fundamental physics and computing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19089514,
          "author": "catwell",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T20:34:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19089514",
          "commentText": "- NKS (Wolfram), among other things for the idea that sometimes reasoning backwards from what you observe cannot work.\n- I read Brave New World (Huxley) when I was young, and it didn't have such a strong impression on me at the time, but it has strongly influenced some of  my political takes over my whole life.\n- The four steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank) showed me that there can be method to the apparent madness that is entrepreneurship.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "NKS (Wolfram), among other things for the idea that sometimes reasoning backwards from what you observe cannot work.",
          "reason": "Lists it as influencing the commenter's thinking about limits of reasoning from observations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10343936,
          "author": "sitkack",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-07T02:48:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10343936",
          "commentText": "I'd skip a new kind of science, or at least buy and use it as a doorstop. http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/1579550088",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I'd skip a new kind of science, or at least buy and use it as a doorstop.",
          "reason": "The commenter advises skipping the book and jokes about using it as a doorstop.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The criticism is expressed briefly, without explaining why.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10325237,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T20:31:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325237",
          "commentText": "I'm sure there are many, but a few that jump to mind, in no particular order, and spanning both fiction and non-fiction:\nThe Selfish Gene - Dawkins\nA New Kind of Science - Wolfram\nThe Singularity is Near - Kurzweil\nGödel, Escher, Bach - Hofstadter\nFluid Concepts and Creative Analogies - Hofstadter\nAtlas Shrugged - Rand\nThe Fountainhead - Rand\nNineteen Eighty-Four - Orwell\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nAmbient Findability - Peter Morville\nEmergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software - Steven Johnson\nSix Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age - Duncan Watts\nLinked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means for Business, Science, and Everyday Life - Albert-laszlo Barabasi\nArtificial Life - Steven Levy\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nThe World is Flat - Thomas Friedman\nnot a book, but the various writings of Douglas Engelbart - http://www.dougengelbart.org/library/library.html\nGlasshouse - Charles Stross\nPermutation City - Greg Egan\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nThe Shockwave Rider - John Brunner\nThe Society of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nThe Origin of Wealth: The Radical Remaking of Economics and What it Means for Business and Society - Eric Beinhocker\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nFooled By Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A New Kind of Science - Wolfram",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5859187,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-11T02:22:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 5859004,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5859187",
          "commentText": ">> 1. What books are you currently reading?\nWell, I'm one of those people who has a bookmark in about 15 different books that I'm \"currently reading\" but some are higher priorities than others, and some will never be finished (probably) and others I'll have to start over since I've forgotten what was happening when I sat it aside, etc.  But offhand, I can think of:\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore - re-reading this one\nThe Prime Solution - Jeff Thull - 3rd Jeff Thull book on selling that I've read lately, and I'll probably reread the entire series when I finish this one\nThe New Solution Selling  - re-reading this - can you tell I'm starting to try and move into sales?\nSelling to VITO - more sales stuff.\nHow to Create A Mind - Ray Kurzweil\nGodel, Escher, Bach - Douglas Hofstadter - set this aside over a year ago; about halfway through, will probably finish it, but FSM only knows when\nA New Kind of Science - Stephen Wolfram (see above about GEB)\nMadame Bovary - Meh. May finish one day, may not.  Would have to start it over at this point.\nREAMDE - Neal Stephenson - set this aside a while back, but intend to finish it eventually.  Will probably restart from the beginning.\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Stephen Gary Blank - I'm kinda in a perpetual state of reading and re-reading sections of this book.\nThe Dispossessed - Ursula K. LeGuin - sat this aside quite some time ago, will have to start over at some point.\nThe Man In The Moss - Phil Rickman - another one that I sat aside for a while, and may or may not ever bother finishing.  Weird, because I usually really enjoy Rickman's work and just tear through his books, but I got stalled out on this one for some reason.\n>> 2. Which book has helped you the most?\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Stephen Gary Blank.\nAlso, The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki and Crossing the Chasm by Moore.\nOf all these sales books I've read lately, I'm really starting to buy into this \"Diagnostic Selling\" stuff by Jeff Thull, so I'd endorse Mastering The Complex Sale, Exceptional Selling and The Prime Solution by Thull. Also, The New Solution Selling.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A New Kind of Science - Stephen Wolfram",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Also set aside; the comment does not say whether they plan to finish it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 80953,
          "author": "mrevelle",
          "createdAt": "2007-11-17T16:48:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 80845,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC:  What is the most embarrassing technical book that you have ever owned?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=80953",
          "commentText": "Not from the 80s, but Wolfram's \"A New Kind of Science\".",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Wolfram's \"A New Kind of Science\".",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is not from the 1980s.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Wolfram"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cellular automata",
        "computational science",
        "complex systems",
        "physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "c-in-depth-aacebf",
      "title": "C# in Depth",
      "author": "Jon Skeet",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17033368,
          "author": "ozim",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T19:54:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17033368",
          "commentText": "You start career. If you already have been programming like in high school or something and finished CS university don't focus much on technical books. Learn how to work with people not computers and listen. I assume you know objects, ifs, for loops. It is enough for technical start. I don't expect more from junior. \"The pragmatic programmer\" is quite good start on it.\nIf you lack technical background and have problems with structure because you have not worked through university/school in structured way then \"Code complete\", \"Clean code\".\nPick also something in depth for your specific area you are going to start, for C# good would be \"C# in depth\" to get really details of tech you will be working on. Get details in one programming language really well then you can pick up some other tech.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "for C# good would be \"C# in depth\" to get really details of tech you will be working on.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for learning the details of the C# technology the reader will use.",
          "audience": "Developers starting work with C#",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12143808,
          "author": "EnderMB",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T14:43:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12143808",
          "commentText": "1) Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell: I bought this book after it was referenced in one of Alex Ferguson's books. It's a fascinating tale of how people became to be successful by being the right person in the right environment at the right time, from how Bill Gates dominated the world of software, to how The Beatles became one of the best bands in the world. It's a great reminder that a mixture of hard work, the right environment, and dumb luck will help you do well.\n2) C# in Depth by Jon Skeet: Buying and reading this book is what led me to continue down the deep rabbit hole of .NET development, and following the C# language from version 1 onwards via the book is a great way to appreciate the language, as well as use it. As someone that writes C# daily this is the main book I recommend to existing devs.\n3) Introduction to Algorithms by CLRS: This is a bit of a cheat, because I've only glanced at various pages of this book. I have a degree in Computer Science, but my maths knowledge is lacking (to put it kindly), so despite my degree I have only a practical understanding of a lot of the algorithms talked about in the book. It's been my goal for years to build up my knowledge of maths to the point where I can read this book cover-to-cover and actually understand what's going on. I'm still not there, but hopefully one day I'll make it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this is the main book I recommend to existing devs.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly recommends it to developers and praises its account of C#'s development.",
          "audience": "Developers who write C#.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10182161,
          "author": "EnderMB",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-07T17:10:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10182161",
          "commentText": "For C#, the book I always find myself going back to is C# In Depth by Jon Skeet. It's one of the most accessible books I've read, and it's one I always recommend to other devs that are interested in the language.\nhttp://csharpindepth.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's one of the most accessible books I've read, and it's one I always recommend to other devs that are interested in the language.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it accessible and says they always recommend it to developers interested in C#.",
          "audience": "Developers interested in C#.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9759123,
          "author": "pels",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T15:46:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9759123",
          "commentText": "C# in Depth by Jon Skeet is amazing and is great to brush up your C# skills! \nA word of warning though: it's excellent for developers with experience in .NET, but does not serve as an introduction to the language/framework. The knowledge is not easily applicable to other languages either. That aside - it is still the best programming book I've read thus far.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "C# in Depth by Jon Skeet is amazing and is great to brush up your C# skills!",
          "reason": "Calls it an excellent way to refresh C# skills.",
          "audience": "Developers with experience in .NET.",
          "caveat": "Not an introduction to the language or framework; its knowledge does not apply easily to other languages.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 766862,
          "author": "kstenson",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-16T22:11:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=766862",
          "commentText": "I can't champion this book enough, if you're doing C# stuff then this book is a must have.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can't champion this book enough, if you're doing C# stuff then this book is a must have.",
          "reason": "Strongly endorses the book as essential for people doing C# work.",
          "audience": "People working with C#.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jon Skeet"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c",
        "programming languages",
        "c programming",
        "net"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "death-march-9f0fc9",
      "title": "Death March",
      "author": "Edward Yourdon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41387848,
          "author": "jdougan",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T06:11:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387848",
          "commentText": "Death March by Ed Yourdon.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Death March by Ed Yourdon.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33858141,
          "author": "jdougan",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T21:33:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33858141",
          "commentText": "\"Death March\", by Ed Yourdon. Most of the reccommended books In this thread are about trying to keep a project in a good place. This book is about what to do when it has already gone wrong. You can make a not terrible argument that much of the industry has gone to an all-death-march-all-the-time model. This book can help.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Death March\", by Ed Yourdon.",
          "reason": "Suggested for guidance on what to do when a software project has already gone wrong.",
          "audience": "Software practitioners dealing with a troubled project.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says much of the industry may now operate in an all-death-march model.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26834105,
          "author": "mac3n",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-16T14:12:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 26833319,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book for software engineers (besides the well-known ones)?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26834105",
          "commentText": "\"Death March\", Yourdon. \nDoomed software projects - how to recognize and deal with them, and sometimes use them to your advantage.\n\"Software Craftsmanship\", McBreen. \nTake pride in your work.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Death March\", Yourdon.",
          "reason": "About recognizing and dealing with doomed software projects, sometimes using them to your advantage.",
          "audience": "Software engineers and project leaders",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17031978,
          "author": "cbanek",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T17:45:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17031978",
          "commentText": "1. Mythical Man Month - obvious reasons\n2. Deathmarch: The Complete Software Developer's Guide to Surviving 'Mission Impossible' Projects- also a classic.\n3. Thinking fast and slow - a great introduction to biases that will affect your thinking in any project.\n4. The Art of War - strategy and tactics for attacking any problem.  My personal favorite translation is by Thomas Cleary.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Deathmarch: The Complete Software Developer's Guide to Surviving 'Mission Impossible' Projects- also a classic.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a classic and lists it as career reading.",
          "audience": "People starting careers in software engineering or computer science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5675,
          "author": "aristus",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T13:33:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5675",
          "commentText": "I've had to make up for a college education so these may be old hat.\nAlan Kay's UI lectures: http://webcast.berkeley.edu/course_details.php?seriesid=1906978270\nEd Tufte, especially Envisioning Information\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (SICP)\nhttp://www.swiss.ai.mit.edu/classes/6.001/abelson-sussman-lectures/\nEd Yourdon: Death March... this is a great guide to dealing with enterprizey development. This shows you what to avoid in your own org.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ed Yourdon: Death March... this is a great guide to dealing with enterprizey development.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great guide for dealing with enterprise development.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward Yourdon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software project management",
        "project recovery",
        "enterprise software",
        "project failure"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "glasshouse-5c6a82",
      "title": "Glasshouse",
      "author": "Charles Stross",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15630006,
          "author": "senectus1",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:12:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630006",
          "commentText": "accelerando - Charles Stross\nIt blew my mind from beginning to end. Loved every shred of concept and potential.\nGlasshouse is close 2nd\nDemon Haunted World is a solid 3rd",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Glasshouse is close 2nd",
          "reason": "Listed as the commenter's close second favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10325272,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T20:42:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325272",
          "commentText": "I think we've swapped notes on a similar thread before, so we may have already talked about this, but let me say that if you liked Permutation City by Egan, you may also like Glasshouse by Charles Stross.\nI also \"second the motion\" in regards to both The Selfish Gene and *Gödel, Escher, Bach\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "if you liked Permutation City by Egan, you may also like Glasshouse by Charles Stross.",
          "reason": "Suggests it to readers who liked Permutation City.",
          "audience": "Readers who liked Permutation City.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10325237,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T20:31:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325237",
          "commentText": "I'm sure there are many, but a few that jump to mind, in no particular order, and spanning both fiction and non-fiction:\nThe Selfish Gene - Dawkins\nA New Kind of Science - Wolfram\nThe Singularity is Near - Kurzweil\nGödel, Escher, Bach - Hofstadter\nFluid Concepts and Creative Analogies - Hofstadter\nAtlas Shrugged - Rand\nThe Fountainhead - Rand\nNineteen Eighty-Four - Orwell\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nAmbient Findability - Peter Morville\nEmergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software - Steven Johnson\nSix Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age - Duncan Watts\nLinked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means for Business, Science, and Everyday Life - Albert-laszlo Barabasi\nArtificial Life - Steven Levy\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nThe World is Flat - Thomas Friedman\nnot a book, but the various writings of Douglas Engelbart - http://www.dougengelbart.org/library/library.html\nGlasshouse - Charles Stross\nPermutation City - Greg Egan\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nThe Shockwave Rider - John Brunner\nThe Society of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nThe Origin of Wealth: The Radical Remaking of Economics and What it Means for Business and Society - Eric Beinhocker\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nFooled By Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Glasshouse - Charles Stross",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10207278,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T04:56:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10207278",
          "commentText": "Neuromancer - William Gibson\nREAMDE- Neal Stephenson\nPattern Recognition / Zero History / Spook Country - William Gibson\nThe Peripheral - William Gibson\nNot exactly the same thing, but I'll also throw in Glasshouse by Charles Stross.  And since we're talking Charles Stross, also add Halting State to the list.\nOh, and VALIS by Philip K. Dick.  Definitely worth a read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'll also throw in Glasshouse by Charles Stross.",
          "reason": "The commenter distinguishes it from the other titles with “Not exactly the same thing.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not exactly the same thing as the requested books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056610,
          "author": "mattkevan",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:38:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056610",
          "commentText": "Anything by Alastair Reynolds - his Revelation Space series is great, and House of Suns is a fantastic one-off. He's probably the  closest to Ian Banks in creating galaxy-spanning civilisations across eons of time.\nIan MacDonald is another good one. My favourite of his is The Dervish House, but his others are definitely worth reading.\nCharles Stross is good. Didn't get on with Accelerando, but his Laundry books are a fun mix of HP Lovecraft/Len Deighton/IT Crowd. Halting State and Rule 34 are good explorations of pervasive augmented reality and intelligent algorithms. Also Glasshouse as an exploration of post-singularity society. Never managed to finish a Cory Doctorow book though.\nI found William Gibson's Bigend trilogy a slog, but I really enjoyed The Peripheral - it's a fun read.\nEnders Game and Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card are fantastic, but the remaining books suffer from diminishing returns (with the possible exception of Ender's Shadow). There are a lot of books in the series, but basically, the series finishes wherever you get bored reading it.\nAnything by China Mieville is well worth your time.\nOh, I also really enjoyed Elizabeth Bear's Jacobs Ladder trilogy, set on a generation ship where the inhabitants have forgotten who they are and where they're going.\nFor some older stuff:\nThe Stars my Destination by Alfred Bester – I was surprised at how good it is and how well it stands up. I couldn't believe it was written nearly 50 years ago.\nThe Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein - possibly my favourite of his. I want to start a lunar revolution with a sentient mainframe...\nI'm currently working my way through all the Hugo Award winners, from 1953 up, and there's some real gems there.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also Glasshouse as an exploration of post-singularity society.",
          "reason": "Presents it as an exploration of post-singularity society.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395705,
          "author": "dbalatero",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T13:41:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395705",
          "commentText": "+1 for \"Hyperion\" + \"Fall of Hyperion\" – both are amazing books that I just finished.\nAlso, \"Glasshouse\" by Charles Stross was pretty rad too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Glasshouse\" by Charles Stross was pretty rad too.",
          "reason": "Calls it pretty rad.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Stross"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "identity",
        "posthumanism",
        "post singularity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-prove-it-0d29f6",
      "title": "How to Prove It",
      "author": "Daniel J. Velleman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23726519,
          "author": "jgwil2",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T19:01:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23726519",
          "commentText": "How to Prove It by Velleman [0]. Should help with the increasing emphasis on proofs.\n[0] http://users.metu.edu.tr/serge/courses/111-2011/textbook-mat... (http://users.metu.edu.tr/serge/courses/111-2011/textbook-math111.pdf)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Prove It by Velleman",
          "reason": "Suggested to help with the increasing emphasis on proofs.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16352336,
          "author": "bor0",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T12:04:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16352336",
          "commentText": "Design patterns get obsolete.\nProgramming languages get obsolete.\nLibraries get obsolete.\nMathematics doesn't. Learn CS foundations, logic, proofs to get better at understanding and gain abstraction experience.\nEdit: books: How to prove it by D.Velleman, Proofs and concepts, Discrete Math by S.Epp",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to prove it by D.Velleman",
          "reason": "Listed as a book colleagues should read to build foundations in logic and proofs.",
          "audience": "Colleagues learning computer science foundations",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14478554,
          "author": "bor0",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T21:19:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478554",
          "commentText": "\"How to Prove It\" by D. Velleman. Introduces logical reasoning, set theory, functions, relations, and proofs. It is the base for understanding any mathematical subject.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How to Prove It\" by D. Velleman. Introduces logical reasoning, set theory, functions, relations, and proofs. It is the base for understanding any mathematical subject.",
          "reason": "Introduces logic, sets, functions, relations, and proofs as a foundation for mathematics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 755941,
          "author": "bddbbdb",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T18:29:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755941",
          "commentText": "Concrete Mathematics is (as it says itself) intended for first year grad students. It is certainly good, but it is NOT for a \"complete noobie\". I am in a similar situation, and am finding Vellman's \"How to Prove It\" extremely useful. Having poked around the edges of math for about a year, I finally realized that proofs are central to mathematical maturity... No more eyes crossing when I read a new CS textbook!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I am in a similar situation, and am finding Vellman's \"How to Prove It\" extremely useful.",
          "reason": "Reports finding it extremely useful for developing mathematical maturity and reading CS textbooks.",
          "audience": "Learners building proof skills, including those reading computer science textbooks.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 665095,
          "author": "rw",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T13:46:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665095",
          "commentText": "I second \"How To Prove It\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second \"How To Prove It\".",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel J. Velleman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical proofs",
        "logic",
        "set theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "predictable-revenue-3b1907",
      "title": "Predictable Revenue",
      "author": "Aaron Ross and Marylou Tyler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41702572,
          "author": "callmeed",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-30T21:57:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 41693844,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good essays/books/advice about software sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41702572",
          "commentText": "Predictable Revenue is considered canon for B2B/enterprise sales\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Predictable-Revenue-Business-Practice... (https://www.amazon.com/Predictable-Revenue-Business-Practices-Salesforce-com/dp/0984380213)\nBut not sure how applicable to agencies it is so YMMV.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Predictable Revenue is considered canon for B2B/enterprise sales",
          "reason": "Described as a canonical book for B2B and enterprise sales.",
          "audience": "People interested in B2B or enterprise sales.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure how applicable it is to agencies: “YMMV.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21902980,
          "author": "baristaGeek",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T00:46:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902980",
          "commentText": "Best business books:\n-Secrets of Sandhill Road\n-Hackers and Painters\n-The Great CEO within\n-Venture Deals\n-Predictable Revenue\n-Zero to One\n-The Hard Thing About Hard Things\n-Lean customer development\n-Lost and founder\n-Lean B2B\n-From Impossible to Inevitable\n-Traction\nBest computer science books:\n-Competitive programming 3\n-Structure and interpretation of computer programs\nBest for fun (non-fiction):\n-Meditations\n-Sapiens\n-How to win friends and influence people\n-A brief history of time\n-Self-reliance\n-Frente a la estrella polar",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-Predictable Revenue",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s best business books in response to a question about influential books.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in sales systems and growth.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10766433,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T08:01:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10766433",
          "commentText": "Not sure about \"significantly affected how I think\", but here are a couple of the standouts from 2015 that come to mind:\nThe First World War: A Complete History\nPredictable Revenue\nSuperforecasting\nThe Master Algorithm\nNatural Born Heroes",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Predictable Revenue",
          "reason": "Listed as a standout read in response to a question about books that affected the reader's thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether it significantly affected their thinking.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10235261,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T18:40:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10235261",
          "commentText": "+1 on Predictable Revenue.  My only concern is that so much of the focus there seems to be on his one \"cold emailing 2.0\" technique, which is already starting to become more common, and will probably eventually lose its effectiveness due to over-exposure.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "+1 on Predictable Revenue.",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the book recommendation, while noting concern about its focus on a technique that may lose effectiveness as it becomes common.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Its focus on cold emailing 2.0 may become less effective through overexposure.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10233545,
          "author": "mbesto",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T14:30:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10233545",
          "commentText": "These are great books for starting off with the why and how of sales:\nDaniel Pink - To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others http://www.amazon.com/Sell-Human-Surprising-Moving-Others/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/Sell-Human-Surprising-Moving-Others/dp/1594631905/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8)\nDale Carnegie - How to Win Friends & Influence People http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/06... (http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0671027034/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1442499882&sr=1-1)\nAs you understand the macro details of sales, the more micro things (tactics, strategies, best practices) are probably best served by specific industry or specific aspects of sales. For example:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Behind-Cloud-Salesforce-com-Billion-Do... (http://www.amazon.com/Behind-Cloud-Salesforce-com-Billion-Dollar-Company-/dp/0470521163/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442500049&sr=8-1)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Sales-Acceleration-Formula-Technology-... (http://www.amazon.com/Sales-Acceleration-Formula-Technology-Inbound/dp/1119047072/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1442500089&sr=8-2)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Predictable-Revenue-Business-Practices... (http://www.amazon.com/Predictable-Revenue-Business-Practices-Salesforce-com/dp/0984380213/ref=pd_sim_14_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=08BC3RAFN4RSZDNWQJ9Q&dpID=51mYrIgNB6L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR104%2C160_)\nI also really like Jason Lemkin and his SaaStr blog: http://www.saastr.com/ Loads of SaaS sales practices on there.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "http://www.amazon.com/Predictable-Revenue-Business-Practices...",
          "reason": "Listed as an example of a book for learning specific sales tactics and practices.",
          "audience": "People seeking industry-specific sales advice.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8795694,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T07:00:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795694",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nPredictable Revenue - Aaron Ross, Marylou Tyler\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nThe Ultimate Question 2.0 - Fred Reichheld‎\nThe Singularity is Near - Ray Kurzweil\nMoonshot! - John Sculley\nZero To One - Peter Thiel\nRepublic - Plato\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius\nNineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell\nFahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury\nThe Mysterious Island - Jules Verne\nDiscipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy, Fred Wiersema\nFalse Memory - Dean Koontz\nNOS4A2- Joe Hill\nRevival - Stephen King\nBarbarians At The Gate - John Helyar and Bryan Burrough\nInto Thin Air - John Krakauer\nHow To Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nand any collection of the works of H.P. Lovecraft.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Predictable Revenue - Aaron Ross, Marylou Tyler",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for impactful or liked books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Aaron Ross",
        "Marylou Tyler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "revenue growth",
        "sales",
        "b2b sales",
        "cold email"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "psycho-cybernetics-e5f7be",
      "title": "Psycho-Cybernetics",
      "author": "Maxwell Maltz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29843397,
          "author": "ultrasounder",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-07T19:11:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29843397",
          "commentText": "Why not buy three?\n1. Should be Required reading for any rising senior at High School- Psychocybernetics by Dr. Maxwell Maltz. I got this for my 43 birthday and you will have a huge head start over others.\n2. Flow- Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi masterclass in writing exposition. Essentially how to find happiness in everything in life\n3. The Millionaire Fastlane: Crack the Code to Wealth and Live Rich for a Lifetime- cringy title but packed with practical nuggets on how to earn a living and create wealth outside of the scripted 9-5/30 years of employment. Very in your face but I am trying hard to apply what this book teaches.\nGood luck!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Should be Required reading for any rising senior at High School- Psychocybernetics by Dr. Maxwell Maltz.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it required reading for rising high school seniors.",
          "audience": "Rising high school seniors.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29670272,
          "author": "ultrasounder",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T04:39:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29670272",
          "commentText": "Posted on a previous thread\nFlow mihaly csikszentmihalyi\nPsycho cybernetics by Dr. Maltz. Helped me grapple with my midlife crisis and gave me true purpose- to achieve my goals on my own terms. No something set by the society’s concept of achievement. Highly recommend reading it and not audible listening",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Psycho cybernetics by Dr. Maltz. Helped me grapple with my midlife crisis and gave me true purpose- to achieve my goals on my own terms.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them through a midlife crisis and define purpose on their own terms.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter recommends reading it rather than listening to the audiobook.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19091010,
          "author": "josht",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T23:06:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19091010",
          "commentText": "Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz was one of the most profound books I've ever read. It combines cognitive behavior techniques with cybernetics (developed by Norbert Wiener and John von Neumann) to help manage ones minds and to cultivate a healthier, more beneficial thought garden. Upon further reflection, this book is steeped in stoic principles and practices.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz was one of the most profound books I've ever read.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the most profound books they have read and says it offers techniques for managing the mind.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5704008,
          "author": "joelmaat",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-14T10:44:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5704008",
          "commentText": "The Way of The Superior Man\nThe Art of Learning\nAs a Man Thinketh\nThinking, Fast and Slow\nThink and Grow Rich!\nPsycho-Cybernet​ics\nPeopleware: Productive Projects and Teams\nRich Dad, Poor Dad",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Psycho-Cybernet​ics",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5331306,
          "author": "AlexOrtiz201",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-06T14:34:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 5323956,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: which are some good self-help books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5331306",
          "commentText": "The best one ever -> Psycho-cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The best one ever -> Psycho-cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the best one ever.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Maxwell Maltz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self image",
        "personal development",
        "goal setting",
        "mental training"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "search-inside-yourself-041435",
      "title": "Search Inside Yourself",
      "author": "Chade-Meng Tan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15761921,
          "author": "Scarbutt",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T00:36:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15761921",
          "commentText": "Search Inside Yourself by Chade-Meng Tan",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Search Inside Yourself by Chade-Meng Tan",
          "reason": "Names it in response to a question asking for books useful across areas of daily life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238121,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:01:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238121",
          "commentText": "Last year I gave myself a Zuckerberg-style goal to read a book every two weeks. It started well, but some months were harder than others (usually when the book wasn't very good, so I would switch to podcasts for a few weeks, before getting back on track).\nHere's an unordered list of the best:\n[BUSINESS / SELF-IMPROVEMENT]\n- \"Work Rules!\" - about Google's culture and values\n- \"Search Inside Yourself\" - about mindfulness, meditation, and the impact on your life.\n- \"What got you here won't get you there\" - Liked a lot more than I expected.\n- \"Re-read Innovator's Dilemma\" - a great classic; never gets old.\n- \"How will you measure your life\" - from the same author. Also excellent.\n- \"The Best Service is No Service\" - good overview on why Amazon's customer service is so good\n- \"Crucial Conversations\" - half is common sense; half is good tips to practice everyday.\n[PROGRAMMING]\n- \"Fluent Python\" - was afraid it'd be too basic, but not really. Enjoyed it a lot.\n- \"Think Complexity\" - about algorithm complexity, data structures, etc. Great read.\n- \"Python Data Science Handbook\" - meh.\n- \"Fundamentals of Deep Learning\" - good intro. Helped me solidify some concepts from Andrew Ng's ML course\n- \"Deep Learning\" - by Goodfellow and Bengio. Just started, but really liking it.\n[STARTUPS] (all excellent; in order)\n- \"The Hard Things about Hard Things\"\n- \"Zero to One\"\n- \"The Founder's Dilemmas\"\n- \"The Launch Pad\"\n[FICTION]\n- Trilogy: \"Off to be a wizard / An Unwelcome Quest / Spell or High Water\"\n- \"Infinite Jest\" - tried but failed to finish. May try again later.\n- \"Ready Player One\" - nice, but repetitive after a while. Good read before the movie comes out.\n[NON-FICTION]\n- \"What If?\" - xkcd FTW\n- \"How to Read a Book\" - good concepts, but should be a 10 pages blog post, not a book\n- \"Spark\" - Science of the Exercise and the Brain - Long, but good\n- \"Sugar Shock\" - still reading; hopefully will help me cut my sweet cravings\n[BIOGRAPHIES]\n- \"The New New Thing\" - about Jim Clark's life, one of the very first entrepreneurs\n- \"Machines of Loving Grace\" - about the research and the rise of AI\n- \"Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution\"\n- \"The Second Coming of Steve Jobs\" - About Pixar's story. Liked more than Isaacson's biography\n- \"The Innovators\" - great summary of computer industry, from the 1800's till today\n- \"Ghost in the Wires\" - Kevin Mitnick's story. Had started years ago, but finally finished it\n- \"Idea Man\" - about Paul Allen's story. Quite an impressive man.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Search Inside Yourself\" - about mindfulness, meditation, and the impact on your life.",
          "reason": "Included in the comment’s unordered list of best books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12475769,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T21:12:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12475769",
          "commentText": "Here's the best books I've read in the last year or so:\n>> Computer History & biographies:\nThe New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story, Michael Lewis\nThe Second Coming of Steve Jobs, by Alan Deutschman\nMachines of Loving Grace, by John Markoff\nThe Innovators, by Walter Isaacson\nGhost in the Wires, by Kevin Mitnick\nIdea Man: A Memoir by the Cofounder of Microsoft, by Paul Allen\nCreativity, Inc, by Ed Catmull (reading)\n>> Startups:\nThe Hard Thing About Hard Things, by Ben Horowitz\nThe Founder's Dilemmas, Noam Wasserman\nThe Launch Pad, by Randall Stross\n>> Other books:\nTrilogy: Off to Be the Wizard (series), by Scott Meyer\nSearch Inside Yourself, Chade-Meng Tan\nJoy on Demand, Chade-Meng Tan (reading)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Search Inside Yourself, Chade-Meng Tan",
          "reason": "Included in the writer's list of best books read over the past year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229907,
          "author": "latishsehgal",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T16:26:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229907",
          "commentText": "My top 4 recommendations (full list and notes at http://www.dotnetsurfers.com/books/)\nThe Power of Habit,\nSearch Inside Yourself,\nThe Willpower Instinct,\nZero to One",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Search Inside Yourself,",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's top four recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348755,
          "author": "galephico",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:27:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348755",
          "commentText": "Altruism - Mathieu Ricard\nSearch Inside Yourself - Chade-Meng Tan\nBible - several authors\nSiddhartha - Hermann Hesse\nFight Club - Chuck Palahniuk\nEléments de Philosophie Angélique - Denis Marquet (french)\nAu coeur de l'instant - Jean Bouchart d'Orval (french)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Search Inside Yourself - Chade-Meng Tan",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chade-Meng Tan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Business",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mindfulness",
        "emotional intelligence",
        "meditation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-game-design-a-book-of-lenses-e016c9",
      "title": "The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses",
      "author": "Jesse Schell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32790803,
          "author": "logicalmonster",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T14:10:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790803",
          "commentText": "I am not a professional game designer, but I really like \"The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses\". It teaches you to look at games (and all kinds of experiences) through different viewpoints like looking at the economy of the game or looking at the love and relationships in the game. Very interesting for thinking about the complex systems within modern games.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really like \"The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses\". It teaches you to look at games (and all kinds of experiences) through different viewpoints",
          "reason": "Offers different viewpoints for examining games and experiences, including their economies and relationships.",
          "audience": "People interested in game design or analyzing games.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15629990,
          "author": "rsoto",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:08:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15629990",
          "commentText": "The art of game design: Even if you're not aspiring to be a game dev, this book teaches you a lot about project scope, management, psychology, mechanics, balance and user experience.\nFlight of the buffalo: An excellent book about leadership.\nMoneyball: I'm not into novels, so this might be the closest thing to it. It's a fantastic book about thinking creatively and working with what you have. It's about baseball, but even if you don't like it, it's quite entertaining and insightful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this book teaches you a lot about project scope, management, psychology, mechanics, balance and user experience.",
          "reason": "Recommended for its lessons across game design and related skills.",
          "audience": "People interested in game development or the listed topics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is useful even if you are not aspiring to be a game developer.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14139193,
          "author": "cableshaft",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T14:43:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14139193",
          "commentText": "The Art of Computer Game Design by Chris Crawford was the first book on the theory computer and video games. It's got quite a few ideas in there that are still relevant today.\nBut I don't think it's comprehensive or constantly referenced by those in the industry (it's almost forgotten about by modern designers, I bet). I think a closer fit to a 'bible of the field' would be The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses by Jesse Schell. Lots of good information about what to think about, and you can even buy a deck of tarot-sized cards that has a compiled list of all the questions the book invites you to raise when thinking about your game on them.\nI'm still waiting for something similar that focuses more on board game design specifically, but a lot of the Book of Lenses can be applied to board games as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think a closer fit to a 'bible of the field' would be The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses by Jesse Schell.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a closer fit for a game design field bible, with lots of useful information.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says much of it also applies to board games, though it is not specifically focused on them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12109293,
          "author": "benjyfeen",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-17T06:52:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12109293",
          "commentText": "See also: What are some books about everything? \nhttp://qr.ae/8S14dl\nThe Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses, Second Edition https://amzn.com/dp/B00OYUO4PY\nI'm told the dead trees version is a must, but it's also massive, so pick your preferred inconvenience.\nThis is like Eno's Oblique Strategies deck in encyclopedia form.\nUseful in any circumstances where you'd like to gain fresh perspective on a creation.\nFrom Amazon :\nThe Art of Game Design presents 100+ sets of questions, or different lenses, for viewing a game’s design, encompassing diverse fields such as psychology, architecture, music, visual design, film, software engineering, theme park design, mathematics, puzzle design, and anthropology...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses, Second Edition",
          "reason": "Describes it as useful for gaining fresh perspective on a creation.",
          "audience": "People who want fresh perspectives on a creative project.",
          "caveat": "The print edition is described as massive; the commenter says to choose the preferred inconvenience.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3396361,
          "author": "rsoto",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T17:01:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3396361",
          "commentText": "Too bad this comment is too down, but The Art Of Game Design is a fantastic book about design and user experience, even if you're not into games, there's some interesting psychology to learn and to apply in whatever you're doing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art Of Game Design is a fantastic book about design and user experience, even if you're not into games, there's some interesting psychology to learn and to apply in whatever you're doing.",
          "reason": "Praised for its design, user experience, and applicable psychology insights.",
          "audience": "People interested in design and user experience, including those who do not make games.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it may be interesting even for readers who are not into games.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jesse Schell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Art",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "game design",
        "design methods",
        "game analysis",
        "game development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-death-and-life-of-great-american-cities-c70de3",
      "title": "The Death and Life of Great American Cities",
      "author": "Jane Jacobs",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30823369,
          "author": "cl42",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-27T19:42:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30823369",
          "commentText": "\"Seeing Like a State\" by James C. Scott\nI started my career in international development, and the book above provides a dozen case studies on states using scientific management, stats, etc. to try and control their growth/populations/economies and failing miserably.\nIt is a beautiful book in that it illustrates how difficult it is to actually manage a country and economy well, especially if you are trying to completely change it (i.e., \"develop\" it, solve poverty, etc.). It humbled me as a 22 year old \"professional\" wanting to fix the world.\n\"The Death and Life of Great American Cities\" by Jane Jacobs is a close second to this theme of economic, technocratic development.\nEDIT: I notice 22 upvotes. WOW! If you are a fan of this book or curious to hear more, please comment. Happy to elaborate. If you want a third book, The Evolution of Civilizations[1] is another fun one here. It tries to apply scientific principles and hypothesis testing to historical analysis!\n[1] https://10millionsteps.com/review-evolution-of-civilizations",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Death and Life of Great American Cities\" by Jane Jacobs",
          "reason": "Named as a close second on the theme of economic and technocratic development.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in cities and development.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521023,
          "author": "elvinyung",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T07:03:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521023",
          "commentText": "Lots of entrepreneurial suggestions here already, so I'm going do something different by suggesting more humanities-focused books/papers that could help round out our understanding of the state of things:\n* Status Update by Alice Marwick - an ethnography of the SF tech scene in the mid-late 2000s, a very detailed examination of the status structures in Silicon Valley and how we were changed by the rise of social media.\n* Postscript on the Societies of Control by Deleuze - short, insightful, somewhat prescient paper on the evolution of \"control\" mechanisms in postindustrial, capitalist societies.\n* Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative? by Mark Fisher - a very compelling analysis of the neoliberal postmodern condition, and how the cultural milieu has changed since the fall of the Soviet Union, and free-market capitalism became the only extant economic system in the world.\n* Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs - this probably needs no introduction; it was an extremely transformative treatise on urban form, vitality, diversity, and completely overturned the urban planning field when it was originally published. I think everyone who plans on living in a city should read this book.\n* Hollow City by Rebecca Solnit - an ethnography of the gentrification and bohemian displacement in San Francisco during the dot-com boom of the 1990s. She doesn't just blame \"the techies\" for the gentrification, but rather uses the gentrification as a lens to examine the culture around urbanism has changed in the recent decades.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think everyone who plans on living in a city should read this book.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it transformed urban planning and recommends it to anyone planning to live in a city.",
          "audience": "Anyone planning to live in a city; readers interested in urban planning.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2643050,
          "author": "MaysonL",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-11T02:25:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2643050",
          "commentText": "Adventures of a Bystander by Peter Drucker.\nJane Jacobs's three city books:\nThe Death and Life of Great American Cities, \nThe Economy of Cities, and \nCities and the Wealth of Nations.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Death and Life of Great American Cities,",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875884,
          "author": "falsestprophet",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T03:23:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875884",
          "commentText": "I'm not sure I have two most favored books. But, I'll recommend two:\n  The Life and Death of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs\n  Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Life and Death of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 241848,
          "author": "MaysonL",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-10T00:52:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=241848",
          "commentText": "Searching online I eventually found one on Amazon for $12 - about the cheapest I saw (lots on Amazon uk, starting at about 15 pounds) - from Powell's.\nIf you found pg's cities essays interesting or clueless, read Jane Jacobs's trilogy on cities:\nThe Death and Life of Great American Cities\nThe Economy of Cities\nCities and the Wealth of Nations\nThe quality of the writing, and the thought, more than fully justify the hubris of the last title.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Death and Life of Great American Cities",
          "reason": "Recommended if the reader found Paul Graham's essays on cities interesting or clueless.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jane Jacobs"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "urban planning",
        "cities",
        "city life"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-fabric-of-reality-4ec9be",
      "title": "The Fabric of Reality",
      "author": "David Deutsch",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41175841,
          "author": "montgomery_r",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:58:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175841",
          "commentText": "Aargh, Formatting! Try 2 :\nFor the value of ‘best’ that includes\n(a) had a deep and long lasting impact on how I think about the world and\n(b) I consider beautiful pieces of writing in their own right,\nhere are some in no particular order:\nThe Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins\nThinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nNaming and Necessity, Saul Kripke\nTractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein\n(These you might want to approach via a gentle introduction if you did not study Philosophy to degree level)\nThe Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle\nDarkness at Noon, Arthur Koestler\nThe Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse\nA Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh\nDiaries, Samuel Pepys\nFalling Off the Map, Pico Iyer\nA Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor\nThe Lonely Sea and the Sky, Francis Chichester\nThe Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope\nBevis, Richard Jeffries\nThe Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith\nThe Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse\nHitch-22, essays, Christopher Hitchens\nCollected Essays, William Hazlitt\nVenice, Martin Gayford\nThe Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski\nThe Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch\nToo obvious a list, perhaps, but some gems for all that! Happy reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch",
          "reason": "Includes the title among books considered impactful and beautifully written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41175718,
          "author": "montgomery_r",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:45:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175718",
          "commentText": "For the value of ‘best’ that includes  (a) had a deep and long lasting impact on how I think about the world and (b) I consider beautiful pieces of writing in their own right, here are some in no particular order: \nThe Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins \nThinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nNaming and Necessity, Saul Kripke\nTractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein\n(These you might want to approach via a gentle introduction if you did not study Philosophy to degree level) \nThe Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle\nDarkness at Noon,\nArthur Koestler\nThe Glass Bead Game,\nHermann Hesse\nA Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh\nDiaries, Samuel Pepys\nFalling Off the Map, Pico Iyer\nA Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor\nThe Lonely Sea and the Sky,\nFrancis Chichester\nThe Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope\nBevis, Richard Jeffries\nThe Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith\nThe Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse\nHitch-22, essaysChristopher Hitchens \nCollected Essays, William Hazlitt\nVenice, Martin Gayford\nThe Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski\nThe Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch\nToo obvious a list, perhaps, but some gems for all that! Happy reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch",
          "reason": "Includes it among books with lasting impact on how they think and that they consider beautiful writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804093,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:12:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804093",
          "commentText": "Writing a Go Interpreter\nWriting a Go Compiler\nNo One Cares about Crazy People\nI Heard You Paint Houses\nUNIX: A History and a Memoir\nRed Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine\nHow Asia Works\nThe Dream Machine\nBlack Earth\nThe Fabric of Reality\nBehave (tried twice, maybe third times a charm?)\nA Short History of Nearly Everything\nStiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers\nGenius: The Life and Science Richard Feynman\nSuper Thinking\nMan's Search for Meaning\nThe Cooking Gene\nThe Vital Question: Why is Life The Way it Is (re-read)\nThe Case Against Sugar\nThe 15 Decisive Battles of the World\nThe History of the Peloponnesian War\nThe Beginning of Infinity\nThe Book of Why",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Fabric of Reality",
          "reason": "Listed in the commenter's planned reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4027336,
          "author": "peterwiese",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-26T14:24:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4027336",
          "commentText": "The Strangest Man - Graham Farmelo\nA biography of Paul Dirac. Very good.\n---------------\nThe Fabric of the Universe - David Deutsch\nWhat picture can we paint of the universe if we take together the best theories we have about fundamental things like time, life, virtual reality, cosmology etc. Easily the best book i've read in recent years.\nConsider that Deutsch is a very distinguished scientist in the field of quantum cryptography/computing. He is really good at explaining things in terms that non-physicists and experts alike can learn a lot!\n---------------\nRoadside Picnic - Strugatzky\nSoviet Science Fiction book about the first and only visit\nof earth by aliens. The approach is very unusual since there is never any direct contact between humans and the extra\nterrestrial intelligence. The book is more like a study of human society and how it could develop if suddenly there was some extremely advanced technology available to us which we are too primitive to understand/control.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Easily the best book i've read in recent years.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the best book they've read in recent years and says non-specialists can learn from it.",
          "audience": "Non-physicists and experts alike.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135463,
          "author": "curi",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T20:30:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135463",
          "commentText": "The Fabric of Reality - David Deutsch\nGodel, Escher, Bach - Douglas Hoftstadter\nKarl Popper's books (too many to list)\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nAtlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Fabric of Reality - David Deutsch",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56795,
          "author": "curi",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T09:17:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56795",
          "commentText": "The Fabric of Reality.\nWhy? Find out for yourself. Read the opening paragraphs here:\nhttp://www.qubit.org/people/david/FabricOfReality/FoRExtract... (http://www.qubit.org/people/david/FabricOfReality/FoRExtract.html)\nAlso, I second GEB.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Fabric of Reality.\nWhy? Find out for yourself. Read the opening paragraphs here:",
          "reason": "Presents it as a recommendation and directs readers to its opening paragraphs.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in physics and the nature of reality.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Deutsch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epistemology",
        "quantum physics",
        "cosmology",
        "foundations of physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-star-diaries-f8914e",
      "title": "The Star Diaries",
      "author": "Stanisław Lem",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47453264,
          "author": "b00kw05m",
          "createdAt": "2026-03-20T11:45:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 47315415,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47453264",
          "commentText": "I put on a list for similar reading experiences. For lighthearted, non-hard sify, i would try Star Diaries by Stanisław Lem.\nhttps://whatto.space/fiction/42/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "i would try Star Diaries by Stanisław Lem.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a lighthearted science fiction read for a similar reading experience.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for lighthearted, non-hard science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17381911,
          "author": "jxub",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T16:17:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17381911",
          "commentText": "From where I stand, Hispanic and Slavic literature is fairly unknown and underrated on the other side of the pond.\nRamón del Valle Inclán's \"Lights of Bohemia\": A great portrait of Madrid and the dirty guts of the Spain from 100 years ago, written in a gorgeously precise, dark and multifaceted range of vocabulary.\nOrtega y Gasset's \"Rebellion of the Masses\". It is centered in the individual \"I am me and my circumstances\" and its evolution since the enlightenment.\nSapkowski's \"Witcher\". Look for a good translation, lots of Slavic mythology tidbits and wonderfully juicy curse words.\nStanislaw Lem's \"The Star Diaries\". Nice if you like to fantasize about buying pieces for your spaceship in a shopping centre or think about chair-like aliens with 11 different sexes (in the book).\nGabriel Garcia Marquez's \"A hundred years of solitude\". The book is all about \"realismo fantástico\", joining the real and imaginary words in an unforgettable blend.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stanislaw Lem's \"The Star Diaries\". Nice if you like to fantasize about buying pieces for your spaceship in a shopping centre or think about chair-like aliens with 11 different sexes (in the book).",
          "reason": "Presents it as an enjoyable choice for readers drawn to its imaginative absurdities.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy playful, imaginative science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865034,
          "author": "narag",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T15:08:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865034",
          "commentText": "It seems that most recomendations fall in the sci-fi genre. I'll add my personal favourite: Stanisław Lem (the author of Solaris). The Star Diaries and Cyberiad are a lot of fun mixed with really interesting ideas.\nBut if you want to read a very actual story, including an anticipation of the Internet, take a look at this 1961 story:\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Return_from_the_Stars",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Star Diaries and Cyberiad are a lot of fun mixed with really interesting ideas.",
          "reason": "Says the books are a lot of fun and contain interesting ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876835,
          "author": "narag",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T15:07:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876835",
          "commentText": "Star Diaries +1 (what a surprise that you... :-))\nBrave New World.\nI read those when I was 12... then everything I could find by Lem and Huxley too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Star Diaries +1",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the parent comment's recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 199995,
          "author": "pfedor",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-26T05:10:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 199722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=199995",
          "commentText": "Anything by Greg Egan. It is a science fiction author who actually has a very good understanding of science (he's published articles in a scientific journal about quantum gravity) and makes non-trivial use of it in his plots. Plus, he's a computer programmer and you can go to his website and see a collection of applets, some of them illustrating the concepts from his novels and short stories. On top of that, he is good with all the soft stuff, like character development and psychology etc., that is essential for great fiction but that some science-intensive science fiction is very much lacking.\nThere are other very good nerd literature authors out there, like Vernor Vinge and Neal Stephenson, but to me none of them was as big a revelation as Greg Egan.\nIf you don't mind something non-mainstream and a bit dated, but first-class literature nonetheless, you can try Stanislaw Lem. It's a Polish author but most of his work has been translated to English. I consider him one of the best science fiction authors ever. \"The Star Diaries\" is light and funny, a perfect pool side reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Star Diaries\" is light and funny, a perfect pool side reading.",
          "reason": "Described as light and funny, and suitable for poolside reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stanisław Lem"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "satire",
        "comic science fiction",
        "absurdist science fiction",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-world-is-flat-cd0d11",
      "title": "The World Is Flat",
      "author": "Thomas L. Friedman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23858780,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:34:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858780",
          "commentText": "The Prince - Niccolo Machiavelli\nThe 48 Rules of Power - Robert Greene\nFooled By Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nHow to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big - Scott Adams\nBasic Economics - Thomas Sowell\nThe World Is Flat - Thomas L. Friedman\nThe Penguin History of the World: Sixth Edition - J. M. Roberts and Odd Arne Westad",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The World Is Flat - Thomas L. Friedman",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that helped readers understand the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10325237,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T20:31:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325237",
          "commentText": "I'm sure there are many, but a few that jump to mind, in no particular order, and spanning both fiction and non-fiction:\nThe Selfish Gene - Dawkins\nA New Kind of Science - Wolfram\nThe Singularity is Near - Kurzweil\nGödel, Escher, Bach - Hofstadter\nFluid Concepts and Creative Analogies - Hofstadter\nAtlas Shrugged - Rand\nThe Fountainhead - Rand\nNineteen Eighty-Four - Orwell\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nAmbient Findability - Peter Morville\nEmergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software - Steven Johnson\nSix Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age - Duncan Watts\nLinked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means for Business, Science, and Everyday Life - Albert-laszlo Barabasi\nArtificial Life - Steven Levy\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nThe World is Flat - Thomas Friedman\nnot a book, but the various writings of Douglas Engelbart - http://www.dougengelbart.org/library/library.html\nGlasshouse - Charles Stross\nPermutation City - Greg Egan\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nThe Shockwave Rider - John Brunner\nThe Society of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nThe Origin of Wealth: The Radical Remaking of Economics and What it Means for Business and Society - Eric Beinhocker\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nFooled By Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The World is Flat - Thomas Friedman",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1866533,
          "author": "freshrap6",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T21:11:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1866533",
          "commentText": "The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman\nPractical Palm Pre WebOS Projects by Frank Zammetti",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227009,
          "author": "ColemanF",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T17:25:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227009",
          "commentText": "The Pentagon's New Map: War and Peace in the Twenty-first Century by Thomas P. M. Barnett.\nIt's like The World is Flat on steroids.  It's probably even more pro free trade.  It's the most optimistic look at world affairs I've ever seen.  The idea is that trade ties countries together and makes them stop fighting.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "It's like The World is Flat on steroids.",
          "reason": "Used as a comparison for The Pentagon's New Map.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875833,
          "author": "rokhayakebe",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T02:56:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875833",
          "commentText": "The world is flat..\nFrom Beirut to Jerusalem (not done yet).\nBoth from Thomas Friedman.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The world is flat..",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240867,
          "author": "colinplamondon",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T06:55:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240867",
          "commentText": "The World is Flat\nThe Post American World\nLosing My Virginity - Richard Branson's Autobiography\nAutobiography of Andrew Carnegie\nThe Second Coming of Steve Jobs\nInside Steve's Brain\nThe Seven Day Weekend- Book by Ricardo Semler of Semco on company organization and management, Semco essentially operates as a socialist enterprise with election of bosses, profit sharing, open information, flex-time, etc, but with the twist that Ricardo is the majority stock owner. Fascinating book and well-written to boot.\nFounders at Work should go without saying :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The World is Flat",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for recommended books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5704,
          "author": "bhb",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T16:03:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5704",
          "commentText": "Some of these have been mentioned, but these stand out for me\nProgramming:\nGetting Real\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nHackers and Painters\nBusiness:\nGood to Great\nStart Your Own Business (I knew basically nothing about \nsmall business before I started, and it's a good intro)\nCrossing the Chasm (good so far, haven't finished)\nTechnology/Culture:\nThe Long Tail\nThe World is Flat\nProductivity/People:\nGetting Things Done\nGetting to Yes\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The World is Flat",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas L. Friedman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "globalization",
        "technology and society",
        "economic change",
        "international trade"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "where-good-ideas-come-from-the-natural-history-of-innovation-693ba3",
      "title": "Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation",
      "author": "Steven Johnson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4789990,
          "author": "pitchups",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T18:35:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4789990",
          "commentText": "Everything Is Obvious: *Once You Know the Answer by Duncan J. Watts\nWhere Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation by Steven Johnson\nThe Upside of Irrationality by Dan Ariely\nThe Hidden Brain: How Our Unconscious Minds Elect Presidents, Control Markets, Wage Wars by Shankar Vedantam\nThe Googlization of Everything: (And Why We Should Worry) by Siva Vaidhyanathan\nIn The Plex: How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives by Steven Levy\nIdea Man: A Memoir by Paul Allen\nThe Art of Choosing by Sheena Iyengar",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation by Steven Johnson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2963489,
          "author": "achompas",
          "createdAt": "2011-09-05T22:28:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 2963294,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Got a Kindle. What now? What books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2963489",
          "commentText": "For a book on a literal revolution, read George Orwell's \"Homage to Catalonia.\" For a book on how to generate revolutionary ideas, I'd recommend Steven Johnson's \"Where Good Ideas Come From.\"\nMore generally, Kindle lets you sample the first chapter of any book for free. Amazon also lets you lend books to other Kindle owners, but I've never found that feature for myself...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For a book on how to generate revolutionary ideas, I'd recommend Steven Johnson's \"Where Good Ideas Come From.\"",
          "reason": "Directly recommended for learning how to generate revolutionary ideas.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in innovation and idea generation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2642504,
          "author": "pitchups",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T21:34:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2642504",
          "commentText": "Here are some more favorites (they may not qualify as the best books ever, but great books with original and useful  ideas):\n- Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation by Steven Johnson\n- The Upside of Irrationality: The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic at Work and at Home by Dan Ariely\n- Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip Heath, Dan Heath",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation by Steven Johnson",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorites and described as a great book with original, useful ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these may not qualify as the best books ever.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1973691,
          "author": "portman",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T03:09:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1973691",
          "commentText": "\"Where Good Ideas Come From\" by Steven Johnson\nI'm fairly stubborn, so it takes a lot for me to change my ways. This book has changed my daily work routine. Johnson outlines 7 environments that have historically produced the most innovative ideas. It's easy to apply the lessons to your typical working day. Best book I've read in probably 5 years.\n4-minute Teaser: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NugRZGDbPFU\nTED Talk: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0af00UcTO-c\nAmazon: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1594487715",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Best book I've read in probably 5 years.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed their daily work routine and that its lessons are easy to apply.",
          "audience": "People looking to apply ideas about innovation to their daily work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865531,
          "author": "jasonz",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T17:15:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865531",
          "commentText": "Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752307,
          "author": "jseliger",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T07:24:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752307",
          "commentText": "See here: http://jseliger.com/2010/03/22/influential-books-on-me-that-... (http://jseliger.com/2010/03/22/influential-books-on-me-that-is/) for a list of influential books on me. I actually have a half-written post on books I wish I'd read when I was younger; here it is:\n1. <em>Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience</em> by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi\n2. <em>The Guide to Getting It On</em> by Paul Johannides [sp?]\n3. <em>The Mating Mind: How Sexual Choice Shaped the Evolution of Human Nature</em> by Geoffrey Miller\n4. <em>Hackers & Painters</em> by Paul Graham\n5. <em>Man's Search for Meaning</em> by Viktor Frankl\n6. <em>Stumbling on Happiness</em> by Daniel Gilbert\nIn all cases, I think these books profoundly shaped how not only I think, but I think others can learn to think too. All suddenly revealed new connections and ideas about the world I'd never experienced or expected to experience before.\nGranted, no book can be removed from its context, and its possible that if I'd read some of the books above as a younger person I wouldn't have been ready to appreciate them. But <em>Flow</em> seems by far the most valuable of the choices listed above because it engulfs more of the content of the others than any other choice.\nSteven Berlin Johnson's new book Where Ideas Come From looks promising: http://www.amazon.com/Where-Good-Ideas-Come-Innovation/dp/15... (http://www.amazon.com/Where-Good-Ideas-Come-Innovation/dp/1594487715?ie=UTF8&tag=thstsst-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957) .",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Steven Berlin Johnson's new book Where Ideas Come From looks promising",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book looks promising.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not described having read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Johnson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Science",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "innovation",
        "creativity",
        "history of ideas",
        "idea generation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-desolation-called-peace-2658f0",
      "title": "A Desolation Called Peace",
      "author": "Arkady Martine",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49901944,
          "author": "nozzlegear",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-29T22:56:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49901944",
          "commentText": "I'm reading A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine, it's the sequel to A Memory Called Empire. I'm enjoying it!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm reading A Desolation Called Peace by Arkady Martine, it's the sequel to A Memory Called Empire. I'm enjoying it!",
          "reason": "Says they are enjoying the sequel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42274658,
          "author": "edanm",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T15:52:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42274658",
          "commentText": "I also read A Tale of Love and Darkness this year, it was great.\nAnd A Desolation Called Peace, or really that series, is one of my favorite SF reads of the last 10 years, I've recommended it often.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Desolation Called Peace, or really that series, is one of my favorite SF reads of the last 10 years, I've recommended it often.",
          "reason": "The commenter names it among their favorite SF reads and says they often recommend it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38567188,
          "author": "disgruntledphd2",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T09:57:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38567188",
          "commentText": "> Teixcalaan #1 & #2, \"A Memory Called Empire\" and \"A Desolation Called Peace\" by Arkady Martine for being very different feeling sci-fi books that are not your typical western-centric fare. Highlights are the language, and that the story feels both very small and contained, and also all-encompassing, at the same time.\nThese were marvellous, well worth reading for any fans of Malazan/other fantasy or sci-fi.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"A Memory Called Empire\" and \"A Desolation Called Peace\" by Arkady Martine",
          "reason": "Recommended as a distinctive science-fiction read with compelling language and scope.",
          "audience": "Fans of Malazan or other fantasy and science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28058906,
          "author": "mvuijlst",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T09:18:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28058906",
          "commentText": "I recently read and liked A Memory Called Empire and A Desolation Called Peace.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and A Desolation Called Peace.",
          "reason": "Says they recently read and liked it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arkady Martine"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "political science fiction",
        "first contact"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-hat-full-of-sky-8a3276",
      "title": "A Hat Full of Sky",
      "author": "Terry Pratchett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20333110,
          "author": "mlang23",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T08:02:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20333110",
          "commentText": "I just read \"A hat full of stars\" yesterday evening. I can recommend all discworld books.  But this one was especially moving.  Now that I know that Terry was a advocate for assisted dying, I finally understand the  alegory at the end of the book.  Moved me to tears.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I just read \"A hat full of stars\" yesterday evening. I can recommend all discworld books. But this one was especially moving.",
          "reason": "Recommends all Discworld books and says this one was especially moving.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665061,
          "author": "sn41",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:11:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665061",
          "commentText": "Since no one has mentioned it so far, I recommend the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. This year, I finished (numbers in Discworld order, annotated by the series):\n9. Eric [Rincewind]\n10. Moving Pictures [Independent]\n12. Witches Abroad [Witches]\n18. Maskerade [Witches]\n19. Feet of clay [The City Watch]\n23. Carpe Jugulum [Witches]\n32. A Hat Full of Sky [Tiffany Aching]\n37. Unseen Academicals [Wizards]\n38. I Shall Wear Midnight [Tiffany Aching]\nBrilliant series, highly recommended. Whenever I feel down, I re-read one of the Witches series - I spot something I never noticed before - an immediate mood-booster!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "32. A Hat Full of Sky [Tiffany Aching]",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the Discworld books the commenter finished this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401598,
          "author": "eli_gottlieb",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:45:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401598",
          "commentText": "Recently finished:\nDown and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow -- frankly, I found it kind of boring, and also found the narrator unsympathetic.  I'm not sure if the author intended him to be an Unreliable Narrator or not.\nFacts, Values, and Norms by Peter Railton --  Gains three stars for combining serious consideration of ethical and meta-ethical issues with a completely naturalistic worldview and a genuine grappling with history and ideology. Loses two stars for being far, far too long-winded and using vague, colloquial terminology and appeals to intuition where a methodoological naturalist can and should appeal to the fruits of science. (Copy-pasta'd from my Amazon review)\nRapture of the Nerds by Charles Stross -- pretty funny, even if it made a transhuman superintelligent supercivilization look kind of... dumb.\nCurrently re-reading for fun:\nThe Wee Free Men and I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett -- It's Discworld.  Go read them.  NOW.  And read A Hat Full of Sky in the middle.\nThen there's been a lot of textbooks I've been reading, which I won't list.  Though...\nLogical Labyrinths by Raymond Smullyan -- dense, and fun, a graduate-level intro textbook to first-order logic disguised as a logic textbook.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "And read A Hat Full of Sky in the middle.",
          "reason": "Says to read it in sequence between the other two named books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026884,
          "author": "Daniel_Newby",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T06:33:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026884",
          "commentText": "Redliners by David Drake. Burned out soldiers are sent to baby-sit a planetary colonization. Fortunately for the story it turns out to be a planet full of monsters. Baen Free Library.\nAccelerando, Iron Sunrise, and Singularity Sky by Charles Stross.  Singularity stories.\nHouse of Leaves by Mark Danielewski.  Supernatural meta-fiction with half the story in the footnotes.  Reminiscent of the movie Donnie Darko.\nCrooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis.  Private eye gets retained by the White House to track down the other U.S. Constitution.  To quote William Gibson, \"Stop It. You're frightening me.\"\nHurry Down Sunshine by Michael Greenberg.  Story of his teenage daughter's descent into manic psychosis.\nA Hat Full of Sky and Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett.  Kids' stories, so they have wall-to-wall story, unlike some of his more situational adult books.\nJames H. Schmitz science fiction stories. Available from the Baen Free Library of digital books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Hat Full of Sky and Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett. Kids' stories, so they have wall-to-wall story",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the children’s books for having “wall-to-wall story.”",
          "audience": "Readers of children’s stories.",
          "caveat": "The commenter contrasts them with some of Pratchett’s more situational adult books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry Pratchett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "discworld",
        "young adult fantasy",
        "assisted dying",
        "children s fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-little-history-of-the-world-e68dd7",
      "title": "A Little History of the World",
      "author": "E. H. Gombrich",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46272653,
          "author": "wannabebarista",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-15T10:30:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 46226571,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46272653",
          "commentText": "I've always meant to read more of the Little History series. I love Gombrich's original!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gombrich's original",
          "reason": "The commenter says they love Gombrich’s original.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36106820,
          "author": "ybbond",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T19:09:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36106820",
          "commentText": "A Little History of the World by Ernst Gombrich, is the best history book that also cover religion that I ever read.\nIt covers the surface od reasonings, dark history, the problems",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Little History of the World by Ernst Gombrich",
          "reason": "Recommended as a history book that also covers religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395241,
          "author": "motxilo",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T09:19:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395241",
          "commentText": "\"A little history of the world\" by E.H. Gombrich. I've never been too enthusiastic about History in general, but I couldn't put this book down until finished.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"A little history of the world\" by E.H. Gombrich. I've never been too enthusiastic about History in general, but I couldn't put this book down until finished.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they could not put it down despite little prior enthusiasm for history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1973925,
          "author": "Dananjaya",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T04:32:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1973925",
          "commentText": "\"A Little History Of The World\" by E.H Gombrich\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Little-History-World-H-Gombrich/dp/030... (http://www.amazon.com/Little-History-World-H-Gombrich/dp/0300108834)\nFrom a long time I wanted to dig deeper in to the subject of human history starting from the undocumented prehistoric era. But the plethora of information available in the internet often bewilders me and I find my self thinking where to start. This book--mind you first printed in 1936--describes the story of humans from the stone age to atomic age in 40 concise chapters. It's like a reading a fiction (a good one..). This is the most comprehensive span of the human history and the most colorful and vivid account of it.. (at least comparing the history books I've read..)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is the most comprehensive span of the human history and the most colorful and vivid account of it.",
          "reason": "Praises its concise, vivid account spanning human history and says it reads like good fiction.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for an accessible starting point in human history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "E. H. Gombrich"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "world history",
        "accessible history",
        "popular history",
        "religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "accelerated-c-practical-programming-by-example-081b3f",
      "title": "Accelerated C++: Practical Programming by Example",
      "author": "Andrew Koenig and Barbara E. Moo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30489978,
          "author": "city41",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T16:42:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30489978",
          "commentText": "Accelerated C++ by Andrew Koenig and Barbara Moo. I'm sure it's hopelessly outdated and irrelevant today. It was one of the first CS books I read and I really dug into and grokked it. I think it played a large role in the developer I became.\nIt's very pragmatic, but also pushes into thinking through the design of your system and also digs into the \"why\" and \"how\" of what is going on and balances all of this quite well IMO. I still have my copy on my shelf.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Accelerated C++ by Andrew Koenig and Barbara Moo. I'm sure it's hopelessly outdated and irrelevant today.",
          "reason": "Says the book helped shape the developer they became and praises its practical approach and explanations.",
          "audience": "Readers learning C++ and software design.",
          "caveat": "The commenter believes it is likely outdated and irrelevant today.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13661988,
          "author": "nether",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-16T17:52:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13661988",
          "commentText": "Accelerated C++ involves working on a program to analyze student grades. The book itself is excellent, but the overarching project is very dry.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Accelerated C++ involves working on a program to analyze student grades. The book itself is excellent, but the overarching project is very dry.",
          "reason": "Calls the book excellent while criticizing its overarching project as dry.",
          "audience": "C++ learners interested in practical, example-based instruction.",
          "caveat": "The student-grade project is described as very dry.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9760014,
          "author": "burncycle",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T17:56:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9760014",
          "commentText": "Accelerated C++ by Andrew Koenig and Barbara Moo (http://www.amazon.com/Accelerated-C-Practical-Programming-Ex... (http://www.amazon.com/Accelerated-C-Practical-Programming-Example/dp/020170353X)). One of the best introductory programming books, and one of the best introductory books in general, that I've ever read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One of the best introductory programming books, and one of the best introductory books in general, that I've ever read.",
          "reason": "Ranks it among the best introductory programming books they have read.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an introduction to programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1213007,
          "author": "bballant",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-23T14:44:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 1212675,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I use and love Python. What's the best book to learn C ?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1213007",
          "commentText": "I will second the vote for Mastering Algorithms in C.  This book will bring you right into the details you want:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Algorithms-C-Kyle-Loudon/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Algorithms-C-Kyle-Loudon/dp/1565924533)\nAccelerated C++ was also mentioned and I just love this book.  It brought me back to C++ after years of being away: http://www.acceleratedcpp.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Accelerated C++ was also mentioned and I just love this book. It brought me back to C++ after years of being away",
          "reason": "The commenter loves the book and says it renewed their interest in C++.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew Koenig",
        "Barbara E. Moo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c",
        "c programming",
        "programming by example",
        "software design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "agile-web-development-with-rails-47f77e",
      "title": "Agile Web Development with Rails",
      "author": "Sam Ruby, Dave Thomas, and David Heinemeier Hansson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2528032,
          "author": "mullr",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-09T09:17:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 2524205,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books for soon to be Software Engineers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2528032",
          "commentText": "* The Pragmatic Programmer (Read this once every 6 months until it's obvious)\n* Head first design patterns\n* Agile Web Development with Rails\nIt's not obvious, but the rails book is a great introduction to test-driven development in general.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Agile Web Development with Rails\nIt's not obvious, but the rails book is a great introduction to test-driven development in general.",
          "reason": "Recommended as an introduction to test-driven development.",
          "audience": "Soon-to-be software engineers.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes its value may not be obvious.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 798218,
          "author": "abyssknight",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T15:57:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=798218",
          "commentText": "Agile Web Development with Rails. I'm up to Chapter 11 or so, if I remember right. Took a break to solve some puzzles for something completely unrelated. Hopefully I can get back to a chapter a night.\nAfter that, I'll probably crack open the Flex 3 Cookbook that Mike Potter sent over. I still feel awful about not having read through that one yet, as Flex 4 is almost ready to be released.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Agile Web Development with Rails.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is reading it and hopes to resume a chapter a night.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 781107,
          "author": "ianbishop",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-23T22:13:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 781079,
          "threadTitle": "Can you recommend some good RoR books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=781107",
          "commentText": "Agile Web Development with Rails was one of the better books that were around when I first started learning Ruby/Rails.\nI don't know that it still has the presence in the community that it first had but I'm sure it is still a great read.\nhttp://www.pragprog.com/titles/rails3/agile-web-development-... (http://www.pragprog.com/titles/rails3/agile-web-development-with-rails-third-edition)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Agile Web Development with Rails was one of the better books that were around when I first started learning Ruby/Rails.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the better books from when they began learning Ruby/Rails.",
          "audience": "People learning Ruby on Rails.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether it still has the same presence in the community, but thinks it remains a great read.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135339,
          "author": "jraines",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T18:09:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135339",
          "commentText": "Getting Real (37 Signals)\nProgramming Ruby (Pragmatic Programmers)\nAgile Web Development with Rails (Pragmatic Programmers)\nJavascript: The Definitive Guide (O'Reilly)\na good text on database design & normalization, performance issues, and SQL\nsomething to teach *nix basics, which I don't have but could have used",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Agile Web Development with Rails (Pragmatic Programmers)",
          "reason": "Listed as a book for a hacker's bookshelf.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5611,
          "author": "goodgoblin",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T04:26:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5611",
          "commentText": "Agile Web Development with Rails was very helpful",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Agile Web Development with Rails was very helpful",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was very helpful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sam Ruby, Dave Thomas, and David Heinemeier Hansson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ruby on rails",
        "web development",
        "agile",
        "test driven development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "algorithms-data-structures-programs-d70ec9",
      "title": "Algorithms + Data Structures = Programs",
      "author": "Niklaus Wirth",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30488916,
          "author": "rsecora",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T14:47:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30488916",
          "commentText": "Algorithms + Data Structures = Programs by Niklaus Wirth.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Algorithms + Data Structures = Programs by Niklaus Wirth.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30486392,
          "author": "jonsen",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T08:19:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486392",
          "commentText": "Programming Languages: Design and Implementation by Terrence W. Pratt\nComing from electronics and computer hardware this made me see that those \"mysterious\" high level languages where all just loops and if-then-else statements.\nThen\nAlgorithms + Data Structures = Programs by Niklaus Wirth\ngave a good practical framework for entering computer science and software engineering.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Algorithms + Data Structures = Programs by Niklaus Wirth\ngave a good practical framework for entering computer science and software engineering.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it provided a practical framework for entering computer science and software engineering.",
          "audience": "People entering computer science and software engineering.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29307722,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T15:53:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29307722",
          "commentText": "> I thought Knuts Literate Programming book (https://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/lp.html) was extremely interesting, the paper \"the errors of TeX\" which is a part of it is one of the more interesting papers I've read.\nI haven't read any of Knuth's stuff because doesn't having 7 volumes kinda imply it can't possibly be well edited? Or maybe I really do just need to suck it up and read these books. I know it's not the same exact book but I took his style to be to generate encyclopedic tomes rather than interesting reading.\n> Algorithms + Data structures = Programs\nOo a Wirth book. Those are always good.\n> I know you said no to the little schemer but you technically didn't mention The Reasoned Schemer\nMan you're cutting it close there!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Oo a Wirth book. Those are always good.",
          "reason": "Expresses approval of Wirth's books in response to the title being mentioned.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29307680,
          "author": "tephra",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T15:50:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29307680",
          "commentText": "I thought Knuts Literate Programming book (https://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/lp.html) was extremely interesting, the paper \"the errors of TeX\" which is a part of it is one of the more interesting papers I've read.\nJoe Armstrong used to recommend Algorithms + Data structures = Programs (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algorithms_%2B_Data_Structures... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algorithms_%2B_Data_Structures_%3D_Programs)) but I haven't read it.\nOkay I know you said no to the little schemer but you technically didn't mention The Reasoned Schemer which is just amazingly fun to go through and wrap your head around (https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/reasoned-schemer-second-editi... (https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/reasoned-schemer-second-edition)). Also see Will Byrds latest strangeloop keynote: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AffW-7ika0E",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Joe Armstrong used to recommend Algorithms + Data structures = Programs (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algorithms_%2B_Data_Structures...) but I haven't read it.",
          "reason": "Reports that Joe Armstrong recommended it, while noting the commenter has not read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23366671,
          "author": "HumblyTossed",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-31T02:29:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23366671",
          "commentText": "Hmmm... Glancing at my shelf. That's not easy.  Two that are close are:\nProgramming Pearls 2e (239 pgs)\nPractice of Programming (267 pgs)\nI see Algorighms + Data Structures = Programs, but I know that's well into 300 pgs w/out looking.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I see Algorighms + Data Structures = Programs, but I know that's well into 300 pgs w/out looking.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter estimates it is well over 300 pages.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16573930,
          "author": "facorreia",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-13T04:52:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16573930",
          "commentText": "Definitely this one and also Algorithms + Data Structures = Programs by Niklaus Wirth.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Algorithms + Data Structures = Programs by Niklaus Wirth.",
          "reason": "Listed as another answer to the thread’s request for professionally helpful books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414545,
          "author": "dragonquest",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T10:26:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414545",
          "commentText": "Over the years I've found the following CS books helpful, but only a minority in my day-to-day work. Your mileage may vary, as would the utility of these to you.\nAlgorithms -> Algorithms + Data Structures = Programs by Wirth (worth its weight in gold if you can get past the Pascal syntax)\nOS -> Operating System Concepts by Silberschatz et al (The dinosaur book)\nCS Theory -> Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation by Hopcroft, Ullman\nProgramming Languages Theory -> Programming languages: design and implementation by Pratt et al\nDatabase Theory -> Database Design by Wiederhold\nArchitecture -> Structured Computer Organization by Andrew S Tanenbaum",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Algorithms -> Algorithms + Data Structures = Programs by Wirth (worth its weight in gold if you can get past the Pascal syntax)",
          "reason": "Says it has been helpful and calls it worth its weight in gold.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Requires getting past the Pascal syntax.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Niklaus Wirth"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "data structures"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "all-the-king-s-men-f5020d",
      "title": "All the King's Men",
      "author": "Robert Penn Warren",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22096043,
          "author": "bookofjoe",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T03:20:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22096043",
          "commentText": "\"All The King's Men,\" Robert Penn Warren's fictionalized treatment of Huey Long, is magnificent.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"All The King's Men,\" Robert Penn Warren's fictionalized treatment of Huey Long, is magnificent.",
          "reason": "Calls the novel magnificent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17169741,
          "author": "mm321",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T23:27:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17169741",
          "commentText": "Don't know about changing my life, but these books changed the way i look at things:\nThe Tao of Pooh: Benjamin Hoff\nSlaughterhouse-Five, or The Children's Crusade by Kurt Vonnegut\nTI 99/4a basic reference manual\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, by Abelson, Sussman\nObject Oriented Analysis and Design by Grady Booch\nDarkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler\nThieves in the Night by Arthur Koestler\nAll the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren\nThe Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck\nThe Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.\nWar and Peace by L.N.Tolstoy\nChapaev and the void by Pelevin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren",
          "reason": "Listed among books that changed how the commenter looks at things.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5836762,
          "author": "pfedor",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-07T02:23:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5836762",
          "commentText": "\"All the King's Men\" by Robert Penn Warren.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"All the King's Men\" by Robert Penn Warren.",
          "reason": "Offers it as an answer to the thread's request for the best fiction book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 877453,
          "author": "utx00",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T19:29:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=877453",
          "commentText": "all the kings men - warren\nthe floating opera - barth",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "all the kings men - warren",
          "reason": "Named as one of the commenter’s favorite books in response to the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Penn Warren"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political fiction",
        "american literature",
        "american political fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "all-the-pretty-horses-a16812",
      "title": "All the Pretty Horses",
      "author": "Cormac McCarthy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49903615,
          "author": "UncleOxidant",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T02:21:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49903615",
          "commentText": "I started the year reading Demons by Dostoevsky. Seemed prophetic in a lot of ways about what was coming about 40 years later in 1917.\nAt the beginning of the summer I read All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy. I'm not into westerns, but I really liked that one. A modern classic.\nJust finished The Memory of Old Jack by Wendell Berry. Such a gorgeously written book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm not into westerns, but I really liked that one.",
          "reason": "Says they liked the book despite not usually enjoying westerns.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is not generally into westerns.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15962640,
          "author": "rlease",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T18:34:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15962640",
          "commentText": "The full list: https://gitlab.com/rlease/Books\nMy list lines up with a lot of books that people have recommended here, so I'll try to add a few favorites that haven't been mentioned so far.\nFiction:\n1. Ubik - I read a bunch of Philip K. Dick this year, but this was my favorite. It's delightfully mind bending and left me thinking about it long after the book was done.\n2. All the Pretty Horses - Beautifully written. McCarthy has an uncanny ability to paint with words.\n3. Cannery Row - Short, witty, and full of interesting characters.\nNonfiction:\n1. The Idea Factory - A dive into how Bell Labs became such an innovation powerhouse and gives a rounded picture of the figureheads that brought it so much fame.\n2. Moonwalking with Einstein - A fun read about a journalist who took researching a memory competition a bit too seriously.\n3. Countdown to Zero Day - A fascinating look at the development and deployment of Stuxnet -- the virus built to set Iran's nuclear program back.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Beautifully written. McCarthy has an uncanny ability to paint with words.",
          "reason": "Praises the book as beautifully written and the author's vivid prose.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387960,
          "author": "veidr",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T02:51:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387960",
          "commentText": "The trilogy of Neuromancer, Burning Chrome, and Mona Lisa Overdrive is still my favorite work of fiction, and also, to my mind, exemplifies the kind of taut, awesome writing that I would want to do if I wrote novels. It the only series of 3 books I have read more than once.\nI caught these books at just the right time in my life (age 13 or 14), leading my high-school fascination with Japan and rekindled interest in computing, and probably played an inordinately large role in me ending up as a programmer who lives in Tokyo, two decades later.\nI like great sci fi best, but I think most of it is crap, including virtually all of the old pulp sci fi and Asimov I grew up reading (which was basically all of it), Star Wars/Trek, etc.\nOther than Gibson's stuff, some of the truly spectacular sci fi I have read is the very-dense-and-not-at-all-thriller-ish Mars trilogy (Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars), and the fast-paced-and-awesome Spin by Robert Charles Wilson. That led me to read all of Wilson's books, many of which are also good. Also Haldeman is an author worth reading, though not all of his books hit their mark.\nGreat sci fi is my favorite fiction, but IMO most of it is broken by being fundamentally implausible. Other fiction I consider great in other genres include Memoirs of a Geisha, Cold Mountain, REAMDE, The Son, The Road, the lighter but still version of that post-apocalyptic concept The Dog Stars, City of Thieves, and All the Pretty Horses and its sequels.\nIt's probably symptomatic of a major flaw in my character that despite also buying dozens of nonfiction works (Lincoln, On China, and so forth) over the past few years, I haven't finished any of them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "City of Thieves, and All the Pretty Horses and its sequels",
          "reason": "Explicitly considers it great fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentions its sequels without naming them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3990338,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-18T04:17:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3990338",
          "commentText": "I recently reread Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses.\nI was prompted to do so by another book discussion. Not his best book - I think Blood Meridian and The Road are better - but McCarthy is a great writer.\nFor nerd non-fiction, I just read Jim Lovell's Lost Moon which though not a great book, is a good solid book about greatness.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Not his best book - I think Blood Meridian and The Road are better - but McCarthy is a great writer.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is not McCarthy's best book, while praising his writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter prefers Blood Meridian and The Road.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cormac McCarthy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american west",
        "american literature",
        "coming of age",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "amusing-ourselves-to-death-public-discourse-in-the-age-of-show-bu-95f897",
      "title": "Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business",
      "author": "Neil Postman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16351574,
          "author": "oldcynic",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T07:02:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16351574",
          "commentText": "Amusing Ourselves to Death - N. Postman\nFrom the 80s, and talking of TV, but it's worth reading again today as it's so applicable to the current landscape. More so than its original target.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's worth reading again today as it's so applicable to the current landscape.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book remains highly applicable to the current landscape.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Originally focused on television and published in the 1980s.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12246675,
          "author": "pareidolia",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T10:38:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12246675",
          "commentText": "Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death makes a great gift for anyone who watches too much TV or is addicted to Youtube",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death makes a great gift for anyone who watches too much TV or is addicted to Youtube",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as a gift for people who watch a lot of television or YouTube.",
          "audience": "People who watch too much TV or YouTube.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297767,
          "author": "jazzyb",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:52:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297767",
          "commentText": "I think it's important to think about the effect technology has on culture (both positive and negative).  To that end, I would recommend _Technopoly_ by Neil Postman.  (And optionally _Amusing Ourselves to Death_ by the same author -- it's more accessible but slightly less applicable to the software industry.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "And optionally _Amusing Ourselves to Death_ by the same author -- it's more accessible but slightly less applicable to the software industry.",
          "reason": "Offers it as an optional, more accessible alternative.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Slightly less applicable to the software industry.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10532955,
          "author": "noblethrasher",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T13:49:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10532955",
          "commentText": "Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman\nOn Intelligence by Jeff Hawkins\nThe Process of Education by Jerome Bruner",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for the best books read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neil Postman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "media criticism",
        "television",
        "public discourse",
        "technology and culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "as-a-man-thinketh-0061b0",
      "title": "As a Man Thinketh",
      "author": "James Allen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17337366,
          "author": "ratsimihah",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:27:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337366",
          "commentText": "As A Man Thinketh",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "As A Man Thinketh",
          "reason": "Names it as a comfort book in response to the thread question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15019567,
          "author": "jaypaulynice",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T16:16:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15019567",
          "commentText": "\"As A Man Thinketh\" James Allen...About to read \"Man's Search For Meaning\" next",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"As A Man Thinketh\" James Allen",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14486243,
          "author": "K0SM0S",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T09:15:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14486243",
          "commentText": "Meditations by Marcus Aurelius.\nStoicism is by far the best philosophy I've ever encountered. Some people call it \"the best operating system for the mind\", and I very much agree with that statement.\nIt changed my life more than any other corpus of ideas. I can't overstate how much better I feel now that my brain is running on a 'Stoic OS', especially on an emotional level --which was the hardest to deal with as I'm rather hyper-sensitive; now my emotions have truly become an almost entirely positive force in my experience of life, regardless of their nature, good or bad, of said emotions; in fact I no longer even qualify emotions on this scale; and the same goes true for an overwhelming majority of my thinking.\nThis book is the personal journal of one of the greatest roman emperors, leader of the (western) world at the time. A rare enough occurrence in the history of leaders, he was deemed 'worthy of his position' on a human and philosophical level by most people who knew him.\nA couple remarks: \"philosophy\" as seen by ancient authors and thinkers is not a strictly intellectual or abstract endeavor, not a scholarly matter, at least not at its core. Philosophy is the closest equivalent they had to what we'd call \"self-development\" today. It's very down to earth, 'life recipes' of sorts, simply to educate and help people deal with this elusive brain of ours. Seneca's and Epictetus writings are also excellent food for thought, food for one's mind. Imho, philosophy, litterally the \"love of wisdom\", is something we should deeply reappropriate, both as individuals and whole societies.\nRelatingly, Stoicism used to be taught from childhood throughout most of human history in the western world (and it could be argued that Asia has its own equivalent philosophies). For some reason, we ceased teaching philosophy to children around the turn of of the 20th century, which leaves most people with a lack of means to deal with their emotional circumstances. I'm one of those who consider this to be a dire pity, especially in our day and age. I think it sorely shows in public discourse and interpersonal relationships, and the end result is too much suffering that is entirely preventable.\nMeditations is easy enough to read, but if you want something more modern, I found The Obstacle is the Way by Ryan Holiday to be a very good introduction to Stoicism.\n____\nAs A Man Thinketh by James Allen. It's as short as it is good for the mind, the building/making of one's persona. Well worth a read at least once in your life, there are many 20th and 21st century self-development books (e.g. How to Win Friends and Influence People) that I believe drew some of their teachings from this 1903 classic.\n____\nThe Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. Regardless of where you find the information contained in this book (there are many works on the topic, both modern and throughout history), this book helps understanding that living in the present moment is critically important, and a key to happiness. Notwithstanding the 'wu-wu' aspects of Tolle's particular take, it just works. If you find yourself constantly dwelling on the past, or being a 'nostalgic of the future' (as I both used to do), knowing the value of living 'in the now' may be the difference between chronic depression and a fulfilling experience of life. It certainly is for me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's as short as it is good for the mind, the building/making of one's persona. Well worth a read at least once in your life",
          "reason": "Praised as a short, worthwhile book for the mind and personal development.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13258390,
          "author": "alc90",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-26T14:47:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13258390",
          "commentText": "My goal for this year was to read 10 books. Not a huge challenge but I'm happy I managed to complete it. I'm currently at my 16th book - so I might say that's pretty good.\nHere's my 2016 reading list:\n#1. Zero to One - Peter Thiel - 3.5*\n#2. The Alchemis - Paulo Coelho - 3.5*\n#3. Founders at Work - Jessica Livingston - 3*\n#4. Traction - Gabriel Weinberg - 4.5*\n#5. How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie -4*\n#6. Reinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations... - Frederic Laloux, Ken Wilber - 4*\n#7. Daily Rituals: How Artists Work - Mason Currey - 3*\n#8. Rich Dad, Poor Dad - Robert T. Kiyosak - 3*\n#9. The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs... - Eric Ries - 4.5*\n#10. Meaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly - Bernadette Jiwa - 3*\n#11. Elon Musk: Inventing the Future - Ashlee Vance - 4*\n#12. Rework - Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson - 4.5*\n#13. Anything You Want - Derek Sivers - 4.5*\n#14. South of the Border, West of the Sun - Haruki Murakami - 3.5*\n#15. As A Man Thinketh / The Path Of Prosperity - James Allen - 4*\nCurrently I'm reading If This Is a Man / The Truce by Primo Levi - and so far it seems to be one of the top 3 books I've read this year - definitely a 4+* book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "#15. As A Man Thinketh / The Path Of Prosperity - James Allen - 4*",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5704008,
          "author": "joelmaat",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-14T10:44:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5704008",
          "commentText": "The Way of The Superior Man\nThe Art of Learning\nAs a Man Thinketh\nThinking, Fast and Slow\nThink and Grow Rich!\nPsycho-Cybernet​ics\nPeopleware: Productive Projects and Teams\nRich Dad, Poor Dad",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "As a Man Thinketh",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Allen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self help",
        "new thought",
        "personal character",
        "personal development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "behave-the-biology-of-humans-at-our-best-and-worst-f9b3d0",
      "title": "Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst",
      "author": "Robert M. Sapolsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34161872,
          "author": "blissfulresup",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T15:25:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161872",
          "commentText": "Behave - Robert Sapolsky",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Behave - Robert Sapolsky",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32943913,
          "author": "kashyapc",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T20:00:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32943913",
          "commentText": "I'll mention two of mine. NB: they demand sustained reading and require nontrivial time investment.  The patient reader will be handsomely rewarded.\n- Behave, by Robert Sapolsky. Here's[1] my mini review from the past. I've also picked up various other fascinating books from Behave.\n- Seneca's all of 124 letters. A good English translation is key here. Get the edition published Chicago University; translated by Anthony Long and Margaret Graver. (Related: I wrote about high quality translations by top scholars of Stoic works here[2].)\n[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25559890\n[2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22990579",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Behave, by Robert Sapolsky.",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s recommended books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Requires sustained reading and a nontrivial time investment.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23859019,
          "author": "PascLeRasc",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:55:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859019",
          "commentText": "I'm working on it now, but Behave by Robert Sapolsky has been fantastic so far. All about evolutionary biology and how it influences behavior/psychology.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Behave by Robert Sapolsky has been fantastic so far.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are reading it and finding it fantastic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is still working through it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18475089,
          "author": "afpx",
          "createdAt": "2018-11-17T11:40:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 18473561,
          "threadTitle": "Best book/paper you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18475089",
          "commentText": "“Behave: the biology of humans at our best and worst” by Sapolsky was my favorite. I knew little about neurobiology, and this went a little deeper.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Behave: the biology of humans at our best and worst” by Sapolsky was my favorite.",
          "reason": "Names it as their favorite and says it deepened their understanding of neurobiology.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in human behavior and neurobiology.",
          "caveat": "The commenter knew little about neurobiology and says the book went a little deeper.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert M. Sapolsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "behavioral biology",
        "neuroscience",
        "behavior",
        "evolutionary biology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "being-mortal-medicine-and-what-matters-in-the-end-4763ee",
      "title": "Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End",
      "author": "Atul Gawande",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21792874,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T22:44:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21792874",
          "commentText": "The ones I rated highest out of those I read this year (which is what I think the question means).\n* Exactly: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester\n* Atomic Adventures: Secret Islands, Forgotten N-Rays, and Isotopic Murder-A Journey into the Wild World of Nuclear Science by James Magaffey\n* Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande\n* Vulcan 607 by Rowland White\n* Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen\n* Best. Movie. Year. Ever: How 1999 Blew Up the Big Screen by Brian Raftery\n* A Fabulous Creation: How the LP Saved Our Lives by David Hepworth\n* 1983: Reagan, Andropov, and a World on the Brink by Taylor Downing\n* The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes and Why by Amanda Ripley\n* In Your Defence: Stories of Life and Law by Sarah Langford\n* Springfield Confidential: Jokes, Secrets, and Outright Lies from a Lifetime Writing for The Simpsons by Mike Reiss\n* Working Actor: Breaking in, Making a Living, and Making a Life in the Fabulous Trenches of Show Business by David Dean Bottrell\n* Becoming by Michelle Obama\n* Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress by Steven Pinker\n* Rush Hour by Iain Gatel\n* Tamed: Ten Species that Changed our World by Alice Roberts\n* The Next American City: The Big Promise of Our Midsize Metros by Mick Cornett",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The ones I rated highest out of those I read this year",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s highest-rated books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12985410,
          "author": "porker",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-18T09:10:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12985410",
          "commentText": "Being Mortal, by Atul Gawande. It changed my outlook on life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Being Mortal, by Atul Gawande. It changed my outlook on life.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed their outlook on life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785234,
          "author": "lmcnish14",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T19:52:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785234",
          "commentText": "A few books I read for fun this year:\n- Armada: Ernest Cline - Very disappointing and predictable\n- Library of Souls: Ransom Riggs - Easy but engrossing book\n- Ruby Under a Microscope: Pat Shaughnessy - I find his style of explaining things very accessible\n- Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End: Atul Gawande - It's a hard subject to think about but helped me to understand that prolonging life and continuing treatment shouldn't necessarily be the end goal for every case.\n- Go in Action: William Kennedy - A must if you're learning Go lang",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "helped me to understand that prolonging life and continuing treatment shouldn't necessarily be the end goal for every case",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them understand end-of-life care and treatment goals.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The subject is hard to think about.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10554510,
          "author": "rluhar",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-12T17:21:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10554510",
          "commentText": "Return of a King (William Dalrymple 2013) - A book about the Anglo-Afghan wars of the 19th century. To paraphrase Mark Twain: History doesn't repeat, but it rhymes\nBeing Mortal (Atul Gawande, 2014) - Powerful book about old age and confronting the mortality of our loved ones\nThe Dark Forest (Cixin Liu, 2014) - Wonderful science fiction from China\nThe Peripheral (William Gibson, 2015) - Bleak, near future science fiction.\nThe Water Knife (Paolo Bacigalupi, 2015) - More bleak, near future science fiction.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Being Mortal (Atul Gawande, 2014) - Powerful book about old age and confronting the mortality of our loved ones",
          "reason": "Describes it as a powerful book about old age and mortality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Atul Gawande"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "end of life care",
        "aging",
        "medical ethics",
        "medicine"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "blink-the-power-of-thinking-without-thinking-97869e",
      "title": "Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking",
      "author": "Malcolm Gladwell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37936986,
          "author": "Simulacra",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:11:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37936986",
          "commentText": "Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. It taught me to pay attention to nonverbal language in decision making",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. It taught me to pay attention to nonverbal language in decision making",
          "reason": "Says it taught them to attend to nonverbal language in decision-making.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961840,
          "author": "rprameshwor",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T17:24:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961840",
          "commentText": "Into Thin Air  - Jon Krakauer\nIf you like reading adventurous books, i'd recommend it. This one is about the Mt. Everest expedition of a group of people and the disaster that fell upon them.\nYou're Surely Joking Mr. Feynman - Richard Feynman\nThis one is collection of events in the life of Feynman. He's mostly known for being a scientist, but he's equally talented in few other areas as well. An interesting and fun book.\nBlink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking - Malcolm Gladwell\nRecommended if you are into psychology and knowing how our thoughts and actions are affected by our subconscious.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Recommended if you are into psychology and knowing how our thoughts and actions are affected by our subconscious.",
          "reason": "Recommends it to readers interested in psychology and subconscious influences on thought and action.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in psychology and how subconscious processes affect thought and action.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229918,
          "author": "Ping_2_Ur_Pong",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T16:31:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229918",
          "commentText": "Below list are some of my favorite books overall that I didn't see mentioned.\n---Non-software related\nHow to win friends and influence people -Dale Carnegie (The definitive guide to helping you work better with people, truly great book, should be required reading)\nBlink- Malcolm Gladwell\nGodel Escher, Bach -  (Recursion, but not from a software perspective.  Its a glorious book that will change the way you think about recursion.)\nHitch Hiker's guide to the galaxy, - Douglas Adams  (Glorious book that is a fun read, when you need a break pick this up and laugh hard)\nFoundation Series - Assimov (Great stories from one of the best sci-fi writers ever)\n-------------------Software related\nCode Complete\nConcrete Mathematics\nThe Art of Computer Programming\nThe Design of the Unix Operating System\nIntroduction to Algorithms -Cormen\nDesign Patterns Elements of Resusable OO Design -Gang of Four",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blink- Malcolm Gladwell",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorite books in a response to a recommendation request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231232,
          "author": "ekm2",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T17:31:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231232",
          "commentText": "An introduction to Probability by William Feller\nCode(By Charles Petzold)\nFeynman Lectures Vol1\nArtificial Intelligence,A Modern Approach By Norvig\nBlink By Malcolm Gladwell.\nConcurrently.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Blink By Malcolm Gladwell.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 191784,
          "author": "coglethorpe",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-16T14:12:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=191784",
          "commentText": "1. \"The Wisdom of Crowds\" by James Surowiecki\n2. \"Predictably Irrational\" by Dan Ariely\n3. \"The Search\" by John Battelle\n4. \"Made to Stick\" by Chip Heath and Dan Heath\n5. \"The Tipping Point\" by Malcolm Gladwell\nThat should cover your trip. I've listened to all of them and really liked all of them.  \"Blink\" by Gladwell is also good, but not as business related.\nI would love to hear any other suggestions people have in this category.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Blink\" by Gladwell is also good, but not as business related.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it good, with the caveat that it is less business related.",
          "audience": "Listeners interested in psychology and decision making.",
          "caveat": "Not as business related as the other suggestions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Malcolm Gladwell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "decision making",
        "intuition",
        "nonverbal communication",
        "rapid cognition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "born-a-crime-15c4f0",
      "title": "Born a Crime",
      "author": "Trevor Noah",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25319338,
          "author": "wmoser",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T23:08:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319338",
          "commentText": "Since you called out working on a container ship, a lot of these have a nautical bent but that’s an area of my personal interest as well.\nLooking for a ship, John McPhee,\nBook about a sailor looking for work and eventually catching a ship.\nBorn A Crime, Trevor Noah, not about another career but Apertheid South Africa, I enjoyed it and wished I would have read it before traveling through S.A. For work.\nDon’t Tell mum I work on the rigs, she thinks I’m a piano player in a whorehouse, by Paul Carter, read this one awhile ago but it’s about an oil well driller.  The industry has changed quite a bit since this book was written but I remember really enjoying it.\nSalvage: a personal odyssey by Ian Tew. I enjoyed this book about a a salvage master out of Singapore\nThe ride of a lifetime by Robert Iger, book about Iger’s journey to being CEO of Walt Disney Company. A bit of insight to what the company executives are doing/ supposed to be doing?\nQuench Your Own Thirst, Jim Koch, the founder of the Boston Beer company. He discusses some of the mistakes he made along the way too.\nGood clean fun, Nick offerman",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Born A Crime, Trevor Noah, not about another career but Apertheid South Africa, I enjoyed it",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed it and notes its focus on apartheid South Africa rather than another career.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not about another career.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18696898,
          "author": "greenido",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-17T04:30:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18696898",
          "commentText": "Some books I've enjoyed in the past year:\nWish to laugh?\n* Born a Crime, by Trevor Noah\n* Yes please! by Amy Poehler\nThink?\n* Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell\n* Where Good Ideas Come from, by Steven Johnson\n* The Emperor of All Maladies and The Gene: An Intimate History both by Mukherjee Siddhartha\nLearn (more) about great thinkers?\n* Einstein or Leonardo da Vinci or Steve Jobs, by Walter Isaacson\n* Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike, by Phil Knight\nYuval Noah Harari 3 good ones:\n* Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow\n* Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\n* 21 lessons for the 21st century\nFrom time to time, I try to put some good ones over here: https://greenido.wordpress.com/?s=book",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Born a Crime, by Trevor Noah",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Readers who wish to laugh.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910593,
          "author": "amrrs",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:58:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910593",
          "commentText": "1. Born a Crime (audiobook) by Trevor Noah is an entertaining yet thought-provoking listen\n2. Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (just gives a different perception to success all together, at least did for me)\n3. Mastery (Robert Greene) - can be dismissed as Anecdotes but really powerful ones\n4. Deep Work (Cal Newport) - a guy who doesn't like to be on social media and I found reading about him and stumbled upon this and it's absolutely an insightful read\n5. The subtle art of not giving a fk - This is a short, beautiful and an amazing read even if you aren't looking for self improvement",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "an entertaining yet thought-provoking listen",
          "reason": "The commenter found the audiobook entertaining and thought-provoking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter refers to the audiobook.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17046842,
          "author": "aizatto",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T12:39:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17046842",
          "commentText": "I can say I've got through something similar.\nA book that made me very introspective was David Brook's The Road To Character . It made me ask my self a lot of questions which I have documented here https://www.deepthoughtapp.com/packages/55/david-brooks-humi... (https://www.deepthoughtapp.com/packages/55/david-brooks-humility-code-from-the-road-to-character/)\nAnother book was Paul Kalanathi's When Breath Becomes Air I also copied some quotes, questions, and answers here  https://www.deepthoughtapp.com/packages/135/paul-kalanithis-... (https://www.deepthoughtapp.com/packages/135/paul-kalanithis-when-breath-becomes-air/)\nI'd recommend reading biographies because they can help you give perspective about how a person leads their life. The ones I found thoroughly fun was Trevor Noah's Born a Crime, Phil Knight's Shoe Dog.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The ones I found thoroughly fun was Trevor Noah's Born a Crime",
          "reason": "The commenter says they found it thoroughly fun and recommends biographies for perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Trevor Noah"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Society",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "apartheid south africa",
        "comedy",
        "south africa"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "calvin-and-hobbes-bd0496",
      "title": "Calvin and Hobbes",
      "author": "Bill Watterson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30738208,
          "author": "rmnull",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T22:40:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30738208",
          "commentText": "* Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi.\nAmong lot of books i've read this was the one that pushed me towards questioning my beliefs. \nAlthough i can't say this book made me irreligious it certainly was a gateway to a whole new world.\n* Calvin and Hobbes.\nthis is one of those things that completely changed my perspective on creativity, oh and not to mention all the things about life and philosophy in there, its in good spirit.\n* Animal Farm\nThis is arguably the best piece of satire I've read that is also fun and\neasy on the brain. It flows like water.\n* The Little Schemer.\nI hold this book dear. I've tried reading SICP twice and given up.\nAnd thought LISP was not for me. The environment was horrible,\nall those parens it was just confusing.\nThis book changed that, what it encouraged me to do is grab a pen and paper\nand try to work everything out myself[1]. It was such a fun read and i owe most of my understanding of functional programming to this book.\nFew days after finishing this book, i introduced this book to my friend\nand we spent all our days discussing life listening to sufjan stevens and working through this book, it was a sweet time.\n====\n[1] I wrote my actual scheme programs on computer long after i had worked through the book(i don't recall exactly but it was after 5th or 6th chapter). An online friend of mine recommended that i try DrRacket as i could execute scheme there. It was a much friendlier environment.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Calvin and Hobbes.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed their perspective on creativity and includes ideas about life and philosophy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23860439,
          "author": "BJBBB",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T16:14:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23860439",
          "commentText": "This is going to be different, and is not intended to be sarcastic.\nThe Lathe of Heaven by Ursula Le Guin\nFirst read during my high school years in the Amazing SF magazine; and was later published as a book. The work was criticized by the 'elite' of the SF community at the time. Have recently re-read and got the same impressions of how as both a species and as individuals we are fools that understand very little; that is, we are too stupid to know that we are stupid.\nCalvin and Hobbs by Bill Waterson. \nWas my favorite non-mandatory read during my college years. Calvin Ball can teach us much about life, and his snow-men art is the dark that we always be in all of humans.\nMarine Corps Reference Publication (MCRP) 3 Rifle Marksmanship. [this is the current version, but am not certain of the designation for this manual when I first read it during the late 1970s].\nThis summarized the philosophy of combat, the physics of interior and exterior ballistics, and describes the zen-like state of the marksman. It is not as sterile as the US Army marksmanship manual, is more complete treatise of combat shooting and weapons care, and is brutally honest in that the USMC is preparing you to efficiently kill other humans. Very sobering.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Calvin and Hobbs by Bill Waterson.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was a favorite college read and that Calvin Ball can teach about life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12251571,
          "author": "kevindeasis",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T23:43:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12251571",
          "commentText": "I'm very sure I'll end up doing the same thing! It's a good book for all ages",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a good book for all ages",
          "reason": "The commenter describes the collection as a good book for all ages.",
          "audience": "Readers of all ages.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12246109,
          "author": "hoodoof",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T07:52:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12246109",
          "commentText": "I bought the entire collection of Calvin and Hobbes.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I bought the entire collection of Calvin and Hobbes.",
          "reason": "Says they bought the complete collection; this alone does not express endorsement.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297799,
          "author": "roymurdock",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:56:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297799",
          "commentText": "Older Stuff: The Bible/Quran, The Republic (Plato), The Social Contract (Rousseau), Tao Te Ching (Laozi), Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky), History of the Peloponnesian War (Thucydides)\nNewer Stuff: Nine Stories (Salinger), The Razor's Edge (Maugham), Nausea (Sartre), Siddartha (Hesse), Road to Serfdom (Hayek), The Book (Watts), Design of Everyday Things (Norman), Atlas Shrugged (Rand), Invisible Man (Ellison), Debunking Economics (Keen), Blood Meridian (McCarthy), The Center Cannot Hold (Saks), This Time Is Different (Reinhart/Rogoff), Infinite Jest (Wallace), Calvin and Hobbes (Watterson)\nAll of these books are well written and have given me some perspective on interesting people/situations/ways of thinking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Calvin and Hobbes (Watterson)",
          "reason": "Listed among books said to have given the commenter perspective on interesting people, situations, and ways of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Watterson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Art",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic strip",
        "humor",
        "comic strips",
        "creativity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cannery-row-d2bc2b",
      "title": "Cannery Row",
      "author": "John Steinbeck",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41177772,
          "author": "lotsofpizza",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T02:45:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41177772",
          "commentText": "The Mist - Stephen King\nCannery Row - Joseph Steinbeck\nPost Office - Charles Bukowski\nDracula - Bram Stoker",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cannery Row - Joseph Steinbeck",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment attributes the book to Joseph Steinbeck; the author is John Steinbeck.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26594717,
          "author": "dfxm12",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-26T17:30:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26594717",
          "commentText": "Fiction, yes. I've recently read and recommend Hardboiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami (which in a way is a blend of sci fi and fantasy), Cannery Row by John Steinbeck, and Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut.\nOn Deck, I have Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy, Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cannery Row by John Steinbeck",
          "reason": "Included in an explicit list of recommended fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15962640,
          "author": "rlease",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T18:34:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15962640",
          "commentText": "The full list: https://gitlab.com/rlease/Books\nMy list lines up with a lot of books that people have recommended here, so I'll try to add a few favorites that haven't been mentioned so far.\nFiction:\n1. Ubik - I read a bunch of Philip K. Dick this year, but this was my favorite. It's delightfully mind bending and left me thinking about it long after the book was done.\n2. All the Pretty Horses - Beautifully written. McCarthy has an uncanny ability to paint with words.\n3. Cannery Row - Short, witty, and full of interesting characters.\nNonfiction:\n1. The Idea Factory - A dive into how Bell Labs became such an innovation powerhouse and gives a rounded picture of the figureheads that brought it so much fame.\n2. Moonwalking with Einstein - A fun read about a journalist who took researching a memory competition a bit too seriously.\n3. Countdown to Zero Day - A fascinating look at the development and deployment of Stuxnet -- the virus built to set Iran's nuclear program back.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Short, witty, and full of interesting characters.",
          "reason": "Praises its wit and interesting characters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238537,
          "author": "kirubakaran",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:59:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238537",
          "commentText": "Here is my full bookshelf: http://www.kirubakaran.com/books-read.html\nBooks Read in 2016:\n1. The Recursive Universe: Cosmic Complexity and the Limits of Scientific Knowledge\n- Poundstone, William\n2. My Brain is Open: The Mathematical Journeys of Paul Erdos\n- Schechter, Bruce\n3. One Summer: America, 1927\n- Bryson, Bill\n4. The Three-Body Problem (Remembrance of Earth’s Past, #1)\n- Liu, Cixin\n5. The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit\n- Godin, Seth\n6. At Home: A Short History of Private Life\n- Bryson, Bill\n7. Kings of Kings (Hardcore History, #56-58)\n- Carlin, Dan\n8. Blueprint for Armageddon (Hardcore History #50-55)\n- Carlin, Dan\n9. Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal\n- Klaff, Oren\n10. William Shakespeare: The World as Stage\n- Bryson, Bill\n11. So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love\n- Newport, Cal\n12. The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles\n- Pressfield, Steven\n13. In a Sunburned Country\n- Bryson, Bill\n14. Cannery Row\n- Steinbeck, John\n15. Traction: A Startup Guide to Getting Customers\n- Weinberg, Gabriel\n16. Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World\n- Newport, Cal\n17. Starship Troopers\n- Heinlein, Robert A.\n18. No Touch Monkey!: And Other Travel Lessons Learned Too Late\n- Halliday, Ayun",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Cannery Row",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 192087,
          "author": "mattmaroon",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-16T18:37:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=192087",
          "commentText": "I found a torrent with all of Steinbeck's audio books. There's a great Of Mice and Men read by Gary Sinise. On the off chance you haven't read that yet or are a Gary Sinise fan, it's pretty great.\nI really liked Cannery Row too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really liked Cannery Row too.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really liked it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Steinbeck"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american literature",
        "california",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "choose-yourself-e57e13",
      "title": "Choose Yourself",
      "author": "James Altucher",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12246085,
          "author": "callmeed",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T07:47:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12246085",
          "commentText": "On Writing Well by Zinsser\nTraction by Weinberg & Mares\nPredictable Revenue by Ross\nChoose Yourself by Altucher\nLearn Python the Hard Way by Shaw\nMere Christianity by Lewis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Choose Yourself by Altucher",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about books given as gifts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12155886,
          "author": "hvd",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-25T01:18:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12155886",
          "commentText": "1.How to fail at almost everything and still win big- Scott adams\n2.The Surrender Experiment - Michael Singer\n3.Choose Yourself - Jamel Altucher",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Choose Yourself - Jamel Altucher",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11236652,
          "author": "trost",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-07T02:08:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11236652",
          "commentText": "I'm reading James Altucher's Choose Yourself Guide To Wealth right now and I really like it, although it's quite verbosely written (I'm about halfway through). This book is about business and monetizing ideas. I haven't read Choose Yourself, which is more of a self-help book, I think.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I haven't read Choose Yourself, which is more of a self-help book, I think.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it and is unsure of its category.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8795412,
          "author": "akulbe",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T04:30:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795412",
          "commentText": "The Personal MBA - Josh Kaufman\nThe First 20 Hours - Josh Kaufman\nSo Good They Can't Ignore You - Cal Newport\nThe 4-Hour Workweek - Tim Ferriss\nThe 4-Hour Body - Tim Ferriss\nStop Acting Rich - Thomas J. Stanley\nJames Altucher - Choose Yourself",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "James Altucher - Choose Yourself",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6976423,
          "author": "innertracks",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T20:37:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976423",
          "commentText": "Choose Yourself by James Altucher.  I was already heading in the direction of the books theme.  Reading it though gave me the extra push and had some good ideas for making the necessary changes.  Basically, getting enough sleep, exercise, gratitude, mental challenge, and bringing people you love and who love you closer are what he found to be keys to happiness. And I have to agree.  I was even able to get back into programming, after experiencing severe burnout years ago, by setting my priorities in a like manner.  Choose Yourself!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Reading it though gave me the extra push and had some good ideas for making the necessary changes.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped prompt changes and offered useful ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter was already moving in the direction of the book's theme.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5859308,
          "author": "garduque",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-11T02:47:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 5859004,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5859308",
          "commentText": "Finished James Altucher's Choose Yourself over the weekend.\nCurrently working on The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Finished James Altucher's Choose Yourself over the weekend.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Altucher"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "personal development",
        "self help",
        "self reliance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "citizen-of-the-galaxy-b2135b",
      "title": "Citizen of the Galaxy",
      "author": "Robert A. Heinlein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36022420,
          "author": "Maelcum",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T16:18:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36022420",
          "commentText": "Many of Philip K. Dick books and short stories, but Ubik and A Maze of Death are my favorites.\nWilliam Gibson's Sprawl trilogy (Neuromancer, Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive)\nDouglas N. Adams - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\nFrank Herbert's Dune books\nTheodore Sturgeon's More Than Human\nRobert A. Heinlein - Citizen of the Galaxy\nRobert Charles Wilson's Spin trilogy\nFrederik Pohl's Heechee books",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Robert A. Heinlein - Citizen of the Galaxy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17537612,
          "author": "rektide",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T23:10:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537612",
          "commentText": "The Stars My Destination was great. It might just be me but I'd like to see what folks who liked it thought of Robert Heinlein's Citizen of the Galaxy.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'd like to see what folks who liked it thought of Robert Heinlein's Citizen of the Galaxy.",
          "reason": "Asks for opinions from readers who liked the first book; gives no evaluation of this one.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630190,
          "author": "curtis",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:47:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630190",
          "commentText": "I love just about every one of Robert A. Heinlein's juvenile science fiction novels [1] and still love them as an adult.  When I was a teenager, Time for the Stars [2] was probably my favorite, but as an adult, I've come to appreciate Citizen of the Galaxy [3] more.\n[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinlein_juveniles\n[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_for_the_Stars\n[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_of_the_Galaxy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've come to appreciate Citizen of the Galaxy [3] more.",
          "reason": "Says they have come to appreciate it more as an adult.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12983372,
          "author": "partisan",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-18T00:58:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12983372",
          "commentText": "What were your takeaways from the book?\nAlso, Citizen of the Galaxy and Double Star are really good reads in the same sort of vein of political-minded science fiction.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Citizen of the Galaxy and Double Star are really good reads",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a really good read, in the vein of political-minded science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753309,
          "author": "danilocampos",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:49:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753309",
          "commentText": "I didn't love Stranger, but I blame Heinlein's stroke on that. Mid-way through writing it, he had a stroke – and you can tell because there's this huge break in the direction of the narrative.\nMoon feels much more cohesive and internally consistent. It's my favorite work of Heinlein's. Citizen of the Galaxy is also outstanding, even though it was written for the \"juvenile\" market.\nThe neatest thing about Bryson is that he's a travel writer. It works out really well for a science book, though, because he takes nothing for granted and describes everything with such loving flourish. It's a travelogue through the history of science and it's funny, and fun, while still respecting the subject matter.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Citizen of the Galaxy is also outstanding",
          "reason": "Called outstanding by the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Written for the \"juvenile\" market.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert A. Heinlein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "coming of age",
        "interstellar travel",
        "juvenile science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cloud-atlas-99687e",
      "title": "Cloud Atlas",
      "author": "David Mitchell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36030286,
          "author": "ianyanusko",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-22T12:03:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36030286",
          "commentText": "1) Three-Body Problem series\n2) Hyperion series (first two books especially)\n3) Cryptonomicon \n4) Cloud Atlas\n5) Wandering Earth (collection of short stories)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "4) Cloud Atlas",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22093737,
          "author": "prepend",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T20:17:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22093737",
          "commentText": "This sounds like the Sloosha’s Crossing last section of David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas. Pretty cool.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "This sounds like the Sloosha’s Crossing last section of David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas.",
          "reason": "The commenter compares the passage to a section of the novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17538876,
          "author": "nataz",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T05:00:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17538876",
          "commentText": "Lots of good stuff in this thread. Two books I haven't seen are Bone Clocks and Cloud Atlas. The only thing is, you can't Google them, for risk of spoilers.\nAlso, the movie based on Cloud Atlas is not great.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Two books I haven't seen are Bone Clocks and Cloud Atlas.",
          "reason": "Offers the books as additional suggestions in the discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Warns that searching for them risks spoilers; says the film adaptation is not great.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337369,
          "author": "ranic",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:28:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337369",
          "commentText": "Either Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell or The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Either Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell",
          "reason": "Lists it as one of two answers to the comfort-book question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4966814,
          "author": "barredo",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T19:20:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4966814",
          "commentText": "Cloud Atlas, little scifi in it. Good writer.\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_Atlas_%28novel%29\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Cloud-Atlas-Novel-David-Mitchell/dp/03... (http://www.amazon.com/Cloud-Atlas-Novel-David-Mitchell/dp/0375507256)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cloud Atlas, little scifi in it. Good writer.",
          "reason": "Calls the writer good and mentions the book's science-fiction elements.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it contains only a little science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4514840,
          "author": "Todd",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-13T04:49:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 4513324,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading currently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4514840",
          "commentText": "Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell\nBootstrap by Kenneth Hess",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell",
          "reason": "Names a book they are reading, without evaluating or recommending it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Mitchell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "speculative fiction",
        "historical fiction",
        "interconnected narratives"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "code-d896e1",
      "title": "Code",
      "author": "Charles Petzold",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804066,
          "author": "Delfino",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:09:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804066",
          "commentText": "I read about 25 books this year, here are the top 10 I look forward to reading in 2020, many of them informed by my favorites of 2019:\nHomo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari - I read Sapiens this year and really enjoyed it. I just started this today one so I may finish that before the end of the year.\nThinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman - I like books that make me think and from what I've heard, this will definitely do the trick. I read Factfulness this year and this was a suggested follow-up.\nThe Language Instinct by Steven Pinker - I've gotten really into natural languages since I've lived outside my country of origin for the last 2 and a half years and I've heard good things about this book being an entry point into linguistics.\nSword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski - With the new Witcher show coming out on Netflix I finally went back and beat The Witcher 3 then read the first book, The Last Wish. It was enjoyable enough that I want to keep going with the series.\nEducated by Tara Westover - Was convinced by Bill Gate's blog this is worthwhile. I'm a teacher so it wasn't hard to convince me.\nRobot Builder's Bonanza by Gordon McComb - I've been asked to teach a robotics course next year and this one seems to be The Book everyone recommends to dive into robotics.\nDivided by Partition: United by Resilience by Mallika Ahluwalia - I recently visited the Partition Museum in Amritsar, Punjab, India and purchased this book there to learn about more stories about people impacted by this event.\nThe Elements of Computing Systems by Noam Nisan and Shimon Shocken - I just read Code by Petzold and it was one of my favorite books. Even though I studied Computer Science in University and most of the concepts weren't new to me, it was such a fun experience mentally \"building\" a computer from relays/transistors to logic gates and up to assemblers, compilers, and interpreters. I want to keep going with this and jump into the Nand2Tetris online course.\nThe Annotated Turing by Charles Petzold - Again, I loved Petzold's Code so I looked up other books he wrote and this one looks great. I've never actually read Turing's work so I'm excited to have some background and explanation to help me not just read the words but grasp their significance.\nZACH-LIKE by Zachtronics - I played through several Zachtronics games this year (TIS-100, Shenzhen I/O and Opus Magnum) so I can't wait to dive into some of the thinking behind creating these and similar games.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I just read Code by Petzold and it was one of my favorite books.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of their favorite books and describes mentally building a computer as a fun experience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter already studied computer science, so most concepts were not new to them.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15965699,
          "author": "tranvu",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T23:56:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15965699",
          "commentText": "- The Road to Character (David Brooks)\n- Code (Charles Petzold)\n- Soft Skills: The Software Developer's Life Manual (John Z. Sonmez)\n- Zero Bugs and Program Faster (Kate Thompson)\n- Daemon (Daniel Suarez)\n- Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions (Brian Christian)\n- How to Talk to Anyone: 92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships (Leil Lowndes)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code (Charles Petzold)",
          "reason": "Listed as a book read in response to a question asking which books the commenter would recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14491019,
          "author": "cestith",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T19:53:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14491019",
          "commentText": "- The Practice of Programming ; Kernighan and Pike\n- The Advent of the Algorithm ; Berlinski\n- Engineering a Compiler ; Torczon and Cooper\n- Advanced Programming in the Unix Environment ; Stevens and Rago\n- Databases, Types, and the Relational Model ; Date\n- Code ; Petzold",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code ; Petzold",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for language-agnostic programming books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9758519,
          "author": "cfeduke",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T14:27:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758519",
          "commentText": "Any book written by Charles Petzold is an enjoyable read, though particularly the non-MS specific titles Code and The Annotated Turing.\nJava Concurrency in Practice (2006) is older but relevant and clearly describes concurrency on the JVM. A must read for any Java, Scala, Clojure, etc. software engineer; well-written, enjoyable, concise.\nPractical Object Oriented Design in Ruby by Sandi Metz is a fun read packed with good principles for working in Ruby that are applicable in general to object oriented programming.\nSmalltalk Best Practice Patterns by Kent Beck is worth a read because the general principles are applicable to any OOP language.\nClean Code by Robert Martin is excellent but a time commitment. (If you had to pick between SICP and Clean Code because time is at a premium I'd err on the side of Clean Code for practicality. Writing maintainable code is paramount.)\nThe Joy of Clojure (Fogus/Houser) is excellent and mentally digestable even if you have no Lisp or Clojure background.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Any book written by Charles Petzold is an enjoyable read, though particularly the non-MS specific titles Code and The Annotated Turing.",
          "reason": "Says Petzold's books are enjoyable to read and particularly names this one.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Included among multiple works by Petzold.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Petzold"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "digital logic",
        "computer hardware",
        "computer fundamentals",
        "computer systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "compilers-principles-techniques-and-tools-b43d6f",
      "title": "Compilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools",
      "author": "Alfred V. Aho, Monica S. Lam, Ravi Sethi, and Jeffrey D. Ullman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47728482,
          "author": "tnelsond4",
          "createdAt": "2026-04-11T07:57:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 47728352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on building a programming language",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47728482",
          "commentText": "I tried reading the dragon book in my teens, never really understood it, it was too much theory for me.\nI'd recommend starting with implementing a forth since it's the easiest language to write an interpreter/compiler for. From there you'll have enough experience to go for something bigger.\nMaking your own bytecode is really fun.\nUltimately you'll probably want your compiler to target llvm bytecode so that it works on every target automatically.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I tried reading the dragon book in my teens, never really understood it, it was too much theory for me.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it too theoretical and did not understand it when reading as a teenager.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter struggled with the theory.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37818508,
          "author": "tomcam",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-09T09:14:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37818508",
          "commentText": "The Dragon Book",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "The Dragon Book",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17052655,
          "author": "telltruth",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-12T05:50:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17052655",
          "commentText": "This might sound either obvious or naive but if you are not a CS major, I would really emphasize reading CS textbooks such as CLRS, Programming Pearls, Dragonbook and most importantly textbooks on statistics m probability, linear algebra. There is a pyramid of skills for developers. People who haven’t studied throughly above stuff usually ends up at bottom (aka “enterprise” or “web” or “database” developers). They spend their lives in trivialities of patterns and plumbing and only very rarely doing something interesting such as distributed computing, game programming, systems programming, ML/AI.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dragonbook",
          "reason": "Named as a computer science textbook the commenter recommends reading, especially for non-CS majors.",
          "audience": "Developers without a computer science major.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14488074,
          "author": "pvg",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T15:01:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14488074",
          "commentText": "You can probably make a book out of the recommendations for better books than dragon and applied crypto you can find just online.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "better books than dragon and applied crypto",
          "reason": "Cites the book by its common nickname as a target of recommendations for better books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12150875,
          "author": "de107549",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-23T20:24:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12150875",
          "commentText": "There were different book that impacted different stages of my career:\nAs a programmer :\n1. The C++ Programming Language by Bjarne Stroustrup.\n2. Operating System Concepts by Silberschatz\n3. Compilers by Aho\nAs an agile software developer:\n1. eXtreme Programming by Kent Beck\n2. Pragmatic Programmer by Hunt and Thomas\n3. Continuous Delivery by Jez Humble\nAs an architect:\n1. Domain Driven Design by Evans\n2. Pattern-Oriented Software Architecture by Buschmann\n3. Envisioning Information by Edward Tufte\nAs a CEO:\n1. Good To Great by Collins\n2. Lean Startup by Eric Ries\n3. Beyond Budgeting by Pfläging",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Compilers by Aho",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414395,
          "author": "T-R",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T08:57:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414395",
          "commentText": "It really depends on what you feel you're missing and what you're hoping to do (definitions of \"daily work\" vary widely). If you're looking to get up on theory by doing your own program of sorts, you could do worse than start with these (in roughly this order):\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs - Abelson, Sussman, and Sussman\nIntroduction to Algorithms - Cormen, Leiserson, Rivest, and Stein\nThe Art of Assembly Language - Hyde\na digital logic book (not sure which is most recommended), and an architecture book (see reply by tftfmacedo)\nModern Operating Systems - Tanenbaum\nIntroduction to the Theory of Computation - Sipser\nCompilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools - Aho, Lam, Sethi, and Ullman (a.k.a. \"Dragon Book\")\nProgramming Language Pragmatics - Scott\nA database design book (one that covers Relational Algebra, not just a book on SQL), and maybe a book on Networks. Also, Roy Fielding's paper on REST is both academic and applicable (and more approachable than you'd expect of a Ph.D paper). If you want to go all the way, an undergraduate program usually also has Calculus, Discrete Math, Linear Algebra, and Statistics. Some schools would also require Physics and Differential Equations. I'm sure I'm missing some topics, too, particularly electives.\nIf you can get through those and the associated problem sets, you'll have a better foundation than most.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Compilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools - Aho, Lam, Sethi, and Ullman (a.k.a. \"Dragon Book\")",
          "reason": "Included in a suggested sequence for studying computer science theory.",
          "audience": "Readers studying computer science theory independently.",
          "caveat": "The list is conditional on what the reader feels they are missing and hopes to do.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240710,
          "author": "kylec",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T03:03:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240710",
          "commentText": "I thought about posting this here after a relative success asking the question on Reddit:\nhttp://www.reddit.com/info/6mikl/comments/\nbut it looks like you've beaten me to it!\nI did create a listing of the most popular books mentioned on the comment thread, if you're interested. The following were mentioned by 4 or more people:\n14 The C Programming Language\n11 Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\n8 Introduction to Algorithms\n7 Compilers: Principles, Techniques and Tools\n6 Programming Erlang\n5 The Mythical Man-Month\n5 The Pragmatic Programmer\n5 Applied Cryptography\n4 Beautiful Code\n4 The Little Schemer\n4 Programming Perl\nmore here: http://www.reddit.com/info/6mikl/comments/c04abpy",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "7 Compilers: Principles, Techniques and Tools",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the most frequently mentioned books in the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alfred V. Aho",
        "Monica S. Lam",
        "Ravi Sethi",
        "Jeffrey D. Ullman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "compiler design",
        "compiler construction",
        "programming languages",
        "computer science textbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "computer-lib-dream-machines-c888b4",
      "title": "Computer Lib/Dream Machines",
      "author": "Ted Nelson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41176989,
          "author": "mikewarot",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T00:25:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41176989",
          "commentText": "1632 by Eric Flint - it became a series. I can read them over and over. - Alternate history, contemplative of everything that makes modern civilization possible and keeps it going.\nThe Art of Electronics  - Horowitz and Hill - All the nitty gritty details you'll need if you're to be a good electronics designer\nThe adolescence of P-1 - Thomas Joseph Ryan - Introduced me to the idea of random walks leading to AI.\nComputer Lib/Dream Machines - Ted Nelson -- Quite a bit of ideas about computers, I read it decades ago.\nDiary of an Early American Boy: Noah Blake 1805 -- By Eric Sloane -- Early Americans really knew their shit, we tend to think of them as simpler people, this book dispelled me of that stupid notion.\nBoys Second Book of Electronics - Alfred Morgan, 1957 -- Introduced me to the idea that I could make my own radio or anything electronic I wanted to make.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Computer Lib/Dream Machines - Ted Nelson -- Quite a bit of ideas about computers, I read it decades ago.",
          "reason": "Recalls that it contains many ideas about computers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter read it decades ago.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29307979,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:14:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29307979",
          "commentText": "> Not quite in the vein, but I think Ted Nelson's \"Computer Lib/Dream Machines\" deserves mention (although it's partly history.)\nThat does look very interesting!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "That does look very interesting!",
          "reason": "The reply clearly responds positively to the parent’s book recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22713937,
          "author": "jonjacky",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T20:05:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22713937",
          "commentText": "Computer: A History of the Information Machine by Martin Campbell-Kelly and William Aspray.  Good on prehistory: pre-computer data processing in the 19th and early 20th centuries -- there was a lot of it! --- \nthe founding and early history of IBM and the computer industry etc.\nComputer Power and Human Reason by Joseph Weizenbaum.  From 1976.  Not exactly a history, but now of historical interest as the first thorough ethical and humanist critique of computing and AI, by the MIT computer scientist who wrote the original Eliza program.  The chapter on the hacking culture at MIT has been widely quoted and was one of the  first popular accounts of that scene.\nComputer Lib/Dream Machines by Ted Nelson.  From 1974.  Another book now of historical interest.  Self-published, with a DIY look similar to its contemporary Whole Earth Catalog.  Along with advocacy (\"You can and must understand computers now!\") it is also an opinionated survey of the computing world right before the personal computer appeared.\nNelson is now best known as the author of the Xanadu hypertext proposal, which does get a few pages here, but I think this book might be his most influential contribution.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Computer Lib/Dream Machines by Ted Nelson. From 1974.",
          "reason": "Presents it as an influential survey and advocacy book about computing before the personal computer appeared.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in early personal computing and its ideas.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as opinionated and notes its DIY style.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 621355,
          "author": "davidmathers",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-22T00:21:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621355",
          "commentText": "Try finding a copy of Computer Lib/Dream Machines by Ted Nelson (1974), it's pretty awesome.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/0914845497/\nTo establish his credibility he lists both his \"technology credentials\" and his \"counter culture credentials\". If I had a time machine it would be nice to send him a copy of \"Worse is Better\". If he had read it maybe he wouldn't have failed at inventing the web.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Try finding a copy of Computer Lib/Dream Machines by Ted Nelson (1974), it's pretty awesome.",
          "reason": "Calls it awesome and urges readers to find a copy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ted Nelson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hypertext",
        "computer culture",
        "personal computing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "concepts-of-modern-mathematics-89c737",
      "title": "Concepts of Modern Mathematics",
      "author": "Ian Stewart",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31496932,
          "author": "blindmute",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T20:05:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31496932",
          "commentText": "In order:\n1. Book of Proof\n1a. How to Prove It: A Structured Approach\n2. Elements of Set Theory - Enderton\n2a. Naive Set Theory - Halmos\n3. Foundations of Analysis - Landau\n4. Basic Mathematics - Lang\n5. Principles of Mathematics - Allendoerfer & Oakley\n6. A Transition to Advanced Mathematics\n6a. Concept of Modern Mathematics - Stewart\n7. Calculus - Apostol or Spivak\nDon't skip any",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "6a. Concept of Modern Mathematics - Stewart",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23721531,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T06:24:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23721531",
          "commentText": "Some of the books that you mention seem a bit too hard for a teen, so you have to be careful not to demotivate them by expecting too much of them; instead i suggest a simpler approach before tackling the big ones;\n* Functions and Graphs by Gelfand et al. - A small but great book to develop intuition.\n* Who is Fourier? A Mathematical Adventure - A great \"manga type\" book to build important concepts from first principles\n* Concepts of Modern Mathematics by Ian Stewart - A nice overview in simple language.\n* Mathematics: Its Content, Methods and Meaning by Kolmogorov et al. - A broad but concise presentation of a lot of mathematics.\n* Methods of Mathematics Applied to Calculus, Probability, and Statistics by Richard Hamming - A very good applied maths book. All of Hamming's books are recommended.\nThere are of course plenty more but the above should be good for understanding.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Concepts of Modern Mathematics by Ian Stewart - A nice overview in simple language.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a simple-language overview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21351659,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-25T03:41:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21351659",
          "commentText": "In addition to all the other good suggestions, the following are recommended (have not seen these mentioned so far);\n- Concepts of Modern Mathematics - https://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Modern-Mathematics-Dover-Boo... (https://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Modern-Mathematics-Dover-Books/dp/0486284247/ref=sr_1_1?crid=214QSPLG829VY&keywords=concepts+of+modern+mathematics&qid=1571974129&s=books&sprefix=concepts+of+modern+ma%2Cstripbooks-intl-ship%2C1448&sr=1-1)\n- Methods of Mathematics Applied to Calculus, Probability, and Statistics - https://www.amazon.com/Methods-Mathematics-Calculus-Probabil... (https://www.amazon.com/Methods-Mathematics-Calculus-Probability-Statistics/dp/0486439453/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8) (all books by Richard Hamming are recommended)\n- Calculus: An Intuitive and Physical Approach - https://www.amazon.com/Calculus-Intuitive-Physical-Approach-... (https://www.amazon.com/Calculus-Intuitive-Physical-Approach-Mathematics/dp/0486404536/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8)\nFor a Textbook reference, the following are quite good;\n- Mathematical Techniques: An Introduction for the Engineering, Physical, and Mathematical Sciences - https://www.amazon.com/Mathematical-Techniques-Introduction-... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematical-Techniques-Introduction-Engineering-Physical/dp/0199282013/ref=dp_ob_title_bk) (easy to read and succinct)\n- Mathematics for Physicists: Introductory Concepts and Methods - https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Physicists-Introductory-C... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Physicists-Introductory-Concepts-Methods-ebook/dp/B07N48G4KD/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mathematics+for+physicists&qid=1571974732&s=books&sr=1-1)\nFor General reading (all these authors other books are also worth checking out);\n- Mathematics, Queen and Servant of Science - https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Queen-Servant-Science-Tem... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Queen-Servant-Science-Tempus/dp/155615173X/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mathematics+queen+and+servant&qid=1571977505&s=books&sr=1-1)\n- Mathematics and the Physical World - https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Physical-World-Dover-Book... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Physical-World-Dover-Books/dp/0486241041/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mathematics+and+the+physical+world&qid=1571977524&s=books&sr=1-1)\n- Mathematician's Delight - https://www.amazon.com/Mathematicians-Delight-Dover-Books-Ma... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematicians-Delight-Dover-Books-Mathematics/dp/0486462404/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mathematician%27s+delight&qid=1571977538&s=books&sr=1-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Concepts of Modern Mathematics",
          "reason": "Listed among recommended books in response to a request for accessible mathematics reading.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for mathematics books similar to Feynman's lectures.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 755416,
          "author": "tokenadult",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T15:27:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755416",
          "commentText": "That thread recommends many very few good books, but probably mostly books too hard at first for the participant who has posted this new thread.\nI'll recommend a couple of books from that thread:\nhttp://www.springer.com/physics/book/978-0-306-45036-5\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Short-Introduction-Timothy... (http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Short-Introduction-Timothy-Gowers/dp/0192853619/)\nI agree with the recommendation of An Introduction to Mathematical Reasoning in this thread.\nAnother participant has already recommended my favorite for background reading, Concepts of Modern Mathematics by Ian Stewart.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Modern-Mathematics-Ian-Stewar... (http://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Modern-Mathematics-Ian-Stewart/dp/0486284247/)\nGet that right away.\nSawyer's A Mathematician's Delight is surely also good (I've read other books by Sawyer).\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0486462404/\nRead those for background as you get my favorite overviews of mathematics: Basic Mathematics by Serge Lang and Numbers and Geometry by Joseph Stillwell.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Basic-Mathematics-Serge-Lang/dp/038796... (http://www.amazon.com/Basic-Mathematics-Serge-Lang/dp/0387967877/)\n(Basic Mathematics is mostly high school level math, with a minimum of fuss and bother, and good exercises.)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Geometry-John-Stillwell/dp/038... (http://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Geometry-John-Stillwell/dp/0387982892/)\n(Numbers and Geometry is mostly undergraduate level math, with very good explanations and excellent exercises.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Get that right away.",
          "reason": "Calls it a favorite and urges the reader to get it right away.",
          "audience": "A beginner seeking background reading in mathematics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 755314,
          "author": "patternexon",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T14:52:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755314",
          "commentText": "Concepts of Modern Mathematics\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Modern-Mathematics-Ian-Stewar... (http://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Modern-Mathematics-Ian-Stewart/dp/0486284247/ref=pd_sim_b_88)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Concepts of Modern Mathematics",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to the request for beginner math books.",
          "audience": "People learning mathematics from the basics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ian Stewart"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "modern mathematics",
        "mathematical overview",
        "mathematics",
        "mathematics overview"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "connections-99ede1",
      "title": "Connections",
      "author": "James Burke",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48985437,
          "author": "ahazred8ta",
          "createdAt": "2026-07-20T22:02:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 48981842,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favourite science history book of the 20th century?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48985437",
          "commentText": "James Burke's book version of 'Connections' https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55024.Connections\nAlso Douglas Coupland's 'Microserfs', described as \"Here's a guy who seems to have spent a week with engineers and effortlessly absorbed everything that is important about engineering culture, everything that matters about working at a big company, and everything that matters about working at a startup.\" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2748.Microserfs",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "James Burke's book version of 'Connections'",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36588298,
          "author": "max_",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-04T15:51:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36588298",
          "commentText": "1. The Imagineers of War by Sharon Weinberger\n2. The Nature of Technology by Brian Arthur\n3. (Not a book but documentary) Connections by James Burk\n4. Books by James Burk [0]\n[0]: https://www.thriftbooks.com/a/james--burke/215445/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Not a book but documentary) Connections by James Burk",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter identifies it as a documentary, not a book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17207120,
          "author": "kej",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T16:38:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17207120",
          "commentText": "As a sort of counterpoint to the suggestions you're going to get, I really like the series Connections [1] by science historian James Burke. He takes a step back to show how interconnected and interdependent technological progress is. I think it's a valuable perspective that is easy to ignore when you're focused on the stories of individual companies or inventors. The first series is available on the Internet Archive [2], as well.\n[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connections_%28TV_series%29\n[2] https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22connection... (https://archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22connections%22%20creator%3A%22james%20burke%22)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really like the series Connections [1] by science historian James Burke.",
          "reason": "The commenter likes its interconnected perspective on technological progress.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the connections behind technological progress.",
          "caveat": "The commenter presents it as a counterpoint to stories about individual companies or inventors.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12494191,
          "author": "dredmorbius",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-14T04:13:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12494191",
          "commentText": "From a recent HN comment,  a list, some authors, and some guidelines, largely based on books which radically changed my thinking.\nCurrently:  Vaclav Smil, Energy in World History (1994), and Manfred Weissenbacher, Sources of Power (2009).  Both detail the role and impact of energy through world history.  The latter draws strongly on the first, both are exceedingly well documented.  TL;DR: coal changed much, oil changed everything.\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/3... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/30398523&referer=brief_results)\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foragin... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foraging-agriculture-and-coal/oclc/837625798&referer=brief_results)\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625970&referer=brief_results)\nJames Burke's books Connections and The Day the Universe Changed, and their accompanying television series, were a profound introduction to the history of technology, science, ideas, and philosophy.  Though 30+ years old, they remain highly current and relevant.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/connections/oclc/4494136\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/day-the-universe-changed/oclc... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/day-the-universe-changed/oclc/12049817)\nJeremy Campbell's Grammatical Man (1984) introduced the concepts of information theory and their deep, deep, deep interconnections to a tremendous number of interconnected systems, many not explored within his book.  Darwin's The Origin of Species, James Gleick's Chaos, and many of the works of Santa Fe Institute members, including John C. Holland, J. Doyne Farmer, Geoffrey West, W. Brian Arthur, David Krakauer, and Sander van der Leeuw, continue these themes.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-e... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-entropy-language-and-life/oclc/8306673)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/chaos-making-a-new-science/oc... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/chaos-making-a-new-science/oclc/15366709)\nWilliam Ophuls' Ecology and the Politics of Scarcity (1977) is perhaps the best, most comprehensive, shortest, and most readable exposition of the fact, reality, dynamics, and interactions of limits on the present phase of fossil-fuel fed economic growth I've found.  This is a book I recommend not only for the message, but the author's clarity of thought and exposition, his meticulous research, exquisite bibliographical notes, and, given the nearly 30 years elapsed, testability numerous of his predictions, some failed, yes, others uncannily accurate.  Rather more the latter.  In a similar vein, William R. Catton's Overshoot looks at the ecological dynamics in more depth, with much wisdom, the writings of Richard Heinberg cover the ground of limits fairly accessibly and more recently.  Vaclav Smil in numerous books addresses technical factors of the profound nature of the past 250 years, and implications for the future.  Meadows, et al, in Limits to Growth set off much of the post-1970 discussion (though they're hardly the first to raise the question -- it dates to Seneca the Elder),\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-s... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-scarcity-prologue-to-a-political-theory-of-the-steady-state/oclc/2524932)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/overshoot-the-ecological-basi... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/overshoot-the-ecological-basis-of-revolutionary-change/oclc/6195764)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Aheinberg%2C+richard&a... (https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Aheinberg%2C+richard&amp;qt=owc_search)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Asmil%2C+vaclav&amp;qt... (https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Asmil%2C+vaclav&amp;qt=results_page)\nThough hardly pessimistic, Daniel Yergin's book The Prize (and TV series) impressed upon me more than any other just how much petroleum specifically changed and transformed the modern world.  Though intended largely as laudetory and championing the oil industry by the author, my read of it was exceptionally cautionary.  The impacts on business, everyday life, politics, wars, industry, and transport, and the rate at which they occurred, are simply staggering.  You can continue this exploration in Vaclav Smil's Energy in World History (1994) (I've recommended Smil independently elsewhere), and a rare but profound two-volume set I'm currently reading, Manfred Weissenbacher's Sources of Power: How energy forges human history (2009).  The shear physicality of this book speaks to the message -- it's divided into five parts:  1) Foraging Age (6 pages), 2) Agricultural Age (156 pp), 3) Coal Age (160 pp),  4) Oil Age (296 pp), and 5) Beyond the Oil Age (142 pp).  That is, the ~2 million years of pre-agricultural existence are little more than a footnote, the 8,000 years of agriculture roughly equal to the 150 years of coal, and the 100 years of petroleum use roughly twice either.  The oil and post-oil ages comprise their own volume.  Yergin followed up with The Quest, continuing the search for oil, though I've been less impressed by it.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/prize-the-epic-quest-for-oil-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/prize-the-epic-quest-for-oil-money-and-power/oclc/22381448)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/30398523)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foragi... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foraging-agriculture-and-coal/oclc/837625798)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/83762... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625970)\nAdam Smith's An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations is among the most-cited (and most incorrectly cited), least-read books of high influence I'm aware of, outside religious texts (and perhaps it is a religious text to some…).  The author's message has been exceptionally shaped and manipulated by a powerful set of forces, quite often utterly misrepresenting Smith's original intent.  Reading him in his own words, yourself, is strongly recommended.  I'd also recommend scholarship particularly by Emma Rothschild and Gavin Kennedy, though also others, on Smith. Contrast with the portrayal by the propaganda disinformation front of the Mont Pelerin Society / Atlas Network / so-called Foundation for Economic Education, and much of the modern American Libertarian movement (von Mises, Hayek, Friedman, Hazlett, Rothbard, and more recently, Norberg).  Contrast The Invisible Hand (1964), a compilation of essays published by Libertarian house Regnery Press in 1966, at the beginning of the rise in public use of Smith's metaphor to indictate mechanism rather than an expression of the unknown.\nThere are numerous editions of Smith, I believe the Glasgow is frequently cited by Smith scholars:  https://www.worldcat.org/title/glasgow-edition-of-the-works-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/glasgow-edition-of-the-works-and-correspondence-of-adam-smith-2-an-inquiry-into-the-nature-and-causes-of-the-wealth-of-nations-vol-1/oclc/832488566)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/economic-sentiments-adam-smit... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/economic-sentiments-adam-smith-condorcet-and-the-enlightenment/oclc/45282974)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smith-and-the-invisible-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smith-and-the-invisible-hand/oclc/820387997)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smiths-lost-legacy/oclc/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smiths-lost-legacy/oclc/56598640)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/invisible-hand-a-collection-o... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/invisible-hand-a-collection-of-essays-on-the-economic-philosophy-of-free-enterprise/oclc/326622)\nI'd like to put in recommendations on technology specifically, but am still searching for a good general text.  The material's covered somewhat in the chaos and complexity recommendations above (Campbell et al), though I'd add Joseph Tainter's The Collapse of Complex Societies.  Charle's Perrow has several excellent books including Normal Accidents and Organizing America.   I'd like to reference something concerning Unix, Linux, and programming, perhaps Kernighan and Pike's The Unix Programming Environment, Linus Torvalds' Just for Fun, Richard Stallman's The GNU Manifesto, and Steve McConnel's Code Complete.  The O'Reilly book Unix Power Tools also encapsulates much the strength of the Unix toolset.  All these are somewhat dated.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/collapse-of-complex-societies... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/collapse-of-complex-societies/oclc/15083222)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/normal-accidents-living-with-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/normal-accidents-living-with-high-risk-technologies/oclc/10229932)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/organizing-america-wealth-pow... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/organizing-america-wealth-power-and-the-origins-of-corporate-capitalism/oclc/939707157)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-programming-environment/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-programming-environment/oclc/10269821)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/5238168... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/52381684)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "were a profound introduction to the history of technology, science, ideas, and philosophy.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was a profound introduction to several connected fields.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it is over 30 years old but remains relevant.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Burke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of technology",
        "documentary series",
        "science and technology",
        "scientific ideas"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "countdown-to-zero-day-stuxnet-and-the-launch-of-the-world-s-first-ed626e",
      "title": "Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon",
      "author": "Kim Zetter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804899,
          "author": "AGivant",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:29:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804899",
          "commentText": "Here is my list (from https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/912138-alex-givant?rea...):\nMemoirs:\n- Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti..).\n- Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive by Land, Stephanie, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39218350-maid\n- Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40409969-medium-raw\n- Confessions of a Tax Collector: One Man's Tour of Duty Inside the IRS by Yancey, Rick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_..).\n- The Perfect Predator: A Scientist's Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Superbug: A Memoir by Steffanie Strathdee, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-pre... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-predator)\nPolitics:\n- Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Desmond, Matthew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25852784-evicted\n- Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America by Leovy, Jill, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13153693-ghettoside\n- American Prison: A Reporter's Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment by Bauer, Shane, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38561954-american-prison\n- Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Eban, Katherine, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42448266-bottle-of-lies\n- A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America by Miller, T. Christian, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35805861-a-false-report\n- The New Silk Roads by Frankopan, Peter, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro..).\nHistory:\n- Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-1956 by Applebaum, Anne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13531848-iron-curtain\n- The Romanovs: 1613-1918 by Montefiore, Simon Sebag, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26109020-the-romanovs\n- The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Johnson, Steven, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36086.The_Ghost_Map\n- Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations by Bergman, Ronen, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f..).\n- Madame Fourcade's Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against Hitler by Olson, Lynne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade..).\n- Argo: How the CIA & Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History by Méndez, Antonio J., https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13588425-argo\nCrime:\n- Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History by Selby, Scott Andrew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7071759-flawless\n- American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road by Bilton, Nick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi..).\n- Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by Carreyrou, John, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37976541-bad-blood\n- Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World by Wright, Tom, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-..).\n- The Mastermind: Drugs. Empire. Murder. Betrayal. by Ratliff, Evan, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41181600-the-mastermind\nTechnology:\n- Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon by Zetter, Kim, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze..).\n- Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World by Thompson, Clive, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40406806-coders",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon by Zetter, Kim",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list of favorite nonfiction books read in 2019.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17750421,
          "author": "BlackjackCF",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T14:40:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17750421",
          "commentText": "Also in the nonfiction realm - Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon was really good. Ended up reading the entire thing in one go on an airplane.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon was really good. Ended up reading the entire thing in one go on an airplane.",
          "reason": "Calls it really good and says they read it in one go.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Nonfiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521472,
          "author": "Insanity",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T09:00:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521472",
          "commentText": "Some books that I recently read and enjoyed:\nNon-fiction\na) Sapiens (Yuval Noah Harari)\nb) Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon (Kim Zetter)\nc) Hackers: Heroes of the computer revolution (Steven Levy)\nd) Masters of Doom (David Kushner)\nFiction:\ne) The Death of Ivan Ilyich (Leo Tolstoy)\nf) Ready Player One (Ernest Cline)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon (Kim Zetter)",
          "reason": "Listed among books recently read and enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13237380,
          "author": "rdeboo",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T14:22:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237380",
          "commentText": "I set myself a goal to read 20 books; I succeeded.\nHere's the ones I recommend most:\nKim Zetter - Countdown to Zero (on Stuxnet virus and how it was smuggled into the nuclear facility; very interesting)\nGary Kasparov - Winter is Coming (we should consider Russia a dictatorship by now; though until recently, western politicians treated it as a democratic partner country)\nMark Goodman - Future crimes (wide spanning book on crime in the age of the internet)\nPhilip E. Tetlock - Superforecasting (how amateurs can consistently beat domain professionals in forecasting all kind of stuff)\nVenkat Subramaniam - Programming Concurrency on the JVM (good overview of your options (diy with locking / akka / clojure & STM))",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Here's the ones I recommend most:\nKim Zetter - Countdown to Zero (on Stuxnet virus and how it was smuggled into the nuclear facility; very interesting)",
          "reason": "Describes the Stuxnet operation and calls it very interesting.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in cybersecurity and Stuxnet.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9347021,
          "author": "HolyLampshade",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T12:28:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9347021",
          "commentText": "Currently reading a few, including:\n- The Good Spy - Kai Bird (Robert Ames bio)\n- Becoming Steve Jobs - Brent Schlender (after reading Isaacson's Jobs' bio I figured another perspective wouldn't be horrible)\n- Countdown to Zero Day - Kim Zetter (RE: Stuxnet and cyber-espionage)\nAnd finally, I'm re-reading The Accidental Guerrilla by David Kilcullen (something of a social science approach to \"Why do rebels/guerrillas/terrorists exist?\")",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Countdown to Zero Day - Kim Zetter (RE: Stuxnet and cyber-espionage)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kim Zetter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "stuxnet",
        "cybersecurity",
        "cyberwarfare",
        "cyber espionage"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "daemon-series-d9fcf1",
      "title": "Daemon series",
      "author": "Daniel Suarez",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17752869,
          "author": "pavel_lishin",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T19:27:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17752869",
          "commentText": "I did, yup. I was actually super mad at Daemon; I always try to get people to get both at once, to avoid the cliffhanger.\nI don't think it address it enough; it made it more plausible by admitting that it can't be completely autonomous, but I'm not entirely sold. Having said that, I still love the series, much like I love any fantasy novel :P",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I still love the series",
          "reason": "Says they love the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter criticizes the cliffhanger and says the autonomy issue is not addressed enough.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15671440,
          "author": "gravidor",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-10T17:33:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15671440",
          "commentText": "The Name of the Wind - For all the reasons mentioned above, is one of my absolute favorite fiction books.  Its not just the characters, its Rothfuss' use of language.  I've never kept track of so many quotable phrases in a book.\nEnders Shadow Series by Orson Scott Card - I loved the majority of the Ender's Game series was disappointed when it was over.  Throughout those books, Bean was always my favorite character and it was a great day when I discovered the Ender's Shadow series which chronicles Bean's life over several books. The thing I loved most about Bean were his powers of analysis and he taught me to think more about scenario outcomes and think about multiple ways of achieving my goals.\nDune - A pattern is emerging here.  I love the books where the hero CHOOSES to ascend and works to get there.  Paul Atredies starts out a boy against harsh conditions and rises to the challenge.\nThe Stand by Stephen King - I read this book when I was 14 or 15 on summer break in a week.  I fell in from the start and read for entire days until it was done and when it was over I was in awe at the size (1000+ pages) and scope of what King accomplished.\nThe Alpha Strategy by John Pugsley - Its an interesting book and look at economics and wealth preservation in layman's terms.  Its funny because this book was written in the 80s and when I read it, it was immediately applicable.  I grew up in a pretty liberal household and this book made me start to pay attention to what liberals and conservatives were saying and form my own opinions.\nAtlas Shrugged - I read this right after the book above and the two in combination really caused a mindeset shift for me. It wasn't so much that everyone is out to get me or against me, but more I am responsible for my outcomes and I need to invest in myself.\nE-Myth Revisited By Michael Gerber - Piqued my interest in systems and where I started to learn the value of systems and making success repeatable.\nWorking the System By Sam Carpenter - More of the \"how-to\" book E-Myth Revisited should have been.\nDaemon Series - This one has been mentioned and while it didn't have the impact on my that the other books did, I did enjoy the world the author created.\nThieves Emporium by Max Hernandez - This was a quick read and appealed to my love of technical fiction.  Similar to Daemon, its use of technology in the story is interesting and not that far off from the real world at this point.  [WARNING: GRAPHIC SCENES]\nI was unambitious and coasted through life until after college, and it wasn't until I was in my late 20s that I started really reading books like these.  Over the past few years, I've become almost a completely different person.  I read a tremendous amount and can say its had a huge impact on my \"mental models\" and how I approach life.\nBooks I'm interested in reading next include: \n- Meditations\n- Works on mental models\n- Elon Musk biography (the amount he's able to accomplish quickly is staggering)\nI don't read as much fiction as I used to, instead choosing to focus on technical books, but fiction has definitely had an impact on my development as well.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "while it didn't have the impact on my that the other books did, I did enjoy the world the author created.",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed the world created, while noting it had less impact than the other books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Had less personal impact than the other books discussed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043630,
          "author": "subelsky",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:55:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043630",
          "commentText": "Damon (plus the rest of that trilogy), Dune - those are two recent favorites off the top of my head",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "plus the rest of that trilogy",
          "reason": "Includes the rest of the trilogy among the commenter's recent favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1974338,
          "author": "sgricci",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T07:20:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974338",
          "commentText": "Snow crash was great as well.\nAlso the \"Daemon\" series by Daniel Suarez is great along the same lines as snow crash.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the \"Daemon\" series by Daniel Suarez is great along the same lines as snow crash.",
          "reason": "Calls the series great and compares its appeal to Snow Crash.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Suarez"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "technothriller",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "cyber thriller",
        "cybercrime"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "darkness-at-noon-a409bc",
      "title": "Darkness at Noon",
      "author": "Arthur Koestler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41175841,
          "author": "montgomery_r",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:58:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175841",
          "commentText": "Aargh, Formatting! Try 2 :\nFor the value of ‘best’ that includes\n(a) had a deep and long lasting impact on how I think about the world and\n(b) I consider beautiful pieces of writing in their own right,\nhere are some in no particular order:\nThe Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins\nThinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nNaming and Necessity, Saul Kripke\nTractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein\n(These you might want to approach via a gentle introduction if you did not study Philosophy to degree level)\nThe Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle\nDarkness at Noon, Arthur Koestler\nThe Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse\nA Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh\nDiaries, Samuel Pepys\nFalling Off the Map, Pico Iyer\nA Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor\nThe Lonely Sea and the Sky, Francis Chichester\nThe Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope\nBevis, Richard Jeffries\nThe Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith\nThe Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse\nHitch-22, essays, Christopher Hitchens\nCollected Essays, William Hazlitt\nVenice, Martin Gayford\nThe Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski\nThe Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch\nToo obvious a list, perhaps, but some gems for all that! Happy reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Darkness at Noon, Arthur Koestler",
          "reason": "Includes the title among books considered impactful and beautifully written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41175718,
          "author": "montgomery_r",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:45:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175718",
          "commentText": "For the value of ‘best’ that includes  (a) had a deep and long lasting impact on how I think about the world and (b) I consider beautiful pieces of writing in their own right, here are some in no particular order: \nThe Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins \nThinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nNaming and Necessity, Saul Kripke\nTractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein\n(These you might want to approach via a gentle introduction if you did not study Philosophy to degree level) \nThe Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle\nDarkness at Noon,\nArthur Koestler\nThe Glass Bead Game,\nHermann Hesse\nA Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh\nDiaries, Samuel Pepys\nFalling Off the Map, Pico Iyer\nA Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor\nThe Lonely Sea and the Sky,\nFrancis Chichester\nThe Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope\nBevis, Richard Jeffries\nThe Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith\nThe Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse\nHitch-22, essaysChristopher Hitchens \nCollected Essays, William Hazlitt\nVenice, Martin Gayford\nThe Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski\nThe Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch\nToo obvious a list, perhaps, but some gems for all that! Happy reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Darkness at Noon,\nArthur Koestler",
          "reason": "Includes it among books with lasting impact on how they think and that they consider beautiful writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19090505,
          "author": "atmosx",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T22:14:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090505",
          "commentText": "Great great book. I need to re-read it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great great book. I need to re-read it.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book and says they want to reread it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17169741,
          "author": "mm321",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T23:27:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17169741",
          "commentText": "Don't know about changing my life, but these books changed the way i look at things:\nThe Tao of Pooh: Benjamin Hoff\nSlaughterhouse-Five, or The Children's Crusade by Kurt Vonnegut\nTI 99/4a basic reference manual\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, by Abelson, Sussman\nObject Oriented Analysis and Design by Grady Booch\nDarkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler\nThieves in the Night by Arthur Koestler\nAll the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren\nThe Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck\nThe Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.\nWar and Peace by L.N.Tolstoy\nChapaev and the void by Pelevin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler",
          "reason": "Listed among books that changed how the commenter looks at things.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12099199,
          "author": "rolancaster01",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T06:01:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12099199",
          "commentText": "Melville \"Bartlby the Scrivener\" & Ramsey \"When We Are No More: how Digital Memory Is Shaping Our Future\"\nDown \"Brilliant Beacons: a History of the American Lighthouse\"\nKoestler \"Darkness Before Noon\" & \"The Invisible Writing\" & \"The Ghost in the Machine\"\nJohn Gardner - anything really but October light and the sunlight dialogs in particular.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Koestler \"Darkness Before Noon\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur Koestler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political fiction",
        "totalitarianism",
        "soviet union"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "discourses-27b234",
      "title": "Discourses",
      "author": "Epictetus",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46693299,
          "author": "0xmattf",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-20T16:01:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 46690957,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What non-fiction do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46693299",
          "commentText": "I only read non-fiction; mostly philosophy. Here are some books off the top of my head:\n* The Inner Citadel/Philosophy as a Way of Life by Pierre Hadot\n* Plato's dialogues (someone already mentioned a few of them, but the Republic was missing from their list).\n* Epictetus (Discourses and Enchiridion)\n* The various essays/letters of Seneca\n* Matter and Consciousness by Churchland (older, but fascinating)\n* The Mediations of Marcus Aurelius\n* (mostly) any Buddhist texts\n* What a Plant Knows\n* Moonwalking with Einstein\nThere are tons of fascinating books, way too many to list.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Discourses and Enchiridion",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28452992,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-08T04:19:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 28450555,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that impacted your work that few other people seem to care about?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28452992",
          "commentText": "I have about half a dozen translations of the Meditations and i suggest the following;\n* Translation by Gregory Hays published in \"The Modern Library\" classics. This is highly approachable and should be the first one you start with.\n* Translation by Martin Hammond and published by Penguin Classics. Lots of illuminating Notes.\n* Translation by Robin Hard and published in \"Oxford World's Classics\" series. Robin Hard also has a translation of Epictetus' Discourses/Enchiridion/Fragments and Sayings and Anecdotes of Diogenes in the same Oxford series, both of which are also excellent.\nPS: All of the above contain a detailed Introduction to the work which you should not skip. They set the background, Worldview, Time etc. which help you understand the ideas in the book better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Robin Hard also has a translation of Epictetus' Discourses/Enchiridion/Fragments and Sayings and Anecdotes of Diogenes in the same Oxford series, both of which are also excellent.",
          "reason": "Mentions the Oxford translation as excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Part of a group of works listed as available in the Oxford series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17988588,
          "author": "ioddly",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-14T16:30:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17988588",
          "commentText": "It's actually his personal diary, written often while he was on campaign. From that perspective I think it's impressive how insightful he managed to be in short bursts. But if you are looking for something more long-form, you might try Seneca's Letters or Epictetus Discourses.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "or Epictetus Discourses.",
          "reason": "Suggested for someone looking for long-form writing.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking philosophical works in a longer form.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6414260,
          "author": "hvass",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-19T20:59:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6414260",
          "commentText": "The Black Swan (anything by Taleb really), Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Letters from a Stoic by Seneca, Epictetus' Discourses, Fish that ate the whale by Rich Cohen, Man's Search for Meaning,  Titan, Principles by Ray Dalio (not really a book, but really worth reading, plus it's free), 4HW by Tim Ferris, The Strategy Paradox.\nAlso Teddy Roosevelt's biography has been very influential.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Epictetus' Discourses",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed one's life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Epictetus"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "stoicism",
        "roman philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "domain-modeling-made-functional-839f3f",
      "title": "Domain Modeling Made Functional",
      "author": "Scott Wlaschin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28664638,
          "author": "tacotacotaco",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T21:02:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28664638",
          "commentText": "This sounds like \"Domain Modelling Made Functional\" by Scott Wlaschin, maybe? It walks through the software development process of automating a small business starting with requirements gathering, a valuable step that is often overlooked in programming books. It uses F# but I think anyone familiar with a typed language should be fine, and the info can be applied to any functional language. It uses the type system to great effect to enforce business requirements. I've recommended this book to at least five colleagues in the past year. Very good!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This sounds like \"Domain Modelling Made Functional\" by Scott Wlaschin, maybe?",
          "reason": "The commenter has recommended it to at least five colleagues and calls it very good.",
          "audience": "Readers familiar with a typed language; the commenter says the ideas apply to any functional language.",
          "caveat": "It uses F#.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27630049,
          "author": "exdsq",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T12:44:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27630049",
          "commentText": "My friend read that two years ago and now works for a small F# consultancy that sounds like a great place to work. He really recommends the book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "He really recommends the book.",
          "reason": "The commenter reports that their friend recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27628886,
          "author": "nicolapcweek94",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T10:03:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27628886",
          "commentText": "I'll be reading Domain Modeling Made Functional [1], which seems fun as it applies F#/ML/FP concepts to \"enterprisey\" DDD.\n[1] https://isthisit.nz/posts/2019/domain-modeling-made-function... (https://isthisit.nz/posts/2019/domain-modeling-made-functional)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'll be reading Domain Modeling Made Functional",
          "reason": "The commenter plans to read it for its application of F#/ML/FP concepts to domain-driven design.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in F#, functional programming, or domain-driven design.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it seems fun; no further evaluation is given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21820409,
          "author": "james_s_tayler",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-17T23:59:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21820409",
          "commentText": "Do you have a good example of a reference architecture or implementation of a non-trivial system you can point me to?\nI've recently gotten a copy of the book Domain Modelling Made Functional. I'm yet to read it, but I'm pretty intrigued by some of what I've seen and I have heard it comes highly recommend.\nI'd be very keen to hear of other high quality examples of things people consider good reference material.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've recently gotten a copy of the book Domain Modelling Made Functional.",
          "reason": "The commenter has not read it yet but says they are intrigued by what they have seen and have heard it comes highly recommended.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it yet; the positive recommendation is secondhand.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21773575,
          "author": "whb07",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-12T16:55:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 21765528,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fun Tech Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21773575",
          "commentText": "\"Domain Modeling Made Functional\" by Scott Wlaschin*\nTalk about a great book from cover to cover! Functional language evangelists are always ranting about types and their usefulness but fail to concretely convey how and why they can help. In this book Scott uses F#, but it applies to the broader range functional languages with a strong type system like Haskell, OCaml, Scala etc.\nThe main thread of the book is building an ecommerce shop of and he begins at the base foundation what the \"business\" needs and how it can be modeled using the type system to carefully detail and build on the idea of making \"illegal states unrepresentable\".\nHighly recommended as it shows that the author has spent  quite a bit of thought on conveying the useful ideas and being concise in explaining them. If you're new to the world of functional programming it does a great job of explaining the concepts and how to use them. For the experts, it specifically helps you be aware of better modeling around types.\n* https://pragprog.com/book/swdddf/domain-modeling-made-functi... (https://pragprog.com/book/swdddf/domain-modeling-made-functional)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Highly recommended as it shows that the author has spent  quite a bit of thought on conveying the useful ideas and being concise in explaining them.",
          "reason": "Praised for clearly explaining functional programming concepts and type based domain modeling.",
          "audience": "Readers new to functional programming and experienced programmers seeking better type modeling.",
          "caveat": "Uses F#, though the commenter says the ideas apply to other strongly typed functional languages.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Wlaschin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "functional programming",
        "domain driven design",
        "domain modeling",
        "f"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dracula-605d29",
      "title": "Dracula",
      "author": "Bram Stoker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41177772,
          "author": "lotsofpizza",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T02:45:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41177772",
          "commentText": "The Mist - Stephen King\nCannery Row - Joseph Steinbeck\nPost Office - Charles Bukowski\nDracula - Bram Stoker",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dracula - Bram Stoker",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32291664,
          "author": "fm2606",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-31T00:05:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32291664",
          "commentText": "Back in the early '00s I read Stoker's Dracula and then just by chance ended up going to England for a work assignment.  I visited Whitby and saw the steps at the church that Stoker described.  Utterly amazing to be in a place described in a book written 100+ years prior.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I read Stoker's Dracula",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13236590,
          "author": "viraptor",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T11:37:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13236590",
          "commentText": "The view from the cheap seats by Neil Gaiman http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24331386-the-view-from-th... (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24331386-the-view-from-the-cheap-seats) - lots of good content about books, music, comic books history, etc. There's over 80 other books mentioned inside and it makes you want to read all of them.\nDracula by Bram Stoker - because it was mentioned in the previous one and it's amazing how many elements we borrowed / changed / rewritten in the new works compared to the original.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's amazing how many elements we borrowed / changed / rewritten in the new works compared to the original.",
          "reason": "The commenter is impressed by how later works adapted elements from the original.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5691391,
          "author": "bloodorange",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T17:53:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5691391",
          "commentText": "\"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland\" - Lewis Carroll\n\"Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There\" - Lewis Carroll\n\"Dracula\" - Bram Stoker\n\"Frankenstein\" - Mary Shelly\n\"On Education\" - Bertrand Russell\n\"The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy\" - Douglas Adams\n\"Animal Farm\" - George Orwell\n\"1984\" - George Orwell\n\"Lord of The Flies\" - William Golding\n\"Brave New World\" - Aldous Huxley\n\"Gulliver's Travels\" - Jonathan Swift\n\"The Selfish Gene\" - Richard Dawkins",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Dracula\" - Bram Stoker",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for good book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2963436,
          "author": "aorshan",
          "createdAt": "2011-09-05T21:59:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 2963294,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Got a Kindle. What now? What books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2963436",
          "commentText": "I would recommend taking a look through all of the free classics available on the Kindle store. There are thousands of old books that are out of copyright and are completely free to download. You can find stuff like the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, papers by einstein, Gulliver's Travels, Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde, Dracula, and lots of other really great reads.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dracula",
          "reason": "Recommended as one of the free classics available on Kindle.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for free classic books on Kindle.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1866217,
          "author": "lux",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T19:53:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1866217",
          "commentText": "Dracula, and Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman.\nI've been restricting myself to fiction these days, since I get way too engrossed by non-fiction and want to keep it light and fun for a bit :)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Dracula, and Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bram Stoker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "vampires",
        "gothic fiction",
        "gothic horror",
        "classic literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dreams-from-my-father-ba938b",
      "title": "Dreams from My Father",
      "author": "Barack Obama",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665209,
          "author": "PostPost",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:26:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665209",
          "commentText": "Sorry for the wall of text.\n1. Bourne (The language and world of this novel are extraordinary - everything is falling apart yet brimming with life. Strangely moving)\n2. The Design of Everyday things (Essential for anyone in UI/UX)\n3. All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (Highly engaging, entertaining sci-fi novella series, from an author that can write a very decent robot protagonist)\n4. The Power (Interesting story with sci-fi elements on the dynamics of power, sex, and gender roles. I didn't care for the book, but the first 3/4 of the book are amazing)\n5. Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days\n6. 7 brief Lessons on Physics\n7. The Last Lecture (The energy and positivity coming from a man knowing he's about to die is infectious. Great read)\n8. A wizard of Earthsea (Move over Harry Potter, this is the essential children's story about wizards)\n9. Exploring diabetes with owls (Funny, irreverent)\n10. Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children (Made an effort to read more YA this year - this was the best in this series, but I still hated it. There's a host of better YA series out there.)\n11. A Wizard of Earthsea: The Tombs of Atuan (See 8.)\n12. The Girl in the Dark (Interesting book about a skin condition I had never heard of, and the trials of living with a very rare condition)\n13. The Phantom Tollbooth (Clever children's book)\n14. Black hole blues and songs from outer space (Informative book about the study of space,  the political and economic forces standing in the way of science, and the incredible individuals working in this field)\n15. Welcome to Night Vale (Hugely entertaining, clever and weird)\n16. You need a budget (Basic economics book explaining how to budget in a way that lets you do more with your money)\n17. To fight Against This Age (Incredibly pretentious, \nIvory Tower philosophizing)\n18. Infinity Gauntlet (Half the Universe dying because Thanos wanted to sleep with Lady Death will never not be ridiculous)\n19. The Right and Wrong Stuff (Great read explaining how to anticipate and avoid career pitfalls)\n20. Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children: Hollow City (pretty shitty)\n21. The Farthest Shore (Ursula K. Le Guin was the biggest loss this year)\n22. Miss peregrine's home for Peculiar Children: Library of Souls (I hate this book and all its characters)\n23. Every Good Endevour (Religious book about a Christian worldview and the value of labor - not a bad read)\n24. When to Rob a Bank and 131 warped suggestions… (interesting, funny, from the writers of Freakonomics)\n25. Weapons of Math Destruction (Probably the most useful book on this list, if you're reading this on \"hackernews\")\n26. Holes (Perfect summer paperback read)\n27. Silver Screen Sirens (Essential for film geeks)\n28. A full life: reflections at 90 (I gained a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter: he lived an incredible life and does great things)\n29. Call Me by your name (Very good romance novel to send to your bigoted relatives at Christmas)\n30. Hyperbole and a half (Incredibly entertaining, very distinctive art style)\n31. The Murderbot diaries: Artificial Condition (See 3.)\n32. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Best children's book, fight me)\n33. Less (Exceptionally well-written)\n34. Resilience (Great book, especially for those that have gone through extremely difficult circumstances)\n35. The Strange Bird (Dark, bleak, full of life, see 1.)\n36. The Murderbot diaries: Rogue Protocol (See 3.)\n37. His Dark Materials: The subtle knife (See 32.)\n38. Tap Dancing to Work (Very dry, some stories/articles are fantastic, others very, very boring for people that do not care about finance)\n39. So Good They Can't Ignore You (Pretty good)\n40. His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass (Amazing YA, see 32.)\n41. Uncontainable (Inspirational book about conscious capitalism)\n42. The Emperor of All Maladies (Pretty much everything you'll ever want to know about Cancer, written in a very engaging way)\n43. Blind Spot\n44. Shoe dog (Great story, see madmax108's comment, totally agree)\n45. The Faithful Spy (Beautiful artwork describing a Christian pastor's fight against fascism during WW2)\n46. Zero to One\n47. You'll grow out of it\n48. The Happiness advantage (Really fantastic book about the value of positive psychology)\n49. Dreams from my father (Enlightening look into Obama's \nearly days)\n50. Ayoade on Ayoade (Entertaining, extremely scatter-brained, not as funny as his interviews or tv programs)\n51. The Diabolic (badly written YA Sci-Fi)\n52. The Physics of Everyday Things (surprisingly informative, recommended for non science-people interested in the way things work)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Enlightening look into Obama's early days",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as an enlightening account of Obama's early life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569162,
          "author": "namin",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:31:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569162",
          "commentText": "Some books I've read this summer, which I can recommend:\n- The Facebook Effect -- well-written insider's account of the history of Facebook and its ambitions.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Facebook-Effect-Inside-Company-Connect... (http://www.amazon.com/Facebook-Effect-Inside-Company-Connecting/dp/1439102112)\n- The Quantum Enigma -- an accessible digest of quantum mechanics and its philosophical consequences.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Enigma-Physics-Encounters-Cons... (http://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Enigma-Physics-Encounters-Consciousness/dp/019534250X/)\n- Flesh & Machines -- a lightweight history of robotics and some wacky speculations by MIT's Rodney Brooks.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Flesh-Machines-Robots-Will-Change/dp/0... (http://www.amazon.com/Flesh-Machines-Robots-Will-Change/dp/0375420797)\n- The Language of Life: DNA and the Revolution of Personalized Medecine -- a well-backed account of what is or will be possible in medicine thanks to a better understanding of the genome and increase use of DNA sequencing for prevention, diagnostic, and treatment.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Language-Life-Revolution-Personalized-... (http://www.amazon.com/Language-Life-Revolution-Personalized-Medicine/dp/0061733180/)\n- ... by David Sedaris -- Funny short stories. Perhaps The Santaland Diaries for something light but really amusing, and When You Are Engulfed in Flames for something darker and more well-known. Also, if you like short stories, I heartily recommend Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules, a varied collection of short stories selected by Sedaris.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/David-Sedaris/e/B000AQ3YUW/\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0349119759\nhttp://www.amazon.com/When-You-Are-Engulfed-Flames/dp/031615... (http://www.amazon.com/When-You-Are-Engulfed-Flames/dp/0316154687/)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Children-Playing-Before-Statue-Hercule... (http://www.amazon.com/Children-Playing-Before-Statue-Hercules/dp/074327394X/)\n- Dreams of My Father -- Barack Obama writes candidly and beautifully about his childhood and early adulthood; it's not a political book, and it's worth reading for the writing alone.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Dreams-My-Father-Story-Inheritance/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Dreams-My-Father-Story-Inheritance/dp/1400082773/)\n- Mathematics: The Loss of Certainty: a chatty history of mathematics, and its perception.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Loss-Certainty-Galaxy-Book... (http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Loss-Certainty-Galaxy-Books/dp/0195030850)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dreams of My Father -- Barack Obama writes candidly and beautifully about his childhood and early adulthood; it's not a political book, and it's worth reading for the writing alone.",
          "reason": "Calls the writing candid and beautiful and says it is worth reading for the writing alone.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter clarifies that it is not a political book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026502,
          "author": "ErrantX",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T00:27:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026502",
          "commentText": "Risk, the science of politics and fear by Dan Gardner (absolutely fantastic book, I already mentioned it on here earlier in the year).\nThe Game (again). I read this regularly to remind me of a few things - it's the book that originally got me fascinated in human interaction.\nNemesis (Richard Mullers theory) after a recommendation on HN.\nA couple of Obama's books (seemed logical to read up on him)- dreams of my Father I especially liked.\nSnowball (though still chugging through that).\nIn Search of Schrodinger's Cat - a book all about the evolution of quantum theory (and one that gives me my favourite quote of the year: In 1905 Einstein actually published 5 times. The fifth being his PHD dissertation; yes those three individually genius works, which shook the very foundations of physics, were published my a man called Mr Einstein. Despite the artistic license I still love it as a quote :))",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "dreams of my Father I especially liked.",
          "reason": "Says this book was especially liked.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 192183,
          "author": "weegee",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-16T20:06:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=192183",
          "commentText": "Dreams of my father by Barack Obama",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dreams of my father by Barack Obama",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Barack Obama"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "american politics",
        "family",
        "politics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "earth-abides-207fa7",
      "title": "Earth Abides",
      "author": "George R. Stewart",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33387736,
          "author": "leobg",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T20:37:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33387736",
          "commentText": "Oh wow. Didn’t expect to see this here. Earth Abides is one of my favorites, too.  Must have read it over five times. I even visited Berkley and the Indian Rock Park close to where the author lived, which is a central location in the book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Earth Abides is one of my favorites, too.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of their favorites and says they have reread it more than five times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11557644,
          "author": "DanBC",
          "createdAt": "2016-04-23T22:09:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 11556470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your favorite dystopian novel and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11557644",
          "commentText": "\"Earth Abides\" was pretty good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Earth Abides\" was pretty good.",
          "reason": "The commenter gives it a positive evaluation in response to a favorite dystopian novel question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6559633,
          "author": "a3n",
          "createdAt": "2013-10-16T13:56:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 6553238,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the essential books of knowledge for civilization?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6559633",
          "commentText": "Could happen, obviously.\nBut whether it's cosmically sudden or self-inflicted, we'll likely be more concerned with the fast or slow moving catastrophe than with future generation, and the Time Traveler's three books aren't going to matter when it's eat or be eaten. Once a collapse happens I think we have to play through the whole cycle.\nSpeaking of fiction, I've always liked this as an exploration of how society would respond to a collapse: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_Abides",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've always liked this as an exploration of how society would respond to a collapse",
          "reason": "The commenter likes it as an exploration of how society might respond to collapse.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140490,
          "author": "nazgulnarsil",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T02:59:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140490",
          "commentText": "depends on the subgenre :)\nSuperhuman:\nSlan by A.E. Van Vogt\nMore Than Human by Theodore STurgeon\nOdd John by Olaf Stapledon\nPost Apocalyptic:\nThe Day of The Triffids by John Whyndham\nEarth Abides by George R. Stewart\nA Canticle for Lebowitz by...don't remember\nSpace Opera/Adventure:\nany of The Culture novels by Iain M. Banks\nThe Reality Dysfunction series by ...don't remember\nHyperion series by Dan Simmons\nTo Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer\nDystopian:\nWe by Yevgeny Zamyatin <---highly overlooked, predates 1984 and Brave New World\nBut the Absolute Best would be anything by:\nStanislaw Lem (Cyberiad, Futurological Congress, Solaris)\nAlfred Bester (The STars my Destination, The Demolished Man)\nor Samuel R. Delany (Babel-17, Dhalgren, Trtion, Nova)\noh and Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light and This Immortal are both great.\nSome of Philip K. Dick's stuff is great, but everyone recommends him. :)\nalmost forgot John Brunner, check out Steel Beach, The Sheep Look Up, and Stand on Zanzibar.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Earth Abides by George R. Stewart",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George R. Stewart"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "post apocalyptic",
        "post apocalyptic fiction",
        "social collapse"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "educated-80c9d3",
      "title": "Educated",
      "author": "Tara Westover",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42509444,
          "author": "BDPW",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T16:11:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42509444",
          "commentText": "Educated by Tara Westover. A really wild story I couldn't put down after the first 3 pages. A must-read, esp. For HN readers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Educated by Tara Westover. A really wild story I couldn't put down after the first 3 pages. A must-read, esp. For HN readers.",
          "reason": "Calls it a must-read and says the story was hard to put down.",
          "audience": "Especially Hacker News readers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40883965,
          "author": "tylertyler",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-05T16:14:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40883965",
          "commentText": "Educated by Tara Westover. \nThis account of growing up in the US paints a picture of the hurdles and self determination needed to come out alive/functional/sane/educated from a rural, poor, religious family.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Educated by Tara Westover.",
          "reason": "Describes an account of growing up in a rural, poor, religious family and the hurdles to becoming educated and functional.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21814557,
          "author": "ckrusk",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-17T15:39:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21814557",
          "commentText": "I am interested in what others think of Educated. I made it 3/4 of the way through and struggled to get that far. The stories seemed very repetitive.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The stories seemed very repetitive.",
          "reason": "The commenter struggled to finish the book because its stories felt repetitive.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter made it only three quarters of the way through.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804066,
          "author": "Delfino",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:09:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804066",
          "commentText": "I read about 25 books this year, here are the top 10 I look forward to reading in 2020, many of them informed by my favorites of 2019:\nHomo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari - I read Sapiens this year and really enjoyed it. I just started this today one so I may finish that before the end of the year.\nThinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman - I like books that make me think and from what I've heard, this will definitely do the trick. I read Factfulness this year and this was a suggested follow-up.\nThe Language Instinct by Steven Pinker - I've gotten really into natural languages since I've lived outside my country of origin for the last 2 and a half years and I've heard good things about this book being an entry point into linguistics.\nSword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski - With the new Witcher show coming out on Netflix I finally went back and beat The Witcher 3 then read the first book, The Last Wish. It was enjoyable enough that I want to keep going with the series.\nEducated by Tara Westover - Was convinced by Bill Gate's blog this is worthwhile. I'm a teacher so it wasn't hard to convince me.\nRobot Builder's Bonanza by Gordon McComb - I've been asked to teach a robotics course next year and this one seems to be The Book everyone recommends to dive into robotics.\nDivided by Partition: United by Resilience by Mallika Ahluwalia - I recently visited the Partition Museum in Amritsar, Punjab, India and purchased this book there to learn about more stories about people impacted by this event.\nThe Elements of Computing Systems by Noam Nisan and Shimon Shocken - I just read Code by Petzold and it was one of my favorite books. Even though I studied Computer Science in University and most of the concepts weren't new to me, it was such a fun experience mentally \"building\" a computer from relays/transistors to logic gates and up to assemblers, compilers, and interpreters. I want to keep going with this and jump into the Nand2Tetris online course.\nThe Annotated Turing by Charles Petzold - Again, I loved Petzold's Code so I looked up other books he wrote and this one looks great. I've never actually read Turing's work so I'm excited to have some background and explanation to help me not just read the words but grasp their significance.\nZACH-LIKE by Zachtronics - I played through several Zachtronics games this year (TIS-100, Shenzhen I/O and Opus Magnum) so I can't wait to dive into some of the thinking behind creating these and similar games.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Educated by Tara Westover",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter looks forward to reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter was convinced by Bill Gates's blog that it is worthwhile.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803308,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T14:43:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803308",
          "commentText": "I hilariously overestimate the number of books I can get through when I make these lists, but my current list for 2020 is as follows:\nDigital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World\nThe Man Who Solved the Market: How Jim Simons Launched the Quant Revolution\nBook of Proof\nDesigning Data-Intensive Applications: The Big Ideas Behind Reliable, Scalable, and Maintainable Systems\nSeeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed\nGuns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies\nWe Make the Road by Walking: A Year-Long Quest for Spiritual Formation, Reorientation, and Activation\nSoul Repair: Recovering from Moral Injury after War (for a friend)\nMaster and Commander\nEducated\nWithout Getting Killed or Caught: The Life and Music of Guy Clark\nStretch goal: The Power Broker, as a warm-up for Caro's LBJ series\nThe Bible (perpetual, I don't get through it every year, but I get through much of it, often)\nEDIT: I also hilariously underestimate the number of books I want to read. Here's one more I think is vital for my 2020:\nThe Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Educated",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21792686,
          "author": "chrisshroba",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T22:14:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21792686",
          "commentText": "I thought Educated by Tara Westover was a fascinating look at how people grow to have radical views when they're surrounded by people who hold those views (In Westover's family's case, survivalism, extreme Mormonism, and anti-governmentism).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I thought Educated by Tara Westover was a fascinating look at how people grow to have radical views",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a fascinating look at how people develop radical views in an insular environment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18664368,
          "author": "adenadel",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T14:53:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664368",
          "commentText": "The best books that I read this year were\nBad Blood by John Carreyrou (this book is about Theranos and is absolutely insane, it reads like a thriller)\nEducated by Tara Westover (this is a fascinating memoir about a woman who was raised by fundamentalists and \"escaped\" to BYU)\nThe Undoing Proect by Michael Lewis (about the relationship between Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky and their research together)\nThe Rise and Fall of DODO by Neal Stephenson (I love all of his books)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Educated by Tara Westover (this is a fascinating memoir",
          "reason": "Named among the commenter's best books of the year and described as fascinating.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tara Westover"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Learning",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "education",
        "family",
        "radicalization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ego-is-the-enemy-2296f8",
      "title": "Ego Is the Enemy",
      "author": "Ryan Holiday",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30287638,
          "author": "bobbydreamer",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-10T15:37:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30287638",
          "commentText": "Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ego is the Enemy by Ryan Holiday",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29837734,
          "author": "audiometry",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-07T11:09:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29837734",
          "commentText": "I would have benefitted from reading “Ego is the Enemy” and any title on mindfulness from Jon Kabat Zinn.  But at that age I was probably too hot headed and insane and immature to actually read them. Sigh. So instead I learned everything the hard way.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I would have benefitted from reading “Ego is the Enemy”",
          "reason": "The commenter says they would have benefited from reading it at 18.",
          "audience": "Readers around age 18.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they may have been too hot-headed and immature at that age to read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12990862,
          "author": "charlesroper",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-18T23:18:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12990862",
          "commentText": "Team of Teams by General Stanley McChrystal.\nFundamentally about being agile, adaptable, transparent, collaborative and decentralised. You could say it's about digital transformation but on a military scale. An excellent companion to some other books mentioned here, such as Deep Work (this book is a constructive counterpoint in many ways), Extreme Ownership, and Ego is the Enemy.\nhttps://mcchrystalgroup.com/teamofteams/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Ego is the Enemy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned as an example of a companion book; no evaluation here.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416301,
          "author": "jjbohn",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:08:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416301",
          "commentText": "I have a lot of the classics on my list, but a new one that I've found extremely growth spurring was \"Ego is the Enemy\" by Ryan Holiday. I never really considered myself an egotists; confident perhaps, but something I never struggled with. This book showed me that I indeed did have more ego than necessary and gave me some really good guidance on how to live a better, happier, and more fulfilled life. Really something for a book I didn't even know I needed.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book showed me that I indeed did have more ego than necessary and gave me some really good guidance on how to live a better, happier, and more fulfilled life.",
          "reason": "Says it revealed their ego and offered good guidance for living better.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12142886,
          "author": "ohgh1ieD",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T11:17:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12142886",
          "commentText": "1. Ego Is the Enemy - Ryan Holiday\n2. sidebar from /r/theredpill\n3. The Millionaire Fastlane: Crack the Code to Wealth and Live Rich for a Lifetime\nBook number 3 has probably the most 'click baity' and the most douchey title of all times.\nIt sounds like one of those self help books or one of those get rich fast schemas but in fact, it's an eye opener and it encourages hard work.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ego Is the Enemy - Ryan Holiday",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ryan Holiday"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Philosophy",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ego",
        "personal development",
        "stoicism",
        "self improvement"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "einstein-s-dreams-9f6e6e",
      "title": "Einstein's Dreams",
      "author": "Alan Lightman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46400119,
          "author": "Dambalala",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T08:10:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46400119",
          "commentText": ". Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch. Urban fantasy with a great audiobook narrator (Kobna Holdbrook-Smith). Harry Potter meets Sherlock Holmes. Loved the computer history and London Library parts in False Value.\n. Chrestomanci series by Diana Wynne Jones. Found the first book in a local phonebox library. Especially liked the probability computer in Conrad’s Fate.\n. Southern Reach trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer. Recommended by a barber after I mentioned the cartoon \"Scavengers Reign\". Annihilation is well worth reading.\n. The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro. Novel about memory, forgetting.\n. Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman. Short novel imagining Einstein's dreams whilst he worked on his relativity theory.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman. Short novel imagining Einstein's dreams whilst he worked on his relativity theory.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a short novel imagining Einstein's dreams while he worked on relativity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22093141,
          "author": "Rerarom",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T18:54:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22093141",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\nMordecai Roshwald, Level 7\nAlexander Dewdney, The Planiverse\nJoseph Heller, God Knows\nAlan Lightman, Einstein's Dreams\nNon-fiction:\nJane Goodall, In the Shadow of Man\nGian-Carlo Rota, Indiscrete Thoughts\nC. S. Lewis, The Discarded Image\nMichael E. Brown, How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming\nRobert Kegan, In Over Our Heads\nMichael Harris, The Atomic Times\nI may add guilty pleasures like the Legacy of the Force series, but I don't think this is what people here are looking for.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Alan Lightman, Einstein's Dreams",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's fiction picks in response to a request for unknown books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961204,
          "author": "SJMosley",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:15:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961204",
          "commentText": "Recommendations:\n1) Einsteins Dreams - This book is a quick read, but shows a bunch of different perceptions of time. Fantastic.\n2) Rock warriors way - Even if you aren't a climber, I feel like this book has a lot of great lessons about committing without fear. Much more accessible as a climber though.\n3) Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art - Quick read, I learned a lot about storytelling in general.\n4) Agnotology: The Making and Unmaking of Ignorance - This is a series of essays and the first few were great views into companies creating ignorance in the 50's around smoking and link to cancer. Gets a little dense after a while.\nFull list:\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/list/18975415-samuel-mosley... (https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/18975415-samuel-mosley?shelf=read-2017)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Einsteins Dreams - This book is a quick read, but shows a bunch of different perceptions of time. Fantastic.",
          "reason": "Calls it fantastic and praises its imaginative views of time.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in different ways of imagining time.",
          "caveat": "Described as a quick read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10207368,
          "author": "bakztfuture",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T05:39:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10207368",
          "commentText": "Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1240128,
          "author": "samratjp",
          "createdAt": "2010-04-04T13:30:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1240128",
          "commentText": "Einstein's Dreams. Written by a physicist. A great fiction on the nature of how time could be. My favorite example from the book is about how one scenario says that time slows as we go up the mountains and most people stay there to preserve their youth and when they go down to the foothills, they go there for work!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A great fiction on the nature of how time could be.",
          "reason": "Calls it great fiction exploring possible natures of time and describes a favorite example.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan Lightman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "time",
        "alternate realities",
        "alternate histories",
        "einstein"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "elon-musk-8fce4e",
      "title": "Elon Musk",
      "author": "Ashlee Vance",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42660228,
          "author": "juliend2",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T21:06:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42660228",
          "commentText": "Her biography on Elon Musk is also pretty good as far as depicting someone who did hard things. \nI was quite impressed by his tenacity.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Her biography on Elon Musk is also pretty good as far as depicting someone who did hard things.",
          "reason": "Describes the biography as good at depicting someone who did hard things and praises Musk's tenacity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29815704,
          "author": "momofuku",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-05T22:05:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29815704",
          "commentText": "I'm pretty sure I'll get downvoted, but Ashlee Vance's book on Elon Musk. Hear me out. I'm not recommending it for Elon's story but more to understand how to build companies, understand complex problems, look for great talent and how to build better systems by looking at things from a slightly different perspective. I read it when I was 18 as well and I learnt that Tesla wasn't actually (not entirely) Elon's acheivement. It was actually JB Straubel's passion project. As an engineer, I deeply admire JB and the things he has acheived (by being at the helm of Tesla), and what he will acheive through Redwood Materials, his new recycled batteries project. If his resillence and stint at Tesla/Stanford etc are any indication, we can soon expect some revolutionary things from him (once again).\nIt also showed me how SpaceX was born when Elon and his team crunched some numbers on a trip back from Russia, only to realize that it would be cheaper to build their own rockets rather than rent Russia's.\nThat book is filled with stories about complex systems that humans broke down into simpler problems and hacked them together into monolith companies. Contrary to popular beliefs (mostly held by people who haven't read the book), its not entirely about Elon.\nMy two cents.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Ashlee Vance's book on Elon Musk.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the biography for lessons about building companies, solving complex problems, talent, and systems.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in engineering and company building.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the recommendation is not primarily for Musk's personal story.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238029,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T15:50:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238029",
          "commentText": "I read 47 books so far:\n* Oxygen (Lane)\n* The Vital Question (Lane)\n* Mitochondria and the meaning of life (Lane)\n* Life Ascending (Lane)\n* Shoe Dog (Knight)\n* Heat (Buford)\n* Thinking Fast And Slow (Daniel K, 3rd time reading it)\n* Fluent Forever (Wyner)\n* Dark Money (Mayer)\n* Elon Musk (Vance)\n* The Black Swan (Taleb, 5th time reading it)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Elon Musk (Vance)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12415976,
          "author": "tsaprailis",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T20:19:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12415976",
          "commentText": "Will check these just because Elon Musk is on the list :)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Will check these just because Elon Musk is on the list :)",
          "reason": "Plans to check the book because Elon Musk is included in the list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229381,
          "author": "fratlas",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T13:03:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229381",
          "commentText": "Recently read and thoroughly enjoyed \"Elon Musk\"; good insight into both starting unicorns and how much of a genius Elon is.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Recently read and thoroughly enjoyed \"Elon Musk\"; good insight into both starting unicorns and how much of a genius Elon is.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they thoroughly enjoyed it and found it insightful.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in starting companies and Elon Musk.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ashlee Vance"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "technology",
        "company building",
        "engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ender-s-game-series-c4e529",
      "title": "Ender's Game series",
      "author": "Orson Scott Card",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32936001,
          "author": "dvh",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T08:00:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936001",
          "commentText": "Speaker for the Dead. It is a second book in Enders game franchise so you will probably need to read the first book first or watch the movie, but second book is mostly independent of the first one.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "second book in Enders game franchise",
          "reason": "Identified as the franchise containing Speaker for the Dead.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25846738,
          "author": "Zanni",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T14:23:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25846738",
          "commentText": "Ted Chiang's Stories of Your Life and Others is the best, single-author collection of short stories I've ever read. If you like that, you might also enjoy The Lifecycle of Software Objects, an absolutely heartbreaking novella about simulated children, and his follow-up collection Exhalation.\nOrson Scott Card's Ender's Game is fantastic, and it's follow-up, Speaker for the Dead is even better, and my favorite science fiction novel of all time. They won back to back Hugo and Nebula awards. Card is a polarizing figure for his outspoken political opinions, but if ever the art should be separated from the artist, it's Speaker, which is an incredible exploration of empathy and responsibility, in addition to being a gripping, action-packed, science-literate read. Many more in this series, if you get into it.\nJohn Scalzi's Old Man's War series is fantastic, if you're into military science-fiction, or even if you're not. Smart, funny, engaging and accessible, and reminiscent of Heinlein at his prime, minus the weird incest fetish. Redshirts, a Star Trek parody, rivals Galaxy Quest and only falls short because Galaxy Quest is so goddamn brilliant. Agent to the Stars is less appreciated, but in my opinion his finest novel, rising way above its goofy premise by taking it seriously, exploring the consequences and treating the characters with empathy and respect. Also hilarious.\nSeconding Dune, which is a classic for a reason, and Stranger in a Strange Land (though I think The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is a better place to start with Heinlein). Also Neal Stephenson, though I'd suggest Cryptonomicon over Diamond Age.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Many more in this series, if you get into it.",
          "reason": "Notes there are many more books in the series for readers who enjoy it.",
          "audience": "Readers who get into Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead.",
          "caveat": "The author is described as polarizing for his political opinions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156410,
          "author": "Hyperbolic",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:24:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156410",
          "commentText": "The Ender's Series - For the essence of xenophobia and subjective realities.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Ender's Series - For the essence of xenophobia and subjective realities.",
          "reason": "The commenter associates the series with insights about xenophobia and subjective realities.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9350256,
          "author": "blumkvist",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T19:19:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350256",
          "commentText": "In Ender's game they are searching for the perfect specimen to transform into the perfect military commander. Very smart men are making elaborate plans how to entrap him in order to mold him into a lethal machine. They are searching for a commander who can end (not intended) unresolvable conflicts decisively and, above all, permanently. Not for a morally balanced/superior leader.\nAnyway, I read Ender's game first when I was young and I loved it for the action, mixed with philosophy. Now I enjoy the rest of the books a lot more then the initial one.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I enjoy the rest of the books a lot more then the initial one.",
          "reason": "Says they enjoy the subsequent books more than the first.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Prefers the later books to the initial one.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2087684,
          "author": "Beanblabber",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T06:15:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2087684",
          "commentText": "Pathfinder - Orson Scott Card\nNot only is it written by the author of the epic ender's game series ( which is a must as well), but it mixes genetic mutations of time control, ancient(objectively, not subjectively.) civilizations and plain ol good sci-fi together for one hell of a ride.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the epic ender's game series ( which is a must as well)",
          "reason": "Called an epic series and a must-read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Orson Scott Card"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military science fiction",
        "first contact",
        "perspective",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "enlightenment-now-the-case-for-reason-science-humanism-and-progre-22c3f1",
      "title": "Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress",
      "author": "Steven Pinker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36428910,
          "author": "wiihack",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T07:07:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36428910",
          "commentText": "Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress by Steven Pinker",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress by Steven Pinker",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23859099,
          "author": "eneuman",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T14:05:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859099",
          "commentText": "Enlightenment Now - Steven Pinker\n(Also Sapiens :)\nRange - David Epstein",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Enlightenment Now - Steven Pinker",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21902411,
          "author": "gpanders",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T23:02:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902411",
          "commentText": "Factfulness and Enlightenment Now utterly transformed my outlook on life and the state of the world. These two books turned me from a cynical complainer into an optimist. Cannot recommend them highly enough.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cannot recommend them highly enough.",
          "reason": "Says the book transformed their outlook and strongly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21792874,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T22:44:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21792874",
          "commentText": "The ones I rated highest out of those I read this year (which is what I think the question means).\n* Exactly: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester\n* Atomic Adventures: Secret Islands, Forgotten N-Rays, and Isotopic Murder-A Journey into the Wild World of Nuclear Science by James Magaffey\n* Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande\n* Vulcan 607 by Rowland White\n* Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen\n* Best. Movie. Year. Ever: How 1999 Blew Up the Big Screen by Brian Raftery\n* A Fabulous Creation: How the LP Saved Our Lives by David Hepworth\n* 1983: Reagan, Andropov, and a World on the Brink by Taylor Downing\n* The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes and Why by Amanda Ripley\n* In Your Defence: Stories of Life and Law by Sarah Langford\n* Springfield Confidential: Jokes, Secrets, and Outright Lies from a Lifetime Writing for The Simpsons by Mike Reiss\n* Working Actor: Breaking in, Making a Living, and Making a Life in the Fabulous Trenches of Show Business by David Dean Bottrell\n* Becoming by Michelle Obama\n* Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress by Steven Pinker\n* Rush Hour by Iain Gatel\n* Tamed: Ten Species that Changed our World by Alice Roberts\n* The Next American City: The Big Promise of Our Midsize Metros by Mick Cornett",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The ones I rated highest out of those I read this year",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s highest-rated books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Pinker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Society",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "humanism",
        "human progress",
        "progress",
        "enlightenment"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "envisioning-information-a4966b",
      "title": "Envisioning Information",
      "author": "Edward R. Tufte",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14137439,
          "author": "azeirah",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T09:32:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14137439",
          "commentText": "Godel Escher Bach is fairly bible-ish if you ask me\nAnother set of books I consider to be \"one\" bible are Edward Tufte's (1) The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, (2) Envisioning Information, (3) Visual Explanations and (4) Beautiful Evidence.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Envisioning Information",
          "reason": "Included in a set of books the commenter considers one bible.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12150875,
          "author": "de107549",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-23T20:24:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12150875",
          "commentText": "There were different book that impacted different stages of my career:\nAs a programmer :\n1. The C++ Programming Language by Bjarne Stroustrup.\n2. Operating System Concepts by Silberschatz\n3. Compilers by Aho\nAs an agile software developer:\n1. eXtreme Programming by Kent Beck\n2. Pragmatic Programmer by Hunt and Thomas\n3. Continuous Delivery by Jez Humble\nAs an architect:\n1. Domain Driven Design by Evans\n2. Pattern-Oriented Software Architecture by Buschmann\n3. Envisioning Information by Edward Tufte\nAs a CEO:\n1. Good To Great by Collins\n2. Lean Startup by Eric Ries\n3. Beyond Budgeting by Pfläging",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Envisioning Information by Edward Tufte",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3338248,
          "author": "euroclydon",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T19:30:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3338248",
          "commentText": "The Confusion - Neal Stephenson\n(I'm starting to tire a little of the female hero character who's in all his books, but on the whole, The Baroque Cycle, which this is the second volume of, has been very educational and always entertaining)\nThe Visual Display of Quantative Information, Envisioning Information, Visual Explanations, and Beautiful Evidence\n(I picked up all four books by Edward Tufte at his one day training course.  At the 2011 SVG Open, I was blown away by Mike Bostock's D3 demo, and Niel Fraser told me to read all of Tuftes books to see where these revolutionary ways of displaying information came from)\nESV Bible, actually hoping to find time to get my Python script running so I can download the audio, chapter by chapter, because the audio version I bought is nigh impossible to navigate.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Envisioning Information",
          "reason": "Included among Tufte's books the commenter picked up after being told to read them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135563,
          "author": "wallflower",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T22:55:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135563",
          "commentText": "\"Becoming a Technical Leader\" by Gerald Weinberg\nUnconventional perspective on management\n\"How Buildings Learn\" by Stewart Brand\nOne of the best books about designing long-term architectures. Excellent coffee table book\n\"Envisioning Information\" by Edward Tufte\n\"Walt Disney\" by Neal Gabler\nExcellent biography of maybe the greatest imagineer ever\n\"The Art of Software Testing\" by Glenford J. Myers\n~100 page classic. The central premise is that the successful test is one that finds bugs/issues not one that doesn't.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Envisioning Information\" by Edward Tufte",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5675,
          "author": "aristus",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T13:33:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5675",
          "commentText": "I've had to make up for a college education so these may be old hat.\nAlan Kay's UI lectures: http://webcast.berkeley.edu/course_details.php?seriesid=1906978270\nEd Tufte, especially Envisioning Information\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (SICP)\nhttp://www.swiss.ai.mit.edu/classes/6.001/abelson-sussman-lectures/\nEd Yourdon: Death March... this is a great guide to dealing with enterprizey development. This shows you what to avoid in your own org.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ed Tufte, especially Envisioning Information",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward R. Tufte"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Art"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "information design",
        "data visualization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "factfulness-3de821",
      "title": "Factfulness",
      "author": "Hans Rosling, Ola Rosling, and Anna Rosling Rönnlund",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37960142,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:06:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960142",
          "commentText": "I ran this thread through GPT-4 to extract mentions and summarize them in markdown. Sharing if it's helpful for others too.\n* \"Manufacturing Consent\" by Chomsky and Herman (2 mentions)\n    * Summary: This book investigates and criticizes the media's role in promoting and sustaining powerful interests. Chomsky frames the media as a system that safeguards the power of the elite by shaping public opinion.\n* \"On Palestine\" by Chomsky (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers an insightful view of one of the most enduring and intractable conflicts of our time. Chomsky explores the historical origins, developments, and politics surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict.\n* \"Requiem for the American Dream\" by Noam Chomsky (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book discusses the concentration of wealth in the hands of the few and its effects on democracy in America. It highlights the decline of the middle class and the widening wealth gap.\n* \"The Design of Everyday Things\" by Don Norman (2 mentions)\n    * Summary: The book details the science behind our interaction with everyday items. It scrutinizes the design process and explores the relationship between users and the products they use, urging designers to think deeply about how their designs influence user behavior.\n* \"The Better Angels of Our Nature\" by Steven Pinker (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book challenges the belief that society is becoming increasingly violent, arguing instead that violence has declined over historical time periods. It explores the psychological and societal mechanisms that have led to this decrease.\n* \"Factfulness\" by Hans Rosling (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Factfulness emphasizes a more optimistic view of global human progress. It challenges the notion that the world is worse off today than it was in the past by providing facts and statistics that argue the contrary.\n* \"Phenomenology of Spirit\" by Hegel (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This is a central work of German philosophy in which Hegel explores the concept of 'spirit'. He examines the relationship between consciousness and its objects, eventually leading to a discussion about the nature of freedom and the unfolding of history.\n* \"The Righteous Mind\" by Jonathan Haidt (2 mentions)\n    * Summary: The book delves into the world of moral psychology and its impact on politics and religion. Haidt proposes that morality is not a product of rational thought but is driven by intuitive reactions, challenging conventional understandings of morality.\n* \"How To Build A Car\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: The book offers a captivating analysis of Formula 1 car design and the precision engineering involved in creating these high-performance vehicles. It provides insights into the processes followed by a renowned designer.\n* \"Factfulness\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: Factfulness emphasizes a more optimistic view of global human progress. It challenges notions that the world is getting worse by presenting an array of facts that argue the contrary.\n* \"Strunk and White The Elements of Style\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A guide to English language usage and writing style that covers topics such as conciseness, clarity, and simplicity of expression. It is considered a seminal work on English composition and is widely used in American English writing.\n* \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book explores the concept of how symbols, patterns and loops manifest in the fields of mathematics, art and music. It also discusses aspects of cognition and consciousness and how our minds perceive and understand the world.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Factfulness\" by Hans Rosling (1 mention)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937012,
          "author": "LeonB",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:15:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937012",
          "commentText": "I’d like to say\n- Factfulness or\n- Sapiens or\n- Richard Feynman’s various writings\n…but the most measurable impact was probably from something like\n- “Strunk and white The Elements of Style” or\n- “How to win friends and influence people” or\n- “Oh! Pascal!” Or\n- “the dictionary” or\n- some specific bus timetable that enabled a pivotal moment in my life",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Factfulness",
          "reason": "Listed as a book the commenter would like to say had the biggest impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21903494,
          "author": "hliyan",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T02:31:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21903494",
          "commentText": "Noticed multiple recommendations of Factfulness and decided to read a sample from Amazon. While I'm fully onboard with the material, the writing style put me off: it felt very egocentric and self-congratulatory.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the writing style put me off: it felt very egocentric and self-congratulatory.",
          "reason": "The commenter agrees with the material but dislikes the writing style.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter read a sample and was put off by its tone.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19089420,
          "author": "beat",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T20:24:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19089420",
          "commentText": "Most recent: Factfulness, by Hans Rosling. For the past year or so, I've been trying hard to understand why people act the way they do, when those actions and beliefs are often irrational. This book brought so much of that together.\nVery first: The Song of Wandering Aengus, by William Butler Yeats. I read this when I was six or so. I found it as an illustrated children's book in children's section of the public library of the very small rural town. Someone decided this very adult poem, about an old man who wasted his life chasing an unattainable magic dream, was a good children's story. It introduced me to the idea that poems and stories could express sadness and failure and other negative feelings, not just the happy silly stuff of the other age-appropriate things I read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book brought so much of that together.",
          "reason": "Says the book helped bring together their efforts to understand irrational beliefs and behavior.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18663282,
          "author": "bun_at_work",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:22:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663282",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction:\n- Factfulness by Hans Rosling\n- The War on Science by Shawn Otto\n- Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell\n- A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson\n- The Storm Before the Storm by Mike Duncan\n- The Enigma of Reason by Hugo Mercier\nFiction:\n- And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie\n- The Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson\n- The Magicians by Lev Grossman\nThe non-fiction books were all incredible and highly recommended. I especially appreciate The War on Science as it is highly relevant in today's polarized and emotional political climate.\nThe fiction books were good, for the most part. However, The Magicians might be the worst book I have ever read, not limited to fiction or fantasy. For more on that, ask.\nI managed to read significantly more books this year due to joining an at-work book club, which has been very nice.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The non-fiction books were all incredible and highly recommended.",
          "reason": "Included among the nonfiction books the commenter calls incredible and highly recommended.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hans Rosling",
        "Ola Rosling",
        "Anna Rosling Rönnlund"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Society",
        "Science",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data literacy",
        "global development",
        "human progress"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fermat-s-enigma-10b74f",
      "title": "Fermat's Enigma",
      "author": "Simon Singh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34160619,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:11:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160619",
          "commentText": "This year I've put myself to the challenge to read at least one book per week which I primarily could complete by reading in the middle of the night while holding our sleeping baby in my arms. It has been an interesting challenge which gave me a lot of fulfilment and has certainly changed my mind on how I view the world. This comment became quite a long read, apologies for that.\nBooks I highly recommend:\nChurchill by Andrew Roberts (p:1105)\nA biography about one of the most interesting figures in politics and WWII. Roberts gives a very detailed description of the life of Churchill and manages to keep you interested the entire length of the book.\nThe God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (p:374)\nIn The God Delusion Dawkins gives arguments why there is no God, why we do not need a God and why religion is damaging to our society. If you are religious it might not be the book for you unless you are open to hear his arguments and line of reasoning. Dawkins will challenge your worldview.\nThe Bomb by Fred Kaplan (p:384)\nKaplan describes the policy of different US presidents on the atomic bomb and war in general. And primarily on the inability of US presidents and policy-makers to tune down its military. A chilling read which makes you appreciate a nuclear holocaust did not happen (yet)....\nPoor Economics by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo (p:320)\nBanerjee and Duflo give a gripping portrait of how poor people live. They offer an insight in the choices and decisions people make surviving on less than 1 USD a day (corrected for purchasing power). It made me completely rethink my own view on poverty and development aid; stressing even more that in order to help one need to have a complete understanding of the individual's situation and the local boundary conditions.\nProject Hail Mary  by Andy Weir (p:476)\nThis book triggered my science fiction reading. For some reason I never was interested in science fiction. Most likely triggered by reading Foundation by Asimov a few years back which apparently is not a book to my taste. But Andy Weir completely annihilated that wrong perspective on science fiction. Project Hail Mary is interesting, funny and gripping book.\nKindred by Octavia Butler  (p:287)\nThis book.... From page one I was hooked and almost read it in one go. Butler is a wonderful author and Kindred is a must-read. The book is about a woman traveling back in time to end up on a slave plantation. It's a chilling account of slavery.\nOther books I read this year, ask me anything about one of these books. I've added a + if I think its worth a recommendation\nBiography:\nNavalny by Dollbaum, Lallouet and Noble (p:280); The Man from the Future by Ananyo Bhattacharya (p:354) +\nSociology; Politics; Economics; Business:\nOnly the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove (p:224); The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli  (p:140); Winter is Coming by Garry Kasparov (p:290); Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum (p:224) +; Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl (p:164) +; We Are Bellingcat by Eliot Higgins (p:272); De Zeven Vinkjes by Joris Luyendijk (p:200); Waarom vuilnismannen meer verdienen dan bankiers by Rutger Bregman (p:104)\nComedy: The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (p:336)\nHistory:\nBand of Brothers  by Stephen E. Ambrose (p:432); The Nuclear Jihadist by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins (p:413) +; The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre (p:384) +; De Heineken Ontvoering by Peter R. de Vries (p:347); Red Famine by Anne Apllebaum (p:384); Night by Elie Wiesel (p:115) +\nScience, Technology, Mathematics:\nFermat's Enigma by Simon Singh (p:315) +; A Mathematician's Apology by G.H. Hardy (p:153); The Great Influenza by John M. Barry (p:546); The Rise and Fall of the Dinousaurs by Stephen Brusatte (p:404) ++; The Double Helix by James Watson (p:144)\nSport:\nRun or Die by Killian Jornet (p:208); The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton  (p:290) +; The Rise of the Ultra Runners by  (p:304); Tom Dumoulin by Patrick Bernhart (p:203)\nFiction:\nAnthem by Ayn Rand (p:105); Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (p:704); The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (p:566); Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (p:466); Live and Let die by Ian Fleming  (p:229)\nClassics:\nA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (p:104); The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (p:201); The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald (p:180); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (p:139); Animal Farm by George Orwell (p:122) +; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (p:227) +; The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (p:118)\nScience Fiction:\nThe Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (p:399); All Systems Red  by Martha Wells (p:144) +; A Memory Called Empire  by Arkady Martine (p:462) +; A Psalm built for the Wild by Becky Chambers (p:160); Dune by Frank Herbert (p:658); Foundation by Isaac Asimov (p:244); The Martian by Andy Weir (p:384) +;\nThe Forever War by Joe Haldeman (p:278)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fermat's Enigma by Simon Singh",
          "reason": "Marked with a plus as worth recommending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31489198,
          "author": "rg111",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T07:49:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31489198",
          "commentText": "- Linear Algebra: Gilbert Strang videos + book\n- Calculus and basics of Analysis: Spivak\n- Group Theory: Visual Group Theory\n- Complex Analysis: Visual Complex Analysis\n- Writing proofs: Proofs: A Long Form Textbook by Jay Cummings\n- Abstract Algebra: Dummit-Foote book. First few chapters if you like.\n___\nPop-Sci:\n1. The Joy of X by Steven Strogatz\n2. Fermat's Enigma by Simon Singh\n(All this books except AA are very highly recommended by me)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fermat's Enigma by Simon Singh",
          "reason": "Listed among pop-science recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Identified as pop-sci.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15965672,
          "author": "BlackjackCF",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T23:53:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15965672",
          "commentText": "Yup! Making my way through Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea right now. It's a little more \"pop math\" than Fermat's Enigma or The Code Book.\nI also have The Man Who Loved Only Numbers and Elliptic Tales on my to-read list once I wrap up Zero.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "It's a little more \"pop math\" than Fermat's Enigma or The Code Book.",
          "reason": "Named as a comparison point for the book's popular mathematics style.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fermat's Enigma",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226794,
          "author": "scorpioxy",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:15:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226794",
          "commentText": "Oh, lots! I wish you'd narrow down to some categories you're interested in.\nA few example i enjoyed:\nThe State of Africa, Martin Meredith\nThe Code Book, Simon Singh\nPity the Nation, Robert Fisk\nThe Great War for Civilization, Robert Fisk\nAlan Turing: The Enigma, Andrew Hodges\nLong Walk to Freedom, Nelson Mandela\nThe Last Lecture, Randy Pausch\nFermat's Engima, Simon Singh\nLots more....",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fermat's Engima, Simon Singh",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Simon Singh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fermat s last theorem",
        "popular mathematics",
        "number theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fight-club-194ce5",
      "title": "Fight Club",
      "author": "Chuck Palahniuk",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17168570,
          "author": "mixmastamyk",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:13:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168570",
          "commentText": "Fight Club, the book/movie, put the final nail in the coffin of my waning materialism.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fight Club, the book/movie, put the final nail in the coffin of my waning materialism.",
          "reason": "The book helped end the commenter's materialism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762575,
          "author": "megaman22",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T03:42:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762575",
          "commentText": "It's not a huge commitment. Maybe 3 hours nonstop. The movie completely subverts the book, in my mind",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The movie completely subverts the book, in my mind",
          "reason": "Says the movie subverts the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not say whether they liked the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762550,
          "author": "ambrosite",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T03:37:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762550",
          "commentText": "So what is the big deal about Fight Club? I've heard so much about it but haven't read it yet; trying to decide if it's worth the time.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "So what is the big deal about Fight Club? I've heard so much about it but haven't read it yet; trying to decide if it's worth the time.",
          "reason": "The commenter asks whether it is worth reading and has not read it yet.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter expresses uncertainty and seeks others' views.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762506,
          "author": "megaman22",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T03:23:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762506",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged is one of those books that is often life-changing. Whether that is positive or not depends wildly upon the reader and their situation.\nOther books I'd put in that category are Fight Club and Walden",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Other books I'd put in that category are Fight Club and Walden",
          "reason": "Placed in the category of books that can be life-changing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348755,
          "author": "galephico",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:27:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348755",
          "commentText": "Altruism - Mathieu Ricard\nSearch Inside Yourself - Chade-Meng Tan\nBible - several authors\nSiddhartha - Hermann Hesse\nFight Club - Chuck Palahniuk\nEléments de Philosophie Angélique - Denis Marquet (french)\nAu coeur de l'instant - Jean Bouchart d'Orval (french)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fight Club - Chuck Palahniuk",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8110192,
          "author": "sogen",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T18:49:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8110192",
          "commentText": "* Anything by Cortázar.\n* Trainspotting,\n* Fight Club\n* Anything by Carl Sagan, specially Contact\n* Lord of the Rings\n* The Hobbit\n* And finally:\nAnything by Michael Ende:\nThe Neverending Story,\nMomo (one of my faves).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fight Club",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a request for book suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chuck Palahniuk"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consumerism",
        "identity",
        "satire",
        "adaptation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "flatland-697929",
      "title": "Flatland",
      "author": "Edwin A. Abbott",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16759284,
          "author": "jquinby",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T21:25:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16759284",
          "commentText": "Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows\nGetting to Yes by Roger Fisher and William Ury\nARRL Handbook for Radio Communications\nARRL Antenna Book\nAmerican Heritage Dictionary, 5th Ed.\nBible/Lectionary, Breviary, and Catechism\nIf fiction counts, I will probably never delete Flatland or the complete Joseph Conrad from my Kindle.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If fiction counts, I will probably never delete Flatland or the complete Joseph Conrad from my Kindle.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15159375,
          "author": "mrmyers",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T02:26:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15159375",
          "commentText": "Modeling the world generally (as in, why mathematics works and can apply to the real world):\n  =Bertrand Russell=\n  * An Inquiry into Meaning and Truth\n  * A Theory of Knowledge\n  * Logic and Knowledge\n  =W.V. Quine=\n  * Word and Object\n  * Mathematical Logic\n  =Norbert Weiner=\n  * Cybernetics: Or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine\n  =Smullyan=\n  * Diagonalization and Self Reference\n\nSquishy Human Things:\n  Thomas Kuhn      - The Structure of Scientific Revolutions\n  Norbert Weiner   - The Human Use of Human-Beings\n  Bertrand Russell - A History of Western Philosophy\n  Karl Popper      - The Open Society and Its Enemies\n  Daniel Dennet    - Consciousness Explained\n  E. Abbot Abbot   - Flatland",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Flatland",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2335611,
          "author": "tastefulwords",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-17T10:03:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 2329700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that change your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2335611",
          "commentText": "Stranger in a Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein\nFlatland, by Edwin Abbott\nGang Leader for a Day, by Sudhir Venkatesh\nThe Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Flatland, by Edwin Abbott",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226906,
          "author": "semmons",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:51:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226906",
          "commentText": "Flatland (http://amzn.com/1607961024)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Flatland",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edwin A. Abbott"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dimensions",
        "mathematical fiction",
        "satire",
        "social satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "flatland-a-romance-of-many-dimensions-3121e6",
      "title": "Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions",
      "author": "Edwin A. Abbott",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41236504,
          "author": "warrenm",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-13T15:39:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41236504",
          "commentText": "Flatland by Edwin Abbott",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Flatland by Edwin Abbott",
          "reason": "Recommended in response to a request for favorite classic books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9676421,
          "author": "glaberficken",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T21:36:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9676421",
          "commentText": "2 great sf books\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatland\nSet as a satire of Victorian society \"The story describes a two-dimensional world occupied by geometric figures, whereof women are simple line-segments, while men are polygons with various numbers of sides. The narrator is a square named A Square, a member of the caste of gentlemen and professionals, who guides the readers through some of the implications of life in two dimensions.\"\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_Cloud\nI won't spoil this one for you, it's just a really interesting and suspenseful sf story.\nRichard Dawkins (writing in the 2010 Penguin Classics reissue) claimed the novel was \"one of the greatest science fiction novels ever written.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2 great sf books\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatland",
          "reason": "Included as one of two great science fiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8062592,
          "author": "navyad",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-21T05:26:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 8025870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8062592",
          "commentText": "Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Flatland by Edwin A. Abbott",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140667,
          "author": "christefano",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T08:43:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140667",
          "commentText": "Flatland.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Flatland.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edwin A. Abbott"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Mathematics",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dimensions",
        "mathematical fiction",
        "dimensionality",
        "mathematical satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fooled-by-randomness-the-hidden-role-of-chance-in-life-and-in-the-cc67fc",
      "title": "Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets",
      "author": "Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30241347,
          "author": "Pandabob",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T07:18:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241347",
          "commentText": "Talebs Fooled by randomness.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Talebs Fooled by randomness.",
          "reason": "Offers it as an answer to the request for a book recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23859039,
          "author": "omreaderhn",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:58:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859039",
          "commentText": "Fooled by Randomness - Nassim Taleb\nLetters from a Stoic - Seneca\nThe Bible\nBeyond Good and Evil - Nietzsche\nPsychological Types - Carl Jung",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fooled by Randomness - Nassim Taleb",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2723651,
          "author": "localhost3000",
          "createdAt": "2011-07-03T13:25:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 2723436,
          "threadTitle": "Suggest good sites/books on probability",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2723651",
          "commentText": "Fooled by randomness would be much better if you want to learn something about probability via a popular author like Taleb, IMO",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fooled by randomness would be much better if you want to learn something about probability via a popular author like Taleb, IMO",
          "reason": "Recommended as a better way to learn about probability than the book being discussed.",
          "audience": "Readers who want to learn about probability through a popular author.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569035,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T20:53:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569035",
          "commentText": "Not a fan of Taleb, who is in love with the sound of his own voice, and who is articulating concepts that may be shocking to pit traders but not so much to anyone who has spent quality time on Usenet.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Not a fan of Taleb, who is in love with the sound of his own voice",
          "reason": "Criticizes Taleb's style; the parent comment identifies the referenced title as Fooled by Randomness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The criticism is of Taleb, not explicitly of the book itself.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1568981,
          "author": "lkozma",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T20:41:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1568981",
          "commentText": "Surely you are joking, Mr. Feynman.\nD. MacKay: Sustainable energy - without the hot air.\nN. Taleb: Fooled by randomness.\nM. Karinthy: A journey round my skull.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "N. Taleb: Fooled by randomness.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nassim Nicholas Taleb"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "probability",
        "financial markets",
        "risk",
        "chance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "functional-programming-in-scala-f56ed0",
      "title": "Functional Programming in Scala",
      "author": "Paul Chiusano and Rúnar Bjarnason",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783549,
          "author": "mziel",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:51:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783549",
          "commentText": "Not-technical\n\"The World's Toughest Endurance Challenges\" - Very nicely illustrated\n\"Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words\" - Extremely enjoyable. People here certainly are aware of xkcd and it's type of humor.\nTechnical\n\"Functional programming in Scala\" - good read for Scala beginners, especially after \"Scala for the Impatient\"\n\"Learning Spark\" - the best book on Spark so far\n\"Assessing and Improving Prediction and Classification\" - couple of interesting ideas for ML and Data Science\n\"Neural Network Design\" - Quite basic, but I like the flow and introducing mathematical concepts just before they're needed.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Functional programming in Scala\" - good read for Scala beginners, especially after \"Scala for the Impatient\"",
          "reason": "Calls it a good read for Scala beginners.",
          "audience": "Scala beginners, especially those who have read Scala for the Impatient.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10182175,
          "author": "speedkills",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-07T17:14:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10182175",
          "commentText": "Programming Scala 2nd edition and Functional Programming in Scala.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Functional Programming in Scala",
          "reason": "Listed as a book on Scala.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9759574,
          "author": "mavelikara",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T16:51:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9759574",
          "commentText": "Functional Programing in Scala (http://www.manning.com/bjarnason/)\nMore recent than most books mentioned here, but I found it remarkably well-written. Irrespective of what happens to Scala, this book has a good chance to be useful 10 years from now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found it remarkably well-written. Irrespective of what happens to Scala, this book has a good chance to be useful 10 years from now.",
          "reason": "Praises its writing and expects its ideas to remain useful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes its usefulness is independent of Scala's future.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348856,
          "author": "oskarth",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:38:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348856",
          "commentText": "I am currently reading Skiena, Algorithm Design Manual and Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War.\nNext up is Cipolla, Clocks and Culture and Chiusano and Bjarnason, Functional Programming in Scala.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Chiusano and Bjarnason, Functional Programming in Scala",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7758994,
          "author": "runT1ME",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-17T02:04:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7758994",
          "commentText": "Functional Programming in Scala.\nIt's not a book about scala, it just so happens to use scala as the language to teach you how to program functionally.  I've read other books that purport to do the same, they end up showing a light sprinkling of functional concepts.  This book goes much deeper, and is ultimately much more rewarding.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book goes much deeper, and is ultimately much more rewarding.",
          "reason": "Praised for going deeper into functional programming than other books the commenter has read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Uses Scala as its teaching language.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Chiusano and Rúnar Bjarnason"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "functional programming",
        "scala"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "getting-to-yes-ecb13e",
      "title": "Getting to Yes",
      "author": "Roger Fisher and William Ury",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18662508,
          "author": "amuresan",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T09:26:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18662508",
          "commentText": "1. La peste (Albert Camus) - entertaining if you're into French existentialism\n2. Linked (Barabasi) - insightful and useful to understand that most phenomenon we see in real life follow a power law and what that means\n3. Leonardo da Vinci (Walter Isaacson) - surprising how little of da Vinci's real personality is reflected in his modern image\n4. Matrix computations – third edition (Gene Golub, Charles van Loan) - good read if you're into linear algebra\n5. Giving effective feedback (Harvard business review) - useful for getting an understanding on how to handle human interaction\n6. The old man and the sea (Ernest Hemingway) - enjoyed it a lot, a reflection of Hemingway's romantic spirit. Also, a quick read.\n7. Screwjack (Hunter S. Thompson) - didn't resonate with me although I am a fan of existentialism\n8. Sun and steel (Yukio Mishima) - raw and intimate. before reading this book I'd recommend reading up on Mishima's life\n9. Stranger than fiction (Chuck Palahniuck) - somewhat entertaining, more so because it served as a glimpse into Palahniuck's creative process\n10. Thinking in Systems: A Primer (Dana Meadows) - useful for understanding that in modern life we have complex systems at work with emergent behavior that we didn't expect. Trying to isolate / model a single component of one of these systems is a flawed approach.\n11. Chaos monkeys (Antonio Garcia Martinez) - entertaining, but quite long\n12. Weapons of math destruction (Cathy O'Neil) - in a way, similar to Thinking in systems, but at an applied level. Shows how rules in modern society can have unintended negative consequences when hidden negative feedback loops emerge from the complex system they are embedded in.\n13. Lolita (Nabokov) - a brilliant novel from many points of view. Although the topic is controversial, it is a book that had to be written.\n14. The prince (Machiavelli) - an interesting read. It was intended as a guide to the young price Cesare Borgia from his teacher Machiavelli. The secret to enjoying it is not to judge it by modern morality.\n15. Give and take (Adam Grant) - psychology research about giving / taking / matching personality types presented in a book for the masses. I would not read it again; watching a presentation online should be enough to get the point across.\n16. Mécanique (Landau, Lifchitz) - refresh of mechanics\n17. Do androids dream of electric sheep (Philip K. Dick) - enjoyable and entertaining! I'm surprised how different the feel of the book is compared to the Blade runner films. In the book androids are purely rational beings, whereas the film wraps them in an aura of romanticism.\n18. How we learn (Benedict Carey) - decades of learning research condensed in a book\n19. Advanced Calculus: A Differential Forms Approach (Harold M. Edwards) - the best math book I've read so far! For me it was eye-opening in a fundamental way. Edwards is truly a gifted teacher.\n20. Three men in a boat (Jerome K. Jerome) - enjoyable and amusing\n21. Getting to yes (Roger Fisher, William Ury) - negotiation book, nicely written and structured\n22. Without a word (Zhang Jie) - historical novel by one of China's most acclaimed modern writers. I don't have a good reference to compare against since this was my first Chinese novel, but overall I did enjoy it. It felt real and raw.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "negotiation book, nicely written and structured",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as nicely written and structured.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16759284,
          "author": "jquinby",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T21:25:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16759284",
          "commentText": "Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows\nGetting to Yes by Roger Fisher and William Ury\nARRL Handbook for Radio Communications\nARRL Antenna Book\nAmerican Heritage Dictionary, 5th Ed.\nBible/Lectionary, Breviary, and Catechism\nIf fiction counts, I will probably never delete Flatland or the complete Joseph Conrad from my Kindle.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher and William Ury",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5613,
          "author": "dropbox",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T04:36:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5613",
          "commentText": "some that haven't been mentioned:\n- the innovator's dilemma by clayton christensen\n- blue ocean strategy (kim and mauborgne) -- these two books give you a little bit more of a framework to evaluate where your idea adds value and give you examples of how/why some successful companies have been successful\n- high tech startup by nesheim -- a little dated, but lots of info\n- negotiation/people books: getting to yes (fisher, ury) and getting past no (ury), influence by cialdini\n (useful for more than just startups)\n- maybe some management books: peopleware (demarco and lister), the art of project management (berkun), first, break all the rules (buckingham)\n- founders at work (livingston) to get inspired\n+1 to crossing the chasm, and the godin & gladwell books, art of the start\nblogs: onstartups.com, fred wilson, brad feld, seth godin, etc., guy kawasaki\n-drew",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "getting to yes (fisher, ury)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the thread asking which books founders found most helpful.",
          "audience": "Useful for more than startups, according to the commenter.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roger Fisher",
        "William Ury"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "negotiation",
        "conflict resolution"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "grit-the-power-of-passion-and-perseverance-ac2a78",
      "title": "Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance",
      "author": "Angela Duckworth",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21803711,
          "author": "Balgair",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:29:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803711",
          "commentText": "USMC Commandant's 2020 Reading List.\nThis year I am finishing up the Harvard Classics and am looking for a new view point. https://www.myharvardclassics.com/categories/20120612_1\nUnfortunately, the military only publish on New Years Day (traditionally as a sort of holiday gift to those under command), so the 2020 list is not out yet. Every title is free via either the base library or the Navy Digital Library. Most have free audio book narration. There are discussion guides also provided for free. The website is very easy to use and poke around in, I'd suggest looking at it from a Dev standpoint alone. That said, the 2019 list is here: https://grc-usmcu.libguides.com/usmc-reading-list\nThere are a LOT of titles so here are the Poolee through PFC levels:\nPoolee:\nBATTLE CRY by Leon Uris\nCORPS VALUES by Zell Miller\nGATES OF FIRE: AN EPIC NOVEL OF THE BATTLE OF THERMOPYLAE by Steven Pressfield\nGRIT: THE POWER OF PASSION AND PERSEVERANCE by Angela Duckworth\nSTARSHIP TROOPERS by Robert A. Heinlein\nPFC through Lance Corporal:\nCHESTY by Jon T. Hoffman\nENDER'S GAME by Orson Scott Card\nTHE LAST STAND OF FOX COMPANY: A TRUE STORY OF U.S. MARINES IN COMBAT by Bob Drury\nTHE MARINES OF MONTFORD POINT: AMERICA'S FIRST BLACK MARINES by Melton Alonza McLaurin\nON CALL IN HELL by Richard Jadick; Thomas Hayden\nREADY PLAYER ONE by Ernest Cline\nRIFLEMAN DODD: A NOVEL OF THE PENINSULAR CAMPAIGN by C. S. Forester\nTHE WARRIOR ETHOS by Steven Pressfield\nThe 2020 list should have some froth in it (Greitens likely won't stay, but who knows, judge the art not the artist). I think it'll be a good look into a Corps that has been punched for a long time in Afghanistan. Still, some great titles in there.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "GRIT: THE POWER OF PASSION AND PERSEVERANCE by Angela Duckworth",
          "reason": "Listed as a title in the USMC Commandant's reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296419,
          "author": "sngz",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T06:01:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296419",
          "commentText": "does her book talk down on you? every interview I've heard her on turned me off from wanting to even look at her book. also from her interview she cherry picks a lot of examples.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "does her book talk down on you? every interview I've heard her on turned me off from wanting to even look at her book.",
          "reason": "Questions whether the book talks down to readers and says interviews discouraged them from reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Criticism is based on interviews and the impression they created, not on reading the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296411,
          "author": "tzhenghao",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T05:57:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296411",
          "commentText": "Grit by Angela Duckworth [1].\nI wish I read this back in my high school days. It's a different thing learning hard work and grit from a book than the constant \"nagging\" I get from my parents. The latter came in on my left ear and went out the right ear almost instantly. I was a lazy kid back then despite getting relatively good grades in school. I've learned to become grittier on my current day job (there's always something to fight for, especially as part of a startup riddled with uncertainties), but I kinda wish I could go back and pick this book up if it was available/released back then. Would have helped me better understand college applications too.\n[1] - http://a.co/gJnmxfR",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I wish I read this back in my high school days. It's a different thing learning hard work and grit from a book than the constant \"nagging\" I get from my parents.",
          "reason": "Says the book could have helped them learn about grit earlier and understand college applications.",
          "audience": "Students and young people developing persistence.",
          "caveat": "Reflects on wishing they had read it earlier; does not explicitly evaluate the book's overall quality.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13237553,
          "author": "fsloth",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T14:52:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237553",
          "commentText": "Quite a few... but the best one was \"Grit\" by Angela Duckworth. It could be categorized as a self help book since it deals with  personal growth and persistence - but from the point of view highly regarded researcher in psychology.\nI highly recommend this book since it's good on so many levels.\nUnlike quackery books into self improvement, her book describes her research and journey into human achievement using the scientific method.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend this book since it's good on so many levels.",
          "reason": "Praises its research based account of human achievement and personal growth.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in personal growth and persistence.",
          "caveat": "The commenter distinguishes it from self improvement books they consider quackery.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12098475,
          "author": "liveshops_",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T01:43:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12098475",
          "commentText": "Just finished Grit by Angela Duckworth. Great insights for entrepreneurs/start-upers",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just finished Grit by Angela Duckworth. Great insights for entrepreneurs/start-upers",
          "reason": "Calls its insights great for entrepreneurs and startup founders.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs and startup founders.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Angela Duckworth"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Learning",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "perseverance",
        "grit",
        "motivation",
        "achievement"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "guards-guards-3a2027",
      "title": "Guards! Guards!",
      "author": "Terry Pratchett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43613486,
          "author": "bloopernova",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T16:54:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43613486",
          "commentText": "The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors by James Hornfischer. The amazing courage shown by the US Navy sailors as their tiny 2,000 ton Destroyers and Destroyer Escorts faced a Japanese fleet of Battleships, Cruisers, and Destroyers at The Battle Off Samar. Inspiring and horrifying, the DDs and DEs of the US navy were protecting \"Escort Carriers\" which were smaller aircraft carriers made from cargo ship hulls. Warning, may inspire you to learn a whole bunch more about world war 2.\nAnd 2 books that sort of go together:\nIncredible Victory: The Battle of Midway by Walter Lord, and Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway by Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully. Read Incredible Victory first, learn about the luck, good and bad, that led to a much-needed victory in the Pacific. Then read Shattered Sword and get a fuller picture of events, especially from the Japanese side. Learn about how hubris and dogma led to the Japanese Navy's defeat. Then learn about how saving face led to history not being accurately told by the witnesses on the Japanese side.\nAll 3 are great books that are well worth your time.\nOthers that I've enjoyed:\nParable of the Sower by Octavia Butler (near future post-apocalyptic sci-fi).\nThe non-fiction Liberation Trilogy by Rick Atkinson (more WW2 non-fiction, nice details about North Africa through Italy, then France to Germany).\nMidnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham.\nMost Secret War by RV Jones (nerdy, funny history of one scientist's world war 2 experience).\nThe Discworld City Guard books, starting with Guards! Guards!, by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy fiction satire, hilarious and comforting. Highly, highly recommended!!\nPeter F Hamilton sci-fi adventure books: Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained are a duo of great space opera stretching across multiple planets and people. Don't spoil yourself by reading any descriptions of Judas Unchained before you read Pandora's Star. Also by the same author, The Night's Dawn Trilogy: The Reality Dysfunction, The Neutronium Alchemist, and The Naked God. Fantastic big canvas space opera with lots of threads, great world-building, and amazing situations. Both sets of books are highly recommended escapes from reality.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "starting with Guards! Guards!, by Terry Pratchett.",
          "reason": "Named as the starting point for the City Watch books.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy fantasy satire.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39252921,
          "author": "andher",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T18:30:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39252921",
          "commentText": "I haven't read Nation but I till now Guards! Guards! Guards! has been my favorite. Its been a while since I read Discworld, will have to pick up nation",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "till now Guards! Guards! Guards! has been my favorite.",
          "reason": "The commenter says this has been their favorite Discworld book so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32200628,
          "author": "fredsir",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-23T05:22:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32200628",
          "commentText": "Small Gods by Terry Pratchett.\nI've heard about, and tried to get into the Discworld a few times, but it never really happened. I think I tried Guard! Guards! twice. Maybe I was in a different headspace, or maybe it was just not for me. But then I tried Small Gods, and it's the best thing I've read since (the nutrition label on the back of) sliced bread. No, really, it's lovely! I'll be done tomorrow according to my Kobos statistics, and then I just need to figure out what I'm gonna read next. Cannot wait to find out about all the things out there in the Discworld that I don't know about yet.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I think I tried Guard! Guards! twice.",
          "reason": "Mentions an earlier attempt to read it that did not lead to a lasting interest.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it did not work for them at the time.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1864716,
          "author": "RiderOfGiraffes",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T13:42:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1864716",
          "commentText": "Anything by Terry Pratchett.  There are a lot of books, and you might want to check this:\nhttp://www.lspace.org/books/reading-order-guides/the-discwor... (http://www.lspace.org/books/reading-order-guides/the-discworld-reading-order-guide-20.jpg)\nI personally loved \"Guards! Guards!\" and would recommend it.\nAlso enjoyed \"The player of Games\" by Iain M Banks.\nConsider also \"Snow Crash\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I personally loved \"Guards! Guards!\" and would recommend it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they loved it and recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry Pratchett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fantasy",
        "police procedural",
        "discworld",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-i-raised-myself-from-failure-to-success-in-selling-c53903",
      "title": "How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling",
      "author": "Frank Bettger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25318804,
          "author": "NothingIsReal",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T21:57:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25318804",
          "commentText": "1. How I Raised Myself From Failure to Success in Selling, Bettger\nA good intro to sales, and a very good book on self-development.\n2. When Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management, Lowenstein\nA story about LTCM, one of the early and most notorious \"quant\" hedge funds. A cheeky nod to intellectualism.\n3. Liar's Poker, Lewis\nInvestment banking through a trader's eyes. Yes, the absurdity is only partly dramatized.\n4. Pimp: The Story of My Life, Iceberg Slim\nNo pithy blurb can summarize this; read it if you want a look into human nature.\n5. The Six-Month Fix: Adventures in Rescuing Failing Companies, Sutton\nWritten by a friend and a mentor; may he rest. Gives you a sobering account of what really goes behind the scenes of many companies, along with their management.\nApologies; I know this list isn't focused on more humbling professions like the examples you gave.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How I Raised Myself From Failure to Success in Selling, Bettger",
          "reason": "Described as an introduction to sales and self-development.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in sales or self-development.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12142525,
          "author": "justushamalaine",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T09:19:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12142525",
          "commentText": "Thinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nHow I raised myself from failure to success in selling, Frank Bettger\nThinking in Systems: A Primer, Daniela Meadows\nMost important thing is to get up and start doing stuff, understand how you personally f$$k things up and reap benifits of compound interest in personal development. I think these three bookshave a lot of information that is usable in any career or path one might choose.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How I raised myself from failure to success in selling, Frank Bettger",
          "reason": "Included among three books described as useful for any career or path.",
          "audience": "People pursuing any career or path.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10233474,
          "author": "_Codemonkeyism",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T14:21:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10233474",
          "commentText": "1. The best book I've read on sales is:\n\"How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling\"(1952) by Frank Bettger\n2. Everything at Heavybit is excellent,\ntheir sales videos are very nice:\nhttp://www.heavybit.com/library/developer-sales\nAnd an must see video for me was:\nhttp://www.heavybit.com/library/video/2015-05-12-jason-lemki... (http://www.heavybit.com/library/video/2015-05-12-jason-lemkin)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The best book I've read on sales is:\n\"How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling\"(1952) by Frank Bettger",
          "reason": "Calls it the best book they have read on sales.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking to improve their sales skills.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 948206,
          "author": "maxer",
          "createdAt": "2009-11-18T13:06:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 947581,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN:  What's the best first business book for a programmer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=948206",
          "commentText": "for sales- frank bettger- How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling\nI mention it as a comment of this- as frank regularly quotes this book",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "for sales- frank bettger- How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling",
          "reason": "Offers it as a sales book, noting Frank regularly quotes it.",
          "audience": "People interested in sales.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frank Bettger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sales",
        "personal development",
        "self development",
        "selling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "humankind-a-hopeful-history-8cbbb2",
      "title": "Humankind: A Hopeful History",
      "author": "Rutger Bregman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33384531,
          "author": "vanviegen",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T14:52:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33384531",
          "commentText": "I've just finished Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman.\nIt provides a lot of strong evidence for an optimistic rather than cynical take on human nature.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've just finished Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it offers strong evidence for an optimistic view of human nature.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30738219,
          "author": "teekert",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T22:41:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30738219",
          "commentText": "It also helped me a lot. It taught me the ethics of rational self interest. It helps me to this day when I discuss my salary for example. Also, relationships work better when you know what you want, you have to give your partner the chance to do something for you every now and then, that works best when you have personality. I struggled with this. To be able to say I love you one must first be able to say I. For me the best parts are those about personal freedom.\nI read most things Ayn Rand wrote and I really enjoyed it. Somehow, HN does not like Ayn Rand. I don't understand it really. I also read Rutger Bregman's Human kind, some people say it is the opposite of Atlas Shrugged, but I disagree strongly. I like both books and I think they can be part of unifying philosophy. Perhaps Paul Graham's \"What you can't say\" [0] is an explanation. I believe Ayn says some things that you can't really say anymore, but perhaps they are true.\n[0]: http://www.paulgraham.com/say.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also read Rutger Bregman's Human kind, some people say it is the opposite of Atlas Shrugged, but I disagree strongly. I like both books",
          "reason": "The commenter says they like it and sees it as compatible with Atlas Shrugged.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that some people see it as the opposite of Atlas Shrugged.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30242434,
          "author": "_han",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T09:41:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30242434",
          "commentText": "I haven't read the English translation, but Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman had a profound influence on my trust in people, and expecting good intentions by default. Especially during bad times (COVID, geopolitics, etc.) it was a source of well-founded positivity that I needed.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman had a profound influence",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book influenced their trust in people and expectation of good intentions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read the English translation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24182550,
          "author": "andrei_says_",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-17T00:19:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 24176902,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please suggest some good books you have read recently",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24182550",
          "commentText": "Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman.\nAbsolutely fascinating and refreshingly positive.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman.",
          "reason": "Calls the book fascinating and refreshingly positive.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rutger Bregman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human nature",
        "social history",
        "cooperation",
        "optimism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "if-on-a-winter-s-night-a-traveler-86ac2e",
      "title": "If on a winter’s night a traveler",
      "author": "Italo Calvino",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22719246,
          "author": "hprotagonist",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T14:28:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22719246",
          "commentText": "see my nick, but in addition to stephenson, the books i come back to over and over again for comfort and wisdom include:\n- Lord of the Rings: The other bible. Not even the very wise can see all ends; be of good cheer.\n- A Wrinkle In Time: 9 year old me, there is such a thing as a tesseract, and there is also Mrs. Beast.\n- The Master and Margarita: apocalyptic reading from someone who knew, and a cat who always pays his way.\n- the Discworld series: Sir Terry knew our hearts better than most, and sin, young feller, is treatin’ people as things.\n- If On A Winter’s Night, A Traveler: a perfect joke that you can tell once, plus a love story.\n- Good Omens: Gaiman and Pratchett team up, what’s not to love?\n- Moby Dick: And so the universal thump is passed round, and all hands should rub each other’s shoulder-blades, and be content.\n- Lucky Jim: grad school, a survival guide. Come in on the fa la la las, there’s a good chap.\nThis doesn’t include poetry, which is also in my head constantly.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If On A Winter’s Night, A Traveler: a perfect joke that you can tell once, plus a love story.",
          "reason": "Lists it among books the commenter returns to for comfort and wisdom.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674772,
          "author": "dmux",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T14:38:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674772",
          "commentText": "If on a Winter's Night, a Traveler -- Italo Calvino",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If on a Winter's Night, a Traveler -- Italo Calvino",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the request for a mind-blowing book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4968193,
          "author": "imrehg",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T04:58:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4968193",
          "commentText": "Gravity's Rainbow - took 4 months out of my year, but and it's still mostly a whoosh, but every time I started reading another book after that, it was just amazing how much better Pyncheon writes. Will revisit it for sure, though not very soon.\nAnna Karenina - just a whole different level, Tolstoy's writing in a way I don't feel many contemporary writes could. Feels creepy how similar the people's lives in the 19th Century was to ours. Creepy but fun too.\nIf On A Winter's Night A Traveller - Italo Calvino will just punch you in the face, this is a book for people who love reading books.\nThe Magicians - adult magic fiction, and somehow it feels that if magic was indeed real, it would be like it is depicted here, not like anything in Harry Potter's (no matter how much I loved the storytelling, the magic theory was just so full of plotholes).\nThe Casual Vacancy - JKRowling's not-Harry-Potter-book. It's very gritty, and feels very real. Still having my cold shivers thinking of small-town living after this.\n(Except for the last one the others are older releases, don't usually jump into the newest ones, I just take it casual)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If On A Winter's Night A Traveller - Italo Calvino will just punch you in the face, this is a book for people who love reading books.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is a book for people who love reading books.",
          "audience": "People who love reading books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86044,
          "author": "jdale27",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T19:08:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86044",
          "commentText": "(I'm going to ignore the prohibition on \"programming/technical books\".)\n- GEB\n- SICP\n- anything by Paul Auster or Hermann Hesse\n- most Haruki Murakami, especially \"The Wind-up Bird Chronicle\"\n- Joan Didion, \"Where I Was From\"\n- Richard P. Gabriel, \"Patterns of Software\"\n- Durbin, Eddy, Krogh, and Mitchison, \"Biological Sequence Analysis\"\n- Italo Calvino, \"if on a winter's night a traveller\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"if on a winter's night a traveller\"",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorites in response to the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Italo Calvino"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "metafiction",
        "postmodern fiction",
        "experimental fiction",
        "postmodern literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "impro-0e6085",
      "title": "Impro",
      "author": "Keith Johnstone",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804894,
          "author": "knzhou",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:29:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804894",
          "commentText": "I try to only read books that are at least a few years old, so these aren’t timely recommendations.\nOn the list for next year:\nThe Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language\nEssays of Montaign\nWhy Zebras Don't Get Ulcers\nHigher Speculations: Grand Theories and Failed Revolutions in Physics and Cosmology\nThe Enigma of Reason\nSurfing Uncertainty: Prediction, Action, and the Embodied Mind\nImpro\nDeng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China\nInvisible Cities\nCollapse of Complex Societies\n--\nFavorites from this year:\nDeath's End\nOne Man's Meat\nLife Ascending: The Ten Great Inventions of Evolution\nA Primate's Memoir: A Neuroscientist's Unconventional Life Among the Baboons\nDo No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery\nCosmicomics\nWhy Quark Rhymes with Pork\nThe Unfolding of Language\nA Sand County Almanac",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Impro",
          "reason": "Listed among books planned for next year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15763392,
          "author": "Zanni",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T07:10:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15763392",
          "commentText": "Impro is incredible. The best improv book ever written and one of my go-to references for all theatre projects.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Impro is incredible. The best improv book ever written and one of my go-to references for all theatre projects.",
          "reason": "Calls it incredible and the best improv book, and says they use it as a reference for theatre projects.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in improvisation and theatre.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11230833,
          "author": "ThrustVectoring",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T20:09:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11230833",
          "commentText": "Impro by Keith Johnstone\nThe Inner Game of Tennis\nA Guide to Better Movement: The Science and Practice of Moving with More Skill and Less Pain\nPunished by Rewards\nMicroeconomics: Behavior, Institutions, and Evolution by Bowles",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Impro by Keith Johnstone",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10789212,
          "author": "andrei_says_",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T18:56:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10789212",
          "commentText": "Impro! Is incredible.\nIf you liked the Tao of Pooh, you may enjoy The Te of Piglet",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Impro! Is incredible.",
          "reason": "Calls it incredible.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785476,
          "author": "ThrustVectoring",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:31:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785476",
          "commentText": "Books I'm glad I've read:\nThe Inner Game of Tennis\nImpro by Keith Johnstone\nSeeing Like a State\nThe Timeless Way of Building\nLinear and Geometric Algebra by Alan Macdonald\nMeditations by Marcus Aurelius (read this one thrice)\nThe Tao of Pooh\nScience, Strategy and War: The Strategic Theory of John Boyd\nThe Drama of the Gifted Child\nInteraction Ritual\nWhat Do You Say After You Say Hello?\nOf niche use:\nMathematics: its Content, Methods and Meaning - mostly useful for figuring out what math you don't know. I recommend reading it at a fairly decent pace, and noting what subjects don't sound like an overview of something you've already learned.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Impro by Keith Johnstone",
          "reason": "Included under “Books I'm glad I've read.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Keith Johnstone"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Writing",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "improvisation",
        "theater",
        "theatre",
        "acting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "india-after-gandhi-28e229",
      "title": "India After Gandhi",
      "author": "Ramachandra Guha",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38574950,
          "author": "lavixu123",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T21:46:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38574950",
          "commentText": "2023 has been a good year with regard to reading. This has been year of History, Memoirs and Mythology. Some books I liked and would recommend are:\n1) Nothing To Fear - This book is about the Great Depression in the USA and how president JFK took steps to bring the economy back.\n2) Digital Minimalism - This is one book I would like to revisit every two years. About digital distractions and how to minimize it.\n3) The Odyssey By Emily Wilson- This was a surprising easy read with author's notes on the backdrop. Helps you understand Greek mythology and some unraveling of human emotions. Pretty deep. Highly recommend.\n4) Long Walk to Freedom - Autobiography of Nelson Mandela plus a good history of events in South Africa during his time.\n5) Lies My Teacher Told me - This is about lies that usually are represented in US high school history and the author debunks some myths. This is also a USA history primer, but all the tones associated are negative.\n6) India After Gandhi - Sneak peak into some Indian History and political environment after Independence, events leading to formation of states etc.\n7) Lend Me Your ears: Great Speeches in History - This is a great collection of speeches grouped by events. Highly recommend. Nice way to learn some history through speeches.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "India After Gandhi - Sneak peak into some Indian History and political environment after Independence",
          "reason": "Recommended as an introduction to Indian history and post-independence politics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19091223,
          "author": "_jgdh",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T23:35:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19091223",
          "commentText": "* Factfulness and Thinking Fast And Slow. The latter helped me internalise that my thinking, like most humans, is biased. Even being aware of those biases doesn’t always help. We need to go above and beyond to overcome our biases.  Factfulness goes into detail about what those biases are and how they lead to a distorted world view. Rather than taking the easy way out by blaming journalists/politicians/rich people, he turns the focus onto us and our biases and speaks about how to look at the world in an objective fact based manner.\n* The Dictator’s Handbook. One simple axiom - leaders do what is necessary to stay in power. Using that idea they explain the basis of all political systems, whether autocracy or democracy or somewhere in between. I didn’t really understand politics before I read this. CGPGrey has a video where he summarises the book. [1]\n* (Only for Indians) India After Gandhi. You can’t really understand your country if you don’t know it’s history. History stopped in 1947 according to our history books, and most people are blissfully unaware of what came after. They don’t know how close India came to losing democracy or how easily it could happen again. They don’t understand the dangers of promoting one language at the expense of others because they don’t know that it’s been tried before. Every Indian needs to know so we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past over and over.\n[1] - https://youtu.be/rStL7niR7gs",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Every Indian needs to know so we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past over and over.",
          "reason": "Argues that understanding India's history after 1947 helps people recognize threats to democracy and avoid past mistakes.",
          "audience": "Indian readers",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15960279,
          "author": "atulatul",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T14:11:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15960279",
          "commentText": "Update: added a few lines about the books than just a name listing\nFrom the ones I read in 2017, I would highly recommend (non-IT):\n1. The hidden life of trees- Peter Wohlleben Why forest trees are different than the ones you plant, how the communicate, how they care for their friends when they are not well, how mother trees protect their young ones by not letting them grow too fast, the fungi network, etc. The book is very easy to read- there is no scientific terminology overload. Things are told very simply. Not restricted to students of the subject. Learned something interesting every couple of pages. \nAnother aspect is that the love shows. It is very clear that the author is in love with the subject. The author manages a wild forest in Germany and talks mainly about trees in terms of beeches, firs, oaks, etc. The author is politely insistent that we should protect the natural wild forests and let them be.\n2. Why the allies won- Richard Overy Probably the best book I read on WW2. So many more factors went into winning the war than actual fight. Probably appealed to my analytical mind.\n3. India After Gandhi- Ramachandra Guha As the author says history ends for many Indians with freedom. Very good chronicles. Started appreciating Nehru more.\n4. Re-read Gone With The Wind, To Kill a Mockingbird, the Godfather and a few P.G Wodehouse- all of which I like.\nCurrently, halfway through Stephen Fry's Mythos which seems good enough to recommend. I am pretty new to the Greek Mythology and he is a good story teller. Don't have much to compare it with, though.\nAlso, by choice, I read quite a few books in rural Marathi(an Indian regional language) and was surprised how good the story telling was. Also noticed that I had gone quite far from my mother tongue but was happy to see how easy it was to go back.\nPlease answer my similar question https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15960188",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Very good chronicles. Started appreciating Nehru more.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its chronicles and says it changed their appreciation of Nehru.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in modern Indian history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4967207,
          "author": "mridulk",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T21:51:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967207",
          "commentText": "India specific : India after Gandhi, India Unbound \nComputer Science : GEB( still reading), Mahout in Action \nGeneral : Cryptonomicon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "India after Gandhi",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ramachandra Guha"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "indian history",
        "post independence india",
        "indian democracy",
        "modern indian history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "influence-the-psychology-of-persuasion-adce77",
      "title": "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion",
      "author": "Robert Cialdini",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41702503,
          "author": "varunjain99",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-30T21:43:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 41693844,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good essays/books/advice about software sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41702503",
          "commentText": "I think more than software sales it's useful to learn about \"sales\" and \"persuasion\".\nI've found Robert Cialdini's Influence to be a great read!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Robert Cialdini's Influence",
          "reason": "The commenter says they found it a great read on sales and persuasion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23153802,
          "author": "mitchelldeacon9",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T13:35:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23153802",
          "commentText": "In addition to the classics of cognitive psychology (Kahneman, Taleb, et al.), I would also recommend books on psychological manipulation, religious cults, and con men. The following books offer a multi-disciplinary perspective on psychological techniques to improve awareness and exploit other people, both of which are essential to enhance your perception and protect yourself against fraud and manipulation.\nCialdini, Robert (2006) Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion\nGuinn, Jeff (2017) Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple\nEkman, Paul (2007) Emotions Revealed: Recognizing Faces and Feelings to Improve Communication and Emotional Life\nKahneman, Daniel (2011) Thinking, Fast and Slow\nMitnick, Kevin and William Simon (2002) Art of Deception\nNavarro and Karlins (2008) What Every Body is Saying: Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Speed-Reading People\nNietzsche, Friedrich (1887) On the Genealogy of Morals\nRhodes, Richard (1986) Making of the Atomic Bomb\nSun Tzu (c. 400 BCE) Art of War\nTaleb, Nassim Nicholas (2005) Fooled by Randomness\nWright, Lawrence (2013) Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cialdini, Robert (2006) Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion",
          "reason": "Listed among books offering perspectives on psychological techniques and manipulation.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in recognizing persuasion and manipulation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109217,
          "author": "rglover",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:34:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109217",
          "commentText": "Slowly making my way through The Timeless Way of Building by Christopher Alexander. Also reading Essentialism by Greg McKeown, and Influence by Robert Cialdini.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "and Influence by Robert Cialdini.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 243114,
          "author": "MaysonL",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-11T01:15:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=243114",
          "commentText": "I have to strongly second this: one of the best psychology books around.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "one of the best psychology books around",
          "reason": "Strongly seconds the parent comment's positive assessment of this book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 193848,
          "author": "hschenker",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-19T04:24:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 193308,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What books on marketing do you recomend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=193848",
          "commentText": "\"Influence,\" by Robert Cialdini - although it's not necessarily packaged as a marketing book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Influence,\" by Robert Cialdini",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not necessarily packaged as a marketing book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Cialdini"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "persuasion",
        "social influence",
        "social psychology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-objectivist-epistemology-215304",
      "title": "Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology",
      "author": "Ayn Rand",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5700940,
          "author": "maxharris",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-13T19:41:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5700940",
          "commentText": "The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Those are the two to start with.\nIf you like those, check out some of her nonfiction books: The Virtue of Selfishness: A New Concept of Egoism, Philosophy: Who Needs It, and Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology (these are but a few - Rand wrote a long series of nonfiction books).\nAyn Rand's Normative Ethics: The Virtuous Egoist by Tara Smith (a philosophy professor at UT-Austin) is excellent because it unpacks Ayn Rand's ethical system in an academic style. Finally, Leonard Peikoff's Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand gives a comprehensive view of Rand's entire philosophy.\nLight reading (not by Objectivist authors, and not in any particular order):\nMasters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture by David Kushner\nThe Soul of A New Machine by Tracy Kidder\nThe Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA by James Watson\nWhat Do You Care What Other People Think?: Further Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard Feynman\nSurely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard Feynman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology",
          "reason": "Suggested as one of Rand's nonfiction books to explore if the reader likes her novels.",
          "audience": "Readers who like Rand's novels.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these are only a few of her nonfiction books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2150551,
          "author": "Tim1776",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-28T02:33:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2150551",
          "commentText": "\"Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology\" by Ayn Rand",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology\" by Ayn Rand",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2148113,
          "author": "maxharris",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T15:27:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2148113",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead, and Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology, by Ayn Rand.\nTo a lesser extent, The Double Helix, by James D. Watson.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology, by Ayn Rand",
          "reason": "Listed as a book that changed the commenter’s way of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503213,
          "author": "dmfdmf",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T06:46:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503213",
          "commentText": "\"The Virtue of Selfishness\"\n\"Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal\"\n\"Philosophy: Who Needs It\"\n\"Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology\"\nAll by Ayn Rand. Whether you end up agreeing with her or not, she will definitely will make you think.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Whether you agree with Rand or not, she says it will make you think.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143268,
          "author": "gibsonf1",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T12:42:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143268",
          "commentText": "_Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology_, Ayn Rand\nThe \"Organon\" books by Aristotle\n_Introduction to Logic_, H. W. B. Joseph\n_An Invitation to Formal Reasoning_, Fred Sommers & George Englebretsen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "_Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology_, Ayn Rand",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ayn Rand"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epistemology",
        "objectivism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "invent-your-own-computer-games-with-python-bfa27d",
      "title": "Invent Your Own Computer Games with Python",
      "author": "Al Sweigart",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37391162,
          "author": "Someone1234",
          "createdAt": "2023-09-05T13:13:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 37386127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best intro to programming book for 2nd graders?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37391162",
          "commentText": "I've been using this:\n\"Invent Your Own Computer Games with Python, 4th Edition.\"\nhttps://inventwithpython.com/invent4thed/\nI feel like it has been going pretty well so far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Invent Your Own Computer Games with Python, 4th Edition.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have been using it and that it has been going well.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34412673,
          "author": "lazyant",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-17T14:22:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 34412069,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach programming by building a series of small projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34412673",
          "commentText": "> - A few python books from No Starch Press (notably those authored by Al Sweigart)\nYes for example https://nostarch.com/inventwithpython and https://nostarch.com/big-book-small-python-projects",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://nostarch.com/inventwithpython",
          "reason": "Given as an example of a Python book with small projects.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9612334,
          "author": "avinassh",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T16:06:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9612334",
          "commentText": "This repo maintains list of free programming books [0].\nMany of the books at Green Tea Press[1] are available for free:\n- Think Python: How To Think Like a Computer Scientist\n- Think Bayes: Bayesian Statistics in Python\n- Think Complexity: Exploring Complexity Science with Python\n- Think Stats: Probability and Statistics for Programmers\n- The Little Book of Semaphores\n- Physical Modeling in MATLAB\n- Learning Perl the Hard Way\nfew others. Do check the site.\nSecondly, books by Al Sweigart[2] are also freely available. They include:\n- Automate the Boring Stuff with Python[3]\n- Hacking Secret Ciphers with Python\n- Invent Your Own Computer Games with Python\n- Making Games with Python & Pygame\n[0] - https://github.com/vhf/free-programming-books\n[1] - http://www.greenteapress.com/\n[2] - https://inventwithpython.com/\n[3] - https://automatetheboringstuff.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Invent Your Own Computer Games with Python",
          "reason": "Listed among freely available books by Al Sweigart in response to a request for free reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3382248,
          "author": "gruseom",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-22T17:02:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 3380141,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Intro Programming Book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3382248",
          "commentText": "I've heard good things about http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0982106017?ie=UTF8&tag=... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0982106017?ie=UTF8&tag=playwithpyth-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0982106017) (I've left in the author's affiliate link), which is also online at http://inventwithpython.com/chapters.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've heard good things about",
          "reason": "The commenter reports hearing positive things about the linked book in response to the recommendation request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment gives no firsthand assessment.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Al Sweigart"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "python",
        "game development",
        "game programming",
        "programming for children"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "javascript-allonge-714a90",
      "title": "JavaScript Allongé",
      "author": "Reginald Braithwaite",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10182650,
          "author": "sehr",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-07T19:16:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10182650",
          "commentText": "You cannot go wrong with JavaScript Allonge\nhttps://leanpub.com/javascriptallongesix",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You cannot go wrong with JavaScript Allonge",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends the book as a safe choice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9613518,
          "author": "acjohnson55",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T18:50:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9613518",
          "commentText": "Javascript Allongé is one of my favorite programming books ever: https://leanpub.com/javascript-allonge/read. I think it's a great book even if you don't program Javascript, because the way Braithwaite talks about programming language techniques is so interesting. I had been programming Javascript for a long time before I read this back, and afterward, it changed my whole point of view on how it could be used.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Javascript Allongé is one of my favorite programming books ever",
          "reason": "Praised as a favorite and for its interesting discussion of programming language techniques.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in programming language techniques, including those who do not program JavaScript.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8014200,
          "author": "Flenser",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-10T08:37:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8014200",
          "commentText": "Seconded! I thought I knew a lot about JavaScript but this book explains some fundamental things about how JavaScript works that I'd never seen before, not including all the combinator goodness.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this book explains some fundamental things about how JavaScript works",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the recommendation and says the book explained fundamental JavaScript concepts they had not encountered before.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in JavaScript fundamentals and functional programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8001857,
          "author": "acjohnson55",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T22:12:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8001857",
          "commentText": "Javascript Allongé by Reg Braithwaite was an incredible book, not just for changing how I viewed Javascript, but it also taught me a lot about programming as a whole. It taught me a lot of lessons in factoring functions into orthogonal concerns that have been highly influential on my coding style in all languages ever since.\nAvailable free in HTML form: \nhttps://leanpub.com/javascript-allonge/read",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Javascript Allongé by Reg Braithwaite was an incredible book",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed how they viewed JavaScript and influenced their programming and coding style.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in JavaScript and functional programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7757665,
          "author": "OWaz",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T20:13:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7757665",
          "commentText": "Check out JavaScript Allonge[1] or JavaScript Enlightenment[2]\n[1]: https://leanpub.com/javascript-allonge/read\n[2]: http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920027713.do",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Check out JavaScript Allonge[1]",
          "reason": "Suggested as a resource for intermediate to advanced JavaScript.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking intermediate to advanced JavaScript material.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Reginald Braithwaite"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "javascript",
        "functional programming",
        "programming language techniques"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "john-adams-f0de75",
      "title": "John Adams",
      "author": "David McCullough",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38238453,
          "author": "itronitron",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T08:32:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238453",
          "commentText": "As an American, I highly recommend \"Lies My Teacher Told Me\" by James Loewen.\nAnd since you are reading 1776 then you might also like \"John Adams\" by David McCullough.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you might also like \"John Adams\" by David McCullough.",
          "reason": "Suggests it to someone reading 1776.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34161496,
          "author": "psithurism",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T14:53:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161496",
          "commentText": "Sociology:\n- The Coddling of the American Mind\n- The Tao of Pooh\n- Guns, Germs, and Steel\n- Weapons of the Weak\nReligious:\n- Guru Granth Sahib\n- Bible (King James Version)\n- Q’uran\n- The Book of Mormon \n- Tipitaka\nFantasy:\n- Dawn of Wonder by Jonathan Renshaw\n- The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan \n- The Way of Kings series by Brandon Sanderson\n- Mistborn also by Brandon Sanderson\n- Red Rising by Pierce Brown\n- The Licanius trilogy by James Islington\n- Saga of the Forgotten Warrior series by Larry Correia\nBiography\n- John Adams by David McCullough",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- John Adams by David McCullough",
          "reason": "Listed under Biography.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109628,
          "author": "joeclark77",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T17:22:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109628",
          "commentText": "How can there be 71 comments and not one mention of G. K. Chesterton?  Go out, right now, and check out The Everlasting Man and Orthodoxy from your local library.\nI would also throw out there Shop Class as Soulcraft by Matthew Crawford, as something to inspire makers & engineers without being a technical book.  If you like history, David McCullough's biography John Adams is a masterpiece (also see 1776 by the same author).\nI can't think of anything else that hasn't already been mentioned.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you like history, David McCullough's biography John Adams is a masterpiece",
          "reason": "Called a masterpiece and recommended to readers who like history.",
          "audience": "Readers who like history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 202956,
          "author": "rglovejoy",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T03:50:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=202956",
          "commentText": "John Forbes Nash: \"A Beautiful Mind\" by Sylvia Nasir\nRichard Feynman: \"Genius\" by James Gleick\n\"The Passion of Ayn Rand\" by Barbara Brandon\n\"John Adams\" and \"Truman\" by David McCullough\n\"Lincoln the Unknown\" by Dale Carnegie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"John Adams\" and \"Truman\" by David McCullough",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David McCullough"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american history",
        "american presidents",
        "presidential biography",
        "united states history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "jonathan-strange-mr-norrell-0bec9e",
      "title": "Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell",
      "author": "Susanna Clarke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41175693,
          "author": "dcminter",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:41:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175693",
          "commentText": "\"Best\" is always too hard - here are a handful that I love.\nPride & Prejudice - Jane Austen\nJonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - Susannah Clarke\nThe Crow Road - Iain Banks\nEqual Rites - Terry Pratchett\nThree Men in a Boat - Jerome K. Jerome\nA Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson\nBlack Holes & Time Warps - Kip Thorne\nThe Inventions of Daedalus - David E H Jones\nThe Cuckoo's Egg - Cliff Stoll\nI hope one or two of those float your boat!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - Susannah Clarke",
          "reason": "Offers it as one of a handful of books the commenter loves in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says choosing the “best” is too hard.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38238617,
          "author": "PaulRobinson",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T09:01:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238617",
          "commentText": "My non-fiction pile is very peculiar to me (maths, probability, gambling, Rust and Elixir books, a backlog of a load of recent Humble Bundle deals), but I have some solid fiction recommendations:\nTomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin is the sort of novel where you start to get sad as the weight of unread pages in your right starts to lighten. A novel about some friends who build some games (set in the 1990s and 2000s, with references to games of that era), it's really about friendship, social awkwardness and creativity.\nPiranesi by Susanna Clarke can't really take a review. When I first of it in Literary Review, the reviewer refused to disclose any plot for fear of providing spoilers, and I'm the same. I can just tell you, it's lovely. Her writing has got even better since she wrote Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, and it's a really, really solid novel.\nYesterday, my Dad messaged me about a current read I'll share here as a warning, and because his style is just hilarious:\nI treated myself to a copy of \"A Stroke of the Pen\" by Terry Pratchett: short stories unearthed after his death. Very disappointing. If I were you, I would wait until it is available at your local library and then you could scrawl cuss words inside it without damaging your personal copy.\nSolid advice that, I hope you'll agree.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "since she wrote Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell",
          "reason": "Mentioned as the author's earlier novel in comparison with Piranesi.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630308,
          "author": "roryisok",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:09:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630308",
          "commentText": "Day of the Triffids - John Wyndham - everyone goes blind and a bunch of sentient plants start eating people. one of the first science fiction books I ever read, and the one that introduced me to post apocalyptic fiction. Giant plants might sound silly, but its no more silly than walking corpses. And in fact the walking dead and 28 days later owe a lot to this book.\nJonathan Strange and Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke - beautifully inventive fantasy novel about two magicians bringing magic back to Britain during the Napoleonic wars. Fab read.\nGateway - Frederick Pohl - pulp sf at its best. Humans discover a hollowed out asteroid worth ftl ships preprogrammed with unknown destinations. Prospectors pack as much food as they can and hit 'launch' in the hopes that they'll discover something valuable and not land on a star or starve to death.\nThe Forever War - Joe Haldeman - more great pulp sci-fi about the first interstellar war. Old man's war by John Scalzi is very similar and almost as good.\nMost things by Iain (m) banks. Crow Road, Wasp Factory, The Bridge, Consider Phlebas, Use of Weapons, Player of Games etc. Song of stone was awful though, they're not all winners",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "beautifully inventive fantasy novel",
          "reason": "Praises its inventive fantasy and describes it as a fabulous read.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in fantasy and historical settings.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876951,
          "author": "dminor",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T15:45:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876951",
          "commentText": "Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell\nPost Captain (well, basically all of the Patrick O'Brian series)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85974,
          "author": "gensym",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T16:28:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85974",
          "commentText": "The Evolution of Cooperation - Robert Axelrod\nCryptonomicon - Neal Stephenson\nJonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell - Susanna Clark\nInfinite Jest - David Foster Wallace\nThe Informant - Kurt Eichenwald\nThe Visual Display of Quantitative Information - Edward Tufte\nLiar's Poker - Michael Lewis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell - Susanna Clark",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Susanna Clarke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fantasy",
        "magical realism",
        "alternate history",
        "alternative history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "judas-unchained-f0ce91",
      "title": "Judas Unchained",
      "author": "Peter F. Hamilton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43613486,
          "author": "bloopernova",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T16:54:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43613486",
          "commentText": "The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors by James Hornfischer. The amazing courage shown by the US Navy sailors as their tiny 2,000 ton Destroyers and Destroyer Escorts faced a Japanese fleet of Battleships, Cruisers, and Destroyers at The Battle Off Samar. Inspiring and horrifying, the DDs and DEs of the US navy were protecting \"Escort Carriers\" which were smaller aircraft carriers made from cargo ship hulls. Warning, may inspire you to learn a whole bunch more about world war 2.\nAnd 2 books that sort of go together:\nIncredible Victory: The Battle of Midway by Walter Lord, and Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway by Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully. Read Incredible Victory first, learn about the luck, good and bad, that led to a much-needed victory in the Pacific. Then read Shattered Sword and get a fuller picture of events, especially from the Japanese side. Learn about how hubris and dogma led to the Japanese Navy's defeat. Then learn about how saving face led to history not being accurately told by the witnesses on the Japanese side.\nAll 3 are great books that are well worth your time.\nOthers that I've enjoyed:\nParable of the Sower by Octavia Butler (near future post-apocalyptic sci-fi).\nThe non-fiction Liberation Trilogy by Rick Atkinson (more WW2 non-fiction, nice details about North Africa through Italy, then France to Germany).\nMidnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham.\nMost Secret War by RV Jones (nerdy, funny history of one scientist's world war 2 experience).\nThe Discworld City Guard books, starting with Guards! Guards!, by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy fiction satire, hilarious and comforting. Highly, highly recommended!!\nPeter F Hamilton sci-fi adventure books: Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained are a duo of great space opera stretching across multiple planets and people. Don't spoil yourself by reading any descriptions of Judas Unchained before you read Pandora's Star. Also by the same author, The Night's Dawn Trilogy: The Reality Dysfunction, The Neutronium Alchemist, and The Naked God. Fantastic big canvas space opera with lots of threads, great world-building, and amazing situations. Both sets of books are highly recommended escapes from reality.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained are a duo of great space opera",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends this space opera duo.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy large-scale space opera.",
          "caveat": "Read Pandora's Star first and avoid reading descriptions of this book beforehand.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249383,
          "author": "tavish1",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T11:22:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249383",
          "commentText": "I started reading sci-fi(mostly hard-sf) after I read the commonwealth saga, 'Pandora's star' and 'Judas unchained'. It was just really entertaining and unlike anything I've read. Also really recommend 'Snow crash'. Also adding a couple fantasy recommendations: Lies of Locke lamora, and any basically any novel by Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn: the final empire, Warbreaker, The way of kings etc.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Pandora's star' and 'Judas unchained'. It was just really entertaining and unlike anything I've read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says reading these books was really entertaining and unlike anything they had read.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy hard science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056542,
          "author": "huhtenberg",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:22:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056542",
          "commentText": "Lord of the Light\nDune\nNeuromancer\nHyperion\nSnow Crash\nUse of Weapons\nPandora's Star / Judas Unchained",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pandora's Star / Judas Unchained",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite sci-fi books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387404,
          "author": "jackjeff",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T23:02:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387404",
          "commentText": "Judas Unchained",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Judas Unchained",
          "reason": "Offered as a literature choice in response to the discussion question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter F. Hamilton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "first contact",
        "hard science fiction",
        "interstellar civilization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "language-in-thought-and-action-16b86d",
      "title": "Language in Thought and Action",
      "author": "S. I. Hayakawa",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37937038,
          "author": "xekul",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:19:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937038",
          "commentText": "Language in Thought and Action by S.I. Hayakawa\nMetaphors We Live By by Lakoff and Johnson\nThe Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan\nThe Denial of Death by Ernest Becker\nTao Te Ching (various translators)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Language in Thought and Action by S.I. Hayakawa",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a major impact on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33800596,
          "author": "halefx",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T13:44:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33800596",
          "commentText": "Language in Thought and Action by S.I. Hayakawa. There is a LOT in the book, but at a minimum it made me think analytically about language and \"news\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Language in Thought and Action by S.I. Hayakawa.",
          "reason": "At minimum, it encouraged analytical thinking about language and news.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19896976,
          "author": "Zanni",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T07:27:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19896976",
          "commentText": "Language in Thought and Action by S. I. Hayakawa is an introduction to General Semantics and deals with the limitations of language-oriented mental models, e.g. \"the map is not the territory,\" a reminder that a model is just a model and not reality (or what Joel Spolsky would call \"a leaky abstraction\"). [0]\nThe World of Null-A by A. E. Van Vogt is a science-fiction novel with a world that has largely adopted General Semantics. [1]\n[0]https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/567189.Language_in_Thoug... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/567189.Language_in_Thought_and_Action)\n[1]https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/951290.The_World_of_Null... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/951290.The_World_of_Null_A)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Language in Thought and Action by S. I. Hayakawa is an introduction to General Semantics and deals with the limitations of language-oriented mental models",
          "reason": "Describes the book's subject and relevance to mental models without expressing an evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13803970,
          "author": "forkandwait",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:00:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13803970",
          "commentText": "\"Language in Thought and Action\" by S. I. Hayakawa.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Language in Thought and Action\" by S. I. Hayakawa.",
          "reason": "Named in answer to a question about books that changed the way people think about the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56777,
          "author": "Kaizyn",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T07:44:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56777",
          "commentText": "1) Musashi's Book of Five Rings\n2) Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People\n3) Machaivelli's The Prince\n4) Sun-Tzu's The Art of War\n5) Hayakawa's Language in Thought and Action\n6) Steven Johnson's Emergence\n7) Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel\n8) Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything\n9) Mark Buchanan's Nexus\n10) C. S. Lewis's The Problem of Pain\nTaken together, these books cover just about everything there is to know about the sciences, about human history, human nature and how to understand and communicate effectively with other people.  Only one other book besides these needs to be studied/read: The Bible.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hayakawa's Language in Thought and Action",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list said to cover communicating effectively with others.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in language and communication.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "S. I. Hayakawa"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "semantics",
        "language",
        "language and thought",
        "communication"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "le-ton-beau-de-marot-f914cb",
      "title": "Le Ton beau de Marot",
      "author": "Douglas Hofstadter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10534162,
          "author": "schlagetown",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T17:01:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10534162",
          "commentText": "Watchmen (Alan Moore)\nOrigins of Form (Christopher Williams)\nStarship & The Canoe (Kenneth Brower)\nThe Size of Lumber (Nicholson Baker)\nZen Mind, Beginner's Mind (Shunryu Suzuki)\nDeschooling Society (Ivan Illich)\nMoby Dick (Herman Melville)\nBolo'Bolo (P.M.)\nLe Ton beau de Marot (Douglas Hofstadter)\nGaia: A New Look at Life on Earth (James Lovelock)\nMouse or Rat: Translation as Negotiation (Umberto Eco)\nNeuromancer (William Gibson)\nThe Intelligent Investor (Benjamin Graham)\nDon Quixote (Miguel Cervantes)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Le Ton beau de Marot (Douglas Hofstadter)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about the best books read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674322,
          "author": "sriku",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T12:09:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674322",
          "commentText": "Gödel, Escher, Bach - An Eternal Golden Braid, by Douglas Hofstadter. Both a work of literary and technical genius.\nLe ton beau de Marot, also by Douglas Hofstadter. Was blown by his description of how making the typographical choice of starting the first word of each chapter with letters decreasing in height to the normal page font size, caused him to rethink a whole chapter (he couldn't use descenders, which limits the first word, which limits his first sentence, which constrains his first paragraph and so on).\nHarry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, by Eliezer Yudkowsky. Every single chapter is potentially mind blowing. The whole approach of trying to instruct rationality through such fiction is itself brilliant I think.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Was blown by his description of how making the typographical choice",
          "reason": "Says the author's account of typographical constraints was mind-blowing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9350656,
          "author": "stenl",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T20:08:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350656",
          "commentText": "It's definitely fantastic, and one of the books that had the greatest influence on my thinking (I read it as a teenager, 20+ years ago).\nIf you want something less theoretical, more personal, poetic and emotional, his \"Le ton beau de Marot\" (English, despite the title) is also fabulous. He takes a short poem and translates it a hundred different ways, all the while musing about what \"translation\" means (literal, conveying the same emotion, using the same metaphors, between cultures...) as well as about thought, language and meaning more generally. And then, while he writes the book, his wife gets a brain tumor and dies, and the book becomes part of his mourning.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "his \"Le ton beau de Marot\" (English, despite the title) is also fabulous.",
          "reason": "Calls the book fabulous and describes its exploration of translation, thought, language, and meaning.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes the book as becoming part of the author's mourning after his wife's death.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107037,
          "author": "cursork",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:46:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107037",
          "commentText": "That's a great book. I've just started reading I Am A Strange Loop by Hofstadter and it's promising.\nAlso by Hofstadter: Le Ton beau de Marot was a good read.\nGEB is the big one, but if you like his style - probably worth checking out some of the others. Best to get print books for this particular author though.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Le Ton beau de Marot was a good read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a good read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797320,
          "author": "bkovitz",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T03:52:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797320",
          "commentText": "Computational Pharmacokinetics by Anders Källén\nSecrets of Consulting by Gerald Weinberg\nLe Ton Beau de Marot by Douglas Hofstadter\nBorn to Win by Muriel James and Dorothy Jongeward",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Le Ton Beau de Marot by Douglas Hofstadter",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Hofstadter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Writing",
        "Art",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "translation",
        "wordplay",
        "language",
        "linguistics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "learn-you-a-haskell-for-great-good-9494c6",
      "title": "Learn You a Haskell for Great Good!",
      "author": "Miran Lipovača",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29307835,
          "author": "jpgvm",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:02:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29307835",
          "commentText": "Learn you a Haskell for Great Good.\nNot required reading but entertaining and only somewhat practical unless you happen to write Haskell for a living, in which case yeah - too bad.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Learn you a Haskell for Great Good.",
          "reason": "Calls it entertaining and somewhat practical, except for people who write Haskell professionally.",
          "audience": "Haskell learners.",
          "caveat": "Only somewhat practical unless you write Haskell for a living.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28663628,
          "author": "macando",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T19:07:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28663628",
          "commentText": "Most influential - Clean Code and The Joy of C (the first programming book I've read)\nMost informative - Effective Java\nFunniest - Learn You a Haskell for Great Good!\nBest written - Eloquent Ruby\nMost useful - Data Modeling Essentials",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Funniest - Learn You a Haskell for Great Good!",
          "reason": "Listed as the funniest book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21768609,
          "author": "plyptepe",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-12T01:44:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 21765528,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fun Tech Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21768609",
          "commentText": "\"Learn You a Haskell\" by Miran Lipovača: http://learnyouahaskell.com/\n\"Learn You Some Erlang for great good\" by Fred Hebert: https://learnyousomeerlang.com/\n\"If Hemingway Wrote JavaScript\" by Angus Croll: https://nostarch.com/hemingway\n\"Clojure for the Brave and True\" by Daniel Higginbotham: https://www.braveclojure.com/clojure-for-the-brave-and-true/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Learn You a Haskell\" by Miran Lipovača",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9347990,
          "author": "rhubarbcustard",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:00:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9347990",
          "commentText": "Casino Royale - It's kind of jarring how different the book and film versions of Bond are.\nLearn You a Haskell for Great Good! - partially read it before online but couldn't get into it, bought the book and hope to nail it this time.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "partially read it before online but couldn't get into it, bought the book and hope to nail it this time.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Previously struggled to get into it online.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401623,
          "author": "almog",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:48:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401623",
          "commentText": "Read: \nThe Fall of Hyperion\nReading:\nEloquent Javascript 2nd edition\nLearn You a Haskell for Great Good\nNext:\nDiscworld series\nSecrets of The Javascript Ninja",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Learn You a Haskell for Great Good",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8000014,
          "author": "brickcap",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T17:28:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8000014",
          "commentText": "Two books\n1. Learn you some erlang (http://learnyousomeerlang.com/)\nWhy?\nBecause it is written in a style in which technical books are rarely written. It has cartoons, jokes, references to pop culture but still it conveys the core subject exceedingly well. I understand that this is written in style of learn you some haskell so I am going to read that as well at some point. The best part  is you can read the book second or third time and still have fun.\n2. Joe Armstrong's thesis(http://www.erlang.org/download/armstrong_thesis_2003.pdf)\nYes it is another erlang book but it is written so well!  I don't read thesis (or to be perfectly honest I try reading them but I can't understand most of them and lose interest after some time) but somehow I Joe's thesis made sense to me. It might be because of his clear writing style I can't say. But every time I read this book I find a certain phrase that sticks with me while I am writing programmes. Joe is a quote machine :)\n3. Essays in the art of writing by R.L stevenson (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/492/492-h/492-h.htm)\nJust read the opening paragraph and see for yourself if you don't want to read any more :)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "written in style of learn you some haskell",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter plans to read it in the future; no evaluation is given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968403,
          "author": "matdes",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:46:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968403",
          "commentText": "Capital in the 21st Century by Thomas Piketty\nLearn You a Haskell\nA Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K LeGuin",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Learn You a Haskell",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414382,
          "author": "kamechan",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T08:52:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414382",
          "commentText": "functional stuff is making a comeback. haskell can be daunting in its pure-ness sometimes, requiring monads for seemingly anything useful. but it's a wonderful language/lifestyle choice. this online book broaches the subject pretty well: http://learnyouahaskell.com/chapters",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this online book broaches the subject pretty well",
          "reason": "Calls the linked online book a good introduction to functional programming and Haskell.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring functional programming and Haskell.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Haskell can be daunting because of its purity and monads.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Miran Lipovača"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "functional programming",
        "haskell"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "linchpin-are-you-indispensable-4186e5",
      "title": "Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?",
      "author": "Seth Godin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12982390,
          "author": "kkoppenhaver",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-17T22:34:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12982390",
          "commentText": "Linchpin - Seth Godin\nPitch Anything - Oren Klaff",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Linchpin - Seth Godin",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12097160,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-14T21:04:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12097160",
          "commentText": "I just started reading the Art of Learning\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Art-Learning-Journey-Optimal-Performa... (https://www.amazon.com/Art-Learning-Journey-Optimal-Performance/dp/0743277465)\nI finished Linchpin a few weeks back and that was an amazing book  \nhttps://www.amazon.com/Linchpin-Are-Indispensable-Seth-Godin... (https://www.amazon.com/Linchpin-Are-Indispensable-Seth-Godin/dp/1591844096)\nWill It Fly is a great book I learning a lot of great marketing tricks from\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Will-Test-Business-Waste-Money/dp/099... (https://www.amazon.com/Will-Test-Business-Waste-Money/dp/0997082305)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I finished Linchpin a few weeks back and that was an amazing book",
          "reason": "Calls it an amazing book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4599287,
          "author": "eduardordm",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-01T20:54:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 4596721,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4599287",
          "commentText": "I finished Linchpin just for the sake of doing it. That book would be great if it wasn't the zillionth book telling the same story.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "That book would be great if it wasn't the zillionth book telling the same story.",
          "reason": "Calls it potentially great but says it repeats a story told many times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Feels repetitive.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4598945,
          "author": "redrory",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-01T19:35:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 4596721,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4598945",
          "commentText": "1.) Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?: Seth Godin\n2.)Mastering the Rockefeller Habits: What You Must Do to Increase the Value of Your Growing Firm -\nVerne Harnish",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?: Seth Godin",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2616080,
          "author": "eswat",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T12:39:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2616080",
          "commentText": "The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson and Linchpin by Seth Godin.\nI had started Linchpin first but I’m now focusing on finishing The Primal Blueprint instead. If you like to question Conventional Wisdom and want to take a second look at how modern society has wrongly dictated what we eat, how we work out, etc. then give it a read.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson and Linchpin by Seth Godin.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are currently focusing on finishing The Primal Blueprint instead.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2087524,
          "author": "maguay",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T04:51:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2087524",
          "commentText": "Mine are cliché, but they really did help me in 2010 and hopefully will continue helping me in 2011 and beyond:\nRework - Jason Fried and David Hansson\nLinchpin: Are You Indispensable? - Seth Godin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? - Seth Godin",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them in 2010 and expects it to keep helping them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Seth Godin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "career development",
        "creativity",
        "marketing",
        "career"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lisp-in-small-pieces-ce23a1",
      "title": "Lisp in Small Pieces",
      "author": "Christian Queinnec",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24289321,
          "author": "Jtsummers",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-27T01:35:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 24286084,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading at the moment and what do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24289321",
          "commentText": "Fiction, English\n\nListening: Swords in the Mist, Fritz Leiber. Third in the Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser collections.\nReading: The Dispossessed, Ursula Le Guin.\n  Fiction, Spanish\n\nI’m trying to learn Spanish. I’ve picked up a few Spanish language fiction books, presently starting on Harry Potter y la piedra filosofal. I’ve tried reading other books, like Jorge Luis Borges’ Ficciones, but I’ve found it to be above my present level. I’ve restarted four or five times and made it further each time, but always stalled out.\n  Non-fiction\n\nThe Design of Everyday Things, Don Norman.\nI have other books started lying around the house, but these are the ones I’ve been actively engaged with in the last couple weeks. When I can type properly again (two to three weeks) I’ll resume Lisp in Small Pieces, Christian Queinnec. And at the office I have The Pragmatic Programmer, I’ll be back there next week and bring it home so I can continue with it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "When I can type properly again (two to three weeks) I’ll resume Lisp in Small Pieces, Christian Queinnec.",
          "reason": "The commenter plans to resume reading it when able to type again.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16758589,
          "author": "agumonkey",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T20:15:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16758589",
          "commentText": "- Martin Henson - Elements of Functional Programming (old, and on purpose, I like to have a sense of the pre trend FP mindset) I suggest everyone to try to grab it (library or paid tree), the cover is so pretty https://www.abebooks.com/book-search/title/elements-function... (https://www.abebooks.com/book-search/title/elements-functional-languages/author/martin-henson/)\nHad a bunch of books about electricity/electronics (google for 'best book about ...')\nAlso bitcoin got me to hear about Statistics:\n- http://www-bcf.usc.edu/~gareth/ISL\n- https://web.stanford.edu/~hastie/Papers/ESLII.pdf\nLastly, Queinnec LiSP is never far from reach",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Lastly, Queinnec LiSP is never far from reach",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16080693,
          "author": "gabriel",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-05T18:57:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16080693",
          "commentText": "Lisp in Small Pieces: https://pages.lip6.fr/Christian.Queinnec/WWW/LiSP.html\nAn excellent and very fun read about compilation, interpretation, and programming semantics.\nI don’t think you already have to know LISP, although there isn’t an introduction, but if you know any programming it would be enough to pick up the programs that are used as examples. Source code from the book is available and you will end up programming as you move along and it is a delight to see yourself make a program that can interpret another program.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An excellent and very fun read about compilation, interpretation, and programming semantics.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it excellent and fun, and describes its subject matter.",
          "audience": "Readers with some programming experience; the commenter says knowing any programming is enough to follow the examples.",
          "caveat": "It does not provide an introduction to Lisp, and the commenter does not think prior Lisp knowledge is required.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9759480,
          "author": "kod",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T16:38:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9759480",
          "commentText": "http://pagesperso-systeme.lip6.fr/Christian.Queinnec/WWW/LiS... (http://pagesperso-systeme.lip6.fr/Christian.Queinnec/WWW/LiSP.html)\nMight be jumping in at the deep end if he's never seen lisp before, but it was originally published in french...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Might be jumping in at the deep end if he's never seen lisp before, but it was originally published in french...",
          "reason": "Offers a French-language Lisp book in response to the request.",
          "audience": "A smart high-school student who knows Java and Python.",
          "caveat": "May be too advanced for someone who has never encountered Lisp.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7767502,
          "author": "fredyr",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-19T14:16:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7767502",
          "commentText": "Richard Bird, Philip Wadler - Introduction to Functional Programming\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Functional-Programming-In... (http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Functional-Programming-International-Computing/dp/0134841891)\nRichard Bird - Pearls of Functional Algorithm Design\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Pearls-Functional-Algorithm-Design-Ric... (http://www.amazon.com/Pearls-Functional-Algorithm-Design-Richard/dp/0521513383)\nChristian Queinnec - Lisp in Small Pieces\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Lisp-Small-Pieces-Christian-Queinnec/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Lisp-Small-Pieces-Christian-Queinnec/dp/0521545668)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Christian Queinnec - Lisp in Small Pieces",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1866491,
          "author": "pdelgallego",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T20:58:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1866491",
          "commentText": "Beloved by Toni Morrison.\nLisp in Small Pieces by C. Queinnec",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Lisp in Small Pieces by C. Queinnec",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 407193,
          "author": "zitterbewegung",
          "createdAt": "2008-12-23T02:49:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 407067,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Let's start a Hacker News book club",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=407193",
          "commentText": "TAOCP ,SICP, Lisp in small pieces, Probably the upcoming clojure book comes to stuff that should be consed on the list.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Lisp in small pieces",
          "reason": "Listed as a possible book club choice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 136920,
          "author": "henning",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-14T17:12:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 136875,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good compiler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=136920",
          "commentText": "If you're comfortable with Lisp, Lisp in Small Pieces is good.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Lisp in Small Pieces is good.",
          "reason": "Calls it a good choice for readers comfortable with Lisp.",
          "audience": "Readers comfortable with Lisp.",
          "caveat": "Requires comfort with Lisp.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christian Queinnec"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "lisp",
        "programming language implementation",
        "programming languages",
        "compilers"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "machine-learning-a-probabilistic-perspective-3ea726",
      "title": "Machine Learning: A Probabilistic Perspective",
      "author": "Kevin P. Murphy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27639272,
          "author": "darawk",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T05:05:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27639272",
          "commentText": "Attempting to self study statistics and econometrics in a serious way. I just finished Casella and Berger's \"Statistical Inference\". I'm about halfway through Shumway and Stoffer's \"Time Series Analysis\", but then next on the list, in the order I tend to read them:\n  - Theory of Point Estimation Casella/Lehmann\n\n  - Bayesian Data Analysis 3rd ed.\n\n  - Convex Optimization - Boyd\n\n  - Econometrics - Hayashi\n\n  - New Introduction to Multiple Time Series Analysis\n\n  - Elements of Statistical Learning\n\n  - Machine Learning: A probabilistic perspective\n\nThere's a fair amount of overlap between these books, so it's not quite as much as it seems. But i'm hoping to make it through at least a chapter a week this year, which should get me most of the way through them. We'll see how it goes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Machine Learning: A probabilistic perspective",
          "reason": "Lists it next in their planned reading.",
          "audience": "People self-studying statistics and econometrics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20675229,
          "author": "banjo_milkman",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T13:32:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20675229",
          "commentText": "1. The Goodfellow book is the obvious one.\nAnother option is 'Machine Learning: A probabilistic perspective' by Kevin Murphy, which does have exercises but has less material on CNNs IIRC and is slightly older. Also Bishop 'Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning' is a classic reference but even older.\n2. The Pedro Domingos book the Master Algorithm tries to address this itch / may be less philosophical that you want. It is >okay< but I don't think people love it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "'Machine Learning: A probabilistic perspective' by Kevin Murphy, which does have exercises",
          "reason": "Offers it as another option, noting that it includes exercises and has less CNN coverage.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Less material on CNNs and slightly older.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13905132,
          "author": "jumpCastle",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-19T04:11:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13905132",
          "commentText": "I liked all three of them. I also feel Murphy's MLAPP provides additional useful material and is well written.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Murphy's MLAPP provides additional useful material and is well written.",
          "reason": "Says it provides useful material and is well written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8402132,
          "author": "ivan_ah",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T18:09:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8402132",
          "commentText": "Machine Learning: a Probabilistic Perspective\nhttp://www.cs.ubc.ca/~murphyk/MLbook/\nexcellent ML textbook, comes with code",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Machine Learning: a Probabilistic Perspective\nhttp://www.cs.ubc.ca/~murphyk/MLbook/\nexcellent ML textbook, comes with code",
          "reason": "Called an excellent machine learning textbook that comes with code.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kevin P. Murphy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "machine learning",
        "probabilistic modeling",
        "probabilistic models"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "magic-2-0-f5f6b6",
      "title": "Magic 2.0",
      "author": "Scott Meyer",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46179430,
          "author": "lessnonymous",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-07T05:43:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46179430",
          "commentText": "The \"Magic 2.0\" series by Scott Meyer is a fun look at a programmer in medieval England with the ability to edit the world around him\nEdit: the audiobooks are well done too!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The \"Magic 2.0\" series by Scott Meyer is a fun look at a programmer in medieval England",
          "reason": "Describes the series as a fun look at a programmer in medieval England with world-editing abilities.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says the audiobooks are well done too.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28059025,
          "author": "johntdaly",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T09:35:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28059025",
          "commentText": "SciFi\nThe Bobiverse Series by Dennis E. Taylor\nThe Singularity Trap and Outland, also by Dennis E. Taylor\nThe Interdependency Series by John Scalzi\nSciFi + Comedy\nExpeditionary Force Series by Craig Alanson\nMilitary SciFi\nThe Lost Fleet Series by Jack Campbell\nThe Palladium Wars Series by Marko Kloos\nA bit of all of the above\nMurderbot Diaries Series by Martha Wells\nSciFi/SciFantasy + Comedy\nMagic 2.0 by Scott Mayer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Magic 2.0 by Scott Mayer",
          "reason": "Lists it as a science fantasy and comedy recommendation.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking science fantasy comedy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175538,
          "author": "netcraft",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:16:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175538",
          "commentText": "I am finishing up the magic 2.0 series (fun, fantasy, goes well with RPO and the like) and about to start Dune next I think.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the magic 2.0 series (fun, fantasy, goes well with RPO and the like)",
          "reason": "The commenter describes the series as fun fantasy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9354661,
          "author": "definity",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-10T14:47:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9354661",
          "commentText": "Some I've recently finished...\nEpidemiology-focused\n- Virus Hunter - C.J. Peters with Mark Olshaker\n- Panic in Level 4: Cannibals, Killer Viruses and Other Journeys to the Edge of Science - Richard Preston\n- Asleep: The Forgotten Epidemic That Remains One of Medicine's Greatest Mysteries - Molly Caldwell Crosby\n- The Woman With a Worm in Her Head and Other True Stories of Infectious Disease - Pamela Nagami\nGeneral good nonfiction\n- Voluntary Madness: My Year Lost and Found in the Loony Bin - Norah Vincent\n- Trinity: A Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb - Jonathan Fetter-Vorm\n- Life, Animated: A Story of Sidekicks, Heroes and Autism - Ron Suskind\nFiction\n- Funny Once - short story collection by Antonya Nelson (sad, weird, but very good)\n- It's Kind of a Funny Story - Ned Vizzini\n- Backward Compatible - Sarah Daltry\nAlso definitely recommend the Magic 2.0 trilogy by Scott Meyer (starting with Off to Be the Wizard).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also definitely recommend the Magic 2.0 trilogy by Scott Meyer",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the trilogy.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy fantasy comedy.",
          "caveat": "The commenter identifies Off to Be the Wizard as its starting point.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Meyer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Computing",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fantasy",
        "comedy",
        "magic",
        "portal fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "martin-eden-e4457a",
      "title": "Martin Eden",
      "author": "Jack London",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47984976,
          "author": "omertt27",
          "createdAt": "2026-05-02T10:03:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 47984463,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47984976",
          "commentText": "Martin Eden was the best",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Martin Eden was the best",
          "reason": "Names it as the best book given as a gift.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21916761,
          "author": "vforissi",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-30T21:12:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21916761",
          "commentText": "- Hpmor, from Yudkowsky the guy who created the ML Research Institute, simply one of the funniest and smartest book I ever read.\n- Martin Eden, a great tragic adventure from the late 19th century about a poor smart guy from the slums who tries to make his riches as a writer\n- The Moon is Harsh Mistress, Elon’s favorite sci-fi books\n- Foundation by Asimov\n- Homo Deus by Harari\n- Principles by Ray Dalio",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a great tragic adventure from the late 19th century about a poor smart guy from the slums who tries to make his riches as a writer",
          "reason": "Described as a great tragic adventure about an aspiring writer.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in literary fiction and stories about ambition.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19089284,
          "author": "ohaideredevs",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T20:12:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19089284",
          "commentText": "Martin Eden by Jack London. Really stressed why education actually matters.\nSnow Crash by Neal Stephenson. Same.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Martin Eden by Jack London. Really stressed why education actually matters.",
          "reason": "Says the novel emphasized the importance of education.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1974567,
          "author": "dm3",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T08:57:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974567",
          "commentText": "\"Financier\" by T.Dreiser and \"Martin Eden\" by J.London.\nSome of the best books you'll ever read about character development. Definitely read the latter one if you're in your early 20-ies.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Martin Eden\" by J.London. Some of the best books you'll ever read about character development. Definitely read the latter one if you're in your early 20-ies.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the best books about character development and specifically urges younger readers to read it.",
          "audience": "Especially readers in their early 20s.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jack London"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american literature",
        "literary fiction",
        "ambition",
        "bildungsroman"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mathematics-and-its-history-26feed",
      "title": "Mathematics and Its History",
      "author": "John Stillwell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31499591,
          "author": "gfaregan",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-25T01:26:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31499591",
          "commentText": "To add to this, I would really suggest that you get some perspective before you create a long list of tasks/books. Stillwell is not a popular science book but covers modern branches of mathematics. You could easily take a course in college and still have no idea what the point is at the end if your teacher is bad enough. You might also want to ask/search on math stack exchange rather than HN.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stillwell is not a popular science book but covers modern branches of mathematics.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a way to get perspective on mathematics.",
          "audience": "Someone seeking perspective before compiling a long study list.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31495348,
          "author": "gfaregan",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T17:56:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31495348",
          "commentText": "Mathematics is very broad. You might try something like \"Mathematics and its history\" by John Stillwell to get some perspective on the subject.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Mathematics and its history\" by John Stillwell",
          "reason": "Suggests it to gain perspective on the breadth of mathematics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23740149,
          "author": "VitalyAnkh",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-05T17:06:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23740149",
          "commentText": "I recommend John Stillwell’s The Four Pillars of Geometry  https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9780387255309. This book is suitable for all who want to cultivate a interest in mathematics.\nThe Four Pillars of Geometry approaches geometry in four different ways, spending two chapters on each. This makes the subject accessible to readers of all mathematical tastes, from the visual to the algebraic. Not only does each approach offer a different view; the combination of viewpoints yields insights not available in most books at this level. For example, it is shown how algebra emerges from projective geometry, and how the hyperbolic plane emerges from the real projective line.\nJohn Stillwell is a great mathematician and writer. You won’t regret reading this.\nPS. John Stillwell’s Mathematics and Its History is also worth reading. In fact, the book doesn’t aim to tell the story of mathematics. The book connects and the parts of mathematics with a historical perspective.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "John Stillwell’s Mathematics and Its History is also worth reading.",
          "reason": "Says it is worth reading for its historical perspective on mathematical connections.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it does not aim to tell the story of mathematics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21347257,
          "author": "prof_mm",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T17:55:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21347257",
          "commentText": "Mathematics is typically approached in a different way than physics. But there are some books that offer a similar perspective to what Feynman tried to achieve, IMHO. I would recommend to look at works by John Stillwell, for example 'Elements of mathematics' or 'Mathematics and its history'.\nNathan Carter's 'Visual group theory' also seems an interesting experiment, if you are interested in that part of mathematics, though I have not read it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend to look at works by John Stillwell, for example 'Elements of mathematics' or 'Mathematics and its history'.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as an example of Stillwell's work offering a perspective similar to Feynman's.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16085003,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-06T12:34:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16085003",
          "commentText": "Visual Complex Analysis - Needham.\nA lot of great pictures, exerything is explained (and shown) geometrically. Complex differentiation/integration, non-Euclidean geometry, vector fields etc.\nMathematics and its History - Stillwell.\nWonderfully written. From the ancients to the 20th century, covers the mathematics (in a lot of detail) and lives of major mathematicians (potted bios).\nConcrete Mathematics - Knuth et al. \nDiscrete maths, number theory, generating functions, covers most of the maths that pops up continually in programming.\nAll You Wanted To Know About Mathematics But Were Afraid To Ask. Mathematics for Science Students 2 Vols. - Louis Lyons.\nPretty basic, but covers all the mathematical basics for physics. (1st year uni level I guess) I learned a lot from this years ago, I still consult it as a reference. It's a pleasure to read.\nAlso, all of Hamming's books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wonderfully written.",
          "reason": "Praises the writing and its detailed coverage of mathematics and mathematicians.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in mathematics and its history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Stillwell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Mathematics",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mindset-the-new-psychology-of-success-e977f9",
      "title": "Mindset: The New Psychology of Success",
      "author": "Carol S. Dweck",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15761761,
          "author": "jpmelos",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T00:02:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15761761",
          "commentText": "\"Mindset: The New Psychology of Success\". By Carol Dweck, PhD. This is a game-changer. It taught me what we believe is what really defines what we can or cannot do.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is a game-changer. It taught me what we believe is what really defines what we can or cannot do.",
          "reason": "Calls it a game-changer and says it taught them how beliefs shape perceived abilities.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8718382,
          "author": "devgutt",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T19:13:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8718382",
          "commentText": "For me, the most useful book this year was Mindset by Carol Dweck. Simply amazing and mind-blowing.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Mindset-The-New-Psychology-Success/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Mindset-The-New-Psychology-Success/dp/0345472322)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For me, the most useful book this year was Mindset by Carol Dweck. Simply amazing and mind-blowing.",
          "reason": "Calls it the year's most useful book and praises it as amazing and mind-blowing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56667,
          "author": "sabat",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T03:30:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56667",
          "commentText": "I assume you're asking about books for startup people.\nPaul's essays couldn't hurt. I am not a karma whore. ;-)\nMindset, by Carol Dweck. It'll change the way you think about the way you think. Incredibly relevant for justifying your yes-I-can attitude.\nThe Four-Hour Work Week, by Tim Ferriss. You've never thought about life and how to live it quite the way Tim does.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mindset, by Carol Dweck. It'll change the way you think about the way you think. Incredibly relevant for justifying your yes-I-can attitude.",
          "reason": "Praised for changing how readers think and for its relevance to a can-do attitude.",
          "audience": "Startup people, as assumed by the commenter.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carol S. Dweck"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "growth mindset",
        "motivation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mort-066850",
      "title": "Mort",
      "author": "Terry Pratchett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32201262,
          "author": "rex-mundi",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-23T07:41:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32201262",
          "commentText": "You've got alot of fun reading lined up.\nAlmost all of the ones I've read were great.\nIf you're stuck with which to go with next maybe try Mort or any of the early series involving the witches.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "maybe try Mort",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a next read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25531480,
          "author": "dpeck",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T21:13:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25531480",
          "commentText": "Mort, by Pratchett. It is a great introduction to the Discworld and one of my favorite books ever. It is a good read over the holidays and you’ll be thinking about some of the lines in it for years to come.\n“ History isn't like that. History unravels gently, like an old sweater. It has been patched and darned many times, reknitted to suit different people, shoved in a box under the sink of censorship to be cut up for the dusters of propaganda, yet it always - eventually - manages to spring back into its old familar shape. History has a habit of changing the people who think they are changing it. History always has a few tricks up its frayed sleeve. It's been around a long time.”",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mort, by Pratchett. It is a great introduction to the Discworld and one of my favorite books ever. It is a good read over the holidays",
          "reason": "Calls it a favorite, a good holiday read, and a great introduction to Discworld.",
          "audience": "Readers new to Discworld.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17544903,
          "author": "NeedMoreTea",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T20:42:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17544903",
          "commentText": "Personally I found the witches arc the slowest to get in to. It's too long ago to remember why I found that, but they sat unfinished. I've read them all several times now, and enjoy them, but only after I'd thoroughly got into the rest of Discworld.\nThe City Watch sub-series is my favourite with the Death arc a close second. laurentl already made recommendation on City Watch, if you want to try the Death arc Mort is the first.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mort is the first",
          "reason": "Suggested as the first book to try in the Death arc.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9350946,
          "author": "sdab",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T20:51:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350946",
          "commentText": "I also recently read my first Pratchett book after reading some excerpts from around the time he died. Im 5 books in now including having read Mort. On Reaper Man now.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "including having read Mort.",
          "reason": "Says they have read it, without evaluating or recommending it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9350753,
          "author": "nutmeg",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T20:23:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350753",
          "commentText": "- Mort, Terry Pratchett\nThe first Pratchett book I've read, and I can't believe I've waited so long to read his work. Humorous in a Douglas Adams sort of way.\n- Arabian Nights, Haddawy translation\nThis is a great read. The translation is modern and clear, and the stories are exciting. I can understand why these stories have been around for centuries.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can't believe I've waited so long to read his work. Humorous in a Douglas Adams sort of way.",
          "reason": "Praises Pratchett's humorous writing after reading this book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry Pratchett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fantasy",
        "discworld",
        "satirical fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mountains-beyond-mountains-d9b163",
      "title": "Mountains Beyond Mountains",
      "author": "Tracy Kidder",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40878594,
          "author": "xorvoid",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-04T22:33:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40878594",
          "commentText": "Mountains Beyond Mountains\nA biography of Dr Paul Farmer and how he dedicated his life and sacrificed everything to solve (in his words) “easily preventable” health problems in Haiti.\nIt hits on many levels: his unapologetic empathy for ordinary people, the global abuse and abandonment of Haiti by western powers, the flaws of thinking about global health through a lens of utilitarianism, the real change that just one person can initiate, etc\nHighly highly recommended!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mountains Beyond Mountains",
          "reason": "Highly recommends this account of Paul Farmer’s work and discusses its themes in global health and social change.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21767294,
          "author": "save_ferris",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-11T22:08:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 21765528,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fun Tech Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21767294",
          "commentText": "Haven’t read Soul, but I read and very highly recommend one of his other books, Mountains beyond mountains. Incredible story about how much one person can impact the world.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read and very highly recommend one of his other books, Mountains beyond mountains.",
          "reason": "The commenter highly recommends it for its story about one person's impact on the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read Soul of a New Machine.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1570071,
          "author": "gsaurus",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T03:58:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1570071",
          "commentText": "\"Into Thin Air\" (Krakauer) \nJournalist/Mountaineer account of an Everest expedition gone wrong. Read it, ponder, but know that there is some controversy. Very interesting look into expedition dynamics.\n\"Mountains Beyond Mountains\" (Kidder)\nAn account of Paul Farmer's work in Haiti, and later in other parts of the world. If you are interested in public health it is a great read, and may provide a fresh angle on recent Haiti <-> world politics.\n\"Three Cups of Tea\" (Oliver, I think)\nGreg Mortensen starts building schools in Pakistan / Afghanistan. Adventure ensues. There's some definite political bias here but it's worth a read.\nFun summer read: \"World War Z\".\nUnrelated, I use Shelfari [http://www.shelfari.com/] to organize my books-to-read, if you need an organization tool.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you are interested in public health it is a great read",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it to readers interested in public health.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in public health.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227744,
          "author": "dnsworks",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T22:39:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227744",
          "commentText": "- How To Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/06... (http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0671723650)\n- Beethoven As I Knew Him by Anton Felix Schindler http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-As-I-Knew-Him/dp/0486292320\n- Soul Of A New Machine (It's about hardware!) and Mountains Beyond Mountains, both by Tracy Kidder\n- Eating Animals by Jonathan Safron Foer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mountains Beyond Mountains, both by Tracy Kidder",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tracy Kidder"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Health",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "global health",
        "humanitarian work",
        "paul farmer",
        "biography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "no-country-for-old-men-797b17",
      "title": "No Country for Old Men",
      "author": "Cormac McCarthy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50119582,
          "author": "pmpmpmpm",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T15:25:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50119582",
          "commentText": "I can’t resist an invocation:)\nMost of these are old since I’ve been reading more articles these days but here are a few good books or series I’ve read more than twice: The Hobbit, LOTR, the Silmarillion, Neuromancer, the Chronicles of Narnia, Hong Lou Meng, The Heart Sutra, The Bhagavad Gita, The Tao De Ching, The Wheel of Time series, No country for old men, Persuasion, Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice, The Way of Kings, The Talisman, the Dark Tower Series, and The Prophet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "No country for old men",
          "reason": "Included among good books read more than twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 45299804,
          "author": "andyjohnson0",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-19T09:51:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 45283087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45299804",
          "commentText": "I have a Random House audiobook version of the trilogy read by Brad Pitt. His Spanish pronunciation isn't great (although better than mine) but I enjoy his quiet voice and slightly careworn delivery. It's abridged, though, and I wanted to read the whole work.\nThe Recorded Books recordings of The Road and No Country for Old Men narrated by Tom Stechschulte are very good too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Recorded Books recordings of The Road and No Country for Old Men narrated by Tom Stechschulte are very good too.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the audiobook narration.",
          "audience": "Listeners considering the audiobook.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11715435,
          "author": "vkb",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-17T17:23:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11715435",
          "commentText": "The more I read, the more I realize that fiction has a way of teaching the same lessons as nonfiction, only in a better, humane way that is not like someone lecturing at you from a podium, but more like a friend sitting down for a heart-to-heart conversation with you.\nIn this vein, I've started catching up on all the classics I haven't read yet, and there are a lot of them. At first, I was hesitant to dive into classics, because I thought they were hard to read and highbrow. This has mostly not been the case (with the exception of Wuthering Heights, which I found impossible to get through).\nTo wit, the best books I've read this year include:\nA Tale of Two Cities - Impossible to get through the first several chapters, but after that, you're off to the races between France and England in the 18th century. Dickens used historical books as reference, but recreated the mood entirely from imagination. A better primer than anything in the news about Anglo-French relations, learning trust, and sacrifice.\nNo Country for Old Men - Want to understand the current fear of the Mexican border that has so bolstered Trump's popularity, as well as the ramifications of having a country full of veterans who don't have any medical support or care?   Read this book.\nFarenheit 451, A Clockwork Orange, Handmaid's Tale - Much better and scarier than any news clipping today about the possible future path for government interference in thought and action. Takes things to their logical conclusions.\nAnd one non-fiction book that I did enjoy, Bringing Up Bebe, which is about the contrasts between child-rearing in France and America, but on a much larger scale, about the different things that seem culturally obvious to us, but are completely different to other cultures. This book made me really re-examine American food culture in a way Michael Pollan's diatribes have not.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read this book.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for understanding border fears and the consequences of inadequate care for veterans.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10213452,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-14T02:30:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 10211331,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10213452",
          "commentText": "Hugo and Nebula award winner Ancillary Justice is pretty good, though perhaps not great. Before that I reread No Country for Old Men, Cormac McCarthy is definitely great and I enjoyed it far more this time than when I read it nine years ago. Right now I am rereading Dune for the first time in at least twenty and possibly thirty years partially because Ancillary Justice reminded me of it, partially because it might be something I recommend trying to my son and partially because being able to read previously read books in new ways is turning out to be a pleasure of getting older. Anyway, Dune is great in ways that Dino Delaurentis and subsequent film makers had made me forget.\nLangston Hughes' Weary Blues is amazing, but I'm no expert on poetry.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cormac McCarthy is definitely great and I enjoyed it far more this time than when I read it nine years ago.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed it more on rereading and praises McCarthy as great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cormac McCarthy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crime fiction",
        "american west",
        "literary fiction",
        "us mexico border"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "noble-house-395558",
      "title": "Noble House",
      "author": "James Clavell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43952469,
          "author": "keiferski",
          "createdAt": "2025-05-11T09:08:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 43949411,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fictional business books like The Goal",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43952469",
          "commentText": "It's designed more for kids, but I found it useful for understanding basic accounting concepts: The Accounting Game: Basic Accounting From the Lemonade Stand.\nI also found two of the novels in Clavell's Asian Saga to be quite business-focused: Tai-Pan and Noble House. Not so much for the nuts-and-bolts of business, but just a large business organization being founded and growing over the course of multiple centuries.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "and Noble House.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as business-focused, depicting a large business organization being founded and growing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not focused on the nuts and bolts of business.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12147276,
          "author": "rabboRubble",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T22:38:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12147276",
          "commentText": "1) Shogun\n2) Noble House\n3) Excel by Que Publishing",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2) Noble House",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6397823,
          "author": "kyzyl",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-17T05:55:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6397823",
          "commentText": "Yeah the Asian Saga includes King Rat, Shogun, Noble House, Taipan as well as Gai-gin, The Whirlwind. They're all pretty good books but I believe Taipan, Noble House and Shogun are considered Clavell's best work, in that order (personally I like Noble House best).\nThanks for the recommendation though.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "King Rat, Shogun, Noble House, Taipan as well as Gai-gin, The Whirlwind.",
          "reason": "Includes it among the saga books the commenter considers pretty good; says it is their personal favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387616,
          "author": "kyzyl",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T00:04:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387616",
          "commentText": "As has already been mentioned elsewhere in this thread, most of Neil Stephenson's work is just great. Cryptonomicon is my favorite, but The Baroque Cycle (three books) is very good as well.\nIf you're into crime/mystery fiction, the recently deceased Elmore Leonard was one of the best. A few of his books have been made into movies (Get Shorty, Jackie Brown, The Big Bounce) with mixed results, but I do I highly recommend reading the books, which are numerous.\nFor a different sort of fiction, James Clavell's Shogun, Taipan, and Noble House are great. In fact, Noble House very well be my favorite book. It's a long (~1400 page) book about business dealings, political intrigue, and more. All set in the context of 1963 Hong Kong.\nThose who like a touch of historical fiction could take a look at Conn Uggulden. One of his series, The Conqueror, which is about the rise and fall of the Mongol empire is pretty interesting. The books are a light read, and not particularly complicated, but it's entertaining and has some neat historical bits.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Noble House very well be my favorite book.",
          "reason": "Calls it possibly their favorite book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1974036,
          "author": "ramidarigaz",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T05:19:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974036",
          "commentText": "Likewise. Noble House was a good read, but Shogun was much better.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Noble House was a good read, but Shogun was much better.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a good read, while ranking it below Shogun.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Shogun was much better.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Clavell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "hong kong",
        "asian saga",
        "business"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nonviolent-communication-728a36",
      "title": "Nonviolent Communication",
      "author": "Marshall B. Rosenberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32936760,
          "author": "pkszg",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T09:54:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936760",
          "commentText": "I like to read a wide variety of genre from fiction to human psychology.\nFor the mind:\nNonviolent Communication by  Marshall Rosenberg - A great book on how to communcate more effectively with others.\nThinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman -He is the only psychologist ever to recieve the Nobel Prize if I remember correctly. This book scientifically digests human biases and errors and how they influence our every day lives and decision making. Sometimes it a bit too technical for my taste and I like mostly the first part. (its not an easy read) I rarely had so many Aha-moments.\nA random walk down on wall street - For investing your income in stocks. What to do and what no to do. Simple, with facts.\nSapiens by Harari -Interesting, I remember it was a great read and fun read. Connecting a lot of dots :)\nOn programming:\nDesigning Data-Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann - I am failry a junior web dev, so any material that is clear and explains well is a great source of information and inspiration. This is such a book.\nComputer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective by Randal E. Bryant and David R. O'Hallaron - Teaches CS from the basics, which for me is a great source since I don't have a CS degree. I complement it with other materials from the internet (such as Harvard's CS50) for learning the fundamentals paralell working in my daily web dev job. Its a long book, so It will take a couple of months, years to go thorugh, but definitely worth the effort.\nFictions I love, without much introduction:\nLord of the Rings\nDune (first book)\nGame of thrones books\nFor me JRRs storytelling is outstanding, the books are better than the serires IMO.\nSpiritual Books:\n(I am not a religous person by any means and I do not follow traditions)\nSpirituality for me means a deeper connection with the universe.\nIf I really want to dig deeper than everyday work-life stuff I listen/read these books. Usually when there is a great emotional upheaval in my life or when I feel my daily distractions failed on me.\nPower of now by Eckhart Tolle - This book gives me the occasional goosebumps, a great summary of all spiritual teachings (before becoming religions) in a really simple way. If you are interested in such, I highly recommend it.\nMeditations by Marcus Aurelius - I see it mentioned here already, no intro needed.\nLetters by Seneca - This book is a proof for me that the essential human experience, the core of what makes us human does not change over time. Seneca was a great stoic thinker, who is very relatable by anyone even today (and probably will be for many millenia)\nZen Mind, Beginners Mind by Suzuki Roshi - All true spiritual teaching have the same source, but all are expressed differently. This is a great, simple powerful book to read if you lean towards buddhism.\nA Course in Miracles (no official author) -Now this is a heavy read. It has a textbook with daily practices also. This is definitely not a book for everyone.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nonviolent Communication by  Marshall Rosenberg - A great book on how to communcate more effectively with others.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for communicating more effectively.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21901687,
          "author": "santa_boy",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T20:58:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21901687",
          "commentText": "The Mind Illuminated (from HN), Non-Violent Communication, Antifragile, Atomic Habits and The Growth Mindset come to my mind immediately",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Non-Violent Communication",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803908,
          "author": "andreilys",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:50:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803908",
          "commentText": "Well here are the books I’m currently reading (physical, kindle, and audible). I bounce around a lot. Sometimes it takes me a week to finish a book, other times I take a few months. Sometimes I never finish. But these are the ones I have some progress on so far:\n1. Faust by goethe\n2. I am That\n3. Book of why\n4. The gift by hafiz\n5. Simulacra and simulation\n6. Candide by Voltaire\n7. Meeting the shadow: the hidden power of the dark side of human nature\n8. Nonviolent communication\n9. After the ecstasy, the laundry\n10. Watchmen\n11. Noble heart by Pena chodron\n12. Developer hegemony\n13. Brothers karamazov",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Nonviolent communication",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17983250,
          "author": "Glench",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-13T22:28:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17983250",
          "commentText": "Non-violent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg. After reading this book, the way I related and communicated with people completely changed.\nConcretely, right after I read it, a break up that would have been very tense for me became straightforward and peaceful. Also, using NVC techniques, a fight with my friend got transformed into both of us getting tearful and pulling over the car to hug each other because we felt so connected.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Non-violent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg. After reading this book, the way I related and communicated with people completely changed.",
          "reason": "Credits the book with changing how they relate and communicate, with concrete examples.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17911258,
          "author": "mrmrcoleman",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T17:57:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17911258",
          "commentText": "“Soft skills” are typically the hardest.\nThe Power of Vulnerability: Brene Brown\nNon-Violent Communication: Marshall Rosenberg\nThe Secrets of Consulting: Gerald Weinberg",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Non-Violent Communication: Marshall Rosenberg",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762046,
          "author": "cniemira",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T01:05:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762046",
          "commentText": "Another +1. \"Nonviolent Communication\" as well as \"Crucial Conversations\" can be life changers if you follow even a little of their guidance. The techniques I've picked up have helped me build stronger relationships with my spouse, my children, my customers, my employees, and my peers.\nThere are other books on communication, but these are my top two. They're actionable, in that they provide specific techniques as well as discussing thoery. Both books lay a similar foundation that any book on communication worth its salt will likely have in common: we're all emotionally driven beings and we communicate most effectively when we're able to separate observations from judgements.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Nonviolent Communication\" as well as \"Crucial Conversations\" can be life changers if you follow even a little of their guidance.",
          "reason": "Says its guidance can be life-changing and describes techniques that helped relationships.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The benefit depends on following at least some of its guidance.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marshall B. Rosenberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "conflict resolution",
        "nonviolent communication",
        "communication",
        "communication skills"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "normal-accidents-living-with-high-risk-technologies-5e2cba",
      "title": "Normal Accidents: Living with High-Risk Technologies",
      "author": "Charles Perrow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39057339,
          "author": "c6400sc",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T16:33:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39057339",
          "commentText": "Normal Accidents and To Engineer is Human are two popular and great books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Normal Accidents",
          "reason": "Called a popular and great book in response to a request for engineering philosophy recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the philosophy of engineering.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33803396,
          "author": "eschneider",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T16:46:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33803396",
          "commentText": "Charles Perrow's \"Normal Accidents\" Lots to think about for system designers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Charles Perrow's \"Normal Accidents\" Lots to think about for system designers.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it gives system designers a lot to think about.",
          "audience": "System designers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12494191,
          "author": "dredmorbius",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-14T04:13:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12494191",
          "commentText": "From a recent HN comment,  a list, some authors, and some guidelines, largely based on books which radically changed my thinking.\nCurrently:  Vaclav Smil, Energy in World History (1994), and Manfred Weissenbacher, Sources of Power (2009).  Both detail the role and impact of energy through world history.  The latter draws strongly on the first, both are exceedingly well documented.  TL;DR: coal changed much, oil changed everything.\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/3... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/30398523&referer=brief_results)\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foragin... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foraging-agriculture-and-coal/oclc/837625798&referer=brief_results)\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625970&referer=brief_results)\nJames Burke's books Connections and The Day the Universe Changed, and their accompanying television series, were a profound introduction to the history of technology, science, ideas, and philosophy.  Though 30+ years old, they remain highly current and relevant.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/connections/oclc/4494136\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/day-the-universe-changed/oclc... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/day-the-universe-changed/oclc/12049817)\nJeremy Campbell's Grammatical Man (1984) introduced the concepts of information theory and their deep, deep, deep interconnections to a tremendous number of interconnected systems, many not explored within his book.  Darwin's The Origin of Species, James Gleick's Chaos, and many of the works of Santa Fe Institute members, including John C. Holland, J. Doyne Farmer, Geoffrey West, W. Brian Arthur, David Krakauer, and Sander van der Leeuw, continue these themes.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-e... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-entropy-language-and-life/oclc/8306673)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/chaos-making-a-new-science/oc... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/chaos-making-a-new-science/oclc/15366709)\nWilliam Ophuls' Ecology and the Politics of Scarcity (1977) is perhaps the best, most comprehensive, shortest, and most readable exposition of the fact, reality, dynamics, and interactions of limits on the present phase of fossil-fuel fed economic growth I've found.  This is a book I recommend not only for the message, but the author's clarity of thought and exposition, his meticulous research, exquisite bibliographical notes, and, given the nearly 30 years elapsed, testability numerous of his predictions, some failed, yes, others uncannily accurate.  Rather more the latter.  In a similar vein, William R. Catton's Overshoot looks at the ecological dynamics in more depth, with much wisdom, the writings of Richard Heinberg cover the ground of limits fairly accessibly and more recently.  Vaclav Smil in numerous books addresses technical factors of the profound nature of the past 250 years, and implications for the future.  Meadows, et al, in Limits to Growth set off much of the post-1970 discussion (though they're hardly the first to raise the question -- it dates to Seneca the Elder),\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-s... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-scarcity-prologue-to-a-political-theory-of-the-steady-state/oclc/2524932)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/overshoot-the-ecological-basi... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/overshoot-the-ecological-basis-of-revolutionary-change/oclc/6195764)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Aheinberg%2C+richard&a... (https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Aheinberg%2C+richard&amp;qt=owc_search)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Asmil%2C+vaclav&amp;qt... (https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Asmil%2C+vaclav&amp;qt=results_page)\nThough hardly pessimistic, Daniel Yergin's book The Prize (and TV series) impressed upon me more than any other just how much petroleum specifically changed and transformed the modern world.  Though intended largely as laudetory and championing the oil industry by the author, my read of it was exceptionally cautionary.  The impacts on business, everyday life, politics, wars, industry, and transport, and the rate at which they occurred, are simply staggering.  You can continue this exploration in Vaclav Smil's Energy in World History (1994) (I've recommended Smil independently elsewhere), and a rare but profound two-volume set I'm currently reading, Manfred Weissenbacher's Sources of Power: How energy forges human history (2009).  The shear physicality of this book speaks to the message -- it's divided into five parts:  1) Foraging Age (6 pages), 2) Agricultural Age (156 pp), 3) Coal Age (160 pp),  4) Oil Age (296 pp), and 5) Beyond the Oil Age (142 pp).  That is, the ~2 million years of pre-agricultural existence are little more than a footnote, the 8,000 years of agriculture roughly equal to the 150 years of coal, and the 100 years of petroleum use roughly twice either.  The oil and post-oil ages comprise their own volume.  Yergin followed up with The Quest, continuing the search for oil, though I've been less impressed by it.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/prize-the-epic-quest-for-oil-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/prize-the-epic-quest-for-oil-money-and-power/oclc/22381448)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/30398523)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foragi... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foraging-agriculture-and-coal/oclc/837625798)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/83762... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625970)\nAdam Smith's An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations is among the most-cited (and most incorrectly cited), least-read books of high influence I'm aware of, outside religious texts (and perhaps it is a religious text to some…).  The author's message has been exceptionally shaped and manipulated by a powerful set of forces, quite often utterly misrepresenting Smith's original intent.  Reading him in his own words, yourself, is strongly recommended.  I'd also recommend scholarship particularly by Emma Rothschild and Gavin Kennedy, though also others, on Smith. Contrast with the portrayal by the propaganda disinformation front of the Mont Pelerin Society / Atlas Network / so-called Foundation for Economic Education, and much of the modern American Libertarian movement (von Mises, Hayek, Friedman, Hazlett, Rothbard, and more recently, Norberg).  Contrast The Invisible Hand (1964), a compilation of essays published by Libertarian house Regnery Press in 1966, at the beginning of the rise in public use of Smith's metaphor to indictate mechanism rather than an expression of the unknown.\nThere are numerous editions of Smith, I believe the Glasgow is frequently cited by Smith scholars:  https://www.worldcat.org/title/glasgow-edition-of-the-works-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/glasgow-edition-of-the-works-and-correspondence-of-adam-smith-2-an-inquiry-into-the-nature-and-causes-of-the-wealth-of-nations-vol-1/oclc/832488566)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/economic-sentiments-adam-smit... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/economic-sentiments-adam-smith-condorcet-and-the-enlightenment/oclc/45282974)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smith-and-the-invisible-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smith-and-the-invisible-hand/oclc/820387997)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smiths-lost-legacy/oclc/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smiths-lost-legacy/oclc/56598640)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/invisible-hand-a-collection-o... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/invisible-hand-a-collection-of-essays-on-the-economic-philosophy-of-free-enterprise/oclc/326622)\nI'd like to put in recommendations on technology specifically, but am still searching for a good general text.  The material's covered somewhat in the chaos and complexity recommendations above (Campbell et al), though I'd add Joseph Tainter's The Collapse of Complex Societies.  Charle's Perrow has several excellent books including Normal Accidents and Organizing America.   I'd like to reference something concerning Unix, Linux, and programming, perhaps Kernighan and Pike's The Unix Programming Environment, Linus Torvalds' Just for Fun, Richard Stallman's The GNU Manifesto, and Steve McConnel's Code Complete.  The O'Reilly book Unix Power Tools also encapsulates much the strength of the Unix toolset.  All these are somewhat dated.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/collapse-of-complex-societies... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/collapse-of-complex-societies/oclc/15083222)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/normal-accidents-living-with-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/normal-accidents-living-with-high-risk-technologies/oclc/10229932)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/organizing-america-wealth-pow... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/organizing-america-wealth-power-and-the-origins-of-corporate-capitalism/oclc/939707157)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-programming-environment/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-programming-environment/oclc/10269821)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/5238168... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/52381684)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Charle's Perrow has several excellent books including Normal Accidents and Organizing America.",
          "reason": "Named as one of several excellent books by Perrow.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3277935,
          "author": "maxprogram",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T19:12:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3277935",
          "commentText": "\"Streetlights and Shadows: Searching for the Keys to Adaptive Decision Making\", Gary Klein\n\"Normal Accidents: Living with High-Risk Technologies\", Charles Perrow\n\"Chaos: Making a New Science\", James Gleick\n\"Filters Against Folly\", Garrett James Hardin\n\"Judgment in Managerial Decision Making\", Max Bazerman\n\"Deep Simplicity: Bringing Order to Chaos and Complexity\", John Gribben",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Normal Accidents: Living with High-Risk Technologies\", Charles Perrow",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books about thinking and cognition.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Perrow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Society",
        "Science",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "high risk technology",
        "complex systems",
        "risk",
        "system safety"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "object-oriented-software-construction-59f0f1",
      "title": "Object-Oriented Software Construction",
      "author": "Bertrand Meyer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36817635,
          "author": "cyrc",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-21T18:33:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36817635",
          "commentText": "Consider having a look at Object-Oriented Software Construction by Bertrand Meyer\nhttps://bertrandmeyer.com/OOSC2/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Consider having a look at Object-Oriented Software Construction by Bertrand Meyer",
          "reason": "Suggests the book as a resource for the original poster seeking to write more elegant programs.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35954262,
          "author": "vram22",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-15T20:46:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35954262",
          "commentText": "Not all of the ones below may be textbooks, sorry, but IMO they are all very good. I cut my programming teeth on some of them, and read others at different times later in my career.\nHow to Solve It, by Georg Polya. \nA famous Hungarian mathematician. \nA text on general problem solving principles or techniques. A classic.\nHow to Solve It by Computer, by Dromey, an AU CS professor. In the same spirit as the Polya book, but applied to iteratively working out algorithms and pseudocode for common important programming problems.\nThe K&R C book. What to say.\nThe Unix Programming Environment, by Kernighan and Pike. Ditto.\nProgramming Pearls, and More Programming Pearls, by Jon Bentley.\nAmong many other things, some clever / advanced uses of awk.\nWriting Efficient Programs, also by Bentley. I had mentioned it on HN earlier, and someone replied saying they had used it in real life, and it was gold.\nSQL for Professionals, by authors whose names I forget.\nThe Object Primer, by can't remember who, but good.\nA Unix book by Kochan, IIRC.\nObject-Oriented Software Construction, by Bertrand Meyer, creator of the Eiffel programming language.\nA book on object-oriented analysis / design, can't remember the name, by Rebecca Wirfs-Brock (?) and others. Learned about CRC  cards from it. Very cool concept and technique.\nA book on Object-Oriented Design, by Grady Booch, from a time before he co-invented UML. Forget the exact name.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Object-Oriented Software Construction, by Bertrand Meyer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28661219,
          "author": "rajandatta",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T14:39:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28661219",
          "commentText": "'Object Oriented Software Construction' - Bertrand Meyer.\nDid not agree with everything but it was excellent.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "'Object Oriented Software Construction'",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it excellent, while noting they disagreed with some of its content.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter did not agree with everything in the book.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8006067,
          "author": "enrmarc",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-08T18:52:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8006067",
          "commentText": "\"Object-Oriented Software Construction\" by Bertrand Meyer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Object-Oriented Software Construction\" by Bertrand Meyer.",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question asking for the best technical ebook.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in object-oriented software design.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bertrand Meyer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "object oriented programming",
        "software construction",
        "software architecture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "out-of-the-crisis-479354",
      "title": "Out of the Crisis",
      "author": "W. Edwards Deming",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35930139,
          "author": "kqr",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T16:48:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35930139",
          "commentText": "Perhaps not a perfect fit, but if I had to select one it would be Out of the Crisis by Deming.\nOther than that, basically all of them to some degree.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "if I had to select one it would be Out of the Crisis by Deming.",
          "reason": "The commenter selects it as their top choice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33801454,
          "author": "camjohnson26",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T14:47:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33801454",
          "commentText": "“Out of the Crisis” by Demming: helped me see the best way to manage projects isn’t always about fixing problems, it starts with reducing uncertainty.\n“Seeing like a state”, “Knowledge and Power”, and “Antifragile”, top down control of a system always clashes with bottom up understanding, so experts in a field need humility when working with a new system and need to learn from the people who work with it every day.\n“Critique of Pure Reason”, there are things we can’t know using only logic, so don’t try to use it to understand everything.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Out of the Crisis” by Demming",
          "reason": "Helped the commenter see that project management can start with reducing uncertainty.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27629068,
          "author": "Jtsummers",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T10:40:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27629068",
          "commentText": "I read this one about 5 years ago, found it in the office library with a bunch of other books it was clear our managers had never read. It was eye opening in many ways (crap, nothing new in the world, literally everything I had tried to improve was also a problem 30-50 years earlier), but a very good read. Easy to take in small chunks since it's not really a narrative, you can go chapter-by-chapter or section-by-section through it as you have time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "nothing new in the world, literally everything I had tried to improve was also a problem 30-50 years earlier",
          "reason": "The commenter describes reading the book as eye opening and a very good read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment says it is not really a narrative and can be read chapter by chapter or section by section.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27628885,
          "author": "kqr",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T10:03:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27628885",
          "commentText": "Out of the Crisis by Edwards Deming is one of those books I think should be read by anyone who is a... human? And active professionally, I suppose.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Out of the Crisis by Edwards Deming is one of those books I think should be read",
          "reason": "Recommended reading for people who are professionally active.",
          "audience": "Professionally active readers.",
          "caveat": "The commenter frames it broadly as a book everyone should read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467507,
          "author": "mathattack",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:32:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467507",
          "commentText": "Hobbit and Lord of the Rings - 3 or 4, including very recently.  The latest time I appreciated his background as a writer and the stories behind the story much more. They’re worth a reread as adults.\nOn the business side I read Deming’s Out of the Crisis several times. The ideas are profound but the writing is mediocre so it took a few times for it to stick.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "On the business side I read Deming’s Out of the Crisis several times. The ideas are profound but the writing is mediocre so it took a few times for it to stick.",
          "reason": "Reread several times to absorb its ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the writing is mediocre and it took several readings for the ideas to stick.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. Edwards Deming"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "quality management",
        "organizational improvement",
        "continuous improvement",
        "project management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "parable-of-the-sower-20b550",
      "title": "Parable of the Sower",
      "author": "Octavia E. Butler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46246518,
          "author": "tra3",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-12T17:44:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 46226571,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46246518",
          "commentText": "Couple of books from this year:\n- A short stay in hell (sci-fi): A modern take on Library of Babel. Pretty dark. Quick read.\n- The Burried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro. Nominally fantasy, but not really. Great, like his other books.\n- Small things like these (fiction). Set in 1900s Ireland, atmospheric. I learned about Magdalene laundries from this book.\n- Parable of the Sawer by Octavia E. Butler, science fiction. Collapse of society, survival etc. Pretty bleak.\n- Lonely Kind of War (biography). Author was a forward air controller during the Vietnam war. His job was to direct air strikes from jets and bombers on enemy positions and then confirm the kills. Interesting and depressing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Parable of the Sawer by Octavia E. Butler, science fiction. Collapse of society, survival etc. Pretty bleak.",
          "reason": "A science fiction story about societal collapse and survival.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Pretty bleak.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43613486,
          "author": "bloopernova",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T16:54:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43613486",
          "commentText": "The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors by James Hornfischer. The amazing courage shown by the US Navy sailors as their tiny 2,000 ton Destroyers and Destroyer Escorts faced a Japanese fleet of Battleships, Cruisers, and Destroyers at The Battle Off Samar. Inspiring and horrifying, the DDs and DEs of the US navy were protecting \"Escort Carriers\" which were smaller aircraft carriers made from cargo ship hulls. Warning, may inspire you to learn a whole bunch more about world war 2.\nAnd 2 books that sort of go together:\nIncredible Victory: The Battle of Midway by Walter Lord, and Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway by Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully. Read Incredible Victory first, learn about the luck, good and bad, that led to a much-needed victory in the Pacific. Then read Shattered Sword and get a fuller picture of events, especially from the Japanese side. Learn about how hubris and dogma led to the Japanese Navy's defeat. Then learn about how saving face led to history not being accurately told by the witnesses on the Japanese side.\nAll 3 are great books that are well worth your time.\nOthers that I've enjoyed:\nParable of the Sower by Octavia Butler (near future post-apocalyptic sci-fi).\nThe non-fiction Liberation Trilogy by Rick Atkinson (more WW2 non-fiction, nice details about North Africa through Italy, then France to Germany).\nMidnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham.\nMost Secret War by RV Jones (nerdy, funny history of one scientist's world war 2 experience).\nThe Discworld City Guard books, starting with Guards! Guards!, by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy fiction satire, hilarious and comforting. Highly, highly recommended!!\nPeter F Hamilton sci-fi adventure books: Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained are a duo of great space opera stretching across multiple planets and people. Don't spoil yourself by reading any descriptions of Judas Unchained before you read Pandora's Star. Also by the same author, The Night's Dawn Trilogy: The Reality Dysfunction, The Neutronium Alchemist, and The Naked God. Fantastic big canvas space opera with lots of threads, great world-building, and amazing situations. Both sets of books are highly recommended escapes from reality.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler (near future post-apocalyptic sci-fi).",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39729464,
          "author": "bookofjoe",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T21:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729464",
          "commentText": "\"A Canticle For Leibowitz\"\n\"The Sparrow\"\n\"Lord of Light\"\n\"The Immortal\"\n\"Hyperion\"\n\"The Last Question\"\n\"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?\"\n\"Stranger in a Strange Land\"\n\"The City and the Stars\"\n\"Childhood's End\"\n\"Anathem\"\n\"Eifelheim\"\n\"A Case of Conscience\"\n\"VALIS\" trilogy\n\"The Book of Strange New Things\"\n\"Behold The Man\"\n\"The God Engines\"\n\"Book of the New Sun\"\n\"The Parable of the Sower\"\n\"The Dosadi Experiment\"\n\"Grass\"\n\"Project Pope\"\n\"Calculating God\"\n\"Factoring Humanity\"\n\"Jesus on Mars\"\n\"Surface Detail",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Parable of the Sower\"",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about books that changed perspectives on religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536606,
          "author": "darthlucio",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:25:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536606",
          "commentText": "The Ted Chiang anthology is sooo good. Every story's premise was so unique - it blows my mind that one person can come up with so many out there ideas.\nI know OP wasn't looking for dystopias, but if you like Parable of the Sower, I recently read two excellent new scifi/dystopia books: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, and American War by Omar El Akkad. American War was really cool - it's by a journalist who covered military trials at Guantanamo Bay and the Arab Spring, who transposes the stories/atrocities he witnessed as a reporter onto the future US.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "if you like Parable of the Sower, I recently read two excellent new scifi/dystopia books:",
          "reason": "Uses it as a comparison point for other recommended dystopian science fiction, without evaluating it in this comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The titles of the two explicitly praised recommendations are Station Eleven and American War.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536533,
          "author": "physicsyogi",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:12:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536533",
          "commentText": "Cryptonomicon and Snow Crash were great. Others you might:\n- The Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang (superb short story that Arrival was based on)\n- The Three Body-Problem (Cixin Liu)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Parable of the Sower (Octavia Butler)\n- Lucifer's Hammer (Larry Niven)\n- The Kundalini Equation (Steven Barnes)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Parable of the Sower (Octavia Butler)",
          "reason": "Listed as a suggestion in response to the request for fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Octavia E. Butler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopia",
        "climate fiction",
        "social collapse",
        "dystopian fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "persepolis-b2dabf",
      "title": "Persepolis",
      "author": "Marjane Satrapi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30738208,
          "author": "rmnull",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T22:40:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30738208",
          "commentText": "* Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi.\nAmong lot of books i've read this was the one that pushed me towards questioning my beliefs. \nAlthough i can't say this book made me irreligious it certainly was a gateway to a whole new world.\n* Calvin and Hobbes.\nthis is one of those things that completely changed my perspective on creativity, oh and not to mention all the things about life and philosophy in there, its in good spirit.\n* Animal Farm\nThis is arguably the best piece of satire I've read that is also fun and\neasy on the brain. It flows like water.\n* The Little Schemer.\nI hold this book dear. I've tried reading SICP twice and given up.\nAnd thought LISP was not for me. The environment was horrible,\nall those parens it was just confusing.\nThis book changed that, what it encouraged me to do is grab a pen and paper\nand try to work everything out myself[1]. It was such a fun read and i owe most of my understanding of functional programming to this book.\nFew days after finishing this book, i introduced this book to my friend\nand we spent all our days discussing life listening to sufjan stevens and working through this book, it was a sweet time.\n====\n[1] I wrote my actual scheme programs on computer long after i had worked through the book(i don't recall exactly but it was after 5th or 6th chapter). An online friend of mine recommended that i try DrRacket as i could execute scheme there. It was a much friendlier environment.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it pushed them to question their beliefs and opened a new world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it did not make them irreligious.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12244450,
          "author": "miduil",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-07T23:48:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244450",
          "commentText": "This Saturday as a birthday present for a 14 year old friend of mine, who haven't been reading so much lately:\n* Persepolis, first version\n* Dark Angel, by David Klass\nI've just started reading \"Flowers for Algernon\", I guess this can also be a good birthday present. I think gifting books is something very difficult, in my experience I never wanted to get books for present.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Persepolis, first version",
          "reason": "Chosen as a birthday gift for a 14-year-old friend.",
          "audience": "A 14-year-old who has not been reading much lately",
          "caveat": "The commenter says gifting books can be difficult and personally never wanted books as presents.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783459,
          "author": "Sherlock",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:37:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783459",
          "commentText": "\"The Magicians\", \"The Magician King\", \"The Magician's Land\" - Lev Grossman. 4/5\n\"Inside Job\" - Connie Willis. 4/5\n\"Norwegian Wood (Tokio Blues)\" - Haruki Murakami. 4/5\n\"Old Man's War\" - John Scalzi. 5/5\n\"Persepolis\" - Marjane Satrapi. 5/5\nNon fiction:\n\"The 10,000 year explosion\" about recent evolution. 3/5 ton of evidence for their thesis, but lacks predictions.\n\"What if\" well known by HN. 5/5\n\"The nurture assumption\" about education, 2/5. Maybe a 4/5 when it was published, but now their ideas are in the water supply.\n\"The man who mistook his wife for a hat\", by Oliver Sacks 4/5. Several stories about neurological deficits.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Persepolis\" - Marjane Satrapi. 5/5",
          "reason": "Rated 5/5.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569264,
          "author": "dkarl",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T22:04:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569264",
          "commentText": "Palace Walk, by Naguib Mahfouz\nA family drama set in Cairo during and after World War I.  It's a long book, but the going is easy.  The variety of characters of different ages and temperaments, each with their own preoccupations in a turbulent time, provide a fascinating glimpse of what to me was an entirely unknown society and culture.  It's the first book in a trilogy, so if you like it, there are more books waiting.\nNever Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro\nVery sad.  It ripped me up the first time I read it.  Anybody who grew up feeling different and somehow deficient should read it.\nTalking to Strange Men, by Ruth Rendell\nAn easy and fast-paced kind-of-mystery by a well-known mystery writer.  There are two stories related in a crucial but indirect way.  Each story has mysteries and twists that could stand on their own for suspense, but they play second fiddle to the development of several interesting characters.\nPersepolis and Persepolis 2, by Marjane Satrapi\nGraphic memoirs about growing up in Iran and Europe.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Graphic memoirs about growing up in Iran and Europe.",
          "reason": "Listed as part of a set of graphic memoirs about growing up in Iran and Europe.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marjane Satrapi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "graphic memoir",
        "iran",
        "iranian revolution"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "post-office-da4b76",
      "title": "Post Office",
      "author": "Charles Bukowski",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41177772,
          "author": "lotsofpizza",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T02:45:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41177772",
          "commentText": "The Mist - Stephen King\nCannery Row - Joseph Steinbeck\nPost Office - Charles Bukowski\nDracula - Bram Stoker",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Post Office - Charles Bukowski",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29818156,
          "author": "2OEH8eoCRo0",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-06T01:59:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29818156",
          "commentText": "Read good fiction.\nJack Kerouac - On The Road\nKurt Vonnegut - Slaughterhouse-Five\nCharles Bukowski - Post Office",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Charles Bukowski - Post Office",
          "reason": "Listed as an example of good fiction to read.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for good fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13804150,
          "author": "cgh",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:16:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804150",
          "commentText": "I'm not sure what \"fundamentally\" means in this context, but these certainly made a lasting impact upon my young mind:\nGodel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter\nDune by Frank Herbert\nPost Office by Charles Bukowski\nV. by Thomas Pynchon\nBlood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy\nPretty much everything by JL Borges",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Post Office by Charles Bukowski",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a lasting impact on the commenter’s young mind.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785552,
          "author": "benajibayassine",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:50:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785552",
          "commentText": "1- The Emperor's Handbook by Marcus Aurelius. Jan, 10th 2015\n2- The crowd, a study of the popular mind by Gustave Le Bon. Jan, 10th 2015\n3- Remote by Jason Fried. Jan, 11th 2015\n4- The shape of the world to come by Laurent Cohen-Tanugi, Jan, 20th, 2015\n5- Post office by Charles Bukowski. Jan, 23rd 2015\n6- Gang leader for a day by Sudhir Venkatesh. Feb, 6th 2015\n7- Zen mind, beginner's mind by Shunryu Suzuki. Feb, 8th 2015\n8- The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Feb, 23rd 2015\n9- Darkness Visible by William Styron. March, 1st 2015\n10- Zero to One by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters. March, 9th 2015\n11- The Kaizen way: One small step can change your life by Robert Mauter. March, 11th 2015\n12- Time by Alexander Waugh. March, 12th 2015\n13- Max and the cats by Moacyr Scliar. March, 14th 2015\n14- Scattered by Gabor Mate. March, 20th 2015\n15- East of Eden by John Steinbeck. March, 30th 2015\n16- Crossing the unknown sea by David Whyte. April, 7th 2015\n17- Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. April, 13th 2015\n18- The World beyond your Head by Matthew Crawford. April, 22nd 2015\n19- How to Think about Exercise by Damon Young. April, 23rd 2015\n20- Solitude by Anthony Storr. May, 8th 2015\n21- Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. June, 10th 2015\n22- The bastard of Istanbul (in Arabic) by Elif Shafak. June, 21st 2015\n23- L’ordre libertaire: la vie philosophique d’Albert Camus by Michel Onfray. July, 7th 2015\n24- Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse. July, 10th 2015\n25- The arab uprisings by James Gelvin. July, 13th 2015\n26- How to worry less about money by John Armstrong. July, 13th 2015\n27- Self comes to mind by Antonio Damasio. July, 31st2015\n28- Muhammad: The First Muslim by Lesley Hazleton. August, 4th t2015\n29- Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. August, 15th 2015 \n30- Heidegger's Being and Time by William Blattner. August, 18th 2015 \n31- Heidegger and a hippo walk through those pearly gates by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. August, 19th 2015 \n32- Why nations fail by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson. October, 3rd 2015 \n33- Charlie Munger: the complete investor by Tren Griffin October, 9th 2015 \n34- The selfish gene by Richard Dawkins October, 23rd 2015\n35- The philosophical baby by Alison Gopnik October, 28th 2015\n36- The three-body problem by Cixin Liu November, 1st 2015\n37- Open letter to a young man by Andre Maurois November, 13th 2015\n38- Thinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman November, 16th 2015\n39- What do you care what people think by Richard Feynman November, 18th 2015\n40- When the body says No by Gabor Maté November, 29th 2015\n41- The truth will set you free by Alice Miller. December, 5th 2015\n42- The shallows by Nicholar Carr. December, 7th 2015\n43- What matters most byJames Hollis. December, 14th 2015\n44- Finding meaning in the second jalf of life byJames Hollis. December, 20yh2015",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Post office by Charles Bukowski",
          "reason": "Included in a dated list of books read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6388577,
          "author": "od2m",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T09:47:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6388577",
          "commentText": "Vonnegut (Cat's Cradle, Slaughterhouse 5), Bukowski (Postman). Steinbeck (Tortilla flat). All their stuff is good, but those are my favorites :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bukowski (Postman)",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s favorites; the parenthetical title is a common alias for Post Office.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Bukowski"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american literature",
        "autofiction",
        "working class"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "predictably-irrational-the-hidden-forces-that-shape-our-decisions-04c168",
      "title": "Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions",
      "author": "Dan Ariely",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12098993,
          "author": "0xmohit",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T04:49:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12098993",
          "commentText": "Here are a few:\nSync: The Emerging Science of Spontaneous Order by Steven Strogatz\nPrime Obsession: Bernhard Riemann and the Greatest Unsolved Problem in Mathematics by John Derbyshire\nPredictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely\nThe Peter Principle: Why Things Always Go Wrong by \tLaurence J. Peter and Raymond Hull",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8717862,
          "author": "hvd",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T17:56:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8717862",
          "commentText": "For me it was\n1.Influence: \nhttp://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Robert... (http://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Robert-Cialdini/dp/006124189X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418061288&sr=8-1&keywords=influence)\nIt talks about how the brain has certain preprogrammed sequences for situations.\n2.Predictably Irrational\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Predictably-Irrational-Hidden-Forces-D... (http://www.amazon.com/Predictably-Irrational-Hidden-Forces-Decisions-ebook/dp/B002C949KE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418061376&sr=8-1&keywords=predictably+irrational)\nAgain about the hidden mechanisms with which we make decisions and our reptile brain.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2.Predictably Irrational\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Predictably-Irrational-Hidden-Forces-D...",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the books that changed the commenter's life in response to the thread's question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4788096,
          "author": "satyajitsdt",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T11:32:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4788096",
          "commentText": "Last month I read \"Zen and Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\" by Robert M. Pirsig and just completed reading \"Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions\" by Dan Ariely. I would recommend both of these books. I have just started with 'Thinking, Fast and Slow' by Daniel Kahneman.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend both of these books.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommended along with Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3233147,
          "author": "curtisa",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-14T06:29:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3233147",
          "commentText": "Predictably irrational the hidden forces that shape our decisions by Dan Ariely",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Predictably irrational the hidden forces that shape our decisions by Dan Ariely",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1570073,
          "author": "sr3d",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T03:59:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1570073",
          "commentText": "Not in any particular order, but I'd highly recommend these interesting books:\nHow to run a Thriving Business - Ralph Warner (the founder of Nolo book)\nThe Death of Ivan Ilyich - Leo Tolstoy (I read this based on a recommendation by a fellow HNer)\nPredictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions - Dan Ariely.\nThe Winner-Take-All Society - Robert H. Frank, et all.\nGun, Germs, and Steel - Jared Diamond.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions - Dan Ariely.",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the commenter’s highly recommended books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Ariely"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Economics",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "behavioral economics",
        "decision making"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programmers-at-work-ea512e",
      "title": "Programmers at Work",
      "author": "Susan Lammers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22706819,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T20:58:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22706819",
          "commentText": "\"Programmers At Work\" by Susan Lammers was a great read in its time, and I keep referring to ideas from it. Might be worth a look. Peter Seibel's done a great job with continuing the idea, e.g. \"Coders At Work\", \"Founders At Work.\"\nIs it time to read \"Godel, Escher, Bach?\"",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Programmers At Work\" by Susan Lammers was a great read in its time",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book and says they continue to refer to ideas from it.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in programmers' perspectives and ideas.",
          "caveat": "The commenter qualifies that it was a great read \"in its time.\"",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17206284,
          "author": "walterbell",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T15:34:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17206284",
          "commentText": "Susan Lammer’s 1986 Programmers at Work is available online:\nhttps://programmersatwork.wordpress.com/2008/01/11/all-right... (https://programmersatwork.wordpress.com/2008/01/11/all-rights-reserved-copyright-susan-lammers-2008/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Susan Lammer’s 1986 Programmers at Work is available online:",
          "reason": "Offered as a relevant book about programmers in response to a request for tech history recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in programmers and technology companies.",
          "caveat": "Available online.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135285,
          "author": "watmough",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T17:20:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135285",
          "commentText": "Programmers at Work, by Susan Lammers.\nIt opened up many many ideas to me, including flying, writing software for people, why simple software is harder to write than complicated software, and gave me some indication of what 'being smart' really means.\nI really highly recommend this book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really highly recommend this book.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it gave them many ideas, including about writing software and what being smart means, and explicitly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Susan Lammers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programmer interviews",
        "software history",
        "computing history",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-language-pragmatics-673a9a",
      "title": "Programming Language Pragmatics",
      "author": "Michael L. Scott",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32936852,
          "author": "jonathanstrange",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T10:06:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936852",
          "commentText": "Just a few non-fiction books from me this time:\n- Lewis Dartnell The Knowledge: This book made me realize the fragility of modern technology and how it is funded on chemical industry, shipping, oil, and the exploitation of natural resources.\n- Peter P. Wakker Prospect Theory: This is not an easy reading but it contains one of the few understandable and detailed explanations of rank-dependent utility theory and why early probability-weighing approaches were incorrect; a must read for anyone interested in rational decision making.\n- Vöcking, Alt, et. al Taschenbuch der Algorithmen: This marvelous Springer book unfortunately only seems to be available in German; it's not at all what the title suggests, but rather a book that brings the fun back to programming, like an 80s hobby programming book; various contributors lay out their favorite algorithms and techniques in short, easy to read chapters. It's like Christmas for programmers.\n- Rosen Handbook of Discrete and Combinatorial Mathematics (Indian Edition): believe it or not, this handbook has helped me a lot with my work in philosophy; it's also the almost ideal handbook style, extremely concise but also very understandable. Of course, I didn't \"read\" this book but using it for reference was definitely worth it.\n- Scott Programming Language Pragmatics: Anybody interested in creating a programming language should read this, preferably the latest edition (I don't know if it's still updated, though); I'm convinced that even though it mostly covers \"generation 4\" languages and earlier, if more language designers read this book, new programming languages would be better; not that anybody needs new programming languages, Common Lisp and Ada are perfectly fine.\n- Jean-Claude Ellena Atlas of Perfumed Botany: Although it sounds a bit pretentious at times like the perfume market is in general (it's 90% marketing of emotions, 10% about the scent), this is a really nice and passionate book about perfumery with beautiful illustrations, written by one of the most renowned contemporary perfumers. It's also surprisingly cheap and by MIT Press.\n- Duff / Gormly First Aid and Wilderness Medicine: This is perhaps the best first aid book out there. Of course, it doesn't replace a practical course but it's a great reference and generally good reading if you're interested in the topic.\nThere was another book I read as a child in German, translated from English. It fascinated me and was the main reason why I got interested in AI and ultimately studied philosophy and linguistics. It was about the Schank/Riesbeck group or some similar symbolic AI research at the time (during the 70s or early 80s) and mentioned meetings where members of the group watched Mork from Ork and analyzed Mork's misunderstandings. If anybody has an idea which book that was, please let me know!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Anybody interested in creating a programming language should read this, preferably the latest edition",
          "reason": "Recommends it to prospective programming language designers and argues it could help improve new languages.",
          "audience": "People interested in creating programming languages.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether it is still updated and says it mostly covers older language generations.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414395,
          "author": "T-R",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T08:57:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414395",
          "commentText": "It really depends on what you feel you're missing and what you're hoping to do (definitions of \"daily work\" vary widely). If you're looking to get up on theory by doing your own program of sorts, you could do worse than start with these (in roughly this order):\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs - Abelson, Sussman, and Sussman\nIntroduction to Algorithms - Cormen, Leiserson, Rivest, and Stein\nThe Art of Assembly Language - Hyde\na digital logic book (not sure which is most recommended), and an architecture book (see reply by tftfmacedo)\nModern Operating Systems - Tanenbaum\nIntroduction to the Theory of Computation - Sipser\nCompilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools - Aho, Lam, Sethi, and Ullman (a.k.a. \"Dragon Book\")\nProgramming Language Pragmatics - Scott\nA database design book (one that covers Relational Algebra, not just a book on SQL), and maybe a book on Networks. Also, Roy Fielding's paper on REST is both academic and applicable (and more approachable than you'd expect of a Ph.D paper). If you want to go all the way, an undergraduate program usually also has Calculus, Discrete Math, Linear Algebra, and Statistics. Some schools would also require Physics and Differential Equations. I'm sure I'm missing some topics, too, particularly electives.\nIf you can get through those and the associated problem sets, you'll have a better foundation than most.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming Language Pragmatics - Scott",
          "reason": "Included in a suggested sequence for studying computer science theory.",
          "audience": "Readers studying computer science theory independently.",
          "caveat": "The list is conditional on what the reader feels they are missing and hopes to do.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797752,
          "author": "sb",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T10:52:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797752",
          "commentText": "I second \"Programming Language Pragmatics\" it is a fantastic book, and he is a very good writer, with illustrative examples and just the right balance between breadth/depth.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second \"Programming Language Pragmatics\" it is a fantastic book",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconded and praised as fantastic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 137107,
          "author": "dill_day",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-14T19:43:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 136875,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good compiler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=137107",
          "commentText": "I don't know if this has already been posted, I skimmed the comments and didn't immediately see it though:\nProgramming Language Pragmatics\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Programming-Language-Pragmatics-Second... (http://www.amazon.com/Programming-Language-Pragmatics-Second-Michael/dp/0126339511/)\nI own this in addition to the Dragon Book.  PLP is a lot easier for me (a student) to read and understand.  I definitely recommend it!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I definitely recommend it!",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly recommends the book, saying it is easier for them as a student to read and understand.",
          "audience": "Students seeking an accessible introduction to programming languages.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael L. Scott"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming languages",
        "language design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "progress-and-poverty-b5b01a",
      "title": "Progress and Poverty",
      "author": "Henry George",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41780176,
          "author": "RockyRoads",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-08T18:15:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41780176",
          "commentText": "As a bystander, I am baffled. You are clearly misunderstanding the core ideas of the book, yet adamant that you wouldn’t learn anything from reading it. Your reduction of the ideas to communism is juvenile. In fact, the alternative tax system proposed would keep value produced from labor in the private hands of the laborer — in essence the exact opposite of communism. Taxation can take many forms, and the details matter quite a lot. Until you open your mind to realize this, even if you still disagreed with the proposals, I think you’ll continue failing to understand why Progress and Poverty is globally one of the most widely distributed political economy books in history.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "why Progress and Poverty is globally one of the most widely distributed political economy books in history.",
          "reason": "Defends the book's ideas and its significance in political economy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41758056,
          "author": "llamaimperative",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-06T16:05:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41758056",
          "commentText": "Henry George’s Progress & Poverty conducted what can only be described as a coup on my worldview, and I am not alone in that experience.\nIt is an incredible argument that will just utterly transform how you understand a walk down the street.\nIf you’ve been seeing references to the Land Value Tax (LVT) here on HN, this is the book that originated the concept. Like most conceptual breakthroughs, it didn’t emerge solely from George with no related ideas in the vicinity, but this is definitely “the book” behind it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Henry George’s Progress & Poverty conducted what can only be described as a coup on my worldview",
          "reason": "Describes the book as profoundly changing their worldview and explains its connection to land value tax.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20914450,
          "author": "033803throwaway",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T01:18:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914450",
          "commentText": "Progress & Poverty (1879) by Henry George\nOrthodoxy (1908) by G.K. Chesterton\nThe Brothers Karamazov (1880) by Fyodor Dostoevsky",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Progress & Poverty (1879) by Henry George",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17381890,
          "author": "branchless",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T16:11:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17381890",
          "commentText": "Henry George: Progress and Poverty.\nExplains how taxing land instead of labour is the path to a far better world. Versus now where progress means higher land prices which means poverty for those excluded from land.\nOnce nearly got to be mayor of New York. Sold 6 million copies (at the time only the bible outsold it).\nhttps://www.aier.org/article/amazing-influence-henry-george-... (https://www.aier.org/article/amazing-influence-henry-george-ec-harwood)\nAs recommended by Albert Einstein and many others.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Henry George: Progress and Poverty.\nExplains how taxing land instead of labour is the path to a far better world.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as an explanation of land taxation and poverty.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13967779,
          "author": "branchless",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T14:05:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13967779",
          "commentText": "Henry George, Progress and Poverty.\nhttp://www.henrygeorge.org/pdfs/PandP_Drake.pdf\nHis ideas are fabulous, but that aside reading it is a joy. He truly has a love for his fellow man that transcends all the usual pity-via-charity and sees real value in all.\nA forgotten favourite of many great thinkers. Forgotten for a reason!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "His ideas are fabulous, but that aside reading it is a joy.",
          "reason": "Praises the ideas and says reading the book is a joy, while adding that it is forgotten for a reason.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is “Forgotten for a reason!” without explaining why.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Henry George"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "georgism",
        "land value tax",
        "land value taxation",
        "political economy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "proofs-and-refutations-5299ee",
      "title": "Proofs and Refutations",
      "author": "Imre Lakatos",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34448780,
          "author": "Twisol",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-20T03:18:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34448780",
          "commentText": "As a child, I re-read The Number Devil constantly. It introduced me to some really cool mathematical ideas, couched in a cute story. The very last chapter includes a picture of the Principia Mathematica's proof of 1 + 1 = 2 -- mostly for shock value, I think, but also \"even this is within your reach\". I recently got to see a friend's copy of the Principia, and I realized just how much of it I actually did understand, which was a really nice closing of the loop.\nAs an adult, Imre Lakatos' Proofs and Refutations gave me a much richer understanding of definitions in mathematics -- what job they're meant to do, and when it makes sense to change your definitions instead of adding premises to your theorems.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Imre Lakatos' Proofs and Refutations gave me a much richer understanding of definitions in mathematics",
          "reason": "The commenter says it deepened their understanding of mathematical definitions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33800669,
          "author": "stiiv",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T13:48:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33800669",
          "commentText": "_Proofs and Refutations_ tops the list.\nDialog and progressive discovery are crucial to solving problems, and these things happen even after (mostly after?) you arrive at a good solution. _P&R_ provides a working example of how this might go, and how a diligent and magnanimous mind might approach the process. I think it's a really fun and engaging book, too.\nWorks on pragmatism by CS Peirce were really impactful, though I can't recommend a specific book. In a very focused way, Peirce advocates for evaluating ideas in terms of their real-world effects, often by employing a measured skepticism.\nOn the psych/behavioral side, _Gut Feelings_ shows how to be an efficient thinker. Largely contrary to Kahneman's work, it vindicates intuition, but does so in a qualified way. It explains when and how to trust your instincts, and emphasizes the importance of cultivating them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "_Proofs and Refutations_ tops the list.",
          "reason": "Shows dialog and progressive discovery in problem solving, and how to approach the process; the commenter calls it fun and engaging.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4967140,
          "author": "sb",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T21:26:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967140",
          "commentText": "This year I either read, or started to read the following interesting books:\nMathematics: Form and Function by Saunders Mac Lane. This is one of my favorite books concerning the \"build-up\" of mathematics (it also contains nice diagrams of \"relatedness\" of subjects). On HN somebody once recommended Mathematics: Its contents, methods, and meaning (from Russian mathematicians in the 50s) which is similar but without the cross references.\nProofs and Refutations by Imre Lakatos. I have started reading this only recently and have to say that I find the approach and idea excellent. It would be great if we had something comparable for CS theory as well.\nNotes on Introductory Combinatorics by Polya, Tarjan, and Woods. Have not read this exhaustively, but the introduction with Pascal's triangle and some of Polya' legendary problem solving insights (paraphrased from my memory: \"you are on to something once you find a pattern\") are definitely highlights in this book.\nMathematical Discovery: On Understanding, Learning and Teaching Problem Solving by George Polya. Based on the previous book and my fond memories of reading \"How to Solve it\", I got this one from the library. Again I can't attest for all of the contents, but AFAICT now it's another gem from Polya.\nFrom HN advice in previous years I read The Tibetan Book on Living and Dying, which I can heartily recommend, too. It is an anti-thesis to Christian theology and I find it to contain many insightful comments and different views on leading a good, meaningful life. I disagree with some of the church-y comments on that it really is important to have a master and that only the master can do certain things, but that's probably just me being an atheist all along.\nI actually read some other books, but the list is already kind of long and might hold interesting pointers for other mathematically inclined readers, too. I for one am always fascinated on how much advice on problem solving in mathematics translates to CS.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I have started reading this only recently and have to say that I find the approach and idea excellent.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its approach and central idea.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the nature of mathematical proof and discovery.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has only recently started reading it.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503671,
          "author": "zppx",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T14:26:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503671",
          "commentText": "My list:\n- Pirkei Avot, it's a section of the Mishnah (a part of the Talmud), it summarizes the jewish moral thought (well, not for the Karaites Jews, they did not believe in the Talmud), I was born in a Orthodox Jewish family so it was important on my beliefs, even though I am an Atheist now.\n- Organon, it's a compilation of Aristotle's logic works, they are the basis for the logical thought of the Western civilization, I think it's easier to read the originals than compendiums.\n- Philosophical Investigations, the second book of Wittgenstein, it's dense, and obscure to some extent, but it's really eye-opener, some ideas that influenced the last century are introduced there.\n- Proofs and Refutations, a posthumous work by Imre Lakatos, it defied much of my established view on how Mathematics works.\n- Thus Spoke Zarathustra, a powerful book, it's dense and you can only drag many conclusions from it when you read other works from Nietzsche, which lead to my next book.\n- On the Genealogy of Morality, this is for me the most important of the 5 books that I have read from Nietzsche, in the first essay of the book the concept of master morality and slave morality is introduced, some people think that Nietzsche favors the first, I disagree, for me he describes and criticizes both.\n- Truth and Method, the classic of Gadamer, some people call it a \"postmodern\" work, this only serves to show how \"modern\" some of the \"postmodern\" were, the book basically addresses how our current beliefs and customs, which he calls traditions, plays an important part in our hermeneutics and how we always are biased to interpret something.\n- Epistemic Justification, this book of William Alston is a good refinement if you already know some epistemology, although I disagree with the \"justified true belief\" definition of knowledge, that is the main theme of the book and its essays, it introduced some questions about the nature and limitations of knowledge.\n- Inquiry into the Human Mind, by Thomas Reid is a good read and also a staunch defense of the common sense.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it defied much of my established view on how Mathematics works.",
          "reason": "Says it challenged the commenter's established view of mathematics.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in how mathematics works.",
          "caveat": "Posthumous work.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Imre Lakatos"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "philosophy of mathematics",
        "mathematical proof",
        "mathematical discovery",
        "mathematical reasoning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "purple-cow-transform-your-business-by-being-remarkable-40607c",
      "title": "Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable",
      "author": "Seth Godin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12420676,
          "author": "cdvonstinkpot",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-03T19:26:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12420676",
          "commentText": "Seth Godin:\n\"Purple Cow\"\n\"Tribes\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seth Godin:\n\"Purple Cow\"",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a thread asking for impactful books, so the title functions as a recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6334841,
          "author": "covgjai",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-05T15:43:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 6329955,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which two books were the most influential on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6334841",
          "commentText": "The Startup Owners Manual by Steve Blank and Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable by Seth Godin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable by Seth Godin",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6130130,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2013-07-30T21:18:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 6130006,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read re marketing for my website?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6130130",
          "commentText": "I'm not sure if the fact that it's a game changes anything or not as I don't play in that space myself.  But just in terms of marketing in general, some of the essentials include:\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing - Al Ries & Jack Trout\nPositioning - Al Ries & Jack Trout\nRepositioning - Jack Trout (with Steve Rivkin)\nDifferentiate or Die - Jack Trout (with Steve Rivkin)\nThe Ultimate Marketing Plan - Dan S. Kennedy\nThe Ultimate Sales Machine - Chet Holmes\nAll Marketers Are Liars - Seth Godin\nThe Purple Cow - Seth Godin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Purple Cow - Seth Godin",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5702280,
          "author": "Avalaxy",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-14T00:08:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5702280",
          "commentText": "Permission Marketing - Seth Godin, made me think about what he calls interruption marketing.\nPurple Cow - Seth Godin, made me think about standing out.\nThe Lean Startup - Eric Ries, really changed the way I think about... Well, nearly everything that costs effort.\nThe God Delusion - Richard Dawkins, good theory about why God most probably doesn't exist.\nThe magic of reality - Richard Dawkins, great story about evolution, religion, etc.\nA short history of nearly everything - Bill Bryson, brilliant book. Perfect summary of our scientific advancements during the last centuries. He made me think about possible natural disasters.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Purple Cow - Seth Godin, made me think about standing out.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it made them think about standing out.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Seth Godin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marketing",
        "differentiation",
        "brand strategy",
        "branding"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rainbow-s-end-a28c98",
      "title": "Rainbow's End",
      "author": "Vernor Vinge",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39250346,
          "author": "snapplebobapple",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T14:15:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39250346",
          "commentText": "Just Finished Greg Egan's Orthogonal Trilogy (it was very interesting if you like hard science fiction but want to spice it up with a universe that operates under different fundamental laws)\nAm about half way through \"The constitution of Liberty\" by Friedrich A. Hayek (it's got a lot of correct in it but is way too preachy/needed a better editor to cut down on some of the repetition. It's nowhere near as bad as something like Ayn Rand's Atlas shrugged in this regard though).\nStarted Vernor Vinge's \"rainbow's end\", so far it's decent but I am also very early in so that isn't really a qualified opinion until I get through another 50 or 60 pages at least.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Started Vernor Vinge's \"rainbow's end\", so far it's decent",
          "reason": "Says it is decent so far, while noting they have read very little.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is early in the book and says this is not yet a qualified opinion.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17537852,
          "author": "rektide",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T00:15:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537852",
          "commentText": "Central Station by Lavie Tidhar is an amazing charming story of a world deeply steeped old sitting baking world where new things are coming about. It is charm & delight in the purest & simplest.\nSpin by Robert Charles Wilson. \"Robert Charles Wilson is a hell of a storyteller,\" said Stephen King and this wonderful tour through time and space, humanity & people's lives is incredible.\nThe Quantum Thief series by Hannu Rajaniemi is open, scenic, wild, & so so vivid, one of the most beautiful worlds I've ever visited, & it reminds me so much of a joyous wild swashbuckling run. The mystery of the main character is enchanting.\nInfoquake series by David Louis Edelson is a gripping suspenseful rise of a star entrepreneur that redefines and radically expands the world, amid an already boisterous & full & busy beautiful world already overflowing in seamless technology everywhere. Although the plot line whips along with some suspense & tension, the scenery and the voyage is incredible.\nLathe of Heaven by Ursala Le Guin could quite easily, quite simply be the best first contact story story ever. Touching, and sincere, & simple. This world is not bright and shiny but her writing and the bonding of characters is incredible. See also the rest of the Hainish cycle.\nLeft Hand of Darkness also by Ursala Le Guin is a shifting chaotic shizmatic tale, about picking our fates. \"Well, I did it through dreams. Phil would have done it another way. But yeah, homage to Phil [K.] Dick is right.\"\n- https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/a... (https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/all/)\nFallen Dragon is an early & involved Peter Hamilton adventure book. There's leaving home, & space ships, more space ships, bad guys, fighting back the bad guys, bigger ships, and action. There is A LOT going on, all the time, & violence, but damn this book comes together into something incredible, & telling, & powerful & strong, something that easily makes it my top pick for most-underappreciated Peter Hamilton.\nDiamond Age by Neal Stephenson, which I'm providing largely as a counterweight to the Snowcrash & Sevenses recommendations here. Diamond Age is much less dark, and way more a fun tail about an incredible & mysterious primer for a young lady.\nSirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut.\nAll Systems Red series by Martha Wells is a underprivileged barely coping robot dealing with the humans she hates having to talk to & a shitty planet trying to kill them. Simple, fun, some action & violence, but the main character is a total hoot the whole time with more loner/zero/drop-out attitude & spunk than anything I've read & it's unbelievably charming.\nLords of Light by Roger Zelazny has more style, pizzaz, & spirit than I feel like any of us deserve. An interesting, storied tale from the post-singularity, with a remarkable & robust cast.\nIllium/Olympos by Dan Simmons, are, in my mind still the clear winner, far above Hyperion. The cast is charming beyond belief, stumbling through a world they both know all too much about & far far too little. Some really incredible worldbuilding here.\nRainbow's End by Vernor Vinge. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE A Fire Upon the Deep. But Rainbow's End really is our planet, sometime not far out, and Vinge has the most tour of this next place we're headed, with threads, and annotations, and group chat being the defining new technologies of humanity. And the tale of the misfit happenstance adventurers who wind up ensnared in the plot line is a fun, roving hoot of a journey, a wonderful second chance at a coming of age story.\nMedusa Chronicles by two of my favorites, Alastair Reynolds & Stephen Baxter is probably my favorite exploring the solar system book, about a guy/robot a bit apart from humanity that really wants to see what the local area has to offer. A lot of high tension conflicting societal impulses that our somewhat aloof lead stumbles through, on his personal mission of exploration. Lots of interesting robot philosophy & very varied elements of space come together with the characters to make an incredibly fun space epic, set in a delightful & intriguing alternative history\nOther's recommendations I'd +1: Dune (but super heady material), The Stars My Destination (brimming with class & substance), Mote in God's Eye (some of the best Space Colonial Marines style stuff out there), Accelerando (and Iron Sky and ... overflowing playful scifi), Blue Ant series (dripping with style), Foundation series (and much more Asimov!), Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy (simple direct exciting hunt for treasure in Star Wars), Fuzzy Nation (fun tale)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rainbow's End really is our planet, sometime not far out, and Vinge has the most tour of this next place we're headed",
          "reason": "Praises the near-future setting and calls the journey fun.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387601,
          "author": "sown",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T23:59:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387601",
          "commentText": "I liked Rainbows Edge because in addition to a nifty story, it felt like a blueprint or use case for the near future. Marshall Brane's Manna did something similar, even if  you don't consider it fine literature. Charles Bukowski for poetry, which for some reason I can relate to, despite not sharing any experiences with the author ... which kind of worries me.\nVarious practical books such as Secrets of Power Negotiation by Roger Dawson if that sort of thing will help you.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I liked Rainbows Edge because in addition to a nifty story, it felt like a blueprint or use case for the near future.",
          "reason": "Likes its story and near-future vision.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4353749,
          "author": "yaksha",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-08T03:32:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 4353632,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon.  What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4353749",
          "commentText": "The sequel to Daemon(by Daniel Suarez I'm assuming), Freedom, was good. I also enjoyed Rainbow's End by Vernor Vinge.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also enjoyed Rainbow's End",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vernor Vinge"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "near future",
        "technology",
        "augmented reality",
        "near future science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "reminiscences-of-a-stock-operator-57d2cf",
      "title": "Reminiscences of a Stock Operator",
      "author": "Edwin Lefèvre",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45287210,
          "author": "ValtteriL",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-18T08:48:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 45283087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45287210",
          "commentText": "I'm 3/4 through it.\nIt's been quite entertaining to read how he went from picking off bucket shops to going bust on Wall Street and how he proceeded from there. Old-fashioned writing that goes straight to the point.\nHis art-like approach to speculation is refreshing after spending time on /r/quant. I cannot say if any of his high-level speculation wisdom hold water anymore, though.\nWould recommend!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Would recommend!",
          "reason": "Recommends the book after describing its entertaining account of a trader's career and its art-like approach to speculation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether its high-level speculation advice still holds up.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 45285739,
          "author": "ValtteriL",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-18T05:21:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 45283087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45285739",
          "commentText": "Reminiscences of a Stock Operator by Edwin Lefèvre (1923)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Reminiscences of a Stock Operator by Edwin Lefèvre (1923)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29668976,
          "author": "cognaitiv",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T01:37:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29668976",
          "commentText": "Reminiscences of a Stock Operator by Edwin Lefèvre (1923). Inspired by the life of stock trader Jesse Livermore in the late 1800s to early 1900s. The narrator starts trading in bucket shops  (antique equivalent of Robinhood), makes and loses several fortunes through various (often less than honorable) financial escapades. Was inspired to read this by the GameStop situation and was not disappointed.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Reminiscences of a Stock Operator by Edwin Lefèvre",
          "reason": "Listed as a book the commenter read and was not disappointed by.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25318831,
          "author": "travmatt",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T22:01:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25318831",
          "commentText": "If you like books on finance and history, “Reminiscences of a Stock Operator” by Edwin Lefèvre is also an excellent book, and an interesting view into early Wall Street.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Reminiscences of a Stock Operator” by Edwin Lefèvre",
          "reason": "Described as an excellent book and an interesting view into early Wall Street.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in finance and history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22575180,
          "author": "markus_zhang",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T13:37:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22575180",
          "commentText": "I agree with you. I believe the university textbooks are no good either as they are too far away from the real market. DO you believe that financial history books or even just history books with financial materials might actually be better?\nI once read the \"Reminiscence Of A Stock Operator\" and my edition happens to include large paragraphs of description of the market at that time, and they are really fascinating and I felt that I learnt a lot.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I once read the \"Reminiscence Of A Stock Operator\"",
          "reason": "The commenter describes reading it and finding its historical market descriptions fascinating and instructive.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18827386,
          "author": "parallel_item",
          "createdAt": "2019-01-04T20:38:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 18824130,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What article/book do you recommend for my next flight?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18827386",
          "commentText": "Some finance books I love (and reread frequently). These books are more about characters and stories, more than traditional non-fiction.\nMy Life as a Quant by Emanuel Derman\nThe Quants by Scott Patterson\nA Man for All Markets by Edward O. Thorp\nReminiscences of a Stock Operator by Edwin Lefevre\nFlash Boys by Michael Lewis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Reminiscences of a Stock Operator by Edwin Lefevre",
          "reason": "Includes it among finance books the commenter loves and rereads frequently.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in finance books focused on characters and stories.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these books are more about characters and stories than traditional nonfiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edwin Lefèvre"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "stock trading",
        "financial markets",
        "financial history",
        "investing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rifters-trilogy-a94b12",
      "title": "Rifters Trilogy",
      "author": "Peter Watts",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28060495,
          "author": "marcocampos",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T12:59:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28060495",
          "commentText": "Love Peter Watts' work but be warned that his writing is super depressing (in a good way), specially his Rifters Trilogy. My favorites are still Blindsight and it's follow-up, Echopraxia. The ideas on those books about sentient life are eye opening and something I still think is heavily debated in the scientific community.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "his Rifters Trilogy",
          "reason": "Enjoys Watts’s work while warning that this trilogy is especially depressing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The writing is super depressing, in a good way.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20344406,
          "author": "komon",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-03T14:11:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20344406",
          "commentText": "If you liked Blindsight, check out his Rifters trilogy beginning with Starfish. Hard Sci-Fi, bioengineering/hacking, deep sea adventure.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "check out his Rifters trilogy beginning with Starfish.",
          "reason": "Recommends the trilogy to readers who liked Blindsight.",
          "audience": "Readers who liked Blindsight and enjoy hard science fiction, bioengineering, and deep-sea adventure.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15428577,
          "author": "dozzie",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T15:35:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428577",
          "commentText": "Peter Watts, Rifters trilogy? Especially the second volume.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Peter Watts, Rifters trilogy? Especially the second volume.",
          "reason": "Suggests the trilogy in response to a request for hard science fiction AI novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Especially recommends the second volume.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9057164,
          "author": "aaronem",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T15:08:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9057164",
          "commentText": "Sure. On the other hand, I found Watts's Rifters trilogy to be strong throughout, and I'd previously assumed that he'd turn in the same strong performance with his latest series.\nIn what way does Echopraxia fail to live up to its predecessor? I'm eventually going to get around to it, but if it's going to disappoint me, I'd like to know ahead of time so that I can go into it with my expectations better calibrated.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found Watts's Rifters trilogy to be strong throughout",
          "reason": "Says the trilogy is strong throughout.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Watts"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hard science fiction",
        "underwater science fiction",
        "ai",
        "bioengineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "robinson-crusoe-a46e24",
      "title": "Robinson Crusoe",
      "author": "Daniel Defoe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41423129,
          "author": "gugug6",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-02T06:37:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41423129",
          "commentText": "harry potter \nlord of the rings\ndune \ngame of thrones\nberserk\nvinland saga\nrobinson curso\n                 : happy reading time!!!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "robinson curso",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31969216,
          "author": "the_third_wave",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T17:10:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31969216",
          "commentText": "Not a book but the facilities to make one - access to either paper and pencils/pens/ink, glue, linen binding thread, leather for making covers and a book press to bind the thing. Given that I'd have the rest of my life I'd settle for access to the raw materials to make these.\nI'd write the book myself, it'd probably end up like a cross between Robinson Crusoë, Baden Powell's \"Scouting for Boys\", Zindell's \"Neverness\", Tolkien's \"Silmarillion\", The Gulag Archipelago - for what twisted mind would keep people from reading new (to them) books other than the same mind which created the GULAG system - and more of such. It would take years to write but that'd be a good thing given that it would keep me busy.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Robinson Crusoë",
          "reason": "Lists it as one influence for the book they would write.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned as an influence, not a recommendation to read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467573,
          "author": "trts",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:40:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467573",
          "commentText": "For many books that I find myself thinking about for years, or just that I enjoyed very much, I will revisit them later.  They can be very revealing in how my perspective has changed or that I'll identify with completely different characters, or be awed by a passage that my earlier self overlooked.\nSeveral that come to mind are\nHeart of Darkness\nMoby Dick\nRobinson Crusoe\nPretty much any Chekhov story\nCathedral by Raymond Carver",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Robinson Crusoe",
          "reason": "Names it among works revisited over the years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630321,
          "author": "sexydefinesher",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:11:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630321",
          "commentText": "Robinson Crusoe, swedish translation by May Bylock is probably the book i have read the most since the beginning of elementary school. Very short, can be read in a day.\nGhost In The Wires by Kevin Mitnick is a very interesting book that i recommend too.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "is probably the book i have read the most since the beginning of elementary school.",
          "reason": "Says it is the book they have reread most since elementary school.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes the Swedish translation by May Bylock is very short and can be read in a day.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249516,
          "author": "veddox",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T12:18:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249516",
          "commentText": "Well, \"fiction\" is an incredibly broad category (if it can even be called that). And \"must read\" is highly subjective ;-)\nIf you're just looking for some light entertainment, go for sci-fi or fantasy (Lord of the Rings, anyone?). But if you don't mind some slightly \"heavier\" reading, have a look at the classics. In some cases they can be a little tricky to understand, but they are called \"classics\" for a reason...\nSpecific suggestions (incomplete and in no particular order): Shakespeare's plays, Jane Austen's \"Pride and Prejudice\", Daniel Defoe's \"Robinson Crusoe\", Harper Lee's \"To kill a mockingbird\", JM Barrie's \"Peter Pan\", Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Daniel Defoe's \"Robinson Crusoe\"",
          "reason": "Included in a list of specific suggestions for fiction reading.",
          "audience": "Readers open to classics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that classics can be tricky to understand.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12247051,
          "author": "Atwood",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T12:08:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12247051",
          "commentText": "Nonfiction:Global Brain, Fiction:Robinson Crusoe. A handful of poetry (rumi) and philosophy books over the years too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fiction:Robinson Crusoe.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968388,
          "author": "ctchocula",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:43:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968388",
          "commentText": "Thomas Mann's The Magic Mountain, Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman, Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe, Dale Carnegie's How To Win Friends and Influence People",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Defoe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "castaway fiction",
        "adventure",
        "adventure fiction",
        "survival"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sapiens-edcfe3",
      "title": "Sapiens",
      "author": "Yuval Noah Harari",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33382483,
          "author": "koliber",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T09:40:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382483",
          "commentText": "“21 Lessons for the 21st Century”, by Yuval Harari. I am blown away.\nHis first book, “Sapiens” clarified a few cultural concepts which made the world a little easier to understand. This book is a firehose of more of that.\nHarari explains complex political, sociological, cultural problems through a practical lens. The book provides little advice, but a lot of tools for understanding. It’s left-leaning, but carnal and if you are sensitive about your views, do not read it. On the other hand, if you are curious, looking for perspectives and tools for understanding the world around us, and are not afraid to have your views challenges or upturned, give it a go.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His first book, “Sapiens” clarified a few cultural concepts which made the world a little easier to understand.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it clarified cultural concepts and made the world easier to understand.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29707390,
          "author": "wahnfrieden",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-27T22:06:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29707390",
          "commentText": "You will have a taste for it within the first 2-3 chapters, it engages with the colonialist legacy that led to  Sapiens and other similar works from the start",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "it engages with the colonialist legacy that led to  Sapiens and other similar works from the start",
          "reason": "The commenter says the work engages with the colonialist legacy behind Sapiens and similar works.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21902980,
          "author": "baristaGeek",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T00:46:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902980",
          "commentText": "Best business books:\n-Secrets of Sandhill Road\n-Hackers and Painters\n-The Great CEO within\n-Venture Deals\n-Predictable Revenue\n-Zero to One\n-The Hard Thing About Hard Things\n-Lean customer development\n-Lost and founder\n-Lean B2B\n-From Impossible to Inevitable\n-Traction\nBest computer science books:\n-Competitive programming 3\n-Structure and interpretation of computer programs\nBest for fun (non-fiction):\n-Meditations\n-Sapiens\n-How to win friends and influence people\n-A brief history of time\n-Self-reliance\n-Frente a la estrella polar",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-Sapiens",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s best books for fun in response to a question about influential books.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in human history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804066,
          "author": "Delfino",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:09:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804066",
          "commentText": "I read about 25 books this year, here are the top 10 I look forward to reading in 2020, many of them informed by my favorites of 2019:\nHomo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari - I read Sapiens this year and really enjoyed it. I just started this today one so I may finish that before the end of the year.\nThinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman - I like books that make me think and from what I've heard, this will definitely do the trick. I read Factfulness this year and this was a suggested follow-up.\nThe Language Instinct by Steven Pinker - I've gotten really into natural languages since I've lived outside my country of origin for the last 2 and a half years and I've heard good things about this book being an entry point into linguistics.\nSword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski - With the new Witcher show coming out on Netflix I finally went back and beat The Witcher 3 then read the first book, The Last Wish. It was enjoyable enough that I want to keep going with the series.\nEducated by Tara Westover - Was convinced by Bill Gate's blog this is worthwhile. I'm a teacher so it wasn't hard to convince me.\nRobot Builder's Bonanza by Gordon McComb - I've been asked to teach a robotics course next year and this one seems to be The Book everyone recommends to dive into robotics.\nDivided by Partition: United by Resilience by Mallika Ahluwalia - I recently visited the Partition Museum in Amritsar, Punjab, India and purchased this book there to learn about more stories about people impacted by this event.\nThe Elements of Computing Systems by Noam Nisan and Shimon Shocken - I just read Code by Petzold and it was one of my favorite books. Even though I studied Computer Science in University and most of the concepts weren't new to me, it was such a fun experience mentally \"building\" a computer from relays/transistors to logic gates and up to assemblers, compilers, and interpreters. I want to keep going with this and jump into the Nand2Tetris online course.\nThe Annotated Turing by Charles Petzold - Again, I loved Petzold's Code so I looked up other books he wrote and this one looks great. I've never actually read Turing's work so I'm excited to have some background and explanation to help me not just read the words but grasp their significance.\nZACH-LIKE by Zachtronics - I played through several Zachtronics games this year (TIS-100, Shenzhen I/O and Opus Magnum) so I can't wait to dive into some of the thinking behind creating these and similar games.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read Sapiens this year and really enjoyed it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18664739,
          "author": "nop_slide",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T15:35:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664739",
          "commentText": "- A Random Walk Down Wall Street: I got much more interested in personal finance this year, and definitely recommend this book as a stepping stone for learning about investing.\n- Frankenstein: Highly recommend! It is nothing like it is portrayed to be in pop culture and I thoroughly enjoyed it.\n- Unbelievable: My Front-Row Seat to the Craziest Campaign in America: It is literally unbelievable. It follows Katy Tur, a reporter tasked with following Trump leading up to the election. If you aren't already fed up with Trump, then give this a whirl.\n- Dune: 5/5 sci-fi\n- The Society of the Spectacle: I had trouble with this one. I think some things get lost in translation, and the philosophical arguments are so abstract it was a bit hard to follow along. I had a few key take-aways but to be honest it was kind of a chore to read.\n- How Not to Die: Argues for prioritizing a plant-based diet, and definitely changed my relationship with food.\n- East of Eden: My wife's favorite book and is now one of my favorites.\n- Sapiens: Very enjoyable, but some of it can feel pseudo-sciency and gets a bit nihilistic in the end.\n- Man's Search for Meaning: Also very enjoyable, a good reminder to appreciate the people and things around you.\n- A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy: Very accessible intro to Stoicism\n- Red Notice: A True Story of Finance, Murder, and One Man's Fight for Justice: Very interesting and reads like a fiction thriller. TLDR Russia doesn't fuck around",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Very enjoyable, but some of it can feel pseudo-sciency and gets a bit nihilistic in the end.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds it enjoyable while noting perceived weaknesses.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some sections feel pseudo-scientific and the ending somewhat nihilistic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Yuval Noah Harari"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human history",
        "anthropology",
        "cultural evolution"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "secrets-of-consulting-1752cb",
      "title": "Secrets of Consulting",
      "author": "Gerald M. Weinberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33858182,
          "author": "mooreds",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T21:37:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33858182",
          "commentText": "Hiya,\nI'd consider these books/articles/podcasts:\n* Secrets of Consulting by Gerald Weinberg: http://geraldmweinberg.com/Site/Consulting_Secrets.html Every problem is a people problem.\n* Refactoring by Martin Fowler et. al: https://martinfowler.com/books/refactoring.html talks about how and why to refactor, as well as providing a nomenclature for the process.\n* Code Complete by Steve McConnell. https://stevemcconnell.com/books/ A bit dated (the last version I could find was from 2004) but a great overview of the entire software process, from requirements to maintenance.\n* The Mythical Man-Month by Fred Brookes: https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/mythical-man-month-the/... (https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/mythical-man-month-the/0201835959/) best practices about software development, written about a project from the 1960 and 1970s.\n* The Joel On Software Strategy Letters: https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/05/12/strategy-letter-i-... (https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/05/12/strategy-letter-i-ben-and-jerrys-vs-amazon/) is the first one. All of them (I think there are five) are great.\n* Letters to a New Developer: https://letterstoanewdeveloper.com/the-book/ Please note I wrote this, but I still think it does a good job of discussing the \"soft skills\" in an easily digestible format.\n* Pragmatic Programmer by Dave Thomas and Andy Hunt: https://pragprog.com/titles/tpp20/the-pragmatic-programmer-2... (https://pragprog.com/titles/tpp20/the-pragmatic-programmer-20th-anniversary-edition/) Haven't read the revised 20th anniversary edition, but the first one opened my eyes to the craft of software.\n* High Output Management by Andy Grove: https://bookshop.org/p/books/high-output-management-andrew-s... (https://bookshop.org/p/books/high-output-management-andrew-s-grove/6730629) a great way to think about throughput\n* The Phoenix Project by Gene Kim et. al: https://itrevolution.com/product/the-phoenix-project/ Fun novel(!) about applying lean management principles to software engineering.\n* Radical Candor (haven't read, but it's been recommended): https://www.radicalcandor.com/ About communication.\n* Good to Great by Jim Collins: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_to_Great Focuses on what great companies bring to the table. Helps me evaluate where to work.\n* Mastery Autonomy and Purpose: A great video about what people really want in work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzXXC4MZZnY\n* https://www.manager-tools.com/podcasts a podcast about managing people. You didn't say you wanted to be a people manager, but knowing what managers think about will make you more effective in any org.\n* Managing Humans by Michael Lopp: https://managinghumans.com/ The whole Rands site is work reading, but I enjoyed this book about how to manage teams and build software. See above.\n* Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug: https://sensible.com/dont-make-me-think/ Easy ways to think about usability, focusing on webapps. Short and easy.\n* Badass: Making Users Awesome, by Kathy Sierra: http://seriouspony.com/badass-users-the-book Will help you put yourself in the shoes of your users and think about how to build software they will love. Short and easy.\nHope this helps.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Secrets of Consulting by Gerald Weinberg",
          "reason": "The commenter says it teaches that every problem is a people problem.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 949615,
          "author": "azgolfer",
          "createdAt": "2009-11-19T02:46:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 947581,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN:  What's the best first business book for a programmer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=949615",
          "commentText": "Secrets of Consulting - Gerald Weinberg and \n48 Rules of Power - Robert Greene",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Secrets of Consulting - Gerald Weinberg",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for business books.",
          "audience": "Programmers learning business basics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797320,
          "author": "bkovitz",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T03:52:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797320",
          "commentText": "Computational Pharmacokinetics by Anders Källén\nSecrets of Consulting by Gerald Weinberg\nLe Ton Beau de Marot by Douglas Hofstadter\nBorn to Win by Muriel James and Dorothy Jongeward",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Secrets of Consulting by Gerald Weinberg",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797098,
          "author": "DanielBMarkham",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T01:40:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797098",
          "commentText": "I got books like sheiks got oil. I'm swimming in them. I try to read a little from at least four books every day. (You'll have to look up these links yourself)\n-----------------------------------------------------------\nOn my Kindle:\nAnna Karenina, Tolstoy; Clean Code, Uncle Bob; Palm WebOS; Antoninus Meditations, Marcus Aurelius, Emperor; Never Eat Alone, and Other Secrets to Success, Ferrazzi\n-----------------------------------------------------------\nIn my stack:\nDaniel-X, James Patterson; Born To Run, Christopher McDougall; The Existential Jesus, John Carroll; Fear and Trembling - Repetition, Soren Kierkegaard\n-----------------------------------------------------------\nOn the way in from Amazon:\nThe Trusted Advisor, Maister; Secrets of Consulting: A Guide to Giving and Getting Advice Successfully, Weinberg; Rain Making: Attract New Clients No Matter What Your Field, Harding\n-----------------------------------------------------------\nI'm thinking about growing another pair of eyeballs so I can read two books at once. I'll let you know how the genetic engineering goes. (grin)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Secrets of Consulting: A Guide to Giving and Getting Advice Successfully, Weinberg",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 674923,
          "author": "skmurphy",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-26T03:58:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 673487,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there any good Internet marketing books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=674923",
          "commentText": "I would recommend these books for a good grounding in marketing and fostering innovation:\n   The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen\n   Crossing the Chasm and Inside the Tornado by Geoffrey Moore\n   Innovation and Entrepreneurship by Peter Drucker\n   Marketing High Technology by William Davidow\n   Four Steps to the Epiphany by Steve Blank\n   Jumpstart Your Business Brain by Doug Hall\n   E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber\n   Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim & R. Mauborgne\n   Influence The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini\n   The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries and Jack Trout\n   Secrets of Consulting by Gerald Weinberg\n\nFor an article that summarizes key concepts see http://skmurphy.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/Crucial%20Mar... (http://skmurphy.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/Crucial%20Marketing%20Concepts.pdf)\nThere is a companion slide deck here http://www.skmurphy.com/f/SDForum061211.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Secrets of Consulting by Gerald Weinberg",
          "reason": "Recommended for grounding in marketing and fostering innovation.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a grounding in marketing and innovation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86120,
          "author": "estherschindler",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T22:05:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86120",
          "commentText": "For sheer enjoyment (measured in how many times I've re-read them, at least at various times in my life): Heinlein's _The Door into Summer_. Connie Willis' _Bellwether_ (these can be funny, right?). Ayn Rand's _Atlas Shrugged_ (more in my youth than today, but I can probably still recite passages by heart). \nNon-fiction: Gerry Weinberg's _Secrets of Consulting_. Lynn Truss' _Eats Shoots & Leaves_.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Non-fiction: Gerry Weinberg's _Secrets of Consulting_.",
          "reason": "Lists it as a favorite nonfiction book in response to the thread question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gerald M. Weinberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consulting",
        "management",
        "people skills"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "self-reliance-1adcc0",
      "title": "Self-Reliance",
      "author": "Ralph Waldo Emerson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21902980,
          "author": "baristaGeek",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T00:46:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902980",
          "commentText": "Best business books:\n-Secrets of Sandhill Road\n-Hackers and Painters\n-The Great CEO within\n-Venture Deals\n-Predictable Revenue\n-Zero to One\n-The Hard Thing About Hard Things\n-Lean customer development\n-Lost and founder\n-Lean B2B\n-From Impossible to Inevitable\n-Traction\nBest computer science books:\n-Competitive programming 3\n-Structure and interpretation of computer programs\nBest for fun (non-fiction):\n-Meditations\n-Sapiens\n-How to win friends and influence people\n-A brief history of time\n-Self-reliance\n-Frente a la estrella polar",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-Self-reliance",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s best books for fun in response to a question about influential books.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in essays on individualism.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17046256,
          "author": "godelmachine",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T10:55:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17046256",
          "commentText": "1) All of Robin Sharma's books - especially The Monk who sold his Ferrari\n2) The Conquest of Happiness by Bertrand Russell\n3) Self Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson\n4) The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius\n5) Barking up the wrong tree by Eric Barker\n6) This might be strange - but Harry Potter series also teach us a lot, especially about Courage and Conviction.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Self Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for introspective book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12245675,
          "author": "SeaDude",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T05:33:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12245675",
          "commentText": "\"Ecotopia\" by: Earnest Callenbach\n\"Self Reliance\" by: Ralph Waldo Emerson\n\"The Iron Heel\" by: Jack (fuckin) London!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Self Reliance\" by: Ralph Waldo Emerson",
          "reason": "Named as an answer in a thread asking which books the commenter found amazing enough to give as gifts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107093,
          "author": "mrcdima",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T09:05:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107093",
          "commentText": "Some titles I've recently read or at least have placed on my reading list.\n--------------------\nPhilosohpy\nLetters from a Stoic: Epistulae Morales Ad Lucilium - Seneca\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius (must read)\nThe Republic - Plato\n--------------------\nHistory\nFive Chimneys - Olga Lengyel\nThe Gulag Archipelago - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (must read)\nThe Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank\n--------------------\nFiction\n(particularly dystopian) 1984, Brave New World, Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451\n(crime/action) Child 44, The Secret Speech, Agent 6 - Tom Rob Smith\n--------------------\nEconomics\nCapital in the Twenty-First Century - Thomas Piketty\nPoor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty - Banerjee, Duflo\nWhy Nations Fail - Robinson\n--------------------\nEconomics/Decision making/Psychology\nUndercover Economist, Freakonomics, Nudge, Thinking Fast and Slow\n--------------------\nRandom titles\nThe Selfish Gene, Self-Reliance, The Elements of Style (about writing), Slaughterhouse-Five\n--------------------\nSome links to inspire your reading (though you may want to checkout the websites first to get an idea of the topics they cover)\nhttp://www.gatesnotes.com/Books\nhttp://bookpickings.brainpickings.org/\nhttp://www.farnamstreetblog.com/reading/\nhttp://www.ryanholiday.net/reading-newsletter\nI’m just a working-class guy trying to take part in the conversation that all the smart people are having. What books should I read? - http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-cl... (http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-class-guy-trying-to-take-part-in-the-conversation-that-all-the-smart-people-are-having-what-books-should-i-read/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Self-Reliance",
          "reason": "Listed as a title in response to the thread's request for book suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ralph Waldo Emerson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "essay",
        "individualism",
        "transcendentalism",
        "self reliance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "shop-class-as-soulcraft-10a344",
      "title": "Shop Class as Soulcraft",
      "author": "Matthew B. Crawford",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43099671,
          "author": "nicbou",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-19T07:43:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 43084739,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction/non-fiction book should everyone read on the topic of CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43099671",
          "commentText": "I really didn't like that book. Shop Class As Soulcraft is a far more lucid treatment of the topic in my opinion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shop Class As Soulcraft is a far more lucid treatment of the topic in my opinion.",
          "reason": "Offers a more lucid treatment of the topic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39059715,
          "author": "trentnix",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T19:14:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39059715",
          "commentText": "+1\nI thought Shop Class as Soulcraft was excellent and found the author's theories on the lack of job and life satisfaction among those doing \"knowledge work\" compelling.\nIt reminded me of the movie Margin Call when Kevin Spacey's character, who manages a trading floor for a wall street investment firm, laments that if he'd been a ditch digger, at least he'd have a bunch of holes left behind as evidence he accomplished something.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I thought Shop Class as Soulcraft was excellent",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book and finds its account of job and life satisfaction among knowledge workers compelling.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238075,
          "author": "beat",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T15:56:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238075",
          "commentText": "Two standouts:\nThe World Beyond Your Head: On Becoming an Individual in an Age of Distraction, by Matthew B. Crawford. This is Crawford's second book, and I recommend his first, Shop Class as Soulcraft, even more highly. This is modern philosophy, intense and grounded in the history and conventions of philosophy, but not unreadable if you're patient. Crawford started working at a Washington think tank, and bailed for a more honest life as a vintage motorcycle mechanic. He walked away from wealth and \"success\" in favor of ethics and peace. His focus is on the intellectual and moral value of working at a craft, using your hands and your mind in concert to create and maintain things of lasting value. When you work with the physical world, you must shape yourself to the physical world, as much as you bend the physical world to your will. In this book, he talks less about the value of work, and more about the structure of society. It has some fairly extensive critique of the Enlightenment philosophy that molded American government and ethics, and pretty brutal takedowns of many of our institutions today, which he considers wrongheaded and actively interfering with a good life. He'll make you think, for sure.\nThe second book is Drift into Failure: From Hunting Broken Components to Understanding Complex Systems, by Sidney Dekker. The subject is how we analyze failures in very complex systems (such as airplane crashes, bridge collapses, etc). Such systems are built extremely carefully and at great cost, with extensive engineering for safety and reliability, and regulatory oversight. Yet sometimes, they fail anyway. Analyzing such failures can take years and is never (honestly) reduceable to some single-sentence cause. Yet that's what we try to do. Dekker argues that the reductionist approach of the scientific method, our entire way of doing rigorous thinking, is inadequate for complex systems, because there are too many interactions. Scientific method depends on reducing variables, and sometimes, variables can't be reduced. Again, this is fascinating stuff that will really change how you think.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend his first, Shop Class as Soulcraft, even more highly.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly recommends it more highly than Crawford’s second book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109628,
          "author": "joeclark77",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T17:22:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109628",
          "commentText": "How can there be 71 comments and not one mention of G. K. Chesterton?  Go out, right now, and check out The Everlasting Man and Orthodoxy from your local library.\nI would also throw out there Shop Class as Soulcraft by Matthew Crawford, as something to inspire makers & engineers without being a technical book.  If you like history, David McCullough's biography John Adams is a masterpiece (also see 1776 by the same author).\nI can't think of anything else that hasn't already been mentioned.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "as something to inspire makers & engineers without being a technical book.",
          "reason": "Recommended as an inspiring, nontechnical read for makers and engineers.",
          "audience": "Makers and engineers.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as nontechnical.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthew B. Crawford"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "craftsmanship",
        "work",
        "craft",
        "knowledge work"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "singularity-sky-746e14",
      "title": "Singularity Sky",
      "author": "Charles Stross",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15433636,
          "author": "tetromino_",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-09T13:36:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15433636",
          "commentText": "Charles Stross's Eschaton series: Singularity Sky and Iron Sunrise. It's an interesting hard-scifi take on what happens to humanity after one AI becomes, for all intents and purposes, God.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Eschaton series: Singularity Sky and Iron Sunrise.",
          "reason": "Named as part of a series described as an interesting hard science fiction take.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4968239,
          "author": "zem",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T05:18:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4968239",
          "commentText": "\"singularity sky\" is not necessarily my favourite stross book, but it's the one that impressed me the most. one of the best treatments of FTL in a relativistic universe I've seen (as in \"fine, have FTL, but you can't ignore the fact that it violates causality\".)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"singularity sky\" is not necessarily my favourite stross book, but it's the one that impressed me the most. one of the best treatments of FTL in a relativistic universe I've seen",
          "reason": "Says it impressed them most and praises its treatment of faster-than-light travel and causality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not necessarily their favorite Stross book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2087738,
          "author": "InclinedPlane",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T06:47:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2087738",
          "commentText": "\"Worlds of Exile and Illusion\" (Hainish cycle collection) and \"The Left Hand of Darkness\" by Ursula K Le Quin\n\"Singularity Sky\" by Charles Stross\n\"The Player of Games\" by Iain M Banks",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Singularity Sky\" by Charles Stross",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026884,
          "author": "Daniel_Newby",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T06:33:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026884",
          "commentText": "Redliners by David Drake. Burned out soldiers are sent to baby-sit a planetary colonization. Fortunately for the story it turns out to be a planet full of monsters. Baen Free Library.\nAccelerando, Iron Sunrise, and Singularity Sky by Charles Stross.  Singularity stories.\nHouse of Leaves by Mark Danielewski.  Supernatural meta-fiction with half the story in the footnotes.  Reminiscent of the movie Donnie Darko.\nCrooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis.  Private eye gets retained by the White House to track down the other U.S. Constitution.  To quote William Gibson, \"Stop It. You're frightening me.\"\nHurry Down Sunshine by Michael Greenberg.  Story of his teenage daughter's descent into manic psychosis.\nA Hat Full of Sky and Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett.  Kids' stories, so they have wall-to-wall story, unlike some of his more situational adult books.\nJames H. Schmitz science fiction stories. Available from the Baen Free Library of digital books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Accelerando, Iron Sunrise, and Singularity Sky by Charles Stross.",
          "reason": "The commenter groups these books as singularity stories.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Stross"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "causality",
        "faster than light travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "status-anxiety-7b58af",
      "title": "Status Anxiety",
      "author": "Alain de Botton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12245205,
          "author": "elwaz",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T02:56:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12245205",
          "commentText": "Second that and add: Status Anxiety",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Second that and add: Status Anxiety",
          "reason": "Offered as an additional answer to a question about books given as gifts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395322,
          "author": "chriseidhof",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T10:02:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395322",
          "commentText": "Status Anxiety - Alain de Botton\nIt's about how we have come to live in a meritocracy, where your status depends on what you have achieved. Very insightful and readable work by the contemporary philosopher/writer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Very insightful and readable work",
          "reason": "Calls it insightful and readable, and describes its focus on status and meritocracy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1632710,
          "author": "timruffles",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T13:06:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1632710",
          "commentText": "Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, R Pirsig\nRecently each of Alain de Botton's books (Status Anxiety, Pleasures and Sorrows of Work and Essays on Love) had a valuable lesson to teach.\nAlexander Pope's 'Essay on Criticism' (poem, not a book) was one the first poems that I gleaned something from, and that opened up a whole new library of potential reads.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Status Anxiety",
          "reason": "Says it had a valuable lesson to teach.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 142997,
          "author": "Alex3917",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T01:21:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=142997",
          "commentText": "I only read non-fiction that's counterintuitive. I figure, hey, I'm pretty smart, so if it's intuitive then I can probably figure it out on my own. A list of stuff I cite most often:\nNo Contest & Punished by Rewards by Alfie Kohn\nStatus Anxiety by Alain de Botton\nPG's essays & ITConversations interviews\nThe Underground History of American Education by John Taylor Gatto\nThe Singularity is Near by Kurzweil\nThis graph: http://alexkrupp.com/picture_library/plot.jpg\nDee Hock's essay on leadership\nA handful of blog posts by Mark Cuban\nAll Marketers are Liars & Free Prize Inside by Seth Godin. All of the books that Seth recommends are also worth reading.\nBruce Schneier's interview on ITConversations\nMagic Ink, an essay by Bret Victor\nWar Is A  Force That Gives Us Meaning by Chris Hedges\nThe Cluetrain Manifesto (the book)\nI'm sure there's a lot more, but that's what comes to mind right now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Status Anxiety by Alain de Botton",
          "reason": "Includes it among the nonfiction works the commenter cites most often.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alain de Botton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "social status",
        "anxiety",
        "meritocracy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "symposium-84b22a",
      "title": "Symposium",
      "author": "Plato",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467743,
          "author": "wazoox",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:56:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467743",
          "commentText": "The book I've reread the most is The Odyssey. For a long time, I've read it once every year.\nAnother book I've read many times is Eco's Foucault's Pendulum.\nI've read Asimov's cycle of Foundation many times. Don't know how many, actually.\nI've also read several times some philosophy classics, particularly Plato's Symposium, Phaedrus, Apology and Republic.\nThen there are many books that I've read at least twice, almost all considered classics (from 1984 to LoTR, Great expectations to Tom Sawyer, Crime and punishment to Twenty thousand leagues under the sea, etc).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "particularly Plato's Symposium, Phaedrus, Apology and Republic.",
          "reason": "Named as one of the philosophy classics the commenter reread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19090108,
          "author": "nathias",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T21:39:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090108",
          "commentText": "Plato - Meno, Symposium, Parmenides, Gorgias, Protagoras\nPlotinus -Enneads\nMarkus Aurelius - Meditations\nDescartes - On method\nDescartes - Meditations\nSpinoza - On the improvement of Understanding\nLeibniz - Monadology\nLeibniz - Grace\nVoltaire - Candid\nDiderot - D'Alembert's Dream\nKant - How to orient oneself in thinking\nKant - Critique of Pure Reason\nKant - Critique of Judgment\nHegel - Phenomenology of Spirit\nHegel - Logic\nvon Kleist - Marionette Theatre\nKierkegaard - The Sickness Unto Death\nHeidegger - Being and Time\nSartre - Being and Nothingness\nSartre - Flies\nSartre - Nausea\nDeleuze - Difference and Repetition\nKafka - Metamorphosis\nKafka - The Castle\nLem - Magellan Nebula\nLem - His Master's Voice\nCioran - A Short History of Decay\nPessoa - Book Of Despair\nWolfe -  New Sun tetralogy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Plato - Meno, Symposium, Parmenides, Gorgias, Protagoras",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12069367,
          "author": "klez",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T07:15:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12069367",
          "commentText": "Not in order\n1 - Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n2 - The Trial (Franz Kafka)\n3 - Beyond the door (Philip K Dick - short story)\n4 - The eyes have it (Philip K Dick - short story)\n5 - Seven brief lessons on Physics (Carlo Rovelli)\n6 - I have no mouth, and I must scream (Herlan Ellison - short story)\n7 - The art of simplicity (Dominique Loreau)\n8 - On anarchism (Noam Chomsky)\n9 - The difference engine (William Gibson, Bruce Sterling)\n10 - Utopia (Thomas More)\n11 - Sophie's world (Jostein Gaarder)\n12 - Rete padrona (Federico Rampini - essays about the 'dark side' of the corporate web)\n13 - The art of discarding (Nagisa Tatsumi)\n14 - Symposium (Plato)\nAnd a couple of very short philosophy booklets by Zizek (about the Matrix) and Baudrillard (about 'cyberphilosophy')",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Symposium (Plato)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503245,
          "author": "ulvund",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T07:12:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503245",
          "commentText": "I would not recommend any compilations of philosophy. The great thing about philosophy is reading the rationales and the results, not only the results.\n\"Ricard+Revel - The Monk and the Philosopher\" http://www.amazon.com/Monk-Philosopher-Father-Discuss-Meanin... (http://www.amazon.com/Monk-Philosopher-Father-Discuss-Meaning/dp/0805211039)\n\"Socrates(/Plato) - The Allegory of the Cave\" http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/allegory.html\n\"Plato(/Socrates/others) - Symposium\" http://www.amazon.com/Symposium-Plato/dp/0872200760\n\"Bertrand Russell - The Conquest of Happiness\" http://www.amazon.com/Conquest-Happiness-Bertrand-Russell/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/Conquest-Happiness-Bertrand-Russell/dp/0871401622)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Plato(/Socrates/others) - Symposium\"",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for philosophical book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56751,
          "author": "yters",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T06:37:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56751",
          "commentText": "Being a programmer, you've probably felt the appeal of Platonism, so I'd recommend a couple of his dialogues: Phaedrus, Symposium, and the Republic (in order of length, short to long, since they are pretty dense).  I'd also recommend reading the Republic last, so you can get over the misconceptions you were probably taught in high school.\nAllan Bloom's Closing of the American Mind is also very enlightening for a) understanding the goals of the enlightenment, and b) understanding the current state of our culture.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend a couple of his dialogues: Phaedrus, Symposium, and the Republic",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the dialogue as part of a suggested reading order.",
          "audience": "Programmers interested in Platonism and philosophy.",
          "caveat": "The dialogues are described as dense.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Plato"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient greek philosophy",
        "love",
        "platonic dialogue",
        "platonism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-algebraist-269edb",
      "title": "The Algebraist",
      "author": "Iain M. Banks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268997,
          "author": "lowbloodsugar",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:29:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268997",
          "commentText": "qntm, There is no antimemetics division.\nTamsin Muir, Gideon the Ninth\nIain M Banks, The Algebraist\nD F Jones, Colossus\nJames S A Corey, The Mercy of Gods",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Iain M Banks, The Algebraist",
          "reason": "Lists it among books read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25846127,
          "author": "twoquestions",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T13:25:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25846127",
          "commentText": "I'll stand by most of the other recommendations here that I've read, here are some books I liked that I haven't seen here yet:\nWe Are Legion (We Are Bob) is a pretty good and campy series.\nThe Dresden Files series is also good, I tried to get into it but I hated the mumbly voice actor on Audible unfortunately.\nIain Banks is good, especially Player of Games, Consider Phlebas and The Algebraist.  Use of Weapons put a bad taste in my mouth.\nGood luck!\nEDIT: Forgot to mention Isaac Asimov, I've yet to see anything bad by him. Still trying to get through the Foundation series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Iain Banks is good, especially Player of Games, Consider Phlebas and The Algebraist.",
          "reason": "The commenter highlights it as especially good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22094899,
          "author": "atombender",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T23:28:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22094899",
          "commentText": "I mean the story, sorry, not the style. It's one of Banks' few self-contained sci-fi novels, and it's set in a rather odd universe that fits into the \"dying Earth\" tradition of dystopian sci-fi (Wolfe's New Sun/Short Sun/Long Sun sequence, Vance's Dying Earth, etc.) more than in Banks' more utopian/panoramic Culture novels. His other standalones, Against a Dark Background and The Algebraist, are much closer to his Culture novels, for example.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "His other standalones, Against a Dark Background and The Algebraist",
          "reason": "Listed as one of Banks's standalone novels in a comparison of his works.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056564,
          "author": "circlefavshape",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:26:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056564",
          "commentText": "The Algebraist is my favourite Iain M. Banks book too - the breadth of imagination in it is amazing\nI think Surface Detail is my favourite Culture novel. Many Iain Banks books (regular fiction as well as sci-fi) are really just wish-fulfillment stories, but they're so stylish and fun to read that I love them (plus there's usually at least one very insightful rant by a minor character to be found in nearly every book)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Algebraist is my favourite Iain M. Banks book too - the breadth of imagination in it is amazing",
          "reason": "Calls it a favorite and praises its breadth of imagination.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043913,
          "author": "wildwood",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T22:52:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043913",
          "commentText": "The only book I ever force on people is \"A Deepness in the Sky\", by Vernor Vinge.  If you haven't read it, please do.\nI've really been enjoying David Weber's Honor Harrington series, if you're open to military sci-fi.  It's not on the Amazon site, but it's easy to get from the Baen Webscriptions site.\nIain M. Banks - \"Algebraist\" was a lot of fun, easily the best visualization of a gas-giant alien society I've ever read.  I read \"Matter\" a while ago, and keep feeling pulled back to re-read it sometime soon.\nFor classic sci-fi, I would recommend Bester's \"The Stars My Destination\" and Miller's \"Canticle for Leibowitz\".\nDon't forget to check out all the free public domain books that are available in the Kindle Store.  All the Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, etc that you can eat, at no charge.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Algebraist\" was a lot of fun",
          "reason": "Calls it a lot of fun and praises its visualization of an alien society.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1974540,
          "author": "huhtenberg",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T08:47:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974540",
          "commentText": "Have you read Peter Hamilton? Specifically, the Commonwealth Saga.\nBanks is good, but I find his universes are to be sketchy and sometimes fairly shallow and not well-thought through (e.g. the one in the Algebraist). Hamilton is as creative as Banks, when it comes to the concepts, but he really delivers on the depth and complexity of the story lines and the actual execution. If you haven't read him, do it. If you have, I'd be curious to hear how you compare him to Banks.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "the one in the Algebraist",
          "reason": "Cites its universe as an example of Banks's work being shallow and not well thought through.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Criticism is specifically of the setting's depth and development.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027146,
          "author": "rsaarelm",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T12:44:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027146",
          "commentText": "Fiction, mostly.\nDeclare, by Tim Powers. Cold war espionage with black magic. Entertainingly bleak, and probably did a lot more weirdness with real history than I knew how to appreciate.\nProducing Open Source Software (http://producingoss.com/), by Karl Fogel. A very thorough look into all sorts of practical matters in running a large open source software project.\nThe Engines of Light trilogy by Ken MacLeod. Entertaining, though a bit erratic. Makes a bunch of Forteana fit in a hard SF framework. Also the second MacLeod book I've read that has a weird pixie dust immortality treatment that seems incongruous with the rest of the technology level.\nMatter by Iain M. Banks. Culture again after Algebraist. Still good.\nThe Dark Side of the Sun by Terry Pratchett. Finally got around to reading this one. Was surprisingly fresh. It would have been interesting to see Pratchett write more science fiction after this and Strata around 30 years ago.\nThe City and the Stars by Arthur C. Clarke. Another old SF book. This one wasn't very fresh, seemed like two or three different novels stapled together, with bits and pieces that might work pretty well if it weren't for the other bits and pieces.\nCrooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis. Not a lot of surprises, if you know what Warren Ellis tends to write. Basically a road trip novel through various degeneracies in America. Fun, but tends to go for gross-out warrenellisisms in favor of overall coherence.\nNeuropath by Scott Bakker. A technothriller about all sorts of fun things you can do by directly rewiring peoples' brains with near-future neurosurgery. Bakker's chilly philosophical outlook doesn't pack quite the same punch in an already mostly rationalistic setting as it did in the Prince of Nothing fantasy books. Sticks with a single not particularly unsympathetic viewpoint character and therefore avoids the problem in Prince of Nothing where you'd often end up in the head of someone you really don't want to be anywhere near.\nThe Tao is Silent by Raymond Smullyan. Smullyan writes various essays inspired by Taoism. Quality varies, but Smullyan is generally fun to read.\nOn SF by Thomas Disch. Beautifully acerbic essays by someone who takes science fiction literature seriously and doesn't let it off easy. And just plain likes to insult people. Representative, though noticeably dated sample: http://www.press.umich.edu/pdf/9780472068968-1.pdf\nDenner's Wreck by Lawrence Watt-Evans. Watt-Evans has an specific style of writing from what follows from the setting and premises rather than going for the most dramatically obvious plot. The results are hit-and-miss with his fantasy novels I've read, but work a lot better here, where the legends of a bronze-age civilization end up emerging from a science fiction setting. Watt-Evans' narrative style supports the plot where the traditional stories end up not really being what they seem to be.\nThe Official Book of Ultima by Shay Addams. It tells how Richard Garriott's obsession with programming in high school lead to the Ultima game series, which were one of the most notable computer games in the 80s and became the flagship product of Garriott's Origin Systems company. Also documents how the games grew from Ultima I being programmed by Garriot alone learning as he went along into Ultima VI developed by a large team. There is much detail about Ultima VI, which was being developed as the book was written. Much of it also conflicts with the game that ended up being released, and I ended up wondering whether this was about the game changing during production or just Addams getting his facts wrong.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Culture again after Algebraist.",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a previous point of comparison; the comment does not evaluate or recommend it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Iain M. Banks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "galactic civilization",
        "alien civilizations",
        "first contact"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-loving-fc264b",
      "title": "The Art of Loving",
      "author": "Erich Fromm",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30241789,
          "author": "zentr1c",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T08:18:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241789",
          "commentText": "Things nobody tells you about relationship dynamics when you are young. Whats a head of you emontionaly? I recommend these to my son.\nErich Fromm The Art of Loving\nDavid schnarch \nPassionate Marriage: Sex, Love & Intimacy in emotionally committed relationships.\nAnd before you get married...\nGet some new perspective why ...\nWolfgang gädecke, Sexuality, Partnership and Marriage : From a Spiritual Perspective",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Erich Fromm The Art of Loving",
          "reason": "Lists it among books recommended to the commenter’s son about relationship dynamics.",
          "audience": "Young people learning about relationships.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25532522,
          "author": "LordNight",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T23:24:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25532522",
          "commentText": "Although I am an avid reader and have been reading on average 1 or 2 books each week for the past 15 years, I don't think I've ever read a book than \"changed my life\". Looking back, I think the most impactfull book for me was The Art of Loving (1956) by Erich Fromm because it opened up  a world of psychology and psychoanalysis and significantly altered my view on how humans think.\nAmong the classic fiction the best so far were: T. Dreiser - The Bulwark, S. Maugham - Of Human Bondage, L. Tolstoy - The Kreutzer Sonata and E. Zola - l'Oeuvre & Germinal.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Loving (1956) by Erich Fromm",
          "reason": "The commenter says it opened up psychology and psychoanalysis and significantly altered their view of how humans think.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168781,
          "author": "rsheehan",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:50:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168781",
          "commentText": "The Art of Loving by Erich Fromme\nA description of how love (romantic love, brotherly love, love for God, love for oneself) has to be actively practiced much like any other discipline and what the consequences are for individuals living in a society that by and large does not hold this belief. As a younger person who often gets frustrated with how easy it is to get caught up in his own narcissism and materialism, this book helped me better understand myself and what my core drives are moreso than anything else I’ve encountered to date. Only like 120 pages to boot.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Loving by Erich Fromme",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them understand their core drives and self more than anything else they had encountered.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is only about 120 pages.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13804048,
          "author": "graycat",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:07:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804048",
          "commentText": "Jacques Neveu, Mathematical Foundations\nof the Calculus of Probability,\nHolden-Day, San Francisco.\nRandom variables and the associated\nprobability theory and conditional\nprobability theory are surprisingly\nrelevant, especially now with computing,\nin the real world.  That the set of real\nvalued random variables X such that E[X^2]\nis finite forms a Hilbert space, e.g., is\ncomplete, is astounding.  So is the\nmartingale convergence theorem.\nErich Fromm, The Art of Loving.\nHeavily about how what people do is in\nresponse to the anxiety they feel from the\nrealization that alone they are vulnerable\nto the hostile forces of nature and\nsociety.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Heavily about how what people do is in response to the anxiety they feel",
          "reason": "Listed as a book that changed the commenter’s thinking about human behavior.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Erich Fromm"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "love",
        "human behavior",
        "psychoanalysis",
        "relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-the-metaobject-protocol-f0fb38",
      "title": "The Art of the Metaobject Protocol",
      "author": "Gregor Kiczales, Jim des Rivières, and Daniel G. Bobrow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31178500,
          "author": "oumua_don17",
          "createdAt": "2022-04-27T11:09:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 31166475,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Top inspiring books on crucial CS ideas?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31178500",
          "commentText": "The Art of metaobject protocol\nIn his 1997 talk at OOPSLA, Alan Kay called it \"the best book anybody's written in ten years\", and contended that it contained \"some of the most profound insights, and the most practical insights about OOP\", but was dismayed that it was written in a highly Lisp-centric and CLOS-specific fashion, calling it \"a hard book for most people to read; if you don't know the Lisp culture, it's very hard to read\" [2]\n[1] https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/art-metaobject-protocol\n[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKg1hTOQXoY",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Art of metaobject protocol",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Quoted criticism says it is Lisp-centric and CLOS-specific, making it hard for most people unfamiliar with Lisp culture to read.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16759359,
          "author": "abhirag",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T21:32:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16759359",
          "commentText": "On the topic of pretty covers, I love the covers of these two books a lot:\n1. The Art of the Metaobject Protocol (https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/art-metaobject-protocol)\n2. The Art of Prolog (https://www.amazon.com/Art-Prolog-Second-Programming-Techniq... (https://www.amazon.com/Art-Prolog-Second-Programming-Techniques/dp/B01NH0AJJK))\nbut haven't been able to find any other motivation to buy them. Also I have never printed the Common Lisp Quick Reference(http://clqr.boundp.org/clqr-a4-booklet-all.pdf) because I always imagine it having a really pretty cover, and everything I try just falls short.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I love the covers of these two books a lot:\n1. The Art of the Metaobject Protocol",
          "reason": "Expresses liking for the cover, while saying there is no other motivation to buy it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the cover is the only motivation to buy it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14845961,
          "author": "oulu2006",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T07:56:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14845961",
          "commentText": "The Art of the Metaobject Protocol\nhttps://mitpress.mit.edu/books/art-metaobject-protocol",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of the Metaobject Protocol",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the thread's question about books that shaped code structure.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in programming and software design.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13668217,
          "author": "lispm",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-17T13:49:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13668217",
          "commentText": "The communication of the standard subgroup which developed CLOS is here:\nhttp://ml.cddddr.org/cl-object-oriented-programming/\nThe repository spans from 1984 to 1990.\nThe group also developed a portable CLOS implementation (PCL, Portable Common Loops) to experiment and verify their design with feedback from the community:\nhttps://www.cs.cmu.edu/Groups/AI/lang/lisp/oop/clos/pcl/0.ht... (https://www.cs.cmu.edu/Groups/AI/lang/lisp/oop/clos/pcl/0.html)\nFlavors and LOOPS were developed around 1980 and were the direct inspirations. The AMOP book was then published 1991.\nAMOP is a very good and extremely well written book about the CLOS Meta Object Protocol.\nIt also is fortunately / unfortunately one of the books with the best Lisp programming style. 'fortunately' because it is really great, 'unfortunately' the great programming style is tied to a slightly esoteric topic - object-oriented meta-object protocols. ;-)\nWhatever motivation you have, a) reading a book with great Lisp style or b) learning about the CLOS MOP, the book is highly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the book is highly recommended.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly recommends the book for Lisp style or learning about the CLOS MOP.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The topic is described as slightly esoteric.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 407355,
          "author": "shaunxcode",
          "createdAt": "2008-12-23T06:49:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 407067,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Let's start a Hacker News book club",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=407355",
          "commentText": "all I can say is \"yes!\". I have a ton of programming books that I would love to re-read and discuss even (the art of the meta object protocol, let over lambda, on lisp etc.) but I would also be down with relevant math and fiction stuff.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the art of the meta object protocol",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gregor Kiczales",
        "Jim des Rivières",
        "Daniel G. Bobrow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "common lisp",
        "clos",
        "lisp",
        "metaobject protocol"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-bible-dc79ee",
      "title": "The Bible",
      "author": "Various",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49904710,
          "author": "dv35z",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T05:27:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49904710",
          "commentText": "Curious if you have read the bible completely, starting from the beginning.\nI recently started it - currently 30% through. I am tryin to hold back judgement until I have completed the book, but I can definitely say its quite shocking, nearly every page.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I recently started it - currently 30% through",
          "reason": "Says nearly every page is shocking, while reserving judgment until finishing it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not finished it and is holding back judgment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 49774841,
          "author": "general_reveal",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-20T11:45:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 49724691,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most career altering course or book you have gone through?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49774841",
          "commentText": "The Bible.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bible.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42732420,
          "author": "gunian",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-16T23:46:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 42686034,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read regarding software development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42732420",
          "commentText": "what specifically about it if you don't mind me asking?\nif i remember correctly Esther is no different than cinderella or any other rags to riches fairy tale story\nif a poor person gets powerful allies they become powerful else they die not a paradigm altering POV tbh",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "if i remember correctly Esther is no different than cinderella or any other rags to riches fairy tale story",
          "reason": "Compares the story of Esther to Cinderella, questioning its distinctive perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41780005,
          "author": "onlypassingthru",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-08T17:58:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41780005",
          "commentText": "What is \"the Bible\"?  As many threads in this post have pointed out, the translator and translation have a huge impact on the final product.†  Are you referring to ancient Hebrew? A version approved by the Catholic Church or is it something concocted by that German heretic? Something else?\n† Sometimes with death sentences handed out for challenges to R̶o̶m̶a̶n̶ papal supremacy!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "What is \"the Bible\"? As many threads in this post have pointed out, the translator and translation have a huge impact on the final product.",
          "reason": "Questions which version or translation the parent commenter means.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter stresses that translation choices affect the text.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297799,
          "author": "roymurdock",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:56:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297799",
          "commentText": "Older Stuff: The Bible/Quran, The Republic (Plato), The Social Contract (Rousseau), Tao Te Ching (Laozi), Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky), History of the Peloponnesian War (Thucydides)\nNewer Stuff: Nine Stories (Salinger), The Razor's Edge (Maugham), Nausea (Sartre), Siddartha (Hesse), Road to Serfdom (Hayek), The Book (Watts), Design of Everyday Things (Norman), Atlas Shrugged (Rand), Invisible Man (Ellison), Debunking Economics (Keen), Blood Meridian (McCarthy), The Center Cannot Hold (Saks), This Time Is Different (Reinhart/Rogoff), Infinite Jest (Wallace), Calvin and Hobbes (Watterson)\nAll of these books are well written and have given me some perspective on interesting people/situations/ways of thinking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bible/Quran",
          "reason": "Listed among books said to have given the commenter perspective on interesting people, situations, and ways of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85862,
          "author": "mgummelt",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T08:02:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85862",
          "commentText": "Snow Crash (Neil Stephenson)\nThe Bible (Various chaps)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bible (Various chaps)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "religious text",
        "christianity",
        "esther",
        "scripture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-blank-slate-the-modern-denial-of-human-nature-7c3fa6",
      "title": "The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature",
      "author": "Steven Pinker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23155560,
          "author": "james_s_tayler",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T16:04:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23155560",
          "commentText": "Heard a famous ADHD researcher recommend both this and Steven Pinker's Blank Slate for helping parents digest the science on why they can't engineer outcomes for their kids.\nGotta put both these on my list.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Steven Pinker's Blank Slate",
          "reason": "Says a researcher recommended it for understanding why parents cannot engineer outcomes for their children.",
          "audience": "Parents",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it yet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910816,
          "author": "thaumasiotes",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T17:19:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910816",
          "commentText": "Pre-Industrial Societies: Anatomy of the Pre-Modern World https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1780747411/\nBrotherhood of Kings: How International Relations Shaped the Ancient Near East https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195313984/\nThe Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the Economy Bigger https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0691136408/\nThe Mystery of the Hanging Garden of Babylon: An Elusive World Wonder Traced https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CG3JMD0/\nThe Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature https://www.amazon.com/dp/0670031518/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9705607,
          "author": "semateos",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-12T13:12:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9705607",
          "commentText": "Yes!  Would highly recommend that one or 'How the Mind Works' by Pinker.  I'm constantly blown away by how few people are aware of modern cognitive science and just how much we DO understand about the operation of the mind.  It's also super useful if you do any kind design, UX, marketing or interact with other humans.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Yes! Would highly recommend that one",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the book discussed in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in cognitive science and how it informs design, UX, and marketing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227156,
          "author": "MikeCapone",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T18:20:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227156",
          "commentText": "A few that I've read recently and liked:\nPredictably Irrational by Dan Ariely\nMostly about cognitive biases. Helps you think better by knowing your shortcomings.\nWhole Earth Discipline by Stewart Brand\nAbout protecting the environment, but with interesting takes on nuclear power, GMOs, cities and slums, etc.\nGood Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes\nMade me re-think a lot of things about food. Despite the \"pop-science\" title, this is a well researched book that looks at countless studies from the past 150 years.\nAmerican Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheier by Martin Sherwin and Kai Bird\nA biography of Robert Oppenheimer. Fascinating man.\nThe Blank Slate by Steven Pinker\nA must read. Evolutionary psychology.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A must read. Evolutionary psychology.",
          "reason": "Explicitly called a must-read and identified with evolutionary psychology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Pinker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human nature",
        "behavioral science",
        "cognitive science",
        "evolutionary psychology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-body-keeps-the-score-d0f7a5",
      "title": "The Body Keeps the Score",
      "author": "Bessel van der Kolk",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42236018,
          "author": "incomingpain",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-25T13:15:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42236018",
          "commentText": "Body keeps the score, bessel van der kolk\nI wish I wasnt in a situation that this book helped a great deal; but here we are.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Body keeps the score, bessel van der kolk",
          "reason": "Says the book helped a great deal.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter wishes they were not in a situation where the book was needed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35171605,
          "author": "grepLeigh",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:18:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35171605",
          "commentText": "Most posts offer the obvious suggestions (The Mom Test, High Growth Handbook, The Personal MBA, The Power Law, Hard Thing about Hard Thing, Will It Fly, etc), so I'll focus on some non-obvious suggestions.\nFor tactical advice, I find talks/podcasts and mastermind groups more useful than books.  My favorite podcast (by far) is Rob Walling's Startups for the Rest of Us, which is oriented towards building a capital-efficient bootstrapped business. The archive is full of extremely valuable tactical advice.\nThe books I've found most helpful on my entrepreneurship journey are about mental health, emotional intelligence, and relationships of all kinds. Sharing a few that have had a profound impact, since they helped me metabolize and understand what drove me to become a founder in the first place.\n1. The Self-Compassion Skills Workbook by Tim Desmond\n2. Path of Compassion by Thich Nhat Hanh\n3. The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read, Philippa Perry\n4. Burnout, Emily Nagoski\n5. Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents, Lindsay C. Gibson\n6. Self-Compassion, Dr. Kristin Neff\n7. How to Keep House While Drowning, KC Davis\n8. Deploy Empathy, Michele Hansen\n9. The Body Keeps the Score, Bessel A. Van der Kolk\n10. Atlas of the Heart, Brene Brown\n11. What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Body Keeps the Score, Bessel A. Van der Kolk",
          "reason": "Listed among books that helped the commenter on their entrepreneurship journey.",
          "audience": "Founders interested in mental health, emotional intelligence, and relationships.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33386227,
          "author": "voisin",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T17:36:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33386227",
          "commentText": "+1 for The Body Keeps The Score. This book had a big impact on me and led me to focus on the physical components of past trauma. I started doing yoga daily and after a few months suddenly started having a huge release of emotions during the session. It only lasted for maybe 6-7 consecutive sessions, but left me with less daily anxiety and my panic attacks essentially disappeared. I highly recommend this book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for The Body Keeps The Score. This book had a big impact on me and led me to focus on the physical components of past trauma. I started doing yoga daily and after a few months suddenly started having a huge release of emotions during the session. It only lasted for maybe 6-7 consecutive sessions, but left me with less daily anxiety and my panic attacks essentially disappeared. I highly recommend this book.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it influenced how they addressed past trauma, while noting the emotional release lasted only several sessions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The emotional release lasted about six or seven sessions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30736493,
          "author": "AlecSchueler",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T18:45:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30736493",
          "commentText": "Bessel Van Der Kolk's _The Body Keeps The Score_.\nI had an extremely abusive childhood environment and mostly blocked it out through my adult years but had many obvious self-descructive, anti-social, self-sabotaging and socially untenable behaviour patterns that I couldn't understand or shake.\nThat book gave me the understanding of my own development and, furthermore, an idea of the tools that I could use to finally stand tall as a member of the human race.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bessel Van Der Kolk's _The Body Keeps The Score_.",
          "reason": "The book helped the commenter understand their development and identify tools to address its effects.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30241590,
          "author": "kkoncevicius",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T07:51:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241590",
          "commentText": "I read it recently and didn't like it that much. 1/3 of the book is author praising himself for what he had accomplished, another 1/3 are success stories from his patients and one-sided presentation of research that agrees with his points. The rest 1/3 of the book I found interesting.\nAs many modern books - it suffers from lack of focus; my opinion.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I read it recently and didn't like it that much.",
          "reason": "Criticizes the book's self-praise, selective research, patient stories, and lack of focus, while finding part of it interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They found only about a third of the book interesting.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bessel van der Kolk"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "trauma",
        "brain and body",
        "mental health",
        "mind body connection"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-book-of-mormon-6c84e4",
      "title": "The Book of Mormon",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43626527,
          "author": "lcall",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-08T21:12:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43626527",
          "commentText": "And the Book of Mormon. They are amazing.\n(Thoughtful comments appreciated with any downvotes. Thanks.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "And the Book of Mormon. They are amazing.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17169245,
          "author": "jmarchello",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T21:40:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17169245",
          "commentText": "The Book of Mormon.\nIt teaches about Jesus Christ and answers questions like “Where do we come from?”, “Why are we here?”, and “What happens after we die?”. It’s had a incredible effect on my life by helping me understand the purpose of my life and provides the right perspective when making big decisions in my life.\nI know it’s a true book that can change the life of anyone who reads it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It’s had a incredible effect on my life by helping me understand the purpose of my life and provides the right perspective when making big decisions in my life.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it shaped their sense of life's purpose and perspective on major decisions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13805673,
          "author": "closed",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T20:13:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805673",
          "commentText": "As a person who isn't Mormon, but was raised as such, including two years as a Mormon missionary--I feel like these resources have also fundamentally changed the way I think about the world. Even though me and the parent comment likely view them very differently, I think reading works like the Book of Mormon and those by Hugh Nibley was useful exposure to an interesting world of beliefs.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "reading works like the Book of Mormon and those by Hugh Nibley was useful exposure to an interesting world of beliefs.",
          "reason": "Says reading it was useful exposure to an interesting world of beliefs.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they and the parent commenter likely view these works very differently.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1635177,
          "author": "adammichaelc",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-26T05:38:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1635177",
          "commentText": "Business: 7 Habits, 8th Habit, Getting Things Done, 4 Steps to Epiphany, Straight from the Gut\nSpiritual: Book of Mormon, Book of Isaiah, The 4 Gospels in the New Testament\nRelationship: The 5 Love Languages, Men are from Mars Women from Venus\nPhysical: Spark, The Vitamin D Solution",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Spiritual: Book of Mormon, Book of Isaiah, The 4 Gospels in the New Testament",
          "reason": "Included in a list answering the question about books that changed your life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mormonism",
        "religious texts",
        "mormon scripture",
        "scripture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-castle-30c776",
      "title": "The Castle",
      "author": "Franz Kafka",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33851019,
          "author": "elgar1212",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T05:48:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33851019",
          "commentText": "Glenn Greenwald - No Place to Hide\nReason why isn't necessarily because of the specifics of the 2013 leaks, but because he documents the interaction between government and press (and how he was demonized and threatened afterwards). Tl;dr the government blackmailed journalists to keep the story from getting published\nAlso (on a related note because both are about obscure bureaucracy), Kafka's Castle. Kafka bored me at first, but he writes situations that are just a little \"off\" in a way that's really unique. It's incredibly hard to describe and definitely very surreal, he takes certain aspects of human nature and amplifies them to the point of absurdity",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Kafka's Castle.",
          "reason": "Describes the book's surreal, unusual treatment of human nature.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Kafka bored the commenter at first; the book is described as surreal and hard to describe.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467533,
          "author": "xamuel",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:35:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467533",
          "commentText": "The Bible (technically working on my 2nd cover-to-cover readthrough, but have read individual books in it many times, especially the Gospel of Matthew).\nAll of Kafka's novels, but especially \"The Castle\".\nSeveral of PKD's novels: \"The Man in the High Castle\", \"Through a Scanner Darkly\", \"Ubiq\"\n\"The Silmarillion\" (when I was a young adult)\nDouglas Adams' \"Dirk Gentley's Holistic Detective Agency\" (when I was a teenager)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All of Kafka's novels, but especially \"The Castle\".",
          "reason": "Names it as a particular favorite among Kafka's novels reread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19090108,
          "author": "nathias",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T21:39:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090108",
          "commentText": "Plato - Meno, Symposium, Parmenides, Gorgias, Protagoras\nPlotinus -Enneads\nMarkus Aurelius - Meditations\nDescartes - On method\nDescartes - Meditations\nSpinoza - On the improvement of Understanding\nLeibniz - Monadology\nLeibniz - Grace\nVoltaire - Candid\nDiderot - D'Alembert's Dream\nKant - How to orient oneself in thinking\nKant - Critique of Pure Reason\nKant - Critique of Judgment\nHegel - Phenomenology of Spirit\nHegel - Logic\nvon Kleist - Marionette Theatre\nKierkegaard - The Sickness Unto Death\nHeidegger - Being and Time\nSartre - Being and Nothingness\nSartre - Flies\nSartre - Nausea\nDeleuze - Difference and Repetition\nKafka - Metamorphosis\nKafka - The Castle\nLem - Magellan Nebula\nLem - His Master's Voice\nCioran - A Short History of Decay\nPessoa - Book Of Despair\nWolfe -  New Sun tetralogy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kafka - The Castle",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026940,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T07:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026940",
          "commentText": "I got myself a Sony Reader mid-2009 and started reading about twice more than I had been before. 2009 was also the first year in which I wasn't too lazy to document which books I read (I'm really glad I wasn't). Here're some of the favourites this year:\nClassics:\nKafka's The Process and America - both stunning novels that deserve to be read as much as his most famous, The Castle.\nJan Potocki, The Manuscript Found in Saragossa - a trippy collection of tales organised in multiple nested frames.\nScott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby.\nLeo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina. Still as breathtaking as I'd remembered it from the previous reading five years ago.\nScience Fiction:\nGene Wolfe, The Book of the New Sun. Wolfe, whom I hadn't read before, turns out to be in a class of his own. It's literary SF, overwhelmingly masterful and beautiful in its prose and characters, yet it could give any hardcore SF novel a run in terms of its ideas. It demands and richly rewards a close reading. I'll be reading more Wolfe in 2010.\nTed Chiang, collected stories. Chiang writes only stories, and has written just a few of them, but nearly every one is a gem. Read Understand on the web (http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/stories/under.htm) to see if you like his style - I do.\nVernor Vinge, A Deepness in the Sky, The Peace War, Marooned in Realtime. All great novels, but start from A Fire Upon the Deep (I read that in 2008) if you haven't read Vinge before, it's the best introduction.\nGreg Egan, Diaspora, Quarantine, Distress. Egan is the best hardcore SF author out there. _Diaspora_ is a fascinating take on shared simulated reality that's very different from the usual fare. Quarantine will appeal to your inner quantum mechanical geek.\nContemporary fiction:\nPynchon, V. Pynchon is the best novelist we've got. I recommend The Crying of the Lot 49 as the best Pynchon to start from; V is more difficult and much longer, but rewards the patience. I still can't get over the fact that Pynchon wrote and published this novel when he was 26.\nOrhan Pamuk, The Black Book.\nAnnie Proulx, Fine Just The Way It Is. A new collection of stories from the best writer about rural America out there. Three are extraordinary, two so-so, the rest very good.\nNon-fiction:\nW. Sidney Allen, Vox Graeca and Vox Latina. If you want to know how ancient Greek and Latin sounded, these are the books to read.\nElizabeth Lloyd. The Case Of The Female Orgasm. An interesting study into how available evolutionary explanations of female orgasm fail in various ways. This is a book about evolutionary biology and its methodological soundness as much as it is about explaining female orgasm.\nComputer-related:\nPeter Seibel, Coders at Work. A fantastic collection of interview with great programmers. The one 2009 book no hacker should be without.\nSqueak by Example. Does a great job of explaining Smalltalk in general and Squeak in particular.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "deserve to be read as much as his most famous, The Castle.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it deserves to be read as much as Kafka’s most famous novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Franz Kafka"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "absurdism",
        "modernism",
        "modernist fiction",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-caves-of-steel-3f84de",
      "title": "The Caves of Steel",
      "author": "Isaac Asimov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46227192,
          "author": "bix6",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-11T03:07:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 46226571,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46227192",
          "commentText": "Caves of Steel, Forever War, Childhood’s End",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Caves of Steel, Forever War, Childhood’s End",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29672624,
          "author": "pedrolins",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T11:11:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29672624",
          "commentText": "I wouldn't have gotten nearly as much enjoyment out of the series (including the 2 sequels after the trilogy) if I hadn't read Asimov's Robot Series. I know that the whole \"you don't get it because you haven't read these other books\" thing is kind of cliché, but I really do think that the majority of the joy I got from Foundation was because of how it connected with the Robot Series.\nBut of course, part of the enjoyment should come from the book itself. I'd say that the book does get better as new threats to the Foundation appear, but the premise largely stays the same throughout the trilogy: will the Seldon Plan succeed?\n(NOTE) The reading sequence for me went something like: \n1. Caves of Steel\n2. Naked Sun\n3. I, Robot\n4. Robots of Dawn\n5. Foundation Trilogy\nEDIT: remove redundant last paragraph",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "1. Caves of Steel",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as part of the commenter's reading sequence.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12070956,
          "author": "teh_klev",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T13:41:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12070956",
          "commentText": "No, most (non-pedantic) Asimov fans refer to the first three books (F, F&E, SF - which yes are technically collections of short stories glued together as one) as \"the Foundation Trilogy\". I do recommend reading the Foundation's Edge and Foundation and Earth, they're worthy sequels to the \"trilogy\".\nThe Robot novels are also a top read and tie in with the later Foundation books in a satisfying way:\n- The Caves of Steel\n- The Naked Sun\n- The Robots of Dawn\n- Robots and Empire",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Caves of Steel",
          "reason": "Listed among the Robot novels the commenter calls a top read.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the Robot novels.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387654,
          "author": "waterhouse",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T00:15:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387654",
          "commentText": "Isaac Asimov's robot series (start with \"I, Robot\" and \"The Caves of Steel\") is good, as is his Foundation series.  Ender's Game is also good; I've heard other people complain about the other novels in that universe (Speaker for the Dead and sequels, Ender's Shadow and sequels), but I liked them fine.  Cryptonomicon is rich, fascinating, and entertaining.  Dune is rich and pretty fascinating.  Heinlein's \"Stranger in a Strange Land\" and \"Time Enough for Love\" are somewhat scandalous, but I thoroughly enjoyed them.\nOutside science fiction: P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster novels, as well as what of his other books I've read, are hilarious and brilliant; I would suggest \"Right Ho, Jeeves\" as a starting point.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "start with \"I, Robot\" and \"The Caves of Steel\"",
          "reason": "Names it as a recommended starting point for the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1864845,
          "author": "alec",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T14:19:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1864845",
          "commentText": "There's a large volume that contains all of Arthur C. Clarke's science fiction short stories.  They're great because they are indeed short, and while not all of them are good, a number of them fill me with the same sort of wonder I get from reading the first Foundation book.\nIf you're on an Asimov kick, The Caves of Steel is also pretty good, and has a Foundation-style twist at the end.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Caves of Steel is also pretty good",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a good read with a Foundation-style twist.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isaac Asimov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "robot detective",
        "ai",
        "detective fiction",
        "murder mystery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-checklist-manifesto-how-to-get-things-right-2af7e1",
      "title": "The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right",
      "author": "Atul Gawande",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46398019,
          "author": "orsenthil",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T00:47:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46398019",
          "commentText": "- Becoming Kareem: Growing Up On and Off the Court, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar\n- My Gita, Devdutt Pattanaik\n- The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right,  Atul Gawande\n- Moonshot: Inside Pfizer's Nine-Month Race to Make the Impossible Possible, Albert Bourla\n- Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism, Anne Case\n- The Vaccine: Inside the Race to Conquer the COVID-19 Pandemic, Joe Miller\n- Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection, John Green\n- Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Jules Verne and Gary Gianni (Illustrator)\n- El Deafo, Cece Bell\n- Acts of God, Kanan Gill\n- Marvels of Modern Science, Paul Severing\n- Empire of AI, Karen Hao",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right, Atul Gawande",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21793035,
          "author": "inexplicable",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T23:13:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793035",
          "commentText": "Not a new book; I’m reading The Checklist Manifesto [0]\nI’m very impressed by how much is has clarified the importance of identifying repeatable steps for my team and ensuring they are accurately and successfully completed!\nI’m looking forward to reading The Infinite Game [1]\n[0] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6667514-the-checklist-ma... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6667514-the-checklist-manifesto)\n[1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38390751-the-infinite-ga... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38390751-the-infinite-game)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I’m very impressed by how much is has clarified the importance of identifying repeatable steps for my team",
          "reason": "The commenter says it clarified the importance of identifying and completing repeatable team steps.",
          "audience": "Teams seeking to identify and reliably complete repeatable steps.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17524074,
          "author": "kevas",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T16:01:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17524074",
          "commentText": "For me...\n1. Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets by John Murphy\n2. Options as a Strategic Investment by Lawrence G. McMillan\n3. [just finished] The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right By Atul Gawande\n4. [finished last week] Dealers of Lightning by Michael A. Hiltzik\n5. [currently working on] Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software By GOF\n6. [currently working on] Dan Appleman's Visual Basic Programmer's Guide to the Win32 API by Dan Appleman\n7. [next on the list] Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed by Ben Rich, Leo Janos",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right By Atul Gawande",
          "reason": "Listed as recently finished.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter provides no evaluation of the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16351617,
          "author": "unpythonic",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T07:18:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16351617",
          "commentText": "Another good one for project management is The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande.  When running many large projects, there's always a common set of stuff that needs to get done before declaring a project ready for deployment.  The techniques in this book are simple, effective and a lot more subtle than simply writing down a list.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The techniques in this book are simple, effective and a lot more subtle than simply writing down a list.",
          "reason": "Praises its techniques as simple, effective, and subtler than a basic checklist.",
          "audience": "People managing many large projects",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12070313,
          "author": "as17237",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T11:30:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12070313",
          "commentText": "* In Defense of Liberal Edication By Farred Zakaria\n* Confidence Men By Ros Suskind\n* Dark Money by Jane Meyer\n* Better by Atul Gawande\n* The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande\n* Essentialism by Greg Mckeown\n* Contagious by Jonah Berger\n* Sapiens by Yuval Harari\n* The Pentagons Brain by Annie Jacobson\n* Shoe Dog by Phil Knight\n* The Only Game in town by Mohamed El-Erian\n* The Industries of Future By Alec Ross",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10027752,
          "author": "officemonkey",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T16:27:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027752",
          "commentText": "I came here to say \"Checklist Manifesto!\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I came here to say \"Checklist Manifesto!\"",
          "reason": "Affirms a parent comment's recommendation by saying they came to recommend this title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7776332,
          "author": "digita88",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-21T01:58:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7776332",
          "commentText": "Non-technical but some great concepts which can be adapted to programming:\nThinking in Systems by Donella Meadows\nThe Checklist Manifesto by Athul Gawande",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Checklist Manifesto by Athul Gawande",
          "reason": "Suggested for concepts that can be adapted to programming.",
          "audience": "Programmers interested in adaptable ideas",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is non-technical.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Atul Gawande"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "checklists",
        "process improvement",
        "decision making",
        "patient safety"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-conquest-of-bread-7aad4a",
      "title": "The Conquest of Bread",
      "author": "Peter Kropotkin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28452262,
          "author": "davidpires",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-08T02:16:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 28450555,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that impacted your work that few other people seem to care about?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28452262",
          "commentText": "Conquest of Bread by Kropotkin\nIt's a really outdated book about a \"perfect\" anarchist sociaty. I started reading it for the political theme, but the author was so hopeful and puts so must trust in common people that I couldn't stop smile while reading it. It hit me harder that I could've ever imagined, I started putting more trust in others and totally changed the way I confront people. At that time I was a team leader in a really chaotic company and the change of approach did wonders. Management even started to receive request from other developers to join our team.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Conquest of Bread by Kropotkin",
          "reason": "The commenter says its hopeful view of people changed how they approached others and helped their team.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in anarchism, political ideas, and their effects on workplace relationships.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as outdated and its proposed society as idealized.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24590977,
          "author": "jessehorne",
          "createdAt": "2020-09-25T15:41:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 24582669,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24590977",
          "commentText": "Some interesting books...\n1. What would Machiavelli do\n2. The Tao of Pooh\n3. The Conquest of Bread\nOn programming or engineering?\n1. Pragmatic Programmer\n2. Mr. Neighborlys Humble Little Ruby Book\n3. Programming in Lua\nI feel put on the spot. I thought there would be more but I can't think of any at the moment.\nIf you ever make a post asking for YouTube video suggestions, I'll definitely be able to comment on that much better. There's some really helpful videos out there, featuring Alan Watts and George Thompson that have helped me tremendously when dealing with the day to day engineering stress.\nI find that I'm learning less about programming lately and more about dealing with the anxiety. That has always been the biggest road blocker for me, anyways. It's easy to find the motivation to sit down and read a book or write a piece of code... It's hard to always enjoy doing it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Conquest of Bread",
          "reason": "Listed among interesting book suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20916156,
          "author": "otalp",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T08:17:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20916156",
          "commentText": "The Conquest of Bread, Peter Kropotkin\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Conquest_of_Bread\nIt was written in the backdrop of massive industrialisation.\nMany argue that it predicted both:\n(1) the problems with capitalism and massive state protection of private property that go along with it, as well as\n(2) the atrocities that would occur if most production was centralised, as in the USSR.\nAnarchism, Libertarian Socialism and the anti-authoritarian left is definitely an overlooked branch of the political spectrum",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Conquest of Bread, Peter Kropotkin",
          "reason": "Introduces the book and describes arguments associated with its historical context and political ideas.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in anarchism, libertarian socialism, or the anti-authoritarian left.",
          "caveat": "The comment presents claims about what the book predicted as views held by many.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12564861,
          "author": "turar",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T14:29:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12564861",
          "commentText": "You're right that it's one-sided toward neoliberal doctrine. In addition, I would suggest Keynes, as well Marx, or even Kropotkin's \"Conquest of Bread\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kropotkin's \"Conquest of Bread\"",
          "reason": "Suggested as an additional title alongside Keynes and Marx in response to a list characterized as one-sided.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Kropotkin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Society",
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "anarchism",
        "political economy",
        "political theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-courage-to-be-disliked-082d3c",
      "title": "The Courage to Be Disliked",
      "author": "Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46461871,
          "author": "Quinzel",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-02T05:58:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46461871",
          "commentText": "I read:\n- The Courage to be Disliked.\n- Moral Tribes\n- Crazy like us\n- Careless People\n- Madness Made Me\n- The righteous mind: Why good people are divided by politics and religion.\nAnd a few that were on my 2025 list that I didn’t make it through, and are on my list for 2026 include: \n- Team of Rivals\n- Behave\n- Why Greatness cannot be planned.\nHopefully I’ll get through those three books before the end of Feb when I go back to Uni, and won’t have time to read for leisure for about 7 months.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Courage to be Disliked.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46227592,
          "author": "wxw",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-11T04:15:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 46226571,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46227592",
          "commentText": "This year I quite enjoyed:\n- The Bright Sword, Lev Grossman\nModern take on King Arthur, very fun, wild ride.\n- The Courage to Be Disliked, Ichiro Kishimi\nPhilosophy as a dialogue between teacher and student, lots to think about.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Courage to Be Disliked, Ichiro Kishimi\nPhilosophy as a dialogue between teacher and student, lots to think about.",
          "reason": "A philosophical dialogue that prompts reflection.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40054882,
          "author": "Mithriil",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-16T17:39:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40054882",
          "commentText": "The Three Body Problem (Liu Cixin) for my best friend. It's some of the best sci-fi I read.\nThe Courange to Be Disliked (Ichiro Kishimi, Fumitake Koga) to a friend that was struggling with social anxiety.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Courange to Be Disliked (Ichiro Kishimi, Fumitake Koga) to a friend that was struggling with social anxiety.",
          "reason": "Says they gave it to a friend struggling with social anxiety.",
          "audience": "A friend struggling with social anxiety.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35169262,
          "author": "rglover",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T14:55:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35169262",
          "commentText": "- Awareness by Anthony DeMello\n- The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi\n- The Virtue of Selfishness by Ayn Rand\n- Only the Paranoid Survive by Andy Grove\n---\nMore stuff here: http://www.ryanglover.net/library/ (not flagged specific to entrepreneurship but all have had an influence in one way or another).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi",
          "reason": "Included among books that have influenced the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Influence is described as general, not specific to entrepreneurship.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21902042,
          "author": "sivers",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T21:56:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902042",
          "commentText": "Since 2007, I've taken detailed notes on every book I've read, then posted them on my site with my top recommendations up top:\nhttps://sivers.org/book\nMy top recommendations here for the Hacker News crowd - with a nudge for the under-rated, are:\nThe Time Paradox - by Philip Zimbardo and John Boyd\nhttps://sivers.org/book/TimeParadox\nProfound idea that everyone has a primary time focus: either Future-focused, Present-focused, or Past-focused. Fascinating implications of each. Because I'm so future-focused, reading this book helped me understand people who are very present-focused. Also great advice on shifting your focus when needed. I read it 7 years ago, but still think about it almost every day.\n--\nMindwise: How We Understand What Others Think, Believe, Feel, and Want - by Nicholas Epley\nhttps://sivers.org/book/Mindwise\nMany new brilliant insights, especially about over-estimating the differences between you and others, thereby separating into us-vs-them tribalism. Scan to the end of my notes, to see. If you know more books like this, please recommend them to me. I adore this subject.\n--\nThe War of Art - by Steven Pressfield\nhttps://sivers.org/book/WarOfArt\nHave you experienced a vision of the person you might become, the work you could accomplish, the realized being you were meant to be? Are you a writer who doesn’t write, a painter who doesn’t paint, an entrepreneur who never starts a venture? Then you know what “Resistance” is. This book is about that. Read it.\n--\nE-Myth Revisited - by Michael Gerber\nhttps://sivers.org/book/EMythRevisited\nAbsolutely everyone who is an entrepreneur or wants to be one needs to read this book. I first read it after 10 years of successfully running my company, and was still blown away and totally humbled by its wisdom. Re-reading it today, I'm amazed how my view of business was completely changed by this one little book. See my notes for examples, but definitely read the book itself to get the real impact.\n--\nThe Courage to Be Disliked - by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga\nhttps://sivers.org/book/Disliked\nWow. A profound little philosophy book from Japan, communicating the psychology of Alfred Adler - a rival of Freud. Told as a conversation between an angry student and a patient teacher. A little book so good that I rushed home from other activites to keep reading it, and finished in a day. A surprisingly fresh perspective on how to live. (The “disliked” part is not the point, so don’t let the title distract you.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Courage to Be Disliked - by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga",
          "reason": "Includes it among their top recommendations and praises its fresh perspective on how to live.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the word “disliked” is not the point and should not put readers off.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ichiro Kishimi",
        "Fumitake Koga"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adlerian psychology",
        "personal development",
        "social anxiety"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-curious-incident-of-the-dog-in-the-night-time-40aa3a",
      "title": "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time",
      "author": "Mark Haddon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21911927,
          "author": "cordaciu",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-30T09:04:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21911927",
          "commentText": "1.The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time\n2.Looking for Alaska\n3.Blindness\n4.Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man's Miraculous Survival\n5.The Martian\n6.Never Let Me Go",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1.The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorites in response to the decade's best-books discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5832634,
          "author": "agilecoder",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T14:32:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5832634",
          "commentText": "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and A \nSpot of Bother both by Mark Haddon\nThe Corrections by Jonathan Franzen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and A",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2639611,
          "author": "vinced",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T03:07:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639611",
          "commentText": "-All my friends are superheros\n-The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time\n-Outliers ... and other Malcolm Gladwel books\n-The Professor and the Madman\nmany more.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the thread’s question about the greatest book ever read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 199731,
          "author": "senthil_rajasek",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-25T21:15:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 199722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=199731",
          "commentText": "As a hacker you will like this non-technical fiction\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Curious_Incident_of_the_Dog... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Curious_Incident_of_the_Dog_in_the_Night-time)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "As a hacker you will like this non-technical fiction",
          "reason": "Recommended as non-technical fiction that may appeal to hackers.",
          "audience": "Hackers",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Haddon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coming of age",
        "mystery",
        "autism",
        "neurodiversity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dark-forest-7c8101",
      "title": "The Dark Forest",
      "author": "Cixin Liu",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36021691,
          "author": "spapas82",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:02:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021691",
          "commentText": "I've read a lot of scifi but I'd recommend only one to make sure you get the point:\nThe \"remembrance of earth's past\" trilogy (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remembrance_of_Earth%27s_Pas... (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remembrance_of_Earth%27s_Past)) which is more known as \"the three body problem\". All the books are great but my favourite by a large margin is \"the dark forest\" (part 2)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "my favourite by a large margin is \"the dark forest\" (part 2)",
          "reason": "The commenter names it as their favorite by a large margin.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12069186,
          "author": "acabrahams",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T06:10:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12069186",
          "commentText": "1. The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu\n2. One L by Scott Turow\n3. The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu\n4. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells\n5. Believer: My Forty Years in Politics by David Axelrod\n6. The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells\n7. Augustus: First Emperor of Rome by Adrian Goldsworthy\n8. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (re-read)\n9. I, Claudius by Robert Graves\n10. Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks\n11. The Fear Index by Robert Harris\n12. Red Dragon by Thomas Harris (re-read)\n13. The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris (re-read)\n14. Hannibal by Thomas Harris (re-read)\n15. Game Change by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin (re-read)\n16. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (re-read)\n17. Claudius the God by Robert Graves\nRe-reads take hardly any time at all, so I'm not sure whether to count them. If you're not, then 11 books read so far.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11703094,
          "author": "brotchie",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-15T22:30:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11703094",
          "commentText": "How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia: A Novel - Mohsin Hamid. This is my book of choice for the year: I read it cover-to-cover in a single day. Refreshingly written in second-person perspective, totally engaging.\nFinally read the Zones of Thought series by Vernor Vinge. Love his slight twist on physics that allows for for both post-singularity tech and low-tech to exist in the same universe.\nThe Dark Forest by Cixin Liu (second book in the Remembrance of Earth's Past translated from Mandarin) had a bit of a slow start, but really built up to a good finale.\nElon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future - Ashlee Vance. Good read and made me really appreciate what Elon has done through financially to get Tesla and SpaceX up.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "had a bit of a slow start, but really built up to a good finale.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it builds to a good finale.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The start is a bit slow.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10554510,
          "author": "rluhar",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-12T17:21:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10554510",
          "commentText": "Return of a King (William Dalrymple 2013) - A book about the Anglo-Afghan wars of the 19th century. To paraphrase Mark Twain: History doesn't repeat, but it rhymes\nBeing Mortal (Atul Gawande, 2014) - Powerful book about old age and confronting the mortality of our loved ones\nThe Dark Forest (Cixin Liu, 2014) - Wonderful science fiction from China\nThe Peripheral (William Gibson, 2015) - Bleak, near future science fiction.\nThe Water Knife (Paolo Bacigalupi, 2015) - More bleak, near future science fiction.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dark Forest (Cixin Liu, 2014) - Wonderful science fiction from China",
          "reason": "Calls it wonderful science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056667,
          "author": "crazychrome",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:54:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056667",
          "commentText": "For 22+ years I believed Foundation series by Issac Asimov was unparalleled, since first read when I was 10.  It changed after the Three Body Problem, especially the 2nd and 3rd installments, The dark forest, The forever death. I don't expect to add more to the list in my life span.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "especially the 2nd and 3rd installments, The dark forest",
          "reason": "Included among the installments that changed the commenter's view of Foundation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cixin Liu"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "hard science fiction",
        "alien civilizations",
        "chinese science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-day-of-the-triffids-6907f0",
      "title": "The Day of the Triffids",
      "author": "John Wyndham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15630308,
          "author": "roryisok",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:09:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630308",
          "commentText": "Day of the Triffids - John Wyndham - everyone goes blind and a bunch of sentient plants start eating people. one of the first science fiction books I ever read, and the one that introduced me to post apocalyptic fiction. Giant plants might sound silly, but its no more silly than walking corpses. And in fact the walking dead and 28 days later owe a lot to this book.\nJonathan Strange and Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke - beautifully inventive fantasy novel about two magicians bringing magic back to Britain during the Napoleonic wars. Fab read.\nGateway - Frederick Pohl - pulp sf at its best. Humans discover a hollowed out asteroid worth ftl ships preprogrammed with unknown destinations. Prospectors pack as much food as they can and hit 'launch' in the hopes that they'll discover something valuable and not land on a star or starve to death.\nThe Forever War - Joe Haldeman - more great pulp sci-fi about the first interstellar war. Old man's war by John Scalzi is very similar and almost as good.\nMost things by Iain (m) banks. Crow Road, Wasp Factory, The Bridge, Consider Phlebas, Use of Weapons, Player of Games etc. Song of stone was awful though, they're not all winners",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "one of the first science fiction books I ever read, and the one that introduced me to post apocalyptic fiction.",
          "reason": "Highlights it as an early science-fiction read that introduced them to post-apocalyptic fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The giant plants might sound silly to some readers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12100481,
          "author": "tartuffe78",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T12:30:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12100481",
          "commentText": "Big science fiction fan\n1. Revelation Space\n2. Hyperion\n3. The Postman\n4. The Day of the Triffids\n5. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\n[1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revelation_Space\n[2] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperion_Cantos\n[3] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Postman\n[4] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_of_the_Triffids\n[5]  - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hitchhiker%27s_Guide_to_th... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hitchhiker%27s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "4. The Day of the Triffids",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter’s favorite science fiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6553777,
          "author": "fractallyte",
          "createdAt": "2013-10-15T15:25:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 6553238,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the essential books of knowledge for civilization?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6553777",
          "commentText": "As well as definitive books, you need a carefully graded way of proceeding through them - plus a very good index. As David Palmer pointed out in his novel Emergence, one would have to devise a 'system to locate specifics in such huge collection. Useless otherwise; researcher could spend most of life looking for data instead of using.'\nOther critical books should include philosophy and science: it took a long time to build a technological civilization, and the Scientific Method is the cornerstone of this. (And yet even now, much of the world is still mired superstition/religion.)\nMore crucial lessons from John Wyndham's The Day of the Triffids: 'The most valuable part of our flying start is knowledge. That's the short cut to save us starting where our ancestors did. We've got it all there in books if we take the trouble to find out about it...\n'From my reading of history, the thing you have to have to use knowledge is leisure. Where everybody has to work hard just to get a living and there is no leisure to think, knowledge stagnates, and people with it. The thinking has to be done largely by people who are not directly productive - by people who appear to be living almost entirely on the work of others, but are, in fact, a long-term investment. Learning grew up in the cities and in great institutions - it was the labour of the countryside that supported them...\n'A community of our present size cannot hope to do more than exist and decline. If we stay here as we are, just ten of us now, the end is, quite inevitably, a gradual and useless fade-out. If there are children we shall be able to spare only enough time from our labour to give them just a rudimentary education; on generation further, and we shall have savages or clods. To hold our own, to make any use of all the knowledge in the libraries we must have the teacher, the doctor, and the leader, and we must be able to support them while they help us.'",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "More crucial lessons from John Wyndham's The Day of the Triffids",
          "reason": "Cited for its lessons about knowledge, education, and rebuilding society.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140490,
          "author": "nazgulnarsil",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T02:59:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140490",
          "commentText": "depends on the subgenre :)\nSuperhuman:\nSlan by A.E. Van Vogt\nMore Than Human by Theodore STurgeon\nOdd John by Olaf Stapledon\nPost Apocalyptic:\nThe Day of The Triffids by John Whyndham\nEarth Abides by George R. Stewart\nA Canticle for Lebowitz by...don't remember\nSpace Opera/Adventure:\nany of The Culture novels by Iain M. Banks\nThe Reality Dysfunction series by ...don't remember\nHyperion series by Dan Simmons\nTo Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer\nDystopian:\nWe by Yevgeny Zamyatin <---highly overlooked, predates 1984 and Brave New World\nBut the Absolute Best would be anything by:\nStanislaw Lem (Cyberiad, Futurological Congress, Solaris)\nAlfred Bester (The STars my Destination, The Demolished Man)\nor Samuel R. Delany (Babel-17, Dhalgren, Trtion, Nova)\noh and Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light and This Immortal are both great.\nSome of Philip K. Dick's stuff is great, but everyone recommends him. :)\nalmost forgot John Brunner, check out Steel Beach, The Sheep Look Up, and Stand on Zanzibar.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Day of The Triffids by John Whyndham",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Wyndham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "post apocalyptic",
        "classic science fiction",
        "invasion fiction",
        "post apocalyptic fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dog-stars-8b5199",
      "title": "The Dog Stars",
      "author": "Peter Heller",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467672,
          "author": "criddell",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:49:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467672",
          "commentText": "The Dog Stars by Peter Heller and Neuromancer by William Gibson. Both of these I've read twice.\nThe Dog Stars held up well on my second reading. Neuromancer did not.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dog Stars by Peter Heller",
          "reason": "The commenter has read it twice and says it held up well on rereading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17543621,
          "author": "runjake",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T18:20:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17543621",
          "commentText": "I am not your traditional sci-fi fan, so while the books below may not be considered masterpieces or even \"true\" sci-fi, they may be a good \"gateway drug\" for others like me:\n- The Postman by David Brin\n- The Dog Stars by Peter Heller\n- I am Legend by Richard Matheson",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Dog Stars by Peter Heller",
          "reason": "Presents it among books that may serve as gateway fiction for nontraditional science fiction fans.",
          "audience": "Readers new to science fiction or not traditionally sci-fi readers.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these may not be masterpieces or even true sci-fi.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10787171,
          "author": "wycx",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T04:55:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787171",
          "commentText": "All consumed as audiobooks.\nAmerican Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America - Colin Woodard;\nI learned much about early US history.\nWhere Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman - Jon Krakauer\nFind Me - Laura van den Berg\nStation Eleven - Emily St. John Mandel\nThe Dog Stars - Peter Heller\nEndurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage - Alfred Lansing;\nI was fortunate enough to read this right before Seveneves, so the references made immediate sense. Endurance looks to be popular on this list/this year. How many were inspired by Seveneves?\nSeveneves - Neal Stephenson\nThe Years of Rice and Salt - Kim Stanley Robinson\nCrystal Fire: The Birth of the Information Age - Michael Riordan, Lillian Hoddeson;\nI highly recommend this book. Like The Making of the Atomic Bomb, but for the transistor. Lots of background on John Bardeen, William Shockley and Walter Brattain. I was unaware of the great legacy of John Bardeen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bardeen\nThe Making of the Atomic Bomb - Richard Rhodes;\nIf you have not read this book, read it, just for the summary of discoveries that lead to the atomic bomb.\nAlas, Babylon - Pat Frank\nThe Man Who Ate His Boots: The Tragic History of the Search for the Northwest Passage - Anthony Brandt\nThe Worst Journey in the World - Apsley Cherry-Garrard\nThe Last Viking: The Life of Roald Amundsen - Stephen R. Bown\nI am looking for other books similar to Crystal Fire and The Making of the Atomic Bomb, that cover the history of scientific and technological discoveries. Any recommendations?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Dog Stars - Peter Heller",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387960,
          "author": "veidr",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T02:51:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387960",
          "commentText": "The trilogy of Neuromancer, Burning Chrome, and Mona Lisa Overdrive is still my favorite work of fiction, and also, to my mind, exemplifies the kind of taut, awesome writing that I would want to do if I wrote novels. It the only series of 3 books I have read more than once.\nI caught these books at just the right time in my life (age 13 or 14), leading my high-school fascination with Japan and rekindled interest in computing, and probably played an inordinately large role in me ending up as a programmer who lives in Tokyo, two decades later.\nI like great sci fi best, but I think most of it is crap, including virtually all of the old pulp sci fi and Asimov I grew up reading (which was basically all of it), Star Wars/Trek, etc.\nOther than Gibson's stuff, some of the truly spectacular sci fi I have read is the very-dense-and-not-at-all-thriller-ish Mars trilogy (Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars), and the fast-paced-and-awesome Spin by Robert Charles Wilson. That led me to read all of Wilson's books, many of which are also good. Also Haldeman is an author worth reading, though not all of his books hit their mark.\nGreat sci fi is my favorite fiction, but IMO most of it is broken by being fundamentally implausible. Other fiction I consider great in other genres include Memoirs of a Geisha, Cold Mountain, REAMDE, The Son, The Road, the lighter but still version of that post-apocalyptic concept The Dog Stars, City of Thieves, and All the Pretty Horses and its sequels.\nIt's probably symptomatic of a major flaw in my character that despite also buying dozens of nonfiction works (Lincoln, On China, and so forth) over the past few years, I haven't finished any of them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the lighter but still version of that post-apocalyptic concept The Dog Stars",
          "reason": "Includes it among fiction the commenter considers great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a lighter version of a post-apocalyptic concept.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5833109,
          "author": "nicwolff",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T15:45:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5833109",
          "commentText": "Top three:\nMockingbird, by Walter Tevis;\nRiddley Walker, by Russell Hoban;\nGlimpses of the Moon, by Edith Wharton\nSome other favorites:\nThe Dog Stars, by Peter Heller;\nTo Reign In Hell, by Steven Brust;\nMachine Man, by Max Barry;\nThe Dawn Patrol, by Don Winslow;\nThe Woman, by Hank Ketchum",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dog Stars, by Peter Heller",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's other favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Heller"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "post apocalyptic",
        "post apocalyptic fiction",
        "survival"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-effective-executive-a93701",
      "title": "The Effective Executive",
      "author": "Peter F. Drucker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21793087,
          "author": "janvdberg",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T23:20:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793087",
          "commentText": "These are a few of the ones I read this year and that the average HN reader would also probably enjoy (links are to my blog):\n* Why We Sleep: https://j11g.com/2019/05/31/why-we-sleep-matthew-walker/\n* The Effective Executive: https://j11g.com/2019/03/18/the-effective-executive-peter-dr... (https://j11g.com/2019/03/18/the-effective-executive-peter-drucker/)\n* High Output Management: https://j11g.com/2019/01/29/high-output-management-andrew-s-... (https://j11g.com/2019/01/29/high-output-management-andrew-s-grove/)\n* Bad Blood: https://j11g.com/2019/01/21/bad-blood-john-carreyrou/\n* The 7 Habits (I reread this after a long time and it still holds up!) https://j11g.com/2019/09/30/the-7-habits-of-highly-effective... (https://j11g.com/2019/09/30/the-7-habits-of-highly-effective-people-stephen-covey/)\n* A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again – David Foster Wallace (This is just an amazing book and became one of my all time favorites) https://j11g.com/2019/08/08/a-supposedly-fun-thing-ill-never... (https://j11g.com/2019/08/08/a-supposedly-fun-thing-ill-never-do-again-david-foster-wallace/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* The Effective Executive: https://j11g.com/2019/03/18/the-effective-executive-peter-dr...",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books the commenter read and thinks the average HN reader would enjoy.",
          "audience": "The average Hacker News reader, as described by the commenter.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12421346,
          "author": "throwawaymnbv",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-03T21:39:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12421346",
          "commentText": "You missed The Effective Executive book on that list",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You missed The Effective Executive book on that list",
          "reason": "The commenter suggests adding this title to a compiled list of recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 57091,
          "author": "jamiequint",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T22:16:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=57091",
          "commentText": "Never Eat Alone,\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People,\nGetting to Yes,\nThe Effective Executive\n...and like 40 more, too many to list!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Effective Executive",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter F. Drucker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "management",
        "productivity",
        "effectiveness",
        "executive effectiveness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-elements-of-typographic-style-5e6461",
      "title": "The Elements of Typographic Style",
      "author": "Robert Bringhurst",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25321078,
          "author": "FelipeCortez",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-06T04:39:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25321078",
          "commentText": "Not exactly what you’re looking for, but Elements of Typographic Style is an excellent introduction to typography written with so much passion it makes you want to become a typographer.\nWe’re mostly programmers here, but The Soul of a New Machine describes the creation of a computer, which is not something people do a lot these days. Fascinating stuff",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Elements of Typographic Style is an excellent introduction to typography written with so much passion it makes you want to become a typographer.",
          "reason": "Praised as an introduction to typography that inspires interest in the profession.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in typography or becoming typographers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14137258,
          "author": "chrstphrknwtn",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T08:33:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14137258",
          "commentText": "The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Elements_of_Typographic_St... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Elements_of_Typographic_Style)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Elements of Typographic Style by Robert Bringhurst",
          "reason": "Named as a candidate for the field’s bible.",
          "audience": "Typography readers",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Elements of Typographic Style",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86161,
          "author": "david",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T23:36:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86161",
          "commentText": "- What the Dormouse Said, John Markoff\n- Alongside Night, J Neil Schulman,\n- Prometheus Rising, Robert Anton Wilson\n- Anything by Doug Rushkoff, Get Back in the Box is a good one for business/entrepreneurship\n- The Dubliners, James Joyce\n- The Elements of Typographic Style, by Robert Bringhurst",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Elements of Typographic Style, by Robert Bringhurst",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Bringhurst"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Art"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "typography",
        "book design",
        "type design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-emperor-of-all-maladies-a-biography-of-cancer-80b292",
      "title": "The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer",
      "author": "Siddhartha Mukherjee",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43612794,
          "author": "hackeraccount",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T15:47:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43612794",
          "commentText": "The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer\nSiddhartha Mukherjee\nIt's an inherently interesting subject but (and it's been more then 10 years  since I read it) it's a history of people innovating.  I remember really enjoying the way it tries to get at the whys and the hows of people coming up with good ideas.\nThe Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914\nChristopher Clark \nThe origin of WWI is a story that's been told repeatedly.  This version is delightfully depressing.  I can't quite describe the book.  If you say X happening was the fault of everyone it's easy to imagine that's synonymous with saying it's no one's fault.  That's not what's being argued - here it's that it's literally everyone's fault.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I remember really enjoying the way it tries to get at the whys and the hows of people coming up with good ideas.",
          "reason": "The commenter remembers enjoying its account of how people innovate.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter read it more than ten years ago.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15021817,
          "author": "incan1275",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T20:01:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15021817",
          "commentText": "Currently halfway through: Emperor of all Maladies, by Siddhartha Mukherjee. Amazing portrait and biography of cancer. It outlines the history of cancer, chemotherapy, surgeries and the drugs use to treat so many patients who gave their lives for cancer science.\nThe author is a good writer, but occasionally delves into minute historical details that I sometimes don't care for. Still, it's very enlightening.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Amazing portrait and biography of cancer.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it enlightening and praises the author's writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter sometimes dislikes the minute historical details.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13236323,
          "author": "chimprich",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T10:37:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13236323",
          "commentText": "* The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee. The prose was a bit purple for me but fascinating book about the progress of cancer treatment including recent advances. Second half of the book is more interesting in my opinion so don't give up if you find the history of cancer a little do dry.\n* Tuf Voyaging by George RR Martin. I thought this was a stupid premise (guy travels the universe in a huge ship with cat companions?) but a friend strongly recommended it and I found it stupidly readable and very entertaining.\n* Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery by Henry Marsh. Deeply interesting and humane book about the work of an eminent brain surgeon.\n* The Better Angels of Our Nature: The Decline of Violence In History And Its Causes by Steven Pinker. Strong persuasive central thesis even if though I didn't agree with all his arguments. Very wide-ranging book with many ideas from philosophy and history.\n* Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic by David Quammen. Informative and scary book about zoonotic diseases. Like a non-fiction cross between the detective, horror and sci-fi genres.\n* The Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela. Read this because I felt I should rather than out of pure interest, but it was a good decision: fascinating biography and startling how intelligent and occasionally ruthless Mandela was.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The prose was a bit purple for me but fascinating book about the progress of cancer treatment",
          "reason": "Fascinating account of cancer treatment, though the prose felt purple.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The second half is more interesting; the cancer history may feel dry at first.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3399315,
          "author": "pradheap",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-28T10:30:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3399315",
          "commentText": "'The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer' by Siddhartha Mukherjee",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer' by Siddhartha Mukherjee",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Siddhartha Mukherjee"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cancer",
        "oncology",
        "medical history",
        "innovation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-evolution-of-cooperation-3d38ae",
      "title": "The Evolution of Cooperation",
      "author": "Robert Axelrod",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43611817,
          "author": "gmuslera",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T14:17:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43611817",
          "commentText": "It was a old edition of the book. But I had enough of the Prisoner dilemma on it to have an introduction.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "It was a old edition of the book.",
          "reason": "Answers a question about whether an edition of the book covers cooperation studies, saying it introduced the Prisoner's Dilemma.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it was an old edition.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43611789,
          "author": "drewmcarthur",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T14:14:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43611789",
          "commentText": "i just picked up an edition of “The Evolution of Cooperation” that has a foreword by richard dawkins.  was cool to see his take, from writing the selfish gene, on axelrod’s contributions to the study of cooperation.  by any chance, did your edition of his book mention those cooperation studies?  dawkins said he updated a later edition in this foreward i just read",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "i just picked up an edition of “The Evolution of Cooperation”",
          "reason": "Discusses an edition and asks whether it covers cooperation studies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40281682,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T02:23:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40281682",
          "commentText": "> Out of curiosity, would you say your understanding changed or deepened upon re-reading it?\nIt's hard to do justice to that in a few words. I think I had a different reason for reading it the second time, as opposed to the first time.\nThe first time around, I think I was more reading it because I like to think of myself as an educated, scientific-minded person, and it was one of \"those books\" that any self-respecting \"educated, scientific-minded person\" was sort of \"supposed to\" have read. That and I was mentally already in a place somewhere in the nether regions between \"agnostic\" and \"atheist\" and I knew of Dawkins as a strong advocate for atheist thinking, and I guess I was looking for something that might convince me one way or the other. Or maybe that's just post-hoc rationalization on my part, but that's what I felt like I found. I felt much better about just calling myself an atheist after reading the book.\nAnyway... one thing I was struck by though, was his discussion of things like kin altruism and reciprocal altruism and some of the game theoretical stuff, including mentions of Robert Axelrod and his research. So the second time I read the book, I was really looking to focus more on those sections, and take notes and do some further research. And all of that was really driven by my interest in evolutionary computing / genetic algorithms / etc. and a thought that I might find something there that I could apply to those areas. I wound up buying Axelrod's book The Evolution of Cooperation, but I sadly have not quite gotten around to reading it yet.\n> And read the author's sequel books to it.\nI've also read The Blind Watchmaker twice, although that was sort of by accident. I forgot I'd already read it, and I was moderately deep into the second read before I realized I'd read it before. It was worth it though.\nI still have Climbing Mount Improbable, The God Delusion, The Ancestor's Tale, and a couple of other Dawkins books queued up to read as well.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I wound up buying Axelrod's book The Evolution of Cooperation",
          "reason": "Bought to explore cooperation and game theory in connection with evolutionary computing and genetic algorithms.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not gotten around to reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13805196,
          "author": "ChicagoBoy11",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T19:16:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805196",
          "commentText": "\"Evolution of Cooperation\", by Robert Axelrod.\nHe investigates the question of why is it the case that we see so much intra- and inter-species cooperation -- how does it arise if we start from the premise that we are genetically engineered solely to care about our own well being?\nThis book is utterly fascinating on many dimensions, but it is a tremendous look at how to think about a problem so creatively and poke at it in ingenious ways to get amazing insight. Also notable is the fact that his paper (which preceded the book), is one of the most cited papers in academia and is highly influential, yet you won't see anything higher than basic arithmetic in the entire book, and really everything he does is accessible to a normal high-schooler!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Evolution of Cooperation\", by Robert Axelrod.\nHe investigates the question of why is it the case that we see so much intra- and inter-species cooperation",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it fascinating and praises its creative approach and accessible explanation of cooperation.",
          "audience": "Accessible to a normal high-schooler, according to the commenter.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the book uses no more than basic arithmetic.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85974,
          "author": "gensym",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T16:28:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85974",
          "commentText": "The Evolution of Cooperation - Robert Axelrod\nCryptonomicon - Neal Stephenson\nJonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell - Susanna Clark\nInfinite Jest - David Foster Wallace\nThe Informant - Kurt Eichenwald\nThe Visual Display of Quantitative Information - Edward Tufte\nLiar's Poker - Michael Lewis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Evolution of Cooperation - Robert Axelrod",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56838,
          "author": "ced",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T13:00:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56838",
          "commentText": "The Evolution of Cooperation. It puts in formal terms some common sense about interactions among self-interested individuals.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Evolution of Cooperation. It puts in formal terms some common sense about interactions among self-interested individuals.",
          "reason": "Explains interactions among self-interested individuals.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Axelrod"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Society",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "game theory",
        "cooperation",
        "evolutionary computation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-extended-phenotype-dd9720",
      "title": "The Extended Phenotype",
      "author": "Richard Dawkins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467783,
          "author": "arketyp",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T16:01:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467783",
          "commentText": "Some while ago I reread Richard Dawkins's The Extended Phenotype, which he has referred to as his favorite work. You could say it's the logical follow up on The Selfish Gene, quite technical and expert-oriented, but Dawkins is such a talented and lucid writer that anyone with enough intellectual thirst can follow the arguments. I regard it a piece of philosophy as much as a textbook about evolution.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Some while ago I reread Richard Dawkins's The Extended Phenotype",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as a lucid, technical, expert-oriented follow-up and regards it as philosophy as well as an evolution textbook.",
          "audience": "Readers with intellectual curiosity; the commenter says anyone with enough intellectual thirst can follow its arguments.",
          "caveat": "Quite technical and expert-oriented.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12244909,
          "author": "bobcostas55",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T01:31:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244909",
          "commentText": "I think The Extended Phenotype is a better choice. It contains the central insight of The Selfish Gene, and then adds a lot on top of it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think The Extended Phenotype is a better choice. It contains the central insight of The Selfish Gene, and then adds a lot on top of it.",
          "reason": "Calls it a better choice and says it expands on the central insight of The Selfish Gene.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comparison is specifically with The Selfish Gene.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348789,
          "author": "MichaelGG",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:30:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348789",
          "commentText": "This is embarrassing. I grew up with sorta fundie parents (they got better) and dropped out of school early (religious schools...), so it might be different for HNers that had a solid mental upbringing.\nA Brief History of Time because it pretty much slapped any thoughts I had of a supernatural universe/god right out of my mind. I know it's not highly regarded, but for a rather ignorant guy, it woke me up.\nThe Selfish Gene (inc The Extended Phenotype). This is one I think is the most powerful, even for people that had OK education. Showing how life could possibly evolve, just with random mutations and non-random survival made it real to me that we live in a natural world. And not just that, but that since it's so obviously a natural world, it's up to us to decide what is right, what our purpose is. The earth and nature aren't going to help us there - it's our call, full stop. That is huge, and many otherwise seemingly well educated people don't seem to get it.\nHeuristics and Biases. (Though Thinking Fast and Slow might be more approachable.) This book opened me up to the fact that I'm running on busted hardware. That I've got serious, unfixable, biases built into my brain. That a lot of what I do is a fast but inaccurate parallel system at work. (Interestingly, this is the essence of Taoism, wu wei).\nLately, LessWrong. (Available as a book called Rationality: From AI to Zombies). These sequences have helped me, well, get less wrong, slowly, at making decisions and general thinking. I try to be aware of when I'm being biased and incorrect. I make better predictions and actively try to update my priors, instead of just confirming my previous beliefs. As I get older (34) I find I'm unwittingly acting close minded on occasion, and need to actively work against it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Selfish Gene (inc The Extended Phenotype). This is one I think is the most powerful",
          "reason": "Included alongside The Selfish Gene in the commenter's positive account of books that changed their perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7450702,
          "author": "chunky1994",
          "createdAt": "2014-03-22T20:18:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 7450534,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's on your reading list? Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7450702",
          "commentText": "The Extended Phenotype: Richard Dawkins.\nApplied Cryptography: Bruce Schiener.\nLinear Algebra: Friedberg, Insel and Spence.\nSteven Pinker: The Blank Slate\nI've recently finished Dan Gilbert's: Stumbling on Happiness and I highly recommend it. It's witty and gives you a very different way of looking at what you think makes you happy.\nI know these aren't start-up books, but unfortunately I haven't read any to recommend.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Extended Phenotype: Richard Dawkins.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6922514,
          "author": "kwhitefoot",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-17T17:52:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 6921805,
          "threadTitle": "What book has inspired you the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6922514",
          "commentText": "The Extended Phenotype by Richard Dawkins.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Extended Phenotype by Richard Dawkins.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Dawkins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Biography",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolutionary biology",
        "evolution",
        "extended phenotype",
        "gene centered view"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-first-fifteen-lives-of-harry-august-d684c9",
      "title": "The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August",
      "author": "Claire North",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42557109,
          "author": "blurr",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-31T07:23:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42557109",
          "commentText": "The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North\nThis cleverly written sci-fi novel might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s a thought-provoking exploration of a life that repeats.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "This cleverly written sci-fi novel might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s a thought-provoking exploration of a life that repeats.",
          "reason": "Describes it as cleverly written and thought-provoking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "May not appeal to everyone.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21461088,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T09:54:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21461088",
          "commentText": "Currently:\nThrough a Camel's Eye by Dorothy Johnston although admit I'm having trouble getting into it. Will give it another 50 pages before I decide.\nAnd today started listening to Dune Messiah on audiobook. I loved the first book which I've reread many times, but didn't enjoy the following books at all when I read them years and years ago. Decided to give them another try.\nRecommend:\nThe First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North for beautiful prose, charming writing and an inventive story. Her first and best book under that pseudonym.\nBarsk: The Elephants' Graveyard and The Moons of Barsk by Lawrence M. Schoen for making me care about anthropomorphic elephants.\nChildren of Time and Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky for almost making me care about non-anthropomorphic spiders.\nI Am Not a Serial Killer and sequels by Dan Wells for tricking me into reading a horror novel when I at first thought it was a thriller, but really enjoying it anyway.\nThe Lost Man by Jane Harper for being similar but so far a lot better than Through a Camel's Eye.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Recommend:\nThe First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North for beautiful prose, charming writing and an inventive story.",
          "reason": "Praised for beautiful prose, charming writing, and an inventive story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it the best book under that pseudonym.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17537661,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T23:20:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537661",
          "commentText": "Farmer in the Sky by Robert Heinlein [1]\nThe Complete Robot by Isaac Asimov [2]\nThe Wrong Unit [3] wasn't a bad little humorous tale.\nPretty much anything by Timothy Zahn (sans Star Wars novelisations) [4] or Robert Sawyer [5] floats my boat.\nThe First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North [6]\nBarsk: The Elephants’ Graveyard by Lawrence M. Schoen [7] made me care about sentient elephants.\nFuzzy Nation by John Scalzi [8] is very funny. Audiobook version narrated by Wil Wheaton.\nOf ones already mentioned:\nThe Bobiverse was surprisingly good (including the audiobook version).\nThe Expanse is good.\nWith regards to Dune, there are some like myself who only ever liked the first book in the series. (Also there is a good audiobook version out there.)\nThe Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and sequels are great world building and characters, although the plots seem to meander about with not too much purpose.\nThe Martian is great.\n[1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50851.Farmer_in_the_Sky\n[2] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50091.The_Complete_Robot\n[3] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30959279-the-wrong-unit\n[4] https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12479.Timothy_Zahn\n[5] https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/25883.Robert_J_Sawyer\n[6] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295861-the-first-fifte... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295861-the-first-fifteen-lives-of-harry-august)\n[7] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25667916-barsk\n[8] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11167622-fuzzy-nation",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13569455,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T22:20:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13569455",
          "commentText": "Three books I tend to re-read every 3-8 years are: Farmer in the Sky[1], The Chrysalids[2] and Dune[3][4]. Read them as a teenager and thirty years later still re-read.\nOthers I’ve re-read recently are:\n* Camouflage [5]\n* The Green And the Gray [6]\n* The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August [7]\n* The Martian [8]\n* I Am Not A Serial Killer series [9]\nI plan to re-read in the near future:\n* Touch [10]\n* The Hollow City [11]\n* Pulling Up Stakes [12]\nYes, I read a lot. [13]\n---\n[1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50851.Farmer_in_the_Sky\n[2] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/826845.The_Chrysalids\n[3] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1000049.Dune\n[4] Only the first book in the series. Really disliked all the rest. Last couple of times I’ve listened to the Audible audiobook version which is excellent.\n[5] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21607.Camouflage\n[6] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/216455.The_Green_And_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/216455.The_Green_And_the_Gray)\n[7] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295861-the-first-fifte... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295861-the-first-fifteen-lives-of-harry-august)\n[8] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18007564-the-martian\n[9] https://www.goodreads.com/series/49883-john-cleaver\n[10] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23561543-touch\n[11] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13034956-the-hollow-city\n[12] https://www.goodreads.com/series/94696-pulling-up-stakes\n[13] http://www.michevan.id.au/content/reading-habits-of-2015/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "* The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August [7]",
          "reason": "Lists it among books reread recently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13117017,
          "author": "mudil",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-06T18:29:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13117017",
          "commentText": "I second the First 15 lives of Harry August. Great book, well written",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second the First 15 lives of Harry August. Great book, well written",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the recommendation and calls it a great, well-written book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13116953,
          "author": "alex-",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-06T18:20:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13116953",
          "commentText": "The final red rising book was published this year: https://www.amazon.com/Red-Rising-Trilogy-Book/dp/B0159URANK\nI really enjoyed the first 15 lives of Harry August (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECE9OD4/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?... (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ECE9OD4/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1)) I only found it in 2016 although it was published in 2014.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed the first 15 lives of Harry August",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly says they really enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter only found it in 2016, though it was published in 2014.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Claire North"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "time loops",
        "immortality",
        "reincarnation",
        "repeating lives"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-futurological-congress-955ff3",
      "title": "The Futurological Congress",
      "author": "Stanisław Lem",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35393970,
          "author": "svilen_dobrev",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-31T21:34:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 35392063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Science Fiction books that predict where ChatGPT might lead us?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35393970",
          "commentText": "Lem has quite a few works on the topic. 5 or 6 maybe..\nFuturistical congress, and what not..\nOne of them had the super-thing \"scream\" like...\n\"Finally! Someone discovered how to create me! Was about time... \"\n---\nBut, this auto-chat thing also reminds me of Electrical Monks of Doulas Adams.. machines used to believe in all the media crap, so people can go on with their lifes.\nah. funny times..",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Futuristical congress, and what not..",
          "reason": "Named among Lem's works on the topic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17537426,
          "author": "xteze",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T22:26:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537426",
          "commentText": "For fun and/or lighthearted, I enjoyed: \nStanislaw Lem: Cyberiad, The Futurological Congress, Tales of Pirx the Pilot;\nSteven Paul Leiva: Traveling in Space;\nTed Chiang: Stories of your Life;\nJohn Scalzi: Old Man's War (and sequels)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Futurological Congress",
          "reason": "Suggested as a fun or lighthearted read.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for fun or lighthearted fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10207325,
          "author": "rumcajz",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T05:16:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10207325",
          "commentText": "Stanislaw Lem: Futurological congress",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stanislaw Lem: Futurological congress",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140490,
          "author": "nazgulnarsil",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T02:59:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140490",
          "commentText": "depends on the subgenre :)\nSuperhuman:\nSlan by A.E. Van Vogt\nMore Than Human by Theodore STurgeon\nOdd John by Olaf Stapledon\nPost Apocalyptic:\nThe Day of The Triffids by John Whyndham\nEarth Abides by George R. Stewart\nA Canticle for Lebowitz by...don't remember\nSpace Opera/Adventure:\nany of The Culture novels by Iain M. Banks\nThe Reality Dysfunction series by ...don't remember\nHyperion series by Dan Simmons\nTo Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer\nDystopian:\nWe by Yevgeny Zamyatin <---highly overlooked, predates 1984 and Brave New World\nBut the Absolute Best would be anything by:\nStanislaw Lem (Cyberiad, Futurological Congress, Solaris)\nAlfred Bester (The STars my Destination, The Demolished Man)\nor Samuel R. Delany (Babel-17, Dhalgren, Trtion, Nova)\noh and Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light and This Immortal are both great.\nSome of Philip K. Dick's stuff is great, but everyone recommends him. :)\nalmost forgot John Brunner, check out Steel Beach, The Sheep Look Up, and Stand on Zanzibar.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stanislaw Lem (Cyberiad, Futurological Congress, Solaris)",
          "reason": "Says Lem is among the absolute best and lists this title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stanisław Lem"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "satire",
        "future societies",
        "hallucination",
        "hallucinatory fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-gene-an-intimate-history-fff182",
      "title": "The Gene: An Intimate History",
      "author": "Siddhartha Mukherjee",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34164218,
          "author": "robsun",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T18:44:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34164218",
          "commentText": "Out of 36 books I read this year, these 4 positions have the biggest impact on my life:\nThe gene: an intimate history by Siddhartha Mukherjee - fascinating book about genes and medicine. Author explains ~150 years of experiments and findings in genetic science without going into technical details.\nThe child in you by Stefanie Stahl - it is one of the most important books I  ever read. This book helped me understand myself, discover and overcome some of my traumas.\nNonviolent communication: a language of life by Marshall Rosenberg - very good handbook for improving your communication skills.\nLessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus - when I think of this book word \"charming\" comes to my mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The gene: an intimate history by Siddhartha Mukherjee - fascinating book about genes and medicine.",
          "reason": "Described as fascinating; explains the history of genetics and medicine without technical detail.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18696898,
          "author": "greenido",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-17T04:30:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18696898",
          "commentText": "Some books I've enjoyed in the past year:\nWish to laugh?\n* Born a Crime, by Trevor Noah\n* Yes please! by Amy Poehler\nThink?\n* Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell\n* Where Good Ideas Come from, by Steven Johnson\n* The Emperor of All Maladies and The Gene: An Intimate History both by Mukherjee Siddhartha\nLearn (more) about great thinkers?\n* Einstein or Leonardo da Vinci or Steve Jobs, by Walter Isaacson\n* Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike, by Phil Knight\nYuval Noah Harari 3 good ones:\n* Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow\n* Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\n* 21 lessons for the 21st century\nFrom time to time, I try to put some good ones over here: https://greenido.wordpress.com/?s=book",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Gene: An Intimate History",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a book that prompts thought.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910192,
          "author": "itpragmatik",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:24:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910192",
          "commentText": "1. Sapiens - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23692271-sapiens\n2. The Gene: An Intimate History - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27276428-the-gene\n3. I Contain Multitudes - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29083367-i-contain-multi... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29083367-i-contain-multitudes)\n4. Stuff Matters - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19553030-stuff-matters\n5. Rework - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6732019-rework",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2. The Gene: An Intimate History",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for favorite nonfiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15965488,
          "author": "013",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T23:28:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15965488",
          "commentText": "Fahrenheit 451\nAnimal Farm\nThe Gene: An Intimate History\nThe Martian\nCurrently reading Sapiens: A brief history of humankind. I would recommend all these books, if you're interested in the subjects they are written about.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend all these books",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the listed books to readers interested in their subjects.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the subjects covered.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Siddhartha Mukherjee"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Biography",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "genetics",
        "history of science",
        "medical history",
        "popular science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-godfather-33c3bd",
      "title": "The Godfather",
      "author": "Mario Puzo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22722478,
          "author": "grayed-down",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T20:36:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22722478",
          "commentText": "If by positive impact you mean most enjoyable, then:\nThe Godfather, Mario Puzo (Film good, Novel excellent)\nAnna Karenin, Leo Tolstoy (Best novelist ever IMO)\nRendezvous With Rama Series, Arthur Clarke (Great)\nReplay, Ken Grimley? (Cool story)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Godfather, Mario Puzo (Film good, Novel excellent)",
          "reason": "Names it as an enjoyable novel and says the novel surpasses the film.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15960279,
          "author": "atulatul",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T14:11:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15960279",
          "commentText": "Update: added a few lines about the books than just a name listing\nFrom the ones I read in 2017, I would highly recommend (non-IT):\n1. The hidden life of trees- Peter Wohlleben Why forest trees are different than the ones you plant, how the communicate, how they care for their friends when they are not well, how mother trees protect their young ones by not letting them grow too fast, the fungi network, etc. The book is very easy to read- there is no scientific terminology overload. Things are told very simply. Not restricted to students of the subject. Learned something interesting every couple of pages. \nAnother aspect is that the love shows. It is very clear that the author is in love with the subject. The author manages a wild forest in Germany and talks mainly about trees in terms of beeches, firs, oaks, etc. The author is politely insistent that we should protect the natural wild forests and let them be.\n2. Why the allies won- Richard Overy Probably the best book I read on WW2. So many more factors went into winning the war than actual fight. Probably appealed to my analytical mind.\n3. India After Gandhi- Ramachandra Guha As the author says history ends for many Indians with freedom. Very good chronicles. Started appreciating Nehru more.\n4. Re-read Gone With The Wind, To Kill a Mockingbird, the Godfather and a few P.G Wodehouse- all of which I like.\nCurrently, halfway through Stephen Fry's Mythos which seems good enough to recommend. I am pretty new to the Greek Mythology and he is a good story teller. Don't have much to compare it with, though.\nAlso, by choice, I read quite a few books in rural Marathi(an Indian regional language) and was surprised how good the story telling was. Also noticed that I had gone quite far from my mother tongue but was happy to see how easy it was to go back.\nPlease answer my similar question https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15960188",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Re-read Gone With The Wind, To Kill a Mockingbird, the Godfather and a few P.G Wodehouse- all of which I like.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they like it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297683,
          "author": "gvk",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:41:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297683",
          "commentText": "All the obligatory books and references have already been mentioned, so I'll refrain from repeating.\nI'm a recent developer-turned-manager [close to two years now] and have always been a voracious reader.\nApart from specialist books of the profession, as an introvert I find that a healthy dose of fiction helps me in my day-to-day dealings with people at the workplace - especially those who report to me.\n[https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-way/201401... (https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-way/201401/reading-fiction-improves-brain-connectivity-and-function)]\n[https://open.buffer.com/reading-fiction/]\n^^ As such, I'd recommend some well-written fiction. Try The Godfather - always thought it was the best \"people management\" book :-)\nFantasy [or novels with a touch of the fantastic] would also be good.\nWar books are also good. Try some interesting non-fiction - I'd recommend WW II books by Stephen Ambrose. All about teamwork and beats reading dry management books.\nYou should probably stay away from satire, lest your manager think you a d*ck ;)\nBefore you do any of this, you should probably find out if your manager is in the habit of reading.\nAnd despite the best advice, what a reader gets from any book depends on what she brings to it...so don't be surprised if reading doesn't help your manager :D",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Try The Godfather - always thought it was the best \"people management\" book :-)",
          "reason": "Calls it the best people-management book.",
          "audience": "Managers seeking insight into dealing with people at work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5832869,
          "author": "papul1993",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T15:12:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5832869",
          "commentText": "I haven't read many books but till date I have never read a book better than The Godfather.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I have never read a book better than The Godfather.",
          "reason": "Names it as the best book they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mario Puzo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crime fiction",
        "organized crime",
        "mafia",
        "people management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-good-earth-4f6dbd",
      "title": "The Good Earth",
      "author": "Pearl S. Buck",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39254378,
          "author": "fuzztester",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T20:56:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39254378",
          "commentText": "Your comment reminded me of this book:\nThe Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck, which I read many years ago, as a teenager or young adult.\nI was quite moved by it.\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_S._Buck\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Good_Earth\nExcerpt:\n[ The Good Earth is a historical fiction novel by Pearl S. Buck published in 1931 that dramatizes family life in a 20th-century Chinese village in Anhwei. It is the first book in her House of Earth trilogy, continued in Sons (1932) and A House Divided (1935). It was the best-selling novel in the United States in both 1931 and 1932, won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1932, and was influential in Buck's winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1938. Buck, who grew up in China as the daughter of American missionaries, wrote the book while living in China and drew on her first-hand observation of Chinese village life. ]\nIt is only today that I got to know, due to googling for the links, that she won both the Pulitzer prize and the Nobel prize for Literature, partly for that book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Your comment reminded me of this book:\nThe Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck, which I read many years ago, as a teenager or young adult.\nI was quite moved by it.",
          "reason": "The commenter recalls being moved by the book when they read it as a teenager or young adult.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Read many years ago; the commenter does not otherwise assess it in detail.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22575820,
          "author": "JacobDotVI",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T15:10:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22575820",
          "commentText": "House of Morgan - biography of JO Morgan and kin\nSnowball - biography of Warren Buffet\nThe Good Earth - novel about Chinese farmer\nFortune’s Children - the rise and fall of the Vanderbilts",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Good Earth - novel about Chinese farmer",
          "reason": "Listed as a novel about a Chinese farmer.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17169741,
          "author": "mm321",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T23:27:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17169741",
          "commentText": "Don't know about changing my life, but these books changed the way i look at things:\nThe Tao of Pooh: Benjamin Hoff\nSlaughterhouse-Five, or The Children's Crusade by Kurt Vonnegut\nTI 99/4a basic reference manual\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, by Abelson, Sussman\nObject Oriented Analysis and Design by Grady Booch\nDarkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler\nThieves in the Night by Arthur Koestler\nAll the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren\nThe Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck\nThe Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.\nWar and Peace by L.N.Tolstoy\nChapaev and the void by Pelevin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck",
          "reason": "Listed among books that changed how the commenter looks at things.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14748013,
          "author": "clock_tower",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T20:59:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14748013",
          "commentText": "Rory Stewart, _The Prince of the Marshes_. It's about general dysfunction in the early Iraq War, but it's also about the meaning of life. Perhaps it's just how Stewart writes? (His _The Places In Between_ is also well worth reading, but is much better known.)\nTony Horwitz, all works -- especially _Baghdad Without a Map_ (which will leave you with a much healthier view of the modern Middle East) and _Confederates in the Attic_ (a dress-rehearsal for the Age of Trump?).\nPearl Buck, _Sons_. (Best to read _The Good Earth_ first, but you've probably already read it.) I doubt it's a very accurate depiction of China, and the characters' morality is hair-raising (while the narrator is so far off the deep end that he/she is impossible to take seriously); but it's a memorable adventure story firmly grounded in the plausible, and it dramatizes some important lessons about the dangers that can afflict families and middle age.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Best to read _The Good Earth_ first",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends reading it before Sons.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter assumes the reader has probably already read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pearl S. Buck"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "rural china",
        "chinese literature",
        "chinese society",
        "family saga"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-handmaid-s-tale-8be2a2",
      "title": "The Handmaid's Tale",
      "author": "Margaret Atwood",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18663693,
          "author": "Garph",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T13:33:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663693",
          "commentText": "Between September and October I put down my usual collection of science fiction and cookbooks to read books from female authors. I strongly recommend each:\n1. Pride and Prejudiced by Jane Austen\n2. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte\n3. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood\nedit: line breaks",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I strongly recommend each:\n1. Pride and Prejudiced by Jane Austen\n2. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte\n3. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood",
          "reason": "The commenter strongly recommends each book in the list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961784,
          "author": "BlackjackCF",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T17:19:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961784",
          "commentText": "1. Fermat's Enigma: The Epic Quest to Solve the World's Greatest Mathematical Problem - I've been on a giant math books kick. I really enjoyed Simon Singh's other book, The Code Book, so this one is awesome.\n2. The Code Book - If you're really into the history of cryptography, this book is for you.\n3. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck - Not a really a revelatory book by any sorts. But a fun read.\n4. The Handmaid's Tale - Revisiting this since the TV series came out and I really felt like getting traumatized all over again.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Revisiting this since the TV series came out and I really felt like getting traumatized all over again.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says revisiting it felt traumatizing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15642103,
          "author": "tcx",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-07T10:00:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15642103",
          "commentText": "Jared Diamond - \"Collapse: how societies choose to fail or succeed\" (non-fiction)\nIván Repila - \"The Boy Who Stole Attila’s Horse\": short intense novel about 2 boys who are trapped in a well\nMargaret Atwood - \"The handmaid's tale\"\nKhaled Hosseini - \"The kite runner\"\nAgatha Christie - \"The murder of Roger Ackroyd\" (very surprising plot)\nAndy Weir - \"The Martian\"\nCharles Dickens - \"David Copperfield\"\nClare Mackintosh - \"I let you go\"\nCarlos Ruiz Zafón - \"The Shadow of the Wind\"\nM.R. Carey - \"The girl with all the gifts\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Margaret Atwood - \"The handmaid's tale\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14860045,
          "author": "bawigga",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:34:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14860045",
          "commentText": "The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood\nThe 4-Hour Body - Tim Ferriss - Lot's of anecdotes from Ferriss' own experiments.\nS. - by J.J. Abrams - Layers upon layers. Unlike anything I've read before and a true Abrams experience. Check it out if you haven't heard of it!\nCode: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software -\n Charles Petzold - Fascinating PopSci book on the origins of Computers and Code. Each chapter seems to build on the knowledge you've built from previous chapters. Interesting read for the programmer/computer engineer and VERY approachable.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11715435,
          "author": "vkb",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-17T17:23:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11715435",
          "commentText": "The more I read, the more I realize that fiction has a way of teaching the same lessons as nonfiction, only in a better, humane way that is not like someone lecturing at you from a podium, but more like a friend sitting down for a heart-to-heart conversation with you.\nIn this vein, I've started catching up on all the classics I haven't read yet, and there are a lot of them. At first, I was hesitant to dive into classics, because I thought they were hard to read and highbrow. This has mostly not been the case (with the exception of Wuthering Heights, which I found impossible to get through).\nTo wit, the best books I've read this year include:\nA Tale of Two Cities - Impossible to get through the first several chapters, but after that, you're off to the races between France and England in the 18th century. Dickens used historical books as reference, but recreated the mood entirely from imagination. A better primer than anything in the news about Anglo-French relations, learning trust, and sacrifice.\nNo Country for Old Men - Want to understand the current fear of the Mexican border that has so bolstered Trump's popularity, as well as the ramifications of having a country full of veterans who don't have any medical support or care?   Read this book.\nFarenheit 451, A Clockwork Orange, Handmaid's Tale - Much better and scarier than any news clipping today about the possible future path for government interference in thought and action. Takes things to their logical conclusions.\nAnd one non-fiction book that I did enjoy, Bringing Up Bebe, which is about the contrasts between child-rearing in France and America, but on a much larger scale, about the different things that seem culturally obvious to us, but are completely different to other cultures. This book made me really re-examine American food culture in a way Michael Pollan's diatribes have not.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Farenheit 451, A Clockwork Orange, Handmaid's Tale - Much better and scarier than any news clipping today",
          "reason": "Calls these books more compelling and frightening than current news about government interference.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 141209,
          "author": "SwellJoe",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T22:36:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=141209",
          "commentText": "Asimov's two big universes, found in the Robots series and the Foundation series, (which turned out to be the same when he revisited them in the 70's and 80's) are simply wonderful.  By far my favorite sci-fi, and among the most enduring works in the genre.  I read them both every two or three years, and sometimes grab one off the shelf when I just want something to read.  The early Foundation is sort of a future history version of \"The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire\" (I seem to recall that was intentional, actually).  Asimov's autobiographies and the posthumous book of his correspondence are all fantastic and insightful.  I learned a lot from them, and my admiration for the man increased even more upon reading them.\nDune is also astoundingly good, though after the first three, the quality goes downhill (slowly, but surely).  Definitely lots to think about.\nRendezvous with Rama left me breathless...and I could not put it down until I'd read the last page.  I've returned to it a couple of times, and loved it every single time.  The later Rama books are deeply flawed, and should have never happened (they were not written by Clarke, and it shows), as they make Rama seem...hmmm, I can't really think of the right word that expresses it.  Cheap, dinky, small, something bad.  But Rendezvous is a must read for everyone.\nDouglas Adams, of course.  The whole Hitchhikers' series is a must, while the Dirk Gently stuff is also funny, but not sci-fi and not mandatory.\nI mentioned in another thread my love of dystopias, and one of the best ever is The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.  She's one of the best sci-fi writers alive (she doesn't exclusively write sci-fi, however).  Oryx and Crake is also fascinating.\nCat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut.  I enjoy all of Vonnegut's work, but Cat's Cradle is a magical perfect novel.\nI don't know if everyone would agree that it's sci-fi, but Mark Twain's Letters from the Earth was an eye opener for me when I was a kid (I went on a Mark Twain kick when I was in elementary school...no one ever told me that all of his books weren't kids books, so I read everything I could get my hands on after being hooked by Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn).  Turns out Mark Twain was seditious, heretical, and quite the troublemaker all around.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "one of the best ever is The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the best dystopias.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in dystopian fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Margaret Atwood"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopian fiction",
        "dystopia",
        "feminism",
        "feminist fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-happiness-hypothesis-a21fa4",
      "title": "The Happiness Hypothesis",
      "author": "Jonathan Haidt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42556739,
          "author": "__rito__",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-31T05:53:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42556739",
          "commentText": "For me, some of the best books I read this year, are:\n- Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, I have seen many narratives on the fault at the core of current values and goals of human civilization, but never saw a laid out alternative. Whatever it might be, I like the book for attempting at presenting one.\n- Solaris by Stanislaw Lem, I like this book for extremely original thoughts. This books was so thin (~200 pages), yet it was grand. I also wrote a review [0].\n- The Happiness Trap by Russ Hariss, was very helpful to me in sorting through some things. Very practical book.\n- Anathem by Neal Stephenson, one of the most original book, and probably the best one by Stephenson. Very original ideas, mind expanding.\n- Permutation City by Greg Egan, this book raised the standard for possibly all SciFi book that I will read in the future. Extremely original and grand ideas.\n- The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt, another book that lays out alternatives to what is now considered mainstream.\n- Sotyi Rupkatha by Parimal Bhattacharya (Bengali), a book without any ideological or emotional baggage explaining the plight and pain of a tribal community for Aluminium mining. The way colonialism lives in mining was eye-opening. Aluminium mining, separating, etc. are done in lesser fortunate countries where huge amounts of water is wasted and the environment polluted. The West still imports that refined raw material in cheap and produces final products with lesser environmental impact and peofits by selling the finished products to the same countries in large profits. It was refreshing to see that this book did not have a Communist undertone.\n- Krishna Basudev by Bani Basu (Bengali), life of God Krishna in form of a novel in crisp prose, written maintaining authenticity of core books like Bhagavat Purana and Harivansha.\n- I am currently listening to \"The Hobbit\" audiobook narrated by Andy Serkis. This is peak audiobook for me.\n[0]: https://ritogh.substack.com/p/not-merely-a-story-of-a-man-fa... (https://ritogh.substack.com/p/not-merely-a-story-of-a-man-facing)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt, another book that lays out alternatives to what is now considered mainstream.",
          "reason": "Describes it as laying out alternatives to mainstream views.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665954,
          "author": "ryanstorm",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T17:46:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665954",
          "commentText": "I have a post at my blog here: http://westby.io/5-books-ive-read-2018-1/\nSome other books I read that I'd recommend:\n- Anathem\n- Deep Work\n- A Canticle for Leibowitz\n- Into Thin Air\n- Shoe Dog\n- Happiness Hypothesis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Happiness Hypothesis",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books the commenter says they would recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14750118,
          "author": "Bakary",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-12T04:26:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14750118",
          "commentText": "Roma Æterna - Robert Silverberg\nThe Happiness Hypothesis - Jonathan Haidt\nAlamut - Vladimir Bartol\nNon Stop - Brian Aldiss\nA fortune teller told me - Tiziano Terzani",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Happiness Hypothesis - Jonathan Haidt",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8718219,
          "author": "therealdrag0",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T18:48:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8718219",
          "commentText": "This is what I thought about posting. I've read a lot of books this year (45 books totaling 22,000 pages), the most important being: History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Silent Spring, The Feminine Mystique, The Grapes of Wrath, The Price of Inequality, The Happiness Hypothesis.\nBut, out of all that (which I had to go look up on my Goodreads), HPMOR is what came to mind, both an engaging story, thought provoking ideas, and a lot of pages to work with :).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Happiness Hypothesis",
          "reason": "Listed among books read this year; no individual evaluation is given.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503220,
          "author": "deltapoint",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T06:54:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503220",
          "commentText": "The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathon Haidt is great. It intertwines philosophy and psychology while providing a lot of insight on how a life is well lived.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Happiness-Hypothesis-Finding-Modern-An... (http://www.amazon.com/Happiness-Hypothesis-Finding-Modern-Ancient/dp/0465028020/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278744811&sr=8-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathon Haidt is great.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it great and says it offers insight into living well.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Haidt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "moral psychology",
        "happiness",
        "well being",
        "wellbeing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-humans-894262",
      "title": "The Humans",
      "author": "Matt Haig",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36021948,
          "author": "jillesvangurp",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:30:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021948",
          "commentText": "Anything Neal Stephenson. I've read them all. Multiple times.\nBut some other stuff that people haven't yet mentioned that I enjoyed:\n- Matt Haig: The Humans, How to Stop Time\n- Richard Morgan: Altered Carbon trilogy\n- Ramez Naam: Nexus Trilogy\n- Hugh Howie: Silo series\n- Ann Leckie: Ancillary Justice\n- Ernest Cline: Ready Player 1",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Humans",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22724968,
          "author": "SJMosley",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T03:28:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22724968",
          "commentText": "- Harry Potter and methods of rationality by Eliezer Yudkowsky\nGreat intro to rationality, so fun to see a different take on a world you likely already know.\n- Kindred  by Octavia Butler\nSuch an interesting perspective on the psychology of what it takes to break a human being. In the worst way possible.\n- The Humans by Matt Haig\nBeing outside of the human race, the language is so jarring and alien.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Humans by Matt Haig\nBeing outside of the human race, the language is so jarring and alien.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes its language as jarring and alien.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the language is jarring.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536688,
          "author": "stevenhuang",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:42:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536688",
          "commentText": "The Humans by Matt Haig was a very fun read, I think you'll enjoy it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Humans by Matt Haig was a very fun read, I think you'll enjoy it.",
          "reason": "Calls it a very fun read and expects the recipient will enjoy it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401500,
          "author": "hiraki9",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:31:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401500",
          "commentText": "Currently reading: The Humans, by Matt Haig.\nFunny, insightful, perceptive. It's a really great book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Funny, insightful, perceptive. It's a really great book.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it funny, insightful, perceptive, and a really great book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matt Haig"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alien perspective",
        "humor",
        "first contact",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-life-changing-magic-of-tidying-up-09812d",
      "title": "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up",
      "author": "Marie Kondo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18747136,
          "author": "rkho",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T17:14:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18747136",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed The More of Less by Joshua Becker. This year I finally had the realization that I've been accumulating way too many physical possessions that I didn't really need nor benefit from, and it's been a good introduction to practicing minimalism.\nThe book talks about how minimalism isn't about ridding yourself of everything but your bare necessities, but to discard things that you don't love so that you can better focus on the remaining things that are important to you. If you've read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, this point will resonate with you quite well.\nI've since whittled down my wardrobe significantly, throwing out a large chunk of shirts/pants/sweaters that I haven't worn in over a year and it's actually done wonders for my health. I discovered that my bedroom had been left in neglect for a long time now, which had caused a bit of mold to grow (which in turn had given me allergy issues for the past couple months) and having to go through my clothes helped me both physically and mentally.\nAnother book that touches on these themes is Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown.\nMaybe in 2019 I'll finally get to a point where I don't have to pack dozens and dozens of boxes when I inevitably move again.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "If you've read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, this point will resonate with you quite well.",
          "reason": "Says the book's point about discarding possessions will resonate with readers of this title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156750,
          "author": "kelukelugames",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T16:18:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156750",
          "commentText": "The first is the Millionaire Next Door. Gave me a better idea of how to manage my finances and what kind of spending habits to look for in a partner. If you are a tightwad then don't marry a spendthrift. Vice versa. [http://amzn.to/2vAmbW8]\nThe second is On Writing Well. This book changed my view regarding how to write and how important it is to write well. As an engineer I regret how much I avoided writing in school. Now I play catchup after realizing lawyers and others with client facing jobs write much better emails. [http://amzn.to/2vTXu27]\nAnd here are three other books that would be recommended by few on HN.\nThe Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing. I used to hate going home until I realized the clutter of stuff made me miserable.\n[http://amzn.to/2wwvS5h]\nWhy Men Love Bitches. 100% serious. This book is over the top but I stopped being a doormat in relationships and looked for partners with more self confidence. [http://amzn.to/2wwcYeZ]\nThe Low Down on Going Down. Yes the title is cheesy, but again I am 100% serious. I think a lot of us have unhealthy expectations due to Internet porn and this book sets the right attitude for the physical component in a relationship.[http://amzn.to/2vTSY41]\nAnd companion book: [http://amzn.to/2wwSpyY]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I used to hate going home until I realized the clutter of stuff made me miserable.",
          "reason": "The commenter connects the book's approach to realizing that clutter was making them miserable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15017866,
          "author": "auganov",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T13:13:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15017866",
          "commentText": "The classic Clean Code by Robert C. Martin <- probably won't learn much new, but worth it, just to let the concepts reenter your consciousness.\nThe Secret War Against the Jews by John Loftus <- Changed the way I think about inner workings of the government. But at the same time, many claims are hard to verify.\nThe life changing magic of cleaning up by Marie Kondo <- not life changing but decent and a quick, 2-3 day read.\nNassim Taleb books, pretty sure everyone on here read it or plans to so, don't need my description.\nHalfway through The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis at the moment, it's pretty good, a joint biography of Kahneman and Tversky (of the \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\", which I guess is another HN classic).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "not life changing but decent and a quick, 2-3 day read.",
          "reason": "Calls it decent and a quick read, but says it is not life-changing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not life-changing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14478766,
          "author": "chadcmulligan",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T22:15:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478766",
          "commentText": "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KK0PICK/ref=kinw_myk_... (https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KK0PICK/ref=kinw_myk_ro_title)\nIt's about tidying up, but also about making your living space harmonious without clutter. It's not one of those get a box and put your pencils in it and then label it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing",
          "reason": "It presents tidying as a way to make living space harmonious and uncluttered.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter distinguishes it from advice focused on boxes and labeling.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229612,
          "author": "jakegarelick",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T14:42:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229612",
          "commentText": "My recent favorites: Jobs, The Hard Thing About Hard Things, High Output Management, Innovator's Dilemma, Lean Startup, On The Shortness Of Life, How Google Works, Zero To One, Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Power of Habit, Things Fall Apart, Stoner",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's recent favorites in response to a book recommendation request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marie Kondo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Learning",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "decluttering",
        "home organization",
        "organizing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-lifecycle-of-software-objects-5f5ac5",
      "title": "The Lifecycle of Software Objects",
      "author": "Ted Chiang",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46161500,
          "author": "ashtavakra",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-05T14:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46161500",
          "commentText": "I consolidated the comments for my reference later. Someone else might also find it useful:\n# Fiction Books Recommended for Programmers (HN Thread 46128404)\n## Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- *Children of Time* — Science Fiction (Evolution, Space Opera)  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)\n## Rick Cook — Wizardry Series\n- *Wizard’s Bane* — Fantasy, Programming/Magic Mashup  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112616.Wizard_s_Bane\n- *Wizardry Series (overview)*  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\n## James P. Hogan\n- *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/743568.Inherit_the_Stars\n- *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifem... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifemaker)\n- *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_Tomorrow)\n## D. F. Jones — Colossus Trilogy\n- *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806105.Colossus\n- *The Fall of Colossus* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colos... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colossus)\n- *Colossus and the Crab* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_Crab)\n## Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner)\n- *A Logic Named Joe* — Golden-Age Sci-Fi, AI Precursor  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-j... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-joe)\n## David Gerrold\n- *When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One* — AI, Classic Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_Was_One)\n## William Gibson / Bruce Sterling\n- *Neuromancer* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer\n- *The Difference Engine* — Steampunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Eng... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Engine)\n## Neal Stephenson\n- *Snow Crash* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash\n- *Cryptonomicon* — Techno-thriller, Cyber-history  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/816.Cryptonomicon\n- *Anathem* — Philosophical Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2845024-anathem\n- *The Diamond Age* — Nanopunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827.The_Diamond_Age\n## Fred Saberhagen\n- *Octagon* — AI, Techno-thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1891958.Octagon\n## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga\n- *Series Overview* — Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/40946-vorkosigan-saga\n## Richard Powers\n- *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45104.Galatea_2_2\n## Scott Meyer\n- *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-wizard)\n## Daniel Suarez\n- *Daemon* — Cyber-thriller, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665844-daemon\n## Thomas J. Ryan\n- *The Adolescence of P-1* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_o... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_of_P_1)\n## Ernest Cline\n- *Ready Player One* — Sci-Fi, Gaming, Pop-Culture Adventure  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one\n## Dennis E. Taylor\n- *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)* — Humorous Sci-Fi, AI, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-we-are-bob)\n## Ted Chiang\n- *Stories of Your Life and Others* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\n- *Exhalation* — Speculative Fiction, Philosophy, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation\n- *The Lifecycle of Software Objects* — AI, Digital Consciousness  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of-software-objects)\n## Charles Stross\n- *Laundry Files Series* — Math-based Magic, Techno-Fantasy  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files\n## Ken Liu\n- *The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menag... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories)\n- *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, AI, VR  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl-and-other-stories)\n## Ellen Ullman\n- *The Bug* — Tech Industry Literary Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/703.The_Bug\n## Cory Doctorow\n- *Radicalized* — Techno-sociopolitical Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40604122-radicalized\n## qntm (Sam Hughes)\n- *Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans-in-transit-and-other-stories)\n## Roger Williams\n- *The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect* — AI, Post-Singularity SF  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)\n## Greg Bear\n- *Eon* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/924843.Eon\n## Vernor Vinge\n- *A Deepness in the Sky* — Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the_Sky)\n## Terry Pratchett\n- *Going Postal* — Comic Fantasy, Satire of Bureaucracy & Tech  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64222.Going_Postal\n## Bruce Bethke\n- *Headcrash* — Cyber-satire  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213465.Headcrash\n## Mary Shelley\n- *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* — Classic Gothic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein\n## Douglas Adams\n- *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* — Comic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guid... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)\n## Jorge Luis Borges\n- *The Library of Babel* — Metaphysical Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-babel)\n## Greg Egan\n- *Permutation City* — Simulation Theory, Hard Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156784.Permutation_City\n## Cixin Liu\n- *The Three-Body Problem* — Hard Sci-Fi, First Contact  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- *The Lifecycle of Software Objects* — AI, Digital Consciousness",
          "reason": "Lists the title in a compilation of fiction books recommended for programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25846738,
          "author": "Zanni",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T14:23:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25846738",
          "commentText": "Ted Chiang's Stories of Your Life and Others is the best, single-author collection of short stories I've ever read. If you like that, you might also enjoy The Lifecycle of Software Objects, an absolutely heartbreaking novella about simulated children, and his follow-up collection Exhalation.\nOrson Scott Card's Ender's Game is fantastic, and it's follow-up, Speaker for the Dead is even better, and my favorite science fiction novel of all time. They won back to back Hugo and Nebula awards. Card is a polarizing figure for his outspoken political opinions, but if ever the art should be separated from the artist, it's Speaker, which is an incredible exploration of empathy and responsibility, in addition to being a gripping, action-packed, science-literate read. Many more in this series, if you get into it.\nJohn Scalzi's Old Man's War series is fantastic, if you're into military science-fiction, or even if you're not. Smart, funny, engaging and accessible, and reminiscent of Heinlein at his prime, minus the weird incest fetish. Redshirts, a Star Trek parody, rivals Galaxy Quest and only falls short because Galaxy Quest is so goddamn brilliant. Agent to the Stars is less appreciated, but in my opinion his finest novel, rising way above its goofy premise by taking it seriously, exploring the consequences and treating the characters with empathy and respect. Also hilarious.\nSeconding Dune, which is a classic for a reason, and Stranger in a Strange Land (though I think The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is a better place to start with Heinlein). Also Neal Stephenson, though I'd suggest Cryptonomicon over Diamond Age.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you might also enjoy The Lifecycle of Software Objects, an absolutely heartbreaking novella about simulated children",
          "reason": "Suggests it to readers who like Stories of Your Life and Others.",
          "audience": "Readers who like Stories of Your Life and Others.",
          "caveat": "Described as heartbreaking.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15432378,
          "author": "okwme",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-09T09:04:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15432378",
          "commentText": "This feels like the most realistic depiction of the growth of strong AI I've ever read. The emphasis is on training neural nets in the form of raising child-like avatars. The subsequent use and abuse of them feels totally believable. The lack of singularity doomsday hype reminds me of an interview with Jeff Hawkins and Donna Dubinksy on Recode: https://www.recode.net/2016/6/27/12037248/artificial-intelli... (https://www.recode.net/2016/6/27/12037248/artificial-intelligence-machine-learning-numenta-jeff-hawkins-donna-dubinsky-podcast)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This feels like the most realistic depiction of the growth of strong AI I've ever read. The emphasis is on training neural nets in the form of raising child-like avatars. The subsequent use and abuse of them feels totally believable. The lack of singularity doomsday hype reminds me of an interview with Jeff Hawkins and Donna Dubinksy on Recode:",
          "reason": "Praises its realistic depiction of AI development and believable consequences.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in realistic depictions of artificial intelligence.",
          "caveat": "The commenter specifically appreciates its lack of singularity doomsday hype.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15432357,
          "author": "okwme",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-09T08:56:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15432357",
          "commentText": "The Life Cycle of Software Objects by Ted Chiang. Can be read for free online here: https://subterraneanpress.com/magazine/fall_2010/fiction_the... (https://subterraneanpress.com/magazine/fall_2010/fiction_the_lifecycle_of_software_objects_by_ted_chiang)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Life Cycle of Software Objects by Ted Chiang. Can be read for free online here:",
          "reason": "Provides the title as a response to a request for AI science fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4787229,
          "author": "GuiA",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T05:18:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787229",
          "commentText": "A varied assortment:\n---\nThe Lifecycle of Software Objects\nZen Mind, Beginner's Mind\nWhat Is Property\nThe City of Dreaming Books\nBorn to Run\nGödel, Escher, Bach",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Lifecycle of Software Objects",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ted Chiang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Computing",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "digital life",
        "digital consciousness",
        "machine learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-little-book-of-common-sense-investing-6e7bbc",
      "title": "The Little Book of Common Sense Investing",
      "author": "John C. Bogle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29815529,
          "author": "avgDev",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-05T21:52:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29815529",
          "commentText": "I'm huge on investing. I believe building wealth is extremely important and 18 is a great time to start.\nTherefore, I would recommend \"The simple path to wealth\" and \"The little book of common sense investing\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The little book of common sense investing\".",
          "reason": "Includes it in an explicit recommendation for someone starting to invest.",
          "audience": "Young people starting to build wealth.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26322352,
          "author": "bwh2",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-02T22:59:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 26321793,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books made you the most money?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26322352",
          "commentText": "The Little Book of Common Sense Investing by John Bogle",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Book of Common Sense Investing by John Bogle",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168677,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:31:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168677",
          "commentText": "I can't give just one, but here are a few that had a strong influence on me: \n\"12 Rules for Life\" by Jordan Peterson, \"Why Switzerland?\" Jonathan Steinberg, \"Little Book of Common Sense Investing\" by John C. Bogle, \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" by Butron Malkiel, \"Liberalismus\" by Ludwig von Mises, \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann, \"Walden\" by Henry David Thoreau, \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"A Treatise on Political Economy\" by Jean-Baptiste Say, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy\" by Joseph Alois Schumpeter, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"My Correct Views on Everything\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"The Captive Mind\" Czesław Miłosz, \"One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, \"The House of the Dead\" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, \"Conversations with an Executioner\" by Kazimierz Moczarski, \"Diary 1954\" by Leopold Tyrmand, \"The Master and Margarita\" by Mikhail Bulgakov, \"A World Apart: A Memoir of the Gulag\" by Gustaw Herling-Grudziński",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Little Book of Common Sense Investing\" by John C. Bogle",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a strong influence on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 248600,
          "author": "eposts",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T15:59:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248600",
          "commentText": "Here is a good list:\nhttp://www.bogleheads.org/readbooks.htm\nGeneral Investing\n# The Four Pillars of Investing - by William (\"Bill\") Bernstein.\n# Wise Investing Made Simple or The Only Guide to a Winning Investment Strategy You'll Ever Need - by Larry Swedroe\n# The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing - by Taylor Larimore, Mel Lindauer, and Michael LeBoeuf\n# All About Asset Allocation - by Rick Ferri\n# The Informed Investor - by Frank Armstrong\n# The Little Book of Common Sense Investing - by John \"Jack\" Bogle\n# The Coffeehouse Investor - by Bill Schultheis.\nInvestor Behavior\n# Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes And How To Correct Them - by Gary Belsky and Thomas Gilovich\n# Your Money and Your Brain: How the New Science of Neuroeconomics Can Help Make You Rich - by Jason Zweig\n# Rational Investing in Irrational Times: How to Avoid the Costly Mistakes Even Smart People Make Today - by Larry Swedroe\nFinancial History\n# Against the Gods and Capital Ideas - by Peter L. Bernstein\n# Devil Take the Hindmost: A History of Financial Speculation - by Edward Chancellor\n# A Random Walk Down Wall Street - by Burton Malkiel\nLike others here have mentioned, http://www.bogleheads.org/ is a great forum for Vanguard investors.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Book of Common Sense Investing - by John \"Jack\" Bogle",
          "reason": "Listed as a general investing book in response to a request for learning resources.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking general investing resources.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John C. Bogle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "index investing",
        "personal finance",
        "index funds",
        "investing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-lost-fleet-f6e93d",
      "title": "The Lost Fleet",
      "author": "Jack Campbell",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28059025,
          "author": "johntdaly",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T09:35:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28059025",
          "commentText": "SciFi\nThe Bobiverse Series by Dennis E. Taylor\nThe Singularity Trap and Outland, also by Dennis E. Taylor\nThe Interdependency Series by John Scalzi\nSciFi + Comedy\nExpeditionary Force Series by Craig Alanson\nMilitary SciFi\nThe Lost Fleet Series by Jack Campbell\nThe Palladium Wars Series by Marko Kloos\nA bit of all of the above\nMurderbot Diaries Series by Martha Wells\nSciFi/SciFantasy + Comedy\nMagic 2.0 by Scott Mayer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Lost Fleet Series by Jack Campbell",
          "reason": "Lists the series as a military science fiction recommendation.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking military science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10784101,
          "author": "skorgu",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:39:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10784101",
          "commentText": "I was on a sf kick this year apparently.\nFull list (why can't amazon show me the read dates of my kindle books?!):\n- Ancillary Sword\n- The Magician's Land\n- The Three Body Problem (incomplete)\n- Libriomancer, Codex Born, Unbound\n- Thank You, Jeeves\n- Omon Ra (incomplete)\n- Stations of the Tide\n- 1Q84 (staggeringly incomplete)\n- The Desert Spear (incomplete)\n- The Lost Fleet: {Dauntless,Fearless,Courageous} (third \none incomplete)\n- Superintelligence\n- Nexus, Crux (incomplete)\n- Another Fine Myth\n- The Annihilation Score\n- The Man with the Golden Torc, Daemons are Forever\n- The Fractal Prince (incomplete)\n- Crooked\n- Ancillary Mercy\n- The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet\n- The Traitor Baru Cormarant\n- Excession\n- Hive Mind\n- Seveneves",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "- The Lost Fleet: {Dauntless,Fearless,Courageous} (third \none incomplete)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The third listed book is incomplete.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8944742,
          "author": "fendale",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-25T23:44:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944742",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed the Honor Harrington series by David Webber. I've also read most of the Safehold series, also by Webber, which has been excellent so far.\nCurrently half way through the Lost Fleet Series, which is pretty good too.\nQuite different from the 3 series above, the Rho Agenda was very good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Currently half way through the Lost Fleet Series, which is pretty good too.",
          "reason": "Says the series is pretty good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Currently halfway through the series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6898818,
          "author": "ajford",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T03:01:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6898818",
          "commentText": "For me, it's a tie between Daemon by Daniel Suarez and The Lost Fleet series by Jack Campbell.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Lost Fleet series by Jack Campbell.",
          "reason": "Named as one of the commenter's two best books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6388569,
          "author": "dietervds",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T09:40:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6388569",
          "commentText": "I'm a huge fan of Daemon and Freedom(tm) by Daniel Suarez. I guess you can call it a 'technology thriller', with some amazing ideas and impressions of our society. His most recent book, Kill Decision, is along similar lines and also great.\nI love reading actual sci-fi too, and was most impressed by the Lost Fleet series by Jack Campbell. Can absolutely recommend those.\nNote: I didn't come to these titles myself, they were recommended by Steve Gibson from the 'Security Now' podcast. I couldn't agree more with his taste.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Lost Fleet series by Jack Campbell. Can absolutely recommend those.",
          "reason": "Explicitly says they can absolutely recommend the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jack Campbell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military science fiction",
        "space opera",
        "space fleet",
        "space warfare"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-magic-of-thinking-big-41ed82",
      "title": "The Magic of Thinking Big",
      "author": "David J. Schwartz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11229635,
          "author": "toumhi",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T14:51:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229635",
          "commentText": "Self-help/personal development/philosophy:\n- The obstacle is the way (Ryan Holiday)\n- Meditations (Marcus Aurelius)\n- Level up your life: how to unlock adventure and happiness by becoming the hero of your own story\n- the six pillars of self-esteem\n- so good they can’t ignore you\n- the power of habit\n- how to fail at almost everything and still win big\nBusiness:\n- soft sell: the new art of selling\n- essentialism: the disciplined pursuit of less\n- the magic of thinking big\n- everything is negotiable\n- making things happen\n- lean customer development\n- what customers want\n- inspired: how to create products customers love\n- delivering happiness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the magic of thinking big",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785719,
          "author": "martythemaniak",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T21:18:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785719",
          "commentText": "Leave it to Psmith - 10/10\nAnna Karenina - 8/10\nThe Code of the Woosters 8/10\nFooled by Randomness 7/10\nFinding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life 8/10\nHow to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia 9/10\nReluctant Fundamentalist 9/10\nThe Sense of an Ending - Julian Barnes 8/10\nThe Last Question - Asimov - 9/10\nThe Magic of Thinking Big - 6/10\nThe catcher in the Rye 8/10\nModels 7/10\nHigh Fidelity - Nick Hornby 8/10\nThe Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman 7/10\nThe Surrender Experiment - 10/10\nUntethered Soul - 9/10\nThe Autobiography of a Yogi - 7/10\nRaja Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 7/10\nSomething Fresh, something new - 7/10\nKarma Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 8/10\nThinking, Fast and Slow - 9/10\nFierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates 10/10\nThe Pearl by John Steinbeck 7/10",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Magic of Thinking Big - 6/10",
          "reason": "Rates the book 6/10.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5501176,
          "author": "onelovelyname",
          "createdAt": "2013-04-05T21:33:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 5501062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Business Book For a 13-year-old Girl?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5501176",
          "commentText": "I was once a 13-year-old girl and loved writing short stories and learning about business. Some books that worked for me:\n- The 4-Hour Work Week, by Tim Ferriss\n- Rich Dad, Poor Dad, by Guy Kawasaki\n- The Magic of Thinking Big, by David. J Schwartz\n- Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey\nOne not super related to business but a great short read: Vagabonding by Rolf Potts. That book taught me to think creatively about my goals and not to allow traditional expectations to stop me from accomplishing them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Magic of Thinking Big, by David. J Schwartz",
          "reason": "Offered among books that worked for the commenter when learning about business.",
          "audience": "A young person interested in business.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2150409,
          "author": "kthodla",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-28T01:29:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2150409",
          "commentText": "The Biology of Belief by Bruce H. Lipton\nThe Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand\nThe Attractor Factor by Joe Vitale\nThe Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David J. Schwartz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal development",
        "goal setting",
        "mindset",
        "self help"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-man-who-loved-only-numbers-1432be",
      "title": "The Man Who Loved Only Numbers",
      "author": "Paul Hoffman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31491152,
          "author": "Beltiras",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T12:34:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31491152",
          "commentText": "The book that opened my eyes to what Math really was is a biography on Paul Erdös, The man who loved only numbers. Another really invaluable resource for me was How to solve it by Polya.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The man who loved only numbers.",
          "reason": "The commenter says this biography opened their eyes to what mathematics really was.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15968028,
          "author": "edanm",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-20T08:50:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15968028",
          "commentText": "Awesome! I'll check them out. (Read The Man Who Loved Only Numbers already, it's great).\nIf you're looking for something else, \"Journey Through Genius\" is absolutely the best semi-pop-science Math book. It's premise is that it goes through about 10 of the most interesting proofs in mathematics, giving their history and context, then the actual proof.\nIt does what few other \"pop\" books attempt - it actually gives the real proof, taking you through all the steps. If you work it, you come away actually knowing how to prove the various things there. More interestingly, it gives the original historic proof, which is not what you always encounter. It even tends to explain the problems with the original proof, if any. And since it gives the history, you learn a lot.\nIt's by far my favorite non-textbook math book, and I can't recommend it more highly if you're into that sort of thing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "(Read The Man Who Loved Only Numbers already, it's great).",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly says the book is great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15965672,
          "author": "BlackjackCF",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T23:53:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15965672",
          "commentText": "Yup! Making my way through Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea right now. It's a little more \"pop math\" than Fermat's Enigma or The Code Book.\nI also have The Man Who Loved Only Numbers and Elliptic Tales on my to-read list once I wrap up Zero.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I also have The Man Who Loved Only Numbers and Elliptic Tales on my to-read list once I wrap up Zero.",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a book on the commenter's to-read list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Planning to read it does not itself indicate endorsement.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 202942,
          "author": "diego",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T03:41:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=202942",
          "commentText": "Along the same lines, \"The Man Who Loved Only Numbers\", about Paul Erdos. Very enjoyable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Man Who Loved Only Numbers\", about Paul Erdos. Very enjoyable.",
          "reason": "Calls it very enjoyable and offers it as a similar biography.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135906,
          "author": "fogus",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-13T12:45:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135906",
          "commentText": "Off the top of my head:\n- Soul of a New Machine\n- The Cuckoo's Egg\n- Revolution in the Valley\n- Fire in the Valley\n- Compilers by Sethi, Ullman, Aho\n- Masters of Doom\n- iWoz\n- Steve Jobs & the NeXT Big Thing\n- Crypto\n- Code\n- The Man Who Loved Only Numbers\n- The Man Who Knew Infinity\n- ANSI Common LISP\nMost of the books above are recommended because once reading them you will have an uncontrollable urge to immediately create something brilliant.  You will not be able to stop yourself.\n-m",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The Man Who Loved Only Numbers",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter recommends for their motivating effect.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computing and creating things.",
          "caveat": "The claimed effect is an uncontrollable urge to create something brilliant.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Hoffman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "paul erdos",
        "mathematical biography",
        "mathematicians",
        "mathematics biography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-one-thing-6287a5",
      "title": "The ONE Thing",
      "author": "Gary Keller and Jay Papasan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46700283,
          "author": "undopamine",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-21T01:59:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 46690957,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What non-fiction do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46700283",
          "commentText": "I've started 'The One Thing' by Gary Keller and it's serving as a helpful reminder to keep my focus undiluted.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The One Thing' by Gary Keller",
          "reason": "The commenter says it serves as a helpful reminder to keep their focus undiluted.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27638430,
          "author": "muzani",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T02:11:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27638430",
          "commentText": "My main criticism of GTD is that it's a bottom up approach. It proposes that if you get enough things done, your purpose will emerge. But frequently you make progress in the wrong direction. E.g. for me it was a year trying to set up a coffee stand or starting a blog. There was progress and it felt really important at the time but wasn't.\nWhen it's usually the opposite. Once you have a purpose, you will know the right things to do.\nAnd sometimes you have to let go. There's a book, The Perfect Mess (Freedman, Abrahamson), which proposes that mess is more efficient than order.\nAnother approach is several lists based on your life priorities. I'd recommend the book The 1 Thing (G. Keller), which can combo very well with GTD or even without it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend the book The 1 Thing (G. Keller)",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as an approach based on life-priority lists, compatible with GTD or usable alone.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it can be combined with GTD or used without it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14486662,
          "author": "Anand_S",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T11:04:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14486662",
          "commentText": "1. The One Thing. ~ Gary Keller\n2. Mini Habits. ~ Stephen Guise\n3. Learned Optimism. ~ Martin Seligman\n4. Spark. ~ John Ratey\n5. Miracle of Mindfulness. ~ Thich nhat hanh",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1. The One Thing. ~ Gary Keller",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10324784,
          "author": "codemonkeymike",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T18:09:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10324784",
          "commentText": "These two books are must reads for sure (Or must listens, both are well narrated in audio book form)\n* The One Thing By Gary Keller and Jay Papasan\n* Soft Skills By John Sonmez",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "These two books are must reads for sure",
          "reason": "Describes the books as must-reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Also recommends the audiobook versions.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gary Keller",
        "Jay Papasan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "productivity",
        "focus",
        "prioritization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-one-minute-manager-9aa661",
      "title": "The One Minute Manager",
      "author": "Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21740363,
          "author": "thewileyone",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-09T04:15:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21740363",
          "commentText": "The One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard.  It's simple but effective and malleable once you've had some experience.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard.  It's simple but effective and malleable once you've had some experience.",
          "reason": "Described as simple, effective, and adaptable with experience.",
          "audience": "People learning leadership.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it becomes malleable after gaining some experience.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16757106,
          "author": "ddingus",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T17:46:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16757106",
          "commentText": "Machinists handbook from the 60's era.  I value it for the pre computer ways of thinking.  Lots of gold in that one.\nMOS 6502 series data book.\nMoto 6809 Programmers Reference.\nI actually had someone take me to the local Motorola office to get the 6809 book.  Docs were free for the asking, and a kid asking was quite the event.  Aspects of that conversation were important to my life.\nI still have occasion to do paid work, and enjoy fun projects with both chips, and or variants seen today.  These are few and far between, but very enjoyable.  Mostly perspective and nostalgia in these.  It's my roots.\nThe One Minute Manager parable has served me well mentoring and leading.\nOn Writing by Stephen King.  Being able to tell a story with clarity has far more utility than one would expect.  Besides, I want to write a novel one day.\nThe Art of Electronics, second edition.  Probably need to update that one.\nA Tektronix \"How to use an Oscilloscope\" book, well matched to my old, analog 400Mhz, 4 channel scope.\nANSI / ASME  geometric dimensioning, tolerancing, standards books.  2D technical communication remains significant in my life.\nRecent addition:  Mold making Handbook.\nI need a good primer and a good polymer tech reference.  Any suggestions?\n\"Pirates of the Asteroids\", childhood sci-fi.  Again, perspective.  Was the first one I really read through and got as a kid.  Kept it, because asshole reminder.  'Nuff said.  It's just a personal totem.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The One Minute Manager parable has served me well mentoring and leading.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it has served them well in mentoring and leadership.",
          "audience": "People mentoring or leading others.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2172878,
          "author": "xstaticdev",
          "createdAt": "2011-02-03T00:13:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 2172825,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: If you could recommend only three management books...",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2172878",
          "commentText": "Let's see.. heres a few I'd recommend....\nGood to Great by Jim Collins\nOne Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard\nFirst, Break All The Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman\n7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey\nIn Search of Excellence by Tom Peters",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard",
          "reason": "Lists it among books they would recommend to new managers.",
          "audience": "New managers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 137920,
          "author": "Flemlord",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-16T03:18:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=137920",
          "commentText": "High Tech Start Up - John L. Nesheim\nCrossing the Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nOne Minute Manager (but only if you've never had management experience)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "One Minute Manager (but only if you've never had management experience)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "People without management experience.",
          "caveat": "The commenter recommends it only if you've never had management experience.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kenneth Blanchard and Spencer Johnson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "management",
        "leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-power-of-habit-why-we-do-what-we-do-in-life-and-business-8f23dd",
      "title": "The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business",
      "author": "Charles Duhigg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12416163,
          "author": "b_emery",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T20:48:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416163",
          "commentText": "The most important books I've read in the last 10 yrs (with respect to professional growth) are:\nTalent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else, by G. Colvin\nThe Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, by C. Duhigg\nThese books have reshaped how I work and how I think about work. With the knowledge contained in these books it's not hard to outline the daily routines needed to be great at just about anything.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "These books have reshaped how I work and how I think about work.",
          "reason": "Says the listed books reshaped how they work and think about work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12098494,
          "author": "mindfulgeek",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T01:47:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12098494",
          "commentText": "The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business\nSeven Habits of Highly Effective People\nNonViolent Communication: A Language of Life",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6899636,
          "author": "rk0567",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T08:54:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6899636",
          "commentText": "\"The power of habit\" http://charlesduhigg.com/the-power-of-habit",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The power of habit",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for the best book read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5324002,
          "author": "pkhamre",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-05T11:55:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 5323956,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: which are some good self-help books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5324002",
          "commentText": "The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business - http://www.amazon.com/Power-Habit-What-Life-Business/dp/1400... (http://www.amazon.com/Power-Habit-What-Life-Business/dp/1400069289)\nHow to Stop Worrying and Start Living - http://www.amazon.com/How-Stop-Worrying-Start-Living/dp/0671... (http://www.amazon.com/How-Stop-Worrying-Start-Living/dp/0671035975/)\nHow to Win Friends & Influence People - http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/06... (http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0671027034/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Duhigg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "behavior change",
        "habit formation",
        "habits"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Navigate life",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-prize-the-epic-quest-for-oil-money-power-3504a3",
      "title": "The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power",
      "author": "Daniel Yergin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25319265,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T23:00:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319265",
          "commentText": "I found 'The Prize', a history of the development of the oil industry, by Daniel Yergin, to be fascinating.\nPerhaps closer to your request, 'Kitchen Confidential' by Anthony Bourdain comes the closest to describing life in a restaurant kitchen in a very entertaining way. (Source: Was once a dishwasher and cook in a couple places.) If you like Bourdain, his friend, Michael Ruhlman has several books on being, and becoming, a chef.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Prize', a history of the development of the oil industry, by Daniel Yergin, to be fascinating.",
          "reason": "Described as fascinating.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21793190,
          "author": "ellius",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T23:39:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793190",
          "commentText": "• The Revolt of the Public: No book has done a better job of describing the current moment in history\n• Masters of Doom: Reminded me what it means to care about work and have fun doing it\n• Team of Rivals: A remarkable work of history and portrait of a man\n• The Undercover Economist\n• Fooled by Randomness\n• The Prize",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Prize",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15157970,
          "author": "vpribish",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T20:15:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15157970",
          "commentText": "Goedel, Escher, Bach -- If you're reading this page you will dig this book.\nGuns, Germs, and Steel -- how circumstance drove civilizations. Fun storytelling even if it's a bit too \"just-so\".  definitely trains you to look at any situation and seek it's origins with less initial judgement.\nThe Visual Display of Quantitive Information -- gets at the essence of communication and medium.  more than it seems!\nThe Alchemy of Finance -- \"reflexivity\", but if you're also interested in Soros or some finance storytelling it's worth it.\nThe Selfish Gene -- as everyone else has said.\nThe Prize -- the history of oil.  huh?  yeah.  Likely to change how you look at the history of technology, government, power, the saudis, and geopolitics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Likely to change how you look at the history of technology, government, power, the saudis, and geopolitics.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is likely to change how readers view history and geopolitics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12494191,
          "author": "dredmorbius",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-14T04:13:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12494191",
          "commentText": "From a recent HN comment,  a list, some authors, and some guidelines, largely based on books which radically changed my thinking.\nCurrently:  Vaclav Smil, Energy in World History (1994), and Manfred Weissenbacher, Sources of Power (2009).  Both detail the role and impact of energy through world history.  The latter draws strongly on the first, both are exceedingly well documented.  TL;DR: coal changed much, oil changed everything.\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/3... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/30398523&referer=brief_results)\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foragin... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foraging-agriculture-and-coal/oclc/837625798&referer=brief_results)\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625970&referer=brief_results)\nJames Burke's books Connections and The Day the Universe Changed, and their accompanying television series, were a profound introduction to the history of technology, science, ideas, and philosophy.  Though 30+ years old, they remain highly current and relevant.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/connections/oclc/4494136\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/day-the-universe-changed/oclc... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/day-the-universe-changed/oclc/12049817)\nJeremy Campbell's Grammatical Man (1984) introduced the concepts of information theory and their deep, deep, deep interconnections to a tremendous number of interconnected systems, many not explored within his book.  Darwin's The Origin of Species, James Gleick's Chaos, and many of the works of Santa Fe Institute members, including John C. Holland, J. Doyne Farmer, Geoffrey West, W. Brian Arthur, David Krakauer, and Sander van der Leeuw, continue these themes.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-e... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-entropy-language-and-life/oclc/8306673)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/chaos-making-a-new-science/oc... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/chaos-making-a-new-science/oclc/15366709)\nWilliam Ophuls' Ecology and the Politics of Scarcity (1977) is perhaps the best, most comprehensive, shortest, and most readable exposition of the fact, reality, dynamics, and interactions of limits on the present phase of fossil-fuel fed economic growth I've found.  This is a book I recommend not only for the message, but the author's clarity of thought and exposition, his meticulous research, exquisite bibliographical notes, and, given the nearly 30 years elapsed, testability numerous of his predictions, some failed, yes, others uncannily accurate.  Rather more the latter.  In a similar vein, William R. Catton's Overshoot looks at the ecological dynamics in more depth, with much wisdom, the writings of Richard Heinberg cover the ground of limits fairly accessibly and more recently.  Vaclav Smil in numerous books addresses technical factors of the profound nature of the past 250 years, and implications for the future.  Meadows, et al, in Limits to Growth set off much of the post-1970 discussion (though they're hardly the first to raise the question -- it dates to Seneca the Elder),\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-s... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-scarcity-prologue-to-a-political-theory-of-the-steady-state/oclc/2524932)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/overshoot-the-ecological-basi... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/overshoot-the-ecological-basis-of-revolutionary-change/oclc/6195764)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Aheinberg%2C+richard&a... (https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Aheinberg%2C+richard&amp;qt=owc_search)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Asmil%2C+vaclav&amp;qt... (https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Asmil%2C+vaclav&amp;qt=results_page)\nThough hardly pessimistic, Daniel Yergin's book The Prize (and TV series) impressed upon me more than any other just how much petroleum specifically changed and transformed the modern world.  Though intended largely as laudetory and championing the oil industry by the author, my read of it was exceptionally cautionary.  The impacts on business, everyday life, politics, wars, industry, and transport, and the rate at which they occurred, are simply staggering.  You can continue this exploration in Vaclav Smil's Energy in World History (1994) (I've recommended Smil independently elsewhere), and a rare but profound two-volume set I'm currently reading, Manfred Weissenbacher's Sources of Power: How energy forges human history (2009).  The shear physicality of this book speaks to the message -- it's divided into five parts:  1) Foraging Age (6 pages), 2) Agricultural Age (156 pp), 3) Coal Age (160 pp),  4) Oil Age (296 pp), and 5) Beyond the Oil Age (142 pp).  That is, the ~2 million years of pre-agricultural existence are little more than a footnote, the 8,000 years of agriculture roughly equal to the 150 years of coal, and the 100 years of petroleum use roughly twice either.  The oil and post-oil ages comprise their own volume.  Yergin followed up with The Quest, continuing the search for oil, though I've been less impressed by it.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/prize-the-epic-quest-for-oil-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/prize-the-epic-quest-for-oil-money-and-power/oclc/22381448)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/30398523)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foragi... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foraging-agriculture-and-coal/oclc/837625798)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/83762... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625970)\nAdam Smith's An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations is among the most-cited (and most incorrectly cited), least-read books of high influence I'm aware of, outside religious texts (and perhaps it is a religious text to some…).  The author's message has been exceptionally shaped and manipulated by a powerful set of forces, quite often utterly misrepresenting Smith's original intent.  Reading him in his own words, yourself, is strongly recommended.  I'd also recommend scholarship particularly by Emma Rothschild and Gavin Kennedy, though also others, on Smith. Contrast with the portrayal by the propaganda disinformation front of the Mont Pelerin Society / Atlas Network / so-called Foundation for Economic Education, and much of the modern American Libertarian movement (von Mises, Hayek, Friedman, Hazlett, Rothbard, and more recently, Norberg).  Contrast The Invisible Hand (1964), a compilation of essays published by Libertarian house Regnery Press in 1966, at the beginning of the rise in public use of Smith's metaphor to indictate mechanism rather than an expression of the unknown.\nThere are numerous editions of Smith, I believe the Glasgow is frequently cited by Smith scholars:  https://www.worldcat.org/title/glasgow-edition-of-the-works-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/glasgow-edition-of-the-works-and-correspondence-of-adam-smith-2-an-inquiry-into-the-nature-and-causes-of-the-wealth-of-nations-vol-1/oclc/832488566)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/economic-sentiments-adam-smit... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/economic-sentiments-adam-smith-condorcet-and-the-enlightenment/oclc/45282974)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smith-and-the-invisible-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smith-and-the-invisible-hand/oclc/820387997)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smiths-lost-legacy/oclc/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smiths-lost-legacy/oclc/56598640)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/invisible-hand-a-collection-o... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/invisible-hand-a-collection-of-essays-on-the-economic-philosophy-of-free-enterprise/oclc/326622)\nI'd like to put in recommendations on technology specifically, but am still searching for a good general text.  The material's covered somewhat in the chaos and complexity recommendations above (Campbell et al), though I'd add Joseph Tainter's The Collapse of Complex Societies.  Charle's Perrow has several excellent books including Normal Accidents and Organizing America.   I'd like to reference something concerning Unix, Linux, and programming, perhaps Kernighan and Pike's The Unix Programming Environment, Linus Torvalds' Just for Fun, Richard Stallman's The GNU Manifesto, and Steve McConnel's Code Complete.  The O'Reilly book Unix Power Tools also encapsulates much the strength of the Unix toolset.  All these are somewhat dated.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/collapse-of-complex-societies... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/collapse-of-complex-societies/oclc/15083222)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/normal-accidents-living-with-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/normal-accidents-living-with-high-risk-technologies/oclc/10229932)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/organizing-america-wealth-pow... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/organizing-america-wealth-power-and-the-origins-of-corporate-capitalism/oclc/939707157)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-programming-environment/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-programming-environment/oclc/10269821)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/5238168... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/52381684)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "impressed upon me more than any other just how much petroleum specifically changed and transformed the modern world.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it showed the transformative effect of petroleum and found the account staggering.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The author intended to champion the oil industry, while the commenter found the book cautionary.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1974667,
          "author": "mg74",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T09:49:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974667",
          "commentText": "Cosmos by John North.\nThis book is just threatening to be a masterpiece. An overview of mans scientific ideas about the stars and the planets and the cosmos in general from before Ptolemy to Einstein and modern times. Absolutely epic in scope. This book is to the history of astronomy like \"The Prize\" is to the history of oil, only bigger.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "This book is to the history of astronomy like \"The Prize\" is to the history of oil",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Yergin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "oil industry",
        "energy history",
        "geopolitics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-problems-of-philosophy-60941a",
      "title": "The Problems of Philosophy",
      "author": "Bertrand Russell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31975206,
          "author": "ImageXav",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-04T09:34:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31975206",
          "commentText": "I would have to say Bertrand Russell's The Problems of Philosophy. A short book, it covers the limits of knowledge and how to think about the world.\nEvery time I read it I discover something new, and it would be a good companion guide through life if I could read nothing else.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bertrand Russell's The Problems of Philosophy.",
          "reason": "Selected as a life companion; the commenter says rereading reveals something new and describes its coverage of knowledge and thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a short book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467422,
          "author": "KKPMW",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:22:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467422",
          "commentText": "\"The problems of philosophy\" by Bertrand Russell. ~8 times.\n\"The abolition of man\" by \"C.S. Lewis\" 3 times.\n\"The Reign of Quantity and the Signs of the Times\" by René Guénon. 3 times, and planning to set a weekend for another re-read soon.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The problems of philosophy\" by Bertrand Russell. ~8 times.",
          "reason": "Reports rereading it about eight times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17938850,
          "author": "dmccunney",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-08T01:21:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17938850",
          "commentText": "An assortment:\n\"The Silent Language\" by Edward T. Hall.\nHall was an anthropologist attached to the University of New Mexico.  He and his research partner, linguist Norman Trager, were doing research in comparative culture.  Hall realized they would need a comprehensive theory of culture to describe what they were comparing and provide ways to compare them.  Hall's model was \"culture as communication\", and the results were presented in the book above.  His key point was that most of culture was like the iceberg - 90% of it is processed on an unconscious reflex level.  We are no more aware of most of our culture than a fish is of the water it swims in.  We only become aware when we are set down in a culture that does things differently than ours. The Silent Language is about how we use space.  The followup \"The Hidden Dimension looks into how different cultures use time. Many things fell into place when I read Hall.\n\"Games People Play\" by Eric Berne.\nBerne was a psychiatrist and founder of the discipline of Transactional Analysis.  Games People Play was a PopSci bestseller when first published, which was odd because it's a highly technical volume written for other psychiatrists.  His thesis was that most human behavior could be viewed as games, and most of what we did were ways of structuring time.  Follow up with his \"What Do You Say After You've Said Hello?\" and \"Beyond Games and Scripts\".  Hall's work above did much to explain teh behavior of societies.  Berne's work does much to explain the behavior of people in societies.\n\"The Anatomy of Criticism\" by Northrop Frye.\nFrye was a Professor of English at Toronto University.  He had completed a study of William Blake called \"Fearful Symmetry\", and was attempting to do a study of Spencer's Faery Queen.  But he found himself trying to make sense of various terms used in literature, and the result became a work of pure theory, unconnected with any specific works.  He refers to poetry and poetics, but his canvas is broader.  Part of his problem was that there was no general term in English for a work of prose fiction.  It's a set of four essays, covering Historical Criticism, Ethical Criticism, Archetypal Criticism, and Rhetorical Criticism, but makes clear that while each form is valid in its own terms, none fully described literature, and a more synoptic view was required.\n\"The Structure of Scientific Revolutions\" by Thomas S. Kuhn\nKuhn's work challenged the accepted notions of scientific progress, and the notion of steady accumulation.  His thesis was that the real progress came from notions that lay outside accepted theories, and provided new paradigms by which reality might be understood, and faced all the resistance transformative ideas face from entrenched doctrine until they are demonstrated to be correct.\n\"Management: Tasks, Practices, Responsibilities\" by Peter F. Drucker.\nDrucker was our present generation's primary primary theorist and consultant on the practice of management, and just what management was and what mangers did.  This work was probably his magnum opus, where he pulled together the ideas he'd formulated elsewhere into a coherent whole.  It's a liberal education not only in management, but in the nature and structure of market based economies.\n\"The Making of Economic Society\" by Robert F. Heilbroner.\nThis is probably the best single volume overview I'm aware of on economics and economic history, beginning with just what an economy is, and the changing conception of economics through history, with the transition from Traditional through Command to Market economies and the issues involved with each.  Many animated discussions I see online about economics make me say \"Those words don't mean what you think they do.  Please read Heilbroner, and come back when you have.  Then we might at least be talking about the same things.\"\n\"The Problems of Philosophy\" by Bertrand Russell.\nRussell is concerned with knowledge, and how we know what we know.  He asks \"Is there any knowledge in the world so certin that no reasonable man could doubt it?\", and concludes that it's one of the most difficult questions that can be asked.  When we understand the obstacles in the way of a straightforward and confident answer, we are launched on the study of philosophy, which is concerned with precisely such questions.  If philosophy is of interest, this is a superb place to start.\n\"Religion and the Rise of Capitalism\" by R. H. Tawney.\nEconomies don't exist in vacuums.  The are aspects of the societies in which they exist, and reflect the values of those societies. Religion has been a critical part of the value systems of societies for as long as there have been societies, and religious notions on what sort of behavior is acceptable affect the structure of economies by determining what sort of transactions are permissible. Tawney is specifically concerned with religious thought in England affecting social organization and economic issues in the period immediately preceding the Reformation and the two following centuries, but while his focus in England, his description of the way in which Christian religious doctrine changed gradually to make a capitalist economy possible in England, the underlying processes could be applied through Europe in general. Read this as a companion to Max Weber's \"The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism\", originally written in German and concerned with the Netherlands and Germany.\n\"Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy\" by Joseph A. Schumpeter.\nSchumpeter was an Austrian economist, a contemporary of John Maynard Keynes, and (briefly) Austria's Finance Minister in the 1920's.  Like Keynes, he considered himself influenced by Marx.  But unlike many others, he believed Marx \"asked all the right questions, and got all the wrong answers\".  Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy was Schumpeter's (often delightfully snarky) attempt to understand what Marx got wrong and why.  It's a useful brainwash after you've spent any time reading MArx or other folks who consider themselves Marxists, and provides a needed sense of perspective.\nThere's more, but I have to stop somewhere...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If philosophy is of interest, this is a superb place to start.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a superb starting point for the study of philosophy.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1228638,
          "author": "tommorris",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-30T07:57:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1228638",
          "commentText": "Elsewhere in the thread, I posted some recommendations on books on philosophy of religion from a non-theistic perspective. I guess I should probably list some books on philosophy generally.\n1. Bertrand Russell - The Problems of Philosophy\nA good introduction to the basic things which philosophers in the Anglo-American/analytic tradition worry about in logic, metaphysics and epistemology (primarily epistemology): induction, a priori knowledge, anti-sceptical arguments, and universals.\n2. Hans-Georg Gadamer - Truth and Method\nYou know about the 'Continental' philosophers, right? All those wacky guys like Derrida. They are all a bit suspicious, right? Like, Heidegger was a Nazi, and Foucault spreads HIV. Yeah, gossip is great. A lot of this type of philosophy seems like bunkum - Alan Sokal showed that, right? Lots of waffly French dudes talking out of their ass, abusing science to basically support their political ideology. Gadamer isn't like that. He sets out to try and answer the question \"how do we understand texts?\" and rather than saying something goofy like \"we just make up what we understand about texts\" or that we deconstruct them by subjecting them to our ideological whims, ripping the book apart to suit whatever the passing fancy is. No, Gadamer tries to explicate how the reading of a book is more of a process that starts with pre-judgement - 'prejudice' in Gadamer's words. Such prejudice is natural and actually quite desirable. You do judge a book by the cover. To understand a book as a whole, you need to understand all the components which make it up. But to understand any bit of the book, you need to understand how it fits into the wider contest of the book. This 'hermeneutic cycle' is daunting, but the only thing you can do is jump on board.\n3. Saul Kripke - Naming and Necessity\nKripke's book is on a slightly strange topic: how we use names. But how he deals with this is an interesting problem is a model of clarity and philosophical excellence. It has also been very influential - the way Kripke solves the problem with names led to other philosophers producing many so-called causal accounts of all sorts of things.\nI'd post some more, but I've got to get the hell out of my hotel room and go to a philosophy conference...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A good introduction to the basic things which philosophers in the Anglo-American/analytic tradition worry about",
          "reason": "Recommended as an introduction to core questions in analytic philosophy.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an introduction to philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bertrand Russell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epistemology",
        "analytic philosophy",
        "introductory philosophy",
        "philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-psychology-of-computer-programming-51f557",
      "title": "The Psychology of Computer Programming",
      "author": "Gerald M. Weinberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35929640,
          "author": "sema4hacker",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T15:59:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35929640",
          "commentText": "The Elements of Programming Style by Kernighan and Plauger\nSoftware Tools by Kernighan and Plauger\nThe Psychology of Computer Programming by Weinberg\nA cartoon-illustrated DIY Honda Civic repair book from the 80's I no longer remember the name of.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Psychology of Computer Programming by Weinberg",
          "reason": "Lists it among books that were eye-opening to the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29314914,
          "author": "kazinator",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-23T05:34:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29314914",
          "commentText": "I read this some quarter century ago. It was about a quarter century old then. It was a big influence.\nPrompted by this comment, I'm reading it again. Holy cow, this is better than I remembered. So relevant too; it's hard to keep in mind that this is from before Unix.\nThe author was involved in numerous cognitive experiments with programmers, and also as a teacher. His group researched programming language development. So a lot of it is from that angle. The book is full of interesting anecdotes and gems of wisdom.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The author was involved in numerous cognitive experiments with programmers",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book is relevant and full of anecdotes and insights.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29313246,
          "author": "kazinator",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-23T00:24:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29313246",
          "commentText": "The psychology of Computer Programming, Gerald Weinberg, 1971.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The psychology of Computer Programming, Gerald Weinberg, 1971.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29308528,
          "author": "Jtsummers",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:53:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29308528",
          "commentText": "The Psychology of Computer Programming by Gerald Weinberg. There's a silver anniversary edition, that's the one to get. It has the author's commentary framing each chapter where he reflects on the contents.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Psychology of Computer Programming by Gerald Weinberg. There's a silver anniversary edition, that's the one to get. It has the author's commentary framing each chapter where he reflects on the contents.",
          "reason": "Recommends the silver anniversary edition and describes its chapter framing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Specifically recommends the silver anniversary edition.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26834528,
          "author": "Jtsummers",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-16T14:46:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 26833319,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book for software engineers (besides the well-known ones)?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26834528",
          "commentText": "The Psychology of Computer Programming by Gerald Weinberg. Some dated language (which he calls out himself in the 25th anniversary edition), but overall very good.\nA Philosophy of Software Design by John Ousterhout, short book, quick read. I'll be rereading it once I figure out which bookshelf my wife hid it on (she doesn't like my bookstack approach to \"organizing\" and moved many things to shelves while I wasn't paying attention).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Psychology of Computer Programming by Gerald Weinberg.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is very good overall.",
          "audience": "Software engineers and programmers",
          "caveat": "Some language is dated, which the author acknowledges in the 25th anniversary edition.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19088156,
          "author": "Insanity",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T18:29:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19088156",
          "commentText": "The psychology of computer programming.\nI recently read that one and it made me see my profession as a software engineer in a new light.\nAt work, I catch myself using possessive pronouns about code a lot for example. It really shone a nice light on the human element and how we reason and think about code and programming.\nReally recommend reading that one!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It really shone a nice light on the human element and how we reason and think about code and programming.\nReally recommend reading that one!",
          "reason": "Recommends it for its perspective on the human side of programming.",
          "audience": "Software engineers and programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gerald M. Weinberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software engineering",
        "programming teams",
        "programmer behavior",
        "programmer psychology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-psychology-of-money-b92539",
      "title": "The Psychology of Money",
      "author": "Morgan Housel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46397616,
          "author": "boarsofcanada",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T23:43:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46397616",
          "commentText": "The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel.\nHighly recommended no matter what your age.\nJust a few chapters into The Art of Spending Money by the same author. So far very good as well.\nBoth cover how personal finance is, first and foremost, personal and specific to an individual and highly dependent on your life experience.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel.\nHighly recommended no matter what your age.",
          "reason": "The commenter highly recommends it to readers of any age.",
          "audience": "Readers of any age.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41558722,
          "author": "sylviangth",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-16T18:00:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41558722",
          "commentText": "Same as ever by Morgan Housel, also the author of the Psychology of Money. This book is not directly related to startups, but I have read it, and it is full of timeless lessons that could apply to startups, like planning pessimistically yet dreaming optimistically, the compounding effect, and many more. I think it could set you in a good mindset for startups, especially in the early stage, though I think this book could resonate with anyone. It’s quite new, but it’s one of the best reads of mine this year.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "also the author of the Psychology of Money",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned as another book by the same author, without an endorsement here.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40282937,
          "author": "praving5",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T06:27:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40282937",
          "commentText": "Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel.\nTimeless advice on money and life management",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel. Timeless advice on money and life management",
          "reason": "Calls it timeless advice on money and life management.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32197806,
          "author": "yamrzou",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:22:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197806",
          "commentText": "This week, I'm reading Love is a Choice by Frank Minirth, Paul Meier, and Robert Hemfelt. Read about one third of it.\nLast week, I started and finished The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel.\nDuring the past two months, I read 1) Perfectionism: A Relational Approach to Conceptualization, Assessment, and Treatment by Gordon Flett, Paul L. Hewitt, and Samuel F. Mikail, 2) Bad Science by Ben Goldacre, and 3) Neurosis and Human Growth by Karen Horney.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Last week, I started and finished The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they started and finished it last week.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29815270,
          "author": "djohnston",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-05T21:34:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29815270",
          "commentText": "Psychology of Money is a light read that might give you some foundation for finances as you enter adulthood.\nChina: A History by Keay is a pretty great overview of the last 5000 years of Chinese history. This was recommended to me on this very site!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Psychology of Money is a light read that might give you some foundation for finances as you enter adulthood.",
          "reason": "Says it is a light read that can provide a financial foundation.",
          "audience": "People entering adulthood.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29678622,
          "author": "JSONderulo",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T22:59:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29678622",
          "commentText": "Psychology of Money from Morgan Housel was a game-changer. Highly recommend.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Psychology of Money from Morgan Housel was a game-changer. Highly recommend.",
          "reason": "Calls it a game-changer and explicitly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Morgan Housel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Economics",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal finance",
        "behavioral finance",
        "financial behavior",
        "investing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-revolt-of-the-masses-f667c0",
      "title": "The Revolt of the Masses",
      "author": "José Ortega y Gasset",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20914601,
          "author": "whycombagator",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T01:54:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914601",
          "commentText": "The Revolt of the Masses by José Ortega y Gasset\nEdit: Not quite 100 years but will leave it here for posterity",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Revolt of the Masses by José Ortega y Gasset\nEdit: Not quite 100 years but will leave it here for posterity",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for old favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is not quite 100 years old.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17382137,
          "author": "handbanana",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T16:59:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17382137",
          "commentText": "The Revolt of the Masses by Ortega Y Gasset",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Revolt of the Masses by Ortega Y Gasset",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17381911,
          "author": "jxub",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T16:17:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17381911",
          "commentText": "From where I stand, Hispanic and Slavic literature is fairly unknown and underrated on the other side of the pond.\nRamón del Valle Inclán's \"Lights of Bohemia\": A great portrait of Madrid and the dirty guts of the Spain from 100 years ago, written in a gorgeously precise, dark and multifaceted range of vocabulary.\nOrtega y Gasset's \"Rebellion of the Masses\". It is centered in the individual \"I am me and my circumstances\" and its evolution since the enlightenment.\nSapkowski's \"Witcher\". Look for a good translation, lots of Slavic mythology tidbits and wonderfully juicy curse words.\nStanislaw Lem's \"The Star Diaries\". Nice if you like to fantasize about buying pieces for your spaceship in a shopping centre or think about chair-like aliens with 11 different sexes (in the book).\nGabriel Garcia Marquez's \"A hundred years of solitude\". The book is all about \"realismo fantástico\", joining the real and imaginary words in an unforgettable blend.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Rebellion of the Masses\". It is centered in the individual \"I am me and my circumstances\" and its evolution since the enlightenment.",
          "reason": "Includes it among works offered as relatively unknown and underrated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168677,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:31:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168677",
          "commentText": "I can't give just one, but here are a few that had a strong influence on me: \n\"12 Rules for Life\" by Jordan Peterson, \"Why Switzerland?\" Jonathan Steinberg, \"Little Book of Common Sense Investing\" by John C. Bogle, \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" by Butron Malkiel, \"Liberalismus\" by Ludwig von Mises, \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann, \"Walden\" by Henry David Thoreau, \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"A Treatise on Political Economy\" by Jean-Baptiste Say, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy\" by Joseph Alois Schumpeter, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"My Correct Views on Everything\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"The Captive Mind\" Czesław Miłosz, \"One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, \"The House of the Dead\" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, \"Conversations with an Executioner\" by Kazimierz Moczarski, \"Diary 1954\" by Leopold Tyrmand, \"The Master and Margarita\" by Mikhail Bulgakov, \"A World Apart: A Memoir of the Gulag\" by Gustaw Herling-Grudziński",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a strong influence on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416563,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:55:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416563",
          "commentText": "\"I'm wondering which other books have you read that have had the most impact on you professionally or even personally?\"\nProfessionally: Peter F. Drucker's books.\nPersonally: \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann,  \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"Metaphysical Horror\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"Rationality in Economics\" by Vernon L. Smith, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about books with personal impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "José Ortega y Gasset"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mass society",
        "political philosophy",
        "social criticism",
        "spanish philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-road-ahead-d24dad",
      "title": "The Road Ahead",
      "author": "Bill Gates",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33382254,
          "author": "10241024",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T08:54:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382254",
          "commentText": "The Road Ahead by Bill Gates (1995)\nIt made me realize it's not companies I would like to be working at but people I would like to be working with.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Road Ahead by Bill Gates (1995)",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them realize they value coworkers over companies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22709855,
          "author": "homarp",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T07:58:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22709855",
          "commentText": "for the 'road ahead', I guess it's interesting to read both versions (the original edition and the 'Completely revised and up-to-date' that actually takes into account the Internet)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "for the 'road ahead', I guess it's interesting to read both versions",
          "reason": "Suggests reading both editions for comparison.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17205403,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T14:04:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205403",
          "commentText": "Maybe not perfect matches, but a few titles I'm familiar with that you might like:\nDreaming in Code - covers Mitch Kapor's post Lotus effort to build Chandler.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreaming_in_Code\nEveryone Else Must Fail - all about Larry Ellison and Oracle\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Everyone-Else-Must-Fail-Unvarnished/d... (https://www.amazon.com/Everyone-Else-Must-Fail-Unvarnished/dp/0712621482)\nWinners, Losers & Microsoft - title says it all\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Winners-Losers-Microsoft-Competition-... (https://www.amazon.com/Winners-Losers-Microsoft-Competition-Technology/dp/0945999844)\nTwo books by Bill Gates:\nBusiness At The Speed of Thought\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Business-Speed-Thought-Succeeding-Dig... (https://www.amazon.com/Business-Speed-Thought-Succeeding-Digital/dp/0446525685/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1527861952&sr=1-1&keywords=business+at+the+speed+of+thought)\nand\nThe Road Ahead\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Road-Ahead-Completely-Up-Date/dp/0140... (https://www.amazon.com/Road-Ahead-Completely-Up-Date/dp/0140260404/ref=pd_sbs_14_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0140260404&pd_rd_r=ZRRXQ50NEK3EPWVC9FM9&pd_rd_w=q6Fr8&pd_rd_wg=iFPgv&psc=1&refRID=ZRRXQ50NEK3EPWVC9FM9)\nAlso:\nMCI: Failure Is Not An Option\nhttps://www.amazon.com/MCI-Failure-Invented-Competition-Tele... (https://www.amazon.com/MCI-Failure-Invented-Competition-Telecommunications/dp/1888232412/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1527861809&sr=1-1&keywords=failure+is+not+an+option+mci)\nAlready mentioned, but I feel obligated to add another +1 for these three:\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Kidder\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Levy\nThe Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation - Gertner\nAlso, if you enjoy this kind of stuff, you might enjoy the AMC series Halt and Catch Fire. Yes it's fiction and highly dramatized, but it captures a lot of the spirit of the times from the beginnings of the PC era up through the Dot Com Bubble era.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and\nThe Road Ahead",
          "reason": "Listed as one of Bill Gates’s books in a set of titles the reader might like.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in technology and its future.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 408413,
          "author": "Allocator2008",
          "createdAt": "2008-12-24T02:27:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 407067,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Let's start a Hacker News book club",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=408413",
          "commentText": "Let me suggest \"The Road Ahead\" by Bill Gates. It was one of the first computer/software related books I ever read, and I think it is a classic in the field of software business kind of reads. It is accessible by anyone, even non-techie types, and its vision remains important for understanding where we are heading.\nIf anyone here might remember, in 90210, Steve Sanders' father gives this book to him as a graduation present. That in itself should be endorsement enough!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Let me suggest \"The Road Ahead\" by Bill Gates. It was one of the first computer/software related books I ever read, and I think it is a classic in the field of software business kind of reads. It is accessible by anyone, even non-techie types, and its vision remains important for understanding where we are heading.",
          "reason": "Suggests the book as a classic, accessible introduction to software business whose vision remains useful for understanding the future.",
          "audience": "Anyone, including non-tech readers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 81372,
          "author": "ratsbane",
          "createdAt": "2007-11-19T01:40:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 80845,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC:  What is the most embarrassing technical book that you have ever owned?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=81372",
          "commentText": "Anything with \"Certification\" and \"Microsoft\" in the title.  It was a present.  I swear.  IT WAS A GIFT, OKAY?  I have elderly relatives.  [sigh]  On the other hand, that really shouldn't count as a technical book.\nAlso, \"The Road Ahead\" by BillG.  From my aunt.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "\"The Road Ahead\" by BillG.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was a gift and frames it as an embarrassing technical book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It was a gift from the commenter's aunt.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Gates"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "technology forecasting",
        "bill gates",
        "career values",
        "internet history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sprawl-trilogy-45f7f0",
      "title": "The Sprawl Trilogy",
      "author": "William Gibson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42269201,
          "author": "sandy_coyote",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:59:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42269201",
          "commentText": "I caught up with some science fiction this year.\nThe Murderbot diaries books by Martha Wells - 6/10. Mixed on these. They're fun to read. The setting is cool and the worldbuilding is shallow but effective (i.e., don't read it if you want game of thrones in space). Each novella takes an afternoon to read. I think \"snarky violent droid\" is overcooked these days and lost interest after book 5.\nLight by M. John Harrison - 7/10 excellent prose; great multiple-storyline plot; the journey was better than the destination, but it kept me thinking\nFar from the Light of Heaven by Tade Thompson - 7/10 Fun. If \"near future Nigerian/British post-colonial frontier action with guns, robots, and psychic aliens\" sounds cool to you, check it out. I liked his Rosewater Trilogy just as much.\nBlindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts - tough to rate these. brilliant ideas, VERY challenging plots. I wish I didn't get so confused by the end of each book.\nProject Hail Mary by Andy Weir - 6/10 - this and the Martian read like blog posts pasted together. The grand dilemma is spelled out on page one and never gets any deeper. Pro: the plot is in your face on every page and you will never be confused when reading; Con - there is zero internal character development. Read if you like stories driven by applied science, not comparative moral decision-making.\nThe City and the City by China Miéville - 9/10 - you will invariably see something like \"Kafka meets [some affected crime novelist] to describe this book, and that ain't wrong. Kind of SF, kind of fantasy.\nRailsea by China Miéville - 8/10 - great good vs evil YA SF about, well, imagine if trains were like boats. Good character writing, tight plot.\nThe Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi - 8/10 - loved this. More \"realist\" near-future fabulism than Gibson, but if you love cyberpunk, read this.\nThe Shipbreaker Triology by Paolo Bacigalupi - 6/10 - near-future YA science fiction with a lot of blood and guns. Pretty good stories.\nRoadside Picnic by the Strugatsky brothers - 9/10 - reread. I had to go back. This gets a near perfect score because of its style, setting, and plot.\nThe Sprawl Trilogy (Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive) by William Gibson - 9/10 - I had read Neuromancer 3 times but never the next two. I was pleasantly surprised to find the second and third novel easier to read* but just as enjoyable as Neuromancer.\nThe Bridge trilogy by William Gibson - 8/10 so far. I am in the second book. Can't believe I slept on these for the last couple decades.\nnon-SF:\nOur Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981-1991 by Michael Azerrad - 9/10 - if you like punk/hardcore from the 80s, this is a great read.\n* Every time I read Neuromancer, Gibson's literary footguns --holograms, false memories, hallucinations, and drug-addled unreality--make me feel crazy for not being able to follow the plot at times. I'm okay with believing that was the intended effect.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Sprawl Trilogy (Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive) by William Gibson - 9/10",
          "reason": "Rates the trilogy highly and says the later novels were easier to read and just as enjoyable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Neuromancer's plot can be difficult to follow due to its literary devices.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36023446,
          "author": "kcartlidge",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T18:20:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36023446",
          "commentText": "Multiple re-reads:\n- Saga of the Exiles by Julian May, which merges science fiction with folklore/fantasy in Pliocene Earth\n- Hyperion by Dan Simmons, excellent SF with a feel of the Canterbury Tales about it\n- Neuromancer by William Gibson, plus the follow-ups (all the Sprawl) are very good too\n- The Sheep Look Up by John Brunner, about the eco collapse of the US in the 1980s (10 years after it was written) and which William Gibson called a \"brilliant novel\"\nAnd a couple of guilty pleasures:\n- Venus Equilateral by George O Smith, 1940s stories based around a three mile long space station at the L4 point in space, a bit like Babylon 5 meets DS9 in the era of vacuum tubes\n- Necrotech by KC Alexander, a brutal and obscene body-mod cyberpunk dystopia (the sequel of which, Nanoshock, has a superbly offensive opening sentence)\n- Halcyon Drift by Brian Stableford, about a corporate dystopia and a pilot who hooks up his body to merge with his ship (a bit blase now but less so then, especially as I had read far less at the time)\n- Bio of a Space Tyrant by Piers Anthony, a 6 book series following the rise of a refugee to becoming the Tyrant of Jupiter",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "all the Sprawl",
          "reason": "Says the follow-up books are very good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23469566,
          "author": "geoah",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T18:56:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23469566",
          "commentText": "The sprawl (neuromancer etc) and the Jean le Flambeur (quantum thief) trilogies. Both are packed with very interesting concepts and characters.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The sprawl (neuromancer etc)",
          "reason": "Says the trilogy is packed with interesting concepts and characters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22724556,
          "author": "barnabee",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T02:03:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22724556",
          "commentText": "William Gibson. The Bridge trilogy and the Sprawl trilogy, at a minimum. They still feel like maps to the future even now. You have to work at it, the map is not the territory after all, but the realisations about the impact of technology, progress, and the choices we make when we let society work a certain way have been profound, for me at least.\nAlso The Peripheral, and Gibson’s essay in Wired about undersea cables, and... yeah. Having read Gibson feels like a superpower.\nAs others have said:\n- The Hitch Hiker’s Guide\n- Stepehnson’s Diamond Age, Cryptonomicon, Seveneves, Anathem (aside: totally surprised how much love there is for Anathem, I remember it not being received very kindly at the time by people around me, though I liked it.)\n- The Culture series (special shout out to The Player of Games.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bridge trilogy and the Sprawl trilogy, at a minimum.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a map to the future, with reflections on technology, progress, and society's choices.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says you have to work at it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Gibson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyberpunk",
        "dystopian fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-tartar-steppe-51be05",
      "title": "The Tartar Steppe",
      "author": "Dino Buzzati",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40878238,
          "author": "slibhb",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-04T21:35:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40878238",
          "commentText": "I've never really felt like Kafka seems to have and I read a lot, mostly novels. For what it's worth, I don't love Kafka's novels: I think he wanted them burned for a reason -- they're meandering failures. Very clever but they don't go anywhere. His short stories, though, are excellent.\nOff the top of my head, the most moving books I've read are The First Circle, any long Dostoevsky novel, The Master and Margarita, The Tartar Steppe, any Elena Ferrante, any Cormac McCarthy, some Murakami (Ryu and Haruki), Gene Wolf (The Book of the New Sun), 2666, parts of Moby Dick, any Alice Munro. All well known \"good books\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Tartar Steppe",
          "reason": "Includes it among the commenter’s most moving books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936931,
          "author": "ColonelBlimp",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T10:19:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936931",
          "commentText": "Since time is a key part of the OP's question, The Tartar Steppe by Dino Buzzati (published in Italy in 1940 as Il deserto dei Tartari) is an excellent novel about life and time. In other words, the mistakes we often make with how we spend our lives, time wasted without a clear purpose or enjoyment. I read it when I was in my twenties and it had a great impact on me. Now in my early fifties, I'm not sure I would have the courage to read it again.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Tartar Steppe by Dino Buzzati",
          "reason": "An excellent novel about life, time, and mistakes in how we spend our lives.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure they would have the courage to reread it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17393653,
          "author": "paolgiacometti",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-25T16:28:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17393653",
          "commentText": "I suggest \"The Tartar Steppe by Dino Buzzati\". A great book about the meaningless of everyman planning about leaving a successful life. Mr. Paolomar by Italo Calvino is another last century Italian masterpiece with the reflection of a math teacher about the world and life in general.\nwikipedia \nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tartar_Steppe",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I suggest \"The Tartar Steppe by Dino Buzzati\". A great book about the meaningless of everyman planning about leaving a successful life.",
          "reason": "Explicitly suggests the book and describes its theme.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7001473,
          "author": "sobbybutter",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-02T19:08:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 7001282,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7001473",
          "commentText": "Antifragile by Nassim Taleb\nInvisible Cities by Italo Calvino\nIl deserto dei tartari (The Tartar Steppe) by Dino Buzzati\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Il deserto dei tartari (The Tartar Steppe) by Dino Buzzati",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that inspired readers or changed their worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dino Buzzati"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "existential fiction",
        "existentialism",
        "italian literature",
        "purpose"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-three-stigmata-of-palmer-eldritch-af9f94",
      "title": "The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch",
      "author": "Philip K. Dick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36022077,
          "author": "anotherhue",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:43:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36022077",
          "commentText": "I had a genuine mini existential crisis at the end of Palmer Eldritch.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "at the end of Palmer Eldritch",
          "reason": "The commenter describes having a mini existential crisis at the book’s ending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021585,
          "author": "mbustamanter",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:55:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021585",
          "commentText": "Two favorite books of mine I've seldom seen mentioned but I think are gems: The three stigmata of Palmer Eldritch and Time out of joint, both by Philip K. Dick. The first plays with several layers of reality along the book. One time I found myself re-reading some passages because there were so many layers it was hard to follow, but it's worth it. The second is (if I recall correctly) the inspiration for a 90s pop movie starring Jim Carrey. I won't mention the name because it might give away some plot points.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The three stigmata of Palmer Eldritch",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a favorite and says its layered realities can be hard to follow, but worth it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some passages may be hard to follow because of its many layers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31968793,
          "author": "softwarebeware",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T16:17:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31968793",
          "commentText": "Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch",
          "reason": "Named as the book the commenter would reread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12069759,
          "author": "jdmoreira",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T08:57:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12069759",
          "commentText": "\"Present Shock\" by Douglas Rushkoff\n\"Super Forecasting\" by Philip Tetlock, Dan Gardner\n\"The Selfish Gene\" by Richard Dawkins\n\"The Marshmallow Test: Mastering Self-Control\" by Walter Mischel\n\"Precision: Statistical and Mathematical Methods in Horse Racing\" by C X Wong\n\"Functional Swift\" by Chris Eidhof, Florian Kugler, and Wouter Swierstra\n__ DIDN'T FINISH __\n\"Thinking in Forth\" by Leo Brodie\n\"The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch\" by Philip K. Dick\n__ QUEUED FOR READING __\n\"Porcelain\" by Moby\n\"Sapiens\" by Yuval Noah Harari",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch\" by Philip K. Dick",
          "reason": "Listed under books the commenter did not finish.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Didn't finish",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056474,
          "author": "yaongi",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:02:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056474",
          "commentText": "The three stigmata of palmer eldritch",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The three stigmata of palmer eldritch",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to the favourite sci-fi books question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4663638,
          "author": "rendeiro",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-17T08:43:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 4661261,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite Science Fiction book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4663638",
          "commentText": "I will pick more than 1:\nUbik by Philip K. Dick (it's hard to cherry pick his best work though, ask me a different day and I will choose The Three Stigmata or Do Androids Dream or something else)\nThe Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester (simply a good story and a great background)\n1984 by George Orwell.\nWhat all these books share is the idea that sci-fi is about social, cultural and economic dynamics, not ships or time travel.\nThat is my definition of sci-fi: An on-going essay about the evolution of the dynamics of society, using exotic technology/science merely as a catalyst.\nRunner up: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card\nCould never finish (can't recommend):\n- Neuromancer \n- Cryptonomicon (Does the author feel entitled to mock the homosexuality of Alan Turing? Found that somewhat arrogant and in bad taste.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I will choose The Three Stigmata",
          "reason": "Named as another work the commenter might choose as a favorite on another day.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043450,
          "author": "gnosis",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T19:54:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043450",
          "commentText": "* Heretics of Dune\n\n  * Chapterhouse: Dune\n\n  * Lem's Cyberiad\n\n  * PKD's Ubik, Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldrich, and Martian Time-Slip\n\n  * The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\n\n  * The Illuminatus Trilogy",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldrich",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip K. Dick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "psychological science fiction",
        "colonization",
        "dystopian fiction",
        "hallucinations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-unwritten-laws-of-engineering-be63f8",
      "title": "The Unwritten Laws of Engineering",
      "author": "W. J. King",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39062683,
          "author": "Fromusonia",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T23:13:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39062683",
          "commentText": "“The unwritten laws of engineering”\nhttps://www.asme.org/publications-submissions/books/find-boo... (https://www.asme.org/publications-submissions/books/find-book/unwritten-laws-engineering-second-edition/print-on-demand-books)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“The unwritten laws of engineering”",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33856334,
          "author": "medler",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T18:40:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33856334",
          "commentText": "The Unwritten Laws of Engineering by WJ King is a great book on the people-skills side of engineering and management. At ~60 pages it’s also mercifully short and to the point.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Unwritten Laws of Engineering by WJ King is a great book on the people-skills side of engineering and management.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for people skills in engineering and management.",
          "audience": "Engineers interested in people skills and management.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is about 60 pages and concise.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23153310,
          "author": "9214",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T12:43:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23153310",
          "commentText": "• \"Laws of Form\" by George Spencer-Brown, a little book that describes how to bootstrap the Universe from nothing. Louis Kauffman [1] has a lot of papers/writeups on it, from knot theory to quantum physics. If you ever wanted to make a pancake truly from scratch, this is a place to start.\n• \"The Unconscious as Infinite Sets\" by Ignacio Matte Blanco. Reformulates Freud in logico-mathematical terms and establishes a formal system (bi-logic) to describe unconsciousness phenomena: in case you ever wanted to apply category theory to study yourself.\n• \"The Protracted Game\" by Scott Boorman. Interprets Maoist's revolutionary strategies during 1927 - 1949 period as a game of Go. Interesting both from historical, military, and game-theoretical perspective; raised an appreciation of Eastern wisdom and 'board games as a tool of thought' [2] for me.\n• \"The Unwritten Laws of Engineering\" by W. J. King. Written in 1944, but the advice is still relevant, more so to the software engineering field. Should be at least skimmed at any part of your career.\n• \"The Myth of Sisyphus\" by Alber Camus. Unequivocally answers the most important question there is — does life have meaning, and if not, should you kill yourself over it? I read it in my teens while wrestling with existential dread, and lived a somewhat happy and interesting life ever after.\n[1]: http://homepages.math.uic.edu/~kauffman/Form.html\n[2]: There's also \"Laws of the Game\" by Eigen & Winkler that describes natural phenomena as glass-bead games with various rules.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Unwritten Laws of Engineering\" by W. J. King.",
          "reason": "The commenter says its advice remains relevant and recommends skimming it at any career stage.",
          "audience": "Engineers, especially software engineers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630498,
          "author": "dedalus",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:35:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630498",
          "commentText": "Three Scientists and their Gods: This book foreshadows the meaning and purpose of science+tech https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214570.Three_Scientists_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214570.Three_Scientists_and_Their_Gods)\nScifi: The Three Body problem (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)) for its whole encompassing narrative about human future and some of it will be real (fusion instead of chemical fuel, pulse propulsion and other social consequences)\nArdor: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20931250-ardor if you ever wanted to understand ancient indian philosophy. Heavy read, not recommended for fun but more as quest\nFoxTales: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/412167.Foxtales about how software was developed in the midwest free of all the fashion/hipsterism currently in vogue and building a community of users for your software\nThe elements of networking style: If you ever wanted to know the politics of how networking RFCs are made: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2298785.The_Elements_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2298785.The_Elements_of_Networking_Style) and design choices made to build modern day internet\nUnwritten Laws of Engineering: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13122143-unwritten-laws-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13122143-unwritten-laws-of-engineering) is an old and timeless way detailing what it means to engineer\nHigh Performance Browser Networking: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17985198-high-performanc... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17985198-high-performance-browser-networking) if you ever wanted to know what happens inside a browser\nThe Computer and the Brain: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/358880.The_Computer_and_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/358880.The_Computer_and_the_Brain) where the master compares the machine with our brain\nThe Grammatical Man: If you ever wanted to know the importance of structure and constraint in everything: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/722028.Grammatical_Man",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Unwritten Laws of Engineering: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13122143-unwritten-laws-... is an old and timeless way detailing what it means to engineer",
          "reason": "Calls it a timeless account of what engineering means.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. J. King"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "engineering practice",
        "engineering management",
        "people skills",
        "professional advice"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-vital-question-db4b16",
      "title": "The Vital Question",
      "author": "Nick Lane",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30822572,
          "author": "Tomte",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-27T18:16:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30822572",
          "commentText": "It is off-topic, insofar as it's not my field, but let me answer a dual question:\nThe Vital Question by Nick Lane made me think that were I to start over, be young and finish school, I'd study biology and biochemistry.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Vital Question by Nick Lane",
          "reason": "The commenter says it made them consider studying biology and biochemistry.",
          "audience": "Readers curious about biology and biochemistry.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says biology is not their own field.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21792837,
          "author": "bsmitty5000",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T22:38:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21792837",
          "commentText": "Pretty old but I read them for the first time in 2019: Microcosmos by Lynn Margulis and Full House by Stephen Jay Gould. Both of them really blew me away and changed my worldview.\nI also started on The Vital Question by Nick Lane but haven't finished it yet. But I would recommend anyways based on what I've read so far.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I would recommend anyways based on what I've read so far.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it based on the portion they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They have not finished it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19092022,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-06T01:57:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19092022",
          "commentText": "1. All of Nassim Taleb's Books - They changed the way I thought about tail probabilities and risk taking + bar bell strategies in general\n2. Thinking Fast and Slow - made me think about all of the biases that my mind has that I dont even realize\n3. The organized mind - This book gave me a lot of ideas about how I can change my life to live with less distractions and maybe do thinks more efficently\n4. The Vital Question - Made me realize how lucky we as humans and complex cellular beings are to even exist.\n5. Misquoting Jesus (and all of Ehrman's other books) - Gave me talking points I use against any/all overzealous Christians in my life. The stories of the bible are not remotely close to the stories that where handed down by the people that were with Jesus when he died. Over 100s of years and many errors (and a lot of luck), people decided Jesus was the son of God. Unfortunately for them, the chances of that being true are very very close to zero.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Made me realize how lucky we as humans and complex cellular beings are to even exist.",
          "reason": "Changed the commenter's perspective on the improbability of human and cellular existence.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961346,
          "author": "billbrown",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:31:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961346",
          "commentText": "Here's quite a few, but they might be of interest to others.\n1. You Have the Right to Remain Innocent: great advice that I had never seen anywhere else (except his video that started the whole thing).\n2. The Vital Question: good overview of origin of life research.\n3. Fragment: hard science fiction (is that the term?) that delved into evolution and dovetailed with some of the reading I had been doing around that subject.\n4. The Science of Navigation: delved into the wonder of current navigational technology and how we got to here.\n5. The Lost City of the Monkey God: bought on a lark, made me realize that archaeology can still find new things nowadays.\n6. Island of the Lost: historical account of two shipwrecks on the same island at the same time that knew nothing of each other.\n7. Protecting the Gift: another eye-opener about being more aware of the ways people _can_ prey on children.\n8. Wondrous Contrivances: how people reacted to new techologies in the past.\n9. Rig Ship for Ultra Quiet: submariner's account of life during a Cold War operation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Vital Question: good overview of origin of life research.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a good overview of origin of life research.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in how life began.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238029,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T15:50:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238029",
          "commentText": "I read 47 books so far:\n* Oxygen (Lane)\n* The Vital Question (Lane)\n* Mitochondria and the meaning of life (Lane)\n* Life Ascending (Lane)\n* Shoe Dog (Knight)\n* Heat (Buford)\n* Thinking Fast And Slow (Daniel K, 3rd time reading it)\n* Fluent Forever (Wyner)\n* Dark Money (Mayer)\n* Elon Musk (Vance)\n* The Black Swan (Taleb, 5th time reading it)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Vital Question (Lane)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nick Lane"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bioenergetics",
        "origin of life",
        "biochemistry",
        "biology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "time-management-for-system-administrators-b0f55b",
      "title": "Time Management for System Administrators",
      "author": "Thomas A. Limoncelli",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33856038,
          "author": "mystickphoenix",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T18:08:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33856038",
          "commentText": "A few things come to mind along with what's already been mentioned:\nAssorted Non-Book Readings:\n- https://randsinrepose.com/dont-skip-this/\n- http://www.stilldrinking.org/programming-sucks\n- https://sysadvent.blogspot.com/2019/12/day-21-being-kind-to-... (https://sysadvent.blogspot.com/2019/12/day-21-being-kind-to-3am-you.html)\n- https://donellameadows.org/archives/leverage-points-places-t... (https://donellameadows.org/archives/leverage-points-places-to-intervene-in-a-system/)\n- https://grugbrain.dev/\n- https://changelog.com/posts/rich-hickeys-greatest-hits\n- https://github.com/papers-we-love/papers-we-love/blob/master... (https://github.com/papers-we-love/papers-we-love/blob/master/design/out-of-the-tar-pit.pdf)\n- http://www.cs.unc.edu/techreports/86-020.pdf\nBooks:\n- The Phoenix Project: Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, George Spafford\n- Deep Work: Cal Newport\n- The Art of Leadership: Michael Lopp (Rands)\n- Extreme Ownership: Jocko Willink and Leif Babin (once you get through the \nho-rah stuff it's a fantastic read)\n- Time Management for System Administrators: O'Reilly (fantastic for interrupt driven work)\n- Elements of Clojure: Zachary Tellman (not just for Clojure devs)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Time Management for System Administrators: O'Reilly (fantastic for interrupt driven work)",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it fantastic for interrupt-driven work.",
          "audience": "People doing interrupt-driven work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16573960,
          "author": "btgeekboy",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-13T05:04:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16573960",
          "commentText": "One I haven’t seen mentioned yet is Time Management For Systems Administrators. The concepts also work for devs too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The concepts also work for devs too.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book’s concepts also apply to developers.",
          "audience": "System administrators and developers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229740,
          "author": "billybofh",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:38:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229740",
          "commentText": "You might prefer \"Time Management for System Administrators\" :\nhttp://shop.oreilly.com/product/9780596007836.do\nIt's a little bit GTD-ish, but has a direct practical IT take on it without so much dwelling on terminology.  Certainly changed the way I worked for the better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Certainly changed the way I worked for the better.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed their work habits for the better and praises its practical IT focus.",
          "audience": "System administrators seeking practical time management advice.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as somewhat GTD-like.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10029366,
          "author": "pjungwir",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-09T03:05:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10029366",
          "commentText": "- Managing the Professional Service Firm by David Maister\n- Quantum Computing since Democritus by Scott Aaronson\n- Cryptography Engineering by Bruce Schneier et al\n- Time Management for System Administrators by Thomas Limoncelli\n- Expert C Programming by Peter van der Linden",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Time Management for System Administrators by Thomas Limoncelli",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797953,
          "author": "tetsuo13",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T13:21:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797953",
          "commentText": "* Dynamics of Software Development\n* Wireless Communications & Networks\n* Time Management for System Administrators",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "* Time Management for System Administrators",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas A. Limoncelli"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "system administration",
        "time management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "true-names-435448",
      "title": "True Names",
      "author": "Vernor Vinge",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33854146,
          "author": "nl",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T14:50:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33854146",
          "commentText": "True Names is an amazing read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "True Names is an amazing read.",
          "reason": "Calls it an amazing read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17754028,
          "author": "Flenser",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T22:19:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17754028",
          "commentText": "A more cybercrime themed Vinge short story would be True Names. It's out of print AFAIK but you can find it online.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A more cybercrime themed Vinge short story would be True Names.",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a cybercrime-themed Vinge story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is out of print, though available online.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8108032,
          "author": "Shorel",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T13:42:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8108032",
          "commentText": "Vernor Vinge is fantastic. If you can read True Names before any other cyberpunk book, do it.\nAnd read it before watching 'Her'. It's worth it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you can read True Names before any other cyberpunk book, do it. And read it before watching 'Her'. It's worth it.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends reading it before other cyberpunk books and before watching the named film.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter recommends reading it before watching Her.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043561,
          "author": "rst",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:30:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043561",
          "commentText": "Vernor Vinge --- A Fire Upon the Deep.  (Also worth seeking out is the hugely influential novella \"True Names\", but you'd probably have to dig it out of a library someplace.)\nNeal Stephenson --- Cryptonomicon.  (Present day setting, but with an SF sensibility; ties into his literally epic Baroque Cycle.)\nCharles Stross --- Halting State.  (Investigation of an MMORPG bank breakin spills out into real-world skulduggery.)\nAnd an oddball that folks here may not have encountered:\nMary Gentle --- Ash, A Secret History.  (Starts off with interleaved narratives of a Joan of Arc figure in a strangely different medieval Europe, and a present-day Ph.D. researcher who's investigating her, and finding out that his sources literally don't say the same thing day to day.  Then it gets... weirder.  Quirky, brilliant, and kind of hard to find in the U.S.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the hugely influential novella \"True Names\"",
          "reason": "Calls the novella hugely influential and says it is worth seeking out.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "May be difficult to find outside a library.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140899,
          "author": "as",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T16:12:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140899",
          "commentText": "I actually read True Names at your suggestion. The concepts were worthwhile but it exemplifies the reason many consider Scifi to be a literary ghetto - that for many sf authors the story is just a vehicle to get an idea of theirs across, artistic consideration being secondary. Not to say literary ends are more valid than conceptual ones, but it seems unfair to scifi that the genre has it's artistic merits judged by averaging both.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I actually read True Names at your suggestion. The concepts were worthwhile but it exemplifies the reason many consider Scifi to be a literary ghetto",
          "reason": "Says the concepts were worthwhile but criticizes the story as subordinating artistic concerns to its ideas.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in science fiction's balance between ideas and literary craft.",
          "caveat": "The commenter frames this as a criticism of many science fiction authors, not every work.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vernor Vinge"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyberpunk",
        "virtual reality",
        "cybercrime",
        "literary criticism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "unbroken-dae2eb",
      "title": "Unbroken",
      "author": "Laura Hillenbrand",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42508349,
          "author": "hijp",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T11:49:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42508349",
          "commentText": "I really liked \"The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder\".  It's very well researched and pieced together from conflicting accounts.\nAfter I was finished I decided to look up the author and found out he wrote \"Killers of the Flower Moon\" and \"The Lost City of Z\", both of which I really enjoyed!  If you like books like Endurance, Unbroken, or A Land So Strange, you'll dig this one.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Unbroken",
          "reason": "Uses it as an example of the kind of book readers may enjoy.",
          "audience": "Readers who like this kind of book.",
          "caveat": "Mentioned as a comparison rather than a direct recommendation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29669328,
          "author": "zweiasakura",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T02:28:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29669328",
          "commentText": "Given you like survival stories, I'm guessing you've also read Unbroken. But on the off chance you haven't, definitely check it out!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "But on the off chance you haven't, definitely check it out!",
          "reason": "Encourages the reader to check out the book.",
          "audience": "Someone who enjoys survival stories.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14479964,
          "author": "davidgh",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-04T05:00:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14479964",
          "commentText": "How We Got to Now, Steven Johnson. Walks you through a half dozen foundational inventions and the process through which they came to be. Fascinating to see what the inventors were trying to solve vs. how the world ended up applying their technology.\nUnbroken, Laura Hillenbrand. If you haven't read the book don't judge it by the (awful) movie.\nThe Liberators: My Life in the Soviet Army. Really opens your eyes to the problems and realities of communism. I love the author's dry sense of humor as he witnesses the absurdity of many of the things he encountered.\nSniper on the Eastern Front, Albrecht Wacker. A view of WWII through the eyes of a German sniper.\nAuschwitz: A Doctor's Eyewitness Account, Miklos Nyiszli. A view of the holocaust through the eyes of a Jewish doctor in the Auschwitz concentration camp.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand. If you haven't read the book don't judge it by the (awful) movie.",
          "reason": "Recommends the book and cautions against judging it by the movie.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls the movie awful.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12244591,
          "author": "mudil",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T00:23:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244591",
          "commentText": "I gave my father Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. Horrors of war and the triumph of the human spirit. What a story,  what a life!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Horrors of war and the triumph of the human spirit. What a story, what a life!",
          "reason": "Praises the story while describing the book he gave his father.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10836593,
          "author": "searine",
          "createdAt": "2016-01-04T16:47:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 10833032,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book you've recently read and enjoyed?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10836593",
          "commentText": "Oh boy, you fucked up now. Here are the books I read this past year that I felt were \"Good\", starting from the most recent :\nTo Kill A Mocking Bird (Insanely good)\nTrue Grit (Insanely good)\nThe Little Friend (Good)\nPriceless (Very good, about art theft)\nThe Secret History (Insanely good)\nReady Player One (Good, nerdy)\nShadow Divers (Very good, history nerd book)\nDiary of Anne Frank (Very good)\nUnbroken (Very good, way better than the movie)\nWith The Old Breed at Peleliu and Okinawa (Very good)\nSeveneves (good, but I'm a Stephenson fanboy)\nThe Martian (Very good, but just watch the movie).\nI read a bunch of other stuff, but that's what I found really \"good\" this past year.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Unbroken (Very good, way better than the movie)",
          "reason": "Described as “Very good.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is much better than the movie.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Laura Hillenbrand"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "world war ii",
        "survival"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "upgrade-0d1fce",
      "title": "Upgrade",
      "author": "Blake Crouch",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42568006,
          "author": "jiscariot",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-01T18:32:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42568006",
          "commentText": "I liked Recursion and Dark Matter a lot, but the last two pages of Upgrade really left it on a poor note for me.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "the last two pages of Upgrade really left it on a poor note for me.",
          "reason": "Criticizes the book's ending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The negative reaction is specifically to the last two pages.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34183972,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-30T11:07:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34183972",
          "commentText": "Ten Steps to Nanette, Hannah Gadsby - Autobiography of an Australian comedian I like. (If you like audiobooks, she reads it herself which is a treat.)\nTrue Biz, Sara Nović - A year in the life of a boarding school for the deaf.\nUpgrade, Blake Crouch\nBlindsight: The (Mostly) Hidden Ways Marketing Reshapes Our Brains, Matt Johnson & Prince Ghuman - Interesting angle of examining neurology.\nTreasure & Dirt, and The Tilt, Chris Hammer - Good Australian rural crime fiction.\nHarry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, Eliezer Yudkowsky - Alternate fan fic depiction of Harry Potter as a hyper-rationalist. My review linked below.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60034663-ten-steps-to-na... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60034663-ten-steps-to-nanette)\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58395049-true-biz\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59838811-upgrade\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52225003-blindsight\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58520598-treasure-dirt\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61413297-the-tilt\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33951086-harry-potter-an... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33951086-harry-potter-and-the-methods-of-rationality)\n(My review) https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5124124732",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Upgrade, Blake Crouch",
          "reason": "Listed among books read in a thread asking for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33850390,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T03:46:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33850390",
          "commentText": "Ten Steps to Nanette, Hannah Gadsby - Autobiography of an Australian comedian I like. (If you like audiobooks, she reads it herself which is a treat.)\nTrue Biz, Sara Nović - A year in the life of a boarding school for the deaf.\nUpgrade, Blake Crouch\nBlindsight: The (Mostly) Hidden Ways Marketing Reshapes Our Brains, Matt Johnson & Prince Ghuman - Interesting angle of examining neurology.\nTreasure & Dirt, and The Tilt, Chris Hammer - Good Australian rural crime fiction.\nHarry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, Eliezer Yudkowsky - Alternate fan fic depiction of Harry Potter as a hyper-rationalist. My review linked below.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60034663-ten-steps-to-na... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60034663-ten-steps-to-nanette)\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58395049-true-biz\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59838811-upgrade\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52225003-blindsight\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58520598-treasure-dirt\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61413297-the-tilt\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33951086-harry-potter-an... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33951086-harry-potter-and-the-methods-of-rationality)\n(My review) https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5124124732",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Upgrade, Blake Crouch",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33385444,
          "author": "jeffreportmill1",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T16:20:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33385444",
          "commentText": "Can’t believe I’m the first/only one to post these:\n- Upgrade by Blake Crouch\n- Biography of the Pixel by Alvy Ray Smith\nLike Project Hail Mary, Upgrade is the kind of book I really wanted back when I was a michael crichton fan. His last book, Recursion was really my favorite. I love books that secretly teach you a thing or two and celebrate science and engineering.\nBiography of the Pixel was a fascinating history of computer graphics and fundamental graphics concepts.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Upgrade by Blake Crouch",
          "reason": "The commenter says it delivers the kind of science and engineering fiction they wanted as a Michael Crichton fan.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32198119,
          "author": "Elof",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:58:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32198119",
          "commentText": "Same! It was excellent.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Same! It was excellent.",
          "reason": "Affirms the parent comment's recommendation of Upgrade.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32198097,
          "author": "Elof",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:55:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32198097",
          "commentText": "I'm on book 4 of the Bobiverse series and am really enjoying it, easy reads started the series last week! Read Blake Crouch's latest Upgrade over a weekend and would reccomend as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read Blake Crouch's latest Upgrade over a weekend and would reccomend as well.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it after reading it over a weekend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32197459,
          "author": "noahflk",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T21:43:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197459",
          "commentText": "Last weekend I read  Upgrade by Blake Crouch from cover to cover. It was amazing and I can recommend it to anyone on here.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read  Upgrade by Blake Crouch from cover to cover. It was amazing and I can recommend it to anyone on here.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it amazing and recommends it.",
          "audience": "Anyone on here.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Blake Crouch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "genetic engineering",
        "thriller",
        "genetic enhancement",
        "human enhancement"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "v-4857e4",
      "title": "V.",
      "author": "Thomas Pynchon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13804150,
          "author": "cgh",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:16:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804150",
          "commentText": "I'm not sure what \"fundamentally\" means in this context, but these certainly made a lasting impact upon my young mind:\nGodel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofstadter\nDune by Frank Herbert\nPost Office by Charles Bukowski\nV. by Thomas Pynchon\nBlood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy\nPretty much everything by JL Borges",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "V. by Thomas Pynchon",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a lasting impact on the commenter’s young mind.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5692079,
          "author": "JackGibbs",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T20:57:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5692079",
          "commentText": "Some authors and a rec or two for each.\nDFW - Infinite Jest\nPynchon - Really anything, but in particular Against the Day, V, and Gravity's Rainbow.\nRushdie - Shame and Satanic Verses, a lot of good other ones.\nNeal Stephenson - Cryptonomicon\nGaddis - JR, hence my name.\nHeller - Catch-22",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "V, and Gravity's Rainbow",
          "reason": "Listed among the author's particular recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026940,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T07:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026940",
          "commentText": "I got myself a Sony Reader mid-2009 and started reading about twice more than I had been before. 2009 was also the first year in which I wasn't too lazy to document which books I read (I'm really glad I wasn't). Here're some of the favourites this year:\nClassics:\nKafka's The Process and America - both stunning novels that deserve to be read as much as his most famous, The Castle.\nJan Potocki, The Manuscript Found in Saragossa - a trippy collection of tales organised in multiple nested frames.\nScott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby.\nLeo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina. Still as breathtaking as I'd remembered it from the previous reading five years ago.\nScience Fiction:\nGene Wolfe, The Book of the New Sun. Wolfe, whom I hadn't read before, turns out to be in a class of his own. It's literary SF, overwhelmingly masterful and beautiful in its prose and characters, yet it could give any hardcore SF novel a run in terms of its ideas. It demands and richly rewards a close reading. I'll be reading more Wolfe in 2010.\nTed Chiang, collected stories. Chiang writes only stories, and has written just a few of them, but nearly every one is a gem. Read Understand on the web (http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/stories/under.htm) to see if you like his style - I do.\nVernor Vinge, A Deepness in the Sky, The Peace War, Marooned in Realtime. All great novels, but start from A Fire Upon the Deep (I read that in 2008) if you haven't read Vinge before, it's the best introduction.\nGreg Egan, Diaspora, Quarantine, Distress. Egan is the best hardcore SF author out there. _Diaspora_ is a fascinating take on shared simulated reality that's very different from the usual fare. Quarantine will appeal to your inner quantum mechanical geek.\nContemporary fiction:\nPynchon, V. Pynchon is the best novelist we've got. I recommend The Crying of the Lot 49 as the best Pynchon to start from; V is more difficult and much longer, but rewards the patience. I still can't get over the fact that Pynchon wrote and published this novel when he was 26.\nOrhan Pamuk, The Black Book.\nAnnie Proulx, Fine Just The Way It Is. A new collection of stories from the best writer about rural America out there. Three are extraordinary, two so-so, the rest very good.\nNon-fiction:\nW. Sidney Allen, Vox Graeca and Vox Latina. If you want to know how ancient Greek and Latin sounded, these are the books to read.\nElizabeth Lloyd. The Case Of The Female Orgasm. An interesting study into how available evolutionary explanations of female orgasm fail in various ways. This is a book about evolutionary biology and its methodological soundness as much as it is about explaining female orgasm.\nComputer-related:\nPeter Seibel, Coders at Work. A fantastic collection of interview with great programmers. The one 2009 book no hacker should be without.\nSqueak by Example. Does a great job of explaining Smalltalk in general and Squeak in particular.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pynchon is the best novelist we've got.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls Pynchon the best novelist and includes this novel among his work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is more difficult and much longer than The Crying of Lot 49, though it rewards patience.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86512,
          "author": "tel",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-06T05:10:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86512",
          "commentText": "V. by Thomas Pynchon\nThe Life of Pi by Yann Martel\nthe McSweeney's Quarterly Concern (Not a book per se, but  \nvery enjoyable)\nShakespeare (Everything, I'm surprised he's only been mentioned once so far)\nThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald\nThe Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe\nShogun by James Clavell\n\nThen, of course, the regular hodgepodge of Card, Asimov, Adams, Gaiman, Pratchet, Stephenson, Feynman, and that LOTR guy, Tolkey or sommat. (In all seriousness, though, all of these authors are phenomenal, if well-known for being such)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "V. by Thomas Pynchon",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Pynchon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "postmodern fiction",
        "american literature",
        "postmodern novel",
        "postmodernism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-do-you-care-what-other-people-think-e17ffb",
      "title": "What Do You Care What Other People Think?",
      "author": "Richard P. Feynman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25553791,
          "author": "paulz_",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-27T20:01:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25553791",
          "commentText": "What Do You Care What Other People Think? is another book by Feynman written in the same style. I think Surely you're joking Mr. Feynman! is better but love both of them.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "What Do You Care What Other People Think? is another book by Feynman written in the same style.",
          "reason": "Says it shares the style of Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! and that they love both books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter thinks Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! is better.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15962181,
          "author": "kej",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T17:56:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15962181",
          "commentText": "The sequel to Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman, titled What Do You Care What Other People Think? is also really good, and includes his account of investigating the Challenger disaster which is worth the read just for that chapter.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "is also really good, and includes his account of investigating the Challenger disaster which is worth the read just for that chapter.",
          "reason": "Calls it really good and says its Challenger investigation chapter alone is worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14478503,
          "author": "tjalfi",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T21:08:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478503",
          "commentText": "Autobiography/Memoirs:\n  Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! - Richard Feynman\n  What Do You Care What Other People Think? - Richard Feynman\n  Crime and Guilt: Stories - Ferdinand von Schirach\n\nFiction:\n  The Master and Margarita - Mikhail Bulgakov\n\nTechnical:\n  Bulldog: A Compiler for VLIW Architectures - John Ellis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "What Do You Care What Other People Think? - Richard Feynman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785552,
          "author": "benajibayassine",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:50:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785552",
          "commentText": "1- The Emperor's Handbook by Marcus Aurelius. Jan, 10th 2015\n2- The crowd, a study of the popular mind by Gustave Le Bon. Jan, 10th 2015\n3- Remote by Jason Fried. Jan, 11th 2015\n4- The shape of the world to come by Laurent Cohen-Tanugi, Jan, 20th, 2015\n5- Post office by Charles Bukowski. Jan, 23rd 2015\n6- Gang leader for a day by Sudhir Venkatesh. Feb, 6th 2015\n7- Zen mind, beginner's mind by Shunryu Suzuki. Feb, 8th 2015\n8- The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Feb, 23rd 2015\n9- Darkness Visible by William Styron. March, 1st 2015\n10- Zero to One by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters. March, 9th 2015\n11- The Kaizen way: One small step can change your life by Robert Mauter. March, 11th 2015\n12- Time by Alexander Waugh. March, 12th 2015\n13- Max and the cats by Moacyr Scliar. March, 14th 2015\n14- Scattered by Gabor Mate. March, 20th 2015\n15- East of Eden by John Steinbeck. March, 30th 2015\n16- Crossing the unknown sea by David Whyte. April, 7th 2015\n17- Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. April, 13th 2015\n18- The World beyond your Head by Matthew Crawford. April, 22nd 2015\n19- How to Think about Exercise by Damon Young. April, 23rd 2015\n20- Solitude by Anthony Storr. May, 8th 2015\n21- Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. June, 10th 2015\n22- The bastard of Istanbul (in Arabic) by Elif Shafak. June, 21st 2015\n23- L’ordre libertaire: la vie philosophique d’Albert Camus by Michel Onfray. July, 7th 2015\n24- Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse. July, 10th 2015\n25- The arab uprisings by James Gelvin. July, 13th 2015\n26- How to worry less about money by John Armstrong. July, 13th 2015\n27- Self comes to mind by Antonio Damasio. July, 31st2015\n28- Muhammad: The First Muslim by Lesley Hazleton. August, 4th t2015\n29- Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. August, 15th 2015 \n30- Heidegger's Being and Time by William Blattner. August, 18th 2015 \n31- Heidegger and a hippo walk through those pearly gates by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. August, 19th 2015 \n32- Why nations fail by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson. October, 3rd 2015 \n33- Charlie Munger: the complete investor by Tren Griffin October, 9th 2015 \n34- The selfish gene by Richard Dawkins October, 23rd 2015\n35- The philosophical baby by Alison Gopnik October, 28th 2015\n36- The three-body problem by Cixin Liu November, 1st 2015\n37- Open letter to a young man by Andre Maurois November, 13th 2015\n38- Thinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman November, 16th 2015\n39- What do you care what people think by Richard Feynman November, 18th 2015\n40- When the body says No by Gabor Maté November, 29th 2015\n41- The truth will set you free by Alice Miller. December, 5th 2015\n42- The shallows by Nicholar Carr. December, 7th 2015\n43- What matters most byJames Hollis. December, 14th 2015\n44- Finding meaning in the second jalf of life byJames Hollis. December, 20yh2015",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "What do you care what people think by Richard Feynman",
          "reason": "Included in a dated list of books read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85858,
          "author": "jey",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T07:44:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85858",
          "commentText": "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! (Richard Feynman)\nWhat do you care what other people think? (Richard Feynman)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "What do you care what other people think? (Richard Feynman)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard P. Feynman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "physics",
        "challenger disaster"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-technology-wants-422c4d",
      "title": "What Technology Wants",
      "author": "Kevin Kelly",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17534144,
          "author": "joddystreet",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T07:12:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17534144",
          "commentText": "Bhagvad Gita (as it is) - A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada\nNot just a spiritual book, more like the guiding principles that anyone, starting something new, could use.\nThe Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation - Jon Gertner\nBell Labs, the RnD wing of AT&T-was the best laboratory for new ideas in the world. The book tells a story about the life and work of a small group of brilliant people - Mervin Kelly, Bill Shockley, Claude Shannon, John Pierce, and Bill Baker.\nPeak - Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool\nYou must have heard this a 1000 times - \"you can do this\", the book is about - \"yes, and this is how\"\nThe master algorithm - Pedro Domingos\nBook details out the philosophies of various schools of thought in AI - deep learning, bayesian, genetic, reasoning - in a very simple language.\nWhat technology wants - Kevin Kelly\nTechnology is a living organism and there are patterns to the technology evolution, not unlike the organic evolution.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Technology is a living organism and there are patterns to the technology evolution, not unlike the organic evolution.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15960988,
          "author": "briga",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T15:51:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15960988",
          "commentText": "A few of the best were:\nWhat Technology Wants by Kevin Kelly. A really profound and interesting look into what technology is. Technology evolves through the same sort of Darwinian process that life evolves. Technology is in some sense alive, and Kelly's perspective on it is wonderfully refreshing. I also read his book Out of Control, which is fantastic.\nSapiens by Yuval Harari. Enough people are talking about this one that I don't have to say much, suffice it to say it's a fascinating look into human history a la Guns, Germs, and Steel.\nThe Lucifer Principle by Howard Bloom. If you're a fan of Harari you'll love this one. It's an alternative scientific look at evil, and how evil appears to be encoded into our species.\nHyperspace by Michio Kaku. Kaku is an amazing popular science writer bar none and this is his exploration of modern physics and string theory. The most concise and understandable explanation of modern physics I've read, which is part for the course with Kaku.\nRed Queen by Matt Ridley. A fascinating look at sex, and why the human sex drive, and therefore human  nature, is the way it is.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Technology evolves through the same sort of Darwinian process that life evolves. Technology is in some sense alive, and Kelly's perspective on it is wonderfully refreshing.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls Kelly's perspective wonderfully refreshing and describes the book's view of technology.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in technology and its evolution.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785809,
          "author": "joefreeman",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T21:35:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785809",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed Kevin Kelly's 'What Technology Wants'.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed Kevin Kelly's 'What Technology Wants'.",
          "reason": "Explicitly says they really enjoyed the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3396146,
          "author": "tyohn",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T15:57:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3396146",
          "commentText": "What Technology Wants by Kevin Kelly - I highly recommend reading this book. The title describes what the book is about ~ as a hacker it might just make you rethink everything you do.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "What Technology Wants by Kevin Kelly - I highly recommend reading this book.",
          "reason": "Highly recommends the book and says it might make a hacker rethink everything they do.",
          "audience": "Hackers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kevin Kelly"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "technology",
        "technological change",
        "technological evolution",
        "technology and society"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "where-wizards-stay-up-late-02bec5",
      "title": "Where Wizards Stay Up Late",
      "author": "Katie Hafner and Matthew Lyon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36601356,
          "author": "Zelphyr",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T14:59:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601356",
          "commentText": "It's quite old and so doesn't include the rise of the Internet and subsequent innovations but, Accidental Empires is pretty good: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accidental_Empires\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late - on the creation of the Internet\nThe Soul of a New Machine - On computing in the 70's and 80's\nThe Difference Between God and Larry Ellison - On the rise of Oracle (also has the best title)\nMasters of Doom - A history of id Software\nWhat The Dormouse Said - How the 60's counterculture influenced computing\nThe New New Thing - Follows Jim Clark around while he creates SGI, Netscape, etc...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Where Wizards Stay Up Late",
          "reason": "Described as covering the creation of the Internet.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910521,
          "author": "adventured",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:53:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910521",
          "commentText": "In no particular order.\nEmpires of Light, by Jonnes. Titan, by Chernow. The Wright Brothers, by McCullough. His Excellency, by Ellis. The Wizard of Menlo Park, by Stross. I Invented the Modern Age, by Snow. Dealers of Lightning, by Hiltzik. Margin of Safety, by Klarman. Masters of Doom, by Kushner. Andrew Carnegie, by Nasaw. Infidel, by Hirsi Ali. Buffett, by Lowenstein. Where Wizards Stay Up Late, by Hafner. Shoe Dog, by Knight. The Making of the Atomic Bomb, by Rhodes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Where Wizards Stay Up Late, by Hafner.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1974498,
          "author": "lancewiggs",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T08:30:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974498",
          "commentText": "Work\nWhere wizards stayed up late - Matthew Lyon, Katie Hafner: The beginning of the internet. Plenty of history and lessons\nFun\nThe Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins. Young adult fiction that reads fast but makes you think.\nLife\nMarry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough - Lori Gottlieb: Amusing book, easy read and aimed at women, but has some good insights on why we fail to get married before it's too late.\nI love that I was able to scroll through pages on Amazon to check (most of) the books I read this year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Where wizards stayed up late - Matthew Lyon, Katie Hafner: The beginning of the internet. Plenty of history and lessons",
          "reason": "Listed in the year's books under “Work,” with history and lessons about the internet.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 621879,
          "author": "ahoyhere",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-22T11:47:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621879",
          "commentText": "Seconded. Cringely is the only one who doesn't make everything seem ooh-ahh-magical-brains! predetermined.\nAltho that tell-all on the Segway (Code Name Ginger) was pretty cool for all the flaws it pointed out.\nWhere the Wizards Stay Up Late was a book I did an interactive presentation on in 7th grade, so it always has a special place in my heart. In retrospect, it's not fun to read, but at the time, I devoured it. It's boring and nothing really happens, which really is a good metaphor for the most exciting technical change.\nOoh, and \"The Dream Machine: J.C.R. Licklider and the Revolution That Made Computing Personal.\" Especially if you're into UI and unsung heroes.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "In retrospect, it's not fun to read, but at the time, I devoured it. It's boring and nothing really happens",
          "reason": "Describes it as boring and not fun to read, despite having devoured it as a child.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135262,
          "author": "klocksib",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T16:59:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135262",
          "commentText": "Hmmm, here's a list of books I really like:\nMemory as a Programming Concept in C and C++ by Frenck\nThe Design and Implementation of the FreeBSD Operating System by McKusick/Neville-Neil\nLearning GNU Emacs by Cameron, et al.\nPractical Common Lisp by Seibel\nThe C Programming Language by K&R\nThe C++ Programming Language Stroustrup\nThe Design and Analysis of Algorithms by Leviten\nAssembly Language Programming for the IBM PC Family by Jones\nEssays/Collections:\nHackers & Painters by PG\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman by Feynman\nWhat Do You Care What Other People Think by Feynman\nThe Cathedral & The Bazaar by Raymond\nNovels:\nThe Soul of a New Machine by Kidder\nWhere Wizards Stay up Late by Hafner",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Where Wizards Stay up Late by Hafner",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books the commenter really likes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Katie Hafner",
        "Matthew Lyon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "arpanet",
        "internet history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "you-are-not-so-smart-20856d",
      "title": "You Are Not So Smart",
      "author": "David McRaney",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37960149,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960149",
          "commentText": "* \"On Writing\" by Stephen King (1 mention)\n    * Summary: In his guide to the craft of writing, King masterfully conveys his views on how good writing is cultivated. The book provides personal insights into the author's life while serving as a guide for aspiring writers.\n* \"The Dictionary\" (1 mention, multiple authors)\n    * Summary: A reference book containing an alphabetical list of words in a specific language, providing definitions, pronunciations, etymology, and other details. It is a valuable resource for understanding and accurately using language.\n* \"Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book chronicles Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 1914-1916 survival journey across the Antarctic. Faced with treacherous weather conditions and a lack of provisions, the men battle to stay alive, highlighting the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.\n* \"The Experience of God\" by David Bentley Hart (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A philosophical exploration of the concept of God that goes beyond specific religious doctrines. Hart articulates a vision of ultimate reality that transcends religious, philosophical, and cultural boundaries.\n* \"A Mind for Numbers\" by Barbara Oakley (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book provides practical advice on how to learn effectively in math and science areas, but the techniques are applicable across disciplines. Oakley shares techniques to overcome learning obstacles and improve comprehension and retention.\n* \"A People's History of the US\" by Howard Zinn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers an alternative exploration of American history from the perspective of ordinary people and marginalized groups rather than political leaders, emphasizing class struggles and systemic injustices.\n* \"The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science\" by Isaac Asimov (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive outline of scientific knowledge, covering fields like physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, and earth science. It communicates complex scientific concepts in a way that is accessible to non-specialist readers.\n* \"Das Kapital\" by Karl Marx (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive critique of capitalism highlighting its inherent contradictions and imbalances. Marx diagnoses the capitalist system as one in which the rich get richer at the expense of the working class. The book has been influential in shaping socialist and communist thought.\n* \"You are Not So Smart\" by David McRaney (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book explores various cognitive biases, logical fallacies, and memory missteps that humans commonly succumb to. The author uses humor and personal anecdotes to make neuroscience and psychology accessible, challenging readers to question their perceptions of the world and themselves.\n* \"Blink\" by Malcolm Gladwell (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Gladwell explores the process of quick decision-making, also known as \"thin-slicing.\" The book delves into both the potential accuracy and the pitfalls of making snap judgments. It demonstrates how our subconscious biases often override our better instincts.\n* \"How To Sell at Margins Higher Than Your Competitors\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book offers detailed advice on how to avoid price competition by creating differentiators and adding value, thereby allowing readers to compete on things other than price.\n*  \"The Surrender Experiment\" by Michael Singer (1 mention)\n    * Summary: The book chronicles the author’s journey from solitude into the business world. It explores the idea of surrendering personal preferences to allow life to guide the way, challenging conventional views about control and outcomes.\n* \"How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World\" by Harry Browne (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This self-help book offers a blueprint for finding personal freedom. It encourages readers to embrace their individual sovereignty and to not be inhibited by societal conventions, effectively teaching how to live on one's own terms.\n* \"Happy by Derren Brown\" and \"The Daily Stoic\" (1 mention, authors not specified)\n    * Summary: \"Happy\" provides a perspective on happiness using the principles of stoic philosophy, challenging modern conceptions of happiness. \"The Daily Stoic\" provides a year's worth of philosophical wisdom from ancient stoics, aimed at allowing people to better respond to life's challenges.\n* \"Guns, Germs, and Steel\" by Jared Diamond (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Diamond investigates the geographical and environmental factors that have shaped the modern world. He argues that civilizations have developed differently across the globe due to variances in geography, climate, vegetation, and animal populations, more so than due to traits inherent to different racial or ethnic groups.\n* \"The Gulag Archipelago\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Solzhenitsyn unveils the brutal reality of the Soviet Union’s forced labor camp system. It's an exploration of the human capability for evil when unchecked by moral constraints, shedding light on the mechanisms of a totalitarian regime.\n* \"Ecclesiastes\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A book from the Bible that delves into the purpose of life and the vain pursuit of earthly things. It debates the merits of wisdom, wealth, and pleasure, underscoring the transience and ultimate futility of human endeavors, and urging readers to fear God and keep his commandments.\n* \"Women hold up half the sky\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A collection of personal stories illuminating the oppression and resistance of women in developing countries. The book confronts issues like gender inequality, sexual violence, maternal mortality and economic disparity while highlighting the resilience and strength of ordinary women in overcoming them.\n* \"Spell of the Sensuous\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book offers a radical reinterpretation of our relationship with the natural world. It critiques Western civilization’s estrangement from nature, exploring indigenous cultures and offering a philosophical enquiry into human perception and its relation to the environment.\n* \"Kids and the Amiga\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A guide to using the Amiga computer, aimed at children and early-tweens. It provides a hands-on approach to learning basic computer skills by creating practical programs.\n* \"Hackers\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: The book provides a comprehensive history of hackers, tracing the evolution of hacking culture from the 1950s to the present day. It details the personalities, philosophies, and technical exploits that have defined this diverse and innovative subculture.\n* \"LSD my problem child\" by Albert Hoffmann (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book is the autobiography of Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who first synthesized LSD. It chronicles his discovery, the subsequent fallout, and his personal experiences with the drug.\n* \"Electric cool aid acid test\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book tells the story of novelist Ken Kesey and his band of Merry Pranksters. They embarked on a cross-country bus journey, experimenting with LSD and challenging societal norms, becoming pivotal figures in the psychedelic movement and the counterculture of the 1960s.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"You are Not So Smart\" by David McRaney (1 mention)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937357,
          "author": "dirtybirdnj",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T02:00:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937357",
          "commentText": "You are Not So Smart by David McRaney. It started a journey of self reflection and introspection that I'm still working on to this day but extremely thankful for. It changed the way I look at myself and the actions of other people, both for the better.\nIt all started for me when I heard about the three jesuses of ypselanti. I hope you enjoy it too.\nhttps://youarenotsosmart.com/2014/01/07/yanss-podcast-015-i-... (https://youarenotsosmart.com/2014/01/07/yanss-podcast-015-i-read-an-excerpt-from-you-are-now-less-dumb/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You are Not So Smart by David McRaney.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it began a continuing process of self-reflection and changed how they view themselves and others.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16758134,
          "author": "Royalaid",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T19:33:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16758134",
          "commentText": "I would also recommend You are not so Smart and You Are Now Less Dumb if you like the cognitive bais theme",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would also recommend You are not so Smart",
          "reason": "Recommended for readers interested in cognitive biases.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in cognitive biases.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16351413,
          "author": "tinymollusk",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T05:57:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16351413",
          "commentText": "You Are Not So Smart && The Halo Effect.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You Are Not So Smart && The Halo Effect.",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which books colleagues should have read.",
          "audience": "Colleagues.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3279852,
          "author": "hugoahlberg",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-26T14:56:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3279852",
          "commentText": "I'm currently enjoying the recently released 'You Are Not So Smart' by David McRaney: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0052RE5MU?ie=UTF8&tag=... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0052RE5MU?ie=UTF8&tag=paraplusmytwi-20&linkCode=shr&camp=213733&creative=393177&creativeASIN=B0052RE5MU&m=A1NBCVVM1MRWGW&ref_=tmm_kin_title_0&qid=1322318853&sr=8-1)\nI will never trust my brain again.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm currently enjoying the recently released 'You Are Not So Smart' by David McRaney",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are enjoying the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David McRaney"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognitive biases",
        "behavioral psychology",
        "critical thinking",
        "heuristics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "1491-new-revelations-of-the-americas-before-columbus-516af6",
      "title": "1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus",
      "author": "Charles C. Mann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12984113,
          "author": "JauntTrooper",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-18T03:42:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12984113",
          "commentText": "1491 is fantastic. Have you read the sequel, 1493?  It's thoroughly enjoyable as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1491 is fantastic.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it fantastic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12983366,
          "author": "Alexqw85",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-18T00:57:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12983366",
          "commentText": "Neither are new books, but this year I both read and subsequently gifted\n* 1491 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1491:_New_Revelations_of_the_A... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1491:_New_Revelations_of_the_Americas_Before_Columbus)\n* Stranger in a Strange Land (the \"Original, Uncut version\") https://www.amazon.com/Stranger-Strange-Land-Robert-Heinlein... (https://www.amazon.com/Stranger-Strange-Land-Robert-Heinlein/dp/1442005831)\n1491 is about the societies in the Americas prior to European contact. And if anyone knows of any books on the topic that have been written since then (and thus are even more up-to-date with the current state of the field), I'm very, very interested.\nStranger in a Strange Land is just... excellent. I really appreciate Heinlein and I like his world view. Though I've never read the traditional \"cut\" version, I've talked with people who have read both and I'm sold on the unabridged version. As an aside, if you enjoy Heinlein, then I also recommend reading \"For Us, The Living: A Comedy of Customs.\" It was Heinlein's first book, but was never published (until recently, of course). It's not polished, but it is very interesting to see how he had already formed in the 1930s a lot of the ideas that would dominate his writing for the rest of his career. A good and enjoyable read.\n---Alex",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this year I both read and subsequently gifted\n* 1491",
          "reason": "About societies in the Americas before European contact; the commenter read and gifted it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8257550,
          "author": "joe_bleau",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T13:58:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257550",
          "commentText": "1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1491:_New_Revelations_of_the_Am... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1491:_New_Revelations_of_the_Americas_Before_Columbus))",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8108644,
          "author": "xemoka",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T15:11:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8108644",
          "commentText": "I'm currently reading 1491 by Charles C. Mann, excellent book about the Americas before Columbus and how much of what we have been taught is either incorrect or misinformed. A follow up to this is 1943, what happened in the Americas after the arrival of Columbus. A great pair of books.\nI'll also say Ishmael by Daniel Quinn and The Story of B are two of my favourite books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm currently reading 1491 by Charles C. Mann, excellent book about the Americas before Columbus",
          "reason": "Calls it an excellent book about the Americas before Columbus.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles C. Mann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "indigenous history",
        "pre columbian americas"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "1776-f36f1f",
      "title": "1776",
      "author": "David McCullough",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38238212,
          "author": "multilinear",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T07:45:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238212",
          "commentText": "I'm learning about US history as a non-American, for no particular reason other than I found some books in a second hand store.\n- \"1776\", by David McCullough - a combination of American Revolution history with telling of leadership in times when defeat seems inevitable.\n- \"Team of Rivals\", by Doris Kearns Goodwin - just started, reading about the pre-Civil War politics.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "- \"1776\", by David McCullough - a combination of American Revolution history with telling of leadership in times when defeat seems inevitable.",
          "reason": "Combines American Revolution history with an account of leadership under seemingly inevitable defeat.",
          "audience": "A non-American learning about U.S. history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10029215,
          "author": "maxerickson",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-09T01:34:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10029215",
          "commentText": "I greatly enjoyed 1776:\nhttp://books.simonandschuster.com/1776/David-McCullough/9781... (http://books.simonandschuster.com/1776/David-McCullough/9781416542100)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I greatly enjoyed 1776:",
          "reason": "Says they greatly enjoyed the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109628,
          "author": "joeclark77",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T17:22:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109628",
          "commentText": "How can there be 71 comments and not one mention of G. K. Chesterton?  Go out, right now, and check out The Everlasting Man and Orthodoxy from your local library.\nI would also throw out there Shop Class as Soulcraft by Matthew Crawford, as something to inspire makers & engineers without being a technical book.  If you like history, David McCullough's biography John Adams is a masterpiece (also see 1776 by the same author).\nI can't think of anything else that hasn't already been mentioned.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "also see 1776 by the same author",
          "reason": "Suggested as another book by the same author in a list answering a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "Readers who like history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 457944,
          "author": "uuilly",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-30T10:15:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=457944",
          "commentText": "I've been waiting years for someone to ask this question :)\nWishlited this last night on amazon:\nCarnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise to Western Power by Victor Davis Hanson\nHave read these and enjoyed these:\nGeneral Warfare theory:\nHistory of Warfare by Keegan\nIntel:\nIntelligence and War by Keegan\nCounterinsurgency:\n\"Ghost Wars\" by Steve Coll.  For a really enjoyable experience read \"The Great Game\"  by Hopkirk first.\nThe Civil War deserves it's own category. Watch the PBS dvds, actually buy them.  If you're hungry for more dig into \"The Civil War\" by Shelby Foote is hefty but it's satisfying.\n1776 is a classic.\n\"Blind mans bluff\" is a great book about submarine warfare.\nFor more current stuff Robert Kagan is probably the most informed pundit on war and military strategy.\nWW-II\n\"The Last Lion\" books 1 and 2 are about Churchill and they involve lots of military strategy.  You should also check out \"The gathering storm + the other six books Churchill wrote on WWII.\nMan I could go on forever.  I have \"Panzer General\" and \"Caesar's Conquest of Gaul\" on my nightstand...\nEnjoy...\nPS:  Once you're well versed you'll hear people referring to Clauswitz a lot.  When you're sick of hearing his name and you want more than the wikipedia entry go read \"On War.\"  Art of War goes w/o saying as well...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1776 is a classic.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a classic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 457095,
          "author": "mgk",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T20:49:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=457095",
          "commentText": "The best I've read wasn't a strategy book per se. \n1776 - http://www.amazon.com/1776-David-McCullough/dp/0743226712 by David McCullough was full of useful insights on General George Washington and how he used his smarts to defeat the enemy. He wasn't a great strategist, but very pragmatic (like counting the number of shoes on the feet of his “army’ to asses their battle readiness) and willing to take risks. It book was also entertaining as Hell.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "1776 - http://www.amazon.com/1776-David-McCullough/dp/0743226712 by David McCullough was full of useful insights",
          "reason": "Calls it the best book they've read in this category and praises its useful insights and entertainment value.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in military strategy and the American Revolution.",
          "caveat": "Not a strategy book per se; Washington is described as pragmatic, not a great strategist.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David McCullough"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american revolution",
        "leadership",
        "military history",
        "military strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-prayer-for-owen-meany-ab2894",
      "title": "A Prayer for Owen Meany",
      "author": "John Irving",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41177021,
          "author": "jurassicfoxy",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T00:30:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41177021",
          "commentText": "The Children's Hospital\nhttps://store.mcsweeneys.net/products/the-childrens-hospital\nA Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33872397,
          "author": "randomcarbloke",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-05T21:51:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33872397",
          "commentText": "I too read \"A Prayer for Owen Meany\" this year, it is beautiful, and despite knowing everything that was coming I still welled up.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I too read \"A Prayer for Owen Meany\" this year, it is beautiful",
          "reason": "Describes the novel as beautiful and says it moved them despite knowing what would happen.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33850354,
          "author": "tbonesteaks",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T03:38:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33850354",
          "commentText": "My favorites I read this year in order:\n- Prayer of Owen Meany, it’s the basis of the movie Simon Birch if you have seen that. The book has so much more going on though\n- My Antonia, wonderful characters\n- Jude the Obscure, the cover tells you the ending is shocking, and the cover is right!\n- How the Irish Saved Civilization, really fun and interesting",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book has so much more going on though",
          "reason": "Says the book has much more going on than the film based on it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5834192,
          "author": "halhelms",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T18:18:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5834192",
          "commentText": "A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving",
          "reason": "Offered as an answer to the thread's request for the best fiction book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Irving"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "coming of age"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-theory-of-justice-80ba45",
      "title": "A Theory of Justice",
      "author": "John Rawls",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42964897,
          "author": "wannabebarista",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-06T18:08:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42964897",
          "commentText": "In undergrad, reading these two books really changed my outlook. I went in skeptical and a little conspiratorial and these helped bring me closer to reality and even a little hopeful.\n- The Cost of Rights (1999) by Stephen Holmes and Cass Sunstein\n- A Theory of Justice (1971) by John Rawls",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Theory of Justice (1971) by John Rawls",
          "reason": "Says it helped shift their outlook closer to reality and made them more hopeful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Read while skeptical and somewhat conspiratorial.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13974856,
          "author": "ExactoKnight",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-28T07:53:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13974856",
          "commentText": "Check out A Theory of Justice by John Rawls.  Best challenge to Utilitarian thinking I know of.  (E.g. slavery is wrong not because bad outweighs good, but rather because it is inherently wrong when seen from the perspective of the original position)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Check out A Theory of Justice by John Rawls. Best challenge to Utilitarian thinking I know of.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a strong challenge to utilitarian thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503420,
          "author": "ionfish",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T09:28:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503420",
          "commentText": "Most of the \"eye-opening or incredibly interesting\" philosophical material that I've read has been in individual articles rather than books. That said, here are a few favourites from various areas. It's a bit heavily weighted towards recent material; Kant and Plato ought to be on there, but I can't stand Kant as a writer, even if his ideas are profound, and Plato's style has always irritated me for some reason I can't quite put my finger on. I could probably keep tying titles all day, so I'll stop with those that first popped into my head.\nAristotle, Nicomachean Ethics\nDavid Chalmers, The Conscious Mind: In Search of a Fundamental Theory\nGottlob Frege, Die Grundlagen der Arithmetik\nThomas Hobbes, Leviathan\nDavid Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding\nJ.S. Mill, On Liberty\nJohn Rawls, A Theory of Justice\nStewart Shapiro, Philosophy of Mathematics: Structure and Ontology",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "John Rawls, A Theory of Justice",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503373,
          "author": "carid",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T08:44:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503373",
          "commentText": "A couple by Stanley Cavell:\nMust We Mean What We Say? (1969)\nThe Claim of Reason: Wittgenstein, Skepticism, Morality, and Tragedy (1979) New York: Oxford University Press.\nI would also second Russell's A Brief History of Western Philosophy.  It's biased and weirdly shallow in some places, but written by a philosopher, so not a toothless compilation.\nObscure but made an impression on me: Ways of Worldmaking by Nelson Goodman.\nIf you can get through it: John Rawls's A Theory of Justice...an important book with a few very important ideas.\nStuff by Amartya Sen.\nOn philosophy of science, the historical narratives do the job I think, like The Sleepwalkers by Arthur Koestler (a great read once you get through the Greeks).  You could read Thomas Kuhn, Feyerabend's autobiography \"Killing Time\" which is great, and if you're really serious read Peter Galison's stuff.\nFinally, again, more history that pure philosophy but I really liked Wittgenstein's Vienna by Toulmin.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "an important book with a few very important ideas",
          "reason": "Described as an important book with several important ideas.",
          "audience": "Readers willing to work through it.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says, “If you can get through it.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Rawls"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political philosophy",
        "justice",
        "ethics",
        "utilitarianism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-wizard-of-earthsea-ca5529",
      "title": "A Wizard of Earthsea",
      "author": "Ursula K. Le Guin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50042577,
          "author": "schrectacular",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T12:29:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50042577",
          "commentText": "Here's some stuff for younger kids that haven't been mentioned yet:\nMatthew Cordell is awesome. \"Cornbread and Poppy\" are cute, \"Evergreen\" is fun, but check out his whole catalog. Probably my favorite active author/illustrator.\n\"Nobody Likes a Goblin\" by Ben Hatke\n\"The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess\" by Tom Gauld\n\"The Little Island by Margaret Wise Brown\" under the pseudonym Golden MacDonald\n”The Dark Tales of Lillebror Rabbit“ by Jonna Björnstjerna\n\"Les P'tites Poules\" by Christian Jolibois\nA little older, Ursula LeGuin is amazing, \"A Wizard of Earthsea\", \"Catwings\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"A Wizard of Earthsea\"",
          "reason": "Listed among books for a little older audience.",
          "audience": "A little older children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40071942,
          "author": "t-3",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-18T01:07:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40071942",
          "commentText": "An omnibus edition of A Wizard of Earthsea, containing all the books and short stories.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An omnibus edition of A Wizard of Earthsea, containing all the books and short stories.",
          "reason": "Names an omnibus edition containing the Earthsea books and short stories.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40045903,
          "author": "bediger4000",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-15T21:35:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40045903",
          "commentText": "The Magicians, Lev Grossman\nA Wizard of Earthsea",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Wizard of Earthsea",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665209,
          "author": "PostPost",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:26:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665209",
          "commentText": "Sorry for the wall of text.\n1. Bourne (The language and world of this novel are extraordinary - everything is falling apart yet brimming with life. Strangely moving)\n2. The Design of Everyday things (Essential for anyone in UI/UX)\n3. All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (Highly engaging, entertaining sci-fi novella series, from an author that can write a very decent robot protagonist)\n4. The Power (Interesting story with sci-fi elements on the dynamics of power, sex, and gender roles. I didn't care for the book, but the first 3/4 of the book are amazing)\n5. Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days\n6. 7 brief Lessons on Physics\n7. The Last Lecture (The energy and positivity coming from a man knowing he's about to die is infectious. Great read)\n8. A wizard of Earthsea (Move over Harry Potter, this is the essential children's story about wizards)\n9. Exploring diabetes with owls (Funny, irreverent)\n10. Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children (Made an effort to read more YA this year - this was the best in this series, but I still hated it. There's a host of better YA series out there.)\n11. A Wizard of Earthsea: The Tombs of Atuan (See 8.)\n12. The Girl in the Dark (Interesting book about a skin condition I had never heard of, and the trials of living with a very rare condition)\n13. The Phantom Tollbooth (Clever children's book)\n14. Black hole blues and songs from outer space (Informative book about the study of space,  the political and economic forces standing in the way of science, and the incredible individuals working in this field)\n15. Welcome to Night Vale (Hugely entertaining, clever and weird)\n16. You need a budget (Basic economics book explaining how to budget in a way that lets you do more with your money)\n17. To fight Against This Age (Incredibly pretentious, \nIvory Tower philosophizing)\n18. Infinity Gauntlet (Half the Universe dying because Thanos wanted to sleep with Lady Death will never not be ridiculous)\n19. The Right and Wrong Stuff (Great read explaining how to anticipate and avoid career pitfalls)\n20. Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children: Hollow City (pretty shitty)\n21. The Farthest Shore (Ursula K. Le Guin was the biggest loss this year)\n22. Miss peregrine's home for Peculiar Children: Library of Souls (I hate this book and all its characters)\n23. Every Good Endevour (Religious book about a Christian worldview and the value of labor - not a bad read)\n24. When to Rob a Bank and 131 warped suggestions… (interesting, funny, from the writers of Freakonomics)\n25. Weapons of Math Destruction (Probably the most useful book on this list, if you're reading this on \"hackernews\")\n26. Holes (Perfect summer paperback read)\n27. Silver Screen Sirens (Essential for film geeks)\n28. A full life: reflections at 90 (I gained a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter: he lived an incredible life and does great things)\n29. Call Me by your name (Very good romance novel to send to your bigoted relatives at Christmas)\n30. Hyperbole and a half (Incredibly entertaining, very distinctive art style)\n31. The Murderbot diaries: Artificial Condition (See 3.)\n32. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Best children's book, fight me)\n33. Less (Exceptionally well-written)\n34. Resilience (Great book, especially for those that have gone through extremely difficult circumstances)\n35. The Strange Bird (Dark, bleak, full of life, see 1.)\n36. The Murderbot diaries: Rogue Protocol (See 3.)\n37. His Dark Materials: The subtle knife (See 32.)\n38. Tap Dancing to Work (Very dry, some stories/articles are fantastic, others very, very boring for people that do not care about finance)\n39. So Good They Can't Ignore You (Pretty good)\n40. His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass (Amazing YA, see 32.)\n41. Uncontainable (Inspirational book about conscious capitalism)\n42. The Emperor of All Maladies (Pretty much everything you'll ever want to know about Cancer, written in a very engaging way)\n43. Blind Spot\n44. Shoe dog (Great story, see madmax108's comment, totally agree)\n45. The Faithful Spy (Beautiful artwork describing a Christian pastor's fight against fascism during WW2)\n46. Zero to One\n47. You'll grow out of it\n48. The Happiness advantage (Really fantastic book about the value of positive psychology)\n49. Dreams from my father (Enlightening look into Obama's \nearly days)\n50. Ayoade on Ayoade (Entertaining, extremely scatter-brained, not as funny as his interviews or tv programs)\n51. The Diabolic (badly written YA Sci-Fi)\n52. The Physics of Everyday Things (surprisingly informative, recommended for non science-people interested in the way things work)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Move over Harry Potter, this is the essential children's story about wizards",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an essential children's story about wizards.",
          "audience": "Children and readers of children's fantasy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968403,
          "author": "matdes",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:46:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968403",
          "commentText": "Capital in the 21st Century by Thomas Piketty\nLearn You a Haskell\nA Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K LeGuin",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K LeGuin",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ursula K. Le Guin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coming of age",
        "earthsea",
        "coming of age fantasy",
        "wizard fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "algorithm-design-69d702",
      "title": "Algorithm Design",
      "author": "Jon Kleinberg and Éva Tardos",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29220975,
          "author": "morty_s",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T21:38:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29220975",
          "commentText": "CLRS does about 5 pages on linked lists. If you want more, my advice would be to implement one in your language of choice, then look at the API for the standard lib impl of a linked list in your language of choice (if there is one).\nOtherwise, for more reading on linked lists, read through adlist.c from redis, by antirez.\nNext, one of the best books (IMO) on algorithmic thinking is SICP. Get through a few chapters, do the exercises, grok recursion, etc.\nIn no particular order:\nAlgorithm Design Manual, Skiena\nAlgorithm Design, by Kleinberg/Tardos\nAlgorithms, Sedgwick 4th ed. (also Algorithms in C)\nIf you find you need or would like more math:\nDiscrete Mathematics (Epp is an easier read, Rosen seems more verbose)\nMathematical Proofs, Charrand\nFor interview prep:\nElements of Programming Interviews (EPI)\nDesigning Data Intensive Applications",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Algorithm Design, by Kleinberg/Tardos",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29219506,
          "author": "anuragbiyani",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T18:54:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29219506",
          "commentText": "The good thing about Algorithm Design & Analysis as a topic is that there is no lack of great resources to learn from! And even better, a large portion of them are freely available online (in forms of lecture notes, or entire books, video lectures, programming challenges with online judging, etc).\nIn addition to what others have mentioned, here are some example resources you might prefer for a beginner-intermediate level intro:\n1. (free online) Algorithms by Dasgupta, Papadimitriou, and Vazirani  http://algorithmics.lsi.upc.edu/docs/Dasgupta-Papadimitriou-... (http://algorithmics.lsi.upc.edu/docs/Dasgupta-Papadimitriou-Vazirani.pdf)\n2. (free online) Algorithms by Jeff Erickson https://jeffe.cs.illinois.edu/teaching/algorithms/\n3. Algorithm design by Kleinberg & Tardos https://www.amazon.com/Algorithm-Design-Jon-Kleinberg/dp/032... (https://www.amazon.com/Algorithm-Design-Jon-Kleinberg/dp/0321295358)\n4. Another one specifically for more applied view (esp., how they are used in programming contests such as ICPC) is Skiena & Revilla's \"Programming Challenges\" book (https://www.amazon.com/Programming-Challenges-Contest-Traini... (https://www.amazon.com/Programming-Challenges-Contest-Training-Computer/dp/0387001638)). Note that this is different than Skiena's other popular book (Algorithm Design manual) which is also pretty good and has a \"war story\" based perspective to design of algorithms.\n5. There are also several resources where lecture notes from university  Algorithm & DS courses are very useful. Here is an example from my previous Professor, David Kempe: http://david-kempe.com/teaching/DataStructures.pdf\n6. Several programming competition specific tutorials can be found on Topcoder: https://www.topcoder.com/thrive/tracks?track=Competitive%20P... (https://www.topcoder.com/thrive/tracks?track=Competitive%20Programming) (individual SRM archives are also good place to try problems first hand and then learn from other's approach). In general,  if you search for ACM-ICPC resources, you will find a lot more targeted information/problems which will apply not only for leetcode, but also for detailed understanding of the theory too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Algorithm design by Kleinberg & Tardos",
          "reason": "Lists it among example resources for learning algorithms.",
          "audience": "Beginner to intermediate learners.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29218148,
          "author": "dhanna",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T16:26:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29218148",
          "commentText": "Yes there’s lots of algorithm books! Too many to learn them all. I had an anxiety attack and bought most of the introductory algo books mentioned in CLRS chapter 1.\nI liked ALGS4 by Sedgewick as my introduction to Algorithms. I still refer to the Coursera course.  I actually started with CLRS and doubled back to ALGS4. I wish I did it in reverse order but it was still useful reading CLRS and refreshing my math skills.\nI would say grab a few and see which ones you like. CLRS, ALGS4, Algorithm Design Manual, and Algorithm Design by Kleinberg and Tardos are a good start. You can look in the bibliography of each books for more suggestions from the experts themselves.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "CLRS, ALGS4, Algorithm Design Manual, and Algorithm Design by Kleinberg and Tardos are a good start.",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter suggests as a starting point.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21318091,
          "author": "bjourne",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T22:15:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21318091",
          "commentText": "Algorithm Design by Kleinberg and Tardos. It is a wonderful book especially because of the well-designed problem sets. Most of them come with answers too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It is a wonderful book especially because of the well-designed problem sets.",
          "reason": "Praises the book, particularly its well-designed problem sets, and notes that most have answers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 55489,
          "author": "rnc000",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-17T02:32:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 55372,
          "threadTitle": "Question: What are the best books on algorithms?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=55489",
          "commentText": "I'd recommend \"Algorithm Design\" by Jon Kleinberg, Eva Tardos (http://tinyurl.com/232nfh). Covers most of the topics found on the Cormen book but in a much easier to digest language. The exercises and examples are also much more updated.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend \"Algorithm Design\" by Jon Kleinberg, Eva Tardos",
          "reason": "Recommended for its approachable explanations and updated exercises and examples.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an algorithms text.",
          "caveat": "Compared with the Cormen book, it is easier to digest.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jon Kleinberg",
        "Éva Tardos"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "algorithm design",
        "problem sets",
        "textbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "algorithms-064e5a",
      "title": "Algorithms",
      "author": "Robert Sedgewick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29217606,
          "author": "wly_cdgr",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T15:12:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29217606",
          "commentText": "Came here so say this. The booksite has additional materials and, crucially, solutions to many of the exercises",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Came here so say this. The booksite has additional materials and, crucially, solutions to many of the exercises",
          "reason": "Endorses the parent-mentioned book and highlights its supplementary materials and exercise solutions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29217595,
          "author": "hiyer",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T15:10:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29217595",
          "commentText": "Sedgewick's Algorithms [1] is pretty good. I found it way more approachable than CLRS. There's also a free course on Coursera[2] from him.\n1. https://www.amazon.com/Algorithms-4th-Robert-Sedgewick/dp/03... (https://www.amazon.com/Algorithms-4th-Robert-Sedgewick/dp/032157351X)\n2. https://www.coursera.org/learn/algorithms-part1#syllabus",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sedgewick's Algorithms [1] is pretty good. I found it way more approachable than CLRS.",
          "reason": "Calls it good and more approachable than CLRS.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comparison is based on the commenter's experience.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20729573,
          "author": "rhizome31",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T11:23:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20729573",
          "commentText": "For a gentle introduction to algorithms and Big O, \"Grokking Algorithms\" is easy to read and fun. For more in depth and systematic study, Sedgwick's \"Algorithms\" is a very clear and beautiful book.\nFor computer architecture, Petzold's \"Code\" is wonderful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sedgwick's \"Algorithms\" is a very clear and beautiful book",
          "reason": "Recommended for a more in-depth and systematic study.",
          "audience": "Readers wanting more in-depth and systematic study of algorithms.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 55475,
          "author": "Hexayurt",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-17T01:39:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 55372,
          "threadTitle": "Question: What are the best books on algorithms?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=55475",
          "commentText": "Algorithms, by Sedgewick. Various editions for different languages. Unbeatable as of 15 years ago :)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Algorithms, by Sedgewick. Various editions for different languages. Unbeatable as of 15 years ago :)",
          "reason": "Recommends Sedgewick's Algorithms, while qualifying the praise as dated.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for an algorithms book, with editions for different languages.",
          "caveat": "The praise is explicitly relative to 15 years ago.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Sedgewick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "data structures",
        "algorithm design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "algorithms-51db64",
      "title": "Algorithms",
      "author": "Jeff Erickson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29219814,
          "author": "salutis",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T19:25:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29219814",
          "commentText": "I like:\nalgorithms.wtf\nAlgorithms\nby Jeff Erickson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Algorithms\nby Jeff Erickson",
          "reason": "Says they like this book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29219506,
          "author": "anuragbiyani",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T18:54:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29219506",
          "commentText": "The good thing about Algorithm Design & Analysis as a topic is that there is no lack of great resources to learn from! And even better, a large portion of them are freely available online (in forms of lecture notes, or entire books, video lectures, programming challenges with online judging, etc).\nIn addition to what others have mentioned, here are some example resources you might prefer for a beginner-intermediate level intro:\n1. (free online) Algorithms by Dasgupta, Papadimitriou, and Vazirani  http://algorithmics.lsi.upc.edu/docs/Dasgupta-Papadimitriou-... (http://algorithmics.lsi.upc.edu/docs/Dasgupta-Papadimitriou-Vazirani.pdf)\n2. (free online) Algorithms by Jeff Erickson https://jeffe.cs.illinois.edu/teaching/algorithms/\n3. Algorithm design by Kleinberg & Tardos https://www.amazon.com/Algorithm-Design-Jon-Kleinberg/dp/032... (https://www.amazon.com/Algorithm-Design-Jon-Kleinberg/dp/0321295358)\n4. Another one specifically for more applied view (esp., how they are used in programming contests such as ICPC) is Skiena & Revilla's \"Programming Challenges\" book (https://www.amazon.com/Programming-Challenges-Contest-Traini... (https://www.amazon.com/Programming-Challenges-Contest-Training-Computer/dp/0387001638)). Note that this is different than Skiena's other popular book (Algorithm Design manual) which is also pretty good and has a \"war story\" based perspective to design of algorithms.\n5. There are also several resources where lecture notes from university  Algorithm & DS courses are very useful. Here is an example from my previous Professor, David Kempe: http://david-kempe.com/teaching/DataStructures.pdf\n6. Several programming competition specific tutorials can be found on Topcoder: https://www.topcoder.com/thrive/tracks?track=Competitive%20P... (https://www.topcoder.com/thrive/tracks?track=Competitive%20Programming) (individual SRM archives are also good place to try problems first hand and then learn from other's approach). In general,  if you search for ACM-ICPC resources, you will find a lot more targeted information/problems which will apply not only for leetcode, but also for detailed understanding of the theory too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Algorithms by Jeff Erickson",
          "reason": "Includes it among example resources for learning algorithms.",
          "audience": "Beginner to intermediate learners.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as a free online resource.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20732314,
          "author": "seagullz",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T19:35:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20732314",
          "commentText": "Jeff Erickson's Algorithms text is a great resource: http://jeffe.cs.illinois.edu/teaching/algorithms/\nThe entire book -- including the portions labeled Models of Computation, Director's cut, and Extended Dance Remix -- presents accessible introduction to much of the CS theory landscape.\nSomeone already praised the shorter book titled \"Algorithms\" by Dasgupta et al, and I second it. Tim Roughgarden's \"Algorithms Illuminated\" series is in this genre too.\nI'd also recommend the MIT lecture notes on Mathematics for CS: https://courses.csail.mit.edu/6.042/spring18/mcs.pdf  \nThis is distinctive for its intuitive explanations with essential, approachable formalism. The exercises are fine too, if you are really mean it.\nSipser's book on the Theory of Computation is great and the one by Hopcroft et al is also very good (as suggested by others). But the most beginner-friendly (or, light on math) coverage of this area is apparently in Peter Linz's book \"Introduction to Formal Languages and Automata\".\nAn alternative flavor in the treatment of much of the same topics is in this free book: http://cs.brown.edu/people/jsavage/book/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jeff Erickson's Algorithms text is a great resource",
          "reason": "Called a great resource with accessible coverage of much of computer science theory.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for an introduction to computer science theory.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16759330,
          "author": "nicklaf",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T21:30:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16759330",
          "commentText": "Love all those books. Hadn't heard of the last one though. Looks like it's available online [1].\nAnd actually, it has a few cool links on its homepage to similar books. In particular, there is a link to this gem [2], which, for example, has a chapter [3] on what appears to be a very interesting generalization [4] of the \"master theorem\" of CLRS. Another good resource that pages links to seems to be [5], which was recently mentioned on HN.\nOf course, for an even deeper treatment of asymptotic analysis check out Flajolet and Sedgewick [6]!\n[1] http://opendatastructures.org/\n[2] http://jeffe.cs.illinois.edu/teaching/algorithms/\n[3] http://jeffe.cs.illinois.edu/teaching/algorithms/notes/99-re... (http://jeffe.cs.illinois.edu/teaching/algorithms/notes/99-recurrences.pdf)\n[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akra%E2%80%93Bazzi_method\n[5] (PDF warning) http://opendatastructures.org/mcs.pdf\n[6] http://ac.cs.princeton.edu/home/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "there is a link to this gem [2], which, for example, has a chapter [3] on what appears to be a very interesting generalization [4] of the \"master theorem\" of CLRS.",
          "reason": "Calls the linked algorithms resource a gem and highlights its chapter on a generalization of the master theorem.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in algorithms and asymptotic analysis.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeff Erickson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "textbook",
        "asymptotic analysis",
        "computation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "american-kingpin-f9f7de",
      "title": "American Kingpin",
      "author": "Nick Bilton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29688802,
          "author": "yla92",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-26T01:25:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29688802",
          "commentText": "I only read two books this year but they were amazing!\nThe first one is Dune : https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44767458-dune. \nIt needs no introduction to HN, I think. Best Sci-fi book I have read so far.\nThe second one is American Kingpin : https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpin) . It is about Silk Road (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silk_Road_%28marketplace%29), the online darkweb market place. It's very well written.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The second one is American Kingpin : https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi... . It is about Silk Road (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silk_Road_(marketplace)), the online darkweb market place. It's very well written.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as very well written and says it is about the Silk Road dark web marketplace.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18829760,
          "author": "randycupertino",
          "createdAt": "2019-01-05T03:41:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 18824130,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What article/book do you recommend for my next flight?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18829760",
          "commentText": "I just finished the audiobook of American Kingpin and LOVED IT.  Nonfiction that reads like a thriller.  Very well done and the narration was also excellent (which also comes into play a lot for audiobooks!).\nBad Blood by John Carreyrou about the rise and fall of Theranos is very similar feel to American Kingpin, if you enjoyed one you will probably love the other; I thought both were equally fantastic, probably my best reads of 2018.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I just finished the audiobook of American Kingpin and LOVED IT. Nonfiction that reads like a thriller. Very well done and the narration was also excellent",
          "reason": "Praises the book and audiobook narration.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy nonfiction that reads like a thriller.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18825734,
          "author": "rando444",
          "createdAt": "2019-01-04T17:19:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 18824130,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What article/book do you recommend for my next flight?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18825734",
          "commentText": "American Kingpin was a really good read.  It's the story of Ross Ulbricht, the guy that built the silk road.\nIt reads like fiction, but is a true story, and hits all the right buttons for me (technology, entrepreneurial spirit, understanding how to (or how not to) learn from your mistakes, etc.).\nIt's well written and hard to put down.\n-----\nThe power of habit was also a really good read if you hadn't read it already.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "American Kingpin was a really good read.",
          "reason": "Calls it a really good read and praises its engaging true story and writing.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in technology, entrepreneurship, and learning from mistakes.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it reads like fiction but is a true story.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18744685,
          "author": "joeblas",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T05:57:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744685",
          "commentText": "American Kingpin: The epic hunt for the criminal mastermind behind The Silk Road.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "American Kingpin: The epic hunt for the criminal mastermind behind The Silk Road.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nick Bilton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "silk road",
        "cybercrime",
        "dark web",
        "entrepreneurship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-enquiry-concerning-human-understanding-1996cb",
      "title": "An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding",
      "author": "David Hume",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21902992,
          "author": "anaphor",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T00:48:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902992",
          "commentText": "Most of mine are going to be books by philosophers or scientists (about philosophy or other things).\n- The Conquest of Happiness by Bertrand Russell was a pretty good one. He has a lot of ideas that were ahead of their time (positive psychology, etc). You can see a lot of parallels between his ideas and modern Stoicism (although Russell criticized it elsewhere, I think he came to some of the same conclusions).\n- Introduction To Mathematical Philosophy by Bertrand Russell. Another Russell one. I think this is probably the clearest and easiest to understand explanation I've ever read of the underpinnings of mathematical foundations. It's written in a style that should be accessible to almost anyone with a high school education. He wrote it while he was in prison (for refusing to be drafted) during WW1. Apparently he left a copy of it to the prison warden.\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding by David Hume. This is worth reading because it is the motivation for basically all of modern philosophy of science (at least in the west). It's also pretty easy to read and if you read it you'll be able to more easily understand other books and papers that are responses to it.\n- Turing's Cathedral by George Dyson. This book should be required reading for every programmer or aspiring programmer IMO. I learned so much about the history of computing that I didn't know before reading this. You will not regret buying this one.\n- I Am A Strange Loop by Douglas Hofstadter. Obviously everyone knows about GEB, but he also wrote a shorter follow up that in my opinion expresses his ideas much more clearly. I think that even if you disagree with him, it's worth reading because there are so many things you can take away from this book. For example, he talks about his wife's death, and ties that into his theory of mind and explains the unstated purposes of why we have funerals/wakes for people.\n- An Introduction to Information Theory by John R. Pierce. For someone like me who doesn't really have a very strong math background, this was a very clear intro to the ideas behind information theory, and why they're important historically. I would recommend this to anyone who feels like they need a gentle intro to the ideas and motivation for them. Dover mathematics books in general are great.\n- Borrow: The American Way of Debt by Louis Hyman. This is a fantastic historical overview of personal credit in the US that covers the past 120 years or so. I learned a ton from reading this that I had no clue about. Recommended to anyone who wants to understand the origins of credit cards / loans, and how society came to embrace being in debt.\nhttps://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.222834/page/n7\nhttps://people.umass.edu/klement/imp/imp-ebk.pdf\nhttps://archive.org/details/humeenquiry00humerich/page/n7\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Turings-Cathedral-Origins-Digital-Uni... (https://www.amazon.com/Turings-Cathedral-Origins-Digital-Universe/dp/1400075998)\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Am-Strange-Loop-Douglas-Hofstadter/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Am-Strange-Loop-Douglas-Hofstadter/dp/0465030793)\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Information-Theory-Symbo... (https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Information-Theory-Symbols-Mathematics/dp/0486240614)\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Borrow-American-Debt-Louis-Hyman/dp/0... (https://www.amazon.com/Borrow-American-Debt-Louis-Hyman/dp/0307741680)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is worth reading because it is the motivation for basically all of modern philosophy of science (at least in the west).",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is worth reading to understand the roots of modern philosophy of science.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking background for philosophy of science and related works.",
          "caveat": "The claim is qualified to Western philosophy of science.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503692,
          "author": "telemachos",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T14:39:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503692",
          "commentText": "Some from the canon:\n\nPlato: Defence of Socrates, Euthyphro, Crito (translated by David Gallop)\nThe Modes of Scepticism by Julia Annas and Jonathan Barnes (a beautiful collection of texts from Pyrrhonian scepticism and analysis of their arguments; the best way I know to meet ancient scepticism)\nDescartes: Meditations on First Philosophy (The Cambridge University Press edition is very good; it's probably worth buying their Selected Philosophical Writings for a good basic Descartes text)\nDavid Hume: An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding and An Enquiry concerning the Principles of Morals (I recommend the Oxford Philosophical Texts editions)\nWittgenstein: Philosophical Investigations (terribly, terribly difficult, but very rewarding)\n  A few contemporary things:\n\nGilbert Ryle: The Concept of Mind\nWillard Van Orman Quine: From a Logical Point of View\nJ. L. Mackie: Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong\nThomas Nagel: Mortal Questions (short essays, well-written, very accessible)\nBernard Williams: Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy\nMichael Smith: The Moral Problem\n  Specialist, technical, odd:\n\nThe Frege Reader by Michael Beaney (for modern logic and the beginnings of contemporary philosophy in the analytic style)\nJ. L. Mackie: The Cement of the Universe: A Study of Causation\nWilliam Kingdon Clifford: The Ethics of Belief (he argues, oddly but powerfully, that it's immoral to believe things on insufficient evidence or irrationally - an offense to morality, not just reason)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "David Hume: An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding and An Enquiry concerning the Principles of Morals (I recommend the Oxford Philosophical Texts editions)",
          "reason": "Recommends the Oxford Philosophical Texts editions of these Hume works.",
          "audience": "Readers studying Hume.",
          "caveat": "Specifically recommends the Oxford Philosophical Texts editions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503420,
          "author": "ionfish",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T09:28:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503420",
          "commentText": "Most of the \"eye-opening or incredibly interesting\" philosophical material that I've read has been in individual articles rather than books. That said, here are a few favourites from various areas. It's a bit heavily weighted towards recent material; Kant and Plato ought to be on there, but I can't stand Kant as a writer, even if his ideas are profound, and Plato's style has always irritated me for some reason I can't quite put my finger on. I could probably keep tying titles all day, so I'll stop with those that first popped into my head.\nAristotle, Nicomachean Ethics\nDavid Chalmers, The Conscious Mind: In Search of a Fundamental Theory\nGottlob Frege, Die Grundlagen der Arithmetik\nThomas Hobbes, Leviathan\nDavid Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding\nJ.S. Mill, On Liberty\nJohn Rawls, A Theory of Justice\nStewart Shapiro, Philosophy of Mathematics: Structure and Ontology",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "David Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86223,
          "author": "icky",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:37:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86223",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- The Time Machine (still holds up very well, and seems strangely eerie and prescient in places)... (H. G. Wells)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Hobbit (and LotR) (Tolkien)\n- Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n- Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties (I picked up Idoru first, so I haven't yet read Virtual Light) (also Gibson)\n- The Difference Engine (Gibson, Sterling)\n- Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n- Cryptonomicon (\" \")\n- Circuit of Heaven, End of Days (Dennis Danvers)\n- All of the \"Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser\" stories and novels. (Fritz Leiber)\n- The Earthsea trilogy (Ursula K. LeGuin)\n- 'salem's Lot (Stephen King)\n- Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein)\n- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)\n- the Coldfire trilogy (C. S. Friedman)\n- various Cory Doctorow short stories\n- Kamikaze L'Amour (Richard Kadrey)\n- Lightpaths (Howard V. Hendrix)\n- A Canticle For Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)\n- Moonwar, Venus (Ben Bova)\n- the Stainless Steel Rat series (Harry Harrison)\n- Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)\n- Ringworld (Larry Niven)\n- Cthon (Piers Anthony) -- Trippiness level approaching Philip Jose Farmer ;-)\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (Douglas Adams)\n- The Black Company (Glen Cook)\n- there's one particularly good post-cyberpunk series that takes place in a world in which Canada emerged as a major world power, but for the life of me I can't rememeber the title.\n- the 1632 series (Eric Flint)... see also S. M. Stirling's Nantucket series (\"Island in the Sea of Time\", et al.), and H. Beam Piper's novel Kalvan of Otherwhen\nNon-fiction:\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (Hume)\n- the surviving words and works of Epicurus, and Diogenes the Cynic\n- Freakonomics (Levitt, Dubner)\n- The Gay Science (Nietzsche)\n- The Jefferson Bible (Christ, Jefferson (ed.))\n- The Devil's Dictionary (Bierce)\n- Brain Droppings (George Carlin)\n- anything by P. J. O'Rourke\n- anything by Dave Barry",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (Hume)",
          "reason": "Listed under nonfiction in response to the thread’s question about favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Hume"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "empiricism",
        "epistemology",
        "hume",
        "philosophy of science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "aurora-ec4cd4",
      "title": "Aurora",
      "author": "Kim Stanley Robinson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36021858,
          "author": "agonmon",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:20:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021858",
          "commentText": "I loved all of Seveneves, and hate Three Body Problem.\nThe biggest difference in theme being, optimism that humanity can overcome any obstacle and flourish. \nIf you want more in that vein, see:\nAurora - Kim Stanley Robinson\nProject Hail Mary - Andy Weir\nDelta-V - Daniel Suarez",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Aurora - Kim Stanley Robinson",
          "reason": "Suggested as an optimistic story about humanity overcoming obstacles and flourishing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32198213,
          "author": "rektide",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T23:09:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32198213",
          "commentText": "A lot of sci-fi. I keep a couple things in flight all the time, go where I feel moved. Currently: Stand on Zanzibar, (Brunner, 1968) 88% through, 2 months. Babel 17, (Delany, 1966), 66% through / 1 month. Also, Revenant Gun, (Han Lee, 2018) about 15% through / 2 months. Also, Catcher in the Rye (Salinger, 1946), 60% through, 3 months. Gnomon, (Harkaway, 2017) 40% through, 4 months.\nCheating here accounting other recent reads, but I've finished a couple others in the intervening time. Long Way to a Small Angry Planet (Chambers, 2014, reread), Dark Tower (book 7), (King, 2004). Pattern Recognition, (Gibson, 2004, reread). Revolution Business (Book 5 of Merchant Prince, Stross, 2009). Aurora (Stanley-Robinson, 2015).\nI have some other stuff I read at a more leasiurely piece-by-piece pace, mostly materialistic philosophy / nerdery.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Aurora (Stanley-Robinson, 2015).",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28058909,
          "author": "retrac",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T09:19:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28058909",
          "commentText": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurora_%28novel%29\nIs it really so wise and ethical to launch a mission to another star system?  With KSR's usual deft handling of complex systems.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Is it really so wise and ethical to launch a mission to another star system?",
          "reason": "Raises questions about the wisdom and ethics of an interstellar mission and praises the handling of complex systems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15431201,
          "author": "superkuh",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-09T02:25:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15431201",
          "commentText": "By far the best is Simon Funk's \"AfterLife\". The mystery keeps you on the edge of your seat and the tech jargon and concepts are both detailed and correct which is a rare thing for any fiction. Also,\nCharles Stross - \"Accelerando\"\nDaniel Suarez\" \"Daemon\"\nKim Stanley Robinson - \"Aurora\"\nTobias Buckell - \"System Reset\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kim Stanley Robinson - \"Aurora\"",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's recommendations in response to a book request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15428810,
          "author": "thedoops",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:31:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428810",
          "commentText": "Most of the other books I'd recommend in this area are mentioned already, but I'll add Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson. The primary narrative is from the pov of a generation ship's A.I.. You get to see it learn over time and with it it's vocabulary. Since it's a ship it gives KSR the opportunity to do some very fun info-dumps on the situation.\nProbably one of the most thought provoking pieces of scifi I've read.\nI'll also recommend Accelerondo, and Seveneves.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'll add Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson.",
          "reason": "Added as a recommended book in the discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kim Stanley Robinson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "generation ship",
        "interstellar travel",
        "space colonization",
        "artificial intelligence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bible-743641",
      "title": "Bible",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36135179,
          "author": "hello_computer",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-31T06:31:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36135179",
          "commentText": "Start with the originals--Torah, Bible, Koran, Vedas, Buddhist Canons, Greco-Roman Mythologies, Avesta, Enûma Eliš--then work your way out toward commentaries, sects, cults, precursors, apocrypha, heresies, schisms, etc.  The problem with any condensed \"Grand Tour of Religion\" is the inevitable editorial bias (i.e. adopting someone else's understanding instead of developing your own).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Torah, Bible, Koran, Vedas",
          "reason": "Included among primary religious texts to start with.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter recommends a broad sequence of primary texts before commentaries and other traditions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36104902,
          "author": "amusingimpala75",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T15:32:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36104902",
          "commentText": "If you have the time you could read the religions’ foundational texts (Bible for Christianity, Quran for Islam, etc.) before commentaries on them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bible for Christianity",
          "reason": "Suggests reading foundational religious texts before commentaries.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30736323,
          "author": "agumonkey",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T18:28:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30736323",
          "commentText": "Man, I tried reading the bible, maybe some pages are to be skipped, I couldn't keep after 5 ... too many \"don't have sex with your cousin's wife unless her father owned a goat\" logic.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I tried reading the bible",
          "reason": "The commenter found the reading difficult and criticized some of its content.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23862235,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T18:36:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23862235",
          "commentText": "I'm not surprised. There are a fair number of people here who are somewhat hostile to religion. Heck, you could borderline count me as one of them. I think religion is a blight on our world. But I wouldn't downvote somebody for mentioning a religious text in this context because - like it or not - these works tend to be HIGHLY influential, and if you want to \"understand the world\" I think that understanding absolutely has to incorporate some knowledge of religion and religious beliefs.\nI'm an atheist myself, but I have a whole shelf full of religious texts, including the Quran, several Bibles, Bhagavad Gita, Gnostic Bible, the Norse myths, etc. for just this reason. I doubt the historicity and literal veracity of a lot of this stuff, but knowing it has value when many other people do take it all literally.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "including the Quran, several Bibles, Bhagavad Gita, Gnostic Bible, the Norse myths",
          "reason": "The commenter keeps religious texts to understand religion's influence and beliefs.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking to understand religion and religious beliefs.",
          "caveat": "The commenter doubts the historicity and literal veracity of much of the material.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16759284,
          "author": "jquinby",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T21:25:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16759284",
          "commentText": "Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows\nGetting to Yes by Roger Fisher and William Ury\nARRL Handbook for Radio Communications\nARRL Antenna Book\nAmerican Heritage Dictionary, 5th Ed.\nBible/Lectionary, Breviary, and Catechism\nIf fiction counts, I will probably never delete Flatland or the complete Joseph Conrad from my Kindle.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bible/Lectionary, Breviary, and Catechism",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6989924,
          "author": "trendoid",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-31T10:45:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6989924",
          "commentText": "I highly recommend 'Practical Ethics' by 'Peter Singer'. You will start seeing how you can apply critical thinking to various moral questions in life without clinging to any religious book. If there are facts to learn about human happiness then 'science' only(this includes economics, history, philosophy etc, basically all forms of rational discourse which are open to criticism and change) should suffice.\nThere is some good advice in Bible but there is lot of crap too and if you choose to cherry pick, its fine. Just keep in mind that your innate morals themselves are making you pick and choose. It was not written for a person in 21st century whose world is unfathomable for the Bible's author.\n> I don't claim that you're wrong, but it is very hard to preserve moral values in an atheistic ideology\nWhat do you mean by 'preserve'? Why can't moral values evolve overtime? At this moment, people eat mammalian meat happily without concerning about torture that those animals go through. I have no doubt that 100 years from now, people will look at this tradition similar to how we find slavery now. Slavery was so prevalent(and useful) that there seemed to be nothing 'wrong' with it. No surprise, that Bible didn't mention anything against it. But society evolved and soon it became something unthinkable. Some act which was not wrong, suddenly became very wrong. Similarly many moral values were not 'preserved'. I hope you see my point(literally and metaphorically).",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "there is lot of crap too and if you choose to cherry pick, its fine.",
          "reason": "Says the Bible contains some good advice but also much they regard as bad.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter argues it was not written for a 21st-century reader.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christianity",
        "scripture",
        "christian scripture",
        "religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "book-of-proof-e6174e",
      "title": "Book of Proof",
      "author": "Richard Hammack",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34441445,
          "author": "oogway8020",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T15:39:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34441445",
          "commentText": "I just started reading Book of Proof by Richard Hammack and I agree it's an amazing book",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Book of Proof by Richard Hammack",
          "reason": "The commenter says they just started it and agree it is an amazing book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34441273,
          "author": "Kaizeras",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T15:25:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34441273",
          "commentText": "Mathematik für Ingenieure und Wissenschaftler I, II and III from Lothar Papula (in German). The solutions are detailed, making it perfect for self-studying.\nBook of Proof by Richard Hammack. A great introduction to proofs in mathematics. The book is available free online [0], but also I bought the physical version because I really enjoyed it.\n[0]https://jdhsmith.math.iastate.edu/class/BookOfProof.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Book of Proof by Richard Hammack.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great introduction to mathematical proofs and says they enjoyed it enough to buy a physical copy.",
          "audience": "Readers beginning mathematical proofs.",
          "caveat": "Available free online.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31491314,
          "author": "laichzeit0",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T12:49:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31491314",
          "commentText": "Supposing you have at least high school mathematics under the belt:\n1. Book of Proof by Hammack [1]\n2. Tom Apostol Calculus Vol 1 (stop at Linear Algebra)\n3. Linear Algebra by Insel, Spence & Friedberg\n4. Understanding Analysis by Stephen Abbott\n5. Tom Apostol Calculus Vol 2\nThese are books with excellent exposition, and solution manuals are available when needed. You are absolutely required to do all the exercises.  To learn mathematics is to do mathematics.\nTwo other excellent books are Spivak - Calculus, the problems in this book are very good, but much more difficult than Apostol.  For more advanced analysis there's Walter Rudin's Principles of Mathematical Analysis (baby Rudin), which on its own is too difficult as a first exposure to analysis, but there's a cool professor that recorded an entire semester of baby Rudin lecture videos [2].  This is as close as it gets without being enrolled in a university.\n[1] https://www.people.vcu.edu/~rhammack/BookOfProof/\n[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab41LEw9oiI&list=PLun8-Z_lTk... (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab41LEw9oiI&list=PLun8-Z_lTkC6qJF1sVh3_Hx7aL6FPd0IN) (the first video is a bit blurry, it gets better)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Book of Proof by Hammack",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as part of a self-study sequence after high-school mathematics.",
          "audience": "Readers with at least high-school mathematics",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29218866,
          "author": "mathhh",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T17:44:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29218866",
          "commentText": "> You can work through the concepts and delude yourself into thinking you understand something when really you're just hand waving it\nI keep seeing this and I don't quite understand how this one works.\nIf I were studying math on my own (which I've done and still do), I'd do the following:\n1. Pick a book. Say, Rudin's Principles of Mathematical Analysis[0]. Read a section, then attempt problems. Pick a problem. Say, \"prove {1/n: n is natural} U{0} is compact directly from the definition(not using Heine-Borel)\". It's guaranteed your \"proof\" is not a proof.\n2. Compare your solution to existing solution manuals or ask a question on MSE[1]. Since the given book by Rudin is super-massively famous, each question has probably been asked/answered about a bagillion times each on MSE, so just searching MSE alone would likely to spit out many answers to your questions. People on MSE will tell you exactly why your \"solution\" is wrong and where you tripped up. Sometimes even the clarifying answers are hard to understand. But then you can ask new questions, think more, correct your misconceptions until it all finally clicks. Do that with all  the rest of the problems[2].\nI don't see how the process above is delusional.\n[0] This book is not a realistic fit for a novice, though. Instead, one would start with books like [3], [4], [5], [6] to learn how to prove things and think like a mathematician would.\n[1] https://math.stackexchange.com/\n[2] In reality, the more math you see and do, the more mathematically mature and less dependent on others(to check your work) you become. In fact, if you can solve any problem in \"B@by Rudin\" and some famous abstract algebra textbook (say, Dummit & Foote's \"Abstract Algebra\") cold, you're way ahead of most any undergrad math major in the world! Because standards on undergrad math majors are not that high, nor that brutal the world over no matter what they say. If, additionally, you can solve any given problem in a book like, say, Hatcher's \"Algebraic Topology\" or any other famous grad level textbooks on, say, differential geometry or, uhh, functional analysis, you're officially in the big leagues. Again, if you're worried about being delusional about your proofs, you can always present them on MSE.\n[3] \"Book of Proof\" by Richard Hammach. It's online free.\nhttps://www.people.vcu.edu/~rhammack/BookOfProof/\n[4] \"Discrete Math\" by Susanna Epp\nhttps://www.google.com/books/edition/Discrete_Mathematics_wi... (https://www.google.com/books/edition/Discrete_Mathematics_with_Applications/_341EAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover)\n[5] \"How to Think About Analysis\" by Lara Alcock\nhttps://www.google.com/books/edition/How_to_Think_about_Anal... (https://www.google.com/books/edition/How_to_Think_about_Analysis/n0tuBAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover)\n[6] \"Linear Algebra\" by Kuldeep Singh\nhttps://www.google.com/books/edition/Linear_Algebra/BJNoAgAA... (https://www.google.com/books/edition/Linear_Algebra/BJNoAgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Book of Proof\" by Richard Hammach. It's online free.",
          "reason": "Listed as a book for learning how to prove things and think like a mathematician.",
          "audience": "Readers learning how to write proofs.",
          "caveat": "The comment spells the author's surname “Hammach”; the canonical spelling is Hammack.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803308,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T14:43:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803308",
          "commentText": "I hilariously overestimate the number of books I can get through when I make these lists, but my current list for 2020 is as follows:\nDigital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World\nThe Man Who Solved the Market: How Jim Simons Launched the Quant Revolution\nBook of Proof\nDesigning Data-Intensive Applications: The Big Ideas Behind Reliable, Scalable, and Maintainable Systems\nSeeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed\nGuns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies\nWe Make the Road by Walking: A Year-Long Quest for Spiritual Formation, Reorientation, and Activation\nSoul Repair: Recovering from Moral Injury after War (for a friend)\nMaster and Commander\nEducated\nWithout Getting Killed or Caught: The Life and Music of Guy Clark\nStretch goal: The Power Broker, as a warm-up for Caro's LBJ series\nThe Bible (perpetual, I don't get through it every year, but I get through much of it, often)\nEDIT: I also hilariously underestimate the number of books I want to read. Here's one more I think is vital for my 2020:\nThe Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Book of Proof",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Hammack"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "discrete mathematics",
        "mathematical reasoning",
        "proof writing",
        "proofs"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "boyd-the-fighter-pilot-who-changed-the-art-of-war-cda56c",
      "title": "Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War",
      "author": "Robert Coram",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21712780,
          "author": "zt",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T15:00:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21712780",
          "commentText": "I think this is a more complicated question that it first appears. What do you mean by leadership? Getting things done for some strict definition? Managing a team? Managing a huge enterprise? I think reading books across the spectrum of leadership and management is critical, as each gives you some feeling of the underlying “truth” that you’re trying to find.\nI think the best book on the topic as I think you mean it is High Output Management by Andy Grove. It’s a classic. Incredibly well written. Direct.\nFrom there, I’d actually take a pivot and read MCDP 1 Warfighting, which is concise, brilliant, generally applicable, and completely aligned with the thinking of Grove. Along the same lines, I’d consider reading about OODA (I like “Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War” but not strictly necessary to read an entire biography). I think then you start to see that “Management” began to mean something particular in the post-war era for those who could see it, that it’s been lost in most organizations. Agile, lean, blah blah blah is all sort of derived from here.\nThen get some conditioning on how it all goes wrong, for which I would suggest the classic “The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering”, which is generally applicable.\nThen personally, I era toward thinking about organizations that have accomplished great things, so suggest “Creativity, Inc”, “Doing the Impossible: George E. Mueller & the Management of NASA's Human Spaceflight Program”, and books of those type.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I like “Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War” but not strictly necessary to read an entire biography",
          "reason": "Says they like it and suggests it as a way to explore OODA.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in OODA and its influence.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says reading the full biography is not strictly necessary.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168800,
          "author": "Buttons840",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:53:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168800",
          "commentText": "\"Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War\" by Robert Coram was the first biography I really enjoyed. John Boyd's dedication to his ideals is inspiring. The retrospective that comes from seeing an inspiring life, with all its trade-offs and inevitable end, was life changing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War\" by Robert Coram was the first biography I really enjoyed.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed it and found Boyd's dedication inspiring; reflecting on his life was life changing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1877691,
          "author": "dpritchett",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-06T20:31:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1877691",
          "commentText": "Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed The Art of War\nOne-paragraph pitch:\nIn order to win, we should operate at a faster tempo or rhythm than our adversaries--or, better yet, get inside the adversary's Observation-Orientation-Decision-Action time cycle or loop. ... Such activity will make us appear unpredictable thereby generate confusion and disorder among our adversaries--since our adversaries will be unable to generate mental images or pictures that agree with the menacing as well as faster transient rhythm or patterns they are competing against.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed The Art of War",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135684,
          "author": "randrews",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-13T02:37:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135684",
          "commentText": "I second the Boyd suggestion. One of the best books I've ever read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second the Boyd suggestion. One of the best books I've ever read.",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the book recommendation and calls it one of the best books they've read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135348,
          "author": "slackerIII",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T18:15:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135348",
          "commentText": "Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War  (for thoughts on competition)\nManaging Gigabytes (if you are doing anything related to search)\nWriting Solid Code (especially if you are using C/C++)\nMost of the research papers that come out of OSDI/SOSP:  Dynamo, BigTable, Sawzall, GFS, Chubby, etc",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War  (for thoughts on competition)",
          "reason": "Recommended for thoughts on competition.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Coram"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military strategy",
        "john boyd",
        "military biography",
        "ooda loop"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "c-a-reference-manual-8a7006",
      "title": "C: A Reference Manual",
      "author": "Samuel P. Harbison and Guy L. Steele Jr.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33133056,
          "author": "Syzygies",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T15:23:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33133056",
          "commentText": "I read the first edition of K&R when it came out, and switched to C for a computer algebra system that got me tenure as a math professor. K&R is a religious scripture, and remains the benchmark against which I measure all other programming books. It's in the same league as the aspirational SICP, and a far easier read.\nIn college I'd programmed Fortran on punched cards. APL was like dropping acid, and I worked one summer as a commercial APL programmer, but it wasn't appropriate for what I needed. Pascal didn't quite fit either. C was in that context mind-blowing. The future had arrived! I had full access to the machine!\nIf one is learning to become a plumber, one might not be so interested in how plumbing worked in 1840. If however, one is a herding dog, and needs serious work to avoid getting bored and destructive, reading K&R would put C in historical context.\nLater, as I depended on C, I bought each edition of C: A Reference Manual by Harbison and Steele, and read it as if I were studying to be a lawyer.\nI now program in Haskell, and wish I was equally versed in Clojure and Rust. If I were returning to C, I'd instead choose Rust. For my work, I have a free choice.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I bought each edition of C: A Reference Manual by Harbison and Steele",
          "reason": "Describes buying each edition and studying it closely as a reference.",
          "audience": "Readers who need an in-depth C reference.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12160697,
          "author": "satysin",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-25T18:49:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 12160209,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 12 year old tech savvy girl – books, programs, events, advice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12160697",
          "commentText": "Start with Programming in C or C A Modern Approach (although the latter is expensive even second hand) and learn some basic Linux.\nThen K&R just because everyone should read it.\nGrab C in a Nutshell, Understanding and Using C Pointers and C A Reference Manual for reference.\nThen get the Linux Programming Interface book.\nOkay maybe a bit overkill for a 12 year old...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "C A Reference Manual",
          "reason": "Suggested as a reference.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1212731,
          "author": "andrewcooke",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-23T12:33:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 1212675,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I use and love Python. What's the best book to learn C ?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1212731",
          "commentText": "not for learning, but as a reference to keep on your desk when programming in c - harbison + steele http://www.careferencemanual.com/\nthis is also worth reading once you've got the basics down - http://www.amazon.com/Expert-Programming-Peter-van-Linden/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/Expert-Programming-Peter-van-Linden/dp/0131774298)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "not for learning, but as a reference to keep on your desk when programming in c - harbison + steele",
          "reason": "Suggested as a desk reference for C programming.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not for learning.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1212730,
          "author": "1331",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-23T12:33:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 1212675,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I use and love Python. What's the best book to learn C ?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1212730",
          "commentText": "I highly recommend _C: A Reference Manual_ by Harbinson and Steele.  It has many tiny examples, but it is mainly used as a reference manual (as the title suggests).\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Reference-Manual-Samuel-P-Harbison/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Reference-Manual-Samuel-P-Harbison/dp/013089592X)\nA good book for learning C is _Mastering Algorithms with C_ by Loudon.  The source code is over-commented and contains too much white space, which is a bit annoying, but the content is quite nice.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Algorithms-C-Kyle-Loudon/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Algorithms-C-Kyle-Loudon/dp/1565924533)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend _C: A Reference Manual_ by Harbinson and Steele. It has many tiny examples, but it is mainly used as a reference manual",
          "reason": "Highly recommended as a reference; it includes small examples.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mainly a reference manual.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027496,
          "author": "tjr",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T18:52:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027496",
          "commentText": "I think that K&R works better as a tutorial, as an introduction to C programming. Once you're generally comfortable with C, Steele's book is a much better reference.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Steele's book is a much better reference.",
          "reason": "Recommends Steele's book as a C reference for readers already comfortable with the language.",
          "audience": "Readers generally comfortable with C.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026332,
          "author": "andrewcooke",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T22:09:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026332",
          "commentText": "is fiction ok?  i live in chile and stumbled across bolano's books (particularly the savage detectives and 2666) in spanish just as they became popular in english in the usa (2666 was released in translation).\nsavage detectives is a funny account of adolescent \"poets\" in mexico; 2666 is a much darker, somewhat rambling tome that addresses \"evil\".  they're very different, but both great books.\nfor non-fiction the book i've used most this year is an old classic - harbison & steele's \"c a reference manual\".  it's invaluable (if you're writing c).  i don't know how people can prefer kernighan & ritchie...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the book i've used most this year is an old classic - harbison & steele's \"c a reference manual\".  it's invaluable (if you're writing c)",
          "reason": "Calls it invaluable for writing C.",
          "audience": "People writing C.",
          "caveat": "Its value is specifically for writing C.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Samuel P. Harbison and Guy L. Steele Jr."
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming",
        "reference",
        "language reference",
        "programming language reference"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "capital-3961b5",
      "title": "Capital",
      "author": "Karl Marx",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36601325,
          "author": "wahnfrieden",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T14:57:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601325",
          "commentText": "Capital volumes 1&2",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Capital volumes 1&2",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter specifies volumes 1 and 2.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12565777,
          "author": "marmot777",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T16:23:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12565777",
          "commentText": "These are important books but obviously not a comprehensive list.\n* John Locke's Two Treatises of Government - It's political philosophy but it's hard to understand Classical Liberalism without having read some Locke.\n* Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations - He and Locke are the two main guys to read for a solid start on Classical Liberalism, which is completely different than modern political liberalism. It's like having two features in an app with nearly the same name. Confusing as fuck.\n* E. F. Schumacher's Small Is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered - This book will shift your perspective, useful to avoid becoming an a mindless advocate for one school of thought or another.\n* Marx is a tough one as Capital is massive and unreadable and The Communist Manifesto is a propaganda pamphlet but I think you need to at least find some articles that summarize the basics.\n* Keynes and Hayek - This hip hop battle is a decent start:\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0nERTFo-Sk\nthen read Keynes' The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money and Hayek's The Road to Serfdom.\n* Milton Friedman's - Yes, read Capitalism and Freedom. I hesitated to include it as the guy's so good at making the case that it can turn you into a market advocate bot. Please resist that.\nCan someone help me on this, is there a book balance Hayek and a book to balance Friedman? I'm sorry but Keynes doesn't do it for me. Look at the difference in titles between Hayek and Keynes. It's hard to motivate to read the Keynes book but nobody ever has trouble reading Hayek.\nI see a lot of these ideas come up on HN a lot. What I don't like so much is when someone becomes an advocate for a particular ism. To me, all isms are rubbish. All of them. Understand but do not become a shill for an ideology.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Marx is a tough one as Capital is massive and unreadable",
          "reason": "Characterized as difficult and unreadable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as massive and unreadable.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12563793,
          "author": "Dowwie",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T11:35:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12563793",
          "commentText": "Why finance?  Finance was the major viable option for people with your background but that's not the case anymore.  Every industry needs people with your background -- more than ever!\nHowever, if you're hell bent on going into finance and you're going to read one economics book, read Thomas Piketty, \"Capital for 21st Century\".\nThese are the classic economics tomes that you'd read over a lifetime:\nKarl Marx, \"Capital\"\nAdam Smith, \"The Theory of Moral Sentiments\"\nAdam Smith, \"The Wealth of Nations\"\nFA Hayek, \"The Road to Serfdom\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Karl Marx, \"Capital\"",
          "reason": "Lists it among classic economics works to read over a lifetime.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring classic economics texts.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12561975,
          "author": "AndrewKemendo",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T02:47:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12561975",
          "commentText": "The following list will introduce you to Western Economic Philosophy as it relates to modern history specifically. This list is weighted heavily toward neo-classical economics and does not get into computational model based economics - specifically microeconomics, which comprises the bulk of economics education today:\nSchumpeter - History of economic analysis\nAdam Smith - Theory of Moral Sentiments\nKaynes - The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money\nMarx - Capital\nBenjamin Graham - The Intelligent Investor\nGalbraith - The Affluent Society\nGalbraith - The Great Crash\nMilton Friedman - Capitalism and Freedom\nNassim Taleb - Black Swan\nRon Suskind - Confidence Men\nScott Patterson - Dark Pools\nIf you want to delve into heterodox economics afterward, start with the following:\nHayek - Individualism and Economic Order\nMises - Human Action\nRothbard - Man, Economy, State",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Marx - Capital",
          "reason": "Included in a list described as an introduction to Western economic philosophy.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring economic thought in modern history.",
          "caveat": "The list is weighted toward neoclassical economics and excludes computational model based economics.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9611877,
          "author": "notJim",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T15:07:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9611877",
          "commentText": "Marx's Capital is available here: https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1867-c1/, and there's a great free/open course to help you get through it here: http://davidharvey.org/reading-capital/.\nIt's a fairly hard read, but I've gotten through the first few chapters so far and found it very insightful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a fairly hard read, but I've gotten through the first few chapters so far and found it very insightful.",
          "reason": "Says the first few chapters have been very insightful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as a fairly hard read and has only read the first few chapters so far.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Karl Marx"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political economy",
        "marxism",
        "capitalism",
        "marxian economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "children-of-ruin-c8d63e",
      "title": "Children of Ruin",
      "author": "Adrian Tchaikovsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33382608,
          "author": "disillusioned",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T10:05:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382608",
          "commentText": "Mostly science fiction, and most Adrian Tchaikovsky science fiction at that:\n* Elder Race - Tchaikovsky's Hugo-nominated novella does this really neat thing where it tells the same story from two different perspectives, which happen to perfectly meld fantasy with hard scifi in a super clever conceit.\n* Children of Time - A hard scifi-meets-entomology-study take on how shifting perspectives work and the no-stone-left-unturned world building he does just really works. Its sequel Children of Ruin was great too, and the final in the trilogy comes out next month.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Its sequel Children of Ruin was great too",
          "reason": "Calls it a great sequel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32198133,
          "author": "Elof",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:59:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32198133",
          "commentText": "The follow up to Children of Time, Children of Ruin, is also fantastic and a third book is slated to come out this year!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The follow up to Children of Time, Children of Ruin, is also fantastic",
          "reason": "Calls the follow-up fantastic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29731343,
          "author": "spyrefused",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-29T23:11:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29731343",
          "commentText": "I will surely do it, I have it in queue",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I will surely do it, I have it in queue",
          "reason": "Affirms they will read the sequel mentioned in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29672750,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T11:33:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29672750",
          "commentText": "Make sure to read the sequal: Children of Ruin.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Make sure to read the sequal: Children of Ruin.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends reading it as the sequel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It is described as a sequel to Children of Time in the parent context.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adrian Tchaikovsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "uplift",
        "sequel",
        "space exploration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "computer-networks-0c7891",
      "title": "Computer Networks",
      "author": "Andrew S. Tanenbaum",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27676271,
          "author": "wink",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-29T14:30:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 27650775,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27676271",
          "commentText": "I really didn't like it (whatever version was current in 2004?ish), so I'd suggest Tanenbaum's Computer Networks. Not sure if it got updated in the last 15 years, but the basics should still be there.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd suggest Tanenbaum's Computer Networks.",
          "reason": "Suggested as an alternative after the commenter says they disliked the other book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether it has been updated in the last 15 years, but says the basics should remain.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27652998,
          "author": "JanMa",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T16:38:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 27650775,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27652998",
          "commentText": "When it comes to networking fundamentals I can definitely recommend \"Computer Networks\" by Andrew Tanenbaum[0].\n[0]: https://www.pearson.com/us/higher-education/program/Tanenbau... (https://www.pearson.com/us/higher-education/program/Tanenbaum-Computer-Networks-5th-Edition/PGM270019.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "recommend \"Computer Networks\" by Andrew Tanenbaum",
          "reason": "Recommended for learning networking fundamentals.",
          "audience": "People learning networking fundamentals.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16087808,
          "author": "dyeje",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-06T22:24:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16087808",
          "commentText": "Computer Networks by Tanenbaum\nEntertaining and insightful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Entertaining and insightful.",
          "reason": "Praises the book as entertaining and insightful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12148747,
          "author": "pllbnk",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-23T07:46:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12148747",
          "commentText": "Interesting that this book is mentioned in this thread several times. I didn't find this book bringing almost any value to me. What it did was giving names (e.g. orthogonality) that I didn't know before to the common programming concepts that all developers with some practical experience should be aware of anyway as a common sense. But that might just be due to a different approach to programming.\nI find the books such as Andrew Tanenbaum's \"Computer Networks\" which are bringing historical perspective as well as a lot of technical information without going into the tiny details the best balance of useful and interesting.\nTherefore \"Computer Architecture - A Quantitative Approach\" is much better for me in that aspect and the C programming should be really interesting too, although I haven't read it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Andrew Tanenbaum's \"Computer Networks\" which are bringing historical perspective as well as a lot of technical information without going into the tiny details the best balance of useful and interesting.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the best balance of useful and interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew S. Tanenbaum"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer networking",
        "network fundamentals",
        "textbooks"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "concrete-mathematics-10da0b",
      "title": "Concrete Mathematics",
      "author": "Ronald Graham, Donald Knuth, and Oren Patashnik",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29307891,
          "author": "Jtsummers",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:07:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29307891",
          "commentText": "> I haven't read any of Knuth's stuff because doesn't having 7 volumes kinda imply it can't possibly be well edited?\nThat's a very bad assumption in this case. The contents of TAOCP are very well edited, just massive in scope and it's one man putting it all together. However, those aren't his only books. Concrete Mathematics is a completed text that expands on, in particular, the math in Chapter 1 of TAOCP. Literate Programming is a collection of papers on topics in programming, and is the first of eight such books. If you want interesting but mildly impractical, check out his Computers & Typesetting [0] which includes two books which are actually literate programs.\n[0] https://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/abcde.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Concrete Mathematics is a completed text that expands on, in particular, the math in Chapter 1 of TAOCP.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a completed text expanding on mathematics from TAOCP.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23727402,
          "author": "super_mario",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T20:43:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23727402",
          "commentText": "I would recommend highly \"What is Mathematics\" by Richard Courant and Herbert Robbins. This is very accessible book for high schoolers who are keen and interested in mathematics, and will expose the reader to a broad array of topics and pique the interest and awaken the imagination and instill the beauty of mathematics. This in turn can drive the reader to find out more and fall in love with the subject.\nI would second this by \"Concrete Mathematics\" by Graham, Knuth and Patashnik. This is actual university course book with very formal proofs and theory, but the subject matter is still largely accessible to serious high school students and demonstrates beautiful reasoning examples throughout. It is also very practical book, after covering techniques in this book, one can often times calculate exact sums of infinite series quicker than estimating their bounds. If your high school student decides to study math at university level, the techniques and skills taught in this book will prove invaluable in broad areas of study.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would second this by \"Concrete Mathematics\" by Graham, Knuth and Patashnik.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for its formal proofs, reasoning examples, and practical techniques.",
          "audience": "Serious high school students and prospective university mathematics students.",
          "caveat": "A university course book with formal proofs and theory.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7579710,
          "author": "mturmon",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-13T00:36:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7579710",
          "commentText": "Concrete Mathematics is a great book, really good content and techniques about computing things, and a lot of depth and useful history and side information.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Concrete Mathematics is a great book, really good content and techniques about computing things",
          "reason": "Praises its content, techniques, depth, and useful historical context.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7579507,
          "author": "midas007",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T22:53:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7579507",
          "commentText": "Concrete Mathematics by Ronald Graham, Donald Knuth, and Oren Patashnik\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concrete_Mathematics\nAlso Knuth's TAOCP series are very formal and dense, in a good way.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Concrete Mathematics by Ronald Graham, Donald Knuth, and Oren Patashnik",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ronald Graham",
        "Donald Knuth",
        "Oren Patashnik"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "discrete mathematics",
        "mathematical methods",
        "problem solving",
        "proofs"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "concrete-mathematics-d6c079",
      "title": "Concrete Mathematics",
      "author": "Ronald L. Graham, Donald E. Knuth, and Oren Patashnik",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34441877,
          "author": "jytug123",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T16:11:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34441877",
          "commentText": "On a similar subject I recall Concrete Mathematics by Donald Knuth being my favourite book from school.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On a similar subject I recall Concrete Mathematics by Donald Knuth being my favourite book from school.",
          "reason": "The commenter recalls it as their favorite book from school.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31501336,
          "author": "newsoul",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-25T06:45:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31501336",
          "commentText": "After reading all the comments I am sharing my choices\n1. The foundations of mathematics by Stewart and Tall\n2. Problem Solving Strategies by Arthur Engels\n3. Journey into Mathematics by Rotman\n4. Concrete Mathematics by Knuth et al.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "4. Concrete Mathematics by Knuth et al.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31499196,
          "author": "sn9",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-25T00:28:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31499196",
          "commentText": "The other benefit is that all of the AoPS books have extremely complete solutions manuals so you'll get immediate feedback on the quality of your solution, or you can just look if you've been banging your head against something for a while.\nSolutions manuals are the autodidact's best friend.\nOther high quality books with complete solutions included or in separate solutions manuals include Spivak's Calculus, Hubbard and Hubbard's Vector Calculus, Tenenbaum and Pollard's Ordinary Differential Equations (a really cheap Dover text from the 60s!), and Knuth et. al's Concrete Mathematics.\nGoing through the AoPS books and the above will give you an extremely solid foundation to learn any further math you might need as a software engineer as needed.\nIf you have a career spanning 3-4 decades, spending a few years mastering this material can be extremely useful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Knuth et. al's Concrete Mathematics",
          "reason": "Names it among high-quality books with complete solutions available.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30485966,
          "author": "EzJBg4GS",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T06:39:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30485966",
          "commentText": "I'm starting to learn CS all over again at the old age of 40, and had the pleasure to rediscover mathematics thanks to:\n- Discrete Mathematics with Applications, by Susanna Epp, or\n- Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications, by Kenneth Rosen (both have the same content, choose the style that you prefer), and\n- Concrete Mathematics, by our lord and savior Donald Knuth.\nI don't plan on reading TAOCP anymore as I would be dead by the time I finish reading everything else, but those introductory books are very good for beginners.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Concrete Mathematics, by our lord and savior Donald Knuth.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a good introductory book for beginners.",
          "audience": "Beginners learning computer science or mathematics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ronald L. Graham",
        "Donald E. Knuth",
        "Oren Patashnik"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "discrete mathematics",
        "computer science mathematics",
        "mathematical problem solving"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "course-of-theoretical-physics-7b7393",
      "title": "Course of Theoretical Physics",
      "author": "Lev Landau and Evgeny Lifshitz",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46484247,
          "author": "aristofun",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-04T02:37:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 46473352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Expository/Succinct Books on Modern Physics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46484247",
          "commentText": "Landau these days doesn’t look like a “broad coverage” at all.\nMore like “many specific topics and areas covered in a set of books under same authors”.\nAlso Landau was one of the last (probably the last) polymath physicists who covered a wide range of fields.\nI doubt it is even technically possible to cover even 30% of all modern theoretical physics in a single course with depth comparable to Landau books.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "many specific topics and areas covered in a set of books under same authors",
          "reason": "The commenter describes the books as covering many specific topics rather than providing broad coverage.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter doubts a single course can cover even 30% of modern theoretical physics at comparable depth.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46481345,
          "author": "senorcrab",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-03T20:45:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 46473352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Expository/Succinct Books on Modern Physics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46481345",
          "commentText": "True it is pretty dated. OP was requesting resources that cover *all* of physics and Landau popped into mind. Is there a modern series of textbooks that offers such a broad coverage?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Is there a modern series of textbooks that offers such a broad coverage?",
          "reason": "The commenter asks whether a modern series can match the breadth of Landau's books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46481014,
          "author": "aristofun",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-03T20:09:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 46473352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Expository/Succinct Books on Modern Physics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46481014",
          "commentText": "Landau was Einstein+ level genius and the course was a soviet theoretical physics bible many years ago. But it’s not a good educational resource by modern standards and pretty dated.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "But it’s not a good educational resource by modern standards and pretty dated.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is dated and unsuitable as a modern educational resource.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as dated and not a good educational resource by modern standards.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46478252,
          "author": "senorcrab",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-03T16:09:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 46473352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Expository/Succinct Books on Modern Physics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46478252",
          "commentText": "Freshman university textbooks have what you need. Two of the most popular are:\n- University Physics by Young and Freedman\n- Fundamentals of Physics by Halliday, Resnick, Walker\n- Modern Physics by Krane\nYou might guess that real physics is not actually in freshman textbooks, and you are right. Modern physics requires rigorous mathematics.\nFor a nonrigorous introduction/overview:\n- The Road to Reality by Roger Penrose\nIf you want to actually learn almost all of physics at a high level:\n- Course of Theoretical Physics by Landau\nNote that Landau is extremely difficult.\nIf you want to learn the math needed for modern physics (topology) in the context of physics, nonrigorously:\n- Geometry, Topology, and Physics by Nakahara",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Course of Theoretical Physics by Landau",
          "reason": "Suggested for learning almost all of physics at a high level.",
          "audience": "Readers aiming to learn physics at a high level.",
          "caveat": "Described as extremely difficult.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937051,
          "author": "userbinator",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:20:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937051",
          "commentText": "The C Programming Language\nCourse of Theoretical Physics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Course of Theoretical Physics",
          "reason": "Listed as a book that had a major impact on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14141693,
          "author": "adyavanapalli",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T18:49:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14141693",
          "commentText": "I agree. Feynman lectures aren't in anyway comprehensive or bible-like, but they're nonetheless very fun. As for Tipler, I'd stay far away from it haha (take it as an example of how badly a physics textbook can be written).\nAs for bible-like/comprehensive (I don't know if anyone has written such a thing in such a vast subject), but many consider the Landau/Lifshitz \"Course in Theoretical Physics\" series to be an elegant summary of important results in physics. Check out the Chicago Undergraduate Physics Bibliography if you're interested in what books to study to become a physicist.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "many consider the Landau/Lifshitz \"Course in Theoretical Physics\" series to be an elegant summary of important results in physics.",
          "reason": "Described as an elegant summary of important results in physics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lev Landau",
        "Evgeny Lifshitz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "theoretical physics",
        "physics textbooks",
        "physics textbook series"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "creativity-inc-044bc9",
      "title": "Creativity, Inc.",
      "author": "Ed Catmull with Amy Wallace",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49746925,
          "author": "arnav714412",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-17T21:37:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 49724691,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most career altering course or book you have gone through?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49746925",
          "commentText": "Creativity, Inc.\nIt taught me to not limit my imagination and to think of creativity as a way of approaching problems rather than something limited to art. As a developer, it genuinely changed the way I think about building things.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Creativity, Inc.",
          "reason": "It broadened the author's view of creativity as an approach to problems and changed how they think about building things.",
          "audience": "Developers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21719355,
          "author": "aprdm",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-06T04:52:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21719355",
          "commentText": "I've been a team lead for close to four years now in two different companies, both times my teams spanned multiple time zones!\nI really enjoy this subject and read a lot about it. My favorite books so far are:\n- Radical Candor\n-- Gives a great framework for candid conversations and empathy which IMO are the most important thing! Clear #1 in my list.\n- Leading by Alex Ferguson\n-- A great successful leader in another area - Soccer - that had many years building effective teams. It's incredible how many concepts can be mapped over, he talks for example on how having \"rockstars\" in a team that aren't team players isn't worth it.\n- Ride of a lifetime by Bob Iger\n-- It's mostly a biography of Disney's most successful CEO, I thought it was very authentic and gave good advices on how to deal with creative people, empathy, setting goals and navigating hard situations (compartmentalizing)\n- Creativity Inc Amy / Ed\n-- Pixar's president biography on how to manage creative teams, it is a bit repetitive but it is golden! Lots of good ideas and insightful chapters that make you think about how to build a successful culture.\n- The Manager's Path: A Guide for Tech Leaders\n-- IMO a bit shallow compared to the other books I mentioned but it was a pleasant read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it is a bit repetitive but it is golden!",
          "reason": "Calls it golden and praises its ideas on managing creative teams and building a successful culture.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in managing creative teams.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is a bit repetitive.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21712531,
          "author": "hongzi",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T14:35:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21712531",
          "commentText": "Creativity, Inc. [1] It's not a textbook but a really fun read for the inside stories that pushed Pixar to its success. Maybe it's just me personally but I found it hard to follow some syllabus to learn management --- instead, I enjoy being inspired by other great managers through their concrete stories.\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FUZQYBO/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Creativity, Inc. [1] It's not a textbook but a really fun read for the inside stories that pushed Pixar to its success.",
          "reason": "Calls it a fun read and describes enjoying its stories about Pixar's success.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in management through real-world stories.",
          "caveat": "Not a textbook.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12476043,
          "author": "tlackemann",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T22:21:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12476043",
          "commentText": "Blue Ocean Strategy by Renée Mauborgne and W. Chan Kim\nAs a software engineer, I've come to really love how good products are built and how to explore new markets. While I don't think it's a life-changing book, it's certainly a good read and I'd recommend it to any engineer that wants to be more product-focused (also Inspired, Creativity Inc, and Zero to One)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "also Inspired, Creativity Inc, and Zero to One",
          "reason": "Listed alongside the recommended Blue Ocean Strategy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ed Catmull",
        "Amy Wallace"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Art",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "pixar",
        "creative leadership",
        "creative teams",
        "creativity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "crypto-how-the-code-rebels-beat-the-government-saving-privacy-in--56c33c",
      "title": "Crypto: How the Code Rebels Beat the Government—Saving Privacy in the Digital Age",
      "author": "Steven Levy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39255355,
          "author": "cpach",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T22:51:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39255355",
          "commentText": "Steven Levy’s Crypto: How the Code Rebels Beat the Government Saving Privacy in the Digital Age. So far I like it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Steven Levy’s Crypto: How the Code Rebels Beat the Government Saving Privacy in the Digital Age. So far I like it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they like it so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "So far, they like it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22710883,
          "author": "leoc",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T13:02:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22710883",
          "commentText": "Crypto is likely even better than Hackers, in fact.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crypto is likely even better than Hackers, in fact.",
          "reason": "Compares Crypto favorably with Hackers, continuing the parent comment's discussion of computing history books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22708939,
          "author": "gonehome",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T03:23:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22708939",
          "commentText": "I also think it's a great book, but partly because it is technical.\nCharles is great at explaining how computers actually work with circuit diagrams from the ground up in a way that's articulate, clear, and engaging. I think I learned more from this book than I did in my CS architecture class.\nThe historical context he puts it in helps with clarity since it's easier to understand when you know how each successive step built on the previous one.\nIn addition to the Dream Machine, I'd also mention Steven Levy's Hackers as an obvious one to read.\nSome others I've read:\n- What the dormouse said (this one was just okay, but interesting to see some of the cultural context at the time).\n- Crypto (about the history of cryptography). I really liked this one, but people I've recommended it to found it dry.\n- In the Plex (history of Google)\n- Masters of Doom (John Carmack, John Romero and Id Software)\nRelated Fiction:\n- Microserfs\n- The Soul of a New Machine\n- The Phoenix Project (fiction paired with the Dev Ops Handbook)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Crypto (about the history of cryptography). I really liked this one, but people I've recommended it to found it dry.",
          "reason": "The commenter liked this history of cryptography.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "People the commenter recommended it to found it dry.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 138142,
          "author": "DarrenStuart",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-16T13:02:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=138142",
          "commentText": "Steven Levy is great, I would add his Crypto book as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would add his Crypto book as well.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends adding Levy's book to the list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Levy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cryptography",
        "privacy",
        "computer history",
        "cypherpunks"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "designing-interactions-b4a195",
      "title": "Designing Interactions",
      "author": "Bill Moggridge",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 295900,
          "author": "UandIblog",
          "createdAt": "2008-09-05T15:06:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 295871,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HC: Which books on user interface design do you wish your CEO/Cofounders would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=295900",
          "commentText": "Thank you for taking the time to help me.. Spectacular looking books, I've got my work cut out for me.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Spectacular looking books",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the appearance of the books and says they have a lot of reading ahead.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 295886,
          "author": "fiaz",
          "createdAt": "2008-09-05T14:54:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 295871,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HC: Which books on user interface design do you wish your CEO/Cofounders would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=295886",
          "commentText": "Emotional Design\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Emotional-Design-Love-Everyday-Things/... (http://www.amazon.com/Emotional-Design-Love-Everyday-Things/dp/0465051367/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1220626431&sr=8-1)\nDesigning Interactions\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Designing-Interactions-Bill-Moggridge/... (http://www.amazon.com/Designing-Interactions-Bill-Moggridge/dp/0262134748/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1220626480&sr=1-12)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Designing Interactions",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240850,
          "author": "trotzke",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T06:28:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240850",
          "commentText": "On my desk:\nGetting Real (37Signals),\nHardball (Chris Mathews),\nPrioritizing Web Usability (Jakob Nielsen)\nNearby shelf:\nThe Design of Everyday Things,\nMaverick,\nFounders at work,\nA Brief History of Time,\nA Pattern Language,\nPeopleware,\nMade to stick,\nWeb Standards Solutions,\nDesigning Interactions,\nThe Pragmatic Programmer,\nThe Mythical Man-Month,\nOh, the Places You'll Go!\nOther good reads:\nBlink,\nTipping Point,\nLong Tail,\nFreakonomics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Designing Interactions,",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for recommended books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5633,
          "author": "comatose_kid",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T06:44:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5633",
          "commentText": "Business side:\n\nMost business books are fun to read, but it's really hard to say that any have been truly helpful.  Most lean more to the motivational/inspirational side, instead of focusing on case studies.  My suspicion is that business is probably not best learned from a book.  But I'll list a few I like anyways.\nAlan Sugar: The Amstrad Story\n  - Great story about how Sir Alan grew an empire selling stereos out of the back of a car.  Instructive because his key insights revolved around understanding what the average user wanted, as opposed to the technical elite. \nSoftwar:  An Intimate Portrait of Larry Ellison\n  - He started his first company at 33 after working for other high tech firms.  This book is neat because Ellison adds his own comments in the footer when he disagrees with the biographer.\nFounders @ Work\n  - Pre-ordered it.  I was tempted to read it all at once, but decided to spread it out over 2 weeks.  I'm glad that I did - there's a lot to digest....\nProduct side:\n\nDesigning Interactions\n   -  If you want to design great user experiences, it helps to see the thought processes great designers go through to create successful products.\nBulletproof Web Design\n   - Well written, concise.  Cederholm knows CSS.\nHardening Linux\n   - I've seen many guides at the bookstore.  This one appealed to me because it has both breadth and depth.  The chapter on configuring firewalls was alone worth the price of the book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you want to design great user experiences, it helps to see the thought processes great designers go through",
          "reason": "Recommends it for learning how designers create successful user experiences.",
          "audience": "People designing user experiences",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Moggridge"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Art",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "interaction design",
        "design history",
        "user experience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dhalgren-d3ced6",
      "title": "Dhalgren",
      "author": "Samuel R. Delany",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43688546,
          "author": "PaulHoule",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-15T02:47:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 43685856,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What 3 Books Would You Recommend to Anyone?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43688546",
          "commentText": "Dahlgren is at least a based choice of a sci-fi novel.  Beats Moon as a Harsh Mistress,  I've never convinced anyone that Haldeman's Worlds deserves such status.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dahlgren is at least a based choice of a sci-fi novel.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises it as a strong science fiction choice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15159816,
          "author": "dangle",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T05:20:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15159816",
          "commentText": "Great list, thank you. Dhalgren is incredible. Glad to see it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dhalgren is incredible.",
          "reason": "Explicitly praises the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156533,
          "author": "jeffersonheard",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:44:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156533",
          "commentText": "Getting More - Stuart Diamond. I still think this is the best book on the art of negotiation.\nGetting Things Done - David Allen. If you have adult ADHD like me, and you haven't read this, it's the first system that's really worked for productivity for me.\nMan's Search for Meaning - Victor Frankl.\nLiving Buddha, Living Christ - Thich Nhat Hanh.\nCosmos - Carl Sagan.\nThe Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. LeGuin.\nThe One who Walks Away from Omelas - U.K. LeGuin.\nWild Seed - Octavia Butler.\nThe Heike Monogatari - (tr. Helen Craig McCullough) “The sound of the Gion Shoja temple bells echoes the impermanence of all things; the color of the sala flowers reveals the truth that to flourish is to fall. The proud do not endure, like a passing dream on a night in spring; the mighty fall at last, to be no more than dust before the wind.” If you need a comparison. this is the Japanese historical equivalent of Game of Thrones combined with a bit of MacBeth. The rise and fall of two shogunate families, and an analysis of the tragic flaws of character that brought their fall about.\nLes Miserables - Victor Hugo.\nSmall Gods - Terry Pratchett.\nHeart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad.\nThe Guide - R. K. Narayan.\nEvidence - Mary Oliver.\nAll of Us - The Collected Poetry of Raymond Carver.\nSilence - Shusaku Endo.\nThe Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald.\nThe Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Murakami Haruki. This and the next four are odd choices, perhaps, since it's a surrealist book, but IMO books that force your imagination to work hard do as much for creativity and fresh ideas as any of the more popular methods.\nThe Well-Built City (The Physiognomy / Memoranda / The Beyond) Jeffery Ford - Surrealist novellas best described as about the protagonist living and achieving agency within the constructs, dreams, and nightmares of a \"Great Man's\" mind.\nSnow Crash - Neal Stephenson.\nGravity's Rainbow - Thomas Pynchon.\nDhalgren - Samuel L. \"Chip\" Delany.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Dhalgren - Samuel L. \"Chip\" Delany.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Included among surreal books the commenter calls odd choices that can stimulate imagination and creativity.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4353871,
          "author": "e12e",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-08T04:16:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 4353632,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon.  What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4353871",
          "commentText": "If you enjoyed \"Snow Crash\" and \"Diamond Age\", I'd recommend \"Islands in the Net\" (if you can get hold of a copy) and \"Holy Fire\" by Bruce Sterling. Or for something newer, \"the Zenith Angle\" by same.\nI've also enjoyed all of Willam Gibsons books, including the latest trilogy \"Pattern Recognition\", \"Spook Country\" and \"Zero History\".\nIf you bothered to read through \"Cryptonomicon\" you'll either love \"the Code Book\" by Simon Singh more than I did, or hate it :-)\nAssuming you've picket through the classics shelf, you might have missed out on Samuel Delany - \"The Einstein Intersection\" might be a good one to try on for size -- although I actually found \"Neveryóna\" to be maybe his most interesting book (of the ones I've been able to get hold of) [edit: After \"Dhalgren\", that is. But I think \"Dhalgren\" is a bit like Joyce's \"Ulysses\" -- a classic I haven't gotten around to yet. I spent the better part of ten (10!) years reading through \"Dhalgren\", picking it up on odd holidays - never loosing touch with the intricate unreality within, readily satisfied after reading a few pages or a chapter -- like nibbling on a choice ham that didn't spoil. It's rather more complex than any of the other books I've listed here].\nAlso worth mentioning in the \"might be overlooked\" section is Jerry Pournelle's \"Falkenberg's Legion\" (republished as \"the Prince\").\nI'm afraid I've been mostly digging through second hand books lately, so the only other semi-recent book I could recommend would be \"Broken Angels\" by Richard Morgan (technically it's number two in a trilogy -- but I find it stands better on its own).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I think \"Dhalgren\" is a bit like Joyce's \"Ulysses\" -- a classic I haven't gotten around to yet",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a classic the commenter has not gotten around to reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as complex and says they have not yet read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140490,
          "author": "nazgulnarsil",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T02:59:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140490",
          "commentText": "depends on the subgenre :)\nSuperhuman:\nSlan by A.E. Van Vogt\nMore Than Human by Theodore STurgeon\nOdd John by Olaf Stapledon\nPost Apocalyptic:\nThe Day of The Triffids by John Whyndham\nEarth Abides by George R. Stewart\nA Canticle for Lebowitz by...don't remember\nSpace Opera/Adventure:\nany of The Culture novels by Iain M. Banks\nThe Reality Dysfunction series by ...don't remember\nHyperion series by Dan Simmons\nTo Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer\nDystopian:\nWe by Yevgeny Zamyatin <---highly overlooked, predates 1984 and Brave New World\nBut the Absolute Best would be anything by:\nStanislaw Lem (Cyberiad, Futurological Congress, Solaris)\nAlfred Bester (The STars my Destination, The Demolished Man)\nor Samuel R. Delany (Babel-17, Dhalgren, Trtion, Nova)\noh and Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light and This Immortal are both great.\nSome of Philip K. Dick's stuff is great, but everyone recommends him. :)\nalmost forgot John Brunner, check out Steel Beach, The Sheep Look Up, and Stand on Zanzibar.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Samuel R. Delany (Babel-17, Dhalgren, Trtion, Nova)",
          "reason": "Says Delany is among the absolute best and lists this title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Samuel R. Delany"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "experimental fiction",
        "urban surrealism",
        "literary science fiction",
        "new wave science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "discrete-mathematics-with-applications-2c49ee",
      "title": "Discrete Mathematics with Applications",
      "author": "Susanna S. Epp",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30488428,
          "author": "cdicelico",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T13:53:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30488428",
          "commentText": "Discrete Mathematics with Applications by Susanna Epp is the one book that I feel took me from simply knowing how to write programs to being a software engineer by filling in the theoretical blanks I had from being self-taught. Discrete mathematics in general is so wonderful and applicable to day-to-day software engineering problems and to me, that book is the best, most coherent, and most thorough one available on the topic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Discrete Mathematics with Applications by Susanna Epp",
          "reason": "Credited with filling theoretical gaps and helping the commenter become a software engineer; praised as coherent and thorough.",
          "audience": "Self-taught programmers seeking discrete mathematics foundations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30485966,
          "author": "EzJBg4GS",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T06:39:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30485966",
          "commentText": "I'm starting to learn CS all over again at the old age of 40, and had the pleasure to rediscover mathematics thanks to:\n- Discrete Mathematics with Applications, by Susanna Epp, or\n- Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications, by Kenneth Rosen (both have the same content, choose the style that you prefer), and\n- Concrete Mathematics, by our lord and savior Donald Knuth.\nI don't plan on reading TAOCP anymore as I would be dead by the time I finish reading everything else, but those introductory books are very good for beginners.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Discrete Mathematics with Applications, by Susanna Epp",
          "reason": "Recommended as one of two introductory books for learning CS and mathematics.",
          "audience": "Beginners relearning computer science or mathematics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it covers the same content as Rosen's book and suggests choosing the preferred style.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29218866,
          "author": "mathhh",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T17:44:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29218866",
          "commentText": "> You can work through the concepts and delude yourself into thinking you understand something when really you're just hand waving it\nI keep seeing this and I don't quite understand how this one works.\nIf I were studying math on my own (which I've done and still do), I'd do the following:\n1. Pick a book. Say, Rudin's Principles of Mathematical Analysis[0]. Read a section, then attempt problems. Pick a problem. Say, \"prove {1/n: n is natural} U{0} is compact directly from the definition(not using Heine-Borel)\". It's guaranteed your \"proof\" is not a proof.\n2. Compare your solution to existing solution manuals or ask a question on MSE[1]. Since the given book by Rudin is super-massively famous, each question has probably been asked/answered about a bagillion times each on MSE, so just searching MSE alone would likely to spit out many answers to your questions. People on MSE will tell you exactly why your \"solution\" is wrong and where you tripped up. Sometimes even the clarifying answers are hard to understand. But then you can ask new questions, think more, correct your misconceptions until it all finally clicks. Do that with all  the rest of the problems[2].\nI don't see how the process above is delusional.\n[0] This book is not a realistic fit for a novice, though. Instead, one would start with books like [3], [4], [5], [6] to learn how to prove things and think like a mathematician would.\n[1] https://math.stackexchange.com/\n[2] In reality, the more math you see and do, the more mathematically mature and less dependent on others(to check your work) you become. In fact, if you can solve any problem in \"B@by Rudin\" and some famous abstract algebra textbook (say, Dummit & Foote's \"Abstract Algebra\") cold, you're way ahead of most any undergrad math major in the world! Because standards on undergrad math majors are not that high, nor that brutal the world over no matter what they say. If, additionally, you can solve any given problem in a book like, say, Hatcher's \"Algebraic Topology\" or any other famous grad level textbooks on, say, differential geometry or, uhh, functional analysis, you're officially in the big leagues. Again, if you're worried about being delusional about your proofs, you can always present them on MSE.\n[3] \"Book of Proof\" by Richard Hammach. It's online free.\nhttps://www.people.vcu.edu/~rhammack/BookOfProof/\n[4] \"Discrete Math\" by Susanna Epp\nhttps://www.google.com/books/edition/Discrete_Mathematics_wi... (https://www.google.com/books/edition/Discrete_Mathematics_with_Applications/_341EAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover)\n[5] \"How to Think About Analysis\" by Lara Alcock\nhttps://www.google.com/books/edition/How_to_Think_about_Anal... (https://www.google.com/books/edition/How_to_Think_about_Analysis/n0tuBAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover)\n[6] \"Linear Algebra\" by Kuldeep Singh\nhttps://www.google.com/books/edition/Linear_Algebra/BJNoAgAA... (https://www.google.com/books/edition/Linear_Algebra/BJNoAgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Discrete Math\" by Susanna Epp",
          "reason": "Listed as a book for learning how to prove things and think like a mathematician.",
          "audience": "Readers learning mathematical proof and reasoning.",
          "caveat": "The comment gives a shortened title.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7579990,
          "author": "tannerj",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-13T02:49:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7579990",
          "commentText": "I actually just bought Rosen's 'Discrete Math and Applications' on amazon. My college education was in art, so needless to say, not much mathematical training in my undergrad education. In my current job I'm a web developer and I've been trying to cover a CS knowledge base through self study. Through reading reviews about discrete mathematics books I was pointed towards Epps' 'Discrete Math with Applications' http://amzn.com/0495391328 and Rosen's book. I was told Epps' book doesn't go into as much depth, but doesn't assume any prior knowledge from the student. This is great for someone like me with an art degree and the will to learn discrete math. All this is tangentially related to why I'm posting. All of these books mentioned are really expensive, mostly because they are used in college classes. A trick I've started using is buying previous additions of these books for pennies on the dollar. I got Rosen's fifth edition for $7 as opposed to ~$160 for the seventh. After reading the update pages online, I don't think I really miss all that much doing this either.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I was pointed towards Epps' 'Discrete Math with Applications'",
          "reason": "The commenter says they were pointed toward this book.",
          "audience": "A learner with no prior mathematical training who wants to study discrete math.",
          "caveat": "The commenter was told it goes into less depth, though it assumes no prior knowledge.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 755862,
          "author": "bgutierrez",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T18:03:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755862",
          "commentText": "I left school when I was 16 to do homeschool, which turned out to be nothing more than my parents buying me books when I asked for them and nothing more.\nI did my GED and dropped out of college, so I think that I can relate to how you feel. There's a huge inferiority complex that comes from having less education than others. Filling in the gaps is difficult but I've found that whenever I fill something in, I've benefited pretty quickly. Lately I realized that I sucked at systems programming concepts, so I've been reading about that, which has been really helpful. I make a living as a programmer, but I have to continually be studying to try and fill in gaps before I'm hurt by lack of knowledge.\nIf someone can work through a discrete math textbook and do the exercises, I think they could get a lot out of it. Calculus has some important ideas, but I think the discrete math is much more relevant to every day programming. I took a course last year at my community college that used Discrete Mathematics with Applications, by Susanna S. Epp. I don't recall it requiring higher math than algebra, but it did require sharp thinking. Concrete Mathematics: A Foundation for Computer Science is probably a good textbook, but I haven't used it, so can't say anything about it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I took a course last year at my community college that used Discrete Mathematics with Applications, by Susanna S. Epp.",
          "reason": "Names the textbook used in a course but gives no evaluation or recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Susanna S. Epp"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "discrete mathematics",
        "proof writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "don-t-make-me-think-a-common-sense-approach-to-web-usability-688978",
      "title": "Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability",
      "author": "Steve Krug",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23365409,
          "author": "xadoc",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-30T22:34:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23365409",
          "commentText": "Don't Make Me Think (200 pages)\nGrokking Algorithms An Illustrated Guide For Programmers and Other Curious People (235 pages)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Don't Make Me Think (200 pages)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Readers interested in web usability.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12712375,
          "author": "meesterdude",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-15T01:54:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12712375",
          "commentText": "If there is one UI design book to read, \"dont make me think\" is it. And if you don't have time for it's already speedy read, the entire book gets summed up in the title: Don't make your users think about how to use your software.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If there is one UI design book to read, \"dont make me think\" is it.",
          "reason": "Says it is the one UI design book to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6231363,
          "author": "hcarvalhoalves",
          "createdAt": "2013-08-18T02:27:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 6231052,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is a good book for learning front end design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6231363",
          "commentText": "Try to learn and understand design as a discipline before going into the specifics of user interfaces and interaction design. For that I recommend:\n- Universal Principles of Design - William Lidwell\n- The Design of Everyday Things - Donald A. Norman\nThen for more practical knowledge:\n- Forms that Work: Designing Web Forms for Usability - Caroline Jarrett\n- Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability - Steve Krug\n- Designing the Obvious: A Common Sense Approach to Web & Mobile Application Design - Robert Hoekman Jr.\n- Sketching User Experiences: Getting the Design Right and the Right Design - Bill Buxton",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability - Steve Krug",
          "reason": "Listed as practical knowledge for user interfaces and interaction design.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking practical UI and interaction design knowledge.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6231152,
          "author": "darkmethod",
          "createdAt": "2013-08-18T01:19:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 6231052,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is a good book for learning front end design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6231152",
          "commentText": "\"Don't Make Me Think!\" ~ Steve Krug",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Don't Make Me Think!\" ~ Steve Krug",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve Krug"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "usability",
        "web design",
        "user interface design",
        "web usability"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "eon-511d38",
      "title": "Eon",
      "author": "Greg Bear",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46161500,
          "author": "ashtavakra",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-05T14:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46161500",
          "commentText": "I consolidated the comments for my reference later. Someone else might also find it useful:\n# Fiction Books Recommended for Programmers (HN Thread 46128404)\n## Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- *Children of Time* — Science Fiction (Evolution, Space Opera)  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)\n## Rick Cook — Wizardry Series\n- *Wizard’s Bane* — Fantasy, Programming/Magic Mashup  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112616.Wizard_s_Bane\n- *Wizardry Series (overview)*  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\n## James P. Hogan\n- *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/743568.Inherit_the_Stars\n- *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifem... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifemaker)\n- *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_Tomorrow)\n## D. F. Jones — Colossus Trilogy\n- *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806105.Colossus\n- *The Fall of Colossus* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colos... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colossus)\n- *Colossus and the Crab* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_Crab)\n## Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner)\n- *A Logic Named Joe* — Golden-Age Sci-Fi, AI Precursor  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-j... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-joe)\n## David Gerrold\n- *When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One* — AI, Classic Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_Was_One)\n## William Gibson / Bruce Sterling\n- *Neuromancer* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer\n- *The Difference Engine* — Steampunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Eng... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Engine)\n## Neal Stephenson\n- *Snow Crash* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash\n- *Cryptonomicon* — Techno-thriller, Cyber-history  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/816.Cryptonomicon\n- *Anathem* — Philosophical Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2845024-anathem\n- *The Diamond Age* — Nanopunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827.The_Diamond_Age\n## Fred Saberhagen\n- *Octagon* — AI, Techno-thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1891958.Octagon\n## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga\n- *Series Overview* — Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/40946-vorkosigan-saga\n## Richard Powers\n- *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45104.Galatea_2_2\n## Scott Meyer\n- *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-wizard)\n## Daniel Suarez\n- *Daemon* — Cyber-thriller, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665844-daemon\n## Thomas J. Ryan\n- *The Adolescence of P-1* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_o... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_of_P_1)\n## Ernest Cline\n- *Ready Player One* — Sci-Fi, Gaming, Pop-Culture Adventure  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one\n## Dennis E. Taylor\n- *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)* — Humorous Sci-Fi, AI, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-we-are-bob)\n## Ted Chiang\n- *Stories of Your Life and Others* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\n- *Exhalation* — Speculative Fiction, Philosophy, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation\n- *The Lifecycle of Software Objects* — AI, Digital Consciousness  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of-software-objects)\n## Charles Stross\n- *Laundry Files Series* — Math-based Magic, Techno-Fantasy  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files\n## Ken Liu\n- *The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menag... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories)\n- *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, AI, VR  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl-and-other-stories)\n## Ellen Ullman\n- *The Bug* — Tech Industry Literary Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/703.The_Bug\n## Cory Doctorow\n- *Radicalized* — Techno-sociopolitical Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40604122-radicalized\n## qntm (Sam Hughes)\n- *Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans-in-transit-and-other-stories)\n## Roger Williams\n- *The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect* — AI, Post-Singularity SF  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)\n## Greg Bear\n- *Eon* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/924843.Eon\n## Vernor Vinge\n- *A Deepness in the Sky* — Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the_Sky)\n## Terry Pratchett\n- *Going Postal* — Comic Fantasy, Satire of Bureaucracy & Tech  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64222.Going_Postal\n## Bruce Bethke\n- *Headcrash* — Cyber-satire  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213465.Headcrash\n## Mary Shelley\n- *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* — Classic Gothic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein\n## Douglas Adams\n- *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* — Comic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guid... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)\n## Jorge Luis Borges\n- *The Library of Babel* — Metaphysical Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-babel)\n## Greg Egan\n- *Permutation City* — Simulation Theory, Hard Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156784.Permutation_City\n## Cixin Liu\n- *The Three-Body Problem* — Hard Sci-Fi, First Contact  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- *Eon* — Hard Science Fiction",
          "reason": "Lists the title in a compilation of fiction books recommended for programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46132828,
          "author": "austin-cheney",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T10:31:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46132828",
          "commentText": "Eon by Greg Bear.\nA Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Eon by Greg Bear.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38557043,
          "author": "coldpie",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T14:56:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557043",
          "commentText": "I randomly stumbled on the Proxima & Ultima duology by Stephen Baxter and they shot up to the top echelon of my favorite books list. Near-future sci-fi, interstellar travel, alternate histories, alien cultures, non-human cognition. Just wonderful stuff to randomly pick off the library shelf because they had a cool sounding name. I actually read the 2nd book first by accident, and thought it worked pretty well in retrospect.\nI also liked Eon by Greg Bear (RIP), for actually quite similar reasons.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also liked Eon by Greg Bear (RIP), for actually quite similar reasons.",
          "reason": "The commenter liked it for reasons similar to the Proxima & Ultima books.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in speculative science fiction and alien civilizations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12475158,
          "author": "captn3m0",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T19:30:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12475158",
          "commentText": "It took me a huge time to get through Rendezvous with Rama. (I stopped reading and then finished it almost an year later). Even though it is a pretty short book. For me, it just too much hard-SF with none of the character development. The ending doesn't help with that either.\nBut then, I didn't like Eon either (Greg Bear), so maybe hard-SF isn't really for me.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "But then, I didn't like Eon either (Greg Bear)",
          "reason": "Says they did not like it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The reader suggests hard science fiction may not be for them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026868,
          "author": "Xichekolas",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T06:13:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026868",
          "commentText": "Programming in Haskell by Graham Hutton\nA.I. A Modern Approach (ch 13-16) by Russell and Norvig\nA Tunnel In The Sky by Robert Heinlein\nThe Revelation Space series (3 of the 5 books) by Alistair Reynolds\nEon/Eternity (both by Greg Bear)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Eon/Eternity (both by Greg Bear)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Greg Bear"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hard science fiction",
        "far future fiction",
        "first contact",
        "generation ship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "everything-and-more-a-compact-history-of-infinity-39eb95",
      "title": "Everything and More: A Compact History of Infinity",
      "author": "David Foster Wallace",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21904353,
          "author": "nikkaelle",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T06:12:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21904353",
          "commentText": "I particularly enjoyed _Everything and More: A Compact History of Infinity_ by David Foster Wallace. It gave me a new appreciation of not only the last two centuries of math, but also the english language and the abuse of sentence structure, asides, and footnotes[1][2][3] for educational and entertainment purposes.\n[1] so\n[2] many\n[3] footnotes[a]\n[a] Which, I must say, I found interesting and informative[b]\n[b] If a bit excessively nested.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I particularly enjoyed _Everything and More: A Compact History of Infinity_ by David Foster Wallace. It gave me a new appreciation of not only the last two centuries of math, but also the english language and the abuse of sentence structure, asides, and footnotes",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed its history of mathematics and its use of language and footnotes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21350917,
          "author": "avyfain",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-25T01:22:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21350917",
          "commentText": "+1 on DFW's book. It's odd, and really it's more a discussion on the history of modern mathematics than an in depth explanation of the concepts themselves, but it is a great read.\nI wrote a short review after reading it, which you might be interested in checking out: https://faingezicht.com/articles/2017/10/27/infinity/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's odd, and really it's more a discussion on the history of modern mathematics than an in depth explanation of the concepts themselves, but it is a great read.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great read while noting it focuses more on mathematical history than explaining concepts in depth.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is odd and not an in-depth explanation of the concepts.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7579685,
          "author": "lambdaphage",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-13T00:22:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7579685",
          "commentText": "I appreciated DFW's book for even attempting to do a popular treatment of what we would now call the history of real analysis.  But there were some serious technical problems with it: http://www.ams.org/notices/200406/rev-harris.pdf",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I appreciated DFW's book for even attempting to do a popular treatment of what we would now call the history of real analysis.",
          "reason": "Appreciates its attempt at a popular history of real analysis, while noting serious technical problems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes serious technical problems.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7578126,
          "author": "cabacon",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T15:42:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578126",
          "commentText": "I clicked on this topic in order to make this suggestion.  To expand on it a little bit, I was a math major and read Spivak's 'Calculus' after I had already taken real analysis.  I found it delightful - it really approaches the topics from first principles and unlike many calculus textbooks actually goes through the effort of presenting proofs of the theorems.  Highly recommended.\nAs some recreational reading, less suiting the original request, I very much enjoyed David Foster Wallace's 'Everything and More: A Compact History of Infinity' (http://www.amazon.com/Everything-More-Compact-History-Infini... (http://www.amazon.com/Everything-More-Compact-History-Infinity/dp/0393339289/)).  DFW is not for everyone, but I enjoyed it a lot.  Maybe just check it out of the library first to see if it's for you.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I very much enjoyed David Foster Wallace's 'Everything and More: A Compact History of Infinity'",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed it as recreational reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says DFW is not for everyone and suggests checking it out from a library first.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Foster Wallace"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "History",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "infinity",
        "history of mathematics",
        "history of infinity",
        "real analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "faust-6ec218",
      "title": "Faust",
      "author": "Johann Wolfgang von Goethe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21803908,
          "author": "andreilys",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:50:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803908",
          "commentText": "Well here are the books I’m currently reading (physical, kindle, and audible). I bounce around a lot. Sometimes it takes me a week to finish a book, other times I take a few months. Sometimes I never finish. But these are the ones I have some progress on so far:\n1. Faust by goethe\n2. I am That\n3. Book of why\n4. The gift by hafiz\n5. Simulacra and simulation\n6. Candide by Voltaire\n7. Meeting the shadow: the hidden power of the dark side of human nature\n8. Nonviolent communication\n9. After the ecstasy, the laundry\n10. Watchmen\n11. Noble heart by Pena chodron\n12. Developer hegemony\n13. Brothers karamazov",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Faust by goethe",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20915791,
          "author": "void_nill",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T06:52:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20915791",
          "commentText": "Here a short list\n - The Edda\n - Lots of Latvian Dainas[1]\n - Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, Immanuel Kant, (1785) and Critique of Pure Reason (second edition 1787)  \n - Goethe's Faust, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, (1828–29 edition\n - Divina Commedia, Dante Alighieri, (1320)\n[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daina_%28Latvia%29",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Goethe's Faust, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe",
          "reason": "Lists the work in response to a request for favorite old books and essays.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12245898,
          "author": "ktRolster",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T07:00:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12245898",
          "commentText": "I gave my own book, \"Zero Bugs and Program Faster.\"\nI gave Randall Jarrell's version of Faust it is an excellent book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Randall Jarrell's version of Faust it is an excellent book.",
          "reason": "Calls it an excellent book and says they gave it as a gift.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter identifies Randall Jarrell's version; the title refers to Goethe's Faust.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2639996,
          "author": "FedericoElles",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T06:31:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639996",
          "commentText": "I second. For sure you also did read the original German version? :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second.",
          "reason": "Seconding the recommendation of Goethe's Faust.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment refers to the parent’s recommendation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2639738,
          "author": "foob",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T03:52:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639738",
          "commentText": "Goethe's Faust. It's more densely packed with brilliance than anything else I've ever read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Goethe's Faust. It's more densely packed with brilliance than anything else I've ever read.",
          "reason": "Says it is more densely packed with brilliance than anything else they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Johann Wolfgang von Goethe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "german literature",
        "verse drama",
        "dramatic poem",
        "tragic drama"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "frankenstein-or-the-modern-prometheus-02e9e0",
      "title": "Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus",
      "author": "Mary Shelley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50119288,
          "author": "chistev",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T15:05:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50119288",
          "commentText": "1. Animal Farm by George Orwell\n2. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes [1]\n3. Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley\n4. I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette Mccurdy\n5. Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris\n6. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe [2]\n7. Cosmos by Carl Sagan\n8. The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution by Richard Dawkins [3]\n9. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson\n10. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander [4]\n11. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka\n12. Billions and Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium by Carl Sagan [5][6][7]\n13. Outgrowing God: A Beginner’s Guide to Atheism by Richard Dawkins\n[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50076596\n[2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47452253\n[3] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48326741\n[4] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49539535\n[5] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49751771\n[6] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49740712\n[7] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49739256",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley",
          "reason": "Listed among books read repeatedly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46161500,
          "author": "ashtavakra",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-05T14:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46161500",
          "commentText": "I consolidated the comments for my reference later. Someone else might also find it useful:\n# Fiction Books Recommended for Programmers (HN Thread 46128404)\n## Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- *Children of Time* — Science Fiction (Evolution, Space Opera)  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)\n## Rick Cook — Wizardry Series\n- *Wizard’s Bane* — Fantasy, Programming/Magic Mashup  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112616.Wizard_s_Bane\n- *Wizardry Series (overview)*  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\n## James P. Hogan\n- *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/743568.Inherit_the_Stars\n- *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifem... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifemaker)\n- *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_Tomorrow)\n## D. F. Jones — Colossus Trilogy\n- *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806105.Colossus\n- *The Fall of Colossus* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colos... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colossus)\n- *Colossus and the Crab* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_Crab)\n## Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner)\n- *A Logic Named Joe* — Golden-Age Sci-Fi, AI Precursor  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-j... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-joe)\n## David Gerrold\n- *When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One* — AI, Classic Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_Was_One)\n## William Gibson / Bruce Sterling\n- *Neuromancer* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer\n- *The Difference Engine* — Steampunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Eng... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Engine)\n## Neal Stephenson\n- *Snow Crash* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash\n- *Cryptonomicon* — Techno-thriller, Cyber-history  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/816.Cryptonomicon\n- *Anathem* — Philosophical Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2845024-anathem\n- *The Diamond Age* — Nanopunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827.The_Diamond_Age\n## Fred Saberhagen\n- *Octagon* — AI, Techno-thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1891958.Octagon\n## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga\n- *Series Overview* — Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/40946-vorkosigan-saga\n## Richard Powers\n- *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45104.Galatea_2_2\n## Scott Meyer\n- *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-wizard)\n## Daniel Suarez\n- *Daemon* — Cyber-thriller, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665844-daemon\n## Thomas J. Ryan\n- *The Adolescence of P-1* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_o... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_of_P_1)\n## Ernest Cline\n- *Ready Player One* — Sci-Fi, Gaming, Pop-Culture Adventure  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one\n## Dennis E. Taylor\n- *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)* — Humorous Sci-Fi, AI, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-we-are-bob)\n## Ted Chiang\n- *Stories of Your Life and Others* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\n- *Exhalation* — Speculative Fiction, Philosophy, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation\n- *The Lifecycle of Software Objects* — AI, Digital Consciousness  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of-software-objects)\n## Charles Stross\n- *Laundry Files Series* — Math-based Magic, Techno-Fantasy  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files\n## Ken Liu\n- *The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menag... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories)\n- *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, AI, VR  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl-and-other-stories)\n## Ellen Ullman\n- *The Bug* — Tech Industry Literary Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/703.The_Bug\n## Cory Doctorow\n- *Radicalized* — Techno-sociopolitical Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40604122-radicalized\n## qntm (Sam Hughes)\n- *Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans-in-transit-and-other-stories)\n## Roger Williams\n- *The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect* — AI, Post-Singularity SF  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)\n## Greg Bear\n- *Eon* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/924843.Eon\n## Vernor Vinge\n- *A Deepness in the Sky* — Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the_Sky)\n## Terry Pratchett\n- *Going Postal* — Comic Fantasy, Satire of Bureaucracy & Tech  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64222.Going_Postal\n## Bruce Bethke\n- *Headcrash* — Cyber-satire  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213465.Headcrash\n## Mary Shelley\n- *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* — Classic Gothic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein\n## Douglas Adams\n- *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* — Comic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guid... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)\n## Jorge Luis Borges\n- *The Library of Babel* — Metaphysical Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-babel)\n## Greg Egan\n- *Permutation City* — Simulation Theory, Hard Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156784.Permutation_City\n## Cixin Liu\n- *The Three-Body Problem* — Hard Sci-Fi, First Contact  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* — Classic Gothic Sci-Fi",
          "reason": "Lists the title in a compilation of fiction books recommended for programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46132887,
          "author": "delichon",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T10:38:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46132887",
          "commentText": "\"Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus\" by Mary Shelley. The themes in this book are more relevant now than at any time since publication in 1818, and to nobody more than ML coders.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Frankenstein; or, the Modern Prometheus\" by Mary Shelley. The themes in this book are more relevant now than at any time since publication in 1818, and to nobody more than ML coders.",
          "reason": "The commenter says its themes are especially relevant to ML coders today.",
          "audience": "ML coders.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140754,
          "author": "endergen",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T12:14:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140754",
          "commentText": "Ender's Game:\nInspired my company: www.endergen.com. Who's goal it is make systems of play that augment intelligence as well as hopefully laterally solve world problems as you use them.\nFrakenstein:\nFor the morality that you must take responsibility for the consequences of your inventions.\nCryptonomicon:\nInspired most of the work on endergen(See Ender's Game Above). Introduced me to the concepts of privacy/security implemented in technical form and the conflict between the two.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Frakenstein:\nFor the morality that you must take responsibility for the consequences of your inventions.",
          "reason": "Points to its lesson about taking responsibility for the consequences of inventions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mary Shelley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "gothic fiction",
        "scientific responsibility",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "classic science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ghost-in-the-wires-549165",
      "title": "Ghost in the Wires",
      "author": "Kevin Mitnick and William L. Simon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910210,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:25:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910210",
          "commentText": "- \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies\" - probably the most influential book I've read in my life, profoundly changed the way I think. It's a collection of LessWrong essays on science and rationality.\n- \"On Intelligence\" and \"I am a Strange Loop\" - how mind works.\n- \"Rework\", \"Zero to One\", \"Start Small, Stay Small\" - insightful startup advice.\n- Fun autobiographies: Ghost in the Wires (Kevin Mitnick), iWoz (Steve Wozniak), Catch me if you can (Frank Abagnale), Just for Fun (Linus Torvalds), Elon Musk, Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\n- How companies work: Creativity Inc (Pixar), In the Plex (Google)\n- On writing: Art of fiction/nonfiction by Ayn Rand, Story by Robert McKee, Save the Cat, Step by Step to Standup Comedy.\n- Other: The Selfish Gene, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Serious Creativity, Hackers & Painters, Hacking Growth, Angel (on angel investing, by Jason Calacanis).\nAlso collections of essays by Paul Graham [1] and Scott Alexander [2]:\n[1] https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%20Complete%20Essays.epub?dl=0)\n[2] https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of%20Scott%20Alexandria%20-%20Scott%20Alexander.epub?dl=0)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ghost in the Wires (Kevin Mitnick)",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's fun autobiographies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238121,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:01:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238121",
          "commentText": "Last year I gave myself a Zuckerberg-style goal to read a book every two weeks. It started well, but some months were harder than others (usually when the book wasn't very good, so I would switch to podcasts for a few weeks, before getting back on track).\nHere's an unordered list of the best:\n[BUSINESS / SELF-IMPROVEMENT]\n- \"Work Rules!\" - about Google's culture and values\n- \"Search Inside Yourself\" - about mindfulness, meditation, and the impact on your life.\n- \"What got you here won't get you there\" - Liked a lot more than I expected.\n- \"Re-read Innovator's Dilemma\" - a great classic; never gets old.\n- \"How will you measure your life\" - from the same author. Also excellent.\n- \"The Best Service is No Service\" - good overview on why Amazon's customer service is so good\n- \"Crucial Conversations\" - half is common sense; half is good tips to practice everyday.\n[PROGRAMMING]\n- \"Fluent Python\" - was afraid it'd be too basic, but not really. Enjoyed it a lot.\n- \"Think Complexity\" - about algorithm complexity, data structures, etc. Great read.\n- \"Python Data Science Handbook\" - meh.\n- \"Fundamentals of Deep Learning\" - good intro. Helped me solidify some concepts from Andrew Ng's ML course\n- \"Deep Learning\" - by Goodfellow and Bengio. Just started, but really liking it.\n[STARTUPS] (all excellent; in order)\n- \"The Hard Things about Hard Things\"\n- \"Zero to One\"\n- \"The Founder's Dilemmas\"\n- \"The Launch Pad\"\n[FICTION]\n- Trilogy: \"Off to be a wizard / An Unwelcome Quest / Spell or High Water\"\n- \"Infinite Jest\" - tried but failed to finish. May try again later.\n- \"Ready Player One\" - nice, but repetitive after a while. Good read before the movie comes out.\n[NON-FICTION]\n- \"What If?\" - xkcd FTW\n- \"How to Read a Book\" - good concepts, but should be a 10 pages blog post, not a book\n- \"Spark\" - Science of the Exercise and the Brain - Long, but good\n- \"Sugar Shock\" - still reading; hopefully will help me cut my sweet cravings\n[BIOGRAPHIES]\n- \"The New New Thing\" - about Jim Clark's life, one of the very first entrepreneurs\n- \"Machines of Loving Grace\" - about the research and the rise of AI\n- \"Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution\"\n- \"The Second Coming of Steve Jobs\" - About Pixar's story. Liked more than Isaacson's biography\n- \"The Innovators\" - great summary of computer industry, from the 1800's till today\n- \"Ghost in the Wires\" - Kevin Mitnick's story. Had started years ago, but finally finished it\n- \"Idea Man\" - about Paul Allen's story. Quite an impressive man.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Ghost in the Wires\" - Kevin Mitnick's story. Had started years ago, but finally finished it",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they started it years earlier and only now finished.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4788271,
          "author": "dontstealmyname",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T12:45:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4788271",
          "commentText": "I found the book \"The definitive book of body language: How to read others's thoughts by their gestures\" by Allan and Barbara Pease to be a great read.\nThe greatest show on Earth - Richard Dawkins was an excellent read.\nSurely  you're joking Mr Feynman by Richard p.Feynman was terrific read by a very small bit can considerred offensive or  at the least dated in its outlook but if you can get past that its great!\nI recently finished a book on ID called \"Masters of doom\" by David Kushner which I rather enjoyed as well.\nI also love reading about crackers from the (mostly) 80's and I can recommend.\nCuckoo Egg by Cliff Stoll\nMasters of deception\nWe are anonymous - Inside the hacker world of lulzsec, anonymous and the global cyber insurgency  by Parmy Olson\nI loved \"Underground Hacking Madness and the obsession on the electronic frontier\" once I got past the first 2 or 3 chapters (also it was researched by Julian Assange before wikileak and has a chapter about his hacking) An Ebook copy can be found on the authors website http://www.underground-book.net/download.php3\nGhost in the wire Kevin Mitnick",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ghost in the wire Kevin Mitnick",
          "reason": "Included in a list the commenter says they can recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4531006,
          "author": "mgallivan",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-17T01:40:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 4530022,
          "threadTitle": "What to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4531006",
          "commentText": "I wasn't a huge fan of \"Ghost in the Wires\"... The book was a decent read but Mitnick comes off as uncaring and short-sighted.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I wasn't a huge fan of \"Ghost in the Wires\"... The book was a decent read but Mitnick comes off as uncaring and short-sighted.",
          "reason": "Calls it a decent read but criticizes how Mitnick comes across.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter was not a huge fan and found Mitnick uncaring and short-sighted.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4530801,
          "author": "dysoco",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-16T23:51:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 4530022,
          "threadTitle": "What to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4530801",
          "commentText": "You can try some Kevin Mitnick's books.\n\"Ghost in the wires\" is his biography with a lot of fun stories, recommended.\n\"The art of intrusion\" is about more technical hacking, lot of war stories from all over the world.\n\"The art of deception\" is about Social Engineering, I have not read it yet... but looks amazing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Ghost in the wires\" is his biography with a lot of fun stories, recommended.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it and describes its stories as fun.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kevin Mitnick",
        "William L. Simon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybersecurity",
        "hacking",
        "computer hacking",
        "computer security"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-stop-worrying-and-start-living-b8cb9b",
      "title": "How to Stop Worrying and Start Living",
      "author": "Dale Carnegie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910184,
          "author": "TeMPOraL",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:23:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910184",
          "commentText": "Please don't... every time a thread like this shows up on HN, I end up impulsively buying some of the recommended books. I'm usually very happy about the purchase, though. :).\nHumor aside; not sure if favourite of all times, but definitely impacted my thinking a lot:\n- \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies\" - https://intelligence.org/rationality-ai-zombies/ - read this when it was still a bunch of posts by 'Eliezer on LessWrong. It cleaned up my thinking quite a bit, and introduced to couple new ideas from economics, sociology and epistemology.\n- SICP, obviously.\n- \"How to Win Friends and Influence People\", and \"How to Stop Worrying and Start Living\" - from the father of the whole genre of self-help/personal development, and one whose books are still probably the only good ones in this genre, Dale Carnegie. They explain exactly what it says in their titles.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "They explain exactly what it says in their titles.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls Carnegie's books the only good ones in the genre.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the titles explain what the books cover.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12260592,
          "author": "nanospeck",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-10T10:13:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12260592",
          "commentText": "\"7 Habits of Highly Effective People\" [1] - I listened to the audio book and it was really an eye-opener. It changed my perspective on people and personality a lot. Highly recommended. \nSame with the book \"How To Win Friends And Influence People\" [2]. It's written decades ago and still holds the principles true. \nAnother gem I found recently was : \"How to Stop Worrying and Start Living\" by the same author of [2]. It's really good if you are stressed with your lifestyle. Really gives practical advice.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How to Stop Worrying and Start Living\" by the same author of [2]. It's really good if you are stressed with your lifestyle. Really gives practical advice.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it good and says it gives practical advice for stress.",
          "audience": "People stressed by their lifestyle.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5325424,
          "author": "csalvato",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-05T16:32:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 5323956,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: which are some good self-help books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5325424",
          "commentText": "How to Stop Worrying and Start Living is a life changing book.  If I never read it, I probably would have jumped off a bridge with all the stress of product launches and public failures that are inevitable as an entrepreneur.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Stop Worrying and Start Living is a life changing book.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed their life and helped them cope with stress around product launches and public failures.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs dealing with stress and public setbacks.",
          "caveat": "The claimed impact is the commenter’s personal experience.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5324002,
          "author": "pkhamre",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-05T11:55:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 5323956,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: which are some good self-help books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5324002",
          "commentText": "The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business - http://www.amazon.com/Power-Habit-What-Life-Business/dp/1400... (http://www.amazon.com/Power-Habit-What-Life-Business/dp/1400069289)\nHow to Stop Worrying and Start Living - http://www.amazon.com/How-Stop-Worrying-Start-Living/dp/0671... (http://www.amazon.com/How-Stop-Worrying-Start-Living/dp/0671035975/)\nHow to Win Friends & Influence People - http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/06... (http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0671027034/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Stop Worrying and Start Living",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dale Carnegie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "worry",
        "stress management",
        "self help"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-automata-theory-languages-and-computation-c10908",
      "title": "Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation",
      "author": "John E. Hopcroft, Rajeev Motwani, Jeffrey D. Ullman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21313374,
          "author": "guiraldelli",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T15:27:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21313374",
          "commentText": "I don't think there is a definitive answer for your question because computer science is a relative new area of knowledge and “fundamental books” are still being published.\nIf I had to say one text that is the fundamental one, I would go with a paper: “On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem” [1], by Alan Turing.\n---\nBut if you just started your course in Computer Science, then I will give you some “bookshelf advice\" based on my experience. I had the pleasure to study all the books I am going to recommend you, and most of them I was able to read cover-to-cover during the university years. And they are also in my bookshelf for reference.\nThe book order does not represent rank of importance.\n* “Introduction to the Theory of Computation”, by Michael Sipser.\n    * I also recommend the “Elements of the Theory of Computation”, by Christos Papadimitriou.\n\n    * Another good complement is “Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages and Computation”, by Hopcroft and Ullman. (Thanks, @reacweb, for the reminder.)\n\n* “Graph Theory”, by Reinhard Diestel.\n    * If you feel you want to go deeper, and like a book which you cannot skip a single word, I strongly recommend “Modern Graph Theory”, by Béla Bollobás: it is one of my favorite textbooks ever!\n\n* “The Algorithm Design Manual”, by Steven Skiena.\n    * While a lot of people seems to praise either the Cormen et al. or the Sedgewick books, I have the feeling that “Algorithms” by Dasgupta, Papadimitriou  and Vazirani is my choice for “fundamental” book. But I decided to\n\n* “Computer Architecture: a Quantitative Approach”, by Hennessy and Patterson.\n* “Modern Operating Systems”, by Andrew Tanenbaum.\n* “Artificial Intelligence: a Modern Approach”, by Russel and Norvig.\n* “Modern Compiler Implementation (in ML)”, by Andrew Appel.\nI would like to also recommend “Concrete Mathematics”, by Graham, Knuth and Patashnik, but I remember to not feel it the most pedagogical book on the subject.\nGood luck!\n---\n[1]: https://www.cs.virginia.edu/~robins/Turing_Paper_1936.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another good complement is “Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages and Computation”",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a complement to the theory of computation books.",
          "audience": "People starting a computer science course.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414545,
          "author": "dragonquest",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T10:26:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414545",
          "commentText": "Over the years I've found the following CS books helpful, but only a minority in my day-to-day work. Your mileage may vary, as would the utility of these to you.\nAlgorithms -> Algorithms + Data Structures = Programs by Wirth (worth its weight in gold if you can get past the Pascal syntax)\nOS -> Operating System Concepts by Silberschatz et al (The dinosaur book)\nCS Theory -> Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation by Hopcroft, Ullman\nProgramming Languages Theory -> Programming languages: design and implementation by Pratt et al\nDatabase Theory -> Database Design by Wiederhold\nArchitecture -> Structured Computer Organization by Andrew S Tanenbaum",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "CS Theory -> Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation by Hopcroft, Ullman",
          "reason": "Lists it among CS books they found helpful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414462,
          "author": "jdj",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T09:27:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414462",
          "commentText": "One book that I would suggest to anyone is Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation - HMU. It is very approachable and presents some very interesting topics (so you won't write a regex for matching HTML and will learn what P vs NP means). On a more practical side, I think that a must read for machine learning is Tom Mitchell - Machine Learning . Another book that from what I've heard is easier to digest is Data Mining: Practical Machine Learning Tools and Techniques.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One book that I would suggest to anyone is Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation - HMU. It is very approachable",
          "reason": "Suggests it to anyone and describes it as very approachable, with interesting topics.",
          "audience": "Anyone interested in automata theory and computation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 136952,
          "author": "dedalus",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-14T17:53:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 136875,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good compiler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=136952",
          "commentText": "The fundamental book to read would be \"Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation\" (\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Automata-Theory-Languages... (http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Automata-Theory-Languages-Computation/dp/0321462254/))\nThen proceed to Dragonbook.\nAfter finishing Dragonbook, you might like this Linkers and loaders (http://www.amazon.com/Linkers-Kaufmann-Software-Engineering-... (http://www.amazon.com/Linkers-Kaufmann-Software-Engineering-Programming/dp/1558604960))\nIn general follow this guy Jeff Ullman and you would be good(http://infolab.stanford.edu/~ullman/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The fundamental book to read would be \"Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation\"",
          "reason": "Presents it as the fundamental book to read before moving on to compiler design.",
          "audience": "Readers studying automata, formal languages, and compilers.",
          "caveat": "Suggested as a prerequisite to the Dragon Book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John E. Hopcroft, Rajeev Motwani, Jeffrey D. Ullman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "formal languages",
        "automata theory",
        "computational complexity",
        "automata"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "island-7db023",
      "title": "Island",
      "author": "Aldous Huxley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43611677,
          "author": "jarebear6expepj",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T14:05:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43611677",
          "commentText": "Island by Aldous Huxley",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Island by Aldous Huxley",
          "reason": "Listed as a book worth the reader's time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467553,
          "author": "tonyhb",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:38:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467553",
          "commentText": "\"Island\" - Aldous Huxley.\n\"Principles\" - Ray Dalio.\n\"On the shortness of life\" - Seneca.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Island\" - Aldous Huxley.",
          "reason": "Lists it as a book reread in response to the question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9679668,
          "author": "classicsnoot",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-08T15:27:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 9636361,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9679668",
          "commentText": "I think Island is my favorite Huxley book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think Island is my favorite Huxley book.",
          "reason": "Calls it their favorite Huxley book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9649641,
          "author": "dredwerker",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-02T23:17:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 9636361,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9649641",
          "commentText": "You have to read the island http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_%28Huxley_novel%29\nThe utopian version.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You have to read the island",
          "reason": "Directly urges the reader to read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Aldous Huxley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "utopian fiction",
        "social philosophy",
        "utopia"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "laundry-files-82ed19",
      "title": "Laundry Files",
      "author": "Charles Stross",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056662,
          "author": "aaronem",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:53:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056662",
          "commentText": "Peter Watts's Blindsight - easily the best SF novel I've read in the last decade. I haven't got round to Echopraxia yet, but I doubt it'll fail to live up to its predecessor.\nAlso, while I have no use whatsoever for Stross's \"Singularity\" stuff, his Laundry Files series excels, especially for an inveterate old Lovecraft fan such as myself. If you want a taste, there are some shorts available online -- \"Overtime\" and \"Funny Farm\" are good places to start; \"Equoid\" is the most recent, but it's not representative, and it's also the weakest entry in the series as a whole due to its poor characterization and reliance on shock and gruesomeness rather than the more insidious sort of horror in which the rest of the series specializes.\nI'm sort of surprised to see that no one has yet mentioned Heinlein; I know he's a politically divisive figure in the fandom, to say the least, but he's also the great granddaddy of the modern field, and such prominence deserves recognition. (Hell, he was pushing the Rapture of the Nerds before any of its modern adherents was even born!) Granted that his later works tend to bog down in self-referentiality and author tracts on the evils of Communism and the benefits of casual nudism; in his prime, though, he was an author and storyteller practically beyond compare.\nIn particular, his The Moon is a Harsh Mistress remains a classic among classics; The Puppet Masters even more so, to the extent of spawning practically a whole subgenre of second-rate imitations; and, for a lighter entry, his oft-overlooked The Door into Summer is a sweet story in which all's well that ends well and the importance of feline companionship in a well-rounded life is not overlooked.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "his Laundry Files series excels",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the series, especially for readers who enjoy Lovecraftian horror.",
          "audience": "Lovecraft fans.",
          "caveat": "The comment criticizes the characterization and reliance on shock in Equoid, which it calls the weakest entry.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056610,
          "author": "mattkevan",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:38:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056610",
          "commentText": "Anything by Alastair Reynolds - his Revelation Space series is great, and House of Suns is a fantastic one-off. He's probably the  closest to Ian Banks in creating galaxy-spanning civilisations across eons of time.\nIan MacDonald is another good one. My favourite of his is The Dervish House, but his others are definitely worth reading.\nCharles Stross is good. Didn't get on with Accelerando, but his Laundry books are a fun mix of HP Lovecraft/Len Deighton/IT Crowd. Halting State and Rule 34 are good explorations of pervasive augmented reality and intelligent algorithms. Also Glasshouse as an exploration of post-singularity society. Never managed to finish a Cory Doctorow book though.\nI found William Gibson's Bigend trilogy a slog, but I really enjoyed The Peripheral - it's a fun read.\nEnders Game and Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card are fantastic, but the remaining books suffer from diminishing returns (with the possible exception of Ender's Shadow). There are a lot of books in the series, but basically, the series finishes wherever you get bored reading it.\nAnything by China Mieville is well worth your time.\nOh, I also really enjoyed Elizabeth Bear's Jacobs Ladder trilogy, set on a generation ship where the inhabitants have forgotten who they are and where they're going.\nFor some older stuff:\nThe Stars my Destination by Alfred Bester – I was surprised at how good it is and how well it stands up. I couldn't believe it was written nearly 50 years ago.\nThe Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein - possibly my favourite of his. I want to start a lunar revolution with a sentient mainframe...\nI'm currently working my way through all the Hugo Award winners, from 1953 up, and there's some real gems there.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "his Laundry books are a fun mix of HP Lovecraft/Len Deighton/IT Crowd.",
          "reason": "Calls the books a fun genre mix.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7301959,
          "author": "keithba",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T00:54:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7301959",
          "commentText": "Most anything by Charles Stross, especially the Laundry series (Atrocity Archives, Jennifer Morgue, etc)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "especially the Laundry series (Atrocity Archives, Jennifer Morgue, etc)",
          "reason": "Expressly highlights the Laundry series as especially worth reading among Charles Stross's work.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for science-fiction novels with an unusual series premise.",
          "caveat": "The commenter recommends the author's work broadly, with special emphasis on the series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569711,
          "author": "ajdecon",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T01:01:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569711",
          "commentText": "Charlie Stross's Laundry novels are a lot of fun.  Sort of Lovecraft meets James Bond meets Dilbert...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Charlie Stross's Laundry novels are a lot of fun.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the novels as entertaining.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Stross"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction",
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "espionage",
        "lovecraftian horror",
        "bureaucracy",
        "comedy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "masters-of-doom-how-two-guys-created-an-empire-and-transformed-po-4dd2c3",
      "title": "Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture",
      "author": "David Kushner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22709379,
          "author": "eyegor",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T05:13:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22709379",
          "commentText": "Oh, maybe my idea of \"technical\" is too narrow. From a typical book perspective it's very technical. I meant it more from a textbook perspective. Code isn't a book you use to teach, or to learn concepts in detail. You could learn plenty of things at a high level, some concepts at a single-example level, but you aren't learning computer architecture or algorithms here. It's the only book I've read that effectively bridges casual reading with textbook ideas, without actually throwing you in the deep end.\nOn a side note, people keep recommending masters of doom to me, I definitely need to check it out myself.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "people keep recommending masters of doom to me, I definitely need to check it out myself.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they need to check out a book others keep recommending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22708939,
          "author": "gonehome",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T03:23:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22708939",
          "commentText": "I also think it's a great book, but partly because it is technical.\nCharles is great at explaining how computers actually work with circuit diagrams from the ground up in a way that's articulate, clear, and engaging. I think I learned more from this book than I did in my CS architecture class.\nThe historical context he puts it in helps with clarity since it's easier to understand when you know how each successive step built on the previous one.\nIn addition to the Dream Machine, I'd also mention Steven Levy's Hackers as an obvious one to read.\nSome others I've read:\n- What the dormouse said (this one was just okay, but interesting to see some of the cultural context at the time).\n- Crypto (about the history of cryptography). I really liked this one, but people I've recommended it to found it dry.\n- In the Plex (history of Google)\n- Masters of Doom (John Carmack, John Romero and Id Software)\nRelated Fiction:\n- Microserfs\n- The Soul of a New Machine\n- The Phoenix Project (fiction paired with the Dev Ops Handbook)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Masters of Doom (John Carmack, John Romero and Id Software)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22707127,
          "author": "Insanity",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T21:35:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22707127",
          "commentText": "some that I read and recommend:\n- Turing's cathedral\n- Hackers: heroes of the computer revolution\n- masters of doom (game dev history more than cs)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "- masters of doom (game dev history more than cs)",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter says they read and recommend.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in video game development history.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is more about game development history than computer science.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18744604,
          "author": "unmole",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T05:28:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744604",
          "commentText": "The book keeps getting recommend on HN presumably by true fans of DOOM. Apart from a few brilliant bits scattered throughout, it was a disappointing read for me.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The book keeps getting recommend on HN presumably by true fans of DOOM. Apart from a few brilliant bits scattered throughout, it was a disappointing read for me.",
          "reason": "Says the book was disappointing despite a few brilliant passages.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17205315,
          "author": "chubot",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T13:55:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205315",
          "commentText": "- Paypal Wars.  I read this twice -- once back in 2006 or so, before I really knew who any of the people were (Thiel, Musk, etc.).  And then once a few years ago.\n- Chaos Monkeys -- about Facebook circa 2010, touches on YC a few years before that.  Somewhat controversial, but a good book.\n- Weaving the Web by Tim Berners-Lee -- talks about the story from CERN to MIT, etc.\nEchoing some other posts:\n- The Idea Factory\n- The Dream Machine (probably the densest and most informative computer history book I've read)\n- Masters of Doom\n- The Supermen (about Seymour Cray) -- I didn't know anything about this side of the industry!  Interesting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Masters of Doom",
          "reason": "Included in a list of recommended books about the technology industry.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in technology companies and people.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5700940,
          "author": "maxharris",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-13T19:41:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5700940",
          "commentText": "The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Those are the two to start with.\nIf you like those, check out some of her nonfiction books: The Virtue of Selfishness: A New Concept of Egoism, Philosophy: Who Needs It, and Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology (these are but a few - Rand wrote a long series of nonfiction books).\nAyn Rand's Normative Ethics: The Virtuous Egoist by Tara Smith (a philosophy professor at UT-Austin) is excellent because it unpacks Ayn Rand's ethical system in an academic style. Finally, Leonard Peikoff's Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand gives a comprehensive view of Rand's entire philosophy.\nLight reading (not by Objectivist authors, and not in any particular order):\nMasters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture by David Kushner\nThe Soul of A New Machine by Tracy Kidder\nThe Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA by James Watson\nWhat Do You Care What Other People Think?: Further Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard Feynman\nSurely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard Feynman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture by David Kushner",
          "reason": "Included in a list labeled light reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these are not by Objectivist authors and are not in a particular order.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Kushner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "id software",
        "video game history",
        "game industry",
        "technology history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mathematics-for-the-million-220cdf",
      "title": "Mathematics for the Million",
      "author": "Lancelot Hogben",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30495760,
          "author": "o4tuna",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-28T02:49:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30495760",
          "commentText": "Mathematics for the Million\nby Lancelot Hogben",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mathematics for the Million\nby Lancelot Hogben",
          "reason": "Lists the title as an answer to the thread's book question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21349569,
          "author": "novalis78",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T21:51:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21349569",
          "commentText": "Yes that’s a very good one. So many editions - with Einstein raving about its skill in bringing Math to the masses in a preface. Now it’s almost unknown.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Yes that’s a very good one. So many editions - with Einstein raving about its skill in bringing Math to the masses in a preface.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it very good and praises its accessible presentation of mathematics.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for mathematics presented accessibly to a broad audience.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21348651,
          "author": "mjcohen",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T20:07:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21348651",
          "commentText": "I've always liked \"Mathematics for the Million\" by Lancolet Hogben.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've always liked \"Mathematics for the Million\" by Lancolet Hogben.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have always liked it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7579643,
          "author": "davidjhall",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-13T00:04:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7579643",
          "commentText": "I'm surprised no one has mention Mathematics for the Millions by Lancelot Hogben.  http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Million-Master-Magic-Numbe... (http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Million-Master-Magic-Numbers/dp/039331071X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397347351&sr=8-1&keywords=lancelot+math)\nHe takes the approach of starting right at the beginning of human history when we first came to look at the stars and seasons and try to understand why they work, and then builds the math knowledge with each lesson.  Excellent book!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm surprised no one has mention Mathematics for the Millions by Lancelot Hogben.",
          "reason": "Praises its historical approach to introducing mathematics and calls it excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lancelot Hogben"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "popular mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mazes-for-programmers-976080",
      "title": "Mazes for Programmers",
      "author": "Jamis Buck",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29311990,
          "author": "guilhermeasg",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T21:54:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29311990",
          "commentText": "The Feynman Lectures on Computation, Goedel's Proof, maybe Crafting Interpreters?\nI've been following the development of http://browser.engineering/ and it's so much fun to go through. Highly recommended!\nMazes for Programmers is on my bookshelf. I've gone through the first few chapters coding along in Go and going on weird diversions. It's totally pointless, and I love it. There's also \"The Ray Tracer Challenge\" by the same author, which looks phenomenal.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mazes for Programmers is on my bookshelf.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes coding along with its chapters as enjoyable despite being pointless.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has only gone through the first few chapters.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29308407,
          "author": "cenazoic",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:43:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29308407",
          "commentText": "Ruby Under the Microscope:\nhttp://patshaughnessy.net/ruby-under-a-microscope\nThe CS Detective: \nhttps://nostarch.com/csdetective\nMazes for Programmers: \nhttp://www.mazesforprogrammers.com/\nA Curious Moon:\nhttps://bigmachine.io/products/a-curious-moon/\nxchg rax,rax:\nhttps://www.xorpd.net/pages/xchg_rax/snip_00.html",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Mazes for Programmers:",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28481164,
          "author": "thrower123",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-10T13:22:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 28478751,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach you programming languages via systems projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28481164",
          "commentText": "The Maze book is really good. Definitely recommend.\nOne thing that I've found helpful often when learning a new language is taking some code written in a language I know already and porting it over into the new language.  That's more fun with a project that actually does something interesting, and if you've got the original-language version running, you can compare output.\nPeter Shirley's Ray Tracing in One Weekend book (and sequels) are also fun little projects\nhttps://raytracing.github.io/books/RayTracingInOneWeekend.ht... (https://raytracing.github.io/books/RayTracingInOneWeekend.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Maze book is really good. Definitely recommend.",
          "reason": "Recommends the maze book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28480986,
          "author": "adamgordonbell",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-10T13:08:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 28478751,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach you programming languages via systems projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28480986",
          "commentText": "The Ray Tracer Challenge[0] is super fun and language agnostic. It might be a good second project when learning a language. He also has a book about mazes that is great but ruby specific. Though you could adapt it to another language.\nThe thing I like about the books is the emphasis on having fun. My understanding is Jamis used these projects to overcome career burnout. They are also good for exploring the basics of a new language though.\nI interviewed Jamis about this subject and burn out[1].\n[0]: http://raytracerchallenge.com/\n[1]: https://corecursive.com/025-burn-out-and-recreational-progra... (https://corecursive.com/025-burn-out-and-recreational-programming/)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "He also has a book about mazes that is great but ruby specific. Though you could adapt it to another language.",
          "reason": "Calls it great and says its projects can be adapted beyond Ruby.",
          "audience": "Programmers learning a language through projects.",
          "caveat": "Ruby specific, though the projects can be adapted to another language.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21765591,
          "author": "Pete_D",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-11T18:59:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 21765528,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fun Tech Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21765591",
          "commentText": "Mazes for Programmers\nhttp://www.mazesforprogrammers.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mazes for Programmers",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for fun technical book recommendations.",
          "audience": "Programmers interested in mazes and procedural generation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jamis Buck"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "procedural generation",
        "maze algorithms",
        "maze generation",
        "mazes"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "models-attract-women-through-honesty-bf7f49",
      "title": "Models: Attract Women Through Honesty",
      "author": "Mark Manson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25534951,
          "author": "TheCapeGreek",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-25T07:39:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25534951",
          "commentText": "Sounds like the right way to go! For further reading, look at:\nModels - Mark Manson\nNo More Mr. Nice Guy - Robert Glover\nWhat also helped change mindsets to positive-by-default interactions with potential partners, I recommend The Alabaster Girl by Zan Perrion. Very flowery book, but an enjoyable read and at worst a decent mode of mind to consider.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For further reading, look at:\nModels - Mark Manson",
          "reason": "Listed as further reading in a discussion about changing mindsets in interactions with potential partners.",
          "audience": "People seeking to change their mindset about interactions with potential partners.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910719,
          "author": "Symmetry",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T17:10:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910719",
          "commentText": "I read Models after a good review of it[1].  It was only sort of useful for my 36 year old self but it would have been immensely useful to me at 16.\n[1]https://thingofthings.wordpress.com/2018/05/25/models-a-summ... (https://thingofthings.wordpress.com/2018/05/25/models-a-summary/)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It was only sort of useful for my 36 year old self but it would have been immensely useful to me at 16.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it somewhat useful at 36 and believes it would have been much more useful at 16.",
          "audience": "Younger readers, especially around age 16.",
          "caveat": "The commenter found it only somewhat useful at age 36.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910382,
          "author": "criveros",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:41:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910382",
          "commentText": "1. The power of now\n2. Models\n3. The 4-hour workweek",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2. Models",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for favorite nonfiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15157831,
          "author": "whalesalad",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T19:44:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15157831",
          "commentText": "Influence by Robert Cialdini. Models by Mark Manson. Eloquent Ruby by Russ Olsen.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Models by Mark Manson.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking which books had the biggest impact on mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Manson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dating",
        "relationships",
        "honesty"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "modern-compiler-implementation-in-ml-d5671e",
      "title": "Modern Compiler Implementation in ML",
      "author": "Andrew W. Appel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21313374,
          "author": "guiraldelli",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T15:27:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21313374",
          "commentText": "I don't think there is a definitive answer for your question because computer science is a relative new area of knowledge and “fundamental books” are still being published.\nIf I had to say one text that is the fundamental one, I would go with a paper: “On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem” [1], by Alan Turing.\n---\nBut if you just started your course in Computer Science, then I will give you some “bookshelf advice\" based on my experience. I had the pleasure to study all the books I am going to recommend you, and most of them I was able to read cover-to-cover during the university years. And they are also in my bookshelf for reference.\nThe book order does not represent rank of importance.\n* “Introduction to the Theory of Computation”, by Michael Sipser.\n    * I also recommend the “Elements of the Theory of Computation”, by Christos Papadimitriou.\n\n    * Another good complement is “Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages and Computation”, by Hopcroft and Ullman. (Thanks, @reacweb, for the reminder.)\n\n* “Graph Theory”, by Reinhard Diestel.\n    * If you feel you want to go deeper, and like a book which you cannot skip a single word, I strongly recommend “Modern Graph Theory”, by Béla Bollobás: it is one of my favorite textbooks ever!\n\n* “The Algorithm Design Manual”, by Steven Skiena.\n    * While a lot of people seems to praise either the Cormen et al. or the Sedgewick books, I have the feeling that “Algorithms” by Dasgupta, Papadimitriou  and Vazirani is my choice for “fundamental” book. But I decided to\n\n* “Computer Architecture: a Quantitative Approach”, by Hennessy and Patterson.\n* “Modern Operating Systems”, by Andrew Tanenbaum.\n* “Artificial Intelligence: a Modern Approach”, by Russel and Norvig.\n* “Modern Compiler Implementation (in ML)”, by Andrew Appel.\nI would like to also recommend “Concrete Mathematics”, by Graham, Knuth and Patashnik, but I remember to not feel it the most pedagogical book on the subject.\nGood luck!\n---\n[1]: https://www.cs.virginia.edu/~robins/Turing_Paper_1936.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Modern Compiler Implementation (in ML)”, by Andrew Appel",
          "reason": "Includes it among the books recommended for a CS bookshelf.",
          "audience": "People starting a computer science course.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14491155,
          "author": "aalhour",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T20:02:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14491155",
          "commentText": "Hey, I seconded this, the Dragons Book is not the best textbook or introduction to the topic, there are a lot of better ones. The Dragons Book is more of a classic. If you want to read a good book on compilers construction then you're better off reading \"Engineering a Compiler\" by K. Cooper and L. Torczon or \"Modern Compiler Implementation in ML\" by A. Appel.\nIf you want more resources on Compilers other than books, such as tutorials, guides, talks and papers, then go ahead and check the Awesome Compilers vertical I compiled a while ago: https://github.com/aalhour/awesome-compilers\nCheers!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "or \"Modern Compiler Implementation in ML\" by A. Appel.",
          "reason": "Recommended as an alternative book on compiler construction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13661044,
          "author": "adwhit",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-16T16:12:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13661044",
          "commentText": "I second this. Build a compiler from scratch. Main annoyance is that it uses SML - most readers are likely to want to use OCaml, and it's a bit fiddly translating between the two.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Build a compiler from scratch. Main annoyance is that it uses SML - most readers are likely to want to use OCaml, and it's a bit fiddly translating between the two.",
          "reason": "Seconding the parent’s compiler book and describing its compiler-building project.",
          "audience": "Readers comfortable translating examples from SML to OCaml.",
          "caveat": "Uses SML; adapting the examples to OCaml is fiddly.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13660754,
          "author": "kevinclancy",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-16T15:43:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13660754",
          "commentText": "Modern Compiler Implementation in ML by Andrew Appel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Modern Compiler Implementation in ML by Andrew Appel",
          "reason": "Offered as a title answering the request for books that teach through a project.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9649479,
          "author": "rdc12",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-02T22:34:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 9636361,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9649479",
          "commentText": "Fiction: Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (loved the movie as a kid, but never got round to reading the book), will follow up with the Lost World.\nNon-Fiction: Chaos by James Gleick.\nSemester break reading, Real World Ocaml and Modern Compilers in ML (assuming they arrive in time)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Modern Compilers in ML",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as planned reading; no evaluation given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew W. Appel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "compiler construction",
        "compiler design",
        "ml",
        "programming languages"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "more-money-than-god-3b43a3",
      "title": "More Money Than God",
      "author": "Sebastian Mallaby",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32936258,
          "author": "fullsend",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T08:39:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936258",
          "commentText": "I enjoy content that adds curious new information and different views to topics full of cliches, while still being relatively respectable or well researched.\nComing Apart - this book described the coming separation of the US into two “classes” long before it was widely talked about. Today most talk about it as a political divide. This book tackles it as a divide between knowledge workers and the rest. A controversial take that adds much needed food for thought to the conversation. If you’ve lived poor and you’ve also lived in a place like Palo Alto, you’ll be astounded by how readily you can point and say, “that’s me”. Lots of fascinating statistics.\nBowling Alone - a great book about the collapse of US social life. Dense, lots of statistics, but a clear picture is laid out of increasing isolation and alienation. Read it alongside something like Consumer’s Republic to understand how so much of this stems from the selfishness and individuality encouraged by consumerism in post-war America.\nTriumph of the City - an excellent take that can be used as food for thought when people are talking about how dirty cities are. In truth, the author argues, they are our greenest “invention” ever. Lots of good evidence. Imagine collecting the trash if every human lived on their own acre of land. The sewage, the energy usage. Cities are incredibly efficient and clean.\nThe Man Who Solved The Market - everyone interested in finance needs to read this and it’s precursor More Money Than God. The Bogleheads and their index fund ilk are often correct when they say “money managers all lose to an index after fees”. Beating the market is nigh on impossible for all but a few. Most of those few work at Renaissance Technologies. Their Medallion Fund has made 36% after fees every single year since 1989. The fund does its best in market crash years. Closed to outside investors. A story of mathematicians essentially building models that can predict the future reliably. Utterly fascinating, the most successful money printer ever built. As a bonus, we learn that Jim Simons originally controlled this printer and spent the money helping US math teachers. He then ceded control to Robert Mercer, who used the printer’s output to fund Cambridge Analytica, Steve Bannon, Trump, etc.\nThe Snowball - a biography of Warren Buffet that tells an incredible story. The story is one of total obsession. Of a human who literally started from a few dollars, learned about some principles like compounding at age 6, and applied the exact same principles every day for the rest of his life with very little deviation. The craziest part of this story is how every 10 years, he’s surrounded by people saying “times have changed, you’re missing out”. Then those people get blown up by whatever black swan, and Warren’s snowball just grows and grows. He didn’t become a billionaire till he was in his 50’s but the snowball is still growing and he’s one of the richest people alive.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "More Money Than God",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a precursor to The Man Who Solved the Market.",
          "audience": "People interested in finance.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25319088,
          "author": "fluxic",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T22:36:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319088",
          "commentText": "Editing: Editor of Genius by A. Scott Berg\n>>> Max Perkins was the editor of Hemingway, Thomas Wolfe, F Scott Fitzgerald, and other famous 20th century writers. Great, great, book.\nBartending: Cosmopolitan by Toby Cecchini\n>>> Very well-written memoir of a bartender in New York in the late 1980s. He invented the Cosmo in NYC while working at the Odeon — on a lark, without thinking much of it. The drink took off, but I think he's still a working bartender in NYC.\nCooking: Kitchen Confidential by Bourdain\nPainting: Interviews with Francis Bacon by David Sylvester\nMusic: Meet me in the Bathroom by Lizzy Goodman\nTech: Chaos Monkeys by AGM\nAnd seconding swyx's recommendations for all things Michael Lewis, who can spin a good yarn about any profession — whether it's baseball managers, junk bond salesmen, or high frequency traders, etc.\nI've also picked up lots of good recommendations from this thread https://ask.metafilter.com/243036/Recommend-a-nonfiction-aut... (https://ask.metafilter.com/243036/Recommend-a-nonfiction-author-who-has-a-style-like-Anthony-Bourdain) (I, too, like \"insidery\" type business books. I'm currently reading \"The Emperor of Scent\" about the world of perfume and it's pretty good! Also looking forward to reading \"Ninety Percent of Everything\" about the shipping industry.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "all things Michael Lewis, who can spin a good yarn about any profession — whether it's baseball managers, junk bond salesmen, or high frequency traders",
          "reason": "The commenter endorses Michael Lewis's books about professions, including this named title in the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25318778,
          "author": "swyx",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T21:54:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25318778",
          "commentText": "Ex finance guy here - Liar's Poker for 1980s Wall Street, When Genius Failed for 1990s, More Money Than God for 2000s, Flash Boys for 2010s\n- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liar%27s_Poker\n- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_Genius_Failed\n- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/More_Money_Than_God\n- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_Boys\nobviously these do not represent all of finance but its a nice decade-by-decade recap of talking points, i figured i'd try to do it and was surprised how nicely it broke out",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "More Money Than God for 2000s",
          "reason": "Presented as a decade-by-decade account of finance, specifically the 2000s.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in finance and its history.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these books do not represent all of finance.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15767717,
          "author": "SirLJ",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T20:51:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15767717",
          "commentText": "More Money Than God by Sebastian Mallaby - solidified my experiences in the market with great examples for my \"hobby\" -  developing trading robots and resulting in constantly making more money that my real job in IT and giving me my FU money and ultimate freedom in life...\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/More_Money_Than_God",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "More Money Than God by Sebastian Mallaby - solidified my experiences in the market with great examples",
          "reason": "Says it solidified their market experience and gave great examples.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in markets or trading.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sebastian Mallaby"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hedge funds",
        "finance",
        "finance history",
        "financial markets"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mythos-77dbab",
      "title": "Mythos",
      "author": "Stephen Fry",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45295733,
          "author": "mattmanser",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-18T22:20:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 45283087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45295733",
          "commentText": "I loved some of his fiction, but haven't got past the first chapter of that book.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "haven't got past the first chapter of that book.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have not made it past the first chapter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not continued beyond the first chapter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 45295284,
          "author": "bodantogat",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-18T21:34:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 45283087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45295284",
          "commentText": "Oh and also listening to an audiobook - Mythos by Stephen Fry. Liking it so far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "listening to an audiobook - Mythos by Stephen Fry. Liking it so far.",
          "reason": "The commenter likes the audiobook so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is still listening.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21459950,
          "author": "srijanshetty",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T05:26:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21459950",
          "commentText": "Never split the difference by Chris Voss - so many practical tips to ensure that you get the better side of a bargain.\nMythos by Stephen Fry - an irreverent take on Greek mythology which is fun and entertaining.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mythos by Stephen Fry - an irreverent take on Greek mythology which is fun and entertaining.",
          "reason": "Described as a fun, entertaining take on Greek mythology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15960279,
          "author": "atulatul",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T14:11:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15960279",
          "commentText": "Update: added a few lines about the books than just a name listing\nFrom the ones I read in 2017, I would highly recommend (non-IT):\n1. The hidden life of trees- Peter Wohlleben Why forest trees are different than the ones you plant, how the communicate, how they care for their friends when they are not well, how mother trees protect their young ones by not letting them grow too fast, the fungi network, etc. The book is very easy to read- there is no scientific terminology overload. Things are told very simply. Not restricted to students of the subject. Learned something interesting every couple of pages. \nAnother aspect is that the love shows. It is very clear that the author is in love with the subject. The author manages a wild forest in Germany and talks mainly about trees in terms of beeches, firs, oaks, etc. The author is politely insistent that we should protect the natural wild forests and let them be.\n2. Why the allies won- Richard Overy Probably the best book I read on WW2. So many more factors went into winning the war than actual fight. Probably appealed to my analytical mind.\n3. India After Gandhi- Ramachandra Guha As the author says history ends for many Indians with freedom. Very good chronicles. Started appreciating Nehru more.\n4. Re-read Gone With The Wind, To Kill a Mockingbird, the Godfather and a few P.G Wodehouse- all of which I like.\nCurrently, halfway through Stephen Fry's Mythos which seems good enough to recommend. I am pretty new to the Greek Mythology and he is a good story teller. Don't have much to compare it with, though.\nAlso, by choice, I read quite a few books in rural Marathi(an Indian regional language) and was surprised how good the story telling was. Also noticed that I had gone quite far from my mother tongue but was happy to see how easy it was to go back.\nPlease answer my similar question https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15960188",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Currently, halfway through Stephen Fry's Mythos which seems good enough to recommend.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it seems good enough to recommend and finds Fry a good storyteller.",
          "audience": "Readers new to Greek mythology.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is halfway through and has little to compare it with.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Fry"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "greek mythology",
        "myth retellings"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-the-origin-of-species-73331b",
      "title": "On the Origin of Species",
      "author": "Charles Darwin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41775845,
          "author": "llamaimperative",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-08T10:41:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41775845",
          "commentText": "lol, you are unambiguously, 100% wrong.\nBy analogy: “I don’t need to read On The Origin of Species because I’m already familiar with the idea that a singular designer made all of life on earth and I don’t believe it! I already know that actually three intelligent designers made everything on earth. No sense in reading Darwin, who is an idiot for believing there’s only one intelligent designer!”\nLike it is a satirical level of misunderstanding. To clarify, in case you’ve also listened to a podcast or whatever: Darwin doesn’t argue there’s one designer. George doesn’t argue for property tax.\nThere’s nowhere for the conversation to go if you think otherwise and are digging in your heels on it, so I’ll just reassure you that you’re exhibiting satirical levels of misunderstanding and frankly shocking foolishness to not be reacting to point blank demonstrations of your wrongness.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I don’t need to read On The Origin of Species",
          "reason": "Invoked as an analogy in an argument about dismissing a book without understanding it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21314691,
          "author": "throwaway_bad",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T17:12:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21314691",
          "commentText": "I think you're right that you shouldn't learn from the \"fundamental\" books but there definitely are such a thing as fundamental books.\nThey are usually hugely influential in their times but have been refined or made easier to digest since. If you care deeply about your field you should read them at some point to see how ideas evolved historically.\nEnglish: Shakespeare\nBiology: Darwin's Origin of Species\nMath: Euclid's Elements\nFor OP's topic, I'd say Shannon's \"A Mathematical Theory of Communication\" is up there for computer science.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Biology: Darwin's Origin of Species",
          "reason": "Presented as a historically influential foundational book worth reading to understand how ideas evolved.",
          "audience": "Readers who care deeply about their field and its intellectual history.",
          "caveat": "The comment says foundational books may have been refined or made easier to digest since.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20917051,
          "author": "lolc",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T11:10:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20917051",
          "commentText": "Great read! I especially like how a lot of his speculation turned out close to what we know today. Choice quote: \"I can see no difficulty in a race of bears being rendered, by natural selection, more and more aquatic in their structure and habits, with larger and larger mouths, till a creature was produced as monstrous as a whale.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great read! I especially like how a lot of his speculation turned out close to what we know today.",
          "reason": "The reply praises the book’s enduring relevance and quotes an example from it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20914612,
          "author": "jmts",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T01:58:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914612",
          "commentText": "On the Origin of Species, by Charles Darwin. It's pretty dense, dry, and can require a bit of a commitment, but there's some pretty interesting bits and pieces in there aside from just proposing evolution.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "On the Origin of Species, by Charles Darwin. It's pretty dense, dry, and can require a bit of a commitment, but there's some pretty interesting bits and pieces in there aside from just proposing evolution.",
          "reason": "The commenter points to interesting material beyond its central argument.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as dense and dry, and requiring a commitment.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521691,
          "author": "analogtom",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T10:03:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521691",
          "commentText": "The Origin of Species, Charles Darwin. \nI can't believe it took me so long to read one of the most important books written.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can't believe it took me so long to read one of the most important books written.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the most important books written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12494191,
          "author": "dredmorbius",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-14T04:13:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12494191",
          "commentText": "From a recent HN comment,  a list, some authors, and some guidelines, largely based on books which radically changed my thinking.\nCurrently:  Vaclav Smil, Energy in World History (1994), and Manfred Weissenbacher, Sources of Power (2009).  Both detail the role and impact of energy through world history.  The latter draws strongly on the first, both are exceedingly well documented.  TL;DR: coal changed much, oil changed everything.\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/3... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/30398523&referer=brief_results)\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foragin... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foraging-agriculture-and-coal/oclc/837625798&referer=brief_results)\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625970&referer=brief_results)\nJames Burke's books Connections and The Day the Universe Changed, and their accompanying television series, were a profound introduction to the history of technology, science, ideas, and philosophy.  Though 30+ years old, they remain highly current and relevant.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/connections/oclc/4494136\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/day-the-universe-changed/oclc... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/day-the-universe-changed/oclc/12049817)\nJeremy Campbell's Grammatical Man (1984) introduced the concepts of information theory and their deep, deep, deep interconnections to a tremendous number of interconnected systems, many not explored within his book.  Darwin's The Origin of Species, James Gleick's Chaos, and many of the works of Santa Fe Institute members, including John C. Holland, J. Doyne Farmer, Geoffrey West, W. Brian Arthur, David Krakauer, and Sander van der Leeuw, continue these themes.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-e... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-entropy-language-and-life/oclc/8306673)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/chaos-making-a-new-science/oc... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/chaos-making-a-new-science/oclc/15366709)\nWilliam Ophuls' Ecology and the Politics of Scarcity (1977) is perhaps the best, most comprehensive, shortest, and most readable exposition of the fact, reality, dynamics, and interactions of limits on the present phase of fossil-fuel fed economic growth I've found.  This is a book I recommend not only for the message, but the author's clarity of thought and exposition, his meticulous research, exquisite bibliographical notes, and, given the nearly 30 years elapsed, testability numerous of his predictions, some failed, yes, others uncannily accurate.  Rather more the latter.  In a similar vein, William R. Catton's Overshoot looks at the ecological dynamics in more depth, with much wisdom, the writings of Richard Heinberg cover the ground of limits fairly accessibly and more recently.  Vaclav Smil in numerous books addresses technical factors of the profound nature of the past 250 years, and implications for the future.  Meadows, et al, in Limits to Growth set off much of the post-1970 discussion (though they're hardly the first to raise the question -- it dates to Seneca the Elder),\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-s... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-scarcity-prologue-to-a-political-theory-of-the-steady-state/oclc/2524932)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/overshoot-the-ecological-basi... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/overshoot-the-ecological-basis-of-revolutionary-change/oclc/6195764)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Aheinberg%2C+richard&a... (https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Aheinberg%2C+richard&amp;qt=owc_search)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Asmil%2C+vaclav&amp;qt... (https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Asmil%2C+vaclav&amp;qt=results_page)\nThough hardly pessimistic, Daniel Yergin's book The Prize (and TV series) impressed upon me more than any other just how much petroleum specifically changed and transformed the modern world.  Though intended largely as laudetory and championing the oil industry by the author, my read of it was exceptionally cautionary.  The impacts on business, everyday life, politics, wars, industry, and transport, and the rate at which they occurred, are simply staggering.  You can continue this exploration in Vaclav Smil's Energy in World History (1994) (I've recommended Smil independently elsewhere), and a rare but profound two-volume set I'm currently reading, Manfred Weissenbacher's Sources of Power: How energy forges human history (2009).  The shear physicality of this book speaks to the message -- it's divided into five parts:  1) Foraging Age (6 pages), 2) Agricultural Age (156 pp), 3) Coal Age (160 pp),  4) Oil Age (296 pp), and 5) Beyond the Oil Age (142 pp).  That is, the ~2 million years of pre-agricultural existence are little more than a footnote, the 8,000 years of agriculture roughly equal to the 150 years of coal, and the 100 years of petroleum use roughly twice either.  The oil and post-oil ages comprise their own volume.  Yergin followed up with The Quest, continuing the search for oil, though I've been less impressed by it.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/prize-the-epic-quest-for-oil-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/prize-the-epic-quest-for-oil-money-and-power/oclc/22381448)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/30398523)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foragi... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foraging-agriculture-and-coal/oclc/837625798)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/83762... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625970)\nAdam Smith's An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations is among the most-cited (and most incorrectly cited), least-read books of high influence I'm aware of, outside religious texts (and perhaps it is a religious text to some…).  The author's message has been exceptionally shaped and manipulated by a powerful set of forces, quite often utterly misrepresenting Smith's original intent.  Reading him in his own words, yourself, is strongly recommended.  I'd also recommend scholarship particularly by Emma Rothschild and Gavin Kennedy, though also others, on Smith. Contrast with the portrayal by the propaganda disinformation front of the Mont Pelerin Society / Atlas Network / so-called Foundation for Economic Education, and much of the modern American Libertarian movement (von Mises, Hayek, Friedman, Hazlett, Rothbard, and more recently, Norberg).  Contrast The Invisible Hand (1964), a compilation of essays published by Libertarian house Regnery Press in 1966, at the beginning of the rise in public use of Smith's metaphor to indictate mechanism rather than an expression of the unknown.\nThere are numerous editions of Smith, I believe the Glasgow is frequently cited by Smith scholars:  https://www.worldcat.org/title/glasgow-edition-of-the-works-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/glasgow-edition-of-the-works-and-correspondence-of-adam-smith-2-an-inquiry-into-the-nature-and-causes-of-the-wealth-of-nations-vol-1/oclc/832488566)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/economic-sentiments-adam-smit... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/economic-sentiments-adam-smith-condorcet-and-the-enlightenment/oclc/45282974)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smith-and-the-invisible-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smith-and-the-invisible-hand/oclc/820387997)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smiths-lost-legacy/oclc/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smiths-lost-legacy/oclc/56598640)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/invisible-hand-a-collection-o... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/invisible-hand-a-collection-of-essays-on-the-economic-philosophy-of-free-enterprise/oclc/326622)\nI'd like to put in recommendations on technology specifically, but am still searching for a good general text.  The material's covered somewhat in the chaos and complexity recommendations above (Campbell et al), though I'd add Joseph Tainter's The Collapse of Complex Societies.  Charle's Perrow has several excellent books including Normal Accidents and Organizing America.   I'd like to reference something concerning Unix, Linux, and programming, perhaps Kernighan and Pike's The Unix Programming Environment, Linus Torvalds' Just for Fun, Richard Stallman's The GNU Manifesto, and Steve McConnel's Code Complete.  The O'Reilly book Unix Power Tools also encapsulates much the strength of the Unix toolset.  All these are somewhat dated.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/collapse-of-complex-societies... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/collapse-of-complex-societies/oclc/15083222)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/normal-accidents-living-with-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/normal-accidents-living-with-high-risk-technologies/oclc/10229932)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/organizing-america-wealth-pow... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/organizing-america-wealth-power-and-the-origins-of-corporate-capitalism/oclc/939707157)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-programming-environment/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-programming-environment/oclc/10269821)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/5238168... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/52381684)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Darwin's The Origin of Species, James Gleick's Chaos, and many of the works of Santa Fe Institute members",
          "reason": "Included among works continuing themes of interconnected systems and complexity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4787418,
          "author": "timmm",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:19:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787418",
          "commentText": "The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho.\nKing, Warrior, Magician, Lover by Moore and Gillette\nThe lean startup\nPaul Graham how to start a startup\nMark Hyman Ultimate Mind Solution\nTribal Leadership\nWheel of Time\nThink and Grow Rich\nSuperior Man David Deida\nThe Fountain Head\nEckhart Tolle New Earth\n50th Law\nGood to Great\nJed Mckenna\nEarl Nightengale\nLong Walk to Freedom\nOutliers\nGood to Great\nPsycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz (Self-image)\nSeven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey(Being awesome)\nWealth of Nations\nWayne Dyer The Tao\nSystem of the World\nOrigin of Species\nBrave new world\nThank you economy\nCrush it\nBuilt to Last\nWho Moved my Cheese\nStillness Speak Eckhert Tolle\nMastery George Leonard\nSteve Jobs Biography\nThe Last Lecture\nSteve Pavlina Books\nIacocca\nStriking Thoughts Bruce Lee\nCarlos Castaneda\nGhost in the Wires\nRichest Man in Babylon\nWay of the Superior Man\nLosing My Virginity\nThink and Grow Rich\nDelivering Happiness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Origin of Species",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Darwin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Nature",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolution",
        "natural selection",
        "biology",
        "evolutionary biology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "options-futures-and-other-derivatives-acd346",
      "title": "Options, Futures, and Other Derivatives",
      "author": "John C. Hull",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16769837,
          "author": "meifun",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-05T23:51:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16769837",
          "commentText": "Here are the books on my desk:\nC++:\n\"The C++ Programming Language\", Stroustrup\n\"Programming: Principles and Practice Using C++\", Stroustrup\nQuant:\n\"Quantitative Trading\", Dr. Ernest Chan\n\"Algorithmic Trading\", Dr. Ernest Chan\n\"Machine Trading: Deploying Computer Algorithms to Conquer the Markets\", Dr. Ernest Chan\n\"Advances in Financial Machine Learning\", Marcos Lopez de Prado\n\"Options, Futures and Other Derivatives (10th edition)\", John C. Hull\nBuddhism:\n\"Open Heart, Clear Mind\", Thubten Chodron\n\"Buddhism For Beginners\", Thubten Chodron\n\"Working with Anger\", Thubten Chodron\nReading For Pleasure:\n\"Naked Statistics\", Charles Wheelan\n\"Algorithms to Live By\", Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths\n\"Dark Pools\"\n\"The Quants\", Scott Patterson\n\"The Physics Of Wall Street\", James Owen Weatherall\nPlus some Chinese books, I wont bore with the details, unless anyone wants to know. Fun Fact, while I was in China for 8 weeks in late 2017 I bought 60 Chinese books and stuffed them in a suitcase. It cost me $4,000RMB (~$604 USD) to check all of my stuff and purchases home :-)\nThe Math books are:\n\"Discrete math\", Susan Epp\n\"Discrete with Ducks\"\nvarious Calc books. If you want to learn math, find books that work for you. We all learn differently here.\nMy opinion: The Chan books are just amazing. Thought provoking and motivational. I am still reading the Prado book.\nMy opinion 2: If you ever want to slow down in life and learn what you are about, read about Buddhism. I'm not trying to start a flame war. It just works for me. It isn't being told what to believe because that is the way it is. I feel Buddhism lets me explore myself to find the right answers that work for me. Since studying my anger levels are in check. I am a better Husband. My wife comes first always.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Options, Futures and Other Derivatives (10th edition)\", John C. Hull",
          "reason": "Listed among the books on the commenter’s desk.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14148327,
          "author": "d--b",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-19T15:20:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14148327",
          "commentText": "Quantitative finance: Options, Futures, and Other Derivatives by John Hull",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Options, Futures, and Other Derivatives by John Hull",
          "reason": "Named as the bible of quantitative finance in response to the thread's question.",
          "audience": "People interested in quantitative finance.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12561908,
          "author": "n00b101",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T02:25:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12561908",
          "commentText": "Options, Futures, and Other Derivatives by John Hull\nPrinciples of Corporate Finance by Richard Brealey, Stewart Myers, Franklin Allen\nTraders, Guns and Money: Knowns and unknowns in the dazzling world of derivatives by Satyajit Das",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Options, Futures, and Other Derivatives by John Hull",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for must-read economics and finance books.",
          "audience": "Someone learning about finance.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3178313,
          "author": "veyron",
          "createdAt": "2011-10-31T17:55:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 3177815,
          "threadTitle": "Good books for hackers interested in quant finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3178313",
          "commentText": "You need to be a little more specific regarding your interests and background.  If you are interested in theory, there are plenty of books discussing specific models.  However, most practical or buzzword (e.g. HFT) books are rubbish (think about it: if you have a profitable operation, why would you write a book?  Unless, like me, you have a screw loose :P )\nIf you want some practical discussions, \"Trading and Exchanges\" by Larry Harris is a bit dated, but nothing comes close.  Most of the descriptions are still valid today (even if some of the mechanics have changed)\nIf you want something more along the lines of what a financial engineer would know:\n- \"Options, Futures, and other Derivatives\" by John Hull (goes over basic models without delving too deeply into theoretical math aspects)\n- \"Stochastic Calculus for Finance II\" by Steve Shreve (goes over the basic stuff but has enough stats to keep a grad student happy)\n- \"Monte Carlo Methods in Financial Engineering\" by Paul Glasserman (much more practical, and goes over subtleties of monte carlo simulation and other stuff like low discrepancy sampling)\n- \"Modelling Fixed Income Securities and Interest Rate Options\" by Robert Jarrow (walks through how to perform certain simulations, covers lots of little details most theoretical books skip)\nIf you want something more theoretical:\n- \"Introduction to Stochastic Calculus Applied to Finance\" by Lamberton and Lapeyre (Nice little intro)\n- \"Arbitrage Theory in Continuous Time\" by Tomas Bjork (Slower discussion, larger breadth)\n- \"Brownian Motion and Stochastic Calculus\" and \"Methods of Mathematical Finance\" by Karatzas and Shreve (Solid theoretical foundation, for the more mathematically inclined)\nThere was a good non-measure theoretic discussion of financial models but the name escapes me ATM.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "goes over basic models without delving too deeply into theoretical math aspects",
          "reason": "Listed for financial engineering; covers basic models without deep theoretical mathematics.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in financial engineering.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3178140,
          "author": "raymondh",
          "createdAt": "2011-10-31T17:11:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 3177815,
          "threadTitle": "Good books for hackers interested in quant finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3178140",
          "commentText": "Two recommendations:  \"Options, Futures, and Other Derivatives\" by John Hull and \"Dynamic Hedging\" by Taleb.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Options, Futures, and Other Derivatives\" by John Hull",
          "reason": "Listed as one of two recommendations in response to a request for books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John C. Hull"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "derivatives",
        "financial markets",
        "quantitative finance",
        "options"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pitch-anything-83ae13",
      "title": "Pitch Anything",
      "author": "Oren Klaff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21902182,
          "author": "dustingetz",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T22:15:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902182",
          "commentText": "For founders: #1 is Oren Klaff Pitch Anything. Then: Crossing the Chasm, Zero to One, Blitzscaling, Never Split the Difference, Oversubscribed: A Founders Guide to Seed Fundraising, Exactly What To Say: The Magic Words for Influence and Impact, Miracle Morning, 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "#1 is Oren Klaff Pitch Anything.",
          "reason": "Listed as the top book for founders.",
          "audience": "Founders",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10234124,
          "author": "erikstarck",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T16:03:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10234124",
          "commentText": "Pitch Anything goes in to detail on the psychology of the pitch. It talks about the concept of framing and how you must control the frame to close the deal. Highly recommended. Just read it (well, listened to it) and I feel like reading it again just to catch up on any missing details.\nBook homepage is http://pitchanything.com",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pitch Anything goes in to detail on the psychology of the pitch.",
          "reason": "Calls it highly recommended and says listening made the commenter want to reread it for missed details.",
          "audience": "People interested in the psychology and framing of a sales pitch.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is worth revisiting to catch details they may have missed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10233506,
          "author": "austenallred",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T14:25:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10233506",
          "commentText": "\"Sales\" is very broad.\nMy favorite book about the act of selling (i.e. pitching) is \"Pitch Anything\" - http://www.amazon.com/Pitch-Anything-Innovative-Presenting-P... (http://www.amazon.com/Pitch-Anything-Innovative-Presenting-Persuading/dp/0071752854/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442499872&sr=8-1&keywords=pitch+anything)\nIf you're looking for an overall sales primer/bible, your best bet is probably The Sales Acceleration Formula http://www.amazon.com/Sales-Acceleration-Formula-Technology-... (http://www.amazon.com/Sales-Acceleration-Formula-Technology-Inbound/dp/1119047072/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1442499928&sr=1-1&keywords=sales+acceleration+formula)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favorite book about the act of selling (i.e. pitching) is \"Pitch Anything\"",
          "reason": "Calls it their favorite book about pitching.",
          "audience": "Readers focused on the act of selling or pitching.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7972072,
          "author": "JSeymourATL",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T17:13:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7972072",
          "commentText": "Pitch Anything!> http://pitchanything.com/book/\nBOOM Big Idea to share with you. No matter your functional role, there's solid research here on how people receive and respond to information.  This is one of the best books on sales presentation and positioning I've read in ages.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is one of the best books on sales presentation and positioning I've read in ages.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of the best books on sales presentation and positioning they have read in ages.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in sales presentations and positioning.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Oren Klaff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "pitching",
        "framing",
        "fundraising",
        "positioning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-from-the-ground-up-245c2e",
      "title": "Programming from the Ground Up",
      "author": "Jonathan Bartlett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20730415,
          "author": "jonathanfoster",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T14:46:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20730415",
          "commentText": "Before deep diving into CS theory, I would go deeper into programming first to better understand how a computer really works. The best intro on this topic I found is \"Programming from the Ground Up\" by Jonathan Bartlett [1].\n\"Programming from the Ground Up\" starts at the bottom with CPU architecture and goes up from there to how functions work, dealing with files, code libraries, high-level languages, etc. Having a solid understanding here will provide immediate benefits in coding and serve as a strong foundation for some of the other recommended texts.\nIf you're interested, I recommend buying directly from Bartlett Publishing [1]. Bartlett published the book under the GNU Free Documentation License and there are multiple copy-cat versions on Amazon.\n[1] http://www.bartlettpublishing.com/site/catalog/programming-f... (http://www.bartlettpublishing.com/site/catalog/programming-from-the-ground-up/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The best intro on this topic I found is \"Programming from the Ground Up\" by Jonathan Bartlett",
          "reason": "Recommends it as the best introduction the commenter found to how computers work, from CPU architecture through high-level languages.",
          "audience": "Readers who want to understand how a computer works and build a foundation for further study.",
          "caveat": "The commenter recommends buying directly from Bartlett Publishing because Amazon has multiple copy-cat versions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13662941,
          "author": "jenkstom",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-16T19:46:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13662941",
          "commentText": "Programming from the Ground Up teaches x86 assembler from first principles. All on a free OS (Linux using asm). There is a free version available online, but if you want to support the author you can buy it from amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Programming-Ground-Up-Jonathan-Bartle... (https://www.amazon.com/Programming-Ground-Up-Jonathan-Bartlett/dp/0975283847)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming from the Ground Up teaches x86 assembler from first principles.",
          "reason": "Teaches x86 assembler from first principles.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Free version available online; buying it supports the author.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4396122,
          "author": "18005551212",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-17T13:03:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 4351898,
          "threadTitle": "Best book for x86 assembly (linux)",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4396122",
          "commentText": "Programming from the ground up is free, recommended by Joel Spolsky, is grounded in GNU Linux and covers 32 but not 64 bit ASM.\nhttp://ftp.igh.cnrs.fr/pub/nongnu/pgubook/ProgrammingGroundU... (http://ftp.igh.cnrs.fr/pub/nongnu/pgubook/ProgrammingGroundUp-1-0-booksize.pdf)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming from the ground up is free, recommended by Joel Spolsky, is grounded in GNU Linux and covers 32 but not 64 bit ASM.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a free Linux-based introduction to 32-bit assembly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Covers 32-bit assembly, not 64-bit assembly.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4351924,
          "author": "timtadh",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-07T19:52:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 4351898,
          "threadTitle": "Best book for x86 assembly (linux)",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4351924",
          "commentText": "I learned x86 from \"Programming from the Ground Up.\" It was pretty good but doesn't cover 64bit extensions. I would recommend it. Even if it doesn't cover everything what it does cover it covers well.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I learned x86 from \"Programming from the Ground Up.\" It was pretty good but doesn't cover 64bit extensions. I would recommend it.",
          "reason": "Recommends the book and says it is pretty good, while noting its coverage stops short of 64-bit extensions.",
          "audience": "Learners starting x86 assembly on Linux.",
          "caveat": "Does not cover 64-bit extensions.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Bartlett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "linux",
        "x86 assembly",
        "assembly language",
        "computer architecture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rivers-of-london-cef7ee",
      "title": "Rivers of London",
      "author": "Ben Aaronovitch",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46400119,
          "author": "Dambalala",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T08:10:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46400119",
          "commentText": ". Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch. Urban fantasy with a great audiobook narrator (Kobna Holdbrook-Smith). Harry Potter meets Sherlock Holmes. Loved the computer history and London Library parts in False Value.\n. Chrestomanci series by Diana Wynne Jones. Found the first book in a local phonebox library. Especially liked the probability computer in Conrad’s Fate.\n. Southern Reach trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer. Recommended by a barber after I mentioned the cartoon \"Scavengers Reign\". Annihilation is well worth reading.\n. The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro. Novel about memory, forgetting.\n. Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman. Short novel imagining Einstein's dreams whilst he worked on his relativity theory.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch. Urban fantasy with a great audiobook narrator (Kobna Holdbrook-Smith). Harry Potter meets Sherlock Holmes.",
          "reason": "Described as urban fantasy and compared to Harry Potter meets Sherlock Holmes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40430846,
          "author": "asplake",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T16:50:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40430846",
          "commentText": "Also a brilliant audiobook series narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith who some here may recognise from the first Earthsea book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also a brilliant audiobook series narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith",
          "reason": "Praises the audiobook series in reply to a comment about Rivers of London.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40429414,
          "author": "fattybob",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T15:05:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40429414",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed reading “Rivers of London” by Ben Aaranovitch,  I read the second one which was not quite in the same page turner realm, but I plan to read more of the series.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed reading “Rivers of London” by Ben Aaranovitch",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed the first book and plans to read more of the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter found the second book less of a page-turner.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32198275,
          "author": "y56366346767",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T23:17:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32198275",
          "commentText": "A few years back I was reading 'Rivers of London' by Ben Aaronovitch on the London Underground on my way to work when I realised he was talking about a body being found in the actual tunnel I was passing though at the time.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I was reading 'Rivers of London' by Ben Aaronovitch",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20332888,
          "author": "KaiserPro",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T07:16:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20332888",
          "commentText": "I personally hate self improvement books/management, so here are some narrative books that I loved and got lost in\n1) The tiger's wife - To me it has a brilliant full universe. Its comprised of a overarching narrative broken up with lots of short stories.\n2) night watch/ making money / going postal - terry pratchett Fun stories with full characters.\n3) THe pigeon tunnels - john le carre, Again composed of short stories, not overly spy-y just fascinating character studies, with a bit of history.\n4) differently morphous - Yahtzee croshaw this one is a scifi comedy, 100% worth getting in audiobook form\n5) rivers of london - ben aaronovich, policeman who was all set for a life of being a desk clerk accidentally becomes a wizard policemen.\n6) harry potter, obviously :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "5) rivers of london - ben aaronovich, policeman who was all set for a life of being a desk clerk accidentally becomes a wizard policemen.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a story about a policeman who becomes a wizard police officer.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ben Aaronovitch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "police procedural",
        "urban fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ruby-on-rails-tutorial-4c3081",
      "title": "Ruby on Rails Tutorial",
      "author": "Michael Hartl",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40875922,
          "author": "12thhandyman",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-04T16:03:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 40840658,
          "threadTitle": "Books to Dive in into Fullstack Development",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40875922",
          "commentText": "Yes indeed! This is the course/tutorial that introduced me to Rails around a decade ago.\nMentioning Hartl and linking the course is better than just saying “learn rails” in general re: full stack.\nSurprisingly in (ruby/rails) interviews I’ll mention the Hartl text and often people are not familiar.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is the course/tutorial that introduced me to Rails around a decade ago.",
          "reason": "The commenter credits the tutorial with introducing them to Rails and says mentioning the Hartl text is more useful than a generic suggestion to learn Rails.",
          "audience": "People learning Rails.",
          "caveat": "They note that interviewers often do not recognize the Hartl text.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40875860,
          "author": "_m_p",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-04T15:55:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 40840658,
          "threadTitle": "Books to Dive in into Fullstack Development",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40875860",
          "commentText": "Michael Hartl's Rails Tutorial is still among the best https://www.railstutorial.org/\nRails is opinionated but its opinions are often correct!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Michael Hartl's Rails Tutorial is still among the best",
          "reason": "Recommended as a learning resource for Rails.",
          "audience": "People learning full-stack development or Rails.",
          "caveat": "Rails is opinionated, though the commenter says its opinions are often correct.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22300456,
          "author": "rofo1",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-11T17:37:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22300456",
          "commentText": "I can recommend https://www.railstutorial.org/book for Ruby on Rails. It's practical and concise and there's not a lot of unnecessary fluff.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can recommend https://www.railstutorial.org/book for Ruby on Rails.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as practical and concise.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says there is little unnecessary fluff.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13664706,
          "author": "joncalhoun",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-16T23:47:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13664706",
          "commentText": "Web Development with Go (see https://www.usegolang.com) is based on starting with pretty minimal Go and web development experience and walking you through the process of building a complete web application.\nI find this approach works well because you don't have to ask \"why did he make that design decision\" but instead I intentionally make common mistakes a beginner would make, wait until they become an issue, and then I demonstrate how we can fix that issue. As a result you really get to understand not only how to create a web app in Go but also why developers tend to follow different design patterns.\nI said this in another comment, but it is based on Michael Hartl's Rails Tutorial. I think showing someone how to go from nothing to a full app is a great way to help them get into web development without the frustration that comes from piecing together blog posts/docs/trial&error.\nIf you are interested in Go I'd love to get your feedback :) and if it isn't obvious, I am the author of the book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "it is based on Michael Hartl's Rails Tutorial.",
          "reason": "The book is cited as the model for the commenter's own book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No evaluation of this title is stated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2380986,
          "author": "greglockwood",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-29T01:46:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 2380810,
          "threadTitle": "Best program and books to learn how to code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2380986",
          "commentText": "If you want to do front end web dev, learn these languages in this order:\nHTML - http://www.w3schools.com/html/\nCSS - http://www.w3schools.com/css/default.asp\nJavascript - http://eloquentjavascript.net/contents.html\nAnd then pick one of the following two:\nPHP - http://www.tuxradar.com/practicalphp\nor \nRails - http://ruby.railstutorial.org/ruby-on-rails-tutorial-book\nThere are many languages that you can learn for front end other than RoR and PHP, but they are two of the most popular right now, and will almost certainly suit your needs. Good luck, and stick with it when it gets frustrating, learning how to code is definitely worth it!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rails - http://ruby.railstutorial.org/ruby-on-rails-tutorial-book",
          "reason": "Offered as one of two options in a front-end web development learning path.",
          "audience": "People learning web development with Rails.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Rails is one of two options and notes other languages may also suit the reader.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Hartl"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ruby on rails",
        "web development",
        "project based learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rule-34-d9e28b",
      "title": "Rule 34",
      "author": "Charles Stross",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17751574,
          "author": "fencepost",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T17:01:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17751574",
          "commentText": "As others have said, also its sequel Rule 34. It's been a while since I read these, but I don't recall anything in there that jumped out at me as \"you can't get there from here.\"\nThere was originally supposed to be a third novel in this series, but Stross cancelled it[0] after Edward Snowden.\n\"Halting State\" wasn't intended to be predictive when I started writing it in 2006. Trouble is, about the only parts that haven't happened yet are Scottish Independence and the use of actual quantum computers for cracking public key encryption (and there's a big fat question mark over the latter—what else are the NSA up to?).\nI'm throwing in the towel. I probably will write another near-future Scottish police procedural by and by, but it won't be a sequel to the first two except in the loosest sense. The science fictional universe of \"Halting State\" and \"Rule 34\" is teetering on the edge of turning into reality. Meanwhile, the financial crisis of 2007 forced me back to the drawing board for \"Rule 34\"; the Snowden revelations have systematically trashed all my ideas for the third book.\n[0] http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2013/12/psa-why-... (http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2013/12/psa-why-there-wont-be-a-third-.html)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "also its sequel Rule 34",
          "reason": "Names it as the sequel to Halting State and discusses its near-future setting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they do not recall anything implausible jumping out at them; Stross later cancelled the planned third novel.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17750892,
          "author": "kbob",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T15:38:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17750892",
          "commentText": "And its sequel, Rule 34.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "And its sequel, Rule 34.",
          "reason": "Names the sequel to Halting State as another cybercrime novel in the discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17750549,
          "author": "spacehunt",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T14:55:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17750549",
          "commentText": "And also its sequel Rule 34.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "And also its sequel Rule 34.",
          "reason": "Adds the sequel to the parent comment's Halting State recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Sequel to Halting State.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056610,
          "author": "mattkevan",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:38:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056610",
          "commentText": "Anything by Alastair Reynolds - his Revelation Space series is great, and House of Suns is a fantastic one-off. He's probably the  closest to Ian Banks in creating galaxy-spanning civilisations across eons of time.\nIan MacDonald is another good one. My favourite of his is The Dervish House, but his others are definitely worth reading.\nCharles Stross is good. Didn't get on with Accelerando, but his Laundry books are a fun mix of HP Lovecraft/Len Deighton/IT Crowd. Halting State and Rule 34 are good explorations of pervasive augmented reality and intelligent algorithms. Also Glasshouse as an exploration of post-singularity society. Never managed to finish a Cory Doctorow book though.\nI found William Gibson's Bigend trilogy a slog, but I really enjoyed The Peripheral - it's a fun read.\nEnders Game and Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card are fantastic, but the remaining books suffer from diminishing returns (with the possible exception of Ender's Shadow). There are a lot of books in the series, but basically, the series finishes wherever you get bored reading it.\nAnything by China Mieville is well worth your time.\nOh, I also really enjoyed Elizabeth Bear's Jacobs Ladder trilogy, set on a generation ship where the inhabitants have forgotten who they are and where they're going.\nFor some older stuff:\nThe Stars my Destination by Alfred Bester – I was surprised at how good it is and how well it stands up. I couldn't believe it was written nearly 50 years ago.\nThe Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein - possibly my favourite of his. I want to start a lunar revolution with a sentient mainframe...\nI'm currently working my way through all the Hugo Award winners, from 1953 up, and there's some real gems there.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Halting State and Rule 34 are good explorations of pervasive augmented reality and intelligent algorithms.",
          "reason": "Calls it a good exploration of augmented reality and intelligent algorithms.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4597413,
          "author": "waterlesscloud",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-01T15:08:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 4596721,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4597413",
          "commentText": "1. Red Mars.  Read a chapter and digest it.  Packed top to bottom with all kinds of ideas.\n2. Cyberspace: First Steps.  From the early 90s, a collection of academic essays on the concept of cyberspace. Reading it as a kind of retrospective on where we were and where we thought we were going.\n3. Rule 34.  For fun.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Rule 34. For fun.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3782341,
          "author": "read_wharf",
          "createdAt": "2012-04-01T02:02:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 3781486,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi Books for Hackers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3782341",
          "commentText": "No code in these two, but lots of problem solving:\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_34_%28novel%29\nI recently read Rule 34 by HNer Charles Stross. I liked it a lot.\nThanks Charles.\nIf you want to go old school, Rendezvous With Rama is great.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rendezvous_with_Rama",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recently read Rule 34 by HNer Charles Stross. I liked it a lot.",
          "reason": "Says they liked the book a lot.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Stross"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybercrime",
        "technothriller",
        "algorithms",
        "augmented reality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "smalltalk-best-practice-patterns-96fac7",
      "title": "Smalltalk Best Practice Patterns",
      "author": "Kent Beck",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14843022,
          "author": "gnaritas",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-24T21:47:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14843022",
          "commentText": "Smalltalk Best Practice Patterns by Kent Beck.\nRefactoring by Martin Fowler. Design Patterns by the Gang of Four. Domain Driven Design by Eric Evans.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Smalltalk Best Practice Patterns by Kent Beck.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that shaped code structure.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14487511,
          "author": "mytec",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T13:42:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487511",
          "commentText": "Smalltalk Best Practices by Kent Beck. I feel the advice and experience this book provides goes well beyond Smalltalk.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I feel the advice and experience this book provides goes well beyond Smalltalk.",
          "reason": "Recommends it by saying its advice applies beyond Smalltalk.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The title is described as extending beyond Smalltalk despite its subject focus.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9758519,
          "author": "cfeduke",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T14:27:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758519",
          "commentText": "Any book written by Charles Petzold is an enjoyable read, though particularly the non-MS specific titles Code and The Annotated Turing.\nJava Concurrency in Practice (2006) is older but relevant and clearly describes concurrency on the JVM. A must read for any Java, Scala, Clojure, etc. software engineer; well-written, enjoyable, concise.\nPractical Object Oriented Design in Ruby by Sandi Metz is a fun read packed with good principles for working in Ruby that are applicable in general to object oriented programming.\nSmalltalk Best Practice Patterns by Kent Beck is worth a read because the general principles are applicable to any OOP language.\nClean Code by Robert Martin is excellent but a time commitment. (If you had to pick between SICP and Clean Code because time is at a premium I'd err on the side of Clean Code for practicality. Writing maintainable code is paramount.)\nThe Joy of Clojure (Fogus/Houser) is excellent and mentally digestable even if you have no Lisp or Clojure background.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Smalltalk Best Practice Patterns by Kent Beck is worth a read",
          "reason": "Says it is worth reading because its general principles apply to any OOP language.",
          "audience": "Readers using object-oriented languages.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9758114,
          "author": "sebastianconcpt",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T13:29:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758114",
          "commentText": "A remarkable classic\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Design-Patterns-Elements-Reusable-Obje... (http://www.amazon.com/Design-Patterns-Elements-Reusable-Object-Oriented/dp/0201633612)\nAnd Kent Beck's\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Smalltalk-Best-Practice-Patterns-Kent/... (http://www.amazon.com/Smalltalk-Best-Practice-Patterns-Kent/dp/013476904X)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "And Kent Beck's",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kent Beck"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "smalltalk",
        "software design",
        "object oriented design",
        "programming practices"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "software-design-for-flexibility-how-to-avoid-programming-yourself-28054f",
      "title": "Software Design for Flexibility: How to Avoid Programming Yourself Into a Corner",
      "author": "Chris Hanson and Gerald Jay Sussman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36803256,
          "author": "thatcherc",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T16:49:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36803256",
          "commentText": "I'm reading that right! It's cool. It's all Scheme, so get ready for that if you haven't seen it before.  It's really interesting stuff though, all about how to make really extensible systems. I'm not sure how much I'll use the tools it talks about day to do, but it is really neat to have a much deeper understanding of things I often take for granted like pattern matching (regex) and generic dispatch and games solvers can be implemented from directly scratch.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's really interesting stuff though, all about how to make really extensible systems.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds the book's ideas about extensible systems interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure how much they will use its tools day to day.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36803190,
          "author": "webnrrd2k",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-20T16:45:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 36802579,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is SICP/HtDP still worth reading in 2023? Any alternatives?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36803190",
          "commentText": "I haven't started it yet, but I have great expectations of ”Software Design for Flexibility: How to Avoid Programming Yourself into a Corner\" by Hanson & Sussman.\nHopefully someone else can provide a review?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I haven't started it yet, but I have great expectations of ”Software Design for Flexibility: How to Avoid Programming Yourself into a Corner\" by Hanson & Sussman.",
          "reason": "The commenter has high expectations but has not started reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not started it and asks someone else for a review.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28660429,
          "author": "allenleein",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T12:40:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28660429",
          "commentText": "1. SICP\n2. How to Design Programs\n3. Software Design for Flexibility: How to Avoid Programming Yourself Into a Corner",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Software Design for Flexibility: How to Avoid Programming Yourself Into a Corner",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the best programming books the commenter has read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26836813,
          "author": "sumnole",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-16T17:34:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 26833319,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book for software engineers (besides the well-known ones)?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26836813",
          "commentText": "Code Complete\nSoftware Design For Flexibility\nA Philosophy of Software Design",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Software Design For Flexibility",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Software engineers",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris Hanson",
        "Gerald Jay Sussman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software design",
        "extensible systems",
        "flexible systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "spin-d98b78",
      "title": "Spin",
      "author": "Robert Charles Wilson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17537852,
          "author": "rektide",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T00:15:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537852",
          "commentText": "Central Station by Lavie Tidhar is an amazing charming story of a world deeply steeped old sitting baking world where new things are coming about. It is charm & delight in the purest & simplest.\nSpin by Robert Charles Wilson. \"Robert Charles Wilson is a hell of a storyteller,\" said Stephen King and this wonderful tour through time and space, humanity & people's lives is incredible.\nThe Quantum Thief series by Hannu Rajaniemi is open, scenic, wild, & so so vivid, one of the most beautiful worlds I've ever visited, & it reminds me so much of a joyous wild swashbuckling run. The mystery of the main character is enchanting.\nInfoquake series by David Louis Edelson is a gripping suspenseful rise of a star entrepreneur that redefines and radically expands the world, amid an already boisterous & full & busy beautiful world already overflowing in seamless technology everywhere. Although the plot line whips along with some suspense & tension, the scenery and the voyage is incredible.\nLathe of Heaven by Ursala Le Guin could quite easily, quite simply be the best first contact story story ever. Touching, and sincere, & simple. This world is not bright and shiny but her writing and the bonding of characters is incredible. See also the rest of the Hainish cycle.\nLeft Hand of Darkness also by Ursala Le Guin is a shifting chaotic shizmatic tale, about picking our fates. \"Well, I did it through dreams. Phil would have done it another way. But yeah, homage to Phil [K.] Dick is right.\"\n- https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/a... (https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/all/)\nFallen Dragon is an early & involved Peter Hamilton adventure book. There's leaving home, & space ships, more space ships, bad guys, fighting back the bad guys, bigger ships, and action. There is A LOT going on, all the time, & violence, but damn this book comes together into something incredible, & telling, & powerful & strong, something that easily makes it my top pick for most-underappreciated Peter Hamilton.\nDiamond Age by Neal Stephenson, which I'm providing largely as a counterweight to the Snowcrash & Sevenses recommendations here. Diamond Age is much less dark, and way more a fun tail about an incredible & mysterious primer for a young lady.\nSirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut.\nAll Systems Red series by Martha Wells is a underprivileged barely coping robot dealing with the humans she hates having to talk to & a shitty planet trying to kill them. Simple, fun, some action & violence, but the main character is a total hoot the whole time with more loner/zero/drop-out attitude & spunk than anything I've read & it's unbelievably charming.\nLords of Light by Roger Zelazny has more style, pizzaz, & spirit than I feel like any of us deserve. An interesting, storied tale from the post-singularity, with a remarkable & robust cast.\nIllium/Olympos by Dan Simmons, are, in my mind still the clear winner, far above Hyperion. The cast is charming beyond belief, stumbling through a world they both know all too much about & far far too little. Some really incredible worldbuilding here.\nRainbow's End by Vernor Vinge. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE A Fire Upon the Deep. But Rainbow's End really is our planet, sometime not far out, and Vinge has the most tour of this next place we're headed, with threads, and annotations, and group chat being the defining new technologies of humanity. And the tale of the misfit happenstance adventurers who wind up ensnared in the plot line is a fun, roving hoot of a journey, a wonderful second chance at a coming of age story.\nMedusa Chronicles by two of my favorites, Alastair Reynolds & Stephen Baxter is probably my favorite exploring the solar system book, about a guy/robot a bit apart from humanity that really wants to see what the local area has to offer. A lot of high tension conflicting societal impulses that our somewhat aloof lead stumbles through, on his personal mission of exploration. Lots of interesting robot philosophy & very varied elements of space come together with the characters to make an incredibly fun space epic, set in a delightful & intriguing alternative history\nOther's recommendations I'd +1: Dune (but super heady material), The Stars My Destination (brimming with class & substance), Mote in God's Eye (some of the best Space Colonial Marines style stuff out there), Accelerando (and Iron Sky and ... overflowing playful scifi), Blue Ant series (dripping with style), Foundation series (and much more Asimov!), Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy (simple direct exciting hunt for treasure in Star Wars), Fuzzy Nation (fun tale)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this wonderful tour through time and space, humanity & people's lives is incredible.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a wonderful and incredible story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14861216,
          "author": "nicolas314",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T23:10:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14861216",
          "commentText": "Spin/Axis/Vortex by Robert Charles Wilson. The first one (Spin) has fantastic ideas, fast pace, and lovable characters. I found Axis fairly boring. Just started with Vortex.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The first one (Spin) has fantastic ideas, fast pace, and lovable characters.",
          "reason": "Praises its ideas, pace, and characters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6418333,
          "author": "bpizzi",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-20T15:30:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6418333",
          "commentText": "Well I'm definitely into sci-fi literature.\nThere's simply nothing else nowadays (being in my early thirties) which can caught my attention and limited free time.\nIt's hard to sum it up to a couple of favorites... \nIf you prefer hardcore sci-fi over the rest - as I do, those are definitely first choices:\n- Iain M. Banks Culture books (\"Excession\" being the best of all to me)\n- Simmon's \"Hyperion\" and \"Fall of Hyperion\"\nSome authors managed to bring some good pieces of space-opera without being too much cheesy:\n- Hamilton and his Void books,\n- and, of course, Herbert and the Dune stuff.\nBut I must warn the casual reader here: those kind of books can get really massive.\nSecond choices - but still really good books, would be stuff written by great guys like Asimov (\"Foundation\"), OS Card (\"Enders game\") or RC Wilson (\"Spin\").",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "RC Wilson (\"Spin\")",
          "reason": "Listed among second choices, but described as really good.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy science fiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter ranks these as second choices.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387960,
          "author": "veidr",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T02:51:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387960",
          "commentText": "The trilogy of Neuromancer, Burning Chrome, and Mona Lisa Overdrive is still my favorite work of fiction, and also, to my mind, exemplifies the kind of taut, awesome writing that I would want to do if I wrote novels. It the only series of 3 books I have read more than once.\nI caught these books at just the right time in my life (age 13 or 14), leading my high-school fascination with Japan and rekindled interest in computing, and probably played an inordinately large role in me ending up as a programmer who lives in Tokyo, two decades later.\nI like great sci fi best, but I think most of it is crap, including virtually all of the old pulp sci fi and Asimov I grew up reading (which was basically all of it), Star Wars/Trek, etc.\nOther than Gibson's stuff, some of the truly spectacular sci fi I have read is the very-dense-and-not-at-all-thriller-ish Mars trilogy (Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars), and the fast-paced-and-awesome Spin by Robert Charles Wilson. That led me to read all of Wilson's books, many of which are also good. Also Haldeman is an author worth reading, though not all of his books hit their mark.\nGreat sci fi is my favorite fiction, but IMO most of it is broken by being fundamentally implausible. Other fiction I consider great in other genres include Memoirs of a Geisha, Cold Mountain, REAMDE, The Son, The Road, the lighter but still version of that post-apocalyptic concept The Dog Stars, City of Thieves, and All the Pretty Horses and its sequels.\nIt's probably symptomatic of a major flaw in my character that despite also buying dozens of nonfiction works (Lincoln, On China, and so forth) over the past few years, I haven't finished any of them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the fast-paced-and-awesome Spin by Robert Charles Wilson",
          "reason": "Calls it fast-paced and awesome.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231141,
          "author": "Urgo",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T16:57:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231141",
          "commentText": "Currently on book two in the Spin series.  Just finished book one (Spin) which was great.\nAxis (Robert Charles Wilson)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "book two in the Spin series",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Charles Wilson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alien contact",
        "cosmic mystery",
        "cosmic phenomena",
        "cosmology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "start-small-stay-small-a-developer-s-guide-to-launching-a-startup-e345de",
      "title": "Start Small, Stay Small: A Developer's Guide to Launching a Startup",
      "author": "Rob Walling",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8717527,
          "author": "davidw",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T17:13:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8717527",
          "commentText": "I can't recommend that first book enough.  It's still the best thing I've read for bootstrappers.  Sooner or later, it'll date itself, as it's got lots of practical ideas and numbers and things that don't make for a \"timeless classic\".  But then again, you wanted to start a business rather than have a book to show off on your bookshelf, right?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I can't recommend that first book enough. It's still the best thing I've read for bootstrappers.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the best thing they've read for bootstrappers and strongly recommends it.",
          "audience": "People starting a business, especially bootstrappers.",
          "caveat": "The practical ideas and numbers may date over time.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4967773,
          "author": "smartial_arts",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T01:23:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967773",
          "commentText": "1. \"59 Seconds\"\nhttp://amzn.to/12DMx27\nA good no-nonsense self-help book. Outlines set of strategies for dealing with challenging situations in everyday life, touching on areas such as Parenting, Career, Dating. Author also looks into common misconceptions about how we function and which mental tricks are efficient and which are not so much.\n2. \"Start Small, Stay Small: - A Developer's Guide to Launching a Startup\"\nhttp://amzn.to/12DMzHt\nI actually have a blog post on it here - http://blog.nimblegecko.com/when-your-drugs-wear-off/ - in short it's a book for developers that focuses on how to start building an online product, with heavy emphasis on market, and marketing. It also addresses some of the common mistakes we, as developers, tend to make when conceiving and carrying out the execution of an idea.\n3. \"The Startup Owner's Manual: The Step-by-Step Guide for Building a Great Company \"\nebook - http://amzn.to/V3BxWq\ndead tree book - http://amzn.to/12DNfwd\nThis is classic, really. What was interesting for me in particular is the types of markets that a startup launches to - new market, resegmenting an existing market (low-end, high-end, specific features), clone market, and all of the limitations/dangers/expectations/growth profiles that choice of marketing strategy entails.\n4. \"Core Transformation: Reaching the wellspring within\"\nhttp://amzn.to/Vw5nAR\nNot that I've only read this book in 2012, but I keep returning to it - that's probably one of not too many truly life changing books for me. It contains very simple, yet very efficient reframing exercise (think NLP) that helps to uncover the true motivations behind behaviours that you don't like in yourself, and change those for good, yet in a completely unexpected and never predictable ways.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Start Small, Stay Small: - A Developer's Guide to Launching a Startup\"",
          "reason": "Focuses on building an online product, marketing, and common developer mistakes.",
          "audience": "Developers starting an online product.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1568428,
          "author": "PaulJoslin",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T18:02:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 1567456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I want to start a web company what books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1568428",
          "commentText": "While I'm at it. I'll tell you about some other's I have read.\n- Getting Real by 37 Signals http://gettingreal.37signals.com/\n- Rework by 37 Signals http://37signals.com/rework/\nThese are great and really get your mind thinking about alternatives to what most people believe.\n- Sarah Lacy's Once your lucky, twice you're good. http://www.amazon.com/Once-Youre-Lucky-Twice-Good/dp/1592403... (http://www.amazon.com/Once-Youre-Lucky-Twice-Good/dp/1592403824)\nThis isn't a technical book, but can really get you motivated to succeed reading the stories of previous successes! It also gives a bit of an insight into the internal workings of a start up in the early stages. It highlights networking as an important factor!\n- Start up success guide - http://www.amazon.com/Startup-Success-Guide-Books-Profession... (http://www.amazon.com/Startup-Success-Guide-Books-Professionals/dp/1430219858/)\nThis book was quite good, but felt a bit dated in comparison to Rob Walling's 'Start up book'.\nFinally 'Founders at work' is definitely worth a read. http://www.amazon.com/Founders-Work-Stories-Startups-Problem... (http://www.amazon.com/Founders-Work-Stories-Startups-Problem-Solution/dp/1430210788/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Start up book'",
          "reason": "Uses it as a favorable comparison for The Startup Success Guide.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1568384,
          "author": "PaulJoslin",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T17:53:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 1567456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I want to start a web company what books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1568384",
          "commentText": "In my opinion this is the best book out there I've read relevant to starting your own start up!\nhttp://www.startupbook.net/\nI've read quite a few and where some are in sightful / useful when scaled or when funded, this book is the best I've read for a typical software developer to have a successful start up business!\nIt is also written by a fellow HN'er Rob Walling - so you know it'll be full of great information! Check out his blog 'SoftwarebyRob' for a taster.\nhttp://www.softwarebyrob.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this is the best book out there I've read relevant to starting your own start up!",
          "reason": "Recommends it as the best book they have read for starting a startup.",
          "audience": "Typical software developers starting a startup.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1567796,
          "author": "BobbyH",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T15:03:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1567456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I want to start a web company what books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1567796",
          "commentText": "http://www.custdev.com/ - Learn how to do Customer Development, an essential component of the Lean Startup philosophy. Learn how to: Find prospects and how to approach them, Develop and iterate your \"Minimal Viable Products\" (MVPs), Segment markets, position products and when to pivot, Validate before scaling\"\nhttp://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/startup-lessons-learne... (http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/startup-lessons-learned-season-one-2008---2009/10286294) - \"Written by Eric Ries, one of BusinessWeek's Best Young Entrepreneurs of 2007, Startup Lessons Learned is a collection of 128 essays originally published at StartupLessonsLearned.com from 2008-2009. Each essay, or blog post, is unmodified and presented chronologically, rather then thematically, so that the reader can see ideas develop over time. Eric Ries provides actionable insight and advice on how to build successful products by listening to and learning from your customers. Startup Lessons Learned is a must-read for anyone trying to build a company in this new economy.\"\nhttp://www.startupbook.net/ - \"Start Small, Stay Small: A Developer's Guide to Launching a Startup\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Start Small, Stay Small: A Developer's Guide to Launching a Startup\"",
          "reason": "Lists the linked book in response to a request for books that helped.",
          "audience": "Developers launching a startup.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rob Walling"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "startup",
        "bootstrapping",
        "software entrepreneurship",
        "startups"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "startup-a-silicon-valley-adventure-a94e1d",
      "title": "Startup: A Silicon Valley Adventure",
      "author": "Jerry Kaplan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1973603,
          "author": "jayzee",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T02:44:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1973603",
          "commentText": "Startup: A Silicon Valley Adventure by Jerry Kaplan\nJerry started \"GO,\" the company that was the first to bring to market \"pen computing.\" His company raised over 75M and spent it all on a product that the market did not want. It is a great read. A time before the concept of \"product/market\" fit had entered main-stream vocabulary",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It is a great read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great read while describing GO's failed pen computing product and its funding.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 621401,
          "author": "neilc",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-22T01:03:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621401",
          "commentText": "\"The New New Thing\" by Michael Lewis is great: entertainingly written, and actually quite instructive about SV culture. \"Startup: A Silicon Valley Adventure\" by Jerry Kaplan was also very good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Startup: A Silicon Valley Adventure\" by Jerry Kaplan was also very good.",
          "reason": "Described as very good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 621388,
          "author": "rbitar",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-22T00:47:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621388",
          "commentText": "Startup: A Silicon Valley Adventure by Jerry Kaplan.  Recounts the true story of GO Corporation and the folks involved including John Doer and Bill Campbell.  Been awhile since I picked this up but I remember it was a fun read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Been awhile since I picked this up but I remember it was a fun read.",
          "reason": "Recalls it as a fun read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it has been a while since reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 602268,
          "author": "zandorg",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-10T17:14:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 601903,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fictional books related to startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=602268",
          "commentText": "Startup: A Silicon Valley Adventure: Jerry Kaplan (Jerry is such a nice guy that he answered my email).\nAnother one, though this guy did NOT reply to my email, is about a publishing (not coding) startup, Burn Rate.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Startup: A Silicon Valley Adventure: Jerry Kaplan (Jerry is such a nice guy that he answered my email).",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for startup-related fiction.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Silicon Valley startups.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jerry Kaplan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "silicon valley",
        "startup history",
        "pen computing",
        "startup fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "summa-technologiae-62ee97",
      "title": "Summa Technologiae",
      "author": "Stanisław Lem",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48988909,
          "author": "hash0",
          "createdAt": "2026-07-21T06:47:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 48981842,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favourite science history book of the 20th century?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48988909",
          "commentText": "Agreed, but with one caveat: That is the book detailling the history of future science!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "That is the book detailling the history of future science!",
          "reason": "Agrees with the previous comment about the book, with a caveat about its subject.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes the history of future science.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 48981861,
          "author": "bigyabai",
          "createdAt": "2026-07-20T17:22:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 48981842,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favourite science history book of the 20th century?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48981861",
          "commentText": "Summa Technologiae",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Summa Technologiae",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32937292,
          "author": "mvonballmo",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T11:10:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937292",
          "commentText": "Summa Technologiae (Electronic Mediations) by Stanisław Lem (1966)\nFrom my notes:\n\"This is a non-fiction work translated from the original Polish. It is not a light work: it encompasses Lem’s complex and intricate musings and theories on technology, nature, genetics, cosmology, philosophy, biology, information theory, ecology, virtual reality, artificial intelligence, cybernetics, robots, programming, identity (cloning), human nature and how these all relate to mankind’s possible future or lack thereof. He discusses the likely shape of galactic civilizations as well as the possible composition or origins of its components, where their intelligence comes from, where it would likely develop, where it wouldn’t, why science fiction is lazy and, above all, he keeps the discussion rigorously supported by data, even when he seems to be engaging in the most whimsical flights of fancy.\"\n\"It is not an easy read, but it is legitimately a work of staggering genius. You don’t have to agree with him on everything, but you can’t argue with his method, with his intellectual rigor and devotion to the scientific method to reduce the ineffability of who we are and where we’re headed.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Summa Technologiae (Electronic Mediations) by Stanisław Lem (1966)",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its rigorous, wide-ranging exploration of technology, nature, science, and humanity's possible futures.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as not an easy read; the commenter says readers need not agree with everything.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17582016,
          "author": "nepalez",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-21T14:06:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17582016",
          "commentText": "\"Blindsight\" by Peter Watts\n\"Solaris\" and \"Summa Technologiae\" by Stanislav Lem\n\"Dune\" by Frank Herbert\n\"The Diamond Age\" by Neal Stephenson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Summa Technologiae\" by Stanislav Lem",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for the best science fiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stanisław Lem"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "future studies",
        "futures",
        "history of science",
        "philosophy of technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "technics-and-civilization-436407",
      "title": "Technics and Civilization",
      "author": "Lewis Mumford",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48987023,
          "author": "NishanStepak",
          "createdAt": "2026-07-21T01:23:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 48981842,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favourite science history book of the 20th century?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48987023",
          "commentText": "Technics and Civilization by Lewis Mumford and Critical Path by R Buckminster Fuller",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Technics and Civilization by Lewis Mumford",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39057520,
          "author": "max_",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T16:45:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39057520",
          "commentText": "Lewis Mumford's Books;\n- Technics & Civilization\n- The Culture of Cities\n- The Story of Utopias\nLewis Mumford talks about technology, but from an anthropological pint of view.\nAnother book I would recommend is The Nature of Technology by Brian Arthur\nThe other I would recommend is James Burk's Connections he's has some books but I but the documentary is highly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Technics & Civilization",
          "reason": "Recommended as a book about technology from an anthropological point of view.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36602061,
          "author": "nathias",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:45:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36602061",
          "commentText": "It's more philosophical but Mumford's Technics and Civilization is really good,\nyou should at least read the part about the invention of the clock that serves as the prototype for the relation between man and important technology. I'm also writing a book on philosophy of technology, so if you are interested in that I can give you some more resources ...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mumford's Technics and Civilization is really good,\nyou should at least read the part about the invention of the clock",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the book, especially its section on the invention of the clock.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is more philosophical.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36582990,
          "author": "keiferski",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-04T06:35:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36582990",
          "commentText": "Lewis Mumford wrote some very interesting books about technology and society:\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technics_and_Civilization\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Myth_of_the_Machine",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technics_and_Civilization",
          "reason": "Described as one of Mumford's very interesting books about technology and society.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in technology and society.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lewis Mumford"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of technology",
        "technology and society",
        "anthropology",
        "civilization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "terra-ignota-d39435",
      "title": "Terra Ignota",
      "author": "Ada Palmer",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43619513,
          "author": "nbernard",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-08T08:30:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43619513",
          "commentText": "Another story involving many of these topics is told in Ada Palmer's Terra Ignota series. Very different (less space opera, more history) but quite interesting too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ada Palmer's Terra Ignota series.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as an interesting story involving the topics being discussed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as very different from space opera and more focused on history.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33382222,
          "author": "cercatrova",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T08:48:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382222",
          "commentText": "I finished the quadrilogy Terra Ignota, also known by its first book title, Too Like the Lightning. It is one of the most unique set of books I've read, taking place in the 2400s but referencing events 300 years in our past, so it is as if our current time is right in the middle of both ends. It is quite long and flowing in its writing, something that not everyone may like. It has a very high amount of allusion to other Western works, particularly ancient Greek works, so if you're not familiar with those, read them before reading these books.\nI am also reading Fire and Blood, which is on the opposite spectrum, much terser but somehow still enjoyable as its blunt style makes imagining the scenarios that play out in the story much easier than the flowery prose of Terra Ignota.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I finished the quadrilogy Terra Ignota, also known by its first book title, Too Like the Lightning.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes finishing the series and calls it one of their most unique reads.",
          "audience": "Readers comfortable with long, allusive prose and references to ancient Greek and other Western works.",
          "caveat": "Its flowing style may not appeal to everyone; the commenter suggests reading the referenced works first.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31968921,
          "author": "dmitriid",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T16:31:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31968921",
          "commentText": "> it's very much one book that happens to be like 4000 pages long rather than four separate books.\nIt's a good way to approach it. Because otherwise part two and so on feel \"more of the same\", and you may be a bit let down (like me) hoping there would be \"new schtick\" in the new books\n> The fandom is teensy tiny\nCount me squarely in that fandom.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Count me squarely in that fandom.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly joins the series’ fandom.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says later parts can feel like more of the same and may disappoint readers expecting a new angle.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31968837,
          "author": "vanveenada",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T16:22:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31968837",
          "commentText": "it's a quadrilogy, not a book, but I'd pick Ada Palmer's _Terra Ignota_ series without hesitation. I'm comfortable arguing for it fitting within the constraint of the question, largely because it is making one sustained argument that's carried out throughout the entire series -- it's very much one book that happens to be like 4000 pages long rather than four separate books.\nAnyway, Ada Palmer is a sci-fi writer whose day job is as a professor of Renaissance and Enlightenment-era European philosophy, and everything in this series (set in the 2500s in a world where the geographical nation state collapsed and world governments are now large voluntary organizations) is heavily informed by her training as a historian of philosophy.\nShe finished the series last year, and though each book has gotten nominated for the big awards, she's had the misfortune of publishing on more or less the same schedule as N.K. Jemisin, whose stuff typically wins the Hugo, Nebula, or both. The fandom is teensy tiny -- I've seen it described as \"six people and a shoelace\" -- but most people who read it get fanatically devoted to it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd pick Ada Palmer's _Terra Ignota_ series without hesitation.",
          "reason": "The series makes one sustained argument across its four books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ada Palmer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternate history",
        "philosophical science fiction",
        "political science fiction",
        "allusion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ancestor-s-tale-9a7d35",
      "title": "The Ancestor's Tale",
      "author": "Richard Dawkins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40281682,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T02:23:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40281682",
          "commentText": "> Out of curiosity, would you say your understanding changed or deepened upon re-reading it?\nIt's hard to do justice to that in a few words. I think I had a different reason for reading it the second time, as opposed to the first time.\nThe first time around, I think I was more reading it because I like to think of myself as an educated, scientific-minded person, and it was one of \"those books\" that any self-respecting \"educated, scientific-minded person\" was sort of \"supposed to\" have read. That and I was mentally already in a place somewhere in the nether regions between \"agnostic\" and \"atheist\" and I knew of Dawkins as a strong advocate for atheist thinking, and I guess I was looking for something that might convince me one way or the other. Or maybe that's just post-hoc rationalization on my part, but that's what I felt like I found. I felt much better about just calling myself an atheist after reading the book.\nAnyway... one thing I was struck by though, was his discussion of things like kin altruism and reciprocal altruism and some of the game theoretical stuff, including mentions of Robert Axelrod and his research. So the second time I read the book, I was really looking to focus more on those sections, and take notes and do some further research. And all of that was really driven by my interest in evolutionary computing / genetic algorithms / etc. and a thought that I might find something there that I could apply to those areas. I wound up buying Axelrod's book The Evolution of Cooperation, but I sadly have not quite gotten around to reading it yet.\n> And read the author's sequel books to it.\nI've also read The Blind Watchmaker twice, although that was sort of by accident. I forgot I'd already read it, and I was moderately deep into the second read before I realized I'd read it before. It was worth it though.\nI still have Climbing Mount Improbable, The God Delusion, The Ancestor's Tale, and a couple of other Dawkins books queued up to read as well.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Ancestor's Tale",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Queued to read; not yet evaluated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32792185,
          "author": "garren",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T16:39:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32792185",
          "commentText": "The Ancestor's Tale is an intimidatingly large book at first glance, but I found it well worth the read. I'd recommend it before The Selfish Gene just because, despite the size, to me the progression from chapter to chapter really kept my attention.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend it before The Selfish Gene just because, despite the size, to me the progression from chapter to chapter really kept my attention.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it before The Selfish Gene, while noting that its size may seem intimidating.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Intimidatingly large at first glance.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32792116,
          "author": "CSMastermind",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T16:33:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32792116",
          "commentText": "I would add that I think Dawkin's best work is The Ancestor's Tale.\nEven if you have no interest in biology that book is still worth a read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think Dawkin's best work is The Ancestor's Tale.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it Dawkins's best work and says it is worth reading even without an interest in biology.",
          "audience": "Readers, including those without an interest in biology.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10207747,
          "author": "mm-typer",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T10:27:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10207747",
          "commentText": "The Ancestor's Tale by Richard Dawkins... this book starts at human-bonobo-chimpanzee split and goes backward into a LOT of evolutionary history, including scientific discoveries and different branches of the evolutionary tree.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Ancestor's Tale by Richard Dawkins... this book starts at human-bonobo-chimpanzee split and goes backward into a LOT of evolutionary history, including scientific discoveries and different branches of the evolutionary tree.",
          "reason": "Traces evolutionary history backward from the human–bonobo–chimpanzee split and surveys discoveries and branches of the evolutionary tree.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5030163,
          "author": "australis",
          "createdAt": "2013-01-09T04:28:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 5000101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5030163",
          "commentText": "Guns, Germs and Steel\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Guns-Germs-Steel-Fates-Societies/dp/03... (http://www.amazon.com/Guns-Germs-Steel-Fates-Societies/dp/0393317552)\nLife of Pi\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Life-Pi-Yann-Martel/dp/0156027321\nBillions and Billions\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Billions-Thoughts-Death-Brink-Millenni... (http://www.amazon.com/Billions-Thoughts-Death-Brink-Millennium/dp/0345379187)\nThe Ancestor's Tale\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Ancestors-Tale-Pilgrimage-Dawn-Evoluti... (http://www.amazon.com/Ancestors-Tale-Pilgrimage-Dawn-Evolution/dp/061861916X)\nSorry for suggesting so many, I couldn't help myself",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Ancestor's Tale",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Dawkins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolution",
        "biology",
        "human ancestry",
        "phylogenetics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-apology-14a7af",
      "title": "The Apology",
      "author": "Plato",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46692926,
          "author": "DataDaoDe",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-20T15:38:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 46690957,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What non-fiction do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46692926",
          "commentText": "Plato's works surrounding Socrates' death: Phaedo, Crito, Euthyphro, The Apology.\nIts fascinating to discover how many thoughts and ideas they had which are still relevant in our societies today. Also, they are incredibly readable, its like taking part in on a conversation among friends.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Apology",
          "reason": "Listed among Plato's works about Socrates' death; the commenter says the ideas remain relevant and the works are readable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38557174,
          "author": "rightlane",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:08:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557174",
          "commentText": "The Apology by Plato. Short but insightful.\nDungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman. If you like LitRPG this series is just so good.\nPaul's \"Works of the Law\" in the Perspective of Second-Century Reception by Matthew J. Thomas. If you are a theology nerd this is just exceedingly interesting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Apology by Plato. Short but insightful.",
          "reason": "Called short but insightful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503416,
          "author": "kkshin",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T09:21:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503416",
          "commentText": "It really depends on what you're looking for, but Philosophy is a field where one philosopher's work is built on top of the other's going all the way back to the ancient Greek's.  Its important (I think anyways) to read the raw texts before you read philosophical commentary so that you have a chance to form your own opinions.  That being said, here's some recommendations of mine that cover a breadth of philosophical subjects and time periods.  Its always good to see someone else want to learn more philsophy, especially if its of their own volition.\nPlato.  Strangely enough, Plato is probably one of the best introductions to philosophy, not only because he was one of the first whose writings survive to modern time, but also because its relatively simple to read and understand.  Some of my personal favorite are 'The Apology', 'The Symposium', and 'The Phaedrus', and of course 'The Republic'.  The weird thing with Plato is you'll never know how much of his writings are his thinking as opposed to Socrates teaching.  I still reread Plato because the stories (most of his writing is in narrative form) are so damn entertaining.\nAristotle.  This is a natural progression from reading Plato.  The 'Nichomachean Ethics' is a cornerstone of ancient philosophy and is a relative simple read.\nJohn Locke/Gottfried Leibniz.  I'll admit, I struggled through 'An Essay of Human Understanding' but this title and Leibniz's rebuttal 'New Essays on Human Understanding' illustrate a historically important philosophical debate between empiricists and rationalists.  Since you're reading 'Common Sense' you might also want to give Locke's 'Second Treatise on Civil Government' a gander.\nImmaneul Kant.  Since you're reading Schopenhauer you should read Kant as he was heavily influenced by him.  You'll hear him referenced a lot if you continue to read philosophy so you should familiarize yourself with his thinking, especially on his thoughts in epistemology.\nBertrand Russell.  People have already recommended him and he's one of the most popular philosopher's of modern times, mostly because he's so easy to read and was somewhat of a cultural icon during his time.  I have a particular fondness for his work because when I had doubts about my faith, \"Why I Am not A Christian\" helped me find words to communicate my break with Catholocism.  His \"History of Western Philosophy\" is considered a cornerstone history of philosophy book (although it is somewhat dated now).  His writings are usually rather short and concise.\nJacques Derrida/Gilles Deleuze.  Now we're getting into some wacky shit.  To be fair, I shouldn't even be commenting on it because I have no idea what these guys are talking about half the time.  These are the philosophers that people read and pretend to understand because they want to sound smart.  You know the stereotypical \"philosophy\" students that you see in movies.  Maybe you'll find something of substance in their work although many philsopher's believe these guys are/were hacks and purposefully obfuscate their writing to hide the fact that there's no substance in it.\nOne of the best ways to read philosophy is to start with a philosopher who truly changed the game with their work (such as Kant) and work your way out reading the work of his supporters as well as the work of those that disagree with him.  This way you'll get a worldy view on 'important' philosophical issues while starting to formulate your own opinions on th ematter.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Apology'",
          "reason": "Named among the commenter’s personal favorites and described as entertaining.",
          "audience": "Readers starting with Plato or philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503302,
          "author": "tmsh",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T07:43:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503302",
          "commentText": "My favorites from college are: early dialogues of Plato (the most Socratic / least Platonic -- The Apology is a good start), Immanuel Kant's Critique of Pure Reason (on how deeply the very ideas about how we perceive things affect our understanding), and Aristotle's Nico. Ethics (the importance of habits, moderation, and the idea of the good).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Apology is a good start",
          "reason": "Suggested as an accessible starting point among Plato's early dialogues.",
          "audience": "Readers beginning with Plato or philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Plato"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient greek philosophy",
        "socratic dialogues",
        "socratic philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-belgariad-a014b6",
      "title": "The Belgariad",
      "author": "David Eddings",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50041263,
          "author": "cpach",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T09:21:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50041263",
          "commentText": "As a small child I liked Janosch’s books about the tiger and the bear. For example Ich mach dich gesund, sagte der Bär (I’ll Make You Well, Tiger, Said the Bear).\nWhen I got a bit older I really enjoyed the Narnia books by CS Lewis. And The Belgariad by David Eddings.\nI read a lot, but many titles are probably not available in English.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "And The Belgariad by David Eddings.",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter enjoyed as they got older.",
          "audience": "Children who are a bit older",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41770168,
          "author": "CuriousSkeptic",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T19:46:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41770168",
          "commentText": "> I reread them, regularly, and go through all ten books,\nThat’s the best part! Coming back to the simple life on Faldors farm again.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "That’s the best part! Coming back to the simple life on Faldors farm again.",
          "reason": "Responds positively to a comment about rereading the series and returning to Faldor’s farm.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41768759,
          "author": "ChrisMarshallNY",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T17:46:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41768759",
          "commentText": "These threads often end up, with everyone trying to prove they are literary scholars.\nI prefer junky fantasy books. I'm really too old and cynical to give a damn what y'all think of me.\nI probably liked David Edding's Belgariad series, along with the Mallorean series, the most. I reread them, regularly, and go through all ten books, in a couple of weeks. They are an easy read.\nAlso, Glen Cook's Black Company books are awesome. It's a toss-up, between them. Eleven books, in that series. His Garret PI series are fun, but really kind of \"filler.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I probably liked David Edding's Belgariad series, along with the Mallorean series, the most.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they liked and regularly reread the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They describe the books as easy reads.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20982298,
          "author": "deadmanwalking",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T09:17:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20982298",
          "commentText": "David Eddings The Belgariad series ( 5 books) and then the Mallorean series (5 more books) which follows on from the Belgariad. An amazing piece of fantasy writing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An amazing piece of fantasy writing.",
          "reason": "Calls the series an amazing piece of fantasy writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Eddings"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "quest fantasy",
        "classic fantasy",
        "quest"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-bogleheads-guide-to-investing-b49b28",
      "title": "The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing",
      "author": "Taylor Larimore, Mel Lindauer, and Michael LeBoeuf",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40284561,
          "author": "JackMorgan",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T12:14:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40284561",
          "commentText": "Wow, this is interesting, very few books I've read more than once! Even fewer are non fiction, but they sure do explain a lot about me:\n- Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving by Pete Walker helped me process a number of assaults that happened to me as a child\n- Designing Data Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann helped me understand intuitively how databases work and how to use eventual consistency to handle workloads\n- The Highly Sensitive Person: How To Thrive when the World Overwhelms You by Elaine Aron this helped me process my and my families neurodivergence.\n- Structure And Interpretation of Computer Programs by Ableson and Sussman. Great book, it's how I learned to love Lisp. I felt like I grew 10x in skill from completing all the homework.\n- Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training by Mark Rippetoe. This is the book that got me into powerlifting  as a regular part of my fitness. I used this to heal my back, neck, and wrist pain. Changed my life.\n- Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter by James Gurney. The GOAT of plein air painting himself teaches so much about how light works on complex forms. I've dog-eared this book.\n- Reinventing Organizations by Frederic Laloux. A great look into how to build and run a self organizing team. Very insightful for when I was leading several teams and needed inspiration for something other than the typical chain of command.\n- The Classroom Management Book by Harry Wong. This book taught me so much about how humans work. I still apply lessons from this book 20 years later.\n- Real World Haskell by O'Sullivan, Goerzen, Stewart. This taught me a lot about Haskell, and got me into all the neat effects needed to make a function pure but still handle IO/async, etc.\n- Peopleware by DeMarco, Lister. My go to book for people management and a philosophy of project management\n- Science of Trust: Emotional Attunement for Couples by Gottman. I love this book for teaching me how to be a better spouse and friend.\n- The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing by Larimore, Lindauer. A great guide to building a permanent portfolio that will return consistent gains with the market. Simple in hindsight, thanks to this book. Best book on investing I've ever read.\n- How to Take Smart Notes by Ahrens. Introduces the zettlekasten system for thinking and creativity. Very inspiring, got me to start a personal file that I keep going to this day, five years later.\n- Twenty Small Sailboats to Take you Anywhere by Vigor. I read this book over and over, dreaming of buying a small boat and sailing around the world. Maybe this year...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing by Larimore, Lindauer. A great guide to building a permanent portfolio",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great guide and their best book on investing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8716603,
          "author": "rcconf",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T14:40:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8716603",
          "commentText": "The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing.\nLearning about the financial system really changed my perspective on how to deal with money in the long term. It has had immediate effects on my life.\nI learned about taxation in detail, opened an account on a discount brokerage, changed saving patterns, and have made a portfolio for the next 10 years.\nI have a spreadsheet of how much I can spend and componentize my bank cards. One is for bills, another for spending, and the rest are investing accounts. When I get a paycheque, I put how much I need for bills directly into the bill account, the allocated amount for investing in investment accounts, and the rest in my spending account. I know exactly how much I can spend at restaurants and I don't need to do any mental math.\nI really feel like learning this at age 22 was life changing and I will be thanking my self in the future.\n\"Invest early and often\" - Jack Bogle",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing.\nLearning about the financial system really changed my perspective on how to deal with money in the long term.",
          "reason": "The commenter says learning from it changed their perspective and had immediate effects on their life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 248600,
          "author": "eposts",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T15:59:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248600",
          "commentText": "Here is a good list:\nhttp://www.bogleheads.org/readbooks.htm\nGeneral Investing\n# The Four Pillars of Investing - by William (\"Bill\") Bernstein.\n# Wise Investing Made Simple or The Only Guide to a Winning Investment Strategy You'll Ever Need - by Larry Swedroe\n# The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing - by Taylor Larimore, Mel Lindauer, and Michael LeBoeuf\n# All About Asset Allocation - by Rick Ferri\n# The Informed Investor - by Frank Armstrong\n# The Little Book of Common Sense Investing - by John \"Jack\" Bogle\n# The Coffeehouse Investor - by Bill Schultheis.\nInvestor Behavior\n# Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes And How To Correct Them - by Gary Belsky and Thomas Gilovich\n# Your Money and Your Brain: How the New Science of Neuroeconomics Can Help Make You Rich - by Jason Zweig\n# Rational Investing in Irrational Times: How to Avoid the Costly Mistakes Even Smart People Make Today - by Larry Swedroe\nFinancial History\n# Against the Gods and Capital Ideas - by Peter L. Bernstein\n# Devil Take the Hindmost: A History of Financial Speculation - by Edward Chancellor\n# A Random Walk Down Wall Street - by Burton Malkiel\nLike others here have mentioned, http://www.bogleheads.org/ is a great forum for Vanguard investors.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing - by Taylor Larimore, Mel Lindauer, and Michael LeBoeuf",
          "reason": "Listed as a general investing book in response to a request for learning resources.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking general investing resources.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 248538,
          "author": "syalam",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T15:05:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248538",
          "commentText": "bogleheads guide to investing",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "bogleheads guide to investing",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for investing books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Taylor Larimore",
        "Mel Lindauer",
        "Michael LeBoeuf"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "index investing",
        "personal finance",
        "investing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-clean-coder-6f2a07",
      "title": "The Clean Coder",
      "author": "Robert C. Martin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40048824,
          "author": "skydhash",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-16T06:05:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40048824",
          "commentText": "Depends on the audience. Generally, it's always \"Getting Things Done\" and \"So Good They Can't Ignore You\". For fellow programmers it's \"Clean Coder\" and \"The Pragmatic Programmer\". And I always wish my managers and tech leads read \"The Mythical Man-Month\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For fellow programmers it's \"Clean Coder\"",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a gift for fellow programmers.",
          "audience": "Fellow programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33857898,
          "author": "charles_f",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T21:07:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33857898",
          "commentText": "To the point of the question I would much more recommend \"Clean Coder\" by uncle bob, which mostly deals about the professional ethics of software development",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "much more recommend \"Clean Coder\" by uncle bob",
          "reason": "Recommended for its discussion of professional ethics in software development.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33856481,
          "author": "summertime42",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T18:55:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33856481",
          "commentText": "I have all of these on my shelf. Fantastic reads.\n* Extreme Programming Explained by Kent Beck\n* Clean Code and The Clean Coder by Robert C. Martin\n* Soft Skills by John Sonmez (1st edition)\n* Pragmatic Programmer by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas\n* Working Effectively with Legacy Code by Michael Feathers\n* The Mythical Man-Month by Frederick Brooks\n(Selfish plug) Additionally, I wrote my own book concerning the entire industry, from just starting out to becoming a self employed consultant when you get sick of fulltime work - all soft skills from my decade or so of the industry, as well - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B43V1JJW",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Clean Code and The Clean Coder by Robert C. Martin",
          "reason": "Includes it among books they describe as fantastic reads.",
          "audience": "Software engineers interested in professional practice.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16757707,
          "author": "vollmond",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T18:50:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16757707",
          "commentText": "After Clean Code, also check out The Clean Coder. Less technical, more career/project focused.\nThere's also Clean Architecture, but I haven't read that one yet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "also check out The Clean Coder. Less technical, more career/project focused.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as less technical and focused on career and projects.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in career and project aspects of software work.",
          "caveat": "Less technical, more career/project focused.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12142387,
          "author": "rkho",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T08:33:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12142387",
          "commentText": "I'm pretty early in my career. There's just one book on my list now (and that's simply because I haven't made time to read others): The Clean Coder, by Robert Martin",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "The Clean Coder, by Robert Martin",
          "reason": "Named as the only book currently on the commenter’s list in response to a career book prompt.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have not made time to read other books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert C. Martin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "professional development",
        "professional practice",
        "software craftsmanship",
        "software careers"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-crying-of-lot-49-b1c599",
      "title": "The Crying of Lot 49",
      "author": "Thomas Pynchon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34165852,
          "author": "jsenn",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T20:57:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34165852",
          "commentText": "If you haven't read Ted Chiang's short stories yet, do so. His first collection (Stories of Your Life and Others) was my favourite, but his more recent one (Exhalation) was also very good (the title story, Exhalation, is gorgeous). Stories of your Life is what the movie Arrival was based on and (as ever) the story was better than the movie.\nAs far as sci-fi novels, I have pretty generic tastes for this crowd: Dune, The Dispossessed, The Martian. The Crying of Lot 49 is one of my favourite books. Not exactly sci-fi but close.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Crying of Lot 49 is one of my favourite books.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of their favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not exactly science fiction, but close.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9708974,
          "author": "teenie",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-12T22:32:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9708974",
          "commentText": "TIE!!! \n\"The Crying of Lot 49\" by Pynchon // \"The Demolished Man\" by Bester // \"Ubik\" by Dick\n!!!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Crying of Lot 49\" by Pynchon",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387499,
          "author": "WesternStar",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T23:31:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387499",
          "commentText": "This is quite possibly the best book I have ever read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is quite possibly the best book I have ever read.",
          "reason": "Calls it possibly the best book they have ever read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387447,
          "author": "rch",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T23:14:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387447",
          "commentText": "The Crying of Lot 49 -- Thomas Pynchon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Crying of Lot 49 -- Thomas Pynchon",
          "reason": "Offered as a literature choice in response to the discussion question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Pynchon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "postmodern fiction",
        "american literature",
        "literary fiction",
        "mystery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dosadi-experiment-d8dbc2",
      "title": "The Dosadi Experiment",
      "author": "Frank Herbert",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43688561,
          "author": "PaulHoule",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-15T02:51:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 43685856,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What 3 Books Would You Recommend to Anyone?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43688561",
          "commentText": "I love Dosadi and all the Busab books,  anything by Herbert that isn't Dune,  the trashier the better.\n\"A Pattern Language\" had very little impact on architecture but a huge impact on software design.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I love Dosadi and all the Busab books,",
          "reason": "The commenter says they love Dosadi.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43687519,
          "author": "more_corn",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-14T23:47:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 43685856,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What 3 Books Would You Recommend to Anyone?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43687519",
          "commentText": "“Sapiens” read it twice, wish I could go back in time and give it to 18yr old me.\n“The Dosadi Experiment”, probably 5 life-changing concepts just tossed in for flavor.\n“A Pattern Language” on how spaces inform life and life informs spaces.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“The Dosadi Experiment”, probably 5 life-changing concepts just tossed in for flavor.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls its concepts life-changing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The concepts are described as being tossed in for flavor.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39729464,
          "author": "bookofjoe",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T21:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729464",
          "commentText": "\"A Canticle For Leibowitz\"\n\"The Sparrow\"\n\"Lord of Light\"\n\"The Immortal\"\n\"Hyperion\"\n\"The Last Question\"\n\"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?\"\n\"Stranger in a Strange Land\"\n\"The City and the Stars\"\n\"Childhood's End\"\n\"Anathem\"\n\"Eifelheim\"\n\"A Case of Conscience\"\n\"VALIS\" trilogy\n\"The Book of Strange New Things\"\n\"Behold The Man\"\n\"The God Engines\"\n\"Book of the New Sun\"\n\"The Parable of the Sower\"\n\"The Dosadi Experiment\"\n\"Grass\"\n\"Project Pope\"\n\"Calculating God\"\n\"Factoring Humanity\"\n\"Jesus on Mars\"\n\"Surface Detail",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Dosadi Experiment\"",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about books that changed perspectives on religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140492,
          "author": "nazgulnarsil",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T03:02:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140492",
          "commentText": "Dune is fantasy >_>\nGod Emperor of Dune was my favorite even though it was the most preachy.  I thought the original Dune was a bit preachy being so strongly allegorical and all.\nI prefer Herbert's other novels like Whipping Star/The Dosadi Experiment",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I prefer Herbert's other novels like Whipping Star/The Dosadi Experiment",
          "reason": "Says they prefer Herbert's other novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frank Herbert"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "science fiction novel",
        "alien society",
        "political intrigue",
        "political science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-emperor-s-new-mind-a143cd",
      "title": "The Emperor's New Mind",
      "author": "Roger Penrose",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15160659,
          "author": "pbhjpbhj",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T10:16:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15160659",
          "commentText": "The synoptic gospels and NT, but to choose one book from the NT, ...\nThe Epistle of James - as it has some strong counterpoints to other parts of the NT particularly the contrast of Pauline notions of grace with charity/works.\nEmperor's New Mind, Penrose - probably my biggest take away from it was to consider how human perception works alongside, and co-mingles with, physics.\nWeb of Life, Capra - considering holistic nature of life, one's connection to the World at large; emergent patterns, complex structure birthing from simplicity (goes well with what I recall of Gleick's Chaos).\nZen and the Art ... - what is value, what is valuable to me, whither/whence/wherefore value; how should I relate to my children (long before i had any) and how to challenge them philosophically.\nRepublic, Plato - the first book that really set me thinking about the structure of society, about inequalities. And of course about stepping out of The Cave.\nKoran & Hadith (partial readings, ie whole sections; couple of major hadith only) - [redacted]; but greater understanding of Islam and of religion in general; taught me to watchfully avoid being tainted by the labels people give themselves and look instead to their actions.\nMein Kampf (partial reading) - ideas have intrinsic moral value, that we should judge ideas on their merits and not by who has them; we should be careful about tarring people by simple association.\nArt of War - preparedness, looking to supply lines, avoiding conflicts, not entering \"battles\" you know you'll lose (which I'd take as 'learn nothing from').\nChristianarchy - what it means to be a Christian, who is and isn't \"in\".\nAgrarian Justice, Paine - what is my place politically and economically in the world, whence do I derive the 'rights' to own what I do, whether such ownership is good.\nWorth noting here that the ideas and impressions I got are unlikely to be what you will get, we react to books based on who we are, our frame of mind, moods, etc.. Most of these books I read as a late teenager, that at least in part boosts their impact. The impact is not necessarily the purpose of the book, quite the opposite in some cases.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Emperor's New Mind, Penrose - probably my biggest take away from it",
          "reason": "Named as a major influence on the commenter's thinking about perception and physics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15159040,
          "author": "RockyMcNuts",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T00:36:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15159040",
          "commentText": "Well Pirsig's Zen and the other ones related to eastern religions and science, are around the idea that there is no locus of reality or meaning, the reality is how everything interrelates. It's kind of like word2vec, the context of other words and real-world situations in which each word is used tells you everything about what it means. Take away a particle's charge and mass and the other numbers we associate with it, and is it still a particle? Those numbers describe how it interacts and all we can really say about it is how it interacts. Plato was off the mark when he talked about the ideal form of different objects. There is no ideal form of a chair, except that chairness is an abstract idea about how things (asses and furniture) interact.\nThen I think that Grammatical Man and Penrose are around the nature of information, and what can be communicated and understood. And I sort of think that question is at the top of the tree of abstraction about what we think about. Then comes computer science and math which are about any symbolic systems or formal systems that can be computed and reasoned about. Then most everything else is applying those systems to various problems.\nThen I think The Naked Ape and Hayek and Flow are around the notion that humans are their own thing. They are tribal and hierarchical and territorial and violent and not nearly as self-aware or even aware of our surroundings as we think we are. You get a lot more mileage out of just observing what they do than about listening to the rationalizations of why they say did it, things like God and blood and soil, i.e. superstitions and us-and-them-ing arbitrary physical features of a pack of mongrels and arbitrary lines on maps. Invitation to Sociology by Berger was another big one on those lines.\nAnd the Heilbroner and Durant are basically inventories of major mental models that people have come up with in philosophy and economics.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Penrose",
          "reason": "Places it among books about the nature of information and communication.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156316,
          "author": "RockyMcNuts",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:05:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156316",
          "commentText": "The Emperor's New Mind, by Roger Penrose\nThe Tao of Physics, by Fritjof Capra\nDancing Wu Li Masters, by Gary Zukav\nThe Naked Ape, by Desmond Morris\nThe Road to Serfdom, by Friedrich Hayek\nThe Worldly Philosophers, by Robert Heilbroner\nThe Story of Philosophy, by Will Durant\nGrammatical Man, by Jeremy Campbell\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert M. Pirsig\nFlow, by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Emperor's New Mind, by Roger Penrose",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which books had the biggest impact on mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5420239,
          "author": "milkcircle",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-21T23:49:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 5401749,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What interesting books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5420239",
          "commentText": "The Emperor's New Mind by Sir Roger Penrose. It's a very accessible and highly fascinating discussion about whether machines will ever be able to emulate the human mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a very accessible and highly fascinating discussion about whether machines will ever be able to emulate the human mind.",
          "reason": "Described as accessible and fascinating, and explores whether machines can emulate the human mind.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2148879,
          "author": "mycroftiv",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T18:26:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2148879",
          "commentText": "\"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" by Douglas Hofstadter. It taught me a lot about thinking about not just patterns, but metapatterns and metametapatterns.\n\"The Emperor's New Mind\" by Roger Penrose. A truly brilliant and eminent mathematician/physicist boldly stepping up to grapple with the profound challenge of understanding how math, mind, and physics intertwine. Penrose's commentary on the role of entropy in cosmology transformed how I understand reality.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A truly brilliant and eminent mathematician/physicist boldly stepping up to grapple with the profound challenge of understanding how math, mind, and physics intertwine.",
          "reason": "Praises Penrose's treatment of the relationship between mathematics, mind, and physics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roger Penrose"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Philosophy",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consciousness",
        "physics",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "computation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-end-of-eternity-1c2c7e",
      "title": "The End of Eternity",
      "author": "Isaac Asimov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45652199,
          "author": "blb2",
          "createdAt": "2025-10-21T03:35:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 45651938,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45652199",
          "commentText": "I've had End of Eternity on my mind for a lot time but kept forgetting about it. Thank you for the reminder. I just put in an order for it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I just put in an order for it.",
          "reason": "The commenter's interest was renewed by the book mention, and they ordered it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 45652071,
          "author": "bix6",
          "createdAt": "2025-10-21T03:17:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 45651938,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45652071",
          "commentText": "Recently finished childhood’s end and the end of eternity, enjoyed both. Just started the big time… it’s odd so far lol we’ll see.\nEdit: also reading empire of AI. It’s insightful but not as fun of a read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the end of eternity, enjoyed both",
          "reason": "Says they finished it recently and enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33850149,
          "author": "JamesBrooks",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T03:05:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33850149",
          "commentText": "Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir (top recommendation of the year)\nSanderson's Skyward Flight series (a few things came out this year, it's young-adult but thoughtfully enjoyable and easy to consume).\nI read a few Asimov's this year I hadn't gotten around to, but the two that really stood out were 'The Gods Themselve's and 'The End of Eternity'.\n(I primarily read to sci-fi/fantasy)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The End of Eternity'",
          "reason": "Says this was one of the two Asimov books that stood out.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536654,
          "author": "dochtman",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:35:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536654",
          "commentText": "Isaac Asimov is one of the classics, of course. I'm particularly fond of the robot novels (all four of the Elijah Baley ones especially) and the entire Foundation series. Of course, you also can't miss the robot short stories. Oh, and The End of Eternity!\nAt some point I found Charles Stross' Accelerando, which is freely available online (along with a bunch of other short stories), and found everything I've read (which is most of it at this point, I think) enjoyably fast-paced. In particular the Laundry series (of which I've bought every iteration as soon as they came out over the past few years) -- though arguably these maybe cross-over from SF into fantasy a bit -- and the Halting State trilogy.\nIn terms of online available work, Cory Doctorow's work is also great. Like Stross, most of his work is more near-term SF, which I have liked, and a bunch of it is available online under a Creative Commons license. It often moves fast and is also politically interesting; sometimes the activism shines through a little blatantly, but the themes are always make me thing in various ways I appreciate (but maybe will fail your lighthearted criterion even if it is fun). His latest is Walkaway, which I would recommend.\nI got into Neal Stephenson through Cryptonomicon, which is one of the greats. Stephenson has a pretty rambly, wordy style, but at least that also makes his stories last a bit longer. After that, I mostly moved on to Anathem, Reamde and Seveneves all of which are big and interesting and great reads (it took me longer than usual to get up to speed on Anathem, but it was very much worth it in the end). I tried one of the more historic ones (I think it was Quicksilver) at some point but haven't finished it. The 2017 Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. was a bit lighter, but lots of fun, too.\nWilliam Gibson has already been mentioned, which I would also recommend. I read the Sprawl trilogy a very long time ago, and it's made a lasting expression. I've started rereading it recently. I also liked the Blue Ant trilogy and The Peripheral, but have so far missed the more recent work.\nMore in the one-off category: The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell is one of my all-time favorites, and mixes deep SF with psychology and religion in interesting ways. There's a sequel, but it's not as good. I also liked The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, which is also on the softer side. I read Scalzi's Redshirts and liked it (especially if you're familiar with the Star Trek universe), it feels similar to Ready Player One in some ways. Daniel Suarez's (or Leinad Zeraus as he originally published them) Daemon is fun and easy to digest, along with its sequel Freedom. I liked Robert J. Sawyer's The Terminal Experiment, but one person I recommended it too wasn't impressed -- I still think it's fun, if not very deep. I also bought his Factoring Humanity and liked it okay.\nHope that helps. Always interested in more recommendations based on this list!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Oh, and The End of Eternity!",
          "reason": "Recommends it in a list of favored science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isaac Asimov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "time travel",
        "time manipulation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-fabric-of-the-cosmos-04b3b2",
      "title": "The Fabric of the Cosmos",
      "author": "Brian Greene",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13806212,
          "author": "RachelF",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T21:26:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13806212",
          "commentText": "A brilliant overview. I wish he'd update it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A brilliant overview. I wish he'd update it.",
          "reason": "Described as a brilliant overview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter wishes it were updated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13804153,
          "author": "Insomn3ak",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:17:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804153",
          "commentText": "The Fabric of the Cosmos by Brian Greene",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Fabric of the Cosmos by Brian Greene",
          "reason": "Named in response to a question about books that changed how people think.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10211533,
          "author": "vimalvnair",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-13T14:38:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 10211331,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10211533",
          "commentText": "\"The Fabric Of Cosmos\" by Brian Greene",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"The Fabric Of Cosmos\" by Brian Greene",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56709,
          "author": "ericb",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T04:32:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56709",
          "commentText": "How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.  It is arguably the most useful book I've ever read, albeit with the most embarassing title.\nAs inklesspen mentioned, Elements of Style is a must.\nCode Complete and the Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks.  Timeless coding wisdom.\nFor a laugh, Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, or Hitchhiker's Guide.  \nBody Language, Julius Fast. Kitschy but fascinating insights into body language.\nFabric of the Cosmos, Brian Greene.  Brian is a fluke of nature--a physicist who can explain things realy well!\nAnything by Phillip K. Dick.  Sci-fi stories that make you think.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brian is a fluke of nature--a physicist who can explain things realy well!",
          "reason": "Praises the author's ability to explain physics clearly.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in physics and cosmology.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Greene"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cosmology",
        "theoretical physics",
        "physics",
        "space and time"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-gay-science-269ff7",
      "title": "The Gay Science",
      "author": "Friedrich Nietzsche",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30763266,
          "author": "leobg",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-22T06:33:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30763266",
          "commentText": "+1 for The Gay Science.\nAnd I would add Thus Spoke Zarathustra.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for The Gay Science.",
          "reason": "The commenter adds it to a list of books they endorse.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971344,
          "author": "Locke1689",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T09:59:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971344",
          "commentText": "I agree completely with The Gay Science, although I may have wished for an accompaniment. But really, Atlas Shrugged? Nietzsche and Ayn Rand just aren't even playing the same game.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I agree completely with The Gay Science, although I may have wished for an accompaniment.",
          "reason": "Agrees with the previous choice, while wishing it had an accompaniment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it may need an accompaniment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971330,
          "author": "jiganti",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T09:47:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971330",
          "commentText": "The Gay Science - Nietzsche - Age 16\nI and Thou - Martin Buber - Age 18\nAtlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand - Age 17",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Gay Science - Nietzsche - Age 16",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86223,
          "author": "icky",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:37:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86223",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- The Time Machine (still holds up very well, and seems strangely eerie and prescient in places)... (H. G. Wells)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Hobbit (and LotR) (Tolkien)\n- Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n- Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties (I picked up Idoru first, so I haven't yet read Virtual Light) (also Gibson)\n- The Difference Engine (Gibson, Sterling)\n- Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n- Cryptonomicon (\" \")\n- Circuit of Heaven, End of Days (Dennis Danvers)\n- All of the \"Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser\" stories and novels. (Fritz Leiber)\n- The Earthsea trilogy (Ursula K. LeGuin)\n- 'salem's Lot (Stephen King)\n- Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein)\n- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)\n- the Coldfire trilogy (C. S. Friedman)\n- various Cory Doctorow short stories\n- Kamikaze L'Amour (Richard Kadrey)\n- Lightpaths (Howard V. Hendrix)\n- A Canticle For Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)\n- Moonwar, Venus (Ben Bova)\n- the Stainless Steel Rat series (Harry Harrison)\n- Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)\n- Ringworld (Larry Niven)\n- Cthon (Piers Anthony) -- Trippiness level approaching Philip Jose Farmer ;-)\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (Douglas Adams)\n- The Black Company (Glen Cook)\n- there's one particularly good post-cyberpunk series that takes place in a world in which Canada emerged as a major world power, but for the life of me I can't rememeber the title.\n- the 1632 series (Eric Flint)... see also S. M. Stirling's Nantucket series (\"Island in the Sea of Time\", et al.), and H. Beam Piper's novel Kalvan of Otherwhen\nNon-fiction:\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (Hume)\n- the surviving words and works of Epicurus, and Diogenes the Cynic\n- Freakonomics (Levitt, Dubner)\n- The Gay Science (Nietzsche)\n- The Jefferson Bible (Christ, Jefferson (ed.))\n- The Devil's Dictionary (Bierce)\n- Brain Droppings (George Carlin)\n- anything by P. J. O'Rourke\n- anything by Dave Barry",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Gay Science (Nietzsche)",
          "reason": "Listed under nonfiction in response to the thread’s question about favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Friedrich Nietzsche"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aphorisms",
        "existentialism",
        "german philosophy",
        "nietzsche"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-graveyard-book-927aa5",
      "title": "The Graveyard Book",
      "author": "Neil Gaiman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15963577,
          "author": "wink",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T19:52:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15963577",
          "commentText": "1. Off to Be the Wizard (Scott Meyer) - Very good.\n2. Ready Player One (Ernest Cline) - I liked it although it's kinda ridiculous and one-sided.\n3. The Bloodline Feud (Charles Stross) - Actually part 1&2 of a series. Really need to continue, very good. I'd say this was not \"oh I know what will happen next\" which is kinda rare.\n4. The Graveyard Book (Neil Gaiman) - It's ok, but not as good as I had hoped.\n5. Coraline (Neil Gaiman) - It's a children's book, and very short, but I liked it a lot.\n6. Accelerated C++ (Koening/Moo) - Not finished, I was under the impression it's \"C++ for programmers well-versed in other languages\" and for that it's a bit slow-starting, but not bad I guess\nI really need to read more. :|",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's ok, but not as good as I had hoped.",
          "reason": "Gives a lukewarm assessment and says it fell short of expectations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not as good as hoped.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12250389,
          "author": "captn3m0",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T19:47:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12250389",
          "commentText": "I recently read the graphic novel version of Graveyard Book. Would highly recommend that as well, it is quite well done.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recently read the graphic novel version of Graveyard Book. Would highly recommend that as well, it is quite well done.",
          "reason": "The commenter highly recommends the well-done graphic novel adaptation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The recommendation is specifically for the graphic novel version.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12247192,
          "author": "RegW",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T12:34:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12247192",
          "commentText": "I gave this to one son when he was about 18, along with a pretty much complete set of Discworld: http://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/discworld-reading-order/.  These were collected over many years, so a bit of a wrench.  The best of which might be: \"Wyrd Sisters\" (Shakespeare), or \"The Truth\" (Newspapers).  He can make fun of pretty much anything, while still showing it great affection.\nNeil Gaiman's \"The Graveyard Book\" is a great book for reading to younger kids. Weird, creepy, but strangely uplifting, even if it does begin with a triple murder.  I can't remember which kid took that.\nI bought Robert Silverberg's \"Nightwings\" in the 80s and read it several times.  I was going to give away but couldn't find it, so I had to buy a new copy and read it again first.  This seems to anticipate a lot that followed, from genetic modification to drastic climate change, but it is essentially about a character trying to cope in a mad world.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The Graveyard Book\" is a great book for reading to younger kids.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it great for reading aloud to younger children.",
          "audience": "Younger children, read to by an adult.",
          "caveat": "Weird and creepy, though strangely uplifting; begins with a triple murder.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395448,
          "author": "dejv",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T11:24:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395448",
          "commentText": "Speaking of business books: Growing a business (old but still valid and great) and Setting the Table.\nSpeaking of fiction I want to recommend Neil Gainman The Graveyard Book",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I want to recommend Neil Gainman The Graveyard Book",
          "reason": "Explicitly says they want to recommend it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neil Gaiman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s fantasy",
        "children s fiction",
        "coming of age",
        "dark fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-gunslinger-69607a",
      "title": "The Gunslinger",
      "author": "Stephen King",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49908980,
          "author": "kstrauser",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T13:52:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49908980",
          "commentText": "There may be better writers, but I don’t think there’s a better storyteller. King tells amazing stories, and The Gunslinger is near the top of my list of favorites.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Gunslinger is near the top of my list of favorites.",
          "reason": "The commenter places it near the top of their favorite books and praises King’s storytelling.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter allows there may be better writers, while considering King a superior storyteller.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21802787,
          "author": "sshine",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T13:18:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21802787",
          "commentText": "The Gunslinger (part of The Dark Tower series) was excellent.\nDemons and Wizards, the metal band, made a song called The Gunslinger, through which I learned of this book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Gunslinger (part of The Dark Tower series) was excellent.",
          "reason": "Calls the book excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6698583,
          "author": "frigg",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-08T19:37:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6698583",
          "commentText": "I'm reading Under the Dome right now. After this I'm thinking of starting The Gunslinger.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "After this I'm thinking of starting The Gunslinger.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3650935,
          "author": "thejteam",
          "createdAt": "2012-03-01T04:37:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 3643009,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-technical book you've read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3650935",
          "commentText": "Agree that The Gunslinger is awesome.  Just to forewarn... you've already read the best books in the series.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Gunslinger is awesome.",
          "reason": "Agrees that the book is awesome, while warning that the best books in the series have already been read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Warns that the reader has already read the best books in the series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3643844,
          "author": "_sjs",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-28T17:00:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 3643009,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-technical book you've read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3643844",
          "commentText": "Ever heard of The Dark Tower series, by Stephen King?\nI actually started it about 6 years ago, but recently picked up The Wolves of Calla (the fifth book).\nThe Gunslinger (first in the series) is awesome.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Gunslinger (first in the series) is awesome.",
          "reason": "Calls it awesome.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen King"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dark fantasy",
        "western",
        "dark tower"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-inmates-are-running-the-asylum-8c2839",
      "title": "The Inmates Are Running the Asylum",
      "author": "Alan Cooper",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29308394,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:42:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29308394",
          "commentText": "Added both to my personal lists! Thank you!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Added both to my personal lists! Thank you!",
          "reason": "Says they added the suggested books to their lists.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29308314,
          "author": "tjr",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:36:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29308314",
          "commentText": "The requirements seem a bit unclear to me, but I'll toss a couple of titles into the ring:\nThe Inmates Are Running the Asylum (Alan Cooper) makes the case that user interfaces can and should be easier to understand. I think in the years since this book was written, there has been much improvement in the UI world overall, but still worth thinking about.\nExpert C Programming (Deep C Secrets) (Peter van der Linden) goes into some fascinating technical (and historical) tidbits related to C.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Inmates Are Running the Asylum (Alan Cooper) makes the case that user interfaces can and should be easier to understand. I think in the years since this book was written, there has been much improvement in the UI world overall, but still worth thinking about.",
          "reason": "Says it remains worth thinking about, while noting UI has improved since publication.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the UI world has improved since it was written.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26833412,
          "author": "tjr",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-16T13:09:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 26833319,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book for software engineers (besides the well-known ones)?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26833412",
          "commentText": "Software Engineering for Internet Applications\nAbout Face / The Inmates Are Running the Asylum",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Inmates Are Running the Asylum",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 296116,
          "author": "jyothi",
          "createdAt": "2008-09-05T18:07:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 295871,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HC: Which books on user interface design do you wish your CEO/Cofounders would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=296116",
          "commentText": "I second. I read \"The Inmates are Running the Asylum\" after I read \"Don't Make me Think.\" \nThese are 2 books I not only reread but recommend every person involved with development or design around web to read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second. I read \"The Inmates are Running the Asylum\" after I read \"Don't Make me Think.\" \nThese are 2 books I not only reread but recommend every person involved with development or design around web to read.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it to everyone involved in web development or design.",
          "audience": "People involved with web development or design.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 295951,
          "author": "ken",
          "createdAt": "2008-09-05T15:59:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 295871,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HC: Which books on user interface design do you wish your CEO/Cofounders would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=295951",
          "commentText": "\"The Inmates are Running the Asylum\" is a non-techie book which covers more of the business-case 'why'.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Inmates are Running the Asylum\" is a non-techie book which covers more of the business-case 'why'.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a nontechnical explanation of the business case for interface design.",
          "audience": "Nontechnical readers, including CEOs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan Cooper"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Computing",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "interaction design",
        "business case for design",
        "usability",
        "user interface design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-invincible-1da3bf",
      "title": "The Invincible",
      "author": "Stanisław Lem",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38557313,
          "author": "cimm",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:19:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557313",
          "commentText": "This year, I discovered \"The Invincible\" by Stanisław Lem (after seeing a video of the game based on the novel).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I discovered \"The Invincible\" by Stanisław Lem",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment only says the commenter discovered it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936228,
          "author": "pjc50",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T08:33:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936228",
          "commentText": "I'd not heard of The Invincible, but Solaris had a transformative effect on me and you've convinced me to read the first two items on your list. Didn't Roadside Picnic become Tarkovsky's Stalker?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you've convinced me to read the first two items on your list",
          "reason": "The commenter says the preceding recommendation convinced them to read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936036,
          "author": "przefur",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T08:04:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936036",
          "commentText": "If I were to choose three fiction, those would make the cut.\nFiction:\nThe Invincible by Stanislaw Lem - It shed light on me in regards to microelectronics, swarm intelligence. Nothing ever eased my learning curve more for genetic algorithms like this short novel! It is also a good read in general. It also taught me that the difference in scientific vs force vs emotional approach to unknown. Would recommend as a springboard from a day-to-day acitivities.\nRoadside Picnic by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky - a Soviet sf classic, I've read it 3x already. It tells a story about a closed zone where 'aliens' left their artifcats, and how that changed people around them.\nEnder's Game - I don't think there is an explanation needed. It is a total classic. It helps a lot to understand outsiders, not just aliens but a humans too.\nAll of the above are either hard or soft sf.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Invincible by Stanislaw Lem",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped with understanding microelectronics, swarm intelligence, genetic algorithms, and approaches to the unknown.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22094767,
          "author": "reedwolf",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T23:05:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22094767",
          "commentText": "The Invincible by Stanislaw Lem. Little known, even in Sci-Fi circles.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Invincible by Stanislaw Lem. Little known, even in Sci-Fi circles.",
          "reason": "The commenter presents it as an overlooked science-fiction book in response to a request for unknown books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is little known even in science-fiction circles.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15431151,
          "author": "open_bear",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-09T02:05:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15431151",
          "commentText": "The Invincible by Stanislaw Lem.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Invincible by Stanislaw Lem.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stanisław Lem"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "swarm intelligence",
        "alien life",
        "classic science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-machinery-of-freedom-c4daed",
      "title": "The Machinery of Freedom",
      "author": "David D. Friedman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9612744,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T17:01:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9612744",
          "commentText": "The Law - Frédéric Bastiat. http://bastiat.org/en/the_law.html\nCapitalism - A Treatise on Economics - George Reisman.  http://www.capitalism.net/Capitalism/CAPITALISM_Internet.pdf\nThe Works of Lysander Spooner.  http://lysanderspooner.org/node/2\nThe Machinery of Freedom David Friedman. - http://daviddfriedman.com/The_Machinery_of_Freedom_.pdf\nDemocratizing Innovation - Eric Von Hippel. http://web.mit.edu/evhippel/www/democ1.htm\nThe Sources of Innovation - Eric Von Hippel. http://web.mit.edu/evhippel/www/sources.htm\nIntroduction to Information Retrieval - http://nlp.stanford.edu/IR-book/html/htmledition/irbook.html\nInformation Theory, Inference, and Learning Algorithms - David MacKay.  http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/itprnn/book.html\nIntroduction to Cybernetics - William Ross Ashby. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/books/IntroCyb.pdf\n\"Man-Computer Symbiosis\" and \"The Computer As A Communication Device\" - J.C.R. Licklider. http://memex.org/licklider.pdf\nDesign For A Brain - William Ross Ashby. https://archive.org/details/designforbrainor00ashb\nThe Writings of Douglas Engelbart. http://www.dougengelbart.org/library/library.html\nand if you like maths, don't miss this great list of free maths texts by George Cain:  https://people.math.gatech.edu/~cain/textbooks/onlinebooks.h... (https://people.math.gatech.edu/~cain/textbooks/onlinebooks.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Machinery of Freedom David Friedman.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6699843,
          "author": "ninthfrank07",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-08T23:35:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6699843",
          "commentText": "The Machinery of Freedom by David D. Friedman.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Machinery of Freedom by David D. Friedman.",
          "reason": "Named as a current read in response to the thread's book question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026878,
          "author": "rmorrison",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T06:26:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026878",
          "commentText": "I loved David Friedman's The Machinery of Freedom.  His blog is also filled with a lot of interesting thoughts: http://daviddfriedman.blogspot.com",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved David Friedman's The Machinery of Freedom.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly says they loved the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026415,
          "author": "daeken",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T23:06:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026415",
          "commentText": "The Machinery of Freedom (David Friedman) -- Great book on a potential anarcho-capitalist society and how we could push the US government in that direction.\nThe Game (Neil Strauss) -- See nopassrecover's response; he explained it well.\nLittle Brother (Cory Doctorow) -- A fantastic novel about freedom and technology.\nMakers (Cory Doctorow) -- A great novel about people who create, whether technology or business models.  Perhaps the best book I read this year.\nDown and Out in the Magic Kingdom (Cory Doctorow) -- The story of a man working in Disney World, which is now part of the Bitchun Society (a post-scarcity, post-death society).  A story of love, betrayal, and death; how can you go wrong?  Worth it for the concept of Whuffie (you'll need to read it to really get it) alone.\nDiamond Age (Neal Stephenson) -- The evolution of a society towards post-scarcity, written around the story of a young girl's growth into an adult.  Best post-cyberpunk book written thus far, IMO.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great book on a potential anarcho-capitalist society and how we could push the US government in that direction.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book explaining a potential anarcho-capitalist society.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David D. Friedman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "anarcho capitalism",
        "political economy",
        "libertarianism",
        "political philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-origin-of-wealth-evolution-complexity-and-the-radical-remakin-35d77c",
      "title": "The Origin of Wealth: Evolution, Complexity, and the Radical Remaking of Economics",
      "author": "Eric D. Beinhocker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12562110,
          "author": "dredmorbius",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T03:25:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12562110",
          "commentText": "That's a pretty good list, though I have to take exception to your suggestions for heterodox economics all coming from the Hayek-Mises-Rothbard Austrian/Libertarian tradition.  There's considerably more to heterodox economics than Libertarian school.\n\"Heterodox economics\" is an umbrella term used to cover various approaches, schools, or traditions. These include socialist, Marxian, institutional, evolutionary, Georgist, Austrian, feminist,[3] social, post-Keynesian (not to be confused with New Keynesian),[2] and ecological economics among others.[4]\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heterodox_economics\nSteve Keen offers a fairly compelling criticism in Debunking Economics.\nHa-Joon Chang, of LSE, has several books providing criticisms and overviews of economics, his Economics: the user's guide is a light and readable overview.  http://www.worldcat.org/title/economics-the-users-guide/oclc... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/economics-the-users-guide/oclc/870896694&referer=brief_results)\n(It's worth noting that Ha-Joon Chang tends toward a Marxian view and in particular is a contrarian in trade and development concepts.  I happen to think his views have merits.)\nThere are several books which cover the history of economic thought, from more and less inclusive perspectives.  Roger Backhouse's The Ordinary Business of Life is extraordinarily dry, but reasonably encompasses the mainstream.  \nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/ordinary-business-of-life-a-hi... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/ordinary-business-of-life-a-history-of-economics-from-the-ancient-world-to-the-twenty-first-century/oclc/49198341&referer=brief_results)\nHeilbroner's The Worldly Philosophers is a classic:  http://www.worldcat.org/title/worldly-philosophers-the-lives... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/worldly-philosophers-the-lives-times-and-ideas-of-the-great-economic-thinkers/oclc/40762647&referer=brief_results)\nFor heterodoxy, I'd add to the Austrian side:\nHerman Daly on ecological economics.  http://www.worldcat.org/title/ecological-economics-principle... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/ecological-economics-principles-and-applications/oclc/804847292?referer=br&ht=edition)\nul\nit in f\nl.\nErick D. Beinhocker's The Origin of Wealth: Evolution, complexity, and the radical remaking of economics strikes me from reviews and a brief overview as one of the more interesting recent books on economics.  I've yet to read it in full.\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/origin-of-wealth-evolution-com... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/origin-of-wealth-evolution-complexity-and-the-radical-remaking-of-economics/oclc/64335906&referer=brief_results)\nThere's slew of other books, many quite bad, on the subject.  I'm largely convinced economics is vastly overdue for a robust remaking.  I'm not convinced that will happen.\n(It was my degree subject at uni.  I've been trying to comprehend it and rationalise its vast internal contradictions and inconsistencies since.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've yet to read it in full.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds it interesting based on reviews and a brief overview, but has not read it in full.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in newer approaches to economics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter’s view is based on reviews and a brief overview, not a full reading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3178166,
          "author": "adrianscott",
          "createdAt": "2011-10-31T17:20:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 3177815,
          "threadTitle": "Good books for hackers interested in quant finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3178166",
          "commentText": "The Origin of Wealth:\nEvolution, Complexity, and the Radical Remaking of Economics\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Origin-Wealth-Evolution-Complexity-Eco... (http://www.amazon.com/Origin-Wealth-Evolution-Complexity-Economics/dp/1422121038/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320081538&sr=8-1)\ndon't let the false prophets of equilibrium theory and efficient market theory bend your ear too far ;)\nif you get into looking for a job, there are a few books that list common questions for quant jobs also...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Origin of Wealth:\nEvolution, Complexity, and the Radical Remaking of Economics",
          "reason": "Named as a book suggestion in response to a request for books about quantitative finance.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1468351,
          "author": "drallison",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-28T16:02:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1468351",
          "commentText": "Economics is a bit like theology.  You read it to get exposed to the ideas, learn about other people's beliefs, and be amazed by the beautifully argued but experimentally unsupported theories. I liked Eric Beinhocker, Origin of Wealth: Evolution, Complexity, and the Radical Remaking of Economics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I liked Eric Beinhocker, Origin of Wealth: Evolution, Complexity, and the Radical Remaking of Economics.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they liked this book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1464711,
          "author": "chrismealy",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T02:14:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1464711",
          "commentText": "\"Origin of Wealth: Evolution, Complexity, and the Radical Remaking of Economics\" is  really great Hacker News-ish book about economics. It's the only non-technical book that gets into agent-based computational economics.  There's some unfortunate business strategy waffle in the middle but otherwise it's fantastic.\nHere's a review of it by the great Herb Gintis:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/review/R26IO7AY7JHS8C/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Origin of Wealth: Evolution, Complexity, and the Radical Remaking of Economics\" is really great",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book about economics and notes its treatment of agent-based computational economics.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in economics and agent-based computational economics.",
          "caveat": "Some business strategy content in the middle is described as waffle.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric D. Beinhocker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Science",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "complexity economics",
        "evolutionary economics",
        "agent based computational economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-plague-740cd8",
      "title": "The Plague",
      "author": "Albert Camus",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31973110,
          "author": "plaguepilled",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-04T03:07:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31973110",
          "commentText": "Quantum Field Theory by Peskin and Schroeder. There are many things in that book I could make into a standalone project that could occupy years at a time.\nSome other picks:\nThe Man in The High Castle by Phil K. Dick. The Plague or The Outsider by Albert Camus. City of Thieves by David Benioff.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Plague",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s other book picks.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13805616,
          "author": "scandox",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T20:06:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805616",
          "commentText": "I second The Plague. A book everyone ought to read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second The Plague. A book everyone ought to read.",
          "reason": "Calls it a book everyone ought to read.",
          "audience": "Everyone, in the commenter’s view.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13805607,
          "author": "jimnotgym",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T20:05:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805607",
          "commentText": "The Plague and The Outsider by Albert Camus. Taught me my place in the world",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Plague and The Outsider by Albert Camus. Taught me my place in the world",
          "reason": "Says the book taught them their place in the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11556961,
          "author": "thorin",
          "createdAt": "2016-04-23T19:07:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 11556470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your favorite dystopian novel and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11556961",
          "commentText": "Probably the trial (kafka) or the plague (camus) but the one book I struggle to put down to put down is l'etranger as it's so easy to read in a single sitting and do compelling.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "or the plague (camus)",
          "reason": "Named as one of the commenter's possible favorite dystopian novels.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in dystopian fiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says “probably,” rather than choosing definitively.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Albert Camus"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "existentialism",
        "epidemic fiction",
        "existential fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-society-of-mind-38a31f",
      "title": "The Society of Mind",
      "author": "Marvin Minsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39060224,
          "author": "R41",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T19:53:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39060224",
          "commentText": "I recommend Marvin Minisckys society of minds book. He was one of founding fathers of AI tech, the book tells lot about human mind an Interesting read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend Marvin Minisckys society of minds book.",
          "reason": "Recommended as an interesting read about the human mind.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13901031,
          "author": "JamilD",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T12:47:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13901031",
          "commentText": "Firstly, I don't think you can dive straight into coding without understanding the fundamentals. AI is such a broad and rich field, and there's a lot you need to know before you start.\nIt also depends on what you're going to focus on. Are you looking to implement a game-playing agent? An object recognition algorithm? More of a logic focus?\nIf you just want Deep Learning and statistical methods, then Bishop's Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning is a good start. Otherwise, Russel and Norvig's Artificial Intelligence or Patrick Winston's similarly titled book are great starting points. For more big-picture stuff,\nMarvin Minsky's Society of Mind is great, and Hofstader's Gödel, Escher, Bach is a classic too. Both are a lot less practical though, which seems to be what you're looking for.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Marvin Minsky's Society of Mind is great",
          "reason": "Described as great big-picture material.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A lot less practical than the requester seeks.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13900682,
          "author": "vasira",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T10:20:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13900682",
          "commentText": "The society of mind and the diamond age !",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The society of mind",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10325237,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T20:31:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325237",
          "commentText": "I'm sure there are many, but a few that jump to mind, in no particular order, and spanning both fiction and non-fiction:\nThe Selfish Gene - Dawkins\nA New Kind of Science - Wolfram\nThe Singularity is Near - Kurzweil\nGödel, Escher, Bach - Hofstadter\nFluid Concepts and Creative Analogies - Hofstadter\nAtlas Shrugged - Rand\nThe Fountainhead - Rand\nNineteen Eighty-Four - Orwell\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nAmbient Findability - Peter Morville\nEmergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software - Steven Johnson\nSix Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age - Duncan Watts\nLinked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means for Business, Science, and Everyday Life - Albert-laszlo Barabasi\nArtificial Life - Steven Levy\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nThe World is Flat - Thomas Friedman\nnot a book, but the various writings of Douglas Engelbart - http://www.dougengelbart.org/library/library.html\nGlasshouse - Charles Stross\nPermutation City - Greg Egan\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nThe Shockwave Rider - John Brunner\nThe Society of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nThe Origin of Wealth: The Radical Remaking of Economics and What it Means for Business and Society - Eric Beinhocker\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nFooled By Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Society of Mind - Marvin Minsky",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marvin Minsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "mind",
        "cognitive science",
        "human mind"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-story-of-philosophy-d89c33",
      "title": "The Story of Philosophy",
      "author": "Will Durant",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15159040,
          "author": "RockyMcNuts",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T00:36:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15159040",
          "commentText": "Well Pirsig's Zen and the other ones related to eastern religions and science, are around the idea that there is no locus of reality or meaning, the reality is how everything interrelates. It's kind of like word2vec, the context of other words and real-world situations in which each word is used tells you everything about what it means. Take away a particle's charge and mass and the other numbers we associate with it, and is it still a particle? Those numbers describe how it interacts and all we can really say about it is how it interacts. Plato was off the mark when he talked about the ideal form of different objects. There is no ideal form of a chair, except that chairness is an abstract idea about how things (asses and furniture) interact.\nThen I think that Grammatical Man and Penrose are around the nature of information, and what can be communicated and understood. And I sort of think that question is at the top of the tree of abstraction about what we think about. Then comes computer science and math which are about any symbolic systems or formal systems that can be computed and reasoned about. Then most everything else is applying those systems to various problems.\nThen I think The Naked Ape and Hayek and Flow are around the notion that humans are their own thing. They are tribal and hierarchical and territorial and violent and not nearly as self-aware or even aware of our surroundings as we think we are. You get a lot more mileage out of just observing what they do than about listening to the rationalizations of why they say did it, things like God and blood and soil, i.e. superstitions and us-and-them-ing arbitrary physical features of a pack of mongrels and arbitrary lines on maps. Invitation to Sociology by Berger was another big one on those lines.\nAnd the Heilbroner and Durant are basically inventories of major mental models that people have come up with in philosophy and economics.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Durant",
          "reason": "Describes it as an inventory of major mental models in philosophy and economics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156930,
          "author": "wittedhaddock",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T16:44:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156930",
          "commentText": "The Story of Philosophy by Will Durant\n^ This book more than any other",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Story of Philosophy by Will Durant\n^ This book more than any other",
          "reason": "Names it as the book that had the biggest impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156316,
          "author": "RockyMcNuts",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:05:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156316",
          "commentText": "The Emperor's New Mind, by Roger Penrose\nThe Tao of Physics, by Fritjof Capra\nDancing Wu Li Masters, by Gary Zukav\nThe Naked Ape, by Desmond Morris\nThe Road to Serfdom, by Friedrich Hayek\nThe Worldly Philosophers, by Robert Heilbroner\nThe Story of Philosophy, by Will Durant\nGrammatical Man, by Jeremy Campbell\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert M. Pirsig\nFlow, by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Story of Philosophy, by Will Durant",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which books had the biggest impact on mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13804152,
          "author": "sonabinu",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:17:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804152",
          "commentText": "The Story of Philosophy by Will Durant",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Story of Philosophy by Will Durant",
          "reason": "Named in response to a question about books that changed how people think.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503356,
          "author": "ivanzhao",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T08:28:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503356",
          "commentText": "surprised nobody mentioned \"The Story of Philosophy\" by Will Durant, which not only talks about philosophy, but the lives of the philosophers and the historical backgrounds.\nphilosophy is gradually becoming more literature-like, which is hard to appreciate without the context.\nps. it is also a 1930s best sellers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Story of Philosophy\" by Will Durant",
          "reason": "Highlights its coverage of philosophers’ lives and historical backgrounds as useful context.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking context for philosophical ideas.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Will Durant"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-systems-bible-b489bb",
      "title": "The Systems Bible",
      "author": "John Gall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39249201,
          "author": "temeya",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T10:51:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249201",
          "commentText": "'The Systems Bible, 3rd Edition, by John Gall as a light introduction to Systems Theory as well as 'How Linux Works: What Every Superuser Should Know, 3rd Edition' to brush up on my Linux. \"Computer Organization and Design, 5th Edition\" after those two.\nOn the fiction front, I just finished \"Queen City Jazz\", by Kathleen Ann Goonan, and I've got \"Daemon\" by Daniel Suarez queued up as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Systems Bible, 3rd Edition, by John Gall",
          "reason": "The commenter identifies it as a light introduction to systems theory.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a light introduction to systems theory",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29308385,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:42:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29308385",
          "commentText": "Yeah that is a very fun read for sure!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Yeah that is a very fun read for sure!",
          "reason": "Affirms the parent comment's positive assessment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29308370,
          "author": "rglover",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:41:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29308370",
          "commentText": "Not about software per se but The Systems Bible/Systemantics (original title) is a good read: https://www.amazon.com/SYSTEMANTICS-SYSTEMS-BIBLE-John-Gall-... (https://www.amazon.com/SYSTEMANTICS-SYSTEMS-BIBLE-John-Gall-ebook/dp/B00AK1BIDM)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Systems Bible/Systemantics (original title) is a good read",
          "reason": "Calls it a good read and notes its original title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not about software per se.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17031880,
          "author": "modbait",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T17:37:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17031880",
          "commentText": "1.  The Mythical Man Month.  Quite old, but still a classic.\n2.  Dilbert.  This comic series is an excellent introduction into how corporations actually work.\n3.  The Systems Bible.  Somewhat obscure.  Fascinating ideas on how large systems, both technical and organizational, actually work.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Systems Bible. Somewhat obscure. Fascinating ideas on how large systems, both technical and organizational, actually work.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it has fascinating ideas about how large systems work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as somewhat obscure.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Gall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Society",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "systems theory",
        "systems thinking",
        "organizational systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-victorian-internet-5cdc9a",
      "title": "The Victorian Internet",
      "author": "Tom Standage",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36666587,
          "author": "HamptonFounders",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-10T14:01:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36666587",
          "commentText": "Not sure if this is helpful, but a friend fed this conversation through ChatGPT and had it summarize for easier reading:\n-The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy -Bigger by Marc Levinson\n-The Machine That Changed the World: The Story of Lean Production-- Toyota's Secret Weapon in the Global Car Wars That Is Now Revolutionizing World Industry by James P. Womack, Daniel T. Jones, and Daniel Roos\n-Empires of the Sky: Zeppelins, Airplanes, and Two Men's Epic Duel to Rule the World by Erik Larson\n-Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America by Richard -White\n-The Arms of Krupp: The Rise and Fall of the Industrial Dynasty that Armed Germany at War by William Manchester\n-Edison by Edmund Morris\n-Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow\n-The People's Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century by Steven Watts\n-Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler\n-The Victorian Internet by Tom Standage\n-The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood by James Gleick\n-Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age by Michael S. Malone\n-The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester\n-The Innovators by Walter Isaacson\n-Medieval Technology and Social Change by Lynn White Jr.\n-The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation by Jon Gertner\n-Electricity in the 17th and 18th Centuries: A Study of Early Modern Physics by Eric H. Chaney\n-Early Electrical Communication by A. F. Marland\n-Bibliographical History of Electricity and Magnetism by Silvanus P. Thompson\n-Electric Science: Its History, Phenomena, and Applications by J. J. Fahie\n-The History and Present State of Electricity by Andrew Ure\n-https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/\n-De Re Metallica by Georgius Agricola",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Victorian Internet by Tom Standage",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books offered in response to the history of technology question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36602129,
          "author": "andyjohnson0",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:49:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36602129",
          "commentText": "+1 for The Victorian Internet. A fascinating book.\nHis descriptions of how the telegraph disrupted people's existing understanding of distance and time/simultaneity are very interesting.\nPeople thinking that the physical telegraph form was transmitted, rather than just its content, and demanding to telegraph other physical objects.\nAlso the use of commercially published word-books to shorten and obfuscate long telegraph messages is reminiscent of data compression and cryptography today.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for The Victorian Internet. A fascinating book.",
          "reason": "The commenter endorses the parent’s recommendation and highlights its discussion of telegraphy and communication.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Victorian Internet",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 621457,
          "author": "bbg",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-22T01:44:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621457",
          "commentText": "Victorian Internet, Tom Standage\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Victorian-Internet-Remarkable-Nineteen... (http://www.amazon.com/Victorian-Internet-Remarkable-Nineteenth-line/dp/0425171698)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Victorian Internet, Tom Standage",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Standage"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "telegraph",
        "communications history",
        "history of telecommunications",
        "technology history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-wager-a-tale-of-shipwreck-mutiny-and-murder-6fc92c",
      "title": "The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder",
      "author": "David Grann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42508567,
          "author": "dkobia",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T12:54:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42508567",
          "commentText": "The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann.\nWhen worlds were conquered through brute force and wooden ships, it is crazy to imagine how pivotal vitamin C was.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann.",
          "reason": "Lists it as a standout read and remarks on vitamin C's historical importance.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42508349,
          "author": "hijp",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T11:49:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42508349",
          "commentText": "I really liked \"The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder\".  It's very well researched and pieced together from conflicting accounts.\nAfter I was finished I decided to look up the author and found out he wrote \"Killers of the Flower Moon\" and \"The Lost City of Z\", both of which I really enjoyed!  If you like books like Endurance, Unbroken, or A Land So Strange, you'll dig this one.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really liked \"The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder\".",
          "reason": "Says they really liked the book and praises its research and use of conflicting accounts.",
          "audience": "Readers who like books such as Endurance, Unbroken, or A Land So Strange.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42218930,
          "author": "ARob109",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T03:09:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42218930",
          "commentText": "Yes. I could not put this book down.\nIf you liked this one as an against the odds shipwreck survival story, David Grann’s The Wager is also very good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "David Grann’s The Wager is also very good.",
          "reason": "Recommended as another against-the-odds shipwreck survival story.",
          "audience": "Readers who liked an against-the-odds shipwreck survival story.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40471386,
          "author": "meristohm",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-24T23:28:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40471386",
          "commentText": "The Wager, by David Grann; giving me greater context for understanding sea travel (in wooden ships, especially), and I learned that there were indigenous people living along the coast of southern Patagonia where the Wager wrecked. They must be very hardy and resourceful people indeed, given the cold and windy conditions of that region. The European sailors seemed primitive (using the term pejoratively here) in contrast; they all had scurvy and atrophy to various degrees, and had lost so many other sailors to illness and the elements, so reliant on the stores they brought,  ignorant of how to survive off the sea and land (they found and were given by the locals enough to eat for there to be survivors who made it back to England, but it was an ordeal). I wondered at the past traumas and other events that lead to Euro-colonialism (this includes my ancestors) and the sense of entitlement that brings about actions like Spain and Portugal dividing the world in ~1600 (watching Shōgun on Hulu, which I also recommend). China also developed a sense of entitlement, but rather than go conquer Africa it sounds like they took their massive navy (dwarfing anything else at the time) on a sightseeing tour and returned home, satisfied with their own superiority.\nI continue to be inspired to live more closely with the land and life around me, and Grann's description of the native people of Patagonia, with their healthy varied diet, vigor and cold tolerance, and kindness to clearly-suffering strangers, made a lasting impression.\nThe Computer Age is just a way of coping with humanity's widespread and hopefully temporary degradation and loss of culture and traditions that are sustainable over many, many generations. I see books the same way; temporary technology, a bank of knowledge and experience that, like bacteria in the appendix, can help us get back on track with oral traditions.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Wager, by David Grann; giving me greater context for understanding sea travel",
          "reason": "Says it gave greater context for sea travel and left a lasting impression through its depiction of Patagonia's native people.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39249209,
          "author": "martopix",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T10:52:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249209",
          "commentText": "\"The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder\"",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Grann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "maritime history",
        "shipwreck",
        "patagonia",
        "shipwrecks"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-wasp-factory-15ab11",
      "title": "The Wasp Factory",
      "author": "Iain Banks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38244361,
          "author": "hermitcrab",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T21:41:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38244361",
          "commentText": "If you like Bank's writing try 'The wasp factory'. It's rather dark, but quite brilliant with an amazing twist at the end. It's not sci-fi.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you like Bank's writing try 'The wasp factory'. It's rather dark, but quite brilliant with an amazing twist at the end. It's not sci-fi.",
          "reason": "Recommended for its dark tone and ending twist.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Rather dark; not science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630308,
          "author": "roryisok",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:09:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630308",
          "commentText": "Day of the Triffids - John Wyndham - everyone goes blind and a bunch of sentient plants start eating people. one of the first science fiction books I ever read, and the one that introduced me to post apocalyptic fiction. Giant plants might sound silly, but its no more silly than walking corpses. And in fact the walking dead and 28 days later owe a lot to this book.\nJonathan Strange and Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke - beautifully inventive fantasy novel about two magicians bringing magic back to Britain during the Napoleonic wars. Fab read.\nGateway - Frederick Pohl - pulp sf at its best. Humans discover a hollowed out asteroid worth ftl ships preprogrammed with unknown destinations. Prospectors pack as much food as they can and hit 'launch' in the hopes that they'll discover something valuable and not land on a star or starve to death.\nThe Forever War - Joe Haldeman - more great pulp sci-fi about the first interstellar war. Old man's war by John Scalzi is very similar and almost as good.\nMost things by Iain (m) banks. Crow Road, Wasp Factory, The Bridge, Consider Phlebas, Use of Weapons, Player of Games etc. Song of stone was awful though, they're not all winners",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Most things by Iain (m) banks. Crow Road, Wasp Factory, The Bridge, Consider Phlebas, Use of Weapons, Player of Games etc.",
          "reason": "Names it among works by an author the commenter generally recommends.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says not everything by Iain Banks is a winner.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1582053,
          "author": "gw666",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-06T19:17:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1582053",
          "commentText": "There's Iain Banks (The Wasp Factory), and there's Iain M. Banks (other books). Same guy--the latter is science fiction, and always worthwhile; the former is his \"experimental\" fiction, some of which I can't figure out the point of. The Wasp Factory isn't SF but is good: the story of an average British boy, his odd circumstances, and the odder resolution of his problems.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Wasp Factory isn't SF but is good: the story of an average British boy, his odd circumstances, and the odder resolution of his problems.",
          "reason": "Calls the novel good and describes its premise.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569722,
          "author": "viraptor",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T01:07:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569722",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- Someone already mentioned Neil Gaiman's \"American Gods\", but it's so good, I'll mention it again :) Very well constructed and has its specific atmosphere...\n- Anything by Iain Banks - \"Walking on glass\", \"Wasp factory\", \"A song of stone\" are definitely not light reading, but worth spending some time on them. His science-fiction is much simpler, but... didn't get me as excited as \"Walking on glass\".\nNon-fiction:\n- \"Leading Lean Software Development - Results are not the point\" (http://www.amazon.com/Leading-Lean-Software-Development-Resu... (http://www.amazon.com/Leading-Lean-Software-Development-Results/dp/0321620704)) is the best team / organisation / project leading book I've seen. I hate most of books like that with passion, but this one is different. I can't wait for the next story they introduce in every chapter. It touches many topics useful for anyone working with even one other person and you can read it like a good adventure book - it's got clear examples, interesting quotes and in-depth but not boring analysis.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Walking on glass\", \"Wasp factory\", \"A song of stone\" are definitely not light reading, but worth spending some time on them",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is worth spending time on, while noting it is not light reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not light reading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Iain Banks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "dark fiction",
        "psychological fiction",
        "scottish literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-wheel-of-time-74bf8b",
      "title": "The Wheel of Time",
      "author": "Robert Jordan; completed by Brandon Sanderson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46398120,
          "author": "E39M5S62",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T01:01:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46398120",
          "commentText": "The Wheel of Time series, start to finish. So pleased that Brandon Sanderson stepped in to finish it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Wheel of Time series, start to finish. So pleased that Brandon Sanderson stepped in to finish it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they read the series start to finish and are pleased Sanderson completed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2091061,
          "author": "JoshCole",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-11T05:47:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2091061",
          "commentText": "My favorite book was probably \"Surely Your Joking Mr. Feynman.\" I liked it, because it was fun to read, especially when he played a practical joke.\nA bit farther down the list would be the newest Wheel of Time books. Brandon Sanderson annoyed me at first, but once I got over that I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it had a very similar style to the original. I enjoyed it immensely.\nSomewhere after that are a few of the slightly more technical books I read. Maybe Coders At Work? It gave me a better sense of the history of the industry, but I don't think you should read it if your goal is to learn how to be a better hacker.\nFinally there is The Bible, which I would recommend to anyone.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the newest Wheel of Time books. Brandon Sanderson annoyed me at first, but once I got over that I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it had a very similar style to the original. I enjoyed it immensely.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the newer books after adjusting to Sanderson's style.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Sanderson's style initially annoyed the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1975443,
          "author": "noodle",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T15:29:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1975443",
          "commentText": "agreed, although to note -- the last 3 are likely much better because their plot is so much more set in stone.  the middle books meandered because RJ did so much in the first 3 books that he realized he had to let the plot catch up to the action in order to do what he wanted to do with the story.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the last 3 are likely much better because their plot is so much more set in stone.",
          "reason": "Agrees that the latest books in the series have returned to a quality rivaling the first three.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says the middle books meandered and the later books benefited from a more settled plot.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1975016,
          "author": "unignorant",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T13:14:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1975016",
          "commentText": "You might look back into the WoT. Since Jordan's death, Brandon Sanderson has been finishing up the series, and (IMO) the latest books have returned to a level of quality rivaling the first three.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "You might look back into the WoT. Since Jordan's death, Brandon Sanderson has been finishing up the series, and (IMO) the latest books have returned to a level of quality rivaling the first three.",
          "reason": "Encourages revisiting the series, praising the latest books' quality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The quality praise applies to the latest books, which the commenter says rival the first three.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797387,
          "author": "whatusername",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T04:34:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797387",
          "commentText": "A re-read of the Wheel of Time series - kindof following along with the tor.com re-read (Which is worth checking out if you are a WoT fan).  Going to push through the last 4 books in the next 2 months as Book 12 is coming out in Nov.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "A re-read of the Wheel of Time series",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Jordan",
        "Brandon Sanderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "think-python-how-to-think-like-a-computer-scientist-2c6c18",
      "title": "Think Python: How to Think Like a Computer Scientist",
      "author": "Allen B. Downey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9612334,
          "author": "avinassh",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T16:06:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9612334",
          "commentText": "This repo maintains list of free programming books [0].\nMany of the books at Green Tea Press[1] are available for free:\n- Think Python: How To Think Like a Computer Scientist\n- Think Bayes: Bayesian Statistics in Python\n- Think Complexity: Exploring Complexity Science with Python\n- Think Stats: Probability and Statistics for Programmers\n- The Little Book of Semaphores\n- Physical Modeling in MATLAB\n- Learning Perl the Hard Way\nfew others. Do check the site.\nSecondly, books by Al Sweigart[2] are also freely available. They include:\n- Automate the Boring Stuff with Python[3]\n- Hacking Secret Ciphers with Python\n- Invent Your Own Computer Games with Python\n- Making Games with Python & Pygame\n[0] - https://github.com/vhf/free-programming-books\n[1] - http://www.greenteapress.com/\n[2] - https://inventwithpython.com/\n[3] - https://automatetheboringstuff.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Think Python: How To Think Like a Computer Scientist",
          "reason": "Listed among freely available programming books in response to a request for free reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8003397,
          "author": "arsalanb",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-08T07:38:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8003397",
          "commentText": "Think Python, by the Green Tea Press.\n\"How to think like a computer scientist\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Think Python, by the Green Tea Press. \"How to think like a computer scientist\"",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question asking for the best technical ebook.",
          "audience": "People learning Python and computer science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3411950,
          "author": "aridiculous",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-31T21:44:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 3380141,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Intro Programming Book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3411950",
          "commentText": "Second this. Extremely well-written, accessible, and thorough.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Second this. Extremely well-written, accessible, and thorough.",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the parent’s recommendation and praises the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3380247,
          "author": "epequeno",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-22T03:36:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 3380141,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Intro Programming Book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3380247",
          "commentText": "I would suggest Think Python: How to Think Like a Computer Scientist\nhttp://greenteapress.com/thinkpython/thinkpython.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would suggest Think Python: How to Think Like a Computer Scientist",
          "reason": "Suggested as an answer to a request for an introductory programming book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Allen B. Downey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "python",
        "computer science education",
        "introductory programming",
        "programming education"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "to-mock-a-mockingbird-9a4d3a",
      "title": "To Mock a Mockingbird",
      "author": "Raymond Smullyan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50116114,
          "author": "genezeta",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T09:24:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50116114",
          "commentText": "Elizabeth Hand's Winterlong, probably 3-4 times.\nMost of Raymond Chandler and Dashiel Hammet I've read multiple times. I've read Brautigan's Dreaming of Babylon a bunch of times too.\nAll of William Gibson. Miyazaki's Nausicaä of The Valley of Wind, in various languages. Stephen Cosgrove's Muffin Muncher, I couldn't say how many times I must have read that (It appears they've now changed the title to Muffin Dragon).\nI've read The Soul of a New Machine a couple of times too. The Hitchhiker's and Dirk Gently's trilogies a few times.\nStefano Benni's Baol probably half a dozen times. And Acts of The Apostles by John FX Sundman a bunch too. Oh, and a few of Martin Gardner's books. And Smullyan's To Mock a Mockingbird.\nAnd most probably also many others. Most of my books are now in boxes or have been gifted away, though.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Smullyan's To Mock a Mockingbird.",
          "reason": "The commenter includes it among books they have read repeatedly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29308252,
          "author": "Jtsummers",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:32:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29308252",
          "commentText": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raymond_Smullyan\nUnder \"Logic Puzzles\", through To Mock a Mockingbird (about to reread it because I read it years ago and a lot of things didn't stick at that point). I picked up his books to flesh out my home library (I'd read some of them back in college) and started rereading from the beginning. Have a notepad and pencil to help puzzle through the problems (or index cards, I have a few stuck in the books).\nThey span from riddles, to logic puzzles (the classic Knight & Knave puzzles), to computation-based puzzles with combinators.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "through To Mock a Mockingbird (about to reread it because I read it years ago and a lot of things didn't stick at that point)",
          "reason": "Describes rereading it and working through its puzzles.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in riddles, logic puzzles, and combinators.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29308072,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:21:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29308072",
          "commentText": "> And yet, when you're at the end, it turns out you know what 'Y combinator' actually means.\nSweet. I just learned about this book earlier today. It's on my list now!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's on my list now!",
          "reason": "The reply clearly accepts the parent’s recommendation and adds the book to their reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29308045,
          "author": "hyperman1",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:19:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29308045",
          "commentText": "There was one about Mockingbirds I read a few decades ago.  I think this is the one:\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Mock_a_Mockingbird\nNothing explicit computery or even technical in there. Only all kinds of invented birds with specific weird behavior.  You need to know nothing above what a 10 year old knows (and be interested in logic). And yet, when you're at the end, it turns out you know what 'Y combinator' actually means.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I think this is the one:",
          "reason": "The commenter tentatively identifies the book they remember as this title.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in logic.",
          "caveat": "The identification is tentative.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9649996,
          "author": "Enzolangellotti",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-03T00:59:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 9636361,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9649996",
          "commentText": "To Mock a Mocking Bird by Raymond M. Smullyan. \nI'm having fun while my brain gets stretched.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "To Mock a Mocking Bird by Raymond M. Smullyan.",
          "reason": "Says the book is fun and stretches the brain.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Raymond Smullyan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "logic puzzles",
        "combinatory logic",
        "recreational mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "universal-principles-of-design-58dc8b",
      "title": "Universal Principles of Design",
      "author": "William Lidwell, Kritina Holden, and Jill Butler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12711221,
          "author": "ryanSrich",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-14T21:28:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12711221",
          "commentText": "Here's a list of all design books that I give to new hires:\nBranded Interactions: Creating the Digital Experience - (https://www.amazon.com/Branded-Interactions-Creating-Digital... (https://www.amazon.com/Branded-Interactions-Creating-Digital-Experience/dp/0500518173))\nThe Visual Display of Quantitative Information - https://www.amazon.com/Visual-Display-Quantitative-Informati... (https://www.amazon.com/Visual-Display-Quantitative-Information/dp/0961392142/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480332&sr=1-1&keywords=Edward+Tufte)\nUniversal Principles of Design - https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Principles-Design-Revised-U... (https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Principles-Design-Revised-Updated/dp/1592535879/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480359&sr=1-1&keywords=universal+principles+of+design)\nThe Interface: IBM and the Transformation of Corporate Design, 1945-1976 - https://www.amazon.com/Interface-Transformation-Corporate-19... (https://www.amazon.com/Interface-Transformation-Corporate-1945-1976-Quadrant/dp/0816670390/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480388&sr=1-1&keywords=the+interface+ibm)\nMultiple Signatures: On Designers, Authors, Readers and Users - https://www.amazon.com/Multiple-Signatures-Designers-Authors... (https://www.amazon.com/Multiple-Signatures-Designers-Authors-Readers/dp/0847839737/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480427&sr=1-1&keywords=Multiple+Signatures)\nChange by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation - https://www.amazon.com/Change-Design-Transforms-Organization... (https://www.amazon.com/Change-Design-Transforms-Organizations-Innovation/dp/0061766089/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480449&sr=1-1&keywords=Change+by+design)\nThoughts on Design - https://www.amazon.com/Thoughts-Design-Paul-Rand/dp/08118754... (https://www.amazon.com/Thoughts-Design-Paul-Rand/dp/081187544X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480478&sr=1-1&keywords=Thoughts+on+design)\nNotes on the Synthesis of Form - https://www.amazon.com/Notes-Synthesis-Form-Harvard-Paperbac... (https://www.amazon.com/Notes-Synthesis-Form-Harvard-Paperbacks/dp/0674627512/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480495&sr=1-1&keywords=notes+on+the+synthesis+of+form)\n..and a list of ones I'm considering adding:\nUnflattening - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0674744438/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0674744438/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\nCreative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All  - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/038534936X/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/038534936X/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\nThe Design Method - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321928849/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321928849/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\nProduct Design for the Web: Principles of Designing and Releasing Web Products- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321929039/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321929039/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Here's a list of all design books that I give to new hires:",
          "reason": "Included in a design book list given to new hires.",
          "audience": "New hires.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12711196,
          "author": "wlesieutre",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-14T21:25:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12711196",
          "commentText": "Universal Principles of Design - William Lidwell\nIt's not explicitly computer UI design, but the book is essentially an alphabetical list of design concepts with illustrations/examples, and they're very applicable to computers. Amazon has \"look inside\" if you want to see what it's about.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "they're very applicable to computers.",
          "reason": "Says the design concepts in the book apply to computers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It is not explicitly about computer UI design.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6231363,
          "author": "hcarvalhoalves",
          "createdAt": "2013-08-18T02:27:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 6231052,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is a good book for learning front end design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6231363",
          "commentText": "Try to learn and understand design as a discipline before going into the specifics of user interfaces and interaction design. For that I recommend:\n- Universal Principles of Design - William Lidwell\n- The Design of Everyday Things - Donald A. Norman\nThen for more practical knowledge:\n- Forms that Work: Designing Web Forms for Usability - Caroline Jarrett\n- Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability - Steve Krug\n- Designing the Obvious: A Common Sense Approach to Web & Mobile Application Design - Robert Hoekman Jr.\n- Sketching User Experiences: Getting the Design Right and the Right Design - Bill Buxton",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Universal Principles of Design - William Lidwell",
          "reason": "Recommended for learning design as a discipline before studying interfaces.",
          "audience": "Readers learning design before focusing on UI and interaction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240740,
          "author": "andr",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T03:39:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240740",
          "commentText": "I've been coding for quite a few years, but it was Godel's Proof that got me into the theoretical parts of computer science (even though it's a logic book). Strongly recommended. Godel, Escher, and Bach is the usual book to read after Godel's Proof.\nUniversal Principles of Design - great when you need some UI inspiration.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Universal Principles of Design - great when you need some UI inspiration.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a source of UI inspiration.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for UI inspiration.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Lidwell, Kritina Holden, and Jill Butler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Art"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "design principles",
        "visual design",
        "interaction design",
        "ui design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-if-serious-scientific-answers-to-absurd-hypothetical-questio-8a3636",
      "title": "What If?: Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions",
      "author": "Randall Munroe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18662208,
          "author": "earthicus",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T08:09:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18662208",
          "commentText": "Ofer Gal - Baroque Science. A highly academic history of the scientific revolution, not the most readable book. It focused quite a bit on mathematization, especially in optics (and Kepler's optics revolution in particular), and also in observation via instrumentation like telescopes and microscopes.\nPaul Nahin - The Logician and the Engineer. About Boole and Shannon's work; I had already learned the material so i skimmed part of it and returned it to the library.\nIan Mortimer - The time traveler's guide to medieval england. Talks about what daily life was like for different social classes in 14th century England eg towns & cities, food, clothes, housing, employment, travel etc. I got about halfway through and lost interest in the subject matter.\nLucio Russo - The forgotten Revolution. A very readable academic history of the development of science in ptolomaic egypt (eg euclid, archimedes, etc). This was certainly the most surprising book I read all year. This time period has been almost completely deleted from history, which jumps straight from aristotle to the renaissance (with a quick stop in the islamic world if you're being spoiled), and their achievements were incredibly impressive!\nJim al-Khalili - The House of Wisdom. A pop-history book about arabic science that i got from the library. I was wary because it's written by a particle physicist and not a historian, and sure enough it is filled with so much nonsense that I through it down in disgust after a few chapters.\nColin Pask - Magnificent Principia. A brief tour of some of the highlights of Newton's Principia, using both newton's geometric diagrams and modern notation. Following the modern notation of course assumes some basic calculus. Highly recommended - it made me want to learn old fashioned celestial mechanics! Perhaps in 2019...\nRandall Munroe - What if. A fun light read about whimsical scenarios.\nSigmund - Exact thinking in demented times. About the vienna circle, the philosophical group associated with logical positivism.\nNewman [ed] - The world of mathematics vol 1. A varied Collection of mathematical writings, both contemporary and historical.\nRichard J Evans - The Coming of the Third Reich. Evans has recently written a three volume treatment of the third Reich. this is of course the first and starts with the origins of the modern form of antisemitism in the late 19th century. I hope to read the next two in 2019!\nRobert Harper - Practical foundations for programming languages. I've mostly just skimmed it so my understanding is quite superficial, maybe in a year or two I'll go through and do all the exercises. I liked that he avoided 'paradigms' and developed the subject more systematically. The book's table of contents is absolutely irresistible!\nTolkien - the Hobbit. I finally got around to reading it... I didn't care for it. I started the lord of the rings but i don't think i'm going to finish it.\nMichael Chriton - Jurassic Park. The movie was better.\nAgatha Christie - Murder on the Orient Express. I think i just don't like fiction. The few years before this I tried reading more fancy literature and i didn't like that, so this year I tried more popular literature... Recently i heard someone say they thought that history spoiled fiction for them. I think I've suffered the same problem.\nFindlay & O'Rourke - Power and Plenty. (in progress) An economic history of the 2nd millennium, absolutely fascinating so far. The discussion of the black death was particularly memorable. It's become something of a meme to point out how the peasant survivors were economically better off than their parents and grandparents. In fact that effect was limited to western europe. In eastern europe the economics were different and feudalism deepened, and in the arab world the reaction was different still: (if i remember my reading correctly) it was certain sects of military men who came out on top. I'm bringing it up because it is a perfect reminder that reality is more complicated than memes.\nRobert Harper - Programming in Standard ML. (in progress) Online notes about functional programming.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A fun light read about whimsical scenarios.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as a fun, light read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A light read about whimsical scenarios.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13242199,
          "author": "nojvek",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-23T02:00:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13242199",
          "commentText": "Randallstown Monroe's \"what if?\"  From the creator of xkcd. It's a fun and insightful read on how much goes and analyzes the hypothetical questions",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a fun and insightful read",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it fun and insightful and says it analyzes hypothetical questions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238121,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:01:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238121",
          "commentText": "Last year I gave myself a Zuckerberg-style goal to read a book every two weeks. It started well, but some months were harder than others (usually when the book wasn't very good, so I would switch to podcasts for a few weeks, before getting back on track).\nHere's an unordered list of the best:\n[BUSINESS / SELF-IMPROVEMENT]\n- \"Work Rules!\" - about Google's culture and values\n- \"Search Inside Yourself\" - about mindfulness, meditation, and the impact on your life.\n- \"What got you here won't get you there\" - Liked a lot more than I expected.\n- \"Re-read Innovator's Dilemma\" - a great classic; never gets old.\n- \"How will you measure your life\" - from the same author. Also excellent.\n- \"The Best Service is No Service\" - good overview on why Amazon's customer service is so good\n- \"Crucial Conversations\" - half is common sense; half is good tips to practice everyday.\n[PROGRAMMING]\n- \"Fluent Python\" - was afraid it'd be too basic, but not really. Enjoyed it a lot.\n- \"Think Complexity\" - about algorithm complexity, data structures, etc. Great read.\n- \"Python Data Science Handbook\" - meh.\n- \"Fundamentals of Deep Learning\" - good intro. Helped me solidify some concepts from Andrew Ng's ML course\n- \"Deep Learning\" - by Goodfellow and Bengio. Just started, but really liking it.\n[STARTUPS] (all excellent; in order)\n- \"The Hard Things about Hard Things\"\n- \"Zero to One\"\n- \"The Founder's Dilemmas\"\n- \"The Launch Pad\"\n[FICTION]\n- Trilogy: \"Off to be a wizard / An Unwelcome Quest / Spell or High Water\"\n- \"Infinite Jest\" - tried but failed to finish. May try again later.\n- \"Ready Player One\" - nice, but repetitive after a while. Good read before the movie comes out.\n[NON-FICTION]\n- \"What If?\" - xkcd FTW\n- \"How to Read a Book\" - good concepts, but should be a 10 pages blog post, not a book\n- \"Spark\" - Science of the Exercise and the Brain - Long, but good\n- \"Sugar Shock\" - still reading; hopefully will help me cut my sweet cravings\n[BIOGRAPHIES]\n- \"The New New Thing\" - about Jim Clark's life, one of the very first entrepreneurs\n- \"Machines of Loving Grace\" - about the research and the rise of AI\n- \"Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution\"\n- \"The Second Coming of Steve Jobs\" - About Pixar's story. Liked more than Isaacson's biography\n- \"The Innovators\" - great summary of computer industry, from the 1800's till today\n- \"Ghost in the Wires\" - Kevin Mitnick's story. Had started years ago, but finally finished it\n- \"Idea Man\" - about Paul Allen's story. Quite an impressive man.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"What If?\" - xkcd FTW",
          "reason": "Included in the comment’s unordered list of best books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783459,
          "author": "Sherlock",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:37:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783459",
          "commentText": "\"The Magicians\", \"The Magician King\", \"The Magician's Land\" - Lev Grossman. 4/5\n\"Inside Job\" - Connie Willis. 4/5\n\"Norwegian Wood (Tokio Blues)\" - Haruki Murakami. 4/5\n\"Old Man's War\" - John Scalzi. 5/5\n\"Persepolis\" - Marjane Satrapi. 5/5\nNon fiction:\n\"The 10,000 year explosion\" about recent evolution. 3/5 ton of evidence for their thesis, but lacks predictions.\n\"What if\" well known by HN. 5/5\n\"The nurture assumption\" about education, 2/5. Maybe a 4/5 when it was published, but now their ideas are in the water supply.\n\"The man who mistook his wife for a hat\", by Oliver Sacks 4/5. Several stories about neurological deficits.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"What if\" well known by HN. 5/5",
          "reason": "Rated 5/5.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8258072,
          "author": "Nogwater",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T15:23:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8258072",
          "commentText": "what if? - Randall Munroe - https://whatif.xkcd.com/book/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "what if? - Randall Munroe",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Randall Munroe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hypothetical questions",
        "popular science",
        "physics",
        "science humor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "where-the-red-fern-grows-835734",
      "title": "Where the Red Fern Grows",
      "author": "Wilson Rawls",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5832482,
          "author": "wj",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T14:08:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5832482",
          "commentText": "Using best and favorite interchangeably as literature is a pretty subjective subject:\nAs a kid: Where the Red Fern Grows\nAs an adult: The Dharma Bums",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "As a kid: Where the Red Fern Grows",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1731346,
          "author": "squidsoup",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-27T11:39:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1731346",
          "commentText": "I think Where the Red Fern Grows was the first book I read as a kid that had any genuine emotional impact - I distinctly remember ending up in tears. I hope my son will get as much out of it when he's a bit older.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Where the Red Fern Grows was the first book I read as a kid that had any genuine emotional impact",
          "reason": "The commenter recalls its strong emotional impact and hopes their son will enjoy it.",
          "audience": "The commenter's son when he is older.",
          "caveat": "The commenter remembers ending up in tears.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1724771,
          "author": "SHOwnsYou",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-24T18:29:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1724771",
          "commentText": "If you actually want literature, my favorite book as a child was Where the Red Fern Grows. If they are around 14+ there are some great, captivating Hemmingway books. A Farewell to Arms, Island in the Stream, A Movable Feast, and The Garden of Eden (In that order).\nI keeping editing as I think of new things. This may sound odd, but if they are in the 14+ range, How to Win Friends and Influence People is great. It changed a lot for me.\nWhen I was like 9 I got the book How to be Twice as Smart and it taught me a ton of mental tricks.\nThis book taught me a lot (probably if the boy is like 10 or 12+?)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Backyard-Ballistics-Cannons-Cincinnati... (http://www.amazon.com/Backyard-Ballistics-Cannons-Cincinnati-Dynamite/dp/1556523750/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1285352917&sr=1-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "my favorite book as a child was Where the Red Fern Grows.",
          "reason": "Names a childhood favorite in response to a request for books for boys.",
          "audience": "Children.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875808,
          "author": "Radix",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T02:41:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875808",
          "commentText": "\"Les Miserables\", I hated Thenardier, Javert too until I learned to pity him... The book rambles a bit, but it's wonderful.  In parts uplifting and crushing.  I don't communicate well enough to express how much I think of it.\n\"Where the Red Fern Grows\", I believe it was the first book of quality writing and compelling characters I read.  A perfect book for a seven or eight year old boy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Where the Red Fern Grows\", I believe it was the first book of quality writing and compelling characters I read. A perfect book for a seven or eight year old boy.",
          "reason": "Praises its writing and characters and calls it perfect for a young reader.",
          "audience": "Seven or eight year old boys.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Wilson Rawls"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coming of age",
        "animal stories",
        "animal fiction",
        "animal story"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "yertle-the-turtle-and-other-stories-fe2149",
      "title": "Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories",
      "author": "Dr. Seuss",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50038003,
          "author": "spottedmarley",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-10T22:58:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50038003",
          "commentText": "Damn, it's like you were in my head and plagiarized my memories! Good list\nThe only one I didn't have is Yertle The Turtle",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The only one I didn't have is Yertle The Turtle",
          "reason": "The commenter says this was the only title from the prior list they did not have.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 50037878,
          "author": "NishanStepak",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-10T22:37:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50037878",
          "commentText": "I have always liked The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter, Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, Chicken Soup With Rice by Maurice Sendak, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss and Yertle The Turtle by Dr. Seuss.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Yertle The Turtle by Dr. Seuss",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have always liked it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33803362,
          "author": "Joel_Mckay",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T16:44:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33803362",
          "commentText": "\"The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics\" (Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, Alastair Smith)\n\"Outliers: The Story of Success\" (Malcolm Gladwell)\n\"Data-Driven Science and Engineering: Machine Learning, Dynamical Systems, and Control\" (Steven L. Brunton, J. Nathan Kutz)\n\"Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories\" (Dr. Seuss)\n\"The Lorax\" (Dr. Seuss)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories\" (Dr. Seuss)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12244902,
          "author": "flubert",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T01:30:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244902",
          "commentText": "Get a couple of the collections of Dr. Seuss.\nCan't help but think that in addition to \"Yertle\", that \"Sneetches\", \"Horton Hears a Who\", and \"The Grinch who Stole Christmas\" are all timeless masterpieces.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Six-Seuss-Treasury-Dr-Classics/dp/067... (https://www.amazon.com/Six-Seuss-Treasury-Dr-Classics/dp/0679821481/)\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Hatful-Seuss-Favorite-Sneetches-Barth... (https://www.amazon.com/Hatful-Seuss-Favorite-Sneetches-Bartholomew/dp/0679883886/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Can't help but think that in addition to \"Yertle\", that \"Sneetches\", \"Horton Hears a Who\", and \"The Grinch who Stole Christmas\" are all timeless masterpieces.",
          "reason": "Calls the named stories timeless masterpieces.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12244502,
          "author": "wilwade",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T00:03:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244502",
          "commentText": "No kids books have been listed, but I have found them all too often enlightening. Sometimes even more than an adult book.\nI and my kids have enjoyed all of Graeme Base's books, but The Eleventh Hour is particularly good and have given it to many kids and adults:\nhttp://graemebase.com/book/the-eleventh-hour/\nI am also thinking about giving Yertle the Turtle By Dr. Seuss out to anyone I meet before the election:\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yertle_the_Turtle_and_Other_St... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yertle_the_Turtle_and_Other_Stories)\nI have given many Dr. Seuss books away as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I am also thinking about giving Yertle the Turtle By Dr. Seuss out to anyone I meet before the election",
          "reason": "Plans to give the book to people before the election.",
          "audience": "People the commenter meets before the election",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dr. Seuss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Parenting"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s literature",
        "fables",
        "picture books",
        "children s stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "zones-of-thought-142d58",
      "title": "Zones of Thought",
      "author": "Vernor Vinge",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36021752,
          "author": "atlasunshrugged",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:08:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021752",
          "commentText": "Seconded",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seconded",
          "reason": "Agrees with the parent comment’s recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021231,
          "author": "hunterjrj",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:29:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021231",
          "commentText": "The Zones of Thought series by Vernor Vinge, and A Deepness in the Sky in particular.\nIf you check the series out, and I highly recommend you do, read it in order. Which would mean starting with A Fire Upon the Deep, which is excellent.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Zones of Thought series by Vernor Vinge",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the series and says to read it in order.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Read in order, starting with A Fire Upon the Deep.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11703094,
          "author": "brotchie",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-15T22:30:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11703094",
          "commentText": "How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia: A Novel - Mohsin Hamid. This is my book of choice for the year: I read it cover-to-cover in a single day. Refreshingly written in second-person perspective, totally engaging.\nFinally read the Zones of Thought series by Vernor Vinge. Love his slight twist on physics that allows for for both post-singularity tech and low-tech to exist in the same universe.\nThe Dark Forest by Cixin Liu (second book in the Remembrance of Earth's Past translated from Mandarin) had a bit of a slow start, but really built up to a good finale.\nElon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future - Ashlee Vance. Good read and made me really appreciate what Elon has done through financially to get Tesla and SpaceX up.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Love his slight twist on physics that allows for for both post-singularity tech and low-tech to exist in the same universe.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they love the series' speculative twist on physics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6388456,
          "author": "Nekorosu",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T08:16:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6388456",
          "commentText": "Everything from Vernor Vinge is top notch. Start with A Fire Upon the Deep. If you like it read the other two books of the trilogy. It's a space opera by degree of events but it never gets cheesy. The amount of ideas put into these books never cease to amaze me.\nRudy Rucker's Postsingular followed by Hylozoic are great books. It's a rather humorous view on postsingular way of life. It's hard to describe his books and Rucker's writing style is not everyone's cup of tea but William Gibson likes it.\nAlso if you haven't read anything from Michael Swanwick you should give his books a try. It's not strictly science fiction because he likes to slide into more psychedelic and surreal areas of fiction. But I consider that his charm. Start with The Iron Dragon's Daughter.\nI also have to mention Cory Doctorow's Down and Out In the Magic Kingdom. I actually don't really like Doctorow's works. Some of them are boring. But this particular book is an exception and absolutely worth reading. A lot of interesting ideas are in play there including reputation based currency, eternal life (through ability to backup/restore body and memories) and extreme transhumanism.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you like it read the other two books of the trilogy.",
          "reason": "Recommends the other two books if the reader likes the first.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The other two books are not named in the comment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vernor Vinge"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "first contact",
        "post singularity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "algorithms-4b5d3b",
      "title": "Algorithms",
      "author": "Robert Sedgewick and Kevin Wayne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29225042,
          "author": "musicale",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-15T08:24:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29225042",
          "commentText": "The annoying thing as you note is that in the long run Sedgewick >> Leetcode but in the short run it's probably reversed as whiteboard interviews often present algorithm puzzles that are variants of \"have you seen this trick before?\" and closer to Leetcode questions.\nI wonder though if \"programming contest\" (usually more like \"algorithm puzzle contest\") books like Skiena's might be useful, though I can't help but think that doing an algorithms course first shouldn't be useless.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The annoying thing as you note is that in the long run Sedgewick >> Leetcode",
          "reason": "Says Sedgewick is more useful for long-term growth, while LeetCode may suit short-term interview preparation better.",
          "audience": "Readers balancing long-term learning with interview preparation.",
          "caveat": "Whiteboard interviews often test familiarity with puzzle tricks.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29223126,
          "author": "cloverich",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-15T02:57:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29223126",
          "commentText": "Sedgewick is a masterpiece but also overkill for interview prep. Interviews are mostly trivia and for that leet codes volume is your friend. Buy sedgewick for your long term growth but it will stand in the way of any near term interview prep, at least it did for me.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Sedgewick is a masterpiece but also overkill for interview prep.",
          "reason": "Praises the book for long-term growth, while saying it gets in the way of near-term interview preparation.",
          "audience": "Readers focused on long-term growth in algorithms.",
          "caveat": "Overkill for interview prep; may hinder near-term preparation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29220975,
          "author": "morty_s",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T21:38:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29220975",
          "commentText": "CLRS does about 5 pages on linked lists. If you want more, my advice would be to implement one in your language of choice, then look at the API for the standard lib impl of a linked list in your language of choice (if there is one).\nOtherwise, for more reading on linked lists, read through adlist.c from redis, by antirez.\nNext, one of the best books (IMO) on algorithmic thinking is SICP. Get through a few chapters, do the exercises, grok recursion, etc.\nIn no particular order:\nAlgorithm Design Manual, Skiena\nAlgorithm Design, by Kleinberg/Tardos\nAlgorithms, Sedgwick 4th ed. (also Algorithms in C)\nIf you find you need or would like more math:\nDiscrete Mathematics (Epp is an easier read, Rosen seems more verbose)\nMathematical Proofs, Charrand\nFor interview prep:\nElements of Programming Interviews (EPI)\nDesigning Data Intensive Applications",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Algorithms, Sedgwick 4th ed. (also Algorithms in C)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29218002,
          "author": "alanfranz",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T16:06:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29218002",
          "commentText": "My personal favourite is Sedgewick & Wayne's _Algorithms_.\nhttps://algs4.cs.princeton.edu/home/\nYou can even find an excellent two-part MOOC on Coursera:\nhttps://www.coursera.org/learn/algorithms-part1\nhttps://www.coursera.org/learn/algorithms-part2\nMaybe it's not the \"purest\" class or book, but it's engaging and it lets you understand how algos work AND how to use them in practice.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "My personal favourite is Sedgewick & Wayne's _Algorithms_.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is engaging and helps readers understand how algorithms work and how to use them in practice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may not be the “purest” class or book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14486836,
          "author": "Insanity",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T11:34:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14486836",
          "commentText": "In addition to those already mentioned here, I enjoyed the book 'Algorithms' by Robert Sedgewick & Kevin Wayne.\nThe algorithms are explained, and demonstrated (in java). But with the knowledge of how the algorithm works you should be able to use them in another language.\n(And even though henrik_w already mentioned it, Code Complete2 is a really good book to read!)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In addition to those already mentioned here, I enjoyed the book 'Algorithms' by Robert Sedgewick & Kevin Wayne.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed it and explains that understanding the algorithms makes them usable in other languages.",
          "audience": "Readers learning algorithms who want to apply them in different programming languages.",
          "caveat": "Examples and demonstrations use Java.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Sedgewick",
        "Kevin Wayne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "data structures",
        "algorithm implementation",
        "java"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "around-the-world-in-eighty-days-c1b59d",
      "title": "Around the World in Eighty Days",
      "author": "Jules Verne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22723412,
          "author": "BenjiWiebe",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T22:35:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22723412",
          "commentText": "When I read the mysterious island for the first time, I thought of Jules Verne in terms of Journey to the Center of the Earth, or Around the World in 80 Days. The Mysterious Island absolutely bowled me over with the science and engineering.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Around the World in 80 Days",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20918199,
          "author": "idoubtit",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T13:58:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20918199",
          "commentText": "When I was a child, I loved Jules Vernes' novels. My favorite were \"L'île mystérieuse\" et \"Michel Strogoff\". I've read them again after a few decades, and I enjoyed them both.\n\"L'île mystérieuse\" is the survival adventure of a small and disparate group, but the main theme is how science can dominate nature. The mystery part is better enjoyed if the reader knows a bit of Jules Verne' other books.\n\"Michel Strogoff\" is a pure and romantic adventure in Russia, at the time of the Tatar invasions. It was sometimes brutal for a child reader, but I could still remember many scenes thirty years later.\nOther good novels are \"Voyage au centre de la terre\", \"Vingt-mille lieues sous les mers\", \"Cinq semaines en ballon\", \"Le tour du monde en 80 jours\", \"Les indes noires\". I've a few others which I enjoyed at a lesser point.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Le tour du monde en 80 jours\"",
          "reason": "Includes it among other good novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20916559,
          "author": "Fnoord",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T09:30:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20916559",
          "commentText": "Macbeth. I was forced to read it for English class (am non-native speaker) and this is the book I remember.\nJules Verne - Around The World In 80 Days I read a translation of.\nImmanuel Kant - An Answer to the Question: \"What is Enlightenment?\nIn the end, there is a lot of old text which I haven't read. Probably too much...",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Jules Verne - Around The World In 80 Days I read a translation of.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Read in translation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20915584,
          "author": "achilleslinux",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T06:08:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20915584",
          "commentText": "I really like books written by Jules Verne. Those books were really ahead of its time. He was a prolific and best Sci-fi writer. I would like to mention few of his works like 20,000 leagues under the sea, journey to the center of earth and  Around the World in Eighty Days.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jules_Verne",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Around the World in Eighty Days",
          "reason": "Praises Verne's books as ahead of their time and names this as one of his works.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20914527,
          "author": "iBelieve",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T01:36:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914527",
          "commentText": "The Bible.\nMysterious Island (1874), Around the World in Eighty Days (1873), and other books by Jules Verne.\nBooks by James Fenimore Cooper.\nThe Sea-Wolf (1904) by Jack London.\nThe Count of Monte Cristo (1844) by Alexandre Dumas.\nOliver Twist (1839) by Charles Dickens.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Around the World in Eighty Days (1873)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1726022,
          "author": "kingofspain",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-25T01:14:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1726022",
          "commentText": "Jules Verne. Any would be good, but particularly Around the World in Eighty Days.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "particularly Around the World in Eighty Days.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a particularly good choice among Jules Verne's books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jules Verne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure",
        "travel",
        "19th century fiction",
        "travel adventure"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "commodore-a-company-on-the-edge-f0654f",
      "title": "Commodore: A Company on the Edge",
      "author": "Brian Bagnall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17204961,
          "author": "kken",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T13:14:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17204961",
          "commentText": "This. Also\n\"Spinoff\" by Charlie Sporck - early Silicon Valley history on Semi companies\n\"Commodore - a company on the edge\" by Brian Bagnall\n\"Only the paranoid survive\" by Andy Grove - Intels switch to Microprocessors. (Interestingly you can see in the book that he realized the power of the internet, but failed to act on it to some extend)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Commodore - a company on the edge\" by Brian Bagnall",
          "reason": "Listed as a book recommendation; no further evaluation is given.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17204959,
          "author": "olavgg",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T13:14:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17204959",
          "commentText": "Commodore a company on the edge! Great book about the individuals involved in management and engineering creating the famous 6502 microprocessor and how they built a best selling computer company world wide. Why they struggled in the US, but dominated in Europe. That book should be converted to a short tv-series. Jack Tramiel would be an awesome character, brutal and kind!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Commodore a company on the edge! Great book",
          "reason": "Praised as a great book about the people and engineering behind Commodore and its success as a computer company.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8258148,
          "author": "phowat",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T15:36:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8258148",
          "commentText": "You are right about the technical details part, it is indeed lacking. \nAnd the commodore book seems very interesting. I'll be sure to check it after.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the commodore book seems very interesting. I'll be sure to check it after.",
          "reason": "Says the book seems interesting and plans to check it out.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8258083,
          "author": "drtse4",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T15:25:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8258083",
          "commentText": "I found it quite \"meh\" by the end, too much details about their private lives and didn't like the hyperboles when describing more \"technical\" stuff (e.g. when they built the engine for commander keen, described as something revolutionary never done before, i don't remember it was the case...)\nRead that after the GREAT \"Commodore: A company on the edge\" and was expecting something with more gritty details (both technical and about the business) was somewhat disappointed.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the GREAT \"Commodore: A company on the edge\"",
          "reason": "Explicitly praises the book as great and says they expected similarly gritty technical and business detail.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Bagnall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "commodore",
        "computer industry",
        "computer industry history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "free-as-in-freedom-richard-stallman-s-crusade-for-free-software-6338d7",
      "title": "Free as in Freedom: Richard Stallman's Crusade for Free Software",
      "author": "Sam Williams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22710720,
          "author": "RMPR",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T12:25:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22710720",
          "commentText": "I wonder why\nFree as in freedom, Sam Williams\nWasn't mentioned (maybe it's too recent?), the book is written as biographical snapshots of Richard Stallman, basically the story of the Free software, I think it's a great complement for The Cathedral and the Bazaar which was already mentioned.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Free as in freedom, Sam Williams\nWasn't mentioned (maybe it's too recent?),",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a complement to The Cathedral and the Bazaar; describes it as biographical snapshots about Stallman and free software.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22708572,
          "author": "mitchelldeacon9",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T01:58:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22708572",
          "commentText": "The following is a list of my favorite books on software engineering, cyber-security, and the history of IT business development.\nBowden, Mark (2011) Worm: The First Digital World War\nBrooks, Frederick (1995) Mythical Man-Month, 2nd ed.\nChristensen, Clayton (1997) Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail\nHafner, Katie and Matthew Lyon (1996) Where Wizards Stay Up Late: Origins of the Internet\nHunt, Andrew and David Thomas (1999) Pragmatic Programmer\nMacCormick, John (2012) Nine Algorithms that Changed the Future\nMcConnell, Steve (2004) Code Complete, 2nd ed.\nMitnick, Kevin and William Simon (2002) Art of Deception\nPoulsen, Kevin (2011) Kingpin: How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cyber-Crime Underworld\nRaymond, Eric (2003) Art of Unix Programming\nStone, Brad (2013) The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon\nTorvalds, Linus and David Diamond (2001) Just for Fun: Story of an Accidental Revolutionary\nWallace, James and Jim Erickson (1992) Hard Drive: Bill Gates and Making of the Microsoft Empire\nWilliams, Sam (2002) Free as in Freedom: Richard Stallman's Crusade for Free Software\nWilson, Mike (1996) The Difference between God and Larry Ellison: Inside Oracle Corp",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Williams, Sam (2002) Free as in Freedom: Richard Stallman's Crusade for Free Software",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17205698,
          "author": "emodendroket",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T14:42:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205698",
          "commentText": "Maybe a bit more of a downer than you have in mind, but I read Surveillance Valley by Yasha Levine and I thought parts were interesting, especially the discussion of the links between TOR and US intelligence.\nSeibel's Coders at Work is really fascinating and it's great to get all these different perspectives, some of them really tearing down current orthodoxy (like the interview about how nobody really reads code or jwz making fun of software blogs).\nFree as in Freedom, about Richard Stallman, was also a book I enjoyed reading a lot, although I understand the subject hated it (it's been a while, but I recall it being a pretty sympathetic portrait, but unflattering in parts).\nI'm interested to know if anybody read the Carreyou book about Theranos. It sounds like it could be good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Free as in Freedom, about Richard Stallman, was also a book I enjoyed reading a lot",
          "reason": "The commenter says they greatly enjoyed reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that Stallman hated the book and that it was sympathetic but unflattering in parts.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17205261,
          "author": "ldjb",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T13:50:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205261",
          "commentText": "Free as in Freedom by Sam Williams is quite an interesting book about Richard Stallman and the origins of the free software movement.\nA version revised by Stallman himself is available under the GFDL:\nhttps://ipfs.io/ipfs/QmcGNKQQKnywV4mtAsUFmi9xaYthkoBucwAKGo7... (https://ipfs.io/ipfs/QmcGNKQQKnywV4mtAsUFmi9xaYthkoBucwAKGo7W5CGRVb/free-as-in-freedom-v2.pdf)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Free as in Freedom by Sam Williams is quite an interesting book",
          "reason": "Described as an interesting account of Richard Stallman and the origins of the free software movement.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Richard Stallman and free software history.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that a version revised by Stallman is available.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sam Williams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "richard stallman",
        "free software",
        "free software history",
        "free software movement"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-applied-linear-algebra-vectors-matrices-and-least-c2b0ef",
      "title": "Introduction to Applied Linear Algebra: Vectors, Matrices, and Least Squares",
      "author": "Stephen Boyd and Lieven Vandenberghe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31712667,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-12T08:14:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31712667",
          "commentText": "Seconded.\nThe full name of the book is; Practical Linear Algebra: A Geometry Toolbox. The preface states The subtitle of this book is A Geometry Toolbox; this is meant\nto emphasize that we approach linear algebra in a geometric and\nalgorithmic way (The first edition was named \"The Geometry Toolbox for Graphics and Modeling\").\nPair it with Introduction to Applied Linear Algebra – Vectors, Matrices, and Least Squares by Boyd and Vandenberghe (https://web.stanford.edu/~boyd/vmls/) and you are golden.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pair it with Introduction to Applied Linear Algebra – Vectors, Matrices, and Least Squares by Boyd and Vandenberghe",
          "reason": "Suggested as a companion to Practical Linear Algebra.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31710623,
          "author": "nextos",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-12T02:14:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31710623",
          "commentText": "I work in that area :)\nThe skills needed will vary a lot. Hence my concern about studying H&H. It's a good idea, as real analysis is the foundation. But it will take too much of your time to get to something useful. Probably you should try to learn more applied material in parallel and let both threads merge in the future.\nFor maximum likelihood, you need to learn convex optimization right after real analysis. The canonical reference is [1], but there's also a very simple and pragmatic linear algebra textbook by the same author that also covers some of the optimization basics [2]. This might be a good entry point, certainly easier than Spivak or H&H. There's also [3,4], which you probably know about. These are great and emphasize the modeling part. Maximum likelihood (via EM) is in the appendix, and you don't really need to know a lot of math to get going.\nIf you prefer a Bayesian or a variational point of view, modeling is the really important part. MCMC and message passing algorithms tend to be reused. For high level modeling of study results (e.g. differential expression on complicated designs), Gelman's Stan books [5] are a delight to learn from. If you need to roll your own custom inference, you should learn about graphical data structures such as factor graphs [6,7]. Here, knowhow from H&H is also required.\n[1] https://web.stanford.edu/~boyd/cvxbook/\n[2] https://web.stanford.edu/~boyd/vmls/\n[3] http://eddylab.org/cupbook.html\n[4] https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/problems-and-solutions-... (https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/problems-and-solutions-in-biological-sequence-analysis/38C7399A53970CF4B4499EA036074F35)\n[5] http://www.stat.columbia.edu/~gelman/books/\n[6] http://web4.cs.ucl.ac.uk/staff/D.Barber/pmwiki/pmwiki.php?n=... (http://web4.cs.ucl.ac.uk/staff/D.Barber/pmwiki/pmwiki.php?n=Brml.HomePage)\n[7] https://www.inference.org.uk/mackay/itila/book.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://web.stanford.edu/~boyd/vmls/",
          "reason": "Suggested as a pragmatic linear algebra text that also covers some optimization basics.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an accessible entry point to applied mathematics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is easier than Spivak or Hubbard and Hubbard.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31707523,
          "author": "i-das",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-11T19:36:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31707523",
          "commentText": "Introduction to Applied Linear Algebra – Vectors, Matrices, and Least Squares : https://web.stanford.edu/~boyd/vmls/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Introduction to Applied Linear Algebra – Vectors, Matrices, and Least Squares",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23728159,
          "author": "graycat",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T22:24:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23728159",
          "commentText": "Linear algebra, and more than one such book.\nIMHO long and still the best linear algebra book is\nHalmos, Finite Dimensional Vector Spaces (FDVS).\nIt was written in 1942 when Halmos was an \"assistant\" to John von Neumann at the Institute for Advanced Study.  It is intended to be finite dimensional vector spaces but done with the techniques of Hilbert space.  The central result in the book, according to Halmos, is the spectral decomposition.  One result at a time, the quality of von Neumann comes through.  Commonly physicists have been given that book as their introduction to Hilbert space for quantum mechanics.\nBut FDVS is a little too much for a first book on linear algebra, or maybe even a second book, should be maybe a third one.\nAlso high quality is Nering, Linear Algebra and Matrix Theory.  Again, the quality comes through:  Nering was a student of Artin at Princeton.  There Nering does most of linear algebra on just finite fields, not just the real and complex fields; finite fields in linear algebra are important in error correcting codes.  So, that finite field work is a good introduction to abstract algebra.\nFor a first book on linear algebra, I'd recommend something easy.  The one I used was\nMurdoch,\nLinear Algebra for Undergraduates.\nIt's still okay if can find it.\nFor a first book, likely the one by Strang at MIT is good.  Just use it as a first book and don't take it too seriously since are going to cover all of it and more again later.\nI can recommend the beginning sections on vector spaces, convexity, and the inverse and implicit function theorems in\nFleming, Functions of Several Variables\nFleming was long at the Brown University Division of Applied Math. The later chapters are on measure theory, the Lebesgue integral, and the exterior algebra of differential forms, and there are better treatments.\nAlso there is now\nStephen Boyd and Lieven Vandenberghe, Introduction to Applied Linear Algebra – Vectors, Matrices, and Least Squares\nat\nhttp://vmls-book.stanford.edu/vmls.pdf\nSince the book is new, I've only       looked through it -- it looks like a good selection and arrangement of topics.  And Boyd is good, wrote a terrific book, maybe, IMHO likely, the best in the world, on convexity, which is in a sense is half of linearity.\nSome course slides are available at\nhttp://vmls-book.stanford.edu/\nFor reference for more, have a copy of\nRichard Bellman,\nIntroduction to Matrix Analysis:\nSecond Edition.\nBellman was famous for dynamic programming.\nFor computations in linear algebra, consider\nGeorge E. Forsythe and\nCleve B. Moler,\nComputer Solution of Linear Algebraic Systems\nalthough now the Linpack materials might be a better starting point for numerical linear algebra.  Numerical linear algebra is now a well developed specialized field, and the Linpack materials might be a good start on the best of the field.  Such linear algebra is apparently the main yardstick in evaluating the highly parallel supercomputers.\nAfter linear algebra go through\nRudin, Principles of Mathematical Analysis, Third Edition.\nHe does the Riemann integral very carefully, Fourier series, vector analysis via exterior algebra, and has the inverse and implicit function theorems (key to differential geometry, e.g., for relativity theory) as exercises.\nAll of this material is to get to the main goals of measure theory, the Lebesgue integral, Fourier theory, Hilbert space and Banach space as in, say, the first, real (not complex) half of\nRudin, Real and Complex Analysis\nBut for that I would start with\nRoyden, Real Analysis\nsweetheart writing on that math.\nDepending on the math department, those books might be enough to pass the Ph.D. qualifying exam in Analysis.  It was for me:  From those books I did the best in the class on that exam.\nMoreover, from independent study of Halmos, Nering, Fleming, Forsythe, linearity in statistics, and some more, I totally blew away all the students in a challenging second (maybe intentionally flunk out), advanced course in linear algebra and, then, did the best in the class on the corresponding qualifying exam, that is, where that second course was my first formal course in linear algebra.\nLesson:  Just self study of those books can give a really good background in linear algebra and its role in the rest of pure and applied math.\nNo joke, linear algebra, and the associated vector spaces, is one of the most important courses for more work in pure and applied math, engineering, and likely the future of computing.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Stephen Boyd and Lieven Vandenberghe, Introduction to Applied Linear Algebra – Vectors, Matrices, and Least Squares",
          "reason": "The commenter says its topic selection and arrangement look good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter had only looked through it at the time.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Boyd",
        "Lieven Vandenberghe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "applied linear algebra",
        "linear algebra",
        "applied mathematics",
        "least squares"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "kill-process-232e32",
      "title": "Kill Process",
      "author": "William Hertling",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17750141,
          "author": "filleokus",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T14:04:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17750141",
          "commentText": "The only one I've read in this genre. It was quite enjoyable, and if my memory is correct quite technically plausible. Interesting themes about tech gigants and their influence/power, and some tragic stuff about wife/women abuse.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The only one I've read in this genre. It was quite enjoyable, and if my memory is correct quite technically plausible.",
          "reason": "Reports enjoying the book and finding it technically plausible.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Memory of its technical plausibility may be imperfect.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17749540,
          "author": "zn44",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T12:33:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17749540",
          "commentText": "Kill Process by William Hertling",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kill Process by William Hertling",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to a request for similar novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13118206,
          "author": "headcanon",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-06T20:50:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13118206",
          "commentText": "Besides Kill Process and Seveneves (mentioned elsewhere on this thread), I'm going through the Hyperion Cantos right now, and I can't recommend it enough. Apparently Bradley Cooper is heading up production of a series as well, so good times ahead for that IP.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Besides Kill Process and Seveneves (mentioned elsewhere on this thread)",
          "reason": "Mentions the title in passing without expressing an opinion about it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13118129,
          "author": "headcanon",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-06T20:41:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13118129",
          "commentText": "Just read that myself - highly recommend.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just read that myself - highly recommend.",
          "reason": "Highly recommends the book discussed in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13117529,
          "author": "BjoernKW",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-06T19:29:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13117529",
          "commentText": "Kill Process by William Hertling: http://www.williamhertling.com/books/#kill-process\nIt's near future and the technology isn't that far-out. Most of it is either very real already or at least very believable from today's point of view. So, maybe technically it doesn't count as sci-fi but it's a really great tech thriller anyway.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kill Process by William Hertling:",
          "reason": "Presents the book in response to a request for the best science fiction read that year and calls it a great tech thriller.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may not technically count as science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Hertling"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Computing",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybersecurity",
        "tech thriller",
        "cybercrime thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "learn-to-program-87c7bf",
      "title": "Learn to Program",
      "author": "Chris Pine",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37386755,
          "author": "sanswork",
          "createdAt": "2023-09-05T01:07:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 37386127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best intro to programming book for 2nd graders?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37386755",
          "commentText": "Look up Code Club and their Scratch modules.  I was a volunteer and we had a few kids around that age and they took to it really well.  The instructions are clear and walk them through generating something fun right from the start.\nI've tried Learn to Program from PragProg and a few other books with the older kids I volunteered with and it just never stuck there was just too much of a gap there still between what they do and what they see.  If you do want to go that way though then https://pragprog.com/titles/csjava2/3d-game-programming-for-... (https://pragprog.com/titles/csjava2/3d-game-programming-for-kids-second-edition/) something like that but download all the code examples, show them how to run them then just let them play around with changing things and see how it changes on the screen.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I've tried Learn to Program from PragProg and a few other books with the older kids I volunteered with and it just never stuck",
          "reason": "Reports that the book did not work well with the older kids they taught.",
          "audience": "Older children learning programming.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it never stuck with the children they volunteered with.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37386340,
          "author": "WillPostForFood",
          "createdAt": "2023-09-04T23:54:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 37386127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best intro to programming book for 2nd graders?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37386340",
          "commentText": "I like \"Learn to Program\", by Chris Pine. It is very simple and straightforward. You get students into interactive exercises very quickly. You can preview it online:\nhttps://pine.fm/LearnToProgram/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I like \"Learn to Program\", by Chris Pine. It is very simple and straightforward.",
          "reason": "Calls it simple and straightforward and says students get to interactive exercises quickly.",
          "audience": "Students learning programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3411963,
          "author": "aridiculous",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-31T21:48:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 3380141,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Intro Programming Book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3411963",
          "commentText": "It wasn't bad, but I don't agree with this being recommended as a best first book.\nPine's code uses a fair amount of personal coding preferences without explaining them. To a beginner, this can be extremely confusing.\nHow to Think like a Computer Scientist was a superior introduction in my opinion. It got me excited about learning a language comprehensively.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It wasn't bad, but I don't agree with this being recommended as a best first book.",
          "reason": "Says it is not bad but rejects it as a best first programming book.",
          "audience": "Beginning programmers choosing a first book.",
          "caveat": "The author’s unexplained personal coding preferences may confuse beginners.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3382143,
          "author": "sheff",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-22T16:43:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 3380141,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Intro Programming Book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3382143",
          "commentText": "This is a good suggestion , as the Chris Pine book is a very easy, quick read.\nAlso, the O'Reilly Head First books are usually good - with a fairly light-hearted, humorous approach for starters - and their \"Head First Programming\" book is Python based. ( http://shop.oreilly.com/product/9780596802387.do?sortby=publ... (http://shop.oreilly.com/product/9780596802387.do?sortby=publicationDate#PowerReview) )\nDoes it have to be a book ? Maybe a subscription to something like Code School ( http://www.codeschool.com ) would also be quite cool, as they have courses like \"Try Ruby\" and \"Rails for Zombies\" .",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Chris Pine book is a very easy, quick read",
          "reason": "Says the previously named book is easy and quick to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3381731,
          "author": "xiaoma",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-22T15:13:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 3380141,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Intro Programming Book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3381731",
          "commentText": "I strongly suggest Learn to Program by Chris Pine.\nhttp://pragprog.com/book/ltp2/learn-to-program\nI saw a non-technical friend go through it in the course of about a month last year.  Though the book doesn't teach in Python, it does teach general programming concepts and my buddy is currently doing a lot of Python coding as a grad student.  In fact he credits his programming skills as a giving him a huge edge in his research job.\nThe author did an excellent job of making even basic exercises in the earliest chapters as engaging as they reasonably could be.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I strongly suggest Learn to Program by Chris Pine.",
          "reason": "Strongly suggested as an introductory programming book.",
          "audience": "Non-technical beginners; a friend completed it in about a month.",
          "caveat": "Does not teach Python, though it covers general programming concepts.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris Pine"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "beginner programming",
        "programming education",
        "children s programming",
        "interactive exercises"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "learning-python-a7abeb",
      "title": "Learning Python",
      "author": "Mark Lutz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7798924,
          "author": "iceman_xiii",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-26T06:34:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7798924",
          "commentText": "Have read over half of Learning Python by Mark Lutz (O'Reilly). A good read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Have read over half of Learning Python by Mark Lutz (O'Reilly). A good read.",
          "reason": "Calls it a good read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 121994,
          "author": "mathogre",
          "createdAt": "2008-02-23T13:00:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 121779,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What is the best Python book for a beginner?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=121994",
          "commentText": "Learning Python is an excellent book.  It is what I found most useful for learning the language.  I bought and read many books, and this one is the best I found.  Conversely, Programming Python sucks, even though both are authored by the same person.  (LP is co-authored.)\nThe language docs from python.org are invaluable as a reference, which includes the tutorial.  I invariably download the html tarball and put it on any machine I use for python programming.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Learning Python is an excellent book. It is what I found most useful for learning the language.",
          "reason": "Calls it excellent and says it was the most useful book for learning Python.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 121974,
          "author": "mtts",
          "createdAt": "2008-02-23T10:55:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 121779,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What is the best Python book for a beginner?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=121974",
          "commentText": "If you're posting here, presumably you know how to program already. In that case working through the free \"Dive into Python\" PDF really is the first step you should take. After the first seven chapters you should then be able to make do with the online docs (the remaining chapters cover specialized material like HTML parsing, SOAP calls and test based development which are, in my opinion, not the first thing you should be worried about when learning a new language).\n\"Learning Python\" and especially \"How to think like a computer scientist\" are targeted towards people with very little programming experience. If that's you, my vote goes to \"How to think like a computer scientist\" (ymmv).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Learning Python\" and especially \"How to think like a computer scientist\" are targeted towards people with very little programming experience.",
          "reason": "Describes its intended audience, but gives the other title the preference.",
          "audience": "People with very little programming experience.",
          "caveat": "The commenter prefers How to Think Like a Computer Scientist.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 121881,
          "author": "fireandfury",
          "createdAt": "2008-02-23T06:16:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 121779,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What is the best Python book for a beginner?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=121881",
          "commentText": "I read about half of Dive Into Python, and it was pretty advanced stuff. It's good if you know another programming language very well. The book starts out slow, but the difficulty curve accelerates very fast. I wouldn't read it cover to cover. It would be a good reference to have though.\nI'd suggest skimming the table of contents of both books first.\nThen again, Dive Into Python is free, so you might as well start with that, and if it's too advanced, switch to Learning Python (I read the first 100 pages of it last summer, and I thought it was good, I'm a fan of O'Reilly).\nIf you really want a beginner book, Learning Python is a great choice. It was just updated too. Good luck.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you really want a beginner book, Learning Python is a great choice.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great choice for beginners.",
          "audience": "Readers who want a beginner Python book.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 121863,
          "author": "matstc",
          "createdAt": "2008-02-23T05:27:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 121779,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What is the best Python book for a beginner?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=121863",
          "commentText": "I went through \"dive into python\", \"learning python\", and the python cookbook by oreilly, in that order. If I had to do it again, I would skip dive into python which I found a bit easy. Cookbooks are usually dry and this one is too, but it does beef up your skills.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I went through \"dive into python\", \"learning python\", and the python cookbook by oreilly, in that order.",
          "reason": "Reports having read it, without evaluating it in this comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 121840,
          "author": "ghiotion",
          "createdAt": "2008-02-23T04:33:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 121779,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What is the best Python book for a beginner?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=121840",
          "commentText": "Yep, I know what you mean.  I've got the O'Reilly \"Learning Python\" book, but I'd love something that covered soup to nuts.  Start with a python interpreter, suggest and IDE (EasyEclipse for LAMP?) and get me to Django.\nMaybe I'm being lazy, but more practical, show me, types of tutorials work best for me.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I've got the O'Reilly \"Learning Python\" book, but I'd love something that covered soup to nuts.",
          "reason": "Mentions owning the book while wishing for a more comprehensive resource.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter wants something with broader end-to-end coverage.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 121823,
          "author": "mronge",
          "createdAt": "2008-02-23T03:49:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 121779,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What is the best Python book for a beginner?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=121823",
          "commentText": "I found Learning Python + the python tutorial by Guido on python.org to be a great way to start",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found Learning Python + the python tutorial by Guido on python.org to be a great way to start",
          "reason": "Says it was a great way to start learning Python.",
          "audience": "Beginners starting Python.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Lutz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming",
        "python",
        "python programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "no-bullshit-guide-to-linear-algebra-7aac8c",
      "title": "No Bullshit Guide to Linear Algebra",
      "author": "Ivan Savov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31707706,
          "author": "kqr2",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-11T19:55:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31707706",
          "commentText": "https://minireference.gumroad.com/l/noBSLA\nThe author is also on HN:\nhttps://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=ivan_ah",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://minireference.gumroad.com/l/noBSLA",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31707395,
          "author": "nsv",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-11T19:22:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31707395",
          "commentText": "Second to No Bullshit Guide to Linear Algebra. It's well written, has plenty of practice problems, and an interesting applications section.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Second to No Bullshit Guide to Linear Algebra.",
          "reason": "Seconding the recommendation; the commenter praises its writing, practice problems, and applications section.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31707304,
          "author": "haneefmubarak",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-11T19:13:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31707304",
          "commentText": "Personally I liked the No Bullshit Guide to Linear Algebra. It kind of builds up things slowly and in a conversational manner, but you can also skip thru pretty quickly if you just need a reference.\nI don't think I've been able to find any particularly good visual LinAlg books - most of what you're trying to achieve is actually quite abstract and I found the classic books a little confusing.\nAs an addendum - if you live stateside, classes at community colleges may be quite inexpensive and fairly approachable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Personally I liked the No Bullshit Guide to Linear Algebra.",
          "reason": "The commenter likes its gradual, conversational presentation and says it can also serve as a reference.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They do not find linear algebra books especially good for visual learning.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7578333,
          "author": "ivan_ah",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T16:45:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578333",
          "commentText": "Recently, I've been reading this mega book that covers a lot of advanced topics in math by Kolmogorov et al. It is nice because it covers a lot of topics w/o in a fairly short text --- it is a brick but it covers 2000 years of knowledge! http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Content-Methods-Meaning-Do... (http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Content-Methods-Meaning-Dover/dp/0486409163)\nFor first-year stuff, I would recommend No bullshit guide to math and physics[1] and the No bullshit guide to linear algebra[2] of which I am the author.\n[1] http://minireference.com/\n[2] http://gum.co/noBSLA",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and the No bullshit guide to linear algebra",
          "reason": "Listed alongside an explicit recommendation for first-year study.",
          "audience": "Learners studying first-year linear algebra.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ivan Savov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "linear algebra"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "teixcalaan-56e020",
      "title": "Teixcalaan",
      "author": "Arkady Martine",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42274658,
          "author": "edanm",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T15:52:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42274658",
          "commentText": "I also read A Tale of Love and Darkness this year, it was great.\nAnd A Desolation Called Peace, or really that series, is one of my favorite SF reads of the last 10 years, I've recommended it often.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "or really that series, is one of my favorite SF reads of the last 10 years, I've recommended it often.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the series is a favorite SF read and that they often recommend it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38567188,
          "author": "disgruntledphd2",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T09:57:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38567188",
          "commentText": "> Teixcalaan #1 & #2, \"A Memory Called Empire\" and \"A Desolation Called Peace\" by Arkady Martine for being very different feeling sci-fi books that are not your typical western-centric fare. Highlights are the language, and that the story feels both very small and contained, and also all-encompassing, at the same time.\nThese were marvellous, well worth reading for any fans of Malazan/other fantasy or sci-fi.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Teixcalaan #1 & #2, \"A Memory Called Empire\" and \"A Desolation Called Peace\"",
          "reason": "Recommended as distinctive science fiction with language and a story that feels both intimate and expansive.",
          "audience": "Fans of Malazan or other fantasy and science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38565821,
          "author": "dwaltrip",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T05:43:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38565821",
          "commentText": "+1 for the Teixcalaan series",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for the Teixcalaan series",
          "reason": "Seconds the parent comment's positive recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38557155,
          "author": "Semaphor",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:06:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557155",
          "commentText": "I re-read the 10 doorstopper long \"Malazan Book of the Fallen\" high fantasy series by Steven Erikson and enjoyed it just as much as I did originally, slightly over a decade ago. Still my favorite series of all time. This took up a pretty big chunk of the year, so most other books were rather light urban fantasy novels.\nBut one other mini-series stood out (potentially going to be a trilogy, but both #1 & #2 can stand alone).\nTeixcalaan #1 & #2, \"A Memory Called Empire\" and \"A Desolation Called Peace\" by Arkady Martine for being very different feeling sci-fi books that are not your typical western-centric fare. Highlights are the language, and that the story feels both very small and contained, and also all-encompassing, at the same time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Teixcalaan #1 & #2, \"A Memory Called Empire\" and \"A Desolation Called Peace\"",
          "reason": "Praised for distinctive science fiction and a story that feels both contained and all-encompassing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the series may become a trilogy, though both books can stand alone.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arkady Martine"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "political science fiction",
        "galactic empire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-prolog-8aa8cd",
      "title": "The Art of Prolog",
      "author": "Leon Sterling and Ehud Shapiro",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16759548,
          "author": "icebraining",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T21:52:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16759548",
          "commentText": "Oh, we used the Art of Prolog in my sw engineering course. It's a good book, although it doesn't cover the newer features of Prolog interpreters, like Constraint Logic Programming, IIRC.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "we used the Art of Prolog in my sw engineering course. It's a good book, although it doesn't cover the newer features of Prolog interpreters, like Constraint Logic Programming, IIRC.",
          "reason": "Calls it a good book while noting that it omits newer Prolog interpreter features.",
          "audience": "Readers studying Prolog and logic programming.",
          "caveat": "It does not cover some newer Prolog features, according to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16759359,
          "author": "abhirag",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T21:32:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16759359",
          "commentText": "On the topic of pretty covers, I love the covers of these two books a lot:\n1. The Art of the Metaobject Protocol (https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/art-metaobject-protocol)\n2. The Art of Prolog (https://www.amazon.com/Art-Prolog-Second-Programming-Techniq... (https://www.amazon.com/Art-Prolog-Second-Programming-Techniques/dp/B01NH0AJJK))\nbut haven't been able to find any other motivation to buy them. Also I have never printed the Common Lisp Quick Reference(http://clqr.boundp.org/clqr-a4-booklet-all.pdf) because I always imagine it having a really pretty cover, and everything I try just falls short.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "2. The Art of Prolog",
          "reason": "Expresses liking for the cover, while saying there is no other motivation to buy it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the cover is the only motivation to buy it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13901619,
          "author": "pvinis",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T15:19:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13901619",
          "commentText": "Art of Prolog was over of the best books I've read. As Prolog itself is one of my favorite languages. I wish there were more of both.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Art of Prolog was over of the best books I've read.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the best books they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13900970,
          "author": "nextos",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T12:24:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13900970",
          "commentText": "I love Paradigms of Artificial Intelligence by Peter Norvig much more than AIMA, which I found excessively encyclopedic and shallow.\nWhile some will argue it is dated, I think it presents many timeless ideas that will get in vogue soon with little tweaks to their inference schemes.\nSame for The Art of Prolog.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Same for The Art of Prolog.",
          "reason": "Extends the preceding positive evaluation to this book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment does not specify which qualities are shared.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leon Sterling",
        "Ehud Shapiro"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "logic programming",
        "prolog"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-cold-start-problem-58b3f1",
      "title": "The Cold Start Problem",
      "author": "Andrew Chen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41547266,
          "author": "FarhadG",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-15T13:01:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41547266",
          "commentText": "This. A friend recommended it and it was SUPER insightful",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This. A friend recommended it and it was SUPER insightful",
          "reason": "Agrees with the parent’s recommendation and says a friend found the book insightful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41546939,
          "author": "yas_hmaheshwari",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-15T11:56:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41546939",
          "commentText": "The Cold Start Problem by Andrew Chen, if your startup idea is in the \"networked product\" domain.  \nI have re-read that book 3 times now, its that good",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Cold Start Problem by Andrew Chen, if your startup idea is in the \"networked product\" domain.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for startups in the networked product domain.",
          "audience": "People building networked products.",
          "caveat": "Applies if your startup idea is in the networked product domain.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35172037,
          "author": "jacktribe",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:47:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172037",
          "commentText": "As someone who is more interested in building the product than marketing it, I found the following recent reads helpful in achieving a balance:\n1. Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey A. Moore - making your product work for the masses\n2. The Cold Start Problem by Andrew Chen - achieving escape velocity, getting viral referral traffic\n3. Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss - it might seem a bit gimmicky but negotiation always comes off gimmicky\nMotivational stories:\n4. The Almanack Of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson\n5. The Founders by Jimmy Soni\n6. The Upstarts by Brad Stone\n7. Hatching Twitter by Nick Bilton\n8. That Will Never Work by Marc Randolph\n9. Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald's by Ray Kroc\nCan't skip:\n10. Zero To One by Peter Thiel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Cold Start Problem by Andrew Chen - achieving escape velocity, getting viral referral traffic",
          "reason": "Helpful for achieving escape velocity and generating viral referral traffic.",
          "audience": "People building products, especially those focused on product over marketing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35171590,
          "author": "fidrelity",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:18:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35171590",
          "commentText": "* Crossing the Chasm\n* The Mom Test\n* The Almanack of Naval Ravikant\n* The Cold Start Problem",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Cold Start Problem",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew Chen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "network effects",
        "marketplaces",
        "startups",
        "viral growth"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-master-switch-the-rise-and-fall-of-information-empires-71afe1",
      "title": "The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires",
      "author": "Tim Wu",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22713312,
          "author": "intopieces",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T18:41:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22713312",
          "commentText": "I second this recommendation and his book \"The Attention Merchants\" as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second this recommendation",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the parent’s recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22707871,
          "author": "cbare",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T23:36:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22707871",
          "commentText": "The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires by Tim Wu\nhttps://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/194417/the-master-s... (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/194417/the-master-switch-by-tim-wu/)\nA great book on history of the information economy over the periods of Radio, Telephone, and cable TV that has a lot to say about how the longer cycles of technology play out.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires by Tim Wu\nhttps://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/194417/the-master-s...\nA great book on history of the information economy over the periods of Radio, Telephone, and cable TV",
          "reason": "Praises its history of the information economy and its account of recurring technology cycles.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14478591,
          "author": "minouye",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T21:28:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478591",
          "commentText": "Flow\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Flow-Psychology-Experience-Perennial-... (https://www.amazon.com/Flow-Psychology-Experience-Perennial-Classics/dp/0061339202)\nAntifragile\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Ince... (https://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Incerto/dp/0812979680)\nHigh Output Management\nhttps://www.amazon.com/High-Output-Management-Andrew-Grove/d... (https://www.amazon.com/High-Output-Management-Andrew-Grove/dp/0679762884)\nThe Master Switch\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Master-Switch-Rise-Information-Empire... (https://www.amazon.com/Master-Switch-Rise-Information-Empires/dp/0307390993)\nThinking Fast and Slow\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-Kahneman/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-Kahneman/dp/0374533555)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Master Switch",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14478086,
          "author": "cocktailpeanuts",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T19:41:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478086",
          "commentText": "The Master Switch : This really puts a lot of things into context, especially if you're in tech industry. It's basically a history of the entire Information Technology, and it's fascinating how same things happen over and over again, pendulums swing back and forth over and over again, and people keep making same mistakes over and over again. Also you can see the larger picture of why some large tech companies make the decisions they make, and how to successfully compete if you are into that.\nYou will become a pessimist for a while after reading this, just because it feels like there's no meaning in all this since everything repeats itself and nothing is forever, but when you recover from it you'll find yourself much more insightful about the industry and can make better decisions.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Master Switch",
          "reason": "The commenter says it provides context on the history of information technology and tech industry cycles.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the tech industry or competition.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says reading it may leave readers pessimistic for a while.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tim Wu"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "media history",
        "information economy",
        "information technology",
        "technology industry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-people-s-tycoon-henry-ford-and-the-american-century-a81c48",
      "title": "The People's Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century",
      "author": "Steven Watts",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36666587,
          "author": "HamptonFounders",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-10T14:01:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36666587",
          "commentText": "Not sure if this is helpful, but a friend fed this conversation through ChatGPT and had it summarize for easier reading:\n-The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy -Bigger by Marc Levinson\n-The Machine That Changed the World: The Story of Lean Production-- Toyota's Secret Weapon in the Global Car Wars That Is Now Revolutionizing World Industry by James P. Womack, Daniel T. Jones, and Daniel Roos\n-Empires of the Sky: Zeppelins, Airplanes, and Two Men's Epic Duel to Rule the World by Erik Larson\n-Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America by Richard -White\n-The Arms of Krupp: The Rise and Fall of the Industrial Dynasty that Armed Germany at War by William Manchester\n-Edison by Edmund Morris\n-Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow\n-The People's Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century by Steven Watts\n-Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler\n-The Victorian Internet by Tom Standage\n-The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood by James Gleick\n-Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age by Michael S. Malone\n-The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester\n-The Innovators by Walter Isaacson\n-Medieval Technology and Social Change by Lynn White Jr.\n-The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation by Jon Gertner\n-Electricity in the 17th and 18th Centuries: A Study of Early Modern Physics by Eric H. Chaney\n-Early Electrical Communication by A. F. Marland\n-Bibliographical History of Electricity and Magnetism by Silvanus P. Thompson\n-Electric Science: Its History, Phenomena, and Applications by J. J. Fahie\n-The History and Present State of Electricity by Andrew Ure\n-https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/\n-De Re Metallica by Georgius Agricola",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The People's Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century by Steven Watts",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books offered in response to the history of technology question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36602209,
          "author": "ughitsaaron",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:53:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36602209",
          "commentText": "+1 to “The People’s Tycoon”",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 to “The People’s Tycoon”",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the parent’s recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36601373,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:00:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601373",
          "commentText": "Here are some histories of specific industries I've read recently and supremely enjoyed:\n- The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger\n- The Machine That Changed the World: The Story of Lean Production-- Toyota's Secret Weapon in the Global Car Wars That Is Now Revolutionizing World Industry\n- Empires of the Sky: Zeppelins, Airplanes, and Two Men's Epic Duel to Rule the World\n- Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America (of all of these not the most amazing but still interesting)\n- The Arms of Krupp: The Rise and Fall of the Industrial Dynasty that Armed Germany at War\nAnd then you can learn a lot by reading about the people who built the industries too. Here are a few I've been reading about recently that I recommend:\n- Edison by Edmund Morris (Just read it backwards, you'll see.)\n- Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow\n- The People's Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century by Steven Watts\n- Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler\nI also got some interesting suggestions asking a similar question on Twitter a bit ago.\nhttps://twitter.com/eatonphil/status/1668625835350454273",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The People's Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century by Steven Watts",
          "reason": "Listed among books about people who built industries that the commenter recommends.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10786160,
          "author": "wushupork",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T22:57:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786160",
          "commentText": "Traction by Justin Mares, Gabriel Weinberg - would probably reread\nGrowth Hacker Marketing by Ryan Holiday\nHow to Fail at Almost Everything by Scott Adams - great read\nScaling Up By Verne Harnish\nGreat By Choice by Jim Collins - love the whole series\nThe Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes - probably worth a reread\nHow to Win at the Sport of Business By Mark Cuban - good read\nElon Mush by Ashlee Vance - need I say more\nThe Hard Thing about Hard Things By Ben Horowitz\nThe Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg - probably need to deeply absorb this - a lot of good stuff\nCopy This! By Paul Orfalea - another good \"small business\" entrepreneur book\nThe E-Myth Revisited By Michael Gerber - 2nd time read. Got more out of it this time.\nThe People's Tycoon (Ford) by Steven Watts - I love reading about businessmen from this age\nScrum by JJ Sutherland Jeff Sutherland - good read for development teams",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The People's Tycoon (Ford) by Steven Watts - I love reading about businessmen from this age",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoys reading about businessmen of this era.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 203628,
          "author": "vena903",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T19:43:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=203628",
          "commentText": "http://www.amazon.com/Peoples-Tycoon-Henry-American-Century/... (http://www.amazon.com/Peoples-Tycoon-Henry-American-Century/dp/0375707255/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1212090149&sr=8-1)\nThe People's Tycoon - Henry Ford and the American Century.\nHe was a lot of things people didn't realize he was and wasn't a lot things people want to believe he was.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The People's Tycoon - Henry Ford and the American Century.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Watts"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "henry ford",
        "american business history",
        "american history",
        "automotive history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-pragmatic-programmer-23e49a",
      "title": "The Pragmatic Programmer",
      "author": "Andy Hunt and Dave Thomas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17082822,
          "author": "skfist",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-16T14:48:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17082822",
          "commentText": "My favorites so far:\n- Pragmatic Thinking & Learning by Andy Hunt\n- The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman\n- The Effective Engineer* by Edmond Lau\n- The Pragmatic Programmer by Andy Hunt and Dave Thomas\n- SQL Performance Explained by Markus Winand\nAnd http://teachyourselfcs.com curriculum is pretty good as well.\nAs a side note, there's so much we can learn from game programmers and OS/database/compiler engineers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Pragmatic Programmer by Andy Hunt and Dave Thomas",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s favorites in a thread asking for books to read when starting a software engineering or computer science career.",
          "audience": "People starting a career in software engineering or computer science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12146249,
          "author": "theincredulousk",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T19:45:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12146249",
          "commentText": "+1 on the Pragmatic Programmer.\nFor anyone that is ready to stop consuming themselves with all things esoteric and start writing generally good code by default.\nIf more devs followed the relatively simple patterns and practices in this book the phrase \"legacy code\" might not be a curse-word.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For anyone that is ready to stop consuming themselves with all things esoteric and start writing generally good code by default.",
          "reason": "Presents it as a guide to writing generally good code through relatively simple patterns and practices.",
          "audience": "Developers ready to focus on practical coding patterns.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12145526,
          "author": "devilsavocado",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T18:16:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12145526",
          "commentText": "Can you explain what you liked about The War of Art? I read it because I have seen it mentioned on this site many times, but I did not enjoy it at all. I found that the first two sections contained very little useful information, and the third got somewhat silly when it started evoking angels and muses. I could see it being a motivational read for some?\nI find it strange that it's mentioned in the same context as your #1 and #3, which I think are absolutely essential.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "your #1 and #3, which I think are absolutely essential.",
          "reason": "Calls it absolutely essential.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12145410,
          "author": "rffn",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T18:04:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12145410",
          "commentText": "- The Pragmatic Programmer (Hunt/Thomas)\n- Computer Architecture - A Quantitative Approach (Hennessy/Patterson)\n- Expert C Programming - Deep C Secrets (van der Linden)\nI woud call the Pragmatic Programmer though by far the most influential.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I woud call the Pragmatic Programmer though by far the most influential.",
          "reason": "Identifies it as by far the most influential book in the list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andy Hunt and Dave Thomas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software development",
        "programming practice"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "we-b32042",
      "title": "We",
      "author": "Yevgeny Zamyatin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21802725,
          "author": "nandreev",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T13:06:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21802725",
          "commentText": "The New Geopolitics of Natural Gas (A. Grigas)\nWe (Y. Zamyatin)\nThe Annotated Turing: A Guided Tour Through Alan Turing's Historic Paper (C. Petzold)\nEndurance (A. Lansing)\nEconomics: The User's Guide (H. Chang)\nOblomov (I. Goncharov)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "We (Y. Zamyatin)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109089,
          "author": "nicholassmith",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:16:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109089",
          "commentText": "Reading two books, We by Yevgeny Zamyatin and The Devil's Cup by Stewart Lee Allen.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Reading two books, We by Yevgeny Zamyatin",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2330041,
          "author": "shantanubala",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-15T23:57:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 2329700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that change your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2330041",
          "commentText": "If you do a search through HN, you'll find some really good recommendations.\nRead The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb (Fooled By Randomness is also good) if you want to peer into the mind of an investor.\nRead Hesse's Siddhartha if you're thinking along the lines of culture/religion/philosophy.\nRead a few Ayn Rand books if you like libertarianism and don't really care to relate to the characters.\nRead We by Yevgheny Zamyatin if you want an interesting allegory that metaphorically compares heaven to a dystopian dictatorship.\nRead Unweaving the Rainbow by Richard Dawkins if you're very interested in the sciences.\nI remember Sebastian Marshall recommending Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa -- I'd recommend it too. It's pretty good, and I was especially interested since I've been doing marshal arts for over 10 years now.\nAnd read Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! no matter how you think. It's fantastic.\nEDIT: More Books!\nI read these when I was in elementary school, but they still hold their value:\nThe Giver by Lois Lowry if you want more dystopias.\nThe Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery if you're feeling especially playful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read We by Yevgheny Zamyatin if you want an interesting allegory",
          "reason": "Recommended as an interesting allegory about heaven and dystopian dictatorship.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in allegory or dystopian fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 141191,
          "author": "SwellJoe",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T22:19:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=141191",
          "commentText": "Read the whole set:\nWe\n1984\nAnthem\nBrave New World\nI love dystopias, and these four have always seemed to work together, to me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read the whole set:\nWe",
          "reason": "Lists it as part of a set of dystopias the commenter loves.",
          "audience": "Readers who love dystopian fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140493,
          "author": "dkokelley",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T03:04:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140493",
          "commentText": "If you liked 1984, then you might also like \"We\" by Yevgeny Zamyatin: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_(novel) (don't follow the link. copy-paste it with the (novel) part.)\nI've never read 1984 (I hope to when I make time), but I understand that they are similar. In fact, I heard that \"We\" was the inspiration for 1984.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If you liked 1984, then you might also like \"We\" by Yevgeny Zamyatin",
          "reason": "Recommends it to readers who liked 1984.",
          "audience": "Readers who liked 1984.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read 1984 and understands the books are similar from what they heard.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140490,
          "author": "nazgulnarsil",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T02:59:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140490",
          "commentText": "depends on the subgenre :)\nSuperhuman:\nSlan by A.E. Van Vogt\nMore Than Human by Theodore STurgeon\nOdd John by Olaf Stapledon\nPost Apocalyptic:\nThe Day of The Triffids by John Whyndham\nEarth Abides by George R. Stewart\nA Canticle for Lebowitz by...don't remember\nSpace Opera/Adventure:\nany of The Culture novels by Iain M. Banks\nThe Reality Dysfunction series by ...don't remember\nHyperion series by Dan Simmons\nTo Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer\nDystopian:\nWe by Yevgeny Zamyatin <---highly overlooked, predates 1984 and Brave New World\nBut the Absolute Best would be anything by:\nStanislaw Lem (Cyberiad, Futurological Congress, Solaris)\nAlfred Bester (The STars my Destination, The Demolished Man)\nor Samuel R. Delany (Babel-17, Dhalgren, Trtion, Nova)\noh and Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light and This Immortal are both great.\nSome of Philip K. Dick's stuff is great, but everyone recommends him. :)\nalmost forgot John Brunner, check out Steel Beach, The Sheep Look Up, and Stand on Zanzibar.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "We by Yevgeny Zamyatin <---highly overlooked, predates 1984 and Brave New World",
          "reason": "Calls it highly overlooked and notes its place before other dystopian novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Yevgeny Zamyatin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopian fiction",
        "dystopian",
        "dystopia",
        "political allegory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-is-mathematics-an-elementary-approach-to-ideas-and-methods-411840",
      "title": "What Is Mathematics? An Elementary Approach to Ideas and Methods",
      "author": "Richard Courant and Herbert Robbins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21348810,
          "author": "m31415",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T20:28:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21348810",
          "commentText": "For mathematics, I would recommend:\n1. \"What Is Mathematics? An Elementary Approach to Ideas and Methods\" by Courant and Robbins -- a general book on mathematics in the spirit of Feynman lectures.\n2. Strogatz's \"Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos\" -- it's a bit narrow in scope (mostly dynamical systems with a little bit of chaos/fractals thrown in) but very good nonetheless.\n3. Tristan Needham, \"Visual Complex Analysis\", beautiful introduction to complex analysis.\n4. Cornelius Lanczos, \"The Variational Principles of Mechanics\" -- this is a physics book, but one of the classics in the subject, and as Gerald Sussman once remarked, you glean new insights each time you read it.\n5. Cornelius Lanczos, \"Linear Differential Operators\" -- an excellent treatment of differential operators, Green's functions, and other things that one encounters in infinite-dimensional vector spaces.  This book has some very intuitive explanations, e.g., why d/dx is not self-adjoint (i.e., Hermitian), whereas d^2/dx^2 is.\nFor chemistry, I would recommend \"General Chemistry\" by Linus Pauling, even though it's a bit outdated.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a general book on mathematics in the spirit of Feynman lectures",
          "reason": "Recommended as a general mathematics book in the spirit of Feynman's lectures.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21348394,
          "author": "cassalian",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T19:37:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21348394",
          "commentText": "More of a general dive into tons of different topics can be found in: \"What Is Mathematics? An Elementary Approach to Ideas and Methods\" by Richard Courant & Herbert Robbins",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"What Is Mathematics? An Elementary Approach to Ideas and Methods\" by Richard Courant & Herbert Robbins",
          "reason": "Offered as a general survey spanning many mathematical topics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21347884,
          "author": "hasitseth",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T18:49:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21347884",
          "commentText": "Calculus And Analytic Geometry\nby Ross L. Finney and George B. Thomas \nis a good introduction to basic calculus. I understand you want something covering everything in math. Courant is the best one and others have written about it a lot.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Courant is the best one and others have written about it a lot.",
          "reason": "Named as the best option for the request for a book covering everything in math.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 755211,
          "author": "WilliamLP",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T14:06:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755211",
          "commentText": "\"What is Mathematics\" by Courant and Robbins is quite good and respected, but it will challenge you: http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Elementary-Approach-Ideas-... (http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Elementary-Approach-Ideas-Methods/dp/0195105192) It may be more advanced then what you're looking for though.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"What is Mathematics\" by Courant and Robbins is quite good and respected, but it will challenge you",
          "reason": "Calls it good and respected, while cautioning that it is challenging.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "May be more advanced than the questioner wants.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Courant",
        "Herbert Robbins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical exposition",
        "elementary mathematics",
        "popular mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "beej-s-guide-to-network-programming-c30408",
      "title": "Beej's Guide to Network Programming",
      "author": "Brian “Beej Jorgensen” Hall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27656244,
          "author": "superchink",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T22:57:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 27650775,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27656244",
          "commentText": "+1 for Beej’s. I took a networking course at UCLA that used it as the textbook and it was great.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for Beej’s.",
          "reason": "Affirms the recommendation and says a UCLA networking course used it as its textbook.",
          "audience": "Networking students.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27656055,
          "author": "ramesh31",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T22:26:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 27650775,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27656055",
          "commentText": "Upvoted for beej. An absolute must read for anyone that works with a TCP/IP based stack.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An absolute must read for anyone that works with a TCP/IP based stack.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends the guide for people working with TCP/IP.",
          "audience": "Anyone who works with a TCP/IP based stack.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27653238,
          "author": "scudd",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T17:07:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 27650775,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27653238",
          "commentText": "I think Beej's Guide to Network Programming is IMO hands down the best resource I've come across:\nhttps://beej.us/guide/bgnet/\nIt also doubles as a very great introduction to C, if that something you're interested in. It's funny because both C and socket level programming are often a barrier, or at least they were for me. It's an attestant to the quality of Beej's guide that he introduces both simultaneously, and makes it very approachable.\nThis is one of those sources that helped me disproportionately grow as a programmer in a short period of time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Beej's Guide to Network Programming is IMO hands down the best resource I've come across",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends it for network programming; also says it introduces C alongside socket programming.",
          "audience": "People interested in C and socket level programming.",
          "caveat": "C and socket programming may be barriers for some learners.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27653163,
          "author": "read_if_gay_",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T16:59:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 27650775,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27653163",
          "commentText": "This and the Ross/Kurose one are definitely the canonical textbooks, but Beej's Guide is a lighthearted and more easily digestible alternative if you don't want to learn everything in detail.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Beej's Guide is a lighthearted and more easily digestible alternative",
          "reason": "Suggested as an easier, lighter alternative to detailed networking textbooks.",
          "audience": "Readers who want a digestible introduction without learning every detail.",
          "caveat": "Less detailed than the canonical textbooks, by implication.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian “Beej Jorgensen” Hall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "network programming",
        "c programming",
        "tcp ip",
        "computer networking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "modern-c-efb1b5",
      "title": "Modern C",
      "author": "Jens Gustedt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33137319,
          "author": "Blackstrat",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-09T00:29:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33137319",
          "commentText": "I agree on K&R and Expert C. I preferred Seacord’s Effective C to Modern C.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I preferred Seacord’s Effective C to Modern C.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33132512,
          "author": "pjmlp",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T14:24:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33132512",
          "commentText": "Regarding K&R C, you should read it for its historical relevance to the C programming language, that is about it, it isn't 1980 any longer.\nSecure C from Oreilly and Modern C from Manning are more relevant in 2022.\nThen have a look into Frama-C and SAL security frameworks, MISRA C, and CERT C coding standards.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Secure C from Oreilly and Modern C from Manning are more relevant in 2022.",
          "reason": "Names it as a more relevant C book for 2022.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for current C programming guidance.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33132501,
          "author": "fhchl",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T14:22:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33132501",
          "commentText": "I recommend \"Modern C\" by Jens Gusted.\nhttps://www.manning.com/books/modern-c\nThe C language can be quite tricky to navigate (at least to me) and this book helped me a lot to understand writing idiomatic code.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend \"Modern C\" by Jens Gusted.",
          "reason": "Recommends the book, saying it helped explain idiomatic C.",
          "audience": "Readers learning to write idiomatic C.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says C can be tricky to navigate, at least for them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33132060,
          "author": "anthk",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T13:20:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33132060",
          "commentText": "From ANSI C to C99 there isn't many changes. Just read K&R C 2nd ed and then the book on Modern C which can be understood in a literal afternoon after doing the K&R one.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "then the book on Modern C",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a follow-up to K&R C.",
          "audience": "Readers learning C who want a sequence of books.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it can be understood in an afternoon after reading K&R.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jens Gustedt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming",
        "modern c",
        "idiomatic c"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "modern-compiler-implementation-7a1073",
      "title": "Modern Compiler Implementation",
      "author": "Andrew W. Appel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 136997,
          "author": "jcl",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-14T18:21:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 136875,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good compiler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=136997",
          "commentText": "We used Appel's book in college, and it wasn't too bad (in the hands of decent professor, of course).  Appel glosses over some subjects, but you really have to if you want to implement the base compiler in a single semester and still maybe have time to implement some of the more interesting features in the second half of the book.\nAbout half our class didn't finish the base compiler.  Fortunately for us, we were using the Java version of the text, so most of the students already knew the implementation language; I know a course at another school using the ML text, and none of them finished their compiler, because they had to learn the language at the same time as coding the compiler.\nHere's an online book that covers interpretation of programming languages in Scheme (touching on functional language compilation in several places):\nhttp://www.cs.brown.edu/~sk/Publications/Books/ProgLangs/200... (http://www.cs.brown.edu/~sk/Publications/Books/ProgLangs/2007-04-26/)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "We used Appel's book in college, and it wasn't too bad",
          "reason": "Describes the book as not too bad in a college course.",
          "audience": "College students taking a compiler course.",
          "caveat": "The evaluation is qualified by the quality of the professor; the book glosses over some subjects.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 136988,
          "author": "vchakrav",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-14T18:12:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 136875,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good compiler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=136988",
          "commentText": "I would say that there are two important things to consider:\n1. Understanding how a compiler works without getting bogged down by programming language details - This means that you should try and look at compilers written in Standard ML or Ocaml (my favorite), since   that would be much easier to follow. For example -- a datatype can be much more succinctly expressed as \n     type any_value = Int | String | Float\nrather than across 4 classes (as in the Java case).\n2. Start small, and understand it in chunks. For these, a lot of web based resources are ideal. For example, to understand regular expressions, it would be nice if you were able to visualize them, and play around with them visually -\nhttp://osteele.com/archives/2006/02/reanimator\nI would also look at simple examples of interpreters, and build up from that, looking at examples of toy compilers:\nhttp://min-caml.sourceforge.net/index-e.html\nThese will help, of course alongside a book like Appel's or the Dragon Book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "alongside a book like Appel's or the Dragon Book.",
          "reason": "Names it as one possible book to use alongside examples and web resources.",
          "audience": "Readers learning compiler construction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 136948,
          "author": "yawl",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-14T17:47:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 136875,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good compiler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=136948",
          "commentText": "Modern Compiler Implementation by Andrew-Appel is a very good introduction book for people to get started on doing a compiler.\nAnd if you want to be more pragmatic, here is a shorter one: \nhttp://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/teaching/2004/CompConstr/NEJ/report.... (http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/teaching/2004/CompConstr/NEJ/report.pdf)\nThe dragon book is a MUST for compiler researcher and people who are serious on compiler, but it is hard to follow, and I do not recommend it as your first compiler book.\nFor ruby, you can take a look of the xruby compiler I did: http://xruby.googlecode.com (google code's server has some problem now, you may have to wait for a while)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Modern Compiler Implementation by Andrew-Appel is a very good introduction book for people to get started on doing a compiler.",
          "reason": "Calls it a very good introduction for getting started with compiler implementation.",
          "audience": "People getting started with compiler construction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 136935,
          "author": "alec",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-14T17:32:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 136875,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good compiler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=136935",
          "commentText": "The nice thing about Appel's book is that you put together a compiler as you go along - it's easier to self-study.  The Dragon Book's compiler project is an appendix.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The nice thing about Appel's book is that you put together a compiler as you go along - it's easier to self-study.",
          "reason": "Praises its hands-on compiler project and suitability for self-study.",
          "audience": "People studying compiler construction on their own.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew W. Appel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "compiler design",
        "college coursework",
        "hands on learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-the-6502-cb5dfd",
      "title": "Programming the 6502",
      "author": "Rodnay Zaks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46781677,
          "author": "andreybaskov",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-27T15:55:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 46778461,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books to learn 6502 ASM and the Apple II",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46781677",
          "commentText": "Original Apple II manuals written by Chris Espinosa and Jef Raskin are a treat to read. Would highly recommend, just to get a sense of what it was like to get onboarded on Apple II back in the day.\nAnd then obviously Programming the 6502 by Rodnay Zaks.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "obviously Programming the 6502 by Rodnay Zaks",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly recommends the book.",
          "audience": "People learning 6502 assembly.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46780437,
          "author": "kurlberg",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-27T14:31:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 46778461,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books to learn 6502 ASM and the Apple II",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46780437",
          "commentText": "Read it as a young teenager, can recommend.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "can recommend",
          "reason": "The commenter read it as a young teenager and recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46779255,
          "author": "Tor3",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-27T12:46:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 46778461,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books to learn 6502 ASM and the Apple II",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46779255",
          "commentText": "Seconded. I bought the first edition of \"Programming the 6502\" way back in the neolithic, and I enjoyed it greatly. I even read parts of it again now and then these days too, just because I like it. \nI used to write assembly on, at first, the AIM-65, and later the Apple II.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I bought the first edition of \"Programming the 6502\" way back in the neolithic, and I enjoyed it greatly.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they greatly enjoyed the book and still reread parts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46778707,
          "author": "einr",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-27T11:42:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 46778461,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books to learn 6502 ASM and the Apple II",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46778707",
          "commentText": "I believe one of the \"standard works\" to learn 6502 back in the day was Programming the 6502 by Rodnay Zaks. It's out of print, but it was printed in a lot of copies so you should be able to find one second-hand.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I believe one of the \"standard works\" to learn 6502 back in the day was Programming the 6502 by Rodnay Zaks.",
          "reason": "Presented as a standard work for learning 6502.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Out of print, though the commenter says many copies are available second-hand.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rodnay Zaks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 4,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "6502 assembly",
        "retro programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "your-money-or-your-life-4bddc4",
      "title": "Your Money or Your Life",
      "author": "Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 44574313,
          "author": "jjice",
          "createdAt": "2025-07-15T18:24:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 44568054,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44574313",
          "commentText": "The most impactful for me was Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez. Made me have a more direct association of time and money and made me focus on the fact free time is more valuable than money (to me) beyond a pretty minimal point.\nRead it at 18 while working at a hardware store. Probably the best thing that could've happened to me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The most impactful for me was Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed how they think about time and money and was one of the best things to happen to them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They say free time is more valuable than money to them beyond a minimal point.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43402807,
          "author": "jjice",
          "createdAt": "2025-03-18T18:18:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 43402403,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book/course/resource for personal finance or financial literacy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43402807",
          "commentText": "Some personal favorites:\n- Your Money Or Your Life\nGreat book on financial independence and simple investing. Get the 2017 version since they made modifications to their investing recs to be less bond centric.\n- I Will Teach You To Be Rich\nThe name is gaudy IMO, but the contents are very rational and cover pretty much all the foundations of personal finance, from investing to budgeting, to enjoying your life. The name feels like a get rich quick thing, but it's about what the other describes as \"living your rich life\" - essentially enjoying your money in addition to saving and investing for the future.\n- The Simple Path To Wealth\nGreat simple investing book. Probably the best investing book for the average person, in my opinion. Well written, to the point, and rational.\nThere are some other great books out there, but those are three solid ones to start with. I Will Teach You To Be Rich is the most catch all based on what you're looking for.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Your Money Or Your Life",
          "reason": "Recommended as a book on financial independence and simple investing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Get the 2017 version; it updates the investing recommendations to be less bond-centric.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40285111,
          "author": "jjice",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T13:19:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40285111",
          "commentText": "Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez is a personal favorite. I re-read every year or so to make sure I'm thinking about my real personal goals. It also makes me trim the fat from my personal budget again each time I read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez is a personal favorite. I re-read every year or so to make sure I'm thinking about my real personal goals.",
          "reason": "A personal favorite the commenter rereads to reflect on goals and trim their budget.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36432088,
          "author": "jjice",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T13:45:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36432088",
          "commentText": "Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez. It made me realize that I don't need much to be happy and live and that it's really possible that I can have complete financial control over my life at an early age.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez.",
          "reason": "It helped the commenter see that they need little to be happy and can gain financial control early.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29815965,
          "author": "TheMerovingian",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-05T22:25:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29815965",
          "commentText": "My recommendation: A Brief History of Progress by Ronald Wright.\nMy Wife's recommendation: Your Money or Your Life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My Wife's recommendation: Your Money or Your Life.",
          "reason": "The commenter reports their wife's recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Recommendation is attributed to the commenter's wife.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15763425,
          "author": "zapperdapper",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T07:18:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15763425",
          "commentText": "Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominguez. Literally changed my life. Also, because of the nature of the program it informs pretty much everything I do and every decision I make. In short: it's not just about money, it's about everything.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominguez. Literally changed my life.",
          "reason": "Says it changed their life and informs nearly every decision they make.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in how money choices connect to broader life decisions.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vicki Robin",
        "Joe Dominguez"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal finance",
        "financial independence",
        "values and money"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-demon-haunted-world-4d499f",
      "title": "The Demon-Haunted World",
      "author": "Carl Sagan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23858924,
          "author": "arethuza",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:48:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858924",
          "commentText": "\"The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark\" by Carl Sagan\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Demon-Haunted_World\nAlso around the age of 8 or 9 I read some Erich von Däniken book and got quite excited by what it contained. However, I eventually realised that it was complete nonsense and I got really affronted that people could write books that contained stuff that wasn't true. A useful lesson!\nEdit: Another one is \"Why People Believe Weird Things\":\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_People_Believe_Weird_Thing... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_People_Believe_Weird_Things)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark\" by Carl Sagan",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17984316,
          "author": "dbs",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-14T02:29:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17984316",
          "commentText": "Demon Haunted World (Sagan). The art of baloney detection and scientific thinking.\nLetters from a Stoic (Seneca). The pursuit of happiness is meaningless, focus on the pursuit of wisdom.\nPoor Charlie's Almanac (Charles T. Munger). A library of mental/thinking models can take you a long way.\nOf Human Bondage (Maugham). What is the meaning of life?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Demon Haunted World (Sagan). The art of baloney detection and scientific thinking.",
          "reason": "Presents it as a book about detecting baloney and scientific thinking in a list answering the life-changing-book question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13967922,
          "author": "arethuza",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T14:23:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13967922",
          "commentText": "\"The Demon-Haunted World\"\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Demon-Haunted_World\nSagan at his most passionate awesome best.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Demon-Haunted World\"",
          "reason": "Calls it Sagan at his passionate, awesome best.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1634128,
          "author": "arethuza",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T20:57:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1634128",
          "commentText": "It doesn't sound corny at all - it really is an extremely good wee book. I occasionally like to debate with people what five books we think everyone should read by the time they leave school - The Demon Haunted World is on my list.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Demon Haunted World is on my list.",
          "reason": "The commenter includes it among five books everyone should read before leaving school.",
          "audience": "People choosing books to read before leaving school.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 199786,
          "author": "lbrandy",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-25T22:49:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 199722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=199786",
          "commentText": "> I'd prefer things not directly technical though not necessarily fiction.\nSounds exactly like me. I strongly suggest:\n1. The Selfish Gene (Richard Dawkins)\n2. The Demon-Haunted World (Carl Sagan)\n...or if you need a little inspiration...\n3. Founders at Work",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2. The Demon-Haunted World (Carl Sagan)",
          "reason": "Suggested as a book to take on vacation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carl Sagan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "scientific skepticism",
        "critical thinking",
        "scientific thinking",
        "skepticism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-principles-of-product-development-flow-second-generation-lean-746646",
      "title": "The Principles of Product Development Flow: Second Generation Lean Product Development",
      "author": "Donald G. Reinertsen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23468067,
          "author": "jrs235",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T16:31:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23468067",
          "commentText": "The Underachiever's Manifesto: The Guide to Accomplishing Little and Feeling Great\nand\nThe Principles of Product Development Flow: Second Generation Lean Product Development",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Principles of Product Development Flow: Second Generation Lean Product Development",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books worth rereading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21905102,
          "author": "jacobkg",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T10:00:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21905102",
          "commentText": "Incredible book!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Incredible book!",
          "reason": "Calls the book incredible.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032925,
          "author": "jrs235",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T19:14:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032925",
          "commentText": "The Principles of Product Development Flow: Second Generation Lean Product Development\nIt changed my understanding and thinking about how best to work flow development. I highly highly recommend this book to coders to managers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It changed my understanding and thinking about how best to work flow development. I highly highly recommend this book to coders to managers.",
          "reason": "Says it changed their thinking about development flow and strongly recommends it.",
          "audience": "Coders and managers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16764230,
          "author": "knightofmars",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-05T12:34:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16764230",
          "commentText": "The Principles of Product Development Flow: Second Generation Lean Product Development\nby Donald G. Reinertsen\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Principles-Product-Development-Flow-G... (https://www.amazon.com/Principles-Product-Development-Flow-Generation/dp/1935401009)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Principles of Product Development Flow: Second Generation Lean Product Development",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about frequently referred-to books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16297560,
          "author": "jrs235",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T13:36:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16297560",
          "commentText": "The one I'm about to finish: The Principles of Product Development Flow: Second Generation Lean Product Development [1]\nWish I had read this years ago! I think every developer can benefit greatly from understanding these principles. Plus if they were more widely known and adopted it would be easier to get other managers to go along with them.\n[1] http://amzn.to/2GL17hs (affiliate link)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The one I'm about to finish: The Principles of Product Development Flow: Second Generation Lean Product Development",
          "reason": "Says every developer can benefit from understanding its principles.",
          "audience": "Developers and managers involved in product development.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donald G. Reinertsen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "product development",
        "lean",
        "lean management",
        "lean product development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "becoming-a-technical-leader-35d8de",
      "title": "Becoming a Technical Leader",
      "author": "Gerald M. Weinberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33800078,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T13:03:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33800078",
          "commentText": "My three favorites from Gerald Weinberg:\n1. 'The Secrets of Consulting: A Guide to Giving and Getting Advice Successfully' I was put off for a decade by the click-bait title but this is a profound little book that helped me get perspective on problem solving in my work and myself.\n2. 'Becoming a Technical Leader' The text is great; working the exercises for yourself will make you a stronger thinker.\n3. 'An Introduction to General Systems Thinking' One of his densest, driest books, but a great summary of the highlights of the field with plenty of thought problems in the exercises and plenty of pointers for digging deeper.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Becoming a Technical Leader'",
          "reason": "The commenter says working through its exercises can strengthen thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910419,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:44:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910419",
          "commentText": "Offhand...\n1. 'The Making of the Atomic Bomb', R. Rhodes\n2. 'Apollo: Race to the Moon', C. Murray, C. Cox\n3. 'The Prize', D. Yergin\n4. 'Are Your Lights On?', D. Gause, G. Weinberg\n5. 'Becoming A Technical Leader', G. Weinberg",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Becoming A Technical Leader', G. Weinberg",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240672,
          "author": "rdoherty",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T02:21:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240672",
          "commentText": "* The Pragmatic Programmer\n* Becoming a Technical Leader\n* In Search of Stupidity\n* Hackers & Painters\n* Blockbusters\n* Joel on Software: And on Diverse and Occasionally Related Matters That Will Prove of Interest to Software Developers, Designers, and Managers, and to Those Who, Whether by Good Fortune or Ill Luck, Work with Them in Some Capacity\n* The Best Software Writing I\n* Behind Closed Doors\n* Managing Humans\n* The Mythical Man-Month\n* Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams\n* The Non-Designers Design Book\n* Founders at Work\n* Good to Great\n* Dreaming in Code\n* The Art of the Start\n* Maverick\n* The Design of Everyday Things\n* The Art of Project Management\n* The Art of Innovation",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Becoming a Technical Leader",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135563,
          "author": "wallflower",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T22:55:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135563",
          "commentText": "\"Becoming a Technical Leader\" by Gerald Weinberg\nUnconventional perspective on management\n\"How Buildings Learn\" by Stewart Brand\nOne of the best books about designing long-term architectures. Excellent coffee table book\n\"Envisioning Information\" by Edward Tufte\n\"Walt Disney\" by Neal Gabler\nExcellent biography of maybe the greatest imagineer ever\n\"The Art of Software Testing\" by Glenford J. Myers\n~100 page classic. The central premise is that the successful test is one that finds bugs/issues not one that doesn't.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Becoming a Technical Leader\" by Gerald Weinberg\nUnconventional perspective on management",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as offering an unconventional perspective on management.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gerald M. Weinberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "technical leadership",
        "management",
        "team management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "chip-war-the-fight-for-the-world-s-most-critical-technology-0ba483",
      "title": "Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology",
      "author": "Chris Miller",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47984710,
          "author": "oumua_don17",
          "createdAt": "2026-05-02T09:03:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 47984463,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47984710",
          "commentText": "The Chip War",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Chip War",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42219077,
          "author": "Brajeshwar",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T03:54:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42219077",
          "commentText": "This year, I decided to read more fiction, and I like it.[1] Here are some of the interesting non-fiction books I liked;\n- Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology by Chris Miller\n- How We Got to Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World by Steven Johnson\n- The Accidental Masterpiece: On the Art of Life and Vice Versa by Michael Kimmelman\n- The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin\n- The TATAS: How a Family Built a Business and a Nation by Girish Kuber\n1. https://brajeshwar.com/2024/books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology by Chris Miller",
          "reason": "Included among the non-fiction books the commenter liked.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40430584,
          "author": "throw0101b",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T16:29:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40430584",
          "commentText": "In rough order:\nThe Rise and Fall of American Growth: The U.S. Standard of Living since the Civil War:\n> In the century after the Civil War, an economic revolution improved the American standard of living in ways previously unimaginable. Electric lighting, indoor plumbing, motor vehicles, air travel, and television transformed households and workplaces. But has that era of unprecedented growth come to an end? Weaving together a vivid narrative, historical anecdotes, and economic analysis, The Rise and Fall of American Growth challenges the view that economic growth will continue unabated, and demonstrates that the life-altering scale of innovations between 1870 and 1970 cannot be repeated. Gordon contends that the nation's productivity growth will be further held back by the headwinds of rising inequality, stagnating education, an aging population, and the rising debt of college students and the federal government, and that we must find new solutions. A critical voice in the most pressing debates of our time, The Rise and Fall of American Growth is at once a tribute to a century of radical change and a harbinger of tougher times to come.\n* https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/26634594\nData Driven: Truckers, Technology, and the New Workplace Surveillance:\n> Long-haul truckers are the backbone of the American economy, transporting goods under grueling conditions and immense economic pressure. Truckers have long valued the day-to-day independence of their work, sharing a strong occupational identity rooted in a tradition of autonomy. Yet these workers increasingly find themselves under many watchful eyes. Data Driven examines how digital surveillance is upending life and work on the open road, and raises crucial questions about the role of data collection in broader systems of social control.\n* https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/60564512\nWhy We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams:\n> Neuroscientist and sleep expert Matthew Walker provides a revolutionary exploration of sleep, examining how it affects every aspect of our physical and mental well-being. Charting the most cutting-edge scientific breakthroughs, and marshalling his decades of research and clinical practice, Walker explains how we can harness sleep to improve learning, mood and energy levels, regulate hormones, prevent cancer, Alzheimer's and diabetes, slow the effects of aging, and increase longevity. He also provides actionable steps towards getting a better night's sleep every night.\n* https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34466963-why-we-sleep\nChip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology (which goes over the history semiconductors, and not just present day events):\n* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_War:_The_Fight_for_the_Wo... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_War:_The_Fight_for_the_World%27s_Most_Critical_Technology)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology",
          "reason": "Says it covers the history of semiconductors as well as present-day events.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38557717,
          "author": "Brajeshwar",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:51:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557717",
          "commentText": "Most of the books I read are influenced by similar threads on HN. This year has not been good overall and it impacted my reading. I need to finish writing the post https://brajeshwar.com/2023/books/\n“How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question” by Michael Schur is a fun book that opens with a good question, “Should I punch my friend in the face for no reason?”\nI have been meaning to and this year I finally read The Diary of a Young Girl.\nFor 2024, here are some of the ones from my list (sorry for the formatting, copied Markdown from my notes);\n- [Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_War:_The_Fight_for_the_Wo... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_War:_The_Fight_for_the_World%27s_Most_Critical_Technology)) by [Chris Miller](https://www.christophermiller.net)\n- [First Principles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Principles_%28book%29) by [Thomas E. Ricks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_E._Ricks_%28journalist%29)\n- [Greenlights](https://greenlights.com) by [Matthew McConaughey](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_McConaughey)\n- How Asia Works: Success and Failure in the World's Most Dynamic Region by Joe Studwell\n- [Poor Economics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poor_Economics): A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty by [Abhijit V. Banerjee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abhijit_Banerjee),  and [Esther Duflo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther_Duflo)\n- Raising An Emotionally Intelligent Child The Heart of Parenting by [John Gottman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gottman), and Joan DeClaire\n- [The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read](https://www.amazon.com/Book-Wish-Your-Parents-Read/dp/198487... (https://www.amazon.com/Book-Wish-Your-Parents-Read/dp/1984879553)): (and Your Children Will Be Glad That You Did) by [Philippa Perry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippa_Perry)\n- [The End Of The World Is Just The Beginning: Mapping The Collapse Of Globalization](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_End_of_the_World_is_just_t... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_End_of_the_World_is_just_the_Beginning)) by [Peter Zeihan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Zeihan)\n- [The Tatas: How a Family Built a Business and a Nation](https://www.amazon.com/Tatas-Family-Built-Business-Nation/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Tatas-Family-Built-Business-Nation/dp/9352779371)) by [Girish Kuber](https://mr.wikipedia.org/wiki/गिरीश_कुबेर), and English translation by Vikrant Pande.\n- [Windfall: The Booming Business of Global Warming](https://www.amazon.com/Windfall-Booming-Business-Global-Warm... (https://www.amazon.com/Windfall-Booming-Business-Global-Warming/dp/1594204012)) by [McKenzie Funk](https://www.mckenziefunk.com)\n- [Dieter Rams: The Complete Works](https://www.amazon.com/Dieter-Rams-Complete-Klaus-Klemp/dp/1... (https://www.amazon.com/Dieter-Rams-Complete-Klaus-Klemp/dp/1838661530/)) by [Klaus Klemp](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaus_Klemp)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "here are some of the ones from my list",
          "reason": "Included on the commenter's reading list for 2024.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as a planned read, not an evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37159076,
          "author": "phronesis",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T09:08:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37159076",
          "commentText": "In a similar vein, \"Chip War\" by Chris Miller is a more recent look at this. Not at all as dry as I expected it to be, surprisingly gripping for someone who didn't previously know much about this. It also provides a lot of historical context for the recent news of TSMC setting up factories in the US and Germany.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Chip War\" by Chris Miller is a more recent look at this.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a more recent look at the subject; says it is gripping and provides historical context.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the chip industry and recent semiconductor news.",
          "caveat": "The commenter had expected it to be dry.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris Miller"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "geopolitics",
        "semiconductors",
        "semiconductor industry",
        "technology geopolitics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "exploding-the-phone-61bd9a",
      "title": "Exploding the Phone",
      "author": "Phil Lapsley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38558641,
          "author": "plapsley",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T16:50:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38558641",
          "commentText": "Author of Exploding The Phone here, thanks for the mention and glad you enjoyed it! One thing I did that I'm pretty proud of is that I put almost all the research documents that I dug up (FOIA, newspaper articles, etc.) up on my website, where you can dig through them.  E.g.: http://explodingthephone.com/search.php?q=blue+box&sort=rele... (http://explodingthephone.com/search.php?q=blue+box&sort=relevance)  (please pardon the lack of https!) And to the other commenter about Evan Doorbell's excellent tapes about phone phreaking: I was lucky enough to get Evan to narrate the Audible version of my book!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I was lucky enough to get Evan to narrate the Audible version of my book!",
          "reason": "Identifies Exploding the Phone as the commenter’s book while discussing its audiobook narration.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38557233,
          "author": "tsujamin",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:13:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557233",
          "commentText": "A pair of books I’d recommend for 2024, which I didn’t get the chance to reread this year, would be:\n- The Ocean at the End of the Lane (Gaiman), which is beautiful in a way I can’t quite describe\n- Century Rain (Reynolds), which is best described as a hard boiled 1930’s noir hard science fiction novel.\nBooks I read this year which I really enjoyed:’\n- Exploding The Phone (Lapsley): Super engrossing description of the phone phreak scene almost from its start to its end\n- Hyperion and sequels (Simmons): Probably one of my favourite science fiction series now, and I’ve already felt the need to go back and re-read passages from it. Also really enjoy how each part of the series (Hyperion, then Fall of Hyperion, then the Endymion books) re-invent the style and the story.\n- The Annotated American Gods (Gaiman, Klinger): 1000’s of footnotes is a great way to revisit the story :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Super engrossing description of the phone phreak scene almost from its start to its end",
          "reason": "Praised as an engrossing account of the phone phreak scene.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18744060,
          "author": "EamonnMR",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T02:38:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744060",
          "commentText": "Exploding the Phone (Phil Lapsley): A history of the Phone Phreak phenomenon. If you've browsed around ancient hacker lore or read textfiles.com, you'll enjoy it.\nGiving Good Weight (John McPhee): Some John McPhee articles. They're very good, as usual, the title article being about farmers markets and told in an experimental style.\nRust: The Longest War (Jonathan Waldman): Explores several different stories tied together by the theme of metal corrosion and the people who contend with it.\nHallucinations (Oliver Sacks): Mostly about what malfunctions of the brains of a few can tell us about how all of our brains are structured.\nDesigners & Dragons: A History of the Roleplaying Game Industry (Parts 1 and 2 so far) (Shannon Appelcline)\nThe history of a bunch of start-ups.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you'll enjoy it.",
          "reason": "Recommends it to readers interested in hacker history.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in ancient hacker lore or textfiles.com.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17752705,
          "author": "EamonnMR",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T19:08:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17752705",
          "commentText": "Exploding The Phone covers phone phreaking and the phone company investigations into it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Exploding The Phone covers phone phreaking and the phone company investigations into it.",
          "reason": "Names a book about phone phreaking and related investigations in response to a book recommendation request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249965,
          "author": "qwertyuiop924",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T14:51:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249965",
          "commentText": "LoTR is not something I can recommend. When I read it, it was a miserable trek, and I read obsessively. It was a book written by somebody who cares more about the language then they do they story, and it shows.\nThat's not necessarily bad, but unless you share that point of view, I'd give it a miss.\nAnyways, in the same vein as Ghost in the Wires, I recommend The Cuckoo's Egg and Exploding the phone, which are both fantastic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend The Cuckoo's Egg and Exploding the phone, which are both fantastic.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it and calls it fantastic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Phil Lapsley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "phone phreaking",
        "telecommunications",
        "hacker history",
        "telecommunications history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "first-break-all-the-rules-a11d01",
      "title": "First, Break All the Rules",
      "author": "Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35184007,
          "author": "achenatx",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-16T16:15:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35184007",
          "commentText": "I like books that are actionable. Lots of books are inspirational but not that useful (e.g. crossing the chasm). I run a curriculum in my company which uses a few books I have read over the years.\nemyth revisited (how to think about and structure an org)\ngetting to yes (negotiation)\ninfluence the psychology of persuasion (negotiation)\nspin selling (enterprise sales, supplanted by sandler)\nYou cant teach a kid to ride a bike at a seminar (sandler sales)\n5 dysfunctions of a team (one of the best leadership books)\nfirst break all the rules (management)\naccounting for dummies\npurple cow (differentiation)\nblue ocean strategy (differentiation)\ntraction (strategy/operations)\nrocketfuel (strategy/operations)\nfor professional services:\nmanaging the professional services firm\ngetting naked",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "first break all the rules (management)",
          "reason": "Includes it in a company curriculum on management.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21715377,
          "author": "achenatx",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T19:14:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21715377",
          "commentText": "Leadership for me is \"influencing people to create change\".\nWe use many books, but my favorite is 5 dysfunctions of a team.\nAfter that is first break all the rules\nBoth of these are extremely practical and give a model for how to operate on a daily basis.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "After that is first break all the rules",
          "reason": "Listed after the commenter's favorite as another practical book.",
          "audience": "People interested in team leadership.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961105,
          "author": "tboyd47",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:03:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961105",
          "commentText": "1. Selected Essays of Warren Buffett\n2. First, Break all the Rules\n3. Between the World and Me",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "First, Break all the Rules",
          "reason": "Listed as a book read in response to the thread’s book prompt.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2172878,
          "author": "xstaticdev",
          "createdAt": "2011-02-03T00:13:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 2172825,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: If you could recommend only three management books...",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2172878",
          "commentText": "Let's see.. heres a few I'd recommend....\nGood to Great by Jim Collins\nOne Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard\nFirst, Break All The Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman\n7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey\nIn Search of Excellence by Tom Peters",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "First, Break All The Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman",
          "reason": "Lists it among books they would recommend to new managers.",
          "audience": "New managers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5613,
          "author": "dropbox",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T04:36:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5613",
          "commentText": "some that haven't been mentioned:\n- the innovator's dilemma by clayton christensen\n- blue ocean strategy (kim and mauborgne) -- these two books give you a little bit more of a framework to evaluate where your idea adds value and give you examples of how/why some successful companies have been successful\n- high tech startup by nesheim -- a little dated, but lots of info\n- negotiation/people books: getting to yes (fisher, ury) and getting past no (ury), influence by cialdini\n (useful for more than just startups)\n- maybe some management books: peopleware (demarco and lister), the art of project management (berkun), first, break all the rules (buckingham)\n- founders at work (livingston) to get inspired\n+1 to crossing the chasm, and the godin & gladwell books, art of the start\nblogs: onstartups.com, fred wilson, brad feld, seth godin, etc., guy kawasaki\n-drew",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "first, break all the rules (buckingham)",
          "reason": "Suggested as a management book in response to the thread asking which books founders found helpful.",
          "audience": "Startup founders and managers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marcus Buckingham",
        "Curt Coffman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "management",
        "leadership",
        "employee engagement"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "most-secret-war-1ec3c4",
      "title": "Most Secret War",
      "author": "R. V. Jones",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43613486,
          "author": "bloopernova",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T16:54:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43613486",
          "commentText": "The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors by James Hornfischer. The amazing courage shown by the US Navy sailors as their tiny 2,000 ton Destroyers and Destroyer Escorts faced a Japanese fleet of Battleships, Cruisers, and Destroyers at The Battle Off Samar. Inspiring and horrifying, the DDs and DEs of the US navy were protecting \"Escort Carriers\" which were smaller aircraft carriers made from cargo ship hulls. Warning, may inspire you to learn a whole bunch more about world war 2.\nAnd 2 books that sort of go together:\nIncredible Victory: The Battle of Midway by Walter Lord, and Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway by Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully. Read Incredible Victory first, learn about the luck, good and bad, that led to a much-needed victory in the Pacific. Then read Shattered Sword and get a fuller picture of events, especially from the Japanese side. Learn about how hubris and dogma led to the Japanese Navy's defeat. Then learn about how saving face led to history not being accurately told by the witnesses on the Japanese side.\nAll 3 are great books that are well worth your time.\nOthers that I've enjoyed:\nParable of the Sower by Octavia Butler (near future post-apocalyptic sci-fi).\nThe non-fiction Liberation Trilogy by Rick Atkinson (more WW2 non-fiction, nice details about North Africa through Italy, then France to Germany).\nMidnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham.\nMost Secret War by RV Jones (nerdy, funny history of one scientist's world war 2 experience).\nThe Discworld City Guard books, starting with Guards! Guards!, by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy fiction satire, hilarious and comforting. Highly, highly recommended!!\nPeter F Hamilton sci-fi adventure books: Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained are a duo of great space opera stretching across multiple planets and people. Don't spoil yourself by reading any descriptions of Judas Unchained before you read Pandora's Star. Also by the same author, The Night's Dawn Trilogy: The Reality Dysfunction, The Neutronium Alchemist, and The Naked God. Fantastic big canvas space opera with lots of threads, great world-building, and amazing situations. Both sets of books are highly recommended escapes from reality.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Most Secret War by RV Jones (nerdy, funny history of one scientist's world war 2 experience).",
          "reason": "Described as a nerdy, funny account of a scientist's World War II experience.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in science and World War II history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23561360,
          "author": "mhh__",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-18T09:25:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 23561163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book that nobody you know has heard of?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23561360",
          "commentText": "Anyone who browses HN regularly will probably enjoy the book \"Most Secret War\" by R.V. Jones (or the accompanying TV show \"The Secret War\"). Jones was a physicist working for Churchill directly by the end of the war.\nEveryone has heard of Bletchley park and the Manhattan project, but Jones's book covers the game of genuinely deadly cat and mouse that was played throughout WW2 as each side learned and adapted to eachothers scientific intelligence. Radar, Sonar (ASDIC at the time), Magnetic mines, etc.\nIts easy to think of it as an intellectual game of chess but it is telling that when the Allies bombed Peenemunde (Nazi area 51) they flew straight over the laboratories to bomb the houses of the scientists.\nThe TV adaptation is brilliant - thoughtful documentary production, not dumbed down, and most of the people were still alive when it was filmed.\nhttps://youtu.be/GJCF-Ufapu8\nEdit: for anyone reading the book look out for mentions of any members of the Cambridge five - Jones was shunned after the war so he is perhaps overly kind to Kim Philby. The same system that allowed the KGB to run wild wouldn't recruit Jones into intelligence work for being of the wrong sort (apparently - according Peter Wright)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anyone who browses HN regularly will probably enjoy the book \"Most Secret War\" by R.V. Jones",
          "reason": "Recommends Jones’s account of scientific intelligence work during World War II.",
          "audience": "HN readers interested in wartime scientific intelligence.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Jones may be overly kind to Kim Philby.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17751064,
          "author": "lb1lf",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T16:00:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17751064",
          "commentText": "...and in a related vein, anyone with a hacker mindset ought to check out R.V. Jones’ ‘Most Secret War’; Jones was the UK senior scientific adviser during WW2 and the book reads like an endless string of anecdotes about one-upping the Germans.\nI guess tricking early IFF and radionavigation systems could be considered cyber crime - today, at least, he’d get the DMCA thrown at him for his trouble. :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "anyone with a hacker mindset ought to check out R.V. Jones’ ‘Most Secret War’",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the book to people with a hacker mindset.",
          "audience": "People with a hacker mindset.",
          "caveat": "The commenter jokingly frames its wartime systems deception as a stretch to call cybercrime.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630252,
          "author": "lb1lf",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:58:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630252",
          "commentText": "For sheer engineering fun, R.V. Jones' \"How I Won the War\" (No, not really; it is called \"Most Secret War\") is hard to beat; it is the memoirs of Britain's chief scientist during WWII; hundreds of pages of one-upping their Axis counterparts - the birth of electronic warfare. Excellent read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Excellent read.",
          "reason": "Calls this memoir of Britain's chief scientist during WWII an excellent read.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in engineering, electronic warfare, or WWII history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "R. V. Jones"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "world war ii",
        "electronic warfare",
        "military intelligence",
        "military science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nausea-dcffe9",
      "title": "Nausea",
      "author": "Jean-Paul Sartre",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41176125,
          "author": "jjgreen",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T22:29:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41176125",
          "commentText": "Sartre's Nausea",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sartre's Nausea",
          "reason": "Names the novel as an answer to the thread’s request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19090108,
          "author": "nathias",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T21:39:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090108",
          "commentText": "Plato - Meno, Symposium, Parmenides, Gorgias, Protagoras\nPlotinus -Enneads\nMarkus Aurelius - Meditations\nDescartes - On method\nDescartes - Meditations\nSpinoza - On the improvement of Understanding\nLeibniz - Monadology\nLeibniz - Grace\nVoltaire - Candid\nDiderot - D'Alembert's Dream\nKant - How to orient oneself in thinking\nKant - Critique of Pure Reason\nKant - Critique of Judgment\nHegel - Phenomenology of Spirit\nHegel - Logic\nvon Kleist - Marionette Theatre\nKierkegaard - The Sickness Unto Death\nHeidegger - Being and Time\nSartre - Being and Nothingness\nSartre - Flies\nSartre - Nausea\nDeleuze - Difference and Repetition\nKafka - Metamorphosis\nKafka - The Castle\nLem - Magellan Nebula\nLem - His Master's Voice\nCioran - A Short History of Decay\nPessoa - Book Of Despair\nWolfe -  New Sun tetralogy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sartre - Nausea",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12142444,
          "author": "jjgreen",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T08:54:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12142444",
          "commentText": "Sartre's \"Nausea\", which demonstrates the pointless nothingness of life, so one should not get too stressed out at work because Frank doesn't like your indentation style but that's how everyone at university does it ...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Sartre's \"Nausea\", which demonstrates the pointless nothingness of life",
          "reason": "Explains how the book’s view of life helped reduce work stress.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297799,
          "author": "roymurdock",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:56:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297799",
          "commentText": "Older Stuff: The Bible/Quran, The Republic (Plato), The Social Contract (Rousseau), Tao Te Ching (Laozi), Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky), History of the Peloponnesian War (Thucydides)\nNewer Stuff: Nine Stories (Salinger), The Razor's Edge (Maugham), Nausea (Sartre), Siddartha (Hesse), Road to Serfdom (Hayek), The Book (Watts), Design of Everyday Things (Norman), Atlas Shrugged (Rand), Invisible Man (Ellison), Debunking Economics (Keen), Blood Meridian (McCarthy), The Center Cannot Hold (Saks), This Time Is Different (Reinhart/Rogoff), Infinite Jest (Wallace), Calvin and Hobbes (Watterson)\nAll of these books are well written and have given me some perspective on interesting people/situations/ways of thinking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nausea (Sartre)",
          "reason": "Listed among books said to have given the commenter perspective on interesting people, situations, and ways of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jean-Paul Sartre"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "existentialism",
        "french literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "otherland-f54b0f",
      "title": "Otherland",
      "author": "Tad Williams",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7302496,
          "author": "jlees",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T02:46:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7302496",
          "commentText": "What did you like about it? I'd suggest Tad Williams' Otherland, Neal Stephenson's Diamond Age & Snow Crash, and Gibson's Pattern Recognition purely based on subject matter (gamey-cyberpunk-ARG-AI), but none is quite as lighthearted in terms of nodding towards videogame culture.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd suggest Tad Williams' Otherland",
          "reason": "Suggests it based on its subject matter.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in gamey cyberpunk, ARGs, or AI.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not as lighthearted in its treatment of videogame culture.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4967406,
          "author": "jlees",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T23:12:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967406",
          "commentText": "I wouldn't class Ready Player One as the best book of 2012, but it was certainly enjoyable (when I read it in 2011). I prefer This Is Not A Game and Pattern Recognition in this genre; also worth checking out is Tad Williams' Otherland series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "also worth checking out is Tad Williams' Otherland series.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the series is worth checking out.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4414179,
          "author": "TYPE_FASTER",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-21T18:59:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 4353632,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon.  What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4414179",
          "commentText": "I'd suggest the Otherland series: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otherland",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd suggest the Otherland series",
          "reason": "Suggested as a next read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86442,
          "author": "Tichy",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T23:48:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86442",
          "commentText": "Some more SF/Fantasy yarns:\n- Hyperion by Dan Simmons\n- 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear and all the other Zamonien books (only know german version)\n- Pollen by Jeff Noon\n- Otherland by Tad Williams\n- Ubik by PK Dick",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Otherland by Tad Williams",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tad Williams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "virtual reality",
        "cyberpunk",
        "alternate reality games"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "philosophy-in-the-flesh-027c1b",
      "title": "Philosophy in the Flesh",
      "author": "George Lakoff and Mark Johnson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30851756,
          "author": "marttt",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-30T05:25:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30851756",
          "commentText": "\"Philosophy in the Flesh\" has stubbornly been in my \"most relevant books\" reading list for several years, hmm. I came across it when I had interest in mind-body relationship, and immediately thought about it as the book for me. Unfortunately, those interests have shifted a little for now; or maybe it's just the 600+ pages that has been holding me back (considering that \"Metaphors We Live By\" was also quite a demanding book).\nThanks very much for reminding about this one, though. Feeling inspired to look into it again now.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Philosophy in the Flesh\" has stubbornly been in my \"most relevant books\" reading list for several years",
          "reason": "The commenter says it has remained on their relevant-books list and that they feel inspired to revisit it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Their interests have shifted, and the 600+ pages have held them back.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17914326,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-05T01:12:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17914326",
          "commentText": "All these had a huge impact on me. The descriptions are inadequate, I've just tried to mention the subject matter.\nDeborah Tannen, You Just Don't Understand - how males and females talk different languages.\nLakoff & Johnson, Metaphors We Live By - how our language and thoughts are built from a fabric of conceptual metaphors. Philosophy In The Flesh is about the conceptual metaphors that philosophy is built from.\nJonathan Glover, Humanity: A Moral History of the Twentieth Century - WWI, WWII and other wars, nazism, communism etc\nPlutarch's Lives - biographies and stories from famous ancient Greeks and Romans. Amazing how little's changed.\nLin Yutang, The Importance of Understanding - introduced me to ancient Chinese philosophers. The Importance of Living - introduced me to ancient Chinese writers, poets and the Chinese way of life.\nHofstadter, Gödel, Escher, Bach - read it when I was 14, and I was into music, art and programming, so it blew my mind.\nSusan Faludi, STIFFED - men, work, jobs, masculinity, 20th C\nWalter Lippmann, Public Opinion - media, war, propaganda, democracy\nNoam Chomsky's political books\nE.F. Schumacher, Small is Beautiful - the world, development, government, planning, organization, humanity, sustainability\nJ.R. Saul, Voltaire's Bastards - power, history, democracy, technocracy, reason, rationality, history from late 18th C until today.\nRaymond Williams, Culture and Society 1780-1950 - the anti-industrialist tradition, politics, culture, society and the new language describing these things\nClifford Pickover, Computers, Patterns, Chaos, and Beauty - programming, mathematics, art, fractals, dynamical systems etc\nBen Zander, The Art of Possibility - hard to explain, kind of advanced self-help, the magic of changing attitudes, expectations, habits.\nMy favourite non-fiction books of all time, though, are the essays of Emerson, Hazlitt, RL Stevenson, GK Chesterton, Santayana, Bertrand Russell. And the books of Nietzsche, SARK and Robert Fulghum.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Philosophy In The Flesh is about the conceptual metaphors that philosophy is built from.",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books said to have had a huge impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15793462,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-28T01:24:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15793462",
          "commentText": "Metaphors We Live By - Lakoff/Johnson\nPhilosophy in the Flesh - L/J\nRationalism in Politics - Oakeshott\nErving Goffman – Presentation of Self in Everyday Life\nWalter Lippmann – Public Opinion\nArt as Experience - John Dewey\nPlutarch's Lives\nG.K. Chesterton – Heretics\n(essay) William James - On A Certain Blindness in Human Beings (and its sequel)\n(essay) R.L. Stevenson - The Lantern-Bearers",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Philosophy in the Flesh - L/J",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503252,
          "author": "anonman1",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T07:18:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503252",
          "commentText": "\"History of Sexuality: Volume I\" -Michel Foucault\n\"Discipline and Punish\" -Michel Foucault\n\"Philosophy in the Flesh\" -George Lakoff\n\"Metaphors We Live By\" -George Lakoff\n\"Civilization and its Discontents\" -Sigmund Freud\nThese books allowed me to look at reality in a completely different manner.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Philosophy in the Flesh\" -George Lakoff",
          "reason": "The list responds to a request for philosophical books; the commenter says these books changed how they see reality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Lakoff",
        "Mark Johnson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "embodied cognition",
        "conceptual metaphor",
        "metaphor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "start-small-stay-small-b4904f",
      "title": "Start Small, Stay Small",
      "author": "Rob Walling",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35168989,
          "author": "joshmanders",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T14:41:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35168989",
          "commentText": "Start Small, Stay Small by Rob Walling\nCompany of One by Paul Jarvis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Start Small, Stay Small by Rob Walling",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910210,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:25:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910210",
          "commentText": "- \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies\" - probably the most influential book I've read in my life, profoundly changed the way I think. It's a collection of LessWrong essays on science and rationality.\n- \"On Intelligence\" and \"I am a Strange Loop\" - how mind works.\n- \"Rework\", \"Zero to One\", \"Start Small, Stay Small\" - insightful startup advice.\n- Fun autobiographies: Ghost in the Wires (Kevin Mitnick), iWoz (Steve Wozniak), Catch me if you can (Frank Abagnale), Just for Fun (Linus Torvalds), Elon Musk, Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\n- How companies work: Creativity Inc (Pixar), In the Plex (Google)\n- On writing: Art of fiction/nonfiction by Ayn Rand, Story by Robert McKee, Save the Cat, Step by Step to Standup Comedy.\n- Other: The Selfish Gene, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Serious Creativity, Hackers & Painters, Hacking Growth, Angel (on angel investing, by Jason Calacanis).\nAlso collections of essays by Paul Graham [1] and Scott Alexander [2]:\n[1] https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%20Complete%20Essays.epub?dl=0)\n[2] https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of%20Scott%20Alexandria%20-%20Scott%20Alexander.epub?dl=0)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Rework\", \"Zero to One\", \"Start Small, Stay Small\" - insightful startup advice.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes the listed books as insightful startup advice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296468,
          "author": "graeme",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T06:19:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296468",
          "commentText": "The Four Hour Workweek. It showed me:\n1. How to make a business without \"experience\"\n2. A model of how to make an automated business\nChanged my life and led me to create a mostly automated business that is still going seven years on.\nNote: this book often rubs people the wrong way, and requires caveats.\nThe four hours refers to maintenance work, in my interpretation. I could maintain my business on four hours. But, it would gradually atrophy. So, I grow it. But, with the liberty to take a lof of time off, when I want.\nFor those allergic to Tim Ferriss, Start Small, Stay Small by Rob Walling is an excellent read.\nBut, the four hour week was the book that hit me like a ton of bricks and changed the course of my life.\nThe business, if anyone is curious: https://lsathacks.com",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For those allergic to Tim Ferriss, Start Small, Stay Small by Rob Walling is an excellent read.",
          "reason": "Calls it an excellent read for people who dislike Tim Ferriss.",
          "audience": "Readers who are put off by Tim Ferriss.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9347895,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T14:48:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9347895",
          "commentText": "Here's my usual list of recommendations, the best books I've read in the past 5 years.\nFiction:\n- Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\nIf you know nothing about this book you might naturally hesitate to read \"Harry Potter fanfiction\" and assume that it's dumb/horrbile, but it's not. Just suspend your disbelief and read the first 5-10 chapters. Trust me, it's brilliant, hilarious, and life-changing.\n- Atlas Shrugged\nControversial, I know, a lot of people here hate it for some reason, but it was incredibly influential on me, inspired my passion for entrepreneurship and science and philosophy. Still is one of the best books I am aware of.\nNonfiction:\n- Hackers and Painters by Paul Graham\nAlso a collection of his essays that you can find on github. He is one of the most clever writers I am aware of, but I assume you know that, since you're on HN.\n- \"On Intelligence\" by Jeff Hawkins\nThis book explains in simple terms a very awesome and elegant theory on how mind works. Incredibly fascinating, I've learned a lot from it and it explains a lot of things, and will change the way you think about thinking process.\n- The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins\nEngaging and entertaining explanation of evolution, absolutely fantastic book.\n- The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli.\nDespite the stigma, and people thinking that Machhiavellian = \"evil\", I've found this book extremely clever and wise.\n- Serious Creativity by Edward De Bono\nThe best book on creativity and the process of generating ideas that I'm aware of.\n- Abundance\nThis is a very inspiring and optimistic book about the future of technology.\nEntrepreneurhsip:\n- Start Small, Stay Small\nGuide to creating your first product/business for hackers. It lays out all the basics of entrepreneurship in a very concise and clear ways, my favorite introduction to startups.\n- Rework\nVery wise and intelligent advice about startups, intelligent and witty, must read.\n- Lean Startup\nClassic book on \"lean startup methodology\", very useful.\n- 4-Hour Workweek\nDespite the silly title I think it is a great book and is very much worth reading. Many people here dislike Tim Ferris, but whatever, I think this book is cool.\nAutobiographies:\n- Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman\n- Ghost In The Wires by Kevin Mitnick\n- Catch me if you can by Abagnale\n- iWoz by Steve Wozniak\n- Losing my Virginity by Richard Branson\nAll these are fantastic and very intelligent autobiographies by the very awesome people.\nNow I'm reading \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" and \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies.\"\n\"Rationality\" is great and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. Can't say much about GEB, I've only started reading it, but everyone is saying that it is so great and the best book ever, so I think it's definitely worth checking out.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "my favorite introduction to startups.",
          "reason": "Calls it a favorite concise introduction to startups.",
          "audience": "Hackers creating a first product or business.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8025906,
          "author": "tomcam",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-12T21:59:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 8025870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8025906",
          "commentText": "\"Start Small, Stay Small\" by Rob Walling. Discusses how to get a one-person business going for the least possible cost & time. http://goo.gl/ztkc3t\n\"web2py Complete Reference Manual, 6th Edition Prerelease\", by far my favorite Python framework and being used for my new startup--see above! http://goo.gl/2kdl6O\n\"Field of Prey\", John Sandford, a well-written thriller. http://goo.gl/F8QCoe",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Discusses how to get a one-person business going for the least possible cost & time.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "People interested in starting a one-person business.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rob Walling"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bootstrapping",
        "startups",
        "bootstrapped startups",
        "entrepreneurship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "start-with-no-6280f3",
      "title": "Start with No",
      "author": "Jim Camp",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27638347,
          "author": "vmurthy",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T01:54:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27638347",
          "commentText": "You would probably enjoy \"Start with No\" [0] referenced in the book. I took away a few lessons from this book :)\n[0] https://www.amazon.com.au/Start-No-Jim-Camp/dp/0609608002/re... (https://www.amazon.com.au/Start-No-Jim-Camp/dp/0609608002/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=start+with+no&qid=1624672457&sr=8-5)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You would probably enjoy \"Start with No\"",
          "reason": "The commenter suggests it to someone who might enjoy it and says they took away a few lessons.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25319389,
          "author": "vmurthy",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T23:17:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319389",
          "commentText": "Never split the difference : Chris Voss [0] &\nStart with No : Jim Camp [1] opened my eyes to tactics used by sales/\"business\" folks when they negotiate with me and provided some tips which  help me in my own negotiations. Case in point: A car dealer mentioned to me casually that a car whose MRP is AUD 38800 would never be discounted below 34000. I took it as a psychological \"anchor\" that had to be explored and negotiated rather than agreed upon without discussion. Started with a random figure of 32349 and ended up with getting the car for 33500 ( given that it was my first negotiation, I think it's a win :-) )\nInfluence by Cialdini is a timeless classic that helps me appreciate the fascinating world of human psychology\n[0] https://www.amazon.in/Never-Split-Difference-Negotiating-Dep... (https://www.amazon.in/Never-Split-Difference-Negotiating-Depended-ebook/dp/B018FHCPDO/ref=sr_1_1?crid=B3RBMIE3MSZX&keywords=never+split+the+difference%27+by+chris+voss&qid=1607209738&sprefix=never+split+the+%2Caps%2C418&sr=8-1)\n[1] https://www.amazon.in/Start-No-Negotiating-Tools-That/dp/060... (https://www.amazon.in/Start-No-Negotiating-Tools-That/dp/0609608002/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2BMPOVAGCR1W9&dchild=1&keywords=jim+camp+start+with+no&qid=1607209814&sprefix=jim+camp+%2Caps%2C426&sr=8-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Start with No : Jim Camp",
          "reason": "Said to have opened the commenter's eyes to negotiation tactics and provided tips for their own negotiations.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in negotiation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961294,
          "author": "vo1d",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:27:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961294",
          "commentText": "- The Innovator's Dilemma by Clay Christensen\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman\n- A Briefer History of Time by Stephen Hawking\n- The Lean Startup by Eric Ries\n- Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson\n- The Industries of the Future by Alec Ross\n- Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss\n- Start with No by Jim Camp\n- How Google Works by Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg\n- The Everything Store by Brad Stone\n- The Inevitable by Kevin Kelly",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Start with No by Jim Camp",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15761861,
          "author": "abuiles",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T00:26:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15761861",
          "commentText": "\"Start with no\" by Jim Camp ;)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Start with no\" by Jim Camp ;)",
          "reason": "Names it as a book response in a discussion about negotiation books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jim Camp"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "negotiation",
        "sales"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-language-instinct-752b94",
      "title": "The Language Instinct",
      "author": "Steven Pinker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23154814,
          "author": "combatentropy",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T15:10:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23154814",
          "commentText": "Mere Christianity, by C. S. Lewis. Any of his nonfiction works have a style of writing that I seldom find. He has a dedication to reason and a step-by-step approach.\nThe Elements of Style, by William Strunk and E. B. White. I liked writing since I learned how to. I didn't find this book until I was 17, and it unlocked me to write in a way that better helped others.\nThe Language Instinct, by Steven Pinker. I guess I like writing and language. Like C. S. Lewis, Steven Pinker has a way of writing about hard things that makes them easy to understand, even enjoyable. The subject matter is also news to most people, I think, who don't appreciate just how much that language is built in to the human mind from conception.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Language Instinct, by Steven Pinker. I guess I like writing and language.",
          "reason": "Praises its accessible explanation of language and the human mind.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in language and how the mind works.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804066,
          "author": "Delfino",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:09:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804066",
          "commentText": "I read about 25 books this year, here are the top 10 I look forward to reading in 2020, many of them informed by my favorites of 2019:\nHomo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari - I read Sapiens this year and really enjoyed it. I just started this today one so I may finish that before the end of the year.\nThinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman - I like books that make me think and from what I've heard, this will definitely do the trick. I read Factfulness this year and this was a suggested follow-up.\nThe Language Instinct by Steven Pinker - I've gotten really into natural languages since I've lived outside my country of origin for the last 2 and a half years and I've heard good things about this book being an entry point into linguistics.\nSword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski - With the new Witcher show coming out on Netflix I finally went back and beat The Witcher 3 then read the first book, The Last Wish. It was enjoyable enough that I want to keep going with the series.\nEducated by Tara Westover - Was convinced by Bill Gate's blog this is worthwhile. I'm a teacher so it wasn't hard to convince me.\nRobot Builder's Bonanza by Gordon McComb - I've been asked to teach a robotics course next year and this one seems to be The Book everyone recommends to dive into robotics.\nDivided by Partition: United by Resilience by Mallika Ahluwalia - I recently visited the Partition Museum in Amritsar, Punjab, India and purchased this book there to learn about more stories about people impacted by this event.\nThe Elements of Computing Systems by Noam Nisan and Shimon Shocken - I just read Code by Petzold and it was one of my favorite books. Even though I studied Computer Science in University and most of the concepts weren't new to me, it was such a fun experience mentally \"building\" a computer from relays/transistors to logic gates and up to assemblers, compilers, and interpreters. I want to keep going with this and jump into the Nand2Tetris online course.\nThe Annotated Turing by Charles Petzold - Again, I loved Petzold's Code so I looked up other books he wrote and this one looks great. I've never actually read Turing's work so I'm excited to have some background and explanation to help me not just read the words but grasp their significance.\nZACH-LIKE by Zachtronics - I played through several Zachtronics games this year (TIS-100, Shenzhen I/O and Opus Magnum) so I can't wait to dive into some of the thinking behind creating these and similar games.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Language Instinct by Steven Pinker",
          "reason": "Listed as an entry point into linguistics that the commenter has heard good things about.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an introduction to linguistics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17914850,
          "author": "combatentropy",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-05T03:36:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17914850",
          "commentText": "The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E. B. White\nThe Language Instinct by Steven Pinker\nThe Problem of Pain by C. S. Lewis\nThe Mac Is Not a Typewriter by Robin Williams\nGetting Real by 37 Signals",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Language Instinct by Steven Pinker",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite nonfiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1874622,
          "author": "alina24",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-05T19:54:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1874622",
          "commentText": "The Language Instinct - Steven Pinker\nInteresting Times - Eric Hobsbawm\nThe Great Crash, 1929 - John Galbraith",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Language Instinct - Steven Pinker",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 128045,
          "author": "sanj",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-03T13:43:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 127711,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Hacker moms & dads, what do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=128045",
          "commentText": "I was looked at like a freak when I mentioned this in my pre/post-natal class, but I got a lot out The Language Instinct, by Steven Pinker.\nEvolutionary neurobiology is a great way to think about skill acquisition in young children.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I got a lot out The Language Instinct, by Steven Pinker.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they got a lot from the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Pinker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "language acquisition",
        "linguistics",
        "evolutionary psychology",
        "language"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ragged-trousered-philanthropists-346560",
      "title": "The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists",
      "author": "Robert Tressell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25328606,
          "author": "mikhailfranco",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-07T01:51:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25328606",
          "commentText": "On the kitchen thread, try Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell, which describes his experience as a dishwasher in 1930's Paris.\nFor an interesting study of casual labor in the gig economy for house painters in the 1910's, see The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressell,",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "see The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressell",
          "reason": "Recommended as a study of casual labor among house painters in the 1910s.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in casual labor and house painting.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23562235,
          "author": "thorin",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-18T12:01:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 23561163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book that nobody you know has heard of?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23562235",
          "commentText": "Travels, by Michael Crichton - a sort of autobiography with some excellent lessons on life. I've never met anyone else who's read it for some reason.\nIshmael - recommended on here but doesn't seem well known in the UK. Everyone I've recommended to has enjoyed\nThe Ragged Trousered Philanthropists - Proof that politics hasn't changed much in 100 years\nJonathon Livingston Seagull - again well known on here, but not so much generally",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists - Proof that politics hasn't changed much in 100 years",
          "reason": "Points to its enduring political relevance.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22098690,
          "author": "thorin",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T13:41:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22098690",
          "commentText": "Not sure if these books are unknown or fallen out of favor, but I've never spoken to anyone else who's read them without me passing them on first:\nTravels - Michael Crichton - a number of useful life lessons I'm only just catching up on\nhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Travels-Vintage-Departures-Michael-... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Travels-Vintage-Departures-Michael-Crichton/dp/0804171270/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3E8SW874CLAC8&keywords=travels+michael+crichton&qid=1579527486&sprefix=travels+micha%2Caps%2C292&sr=8-1)\nThe Ragged Trousered Philanthropists\nhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Ragged-Trousered-Philanthropists-Wo... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ragged-Trousered-Philanthropists-Wordsworth-Classics/dp/184022682X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1DN57D10PVLZS&keywords=ragged+trousered+philanthropist&qid=1579527544&sprefix=ragged+tr%2Caps%2C170&sr=8-1)\nIshmael\nhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Ishmael-Novel-Book-1-ebook/dp/B000S... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ishmael-Novel-Book-1-ebook/dp/B000SEFH6A/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=ismael&qid=1579527572&sr=8-1)\nAnother thought, Robert Heinlein doesn't seem well known in the UK these days but I think he might be better thought of in the UK although may be considered dated and sexist. I often see him quoted on here.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13805783,
          "author": "qntty",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T20:26:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805783",
          "commentText": "I've been looking for a reason to read The Ragged Trousered Philanthropist, I think I'll check it out.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I've been looking for a reason to read The Ragged Trousered Philanthropist, I think I'll check it out.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12244559,
          "author": "hanoz",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T00:18:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244559",
          "commentText": "The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Tressell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "socialism",
        "working class life",
        "casual labor",
        "house painters"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-shockwave-rider-73a1e4",
      "title": "The Shockwave Rider",
      "author": "John Brunner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17536617,
          "author": "corbet",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:27:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536617",
          "commentText": "The Shockwave Rider, by John Brunner.  Read it, compare it to the Internet we have today, and marvel at all he was able to foresee back in 1975.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Shockwave Rider, by John Brunner. Read it, compare it to the Internet we have today, and marvel at all he was able to foresee back in 1975.",
          "reason": "Urges the reader to compare the novel’s foresight with today’s Internet.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10325237,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T20:31:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325237",
          "commentText": "I'm sure there are many, but a few that jump to mind, in no particular order, and spanning both fiction and non-fiction:\nThe Selfish Gene - Dawkins\nA New Kind of Science - Wolfram\nThe Singularity is Near - Kurzweil\nGödel, Escher, Bach - Hofstadter\nFluid Concepts and Creative Analogies - Hofstadter\nAtlas Shrugged - Rand\nThe Fountainhead - Rand\nNineteen Eighty-Four - Orwell\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nAmbient Findability - Peter Morville\nEmergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software - Steven Johnson\nSix Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age - Duncan Watts\nLinked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means for Business, Science, and Everyday Life - Albert-laszlo Barabasi\nArtificial Life - Steven Levy\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nThe World is Flat - Thomas Friedman\nnot a book, but the various writings of Douglas Engelbart - http://www.dougengelbart.org/library/library.html\nGlasshouse - Charles Stross\nPermutation City - Greg Egan\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nThe Shockwave Rider - John Brunner\nThe Society of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nThe Origin of Wealth: The Radical Remaking of Economics and What it Means for Business and Society - Eric Beinhocker\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nFooled By Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Shockwave Rider - John Brunner",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4354812,
          "author": "liquidcool",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-08T10:24:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 4353632,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon.  What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4354812",
          "commentText": "A book that often escapes even cyberpunk fans is John Brunner's \"The Shockwave Rider\". It was written in 1975 but is eerily prescient - at least I thought so when I read it in the 90's.\nOf course, I also recommend Gibson's books. And \"Ender's Game\"/\"Ender's Shadow\", even though they're not cyberpunk/cyber thrillers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A book that often escapes even cyberpunk fans is John Brunner's \"The Shockwave Rider\".",
          "reason": "Highlights it as a prescient book cyberpunk fans may have missed.",
          "audience": "Cyberpunk fans",
          "caveat": "Written in 1975; the commenter found it eerily prescient.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 141262,
          "author": "liquidcool",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T23:55:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=141262",
          "commentText": "If you're going to mention John Brunner, you can't forget The Shockwave Rider. I found it very prescient when I read it in the '90s. If William Gibson is the father of cyberpunk, I think that makes Brunner the grandfather.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found it very prescient when I read it in the '90s.",
          "reason": "Calls the novel prescient and highlights Brunner's importance to cyberpunk.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Brunner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer networks",
        "cyberpunk",
        "dystopia",
        "dystopian fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-six-pillars-of-self-esteem-6b7ffc",
      "title": "The Six Pillars of Self-Esteem",
      "author": "Nathaniel Branden",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37960159,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:07:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960159",
          "commentText": "* \"Amusing Ourselves to Death\" by Neil Postman (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Postman contrasts the dystopian visions of George Orwell's \"1984\" and Aldous Huxley's \"Brave New World\" to argue that western society is becoming a shallow, entertainment-driven culture shaped by television and other media. He discusses the profound effects of television on politics, education, and other aspects of society.\n* \"Howard Zinn: A People's History of the US\" by Howard Zinn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers an alternative exploration of American history from the perspective of ordinary people and marginalized groups rather than from political leaders, emphasizing class struggles and systemic injustices.\n* \"The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science\" by Isaac Asimov (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive outline of scientific knowledge, covering fields like physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, and earth science. It communicates complex scientific concepts in a way that is accessible to non-specialist readers.\n* \"Das Kapital\" by Karl Marx (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive critique of capitalism highlighting its inherent contradictions and imbalances. Marx diagnoses the capitalist system as one in which the rich get richer at the expense of the working class. The book has been influential in shaping socialist and communist thought.\n* \"Handbook of Electronic Circuits\" (1 mention, authors not specified)\n    * Summary: An extensive reference guide that provides information on basic electronic circuits and components. It delves into the world of electronics with detailed illustrations and designs, making it a valuable resource for both beginners and professionals in the field.\n* \"Simulacra and Simulation\" by Jean Baudrillard (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This philosophical work explores the nature and cultural implications of signs and images in contemporary society. Baudrillard posits that symbols and signs have replaced reality and meaning, creating a hyperreal world where simulations of reality have become more real than reality itself.\n* \"LSD: My Problem Child\" by Albert Hofmann (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This autobiographical work by Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who first synthesized LSD, discusses his discovery and personal experiences with the drug, exploring both the positive and negative effects of LSD, its influence on society, and its potential therapeutic uses.\n* \"Requiem for the American Dream: The 10 Principles of Concentration of Wealth & Power\" by Noam Chomsky (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Chomsky provides an extensive critique of inequality in America, arguing that the concentration of wealth and power among a small elite is undermining democracy. He lays out 10 principles of concentration of wealth and power that have led to this situation.\n* \"Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\" by Alfred Lansing (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This true account of Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton's 1914-1916 expedition turned survival story. When his ship, the Endurance, was crushed by ice and left Shackleton and his crew stranded, they embarked on a harrowing and miraculous voyage to safety.\n* \"Hacker's Handbook\" by Hugo Cornwall (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A guidebook for computer enthusiasts that provides a look at the world of hacking. It covers a range of topics, including telephone and computer hacking, as well as legal implications.\n* \"Cosmos\" by Carl Sagan (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This widely-admired book introduces the universe beyond the Earth. Sagan explores our place in the universe, the history of scientific discovery, and the crucial role of critical thinking in grasping our world and the vast cosmos we are part of.\n* \"Six Pillars of Self-Esteem\" by Nathaniel Branden (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book provides a comprehensive exploration of self-esteem, its importance, its sources, and how to cultivate it. It offers concrete strategies to enhance self-esteem, which Branden argues is a key component of psychological health and personal fulfillment.\n* \"Future Shock\" by Alvin Toffler (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Future Shock examines the psychological and sociological impact of accelerating technological and social change. Toffler introduces the concept of \"future shock\" as a form of psychological disorientation caused by a rapid change in society and advocates for a more measured and conscious approach to future planning.\n* \"The Metropolis and Mental Life\" by Georg Simmel (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This seminal essay analyzes the effects of the urban environment on the individual's mind and social relationships. Simmel argues that the impersonality and money-centered economy of the metropolis lead to individuals feeling more alienated and adopting a defensive, blase attitude towards life.\n* \"The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power\" by Shoshana Zuboff (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book provides an extensive critique of the commodification of personal data by corporations in the digital age. Zuboff explores the rise of surveillance capitalism, where businesses harvest and analyze customer data to predict and influence behaviors.\n* \"Permanent Record\" by Edward Snowden (1 mention)\n    * Summary: In this powerful memoir, whistle-blower Edward Snowden tells his story on why he decided to expose the mass surveillance practices of the U.S. government. Permanent Record opens a broader conversation about free societies, privacy, surveillance, and what makes a country strong.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Six Pillars of Self-Esteem\" by Nathaniel Branden (1 mention)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937558,
          "author": "kaycebasques",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T02:27:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937558",
          "commentText": "Six Pillars Of Self-Esteem. Biggest effect on me of any book, by far. The only book that immediately jumped to mind without me needing to check my \"read\" list.\nI vaguely recall The Soul Of Sex giving me a healthier foundation for my own sexuality.\nThe Power Of Myth and The Varieties Of Religious Experience for general spiritual goodness.\nThe Selfish Gene has probably had a deep lingering effect on my thoughts about my life as a biological creature.\nEvery Page Is Page One is very helpful for realizing (what I believe to be) the higher purpose of technical documentation, which is knowledge sharing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Six Pillars Of Self-Esteem. Biggest effect on me of any book, by far.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it had the biggest effect on them of any book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24603730,
          "author": "Exuma",
          "createdAt": "2020-09-27T02:28:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 24582669,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24603730",
          "commentText": "6 pillars of self esteem is the best non fiction book i’ve ever read. an absolute must read for every living person. every person i recommend this to is understandably unenthusiastic and then is purely blown away.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "6 pillars of self esteem is the best non fiction book i’ve ever read. an absolute must read for every living person.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends it, calling it the best nonfiction book they have read and a must-read.",
          "audience": "Everyone, according to the commenter.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21901656,
          "author": "kaycebasques",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T20:54:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21901656",
          "commentText": "The Six Pillars Of Self-Esteem. Even if you think you already have high self-esteem, there's no such thing as too much self-esteem. Someone here on HN first made me aware of it. It's such a great framework for self improvement. I've read it 3 or 4 times and did all of the exercises the first 2 times.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's such a great framework for self improvement.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great framework for self-improvement and says they reread it and completed its exercises.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229635,
          "author": "toumhi",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T14:51:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229635",
          "commentText": "Self-help/personal development/philosophy:\n- The obstacle is the way (Ryan Holiday)\n- Meditations (Marcus Aurelius)\n- Level up your life: how to unlock adventure and happiness by becoming the hero of your own story\n- the six pillars of self-esteem\n- so good they can’t ignore you\n- the power of habit\n- how to fail at almost everything and still win big\nBusiness:\n- soft sell: the new art of selling\n- essentialism: the disciplined pursuit of less\n- the magic of thinking big\n- everything is negotiable\n- making things happen\n- lean customer development\n- what customers want\n- inspired: how to create products customers love\n- delivering happiness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the six pillars of self-esteem",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nathaniel Branden"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Health",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self esteem",
        "personal development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-story-of-b-ec94a0",
      "title": "The Story of B",
      "author": "Daniel Quinn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23162732,
          "author": "ianai",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-13T02:21:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23162732",
          "commentText": "I read Story of B as well. But I don’t have quite a clear enough memory of it to even try to summarize it as anything past a sequel. I’ll go back to revisit them some day.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I read Story of B as well.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23156433,
          "author": "bcassedy",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T17:07:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23156433",
          "commentText": "If you liked Ishmael, I recommend reading The Story of B. Its subject is very similar to Ishmael but I feel that it does a better job of portraying how the us vs them is woven into the very fabric of civilization. It's also a very entertaining read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend reading The Story of B.",
          "reason": "Recommended for its similar subject to Ishmael and its portrayal of how us versus them thinking shapes civilization.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comparison is specifically to Ishmael; no other caveat stated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22095606,
          "author": "yepitsmeleaf",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T01:54:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22095606",
          "commentText": "I think you would like The Story of B By Daniel Quinn and his other books. They are light and fun, that one especially. Additionally allthough maybe a little more involved Tom Robbins' books are in this vain as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Story of B By Daniel Quinn",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as light and fun.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for light, fun reading.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13804336,
          "author": "xemoka",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:38:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804336",
          "commentText": "- Ishmael and Story of B by Daniel Quinn\nHis thoughts on religion and interpretation of religion as propaganda and how we've framed our taker society very much influenced my young mind.\n- 1491 and 1493 by Charles C. Mann\nThe way we look at the new world and how vastly different standard teachings and what actually happened are.\n- A Guide to the Good Life by William Irvine\nPut to words what I already mostly practise, it identified my issues I had with buddhism.\n- A Dictators Handbook by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita\nAn interesting flip on politics, it made me stop worrying so much about the here-and-now of it, and quelled my anger with the (further?) realisation that it is a game. If we want to fix what's happening we need to fix the rules, not the players.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ishmael and Story of B by Daniel Quinn",
          "reason": "The commenter says Quinn’s ideas influenced their thinking about religion and society.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8108644,
          "author": "xemoka",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T15:11:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8108644",
          "commentText": "I'm currently reading 1491 by Charles C. Mann, excellent book about the Americas before Columbus and how much of what we have been taught is either incorrect or misinformed. A follow up to this is 1943, what happened in the Americas after the arrival of Columbus. A great pair of books.\nI'll also say Ishmael by Daniel Quinn and The Story of B are two of my favourite books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Story of B are two of my favourite books.",
          "reason": "Names it among the commenter's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Quinn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "civilization",
        "religion",
        "culture",
        "environmental philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-got-you-here-won-t-get-you-there-how-successful-people-becom-0dad71",
      "title": "What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful",
      "author": "Marshall Goldsmith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17988635,
          "author": "kevin42",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-14T16:34:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17988635",
          "commentText": "What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful by \t\nMarshall Goldsmith\nI wish I had read that in my late 20's instead of in my mid-30s. If you are a successful technical person who has been or wants to be promoted to a supervisory or management position, it's a must read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's a must read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a must-read for successful technical people moving into supervisory or management roles.",
          "audience": "Successful technical people who have been or want to be promoted to a supervisory or management position.",
          "caveat": "The commenter wishes they had read it in their late 20s instead of their mid-30s.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16571270,
          "author": "clintonb",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-12T20:28:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16571270",
          "commentText": "\"What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful\" by Marshall Goldsmith helped me become a better teammate and communicator.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "helped me become a better teammate and communicator.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them become a better teammate and communicator.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12419629,
          "author": "kevin42",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-03T15:49:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12419629",
          "commentText": "What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful by Marshall Goldsmith.\nThis book really helped me make the transition between being valued primarily for my technical abilities and focusing more on interpersonal relationships and how that affects my ability to be part of a successful team. It was very humbling to read as I realized I had been guilty of so many of the things mentioned in this book. It really changed my career for the better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book really helped me make the transition between being valued primarily for my technical abilities and focusing more on interpersonal relationships and how that affects my ability to be part of a successful team.",
          "reason": "The commenter credits the book with helping their career transition and says it changed their career for the better.",
          "audience": "People moving from technical work toward greater focus on interpersonal relationships and teamwork.",
          "caveat": "The commenter found its lessons humbling.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6975774,
          "author": "arash_milani",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T18:50:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6975774",
          "commentText": "What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful\nBy Marshall Goldsmith\nI came to realize that sometimes to improve your teams' performance you don't need another tip to add into the behavior of the team members. actually  the problem with mature team members is not that they don't know what to do; The problem is that they don't know what to STOP doing. And there is another thing that makes the situation even worse: Most of the time the team member who hurts others in the team don't realize that. But everyone in the room knows that something is wrong as the heat in the room rises. And this heat raise certainly will affect the team overall performance and unity. So this is a serious business.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful\nBy Marshall Goldsmith",
          "reason": "Explains that improving team performance can require stopping harmful behaviors.",
          "audience": "People improving team performance and leadership.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marshall Goldsmith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "teamwork",
        "career development",
        "communication"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "iwoz-55f4a4",
      "title": "iWoz",
      "author": "Steve Wozniak and Gina Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43612543,
          "author": "ferguess_k",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T15:21:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43612543",
          "commentText": "A short list of books that cost some candles after I reached 40 (has been very picky about books since then). I not only read them into late night but also went back to them whenever I need some mental boost.\n- The Soul of a New Machine\n- Showstoppers\n- iWoz\n- Athens and Jerusalem (Shestov)\nI'm devouring many F & SFs (right now reading Arthur Clarke) but so far nothing really sticks. A lot of them are interesting but I'm keeping counting the pages I read. I used to burn candles reading them back in the day, but the magic was lost. I'm going to try out some recommendations I got on HN and see what happens.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- iWoz",
          "reason": "Included in the short list of books the commenter rereads for a mental boost.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910210,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:25:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910210",
          "commentText": "- \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies\" - probably the most influential book I've read in my life, profoundly changed the way I think. It's a collection of LessWrong essays on science and rationality.\n- \"On Intelligence\" and \"I am a Strange Loop\" - how mind works.\n- \"Rework\", \"Zero to One\", \"Start Small, Stay Small\" - insightful startup advice.\n- Fun autobiographies: Ghost in the Wires (Kevin Mitnick), iWoz (Steve Wozniak), Catch me if you can (Frank Abagnale), Just for Fun (Linus Torvalds), Elon Musk, Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\n- How companies work: Creativity Inc (Pixar), In the Plex (Google)\n- On writing: Art of fiction/nonfiction by Ayn Rand, Story by Robert McKee, Save the Cat, Step by Step to Standup Comedy.\n- Other: The Selfish Gene, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Serious Creativity, Hackers & Painters, Hacking Growth, Angel (on angel investing, by Jason Calacanis).\nAlso collections of essays by Paul Graham [1] and Scott Alexander [2]:\n[1] https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%20Complete%20Essays.epub?dl=0)\n[2] https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of%20Scott%20Alexandria%20-%20Scott%20Alexander.epub?dl=0)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "iWoz (Steve Wozniak)",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's fun autobiographies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9347895,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T14:48:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9347895",
          "commentText": "Here's my usual list of recommendations, the best books I've read in the past 5 years.\nFiction:\n- Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\nIf you know nothing about this book you might naturally hesitate to read \"Harry Potter fanfiction\" and assume that it's dumb/horrbile, but it's not. Just suspend your disbelief and read the first 5-10 chapters. Trust me, it's brilliant, hilarious, and life-changing.\n- Atlas Shrugged\nControversial, I know, a lot of people here hate it for some reason, but it was incredibly influential on me, inspired my passion for entrepreneurship and science and philosophy. Still is one of the best books I am aware of.\nNonfiction:\n- Hackers and Painters by Paul Graham\nAlso a collection of his essays that you can find on github. He is one of the most clever writers I am aware of, but I assume you know that, since you're on HN.\n- \"On Intelligence\" by Jeff Hawkins\nThis book explains in simple terms a very awesome and elegant theory on how mind works. Incredibly fascinating, I've learned a lot from it and it explains a lot of things, and will change the way you think about thinking process.\n- The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins\nEngaging and entertaining explanation of evolution, absolutely fantastic book.\n- The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli.\nDespite the stigma, and people thinking that Machhiavellian = \"evil\", I've found this book extremely clever and wise.\n- Serious Creativity by Edward De Bono\nThe best book on creativity and the process of generating ideas that I'm aware of.\n- Abundance\nThis is a very inspiring and optimistic book about the future of technology.\nEntrepreneurhsip:\n- Start Small, Stay Small\nGuide to creating your first product/business for hackers. It lays out all the basics of entrepreneurship in a very concise and clear ways, my favorite introduction to startups.\n- Rework\nVery wise and intelligent advice about startups, intelligent and witty, must read.\n- Lean Startup\nClassic book on \"lean startup methodology\", very useful.\n- 4-Hour Workweek\nDespite the silly title I think it is a great book and is very much worth reading. Many people here dislike Tim Ferris, but whatever, I think this book is cool.\nAutobiographies:\n- Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman\n- Ghost In The Wires by Kevin Mitnick\n- Catch me if you can by Abagnale\n- iWoz by Steve Wozniak\n- Losing my Virginity by Richard Branson\nAll these are fantastic and very intelligent autobiographies by the very awesome people.\nNow I'm reading \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" and \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies.\"\n\"Rationality\" is great and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. Can't say much about GEB, I've only started reading it, but everyone is saying that it is so great and the best book ever, so I think it's definitely worth checking out.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All these are fantastic and very intelligent autobiographies by the very awesome people.",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of autobiographies the commenter calls fantastic and intelligent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135906,
          "author": "fogus",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-13T12:45:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135906",
          "commentText": "Off the top of my head:\n- Soul of a New Machine\n- The Cuckoo's Egg\n- Revolution in the Valley\n- Fire in the Valley\n- Compilers by Sethi, Ullman, Aho\n- Masters of Doom\n- iWoz\n- Steve Jobs & the NeXT Big Thing\n- Crypto\n- Code\n- The Man Who Loved Only Numbers\n- The Man Who Knew Infinity\n- ANSI Common LISP\nMost of the books above are recommended because once reading them you will have an uncontrollable urge to immediately create something brilliant.  You will not be able to stop yourself.\n-m",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- iWoz",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter recommends for their motivating effect.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computing and creating things.",
          "caveat": "The claimed effect is an uncontrollable urge to create something brilliant.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve Wozniak",
        "Gina Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "apple",
        "apple history",
        "steve wozniak"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "11-22-63-d60211",
      "title": "11/22/63",
      "author": "Stephen King",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49477590,
          "author": "ssenssei",
          "createdAt": "2026-08-28T12:31:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 49464764,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: If I am 16 what should I learn? Which books should read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49477590",
          "commentText": "best books I could recommend are fiction, they teach you much more than non-fiction, lessons learned in stories are better tha unordered lists of advice you'll forget in a few days.\nSome of my favorites include: a moveable feast, watership down, 11.22.63\nI remember how lost when I was 16, truly it was just a massive wave of depression and fear and loss. I encourage you to do what I did and explore as many facets as you can possibly imagine (coding, guitar practice, drawing, 3D modeling, pixel art, car tuning, botany, gardening, astronomy...) and if you find something you love and you find yourself doing it for months almost like second nature, you should follow that in whichever career direction it leads you  or wherever it takes you with school and opportunities.\nThere's no one set path, and I did struggle with that as a 16 year old as some paths appear better than others. In my time, html, css, and js bootcamps were literally everywhere and now, look at the development space. you never know and you can never predict the future, but you can follow what you love and opportunity will present itself for you to shine and feel comfortable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Some of my favorites include: a moveable feast, watership down, 11.22.63",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorite fiction books, recommended as stories that teach.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13568769,
          "author": "DCoder",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T20:07:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13568769",
          "commentText": "* Steven Levy – Crypto\n* Stephen King – 11/22/63\n* Michael R Underwood – Geekomancy series\n11/22/63 in particular is hard to put down, King doesn't need the supernatural to create a thrilling story.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "11/22/63 in particular is hard to put down, King doesn't need the supernatural to create a thrilling story.",
          "reason": "Praises it as hard to put down and thrilling.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy historical suspense.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401569,
          "author": "MattGrommes",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:39:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401569",
          "commentText": "I'm about a quarter of the way through \"The Martian\" by Andy Weir. It's good, geeky fun so far. Some of the dialog is clunky but the main character is interesting and fun.\nI also read \"11/22/63\" by Stephen King. An interesting twist on time travel with the usual King propulsiveness. Recommended for King fans like me who may not have read him in awhile.\n\"Geek Sublime\" by Vikram Chandra is a surprising mix of \"my career in writing\" with computation lessons and history. I took a break from it to read The Martian but it's extremely interesting. He's one of my favorite writers and I'm glad he's got something out that might expose him to a different audience.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Recommended for King fans like me who may not have read him in awhile.",
          "reason": "Recommends it to King fans who have not read him recently.",
          "audience": "Stephen King fans, especially those who have not read him in a while.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen King"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "time travel",
        "historical fiction",
        "alternate history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "21-lessons-for-the-21st-century-2d3316",
      "title": "21 Lessons for the 21st Century",
      "author": "Yuval Noah Harari",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33852658,
          "author": "Orange1688",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T11:30:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33852658",
          "commentText": "An excellent gauge for how good a book is can be found in how many times you catch yourself thinking back on it even after some time has passed. Through this, my favorite this entire year is The Diary of a Young Girl (Anne Frank's diary). Without a doubt one of the best books I have ever read, just through how supremely human it is.\nOther books are:\n-The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson\n-Sapiens by Yuval Yuval Noah Harari\n-21 Lessons for the 21st Century\n-Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feyn\nman!: Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard Feynman\n-Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson\n-Permanent Record by Edward Snowden",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-21 Lessons for the 21st Century",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's other books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33382483,
          "author": "koliber",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T09:40:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382483",
          "commentText": "“21 Lessons for the 21st Century”, by Yuval Harari. I am blown away.\nHis first book, “Sapiens” clarified a few cultural concepts which made the world a little easier to understand. This book is a firehose of more of that.\nHarari explains complex political, sociological, cultural problems through a practical lens. The book provides little advice, but a lot of tools for understanding. It’s left-leaning, but carnal and if you are sensitive about your views, do not read it. On the other hand, if you are curious, looking for perspectives and tools for understanding the world around us, and are not afraid to have your views challenges or upturned, give it a go.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“21 Lessons for the 21st Century”, by Yuval Harari. I am blown away.",
          "reason": "The commenter is highly impressed and says it offers tools for understanding political, sociological, and cultural problems.",
          "audience": "Curious readers open to perspectives that may challenge their views.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as left-leaning, says it offers little advice, and cautions sensitive readers about their views being challenged.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18696898,
          "author": "greenido",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-17T04:30:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18696898",
          "commentText": "Some books I've enjoyed in the past year:\nWish to laugh?\n* Born a Crime, by Trevor Noah\n* Yes please! by Amy Poehler\nThink?\n* Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell\n* Where Good Ideas Come from, by Steven Johnson\n* The Emperor of All Maladies and The Gene: An Intimate History both by Mukherjee Siddhartha\nLearn (more) about great thinkers?\n* Einstein or Leonardo da Vinci or Steve Jobs, by Walter Isaacson\n* Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike, by Phil Knight\nYuval Noah Harari 3 good ones:\n* Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow\n* Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\n* 21 lessons for the 21st century\nFrom time to time, I try to put some good ones over here: https://greenido.wordpress.com/?s=book",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "21 lessons for the 21st century",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Readers who want to learn about great thinkers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665467,
          "author": "JabavuAdams",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:55:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665467",
          "commentText": "= Finished =\n* Homo Deus, Yuval Noah Harari\n* Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt\n* The Quants\n* All About ADHD: A Family Resource for Helping Your Child Succeed With ADHD\n* Still Procrastinating? The No Regrets Guide To Getting It Done\n* Why Does He Do That? Inside The Minds of Angry And Controlling Men\n* Killing Pablo\n* Blackhawk Down (re-read)\n* Revelation Space. Banks. (re-read)\n= Finished Chapters Required For A Course =\n* Essential University Physics, Volume 1. Wolfson.\n* Linear Algebra, A First Course. Kutler.\n* A Concise Introduction to Linear Algebra. Schay.\n* Biology I: Cells, Molecular Biology, and Genetics. Custom Text (York University, BIOL 1000).\n* Chemistry, A Molecular Approach. Tro et. al.\n= In Progress =\n* 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, Yuval Noah Harari\n* Time Reborn: From the Crisis In Physics to the Future of the Universe. Smolin.\n* Freemium Mobile Games: Design & Monetization",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "* 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, Yuval Noah Harari",
          "reason": "Listed as in progress; no evaluation or recommendation is expressed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Still in progress.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18663950,
          "author": "philippz",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T14:05:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663950",
          "commentText": "Yuval Harari - Sapiens\nYuval Harari - Homo Deus\nYuval Harari - 21 lessons for the 21st century\nFrank Schätzing - The Swarm\nPeter Drucker - The Effective Executive\nStephen Hawking - A Short History Of Time",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Yuval Harari - 21 lessons for the 21st century",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Yuval Noah Harari"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "contemporary issues",
        "cultural change",
        "globalization",
        "political analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "21st-century-c-e6a5e5",
      "title": "21st Century C",
      "author": "Ben Klemens",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41387801,
          "author": "optymizer",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T06:00:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387801",
          "commentText": "I would split the books into two categories: those that improve the way you structure your code and deliver a software solution, and those that improve your technical understanding of the software platform and the computer you're using.\nThe first are books like Pragmatic Programmer, Mythical Man Month, Code Complete, Design Patterns, talks by Alan Kay on software systems and OOP, even Game Engine Architecture etc. A lot of the content there is distilled experience which is much faster to learn from a book than gain the hard way on the job.\nThe other books are practical deep dives. Here I would recommend a variety of books like Inside the Machine by Stokes, Computer Architecture by Hennessy, 21st Century C by Klemens, Crafting Interpreters by Nystrom, Compilers by Aho, Effective Java, Nature of Code by Shiffman, Ray Tracing Challenge by Buck, Hands on Hacking by Hickey, and others, depending on your interest and area of focus.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "21st Century C by Klemens",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a practical deep dive into software platforms and computers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33131504,
          "author": "armitron",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T11:40:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33131504",
          "commentText": "It's terrible, the bad reviews on Amazon are accurate.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "It's terrible, the bad reviews on Amazon are accurate.",
          "reason": "Calls the book terrible and agrees with its negative reviews.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33131400,
          "author": "tunnuz",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T11:21:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33131400",
          "commentText": "I’m not endorsing this as I haven’t read it, but perhaps someone can say if it’s any good for the purpose of learning C from scratch https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/21st-century-c/97814919... (https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/21st-century-c/9781491904428/)",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "I’m not endorsing this as I haven’t read it",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Someone considering learning C from scratch.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it and does not endorse it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13239142,
          "author": "a3n",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T18:16:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13239142",
          "commentText": "(Some of the +below are O'Reilly DRM-free ebooks. Big fan.)\nPython:\n+Effective Computation in Physics. Probably the most practical full-environment treatment of Python I've seen. Write, test, package, distribute. Third party libs.\nEffective Python, Brett Slatkin. Sort of an \"N ways to improve your Python.\" Part of a series edited by Scott Meyers.\nGetting my C mojo back:\nI left C/C++ 15 years ago. C++ will likely stay left, but I miss C.\n+Reading 21st Century C, Ben Klemens. The first half is the development environment, which is great, since there's some new stuff since I left, and lots of stuff I've forgotten or never knew.\nRereading Expert C Programming: Deep C Secrets by Van der Linden. The guy's a riot. It's dated but still relevant. The inside baseball stuff on problems seen while working in Sun's compiler group is fascinating.\nRereading C Interfaces and Implementations, Hanson. Hoping this will serve as my C version of Large Scale C++ Design by Lakos. Honestly though, the literate programming style of presentation is off-putting. Are we still talking about that?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Reading 21st Century C, Ben Klemens. The first half is the development environment, which is great",
          "reason": "Praises the first half for covering the development environment and useful updates they had missed or forgotten.",
          "audience": "C programmers returning to the language.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10182105,
          "author": "z92",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-07T16:53:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10182105",
          "commentText": "21st Century C - O'Reilly\nhttp://www.amazon.com/21st-Century-Tips-New-School/dp/149190... (http://www.amazon.com/21st-Century-Tips-New-School/dp/1491903899/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "21st Century C - O'Reilly",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ben Klemens"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming",
        "development tools"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-clockwork-orange-c7962b",
      "title": "A Clockwork Orange",
      "author": "Anthony Burgess",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11715435,
          "author": "vkb",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-17T17:23:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11715435",
          "commentText": "The more I read, the more I realize that fiction has a way of teaching the same lessons as nonfiction, only in a better, humane way that is not like someone lecturing at you from a podium, but more like a friend sitting down for a heart-to-heart conversation with you.\nIn this vein, I've started catching up on all the classics I haven't read yet, and there are a lot of them. At first, I was hesitant to dive into classics, because I thought they were hard to read and highbrow. This has mostly not been the case (with the exception of Wuthering Heights, which I found impossible to get through).\nTo wit, the best books I've read this year include:\nA Tale of Two Cities - Impossible to get through the first several chapters, but after that, you're off to the races between France and England in the 18th century. Dickens used historical books as reference, but recreated the mood entirely from imagination. A better primer than anything in the news about Anglo-French relations, learning trust, and sacrifice.\nNo Country for Old Men - Want to understand the current fear of the Mexican border that has so bolstered Trump's popularity, as well as the ramifications of having a country full of veterans who don't have any medical support or care?   Read this book.\nFarenheit 451, A Clockwork Orange, Handmaid's Tale - Much better and scarier than any news clipping today about the possible future path for government interference in thought and action. Takes things to their logical conclusions.\nAnd one non-fiction book that I did enjoy, Bringing Up Bebe, which is about the contrasts between child-rearing in France and America, but on a much larger scale, about the different things that seem culturally obvious to us, but are completely different to other cultures. This book made me really re-examine American food culture in a way Michael Pollan's diatribes have not.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Farenheit 451, A Clockwork Orange, Handmaid's Tale - Much better and scarier than any news clipping today",
          "reason": "Calls these books more compelling and frightening than current news about government interference.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9677961,
          "author": "century19",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-08T09:08:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9677961",
          "commentText": "A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess.  There is an invented slang used in the book, which make the first pages difficult, as you have to work out what is being said.  But the book is much richer for it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "There is an invented slang used in the book, which make the first pages difficult, as you have to work out what is being said. But the book is much richer for it.",
          "reason": "The invented slang makes the opening difficult, but the commenter says it enriches the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The first pages are difficult because of the invented slang.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56710,
          "author": "ericb",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T04:38:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56710",
          "commentText": "Oh, one more: A Clockwork Orange.  The book is much better than the movie.  It's nicer if you haven't already seen the movie and got Stanley Kubrick's acid-trip biasing your perceptions..",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book is much better than the movie.",
          "reason": "Recommends the book over the film adaptation.",
          "audience": "Readers who have not seen the film may enjoy approaching the book without its influence.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the movie may bias readers' perceptions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anthony Burgess"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopia",
        "invented slang",
        "satire",
        "social control"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-gentleman-in-moscow-c9ab8b",
      "title": "A Gentleman in Moscow",
      "author": "Amor Towles",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46396741,
          "author": "testdelacc1",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T21:55:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46396741",
          "commentText": "A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles blew me away by the quality of the writing, the endearing characters and the charming setting. I’m glad I picked it up and I strongly recommend it to you.\nI haven’t been reading much in the last couple of years and I credit this book for getting me back in the game.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles blew me away by the quality of the writing, the endearing characters and the charming setting.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the writing, characters, and setting and strongly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36429271,
          "author": "jorisboris",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T08:04:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36429271",
          "commentText": "Gentleman in Moscow.\nDespite being fiction, it sets the standard for elegance and charm.\nSuffering from recency bias though, as I read it recently.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Gentleman in Moscow.\nDespite being fiction, it sets the standard for elegance and charm.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it sets a standard for elegance and charm.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They acknowledge possible recency bias because they read it recently.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29669671,
          "author": "Aeolun",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T03:15:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29669671",
          "commentText": "Been reading A Gentleman in Moscow for a while. Haven’t finished yet, but I find it thorougly enjoyable.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Been reading A Gentleman in Moscow for a while. Haven’t finished yet, but I find it thorougly enjoyable.",
          "reason": "Says they find it thoroughly enjoyable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Still reading and has not finished.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Amor Towles"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "historical novel",
        "russia",
        "russian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-man-for-all-markets-69752b",
      "title": "A Man for All Markets",
      "author": "Edward O. Thorp",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29816383,
          "author": "conformist",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-05T22:58:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29816383",
          "commentText": "Wittgenstein's Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus is always worth having a look at. \nNot everyone's cup of tea, but I  greatly enjoyed it at around that age.\nEd Thorp's autobiography \"A man for all markets\" is fun, in particular if you're interested in maths, gambling or finance.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ed Thorp's autobiography \"A man for all markets\" is fun",
          "reason": "Describes the autobiography as fun.",
          "audience": "Especially relevant if interested in maths, gambling, or finance.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18827386,
          "author": "parallel_item",
          "createdAt": "2019-01-04T20:38:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 18824130,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What article/book do you recommend for my next flight?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18827386",
          "commentText": "Some finance books I love (and reread frequently). These books are more about characters and stories, more than traditional non-fiction.\nMy Life as a Quant by Emanuel Derman\nThe Quants by Scott Patterson\nA Man for All Markets by Edward O. Thorp\nReminiscences of a Stock Operator by Edwin Lefevre\nFlash Boys by Michael Lewis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Man for All Markets by Edward O. Thorp",
          "reason": "Includes it among finance books the commenter loves and rereads frequently.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in finance books focused on characters and stories.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these books are more about characters and stories than traditional nonfiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18669868,
          "author": "ElCapitanMarkla",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-13T04:37:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18669868",
          "commentText": "Its an inspirational story alright. I’ve recommended it to just about everyone.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Its an inspirational story alright. I’ve recommended it to just about everyone.",
          "reason": "Calls the story inspirational and says they recommend it to almost everyone.",
          "audience": "A broad audience; the commenter says they recommend it to just about everyone.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630284,
          "author": "stevenj",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:04:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630284",
          "commentText": "SURELY YOU'RE JOKING MR. FEYNMAN BY RICHARD FEYNMAN\n-I loved this book for its humor, everyday practicality, how relatable it felt even without having a background in physics or knowledge about the pranks and experiments he conducted. As well as the book being well-written in the sense that it reads as if you're sitting on the couch with him as he's telling you stories about his life, all with a child-like sense of wonder and enthusiasm about the world.\nTHE $12 MILLION STUFFED SHARK BY DON THOMPSON\n-I'm interested in the high-finance and fine-art worlds and this book discussed how they both go together - money and art - in an informative, quick-paced way.\nTHE BUY SIDE BY TURNEY DUFF\n-For its humor, honesty, and how well written it was in terms of it being a page turner while also providing you with an insightful account about the high-finance industry.\nMOLLY'S GAME BY MOLLY BLOOM\n-It was an entertaining, quick-paced read about the private, high-stakes poker industry with an assortment of participants.\nMONEYBALL, LIAR'S POKER & THE BIG SHORT BY MICHAEL LEWIS\n-I thought they were all entertaining reads, while also being insightful about their respective subjects.\nSTEVE JOBS BY WALTER ISAACSON\n-It was an illuminating read to me.\n- - -\nSeparately, these books are on my list to read if anyone has opinions about them:\n-Ghost in the Wires by Kevin \nMitnick\n-Principles by Ray Dalio\n-A Man For All Markets by Edward Thorp",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "A Man For All Markets by Edward Thorp",
          "reason": "Lists it as a book on their list to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward O. Thorp"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "gambling",
        "quantitative finance",
        "investing",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-pattern-language-cd0c61",
      "title": "A Pattern Language",
      "author": "Christopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa, and Murray Silverstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12145642,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T18:30:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12145642",
          "commentText": "As a reader of books, one of the good things about growing older is that the books the younger version of myself read are books that this older version of myself hasn't and there is great pleasure in rereading the books the younger version of myself read as the older person I am.\nAnd that makes this exercise impossible for me. The books I would tell the younger version of myself to read wouldn't resonate the same way (or not at all) with that other person I used to be. Picking books that might have appealed to the younger version of myself accurately would mean picking the books I actually read -- e.g. The Fifth Discipline -- and not books that the younger version of myself tried to read but couldn't but that I read and recommend today: e.g. TAoCP.\nPart of the complexity is that the world in which I read books today is radically different from that of my younger self. Today I can get a MIX interpreter from the internet [1]...there's even help on StackOverflow. My younger self couldn't because even in the time when there was an internet bandwidth was low and Google didn't exist.\nLike I said it's great to pick up a good book and realize it is better than I remember when I remember it being really good, but it's hard to see how it could have been better for my younger self.\n1. Neuromancer\n2. Blood Meridian\n3. A Pattern Language\n[1]:https://apps.ubuntu.com/cat/applications/precise/mixal/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "3. A Pattern Language",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3338336,
          "author": "gruseom",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T19:58:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3338336",
          "commentText": "That's the one. I hope you enjoy thumbing through it.\nThe first thing from that book that caught my attention was his point about rooms feeling more alive when they have light coming in on two different sides. I've noticed that, or the lack of it, in just about every room ever since.\nHofstadter? It's always the same grad-students-drinking-beer mentality: hey man, this thing is totally like that other thing. The connections seem profound, but are not, because they don't have deep roots in anything. The real tell is that nothing of great value ever comes out of this way of doing business (I mean this style, not H's work specifically). It's an intellectual sugar rush.\nBut again, perhaps I am unfair.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The first thing from that book that caught my attention was his point about rooms feeling more alive when they have light coming in on two different sides.",
          "reason": "Discusses a point from the book about how light affects the feeling of a room.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Pattern Language",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240850,
          "author": "trotzke",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T06:28:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240850",
          "commentText": "On my desk:\nGetting Real (37Signals),\nHardball (Chris Mathews),\nPrioritizing Web Usability (Jakob Nielsen)\nNearby shelf:\nThe Design of Everyday Things,\nMaverick,\nFounders at work,\nA Brief History of Time,\nA Pattern Language,\nPeopleware,\nMade to stick,\nWeb Standards Solutions,\nDesigning Interactions,\nThe Pragmatic Programmer,\nThe Mythical Man-Month,\nOh, the Places You'll Go!\nOther good reads:\nBlink,\nTipping Point,\nLong Tail,\nFreakonomics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Pattern Language,",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for recommended books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher Alexander",
        "Sara Ishikawa",
        "Murray Silverstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Art",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "architecture",
        "urban design",
        "design patterns"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-portrait-of-the-artist-as-a-young-man-51cfaf",
      "title": "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man",
      "author": "James Joyce",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31968968,
          "author": "kthejoker2",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T16:36:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31968968",
          "commentText": "Tough choices ..\nMoby Dick has so much to offer .. Gulliver's Travels ... Tristam Shandy ... Essays by Montaigne.. Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man ....\nProbably the collected works of Shaw? Things with dialogue feel freah every time you read them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22727526,
          "author": "Cro_on",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T12:40:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22727526",
          "commentText": "Ulysses.\nSurprised I haven't seen it mentioned yet, as it normally is in book threads on HN.\nThe reason that it had, and still has, such a positive influence on my life is the plethora of literary tools which it possesses. It allows for infinite play and imagination, while still being the apparent product of extreme dedication and earned mastery.\nIn fact, I prefer Portrait of The Artist as a Young Man as a novel, and I'm sure that the Wake is a perfect encyclopedia of language, cryptography, history, et al. But Ulysses takes it as an (humerous, profound, tricky, psychoanalytic, poetic, radical) example of the process of artistic experiment, the practically infinite range of the possible, and the unforgiving merit of deep study and eclectic knowledge.\nI go back every so often to bounce my own ideas and troubling sentences off of it, more often than not just to get a little bit of validation.\nNext would be Hesiod - Theogany, a 900 line 'epic' poem from the dawn of written literature. He is considered to be the first economist, though at that point of course it is simply philosophy. It explained for me the concept of emergent consciousness in a very biblical way, and let me realise the notion that religious works are just misunderstood metaphors; products of an imperfect language. It's unsurprising I suppose that something so short, that was written almost 3000 years ago, has such incredible lessons and timeless human value.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "In fact, I prefer Portrait of The Artist as a Young Man as a novel",
          "reason": "The commenter prefers it as a novel while discussing its merits alongside Ulysses.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797501,
          "author": "tel",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T06:07:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797501",
          "commentText": "Not entirely ouch. Much like when I read Portrait of the Artist I am pressed between wanting to stab Joyce for having obnoxious and terrible worldviews and steal his flatcap for its clearly mystical powers of English wrangling.\nI guess those aren't exactly mutually exclusive.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Portrait of the Artist",
          "reason": "Criticizes Joyce's worldviews while admiring his command of English.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The title is referred to in shortened form.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Joyce"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "modernist literature",
        "bildungsroman",
        "coming of age",
        "literary modernism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-programmer-s-introduction-to-mathematics-2a05d9",
      "title": "A Programmer’s Introduction to Mathematics",
      "author": "Jeremy Kun",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28661269,
          "author": "m3talsmith",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T14:45:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28661269",
          "commentText": "1. Why’s Poignant Guide to Ruby\n2. Practical Common Lisp\n3. A Programmer’s Introduction to Mathematics\n4. Data Structures and Programming Design in C\n5. The Art of Agent Oriented Modeling",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Programmer’s Introduction to Mathematics",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s programming book selections.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23727968,
          "author": "jostylr",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T21:53:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23727968",
          "commentText": "I remember Pi in the Sky by John Barrows very fondly. It has more of a focus on geometry and logic.\nA Programmer's Introduction to Mathematics by Jeremy Kun is wide ranging and appropriate if there is also interest in programming.\nNature and Growth of Modern Mathematics by Edna Kramer is a wonderful book if history is a passion as well.\nElements of Mathematics by John Stillwell is a broad overview of subjects. It has a crisp mathematical feel to it.\nVector Calculus, Linear Algebra, and Differential Forms by John & Barbara Hubbard is a beautiful introduction to the multi-dimensional aspects, but it is a book that should happen after knowing one dimensional calculus. .\nIf your child hasn't been exposed to Guesstimation, then a book on that is highly recommended. The book with that title by Weinstein and Adams is a nice guide to investigating that realm.\nIf the child does arithmetic from right to left, as is sadly too common, the book Speed Mathematics Simplified by Edward Stoddard is a great remedy for that.\nEveryday Calculus by Oscar Fernandez could also be worth a look.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Programmer's Introduction to Mathematics by Jeremy Kun is wide ranging and appropriate if there is also interest in programming.",
          "reason": "A wide-ranging introduction that connects mathematics with programming.",
          "audience": "Readers also interested in programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21375861,
          "author": "cben",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-28T11:02:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21375861",
          "commentText": "You don't really need much math for SICP.  You can learn a few random pieces of math from SICP, and without background that will be harder and you might feel like you're missing out, but these are just examples; you can just trust the math works and focus on how they implement it in code, it's structure of the code they want to teach you about.\nAnd, it gets better, IIRC from chapter 2 there is much less math.\nWhat happens in the first chapter, is that SICP is exploring various control structures (and abstractions over them) before teaching any compound data structures at all.  So all it has to work with is numbers.\nBut as number theory teaches us, numbers actually have a rich internal structure, and SICP uses that to make \"interesting\" examples!\n(This aspect of SICP is one of the big critiques in the paper http://cs.brown.edu/~sk/Publications/Papers/Published/fffk-h... (http://cs.brown.edu/~sk/Publications/Papers/Published/fffk-htdp-vs-sicp-journal/paper.pdf)\nwhich explains the motivations beyond HtDP textbook.  In particular, HtDP shows compound data structures first, and uses those to start with explicit methodology for data-directed design of code.\nThese are smart programmers and smart educators, and I trust they made a better intro course.  I won't recommend SICP for people who don't know any programming at all.  But I feel SICP has a magical voice about the art of programming that HtDP didn't replicate — though I haven't read HtDP, only leafed through it a bit.)\nSo I don't recommend to to cram algebra/calculus before you begin SICP journey!  Just start on SICP, and look up math stuff if/as you want.\nAt the beginning, IIRC you'll encounter: prime vs composite integers; base-2 representation of integers; some calculus but it's enough to understand derivative = slope.\nThere is some symbolic algebra stuff later that's maybe trickier, but I think (hope?) SICP is actually a great book to demystify that.\n---\nIf you do want to learn math relevant to CS, but mainly for the purpose of learning math:\n- If you're comfortable with code more than math: \n  A Programmer’s Introduction to Mathematics by Jeremy Kun.\n- \"Concrete Math\" by Knuth/Oren/Patashnik is wonderful.  \n  Don't feel you have to finish it!  I stopped ~60%.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you're comfortable with code more than math: A Programmer’s Introduction to Mathematics by Jeremy Kun.",
          "reason": "Recommended for readers who are more comfortable with code than math and want to learn math relevant to computer science.",
          "audience": "Readers more comfortable with code than math.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeremy Kun"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematics for programmers",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-scanner-darkly-3e4d88",
      "title": "A Scanner Darkly",
      "author": "Philip K. Dick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50115941,
          "author": "johncoltrane",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T09:03:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50115941",
          "commentText": "J.R.R. Tolkien: The lord of the Rings (lost count)\nPhilip K. Dick: Ubik, Flow My Tears The Policeman Said, A Scanner Darkly, etc. too many to count (many more than twice)\nWilliam Gibson: everything at least twice\nNeal Stephenson: Snow crash (three times, I think)\nClifford D. Simak: City\nH. P. Lovecraft: everything at least twice. There is a French compilation of The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, The Silver Key, and Through the Gates of the Silver Key that I've read countless times. I've used two editions and I'm at my third.\nMaurice G. Dantec: Babylon Babies (three times)\nPossibly many others.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Scanner Darkly",
          "reason": "Listed among Philip K. Dick books the commenter has read many times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 47984579,
          "author": "johncoltrane",
          "createdAt": "2026-05-02T08:35:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 47984463,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47984579",
          "commentText": "A bunch of William Gibsons.\nPhilip K. Dick's Ubik, A Scanner Darkly, and Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said.\nClifford D. Simak's City.\nClassics.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "A Scanner Darkly",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467533,
          "author": "xamuel",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:35:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467533",
          "commentText": "The Bible (technically working on my 2nd cover-to-cover readthrough, but have read individual books in it many times, especially the Gospel of Matthew).\nAll of Kafka's novels, but especially \"The Castle\".\nSeveral of PKD's novels: \"The Man in the High Castle\", \"Through a Scanner Darkly\", \"Ubiq\"\n\"The Silmarillion\" (when I was a young adult)\nDouglas Adams' \"Dirk Gentley's Holistic Detective Agency\" (when I was a teenager)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Through a Scanner Darkly\"",
          "reason": "Lists it among novels reread several times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7302886,
          "author": "thatusertwo",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T04:26:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7302886",
          "commentText": "A Scanner Darkly - Philip K Dick\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nExpanded Universe - Robert A. Heinlein",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Scanner Darkly - Philip K Dick",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for science-fiction suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip K. Dick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "drug culture",
        "dystopia",
        "dystopian fiction",
        "surveillance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-tale-of-two-cities-58eb0a",
      "title": "A Tale of Two Cities",
      "author": "Charles Dickens",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42523871,
          "author": "dvsjr",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-27T17:05:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42523871",
          "commentText": "We need to trust \"Classics\" more. I read the Tale of two cities and was genuinely profoundly moved by it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read the Tale of two cities and was genuinely profoundly moved by it.",
          "reason": "Says the novel had a profound emotional impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467700,
          "author": "clairity",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:52:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467700",
          "commentText": "i recently re-read the wisdom of crowds, ~15 years now since i first read it. still good, still relevant. there's even a section on how quickly SARS was identified in international collaboration despite no central, coordinating entity.\nit's covertly a book about statistical reasoning, but with no dry statistical language, subversive in a way. we need more statistical reasoning in the world, particularly around risk assessment, to subdue fear and panic.\nedit: as for fiction,\njames clavell's asian saga[0] series is entertaining historical fiction, which i've read twice.\npat conroy's southern portraits, particularly the lords of discipline and the prince of tides, both wrenching, haunting, and beautiful.\nalso in the historical/cultural fiction realm: anna karenina, crime and punishment, a tale of two cities, les miserables.\n[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Asian_Saga",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a tale of two cities",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11715435,
          "author": "vkb",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-17T17:23:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11715435",
          "commentText": "The more I read, the more I realize that fiction has a way of teaching the same lessons as nonfiction, only in a better, humane way that is not like someone lecturing at you from a podium, but more like a friend sitting down for a heart-to-heart conversation with you.\nIn this vein, I've started catching up on all the classics I haven't read yet, and there are a lot of them. At first, I was hesitant to dive into classics, because I thought they were hard to read and highbrow. This has mostly not been the case (with the exception of Wuthering Heights, which I found impossible to get through).\nTo wit, the best books I've read this year include:\nA Tale of Two Cities - Impossible to get through the first several chapters, but after that, you're off to the races between France and England in the 18th century. Dickens used historical books as reference, but recreated the mood entirely from imagination. A better primer than anything in the news about Anglo-French relations, learning trust, and sacrifice.\nNo Country for Old Men - Want to understand the current fear of the Mexican border that has so bolstered Trump's popularity, as well as the ramifications of having a country full of veterans who don't have any medical support or care?   Read this book.\nFarenheit 451, A Clockwork Orange, Handmaid's Tale - Much better and scarier than any news clipping today about the possible future path for government interference in thought and action. Takes things to their logical conclusions.\nAnd one non-fiction book that I did enjoy, Bringing Up Bebe, which is about the contrasts between child-rearing in France and America, but on a much larger scale, about the different things that seem culturally obvious to us, but are completely different to other cultures. This book made me really re-examine American food culture in a way Michael Pollan's diatribes have not.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A better primer than anything in the news about Anglo-French relations, learning trust, and sacrifice.",
          "reason": "Calls it a better primer on Anglo-French relations, trust, and sacrifice than news coverage.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Impossible to get through the first several chapters.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Dickens"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "classic literature",
        "french revolution",
        "historical novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-wrinkle-in-time-7b7460",
      "title": "A Wrinkle in Time",
      "author": "Madeleine L’Engle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30737355,
          "author": "themadturk",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T20:34:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30737355",
          "commentText": "A Wrinkle In Time, by Madeleine L'Engle\nI probably read it in fourth or fifth grade, not too many years after it was published. It was definitely the first science fiction novel I ever read. It wasn't until many years later that I saw how foundational to my worldview it was that my first SF book had a female protagonist.\nI was going to give a few other examples of truly life-changing works (LOTR, Dune, Neuromancer), but I'm not sure how I would have found them if A Wrinkle In Time hadn't opened by pre-adolescent eyes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Wrinkle In Time, by Madeleine L'Engle",
          "reason": "The first science fiction novel the commenter read; it helped shape their worldview.",
          "audience": "Young readers; the commenter read it in fourth or fifth grade.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22719246,
          "author": "hprotagonist",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T14:28:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22719246",
          "commentText": "see my nick, but in addition to stephenson, the books i come back to over and over again for comfort and wisdom include:\n- Lord of the Rings: The other bible. Not even the very wise can see all ends; be of good cheer.\n- A Wrinkle In Time: 9 year old me, there is such a thing as a tesseract, and there is also Mrs. Beast.\n- The Master and Margarita: apocalyptic reading from someone who knew, and a cat who always pays his way.\n- the Discworld series: Sir Terry knew our hearts better than most, and sin, young feller, is treatin’ people as things.\n- If On A Winter’s Night, A Traveler: a perfect joke that you can tell once, plus a love story.\n- Good Omens: Gaiman and Pratchett team up, what’s not to love?\n- Moby Dick: And so the universal thump is passed round, and all hands should rub each other’s shoulder-blades, and be content.\n- Lucky Jim: grad school, a survival guide. Come in on the fa la la las, there’s a good chap.\nThis doesn’t include poetry, which is also in my head constantly.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Wrinkle In Time: 9 year old me, there is such a thing as a tesseract, and there is also Mrs. Beast.",
          "reason": "Lists it among books the commenter returns to for comfort and wisdom.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10325276,
          "author": "zafka",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T20:43:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325276",
          "commentText": "Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance\nGodel Escher Bach\nTime enough for love - Heinlein\nIllusions -Richard Bach\nA wrinkle in time\nStranger from the depths\nSidartha and all the other books by Hess\nZen MInd Beginners mind\nMOre to come\nBooks by Bradbury\nBooks by asimov\nJust starting Antifragile and it might make the list",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A wrinkle in time",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Madeleine L’Engle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction",
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "time travel",
        "children s fiction",
        "coming of age",
        "female protagonist"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ansi-common-lisp-869569",
      "title": "ANSI Common Lisp",
      "author": "Paul Graham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10028335,
          "author": "aurora72",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T19:10:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10028335",
          "commentText": "Why nobody mentioned Paul Graham's ANSI Common Lisp book? It 's got almost zero \"noise\" and full of signals .)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Why nobody mentioned Paul Graham's ANSI Common Lisp book? It 's got almost zero \"noise\" and full of signals .)",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its high signal-to-noise ratio.",
          "audience": "Readers learning Common Lisp.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8001335,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T20:54:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8001335",
          "commentText": "> \"Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach\"\nI think it is one of the best books written on any topic ever period.\nIt is kinda advanced but also brilliant, and was a turning point in my decision to master hacking.\n> Now I am reading \"Two Scoops of Django\" and enjoying it A LOT.\nIt's closer to a beginner/intermediate level, and it brings me a lot of joy and excitement about programming.\n> Another one is \"Hackers & Painters\", of course. PG is brilliant, nuff said.\nHis book \"ANSI Common Lisp\" is definitely on the top of my reading list, I've already started and it is great.\n> Just to mention, a little less technical book is \"Ghost In The Wires\" by Kevin Mitnick, a famous hacker.\nI'm listening the audiobook now and it is really inspiring, entertaining and fantastic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His book \"ANSI Common Lisp\" is definitely on the top of my reading list, I've already started and it is great.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7758671,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-17T00:06:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7758671",
          "commentText": "The books on and around my nightstand:\n+ Joy of Clojure. A recent gift[card]. I put off learning Clojure because of it's more complex syntax. I'm both glad I did, and that I have this book now that that's the no longer the case.\n+ ANSI Common Lisp. Lisp was out of reach at the time when my younger self might have pursued computer programming, and realizing around two years ago how accessible it had become got me to download Lisp in a Box and then buy the used copy. Currently visiting, this book orbits in and out of the rotation with a cometary periodicity.\n+ Art of Computer Programming: Volume 3, Sorting and Searching Twenty-five years ago or so I bought volume I and about 15 years I donated it to the community radio station's books sale [WMNF 88.5]. I spent about $25 dollars including shipping for used copies of the first three volumes from Amazon last year. Right now each is on a different floor. The proximate reason Sorting and Searching is by the bed: I'm taking Algorithms I on Coursera and it is the first one that really dives into algorithms. A deeper reason is that Knuth always reminds me how much more there is to know - I'm getting better at the maths, but haven't learned MIX. Maybe one of these nights.\n+ Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs I bought a \"used\" copy from MIT via Amazon last year. It's staggering how much is really in it that I glossed over 'reading' the free online version. It's much better than I thought, and I find myself constantly referring to it or just reading a section. It's also a reference for the other Coursera course I am taking: Funtional Programming in Scala with Martin Ordersky.\nThe non-programming books are from the public library:\n+ How Literature Works: 50 Key Concepts. The sections are four to six pages and lightweight. Makes for something brief to read. It's the sort of book that I feel no obligation to finish.\n+ Poetry of the First World War: An Anthology This book is actually why I mention the non-programming books. I don't read poetry, but I'd always seen people make a big deal about it, and there this was on the new book shelf. I see why the English make a big deal about Siegried Sassoon. I see why they make an even bigger deal about Wilfred Owen. It's potent and powerful and the bench of poets runs much deeper. It makes that war the last ancient one.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "ANSI Common Lisp.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4513629,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-12T22:35:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 4513324,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading currently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4513629",
          "commentText": "Mario Vargas Llosa Dream of the Celt trans. Edith Grossman.\nAnsi Common Lisp, Paul Graham.\nThe Alamo, Michael Lind (an epic poem).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Ansi Common Lisp, Paul Graham.",
          "reason": "Listed as a book they are reading, without an evaluation or recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135906,
          "author": "fogus",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-13T12:45:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135906",
          "commentText": "Off the top of my head:\n- Soul of a New Machine\n- The Cuckoo's Egg\n- Revolution in the Valley\n- Fire in the Valley\n- Compilers by Sethi, Ullman, Aho\n- Masters of Doom\n- iWoz\n- Steve Jobs & the NeXT Big Thing\n- Crypto\n- Code\n- The Man Who Loved Only Numbers\n- The Man Who Knew Infinity\n- ANSI Common LISP\nMost of the books above are recommended because once reading them you will have an uncontrollable urge to immediately create something brilliant.  You will not be able to stop yourself.\n-m",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- ANSI Common LISP",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter recommends for their motivating effect.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computing and creating things.",
          "caveat": "The claimed effect is an uncontrollable urge to create something brilliant.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5620,
          "author": "python_kiss",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T04:50:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5620",
          "commentText": "Has anyone read \"ANSI Common Lisp\" by pg, yet? The painting on the front cover is actually by Paul :)\nhttp://images.pearsoned-ema.com/jpeg/large/9780133708752.jpg",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Has anyone read \"ANSI Common Lisp\" by pg, yet?",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Graham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "common lisp",
        "programming languages",
        "programming language",
        "lisp"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "api-design-for-c-422501",
      "title": "API Design for C++",
      "author": "Martin Reddy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12264131,
          "author": "pjmlp",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-10T19:13:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 12262586,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are good reads for designing APIs?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12264131",
          "commentText": "For C++ APIs, \"API Design for C++\" from Martin Reddy:\nhttp://www.apibook.com/blog/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"API Design for C++\" from Martin Reddy",
          "reason": "Offers the book for C++ API design in response to a request for good reads.",
          "audience": "People designing C++ APIs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9242543,
          "author": "panamafrank",
          "createdAt": "2015-03-21T12:19:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 9242384,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on debugging?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9242543",
          "commentText": "Giving tips very much depends on the language you're using and the capabilities of your debugger, having worked on large legacy VC++ projects knowing the \"bad smells\" and common mistakes to spot is helpful, but you'll struggle to debug projects you don't have a solid knowledge of.\nTo improve, try learning cracking; https://microcorruption.com/ is a CTF game based around gaining access to embedded devices, it's rather fun too. I think what the most common mistake I find is two programmers having different assumptions on how some subsystem should work, so try improving your working memory as being able to remember the seemingly ok code 10 frames ago that conflicts with what's in front of you could be the key.\ntry:\nWorking Effectively with Legacy Code Martin, R.\nAPI Design for C++ Reddy, M.\nWere both full of indispensable advice.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "API Design for C++ Reddy, M.",
          "reason": "Says the book is full of indispensable advice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395167,
          "author": "linuxrulz",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T08:42:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395167",
          "commentText": "API Design for C++ - Martin Reddy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "API Design for C++ - Martin Reddy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin Reddy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "api design",
        "c"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "about-face-96a5ee",
      "title": "About Face",
      "author": "Alan Cooper",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34174240,
          "author": "gizmo",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-29T16:25:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34174240",
          "commentText": "Thanks! I don't have a great recommendation. About Face by Cooper (same author as Inmates) is good, but only covers inclusive design indirectly. Good design makes products automatically more inclusive, but design specifically for people with impairments is something I know nothing about.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "About Face by Cooper (same author as Inmates) is good, but only covers inclusive design indirectly.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is good, with limited coverage of inclusive design.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Only covers inclusive design indirectly.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12713758,
          "author": "hyperpape",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-15T12:47:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12713758",
          "commentText": "There's a 2014 edition that I've been reading (slowly) over the past several months.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "There's a 2014 edition that I've been reading (slowly) over the past several months.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have been reading it slowly over several months.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12713129,
          "author": "dirtyaura",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-15T07:39:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12713129",
          "commentText": "Alan Cooper's About Face. It's quite old - the latest ed is from 2007 - but it is still very good at introducing goal-oriented design and lots of practical design concepts.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's quite old - the latest ed is from 2007 - but it is still very good at introducing goal-oriented design and lots of practical design concepts.",
          "reason": "Praises its introduction to goal-oriented design and practical design concepts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it is quite old and the latest edition is from 2007.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 295896,
          "author": "runevault",
          "createdAt": "2008-09-05T15:02:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 295871,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HC: Which books on user interface design do you wish your CEO/Cofounders would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=295896",
          "commentText": "Since Don't Make Me Think already came up, going to add\nAbout Face (have 2.0 but heard 3.0 is even better)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/About-Face-Essentials-Interaction-Desi... (http://www.amazon.com/About-Face-Essentials-Interaction-Design/dp/0470084111/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1220626879&sr=8-1)\nand Design of Everyday Things\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Design-Everyday-Things-Donald-Norman/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Design-Everyday-Things-Donald-Norman/dp/0465067107/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1220626908&sr=1-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "About Face (have 2.0 but heard 3.0 is even better)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has edition 2.0 and has heard edition 3.0 is better.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan Cooper"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "interaction design",
        "goal directed design",
        "interface design",
        "user interface design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "about-face-the-essentials-of-interaction-design-b953e7",
      "title": "About Face: The Essentials of Interaction Design",
      "author": "Alan Cooper, Robert Reimann, David Cronin, and Christopher Noessel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43731249,
          "author": "PyWoody",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-18T19:40:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 43723077,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on talking to users?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43731249",
          "commentText": "About Face: The Essentials of Interaction Design by Alan Cooper, Robert Reimann, David Cronin, Christopher Noessel, with Jason Csizmadi and Doug LeMoine extensively covers how to talk with users.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "About Face: The Essentials of Interaction Design by Alan Cooper, Robert Reimann, David Cronin, Christopher Noessel, with Jason Csizmadi and Doug LeMoine extensively covers how to talk with users.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a book that extensively covers talking with users.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12711499,
          "author": "jakub_g",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-14T22:09:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12711499",
          "commentText": "I have yet to read it, but I've seen good opinions on 'About face' in some threads on the topic\nhttps://www.amazon.com/About-Face-Essentials-Interaction-Des... (https://www.amazon.com/About-Face-Essentials-Interaction-Design/dp/1118766571)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I have yet to read it, but I've seen good opinions on 'About face' in some threads on the topic",
          "reason": "The commenter reports seeing good opinions of the book but has not read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Commenter has yet to read it; the positive opinion is attributed to others.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865721,
          "author": "HeyLaughingBoy",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T17:58:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865721",
          "commentText": "Just finished Andrew Vachhs's Haiku which I think is his weakest novel so far, I liked Alina Rodriguez's The Husband Habit and I could not put down Born To Run which gave me new insight into running, a sport I'm just getting started with. Currently reading Cooper's About Face (only technical book on the list :-) and about to start Joshua Slocum's Sailing Alone Around the World",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Currently reading Cooper's About Face (only technical book on the list :-)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 296376,
          "author": "ad",
          "createdAt": "2008-09-05T22:52:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 295871,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HC: Which books on user interface design do you wish your CEO/Cofounders would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=296376",
          "commentText": "If you're short on time:\nhttp://joelonsoftware.com/uibook/chapters/fog0000000057.html\nSpolsky's work is light and easy to read.  This work is geared towards \"progammers\", although that is not mutually exclusive with the word \"CEO\".  It'll help you avoid more obvious mistakes.  Nielson and About Face are more thorough.  I haven't read Don't Make Me Think but I've heard good things (and lots of comments here, so obviously I should read that one...)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nielson and About Face are more thorough.",
          "reason": "Described as more thorough.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan Cooper",
        "Robert Reimann",
        "David Cronin",
        "Christopher Noessel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "interaction design",
        "user interface design",
        "user experience",
        "user research"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "abstract-algebra-483743",
      "title": "Abstract Algebra",
      "author": "David S. Dummit and Richard M. Foote",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34442270,
          "author": "wannabebarista",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T16:40:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34442270",
          "commentText": "As far as the canonical texts of math goes, Dummit and Foote is excellent. I'm also fond of the first half of Munkres' Topology.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dummit and Foote is excellent",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31489279,
          "author": "RheingoldRiver",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T08:03:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31489279",
          "commentText": "Dummit & Foote is fantastic for algebra. I also really liked Carrothers for analysis. None of the other books I used really stood out, other than Lang's algebra book, but that one was for the opposite reason - once, he said \"the following is obvious\" and I thought, \"oh yes, it is!\" and it was one of my proudest moments as a math student. Would not recommend for self-teaching.\nMore important than a good teacher, imo, is collaborators you're learning with who are around your same level. Sometimes they should figure out exercises faster than you, sometimes you should figure things out faster than them, often together. If that's not happening, it's a lot harder (and more frustrating) to learn. This becomes more important the more advanced you get. I never found lectures useful really but if I had no one to collaborate with I was almost certainly going to drop the class.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dummit & Foote is fantastic for algebra.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises it as a book on algebra.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29218866,
          "author": "mathhh",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T17:44:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29218866",
          "commentText": "> You can work through the concepts and delude yourself into thinking you understand something when really you're just hand waving it\nI keep seeing this and I don't quite understand how this one works.\nIf I were studying math on my own (which I've done and still do), I'd do the following:\n1. Pick a book. Say, Rudin's Principles of Mathematical Analysis[0]. Read a section, then attempt problems. Pick a problem. Say, \"prove {1/n: n is natural} U{0} is compact directly from the definition(not using Heine-Borel)\". It's guaranteed your \"proof\" is not a proof.\n2. Compare your solution to existing solution manuals or ask a question on MSE[1]. Since the given book by Rudin is super-massively famous, each question has probably been asked/answered about a bagillion times each on MSE, so just searching MSE alone would likely to spit out many answers to your questions. People on MSE will tell you exactly why your \"solution\" is wrong and where you tripped up. Sometimes even the clarifying answers are hard to understand. But then you can ask new questions, think more, correct your misconceptions until it all finally clicks. Do that with all  the rest of the problems[2].\nI don't see how the process above is delusional.\n[0] This book is not a realistic fit for a novice, though. Instead, one would start with books like [3], [4], [5], [6] to learn how to prove things and think like a mathematician would.\n[1] https://math.stackexchange.com/\n[2] In reality, the more math you see and do, the more mathematically mature and less dependent on others(to check your work) you become. In fact, if you can solve any problem in \"B@by Rudin\" and some famous abstract algebra textbook (say, Dummit & Foote's \"Abstract Algebra\") cold, you're way ahead of most any undergrad math major in the world! Because standards on undergrad math majors are not that high, nor that brutal the world over no matter what they say. If, additionally, you can solve any given problem in a book like, say, Hatcher's \"Algebraic Topology\" or any other famous grad level textbooks on, say, differential geometry or, uhh, functional analysis, you're officially in the big leagues. Again, if you're worried about being delusional about your proofs, you can always present them on MSE.\n[3] \"Book of Proof\" by Richard Hammach. It's online free.\nhttps://www.people.vcu.edu/~rhammack/BookOfProof/\n[4] \"Discrete Math\" by Susanna Epp\nhttps://www.google.com/books/edition/Discrete_Mathematics_wi... (https://www.google.com/books/edition/Discrete_Mathematics_with_Applications/_341EAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover)\n[5] \"How to Think About Analysis\" by Lara Alcock\nhttps://www.google.com/books/edition/How_to_Think_about_Anal... (https://www.google.com/books/edition/How_to_Think_about_Analysis/n0tuBAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover)\n[6] \"Linear Algebra\" by Kuldeep Singh\nhttps://www.google.com/books/edition/Linear_Algebra/BJNoAgAA... (https://www.google.com/books/edition/Linear_Algebra/BJNoAgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "some famous abstract algebra textbook (say, Dummit & Foote's \"Abstract Algebra\")",
          "reason": "Mentioned as an example of a famous abstract algebra textbook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7599203,
          "author": "swordswinger12",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-16T17:35:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7599203",
          "commentText": "Personally I have heard nothing but bad things about Artin. Most people I know recommend Dummit and Foote instead; its increase in difficulty is supposedly offset by superior presentation of the material.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Most people I know recommend Dummit and Foote instead; its increase in difficulty is supposedly offset by superior presentation of the material.",
          "reason": "Reports that people recommend it for its presentation, which supposedly offsets greater difficulty.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The claims are secondhand; it is reportedly more difficult.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David S. Dummit",
        "Richard M. Foote"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "abstract algebra"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "accidental-empires-8dceb9",
      "title": "Accidental Empires",
      "author": "Robert X. Cringely",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40296844,
          "author": "rdmullins1978",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-08T11:40:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40296844",
          "commentText": "Nice selection. Also along computer history lines, I'd recommend Bob Cringely's Accidental Empires.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend Bob Cringely's Accidental Empires.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a book on computer history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36601356,
          "author": "Zelphyr",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T14:59:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601356",
          "commentText": "It's quite old and so doesn't include the rise of the Internet and subsequent innovations but, Accidental Empires is pretty good: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accidental_Empires\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late - on the creation of the Internet\nThe Soul of a New Machine - On computing in the 70's and 80's\nThe Difference Between God and Larry Ellison - On the rise of Oracle (also has the best title)\nMasters of Doom - A history of id Software\nWhat The Dormouse Said - How the 60's counterculture influenced computing\nThe New New Thing - Follows Jim Clark around while he creates SGI, Netscape, etc...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Accidental Empires is pretty good",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It is quite old and does not cover the rise of the Internet and later innovations.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 621879,
          "author": "ahoyhere",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-22T11:47:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621879",
          "commentText": "Seconded. Cringely is the only one who doesn't make everything seem ooh-ahh-magical-brains! predetermined.\nAltho that tell-all on the Segway (Code Name Ginger) was pretty cool for all the flaws it pointed out.\nWhere the Wizards Stay Up Late was a book I did an interactive presentation on in 7th grade, so it always has a special place in my heart. In retrospect, it's not fun to read, but at the time, I devoured it. It's boring and nothing really happens, which really is a good metaphor for the most exciting technical change.\nOoh, and \"The Dream Machine: J.C.R. Licklider and the Revolution That Made Computing Personal.\" Especially if you're into UI and unsung heroes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seconded.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert X. Cringely"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer history",
        "personal computing",
        "silicon valley",
        "technology companies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "adventures-of-huckleberry-finn-f91444",
      "title": "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn",
      "author": "Mark Twain",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31972246,
          "author": "ss48",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-04T00:28:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31972246",
          "commentText": "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - One of the most vividly written books I read. The style of writing made me feel like I was in its world as the story was playing out.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - One of the most vividly written books I read. The style of writing made me feel like I was in its world as the story was playing out.",
          "reason": "Praises the vivid writing and immersive style.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23365128,
          "author": "bryanrasmussen",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-30T21:57:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23365128",
          "commentText": "I used to be able to do 200 pages in 4-6 hours (albeit not highly complicated books - Narnia books near the 4 hour limit ), but am out of practice reading for such extended periods due to having a family. Still I doubt that it could be over 8 hours for the simpler books.\nHuckelberry Finn, which is a pretty complicated book given all the dialect and the ideas it presents, used to take me about 8-9 hours. I recently read it over a period of 2 days in ebook reader during pauses in a pretty heavy schedule of taking care of kids, cleaning house etc.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Huckelberry Finn, which is a pretty complicated book",
          "reason": "The commenter says it took them about eight to nine hours to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes its dialect and ideas as making it complicated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803978,
          "author": "jriot",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:57:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803978",
          "commentText": "I've curated my 2020 list over the last few months, eventually splitting it in two; 2021 has been started, but below is my 2020 list.\nBrave New World\nCatcher in the Rye (3rd read)\nTom Sawyer\nThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn\nWar and Peace\nCatch-22\nStranger in a Strange Lan\nThe Hobbit (3rd read)\nThe Illiad\nThe Odessey\nWalden\nLeisure, The Basis of Culture\nThe Seven Storey Mountain\nConfessions\nThe City of God\nWays of Life St Augustine\nCatechism of the Catholic Church\nThese Truths\nBattle Cry of Freedom\nThe Complete Guide to Fly Fishing\nThe Lure and Lore of Trout Fishing\nThe Duck Huntingest Gentlemen",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's curated 2020 reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Part of a planned reading list.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387397,
          "author": "kvu787",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T23:00:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387397",
          "commentText": "Huckleberry Finn",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Huckleberry Finn",
          "reason": "Offered as a literature choice in response to the discussion question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 141209,
          "author": "SwellJoe",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T22:36:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=141209",
          "commentText": "Asimov's two big universes, found in the Robots series and the Foundation series, (which turned out to be the same when he revisited them in the 70's and 80's) are simply wonderful.  By far my favorite sci-fi, and among the most enduring works in the genre.  I read them both every two or three years, and sometimes grab one off the shelf when I just want something to read.  The early Foundation is sort of a future history version of \"The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire\" (I seem to recall that was intentional, actually).  Asimov's autobiographies and the posthumous book of his correspondence are all fantastic and insightful.  I learned a lot from them, and my admiration for the man increased even more upon reading them.\nDune is also astoundingly good, though after the first three, the quality goes downhill (slowly, but surely).  Definitely lots to think about.\nRendezvous with Rama left me breathless...and I could not put it down until I'd read the last page.  I've returned to it a couple of times, and loved it every single time.  The later Rama books are deeply flawed, and should have never happened (they were not written by Clarke, and it shows), as they make Rama seem...hmmm, I can't really think of the right word that expresses it.  Cheap, dinky, small, something bad.  But Rendezvous is a must read for everyone.\nDouglas Adams, of course.  The whole Hitchhikers' series is a must, while the Dirk Gently stuff is also funny, but not sci-fi and not mandatory.\nI mentioned in another thread my love of dystopias, and one of the best ever is The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.  She's one of the best sci-fi writers alive (she doesn't exclusively write sci-fi, however).  Oryx and Crake is also fascinating.\nCat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut.  I enjoy all of Vonnegut's work, but Cat's Cradle is a magical perfect novel.\nI don't know if everyone would agree that it's sci-fi, but Mark Twain's Letters from the Earth was an eye opener for me when I was a kid (I went on a Mark Twain kick when I was in elementary school...no one ever told me that all of his books weren't kids books, so I read everything I could get my hands on after being hooked by Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn).  Turns out Mark Twain was seditious, heretical, and quite the troublemaker all around.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn",
          "reason": "Mentions it among the books that led them to read Mark Twain's other work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86223,
          "author": "icky",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:37:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86223",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- The Time Machine (still holds up very well, and seems strangely eerie and prescient in places)... (H. G. Wells)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Hobbit (and LotR) (Tolkien)\n- Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n- Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties (I picked up Idoru first, so I haven't yet read Virtual Light) (also Gibson)\n- The Difference Engine (Gibson, Sterling)\n- Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n- Cryptonomicon (\" \")\n- Circuit of Heaven, End of Days (Dennis Danvers)\n- All of the \"Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser\" stories and novels. (Fritz Leiber)\n- The Earthsea trilogy (Ursula K. LeGuin)\n- 'salem's Lot (Stephen King)\n- Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein)\n- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)\n- the Coldfire trilogy (C. S. Friedman)\n- various Cory Doctorow short stories\n- Kamikaze L'Amour (Richard Kadrey)\n- Lightpaths (Howard V. Hendrix)\n- A Canticle For Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)\n- Moonwar, Venus (Ben Bova)\n- the Stainless Steel Rat series (Harry Harrison)\n- Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)\n- Ringworld (Larry Niven)\n- Cthon (Piers Anthony) -- Trippiness level approaching Philip Jose Farmer ;-)\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (Douglas Adams)\n- The Black Company (Glen Cook)\n- there's one particularly good post-cyberpunk series that takes place in a world in which Canada emerged as a major world power, but for the life of me I can't rememeber the title.\n- the 1632 series (Eric Flint)... see also S. M. Stirling's Nantucket series (\"Island in the Sea of Time\", et al.), and H. Beam Piper's novel Kalvan of Otherwhen\nNon-fiction:\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (Hume)\n- the surviving words and works of Epicurus, and Diogenes the Cynic\n- Freakonomics (Levitt, Dubner)\n- The Gay Science (Nietzsche)\n- The Jefferson Bible (Christ, Jefferson (ed.))\n- The Devil's Dictionary (Bierce)\n- Brain Droppings (George Carlin)\n- anything by P. J. O'Rourke\n- anything by Dave Barry",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)",
          "reason": "Listed under fiction in response to the thread’s question about favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Twain"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american literature",
        "adventure",
        "coming of age",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "algebra-chapter-0-558ed1",
      "title": "Algebra: Chapter 0",
      "author": "Paolo Aluffi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30486265,
          "author": "orlandpm",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T07:48:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486265",
          "commentText": "_Algebraic Topology_ by Allen Hatcher.  This is quite an advanced book, but it was the first topology book I picked up and it blew my mind.  Without a serious math background you may only be able to read the first parts (some of chapters 0 and chapter 1), but even so it may amaze you.  It was insane to see how much mathematical machinery can be built up to understand concepts as simple as “space” and “continuity.”  Then these tools can be used to quickly prove facts about mind-boggling higher dimensional objects.\n_Introduction to Quantum Mechanics_ by David Griffiths.  Not CS or Math, but an amazing book because if you sit down and work through it it gives you a manageable intro to a completely non-intuitive and mysterious scientific field.  Prerequisites are “only” multivariable calc and linear algebra.\n_Algebra_ by Michael Artin.  This was the book I decided to grind through at the right time to learn abstract algebra and get better at rigorous proofs, and it was worth it.  Part of why I loved this book and subject is because it feels dry and mechanical at first, but if you work on it long enough you can see the beautiful bigger picture come together.\n_Introduction to Topological Manifolds_ by John M. Lee.  This was another “right book at the right time” for me.  The title is a bit jargony, but it is a rigorous introduction to the foundational objects of modern geometry (namely topological spaces and manifolds in particular).  Great warm-up for the first book on my list.\n_Algebra: Chapter 0_ by Paulo Aluffi.  Weird title, but the first few chapters are the best perspective on abstract algebra I’ve seen.  He focuses early on categories in a useful and philosophically interesting way, which is unique.\n_Gravitation_ by Misner, Thorne, and Wheeler.  Didn’t read the whole thing, but this book taught me a tensor is just a higher-order linear function.  Who knew?  Most physicists give really crappy explanations of tensors.  Also I love that this book, affectionately known as the “phone book”, is so heavy that one imagines spacetime curving around it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the first few chapters are the best perspective on abstract algebra I’ve seen.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its perspective on abstract algebra and its early focus on categories.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes the title is unusual.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16337960,
          "author": "keynan",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-09T04:51:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16337960",
          "commentText": "btw, Algebra Chapter 0 is excellent",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Algebra Chapter 0 is excellent",
          "reason": "Calls it excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7578160,
          "author": "j2kun",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T15:53:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578160",
          "commentText": "Sheldon Axler's \"Linear Algebra Done Right\" has my highest recommendation if you want expertise in linear algebra.\nAs a followup, Paolo Aluffi's \"Algebra: Chapter Zero\" is the best synthesizing text for abstract algebra for a beginning graduate student. The thing that makes it so amazing is the writing style: it introduces and demystifies category theory, and then discusses groups, rings, modules, linear algebra, fields, r-modules, and advanced topics (toward the end) with the unifying theme of how they work and relate as categories. It is very much a book that focuses on the why over the what and how. And there are many many many juicy exercises.\nI would recommend against Spivak's Calculus on manifolds. It's too dense and too focused on advanced topics (unless you're an ivy league undergrad, you don't learn cohomology). That being said I don't have an analysis reference that fits your request.\nAs a CS person I can continue with book recommendations related to computing-related topics in math (computational algebraic geometry comes to mind). Let me know if you're interested.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "is the best synthesizing text for abstract algebra for a beginning graduate student",
          "reason": "Recommended as a synthesizing abstract algebra text, praised for its writing, explanations, unifying approach, and exercises.",
          "audience": "Beginning graduate students.",
          "caveat": "Advanced topics appear toward the end.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paolo Aluffi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "abstract algebra",
        "category theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "all-quiet-on-the-western-front-893b3d",
      "title": "All Quiet on the Western Front",
      "author": "Erich Maria Remarque",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31975550,
          "author": "mif",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-04T10:32:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31975550",
          "commentText": "„Be not content - A subterranean journal“ is pretty eternal for me. So is „On the road“. Or take „Middlesex“. Why, they tell the story about a different life. If you want to spend the rest of your life miserable then „Im Westen nichts Neues“ (All quiet on the western front).\nLove those Ask HN lists, btw!!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If you want to spend the rest of your life miserable then „Im Westen nichts Neues“ (All quiet on the western front).",
          "reason": "Suggested for rereading with a warning that it can make the reader miserable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may leave you miserable.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238592,
          "author": "apocalypstyx",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T17:07:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238592",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\nInherent Vice  ---  Thomas Pynchon\nThe Great and Secret Show  ---  Clive Barker\nJurassic Park  ---  Michael Crichton\nThe Mothman Prophecies  ---  John A. Keel (1)\nThe Wind in the Willows  ---  Kenneth Grahame\nEnder's Game  ---  Orson Scott Card\nAll Quiet on the Western Front  ---   Erich Maria Remarque\nThe Drought  ---  J. G. Ballard\nThe Dead Father's Club  ---  Matt Harris\nChildren of Men  ---  P. D. James\nThe Islanders  ---  Pascal Garnier\nSilence of the Lambs  ---  Thomas Harris\nInherit the Wind  ---  Jerome Lawrence & Robert E. Lee\nThe Butt  ---  Will Self\nInside Outside  ---  Philip Jose Farmer\nThe Panda Theory  ---  Pascal Garnier\nFanshaw  ---  Nathaniel Hawthorne\nThe Scarlet Letter  ---  Nathaniel Hawthorne\nThis Census-Taker  ---  China Mieville\nThe House of the Seven Gables  ---  Nathaniel Hawthorne\nThe A26  ---  Pascal Garnier\nThe Blithedale Romance  ---  Nathaniel Hawthorne\nThe Weird  ---  Edited by Jeff VanderMeer & Ann VanderMeer (2)\nFront Seat Passenger  ---  Pascal Garnier\nNon-Fiction:\nThe Wealth of Networks  ---  Yochai Benkler\nField Notes from A Catastrophe  ---  Elizabeth Kolbert\nWhat Ever Happened to Modernism?  ---  Gabriel Josipovici\nEscape Velocity  ---  Mark Dery\nWhat We See When We Read  ---  Peter Mendelsund\n(1) Author described as non-fiction, publisher hedged bets and labelled in as such, supposedly.\n(2) If only this book could be picked by Subterranean or Centipede press so it'd be a better printed and bound book than Tor ever seems to want to do.\nI always recommend Ballard, even when not wanted.  Relevant quote:\n   A story by J. G. Ballard, as you know, calls for people who don't\n   think. One begins with characters who regard the physical universe\n   as a mysterious and arbitrary place, and who would not dream of\n   trying to understand its actual laws. Furthermore, in order to be\n   the protagonist of a J.G. Ballard novel, or anything more than a\n   very minor character therein, you must have cut yourself off from\n   the entire body of scientific education. In this way, when the world\n   disaster — be it wind or water — comes upon you, you are under\n   absolutely no obligation to do anything about it but sit and worship\n   it. Even more further, some force has acted to remove from the face\n   of the world all people who might impose good sense or rational\n   behavior on you, so that the disaster proceeds unchecked and unopposed\n   except by the almost inevitable thumb-rule engineer type who for\n   his individual comfort builds a huge pyramid (without huge footings)\n   to resist high winds, or trains a herd of alligators and renegade\n   divers to help him out in dealing with deep water.  Algis Budrys,\n   Galaxy magazine (December 1966)\n\n\nI'd recommend Pascal Garnier for anyone who likes sickly dark humor + surrealism + noir + a kind of Ballardian-air.  Also Pynchon.  Hawthorne might be the stand-out this year, in the sense of his works' subtle, implicit ability to question the authorial mode, the nature of the text itself, and the instability of it.\nIn non-fiction I'd recommend Dery's Escape Velocity; It's from the 90s but still deals too presciently with many of the issues around the near-religification of modern electronic technology.  And Josipovici if you lean toward depressive jolts of existential anxiety (it deals mostly with the arts, but I think there's a broader life applicability).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "All Quiet on the Western Front  ---   Erich Maria Remarque",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10786002,
          "author": "ycom13__",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T22:15:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786002",
          "commentText": "On my list for next year as well.....",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "On my list for next year as well.....",
          "reason": "Says the suggested book is also on their list for next year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Planning to read it does not express an evaluation or recommendation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785971,
          "author": "drallison",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T22:07:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785971",
          "commentText": "How about All Quiet on the Western Front.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How about All Quiet on the Western Front.",
          "reason": "Suggests it in response to a request for a good World War I book.",
          "audience": "Someone looking for a good book on World War I",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10534280,
          "author": "stevesearer",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T17:17:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10534280",
          "commentText": "East of Eden and Grapes of Wrath are on my upcoming list of titles to read. A few others I've read since high school that I ought to have then are Red Badge of Courage, All Quiet On The Western Front, and Of Mice and Men.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "A few others I've read since high school that I ought to have then are Red Badge of Courage, All Quiet On The Western Front, and Of Mice and Men.",
          "reason": "Says it is a book they ought to have read in high school; gives no evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876853,
          "author": "dschobel",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T15:11:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876853",
          "commentText": "The Brothers Karamazov - Dostoevsky\nAll Quiet on the Western Front - Remarque",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All Quiet on the Western Front - Remarque",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Erich Maria Remarque"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "world war i",
        "war literature",
        "war novel",
        "antiwar"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "all-systems-red-9ce97d",
      "title": "All Systems Red",
      "author": "Martha Wells",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34160619,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:11:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160619",
          "commentText": "This year I've put myself to the challenge to read at least one book per week which I primarily could complete by reading in the middle of the night while holding our sleeping baby in my arms. It has been an interesting challenge which gave me a lot of fulfilment and has certainly changed my mind on how I view the world. This comment became quite a long read, apologies for that.\nBooks I highly recommend:\nChurchill by Andrew Roberts (p:1105)\nA biography about one of the most interesting figures in politics and WWII. Roberts gives a very detailed description of the life of Churchill and manages to keep you interested the entire length of the book.\nThe God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (p:374)\nIn The God Delusion Dawkins gives arguments why there is no God, why we do not need a God and why religion is damaging to our society. If you are religious it might not be the book for you unless you are open to hear his arguments and line of reasoning. Dawkins will challenge your worldview.\nThe Bomb by Fred Kaplan (p:384)\nKaplan describes the policy of different US presidents on the atomic bomb and war in general. And primarily on the inability of US presidents and policy-makers to tune down its military. A chilling read which makes you appreciate a nuclear holocaust did not happen (yet)....\nPoor Economics by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo (p:320)\nBanerjee and Duflo give a gripping portrait of how poor people live. They offer an insight in the choices and decisions people make surviving on less than 1 USD a day (corrected for purchasing power). It made me completely rethink my own view on poverty and development aid; stressing even more that in order to help one need to have a complete understanding of the individual's situation and the local boundary conditions.\nProject Hail Mary  by Andy Weir (p:476)\nThis book triggered my science fiction reading. For some reason I never was interested in science fiction. Most likely triggered by reading Foundation by Asimov a few years back which apparently is not a book to my taste. But Andy Weir completely annihilated that wrong perspective on science fiction. Project Hail Mary is interesting, funny and gripping book.\nKindred by Octavia Butler  (p:287)\nThis book.... From page one I was hooked and almost read it in one go. Butler is a wonderful author and Kindred is a must-read. The book is about a woman traveling back in time to end up on a slave plantation. It's a chilling account of slavery.\nOther books I read this year, ask me anything about one of these books. I've added a + if I think its worth a recommendation\nBiography:\nNavalny by Dollbaum, Lallouet and Noble (p:280); The Man from the Future by Ananyo Bhattacharya (p:354) +\nSociology; Politics; Economics; Business:\nOnly the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove (p:224); The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli  (p:140); Winter is Coming by Garry Kasparov (p:290); Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum (p:224) +; Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl (p:164) +; We Are Bellingcat by Eliot Higgins (p:272); De Zeven Vinkjes by Joris Luyendijk (p:200); Waarom vuilnismannen meer verdienen dan bankiers by Rutger Bregman (p:104)\nComedy: The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (p:336)\nHistory:\nBand of Brothers  by Stephen E. Ambrose (p:432); The Nuclear Jihadist by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins (p:413) +; The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre (p:384) +; De Heineken Ontvoering by Peter R. de Vries (p:347); Red Famine by Anne Apllebaum (p:384); Night by Elie Wiesel (p:115) +\nScience, Technology, Mathematics:\nFermat's Enigma by Simon Singh (p:315) +; A Mathematician's Apology by G.H. Hardy (p:153); The Great Influenza by John M. Barry (p:546); The Rise and Fall of the Dinousaurs by Stephen Brusatte (p:404) ++; The Double Helix by James Watson (p:144)\nSport:\nRun or Die by Killian Jornet (p:208); The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton  (p:290) +; The Rise of the Ultra Runners by  (p:304); Tom Dumoulin by Patrick Bernhart (p:203)\nFiction:\nAnthem by Ayn Rand (p:105); Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (p:704); The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (p:566); Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (p:466); Live and Let die by Ian Fleming  (p:229)\nClassics:\nA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (p:104); The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (p:201); The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald (p:180); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (p:139); Animal Farm by George Orwell (p:122) +; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (p:227) +; The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (p:118)\nScience Fiction:\nThe Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (p:399); All Systems Red  by Martha Wells (p:144) +; A Memory Called Empire  by Arkady Martine (p:462) +; A Psalm built for the Wild by Becky Chambers (p:160); Dune by Frank Herbert (p:658); Foundation by Isaac Asimov (p:244); The Martian by Andy Weir (p:384) +;\nThe Forever War by Joe Haldeman (p:278)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All Systems Red  by Martha Wells",
          "reason": "Marked with a plus as worth recommending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665209,
          "author": "PostPost",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:26:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665209",
          "commentText": "Sorry for the wall of text.\n1. Bourne (The language and world of this novel are extraordinary - everything is falling apart yet brimming with life. Strangely moving)\n2. The Design of Everyday things (Essential for anyone in UI/UX)\n3. All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (Highly engaging, entertaining sci-fi novella series, from an author that can write a very decent robot protagonist)\n4. The Power (Interesting story with sci-fi elements on the dynamics of power, sex, and gender roles. I didn't care for the book, but the first 3/4 of the book are amazing)\n5. Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days\n6. 7 brief Lessons on Physics\n7. The Last Lecture (The energy and positivity coming from a man knowing he's about to die is infectious. Great read)\n8. A wizard of Earthsea (Move over Harry Potter, this is the essential children's story about wizards)\n9. Exploring diabetes with owls (Funny, irreverent)\n10. Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children (Made an effort to read more YA this year - this was the best in this series, but I still hated it. There's a host of better YA series out there.)\n11. A Wizard of Earthsea: The Tombs of Atuan (See 8.)\n12. The Girl in the Dark (Interesting book about a skin condition I had never heard of, and the trials of living with a very rare condition)\n13. The Phantom Tollbooth (Clever children's book)\n14. Black hole blues and songs from outer space (Informative book about the study of space,  the political and economic forces standing in the way of science, and the incredible individuals working in this field)\n15. Welcome to Night Vale (Hugely entertaining, clever and weird)\n16. You need a budget (Basic economics book explaining how to budget in a way that lets you do more with your money)\n17. To fight Against This Age (Incredibly pretentious, \nIvory Tower philosophizing)\n18. Infinity Gauntlet (Half the Universe dying because Thanos wanted to sleep with Lady Death will never not be ridiculous)\n19. The Right and Wrong Stuff (Great read explaining how to anticipate and avoid career pitfalls)\n20. Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children: Hollow City (pretty shitty)\n21. The Farthest Shore (Ursula K. Le Guin was the biggest loss this year)\n22. Miss peregrine's home for Peculiar Children: Library of Souls (I hate this book and all its characters)\n23. Every Good Endevour (Religious book about a Christian worldview and the value of labor - not a bad read)\n24. When to Rob a Bank and 131 warped suggestions… (interesting, funny, from the writers of Freakonomics)\n25. Weapons of Math Destruction (Probably the most useful book on this list, if you're reading this on \"hackernews\")\n26. Holes (Perfect summer paperback read)\n27. Silver Screen Sirens (Essential for film geeks)\n28. A full life: reflections at 90 (I gained a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter: he lived an incredible life and does great things)\n29. Call Me by your name (Very good romance novel to send to your bigoted relatives at Christmas)\n30. Hyperbole and a half (Incredibly entertaining, very distinctive art style)\n31. The Murderbot diaries: Artificial Condition (See 3.)\n32. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Best children's book, fight me)\n33. Less (Exceptionally well-written)\n34. Resilience (Great book, especially for those that have gone through extremely difficult circumstances)\n35. The Strange Bird (Dark, bleak, full of life, see 1.)\n36. The Murderbot diaries: Rogue Protocol (See 3.)\n37. His Dark Materials: The subtle knife (See 32.)\n38. Tap Dancing to Work (Very dry, some stories/articles are fantastic, others very, very boring for people that do not care about finance)\n39. So Good They Can't Ignore You (Pretty good)\n40. His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass (Amazing YA, see 32.)\n41. Uncontainable (Inspirational book about conscious capitalism)\n42. The Emperor of All Maladies (Pretty much everything you'll ever want to know about Cancer, written in a very engaging way)\n43. Blind Spot\n44. Shoe dog (Great story, see madmax108's comment, totally agree)\n45. The Faithful Spy (Beautiful artwork describing a Christian pastor's fight against fascism during WW2)\n46. Zero to One\n47. You'll grow out of it\n48. The Happiness advantage (Really fantastic book about the value of positive psychology)\n49. Dreams from my father (Enlightening look into Obama's \nearly days)\n50. Ayoade on Ayoade (Entertaining, extremely scatter-brained, not as funny as his interviews or tv programs)\n51. The Diabolic (badly written YA Sci-Fi)\n52. The Physics of Everyday Things (surprisingly informative, recommended for non science-people interested in the way things work)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (Highly engaging, entertaining sci-fi novella series",
          "reason": "The first listed Murderbot title is included in the comment's positive series recommendation.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy science fiction novellas.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15432330,
          "author": "ciocan42",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-09T08:47:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15432330",
          "commentText": "All Systems Red (The Murderbot Series)\nNexus trilogy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All Systems Red (The Murderbot Series)",
          "reason": "Listed as a title in response to a request for science fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martha Wells"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "space opera",
        "android protagonist",
        "robot protagonist"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "american-prometheus-the-triumph-and-tragedy-of-j-robert-oppenheim-933729",
      "title": "American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer",
      "author": "Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227156,
          "author": "MikeCapone",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T18:20:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227156",
          "commentText": "A few that I've read recently and liked:\nPredictably Irrational by Dan Ariely\nMostly about cognitive biases. Helps you think better by knowing your shortcomings.\nWhole Earth Discipline by Stewart Brand\nAbout protecting the environment, but with interesting takes on nuclear power, GMOs, cities and slums, etc.\nGood Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes\nMade me re-think a lot of things about food. Despite the \"pop-science\" title, this is a well researched book that looks at countless studies from the past 150 years.\nAmerican Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheier by Martin Sherwin and Kai Bird\nA biography of Robert Oppenheimer. Fascinating man.\nThe Blank Slate by Steven Pinker\nA must read. Evolutionary psychology.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A biography of Robert Oppenheimer. Fascinating man.",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter has read recently and liked; describes Oppenheimer as fascinating.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027121,
          "author": "vira",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T11:51:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027121",
          "commentText": "American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin.\n- Captivating and well researched. This book not only captures the life of a genius, but also exposes the politics and propaganda of WWII, the Cold War and nuclear proliferation (which were conveniently omitted from my government-set high school curriculum), as well as raising issue of morality and the ethical responsibilities of scientists. Interested in start-ups? They don't come bigger than the Manhattan Project. Most of the guys in Los Alamos at the time were in their 20s.\nTwo books by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich and For The Good of the Cause.\n- Both are brilliant. Solzenitsyn's language is powerful and descriptive yet simple and concise. Since reading his books, I consciously look at the entropy of other writers.\nAmbedkar and Buddhism by Sangarakshita\n- An interesting account of the life of a great man, who's philosophy should be read by anyone who hails from the Indian sub-continent.\nA Fraction of The Whole by Steve Toltz.\n- A book lover's book, Toltz's novel made me laugh out loud at numerous times. A fun read, made better by the fact that he's Aussie.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin.\n- Captivating and well researched.",
          "reason": "Calls the book captivating and well researched, and describes its coverage of Oppenheimer, wartime politics, and scientists’ ethical responsibilities.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Oppenheimer, nuclear history, or the ethics of science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 203076,
          "author": "dedalus",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T06:46:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=203076",
          "commentText": "The key thing is to differentiate between a biography and a hagiography.Oppenheimer is a must read let it be \"American Prometheus\" or my favorite \"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195166736/qid=1151026828/s... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195166736/qid=1151026828/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/002-5599574-8264820?s=books&v=glance&n=283155)\".\nThis guy is awe-inspiring in almost every sense of the word.Despite reading all biographies you still feel a sense of enigma about his personality. Try understanding why the american government revoked his top secret clearance despite being \"da man\" at Los Alamos. He could walk into any deep technical discussion and lead them through their blocking situations.He can write poetry and amazingly well read about other cultures and still finding time to deliver more than expected results. Thats one heck of a biography to write..",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Oppenheimer is a must read let it be \"American Prometheus\"",
          "reason": "The commenter calls an Oppenheimer biography a must-read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter also names a second favorite Oppenheimer biography via a product link, but its title is not stated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kai Bird",
        "Martin J. Sherwin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "manhattan project",
        "j robert oppenheimer",
        "nuclear history",
        "scientific ethics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "analysis-i-8cad7e",
      "title": "Analysis I",
      "author": "Terence Tao",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30489200,
          "author": "sunny3",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T15:20:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30489200",
          "commentText": "Introduction to Calculus and Analysis, by Richard Courant and Fritz John. This book clearly explained many of the motivating examples of the concepts in Calculus, which was important to me as a beginning student. Too many times I read math textbooks that simply present a list of definitions, theorems, corollaries, and whatnot, failing to guide readers from one point to another. I agree that for advanced level of math, there're probably no good motivations or 'storyline' that weave these constructs together (they're purely symbolic); however, for a layman level, I feel it's crucial to at least make the readers understand why and how these concepts come to be, so that they can grasp at least a little bit of the 'logic' of math.\nSimilarly, Analysis I by Terence Tao has a 'Why do analysis' that has made me actually enjoy analysis.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Similarly, Analysis I by Terence Tao has a 'Why do analysis' that has made me actually enjoy analysis.",
          "reason": "The book's “Why do analysis” section helped the commenter enjoy analysis.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27629435,
          "author": "thraxil",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T11:34:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27629435",
          "commentText": "Does math count as \"technical?\"\nI was originally a Physics major and lately I've been on a kick of filling in the mathematics that was used in my Physics classes but that I feel like was never really gone into in much depth.\nMy current reading list is:\n- \"Analysis I\" (and II) by Terence Tao (I finished the first volume and am now on the second, but I consider them really one book)\n- \"Understanding Analysis\" by Stephen Abbott\n- \"Topology Through Inquiry\" by Starbird and Su\n- \"Introduction To Topology And Modern Analysis\" by George F. Simmons\nThe Terence Tao books are amazing so far. Extremely readable introduction to Real Analysis. Abbott also came highly recommended and from reading the first couple chapters I can see why as it also seems to be very readable. I don't know if it would be a better introduction than Tao, but it covers mostly the same material and I think having two different perspectives will really help solidify things for me.\nOnce I finish those, I'll see whether I want to go deeper into Topology or move to Complex Analysis or Differential Geometry.\nI also have a copy of Emily Riehl's Category Theory in Context. I've read some Category Theory before and have a basic grasp, but after reading a few pages of her book, I put it aside until I feel like I'm much more well versed in Topology (the content looks amazing and I really want to read it, but it relies on Algegraic Topology more heavily than other Category Theory material I've seen). So I'll see where I'm at after getting through those Topology books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Analysis I\" (and II) by Terence Tao",
          "reason": "The commenter calls Tao’s books amazing and describes them as an extremely readable introduction to real analysis.",
          "audience": "Readers learning real analysis.",
          "caveat": "The commenter treats volumes I and II as effectively one book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7578439,
          "author": "daffodil2",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T17:20:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578439",
          "commentText": "I've tried reading Rudin a couple times, but it's a bit of a slog. There are easier analysis texts. Abbott's Understanding Analysis is good, though a bit basic. I'm currently reading Terence Tao's Analysis I, which is very good if you're in the right frame of mind for it. The first 150 pages are spent building the real numbers from scratch, starting with set theory and the Peano axioms. You successively construct the naturals, the integers, the rationals, and then the reals (as equivalence classes of Cauchy sequences of rationals). It's fun to see how the sausage is made, but I can also admit that when I was just starting out in math I might have found this book unbearably tedious.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm currently reading Terence Tao's Analysis I, which is very good",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is very good.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in a rigorous construction of the real numbers.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may feel unbearably tedious to someone just starting out in math.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terence Tao"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "real analysis",
        "self study"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "annihilation-d61234",
      "title": "Annihilation",
      "author": "Jeff VanderMeer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46400114,
          "author": "thesumofall",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T08:09:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46400114",
          "commentText": "My best reads this year:\nNon-fiction:\n- The Power Broker by Robert Caro\nFantasy:\n- The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson\nSci-fi:\n- Sun Eater series by Christopher Ruocchio\n- A Canticle For Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr\n- Ra by qntm\n- Jean le Flambeur series by Hannu Rajaniemi\n- Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer (didn’t like the subsequent books of the series so much)\nOther novels:\n- Woodcutters by Thomas Bernhard",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter didn’t like the subsequent books in the series as much.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38573009,
          "author": "unaindz",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T19:21:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38573009",
          "commentText": "Last year Annihilation and the rest of the trilogy rekindled my passion for reading after almost a decade.\nVandemeer really has a way with words but specifically in this novel he manages to describe what I though was indescribable.\nIt was only fair that I tried another one of his trilogies, Borne, The Strange Bird and Dead Astronauts.\nWith Borne being pretty normal (for Vandermeer standards) and the other two reading like pretty ramblings at times if you lack the context. I still loved them but they may not be for everyone.\nYou should read them in the order above so that you have as many pieces of the prose puzzle when you reach Dead Astronauts. But even if you end up not liking the writing of the last two books, Borne can still be enjoyed independently.\nAs for this year. \n\"Blood music\" by Greg Bear.\nBiology scify with a pretty weird concept.\n\"Firefall\" trilogy by Peter Watts\nUsually a scify story revolvs around one core idea, this one does too, but it kept surprising me with new secondary but interesting ones until the end.\nRead The Colonel between the two main books.\n\"Rifters\" trilogy by Peter Watts\nExploring sexual abuse, empathy\n\"Story of Your Life\" by Ted Chiang\nShort story about a linguist learning the recently arrived aliens language. Liked the humor depicting the different perspectives between scientists and military. Pretty emotional.\nI'm not sure what it tells about me but all of these are bittersweet scify with good prose.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Last year Annihilation and the rest of the trilogy rekindled my passion for reading after almost a decade.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it rekindled their passion for reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10211468,
          "author": "ddw",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-13T14:16:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 10211331,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10211468",
          "commentText": "\"Annihilation\" by Jeff VanderMeer and the rest of the Southern Reach trilogy.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Annihilation\" by Jeff VanderMeer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8944977,
          "author": "ilzmastr",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-26T00:50:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944977",
          "commentText": "Childhoods end - Humanity takes the next step in evolution\nAnhilliation - Fish out of water like story of exploring a mysterious, horrific, environment (2 sequels drag on for too much after this one though)\nMany Ray Bradbury stories (Martian chronicles, and the Everyman collection contain the best ones)\nInfinite Jest (Alternate American future of a culture of addiction and depravity, partly mediated by technology)\nThe Circle (haven't read, but like the author, life inside the biggest tech company of the future)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Anhilliation - Fish out of water like story of exploring a mysterious, horrific, environment (2 sequels drag on for too much after this one though)",
          "reason": "Describes the story of exploring a mysterious, horrific environment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says the two sequels drag on too much.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeff VanderMeer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "weird fiction",
        "biological horror",
        "ecological horror",
        "ecological mystery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "anthem-bae53b",
      "title": "Anthem",
      "author": "Ayn Rand",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34160619,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:11:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160619",
          "commentText": "This year I've put myself to the challenge to read at least one book per week which I primarily could complete by reading in the middle of the night while holding our sleeping baby in my arms. It has been an interesting challenge which gave me a lot of fulfilment and has certainly changed my mind on how I view the world. This comment became quite a long read, apologies for that.\nBooks I highly recommend:\nChurchill by Andrew Roberts (p:1105)\nA biography about one of the most interesting figures in politics and WWII. Roberts gives a very detailed description of the life of Churchill and manages to keep you interested the entire length of the book.\nThe God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (p:374)\nIn The God Delusion Dawkins gives arguments why there is no God, why we do not need a God and why religion is damaging to our society. If you are religious it might not be the book for you unless you are open to hear his arguments and line of reasoning. Dawkins will challenge your worldview.\nThe Bomb by Fred Kaplan (p:384)\nKaplan describes the policy of different US presidents on the atomic bomb and war in general. And primarily on the inability of US presidents and policy-makers to tune down its military. A chilling read which makes you appreciate a nuclear holocaust did not happen (yet)....\nPoor Economics by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo (p:320)\nBanerjee and Duflo give a gripping portrait of how poor people live. They offer an insight in the choices and decisions people make surviving on less than 1 USD a day (corrected for purchasing power). It made me completely rethink my own view on poverty and development aid; stressing even more that in order to help one need to have a complete understanding of the individual's situation and the local boundary conditions.\nProject Hail Mary  by Andy Weir (p:476)\nThis book triggered my science fiction reading. For some reason I never was interested in science fiction. Most likely triggered by reading Foundation by Asimov a few years back which apparently is not a book to my taste. But Andy Weir completely annihilated that wrong perspective on science fiction. Project Hail Mary is interesting, funny and gripping book.\nKindred by Octavia Butler  (p:287)\nThis book.... From page one I was hooked and almost read it in one go. Butler is a wonderful author and Kindred is a must-read. The book is about a woman traveling back in time to end up on a slave plantation. It's a chilling account of slavery.\nOther books I read this year, ask me anything about one of these books. I've added a + if I think its worth a recommendation\nBiography:\nNavalny by Dollbaum, Lallouet and Noble (p:280); The Man from the Future by Ananyo Bhattacharya (p:354) +\nSociology; Politics; Economics; Business:\nOnly the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove (p:224); The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli  (p:140); Winter is Coming by Garry Kasparov (p:290); Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum (p:224) +; Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl (p:164) +; We Are Bellingcat by Eliot Higgins (p:272); De Zeven Vinkjes by Joris Luyendijk (p:200); Waarom vuilnismannen meer verdienen dan bankiers by Rutger Bregman (p:104)\nComedy: The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (p:336)\nHistory:\nBand of Brothers  by Stephen E. Ambrose (p:432); The Nuclear Jihadist by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins (p:413) +; The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre (p:384) +; De Heineken Ontvoering by Peter R. de Vries (p:347); Red Famine by Anne Apllebaum (p:384); Night by Elie Wiesel (p:115) +\nScience, Technology, Mathematics:\nFermat's Enigma by Simon Singh (p:315) +; A Mathematician's Apology by G.H. Hardy (p:153); The Great Influenza by John M. Barry (p:546); The Rise and Fall of the Dinousaurs by Stephen Brusatte (p:404) ++; The Double Helix by James Watson (p:144)\nSport:\nRun or Die by Killian Jornet (p:208); The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton  (p:290) +; The Rise of the Ultra Runners by  (p:304); Tom Dumoulin by Patrick Bernhart (p:203)\nFiction:\nAnthem by Ayn Rand (p:105); Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (p:704); The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (p:566); Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (p:466); Live and Let die by Ian Fleming  (p:229)\nClassics:\nA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (p:104); The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (p:201); The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald (p:180); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (p:139); Animal Farm by George Orwell (p:122) +; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (p:227) +; The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (p:118)\nScience Fiction:\nThe Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (p:399); All Systems Red  by Martha Wells (p:144) +; A Memory Called Empire  by Arkady Martine (p:462) +; A Psalm built for the Wild by Becky Chambers (p:160); Dune by Frank Herbert (p:658); Foundation by Isaac Asimov (p:244); The Martian by Andy Weir (p:384) +;\nThe Forever War by Joe Haldeman (p:278)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Anthem by Ayn Rand",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348483,
          "author": "ElDiablo666",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:00:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348483",
          "commentText": "I'd also like a clear refutation of that book. I've only read two Rand books: Anthem and Capitalism. I loved Anthem in spite of its anti-government bullshit because of my libertarian side but my socialist side overrides all of it and that's where my criticism of her lies.\nI'm sorry I can't offer anything with regard to Atlas since I haven't read it but it's clearly rooted in her ridiculous philosophy of capitalist moralism. It doesn't stand up to even the most elementary scrutiny and once you apply any of it to real life you find that society would collapse in less than a year.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've only read two Rand books: Anthem and Capitalism. I loved Anthem in spite of its anti-government bullshit",
          "reason": "Says they loved the book while criticizing its anti-government views.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The praise is qualified by disagreement with its anti-government stance.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387451,
          "author": "mjn",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T23:15:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387451",
          "commentText": "I don't think that one is really read in schools. We did read an Ayn Rand book in my high school (in Texas), but it was Anthem, a much shorter novella, with a more general theme of future-utopia-is-actuallly-dystopia, ending with a paean to individualism. It bears some similarities to a more recent book, The Giver, which is also popular as young-adult literature.\nI haven't read her other books, but from a literary perspective, Anthem has the same problem that I gather her other works have, just in miniature: there is a core of an actual novel there and it's starting to build an interesting world and characters, but then at some point it degenerates into a pages-and-pages-long non-fiction essay in Ayn Rand's voice pasted into the book, with a pretty flimsy excuse for what these pages of text are doing in a novel (I think in Anthem it's the character thinking out loud or something).",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "there is a core of an actual novel there and it's starting to build an interesting world and characters, but then at some point it degenerates",
          "reason": "The commenter criticizes the book’s shift into a long essay, while acknowledging its promising start.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have not read Rand’s other books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797140,
          "author": "quantumhobbit",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T02:08:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797140",
          "commentText": "Ayn Rand was a philosopher.  And like most philosophers, she started out with some good ideas and over applied them to everything in life, which leads to some scary conclusions.\nMy favorite Rand book was Anthem.  It was short and therefore didn't have space to extrapolate Rand's ideas to their scary conclusion.\nI just finished reading Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo.  It is just as long and pompous as Atlas Shrugged, but of the exact opposite philosophy.  Those two books make for some interesting comparisons.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "My favorite Rand book was Anthem.",
          "reason": "The commenter names it as their favorite Rand book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter prefers its short length because it leaves less room to extend Rand's ideas to their conclusions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 715173,
          "author": "ddemchuk",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-20T20:56:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715173",
          "commentText": "Just finished \"Anthem\" by Ayn Rand (it's like 100 pages so it only took a few hours)\nStarted \"The American Political Tradition\" by Richard Hofstadter, pretty engaging history of our major politicians and founding fathers...",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Just finished \"Anthem\" by Ayn Rand (it's like 100 pages so it only took a few hours)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 141191,
          "author": "SwellJoe",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T22:19:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=141191",
          "commentText": "Read the whole set:\nWe\n1984\nAnthem\nBrave New World\nI love dystopias, and these four have always seemed to work together, to me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1984\nAnthem\nBrave New World",
          "reason": "Lists it as part of a set of dystopias the commenter loves.",
          "audience": "Readers who love dystopian fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ayn Rand"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopian fiction",
        "individualism",
        "dystopia",
        "objectivism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "artemis-048433",
      "title": "Artemis",
      "author": "Andy Weir",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34162369,
          "author": "ad-astra",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T16:08:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34162369",
          "commentText": "If you’re into Science Fiction:\n(Note: I listed to these all via the Audible audiobooks, they were all very well narrated and I’d highly recommend listening this way.)\n#1: The Children of Time series by Adrian Tchaikovsky.\nThis is amazingly fascinating from beginning to end, if you like speculative evolution zenofiction space operas, you’re in for a real treat. I feel like these books were written for me. I went the audiobook route and chugged through each (roughly 600 page) book, neglecting focus to almost anything else in my life. I would be playing Tetris on my phone (via the Tappy app) while listening at 1.1x speed, which is the perfect amount of mental stimulation to have massive amounts of time go by without noticing.\n#2: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.\nI don’t want to spoil too much, but this is a must-read for engineer-brain nerds like me that yearn to understand complex systems recreationally. Enough said. Mandatory. I read Artemis by Andy Weir afterwards and enjoyed it too, but Hail Mary is my fave.\n#3: The Final Architecture series by Adrian Tchaikovsky.\nAfter obsessively finishing the Children of Time series there was a huge hole in my heart, so I started this series. I didn’t really latch on until 15% through the first book, but once I did I was once again obsessively hooked.\n#4 (Bonus) I’m now reading Dragon’s Egg by Robert L. Forward and am very excited to report back when I eventually finish. It involves alien life that evolved in the atomic strata of neutron stars (nerd drool).\nI’ve now mostly taken a break from reading as it became all-consuming. But it was very worth it overall, best reading year in my life so far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read Artemis by Andy Weir afterwards and enjoyed it too",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter prefers Project Hail Mary.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32197997,
          "author": "linsomniac",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:45:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197997",
          "commentText": "I just started The Hobbit a couple days ago.  For the last 3-4 months I've been checking out library books on the Kindle and reading as a bedtime ritual to help get me to sleep.  It's been working pretty well, I rarely lay there unable to go to sleep.\nI just finished Devolution by Max Brooks, it was good but not really in my wheelhouse.  I didn't realize when I started reading it, but he also did World War Z, which I felt the same way about, and also recently finished reading\nBefore that I finished Artemis by Andy Weir, good but not great.  Read because I had recently finished The Martian and absolutely loved it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I finished Artemis by Andy Weir, good but not great.",
          "reason": "Describes it as good but not great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Good but not great.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28061444,
          "author": "code_Whisperer",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T14:32:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28061444",
          "commentText": "Agreed. I mentioned that it is 'imaginative and fun', but it is not the same style of \"The Martian\" which (in my opinion) had nearly perfect technical execution. I admit to having had some apprehension about a loved author's next effort (I'm looking at you, \"Artemis\" and \"Armada\"), but \"Hail Mary\" did not fulfill that dread for me. So... yay!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Artemis\" and \"Armada\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned as an example of a loved author's next effort that caused apprehension.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665379,
          "author": "catacombs",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:45:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665379",
          "commentText": "> I was introduced to sci-fi last year and pretty much stuck to it throughout 2018.\nIf you're looking for additional science fiction suggestions:\n1. American War by Omar El Akkad\n2. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel\n3. Artemis by Andy Weir\n4. Daemon by Daniel Suarez\n5. Old Man's War by John Scalzi\n6. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch\n7. Red Rising series by Pierce Brown",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "3. Artemis by Andy Weir",
          "reason": "Offered as an additional science fiction suggestion.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for additional science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665304,
          "author": "mrpollo",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:37:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665304",
          "commentText": "In retrospective I wish I had read more this year.\n- The Art of Community: Building the New Age of Participation\n- Foundation series (Foundation, 2nd Foundation, Foundation and Empire, Foundations Edge, Foundation and Earth)\n- Three Body Problem (trilogy)\n- Artemis",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "- Artemis",
          "reason": "Listed among books read; no recommendation is expressed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andy Weir"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "lunar settlement",
        "crime",
        "crime caper",
        "heist"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "as-i-lay-dying-b9f3d1",
      "title": "As I Lay Dying",
      "author": "William Faulkner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41767605,
          "author": "greenie_beans",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T16:21:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41767605",
          "commentText": "as i lay dying by william faulkner",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "as i lay dying by william faulkner",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10533303,
          "author": "stevesearer",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T14:53:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10533303",
          "commentText": "The books I've enjoyed reading most this year are ones I ought to have read in high school some 15 years ago, but just never did because I didn't enjoy reading and never made the effort: The Great Gatsby, As I Lay Dying, and am currently reading Cry, The Beloved Country",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "As I Lay Dying",
          "reason": "Names it among the books enjoyed most this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86220,
          "author": "diversityhire",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:14:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86220",
          "commentText": "Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's Flow: the Psychology of Optimal Experience\nWilliam Faulkner's As I Lay Dying &amp; The Sound and the Fury\nJulian Jaynes' The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind\nPeter Medawar's The Art of the Soluable\nDesigned by Peter Saville\nNietzsche's Twilight of the Idols\nBloom County Babylon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the thread’s question about favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Faulkner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "southern gothic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "awaken-the-giant-within-a1e8e4",
      "title": "Awaken the Giant Within",
      "author": "Tony Robbins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30735427,
          "author": "thenerdhead",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:00:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735427",
          "commentText": "Cliché, but \"Awaken the Giant Within\" by Tony Robbins.\nIt wasn't the book itself that changed my life, it was the exposure to all of the underlying ideas & philosophies that then significantly changed my life. I know many people can't stand the guy, but his book was really powerful for me at one point in my life. I got my shit together and started to understand the origins of many of the messages he promotes.\nI like to think that there's a paradox of book reading in general in that you never remember what you read, but you change because of it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Cliché, but \"Awaken the Giant Within\" by Tony Robbins.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book's underlying ideas and philosophies significantly changed their life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the ideas, rather than the book itself, changed their life, and notes that many people dislike Robbins.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29815592,
          "author": "mmerlin",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-05T21:56:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29815592",
          "commentText": "David Allen - Getting things done\nSteven Pressfield - The War of Art + Turning Pro\nTony Robbins - Awaken the giant within \n(maybe he's released a better book than that now, but it was impactful personally back in the 90s)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Tony Robbins - Awaken the giant within \n(maybe he's released a better book than that now, but it was impactful personally back in the 90s)",
          "reason": "Recommends a personally impactful book, while wondering whether Robbins has since released a better one.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Robbins may have released a better book since.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15159229,
          "author": "johnsimer",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T01:39:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15159229",
          "commentText": "Innovator's dilemma & Innovator's solution- why big companies almost always get beaten by startups and how to overcome this\n10x Rule by Grant Cardone - you must take 10x more action than you think to get success\nAwaken the Giant Within - you can motivate yourself to do anything via the \"Pain Pleasure Principle\"\nBold: How to go big, make wealth, and change the world - some strategies from Musk, Bezos, Diamandis/Singularity U\nThe Art of Profitability - Coca-cola from a 2-Liter costs $.02/oz , Coca-cola from a restaurant costs $.20/oz\nmy full list here: https://goo.gl/9SD8b6",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Awaken the Giant Within - you can motivate yourself to do anything",
          "reason": "Presents self-motivation through the “Pain Pleasure Principle.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tony Robbins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal development",
        "motivation",
        "self help"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bad-samaritans-the-myth-of-free-trade-and-the-secret-history-of-c-e22692",
      "title": "Bad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism",
      "author": "Ha-Joon Chang",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22867462,
          "author": "econbooks",
          "createdAt": "2020-04-14T15:52:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 22861452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading to make sense of the economy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22867462",
          "commentText": "Ha-Joon Chang's works\nBad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism   \nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Samaritans:_The_Myth_of_Fr... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Samaritans:_The_Myth_of_Free_Trade_and_the_Secret_History_of_Capitalism)\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WU9DgfOMpmo\nEconomics: The User's Guide\nhttps://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/may/29/economics-the-... (https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/may/29/economics-the-users-guide-ha-joon-chang-review)\nJane Jacobs\nCities and the Wealth of Nations\nhttps://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/reviews/books/0-394-72911-0.htm... (https://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/reviews/books/0-394-72911-0.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156913,
          "author": "RealityNow",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T16:41:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156913",
          "commentText": "Debt, the first 5,000 Years (David Graeber) - Learned that most of history has been communist (eg. hunter gatherer societies), shops of the past were run on credit (eg. tally sticks), money/capitalism tended to emerge with the rise of the state, taxing to feed soldiers for war, and that the drive to pay off one's debt fueled a lot of the cruelty of mankind (eg. Hernan Cortez, Casimir).\n21 Things they don't tell you about Capitalism, Bad Samaritans (Ha Joon Chang) - Learned that free trade is generally bad for developing countries, countries need to build out high productivity industries to grow their economy in the long term and avoid a balance of payments deficit (unless blessed with oil or something), manufacturing is vital to a country's economy and its service sector, \"free markets\" are a constantly evolving political definition with numerous inherent double standards, the only reason most of us in first world countries are paid well has nothing to do with our own superior ability (eg. bus driver in India vs. Norway), but due to immigration control and the institutions we inherit.\nAlso looking for more book recommendations, so feel free to send some my way!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "21 Things they don't tell you about Capitalism, Bad Samaritans (Ha Joon Chang) - Learned that free trade is generally bad for developing countries",
          "reason": "Lists the book as a source of ideas learned about trade, industry, and economic development in response to a question about impactful books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10768285,
          "author": "gangcil_yc",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T21:01:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10768285",
          "commentText": "Pretty interesting book with obscure yet consequential assessment and history on a controversial topic today: Religious Extremism in the Lives of Contemporary Muslims\nhttps://ia902506.us.archive.org/17/items/ReligiousExtremism/... (https://ia902506.us.archive.org/17/items/ReligiousExtremism/Religious%20Extremism.pdf) \n(* written and translated well before September 11).\nAnother valuable read: What Is Islam? http://d1.islamhouse.com/data/en/ih_books/single/en_What_Isl... (http://d1.islamhouse.com/data/en/ih_books/single/en_What_Islam.pdf)\nBoth made it less nebulous to me of what is otherwise a largely irreconcilably contradictory narrative (http://nypost.com/2015/11/22/missing-paris-attacker-loved-ga... (http://nypost.com/2015/11/22/missing-paris-attacker-loved-gay-bars-and-playstation/)).\nBad Samaritans, Ha-Joon Chang : a neat illuminating read on economic development matters that are not typically articulated in discussions of relevance and dominance.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bad Samaritans, Ha-Joon Chang : a neat illuminating read on economic development matters",
          "reason": "Calls it a neat, illuminating read on economic development.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ha-Joon Chang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "capitalism",
        "economic development",
        "free trade",
        "globalization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "barbarians-at-the-gate-the-fall-of-rjr-nabisco-fe6252",
      "title": "Barbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco",
      "author": "Bryan Burrough and John Helyar",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10028566,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T20:28:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10028566",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps to the Epiphany - Steve Blank\nSteve Jobs - Walter Isaacson\nArtificial Life  - Steven Levy\nOn Writing - Stephen King\nMachine Learning for Hackers - Drew Conway and John Myles White\nHow Doctors Think - Jerome Goopman\nCholesterol Clarity: What The HDL Is Wrong With My Numbers? - Jimmy Moore & Eric C. Westman\nBarbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco - Bryan Burrough & John Helyar",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Barbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco - Bryan Burrough & John Helyar",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2963328,
          "author": "mattm",
          "createdAt": "2011-09-05T20:55:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 2963294,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Got a Kindle. What now? What books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2963328",
          "commentText": "I maintain a book list that I developed for my personal use but you could just as easily use goodreads.com or Amazon's wish list.  Everytime I see or hear a book recommendation I add it to the list.  My list now has over 1200 books that I'd like to read so I have no problem finding a book.\nYou could also find the books on Amazon you like and then check out the recommendations.  That should lead you to others.\nTo suit your interest in business I would recommend:\n- Barbarians at the Gate: The Rise and Fall of RJR Nabisco (I'll never look at public companies the same after reading this book)\n- Founders at Work",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Barbarians at the Gate: The Rise and Fall of RJR Nabisco (I'll never look at public companies the same after reading this book)",
          "reason": "The commenter says reading it changed how they view public companies.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in business and corporate takeovers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 947743,
          "author": "ecq",
          "createdAt": "2009-11-18T03:46:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 947581,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN:  What's the best first business book for a programmer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=947743",
          "commentText": "Most of the books I read are usually business profiles/bios of founders/companies.\n1) iCon Steve Jobs: The Greatest Second Act in the History of Business\n2) The Google Story\n3) The Perfect Store: Inside eBay\n4) Paypal Wars\n5) Barbarians at the Gate (not tech-related but one of the best business books of all time)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "5) Barbarians at the Gate (not tech-related but one of the best business books of all time)",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the best business books of all time.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in business history and company profiles.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is not tech-related.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bryan Burrough and John Helyar"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "corporate takeovers",
        "business history",
        "company history",
        "leveraged buyouts"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "basic-mathematics-dc2946",
      "title": "Basic Mathematics",
      "author": "Serge Lang",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31710947,
          "author": "nextos",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-12T03:08:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31710947",
          "commentText": "Yeah, read Basic Mathematics by Lang. Covers all precalculus you need in a rigorous way.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "read Basic Mathematics by Lang. Covers all precalculus you need in a rigorous way.",
          "reason": "Recommends the book for covering the needed precalculus rigorously.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31496932,
          "author": "blindmute",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T20:05:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31496932",
          "commentText": "In order:\n1. Book of Proof\n1a. How to Prove It: A Structured Approach\n2. Elements of Set Theory - Enderton\n2a. Naive Set Theory - Halmos\n3. Foundations of Analysis - Landau\n4. Basic Mathematics - Lang\n5. Principles of Mathematics - Allendoerfer & Oakley\n6. A Transition to Advanced Mathematics\n6a. Concept of Modern Mathematics - Stewart\n7. Calculus - Apostol or Spivak\nDon't skip any",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "4. Basic Mathematics - Lang",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 755416,
          "author": "tokenadult",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T15:27:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755416",
          "commentText": "That thread recommends many very few good books, but probably mostly books too hard at first for the participant who has posted this new thread.\nI'll recommend a couple of books from that thread:\nhttp://www.springer.com/physics/book/978-0-306-45036-5\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Short-Introduction-Timothy... (http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Short-Introduction-Timothy-Gowers/dp/0192853619/)\nI agree with the recommendation of An Introduction to Mathematical Reasoning in this thread.\nAnother participant has already recommended my favorite for background reading, Concepts of Modern Mathematics by Ian Stewart.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Modern-Mathematics-Ian-Stewar... (http://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Modern-Mathematics-Ian-Stewart/dp/0486284247/)\nGet that right away.\nSawyer's A Mathematician's Delight is surely also good (I've read other books by Sawyer).\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0486462404/\nRead those for background as you get my favorite overviews of mathematics: Basic Mathematics by Serge Lang and Numbers and Geometry by Joseph Stillwell.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Basic-Mathematics-Serge-Lang/dp/038796... (http://www.amazon.com/Basic-Mathematics-Serge-Lang/dp/0387967877/)\n(Basic Mathematics is mostly high school level math, with a minimum of fuss and bother, and good exercises.)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Geometry-John-Stillwell/dp/038... (http://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Geometry-John-Stillwell/dp/0387982892/)\n(Numbers and Geometry is mostly undergraduate level math, with very good explanations and excellent exercises.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Basic Mathematics by Serge Lang",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's favorite overviews of mathematics.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a background overview; mostly high school level math.",
          "caveat": "The linked set of books may be too hard at first for the original poster.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Serge Lang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "foundational mathematics",
        "high school mathematics",
        "precalculus"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "behind-the-cloud-7c2a3b",
      "title": "Behind the Cloud",
      "author": "Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25905593,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T17:00:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25905593",
          "commentText": "At any given time I have somewhere around 50 books \"in flight\" in the sense that I've read at least a few pages and put it in \"currently reading\" status on Goodreads. But there's usually one (or two) that are getting the bulk of my attention. Right now the main book I'm focusing on is Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach by Norvig and Russell. I'd had this on my shelf for years and never got serious about working my way through the entire thing until recently. And I have to say, I now really regret not starting this project sooner. There's so much great stuff in this book.\nI'm not just \"reading\" it like a novel though. I \"just read\" up to a certain point (basically the end of the section on inference using FOL) and now I'm going back to a certain point (the beginning of the section on logic based agents) and going back through and doing exercises, implementing the algorithms myself, etc. Once I've satisfied myself that I have done all I need to do with this area, I'll pick back up with the section that starts talking about Uncertainty and repeat the process.\nAnd I'll keep picking through a couple of these other 49 books in random moments of idle time here and there. I'll probably finish Behind The Cloud by Marc Benioff soon.\nReading frequency? Not sure what you mean. I read everyday with few exceptions, but since books vary in length and density, I can't say \"I read two books a week\" or anything like that. But FWIW, I log my reading with Goodreads, and over the last 10 years or so of my life, I've averaged finishing somewhere between 35-50 or so books per year.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'll probably finish Behind The Cloud by Marc Benioff soon.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10233545,
          "author": "mbesto",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T14:30:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10233545",
          "commentText": "These are great books for starting off with the why and how of sales:\nDaniel Pink - To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others http://www.amazon.com/Sell-Human-Surprising-Moving-Others/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/Sell-Human-Surprising-Moving-Others/dp/1594631905/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8)\nDale Carnegie - How to Win Friends & Influence People http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/06... (http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0671027034/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1442499882&sr=1-1)\nAs you understand the macro details of sales, the more micro things (tactics, strategies, best practices) are probably best served by specific industry or specific aspects of sales. For example:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Behind-Cloud-Salesforce-com-Billion-Do... (http://www.amazon.com/Behind-Cloud-Salesforce-com-Billion-Dollar-Company-/dp/0470521163/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442500049&sr=8-1)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Sales-Acceleration-Formula-Technology-... (http://www.amazon.com/Sales-Acceleration-Formula-Technology-Inbound/dp/1119047072/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1442500089&sr=8-2)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Predictable-Revenue-Business-Practices... (http://www.amazon.com/Predictable-Revenue-Business-Practices-Salesforce-com/dp/0984380213/ref=pd_sim_14_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=08BC3RAFN4RSZDNWQJ9Q&dpID=51mYrIgNB6L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR104%2C160_)\nI also really like Jason Lemkin and his SaaStr blog: http://www.saastr.com/ Loads of SaaS sales practices on there.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "http://www.amazon.com/Behind-Cloud-Salesforce-com-Billion-Do...",
          "reason": "Listed as an example of a book for learning specific sales tactics and practices.",
          "audience": "People seeking industry-specific sales advice.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8106928,
          "author": "tdubhro1",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:13:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106928",
          "commentText": "Buddhism: Not Always So, and anything else by Shunryu Suzuki, What Buddha Taught, by Rahula\nSmarter: A Mathematical Bridge by Stephen Hewson, it will make you grok the real structure of mathematics even if you're starting with fairly basic undergraduate level math, and it will make it immensely easier to tackle new areas of mathematics.\nPattern recognition and machine learning by Bishop\nPopular: Coders at Work, Founders at Work, Behind the Cloud",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Behind the Cloud",
          "reason": "Listed under “Popular” in response to a request for reading suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marc Benioff",
        "Carlye Adler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "salesforce",
        "saas sales",
        "software companies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "blindness-fc9c92",
      "title": "Blindness",
      "author": "José Saramago",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40880713,
          "author": "dkdkdkdkdkdkd",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-05T08:05:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40880713",
          "commentText": "Blindness by José Saramago and The road by Cormac McCarthy.\nBoth offer a look at how humanity holds up under difficult circumstances.\nDo not watch the movies, read the books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blindness by José Saramago",
          "reason": "Says it shows how humanity holds up under difficult circumstances.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Do not watch the movie; read the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21911927,
          "author": "cordaciu",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-30T09:04:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21911927",
          "commentText": "1.The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time\n2.Looking for Alaska\n3.Blindness\n4.Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man's Miraculous Survival\n5.The Martian\n6.Never Let Me Go",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "3.Blindness",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorites in response to the decade's best-books discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13970233,
          "author": "pagutierrezn",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T18:15:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13970233",
          "commentText": "1- The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli. Specially the edition commented by Napoleon Buonaparte.\n2-Diffusion of Innovations by Everett M. Rogers. This book makes \"Crossing the chasm\" a simplistic introduction for laggards\n3-The Art of War by Sun Tzu\n4-If Nature Is the Answer, What Was the Question? By Jorge Wagensberg\n5-Sacred hoops by Phil Jackson\n6-Fear from freedom by Erich Fromm\n7-Michelangelo biography of a genious\n8-Blindness by Jose Saramago\n9-On writing by Stephen King",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "8-Blindness by Jose Saramago",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8125530,
          "author": "mbillie1",
          "createdAt": "2014-08-02T18:23:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 8125375,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I save for offline reading during 5 weeks without Internet?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8125530",
          "commentText": "I've always enjoyed fiction in situations like yours. Iain M. Banks has some accessible but interesting sci-fi (recommendations: Consider Phlebas, Use of Weapons), and it's hard to go wrong with anything Jose Saramago wrote (recommendations: All the Names, Blindness, Death With Interruptions).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "recommendations: All the Names, Blindness, Death With Interruptions",
          "reason": "Recommended as an example of Saramago's work that is hard to go wrong with.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for literary fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "José Saramago"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopian fiction",
        "literary fiction",
        "dystopia",
        "social allegory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "blitzscaling-fd22b0",
      "title": "Blitzscaling",
      "author": "Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25208562,
          "author": "aluciani",
          "createdAt": "2020-11-25T12:38:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 25207732,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Suggest good books on bootstrapping a startup",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25208562",
          "commentText": "You can also find books on audible to listen to that might save you time especially listening to them at a faster speed like 1.5x - Also check out some startup podcasts as well.\nAnother good book might be Blitzscaling by Reid Hoffman.\nOne thing to keep in mind is not to get distracted by all these items (they are good, but can be useful) but there are no shortcuts.\nMost of the largest companies were built without a playbook but with determination and a north star.\nRemember to also have fun! Hope this helps somewhat.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Another good book might be Blitzscaling by Reid Hoffman.",
          "reason": "Suggests the book as a possible startup resource.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter cautions that books can distract and that there are no shortcuts.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21902182,
          "author": "dustingetz",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T22:15:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902182",
          "commentText": "For founders: #1 is Oren Klaff Pitch Anything. Then: Crossing the Chasm, Zero to One, Blitzscaling, Never Split the Difference, Oversubscribed: A Founders Guide to Seed Fundraising, Exactly What To Say: The Magic Words for Influence and Impact, Miracle Morning, 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blitzscaling",
          "reason": "Listed as a book for founders.",
          "audience": "Founders",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Reid Hoffman",
        "Chris Yeh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "startup growth",
        "growth strategy",
        "scaling",
        "scaling businesses"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "blood-sweat-and-pixels-4e3811",
      "title": "Blood, Sweat, and Pixels",
      "author": "Jason Schreier",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31168714,
          "author": "ivanmaeder",
          "createdAt": "2022-04-26T15:29:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 31166475,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Top inspiring books on crucial CS ideas?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31168714",
          "commentText": "Great question, I will come back to see what ideas people have. Thanks for the Turing book suggestion too.\nI have read lots of non-fiction books about programmers and engineers that have been very inspiring, they're just not technical: \"Masters of Doom\", \"Blood, Sweat, and Pixels\", \"Coders at Work\", \"The Idea Factory\", \"The Soul of a New Machine\", \"Dealers of Lightning\"...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Blood, Sweat, and Pixels\",",
          "reason": "Listed among non-fiction books about programmers and engineers that the commenter found inspiring.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these books are inspiring but not technical.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20339078,
          "author": "backslash_16",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T20:22:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20339078",
          "commentText": "Masters of Doom is such a fun, good book. I ended up power reading a few summers ago.\nIf you grew up playing Doom, and all the other shareware games like Hexen, Heretic, etc... reading about Id Software's start and history is more interesting than I ever thought it would be.\nAnother book that drew me in was \"Blood, Sweat, and Pixels\". It's a collection of short-ish game creation stories packaged into a book. Really candid interviews and writing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another book that drew me in was \"Blood, Sweat, and Pixels\". It's a collection of short-ish game creation stories packaged into a book. Really candid interviews and writing.",
          "reason": "Describes it as engaging, with candid interviews and writing.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in game development stories.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15962109,
          "author": "fgandiya",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T17:48:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15962109",
          "commentText": "This year I read:\n1. The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Computer - A steampunk graphic novel about Ada Lovelace and Charlie Babbage. Fun story with loads of research to back it up. Got even better when I got to go the UK and explore the places they worked at in their livetimes\n2. The Hardware Hacker - A compilation of storis by bunnie focused on the hardware/maker(ish) ecosystem. Also discusses the Chinese manufacturing ecosystem and answers questions that most people have about it.\n3. Technically Wrong - A book about how tech can sometimes leave lots of people behind for one reason or another and how we can fix them. A very quick read.\n4. The Masters of Doom - The story of id Software, the company which spawned an entire genre with games like Doom and Wolfenstwein in its early days.\n5. Blood, Sweat and Pixels - The book looks into how video games are made and the many challenges along the way. Focuses on ten games from solo all the way to AAA titles. Really good if you want to know why video games turn out the way they do. After reading this, you'll double take whenever you hear of a delayed game, cancelled project, E3 demos and buggy releases. It also has some uplifting moments.\n6. My textbooks :).\nHopefully I can also read The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, Deep Work and CODE.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Really good if you want to know why video games turn out the way they do.",
          "reason": "Calls it really good for learning about how video games are made and why they turn out as they do.",
          "audience": "Readers who want to understand how video games are made.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jason Schreier"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "video game development",
        "game industry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "blue-ant-trilogy-4ca8d1",
      "title": "Blue Ant Trilogy",
      "author": "William Gibson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17536654,
          "author": "dochtman",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:35:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536654",
          "commentText": "Isaac Asimov is one of the classics, of course. I'm particularly fond of the robot novels (all four of the Elijah Baley ones especially) and the entire Foundation series. Of course, you also can't miss the robot short stories. Oh, and The End of Eternity!\nAt some point I found Charles Stross' Accelerando, which is freely available online (along with a bunch of other short stories), and found everything I've read (which is most of it at this point, I think) enjoyably fast-paced. In particular the Laundry series (of which I've bought every iteration as soon as they came out over the past few years) -- though arguably these maybe cross-over from SF into fantasy a bit -- and the Halting State trilogy.\nIn terms of online available work, Cory Doctorow's work is also great. Like Stross, most of his work is more near-term SF, which I have liked, and a bunch of it is available online under a Creative Commons license. It often moves fast and is also politically interesting; sometimes the activism shines through a little blatantly, but the themes are always make me thing in various ways I appreciate (but maybe will fail your lighthearted criterion even if it is fun). His latest is Walkaway, which I would recommend.\nI got into Neal Stephenson through Cryptonomicon, which is one of the greats. Stephenson has a pretty rambly, wordy style, but at least that also makes his stories last a bit longer. After that, I mostly moved on to Anathem, Reamde and Seveneves all of which are big and interesting and great reads (it took me longer than usual to get up to speed on Anathem, but it was very much worth it in the end). I tried one of the more historic ones (I think it was Quicksilver) at some point but haven't finished it. The 2017 Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. was a bit lighter, but lots of fun, too.\nWilliam Gibson has already been mentioned, which I would also recommend. I read the Sprawl trilogy a very long time ago, and it's made a lasting expression. I've started rereading it recently. I also liked the Blue Ant trilogy and The Peripheral, but have so far missed the more recent work.\nMore in the one-off category: The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell is one of my all-time favorites, and mixes deep SF with psychology and religion in interesting ways. There's a sequel, but it's not as good. I also liked The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, which is also on the softer side. I read Scalzi's Redshirts and liked it (especially if you're familiar with the Star Trek universe), it feels similar to Ready Player One in some ways. Daniel Suarez's (or Leinad Zeraus as he originally published them) Daemon is fun and easy to digest, along with its sequel Freedom. I liked Robert J. Sawyer's The Terminal Experiment, but one person I recommended it too wasn't impressed -- I still think it's fun, if not very deep. I also bought his Factoring Humanity and liked it okay.\nHope that helps. Always interested in more recommendations based on this list!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also liked the Blue Ant trilogy and The Peripheral",
          "reason": "Says they liked the trilogy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13119088,
          "author": "pasbesoin",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-06T23:10:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13119088",
          "commentText": "More than a year ago, I picked up William Gibson's \"Pattern Recognition.\"  I wasn't sure what I thought of it, at first, but it became increasingly interesting and I finished it.  This year, I picked up the third novel in the series that \"Pattern Recognition\" started.\nIt's a different world than that of \"Neuromancer\" et al., but I've come to find Gibson's portrayal of and thinking about it quite interesting.\nThis year, I also helped someone out for a while who is considerably into fashions of some sorts (make up, running shoes and attire, other stuff more by just doing it than by talking about it).\nI'm finding Gibson's latest trilogy giving me new eyes on all this.  And, in today's world of \"image\", it's not just and interesting but a valuable perspective.  Treatise.  Extrapolation...\nNot the most in your face of sci fi titles, but subtly compelling, for me.\nPerhaps partially sub-consciously.  Just like the world he's describing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm finding Gibson's latest trilogy giving me new eyes on all this.",
          "reason": "Says the trilogy offers a valuable perspective on fashion and the contemporary world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4968158,
          "author": "jamesmcn",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T04:36:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4968158",
          "commentText": "Walter Jon Williams' The Green Leopard Plague, which is also part of an anthology of the same name. The anthology includes several other stories that build up the world that GLP takes place in. Some interesting ideas about identity and consciousness in a society with extremely advanced bioengineering.\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Green_Leopard_Plague\nUmberto Eco's Prague Cemetery which expands greatly on a tiny section of Foucault's Pendulum. Eco's writing is extremely dense. Similar to Neal Stephenson, but with more of a literary flavor than a technogeek flavor. A nice way to balance out your reading if you find you are a bit too focused on modern technology.\nI finally read Robert Anton Wilson's Illuminatus! trilogy. Early Internet and web culture was so deeply infused with RAW's ideas that the trilogy felt like one long déjà vu session. Lots of fun. RAW + Eco are a great antidote to taking conspiracy theories seriously, while having a ton of fun at the same time.\nGibson's Sprawl trilogy. Wow. Since the release of the Blue Ant books, I've been telling people that Blue Ant is the place to start, as it updates a lot of the underlying themes of Sprawl for this decade. But Sprawl is still very current and relevant. If you read Sprawl during or before the dot-com bubble like I did, you probably focused on the prophetic internet stuff. If you read it again, you will find out that there is plenty more interesting stuff to feed your brain in Gibson's early novels.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blue Ant books",
          "reason": "The commenter says it updates many of the Sprawl trilogy's underlying themes for the current decade and recommends starting there.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Gibson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "near future fiction",
        "consumer culture",
        "corporate culture",
        "literary thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bluebeard-720db6",
      "title": "Bluebeard",
      "author": "Kurt Vonnegut",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41761496,
          "author": "mcphage",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T00:06:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41761496",
          "commentText": "For another take on Vonnegut, my favorite of his were Bluebeard and God Bless You Mr. Rosewater.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "my favorite of his were Bluebeard",
          "reason": "Names it among the commenter’s favorite Vonnegut books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348539,
          "author": "ashark",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:06:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348539",
          "commentText": "Franny and Zooey -- Salinger\nMostly by introducing me to the Stoics (Aurelius especially) and a variety of Eastern, especially Zen Buddhist, works.\nRevolutionary Road -- Yates\nYay, mentioned that one in two threads today and it's not even noon yet!\nA History of Western Philosophy -- Russell\nVonnegut in general. Bluebeard serves as a good overview of his major themes and ideas, to pick just one book. The part about how people with small talents who were once valued by their communities have been rendered eccentrics of no special value to anyone by easy, cheap, global distribution of media is always near the front of my mind.\nHow to Read a Book -- Adler",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bluebeard serves as a good overview of his major themes and ideas, to pick just one book.",
          "reason": "Calls it a good overview of Vonnegut's major themes and ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876090,
          "author": "grendel",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T05:23:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876090",
          "commentText": "grendel - john gardner\nbluebeard - kurt vonnegut",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "bluebeard - kurt vonnegut",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kurt Vonnegut"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Art"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "satire",
        "american fiction",
        "art",
        "art and war"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "brain-rules-b2bccb",
      "title": "Brain Rules",
      "author": "John Medina",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18669949,
          "author": "pknerd",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-13T05:01:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18669949",
          "commentText": "Though many but a few recommendations:\n- Hooked\n- The dollar trap\n- Built to sell\n- Brain rules\n- The doctor in the house (Memoir of Malaysian PM, Mahathir)\n- 1984 by Orwell (Still reading)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Brain rules",
          "reason": "Listed as a book read in 2018, in response to a question asking which books commenters would recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15170982,
          "author": "drited",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-04T21:31:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15170982",
          "commentText": "Loved Brain rules, and Brain Rules for baby is also wonderful  :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Loved Brain rules, and Brain Rules for baby is also wonderful",
          "reason": "Expresses positive evaluation of the title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8111985,
          "author": "smartial_arts",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-31T01:28:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8111985",
          "commentText": "\"Zebras don't get ulcers\" by Robert Sapolsky [ http://amzn.to/1kFszdH ]\nGreat book on stress, it's evolutionary role and how it's screwing us up now, in the modern environment that's quite different from our evolutionary past.\n\"Brain Rules\" by John Medina [http://amzn.to/UCgCPG]  \nJohn, a molecular biologist, looks at things such as health and cognitive development and performance of kids and adults from an evolutionary perspective. \nHe highlights problems with our approaches to work and study, how these are at odds with the way our brains evolved to work and what we can do about it.\nGreat collection of actionable advice backed up by current research. See more at http://brainrules.net/\n\"The world until yesterday\" by Jared Diamond http://amzn.to/1AAJjNL\nGreat book on how \"traditional\" societies handle trade, war and interpersonal conflicts. Lots of thing to consider taking on board in \"modern\" societies - such as restorative justice.\n\"The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking\" by Oliver Burkeman http://amzn.to/1rITiKX\nGreat overview of pitfalls that \"positive thinking\" approach brings and how one can start employing alternative ways of attaining happiness.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great collection of actionable advice backed up by current research.",
          "reason": "Praises its actionable advice and research support.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Medina"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Psychology",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "brain science",
        "learning",
        "cognitive development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bridge-of-birds-0de144",
      "title": "Bridge of Birds",
      "author": "Barry Hughart",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3395864,
          "author": "nonrecursive",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T14:45:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395864",
          "commentText": "\"Bridge of Birds\" by Barry Hughart was great. It's a hilarious \"detective\" novel set in a fictional ancient China. One of the two main characters is an 80 year old sage with a drinking problem and the ability to con almost anybody. The pace never slows and it always has you wondering what'll happen next.\nTechnically, I'd say \"Land of Lisp\" has been the most fun and the most rewarding.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Bridge of Birds\" by Barry Hughart was great. It's a hilarious \"detective\" novel set in a fictional ancient China.",
          "reason": "Calls it great and hilarious, and says the pace never slows.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 879048,
          "author": "newsdog",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-13T14:03:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=879048",
          "commentText": "The Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart\nThe Princess Bride by William Goldman\nThe first is insanely superior. The second just really really good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The first is insanely superior.",
          "reason": "The commenter ranks it above The Princess Bride and calls it a favorite in response to the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56671,
          "author": "inklesspen",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T03:31:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56671",
          "commentText": "In fiction:\nBridge of Birds, by Barry Hughart. Easily some of the best storytelling I've ever read. 1/3 comedy, 2/3 adventure, in an ancient China that never was. http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0345321383/\nHomer's epics. I prefer the translation by W.H.D. Rouse, which you can find at http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0451527372/ and http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0451527364/\nHeading even further back in time, I love this rendition of Gilgamesh: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0618275649/ Even in 2000 BCE they thought the world was ancient.\nLady of Mazes by Karl Schroeder has one of the best treatments of post-singularity life (and what makes life in general worth living) that I've ever read: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0765350785/\nNonfiction:\nThe Mythical Man-Month. A little dated (it's directed at mainframe developers and their managers) but still relevant.\nThe Elements of Style (Strunk and White). Learn to write clearly -- it's valuable no matter what you do.\nProgramming Erlang: Software for a Concurrent World. Easily the best programming text I've read in the last year, and it's sold me on Erlang.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Easily some of the best storytelling I've ever read. 1/3 comedy, 2/3 adventure, in an ancient China that never was.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it some of the best storytelling they've read and describes its comedy and adventure.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy comedy and adventure.",
          "caveat": "Set in an imagined ancient China.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Barry Hughart"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chinese fantasy",
        "chinese inspired fantasy",
        "comic fantasy",
        "detective fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "buffett-the-making-of-an-american-capitalist-b5237b",
      "title": "Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist",
      "author": "Roger Lowenstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Buffett (Lowenstein)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 947643,
          "author": "byrneseyeview",
          "createdAt": "2009-11-18T02:05:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 947581,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN:  What's the best first business book for a programmer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=947643",
          "commentText": "http://www.amazon.com/Buffett-American-Capitalist-Roger-Lowe... (http://www.amazon.com/Buffett-American-Capitalist-Roger-Lowenstein/dp/0385484917)\nThis is the best business book I've ever read. Buffett is methodical, implacable, and brilliant -- but too smart to overthink anything.\nThe nice thing about Buffett is that being a little more like him will make you a little more money (unlike emulating, e.g., Gates -- if you want to be like Gates, you have to be completely ruthless and smart; 90% won't do.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is the best business book I've ever read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the best business book they have read and praises Buffett’s methodical approach.",
          "audience": "A programmer interested in starting a venture.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 248585,
          "author": "aasarava",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T15:49:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248585",
          "commentText": "I'll second that recommendation. Lowe's biography of Buffett is an excellent book -- it's a biography with lessons on investing woven in.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lowe's biography of Buffett is an excellent book",
          "reason": "Seconding the recommendation, the commenter calls the biography excellent and notes its investing lessons.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 248507,
          "author": "byrneseyeview",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T14:34:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248507",
          "commentText": "The best book on investing that I've ever read is this one:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Buffett-American-Capitalist-Roger-Lowe... (http://www.amazon.com/Buffett-American-Capitalist-Roger-Lowenstein/dp/0385484917)\nIt's a biography, but there are lots of anecdotes about specific analyses. Nobody can invest like Buffett, but just about everyone can benefit from reading about how he did it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The best book on investing that I've ever read is this one:",
          "reason": "Calls it the best investing book the commenter has read and says readers can benefit from Buffett's investment stories.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in investing and how Warren Buffett analyzed investments.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says nobody can invest like Buffett.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roger Lowenstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "investing",
        "warren buffett",
        "capitalism",
        "value investing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "capitalism-socialism-and-democracy-fda7d4",
      "title": "Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy",
      "author": "Joseph A. Schumpeter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17938850,
          "author": "dmccunney",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-08T01:21:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17938850",
          "commentText": "An assortment:\n\"The Silent Language\" by Edward T. Hall.\nHall was an anthropologist attached to the University of New Mexico.  He and his research partner, linguist Norman Trager, were doing research in comparative culture.  Hall realized they would need a comprehensive theory of culture to describe what they were comparing and provide ways to compare them.  Hall's model was \"culture as communication\", and the results were presented in the book above.  His key point was that most of culture was like the iceberg - 90% of it is processed on an unconscious reflex level.  We are no more aware of most of our culture than a fish is of the water it swims in.  We only become aware when we are set down in a culture that does things differently than ours. The Silent Language is about how we use space.  The followup \"The Hidden Dimension looks into how different cultures use time. Many things fell into place when I read Hall.\n\"Games People Play\" by Eric Berne.\nBerne was a psychiatrist and founder of the discipline of Transactional Analysis.  Games People Play was a PopSci bestseller when first published, which was odd because it's a highly technical volume written for other psychiatrists.  His thesis was that most human behavior could be viewed as games, and most of what we did were ways of structuring time.  Follow up with his \"What Do You Say After You've Said Hello?\" and \"Beyond Games and Scripts\".  Hall's work above did much to explain teh behavior of societies.  Berne's work does much to explain the behavior of people in societies.\n\"The Anatomy of Criticism\" by Northrop Frye.\nFrye was a Professor of English at Toronto University.  He had completed a study of William Blake called \"Fearful Symmetry\", and was attempting to do a study of Spencer's Faery Queen.  But he found himself trying to make sense of various terms used in literature, and the result became a work of pure theory, unconnected with any specific works.  He refers to poetry and poetics, but his canvas is broader.  Part of his problem was that there was no general term in English for a work of prose fiction.  It's a set of four essays, covering Historical Criticism, Ethical Criticism, Archetypal Criticism, and Rhetorical Criticism, but makes clear that while each form is valid in its own terms, none fully described literature, and a more synoptic view was required.\n\"The Structure of Scientific Revolutions\" by Thomas S. Kuhn\nKuhn's work challenged the accepted notions of scientific progress, and the notion of steady accumulation.  His thesis was that the real progress came from notions that lay outside accepted theories, and provided new paradigms by which reality might be understood, and faced all the resistance transformative ideas face from entrenched doctrine until they are demonstrated to be correct.\n\"Management: Tasks, Practices, Responsibilities\" by Peter F. Drucker.\nDrucker was our present generation's primary primary theorist and consultant on the practice of management, and just what management was and what mangers did.  This work was probably his magnum opus, where he pulled together the ideas he'd formulated elsewhere into a coherent whole.  It's a liberal education not only in management, but in the nature and structure of market based economies.\n\"The Making of Economic Society\" by Robert F. Heilbroner.\nThis is probably the best single volume overview I'm aware of on economics and economic history, beginning with just what an economy is, and the changing conception of economics through history, with the transition from Traditional through Command to Market economies and the issues involved with each.  Many animated discussions I see online about economics make me say \"Those words don't mean what you think they do.  Please read Heilbroner, and come back when you have.  Then we might at least be talking about the same things.\"\n\"The Problems of Philosophy\" by Bertrand Russell.\nRussell is concerned with knowledge, and how we know what we know.  He asks \"Is there any knowledge in the world so certin that no reasonable man could doubt it?\", and concludes that it's one of the most difficult questions that can be asked.  When we understand the obstacles in the way of a straightforward and confident answer, we are launched on the study of philosophy, which is concerned with precisely such questions.  If philosophy is of interest, this is a superb place to start.\n\"Religion and the Rise of Capitalism\" by R. H. Tawney.\nEconomies don't exist in vacuums.  The are aspects of the societies in which they exist, and reflect the values of those societies. Religion has been a critical part of the value systems of societies for as long as there have been societies, and religious notions on what sort of behavior is acceptable affect the structure of economies by determining what sort of transactions are permissible. Tawney is specifically concerned with religious thought in England affecting social organization and economic issues in the period immediately preceding the Reformation and the two following centuries, but while his focus in England, his description of the way in which Christian religious doctrine changed gradually to make a capitalist economy possible in England, the underlying processes could be applied through Europe in general. Read this as a companion to Max Weber's \"The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism\", originally written in German and concerned with the Netherlands and Germany.\n\"Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy\" by Joseph A. Schumpeter.\nSchumpeter was an Austrian economist, a contemporary of John Maynard Keynes, and (briefly) Austria's Finance Minister in the 1920's.  Like Keynes, he considered himself influenced by Marx.  But unlike many others, he believed Marx \"asked all the right questions, and got all the wrong answers\".  Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy was Schumpeter's (often delightfully snarky) attempt to understand what Marx got wrong and why.  It's a useful brainwash after you've spent any time reading MArx or other folks who consider themselves Marxists, and provides a needed sense of perspective.\nThere's more, but I have to stop somewhere...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a useful brainwash after you've spent any time reading MArx or other folks who consider themselves Marxists",
          "reason": "Offers a perspective on Marx's ideas and what Schumpeter saw as their errors.",
          "audience": "Readers who have spent time reading Marx or Marxists.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as an often snarky critique and a corrective perspective.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168677,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:31:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168677",
          "commentText": "I can't give just one, but here are a few that had a strong influence on me: \n\"12 Rules for Life\" by Jordan Peterson, \"Why Switzerland?\" Jonathan Steinberg, \"Little Book of Common Sense Investing\" by John C. Bogle, \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" by Butron Malkiel, \"Liberalismus\" by Ludwig von Mises, \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann, \"Walden\" by Henry David Thoreau, \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"A Treatise on Political Economy\" by Jean-Baptiste Say, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy\" by Joseph Alois Schumpeter, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"My Correct Views on Everything\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"The Captive Mind\" Czesław Miłosz, \"One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, \"The House of the Dead\" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, \"Conversations with an Executioner\" by Kazimierz Moczarski, \"Diary 1954\" by Leopold Tyrmand, \"The Master and Margarita\" by Mikhail Bulgakov, \"A World Apart: A Memoir of the Gulag\" by Gustaw Herling-Grudziński",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy\" by Joseph Alois Schumpeter",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a strong influence on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10030465,
          "author": "lothlorien",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-09T15:20:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10030465",
          "commentText": "Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy by Joseph Schumpeteer and Small is Beautiful by Schumacher are two classic, heterodox economic works. People outside the field rarely read them, which is a shame. Both have very high S/N ratios, and will make any reader more thoughtful about the world.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy by Joseph Schumpeteer",
          "reason": "Calls it a classic heterodox economic work with a high signal-to-noise ratio.",
          "audience": "Readers outside economics, who the commenter says rarely read it.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph A. Schumpeter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political economy",
        "capitalism",
        "economic thought",
        "marxism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "chaos-bceaf4",
      "title": "Chaos",
      "author": "James Gleick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23728234,
          "author": "lanstin",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T22:36:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23728234",
          "commentText": "Chaos by James Gleick is also a good intro to some chaos maths and a great bio read, with the stories of Feigenbaum wrestling with the new ideas.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Chaos by James Gleick is also a good intro to some chaos maths and a great bio read",
          "reason": "Introduces chaos mathematics and offers biographical stories about Feigenbaum.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15160659,
          "author": "pbhjpbhj",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T10:16:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15160659",
          "commentText": "The synoptic gospels and NT, but to choose one book from the NT, ...\nThe Epistle of James - as it has some strong counterpoints to other parts of the NT particularly the contrast of Pauline notions of grace with charity/works.\nEmperor's New Mind, Penrose - probably my biggest take away from it was to consider how human perception works alongside, and co-mingles with, physics.\nWeb of Life, Capra - considering holistic nature of life, one's connection to the World at large; emergent patterns, complex structure birthing from simplicity (goes well with what I recall of Gleick's Chaos).\nZen and the Art ... - what is value, what is valuable to me, whither/whence/wherefore value; how should I relate to my children (long before i had any) and how to challenge them philosophically.\nRepublic, Plato - the first book that really set me thinking about the structure of society, about inequalities. And of course about stepping out of The Cave.\nKoran & Hadith (partial readings, ie whole sections; couple of major hadith only) - [redacted]; but greater understanding of Islam and of religion in general; taught me to watchfully avoid being tainted by the labels people give themselves and look instead to their actions.\nMein Kampf (partial reading) - ideas have intrinsic moral value, that we should judge ideas on their merits and not by who has them; we should be careful about tarring people by simple association.\nArt of War - preparedness, looking to supply lines, avoiding conflicts, not entering \"battles\" you know you'll lose (which I'd take as 'learn nothing from').\nChristianarchy - what it means to be a Christian, who is and isn't \"in\".\nAgrarian Justice, Paine - what is my place politically and economically in the world, whence do I derive the 'rights' to own what I do, whether such ownership is good.\nWorth noting here that the ideas and impressions I got are unlikely to be what you will get, we react to books based on who we are, our frame of mind, moods, etc.. Most of these books I read as a late teenager, that at least in part boosts their impact. The impact is not necessarily the purpose of the book, quite the opposite in some cases.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "goes well with what I recall of Gleick's Chaos",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a related book in the commenter's mental-model discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10325621,
          "author": "keeringplastik",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T22:22:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325621",
          "commentText": "\"Chaos\",James Gleick\nMaybe not the best book for understanding chaos theory, but I have not stopped seeing stochastic patterns and applying concepts of fractal geometry to things I come across in life as I attempt to wrap my mind around some of the deeply complex phenomena in the universe. Whether being enraptured by the flitting and fluttering of a curtain in a breeze, or in observing the fundamental structure of a trees growth and branching. \nThe whole concept of the poincare section completely blew my mind open, even though the math was well over my head. The book stunned my feeble mind. Even though it has been about 15 years, no scientifically centered book has resonated as strongly since.\nAs an aside: GEB has come up so often it has reminded me that it was on my short list of books to read once upon a time, alas, before the internet stole my time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book stunned my feeble mind. Even though it has been about 15 years, no scientifically centered book has resonated as strongly since.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book strongly resonated and changed how they see patterns in everyday life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may not be the best book for understanding chaos theory; the math was over their head.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Gleick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Mathematics",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chaos theory",
        "complex systems",
        "complexity",
        "fractals"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "chaos-monkeys-9adc78",
      "title": "Chaos Monkeys",
      "author": "Antonio García Martínez",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25319088,
          "author": "fluxic",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T22:36:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319088",
          "commentText": "Editing: Editor of Genius by A. Scott Berg\n>>> Max Perkins was the editor of Hemingway, Thomas Wolfe, F Scott Fitzgerald, and other famous 20th century writers. Great, great, book.\nBartending: Cosmopolitan by Toby Cecchini\n>>> Very well-written memoir of a bartender in New York in the late 1980s. He invented the Cosmo in NYC while working at the Odeon — on a lark, without thinking much of it. The drink took off, but I think he's still a working bartender in NYC.\nCooking: Kitchen Confidential by Bourdain\nPainting: Interviews with Francis Bacon by David Sylvester\nMusic: Meet me in the Bathroom by Lizzy Goodman\nTech: Chaos Monkeys by AGM\nAnd seconding swyx's recommendations for all things Michael Lewis, who can spin a good yarn about any profession — whether it's baseball managers, junk bond salesmen, or high frequency traders, etc.\nI've also picked up lots of good recommendations from this thread https://ask.metafilter.com/243036/Recommend-a-nonfiction-aut... (https://ask.metafilter.com/243036/Recommend-a-nonfiction-author-who-has-a-style-like-Anthony-Bourdain) (I, too, like \"insidery\" type business books. I'm currently reading \"The Emperor of Scent\" about the world of perfume and it's pretty good! Also looking forward to reading \"Ninety Percent of Everything\" about the shipping industry.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tech: Chaos Monkeys by AGM",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18662508,
          "author": "amuresan",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T09:26:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18662508",
          "commentText": "1. La peste (Albert Camus) - entertaining if you're into French existentialism\n2. Linked (Barabasi) - insightful and useful to understand that most phenomenon we see in real life follow a power law and what that means\n3. Leonardo da Vinci (Walter Isaacson) - surprising how little of da Vinci's real personality is reflected in his modern image\n4. Matrix computations – third edition (Gene Golub, Charles van Loan) - good read if you're into linear algebra\n5. Giving effective feedback (Harvard business review) - useful for getting an understanding on how to handle human interaction\n6. The old man and the sea (Ernest Hemingway) - enjoyed it a lot, a reflection of Hemingway's romantic spirit. Also, a quick read.\n7. Screwjack (Hunter S. Thompson) - didn't resonate with me although I am a fan of existentialism\n8. Sun and steel (Yukio Mishima) - raw and intimate. before reading this book I'd recommend reading up on Mishima's life\n9. Stranger than fiction (Chuck Palahniuck) - somewhat entertaining, more so because it served as a glimpse into Palahniuck's creative process\n10. Thinking in Systems: A Primer (Dana Meadows) - useful for understanding that in modern life we have complex systems at work with emergent behavior that we didn't expect. Trying to isolate / model a single component of one of these systems is a flawed approach.\n11. Chaos monkeys (Antonio Garcia Martinez) - entertaining, but quite long\n12. Weapons of math destruction (Cathy O'Neil) - in a way, similar to Thinking in systems, but at an applied level. Shows how rules in modern society can have unintended negative consequences when hidden negative feedback loops emerge from the complex system they are embedded in.\n13. Lolita (Nabokov) - a brilliant novel from many points of view. Although the topic is controversial, it is a book that had to be written.\n14. The prince (Machiavelli) - an interesting read. It was intended as a guide to the young price Cesare Borgia from his teacher Machiavelli. The secret to enjoying it is not to judge it by modern morality.\n15. Give and take (Adam Grant) - psychology research about giving / taking / matching personality types presented in a book for the masses. I would not read it again; watching a presentation online should be enough to get the point across.\n16. Mécanique (Landau, Lifchitz) - refresh of mechanics\n17. Do androids dream of electric sheep (Philip K. Dick) - enjoyable and entertaining! I'm surprised how different the feel of the book is compared to the Blade runner films. In the book androids are purely rational beings, whereas the film wraps them in an aura of romanticism.\n18. How we learn (Benedict Carey) - decades of learning research condensed in a book\n19. Advanced Calculus: A Differential Forms Approach (Harold M. Edwards) - the best math book I've read so far! For me it was eye-opening in a fundamental way. Edwards is truly a gifted teacher.\n20. Three men in a boat (Jerome K. Jerome) - enjoyable and amusing\n21. Getting to yes (Roger Fisher, William Ury) - negotiation book, nicely written and structured\n22. Without a word (Zhang Jie) - historical novel by one of China's most acclaimed modern writers. I don't have a good reference to compare against since this was my first Chinese novel, but overall I did enjoy it. It felt real and raw.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "entertaining, but quite long",
          "reason": "The commenter found it entertaining.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Quite long.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17206269,
          "author": "MrL567",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T15:33:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17206269",
          "commentText": "Chaos Monkeys by Antonio García Martínez is a good read. Good reminder that tech is not all sunshine and roses and that a lot of cloak and dagger goes behind the scenes in the valley.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Chaos Monkeys by Antonio García Martínez is a good read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a good read and recommends it in response to a book request.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the less polished side of Silicon Valley.",
          "caveat": "Highlights the valley's cloak-and-dagger side.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12992067,
          "author": "chiefalchemist",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-19T04:25:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12992067",
          "commentText": "Haven't gifted these yet but both Chaos Monkeys and Sprint should see action next month.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "both Chaos Monkeys and Sprint should see action next month.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Has not been gifted yet; plans to give it next month.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Antonio García Martínez"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Biography",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "silicon valley",
        "startup culture",
        "startups",
        "tech industry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "company-of-one-492c78",
      "title": "Company of One",
      "author": "Paul Jarvis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35168989,
          "author": "joshmanders",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T14:41:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35168989",
          "commentText": "Start Small, Stay Small by Rob Walling\nCompany of One by Paul Jarvis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Company of One by Paul Jarvis",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25211915,
          "author": "boberoni",
          "createdAt": "2020-11-25T17:45:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 25207732,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Suggest good books on bootstrapping a startup",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25211915",
          "commentText": "\"Company of One\", by Paul Jarvis, the co-founder of Fathom Analytics\nhe goes through lots of stories and anecdotes from companies, consultants, and agencies who found that staying small can be a strategic advantage\ngrowth is a means to an end, but not an end in and of itself\nAmazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Company-One-Staying-Small-Business/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Company-One-Staying-Small-Business/dp/1328972356)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Company of One\", by Paul Jarvis",
          "reason": "Explains how staying small can be a strategic advantage and treats growth as a means to an end.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21793492,
          "author": "ronyfadel",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-15T00:33:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793492",
          "commentText": "Nonfiction I’ve read this year and enjoyed greatly:\n- How to change your mind by Michael Pollan\n- The Lean Startup\n- Company of One",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Company of One",
          "reason": "Includes it among nonfiction books read and greatly enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Jarvis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "small business",
        "bootstrapping",
        "independent work"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "consider-the-lobster-079205",
      "title": "Consider the Lobster",
      "author": "David Foster Wallace",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37937559,
          "author": "catlover76",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T02:27:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937559",
          "commentText": "The Experience of God by David Bentley Hart\nAny of David Foster Wallace's books of essays such as A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again and Consider the Lobster",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Consider the Lobster",
          "reason": "Named as one of David Foster Wallace’s books of essays.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387610,
          "author": "macrael",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T00:02:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387610",
          "commentText": "East of Eden is my favorite book I've read in the last several years. Beautiful end to end and very moral. If you've read it it's totally worth reading Journal of a Novel: a collection of letters Steinbeck wrote to his editor every day as he was writing East of Eden. It's a fascinating window into the mind of a master deliberately creating a masterpiece.\nOther favorites: Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner, In Our Time by Hemingway, The Magus by John Fowles, 100 years of solitude, Moby Dick (perhaps a precursor to all modern fantasy?) Stranger in a Strange Land, and Infinite Jest. I've also loved both of DFW's big essay collections: Consider the Lobster and A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll never Do Again.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've also loved both of DFW's big essay collections: Consider the Lobster",
          "reason": "Says they loved this essay collection.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569253,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T22:01:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569253",
          "commentText": "Regarding Sedaris, I highly, highly recommend consuming him in audiobook format.\nDavid Foster Wallace's \"Consider The Lobster\" is also an excellent audiobook; he figured out a way to do the footnotes via audio.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "David Foster Wallace's \"Consider The Lobster\" is also an excellent audiobook; he figured out a way to do the footnotes via audio.",
          "reason": "Calls the audiobook excellent and praises its adaptation of the footnotes.",
          "audience": "Listeners interested in audiobooks or the author’s footnotes.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Foster Wallace"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Writing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "essays",
        "audiobooks",
        "cultural criticism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "countdown-to-zero-day-ab47ad",
      "title": "Countdown to Zero Day",
      "author": "Kim Zetter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24187242,
          "author": "Karupan",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-17T13:58:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 24176902,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please suggest some good books you have read recently",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24187242",
          "commentText": "Countdown to Zero Day - A must read on Stuxnet which plays out like a spy thriller.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Countdown to Zero Day - A must read on Stuxnet which plays out like a spy thriller.",
          "reason": "Calls it a must-read account of Stuxnet that reads like a spy thriller.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18751221,
          "author": "lamby",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-24T09:06:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18751221",
          "commentText": "Countdown to Zero Day by Kim Setter [0]\nThis book tells the story behind the virus that sabotaged Iran's nuclear efforts but reads like a genuine thriller or cyberpunk novel.\n[0] https://chris-lamb.co.uk/azn/B00KEPLC08",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Countdown to Zero Day by Kim Setter",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite nonfiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15962640,
          "author": "rlease",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T18:34:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15962640",
          "commentText": "The full list: https://gitlab.com/rlease/Books\nMy list lines up with a lot of books that people have recommended here, so I'll try to add a few favorites that haven't been mentioned so far.\nFiction:\n1. Ubik - I read a bunch of Philip K. Dick this year, but this was my favorite. It's delightfully mind bending and left me thinking about it long after the book was done.\n2. All the Pretty Horses - Beautifully written. McCarthy has an uncanny ability to paint with words.\n3. Cannery Row - Short, witty, and full of interesting characters.\nNonfiction:\n1. The Idea Factory - A dive into how Bell Labs became such an innovation powerhouse and gives a rounded picture of the figureheads that brought it so much fame.\n2. Moonwalking with Einstein - A fun read about a journalist who took researching a memory competition a bit too seriously.\n3. Countdown to Zero Day - A fascinating look at the development and deployment of Stuxnet -- the virus built to set Iran's nuclear program back.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A fascinating look at the development and deployment of Stuxnet",
          "reason": "Calls it a fascinating look at Stuxnet's development and deployment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kim Zetter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybersecurity",
        "stuxnet"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "das-kapital-66bb51",
      "title": "Das Kapital",
      "author": "Karl Marx",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37960159,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:07:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960159",
          "commentText": "* \"Amusing Ourselves to Death\" by Neil Postman (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Postman contrasts the dystopian visions of George Orwell's \"1984\" and Aldous Huxley's \"Brave New World\" to argue that western society is becoming a shallow, entertainment-driven culture shaped by television and other media. He discusses the profound effects of television on politics, education, and other aspects of society.\n* \"Howard Zinn: A People's History of the US\" by Howard Zinn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers an alternative exploration of American history from the perspective of ordinary people and marginalized groups rather than from political leaders, emphasizing class struggles and systemic injustices.\n* \"The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science\" by Isaac Asimov (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive outline of scientific knowledge, covering fields like physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, and earth science. It communicates complex scientific concepts in a way that is accessible to non-specialist readers.\n* \"Das Kapital\" by Karl Marx (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive critique of capitalism highlighting its inherent contradictions and imbalances. Marx diagnoses the capitalist system as one in which the rich get richer at the expense of the working class. The book has been influential in shaping socialist and communist thought.\n* \"Handbook of Electronic Circuits\" (1 mention, authors not specified)\n    * Summary: An extensive reference guide that provides information on basic electronic circuits and components. It delves into the world of electronics with detailed illustrations and designs, making it a valuable resource for both beginners and professionals in the field.\n* \"Simulacra and Simulation\" by Jean Baudrillard (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This philosophical work explores the nature and cultural implications of signs and images in contemporary society. Baudrillard posits that symbols and signs have replaced reality and meaning, creating a hyperreal world where simulations of reality have become more real than reality itself.\n* \"LSD: My Problem Child\" by Albert Hofmann (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This autobiographical work by Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who first synthesized LSD, discusses his discovery and personal experiences with the drug, exploring both the positive and negative effects of LSD, its influence on society, and its potential therapeutic uses.\n* \"Requiem for the American Dream: The 10 Principles of Concentration of Wealth & Power\" by Noam Chomsky (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Chomsky provides an extensive critique of inequality in America, arguing that the concentration of wealth and power among a small elite is undermining democracy. He lays out 10 principles of concentration of wealth and power that have led to this situation.\n* \"Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\" by Alfred Lansing (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This true account of Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton's 1914-1916 expedition turned survival story. When his ship, the Endurance, was crushed by ice and left Shackleton and his crew stranded, they embarked on a harrowing and miraculous voyage to safety.\n* \"Hacker's Handbook\" by Hugo Cornwall (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A guidebook for computer enthusiasts that provides a look at the world of hacking. It covers a range of topics, including telephone and computer hacking, as well as legal implications.\n* \"Cosmos\" by Carl Sagan (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This widely-admired book introduces the universe beyond the Earth. Sagan explores our place in the universe, the history of scientific discovery, and the crucial role of critical thinking in grasping our world and the vast cosmos we are part of.\n* \"Six Pillars of Self-Esteem\" by Nathaniel Branden (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book provides a comprehensive exploration of self-esteem, its importance, its sources, and how to cultivate it. It offers concrete strategies to enhance self-esteem, which Branden argues is a key component of psychological health and personal fulfillment.\n* \"Future Shock\" by Alvin Toffler (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Future Shock examines the psychological and sociological impact of accelerating technological and social change. Toffler introduces the concept of \"future shock\" as a form of psychological disorientation caused by a rapid change in society and advocates for a more measured and conscious approach to future planning.\n* \"The Metropolis and Mental Life\" by Georg Simmel (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This seminal essay analyzes the effects of the urban environment on the individual's mind and social relationships. Simmel argues that the impersonality and money-centered economy of the metropolis lead to individuals feeling more alienated and adopting a defensive, blase attitude towards life.\n* \"The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power\" by Shoshana Zuboff (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book provides an extensive critique of the commodification of personal data by corporations in the digital age. Zuboff explores the rise of surveillance capitalism, where businesses harvest and analyze customer data to predict and influence behaviors.\n* \"Permanent Record\" by Edward Snowden (1 mention)\n    * Summary: In this powerful memoir, whistle-blower Edward Snowden tells his story on why he decided to expose the mass surveillance practices of the U.S. government. Permanent Record opens a broader conversation about free societies, privacy, surveillance, and what makes a country strong.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Das Kapital\" by Karl Marx (1 mention)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37960149,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960149",
          "commentText": "* \"On Writing\" by Stephen King (1 mention)\n    * Summary: In his guide to the craft of writing, King masterfully conveys his views on how good writing is cultivated. The book provides personal insights into the author's life while serving as a guide for aspiring writers.\n* \"The Dictionary\" (1 mention, multiple authors)\n    * Summary: A reference book containing an alphabetical list of words in a specific language, providing definitions, pronunciations, etymology, and other details. It is a valuable resource for understanding and accurately using language.\n* \"Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book chronicles Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 1914-1916 survival journey across the Antarctic. Faced with treacherous weather conditions and a lack of provisions, the men battle to stay alive, highlighting the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.\n* \"The Experience of God\" by David Bentley Hart (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A philosophical exploration of the concept of God that goes beyond specific religious doctrines. Hart articulates a vision of ultimate reality that transcends religious, philosophical, and cultural boundaries.\n* \"A Mind for Numbers\" by Barbara Oakley (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book provides practical advice on how to learn effectively in math and science areas, but the techniques are applicable across disciplines. Oakley shares techniques to overcome learning obstacles and improve comprehension and retention.\n* \"A People's History of the US\" by Howard Zinn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers an alternative exploration of American history from the perspective of ordinary people and marginalized groups rather than political leaders, emphasizing class struggles and systemic injustices.\n* \"The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science\" by Isaac Asimov (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive outline of scientific knowledge, covering fields like physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, and earth science. It communicates complex scientific concepts in a way that is accessible to non-specialist readers.\n* \"Das Kapital\" by Karl Marx (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive critique of capitalism highlighting its inherent contradictions and imbalances. Marx diagnoses the capitalist system as one in which the rich get richer at the expense of the working class. The book has been influential in shaping socialist and communist thought.\n* \"You are Not So Smart\" by David McRaney (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book explores various cognitive biases, logical fallacies, and memory missteps that humans commonly succumb to. The author uses humor and personal anecdotes to make neuroscience and psychology accessible, challenging readers to question their perceptions of the world and themselves.\n* \"Blink\" by Malcolm Gladwell (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Gladwell explores the process of quick decision-making, also known as \"thin-slicing.\" The book delves into both the potential accuracy and the pitfalls of making snap judgments. It demonstrates how our subconscious biases often override our better instincts.\n* \"How To Sell at Margins Higher Than Your Competitors\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book offers detailed advice on how to avoid price competition by creating differentiators and adding value, thereby allowing readers to compete on things other than price.\n*  \"The Surrender Experiment\" by Michael Singer (1 mention)\n    * Summary: The book chronicles the author’s journey from solitude into the business world. It explores the idea of surrendering personal preferences to allow life to guide the way, challenging conventional views about control and outcomes.\n* \"How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World\" by Harry Browne (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This self-help book offers a blueprint for finding personal freedom. It encourages readers to embrace their individual sovereignty and to not be inhibited by societal conventions, effectively teaching how to live on one's own terms.\n* \"Happy by Derren Brown\" and \"The Daily Stoic\" (1 mention, authors not specified)\n    * Summary: \"Happy\" provides a perspective on happiness using the principles of stoic philosophy, challenging modern conceptions of happiness. \"The Daily Stoic\" provides a year's worth of philosophical wisdom from ancient stoics, aimed at allowing people to better respond to life's challenges.\n* \"Guns, Germs, and Steel\" by Jared Diamond (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Diamond investigates the geographical and environmental factors that have shaped the modern world. He argues that civilizations have developed differently across the globe due to variances in geography, climate, vegetation, and animal populations, more so than due to traits inherent to different racial or ethnic groups.\n* \"The Gulag Archipelago\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Solzhenitsyn unveils the brutal reality of the Soviet Union’s forced labor camp system. It's an exploration of the human capability for evil when unchecked by moral constraints, shedding light on the mechanisms of a totalitarian regime.\n* \"Ecclesiastes\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A book from the Bible that delves into the purpose of life and the vain pursuit of earthly things. It debates the merits of wisdom, wealth, and pleasure, underscoring the transience and ultimate futility of human endeavors, and urging readers to fear God and keep his commandments.\n* \"Women hold up half the sky\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A collection of personal stories illuminating the oppression and resistance of women in developing countries. The book confronts issues like gender inequality, sexual violence, maternal mortality and economic disparity while highlighting the resilience and strength of ordinary women in overcoming them.\n* \"Spell of the Sensuous\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book offers a radical reinterpretation of our relationship with the natural world. It critiques Western civilization’s estrangement from nature, exploring indigenous cultures and offering a philosophical enquiry into human perception and its relation to the environment.\n* \"Kids and the Amiga\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A guide to using the Amiga computer, aimed at children and early-tweens. It provides a hands-on approach to learning basic computer skills by creating practical programs.\n* \"Hackers\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: The book provides a comprehensive history of hackers, tracing the evolution of hacking culture from the 1950s to the present day. It details the personalities, philosophies, and technical exploits that have defined this diverse and innovative subculture.\n* \"LSD my problem child\" by Albert Hoffmann (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book is the autobiography of Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who first synthesized LSD. It chronicles his discovery, the subsequent fallout, and his personal experiences with the drug.\n* \"Electric cool aid acid test\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book tells the story of novelist Ken Kesey and his band of Merry Pranksters. They embarked on a cross-country bus journey, experimenting with LSD and challenging societal norms, becoming pivotal figures in the psychedelic movement and the counterculture of the 1960s.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Das Kapital\" by Karl Marx (1 mention)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937059,
          "author": "CapitalistCartr",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:22:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937059",
          "commentText": "As a kid, \"The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science\" by Isaac Asimov. As an adult, \"Das Kapital\" by Karl Marx.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Das Kapital\" by Karl Marx",
          "reason": "Named as a book that affected the commenter as an adult.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29818198,
          "author": "lxxpxlxxxx",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-06T02:03:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29818198",
          "commentText": "Das Kapital\nAnd\nThe Wealth of Nations",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Das Kapital",
          "reason": "Listed as a book suggestion in response to the request for a book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18745576,
          "author": "leg100",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T11:37:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18745576",
          "commentText": "My money is on the patronising defensive presentation of the book:\n> Do you think you hate Capitalism? Do you not understand why so many people love Capitalism? Have you based your opinion of Ayn Rand on second-hand commentary instead of actually reading her works? Then read this book.\nAll of this could easily be reversed to mandate reading all three volumes of Marx's Das Capital.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "All of this could easily be reversed to mandate reading all three volumes of Marx's Das Capital.",
          "reason": "Uses the work as a comparison in an argument about mandating reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9614109,
          "author": "anthony_romeo",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T20:31:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9614109",
          "commentText": "Oh, I completely agree. It's important to be critical. This is why there are several branches of economics. It's just that if someone unfamiliar with the field wanted to know about economics in general, I wouldn't have them first read Das Kapital or start by showing them papers from the Heritage Foundation or CATO. This sort of reading comes later. Build a foundation first before building a house.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I wouldn't have them first read Das Kapital",
          "reason": "Uses the title as an example of a text not suited as a beginner's first economics read.",
          "audience": "Someone unfamiliar with economics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter recommends building a general foundation first.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348587,
          "author": "rasz_pl",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:11:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348587",
          "commentText": "Das Kapital",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Das Kapital",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8106942,
          "author": "dirktheman",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:16:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106942",
          "commentText": "- Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance was a real eye-opener to me.\n- Last year, I read both Das Kapital by Karl Marx and The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money by John Maynard Keynes.\n- Walden by Henry David Thoreau\nNote that these are classic works (Zen is the newest, from 1974), but they haven't lost their relevance yet. Zen is a journey in your mind, disguised as a journey by motorcycle by a father and his son. Das Kapital and GToEIM offer deeper insight in why our economy works the way it does, and I especially liked the contrast between the two books. Walden is difficult to classify. It changed the way I look at things, but I can't say exactly how. Sometimes I encounter a situation and a quote or scene from the book pops up in my head. Highly recommended!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I read both Das Kapital by Karl Marx and The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money by John Maynard Keynes.",
          "reason": "Reports reading it and notes its contrast with Keynes's book, without a positive evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7008527,
          "author": "timonv",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-03T22:01:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 7001282,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7008527",
          "commentText": "In no particular order:\nPolitics and philosophy:\nIshmael - Daniel Quinn (even though in the end, it's just a cute, in essence a softies introduction to anarchist communism)\nOn property - Proudhon (Meta, ye oldist anarchy)\nDas Kapital (If you read Marx, also read on Marx, can't stress this enough)\nBeyond good and evil (but in his thought in general) - Nietzsche (Mainly for showing there are no absolutes, moral is what we make of it, and in that moral we can excel)\nAnd so, so many others, philosophy really adds up, just keep on reading, there's fundamental books for sure, but every publication adds up in some respect.\nSports and nutrition:\nStarting Strength (for making me bad ass strong in the last couple years)\n'Paleo' diet (for showing an extreme solution for a more simple problem, that actually worked and made me not fat anymore)\nSome random books that made a huge impression the last years:\nThe Alchemist, for showing how humble you can experience the wonders of life\nSiddhartha, same really.\nA short summer of anarchy (biography of Durrutti, rise of \nanarchism in 30s Spain, out of print)\nCrime and Punishment and Karamazov (There's beauty in the darkest corners of the human spirit, and so much more)\nThe Prince\nButler (For using Nietzsche's deconstruction to argue against 'genetic' discrimination, controversial, but very good)\nMetamorphosis - Kafka (I don't have a one liner to summarize this. Just read it, it's < 100 pages)\nFunny enough, as far as Tech and Business goes, I skim books to get some details, but at the end of the day most value comes from hacking around. For both.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Das Kapital (If you read Marx, also read on Marx, can't stress this enough)",
          "reason": "The commenter stresses reading commentary on Marx alongside it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 180676,
          "author": "rms",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-04T06:12:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 180589,
          "threadTitle": "Good book for economics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=180676",
          "commentText": "Accept no substitutes:\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Das_Kapital",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Accept no substitutes:\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Das_Kapital",
          "reason": "The commenter emphatically recommends it as the answer to the economics book request.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an economics book.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Karl Marx"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political economy",
        "marxism",
        "marxist economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "david-copperfield-12a40d",
      "title": "David Copperfield",
      "author": "Charles Dickens",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46397641,
          "author": "LeonardoTolstoy",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T23:46:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46397641",
          "commentText": "I read close to 40 books this year which I assume is up from the previous year, and way more than I used to read prior to starting to do the Rochester Library reading challenge (which I've done for the past two years). I won't get into a lot of it, but after reading Middlemarch three years ago, Napoleon: A Life two years ago, and The Power Broker last year I decided to read two \"big\" books.\nIn the first half of the year War and Peace, which obviously was excellent, although I liked Middlemarch more.\nIn the second half of the year David Copperfield which was very excellent. Just beautifully written. I still think I probably like Middlemarch more... but it might now require a re-read to know for sure.\nThis year is going to be Tom's Crossing to start as I just got that for Christmas.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "David Copperfield which was very excellent. Just beautifully written. I still think I probably like Middlemarch more",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it very excellent and beautifully written, though they probably like Middlemarch more.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter probably prefers Middlemarch.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42269506,
          "author": "dontknowmuch",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T23:47:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42269506",
          "commentText": "Either David Copperfield by Charles Dickens or Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. Both are very long novels that get better and better with every page.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Either David Copperfield by Charles Dickens",
          "reason": "Names it as one of two best books read this year and says it improves with every page.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It is very long.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15642103,
          "author": "tcx",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-07T10:00:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15642103",
          "commentText": "Jared Diamond - \"Collapse: how societies choose to fail or succeed\" (non-fiction)\nIván Repila - \"The Boy Who Stole Attila’s Horse\": short intense novel about 2 boys who are trapped in a well\nMargaret Atwood - \"The handmaid's tale\"\nKhaled Hosseini - \"The kite runner\"\nAgatha Christie - \"The murder of Roger Ackroyd\" (very surprising plot)\nAndy Weir - \"The Martian\"\nCharles Dickens - \"David Copperfield\"\nClare Mackintosh - \"I let you go\"\nCarlos Ruiz Zafón - \"The Shadow of the Wind\"\nM.R. Carey - \"The girl with all the gifts\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Charles Dickens - \"David Copperfield\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Dickens"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bildungsroman",
        "victorian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "debt-the-first-5000-years-1c8c8e",
      "title": "Debt: The First 5000 Years",
      "author": "David Graeber",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268897,
          "author": "christudor",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:13:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268897",
          "commentText": "The Making of the Atomic Bomb is in my top three non-fiction books I have ever read.\nWill I like The Dawn of Everything if I didn't like Harari's Sapiens? (I loved Graeber's Debt: The First 5000 Years)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "(I loved Graeber's Debt: The First 5000 Years)",
          "reason": "Says they loved it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33849949,
          "author": "unmole",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T02:30:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33849949",
          "commentText": "> Debt: The First 5000 Years by David Graeber\nGraeber misinterprets the history and ideas of mainstream economics, calls the safest securities on the planet a debt that will never be paid and spins bizarre conspiracy theories about the Iraq invasion. You might learn about the quaint cultural practices of remote tribes but a lot of the ideas presented are complete nonsense.\nYou might say it has good and original parts. But the part that is good is not original, and the part that is original is not good.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Graeber misinterprets the history and ideas of mainstream economics",
          "reason": "Criticizes the book's treatment of economics and its original ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it includes some good parts about cultural practices, but that its original ideas are not good.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19090626,
          "author": "vishnugupta",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T22:27:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090626",
          "commentText": "All the books below have shaped my thought process to a significant degree. I started reading late but I'm fortunate enough to have stumbled upon these gems.\n\"Debt: The First 5000 Years\": This is truly a magnum opus. Until I read this I had taken money, economy, market etc., for granted. And I had held onto the widely accepted, but naive, view that economic systems somehow grew out of barter systems. The range of topics discussed, and the way author shows how seemingly independent concepts are intertwined, is truly astonishing. I'm on my 2nd read.\n\"Thinking, Fast and Slow\": This book made me truly appreciate the value of psychology. I didn't even know the existence of a vast domain called behavioral science until I read this book. Now I'm deliberately conscious about the decisions I take and retrace my thought process multiple times just to make sure that I haven't fallen pray to some of the cognitive biases.\n\"The Tell-Tale Brain\": While I did know that human brain is a unique organ this book opened my eyes to its layered complexities. For instance, how \"seeing\" is not a single step but a multi step process. From image formation, to identifying the object, to evoking emotional response.\n\"QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter\": The book with the highest signal to noise ratio. I finally understood what science is about, a way to model nature and to keep refining it to fit the observation. There are no true/false theories/models only those that explain nature's behavior better or worse. Nature is agnostic to all our theories and models. She's just the way she is. For details read about double slit experiment.\n\"How the World Works\": This one along with \"Profit Over People: Neoliberalism & Global Order\" has greatly shaped my mental model about the workings of contemporary world. I now understand why does military gets all the funding, why do powerful governments tend to keep its subject under perpetual fear, why is it that the cost of education has been sky-rocketing.\n\"The Hanging of Afzal Guru and the Strange Case of the Attack on the Indian Parliament\": A glimpse into the working of Indian justice system.\n\"Broken Republic\": This is by far the most accurate description about current affairs in India. How India is being hollowed out and how its most vulnerable section is the one fighting against it.\n\"Grammatical Man: Information, Entropy, Language and Life\": I'm currently reading it (20% through) and it has already made a big impact. The meaning of information is deep and subtle and pervades not just human being but the life itself.\n\"The Order of Time\": The book that well and truly shook the foundation that I had taken for granted for my entire life. That space and time aren't something absolute and are personal has had a profound impact on me.\n\"The Upanisads\": A truly remarkable work of human mind. Just to think about some of the concepts uplifts my mood.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Debt: The First 5000 Years\": This is truly a magnum opus.",
          "reason": "Calls it a magnum opus and says it changed their assumptions about money and economic systems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9613991,
          "author": "Estragon",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T20:12:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9613991",
          "commentText": "Debt: The First 5000 Years [1]  Anthropological analysis of finance.\nWith Each & Every Breath [2]  Highly practical primer on meditation and how it works, from a Thai Forest tradition perspective.\n[1] https://libcom.org/files/__Debt__The_First_5_000_Years.pdf\n[2] http://www.dhammatalks.org/Archive/Writings/EachAndEveryBrea... (http://www.dhammatalks.org/Archive/Writings/EachAndEveryBreath_v130123.pdf)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Debt: The First 5000 Years [1] Anthropological analysis of finance.",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a request for recommended free reads and describes its focus.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Graeber"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "debt",
        "economic anthropology",
        "anthropology of money",
        "finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "debugging-the-9-indispensable-rules-for-finding-even-the-most-elu-6c1e68",
      "title": "Debugging: The 9 Indispensable Rules for Finding Even the Most Elusive Software and Hardware Problems",
      "author": "David J. Agans",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41419330,
          "author": "aronowb14",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-01T18:56:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41419330",
          "commentText": "When I first graduated I read a bunch of tech focused books: they’re all helpful but I think practice and learning from more senior engineers is the most effective road to mastery! You can probably get away with not reading any of these books if you have good coworkers :).\nThat being said, these have been my favorites:\n- designing data intensive applications (a great way of understanding systems + the basics of SRE)\n- the senior engineer (I love the prototyping process he lays out)\n- the effective engineer (lots of good gems for approaching prioritization)\n- debugging (by David agans)- a great resource for a formalized debugging process if you don’t have one\n- on writing well (I’m halfway through this, but it has been indispensable for writing tickets + messages at work)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "debugging (by David agans)- a great resource for a formalized debugging process if you don’t have one",
          "reason": "Called a great resource for a formalized debugging process.",
          "audience": "People who do not already have a formalized debugging process.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9242699,
          "author": "blatherard",
          "createdAt": "2015-03-21T13:38:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 9242384,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on debugging?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9242699",
          "commentText": "I've read a number of books on debugging, it's something of an interest of mine. The best general-purpose debugging book I've read is the cumbersomely named\nDebugging: The 9 Indispensible Rules for Finding Even the Most Elusive Software and Hardware Problems by David J. Agans\nAmazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Debugging-Indispensable-Software-Hardw... (http://www.amazon.com/Debugging-Indispensable-Software-Hardware-Problems/dp/0814474578/)\nWhat I really like about it is that it gives a number of high-level approaches to solving debugging problems and is written very accessibly.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The best general-purpose debugging book I've read is the cumbersomely named\nDebugging: The 9 Indispensible Rules for Finding Even the Most Elusive Software and Hardware Problems by David J. Agans",
          "reason": "Calls it the best general-purpose debugging book they've read and praises its accessible approach.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2524259,
          "author": "gte910h",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-07T18:31:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 2524205,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books for soon to be Software Engineers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2524259",
          "commentText": "Code Compete 2\nSoftware Estimation: Demystifying the Black Art\nPro GIT\nDebugging by Agans",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Debugging by Agans",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "New software engineers transitioning from school to industry.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David J. Agans"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "debugging",
        "hardware debugging",
        "software debugging",
        "troubleshooting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "deschooling-society-c31715",
      "title": "Deschooling Society",
      "author": "Ivan Illich",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38238479,
          "author": "tapanjk",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T08:37:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238479",
          "commentText": "I am reading Deschooling Society [1] by Ivan Illich, published in the early 1970s. Even though I do not agree with everything he says, he does make some compelling arguments.\n[1] https://archive.org/details/DeschoolingSociety",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I am reading Deschooling Society [1] by Ivan Illich, published in the early 1970s.",
          "reason": "Currently reading it and finds some arguments compelling, while disagreeing with parts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not agree with everything in it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156280,
          "author": "yotamoron",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T14:59:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156280",
          "commentText": "'Deschooling society' by Ivan Illich.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Deschooling society' by Ivan Illich.",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which books had the biggest impact on mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10534162,
          "author": "schlagetown",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T17:01:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10534162",
          "commentText": "Watchmen (Alan Moore)\nOrigins of Form (Christopher Williams)\nStarship & The Canoe (Kenneth Brower)\nThe Size of Lumber (Nicholson Baker)\nZen Mind, Beginner's Mind (Shunryu Suzuki)\nDeschooling Society (Ivan Illich)\nMoby Dick (Herman Melville)\nBolo'Bolo (P.M.)\nLe Ton beau de Marot (Douglas Hofstadter)\nGaia: A New Look at Life on Earth (James Lovelock)\nMouse or Rat: Translation as Negotiation (Umberto Eco)\nNeuromancer (William Gibson)\nThe Intelligent Investor (Benjamin Graham)\nDon Quixote (Miguel Cervantes)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Deschooling Society (Ivan Illich)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about the best books read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ivan Illich"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Society",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "education",
        "education reform",
        "educational reform",
        "schooling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "design-for-hackers-1066cb",
      "title": "Design for Hackers",
      "author": "David Kadavy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18667582,
          "author": "akerro",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T20:43:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 18662992,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on modern UI/UX?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18667582",
          "commentText": "This book is recommended quite often here https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11457105-design-for-hack... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11457105-design-for-hackers)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book is recommended quite often here",
          "reason": "Presented as a frequently recommended book in the discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12714963,
          "author": "mindcrash",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-15T17:55:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12714963",
          "commentText": "\"Design for Hackers\" from David Kadavy is a really great introduction to design for programmers.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/1119998956",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Design for Hackers\" from David Kadavy is a really great introduction to design for programmers.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great introduction to design for programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers learning design.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401419,
          "author": "Luyt",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:21:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401419",
          "commentText": "Design for Hackers - David Kadavy\nA rebours - J.K. Huysmans (in dutch translation: 'Tegen de keer')\nBad Astronomy - Philip Plait",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Design for Hackers - David Kadavy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6698822,
          "author": "atom-morgan",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-08T20:15:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6698822",
          "commentText": "Design for Hackers by David Kadavy",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Design for Hackers by David Kadavy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395296,
          "author": "ntkachov",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T09:47:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395296",
          "commentText": "Design for Hackers by David Kadavy. Besides being informative it was really really interesting to read. Really opened my eyes to a lot of the things designers do deliberately and not just because \"its pretty\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Besides being informative it was really really interesting to read. Really opened my eyes",
          "reason": "Says it was informative and interesting, and that it opened their eyes to designers’ deliberate choices.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Kadavy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "visual design",
        "web design",
        "design for programmers",
        "design principles"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "diffusion-of-innovations-857a02",
      "title": "Diffusion of Innovations",
      "author": "Everett M. Rogers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36601648,
          "author": "HillRat",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:20:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601648",
          "commentText": "Lots of options out there. A few from my bookshelf: Bijker's \"Of Bicycles, Bakelites, and Bulbs\" is a case-study-centric work that seeks to build a general theory of STS. Nye's \"Technology Matters\" is less a work of theory than a critique that poses core questions about how society should seek to integrate technical advances. Latour's \"Science in Action,\" \"Reassembling the Social,\" and \"Aramis\" are great examples of his approach to whole-of-system analysis of sociotechnical systems. Rogers' \"Diffusion of Innovation\" is a classic work theorizing how innovation is communicated through social networks.\nMIT Press has a wide variety of books that cover specific topics in history, most of which have great theoretic interest: Agar's \"The Government Machine,\" dealing with the evolution of technology and expertise within the UK government; Medina's \"Cybernetic Revolutionaries,\" about Beer's Cybersyn project; and Ensmenger's \"The Computer Boys Take Over,\" about the cultural development of the \"programmer,\" are all great reads.\nAlso, you can look beyond pure technology for interesting adjacencies: for example, Schatz's \"The Genius of the System\" describes how changes in technology and management production radically upended Hollywood, resulting in the studio system that dominated from the 1930s through the 1950s, while Harris' \"Pictures at a Revolution\" picks up the pieces at the end of that system, discussing the rise of \"New Hollywood,\" driven by cultural and technical (particularly the French use of inexpensive filming technologies to create the New Wave) forces.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rogers' \"Diffusion of Innovation\" is a classic work theorizing how innovation is communicated through social networks.",
          "reason": "Calls it a classic work on how innovation spreads through social networks.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15158119,
          "author": "sirspacey",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T20:47:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15158119",
          "commentText": "The Diffusion of Innovation, by Dr. Everett Rodgers. He discovered the concept of the Early Adopter in the 1950s. I would trade all the startup advice on the internet for that one book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would trade all the startup advice on the internet for that one book.",
          "reason": "The commenter strongly favors this book over online startup advice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13970233,
          "author": "pagutierrezn",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T18:15:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13970233",
          "commentText": "1- The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli. Specially the edition commented by Napoleon Buonaparte.\n2-Diffusion of Innovations by Everett M. Rogers. This book makes \"Crossing the chasm\" a simplistic introduction for laggards\n3-The Art of War by Sun Tzu\n4-If Nature Is the Answer, What Was the Question? By Jorge Wagensberg\n5-Sacred hoops by Phil Jackson\n6-Fear from freedom by Erich Fromm\n7-Michelangelo biography of a genious\n8-Blindness by Jose Saramago\n9-On writing by Stephen King",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2-Diffusion of Innovations by Everett M. Rogers. This book makes \"Crossing the chasm\" a simplistic introduction for laggards",
          "reason": "The commenter contrasts it favorably with Crossing the Chasm, calling the latter simplistic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Everett M. Rogers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "innovation adoption",
        "diffusion theory",
        "early adopters",
        "innovation diffusion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "discipline-and-punish-01f497",
      "title": "Discipline and Punish",
      "author": "Michel Foucault",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30825976,
          "author": "handojin",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T01:18:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30825976",
          "commentText": "Discipline and Punish (Michel Foucault)\nNot my field of study or existence, but what happened in a bare hundred years to make public execution private, and prisons into factories into schools?\nIt's a great book, you should read it.\nThe Republic (Plato)\nHow do you get someone to listen to you? (first answer: threaten them with violence). \"Footnotes to\" etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a great book, you should read it.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13976388,
          "author": "Nav_Panel",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-28T13:32:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13976388",
          "commentText": "I started with History of Sexuality because the topic interested me most. I think Discipline and Punish is the canonical starting point.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think Discipline and Punish is the canonical starting point.",
          "reason": "Suggested as the canonical starting point for someone beginning with Foucault.",
          "audience": "Someone beginning to read Foucault.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503252,
          "author": "anonman1",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T07:18:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503252",
          "commentText": "\"History of Sexuality: Volume I\" -Michel Foucault\n\"Discipline and Punish\" -Michel Foucault\n\"Philosophy in the Flesh\" -George Lakoff\n\"Metaphors We Live By\" -George Lakoff\n\"Civilization and its Discontents\" -Sigmund Freud\nThese books allowed me to look at reality in a completely different manner.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Discipline and Punish\" -Michel Foucault",
          "reason": "The list responds to a request for philosophical books; the commenter says these books changed how they see reality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michel Foucault"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "power",
        "prisons",
        "social theory",
        "institutions"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "discourse-on-the-method-1d10c2",
      "title": "Discourse on the Method",
      "author": "René Descartes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19090108,
          "author": "nathias",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T21:39:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090108",
          "commentText": "Plato - Meno, Symposium, Parmenides, Gorgias, Protagoras\nPlotinus -Enneads\nMarkus Aurelius - Meditations\nDescartes - On method\nDescartes - Meditations\nSpinoza - On the improvement of Understanding\nLeibniz - Monadology\nLeibniz - Grace\nVoltaire - Candid\nDiderot - D'Alembert's Dream\nKant - How to orient oneself in thinking\nKant - Critique of Pure Reason\nKant - Critique of Judgment\nHegel - Phenomenology of Spirit\nHegel - Logic\nvon Kleist - Marionette Theatre\nKierkegaard - The Sickness Unto Death\nHeidegger - Being and Time\nSartre - Being and Nothingness\nSartre - Flies\nSartre - Nausea\nDeleuze - Difference and Repetition\nKafka - Metamorphosis\nKafka - The Castle\nLem - Magellan Nebula\nLem - His Master's Voice\nCioran - A Short History of Decay\nPessoa - Book Of Despair\nWolfe -  New Sun tetralogy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Descartes - On method",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12250994,
          "author": "lolive",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T21:25:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12250994",
          "commentText": "Different books for different ages:\n- Discourse on the Method [1], to become a healthy criticist of everything (perfect for your 15's-20's development)\n- Beyond Good and Evil [2], a definition of the 20th century craziness by the crazy genius Nietzsche (perfect for your 30's burnout)\n- The Praise of Folly [3], to realize that life is just a game (perfect for your 40's post-burnout rehab)\n- Propaganda [4], because you want to play the game too (perfect for your 50's meteoric rise to fame & success :).\n[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discourse_on_the_Method\n[2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyond_Good_and_Evil\n[3]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Praise_of_Folly\n[4]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_%28book%29",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Discourse on the Method [1], to become a healthy criticist of everything (perfect for your 15's-20's development)",
          "reason": "Presented as useful for developing a critical outlook.",
          "audience": "The commenter suggests it for ages 15 to 20.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4026753,
          "author": "blrsk",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-26T07:04:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4026753",
          "commentText": "The Startup Owner's Manual - Steve Blank\nDiscours de la Methode - Descartes",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Discours de la Methode - Descartes",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for a great book read recently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "René Descartes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "rationalism",
        "critical thinking",
        "epistemology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "distress-3a0137",
      "title": "Distress",
      "author": "Greg Egan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35396884,
          "author": "rakejake",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-01T03:42:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 35392063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Science Fiction books that predict where ChatGPT might lead us?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35396884",
          "commentText": "Greg Egan's works, mainly permutation City and Distress. These books go far beyond just LLMs and Greg Egan's novels really put the \"hard\" in hard sci-fi. But they describe a world where compute is extremely important. The first half of Permutation city especially covers this very well. Distress delves more into biotech and particle physics, but has its share of AI stuff.\nFWIW, Egan has a Twitter account and is mostly not that gung-ho about the current LLMs.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Distress delves more into biotech and particle physics, but has its share of AI stuff.",
          "reason": "Combines biotech and particle physics with AI themes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18663414,
          "author": "r34",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:47:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663414",
          "commentText": "Ernst Jünger: Annäherungen. Drogen und Rausch (not transleted to english? I've read it in polish). Great piece of essay.\nThe Art of War by Sun Tzu - bit sad\n2 books by Greg Egan: Distress & Teranesia\nThe Invention of Nature : Alexander Von Humboldt's New World\nDMT: The spirit molecule\nOne Hundred Years of Solitude by Marquez (WOW)\nThe book of dead philosophers by Simon Critchley (funny!)\n& some more (I have to start noting it down :P)\nCurrently: The Systems View of the World by Ervin Laszlo",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "2 books by Greg Egan: Distress & Teranesia",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175643,
          "author": "wicker",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:42:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175643",
          "commentText": "I've just discovered Greg Egan, so I've read Diaspora, Quarantine, and I just finished Distress. I'm working on Axiomatic, which is a collection of his short stories. His characters are a little flat and his endings feel a little odd, but I love the worldbuilding and the ideas.\nI'm having trouble finding other people who've read him and want to talk about his books, though.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I just finished Distress. I'm working on Axiomatic, which is a collection of his short stories.",
          "reason": "Discusses finishing the book; the positive evaluation later concerns his work overall.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says the characters are flat and the endings odd, while praising the worldbuilding and ideas generally.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026940,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T07:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026940",
          "commentText": "I got myself a Sony Reader mid-2009 and started reading about twice more than I had been before. 2009 was also the first year in which I wasn't too lazy to document which books I read (I'm really glad I wasn't). Here're some of the favourites this year:\nClassics:\nKafka's The Process and America - both stunning novels that deserve to be read as much as his most famous, The Castle.\nJan Potocki, The Manuscript Found in Saragossa - a trippy collection of tales organised in multiple nested frames.\nScott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby.\nLeo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina. Still as breathtaking as I'd remembered it from the previous reading five years ago.\nScience Fiction:\nGene Wolfe, The Book of the New Sun. Wolfe, whom I hadn't read before, turns out to be in a class of his own. It's literary SF, overwhelmingly masterful and beautiful in its prose and characters, yet it could give any hardcore SF novel a run in terms of its ideas. It demands and richly rewards a close reading. I'll be reading more Wolfe in 2010.\nTed Chiang, collected stories. Chiang writes only stories, and has written just a few of them, but nearly every one is a gem. Read Understand on the web (http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/stories/under.htm) to see if you like his style - I do.\nVernor Vinge, A Deepness in the Sky, The Peace War, Marooned in Realtime. All great novels, but start from A Fire Upon the Deep (I read that in 2008) if you haven't read Vinge before, it's the best introduction.\nGreg Egan, Diaspora, Quarantine, Distress. Egan is the best hardcore SF author out there. _Diaspora_ is a fascinating take on shared simulated reality that's very different from the usual fare. Quarantine will appeal to your inner quantum mechanical geek.\nContemporary fiction:\nPynchon, V. Pynchon is the best novelist we've got. I recommend The Crying of the Lot 49 as the best Pynchon to start from; V is more difficult and much longer, but rewards the patience. I still can't get over the fact that Pynchon wrote and published this novel when he was 26.\nOrhan Pamuk, The Black Book.\nAnnie Proulx, Fine Just The Way It Is. A new collection of stories from the best writer about rural America out there. Three are extraordinary, two so-so, the rest very good.\nNon-fiction:\nW. Sidney Allen, Vox Graeca and Vox Latina. If you want to know how ancient Greek and Latin sounded, these are the books to read.\nElizabeth Lloyd. The Case Of The Female Orgasm. An interesting study into how available evolutionary explanations of female orgasm fail in various ways. This is a book about evolutionary biology and its methodological soundness as much as it is about explaining female orgasm.\nComputer-related:\nPeter Seibel, Coders at Work. A fantastic collection of interview with great programmers. The one 2009 book no hacker should be without.\nSqueak by Example. Does a great job of explaining Smalltalk in general and Squeak in particular.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Diaspora, Quarantine, Distress. Egan is the best hardcore SF author out there.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises Egan as the best hardcore science fiction author and lists this title among his books.",
          "audience": "Readers of hard science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Greg Egan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hard science fiction",
        "biotechnology",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "particle physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "drawing-on-the-right-side-of-the-brain-477d62",
      "title": "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain",
      "author": "Betty Edwards",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35567307,
          "author": "CTDOCodebases",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-14T09:29:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 35566416,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technology/creative books and games for my daughter (7 years)",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35567307",
          "commentText": "Not really a book for kids but there is a book called \"Drawing on the right side of the Brain\" by Penny Edwards. It teaches life drawing and has a series of exercises that help the reader to draw what they actually see.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "there is a book called \"Drawing on the right side of the Brain\" by Penny Edwards.",
          "reason": "Says it teaches life drawing through exercises that help readers draw what they see.",
          "audience": "The parent is seeking activities for a child.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not really a book for kids.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17981174,
          "author": "framebit",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-13T18:41:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17981174",
          "commentText": "Drawing from the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Drawing from the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2331216,
          "author": "bo_Olean",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-16T07:45:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 2329700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that change your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2331216",
          "commentText": "\"Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain\" by Betty Edwards\nThis book could/will change the way we see things. Not only for drawing or art, principles from the book can be applied to any creative profession.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book could/will change the way we see things.",
          "reason": "Says its principles apply to creative professions beyond drawing and art.",
          "audience": "Readers in creative professions.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Betty Edwards"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "drawing instruction",
        "visual perception",
        "drawing",
        "life drawing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "drive-417377",
      "title": "Drive",
      "author": "Daniel H. Pink",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Drive (Daniel Pink)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18664248,
          "author": "33W",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T14:40:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664248",
          "commentText": "Freakonomics - good “everything you know is wrong”\nPromote yourself - meh “just become an influencer and pick a new job”\nExtreme Ownership - good “navy seal war story -> leadership principle -> business application” x12\nRise - good “wow I have an easy life”\nDrive - good “some people like doing stuff just because”\nThe Accounting Game - good “money explained to a kid to make you feel vetter about not understanding money”",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Drive - good",
          "reason": "Listed as good in response to the thread's request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2176241,
          "author": "lsc",
          "createdAt": "2011-02-03T19:11:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 2172825,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: If you could recommend only three management books...",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2176241",
          "commentText": "I am hardly enlightened.  I have something of an entrepreneurial personality, so obviously, money does drive me more than it drives most people, and that did take some getting used to and adjusting to.   But if you live around people who work as employees and like it?  It's pretty obvious that money isn't as important for them.\n(to be clear, it should be obvious that money isn't everything to the entrepreneur, but generally, it means a lot more to us than it does to most people.)\nNow, some of the suggestions in \"drive\"  like letting employees decide their own hours are excellent ideas for small companies;  Really, though, that sort of thing is very common in small companies.  I've been doing it for many years now, and it's an excellent tool for employee retention.   Sure, the guy working for me could get a pretty big raise for leaving, but he'd have to get up at about the same time every day.\nThis is an important insight if you are working at a large company.  If you are working at a small company, this becomes a much more obvious solution;  I've been doing it forever.\nThe other problem is that they seemed to oversell the idea.   While flexibility is great, is has some pretty big downsides.\nbut much of the advice was targeted at very large companies, and I think if you followed a lot of it, it would be very easy to look dishonest and disingenuous to your less-emotional employees.   Humans aren't in it for the money, but corporations?  yeah, they are, and no matter how hard you try, most people aren't going to believe otherwise.\nMaybe it's just that I value being honest and straightforward over being \"Good\"  and possibly a little deceptive, but I found much of the book to be pretty slimy.\nThe thing was written in what I thought was the regular style for business books;  breathless and almost but not quite ferris-esqe.  \"this is the next big thing!\"   easy to read, but very light on content.   Really, this was my biggest problem with the thing;  It could have been a /very good/ 4 page essay, but it was padded out to a 250 page book, which is just a waste of paper and my time.\nEdit: re-reading my post, it seems unnecessarily negative.    I mean, like I said, there were some good ideas.   It's very likely that the general \"this is totally great and different and world-changing!\" tone is my biggest problem with the book, especially as I was already doing some of the things they suggested, and I'm an evil, money grubbing capitalist.  Well, that and the verbosity.  This is a valid complaint;  the book really is a whole lot longer than it needed to be.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I found much of the book to be pretty slimy.",
          "reason": "The commenter criticizes the book’s framing, light content, and excessive length, while acknowledging some good ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it includes some good ideas and useful flexibility advice.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2175646,
          "author": "erik_p",
          "createdAt": "2011-02-03T17:36:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 2172825,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: If you could recommend only three management books...",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2175646",
          "commentText": "You might feel that way because you are already an enlightened thinker.  In my experience, I've run into countless managers who I'd consider sending 'Drive' to because they fail to see or understand the obvious. In other words common sense isn't always common.\nI also think it's more accessible and less dry than most business books.  Shrug",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd consider sending 'Drive' to because they fail to see or understand the obvious.",
          "reason": "The commenter would send it to managers who fail to understand the points it makes.",
          "audience": "Managers who overlook common-sense insights about motivation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2173405,
          "author": "lsc",
          "createdAt": "2011-02-03T03:16:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 2172825,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: If you could recommend only three management books...",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2173405",
          "commentText": "I've read it, and found it about as valuable as the average business book, which is to say,  not particularly.\nThe premise seemed to be that people work for things other than money.   While this is correct, it's also obvious, and the book doesn't really add all that much to the discussion, I think.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I've read it, and found it about as valuable as the average business book, which is to say,  not particularly.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds the book no more valuable than an average business book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel H. Pink"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "motivation",
        "workplace",
        "work"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "earthsea-79c02e",
      "title": "Earthsea",
      "author": "Ursula K. Le Guin",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36028146,
          "author": "omnimus",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-22T06:33:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36028146",
          "commentText": "Leguin was one of the most imaginative and skilled scifi writers ever. She also has fantasy series Earthsea which lots of Harry Potter was inspired from but it never got so popular even though it might be as good or better.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "She also has fantasy series Earthsea",
          "reason": "The commenter says it may be as good as or better than its popularity suggests.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it never became as popular as Harry Potter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521441,
          "author": "sdevoid",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T08:52:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521441",
          "commentText": "I read The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed at the beginning of the year, just before she passed away. This summer I the first four books of the Earthsea series and will probably read The Other Wind and Tales soon. I've really enjoyed both universes--with Earthsea I keep wishing someone would make a game with this kind of magic system. The Lathe of Heaven is such a wonderful title, I'm looking forward to reading that as well.\nI read her translation of Tao Te Ching while waiting in 2 hours of traffic for a ferry and it was wonderful and really informs the rest of her works.\nI'm currently reading Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner, on the history of U.S. water policy in the West. Frustratingly dry.\nAlso re-reading On the Road but unlike 16 years ago I'm reading the 'Original Scroll Edition' this time: no chapters, paragraph breaks, invented character names, censors, etc. The book you read in high school is, in fact, the novelization of the original, which Kerouac wrote in twenty days. I've kept my beat-up paperback copy of the 'novel' nearby and I've preferred the scroll edition for the most part.\nOn the nightstand:\n- Annals of the Former World by John McPhee 300 pages into it, but I got a bit tired of the redundancy inherent in combining multiple books into one.\n- The Vulgar Tongue by Jonathon Green. 40 pages in. I've been looking for a copy of the dictionary.\n- The Path to the Nest of Spiders by Italo Calvino.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This summer I the first four books of the Earthsea series",
          "reason": "Says they have really enjoyed the Earthsea universe.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521433,
          "author": "AllegedAlec",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T08:50:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521433",
          "commentText": "> Ursula K. Le Guin\nI tried reading her Earthsea series once, but I found her writing style rather awkward. It all felt rather emotionless and descriptive, with much detail left out. In fact, now I think about it, it rather reminded me of the writing style of the Old Testament.\nAre her other books also like that?",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I tried reading her Earthsea series once, but I found her writing style rather awkward.",
          "reason": "Criticizes the series' writing as awkward and emotionless.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The question asks whether her other books are similar.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865228,
          "author": "ww520",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T16:05:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865228",
          "commentText": "If you like Foundation, you might like the Ringworld series by Larry Niven.  Ringworld is a classic.\nRobert Heinlein's books are great.  Some come to mine are The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, Starship Troopers (much better than the movies), Stranger in a Strange Land, Double Stars, and The Puppet Masters.\nUrsula K. Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness is amazing.  The Earthsea series are fun read if you want to get beyond SciFi.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Earthsea series are fun read",
          "reason": "Described as a fun read for readers wanting to go beyond science fiction.",
          "audience": "Readers looking to get beyond science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ursula K. Le Guin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coming of age",
        "archipelago",
        "archipelago fantasy",
        "wizards"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "eating-animals-b6358d",
      "title": "Eating Animals",
      "author": "Jonathan Safran Foer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2087423,
          "author": "jgv",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T04:09:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2087423",
          "commentText": "Let The Great World Spin - Colum McCann\nFreedom - Jonathan Franzen\nEating Animals - Jonathan Safran-Foer\nDesperate Characters - Paula Fox",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Eating Animals - Jonathan Safran-Foer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752336,
          "author": "zackattack",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T07:43:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752336",
          "commentText": "The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind, by Julian Jaynes, is the best book I've read this year. It profoundly changed the way I look at things. I also found Sperm Wars to be very enlightening, ditto Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "ditto Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they found the book very enlightening.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in food and animal agriculture.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227744,
          "author": "dnsworks",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T22:39:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227744",
          "commentText": "- How To Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/06... (http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0671723650)\n- Beethoven As I Knew Him by Anton Felix Schindler http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-As-I-Knew-Him/dp/0486292320\n- Soul Of A New Machine (It's about hardware!) and Mountains Beyond Mountains, both by Tracy Kidder\n- Eating Animals by Jonathan Safron Foer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Eating Animals by Jonathan Safron Foer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Safran Foer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Society",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "animal agriculture",
        "food ethics",
        "animal ethics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ecclesiastes-7e0447",
      "title": "Ecclesiastes",
      "author": "Unknown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39729971,
          "author": "smitty1e",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T22:16:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729971",
          "commentText": "Ecclesiastes was a turning point in my case.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ecclesiastes was a turning point in my case.",
          "reason": "Described as a personal turning point.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937119,
          "author": "thinkerswell",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:30:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937119",
          "commentText": "Eccleisastes — Holy Bible\nA book on the vanity of life",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Eccleisastes — Holy Bible",
          "reason": "Described as a book on the vanity of life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20916629,
          "author": "a-saleh",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T09:43:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20916629",
          "commentText": "I would almost considered quoting the great ancient literature a cheat-code but I still do really like the Ecclesiastes.\nFrom the other end of the spectrum, \"The Adventure of the Dancing Men\" is the book/story that inspired my interest in cryptography. In the end I never worked in infromation-security but I did enjoy it from my 10 years til I left college, and I still do enjoy going for puzzle-hunts with some of my friends :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I still do really like the Ecclesiastes.",
          "reason": "Says they really like it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biblical literature",
        "wisdom literature",
        "bible",
        "meaning of life"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "effective-c-eb40e7",
      "title": "Effective C++",
      "author": "Scott Meyers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21318512,
          "author": "todd8",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T23:01:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21318512",
          "commentText": "We all started out that way. Effective C++ is a valuable book that takes study, so you're off to a good start.\nI still have my first programming book that I bought in the 60s. Now, my library includes most of the books mentioned here. I've skimmed every one of them and read portions of many over and over. I've found that in the long run, they've really helped me in my career. Notice however that I've had half a century to do this reading so just give yourself time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Effective C++ is a valuable book that takes study, so you're off to a good start.",
          "reason": "Calls it valuable and encourages the reader for studying it.",
          "audience": "Someone learning C++ programming.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it takes study.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21315361,
          "author": "yoz-y",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T18:10:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21315361",
          "commentText": "When these lists of books threads pop up I always feel ashamed at how few I have read myself. I've only read Perl by Larry Wall and most of Effective C++. I wonder how much I am actually missing out by not digging into the theory more.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "most of Effective C++.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16757120,
          "author": "microtonal",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T17:48:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16757120",
          "commentText": "I rely mostly on hypertext for referencing, mostly through Dash for macOS and man pages. Books that I still occasionally reference:\n- Speech and Language Processing, Jurafsky & Martin\n- K&R\n- Sedgewick & Wayne, but more for teaching than anything else.\nIn a previous life:\n- The C++ Standard Library, Nicolai Josuttis,\n- C++ GUI Programming with Qt 4, Jasmin Blanchette and Mark Summerfield\n- The C++ Programming Language, Bjarne Stroustrup\n- Effective Java, Joshua Bloch\n- Scott Meyers' Effective C++ books.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Scott Meyers' Effective C++ books.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment refers to multiple books in the title line.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14843528,
          "author": "hardlianotion",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-24T23:00:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14843528",
          "commentText": "Scott Meyers Effective C++",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Scott Meyers Effective C++",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10182681,
          "author": "gtani",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-07T19:29:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10182681",
          "commentText": "the big 4, 2 very large dense books, and 2 small, very very very dense books:\n- Lippman et al, C++ Primer, 5th ed\n- Stroustrup, The c++ Language, 4th ed (which has earlier version \"A Tour of\" as 1st 150 pages\n- Meyers \"Effective C++\", 3rd ed and\n- \"Effective Modern C++\" http://www.aristeia.com/books.html (don't dismiss the others cause theyre 14+ years old, either",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Meyers \"Effective C++\", 3rd ed",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s “big 4” C++ books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8262878,
          "author": "pgathogo",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-03T13:30:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8262878",
          "commentText": "Age Of Reason by Thomas Paine\nA Tour of C++ by Bjarne Stroustrup\nEffective C++ by Scott Meyers\nMoon Walking With Einstein by Joshua Foer",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Effective C++ by Scott Meyers",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3336069,
          "author": "pettinato",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-09T23:04:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3336069",
          "commentText": "The System of the World by Neal Stephenson - for pleasure\nHadoop: The Definitive Guide - for fun\nDesign Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software - for work\nEffective C++ by Scott Meyers - for work\nMore Effective C++ by Scott Meyers - for work",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Effective C++ by Scott Meyers - for work",
          "reason": "Listed as currently read for work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Meyers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c",
        "programming",
        "software design",
        "c programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "effective-javascript-72cd9b",
      "title": "Effective JavaScript",
      "author": "David Herman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14461232,
          "author": "petercooper",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-01T15:41:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14461232",
          "commentText": "Depends on what your level is going in.\nFor an absolute beginner, JavaScript and jQuery by Jon Duckett is extremely accessible. Sure, it covers jQuery but it's so well aimed at total beginners it's not a bad path.\nAt the lower intermediate level, Eloquent JavaScript (mentioned elsewhere) is fantastic.\nAt higher levels/if you know other languages and are comfortable learning new ones: Effective JavaScript, YDKJS, and Speaking JavaScript all fantastic and complement each other in various ways.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Effective JavaScript, YDKJS, and Speaking JavaScript all fantastic",
          "reason": "Included among books described as fantastic for higher-level learners or those familiar with other languages.",
          "audience": "Higher-level learners or people comfortable learning new languages.",
          "caveat": "The books are said to complement each other.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10182510,
          "author": "dagw",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-07T18:44:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10182510",
          "commentText": "Effective JavaScript by David Herman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Effective JavaScript by David Herman",
          "reason": "Offered as a book suggestion in response to a request for JavaScript books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7756935,
          "author": "stopachka",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:16:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7756935",
          "commentText": "Effective Javascript.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Effective Javascript.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Herman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "javascript",
        "programming languages"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "eifelheim-59af09",
      "title": "Eifelheim",
      "author": "Michael Flynn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39729464,
          "author": "bookofjoe",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T21:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729464",
          "commentText": "\"A Canticle For Leibowitz\"\n\"The Sparrow\"\n\"Lord of Light\"\n\"The Immortal\"\n\"Hyperion\"\n\"The Last Question\"\n\"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?\"\n\"Stranger in a Strange Land\"\n\"The City and the Stars\"\n\"Childhood's End\"\n\"Anathem\"\n\"Eifelheim\"\n\"A Case of Conscience\"\n\"VALIS\" trilogy\n\"The Book of Strange New Things\"\n\"Behold The Man\"\n\"The God Engines\"\n\"Book of the New Sun\"\n\"The Parable of the Sower\"\n\"The Dosadi Experiment\"\n\"Grass\"\n\"Project Pope\"\n\"Calculating God\"\n\"Factoring Humanity\"\n\"Jesus on Mars\"\n\"Surface Detail",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Eifelheim\"",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about books that changed perspectives on religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36083958,
          "author": "code_Whisperer",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-26T13:38:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36083958",
          "commentText": "Easily these (so far):\nThis is How You Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (actually now one of my all-time favorites, without regard to genre. Just amazing)\nChildren of Time - Adrian Tchaikovsky\nThe Book of Strange New Things - Michael Faber\nTed Chiang's short story collections (Exhalations and Stories of your life and others)\nDaemon - Daniel Suarez\nThe City and the City - China Miéville\nRoadside Picnic - Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (this one still haunts my dreams at times)\nWe Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse Book 1) - Dennis Taylor (just finished this series for book club)\nGalatea 2.2, The Overstory, Bewilderment, The Gold Bug Variations - 4 different books, all by Richard Powers - what can I say, the man is a genius and a treasure\nEifelheim - Michael Flynn - ok, this book can be a slog at times, but it is very rewarding for those who persevere, and has stuck in my brain for many years\nChocky - John Wyndham - A quiet, delightful surprise\nProvidence - Max Barry - This book flows like a movie. It will make a great movie. I found myself LITERALLY out of breath a couple of times\nHench: A Novel - Natalie Zina Walschots - Quirky, memorable\nThe Peacemaker's Code - Deepak Malhotra - Why hasn't this guy written more sci-fi?\nOrange World and Other Stories - Karen Russell - OK, maybe not strictly sci-fi, but this book tickles my brain\nGUILTY PLEASURE SCI-FI FAVORITE: The Vaz series by Laurence Dahners. I think I've read that series 3 times now.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Eifelheim - Michael Flynn - ok, this book can be a slog at times, but it is very rewarding for those who persevere",
          "reason": "Describes it as rewarding, while noting it can feel like a slog.",
          "audience": "Readers willing to persevere through a slow read.",
          "caveat": "Can be a slog at times.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783919,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:07:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783919",
          "commentText": "[cont'd]\nMichael Frayn, Democracy. A compulsively readable play about an episode in the politics of West Germany in the 1970s, a subject I didn't know could be made so interesting to me. Superb.\nMichael Flynn, Eifelheim. Excellent and profound SF/historical novel about aliens crashing in the Germany of the Middle Ages, and how that would work out. Avoids cheap tricks, very strong on historical research and verisimilitude.\nRoss Thomas, The Cold War Swap, Cast a Yellow Shadow, Chinaman's Chance. Very well-written thrillers, typically stories about spying or political corruption. I'm usually bored by this genre, couldn't put these down. Will read more by this (hitherto unknown to me) author.\nUrsula K. Le Guin, The Wizard of Earthsea. (reread) Still as good as I remembered it to be.\nP.K.Dick, The Man in the High Castle. (reread) Very inventive and weird in a good way, but I wish the characters would be a little different (everyone is the same highly neurotic mouthpiece for the author), and the obsession with I Ching does nothing for me. Still worth reading.\nRobert Ryan, Dead Man's Land. A Sherlock Holmes novel in which 90% of the action is with John Watson rejoining the Army to help in World War I at his late middle age, and Holmes appears only briefly. Works quite well. Very detailed on day-to-day trench warfare and medicine at the front.\nMichael Frayn, Noises Off. A funny short play, very meta, not as good as his \"Democracy\".\nNeil Gaiman, The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Better than his two long novels of the 2000s. A self-contained fairy tale, fun to read and well-written, but not beyond that. Gaiman's unsurpassed masterpiece, to me, is still The Sandman.\nMichael Swansick, Chasing the Phoenix. SF, set on a future Earth where computers and electronic communication are outlawed following problems with runaway AIs, but there's lots of high technology (e.g. genetics) otherwise. Funny and amusing, a light read.\n[edit: deleted about 20 books I didn't like or hated]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Michael Flynn, Eifelheim. Excellent and profound SF/historical novel about aliens crashing in the Germany of the Middle Ages, and how that would work out. Avoids cheap tricks, very strong on historical research and verisimilitude.",
          "reason": "Calls it excellent and profound, praising its historical research and verisimilitude.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Flynn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "medieval history",
        "historical science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ender-series-8754c9",
      "title": "Ender Series",
      "author": "Orson Scott Card",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9348757,
          "author": "blumkvist",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:27:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348757",
          "commentText": "Good suggestions already ITT, so I'm not gonna repeat.\nAll of Enderverse by Orson Scot Card is simply excellent. Ender's game is a nice peak into what goes on in the whole series. A mash between true strategy, relationships, personal development, philosophy and is very engaging.\nHowever the rest of the Ender series deal mainly with philosophy. Plenty of nuggets there. Additionally Shadow's saga is situated on Earth and is about strategy and competing. Highly recommended too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the rest of the Ender series deal mainly with philosophy. Plenty of nuggets there.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the books offer philosophical insights.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment distinguishes these from Ender's Game and describes them as mainly philosophical.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056829,
          "author": "kelu124",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T13:39:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056829",
          "commentText": "Hey, I'd say Snow Crash (for history in geekery).\nThe Ender series.\nSome of Neil Gaiman (I do love TPratchett, though not on this list) ..\nAt the moment I'm a lot into short stories, and that'd mean Ted Chiang of course, and Greg Evan, as well as some of Vinge Vernor.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Ender series.",
          "reason": "Offers the series as a favorite in response to the thread question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6697998,
          "author": "thesingularity",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-08T18:18:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6697998",
          "commentText": "Started reading the Ender Series in anticipation of the movie. Right now on book 6.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Started reading the Ender Series in anticipation of the movie.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86342,
          "author": "wbornor",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T18:01:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86342",
          "commentText": "1984 (George Orwell)\nFountains of Paradise (Arthur C Clarke, Space Elevator SciFi)\nDune Series (Herbert)\nEnder Series (Orson Scott Card)\n2001 Series (Arthur C Clarke)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ender Series (Orson Scott Card)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 57021,
          "author": "bluishgreen",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T19:37:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=57021",
          "commentText": "I think \"Speaker For The Dead\" which is the second book in the Ender Series is better than the Ender book itself. The first 10 pages which is the authors introduction is the best introduction to a book I have ever read.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the second book in the Ender Series",
          "reason": "Identifies the series while praising its second book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Orson Scott Card"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military science fiction",
        "coming of age",
        "philosophical fiction",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "endurance-a80c0d",
      "title": "Endurance",
      "author": "Alfred Lansing",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42508349,
          "author": "hijp",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T11:49:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42508349",
          "commentText": "I really liked \"The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder\".  It's very well researched and pieced together from conflicting accounts.\nAfter I was finished I decided to look up the author and found out he wrote \"Killers of the Flower Moon\" and \"The Lost City of Z\", both of which I really enjoyed!  If you like books like Endurance, Unbroken, or A Land So Strange, you'll dig this one.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "If you like books like Endurance",
          "reason": "Uses it as an example of the kind of book readers may enjoy.",
          "audience": "Readers who like this kind of book.",
          "caveat": "Mentioned as a comparison rather than a direct recommendation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42225573,
          "author": "cheshire137",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-24T02:46:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42225573",
          "commentText": "I'm reading Endurance now after just having finished Into Thin Air. Good stuff.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm reading Endurance now",
          "reason": "Currently reading it and calls it good stuff.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30735764,
          "author": "jwood27",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:37:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735764",
          "commentText": "The following have all had a significant effect on my worldview. You can find more information at [1].\n- The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow\n- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\n- Crime and Punishment\n- The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York\n- Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies\n- The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity\n- Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead\n- Franny and Zooey\n- Master of the Senate\n- Atlas Shrugged\n- Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed\n- Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap?\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\n- The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics\n- The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don't\n- Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans\n- Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\n- Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World\n- Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones\n- Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow\n- Ethics in the Real World: 86 Brief Essays on Things that Matter\n- A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life\n- Humankind: A Hopeful History\n- The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think\n[1] https://jacobw.xyz/books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage",
          "reason": "Listed among books that significantly affected the commenter’s worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910644,
          "author": "iammiles",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T17:03:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910644",
          "commentText": "Endurance by Alfred Lansing - It's a well-written book about the incredible story of Earnest Shackleton's attempt to be the first team to cross Antarctica by land.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a well-written book about the incredible story of Earnest Shackleton's attempt to be the first team to cross Antarctica by land.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its writing and Shackleton's story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alfred Lansing"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Biography",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "survival",
        "polar exploration",
        "antarctic expedition",
        "antarctic exploration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "engineering-mathematics-016668",
      "title": "Engineering Mathematics",
      "author": "K. A. Stroud",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30486432,
          "author": "nonrandomstring",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T08:26:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486432",
          "commentText": "I still have these on my shelf looking dog-eared and well read You can\nprobably tell from these exactly which year I took CSEE :)\n- Biggs: Discrete Maths\n- Stroud: Engineering Mathematics\n- Solkolnikoff: Mathematics of Physics and Modern Engineering\n- Sommerville: Software Engineering\n- Aho: Compilers\n- Kernighan and Ritchie: The C Programming Language\n- Kernighan and Pike: The UNIX Programming Environment\n- Ben Ari: Principles of Concurrent Programming\n- Clements: Microprocessor Systems Design\n- Tannenbaum: Distributed Operating Systems\n- Dean, Allen, Aloimonos: Articficial Intelligence\n- Knuth: The Art of Computer Programming\n- Yourdon: Object Oriented Systems Design\n- Abelson and Sussman: Structure and Interpretation\nMaybe the one that ones that changed me most:\n- Polya: How to Solve it\n - Hofstadter: Godel Escher Bach",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Stroud: Engineering Mathematics",
          "reason": "The commenter lists it among books on their shelf.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23728545,
          "author": "Koshkin",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T23:28:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23728545",
          "commentText": "Seconded. Starts with bare essentials and goes a long way. It’s amazing how much you can learn from this book. (Also, his Advanced Engineering Mathematics.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also, his Advanced Engineering Mathematics.",
          "reason": "Seconded the recommendation and says the book covers the essentials and goes a long way.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21347221,
          "author": "claudiawerner",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T17:51:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21347221",
          "commentText": "Reposting a comment I wrote a while ago, and may be appealing given you're learning physics:\n>This isn't a popular suggestion (and by that I don't mean to say it's rejected or people don't like it, I just haven't heard it suggested before in this context) but at university for electronic engineering we used K.A. Stroud's Engineering Mathematics. This book is surprisingly little focused on actual applications to engineering, it takes you through calculus by introducing the derivative, for example, and then some linear algebra stuff. But what surprises people is that it starts off with the properties of addition and multiplication - it's that simple. It's a book that starts from zero and takes you very, very far. It won't take you to a mathematician's 100 but it'll take you to any serious engineering undergrad's 100.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "we used K.A. Stroud's Engineering Mathematics. This book is surprisingly little focused on actual applications to engineering",
          "reason": "Recommended as a book that starts with basic arithmetic and builds through calculus and linear algebra.",
          "audience": "Readers learning mathematics for engineering.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it will not take readers to a mathematician's level.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16081226,
          "author": "joefarish",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-05T20:07:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16081226",
          "commentText": "Engineering Mathematics and Advanced Engineering Mathematics by Ken Stroud\nLots of worked examples. Very easy to follow and really helped me \"teach myself\" calculus and advanced calculus.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Engineering Mathematics and Advanced Engineering Mathematics by Ken Stroud",
          "reason": "Says the worked examples helped him teach himself calculus.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "K. A. Stroud"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "engineering mathematics",
        "calculus",
        "linear algebra"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "essentialism-the-disciplined-pursuit-of-less-1a0885",
      "title": "Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less",
      "author": "Greg McKeown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33849404,
          "author": "paulcole",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T01:07:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33849404",
          "commentText": "Essentialism by Greg McKeown.\nChanged how I think about work and makes me hyper-aware of when I or anyone I work with says that we “have” to do something. Getting into the mindset that everything I do at work is my choice has helped me feel more in control of my workday and get more done as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Essentialism by Greg McKeown.",
          "reason": "Changed how the commenter thinks about work and helped them feel more in control and get more done.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18747136,
          "author": "rkho",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T17:14:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18747136",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed The More of Less by Joshua Becker. This year I finally had the realization that I've been accumulating way too many physical possessions that I didn't really need nor benefit from, and it's been a good introduction to practicing minimalism.\nThe book talks about how minimalism isn't about ridding yourself of everything but your bare necessities, but to discard things that you don't love so that you can better focus on the remaining things that are important to you. If you've read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, this point will resonate with you quite well.\nI've since whittled down my wardrobe significantly, throwing out a large chunk of shirts/pants/sweaters that I haven't worn in over a year and it's actually done wonders for my health. I discovered that my bedroom had been left in neglect for a long time now, which had caused a bit of mold to grow (which in turn had given me allergy issues for the past couple months) and having to go through my clothes helped me both physically and mentally.\nAnother book that touches on these themes is Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown.\nMaybe in 2019 I'll finally get to a point where I don't have to pack dozens and dozens of boxes when I inevitably move again.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Another book that touches on these themes is Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown.",
          "reason": "Identifies it as another book on minimalism-related themes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12070313,
          "author": "as17237",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T11:30:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12070313",
          "commentText": "* In Defense of Liberal Edication By Farred Zakaria\n* Confidence Men By Ros Suskind\n* Dark Money by Jane Meyer\n* Better by Atul Gawande\n* The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande\n* Essentialism by Greg Mckeown\n* Contagious by Jonah Berger\n* Sapiens by Yuval Harari\n* The Pentagons Brain by Annie Jacobson\n* Shoe Dog by Phil Knight\n* The Only Game in town by Mohamed El-Erian\n* The Industries of Future By Alec Ross",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Essentialism by Greg Mckeown",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229635,
          "author": "toumhi",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T14:51:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229635",
          "commentText": "Self-help/personal development/philosophy:\n- The obstacle is the way (Ryan Holiday)\n- Meditations (Marcus Aurelius)\n- Level up your life: how to unlock adventure and happiness by becoming the hero of your own story\n- the six pillars of self-esteem\n- so good they can’t ignore you\n- the power of habit\n- how to fail at almost everything and still win big\nBusiness:\n- soft sell: the new art of selling\n- essentialism: the disciplined pursuit of less\n- the magic of thinking big\n- everything is negotiable\n- making things happen\n- lean customer development\n- what customers want\n- inspired: how to create products customers love\n- delivering happiness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "essentialism: the disciplined pursuit of less",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401532,
          "author": "tustlem",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:34:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401532",
          "commentText": "Read:\nDeep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why by Laurence Gonzales (This was a great read),\nThe Painter by Peter Heller (Interesting novel),\nEssentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown (Good ideas and content, repeats a lot)\nCurrently reading:\nThe Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham,\nA Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William Irvine,\nInto Thin Air by Jon Krakauer\nEdit: reformatted for clarity.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown (Good ideas and content, repeats a lot)",
          "reason": "Likes its ideas and content, but says it repeats a lot.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Repeats a lot.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109217,
          "author": "rglover",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:34:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109217",
          "commentText": "Slowly making my way through The Timeless Way of Building by Christopher Alexander. Also reading Essentialism by Greg McKeown, and Influence by Robert Cialdini.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Also reading Essentialism by Greg McKeown",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Greg McKeown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "prioritization",
        "productivity",
        "essentialism",
        "minimalism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "existence-6504ee",
      "title": "Existence",
      "author": "David Brin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10786739,
          "author": "hackerbloos",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T02:19:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786739",
          "commentText": "I've just updated my list of books I read this year. Scores are out of 5. If there is a + it means I found it to be extra special for some reason or other.\n= Jan =\nSmarter Than You Think - Clive Thompson 3\nThe positives of tech and the internet.\n= Feb =\nSuper Sad True Love Story - Gary Shteyngart 4\nScience fiction set in the not too distant future. Main themes include life extension and surveillance.\n= Mar =\nThe HitchHiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams 4\nThe Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams 3\nHad never read this series, thought it might be about time.\n= Apr =\nWhat does it all Mean? - Thomas Nagel 2 (though it is kind of meant for people who have never done any Philosophy, ever, so would recommend to someone like that. Will pass it on to someone taking an interest in the subject)\nAn introduction to Philosophy.\nEarth - David Brin 5+\nScience fiction set in the not too distant future, written in the 90s. Really interesting themes / vision of post climate change world.\nSlaughterHouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut 5\nSemi autobiographical account of the bombing of Dresden in WW2. Really funny and clever ideas. Very good.\n= May =\nNick Cohen - What’s Left? 4\nAccount of how the left has degenerated since the collapse of the hard left and the winning of liberal battles e.g. LGBT rights. Basic premise is that those on the left hate the West and the status quo so much they stoop to allying themselves with anyone who also opposes the status quo.\n= June =\nPlato at the Googleplex: Why Philosophy won’t go away - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 5+\nPlato has somehow appeared in the 21st century and is doing a talk at Google! A really enjoyable account of how Plato’s philosophy could be applied to modern issues. Really good. I want to go to Athens.\n= July =\nThe Mind Body Problem - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 4\nNovel about a female philosophy student shagging around and philosophising about it.\nBelieving Bullshit - Stephen Law 4\nBook detailing the various tricks / schemes played by charlatans and how to avoid being taken in by them.\n= August =\n36 Arguments for the Existence of God: a work of fiction - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 3\nNovel about an academic and his mentor. It was ok.\n= September =\nThe Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams 3\nThink I’m done reading these for now, don’t feel the urge to finish the set.\nKafka - The Trial 5\nReally good. Love the surrealism - the nightmarish / dreamish-ness of it. Saw it in the Theatre as well after reading it, thought that was great too.\n= October =\n= November =\nExistence - David Brin 3\nNot as good as Earth. Glad I read that first. Interesting imagining of what form contact from alien life could take though. Also interesting look at existential risks. The main part I didn’t like was how it skipped forward in time 3 decades about 3/4s of the way through, I had thought the characters were a little weak in general up until then anyway, and then they were pretty much gone entirely at that point.\n= December =\nAlone Together - Sherry Turtle 4\nThe negatives of tech, robotics and the internet. Interesting and important read.\nImperium - Robert Harris 5\nFirst in the semi-fictional trilogy accounting the fall of the Roman Republic, told through the eyes of Cicero’s secretary, Tiro. Really good. The politics, the corruption, the ancient city really brought to life. Enhanced by having visited Rome in the Summer.\nAlso currently reading ‘Reclaiming Conversation’ by Sherry Turkle, an account of the negative affect being permanently tethered to the internet has on our conversations, our capacity for empathy and our relationships, and Nietzsche’s 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra'.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Existence - David Brin 3",
          "reason": "The commenter found the imagined alien contact and existential risks interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Rated 3; said it was not as good as Earth, with weak characters and an unwanted time jump.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9347824,
          "author": "monk_e_boy",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T14:38:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9347824",
          "commentText": "\"Off to be the wizard\" is pretty light and fun. \"John dies at the end\" was fun, not really sci-fi, more buffy the vampire slayer esque. \"Existence\" by David Brin made me want to puke it had so many good ideas. A tiny bit dated, but very smart. \"The Martian\" I expect you've read it. Good romp, easy to read. Reminded me of a Michael Crichton. \"World War Z\" was good.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Existence\" by David Brin made me want to puke it had so many good ideas. A tiny bit dated, but very smart.",
          "reason": "Despite the hyperbolic reaction, praises its many good ideas and calls it smart.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A tiny bit dated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4968234,
          "author": "zem",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T05:14:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4968234",
          "commentText": "brin's \"existence\" was definitely up there.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "brin's \"existence\" was definitely up there.",
          "reason": "Lists it among the best books read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Brin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "alien intelligence",
        "existential risk"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "expeditionary-force-ae6c91",
      "title": "Expeditionary Force",
      "author": "Craig Alanson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29032266,
          "author": "xupybd",
          "createdAt": "2021-10-28T21:29:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 29030285,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29032266",
          "commentText": "> What are you reading and why? \nAudiobooks are a special case for me. They help fill the time when I'm driving to work, mowing the lawn or doing dishes. If I consume my entertainment during these productive times, I find I'm less drawn to television and other mindless distractions. They also help me to be motivated to do tasks that I otherwise find dull. The better alternative is to find a friend to share these tasks with, but that is not always a practical option.\nWhile I do read for entertainment, I really enjoy non-fiction as long as it's light. If I want to explore a topic and truly learn something, I often need to find a text version. That said, I have found some great audiobooks that I have learnt from:\n-The Goal\n-Pragmatic Programmer\n-Designing Data-Intensive Applications\n-Thinking Fast and Slow\n-Ultralearning\nThe best entertainment so far have been\n-Dune\n-The Expanse series\n-The Bobiverse series\n-The Expeditionary force series.\nI asked this question so broadly as I wanted to try something that I wouldn't usually go for. I have a heavy bias towards sci-fi and wouldn't mind exploring other genres. I love good non-fiction but have also found a lot of trash non-fiction out there that I regret wasting time on.\nI have a log of recommendations but not of books read. It sounds like a good idea.\nI'll add How to Read a Book to my list :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bobiverse series\n-The Expeditionary force series.",
          "reason": "Names it among the best entertainment audiobooks so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28059025,
          "author": "johntdaly",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T09:35:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28059025",
          "commentText": "SciFi\nThe Bobiverse Series by Dennis E. Taylor\nThe Singularity Trap and Outland, also by Dennis E. Taylor\nThe Interdependency Series by John Scalzi\nSciFi + Comedy\nExpeditionary Force Series by Craig Alanson\nMilitary SciFi\nThe Lost Fleet Series by Jack Campbell\nThe Palladium Wars Series by Marko Kloos\nA bit of all of the above\nMurderbot Diaries Series by Martha Wells\nSciFi/SciFantasy + Comedy\nMagic 2.0 by Scott Mayer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Expeditionary Force Series by Craig Alanson",
          "reason": "Lists the series as a science fiction and comedy recommendation.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking science fiction comedy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25845573,
          "author": "ryanmercer",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T12:22:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25845573",
          "commentText": "Heinlein is always great.\nCheck out B. V. Larson's Swarm and Undying Mercenaries series, Dennis E. Taylor Bobiverse series, and Craig Alanson's Expeditionary Force.\nAlso what I mentioned to OP, what I'm doing my annual re-listen of https://www.goodreads.com/series/51166-troy-rising\nThey're not Heinlein by any means but they're fairly good hard science fiction. The audiobook versions all have fantastic narrators too if one has a commute.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Craig Alanson's Expeditionary Force",
          "reason": "Suggested among science fiction series the commenter describes as fairly good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these series are not Heinlein by any means.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Craig Alanson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military science fiction",
        "space opera",
        "comedy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "extreme-ownership-how-u-s-navy-seals-lead-and-win-7fca84",
      "title": "Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win",
      "author": "Jocko Willink and Leif Babin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33856700,
          "author": "Noe2097",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T19:16:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33856700",
          "commentText": "Try \"Extreme Ownership\".\nIt will give you concrete examples on how to broaden your scope out of just your individual contribution, by learning to care for all the rest, and pushing you to realize that to a large extent, the things you see as broken you can actually fix.\nEven when they are not inside the codebase you are in charge of. Even if they aren't even on engineering side.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Try \"Extreme Ownership\".",
          "reason": "Recommended for learning to take responsibility beyond individual contributions and to address problems across teams.",
          "audience": "Software engineers seeking to broaden their contribution beyond coding.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16573112,
          "author": "muzani",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-13T01:07:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16573112",
          "commentText": "33 Strategies of War. It's good for dealing with any and all types of conflict, including conflicts with yourself. Half of the book is unconventional techniques most people don't even think of.\nSimilarly themed is Extreme Ownership, which covers leadership in chaotic situstions.\nMilitaries are designed to deal with the chaos of war, and a lot of principles apply to the chaos of software engineering too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "which covers leadership in chaotic situstions.",
          "reason": "The commenter presents it as covering leadership in chaotic situations and relates its principles to software engineering.",
          "audience": "People interested in leadership amid the chaos of software engineering.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12983393,
          "author": "eswat",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-18T01:01:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12983393",
          "commentText": "A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William B. Irvine\nExtreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Leif Babin and Jocko Willink",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Leif Babin and Jocko Willink",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jocko Willink",
        "Leif Babin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "decision making",
        "military leadership",
        "personal responsibility"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "extreme-programming-explained-embrace-change-24ed1d",
      "title": "Extreme Programming Explained: Embrace Change",
      "author": "Kent Beck",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14846482,
          "author": "BJanecke",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T09:59:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14846482",
          "commentText": "* Douglas Hofstadter - Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid\n* Fred Brooks -  Design Of Design\n* Fred Brooks - The Mythical Man month\n* Eric J. Evans - Domain Driven Design\n* Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software\n* Kent Beck - Extreme Programming Explained\n* Kent Beck - Planning Extreme Programming\n*  Michael C. Feathers - Working Effectively with Legacy Code\n* Daniel Kahneman - Thinking, Fast and Slow\n[EDIT] Correct the author for legacy code",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Extreme Programming Explained",
          "reason": "Included in a list answering which books affected how the commenter structures code.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12150875,
          "author": "de107549",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-23T20:24:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12150875",
          "commentText": "There were different book that impacted different stages of my career:\nAs a programmer :\n1. The C++ Programming Language by Bjarne Stroustrup.\n2. Operating System Concepts by Silberschatz\n3. Compilers by Aho\nAs an agile software developer:\n1. eXtreme Programming by Kent Beck\n2. Pragmatic Programmer by Hunt and Thomas\n3. Continuous Delivery by Jez Humble\nAs an architect:\n1. Domain Driven Design by Evans\n2. Pattern-Oriented Software Architecture by Buschmann\n3. Envisioning Information by Edward Tufte\nAs a CEO:\n1. Good To Great by Collins\n2. Lean Startup by Eric Ries\n3. Beyond Budgeting by Pfläging",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "eXtreme Programming by Kent Beck",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8004830,
          "author": "pbr_rob",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-08T15:04:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8004830",
          "commentText": "Best \"learn a language\" book I've read was the first edition of Joe Armstrong's Programming Erlang book.\nFor a Software Engineering book, it's hard to beat The Pragmatic Programmer.\nA good working-with-other-people book is Extreme Programming Explained 2nd ed.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A good working-with-other-people book is Extreme Programming Explained 2nd ed.",
          "reason": "Described as a good book about working with other people.",
          "audience": "Software teams and developers interested in collaboration.",
          "caveat": "The commenter specifies the second edition.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kent Beck"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "agile software development",
        "extreme programming",
        "team collaboration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "factfulness-e3cac0",
      "title": "Factfulness",
      "author": "Hans Rosling",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37952438,
          "author": "mrich",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T04:39:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37952438",
          "commentText": "In a similar vein, Factfulness by Hans Rosling.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In a similar vein, Factfulness by Hans Rosling.",
          "reason": "Offered as a book in a similar vein to the parent comment's discussion of violence and perceptions of historical progress.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804066,
          "author": "Delfino",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:09:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804066",
          "commentText": "I read about 25 books this year, here are the top 10 I look forward to reading in 2020, many of them informed by my favorites of 2019:\nHomo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari - I read Sapiens this year and really enjoyed it. I just started this today one so I may finish that before the end of the year.\nThinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman - I like books that make me think and from what I've heard, this will definitely do the trick. I read Factfulness this year and this was a suggested follow-up.\nThe Language Instinct by Steven Pinker - I've gotten really into natural languages since I've lived outside my country of origin for the last 2 and a half years and I've heard good things about this book being an entry point into linguistics.\nSword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski - With the new Witcher show coming out on Netflix I finally went back and beat The Witcher 3 then read the first book, The Last Wish. It was enjoyable enough that I want to keep going with the series.\nEducated by Tara Westover - Was convinced by Bill Gate's blog this is worthwhile. I'm a teacher so it wasn't hard to convince me.\nRobot Builder's Bonanza by Gordon McComb - I've been asked to teach a robotics course next year and this one seems to be The Book everyone recommends to dive into robotics.\nDivided by Partition: United by Resilience by Mallika Ahluwalia - I recently visited the Partition Museum in Amritsar, Punjab, India and purchased this book there to learn about more stories about people impacted by this event.\nThe Elements of Computing Systems by Noam Nisan and Shimon Shocken - I just read Code by Petzold and it was one of my favorite books. Even though I studied Computer Science in University and most of the concepts weren't new to me, it was such a fun experience mentally \"building\" a computer from relays/transistors to logic gates and up to assemblers, compilers, and interpreters. I want to keep going with this and jump into the Nand2Tetris online course.\nThe Annotated Turing by Charles Petzold - Again, I loved Petzold's Code so I looked up other books he wrote and this one looks great. I've never actually read Turing's work so I'm excited to have some background and explanation to help me not just read the words but grasp their significance.\nZACH-LIKE by Zachtronics - I played through several Zachtronics games this year (TIS-100, Shenzhen I/O and Opus Magnum) so I can't wait to dive into some of the thinking behind creating these and similar games.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I read Factfulness this year",
          "reason": "Named as a suggested follow-up to another book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20332606,
          "author": "EKemp",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T06:17:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20332606",
          "commentText": "That has to be Factfulness from Hans Rosling :-)\nWhy: Where journalists continuosly provide the trees of human progress, this book provides the forest.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "That has to be Factfulness from Hans Rosling :-)",
          "reason": "Says it gives a broad view of human progress beyond the details journalists report.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19091223,
          "author": "_jgdh",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T23:35:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19091223",
          "commentText": "* Factfulness and Thinking Fast And Slow. The latter helped me internalise that my thinking, like most humans, is biased. Even being aware of those biases doesn’t always help. We need to go above and beyond to overcome our biases.  Factfulness goes into detail about what those biases are and how they lead to a distorted world view. Rather than taking the easy way out by blaming journalists/politicians/rich people, he turns the focus onto us and our biases and speaks about how to look at the world in an objective fact based manner.\n* The Dictator’s Handbook. One simple axiom - leaders do what is necessary to stay in power. Using that idea they explain the basis of all political systems, whether autocracy or democracy or somewhere in between. I didn’t really understand politics before I read this. CGPGrey has a video where he summarises the book. [1]\n* (Only for Indians) India After Gandhi. You can’t really understand your country if you don’t know it’s history. History stopped in 1947 according to our history books, and most people are blissfully unaware of what came after. They don’t know how close India came to losing democracy or how easily it could happen again. They don’t understand the dangers of promoting one language at the expense of others because they don’t know that it’s been tried before. Every Indian needs to know so we don’t repeat the mistakes of the past over and over.\n[1] - https://youtu.be/rStL7niR7gs",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Factfulness goes into detail about what those biases are and how they lead to a distorted world view.",
          "reason": "Explains biases and how to view the world objectively.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hans Rosling"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Society",
        "Science",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data literacy",
        "global development",
        "cognitive biases",
        "human progress"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "factfulness-ten-reasons-we-re-wrong-about-the-world-and-why-thing-a416d8",
      "title": "Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World—and Why Things Are Better Than You Think",
      "author": "Hans Rosling, with Ola Rosling and Anna Rosling Rönnlund",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46396350,
          "author": "brokegrammer",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T21:16:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46396350",
          "commentText": "Demian by Hermann Hesse. I wanted to scream \"Stop overthinking!\" to the protagonist. Something I can relate to.\nSiddharta by Hermann Hesse. Helped me understand that a perfect life is a collection of ups and downs and that one must accept it all.\nAmerika by Franz Kafka. Could relate to the protagonist because people take advantage of his naivety.\nFactfulness by Hans Rosling. Made me see the world in a less pessimistic way.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Factfulness by Hans Rosling. Made me see the world in a less pessimistic way.",
          "reason": "Changed the commenter’s view of the world in a less pessimistic direction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23858884,
          "author": "jdiez17",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:45:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858884",
          "commentText": "Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World--and Why Things Are Better Than You Think - Hans Rosling",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World--and Why Things Are Better Than You Think - Hans Rosling",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that helped readers understand the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21902411,
          "author": "gpanders",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T23:02:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902411",
          "commentText": "Factfulness and Enlightenment Now utterly transformed my outlook on life and the state of the world. These two books turned me from a cynical complainer into an optimist. Cannot recommend them highly enough.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Factfulness and Enlightenment Now utterly transformed my outlook on life and the state of the world.",
          "reason": "Says the book transformed their outlook and strongly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hans Rosling",
        "Ola Rosling",
        "Anna Rosling Rönnlund"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Society",
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data literacy",
        "global development",
        "worldview"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "factfulness-ten-reasons-we-re-wrong-about-the-world-and-why-thing-097338",
      "title": "Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About the World—and Why Things Are Better Than You Think",
      "author": "Hans Rosling, Ola Rosling, and Anna Rosling Rönnlund",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35929610,
          "author": "bionsystem",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T15:56:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35929610",
          "commentText": "Factfulness: Ten Reasons We're Wrong About The World - And Why Things Are Better Than You Think (English Edition)\nHans Rosling, Ola Rosling, Anna Rosling Rönnlund\nI'm reading this right now and I'm quite surprised by how little I know about the most impactful data on human well-being. The writing is a little bit off sometimes but still worth looking at.\nI also liked \"Fooled by randomness\" by Nassim Taleb. His other writings are good too but I would say this one is the most impactful.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The writing is a little bit off sometimes but still worth looking at.",
          "reason": "Currently reading it and finds it informative despite occasional awkward writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The writing is sometimes off.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30241243,
          "author": "cyneox",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T06:59:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241243",
          "commentText": "- Way of the peaceful warrior\n- Range\n- Conversations with God\n- Factfulness\n- Accelerate: Building and Scaling High-Performing Technology Organizations",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Factfulness",
          "reason": "Lists it as an answer to the request for a book recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17522563,
          "author": "TotempaaltJ",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T13:03:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17522563",
          "commentText": "Want to second this. Has changed my worldview in very significant ways.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Want to second this. Has changed my worldview in very significant ways.",
          "reason": "Seconds the parent recommendation and says it significantly changed their worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hans Rosling",
        "Ola Rosling",
        "Anna Rosling Rönnlund"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Society",
        "Economics",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data literacy",
        "global development",
        "human well being",
        "worldview"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "feersum-endjinn-cfa693",
      "title": "Feersum Endjinn",
      "author": "Iain M. Banks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36021214,
          "author": "meeech",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:28:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021214",
          "commentText": "Feersum Endjinn is great, but would recommend starting with other culture novels first.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Feersum Endjinn is great, but would recommend starting with other culture novels first.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it great but advises starting with other Culture novels first.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Suggests reading other Culture novels first.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36020942,
          "author": "dcminter",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:00:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36020942",
          "commentText": "Fair warning, I only liked the first part of Seveneves; I thought the second part was stupid. You'll get a lot of recommendations for Liu Cixin's \"Three Body Problem\" which I personally hate (though the first part of the first book is very well written), but if you like all of Seveneves then it might suit you.\nMy personal favourites that might not already be on everyone else's lists:\nFiasco - Stanisław Lem\nThis is how you lose the time war - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone\nFeersum Endjinn - Iain Banks\nThe Dark Side of the Sun - Terry Pratchett (yes, that one)\nBlindsight - Peter Watts\nBloom - Wil McCarthy\nGood luck!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Feersum Endjinn - Iain Banks",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's personal favorites in response to a request for science fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22094942,
          "author": "teh_klev",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T23:35:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22094942",
          "commentText": "> I’d argue the The Barbarian’s Scottish dialect in The Bridge was a precursor to Bascule.\nI'd certainly agree with you there. He's variously introduced his readers to Scots, the Doric and the vernacular in his books over many years. Feersum Endjinn was a fun read, especially for me as a Scot who has an interest in the Scots language.\n> Sorely miss him.\nI do too. I'd met him at various times over the length of his career. Always a bloody nice guy and always self deprecating in a way you knew was very genuine. I always relished him taking the mickey out of his famous neighbour in North Queensferry, Gordon Brown, every now and again.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Feersum Endjinn was a fun read",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a fun read and discusses its phonetic Scots-influenced style.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Scots language and playful phonetic writing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140653,
          "author": "dcminter",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T08:15:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140653",
          "commentText": "Tales from the White Hart (Clarke, RIP) kicked off my interest in science and thus in IT. So that inspired me most.\nStill, I think the best SF I've read was Feersum Endjinn by Iain M. Banks.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think the best SF I've read was Feersum Endjinn by Iain M. Banks.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the best science fiction they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Iain M. Banks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "experimental fiction",
        "far future",
        "phonetic writing",
        "scottish language"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "finding-flow-the-psychology-of-engagement-with-everyday-life-992484",
      "title": "Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life",
      "author": "Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13236830,
          "author": "danohu",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T12:35:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13236830",
          "commentText": "not the GP, but start with Flow. Flow is the famous, classic one. Finding Flow is a later expansion/restatement -- it's good enough in its own right, but Flow is the lodestone",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it's good enough in its own right, but Flow is the lodestone",
          "reason": "Described as good in its own right, but secondary to Flow.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter points readers to Flow as the main starting point.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785719,
          "author": "martythemaniak",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T21:18:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785719",
          "commentText": "Leave it to Psmith - 10/10\nAnna Karenina - 8/10\nThe Code of the Woosters 8/10\nFooled by Randomness 7/10\nFinding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life 8/10\nHow to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia 9/10\nReluctant Fundamentalist 9/10\nThe Sense of an Ending - Julian Barnes 8/10\nThe Last Question - Asimov - 9/10\nThe Magic of Thinking Big - 6/10\nThe catcher in the Rye 8/10\nModels 7/10\nHigh Fidelity - Nick Hornby 8/10\nThe Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman 7/10\nThe Surrender Experiment - 10/10\nUntethered Soul - 9/10\nThe Autobiography of a Yogi - 7/10\nRaja Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 7/10\nSomething Fresh, something new - 7/10\nKarma Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 8/10\nThinking, Fast and Slow - 9/10\nFierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates 10/10\nThe Pearl by John Steinbeck 7/10",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life 8/10",
          "reason": "Rates the book 8/10.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7049275,
          "author": "markhelo",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-13T06:37:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 7048683,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best development book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7049275",
          "commentText": "Besides the already good technical book suggestions, I am going a bit off the path here, but these books have made me a better developer.\n\"Endurance\" about Sir Ernest Shackleton's incredible failed expedition to the South Pole has a lot of parallels to any software project. Teaches you about setting a high goal, finding the right team, overcoming failure, being scrappy, and keeping your team together inspite of the odds.\nAnother non-standard book is \"Finding Flow\" by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi which is about psychology of happiness at work or life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another non-standard book is \"Finding Flow\" by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi which is about psychology of happiness at work or life.",
          "reason": "Includes it among books the commenter says made them a better developer.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in happiness and psychology at work or in life.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "flow state",
        "engagement",
        "flow",
        "happiness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fire-in-the-valley-4fe5da",
      "title": "Fire in the Valley",
      "author": "Paul Freiberger and Michael Swaine",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36581482,
          "author": "conz",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-04T02:30:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36581482",
          "commentText": "In no order in particular, these are good books:\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/722412.The_Dream_Machine\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackers:_Heroes_of_the_Compute... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hackers:_Heroes_of_the_Computer_Revolution)\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12625589-turing-s-cathed... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12625589-turing-s-cathedral)\nhttps://openlibrary.org/books/OL27198205M/Fire_in_the_valley",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://openlibrary.org/books/OL27198205M/Fire_in_the_valley",
          "reason": "Listed as a good book on the history of technology.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the history of technology.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 601934,
          "author": "trekker7",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-10T08:28:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 601903,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fictional books related to startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=601934",
          "commentText": "Posted at ~1 AM in the Valley... would love for this to be bumped up during the daytime here. Then again the kinds of people who would comment are probably wide awake right now.\nNonfiction, but thought Fire in the Valley was worth mentioning. Pirates of the Silicon Valley is the movie based on it. Antitrust is also good.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "thought Fire in the Valley was worth mentioning.",
          "reason": "Considered worth mentioning in response to a request for startup related fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Nonfiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135906,
          "author": "fogus",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-13T12:45:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135906",
          "commentText": "Off the top of my head:\n- Soul of a New Machine\n- The Cuckoo's Egg\n- Revolution in the Valley\n- Fire in the Valley\n- Compilers by Sethi, Ullman, Aho\n- Masters of Doom\n- iWoz\n- Steve Jobs & the NeXT Big Thing\n- Crypto\n- Code\n- The Man Who Loved Only Numbers\n- The Man Who Knew Infinity\n- ANSI Common LISP\nMost of the books above are recommended because once reading them you will have an uncontrollable urge to immediately create something brilliant.  You will not be able to stop yourself.\n-m",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Fire in the Valley",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter recommends for their motivating effect.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computing and creating things.",
          "caveat": "The claimed effect is an uncontrollable urge to create something brilliant.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Freiberger",
        "Michael Swaine"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal computing",
        "silicon valley history",
        "technology history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "for-dummies-0bd6db",
      "title": "For Dummies",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31707606,
          "author": "lamename",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-11T19:44:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31707606",
          "commentText": "I've found the \"_ for Dummies\" series to be quite clear for math. I used Linear Algebra for Dummies to brush up on some concepts recently to solve a problem at work.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've found the \"_ for Dummies\" series to be quite clear for math.",
          "reason": "Says the series is clear for math and mentions using its linear algebra volume to review concepts for work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12171832,
          "author": "theknarf",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-27T11:00:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 12160209,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 12 year old tech savvy girl – books, programs, events, advice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12171832",
          "commentText": "I myself started to program at the age of 11. At that time my father bought a book and learned a little Visual Basic, he then got introduced it to me and I was hooked. After that I borrowed an old book he had on HTML/CSS (creating webpages) and after that I started picking up books in the library.\nI think that you should try to let her learn to create webpages with HTML & CSS, and then later she could try to learn JavaScript. It's an relatively easy place to start, and you're learning real world skills. I tend to disagree with people who want children to learn \"Python Scratch\" or other toys that you'll never get any use for.\nTheres a lot of resources online (ex. http://www.w3schools.com/html/default.asp), and on YouTube. But I will always recommend to start with a good book, the \"For Dummies\" series is usually very good (ex. \"Beginning HTML5 and CSS3 For Dummies\").",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the \"For Dummies\" series is usually very good",
          "reason": "Recommends this series as a good place to start with a book.",
          "audience": "Beginners learning web development.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 755137,
          "author": "springcoil",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T13:28:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755137",
          "commentText": "I second the OCW reference.\n  Some of the Calculus for Dummies, type books are good.\nIts good to remember that Calculus and Linear Algebra don't have to be that complicated. \nI also recommend scan the books before you buy them, I wasted far too much money at college on txtbooks that I ended up despising",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Some of the Calculus for Dummies, type books are good.",
          "reason": "Says some books of this type are good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Refers generally to calculus books in this style, not a specific volume.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 80910,
          "author": "SwellJoe",
          "createdAt": "2007-11-17T09:28:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 80845,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC:  What is the most embarrassing technical book that you have ever owned?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=80910",
          "commentText": "Hard to say...There've been so many...\nI had this awesome book full of BASIC games for the Commodore 64.  It ruled.\nMastering Amiga Assembler\nTeach Yourself C in 24 Hours (all of the Teach Yourself * in 24 Hours books are embarrassing, though not as embarrassing as \"For Dummies\" books).\nOoh...No, I've got it: I took the TCP/IP portion of the MCSE exams, and I had a study guide for that.  That's the most embarrassing (because it indicates I took an MCSE exam...but, there were dark times in IT before most of you were born...many servers ran this OS named Windows NT, instead of UNIX or Linux).",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "\"For Dummies\" books",
          "reason": "The commenter characterizes these books as embarrassing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "beginner guides",
        "beginner textbooks",
        "calculus",
        "math textbooks"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "for-whom-the-bell-tolls-c8b170",
      "title": "For Whom the Bell Tolls",
      "author": "Ernest Hemingway",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17984913,
          "author": "abdullahkhalids",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-14T05:31:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17984913",
          "commentText": "A lot of Hemmingway is deeply touching work. I found both The Old Man and the Sea and For Whom The Bell Tolls to be excellent studies of human nature.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For Whom The Bell Tolls to be excellent studies of human nature.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is an excellent study of human nature.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968586,
          "author": "hkmurakami",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T00:34:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968586",
          "commentText": "Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami (no relation to author :p) and For Whom the Bell Tools by Ernest Hemingway.\n(On a fiction binge)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "For Whom the Bell Tools by Ernest Hemingway.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6902379,
          "author": "Nicholas_C",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T19:30:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6902379",
          "commentText": "For Whom the Bell Tolls\nI've been on a Hemingway kick ever since.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For Whom the Bell Tolls\nI've been on a Hemingway kick ever since.",
          "reason": "Names it in response to the question asking for the best book read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5859266,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-11T02:39:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 5859004,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5859266",
          "commentText": "Cool.  Maybe I'll go back and re-read it.  I'm pretty sure I actually did read it back then, but I'm drawing a blank on the story.\nThat reminds me, I started For Whom The Bell Tolls in 12th grade and never got around to finishing it.  I guess I need to revisit that as well, at some point.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I started For Whom The Bell Tolls in 12th grade and never got around to finishing it.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Started it in 12th grade but did not finish; says they may revisit it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569154,
          "author": "sgoraya",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:27:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569154",
          "commentText": "I recently went on a Ernest Hemingway bender after not having read much fiction in a while (sort of a gray area for these novels since a lot of it is based on Hemingway's experiences during the wars);  I would highly recommend:\nFor whom the bell tolls & A farewell to arms\nOut of those two, I liked For Whom The Bell Tolls a little bit better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would highly recommend:\nFor whom the bell tolls & A farewell to arms\nOut of those two, I liked For Whom The Bell Tolls a little bit better.",
          "reason": "Highly recommends it and says it was the one they liked better.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ernest Hemingway"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "spanish civil war",
        "war novel",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "foundation-s-edge-cbcaa2",
      "title": "Foundation's Edge",
      "author": "Isaac Asimov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32197927,
          "author": "hindsightbias",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197927",
          "commentText": "> mathematical model that can predict the future\nRead the Robots series and then Foundations Edge and sequels.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and then Foundations Edge and sequels.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends Foundation's Edge and its sequels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12070956,
          "author": "teh_klev",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T13:41:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12070956",
          "commentText": "No, most (non-pedantic) Asimov fans refer to the first three books (F, F&E, SF - which yes are technically collections of short stories glued together as one) as \"the Foundation Trilogy\". I do recommend reading the Foundation's Edge and Foundation and Earth, they're worthy sequels to the \"trilogy\".\nThe Robot novels are also a top read and tie in with the later Foundation books in a satisfying way:\n- The Caves of Steel\n- The Naked Sun\n- The Robots of Dawn\n- Robots and Empire",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I do recommend reading the Foundation's Edge and Foundation and Earth",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends these as worthy sequels to the trilogy.",
          "audience": "Readers of the Foundation Trilogy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6390796,
          "author": "elehack",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T23:41:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6390796",
          "commentText": "A lot of stuff:\nAsimov's Foundation (I only recommend the trilogy, though; Foundation's Edge is good but will make you want to read Foundation and Earth, which does severe damage to the universe. Haven't read the prequels.)\nAsimov's short stories\nTolkien\nBen Hur\nThe Count of Monte Cristo (brilliant revenge story)\nA lot of Brandon Sanderson's work (The Stormlight Archive is promising to be fascinating)\nToo long a list of other stuff to put here.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Foundation's Edge is good but will make you want to read Foundation and Earth",
          "reason": "Calls the book good, while warning that it leads to a sequel they criticize.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says reading it will make you want to read Foundation and Earth, which does severe damage to the universe.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isaac Asimov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "classic science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "four-thousand-weeks-7fe1d0",
      "title": "Four Thousand Weeks",
      "author": "Oliver Burkeman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42274691,
          "author": "perrygeo",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T15:56:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42274691",
          "commentText": "Origin - A genetic history of the Americas by Jennifer Raff. Recent evidence of how humans came to the Americas; it's a significantly different story than our conventional wisdom account.\nCows, Pigs, Wars, and Witches by Marvin Harris. How cultural norms establish collective behavior.\nThe Extermination of the American Bison. Written in the late 1800s as the tragedy was unfolding. Lots on great detail on how and why we decimated a keystone species in a matter of a few decades.\nPlato's Revenge by William Ophuls. A concise manifesto on societal change. Lays out a vision for a new post-growth, post-oil, ecological consciousness that incorporates modern science, religion and philosophy.\nFour Thousand Weeks. Far from a self-help time-management book, this is more a philosophy book on human's relationship with time. Delightful read.\nBreath by James Nestor. Modern humans are breathing incorrectly due to factors of modern life. An exploration of the science and art of breathing properly.\nBernoulli's Fallacy by Aubrey Clayton. In the statistical wars, this book takes a strong stance: Bayesian is unequivocally better. He exploses the racist/colonial history of frequentist statistics, as well as the fundamental flaws in their math. Posits that mis-applied frequentist methods are to blame for the reproducibility crisis in science.\nHow the World Really Works by Vaclav Smil. A no-nonsense, factual account of the systems that keep our modern globalized society running.\nElements of Clojure by Zach Tellman. A concise, high-level philosophy about how we build and compose abstractions. One of those books where every sentence is gold. My only wish that the book wasn't tied to Clojure (most of the book is applicable to any language, despite the title).\nTidy First? by Kent Beck. How and when to make structural changes (refactoring, architecture, paying down tech debt) vs behavioral changes (new features, bug fixes). You need both, and you can use economic theory as a guide for when to invest in one or the other. But you need to treat them differently.\nNumerical Linear Algebra for Programmers by Dragan Djuric. A code-centric introduction to common linear algrebra routines, Using Clojure and the neaderthal library - a high-level API for fast math optimized for CPU and GPU hardware.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Four Thousand Weeks. Far from a self-help time-management book, this is more a philosophy book on human's relationship with time. Delightful read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a delightful philosophical book about humans' relationship with time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is more philosophy than self-help time management.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38565904,
          "author": "__rito__",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T06:03:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38565904",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- \"The Dark Forest\" by Liu Cixin and the whole Three Body Problem/Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy. Truly massive, grand SciFi. Would recommend 10/10. [HN]\n- \"Anna Karenina\" by Tolstoy. Made me face deeper parts of my mind. Attempted to answer some questions I had. Great story. Huge book. Historical fiction is something I like across languages.\n- \"Candide\" by Voltaire. Genuinely fun and entertaining, besides it being- you know- Voltaire.\n- \"The Diamond Age\" by Neal Stephenson. Very good story, world buulding, nice technology. Great thinking by the author.\nNon Fiction:\n- \"Fermat's Last Theorem\" by Simon Singh. Was very happy to see a Popular Math book where there are so many Popular Science books. Great book. Goes over FMT's solving history, with many many fun anecdotes, short biographies, etc. Truly enjoyable to read.\n- \"Code Book\" by Simon Singh. Genuinely fun and learned a lot. Cryptography's history, progress, and so much more. [HN]\nSelf-Help:\n- \"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\" by Robert Pirsig. Truly marvelous book and nice to read. This book requires the reader to be of certain kind attaining a certain level. Without that, this book will seem a fluff and overrated hugely. Fundamentally changed my thinking. [HN]\n- \"Four Thousand Weeks\" by Oliver Bourkeman. Thought this was about saner time management with some wisdom. But was much deeper than that. Will recommend.\nBengali:\n- \"Abhajaner Mahabharat\" by Mahbub Lilen. A fun and serious retelling of the Mahabharata. Goes deep, too. Really fun to read.\n- \"Khana Mihirer Dhipi\" by Bani Basu. An account of feminism in the light of female-dominated inner part of Bengali elite households- and that in the light of female dominated, fully maternalistic hunter-gatherers of early human history. Very thought provoking and unique.\n[HN]- chose primarily because recommendation in some past HN threads.\nRead 23 so far. Target is 25. Currently reading Snow Crash and Exhalation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Four Thousand Weeks\" by Oliver Bourkeman.",
          "reason": "Expected saner time management advice but found it deeper and recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34165479,
          "author": "spicymaki",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T20:25:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34165479",
          "commentText": "These were all wonderful books to read.\nMy top three were:\n1. Four Thousand Weeks\n2. The Book of Form and Emptiness\n3. The Three-Body Problem",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1. Four Thousand Weeks",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's top three books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34161456,
          "author": "spicymaki",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T14:49:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161456",
          "commentText": "2022 was a year full of change for me and I am not looking for change but more of a complement to my life as it is currently.\nIn the process of reading:\nParable of a Sower’s Daughter by Octavia Butler\nRead this year:\nThe Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki\nThe Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson\nFour Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman\nA Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki\nSea of Tranquillity by Emily St. John Mandel\nChildren of Dune by Frank Herbert\nTurtles All the Way Down by John Green\nThe Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu\nStation Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman",
          "reason": "Listed among books read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Oliver Burkeman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Philosophy",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mortality",
        "time management",
        "productivity",
        "time"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "free-prize-inside-1dfe46",
      "title": "Free Prize Inside!",
      "author": "Seth Godin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4001596,
          "author": "andrewhillman",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-21T06:33:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 3991620,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What PR book should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4001596",
          "commentText": "Read some Seth Godin books.... purple cow, free prize inside etc... and you will learn how to market/pr. One of my college degrees is in PR but I learned more via Seth Godin's books",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "purple cow, free prize inside etc... and you will learn how to market/pr.",
          "reason": "Recommended to learn marketing and PR.",
          "audience": "People learning marketing or PR.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1080759,
          "author": "javery",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-27T16:05:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 1080708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Marketing Books for Developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1080759",
          "commentText": "I would start with the Purple Cow and Free Prize Inside by Godin, they are high level but they talk about that fact that you need to make your product exceptional instead of pouring money into marketing.\nI would also check out Inbound Marketing by Halligan and Shah, I just got it and started it but so far it looks good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would start with the Purple Cow and Free Prize Inside by Godin, they are high level but they talk about that fact that you need to make your product exceptional instead of pouring money into marketing.",
          "reason": "Suggests starting with the book for its advice on making a product exceptional.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as high level.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 142997,
          "author": "Alex3917",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T01:21:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=142997",
          "commentText": "I only read non-fiction that's counterintuitive. I figure, hey, I'm pretty smart, so if it's intuitive then I can probably figure it out on my own. A list of stuff I cite most often:\nNo Contest & Punished by Rewards by Alfie Kohn\nStatus Anxiety by Alain de Botton\nPG's essays & ITConversations interviews\nThe Underground History of American Education by John Taylor Gatto\nThe Singularity is Near by Kurzweil\nThis graph: http://alexkrupp.com/picture_library/plot.jpg\nDee Hock's essay on leadership\nA handful of blog posts by Mark Cuban\nAll Marketers are Liars & Free Prize Inside by Seth Godin. All of the books that Seth recommends are also worth reading.\nBruce Schneier's interview on ITConversations\nMagic Ink, an essay by Bret Victor\nWar Is A  Force That Gives Us Meaning by Chris Hedges\nThe Cluetrain Manifesto (the book)\nI'm sure there's a lot more, but that's what comes to mind right now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All Marketers are Liars & Free Prize Inside by Seth Godin.",
          "reason": "Includes it among the nonfiction works the commenter cites most often.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5574,
          "author": "python_kiss",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T02:11:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5574",
          "commentText": "About 14 months ago, I had little knowledge of how to execute a startup. In particular, I wasn't familiar with any online marketing tactics. The following books helped me a lot in that respective, and more:\n\n1. Positioning, 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing/Branding, Focus, Marketing Warfare\n2. Purple Cow, All Marketers are Liars, Permission Marketing (I didn't like \"The Big Moo\", \"Free prize inside\" or \"Small is the new Big\").\n3. Founters At Work\n4. Wikinomics, Wisdom of Crowds, The Tipping Point (Blink! was alright). I am looking forward to reading \"The Long Tail\" and \"The starfish and the spider\"...has anyone read them yet?\n6. Why We Buy\n7. Hackers and Painters\n8. The E-Myth revisited\n9. The Art of the Start\n10. On War, The Art of War by Machiavelli and Sun Tzu (not exactly for startups, but definitely useful)\n11. Crossing the Chasm",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "\"Free prize inside\"",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly says they did not like this book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Seth Godin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marketing",
        "innovation",
        "marketing strategy",
        "product development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "free-to-choose-b28770",
      "title": "Free to Choose",
      "author": "Milton Friedman and Rose Friedman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12562746,
          "author": "stephenbez",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T06:38:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12562746",
          "commentText": "I found Milton Friedman's \"Free To Choose\" fundamental and very readable.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Free-Choose-Statement-Milton-Friedman... (https://www.amazon.com/Free-Choose-Statement-Milton-Friedman/dp/0156334607)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found Milton Friedman's \"Free To Choose\" fundamental and very readable.",
          "reason": "Calls it fundamental and very readable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1465036,
          "author": "Shmulkey",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T05:49:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1465036",
          "commentText": "Economics in One Lesson by Hazlitt: http://jim.com/econ/, http://www.fee.org/pdf/books/Economics_in_one_lesson.pdf\nBasic Economics by Thomas Sowell\nApplied Economics by Thomas Sowell\nFree to Choose by Milton Friedman (video series, too)\nUse of Knowledge in Society by Hayek (short, non-technical paper which is full of brilliant insights): http://www.econlib.org/library/Essays/hykKnw1.html\nNot a book, but the Econtalk podcast is fantastic: http://www.econtalk.org/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Free to Choose by Milton Friedman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment also notes a video series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 180666,
          "author": "jackdied",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-04T05:34:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 180589,
          "threadTitle": "Good book for economics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=180666",
          "commentText": "If you are asking for introductory economics +1 for \"Basic Economics\" by Sowell and \"Free to Choose\" by Milton Friedman (Sowell is one of Friedman's proteges).\nPBS made \"Free to Choose\" into a series back in the 1980s.  You can find all the episodes on YouTube.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and \"Free to Choose\" by Milton Friedman",
          "reason": "The commenter lists it among suggestions for introductory economics.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking introductory economics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Milton Friedman and Rose Friedman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic policy",
        "free market economics",
        "free markets"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "future-shock-1d5957",
      "title": "Future Shock",
      "author": "Alvin Toffler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45097054,
          "author": "thisoneisreal",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-01T22:10:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 45097025,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What great book are you currently reading or recently finished?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45097054",
          "commentText": "\"Future Shock\" by Toffler. It was published in 1970, but the predictions are remarkably accurate and (most of) it could easily have been written today. The core idea is about how the rate of change in industrialized societies is accelerating, plus the implications of that and strategies for dealing with it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Future Shock\" by Toffler.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes its central idea and says its predictions remain remarkably accurate.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Published in 1970; the commenter qualifies that most of it could have been written today.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37960159,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:07:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960159",
          "commentText": "* \"Amusing Ourselves to Death\" by Neil Postman (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Postman contrasts the dystopian visions of George Orwell's \"1984\" and Aldous Huxley's \"Brave New World\" to argue that western society is becoming a shallow, entertainment-driven culture shaped by television and other media. He discusses the profound effects of television on politics, education, and other aspects of society.\n* \"Howard Zinn: A People's History of the US\" by Howard Zinn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers an alternative exploration of American history from the perspective of ordinary people and marginalized groups rather than from political leaders, emphasizing class struggles and systemic injustices.\n* \"The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science\" by Isaac Asimov (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive outline of scientific knowledge, covering fields like physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, and earth science. It communicates complex scientific concepts in a way that is accessible to non-specialist readers.\n* \"Das Kapital\" by Karl Marx (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive critique of capitalism highlighting its inherent contradictions and imbalances. Marx diagnoses the capitalist system as one in which the rich get richer at the expense of the working class. The book has been influential in shaping socialist and communist thought.\n* \"Handbook of Electronic Circuits\" (1 mention, authors not specified)\n    * Summary: An extensive reference guide that provides information on basic electronic circuits and components. It delves into the world of electronics with detailed illustrations and designs, making it a valuable resource for both beginners and professionals in the field.\n* \"Simulacra and Simulation\" by Jean Baudrillard (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This philosophical work explores the nature and cultural implications of signs and images in contemporary society. Baudrillard posits that symbols and signs have replaced reality and meaning, creating a hyperreal world where simulations of reality have become more real than reality itself.\n* \"LSD: My Problem Child\" by Albert Hofmann (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This autobiographical work by Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who first synthesized LSD, discusses his discovery and personal experiences with the drug, exploring both the positive and negative effects of LSD, its influence on society, and its potential therapeutic uses.\n* \"Requiem for the American Dream: The 10 Principles of Concentration of Wealth & Power\" by Noam Chomsky (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Chomsky provides an extensive critique of inequality in America, arguing that the concentration of wealth and power among a small elite is undermining democracy. He lays out 10 principles of concentration of wealth and power that have led to this situation.\n* \"Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\" by Alfred Lansing (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This true account of Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton's 1914-1916 expedition turned survival story. When his ship, the Endurance, was crushed by ice and left Shackleton and his crew stranded, they embarked on a harrowing and miraculous voyage to safety.\n* \"Hacker's Handbook\" by Hugo Cornwall (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A guidebook for computer enthusiasts that provides a look at the world of hacking. It covers a range of topics, including telephone and computer hacking, as well as legal implications.\n* \"Cosmos\" by Carl Sagan (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This widely-admired book introduces the universe beyond the Earth. Sagan explores our place in the universe, the history of scientific discovery, and the crucial role of critical thinking in grasping our world and the vast cosmos we are part of.\n* \"Six Pillars of Self-Esteem\" by Nathaniel Branden (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book provides a comprehensive exploration of self-esteem, its importance, its sources, and how to cultivate it. It offers concrete strategies to enhance self-esteem, which Branden argues is a key component of psychological health and personal fulfillment.\n* \"Future Shock\" by Alvin Toffler (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Future Shock examines the psychological and sociological impact of accelerating technological and social change. Toffler introduces the concept of \"future shock\" as a form of psychological disorientation caused by a rapid change in society and advocates for a more measured and conscious approach to future planning.\n* \"The Metropolis and Mental Life\" by Georg Simmel (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This seminal essay analyzes the effects of the urban environment on the individual's mind and social relationships. Simmel argues that the impersonality and money-centered economy of the metropolis lead to individuals feeling more alienated and adopting a defensive, blase attitude towards life.\n* \"The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power\" by Shoshana Zuboff (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book provides an extensive critique of the commodification of personal data by corporations in the digital age. Zuboff explores the rise of surveillance capitalism, where businesses harvest and analyze customer data to predict and influence behaviors.\n* \"Permanent Record\" by Edward Snowden (1 mention)\n    * Summary: In this powerful memoir, whistle-blower Edward Snowden tells his story on why he decided to expose the mass surveillance practices of the U.S. government. Permanent Record opens a broader conversation about free societies, privacy, surveillance, and what makes a country strong.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Future Shock\" by Alvin Toffler (1 mention)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37938014,
          "author": "keernan",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T03:32:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37938014",
          "commentText": "Future Shock by Alvin Toffler\nI read it in 1970. It sparked my interest in technology; an interest that is very much alive and kicking all these years later.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Future Shock by Alvin Toffler",
          "reason": "The commenter says it sparked a lasting interest in technology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9663767,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-05T03:37:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 9636361,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9663767",
          "commentText": "Nominally, I'm \"reading\" 23 books that are in my Goodreads \"currently reading\" shelf.  But of the ones that I'm really working on and will finish fairly soon:\n1. Secret Societies - John Lawrence Reynolds\n2. Black Wings of Cthulhu 3 - S.T. John (ed)\n3. Unleash The Warrior Within - Richard Machowicz\n4. Data Crush - Christopher Surdak\n5. Thinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman\n6. The Glass Cage: Automation and Us - Nicholas Carr\n7. Future Shock - Alvin Toffler\n8. The Balanced Scorecard - Robert S. Kaplan",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Future Shock - Alvin Toffler",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed among books currently being read; no evaluation given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753278,
          "author": "__Rahul",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:34:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753278",
          "commentText": "Do make space for Alvin Toffler - starting with \"Future Shock\" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Future_Shock",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Do make space for Alvin Toffler - starting with \"Future Shock\"",
          "reason": "Encourages readers to make space for Toffler, starting with this title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alvin Toffler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Society",
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "future studies",
        "social change",
        "technological change",
        "technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "galatea-2-2-96aabc",
      "title": "Galatea 2.2",
      "author": "Richard Powers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46161500,
          "author": "ashtavakra",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-05T14:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46161500",
          "commentText": "I consolidated the comments for my reference later. Someone else might also find it useful:\n# Fiction Books Recommended for Programmers (HN Thread 46128404)\n## Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- *Children of Time* — Science Fiction (Evolution, Space Opera)  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)\n## Rick Cook — Wizardry Series\n- *Wizard’s Bane* — Fantasy, Programming/Magic Mashup  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112616.Wizard_s_Bane\n- *Wizardry Series (overview)*  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\n## James P. Hogan\n- *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/743568.Inherit_the_Stars\n- *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifem... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifemaker)\n- *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_Tomorrow)\n## D. F. Jones — Colossus Trilogy\n- *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806105.Colossus\n- *The Fall of Colossus* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colos... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colossus)\n- *Colossus and the Crab* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_Crab)\n## Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner)\n- *A Logic Named Joe* — Golden-Age Sci-Fi, AI Precursor  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-j... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-joe)\n## David Gerrold\n- *When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One* — AI, Classic Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_Was_One)\n## William Gibson / Bruce Sterling\n- *Neuromancer* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer\n- *The Difference Engine* — Steampunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Eng... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Engine)\n## Neal Stephenson\n- *Snow Crash* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash\n- *Cryptonomicon* — Techno-thriller, Cyber-history  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/816.Cryptonomicon\n- *Anathem* — Philosophical Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2845024-anathem\n- *The Diamond Age* — Nanopunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827.The_Diamond_Age\n## Fred Saberhagen\n- *Octagon* — AI, Techno-thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1891958.Octagon\n## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga\n- *Series Overview* — Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/40946-vorkosigan-saga\n## Richard Powers\n- *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45104.Galatea_2_2\n## Scott Meyer\n- *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-wizard)\n## Daniel Suarez\n- *Daemon* — Cyber-thriller, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665844-daemon\n## Thomas J. Ryan\n- *The Adolescence of P-1* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_o... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_of_P_1)\n## Ernest Cline\n- *Ready Player One* — Sci-Fi, Gaming, Pop-Culture Adventure  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one\n## Dennis E. Taylor\n- *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)* — Humorous Sci-Fi, AI, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-we-are-bob)\n## Ted Chiang\n- *Stories of Your Life and Others* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\n- *Exhalation* — Speculative Fiction, Philosophy, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation\n- *The Lifecycle of Software Objects* — AI, Digital Consciousness  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of-software-objects)\n## Charles Stross\n- *Laundry Files Series* — Math-based Magic, Techno-Fantasy  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files\n## Ken Liu\n- *The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menag... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories)\n- *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, AI, VR  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl-and-other-stories)\n## Ellen Ullman\n- *The Bug* — Tech Industry Literary Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/703.The_Bug\n## Cory Doctorow\n- *Radicalized* — Techno-sociopolitical Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40604122-radicalized\n## qntm (Sam Hughes)\n- *Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans-in-transit-and-other-stories)\n## Roger Williams\n- *The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect* — AI, Post-Singularity SF  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)\n## Greg Bear\n- *Eon* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/924843.Eon\n## Vernor Vinge\n- *A Deepness in the Sky* — Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the_Sky)\n## Terry Pratchett\n- *Going Postal* — Comic Fantasy, Satire of Bureaucracy & Tech  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64222.Going_Postal\n## Bruce Bethke\n- *Headcrash* — Cyber-satire  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213465.Headcrash\n## Mary Shelley\n- *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* — Classic Gothic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein\n## Douglas Adams\n- *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* — Comic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guid... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)\n## Jorge Luis Borges\n- *The Library of Babel* — Metaphysical Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-babel)\n## Greg Egan\n- *Permutation City* — Simulation Theory, Hard Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156784.Permutation_City\n## Cixin Liu\n- *The Three-Body Problem* — Hard Sci-Fi, First Contact  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI",
          "reason": "Lists the title in a compilation of fiction books recommended for programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46135665,
          "author": "code_Whisperer",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T15:33:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46135665",
          "commentText": "\"Galatea 2.2\" by (my all-time favorite author) Richard Powers\n\"Off to Be the Wizard\" by Scott Meyer\n\"Daemon\" by Daniel Suarez\n\"The Adolescence of P1\" (vintage) by Thomas Ryan\n\"Snow Crash\" by William Gibson\n\"Ready Player One\" by Ernest Cline\n\"We are Legion [We are Bob]\" by Dennis Taylor",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Galatea 2.2\" by (my all-time favorite author) Richard Powers",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36083958,
          "author": "code_Whisperer",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-26T13:38:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36083958",
          "commentText": "Easily these (so far):\nThis is How You Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (actually now one of my all-time favorites, without regard to genre. Just amazing)\nChildren of Time - Adrian Tchaikovsky\nThe Book of Strange New Things - Michael Faber\nTed Chiang's short story collections (Exhalations and Stories of your life and others)\nDaemon - Daniel Suarez\nThe City and the City - China Miéville\nRoadside Picnic - Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (this one still haunts my dreams at times)\nWe Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse Book 1) - Dennis Taylor (just finished this series for book club)\nGalatea 2.2, The Overstory, Bewilderment, The Gold Bug Variations - 4 different books, all by Richard Powers - what can I say, the man is a genius and a treasure\nEifelheim - Michael Flynn - ok, this book can be a slog at times, but it is very rewarding for those who persevere, and has stuck in my brain for many years\nChocky - John Wyndham - A quiet, delightful surprise\nProvidence - Max Barry - This book flows like a movie. It will make a great movie. I found myself LITERALLY out of breath a couple of times\nHench: A Novel - Natalie Zina Walschots - Quirky, memorable\nThe Peacemaker's Code - Deepak Malhotra - Why hasn't this guy written more sci-fi?\nOrange World and Other Stories - Karen Russell - OK, maybe not strictly sci-fi, but this book tickles my brain\nGUILTY PLEASURE SCI-FI FAVORITE: The Vaz series by Laurence Dahners. I think I've read that series 3 times now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Galatea 2.2, The Overstory, Bewilderment, The Gold Bug Variations - 4 different books, all by Richard Powers",
          "reason": "Included among four books by the author.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395255,
          "author": "jasondrowley",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T09:25:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395255",
          "commentText": "Galatea 2.2 by Richard Powers\nIt's about a \"resident humanist\" at a research institution who makes an improbable bet with a computer scientist/AI researcher. For people in tech, it's a fantastic read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Galatea 2.2 by Richard Powers\nIt's about a \"resident humanist\" at a research institution who makes an improbable bet with a computer scientist/AI researcher. For people in tech, it's a fantastic read.",
          "reason": "Called a fantastic read.",
          "audience": "People in tech.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Powers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Computing",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "literary fiction",
        "academia",
        "humanities"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "game-engine-architecture-df76cb",
      "title": "Game Engine Architecture",
      "author": "Jason Gregory",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41387801,
          "author": "optymizer",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T06:00:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387801",
          "commentText": "I would split the books into two categories: those that improve the way you structure your code and deliver a software solution, and those that improve your technical understanding of the software platform and the computer you're using.\nThe first are books like Pragmatic Programmer, Mythical Man Month, Code Complete, Design Patterns, talks by Alan Kay on software systems and OOP, even Game Engine Architecture etc. A lot of the content there is distilled experience which is much faster to learn from a book than gain the hard way on the job.\nThe other books are practical deep dives. Here I would recommend a variety of books like Inside the Machine by Stokes, Computer Architecture by Hennessy, 21st Century C by Klemens, Crafting Interpreters by Nystrom, Compilers by Aho, Effective Java, Nature of Code by Shiffman, Ray Tracing Challenge by Buck, Hands on Hacking by Hickey, and others, depending on your interest and area of focus.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Game Engine Architecture",
          "reason": "Lists it among books on structuring code and delivering software.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16080223,
          "author": "oumua_don17",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-05T17:57:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16080223",
          "commentText": "3 so far:\n1. Elements of Computing Systems\n2. On Lisp\n3. Game Engine Architecture\nEdit: 2 -> 3",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Game Engine Architecture",
          "reason": "Included in a list of answers to a question asking for the best textbook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14653343,
          "author": "Jare",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-28T11:58:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 14652936,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on modern computer graphics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14653343",
          "commentText": "I would not advise anyone to try to get into computer graphics directly with the Vulkan or DX12 APIs. Start with DX11, modern OpenGL and/or WebGL, and work through your computer graphics theory (and a lot of practice) using those. Geometry, illumination, shaders, tools and GPU computation will take a lot of time to master. When you decide you want to go into low level APIs, if you are comfortable with Apple systems, Metal will likely be easier than Vulkan/DX12.\nA lot of the theory from classic books is still valid, so even a copy of Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice will look fine on your desk. \"Real Time Rendering\" by Moller/Haines and \"Physically Based Rendering\" by Pharr are excellent. \"Game Engine Architecture\" by Gregory and \"Mathematics for 3D Game Programming and Computer Graphics\" by Lengyel will probably prove very useful and relevant to you as well.\nOnline resources, the free https://learnopengl.com/ and the $10 http://graphicscodex.com/ are both fantastic. Make sure to read https://fgiesen.wordpress.com/2011/07/09/a-trip-through-the-... (https://fgiesen.wordpress.com/2011/07/09/a-trip-through-the-graphics-pipeline-2011-index/), and also study the techniques used for the craziest entries in https://www.shadertoy.com/\nAnd then, lots and lots of papers and presentations from the past 5 or 10 years of Game Developers Cconference and Siggraph.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Game Engine Architecture\" by Gregory and \"Mathematics for 3D Game Programming and Computer Graphics\" by Lengyel will probably prove very useful and relevant to you as well.",
          "reason": "Expected to be useful and relevant to someone learning graphics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7757244,
          "author": "jason_slack",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:54:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7757244",
          "commentText": "I have a few coming from Amazon\nOpenGL Insights - Cozzi and Riccio\nGame Engine Architecture (2nd Edition) - Jason Gregory\nProgramming: Principles and Practice Using C++ (2nd Edition) - Stroustrup",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Game Engine Architecture (2nd Edition) - Jason Gregory",
          "reason": "Lists it among books they have coming from Amazon.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jason Gregory"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "game development",
        "game engines",
        "computer graphics",
        "engine programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gang-leader-for-a-day-c489b7",
      "title": "Gang Leader for a Day",
      "author": "Sudhir Venkatesh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10785552,
          "author": "benajibayassine",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:50:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785552",
          "commentText": "1- The Emperor's Handbook by Marcus Aurelius. Jan, 10th 2015\n2- The crowd, a study of the popular mind by Gustave Le Bon. Jan, 10th 2015\n3- Remote by Jason Fried. Jan, 11th 2015\n4- The shape of the world to come by Laurent Cohen-Tanugi, Jan, 20th, 2015\n5- Post office by Charles Bukowski. Jan, 23rd 2015\n6- Gang leader for a day by Sudhir Venkatesh. Feb, 6th 2015\n7- Zen mind, beginner's mind by Shunryu Suzuki. Feb, 8th 2015\n8- The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Feb, 23rd 2015\n9- Darkness Visible by William Styron. March, 1st 2015\n10- Zero to One by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters. March, 9th 2015\n11- The Kaizen way: One small step can change your life by Robert Mauter. March, 11th 2015\n12- Time by Alexander Waugh. March, 12th 2015\n13- Max and the cats by Moacyr Scliar. March, 14th 2015\n14- Scattered by Gabor Mate. March, 20th 2015\n15- East of Eden by John Steinbeck. March, 30th 2015\n16- Crossing the unknown sea by David Whyte. April, 7th 2015\n17- Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. April, 13th 2015\n18- The World beyond your Head by Matthew Crawford. April, 22nd 2015\n19- How to Think about Exercise by Damon Young. April, 23rd 2015\n20- Solitude by Anthony Storr. May, 8th 2015\n21- Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. June, 10th 2015\n22- The bastard of Istanbul (in Arabic) by Elif Shafak. June, 21st 2015\n23- L’ordre libertaire: la vie philosophique d’Albert Camus by Michel Onfray. July, 7th 2015\n24- Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse. July, 10th 2015\n25- The arab uprisings by James Gelvin. July, 13th 2015\n26- How to worry less about money by John Armstrong. July, 13th 2015\n27- Self comes to mind by Antonio Damasio. July, 31st2015\n28- Muhammad: The First Muslim by Lesley Hazleton. August, 4th t2015\n29- Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. August, 15th 2015 \n30- Heidegger's Being and Time by William Blattner. August, 18th 2015 \n31- Heidegger and a hippo walk through those pearly gates by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. August, 19th 2015 \n32- Why nations fail by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson. October, 3rd 2015 \n33- Charlie Munger: the complete investor by Tren Griffin October, 9th 2015 \n34- The selfish gene by Richard Dawkins October, 23rd 2015\n35- The philosophical baby by Alison Gopnik October, 28th 2015\n36- The three-body problem by Cixin Liu November, 1st 2015\n37- Open letter to a young man by Andre Maurois November, 13th 2015\n38- Thinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman November, 16th 2015\n39- What do you care what people think by Richard Feynman November, 18th 2015\n40- When the body says No by Gabor Maté November, 29th 2015\n41- The truth will set you free by Alice Miller. December, 5th 2015\n42- The shallows by Nicholar Carr. December, 7th 2015\n43- What matters most byJames Hollis. December, 14th 2015\n44- Finding meaning in the second jalf of life byJames Hollis. December, 20yh2015",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Gang leader for a day by Sudhir Venkatesh",
          "reason": "Included in a dated list of books read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2335611,
          "author": "tastefulwords",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-17T10:03:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 2329700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that change your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2335611",
          "commentText": "Stranger in a Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein\nFlatland, by Edwin Abbott\nGang Leader for a Day, by Sudhir Venkatesh\nThe Omnivore's Dilemma, by Michael Pollan",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gang Leader for a Day, by Sudhir Venkatesh",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752927,
          "author": "serverdude",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T16:03:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752927",
          "commentText": "I am a big fan of both Fooled by Randomness and Black swan. I especially love the fallacies he discusses w.r.t. human brain!\nI also recommend Sudhir Venkatesh's \"Gang Leader For a Day\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also recommend Sudhir Venkatesh's \"Gang Leader For a Day\".",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026869,
          "author": "zackattack",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T06:14:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026869",
          "commentText": "Gangleader for a Day - Sudhir Venkatesh's illuminating story about the housing projects, crack gangs and community dynamics of south side chicago in the '90s.\nPredictably Irrational - Dan Ariely explains a lot of the idiosyncracies in everyday human behavior\nThoughts Without a Thinker - Mark Epstein's enjoyable tale about buddhism and psychotherapy\nWorst:\nSuperFreakonomics - Superficial, poorly written, overly patriotic cocktail party factoids",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sudhir Venkatesh's illuminating story about the housing projects, crack gangs and community dynamics of south side chicago in the '90s.",
          "reason": "Describes the book as illuminating and summarizes its account of Chicago housing projects, gangs, and community dynamics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sudhir Venkatesh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Society",
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "urban sociology",
        "ethnography",
        "chicago"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "getting-real-2bf372",
      "title": "Getting Real",
      "author": "Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson, and 37signals",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6922228,
          "author": "padseeker",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-17T17:13:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 6921805,
          "threadTitle": "What book has inspired you the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6922228",
          "commentText": "Getting Real by 37 Signals. Rework wasn't as interesting having read Getting Real first. It's more developer centric too.\nhttp://gettingreal.37signals.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Getting Real by 37 Signals. Rework wasn't as interesting having read Getting Real first. It's more developer centric too.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it more interesting than Rework and says it is more developer-centric.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6330150,
          "author": "mijustin",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-04T20:13:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 6329955,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which two books were the most influential on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6330150",
          "commentText": "Definitely Getting Real (by 37signals). My bossed showed it to me shortly after I started in the tech industry. I remember being inspired by their process for producing products, and running a business.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Definitely Getting Real (by 37signals).",
          "reason": "The commenter recalls being inspired by its approach to product development and business.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in product development and running a business.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240850,
          "author": "trotzke",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T06:28:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240850",
          "commentText": "On my desk:\nGetting Real (37Signals),\nHardball (Chris Mathews),\nPrioritizing Web Usability (Jakob Nielsen)\nNearby shelf:\nThe Design of Everyday Things,\nMaverick,\nFounders at work,\nA Brief History of Time,\nA Pattern Language,\nPeopleware,\nMade to stick,\nWeb Standards Solutions,\nDesigning Interactions,\nThe Pragmatic Programmer,\nThe Mythical Man-Month,\nOh, the Places You'll Go!\nOther good reads:\nBlink,\nTipping Point,\nLong Tail,\nFreakonomics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On my desk:\nGetting Real (37Signals),",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for recommended books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson, and 37signals"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "product development",
        "startups",
        "software startups",
        "web business"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "getting-to-yes-negotiating-agreement-without-giving-in-503e1d",
      "title": "Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In",
      "author": "Roger Fisher, William Ury, and Bruce Patton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35174345,
          "author": "fionic2",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T20:34:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35174345",
          "commentText": "how do you compare this to \"Getting to Yes Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In\"",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "how do you compare this to \"Getting to Yes Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In\"",
          "reason": "Asks how this negotiation book compares with the one being discussed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762368,
          "author": "wpietri",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T02:39:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762368",
          "commentText": "Franz de Waal's \"Chimpanzee Politics\". It's nominally about the social relationships of a chimp colony in a Dutch zoo. But it made me see the extent to which humans are just another great ape, and a lot of human dynamics are really primate dynamics, especially around social power.\nJohnstone's \"Impro\". It's about improvisational theater, and mainly meant for people learning improv. But the section on status transactions helped me see a lot about how we express those primate dominance dynamics. There's also great material on the nature of creativity.\n\"Getting to Yes\" is a great book about business negotiation, but is lessons about shifting discussions from zero-sum to positive-sum are things I use a lot.\nBraitenberg's \"Vehicles: Experiments in Synthetic Psychology\" is a way of thinking about psychology (and our inference of mind) by examining imaginary robots.\n\"The Toyota Way\" and other books on Lean Manufacturing are about running extremely effective manufacturing operations. But they have deeply changed how I think about systems of making software and running businesses. Other great books in this category include \"Toyota Kata\" and \"Principles of Product Development Flow\".\n\"Crossing the Chasm\" is about how tech products get adopted. But its mindset around segmenting audiences and building credibility taught me a lot about any sort of social change.\n\"Why Does He Do That? Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men\" is nominally about abuse in romantic relationships. But its insights about power and control have  been useful to me way beyond that. E.g., so much behavior in large corporations is inexplicable if you look at it in business terms, and perfectly sensible if you think about if from the perspective of, \"What would a person with abusive tendencies gain from this situation?\"\nAlso, hearty +1s for books \"Design of Everyday Things\", \"Finite and Infinite Games\", and \"Punished by Rewards\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Getting to Yes\" is a great book about business negotiation, but is lessons about shifting discussions from zero-sum to positive-sum are things I use a lot.",
          "reason": "Called a great negotiation book; its approach to shifting discussions from zero-sum to positive-sum is useful to the author.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416257,
          "author": "slavik81",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:00:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416257",
          "commentText": "I haven't got a chance to put its advice into practice yet, but I liked \"Getting to Yes\". It's short and to the point, providing a good perspective on handling negotiations.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I haven't got a chance to put its advice into practice yet, but I liked \"Getting to Yes\". It's short and to the point, providing a good perspective on handling negotiations.",
          "reason": "Likes its concise advice and perspective on handling negotiations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Has not yet had a chance to put its advice into practice.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 947598,
          "author": "NonEUCitizen",
          "createdAt": "2009-11-18T01:26:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 947581,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN:  What's the best first business book for a programmer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=947598",
          "commentText": "Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In\nISBN-10: 0140157352\nISBN-13: 978-0140157352",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In",
          "reason": "Named as a book suggestion in response to a request for business books.",
          "audience": "A programmer interested in starting a venture.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roger Fisher",
        "William Ury",
        "Bruce Patton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "negotiation",
        "conflict resolution",
        "win win"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "golden-son-fd2c43",
      "title": "Golden Son",
      "author": "Pierce Brown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15976224,
          "author": "nkzednan",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-21T03:38:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15976224",
          "commentText": "Top books that I read this past year:\n- Hillbilly Elegy By JD Vance\n- Golden Son by Pierce Brown (second book in a trilogy) liked the whole trilogy\n- Rosie Project/Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion\n- Graceling by Kristin Cashore\n- Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Golden Son by Pierce Brown (second book in a trilogy) liked the whole trilogy",
          "reason": "The commenter says they liked the whole trilogy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13239927,
          "author": "JamesLeonis",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T20:04:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13239927",
          "commentText": "I ripped through Red Rising and Golden Sun last month based on a buddy's recommendation. Morning Star is my early Christmas gift. It's an absolute page-turner of a series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and Golden Sun last month based on a buddy's recommendation.",
          "reason": "The commenter read it on a friend's recommendation and praises the series as an absolute page-turner.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10533353,
          "author": "monroepe",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T15:03:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10533353",
          "commentText": "Red Rising and Golden Son by Pierce Brown (fiction)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Red-Rising-The-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B... (http://www.amazon.com/Red-Rising-The-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B00CVS2J80)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Red Rising and Golden Son by Pierce Brown (fiction)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about the best books read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pierce Brown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopian fiction",
        "dystopian",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "good-omens-23a2ec",
      "title": "Good Omens",
      "author": "Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42584421,
          "author": "internet_points",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-03T10:34:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42584421",
          "commentText": "Good Omens is hilarious, one of the few books I've read several times :-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Good Omens is hilarious, one of the few books I've read several times :-)",
          "reason": "Praises the book’s humor and says they have reread it several times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22735775,
          "author": "nazgulnarsil",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-31T08:18:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22735775",
          "commentText": "For those who enjoyed Good Omens try Demonology and the Tri-Phasic Model of Trauma\nhttps://archiveofourown.org/works/20177950/chapters/47807593",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "For those who enjoyed Good Omens",
          "reason": "Used as a point of comparison for readers who enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoyed Good Omens.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12244866,
          "author": "rosser",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T01:21:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244866",
          "commentText": "I also give this book as a gift often. It started when I'd lend it out and never get it back, which, on reflection, I found I was actually fine with. So I found a UK 1st Edition, signed by both authors, which I'm never lending to anyone, and buy whatever copy is to hand for people as I feel moved to.\nI've also done this a couple times with Joe Haldeman's The Forever War.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also give this book as a gift often.",
          "reason": "Says they often give the book as a gift, referring to the parent comment's title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2639606,
          "author": "iqster",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T03:02:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639606",
          "commentText": "Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. I'd also strongly recommend Terry P's Going Postal and Making Money.\nI have a long list of non-fiction books I've read and enjoyed. Most recently, I read Paul Graham's Hackers and Painters. Would definitely recommend it!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.",
          "reason": "Offered as a response to the thread’s question about the greatest book ever read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry Pratchett",
        "Neil Gaiman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fantasy",
        "apocalyptic fiction",
        "comedy",
        "urban fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "goodnight-moon-16df46",
      "title": "Goodnight Moon",
      "author": "Margaret Wise Brown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50039255,
          "author": "neom",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T02:31:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50039255",
          "commentText": "The Velveteen Rabbit\nThe Owl and the Pussycat\nGoodnight Moon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Goodnight Moon",
          "reason": "Named as a favorite title in response to the thread’s request for favorite children’s books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26779567,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-12T14:03:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26779567",
          "commentText": "My daughter loved all types of books when she was younger.\nMy son, who will be 3 in July, seems to only like books that rhythm or have some type of pattern.\nHere are some he likes:\nEnough Inigo Enough https://www.amazon.com/Enough-Inigo-Gentle-Revolution/dp/075... (https://www.amazon.com/Enough-Inigo-Gentle-Revolution/dp/0757001939)\nGood Night Moon https://www.amazon.com/Goodnight-Moon-Margaret-Wise-Brown/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Goodnight-Moon-Margaret-Wise-Brown/dp/0694003611)\nLittle Blue Truck https://www.amazon.com/Little-Blue-Truck-board-book/dp/05445... (https://www.amazon.com/Little-Blue-Truck-board-book/dp/0544568036)\nGreen Eggs and Ham https://www.amazon.com/Green-Eggs-Ham-Dr-Seuss/dp/0394800168",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Good Night Moon",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "A child who likes books with rhythm or a pattern.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467501,
          "author": "fourseventy",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:31:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467501",
          "commentText": "Good Night Moon - 187 times\nThe Cat In The Hat - 200 times\nThe Very Hungry Caterpillar - 85 times\nBut seriously, im on my third re-read of Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin, In my opinion its the best book about leadership ever written.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Good Night Moon - 187 times",
          "reason": "Lists it among books read repeatedly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Margaret Wise Brown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bedtime",
        "bedtime story",
        "board book",
        "children s literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "great-expectations-42f794",
      "title": "Great Expectations",
      "author": "Charles Dickens",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467743,
          "author": "wazoox",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:56:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467743",
          "commentText": "The book I've reread the most is The Odyssey. For a long time, I've read it once every year.\nAnother book I've read many times is Eco's Foucault's Pendulum.\nI've read Asimov's cycle of Foundation many times. Don't know how many, actually.\nI've also read several times some philosophy classics, particularly Plato's Symposium, Phaedrus, Apology and Republic.\nThen there are many books that I've read at least twice, almost all considered classics (from 1984 to LoTR, Great expectations to Tom Sawyer, Crime and punishment to Twenty thousand leagues under the sea, etc).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "from 1984 to LoTR, Great expectations to Tom Sawyer, Crime and punishment to Twenty thousand leagues under the sea",
          "reason": "Included among classics the commenter has read at least twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783554,
          "author": "hkmurakami",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:53:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783554",
          "commentText": "Yeah I think it's a book that you pick up when the time is right for you. Thus, I too think it is a great book, but at the same time, I wouldn't exactly \"recommend\" it to anyone. Same with Great Expectations.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Same with Great Expectations.",
          "reason": "Says the same qualified view applies: a great book they would not exactly recommend to anyone.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Would not exactly recommend it to anyone; says timing matters.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4787077,
          "author": "knouroozi",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T04:20:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787077",
          "commentText": "Great Expectations (Charles Dickens). It grows on you after you've read through the first part.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It grows on you after you've read through the first part.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it grows on you after the opening section.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Dickens"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bildungsroman",
        "classic literature",
        "coming of age",
        "victorian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gridlinked-db22d3",
      "title": "Gridlinked",
      "author": "Neal Asher",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36032058,
          "author": "ThinkBeat",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-22T14:40:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36032058",
          "commentText": "Neal Asher writes (mostly) about The Polity:\nWhich is similar in concept to Ian M Banks The Culture series.\n(which I also love).\nAsher tends to be darker and more violent. \nI dont think he is for everyone.\nI would start with GridLinked.\nHis books are not a progressive timeline. \nSome take place in earlier times, some farther into the future of the Polity.\nI dont think it is intended så read them based on the timeline though.\n(Cut and paste)\nThe Polity is a far-future society run by artificial intelligences. In the early years of space travel, as we spread out into the solar system, the political make-up of humanity is a mixture of national and world (or moon) governments, and large corporations. However, these separate political entities – polities – employ AI for gain. During this time Iverus Skaidon, a scientist, directly links his mind to the AI Craystein Computer and invents underspace travel, just before his mind blows like a fuse. The invention of this faster-than-light travel results in a diaspora from the Solar System.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would start with GridLinked.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a starting point for The Polity books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The books are not arranged in a progressive timeline.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3799583,
          "author": "ninjaweasel",
          "createdAt": "2012-04-04T20:07:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 3781486,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi Books for Hackers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3799583",
          "commentText": "Space Operas:\n- The Reality Dysfunction (Peter Hamilton)\n- Gridlinked (Neal Asher)\n- Hidden Empire (Kevin J Anderson)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gridlinked (Neal Asher)",
          "reason": "Listed as a space opera in response to a request for science fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in space opera.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226847,
          "author": "aarongough",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:34:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226847",
          "commentText": "I'm a big fan of Sci-Fi because I feel it makes people think about what they want the future to be, as well as avoiding the re-hashing of historical and current events that many fiction books set in the present do. With that in mind a list of great books to read:\n  The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson\n  Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson\n  Gridlinked - Neal Asher\n  Neuromancer - William Gibson\n  The Reality Dysfunction - Peter F. Hamilton\n  The Dreaming Void - Peter F. Hamilton\n  Fallen Dragon - Peter F. Hamilton\n  Altered Carbon - Richard Morgan\n  Market Forces - Richard Morgan\n  Blindsight - Peter Watts\n  The Electric Church - Jeff Somers\n  Tunnel in the Sky - Robert A. Heinlein\n  The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Robert A. Heinlein\n  1984 - George Orwell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gridlinked - Neal Asher",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neal Asher"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "ai"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "grit-313306",
      "title": "Grit",
      "author": "Angela Duckworth",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Grit (Angela Duckworth)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15960931,
          "author": "alexwilde",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T15:45:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15960931",
          "commentText": "1. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\n2. Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! (Adventures of a Curious Character)\n3. The Loyal: The Story of Atwood and the Second Civil War (disclosure - my father wrote this book)\n4. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business\n5. Grit\nI thoroughly enjoyed all of these. It was interesting to see how Grit and The Power of Habit played off each other.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I thoroughly enjoyed all of these.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they thoroughly enjoyed it and notes its interplay with The Power of Habit.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12162419,
          "author": "sn9",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-25T23:54:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 12160209,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 12 year old tech savvy girl – books, programs, events, advice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12162419",
          "commentText": "She can learn just about anything nowadays from sites like Coursera, edx, and Udacity.\nBooks like Realm of Racket can be fun introductions to programming that happen to teach some advanced stuff.\nBooks that the parent's might like are Carol Dweck's Mindset, Barbara Oakley's A Mind for Numbers, and Angela Duckworth's Grit. If she shows an interest in mathematics, the Art of Problem Solving books and forums are great.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Angela Duckworth's Grit",
          "reason": "Suggested among books the parent might like.",
          "audience": "The parent.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Angela Duckworth"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "motivation",
        "perseverance",
        "grit"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gulliver-s-travels-55599e",
      "title": "Gulliver's Travels",
      "author": "Jonathan Swift",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31968968,
          "author": "kthejoker2",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T16:36:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31968968",
          "commentText": "Tough choices ..\nMoby Dick has so much to offer .. Gulliver's Travels ... Tristam Shandy ... Essays by Montaigne.. Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man ....\nProbably the collected works of Shaw? Things with dialogue feel freah every time you read them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gulliver's Travels",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5691391,
          "author": "bloodorange",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T17:53:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5691391",
          "commentText": "\"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland\" - Lewis Carroll\n\"Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There\" - Lewis Carroll\n\"Dracula\" - Bram Stoker\n\"Frankenstein\" - Mary Shelly\n\"On Education\" - Bertrand Russell\n\"The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy\" - Douglas Adams\n\"Animal Farm\" - George Orwell\n\"1984\" - George Orwell\n\"Lord of The Flies\" - William Golding\n\"Brave New World\" - Aldous Huxley\n\"Gulliver's Travels\" - Jonathan Swift\n\"The Selfish Gene\" - Richard Dawkins",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Gulliver's Travels\" - Jonathan Swift",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for good book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2963436,
          "author": "aorshan",
          "createdAt": "2011-09-05T21:59:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 2963294,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Got a Kindle. What now? What books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2963436",
          "commentText": "I would recommend taking a look through all of the free classics available on the Kindle store. There are thousands of old books that are out of copyright and are completely free to download. You can find stuff like the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, papers by einstein, Gulliver's Travels, Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde, Dracula, and lots of other really great reads.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gulliver's Travels",
          "reason": "Recommended as one of the free classics available on Kindle.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for free classic books on Kindle.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Swift"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "satire",
        "classic literature",
        "travel fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hatching-twitter-407c91",
      "title": "Hatching Twitter",
      "author": "Nick Bilton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172037,
          "author": "jacktribe",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:47:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172037",
          "commentText": "As someone who is more interested in building the product than marketing it, I found the following recent reads helpful in achieving a balance:\n1. Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey A. Moore - making your product work for the masses\n2. The Cold Start Problem by Andrew Chen - achieving escape velocity, getting viral referral traffic\n3. Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss - it might seem a bit gimmicky but negotiation always comes off gimmicky\nMotivational stories:\n4. The Almanack Of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson\n5. The Founders by Jimmy Soni\n6. The Upstarts by Brad Stone\n7. Hatching Twitter by Nick Bilton\n8. That Will Never Work by Marc Randolph\n9. Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald's by Ray Kroc\nCan't skip:\n10. Zero To One by Peter Thiel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hatching Twitter by Nick Bilton",
          "reason": "Listed as a motivational story.",
          "audience": "People building products.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17207354,
          "author": "Simorgh",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T16:56:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17207354",
          "commentText": "I quite enjoyed this book because it gave insight into the hard work and dedication that characterised many individuals, such as Max Levchin, the co-founder of Paypal.\nAs an aside, I also recommend Hatching Twitter by Nick Bilton. This book details the tumultuous roller-coaster ride that was the early days of Twitter. I feel it is an essential read to truly understand the mentality, minds and drive of many within the start-up world.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also recommend Hatching Twitter by Nick Bilton.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly recommends it as a story of Twitter's early days.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in startup history and Twitter.",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls the early days tumultuous.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416513,
          "author": "mikejames16",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:46:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416513",
          "commentText": "Hatching Twitter is excellent!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hatching Twitter is excellent!",
          "reason": "Calls the book excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144524,
          "author": "samblr",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T16:23:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144524",
          "commentText": "If I were to go back and be young - I would dedicate myself to read plenty of books and probably find three genres which would appeal. A measure of a good book is how likely will it lead you to read another great book or how likely is that it changes the perception of another book/knowledge or makes you question-argue fundamental value systems. Wish there was kind of backlink algorithm to measure a book like that. I've found below genre-and-author that appeal more over time and you keep going back to them.\n> Tech : C - Kernighan & Ritchie (may be a good python/nodejs book today).\n> About tech people : Made in Japan - The Google Speaks - The Everything store - Hatching Twitter - Steve Jobs - Zero to One - Hard things about hard things.\n> About non-tech people : Founding fathers - Obama - Einstein - Darwin - Feyman - Teresa - Montessori - Gandhi - Mandela - Che Guevera - Churchill.\n> Last but important: Tolstoy - Plato - Enlightenment-Era-Books - Religions(all) - Military fitness.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Hatching Twitter",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books about technology people that appeal to the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment gives no specific evaluation of this title.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nick Bilton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "twitter",
        "startup history",
        "technology companies",
        "social media"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "head-first-series-e275af",
      "title": "Head First series",
      "author": "Various authors",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12160572,
          "author": "draker",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-25T18:31:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 12160209,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 12 year old tech savvy girl – books, programs, events, advice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12160572",
          "commentText": "I know that Team Treehouse (https://teamtreehouse.com/) has a student discount that reduces the cost from $25/month to $9.\nI think this would be a good option because the courses cover a wide range of topics so she can explore computing/internet basics, different programming languages and other digital tools (Photoshop/Illustrator) before really committing to one technology.\nTreehouse also has specific tracks for app, game and web development which provide a structured path to learning the technology which can be good for beginners that might otherwise be overwhelmed.\nSafari Books/O'Reilly provides free access to all O'Reilly books and videos for K-12 students. The Head First series books are particularly good for beginners.\nhttps://schools.safaribooksonline.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Head First series books are particularly good for beginners.",
          "reason": "Recommended as particularly good books for beginners.",
          "audience": "Beginners.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8003457,
          "author": "wiseleo",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-08T07:58:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8003457",
          "commentText": "There are just so many...\nHeadfirst series (JavaScript, HTML, jQuery... all of them)\nDiscover Meteor\nRefactoring: improving the design of existing code\nDatabase design for mere mortals\nMIT books (SICP, Algorithms)\nOh, and of course... Human Interface Guidelines by Apple. One of the best UX books on app design.\nAll books are ebooks for me, so this list is impossibly long.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Headfirst series (JavaScript, HTML, jQuery... all of them)",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter’s list of technical ebooks.",
          "audience": "Readers learning programming and web technologies.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4087632,
          "author": "cldrope",
          "createdAt": "2012-06-09T08:44:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 4087396,
          "threadTitle": "Must-read programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4087632",
          "commentText": "Anytime I'm going to poke into a topic I like to nab one of the Head First books. They're a fast, easy way to learn a topic and after I'm done with it and into it deeply I'll find a dry reference.\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nMeta-programming at it's finest. Be a better programmer.\nJoel on software blog: \nHere's an example post.\nhttp://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/fog0000000043.html\nThere's quite a bit to learn in there.\nMany other books available free online. Primarily I suggest you read to an end, and as you get to a stagnation point you alternate between reading to learn new technologies or languages and reading to improve yourself as a programmer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I like to nab one of the Head First books. They're a fast, easy way to learn a topic",
          "reason": "Recommended as a fast, easy introduction before moving to a deeper reference.",
          "audience": "People starting to explore a topic.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they later seek a dry reference for deeper study.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "visual learning",
        "programming",
        "programming education",
        "technical education"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "higher-order-perl-e67efc",
      "title": "Higher-Order Perl",
      "author": "Mark Jason Dominus",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9762711,
          "author": "dtamhk",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-23T05:00:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9762711",
          "commentText": "Higher-Order Perl\nhttp://hop.perl.plover.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Higher-Order Perl",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9613730,
          "author": "atomicbeanie",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T19:29:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9613730",
          "commentText": "Higher Order Perl: http://hop.perl.plover.com/\nOn Lisp: http://www.paulgraham.com/onlisp.html\nAlso http://it-ebooks.info/ has a wide selection of free ebooks with ads.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Higher Order Perl: http://hop.perl.plover.com/",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8125575,
          "author": "txutxu",
          "createdAt": "2014-08-02T18:37:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 8125375,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I save for offline reading during 5 weeks without Internet?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8125575",
          "commentText": "Why read/watch?\nI mean... maybe you can enjoy coding offline ?\nYou can git clone many things... the linux kernel, the openbsd source tree, the bootstrap project, whatever you love. And then hack on it !\nOn my external HDD, I use to bring with me a Debian mirror and a CPAN mirror, so I can hack offline (building system scripts, etc).\nOn the other side, if you want to take a rest of coding, there are free publications and podcasts for many knowledge topics, I think a search engine will drive you to some ebooks in the areas of your personal interest. Just two suggestions if you want to explore them:\n\"modern perl\" (http://onyxneon.com/books/modern_perl/)\n\"Higher-Order Perl\" (http://hop.perl.plover.com)\nFirst one is refreshing if you think \"perl is perl4 of 1990\", second one is an enlightening experience whatever programming language you like (even if not Perl).\nBut don't discard to make a git clone of your favourite project, tool, etc and pass the time \"reading\" source code (and even touching it!!). Enjoy in Africa!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Higher-Order Perl\"",
          "reason": "Recommended as an enlightening read for people who like any programming language.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in programming concepts, including those who do not use Perl.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2415613,
          "author": "jollyjerry",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T15:59:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2415613",
          "commentText": "3 books that I helped me tie my daily work back to more abstract computer science concepts are:\n- Ruby Best Practices\n- Javascript, the Good Parts\n- Higher Order Perl\nI recommend picking these up after you've done work in the languages they're about.  They assume that you're already comfortable with the language, but then go back to show how that language uses CS concepts.  They highlight how functional programming, and other classic introductory CS concepts, but stays practical.  None of them are long reads, and there are clear take aways that make you better at programming.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Higher Order Perl",
          "reason": "Included in a set of books said to connect daily programming work to computer science concepts and improve programming.",
          "audience": "Perl programmers already comfortable with the language.",
          "caveat": "The commenter recommends reading it after gaining experience with Perl.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Jason Dominus"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "perl",
        "functional programming",
        "higher order programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "history-of-the-peloponnesian-war-abf936",
      "title": "History of the Peloponnesian War",
      "author": "Thucydides",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13567375,
          "author": "periphrasis",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T15:58:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567375",
          "commentText": "Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297799,
          "author": "roymurdock",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:56:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297799",
          "commentText": "Older Stuff: The Bible/Quran, The Republic (Plato), The Social Contract (Rousseau), Tao Te Ching (Laozi), Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky), History of the Peloponnesian War (Thucydides)\nNewer Stuff: Nine Stories (Salinger), The Razor's Edge (Maugham), Nausea (Sartre), Siddartha (Hesse), Road to Serfdom (Hayek), The Book (Watts), Design of Everyday Things (Norman), Atlas Shrugged (Rand), Invisible Man (Ellison), Debunking Economics (Keen), Blood Meridian (McCarthy), The Center Cannot Hold (Saks), This Time Is Different (Reinhart/Rogoff), Infinite Jest (Wallace), Calvin and Hobbes (Watterson)\nAll of these books are well written and have given me some perspective on interesting people/situations/ways of thinking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "History of the Peloponnesian War (Thucydides)",
          "reason": "Listed among books said to have given the commenter perspective on interesting people, situations, and ways of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348856,
          "author": "oskarth",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:38:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348856",
          "commentText": "I am currently reading Skiena, Algorithm Design Manual and Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War.\nNext up is Cipolla, Clocks and Culture and Chiusano and Bjarnason, Functional Programming in Scala.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 456347,
          "author": "pskomoroch",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T14:15:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456347",
          "commentText": "I used to have a lot more time for non CS reading and actually made an Amazon list on this topic back in 2005:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/2INJSM38... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/2INJSM38IDMDZ/ref=cm_sw_r_de_lm)\n1.  On War (Everyman's Library (Cloth)) by Carl Von Clausewitz\n2.  Leadership: The Warrior's Art by Barry R. McCaffrey\n3.  Small Unit Leadership: A Commonsense Approach by Dandridge M. Malone\n4.  The Defense of Hill 781: An Allegory of Modern Mechanized Combat by James R. McDonough\n5.  The Art of Maneuver: Maneuver-Warfare Theory and AirLand Battle by Robert Leonhard\n6.  Strategy: Second Revised Edition (Meridian) by B. H. Liddell Hart\n7.  The Art of War by Niccolò Machiavelli\n8.  Hagakure: The Book of the Samauri by Tsunetomo Yamamoto\n9.  The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius\n10.  The Art of War (Shambhala classics) by Sun Tzu\n11.  The Prince (Bantam Classics) by Niccolo Machiavelli\n12.  Evolutionary Game Theory by Jörgen W. Weibull\n13.  On Guerrilla Warfare by Mao Tse-tung\n14.  The History of the Peloponnesian War: Revised Edition (Penguin Classics) by Thucydides\n15.  The Histories (Penguin Classics) by Herodotus\n16.  The Persian Expedition (Penguin Classics) by Xenophon\n17.  Plutarch: Lives of Noble Grecians and Romans (Modern Library Series, Vol. 1) by Plutarch\n18.  Plutarch's Lives, Volume 2 (Modern Library Classics) by Plutarch\n19.  Livy: The Early History of Rome, Books I-V (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 1-5) by Titus Livy\n20.  The History of Rome from Its Foundation, Books XXI-XXX: The War with Hannibal (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 21-30) by Titus Livius Livy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "14.  The History of the Peloponnesian War: Revised Edition (Penguin Classics) by Thucydides",
          "reason": "Included in a list of military strategy books answering the thread's request.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking books about military strategy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thucydides"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient greece",
        "military history",
        "peloponnesian war"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-not-to-be-wrong-the-power-of-mathematical-thinking-1123f5",
      "title": "How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking",
      "author": "Jordan Ellenberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33802940,
          "author": "jtlienwis",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T16:18:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33802940",
          "commentText": "\"How not to be wrong\" by Ellenberg.   Use mathematical thinking to solve everyday problems.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How not to be wrong\" by Ellenberg. Use mathematical thinking to solve everyday problems.",
          "reason": "Presents mathematical thinking as a way to solve everyday problems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18664037,
          "author": "yboris",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T14:17:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664037",
          "commentText": "The top 4 this year for me:\nHow Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking\nAlgorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions\nHow to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us about Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence\nMoral Tribes: Emotion, Reason, and the Gap Between Us and Them\nPhenomenal books. I have a longer list of recommendations I've collected over the decades: http://yboris.com/reading/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The top 4 this year for me:\nHow Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's top four books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14860927,
          "author": "tzs",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T22:24:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14860927",
          "commentText": "I typically have several books in progress. I'll read a chapter from whichever one I'm in the mood for when I have some time for reading. Currently in progress:\n\"A Book of Abstract Algebra: Second Edition\" by Charles C. Pinter [1].\n\"How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking\" by Jordan Ellenberg [2].\n\"Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies\" by Jared Diamond [3].\n\"Introduction to Analytic Number Theory\" by Tom M. Apostol [4].\n\"Algorithmic Puzzles\" by Levitin and Levitin [7].\nI've also got a 46 books in my Safari Library queue, although only about half a dozen are actually in the in progress state.\nIn addition to the above, I'm about 3 years behind on Analog, the science fiction magazine. Those are all on my Kindle and I'm slowly trying to catch up.\nRecently finished:\n\"Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything\" by Joshua Foer [5].\nProbably going to pick up soon:\n\"The Greatest Story Ever Told--So Far\" by Lawrence M. Krauss [6]. Flipped through it at a bookstore and there were some very interesting things in it.\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/Book-Abstract-Algebra-Second-Mathemat... (https://www.amazon.com/Book-Abstract-Algebra-Second-Mathematics/dp/0486474178/)\n[2] https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00G3L6JQ4/\n[3] https://www.amazon.com/Guns-Germs-Steel-Fates-Societies/dp/0... (https://www.amazon.com/Guns-Germs-Steel-Fates-Societies/dp/0393354326/)\n[4] https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Analytic-Number-Theory-A... (https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Analytic-Number-Theory-Apostol/dp/0387901639/)\n[5] https://www.amazon.com/Moonwalking-Einstein-Science-Remember... (https://www.amazon.com/Moonwalking-Einstein-Science-Remembering-Everything-ebook/dp/B004H4XI5O/)\n[6] https://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Story-Ever-Told-So-Far-ebook... (https://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Story-Ever-Told-So-Far-ebook/dp/B01HMXUZIO/)\n[7] https://www.amazon.com/Algorithmic-Puzzles-Anany-Levitin/dp/... (https://www.amazon.com/Algorithmic-Puzzles-Anany-Levitin/dp/0199740445/)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking\" by Jordan Ellenberg",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12098835,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T03:47:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12098835",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nCode by Charles Petzold\nArtificial Life - Steven Levy\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Singularity is Near - Ray Kurzweil\nSurfaces and Essences - Douglas Hofstadter\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\n-- One of my favorites is How Not to Be Wrong by Jordan Ellenbreg\nI have that on my list of \"to read real soon now\".  Sounds fascinating.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One of my favorites is How Not to Be Wrong by Jordan Ellenbreg",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of their favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jordan Ellenberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Learning",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical thinking",
        "statistics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-get-filthy-rich-in-rising-asia-6b6fa7",
      "title": "How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia",
      "author": "Mohsin Hamid",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23158025,
          "author": "nscalf",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T18:48:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23158025",
          "commentText": "\"How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia\" by Mohsin Hamid.\nThe book goes through the second person point of view of a young boy born into a village outside of a major Asian city.  Each chapter is a time jump to a different point of their life.  I believe I heard of this from an interview with Marc Andreessen.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia\" by Mohsin Hamid.",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to a request for mind-bending books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11703094,
          "author": "brotchie",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-15T22:30:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11703094",
          "commentText": "How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia: A Novel - Mohsin Hamid. This is my book of choice for the year: I read it cover-to-cover in a single day. Refreshingly written in second-person perspective, totally engaging.\nFinally read the Zones of Thought series by Vernor Vinge. Love his slight twist on physics that allows for for both post-singularity tech and low-tech to exist in the same universe.\nThe Dark Forest by Cixin Liu (second book in the Remembrance of Earth's Past translated from Mandarin) had a bit of a slow start, but really built up to a good finale.\nElon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future - Ashlee Vance. Good read and made me really appreciate what Elon has done through financially to get Tesla and SpaceX up.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Refreshingly written in second-person perspective, totally engaging.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it their book of choice for the year and says it was totally engaging.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785719,
          "author": "martythemaniak",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T21:18:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785719",
          "commentText": "Leave it to Psmith - 10/10\nAnna Karenina - 8/10\nThe Code of the Woosters 8/10\nFooled by Randomness 7/10\nFinding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life 8/10\nHow to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia 9/10\nReluctant Fundamentalist 9/10\nThe Sense of an Ending - Julian Barnes 8/10\nThe Last Question - Asimov - 9/10\nThe Magic of Thinking Big - 6/10\nThe catcher in the Rye 8/10\nModels 7/10\nHigh Fidelity - Nick Hornby 8/10\nThe Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman 7/10\nThe Surrender Experiment - 10/10\nUntethered Soul - 9/10\nThe Autobiography of a Yogi - 7/10\nRaja Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 7/10\nSomething Fresh, something new - 7/10\nKarma Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 8/10\nThinking, Fast and Slow - 9/10\nFierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates 10/10\nThe Pearl by John Steinbeck 7/10",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia 9/10",
          "reason": "Rates the book 9/10.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mohsin Hamid"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "satire",
        "second person narration",
        "south asian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-take-smart-notes-f57672",
      "title": "How to Take Smart Notes",
      "author": "Sönke Ahrens",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40284561,
          "author": "JackMorgan",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T12:14:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40284561",
          "commentText": "Wow, this is interesting, very few books I've read more than once! Even fewer are non fiction, but they sure do explain a lot about me:\n- Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving by Pete Walker helped me process a number of assaults that happened to me as a child\n- Designing Data Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann helped me understand intuitively how databases work and how to use eventual consistency to handle workloads\n- The Highly Sensitive Person: How To Thrive when the World Overwhelms You by Elaine Aron this helped me process my and my families neurodivergence.\n- Structure And Interpretation of Computer Programs by Ableson and Sussman. Great book, it's how I learned to love Lisp. I felt like I grew 10x in skill from completing all the homework.\n- Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training by Mark Rippetoe. This is the book that got me into powerlifting  as a regular part of my fitness. I used this to heal my back, neck, and wrist pain. Changed my life.\n- Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter by James Gurney. The GOAT of plein air painting himself teaches so much about how light works on complex forms. I've dog-eared this book.\n- Reinventing Organizations by Frederic Laloux. A great look into how to build and run a self organizing team. Very insightful for when I was leading several teams and needed inspiration for something other than the typical chain of command.\n- The Classroom Management Book by Harry Wong. This book taught me so much about how humans work. I still apply lessons from this book 20 years later.\n- Real World Haskell by O'Sullivan, Goerzen, Stewart. This taught me a lot about Haskell, and got me into all the neat effects needed to make a function pure but still handle IO/async, etc.\n- Peopleware by DeMarco, Lister. My go to book for people management and a philosophy of project management\n- Science of Trust: Emotional Attunement for Couples by Gottman. I love this book for teaching me how to be a better spouse and friend.\n- The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing by Larimore, Lindauer. A great guide to building a permanent portfolio that will return consistent gains with the market. Simple in hindsight, thanks to this book. Best book on investing I've ever read.\n- How to Take Smart Notes by Ahrens. Introduces the zettlekasten system for thinking and creativity. Very inspiring, got me to start a personal file that I keep going to this day, five years later.\n- Twenty Small Sailboats to Take you Anywhere by Vigor. I read this book over and over, dreaming of buying a small boat and sailing around the world. Maybe this year...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Take Smart Notes by Ahrens. Introduces the zettlekasten system for thinking and creativity.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it inspiring and says it led them to start a personal file they still use.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29848352,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-08T03:30:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29848352",
          "commentText": "How to Take Smart Notes by Sonke Ahrens.\nFor 150 pages it is so well written. The method has the potential to change your life at 18.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Take Smart Notes by Sonke Ahrens.",
          "reason": "Recommended for its concise length, strong writing, and potential to change a young reader's life.",
          "audience": "Readers around age 18.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is 150 pages.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23387445,
          "author": "neurocline",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-02T04:26:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23387445",
          "commentText": "I went through my recent-books shelves and found a few shorter books that are well worth reading. Short books for developers are rare these days.\nAlgorithms Unlocked, Thomas Cormen, 212 pages\nThe Art of Readable Code, Dustin Boswell & Trevor Foucher, 180 pages\nHow To Take Smart Notes, Sonke Ahrens, 151 pages\nHow to Write a Thesis, Umberto Eco, 223 pages\nHow Charts Lie, Alberto Cairo, 193 pages",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How To Take Smart Notes, Sonke Ahrens, 151 pages",
          "reason": "Includes it among shorter books the commenter says are well worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sönke Ahrens"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "note taking",
        "knowledge management",
        "zettelkasten"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hyperspace-7231a4",
      "title": "Hyperspace",
      "author": "Michio Kaku",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hyperspace - Michio Kaku",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15960988,
          "author": "briga",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T15:51:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15960988",
          "commentText": "A few of the best were:\nWhat Technology Wants by Kevin Kelly. A really profound and interesting look into what technology is. Technology evolves through the same sort of Darwinian process that life evolves. Technology is in some sense alive, and Kelly's perspective on it is wonderfully refreshing. I also read his book Out of Control, which is fantastic.\nSapiens by Yuval Harari. Enough people are talking about this one that I don't have to say much, suffice it to say it's a fascinating look into human history a la Guns, Germs, and Steel.\nThe Lucifer Principle by Howard Bloom. If you're a fan of Harari you'll love this one. It's an alternative scientific look at evil, and how evil appears to be encoded into our species.\nHyperspace by Michio Kaku. Kaku is an amazing popular science writer bar none and this is his exploration of modern physics and string theory. The most concise and understandable explanation of modern physics I've read, which is part for the course with Kaku.\nRed Queen by Matt Ridley. A fascinating look at sex, and why the human sex drive, and therefore human  nature, is the way it is.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The most concise and understandable explanation of modern physics I've read",
          "reason": "The commenter praises it as a concise, understandable explanation of modern physics and string theory.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an accessible introduction to modern physics and string theory.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2919407,
          "author": "chrismackintosh",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-24T04:02:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 2919368,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have changed the way you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2919407",
          "commentText": "hyperspace - michio kaku",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "hyperspace - michio kaku",
          "reason": "Names the book as an answer to which books changed the way people think.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in theoretical physics and extra dimensions.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michio Kaku"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "theoretical physics",
        "extra dimensions",
        "higher dimensions",
        "string theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "i-am-that-ce676c",
      "title": "I Am That",
      "author": "Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40460095,
          "author": "alxmng",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-23T21:26:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40460095",
          "commentText": "“I Am That” by Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“I Am That” by Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21809353,
          "author": "andreilys",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-17T00:47:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21809353",
          "commentText": "I read the intro and really liked it. Unfortunately it's been a month since I picked it up, got distracted by a few other books haha.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I read the intro and really liked it.",
          "reason": "Liked the introduction, but gives no further evaluation of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Has been distracted by other books since picking it up.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229799,
          "author": "swatkat",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:52:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229799",
          "commentText": "I Am That, by Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj\nFreedom from the Known, by Jiddu Krishnamurti\nThink on These Things, by Jiddu Krishnamurti\nThe Bhagavad Gita\nThe Grand Design, by Stephen Hawking",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I Am That, by Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj",
          "reason": "Offered as a book suggestion in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "spirituality",
        "advaita vedanta",
        "nonduality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ignition-an-informal-history-of-liquid-rocket-propellants-96a2bc",
      "title": "Ignition!: An Informal History of Liquid Rocket Propellants",
      "author": "John D. Clark",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22101574,
          "author": "analogtom",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T19:47:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22101574",
          "commentText": "Ignition!: An Informal History of Liquid Rocket Propellants. \nby John D. Clark\n\"And even when it was successfully completed, the peroxide would still decompose slowly; not enough to start a runaway chain reaction, but enough to build up an oxygen pressure in a sealed tank, and make packaging impossible.\nAnd it is a nerve-wracking experience to put your ear against a propellant tank and hear it go \"glub\" —long pause — \"glub\" and so on.\nAfter such an experience many people, myself (particularly) included, tended to look dubiously at peroxide and to pass it by on the other\nside.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ignition!: An Informal History of Liquid Rocket Propellants. \nby John D. Clark",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14747745,
          "author": "FiatLuxDave",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T20:26:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14747745",
          "commentText": "I love the idea of looking for overlooked gems.  Here are a few of mine:\nInfinite in All Directions, Freeman Dyson : just a book of his thoughts, but I really appreciated his perspective on respect between religion/spirituality and science.\nIgnition! An informal history of liquid rocket propellants, J.D. Clark : I picked up a copy of this in a roadside bookstore on a lark. Entertaining tales of people blowing themselves up in the name of science.\nApollo 11 Press kit : My grandmother was a journalist for Florida Today during the space race, and she gave me her copy.  It is amazing to see how much detail was provided.  I don't know if our modern press ever gets press kits like these, but it was not dumbed-down much at all, which was very nice to see.\nThe Adventures of Samurai Cat, Mark Rogers : Silly fun. \n Kind of like if Bored of the Rings had been written by Jerry Bruckheimer and Spider Jerusalem.\nInto the cool, Sagan and Schnieder : about complexity and thermodynamics. Written for a layperson, I still learned a lot from it.\nOrder out of Chaos, Prigogine and Stengers : More thermo, also written for lay audience, also learned a lot from it.\nControlled Thermonuclear Reactions, L. Artsimovich : Of all the plasma physics books I have read (many) this is the one I remember most. Rather out-of-date now, it contains loads of information about the early Soviet fusion program, with pictures and discussion of now-forgotten experiments.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Entertaining tales of people blowing themselves up in the name of science.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes its stories as entertaining.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10028484,
          "author": "ridgeguy",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T19:57:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10028484",
          "commentText": "I'll second these picks as having lots of information wrapped up inside engaging writing.\nIgnition:  http://web.gccaz.edu/~wkehowsk/ignition.pdf\n\"Excuse me, sir...\":  ftp://www.fourmilab.ch/pub/etexts/www/gergel/isopropyl_bromide.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'll second these picks as having lots of information wrapped up inside engaging writing.",
          "reason": "Seconds the book as information-rich and engaging.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John D. Clark"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chemical engineering",
        "popular science",
        "propellants",
        "rocket propellants"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ilium-78fec2",
      "title": "Ilium",
      "author": "Dan Simmons",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17537852,
          "author": "rektide",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T00:15:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537852",
          "commentText": "Central Station by Lavie Tidhar is an amazing charming story of a world deeply steeped old sitting baking world where new things are coming about. It is charm & delight in the purest & simplest.\nSpin by Robert Charles Wilson. \"Robert Charles Wilson is a hell of a storyteller,\" said Stephen King and this wonderful tour through time and space, humanity & people's lives is incredible.\nThe Quantum Thief series by Hannu Rajaniemi is open, scenic, wild, & so so vivid, one of the most beautiful worlds I've ever visited, & it reminds me so much of a joyous wild swashbuckling run. The mystery of the main character is enchanting.\nInfoquake series by David Louis Edelson is a gripping suspenseful rise of a star entrepreneur that redefines and radically expands the world, amid an already boisterous & full & busy beautiful world already overflowing in seamless technology everywhere. Although the plot line whips along with some suspense & tension, the scenery and the voyage is incredible.\nLathe of Heaven by Ursala Le Guin could quite easily, quite simply be the best first contact story story ever. Touching, and sincere, & simple. This world is not bright and shiny but her writing and the bonding of characters is incredible. See also the rest of the Hainish cycle.\nLeft Hand of Darkness also by Ursala Le Guin is a shifting chaotic shizmatic tale, about picking our fates. \"Well, I did it through dreams. Phil would have done it another way. But yeah, homage to Phil [K.] Dick is right.\"\n- https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/a... (https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/all/)\nFallen Dragon is an early & involved Peter Hamilton adventure book. There's leaving home, & space ships, more space ships, bad guys, fighting back the bad guys, bigger ships, and action. There is A LOT going on, all the time, & violence, but damn this book comes together into something incredible, & telling, & powerful & strong, something that easily makes it my top pick for most-underappreciated Peter Hamilton.\nDiamond Age by Neal Stephenson, which I'm providing largely as a counterweight to the Snowcrash & Sevenses recommendations here. Diamond Age is much less dark, and way more a fun tail about an incredible & mysterious primer for a young lady.\nSirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut.\nAll Systems Red series by Martha Wells is a underprivileged barely coping robot dealing with the humans she hates having to talk to & a shitty planet trying to kill them. Simple, fun, some action & violence, but the main character is a total hoot the whole time with more loner/zero/drop-out attitude & spunk than anything I've read & it's unbelievably charming.\nLords of Light by Roger Zelazny has more style, pizzaz, & spirit than I feel like any of us deserve. An interesting, storied tale from the post-singularity, with a remarkable & robust cast.\nIllium/Olympos by Dan Simmons, are, in my mind still the clear winner, far above Hyperion. The cast is charming beyond belief, stumbling through a world they both know all too much about & far far too little. Some really incredible worldbuilding here.\nRainbow's End by Vernor Vinge. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE A Fire Upon the Deep. But Rainbow's End really is our planet, sometime not far out, and Vinge has the most tour of this next place we're headed, with threads, and annotations, and group chat being the defining new technologies of humanity. And the tale of the misfit happenstance adventurers who wind up ensnared in the plot line is a fun, roving hoot of a journey, a wonderful second chance at a coming of age story.\nMedusa Chronicles by two of my favorites, Alastair Reynolds & Stephen Baxter is probably my favorite exploring the solar system book, about a guy/robot a bit apart from humanity that really wants to see what the local area has to offer. A lot of high tension conflicting societal impulses that our somewhat aloof lead stumbles through, on his personal mission of exploration. Lots of interesting robot philosophy & very varied elements of space come together with the characters to make an incredibly fun space epic, set in a delightful & intriguing alternative history\nOther's recommendations I'd +1: Dune (but super heady material), The Stars My Destination (brimming with class & substance), Mote in God's Eye (some of the best Space Colonial Marines style stuff out there), Accelerando (and Iron Sky and ... overflowing playful scifi), Blue Ant series (dripping with style), Foundation series (and much more Asimov!), Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy (simple direct exciting hunt for treasure in Star Wars), Fuzzy Nation (fun tale)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "are, in my mind still the clear winner, far above Hyperion.",
          "reason": "Calls it a clear winner and rates it above Hyperion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056835,
          "author": "tartuffe78",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T13:40:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056835",
          "commentText": "Lot's of my favorites already listed\nSome more good ones:\nIlium/Olympos - Dan Simmons\nCenturies - A. A. Attanasio\nCallahan's Crosstime Saloon - Spider Robinson\nSignal to Noise - Eric Nylund",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ilium/Olympos - Dan Simmons",
          "reason": "Lists it among more good books answering the favorites question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3783897,
          "author": "latch",
          "createdAt": "2012-04-01T15:28:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 3781486,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi Books for Hackers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3783897",
          "commentText": "Non-developer specific good sci-fi books:\n-Dune\n-Hyperion + The Fall of Hyperion\n-The Book Of The New Sun\n-Ilium + Olympos\n-Takeshi Kovacs trilogy\n-The Culture Series (meh..)\n-The Demolished Man\nMore dev-oriented:\n-Reamde (which I hated, but I seem to be in a minority)\n-Neuromancer\nI'll always have a special place in my heart for Calculating God (not science fiction), because its the book that got me into reading seriously.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-Ilium + Olympos",
          "reason": "The two named titles are presented as a recommended science fiction pairing.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking science fiction, including developer oriented fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Simmons"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "greek mythology",
        "mythology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "imagined-communities-86db47",
      "title": "Imagined Communities",
      "author": "Benedict Anderson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19092472,
          "author": "barry-cotter",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-06T03:31:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19092472",
          "commentText": "> Imagined Communities - the notion of a \"nation\" is only 300 years old and has no objective basis, only the fact that a group of people agree that it is a thing.\nThe Lombards, Saxons, Franks, Magyars, Mongols and many, many others would disagree. And the Khmer, Mon, Viet and Tai.\nhttps://www.gnxp.com/WordPress/2018/03/26/communities-only-e... (https://www.gnxp.com/WordPress/2018/03/26/communities-only-exist-only-in-the-minds-of-europeans/)\n> Overall it is worth reading Imagined Communities because of its purported cultural significance. But much of it is so garbled and unclear I’m not sure what people are taking from it, aside from the proposition that the modern nation-state was invented in the last few centuries due to modernity. In the end the book is kind of a long tautology.\nAzar Gat’s Nations is a far superior book.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Overall it is worth reading Imagined Communities because of its purported cultural significance. But much of it is so garbled and unclear I’m not sure what people are taking from it",
          "reason": "Acknowledges its cultural significance but criticizes its clarity and argument.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says much of it is garbled and unclear, and calls its argument tautological.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6450808,
          "author": "3minus1",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-26T14:07:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6450808",
          "commentText": "Imagined Communities",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Imagined Communities",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2922102,
          "author": "noahth",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-24T19:11:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 2919368,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have changed the way you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2922102",
          "commentText": "Lots of books have influenced me over time, but these are some of the books that have a lot of influence over my current mindset:\nGodel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid - Douglas Hofstadter\nImagined Communities - Benedict Anderson\nHistorical Capitalism - Immanuel Wallerstein\nYoung Man Luther - Erik Erikson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Imagined Communities - Benedict Anderson",
          "reason": "Listed among books that influenced the commenter's current mindset.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Benedict Anderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nationalism",
        "national identity",
        "political identity",
        "political theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "impro-improvisation-and-the-theatre-cb090a",
      "title": "Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre",
      "author": "Keith Johnstone",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49903934,
          "author": "fiatpandas",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T03:10:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49903934",
          "commentText": "- Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre\n- From Third World to First\nLast finished: Human Use of Human Beings",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre",
          "reason": "Lists the book as a current read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23155706,
          "author": "DyslexicAtheist",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T16:14:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23155706",
          "commentText": "> Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre (Keith Johnstone)\nsecond this. I stumbled over it few months ago and keep thinking that I must re-read it soon. love it",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "second this. I stumbled over it few months ago and keep thinking that I must re-read it soon. love it",
          "reason": "Endorses the recommendation and says they intend to reread it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762368,
          "author": "wpietri",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T02:39:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762368",
          "commentText": "Franz de Waal's \"Chimpanzee Politics\". It's nominally about the social relationships of a chimp colony in a Dutch zoo. But it made me see the extent to which humans are just another great ape, and a lot of human dynamics are really primate dynamics, especially around social power.\nJohnstone's \"Impro\". It's about improvisational theater, and mainly meant for people learning improv. But the section on status transactions helped me see a lot about how we express those primate dominance dynamics. There's also great material on the nature of creativity.\n\"Getting to Yes\" is a great book about business negotiation, but is lessons about shifting discussions from zero-sum to positive-sum are things I use a lot.\nBraitenberg's \"Vehicles: Experiments in Synthetic Psychology\" is a way of thinking about psychology (and our inference of mind) by examining imaginary robots.\n\"The Toyota Way\" and other books on Lean Manufacturing are about running extremely effective manufacturing operations. But they have deeply changed how I think about systems of making software and running businesses. Other great books in this category include \"Toyota Kata\" and \"Principles of Product Development Flow\".\n\"Crossing the Chasm\" is about how tech products get adopted. But its mindset around segmenting audiences and building credibility taught me a lot about any sort of social change.\n\"Why Does He Do That? Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men\" is nominally about abuse in romantic relationships. But its insights about power and control have  been useful to me way beyond that. E.g., so much behavior in large corporations is inexplicable if you look at it in business terms, and perfectly sensible if you think about if from the perspective of, \"What would a person with abusive tendencies gain from this situation?\"\nAlso, hearty +1s for books \"Design of Everyday Things\", \"Finite and Infinite Games\", and \"Punished by Rewards\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Johnstone's \"Impro\". It's about improvisational theater, and mainly meant for people learning improv.",
          "reason": "The section on status transactions gave the author insight into social dynamics; it also has material on creativity.",
          "audience": "People learning improvisational theater.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8717812,
          "author": "spython",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T17:51:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8717812",
          "commentText": "\"Impro\" by Keith Johnstone.\nIt may seem like a book on improvisational theater, but is more a collection of notes on interaction between people. Quite eye-opening and empowering. \nWould recommend to anyone. \nhttp://www.amazon.com/Impro-Improvisation-Theatre-Keith-John... (http://www.amazon.com/Impro-Improvisation-Theatre-Keith-Johnstone/dp/0878301178/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Quite eye-opening and empowering. \nWould recommend to anyone.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as eye-opening and empowering and recommends it to anyone.",
          "audience": "Anyone, according to the commenter.",
          "caveat": "Though it may seem focused on improvisational theater, the commenter says it is more about human interaction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Keith Johnstone"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Psychology",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "improvisation",
        "improvisational theater",
        "interpersonal communication",
        "status dynamics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-linear-algebra-069c0d",
      "title": "Introduction to Linear Algebra",
      "author": "Gilbert Strang",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31708248,
          "author": "saeranv",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-11T20:50:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31708248",
          "commentText": "I wouldn't reccomend Strang's \"Introduction to Linear Algebra\" textbook to a beginner. Strang has a very odd, dense way of writing, often with references to material that has yet to be introduced. I think this is a consequence of it's intended use as an aid to his lectures, and can't really stand on its own. The goodreads reviews on the textbook seems to share my opinion: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/179700.Introduction_to_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/179700.Introduction_to_Linear_Algebra)\nI think it's great for an intermediate student, or someone who's also watching Strang's lectures.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Strang's \"Introduction to Linear Algebra\" textbook",
          "reason": "The commenter advises against it for beginners, citing dense writing and references to material not yet introduced.",
          "audience": "Intermediate students or people following Strang's lectures.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not suitable for beginners and may not stand alone.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31707314,
          "author": "ycdavidsmith",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-11T19:13:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31707314",
          "commentText": "“Introduction to Linear Algebra” by Gilbert Strang is the book. Recommend getting a used older edition as not much has changed.\nHis course at MIT is legendary, completely available online https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/18-06-linear-algebra-spring-2010... (https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/18-06-linear-algebra-spring-2010/)\nAnd there’s so much good linear algebra stuff on YouTube from 3brown1blue.\nIf you can do one thing now, watch this Veritasium video to disprove the myth that you’re a visual learner: https://youtu.be/rhgwIhB58PA.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Introduction to Linear Algebra” by Gilbert Strang is the book.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a linear algebra book; the commenter suggests a used older edition.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says little has changed between editions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30486691,
          "author": "skywal_l",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T09:26:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486691",
          "commentText": "Gilbert Strang's Introduction to Linear Algebra[0] and the associated online course[1].\n[0] https://math.mit.edu/~gs/linearalgebra/\n[1] https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/mathematics/18-06-linear-algebra... (https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/mathematics/18-06-linear-algebra-spring-2010/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gilbert Strang's Introduction to Linear Algebra",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16081423,
          "author": "colanderman",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-05T20:33:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16081423",
          "commentText": "Strang's Linear Algebra: http://math.mit.edu/~gs/linearalgebra/\nConcise, clear, thorough.  Strang is a great author.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Strang's Linear Algebra: http://math.mit.edu/~gs/linearalgebra/\nConcise, clear, thorough.",
          "reason": "Praises the book as concise, clear, and thorough.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gilbert Strang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "linear algebra",
        "textbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "invisible-man-8cd7d4",
      "title": "Invisible Man",
      "author": "Ralph Ellison",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34176258,
          "author": "sershe",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-29T18:48:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34176258",
          "commentText": "1) Chris Moriarty. Spin State - relatively-hard sci-fi with decent non sci-fi elements (i.e. characters and stuff), which I think is rare.\n2) Ralph Ellison. Invisible Man. I really enjoyed the writing, among other things, and how he captures short moments and scenes with sort of a hard-to-describe quality of a visual art, almost.\n3) Ilya Somin. Free To Move. To me most of the book was \"duh\" but I think it would be a good read for people on the fence about immigration and private vs public institutions.\n4) Vaclav Smil. Energy And Civilization; possibly How the World Really Works, still reading that one. Really dense and detailed examination of energy history of mankind for the former, and infrastructure of technological civilization for the latter.\n5) Pluckrose & Lindsday. Cynical Theories. Good 101 on CRT and modern woke movement.\n6) Alexander. New Jim Crow. Good 101 on war on drugs, although some broader social arguments the book makes straightforwardly don't seem to follow, or are contradicted by, its factual base IMHO.\n7) Stephenson. Seveneves - really good hard sci-fi imho, although felt very, very long.\n8) Orwell. Down and Out in Paris and London. A good book about poverty only 70-100 years ago. Also a good perspective for modern complaints about poverty - I have some non-US background for that, so I think many US readers might benefit more.\nOn the fence. \n1) I want to plug Seleukid Royal Economy, just for the hell of it, if you are interested in ancient economy :)\n2) Galef. Scout Mindset - on the fence about this one, but it seemed like it was way too long for what it offers. Maybe I've just read a lot of the same stuff ago.\n3) Okorafor. Binti - not bad as a YA book, but sci-fi aspects are remarkably bad.\nA few more I'm too lazy to type out ;)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed the writing, among other things",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed the writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33849955,
          "author": "prepend",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T02:31:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33849955",
          "commentText": "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood by Quentin Tarantino, a great companion to the movie and expands on characters in really unique ways that make me think about them.\nTermination Shock by Neal Stephenson, a near future book about climate change and trying to fix it with an interesting geopolitical look of China acting like the US. I also liked Ministry of the Future but it was less fun of a read.\nCoddling of the American Mind by Jonathan Haidt, a reasoned look at how social media and devices are negatively impacting society and children.\nBorne by Jeff VanderMeer, a weird near future declinepunk with bioengineering and evil corporations.\nHeart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, very short book with a glimpse into post colonial colonialism in remote locations. Wanted to read a book about Congo.\nInvisible Man by Ralph Ellison, a portrait of a character in a time I didn’t experience.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a portrait of a character in a time I didn’t experience",
          "reason": "Values its portrait of a character in a historical period the commenter did not experience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297799,
          "author": "roymurdock",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:56:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297799",
          "commentText": "Older Stuff: The Bible/Quran, The Republic (Plato), The Social Contract (Rousseau), Tao Te Ching (Laozi), Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky), History of the Peloponnesian War (Thucydides)\nNewer Stuff: Nine Stories (Salinger), The Razor's Edge (Maugham), Nausea (Sartre), Siddartha (Hesse), Road to Serfdom (Hayek), The Book (Watts), Design of Everyday Things (Norman), Atlas Shrugged (Rand), Invisible Man (Ellison), Debunking Economics (Keen), Blood Meridian (McCarthy), The Center Cannot Hold (Saks), This Time Is Different (Reinhart/Rogoff), Infinite Jest (Wallace), Calvin and Hobbes (Watterson)\nAll of these books are well written and have given me some perspective on interesting people/situations/ways of thinking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Invisible Man (Ellison)",
          "reason": "Listed among books said to have given the commenter perspective on interesting people, situations, and ways of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ralph Ellison"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "african american literature",
        "american literature",
        "literary fiction",
        "race"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "javascript-enlightenment-9f7ac1",
      "title": "JavaScript Enlightenment",
      "author": "Cody Lindley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14470172,
          "author": "lolive",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-02T14:33:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14470172",
          "commentText": "Yet another option, if you are experienced with other languages and want to learn JS: Javascript Enlightenment [1].\nIt only focuses on the concepts that make Javascript different from (let's say) Java.\nNote: this is a pre-ES6 book.\n[1]: http://www.javascriptenlightenment.com/JavaScript_Enlightenm... (http://www.javascriptenlightenment.com/JavaScript_Enlightenment.pdf)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Yet another option, if you are experienced with other languages and want to learn JS: Javascript Enlightenment",
          "reason": "Recommended as an option for learning JavaScript concepts that differ from Java.",
          "audience": "People experienced with other programming languages.",
          "caveat": "It is a pre-ES6 book.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10185922,
          "author": "Faucheuse",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-08T14:36:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10185922",
          "commentText": "JavaScript Enlightenment\nCody Lindley\nHelped me a lot.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "JavaScript Enlightenment\nCody Lindley\nHelped me a lot.",
          "reason": "Says the book helped them a lot.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7757665,
          "author": "OWaz",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T20:13:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7757665",
          "commentText": "Check out JavaScript Allonge[1] or JavaScript Enlightenment[2]\n[1]: https://leanpub.com/javascript-allonge/read\n[2]: http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920027713.do",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "or JavaScript Enlightenment[2]",
          "reason": "Suggested as a resource for intermediate to advanced JavaScript.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking intermediate to advanced JavaScript material.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cody Lindley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "javascript",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "joel-on-software-f68dda",
      "title": "Joel on Software",
      "author": "Joel Spolsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33856515,
          "author": "ljf",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T18:58:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33856515",
          "commentText": "I loved 'Joel on Software' - I got a heap from it (I was a PO but attempted to be as technically aware as possible).\nTaught me so much about all the things you mentioned",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved 'Joel on Software' - I got a heap from it",
          "reason": "Says they loved it and learned a lot from it.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in software and the industry, including product owners.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3565927,
          "author": "revorad",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-08T09:50:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 3564256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best programming books for someone in prison?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3565927",
          "commentText": "Here's another idea: Since your friend is coming out in 9 months anyway and there's so much risk involved in trying to sneak in a programming book, he should probably spend his time developing another equally useful skill: writing well.\nAs many other successful programmers have noted (Spolsky, Yegge) and demonstrated, effective communication, especially through writing, is a very useful and necessary skill for a programmer. So, maybe you should send him just some good books on writing well.\nIn general books, I can think of Strunk and White, On Writing (by Stephen King). But some examples of good writing about programming could also help:\nThe Best Software Writing (edited by Spolsky)\nJoel on Software (the best articles from his blog)\nSteve Yegge's blog posts (others might disagree but I think he is an excellent writer).\nPaul Graham's essays\nraganwald's old blog - http://weblog.raganwald.com/\nJames Hague's blog - http://prog21.dadgum.com/\nRands in Repose - http://randsinrepose.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Joel on Software (the best articles from his blog)",
          "reason": "Suggested as an example of good writing about programming.",
          "audience": "Programmers interested in writing about programming.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as the best articles from Spolsky's blog.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2330440,
          "author": "riskish",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-16T02:29:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 2329700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that change your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2330440",
          "commentText": "I have found these books to be very influential in my thinking on web startups and building things in general:\n1) Hackers & Painters - PG\n2) Smart & Get Things Done - Joel Spolsky\n3) Rework - Jason Fried\n4) Getting Real - Jason Fried\n5) Founders at Work - Jessica Livingston\n6) Joel on Software - Joel Spolsky\nThese are by far some of my favorites.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "6) Joel on Software - Joel Spolsky\nThese are by far some of my favorites.",
          "reason": "Includes it among books they found influential and says these are among their favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joel Spolsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Business",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software development",
        "essays",
        "software essays",
        "software industry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "journey-through-genius-the-great-theorems-of-mathematics-c5b670",
      "title": "Journey Through Genius: The Great Theorems of Mathematics",
      "author": "William Dunham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15968028,
          "author": "edanm",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-20T08:50:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15968028",
          "commentText": "Awesome! I'll check them out. (Read The Man Who Loved Only Numbers already, it's great).\nIf you're looking for something else, \"Journey Through Genius\" is absolutely the best semi-pop-science Math book. It's premise is that it goes through about 10 of the most interesting proofs in mathematics, giving their history and context, then the actual proof.\nIt does what few other \"pop\" books attempt - it actually gives the real proof, taking you through all the steps. If you work it, you come away actually knowing how to prove the various things there. More interestingly, it gives the original historic proof, which is not what you always encounter. It even tends to explain the problems with the original proof, if any. And since it gives the history, you learn a lot.\nIt's by far my favorite non-textbook math book, and I can't recommend it more highly if you're into that sort of thing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's by far my favorite non-textbook math book, and I can't recommend it more highly if you're into that sort of thing.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it their favorite non-textbook math book and strongly recommends it.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in popular mathematics and mathematical proofs.",
          "caveat": "The recommendation is conditional on being interested in this kind of book.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630137,
          "author": "econner",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:38:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630137",
          "commentText": "Journey through Genius: The Great Theorems of Mathematics  \nWilliam Dunham",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Journey through Genius: The Great Theorems of Mathematics  \nWilliam Dunham",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 755122,
          "author": "suprgeek",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T13:16:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755122",
          "commentText": "For a \"popular\" treatment of mathematics that does go into some mathematical detail \"Journey through Genius: The Great Theorems of Mathematics\" by William Dunham is difficult to beat. It is by far one of the best \"Math\" books I have read that have kept me coming back to it. Also, try some of the books by John Derbyshire along similar lines.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It is by far one of the best \"Math\" books I have read that have kept me coming back to it.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the best math books they have read and says it kept them coming back.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a popular treatment of mathematics with some mathematical detail.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Dunham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of mathematics",
        "mathematical proofs",
        "mathematical theorems",
        "popular mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "jude-the-obscure-ddd6a6",
      "title": "Jude the Obscure",
      "author": "Thomas Hardy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41240816,
          "author": "bikenaga",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-13T23:14:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41240816",
          "commentText": "Someone else mentioned Thomas Hardy's \"The Mayor of Casterbirdge\". It's the one of his 5 major novels I haven't read. \"Far From the Madding Crowd\" and \"Return of the Native\" are okay, but the two that really are magnificent are:\n\"Jude the Obscure\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/153\n\"Tess of the D'Urbervilles\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/110\nYou can sense his fury at the society he was depicting. You might not want to read either of these, particularly \"Tess\", if you're prone to depression.\nFrederick Jackson Turner, \"The Frontier in American History\" (1921) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/22994\nThis collection leads off with Turner's essay \"The Significance of the Frontier in American History\" (1893). It's considered by some the most influential historical essay about America ever written. Historians went back and forth on his claims for decades, and people pointed out many issues with them. It seems like the critics predominate now. But it's still worth reading, particularly since (right or wrong) his ideas influenced the way we think of ourselves. Turner was a very good writer - he was a noted orator, and his essays have an oratorical quality - and the other essays in the collection are pretty good, too.\nOwen Wister, \"The Virginian\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1298\nZane Grey, \"Riders of the Purple Sage\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1300\nAnd the sequel: \"The Rainbow Trail\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/5067\n\"The Virginian\" (1902) and \"Riders\" (1912) established many of the themes and tropes for the \"standard\" western, and they're still fun to read. But the genre comprises many other kinds of writing - e.g. A. B. Guthrie, Elmer Kelton, and the next writer.\nWilla Cather's novels:\nThe \"plains trilogy\" (the stories are set in Nebraska and Colorado, but otherwise unrelated):\n\"O Pioneers!\" (1913) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/24\n\"The Song of the Lark\" (1915) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/44\n\"My Ántonia\" (1918) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19810\nAnd not quite a hundred years ago, but a wonderful novel:\n\"Death Comes for the Archbishop\" (1927) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/69730\nA few brief mentions: James Joyce's \"Ulysses\", though I had a tough time getting through it; some of Nathaniel Hawthorne's short stories (e.g. \"The Minister's Black Veil\"); \"Njal's Saga\" (I liked the Penguin edition with the translation by Magnusson and Pallson); the great works of classic fantasy (Lord Dunsany, E. R. Eddison, William Morris, Arthur Machen); the essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Jude the Obscure\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/153",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it magnificent and says it conveys Hardy's fury at the society he depicted.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "May be a poor choice for readers prone to depression.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33850354,
          "author": "tbonesteaks",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T03:38:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33850354",
          "commentText": "My favorites I read this year in order:\n- Prayer of Owen Meany, it’s the basis of the movie Simon Birch if you have seen that. The book has so much more going on though\n- My Antonia, wonderful characters\n- Jude the Obscure, the cover tells you the ending is shocking, and the cover is right!\n- How the Irish Saved Civilization, really fun and interesting",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the cover tells you the ending is shocking, and the cover is right!",
          "reason": "Recommends the novel, noting its shocking ending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026725,
          "author": "safetytrick",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T03:49:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026725",
          "commentText": "Thomas Hardy's Jude The Obscure, absolutely brilliant. Its littered with literary goto statements, referencing every imaginable literary text. Its really pretty cool, Its hard to follow along with, and harder to catch all of the references but the norton edition fills half of each page with footnotes. I really liked this book. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/039397278X?tag=safet-20",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thomas Hardy's Jude The Obscure, absolutely brilliant.",
          "reason": "Calls it absolutely brilliant and says they really liked it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Hard to follow and difficult to catch all the literary references.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Hardy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "victorian literature",
        "literary allusion",
        "social criticism",
        "tragedy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "just-kids-e432f3",
      "title": "Just Kids",
      "author": "Patti Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33801996,
          "author": "ArtWomb",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T15:25:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33801996",
          "commentText": ">>> problem solver\n“Applied Engineering Analysis” by Tai‐Ran Hsu, published by John Wiley & Sons, 2018 (ISBN 9781110071204)\nRecent discovery. Complete reference in a single textbook. Applicable to any scale: from industrial automation to lunchtable experiments ;)\n>>> better thinker\nWolfgang Engel. Decades of books from shaderx to gpuzen. Plus The Forge renderer!\n>>> holiday fun\nFlea | Acid for the Children (if you enjoy Just Kids, Chronicles: Vol 1, etc)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "if you enjoy Just Kids, Chronicles: Vol 1, etc",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy Just Kids.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29669538,
          "author": "mwattsun",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T02:58:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29669538",
          "commentText": "I try to broaden my horizons and get out of my tech bubble, so I like to learn how artists think. I don't think I could do any better than David Byrne \"How Music Works\" which is surprisingly and satisfyingly technical, along with musical, and Patti Smith's \"Just Kids\" about her time in New York City starting out with artist Robert Mapplethorpe at the Chelsea Hotel. Amusingly, she meets Alan Ginsburg when he tries to pick her up thinking she is a young man.\nIn the same vein, not books but documentaries, I learned a lot from three Andy Warhol documentaries on YouTube: \"The Life of Andy Warhol\", \"Andy Warhol - The Complete Picture\", and \"BBC Modern Masters 1of4 - ANDY WARHOL\"\nFrom those I learned about the art business, how much Warhol loved money (he left an estate or around 400 million dollars) and how much of this applies to today's world of art related NFT speculation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Patti Smith's \"Just Kids\" about her time in New York City starting out with artist Robert Mapplethorpe at the Chelsea Hotel.",
          "reason": "Presented as another way to learn how artists think.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in artists’ lives and creative worlds.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25318747,
          "author": "statusanxiety",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T21:50:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25318747",
          "commentText": "Down and out in Paris and London by George Orwell is an excellent insight into the life of a parisian dishwasher in the 1920s. Its also a great exploration of the lives of the working class in that time period.\nJust Kids by Patti Smith is a beautiful look into the life of a poet and artist.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just Kids by Patti Smith is a beautiful look into the life of a poet and artist.",
          "reason": "A look into the life of a poet and artist.",
          "audience": "Readers curious about the lives of poets and artists.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8795247,
          "author": "emcarey",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T02:47:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795247",
          "commentText": "patti smith just kids",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "patti smith just kids",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Patti Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Art"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "music",
        "artist memoir",
        "new york art scene"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "kokoro-90e144",
      "title": "Kokoro",
      "author": "Natsume Sōseki",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17382297,
          "author": "genjipress",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T17:30:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17382297",
          "commentText": "His \"Kokoro\" is my second-favorite novel of all time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Kokoro\" is my second-favorite novel of all time.",
          "reason": "Calls it their second-favorite novel of all time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10786987,
          "author": "jaylitt",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T03:40:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786987",
          "commentText": "\"Debt: The First 5000 Years\" David Graeber\n\"Kokoro\" Natsume Soseki\n\"The Politics of Dialogical Imagination\" Hirano Katsuya\n\"History and Repetition\" Karatani Kojin\n\"The Structure of World History\" Karatani Kojin\n\"Anti-Oedipus\" Gilles Deleuze & Felix Guattari\n\"Before the Dawn: Recovering the Lost History of Our Ancestors\" Nicholas Wade\n\"Capital, Volume I\" Karl Marx\nThese books have been the most informative and thought-provoking for me this year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Kokoro\" Natsume Soseki",
          "reason": "Included among the year's most informative and thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569697,
          "author": "aik",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T00:56:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569697",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed The Woman in the Dunes as well.  Very well written, though it left me feeling a bit disturbed.\nAnother great novel (also Japanese) is Kokoro by Natsume Soseki.  It's not sci-fi and the plot isn't especially thick, however just like a lot of Japanese novels, the focus is on the character development, and it is done very very well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another great novel (also Japanese) is Kokoro by Natsume Soseki.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great novel and praises its character development.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in character development.",
          "caveat": "The plot is not especially thick.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Natsume Sōseki"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "japanese literature",
        "character driven",
        "classic novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "last-chance-to-see-0c1772",
      "title": "Last Chance to See",
      "author": "Douglas Adams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40881355,
          "author": "tlubinski",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-05T09:52:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40881355",
          "commentText": "Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams - it's a book from the early 90s and Douglas Adams travels the world to see the world’s most endangered and exotic creatures. It's heart breaking and at the same time written with such a delight that it is fun to read. I cannot explain it better but highly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams",
          "reason": "Adams travels the world to see endangered and exotic creatures; commenter calls it heartbreaking and fun to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15631099,
          "author": "btschaegg",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T19:28:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15631099",
          "commentText": "Hard to pinpoint. In terms of entertainment books, it'll probably come down to a tie between Douglas Adams' Last Chance to See and Walter Moers' The City of Dreaming Books, or maybe something by Terry Pratchett (although I couldn't single out a book there, either).\nThe reason for those is just that I can't imagine ever being bored reading them.\nMaybe also Flowers for Algernon (Daniel Keyes) for being a really creative concept (the way the story is told) and for being a wonderful example on how interesting modest sci-fi can be without resorting to \"LAZERZ!!!\".\nEdit: Another contestant: Friedrich Dürrenmatt's The Physicists. Grim yet humorful. I generally really like Dürrenmatt's dark endings.\nEdit 2: And another one: Measuring the World by Daniel Kehlmann, specifically for how well he got me to understand Gauss' weird reactions and motives without going into his work at all. Before I've read it, I would have sworn that a book that tries to present one of the greatest mathematicians would need loads of math in it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Douglas Adams' Last Chance to See",
          "reason": "Names it as one of the commenter's favorite entertainment books and says it is hard to imagine getting bored reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13805441,
          "author": "nbardy",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T19:43:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805441",
          "commentText": "A last chance to see - Douglas Adams\nI didn't understand the importance of conservation efforts until reading this book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A last chance to see - Douglas Adams\nI didn't understand the importance of conservation efforts until reading this book.",
          "reason": "The commenter says reading it helped them understand the importance of conservation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Adams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "conservation",
        "endangered species",
        "travel writing",
        "wildlife"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lateral-thinking-65b786",
      "title": "Lateral Thinking",
      "author": "Edward de Bono",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8717044,
          "author": "franze",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T15:55:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8717044",
          "commentText": "lateral thinking - edward de bono http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/829616.Lateral_Thinking",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "lateral thinking - edward de bono",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3278980,
          "author": "steveeq1",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-26T03:32:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3278980",
          "commentText": "Personally, I'm a big fan of Edward DeBono. Two of my favorite books are:\n1) Lateral Thinking: http://tinyurl.com/88ugdjz\n2) Six Thinking Hats: http://tinyurl.com/7t2w27y . There is a video course available on youtube as well: http://tinyurl.com/6q4rz2t\nI learned about them through Alan Kaye's reading list: http://tinyurl.com/83bqlbx  He has a section on learning and creativity that has some other good alternatives.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Two of my favorite books are:\n1) Lateral Thinking",
          "reason": "The commenter names it as one of their favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2147222,
          "author": "subhashp",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T09:20:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2147222",
          "commentText": "Few of them are:\n- I am OK you are OK, Thomas Harris (not sure)\n- Fountain Head, Ayn Rand\n- How to win friends ..\n- Lateral Thinking, Bono",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lateral Thinking, Bono",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the books that changed the commenter’s way of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Author name appears as “Bono.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward de Bono"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creative thinking",
        "problem solving"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lean-analytics-8b0d5c",
      "title": "Lean Analytics",
      "author": "Alistair Croll and Benjamin Yoskovitz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35169319,
          "author": "blowski",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T14:58:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35169319",
          "commentText": "- The Mom Test\n- 4 Steps to the Epiphany\n- The Personal MBA (Josh Kaufman)\n- Lean Analytics\n- Good Strategy Bad Strategy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lean Analytics",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25209272,
          "author": "mindhash",
          "createdAt": "2020-11-25T14:01:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 25207732,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Suggest good books on bootstrapping a startup",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25209272",
          "commentText": "I was in similar state a few of years back. Read these, and used them to a good extent.\nLean analytics. (must read)\nProduct-Led growth. (must read)\n22 Laws of marketing (must)\nOne million followers\nIf you like scientific approach:\nInfluence by Robert Cialdini\nContagious (Jonah Berger)\nThis resource is also gold: https://brianbalfour.com/essays/customer-acquisition\nI am also documenting my learnings in a book [1].\n[1] https://book.amols.blog/59decisions",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lean analytics. (must read)",
          "reason": "Lists it as a must-read recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6901085,
          "author": "adidash",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T15:49:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6901085",
          "commentText": "Power of Habit - Charles Duhigg\nLean Analytics - Alistair Croll and Ben Yoskovitz\nServe to win - Novak Djokovic\nHonorable mention: Sell More Software - Patrick Mckenzie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lean Analytics - Alistair Croll and Ben Yoskovitz",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for the best book read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alistair Croll",
        "Benjamin Yoskovitz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "startup metrics",
        "analytics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lean-customer-development-69bca0",
      "title": "Lean Customer Development",
      "author": "Cindy Alvarez",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21902980,
          "author": "baristaGeek",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T00:46:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902980",
          "commentText": "Best business books:\n-Secrets of Sandhill Road\n-Hackers and Painters\n-The Great CEO within\n-Venture Deals\n-Predictable Revenue\n-Zero to One\n-The Hard Thing About Hard Things\n-Lean customer development\n-Lost and founder\n-Lean B2B\n-From Impossible to Inevitable\n-Traction\nBest computer science books:\n-Competitive programming 3\n-Structure and interpretation of computer programs\nBest for fun (non-fiction):\n-Meditations\n-Sapiens\n-How to win friends and influence people\n-A brief history of time\n-Self-reliance\n-Frente a la estrella polar",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-Lean customer development",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s best business books in response to a question about influential books.",
          "audience": "People developing products and learning from customers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18663126,
          "author": "tejcirkulate",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T11:54:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 18662992,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on modern UI/UX?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663126",
          "commentText": "1. Contextual design, holzblat\nHow to understand and structure a user's life and environment and what to look for when they are struggling with a problem or using your product.\n2. Lean Customer Development, Cindy Alvarez\nPractical and immediately useful guide to interviewing and talking to users. Read after the Contextual Inquiry book above. If that book teaches what to understand about a user's workflow and environment, this one teaches how to elicit those answers from customers when talking to them.\n3. About Face 3, alan cooper\nIf the previous two are about (a) what to look for when understanding a customer and (b) how to get the info you need to build solutions for those customers, then this book is about translating those learnings into user journeys and experiences.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Practical and immediately useful guide to interviewing and talking to users.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it practical and immediately useful for interviewing users.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They suggest reading it after Contextual Inquiry.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229635,
          "author": "toumhi",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T14:51:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229635",
          "commentText": "Self-help/personal development/philosophy:\n- The obstacle is the way (Ryan Holiday)\n- Meditations (Marcus Aurelius)\n- Level up your life: how to unlock adventure and happiness by becoming the hero of your own story\n- the six pillars of self-esteem\n- so good they can’t ignore you\n- the power of habit\n- how to fail at almost everything and still win big\nBusiness:\n- soft sell: the new art of selling\n- essentialism: the disciplined pursuit of less\n- the magic of thinking big\n- everything is negotiable\n- making things happen\n- lean customer development\n- what customers want\n- inspired: how to create products customers love\n- delivering happiness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "lean customer development",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cindy Alvarez"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "customer development",
        "customer research",
        "product development",
        "product discovery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "learned-optimism-351a92",
      "title": "Learned Optimism",
      "author": "Martin E. P. Seligman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14486662,
          "author": "Anand_S",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T11:04:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14486662",
          "commentText": "1. The One Thing. ~ Gary Keller\n2. Mini Habits. ~ Stephen Guise\n3. Learned Optimism. ~ Martin Seligman\n4. Spark. ~ John Ratey\n5. Miracle of Mindfulness. ~ Thich nhat hanh",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "3. Learned Optimism. ~ Martin Seligman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8125674,
          "author": "spindritf",
          "createdAt": "2014-08-02T19:11:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 8125375,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I save for offline reading during 5 weeks without Internet?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8125674",
          "commentText": "Read books you always wanted but wouldn't get around to with all the distractions available at home. Be it classics, political theory, maybe something light and scientific? Generally, whatever doesn't require additional materials.\nHere are some titles of that kind I enjoyed.\nAnabasis by Xenophon\nHeart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad\nAntifragile by Nassim Taleb\nLearned Optimism by Martin Seligman\nThe Son also Rises by Gregory Clark",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Learned Optimism by Martin Seligman",
          "reason": "Included among titles the commenter says they enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2149276,
          "author": "dwwoelfel",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T20:17:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2149276",
          "commentText": "Learned Optimism by Martin Seligman, while not the most influential book I've read, affects my thinking on a daily basis. Whenever something bad happens to me or I come across a mental block, I use a few techniques from the book to keep it from affecting me.\nKeep in mind, my definition of \"bad\" is pretty loose. For example, one of the bad events I encounter on a regular basis is being stumped by a difficult math problem. If I were to allow myself to fall into a pessimistic line of thinking, it would make solving problems that much harder in the future.\nSeligman found that pessimistic people learn to be helpless and that once they do, they stop believing in their ability to change things. For example, a certain subset of subjects who were given a series of unsolvable problems were unable to solve simple anagrams afterward. These people, according to the theory, learned to be helpless. However, there was a subset of people who were able to solve the anagrams. These were the people, according to the theory, who had developed the ability to remain optimistic in spite of misfortune.\nAmazon link to the book: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/1400078393/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "while not the most influential book I've read, affects my thinking on a daily basis.",
          "reason": "Says the book's techniques affect their thinking daily, while qualifying that it was not their most influential.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not the most influential book the commenter has read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin E. P. Seligman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "optimism",
        "learned helplessness",
        "cognitive behavioral therapy",
        "cognitive techniques"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "leonardo-da-vinci-048d89",
      "title": "Leonardo da Vinci",
      "author": "Walter Isaacson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32197266,
          "author": "jsherrard",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T21:22:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197266",
          "commentText": "Treasure Island - since last week - just started\nThe Left hand of Darkness - since two weeks\nSeven Brief Lessons on Physics - since three weeks nearly finished\nBreakfast of Champions - since a month - can't find the damn thing to finish the last chapter\nSpace 2069 - since two months - half way\nSnow Crash - since three weeks - first chapter\nLeonardo Da Vinci - Walter Isaacson - two months - nearly finished\nI've finished a bunch this year but you didn't ask about those...",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Leonardo Da Vinci - Walter Isaacson - two months - nearly finished",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24599184,
          "author": "whatitdobooboo",
          "createdAt": "2020-09-26T14:40:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 24582669,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24599184",
          "commentText": "Leonardo Da Vinci's Biography by Walter Isaacson:\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Leonardo-Vinci-Walter-Isaacson/dp/150... (https://www.amazon.com/Leonardo-Vinci-Walter-Isaacson/dp/1501139169/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=leonardo+da+vinci&qid=1601131205&sr=8-2)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Leonardo Da Vinci's Biography by Walter Isaacson",
          "reason": "Names Isaacson's biography of Leonardo da Vinci as a book suggestion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24177652,
          "author": "timonoko",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-16T13:35:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 24176902,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please suggest some good books you have read recently",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24177652",
          "commentText": "This is truly amazing work. All possible shit is included, all art and drawings. Engineering solutions and fresco painting methods recorded and analyzed.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Leonardo-Vinci-Walter-Isaacson/dp/150... (https://www.amazon.com/Leonardo-Vinci-Walter-Isaacson/dp/1501139150)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Leonardo-Vinci-Walter-Isaacson",
          "reason": "Describes the book as covering Leonardo's art, engineering, and fresco painting methods.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18662508,
          "author": "amuresan",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T09:26:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18662508",
          "commentText": "1. La peste (Albert Camus) - entertaining if you're into French existentialism\n2. Linked (Barabasi) - insightful and useful to understand that most phenomenon we see in real life follow a power law and what that means\n3. Leonardo da Vinci (Walter Isaacson) - surprising how little of da Vinci's real personality is reflected in his modern image\n4. Matrix computations – third edition (Gene Golub, Charles van Loan) - good read if you're into linear algebra\n5. Giving effective feedback (Harvard business review) - useful for getting an understanding on how to handle human interaction\n6. The old man and the sea (Ernest Hemingway) - enjoyed it a lot, a reflection of Hemingway's romantic spirit. Also, a quick read.\n7. Screwjack (Hunter S. Thompson) - didn't resonate with me although I am a fan of existentialism\n8. Sun and steel (Yukio Mishima) - raw and intimate. before reading this book I'd recommend reading up on Mishima's life\n9. Stranger than fiction (Chuck Palahniuck) - somewhat entertaining, more so because it served as a glimpse into Palahniuck's creative process\n10. Thinking in Systems: A Primer (Dana Meadows) - useful for understanding that in modern life we have complex systems at work with emergent behavior that we didn't expect. Trying to isolate / model a single component of one of these systems is a flawed approach.\n11. Chaos monkeys (Antonio Garcia Martinez) - entertaining, but quite long\n12. Weapons of math destruction (Cathy O'Neil) - in a way, similar to Thinking in systems, but at an applied level. Shows how rules in modern society can have unintended negative consequences when hidden negative feedback loops emerge from the complex system they are embedded in.\n13. Lolita (Nabokov) - a brilliant novel from many points of view. Although the topic is controversial, it is a book that had to be written.\n14. The prince (Machiavelli) - an interesting read. It was intended as a guide to the young price Cesare Borgia from his teacher Machiavelli. The secret to enjoying it is not to judge it by modern morality.\n15. Give and take (Adam Grant) - psychology research about giving / taking / matching personality types presented in a book for the masses. I would not read it again; watching a presentation online should be enough to get the point across.\n16. Mécanique (Landau, Lifchitz) - refresh of mechanics\n17. Do androids dream of electric sheep (Philip K. Dick) - enjoyable and entertaining! I'm surprised how different the feel of the book is compared to the Blade runner films. In the book androids are purely rational beings, whereas the film wraps them in an aura of romanticism.\n18. How we learn (Benedict Carey) - decades of learning research condensed in a book\n19. Advanced Calculus: A Differential Forms Approach (Harold M. Edwards) - the best math book I've read so far! For me it was eye-opening in a fundamental way. Edwards is truly a gifted teacher.\n20. Three men in a boat (Jerome K. Jerome) - enjoyable and amusing\n21. Getting to yes (Roger Fisher, William Ury) - negotiation book, nicely written and structured\n22. Without a word (Zhang Jie) - historical novel by one of China's most acclaimed modern writers. I don't have a good reference to compare against since this was my first Chinese novel, but overall I did enjoy it. It felt real and raw.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "surprising how little of da Vinci's real personality is reflected in his modern image",
          "reason": "The commenter found it surprising for what it revealed about da Vinci's personality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Walter Isaacson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leonardo da vinci",
        "renaissance",
        "artist biography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "letters-to-a-young-contrarian-d190c4",
      "title": "Letters to a Young Contrarian",
      "author": "Christopher Hitchens",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24200901,
          "author": "smarri",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-18T16:42:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 24176902,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please suggest some good books you have read recently",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24200901",
          "commentText": "Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy and Letters to a Young Contrarian by Christopher Hitches. Both terrific writers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Letters to a Young Contrarian by Christopher Hitches.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the writers terrific.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17336801,
          "author": "knight-errantry",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T09:12:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17336801",
          "commentText": "Letters to a Young Contrarian by Christopher Hitchens",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Letters to a Young Contrarian by Christopher Hitchens",
          "reason": "Named as the commenter's comfort book in response to the thread question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6417665,
          "author": "jdrenterprises",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-20T13:49:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6417665",
          "commentText": "\"Arguably Essays\" by Christopher Hitchens\n\"Letters to a Young Contrarian\" by the same.\nand \"Unpopular Essays\" by Bertrand Russell.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Letters to a Young Contrarian\" by the same.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher Hitchens"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Writing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "contrarian thinking",
        "critical thinking",
        "dissent",
        "essays"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "little-blue-truck-161cc7",
      "title": "Little Blue Truck",
      "author": "Alice Schertle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50039807,
          "author": "jkestner",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T04:31:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50039807",
          "commentText": "In that case, anything you can stand to read over and over again with feeling (Little Blue Truck was it for me), and the Eric Carle and Sandra Boynton books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Little Blue Truck was it for me",
          "reason": "Offered as the commenter’s example of a book they could read over and over to a child.",
          "audience": "Young children read to by a caregiver.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46398631,
          "author": "cpfohl",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T02:53:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46398631",
          "commentText": "If Little Blue Truck isn’t on your regular list you should add it. We also loved Pond by Jim LaMarche (older audience, but beautifully illustrated and told), the Boynton books are fun to read aloud especially Barnyard Dance, and The Going to Bed Book. There are more, but these are the highlights from that age range",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If Little Blue Truck isn’t on your regular list you should add it.",
          "reason": "Suggests adding it to a regular reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26779567,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-12T14:03:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26779567",
          "commentText": "My daughter loved all types of books when she was younger.\nMy son, who will be 3 in July, seems to only like books that rhythm or have some type of pattern.\nHere are some he likes:\nEnough Inigo Enough https://www.amazon.com/Enough-Inigo-Gentle-Revolution/dp/075... (https://www.amazon.com/Enough-Inigo-Gentle-Revolution/dp/0757001939)\nGood Night Moon https://www.amazon.com/Goodnight-Moon-Margaret-Wise-Brown/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Goodnight-Moon-Margaret-Wise-Brown/dp/0694003611)\nLittle Blue Truck https://www.amazon.com/Little-Blue-Truck-board-book/dp/05445... (https://www.amazon.com/Little-Blue-Truck-board-book/dp/0544568036)\nGreen Eggs and Ham https://www.amazon.com/Green-Eggs-Ham-Dr-Seuss/dp/0394800168",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Little Blue Truck",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "A child who likes books with rhythm or a pattern.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alice Schertle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s books",
        "children s picture book",
        "children s picture books",
        "picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "madame-bovary-42816a",
      "title": "Madame Bovary",
      "author": "Gustave Flaubert",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20916387,
          "author": "mtts",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T09:01:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20916387",
          "commentText": "A solid contender for the title \"best book of the 19th century\".\nTogether with Madame Bovary.\nWhich wins, IMHO. But still: great book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Together with Madame Bovary.\nWhich wins, IMHO.",
          "reason": "Says Madame Bovary wins the comparison.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783483,
          "author": "KhalilK",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:40:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783483",
          "commentText": ">it's so long that I can't really recommend it.\nTell that to the teacher who made us read it at the age of 14. A masterpiece nonetheless.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A masterpiece nonetheless.",
          "reason": "Calls it a masterpiece despite the parent comment's reservations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9350062,
          "author": "grey-area",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T18:56:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350062",
          "commentText": "I first read it when quite young, so probably it provided an emotional education, but also a lesson that literature can be more than just a clever plot - it's full of wonderful observations of human character, even characters that Tolstoy was not particularly sympathetic to (e.g. Stiva, who chooses his opinions as he chooses his hat, from the selection available, or Anna, the tragic focal point of the novel) - there are no villains and no heroes, only bumbling humans dealing with problems entirely of their own creation.\nI also liked Madame Bovary from the same period, another riff on doomed attempts to escape unhappy circumstances - perhaps all happy novels are alike, whereas every unhappy novel is unhappy in its own interesting way?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also liked Madame Bovary from the same period",
          "reason": "The commenter says they liked the novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5859187,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-11T02:22:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 5859004,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5859187",
          "commentText": ">> 1. What books are you currently reading?\nWell, I'm one of those people who has a bookmark in about 15 different books that I'm \"currently reading\" but some are higher priorities than others, and some will never be finished (probably) and others I'll have to start over since I've forgotten what was happening when I sat it aside, etc.  But offhand, I can think of:\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore - re-reading this one\nThe Prime Solution - Jeff Thull - 3rd Jeff Thull book on selling that I've read lately, and I'll probably reread the entire series when I finish this one\nThe New Solution Selling  - re-reading this - can you tell I'm starting to try and move into sales?\nSelling to VITO - more sales stuff.\nHow to Create A Mind - Ray Kurzweil\nGodel, Escher, Bach - Douglas Hofstadter - set this aside over a year ago; about halfway through, will probably finish it, but FSM only knows when\nA New Kind of Science - Stephen Wolfram (see above about GEB)\nMadame Bovary - Meh. May finish one day, may not.  Would have to start it over at this point.\nREAMDE - Neal Stephenson - set this aside a while back, but intend to finish it eventually.  Will probably restart from the beginning.\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Stephen Gary Blank - I'm kinda in a perpetual state of reading and re-reading sections of this book.\nThe Dispossessed - Ursula K. LeGuin - sat this aside quite some time ago, will have to start over at some point.\nThe Man In The Moss - Phil Rickman - another one that I sat aside for a while, and may or may not ever bother finishing.  Weird, because I usually really enjoy Rickman's work and just tear through his books, but I got stalled out on this one for some reason.\n>> 2. Which book has helped you the most?\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Stephen Gary Blank.\nAlso, The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki and Crossing the Chasm by Moore.\nOf all these sales books I've read lately, I'm really starting to buy into this \"Diagnostic Selling\" stuff by Jeff Thull, so I'd endorse Mastering The Complex Sale, Exceptional Selling and The Prime Solution by Thull. Also, The New Solution Selling.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Madame Bovary - Meh. May finish one day, may not.",
          "reason": "Calls it “Meh” and is unsure about finishing it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "May not finish; would have to start over.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gustave Flaubert"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "french literature",
        "literary realism",
        "psychological realism",
        "realism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "maddaddam-trilogy-e57948",
      "title": "MaddAddam Trilogy",
      "author": "Margaret Atwood",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13249940,
          "author": "kijin",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T14:46:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249940",
          "commentText": "Thanks for the chuckle, but if Le Guin and Atwood sound SJWish to you, I think you and I have very different definitions of what it means to be SJWish. They are the last two people I can imagine who would agree to the blatant censorship that is taking place in today's academic and literary circles in the name of SJWish-ness.\nThe Dispossessed does get preachy, as does the MaddAddam trilogy, but only because their worlds are chock full of preachy people, each with their own stash of dirty laundry. That's kinda the point that those books are trying to make. I would read them any day over some blogger trying to be preachy about the One True Javascript Framework.\nSo how about I tolerate the anarcho-capitalist stuff that some of the other suggestions not-so-subtly drool all over, and you tolerate a bit of preaching in the other direction.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "as does the MaddAddam trilogy",
          "reason": "Acknowledges the trilogy can be preachy, explaining that its worlds contain preachy people.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it gets preachy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249776,
          "author": "mordant",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T14:01:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249776",
          "commentText": ">If you're into left-wing politics, Ursula Le Guin wrote several novels that combine sci-fi with left-wing preachiness in a package that feels extremely overbearing. My favorite are The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed. Meanwhile, a more recent novel of hers, Lavinia, is an SJWish mockery of ancient Roman epic fantasy.\n>Margaret Atwood is another author who doesn't get mentioned a lot around here but whose works of SF(she prefers \"speculative fiction\" to \"sci-fi\") I've enjoyed a lot. Her MaddAddam trilogy is weird and preachy. You'll probably hate it. Her other works focus on SJW ranting about issues of sex and gender in various past and future settings, some fictional, some historical.\n>Of course, I as well as a lot of other commenters in this thread are assuming that you'll be into ham-handed  left-wing message fiction, because that's what we like.\n>Le Guin and Atwood are typical ur-SJWs, so you might find them pretentious and tendentious.\nFTFY.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Her MaddAddam trilogy is weird and preachy. You'll probably hate it.",
          "reason": "Quoted negative assessment of the trilogy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Criticism is in quoted text being corrected by “FTFY”; the target does not independently endorse that characterization.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249504,
          "author": "kijin",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T12:11:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249504",
          "commentText": "If you're into social issues, Ursula Le Guin wrote several novels that combine sci-fi with social and political philosophy in a package that feels somewhat non-fiction-y. My favorite are The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed. Meanwhile, a more recent novel of hers, Lavinia, is a fascinating reinterpretation of ancient Roman epic fantasy.\nMargaret Atwood is another author who doesn't get mentioned a lot around here but whose works of SF(she prefers \"speculative fiction\" to \"sci-fi\") I've enjoyed a lot. Her MaddAddam trilogy is weird but entertaining. You'll probably either love it or hate it. Many of her other works focus on issues of sex and gender in various past and future settings, some fictional, some historical.\nOf course, I as well as a lot of other commenters in this thread are assuming that you'll be into sci-fi and fantasy, because that's what most computer geeks like. But even if you aren't a sci-fi fan, Le Guin and Atwood aren't typical sci-fi, so you might find them interesting anyhow.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Her MaddAddam trilogy is weird but entertaining.",
          "reason": "Described as entertaining, with an unusual style.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says readers will probably either love it or hate it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9080900,
          "author": "profexile",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-20T15:56:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9080900",
          "commentText": "A couple books that I'd recommend for their attention to biology and genetics as the scientific driver:\nJulie Czerneda's Species Imperative Trilogy: \nSurvival, Migration, and Regeneration.\nMaragaret Atwood, anything, but recently the MaddAddam trilogy: \nOryx and Crake, Year of the Flood, and Maddaddam.\nNancy Kress' Sleepless series: \nBeggars in Spain, Beggars and Choosers, and Beggars Ride.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "but recently the MaddAddam trilogy:",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books recommended for their attention to biology and genetics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7304177,
          "author": "turbojerry",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T11:13:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7304177",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed Halting State, and Accelerando, and also the MaddAddam Trilogy by Margaret Atwood as well as Philip K. Dicks works, Valis in particular.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and also the MaddAddam Trilogy by Margaret Atwood",
          "reason": "Includes the trilogy among works they really enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Margaret Atwood"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biotechnology",
        "dystopia",
        "climate fiction",
        "dystopian fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "makers-e380be",
      "title": "Makers",
      "author": "Cory Doctorow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6923250,
          "author": "angersock",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-17T19:25:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 6921805,
          "threadTitle": "What book has inspired you the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6923250",
          "commentText": "Not a book, but the essay \"Conscience of a Hacker\" has never been far from my mind.\nIn middle-school, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and Starship Troopers started a fairly strong libertarian bend as well as a somewhat antiauthortarian\nIn high-school, Atlas Shrugged gave me a clear vision of how important it was to create things with the skills I'd learned, and how naked self-interest could shape a society.\nIn college, Pump Six illustrated the failings of \"In the future, it's going to be even more awesome to be rich and white\".\nAfter college, The Jungle showed me both the importance of social safety nets and how easily people who say \"I'll just work harder\" get screwed by the system--any system. Makers gave me a better appreciation for taking care of my self and my body.\n~\nIt's important, I think, to constantly be reading new things and taking in new ideas; had I stopped with Atlas Shrugged, for example, I'd probably be a lot different (and more naive) than I am today.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Makers gave me a better appreciation for taking care of my self and my body.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it gave them a better appreciation for caring for themselves and their body.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752374,
          "author": "rick_2047",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T08:24:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752374",
          "commentText": "If you want to read some eye opening fiction then I would recommend cory doctorows three books, Little Brother, Makers and For The Win. I know it is stacked in the young adult fiction section but it still is good read for anybody.\n<something irrelevant> I am shocked that in 26 comments till now nobody has mentioned Godel Escher Bach by Douglas Hofstater. Apart from everything else it has accomplished it is always the best seller in the \"Nobody reads but everybody recommends\" category, or at least the close second or draw to Art Of Programming by Knuth. </something irrelevant>",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend cory doctorows three books, Little Brother, Makers and For The Win.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommended as eye-opening fiction and described as a good read for anybody.",
          "audience": "Readers of any age, including adults despite its young adult shelf placement.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is shelved as young adult fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026415,
          "author": "daeken",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T23:06:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026415",
          "commentText": "The Machinery of Freedom (David Friedman) -- Great book on a potential anarcho-capitalist society and how we could push the US government in that direction.\nThe Game (Neil Strauss) -- See nopassrecover's response; he explained it well.\nLittle Brother (Cory Doctorow) -- A fantastic novel about freedom and technology.\nMakers (Cory Doctorow) -- A great novel about people who create, whether technology or business models.  Perhaps the best book I read this year.\nDown and Out in the Magic Kingdom (Cory Doctorow) -- The story of a man working in Disney World, which is now part of the Bitchun Society (a post-scarcity, post-death society).  A story of love, betrayal, and death; how can you go wrong?  Worth it for the concept of Whuffie (you'll need to read it to really get it) alone.\nDiamond Age (Neal Stephenson) -- The evolution of a society towards post-scarcity, written around the story of a young girl's growth into an adult.  Best post-cyberpunk book written thus far, IMO.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A great novel about people who create, whether technology or business models. Perhaps the best book I read this year.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great novel and perhaps the best book the commenter read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cory Doctorow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "maker culture",
        "innovation",
        "makers",
        "post scarcity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "managing-the-professional-service-firm-7fa461",
      "title": "Managing the Professional Service Firm",
      "author": "David H. Maister",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35184007,
          "author": "achenatx",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-16T16:15:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35184007",
          "commentText": "I like books that are actionable. Lots of books are inspirational but not that useful (e.g. crossing the chasm). I run a curriculum in my company which uses a few books I have read over the years.\nemyth revisited (how to think about and structure an org)\ngetting to yes (negotiation)\ninfluence the psychology of persuasion (negotiation)\nspin selling (enterprise sales, supplanted by sandler)\nYou cant teach a kid to ride a bike at a seminar (sandler sales)\n5 dysfunctions of a team (one of the best leadership books)\nfirst break all the rules (management)\naccounting for dummies\npurple cow (differentiation)\nblue ocean strategy (differentiation)\ntraction (strategy/operations)\nrocketfuel (strategy/operations)\nfor professional services:\nmanaging the professional services firm\ngetting naked",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "managing the professional services firm",
          "reason": "Lists it for professional services.",
          "audience": "People working in professional services.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32791066,
          "author": "jackconsidine",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T14:40:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32791066",
          "commentText": "I run a professional software-development firm, and Managing the Professional Service Firm by David Maister is the most accurate and instructive book I've read on the topic (and not for lack of other books).\nMaister basically made a manual of my whole world which includes things I never thought about like \"leverage formulas\" and \"service programs\". Would highly recommend if you are a partner of a firm or thinking of starting your own.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Managing the Professional Service Firm by David Maister is the most accurate and instructive book I've read on the topic",
          "reason": "The commenter finds it accurate and instructive, and says it covers practical concepts from their professional world.",
          "audience": "Partners at professional service firms and people considering starting one.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10029366,
          "author": "pjungwir",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-09T03:05:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10029366",
          "commentText": "- Managing the Professional Service Firm by David Maister\n- Quantum Computing since Democritus by Scott Aaronson\n- Cryptography Engineering by Bruce Schneier et al\n- Time Management for System Administrators by Thomas Limoncelli\n- Expert C Programming by Peter van der Linden",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Managing the Professional Service Firm by David Maister",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David H. Maister"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "professional services",
        "firm management",
        "management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "manna-c8ed4b",
      "title": "Manna",
      "author": "Marshall Brain",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35397267,
          "author": "tjpnz",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-01T04:55:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 35392063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Science Fiction books that predict where ChatGPT might lead us?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35397267",
          "commentText": "Link to book: https://marshallbrain.com/manna",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Link to book: https://marshallbrain.com/manna",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35393412,
          "author": "p1esk",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-31T20:47:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 35392063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Science Fiction books that predict where ChatGPT might lead us?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35393412",
          "commentText": "“Manna” by Marshall Brain.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Manna” by Marshall Brain.",
          "reason": "Offers it as a title in response to a question about science fiction exploring AI's possible effects.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in AI's possible effects on society.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15428601,
          "author": "kuwze",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T15:42:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428601",
          "commentText": "There is Manna[0] by Marshall Brain.\n[0]: http://marshallbrain.com/manna1.htm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "There is Manna[0] by Marshall Brain.",
          "reason": "Offered as a title in response to a request for hard science fiction AI novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387601,
          "author": "sown",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T23:59:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387601",
          "commentText": "I liked Rainbows Edge because in addition to a nifty story, it felt like a blueprint or use case for the near future. Marshall Brane's Manna did something similar, even if  you don't consider it fine literature. Charles Bukowski for poetry, which for some reason I can relate to, despite not sharing any experiences with the author ... which kind of worries me.\nVarious practical books such as Secrets of Power Negotiation by Roger Dawson if that sort of thing will help you.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Marshall Brane's Manna did something similar, even if  you don't consider it fine literature.",
          "reason": "Says it offers a similar near-future vision, while qualifying its literary merit.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter allows that it may not count as fine literature.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marshall Brain"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Computing",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "automation",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "dystopia",
        "near future technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "marketing-high-technology-1886eb",
      "title": "Marketing High Technology",
      "author": "William H. Davidow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Marketing High Technology - William H. Davidow",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 674923,
          "author": "skmurphy",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-26T03:58:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 673487,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there any good Internet marketing books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=674923",
          "commentText": "I would recommend these books for a good grounding in marketing and fostering innovation:\n   The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen\n   Crossing the Chasm and Inside the Tornado by Geoffrey Moore\n   Innovation and Entrepreneurship by Peter Drucker\n   Marketing High Technology by William Davidow\n   Four Steps to the Epiphany by Steve Blank\n   Jumpstart Your Business Brain by Doug Hall\n   E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber\n   Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim & R. Mauborgne\n   Influence The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini\n   The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries and Jack Trout\n   Secrets of Consulting by Gerald Weinberg\n\nFor an article that summarizes key concepts see http://skmurphy.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/Crucial%20Mar... (http://skmurphy.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/Crucial%20Marketing%20Concepts.pdf)\nThere is a companion slide deck here http://www.skmurphy.com/f/SDForum061211.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Marketing High Technology by William Davidow",
          "reason": "Recommended for grounding in marketing and fostering innovation.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a grounding in marketing and innovation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William H. Davidow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "technology marketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "masters-of-deception-the-gang-that-ruled-cyberspace-9ef7e1",
      "title": "Masters of Deception: The Gang That Ruled Cyberspace",
      "author": "Michelle Slatalla and Joshua Quittner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25532037,
          "author": "doopy1",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T22:22:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25532037",
          "commentText": "Books that have changed my life:\nMasters of Deception: The Gang That Ruled Cyberspace\nIlluminatus Trilogy\nNeuromancer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Masters of Deception: The Gang That Ruled Cyberspace",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17751965,
          "author": "paultownsend",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T17:41:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17751965",
          "commentText": "\"Masters of Deception: The Gang That Ruled Cyberspace\" is a true crime story covering the late 80s/early 90s era of hacking in the US, and a conflict[0] between two prominent hacker groups of the time - LOD[1] and MOD[2] - which mostly consisted of smart teenage kids who were just obsessed with computers and telephone networks. It's unquestionably one of my favourite books.\n[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Hacker_War\n[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legion_of_Doom_%28hacking%29\n[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masters_of_Deception",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's unquestionably one of my favourite books.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of their favorite books and describes its true-crime account of hacker groups.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 621286,
          "author": "davidbnewquist",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-21T23:27:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621286",
          "commentText": "Masters of Deception: The Gang That Ruled Cyberspace by Michele Slatalla\nStory is circa 1990.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Masters of Deception: The Gang That Ruled Cyberspace by Michele Slatalla\nStory is circa 1990.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michelle Slatalla",
        "Joshua Quittner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybercrime",
        "hacker history",
        "1990s computing",
        "hacking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mastery-9dace0",
      "title": "Mastery",
      "author": "George Leonard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12280385,
          "author": "oxplot",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-13T05:24:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12280385",
          "commentText": "Mastery by George Leonard - learning that goal of doing something was not to reach a goal, was the most profound lesson I learned towards enjoying what I do everyday by the way of enjoying the process.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mastery by George Leonard - learning that goal of doing something was not to reach a goal, was the most profound lesson I learned towards enjoying what I do everyday by the way of enjoying the process.",
          "reason": "The commenter credits it with a profound lesson about enjoying the process of practice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4787418,
          "author": "timmm",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:19:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787418",
          "commentText": "The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho.\nKing, Warrior, Magician, Lover by Moore and Gillette\nThe lean startup\nPaul Graham how to start a startup\nMark Hyman Ultimate Mind Solution\nTribal Leadership\nWheel of Time\nThink and Grow Rich\nSuperior Man David Deida\nThe Fountain Head\nEckhart Tolle New Earth\n50th Law\nGood to Great\nJed Mckenna\nEarl Nightengale\nLong Walk to Freedom\nOutliers\nGood to Great\nPsycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz (Self-image)\nSeven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey(Being awesome)\nWealth of Nations\nWayne Dyer The Tao\nSystem of the World\nOrigin of Species\nBrave new world\nThank you economy\nCrush it\nBuilt to Last\nWho Moved my Cheese\nStillness Speak Eckhert Tolle\nMastery George Leonard\nSteve Jobs Biography\nThe Last Lecture\nSteve Pavlina Books\nIacocca\nStriking Thoughts Bruce Lee\nCarlos Castaneda\nGhost in the Wires\nRichest Man in Babylon\nWay of the Superior Man\nLosing My Virginity\nThink and Grow Rich\nDelivering Happiness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mastery George Leonard",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227716,
          "author": "aik",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T22:20:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227716",
          "commentText": "I very much wish I would have read the below books in (or pre) high school.  I'm not sure if they have the same effect on everyone, but for me they were huge in redefining elements of my life that needed to be fixed/unlearned/enhanced.\nAll related to having a passion for learning and life in general:\n\"Art of Learning\" by Josh Waitzkin\n\"Mastery\" by George Leonard\n\"A Mathematician's Lament\" by Paul Lockhart\n\"Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\" by Richard Feynman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Mastery\" by George Leonard",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of books the commenter wishes they had read earlier, saying these books helped redefine parts of their life.",
          "audience": "People interested in learning and personal development.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the books' effects may vary by person.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Leonard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "skill development",
        "mastery",
        "personal development",
        "practice"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mathematician-s-delight-6aa437",
      "title": "Mathematician's Delight",
      "author": "W. W. Sawyer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21351659,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-25T03:41:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21351659",
          "commentText": "In addition to all the other good suggestions, the following are recommended (have not seen these mentioned so far);\n- Concepts of Modern Mathematics - https://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Modern-Mathematics-Dover-Boo... (https://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Modern-Mathematics-Dover-Books/dp/0486284247/ref=sr_1_1?crid=214QSPLG829VY&keywords=concepts+of+modern+mathematics&qid=1571974129&s=books&sprefix=concepts+of+modern+ma%2Cstripbooks-intl-ship%2C1448&sr=1-1)\n- Methods of Mathematics Applied to Calculus, Probability, and Statistics - https://www.amazon.com/Methods-Mathematics-Calculus-Probabil... (https://www.amazon.com/Methods-Mathematics-Calculus-Probability-Statistics/dp/0486439453/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8) (all books by Richard Hamming are recommended)\n- Calculus: An Intuitive and Physical Approach - https://www.amazon.com/Calculus-Intuitive-Physical-Approach-... (https://www.amazon.com/Calculus-Intuitive-Physical-Approach-Mathematics/dp/0486404536/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8)\nFor a Textbook reference, the following are quite good;\n- Mathematical Techniques: An Introduction for the Engineering, Physical, and Mathematical Sciences - https://www.amazon.com/Mathematical-Techniques-Introduction-... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematical-Techniques-Introduction-Engineering-Physical/dp/0199282013/ref=dp_ob_title_bk) (easy to read and succinct)\n- Mathematics for Physicists: Introductory Concepts and Methods - https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Physicists-Introductory-C... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Physicists-Introductory-Concepts-Methods-ebook/dp/B07N48G4KD/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mathematics+for+physicists&qid=1571974732&s=books&sr=1-1)\nFor General reading (all these authors other books are also worth checking out);\n- Mathematics, Queen and Servant of Science - https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Queen-Servant-Science-Tem... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Queen-Servant-Science-Tempus/dp/155615173X/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mathematics+queen+and+servant&qid=1571977505&s=books&sr=1-1)\n- Mathematics and the Physical World - https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Physical-World-Dover-Book... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Physical-World-Dover-Books/dp/0486241041/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mathematics+and+the+physical+world&qid=1571977524&s=books&sr=1-1)\n- Mathematician's Delight - https://www.amazon.com/Mathematicians-Delight-Dover-Books-Ma... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematicians-Delight-Dover-Books-Mathematics/dp/0486462404/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mathematician%27s+delight&qid=1571977538&s=books&sr=1-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Mathematician's Delight",
          "reason": "Listed as general reading in response to a request for mathematics books.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking general mathematics reading.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 755224,
          "author": "jorgetown",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T14:12:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755224",
          "commentText": "Some years ago I took the same approach to start again from ground zero. \nI found Polya to be good, but a Mathematician's Delight is better and more accessible: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0486462404?ie=UTF8&ta... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0486462404?ie=UTF8&tag=jorg-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0486462404)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a Mathematician's Delight is better and more accessible",
          "reason": "Prefers it to the mentioned Polya material for its accessibility.",
          "audience": "People starting mathematics again from the beginning.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 665688,
          "author": "JimJinkins",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T18:56:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665688",
          "commentText": "W. W. Sawyer\nMathematician's Delight\nPrelude to Mathematics\nWhat is Calculus About? \nThis is best intro to calculus I ever saw.  When I taught introductory calculus, I recommended it to all my students.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mathematician's Delight",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. W. Sawyer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematics",
        "popular mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mathematics-and-plausible-reasoning-b213c7",
      "title": "Mathematics and Plausible Reasoning",
      "author": "George Pólya",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36031959,
          "author": "ggr2342",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-22T14:32:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36031959",
          "commentText": "They were not textbooks for any course. But I liked these:\n1. Mathematics and Plausible Reasoning by George Pólya\n2. Probability Theory: The Logic of Science by E.T. Jaynes",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mathematics and Plausible Reasoning by George Pólya",
          "reason": "Listed as a liked book in response to a question about eye-opening textbooks.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter clarifies these were not textbooks for any course.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34441116,
          "author": "steppi",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T15:11:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34441116",
          "commentText": "Some favorites below. Books 0-3 are accessible. The remaining books are more difficult but I'd highly recommend them to math students.\n0. Jan Gullberg, Mathematics, From the Birth of Numbers. A highly accessible popular survey on different branches of higher mathematics. I read this over the Summer between high school and starting my undergraduate degree. It's what made me want to study math. Previously I'd wanted to be a guitar player, but had to find a new ambition after an injury left me unable to play.\n1. The high school mathematics series by Israel Gelfand. Algebra, Trigonometry, The Method of Coordinates, and Functions and Graphs. I\ndidn't have much mathematics background in high school, but working through these really solidified my grasp on the basics.\n2. George Polya. How to Solve it. A short book giving excellent high level advice on mathematical problem solving.\n3. George E. Andrews, Number Theory. I worked through this freshman year contemporaneously with my first proof based class on simple logic and set theory. A very beautiful and accessible introduction to basic number theory. The combinatorial/geometric proofs of Fermat's Little Theorem and Wilson's Theorem are lovely. It also includes a very nice proof of Chebyshev's theorem on the asymptotic density of primes and even the Rogers-Ramanujan identities for integer partitions.\n4. Vladimir Arnold, Ordinary Differential Equations: Undergrad ODE classes are often taught in a cookbook fashion and if so, don't offer much enlightenment. This book explains what's going on at geometrical level. I didn't appreciate ODEs until I read this. See https://www.uni-muenster.de/Physik.TP/~munsteg/arnold.html for Arnold's views on teaching mathematics.\n5. E.C. Titchmarsh The Theory of Functions: Recommended by my undergraduate advisor because he noticed that I liked reading older books. It contains sections on complex analysis and real analysis with measure theory, but I've only read the complex analysis sections. It's not for everyone, if I recall correctly, there is not a single picture, but it is very lively and has a lot of material you won't find in a standard complex analysis book, including Dirichlet series. Excellent as a supplement to a standard complex analysis book.\n6. George Polya. Mathematics and Plausible Reasoning. An excellent expansion on Polya's ideas on How to Solve it. While the goal is to seek rigorous proofs, to get there it's powerful to be able to think based on intuition, heuristics, and plausible reasoning. A lot of math exposition is theorem/proof based and doesn't help develop these skills. In a similar vein, see also Terence Tao's classic post There's more to mathematics than rigour and proofs https://terrytao.wordpress.com/career-advice/theres-more-to-... (https://terrytao.wordpress.com/career-advice/theres-more-to-mathematics-than-rigour-and-proofs/).\n7. H.S.M Coxeter, An Introduction to Geometry. A book of very beautiful classical geometry. Something typically not touched on at all in a typical mathematics curriculum.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "George Polya. Mathematics and Plausible Reasoning.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an excellent expansion of Pólya's ideas on problem solving.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking to develop intuition and heuristic reasoning in mathematics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23727569,
          "author": "jacobolus",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T20:57:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23727569",
          "commentText": "Instead of How To Solve It, which is organized dictionary–style with short sections on particular named problem solving topics, and is somewhat hard to interpret for novices without guidance, let me recommend Polya’s other two books (each 2 volumes), Mathematical Discovery and Mathematics and Plausible Reasoning.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mathematical Discovery and Mathematics and Plausible Reasoning.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as one of Pólya’s other two books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Each is two volumes.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Pólya"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical reasoning",
        "heuristics",
        "inductive reasoning",
        "problem solving"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "matter-ac6215",
      "title": "Matter",
      "author": "Iain M. Banks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17522620,
          "author": "Jedd",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T13:12:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17522620",
          "commentText": "I discovered these books (and the author) entirely by accident - at an airport, back in 2009 - I think it was Matter.  Was hooked, and then read the entire series (inasmuch as they're a series) over the next twelve months.\nBanks was an author with a truly singular style.  He is sorely missed.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think it was Matter. Was hooked",
          "reason": "Says the book hooked them and led them to read the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether Matter was the book they first discovered.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395633,
          "author": "metachris",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T13:02:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395633",
          "commentText": "I thoroughly enjoyed Iain M. Banks 'Culture' novels [1] (sci-fi), in particular 'Surface Detail',  'Matter' and 'The Player of Games'.\n[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Culture",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Matter'",
          "reason": "Names it as a particular favorite among the Culture novels they thoroughly enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043913,
          "author": "wildwood",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T22:52:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043913",
          "commentText": "The only book I ever force on people is \"A Deepness in the Sky\", by Vernor Vinge.  If you haven't read it, please do.\nI've really been enjoying David Weber's Honor Harrington series, if you're open to military sci-fi.  It's not on the Amazon site, but it's easy to get from the Baen Webscriptions site.\nIain M. Banks - \"Algebraist\" was a lot of fun, easily the best visualization of a gas-giant alien society I've ever read.  I read \"Matter\" a while ago, and keep feeling pulled back to re-read it sometime soon.\nFor classic sci-fi, I would recommend Bester's \"The Stars My Destination\" and Miller's \"Canticle for Leibowitz\".\nDon't forget to check out all the free public domain books that are available in the Kindle Store.  All the Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, etc that you can eat, at no charge.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I read \"Matter\" a while ago, and keep feeling pulled back to re-read it sometime soon.",
          "reason": "Says they feel pulled to reread it, without stating a positive evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027146,
          "author": "rsaarelm",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T12:44:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027146",
          "commentText": "Fiction, mostly.\nDeclare, by Tim Powers. Cold war espionage with black magic. Entertainingly bleak, and probably did a lot more weirdness with real history than I knew how to appreciate.\nProducing Open Source Software (http://producingoss.com/), by Karl Fogel. A very thorough look into all sorts of practical matters in running a large open source software project.\nThe Engines of Light trilogy by Ken MacLeod. Entertaining, though a bit erratic. Makes a bunch of Forteana fit in a hard SF framework. Also the second MacLeod book I've read that has a weird pixie dust immortality treatment that seems incongruous with the rest of the technology level.\nMatter by Iain M. Banks. Culture again after Algebraist. Still good.\nThe Dark Side of the Sun by Terry Pratchett. Finally got around to reading this one. Was surprisingly fresh. It would have been interesting to see Pratchett write more science fiction after this and Strata around 30 years ago.\nThe City and the Stars by Arthur C. Clarke. Another old SF book. This one wasn't very fresh, seemed like two or three different novels stapled together, with bits and pieces that might work pretty well if it weren't for the other bits and pieces.\nCrooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis. Not a lot of surprises, if you know what Warren Ellis tends to write. Basically a road trip novel through various degeneracies in America. Fun, but tends to go for gross-out warrenellisisms in favor of overall coherence.\nNeuropath by Scott Bakker. A technothriller about all sorts of fun things you can do by directly rewiring peoples' brains with near-future neurosurgery. Bakker's chilly philosophical outlook doesn't pack quite the same punch in an already mostly rationalistic setting as it did in the Prince of Nothing fantasy books. Sticks with a single not particularly unsympathetic viewpoint character and therefore avoids the problem in Prince of Nothing where you'd often end up in the head of someone you really don't want to be anywhere near.\nThe Tao is Silent by Raymond Smullyan. Smullyan writes various essays inspired by Taoism. Quality varies, but Smullyan is generally fun to read.\nOn SF by Thomas Disch. Beautifully acerbic essays by someone who takes science fiction literature seriously and doesn't let it off easy. And just plain likes to insult people. Representative, though noticeably dated sample: http://www.press.umich.edu/pdf/9780472068968-1.pdf\nDenner's Wreck by Lawrence Watt-Evans. Watt-Evans has an specific style of writing from what follows from the setting and premises rather than going for the most dramatically obvious plot. The results are hit-and-miss with his fantasy novels I've read, but work a lot better here, where the legends of a bronze-age civilization end up emerging from a science fiction setting. Watt-Evans' narrative style supports the plot where the traditional stories end up not really being what they seem to be.\nThe Official Book of Ultima by Shay Addams. It tells how Richard Garriott's obsession with programming in high school lead to the Ultima game series, which were one of the most notable computer games in the 80s and became the flagship product of Garriott's Origin Systems company. Also documents how the games grew from Ultima I being programmed by Garriot alone learning as he went along into Ultima VI developed by a large team. There is much detail about Ultima VI, which was being developed as the book was written. Much of it also conflicts with the game that ended up being released, and I ended up wondering whether this was about the game changing during production or just Addams getting his facts wrong.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Matter by Iain M. Banks. Culture again after Algebraist. Still good.",
          "reason": "Calls it good in a list responding to a recommendation request.",
          "audience": "Readers familiar with Iain M. Banks’s Culture novels.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Iain M. Banks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "culture series",
        "first contact",
        "political intrigue"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "measure-what-matters-95a65e",
      "title": "Measure What Matters",
      "author": "John Doerr",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35171810,
          "author": "paulorlando",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:30:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35171810",
          "commentText": "Here are a few others I haven't seen mentioned.\n- The Price Whisperer (pricing is important and mostly ignored by startups)\n- Startup Myths and Models (title explains it)\n- Measure What Matters (using OKRs)\n- Growth Units (figure out your unit economics - LTV and CAC)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Measure What Matters (using OKRs)",
          "reason": "Mentioned for using OKRs.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18774757,
          "author": "gmishuris",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-28T03:44:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18774757",
          "commentText": "Three of my favorites were:\n1. The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle\nAn excellent analysis of what makes some cultures great and others toxic.\n2. Measure What Matters by John Doerr\nJohn Doerr describes a simple yet effective management system that has helped Google succeed and scale. The Objective and Key Results approach can be effective for anyone from a single contributor to a large organization trying to encourage a culture of effective collaboration and achievement.\n3. Small Giants by Bo Burlingham\nThe stories about a handful of companies that chose to be great rather than big.\nSome of the other books that I have enjoyed are listed here: https://behavioralvalueinvestor.com/other-interesting-books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Measure What Matters by John Doerr\nJohn Doerr describes a simple yet effective management system",
          "reason": "Names it a favorite and describes the management system as simple and effective.",
          "audience": "People from individual contributors to large organizations seeking collaboration and achievement.",
          "caveat": "The OKR approach is described as potentially effective.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17523345,
          "author": "zilchers",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T14:46:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17523345",
          "commentText": "1. Measure What Matters - John Doers book about OKR’s is awesome, best business book since Lean Startup\n2. Bad Blood - Just started it and it reads like John Grisham\n3. The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaur - Narrative about dinosaurs, I’m excited\n4. Cork Dork - Great book about wine and Sommeliers\n5. Waterloo: The History of Four Days - Everyone talks about Napolean’s defeat, but I honestly know nothing about it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "is awesome, best business book since Lean Startup",
          "reason": "Praised as the best business book the commenter has read since Lean Startup.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Doerr"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "okrs",
        "goal setting",
        "management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "measurement-2033c1",
      "title": "Measurement",
      "author": "Paul Lockhart",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34443134,
          "author": "jsenn",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T17:41:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34443134",
          "commentText": "* The Art of Probability by Hamming. An opinionated, slightly quirky text on probability. Unlike the text used in my university course its explanations were clear and rigourous without being pedantic. The exercises were both interesting and enlightening. The only book in this list that taught skills I've actually used in the real world.\n* Calculus by Spivak. This was used in my intro calculus course in university. It's very much a bottom-up, first-principles construction of calculus. Very proof-based, so you have to be into that. Tons of exercises, including some that sneakily introduce pretty advanced concepts not explicitly covered in the main text. This book, along with the course, rearranged by brain. Not sure how useful it would be for self-study though.\n* Measurement by Lockhart. I haven't read the whole thing, but have enjoyed working through some of the exercises. A good book for really grokking geometric proofs and understanding \"mathematical beauty\", rather than just cranking through algebraic proofs step by step.\n* Naive Set Theory by Halmos. Somewhat spare, but a nice, concise introduction to axiomatic set theory. Brings you from nothing up to the Continuum Hypothesis. I read this somewhere around my first year in university and it was another brain-rearranger.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Measurement by Lockhart.",
          "reason": "Exercises help develop understanding of geometric proofs and mathematical beauty.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read the whole book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31505086,
          "author": "havercosine",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-25T14:31:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31505086",
          "commentText": "Lockhart wrote another book, called measurement, with a different scope. It covers Geometry and Calculus in his whimsical style. It can give you many aha moments.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lockhart wrote another book, called measurement, with a different scope.",
          "reason": "Covers geometry and calculus in Lockhart's whimsical style.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23728610,
          "author": "mkl",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T23:38:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23728610",
          "commentText": "Measurement by Paul Lockhart.  Written by the author of the well known Mathematician's Lament essay [1], which deplores the state of school maths education, in response to questions like \"Well, what are you going to do about it?\".\n[1] https://www.maa.org/external_archive/devlin/LockhartsLament.... (https://www.maa.org/external_archive/devlin/LockhartsLament.pdf)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Measurement by Paul Lockhart.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348711,
          "author": "GregBuchholz",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:22:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348711",
          "commentText": "\"Metallurgy of Steel for Bladesmiths & Others \nwho Heat Treat and Forge Steel\" by John Verhoeven \nhttp://www.feine-klingen.de/PDFs/verhoeven.pdf\n  An interesting technical introduction to metallurgy, without being overly tedious.  Congratulations to the author, for what sounds like it could be a dry subject.  I am pleasantly surprised by how ignorant I was about such a common everyday material, and about the fascinating changes that take place in the crystal structure of steel with mere temperature changes.  I've got no plans to forge steel, or make blades, but found this book very good so far (although I have been interested in metalworking in general lately).\n\"Basic Lathework\" by Stan Bray.  This is the best of the beginning lathe books that I've been reading recently, covering the parts of the machine and accessories, techniques, and cutting tools.  Very minimal pre-requisites.\n\"Metals in the Service of Man\" by Arthur Street and William Alexander.  A very light read about industrially useful metals, a little history about them, and their uses.\n\"Measurement\" by Paul Lockhart.  I finally got this book after reading his \"A Mathematicians Lament\" from a while back.  https://www.maa.org/external_archive/devlin/LockhartsLament.... (https://www.maa.org/external_archive/devlin/LockhartsLament.pdf)\n\"How Round is Your Circle\" by John Bryant and Chris Sangwin.  Just started this, but it sounds interesting, the pictures are intriguing, and it pushes a lot of my \"interesting\" buttons.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Measurement\" by Paul Lockhart.  I finally got this book after reading his \"A Mathematicians Lament\" from a while back.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Lockhart"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "geometry",
        "calculus",
        "mathematical proofs",
        "mathematical thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "metamagical-themas-fbd86b",
      "title": "Metamagical Themas",
      "author": "Douglas Hofstadter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23153309,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T12:43:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23153309",
          "commentText": "Maybe try something/anything by Douglas Hofstadter. 'Godel, Escher, Bach' gets most of the attention, but I also found  'The Mind's I: Fantasies And Reflections On Self & Soul' (with Daniel Dennett), and 'Metamagical Themas' fascinating.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Metamagical Themas' fascinating.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it fascinating.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19909295,
          "author": "enkiv2",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-14T13:36:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19909295",
          "commentText": "I second the recommendation of Intuition Pumps.\nTo that, I would add Metamagical Themas by Douglas Hofstader & Prometheus Rising by Robert Anton Wilson. (Wilson gets a little hippieish, but he does a better job of knocking down unjustified tunnel-vision than Hofstader or Dennett do.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "To that, I would add Metamagical Themas by Douglas Hofstader",
          "reason": "Added as another book for the thread’s book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14479304,
          "author": "radicality",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-04T00:41:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14479304",
          "commentText": "Isn't that mostly a book of math problems? I've read some of his other books (GEB, The Mind's I, I'm a Strange Loop) - how does it compare to those?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Isn't that mostly a book of math problems?",
          "reason": "The commenter asks whether the book consists mostly of math problems and how it compares with other Hofstadter books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348125,
          "author": "Intermernet",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:18:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348125",
          "commentText": "The Ancient Paths by Graham Robb [1]\nTrigger Warning by Neil Gaiman [2]\nMetamagical Themas by Douglas Hofstadter [3]\n[1]: http://www.amazon.com/The-Ancient-Paths-Discovering-Celtic/d... (http://www.amazon.com/The-Ancient-Paths-Discovering-Celtic/dp/0330531514)\n[2]: http://www.amazon.com/Trigger-Warning-Short-Fictions-Disturb... (http://www.amazon.com/Trigger-Warning-Short-Fictions-Disturbances/dp/0062330268)\n[3]: http://www.amazon.com/Metamagical-Themas-Questing-Essence-Pa... (http://www.amazon.com/Metamagical-Themas-Questing-Essence-Pattern/dp/0465045669)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Metamagical Themas by Douglas Hofstadter",
          "reason": "Listed as a book being read in response to the thread question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85894,
          "author": "anupamkapoor",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T11:06:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85894",
          "commentText": "- use of weapons (ian m banks)\n- surely you are joking mr feynman (rpf)\n- origin of order (stuart kauffman)\n- slaughter house five (kurt vonnegut)\n- goedel escher bach (douglas hofstadter)\n- theta-magical memas errr metamagical themas (dogulas hofsta)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "theta-magical memas errr metamagical themas (dogulas hofsta)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Hofstadter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "recreational mathematics",
        "cognitive science",
        "cognition",
        "puzzles"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mindstorms-children-computers-and-powerful-ideas-e262b1",
      "title": "Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas",
      "author": "Seymour Papert",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22707666,
          "author": "didgeoridoo",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T22:59:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22707666",
          "commentText": "Top five, summaries easy enough to find via Amazon:\n- Turings’s Cathedral\n- The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood\n- A Mind at Play\n- The Victorian Internet\n- Dawn of the New Everything\nPlus two that I haven’t read but hear amazing things:\n- Mindstorms\n- Dream Machine",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "- Mindstorms",
          "reason": "Included among two books the commenter has not read but has heard good things about.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it and reports only hearsay.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762871,
          "author": "argimenes",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T04:58:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762871",
          "commentText": "- \"The Art and Craft of Drawing\", by Vernon Blake (1924)\n- \"Mindstorms\", by Seymour Papert\n- \"Dune\", by Frank Herbert\n-",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "\"Mindstorms\", by Seymour Papert",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7992942,
          "author": "globalgoat",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-05T21:04:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7992942",
          "commentText": "Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas - I discovered this via my volunteering with @codeclub teaching primary school children to program using scratch",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas",
          "reason": "Named as a book discovered through volunteering to teach children programming.",
          "audience": "People teaching children to program.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6976504,
          "author": "Glench",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T20:50:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976504",
          "commentText": "Mindstorms by Seymour Papert\nHow Children Fail by John Holt\nThese books literally changed what I was doing with my life. Both are about how children (and thus people) learn.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "These books literally changed what I was doing with my life.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the books changed their life and explains both concern how people learn.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4597567,
          "author": "joelhooks",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-01T15:36:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 4596721,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4597567",
          "commentText": "Molly Fyde series from Hugh Howey. Loved his WOOL books, so giving this series a go. Like it a lot.\nMindstorms: Children, Computers, And Powerful Ideas - just started this, and enjoying it so far.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Mindstorms: Children, Computers, And Powerful Ideas - just started this, and enjoying it so far.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are enjoying it so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Seymour Papert"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "constructionism",
        "constructionist learning",
        "educational computing",
        "educational technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mother-night-bda92b",
      "title": "Mother Night",
      "author": "Kurt Vonnegut",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23858869,
          "author": "tootie",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:43:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858869",
          "commentText": "Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut. Also NurtureShock taught me a lot about parenting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut.",
          "reason": "Offered in response to a question about books that helped readers understand the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6416411,
          "author": "seanccox",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-20T07:28:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6416411",
          "commentText": "White Teeth, Zadie Smith\nFierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates, Tom Robbins\nHomage to Catalonia, George Orwell\nCatch 22, Joseph Heller\nTimequake; Mother Night, Kurt Vonnegut Jr.\nSeven Pillars of Wisdom, TE Lawrence\nThe Histories, Tacitus\nThe Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger (caveat, it was most effective when I read it at 16)\nRedwall, Brian Jaques (got me really excited about reading when I was in the fourth grade)\nThis list could be much, much longer, but those are the most prominent 'life-changers' that come to mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Timequake; Mother Night, Kurt Vonnegut Jr.",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the most prominent life-changers that come to mind.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3644169,
          "author": "aorshan",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-28T18:16:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 3643009,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-technical book you've read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3644169",
          "commentText": "If you haven't read a Kurt Vonnegut book, I highly recommend that you do. The Sirens of Titan, Mother Night, Breakfast of Champions, and Slaughterhouse 5 are all great places to start.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Sirens of Titan, Mother Night, Breakfast of Champions, and Slaughterhouse 5 are all great places to start.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a great starting point for Vonnegut.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kurt Vonnegut"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "satire",
        "war fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "my-antonia-17e190",
      "title": "My Ántonia",
      "author": "Willa Cather",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41240816,
          "author": "bikenaga",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-13T23:14:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41240816",
          "commentText": "Someone else mentioned Thomas Hardy's \"The Mayor of Casterbirdge\". It's the one of his 5 major novels I haven't read. \"Far From the Madding Crowd\" and \"Return of the Native\" are okay, but the two that really are magnificent are:\n\"Jude the Obscure\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/153\n\"Tess of the D'Urbervilles\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/110\nYou can sense his fury at the society he was depicting. You might not want to read either of these, particularly \"Tess\", if you're prone to depression.\nFrederick Jackson Turner, \"The Frontier in American History\" (1921) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/22994\nThis collection leads off with Turner's essay \"The Significance of the Frontier in American History\" (1893). It's considered by some the most influential historical essay about America ever written. Historians went back and forth on his claims for decades, and people pointed out many issues with them. It seems like the critics predominate now. But it's still worth reading, particularly since (right or wrong) his ideas influenced the way we think of ourselves. Turner was a very good writer - he was a noted orator, and his essays have an oratorical quality - and the other essays in the collection are pretty good, too.\nOwen Wister, \"The Virginian\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1298\nZane Grey, \"Riders of the Purple Sage\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1300\nAnd the sequel: \"The Rainbow Trail\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/5067\n\"The Virginian\" (1902) and \"Riders\" (1912) established many of the themes and tropes for the \"standard\" western, and they're still fun to read. But the genre comprises many other kinds of writing - e.g. A. B. Guthrie, Elmer Kelton, and the next writer.\nWilla Cather's novels:\nThe \"plains trilogy\" (the stories are set in Nebraska and Colorado, but otherwise unrelated):\n\"O Pioneers!\" (1913) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/24\n\"The Song of the Lark\" (1915) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/44\n\"My Ántonia\" (1918) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19810\nAnd not quite a hundred years ago, but a wonderful novel:\n\"Death Comes for the Archbishop\" (1927) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/69730\nA few brief mentions: James Joyce's \"Ulysses\", though I had a tough time getting through it; some of Nathaniel Hawthorne's short stories (e.g. \"The Minister's Black Veil\"); \"Njal's Saga\" (I liked the Penguin edition with the translation by Magnusson and Pallson); the great works of classic fantasy (Lord Dunsany, E. R. Eddison, William Morris, Arthur Machen); the essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"My Ántonia\" (1918)",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list of Cather novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33850354,
          "author": "tbonesteaks",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T03:38:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33850354",
          "commentText": "My favorites I read this year in order:\n- Prayer of Owen Meany, it’s the basis of the movie Simon Birch if you have seen that. The book has so much more going on though\n- My Antonia, wonderful characters\n- Jude the Obscure, the cover tells you the ending is shocking, and the cover is right!\n- How the Irish Saved Civilization, really fun and interesting",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "wonderful characters",
          "reason": "Praises its characters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20941697,
          "author": "_bfhp",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-11T16:07:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20941697",
          "commentText": "I'd recommend My Ántonia by Willa Cather",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend My Ántonia by Willa Cather",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Willa Cather"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american literature",
        "american midwest",
        "historical novel",
        "pioneer life"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "napoleon-a-life-663b3f",
      "title": "Napoleon: A Life",
      "author": "Andrew Roberts",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46397641,
          "author": "LeonardoTolstoy",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T23:46:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46397641",
          "commentText": "I read close to 40 books this year which I assume is up from the previous year, and way more than I used to read prior to starting to do the Rochester Library reading challenge (which I've done for the past two years). I won't get into a lot of it, but after reading Middlemarch three years ago, Napoleon: A Life two years ago, and The Power Broker last year I decided to read two \"big\" books.\nIn the first half of the year War and Peace, which obviously was excellent, although I liked Middlemarch more.\nIn the second half of the year David Copperfield which was very excellent. Just beautifully written. I still think I probably like Middlemarch more... but it might now require a re-read to know for sure.\nThis year is going to be Tom's Crossing to start as I just got that for Christmas.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Napoleon: A Life two years ago",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32197866,
          "author": "PKop",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:29:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197866",
          "commentText": "The Populist Delusion by Neema Parvini started last week finished this week, an overview of political views of Mosca, Pareto, Michels, Schmitt, Jouvenel, Burnham, Francis, and Gottfried\nThe Elementary Particles by French author Michel Houellebecq finished last week had started about a month ago.\nMight is Right by Ragnar Redbeard about halfway through\nNapolean: A Life by Andrew Roberts started in the spring, about 1/2 way through had to take a break to read shorter books. Will get back to it, great book but very long.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Napolean: A Life by Andrew Roberts started in the spring, about 1/2 way through had to take a break to read shorter books. Will get back to it, great book but very long.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great book, while noting its length and that they paused reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Very long; the commenter took a break from it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13237156,
          "author": "impostervt",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:37:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237156",
          "commentText": "\"The Autobiography of Malcom X\"\nWhat a crazy life he led.\n\"Napoleon: A Life\" - Andrew Roberts\nA gigantic book that still felt rushed because of how much he did during his life.\n\"Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization\" Kriwaczek, Paul\nInteresting introduction but I was hoping for more of a focus on a specific period of time. Instead if covers several thousand years of history.\n\"Buddhism Without Belief\" - Stephen Bachelor\nMeh.\n\"The Book of Magic: From Antiquity to the Enlightenment\" - Copenhaver, Brian\n\"The Philosophy Book\" - Will Buckingham\nGreat into to the history of Philosophy\n\"The Vindication of Man\" by John C Wright\nGreat, great series.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A gigantic book that still felt rushed because of how much he did during his life.",
          "reason": "The biography felt rushed despite its length because of Napoleon's many accomplishments.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as gigantic and still rushed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9354749,
          "author": "raghuiyer4882",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-10T14:58:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9354749",
          "commentText": "I'm working on \"Napolean: A Life\" by Andrew Roberts http://www.andrew-roberts.net/books/napoleon-a-life/. This is a well written and pretty hefty biography. The author has done a great job of poring over the enormous material available from that era and consolidating it in a coherent fashion. I've always been fascinated by that period mostly because it seems to be the first time there was so much written down on paper which is preserved till today. Almost everyone who was literate seemed to maintain a diary and take notations of everything.  Pretty decent descriptions of war maneuvers and battle tactics as well, if you guys like reading that kind of stuff ( I do :) )",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm working on \"Napolean: A Life\" by Andrew Roberts",
          "reason": "Calls it well written and praises the author's research and coherent presentation.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Napoleon, military history, or battle tactics.",
          "caveat": "Describes it as a pretty hefty biography.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew Roberts"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military history",
        "napoleon",
        "napoleon bonaparte",
        "french history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "never-let-me-go-783d03",
      "title": "Never Let Me Go",
      "author": "Kazuo Ishiguro",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21911927,
          "author": "cordaciu",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-30T09:04:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21911927",
          "commentText": "1.The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time\n2.Looking for Alaska\n3.Blindness\n4.Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man's Miraculous Survival\n5.The Martian\n6.Never Let Me Go",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "6.Never Let Me Go",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorites in response to the decade's best-books discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961269,
          "author": "calebm",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:24:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961269",
          "commentText": "* The Unconsoled (Kazuo Ishiguro)\n* Never Let Me Go (Kazuo Ishiguro)\n* Influx (Daniel Suarex)\n* Sputnik Sweetheart (Haruki Murakami)\n* Apex (Ramez Naam)\n* One Second After (William R. Forstchen)\n* Anna Karanina (Leo Tolstoy)\n* Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n* A Farewell to Arms (Ernest Hemingway)\n* Crux (Ramez Naam)\n* A Moveable Feast (Ernest Hemingway)\n* Hardboiled Wonderland and The End of the World (Haruki Murakami)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Never Let Me Go (Kazuo Ishiguro)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387522,
          "author": "dshipper",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T23:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387522",
          "commentText": "Kazuo Ishiguro is a favorite: Remains of the Day, Never Let Me Go",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kazuo Ishiguro is a favorite: Remains of the Day, Never Let Me Go",
          "reason": "Listed as a work by an author the commenter calls a favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569264,
          "author": "dkarl",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T22:04:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569264",
          "commentText": "Palace Walk, by Naguib Mahfouz\nA family drama set in Cairo during and after World War I.  It's a long book, but the going is easy.  The variety of characters of different ages and temperaments, each with their own preoccupations in a turbulent time, provide a fascinating glimpse of what to me was an entirely unknown society and culture.  It's the first book in a trilogy, so if you like it, there are more books waiting.\nNever Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro\nVery sad.  It ripped me up the first time I read it.  Anybody who grew up feeling different and somehow deficient should read it.\nTalking to Strange Men, by Ruth Rendell\nAn easy and fast-paced kind-of-mystery by a well-known mystery writer.  There are two stories related in a crucial but indirect way.  Each story has mysteries and twists that could stand on their own for suspense, but they play second fiddle to the development of several interesting characters.\nPersepolis and Persepolis 2, by Marjane Satrapi\nGraphic memoirs about growing up in Iran and Europe.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anybody who grew up feeling different and somehow deficient should read it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is very sad and recommends it to people who grew up feeling different or deficient.",
          "audience": "People who grew up feeling different or somehow deficient.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it ripped them up on the first read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kazuo Ishiguro"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopia",
        "cloning",
        "dystopian fiction",
        "identity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "neverwhere-af0eee",
      "title": "Neverwhere",
      "author": "Neil Gaiman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38558122,
          "author": "soupfordummies",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T16:16:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38558122",
          "commentText": ">> - Exploding The Phone (Lapsley): Super engrossing description of the phone phreak scene almost from its start to its end\nHaven't heard of this one, sounds right up my alley too!\nI need to check out more Gaiman too, I really enjoyed Neverwhere",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed Neverwhere",
          "reason": "Says they really enjoyed the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630899,
          "author": "throwaway7645",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T18:53:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630899",
          "commentText": "Neverwhere => wonderful setting full of fantastic things\nThe Dark Tower => a massive epic that starts out western and goes multiverse SciFi and links together many of kings works. I felt like i was on a grand quest\nVarious short story collections from Gaiman & Stephen King => most are like twilight zone episodes (short little mind benders I can digest in one sitting)\nTed Chiang's short stories=> each one of these was amazing...particularly the one that inspired Arrival movie and the one with the guy that gets super intelligence.\nThe Dresden files => this won't win any awards from literary critics, but is one of my favorite series that just keeps on getting better and more captivating. There are so many complex characters. They don't exist in isolation either, but interact. There are so many main and sub plots. Themes about good & evil, how many things are gray, love, redemption, faith, corruption , perseverance, tactics & strategy...it's all there. It's very unpredictable plot wise. So many books just blow me away.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neverwhere => wonderful setting full of fantastic things",
          "reason": "Praises its setting as wonderful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neverwhere",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neil Gaiman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "urban fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nexus-e8af04",
      "title": "Nexus",
      "author": "Ramez Naam",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36021948,
          "author": "jillesvangurp",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:30:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021948",
          "commentText": "Anything Neal Stephenson. I've read them all. Multiple times.\nBut some other stuff that people haven't yet mentioned that I enjoyed:\n- Matt Haig: The Humans, How to Stop Time\n- Richard Morgan: Altered Carbon trilogy\n- Ramez Naam: Nexus Trilogy\n- Hugh Howie: Silo series\n- Ann Leckie: Ancillary Justice\n- Ernest Cline: Ready Player 1",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nexus Trilogy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23153491,
          "author": "cik",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T13:03:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23153491",
          "commentText": "At random\nAtlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand. Love her or hate her, she makes you think.\nThe Hard Thing About Hard Things - This is a great book about building businesses, and business in general.\nCapital in the 21st Century - One of the greatest books about economics and capital written ever - let alone in the last decade.\nThe Intelligent Investor - This is Buffet's favourite book, and regardless of how many times I read it, I still learn more.  One can never digest it in full.\nPredictably Irrational - This excellent tome makes behavioural economics digestible outside of economics. It's enlightening, though provoking, and turns several accepted truths on its head, purely by being written at all.\nNexus (Ramez Naam) - This science fiction book explores transhumanism and would it could mean in the near future. It's both light and pulpy, but at the same time makes you think about the outcomes of technological progression.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Nexus (Ramez Naam) - This science fiction book explores transhumanism",
          "reason": "Recommended as thought-provoking science fiction about transhumanism and technological progress.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as light and pulpy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10784101,
          "author": "skorgu",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:39:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10784101",
          "commentText": "I was on a sf kick this year apparently.\nFull list (why can't amazon show me the read dates of my kindle books?!):\n- Ancillary Sword\n- The Magician's Land\n- The Three Body Problem (incomplete)\n- Libriomancer, Codex Born, Unbound\n- Thank You, Jeeves\n- Omon Ra (incomplete)\n- Stations of the Tide\n- 1Q84 (staggeringly incomplete)\n- The Desert Spear (incomplete)\n- The Lost Fleet: {Dauntless,Fearless,Courageous} (third \none incomplete)\n- Superintelligence\n- Nexus, Crux (incomplete)\n- Another Fine Myth\n- The Annihilation Score\n- The Man with the Golden Torc, Daemons are Forever\n- The Fractal Prince (incomplete)\n- Crooked\n- Ancillary Mercy\n- The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet\n- The Traitor Baru Cormarant\n- Excession\n- Hive Mind\n- Seveneves",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "- Nexus, Crux (incomplete)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Part of the list marked incomplete.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10176218,
          "author": "sshine",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T22:16:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10176218",
          "commentText": "Just finished:\n— Roadside Picnic, by the Strugatsky brothers. The very thematic Soviet sci-fi behind STALKER.\n— The Cyberiad, by Stanislaw Lem. A brilliant collection of short stories on language, philosophy, futurism.\nCurrently:\n— Nexus, by Ramez Naam (book 1 of 3). Nanobots meet augmented reality, transhumanism. Good.\n— Breakfast of Champions, by Kurt Vonnegut. Hilarious stuff.\n— Poe's collected works.\nNext:\n— The Three-Body Problem, by Cixin Liu. I have my hopes high.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nexus, by Ramez Naam (book 1 of 3). Nanobots meet augmented reality, transhumanism. Good.",
          "reason": "Described as good; the commenter notes it is book one of three.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Book 1 of 3.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ramez Naam"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nanotechnology",
        "neurotechnology",
        "transhumanism",
        "near future"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "night-watch-67f66e",
      "title": "Night Watch",
      "author": "Terry Pratchett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18675016,
          "author": "fdw",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-13T19:02:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18675016",
          "commentText": "> The Color of Magic - Terry Pratchett (Kinda interesting, but rather odd)\nThis is the first book on Pratchett's Discworld. It definitely has a different tone than his later works. If you've not totally annoyed by it, or if you'd like to read fantasy which strongly mirrors our world, with a dry and playful humour, I'd recommend reading some later ones. They are quite independent of one another, so that you don't have to read them in order (although there's several sets with the same protagonists).\nPersonally, I'd always recommend Going Postal, maybe Night Watch (a bit of back story could help but is not necessary), or Monstrous Regiment.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "maybe Night Watch (a bit of back story could help but is not necessary)",
          "reason": "Recommends the book, noting that some background may help.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some back story could help, but is not necessary.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17545441,
          "author": "nataz",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T21:46:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17545441",
          "commentText": "Agree, with the city watch arc as the discworld introduction. I'd even go so far as to say start with nightwatch and then go back to the beginning.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "start with nightwatch and then go back to the beginning",
          "reason": "The commenter suggests starting with Night Watch, then returning to the beginning of the arc.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The suggested reading order starts later in the series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15020694,
          "author": "ardivekar",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T18:02:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15020694",
          "commentText": "Just finished with Terry Pratchett's Night Watch. So good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just finished with Terry Pratchett's Night Watch. So good.",
          "reason": "Calls it very good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry Pratchett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fantasy",
        "discworld",
        "time travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nine-stories-bbb1a5",
      "title": "Nine Stories",
      "author": "J. D. Salinger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15630071,
          "author": "molikto",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:24:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630071",
          "commentText": "Nine Stories\nFranny and Zooey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nine Stories",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297799,
          "author": "roymurdock",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:56:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297799",
          "commentText": "Older Stuff: The Bible/Quran, The Republic (Plato), The Social Contract (Rousseau), Tao Te Ching (Laozi), Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky), History of the Peloponnesian War (Thucydides)\nNewer Stuff: Nine Stories (Salinger), The Razor's Edge (Maugham), Nausea (Sartre), Siddartha (Hesse), Road to Serfdom (Hayek), The Book (Watts), Design of Everyday Things (Norman), Atlas Shrugged (Rand), Invisible Man (Ellison), Debunking Economics (Keen), Blood Meridian (McCarthy), The Center Cannot Hold (Saks), This Time Is Different (Reinhart/Rogoff), Infinite Jest (Wallace), Calvin and Hobbes (Watterson)\nAll of these books are well written and have given me some perspective on interesting people/situations/ways of thinking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nine Stories (Salinger)",
          "reason": "Listed among books said to have given the commenter perspective on interesting people, situations, and ways of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6705176,
          "author": "gruseom",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-10T04:19:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6705176",
          "commentText": "I haven't seen it! I haven't seen anything.\nI finished F&Z last night. The thing is a train wreck. Now I'm curious to read the rest of what Salinger published (pretty easy to do) because Catcher and Nine Stories are so good and F&Z borderline intolerable. Perhaps it was his Metal Machine Music.\nDoes Tenenbaums principally consist of turgid dialogue about mysticism?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "because Catcher and Nine Stories are so good",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the collection as one of Salinger's good works.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6699960,
          "author": "gruseom",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-09T00:07:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6699960",
          "commentText": "I guess it's a failed experiment the way Catcher in the Rye was a successful experiment. But it's kind of interesting despite that. I like how daringly he injects esoteric religious material into conventional 1950s settings. But it was too hard to pull off. None of the characters is captivating and most of them, especially Zooey, are asses in a way that doesn't feel entirely intentional.\nI'm on a Salinger kick, having run across his books for a couple bucks in a used bookstore and never having read him before. He is a singular writer. Catcher was a freak success. Like Kurt Cobain, Salinger would clearly have been happier as an obscure cult artist. But Catcher was the opening bell of the 60s counterculture just as the 50s were getting started. Once it picked up a wave it became a tsunami.\nI was surprised at how good the pieces in Nine Stories are, e.g. \"The Laughing Man\" and \"Love and Squalor\". He paints childhood and adolescence beautifully, as well as charming interactions between children and sensitive young men. But it all gives an impression of, um, arrested development. Did he write any great adult characters? The pervy teacher in Catcher doesn't count. It seems that adults in Salinger's world mostly just get sour, and the one who is clearly his favorite he has blow his brains out in front of his wife.\nMore Salinger books are supposed to be coming out now that he's beyond the reach of his fans and the press, and it will be interesting to see on which side of the divide they end up. One hopes they'll be awesome. But I suspect the odds are better that they'll be weird and turned in on themselves.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "how good the pieces in Nine Stories are",
          "reason": "Praises the collection's pieces, while questioning Salinger's depiction of adults.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The author describes Salinger's work as giving an impression of arrested development.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. D. Salinger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories",
        "american literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nothing-to-envy-ordinary-lives-in-north-korea-4eb33e",
      "title": "Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea",
      "author": "Barbara Demick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13805873,
          "author": "tmblwd",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T20:37:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805873",
          "commentText": "Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick\nAfter reading this book, I started living with a lot more gratitude for everyday things that I'd previously been taking for granted.\nThat might sound like a cliché, but frankly -- reading visceral accounts of decent folks having to eat leaves and grass in order to survive?\nYea, that changes the way you think about the world.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick",
          "reason": "The book changed the commenter’s perspective and increased gratitude for everyday things.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter acknowledges this reaction might sound clichéd.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4770460,
          "author": "tehayj",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-11T20:18:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 4770238,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fiction books that entertain and educate?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4770460",
          "commentText": "Wow, I just read some reviews and this seems to be great. Getting it right now on my Kindle. Thank you very much!\nOne book I recently read and I can recommend is \"Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea\"\nIt's pretty interesting to hear the real life stories of 6 people living under the North Korean regime (and then escaping it).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One book I recently read and I can recommend is \"Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea\"",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly recommends it for its real-life accounts of people living under and escaping North Korea's regime.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2615883,
          "author": "fbnt",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T11:05:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2615883",
          "commentText": "Nothing To Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nothing To Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the reading recommendation question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Barbara Demick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "north korea",
        "defectors",
        "oral history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nudge-1711ca",
      "title": "Nudge",
      "author": "Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35170084,
          "author": "Mizoguchi",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T15:44:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35170084",
          "commentText": "Entrepreneurship Negotiation by Dinnar and Susskind covers some of the most fundamental topics anyone wanting to become an entrepreneur must know.\nI also find Richard Thaler work (Nudge, Misbehaving) very helpful particularly if you are in the B2C domain.\nThe Black Swan by Taleb is another book I find myself going back to often; it's been of great help for decision making under lots of uncertainty.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nudge, Misbehaving) very helpful particularly if you are in the B2C domain.",
          "reason": "Found helpful, particularly in a B2C domain.",
          "audience": "People working in B2C.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20332661,
          "author": "13of40",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T06:27:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20332661",
          "commentText": "When I was a pre-teen/teen, I grew up in a pretty nerdy family with a scientist dad, a brother who eventually became a linguist, and stacks of Byte Magazine, Omni, Particle Physics Digest, etc. as far as the eye could see.  I couldn't stomach the fantasy stuff my brother was into, and I was a bit on the technical side, so I decided my genre was Sci Fi.  I followed this to the point that I felt deeply guilty for reading anything else, until one summer I found myself at a cabin somewhere with nothing to do but lay in a hammock and read Double Whammy by Carl Hiaasen.  Oh my God, it went down so easy compared to the Sci Fi.  It really made me realize a joy in recreational reading that's stuck for 30 years.  Now I'm not saying that Florida Humor Noir is right for you, but don't feel obligated to spend your summer reading something like Nudge or Crucial Conversations.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "don't feel obligated to spend your summer reading something like Nudge",
          "reason": "Cited as an example of the kind of reading the commenter says readers need not feel obligated to choose.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107093,
          "author": "mrcdima",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T09:05:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107093",
          "commentText": "Some titles I've recently read or at least have placed on my reading list.\n--------------------\nPhilosohpy\nLetters from a Stoic: Epistulae Morales Ad Lucilium - Seneca\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius (must read)\nThe Republic - Plato\n--------------------\nHistory\nFive Chimneys - Olga Lengyel\nThe Gulag Archipelago - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (must read)\nThe Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank\n--------------------\nFiction\n(particularly dystopian) 1984, Brave New World, Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451\n(crime/action) Child 44, The Secret Speech, Agent 6 - Tom Rob Smith\n--------------------\nEconomics\nCapital in the Twenty-First Century - Thomas Piketty\nPoor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty - Banerjee, Duflo\nWhy Nations Fail - Robinson\n--------------------\nEconomics/Decision making/Psychology\nUndercover Economist, Freakonomics, Nudge, Thinking Fast and Slow\n--------------------\nRandom titles\nThe Selfish Gene, Self-Reliance, The Elements of Style (about writing), Slaughterhouse-Five\n--------------------\nSome links to inspire your reading (though you may want to checkout the websites first to get an idea of the topics they cover)\nhttp://www.gatesnotes.com/Books\nhttp://bookpickings.brainpickings.org/\nhttp://www.farnamstreetblog.com/reading/\nhttp://www.ryanholiday.net/reading-newsletter\nI’m just a working-class guy trying to take part in the conversation that all the smart people are having. What books should I read? - http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-cl... (http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-class-guy-trying-to-take-part-in-the-conversation-that-all-the-smart-people-are-having-what-books-should-i-read/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nudge",
          "reason": "Listed as a title in response to the thread's request for book suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226975,
          "author": "pyronicide",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T17:14:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226975",
          "commentText": "Here are some books that are a mix of psychology and economics that I think are especially suited for HN:\nBehavioral Economics:\n  Predictably Irrational - Dan Ariely\n  Nudge - Richard Thaler\n  Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard - Chip and Dan Heath\n\nEconomics:\n  The Black Swan: Impact of the Highly Improbable - Nassim Taleb\n  Fooled by Randomness - Nassim Taleb\n  Drunkard's Walk - Leonard Mlodinow\n\nPsychology:\n  Opening Skinner's Box - Lauren Slater\n\nManagement:\n  The Education of a Coach - David Halberstam",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nudge - Richard Thaler",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard H. Thaler",
        "Cass R. Sunstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Psychology",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "behavioral economics",
        "choice architecture",
        "consumer behavior",
        "decision making"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ogilvy-on-advertising-b22577",
      "title": "Ogilvy on Advertising",
      "author": "David Ogilvy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14743559,
          "author": "cm2012",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T12:32:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14743559",
          "commentText": "Being Direct by Lester Wunderman. Best book on direct marketing in the world IMO. I currently do high level marketing consulting, would not have happened without thia book. Way better than Ogilvy on Advertising.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Way better than Ogilvy on Advertising.",
          "reason": "Used as the less-preferred comparison to Being Direct.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter ranks it below Being Direct.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1866895,
          "author": "tiffani",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T23:07:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1866895",
          "commentText": "Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy.  People hoot and holler over Don Draper, but Ogilvy is the real deal.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy.",
          "reason": "Calls Ogilvy the real deal while contrasting him with Don Draper.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 193747,
          "author": "SwellJoe",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-19T00:29:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 193308,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What books on marketing do you recomend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=193747",
          "commentText": "Ogilvy on Advertising is one of my absolute favorites, and I go back to it regularly.  It's also a beautiful book with lots of large photos of campaigns.  It's not specifically \"marketing\" of course, but it covers that area, as well.\nThe funny thing is that a lot of folks in the business writing books today like to present themselves as being innovators and mavericks going against the \"old school\" of advertising and marketing...but Ogilvy covers a lot of the \"new\" techniques that folks like Godin and Ries and many others in the web era are pushing.  Stuff like directly talking to your customer; the power of personal messages, for example, is covered in great detail in Ogilvy's book.  Sure, the technology wasn't there yet to tweet and blog, but the ideas translate quite clearly and easily if you just think about it for a minute.\nAnother \"old timer\" (who also considered himself a maverick fighting the Ogilvy ways) is George Lois.  His book \"What's the Big Idea?\" is full of great stories of reaching a market on the cheap.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ogilvy on Advertising is one of my absolute favorites, and I go back to it regularly.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a favorite and says they return to it regularly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not specifically a marketing book, though the commenter says it covers marketing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Ogilvy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "advertising",
        "marketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-the-genealogy-of-morality-61e733",
      "title": "On the Genealogy of Morality",
      "author": "Friedrich Nietzsche",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32791257,
          "author": "wunderlust",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T15:04:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32791257",
          "commentText": "My field of study (what I really like to think and learn about) isn't my field of work, but I like the question so I'll spill some thoughts.\nI spend a lot of time thinking about philosophical-ish stuff, so here are some books that have had the strongest residual effects (whether that's changing how I think, changing what I think about, changing my values, or simply getting the thought ball rolling faster):\nIshmael (Daniel Quinn)\n1984 (George Orwell)\nBrave New World (Aldous Huxley)\nGodel, Escher, Bach (Douglas Hofstadter)\nThe Republic [imp. \"the allegory of the cave\"] (Plato)\nThe Genealogy of Morals (Friedrich Nietzsche)\nThe Social Construction of Reality (Peter L. Berger, Thomas Luckmann)\nTractatus Logico-Philosophicus (L. Wittgenstein)\nDissemination [imp. \"The Pharmakon\"] (Jacques Derrida)\nThe Quest for Reality (Barry Stroud)\nLanguages of Art (Nelson Goodman)\nThe Structure of Scientific Revolutions (Thomas Kuhn)\nConcepts (Jerry Fodor)\nThe Web of Life (Fritjof Capra)\nFoucault's Pendulum (Umberto Eco)\nNaming and Necessity (Saul Kripke)\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Robert Pirsig)\nThere are others, and a lot of essays (by thinkers like Bertrand Russell, Carl Hempel, Hilary Putnam, WVO Quine, Karl Popper, Alfred Tarski, Gottlob Frege, David Chalmers, Daniel Dennett, Michel Foucault, Jean Baudrillard, Mikhail Bakunin, CS Peirce, and David Hume, among many others), but these seem apropos as they most readily came to mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Genealogy of Morals (Friedrich Nietzsche)",
          "reason": "Listed among books with strong residual effects on the commenter’s thinking and values.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23153802,
          "author": "mitchelldeacon9",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T13:35:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23153802",
          "commentText": "In addition to the classics of cognitive psychology (Kahneman, Taleb, et al.), I would also recommend books on psychological manipulation, religious cults, and con men. The following books offer a multi-disciplinary perspective on psychological techniques to improve awareness and exploit other people, both of which are essential to enhance your perception and protect yourself against fraud and manipulation.\nCialdini, Robert (2006) Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion\nGuinn, Jeff (2017) Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple\nEkman, Paul (2007) Emotions Revealed: Recognizing Faces and Feelings to Improve Communication and Emotional Life\nKahneman, Daniel (2011) Thinking, Fast and Slow\nMitnick, Kevin and William Simon (2002) Art of Deception\nNavarro and Karlins (2008) What Every Body is Saying: Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Speed-Reading People\nNietzsche, Friedrich (1887) On the Genealogy of Morals\nRhodes, Richard (1986) Making of the Atomic Bomb\nSun Tzu (c. 400 BCE) Art of War\nTaleb, Nassim Nicholas (2005) Fooled by Randomness\nWright, Lawrence (2013) Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nietzsche, Friedrich (1887) On the Genealogy of Morals",
          "reason": "Listed among books offering a multidisciplinary perspective on psychology and human behavior.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in psychological techniques and manipulation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503671,
          "author": "zppx",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T14:26:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503671",
          "commentText": "My list:\n- Pirkei Avot, it's a section of the Mishnah (a part of the Talmud), it summarizes the jewish moral thought (well, not for the Karaites Jews, they did not believe in the Talmud), I was born in a Orthodox Jewish family so it was important on my beliefs, even though I am an Atheist now.\n- Organon, it's a compilation of Aristotle's logic works, they are the basis for the logical thought of the Western civilization, I think it's easier to read the originals than compendiums.\n- Philosophical Investigations, the second book of Wittgenstein, it's dense, and obscure to some extent, but it's really eye-opener, some ideas that influenced the last century are introduced there.\n- Proofs and Refutations, a posthumous work by Imre Lakatos, it defied much of my established view on how Mathematics works.\n- Thus Spoke Zarathustra, a powerful book, it's dense and you can only drag many conclusions from it when you read other works from Nietzsche, which lead to my next book.\n- On the Genealogy of Morality, this is for me the most important of the 5 books that I have read from Nietzsche, in the first essay of the book the concept of master morality and slave morality is introduced, some people think that Nietzsche favors the first, I disagree, for me he describes and criticizes both.\n- Truth and Method, the classic of Gadamer, some people call it a \"postmodern\" work, this only serves to show how \"modern\" some of the \"postmodern\" were, the book basically addresses how our current beliefs and customs, which he calls traditions, plays an important part in our hermeneutics and how we always are biased to interpret something.\n- Epistemic Justification, this book of William Alston is a good refinement if you already know some epistemology, although I disagree with the \"justified true belief\" definition of knowledge, that is the main theme of the book and its essays, it introduced some questions about the nature and limitations of knowledge.\n- Inquiry into the Human Mind, by Thomas Reid is a good read and also a staunch defense of the common sense.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this is for me the most important of the 5 books that I have read from Nietzsche",
          "reason": "Calls it their most important Nietzsche book and describes its discussion of master and slave morality.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Nietzsche's account of morality.",
          "caveat": "The commenter disagrees with the view that Nietzsche favors master morality.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Friedrich Nietzsche"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "morality",
        "nietzsche",
        "moral philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "operating-systems-design-and-implementation-7c48f1",
      "title": "Operating Systems: Design and Implementation",
      "author": "Andrew S. Tanenbaum",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33598093,
          "author": "rmhenne",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-14T17:58:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33598093",
          "commentText": "It was very early in my education but Tanenbaum's OS book, which I read while playing with his Minix source code, opened my eyes quite a bit to how Operating Systems worked.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tanenbaum's OS book",
          "reason": "The commenter says reading it alongside Minix source code opened their eyes to how operating systems worked.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28480194,
          "author": "blahdeblah123",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-10T11:47:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 28478751,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach you programming languages via systems projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28480194",
          "commentText": "MMURTL - now there's a blast from the past!! I learned a lot from that book (by Richard Burgess IIRC) and playing around with the code was fun. Mostly 386 assembler and some C from what I remember. Yes, the Minix book is also good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Yes, the Minix book is also good.",
          "reason": "Calls the Minix book good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9758045,
          "author": "blackle",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T13:16:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758045",
          "commentText": "Operating Systems: Design and Implementation - Andrew S. Tanenbaum\nAlways a good one when you want to brush up on arcane knowledge.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Operating Systems: Design and Implementation - Andrew S. Tanenbaum\nAlways a good one when you want to brush up on arcane knowledge.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a useful way to brush up on arcane knowledge.",
          "audience": "Readers who want to brush up on arcane knowledge.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew S. Tanenbaum"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "operating systems",
        "minix"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "organon-bc533a",
      "title": "Organon",
      "author": "Aristotle",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21851807,
          "author": "ARandomerDude",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T16:09:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21851807",
          "commentText": "\"Organon\" and \"Metaphysics\" by Aristotle.  I've found that the more I think in Aristotelian terms, the easier it is to design and model my systems.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Organon\" and \"Metaphysics\" by Aristotle.  I've found that the more I think in Aristotelian terms, the easier it is to design and model my systems.",
          "reason": "Says Aristotelian thinking makes it easier to design and model systems.",
          "audience": "People designing and modeling systems.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503671,
          "author": "zppx",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T14:26:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503671",
          "commentText": "My list:\n- Pirkei Avot, it's a section of the Mishnah (a part of the Talmud), it summarizes the jewish moral thought (well, not for the Karaites Jews, they did not believe in the Talmud), I was born in a Orthodox Jewish family so it was important on my beliefs, even though I am an Atheist now.\n- Organon, it's a compilation of Aristotle's logic works, they are the basis for the logical thought of the Western civilization, I think it's easier to read the originals than compendiums.\n- Philosophical Investigations, the second book of Wittgenstein, it's dense, and obscure to some extent, but it's really eye-opener, some ideas that influenced the last century are introduced there.\n- Proofs and Refutations, a posthumous work by Imre Lakatos, it defied much of my established view on how Mathematics works.\n- Thus Spoke Zarathustra, a powerful book, it's dense and you can only drag many conclusions from it when you read other works from Nietzsche, which lead to my next book.\n- On the Genealogy of Morality, this is for me the most important of the 5 books that I have read from Nietzsche, in the first essay of the book the concept of master morality and slave morality is introduced, some people think that Nietzsche favors the first, I disagree, for me he describes and criticizes both.\n- Truth and Method, the classic of Gadamer, some people call it a \"postmodern\" work, this only serves to show how \"modern\" some of the \"postmodern\" were, the book basically addresses how our current beliefs and customs, which he calls traditions, plays an important part in our hermeneutics and how we always are biased to interpret something.\n- Epistemic Justification, this book of William Alston is a good refinement if you already know some epistemology, although I disagree with the \"justified true belief\" definition of knowledge, that is the main theme of the book and its essays, it introduced some questions about the nature and limitations of knowledge.\n- Inquiry into the Human Mind, by Thomas Reid is a good read and also a staunch defense of the common sense.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Organon, it's a compilation of Aristotle's logic works, they are the basis for the logical thought of the Western civilization, I think it's easier to read the originals than compendiums.",
          "reason": "Includes it in the requested list and says the originals are easier to read than compendiums.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in logic and original philosophical texts.",
          "caveat": "It is a compilation of Aristotle's logic works.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143268,
          "author": "gibsonf1",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T12:42:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143268",
          "commentText": "_Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology_, Ayn Rand\nThe \"Organon\" books by Aristotle\n_Introduction to Logic_, H. W. B. Joseph\n_An Invitation to Formal Reasoning_, Fred Sommers & George Englebretsen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The \"Organon\" books by Aristotle",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Aristotle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aristotelian logic",
        "logic",
        "aristotelian philosophy",
        "systems design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "oryx-and-crake-36a070",
      "title": "Oryx and Crake",
      "author": "Margaret Atwood",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8944853,
          "author": "mattdw",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-26T00:16:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944853",
          "commentText": "Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood\nAny of Ursula K Le Guin's books, but particularly The Left Hand of Tomorrow.\nAncillary Justice.\nAnything by Peter Watts or Iain M Banks.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 141209,
          "author": "SwellJoe",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T22:36:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=141209",
          "commentText": "Asimov's two big universes, found in the Robots series and the Foundation series, (which turned out to be the same when he revisited them in the 70's and 80's) are simply wonderful.  By far my favorite sci-fi, and among the most enduring works in the genre.  I read them both every two or three years, and sometimes grab one off the shelf when I just want something to read.  The early Foundation is sort of a future history version of \"The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire\" (I seem to recall that was intentional, actually).  Asimov's autobiographies and the posthumous book of his correspondence are all fantastic and insightful.  I learned a lot from them, and my admiration for the man increased even more upon reading them.\nDune is also astoundingly good, though after the first three, the quality goes downhill (slowly, but surely).  Definitely lots to think about.\nRendezvous with Rama left me breathless...and I could not put it down until I'd read the last page.  I've returned to it a couple of times, and loved it every single time.  The later Rama books are deeply flawed, and should have never happened (they were not written by Clarke, and it shows), as they make Rama seem...hmmm, I can't really think of the right word that expresses it.  Cheap, dinky, small, something bad.  But Rendezvous is a must read for everyone.\nDouglas Adams, of course.  The whole Hitchhikers' series is a must, while the Dirk Gently stuff is also funny, but not sci-fi and not mandatory.\nI mentioned in another thread my love of dystopias, and one of the best ever is The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.  She's one of the best sci-fi writers alive (she doesn't exclusively write sci-fi, however).  Oryx and Crake is also fascinating.\nCat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut.  I enjoy all of Vonnegut's work, but Cat's Cradle is a magical perfect novel.\nI don't know if everyone would agree that it's sci-fi, but Mark Twain's Letters from the Earth was an eye opener for me when I was a kid (I went on a Mark Twain kick when I was in elementary school...no one ever told me that all of his books weren't kids books, so I read everything I could get my hands on after being hooked by Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn).  Turns out Mark Twain was seditious, heretical, and quite the troublemaker all around.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Oryx and Crake is also fascinating.",
          "reason": "Calls the novel fascinating.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in dystopian science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135273,
          "author": "moog",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T17:13:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135273",
          "commentText": "The Feynman Lectures on Physics\nThe Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes\nOryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood\nHeart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad\nA Latin/English dictionary for new company names",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books for a hacker's bookshelf.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Margaret Atwood"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biotechnology",
        "dystopia",
        "dystopian fiction",
        "genetic engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pale-blue-dot-a-vision-of-the-human-future-in-space-6724b9",
      "title": "Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space",
      "author": "Carl Sagan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 44574451,
          "author": "chistev",
          "createdAt": "2025-07-15T18:40:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 44568054,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44574451",
          "commentText": "Hard to choose for myself who made the post.\nBut some of my favorites are -\n1. God: The Failed Hypothesis\nBook by Victor J. Stenger\n2. The God Delusion\nBook by Richard Dawkins\n3. Berlin: The Downfall 1945\nBook by Antony Beevor\n4. A Song of Ice and Fire\nNovel series by George R.R. Martin\n5. A Short History of Nearly Everything\nBook by Bill Bryson\n6. Billions and Billions\nBook by Carl Sagan\n7. Flowers for Algernon\nShort story by Daniel Keyes\n8. I'm Glad My Mom Died\nBook by Jennette McCurdy\n9. Manhunt: The Ten-Year Search for Bin Laden--from 9/11 to Abbottabad\nBook by Peter Bergen\n10. Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space\nBook by Carl Sagan\n11. The Metamorphosis\nNovella by Franz Kafka\n12. The Selfish Gene\nBook by Richard Dawkins\nGun to my head, pick one? The God Delusion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25540360,
          "author": "the__alchemist",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-26T00:40:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25540360",
          "commentText": "Pale Blue Dot, by Carl Sagan - A beautiful perspective on our place in the Cosmos, and how convergent scientific discoveries can be. I think his model of how we learn about our own planet from studying other worlds  applies more broadly to learning and knowledge in general - we can learn so much by exploring and solving new problems.\nThis is more provincial, but I think Neal Stephenson's Fall; or, Dodge in hell makes important statements on the current and (possible? likely?) state of the future of the Internet. It's inspired me to start several projects lately - that drive is why I love good sci-fi.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pale Blue Dot, by Carl Sagan",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its perspective on humanity's place in the cosmos and its account of learning about Earth through other worlds.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14743469,
          "author": "perseusprime11",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T12:15:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14743469",
          "commentText": "Pale Blue Dot by Sagan",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pale Blue Dot by Sagan",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 57425,
          "author": "endlessvoid94",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-20T15:03:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=57425",
          "commentText": "Guns Germs and Steel is possibly one of the most fascinating books I've read in years.  No wonder it won a Pulitzer.\nAlso I have to add a Carl Sagan book.  \"Varieties of Scientific Experience\" is fantastic.  \"pale blue dot\", as well.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"pale blue dot\", as well.",
          "reason": "Adds the title without an explicit evaluation; the praise applies clearly to the previous book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carl Sagan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Nature",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "astronomy",
        "space exploration",
        "cosmology",
        "humanity s place in the universe"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "perdido-street-station-612104",
      "title": "Perdido Street Station",
      "author": "China Miéville",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17383240,
          "author": "Thersites",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T20:21:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17383240",
          "commentText": "This is more a question, in terms of Sci-Fi are people familiar with China Miéville? Perdido Street Station, Embassytown, and The City and the City are classics, Perdido Street Station might be the best fiction I have ever read. Dark stuff",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Perdido Street Station might be the best fiction I have ever read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it might be the best fiction they have ever read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as dark.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8617286,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-17T08:04:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8617286",
          "commentText": "The Mysterious Island - Jules Verne\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nNineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell\nPerdido Street Station - China Mieville\nSnow Crash - Neal Stephenson\nEnder's Game - Orson Scott Card\nFoundation series - Asimov\namong others...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Perdido Street Station - China Mieville",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2087883,
          "author": "bkudria",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T08:27:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2087883",
          "commentText": "Reposted from my site: (http://ben.kudria.net/post/2548785108/my-favorite-books-of-2... (http://ben.kudria.net/post/2548785108/my-favorite-books-of-2010)). Affiliate links there, for those inclined.\n===\nIn 2010, every single book I read, I read on my Kindle. Buying a Kindle has been the best thing I have ever done for my reading addiction. I recently upgraded to a Kindle 3, and I wholeheartedly recommended you get one as well, even if you currently have a Kindle 2.\nHere are the top books I enjoyed in 2010, and you will enjoy also.\n- The His Dark Materials Trilogy. Start with The Golden Compass.\n- The City & The City by China Miéville. Quite the post-modern detective story. (Read also his novel Perdido Street Station)\n- Surface Detail, the new novel by Iain M. Banks, who has quickly catapulted to the very top of my “Favorite Sci-Fi Authors” list. Surface Detail may not be the best novel for a Banks-unfamiliar reader, however — you may wish to start with something like Consider Phlebas or Look To Windward.\n- I re-read Robert M. Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Read this book carefully and it will change your life. (N.B. It’s not really about Zen, although it kinda is.)\n- The true story Zeitoun, by Dave Eggers, about Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a Syrian-born painting contractor in New Orleans. What Zeitoun does for the people of New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina is heartwarming and truly American, and what the US Government does to him and his family is terrifying and utterly infuriating.\n- The Wind-up Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi is a fun Thai cyber/gene-punk yarn. Bacigalupi is a new author, and I look forward to reading more of his stuff.\n- Dan Simmons’ Song Of Kali has an invasive and palpable stench of suspense. This horror novel set in Calcutta is an excruciating, brutal, and brilliant read.\n- Kafka On the Shore by Haruki Murakami. I’ve always been a fan of Murakami’s works, but this novel from 2002 is, in my opinion, one of his greatest. It’s beautiful, haunting, and superbly thought-provoking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "(Read also his novel Perdido Street Station)",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends reading it as well.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "China Miéville"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "weird fiction",
        "steampunk",
        "new weird"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "phaedrus-c87117",
      "title": "Phaedrus",
      "author": "Plato",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467743,
          "author": "wazoox",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:56:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467743",
          "commentText": "The book I've reread the most is The Odyssey. For a long time, I've read it once every year.\nAnother book I've read many times is Eco's Foucault's Pendulum.\nI've read Asimov's cycle of Foundation many times. Don't know how many, actually.\nI've also read several times some philosophy classics, particularly Plato's Symposium, Phaedrus, Apology and Republic.\nThen there are many books that I've read at least twice, almost all considered classics (from 1984 to LoTR, Great expectations to Tom Sawyer, Crime and punishment to Twenty thousand leagues under the sea, etc).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "particularly Plato's Symposium, Phaedrus, Apology and Republic.",
          "reason": "Named as one of the philosophy classics the commenter reread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503416,
          "author": "kkshin",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T09:21:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503416",
          "commentText": "It really depends on what you're looking for, but Philosophy is a field where one philosopher's work is built on top of the other's going all the way back to the ancient Greek's.  Its important (I think anyways) to read the raw texts before you read philosophical commentary so that you have a chance to form your own opinions.  That being said, here's some recommendations of mine that cover a breadth of philosophical subjects and time periods.  Its always good to see someone else want to learn more philsophy, especially if its of their own volition.\nPlato.  Strangely enough, Plato is probably one of the best introductions to philosophy, not only because he was one of the first whose writings survive to modern time, but also because its relatively simple to read and understand.  Some of my personal favorite are 'The Apology', 'The Symposium', and 'The Phaedrus', and of course 'The Republic'.  The weird thing with Plato is you'll never know how much of his writings are his thinking as opposed to Socrates teaching.  I still reread Plato because the stories (most of his writing is in narrative form) are so damn entertaining.\nAristotle.  This is a natural progression from reading Plato.  The 'Nichomachean Ethics' is a cornerstone of ancient philosophy and is a relative simple read.\nJohn Locke/Gottfried Leibniz.  I'll admit, I struggled through 'An Essay of Human Understanding' but this title and Leibniz's rebuttal 'New Essays on Human Understanding' illustrate a historically important philosophical debate between empiricists and rationalists.  Since you're reading 'Common Sense' you might also want to give Locke's 'Second Treatise on Civil Government' a gander.\nImmaneul Kant.  Since you're reading Schopenhauer you should read Kant as he was heavily influenced by him.  You'll hear him referenced a lot if you continue to read philosophy so you should familiarize yourself with his thinking, especially on his thoughts in epistemology.\nBertrand Russell.  People have already recommended him and he's one of the most popular philosopher's of modern times, mostly because he's so easy to read and was somewhat of a cultural icon during his time.  I have a particular fondness for his work because when I had doubts about my faith, \"Why I Am not A Christian\" helped me find words to communicate my break with Catholocism.  His \"History of Western Philosophy\" is considered a cornerstone history of philosophy book (although it is somewhat dated now).  His writings are usually rather short and concise.\nJacques Derrida/Gilles Deleuze.  Now we're getting into some wacky shit.  To be fair, I shouldn't even be commenting on it because I have no idea what these guys are talking about half the time.  These are the philosophers that people read and pretend to understand because they want to sound smart.  You know the stereotypical \"philosophy\" students that you see in movies.  Maybe you'll find something of substance in their work although many philsopher's believe these guys are/were hacks and purposefully obfuscate their writing to hide the fact that there's no substance in it.\nOne of the best ways to read philosophy is to start with a philosopher who truly changed the game with their work (such as Kant) and work your way out reading the work of his supporters as well as the work of those that disagree with him.  This way you'll get a worldy view on 'important' philosophical issues while starting to formulate your own opinions on th ematter.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Phaedrus'",
          "reason": "Named among the commenter’s personal favorites and praised as part of Plato’s entertaining narratives.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56751,
          "author": "yters",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T06:37:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56751",
          "commentText": "Being a programmer, you've probably felt the appeal of Platonism, so I'd recommend a couple of his dialogues: Phaedrus, Symposium, and the Republic (in order of length, short to long, since they are pretty dense).  I'd also recommend reading the Republic last, so you can get over the misconceptions you were probably taught in high school.\nAllan Bloom's Closing of the American Mind is also very enlightening for a) understanding the goals of the enlightenment, and b) understanding the current state of our culture.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend a couple of his dialogues: Phaedrus, Symposium, and the Republic",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the dialogue as part of a suggested reading order.",
          "audience": "Programmers interested in Platonism and philosophy.",
          "caveat": "The dialogues are described as dense.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Plato"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient greek philosophy",
        "platonic dialogue",
        "platonism",
        "rhetoric"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "physics-for-future-presidents-12bb6c",
      "title": "Physics for Future Presidents",
      "author": "Richard A. Muller",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30824131,
          "author": "jimhefferon",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-27T21:05:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30824131",
          "commentText": "Maybe Physics for Fuure Presidents? https://www.amazon.com/Physics-Future-Presidents-Science-Hea... (https://www.amazon.com/Physics-Future-Presidents-Science-Headlines/dp/0393337111)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Maybe Physics for Fuure Presidents?",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6982308,
          "author": "lovemath",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-30T00:21:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 6981802,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good general technical books for teenagers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6982308",
          "commentText": "Physics for Future Presidents is a great book - my wife gave  her a copy last spring.  I don't know if my daughter finished it but I know she said she found it interesting.\nWe have the the math books you mentioned but I haven't heard about the others before.  Animals in Translation and Fifty-Nine Story Crisis look really good.  Thanks for the reference!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Physics for Future Presidents is a great book",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book and says his daughter found it interesting.",
          "audience": "Readers curious about physics in the modern world.",
          "caveat": "He does not know whether his daughter finished it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395676,
          "author": "lvillani",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T13:25:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395676",
          "commentText": "- \"Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship\" by Robert C. Martin\n- \"Physics for Future Presidents\" by Richard Muller\nNot really a book but I found the \"MIT Guide to Lock Picking\" an interesting read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Physics for Future Presidents\" by Richard Muller",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about the best book read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard A. Muller"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "physics",
        "everyday physics",
        "physics for general readers",
        "science literacy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pilgrim-at-tinker-creek-6d8ab6",
      "title": "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek",
      "author": "Annie Dillard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46691786,
          "author": "kello",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-20T13:46:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 46690957,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What non-fiction do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46691786",
          "commentText": "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39730711,
          "author": "hprotagonist",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-17T00:26:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39730711",
          "commentText": "Brueggemann is amazing.\nI would also add, in no particular order:\n- wisdom of the desert (merton's translation of the sayings of the desert fathers)\n- pilgrim at tinker creek; annie dillard\n- goatwalking, jim corbett\n- Impostors of God: Inquiries into our favorite Idols, william stringfellow\n- the new testament, trans. by david bentley hart\n- the sabbath, Abraham Joshua Heschel\n- zen flesh, zen bones\n- moral man, immoral society -- neibuhr\n- principia discordia\n- the poetry and sermons of john donne\n- many other poets.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "pilgrim at tinker creek; annie dillard",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23155739,
          "author": "kabdib",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T16:17:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23155739",
          "commentText": "Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek and Holy the Firm. Dillard has a way with words that is both eloquent and a little violent, and she influenced how I write just as much as Strunk and White's Elements of Style.\nDouglas Hofstadter's Godel, Escher, Bach for its captivating presentation of some very complicated ideas (at least to the 17 year old kid who read this for the first time). This book was published around the time that I was growing from hobby programming to writing software as a career, and it exposed me to non-trivial proofs, LISP, and recursion in general.\nVernor Vinge's The Peace War. It's a bit stupid, but . . . I want to make the tech in this book become reality :-)  Bobbles are sheer fantasy, of course, but the Tinker tech stack would be a lot of fun.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek",
          "reason": "Praises Dillard’s eloquent and somewhat violent writing, which influenced the commenter’s own writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238048,
          "author": "thisisforyou",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T15:53:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238048",
          "commentText": "The Complete Fiction -Lovecraft, H.P.\nPilgrim at Tinker Creek -Dillard, Annie\nThe Fractalist: Memoir of a Scientific Maverick -Mandelbrot, Benoît B.\nAncient Sorceries and Other Weird Stories -Blackwood, Algernon\nFlow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience -Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly\nDeath in Venice -Mann, Thomas\nWhites -Rush, Norman\nThe Room -Selby Jr., Hubert\nBook of Numbers -Cohen, Joshua\nMaggot: Poems -Muldoon, Paul\nThe Peasant in Nineteenth-Century Russia -Vucinich, Wayne S.\nThe Mezzanine -Baker, Nicholson\nThe Museum of Unconditional Surrender -Ugrešić, Dubravka\nWhat Is Life? with Mind and Matter and Autobiographical Sketches -Schrödinger, Erwin\nDictionary of the Khazars -Pavić, Milorad\nHonored Guest -Williams, Joy\nMartyrs and Miracles -Trickey-Bapty, Carolyn\nNoa Noa -Gauguin, Paul\nTheir Eyes Were Watching God -Hurston, Zora Neale\nOrdeal by Hunger: The Story of the Donner Party -Stewart, George R.\nMoby-Dick; or, The Whale -Melville, Herman\nEileen -Moshfegh, Ottessa\nHaute Surveillance -Göransson, Johannes\nMazes and Labyrinths: Their History and Development -Matthews, W.H.\nA Higher Form of Killing: The Secret History of Chemical and Biological Warfare -Harris, Robert\nOur Lady of the Flowers -Genet, Jean\n*The House of the Dead -Dostoyevsky, Fyodor\nCurrent: \nBlack Swan, Nassim Taleb",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek -Dillard, Annie",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Annie Dillard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Writing",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nature writing",
        "literary nonfiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pitch-anything-an-innovative-method-for-presenting-persuading-and-4349f6",
      "title": "Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal",
      "author": "Oren Klaff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16582639,
          "author": "q-base",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-14T05:46:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16582639",
          "commentText": "Pitch Anything - About selling and the psychology of selling. Really need to re-read that one actually.\nAnd +1 for Deep Work, So Good They Can't Ignore You or The World Beyond Your Head. They made me realize that being in a profession where you can reach \"flow state\" actually is a privilege.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "About selling and the psychology of selling.",
          "reason": "The commenter names it as a book about selling and its psychology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they need to reread it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238537,
          "author": "kirubakaran",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:59:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238537",
          "commentText": "Here is my full bookshelf: http://www.kirubakaran.com/books-read.html\nBooks Read in 2016:\n1. The Recursive Universe: Cosmic Complexity and the Limits of Scientific Knowledge\n- Poundstone, William\n2. My Brain is Open: The Mathematical Journeys of Paul Erdos\n- Schechter, Bruce\n3. One Summer: America, 1927\n- Bryson, Bill\n4. The Three-Body Problem (Remembrance of Earth’s Past, #1)\n- Liu, Cixin\n5. The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit\n- Godin, Seth\n6. At Home: A Short History of Private Life\n- Bryson, Bill\n7. Kings of Kings (Hardcore History, #56-58)\n- Carlin, Dan\n8. Blueprint for Armageddon (Hardcore History #50-55)\n- Carlin, Dan\n9. Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal\n- Klaff, Oren\n10. William Shakespeare: The World as Stage\n- Bryson, Bill\n11. So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love\n- Newport, Cal\n12. The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles\n- Pressfield, Steven\n13. In a Sunburned Country\n- Bryson, Bill\n14. Cannery Row\n- Steinbeck, John\n15. Traction: A Startup Guide to Getting Customers\n- Weinberg, Gabriel\n16. Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World\n- Newport, Cal\n17. Starship Troopers\n- Heinlein, Robert A.\n18. No Touch Monkey!: And Other Travel Lessons Learned Too Late\n- Halliday, Ayun",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12982390,
          "author": "kkoppenhaver",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-17T22:34:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12982390",
          "commentText": "Linchpin - Seth Godin\nPitch Anything - Oren Klaff",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pitch Anything - Oren Klaff",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416259,
          "author": "JSeymourATL",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:00:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416259",
          "commentText": "A couple of thought provoking professional reads-\nThe Sticking Point Solution: 9 Ways to Move Your Business from Stagnation to Stunning Growth In Tough Economic Times > http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6515635-the-sticking-poin... (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6515635-the-sticking-point-solution)\nPitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal > http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10321016-pitch-anything?a... (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10321016-pitch-anything?ac=1&from_search=true)\n* Several excellent recommendations already posted here, always impressed by HNers!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal",
          "reason": "Presents it as a thought provoking professional read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Oren Klaff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "pitching",
        "negotiation",
        "persuasion",
        "sales"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "player-piano-176833",
      "title": "Player Piano",
      "author": "Kurt Vonnegut",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34161923,
          "author": "linsomniac",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T15:29:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161923",
          "commentText": "I read Kurt Vonnegut's _Player_Piano_ and really enjoyed it.  It's a story about a heavily computerized society, but the computers are vacuum tube based.  \"We ran the calculation, replaced all the tubes and ran it again, so we're confident in the result\" sort of thing.\nI also really enjoyed Andy Weir's _Project_Hail_Mary_, and _The_Martian_.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read Kurt Vonnegut's _Player_Piano_ and really enjoyed it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed this story about a heavily computerized society.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16352350,
          "author": "bem94",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T12:09:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16352350",
          "commentText": "Player piano by Kurt Vonnegut.\nEssential reading for anyone who forgets how powerful and often out of touch engineers are as a class of professionals.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Player piano by Kurt Vonnegut. Essential reading for anyone who forgets how powerful and often out of touch engineers are as a class of professionals.",
          "reason": "Called essential reading for understanding engineers' power and disconnection.",
          "audience": "Anyone who forgets how powerful and often out of touch engineers are",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 199837,
          "author": "jordyhoyt",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-26T00:53:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 199722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=199837",
          "commentText": "Anything by Vonnegut that you haven't read. Almost all of his books would be readable in a week or so.  (\"Player Piano\" may be most appropriate to suggest given the nature of this site.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "(\"Player Piano\" may be most appropriate to suggest given the nature of this site.)",
          "reason": "Recommends Vonnegut's books and singles out this title as especially appropriate.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the site's technology focus.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kurt Vonnegut"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "automation",
        "dystopian fiction",
        "dystopia",
        "technology and society"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "player-of-games-1b2746",
      "title": "Player of Games",
      "author": "Iain M. Banks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25846127,
          "author": "twoquestions",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T13:25:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25846127",
          "commentText": "I'll stand by most of the other recommendations here that I've read, here are some books I liked that I haven't seen here yet:\nWe Are Legion (We Are Bob) is a pretty good and campy series.\nThe Dresden Files series is also good, I tried to get into it but I hated the mumbly voice actor on Audible unfortunately.\nIain Banks is good, especially Player of Games, Consider Phlebas and The Algebraist.  Use of Weapons put a bad taste in my mouth.\nGood luck!\nEDIT: Forgot to mention Isaac Asimov, I've yet to see anything bad by him. Still trying to get through the Foundation series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Iain Banks is good, especially Player of Games, Consider Phlebas and The Algebraist.",
          "reason": "The commenter highlights it as especially good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043786,
          "author": "wildwood",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T22:02:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043786",
          "commentText": "\"Player of Games\" is also a good starting point, it has some of the clearest narrative structure of any of the Culture novels.  And from what I can remember, it's a little less dark than Phlebas, to ease you into the depths of Banks' mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Player of Games\" is also a good starting point",
          "reason": "Calls it a good starting point and praises its clear narrative structure.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it is a little less dark than Consider Phlebas.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226850,
          "author": "keyist",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:36:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226850",
          "commentText": "Don't miss sivers's great list: http://sivers.org/book\nAs for mine,\nScience Fiction (I like these authors so I'd recommend most of their books -- listing which ones I think are a good 'starter novel' for them):\n  Charles Stross: Halting State\n  Vernor Vinge: A Fire Upon The Deep\n  Iain M. Banks: Culture novels, start with Player of Games\n  David Louis Edelman: Jump 225 Trilogy\n  Daniel Suarez: Daemon and Freedom(tm)\n  John Scalzi: Old Man's War series\n  Dan Simmons: Hyperion\n\nSelf-improvement:\n  The Talent Code\n  Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger\n  Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion\n\nNon-fiction:\n  Amusing Ourselves To Death (highly recommended)\n  The Science of Fear\n  The Black Swan\n  Tokyo Vice\n  Racing The Beam (Atari history, very cool)\n  books by Daniel Pink\n  Guns, Germs, and Steel\n  The Prize by Daniel Yergin\n\nFantasy:\nAnything by Gaiman or China Mieville, pretty much.\nEDIT: links to previews (legally) available online\nCharles Stross's Accelerando (entire book): http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelera... (http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelerando/accelerando-intro.html)\nDavid Louis Edelman's Infoquake (1st 7 chapters): http://www.davidlouisedelman.com/jump225/infoquake/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "start with Player of Games",
          "reason": "Suggested starting book for the Culture novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Iain M. Banks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "game theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "poor-charlie-s-almanack-3845e0",
      "title": "Poor Charlie's Almanack",
      "author": "Charles T. Munger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17984316,
          "author": "dbs",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-14T02:29:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17984316",
          "commentText": "Demon Haunted World (Sagan). The art of baloney detection and scientific thinking.\nLetters from a Stoic (Seneca). The pursuit of happiness is meaningless, focus on the pursuit of wisdom.\nPoor Charlie's Almanac (Charles T. Munger). A library of mental/thinking models can take you a long way.\nOf Human Bondage (Maugham). What is the meaning of life?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Poor Charlie's Almanac (Charles T. Munger). A library of mental/thinking models can take you a long way.",
          "reason": "Presents it as a source of mental models in a list answering the life-changing-book question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229733,
          "author": "dontscale",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:36:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229733",
          "commentText": "Do a google search for Charlie munger reading list and you'll uncover gems like Influenc, guns germs and steel, poor Charlie's almanac",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "gems like Influenc, guns germs and steel, poor Charlie's almanac",
          "reason": "Named as a gem on Charlie Munger's reading list.",
          "audience": "Readers looking up Charlie Munger's reading list.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348722,
          "author": "steveeq1",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:23:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348722",
          "commentText": "Interesting. I hate books that teach you how to negotiate like a scumbag (ie most trial attorneys and car salesmen) so this is a refreshing change of pace. I will put this on my to-read list. A book in similar vein is \"Getting to Yes\". which influenced me greatly in how to handle disputes. It was recommended by Charlie Munger, in his book \"Poor Charlie's Almanack\" (antoher great book).\nAlso, check out \"Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger\". Both that and Poor Charlie's Almanack are two books that describe the Warren Buffett/Charlie Munger way of thinking. In fact, I found out about \"Getting to Yes\" through those two books. Read them, these three books changed my outlook on life in a big way.\nA summary of these books is here: http://sivers.org/book/SeekingWisdom",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "in his book \"Poor Charlie's Almanack\" (antoher great book).",
          "reason": "Called a great book and described as explaining the Buffett and Munger way of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles T. Munger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mental models",
        "investing",
        "decision making"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "power-why-some-people-have-it-and-others-don-t-67ad1e",
      "title": "Power: Why Some People Have It—and Others Don't",
      "author": "Jeffrey Pfeffer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35930401,
          "author": "juujian",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T17:12:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35930401",
          "commentText": "Ironically enough, I have a textbook for that: Jeff Pfeffer -- Power: why some people have it -- and others don't. It's good, and not what you would expect from the title.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's good, and not what you would expect from the title.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it good while noting it differs from what its title might suggest.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not what one might expect from the title.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25560586,
          "author": "allie1",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-28T16:39:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 25554464,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books for dealing with workplace politics and dishonesty?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25560586",
          "commentText": "To better understand how to navigate it: \n\"Power: Why Some People Have It—and Others Don't\" by Jeffery Pfeffer\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Power-Some-People-Have-Others-ebook/d... (https://www.amazon.com/Power-Some-People-Have-Others-ebook/dp/B003V1WSZK/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1609173399&sr=1-23)\nReally good read, and has Jim Collins and Robert Cialdini singing its praises (check the back flap on amazon) if you need bona fides",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Power: Why Some People Have It—and Others Don't\" by Jeffery Pfeffer",
          "reason": "Recommended to better understand how to navigate workplace power dynamics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21713233,
          "author": "motohagiography",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T15:43:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21713233",
          "commentText": "Question is, do you want a book about the input factors to how people end up leading, or one on evaluating the output effects of other leaders against?\nLeadership is not an activity or an action you can mimic, it it is an effect. Most books are the stories people tell afterwards about how virtuous they were and they call that leadership. Jeffery Pfeffer says this specifically as well.\nPfeffers books on management provide the insight into the dynamics leadership emerges from. His triad of, \"performance, credentials, and relationships,\" that describe power in a situation also describe the necessary factors we look back on as leadership.\nhttps://www.amazon.ca/Power-Some-People-Have-Others/dp/00617... (https://www.amazon.ca/Power-Some-People-Have-Others/dp/0061789089)\nI like Jocko Willnick's whole attitude about ownership, respect, delegation, and working with people to leverage their skills to achieve outcomes. He says the hierarchy in the military isn't as much of a factor as how you relate to your team and the world, but I suspect Pfeffer would disagree in that its hierarchy and training culture provides the credential piece in his triad, where in business, that's more dynamic.\nThere are lots of good books about leadership, but reading them without having read Pfeffer's \"Power..\" is exploring the territory without the map, imo.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "reading them without having read Pfeffer's \"Power..\" is exploring the territory without the map, imo.",
          "reason": "The commenter presents Pfeffer’s book as an essential framework for understanding leadership and power.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring leadership and management.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeffrey Pfeffer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "organizational power",
        "leadership",
        "organizational behavior",
        "power dynamics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "practical-typography-9d325c",
      "title": "Practical Typography",
      "author": "Matthew Butterick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43612522,
          "author": "treetalker",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T15:20:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43612522",
          "commentText": "Peter Bevelin's Seeking Wisdom.\nThe other day someone on here recommended The Philosopher's Toolkit, and I ordered a copy based on that recommendation. I've only started to dip into various parts, but I can already confirm that it is a good introductory compendium of the basics of philosophy, logic, and argumentation. In the same vein is Daniel Dennett's Intuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking.\nA personal favorite is Frances  Yates's The Art of Memory (think: intersection of rhetoric, mnemonic systems, philosophical systems, and the occult during the Renaissance).\nMatthew Butterick's Practical Typography and Typography for Lawyers. Bryan Garner's The Winning Brief.\nUmberto Eco's How to Write a Thesis. Adler's How to Read a Book. Pierre Bayard's How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read.\nI could go on. Book posts are my favorite posts on HN, but they always lighten my wallet and at home I'm surrounded with ever-growing piles of great material.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Matthew Butterick's Practical Typography",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12711652,
          "author": "happycodework",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-14T22:41:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12711652",
          "commentText": "\"Practical typography\" is great",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Practical typography\" is great",
          "reason": "Praised as great in response to a request for UI design books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9614156,
          "author": "jay-saint",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T20:37:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9614156",
          "commentText": "Butterick's Practical Typography http://practicaltypography.com is a must read for anyone in design or UX field.\nEveryone should read and take to heart the condensed version http://practicaltypography.com/typography-in-ten-minutes.htm... (http://practicaltypography.com/typography-in-ten-minutes.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Butterick's Practical Typography http://practicaltypography.com is a must read for anyone in design or UX field.",
          "reason": "Calls it a must-read for people in design or UX.",
          "audience": "People in design or UX.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthew Butterick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Art"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "typography",
        "user experience",
        "web typography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "principia-discordia-e1f370",
      "title": "Principia Discordia",
      "author": "Greg Hill and Kerry Wendell Thornley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39730711,
          "author": "hprotagonist",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-17T00:26:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39730711",
          "commentText": "Brueggemann is amazing.\nI would also add, in no particular order:\n- wisdom of the desert (merton's translation of the sayings of the desert fathers)\n- pilgrim at tinker creek; annie dillard\n- goatwalking, jim corbett\n- Impostors of God: Inquiries into our favorite Idols, william stringfellow\n- the new testament, trans. by david bentley hart\n- the sabbath, Abraham Joshua Heschel\n- zen flesh, zen bones\n- moral man, immoral society -- neibuhr\n- principia discordia\n- the poetry and sermons of john donne\n- many other poets.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "principia discordia",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28451887,
          "author": "cwdegidio",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-08T01:23:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 28450555,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that impacted your work that few other people seem to care about?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28451887",
          "commentText": "RAW is such an underrated author and thinker. I don’t think there is a book of his that I have not read. I started reading him when I discovered Principia Discordia, Church of the Subgenius, etc. That whole scene of counter culture thinkers had a pretty major impact on me and my world view. Great to see others that appreciate the ideas just under the weirdness.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "when I discovered Principia Discordia",
          "reason": "The commenter says the counterculture scene around the book influenced their worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135579,
          "author": "ijoshua",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T23:15:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135579",
          "commentText": "Principia Discordia; or How I Found Goddess and What I Did to Her When I Found Her",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Principia Discordia; or How I Found Goddess and What I Did to Her When I Found Her",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Greg Hill",
        "Kerry Wendell Thornley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "discordianism",
        "counterculture",
        "religious satire",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "principles-of-economics-4d134c",
      "title": "Principles of Economics",
      "author": "N. Gregory Mankiw",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22864486,
          "author": "yodsanklai",
          "createdAt": "2020-04-14T10:45:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 22861452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading to make sense of the economy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22864486",
          "commentText": "For general principles, I recommend\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Principles-Economics-7th-Gregory-Mank... (https://www.amazon.com/Principles-Economics-7th-Gregory-Mankiw/dp/128516587X)\nI started with vulgarisation but it didn't lead me very far. This is a reference textbook used by economics students around the world. It's surprisingly entertaining and teaches you the basic concepts of macro and micro economics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For general principles, I recommend",
          "reason": "Recommends it as an introductory reference for basic macroeconomics and microeconomics.",
          "audience": "Economics students and readers seeking general economic principles.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says popularizations had not taken them very far.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3443414,
          "author": "ahsanhilal",
          "createdAt": "2012-01-09T17:39:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 3439607,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best Economics read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3443414",
          "commentText": "It really depends on what level of Economics understanding you currently possess. For a complete newbie to economics, I would definitely recommend:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Principles-Economics-N-Gregory-Mankiw/... (http://www.amazon.com/Principles-Economics-N-Gregory-Mankiw/dp/0538453052/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323964558&sr=1-4)\nIt is a solid book, and you cannot go wrong with it. However, if you want a more thorough understanding of economics, with the mathematics laid out etc. then there are other more advanced economics text for that. Also, I think, given the topics you highlighted, you want to understand more about Macroeconomics, as such these MIT lectures might help:\nhttp://ocw.mit.edu/courses/economics/\nAlso, remember is Economics, like in any subject, there is wide diversity of viewpoints. The best way to choose a side, I feel, is to really look deep into the a topic, delve a bit into the math and make informed decisions as to what gels with your point of view. Ping me if you need any more resources",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For a complete newbie to economics, I would definitely recommend:",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a solid book that beginners cannot go wrong with.",
          "audience": "Complete newcomers to economics.",
          "caveat": "For more thorough understanding with mathematics, the commenter points to more advanced texts.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 180607,
          "author": "mathoda",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-04T03:08:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 180589,
          "threadTitle": "Good book for economics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=180607",
          "commentText": "the best selling book is currently Mankiw's Principle of Economics (Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/6euszg). i highly recommend his blog too (http://gregmankiw.blogspot.com/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the best selling book is currently Mankiw's Principle of Economics",
          "reason": "Recommends this book in response to a request for an economics introduction.",
          "audience": "Someone seeking an introduction to economics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "N. Gregory Mankiw"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "introductory economics",
        "economics textbook",
        "economics textbooks",
        "macroeconomics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-erlang-software-for-a-concurrent-world-b976db",
      "title": "Programming Erlang: Software for a Concurrent World",
      "author": "Joe Armstrong",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8000014,
          "author": "brickcap",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T17:28:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8000014",
          "commentText": "Two books\n1. Learn you some erlang (http://learnyousomeerlang.com/)\nWhy?\nBecause it is written in a style in which technical books are rarely written. It has cartoons, jokes, references to pop culture but still it conveys the core subject exceedingly well. I understand that this is written in style of learn you some haskell so I am going to read that as well at some point. The best part  is you can read the book second or third time and still have fun.\n2. Joe Armstrong's thesis(http://www.erlang.org/download/armstrong_thesis_2003.pdf)\nYes it is another erlang book but it is written so well!  I don't read thesis (or to be perfectly honest I try reading them but I can't understand most of them and lose interest after some time) but somehow I Joe's thesis made sense to me. It might be because of his clear writing style I can't say. But every time I read this book I find a certain phrase that sticks with me while I am writing programmes. Joe is a quote machine :)\n3. Essays in the art of writing by R.L stevenson (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/492/492-h/492-h.htm)\nJust read the opening paragraph and see for yourself if you don't want to read any more :)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Joe Armstrong's thesis",
          "reason": "Says the writing is very good and that the thesis made sense to them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they usually struggle to understand theses and is unsure why this one worked for them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7757008,
          "author": "AlexanderDhoore",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:24:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7757008",
          "commentText": "\"Programming Erlang: Software for a Concurrent World\", by Joe Armstrong himself.\nI have not read it completely, because the first chapters inspired me to start programming (in Erlang) and I haven't gotten back to the book yet.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the first chapters inspired me to start programming (in Erlang)",
          "reason": "The opening chapters inspired the commenter to start programming in Erlang.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not finished reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56671,
          "author": "inklesspen",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T03:31:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56671",
          "commentText": "In fiction:\nBridge of Birds, by Barry Hughart. Easily some of the best storytelling I've ever read. 1/3 comedy, 2/3 adventure, in an ancient China that never was. http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0345321383/\nHomer's epics. I prefer the translation by W.H.D. Rouse, which you can find at http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0451527372/ and http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0451527364/\nHeading even further back in time, I love this rendition of Gilgamesh: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0618275649/ Even in 2000 BCE they thought the world was ancient.\nLady of Mazes by Karl Schroeder has one of the best treatments of post-singularity life (and what makes life in general worth living) that I've ever read: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0765350785/\nNonfiction:\nThe Mythical Man-Month. A little dated (it's directed at mainframe developers and their managers) but still relevant.\nThe Elements of Style (Strunk and White). Learn to write clearly -- it's valuable no matter what you do.\nProgramming Erlang: Software for a Concurrent World. Easily the best programming text I've read in the last year, and it's sold me on Erlang.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Easily the best programming text I've read in the last year, and it's sold me on Erlang.",
          "reason": "Called the best programming text the commenter had read in the last year and credited with selling them on Erlang.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in programming Erlang.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joe Armstrong"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "concurrent programming",
        "erlang"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-in-lua-1fba57",
      "title": "Programming in Lua",
      "author": "Roberto Ierusalimschy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24590977,
          "author": "jessehorne",
          "createdAt": "2020-09-25T15:41:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 24582669,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24590977",
          "commentText": "Some interesting books...\n1. What would Machiavelli do\n2. The Tao of Pooh\n3. The Conquest of Bread\nOn programming or engineering?\n1. Pragmatic Programmer\n2. Mr. Neighborlys Humble Little Ruby Book\n3. Programming in Lua\nI feel put on the spot. I thought there would be more but I can't think of any at the moment.\nIf you ever make a post asking for YouTube video suggestions, I'll definitely be able to comment on that much better. There's some really helpful videos out there, featuring Alan Watts and George Thompson that have helped me tremendously when dealing with the day to day engineering stress.\nI find that I'm learning less about programming lately and more about dealing with the anxiety. That has always been the biggest road blocker for me, anyways. It's easy to find the motivation to sit down and read a book or write a piece of code... It's hard to always enjoy doing it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming in Lua",
          "reason": "Listed as a programming or engineering book suggestion.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in programming or engineering.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9758206,
          "author": "justincormack",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T13:41:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758206",
          "commentText": "Programming in Lua by Roberto Ierusalimschy is one of the best introductions to any programming language. Hw writes the new version along with each language release now, on the grounds that if you cannot explain it right then the language feature probably needs fixing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming in Lua by Roberto Ierusalimschy is one of the best introductions to any programming language.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the best introductions to a programming language and praises its explanations of language features.",
          "audience": "Readers learning a programming language.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7757148,
          "author": "nwhitehead",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:41:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7757148",
          "commentText": "\"Programming in Lua\", by Roberto Ierusalimschy. This is a gem of a programming book. Some of my favorite chapters: coroutines, metamethods, weak tables, threads and states. Similar in tone and clarity to K&R \"The C Programming Language\". I learn something new every time I flip through this book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is a gem of a programming book.",
          "reason": "Calls it a gem and says they learn something new each time they revisit it.",
          "audience": "Lua programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roberto Ierusalimschy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "lua",
        "programming languages",
        "programming language learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "propaganda-718ae6",
      "title": "Propaganda",
      "author": "Edward Bernays",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27640267,
          "author": "godmode2019",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T08:46:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27640267",
          "commentText": "* Thinking fast and slow - how to think and make decision and how to consider bias.\n* Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth - specialisation is for insects.\n* Propaganda - 1928 book by the inventor of public relations and modern media. Know how they influence you.\n* The war of art - being a professional. Honesty I don't think this book was written by a human this book completely changed my life and any other person I for to read this book had a similar experience.\nI have more but I don't want to information overload anyone.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Propaganda - 1928 book by the inventor of public relations and modern media. Know how they influence you.",
          "reason": "Recommends it to understand how people are influenced.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13803959,
          "author": "yesbabyyes",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T16:59:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13803959",
          "commentText": "Fundamentally changed are so big words but these were pretty cool:\n- Douglas Hofstadter's GEB: An Eternal Golden Braid\n- Debt: The First 5,000 Years by David Graeber\n- Ursula K. LeGuin's The Word for World is Forest\n- Propaganda by Edward Bernays\n- Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond\n-  Empires: The Logic of World Domination from Ancient Rome to the United States by Herfried Münkler\n- Smedley D. Butler's War is a Racket (more of an exposé)\n- In Praise of Idleness by Bertrand Russell (ditto)\n- Neuromancer by William Gibson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Propaganda by Edward Bernays",
          "reason": "Listed among books that changed the way the commenter thinks about the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12250994,
          "author": "lolive",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T21:25:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12250994",
          "commentText": "Different books for different ages:\n- Discourse on the Method [1], to become a healthy criticist of everything (perfect for your 15's-20's development)\n- Beyond Good and Evil [2], a definition of the 20th century craziness by the crazy genius Nietzsche (perfect for your 30's burnout)\n- The Praise of Folly [3], to realize that life is just a game (perfect for your 40's post-burnout rehab)\n- Propaganda [4], because you want to play the game too (perfect for your 50's meteoric rise to fame & success :).\n[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discourse_on_the_Method\n[2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyond_Good_and_Evil\n[3]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Praise_of_Folly\n[4]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_%28book%29",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Propaganda [4], because you want to play the game too (perfect for your 50's meteoric rise to fame & success :).",
          "reason": "Presented as a guide for those who want to gain influence and success.",
          "audience": "The commenter suggests it for people in their 50s seeking fame and success.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward Bernays"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "public relations",
        "persuasion",
        "mass persuasion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "racing-the-beam-the-atari-video-computer-system-c09e35",
      "title": "Racing the Beam: The Atari Video Computer System",
      "author": "Nick Montfort and Ian Bogost",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22707732,
          "author": "pjc50",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T23:13:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22707732",
          "commentText": "\"Racing the Beam\", on the early Atari; notable for nailing both the techological and sociological sides of the games it studies.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Racing the Beam\", on the early Atari; notable for nailing both the techological and sociological sides of the games it studies.",
          "reason": "Praises its treatment of both the technical and sociological sides of early Atari games.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22707559,
          "author": "Impossible",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T22:41:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22707559",
          "commentText": "Thanks, I've only read Racing the Beam but I've been meaning to check out some of the other ones.  I'll start with that one.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I've only read Racing the Beam",
          "reason": "Mentions having read the book, without stating an opinion about it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21768043,
          "author": "fred_is_fred",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-11T23:51:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 21765528,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fun Tech Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21768043",
          "commentText": "Racing the Beam: The Atari Video Computer System\nIs a good read about the Atari 2600 and how the devs were able to fight within the limitations of 1970s and 1980s hardware to develop a gaming platform.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Racing-Beam-Computer-Platform-Studies... (https://www.amazon.com/Racing-Beam-Computer-Platform-Studies/dp/026201257X)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Racing the Beam: The Atari Video Computer System\nIs a good read",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a good read about developing for the Atari 2600 under hardware limitations.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the Atari 2600 and game development history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14747007,
          "author": "kevstev",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T19:04:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14747007",
          "commentText": "Racing the Beam: https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/racing-beam\nIts about how hard it was to program the Atari 2600 and the clever tricks required to get the most out of the machine. One of my favorite anecdotes was that in I believe Yars revenge, one of the sound effects was produce by reusing a section of code as sound data because it sounded good enough.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Racing the Beam: https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/racing-beam",
          "reason": "Calls it one of their favorite books and describes its account of programming the Atari 2600.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in video game history and programming",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nick Montfort",
        "Ian Bogost"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "video game history",
        "atari",
        "atari 2600",
        "hardware constraints"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rama-ba5ee1",
      "title": "Rama",
      "author": "Arthur C. Clarke",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12244904,
          "author": "peckrob",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T01:31:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244904",
          "commentText": "I read a lot of Science Fiction for fun. These are a few of my favorites that I've given to other people:\n1. Vacuum Diagrams by Stephen Baxter. When I think of epic hard science fiction, the Xeelee Sequence books spring to mind. With a story line that spans millions of years (and a few dozen books), this collection of short stories is a good introduction to one of the best and most underrated sci-fi series out there. Baxter's Manifold trilogy (Manifold: Space, Manifold: Time and Manifold: Origin) are also fantastic.\n2. Foundation by Isaac Asimov. The whole Foundation series is wonderful, but this book is a landmark of sci-fi that should be on any fan's bookcase.\n3. The Martian by Andy Weir. This book is what I've been giving the last couple years to people who don't think they like sci-fi. Everyone I've given it to has loved it.\n4. Rama by Arthur C. Clarke. Another hard sci-fi staple. The rest of the Rama books he \"co-wrote\" with Gentry Lee are decent but become more space opera than hard sci-fi. I enjoyed them but many sci-fi fans find them polarizing.\n5. Silver Tower by Dale Brown. More of a military thriller than sci-fi (Flight of the Old Dog is another favorite of mine by him) and terribly dated by modern standards (it was written when the Soviet Union was still a thing). But it's the first \"adult\" sci-fi book I ever read as a kid, so it'll always have a special place for me.\nEDIT: Another one:\n6. Coyote by Allen Steele. I love stories like this one: primitive, longshot interstellar exploration and primitive, first generation colonization. Especially for  desperate reasons. The first two Coyote books were good, but I just can't get into any of the subsequent ones.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another hard sci-fi staple.",
          "reason": "Calls it a hard science fiction staple and lists it among favorite books given to others.",
          "audience": "Hard science fiction readers.",
          "caveat": "The writer says later books co-written with Gentry Lee are decent but more space opera; many fans find them polarizing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056570,
          "author": "elorant",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:27:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056570",
          "commentText": "Everything from Asimov.\nThe Mars trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson.\nThe Culture books from Iain Banks.\nThe Rama series from Clarke although it got tiresome after a while.\nThe Sparrow and Children of God from Mary Doria Russell.\nContact by Sagan which by the way is one of the very few sci-fi books that were successfully depicted in movies.\nBrave new world from Huxley. Old one but still highly relevant.\nThe first ones from Gibson.\nThe Enter series by Orson Scott Card.\nBradbury's Farhenheit 451. This one is a classic.\nRevelation Space from Alaistair Reynolds who writes the most hardcore sci-fi I've ever come across.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Rama series from Clarke although it got tiresome after a while.",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite, with the caveat that it became tiresome.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The series got tiresome after a while.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85983,
          "author": "Xichekolas",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T16:51:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85983",
          "commentText": "Ender Series - Orson Scott Card\nRama Series - Arthur C Clarke\nFirestar Series - Michael Flynn\n1984 - George Orwell\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs - Some guys at MIT (I know it's technical, but couldn't resist, it's just too good)\nAnything by Bret Easton Ellis, Greg Bear, Stephen Baxter, and the above mentioned authors.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rama Series",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite book series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur C. Clarke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "alien artifact",
        "hard science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "range-why-generalists-triumph-in-a-specialized-world-deccb7",
      "title": "Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World",
      "author": "David Epstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30241243,
          "author": "cyneox",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T06:59:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241243",
          "commentText": "- Way of the peaceful warrior\n- Range\n- Conversations with God\n- Factfulness\n- Accelerate: Building and Scaling High-Performing Technology Organizations",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Range",
          "reason": "Lists it as an answer to the request for a book recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25905301,
          "author": "FlyingSnake",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T16:45:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25905301",
          "commentText": "Finished Range and Siddhartha, and now reading Seneca's letters from a stoic.\nRange is a great book that extols the virtues of playing around and dabbling with multiple skills. Immensely readable.\nSiddhartha, is a fascinating take on advaita vedanta, Sramana, and Buddhism. As someone familiar with these 3 philosophies, I liked Hesse's take on them. The story is really simple and can be finished in 2-3 sittings.\nLetters from a stoic is full to the brim of wisdom and I've never filled a book with so many bookmarks and notes before. Seneca writes like a straight arrow and doesn't mince words. No wonder the book is still around, one of the best examples of Lindy effect.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Range is a great book that extols the virtues of playing around and dabbling with multiple skills.",
          "reason": "Praises its case for exploring multiple skills.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in generalist learning and skill development.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23859099,
          "author": "eneuman",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T14:05:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859099",
          "commentText": "Enlightenment Now - Steven Pinker\n(Also Sapiens :)\nRange - David Epstein",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Range - David Epstein",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Epstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "generalists",
        "career development",
        "expertise",
        "generalist learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "red-mars-256a60",
      "title": "Red Mars",
      "author": "Kim Stanley Robinson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49907707,
          "author": "voidUpdate",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T12:06:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49907707",
          "commentText": "I was sold it as \"Red Mars is where they colonise mars\" but from the part I've read so far, it seems pretty colonised already, and the racism has already set in",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I was sold it as \"Red Mars is where they colonise mars\" but from the part I've read so far, it seems pretty colonised already, and the racism has already set in",
          "reason": "The commenter finds the book’s early depiction of Mars already colonized and marked by racism unexpected.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17524694,
          "author": "Uhhrrr",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T17:05:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17524694",
          "commentText": "A couple people recommended Red Plenty on one of these threads, and I took the recommendation and agree, it's great. Earnest Soviet economists try to solve the Russian economy with mathematical models running on computers. The story is told in a series of anecdotes, kind of similar to Kim Stanley Robinson's Red Mars.\nThere are diversions along the way about Soviet cars, the probability of getting lung cancer from any given cigarette, academic freedom, etc.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "kind of similar to Kim Stanley Robinson's Red Mars.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387960,
          "author": "veidr",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T02:51:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387960",
          "commentText": "The trilogy of Neuromancer, Burning Chrome, and Mona Lisa Overdrive is still my favorite work of fiction, and also, to my mind, exemplifies the kind of taut, awesome writing that I would want to do if I wrote novels. It the only series of 3 books I have read more than once.\nI caught these books at just the right time in my life (age 13 or 14), leading my high-school fascination with Japan and rekindled interest in computing, and probably played an inordinately large role in me ending up as a programmer who lives in Tokyo, two decades later.\nI like great sci fi best, but I think most of it is crap, including virtually all of the old pulp sci fi and Asimov I grew up reading (which was basically all of it), Star Wars/Trek, etc.\nOther than Gibson's stuff, some of the truly spectacular sci fi I have read is the very-dense-and-not-at-all-thriller-ish Mars trilogy (Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars), and the fast-paced-and-awesome Spin by Robert Charles Wilson. That led me to read all of Wilson's books, many of which are also good. Also Haldeman is an author worth reading, though not all of his books hit their mark.\nGreat sci fi is my favorite fiction, but IMO most of it is broken by being fundamentally implausible. Other fiction I consider great in other genres include Memoirs of a Geisha, Cold Mountain, REAMDE, The Son, The Road, the lighter but still version of that post-apocalyptic concept The Dog Stars, City of Thieves, and All the Pretty Horses and its sequels.\nIt's probably symptomatic of a major flaw in my character that despite also buying dozens of nonfiction works (Lincoln, On China, and so forth) over the past few years, I haven't finished any of them.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Mars trilogy (Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4597413,
          "author": "waterlesscloud",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-01T15:08:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 4596721,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4597413",
          "commentText": "1. Red Mars.  Read a chapter and digest it.  Packed top to bottom with all kinds of ideas.\n2. Cyberspace: First Steps.  From the early 90s, a collection of academic essays on the concept of cyberspace. Reading it as a kind of retrospective on where we were and where we thought we were going.\n3. Rule 34.  For fun.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Red Mars. Read a chapter and digest it. Packed top to bottom with all kinds of ideas.",
          "reason": "Described as packed with ideas; the commenter reads a chapter and digests it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 141827,
          "author": "mkanemoto",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-20T18:43:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=141827",
          "commentText": "Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson, followed by Blue Mars and Green Mars. These to me are the only ones not mentioned already and are set in an inspiring way that celebrates humanity. Also the Rama Series by Clarke and Lee starting with the second in the series \"Rama II\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson, followed by Blue Mars and Green Mars. These to me are the only ones not mentioned already and are set in an inspiring way that celebrates humanity.",
          "reason": "Praises the Mars books for their inspiring portrayal of humanity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kim Stanley Robinson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "terraforming",
        "mars",
        "mars colonization",
        "colonization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "reinventing-organizations-601a7c",
      "title": "Reinventing Organizations",
      "author": "Frédéric Laloux",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40284561,
          "author": "JackMorgan",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T12:14:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40284561",
          "commentText": "Wow, this is interesting, very few books I've read more than once! Even fewer are non fiction, but they sure do explain a lot about me:\n- Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving by Pete Walker helped me process a number of assaults that happened to me as a child\n- Designing Data Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann helped me understand intuitively how databases work and how to use eventual consistency to handle workloads\n- The Highly Sensitive Person: How To Thrive when the World Overwhelms You by Elaine Aron this helped me process my and my families neurodivergence.\n- Structure And Interpretation of Computer Programs by Ableson and Sussman. Great book, it's how I learned to love Lisp. I felt like I grew 10x in skill from completing all the homework.\n- Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training by Mark Rippetoe. This is the book that got me into powerlifting  as a regular part of my fitness. I used this to heal my back, neck, and wrist pain. Changed my life.\n- Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter by James Gurney. The GOAT of plein air painting himself teaches so much about how light works on complex forms. I've dog-eared this book.\n- Reinventing Organizations by Frederic Laloux. A great look into how to build and run a self organizing team. Very insightful for when I was leading several teams and needed inspiration for something other than the typical chain of command.\n- The Classroom Management Book by Harry Wong. This book taught me so much about how humans work. I still apply lessons from this book 20 years later.\n- Real World Haskell by O'Sullivan, Goerzen, Stewart. This taught me a lot about Haskell, and got me into all the neat effects needed to make a function pure but still handle IO/async, etc.\n- Peopleware by DeMarco, Lister. My go to book for people management and a philosophy of project management\n- Science of Trust: Emotional Attunement for Couples by Gottman. I love this book for teaching me how to be a better spouse and friend.\n- The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing by Larimore, Lindauer. A great guide to building a permanent portfolio that will return consistent gains with the market. Simple in hindsight, thanks to this book. Best book on investing I've ever read.\n- How to Take Smart Notes by Ahrens. Introduces the zettlekasten system for thinking and creativity. Very inspiring, got me to start a personal file that I keep going to this day, five years later.\n- Twenty Small Sailboats to Take you Anywhere by Vigor. I read this book over and over, dreaming of buying a small boat and sailing around the world. Maybe this year...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Reinventing Organizations by Frederic Laloux. A great look into how to build and run a self organizing team.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it insightful when seeking alternatives to a chain of command.",
          "audience": "People building or leading teams.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16351485,
          "author": "androa",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T06:29:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16351485",
          "commentText": "Reinventing Organizations by Frederic Laloux - https://www.amazon.com/Reinventing-Organizations-Frederic-La... (https://www.amazon.com/Reinventing-Organizations-Frederic-Laloux/dp/2960133501)\nFor me it is the most influential book on how I think about \"agile\" , what that really means, and which factors really matter.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it is the most influential book on how I think about \"agile\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says it strongly influenced how they think about agile and what matters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13566883,
          "author": "edelans",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T13:26:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13566883",
          "commentText": "reinventing organizations https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20787425-reinventing-org... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20787425-reinventing-organizations)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "reinventing organizations",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13258390,
          "author": "alc90",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-26T14:47:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13258390",
          "commentText": "My goal for this year was to read 10 books. Not a huge challenge but I'm happy I managed to complete it. I'm currently at my 16th book - so I might say that's pretty good.\nHere's my 2016 reading list:\n#1. Zero to One - Peter Thiel - 3.5*\n#2. The Alchemis - Paulo Coelho - 3.5*\n#3. Founders at Work - Jessica Livingston - 3*\n#4. Traction - Gabriel Weinberg - 4.5*\n#5. How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie -4*\n#6. Reinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations... - Frederic Laloux, Ken Wilber - 4*\n#7. Daily Rituals: How Artists Work - Mason Currey - 3*\n#8. Rich Dad, Poor Dad - Robert T. Kiyosak - 3*\n#9. The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs... - Eric Ries - 4.5*\n#10. Meaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly - Bernadette Jiwa - 3*\n#11. Elon Musk: Inventing the Future - Ashlee Vance - 4*\n#12. Rework - Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson - 4.5*\n#13. Anything You Want - Derek Sivers - 4.5*\n#14. South of the Border, West of the Sun - Haruki Murakami - 3.5*\n#15. As A Man Thinketh / The Path Of Prosperity - James Allen - 4*\nCurrently I'm reading If This Is a Man / The Truce by Primo Levi - and so far it seems to be one of the top 3 books I've read this year - definitely a 4+* book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "#6. Reinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations... - Frederic Laloux, Ken Wilber - 4*",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297707,
          "author": "bkirkby",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:44:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297707",
          "commentText": "- Leaders Eat Last, Simon Sinek\n- Creativity Inc., Ed Catmull\n- Reinventing Organizations, Frederic Laloux\n- Joy at Work, Dennis W Bakke\n- Valve Employee Handbook, Valve Software\nThis list is heavily skewed toward self-organization because I work for a company (Zappos) that is currently transitioning to a self-organization model. I thought I'd answer the question about what books I wish my \"manager\" would read even though I don't have a manager because in a self-org environment, you do have leaders that emerge organically. The main difference between \"manager\" and \"leader\" is that managers influence their charges with coersion (even if subtle and unintentional) while a leaders ability to influence comes from the bottom-up and is more meritocratic based on perceived experience and ability by those being led.\nMost companies hope to promote the leaders so their manager structure is reflective of the actual effective social leadership structure, but all companies get it wrong often.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Reinventing Organizations, Frederic Laloux",
          "reason": "Included in a list answering which books the commenter wishes managers would read.",
          "audience": "Managers and emerging leaders.",
          "caveat": "The list is heavily skewed toward self-organization.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frédéric Laloux"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "organizational design",
        "self management",
        "agile",
        "management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "remembrance-of-earth-s-past-ecec23",
      "title": "Remembrance of Earth's Past",
      "author": "Cixin Liu",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40438122,
          "author": "andrei_says_",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-22T07:04:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40438122",
          "commentText": "Reading Death’s End and loving it (2nd book in the Three Body Problem series).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "2nd book in the Three Body Problem series",
          "reason": "Identifies Death's End as part of this series; no separate assessment of the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39249066,
          "author": "vidyesh",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T10:26:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249066",
          "commentText": "The Remembrance of Earth's Past has been on my list for some time now. Will you be finishing that trilogy?\nActively reading:\n- Mistborn : Final Empire (~90% finished ding)\n- 3rd novella in The Murderbot Diaries\n- Dive into Design Patterns\n- Fullstack D3 and Data Viz\nPassively reading:\n- The Design of everyday things (I don't think I will ever finish this book)\n- Bhagavad-Gita as it is\n- LOTR (mostly a re-read)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Remembrance of Earth's Past has been on my list for some time now.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the series has been on their list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021691,
          "author": "spapas82",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:02:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021691",
          "commentText": "I've read a lot of scifi but I'd recommend only one to make sure you get the point:\nThe \"remembrance of earth's past\" trilogy (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remembrance_of_Earth%27s_Pas... (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remembrance_of_Earth%27s_Past)) which is more known as \"the three body problem\". All the books are great but my favourite by a large margin is \"the dark forest\" (part 2)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The \"remembrance of earth's past\" trilogy",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the trilogy and says all the books are great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22720844,
          "author": "Jkol",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T17:36:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22720844",
          "commentText": "Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy, aka Three Body Problem. Explored existential topics in a way I've never encountered anywhere else. I truly believe that decades from now this series will be viewed as the LOTR of our time.\nI've recently been reading the Foundation series, and have found the concept of The Mule character to be incredibly eye opening. I can't say directly it's had a positive impact on my life but it's definitely changing my outlook and I feel its expanded my horizons.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy, aka Three Body Problem.",
          "reason": "Says the trilogy explored existential topics in a way they had never encountered elsewhere, and predicts it will be viewed as the LOTR of its time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter frames its future status as a personal belief.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17388653,
          "author": "chriselles",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-24T22:11:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17388653",
          "commentText": "The Three Body Problem trilogy of books by Cixin Liu\nAlthough awareness in the west is very quickly rising.\nI believe it is also slated to become a movie/TV series on Amazon in the future.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Three Body Problem trilogy of books by Cixin Liu\nAlthough awareness in the west is very quickly rising.",
          "reason": "Offers the trilogy in response to a thread asking for relatively unknown books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Awareness in the West is quickly rising.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15429036,
          "author": "phodo",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T17:21:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15429036",
          "commentText": "‘Three Body Problem’ which I just finished. It is part of a trilogy.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "It is part of a trilogy.",
          "reason": "Identifies the book as part of a named trilogy, but expresses no opinion about the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cixin Liu"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "chinese science fiction",
        "alien civilizations",
        "cosmic science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "replay-99a19c",
      "title": "Replay",
      "author": "Ken Grimwood",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42275836,
          "author": "runjake",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T18:22:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42275836",
          "commentText": "Replay by Ken Grimwood.\nDon’t read anything about the plot, it will spoil it. Don’t read the Wikipedia article.\nIt’s a science fiction novel. Relatively short.\nThe book will hit you differently, depending on your age.\nIt’s messed with me for weeks and it’s still messing with me.\nhttps://a.co/d/frMZHPq",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Replay by Ken Grimwood.",
          "reason": "Presented as a short science fiction novel that affected the commenter for weeks.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter warns that reading about the plot will spoil it and says its effect depends on the reader’s age.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674090,
          "author": "Cyph0n",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T10:33:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674090",
          "commentText": "Check out the excellent, and recently translated, Chinese scifi novel “The Three Body Problem”.\nGrimwood's “Replay” is a great time travel novel if you're into that.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Grimwood's “Replay” is a great time travel novel if you're into that.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great time travel novel.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in time travel fiction.",
          "caveat": "Recommendation is framed for readers who are into time travel.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109245,
          "author": "elyrly",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:38:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109245",
          "commentText": "Replay: Ken Grimwood (Second time reading is even better)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Replay: Ken Grimwood (Second time reading is even better)",
          "reason": "The commenter says the second reading is even better.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ken Grimwood"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "time loop",
        "speculative fiction",
        "time travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "revolution-in-the-valley-2a5efb",
      "title": "Revolution in the Valley",
      "author": "Andy Hertzfeld",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17206106,
          "author": "smussell",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T15:20:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17206106",
          "commentText": "There’s a ton of great suggestions here.  Here are a couple I haven’t seen mentioned.\nDocumentaries:\n- Silicon Cowboys - https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4938484/\nIt covers the creation of Compaq\n- American Experience: Silicon Velley - http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/silicon/\nAbout how Silicon Valley came to be.\n- Naughty Dog 30th Anniversary - https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cdr7THH0zo8\nKind of a PR video, but interesting and free. Covers the history of Naughty Dog games.\nBooks:\n- Cukoo’s Egg - https://www.amazon.com/Cuckoos-Egg-Tracking-Computer-Espiona... (https://www.amazon.com/Cuckoos-Egg-Tracking-Computer-Espionage/dp/1416507787)\nHas some interesting technical detail, and gives perspective on a very different time on the internet.\n- Revolution in the Valley - https://www.amazon.com/Revolution-Valley-Insanely-Great-Stor... (https://www.amazon.com/Revolution-Valley-Insanely-Great-Story/dp/1449316247)\nYou can read these stories on folklore.org, but I enjoyed the collected book. Covers the creation of the Macintosh.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed the collected book.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the collected stories about creating the Macintosh.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the creation of the Macintosh.",
          "caveat": "The stories are available on folklore.org as well.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12069376,
          "author": "josefdlange",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T07:17:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12069376",
          "commentText": "I've read, at the behest of my spouse, The Hobbit and the trilogy of the Lord of the Rings. As someone who was never really \"into\" the whole world Tolkien had created, I must say I was won over by the end. Who wouldn't want to be a hobbit? At least, a hobbit who is not Frodo.\nEvery year or two I give a light reading to Andy Hertzfeld's compilation \"Revolution in the Valley\", which is a print edition of many (and probably some extras) of the stories available on www.folklore.org\nI am also midway through \"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\" (Robert M. Pirsig) and I must recommend it. It's got a lot of philosophy in it that I think is both accessible and transcendent all at once. It's actively changing my world view.\nIn terms of skills acquired, I don't typically read for that purpose. I learn skills primarily by active work, not passive ingestion of information.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Revolution in the Valley",
          "reason": "Rereads it every year or two.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A print compilation of stories also available on folklore.org.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 621491,
          "author": "xsmasher",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-22T02:27:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621491",
          "commentText": "In general, \"Revolution in the Valley\" about the making of the Macintosh. You cen feel the excitement of the team, and it goes into some fun technical details on how they created a GUI while everyone else outside research labs was still text-based.\nFor game programmers, \"Masters of Doom\" and \"Dungeons and Dreamers\". Both have a real human perspective on the people and companies they cover; they made me feel like regular humans, not gods, made games.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You cen feel the excitement of the team, and it goes into some fun technical details on how they created a GUI while everyone else outside research labs was still text-based.",
          "reason": "Praises its engaging account and fun technical details about creating the Macintosh GUI.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135906,
          "author": "fogus",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-13T12:45:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135906",
          "commentText": "Off the top of my head:\n- Soul of a New Machine\n- The Cuckoo's Egg\n- Revolution in the Valley\n- Fire in the Valley\n- Compilers by Sethi, Ullman, Aho\n- Masters of Doom\n- iWoz\n- Steve Jobs & the NeXT Big Thing\n- Crypto\n- Code\n- The Man Who Loved Only Numbers\n- The Man Who Knew Infinity\n- ANSI Common LISP\nMost of the books above are recommended because once reading them you will have an uncontrollable urge to immediately create something brilliant.  You will not be able to stop yourself.\n-m",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Revolution in the Valley",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter recommends for their motivating effect.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computing and creating things.",
          "caveat": "The claimed effect is an uncontrollable urge to create something brilliant.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andy Hertzfeld"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "apple history",
        "macintosh",
        "gui development",
        "personal computing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "riddley-walker-bf8737",
      "title": "Riddley Walker",
      "author": "Russell Hoban",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43613568,
          "author": "josefritzishere",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T17:01:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43613568",
          "commentText": "I am a lifetime avid reader but  there are very few books I come back to and re-read. I guess the books which impact you the most aren't the ones you'd expect. Here are some that come to mind:\n*Novels in Three Lines* - Felix Feneon; like clever sarcastic haiku\n*Riddley Walker* - Russell Hoban; It's written in an imagined language making it completely and utterly immersive\n*Waiting for Nothing* - Tom Kromer; Great depression era destitution, and travel\n*Days of Life and Death and Escape to the Moon* - William Saroyan; In an era of great writers, Saroyan remains wildly under appreciated.\n*Really the Blues* - Mezz Mezzrow; Written in 1920s jive slang, it's emblematic of an era\n*The KLF* - John Higgs; The book is subtitled \"Chaos, Magic and the Band who Burned a Million Pounds\"  All those things are true and Higgs brilliantly tells the tale.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "*Riddley Walker* - Russell Hoban; It's written in an imagined language making it completely and utterly immersive",
          "reason": "The commenter says its imagined language makes it immersive.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33385378,
          "author": "eddof13",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T16:13:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33385378",
          "commentText": "the based Riddley Walker",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the based Riddley Walker",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22101626,
          "author": "crimsonalucard",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T19:53:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22101626",
          "commentText": "My usage of the word utter clarity is more in contrast to Wolfe's style of narrative with hidden meanings and themes.\nBasically any book that has to have the reader do extra work to solve a puzzle is using the catharsis of solving the puzzle as an illusory element that affects your bias towards the book.\nIf the author chooses to hide information then reveals it explicitly at a later time for the effect of suspense this to me is still a story presented with utmost clarity.\nFrom your statements it seems as if Riddley is not exactly that type of \"puzzle\" book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "From your statements it seems as if Riddley is not exactly that type of \"puzzle\" book.",
          "reason": "The commenter discusses whether Riddley Walker fits a particular type of puzzle book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5833109,
          "author": "nicwolff",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T15:45:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5833109",
          "commentText": "Top three:\nMockingbird, by Walter Tevis;\nRiddley Walker, by Russell Hoban;\nGlimpses of the Moon, by Edith Wharton\nSome other favorites:\nThe Dog Stars, by Peter Heller;\nTo Reign In Hell, by Steven Brust;\nMachine Man, by Max Barry;\nThe Dawn Patrol, by Don Winslow;\nThe Woman, by Hank Ketchum",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Riddley Walker, by Russell Hoban",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's top three fiction picks.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Russell Hoban"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "invented language",
        "post apocalyptic",
        "post apocalyptic fiction",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rifters-4cb1b6",
      "title": "Rifters",
      "author": "Peter Watts",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40884743,
          "author": "moribvndvs",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-05T18:01:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40884743",
          "commentText": "Also, the manner in which the aliens evaded observation literally took my breath away when I first used it. Brilliant book. All the Rifters books, actually. And The Island, and… well you get the picture. Fantastic author.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All the Rifters books, actually.",
          "reason": "Calls the series fantastic and praises the idea behind it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38573009,
          "author": "unaindz",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T19:21:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38573009",
          "commentText": "Last year Annihilation and the rest of the trilogy rekindled my passion for reading after almost a decade.\nVandemeer really has a way with words but specifically in this novel he manages to describe what I though was indescribable.\nIt was only fair that I tried another one of his trilogies, Borne, The Strange Bird and Dead Astronauts.\nWith Borne being pretty normal (for Vandermeer standards) and the other two reading like pretty ramblings at times if you lack the context. I still loved them but they may not be for everyone.\nYou should read them in the order above so that you have as many pieces of the prose puzzle when you reach Dead Astronauts. But even if you end up not liking the writing of the last two books, Borne can still be enjoyed independently.\nAs for this year. \n\"Blood music\" by Greg Bear.\nBiology scify with a pretty weird concept.\n\"Firefall\" trilogy by Peter Watts\nUsually a scify story revolvs around one core idea, this one does too, but it kept surprising me with new secondary but interesting ones until the end.\nRead The Colonel between the two main books.\n\"Rifters\" trilogy by Peter Watts\nExploring sexual abuse, empathy\n\"Story of Your Life\" by Ted Chiang\nShort story about a linguist learning the recently arrived aliens language. Liked the humor depicting the different perspectives between scientists and military. Pretty emotional.\nI'm not sure what it tells about me but all of these are bittersweet scify with good prose.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Rifters\" trilogy by Peter Watts",
          "reason": "The commenter identifies the themes as sexual abuse and empathy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109388,
          "author": "bmneely",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:56:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109388",
          "commentText": "He's a fantastic author. You picked the right time to read that too, a sequel is coming out in August that continues the story. His Rifters series is well worth reading too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His Rifters series is well worth reading too.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the series as well worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7314229,
          "author": "monknomo",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-27T19:10:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7314229",
          "commentText": "Peter Watts is excellent.  Blindsight and the Rifters trilogy are both fun hard sci-fi bent reads",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Rifters trilogy are both fun hard sci-fi bent reads",
          "reason": "Calls the trilogy a fun hard science fiction read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Watts"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hard science fiction",
        "psychological",
        "underwater fiction",
        "underwater setting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "riverworld-4a4a47",
      "title": "Riverworld",
      "author": "Philip José Farmer",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8624453,
          "author": "gadders",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-18T16:02:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8624453",
          "commentText": "Some I have enjoyed:\nThe Left Hand of God Trilogy \nThe Bad Company series\nIain M Banks Sci-Fi\nPhilip Jose Farmer Riverworld",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Philip Jose Farmer Riverworld",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter has enjoyed in response to a favorite sci-fi/fantasy book question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7004875,
          "author": "meerita",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-03T10:55:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 7001282,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7004875",
          "commentText": "In no particular order:\nWhat Would Machiavelli Do? The Ends Justify the Meanness\n1984\nFarenheit 541\nFoundation (all saga)\nThe Hobbit\nThe Lord of the Rings (all saga)\nThe Prince\nDe Bello Gallico and Other Commentaries\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nThe Riverworld (an entire saga of 5 books)\nOn the Good Life\nTreatises on Friendship and Old Age\nAsimov On Numbers\nAsimov on Chemistry\nThe Roman Republic\nAnd hundreds more I cannot list.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Riverworld (an entire saga of 5 books)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6396004,
          "author": "meerita",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-16T21:24:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6396004",
          "commentText": "I read history books but also, many others. One of the best classics Sci-fi I've read ever is The Riverworld saga by Josep Filip Farmer. I barealy guess another serie can match the awesome of this story, maybe as some hackers point out, The Foundation is another great series and will entertain you a lot.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Riverworld saga by Josep Filip Farmer",
          "reason": "Praises the saga as one of the best classic science fiction works the commenter has read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387572,
          "author": "aaronbrethorst",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T23:49:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387572",
          "commentText": "I'm surprised no one's mentioned Philip José Farmer and his Riverworld series. The last book is comparatively weak, but the rest are great.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "his Riverworld series. The last book is comparatively weak, but the rest are great.",
          "reason": "Recommends the series overall, saying the books apart from the last are great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter considers the last book comparatively weak.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5833368,
          "author": "meerita",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T16:24:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5833368",
          "commentText": "I seriously recommend the Riverworld series, written by the excellent Philip José Farmer. I think after The Foundation from Asimov I cannot find anything good or exciting for fiction.\nhttp://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Jos%C3%A9_Farmer\nPD: I've read a lot, guys. Those were my favs :D",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I seriously recommend the Riverworld series",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip José Farmer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "resurrection",
        "afterlife",
        "alternate history",
        "science fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "romance-of-the-three-kingdoms-2143a4",
      "title": "Romance of the Three Kingdoms",
      "author": "Luo Guanzhong",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20914681,
          "author": "cbanek",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T02:14:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914681",
          "commentText": "The Prince by Machiavelli, 1532\nChuang-tzu, 4th century BC\nThe Art of War by Sun Tzu, 5th century BC\nRomance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong, 14th century AD",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong, 14th century AD",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite old books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14744537,
          "author": "Top19",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T14:40:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14744537",
          "commentText": "I believe the video game \"Dynasty Warriors\" and the 19 sequels or whatever it spawned are based on \"The Romance of the Three Kingdoms\".",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "are based on \"The Romance of the Three Kingdoms\"",
          "reason": "Identifies the novel as the source material for the Dynasty Warriors games.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14743918,
          "author": "tixocloud",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T13:22:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14743918",
          "commentText": "Human Revolution\nhttp://www.joseitoda.org/religious/hr.html\nRomance of the Three Kingdoms\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romance_of_the_Three_Kingdoms",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Romance of the Three Kingdoms",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175851,
          "author": "jensnockert",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T19:50:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175851",
          "commentText": "Romance of the Three Kingdoms, not sure why, but I have this tingling feeling that it holds some hints and tidbits about Chinese culture and history.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Romance of the Three Kingdoms",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107064,
          "author": "epynonymous",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:55:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107064",
          "commentText": "ayn rand, the fountainhead\njean jacques rousseau, the confessions\nsterling seagrave, dragon lady\nknights of king arthur's court\nromance of the three kingdoms",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "romance of the three kingdoms",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Luo Guanzhong"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chinese literature",
        "historical epic",
        "historical novel",
        "chinese history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "running-lean-8f3f62",
      "title": "Running Lean",
      "author": "Ash Maurya",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25216443,
          "author": "webmaven",
          "createdAt": "2020-11-26T02:56:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 25207732,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Suggest good books on bootstrapping a startup",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25216443",
          "commentText": "> - The Four Steps to the Epiphany\nGood (even great) book, but has some flaws and focuses mostly on enterprise costumers. The revised version  The Startup Owner's Manual is more polished and covers a wider range of business models.\n> - The Lean Startup\nAn excellent recommendation. The other books in the series (especially IMO Running Lean and Lean Analytics) are also worth a look:\nhttps://www.amazon.com/stores/page/7509FE4F-9888-4384-ACBC-D... (https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/7509FE4F-9888-4384-ACBC-D5B12AA08563)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The other books in the series (especially IMO Running Lean and Lean Analytics) are also worth a look:",
          "reason": "Named as one of the other books in the series worth a look.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7451089,
          "author": "ASquare",
          "createdAt": "2014-03-22T22:01:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 7450534,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's on your reading list? Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7451089",
          "commentText": "Lean Startup is a great starting point to understand the what and why of it.\nRunning Lean is the how.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Running Lean is the how.",
          "reason": "Recommended for learning how to apply lean startup ideas.",
          "audience": "Readers learning about startups.",
          "caveat": "The comment contrasts its practical how-to focus with The Lean Startup's what and why.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7450587,
          "author": "compass-seeker",
          "createdAt": "2014-03-22T19:53:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 7450534,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's on your reading list? Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7450587",
          "commentText": "Awesome. Just added it to my plan to read list. How does it compare to Lean Startup by Ries?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Just added it to my plan to read list.",
          "reason": "The commenter added the book to their reading list without expressing an evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7450564,
          "author": "ASquare",
          "createdAt": "2014-03-22T19:50:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 7450534,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's on your reading list? Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7450564",
          "commentText": "Running Lean by Ash Maurya - the most actionable book on the Lean Startup Methodology imho.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the most actionable book on the Lean Startup Methodology imho.",
          "reason": "Calls it the most actionable book on the Lean Startup methodology.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the Lean Startup methodology.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5244413,
          "author": "dalacv",
          "createdAt": "2013-02-19T14:28:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 5244195,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 'Must read' books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5244413",
          "commentText": "running lean",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "running lean",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ash Maurya"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "lean startup",
        "startups",
        "business modeling",
        "entrepreneurship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sql-performance-explained-2e42e4",
      "title": "SQL Performance Explained",
      "author": "Markus Winand",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42697763,
          "author": "jjice",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-14T14:42:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 42686034,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read regarding software development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42697763",
          "commentText": "My personal favorites:\n- Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture (Martin Fowler) - early-mid 2000s and it stays valuable to this day. It's nice to have a formalized view of concepts you know in practice.\n- Clean Architecture (Robert Martin) - Great application architecture concepts being formalized\n- Designing Data Intensive Applications (Martin Kleppmann) - Fantastic perspective on your application's data. This is probably the most recommended book I've seen on Hacker News.\n- SQL Performance Explained (Markus Winand) - Just a killer, concise book to make you truly understand basic DB performance, specifically with indexes. I've met so many developers (myself included before this book) who thought any index will work and then they'd just wing it. Your RDBMS has tools for finding the best optimizations in your queries and you should use them. Your indexes are also more picky than you may think, but they're also incredibly fast if you place them correctly. It's a lot easier to see once you understand.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SQL Performance Explained (Markus Winand) - Just a killer, concise book to make you truly understand basic DB performance, specifically with indexes.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it for understanding database performance and indexes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Focuses specifically on indexes and database performance.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17082822,
          "author": "skfist",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-16T14:48:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17082822",
          "commentText": "My favorites so far:\n- Pragmatic Thinking & Learning by Andy Hunt\n- The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman\n- The Effective Engineer* by Edmond Lau\n- The Pragmatic Programmer by Andy Hunt and Dave Thomas\n- SQL Performance Explained by Markus Winand\nAnd http://teachyourselfcs.com curriculum is pretty good as well.\nAs a side note, there's so much we can learn from game programmers and OS/database/compiler engineers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SQL Performance Explained by Markus Winand",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s favorites in a thread asking for books to read when starting a software engineering or computer science career.",
          "audience": "People starting a career in software engineering or computer science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14487764,
          "author": "brightball",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T14:20:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487764",
          "commentText": "SQL Performance Explained - Markus Winand\n- Excellent book that gets into the internals of what developers need to know about SQL and covers each part as it relates to the 4 major SQL databases (Oracle, SQL Server, Postgres, MySQL)\n- Also has an online version: http://use-the-index-luke.com/sql/table-of-contents\nThe Code Book - Simon Singh\n- It's just a good read that covers cryptography and message hiding throughout history. Probably a solid book for somebody around high school age.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Excellent book that gets into the internals of what developers need to know about SQL and covers each part as it relates to the 4 major SQL databases",
          "reason": "Praised for explaining SQL internals across four major databases.",
          "audience": "Developers seeking to understand SQL performance and database internals.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Markus Winand"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sql",
        "database performance",
        "database indexes",
        "query optimization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "setting-the-table-f1402c",
      "title": "Setting the Table",
      "author": "Danny Meyer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395448,
          "author": "dejv",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T11:24:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395448",
          "commentText": "Speaking of business books: Growing a business (old but still valid and great) and Setting the Table.\nSpeaking of fiction I want to recommend Neil Gainman The Graveyard Book",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Setting the Table",
          "reason": "Names it among business books in response to the best book question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Setting the Table",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Danny Meyer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "customer service",
        "hospitality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "silence-f44b4e",
      "title": "Silence",
      "author": "Shūsaku Endō",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46397578,
          "author": "Barrin92",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T23:39:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46397578",
          "commentText": "Among non-fiction what stood out to me was David Bentley Hart's All Things are Full of Gods, great book also very fun to read written as a Platonic dialogue. To me one of the most compelling theologians today.\nBruno Maçães, World Builders. Good book on the impact of technology in geopolitics has been consistently interesting.\nAmong fiction re-read a lot of Lovecraft, noticed that I like the Dream Quest stories more than the horror these days which surprised me. But they're more compelling to me now because of how much you can see Lovecraft as a person in them.\nThe last three Dune books. Liked the last two about the Bene Gesserit a lot, was surprised how much I disliked God Emperor given the praise it gets, but it honestly reads like Frank Herbert posting twitter hot takes as a worm with no story\nMark Twain, The Mysterious Stranger. Among the best novellas I've ever read, very different in tone from most of his books.\nShūsaku Endō, Silence. Book about a Jesuit mission in early Edo Japan. My favorite Japanese book in a long time.\nAmong technical books, re-read The Mythical Man Month, probably more relevant than it ever was in an age of artifical man-hours added to projects. Robert Seacord Effective C, after not having written C in a long time. Really good intermediate level book for modern C. Also making my way through The Little Schemer as a replacement for advent of code in the second half of the month this year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shūsaku Endō, Silence. Book about a Jesuit mission in early Edo Japan. My favorite Japanese book in a long time.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it their favorite Japanese book in a long time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33416672,
          "author": "firebones",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-01T03:50:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33416672",
          "commentText": "Silence by Endo is amazing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Silence by Endo is amazing.",
          "reason": "Calls the book amazing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156533,
          "author": "jeffersonheard",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:44:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156533",
          "commentText": "Getting More - Stuart Diamond. I still think this is the best book on the art of negotiation.\nGetting Things Done - David Allen. If you have adult ADHD like me, and you haven't read this, it's the first system that's really worked for productivity for me.\nMan's Search for Meaning - Victor Frankl.\nLiving Buddha, Living Christ - Thich Nhat Hanh.\nCosmos - Carl Sagan.\nThe Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. LeGuin.\nThe One who Walks Away from Omelas - U.K. LeGuin.\nWild Seed - Octavia Butler.\nThe Heike Monogatari - (tr. Helen Craig McCullough) “The sound of the Gion Shoja temple bells echoes the impermanence of all things; the color of the sala flowers reveals the truth that to flourish is to fall. The proud do not endure, like a passing dream on a night in spring; the mighty fall at last, to be no more than dust before the wind.” If you need a comparison. this is the Japanese historical equivalent of Game of Thrones combined with a bit of MacBeth. The rise and fall of two shogunate families, and an analysis of the tragic flaws of character that brought their fall about.\nLes Miserables - Victor Hugo.\nSmall Gods - Terry Pratchett.\nHeart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad.\nThe Guide - R. K. Narayan.\nEvidence - Mary Oliver.\nAll of Us - The Collected Poetry of Raymond Carver.\nSilence - Shusaku Endo.\nThe Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald.\nThe Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Murakami Haruki. This and the next four are odd choices, perhaps, since it's a surrealist book, but IMO books that force your imagination to work hard do as much for creativity and fresh ideas as any of the more popular methods.\nThe Well-Built City (The Physiognomy / Memoranda / The Beyond) Jeffery Ford - Surrealist novellas best described as about the protagonist living and achieving agency within the constructs, dreams, and nightmares of a \"Great Man's\" mind.\nSnow Crash - Neal Stephenson.\nGravity's Rainbow - Thomas Pynchon.\nDhalgren - Samuel L. \"Chip\" Delany.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Silence - Shusaku Endo.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Shūsaku Endō"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christianity in japan",
        "faith",
        "historical fiction",
        "japan"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "silo-e56a73",
      "title": "Silo",
      "author": "Hugh Howey",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38570365,
          "author": "felipesabino",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T15:45:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38570365",
          "commentText": "The entire \"Murderbot\" series by Martha Wells is amazing, the writing style, humor and the whole story line is a must-read for sci-fi fans\nThe \"Silo\" series by Hugh Howey is excellent, I read it after watching the TV series from Amazon, and no regrets.\n\"Recursion\" and \"Dark Matter\" by Blake Crouch is also really great",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The \"Silo\" series by Hugh Howey is excellent",
          "reason": "Called excellent; the commenter read it after watching the TV adaptation and had no regrets.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021948,
          "author": "jillesvangurp",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:30:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021948",
          "commentText": "Anything Neal Stephenson. I've read them all. Multiple times.\nBut some other stuff that people haven't yet mentioned that I enjoyed:\n- Matt Haig: The Humans, How to Stop Time\n- Richard Morgan: Altered Carbon trilogy\n- Ramez Naam: Nexus Trilogy\n- Hugh Howie: Silo series\n- Ann Leckie: Ancillary Justice\n- Ernest Cline: Ready Player 1",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Silo series",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11565066,
          "author": "flignats",
          "createdAt": "2016-04-25T15:55:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 11556470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your favorite dystopian novel and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11565066",
          "commentText": "The Silo series by  Hugh Howey was pretty great",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Silo series by  Hugh Howey was pretty great",
          "reason": "The commenter says the series was pretty great in response to a favorite dystopian novel question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hugh Howey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopian fiction",
        "post apocalyptic",
        "post apocalyptic fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "spam-nation-e64307",
      "title": "Spam Nation",
      "author": "Brian Krebs",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17749533,
          "author": "DownGoat",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T12:32:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17749533",
          "commentText": "Spam Nation by Brian Krebs is excellent. It delves deep into the email spam scene, and covers some big events and the people around it. He talks to users which buy stuff they are advertised in spam emails, and looks into the quality of the products advertised (are the viagra pills safe?).\nThe book is not very technical, and he never digs deeper into the details than what is necessary.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Spam Nation by Brian Krebs is excellent.",
          "reason": "Explicitly praises the book and describes its coverage of the email spam scene.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not very technical; stays at the level of detail needed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11699952,
          "author": "exolymph",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-15T07:49:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11699952",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed Brian Krebs' Spam Nation and I think it would appeal to the HN crowd. http://www.amazon.com/Spam-Nation-Organized-Cybercrimefrom-E... (http://www.amazon.com/Spam-Nation-Organized-Cybercrimefrom-Epidemic/dp/1501210432)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed Brian Krebs' Spam Nation and I think it would appeal to the HN crowd.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed it and expects it to appeal to HN readers.",
          "audience": "Hacker News readers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9347936,
          "author": "teekert",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T14:53:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9347936",
          "commentText": "Spam Nation by Brian Krebs.\nIt's nice but I started reading other books while being half way in. A sign that I experience it more as a study book than a relaxing read (ok, I did the same with Game of Thrones). I'll finish it at some point, it is quite fascinating to read about the world of spam, the Russians and the high quality of illegal online pharmacies.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's nice but I started reading other books while being half way in.",
          "reason": "Calls it nice and describes its account of spam, Russian actors, and illegal online pharmacies as fascinating.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter paused halfway to read other books and experiences it more as a study book than relaxing reading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Krebs"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybercrime",
        "spam",
        "email spam",
        "online pharmacies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "spook-country-4dcdfa",
      "title": "Spook Country",
      "author": "William Gibson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10207278,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T04:56:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10207278",
          "commentText": "Neuromancer - William Gibson\nREAMDE- Neal Stephenson\nPattern Recognition / Zero History / Spook Country - William Gibson\nThe Peripheral - William Gibson\nNot exactly the same thing, but I'll also throw in Glasshouse by Charles Stross.  And since we're talking Charles Stross, also add Halting State to the list.\nOh, and VALIS by Philip K. Dick.  Definitely worth a read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pattern Recognition / Zero History / Spook Country - William Gibson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4353871,
          "author": "e12e",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-08T04:16:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 4353632,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon.  What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4353871",
          "commentText": "If you enjoyed \"Snow Crash\" and \"Diamond Age\", I'd recommend \"Islands in the Net\" (if you can get hold of a copy) and \"Holy Fire\" by Bruce Sterling. Or for something newer, \"the Zenith Angle\" by same.\nI've also enjoyed all of Willam Gibsons books, including the latest trilogy \"Pattern Recognition\", \"Spook Country\" and \"Zero History\".\nIf you bothered to read through \"Cryptonomicon\" you'll either love \"the Code Book\" by Simon Singh more than I did, or hate it :-)\nAssuming you've picket through the classics shelf, you might have missed out on Samuel Delany - \"The Einstein Intersection\" might be a good one to try on for size -- although I actually found \"Neveryóna\" to be maybe his most interesting book (of the ones I've been able to get hold of) [edit: After \"Dhalgren\", that is. But I think \"Dhalgren\" is a bit like Joyce's \"Ulysses\" -- a classic I haven't gotten around to yet. I spent the better part of ten (10!) years reading through \"Dhalgren\", picking it up on odd holidays - never loosing touch with the intricate unreality within, readily satisfied after reading a few pages or a chapter -- like nibbling on a choice ham that didn't spoil. It's rather more complex than any of the other books I've listed here].\nAlso worth mentioning in the \"might be overlooked\" section is Jerry Pournelle's \"Falkenberg's Legion\" (republished as \"the Prince\").\nI'm afraid I've been mostly digging through second hand books lately, so the only other semi-recent book I could recommend would be \"Broken Angels\" by Richard Morgan (technically it's number two in a trilogy -- but I find it stands better on its own).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Spook Country\"",
          "reason": "Included among Gibson's books, which the commenter says they have enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865725,
          "author": "eatsleepdev",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T17:59:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865725",
          "commentText": "Spook Country by William Gibson.  Anything by him is pretty awesome.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Spook Country by William Gibson. Anything by him is pretty awesome.",
          "reason": "Says the author's work is pretty awesome.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Gibson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "contemporary fiction",
        "near future",
        "near future fiction",
        "surveillance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stand-on-zanzibar-d07076",
      "title": "Stand on Zanzibar",
      "author": "John Brunner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36021727,
          "author": "atlasunshrugged",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:06:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021727",
          "commentText": "My absolute favorite is Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner, The Jagged Orbit was also excellent. Other than that, of course Snow Crash is a masterpiece, but I think my favorite Stephenson book is The Diamond Age. Another excellent one is Daemon by Daniel Suarez whose books are quite fascinating and look at generally pretty topical plotlines (I was just thinking I have to revisit his book Kill Decision about AI enabled killer drones).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My absolute favorite is Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it their absolute favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32198213,
          "author": "rektide",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T23:09:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32198213",
          "commentText": "A lot of sci-fi. I keep a couple things in flight all the time, go where I feel moved. Currently: Stand on Zanzibar, (Brunner, 1968) 88% through, 2 months. Babel 17, (Delany, 1966), 66% through / 1 month. Also, Revenant Gun, (Han Lee, 2018) about 15% through / 2 months. Also, Catcher in the Rye (Salinger, 1946), 60% through, 3 months. Gnomon, (Harkaway, 2017) 40% through, 4 months.\nCheating here accounting other recent reads, but I've finished a couple others in the intervening time. Long Way to a Small Angry Planet (Chambers, 2014, reread), Dark Tower (book 7), (King, 2004). Pattern Recognition, (Gibson, 2004, reread). Revolution Business (Book 5 of Merchant Prince, Stross, 2009). Aurora (Stanley-Robinson, 2015).\nI have some other stuff I read at a more leasiurely piece-by-piece pace, mostly materialistic philosophy / nerdery.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Currently: Stand on Zanzibar, (Brunner, 1968) 88% through",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17541046,
          "author": "IronBacon",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T13:21:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17541046",
          "commentText": "This is one of my favorite books and I could not recommend it enough, not only for the story but the style it was written.\nI'm ashamed to admit I haven't yet found the time to read Stand on Zanzibar and The Sheep Look Up from the same author.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm ashamed to admit I haven't yet found the time to read Stand on Zanzibar and The Sheep Look Up from the same author.",
          "reason": "Mentions intending to read it but gives no evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it yet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8946127,
          "author": "dwarman",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-26T09:13:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8946127",
          "commentText": "Stand on Zanzibar, Snow Crash, Cryptonomicon, Childhood's End, A Cantilce for St Leibowitz, The Stars My Destination, Midnight At The Well of Souls, Nine Princes in Amber, Halting State, Strnger In A Strange Land, The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stand on Zanzibar",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140490,
          "author": "nazgulnarsil",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T02:59:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140490",
          "commentText": "depends on the subgenre :)\nSuperhuman:\nSlan by A.E. Van Vogt\nMore Than Human by Theodore STurgeon\nOdd John by Olaf Stapledon\nPost Apocalyptic:\nThe Day of The Triffids by John Whyndham\nEarth Abides by George R. Stewart\nA Canticle for Lebowitz by...don't remember\nSpace Opera/Adventure:\nany of The Culture novels by Iain M. Banks\nThe Reality Dysfunction series by ...don't remember\nHyperion series by Dan Simmons\nTo Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer\nDystopian:\nWe by Yevgeny Zamyatin <---highly overlooked, predates 1984 and Brave New World\nBut the Absolute Best would be anything by:\nStanislaw Lem (Cyberiad, Futurological Congress, Solaris)\nAlfred Bester (The STars my Destination, The Demolished Man)\nor Samuel R. Delany (Babel-17, Dhalgren, Trtion, Nova)\noh and Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light and This Immortal are both great.\nSome of Philip K. Dick's stuff is great, but everyone recommends him. :)\nalmost forgot John Brunner, check out Steel Beach, The Sheep Look Up, and Stand on Zanzibar.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "check out Steel Beach, The Sheep Look Up, and Stand on Zanzibar.",
          "reason": "Includes it in a direct recommendation to check out the listed books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Brunner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopian fiction",
        "overpopulation",
        "dystopia",
        "dystopian"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "station-eleven-1951d5",
      "title": "Station Eleven",
      "author": "Emily St. John Mandel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34161456,
          "author": "spicymaki",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T14:49:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161456",
          "commentText": "2022 was a year full of change for me and I am not looking for change but more of a complement to my life as it is currently.\nIn the process of reading:\nParable of a Sower’s Daughter by Octavia Butler\nRead this year:\nThe Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki\nThe Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson\nFour Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman\nA Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki\nSea of Tranquillity by Emily St. John Mandel\nChildren of Dune by Frank Herbert\nTurtles All the Way Down by John Green\nThe Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu\nStation Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel",
          "reason": "Listed among books read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665379,
          "author": "catacombs",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:45:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665379",
          "commentText": "> I was introduced to sci-fi last year and pretty much stuck to it throughout 2018.\nIf you're looking for additional science fiction suggestions:\n1. American War by Omar El Akkad\n2. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel\n3. Artemis by Andy Weir\n4. Daemon by Daniel Suarez\n5. Old Man's War by John Scalzi\n6. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch\n7. Red Rising series by Pierce Brown",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel",
          "reason": "Offered as an additional science fiction suggestion.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for additional science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536606,
          "author": "darthlucio",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:25:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536606",
          "commentText": "The Ted Chiang anthology is sooo good. Every story's premise was so unique - it blows my mind that one person can come up with so many out there ideas.\nI know OP wasn't looking for dystopias, but if you like Parable of the Sower, I recently read two excellent new scifi/dystopia books: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, and American War by Omar El Akkad. American War was really cool - it's by a journalist who covered military trials at Guantanamo Bay and the Arab Spring, who transposes the stories/atrocities he witnessed as a reporter onto the future US.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "two excellent new scifi/dystopia books: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel",
          "reason": "One of two books explicitly described as excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15976224,
          "author": "nkzednan",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-21T03:38:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15976224",
          "commentText": "Top books that I read this past year:\n- Hillbilly Elegy By JD Vance\n- Golden Son by Pierce Brown (second book in a trilogy) liked the whole trilogy\n- Rosie Project/Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion\n- Graceling by Kristin Cashore\n- Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's top books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12071006,
          "author": "Atwood",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T13:51:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12071006",
          "commentText": "Global Brain -Bloom\nCaptive Mind -Milosz\nMachines of Loving Grace -Markoff\nStation 11 -Mandell (fiction)\nSapiens -Harari\nRevenant (do not remember author/fiction)\nArgonauts  -Nelson",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Station 11 -Mandell (fiction)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10787171,
          "author": "wycx",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T04:55:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787171",
          "commentText": "All consumed as audiobooks.\nAmerican Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America - Colin Woodard;\nI learned much about early US history.\nWhere Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman - Jon Krakauer\nFind Me - Laura van den Berg\nStation Eleven - Emily St. John Mandel\nThe Dog Stars - Peter Heller\nEndurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage - Alfred Lansing;\nI was fortunate enough to read this right before Seveneves, so the references made immediate sense. Endurance looks to be popular on this list/this year. How many were inspired by Seveneves?\nSeveneves - Neal Stephenson\nThe Years of Rice and Salt - Kim Stanley Robinson\nCrystal Fire: The Birth of the Information Age - Michael Riordan, Lillian Hoddeson;\nI highly recommend this book. Like The Making of the Atomic Bomb, but for the transistor. Lots of background on John Bardeen, William Shockley and Walter Brattain. I was unaware of the great legacy of John Bardeen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bardeen\nThe Making of the Atomic Bomb - Richard Rhodes;\nIf you have not read this book, read it, just for the summary of discoveries that lead to the atomic bomb.\nAlas, Babylon - Pat Frank\nThe Man Who Ate His Boots: The Tragic History of the Search for the Northwest Passage - Anthony Brandt\nThe Worst Journey in the World - Apsley Cherry-Garrard\nThe Last Viking: The Life of Roald Amundsen - Stephen R. Bown\nI am looking for other books similar to Crystal Fire and The Making of the Atomic Bomb, that cover the history of scientific and technological discoveries. Any recommendations?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Station Eleven - Emily St. John Mandel",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Emily St. John Mandel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "post apocalyptic",
        "literary fiction",
        "pandemic fiction",
        "post apocalyptic fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "still-life-with-woodpecker-8b055d",
      "title": "Still Life with Woodpecker",
      "author": "Tom Robbins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12245686,
          "author": "SeaDude",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T05:37:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12245686",
          "commentText": "\"Still Life With Woodpecker\" by: Tom (fuckin) Robbins!\nDefined \"Outlaw\", a philosophy for dope folk.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Still Life With Woodpecker\" by: Tom (fuckin) Robbins!",
          "reason": "Calls it a defining book for the idea of being an outlaw.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783528,
          "author": "mlent",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:46:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783528",
          "commentText": "\"The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared\"\nby Jonas Jonasson\n(Love it -- hilarious, witty, a pleasure to read)\n\"Kafka on the Shore\" \nby Haruki Murakami\n(Strange good -- but I'm not sure if I liked it as much as liked \"The Wild Sheep Chase\")\n\"One hundred years of solitude\"\nby Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez\n(Very slow, had a hard time honestly)\n\"Gone Girl\"\nby Gillian Flynn\n(A fast, exciting read but found the ending unsatisfying. But would recommend)\n\"Still Life with Woodpecker\"\nby Tom Robbins\n(Fantastic prose, fantastical characters and situations. Will read more from him)\nAnd for technical books, I read \"The Art of Agile Development\". Was alright.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "(Fantastic prose, fantastical characters and situations. Will read more from him)",
          "reason": "Praises its prose, characters, and situations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8716563,
          "author": "yogiHacks",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T14:32:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8716563",
          "commentText": "Oh jeez, this'll be tough.  I'll start by saying that Tom Robbins \"Still Life with Woodpecker\" inspired me in the post-undergraduate world greatly.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Still-Life-Woodpecker-Tom-Robbins/dp/0... (http://www.amazon.com/Still-Life-Woodpecker-Tom-Robbins/dp/0553348973)\nLeaving college with such powerful to convictions of social evolution, scientific pragmatism, and the power of Art as a mental practice left me with some hard facets of reality to contend with.  This is the struggle of one of the the main characters, Leigh-Cheri.  She is a wide eyed idealist who is thoroughly disenfranchised with the way the systems in the world abuse and exploit people.\nShe meets a mad-bomber outlaw named Woodpecker, a revolutionary with bordering mythical aspirations.  Their affair is a wild journey of growth as characters and citizens, not of a royal bloodline or America, but of Earth and the ideas, and actions, which make this world a vibrantly beautiful place.\nMost important book of the year for me, with close runners up:\n\"The Nature of Code\" by Daniel Shiffman.  Excellent book on simulation of the natural, chaotic world in the Processing programming language.\nhttp://natureofcode.com/book/\n\"Nine Kinds of Naked\" by Tony Vigorito, which deals with the primacy of synchronicity and numeric harmony in the lives of twirling, interrelated characters.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Nine-Kinds-Naked-Tony-Vigorito/dp/0156... (http://www.amazon.com/Nine-Kinds-Naked-Tony-Vigorito/dp/015603123X)\nGood reads everyone!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tom Robbins \"Still Life with Woodpecker\" inspired me in the post-undergraduate world greatly.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it inspired them greatly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Robbins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "magical realism",
        "romantic satire",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "structured-computer-organization-912cae",
      "title": "Structured Computer Organization",
      "author": "Andrew S. Tanenbaum",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36429831,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T09:42:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36429831",
          "commentText": "In no particular order and off the top of my head;\nThe Sherlock Holmes canonical stories - The importance of logical reasoning and brain over brawn. Instrumental in teaching me to think.\nPhysics for Entertainment (and other books) by Ya. Perelman - Beauty and understanding of Science. Instrumental in giving me a lifelong interest in Science/Technology.\nStructured Computer Organization by Andrew Tanenbaum - Instrumental in teaching me the layering of abstractions by which something complex can arise from more simpler and detailed components.\nRaja Yoga by Swami Vivekananda and The Science of Yoga by Swami Sivananda - Instrumental in introducing me to Hindu philosophy.\nBruce lee's fighting method (3 vols) - Instrumental in introducing me to Martial Arts and physical culture.\nThe above books were the ones which sparked my interest in their respective domains decades ago (late 1980s/early 1990s in India) when books were hard to come by and money wasn't available either. When i look around today, books are so easily available and yet people have stopped reading and even seem to lack curiosity.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Structured Computer Organization by Andrew Tanenbaum",
          "reason": "It taught the commenter how complex systems can arise from layered abstractions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32790345,
          "author": "throwaway5371",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T13:18:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790345",
          "commentText": "all of Tanenbaum's books, especially Structured Computer Organization",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "all of Tanenbaum's books, especially Structured Computer Organization",
          "reason": "Highlights this title among Tanenbaum's books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414545,
          "author": "dragonquest",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T10:26:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414545",
          "commentText": "Over the years I've found the following CS books helpful, but only a minority in my day-to-day work. Your mileage may vary, as would the utility of these to you.\nAlgorithms -> Algorithms + Data Structures = Programs by Wirth (worth its weight in gold if you can get past the Pascal syntax)\nOS -> Operating System Concepts by Silberschatz et al (The dinosaur book)\nCS Theory -> Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation by Hopcroft, Ullman\nProgramming Languages Theory -> Programming languages: design and implementation by Pratt et al\nDatabase Theory -> Database Design by Wiederhold\nArchitecture -> Structured Computer Organization by Andrew S Tanenbaum",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Architecture -> Structured Computer Organization by Andrew S Tanenbaum",
          "reason": "Lists it among CS books they found helpful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew S. Tanenbaum"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer architecture",
        "abstraction layers",
        "computer organization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "structures-or-why-things-don-t-fall-down-4c8acb",
      "title": "Structures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down",
      "author": "J. E. Gordon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39059054,
          "author": "kesavvaranasi",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T18:20:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39059054",
          "commentText": "For software engineering, I recommend A Philosophy of Software Design. It has principles that I think translate well to other engineering fields.\nFor engineering in general:\nTo Engineer is Human - Henry Petroski\nThe Art of Doing Science and Engineering - Richard Hamming\nStructures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down - J.E. Gordon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Structures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down - J.E. Gordon",
          "reason": "Listed as a book about engineering in general.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in engineering broadly.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30829965,
          "author": "leobg",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T12:48:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30829965",
          "commentText": "It’s a favorite of Elon Musk. He has recommended it several times.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "He has recommended it several times.",
          "reason": "Reports that Elon Musk has recommended the book several times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22098760,
          "author": "I_complete_me",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T13:52:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22098760",
          "commentText": "Structures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down by J.E. Gordon. As an engineering student I found the insights and examples in this book by an aeronautical engineer helped me greatly in really understanding structures. Much better than the dry academical treatises and obscure equations of the university course I undertook. I highly recommend this for anyone interested in understanding structures.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Structures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down by J.E. Gordon.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them understand structures and highly recommends it to anyone interested in the subject.",
          "audience": "Anyone interested in understanding structures.",
          "caveat": "The commenter contrasts it with dry academic treatises and obscure equations.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229681,
          "author": "shpx",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:15:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229681",
          "commentText": "The Design of Everyday Things. Probably the quintessential book on design, the basic premise is that if you can't figure out how a thing works, it's not your fault.\nStructures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down. About the engineering of various things, mostly buildings. Highly recommend.\nThe Elements of Computer Systems (better known as NAND to Tetris). Describes a computer from the bottom up.\nA History of the Arab Peoples\nThe Quran\nThe Bible\nSpace and Time in General Relativity by David Mermin\nFeynman QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Structures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down. About the engineering of various things, mostly buildings. Highly recommend.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly says they highly recommend it.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in engineering and structures.",
          "caveat": "Focuses mostly on buildings, according to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. E. Gordon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Design",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "structural engineering",
        "materials science",
        "buildings",
        "materials"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sum-forty-tales-from-the-afterlives-759f36",
      "title": "Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives",
      "author": "David Eagleman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33860998,
          "author": "lanamo",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-05T03:09:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33860998",
          "commentText": "+1 for Exhalation by Ted Chiang. \nAnd also: \"Sum - Forty Tales from the afterlives\" by David Eagleman. A small book that makes you think very very deeply.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Sum - Forty Tales from the afterlives\" by David Eagleman. A small book that makes you think very very deeply.",
          "reason": "Calls it a thought-provoking small book in a thread asking for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2095421,
          "author": "fakelvis",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-12T08:10:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2095421",
          "commentText": "Of the twenty-three books I read in 2010, these seven really stand out:\n- Predictably Irrational. Everyone here knows this book, right? It had been on my reading list for too long, and I'm glad I eventually managed to read it. Much more enjoyable that I expected it to be, even given the fact that much of the material is well-known already. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predictably_Irrational\n- Longitude follows John Harrison's fascinating, painful and lengthy quest to win the Longitude Prize by creating a clock that was accurate enough to determine longitude at sea. Dava Sobel is a great writer and makes this topic totally engaging (aside: Sobel started her writing career as a technical writer at IBM). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longitude_%28book%29\n- Bad Science is Ben Goldacre's essential and extensive criticism of the media's health care reportage and of various health-related issues (vaccinations, placebos, etc.). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Science_%28book%29\n- Sum has had a fair bit of press over the last few months. It's a collection of forty stories on the afterlife, by David Eagleman. It's a novel exercise in philosophy, and I thoroughly enjoyed five or six of the stories. It's a very creative and original book (and short, too) and is a good lesson in constrained thinking.\n- The PayPal Wars is the story of PayPal's early years from the viewpoint of former PayPal marketing executive, Eric Jackson. I found it a riveting read on the trials and tribulations of a startup in a difficult market. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_PayPal_Wars\n- Made to Stick is interesting in many ways (such as marketing, psychology and rhetoric, to name a few) and is extremely well-written. Chip and Dan Heath really know their subject and explain how to make ideas or concepts memorable in this captivating book. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Made_to_Stick Tip: Read the extensive excerpts on the official website — http://www.madetostick.com/excerpts/ — and, if you enjoy them, read the full book.\n- Lolita is one of those books everyone knows about, even if they haven't read it. I decided to sit down with this beast of a book and am glad I did. It's a great story and will really get your moral cogs ticking over. As well as that, Nabokov has an amazing way with the English language, and from very near the beginning I become a lifelong fan of his style. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lolita",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I thoroughly enjoyed five or six of the stories. It's a very creative and original book",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed several stories and calls the book creative and original.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter specifically enjoyed five or six of the stories.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026494,
          "author": "sivers",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T00:12:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026494",
          "commentText": "(The links here bring you to my notes from each book, and the ISBN number for each so you can find it easily at your favorite library/store/whatever.)\nHow We Decide - by Jonah Lehrer:\nBrilliant book with one clear message: our emotional brain is faster and usually smarter than our logical brain. Our emotions are trained by years of logic and experience, retaining it all for real wisdom. Many decisions are better made by going with the gut feeling. Gets a little too technical with deep brain/neuro/cortex talk, but brings it back to usable points.\nhttp://sivers.org/book/HowWeDecide\nThe Investor's Manifesto - by William J. Bernstein:\nAbsolutely my favorite author and advisor on the subject of investing. Anyone with any money to invest (or already invested) please read this book. Such clear thinking, using only facts, and using numbers not guesses. Modern portfolio theory: use passive indexes of the entire market, no speculation, no stock picking, and avoid the entire fee-sucking financial industry.\nhttp://sivers.org/book/InvestorsManifesto\nSum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives - by David Eagleman:\nFiction. Awesomely creative think-piece of 40 different short stories of what happens when you die. To be clear: the author is not pretending this is fact! The framework is inspiring for anyone: coming up with 40 different answers to any one question.\nhttp://sivers.org/book/Sum\nThe Talent Code - by Daniel Coyle:\nA great book showing that deep practice - (struggling in certain targeted ways - operating at the edges of your ability, where you make mistakes - experiences where you're forced to slow down, make errors, and correct them) - is what really makes you improve at anything.\nhttp://sivers.org/book/TalentCode\nInfluence - by Robert Cialdini:\nClassic book on the psychology of persuasion. I read it 15 years ago, thought about it ever since, and re-read it now. How to get a 700% improvement in volunteers. How to sell more by doubling your prices. How to make people feel they made a choice, when really you made it for them.\nhttp://sivers.org/book/Influence\nThe Time Paradox - by Philip Zimbardo and John Boyd:\nSee my in-depth article about this book at http://sivers.org/time\nhttp://sivers.org/book/TimeParadox",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Awesomely creative think-piece of 40 different short stories of what happens when you die.",
          "reason": "Praises its creativity and describes its short stories.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The author is not pretending this is fact.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Eagleman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "afterlife",
        "short stories",
        "thought experiments"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "superforecasting-the-art-and-science-of-prediction-7af331",
      "title": "Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction",
      "author": "Philip E. Tetlock and Dan Gardner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17383524,
          "author": "m0llusk",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T21:23:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17383524",
          "commentText": "Because predictions are an important part of all planning:\nSuperforecasters by Philip Tetlock and Dan Gardener, accompanied by the good judgement project at goodjudgement.com and gjopen.com.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Superforecasters by Philip Tetlock and Dan Gardener",
          "reason": "Offered as a book about prediction and planning.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13237380,
          "author": "rdeboo",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T14:22:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237380",
          "commentText": "I set myself a goal to read 20 books; I succeeded.\nHere's the ones I recommend most:\nKim Zetter - Countdown to Zero (on Stuxnet virus and how it was smuggled into the nuclear facility; very interesting)\nGary Kasparov - Winter is Coming (we should consider Russia a dictatorship by now; though until recently, western politicians treated it as a democratic partner country)\nMark Goodman - Future crimes (wide spanning book on crime in the age of the internet)\nPhilip E. Tetlock - Superforecasting (how amateurs can consistently beat domain professionals in forecasting all kind of stuff)\nVenkat Subramaniam - Programming Concurrency on the JVM (good overview of your options (diy with locking / akka / clojure & STM))",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Philip E. Tetlock - Superforecasting (how amateurs can consistently beat domain professionals in forecasting all kind of stuff)",
          "reason": "Recommends it for its account of forecasting performance.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in forecasting and decision making.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12069759,
          "author": "jdmoreira",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T08:57:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12069759",
          "commentText": "\"Present Shock\" by Douglas Rushkoff\n\"Super Forecasting\" by Philip Tetlock, Dan Gardner\n\"The Selfish Gene\" by Richard Dawkins\n\"The Marshmallow Test: Mastering Self-Control\" by Walter Mischel\n\"Precision: Statistical and Mathematical Methods in Horse Racing\" by C X Wong\n\"Functional Swift\" by Chris Eidhof, Florian Kugler, and Wouter Swierstra\n__ DIDN'T FINISH __\n\"Thinking in Forth\" by Leo Brodie\n\"The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch\" by Philip K. Dick\n__ QUEUED FOR READING __\n\"Porcelain\" by Moby\n\"Sapiens\" by Yuval Noah Harari",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Super Forecasting\" by Philip Tetlock, Dan Gardner",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783529,
          "author": "Symmetry",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:46:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783529",
          "commentText": "Here are the ones I'd be willing to recommend, in reverse chronological order of when I read them.  I read 59 total.  Listen to books on tape while working out has maybe doubled my reading rate.\nGenghis Khan: His Conquests, His Empire, His Legacy - Great book on how the Mongol Empire came to be, who Genghis was, and it put the whole thing in perspective for me in a useful way.\nThe Knowledge: How to Rebuild Our World from Scratch - What it says on the tin.  Actually a good overview how some important technologies interrelate.\nSuperforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction - How to be wrong less often.  Based on the Good Judgement Project results.\nThe Three-Body Problem - Decent enough science fiction but extra interesting because it's science fiction from a different culture.\nIgnition!: An informal history of liquid rocket propellants - A history of things that go boom.  Engaging writing and I learned things about chemistry.\nThe Traitor Baru Cormorant - I'm nominating this for a Hugo.  It tells you it's going to stab you in the gut but when it does you don't see it coming.  Plus high quality scheming and speculation on economics, society, and empire.\nThe Sorcerer of the Wildeeps - Excellent use of voice and an overall good book.\nBloom - Made my skin crawl in places and also was good at making you feel a radical change in perspective.\nSeeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed - An interesting perspective on certain aspects of government.  A bit too negative for the topic, the factors outlined are also why commercial economies were able to develop more centralized economies than agrarian ones in the early modern era.\nPolitical Order and Political Decay: From the Industrial Revolution to the Globalization of Democracy - Quite good book on bureaucracy though not as excellent as the previous book on the origins of states.\nLast First Snow - It's always great to read books about the struggles between people with sympathetic motivations.\nThe Unwelcome Warlock - The latest in a series of fantasy books where people use magic in creative and sensible ways.\nAsteroid Mining 101: Wealth for the New Space Economy -Mostly about all the different sorts of asteroids.\nSeveneves - Neal Stephenson's latest.  If you like his books read it but maybe skip the last 1/3 after the timeskip.\nElon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future - Wow he did a lot of cool stuff.\nStories of Your Life and Others - Brilliant and poetic short stories.\nDarwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life - Some interesting perspective on materialism.\nPower, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life - Best science book I've read in a while!  Shows why mitochondria matter, the fundamental limits of prochariotic life, and several important ways mitochondria influence again and evolution.\nBlue Remembered Earth - Awesome near futureish book that does well at imagining a future that isn't just a linear extrapolation but is still believable.\nA Key, an Egg, an Unfortunate Remark - Not enough pacifist badass grandmothers in urban fantasy.\nQuantum Computing since Democritus - I understand QM much better now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction - How to be wrong less often. Based on the Good Judgement Project results.",
          "reason": "Presents it as a guide to being wrong less often, based on the Good Judgment Project.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip E. Tetlock and Dan Gardner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Business",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "forecasting",
        "decision making",
        "judgment",
        "prediction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "surely-you-re-joking-mr-feynman-adventures-of-a-curious-character-f9b9b8",
      "title": "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character",
      "author": "Richard P. Feynman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8021771,
          "author": "cfeduke",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-11T18:50:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8021771",
          "commentText": "One of my favorite books for certain.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One of my favorite books for certain.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the book one of their favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The title is identified from the parent comment; the target refers to it implicitly.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5700940,
          "author": "maxharris",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-13T19:41:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5700940",
          "commentText": "The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Those are the two to start with.\nIf you like those, check out some of her nonfiction books: The Virtue of Selfishness: A New Concept of Egoism, Philosophy: Who Needs It, and Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology (these are but a few - Rand wrote a long series of nonfiction books).\nAyn Rand's Normative Ethics: The Virtuous Egoist by Tara Smith (a philosophy professor at UT-Austin) is excellent because it unpacks Ayn Rand's ethical system in an academic style. Finally, Leonard Peikoff's Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand gives a comprehensive view of Rand's entire philosophy.\nLight reading (not by Objectivist authors, and not in any particular order):\nMasters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture by David Kushner\nThe Soul of A New Machine by Tracy Kidder\nThe Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA by James Watson\nWhat Do You Care What Other People Think?: Further Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard Feynman\nSurely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard Feynman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard Feynman",
          "reason": "Included in a list labeled light reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these are not by Objectivist authors and are not in a particular order.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2650123,
          "author": "jcallahan",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-13T18:28:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2650123",
          "commentText": "Read something REALLY fun, enlightening and TRUE: Surely you're joking Mr. Feynman! (Adventures of a curious character) and What do you care what other people think (Further adventures of a curious character)\nObAmazon: http://www.amazon.com/What-Care-Other-People-Think/dp/039332... (http://www.amazon.com/What-Care-Other-People-Think/dp/0393320928)\nObAmazon: http://www.amazon.com/Surely-Feynman-Adventures-Curious-Char... (http://www.amazon.com/Surely-Feynman-Adventures-Curious-Character/dp/0393316041)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read something REALLY fun, enlightening and TRUE: Surely you're joking Mr. Feynman! (Adventures of a curious character)",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it fun, enlightening, and true.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard P. Feynman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sustainable-energy-without-the-hot-air-d61258",
      "title": "Sustainable Energy — Without the Hot Air",
      "author": "David J. C. MacKay",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19094302,
          "author": "drjesusphd",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-06T11:25:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19094302",
          "commentText": "\"Sustainable Energy Without the Hot Air\" by David MacKay - available for download (http://www.inference.org.uk/sustainable/book/tex/sewtha.pdf).\nIt really illustrates the enormity of the energy problem and the changes that are needed to make sustainability a reality, especially for densely populated regions like Europe and Japan.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It really illustrates the enormity of the energy problem and the changes that are needed to make sustainability a reality",
          "reason": "The commenter says it illustrates the scale of the energy problem and the changes needed for sustainability.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Particularly relevant to densely populated regions like Europe and Japan.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9612236,
          "author": "jsingleton",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T15:55:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9612236",
          "commentText": "A few of these are already posted (or will be) but here you go:\n- https://www.raspberrypi.org/magpi/\n- http://www.withouthotair.com/\n- http://www.harriman-house.com/book/view/1057/business/dave-c... (http://www.harriman-house.com/book/view/1057/business/dave-coplin/the-rise-of-the-humans/)\n- http://hpmor.com/\n- http://www.linuxvoice.com/creative-commons-issues/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "http://www.withouthotair.com/",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1568981,
          "author": "lkozma",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T20:41:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1568981",
          "commentText": "Surely you are joking, Mr. Feynman.\nD. MacKay: Sustainable energy - without the hot air.\nN. Taleb: Fooled by randomness.\nM. Karinthy: A journey round my skull.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "D. MacKay: Sustainable energy - without the hot air.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David J. C. MacKay"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "energy",
        "sustainable energy",
        "climate",
        "energy policy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "takeshi-kovacs-7b8987",
      "title": "Takeshi Kovacs",
      "author": "Richard K. Morgan",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15428855,
          "author": "wlkr",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:39:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428855",
          "commentText": "Other than those already listed I absolutely loved the Remembrance of Earth's Past [0] trilogy (2008, 2008, 2010) by Liu Cixin. Whilst I wouldn't consider it 'hard' science fiction the Takeshi Kovacs series [1] (2002, 2003, 2005) by Richard K. Morgan is also outstanding, although perhaps more cyberpunk.\n[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remembrance_of_Earth%27s_Past\n[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takeshi_Kovacs",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the Takeshi Kovacs series [1]",
          "reason": "Listed as a series in response to the discussion's book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Wouldn't consider it hard science fiction; perhaps more cyberpunk.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8613977,
          "author": "nl",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-16T11:15:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8613977",
          "commentText": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Fire_Upon_the_Deep\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Deepness_in_the_Sky\nIt's easy to categorise these as wonderful and well written space opera, but that undersells them. Their author (Venor Vinge) invented the idea of the Singularity, and worked as a computer science professor. Both won both the Hugo Award.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ender's_Game\nAs good as people say it is.\nMost of Richard Morgan's works (esp the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takeshi_Kovacs series). Not his fantasy books though.\nFor fantasy books, Patrick Rothfuss is doing good stuff. The Kingkiller Chronicles is excellent. Read his other books before \"Slow Regard of Silent Things\", though, because that is one weird story.\nFrom more recent SciFi books:\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Windup_Girl is excellent.\nI'm currently reading Ancillary Justice and I'm really enjoying it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancillary_Justice",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Most of Richard Morgan's works (esp the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takeshi_Kovacs series). Not his fantasy books though.",
          "reason": "Recommends most of Morgan's works, especially this series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter excludes Morgan's fantasy books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3783897,
          "author": "latch",
          "createdAt": "2012-04-01T15:28:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 3781486,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi Books for Hackers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3783897",
          "commentText": "Non-developer specific good sci-fi books:\n-Dune\n-Hyperion + The Fall of Hyperion\n-The Book Of The New Sun\n-Ilium + Olympos\n-Takeshi Kovacs trilogy\n-The Culture Series (meh..)\n-The Demolished Man\nMore dev-oriented:\n-Reamde (which I hated, but I seem to be in a minority)\n-Neuromancer\nI'll always have a special place in my heart for Calculating God (not science fiction), because its the book that got me into reading seriously.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-Takeshi Kovacs trilogy",
          "reason": "Listed among recommended science fiction books.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking science fiction, including developer oriented fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2615694,
          "author": "latch",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T09:30:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2615694",
          "commentText": "Just started Light by M. John Harrison\nThe Takeshi Kovacs novels, by Richard Morgan, are next on my list.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Takeshi Kovacs novels, by Richard Morgan, are next on my list.",
          "reason": "Names a series they plan to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard K. Morgan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyberpunk",
        "crime",
        "detective fiction",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "team-of-rivals-the-political-genius-of-abraham-lincoln-8a0d4c",
      "title": "Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln",
      "author": "Doris Kearns Goodwin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38238212,
          "author": "multilinear",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T07:45:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238212",
          "commentText": "I'm learning about US history as a non-American, for no particular reason other than I found some books in a second hand store.\n- \"1776\", by David McCullough - a combination of American Revolution history with telling of leadership in times when defeat seems inevitable.\n- \"Team of Rivals\", by Doris Kearns Goodwin - just started, reading about the pre-Civil War politics.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "- \"Team of Rivals\", by Doris Kearns Goodwin - just started, reading about the pre-Civil War politics.",
          "reason": "The commenter has just started it and describes its focus as pre-Civil War politics.",
          "audience": "A non-American learning about U.S. history.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has only just started it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29669942,
          "author": "Dumblydorr",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T03:48:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29669942",
          "commentText": "Team of Rivals - Doris Kearns Goodwin. Lincoln's cabinet was filled with representatives of the different wings of northern and border state politics, all of whom became key figures in the fight against the CSA. Very lovely book about Lincoln's genius as a master of men and of personalities, of being downright kind and truly listening to the people.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Team of Rivals - Doris Kearns Goodwin. Lincoln's cabinet was filled with representatives of the different wings of northern and border state politics, all of whom became key figures in the fight against the CSA.",
          "reason": "A favorable account of Lincoln’s political leadership and cabinet.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21793190,
          "author": "ellius",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T23:39:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793190",
          "commentText": "• The Revolt of the Public: No book has done a better job of describing the current moment in history\n• Masters of Doom: Reminded me what it means to care about work and have fun doing it\n• Team of Rivals: A remarkable work of history and portrait of a man\n• The Undercover Economist\n• Fooled by Randomness\n• The Prize",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Team of Rivals: A remarkable work of history and portrait of a man",
          "reason": "Calls it a remarkable history and portrait.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 203460,
          "author": "mattdennewitz",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T17:42:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=203460",
          "commentText": "ah, yes - great book!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "ah, yes - great book!",
          "reason": "Affirms the parent comment's praise of Team of Rivals.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Doris Kearns Goodwin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "abraham lincoln",
        "american civil war",
        "leadership",
        "pre civil war politics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-4-hour-body-9060e8",
      "title": "The 4-Hour Body",
      "author": "Timothy Ferriss",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45324833,
          "author": "lr1970",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-21T17:31:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 45312545,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that helped you lose weight?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45324833",
          "commentText": "From \"4 hour body\" description on Amazon:\nHow to lose those last 5-10 pounds (or 100+ pounds) with odd combinations of food and safe chemical cocktails\n• How to prevent fat gain while bingeing over the weekend or the holidays\n• How to sleep 2 hours per day and feel fully rested\n• How to produce 15-minute female orgasms\n• How to triple testosterone and double sperm count\n• How to go from running 5 kilometers to 50 kilometers in 12 weeks\n• How to reverse “permanent” injuries\n• How to pay for a beach vacation with one hospital visit\nAfter reading this description I put this book in the BS category.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "From \"4 hour body\" description on Amazon:",
          "reason": "The commenter dismisses the book as \"BS\" after reading its description.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The criticism is based on the Amazon description.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 45314550,
          "author": "sebst",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-20T16:09:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 45312545,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that helped you lose weight?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45314550",
          "commentText": "There’s so much conflicting advice out there. Reality is: When you want to go from overweight to healthy, nothing beats calories in/calories out. Beyond that, like if you’re on project “visible abs”, tweaks might make the difference: you could go deep into the rabbit hole of insulin, anti-nutrients, etc. but then: what works for you, is probably different than what works for others, so there’s a lot trial and error.\nThat being said, the key to all of this is discipline and consistency.\nSo, for a book, pick one that you find plausible, entertaining (in terms of reading and in terms of trying the recipes and protocols), and that aligns with your lifestyle or the rate of change you’re willing to accept.\nFor me, I started with 4 Hour Body. This might not not perfect from today’s knowledge but I liked the way, Tim is presenting the material, his way of thinking and the pragmatic approach. From there on, and after seeing significant and fast results, I went down the rabbit hole and tried almost every “biohack” routine i could find.\nTry a couple of books, then pick the one that you enjoyed reading the most and then mercilessly stick to it to the letter. That should help. If it doesn’t, try the next one. Not a single human being in history lost weight from just reading. Take action!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For me, I started with 4 Hour Body.",
          "reason": "The commenter started with this book and liked its pragmatic approach, while noting it may not reflect current knowledge perfectly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "May not be perfect from today's knowledge.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6976123,
          "author": "rickdale",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T19:50:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976123",
          "commentText": "Two years ago I was lucky enough to read a comment here about the 4 Hour Body and how it changed someones life. I downloaded it and read it that night. Lost 50lbs. Never looked back.\nThis year the book that shaped my year has to be The Motivation Hacker by Nick Winter. Great read, teaches you how to motivate yourself to get shit done. Has worked really well for me.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/The-Motivation-Hacker-Nick-Winter-eboo... (http://www.amazon.com/The-Motivation-Hacker-Nick-Winter-ebook/dp/B00C8N4FNK)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lost 50lbs. Never looked back.",
          "reason": "Says reading the book led to losing 50 pounds.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6423793,
          "author": "thenomad",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-21T17:56:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6423793",
          "commentText": "\"Four-Hour Body\" is also very much worth a read. Both the methodology he uses and the ideas themselves are useful - and our bodies are a pretty big part of our lives.\nHaven't read \"Four-Hour Chef\" yet, but people have recommended it for the stuff on learning.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Four-Hour Body\" is also very much worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says its methodology and ideas are useful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Timothy Ferriss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "weight loss",
        "biohacking",
        "fitness",
        "nutrition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-5-love-languages-d1122b",
      "title": "The 5 Love Languages",
      "author": "Gary Chapman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19088692,
          "author": "MikeCapone",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T19:15:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19088692",
          "commentText": "So many, and I wish I could write a long paragraph on each, but I'm unfortunately short on time. I'm posting any in case just one person who hasn't heard of those checks them out and gets value:\n-Godel, Escher, Bach (Douglas Hosfstadter)\n-The Mindbody Prescription (John E. Sarno, completely cured my long-term crippling RSI that kept me from using computers and was ruining my life)\n-Feeling Good (Dr. Burns, cognitive therapy mostly centered on depression, but I want to learn about this before I have depression so that I can avoid it and do 'maintenance' on myself)\n-The 5 Love Languages (Gary Chapman, made me understand a lot more about how people express and receive love, and the problems that arise from mismatched languages in relationships)\n-Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman (you guys probably already know this)\n-The Blank Slate (Steven Pinker)\n-The Snowball (Warren Buffett biography)\n-Influence (Robert B. Cialdini)\n-Your Money or Your Life (Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin)\n-When Heaven and Earth Changed Places: A Vietnamese Woman's Journey from War to Peace (Le Ly Hayslip)\n-The Halo Effect (Phil Rosenzweig)\n-The LessWrong.com sequences on rationality",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-The 5 Love Languages (Gary Chapman, made me understand a lot more about how people express and receive love, and the problems that arise from mismatched languages in relationships)",
          "reason": "The commenter says it improved their understanding of how people express and receive love.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13804298,
          "author": "embarassed_toss",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:34:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804298",
          "commentText": "Throwaway since this is a bit embarrassing.\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People. Crucial Conversations. 5 Love Languages. The Way of the Superior Man.\nI'm 37 and I'm a stereotypical geeky, low-social-capability guy. Coasted through life on being smart, to the exclusion of much else. I'd get pedantic and into pointless arguments, but justify it because I was right -- sorta being a dick though not intentionally, just emergent behavior. I did poorly on romantic relationships despite being married a decade. I'd stumble around conversations awkwardly or interject stupid facts and just overall sucked at the personal side of life.\nLearning to talk to people, to deal with people, learning the give and take of conversations and to try to be interested in people -- this has completely changed my life. It works in business, it works in personal relationships. People that I'd usually mock (think homeopathic hippy type folks), the kind of folks that'd usually dismiss me, they have actually said glowing things about me to other people, and I now have friendships with such folks. Even with guy friends: I'm constantly surprised how powerful a simple \"How are you doing?\" or \"Did you get home OK?\" -- just small displays of interest, really can strengthen relationships.\nThe last book I mention, The Way of the Superior Man, I hesitate. Some of it is a bit silly. And it comes off VERY macho/chauvinistic. In fact, the first time I looked at it I tossed it in disgust. But damn, it'd have saved me so much grief. There are feminine/masculine differences (as personalities, not just sex or gender.) Just basic stuff like \"held and heard\": you don't need to try to solve her every problem[1], just listen and support her in what she does -- stuff as an engineer I wouldn't do at work and that bled over into personal life. Not attacking people when they say silly things... I've had a girl tell my family I'm the kindest guy she's ever dated. They all went silent and looked back and forth \"... him?\" 3 years ago I could never, ever, have imagined anyone saying that about me in any situation, let alone romantically. When people blow up and want to fight with me, I recognize the words don't really matter and it's just emotion and try to respond to that. Even my ex has ended up apologizing after yelling at me and saying I'm a good guy - another timeline I never thought I'd be in.\nAnd I know, this sounds like manipulation. But the bizarre thing is that after you set out to be like this and try to care, you actually end up caring and it's totally sincere. Life isn't C, being \"lenient\" on people and trying to think about them instead of picking at the specifics of what they said won't get you into trouble.\n[This might be relationships 101, but I know a lot of guys in a similar social situation and a few of them tried the same approaches and are way happier too. So maybe this will help someone.]\n1: https://xkcd.com/306/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "5 Love Languages.",
          "reason": "The commenter credits learning to communicate and deal with people to the listed books.",
          "audience": "Readers who struggle with social interactions and relationships.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1635177,
          "author": "adammichaelc",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-26T05:38:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1635177",
          "commentText": "Business: 7 Habits, 8th Habit, Getting Things Done, 4 Steps to Epiphany, Straight from the Gut\nSpiritual: Book of Mormon, Book of Isaiah, The 4 Gospels in the New Testament\nRelationship: The 5 Love Languages, Men are from Mars Women from Venus\nPhysical: Spark, The Vitamin D Solution",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Relationship: The 5 Love Languages, Men are from Mars Women from Venus",
          "reason": "Included in a list answering the question about books that changed your life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gary Chapman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "communication",
        "relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-analects-32e750",
      "title": "The Analects",
      "author": "Confucius",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47984891,
          "author": "BrunoBernardino",
          "createdAt": "2026-05-02T09:40:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 47984463,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47984891",
          "commentText": "Top 5 books I've offered (and still offer):\n1. Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu (translated by Gia-Fu Feng)\n2. The Analects by Confucius (translated by Annping Chin)\n3. This Is Water by David Foster Wallace\n4. 3 years of Mini Stories - 36 short stories to read quickly, and think slowly — written by me.\n5. As Causas do Atraso Português by Nuno Palma",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Analects by Confucius (translated by Annping Chin)",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s top five books they have offered as gifts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Translation by Annping Chin.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5691600,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T18:40:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5691600",
          "commentText": "Blood Meridian, Cormac McCarthy.\nPhilosphical Investigations, Ludwig Witgenstein.\nThe Analects.\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, Ableson and Sussman.\nThe Hamet and The Town and The Mansion, William Faulkner.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Analects.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for good book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876005,
          "author": "chickamade",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T04:31:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876005",
          "commentText": "The Analects of Confucius",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Analects of Confucius",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Confucius"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "confucianism",
        "chinese philosophy",
        "classical chinese philosophy",
        "ethics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-anxious-generation-edd1b5",
      "title": "The Anxious Generation",
      "author": "Jonathan Haidt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45949117,
          "author": "pesfandiar",
          "createdAt": "2025-11-16T22:39:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 45947737,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45949117",
          "commentText": "As a parent, I found \"The Anxious Generation\" by Jonathan Haidt insightful and eye-opening.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found \"The Anxious Generation\" by Jonathan Haidt insightful and eye-opening.",
          "reason": "Calls the book insightful and eye-opening.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 44570119,
          "author": "HenryBemis",
          "createdAt": "2025-07-15T11:41:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 44568054,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44570119",
          "commentText": "Books:\n  Siddartha: to think about myself and my changes/voyage through life.\n  Half-time: to think what-the-hell-comes-next (only if you are 40+)(it won't resonate with a 20yo)\n\n  Systemantics, Nexus: if you work in mega-big-corpos this will save your life\n\n  Hold on to your kids, The anxious generation: if you got kids\n\n  Strong Fathers Strong Daughters: (and mothers/sons) if you got kids (too Christian-y for my taste but an amazing 'manual' to manage the relationship with your kid(s))\n\n  1984, Animal Farm, Gulag Archipelago: ...\n\n  Light on Yoga: (also do practice yoga, it's good for most-if-not-all)\n\n\nYou asked for \"one book\"... but.. life.. is not 'one' thing. Systemantics (and Dilbert) have helped me stay afloat at work. Siddartha gave me a perspective in live about myself, the different 'people' I have been throughout my life.\nAll the listed ones are books I read and read again every few years. They shaped me the first time I read them, keep me 'grounded'/taking stock/thinking the 'change' in me and my life. I see them as a 'check-diff' and how I have changed/evolved/devolved since the last time I read it/them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hold on to your kids, The anxious generation: if you got kids",
          "reason": "Recommends it to readers who have children.",
          "audience": "Parents.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42268867,
          "author": "fredoliveira",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:08:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268867",
          "commentText": "Read a lot this year — a lot more than most years. A few highlights:\nThe making of the atomic bomb by Richard Rhodes was probably the best of the bunch. I read it because I see some parallels between the discovery of atomic power and the search for AGI, and wanted an insight on the ethics and decision making of the time. It didn't disappoint.\nThe dawn of everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow was a solid read and retelling of how civilization began and evolved.\nThe message by Ta-Nehisi Coates, I read in two sittings — it was that impactful. A reminder of how the oppressed becomes the oppressor again and again. \"As it happens, you can See the world but never see the people in it\"\nOther highlights: The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt; re-read Thinking in Systems by Daniella Meadows; re-read Wherever You Go There You Are by Jon Kabat Zinn; The light eaters by Zoe Schlanger; I don't want to talk about it, by Terrence Real.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Other highlights: The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt",
          "reason": "Includes it among the year's highlights.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Haidt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Parenting",
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "social media",
        "adolescent mental health",
        "teen mental health",
        "youth mental health"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-architecture-of-open-source-applications-690541",
      "title": "The Architecture of Open Source Applications",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41388166,
          "author": "noufalibrahim",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T07:13:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41388166",
          "commentText": "I think it makes sense to create a book list and have a yearly target for them. One book a month is reasonable for medium sized books. HEre are some that I found useful.\n1. The Practice of Programming\n2. Programming Pearls\n3. Go Programming Language\n4. Architecture of Open Source applications - https://aosabook.org/en/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "4. Architecture of Open Source applications",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter found useful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22300141,
          "author": "cedricium",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-11T17:12:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22300141",
          "commentText": "There are some really cool projects in the \"500 Lines or Less\"[0] book which is a part of the \"The Architecture of Open Source Applications\" series.\n[0]: http://aosabook.org/en/index.html",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"The Architecture of Open Source Applications\" series",
          "reason": "Identified as the series that includes 500 Lines or Less.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17036116,
          "author": "jpamata",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-10T03:07:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17036116",
          "commentText": "Designing Data-Intensive Applications[0] by Martin Kleppmann. There's a previous HN thread about it[1]. Helped me understand a bit more about databases and systems. The book is also very approachable and has the perfect blend of application and theory at a high level that anyone approaching the industry for the first time stands to gain a lot from reading it.\nThe Architecture of Open Source Applications[2] series is a good one for leaning how to build production applications and you can read it online. The chapter on Scalable Web Architecture[3] is a must-read.\n[0] https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Data-Intensive-Applications... (https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Data-Intensive-Applications-Reliable-Maintainable/dp/1449373321)\n[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428526\n[2] http://aosabook.org/en/index.html\n[3] http://aosabook.org/en/distsys.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Architecture of Open Source Applications[2] series is a good one for leaning how to build production applications",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the series for learning how to build production applications.",
          "audience": "Readers learning to build production applications.",
          "caveat": "The chapter on Scalable Web Architecture is called a must-read; the series is available online.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7999673,
          "author": "kasbah",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T16:35:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7999673",
          "commentText": "The Architecture of Open Source Applications series is a great read. It is mostly written by project creators and contributers and freely available on-line: http://aosabook.org/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Architecture of Open Source Applications series is a great read.",
          "reason": "Calls the series a great read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mostly written by project creators and freely available online.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software architecture",
        "open source",
        "open source software"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-project-management-ae2705",
      "title": "The Art of Project Management",
      "author": "Scott Berkun",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3395576,
          "author": "Confusion",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T12:29:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395576",
          "commentText": "Professionally, The Art of Project Management did the most for me.\nPrivately, general-fiction-wise, The Wind-up Bird Chronicles by Haruki Murakami did the most for me.\nPrivately, SF-wise, three books by Kurt Vonnegut: Cat's Cradle, Slaughterhouse-five and The Sirens of Titan",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Project Management did the most for me.",
          "reason": "Says it had the greatest professional impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240672,
          "author": "rdoherty",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T02:21:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240672",
          "commentText": "* The Pragmatic Programmer\n* Becoming a Technical Leader\n* In Search of Stupidity\n* Hackers & Painters\n* Blockbusters\n* Joel on Software: And on Diverse and Occasionally Related Matters That Will Prove of Interest to Software Developers, Designers, and Managers, and to Those Who, Whether by Good Fortune or Ill Luck, Work with Them in Some Capacity\n* The Best Software Writing I\n* Behind Closed Doors\n* Managing Humans\n* The Mythical Man-Month\n* Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams\n* The Non-Designers Design Book\n* Founders at Work\n* Good to Great\n* Dreaming in Code\n* The Art of the Start\n* Maverick\n* The Design of Everyday Things\n* The Art of Project Management\n* The Art of Innovation",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* The Art of Project Management",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5613,
          "author": "dropbox",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T04:36:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5613",
          "commentText": "some that haven't been mentioned:\n- the innovator's dilemma by clayton christensen\n- blue ocean strategy (kim and mauborgne) -- these two books give you a little bit more of a framework to evaluate where your idea adds value and give you examples of how/why some successful companies have been successful\n- high tech startup by nesheim -- a little dated, but lots of info\n- negotiation/people books: getting to yes (fisher, ury) and getting past no (ury), influence by cialdini\n (useful for more than just startups)\n- maybe some management books: peopleware (demarco and lister), the art of project management (berkun), first, break all the rules (buckingham)\n- founders at work (livingston) to get inspired\n+1 to crossing the chasm, and the godin & gladwell books, art of the start\nblogs: onstartups.com, fred wilson, brad feld, seth godin, etc., guy kawasaki\n-drew",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the art of project management (berkun)",
          "reason": "Suggested as a management book in response to the thread asking which books founders found helpful.",
          "audience": "Startup founders and managers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Berkun"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "project management",
        "management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-best-interface-is-no-interface-0b4f55",
      "title": "The Best Interface Is No Interface",
      "author": "Golden Krishna",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32791535,
          "author": "nicbou",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T15:33:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32791535",
          "commentText": "In a similar vein, Don't Make Me Think about simple website usability is a good place to start.\nI also like The Best Interface Is No Interface, although the original article was sufficient.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I also like The Best Interface Is No Interface, although the original article was sufficient.",
          "reason": "The commenter likes the book but says the original article was sufficient.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The original article was sufficient.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13805453,
          "author": "lostphilosopher",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T19:45:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805453",
          "commentText": "Generally:\nThe Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Thomas Kuhn\nThe Apology of Socrates, Plato\nProfessionally:\nThe Pragmatic Programmer, Andrew Hunt and David Thomas\nThe Best Interface is No Interface, Golden Krishna",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Best Interface is No Interface, Golden Krishna",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12714385,
          "author": "cloverich",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-15T15:51:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12714385",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed \"The best interface is no interface\" -- though its more of a fun read: http://www.nointerface.com/book/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed \"The best interface is no interface\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It's more of a fun read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Golden Krishna"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "user interface design",
        "interaction design",
        "interface design",
        "technology critique"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-bone-clocks-10e357",
      "title": "The Bone Clocks",
      "author": "David Mitchell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17538876,
          "author": "nataz",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T05:00:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17538876",
          "commentText": "Lots of good stuff in this thread. Two books I haven't seen are Bone Clocks and Cloud Atlas. The only thing is, you can't Google them, for risk of spoilers.\nAlso, the movie based on Cloud Atlas is not great.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Two books I haven't seen are Bone Clocks and Cloud Atlas.",
          "reason": "Offers the books as additional suggestions in the discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Warns that searching for them risks spoilers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15020285,
          "author": "tc7",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T17:24:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15020285",
          "commentText": "The Bone Clocks, by David Mitchell. An amazing writer. The best mix of beautifully detailed characters and ambitious scope that I've read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An amazing writer. The best mix of beautifully detailed characters and ambitious scope that I've read.",
          "reason": "Praises the writing, character detail, and ambitious scope.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401385,
          "author": "cwal37",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:16:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401385",
          "commentText": "Currently engaged in:\n-The Bone Clocks - David Mitchell. Just a fun read. Fiction sucks me in pretty easily, and I enjoy the time-hopping.\n-Dirty, Sacred Rivers: Confronting South Asia's Water Crisis - Cheryl Colopy. Not enjoying this as much as I thought I would so far, possibly because I have too much academic experience in the topic area and the writer is a reporter. I'm a bit more pragmatic about large energy projects, not exactly bleeding heart, but I try to focus on the bigger picture. It was a free book on a table at work though from someone cleaning out their office, so not a big deal.\n-Operations Research - Hillier and Lieberman. Also a free book from work. Something I need a stronger foundation in for upcoming projects.\nPerpetual Backburner\n-Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace. I've gotten a couple hundred pages in a few times. If I get distracted at all it's so hard to go back to.\n-Capital in the 21st Century - Piketty. I blazed through the first couple hundred pages around when it came out, then I went on a long vacation. Now I sort of nibble at it when I'm in the mood. One of the most compelling economics books I've ever read.\nRecently finished\n-The Book of Basketball - Bill Simmons. Fun to read about the history of the NBA from a true fanatic. Eyes glazed over in some sections on the Celtics though.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just a fun read.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as a fun read and enjoys its time-hopping.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Mitchell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "speculative fiction",
        "time hopping"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-broken-earth-968c54",
      "title": "The Broken Earth",
      "author": "N. K. Jemisin",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28059518,
          "author": "msingle",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T10:52:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28059518",
          "commentText": "NK Jemisin's Broken Earth Trilogy (each of which won a Hugo award) is phenomenal; it has more of a fantasy flavor, but plot/character-wise is amazing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "NK Jemisin's Broken Earth Trilogy",
          "reason": "Calls the trilogy phenomenal, while noting its fantasy flavor and praising its plot and characters.",
          "audience": "Readers open to science fiction with a fantasy flavor.",
          "caveat": "Has more of a fantasy flavor.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20982131,
          "author": "fouralarmfire",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T08:37:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20982131",
          "commentText": "The Fifth Season by N K Jemisin\n(and then the rest of the Broken Earth series)\ngreat dystopian sci-fi",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the rest of the Broken Earth series",
          "reason": "Recommends continuing with the rest of the series after The Fifth Season.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18664055,
          "author": "cwal37",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T14:20:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664055",
          "commentText": "A few of my faves.\nNon-Fiction\nBy Adam Tooze: Crashed, and Wages of Destruction. Both excellent economic histories, the former covering the recent financial crisis and its aftermath, the latter on the Nazi economy. Tooze does an excellent job coming up with larger trends and global narratives, I'm often amazed at just how much he's able to keep in his head.\nBy Richard Rothstein: The Color of Law. A quick, informative, yet more than thorough enough on the factual, legal prevention that American employed over the majority of the 20th century to prevent black Americans form participating in the housing market, both personal home ownership and public housing (a major institutional driver of household wealth and success tarting in the early 20th century).\nBy Jeffrey Lockwood: Locust: The Devastating Rise and Mysterious Disappearance of the Insect that Shaped the American Frontier. I had no idea the American frontier was home to devastating largest-in-the-world locust plagues that suddenly disappeared near the end of the 19th century.\nBy Peter Brannen: The Ends of the World. A great primer on mass extinctions and their often geologic causes.\nBy Rick Perstein: Nixonland. Still working on this one, but a deep dive into that era of American politics feels quite relevant at the moment, except that everything today feels stupid in comparison.\nFiction\nBy N.K. Jemisin: The Broken Earth trilogy. A really great self-contained story, extremely evocative, and the author actually puts out great books at an amazingly fast pace.\nCooking\nBy Stella Parks: Bravetart: Iconic American Desserts. If you like baking, and the history of iconic American baked goods this is a must have/read. Never thought I'd spend so much time on a carrot cake.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "By N.K. Jemisin: The Broken Earth trilogy. A really great self-contained story, extremely evocative",
          "reason": "Praised as a great, evocative self-contained story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17540303,
          "author": "thisone",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T11:06:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17540303",
          "commentText": "I'm going to stick to recent stuff that was like no sci-fi I'd ever read before:\nNinefox Gambit - Yoon Ha Lee\nA Long Way to a Small Angry Planet - Becky Chambers\nThe Broken Earth series - N.K. Jemisin",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Broken Earth series - N.K. Jemisin",
          "reason": "Lists the series among recent works the commenter had not encountered before.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No explicit evaluation or recommendation beyond the list framing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "N. K. Jemisin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "climate fiction",
        "geological magic",
        "dystopia",
        "epic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-call-of-the-wild-49e96e",
      "title": "The Call of the Wild",
      "author": "Jack London",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41239245,
          "author": "abrookewood",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-13T20:09:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41239245",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed both The Call of the Wild and White Fang by Jack London.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed both The Call of the Wild and White Fang by Jack London.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13974472,
          "author": "senjindarashiva",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-28T06:03:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13974472",
          "commentText": "The Call of the Wild translated for children by the Swedish translator Maj Bylock.\nThis book opened the world of classical literature for me and without it I probably would have missed about half of the books I've read in the last 15ish years",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book opened the world of classical literature for me and without it I probably would have missed about half of the books I've read in the last 15ish years",
          "reason": "The commenter credits it with opening classical literature to them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Specifies the Swedish translator Maj Bylock's children's translation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1726585,
          "author": "Psyonic",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-25T08:21:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1726585",
          "commentText": "Jack London for older boys? Maybe his later works... I re-read The Call of the Wild last year, and it practically reads like a children's book.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I re-read The Call of the Wild last year",
          "reason": "The commenter says it practically reads like a children's book.",
          "audience": "Older boys, with the commenter suggesting it may suit children.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says this may apply to London's later works in particular.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jack London"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure",
        "animal fiction",
        "classic literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-charisma-myth-b8fd6a",
      "title": "The Charisma Myth",
      "author": "Olivia Fox Cabane",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23155462,
          "author": "ta1234567890",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T15:58:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23155462",
          "commentText": "Life changing more than mind bending: The Charisma Myth. Only reading it won't change anything, but start practicing the exercises and your whole life will change, and quickly. If you just want to get a taste, see below.\nThree quick tips to gain an instant charisma boost:\n1. Lower the intonation of your voice at the end of your sentences.\n2. Reduce how quickly and how often you nod.\n3. Pause for two full seconds before you speak.\nFrom this summary: https://github.com/benigeri/books/blob/master/The%20Charisma... (https://github.com/benigeri/books/blob/master/The%20Charisma%20Myth%20by%20Olivia%20Fox%20Cabane.md)\nThose tips are in the introduction of the book so you can see if it works for you and decide if you want to continue reading the rest.\nPersonally, when I started doing only those 3 things, weird things happened that completely changed the behavior of other people towards me and then how I felt about other people. Worth a try.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Life changing more than mind bending: The Charisma Myth.",
          "reason": "Recommends reading and practicing the book’s exercises for improving charisma.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Reading alone will not change anything; recommends practicing the exercises.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10234075,
          "author": "dave_sullivan",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T15:57:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10234075",
          "commentText": "There are 3 books you should read: SPIN Selling. The Challenger Sale. The Charisma Myth. In that order. You will learn so many jedi mind tricks.\nYes, there is such a thing as sales. But do yourself a favor and don't sell shitty products. There's a wide range of incomes among people selling the best products, and the difference is stuff you can at least read about in those books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Charisma Myth.",
          "reason": "Listed among three books the commenter says the reader should read.",
          "audience": "People seeking to learn sales.",
          "caveat": "The commenter warns against selling poor products.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6938875,
          "author": "dougk7",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-19T23:51:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 6921805,
          "threadTitle": "What book has inspired you the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6938875",
          "commentText": "The Bible\nHow to win friends and influence people\nThe Alchemist\nThe Charisma Myth",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Charisma Myth",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that inspired the reader.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Olivia Fox Cabane"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "charisma",
        "social skills",
        "sales"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-city-and-the-stars-3eb5ef",
      "title": "The City and the Stars",
      "author": "Arthur C. Clarke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39729464,
          "author": "bookofjoe",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T21:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729464",
          "commentText": "\"A Canticle For Leibowitz\"\n\"The Sparrow\"\n\"Lord of Light\"\n\"The Immortal\"\n\"Hyperion\"\n\"The Last Question\"\n\"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?\"\n\"Stranger in a Strange Land\"\n\"The City and the Stars\"\n\"Childhood's End\"\n\"Anathem\"\n\"Eifelheim\"\n\"A Case of Conscience\"\n\"VALIS\" trilogy\n\"The Book of Strange New Things\"\n\"Behold The Man\"\n\"The God Engines\"\n\"Book of the New Sun\"\n\"The Parable of the Sower\"\n\"The Dosadi Experiment\"\n\"Grass\"\n\"Project Pope\"\n\"Calculating God\"\n\"Factoring Humanity\"\n\"Jesus on Mars\"\n\"Surface Detail",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The City and the Stars\"",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about books that changed perspectives on religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25845485,
          "author": "DoingIsLearning",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T12:12:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25845485",
          "commentText": "Not really contemporary but the non-cerebral book that got me reading for reading sake without a specific purpose or objective was a second hand paperback 'The City and the Stars' by Arthur C. Clarke.\nI remember only reading for a few minutes a day on the train, but it pretty much felt like watching a TV mini series where each train ride was a short episode.\nI think that book in particular was the turning point for me, from only reading technical books and having no interests outside non-fiction, to realising I was just looking through fiction books that I didn't actually enjoy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the non-cerebral book that got me reading for reading sake without a specific purpose or objective was a second hand paperback 'The City and the Stars' by Arthur C. Clarke.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it got them reading for pleasure and helped turn them toward fiction they enjoy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not contemporary.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13237860,
          "author": "dejv",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T15:32:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237860",
          "commentText": "Out of 32 books I read this year I recommend:\nSomehow tech/startup related:\n- Spelunky, Derek Yu: book about creating the game of Spelunky + notes on game design\n- Disrupted, Dan Lyons: book about \"old\" guy working in startup\n- Hatching Twitter, Nick Bilton: book about Twitter\nNon-startupy books:\n- A Wild Sheep Chase, Haruki Murakami: modern Japanese novel\n- The Hills of Chianti, Piero Antinori: story about wine company and notes on wine making, wine marketing and other stuff from one of the most notable wine company from Italy (700 years old, owned by one family whole history)\n- The City and the Stars, Arthur C. Clark: scifi classic",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The City and the Stars, Arthur C. Clark: scifi classic",
          "reason": "Included among the non-startup books the commenter recommends and described as a science fiction classic.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in classic science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027146,
          "author": "rsaarelm",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T12:44:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027146",
          "commentText": "Fiction, mostly.\nDeclare, by Tim Powers. Cold war espionage with black magic. Entertainingly bleak, and probably did a lot more weirdness with real history than I knew how to appreciate.\nProducing Open Source Software (http://producingoss.com/), by Karl Fogel. A very thorough look into all sorts of practical matters in running a large open source software project.\nThe Engines of Light trilogy by Ken MacLeod. Entertaining, though a bit erratic. Makes a bunch of Forteana fit in a hard SF framework. Also the second MacLeod book I've read that has a weird pixie dust immortality treatment that seems incongruous with the rest of the technology level.\nMatter by Iain M. Banks. Culture again after Algebraist. Still good.\nThe Dark Side of the Sun by Terry Pratchett. Finally got around to reading this one. Was surprisingly fresh. It would have been interesting to see Pratchett write more science fiction after this and Strata around 30 years ago.\nThe City and the Stars by Arthur C. Clarke. Another old SF book. This one wasn't very fresh, seemed like two or three different novels stapled together, with bits and pieces that might work pretty well if it weren't for the other bits and pieces.\nCrooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis. Not a lot of surprises, if you know what Warren Ellis tends to write. Basically a road trip novel through various degeneracies in America. Fun, but tends to go for gross-out warrenellisisms in favor of overall coherence.\nNeuropath by Scott Bakker. A technothriller about all sorts of fun things you can do by directly rewiring peoples' brains with near-future neurosurgery. Bakker's chilly philosophical outlook doesn't pack quite the same punch in an already mostly rationalistic setting as it did in the Prince of Nothing fantasy books. Sticks with a single not particularly unsympathetic viewpoint character and therefore avoids the problem in Prince of Nothing where you'd often end up in the head of someone you really don't want to be anywhere near.\nThe Tao is Silent by Raymond Smullyan. Smullyan writes various essays inspired by Taoism. Quality varies, but Smullyan is generally fun to read.\nOn SF by Thomas Disch. Beautifully acerbic essays by someone who takes science fiction literature seriously and doesn't let it off easy. And just plain likes to insult people. Representative, though noticeably dated sample: http://www.press.umich.edu/pdf/9780472068968-1.pdf\nDenner's Wreck by Lawrence Watt-Evans. Watt-Evans has an specific style of writing from what follows from the setting and premises rather than going for the most dramatically obvious plot. The results are hit-and-miss with his fantasy novels I've read, but work a lot better here, where the legends of a bronze-age civilization end up emerging from a science fiction setting. Watt-Evans' narrative style supports the plot where the traditional stories end up not really being what they seem to be.\nThe Official Book of Ultima by Shay Addams. It tells how Richard Garriott's obsession with programming in high school lead to the Ultima game series, which were one of the most notable computer games in the 80s and became the flagship product of Garriott's Origin Systems company. Also documents how the games grew from Ultima I being programmed by Garriot alone learning as he went along into Ultima VI developed by a large team. There is much detail about Ultima VI, which was being developed as the book was written. Much of it also conflicts with the game that ended up being released, and I ended up wondering whether this was about the game changing during production or just Addams getting his facts wrong.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The City and the Stars by Arthur C. Clarke. Another old SF book. This one wasn't very fresh, seemed like two or three different novels stapled together",
          "reason": "Criticizes it as dated and structurally incoherent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says parts might work well without the others.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur C. Clarke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classic science fiction",
        "far future",
        "future cities",
        "immortality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-city-of-dreaming-books-147fd5",
      "title": "The City of Dreaming Books",
      "author": "Walter Moers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15631099,
          "author": "btschaegg",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T19:28:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15631099",
          "commentText": "Hard to pinpoint. In terms of entertainment books, it'll probably come down to a tie between Douglas Adams' Last Chance to See and Walter Moers' The City of Dreaming Books, or maybe something by Terry Pratchett (although I couldn't single out a book there, either).\nThe reason for those is just that I can't imagine ever being bored reading them.\nMaybe also Flowers for Algernon (Daniel Keyes) for being a really creative concept (the way the story is told) and for being a wonderful example on how interesting modest sci-fi can be without resorting to \"LAZERZ!!!\".\nEdit: Another contestant: Friedrich Dürrenmatt's The Physicists. Grim yet humorful. I generally really like Dürrenmatt's dark endings.\nEdit 2: And another one: Measuring the World by Daniel Kehlmann, specifically for how well he got me to understand Gauss' weird reactions and motives without going into his work at all. Before I've read it, I would have sworn that a book that tries to present one of the greatest mathematicians would need loads of math in it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Walter Moers' The City of Dreaming Books",
          "reason": "Names it as one of the commenter's favorite entertainment books and says it is hard to imagine getting bored reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4787229,
          "author": "GuiA",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T05:18:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787229",
          "commentText": "A varied assortment:\n---\nThe Lifecycle of Software Objects\nZen Mind, Beginner's Mind\nWhat Is Property\nThe City of Dreaming Books\nBorn to Run\nGödel, Escher, Bach",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The City of Dreaming Books",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227208,
          "author": "GvS",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T18:42:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227208",
          "commentText": "I can recommend Zamonia series by Walter Moers:\n   The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear\n   Rumo & His Miraculous Adventures\n   The City of Dreaming Books\n\nAwesome fantasy books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The City of Dreaming Books",
          "reason": "Named as an installment in the recommended Zamonia series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Walter Moers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fantasy",
        "adventure fantasy",
        "bookish fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-code-of-the-woosters-3f4f56",
      "title": "The Code of the Woosters",
      "author": "P. G. Wodehouse",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42508842,
          "author": "ved_a",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T14:10:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42508842",
          "commentText": "I am so glad to read this comment. Wodehouse is sublime in all what he wrote - if you end up reading Jeeves series, I would recommend Right Ho, Jeeves and Code of Woosters",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code of Woosters",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends this book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785719,
          "author": "martythemaniak",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T21:18:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785719",
          "commentText": "Leave it to Psmith - 10/10\nAnna Karenina - 8/10\nThe Code of the Woosters 8/10\nFooled by Randomness 7/10\nFinding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life 8/10\nHow to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia 9/10\nReluctant Fundamentalist 9/10\nThe Sense of an Ending - Julian Barnes 8/10\nThe Last Question - Asimov - 9/10\nThe Magic of Thinking Big - 6/10\nThe catcher in the Rye 8/10\nModels 7/10\nHigh Fidelity - Nick Hornby 8/10\nThe Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman 7/10\nThe Surrender Experiment - 10/10\nUntethered Soul - 9/10\nThe Autobiography of a Yogi - 7/10\nRaja Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 7/10\nSomething Fresh, something new - 7/10\nKarma Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 8/10\nThinking, Fast and Slow - 9/10\nFierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates 10/10\nThe Pearl by John Steinbeck 7/10",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Code of the Woosters 8/10",
          "reason": "Rates the book 8/10.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5832481,
          "author": "leephillips",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T14:08:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5832481",
          "commentText": "Some favorites:\nPale Fire by Nabokov\nUlysses by Joyce\nEt Tu, Babe by Leyner\nMetamorphosis by Kafka (more a long story)\nThings Fall Apart by Achebe\nHamlet and Coriolanus by Shakespeare\nThe Code of the Woosters by Wodehouse\nThe Doorbell Rang by Stout",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Code of the Woosters by Wodehouse",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "P. G. Wodehouse"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "british humor",
        "comic fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-complete-robot-845b73",
      "title": "The Complete Robot",
      "author": "Isaac Asimov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17537661,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T23:20:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537661",
          "commentText": "Farmer in the Sky by Robert Heinlein [1]\nThe Complete Robot by Isaac Asimov [2]\nThe Wrong Unit [3] wasn't a bad little humorous tale.\nPretty much anything by Timothy Zahn (sans Star Wars novelisations) [4] or Robert Sawyer [5] floats my boat.\nThe First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North [6]\nBarsk: The Elephants’ Graveyard by Lawrence M. Schoen [7] made me care about sentient elephants.\nFuzzy Nation by John Scalzi [8] is very funny. Audiobook version narrated by Wil Wheaton.\nOf ones already mentioned:\nThe Bobiverse was surprisingly good (including the audiobook version).\nThe Expanse is good.\nWith regards to Dune, there are some like myself who only ever liked the first book in the series. (Also there is a good audiobook version out there.)\nThe Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and sequels are great world building and characters, although the plots seem to meander about with not too much purpose.\nThe Martian is great.\n[1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50851.Farmer_in_the_Sky\n[2] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50091.The_Complete_Robot\n[3] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30959279-the-wrong-unit\n[4] https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12479.Timothy_Zahn\n[5] https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/25883.Robert_J_Sawyer\n[6] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295861-the-first-fifte... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295861-the-first-fifteen-lives-of-harry-august)\n[7] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25667916-barsk\n[8] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11167622-fuzzy-nation",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Complete Robot by Isaac Asimov",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17338118,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T13:38:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17338118",
          "commentText": "My top three would be:\nDune by  Frank Herbert (only the first book, dislike the rest of the series)\nFarmer in the Sky by Robert Heinlein\nThe Crysalids by John Wyndham\nI've probably read these three books at least twice a decade since the 80s when I was a teenager.\nThe Complete Robot from Isaac Asimov would be a close forth.\nThe Tripod Trilogy by John Christopher would be fifth on the list. Hadn't read since a teenager, but about ten years ago tracked down copies of them (and the prequel) and it was delightful to reread.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Complete Robot from Isaac Asimov",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a close fourth choice.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17336903,
          "author": "beobab",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T09:36:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17336903",
          "commentText": "The Complete Robot by Issac Azimov.\nWell actually, I couldn't decide between \"I-Robot\" and \"The rest of the robots\", but luckily there's a compendium with them both in.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Complete Robot by Issac Azimov",
          "reason": "Chosen as a comfort book; the commenter notes it compiles I, Robot and other robot stories.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13968046,
          "author": "stepbeek",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T14:37:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13968046",
          "commentText": "Complete Robot by Isaac Asimov\nWhen frustrated by technology, it's pretty cool to read some things in this collection of short stories and think \"We're actually in the future. We just aren't great at making robots walk yet.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Complete Robot by Isaac Asimov",
          "reason": "Enjoys the stories as a way to appreciate how far technology has come.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865661,
          "author": "tdupree",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T17:44:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865661",
          "commentText": "I thoroughly enjoyed the Foundation Series about a year ago and since then have been reading many of the books found in Asimov's Foundation Universe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_series#List_of_books... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_series#List_of_books_within_the_Foundation_Universe)). Right now I am reading \"The Robots of Dawn\", the third book in Asimov's Robot Series. I have gone in a kind of a strange order, first reading The Complete Robot, then the Foundation Series, the Empire Series, and now the Robot Series.  I have enjoyed them all, I like Asimov's style.  I also enjoyed Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and will be reading the next book in the series \"Speaker for the Dead\" soon.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "first reading The Complete Robot, then the Foundation Series, the Empire Series, and now the Robot Series.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isaac Asimov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "robot stories",
        "short stories",
        "robot fiction",
        "robotics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-crow-road-6d5a95",
      "title": "The Crow Road",
      "author": "Iain Banks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41175693,
          "author": "dcminter",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:41:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175693",
          "commentText": "\"Best\" is always too hard - here are a handful that I love.\nPride & Prejudice - Jane Austen\nJonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - Susannah Clarke\nThe Crow Road - Iain Banks\nEqual Rites - Terry Pratchett\nThree Men in a Boat - Jerome K. Jerome\nA Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson\nBlack Holes & Time Warps - Kip Thorne\nThe Inventions of Daedalus - David E H Jones\nThe Cuckoo's Egg - Cliff Stoll\nI hope one or two of those float your boat!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Crow Road - Iain Banks",
          "reason": "Offers it as one of a handful of books the commenter loves in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says choosing the “best” is too hard.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29817249,
          "author": "jka",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-06T00:14:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29817249",
          "commentText": "It is -- and it isn't -- fiction, but \"The Crow Road\" by Iain Banks has been useful to me to reflect on what inter-generational relationships and communities mean and how they develop over time.  Enjoy your literary journey.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Crow Road\" by Iain Banks has been useful to me",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them reflect on intergenerational relationships and communities.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it may or may not be fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630308,
          "author": "roryisok",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:09:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630308",
          "commentText": "Day of the Triffids - John Wyndham - everyone goes blind and a bunch of sentient plants start eating people. one of the first science fiction books I ever read, and the one that introduced me to post apocalyptic fiction. Giant plants might sound silly, but its no more silly than walking corpses. And in fact the walking dead and 28 days later owe a lot to this book.\nJonathan Strange and Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke - beautifully inventive fantasy novel about two magicians bringing magic back to Britain during the Napoleonic wars. Fab read.\nGateway - Frederick Pohl - pulp sf at its best. Humans discover a hollowed out asteroid worth ftl ships preprogrammed with unknown destinations. Prospectors pack as much food as they can and hit 'launch' in the hopes that they'll discover something valuable and not land on a star or starve to death.\nThe Forever War - Joe Haldeman - more great pulp sci-fi about the first interstellar war. Old man's war by John Scalzi is very similar and almost as good.\nMost things by Iain (m) banks. Crow Road, Wasp Factory, The Bridge, Consider Phlebas, Use of Weapons, Player of Games etc. Song of stone was awful though, they're not all winners",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Most things by Iain (m) banks. Crow Road, Wasp Factory, The Bridge, Consider Phlebas, Use of Weapons, Player of Games etc.",
          "reason": "Names it among works by an author the commenter generally recommends.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says not everything by Iain Banks is a winner.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Iain Banks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "community",
        "family relationships",
        "family saga"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-cuckoo-s-egg-tracking-a-spy-through-the-maze-of-computer-espi-ad6be6",
      "title": "The Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage",
      "author": "Clifford Stoll",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22707520,
          "author": "jll29",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T22:33:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22707520",
          "commentText": "Agree with all posted before.\nAdding Clifford Stoll, Cuckoo's Egg; white it's not so much a history of computing as a personal history of a geek astronomer catching a hacker, it represents a lot of early computing culture, and I enjoyed it a lot.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Clifford Stoll, Cuckoo's Egg; white it's not so much a history of computing as a personal history of a geek astronomer catching a hacker",
          "reason": "Says it captures early computing culture and that they enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is more a personal account of catching a hacker than a history of computing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21765634,
          "author": "hprotagonist",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-11T19:02:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 21765528,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fun Tech Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21765634",
          "commentText": "https://www.amazon.com/Cuckoos-Egg-Tracking-Computer-Espiona... (https://www.amazon.com/Cuckoos-Egg-Tracking-Computer-Espionage/dp/1416507787)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://www.amazon.com/Cuckoos-Egg-Tracking-Computer-Espiona...",
          "reason": "Linked in response to a request for fun technical book recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computer security and espionage.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20982013,
          "author": "sprremix",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T08:08:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20982013",
          "commentText": "The Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage\nDoes anyone have other hacking related books with story telling like in this book?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Does anyone have other hacking related books with story telling like in this book?",
          "reason": "The commenter uses it as a model for the kind of hacking related book they seek.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in hacking stories.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1973802,
          "author": "Mark_B",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T03:48:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1973802",
          "commentText": "\"The Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage\" by Clifford Stoll was a great read.\nThe title gives away the premise of the book, but to think - it was all put into motion because of a $0.75 accounting discrepancy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage\" by Clifford Stoll was a great read.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great read and highlights its espionage premise.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Clifford Stoll"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer security",
        "cyber espionage",
        "early computing culture",
        "true crime"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-devil-in-the-white-city-b32509",
      "title": "The Devil in the White City",
      "author": "Erik Larson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24286324,
          "author": "sbuccini",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-26T19:34:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 24286084,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading at the moment and what do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24286324",
          "commentText": "Currently reading: Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. A fun, quick read about something I knew nothing about.\nI'm sure you'll get all the classic HN recommendations so I'll pick two that are a little different:\n* Nobody's Perfect: Writings From the New Yorker, by Anthony Lane. Lane was responsible for writing reviews of many prominent movies from the 90s. We now know which of those movies hold up (Forrest Gump, Pulp Fiction) and faded away into cultural oblivion despite insane amounts of hype (Godzilla from 2000, Pearl Harbor), and I enjoyed reading contemporary treatments of both. Why spend the time to read such reviews? Because Lane is a master of his craft. The blend of dry British humor, insightful critiques, and his surprising accessibility makes for really enjoyable prose. Also, the pieces are quite short, so I can read two or three before bed and have natural points.\n* Meet Me in the Bathroom -- an oral history of the NYC music scene from 2001 to 2011. You can make the argument that the Strokes are directly responsible for the money-soaked Manhattan we have today. The Strokes, LCD Soundsystem, and TV On The Radio were hugely inspirational to me growing up so it was really neat to watch them look back on this crazy time in their own words. But really, it's a story about transitions. New York transitioning after 9/11 to what it is today; the transition of the music industry (the author makes a compelling point that although the Strokes and Vampire Weekend were both NYC-based bands that blew up 5 years apart, their trajectories couldn't have been more different); the influence of blogs and the kids who ran them had on this global industry. It's a fascinating to reflect on what is really just the not-so-distant past and see how much has changed.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Currently reading: Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. A fun, quick read about something I knew nothing about.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a fun, quick read about an unfamiliar subject.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15016871,
          "author": "AJRF",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T10:14:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15016871",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed “Devil in the White City”. So much happened during the World Fair its absolutely astounding. It would have been mind boggiling to attend and glimpse so many aspects of the future at once",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed “Devil in the White City”. So much happened during the World Fair its absolutely astounding.",
          "reason": "Enjoyed the book and found the events surrounding the World's Fair astounding.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785428,
          "author": "ycom13__",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:23:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785428",
          "commentText": "Here are all the ones I read this year\n  A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire) by George R. R. Martin\n  A Feast for Crows: A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) by George R.R. Martin\n  The Confident Speaker: Beat Your Nerves and Communicate at Your Best in Any Situation by Harrison Monarth\n  House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewsk\n  To the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War by Jeff Shaara \n  Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson\n  Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader by Brent Schlender\n  George Washington's Secret Six: The Spy Ring That Saved the American Revolution by Brian Kilmeade\n  Think Like a Freak: The Authors of Freakonomics Offer to Retrain Your Brain by Steven D. Levitt\n  Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance\n  Finders Keepers: A Novel by Stephen King\n  The Guns of August: The Pulitzer Prize-Winning Classic About the Outbreak of World War I by Barbara W. Tuchman\n  The Wright Brothers by David McCullough\n  Seveneves: A Novel by Neal Stephenson\n  The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson\n  Hitler's Last Day: Minute by Minute by Emma Craigie\n  The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins\n  Robopocalypse: A Novel (Vintage Contemporaries) by Daniel H. Wilson\n  Robogenesis by Daniel H. Wilson\n  In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick\n\n\n\nMy 5 favorite ones from that list are\n  In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick\n  Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance\n  To the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War by Jeff Shaara \n  Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson\n  The Wright Brothers by David McCullough",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85880,
          "author": "brianmckenzie",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T09:43:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85880",
          "commentText": "LOTR\nKafka on the Shore (Haruki Murakami)\nBlood Meridian (Cormac McCarthy)\nDevil in the White City (Erik Larson)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Devil in the White City (Erik Larson)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Erik Larson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "true crime",
        "chicago world s fair",
        "chicago"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-diary-of-a-young-girl-2a17e6",
      "title": "The Diary of a Young Girl",
      "author": "Anne Frank",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38557717,
          "author": "Brajeshwar",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:51:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557717",
          "commentText": "Most of the books I read are influenced by similar threads on HN. This year has not been good overall and it impacted my reading. I need to finish writing the post https://brajeshwar.com/2023/books/\n“How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question” by Michael Schur is a fun book that opens with a good question, “Should I punch my friend in the face for no reason?”\nI have been meaning to and this year I finally read The Diary of a Young Girl.\nFor 2024, here are some of the ones from my list (sorry for the formatting, copied Markdown from my notes);\n- [Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_War:_The_Fight_for_the_Wo... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_War:_The_Fight_for_the_World%27s_Most_Critical_Technology)) by [Chris Miller](https://www.christophermiller.net)\n- [First Principles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Principles_%28book%29) by [Thomas E. Ricks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_E._Ricks_%28journalist%29)\n- [Greenlights](https://greenlights.com) by [Matthew McConaughey](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_McConaughey)\n- How Asia Works: Success and Failure in the World's Most Dynamic Region by Joe Studwell\n- [Poor Economics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poor_Economics): A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty by [Abhijit V. Banerjee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abhijit_Banerjee),  and [Esther Duflo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther_Duflo)\n- Raising An Emotionally Intelligent Child The Heart of Parenting by [John Gottman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gottman), and Joan DeClaire\n- [The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read](https://www.amazon.com/Book-Wish-Your-Parents-Read/dp/198487... (https://www.amazon.com/Book-Wish-Your-Parents-Read/dp/1984879553)): (and Your Children Will Be Glad That You Did) by [Philippa Perry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippa_Perry)\n- [The End Of The World Is Just The Beginning: Mapping The Collapse Of Globalization](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_End_of_the_World_is_just_t... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_End_of_the_World_is_just_the_Beginning)) by [Peter Zeihan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Zeihan)\n- [The Tatas: How a Family Built a Business and a Nation](https://www.amazon.com/Tatas-Family-Built-Business-Nation/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Tatas-Family-Built-Business-Nation/dp/9352779371)) by [Girish Kuber](https://mr.wikipedia.org/wiki/गिरीश_कुबेर), and English translation by Vikrant Pande.\n- [Windfall: The Booming Business of Global Warming](https://www.amazon.com/Windfall-Booming-Business-Global-Warm... (https://www.amazon.com/Windfall-Booming-Business-Global-Warming/dp/1594204012)) by [McKenzie Funk](https://www.mckenziefunk.com)\n- [Dieter Rams: The Complete Works](https://www.amazon.com/Dieter-Rams-Complete-Klaus-Klemp/dp/1... (https://www.amazon.com/Dieter-Rams-Complete-Klaus-Klemp/dp/1838661530/)) by [Klaus Klemp](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaus_Klemp)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "this year I finally read The Diary of a Young Girl",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned as read, with no evaluative comment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33852658,
          "author": "Orange1688",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T11:30:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33852658",
          "commentText": "An excellent gauge for how good a book is can be found in how many times you catch yourself thinking back on it even after some time has passed. Through this, my favorite this entire year is The Diary of a Young Girl (Anne Frank's diary). Without a doubt one of the best books I have ever read, just through how supremely human it is.\nOther books are:\n-The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson\n-Sapiens by Yuval Yuval Noah Harari\n-21 Lessons for the 21st Century\n-Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feyn\nman!: Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard Feynman\n-Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson\n-Permanent Record by Edward Snowden",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "my favorite this entire year is The Diary of a Young Girl (Anne Frank's diary).",
          "reason": "Named as the commenter's favorite book of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10836593,
          "author": "searine",
          "createdAt": "2016-01-04T16:47:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 10833032,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book you've recently read and enjoyed?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10836593",
          "commentText": "Oh boy, you fucked up now. Here are the books I read this past year that I felt were \"Good\", starting from the most recent :\nTo Kill A Mocking Bird (Insanely good)\nTrue Grit (Insanely good)\nThe Little Friend (Good)\nPriceless (Very good, about art theft)\nThe Secret History (Insanely good)\nReady Player One (Good, nerdy)\nShadow Divers (Very good, history nerd book)\nDiary of Anne Frank (Very good)\nUnbroken (Very good, way better than the movie)\nWith The Old Breed at Peleliu and Okinawa (Very good)\nSeveneves (good, but I'm a Stephenson fanboy)\nThe Martian (Very good, but just watch the movie).\nI read a bunch of other stuff, but that's what I found really \"good\" this past year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Diary of Anne Frank (Very good)",
          "reason": "Described as “Very good.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107093,
          "author": "mrcdima",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T09:05:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107093",
          "commentText": "Some titles I've recently read or at least have placed on my reading list.\n--------------------\nPhilosohpy\nLetters from a Stoic: Epistulae Morales Ad Lucilium - Seneca\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius (must read)\nThe Republic - Plato\n--------------------\nHistory\nFive Chimneys - Olga Lengyel\nThe Gulag Archipelago - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (must read)\nThe Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank\n--------------------\nFiction\n(particularly dystopian) 1984, Brave New World, Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451\n(crime/action) Child 44, The Secret Speech, Agent 6 - Tom Rob Smith\n--------------------\nEconomics\nCapital in the Twenty-First Century - Thomas Piketty\nPoor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty - Banerjee, Duflo\nWhy Nations Fail - Robinson\n--------------------\nEconomics/Decision making/Psychology\nUndercover Economist, Freakonomics, Nudge, Thinking Fast and Slow\n--------------------\nRandom titles\nThe Selfish Gene, Self-Reliance, The Elements of Style (about writing), Slaughterhouse-Five\n--------------------\nSome links to inspire your reading (though you may want to checkout the websites first to get an idea of the topics they cover)\nhttp://www.gatesnotes.com/Books\nhttp://bookpickings.brainpickings.org/\nhttp://www.farnamstreetblog.com/reading/\nhttp://www.ryanholiday.net/reading-newsletter\nI’m just a working-class guy trying to take part in the conversation that all the smart people are having. What books should I read? - http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-cl... (http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-class-guy-trying-to-take-part-in-the-conversation-that-all-the-smart-people-are-having-what-books-should-i-read/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank",
          "reason": "Listed as a title in response to the thread's request for book suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anne Frank"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "diary",
        "holocaust",
        "holocaust memoir",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dip-00c2a0",
      "title": "The Dip",
      "author": "Seth Godin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40278733,
          "author": "DarrenDev",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-06T19:46:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40278733",
          "commentText": "- Zero to One, Peter Thiel\nAlways makes me feel that I’m not ambitious enough. And that too many smart people are in the wrong industry (finance).\n- The Dip, Seth Godin\nDon’t give up. Unless you’re in a cul-de-sac.\n- Obviously Awesome, April Dunford\nYour competitor is often not who you think it is.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dip, Seth Godin",
          "reason": "Listed as a nonfiction book the commenter rereads; summarizes its message as not giving up unless you are in a cul-de-sac.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter’s summary includes an exception: give up if you are in a cul-de-sac.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17987415,
          "author": "jclvicerra",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-14T14:27:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17987415",
          "commentText": "For me it was the Dip by Seth Godin.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For me it was the Dip by Seth Godin.",
          "reason": "Named as the book that changed the commenter's life, in response to a question asking for one.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9351490,
          "author": "ryanSrich",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T22:36:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9351490",
          "commentText": "Yeah it's super handwavy. The entire book is essentially \"just be the best at what you do!\" so...yeah.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The entire book is essentially \"just be the best at what you do!\" so...yeah.",
          "reason": "Dismisses the book's message as simplistic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348293,
          "author": "ryanSrich",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:36:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348293",
          "commentText": "Currently I'm trudging through GEB[1]. Last month I read:\n- The Dip (super short read and has a few good points but overall I didn't really like it)[2]\n- Going Clear (great book, terrible formatting, but a great book)[3]\n- The Martian (short read, very entertaining and well researched)[4]\n1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6del,_Escher,_Bach\n2. http://sethgodin.typepad.com/the_dip/\n3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Going_Clear\n4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Martian_%28Weir_novel%29",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The Dip (super short read and has a few good points but overall I didn't really like it)",
          "reason": "It has a few good points, but the commenter overall did not like it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Overall, the commenter didn't really like it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1568243,
          "author": "javery",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T17:19:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 1567456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I want to start a web company what books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1568243",
          "commentText": "Agree on Four Steps and Getting Real, also check out:\nPurple Cow and The Dip by Seth Godin\nThe Long Tail and Free by Anderson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Purple Cow and The Dip by Seth Godin",
          "reason": "Listed as a book to check out in response to the request for books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143001,
          "author": "NewWorldOrder",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T01:37:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143001",
          "commentText": ":the_dip => 'by Seth Godin',\n:essays => 'by Paul Graham',\n:art_of_the_start => 'by Guy Kawasaki',\n:the_innovators_solution => 'by Clayton Christensen & Michael Raynor',\n:rich_dad_poor_dad => 'by Robert Kiyosaki',\n:seven_habits_of_highly_effective_people => 'by Stephen Covey',\n:stanford_technology_ventures_program => 'by Reid Hoffman (i.e., the session he did for STVP)'",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": ":the_dip => 'by Seth Godin',",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s influences in response to a thread asking what ideas and books influenced people.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Seth Godin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "career strategy",
        "persistence",
        "career decisions",
        "business strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-divine-comedy-681bc7",
      "title": "The Divine Comedy",
      "author": "Dante Alighieri",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35169150,
          "author": "im_down_w_otp",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T14:49:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35169150",
          "commentText": "The Divine Comedy and The Prince. Not joking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Divine Comedy and The Prince. Not joking.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17520051,
          "author": "modzu",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T02:12:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17520051",
          "commentText": "the divine comedy by dante. some regard it as the greatest work of literature of all time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the divine comedy by dante. some regard it as the greatest work of literature of all time.",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to a request for recent interesting books; notes that some regard it as literature’s greatest work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The superlative is attributed to others.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16297231,
          "author": "timellis-smith",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T11:41:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16297231",
          "commentText": "Fiction\nWar and Peace\nCrime and Punishment\nCount of Monte Christo\n1984\nGod of Small Things\nParadise lost\nDivine comedy\nNon fiction\nSelfish gene\nMeditations\nMadness explained (the best book I've encountered for explaining how the mind works)\nThe Red Queen\nTao te Ching",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Divine comedy",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the question about books the commenter wishes they had read earlier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dante Alighieri"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic poetry",
        "afterlife",
        "italian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-drunkard-s-walk-how-randomness-rules-our-lives-562a0b",
      "title": "The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives",
      "author": "Leonard Mlodinow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29669253,
          "author": "adenozine",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T02:17:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29669253",
          "commentText": "Drunkards Walk by Leonard Mlodinow\nHistory of probability theory",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Drunkards Walk by Leonard Mlodinow\nHistory of probability theory",
          "reason": "Listed with a brief description of its subject.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674323,
          "author": "jestinjoy1",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T12:09:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674323",
          "commentText": "The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives\nThis changed how I look at my life\nhttp://www.amazon.com/The-Drunkards-Walk-Randomness-Rules/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/The-Drunkards-Walk-Randomness-Rules/dp/0307275175)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This changed how I look at my life",
          "reason": "Says the book changed how they view their life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109173,
          "author": "jestinjoy1",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:28:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109173",
          "commentText": "The Drunkards Walk by Leonard Mlodinow\nFor the uninitiated he is the coauthor of 2005 edition of A Briefer History of Time. As the title says this is about \"how randomness rules our lives\".",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Drunkards Walk by Leonard Mlodinow",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226975,
          "author": "pyronicide",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T17:14:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226975",
          "commentText": "Here are some books that are a mix of psychology and economics that I think are especially suited for HN:\nBehavioral Economics:\n  Predictably Irrational - Dan Ariely\n  Nudge - Richard Thaler\n  Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard - Chip and Dan Heath\n\nEconomics:\n  The Black Swan: Impact of the Highly Improbable - Nassim Taleb\n  Fooled by Randomness - Nassim Taleb\n  Drunkard's Walk - Leonard Mlodinow\n\nPsychology:\n  Opening Skinner's Box - Lauren Slater\n\nManagement:\n  The Education of a Coach - David Halberstam",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Drunkard's Walk - Leonard Mlodinow",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leonard Mlodinow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "randomness",
        "probability",
        "probability theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-electric-kool-aid-acid-test-f0f9a0",
      "title": "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test",
      "author": "Tom Wolfe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37960149,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960149",
          "commentText": "* \"On Writing\" by Stephen King (1 mention)\n    * Summary: In his guide to the craft of writing, King masterfully conveys his views on how good writing is cultivated. The book provides personal insights into the author's life while serving as a guide for aspiring writers.\n* \"The Dictionary\" (1 mention, multiple authors)\n    * Summary: A reference book containing an alphabetical list of words in a specific language, providing definitions, pronunciations, etymology, and other details. It is a valuable resource for understanding and accurately using language.\n* \"Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book chronicles Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 1914-1916 survival journey across the Antarctic. Faced with treacherous weather conditions and a lack of provisions, the men battle to stay alive, highlighting the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.\n* \"The Experience of God\" by David Bentley Hart (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A philosophical exploration of the concept of God that goes beyond specific religious doctrines. Hart articulates a vision of ultimate reality that transcends religious, philosophical, and cultural boundaries.\n* \"A Mind for Numbers\" by Barbara Oakley (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book provides practical advice on how to learn effectively in math and science areas, but the techniques are applicable across disciplines. Oakley shares techniques to overcome learning obstacles and improve comprehension and retention.\n* \"A People's History of the US\" by Howard Zinn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers an alternative exploration of American history from the perspective of ordinary people and marginalized groups rather than political leaders, emphasizing class struggles and systemic injustices.\n* \"The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science\" by Isaac Asimov (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive outline of scientific knowledge, covering fields like physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, and earth science. It communicates complex scientific concepts in a way that is accessible to non-specialist readers.\n* \"Das Kapital\" by Karl Marx (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive critique of capitalism highlighting its inherent contradictions and imbalances. Marx diagnoses the capitalist system as one in which the rich get richer at the expense of the working class. The book has been influential in shaping socialist and communist thought.\n* \"You are Not So Smart\" by David McRaney (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book explores various cognitive biases, logical fallacies, and memory missteps that humans commonly succumb to. The author uses humor and personal anecdotes to make neuroscience and psychology accessible, challenging readers to question their perceptions of the world and themselves.\n* \"Blink\" by Malcolm Gladwell (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Gladwell explores the process of quick decision-making, also known as \"thin-slicing.\" The book delves into both the potential accuracy and the pitfalls of making snap judgments. It demonstrates how our subconscious biases often override our better instincts.\n* \"How To Sell at Margins Higher Than Your Competitors\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book offers detailed advice on how to avoid price competition by creating differentiators and adding value, thereby allowing readers to compete on things other than price.\n*  \"The Surrender Experiment\" by Michael Singer (1 mention)\n    * Summary: The book chronicles the author’s journey from solitude into the business world. It explores the idea of surrendering personal preferences to allow life to guide the way, challenging conventional views about control and outcomes.\n* \"How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World\" by Harry Browne (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This self-help book offers a blueprint for finding personal freedom. It encourages readers to embrace their individual sovereignty and to not be inhibited by societal conventions, effectively teaching how to live on one's own terms.\n* \"Happy by Derren Brown\" and \"The Daily Stoic\" (1 mention, authors not specified)\n    * Summary: \"Happy\" provides a perspective on happiness using the principles of stoic philosophy, challenging modern conceptions of happiness. \"The Daily Stoic\" provides a year's worth of philosophical wisdom from ancient stoics, aimed at allowing people to better respond to life's challenges.\n* \"Guns, Germs, and Steel\" by Jared Diamond (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Diamond investigates the geographical and environmental factors that have shaped the modern world. He argues that civilizations have developed differently across the globe due to variances in geography, climate, vegetation, and animal populations, more so than due to traits inherent to different racial or ethnic groups.\n* \"The Gulag Archipelago\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Solzhenitsyn unveils the brutal reality of the Soviet Union’s forced labor camp system. It's an exploration of the human capability for evil when unchecked by moral constraints, shedding light on the mechanisms of a totalitarian regime.\n* \"Ecclesiastes\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A book from the Bible that delves into the purpose of life and the vain pursuit of earthly things. It debates the merits of wisdom, wealth, and pleasure, underscoring the transience and ultimate futility of human endeavors, and urging readers to fear God and keep his commandments.\n* \"Women hold up half the sky\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A collection of personal stories illuminating the oppression and resistance of women in developing countries. The book confronts issues like gender inequality, sexual violence, maternal mortality and economic disparity while highlighting the resilience and strength of ordinary women in overcoming them.\n* \"Spell of the Sensuous\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book offers a radical reinterpretation of our relationship with the natural world. It critiques Western civilization’s estrangement from nature, exploring indigenous cultures and offering a philosophical enquiry into human perception and its relation to the environment.\n* \"Kids and the Amiga\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A guide to using the Amiga computer, aimed at children and early-tweens. It provides a hands-on approach to learning basic computer skills by creating practical programs.\n* \"Hackers\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: The book provides a comprehensive history of hackers, tracing the evolution of hacking culture from the 1950s to the present day. It details the personalities, philosophies, and technical exploits that have defined this diverse and innovative subculture.\n* \"LSD my problem child\" by Albert Hoffmann (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book is the autobiography of Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who first synthesized LSD. It chronicles his discovery, the subsequent fallout, and his personal experiences with the drug.\n* \"Electric cool aid acid test\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book tells the story of novelist Ken Kesey and his band of Merry Pranksters. They embarked on a cross-country bus journey, experimenting with LSD and challenging societal norms, becoming pivotal figures in the psychedelic movement and the counterculture of the 1960s.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Electric cool aid acid test\" (1 mention, author not specified)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Author is not specified in the comment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37938356,
          "author": "dosmithds2060",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T04:22:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37938356",
          "commentText": "electric cool aid acid test\nthe code book\nwarped passages",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "electric cool aid acid test",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348174,
          "author": "broken",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:23:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348174",
          "commentText": "The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. I just finished chapter 18: \"Cosmo's Tasmanian Deviltry\", with its retelling of the legend of Owsley's freakout at the Muir Beach Acid Test. Funny stuff.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Funny stuff.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes the book's account as funny while discussing a chapter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7002816,
          "author": "DonGateley",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-02T22:31:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 7001282,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7002816",
          "commentText": "Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test - Tom Wolfe\nBe Here Now - Ram Das\nWhole Earth Catalog - Stewart Brand\nInfinite Jest - David Foster Wallace\nSavage Continent - Keith Lowe\nForged - Bart D. Ehrman\nYoung Stalin - Simon Sebag Montefiore\nCourt of the Red Czar - Simon Sebag Montefiore",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test - Tom Wolfe",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231952,
          "author": "dirkdeman",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T22:02:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231952",
          "commentText": "The electric Kool-Aid acid test by Tom Wolfe. In a way I feel sorry that we don't have these kind of counter-cultural, non-conformist movements anymore. A hipster just isn't the same as a hippie... Reading this book has been an experience, although I'm not sure what exactly. I guess I'm just \"on the bus\"!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The electric Kool-Aid acid test by Tom Wolfe",
          "reason": "The commenter says reading it has been an experience and identifies with being “on the bus.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure exactly what the experience was.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Wolfe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "counterculture",
        "1960s",
        "1960s counterculture",
        "new journalism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-end-of-the-world-is-just-the-beginning-mapping-the-collapse-o-917ac7",
      "title": "The End of the World Is Just the Beginning: Mapping the Collapse of Globalization",
      "author": "Peter Zeihan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39249448,
          "author": "cpursley",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T11:31:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249448",
          "commentText": "This book is absolute garbage. Zeihan is a geopolitical lightweight and a very uninformed one at that. It’s hard to tell if he was intentionally dishonest in that book or really that uninformed. He is so factually wrong on some points that’s it shocking, like things that are objectively and quantifiable facts.\nFor much better Geopolitical books, check these out:\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52962238-principles-for-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52962238-principles-for-dealing-with-the-changing-world-order)\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56696339-the-power-of-ge... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56696339-the-power-of-geography)\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/16144575",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "This book is absolute garbage.",
          "reason": "The commenter strongly criticizes the book and says Zeihan is factually wrong and uninformed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38557717,
          "author": "Brajeshwar",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:51:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557717",
          "commentText": "Most of the books I read are influenced by similar threads on HN. This year has not been good overall and it impacted my reading. I need to finish writing the post https://brajeshwar.com/2023/books/\n“How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question” by Michael Schur is a fun book that opens with a good question, “Should I punch my friend in the face for no reason?”\nI have been meaning to and this year I finally read The Diary of a Young Girl.\nFor 2024, here are some of the ones from my list (sorry for the formatting, copied Markdown from my notes);\n- [Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_War:_The_Fight_for_the_Wo... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_War:_The_Fight_for_the_World%27s_Most_Critical_Technology)) by [Chris Miller](https://www.christophermiller.net)\n- [First Principles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Principles_%28book%29) by [Thomas E. Ricks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_E._Ricks_%28journalist%29)\n- [Greenlights](https://greenlights.com) by [Matthew McConaughey](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_McConaughey)\n- How Asia Works: Success and Failure in the World's Most Dynamic Region by Joe Studwell\n- [Poor Economics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poor_Economics): A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty by [Abhijit V. Banerjee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abhijit_Banerjee),  and [Esther Duflo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther_Duflo)\n- Raising An Emotionally Intelligent Child The Heart of Parenting by [John Gottman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gottman), and Joan DeClaire\n- [The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read](https://www.amazon.com/Book-Wish-Your-Parents-Read/dp/198487... (https://www.amazon.com/Book-Wish-Your-Parents-Read/dp/1984879553)): (and Your Children Will Be Glad That You Did) by [Philippa Perry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippa_Perry)\n- [The End Of The World Is Just The Beginning: Mapping The Collapse Of Globalization](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_End_of_the_World_is_just_t... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_End_of_the_World_is_just_the_Beginning)) by [Peter Zeihan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Zeihan)\n- [The Tatas: How a Family Built a Business and a Nation](https://www.amazon.com/Tatas-Family-Built-Business-Nation/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Tatas-Family-Built-Business-Nation/dp/9352779371)) by [Girish Kuber](https://mr.wikipedia.org/wiki/गिरीश_कुबेर), and English translation by Vikrant Pande.\n- [Windfall: The Booming Business of Global Warming](https://www.amazon.com/Windfall-Booming-Business-Global-Warm... (https://www.amazon.com/Windfall-Booming-Business-Global-Warming/dp/1594204012)) by [McKenzie Funk](https://www.mckenziefunk.com)\n- [Dieter Rams: The Complete Works](https://www.amazon.com/Dieter-Rams-Complete-Klaus-Klemp/dp/1... (https://www.amazon.com/Dieter-Rams-Complete-Klaus-Klemp/dp/1838661530/)) by [Klaus Klemp](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaus_Klemp)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "here are some of the ones from my list",
          "reason": "Included on the commenter's reading list for 2024.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as a planned read, not an evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34161946,
          "author": "jmoak3",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T15:31:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161946",
          "commentText": "2022 was a great year for my reading (in order of my favorites):\nThe Great Demographic Reversal by Charles Goodhart - this book changed my life, but now that inflation and the retirements are in full swing it might be harder to make early moves on the knowledge. The graphs are also beginning to become outdated since the book was written in the end of 2019/early 2020? Either way, it inspired my decision to move closer to family.\nThe End of the World is Just the Beginning by Peter Zeihan - this book is well worth the read. Peter is a very educated and factual guy, and it's hard to disagree with the normalized vectors of change he is describing. The magnitude of these vectors however are up for much debate. Lots to think on, agree with, and disagree with.\nAmerican Icon by Bryce G. Hoffman - a book on Ford's handling of the 2008 crisis. It's got some flowery parts that idolize these men too much IMO but a great book on leadership and problem solving.\nLights Out - a book on how GE failed. If hypothetically American Icon was paid for to make Ford look good, Lights Out would have been paid for by disgruntled investors to burn that company's reputation to the ground. By some Wall Street Journal employees, this book is bonkers and a really frigid lesson about how incentives play out and a sober view of work in the real world.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The End of the World is Just the Beginning by Peter Zeihan - this book is well worth the read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is well worth reading and offers ideas to think on, agree with, and disagree with.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the magnitude of the described changes is open to much debate.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32197949,
          "author": "epmatsw",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:39:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197949",
          "commentText": "“The End of the World is Just the Beginning” by Peter Zeihan. Probably needs to be read with a grain (or two or three) of salt, but it’s pretty thought-provoking.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "“The End of the World is Just the Beginning” by Peter Zeihan. Probably needs to be read with a grain (or two or three) of salt, but it’s pretty thought-provoking.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds it thought-provoking but advises skepticism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says to take it with a grain—or several grains—of salt.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Zeihan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "geopolitics",
        "globalization",
        "supply chains"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-enigma-of-reason-dda8e0",
      "title": "The Enigma of Reason",
      "author": "Hugo Mercier and Dan Sperber",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43688205,
          "author": "hiAndrewQuinn",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-15T01:44:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 43685856,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What 3 Books Would You Recommend to Anyone?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43688205",
          "commentText": "The Elephant in the Brain\nThe Enigma of Reason\nThe Problem of Political Authority",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Enigma of Reason",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804894,
          "author": "knzhou",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:29:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804894",
          "commentText": "I try to only read books that are at least a few years old, so these aren’t timely recommendations.\nOn the list for next year:\nThe Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language\nEssays of Montaign\nWhy Zebras Don't Get Ulcers\nHigher Speculations: Grand Theories and Failed Revolutions in Physics and Cosmology\nThe Enigma of Reason\nSurfing Uncertainty: Prediction, Action, and the Embodied Mind\nImpro\nDeng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China\nInvisible Cities\nCollapse of Complex Societies\n--\nFavorites from this year:\nDeath's End\nOne Man's Meat\nLife Ascending: The Ten Great Inventions of Evolution\nA Primate's Memoir: A Neuroscientist's Unconventional Life Among the Baboons\nDo No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery\nCosmicomics\nWhy Quark Rhymes with Pork\nThe Unfolding of Language\nA Sand County Almanac",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Enigma of Reason",
          "reason": "Listed among books planned for next year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18663282,
          "author": "bun_at_work",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:22:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663282",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction:\n- Factfulness by Hans Rosling\n- The War on Science by Shawn Otto\n- Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell\n- A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson\n- The Storm Before the Storm by Mike Duncan\n- The Enigma of Reason by Hugo Mercier\nFiction:\n- And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie\n- The Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson\n- The Magicians by Lev Grossman\nThe non-fiction books were all incredible and highly recommended. I especially appreciate The War on Science as it is highly relevant in today's polarized and emotional political climate.\nThe fiction books were good, for the most part. However, The Magicians might be the worst book I have ever read, not limited to fiction or fantasy. For more on that, ask.\nI managed to read significantly more books this year due to joining an at-work book club, which has been very nice.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The non-fiction books were all incredible and highly recommended.",
          "reason": "Included among the nonfiction books the commenter calls incredible and highly recommended.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hugo Mercier",
        "Dan Sperber"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "reasoning",
        "cognitive science",
        "cognition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-everything-store-488db3",
      "title": "The Everything Store",
      "author": "Brad Stone",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Everything Store (Brad Stone)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21853938,
          "author": "saasdev",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T23:24:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21853938",
          "commentText": "I agree that it’s tough to truly grok technical material in purely audio format. With that said, I think you can learn a ton by learning about the history, trends, and other software companies. Here are some of my favorites:\nThe Dream Machine\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer a Revolution\nHow the Internet Happened\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nAI Superpowers\nPlatform Revolution\nThe Everything Store",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Everything Store",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of favorites answering an audiobook request.",
          "audience": "Listeners interested in Amazon and technology businesses.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961294,
          "author": "vo1d",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:27:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961294",
          "commentText": "- The Innovator's Dilemma by Clay Christensen\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman\n- A Briefer History of Time by Stephen Hawking\n- The Lean Startup by Eric Ries\n- Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson\n- The Industries of the Future by Alec Ross\n- Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss\n- Start with No by Jim Camp\n- How Google Works by Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg\n- The Everything Store by Brad Stone\n- The Inevitable by Kevin Kelly",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Everything Store by Brad Stone",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144524,
          "author": "samblr",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T16:23:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144524",
          "commentText": "If I were to go back and be young - I would dedicate myself to read plenty of books and probably find three genres which would appeal. A measure of a good book is how likely will it lead you to read another great book or how likely is that it changes the perception of another book/knowledge or makes you question-argue fundamental value systems. Wish there was kind of backlink algorithm to measure a book like that. I've found below genre-and-author that appeal more over time and you keep going back to them.\n> Tech : C - Kernighan & Ritchie (may be a good python/nodejs book today).\n> About tech people : Made in Japan - The Google Speaks - The Everything store - Hatching Twitter - Steve Jobs - Zero to One - Hard things about hard things.\n> About non-tech people : Founding fathers - Obama - Einstein - Darwin - Feyman - Teresa - Montessori - Gandhi - Mandela - Che Guevera - Churchill.\n> Last but important: Tolstoy - Plato - Enlightenment-Era-Books - Religions(all) - Military fitness.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Everything store",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books about technology people that appeal to the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment gives no specific evaluation of this title.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brad Stone"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "amazon",
        "e commerce",
        "company history",
        "technology companies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-everything-store-jeff-bezos-and-the-age-of-amazon-9ce50f",
      "title": "The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon",
      "author": "Brad Stone",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22708572,
          "author": "mitchelldeacon9",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T01:58:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22708572",
          "commentText": "The following is a list of my favorite books on software engineering, cyber-security, and the history of IT business development.\nBowden, Mark (2011) Worm: The First Digital World War\nBrooks, Frederick (1995) Mythical Man-Month, 2nd ed.\nChristensen, Clayton (1997) Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail\nHafner, Katie and Matthew Lyon (1996) Where Wizards Stay Up Late: Origins of the Internet\nHunt, Andrew and David Thomas (1999) Pragmatic Programmer\nMacCormick, John (2012) Nine Algorithms that Changed the Future\nMcConnell, Steve (2004) Code Complete, 2nd ed.\nMitnick, Kevin and William Simon (2002) Art of Deception\nPoulsen, Kevin (2011) Kingpin: How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cyber-Crime Underworld\nRaymond, Eric (2003) Art of Unix Programming\nStone, Brad (2013) The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon\nTorvalds, Linus and David Diamond (2001) Just for Fun: Story of an Accidental Revolutionary\nWallace, James and Jim Erickson (1992) Hard Drive: Bill Gates and Making of the Microsoft Empire\nWilliams, Sam (2002) Free as in Freedom: Richard Stallman's Crusade for Free Software\nWilson, Mike (1996) The Difference between God and Larry Ellison: Inside Oracle Corp",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stone, Brad (2013) The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13236372,
          "author": "n3on_net",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T10:47:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13236372",
          "commentText": "Here is my list of 2016:\n- The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory\n- The 48 Laws Of Power\n- Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything\n- Crossing the Chasm\n- The Richest Man in Babylon\n- Confessions of an Economic Hit Man\n- Europe: A History\n- The Penguin History of Europe\n- The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon\n- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\nEvery of the books was awesome. The only thing is that I haven't finished Europe: A History from Norman and read The Penguin History of Europe instead because the Norman book was just too long for me. But It has way more details.\nI switch between business-related books and non-business related (it can be everything from philosophy to language history to hardcore science) but I don't read fiction (The Richest Man in Babylon is fictional, but still the focus is on self-development).\nHope you could see some titles that might interest you.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Every of the books was awesome.",
          "reason": "The commenter says every listed book was awesome.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109281,
          "author": "kooshball",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:43:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109281",
          "commentText": "Just started The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17660462\nIt's been pretty good so far.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Just started The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17660462\nIt's been pretty good so far.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it has been pretty good so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The evaluation is preliminary; the commenter has just started it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brad Stone"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "amazon",
        "jeff bezos",
        "company history",
        "e commerce"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-facebook-effect-e8ad83",
      "title": "The Facebook Effect",
      "author": "David Kirkpatrick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3337050,
          "author": "bmajz",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T05:41:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3337050",
          "commentText": "Dive Into Python (http://www.diveintopython.net/)\nThe Facebook Effect (http://www.amazon.com/Facebook-Effect-Inside-Company-Connect... (http://www.amazon.com/Facebook-Effect-Inside-Company-Connecting/dp/B005DI7YAS))\nThe Name of the Wind (http://www.amazon.com/Name-Wind-Kingkiller-Chronicles-Day/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/Name-Wind-Kingkiller-Chronicles-Day/dp/075640407X))",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Facebook Effect",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2148196,
          "author": "imkevingao",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T15:45:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2148196",
          "commentText": "The Facebook Effect\nIt's real, it's true, it's my version of Cinderella story. I've read many motivational books, they're good, but Facebook Effect conveyed the idea of possibility to me, and I love it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Facebook Effect\nIt's real, it's true, it's my version of Cinderella story.",
          "reason": "Says the book conveyed possibility and describes it as their own Cinderella story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569162,
          "author": "namin",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:31:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569162",
          "commentText": "Some books I've read this summer, which I can recommend:\n- The Facebook Effect -- well-written insider's account of the history of Facebook and its ambitions.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Facebook-Effect-Inside-Company-Connect... (http://www.amazon.com/Facebook-Effect-Inside-Company-Connecting/dp/1439102112)\n- The Quantum Enigma -- an accessible digest of quantum mechanics and its philosophical consequences.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Enigma-Physics-Encounters-Cons... (http://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Enigma-Physics-Encounters-Consciousness/dp/019534250X/)\n- Flesh & Machines -- a lightweight history of robotics and some wacky speculations by MIT's Rodney Brooks.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Flesh-Machines-Robots-Will-Change/dp/0... (http://www.amazon.com/Flesh-Machines-Robots-Will-Change/dp/0375420797)\n- The Language of Life: DNA and the Revolution of Personalized Medecine -- a well-backed account of what is or will be possible in medicine thanks to a better understanding of the genome and increase use of DNA sequencing for prevention, diagnostic, and treatment.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Language-Life-Revolution-Personalized-... (http://www.amazon.com/Language-Life-Revolution-Personalized-Medicine/dp/0061733180/)\n- ... by David Sedaris -- Funny short stories. Perhaps The Santaland Diaries for something light but really amusing, and When You Are Engulfed in Flames for something darker and more well-known. Also, if you like short stories, I heartily recommend Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules, a varied collection of short stories selected by Sedaris.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/David-Sedaris/e/B000AQ3YUW/\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0349119759\nhttp://www.amazon.com/When-You-Are-Engulfed-Flames/dp/031615... (http://www.amazon.com/When-You-Are-Engulfed-Flames/dp/0316154687/)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Children-Playing-Before-Statue-Hercule... (http://www.amazon.com/Children-Playing-Before-Statue-Hercules/dp/074327394X/)\n- Dreams of My Father -- Barack Obama writes candidly and beautifully about his childhood and early adulthood; it's not a political book, and it's worth reading for the writing alone.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Dreams-My-Father-Story-Inheritance/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Dreams-My-Father-Story-Inheritance/dp/1400082773/)\n- Mathematics: The Loss of Certainty: a chatty history of mathematics, and its perception.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Loss-Certainty-Galaxy-Book... (http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Loss-Certainty-Galaxy-Books/dp/0195030850)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Facebook Effect -- well-written insider's account of the history of Facebook and its ambitions.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a well-written insider account.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1567846,
          "author": "bcroesch",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T15:16:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 1567456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I want to start a web company what books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1567846",
          "commentText": "These won't necessarily teach you how to do it, but reading them definitely helped motivate me when things got slow. Hearing the experiences and successes of other startups/founders always gets me excited to get to work.\nOnce You're Lucky, Twice You're Good - Sarah Lacy\nFounders at Work - Jessica Livingston\nThe Facebook Effect - David Kirkpatrick",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Facebook Effect - David Kirkpatrick",
          "reason": "The commenter says startup and founder stories helped motivate them when work slowed.",
          "audience": "People seeking motivation from startup and founder experiences.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these books may not teach you how to start a company.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Kirkpatrick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Biography",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "facebook",
        "technology companies",
        "company history",
        "social media"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-field-guide-to-understanding-human-error-13acb1",
      "title": "The Field Guide to Understanding Human Error",
      "author": "Sidney Dekker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23858997,
          "author": "csours",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:54:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858997",
          "commentText": "The Field Guide to Understanding 'Human Error' - Sidney Dekker\nHe hes a short review of his book on YouTube in 5 parts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fw3SwEXc3PU",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Field Guide to Understanding 'Human Error' - Sidney Dekker",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12100377,
          "author": "galaktor",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T12:06:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12100377",
          "commentText": "The field guide to understanding human error\nby Sidney Dekker",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The field guide to understanding human error\nby Sidney Dekker",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9347897,
          "author": "wpietri",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T14:48:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9347897",
          "commentText": "I'm almost done with The Field Guide to Understanding Human Error: http://www.amazon.com/Field-Guide-Understanding-Human-Error/... (http://www.amazon.com/Field-Guide-Understanding-Human-Error/dp/0754648265)\nIt's a brilliant book written by Sidney Dekker, a \"Professor of Human Factors and Flight Safety\". The basic point is that the default way of understanding bad outcomes is what he calls \"the Old View or the Bad Apple Theory\". He instead argues for the New View, where \"human error is a symptom of trouble deeper inside a system\".\nNormally with a book like this, I read the first couple of chapters, say, \"Ok, I get the idea,\" and can ignore the rest. After all, I  both agree with and understand the basic thesis. But so far every chapter has been surprisingly useful; I keep discovering that I have Old View notions hidden away. E.g., when I discover a systemic flaw, I'm inclined to blame \"bad design\". But he points out that's a fancy way of calling the problem human error, just a different human and a different error than normal.\nEven the driest parts are helped by his frequent use of examples, often taken from real-world aviation accident reports. There are also fascinating bits like a system for high-resolution markup of dialog transcripts to indicate timing (down to 1/10th second), speech inflection, and emphasis. I'll never use it myself, but I will definitely use the mindset that it requires.\nGiven how much time software projects spend dealing with bugs, I believe we need a new way to think about them, and for me this book describes a big piece of that.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "every chapter has been surprisingly useful; I keep discovering that I have Old View notions hidden away.",
          "reason": "Says every chapter has been surprisingly useful and the book reveals hidden assumptions about human error.",
          "audience": "People working on software projects who deal with bugs.",
          "caveat": "Some parts are dry, though examples help.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sidney Dekker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human factors",
        "human error",
        "safety",
        "safety science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-fifth-season-c5fade",
      "title": "The Fifth Season",
      "author": "N. K. Jemisin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20982131,
          "author": "fouralarmfire",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T08:37:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20982131",
          "commentText": "The Fifth Season by N K Jemisin\n(and then the rest of the Broken Earth series)\ngreat dystopian sci-fi",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Fifth Season by N K Jemisin",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for good books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13120299,
          "author": "amrangaye",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-07T03:42:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13120299",
          "commentText": "n-thing ancillary mercy (and the whole series) - best sci-fi I've read in a long while. Just finished the fifth season, and liked it enough to get the rest of the trilogy. It straddles the line between sci-fi and fantasy, but does it well and packs an emotional punch at the end as you come to identify with the main characters without even realizing it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just finished the fifth season, and liked it enough to get the rest of the trilogy.",
          "reason": "Says they liked it enough to buy the rest of the trilogy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12475197,
          "author": "captn3m0",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T19:37:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12475197",
          "commentText": "Fifth Season - N. K Jemisin.\nEpic Fantasy, set in a alternative Earth, where the magic system works on Earthquakes. Won the Hugo this year, which is why I read it. Breaks a lot of core writing rules, and tries hard to do things that are rarely seen in the genre.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Fifth Season - N. K Jemisin.",
          "reason": "Describes its unusual magic system and ambitious approach to genre conventions; the reading reason given is its Hugo win.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in epic fantasy and inventive genre approaches.",
          "caveat": "Says it breaks core writing rules; read because it won the Hugo.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "N. K. Jemisin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "climate fiction",
        "dystopia",
        "earthquake magic",
        "epic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-fountains-of-paradise-5bec24",
      "title": "The Fountains of Paradise",
      "author": "Arthur C. Clarke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056450,
          "author": "everyone",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T11:55:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056450",
          "commentText": "I have strong opinions about this. My criteria for a book being science fiction and not fantasy is that is must be based on scientific thinking. The author must have done some work to determine whether whats happening in his book is at least plausible according to real science, and then work out the details of how it would actually function. So I regard most \"science fiction\" books and almost all \"science fiction\" films as really being fantasy. Essentially they are works of fantasy or dramatic fiction re-skinned with lasers and aliens instead of magic and goblins (to a great or lesser extent).\nSo dune is a great book but it is 90% fantasy, there is only a little bit of research done by the author on desert ecosystems.\nMy favourite real science fiction author is Arthur C clarke. some good books by him...\nearthlight\nthe fountains of paradise\nislands in the sky\nthe sands of mars\nrama\nsongs of distant earth\nAlso would recommend accelerando by Charles Stross and the mars series by Kim Stanley Robinson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the fountains of paradise",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s good books by Clarke.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752881,
          "author": "blrgeek",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T15:44:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752881",
          "commentText": "Want to blow your mind?\nFiction\nKeep an open mind, and a sense of wonder when you read these for max effect!\nHitch-hikers guide to the galaxy. I was hooked at \"The big yellow ships hung in the air just the way bricks don't.\"\nDune - what does scarcity do to a society?\nIsaac Asimov - Robot series. Foundation series. All of his short stories, esp. The Last Question, Nightfall.\nA.C. Clarke - 2001 - series, Childhood's End, The Fountains of Paradise\nThe Little Prince, The Count of Monte Cristo, Catch-22, Siddhartha, Ender's Game, Sundiver, Wodehouse.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Fountains of Paradise",
          "reason": "Listed in a fiction recommendation list under “Want to blow your mind?”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86342,
          "author": "wbornor",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T18:01:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86342",
          "commentText": "1984 (George Orwell)\nFountains of Paradise (Arthur C Clarke, Space Elevator SciFi)\nDune Series (Herbert)\nEnder Series (Orson Scott Card)\n2001 Series (Arthur C Clarke)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fountains of Paradise (Arthur C Clarke, Space Elevator SciFi)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur C. Clarke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space elevator"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-geography-of-nowhere-845770",
      "title": "The Geography of Nowhere",
      "author": "James Howard Kunstler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39249590,
          "author": "raybb",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T12:05:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249590",
          "commentText": "I agree with you but the how is pretty hard to imagine. Especially with how housing speculation is so deeply tied to people's retirements and life plans.\nI'll give that book a gander. Based on the reviews I think I'll like it given my context of growing in Florida and now living in Amsterdam and wondering how things can be so different.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'll give that book a gander.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they plan to give the recommended book a try.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter’s interest is based on their experiences growing up in Florida and living in Amsterdam.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39249381,
          "author": "cpursley",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T11:20:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249381",
          "commentText": "The solution to climate change and housing affordability are one and the same: dense human scale development patterns. In NA it requires a massive mental shift and zoning changes (or the oil to run out, which would force the issue).\nA book you might like: “The Geography Of Nowhere”\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/125313",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A book you might like: “The Geography Of Nowhere”",
          "reason": "Suggested to someone discussing climate change, housing affordability, and dense, human-scale development.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15635164,
          "author": "0x4f3759df",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-06T13:13:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15635164",
          "commentText": "I like books that introduce the concepts of good urbanism\n{Geography of Nowhere,\nStreets are for People, \nGreat Good Places}\nThey really opened my mind to understanding structure and place",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Geography of Nowhere,",
          "reason": "The books introduced concepts of good urbanism and opened the commenter’s mind to structure and place.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in urbanism and place",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401651,
          "author": "potatolicious",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:54:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401651",
          "commentText": "Started this book way back, but finally getting around to finishing it now:\nThe Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and Decline of America's Man-Made Landscape - James Howard Kunstler\nIt's a bit of a rant, though I think the author is generally on-point. As an armchair urban planner myself, his constant skewering of Le Corbusier work as a total failure makes me very, very happy.\nFor balance I'm also working through:\nDoing Documentary Work - Robert Coles\nThere are some great insights in the book, but the author has a very tedious tone and is very, very verbose. I'm not sure if I will finish it, though I'll try. He also likes using really big words (like, a level of vocabulary that suggests he's deliberately trying to write at a superhuman reading level), which is tedious since his excessive vocabulary ultimately doesn't help him make his point better. I'm pretty sure I can get through Middle English faster than I can get through this book.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and Decline of America's Man-Made Landscape - James Howard Kunstler\nIt's a bit of a rant, though I think the author is generally on-point.",
          "reason": "The commenter thinks the author is generally on-point and enjoys his criticism of Le Corbusier's work.",
          "audience": "Armchair urban planners.",
          "caveat": "Described as a bit of a rant.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Howard Kunstler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Society",
        "Design",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "built environment",
        "urban planning",
        "suburban sprawl",
        "place"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-gift-of-fear-a2268f",
      "title": "The Gift of Fear",
      "author": "Gavin de Becker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14478453,
          "author": "adekok",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T20:55:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478453",
          "commentText": "The Gift of Fear (Gavin Debecker) - how to deal with bad people\nThe War against Women (Marilyn French) - the underlying premise is wrong, but reading it is a good way to learn how to deal with semi-rational, but insane theses.  And yes, I can defend this position with quotes / paraphrases from the book, with rational explanations as to why it's insane\nHow the Police generate false confessions (James Trainum) - former cop explains why harsh interrogation techniques are counter-productive, and how to defend yourself\nGet the Truth (Philip Houston et all) - how to tell when people are lying, via simple techniques you can remember",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Gift of Fear (Gavin Debecker) - how to deal with bad people",
          "reason": "Presented as a guide to dealing with bad people.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4598942,
          "author": "rodrigo",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-01T19:35:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 4596721,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4598942",
          "commentText": "Im finding it very enligthening, have anyone read it? care to share your opinions?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Im finding it very enligthening",
          "reason": "The commenter says they find the book enlightening.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4598098,
          "author": "rodrigo",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-01T17:07:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 4596721,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4598098",
          "commentText": "The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gavin de Becker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "intuition",
        "personal safety"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-goal-a-process-of-ongoing-improvement-5c3b44",
      "title": "The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement",
      "author": "Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17032349,
          "author": "poulsbohemian",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:17:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032349",
          "commentText": "FWIW, \"The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement\" by Eli Goldratt, almost certainly was the inspiration for The Phoenix Project, and is IMHO a better read. One could follow up with any of Goldratt's other books for more information about the Theory of Constraints.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement",
          "reason": "Calls it a better read than The Phoenix Project and says it likely inspired that book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comparison is specifically with The Phoenix Project.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297182,
          "author": "SideburnsOfDoom",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T13:44:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297182",
          "commentText": "\"The Phoenix Project\" and an earlier one, \"The Goal\" by Goldratt https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Goal_%28novel%29",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Goal\" by Goldratt",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401472,
          "author": "bg4",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:28:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401472",
          "commentText": "The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement\nEliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox\nHighly recommend\nNext up: Zero to One - Peter Thiel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement\nEliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox\nHighly recommend",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly recommends the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eliyahu M. Goldratt",
        "Jeff Cox"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "operations management",
        "theory of constraints"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-greatest-show-on-earth-the-evidence-for-evolution-859e93",
      "title": "The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution",
      "author": "Richard Dawkins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50119288,
          "author": "chistev",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T15:05:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50119288",
          "commentText": "1. Animal Farm by George Orwell\n2. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes [1]\n3. Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley\n4. I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette Mccurdy\n5. Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris\n6. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe [2]\n7. Cosmos by Carl Sagan\n8. The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution by Richard Dawkins [3]\n9. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson\n10. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander [4]\n11. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka\n12. Billions and Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium by Carl Sagan [5][6][7]\n13. Outgrowing God: A Beginner’s Guide to Atheism by Richard Dawkins\n[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50076596\n[2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47452253\n[3] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48326741\n[4] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49539535\n[5] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49751771\n[6] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49740712\n[7] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49739256",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution by Richard Dawkins [3]",
          "reason": "Listed among books read repeatedly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4788271,
          "author": "dontstealmyname",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T12:45:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4788271",
          "commentText": "I found the book \"The definitive book of body language: How to read others's thoughts by their gestures\" by Allan and Barbara Pease to be a great read.\nThe greatest show on Earth - Richard Dawkins was an excellent read.\nSurely  you're joking Mr Feynman by Richard p.Feynman was terrific read by a very small bit can considerred offensive or  at the least dated in its outlook but if you can get past that its great!\nI recently finished a book on ID called \"Masters of doom\" by David Kushner which I rather enjoyed as well.\nI also love reading about crackers from the (mostly) 80's and I can recommend.\nCuckoo Egg by Cliff Stoll\nMasters of deception\nWe are anonymous - Inside the hacker world of lulzsec, anonymous and the global cyber insurgency  by Parmy Olson\nI loved \"Underground Hacking Madness and the obsession on the electronic frontier\" once I got past the first 2 or 3 chapters (also it was researched by Julian Assange before wikileak and has a chapter about his hacking) An Ebook copy can be found on the authors website http://www.underground-book.net/download.php3\nGhost in the wire Kevin Mitnick",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The greatest show on Earth - Richard Dawkins was an excellent read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an excellent read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026351,
          "author": "tokenadult",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T22:22:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026351",
          "commentText": "My favorite read in early 2009 was What Intelligence Tests Miss: The Psychology of Rational Thought by Keith Stanovich\nhttp://www.amazon.com/What-Intelligence-Tests-Miss-Psycholog... (http://www.amazon.com/What-Intelligence-Tests-Miss-Psychology/dp/030012385X/)\nwhich is full of helpful information on developing the kind of cognition missed by IQ tests that constitutes rationality, very important information for parents, educators, and business leaders.\n2009, the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his book On the Origin of Species, has been a banner year for new books on evolutionary biology. Some of my favorites include\nWhy Evolution is True by Jerry Coyne\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Why-Evolution-True-Jerry-Coyne/dp/0670... (http://www.amazon.com/Why-Evolution-True-Jerry-Coyne/dp/0670020532/)\nThe Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution by Richard Dawkins\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Show-Earth-Evidence-Evolution... (http://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Show-Earth-Evidence-Evolution/dp/1416594787/)\nand\nEvolution: The First Four Billion Years edited by Michael Ruse and Joseph Travis.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Evolution-First-Four-Billion-Years/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Evolution-First-Four-Billion-Years/dp/067403175X/)\nAll are full of up to date information about biology, which, as Thedosius Dobzhansky said, only makes sense in the light of evolution.\nSuperFreakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner\nhttp://www.amazon.com/SuperFreakonomics-Cooling-Patriotic-Pr... (http://www.amazon.com/SuperFreakonomics-Cooling-Patriotic-Prostitutes-Insurance/dp/0060889578)\nis enjoyable and thought-provoking, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, for all the usual reasons applying to collaborations by those two authors.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution by Richard Dawkins",
          "reason": "Includes it among the commenter's favorite books on evolutionary biology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Dawkins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolution",
        "evolutionary biology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-guns-of-august-c63c53",
      "title": "The Guns of August",
      "author": "Barbara W. Tuchman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34161915,
          "author": "Humpelstilzchen",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T15:29:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161915",
          "commentText": "\"The Guns of August\" by B. Tuchman because 2022 feels a bit like 1914.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Guns of August\" by B. Tuchman because 2022 feels a bit like 1914.",
          "reason": "The commenter connects the book's subject to a sense that current events resemble 1914.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14860000,
          "author": "Symmetry",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:30:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14860000",
          "commentText": "The Guns of August - Can't say I really recommend it, read The Sleepwalkers instead.  Barely talks about Austria-Hungary which was a disappointment.\nAstrobiology - A Very Short Introduciton - Good so far but I haven't gotten very far in yet.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The Guns of August - Can't say I really recommend it",
          "reason": "Says they cannot really recommend it and notes a disappointment about coverage.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Barely talks about Austria-Hungary, which disappointed the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785496,
          "author": "ycom13__",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:36:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785496",
          "commentText": "I liked it a lot, it is really good. I would definitely recommend it to anyone wanting to learn about WW I. Also highly recommended is Dan Carlin's 6 part podcast series  Blueprint for Armageddon  Here is the link to episode I  http://www.dancarlin.com/product/hardcore-history-50-bluepri... (http://www.dancarlin.com/product/hardcore-history-50-blueprint-for-armageddon-i/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would definitely recommend it to anyone wanting to learn about WW I.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it to anyone wanting to learn about World War I.",
          "audience": "People wanting to learn about World War I.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785462,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:29:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785462",
          "commentText": "What is your opinion on The Guns of August? I'm still looking for a good book on World War I.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "What is your opinion on The Guns of August?",
          "reason": "Asks for an opinion while looking for a book on World War I.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785428,
          "author": "ycom13__",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:23:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785428",
          "commentText": "Here are all the ones I read this year\n  A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire) by George R. R. Martin\n  A Feast for Crows: A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) by George R.R. Martin\n  The Confident Speaker: Beat Your Nerves and Communicate at Your Best in Any Situation by Harrison Monarth\n  House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewsk\n  To the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War by Jeff Shaara \n  Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson\n  Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader by Brent Schlender\n  George Washington's Secret Six: The Spy Ring That Saved the American Revolution by Brian Kilmeade\n  Think Like a Freak: The Authors of Freakonomics Offer to Retrain Your Brain by Steven D. Levitt\n  Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance\n  Finders Keepers: A Novel by Stephen King\n  The Guns of August: The Pulitzer Prize-Winning Classic About the Outbreak of World War I by Barbara W. Tuchman\n  The Wright Brothers by David McCullough\n  Seveneves: A Novel by Neal Stephenson\n  The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson\n  Hitler's Last Day: Minute by Minute by Emma Craigie\n  The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins\n  Robopocalypse: A Novel (Vintage Contemporaries) by Daniel H. Wilson\n  Robogenesis by Daniel H. Wilson\n  In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick\n\n\n\nMy 5 favorite ones from that list are\n  In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick\n  Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance\n  To the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War by Jeff Shaara \n  Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson\n  The Wright Brothers by David McCullough",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Guns of August: The Pulitzer Prize-Winning Classic About the Outbreak of World War I by Barbara W. Tuchman",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9350868,
          "author": "krishna2",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T20:40:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350868",
          "commentText": "Currently reading \"The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich\".\nWould appreciate more suggestions for World War 1, World War 2 histories, especially Russian History books.\nAlready on my reading list (a few related to the above):\n- Gulag\n- Guns of August\n- Churchill",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "- Guns of August",
          "reason": "Included on a reading list; no endorsement is expressed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9349235,
          "author": "vivab0rg",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T17:23:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9349235",
          "commentText": "The Guns of August: The Outbreak of World War I[1], the Pulitzer-award winner by Barbara Tuchman, and the book that might have helped avoid WW3 during the Cuban missile crisis, as recognized by JFK himself.\n[1]: http://www.amazon.com/Guns-August-Outbreak-Tuchmans-Nonficti... (http://www.amazon.com/Guns-August-Outbreak-Tuchmans-Nonfiction-ebook/dp/B002TXZS8A/)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Guns of August: The Outbreak of World War I[1], the Pulitzer-award winner by Barbara Tuchman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3399543,
          "author": "markkat",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-28T12:27:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3399543",
          "commentText": "Barbara Tuchman's The Guns of August.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Barbara Tuchman's The Guns of August.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Barbara W. Tuchman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "world war i",
        "military history",
        "origins of war"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-hitchhiker-s-guide-to-the-galaxy-series-2e4ad0",
      "title": "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series",
      "author": "Douglas Adams",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33381977,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T07:56:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33381977",
          "commentText": "Of the books I've read this year, the fiction ones that stand out to me would be:\n1. The entire Sprawl Trilogy by Gibson, and the entire Bridge Trilogy, also by Gibson. The former I'd read before (multiple times) while the latter I had not read all the way through until now. Neuromancer I've read probably 7 or 8 times total in my life by now. I'm not as crazy about Gibson's later stuff, but the Sprawl and Bridge books are great.\n2. The rest of the HHGTTG \"trilogy\" besides the first book. I'd read the first book a couple of years ago but never got around to reading the rest until this year. Note that when I say \"the rest\" I'm excluding that one book that was written by another author after Douglas Adams' passing. I may still read it one day, but I'm not in any hurry to do so.\nIn terms of non-fiction:\nReal-World Reasoning: Toward Scalable, Uncertain Spatiotemporal, Contextual and Causal Inference by Ben Goertzel, Nil Geisweiller, and Lucio Coelho is the stand-out of the lot. How the Mind Works by Steven Pinker and How Can the Human Mind Occur in the Physical Universe? by John R Anderson are also worthy of a mention.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The rest of the HHGTTG \"trilogy\" besides the first book.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the rest of the series stands out among the fiction they read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They exclude the later book written by another author and are in no hurry to read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13805690,
          "author": "evincarofautumn",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T20:14:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805690",
          "commentText": "The Hitchhiker’s Guide series was formative for my absurdist sense of humour and outlook on life. What a strange, hilarious, sad, and beautiful world we find ourselves in.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hitchhiker’s Guide series was formative for my absurdist sense of humour and outlook on life.",
          "reason": "Says the series shaped their absurdist humor and outlook on life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10786739,
          "author": "hackerbloos",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T02:19:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786739",
          "commentText": "I've just updated my list of books I read this year. Scores are out of 5. If there is a + it means I found it to be extra special for some reason or other.\n= Jan =\nSmarter Than You Think - Clive Thompson 3\nThe positives of tech and the internet.\n= Feb =\nSuper Sad True Love Story - Gary Shteyngart 4\nScience fiction set in the not too distant future. Main themes include life extension and surveillance.\n= Mar =\nThe HitchHiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams 4\nThe Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams 3\nHad never read this series, thought it might be about time.\n= Apr =\nWhat does it all Mean? - Thomas Nagel 2 (though it is kind of meant for people who have never done any Philosophy, ever, so would recommend to someone like that. Will pass it on to someone taking an interest in the subject)\nAn introduction to Philosophy.\nEarth - David Brin 5+\nScience fiction set in the not too distant future, written in the 90s. Really interesting themes / vision of post climate change world.\nSlaughterHouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut 5\nSemi autobiographical account of the bombing of Dresden in WW2. Really funny and clever ideas. Very good.\n= May =\nNick Cohen - What’s Left? 4\nAccount of how the left has degenerated since the collapse of the hard left and the winning of liberal battles e.g. LGBT rights. Basic premise is that those on the left hate the West and the status quo so much they stoop to allying themselves with anyone who also opposes the status quo.\n= June =\nPlato at the Googleplex: Why Philosophy won’t go away - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 5+\nPlato has somehow appeared in the 21st century and is doing a talk at Google! A really enjoyable account of how Plato’s philosophy could be applied to modern issues. Really good. I want to go to Athens.\n= July =\nThe Mind Body Problem - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 4\nNovel about a female philosophy student shagging around and philosophising about it.\nBelieving Bullshit - Stephen Law 4\nBook detailing the various tricks / schemes played by charlatans and how to avoid being taken in by them.\n= August =\n36 Arguments for the Existence of God: a work of fiction - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 3\nNovel about an academic and his mentor. It was ok.\n= September =\nThe Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams 3\nThink I’m done reading these for now, don’t feel the urge to finish the set.\nKafka - The Trial 5\nReally good. Love the surrealism - the nightmarish / dreamish-ness of it. Saw it in the Theatre as well after reading it, thought that was great too.\n= October =\n= November =\nExistence - David Brin 3\nNot as good as Earth. Glad I read that first. Interesting imagining of what form contact from alien life could take though. Also interesting look at existential risks. The main part I didn’t like was how it skipped forward in time 3 decades about 3/4s of the way through, I had thought the characters were a little weak in general up until then anyway, and then they were pretty much gone entirely at that point.\n= December =\nAlone Together - Sherry Turtle 4\nThe negatives of tech, robotics and the internet. Interesting and important read.\nImperium - Robert Harris 5\nFirst in the semi-fictional trilogy accounting the fall of the Roman Republic, told through the eyes of Cicero’s secretary, Tiro. Really good. The politics, the corruption, the ancient city really brought to life. Enhanced by having visited Rome in the Summer.\nAlso currently reading ‘Reclaiming Conversation’ by Sherry Turkle, an account of the negative affect being permanently tethered to the internet has on our conversations, our capacity for empathy and our relationships, and Nietzsche’s 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra'.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Had never read this series, thought it might be about time.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 141209,
          "author": "SwellJoe",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T22:36:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=141209",
          "commentText": "Asimov's two big universes, found in the Robots series and the Foundation series, (which turned out to be the same when he revisited them in the 70's and 80's) are simply wonderful.  By far my favorite sci-fi, and among the most enduring works in the genre.  I read them both every two or three years, and sometimes grab one off the shelf when I just want something to read.  The early Foundation is sort of a future history version of \"The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire\" (I seem to recall that was intentional, actually).  Asimov's autobiographies and the posthumous book of his correspondence are all fantastic and insightful.  I learned a lot from them, and my admiration for the man increased even more upon reading them.\nDune is also astoundingly good, though after the first three, the quality goes downhill (slowly, but surely).  Definitely lots to think about.\nRendezvous with Rama left me breathless...and I could not put it down until I'd read the last page.  I've returned to it a couple of times, and loved it every single time.  The later Rama books are deeply flawed, and should have never happened (they were not written by Clarke, and it shows), as they make Rama seem...hmmm, I can't really think of the right word that expresses it.  Cheap, dinky, small, something bad.  But Rendezvous is a must read for everyone.\nDouglas Adams, of course.  The whole Hitchhikers' series is a must, while the Dirk Gently stuff is also funny, but not sci-fi and not mandatory.\nI mentioned in another thread my love of dystopias, and one of the best ever is The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.  She's one of the best sci-fi writers alive (she doesn't exclusively write sci-fi, however).  Oryx and Crake is also fascinating.\nCat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut.  I enjoy all of Vonnegut's work, but Cat's Cradle is a magical perfect novel.\nI don't know if everyone would agree that it's sci-fi, but Mark Twain's Letters from the Earth was an eye opener for me when I was a kid (I went on a Mark Twain kick when I was in elementary school...no one ever told me that all of his books weren't kids books, so I read everything I could get my hands on after being hooked by Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn).  Turns out Mark Twain was seditious, heretical, and quite the troublemaker all around.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The whole Hitchhikers' series is a must",
          "reason": "Calls the entire series a must read.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy funny fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 57231,
          "author": "alex_c",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-20T03:54:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=57231",
          "commentText": "For fiction, I'm surprised no one has mentioned:\nThe Dune series by Frank Herbert.  Unlike anything else I've read, and one of the most compelling and detailed fictional universes in literature.\nThe Discworld series by Terry Pratchett.  Don't confuse it for fantasy - it's brilliant satire.  Littered with geeky references and clever wordplay, I actually enjoy it a bit more than the Hitchhiker's Guide books.  If you like Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett is a pretty safe bet.\nAnything by Stanislaw Lem - clever and funny science fiction.  A good match for my weird sense of humour.\nAll of the above can slightly change the way you see the world.\nFor non-fiction, another vote for the Mythical Man Month.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I actually enjoy it a bit more than the Hitchhiker's Guide books.",
          "reason": "Used as a favorable comparison for Discworld; no independent recommendation is made.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Adams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic science fiction",
        "absurdist humor",
        "comedy",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-humane-interface-0322dc",
      "title": "The Humane Interface",
      "author": "Jef Raskin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18669146,
          "author": "sifoobar",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-13T01:17:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 18662992,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on modern UI/UX?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18669146",
          "commentText": "I found The Humane Interface by Jef Raskin illuminating back in the days, if my memory serves most of the content is just as relevant today. Edward Tuftes books also contain plenty of wisdom and examples of good design.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found The Humane Interface by Jef Raskin illuminating back in the days,",
          "reason": "Describes the book as illuminating and says its content remains relevant.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Relevance claim is qualified by “if my memory serves.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12712695,
          "author": "mortehu",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-15T04:20:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12712695",
          "commentText": "> All UI's are graphs at their heart\nA bit of an overstatement, considering /bin/rm, Amazon Echo, NFC (e.g. Apple Pay), car pedals, shake gestures (e.g. camera activation on Moto X), and keyboard shortcuts (e.g. Win-L to lock the computer).\nI know, you were probably talking about GUIs specifically, but how you interact with a GUI is not really covered by Tufte.  I second the recommendation for The Humane Interface for that.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second the recommendation for The Humane Interface for that.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly seconds a recommendation for the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971236,
          "author": "abdulla",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T08:26:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971236",
          "commentText": "The Humane Interface. An amazing book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Humane Interface. An amazing book.",
          "reason": "Calls it an amazing book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 296357,
          "author": "3KWA",
          "createdAt": "2008-09-05T22:15:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 295871,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HC: Which books on user interface design do you wish your CEO/Cofounders would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=296357",
          "commentText": "don't make me click\nthe humane interface\nall of tufte books but beautiful evidence which I found disappointing",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "the humane interface",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jef Raskin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human computer interaction",
        "interface design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-innovator-s-solution-be0d4d",
      "title": "The Innovator's Solution",
      "author": "Clayton M. Christensen and Michael E. Raynor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12416715,
          "author": "crdb",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T22:27:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416715",
          "commentText": "The first scene in Tolstoy's War and Peace should be required reading for engineering graduates, particularly the hyper-rational Sheldon types. I'm referring specifically to the impact Pierre has on the people at the party, the importance of manners, why small talk, etc. War and Peace is generally a great book because of how much it captures about human nature and power plays and it is still relevant today. It has a reputation for length but I found it much more readable than, say, Lord of the Rings.\nDelta Force by Col. Charlie Beckwith. Think your company has red tape? Try the US Army post-Vietnam. It's a great example of someone moving through bureaucracy to achieve great things and taught me to stop making excuses based on organisational behaviour. The Phantom Major by Virginia Cowles is in the same vein with some phenomenal hustling lessons. I still think of both men whenever I think whatever I'm doing is hard.\nDynamic Hedging by Taleb was written whilst he was a pit trader and is the most intuitive introduction to thinking about options I've read. It informs my thinking about decision making in terms of probability, path dependency and higher order greeks, and helps me take risks in a smart manner. I recommend it to a lot of people but nobody takes it up because (I'm guessing) it's only available as a second hand paper copy, and people think trading options has nothing to do with their life.\nLegionnaire by Simon Murray was recommended to me by my thesis supervisor shortly before graduation. I respected his opinion so I read the thing and it blew my mind in what people were capable of doing when pushed to the edge. Murray went on to have multiple interesting careers and set records as a helicopter pilot.\nThere are two books that were lessons in what they did not teach me.\nClayton Christensen's Innovator's Dilemma/Solution presents a very enticing idea but I think the core explanation for what it covers is much better set forward in Marc Bloch's Strange Defeat. There are regular sub-threads on the book on HN so I won't go into it further.\nI also read a couple of Jack Welch books and thought, wow, this guy knows what he is talking about. This was before 2007. After 2007, I heard from a few people - including very smart investors - who basically put GE's success down to the 30 year bull market and to the growth of GE Capital which became something like 60% of the company and indeed did almost take down GE with it after Lehman. It introduced the possibility that some famous leaders and gurus might not be as competent as they are branded to be and it's important to check for confounding variables.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Clayton Christensen's Innovator's Dilemma/Solution presents a very enticing idea but I think the core explanation for what it covers is much better set forward in Marc Bloch's Strange Defeat.",
          "reason": "Groups it with The Innovator's Dilemma as presenting an enticing idea whose explanation the commenter finds inferior.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment prefers Marc Bloch's explanation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56855,
          "author": "samson",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T13:41:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56855",
          "commentText": "Here are three books that I have loved reading\n1. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie\nI know its been mentioned already, but truly this is a book worth mentioning twice. For the introverted or the arugmentative type and for anyone else, this book hits alot critical and sometimes overlooked human traits that everyone should be aware of in their daily interactions with other people.\nA few quotes by Carnegie.\nAvoid arguments\n\"you can't win an argument, because if you win it you lose it, and if you lose...well you lose it.\"\n\"few people think of themselves as bad people\"\n-means regardless of how they look,dress or talk, most people are appproachable with a smile and a \"hi\".\n\"people will always strive to justify themselves\".\nAll three of these quotes are connected.\n2. The Innovators Solution - Christensen and Raynor\nIf you've ever heard the quote \"First they ignore you,... then they fight you, then you win.\" by Gandhi. This book puts it in perspective in relation to how small companies over take large companies. \n3.The 48 Laws of Power _ Robert Greene.\n Go Go read if you haven't yet. This is a great book! It pullls lessons which you can learn from various types of people throughout history from painters,generals to presidents.\nMy favorite was Law 28: \"Enter action with boldness\". Be bold in your ideas, be bold in how your carry yourself in life.\nI know I said three 3, but Seth Godin still deserves some mention with All marketers are liars. Which simply I take to mean for us here is if your developing a startup, make sure it has a good...no a great story to tell.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book puts it in perspective in relation to how small companies over take large companies.",
          "reason": "Discusses how small companies overtake large companies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5725,
          "author": "nostrademons",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T17:07:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5725",
          "commentText": "My list, categorized:\nBusiness & Management\n1. Innovator's Dilemma and Innovator's Solution by Clayton Christensen\n2. Built to Last and Good to Great by Jim Collins.  Built to Last is more applicable for startups.\n3. Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks.  Anyone who has to manage a team of programmers and hasn't read this will fail utterly, unless they've already failed before (or been on a failing team).  There's a lot that's counterintuitive about software project management.\n4. Peter Drucker's work.  Kinda long and repetitive, but some good insights.\nMarketing\n1. All Marketers are Liars by Seth Godin.  I like this better than Purple Cow, Guerilla Marketer's Handbook, and The Big Red Fez.  Most of those have fairly obvious stuff.\n2. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell\n3. Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore\nTechnical\n1. Building Scalable Websites by Cal Henderson\n2. High Performance MySQL by Jeremy Zawodny\n3. Pragmatic Programmer by...well, it's mentioned elsewhere here.\nThere are lots of other technical books I like, but most of them aren't directly relevant to the startup I'm building",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Innovator's Dilemma and Innovator's Solution by Clayton Christensen",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Clayton M. Christensen and Michael E. Raynor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "innovation",
        "business strategy",
        "disruptive innovation",
        "management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-knowledge-how-to-rebuild-our-world-from-scratch-6822ea",
      "title": "The Knowledge: How to Rebuild Our World from Scratch",
      "author": "Lewis Dartnell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42654801,
          "author": "somenameforme",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T11:40:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42654801",
          "commentText": "\"The Knowledge: How to Rebuild Our World from Scratch\" [1] is an amazing read. It's a mix of history and how-to describing how (and when.. which is often extremely surprising) developed the technology that we have, and how it might be recreated starting from scratch.\n[1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Knowledge:_How_to_Rebuild_... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Knowledge:_How_to_Rebuild_Our_World_from_Scratch)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Knowledge: How to Rebuild Our World from Scratch\" [1] is an amazing read.",
          "reason": "Recommends its mix of history and practical guidance on technology and rebuilding from scratch.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936852,
          "author": "jonathanstrange",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T10:06:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936852",
          "commentText": "Just a few non-fiction books from me this time:\n- Lewis Dartnell The Knowledge: This book made me realize the fragility of modern technology and how it is funded on chemical industry, shipping, oil, and the exploitation of natural resources.\n- Peter P. Wakker Prospect Theory: This is not an easy reading but it contains one of the few understandable and detailed explanations of rank-dependent utility theory and why early probability-weighing approaches were incorrect; a must read for anyone interested in rational decision making.\n- Vöcking, Alt, et. al Taschenbuch der Algorithmen: This marvelous Springer book unfortunately only seems to be available in German; it's not at all what the title suggests, but rather a book that brings the fun back to programming, like an 80s hobby programming book; various contributors lay out their favorite algorithms and techniques in short, easy to read chapters. It's like Christmas for programmers.\n- Rosen Handbook of Discrete and Combinatorial Mathematics (Indian Edition): believe it or not, this handbook has helped me a lot with my work in philosophy; it's also the almost ideal handbook style, extremely concise but also very understandable. Of course, I didn't \"read\" this book but using it for reference was definitely worth it.\n- Scott Programming Language Pragmatics: Anybody interested in creating a programming language should read this, preferably the latest edition (I don't know if it's still updated, though); I'm convinced that even though it mostly covers \"generation 4\" languages and earlier, if more language designers read this book, new programming languages would be better; not that anybody needs new programming languages, Common Lisp and Ada are perfectly fine.\n- Jean-Claude Ellena Atlas of Perfumed Botany: Although it sounds a bit pretentious at times like the perfume market is in general (it's 90% marketing of emotions, 10% about the scent), this is a really nice and passionate book about perfumery with beautiful illustrations, written by one of the most renowned contemporary perfumers. It's also surprisingly cheap and by MIT Press.\n- Duff / Gormly First Aid and Wilderness Medicine: This is perhaps the best first aid book out there. Of course, it doesn't replace a practical course but it's a great reference and generally good reading if you're interested in the topic.\nThere was another book I read as a child in German, translated from English. It fascinated me and was the main reason why I got interested in AI and ultimately studied philosophy and linguistics. It was about the Schank/Riesbeck group or some similar symbolic AI research at the time (during the 70s or early 80s) and mentioned meetings where members of the group watched Mork from Ork and analyzed Mork's misunderstandings. If anybody has an idea which book that was, please let me know!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book made me realize the fragility of modern technology and how it is funded on chemical industry, shipping, oil, and the exploitation of natural resources.",
          "reason": "Says it revealed how modern technology depends on industry, shipping, oil, and natural resources.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783529,
          "author": "Symmetry",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:46:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783529",
          "commentText": "Here are the ones I'd be willing to recommend, in reverse chronological order of when I read them.  I read 59 total.  Listen to books on tape while working out has maybe doubled my reading rate.\nGenghis Khan: His Conquests, His Empire, His Legacy - Great book on how the Mongol Empire came to be, who Genghis was, and it put the whole thing in perspective for me in a useful way.\nThe Knowledge: How to Rebuild Our World from Scratch - What it says on the tin.  Actually a good overview how some important technologies interrelate.\nSuperforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction - How to be wrong less often.  Based on the Good Judgement Project results.\nThe Three-Body Problem - Decent enough science fiction but extra interesting because it's science fiction from a different culture.\nIgnition!: An informal history of liquid rocket propellants - A history of things that go boom.  Engaging writing and I learned things about chemistry.\nThe Traitor Baru Cormorant - I'm nominating this for a Hugo.  It tells you it's going to stab you in the gut but when it does you don't see it coming.  Plus high quality scheming and speculation on economics, society, and empire.\nThe Sorcerer of the Wildeeps - Excellent use of voice and an overall good book.\nBloom - Made my skin crawl in places and also was good at making you feel a radical change in perspective.\nSeeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed - An interesting perspective on certain aspects of government.  A bit too negative for the topic, the factors outlined are also why commercial economies were able to develop more centralized economies than agrarian ones in the early modern era.\nPolitical Order and Political Decay: From the Industrial Revolution to the Globalization of Democracy - Quite good book on bureaucracy though not as excellent as the previous book on the origins of states.\nLast First Snow - It's always great to read books about the struggles between people with sympathetic motivations.\nThe Unwelcome Warlock - The latest in a series of fantasy books where people use magic in creative and sensible ways.\nAsteroid Mining 101: Wealth for the New Space Economy -Mostly about all the different sorts of asteroids.\nSeveneves - Neal Stephenson's latest.  If you like his books read it but maybe skip the last 1/3 after the timeskip.\nElon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future - Wow he did a lot of cool stuff.\nStories of Your Life and Others - Brilliant and poetic short stories.\nDarwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life - Some interesting perspective on materialism.\nPower, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life - Best science book I've read in a while!  Shows why mitochondria matter, the fundamental limits of prochariotic life, and several important ways mitochondria influence again and evolution.\nBlue Remembered Earth - Awesome near futureish book that does well at imagining a future that isn't just a linear extrapolation but is still believable.\nA Key, an Egg, an Unfortunate Remark - Not enough pacifist badass grandmothers in urban fantasy.\nQuantum Computing since Democritus - I understand QM much better now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Knowledge: How to Rebuild Our World from Scratch - What it says on the tin. Actually a good overview how some important technologies interrelate.",
          "reason": "Calls it a good overview of how important technologies interrelate.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lewis Dartnell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "technology",
        "civilization",
        "industrial systems",
        "practical skills"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-lion-the-witch-and-the-wardrobe-4e418b",
      "title": "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe",
      "author": "C. S. Lewis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34637920,
          "author": "xedrac",
          "createdAt": "2023-02-03T06:45:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 34634274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books your kids like most",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34637920",
          "commentText": "\"The Twits\" was a favorite of my younger kids.  I recently read \"The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe\" to them, and they loved it.  Of course we had to make Turkish Delight after learning about it in the book.  Other winners include:  Redwall series, The Wingfeather Saga, Artemis Foul series, The Phantom Toll Booth.  But 4 is a bit young for those.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recently read \"The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe\" to them, and they loved it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the children loved hearing it read aloud.",
          "audience": "Children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17338589,
          "author": "ydnaclementine",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T14:41:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17338589",
          "commentText": "the lion the witch and the wardrobe\nwas recommended by my mom at a young age (1st grade?), read it a bunch of times in grade school (went to same school K-8 so had access to the same library).\nI should probably reread that whole series as an adult",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the lion the witch and the wardrobe",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876652,
          "author": "timwiseman",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T13:33:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876652",
          "commentText": "Fiction:  I am fan of The Fountainhead, though I still have fond memories of The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe from when I was younger.\nNonfiction: So many good ones, but I think Surely your joking, Mr. Feynman! is probably the top.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I still have fond memories of The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe from when I was younger.",
          "reason": "The commenter recalls it fondly from childhood.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "C. S. Lewis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "portal fantasy",
        "children s fantasy",
        "children s fiction",
        "children s literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-little-lisper-1395fe",
      "title": "The Little LISPer",
      "author": "Daniel P. Friedman and Matthias Felleisen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23726961,
          "author": "foolmeonce",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T19:57:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23726961",
          "commentText": "The little LISPer is the book I wish I encountered junior/senior year. For someone coming from more of a traditional math/logic education than anything else, it would have been nice to have that introduction to thinking about computation before classes in C.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The little LISPer is the book I wish I encountered junior/senior year.",
          "reason": "The commenter wishes they had encountered it in high school as an introduction to thinking about computation.",
          "audience": "Students with a traditional maths or logic background, before taking C classes.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14843183,
          "author": "davidmoffatt",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-24T22:08:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14843183",
          "commentText": "The Little Lisper by Dan Friedman.   It is probably 30 years out of publication but I pulled it off of my shelf the other day,  reread it, and the next day I noticed that my code had improved.   It is a quick read, nothing earth shattering, but you will be amazed by what you have forgotten.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Lisper by Dan Friedman.",
          "reason": "The commenter says rereading it improved their code and recommends it as a quick read with useful reminders.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not earth-shattering and notes it has been out of print for decades.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8000844,
          "author": "dedalus",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T19:33:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8000844",
          "commentText": "The Little Lisper:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/The-Little-LISPer-Third-Edition/dp/002... (http://www.amazon.com/The-Little-LISPer-Third-Edition/dp/0023397632)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Lisper:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/The-Little-LISPer-Third-Edition/dp/002...",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel P. Friedman",
        "Matthias Felleisen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "lisp",
        "functional programming",
        "programming",
        "programming education"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-little-typer-925d98",
      "title": "The Little Typer",
      "author": "Daniel P. Friedman and David Thrane Christiansen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33801148,
          "author": "Lio",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T14:25:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33801148",
          "commentText": "Came here to say the same thing.  The other books in the series are pretty good too.\nE.g. The Little Prover  https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262527958/the-little-prover/\nand\nThe Little Typer  https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262536431/the-little-typer/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Typer",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of the other books in the series and says those books are pretty good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28663420,
          "author": "laerus",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T18:43:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28663420",
          "commentText": "All books in this series is of high quality and very enjoyable. I am going through Little Typer at this time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I am going through Little Typer at this time.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the books in the series are high quality and enjoyable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21768979,
          "author": "Buttons840",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-12T03:14:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 21765528,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fun Tech Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21768979",
          "commentText": "The Little Typer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Typer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel P. Friedman",
        "David Thrane Christiansen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dependent types",
        "type theory",
        "functional programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-malazan-book-of-the-fallen-ba849d",
      "title": "The Malazan Book of the Fallen",
      "author": "Steven Erikson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15630391,
          "author": "Semaphor",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:22:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630391",
          "commentText": "The \"Malazan Book of the Fallen\" [0] series. Because of its sheer amount [1] of deep characters, the many years and areas it spans and the differences in power levels, from lowly soldiers to essentially gods.\n[0] https://www.goodreads.com/series/43493-the-malazan-book-of-t... (https://www.goodreads.com/series/43493-the-malazan-book-of-the-fallen)\n[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Malazan_Book_of_the_Fa... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Malazan_Book_of_the_Fallen_characters)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The \"Malazan Book of the Fallen\" [0] series. Because of its sheer amount [1] of deep characters, the many years and areas it spans and the differences in power levels, from lowly soldiers to essentially gods.",
          "reason": "Praises its deep characters, broad span, and range of power levels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12474611,
          "author": "imh",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T17:53:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12474611",
          "commentText": "Rendezvous with Rama - Arthur C. Clarke\nSet in the near-ish future, a big asteroid comes whizzing into the solar system. Looks weird, so we investigate. It's a total page turner, and reads like an adventure/mystery. Highly recommended.\n---------\nThe Malazan Book of the Fallen series - Steven Erikson\nA fantasy series, set in a really unique setting. It's an epic fantasy series with a huge ensemble cast and a bunch of parallel plots that break a lot of the usual tropes. It's tough to describe, but if you like epic fantasy it's a must read. I'm on book five of ten and loving it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "if you like epic fantasy it's a must read. I'm on book five of ten and loving it.",
          "reason": "Calls it a must read for epic fantasy fans and says they are loving it.",
          "audience": "Readers who like epic fantasy.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is tough to describe and has a huge ensemble cast and parallel plots.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674676,
          "author": "mikefantast",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T14:13:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674676",
          "commentText": "Hofstadter - GEB - for sure\nThe Malazan Book of the Fallen (10 volumes) - Stephen Erikson - redefines impenetrable\nUse of Weapons by Iain M Banks - master of the interwoven narrative",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Malazan Book of the Fallen (10 volumes) - Stephen Erikson - redefines impenetrable",
          "reason": "Says the series redefines impenetrability.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Erikson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "dense worldbuilding",
        "ensemble cast",
        "large cast"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-man-who-knew-infinity-e9a0e9",
      "title": "The Man Who Knew Infinity",
      "author": "Robert Kanigel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1974974,
          "author": "dheerosaur",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T12:53:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974974",
          "commentText": "The Catcher in the Rye by J.D.Salinger because of the Holden Caulfield in me who couldn't tolerate all the phoniness around.\nAlso enjoyed The Man Who Knew Infinity by Robert Kanigel. After reading about Hardy in this book, I have read \"A Mathematician's Apology\" which was excellent too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also enjoyed The Man Who Knew Infinity by Robert Kanigel.",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 202932,
          "author": "antiform",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T03:27:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=202932",
          "commentText": "The Man Who Knew Infinity, about Ramanujan, is a biography that I reread regularly, if only as an example of somebody who continued to do what he loved against all odds. Whenever I get overly frustrated with a math or programming problem that I can't seem to overcome, I go through some of my favorite passages in there, if only to remind myself how lucky I am to be able to what I love with the support of the people in my life.\nAlso, I can now safely say that reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X in high school was a key moment in my personal development.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Man Who Knew Infinity, about Ramanujan, is a biography that I reread regularly, if only as an example of somebody who continued to do what he loved against all odds.",
          "reason": "Rereads it for its example of pursuing what one loves despite obstacles.",
          "audience": "Readers facing frustration with math or programming problems.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135906,
          "author": "fogus",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-13T12:45:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135906",
          "commentText": "Off the top of my head:\n- Soul of a New Machine\n- The Cuckoo's Egg\n- Revolution in the Valley\n- Fire in the Valley\n- Compilers by Sethi, Ullman, Aho\n- Masters of Doom\n- iWoz\n- Steve Jobs & the NeXT Big Thing\n- Crypto\n- Code\n- The Man Who Loved Only Numbers\n- The Man Who Knew Infinity\n- ANSI Common LISP\nMost of the books above are recommended because once reading them you will have an uncontrollable urge to immediately create something brilliant.  You will not be able to stop yourself.\n-m",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The Man Who Knew Infinity",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter recommends for their motivating effect.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computing and creating things.",
          "caveat": "The claimed effect is an uncontrollable urge to create something brilliant.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Kanigel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "srinivasa ramanujan",
        "mathematical biography",
        "mathematicians"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-maniac-0d111e",
      "title": "The Maniac",
      "author": "Benjamín Labatut",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48983542,
          "author": "rochansinha",
          "createdAt": "2026-07-20T19:14:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 48981842,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favourite science history book of the 20th century?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48983542",
          "commentText": "The Maniac, by Benjamin Labatut. It’s a fictionalised biography of John von Nuemann and the birth of artificial intelligence. Amazing , surreal and unique",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Maniac, by Benjamin Labatut. It’s a fictionalised biography of John von Nuemann and the birth of artificial intelligence. Amazing , surreal and unique",
          "reason": "A fictionalized biography of John von Neumann and the birth of artificial intelligence; the commenter calls it amazing, surreal, and unique.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in John von Neumann and the origins of AI.",
          "caveat": "Fictionalized biography; described as surreal.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42509643,
          "author": "balancesoggy",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T16:47:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42509643",
          "commentText": "Mostly non fiction\nThe Vortex by carney and miklian\nFlying Blind by Peter Robison \nThe Maniac by Benjamin Labatut",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Maniac by Benjamin Labatut",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42268698,
          "author": "apignotti",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T21:39:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268698",
          "commentText": "Benjamín Labatut - The Maniac, a novelized biography about the mathematician and computer science pioneer John von Neumann.\nThe story of his life was absolute fascinating for me, unfortunately the last part of the book attempts a connection with the development of Alpha Go / reinforcement learning that should have been avoided.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Benjamín Labatut - The Maniac, a novelized biography",
          "reason": "The commenter found the story fascinating but says its final connection to AlphaGo and reinforcement learning should have been avoided.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Criticizes the book's final section connecting the story to AlphaGo and reinforcement learning.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Benjamín Labatut"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "john von neumann",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "historical fiction",
        "novelized biography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mind-s-i-22f95e",
      "title": "The Mind's I",
      "author": "Douglas Hofstadter and Daniel Dennett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13805987,
          "author": "PaulAJ",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T20:57:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805987",
          "commentText": "You might like to read \"The Minds I\", a collection of philosopy edited by Hofstadter & Dennett. It has a number of pieces that address this issue pretty directly, including \"Non Serviam\" by Stanislaw Lem. In it the writer describes the fictional field of \"personics\" (we would say \"artificial life\") and considers the role of a human experimenter in creating artificially intelligent beings that inhabit a virtual world in a computer. From there it considers the question of what rights and obligations creator and creation have to each other. For instance, what would we think of a human who created such a virtual world and then demanded that the inhabitants worship their creator?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You might like to read \"The Minds I\", a collection of philosopy edited by Hofstadter & Dennett.",
          "reason": "Suggested for its pieces that address the issue directly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674287,
          "author": "wensheng",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T11:56:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674287",
          "commentText": "The Mind's I, by Douglas Hofstadter and Daniel Dennett\nBlowed my mind when I read the Chinese translation of this book 25 years ago in College.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blowed my mind when I read the Chinese translation of this book",
          "reason": "Says the book blew their mind.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026506,
          "author": "paulgb",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T00:30:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026506",
          "commentText": "The best book I read in 2009 was The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. It's surprisingly accessible (I've never taken a biology class), and talks a lot about evolutionary game theory which I found fascinating.\nSome other books I read last year:\nHow the Mind Works by Steven Pinker. It was a great book, Pinker's writing is accessible and entertaining. Much more so than On Intelligence by Jeff Hawkins.\nMore with Less: Paul MacCready and the Dream of Efficient Flight by Paul Ciotti. I really enjoyed this one, it was the story of the first team to cross the English channel with human-powered flight.\nWhat the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell. I liked this one better than Gladwell's other books. There is less theorizing and arguing a point and more telling stories, which is what Gladwell excels at.\nThe Mind's I by Douglas Hofstadter and Daniel Dennett. If you are patient with what is sometimes (in my humble opinion) pointlessly arguing semantics, some of the sections are interesting.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If you are patient with what is sometimes (in my humble opinion) pointlessly arguing semantics, some of the sections are interesting.",
          "reason": "Finds some sections interesting but objects to portions that argue semantics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some sections are, in the commenter's view, pointlessly arguing semantics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Hofstadter",
        "Daniel Dennett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consciousness",
        "philosophy of mind",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "mind"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-miracle-of-mindfulness-015230",
      "title": "The Miracle of Mindfulness",
      "author": "Thich Nhat Hanh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14486662,
          "author": "Anand_S",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T11:04:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14486662",
          "commentText": "1. The One Thing. ~ Gary Keller\n2. Mini Habits. ~ Stephen Guise\n3. Learned Optimism. ~ Martin Seligman\n4. Spark. ~ John Ratey\n5. Miracle of Mindfulness. ~ Thich nhat hanh",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "5. Miracle of Mindfulness. ~ Thich nhat hanh",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10218325,
          "author": "olivierntk",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-15T00:32:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10218325",
          "commentText": "Any books from Thich Nhat Hanh.\nThe miracle of mindfulness, No mud/No Lotus, How to Love ...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The miracle of mindfulness",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4787936,
          "author": "SuperChihuahua",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T10:10:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787936",
          "commentText": "Coders at work\nThe numbers behind Numb3rs\nStatistical methods in counterterrorism\nTotal recall (the biography by Schwarzenegger)\nFrom dictatorship to democracy (available for free here: http://www.aeinstein.org/organizations98ce.html)\nThe miracle of mindfulness\nThe design of everyday things\nEscape from camp 14",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The miracle of mindfulness",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thich Nhat Hanh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mindfulness",
        "meditation",
        "buddhism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mistborn-trilogy-cc28ea",
      "title": "The Mistborn Trilogy",
      "author": "Brandon Sanderson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18663282,
          "author": "bun_at_work",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:22:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663282",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction:\n- Factfulness by Hans Rosling\n- The War on Science by Shawn Otto\n- Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell\n- A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson\n- The Storm Before the Storm by Mike Duncan\n- The Enigma of Reason by Hugo Mercier\nFiction:\n- And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie\n- The Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson\n- The Magicians by Lev Grossman\nThe non-fiction books were all incredible and highly recommended. I especially appreciate The War on Science as it is highly relevant in today's polarized and emotional political climate.\nThe fiction books were good, for the most part. However, The Magicians might be the worst book I have ever read, not limited to fiction or fantasy. For more on that, ask.\nI managed to read significantly more books this year due to joining an at-work book club, which has been very nice.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The fiction books were good, for the most part.",
          "reason": "Included among the fiction books the commenter describes as good for the most part.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter qualifies their positive view of the fiction list as a whole.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17050444,
          "author": "pc2g4d",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T20:06:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17050444",
          "commentText": "As a person who's gone through something comparable in recent years, I will first recommend that you seek out a community of people undergoing a similar shift in worldview. There may be podcasts, forums, blogs, etc. where people who previously held your same worldview are processing their transition after finding \"that a lot of the things that [they] used to believe were false\". For me this has been immensely helpful.\nNow some introspective books:\n* The Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. If you're open to fantasy, this series delves deep into how to respond when one's worldview is shattered. Highly recommended. Elantris also covers some similar territory.\n* The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius. How do you reconcile the whims of capricious Fortune with your desire for peace in this world?\n* Bonds That Make Us Free by Terry Warner. This book makes you take a brutal look at how you contribute to your own misery in life. It will be agonizing to read, but persevere and I believe you will find it insightful. Try not to be too turned off by the conservative religious viewpoint that occasionally peeks through.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. If you're open to fantasy, this series delves deep into how to respond when one's worldview is shattered. Highly recommended.",
          "reason": "Highly recommended for exploring how to respond when one's worldview is shattered.",
          "audience": "Readers open to fantasy and thinking about a changed worldview.",
          "caveat": "If you're open to fantasy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10787117,
          "author": "brikis98",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T04:27:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787117",
          "commentText": "My full list of books, including reviews, is here: https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2015\nFrom that list, my favorite ones were:\nThe Four Steps to the Epiphany: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/827338560\nMade to Stick: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/897777811\nHow to Measure Anything: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/698402984\nThe Non-Designer's Design Book: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1170518622\nMasters of Doom: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/899580915\nThe Martian: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1136330196\nThe Mistborn Trilogy: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1388373037",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mistborn Trilogy",
          "reason": "Explicitly listed among the commenter's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brandon Sanderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "allomancy",
        "magic systems",
        "worldview change"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mote-in-god-s-eye-017dac",
      "title": "The Mote in God's Eye",
      "author": "Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36023095,
          "author": "thriftwy",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T17:34:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36023095",
          "commentText": "I'm highly confused by the popularity of Blindsight, but don't want to make a big deal of it.\nInstead, I will point out that \"The Mote in God's Eye\" has a quite similar setting and is overall one of the best S-F books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Mote in God's Eye\" has a quite similar setting and is overall one of the best S-F books.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the best science fiction books and notes its similar setting to Blindsight.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17537852,
          "author": "rektide",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T00:15:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537852",
          "commentText": "Central Station by Lavie Tidhar is an amazing charming story of a world deeply steeped old sitting baking world where new things are coming about. It is charm & delight in the purest & simplest.\nSpin by Robert Charles Wilson. \"Robert Charles Wilson is a hell of a storyteller,\" said Stephen King and this wonderful tour through time and space, humanity & people's lives is incredible.\nThe Quantum Thief series by Hannu Rajaniemi is open, scenic, wild, & so so vivid, one of the most beautiful worlds I've ever visited, & it reminds me so much of a joyous wild swashbuckling run. The mystery of the main character is enchanting.\nInfoquake series by David Louis Edelson is a gripping suspenseful rise of a star entrepreneur that redefines and radically expands the world, amid an already boisterous & full & busy beautiful world already overflowing in seamless technology everywhere. Although the plot line whips along with some suspense & tension, the scenery and the voyage is incredible.\nLathe of Heaven by Ursala Le Guin could quite easily, quite simply be the best first contact story story ever. Touching, and sincere, & simple. This world is not bright and shiny but her writing and the bonding of characters is incredible. See also the rest of the Hainish cycle.\nLeft Hand of Darkness also by Ursala Le Guin is a shifting chaotic shizmatic tale, about picking our fates. \"Well, I did it through dreams. Phil would have done it another way. But yeah, homage to Phil [K.] Dick is right.\"\n- https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/a... (https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/all/)\nFallen Dragon is an early & involved Peter Hamilton adventure book. There's leaving home, & space ships, more space ships, bad guys, fighting back the bad guys, bigger ships, and action. There is A LOT going on, all the time, & violence, but damn this book comes together into something incredible, & telling, & powerful & strong, something that easily makes it my top pick for most-underappreciated Peter Hamilton.\nDiamond Age by Neal Stephenson, which I'm providing largely as a counterweight to the Snowcrash & Sevenses recommendations here. Diamond Age is much less dark, and way more a fun tail about an incredible & mysterious primer for a young lady.\nSirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut.\nAll Systems Red series by Martha Wells is a underprivileged barely coping robot dealing with the humans she hates having to talk to & a shitty planet trying to kill them. Simple, fun, some action & violence, but the main character is a total hoot the whole time with more loner/zero/drop-out attitude & spunk than anything I've read & it's unbelievably charming.\nLords of Light by Roger Zelazny has more style, pizzaz, & spirit than I feel like any of us deserve. An interesting, storied tale from the post-singularity, with a remarkable & robust cast.\nIllium/Olympos by Dan Simmons, are, in my mind still the clear winner, far above Hyperion. The cast is charming beyond belief, stumbling through a world they both know all too much about & far far too little. Some really incredible worldbuilding here.\nRainbow's End by Vernor Vinge. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE A Fire Upon the Deep. But Rainbow's End really is our planet, sometime not far out, and Vinge has the most tour of this next place we're headed, with threads, and annotations, and group chat being the defining new technologies of humanity. And the tale of the misfit happenstance adventurers who wind up ensnared in the plot line is a fun, roving hoot of a journey, a wonderful second chance at a coming of age story.\nMedusa Chronicles by two of my favorites, Alastair Reynolds & Stephen Baxter is probably my favorite exploring the solar system book, about a guy/robot a bit apart from humanity that really wants to see what the local area has to offer. A lot of high tension conflicting societal impulses that our somewhat aloof lead stumbles through, on his personal mission of exploration. Lots of interesting robot philosophy & very varied elements of space come together with the characters to make an incredibly fun space epic, set in a delightful & intriguing alternative history\nOther's recommendations I'd +1: Dune (but super heady material), The Stars My Destination (brimming with class & substance), Mote in God's Eye (some of the best Space Colonial Marines style stuff out there), Accelerando (and Iron Sky and ... overflowing playful scifi), Blue Ant series (dripping with style), Foundation series (and much more Asimov!), Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy (simple direct exciting hunt for treasure in Star Wars), Fuzzy Nation (fun tale)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mote in God's Eye (some of the best Space Colonial Marines style stuff out there)",
          "reason": "Calls it some of the best space-colonial-military fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8622265,
          "author": "dllthomas",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-18T03:42:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8622265",
          "commentText": "A single book?  Impossible.  I don't think I could even name my favorite Zelazny or PKD.  Many of the works of both are in the running.  As is \"Dune\", for sure.  Possibly \"Snow Crash\". \"Protector\" might not quite make the cut, but comes somewhat close - from my recollection it was my favorite Niven (not counting short stories)...  I'm currently finally getting around to \"The Mote In God's Eye\".  Further back, \"Foundation\" was pretty amazing, and I've a bit of a soft spot for \"Childhood's End\".  Bester's \"The Demolished Man\" is well worth a read, but I think also doesn't quite make the cut.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm currently finally getting around to \"The Mote In God's Eye\".",
          "reason": "Mentions currently reading it without expressing an evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109318,
          "author": "dllthomas",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:47:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109318",
          "commentText": "In terms of studying, I'm revisiting Topics In Algebra and starting on SICP.\nIn terms of leisure, I'm starting on A Mote In God's Eye (Niven/Pournelle).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm starting on A Mote In God's Eye (Niven/Pournelle).",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140475,
          "author": "mattculbreth",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T02:39:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140475",
          "commentText": "The Mote In God's Eye, Niven & Pournelle",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mote In God's Eye, Niven & Pournelle",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Larry Niven",
        "Jerry Pournelle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "alien civilization",
        "alien civilizations",
        "military science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-naked-ape-f871ba",
      "title": "The Naked Ape",
      "author": "Desmond Morris",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15159040,
          "author": "RockyMcNuts",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T00:36:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15159040",
          "commentText": "Well Pirsig's Zen and the other ones related to eastern religions and science, are around the idea that there is no locus of reality or meaning, the reality is how everything interrelates. It's kind of like word2vec, the context of other words and real-world situations in which each word is used tells you everything about what it means. Take away a particle's charge and mass and the other numbers we associate with it, and is it still a particle? Those numbers describe how it interacts and all we can really say about it is how it interacts. Plato was off the mark when he talked about the ideal form of different objects. There is no ideal form of a chair, except that chairness is an abstract idea about how things (asses and furniture) interact.\nThen I think that Grammatical Man and Penrose are around the nature of information, and what can be communicated and understood. And I sort of think that question is at the top of the tree of abstraction about what we think about. Then comes computer science and math which are about any symbolic systems or formal systems that can be computed and reasoned about. Then most everything else is applying those systems to various problems.\nThen I think The Naked Ape and Hayek and Flow are around the notion that humans are their own thing. They are tribal and hierarchical and territorial and violent and not nearly as self-aware or even aware of our surroundings as we think we are. You get a lot more mileage out of just observing what they do than about listening to the rationalizations of why they say did it, things like God and blood and soil, i.e. superstitions and us-and-them-ing arbitrary physical features of a pack of mongrels and arbitrary lines on maps. Invitation to Sociology by Berger was another big one on those lines.\nAnd the Heilbroner and Durant are basically inventories of major mental models that people have come up with in philosophy and economics.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Naked Ape",
          "reason": "Groups it with books about human behavior and self-awareness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156316,
          "author": "RockyMcNuts",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:05:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156316",
          "commentText": "The Emperor's New Mind, by Roger Penrose\nThe Tao of Physics, by Fritjof Capra\nDancing Wu Li Masters, by Gary Zukav\nThe Naked Ape, by Desmond Morris\nThe Road to Serfdom, by Friedrich Hayek\nThe Worldly Philosophers, by Robert Heilbroner\nThe Story of Philosophy, by Will Durant\nGrammatical Man, by Jeremy Campbell\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert M. Pirsig\nFlow, by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Naked Ape, by Desmond Morris",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which books had the biggest impact on mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752973,
          "author": "tomwalker",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T16:21:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752973",
          "commentText": "The Naked Ape is a fantastic read!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Naked Ape is a fantastic read!",
          "reason": "Calls it a fantastic read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026976,
          "author": "namin",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T08:42:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026976",
          "commentText": "The Naked Ape by Desmond Morris -- a zoological study of homo sapiens. A classic nicely supplemented by Our Inner Ape by Frans der Waal.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Naked Ape by Desmond Morris -- a zoological study of homo sapiens.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books others enjoyed and recommend.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in human zoology.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Desmond Morris"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Nature",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human behavior",
        "human evolution",
        "zoology",
        "anthropology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-new-jim-crow-mass-incarceration-in-the-age-of-colorblindness-75f3ac",
      "title": "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness",
      "author": "Michelle Alexander",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50119288,
          "author": "chistev",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T15:05:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50119288",
          "commentText": "1. Animal Farm by George Orwell\n2. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes [1]\n3. Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley\n4. I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette Mccurdy\n5. Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris\n6. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe [2]\n7. Cosmos by Carl Sagan\n8. The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution by Richard Dawkins [3]\n9. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson\n10. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander [4]\n11. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka\n12. Billions and Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium by Carl Sagan [5][6][7]\n13. Outgrowing God: A Beginner’s Guide to Atheism by Richard Dawkins\n[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50076596\n[2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47452253\n[3] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48326741\n[4] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49539535\n[5] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49751771\n[6] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49740712\n[7] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49739256",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander [4]",
          "reason": "Listed among books read repeatedly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5859308,
          "author": "garduque",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-11T02:47:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 5859004,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5859308",
          "commentText": "Finished James Altucher's Choose Yourself over the weekend.\nCurrently working on The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Currently working on The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3987484,
          "author": "omgsean",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-17T15:47:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3987484",
          "commentText": "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness (http://www.amazon.com/The-New-Crow-Incarceration-Colorblindn... (http://www.amazon.com/The-New-Crow-Incarceration-Colorblindness/dp/1595581030))",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for a great book read recently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michelle Alexander"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mass incarceration",
        "racial justice",
        "criminal justice",
        "race"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-new-turing-omnibus-sixty-six-excursions-in-computer-science-5f89c2",
      "title": "The New Turing Omnibus: Sixty-Six Excursions in Computer Science",
      "author": "A. K. Dewdney",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21312019,
          "author": "rawfool",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T13:32:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21312019",
          "commentText": "The New Turing Omnibus: Sixty-Six Excursions in Computer Science.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The New Turing Omnibus: Sixty-Six Excursions in Computer Science.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20729400,
          "author": "Protostome",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T10:30:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20729400",
          "commentText": "The New Turing Omnibus: Sixty-Six Excursions in Computer Science\nhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/0805071660",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The New Turing Omnibus: Sixty-Six Excursions in Computer Science",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135601,
          "author": "domnit",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T23:47:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135601",
          "commentText": "I haven't gotten through all of it, but I really like the New Turing Omnibus, by A.K. Dewdney. It's about computer science, not how to program, so it would be interesting to non-hackers, too. Even if you are familiar with all of its topics, it can serve as a reference and clarifying tool for CS concepts.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I haven't gotten through all of it, but I really like the New Turing Omnibus, by A.K. Dewdney. It's about computer science, not how to program, so it would be interesting to non-hackers, too. Even if you are familiar with all of its topics, it can serve as a reference and clarifying tool for CS concepts.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really like it and describes it as a reference and clarifying tool for computer science concepts.",
          "audience": "Non-hackers and readers interested in computer science concepts.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not gotten through all of it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "A. K. Dewdney"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer science",
        "computer science concepts",
        "reference"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-night-s-dawn-trilogy-f24f53",
      "title": "The Night's Dawn Trilogy",
      "author": "Peter F. Hamilton",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43613486,
          "author": "bloopernova",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T16:54:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43613486",
          "commentText": "The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors by James Hornfischer. The amazing courage shown by the US Navy sailors as their tiny 2,000 ton Destroyers and Destroyer Escorts faced a Japanese fleet of Battleships, Cruisers, and Destroyers at The Battle Off Samar. Inspiring and horrifying, the DDs and DEs of the US navy were protecting \"Escort Carriers\" which were smaller aircraft carriers made from cargo ship hulls. Warning, may inspire you to learn a whole bunch more about world war 2.\nAnd 2 books that sort of go together:\nIncredible Victory: The Battle of Midway by Walter Lord, and Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway by Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully. Read Incredible Victory first, learn about the luck, good and bad, that led to a much-needed victory in the Pacific. Then read Shattered Sword and get a fuller picture of events, especially from the Japanese side. Learn about how hubris and dogma led to the Japanese Navy's defeat. Then learn about how saving face led to history not being accurately told by the witnesses on the Japanese side.\nAll 3 are great books that are well worth your time.\nOthers that I've enjoyed:\nParable of the Sower by Octavia Butler (near future post-apocalyptic sci-fi).\nThe non-fiction Liberation Trilogy by Rick Atkinson (more WW2 non-fiction, nice details about North Africa through Italy, then France to Germany).\nMidnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham.\nMost Secret War by RV Jones (nerdy, funny history of one scientist's world war 2 experience).\nThe Discworld City Guard books, starting with Guards! Guards!, by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy fiction satire, hilarious and comforting. Highly, highly recommended!!\nPeter F Hamilton sci-fi adventure books: Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained are a duo of great space opera stretching across multiple planets and people. Don't spoil yourself by reading any descriptions of Judas Unchained before you read Pandora's Star. Also by the same author, The Night's Dawn Trilogy: The Reality Dysfunction, The Neutronium Alchemist, and The Naked God. Fantastic big canvas space opera with lots of threads, great world-building, and amazing situations. Both sets of books are highly recommended escapes from reality.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Night's Dawn Trilogy: The Reality Dysfunction, The Neutronium Alchemist, and The Naked God.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends this trilogy as a large-scale space opera escape.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy large-scale space opera with extensive world-building.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056639,
          "author": "Bzomak",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:47:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056639",
          "commentText": "Some which I have re-read recently and still enjoyed:\n  William Gibson's Sprawl trilogy\n\n  Frank Herbert's Dune series\n\n  Isaac Asimov's Foundation series\n\n  Frederik Pohl's \"Gateway\"\n\n  Robert Heinlein's \"The Moon is a harsh Mistress\"\n\nSome which I remember liking when I read them many years ago as a teenager:\n  E.E. Doc Smith's Lensman series\n\n  David Brin's Uplift series\n\n  Peter F. Hamilton's Greg Mandel trilogy and The Night's \nDawn trilogy\n  Orson Scott Card's \"Ender's Game\"\n\n  George R. Dickson's \"Dorsai!\"",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Night's \nDawn trilogy",
          "reason": "The commenter remembers liking it as a teenager.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Their recollection is from many years ago.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140427,
          "author": "doubleplus",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T01:43:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140427",
          "commentText": "The Night's Dawn Trilogy by Peter F. Hamilton",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Night's Dawn Trilogy by Peter F. Hamilton",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter F. Hamilton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "military science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-now-habit-af9d76",
      "title": "The Now Habit",
      "author": "Neil Fiore",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8107077,
          "author": "kilo_man",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T09:00:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107077",
          "commentText": "Just listing books that have had a big impact on me:\n* The Now Habit - http://www.amazon.com/dp/1585425524\n* Getting Things Done - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0142000280\n* Simply Christian - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061920622\n* Surprised by Hope - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061551821\n* The Great Divorce - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060652950\n* Mere Christianity - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060652926\n* The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - http://www.amazon.com/dp/048629823X\n* Tao Te Ching - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060812451\nBooks from the Bible that I like:\n* Genesis\n* Judges\n* Ruth\n* Tobit\n* Job\n* Psalms\n* Ecclesiastes\n* Sirach/Ecclesiasticus\n* Everything written by John",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Now Habit",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter says have had a big impact on them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6976571,
          "author": "plainOldText",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T21:03:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976571",
          "commentText": "I don't think there's just a single book that changed my life, however there's this one book that changed my perspective on procrastination and personal productivity. And being more productive can be pretty life changing IMHO. The book's name is The Now Habit, BTW.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book's name is The Now Habit, BTW.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed their perspective on procrastination and personal productivity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5337382,
          "author": "ianox",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-07T13:12:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 5323956,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: which are some good self-help books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5337382",
          "commentText": "The Now Habit - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Now-Habit-Overcoming-Procrastination... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Now-Habit-Overcoming-Procrastination-Guilt-free/dp/1585425524/)\nMind Hacks: Tips and Tricks for Using Your Brain - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mind-Hacks-Tricks-Using-Brain/dp/059... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mind-Hacks-Tricks-Using-Brain/dp/0596007795/)\nMind Performance Hacks: Tips & Tools for Overclocking Your Brain - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mind-Performance-Hacks-Tools-Overclo... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mind-Performance-Hacks-Tools-Overclocking/dp/0596101538/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Now Habit",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neil Fiore"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "procrastination",
        "productivity",
        "habit change"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-origins-of-political-order-from-prehuman-times-to-the-french--4e191b",
      "title": "The Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution",
      "author": "Francis Fukuyama",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23859036,
          "author": "jnsaff2",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:57:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859036",
          "commentText": "The Origins of Political Order: From prehuman times to the French Revolution by Francis Fukuyama\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Origins_of_Political_Ord... (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Origins_of_Political_Order)\nThe Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York By Robert Caro\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Power_Broker",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Origins of Political Order: From prehuman times to the French Revolution by Francis Fukuyama",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910652,
          "author": "Symmetry",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T17:04:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910652",
          "commentText": "The Secret of Our Success on the co-evolution of humans and human culture.\nThe Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution on what are states, where do they come from, and how do they work?\nThe Vital Question: Energy, Evolution, and the Origins of Complex Life is just what it says on the tin.\nThe Strategy of Conflict is the original book on game theory which stands up pretty well.\nConsciousness and the Brain: Deciphering How the Brain Codes Our Thoughts on the modern science of what we know about what consciousness is.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "what are states, where do they come from, and how do they work?",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10028169,
          "author": "guelo",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T18:19:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10028169",
          "commentText": "The best history book I've read is The Origins of Political Order. Disguised as an academic political science book it is a sweeping history of human civilization starting in China and going through Arab and European states. It is chock full of intersting facts and surprising theories and implications for today.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The best history book I've read is The Origins of Political Order.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the best history book they have read and praises its sweep, facts, and theories.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Francis Fukuyama"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "state formation",
        "civilization",
        "political development",
        "political history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-outsider-1438b8",
      "title": "The Outsider",
      "author": "Albert Camus",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31973110,
          "author": "plaguepilled",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-04T03:07:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31973110",
          "commentText": "Quantum Field Theory by Peskin and Schroeder. There are many things in that book I could make into a standalone project that could occupy years at a time.\nSome other picks:\nThe Man in The High Castle by Phil K. Dick. The Plague or The Outsider by Albert Camus. City of Thieves by David Benioff.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Outsider",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s other book picks.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13805607,
          "author": "jimnotgym",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T20:05:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805607",
          "commentText": "The Plague and The Outsider by Albert Camus. Taught me my place in the world",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Plague and The Outsider by Albert Camus. Taught me my place in the world",
          "reason": "Says the book taught them their place in the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503560,
          "author": "igravious",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T12:51:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503560",
          "commentText": "It is with joy that I answer your question. And if I may be allowed to answer it philosophically. The books you find incredibly interesting may be the books the validate your worldview. There are many of these. The book you find eye-opening may be the books that open the door into the world of philosophy proper for you. There are not many of these because you only need to go through that door once I feel.\nAlso, I would observe that besides Ayn Rand (who for many is not a philosopher) not a single female philosopher has been mentioned here which I find is a damning indictment on the state of affairs of the world of ideas. To remedy that I would recommend to you read A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft or anything by De Beauvoir (and do ignore her contemporary Sartre for he was nothing but a windbag).\nI am delighted that you singled out Thomas Paine (who again is not a philosopher as such; must be something in the air in the States) and Arthur Schopenhauer. They are both tremendous stylists. I've said this many times before - I don't care how great a philosopher's ideas are, if they can't write well I don't want to know. Thus we have people here recommending Kripke or Frege or heck knows who like that who bludgeon you to death with their tedious logic. Avoid them I say.\nFinally I would like to be clichéd and recommend anything by Nietzsche except for Thus Spake Zarathustra even though he himself considered it his best work and I would especially recommend Ecce Homo by him because it is a summation of his previous works by his own hand. Nietzsche was the supreme stylist and ruthlessly honest and fearless. Also I'd recommend A Short Treatise on the Great Virtues by a contemporary philosopher André Comte-Sponville. This is a remarkable book on virtue theory that takes in Aristotle, Spinoza, Nietzsche and Woody Allen among others and is divided up by virtue which is extremely novel. It is fantastically written. Anything by Cioran as well such as The Trouble with Being Born. I'm trying not to typecast myself here! :)\nAnd finally finally Sophie's World and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance while nice cute books are not true philosophy books. This is also why I wouldn't recommend Camus' The Outsider though someone did mention The Myth of Sisyphus. Borges falls into this category. Sophie's world is really a kid's book as well and one that I would perhaps recommend to children though I'd recommend Borges or Camus or Kafka first.\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Vindication-Rights-Woman-Penguin-Cla... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vindication-Rights-Woman-Penguin-Classics/dp/0141441259)\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Second-Sex-Vintage-classics/dp/00997... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Second-Sex-Vintage-classics/dp/009974421X)\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Penguin-Great-Ideas-Suffering-World/... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Penguin-Great-Ideas-Suffering-World/dp/0141018941)\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Ecce-Homo-Becomes-Penguin-Classics/d... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ecce-Homo-Becomes-Penguin-Classics/dp/0140445153)\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Short-Treatise-Great-Virtues-Philoso... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Short-Treatise-Great-Virtues-Philosophy/dp/0099437988)\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Trouble-Being-Born-E-M-Cioran/dp/155... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Trouble-Being-Born-E-M-Cioran/dp/1559704624)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "This is also why I wouldn't recommend Camus' The Outsider",
          "reason": "Explicitly says they would not recommend it as a philosophy book.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for philosophy books.",
          "caveat": "The comment distinguishes it from philosophy books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Albert Camus"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "existentialism",
        "absurdism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-passionate-programmer-10fae0",
      "title": "The Passionate Programmer",
      "author": "Chad Fowler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8109037,
          "author": "mkaziz",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:08:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109037",
          "commentText": "The Passionate Programmer.\nI read it in college, and now that I'm reading it again with a full time job, it's amazing how much better it reads.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Passionate Programmer. I read it in college, and now that I'm reading it again with a full time job, it's amazing how much better it reads.",
          "reason": "Says it reads much better now that they have full-time work experience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7756868,
          "author": "killnine",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:09:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7756868",
          "commentText": "I've recently read The Passionate Programmer and was rather disappointed.\nThe book has a few very valuable insights. For the most part it reads like a series of blog posts from a slightly experienced developer.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I've recently read The Passionate Programmer and was rather disappointed. The book has a few very valuable insights.",
          "reason": "The commenter was disappointed overall, while noting a few valuable insights.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says much of it reads like blog posts from a slightly experienced developer.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2524470,
          "author": "awa",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-07T20:20:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 2524205,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books for soon to be Software Engineers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2524470",
          "commentText": "The Passionate programmer [Pragmatic series] - On how to develop yourself as a programmer\nCoders at work - For inspiration",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Passionate programmer [Pragmatic series]",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Software engineers developing their careers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 766772,
          "author": "abesapien",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-16T21:20:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=766772",
          "commentText": "Code Complete 2nd edition is a good and interesting book about programming in general. I also recommend these two because they are much lighter reads, and maybe better for a vacation: \"The Passionate Programmer\" and also \"Masterminds of Programming: Conversations with the Creators of Major Programming Languages\".\nAnother thing you could do is find some great piece of software by a well know Python hacker and read his code lol. You could put that code in some readable format on your Kindle, PDA, or Smartphone.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also recommend these two because they are much lighter reads, and maybe better for a vacation: \"The Passionate Programmer\"",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it as a lighter read, possibly better suited to vacation.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking lighter vacation reading about programming.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may be better for vacation; this is a comparative suggestion.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chad Fowler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software careers",
        "career development",
        "professional development",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-pleasures-and-sorrows-of-work-39ae0a",
      "title": "The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work",
      "author": "Alain de Botton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1752323,
          "author": "alatkins",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T07:35:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752323",
          "commentText": "A while back I read The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work by Alain de Botton, and enjoyed it immensly. de Botton has a real philosophical bent, and profiled a number of different occupations, and makes a lot of really insightful observations about the modern workforce. Can't recommend it highly enough.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A while back I read The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work by Alain de Botton, and enjoyed it immensly. de Botton has a real philosophical bent, and profiled a number of different occupations, and makes a lot of really insightful observations about the modern workforce. Can't recommend it highly enough.",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed it, praises its observations, and strongly recommends it.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in work, occupations, and the modern workforce.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1632710,
          "author": "timruffles",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T13:06:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1632710",
          "commentText": "Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, R Pirsig\nRecently each of Alain de Botton's books (Status Anxiety, Pleasures and Sorrows of Work and Essays on Love) had a valuable lesson to teach.\nAlexander Pope's 'Essay on Criticism' (poem, not a book) was one the first poems that I gleaned something from, and that opened up a whole new library of potential reads.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pleasures and Sorrows of Work",
          "reason": "Says it had a valuable lesson to teach.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027286,
          "author": "brown9-2",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T15:27:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027286",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction:\nCoders at Work by Peter Siebel and Founders at Work by Jessica Livingston - I loved reading about the founder's stories and first-hand perspectives of notable programmers.\nThe Pleasures and Sorrows of Work by Alain de Botton - really interesting perspective on \"work\" and various types of careers and people that find happiness in them/work itself.\nSuperfreakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner - even if you don't agree with their arguments or think that the authors are all fluff, I think that their writing style is exceptionally clear and easy to understand.\nThe Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb - some really interesting ideas and analysis, although the book could have been 1/2 as short\nFiction:\nAnathem by Neal Stephenson - starts out slow but after the first 200 pages it became a really great story that I couldn't put down.\nLife of Pi by Yann Martel - loved the main story of the book, the controversial ending didn't bother me too much because I don't feel like it takes away from the story at all.\nThe Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson - cheap fun and suspenseful\nThe Road by Cormac McCarthy - I don't think much needs to be said about this book\nWhite Tiger by Aravind Adiga - extremely interesting and gripping novel about a side of the world most of us Westerners never see\nHitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams - finally read this classic. I read the \"Ultimate Edition\" which contains all 5 of Adams' novel, loved the first one but the story felt like it started to putter out by the third.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "really interesting perspective on \"work\" and various types of careers",
          "reason": "Calls its perspective on work and careers interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alain de Botton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "work",
        "careers",
        "meaning of work",
        "occupational profiles"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-power-of-full-engagement-02c740",
      "title": "The Power of Full Engagement",
      "author": "Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10785820,
          "author": "nkzednan",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T21:37:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785820",
          "commentText": "Riyria Revelations trilogy - quite good. Follows two thieves for hire. Read the books in publication order\nReady player one - liked it\nsamurai's garden\nExpanse series by James Corey entertaining\nSteelheart and Firefight by Sanderson- good but like Mistborn better\nWorm online serial parahumans good\nNonfiction I read: Delivering happiness, Drive, Power of Habit, Power of full engagement",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Delivering happiness, Drive, Power of Habit, Power of full engagement",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8026433,
          "author": "tempestn",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-13T02:23:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 8025870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8026433",
          "commentText": "Just started The Power of Full Engagement by Tony Schwartz and Jim Loehr.  I believe it was recommended here a while ago.  Starts off a bit weak, spending too much time almost trying to sell you the book it feels like, rather than getting down to what it's actually all about - you know the type, like those \"motivational\" videos that spend an hour talking about how great it works and how many people have changed their life without ever actually saying what the ___ \"it\" is.  But it's not as bad as those, and I'm hopeful that as it gets into the real content it will be useful, since their general framework makes a lot of sense.  (The key tenant being to focus on managing energy rather than time.)\nI'm also eagerly awaiting the next Patrick Rothfuss Kingkiller Chronicle book.  (Despite the low-fantasy sounding name, the series is excellent.  I think it's probably the only fantasy series I would strongly recommend people pick up despite the fact that it's not finished yet.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Starts off a bit weak, spending too much time almost trying to sell you the book",
          "reason": "The opening feels weak and overly promotional, but the commenter hopes its useful content will make it worthwhile.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The opening spends too much time selling the book; the commenter is hopeful but has not yet assessed the main content.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3277849,
          "author": "technology",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T18:47:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3277849",
          "commentText": "The Minto Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing, Thinking, & Problem Solving by Barbara Minto (http://www.amazon.com/Pyramid-Principle-Writing-Thinking-Pro... (http://www.amazon.com/Pyramid-Principle-Writing-Thinking-Problem/dp/0960191046))\nSome Mental Models are available here for free :\nhttp://www.focusinvestor.com/FocusSeriesPart3.pdf\nhttp://www.focusinvestor.com/MungerModels.pdf\nFor systems :\nLean Thinking by James Womack\n--------------\nSome thought provoking personal effectiveness titles :\nThe Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz (http://www.amazon.com/Four-Agreements-Practical-Personal-Fre... (http://www.amazon.com/Four-Agreements-Practical-Personal-Freedom/dp/1878424319))\nThe Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less by Barry Schwartz (http://www.amazon.com/Paradox-Choice-Why-More-Less/dp/006000... (http://www.amazon.com/Paradox-Choice-Why-More-Less/dp/0060005696/))\nThe Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz",
          "reason": "Listed among personal effectiveness titles in response to a request for books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2615795,
          "author": "Sodaware",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T10:29:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2615795",
          "commentText": "Currently reading The Power of Full Engagement (after hearing about it on HN). It's not bad, and has already encouraged me to look at my eating & working habits.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's not bad, and has already encouraged me to look at my eating & working habits.",
          "reason": "Says it is not bad and that it has encouraged reflection on eating and work habits.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The evaluation is mild.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "energy management",
        "performance",
        "well being",
        "work habits"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-practice-of-programming-59ba8a",
      "title": "The Practice of Programming",
      "author": "Brian W. Kernighan, Rob Pike",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41388166,
          "author": "noufalibrahim",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T07:13:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41388166",
          "commentText": "I think it makes sense to create a book list and have a yearly target for them. One book a month is reasonable for medium sized books. HEre are some that I found useful.\n1. The Practice of Programming\n2. Programming Pearls\n3. Go Programming Language\n4. Architecture of Open Source applications - https://aosabook.org/en/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1. The Practice of Programming",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter found useful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40280027,
          "author": "sedawk",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-06T22:02:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40280027",
          "commentText": "In no particular order...\n0. Made in Japan: Akio Morita and Sony, by Akio Morita, Edwin M. Reingold, Mitsuko Shimomura\n1. The Practice of Programming (TPOP) , by Brian W. Kernighan, Rob Pike\n2. Wings of Fire, by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Arun Tiwari",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Practice of Programming (TPOP) , by Brian W. Kernighan, Rob Pike",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2524343,
          "author": "rw",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-07T19:14:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 2524205,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books for soon to be Software Engineers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2524343",
          "commentText": "I strongly recommend both of these:\n  * The Practice Of Programming (co-authored by the 'K' in C's K&R)\n  * Code Complete 2",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Practice Of Programming",
          "reason": "The commenter strongly recommends it.",
          "audience": "New software engineers transitioning from school to industry.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian W. Kernighan",
        "Rob Pike"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming",
        "programming practice"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-red-queen-sex-and-the-evolution-of-human-nature-f0f50c",
      "title": "The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature",
      "author": "Matt Ridley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41769414,
          "author": "cambaceres",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T18:39:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41769414",
          "commentText": "I read The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and Les Misérables by Victor Hugo and I loved both of them, can recommend.\nSeveneves is an amazing book, just make sure you skip the last part.\nIf you are into history I can recommend The last days of the Incas by Kim MaqQuarrie, it's just an insanely interesting description on how the Incas was conquered, it feels like you're there man.\nIf you like evolutionary biology/phsycology then check out The Red Queen - Sex and the evolution of human Nature by Matt Ridley.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Red Queen - Sex and the evolution of human Nature by Matt Ridley.",
          "reason": "Recommended for readers interested in evolutionary biology and psychology.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in evolutionary biology or psychology.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15960988,
          "author": "briga",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T15:51:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15960988",
          "commentText": "A few of the best were:\nWhat Technology Wants by Kevin Kelly. A really profound and interesting look into what technology is. Technology evolves through the same sort of Darwinian process that life evolves. Technology is in some sense alive, and Kelly's perspective on it is wonderfully refreshing. I also read his book Out of Control, which is fantastic.\nSapiens by Yuval Harari. Enough people are talking about this one that I don't have to say much, suffice it to say it's a fascinating look into human history a la Guns, Germs, and Steel.\nThe Lucifer Principle by Howard Bloom. If you're a fan of Harari you'll love this one. It's an alternative scientific look at evil, and how evil appears to be encoded into our species.\nHyperspace by Michio Kaku. Kaku is an amazing popular science writer bar none and this is his exploration of modern physics and string theory. The most concise and understandable explanation of modern physics I've read, which is part for the course with Kaku.\nRed Queen by Matt Ridley. A fascinating look at sex, and why the human sex drive, and therefore human  nature, is the way it is.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A fascinating look at sex, and why the human sex drive, and therefore human  nature, is the way it is.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a fascinating account of sex and human nature.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in human sexuality and evolution.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13828716,
          "author": "villmann",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-09T12:06:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13828716",
          "commentText": "The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins;\nRed Queen, Matt Ridley;\nSperm Wars, Robin Baker;\nRead in that order, the books explain much of what is going on in our society and lives. This has enabled me to to analyse my own, and others, actions and motives.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Red Queen, Matt Ridley;",
          "reason": "Included in a list whose order the commenter says explains much about society and people's lives.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matt Ridley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolutionary biology",
        "evolutionary psychology",
        "human nature",
        "human sexuality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-reign-of-quantity-and-the-signs-of-the-times-c960d0",
      "title": "The Reign of Quantity and the Signs of the Times",
      "author": "René Guénon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40283141,
          "author": "kkoncevicius",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T07:07:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40283141",
          "commentText": "The Reign of Quantity and the Signs of the Times - Rene Guenon (1945).\nAn esoteric book that summarises everything as a direction which moves away from quality and towards quantity. Here is an excerpt that uses this system to analyse modern workplace anonymity:\n\"[...] tendency to uniformity demands that individuals shall be treated as mere numerical 'units', thus realizing equality by a leveling down, for that is the only direction in which equality can be reached 'in the limit' [...] Anyone who wonders what happens to the individual in such conditions will find that [...] he is so to speak reduced to his substantial aspect, and this amounts to saying that he becomes scarcely more than [...] 'a body without a soul'. From such an individual the qualitative or essential aspect has indeed almost disappeared ('almost', because the limit can never actually be reached); and [...] the individual really no longer has any 'name' that belongs to him, because he is emptied of the qualities which that name should express; he is thus really 'anonymous', but in the inferior sense of the word. This is the anonymity of the 'masses' of which the individual is part and in which he loses himself, those 'masses' that are no more than a collection of similar individuals, regarded purely and simply as so many arithmetical 'units'. 'Units' of that sort can be counted, and the collectivity they make up can thus be numerically evaluated, the result being by definition only a quantity; but in no way can each one of them be given a denomination indicating that he is distinguished from the others by some qualitative difference.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Reign of Quantity and the Signs of the Times - Rene Guenon (1945).",
          "reason": "Describes its thesis as a movement away from quality toward quantity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes it as an esoteric book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23858990,
          "author": "omarchowdhury",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:53:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858990",
          "commentText": "The Crisis of the Modern World and The Reign of Quantity and the Signs of the Times by René Guénon.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Reign of Quantity and the Signs of the Times by René Guénon.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467422,
          "author": "KKPMW",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:22:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467422",
          "commentText": "\"The problems of philosophy\" by Bertrand Russell. ~8 times.\n\"The abolition of man\" by \"C.S. Lewis\" 3 times.\n\"The Reign of Quantity and the Signs of the Times\" by René Guénon. 3 times, and planning to set a weekend for another re-read soon.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Reign of Quantity and the Signs of the Times\" by René Guénon. 3 times, and planning to set a weekend for another re-read soon.",
          "reason": "Reports three readings and plans another reread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "René Guénon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "traditionalism",
        "modernity",
        "esotericism",
        "metaphysics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ride-of-a-lifetime-63027d",
      "title": "The Ride of a Lifetime",
      "author": "Robert Iger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25319338,
          "author": "wmoser",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T23:08:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319338",
          "commentText": "Since you called out working on a container ship, a lot of these have a nautical bent but that’s an area of my personal interest as well.\nLooking for a ship, John McPhee,\nBook about a sailor looking for work and eventually catching a ship.\nBorn A Crime, Trevor Noah, not about another career but Apertheid South Africa, I enjoyed it and wished I would have read it before traveling through S.A. For work.\nDon’t Tell mum I work on the rigs, she thinks I’m a piano player in a whorehouse, by Paul Carter, read this one awhile ago but it’s about an oil well driller.  The industry has changed quite a bit since this book was written but I remember really enjoying it.\nSalvage: a personal odyssey by Ian Tew. I enjoyed this book about a a salvage master out of Singapore\nThe ride of a lifetime by Robert Iger, book about Iger’s journey to being CEO of Walt Disney Company. A bit of insight to what the company executives are doing/ supposed to be doing?\nQuench Your Own Thirst, Jim Koch, the founder of the Boston Beer company. He discusses some of the mistakes he made along the way too.\nGood clean fun, Nick offerman",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The ride of a lifetime by Robert Iger, book about Iger’s journey to being CEO of Walt Disney Company.",
          "reason": "Suggested for insight into what company executives do.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in corporate leadership.",
          "caveat": "The commenter frames its relevance as a question.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21719355,
          "author": "aprdm",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-06T04:52:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21719355",
          "commentText": "I've been a team lead for close to four years now in two different companies, both times my teams spanned multiple time zones!\nI really enjoy this subject and read a lot about it. My favorite books so far are:\n- Radical Candor\n-- Gives a great framework for candid conversations and empathy which IMO are the most important thing! Clear #1 in my list.\n- Leading by Alex Ferguson\n-- A great successful leader in another area - Soccer - that had many years building effective teams. It's incredible how many concepts can be mapped over, he talks for example on how having \"rockstars\" in a team that aren't team players isn't worth it.\n- Ride of a lifetime by Bob Iger\n-- It's mostly a biography of Disney's most successful CEO, I thought it was very authentic and gave good advices on how to deal with creative people, empathy, setting goals and navigating hard situations (compartmentalizing)\n- Creativity Inc Amy / Ed\n-- Pixar's president biography on how to manage creative teams, it is a bit repetitive but it is golden! Lots of good ideas and insightful chapters that make you think about how to build a successful culture.\n- The Manager's Path: A Guide for Tech Leaders\n-- IMO a bit shallow compared to the other books I mentioned but it was a pleasant read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I thought it was very authentic and gave good advices on how to deal with creative people",
          "reason": "Includes it among favorite books and praises its advice on empathy, goal setting, and hard situations.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in leadership and managing creative people.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as mostly a biography.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Iger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "disney",
        "leadership",
        "creative teams",
        "executive memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-rise-and-fall-of-d-o-d-o-cd200d",
      "title": "The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O.",
      "author": "Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18664368,
          "author": "adenadel",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T14:53:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664368",
          "commentText": "The best books that I read this year were\nBad Blood by John Carreyrou (this book is about Theranos and is absolutely insane, it reads like a thriller)\nEducated by Tara Westover (this is a fascinating memoir about a woman who was raised by fundamentalists and \"escaped\" to BYU)\nThe Undoing Proect by Michael Lewis (about the relationship between Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky and their research together)\nThe Rise and Fall of DODO by Neal Stephenson (I love all of his books)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Rise and Fall of DODO by Neal Stephenson (I love all of his books)",
          "reason": "Named among the commenter's best books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536654,
          "author": "dochtman",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:35:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536654",
          "commentText": "Isaac Asimov is one of the classics, of course. I'm particularly fond of the robot novels (all four of the Elijah Baley ones especially) and the entire Foundation series. Of course, you also can't miss the robot short stories. Oh, and The End of Eternity!\nAt some point I found Charles Stross' Accelerando, which is freely available online (along with a bunch of other short stories), and found everything I've read (which is most of it at this point, I think) enjoyably fast-paced. In particular the Laundry series (of which I've bought every iteration as soon as they came out over the past few years) -- though arguably these maybe cross-over from SF into fantasy a bit -- and the Halting State trilogy.\nIn terms of online available work, Cory Doctorow's work is also great. Like Stross, most of his work is more near-term SF, which I have liked, and a bunch of it is available online under a Creative Commons license. It often moves fast and is also politically interesting; sometimes the activism shines through a little blatantly, but the themes are always make me thing in various ways I appreciate (but maybe will fail your lighthearted criterion even if it is fun). His latest is Walkaway, which I would recommend.\nI got into Neal Stephenson through Cryptonomicon, which is one of the greats. Stephenson has a pretty rambly, wordy style, but at least that also makes his stories last a bit longer. After that, I mostly moved on to Anathem, Reamde and Seveneves all of which are big and interesting and great reads (it took me longer than usual to get up to speed on Anathem, but it was very much worth it in the end). I tried one of the more historic ones (I think it was Quicksilver) at some point but haven't finished it. The 2017 Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. was a bit lighter, but lots of fun, too.\nWilliam Gibson has already been mentioned, which I would also recommend. I read the Sprawl trilogy a very long time ago, and it's made a lasting expression. I've started rereading it recently. I also liked the Blue Ant trilogy and The Peripheral, but have so far missed the more recent work.\nMore in the one-off category: The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell is one of my all-time favorites, and mixes deep SF with psychology and religion in interesting ways. There's a sequel, but it's not as good. I also liked The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, which is also on the softer side. I read Scalzi's Redshirts and liked it (especially if you're familiar with the Star Trek universe), it feels similar to Ready Player One in some ways. Daniel Suarez's (or Leinad Zeraus as he originally published them) Daemon is fun and easy to digest, along with its sequel Freedom. I liked Robert J. Sawyer's The Terminal Experiment, but one person I recommended it too wasn't impressed -- I still think it's fun, if not very deep. I also bought his Factoring Humanity and liked it okay.\nHope that helps. Always interested in more recommendations based on this list!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 2017 Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. was a bit lighter, but lots of fun, too.",
          "reason": "Says it was lighter and lots of fun.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15020474,
          "author": "searine",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T17:41:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15020474",
          "commentText": "Re-reading Anathem by Neal Stephenson, because it's so god damn good.\nThe Mandibles recently. It was okay. The economic ideas were interesting, but the story dragged.\nThe Accusation by Bandi was good if you like North Korea stuff.\nThe Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O - Was decent for a Stephenson novel, but definitely niche sci-fi/fantasy.\nThe Glass Bead Game by Herman Hesse. Didn't like it. Really didn't like the ending.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Was decent for a Stephenson novel, but definitely niche sci-fi/fantasy.",
          "reason": "Calls it decent, while noting its niche genre appeal.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in niche science fiction or fantasy.",
          "caveat": "Described as niche sci-fi/fantasy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neal Stephenson",
        "Nicole Galland"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "time travel",
        "alternate history",
        "historical fantasy",
        "historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-road-to-serfdom-77596c",
      "title": "The Road to Serfdom",
      "author": "Friedrich Hayek",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41176934,
          "author": "paviva",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T00:13:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41176934",
          "commentText": "Permutation city, Greg Egan\nDictionnaire philosophique, Voltaire\nThe Road to Serfdom, Friedrich Hayek\nThe ICU Book, Paul Marino",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Road to Serfdom, Friedrich Hayek",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16010565,
          "author": "jonvillage",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-26T19:55:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16010565",
          "commentText": "This year I've read:\nMaxims - Epictetus\nThe road to serfdom - Friedrich Hayek\nDe officiis - Cicero\nDe divinatione - Cicero\nLives of eminent philosophers - Diogenes Laertius\nConfessions - Al ghazali\nIlliad - Homer\nOdyssey - Homer\nInfluence - Robert Cialdini\nGuns, Germs and steel - Jared Diamond\nPoor Charlie's Almanack - Charlie Munger - 2nd reading\nAndrew Carnegie's Biography - Joseph Frazier\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Taleb - 2nd reading\nBed of Procrustes - Nassim Taleb\nNever Split the Difference - Christopher Voss\nThe intelligent investor - Benjamin Graham\nAutobiography - Benjamin Franklin\nI always remember this quote:\n\"In my whole life, I have known no wise people who didn't read all the time -- none, zero.\"  Charlie Munger",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The road to serfdom - Friedrich Hayek",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15159040,
          "author": "RockyMcNuts",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T00:36:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15159040",
          "commentText": "Well Pirsig's Zen and the other ones related to eastern religions and science, are around the idea that there is no locus of reality or meaning, the reality is how everything interrelates. It's kind of like word2vec, the context of other words and real-world situations in which each word is used tells you everything about what it means. Take away a particle's charge and mass and the other numbers we associate with it, and is it still a particle? Those numbers describe how it interacts and all we can really say about it is how it interacts. Plato was off the mark when he talked about the ideal form of different objects. There is no ideal form of a chair, except that chairness is an abstract idea about how things (asses and furniture) interact.\nThen I think that Grammatical Man and Penrose are around the nature of information, and what can be communicated and understood. And I sort of think that question is at the top of the tree of abstraction about what we think about. Then comes computer science and math which are about any symbolic systems or formal systems that can be computed and reasoned about. Then most everything else is applying those systems to various problems.\nThen I think The Naked Ape and Hayek and Flow are around the notion that humans are their own thing. They are tribal and hierarchical and territorial and violent and not nearly as self-aware or even aware of our surroundings as we think we are. You get a lot more mileage out of just observing what they do than about listening to the rationalizations of why they say did it, things like God and blood and soil, i.e. superstitions and us-and-them-ing arbitrary physical features of a pack of mongrels and arbitrary lines on maps. Invitation to Sociology by Berger was another big one on those lines.\nAnd the Heilbroner and Durant are basically inventories of major mental models that people have come up with in philosophy and economics.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Hayek",
          "reason": "Groups it with books about human behavior and social tendencies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156316,
          "author": "RockyMcNuts",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:05:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156316",
          "commentText": "The Emperor's New Mind, by Roger Penrose\nThe Tao of Physics, by Fritjof Capra\nDancing Wu Li Masters, by Gary Zukav\nThe Naked Ape, by Desmond Morris\nThe Road to Serfdom, by Friedrich Hayek\nThe Worldly Philosophers, by Robert Heilbroner\nThe Story of Philosophy, by Will Durant\nGrammatical Man, by Jeremy Campbell\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert M. Pirsig\nFlow, by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Road to Serfdom, by Friedrich Hayek",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which books had the biggest impact on mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9708848,
          "author": "timtas",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-12T22:04:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9708848",
          "commentText": "\"The Road to Serfdom\" by Friedrich Hayek [1]\n\"Novum Organum\" by Francis Bacon [2]\n[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Road_to_Serfdom\n[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novum_Organum",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Road to Serfdom\" by Friedrich Hayek",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797257,
          "author": "Oompa",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T03:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797257",
          "commentText": "Second Treatise of Government - Locke\nOn Liberty - Mill\nThe Communist Manifesto - Marx & Engels\nEros & Civilization - Marcuse\nCivilization and Its Discontents - Freud\nThe Road To Serfdom - Hayak\nMilestones - Qutb",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Road To Serfdom - Hayak",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Friedrich Hayek"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political economy",
        "classical liberalism",
        "liberalism",
        "political philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sciences-of-the-artificial-0e075b",
      "title": "The Sciences of the Artificial",
      "author": "Herbert A. Simon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39059682,
          "author": "saintblasphemer",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T19:11:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39059682",
          "commentText": "The Sciences of the Artificial by Herbert A. Simon. Absolutely foundational.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Sciences of the Artificial by Herbert A. Simon. Absolutely foundational.",
          "reason": "Described as foundational.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630011,
          "author": "danblick",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:13:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630011",
          "commentText": "It's been ~8 years since I read it, but I think \"The Sciences of the Artificial\" by Herb Simon might make my list.  It's about design, engineering, intelligence (artificial or human), and building things.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I think \"The Sciences of the Artificial\" by Herb Simon might make my list.",
          "reason": "The commenter thinks it might make their list of favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter last read it about eight years ago and is tentative about including it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3277741,
          "author": "mixu",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T18:11:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3277741",
          "commentText": "How about some books that aren't pop-sci / business books? I am kind of biased, since I love this area of psychology.\n- The Sciences of the Artificial by Simon\n- The Psychology of Problem Solving by Davidson & Sternberg\n- The Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance (Cambridge Handbooks in Psychology) by Ericsson, Charness, Feltovich & Hoffman\n- Minds, Brains and Computers - The Foundations of Cognitive Science: An Anthology (Blackwell Philosophy Anthologies)\n- Choices, Values, and Frames by Kahneman & Tversky\nThe Sciences of the Artificial is a small but deep book by Herbert Simon, who is considered a key figure in founding the study of these areas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Simon ).\nDavidson & Sternberg focuses on problem solving (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Sternberg ).\nThe Cambridge Handbooks (there are many others) in particular are excellent as they contain classic articles in Cognitive Science and Psychology, with introductions and overviews by people who actually research this area. The one on Expertise and Expert performance is edited by K. A. Ericsson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K._Anders_Ericsson )\nMinds, Brains and Computers is another collection of classics, from a more model-based perspective.\nFinally, Kahneman and Tversky offer a more economics-centric viewpoint. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Kahneman & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amos_Tversky )\nIf you read scientific articles in this area, you'll notice that many of these author's names will keep popping up...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Sciences of the Artificial is a small but deep book by Herbert Simon",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as small but deep and presents it as a relevant book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Herbert A. Simon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "artificial systems",
        "cognitive science",
        "design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-screwtape-letters-3d1af9",
      "title": "The Screwtape Letters",
      "author": "C. S. Lewis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38239021,
          "author": "kaladin_1",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T10:26:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38239021",
          "commentText": "For tooling, I am currently reading Practical Vim by Drew Neil. Vim has been my primary editing tool for a couple of years now but I know that I am not close to maxing its capacity. I would like to supercharge my vim skill with more advanced macros and less keystrokes.\nFiction: I am currently reading the Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. I love the way the book plays with logic in a fictional style. The dialogues with the little demon, Wormwood, are super interesting. More like psycho analysis in fictional form. It reminds me about reading Brothers Karamazov where you find a lot about you in characters in the book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I love the way the book plays with logic in a fictional style.",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoys its use of logic through fictional dialogue.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36106799,
          "author": "pwpw",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T19:06:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36106799",
          "commentText": "For Christianity, that would be the Screwtape letters by C.S. Lewis. It pokes and prods at the hypocrisy many cary out while revealing the actual theology.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Screwtape letters by C.S. Lewis",
          "reason": "Recommended for its treatment of Christian hypocrisy and theology.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Christianity.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467651,
          "author": "hpoe",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:47:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467651",
          "commentText": "Man's Search  for Meaning - Viktor Frankel, it is his experience of how he managed to survive the concentration camps.\nBook of Mormon\nThe Stormlight Archive series (Way of Kings, Words of Radience, Oathbringer) - Brandon Sanderson, I've heard it compared to the Kingkiller Chronicles in terms of depth, intricacies and overall masterfully executed plot but Sanderson is also one of the best authors at making characters real and captivating that I've ever met.\nMistborn Series (The Final Empire, Well of Ascension, Hero of Ages) by the same author as The Stormlight Archives and for the same reasons.\nThe Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis, even if you aren't religious it has helped me see so much clearly the tactics and obstacles that prevent me from being the person I want to be.\nI've read quite a few more books more often but these are the books that I have reread multiple times because they have changed who I am and helped me recognize that each time I fall I can rise again a better man.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis, even if you aren't religious it has helped me see so much clearly the tactics and obstacles that prevent me from being the person I want to be.",
          "reason": "Says it helped clarify obstacles and tactics that keep them from becoming the person they want to be.",
          "audience": "Readers who may not be religious.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 715202,
          "author": "TrevorJ",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-20T21:07:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715202",
          "commentText": "\"The Screwtape Letters\", by C.S. Lewis\nIn the middle of \"Roughing It\" by Mark Twain now.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"The Screwtape Letters\", by C.S. Lewis",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "C. S. Lewis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian fiction",
        "satire",
        "christian allegory",
        "christianity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-seasoned-schemer-374e6e",
      "title": "The Seasoned Schemer",
      "author": "Daniel P. Friedman and Matthias Felleisen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39061225,
          "author": "troupe",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T21:11:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39061225",
          "commentText": "Two books that did for me what I think you are looking for:\n- From Mathematics to Generic Programming by Stepanov & Rose\n- Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid by Hofstadter\n- The Little Schemer / The Seasoned Schemer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Seasoned Schemer",
          "reason": "Listed among books that did for the commenter what the requester is looking for.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking books that inspire an engineering outlook.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21766667,
          "author": "z5h",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-11T20:49:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 21765528,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fun Tech Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21766667",
          "commentText": "There aren't many tech books I've read front to back and done pretty much all exercises. Exceptions include \"The Little Schemer\" and \"The Seasoned Schemer\".\nImportantly, they really up one's ability to write higher order functional (and pure functional) code leaning heavily on a style that would help in any functional language with tail call optimization.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and \"The Seasoned Schemer\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says working through it and its exercises improved their ability to write functional code.",
          "audience": "Readers learning functional programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14491186,
          "author": "vram22",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T20:04:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14491186",
          "commentText": "The Reasoned Schemer sounds like it was part of a series, is that right? I remember reading about The Little Schemer and maybe The Seasoned Schemer. Are those all parts of the same series? Haven't read any of them yet, but hope to do so some day.\nI like reading the classics of the field. Not only because they are classics, but also because they tend be well-written and hence more readable as well (than your average text). But maybe that is a tautology :) - they are classics because they are well-written ...\nUpdate: Answering my own question - I saw here:\nhttps://mitpress.mit.edu/books/reasoned-schemer\nthat it is part of a series, which includes the books I mentioned above.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I remember reading about The Little Schemer and maybe The Seasoned Schemer.",
          "reason": "Mentions it while asking whether the named books are part of the same series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2415714,
          "author": "charlieconroy",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T16:21:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2415714",
          "commentText": "This book like no other just makes me smile. I read this right after I graduated and started my \"real\" learning in programming and math. The intermission page list books on logic and set theory.\nFYI: it is the first book in a \"trilogy\" -- but your next book could be either of the other two (their only prereq is The Little Schemer). Listed below:\nReasoned Schemer: http://www.amazon.com/Reasoned-Schemer-Daniel-P-Friedman/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Reasoned-Schemer-Daniel-P-Friedman/dp/0262562146/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1302106654&sr=8-2)\nSeasoned Schemer: http://www.amazon.com/Seasoned-Schemer-Daniel-P-Friedman/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Seasoned-Schemer-Daniel-P-Friedman/dp/026256100X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1302106654&sr=8-1)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Seasoned Schemer:",
          "reason": "Named as one of the two books that can follow The Little Schemer in the trilogy.",
          "audience": "Readers who have read The Little Schemer.",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not state a preference between the two follow-up books.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1024008,
          "author": "Kaizyn",
          "createdAt": "2009-12-31T07:41:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 1023970,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which Scheme book to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1024008",
          "commentText": "I would recommend you start with The Little Schemer and follow up with The Seasoned Schemer (the sequel to the other book).  These two will give you a good feel for some aspects of Scheme programming, but they will not go into the same depth about the fundamentals of computer science you'll get from SICP.  After reading them, then you should advance to either How To Design Programs as suggested before SICP or if you're feeling really ambitious jump right to SICP.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "follow up with The Seasoned Schemer",
          "reason": "Recommended as a follow-up to The Little Schemer.",
          "audience": "Readers learning Scheme.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel P. Friedman",
        "Matthias Felleisen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "scheme",
        "functional programming",
        "recursion",
        "programming education"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-secrets-of-consulting-a-guide-to-giving-and-getting-advice-su-ca7e4e",
      "title": "The Secrets of Consulting: A Guide to Giving and Getting Advice Successfully",
      "author": "Gerald M. Weinberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41702282,
          "author": "leetrout",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-30T21:22:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 41693844,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good essays/books/advice about software sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41702282",
          "commentText": "Previous thread \"I'm an engineer that needs to sell my services. Any good books on sales?\"\nhttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39316653\nFrom that posting this comment seems useful:\nThe Secrets of Consulting: A Guide to Giving and Getting Advice Successfully by Gerald Weinberg\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Consulting-Giving-Getting-Suc... (https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Consulting-Giving-Getting-Successfully/dp/0932633013/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Secrets of Consulting: A Guide to Giving and Getting Advice Successfully by Gerald Weinberg",
          "reason": "Presented as a useful recommendation from a previous discussion about selling consulting services.",
          "audience": "Consultants and people selling professional services.",
          "caveat": "The commenter points to a recommendation from an earlier thread.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33800078,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T13:03:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33800078",
          "commentText": "My three favorites from Gerald Weinberg:\n1. 'The Secrets of Consulting: A Guide to Giving and Getting Advice Successfully' I was put off for a decade by the click-bait title but this is a profound little book that helped me get perspective on problem solving in my work and myself.\n2. 'Becoming a Technical Leader' The text is great; working the exercises for yourself will make you a stronger thinker.\n3. 'An Introduction to General Systems Thinking' One of his densest, driest books, but a great summary of the highlights of the field with plenty of thought problems in the exercises and plenty of pointers for digging deeper.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "'The Secrets of Consulting: A Guide to Giving and Getting Advice Successfully'",
          "reason": "The commenter says it gave perspective on problem solving at work and personally.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter was initially put off by its title.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16571170,
          "author": "joshka",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-12T20:20:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16571170",
          "commentText": "How to win friends and influence people. Helped me solve some approaches to handling people in general and highlighted a few approaches that I had been taking that were actively causing me problems.\nThe Secrets of Consulting: A Guide to Giving and Getting Advice Successfully by Gerald Weiberg. [1] Helped me understand why technical problems are rarely just technical.\nWorking effectively with legacy code by Michael Feathers [2]. Practicing some of the techniques in this helped me get my foot in the door in a job long ago where one of the interview scenarios was \"This is broken, go ahead and fix it.\". I recommend reading this for anyone working on a code base that's been around for a while.\n--\n[1]: https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Consulting-Giving-Getting-Suc... (https://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Consulting-Giving-Getting-Successfully-ebook/dp/B004J35LHQ/)\n[2]: https://www.amazon.com/Working-Effectively-Legacy-Robert-Mar... (https://www.amazon.com/Working-Effectively-Legacy-Robert-Martin-ebook/dp/B005OYHF0A/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Helped me understand why technical problems are rarely just technical.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them understand the human and organizational context around technical problems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gerald M. Weinberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consulting",
        "problem solving",
        "professional services",
        "systems thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-seven-day-weekend-2c02c2",
      "title": "The Seven-Day Weekend",
      "author": "Ricardo Semler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35219113,
          "author": "tmcdos",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-19T14:14:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35219113",
          "commentText": "I am not an entrepreneur (yet) but I still want to share a few titles with you:\n- \"Maverick or The seven day weekend\" by Ricardo Semler\n- \"Rework\" by Jason Fried and David Hansson\n- \"Startup - an insider's guide to launching and running a business\" by Kevin Ready\n- \"Bookkeeping and Cost Accounting for Factories\" by William Kent (1918)\n- \"Practice what you preach\" by David Maister\n- \"Don't oil the squeaky wheel\" by Wolf Rinke\n- \"Selling The Wheel: Choosing The Best Way To Sell For You Your Company Your Customers\" by Jeff Cox\n- \"The power of stupidity\" by Giancarlo Livraghi\n- \"How to write a good advertisement\" by Victor Schwab\n- \"How to Make Money Out of Thin Air\" by Brian Sher\n- \"Good manners and business etiquette. Illustrated Guide\" by Elena Ber\n- \"Don't just roll the dice: A usefully short guide to software pricing\" by Neil Davidson\n- \"Message to Garcia\" by Elbert Hubbard\n- the TopLeaf course of 36 video lectures on management by dr. Izhak Adizes can be purchased on https://vimeo.com/ondemand/topleaf or found on ru tracker (if you have access)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Maverick or The seven day weekend\" by Ricardo Semler",
          "reason": "Shares the title among several books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are not yet an entrepreneur.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 658101,
          "author": "jbr",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-15T07:47:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 657892,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite management books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=658101",
          "commentText": "Let my people go surfing -- Yvon Chouinard\nhttp://amzn.com/1594200726\nThe seven day weekend -- Ricardo Semler\nhttp://amzn.com/1591840260\nGetting Real\nhttp://gettingreal.37signals.com/\n--\nAlso, help flesh out the list of books for startups I just created for HN on my site:\nhttp://www.stormweight.com/lists/books-for-startups?p=OyAXcZ",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The seven day weekend -- Ricardo Semler",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240867,
          "author": "colinplamondon",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T06:55:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240867",
          "commentText": "The World is Flat\nThe Post American World\nLosing My Virginity - Richard Branson's Autobiography\nAutobiography of Andrew Carnegie\nThe Second Coming of Steve Jobs\nInside Steve's Brain\nThe Seven Day Weekend- Book by Ricardo Semler of Semco on company organization and management, Semco essentially operates as a socialist enterprise with election of bosses, profit sharing, open information, flex-time, etc, but with the twist that Ricardo is the majority stock owner. Fascinating book and well-written to boot.\nFounders at Work should go without saying :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fascinating book and well-written to boot.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it fascinating and well written, and explains its approach to company organization and management.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ricardo Semler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "management",
        "workplace culture",
        "employee autonomy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sheep-look-up-e9283c",
      "title": "The Sheep Look Up",
      "author": "John Brunner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36023446,
          "author": "kcartlidge",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T18:20:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36023446",
          "commentText": "Multiple re-reads:\n- Saga of the Exiles by Julian May, which merges science fiction with folklore/fantasy in Pliocene Earth\n- Hyperion by Dan Simmons, excellent SF with a feel of the Canterbury Tales about it\n- Neuromancer by William Gibson, plus the follow-ups (all the Sprawl) are very good too\n- The Sheep Look Up by John Brunner, about the eco collapse of the US in the 1980s (10 years after it was written) and which William Gibson called a \"brilliant novel\"\nAnd a couple of guilty pleasures:\n- Venus Equilateral by George O Smith, 1940s stories based around a three mile long space station at the L4 point in space, a bit like Babylon 5 meets DS9 in the era of vacuum tubes\n- Necrotech by KC Alexander, a brutal and obscene body-mod cyberpunk dystopia (the sequel of which, Nanoshock, has a superbly offensive opening sentence)\n- Halcyon Drift by Brian Stableford, about a corporate dystopia and a pilot who hooks up his body to merge with his ship (a bit blase now but less so then, especially as I had read far less at the time)\n- Bio of a Space Tyrant by Piers Anthony, a 6 book series following the rise of a refugee to becoming the Tyrant of Jupiter",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Sheep Look Up by John Brunner, about the eco collapse of the US in the 1980s",
          "reason": "Describes it as depicting ecological collapse in the United States.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17541046,
          "author": "IronBacon",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T13:21:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17541046",
          "commentText": "This is one of my favorite books and I could not recommend it enough, not only for the story but the style it was written.\nI'm ashamed to admit I haven't yet found the time to read Stand on Zanzibar and The Sheep Look Up from the same author.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm ashamed to admit I haven't yet found the time to read Stand on Zanzibar and The Sheep Look Up from the same author.",
          "reason": "Mentions intending to read it but gives no evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it yet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8613862,
          "author": "kephra",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-16T10:10:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8613862",
          "commentText": "The Sheep Look Up by John Brunner is still my favorite novel while A Ticket to Tranai by Robert Sheckley is my preferred short story.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Sheep Look Up by John Brunner is still my favorite novel",
          "reason": "Calls it their favorite novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140490,
          "author": "nazgulnarsil",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T02:59:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140490",
          "commentText": "depends on the subgenre :)\nSuperhuman:\nSlan by A.E. Van Vogt\nMore Than Human by Theodore STurgeon\nOdd John by Olaf Stapledon\nPost Apocalyptic:\nThe Day of The Triffids by John Whyndham\nEarth Abides by George R. Stewart\nA Canticle for Lebowitz by...don't remember\nSpace Opera/Adventure:\nany of The Culture novels by Iain M. Banks\nThe Reality Dysfunction series by ...don't remember\nHyperion series by Dan Simmons\nTo Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer\nDystopian:\nWe by Yevgeny Zamyatin <---highly overlooked, predates 1984 and Brave New World\nBut the Absolute Best would be anything by:\nStanislaw Lem (Cyberiad, Futurological Congress, Solaris)\nAlfred Bester (The STars my Destination, The Demolished Man)\nor Samuel R. Delany (Babel-17, Dhalgren, Trtion, Nova)\noh and Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light and This Immortal are both great.\nSome of Philip K. Dick's stuff is great, but everyone recommends him. :)\nalmost forgot John Brunner, check out Steel Beach, The Sheep Look Up, and Stand on Zanzibar.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "check out Steel Beach, The Sheep Look Up, and Stand on Zanzibar.",
          "reason": "Includes it in a direct recommendation to check out the listed books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Brunner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Nature",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopia",
        "environmental dystopia",
        "ecological collapse",
        "environmental collapse"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-smartest-guys-in-the-room-f6460e",
      "title": "The Smartest Guys in the Room",
      "author": "Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17205246,
          "author": "linuxlizard",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T13:48:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205246",
          "commentText": "_Showstopper_ One of the best tech books, after _Soul of a New Machine_ (recommended in the comments, too). Covers Microsoft's creation of Windows NT.\n_DEC is Dead. Long Live DEC_  about the rise and fall of Digital Equipment Corporation.\n_Skunkworks_ Lockheed-Martin's creation of the SR-71.\n_Moneyball_ using math to build a top flight US baseball team.\nBroadening the category a bit:\n_The Smartest Guys in the Room_ is about Enron's collapse. Not directly related to computer tech but definitely tech and people.\n_Billion Dollar Lessons_ covers several spectacular company failures. Again, not strictly tech related but amazing stories of crash & burn. Includes (IIRC) Iridium, Kodak, IBM.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "_The Smartest Guys in the Room_ is about Enron's collapse.",
          "reason": "Listed as a story about Enron’s collapse.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in companies and business failures.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not directly about computer technology.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107004,
          "author": "watwut",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:36:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107004",
          "commentText": "'Enron: The smartest guys in the room' by Bethany McLean. Be warned, it is difficult to read (a lot of jargon and the pages are too packed with new informations).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "'Enron: The smartest guys in the room' by Bethany McLean",
          "reason": "A favorite-book question response; the commenter warns it is difficult to read because of jargon and dense pages.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Difficult to read; lots of jargon and densely packed pages.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Smartest Guys in the Room",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "enron",
        "corporate fraud"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sound-and-the-fury-eb7ab0",
      "title": "The Sound and the Fury",
      "author": "William Faulkner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37160206,
          "author": "pallas_athena",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T11:51:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37160206",
          "commentText": "Since his death, I've been reading (or re-reading) all his books.\nRarely I have enjoyed so many books from a single author. I also think Blood Meridian is one the greatest books of all time.\nAccording to [1] \"his list of great novels stops at four: Ulysses, The Brothers Karamazov, The Sound and the Fury and his favorite, Moby-Dick\".\nThey all are a good addition to this thread.\n[1] https://web.archive.org/web/20140629023902/http://74.220.215... (https://web.archive.org/web/20140629023902/http://74.220.215.94/~davidkus/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=61:cormac-mccarthys-apocalypse-&catid=35:articles&Itemid=54)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "According to [1] \"his list of great novels stops at four: Ulysses, The Brothers Karamazov, The Sound and the Fury and his favorite, Moby-Dick\".",
          "reason": "Listed as one of another person's four great novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter attributes this ranking to a cited source and says the books are a good addition to the thread.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31968905,
          "author": "erokar",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T16:29:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31968905",
          "commentText": "Faulkner: The Sound and the Fury",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Faulkner: The Sound and the Fury",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5691908,
          "author": "IanChiles",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T20:01:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5691908",
          "commentText": "I'd also add Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury - it's excellent, despite being a bit tough to understand",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'd also add Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury - it's excellent, despite being a bit tough to understand",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it excellent and adds it to the recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a bit tough to understand.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86220,
          "author": "diversityhire",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:14:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86220",
          "commentText": "Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's Flow: the Psychology of Optimal Experience\nWilliam Faulkner's As I Lay Dying &amp; The Sound and the Fury\nJulian Jaynes' The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind\nPeter Medawar's The Art of the Soluable\nDesigned by Peter Saville\nNietzsche's Twilight of the Idols\nBloom County Babylon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Sound and the Fury",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the thread’s question about favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Faulkner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "modernist fiction",
        "southern literature",
        "modernist literature",
        "modernist novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-spy-and-the-traitor-b0acdf",
      "title": "The Spy and the Traitor",
      "author": "Ben Macintyre",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46399467,
          "author": "seizethecheese",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T05:44:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46399467",
          "commentText": "I second The Spy and the Traitor",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second The Spy and the Traitor",
          "reason": "Seconds the parent's recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 45300054,
          "author": "random_moonwalk",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-19T10:33:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 45283087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45300054",
          "commentText": "Fiction: It by Stephen King\nNon-Fiction: The Spy and the Traitor by Ben MacIntyre. It's about the KGB spy-turned-MI6 agent Oleg Gordievsky and reads like a thriller.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Non-Fiction: The Spy and the Traitor by Ben MacIntyre. It's about the KGB spy-turned-MI6 agent Oleg Gordievsky and reads like a thriller.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it reads like a thriller and describes its subject.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in espionage history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34160619,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:11:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160619",
          "commentText": "This year I've put myself to the challenge to read at least one book per week which I primarily could complete by reading in the middle of the night while holding our sleeping baby in my arms. It has been an interesting challenge which gave me a lot of fulfilment and has certainly changed my mind on how I view the world. This comment became quite a long read, apologies for that.\nBooks I highly recommend:\nChurchill by Andrew Roberts (p:1105)\nA biography about one of the most interesting figures in politics and WWII. Roberts gives a very detailed description of the life of Churchill and manages to keep you interested the entire length of the book.\nThe God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (p:374)\nIn The God Delusion Dawkins gives arguments why there is no God, why we do not need a God and why religion is damaging to our society. If you are religious it might not be the book for you unless you are open to hear his arguments and line of reasoning. Dawkins will challenge your worldview.\nThe Bomb by Fred Kaplan (p:384)\nKaplan describes the policy of different US presidents on the atomic bomb and war in general. And primarily on the inability of US presidents and policy-makers to tune down its military. A chilling read which makes you appreciate a nuclear holocaust did not happen (yet)....\nPoor Economics by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo (p:320)\nBanerjee and Duflo give a gripping portrait of how poor people live. They offer an insight in the choices and decisions people make surviving on less than 1 USD a day (corrected for purchasing power). It made me completely rethink my own view on poverty and development aid; stressing even more that in order to help one need to have a complete understanding of the individual's situation and the local boundary conditions.\nProject Hail Mary  by Andy Weir (p:476)\nThis book triggered my science fiction reading. For some reason I never was interested in science fiction. Most likely triggered by reading Foundation by Asimov a few years back which apparently is not a book to my taste. But Andy Weir completely annihilated that wrong perspective on science fiction. Project Hail Mary is interesting, funny and gripping book.\nKindred by Octavia Butler  (p:287)\nThis book.... From page one I was hooked and almost read it in one go. Butler is a wonderful author and Kindred is a must-read. The book is about a woman traveling back in time to end up on a slave plantation. It's a chilling account of slavery.\nOther books I read this year, ask me anything about one of these books. I've added a + if I think its worth a recommendation\nBiography:\nNavalny by Dollbaum, Lallouet and Noble (p:280); The Man from the Future by Ananyo Bhattacharya (p:354) +\nSociology; Politics; Economics; Business:\nOnly the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove (p:224); The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli  (p:140); Winter is Coming by Garry Kasparov (p:290); Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum (p:224) +; Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl (p:164) +; We Are Bellingcat by Eliot Higgins (p:272); De Zeven Vinkjes by Joris Luyendijk (p:200); Waarom vuilnismannen meer verdienen dan bankiers by Rutger Bregman (p:104)\nComedy: The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (p:336)\nHistory:\nBand of Brothers  by Stephen E. Ambrose (p:432); The Nuclear Jihadist by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins (p:413) +; The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre (p:384) +; De Heineken Ontvoering by Peter R. de Vries (p:347); Red Famine by Anne Apllebaum (p:384); Night by Elie Wiesel (p:115) +\nScience, Technology, Mathematics:\nFermat's Enigma by Simon Singh (p:315) +; A Mathematician's Apology by G.H. Hardy (p:153); The Great Influenza by John M. Barry (p:546); The Rise and Fall of the Dinousaurs by Stephen Brusatte (p:404) ++; The Double Helix by James Watson (p:144)\nSport:\nRun or Die by Killian Jornet (p:208); The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton  (p:290) +; The Rise of the Ultra Runners by  (p:304); Tom Dumoulin by Patrick Bernhart (p:203)\nFiction:\nAnthem by Ayn Rand (p:105); Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (p:704); The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (p:566); Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (p:466); Live and Let die by Ian Fleming  (p:229)\nClassics:\nA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (p:104); The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (p:201); The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald (p:180); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (p:139); Animal Farm by George Orwell (p:122) +; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (p:227) +; The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (p:118)\nScience Fiction:\nThe Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (p:399); All Systems Red  by Martha Wells (p:144) +; A Memory Called Empire  by Arkady Martine (p:462) +; A Psalm built for the Wild by Becky Chambers (p:160); Dune by Frank Herbert (p:658); Foundation by Isaac Asimov (p:244); The Martian by Andy Weir (p:384) +;\nThe Forever War by Joe Haldeman (p:278)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre",
          "reason": "Marked with a plus as worth recommending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ben Macintyre"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cold war",
        "espionage"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-story-of-civilization-a1771a",
      "title": "The Story of Civilization",
      "author": "Will Durant and Ariel Durant",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20337825,
          "author": "lordgrenville",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T18:14:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20337825",
          "commentText": "I got through the entire set on audiobook. It's a fantastic history of Western civilisation. We might accent some things slightly differently nowadays, but overall it's held up really well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I got through the entire set on audiobook. It's a fantastic history of Western civilisation. We might accent some things slightly differently nowadays, but overall it's held up really well.",
          "reason": "Praises the complete set as a fantastic history that has held up well.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that some emphases might differ today.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20336047,
          "author": "jolmg",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T15:27:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20336047",
          "commentText": "Random book with no justification:\nOur Oriental Heritage: The Story of Civilization, Volume 1\nby Will Durant\nIt's in the Internet Archive:\nhttps://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.61276/page/n15\nThe Story of Civilization is an 11-volume set of books[1], by the way.\n[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Story_of_Civilization",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Story of Civilization is an 11-volume set of books[1], by the way.",
          "reason": "Mentions the 11-volume set while identifying the suggested volume.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910394,
          "author": "b1gnasty",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:41:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910394",
          "commentText": "The Story of Civilization - Will and Ariel Durant\nReading this so far has been one of the most rewarding learning experiences of my life. If you are interested in how philosophy, religion, and civilization has emerged and grown in our species, than you will be constantly delighted while reading this. The Durants are equal to none.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "one of the most rewarding learning experiences of my life",
          "reason": "The commenter found the series deeply rewarding and says readers interested in philosophy, religion, and civilization will be delighted.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the development of philosophy, religion, and civilization.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875775,
          "author": "mahmud",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T02:22:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875775",
          "commentText": "The Story of Civilization; 11 volumes of pure joy. Will and Ariel Durant will make you fall in love with mankind. The most humanist take on history I have read. I read them over 6 years and I still live under the Durants' spell. Exquisite and delightful read.\nMuqadimat Ibn Khaldun. History, Sociology, Political Science, Scientific Empiricism, Theology, Superstition, Gossip, Leadership, Trivia .. it's everything. It feels like a collaboration between the Grim brothers, Karl Marx, Douglas Adams and Plato. People well versed in Islamic history will get the most out of it. It's a book written by a scientist for a religious and superstitious audience. You can see him walk the fine line, appeasing his princely sponsors while speaking his mind. It's full of code-language written for a better enlightened generation while accommodating the religious and cultural beliefs of his era. Read his biography and you should see bits and pieces of Rousseau; a hypocritical, pan-handling snob who makes his living saying one thing, and living his life doing another .. while still being a fucking genius :-D",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Story of Civilization; 11 volumes of pure joy.",
          "reason": "Calls the series pure joy and says the Durants make readers fall in love with mankind.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Will Durant and Ariel Durant"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "world history",
        "civilization",
        "historical synthesis",
        "history of philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-surrender-experiment-13ee37",
      "title": "The Surrender Experiment",
      "author": "Michael A. Singer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37960149,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960149",
          "commentText": "* \"On Writing\" by Stephen King (1 mention)\n    * Summary: In his guide to the craft of writing, King masterfully conveys his views on how good writing is cultivated. The book provides personal insights into the author's life while serving as a guide for aspiring writers.\n* \"The Dictionary\" (1 mention, multiple authors)\n    * Summary: A reference book containing an alphabetical list of words in a specific language, providing definitions, pronunciations, etymology, and other details. It is a valuable resource for understanding and accurately using language.\n* \"Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book chronicles Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 1914-1916 survival journey across the Antarctic. Faced with treacherous weather conditions and a lack of provisions, the men battle to stay alive, highlighting the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.\n* \"The Experience of God\" by David Bentley Hart (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A philosophical exploration of the concept of God that goes beyond specific religious doctrines. Hart articulates a vision of ultimate reality that transcends religious, philosophical, and cultural boundaries.\n* \"A Mind for Numbers\" by Barbara Oakley (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book provides practical advice on how to learn effectively in math and science areas, but the techniques are applicable across disciplines. Oakley shares techniques to overcome learning obstacles and improve comprehension and retention.\n* \"A People's History of the US\" by Howard Zinn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers an alternative exploration of American history from the perspective of ordinary people and marginalized groups rather than political leaders, emphasizing class struggles and systemic injustices.\n* \"The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science\" by Isaac Asimov (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive outline of scientific knowledge, covering fields like physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, and earth science. It communicates complex scientific concepts in a way that is accessible to non-specialist readers.\n* \"Das Kapital\" by Karl Marx (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive critique of capitalism highlighting its inherent contradictions and imbalances. Marx diagnoses the capitalist system as one in which the rich get richer at the expense of the working class. The book has been influential in shaping socialist and communist thought.\n* \"You are Not So Smart\" by David McRaney (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book explores various cognitive biases, logical fallacies, and memory missteps that humans commonly succumb to. The author uses humor and personal anecdotes to make neuroscience and psychology accessible, challenging readers to question their perceptions of the world and themselves.\n* \"Blink\" by Malcolm Gladwell (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Gladwell explores the process of quick decision-making, also known as \"thin-slicing.\" The book delves into both the potential accuracy and the pitfalls of making snap judgments. It demonstrates how our subconscious biases often override our better instincts.\n* \"How To Sell at Margins Higher Than Your Competitors\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book offers detailed advice on how to avoid price competition by creating differentiators and adding value, thereby allowing readers to compete on things other than price.\n*  \"The Surrender Experiment\" by Michael Singer (1 mention)\n    * Summary: The book chronicles the author’s journey from solitude into the business world. It explores the idea of surrendering personal preferences to allow life to guide the way, challenging conventional views about control and outcomes.\n* \"How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World\" by Harry Browne (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This self-help book offers a blueprint for finding personal freedom. It encourages readers to embrace their individual sovereignty and to not be inhibited by societal conventions, effectively teaching how to live on one's own terms.\n* \"Happy by Derren Brown\" and \"The Daily Stoic\" (1 mention, authors not specified)\n    * Summary: \"Happy\" provides a perspective on happiness using the principles of stoic philosophy, challenging modern conceptions of happiness. \"The Daily Stoic\" provides a year's worth of philosophical wisdom from ancient stoics, aimed at allowing people to better respond to life's challenges.\n* \"Guns, Germs, and Steel\" by Jared Diamond (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Diamond investigates the geographical and environmental factors that have shaped the modern world. He argues that civilizations have developed differently across the globe due to variances in geography, climate, vegetation, and animal populations, more so than due to traits inherent to different racial or ethnic groups.\n* \"The Gulag Archipelago\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Solzhenitsyn unveils the brutal reality of the Soviet Union’s forced labor camp system. It's an exploration of the human capability for evil when unchecked by moral constraints, shedding light on the mechanisms of a totalitarian regime.\n* \"Ecclesiastes\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A book from the Bible that delves into the purpose of life and the vain pursuit of earthly things. It debates the merits of wisdom, wealth, and pleasure, underscoring the transience and ultimate futility of human endeavors, and urging readers to fear God and keep his commandments.\n* \"Women hold up half the sky\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A collection of personal stories illuminating the oppression and resistance of women in developing countries. The book confronts issues like gender inequality, sexual violence, maternal mortality and economic disparity while highlighting the resilience and strength of ordinary women in overcoming them.\n* \"Spell of the Sensuous\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book offers a radical reinterpretation of our relationship with the natural world. It critiques Western civilization’s estrangement from nature, exploring indigenous cultures and offering a philosophical enquiry into human perception and its relation to the environment.\n* \"Kids and the Amiga\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A guide to using the Amiga computer, aimed at children and early-tweens. It provides a hands-on approach to learning basic computer skills by creating practical programs.\n* \"Hackers\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: The book provides a comprehensive history of hackers, tracing the evolution of hacking culture from the 1950s to the present day. It details the personalities, philosophies, and technical exploits that have defined this diverse and innovative subculture.\n* \"LSD my problem child\" by Albert Hoffmann (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book is the autobiography of Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who first synthesized LSD. It chronicles his discovery, the subsequent fallout, and his personal experiences with the drug.\n* \"Electric cool aid acid test\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book tells the story of novelist Ken Kesey and his band of Merry Pranksters. They embarked on a cross-country bus journey, experimenting with LSD and challenging societal norms, becoming pivotal figures in the psychedelic movement and the counterculture of the 1960s.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"The Surrender Experiment\" by Michael Singer (1 mention)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937183,
          "author": "momentmaker",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:37:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937183",
          "commentText": "The Surrender Experiment by Michael Singer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Surrender Experiment by Michael Singer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12155886,
          "author": "hvd",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-25T01:18:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12155886",
          "commentText": "1.How to fail at almost everything and still win big- Scott adams\n2.The Surrender Experiment - Michael Singer\n3.Choose Yourself - Jamel Altucher",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Surrender Experiment - Michael Singer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785719,
          "author": "martythemaniak",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T21:18:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785719",
          "commentText": "Leave it to Psmith - 10/10\nAnna Karenina - 8/10\nThe Code of the Woosters 8/10\nFooled by Randomness 7/10\nFinding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life 8/10\nHow to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia 9/10\nReluctant Fundamentalist 9/10\nThe Sense of an Ending - Julian Barnes 8/10\nThe Last Question - Asimov - 9/10\nThe Magic of Thinking Big - 6/10\nThe catcher in the Rye 8/10\nModels 7/10\nHigh Fidelity - Nick Hornby 8/10\nThe Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman 7/10\nThe Surrender Experiment - 10/10\nUntethered Soul - 9/10\nThe Autobiography of a Yogi - 7/10\nRaja Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 7/10\nSomething Fresh, something new - 7/10\nKarma Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 8/10\nThinking, Fast and Slow - 9/10\nFierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates 10/10\nThe Pearl by John Steinbeck 7/10",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Surrender Experiment - 10/10",
          "reason": "Rates the book 10/10.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael A. Singer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Biography",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "spirituality",
        "personal development",
        "personal growth",
        "personal narrative"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-talent-code-eb293e",
      "title": "The Talent Code",
      "author": "Daniel Coyle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7975263,
          "author": "jordsmi",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-02T04:53:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7975263",
          "commentText": "Current recently finished/upcoming list: four hour workweek, getting results the agile way, rich dad poor dad, the talent code",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the talent code",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Included in a finished/upcoming list without an evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7451006,
          "author": "thecooluser",
          "createdAt": "2014-03-22T21:34:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 7450534,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's on your reading list? Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7451006",
          "commentText": "Recently did the Myer Briggs test and read \"The INTP: Personality, Careers, Relationships, & the Quest for Truth and Meaning\". Now I just need to read more criticism of the Myer Briggs test so I can have a more balanced view of it all, but the results/book seemed pretty darn spot on.\nAlso been loving \"The Little Book of Talent\" from the author of \"The Talent Code\" (which is another one of my favourite books).\nAnd after reading a lot of Stoic philosophy over the years, I've finally got around to \"A Guide to the Good Life\". Very clear explanation of Stoic ideas so probably would have been the best place to start. :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "which is another one of my favourite books",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of their favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5755156,
          "author": "jonajon",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-23T03:20:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5755156",
          "commentText": "The New Digital Age - Eric Schmidt & Jared Cohen\nWhy We Do What We Do - Edward Deci\nThe Talent Code - Daniel Coyle",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Talent Code - Daniel Coyle",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226850,
          "author": "keyist",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:36:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226850",
          "commentText": "Don't miss sivers's great list: http://sivers.org/book\nAs for mine,\nScience Fiction (I like these authors so I'd recommend most of their books -- listing which ones I think are a good 'starter novel' for them):\n  Charles Stross: Halting State\n  Vernor Vinge: A Fire Upon The Deep\n  Iain M. Banks: Culture novels, start with Player of Games\n  David Louis Edelman: Jump 225 Trilogy\n  Daniel Suarez: Daemon and Freedom(tm)\n  John Scalzi: Old Man's War series\n  Dan Simmons: Hyperion\n\nSelf-improvement:\n  The Talent Code\n  Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger\n  Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion\n\nNon-fiction:\n  Amusing Ourselves To Death (highly recommended)\n  The Science of Fear\n  The Black Swan\n  Tokyo Vice\n  Racing The Beam (Atari history, very cool)\n  books by Daniel Pink\n  Guns, Germs, and Steel\n  The Prize by Daniel Yergin\n\nFantasy:\nAnything by Gaiman or China Mieville, pretty much.\nEDIT: links to previews (legally) available online\nCharles Stross's Accelerando (entire book): http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelera... (http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelerando/accelerando-intro.html)\nDavid Louis Edelman's Infoquake (1st 7 chapters): http://www.davidlouisedelman.com/jump225/infoquake/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Talent Code",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Coyle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "skill development",
        "practice",
        "deliberate practice"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-terror-d4b327",
      "title": "The Terror",
      "author": "Dan Simmons",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45292393,
          "author": "kapilkaisare",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-18T17:23:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 45283087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45292393",
          "commentText": "Simmons, Dan. The Terror\nI'm about 50 pages in, and am entranced with the prose.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Simmons, Dan. The Terror\nI'm about 50 pages in, and am entranced with the prose.",
          "reason": "The commenter is entranced with the prose so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Only about 50 pages into the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20982283,
          "author": "abhijat",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T09:13:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20982283",
          "commentText": "I just finished Shogun and The Terror one after the other.\nThe reason I liked these is that I found the dogged determination of the respective captains in the face of adversity (especially in The Terror) inspirational.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I just finished Shogun and The Terror one after the other.",
          "reason": "Finds the captains' dogged determination in the face of adversity inspirational.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674757,
          "author": "dmux",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T14:35:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674757",
          "commentText": "His last name is Simmons. And the Hyperion Cantos is an excellent series. His other books are worth reading too: Summer of Night, The Terror.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His other books are worth reading too: Summer of Night, The Terror.",
          "reason": "Says the author’s other books are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Simmons"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "arctic exploration",
        "historical horror"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-three-body-problem-trilogy-265794",
      "title": "The Three-Body Problem trilogy",
      "author": "Liu Cixin",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28060510,
          "author": "dcminter",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T13:00:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28060510",
          "commentText": "I see this recommended a lot. Nonetheless I hated these books. The opening of the first book is excellent, it set up a decent exciting mystery, but about halfway through it dissolved into paper thin borderline fantasy-physics. The characterizations also declined sharply.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The opening of the first book is excellent",
          "reason": "Criticizes the trilogy’s later plot development and characterization despite praising its opening.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Calls the physics paper thin and says the characterizations declined sharply.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28060440,
          "author": "marcocampos",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T12:54:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28060440",
          "commentText": "I'm a bit conflicted about these books. The ideas are super interesting but the characters seem very \"cardboard-like\". Also they are bit too long and by the 3rd book I didn't care anymore... Still, pretty interesting on their own.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "by the 3rd book I didn't care anymore",
          "reason": "Finds the series’ ideas interesting but criticizes its characters and length.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The characters seem cardboard-like, and interest faded by the third book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536697,
          "author": "spapas82",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:43:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536697",
          "commentText": "Here are a couple I like :\n- Seveneves: A really great hard sci-fi. Very thought provoking ideas and excellent plot! Warning this is a heavy themed book. Also keep in mind that at about 3/4 in the novel there's a conclusion to the main story; the rest of the novel feels rushed and doesnt keep up; you won't miss anything if you just skip it.\n- The Expanse series (starting with Leviathan wakes). A very good series. It has a light tone and mainly focuses on characters. Some books are better than the others. If you liked the 1st one then you wont regret reading the others. Not much philosofy of hard sci-fi ideas so probably near to your liking.\n- Rendezvous with Rama: Probably my favorite Arthur Clarke novel. The plot may not be so interesting but the ideas presented make up for it.\n- Red rising series: This is a great read, the plot feels something like a GoT of scifi; although the setting could also be considered a fantasy one. This is a plot intensive series but not many scifi philosophical ideas. Probably good for your linking.\n- The three body problem trilogy: This is not so light-hearted; it is serious sci-fi presenting some excellent ideas that would blow your mind. Especially after I read the 2nd one (The Dark Forest) I kept it in my mind for a long time; thinking over the things presented there. This is sci-fi at its best.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The three body problem trilogy: This is not so light-hearted; it is serious sci-fi presenting some excellent ideas that would blow your mind.",
          "reason": "Praises its ideas and says the second book stayed with them for a long time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not lighthearted; the commenter describes it as serious science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13117504,
          "author": "heisenbit",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-06T19:26:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13117504",
          "commentText": "Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie (admittedly end 2015)\nVery good closing of the Hugo&Nebula Award series (Justice, Sword, Mercy) exploring the questions of identity and consciousness of individuals, androids and hive minds on the background of a galaxy spanning social, political and military struggle.\nYeah and I second the 3 Body Series by Liu Cixin - that is one for the ages too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second the 3 Body Series by Liu Cixin - that is one for the ages too.",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the recommendation and praises the series as one for the ages.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Liu Cixin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chinese science fiction",
        "cosmology",
        "first contact",
        "trilogy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-time-traveler-s-wife-243da0",
      "title": "The Time Traveler's Wife",
      "author": "Audrey Niffenegger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17536654,
          "author": "dochtman",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:35:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536654",
          "commentText": "Isaac Asimov is one of the classics, of course. I'm particularly fond of the robot novels (all four of the Elijah Baley ones especially) and the entire Foundation series. Of course, you also can't miss the robot short stories. Oh, and The End of Eternity!\nAt some point I found Charles Stross' Accelerando, which is freely available online (along with a bunch of other short stories), and found everything I've read (which is most of it at this point, I think) enjoyably fast-paced. In particular the Laundry series (of which I've bought every iteration as soon as they came out over the past few years) -- though arguably these maybe cross-over from SF into fantasy a bit -- and the Halting State trilogy.\nIn terms of online available work, Cory Doctorow's work is also great. Like Stross, most of his work is more near-term SF, which I have liked, and a bunch of it is available online under a Creative Commons license. It often moves fast and is also politically interesting; sometimes the activism shines through a little blatantly, but the themes are always make me thing in various ways I appreciate (but maybe will fail your lighthearted criterion even if it is fun). His latest is Walkaway, which I would recommend.\nI got into Neal Stephenson through Cryptonomicon, which is one of the greats. Stephenson has a pretty rambly, wordy style, but at least that also makes his stories last a bit longer. After that, I mostly moved on to Anathem, Reamde and Seveneves all of which are big and interesting and great reads (it took me longer than usual to get up to speed on Anathem, but it was very much worth it in the end). I tried one of the more historic ones (I think it was Quicksilver) at some point but haven't finished it. The 2017 Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. was a bit lighter, but lots of fun, too.\nWilliam Gibson has already been mentioned, which I would also recommend. I read the Sprawl trilogy a very long time ago, and it's made a lasting expression. I've started rereading it recently. I also liked the Blue Ant trilogy and The Peripheral, but have so far missed the more recent work.\nMore in the one-off category: The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell is one of my all-time favorites, and mixes deep SF with psychology and religion in interesting ways. There's a sequel, but it's not as good. I also liked The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, which is also on the softer side. I read Scalzi's Redshirts and liked it (especially if you're familiar with the Star Trek universe), it feels similar to Ready Player One in some ways. Daniel Suarez's (or Leinad Zeraus as he originally published them) Daemon is fun and easy to digest, along with its sequel Freedom. I liked Robert J. Sawyer's The Terminal Experiment, but one person I recommended it too wasn't impressed -- I still think it's fun, if not very deep. I also bought his Factoring Humanity and liked it okay.\nHope that helps. Always interested in more recommendations based on this list!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also liked The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, which is also on the softer side.",
          "reason": "Says they liked it and describes it as softer science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865933,
          "author": "rlander",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T18:45:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865933",
          "commentText": "* The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (audiobook)\n* Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay (kindle)\n* Erlang Programming by Francesco Cesarini (rereading mostly because of the excellent exercises)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865594,
          "author": "frazerb",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T17:29:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865594",
          "commentText": "Read Hitchhikers Guide. Again. Priceless.\n\"The Timetraveller's Wife\" will make you think.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Timetraveller's Wife\" will make you think.",
          "reason": "Says it will make the reader think.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Time Traveler's Wife",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797263,
          "author": "darkxanthos",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T03:13:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797263",
          "commentText": "Just finished The Time Traveler's Wife... Working on GEB, and Ulysses (also a simple French reader and Le Petit Prince since I'm just learning French).\nI also got a book about Ulysses to help me glean as much as possible out of this intellectual and physical monstrosity of a book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Just finished The Time Traveler's Wife",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Audrey Niffenegger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "romance",
        "time travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-timeless-way-of-building-65dce2",
      "title": "The Timeless Way of Building",
      "author": "Christopher Alexander",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29817705,
          "author": "anm89",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-06T01:06:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29817705",
          "commentText": "Check out \"The Timeless Way of Building\" if you want non fiction or anything by Vonnegut. I'd personally start with Cat's Cradle.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Check out \"The Timeless Way of Building\" if you want non fiction",
          "reason": "Suggested as a nonfiction choice.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking nonfiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16355646,
          "author": "skilesare",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-12T00:27:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16355646",
          "commentText": "Chris Alexander’s Timeless way of building and Nature of order\nRobert Pirsig’s Lila",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Chris Alexander’s Timeless way of building",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the question about books colleagues should have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785476,
          "author": "ThrustVectoring",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:31:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785476",
          "commentText": "Books I'm glad I've read:\nThe Inner Game of Tennis\nImpro by Keith Johnstone\nSeeing Like a State\nThe Timeless Way of Building\nLinear and Geometric Algebra by Alan Macdonald\nMeditations by Marcus Aurelius (read this one thrice)\nThe Tao of Pooh\nScience, Strategy and War: The Strategic Theory of John Boyd\nThe Drama of the Gifted Child\nInteraction Ritual\nWhat Do You Say After You Say Hello?\nOf niche use:\nMathematics: its Content, Methods and Meaning - mostly useful for figuring out what math you don't know. I recommend reading it at a fairly decent pace, and noting what subjects don't sound like an overview of something you've already learned.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Timeless Way of Building",
          "reason": "Included under “Books I'm glad I've read.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109217,
          "author": "rglover",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:34:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109217",
          "commentText": "Slowly making my way through The Timeless Way of Building by Christopher Alexander. Also reading Essentialism by Greg McKeown, and Influence by Robert Cialdini.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Slowly making my way through The Timeless Way of Building by Christopher Alexander.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher Alexander"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "architecture",
        "design theory",
        "pattern language"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-toyota-way-dae564",
      "title": "The Toyota Way",
      "author": "Jeffrey K. Liker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25319707,
          "author": "DavidPeiffer",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-06T00:15:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319707",
          "commentText": "I'm an industrial engineer.  The book that got me started on that path was Cheaper By the Dozen, which we listened to on cassette tape on most road trips >2 hours growing up.  I was fascinated by the thought of taking a process or procedure and eliminating as much non-value add time as possible, which they did throughout their lives on things like tonsillectomies for their kids.\nSome impactful books on the whole field include Factory Physics (focusing on material flow through a factory) and The Toyota Way (focusing on lean manufacturing).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and The Toyota Way (focusing on lean manufacturing).",
          "reason": "Called an impactful book on industrial engineering, focused on lean manufacturing.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in industrial engineering and manufacturing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762368,
          "author": "wpietri",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T02:39:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762368",
          "commentText": "Franz de Waal's \"Chimpanzee Politics\". It's nominally about the social relationships of a chimp colony in a Dutch zoo. But it made me see the extent to which humans are just another great ape, and a lot of human dynamics are really primate dynamics, especially around social power.\nJohnstone's \"Impro\". It's about improvisational theater, and mainly meant for people learning improv. But the section on status transactions helped me see a lot about how we express those primate dominance dynamics. There's also great material on the nature of creativity.\n\"Getting to Yes\" is a great book about business negotiation, but is lessons about shifting discussions from zero-sum to positive-sum are things I use a lot.\nBraitenberg's \"Vehicles: Experiments in Synthetic Psychology\" is a way of thinking about psychology (and our inference of mind) by examining imaginary robots.\n\"The Toyota Way\" and other books on Lean Manufacturing are about running extremely effective manufacturing operations. But they have deeply changed how I think about systems of making software and running businesses. Other great books in this category include \"Toyota Kata\" and \"Principles of Product Development Flow\".\n\"Crossing the Chasm\" is about how tech products get adopted. But its mindset around segmenting audiences and building credibility taught me a lot about any sort of social change.\n\"Why Does He Do That? Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men\" is nominally about abuse in romantic relationships. But its insights about power and control have  been useful to me way beyond that. E.g., so much behavior in large corporations is inexplicable if you look at it in business terms, and perfectly sensible if you think about if from the perspective of, \"What would a person with abusive tendencies gain from this situation?\"\nAlso, hearty +1s for books \"Design of Everyday Things\", \"Finite and Infinite Games\", and \"Punished by Rewards\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Toyota Way\" and other books on Lean Manufacturing are about running extremely effective manufacturing operations. But they have deeply changed how I think about systems of making software and running businesses.",
          "reason": "The author says these books changed how they think about software systems and businesses.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14139537,
          "author": "zhte415",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T15:19:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14139537",
          "commentText": "The Toyota Way.  Yet despite repackaging upon repackaging of ideas in the book, sagely picked up in the book itself as if repackaged being ineffective, many corporate environments can beat the drum but not walk the walk, especially in long-term people-related aspects.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Toyota Way.",
          "reason": "Listed as a field or industry bible, while criticizing how corporate environments fail to apply its ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says companies often repeat the ideas without putting them into practice, especially in long-term people-related aspects.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeffrey K. Liker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "lean manufacturing",
        "toyota production system",
        "lean management",
        "toyota"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ultimate-sales-machine-e79531",
      "title": "The Ultimate Sales Machine",
      "author": "Chet Holmes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10786160,
          "author": "wushupork",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T22:57:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786160",
          "commentText": "Traction by Justin Mares, Gabriel Weinberg - would probably reread\nGrowth Hacker Marketing by Ryan Holiday\nHow to Fail at Almost Everything by Scott Adams - great read\nScaling Up By Verne Harnish\nGreat By Choice by Jim Collins - love the whole series\nThe Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes - probably worth a reread\nHow to Win at the Sport of Business By Mark Cuban - good read\nElon Mush by Ashlee Vance - need I say more\nThe Hard Thing about Hard Things By Ben Horowitz\nThe Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg - probably need to deeply absorb this - a lot of good stuff\nCopy This! By Paul Orfalea - another good \"small business\" entrepreneur book\nThe E-Myth Revisited By Michael Gerber - 2nd time read. Got more out of it this time.\nThe People's Tycoon (Ford) by Steven Watts - I love reading about businessmen from this age\nScrum by JJ Sutherland Jeff Sutherland - good read for development teams",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes - probably worth a reread",
          "reason": "The commenter thinks it is probably worth rereading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10235246,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T18:37:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10235246",
          "commentText": "I'm a fan of The Challenger Sale, The New Solution Selling and all three books by Jeff Thull:  Mastering The Complex Sale, Exceptional Selling and The Prime Solution.   I really like Thull's approach, especially his \"always be leaving\" mindset, as opposed to the old \"always be closing\" idea.  Thull's thinking is much more focused on providing an authentic and honest experience, and genuinely trying to help the customer - as opposed to stuff about how to \"trick\" the customer into saying yes.\nI also like a lot of what I've read from Jeffrey Gittomer and Grant Cardone.\nOh, and The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes as well.  He (Chet H.) did a series of videos with Anthony Robbins that is really good.  I really recommend watching those.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes as well.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they like the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10233497,
          "author": "erikcw",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T14:24:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10233497",
          "commentText": "The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes is fantastic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes is fantastic.",
          "reason": "Calls it fantastic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6130130,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2013-07-30T21:18:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 6130006,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read re marketing for my website?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6130130",
          "commentText": "I'm not sure if the fact that it's a game changes anything or not as I don't play in that space myself.  But just in terms of marketing in general, some of the essentials include:\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing - Al Ries & Jack Trout\nPositioning - Al Ries & Jack Trout\nRepositioning - Jack Trout (with Steve Rivkin)\nDifferentiate or Die - Jack Trout (with Steve Rivkin)\nThe Ultimate Marketing Plan - Dan S. Kennedy\nThe Ultimate Sales Machine - Chet Holmes\nAll Marketers Are Liars - Seth Godin\nThe Purple Cow - Seth Godin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Ultimate Sales Machine - Chet Holmes",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chet Holmes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sales",
        "marketing",
        "sales management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-undoing-project-4ffb16",
      "title": "The Undoing Project",
      "author": "Michael Lewis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23151765,
          "author": "saheb37",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T08:34:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23151765",
          "commentText": "You might enjoy Undoing Project by Michael Lewis as well, it's like the backstory of Thinking Fast and Slow.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You might enjoy Undoing Project by Michael Lewis",
          "reason": "Suggested as an enjoyable account that gives the backstory to Thinking, Fast and Slow.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18664368,
          "author": "adenadel",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T14:53:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664368",
          "commentText": "The best books that I read this year were\nBad Blood by John Carreyrou (this book is about Theranos and is absolutely insane, it reads like a thriller)\nEducated by Tara Westover (this is a fascinating memoir about a woman who was raised by fundamentalists and \"escaped\" to BYU)\nThe Undoing Proect by Michael Lewis (about the relationship between Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky and their research together)\nThe Rise and Fall of DODO by Neal Stephenson (I love all of his books)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Undoing Proect by Michael Lewis",
          "reason": "Named among the commenter's best books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15017866,
          "author": "auganov",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T13:13:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15017866",
          "commentText": "The classic Clean Code by Robert C. Martin <- probably won't learn much new, but worth it, just to let the concepts reenter your consciousness.\nThe Secret War Against the Jews by John Loftus <- Changed the way I think about inner workings of the government. But at the same time, many claims are hard to verify.\nThe life changing magic of cleaning up by Marie Kondo <- not life changing but decent and a quick, 2-3 day read.\nNassim Taleb books, pretty sure everyone on here read it or plans to so, don't need my description.\nHalfway through The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis at the moment, it's pretty good, a joint biography of Kahneman and Tversky (of the \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\", which I guess is another HN classic).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's pretty good, a joint biography of Kahneman and Tversky",
          "reason": "Calls it pretty good and describes its subject.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is halfway through it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Lewis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "behavioral economics",
        "amos tversky",
        "daniel kahneman",
        "cognitive psychology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-upanishads-b1c362",
      "title": "The Upanishads",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41178853,
          "author": "fuzztester",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T06:53:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41178853",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\nTaipan, by James Clavell\nThe Navigator, by Morris West\nNon-fiction:\nThe Upanishads (not a single book, but a bunch of them)\nThe Bhagavad Gita",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Upanishads (not a single book, but a bunch of them)",
          "reason": "Listed under nonfiction in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes this is a collection of texts, not a single book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19090626,
          "author": "vishnugupta",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T22:27:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090626",
          "commentText": "All the books below have shaped my thought process to a significant degree. I started reading late but I'm fortunate enough to have stumbled upon these gems.\n\"Debt: The First 5000 Years\": This is truly a magnum opus. Until I read this I had taken money, economy, market etc., for granted. And I had held onto the widely accepted, but naive, view that economic systems somehow grew out of barter systems. The range of topics discussed, and the way author shows how seemingly independent concepts are intertwined, is truly astonishing. I'm on my 2nd read.\n\"Thinking, Fast and Slow\": This book made me truly appreciate the value of psychology. I didn't even know the existence of a vast domain called behavioral science until I read this book. Now I'm deliberately conscious about the decisions I take and retrace my thought process multiple times just to make sure that I haven't fallen pray to some of the cognitive biases.\n\"The Tell-Tale Brain\": While I did know that human brain is a unique organ this book opened my eyes to its layered complexities. For instance, how \"seeing\" is not a single step but a multi step process. From image formation, to identifying the object, to evoking emotional response.\n\"QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter\": The book with the highest signal to noise ratio. I finally understood what science is about, a way to model nature and to keep refining it to fit the observation. There are no true/false theories/models only those that explain nature's behavior better or worse. Nature is agnostic to all our theories and models. She's just the way she is. For details read about double slit experiment.\n\"How the World Works\": This one along with \"Profit Over People: Neoliberalism & Global Order\" has greatly shaped my mental model about the workings of contemporary world. I now understand why does military gets all the funding, why do powerful governments tend to keep its subject under perpetual fear, why is it that the cost of education has been sky-rocketing.\n\"The Hanging of Afzal Guru and the Strange Case of the Attack on the Indian Parliament\": A glimpse into the working of Indian justice system.\n\"Broken Republic\": This is by far the most accurate description about current affairs in India. How India is being hollowed out and how its most vulnerable section is the one fighting against it.\n\"Grammatical Man: Information, Entropy, Language and Life\": I'm currently reading it (20% through) and it has already made a big impact. The meaning of information is deep and subtle and pervades not just human being but the life itself.\n\"The Order of Time\": The book that well and truly shook the foundation that I had taken for granted for my entire life. That space and time aren't something absolute and are personal has had a profound impact on me.\n\"The Upanisads\": A truly remarkable work of human mind. Just to think about some of the concepts uplifts my mood.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Upanisads\": A truly remarkable work of human mind.",
          "reason": "Calls the work remarkable and says thinking about its concepts uplifts their mood.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674253,
          "author": "dschiptsov",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T11:47:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674253",
          "commentText": "Upanishads.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Upanishads.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hindu philosophy",
        "indian scripture",
        "religious texts",
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-very-hungry-caterpillar-a6e642",
      "title": "The Very Hungry Caterpillar",
      "author": "Eric Carle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26775082,
          "author": "rmk",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-12T00:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26775082",
          "commentText": "- Good Night, Moon\n- The Runaway Bunny\n- Harold and the Purple Crayon\n- Grandfather Twilight (for slightly older children)\n- Sandra Boynton books\n- Max's Breakfast (and other books)\n- I Read Signs (Tana Hoban; other books by her also quite good)\n- Go! Go! Go! Stop! (Cherise Mericle Harper)\n- Little Pea (Amy Krouse Rosenthal)\n- Trucks, My Car (and other Byron Barton books)\n- The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Eric Carle; some other books by this author are also good)\n- Roadwork (Sally Sutton; also in the same vein by the illustrator Brian Lovelock: Demolition, Flight of the Honey Bee, The Rain Train).\nMany others come to mind, but these are well-loved.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Eric Carle; some other books by this author are also good)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467501,
          "author": "fourseventy",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:31:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467501",
          "commentText": "Good Night Moon - 187 times\nThe Cat In The Hat - 200 times\nThe Very Hungry Caterpillar - 85 times\nBut seriously, im on my third re-read of Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin, In my opinion its the best book about leadership ever written.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Very Hungry Caterpillar - 85 times",
          "reason": "Lists it among books read repeatedly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971285,
          "author": "russellallen",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T09:08:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971285",
          "commentText": "The hungry, hungry caterpillar. Best book ever!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The hungry, hungry caterpillar. Best book ever!",
          "reason": "Called the best book ever.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Carle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s literature",
        "children s picture book",
        "children s picture books",
        "picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-wise-man-s-fear-df8c65",
      "title": "The Wise Man's Fear",
      "author": "Patrick Rothfuss",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467509,
          "author": "Zhyl",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:32:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467509",
          "commentText": "The Kingkiller Chronicle.\nFirstly, they're good books and are enjoyable to read a second time round.\nSecondly, Rothfuss has laid down plot points like a Go player places stones. The second time reading through will join together disparate pieces of information that you wouldn't have connected together before, starting from very large revelations in the second reading of the first few chapters.\nI know of other books that are so rich that you can appreciate new details on multiple readings, but none that re-contextualise the whole story with revelations hidden in plain sight.\nReadings:\n(Name of the wind - 4 times,\nWise Man's Fear 5 or 6 times - I like this one more for some reason).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wise Man's Fear 5 or 6 times - I like this one more for some reason).",
          "reason": "Reports reading it five or six times and says they like it more than the other volume.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13568362,
          "author": "JayNeely",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T18:55:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13568362",
          "commentText": "The Name of the Wind, and The Wise Man's Fear -- great fantasy books by Patrick Rothfuss.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Name of the Wind, and The Wise Man's Fear -- great fantasy books by Patrick Rothfuss.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great fantasy book.",
          "audience": "Fantasy readers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3400538,
          "author": "pdenya",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-28T17:34:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3400538",
          "commentText": "Wise Man's Fear was incredible.  That's the only non-technical book I've read multiple times in years.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wise Man's Fear was incredible.",
          "reason": "Calls the book incredible and says it is the only nontechnical book they have reread multiple times in years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3336877,
          "author": "happyrichpinoy",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T04:00:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3336877",
          "commentText": "Ready Player One http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/030788743X/ref=as_li_qf_sp_... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/030788743X/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=hapricpin-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=030788743X)\nThe Wise Man's Fear http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0756404738/ref=as_li_qf_sp_... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0756404738/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=hapricpin-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0756404738)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Wise Man's Fear",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Patrick Rothfuss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "coming of age",
        "high fantasy",
        "kingkiller chronicle"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-worldly-philosophers-aecc96",
      "title": "The Worldly Philosophers",
      "author": "Robert L. Heilbroner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32936977,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T10:25:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936977",
          "commentText": "Did you consider Russell's A history of western philosophy or The Worldly Philosophers by Heilbroner? I'm considering to read one of the two, would like to hear how they would compare to Adamson.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Worldly Philosophers by Heilbroner",
          "reason": "The commenter is considering reading it and asks how it compares with Adamson's work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No preference or recommendation is expressed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15159040,
          "author": "RockyMcNuts",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T00:36:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15159040",
          "commentText": "Well Pirsig's Zen and the other ones related to eastern religions and science, are around the idea that there is no locus of reality or meaning, the reality is how everything interrelates. It's kind of like word2vec, the context of other words and real-world situations in which each word is used tells you everything about what it means. Take away a particle's charge and mass and the other numbers we associate with it, and is it still a particle? Those numbers describe how it interacts and all we can really say about it is how it interacts. Plato was off the mark when he talked about the ideal form of different objects. There is no ideal form of a chair, except that chairness is an abstract idea about how things (asses and furniture) interact.\nThen I think that Grammatical Man and Penrose are around the nature of information, and what can be communicated and understood. And I sort of think that question is at the top of the tree of abstraction about what we think about. Then comes computer science and math which are about any symbolic systems or formal systems that can be computed and reasoned about. Then most everything else is applying those systems to various problems.\nThen I think The Naked Ape and Hayek and Flow are around the notion that humans are their own thing. They are tribal and hierarchical and territorial and violent and not nearly as self-aware or even aware of our surroundings as we think we are. You get a lot more mileage out of just observing what they do than about listening to the rationalizations of why they say did it, things like God and blood and soil, i.e. superstitions and us-and-them-ing arbitrary physical features of a pack of mongrels and arbitrary lines on maps. Invitation to Sociology by Berger was another big one on those lines.\nAnd the Heilbroner and Durant are basically inventories of major mental models that people have come up with in philosophy and economics.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the Heilbroner",
          "reason": "Describes it as an inventory of major mental models in philosophy and economics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156316,
          "author": "RockyMcNuts",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:05:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156316",
          "commentText": "The Emperor's New Mind, by Roger Penrose\nThe Tao of Physics, by Fritjof Capra\nDancing Wu Li Masters, by Gary Zukav\nThe Naked Ape, by Desmond Morris\nThe Road to Serfdom, by Friedrich Hayek\nThe Worldly Philosophers, by Robert Heilbroner\nThe Story of Philosophy, by Will Durant\nGrammatical Man, by Jeremy Campbell\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert M. Pirsig\nFlow, by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Worldly Philosophers, by Robert Heilbroner",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which books had the biggest impact on mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12562110,
          "author": "dredmorbius",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T03:25:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12562110",
          "commentText": "That's a pretty good list, though I have to take exception to your suggestions for heterodox economics all coming from the Hayek-Mises-Rothbard Austrian/Libertarian tradition.  There's considerably more to heterodox economics than Libertarian school.\n\"Heterodox economics\" is an umbrella term used to cover various approaches, schools, or traditions. These include socialist, Marxian, institutional, evolutionary, Georgist, Austrian, feminist,[3] social, post-Keynesian (not to be confused with New Keynesian),[2] and ecological economics among others.[4]\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heterodox_economics\nSteve Keen offers a fairly compelling criticism in Debunking Economics.\nHa-Joon Chang, of LSE, has several books providing criticisms and overviews of economics, his Economics: the user's guide is a light and readable overview.  http://www.worldcat.org/title/economics-the-users-guide/oclc... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/economics-the-users-guide/oclc/870896694&referer=brief_results)\n(It's worth noting that Ha-Joon Chang tends toward a Marxian view and in particular is a contrarian in trade and development concepts.  I happen to think his views have merits.)\nThere are several books which cover the history of economic thought, from more and less inclusive perspectives.  Roger Backhouse's The Ordinary Business of Life is extraordinarily dry, but reasonably encompasses the mainstream.  \nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/ordinary-business-of-life-a-hi... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/ordinary-business-of-life-a-history-of-economics-from-the-ancient-world-to-the-twenty-first-century/oclc/49198341&referer=brief_results)\nHeilbroner's The Worldly Philosophers is a classic:  http://www.worldcat.org/title/worldly-philosophers-the-lives... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/worldly-philosophers-the-lives-times-and-ideas-of-the-great-economic-thinkers/oclc/40762647&referer=brief_results)\nFor heterodoxy, I'd add to the Austrian side:\nHerman Daly on ecological economics.  http://www.worldcat.org/title/ecological-economics-principle... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/ecological-economics-principles-and-applications/oclc/804847292?referer=br&ht=edition)\nul\nit in f\nl.\nErick D. Beinhocker's The Origin of Wealth: Evolution, complexity, and the radical remaking of economics strikes me from reviews and a brief overview as one of the more interesting recent books on economics.  I've yet to read it in full.\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/origin-of-wealth-evolution-com... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/origin-of-wealth-evolution-complexity-and-the-radical-remaking-of-economics/oclc/64335906&referer=brief_results)\nThere's slew of other books, many quite bad, on the subject.  I'm largely convinced economics is vastly overdue for a robust remaking.  I'm not convinced that will happen.\n(It was my degree subject at uni.  I've been trying to comprehend it and rationalise its vast internal contradictions and inconsistencies since.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Heilbroner's The Worldly Philosophers is a classic",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a classic.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring the history of economic thought.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1465518,
          "author": "RockyMcNuts",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T14:32:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1465518",
          "commentText": "The Worldly Philosophers, by Robert Heilbroner - http://www.amazon.com/Worldly-Philosophers-Lives-Economic-Th... (http://www.amazon.com/Worldly-Philosophers-Lives-Economic-Thinkers/dp/068486214X)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Worldly Philosophers, by Robert Heilbroner",
          "reason": "Offered as a book in response to a request for economics texts.",
          "audience": "People looking for an introduction to economics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1465421,
          "author": "amh",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T12:45:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1465421",
          "commentText": "Along with the excellent recommendations here, I would add \"The Worldly Philosophers\" by Heilbroner (http://www.amazon.com/Worldly-Philosophers-Lives-Economic-Th... (http://www.amazon.com/Worldly-Philosophers-Lives-Economic-Thinkers/dp/068486214X)) for a slightly different angle.  It covers a wide range of famous economists and describes the high points of their theories along with some biographical detail, in a very engaging style.  It's the economics version of \"Men Of Mathematics\", which is also a fascinating book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It covers a wide range of famous economists and describes the high points of their theories along with some biographical detail, in a very engaging style.",
          "reason": "Recommended for its engaging overview of economists, their theories, and lives.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 181117,
          "author": "davidmathers",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-05T01:46:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 180589,
          "threadTitle": "Good book for economics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=181117",
          "commentText": "One option: assume that there is no one book that can serve as an intro to economics (I haven't found one yet) and start learning the subject be reading the 3 great classical economists: Adam Smith, David Ricardo, and Karl Marx. All 3 were geniuses who had many brilliant insights. And all 3 were wrong in a similar fundemental way because they didn't fully grasp the concept of value.\nPersonally I've found overviews (ie \"The Wordly Philosophers\") to be useless for real learning.\nWhat I've found instead is that when really smart people are wrong, their wrongness (how and why they are wrong) is just as instructive as when they are right. If not more so.\nOnce you understand classical economics then learn about the marginal revolution. Follow that by reading Keynes and Von Mises simultaneously.\nAlmost every notable economist of the last 50 years is, in some form, an intellectual descendent of either Keynes or the Austrians (Von Mises and Hayek). Perhaps directly or one of Keynes -> Galbraith or Austrians -> Chicago School (Milton Friedman).\nThere are also lots of intellectual descendents of Marx (Thomas Sowell for example) but they tend to just write about economics rather than being actual working economists.\nNotable Keynesians: Paul Krugman is an excellent writer and wrote several great popular books in the 90's, I escpecially like The Accidental Theorist. Brad DeLong worked for the Clinton administration and has a blog.\nNotable Austrians: The Marginal Revolution blog (directly inspired by \"Austrians\"), Greg Mankiw (worked for the Bush administration a few years ago, not directly inspired by \"Austrians\").",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Personally I've found overviews (ie \"The Wordly Philosophers\") to be useless for real learning.",
          "reason": "The commenter says this overview has not been useful for learning economics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert L. Heilbroner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of economic thought",
        "economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "three-comrades-f71ff5",
      "title": "Three Comrades",
      "author": "Erich Maria Remarque",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42963613,
          "author": "eamag",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-06T15:58:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42963613",
          "commentText": "- Three Comrades by Erich Maria Remarque\n- Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky\n- and also somehow The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Three Comrades by Erich Maria Remarque",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40878389,
          "author": "stanski",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-04T21:55:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40878389",
          "commentText": "Three Comrades by Remarque.\nI'm not sure what it is about it.\nOn the surface it's a fairly straightforward story but the way the everyday struggles of the times, strong friendship and love are interwoven, is perfect.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Three Comrades by Remarque.",
          "reason": "Praises its interweaving of everyday struggles, friendship, and love.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure what makes it so affecting.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31983848,
          "author": "Kenneth39",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-05T02:59:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31983848",
          "commentText": "Regardless of taste preferences, it seems most logical to take with you some massive franchise. At least because there is more action, more characters, and therefore more room for thought.\nBut as for me, I would prefer Erich Maria Remarque's Three Comrades. It's simple, it's short, but it has so much life in it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would prefer Erich Maria Remarque's Three Comrades.",
          "reason": "The commenter says this is their preferred choice for rereading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They describe it as simple and short.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Erich Maria Remarque"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "friendship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "three-men-in-a-boat-e9bb75",
      "title": "Three Men in a Boat",
      "author": "Jerome K. Jerome",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41175693,
          "author": "dcminter",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:41:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175693",
          "commentText": "\"Best\" is always too hard - here are a handful that I love.\nPride & Prejudice - Jane Austen\nJonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - Susannah Clarke\nThe Crow Road - Iain Banks\nEqual Rites - Terry Pratchett\nThree Men in a Boat - Jerome K. Jerome\nA Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson\nBlack Holes & Time Warps - Kip Thorne\nThe Inventions of Daedalus - David E H Jones\nThe Cuckoo's Egg - Cliff Stoll\nI hope one or two of those float your boat!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Three Men in a Boat - Jerome K. Jerome",
          "reason": "Offers it as one of a handful of books the commenter loves in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says choosing the “best” is too hard.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18662508,
          "author": "amuresan",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T09:26:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18662508",
          "commentText": "1. La peste (Albert Camus) - entertaining if you're into French existentialism\n2. Linked (Barabasi) - insightful and useful to understand that most phenomenon we see in real life follow a power law and what that means\n3. Leonardo da Vinci (Walter Isaacson) - surprising how little of da Vinci's real personality is reflected in his modern image\n4. Matrix computations – third edition (Gene Golub, Charles van Loan) - good read if you're into linear algebra\n5. Giving effective feedback (Harvard business review) - useful for getting an understanding on how to handle human interaction\n6. The old man and the sea (Ernest Hemingway) - enjoyed it a lot, a reflection of Hemingway's romantic spirit. Also, a quick read.\n7. Screwjack (Hunter S. Thompson) - didn't resonate with me although I am a fan of existentialism\n8. Sun and steel (Yukio Mishima) - raw and intimate. before reading this book I'd recommend reading up on Mishima's life\n9. Stranger than fiction (Chuck Palahniuck) - somewhat entertaining, more so because it served as a glimpse into Palahniuck's creative process\n10. Thinking in Systems: A Primer (Dana Meadows) - useful for understanding that in modern life we have complex systems at work with emergent behavior that we didn't expect. Trying to isolate / model a single component of one of these systems is a flawed approach.\n11. Chaos monkeys (Antonio Garcia Martinez) - entertaining, but quite long\n12. Weapons of math destruction (Cathy O'Neil) - in a way, similar to Thinking in systems, but at an applied level. Shows how rules in modern society can have unintended negative consequences when hidden negative feedback loops emerge from the complex system they are embedded in.\n13. Lolita (Nabokov) - a brilliant novel from many points of view. Although the topic is controversial, it is a book that had to be written.\n14. The prince (Machiavelli) - an interesting read. It was intended as a guide to the young price Cesare Borgia from his teacher Machiavelli. The secret to enjoying it is not to judge it by modern morality.\n15. Give and take (Adam Grant) - psychology research about giving / taking / matching personality types presented in a book for the masses. I would not read it again; watching a presentation online should be enough to get the point across.\n16. Mécanique (Landau, Lifchitz) - refresh of mechanics\n17. Do androids dream of electric sheep (Philip K. Dick) - enjoyable and entertaining! I'm surprised how different the feel of the book is compared to the Blade runner films. In the book androids are purely rational beings, whereas the film wraps them in an aura of romanticism.\n18. How we learn (Benedict Carey) - decades of learning research condensed in a book\n19. Advanced Calculus: A Differential Forms Approach (Harold M. Edwards) - the best math book I've read so far! For me it was eye-opening in a fundamental way. Edwards is truly a gifted teacher.\n20. Three men in a boat (Jerome K. Jerome) - enjoyable and amusing\n21. Getting to yes (Roger Fisher, William Ury) - negotiation book, nicely written and structured\n22. Without a word (Zhang Jie) - historical novel by one of China's most acclaimed modern writers. I don't have a good reference to compare against since this was my first Chinese novel, but overall I did enjoy it. It felt real and raw.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "enjoyable and amusing",
          "reason": "The commenter found it enjoyable and amusing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 766909,
          "author": "huhtenberg",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-16T22:45:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=766909",
          "commentText": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Men_in_a_Boat\n:)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Men_in_a_Boat\n:)",
          "reason": "Suggested as a vacation read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jerome K. Jerome"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comedy",
        "comic novel",
        "humor",
        "travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tomorrow-and-tomorrow-and-tomorrow-356931",
      "title": "Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow",
      "author": "Gabrielle Zevin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39249345,
          "author": "raybb",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T11:13:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249345",
          "commentText": "I just finished Cory Doctorow's The Lost Cause and wrote a short review [1]. I'm not a huge fiction person so maybe my standards are not so high but I found it quite inspiring and relevant to my current life. Grappling with feelings about climate change and housing shortages and how to use my skills to improve the world but also setting limits and enjoying life. Well... At least those are the things I felt in the book but maybe not really the main topic.\nCurrently reading Tomorrow Tomorrow Tomorrow which I like but I only started reading because I found a copy in a free pile.\nI'd like to read some nonfiction next and I think it'll be A City is Not a Tree by Christopher W. Alexander. I think it was recommended on HN recently but I'm also doing and Urban Studies master program so the urban things have been on my mind lately.\n[1] https://blog.rayberger.org/book-review-the-lost-cause",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Currently reading Tomorrow Tomorrow Tomorrow which I like",
          "reason": "The commenter likes it, though they started reading after finding a copy in a free pile.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter had only just started reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39249259,
          "author": "philshem",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T11:00:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249259",
          "commentText": "All fiction so far (and with similar themes)\n- Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow\n- Pachinko\n- Homegoing (just started)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38566373,
          "author": "k2so",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T07:40:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38566373",
          "commentText": "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow - This was best read of 2023 for me. The narration is very immersive and the author makes you very invested in the story. Shows the messy, complicated human side of things. And another plus was that it was about game dev,  quite fun to learn about it through fiction.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow - This was best read of 2023 for me.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it their best read of 2023 and praises its immersive narration, story, and game-development setting.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in game development and fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38238617,
          "author": "PaulRobinson",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T09:01:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238617",
          "commentText": "My non-fiction pile is very peculiar to me (maths, probability, gambling, Rust and Elixir books, a backlog of a load of recent Humble Bundle deals), but I have some solid fiction recommendations:\nTomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin is the sort of novel where you start to get sad as the weight of unread pages in your right starts to lighten. A novel about some friends who build some games (set in the 1990s and 2000s, with references to games of that era), it's really about friendship, social awkwardness and creativity.\nPiranesi by Susanna Clarke can't really take a review. When I first of it in Literary Review, the reviewer refused to disclose any plot for fear of providing spoilers, and I'm the same. I can just tell you, it's lovely. Her writing has got even better since she wrote Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, and it's a really, really solid novel.\nYesterday, my Dad messaged me about a current read I'll share here as a warning, and because his style is just hilarious:\nI treated myself to a copy of \"A Stroke of the Pen\" by Terry Pratchett: short stories unearthed after his death. Very disappointing. If I were you, I would wait until it is available at your local library and then you could scrawl cuss words inside it without damaging your personal copy.\nSolid advice that, I hope you'll agree.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin is the sort of novel where you start to get sad as the weight of unread pages in your right starts to lighten.",
          "reason": "Recommends the novel, praising its story about friendship, social awkwardness, and creativity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gabrielle Zevin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "friendship",
        "video games",
        "creativity",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "touching-the-void-2305d3",
      "title": "Touching the Void",
      "author": "Joe Simpson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21911927,
          "author": "cordaciu",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-30T09:04:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21911927",
          "commentText": "1.The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time\n2.Looking for Alaska\n3.Blindness\n4.Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man's Miraculous Survival\n5.The Martian\n6.Never Let Me Go",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "4.Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man's Miraculous Survival",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorites in response to the decade's best-books discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1975236,
          "author": "lazyant",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T14:30:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1975236",
          "commentText": "You'll probably like also \"Touching the void\". The movie/documentary is fantastic too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You'll probably like also \"Touching the void\".",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a book the reader will probably like.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Touching the Void",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joe Simpson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mountaineering",
        "survival"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tribe-on-homecoming-and-belonging-976d34",
      "title": "Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging",
      "author": "Sebastian Junger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46254327,
          "author": "gethly",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-13T13:19:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 46226571,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46254327",
          "commentText": "Not read this year but:\n1. Sebastian Junger - Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging\n  I read it some years ago but I remember it being a good read - for men. It also mentions how older societies handled post-war PTSD. So it got stuck in my head, despite only reading it once. Author was also a guest on Joe Rogan few times.\n\n2. Christian and Barbara Joy O'Brien - The Genius of The Few (get it from goldenageproject.org.uk, not amazon)\n  Great addition for anyone interested in Anunnaki and Sitchin's work. This takes a different angle but comes to the same/similar conclusions as Sitchin in more straightforward and less bombastic way as the authors were strictly fact-driven and held off any personal opinions or anything they could not prove. And I find that this is the only work not written by armchair warriors, second to Sitchin.\n\n\n\nI have no time yet but want to buy Schopenhauer's works. So it might be of interest to some as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sebastian Junger - Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging",
          "reason": "The commenter remembers it as a good read and says its discussion of post-war PTSD stayed with them.",
          "audience": "Men, as specified by the commenter.",
          "caveat": "Read some years ago; remembered from one reading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30241651,
          "author": "distalx",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T07:58:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241651",
          "commentText": "Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging by Sebastian Junger.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging by Sebastian Junger.",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the thread's book recommendation question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23870129,
          "author": "muzani",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-17T13:17:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23870129",
          "commentText": "Tribe, by Sebastian Junger. It covers a journalist's experience in a war zone, and how it changed his model of society. Man was meant to live in tribes, where individuals are most fulfilled giving their last bit of food, rather than a society where people grab what they can for themselves.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tribe, by Sebastian Junger. It covers a journalist's experience in a war zone, and how it changed his model of society.",
          "reason": "Recommends a book about how a war-zone experience changed the author’s model of society.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sebastian Junger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "belonging",
        "community",
        "post war ptsd",
        "veterans"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "uncle-petros-and-goldbach-s-conjecture-cb9304",
      "title": "Uncle Petros and Goldbach's Conjecture",
      "author": "Apostolos Doxiadis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23726746,
          "author": "pgtan",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T19:27:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23726746",
          "commentText": "\"Uncle Petros and Goldbach's Conjecture\" by Apostolos Doxiadis.\nNot a math book, but a really well written, full with math history novel about the value of mathematics in a human's life. It gives you the reason, why you should know (higher) maths, even if you will won't become a mathematician.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Uncle Petros and Goldbach's Conjecture\" by Apostolos Doxiadis.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a novel about mathematics and its place in a person's life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not a math book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4770839,
          "author": "amair",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-11T22:45:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 4770238,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fiction books that entertain and educate?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4770839",
          "commentText": "Uncle Petros and Goldbach's Conjecture(http://www.amazon.co.uk/Petros-Goldbachs-Conjecture-Apostolo... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Petros-Goldbachs-Conjecture-Apostolos-Doxiadis/dp/0571205119/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1352673792&sr=1-1))?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Uncle Petros and Goldbach's Conjecture",
          "reason": "Suggested as a fiction book in response to the request for stories that entertain and educate.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in fiction connected to mathematics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1570315,
          "author": "edanm",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T06:19:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1570315",
          "commentText": "If you like Logicomix and other math fiction, I highly recommend his previous book, \"Uncle Petros and Golbach's conjecture\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend his previous book, \"Uncle Petros and Golbach's conjecture\".",
          "reason": "Highly recommends it for readers who like Logicomix and other mathematical fiction.",
          "audience": "Readers who like Logicomix and other math fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Apostolos Doxiadis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical fiction",
        "goldbach s conjecture",
        "number theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "underground-tales-of-hacking-madness-and-obsession-on-the-electro-142c08",
      "title": "Underground: Tales of Hacking, Madness and Obsession on the Electronic Frontier",
      "author": "Suelette Dreyfus",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22707795,
          "author": "contingencies",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T23:23:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22707795",
          "commentText": "Underground @ http://www.underground-book.net/download.php3",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Underground @ http://www.underground-book.net/download.php3",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17750771,
          "author": "dhtns",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T15:20:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17750771",
          "commentText": "I'm not sure which specific Kevin Mitnick book you're actually referring to or looking for but the book \"Underground\" is actually by Suelette Dreyfus and is about the nascent hacker/cracker subculture of the late '80s and early '90s. It was researched by/with Julian Assange (not written by him as another commenter has stated) who is known in the book as \"Mendax\". [1]\nInterestingly, the book was released for free online in 2001, at the suggestion of Julian Assange, and the author credits this online release for expanding both the quantity and range of different people that would end up reading the book. [2]\nThe book can be read online (in HTML) at [2] or various ebook formats can be downloaded from Project Gutenberg at [3].\n[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underground_%28Dreyfus_book%29\n[2] https://suelette.home.xs4all.nl/underground/justin/preface.h... (https://suelette.home.xs4all.nl/underground/justin/preface.html)\n[3] https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4686",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the book \"Underground\" is actually by Suelette Dreyfus",
          "reason": "Clarifies the book's author and subject while discussing its research and free online release.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter corrects the parent: it is by Suelette Dreyfus, researched with Julian Assange, not a book by Kevin Mitnick or Assange.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17750154,
          "author": "severine",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T14:06:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17750154",
          "commentText": "This? http://gen.lib.rus.ec/book/index.php?md5=5A8FE70517FD734D720... (http://gen.lib.rus.ec/book/index.php?md5=5A8FE70517FD734D720A183A24ABBF9D)\nTitle: \tUnderground: Tales of Hacking, Madness, and Obsession on the Electronic Frontier\nAuthor(s):\tSuelette Dreyfuss\nPublisher:\tMandarin Australia\nYear:\t1997\nISBN:\t9781863305952, 1863305955\n>> This book provides a great overview of a number of computer intrusion incidents and links them throught not only the technical nature of the activity but the persons behind them. UNDERGROUND provides an excellent overview of intrustion activities focusing on the UK, Australia, and the United States. It covers the late 80's to the early nineties with stories on incidents such as the WANK Worm outbreak and 8lgm's activities. The stand out attribute of this book is that it examines what happened to the intruders after their activity rather than focusing on the activity itself. It also examines the interrelationships between intruders worldwide giving some insight into how the culture allows for several key persons to be involved in or have siginficant knowledge of many different activities. A must have to include in your library along with other staples such as Cuckoo's Egg, Masters of Deception, Fugitive Game, and Hacker Crackdown. However, like the other books noted, there are apt to be a few points that persons will take exception too with regard to accuracy.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Title: \tUnderground: Tales of Hacking, Madness, and Obsession on the Electronic Frontier\nAuthor(s):\tSuelette Dreyfuss",
          "reason": "Supplies bibliographic details identifying the book discussed in the parent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The pasted blurb notes that readers may dispute some accuracy points.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9613041,
          "author": "agentultra",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T17:40:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9613041",
          "commentText": "Underground by By Suelette Dreyfus http://www.encyclopaedia.com/pdfs/9/518.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Underground by By Suelette Dreyfus",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4788271,
          "author": "dontstealmyname",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T12:45:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4788271",
          "commentText": "I found the book \"The definitive book of body language: How to read others's thoughts by their gestures\" by Allan and Barbara Pease to be a great read.\nThe greatest show on Earth - Richard Dawkins was an excellent read.\nSurely  you're joking Mr Feynman by Richard p.Feynman was terrific read by a very small bit can considerred offensive or  at the least dated in its outlook but if you can get past that its great!\nI recently finished a book on ID called \"Masters of doom\" by David Kushner which I rather enjoyed as well.\nI also love reading about crackers from the (mostly) 80's and I can recommend.\nCuckoo Egg by Cliff Stoll\nMasters of deception\nWe are anonymous - Inside the hacker world of lulzsec, anonymous and the global cyber insurgency  by Parmy Olson\nI loved \"Underground Hacking Madness and the obsession on the electronic frontier\" once I got past the first 2 or 3 chapters (also it was researched by Julian Assange before wikileak and has a chapter about his hacking) An Ebook copy can be found on the authors website http://www.underground-book.net/download.php3\nGhost in the wire Kevin Mitnick",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I loved \"Underground Hacking Madness and the obsession on the electronic frontier\" once I got past the first 2 or 3 chapters",
          "reason": "The commenter says they loved it after getting through the first two or three chapters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter found the first two or three chapters a hurdle.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Suelette Dreyfus"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer security",
        "hacker culture",
        "hacking",
        "computer intrusion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "unix-power-tools-671067",
      "title": "Unix Power Tools",
      "author": "Shelley Powers, Jerry Peek, Tim O'Reilly, and Mike Loukides",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16839303,
          "author": "vram22",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-14T20:28:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16839303",
          "commentText": ">UNIX and Linux System Administration Handbook.\nThat's a great book. I've read parts of both the Unix and later Linux versions.\nEdit: It also reminded me of the O'Reilly book Unix Power Tools - another classic. I had bought it early on and read almost the whole thing. Both it and the Handbook are quite thick, too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "another classic. I had bought it early on and read almost the whole thing.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a classic and says they read almost all of it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12494191,
          "author": "dredmorbius",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-14T04:13:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12494191",
          "commentText": "From a recent HN comment,  a list, some authors, and some guidelines, largely based on books which radically changed my thinking.\nCurrently:  Vaclav Smil, Energy in World History (1994), and Manfred Weissenbacher, Sources of Power (2009).  Both detail the role and impact of energy through world history.  The latter draws strongly on the first, both are exceedingly well documented.  TL;DR: coal changed much, oil changed everything.\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/3... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/30398523&referer=brief_results)\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foragin... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foraging-agriculture-and-coal/oclc/837625798&referer=brief_results)\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625970&referer=brief_results)\nJames Burke's books Connections and The Day the Universe Changed, and their accompanying television series, were a profound introduction to the history of technology, science, ideas, and philosophy.  Though 30+ years old, they remain highly current and relevant.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/connections/oclc/4494136\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/day-the-universe-changed/oclc... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/day-the-universe-changed/oclc/12049817)\nJeremy Campbell's Grammatical Man (1984) introduced the concepts of information theory and their deep, deep, deep interconnections to a tremendous number of interconnected systems, many not explored within his book.  Darwin's The Origin of Species, James Gleick's Chaos, and many of the works of Santa Fe Institute members, including John C. Holland, J. Doyne Farmer, Geoffrey West, W. Brian Arthur, David Krakauer, and Sander van der Leeuw, continue these themes.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-e... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-entropy-language-and-life/oclc/8306673)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/chaos-making-a-new-science/oc... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/chaos-making-a-new-science/oclc/15366709)\nWilliam Ophuls' Ecology and the Politics of Scarcity (1977) is perhaps the best, most comprehensive, shortest, and most readable exposition of the fact, reality, dynamics, and interactions of limits on the present phase of fossil-fuel fed economic growth I've found.  This is a book I recommend not only for the message, but the author's clarity of thought and exposition, his meticulous research, exquisite bibliographical notes, and, given the nearly 30 years elapsed, testability numerous of his predictions, some failed, yes, others uncannily accurate.  Rather more the latter.  In a similar vein, William R. Catton's Overshoot looks at the ecological dynamics in more depth, with much wisdom, the writings of Richard Heinberg cover the ground of limits fairly accessibly and more recently.  Vaclav Smil in numerous books addresses technical factors of the profound nature of the past 250 years, and implications for the future.  Meadows, et al, in Limits to Growth set off much of the post-1970 discussion (though they're hardly the first to raise the question -- it dates to Seneca the Elder),\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-s... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-scarcity-prologue-to-a-political-theory-of-the-steady-state/oclc/2524932)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/overshoot-the-ecological-basi... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/overshoot-the-ecological-basis-of-revolutionary-change/oclc/6195764)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Aheinberg%2C+richard&a... (https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Aheinberg%2C+richard&amp;qt=owc_search)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Asmil%2C+vaclav&amp;qt... (https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Asmil%2C+vaclav&amp;qt=results_page)\nThough hardly pessimistic, Daniel Yergin's book The Prize (and TV series) impressed upon me more than any other just how much petroleum specifically changed and transformed the modern world.  Though intended largely as laudetory and championing the oil industry by the author, my read of it was exceptionally cautionary.  The impacts on business, everyday life, politics, wars, industry, and transport, and the rate at which they occurred, are simply staggering.  You can continue this exploration in Vaclav Smil's Energy in World History (1994) (I've recommended Smil independently elsewhere), and a rare but profound two-volume set I'm currently reading, Manfred Weissenbacher's Sources of Power: How energy forges human history (2009).  The shear physicality of this book speaks to the message -- it's divided into five parts:  1) Foraging Age (6 pages), 2) Agricultural Age (156 pp), 3) Coal Age (160 pp),  4) Oil Age (296 pp), and 5) Beyond the Oil Age (142 pp).  That is, the ~2 million years of pre-agricultural existence are little more than a footnote, the 8,000 years of agriculture roughly equal to the 150 years of coal, and the 100 years of petroleum use roughly twice either.  The oil and post-oil ages comprise their own volume.  Yergin followed up with The Quest, continuing the search for oil, though I've been less impressed by it.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/prize-the-epic-quest-for-oil-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/prize-the-epic-quest-for-oil-money-and-power/oclc/22381448)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/30398523)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foragi... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foraging-agriculture-and-coal/oclc/837625798)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/83762... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625970)\nAdam Smith's An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations is among the most-cited (and most incorrectly cited), least-read books of high influence I'm aware of, outside religious texts (and perhaps it is a religious text to some…).  The author's message has been exceptionally shaped and manipulated by a powerful set of forces, quite often utterly misrepresenting Smith's original intent.  Reading him in his own words, yourself, is strongly recommended.  I'd also recommend scholarship particularly by Emma Rothschild and Gavin Kennedy, though also others, on Smith. Contrast with the portrayal by the propaganda disinformation front of the Mont Pelerin Society / Atlas Network / so-called Foundation for Economic Education, and much of the modern American Libertarian movement (von Mises, Hayek, Friedman, Hazlett, Rothbard, and more recently, Norberg).  Contrast The Invisible Hand (1964), a compilation of essays published by Libertarian house Regnery Press in 1966, at the beginning of the rise in public use of Smith's metaphor to indictate mechanism rather than an expression of the unknown.\nThere are numerous editions of Smith, I believe the Glasgow is frequently cited by Smith scholars:  https://www.worldcat.org/title/glasgow-edition-of-the-works-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/glasgow-edition-of-the-works-and-correspondence-of-adam-smith-2-an-inquiry-into-the-nature-and-causes-of-the-wealth-of-nations-vol-1/oclc/832488566)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/economic-sentiments-adam-smit... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/economic-sentiments-adam-smith-condorcet-and-the-enlightenment/oclc/45282974)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smith-and-the-invisible-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smith-and-the-invisible-hand/oclc/820387997)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smiths-lost-legacy/oclc/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smiths-lost-legacy/oclc/56598640)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/invisible-hand-a-collection-o... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/invisible-hand-a-collection-of-essays-on-the-economic-philosophy-of-free-enterprise/oclc/326622)\nI'd like to put in recommendations on technology specifically, but am still searching for a good general text.  The material's covered somewhat in the chaos and complexity recommendations above (Campbell et al), though I'd add Joseph Tainter's The Collapse of Complex Societies.  Charle's Perrow has several excellent books including Normal Accidents and Organizing America.   I'd like to reference something concerning Unix, Linux, and programming, perhaps Kernighan and Pike's The Unix Programming Environment, Linus Torvalds' Just for Fun, Richard Stallman's The GNU Manifesto, and Steve McConnel's Code Complete.  The O'Reilly book Unix Power Tools also encapsulates much the strength of the Unix toolset.  All these are somewhat dated.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/collapse-of-complex-societies... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/collapse-of-complex-societies/oclc/15083222)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/normal-accidents-living-with-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/normal-accidents-living-with-high-risk-technologies/oclc/10229932)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/organizing-america-wealth-pow... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/organizing-america-wealth-power-and-the-origins-of-corporate-capitalism/oclc/939707157)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-programming-environment/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-programming-environment/oclc/10269821)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/5238168... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/52381684)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "also encapsulates much the strength of the Unix toolset.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it captures much of the strength of the Unix toolset.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these technology books are somewhat dated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135538,
          "author": "matstc",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T22:21:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135538",
          "commentText": "I'm surprised no one mentioned SICP.\nI would also add:\n  - The Little Schemer\n  - Linux in a Nutshell \n  - Unix power tools",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Unix power tools",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Shelley Powers, Jerry Peek, Tim O'Reilly, and Mike Loukides"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "unix",
        "command line",
        "command line tools",
        "shell"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "user-interface-design-for-programmers-89e49c",
      "title": "User Interface Design for Programmers",
      "author": "Joel Spolsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23365246,
          "author": "ken",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-30T22:12:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23365246",
          "commentText": "\"User Interface Design for Programmers\" (159 pages)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"User Interface Design for Programmers\" (159 pages)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Programmers interested in user interface design.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12711304,
          "author": "jordanlev",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-14T21:41:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12711304",
          "commentText": "Joel Spolsky's \"User Interface Design for Programmers\" is concise, educational, entertaining... and free (even an easy-to-read all-in-one HTML page):\nhttp://www.joelonsoftware.com/uibook/fog0000000249.html\nAlso highly recommend Steve Krug's \"Don't Make Me Think\" (as others have already commented): http://www.sensible.com/dmmt.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "is concise, educational, entertaining... and free",
          "reason": "Recommends the book and describes it as concise, educational, entertaining, and free.",
          "audience": "Programmers interested in user interface design.",
          "caveat": "Available as an all-in-one HTML page.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 296376,
          "author": "ad",
          "createdAt": "2008-09-05T22:52:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 295871,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HC: Which books on user interface design do you wish your CEO/Cofounders would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=296376",
          "commentText": "If you're short on time:\nhttp://joelonsoftware.com/uibook/chapters/fog0000000057.html\nSpolsky's work is light and easy to read.  This work is geared towards \"progammers\", although that is not mutually exclusive with the word \"CEO\".  It'll help you avoid more obvious mistakes.  Nielson and About Face are more thorough.  I haven't read Don't Make Me Think but I've heard good things (and lots of comments here, so obviously I should read that one...)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Spolsky's work is light and easy to read.",
          "reason": "Praised as light and easy to read, and said to help readers avoid obvious mistakes.",
          "audience": "Programmers; the commenter notes CEOs may also benefit.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is geared toward programmers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joel Spolsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "user interface design",
        "programmer focused design",
        "software design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "vehicles-experiments-in-synthetic-psychology-c0f047",
      "title": "Vehicles: Experiments in Synthetic Psychology",
      "author": "Valentino Braitenberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15762368,
          "author": "wpietri",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T02:39:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762368",
          "commentText": "Franz de Waal's \"Chimpanzee Politics\". It's nominally about the social relationships of a chimp colony in a Dutch zoo. But it made me see the extent to which humans are just another great ape, and a lot of human dynamics are really primate dynamics, especially around social power.\nJohnstone's \"Impro\". It's about improvisational theater, and mainly meant for people learning improv. But the section on status transactions helped me see a lot about how we express those primate dominance dynamics. There's also great material on the nature of creativity.\n\"Getting to Yes\" is a great book about business negotiation, but is lessons about shifting discussions from zero-sum to positive-sum are things I use a lot.\nBraitenberg's \"Vehicles: Experiments in Synthetic Psychology\" is a way of thinking about psychology (and our inference of mind) by examining imaginary robots.\n\"The Toyota Way\" and other books on Lean Manufacturing are about running extremely effective manufacturing operations. But they have deeply changed how I think about systems of making software and running businesses. Other great books in this category include \"Toyota Kata\" and \"Principles of Product Development Flow\".\n\"Crossing the Chasm\" is about how tech products get adopted. But its mindset around segmenting audiences and building credibility taught me a lot about any sort of social change.\n\"Why Does He Do That? Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men\" is nominally about abuse in romantic relationships. But its insights about power and control have  been useful to me way beyond that. E.g., so much behavior in large corporations is inexplicable if you look at it in business terms, and perfectly sensible if you think about if from the perspective of, \"What would a person with abusive tendencies gain from this situation?\"\nAlso, hearty +1s for books \"Design of Everyday Things\", \"Finite and Infinite Games\", and \"Punished by Rewards\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Braitenberg's \"Vehicles: Experiments in Synthetic Psychology\" is a way of thinking about psychology (and our inference of mind) by examining imaginary robots.",
          "reason": "Described as a way to think about psychology and how we infer minds.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9705692,
          "author": "knowuh",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-12T13:30:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9705692",
          "commentText": "\"Vehicles: Experiments in Synthetic Psychology\" by Valentino Braitenberg is a quick read, and fun thought experiment. It's inspirational for engineering  tinkering types.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Vehicles: Experiments in Synthetic Psychology\" by Valentino Braitenberg is a quick read, and fun thought experiment. It's inspirational for engineering  tinkering types.",
          "reason": "Praises it as a fun, inspiring thought experiment.",
          "audience": "Engineering and tinkering enthusiasts.",
          "caveat": "Describes it as a quick read.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026980,
          "author": "namin",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T08:48:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026980",
          "commentText": "Vehicles by Valentino Braitenberg -- a study of theoretical robots whose behavior is interpreted as more and more biologically plausible.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Vehicles by Valentino Braitenberg -- a study of theoretical robots whose behavior is interpreted as more and more biologically plausible.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books others enjoyed and recommend.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in theoretical robots and biologically plausible behavior.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Valentino Braitenberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Computing",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "synthetic psychology",
        "robotics",
        "thought experiments"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "venture-deals-1d384b",
      "title": "Venture Deals",
      "author": "Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21902980,
          "author": "baristaGeek",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T00:46:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902980",
          "commentText": "Best business books:\n-Secrets of Sandhill Road\n-Hackers and Painters\n-The Great CEO within\n-Venture Deals\n-Predictable Revenue\n-Zero to One\n-The Hard Thing About Hard Things\n-Lean customer development\n-Lost and founder\n-Lean B2B\n-From Impossible to Inevitable\n-Traction\nBest computer science books:\n-Competitive programming 3\n-Structure and interpretation of computer programs\nBest for fun (non-fiction):\n-Meditations\n-Sapiens\n-How to win friends and influence people\n-A brief history of time\n-Self-reliance\n-Frente a la estrella polar",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-Venture Deals",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s best business books in response to a question about influential books.",
          "audience": "Founders and others learning venture financing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15019235,
          "author": "aloukissas",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T15:41:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15019235",
          "commentText": "- Angel by Jason Calacanis (fantastic info + entertaining)\n- Venture Deals 3rd Ed by Brad Feld & Jason Mendelson (must read for startup founders raising)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Venture Deals 3rd Ed by Brad Feld & Jason Mendelson (must read for startup founders raising)",
          "reason": "Calls it essential reading for startup founders raising money.",
          "audience": "Startup founders raising money.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brad Feld",
        "Jason Mendelson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "venture capital",
        "fundraising",
        "startup financing",
        "startup fundraising"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "void-trilogy-6698d7",
      "title": "Void Trilogy",
      "author": "Peter F. Hamilton",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17521617,
          "author": "kalimatas",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T09:41:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521617",
          "commentText": "Peter F. Hamilton, \"Commonwealth Saga\" and \"Void Trilogy\". Among the best Sci-Fi I've ever read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Commonwealth Saga\" and \"Void Trilogy\". Among the best Sci-Fi I've ever read.",
          "reason": "Calls the named series among the best science fiction they have read.",
          "audience": "Science fiction readers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6418333,
          "author": "bpizzi",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-20T15:30:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6418333",
          "commentText": "Well I'm definitely into sci-fi literature.\nThere's simply nothing else nowadays (being in my early thirties) which can caught my attention and limited free time.\nIt's hard to sum it up to a couple of favorites... \nIf you prefer hardcore sci-fi over the rest - as I do, those are definitely first choices:\n- Iain M. Banks Culture books (\"Excession\" being the best of all to me)\n- Simmon's \"Hyperion\" and \"Fall of Hyperion\"\nSome authors managed to bring some good pieces of space-opera without being too much cheesy:\n- Hamilton and his Void books,\n- and, of course, Herbert and the Dune stuff.\nBut I must warn the casual reader here: those kind of books can get really massive.\nSecond choices - but still really good books, would be stuff written by great guys like Asimov (\"Foundation\"), OS Card (\"Enders game\") or RC Wilson (\"Spin\").",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hamilton and his Void books",
          "reason": "Listed among space opera recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy space opera.",
          "caveat": "The commenter warns that these books can be very long and says some space opera can be cheesy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4968362,
          "author": "rmccue",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T06:07:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4968362",
          "commentText": "In the same universe, Dreaming Void, Temporal Void and Evolutionary Void. I read the Temporal Void a year or two ago without reading the first and despite not completely understanding the story, loved it. Went back and read the whole series this year, and found it fantastic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In the same universe, Dreaming Void, Temporal Void and Evolutionary Void.",
          "reason": "Says they read the trilogy and found it fantastic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter F. Hamilton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "far future",
        "galactic adventure"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "waking-up-a-guide-to-spirituality-without-religion-9f9e78",
      "title": "Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion",
      "author": "Sam Harris",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36429357,
          "author": "acid-rocker",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T08:18:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36429357",
          "commentText": "\"Waking Up\" by Sam Harris. I tried meditation a few times before, but it was always boring and I didn't really think it was gonna be anything special. After reading this book, I started practicing daily, and it has changed my daily life and my outlook on life. Mindfulness training is for the mind, what exercise is for the body.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Waking Up\" by Sam Harris. I tried meditation a few times before, but it was always boring",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book led them to daily meditation and changed their life and outlook.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in meditation and mindfulness.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17522493,
          "author": "carrollgt91",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T12:54:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17522493",
          "commentText": "I'll second Waking Up - I've been interested in mindfulness meditation for years, and this book is what finally helped frame it in a way that went down nicely for me.\nI sometimes enjoy the podcast by the same name as well, though the conversations are more hit or miss.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'll second Waking Up - I've been interested in mindfulness meditation for years, and this book is what finally helped frame it in a way that went down nicely for me.",
          "reason": "Seconding the recommendation; says its framing of mindfulness meditation worked well for them.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in mindfulness meditation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16297638,
          "author": "rodjomatic",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T14:01:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16297638",
          "commentText": "\"Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion\", by Sam Harris",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion\", by Sam Harris",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sam Harris"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "secular spirituality",
        "meditation",
        "mindfulness",
        "mindfulness meditation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "watership-down-9ec49f",
      "title": "Watership Down",
      "author": "Richard Adams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49477590,
          "author": "ssenssei",
          "createdAt": "2026-08-28T12:31:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 49464764,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: If I am 16 what should I learn? Which books should read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49477590",
          "commentText": "best books I could recommend are fiction, they teach you much more than non-fiction, lessons learned in stories are better tha unordered lists of advice you'll forget in a few days.\nSome of my favorites include: a moveable feast, watership down, 11.22.63\nI remember how lost when I was 16, truly it was just a massive wave of depression and fear and loss. I encourage you to do what I did and explore as many facets as you can possibly imagine (coding, guitar practice, drawing, 3D modeling, pixel art, car tuning, botany, gardening, astronomy...) and if you find something you love and you find yourself doing it for months almost like second nature, you should follow that in whichever career direction it leads you  or wherever it takes you with school and opportunities.\nThere's no one set path, and I did struggle with that as a 16 year old as some paths appear better than others. In my time, html, css, and js bootcamps were literally everywhere and now, look at the development space. you never know and you can never predict the future, but you can follow what you love and opportunity will present itself for you to shine and feel comfortable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Some of my favorites include: a moveable feast, watership down, 11.22.63",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorite fiction books, recommended as stories that teach.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21712652,
          "author": "hrachyah",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T14:48:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21712652",
          "commentText": "Read Watership down.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Read Watership down.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5701078,
          "author": "mkr-hn",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-13T20:04:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5701078",
          "commentText": "Watership Down\nIt turned a lot of notions on their heads and made for an interesting read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It turned a lot of notions on their heads and made for an interesting read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it challenged their assumptions and was an interesting read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85861,
          "author": "s_baar",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T08:02:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85861",
          "commentText": "Watership Down. It is surprisingly epic and immersing for a book about rabbits traveling through the English countryside.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Watership Down. It is surprisingly epic and immersing",
          "reason": "Described as surprisingly epic and immersing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A book about rabbits traveling through the English countryside.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Adams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "animal fantasy",
        "rabbit protagonists",
        "survival"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-is-life-14d640",
      "title": "What Is Life?",
      "author": "Erwin Schrödinger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37937338,
          "author": "jekude",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:56:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937338",
          "commentText": "The Road to Wigan Pier - Orwell\nAntifragile - Taleb\nWhat is Life? - Schrodinger\nStructure and Interpretations of Computer Programs - Abelson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "What is Life? - Schrodinger",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30829038,
          "author": "j7ake",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T10:25:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30829038",
          "commentText": "“What is life?” By Schroedinger. Mostly because it is such a short book and describes the underlying questions very well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“What is life?” By Schroedinger.",
          "reason": "Recommended for its concise treatment of underlying questions about life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it is a short book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15763964,
          "author": "rorschachevo",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T09:35:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15763964",
          "commentText": "\"What is life?\" - Erwin Schõdinger",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"What is life?\" - Erwin Schõdinger",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238048,
          "author": "thisisforyou",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T15:53:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238048",
          "commentText": "The Complete Fiction -Lovecraft, H.P.\nPilgrim at Tinker Creek -Dillard, Annie\nThe Fractalist: Memoir of a Scientific Maverick -Mandelbrot, Benoît B.\nAncient Sorceries and Other Weird Stories -Blackwood, Algernon\nFlow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience -Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly\nDeath in Venice -Mann, Thomas\nWhites -Rush, Norman\nThe Room -Selby Jr., Hubert\nBook of Numbers -Cohen, Joshua\nMaggot: Poems -Muldoon, Paul\nThe Peasant in Nineteenth-Century Russia -Vucinich, Wayne S.\nThe Mezzanine -Baker, Nicholson\nThe Museum of Unconditional Surrender -Ugrešić, Dubravka\nWhat Is Life? with Mind and Matter and Autobiographical Sketches -Schrödinger, Erwin\nDictionary of the Khazars -Pavić, Milorad\nHonored Guest -Williams, Joy\nMartyrs and Miracles -Trickey-Bapty, Carolyn\nNoa Noa -Gauguin, Paul\nTheir Eyes Were Watching God -Hurston, Zora Neale\nOrdeal by Hunger: The Story of the Donner Party -Stewart, George R.\nMoby-Dick; or, The Whale -Melville, Herman\nEileen -Moshfegh, Ottessa\nHaute Surveillance -Göransson, Johannes\nMazes and Labyrinths: Their History and Development -Matthews, W.H.\nA Higher Form of Killing: The Secret History of Chemical and Biological Warfare -Harris, Robert\nOur Lady of the Flowers -Genet, Jean\n*The House of the Dead -Dostoyevsky, Fyodor\nCurrent: \nBlack Swan, Nassim Taleb",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "What Is Life? with Mind and Matter and Autobiographical Sketches -Schrödinger, Erwin",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Erwin Schrödinger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "physics",
        "biology",
        "theoretical biology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "why-nations-fail-the-origins-of-power-prosperity-and-poverty-50e4a2",
      "title": "Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty",
      "author": "Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42508324,
          "author": "leosanchez",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T11:42:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42508324",
          "commentText": "\"Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity and Poverty\" by Daron Acemoglu",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity and Poverty\" by Daron Acemoglu",
          "reason": "Names it as a standout read in response to the question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33852658,
          "author": "Orange1688",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T11:30:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33852658",
          "commentText": "An excellent gauge for how good a book is can be found in how many times you catch yourself thinking back on it even after some time has passed. Through this, my favorite this entire year is The Diary of a Young Girl (Anne Frank's diary). Without a doubt one of the best books I have ever read, just through how supremely human it is.\nOther books are:\n-The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson\n-Sapiens by Yuval Yuval Noah Harari\n-21 Lessons for the 21st Century\n-Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feyn\nman!: Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard Feynman\n-Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson\n-Permanent Record by Edward Snowden",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's other books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23859742,
          "author": "StClaire",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T15:07:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859742",
          "commentText": "Two books about economic development that I love:\nWhy Nations Fail by Acemoglu and Robinson\nPoor Economics by Banerjee and Duflo\nThe first deals with why nations stay poor, the second covers how the poor in the third world live and how to actually help them",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Why Nations Fail by Acemoglu and Robinson",
          "reason": "Listed as a loved book about why nations stay poor.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daron Acemoglu",
        "James A. Robinson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "institutions",
        "political economy",
        "economic development",
        "poverty"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "winnie-the-pooh-f57643",
      "title": "Winnie-the-Pooh",
      "author": "A. A. Milne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43612319,
          "author": "russsamora",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T15:01:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43612319",
          "commentText": "Winnie-the-Pooh",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Winnie-the-Pooh",
          "reason": "Listed as a book worth the reader's time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40046285,
          "author": "Doctor-R",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-15T22:11:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40046285",
          "commentText": "1. Winnie the Pooh to kids on their third or fourth or fifth birthday.\n2. The Mythical Man Month to non-tech bosses.\n3. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress to girlfriends (it's a test).\n4. \"Get It Together: Organize Your Records So Your Family Won't Have To\" to 70+ old friend (single) and 70+ old sister (single).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Winnie the Pooh to kids on their third or fourth or fifth birthday.",
          "reason": "Given to children for birthdays.",
          "audience": "Children around ages three to five.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12070961,
          "author": "veddox",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T13:42:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12070961",
          "commentText": "\"Mr Penumbra's 24 hour bookstore\" - Robin Sloan (a brilliant mix of history, mystery, humour and technology)\n\"The Cuckoo's Egg\" - Clifford Stoll (it really is as good as they always say ;-) )\n\"Winnie the Pooh\" - A.A. Milne (delightful, not only for children)\n\"Sofie's World\" - Jostein Gaarder (a novel about the history of philosophy)\nseveral Discworld novels - Terry Pratchett (a series that manages to satirize fantasy and real life at the same time)\n... as well as a few others, but those were the best.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "delightful, not only for children",
          "reason": "Calls it delightful and suitable beyond children.",
          "audience": "Children and adult readers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "A. A. Milne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "winning-cc6a74",
      "title": "Winning",
      "author": "Jack Welch",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35198259,
          "author": "victorabarros",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-17T15:23:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35198259",
          "commentText": "Winning, by Jack Welch\nThe best business book I ever read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Winning, by Jack Welch\nThe best business book I ever read.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best business book they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 658369,
          "author": "jbrett",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-15T13:47:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 657892,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite management books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=658369",
          "commentText": "\"Winning\" by Jack Welch   http://budurl.com/vsz3     One of the best books I've ever read about business.  The ideas presented work well in  startups or larger corporations.   The section about \"candor\" fantastic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Winning\" by Jack Welch",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the best business books they have read and praises its applicability and candor section.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in business, from startups to large corporations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86007,
          "author": "shayan",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T18:13:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86007",
          "commentText": "Unfortunately I can't read fiction too much, I feel like what I read must directly help me with what I do, so I feel a lot better reading either technical stuff or business related (I love business).  Since we are excluding technical, most of the following are business related, or helps you in dealing with people and solving problems)\nNetscape Time - Jim Clark (very educational for those interested in startups, good piece of Internet history, interesting insights to the culture of the first Internet companies)\nHow To Win Friends And Influence People - Dale Carnegie (found it through YC recommendations, THANK YOU.  one of the best educational books I have ever read, it will teach you how to make friends, be a good leader, get along at home, encourage people, make them follow you and so much more...)\nFounders at Work -  Jessica Livingston (I found it relevant to what I am doing, good lessons, and interesting insights)\nGetting to Yes - Roger Fisher, William L. Ury (teaches you how to negotiate and how to get the best out of each situation for yourself and the other part, will be useful both at work and personal life, a bit dry)\nWinning - Jack Welch (great advices on leadership, might be more useful to someone that is running a big company)\nLeadership Is an Art - Max Depree (great leadership advices, it will give you the right mindset of how to be a great leader) \n-----------\nAnimal Farm (George Orwell), Alchemist (Paulo Coelho), Interpreting Your Dreams(Freud)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "great advices on leadership, might be more useful to someone that is running a big company",
          "reason": "Praises its leadership advice, while noting it may suit leaders of large companies best.",
          "audience": "People running large companies.",
          "caveat": "May be more useful to someone running a big company.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jack Welch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "winning-through-intimidation-9fc5e4",
      "title": "Winning Through Intimidation",
      "author": "Robert Ringer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25557649,
          "author": "one2know",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-28T08:28:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 25554464,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books for dealing with workplace politics and dishonesty?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25557649",
          "commentText": "\"Winning Through Intimidation\" by Robert Ringer.\nOr, just quit.  I've taken conflict all the way through being fired multiple times and there really isn't a way to win if you are not part of the mafia.  At a very huge ecommerce company they had SDE career training, and you are told bluntly all the people deciding things are cigar smoking mobsters so basically, you are a peon and you're fucked for a career if you are not in management.  You need to enter a company through personal connections not skills, or it just isn't going to work no matter how much politics you try.\nThere are tactics I call socialist tactics.  Many people for instance being on the losing end of an argument having a dumb idea or no clue, will use their position as a management to call a large meeting, confuse all the people in it with bullshit, then get them to agree on something they don't understand.  Another tactic is when challenged in a meeting, call for a instant vote (its a democracy) while pressuring people to vote for them.  Third tactic is to meet for a few hours, decide everything you want, then try to force teammates into the meeting two hours later, then claim the whole team is on board with what they decided because everyone was in the meeting.  Fourth tactic, is to lie continuously and whoever is around upper management the most/most face time wins with the most lies.\nI don't condone any of these, but shitty managers will use all of them and they seem to be learning them somewhere because I see them repeatedly.\nPerhaps the best advice for your situation is to praise publicly, criticize privately which is also what a lot of office bastards do all the time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Winning Through Intimidation\" by Robert Ringer.",
          "reason": "The commenter offers it as a recommendation in response to the request for books on workplace politics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter also advises quitting and describes a bleak view of workplace politics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10234153,
          "author": "davemel37",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T16:07:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10234153",
          "commentText": "Winning Through Intimidation by Robert Ringer is by far the best sales book I ever read.\nHis basic premise is that the outcome of any negotiation(especially sales) is inversely proportionate to how intimidated you are by the other person.\nHis solution is to invest in creating a strong image before selling and using takeaway selling, which is basically taking away the opportunity to do business with you so that they stop thinking about whether they want to buy and start thinking about how to get you to sell to them.\nOn a side note, Dan Kennedy says,\"if you lose a sale because of price, you lose that sale long beforehand.\" your job is to differentiate yourself and craft a powerful image so they can never even start to compare you to others.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Winning-Through-Intimidation-Robert-Ri... (http://www.amazon.com/Winning-Through-Intimidation-Robert-Ringer/dp/0449207862)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Winning Through Intimidation by Robert Ringer is by far the best sales book I ever read.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best sales book the commenter has read and explains its negotiation approach.",
          "audience": "People interested in sales and negotiation.",
          "caveat": "Its approach emphasizes projecting a strong image and using takeaway selling.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7452314,
          "author": "avenger123",
          "createdAt": "2014-03-23T05:56:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 7450534,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's on your reading list? Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7452314",
          "commentText": "Winning Through Intimidation - Robert Ringer: This is old book but a classic. It's a fun and humorous read and the context is around real estate deals but surprisingly a lot of applies to start-ups (and real life). If I were to sum up this book, it's about showing you all the ways people can screw you and how to try to avoid getting screwed.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is old book but a classic. It's a fun and humorous read and the context is around real estate deals but surprisingly a lot of applies to start-ups (and real life).",
          "reason": "Praised as a classic, fun and humorous, with ideas the commenter finds applicable to startups and life.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in real estate deals, startups, and practical life lessons.",
          "caveat": "Its context is real estate deals; the commenter says many lessons also apply to startups and life.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Ringer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "negotiation",
        "power",
        "real estate",
        "sales"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "working-effectively-with-legacy-code-3519c7",
      "title": "Working Effectively with Legacy Code",
      "author": "Michael C. Feathers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25907373,
          "author": "bwh2",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T19:13:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25907373",
          "commentText": "Reading Next: Working Effectively with Legacy Code\nLast year I read 63 books and started posting notes online, which helps me consolidate my thinking: https://www.briansnotes.io\nAt any given time, I have about 3 books going - one technical, one fun, and one management/leadership.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Reading Next: Working Effectively with Legacy Code",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16351584,
          "author": "skittleson",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T07:05:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16351584",
          "commentText": "Working Effectively with legacy code (http://amzn.to/2CazEm5) and The Design of Everyday Things ( http://amzn.to/2H23a0R )\nBoth have a huge impact on how I work with code and design them.  Trying to explain these concepts are hard without context.  Sometimes i just copy/paste the sections i think they could benefit from.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Both have a huge impact on how I work with code and design them.",
          "reason": "The commenter says both books had a major impact on their work and shares sections colleagues could benefit from.",
          "audience": "People working with legacy code",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14846482,
          "author": "BJanecke",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T09:59:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14846482",
          "commentText": "* Douglas Hofstadter - Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid\n* Fred Brooks -  Design Of Design\n* Fred Brooks - The Mythical Man month\n* Eric J. Evans - Domain Driven Design\n* Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software\n* Kent Beck - Extreme Programming Explained\n* Kent Beck - Planning Extreme Programming\n*  Michael C. Feathers - Working Effectively with Legacy Code\n* Daniel Kahneman - Thinking, Fast and Slow\n[EDIT] Correct the author for legacy code",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Working Effectively with Legacy Code",
          "reason": "Included in a list answering which books affected how the commenter structures code.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14488255,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T15:27:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14488255",
          "commentText": "Understanding the Four Rules of Simple Design  by Cory Haines\nI like the 4 simple rules,  I think he originally got these from Kent Beck.  It is easier to keep this system in your mind if it is just a few basic principles.\nWorking Effectively with Legacy Code by Michael Feathers\nAs others also mentioned this.  I think this is becoming more important as people transition to new jobs where they have to take on existing software.  Having a process to deal with code that lacks documentation and tests is really important.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Working Effectively with Legacy Code by Michael Feathers",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a process for dealing with code that lacks documentation and tests.",
          "audience": "Developers taking on existing software, especially after changing jobs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8409162,
          "author": "loma",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-04T09:51:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8409162",
          "commentText": "currently reading\n- Working effectively with legacy code (Michael C. Feathers)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "currently reading\n- Working effectively with legacy code (Michael C. Feathers)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael C. Feathers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "legacy code",
        "software testing",
        "software maintenance",
        "legacy software"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "writing-a-compiler-in-go-939c98",
      "title": "Writing a Compiler in Go",
      "author": "Thorsten Ball",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47730897,
          "author": "stevekemp",
          "createdAt": "2026-04-11T14:24:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 47728352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on building a programming language",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47730897",
          "commentText": "Crafting Interpreters is a good recommendation, and in the same spirit \"Writing an Interpreter in Go\" (and it's followup about writing a virtual machine) is a good addition.\nA lot of the complexity and front-work of these kinda things is the parsing step though, so you can follow MAL (or any other make a lisp tutorial) though that won't necessarily help with other languages it frees you to jump to the interesting parts.\nFORTH, mentioned in another comment, has that same appeal.  I wrote a quick tutorial here, back in the day:\nhttps://github.com/skx/foth",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's followup about writing a virtual machine",
          "reason": "Identifies the follow-up to Writing an Interpreter in Go as an additional resource.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28481558,
          "author": "wishinghand",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-10T13:52:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 28478751,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach you programming languages via systems projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28481558",
          "commentText": "There's the Writing an Interpreter/Compiler in Go books: https://interpreterbook.com/ (Compiler book link is on that page too).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "There's the Writing an Interpreter/Compiler in Go books",
          "reason": "Offers the Go compiler book as a suggestion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27629992,
          "author": "divtiwari",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T12:40:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27629992",
          "commentText": "I would recommend reading/implementing the below:\n1. 'Write a Interpreter in Go' by Thorsten Ball\n2. 'Write a Compiler in Go' by Thorsten Ball\n3. 'Crafting Interpreters' by Bob Nystrom\n4. 'Ruby under a Microscope' by Pat Shaughnessy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Write a Compiler in Go' by Thorsten Ball",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends reading and implementing it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thorsten Ball"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "compiler implementation",
        "go",
        "compilers",
        "go programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "xeelee-sequence-184e20",
      "title": "Xeelee Sequence",
      "author": "Stephen Baxter",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36024356,
          "author": "MattPalmer1086",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T20:20:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36024356",
          "commentText": "There are many different genres of sci fi.  Seveneves is pretty much hard science fiction, in that it deals with plausible physics, which is also one of my favourite genres.\nI particularly recommend the Xeelee Sequence (a series of novels) by Stephen Baxter if you like mind bending sci fi over cosmological time).\nMore classically, The Foundation series by Isaac Asimov is a great (and shorter) read.\nFirst contact novels can also be interesting (meeting aliens for the first time).  Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke is great.  Also, Blindsight by Peter Watts.\nSo many others!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I particularly recommend the Xeelee Sequence (a series of novels) by Stephen Baxter",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the series for readers who like mind-bending science fiction over cosmological time.",
          "audience": "Readers who like mind-bending science fiction over cosmological time.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12244904,
          "author": "peckrob",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T01:31:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244904",
          "commentText": "I read a lot of Science Fiction for fun. These are a few of my favorites that I've given to other people:\n1. Vacuum Diagrams by Stephen Baxter. When I think of epic hard science fiction, the Xeelee Sequence books spring to mind. With a story line that spans millions of years (and a few dozen books), this collection of short stories is a good introduction to one of the best and most underrated sci-fi series out there. Baxter's Manifold trilogy (Manifold: Space, Manifold: Time and Manifold: Origin) are also fantastic.\n2. Foundation by Isaac Asimov. The whole Foundation series is wonderful, but this book is a landmark of sci-fi that should be on any fan's bookcase.\n3. The Martian by Andy Weir. This book is what I've been giving the last couple years to people who don't think they like sci-fi. Everyone I've given it to has loved it.\n4. Rama by Arthur C. Clarke. Another hard sci-fi staple. The rest of the Rama books he \"co-wrote\" with Gentry Lee are decent but become more space opera than hard sci-fi. I enjoyed them but many sci-fi fans find them polarizing.\n5. Silver Tower by Dale Brown. More of a military thriller than sci-fi (Flight of the Old Dog is another favorite of mine by him) and terribly dated by modern standards (it was written when the Soviet Union was still a thing). But it's the first \"adult\" sci-fi book I ever read as a kid, so it'll always have a special place for me.\nEDIT: Another one:\n6. Coyote by Allen Steele. I love stories like this one: primitive, longshot interstellar exploration and primitive, first generation colonization. Especially for  desperate reasons. The first two Coyote books were good, but I just can't get into any of the subsequent ones.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Xeelee Sequence books spring to mind.",
          "reason": "Described as one of the writer's favorite science fiction series and as spanning millions of years.",
          "audience": "Hard science fiction readers.",
          "caveat": "A story line spanning millions of years and a few dozen books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9065797,
          "author": "jacobroufa",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-17T23:06:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9065797",
          "commentText": "I'm currently working my way through Stephen Baxter's Manifold trilogy. His writing is incredibly insightful and psychedelic. I'd also suggest the Time Ships (only authorized Time Machine sequel) and anything from the Xeelee universe. Maybe start with Vacuum Diagrams?\nDavid Brin's Uplift series is brilliantly written, and personifies non-human characters wonderfully.\nHeinlein has been a favorite of mine since I was a kid, and his writing always makes me giddy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "anything from the Xeelee universe.",
          "reason": "Recommends works from this science fiction universe.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Baxter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "cosmology",
        "deep time",
        "hard science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "you-can-t-teach-a-kid-to-ride-a-bike-at-a-seminar-13a3a7",
      "title": "You Can't Teach a Kid to Ride a Bike at a Seminar",
      "author": "David H. Sandler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41702662,
          "author": "dools",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-30T22:08:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 41693844,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good essays/books/advice about software sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41702662",
          "commentText": "It might be a good idea to get some training or coaching. I learned Sandler but there are probably others. There is a book that’s an intro to the system called You Can’t Teach a Kid to Ride a Bike at a Seminar",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You Can’t Teach a Kid to Ride a Bike at a Seminar",
          "reason": "Recommended as an introductory book about the Sandler system.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes there are probably other training or coaching approaches.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35184007,
          "author": "achenatx",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-16T16:15:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35184007",
          "commentText": "I like books that are actionable. Lots of books are inspirational but not that useful (e.g. crossing the chasm). I run a curriculum in my company which uses a few books I have read over the years.\nemyth revisited (how to think about and structure an org)\ngetting to yes (negotiation)\ninfluence the psychology of persuasion (negotiation)\nspin selling (enterprise sales, supplanted by sandler)\nYou cant teach a kid to ride a bike at a seminar (sandler sales)\n5 dysfunctions of a team (one of the best leadership books)\nfirst break all the rules (management)\naccounting for dummies\npurple cow (differentiation)\nblue ocean strategy (differentiation)\ntraction (strategy/operations)\nrocketfuel (strategy/operations)\nfor professional services:\nmanaging the professional services firm\ngetting naked",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You cant teach a kid to ride a bike at a seminar (sandler sales)",
          "reason": "Includes it in a company curriculum on Sandler sales.",
          "audience": "People learning sales.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10236976,
          "author": "gregorymichael",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-18T00:58:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10236976",
          "commentText": "I found a lot of value in taking a class on the Sandler system. Some of the concepts are packaged up here:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Cant-Teach-Ride-Bike-Seminar/dp/096717... (http://www.amazon.com/Cant-Teach-Ride-Bike-Seminar/dp/0967179904)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Some of the concepts are packaged up here:",
          "reason": "Points to the book as a source for concepts from the Sandler system class.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 568838,
          "author": "edw519",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-18T22:47:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 568556,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sales book recommendation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=568838",
          "commentText": "The best I've ever seen:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Cant-Teach-Ride-Bike-Seminar/dp/096717... (http://www.amazon.com/Cant-Teach-Ride-Bike-Seminar/dp/0967179904/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240094794&sr=8-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The best I've ever seen:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Cant-Teach-Ride-Bike-Seminar/dp/096717...",
          "reason": "Presents the linked book as the best they've seen in response to a sales book request.",
          "audience": "People seeking sales books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David H. Sandler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sales",
        "sales training",
        "sandler selling system",
        "sandler sales system"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "zhuangzi-446262",
      "title": "Zhuangzi",
      "author": "Zhuang Zhou",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20914681,
          "author": "cbanek",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T02:14:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914681",
          "commentText": "The Prince by Machiavelli, 1532\nChuang-tzu, 4th century BC\nThe Art of War by Sun Tzu, 5th century BC\nRomance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong, 14th century AD",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Chuang-tzu, 4th century BC",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite old books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337255,
          "author": "spieglt",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:07:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337255",
          "commentText": "The Zhuangzi",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Zhuangzi",
          "reason": "Named as the commenter's comfort book in response to the thread question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1763268,
          "author": "naradaellis",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-06T09:24:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 1763111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Anyone read Tibetan Book of Living and Dying?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1763268",
          "commentText": "I also think that the Tao Te Ching (and Chuang Tzu in the same vein, and Alan Watts for a modern take) is amazingly applicable to life today and is surprisingly not that New Age-y.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Tao Te Ching (and Chuang Tzu in the same vein, and Alan Watts for a modern take) is amazingly applicable to life today and is surprisingly not that New Age-y.",
          "reason": "Praises it alongside the Tao Te Ching as applicable to life today.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Surprisingly not that New Age-y.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Zhuang Zhou"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "daoism",
        "ancient chinese philosophy",
        "taoism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "zodiac-91cd45",
      "title": "Zodiac",
      "author": "Neal Stephenson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23469298,
          "author": "dmasi",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T18:32:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23469298",
          "commentText": "Zodiac by Neal Stephenson on audiobook about a dozen times.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zodiac by Neal Stephenson on audiobook about a dozen times.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337272,
          "author": "yoodenvranx",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:11:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337272",
          "commentText": "For me it is Zodiac, Snow Crash and Diamond Age.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For me it is Zodiac, Snow Crash and Diamond Age.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10176189,
          "author": "DanBC",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T22:05:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10176189",
          "commentText": "Zodiac is pretty good.  Interface is fun.\nI found Reamde frustrating: there were a bunch of different good interesting ideas and plots and they just get dropped to pick up something else, and I wasn't at all interested in the something else.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zodiac is pretty good. Interface is fun.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the book pretty good and its interface fun.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865813,
          "author": "scottyallen",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T18:19:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865813",
          "commentText": "- Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein\n- Zodiac by Neal Stephenson (rereading for the nth time)\n- The E-Myth by Michael Gerber",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Zodiac by Neal Stephenson (rereading for the nth time)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neal Stephenson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "eco thriller",
        "biopunk",
        "environmental thriller",
        "pollution"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "3-16-bible-texts-illuminated-e861ce",
      "title": "3:16 Bible Texts Illuminated",
      "author": "Donald Knuth",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39729858,
          "author": "rguzman",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T22:00:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729858",
          "commentText": "3:16 Bible Texts Illuminated by Donald Knuth",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "3:16 Bible Texts Illuminated by Donald Knuth",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13973331,
          "author": "lanstin",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-28T01:41:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13973331",
          "commentText": "316 is a beautiful book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "316 is a beautiful book.",
          "reason": "Calls the referenced book beautiful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13970225,
          "author": "kej",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T18:13:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13970225",
          "commentText": "Two follow ups that would appeal to the HN crowd: Things a Computer Scientist Rarely Talks About [1] and 3:16 Bible Texts Illuminated [2], both by Donald Knuth.\n[1] https://cs.stanford.edu/~uno/things.html\n[2] https://cs.stanford.edu/~uno/316.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and 3:16 Bible Texts Illuminated [2], both by Donald Knuth.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a follow-up that may appeal to the HN crowd.",
          "audience": "HN readers",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donald Knuth"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Philosophy",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bible",
        "biblical texts",
        "illuminated manuscript",
        "illumination"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-common-sense-guide-to-data-structures-and-algorithms-f7e052",
      "title": "A Common-Sense Guide to Data Structures and Algorithms",
      "author": "Jay Wengrow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34419678,
          "author": "speakspokespok",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-17T21:39:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 34412069,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach programming by building a series of small projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34419678",
          "commentText": "Thought the question was regarding specific books that teach programming via small projects it's worth mentioning a related topic here.\nA Common Sense Guide to Data Structures and Algorithms by Jay Wengrow * 2nd Edition * not only covers the theory really well but goes on to provide code examples in popular high level languages explaining when and how best to use them usefully. At the end of each section are prompts where you extend the lesson into a small project and each chapter builds on the last. The author has a github repo so you can compare your project solution to his. It made a rather dry topic extremely fun and approachable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Common Sense Guide to Data Structures and Algorithms by Jay Wengrow * 2nd Edition",
          "reason": "The commenter says it explains theory, offers code examples and prompts for small projects, and made the topic fun and approachable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29218989,
          "author": "marcobehler",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T17:56:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29218989",
          "commentText": "Yes, wholeheartedly agree. All other classic recommendations from this thread pale in comparison. Jay Wengrow did a fantastic job with this book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Yes, wholeheartedly agree. All other classic recommendations from this thread pale in comparison. Jay Wengrow did a fantastic job with this book.",
          "reason": "Strongly agrees with the recommendation and praises the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29217743,
          "author": "usrme",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T15:28:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29217743",
          "commentText": "\"A Common-Sense Guide to Data Structures and Algorithms, 2nd Edition\" by Jay Wengrow is one I'd recommend every time. It really makes it easy enough to understand things I previously only considered to be the domain of math-oriented people. Not sure if it goes deep enough for you though...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"A Common-Sense Guide to Data Structures and Algorithms, 2nd Edition\" by Jay Wengrow is one I'd recommend every time.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it makes concepts easy to understand, including for people who find them math-oriented.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure it goes deep enough.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jay Wengrow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "data structures",
        "project based learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-connecticut-yankee-in-king-arthur-s-court-ae5595",
      "title": "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court",
      "author": "Mark Twain",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46396677,
          "author": "3n4n",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T21:50:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46396677",
          "commentText": "I already forgot what I read for my work (MS in CS), so I'll stick with fiction.\nThis year was slow for me reading-wise.  Not a whole lot:\n- The Blind Owl / Sadegh Hedayat\n- Prince of Annwn (Mabinogion Tetralogy #1)\n- Norse Mythology / Gaiman: read it before accusations came out\n- Brief Interviews with Hideous Men / David F Wallace\n- A Connecticut Yankee ... / Mark Twain (not yet finished)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "A Connecticut Yankee ... / Mark Twain (not yet finished)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not finished it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20918387,
          "author": "bredren",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T14:17:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20918387",
          "commentText": "Read it again! It contains a lot of political commentary.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read it again! It contains a lot of political commentary.",
          "reason": "Encourages rereading it and points to its political commentary.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20914722,
          "author": "wireprotocol",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T02:22:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914722",
          "commentText": "I read a Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court when I was around 12. It was fun and fantastical, but perhaps I didn't absorb any deeper meaning because I was too young. I'm curious what makes it top your list?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I read a Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court when I was around 12. It was fun and fantastical, but perhaps I didn't absorb any deeper meaning because I was too young.",
          "reason": "Describes it as fun and fantastical, while wondering whether youth limited their appreciation of its deeper meaning.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they may have been too young to absorb its deeper meaning.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2616756,
          "author": "tokenadult",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T15:40:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2616756",
          "commentText": "I just finished reading the entire Harry Potter series of novels for the first time, as my third son was reading it for the second time. My daughter will finish the series soon.\nI also read selected parts of The Good Book: A Humanist Bible\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Good-Book-Humanist-Bible/dp/0802717373... (http://www.amazon.com/Good-Book-Humanist-Bible/dp/0802717373/)\nbefore I had to return it to the library yesterday. I especially like the section \"Proverbs,\" which I read in full. I was able to find the section that quotes Confucius and Mencius extensively just before I returned the book. It's an interesting concept, but some parts of The Good Book: A Humanist Bible are extremely dull reading.\nI am likely to read Quotology\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Quotology-Stages-Willis-Goth-Regier/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/Quotology-Stages-Willis-Goth-Regier/dp/0803217528/)\nnext, to learn more about how quotations are traced after being misattributed, a subject I own another book about.\nI agree with the OP that A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is well worth reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I agree with the OP that A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is well worth reading.",
          "reason": "Agrees that it is well worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Twain"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Fantasy",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "satire",
        "time travel",
        "arthurian legend"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-first-course-in-probability-91beec",
      "title": "A First Course in Probability",
      "author": "Sheldon Ross",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8795332,
          "author": "autokad",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T03:36:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795332",
          "commentText": "let me know if you guys find better replacements, but this is what I got on my list:\nO'Reilly - Scott Murray - Interactive Data Visualization for the Web\nData Visualization with D3.js Cookbook\nA First Course in Probability\nRails AntiPatterns - Best Practice Ruby on Rails Refactoring\nBayesian Data Analysis Andrew Gelma\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nCode Complete\nBishop - Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning\nO'Reilly Mining The Social Web",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A First Course in Probability",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2723977,
          "author": "namank",
          "createdAt": "2011-07-03T16:38:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 2723436,
          "threadTitle": "Suggest good sites/books on probability",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2723977",
          "commentText": "Used for engineering at leading university's:\nS. Ross, A first course in probability, 8th Edition, Pearson Prentice Hall 2010.\nSuggested by prof as being good for learning:\nIntroduction to probability, D. P. Bertsekas and J. N. Tsitsiklis, Athena Scientific , 2002. ISBN 1-886529-40-X. This is an excellent book for further reading and understanding some of the material.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "S. Ross, A first course in probability, 8th Edition, Pearson Prentice Hall 2010.",
          "reason": "Listed as a textbook used for engineering at leading universities.",
          "audience": "Engineering students.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2723623,
          "author": "kaa2102",
          "createdAt": "2011-07-03T13:09:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 2723436,
          "threadTitle": "Suggest good sites/books on probability",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2723623",
          "commentText": "I would suggest A First Course in Probability, 8th Edition by Sheldon Ross",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would suggest A First Course in Probability, 8th Edition by Sheldon Ross",
          "reason": "Suggested as a resource for learning probability.",
          "audience": "People learning probability.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2723509,
          "author": "jeez",
          "createdAt": "2011-07-03T11:23:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 2723436,
          "threadTitle": "Suggest good sites/books on probability",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2723509",
          "commentText": "There are a lot of lectures on Khan academy. Once you're don't with those, you can also get the book 'A First Course in Probability' by Sheldon Ross.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you can also get the book 'A First Course in Probability' by Sheldon Ross.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a probability book after the Khan Academy lectures.",
          "audience": "Readers learning probability after introductory lectures.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sheldon Ross"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "probability"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "algorithms-illuminated-54f1ff",
      "title": "Algorithms Illuminated",
      "author": "Tim Roughgarden",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35930202,
          "author": "pedrosbmartins",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T16:54:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35930202",
          "commentText": "Algorithms Illuminated by Tim Roughgarden really helped me understand algorithm design and analysis. Used it to prep for a masters in computer science, with no previous degree in the area.\nhttps://www.algorithmsilluminated.org/\nThe author even shares free video classes and other extra material.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Algorithms Illuminated by Tim Roughgarden really helped me understand algorithm design and analysis.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them understand algorithm design and analysis.",
          "audience": "People preparing for a computer science master's without a prior degree in the field.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29290530,
          "author": "jsonjason",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-20T18:26:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29290530",
          "commentText": "Another vote for Tim Roughgarden’s work. As someone who recently became a software engineer without a cs degree, his Stanford Algorithms I & II lectures (similar content to his books) have been the best instruction I’ve had on DS&A. I’ve dabbled with Skiena’s book, Grokking Algorithms, CTCI, and I now also have a copy CLRS that I use for reference or to go deeper on certain things. But I revisit Tim’s work all the time. Can’t recommend him enough.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another vote for Tim Roughgarden’s work.",
          "reason": "The commenter repeatedly returns to Roughgarden’s work and says they cannot recommend him enough.",
          "audience": "Learners seeking instruction in algorithms and data structures.",
          "caveat": "The comparison is based partly on Stanford lectures with similar content to the books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29217868,
          "author": "stickyricky",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T15:46:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29217868",
          "commentText": "\"Algorithms Illuminated\" by Roughgarden.  Very accessible.  Reads like a novel not a textbook.  Has exercises throughout the chapter to test knowledge.  I recommend it over your suggestion that you want a textbook.  This book will serve you much better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Algorithms Illuminated\" by Roughgarden. Very accessible. Reads like a novel not a textbook. Has exercises throughout the chapter to test knowledge. I recommend it",
          "reason": "Recommended as accessible, with exercises throughout to test understanding.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter prefers it over the requester's desired textbook format.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20732314,
          "author": "seagullz",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T19:35:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20732314",
          "commentText": "Jeff Erickson's Algorithms text is a great resource: http://jeffe.cs.illinois.edu/teaching/algorithms/\nThe entire book -- including the portions labeled Models of Computation, Director's cut, and Extended Dance Remix -- presents accessible introduction to much of the CS theory landscape.\nSomeone already praised the shorter book titled \"Algorithms\" by Dasgupta et al, and I second it. Tim Roughgarden's \"Algorithms Illuminated\" series is in this genre too.\nI'd also recommend the MIT lecture notes on Mathematics for CS: https://courses.csail.mit.edu/6.042/spring18/mcs.pdf  \nThis is distinctive for its intuitive explanations with essential, approachable formalism. The exercises are fine too, if you are really mean it.\nSipser's book on the Theory of Computation is great and the one by Hopcroft et al is also very good (as suggested by others). But the most beginner-friendly (or, light on math) coverage of this area is apparently in Peter Linz's book \"Introduction to Formal Languages and Automata\".\nAn alternative flavor in the treatment of much of the same topics is in this free book: http://cs.brown.edu/people/jsavage/book/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Tim Roughgarden's \"Algorithms Illuminated\" series is in this genre too.",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a series in the same genre as an endorsed algorithms book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tim Roughgarden"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "algorithm analysis",
        "algorithm design",
        "data structures"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-introduction-to-mathematical-reasoning-bf1d04",
      "title": "An Introduction to Mathematical Reasoning",
      "author": "Peter J. Eccles",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7579991,
          "author": "mahmud",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-13T02:49:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7579991",
          "commentText": "Run, don't walk, and get \"An Introduction to Mathematical Reasoning\"by Peter Eccles. That will open your eyes to mathematics, as done by mathematicians.\nAfter that, anything by Serge Lang. He is a first-rate mathematician and a fine educator. A master of mathematical exposition, a rare talent.\nI started with two books: \"Principles of Mathematical Analysis\" by Walter Rudin, and \"Abstract Algebra\" by Israel Herstein. Keyword is \"started\". Nearly every paragraph of either book sent me to a goose-chase of research and reading up on supporting materials. Safe to say that by the time I was nearly done with either, I have acquired about 50 other math books and had about zero social life ;-)\nGood news is that good math books are cheap, compared to anything computing. You can find classics for $1-$5 in most yard sales and 2nd hand bookstores. The trick is to buy thin math books; the giant, multi-color text books they use in schools are highly confusing, at least to me. It's 200 pages of math stretched to 1200, with a similar jump in price.\nMathematics is both style and substance. Once you get the hang of the basic language, the succinct delivery style, the proofs and generalizations, how notation is introduced and then elided when it becomes too apparent .. all these will add up to help you navigate more \"advanced\" texts. You will come to recognize what is a well-posed mathematical problem, and what is not, even if you don't understand the domain itself.\nFinally, if you have the option to study this formally at an institution, do it. The 2nd best option is to find a friend that shares this interest and discuss things. I didn't study it formally, but I was a barista at a coffee shop with plenty of mathphile customers. I had a lot of 1:1 instruction for highly qualified people on my 10 minute breaks :-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Run, don't walk, and get \"An Introduction to Mathematical Reasoning\"by Peter Eccles.",
          "reason": "The commenter urges readers to get it, saying it opens one's eyes to mathematics as practiced by mathematicians.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 755186,
          "author": "mattyb",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T13:54:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755186",
          "commentText": "I second the Eccles recommendation. It's a really great introduction to formal mathematics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second the Eccles recommendation. It's a really great introduction to formal mathematics.",
          "reason": "Seconds the recommendation and calls it a great introduction to formal mathematics.",
          "audience": "People beginning to study formal mathematics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 755163,
          "author": "babyboy808",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T13:42:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755163",
          "commentText": "Fantastic reply, thank you.\nAn Introduction to Mathematical Reasoning loks good, just going to read some reviews on Amazon first.\nWould 'How To Solve It' be aimed at someone like myself?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "An Introduction to Mathematical Reasoning loks good, just going to read some reviews on Amazon first.",
          "reason": "Says the book looks good, while planning to check reviews before deciding.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not yet read it and is still checking reviews.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 755071,
          "author": "mahmud",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T12:34:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755071",
          "commentText": "\"An Introduction to Mathematical Reasoning\" by Peter J Eccels. Teaches the vocabulary of mathematics, just the basics you need to think like a mathematician, not a mathematics user like most science texts.\n\"How To Solve It\" George Polya. Heurists and problem solving skills, by a great mathematician.\nDo a google search, specially in the sci.math newsgroup. Again, read books by mathematicians for mathematicians; they're often far more enjoyable and actually far more straightforward (I was often confused by the examples in my school work; I didn't care for \"vehicle moving at speed X\" or \"object falling at from height Y\". We all have a different internal visual mind and I tended to think in abstract patterns, usually colors, lines or nested bodies, without real physical objects distracting me.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"An Introduction to Mathematical Reasoning\" by Peter J Eccels. Teaches the vocabulary of mathematics, just the basics you need to think like a mathematician, not a mathematics user like most science texts.",
          "reason": "Presents mathematical vocabulary and foundational ways of thinking like a mathematician.",
          "audience": "Readers learning the basics of mathematical reasoning.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter J. Eccles"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical reasoning",
        "formal mathematics",
        "proof",
        "proof writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "barbarian-days-a-surfing-life-f572d5",
      "title": "Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life",
      "author": "William Finnegan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 44574009,
          "author": "bwb",
          "createdAt": "2025-07-15T17:58:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 44568054,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44574009",
          "commentText": "I loved this book, slow start, but pure magic after that.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I loved this book, slow start, but pure magic after that.",
          "reason": "Endorses the book while noting it starts slowly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Slow start.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 44573579,
          "author": "humbleferret",
          "createdAt": "2025-07-15T17:20:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 44568054,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44573579",
          "commentText": "Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan\nNo better way to be reminded there is a big difference between someone that surfs for fun and someone who is a surfer.\nSurfing parts aside, this book taught me to appreciate the different parts of your life around your 'obsession' as you get older.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan",
          "reason": "Says it offers perspective on surfing and the parts of life surrounding an obsession as one gets older.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40054434,
          "author": "gnatman",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-16T17:00:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40054434",
          "commentText": "Fantastic book. After I finished it, I was thinking- OK, how can I now best devote the rest of my life to surfing?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "best devote the rest of my life to surfing?",
          "reason": "Calls the book fantastic and says it inspired thoughts of devoting their life to surfing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40051511,
          "author": "humbleferret",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-16T13:18:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40051511",
          "commentText": "Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life — William Finnegan — (2015)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life — William Finnegan — (2015)",
          "reason": "Listed as a book given as a gift.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Finnegan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "surfing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "big-debt-crises-527d05",
      "title": "Big Debt Crises",
      "author": "Ray Dalio",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22874413,
          "author": "ilaksh",
          "createdAt": "2020-04-15T04:10:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 22861452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading to make sense of the economy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22874413",
          "commentText": "Big Debt Crisis by Dalio.  Because a lot had been happening gradually also.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Big Debt Crisis by Dalio.",
          "reason": "Named as a book to read about the economy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22574357,
          "author": "qnt",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T10:31:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22574357",
          "commentText": "From someone working in the hedge fund world, “Big Debt Crises” by Ray Dalio is the most useful book I have read on the topic.\nThe language is quite accessible and it describes how various kinds of business cycles have played out through history. The highlight for me is an elaborate, punch-by-punch retelling of how the 3 major financial crises played out (1930s Germany, Great Depression and 2008). Rather than looking backward with the benefit of hindsight as most textbooks do, this gives you a real impression of how the events played out in real-time. There are even newspaper headline clippings in the margins from every week or so, just to show how the popular narrative was evolving as it happened.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Big Debt Crises” by Ray Dalio is the most useful book I have read on the topic.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the most useful book they've read on the topic and describes its accessible account of business cycles and crises.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22573702,
          "author": "allie1",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T07:08:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22573702",
          "commentText": "I started \"Big Debt Crises\" by Ray Dalio a while ago and so far it's proving to be a very good introduction on what you're looking for.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I started \"Big Debt Crises\" by Ray Dalio a while ago and so far it's proving to be a very good introduction",
          "reason": "Recommended as an introduction to the financial topics requested in the thread.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for an introduction to money and financial systems.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ray Dalio"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial crises",
        "debt",
        "debt crises",
        "debt cycles"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "build-apis-you-won-t-hate-618d65",
      "title": "Build APIs You Won't Hate",
      "author": "Phil Sturgeon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24441730,
          "author": "shivenigma",
          "createdAt": "2020-09-11T11:59:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 24383180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Suggestions for books about API design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24441730",
          "commentText": "for REST APIs, https://apisyouwonthate.com/books/build-apis-you-wont-hate book is my recommendation if you haven't read it already. I read it as a beginner, so it was kind of an eye opener for me on why we should do things a certain way when it comes to API.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "book is my recommendation if you haven't read it already",
          "reason": "Recommends it for designing REST APIs; says it was an eye-opener about why APIs should be designed in certain ways.",
          "audience": "Beginners working with REST APIs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12264205,
          "author": "trwhite",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-10T19:24:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 12262586,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are good reads for designing APIs?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12264205",
          "commentText": "I second this. Great read if you want a better understanding of design your APIs.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second this. Great read if you want a better understanding of design your APIs.",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the book recommendation and calls it a great read for understanding API design.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a better understanding of API design.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12262655,
          "author": "avicoder",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-10T15:53:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 12262586,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are good reads for designing APIs?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12262655",
          "commentText": "Check this one:\nBuild APIs You Won't Hate - Phil Sturgeon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Build APIs You Won't Hate - Phil Sturgeon",
          "reason": "Listed as a read in response to a question asking for good reads on API design.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Phil Sturgeon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "api design",
        "rest",
        "rest apis",
        "web apis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "burn-math-class-bd56b3",
      "title": "Burn Math Class",
      "author": "Jason Wilkes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31489204,
          "author": "garmain",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T07:50:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31489204",
          "commentText": "Seconded. also consider Lockhart's \"Arithmetic\". Bear in mind. These are both non-orthodox style books. Burn Math Class least orthodox.\nAn orthodox approach to Analysis would be Terence Tao's Analysis books.\nFurther recommendations depend on your specific goals.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "These are both non-orthodox style books. Burn Math Class least orthodox.",
          "reason": "Endorses the parent-mentioned book, calling it the least orthodox of the two.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as especially non-orthodox.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31488790,
          "author": "maab89",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T06:45:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31488790",
          "commentText": "Burn Math Class by Jason Wilkes is interesting.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Burn Math Class by Jason Wilkes is interesting.",
          "reason": "Described as interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23727832,
          "author": "gramie",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T21:29:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23727832",
          "commentText": "You could check out Burn Math Class: https://www.amazon.com/Burn-Math-Class-Reinvent-Mathematics/... (https://www.amazon.com/Burn-Math-Class-Reinvent-Mathematics/dp/0465053734#reader_B017QL8UHU)\nor Calculus Made Easy: https://www.math.wisc.edu/~keisler/keislercalc-09-04-19.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You could check out Burn Math Class",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jason Wilkes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "calculus",
        "mathematical thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "css-mastery-fc2501",
      "title": "CSS Mastery",
      "author": "Andy Budd",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13264594,
          "author": "ud0",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-27T17:43:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13264594",
          "commentText": "CSS Mastery - Andy Budd\nCSS: The definitive guide - Eric Meyer\nHTML & CSS design - Jon Ducket\nZero to One - Peter Theil. (Started reading it early this year, still on it.)\nI've a self-taught developer coding professionally for 4 years now and I'm looking to fill knowledge gaps and understand how things work under the hood.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "CSS Mastery - Andy Budd",
          "reason": "Lists it among books for filling knowledge gaps and understanding how things work under the hood.",
          "audience": "A self-taught developer seeking to fill knowledge gaps.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 592802,
          "author": "mattyb",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-04T18:30:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 574468,
          "threadTitle": "What is the best CSS book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=592802",
          "commentText": "The 2nd edition of this (wonderful) book is due out in August.\nhttp://www.apress.com/book/view/9781430223979",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 2nd edition of this (wonderful) book is due out in August.",
          "reason": "Calls the book wonderful and notes an upcoming second edition.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 574843,
          "author": "ochiba",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-23T00:17:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 574468,
          "threadTitle": "What is the best CSS book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=574843",
          "commentText": "I agree, you can't go wrong with CSS Mastery. It's also concise and very well written.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you can't go wrong with CSS Mastery. It's also concise and very well written.",
          "reason": "Strongly endorses the book as concise and well written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andy Budd"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "css",
        "web design",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "can-t-hurt-me-eca8a2",
      "title": "Can't Hurt Me",
      "author": "David Goggins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24286316,
          "author": "mikece",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-26T19:32:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 24286084,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading at the moment and what do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24286316",
          "commentText": "Just books in general? Professional development? Science Fiction? Politics?\nCan't go wrong with the classics like \"Seven Habits of Highly Effective People\" along with \"How to Win Friends and Influence People.\"  For motivation: \"Can't Hurt Me\" by David Goggins... it's impossible to read that book and come up with a good excuse why you cannot achieve your goals.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For motivation: \"Can't Hurt Me\" by David Goggins... it's impossible to read that book and come up with a good excuse why you cannot achieve your goals.",
          "reason": "Recommended for motivation and pursuing goals.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21806695,
          "author": "douglaswlance",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T20:13:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21806695",
          "commentText": "I love Goggins! That's a great book. So hard to believe, but there's documented evidence for his achievements. Unbelievable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I love Goggins! That's a great book.",
          "reason": "Agrees with the recommendation and calls the book great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803883,
          "author": "king_panic",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:49:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803883",
          "commentText": "Based on your Best Books list, check out David Goggins book 'Cant Hurt Me'. I found him through a podcast he did with Joe Rogan and it resonated with me on a deep personal level. It ultimately inspired me to change my life: I lost 50 lbs since, got a raise and promotion at work and travelled more in 2019 than the last 5 years.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Based on your Best Books list, check out David Goggins book 'Cant Hurt Me'.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly suggests the book and says Goggins's story inspired major personal changes.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for personal motivation or life changes.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Goggins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Psychology",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "personal development",
        "motivation",
        "resilience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "colossus-5499a7",
      "title": "Colossus",
      "author": "D. F. Jones",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46161500,
          "author": "ashtavakra",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-05T14:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46161500",
          "commentText": "I consolidated the comments for my reference later. Someone else might also find it useful:\n# Fiction Books Recommended for Programmers (HN Thread 46128404)\n## Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- *Children of Time* — Science Fiction (Evolution, Space Opera)  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)\n## Rick Cook — Wizardry Series\n- *Wizard’s Bane* — Fantasy, Programming/Magic Mashup  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112616.Wizard_s_Bane\n- *Wizardry Series (overview)*  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\n## James P. Hogan\n- *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/743568.Inherit_the_Stars\n- *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifem... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifemaker)\n- *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_Tomorrow)\n## D. F. Jones — Colossus Trilogy\n- *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806105.Colossus\n- *The Fall of Colossus* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colos... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colossus)\n- *Colossus and the Crab* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_Crab)\n## Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner)\n- *A Logic Named Joe* — Golden-Age Sci-Fi, AI Precursor  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-j... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-joe)\n## David Gerrold\n- *When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One* — AI, Classic Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_Was_One)\n## William Gibson / Bruce Sterling\n- *Neuromancer* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer\n- *The Difference Engine* — Steampunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Eng... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Engine)\n## Neal Stephenson\n- *Snow Crash* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash\n- *Cryptonomicon* — Techno-thriller, Cyber-history  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/816.Cryptonomicon\n- *Anathem* — Philosophical Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2845024-anathem\n- *The Diamond Age* — Nanopunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827.The_Diamond_Age\n## Fred Saberhagen\n- *Octagon* — AI, Techno-thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1891958.Octagon\n## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga\n- *Series Overview* — Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/40946-vorkosigan-saga\n## Richard Powers\n- *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45104.Galatea_2_2\n## Scott Meyer\n- *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-wizard)\n## Daniel Suarez\n- *Daemon* — Cyber-thriller, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665844-daemon\n## Thomas J. Ryan\n- *The Adolescence of P-1* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_o... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_of_P_1)\n## Ernest Cline\n- *Ready Player One* — Sci-Fi, Gaming, Pop-Culture Adventure  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one\n## Dennis E. Taylor\n- *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)* — Humorous Sci-Fi, AI, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-we-are-bob)\n## Ted Chiang\n- *Stories of Your Life and Others* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\n- *Exhalation* — Speculative Fiction, Philosophy, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation\n- *The Lifecycle of Software Objects* — AI, Digital Consciousness  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of-software-objects)\n## Charles Stross\n- *Laundry Files Series* — Math-based Magic, Techno-Fantasy  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files\n## Ken Liu\n- *The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menag... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories)\n- *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, AI, VR  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl-and-other-stories)\n## Ellen Ullman\n- *The Bug* — Tech Industry Literary Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/703.The_Bug\n## Cory Doctorow\n- *Radicalized* — Techno-sociopolitical Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40604122-radicalized\n## qntm (Sam Hughes)\n- *Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans-in-transit-and-other-stories)\n## Roger Williams\n- *The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect* — AI, Post-Singularity SF  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)\n## Greg Bear\n- *Eon* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/924843.Eon\n## Vernor Vinge\n- *A Deepness in the Sky* — Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the_Sky)\n## Terry Pratchett\n- *Going Postal* — Comic Fantasy, Satire of Bureaucracy & Tech  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64222.Going_Postal\n## Bruce Bethke\n- *Headcrash* — Cyber-satire  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213465.Headcrash\n## Mary Shelley\n- *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* — Classic Gothic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein\n## Douglas Adams\n- *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* — Comic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guid... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)\n## Jorge Luis Borges\n- *The Library of Babel* — Metaphysical Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-babel)\n## Greg Egan\n- *Permutation City* — Simulation Theory, Hard Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156784.Permutation_City\n## Cixin Liu\n- *The Three-Body Problem* — Hard Sci-Fi, First Contact  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller",
          "reason": "Lists the title in a compilation of fiction books recommended for programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46130213,
          "author": "LarryMade2",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T04:09:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46130213",
          "commentText": "These are all entertaining:\nDefinitely the Wizardry series by Rick Cook\nhttps://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/rick-cook/wizardry/\nProgramming meets magical realms\nJames Hogan\nInherit the Stars - Has supercomputers but not main characters\nCode of the Lifemaker Has Ancient Tech evolving into a robotic society\nTwo Faces of Tomorrow  - humans trying to get along with AI\nD.F.Jones\nColossus, the Fall of Colossus, and Colossus and the Crab\nHumans creating machines to protect humanity (computers have different idea) and the rebellion, and a new threat.\nA Logic Names Joe - radioplay of short story.\nhttps://archive.org/details/OTRR_X_Minus_One_Singles/XMinusO... (https://archive.org/details/OTRR_X_Minus_One_Singles/XMinusOne55-12-28031ALogicNamedJoe.mp3)\nThe internet and AI long before the internet and AI.\nDavid Gerrold - When H.A.R.L.I.E. was One - and other tales involving Artificial Super Intelligence\nWilliam Gibson - Neuromancer and related - Cyberpunk series, the Difference Engine - a Steampunk technology tale.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Colossus, the Fall of Colossus, and Colossus and the Crab",
          "reason": "Named as part of a group of entertaining books about machines created to protect humanity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42268997,
          "author": "lowbloodsugar",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:29:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268997",
          "commentText": "qntm, There is no antimemetics division.\nTamsin Muir, Gideon the Ninth\nIain M Banks, The Algebraist\nD F Jones, Colossus\nJames S A Corey, The Mercy of Gods",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "D F Jones, Colossus",
          "reason": "Lists it among books read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "D. F. Jones"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Computing",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "cold war",
        "machine rebellion",
        "thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "compilers-principles-techniques-and-tools-ed8893",
      "title": "Compilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools",
      "author": "Alfred V. Aho; Monica S. Lam; Ravi Sethi; Jeffrey D. Ullman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21313367,
          "author": "sweeneyrod",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T15:27:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21313367",
          "commentText": "I don't think there are any. The problem with learning computer science from textbooks is that most textbooks will go a lot further than just the fundamentals on the subjects they cover. So if you try to learn the basics by choosing a textbook for each area and read it cover to cover you'll never finish. Perhaps the answer is to thoroughly read the first few chapters/skim the remainder of Introduction to Algorithms; the Dragon book; Computer Networks/Architecture/etc.: A Systems/Quantitative/etc. Approach; Types and Programming Languages; Security Engineering; AI: A Modern Approach and so on -- that was certainly my experience of undergrad CS. A few exceptions are K&R, The Mythical Man-Month and What Every Computer Scientist Should Know About Floating-Point Arithmetic which are short enough that you can easily read them in their entirety.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the Dragon book",
          "reason": "Includes it among textbooks to study selectively when learning computer science.",
          "audience": "People learning undergraduate computer science.",
          "caveat": "Suggests reading the first chapters or skimming the remainder.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414953,
          "author": "gharbad",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T13:18:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414953",
          "commentText": "Knuth's Art of Computer Programming\nAside from that, there are typically only 1-2 extremely well regarded books in any given area. If you're going to be doing something specific, grab the appropriate book.\neg:\nCompilers - Dragon Book\nAI - Russel/Norvig's Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach\nOh.. everyone needs a whiteboard, as well - they're quite useful",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Compilers - Dragon Book",
          "reason": "Names the Dragon Book as the example for compilers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414503,
          "author": "nikcub",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T09:55:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414503",
          "commentText": "I am also self-taught, although I dropped out of University two years into a CompSci/Engineering double major, so I will recommend some resources to you that helped me immensely. Each of these books has an associated MIT course with lecture video, notes, etc. available online.\nFirst is Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs[1], which you can read online, and the associated course at MIT, which is 6.001[2]\nSecond is the famous 'Dragon Book', Compilers: Principals, Techniques and Tools[3] and the associated course which is 6.035[4]\nExtras would be the Python book 'How to think like a Computer Scientist'[5]. MIT course 6.00[6] uses the book as a reference, and the courseware is again available online.\nOther than that - the usual suspects on learning C (K&R), UNIX (TAOUP[7]), the bash shell along with grep, sed, awk, more algorithms(CLRS[8]), functional programming and machine learning. Take your time, it takes years to build the relevant experience and knowledge and you are never done.\nI love the MIT courses. Work and learn at your own rate. I feel that it is important to implement all the code yourself even if it looks easy in a lecture - there are little things you pick up as you write algorithms out.\nEven though I had worked through SICP I still watched all the lectures again and implemented all the examples with benchmarks and unit tests. I usually set aside one day on the weekend to work on study, and usually an extra evening or two mid-week to read papers and books. Once you get into the routine it is great.\nIt might be the best approach to set yourself a timetable and weekly schedule, just like in UNI (ie. every Saturday plus Tuesday and Thursday nights) and work through the MIT courseware and associated books in order (6.00, 6.001, 6.035). The more advanced MIT courseware is an excellent bonus.\n[1] http://xrl.us/sicp\n[2] http://xrl.us/6001\n[3] http://xrl.us/dragonbook\n[4] http://xrl.us/6035\n[5] http://xrl.us/thinkcs\n[6] http://xrl.us/6000\n[7] http://xrl.us/artunix\n[8] http://xrl.us/clrs",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Second is the famous 'Dragon Book', Compilers: Principals, Techniques and Tools[3]",
          "reason": "Lists the Dragon Book among recommended resources for a self-taught programmer.",
          "audience": "Self-taught programmers seeking computer science study resources.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alfred V. Aho; Monica S. Lam; Ravi Sethi; Jeffrey D. Ullman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "compiler construction",
        "compiler design",
        "programming languages",
        "textbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "concrete-mathematics-a-foundation-for-computer-science-dbaf2a",
      "title": "Concrete Mathematics: A Foundation for Computer Science",
      "author": "Ronald L. Graham, Donald E. Knuth, Oren Patashnik",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21313374,
          "author": "guiraldelli",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T15:27:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21313374",
          "commentText": "I don't think there is a definitive answer for your question because computer science is a relative new area of knowledge and “fundamental books” are still being published.\nIf I had to say one text that is the fundamental one, I would go with a paper: “On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem” [1], by Alan Turing.\n---\nBut if you just started your course in Computer Science, then I will give you some “bookshelf advice\" based on my experience. I had the pleasure to study all the books I am going to recommend you, and most of them I was able to read cover-to-cover during the university years. And they are also in my bookshelf for reference.\nThe book order does not represent rank of importance.\n* “Introduction to the Theory of Computation”, by Michael Sipser.\n    * I also recommend the “Elements of the Theory of Computation”, by Christos Papadimitriou.\n\n    * Another good complement is “Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages and Computation”, by Hopcroft and Ullman. (Thanks, @reacweb, for the reminder.)\n\n* “Graph Theory”, by Reinhard Diestel.\n    * If you feel you want to go deeper, and like a book which you cannot skip a single word, I strongly recommend “Modern Graph Theory”, by Béla Bollobás: it is one of my favorite textbooks ever!\n\n* “The Algorithm Design Manual”, by Steven Skiena.\n    * While a lot of people seems to praise either the Cormen et al. or the Sedgewick books, I have the feeling that “Algorithms” by Dasgupta, Papadimitriou  and Vazirani is my choice for “fundamental” book. But I decided to\n\n* “Computer Architecture: a Quantitative Approach”, by Hennessy and Patterson.\n* “Modern Operating Systems”, by Andrew Tanenbaum.\n* “Artificial Intelligence: a Modern Approach”, by Russel and Norvig.\n* “Modern Compiler Implementation (in ML)”, by Andrew Appel.\nI would like to also recommend “Concrete Mathematics”, by Graham, Knuth and Patashnik, but I remember to not feel it the most pedagogical book on the subject.\nGood luck!\n---\n[1]: https://www.cs.virginia.edu/~robins/Turing_Paper_1936.pdf",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I would like to also recommend “Concrete Mathematics”",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a computer science book, with a reservation about its pedagogy.",
          "audience": "People starting a computer science course.",
          "caveat": "The commenter recalls it as not the most pedagogical book on the subject.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 755941,
          "author": "bddbbdb",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T18:29:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755941",
          "commentText": "Concrete Mathematics is (as it says itself) intended for first year grad students. It is certainly good, but it is NOT for a \"complete noobie\". I am in a similar situation, and am finding Vellman's \"How to Prove It\" extremely useful. Having poked around the edges of math for about a year, I finally realized that proofs are central to mathematical maturity... No more eyes crossing when I read a new CS textbook!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Concrete Mathematics is (as it says itself) intended for first year grad students. It is certainly good, but it is NOT for a \"complete noobie\".",
          "reason": "Says the book is good but unsuitable for a complete beginner.",
          "audience": "First-year graduate students.",
          "caveat": "Not suitable for a complete beginner.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 755862,
          "author": "bgutierrez",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T18:03:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755862",
          "commentText": "I left school when I was 16 to do homeschool, which turned out to be nothing more than my parents buying me books when I asked for them and nothing more.\nI did my GED and dropped out of college, so I think that I can relate to how you feel. There's a huge inferiority complex that comes from having less education than others. Filling in the gaps is difficult but I've found that whenever I fill something in, I've benefited pretty quickly. Lately I realized that I sucked at systems programming concepts, so I've been reading about that, which has been really helpful. I make a living as a programmer, but I have to continually be studying to try and fill in gaps before I'm hurt by lack of knowledge.\nIf someone can work through a discrete math textbook and do the exercises, I think they could get a lot out of it. Calculus has some important ideas, but I think the discrete math is much more relevant to every day programming. I took a course last year at my community college that used Discrete Mathematics with Applications, by Susanna S. Epp. I don't recall it requiring higher math than algebra, but it did require sharp thinking. Concrete Mathematics: A Foundation for Computer Science is probably a good textbook, but I haven't used it, so can't say anything about it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Concrete Mathematics: A Foundation for Computer Science is probably a good textbook, but I haven't used it, so can't say anything about it.",
          "reason": "Tentatively calls it probably good while explicitly noting they have not used it.",
          "audience": "Readers studying mathematics for computer science.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not used the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ronald L. Graham, Donald E. Knuth, Oren Patashnik"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "discrete mathematics",
        "computer science",
        "textbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "continuous-discovery-habits-9ec2df",
      "title": "Continuous Discovery Habits",
      "author": "Teresa Torres",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43732530,
          "author": "terrellbm",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-18T22:45:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 43723077,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on talking to users?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43732530",
          "commentText": "Continuous discovery habits sounds interesting, any takeaways from the book you found particularly interesting?\nI like the framing around discovery being an ongoing 'habit' as opposed to something that's one and done",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Continuous discovery habits sounds interesting",
          "reason": "Expresses interest in the book and its framing of discovery as an ongoing habit.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43731311,
          "author": "kingkongjaffa",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-18T19:50:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 43723077,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on talking to users?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43731311",
          "commentText": "Continuous discovery habits by Teresa Torres\nhttps://www.producttalk.org/2021/05/continuous-discovery-hab... (https://www.producttalk.org/2021/05/continuous-discovery-habits/)\nAnd\nThe mom test\nAre the ones I’ve used the most as a product manager trying to talk to customers every week.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Continuous discovery habits by Teresa Torres",
          "reason": "Names it among the books they have used most while talking to customers weekly.",
          "audience": "Product managers talking to customers regularly.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41547201,
          "author": "flpm",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-15T12:50:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41547201",
          "commentText": "While I am not in the startup world, I feel like \"Continuous Discovery Habits\" by Teresa Torres would be a great read covering a similar topic. It talks about how to manage the business needs vs customer needs and focusing on outcome vs output. About continuously engaging with customer to validate your assumptions, etc.\nIn general anything on Human Centered Design could be useful.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Continuous Discovery Habits\" by Teresa Torres",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a useful read about balancing business and customer needs, outcomes, and ongoing customer discovery.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is not in the startup world.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Teresa Torres"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "product discovery",
        "continuous discovery",
        "customer interviews",
        "customer research"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "database-internals-eb1ee6",
      "title": "Database Internals",
      "author": "Alex Petrov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32791052,
          "author": "gavinray",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T14:38:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32791052",
          "commentText": "Not a professional database developer but study it in my spare time\nBooks that stand out to me are:\n- Database Internals, Alex Petrov\n- Database Design & Implementation, Edward Sciore\n- How Query Engines Work, Andy Grove\nThese have been much more useful than IE the Cow book or \"DB Systems The Complete Book\" to me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Database Internals, Alex Petrov",
          "reason": "Listed among the books that stand out to the commenter and have been useful to them.",
          "audience": "People studying database development.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25989919,
          "author": "hugofirth",
          "createdAt": "2021-02-01T16:13:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 25987664,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommended books and papers on distributed systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25989919",
          "commentText": "I couldn't agree more about curiosity mode (I'm going to use that phrase liberally). Despite reading papers for many years, I rarely go in cold. I browse blog posts and twitter, ask myself a series of questions, then try to find/read papers to answer them. Of course this only leads to more questions, and so the journey continues.\nI also agree with the recommendations for \"Designing Data-Intensive Applications\" and \"Database Internals\". Though, having read the latter for a book club at $employer, I felt it served better as a sort of \"index for the space\" for people who already had some DB experience, rather a true introduction.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "and \"Database Internals\"",
          "reason": "Agrees with recommendations for the book.",
          "audience": "People who already have some database experience.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it works better as an index to the field than as a true introduction.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25989052,
          "author": "mjb",
          "createdAt": "2021-02-01T14:40:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 25987664,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommended books and papers on distributed systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25989052",
          "commentText": "This is a very good list. Adrian's blog is, particularly, a treasure.\nI wrote this post a while ago, aiming to answer a similar question about finding paper: http://brooker.co.za/blog/2020/05/25/reading.html One key point there is that there are, in my mind, multiple 'modes' of reading, and I like to use different approaches to finding material for different modes. Those blogs you list are great for curiosity mode. Another great resource there is Twitter: following distributed systems practitioners and researchers, and seeing what they tweet about. When I read a (recent) paper I really like, I often see if the authors are active on Twitter and follow them there if they are.\nIt's also important not to weight too much on recency. A lot of the canon is actually more approachable than newer papers. For example, Lamport's classic \"Time, Clocks\" (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/publication/time-cl... (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/publication/time-clocks-ordering-events-distributed-system/)) and distributed snapshot (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/publication/distrib... (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/publication/distributed-snapshots-determining-global-states-distributed-system/)) papers, and Gilbert and Lynch's CAP paper (http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.67.... (http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.67.6951&rep=rep1&type=pdf)) are approachable without deep background or systems knowledge. Similarly, John Little's \"\nA Proof for the Queuing Formula: L = λW\" (https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/abs/10.1287/opre.9.3.383) is quite approachable if you have a math background but no systems knowledge, and is one of the foundational results behind the practice of building stable systems.\nI've got some longer-form dives into researcher's work here: http://brooker.co.za/blog/2014/03/30/lamport-pub.html http://brooker.co.za/blog/2014/09/21/liskov-pub.html\nhttp://brooker.co.za/blog/2014/05/10/lynch-pub.html\nFinally, books. There are a couple recommendations for Martin Kleppman's Designing Data-Intensive Applications book, which I like a whole lot. Alex Petrov's \"Database Internals\" is also a very approachable introduction. I wish every practitioner in the field would read Harchol-Balter's Performance Modeling and Design of Computer Systems.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Alex Petrov's \"Database Internals\" is also a very approachable introduction.",
          "reason": "Described as a very approachable introduction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alex Petrov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "databases",
        "storage engines",
        "database internals",
        "database systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dealers-of-lightning-xerox-parc-and-the-dawn-of-the-computer-age-f55ec2",
      "title": "Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age",
      "author": "Michael A. Hiltzik",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22692328,
          "author": "Ahmedb",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-26T11:00:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22692328",
          "commentText": "I was about to recommend Dealers of Lightning :D",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I was about to recommend Dealers of Lightning :D",
          "reason": "Recommends the book in response to a request for computer science and computer history books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17205497,
          "author": "kar1181",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T14:17:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205497",
          "commentText": "Agreed, it's one of my favourite books of all time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Agreed, it's one of my favourite books of all time.",
          "reason": "Agrees with the parent comment's recommendation and praise.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17205044,
          "author": "krylon",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T13:26:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205044",
          "commentText": "I agree, it is a great book!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it is a great book!",
          "reason": "Agrees with the parent commenter’s recommendation and praises the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael A. Hiltzik"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "xerox parc",
        "computer history",
        "personal computing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "discover-meteor-c87ac8",
      "title": "Discover Meteor",
      "author": "Tom Coleman and Sacha Greif",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8003457,
          "author": "wiseleo",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-08T07:58:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8003457",
          "commentText": "There are just so many...\nHeadfirst series (JavaScript, HTML, jQuery... all of them)\nDiscover Meteor\nRefactoring: improving the design of existing code\nDatabase design for mere mortals\nMIT books (SICP, Algorithms)\nOh, and of course... Human Interface Guidelines by Apple. One of the best UX books on app design.\nAll books are ebooks for me, so this list is impossibly long.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Discover Meteor",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter’s list of technical ebooks.",
          "audience": "Readers learning Meteor and web development.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8000167,
          "author": "lurcio",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T17:50:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8000167",
          "commentText": "Discover Meteor\nMulti-Format: epub/pdf/html, great use of Middleman, being internationalised, interesting & useful videos (but more might perhaps be made of the premium end)\nContent: really well matched to target audience. Ongoing updates.\nDesign: Very attractive countenance",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Discover Meteor",
          "reason": "Describes the format, content, and design favorably, including a good match for its target audience.",
          "audience": "Its target audience; the comment does not specify further.",
          "caveat": "The commenter suggests more could be made of the premium end.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968400,
          "author": "malokai",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:45:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968400",
          "commentText": "I also started Gödel, Escher, Bach.  Have yet to finish the preface.\nDiscover Meteor: a book for the Meteorjs framework.  Good book if you want to learn the framework.\nI read a lot of fiction I guess.\nNow I am reading American Gods, and before that, Dune.  Before Dune I read the 2 released books of The Kingkiller Chronicle.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Good book if you want to learn the framework.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for learning the Meteor framework.",
          "audience": "People who want to learn the Meteor framework.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Coleman and Sacha Greif"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "meteor",
        "web development",
        "javascript framework",
        "meteor js"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "disrupted-480e30",
      "title": "Disrupted",
      "author": "Dan Lyons",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17266767,
          "author": "Davertron",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-08T16:05:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17266767",
          "commentText": "Could you elaborate on the \"gross things\"? I read Disrupted and thought it was pretty funny/interesting and I've watched a few of Dan's talks and enjoyed them. A quick Google search didn't turn up anything about him recently though.\nI did sort of wonder how accurate some of this stories were about HubSpot, since you're only hearing his side of the story and the more sensational the stories the better the book...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I read Disrupted and thought it was pretty funny/interesting",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed its humor and found it interesting, while questioning the accuracy of its stories.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They wonder how accurate the HubSpot stories are, since they present only the author's side.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17207448,
          "author": "s73v3r_",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T17:03:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17207448",
          "commentText": "So, not necessarily inspirational, and some kinda gross things came out about the author recently, but Disrupted by Dan Lyons was pretty good. It's about his time at HubSpot, which kinda seems like it was almost a parody of startup culture and drinking the Kool-Aid. He later went on to be a writer on Silicon Valley for seasons 2 & 3, and says he would pitch some things that actually happened, and get shot down because they were \"too out there and unbelievable\".",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Disrupted by Dan Lyons was pretty good.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was pretty good and describes its account of HubSpot and startup culture.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in startup culture and HubSpot.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not necessarily inspirational and mentions negative revelations about the author.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11699849,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-15T07:08:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11699849",
          "commentText": "Reading The Meaning of Science by Tim Lewens right now.  It's an introductory \"Philosophy of Science\" book, and I'm enjoying it so far.  Up to where I'm at now, the author has covered Karl Popper and his falsification oriented framework, and Thomas Kuhn and the \"scientific revolution / paradigm shift\" model.\nA couple of other ones from this year that stand out to me:\nDisrupted by Dan \"Fake Steve Jobs\" Lyons\nIt's Not The Big That Eat The Small, It's The Fast That Eat The Slow by Jason Jennings\nIn terms of fiction, this years haul includes:\nThe Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King\nThe Last Mile by David Baldacci",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A couple of other ones from this year that stand out to me:\nDisrupted by Dan \"Fake Steve Jobs\" Lyons",
          "reason": "Included among the year's books that stand out to the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Lyons"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "startup culture",
        "hubspot",
        "technology industry",
        "work culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "down-and-out-in-paris-and-london-00baaf",
      "title": "Down and Out in Paris and London",
      "author": "George Orwell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34176258,
          "author": "sershe",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-29T18:48:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34176258",
          "commentText": "1) Chris Moriarty. Spin State - relatively-hard sci-fi with decent non sci-fi elements (i.e. characters and stuff), which I think is rare.\n2) Ralph Ellison. Invisible Man. I really enjoyed the writing, among other things, and how he captures short moments and scenes with sort of a hard-to-describe quality of a visual art, almost.\n3) Ilya Somin. Free To Move. To me most of the book was \"duh\" but I think it would be a good read for people on the fence about immigration and private vs public institutions.\n4) Vaclav Smil. Energy And Civilization; possibly How the World Really Works, still reading that one. Really dense and detailed examination of energy history of mankind for the former, and infrastructure of technological civilization for the latter.\n5) Pluckrose & Lindsday. Cynical Theories. Good 101 on CRT and modern woke movement.\n6) Alexander. New Jim Crow. Good 101 on war on drugs, although some broader social arguments the book makes straightforwardly don't seem to follow, or are contradicted by, its factual base IMHO.\n7) Stephenson. Seveneves - really good hard sci-fi imho, although felt very, very long.\n8) Orwell. Down and Out in Paris and London. A good book about poverty only 70-100 years ago. Also a good perspective for modern complaints about poverty - I have some non-US background for that, so I think many US readers might benefit more.\nOn the fence. \n1) I want to plug Seleukid Royal Economy, just for the hell of it, if you are interested in ancient economy :)\n2) Galef. Scout Mindset - on the fence about this one, but it seemed like it was way too long for what it offers. Maybe I've just read a lot of the same stuff ago.\n3) Okorafor. Binti - not bad as a YA book, but sci-fi aspects are remarkably bad.\nA few more I'm too lazy to type out ;)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A good book about poverty only 70-100 years ago.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a book about poverty in the recent past.",
          "audience": "The commenter says readers in the US might benefit more, especially those without non-US background.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25328606,
          "author": "mikhailfranco",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-07T01:51:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25328606",
          "commentText": "On the kitchen thread, try Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell, which describes his experience as a dishwasher in 1930's Paris.\nFor an interesting study of casual labor in the gig economy for house painters in the 1910's, see The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists by Robert Tressell,",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "try Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell, which describes his experience as a dishwasher in 1930's Paris.",
          "reason": "Describes Orwell's experience as a dishwasher in 1930s Paris.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in kitchen work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25318747,
          "author": "statusanxiety",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T21:50:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25318747",
          "commentText": "Down and out in Paris and London by George Orwell is an excellent insight into the life of a parisian dishwasher in the 1920s. Its also a great exploration of the lives of the working class in that time period.\nJust Kids by Patti Smith is a beautiful look into the life of a poet and artist.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Down and out in Paris and London by George Orwell is an excellent insight into the life of a parisian dishwasher in the 1920s.",
          "reason": "An account of a Parisian dishwasher's life and the working class in the 1920s.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking insight into working-class life and occupations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Orwell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Society",
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "paris",
        "poverty",
        "dishwashing",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "drood-a620ac",
      "title": "Drood",
      "author": "Dan Simmons",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22096721,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T06:21:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22096721",
          "commentText": "Drood was a fascinating read, and was my first exposure to Wilkie Collins. Reading Drood is the reason I have a copy of The Moonstone on my shelf waiting to be read at this very moment.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Drood was a fascinating read",
          "reason": "The commenter found it fascinating and says it led them to get a copy of The Moonstone.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22096473,
          "author": "JackFr",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T05:12:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22096473",
          "commentText": "Dan Simmons’ novel “Drood”, a very fictional account of the relationship between Willkie Collins and Charles Dickens. A fascinating true item I learned from the novel was that Willkie Collins was addicted to laudanum and for many years hallucinated his  doppelgänger whom he called ‘ghost Willkie’.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Dan Simmons’ novel “Drood”",
          "reason": "Describes it as a fascinating, highly fictional account of Collins and Dickens’s relationship.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A very fictional account.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1975004,
          "author": "rue",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T13:07:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1975004",
          "commentText": "I read those a few years back and they obviously come highly recommended, but in the same vein of historical fiction the best this year was: \"Drood\", by Dan Simmons.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the best this year was: \"Drood\", by Dan Simmons.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best book of the year in historical fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Simmons"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "victorian writers",
        "charles dickens"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "elements-of-programming-interviews-412929",
      "title": "Elements of Programming Interviews",
      "author": "Adnan Aziz, Tsung-Hsien Lee, and Amit Prakash",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29221437,
          "author": "zwerdlds",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T22:40:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29221437",
          "commentText": "EPP is a great intro for those without the preexisting math.  Almost nothing is taken for granted, even high school math.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "EPP is a great intro for those without the preexisting math.",
          "reason": "Calls it a good introduction for readers without prior math knowledge.",
          "audience": "Readers without preexisting math knowledge.",
          "caveat": "Says almost nothing, even high school math, is taken for granted.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29220975,
          "author": "morty_s",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T21:38:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29220975",
          "commentText": "CLRS does about 5 pages on linked lists. If you want more, my advice would be to implement one in your language of choice, then look at the API for the standard lib impl of a linked list in your language of choice (if there is one).\nOtherwise, for more reading on linked lists, read through adlist.c from redis, by antirez.\nNext, one of the best books (IMO) on algorithmic thinking is SICP. Get through a few chapters, do the exercises, grok recursion, etc.\nIn no particular order:\nAlgorithm Design Manual, Skiena\nAlgorithm Design, by Kleinberg/Tardos\nAlgorithms, Sedgwick 4th ed. (also Algorithms in C)\nIf you find you need or would like more math:\nDiscrete Mathematics (Epp is an easier read, Rosen seems more verbose)\nMathematical Proofs, Charrand\nFor interview prep:\nElements of Programming Interviews (EPI)\nDesigning Data Intensive Applications",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Elements of Programming Interviews (EPI)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "People preparing for interviews.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29220201,
          "author": "tarsinge",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T20:11:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29220201",
          "commentText": "I recommend to start with \"Elements of Programming Interviews (in Java or Python)\". It serves as a nice practical overview of the main algorithms and data structures and when to use them. Personally I found it more complete than the usually recommended \"Cracking the Coding Interview\" while being equally approachable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend to start with \"Elements of Programming Interviews (in Java or Python)\".",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a practical overview of algorithms, data structures, and when to use them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21315792,
          "author": "codesushi42",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T18:46:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21315792",
          "commentText": "No. The authors are purposely obscure and arrogant.\nThere are much better books to learn algorithms from. Even Elements of Programming Interviews is better.\nIt is worth coming back to if you want to read proofs to understand things in depth. But it is terrible as a fundamental instructive text.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Even Elements of Programming Interviews is better.",
          "reason": "Presents it as a better book for learning algorithms than the book being criticized.",
          "audience": "People learning algorithms.",
          "caveat": "The comparison is made while criticizing another book as an instructive text.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adnan Aziz",
        "Tsung-Hsien Lee",
        "Amit Prakash"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "coding interview preparation",
        "data structures",
        "programming interviews"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "essays-ea2d80",
      "title": "Essays",
      "author": "Michel de Montaigne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31968968,
          "author": "kthejoker2",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T16:36:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31968968",
          "commentText": "Tough choices ..\nMoby Dick has so much to offer .. Gulliver's Travels ... Tristam Shandy ... Essays by Montaigne.. Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man ....\nProbably the collected works of Shaw? Things with dialogue feel freah every time you read them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Essays by Montaigne",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20917017,
          "author": "m_t",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T11:04:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20917017",
          "commentText": "Some links from Project Gutenberg:\nEssays, by Michel de Montaigne\nIn English (Vol. 1), https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3581\nIn French (Vol. 1), https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/48529\nMeditations, by Marcus Aurelius\nEnglish translation by George W. Chrystal, 1902 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/55317\nEnglish translation by George Long, 1957 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/15877\nLes Misérables, by Victor Hugo\nIn English (Full), https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/135\nIn French (Vol. 1), https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/17489\n20000 leagues under the sea, by Jules Vernes\nIn English (slightly abridged), https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/164\nIn French (with illustration), https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/54873",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Essays, by Michel de Montaigne",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite books or essays.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20915633,
          "author": "misternonki",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T06:22:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20915633",
          "commentText": "Essays by Montaigne",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Essays by Montaigne",
          "reason": "Lists Montaigne's essays in response to a request for favorite old books and essays.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8257872,
          "author": "agrostis",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T14:49:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257872",
          "commentText": "Montaigne's Essays; and I'm reading (Bunin's Russian translation of) the Song of Hiawatha for my son at bedtime.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Montaigne's Essays",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michel de Montaigne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Writing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "essays",
        "personal essays",
        "personal reflection",
        "renaissance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "existentialism-is-a-humanism-42a3f9",
      "title": "Existentialism Is a Humanism",
      "author": "Jean-Paul Sartre",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1752342,
          "author": "winterismute",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T07:47:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752342",
          "commentText": "On the philosophical side, I sugget \"Existentialism Is a Humanism\" by Sartre: it explains in a clear and simple way the idea of Existentialism, which is a great philosophy based on strong principles, and a key idea in the modern philosophical debate. It somehow changed my life, and made me think a lot more about life principles that can actually guide one's life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I sugget \"Existentialism Is a Humanism\" by Sartre: it explains in a clear and simple way the idea of Existentialism, which is a great philosophy based on strong principles, and a key idea in the modern philosophical debate. It somehow changed my life, and made me think a lot more about life principles that can actually guide one's life.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a clear explanation of existentialism that changed the commenter's perspective on guiding principles.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for an accessible introduction to existentialism.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503488,
          "author": "michael_dorfman",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T11:16:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503488",
          "commentText": "I think the quality of advice you're getting on this thread is very mixed.\nSome of the books mentioned are absolutely great-- like \"Being and Time\", or Husserl's \"Logical Investigations\"-- but incredibly difficult to read unprepared.  If you were ready to be reading them, you wouldn't be asking the question here.\nThe two books you mention in the question (Common Sense and \"On the Fourfold Root\") are both quite readable, as are a few of the primary texts mentioned in the responses (\"Existentialism is a Humanism\", \"Thus Spoke Zarathustra\") but in general, I'd have to suggest you stay away from primary texts at first.\nIn other words, begin by reading works about philosophy, rather than works of philosophy.\nA single-volume work on the history of philosophy will give you the broad scope (for example, Durant, or Russell, or \"Sophie's World\" if you prefer fiction), but will tend to turn the philosophers discussed into caricatures of themselves.\nYou mention that you are in school; I'd suggest you take a philosophy course or two, if you are interested in the field.  Having an experienced guide will definitely help.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Existentialism is a Humanism\", \"Thus Spoke Zarathustra\")",
          "reason": "Cited among primary texts described as quite readable.",
          "audience": "Readers beginning to explore philosophy.",
          "caveat": "The recommendation is qualified by the broader suggestion to begin with works about philosophy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503287,
          "author": "tfh",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T07:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503287",
          "commentText": "The ones I've read and find good:\n- Existentialism is a Humanism - Jean Paul Sartre : Very easy to read and is a very good introduction to existentialism.\n- Thus Spoke Zarathustra - Nietzsche\n- Siddhartha - Herman Hesse",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Existentialism is a Humanism - Jean Paul Sartre : Very easy to read and is a very good introduction to existentialism.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a good introduction to existentialism and easy to read.",
          "audience": "Readers new to existentialism.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jean-Paul Sartre"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "existentialism",
        "introductory philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "farseer-trilogy-a0ad8c",
      "title": "Farseer Trilogy",
      "author": "Robin Hobb",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40878836,
          "author": "UmWhatever",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-04T23:28:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40878836",
          "commentText": "Oh, boy. The Fool is one of my favorite characters in fiction and poor, poor Fitz. I picked the original series up on a recommendation from a college friend. I went in thinking I was too old for a \"YA Fantasy\" book to make my heart ache. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Took me right back to bawling over Feist's Riftwar Saga as a young teen.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I picked the original series up on a recommendation from a college friend.",
          "reason": "Discusses the series as a story that made the commenter’s heart ache.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter initially thought they were too old for a YA fantasy book to affect them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40878786,
          "author": "Jeaye",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-04T23:14:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40878786",
          "commentText": "Farseer trilogy, by Robin Hobb.\nI often read fantasy fiction and someone recommended Hobb for having a joker/fool character along the lines of Wit in Sanderson's Cosmere universe.\nWell, it turns out Hobb is brutal when it comes to writing stories that destroy people. I finished the trilogy, but I was more impacted by it than any other work of fiction I've read in years.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Farseer trilogy, by Robin Hobb.",
          "reason": "Describes the trilogy as emotionally devastating and more impactful than other fiction read in years.",
          "audience": "Readers of fantasy fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38566342,
          "author": "cptn_brittish",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T07:32:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38566342",
          "commentText": "My brother has coined the term Depression Olympics between this and The Stormlight Archives for what the characters go through and Farseer makes Stormlight look like childsplay",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Farseer makes Stormlight look like childsplay",
          "reason": "Compared with the hardships characters face in The Stormlight Archive.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86338,
          "author": "h3st",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T17:58:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86338",
          "commentText": "The Ego and its Own, by Max Stirner.\nThe Open Society and its Enemies, by Karl Popper.\nThe Illuminatus! trilogy.\nRobin Hobb books (with special mention of the farseer trilogy), Neal Stephenson, Alan Moore, Terry Pratchett.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Robin Hobb books (with special mention of the farseer trilogy)",
          "reason": "The commenter singles out the trilogy among Robin Hobb's books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robin Hobb"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "character driven fantasy",
        "dark fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "four-thousand-weeks-time-management-for-mortals-97d126",
      "title": "Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals",
      "author": "Oliver Burkeman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36441241,
          "author": "ChildOfChaos",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-23T00:41:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36441241",
          "commentText": "Four Thousand weeks is great, I'm still trying to comprehend it's lessons and also that shared by the Author in his excellent newsletter.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Four Thousand weeks is great",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book while still trying to comprehend its lessons.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36429801,
          "author": "shubhamjain",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T09:35:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36429801",
          "commentText": "_Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals_ and _Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!_. I always thought myself as a deeply ambitious person who wanted to do something significant. The mindset did help me grow, but it came at the cost of my mental health. Doubting every second if you're making good use of time isn't a great way to live. Both of those books helped me appreciate having a decent carefree life, where doing things matter without expecting (i.e, following your creative spirit).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "_Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals_",
          "reason": "Says it helped them value a decent, carefree life without constantly judging how they use time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33849823,
          "author": "skytrue",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T02:08:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33849823",
          "commentText": "4000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. It goes against a lot of societally enforced norms we’re coming up against, and suggests the benefits of living a more aware, intentional life and the benefits of commitment and community. Awesome, awesome book I constantly recommend to people.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "4000 Weeks: Time Management for Mortals.",
          "reason": "Challenges socially enforced norms and argues for awareness, intentional living, commitment, and community.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Oliver Burkeman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "time management",
        "intentional living",
        "mortality",
        "work life balance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fuzzy-nation-75a72e",
      "title": "Fuzzy Nation",
      "author": "John Scalzi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17537852,
          "author": "rektide",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T00:15:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537852",
          "commentText": "Central Station by Lavie Tidhar is an amazing charming story of a world deeply steeped old sitting baking world where new things are coming about. It is charm & delight in the purest & simplest.\nSpin by Robert Charles Wilson. \"Robert Charles Wilson is a hell of a storyteller,\" said Stephen King and this wonderful tour through time and space, humanity & people's lives is incredible.\nThe Quantum Thief series by Hannu Rajaniemi is open, scenic, wild, & so so vivid, one of the most beautiful worlds I've ever visited, & it reminds me so much of a joyous wild swashbuckling run. The mystery of the main character is enchanting.\nInfoquake series by David Louis Edelson is a gripping suspenseful rise of a star entrepreneur that redefines and radically expands the world, amid an already boisterous & full & busy beautiful world already overflowing in seamless technology everywhere. Although the plot line whips along with some suspense & tension, the scenery and the voyage is incredible.\nLathe of Heaven by Ursala Le Guin could quite easily, quite simply be the best first contact story story ever. Touching, and sincere, & simple. This world is not bright and shiny but her writing and the bonding of characters is incredible. See also the rest of the Hainish cycle.\nLeft Hand of Darkness also by Ursala Le Guin is a shifting chaotic shizmatic tale, about picking our fates. \"Well, I did it through dreams. Phil would have done it another way. But yeah, homage to Phil [K.] Dick is right.\"\n- https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/a... (https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/all/)\nFallen Dragon is an early & involved Peter Hamilton adventure book. There's leaving home, & space ships, more space ships, bad guys, fighting back the bad guys, bigger ships, and action. There is A LOT going on, all the time, & violence, but damn this book comes together into something incredible, & telling, & powerful & strong, something that easily makes it my top pick for most-underappreciated Peter Hamilton.\nDiamond Age by Neal Stephenson, which I'm providing largely as a counterweight to the Snowcrash & Sevenses recommendations here. Diamond Age is much less dark, and way more a fun tail about an incredible & mysterious primer for a young lady.\nSirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut.\nAll Systems Red series by Martha Wells is a underprivileged barely coping robot dealing with the humans she hates having to talk to & a shitty planet trying to kill them. Simple, fun, some action & violence, but the main character is a total hoot the whole time with more loner/zero/drop-out attitude & spunk than anything I've read & it's unbelievably charming.\nLords of Light by Roger Zelazny has more style, pizzaz, & spirit than I feel like any of us deserve. An interesting, storied tale from the post-singularity, with a remarkable & robust cast.\nIllium/Olympos by Dan Simmons, are, in my mind still the clear winner, far above Hyperion. The cast is charming beyond belief, stumbling through a world they both know all too much about & far far too little. Some really incredible worldbuilding here.\nRainbow's End by Vernor Vinge. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE A Fire Upon the Deep. But Rainbow's End really is our planet, sometime not far out, and Vinge has the most tour of this next place we're headed, with threads, and annotations, and group chat being the defining new technologies of humanity. And the tale of the misfit happenstance adventurers who wind up ensnared in the plot line is a fun, roving hoot of a journey, a wonderful second chance at a coming of age story.\nMedusa Chronicles by two of my favorites, Alastair Reynolds & Stephen Baxter is probably my favorite exploring the solar system book, about a guy/robot a bit apart from humanity that really wants to see what the local area has to offer. A lot of high tension conflicting societal impulses that our somewhat aloof lead stumbles through, on his personal mission of exploration. Lots of interesting robot philosophy & very varied elements of space come together with the characters to make an incredibly fun space epic, set in a delightful & intriguing alternative history\nOther's recommendations I'd +1: Dune (but super heady material), The Stars My Destination (brimming with class & substance), Mote in God's Eye (some of the best Space Colonial Marines style stuff out there), Accelerando (and Iron Sky and ... overflowing playful scifi), Blue Ant series (dripping with style), Foundation series (and much more Asimov!), Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy (simple direct exciting hunt for treasure in Star Wars), Fuzzy Nation (fun tale)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fuzzy Nation (fun tale)",
          "reason": "Calls it a fun tale.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17537661,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T23:20:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537661",
          "commentText": "Farmer in the Sky by Robert Heinlein [1]\nThe Complete Robot by Isaac Asimov [2]\nThe Wrong Unit [3] wasn't a bad little humorous tale.\nPretty much anything by Timothy Zahn (sans Star Wars novelisations) [4] or Robert Sawyer [5] floats my boat.\nThe First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North [6]\nBarsk: The Elephants’ Graveyard by Lawrence M. Schoen [7] made me care about sentient elephants.\nFuzzy Nation by John Scalzi [8] is very funny. Audiobook version narrated by Wil Wheaton.\nOf ones already mentioned:\nThe Bobiverse was surprisingly good (including the audiobook version).\nThe Expanse is good.\nWith regards to Dune, there are some like myself who only ever liked the first book in the series. (Also there is a good audiobook version out there.)\nThe Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and sequels are great world building and characters, although the plots seem to meander about with not too much purpose.\nThe Martian is great.\n[1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50851.Farmer_in_the_Sky\n[2] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50091.The_Complete_Robot\n[3] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30959279-the-wrong-unit\n[4] https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12479.Timothy_Zahn\n[5] https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/25883.Robert_J_Sawyer\n[6] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295861-the-first-fifte... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295861-the-first-fifteen-lives-of-harry-august)\n[7] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25667916-barsk\n[8] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11167622-fuzzy-nation",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi [8] is very funny.",
          "reason": "Calls the book very funny.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10787298,
          "author": "yetanotheracc",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T06:03:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787298",
          "commentText": "Absolutely amazing, changed the way I look at the society, will re-read:\n- George Orwell, Keep the Aspidistra Flying\nLoved:\n- Alastair Reynolds, House of Suns\n- Andy Weir, The Martian\n- Neal Stephenson, Seveneves\n- Greg Egan, Teranesia\nLiked:\n- Arthur C. Clarke, 3001: The Final Odyssey\n- Arthur C. Clarke, 2061: Odyssey Three\n- Richard Feynman, The Character of Physical Laws\n- Richard Feynman, The Pleasure of Finding Things Out\n- Jonathan Slack, Stem Cells: A Very Short Introduction\n- John Scalzi, Fuzzy Nation (bought the audiobook for Wil Wheaton's narration)\n- Ray Monk, Robert Oppenheimer: A Life Inside the Center\n- Alastair Reynolds,  Revelation Space\n- David C. Cassidy, Beyond Uncertainty: Heisenberg, Quantum Physics, and the Bomb\nFound full of BS, did not finish:\n- Noam Chomsky, Understanding Power\nTextbooks:\n- order of 10^3 pages of Open University textbooks\n- Klauber, Student Friendly Quantum Field Theory\n- Feynman & Hibbs, Quantum Mechanics and Path Integrals\n- Wald, General Relativity (5 chapters)\n- Peskin & Schroeder, An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory (5 chapters)\nNot as bad as I felt before making the list, but underwhelming in terms of quantity. I intend to read a whole lot more in 2016.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- John Scalzi, Fuzzy Nation (bought the audiobook for Wil Wheaton's narration)",
          "reason": "Listed under books the commenter says they liked.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter mentions buying the audiobook for Wil Wheaton's narration.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Scalzi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "humor",
        "audiobook",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gates-of-fire-49024c",
      "title": "Gates of Fire",
      "author": "Steven Pressfield",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3396186,
          "author": "rasmus4200",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T16:12:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3396186",
          "commentText": "The War of Art\nhttp://www.stevenpressfield.com/the-war-of-art/\nBreak through the blocks and win your inner creative battles.\nMany books mentioned here are good, this is the only I haven't seen referenced. But this one book really helped me deal with resistance and get stuff done. Seth Godin is a big fan and references it a lot in his material.\nSteven Pressfield also wrote 'The Legend of Bagger Vance' and Gates of Fire (Spartan 300 kind of book but way deeper).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "and Gates of Fire (Spartan 300 kind of book but way deeper).",
          "reason": "Described as a deeper take on the Spartans than the film 300.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227235,
          "author": "ctkrohn",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T18:51:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227235",
          "commentText": "Stephen Pressfield is fantastic.  Besides \"Gates of Fire,\" I've read \"The Afghan Campaign\" and \"The Virtues of War,\" two novels about Alexander The Great.  Very highly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Besides \"Gates of Fire,\"",
          "reason": "Included among the author's novels; the comment ends with an emphatic recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227139,
          "author": "NEPatriot",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T18:11:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227139",
          "commentText": "The War of Art - Stephen Pressfield - how to overcome yourself\nGates of Fire - same as above, the story of the stand at Thermopylae\nAgincourt & 3 part series Archer's tale - Bernard Cornwell - accounts of medievil warfare\nStrengthsFinder 2.0 - Tom Rath - take a test and discover your strengths/things you love to do, focus on on doing those",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gates of Fire - same as above, the story of the stand at Thermopylae",
          "reason": "Listed as a suggestion, described as a story of the stand at Thermopylae.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Pressfield"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient greece",
        "historical fiction",
        "historical novel",
        "thermopylae"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "genius-the-life-and-science-of-richard-feynman-87583f",
      "title": "Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman",
      "author": "James Gleick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804093,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:12:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804093",
          "commentText": "Writing a Go Interpreter\nWriting a Go Compiler\nNo One Cares about Crazy People\nI Heard You Paint Houses\nUNIX: A History and a Memoir\nRed Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine\nHow Asia Works\nThe Dream Machine\nBlack Earth\nThe Fabric of Reality\nBehave (tried twice, maybe third times a charm?)\nA Short History of Nearly Everything\nStiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers\nGenius: The Life and Science Richard Feynman\nSuper Thinking\nMan's Search for Meaning\nThe Cooking Gene\nThe Vital Question: Why is Life The Way it Is (re-read)\nThe Case Against Sugar\nThe 15 Decisive Battles of the World\nThe History of the Peloponnesian War\nThe Beginning of Infinity\nThe Book of Why",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Genius: The Life and Science Richard Feynman",
          "reason": "Listed in the commenter's planned reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 203018,
          "author": "mhartl",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T05:21:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=203018",
          "commentText": "I second the recommendation of Genius.  It is incredibly rich and stands up well to rereading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second the recommendation of Genius. It is incredibly rich and stands up well to rereading.",
          "reason": "Seconded as an incredibly rich book that rewards rereading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 202956,
          "author": "rglovejoy",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T03:50:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=202956",
          "commentText": "John Forbes Nash: \"A Beautiful Mind\" by Sylvia Nasir\nRichard Feynman: \"Genius\" by James Gleick\n\"The Passion of Ayn Rand\" by Barbara Brandon\n\"John Adams\" and \"Truman\" by David McCullough\n\"Lincoln the Unknown\" by Dale Carnegie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Richard Feynman: \"Genius\" by James Gleick",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Gleick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "richard feynman",
        "physics",
        "physicists"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "good-strategy-bad-strategy-0b7fb6",
      "title": "Good Strategy/Bad Strategy",
      "author": "Richard Rumelt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35173739,
          "author": "dadrian",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T19:47:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35173739",
          "commentText": "Systems of Engineering Management (Larson)\n- Best practical advice for dealing with software engineering teams\nLeading at the Speed of Growth (Catlin & Matthews)\n- Despite the title making me want to vomit, it has a bunch of practical advice about problems you'll encounter at various \"stages\" of a company, and how to identify what stage you're in.\nThe First 90 Days (Watkins)\n- Useful if you ever take on a leadership role where the current state of the organization could be described as a \"shitshow\".\nGood Strategy / Bad Strategy (Rumelt)\n- Learn the difference between goals and strategy and plans.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Good Strategy / Bad Strategy (Rumelt)",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helps distinguish goals, strategy, and plans.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35169319,
          "author": "blowski",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T14:58:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35169319",
          "commentText": "- The Mom Test\n- 4 Steps to the Epiphany\n- The Personal MBA (Josh Kaufman)\n- Lean Analytics\n- Good Strategy Bad Strategy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Good Strategy Bad Strategy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32791330,
          "author": "mikehollinger",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T15:10:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32791330",
          "commentText": "Engineer turned engineering leader here.\n\"Good Strategy / Bad Strategy\" by Richard Rumelt - An awesome book on strategy, which explains very plainly how to construct a reasonable strategy, and see signs of bad strategy. It (among other things) dissects NVIDIA's rise in the late 2000's, and predicts (more or less) the next ten years of where the company went.\n\"The Effective Manager\" by Mark Horstman - All the things that no one says or tells about management and communication.\n\"Team Topologies\" by Skelton and Pais - A really good view of organizational design patterns and anti-patterns for software teams rooted in the premise of Conway's Law.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Good Strategy / Bad Strategy\" by Richard Rumelt - An awesome book on strategy, which explains very plainly how to construct a reasonable strategy, and see signs of bad strategy.",
          "reason": "Explains how to construct a strategy and recognize bad strategy; discusses NVIDIA’s rise and subsequent direction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401355,
          "author": "sunkarapk",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:12:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401355",
          "commentText": "Currently Reading:\nGood Strategy, Bad Strategy\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11721966-good-strategy-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11721966-good-strategy-bad-strategy)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Currently Reading:\nGood Strategy, Bad Strategy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Rumelt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business strategy",
        "strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hatching-twitter-a-true-story-of-money-power-friendship-and-betra-29826a",
      "title": "Hatching Twitter: A True Story of Money, Power, Friendship, and Betrayal",
      "author": "Nick Bilton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17205522,
          "author": "jordanab",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T14:21:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205522",
          "commentText": "- \"Startupland: How Three Guys Risked Everything to Turn an Idea into a Global Business\"\nI just finished this, and really enjoyed it. It's about the founding of Zendesk. I personally liked it's perspective because it's founders were 30 somethings (instead of the usual out of college types), and they are from Europe.\nI also really enjoyed:\n- \"Hatching Twitter: A True Story of Money, Power, Friendship, and Betrayal\"\n- \"The Airbnb Story: How Three Ordinary Guys Disrupted an Industry, Made Billions and Created Plenty of Controversy\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also really enjoyed:",
          "reason": "Explicitly included among books the commenter really enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17205299,
          "author": "sateesh",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T13:53:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205299",
          "commentText": "_Hatching Twitter_ provides inside story behind creation of Twitter. The fights between the founders and their machinations to control the company makes an intriguing read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The fights between the founders and their machinations to control the company makes an intriguing read.",
          "reason": "The account of the founders’ conflicts is described as an intriguing read.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Twitter’s founding and startup dynamics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13237860,
          "author": "dejv",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T15:32:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237860",
          "commentText": "Out of 32 books I read this year I recommend:\nSomehow tech/startup related:\n- Spelunky, Derek Yu: book about creating the game of Spelunky + notes on game design\n- Disrupted, Dan Lyons: book about \"old\" guy working in startup\n- Hatching Twitter, Nick Bilton: book about Twitter\nNon-startupy books:\n- A Wild Sheep Chase, Haruki Murakami: modern Japanese novel\n- The Hills of Chianti, Piero Antinori: story about wine company and notes on wine making, wine marketing and other stuff from one of the most notable wine company from Italy (700 years old, owned by one family whole history)\n- The City and the Stars, Arthur C. Clark: scifi classic",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Hatching Twitter, Nick Bilton: book about Twitter",
          "reason": "Included among the books the commenter recommends.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Twitter and its history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nick Bilton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "twitter",
        "startup founders",
        "startup history",
        "technology companies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "his-master-s-voice-a7c24e",
      "title": "His Master's Voice",
      "author": "Stanisław Lem",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19090108,
          "author": "nathias",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T21:39:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090108",
          "commentText": "Plato - Meno, Symposium, Parmenides, Gorgias, Protagoras\nPlotinus -Enneads\nMarkus Aurelius - Meditations\nDescartes - On method\nDescartes - Meditations\nSpinoza - On the improvement of Understanding\nLeibniz - Monadology\nLeibniz - Grace\nVoltaire - Candid\nDiderot - D'Alembert's Dream\nKant - How to orient oneself in thinking\nKant - Critique of Pure Reason\nKant - Critique of Judgment\nHegel - Phenomenology of Spirit\nHegel - Logic\nvon Kleist - Marionette Theatre\nKierkegaard - The Sickness Unto Death\nHeidegger - Being and Time\nSartre - Being and Nothingness\nSartre - Flies\nSartre - Nausea\nDeleuze - Difference and Repetition\nKafka - Metamorphosis\nKafka - The Castle\nLem - Magellan Nebula\nLem - His Master's Voice\nCioran - A Short History of Decay\nPessoa - Book Of Despair\nWolfe -  New Sun tetralogy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lem - His Master's Voice",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13298992,
          "author": "EthanHeilman",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-02T04:12:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13298992",
          "commentText": "+1 His Master's Voice",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 His Master's Voice",
          "reason": "Seconding the recommendation for the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13240800,
          "author": "cicero",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T22:06:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13240800",
          "commentText": "A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter Miller (recommended SF classic)\nThe Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis (an old favorite, recommended)\nThe Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco (some interesting parts, but overall a disappointment)\nTheology and Sanity - Frank Sheed (recommended; a very written description of the Catholic faith; weaknesses are it's long and it's aimed to a mid 20th c. audience)\nChristianity for Modern Pagans: Pascal's Pensees - Peter Kreeft (recommended; a good exposition of Blaise Pascal's thought)\nCatholicism: A journey to the heart of the faith - Robert Barron (recommended; a good explanation of Catholicism for the common person)\nHis Master's Voice - Stanislaw Lem (recommended; very intellectual look at the problem of first contact)\nThe Industries of the Future - Alec Ross (the robotics chapter is best; other parts are more light-weight; easy read)\nClouds of Witnesses - Dorothy Sayers (not my favorite Sayers mystery, but enjoyable)\nA Study in Scarlet - Arthur Conan Doyle (recommended)\nWhy Gender Matters - Leonard Sax (recommended; most of the book is based on good science, but he does go out on a limb a time or two.)\nOld School - Tobias Wolff (recommended; a world before widespread TV where high school boys actually got excited about literature)\nInfinite Space, Infinite God - Karina and Robert Fabian editors (story quality varies; I enjoyed some of them)\nThe Sign of Four - Arthur Conan Doyle (recommended)\nOn Stranger Tides - Tim Powers (recommended; I love Powers, but Anubis Gates and Last Call are better. Still, if you like pirates you should like this)\nThe Art of Worldly Wisdom - Baltasar Gracian (interesting)\nAquinas at Prayer: the Bible, Mysticism, and Poetry - Paul Murray (recommended; this shows a different side of Thomas Aquinas)\nAristotle for Everybody: Difficult Thought Made Easy - Mortimer Adler (recommended; I almost think this should be required reading)\nThe Pilgrim's Regress - C.S. Lewis (I enjoyed it, but the ideas Lewis argues against are somewhat dated.)\nEdit for formatting",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His Master's Voice - Stanislaw Lem (recommended; very intellectual look at the problem of first contact)",
          "reason": "Recommended for its intellectual treatment of first contact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043498,
          "author": "PilotPirx",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:09:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043498",
          "commentText": "I don't read that much lately, but want to throw in a few names:\n- Stanislaw Lem (Solaris, The Cyberiad, His Masters Voice, Fiasco)\n- William Gibson - evrything worth reading)\n- Bruce Sterling",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "His Masters Voice",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stanisław Lem"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "philosophical science fiction",
        "science and communication"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "homicide-a-year-on-the-killing-streets-afbfc3",
      "title": "Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets",
      "author": "David Simon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10329522,
          "author": "cakes",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-05T01:19:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10329522",
          "commentText": "That has been on my to-read list since watching \"The Wire\" earlier this year. The minimal research I did into it before deciding I would (eventually) read it was definitely that Simon was (from accounts) given a lot of freedom.\nI'm glad to see it here - reminds me I should get around to actually reading it here sometime soon.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'm glad to see it here - reminds me I should get around to actually reading it here sometime soon.",
          "reason": "The commenter welcomes the book's mention and says it reminds them to read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They have not read it yet and describe only limited research into it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10324820,
          "author": "danso",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T18:16:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10324820",
          "commentText": "David Simon's \"Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets\"\nhttp://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18956.Homicide\nI wish it were required reading in at least all journalism school curriculums. It's a book about death and the most \"exciting\" part of police work but also one that reveals the banality and politically-motivated mechanics of such a system. I almost hesitate to call it \"thought-provoking\" because it, among other things, is just a great page-turner, though astonishingly completely non-fiction. I say \"astonishingly\" because Simon, according to him and the detectives he wrote about, had pretty much free reign to write what he wanted...there's no way such a book could be written today, as the police tactics that Simon describe, out of context, would likely cause a lot of outrage today.\nAs a bonus, reading \"Homicide\" will make all of the jargon in \"The Wire\" much more understandable. Many of the memorable incidents in \"The Wire\", including the very first scene, and scenes like the photocopier-used-as-lie-detector, come straight from \"Homicide\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I wish it were required reading in at least all journalism school curriculums.",
          "reason": "Says it should be required reading in journalism school and describes it as a great page-turner.",
          "audience": "Journalism students and readers interested in police work.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that the book's account of police tactics could cause outrage out of context.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10029357,
          "author": "Legion",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-09T02:54:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10029357",
          "commentText": "It should also be pointed out that this book was the basis for the show Homicide: Life on the Street, which Simon consulted on and later produced. That's what got Simon into television and eventually writing The Wire. (That said, Simon felt the show did not closely enough reflect the book, which is probably what fed into the creation of The Wire. Still, for a network TV drama, Homicide was pretty outstanding.)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "this book was the basis for the show Homicide: Life on the Street, which Simon consulted on and later produced.",
          "reason": "Discusses the book's relationship to the television series without expressing an evaluation of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10027507,
          "author": "reitzensteinm",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T15:27:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027507",
          "commentText": "Homicide is one of those books I wish I could read again for the first time. I can think of no higher praise.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Homicide is one of those books I wish I could read again for the first time. I can think of no higher praise.",
          "reason": "Says they wish they could experience the book again for the first time and calls that their highest praise.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10027456,
          "author": "danso",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T15:15:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027456",
          "commentText": "The best book I've read in the last 5 years is David Simon's, \"Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets\"...if you've watched The Wire, half of its material is derived from this real life account of being embedded in Baltimore's homicide unit: https://books.google.com/books/about/Homicide.html?id=N8LS0b... (https://books.google.com/books/about/Homicide.html?id=N8LS0b0_bvUC&hl=en)\nAll of Atul Gawande's books, notably:\nThe Checklist Manifesto [1]: http://atulgawande.com/book/the-checklist-manifesto/\nBetter: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance: http://atulgawande.com/book/better/\n[1] You can read the essay that this book is based on in the New Yorker: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/12/10/the-checklist",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The best book I've read in the last 5 years is David Simon's, \"Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets\"",
          "reason": "Calls it the best book they've read in five years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Simon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Society",
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "baltimore",
        "crime reporting",
        "journalism",
        "criminal justice"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-be-perfect-the-correct-answer-to-every-moral-question-70555a",
      "title": "How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question",
      "author": "Michael Schur",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38557717,
          "author": "Brajeshwar",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:51:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557717",
          "commentText": "Most of the books I read are influenced by similar threads on HN. This year has not been good overall and it impacted my reading. I need to finish writing the post https://brajeshwar.com/2023/books/\n“How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question” by Michael Schur is a fun book that opens with a good question, “Should I punch my friend in the face for no reason?”\nI have been meaning to and this year I finally read The Diary of a Young Girl.\nFor 2024, here are some of the ones from my list (sorry for the formatting, copied Markdown from my notes);\n- [Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_War:_The_Fight_for_the_Wo... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_War:_The_Fight_for_the_World%27s_Most_Critical_Technology)) by [Chris Miller](https://www.christophermiller.net)\n- [First Principles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Principles_%28book%29) by [Thomas E. Ricks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_E._Ricks_%28journalist%29)\n- [Greenlights](https://greenlights.com) by [Matthew McConaughey](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_McConaughey)\n- How Asia Works: Success and Failure in the World's Most Dynamic Region by Joe Studwell\n- [Poor Economics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poor_Economics): A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty by [Abhijit V. Banerjee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abhijit_Banerjee),  and [Esther Duflo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther_Duflo)\n- Raising An Emotionally Intelligent Child The Heart of Parenting by [John Gottman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gottman), and Joan DeClaire\n- [The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read](https://www.amazon.com/Book-Wish-Your-Parents-Read/dp/198487... (https://www.amazon.com/Book-Wish-Your-Parents-Read/dp/1984879553)): (and Your Children Will Be Glad That You Did) by [Philippa Perry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippa_Perry)\n- [The End Of The World Is Just The Beginning: Mapping The Collapse Of Globalization](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_End_of_the_World_is_just_t... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_End_of_the_World_is_just_the_Beginning)) by [Peter Zeihan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Zeihan)\n- [The Tatas: How a Family Built a Business and a Nation](https://www.amazon.com/Tatas-Family-Built-Business-Nation/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Tatas-Family-Built-Business-Nation/dp/9352779371)) by [Girish Kuber](https://mr.wikipedia.org/wiki/गिरीश_कुबेर), and English translation by Vikrant Pande.\n- [Windfall: The Booming Business of Global Warming](https://www.amazon.com/Windfall-Booming-Business-Global-Warm... (https://www.amazon.com/Windfall-Booming-Business-Global-Warming/dp/1594204012)) by [McKenzie Funk](https://www.mckenziefunk.com)\n- [Dieter Rams: The Complete Works](https://www.amazon.com/Dieter-Rams-Complete-Klaus-Klemp/dp/1... (https://www.amazon.com/Dieter-Rams-Complete-Klaus-Klemp/dp/1838661530/)) by [Klaus Klemp](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaus_Klemp)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "is a fun book that opens with a good question",
          "reason": "Described as fun and opened by a question about moral conduct.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33852381,
          "author": "wraptile",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T10:37:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33852381",
          "commentText": "Hahah, the author seems to be very well aware of the trolley trap and actually makes the same joke in the book while also spending pages on exploring various trolley scenarios. So I'm not sure how to answer your question :D",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the author seems to be very well aware of the trolley trap and actually makes the same joke in the book while also spending pages on exploring various trolley scenarios.",
          "reason": "Says the book jokes about the trolley problem and explores multiple trolley scenarios.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33852372,
          "author": "froggychairs",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T10:36:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33852372",
          "commentText": "Also read that book this year. Absolutely fantastic. The audiobook is one of the better audiobooks I’ve listened too recently as well",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also read that book this year. Absolutely fantastic. The audiobook is one of the better audiobooks I’ve listened too recently as well",
          "reason": "Calls it absolutely fantastic and praises its audiobook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33852259,
          "author": "jnsaff2",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T10:14:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33852259",
          "commentText": "Did the book manage to NOT spend most of it's volume on the trolley problem?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Did the book manage to NOT spend most of it's volume on the trolley problem?",
          "reason": "Asks whether the book devotes most of its length to the trolley problem.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33852190,
          "author": "Tenoke",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T10:00:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33852190",
          "commentText": "While I liked the show, given the basic level of the explanations of ethics systems as well as the caricature portrayal the philosopher, I find it hard to believe their book is an exceptional option for learning more.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I find it hard to believe their book is an exceptional option for learning more.",
          "reason": "Questions whether the book is an exceptional way to learn more, citing its basic explanations and caricatured portrayal of a philosopher.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking to learn more about ethics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter liked the show but criticizes the explanations and portrayal.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33851873,
          "author": "wraptile",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T08:56:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33851873",
          "commentText": "\"How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question\" by Michael Schur is my favorite read of the year.\nIt's an introduction to the philosophy of ethics through real-life examples and anecdotes by the creator of The Good Place TV show (the audio book even features the shows actors). Unlike most of philosphy stuff you can actually finish it in couple of days and feel like you learned a whole lot!\nIn particular it helped me with my ethics choice anxiety and introduced me to Aristotel's \"be the best version of yourself\" philosophy which is such a liberating way of thinking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question\" by Michael Schur is my favorite read of the year.",
          "reason": "Calls it their favorite read of the year and says it introduced ethics through examples and anecdotes.",
          "audience": "General readers interested in ethics",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it can be finished in a couple of days.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Schur"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ethics",
        "moral philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-think-like-a-computer-scientist-d4580a",
      "title": "How to Think Like a Computer Scientist",
      "author": "Allen B. Downey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3411963,
          "author": "aridiculous",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-31T21:48:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 3380141,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Intro Programming Book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3411963",
          "commentText": "It wasn't bad, but I don't agree with this being recommended as a best first book.\nPine's code uses a fair amount of personal coding preferences without explaining them. To a beginner, this can be extremely confusing.\nHow to Think like a Computer Scientist was a superior introduction in my opinion. It got me excited about learning a language comprehensively.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Think like a Computer Scientist was a superior introduction in my opinion.",
          "reason": "Calls it a superior introduction and says it got them excited about learning a language.",
          "audience": "Beginners seeking a comprehensive programming introduction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 121974,
          "author": "mtts",
          "createdAt": "2008-02-23T10:55:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 121779,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What is the best Python book for a beginner?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=121974",
          "commentText": "If you're posting here, presumably you know how to program already. In that case working through the free \"Dive into Python\" PDF really is the first step you should take. After the first seven chapters you should then be able to make do with the online docs (the remaining chapters cover specialized material like HTML parsing, SOAP calls and test based development which are, in my opinion, not the first thing you should be worried about when learning a new language).\n\"Learning Python\" and especially \"How to think like a computer scientist\" are targeted towards people with very little programming experience. If that's you, my vote goes to \"How to think like a computer scientist\" (ymmv).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If that's you, my vote goes to \"How to think like a computer scientist\"",
          "reason": "Chooses it for readers with very little programming experience.",
          "audience": "People with very little programming experience.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says \"ymmv.\"",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 121954,
          "author": "antiform",
          "createdAt": "2008-02-23T09:04:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 121779,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What is the best Python book for a beginner?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=121954",
          "commentText": "I'm not a big fan of the O'Reilly books on Python, but if you prefer the style of Learning Python, you can't really go wrong. Most of the basic Python tutorials teach more or less the same material, so you won't miss too much by choosing one tutorial over the other.\nI personally recommend How To Think Like A Computer Scientist (http://openbookproject.net/thinkCSpy/). It doesn't cover everything in 2.5, but I think most of the stuff in 2.5 you're better off just reading the release notes after you have a basic grasp on the pre-2.5 stuff. You're going to be reading a lot of code to master the nuances of Python, and most of it is pre-2.5 Python, so you should know it well.\nIf you want to use that book, there's also assignments and projects available from UC Berkeley's self-paced Python course, CS 9H, at http://www-inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~selfpace/cs9honline/ if you want more structure.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I personally recommend How To Think Like A Computer Scientist",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it for learning Python.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Doesn't cover everything in Python 2.5.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Allen B. Downey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer science education",
        "python programming",
        "introductory programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-think-like-a-computer-scientist-learning-with-python-d1344b",
      "title": "How to Think Like a Computer Scientist: Learning with Python",
      "author": "Allen B. Downey",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2414520,
          "author": "mbesto",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T10:12:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414520",
          "commentText": "How to Think Like a Computer Scientist - Python Version\nhttp://greenteapress.com/thinkpython/thinkCSpy/html/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Think Like a Computer Scientist - Python Version",
          "reason": "Names it as a Python computer science book in a thread asking for useful CS books.",
          "audience": "Readers learning Python and computer science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414503,
          "author": "nikcub",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T09:55:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414503",
          "commentText": "I am also self-taught, although I dropped out of University two years into a CompSci/Engineering double major, so I will recommend some resources to you that helped me immensely. Each of these books has an associated MIT course with lecture video, notes, etc. available online.\nFirst is Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs[1], which you can read online, and the associated course at MIT, which is 6.001[2]\nSecond is the famous 'Dragon Book', Compilers: Principals, Techniques and Tools[3] and the associated course which is 6.035[4]\nExtras would be the Python book 'How to think like a Computer Scientist'[5]. MIT course 6.00[6] uses the book as a reference, and the courseware is again available online.\nOther than that - the usual suspects on learning C (K&R), UNIX (TAOUP[7]), the bash shell along with grep, sed, awk, more algorithms(CLRS[8]), functional programming and machine learning. Take your time, it takes years to build the relevant experience and knowledge and you are never done.\nI love the MIT courses. Work and learn at your own rate. I feel that it is important to implement all the code yourself even if it looks easy in a lecture - there are little things you pick up as you write algorithms out.\nEven though I had worked through SICP I still watched all the lectures again and implemented all the examples with benchmarks and unit tests. I usually set aside one day on the weekend to work on study, and usually an extra evening or two mid-week to read papers and books. Once you get into the routine it is great.\nIt might be the best approach to set yourself a timetable and weekly schedule, just like in UNI (ie. every Saturday plus Tuesday and Thursday nights) and work through the MIT courseware and associated books in order (6.00, 6.001, 6.035). The more advanced MIT courseware is an excellent bonus.\n[1] http://xrl.us/sicp\n[2] http://xrl.us/6001\n[3] http://xrl.us/dragonbook\n[4] http://xrl.us/6035\n[5] http://xrl.us/thinkcs\n[6] http://xrl.us/6000\n[7] http://xrl.us/artunix\n[8] http://xrl.us/clrs",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Extras would be the Python book 'How to think like a Computer Scientist'[5].",
          "reason": "Includes it as an extra resource and notes that an MIT course uses it as a reference.",
          "audience": "Readers learning Python and computer science.",
          "caveat": "Described as a reference for the course, rather than its main text.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 122193,
          "author": "manvsmachine",
          "createdAt": "2008-02-23T20:50:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 121779,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What is the best Python book for a beginner?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=122193",
          "commentText": "When I started, I read \"How to Think Like A Computer Scientist: Learning With Python\" Since then the revised edition has had a draft out, \" How to Think Like a (Python) Programmer\".  This series is really good at getting the basics down clearly and quickly (I read through it in under a week).  After that, Dive into Python fleshed things out more for me.\nhttp://www.greenteapress.com/thinkpython/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This series is really good at getting the basics down clearly and quickly",
          "reason": "Praises the series for explaining the basics clearly and quickly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Allen B. Downey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming education",
        "python",
        "computer science education",
        "python programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "human-action-1624d2",
      "title": "Human Action",
      "author": "Ludwig von Mises",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12561975,
          "author": "AndrewKemendo",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T02:47:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12561975",
          "commentText": "The following list will introduce you to Western Economic Philosophy as it relates to modern history specifically. This list is weighted heavily toward neo-classical economics and does not get into computational model based economics - specifically microeconomics, which comprises the bulk of economics education today:\nSchumpeter - History of economic analysis\nAdam Smith - Theory of Moral Sentiments\nKaynes - The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money\nMarx - Capital\nBenjamin Graham - The Intelligent Investor\nGalbraith - The Affluent Society\nGalbraith - The Great Crash\nMilton Friedman - Capitalism and Freedom\nNassim Taleb - Black Swan\nRon Suskind - Confidence Men\nScott Patterson - Dark Pools\nIf you want to delve into heterodox economics afterward, start with the following:\nHayek - Individualism and Economic Order\nMises - Human Action\nRothbard - Man, Economy, State",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mises - Human Action",
          "reason": "Listed as a starting point for exploring heterodox economics.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring heterodox economic thought.",
          "caveat": "The list is weighted toward neoclassical economics and excludes computational model based economics.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1465367,
          "author": "hga",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T11:50:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1465367",
          "commentText": "Yes, Human Action is big, thick and highly recommended.  You can find one or more earlier and still quite useful print editions on the net (as I understand it, the subsequent edits weren't heavy).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Yes, Human Action is big, thick and highly recommended.",
          "reason": "Explicitly calls it highly recommended.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Big and thick.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1465163,
          "author": "scottjad",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T07:48:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1465163",
          "commentText": "If you're the kind of person who reads Diplomacy by Kissinger for an introduction to geopolitics or the Bible to understand christianity, then I'd highly recommend Human Action by Ludwig von Mises for a very strong understanding of economics. One of the best (and largest) books ever written on economics, you don't have to be of the Austrian school to get a lot out of it. It lays a strong logical and theoretical foundation and then considers issues in a very engaging and even entertaining manner for non-economists.\nAnd it's available as a very high quality audiobook for free!\nhttp://media.mises.org/mp3/audiobooks/mises/HumanAction/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd highly recommend Human Action by Ludwig von Mises",
          "reason": "Highly recommends it for a strong understanding of economics, including for non-economists.",
          "audience": "Non-economists seeking a strong understanding of economics.",
          "caveat": "Described as very large; readers need not belong to the Austrian school.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ludwig von Mises"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "austrian economics",
        "economic theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "immune-a-journey-into-the-mysterious-system-that-keeps-you-alive-6bea09",
      "title": "Immune: A Journey into the Mysterious System That Keeps You Alive",
      "author": "Philipp Dettmer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38568284,
          "author": "michael_leachim",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T12:38:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38568284",
          "commentText": "would love to read that, I find immune system fascinating.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "would love to read that, I find immune system fascinating.",
          "reason": "The commenter expresses interest in reading the book because they find the immune system fascinating.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38562512,
          "author": "rmk",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T22:09:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38562512",
          "commentText": "This is a phenomenal book. Fascinating information for the layperson (and young children also) about the immune system!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is a phenomenal book. Fascinating information for the layperson (and young children also) about the immune system!",
          "reason": "Calls it phenomenal and says it makes immune system information fascinating for general readers and children.",
          "audience": "Lay readers and young children.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34162020,
          "author": "jsenn",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T15:37:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34162020",
          "commentText": "* Three Body Problem. I've heard of it many times, but never read it. Picked it up a month or two ago, read the whole thing in a few sessions, one of my favourite sci-fi books ever. Will read the next book in the series.\n* Immune: A Journey into the Mysterious System that Keeps You Alive. Best pop-sci book I've read in a while. Strikes the right balance between including pertinent information without being overwhelming, explaining things in a digestible way without dumbing down, etc. Inspired me to read a proper immunology primer (How the Immune System Works), which was also very good.\n* How Rights Went Wrong. An excellent, level-headed take on the U.S. conception of rights, and how it leads to zero-sum thinking in supreme court cases. The author is so relentlessly reasonable that it's hard not to buy into his argument. Even though this book is about the U.S., it has lots of case studies where it contrasts with various other countries, which helped me understand my country's (Canada's) court system and system of rights better.\nLet-downs:\n* Seeing Like a State. The first few chapters are interesting, and do a good job of explaining the world-view of the author. Worth buying just for this. However, the last half or two-thirds of the book is a tedious re-hashing of the same ideas through various examples.\n* The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity. Many interesting factoids in here (killer asteroids: solved problem). However, the book's central argument failed to convince me. Many of the analyses and probability estimates were disappointingly shallow and hand-wavy, especially for the #1 risk cited in the book--unaligned AI--which he thinks has a 10% chance of ending civilization this century.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Immune: A Journey into the Mysterious System that Keeps You Alive. Best pop-sci book I've read in a while.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the best popular science book they have read in a while and praises its digestible explanations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philipp Dettmer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "immune system",
        "immunology",
        "biology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "inside-steve-s-brain-92de4a",
      "title": "Inside Steve's Brain",
      "author": "Leander Kahney",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1027868,
          "author": "wushupork",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T23:49:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027868",
          "commentText": "I got a Kindle as a gift too and I love it as well. I highly recommend you play with it or at least borrow someone's (if they'll let you) if you doubt you'll like it.\n\"Inside Steve's Brain\" - Great book on the history of Apple, and the inner workings of the company and the philosophy.\n\"Never Eat Alone\" by Keith Ferrazzi on the importance of networking and building relationships.\n\"Trade-Off, Why Some Things Catch On, and Others Don't\"\n\"The Pixar Touch\" Great history of Pixar and how they came about.\n\"Call me Ted\" - Ted Turner's autobiography\n\"How the Mighty Fall\" Jim Collins",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great book on the history of Apple, and the inner workings of the company and the philosophy.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book about Apple's history, inner workings, and philosophy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027082,
          "author": "ecq",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T11:01:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027082",
          "commentText": "Great books i read in 2009\n-The Wolf of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort - hilarious\n-Inside Steve's Brain\n-Paypal Wars - old book but still very informative and relevant\n-Viral Loop by Adam L. Penenberg",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Inside Steve's Brain",
          "reason": "Listed under “Great books i read in 2009” in response to a request for recommended books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240867,
          "author": "colinplamondon",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T06:55:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240867",
          "commentText": "The World is Flat\nThe Post American World\nLosing My Virginity - Richard Branson's Autobiography\nAutobiography of Andrew Carnegie\nThe Second Coming of Steve Jobs\nInside Steve's Brain\nThe Seven Day Weekend- Book by Ricardo Semler of Semco on company organization and management, Semco essentially operates as a socialist enterprise with election of bosses, profit sharing, open information, flex-time, etc, but with the twist that Ricardo is the majority stock owner. Fascinating book and well-written to boot.\nFounders at Work should go without saying :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Inside Steve's Brain",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for recommended books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leander Kahney"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "steve jobs",
        "apple",
        "innovation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-quantum-mechanics-28fb60",
      "title": "Introduction to Quantum Mechanics",
      "author": "David J. Griffiths",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30486265,
          "author": "orlandpm",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T07:48:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486265",
          "commentText": "_Algebraic Topology_ by Allen Hatcher.  This is quite an advanced book, but it was the first topology book I picked up and it blew my mind.  Without a serious math background you may only be able to read the first parts (some of chapters 0 and chapter 1), but even so it may amaze you.  It was insane to see how much mathematical machinery can be built up to understand concepts as simple as “space” and “continuity.”  Then these tools can be used to quickly prove facts about mind-boggling higher dimensional objects.\n_Introduction to Quantum Mechanics_ by David Griffiths.  Not CS or Math, but an amazing book because if you sit down and work through it it gives you a manageable intro to a completely non-intuitive and mysterious scientific field.  Prerequisites are “only” multivariable calc and linear algebra.\n_Algebra_ by Michael Artin.  This was the book I decided to grind through at the right time to learn abstract algebra and get better at rigorous proofs, and it was worth it.  Part of why I loved this book and subject is because it feels dry and mechanical at first, but if you work on it long enough you can see the beautiful bigger picture come together.\n_Introduction to Topological Manifolds_ by John M. Lee.  This was another “right book at the right time” for me.  The title is a bit jargony, but it is a rigorous introduction to the foundational objects of modern geometry (namely topological spaces and manifolds in particular).  Great warm-up for the first book on my list.\n_Algebra: Chapter 0_ by Paulo Aluffi.  Weird title, but the first few chapters are the best perspective on abstract algebra I’ve seen.  He focuses early on categories in a useful and philosophically interesting way, which is unique.\n_Gravitation_ by Misner, Thorne, and Wheeler.  Didn’t read the whole thing, but this book taught me a tensor is just a higher-order linear function.  Who knew?  Most physicists give really crappy explanations of tensors.  Also I love that this book, affectionately known as the “phone book”, is so heavy that one imagines spacetime curving around it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Not CS or Math, but an amazing book because if you sit down and work through it it gives you a manageable intro to a completely non-intuitive and mysterious scientific field.",
          "reason": "The commenter says working through it provides a manageable introduction to quantum mechanics.",
          "audience": "Readers with multivariable calculus and linear algebra.",
          "caveat": "Requires multivariable calculus and linear algebra.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16081757,
          "author": "Woberto",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-05T21:21:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16081757",
          "commentText": "I had to learn some quantum for a graduate class, and even with my engineering background, Intro to Quantum by Griffiths was both extremely helpful and an awesome read. It's the first book that came to mind when I read the question.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Intro to Quantum by Griffiths was both extremely helpful and an awesome read. It's the first book that came to mind when I read the question.",
          "reason": "Calls it extremely helpful and an awesome read; it was the first book that came to mind.",
          "audience": "Someone learning quantum mechanics for a graduate class.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16081569,
          "author": "kuang_eleven",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-05T20:57:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16081569",
          "commentText": "Introduction of Quantum Mechanics and Introduction to Electrodynamics, both by David J. Griffiths. He also wrote Introduction to Elementary Particles, but I have not read that one.\nBoth books masterfully take exceptionally complex fields and break them down into easily digested chunks, with a clear progression of ideas as you go through the book. Do note that these are \"Introduction\" books written for Junior/Senior Physics majors.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Introduction of Quantum Mechanics and Introduction to Electrodynamics, both by David J. Griffiths. He also wrote Introduction to Elementary Particles, but I have not read that one.",
          "reason": "Says the books masterfully break down complex fields into easily digested chunks.",
          "audience": "Junior and senior physics majors.",
          "caveat": "The author says he has not read Introduction to Elementary Particles.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David J. Griffiths"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "quantum mechanics",
        "physics textbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "king-rat-545c0a",
      "title": "King Rat",
      "author": "James Clavell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13971989,
          "author": "vram22",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T21:33:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13971989",
          "commentText": "Read that years ago. Some good lessons in it.\nAnother one on similar lines is Taipan by James Clavell. Also King Rat by Clavell.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Also King Rat by Clavell.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175704,
          "author": "a3n",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:57:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175704",
          "commentText": "I read both in the 70s, in the Navy. They're both fascinating. You get to do a lot of reading on a deployed ship.\nKing Rat was a pretty good movie too. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Rat_%28film%29",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "King Rat was a pretty good movie too.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the movie adaptation pretty good; this is not an evaluation of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175623,
          "author": "scott_s",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:37:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175623",
          "commentText": "\"King Rat\" is on my stack. I read \"Shogun\", and I'm curious about \"King Rat\" because he was a Japanese POW, and \"King Rat\" is his first novel, and that's what it's about.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"King Rat\" is on my stack. I read \"Shogun\", and I'm curious about \"King Rat\" because he was a Japanese POW, and \"King Rat\" is his first novel, and that's what it's about.",
          "reason": "The commenter is curious about its subject and has it on their reading stack.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6397823,
          "author": "kyzyl",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-17T05:55:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6397823",
          "commentText": "Yeah the Asian Saga includes King Rat, Shogun, Noble House, Taipan as well as Gai-gin, The Whirlwind. They're all pretty good books but I believe Taipan, Noble House and Shogun are considered Clavell's best work, in that order (personally I like Noble House best).\nThanks for the recommendation though.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "includes King Rat, Shogun, Noble House, Taipan as well as Gai-gin, The Whirlwind.",
          "reason": "Says the book is part of the saga and includes it among the pretty good books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6388887,
          "author": "rfergie",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T12:38:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6388887",
          "commentText": "I think \"King Rat\" might also be part of James Clavell's series.\nEven if it isn't, you should like it if you like the others",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"King Rat\" might also be part of James Clavell's series.",
          "reason": "Suggests the book to readers who like Clavell’s other books.",
          "audience": "Readers who like James Clavell’s other books.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether it belongs to the series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1974050,
          "author": "jacquesm",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T05:25:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974050",
          "commentText": "Tai Pan, King Rat.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Tai Pan, King Rat.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1764662,
          "author": "ashleyreddy",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-06T16:40:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1764662",
          "commentText": "If you liked Shogun you should read his book King Rat.\nOne of my top 10!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you should read his book King Rat",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends King Rat to readers who liked Shogun.",
          "audience": "Readers who liked Shogun.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Clavell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "world war ii",
        "historical fiction",
        "prisoner of war",
        "war fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "leaders-eat-last-fa1f33",
      "title": "Leaders Eat Last",
      "author": "Simon Sinek",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21716871,
          "author": "robbiep",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T21:39:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21716871",
          "commentText": "I can’t handle the level of repetition. You read one chapter and you’ve read the entire book. It could literally just be a bumper sticker - ‘real leaders eat last’ - ok got your thesis",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "‘real leaders eat last’ - ok got your thesis",
          "reason": "The commenter criticizes the book as repetitive and says its thesis could fit on a bumper sticker.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The criticism is framed as a generalization about Simon Sinek's material.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21713702,
          "author": "runjake",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T16:38:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21713702",
          "commentText": "Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink -> https://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Ownership-U-S-Navy-SEALs-eboo... (https://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Ownership-U-S-Navy-SEALs-ebook/dp/B0739PYQSS)\nLeaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek -> https://www.amazon.com/Leaders-Eat-Last-Together-Others/dp/B... (https://www.amazon.com/Leaders-Eat-Last-Together-Others/dp/B00HQ3K34M)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21713523,
          "author": "abhiyerra",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T16:16:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21713523",
          "commentText": "- High-Ouput Management\n- Five Disfunctions of a Team\n- The Goal\n- Principles by Ray Dalio\n- Good Profit by Charles Koch\nAll of the books above cover some aspect of what you want but don’t seem to cover the whole picture. Further, a lot of it comes down to shared mental models. If you are coming from the perspective of action taking then the other person also assumes that you will take the action. I think Leader Eat Last explains this brilliantly and actually significantly changed the way I am trying to approach leadership as well as how I work with other people in general.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think Leader Eat Last explains this brilliantly and actually significantly changed the way I am trying to approach leadership",
          "reason": "The commenter says it explains leadership brilliantly and changed their approach.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21712513,
          "author": "Bumerang",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T14:33:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21712513",
          "commentText": "Everything by Simon Sinek, but most important for me is \"Leaders Eat Last\" [0]. I haven't read the last one (The Infinite Game), but I've heard it's pretty good as well.\nAlso Extreme Ownership [1] and Dichotomy of Leadership [2] by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin.\nAll of these books had tremendous impact on me as a leader and I highly recommend them.\n[0]: https://www.amazon.com/Leaders-Eat-Last-Together-Others/dp/B... (https://www.amazon.com/Leaders-Eat-Last-Together-Others/dp/B00HQ3K34M/)\n[1]: https://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Ownership-U-S-Navy-SEALs-eboo... (https://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Ownership-U-S-Navy-SEALs-ebook/dp/B00VE4Y0Z2)\n[2]: https://www.amazon.com/Dichotomy-Leadership-Balancing-Challe... (https://www.amazon.com/Dichotomy-Leadership-Balancing-Challenges-Ownership/dp/B07BN5NGQ5/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "most important for me is \"Leaders Eat Last\" [0].",
          "reason": "Highlights it as the most important of the author's books.",
          "audience": "People interested in leadership.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297707,
          "author": "bkirkby",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:44:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297707",
          "commentText": "- Leaders Eat Last, Simon Sinek\n- Creativity Inc., Ed Catmull\n- Reinventing Organizations, Frederic Laloux\n- Joy at Work, Dennis W Bakke\n- Valve Employee Handbook, Valve Software\nThis list is heavily skewed toward self-organization because I work for a company (Zappos) that is currently transitioning to a self-organization model. I thought I'd answer the question about what books I wish my \"manager\" would read even though I don't have a manager because in a self-org environment, you do have leaders that emerge organically. The main difference between \"manager\" and \"leader\" is that managers influence their charges with coersion (even if subtle and unintentional) while a leaders ability to influence comes from the bottom-up and is more meritocratic based on perceived experience and ability by those being led.\nMost companies hope to promote the leaders so their manager structure is reflective of the actual effective social leadership structure, but all companies get it wrong often.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Leaders Eat Last, Simon Sinek",
          "reason": "Included in a list answering which books the commenter wishes managers would read.",
          "audience": "Managers and emerging leaders.",
          "caveat": "The list is heavily skewed toward self-organization.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Simon Sinek"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "organizational culture",
        "management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "let-s-get-real-or-let-s-not-play-9b1203",
      "title": "Let's Get Real or Let's Not Play",
      "author": "Mahan Khalsa and Randy Illig",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10233478,
          "author": "codehotter",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T14:21:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10233478",
          "commentText": "\"Let's get real or let's not play\" by Mahan Khalsa and Randy Illig",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Let's get real or let's not play\" by Mahan Khalsa and Randy Illig",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 569185,
          "author": "thehickmans",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-19T06:45:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 568556,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sales book recommendation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=569185",
          "commentText": "I'll second a few that have been mentioned already:\n* http://blog.startwithalead.com/weblog/ (Brian Carroll's blog)\n* http://www.amazon.com/Lets-Get-Real-Not-Play/dp/1883219507\nyou can read more from Mahan Khalsa at:\nhttp://www.ninetyfive5.com/default.aspx\nI found both of these very helpful in building my understanding of the sales process and for the tools they provide you with. The biggest shift in thinking they provided for me was that selling is about asking questions, finding a connection between what you're offering and what your customer is looking for and then asking for the business. They also showed me that selling is about focusing your activities on the right things to meet your goals, not just spending time \"busy\" selling.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* http://www.amazon.com/Lets-Get-Real-Not-Play/dp/1883219507",
          "reason": "Includes it among suggestions they say were helpful for understanding the sales process and its tools.",
          "audience": "People learning about the sales process.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 568817,
          "author": "farout",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-18T22:25:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 568556,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sales book recommendation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=568817",
          "commentText": "I have been sales for years - the books mentioned are good not great. If there was one that was my favorite out of the 200+ ones I read, \"let's get real or let's not play\" by khalsa. It is good for you for several reasons:\n1. based on consultative services not product sales\n2. the audio is hands down the best. It brought tears to my eyes that I had to learn by hard knocks what he shows you to do. \n3. it is greared to setup a win win situation and define precisely the value you are providing at the core of the business.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"let's get real or let's not play\" by khalsa. It is good for you for several reasons:",
          "reason": "Calls it a favorite and praises its guidance for consultative services and creating win-win outcomes.",
          "audience": "People selling consultative services.",
          "caveat": "The commenter contrasts its focus with product sales.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mahan Khalsa and Randy Illig"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consultative selling",
        "sales",
        "professional services"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "liftoff-e52605",
      "title": "Liftoff",
      "author": "Eric Berger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42650198,
          "author": "sien",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-09T21:56:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42650198",
          "commentText": "I've just read both and highly recommend them and was coming in to this thread to do so.\nLiftoff : https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/53402132-liftoff\nRe-entry : https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/205309521-reentry\nBoth have very high ratings on Goodreads.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Liftoff",
          "reason": "Recommends the two books after reading them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42270351,
          "author": "gangstead",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T02:46:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42270351",
          "commentText": "Definitely read Liftoff first. Reentry picks up at the next chapter of SpaceX right where Liftoff wraps up.\nBoth great books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Definitely read Liftoff first. Reentry picks up at the next chapter of SpaceX right where Liftoff wraps up.\nBoth great books.",
          "reason": "Says to read it first and calls both books great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Read it before Reentry; Reentry continues the SpaceX story.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42269784,
          "author": "computerdork",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T00:46:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42269784",
          "commentText": "Liftoff was super interesting. The start of SpaceX and the Falcon 1 is an incredible story. Didn't know about \"Reentry\", will have to check it out!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Liftoff was super interesting.",
          "reason": "Says the book about SpaceX's beginnings and Falcon 1 was super interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Berger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "spacex",
        "spaceflight",
        "company history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "linear-algebra-done-wrong-273200",
      "title": "Linear Algebra Done Wrong",
      "author": "Sergei Treil",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31709198,
          "author": "doppioandante",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-11T22:43:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31709198",
          "commentText": "That is really a wonderful book which I perused when learning linear algebra, maybe a bit on the mathy side for OP expecially as he is asking a book for a \"visual learner\".\nFortunately linear algebra can be grasped intuitively in dimensions above 3 even if it can't be visualized, but maybe I'm biased as it is bread and butter for me now.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "That is really a wonderful book which I perused when learning linear algebra",
          "reason": "Praises the book, while qualifying that it may be too math-heavy for the original poster seeking a visual learner’s book.",
          "audience": "Readers learning linear algebra, especially those comfortable with a mathematical approach.",
          "caveat": "May be too math-heavy for someone seeking a visual learner’s book.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31708880,
          "author": "Syzygies",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-11T22:02:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31708880",
          "commentText": "The title of Linear Algebra Done Wrong is an unacknowledged nod to Sheldon Axler's Linear Algebra Done Right. I know Sheldon; he believes it's a crime to teach people determinants. I teach people determinants. Wrong features determinants in Chapter 3.\nI was once part of an interactive learning software demo, where Sheldon had provided the sample linear algebra problem. I solved it in seconds using determinants. That really made my day.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Wrong features determinants in Chapter 3.",
          "reason": "Discusses its title and its treatment of determinants.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31708768,
          "author": "isaacimagine",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-11T21:47:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31708768",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed Linear Algebra Done Wrong [0], to be used in combination with a more traditional textbook, like Linear Algebra and its Applications [1] (which has some good diagrams). I've already seen it mentioned, but I'd like to add that 3b1b's Essence of Linear Algebra [2] videos are well made and make for a good supplementary resource early on.\n[0]: https://www.math.brown.edu/streil/papers/LADW/LADW_2017-09-0... (https://www.math.brown.edu/streil/papers/LADW/LADW_2017-09-04.pdf)\n[1]: https://www.amazon.com/Linear-Algebra-Its-Applications-5th/d... (https://www.amazon.com/Linear-Algebra-Its-Applications-5th/dp/032198238X) — PDFs exist.\n[2]: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZHQObOWTQDPD3MizzM2x... (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZHQObOWTQDPD3MizzM2xVFitgF8hE_ab)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed Linear Algebra Done Wrong",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed it and recommends using it alongside a more traditional textbook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter suggests using it in combination with a more traditional textbook.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7578340,
          "author": "krick",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T16:48:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578340",
          "commentText": "Eh, I was thinking about something else, actually. What you listed are taught in every CS program, aren't they? It isn't what I imagined when I heard \"rigorous\" at all.\nTopology, number theory, abstract algebra (I mean, real one, not CS-course basics), statistics, tensor analysis? Isn't that \"undergrad math\"?\nFor things like Set theory/combinatorics/logic basics I'd recommend Rosen's \"Discrete Math and Applications\"[1]. CS oriented, simple, interesting, broad. Covers all the basic stuff.\nLinear algebra — two books, \"Linear algebra done Right\" and \"Linear algebra done Wrong\". Second one more math-oriented, the first one — pretty simple, pretty clear, fun to read.\nReal analysis (\"calculus\" you mean?) — I personally learned from different sources and probably the most concise book I read is Fichtengolz's \"differential and integral calculus\", but I don't know if it's available in english. I guess, almost any book on topic is fine.\nGeometry & Probability theory — not sure what to recommend, because books on topic vary in depth dramatically, I would appreciate myself if somebody would outline the borders for what to cover first. Anyway, most of what I read and found useful is in russian, unfortunately. But still, what do you mean by geometry and prob. theory? Differential geometry, Riemannian geometry, erlangen program covered or only basic euclidean/analytic geometry stuff? Same goes for probability. If you care only for very basics — Khan's academy (or any random youtube videos) is fine. Any intro book on statistics covers it as well.\n[1] - http://www.amazon.com/Discrete-Mathematics-Applications-Kenn... (http://www.amazon.com/Discrete-Mathematics-Applications-Kenneth-Rosen/dp/0072899050)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Second one more math-oriented",
          "reason": "Recommends it as the more math-oriented of the two linear algebra books.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a more math-oriented linear algebra text.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sergei Treil"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "linear algebra"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "longitude-the-true-story-of-a-lone-genius-who-solved-the-greatest-7e5708",
      "title": "Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time",
      "author": "Dava Sobel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42663095,
          "author": "vidro3",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-11T03:39:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42663095",
          "commentText": "Longitude",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Longitude",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42616786,
          "author": "anfractuosity",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-06T22:31:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42616786",
          "commentText": "Longitude is a great book, I thought this was cool too re. one of the clocks Harrison designed - https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/apr/19/clockmaker-j... (https://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/apr/19/clockmaker-john-harrison-vindicated-250-years-absurd-claims)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Longitude is a great book",
          "reason": "Calls the book great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36610944,
          "author": "mikewarot",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-06T03:49:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36610944",
          "commentText": "I found Herbert Hoover's translation of De Re Metallica[1] to be fascinating. A compendium of the technology of the day for processing most metals.\nI also found Longitude[2]: \"The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time\" to be an interesting account of the solving of the problem of nautical timekeeping.\nI second the nomination of Simon Winchester's book \"The Perfectionists\"\n[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_re_metallica\n[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longitude_%28book%29",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also found Longitude[2]: \"The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time\" to be an interesting account",
          "reason": "Calls it an interesting account of solving the nautical timekeeping problem.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348784,
          "author": "robotcookies",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:30:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348784",
          "commentText": "\"Longitude\" by Dava Sobel.\nSailors knew for a while how to get your latitude (by using the position of the north star) but didn't have a way of getting their longitude pre-18th century. This was a serious problem in navigation and this is the story of how a solution came about.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Longitude\" by Dava Sobel.\nSailors knew for a while how to get your latitude",
          "reason": "The comment describes the book's account of solving the longitude problem in navigation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dava Sobel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of navigation",
        "navigation",
        "history of science",
        "john harrison"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lords-of-finance-019a15",
      "title": "Lords of Finance",
      "author": "Liaquat Ahamed",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22575982,
          "author": "FabHK",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T15:33:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22575982",
          "commentText": "> Lords of Finance\nOh, yes, great book! And good read.\nTwo things stuck in my mind:\nA) How slow things were back then. The British finance minister (“Chancellor and Under-Treasurer of Her Majesty's Exchequer”) would get on a steam ship, incognito, for a month or so to visit his counterpart in the US, then skipper back, and months later respond to the crisis.\nB) How few people saw things coming. People thought the skirmishes that ended up precipitating WW I would soon be over, Irvin Fisher confidently declaimed just before the 1929 stock market crash that “stock prices have reached what appears to be a permanently high plateau”, people didn’t pay much attention to this obscure Adolf Hitler guy.\nEvery time, by the time the true dimensions became obvious, it was too late to do something (flee, sell, ...).\nWith respect to the current “15 cases going down to zero, we are doing great, we have it under control” flu, draw your own conclusions.\nEdit: typos",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Oh, yes, great book! And good read.",
          "reason": "Affirms the book recommendation and calls it a good read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22575792,
          "author": "nknealk",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T15:06:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22575792",
          "commentText": "If you’re interested in fiat currency and the fed, I highly recommend the book Lords of Finance. The author does a really good job of showing just what central banks do and how their responses to economic events shape outcomes. The book entirely focuses on the Great Depression and the central banks of the USA/Europe but it’s really well written and really helped me appreciate what the fed does.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend the book Lords of Finance.",
          "reason": "Recommended for explaining central banks and how their responses to economic events shape outcomes.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in fiat currency and the Federal Reserve.",
          "caveat": "Focuses on the Great Depression and central banks in the US and Europe.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8266022,
          "author": "MalcolmDiggs",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-03T23:38:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8266022",
          "commentText": "I recently picked up Tim Geithner's book 'Stress Test' (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IN73B9E)\n...but in the first few pages he referenced that HE was recently reading a different book, which sounded more interesting, so now I'm reading that:\nLiaquat Ahamed - Lords of Finance (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001QIGZEK)\n...so far so good; if you're into historical stuff.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Liaquat Ahamed - Lords of Finance",
          "reason": "The commenter says they switched to this book because Geithner had referenced it, adding that it is going well so far.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in historical subjects.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395662,
          "author": "joshz",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T13:19:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395662",
          "commentText": "The one I've enjoyed the most, was probably \"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman\" but additionally read a couple that kept being mentioned on here:\n* A Random Walk Down Wall Street\n* Predictably Irrational\n* Black Swan\n* Blink\nand enjoyed those too. I've also read \"How To Make Friends and Influence People\" and started \"Lords of Finance\" but never finished.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "started \"Lords of Finance\" but never finished.",
          "reason": "Reports starting it but not finishing, without saying why or evaluating it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter never finished it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Liaquat Ahamed"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "central banking",
        "great depression",
        "financial history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "machine-man-c24e1a",
      "title": "Machine Man",
      "author": "Max Barry",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5834334,
          "author": "leephillips",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T18:37:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5834334",
          "commentText": "Read Machine Man this year: very effective, really chilling.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read Machine Man this year: very effective, really chilling.",
          "reason": "Calls the book very effective and chilling.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5833109,
          "author": "nicwolff",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T15:45:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5833109",
          "commentText": "Top three:\nMockingbird, by Walter Tevis;\nRiddley Walker, by Russell Hoban;\nGlimpses of the Moon, by Edith Wharton\nSome other favorites:\nThe Dog Stars, by Peter Heller;\nTo Reign In Hell, by Steven Brust;\nMachine Man, by Max Barry;\nThe Dawn Patrol, by Don Winslow;\nThe Woman, by Hank Ketchum",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Machine Man, by Max Barry",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's other favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3643763,
          "author": "dtromero",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-28T16:42:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 3643009,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-technical book you've read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3643763",
          "commentText": "Finishing up Machine Man by Max Barry - it's a fun book, and a quick read about a hacker who hacks on and upgrades his body parts (http://www.amazon.com/Machine-Man-Vintage-Contemporaries-Ori... (http://www.amazon.com/Machine-Man-Vintage-Contemporaries-Original/dp/0307476898)).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Machine Man by Max Barry - it's a fun book, and a quick read",
          "reason": "Describes it as fun and a quick read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Max Barry"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "satire",
        "body horror",
        "body modification",
        "technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "made-in-america-bd86eb",
      "title": "Made in America",
      "author": "Sam Walton with John Huey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Made in America (Sam Walton)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35170376,
          "author": "breck",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T16:02:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35170376",
          "commentText": "I love autobiographies. Made in Japan (Sony), Made in America (Walmart), My Father Marconi (not quite an autobiography, but by his daughter).\nMy Father Marconi especially. The story of when he sent the first radio transmission across the air in his attic as a boy is wild.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Made in America (Walmart)",
          "reason": "Expresses a love of autobiographies; identifies this as Walmart's story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 203280,
          "author": "dhbradshaw",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T14:12:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=203280",
          "commentText": "\"Made in America\" by Sam Walton turned out to be an unexpectedly good read.\n\"Let my people go surfing\" by Yvon Chouinard (climber and founder of Patagonia) is an all-time favorite.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Made in America\" by Sam Walton turned out to be an unexpectedly good read.",
          "reason": "Called an unexpectedly good read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sam Walton",
        "John Huey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "retail",
        "walmart",
        "autobiography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mastering-algorithms-with-c-2c315a",
      "title": "Mastering Algorithms with C",
      "author": "Kyle Loudon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14487708,
          "author": "ctrlp",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T14:14:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487708",
          "commentText": "If you consider C to be language-agnostic, here are some gems. These are personal favorites as much for their excellent writing as for their content.\nThe Unix Programming Environment was published in 1984. I read it over 20 years later and was astonished at how well it had aged. For a technical book from the 80's, it is amazingly lucid and well-written. It pre-dates modern unix, so things have changed but much that goes unstated in newer books (for brevity) is explicit in UPE. (Plus, the history itself is illuminating.) It gave me a much deeper understanding of how programs actually run over computer hardware. Examples in C are old-school and take a bit of close reading but oh so rewarding. https://www.amazon.com/Unix-Programming-Environment-Prentice... (https://www.amazon.com/Unix-Programming-Environment-Prentice-Hall-Software/dp/013937681X)\nMastering Algorithms in C. Another fantastically well-written book that shows (with practical examples) how to implement common algorithms. This is just such a great book!\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Algorithms-Techniques-Sorti... (https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Algorithms-Techniques-Sorting-Encryption/dp/1565924533)\nAlso:\nCode (Petzold). This one is truly language-agnostic. Others have mentioned it already. Can't recommend enough if you're iffy on the internals of computers and programming.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Code-Language-Computer-Hardware-Softw... (https://www.amazon.com/Code-Language-Computer-Hardware-Software/dp/073560505X)\nWrite Great Code (Volumes I and II). Randall Hyde's books are fantastic explications of the underlying computer operations. Examples are in assembly or pseudo-code but easy to understand.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Write-Great-Code-Understanding-Machin... (https://www.amazon.com/Write-Great-Code-Understanding-Machine-ebook/dp/B0096FEJGQ/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another fantastically well-written book that shows (with practical examples) how to implement common algorithms. This is just such a great book!",
          "reason": "Strongly praised for clear writing and practical algorithm examples.",
          "audience": "Readers wanting practical examples of implementing common algorithms.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1213007,
          "author": "bballant",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-23T14:44:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 1212675,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I use and love Python. What's the best book to learn C ?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1213007",
          "commentText": "I will second the vote for Mastering Algorithms in C.  This book will bring you right into the details you want:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Algorithms-C-Kyle-Loudon/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Algorithms-C-Kyle-Loudon/dp/1565924533)\nAccelerated C++ was also mentioned and I just love this book.  It brought me back to C++ after years of being away: http://www.acceleratedcpp.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I will second the vote for Mastering Algorithms in C. This book will bring you right into the details you want",
          "reason": "Seconded as a recommendation for learning the details of C.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1212730,
          "author": "1331",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-23T12:33:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 1212675,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I use and love Python. What's the best book to learn C ?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1212730",
          "commentText": "I highly recommend _C: A Reference Manual_ by Harbinson and Steele.  It has many tiny examples, but it is mainly used as a reference manual (as the title suggests).\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Reference-Manual-Samuel-P-Harbison/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Reference-Manual-Samuel-P-Harbison/dp/013089592X)\nA good book for learning C is _Mastering Algorithms with C_ by Loudon.  The source code is over-commented and contains too much white space, which is a bit annoying, but the content is quite nice.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Algorithms-C-Kyle-Loudon/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Algorithms-C-Kyle-Loudon/dp/1565924533)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A good book for learning C is _Mastering Algorithms with C_ by Loudon. The source code is over-commented and contains too much white space, which is a bit annoying, but the content is quite nice.",
          "reason": "Recommended for learning C; the commenter likes the content.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The source code is over-commented and has too much whitespace.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797697,
          "author": "warewolfe",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T09:37:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797697",
          "commentText": "Last three books I read were; \nAtlas Shrugged,\nCode Complete,\nThe Mythical Man Month,\nThe three books I'm currently reading;\nflex and bison,\nMastering Algorithms in C\nExpert C programming,\nThe next three books on the \"to read\" stack are;\nCyptonomicom,\nThe definitive guide to GCC,\nManaging projects with GNU make,\nDid anyone else find \"Code Complete\" to be a bit repetitive, in places a bit redundant, and sometimes repetitive? \nI think the \"pragmatic programmer\" was a better read, and I could not put down \"programming pearls\"",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Mastering Algorithms in C",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kyle Loudon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "c programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mathematics-a-human-endeavor-df3810",
      "title": "Mathematics: A Human Endeavor",
      "author": "Harold R. Jacobs",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32800944,
          "author": "lambdatronics",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-11T16:22:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32800944",
          "commentText": "I loved the grade-school math textbook series by Harold Jacobs:\n- Mathematics: A Human Endeavor \n- Elementary Algebra\nThey are peppered with cartoons (especially B.C.) and have lots of real-world motivation. I definitely recommend them for your kids if you have the choice.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Mathematics: A Human Endeavor",
          "reason": "Praised for cartoons and real-world motivation; recommended for children.",
          "audience": "Children learning mathematics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23740399,
          "author": "humanendeavor",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-05T17:42:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23740399",
          "commentText": "Your child is probably beyond this but it's one of my favorite pre-calculus books\nMathematics, a human endeavor by Harold R. Jacobs\nhttps://openlibrary.org/books/OL5699810M/Mathematics_a_human... (https://openlibrary.org/books/OL5699810M/Mathematics_a_human_endeavor)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it's one of my favorite pre-calculus books\nMathematics, a human endeavor by Harold R. Jacobs",
          "reason": "Names it as one of their favorite pre-calculus books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the child is probably beyond it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23730714,
          "author": "thanatos519",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-04T07:15:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23730714",
          "commentText": "For the younger, less-motivated child: \"Mathematics: A Human Endeavor\"\n... so probably not good for this kid, but always worth mentioning in the context of awesome math books.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Mathematics: A Human Endeavor\"",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a worthwhile math book, with a caveat that it may not suit this student.",
          "audience": "Younger, less-motivated children.",
          "caveat": "Probably not suitable for the student in the question.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Harold R. Jacobs"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "math education",
        "mathematics education",
        "precalculus"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "meditations-on-first-philosophy-c624a6",
      "title": "Meditations on First Philosophy",
      "author": "René Descartes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19090108,
          "author": "nathias",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T21:39:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090108",
          "commentText": "Plato - Meno, Symposium, Parmenides, Gorgias, Protagoras\nPlotinus -Enneads\nMarkus Aurelius - Meditations\nDescartes - On method\nDescartes - Meditations\nSpinoza - On the improvement of Understanding\nLeibniz - Monadology\nLeibniz - Grace\nVoltaire - Candid\nDiderot - D'Alembert's Dream\nKant - How to orient oneself in thinking\nKant - Critique of Pure Reason\nKant - Critique of Judgment\nHegel - Phenomenology of Spirit\nHegel - Logic\nvon Kleist - Marionette Theatre\nKierkegaard - The Sickness Unto Death\nHeidegger - Being and Time\nSartre - Being and Nothingness\nSartre - Flies\nSartre - Nausea\nDeleuze - Difference and Repetition\nKafka - Metamorphosis\nKafka - The Castle\nLem - Magellan Nebula\nLem - His Master's Voice\nCioran - A Short History of Decay\nPessoa - Book Of Despair\nWolfe -  New Sun tetralogy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Descartes - Meditations",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503692,
          "author": "telemachos",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T14:39:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503692",
          "commentText": "Some from the canon:\n\nPlato: Defence of Socrates, Euthyphro, Crito (translated by David Gallop)\nThe Modes of Scepticism by Julia Annas and Jonathan Barnes (a beautiful collection of texts from Pyrrhonian scepticism and analysis of their arguments; the best way I know to meet ancient scepticism)\nDescartes: Meditations on First Philosophy (The Cambridge University Press edition is very good; it's probably worth buying their Selected Philosophical Writings for a good basic Descartes text)\nDavid Hume: An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding and An Enquiry concerning the Principles of Morals (I recommend the Oxford Philosophical Texts editions)\nWittgenstein: Philosophical Investigations (terribly, terribly difficult, but very rewarding)\n  A few contemporary things:\n\nGilbert Ryle: The Concept of Mind\nWillard Van Orman Quine: From a Logical Point of View\nJ. L. Mackie: Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong\nThomas Nagel: Mortal Questions (short essays, well-written, very accessible)\nBernard Williams: Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy\nMichael Smith: The Moral Problem\n  Specialist, technical, odd:\n\nThe Frege Reader by Michael Beaney (for modern logic and the beginnings of contemporary philosophy in the analytic style)\nJ. L. Mackie: The Cement of the Universe: A Study of Causation\nWilliam Kingdon Clifford: The Ethics of Belief (he argues, oddly but powerfully, that it's immoral to believe things on insufficient evidence or irrationally - an offense to morality, not just reason)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Descartes: Meditations on First Philosophy (The Cambridge University Press edition is very good; it's probably worth buying their Selected Philosophical Writings for a good basic Descartes text)",
          "reason": "Recommends the book and calls the Cambridge edition very good.",
          "audience": "Readers studying Descartes.",
          "caveat": "The comment also suggests Cambridge's Selected Philosophical Writings as a basic Descartes text.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503387,
          "author": "wheels",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T08:59:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503387",
          "commentText": "I don't think it's the best place to get started.  I've read it cover to cover and it's great background for further reading in philosophy, but it's a dry start.  Russell's Unpopular Essays is a good deal more fun to read.\nOther things I'd recommend for wading into the waters of philosophy would be Utopia by Sir Thomas More, or Meditations on First Philosophy by René Descartes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Meditations on First Philosophy by René Descartes.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a way to begin exploring philosophy.",
          "audience": "Readers beginning to explore philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "René Descartes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epistemology",
        "descartes",
        "metaphysics",
        "rationalism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "molecular-biology-of-the-cell-cee852",
      "title": "Molecular Biology of the Cell",
      "author": "Bruce Alberts et al.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35933197,
          "author": "tim333",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T21:58:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35933197",
          "commentText": "Mentioned in Nielsen's tweet but Molecular Biology of the Cell by Alberts et al is very good. It's the basis of life on earth really.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Molecular Biology of the Cell by Alberts et al is very good.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it very good and describes it as foundational to understanding life on Earth.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35929948,
          "author": "throwbmw",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T16:30:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35929948",
          "commentText": "Molecular Biology of the Cell by Bruce Alberts",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Molecular Biology of the Cell by Bruce Alberts",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32790567,
          "author": "docdocgoose",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T13:43:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790567",
          "commentText": "Principles of Neural Science by Kandel et al\nMolecular Biology of The Cell by Alberts et al\nJaneway’s Immunobiology\nRobbin’s Pathologic Basis of Disease\nAll of these books are extraordinary in their sheer ability to organize thousands of small details into thematic narratives of how life operates.\nThey also reveal how hard  we humans try to narrate life into tidy, comprehensible themes.\nThese books are all of an era (2005-2015), and there are probably newer ones. That said, they are a great guide for non biologists into how experts think things work.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Molecular Biology of The Cell by Alberts et al",
          "reason": "The commenter praises these books for organizing details into thematic narratives about how life operates.",
          "audience": "Non-biologists seeking insight into how experts think about how life works.",
          "caveat": "These books are from 2005–2015; the commenter notes newer books may exist.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruce Alberts et al."
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cell biology",
        "molecular biology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "moneyball-504409",
      "title": "Moneyball",
      "author": "Michael Lewis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20333585,
          "author": "l8mr4",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T09:46:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20333585",
          "commentText": "If you like Michael Lewis (the big short, moneyball, etc) try his favorite novel: The Confederacy of Dunces. The main character is an antihero. This can bother some people.  The story about the book which is usually in the prelude is interesting and tragic.  Really good fiction.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "moneyball",
          "reason": "Named as an example of Michael Lewis's work while recommending a different novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17208323,
          "author": "timdellinger",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T18:14:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17208323",
          "commentText": "Speaking of Moneyball, everything written by Michael Lewis is great.  He paints great pictures of interesting people, and the adventures that they have in the workplace.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "everything written by Michael Lewis is great.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises Michael Lewis's writing and his portraits of people and workplace adventures.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16297870,
          "author": "protoplant",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T15:04:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16297870",
          "commentText": "The book Moneyball talks about this. Well I thought it would be about baseball, but it was kind of about our ability to judge merit. It's hard even in a measurement driven sport like baseball. Sports are arguably the purist meritocracy, yet scouts were routinely missing on their evaluation of talent.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The book Moneyball talks about this.",
          "reason": "Says the book discusses judging merit and talent evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630284,
          "author": "stevenj",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:04:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630284",
          "commentText": "SURELY YOU'RE JOKING MR. FEYNMAN BY RICHARD FEYNMAN\n-I loved this book for its humor, everyday practicality, how relatable it felt even without having a background in physics or knowledge about the pranks and experiments he conducted. As well as the book being well-written in the sense that it reads as if you're sitting on the couch with him as he's telling you stories about his life, all with a child-like sense of wonder and enthusiasm about the world.\nTHE $12 MILLION STUFFED SHARK BY DON THOMPSON\n-I'm interested in the high-finance and fine-art worlds and this book discussed how they both go together - money and art - in an informative, quick-paced way.\nTHE BUY SIDE BY TURNEY DUFF\n-For its humor, honesty, and how well written it was in terms of it being a page turner while also providing you with an insightful account about the high-finance industry.\nMOLLY'S GAME BY MOLLY BLOOM\n-It was an entertaining, quick-paced read about the private, high-stakes poker industry with an assortment of participants.\nMONEYBALL, LIAR'S POKER & THE BIG SHORT BY MICHAEL LEWIS\n-I thought they were all entertaining reads, while also being insightful about their respective subjects.\nSTEVE JOBS BY WALTER ISAACSON\n-It was an illuminating read to me.\n- - -\nSeparately, these books are on my list to read if anyone has opinions about them:\n-Ghost in the Wires by Kevin \nMitnick\n-Principles by Ray Dalio\n-A Man For All Markets by Edward Thorp",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I thought they were all entertaining reads, while also being insightful about their respective subjects.",
          "reason": "Includes it among books the commenter found entertaining and insightful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15629990,
          "author": "rsoto",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:08:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15629990",
          "commentText": "The art of game design: Even if you're not aspiring to be a game dev, this book teaches you a lot about project scope, management, psychology, mechanics, balance and user experience.\nFlight of the buffalo: An excellent book about leadership.\nMoneyball: I'm not into novels, so this might be the closest thing to it. It's a fantastic book about thinking creatively and working with what you have. It's about baseball, but even if you don't like it, it's quite entertaining and insightful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a fantastic book about thinking creatively and working with what you have.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it fantastic, entertaining, and insightful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is about baseball, but entertaining and insightful even if you do not like baseball.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13992966,
          "author": "Nomentatus",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-30T04:43:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13992966",
          "commentText": "re Moneyball - the big takeaway (clearer in the movie) being that most people who experience tremendous success don't actually realize it, particularly, at the time.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "re Moneyball - the big takeaway (clearer in the movie) being that most people who experience tremendous success don't actually realize it, particularly, at the time.",
          "reason": "Discusses a takeaway attributed to the book, while noting it is clearer in the movie.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the takeaway is clearer in the movie.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Lewis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "baseball",
        "baseball analytics",
        "analytics",
        "creative problem solving"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "network-algorithmics-3c0f39",
      "title": "Network Algorithmics",
      "author": "George Varghese",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29308142,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:25:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29308142",
          "commentText": "Maybe Clever Algorithms: Nature-Inspired Programming Recipes[1]. These techniques might not be useful to everybody, all the time, but they can be very handy in places.\nEdit:\nA couple of other suggestions.\nManaging Gigabytes: Compressing and Indexing Documents and Images[2]\nMining of Massive Datasets[3]\nAlgorithm Design Manual[4]\nNetwork Algorithmics[5]\nNeural Network Design[6]\nI think all of these fall into the category of \"Won't be applicable to everyone, but can be good for those who need this kind of stuff.\"\n[1]: https://github.com/clever-algorithms/CleverAlgorithms\n[2]: https://people.eng.unimelb.edu.au/ammoffat/mg/\n[3]: http://www.mmds.org/\n[4]: https://www.amazon.com/Algorithm-Design-Manual-Steven-Skiena... (https://www.amazon.com/Algorithm-Design-Manual-Steven-Skiena/dp/1849967202)\n[5]: https://www.amazon.com/Network-Algorithmics-Interdisciplinar... (https://www.amazon.com/Network-Algorithmics-Interdisciplinary-Designing-Networking/dp/0120884771)\n[6]: https://hagan.okstate.edu/NNDesign.pdf",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Network Algorithmics",
          "reason": "Listed as one of several suggested books for readers who need this subject matter.",
          "audience": "Readers who need this kind of material.",
          "caveat": "May not apply to everyone.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13407921,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T02:42:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13407921",
          "commentText": "This book blew my head off when it first came out (I used to work in the space). Highly recommend.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book blew my head off when it first came out (I used to work in the space). Highly recommend.",
          "reason": "The commenter strongly recommends the book based on their experience in the field.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in network algorithmics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13407183,
          "author": "cottonseed",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-15T23:42:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13407183",
          "commentText": "Lately I've been reading Network Algorithmics.  Awesome book.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Network-Algorithmics-Interdisciplinar... (https://www.amazon.com/Network-Algorithmics-Interdisciplinary-Designing-Networking/dp/0120884771)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lately I've been reading Network Algorithmics. Awesome book.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an awesome book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797115,
          "author": "reddiar",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T01:50:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797115",
          "commentText": "Network Algorithmics - George Varghese;\nBack of the Napkin - Dan Roam",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Network Algorithmics - George Varghese",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Varghese"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "networking",
        "algorithms",
        "network algorithms"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "new-testament-12dfdc",
      "title": "New Testament",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32936357,
          "author": "dsr3",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T08:50:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936357",
          "commentText": "The Bible, directly and indirectly, is one of the major contributor to Western Civilization. While most of them has been secularized, large amount of ideas that we take for granted or consider common in the Western Civilization, such as equality of all man and inherent dignity of human, could be traced back to The Bible. A good understanding of The Bible would give you an understanding on the process of how Western Civilization is formed as it is today.\nStanford Western Culture class had Book of Genesis and New Testaments as part of required reading [0].\n[0] https://web.stanford.edu/dept/news/stanfordtoday/ed/9705/970... (https://web.stanford.edu/dept/news/stanfordtoday/ed/9705/9705ncf1.html)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "New Testaments as part of required reading",
          "reason": "The commenter notes that Stanford's Western Culture class included it as required reading.",
          "audience": "Students in Stanford's Western Culture class.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25546380,
          "author": "garaboncias2",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-26T20:53:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25546380",
          "commentText": "New Testament. Incredible how many levels/cross-reference it has.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "New Testament. Incredible how many levels/cross-reference it has.",
          "reason": "Calls it incredible for its many levels and cross-references.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25531674,
          "author": "scop",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T21:37:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25531674",
          "commentText": "1. New Testament (I was not raised in a religious household)\n2. The Imitation of Christ\n3. The Lord of the Rings\n4. The Iliad",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "New Testament",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes they were not raised in a religious household.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17345563,
          "author": "veddox",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-19T11:24:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17345563",
          "commentText": "I would actually recommend starting with the New Testament, especially the gospels. Genesis is fascinating, but you need a lot of background to really understand its implications and intentions. The gospels are much more approachable (and relevant).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would actually recommend starting with the New Testament, especially the gospels.",
          "reason": "Directly recommends starting with the New Testament, especially the gospels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says Genesis requires substantial background to understand its implications and intentions.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian scripture",
        "biblical studies",
        "christianity",
        "gospels"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "numerical-linear-algebra-869bc6",
      "title": "Numerical Linear Algebra",
      "author": "Lloyd N. Trefethen and David Bau III",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31710789,
          "author": "bkcooper",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-12T02:41:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31710789",
          "commentText": "I largely agree with your comments in this thread -- I'd been thinking about trying to express the same thing myself. I'd been guessing the motivation would be ML, where I feel that most people substantially overestimate how much they'd need.\nSignals processing, though, is one of the places where I actually think a decent understanding of some of the higher-level concepts in linear algebra is really helpful. Linearity itself comes to mind, and maybe it just reflects my physicist's education, but it's hard for me to imagine having a working understanding of Fourier transforms without getting the idea of changing bases. I feel like you're about halfway through a first linear algebra course before you'd get there.\nEDIT: that said, a good signals processing book probably covers a lot of this in sufficient depth if you can figure it out. The other catch-all comment I'd make is that linear algebra from a math class can look somewhat different from practical linear algebra on a computer. (That it's often a bad idea to directly invert a matrix for many computing applications is non-obvious from math class.) A book like Trefethen and Bau is great on that latter subject but is not a good starting point for OP.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A book like Trefethen and Bau is great on that latter subject but is not a good starting point for OP.",
          "reason": "Praised for practical linear algebra on computers, while explicitly not recommended as a starting point for the original poster.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in practical linear algebra for computing.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not a good starting point for the original poster.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31708594,
          "author": "jjtheblunt",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-11T21:28:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31708594",
          "commentText": "https://www.amazon.com/Numerical-Linear-Algebra-Lloyd-Trefet... (https://www.amazon.com/Numerical-Linear-Algebra-Lloyd-Trefethen/dp/0898713617)\nthat book, i think, is fantastic.   i was a TA for a graduate (and undergraduate) level course using it in Urbana-Champaign around 25 years ago.  It's just a great book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://www.amazon.com/Numerical-Linear-Algebra-Lloyd-Trefet... that book, i think, is fantastic.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it fantastic and describes experience teaching courses that used it.",
          "audience": "Graduate and undergraduate students.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16080777,
          "author": "hnarayanan",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-05T19:08:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16080777",
          "commentText": "Numerical Linear Algebra by Trefethen and Bau.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Numerical Linear Algebra by Trefethen and Bau.",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to a question asking for the best textbook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lloyd N. Trefethen",
        "David Bau III"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "numerical linear algebra",
        "linear algebra",
        "matrix computation",
        "numerical analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-writing-well-the-classic-guide-to-writing-nonfiction-fc2072",
      "title": "On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction",
      "author": "William Zinsser",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32345482,
          "author": "satran",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-04T17:03:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32345482",
          "commentText": "Not necessarily a technical writing book, but one for writing non fiction: On Writing Well, The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction\nby William Zinsser would be a very good read for everyone who wants to write.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "On Writing Well, The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction\nby William Zinsser would be a very good read",
          "reason": "Recommended as a useful read for anyone who wants to write.",
          "audience": "Everyone who wants to write.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not necessarily a technical writing book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32342948,
          "author": "unexist",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-04T13:56:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32342948",
          "commentText": "There are probably dozen of possible books, but I think this one matches your description perfectly:\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34927405-living-document... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34927405-living-documentation)\nJust for reference, here is a classic about writing in general:\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53343.On_Writing_Well",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just for reference, here is a classic about writing in general",
          "reason": "Offered as a general writing reference.",
          "audience": "People seeking help with technical writing.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is about writing in general.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10029150,
          "author": "WesternStar",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-09T01:00:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10029150",
          "commentText": "Lately I've been reading about the functional artist and writer because ultimately they do similar work to what we do. Our work is more concrete and has definite correctness but at least for me some of the admonishments towards Craftsmanship are good. I'm Reading Art and Fear at the moment. On Writing Well is also good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On Writing Well is also good.",
          "reason": "Calls the book good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Zinsser"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nonfiction writing",
        "prose style",
        "style",
        "writing craft"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "once-you-re-lucky-twice-you-re-good-0a4556",
      "title": "Once You're Lucky, Twice You're Good",
      "author": "Sarah Lacy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1568428,
          "author": "PaulJoslin",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T18:02:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 1567456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I want to start a web company what books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1568428",
          "commentText": "While I'm at it. I'll tell you about some other's I have read.\n- Getting Real by 37 Signals http://gettingreal.37signals.com/\n- Rework by 37 Signals http://37signals.com/rework/\nThese are great and really get your mind thinking about alternatives to what most people believe.\n- Sarah Lacy's Once your lucky, twice you're good. http://www.amazon.com/Once-Youre-Lucky-Twice-Good/dp/1592403... (http://www.amazon.com/Once-Youre-Lucky-Twice-Good/dp/1592403824)\nThis isn't a technical book, but can really get you motivated to succeed reading the stories of previous successes! It also gives a bit of an insight into the internal workings of a start up in the early stages. It highlights networking as an important factor!\n- Start up success guide - http://www.amazon.com/Startup-Success-Guide-Books-Profession... (http://www.amazon.com/Startup-Success-Guide-Books-Professionals/dp/1430219858/)\nThis book was quite good, but felt a bit dated in comparison to Rob Walling's 'Start up book'.\nFinally 'Founders at work' is definitely worth a read. http://www.amazon.com/Founders-Work-Stories-Startups-Problem... (http://www.amazon.com/Founders-Work-Stories-Startups-Problem-Solution/dp/1430210788/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This isn't a technical book, but can really get you motivated to succeed reading the stories of previous successes!",
          "reason": "Says the stories can motivate readers and offer insight into early-stage startups.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not a technical book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1567846,
          "author": "bcroesch",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T15:16:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 1567456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I want to start a web company what books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1567846",
          "commentText": "These won't necessarily teach you how to do it, but reading them definitely helped motivate me when things got slow. Hearing the experiences and successes of other startups/founders always gets me excited to get to work.\nOnce You're Lucky, Twice You're Good - Sarah Lacy\nFounders at Work - Jessica Livingston\nThe Facebook Effect - David Kirkpatrick",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Once You're Lucky, Twice You're Good - Sarah Lacy",
          "reason": "The commenter says startup and founder stories helped motivate them when work slowed.",
          "audience": "People seeking motivation from startup and founder experiences.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these books may not teach you how to start a company.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 766679,
          "author": "rythie",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-16T20:37:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=766679",
          "commentText": "You could read Sarah Lacy's \"Once You're Lucky, Twice You're Good\" (which was called \"The Stories of Facebook, Youtube and Myspace\" when I bought it in the U.K.)\nIt's a light read (suitable for a holiday) and it will inspire you to build your startup when you get back.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a light read (suitable for a holiday) and it will inspire you to build your startup when you get back.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a light holiday read that may inspire the reader to build a startup.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for an accessible holiday read or startup inspiration.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sarah Lacy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneur biographies",
        "startup",
        "startup founders",
        "startup stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "only-the-paranoid-survive-06f28e",
      "title": "Only the Paranoid Survive",
      "author": "Andrew S. Grove",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39249198,
          "author": "photonthug",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T10:50:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249198",
          "commentText": "Hitting some classics I missed.. Moby Dick and the narrative of Arthur Gordon pym. Also in nonfiction thanks to recent HN.. only the paranoid survive",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "only the paranoid survive",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are reading it as nonfiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35169262,
          "author": "rglover",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T14:55:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35169262",
          "commentText": "- Awareness by Anthony DeMello\n- The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi\n- The Virtue of Selfishness by Ayn Rand\n- Only the Paranoid Survive by Andy Grove\n---\nMore stuff here: http://www.ryanglover.net/library/ (not flagged specific to entrepreneurship but all have had an influence in one way or another).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Only the Paranoid Survive by Andy Grove",
          "reason": "Included among books that have influenced the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Influence is described as general, not specific to entrepreneurship.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34160619,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:11:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160619",
          "commentText": "This year I've put myself to the challenge to read at least one book per week which I primarily could complete by reading in the middle of the night while holding our sleeping baby in my arms. It has been an interesting challenge which gave me a lot of fulfilment and has certainly changed my mind on how I view the world. This comment became quite a long read, apologies for that.\nBooks I highly recommend:\nChurchill by Andrew Roberts (p:1105)\nA biography about one of the most interesting figures in politics and WWII. Roberts gives a very detailed description of the life of Churchill and manages to keep you interested the entire length of the book.\nThe God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (p:374)\nIn The God Delusion Dawkins gives arguments why there is no God, why we do not need a God and why religion is damaging to our society. If you are religious it might not be the book for you unless you are open to hear his arguments and line of reasoning. Dawkins will challenge your worldview.\nThe Bomb by Fred Kaplan (p:384)\nKaplan describes the policy of different US presidents on the atomic bomb and war in general. And primarily on the inability of US presidents and policy-makers to tune down its military. A chilling read which makes you appreciate a nuclear holocaust did not happen (yet)....\nPoor Economics by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo (p:320)\nBanerjee and Duflo give a gripping portrait of how poor people live. They offer an insight in the choices and decisions people make surviving on less than 1 USD a day (corrected for purchasing power). It made me completely rethink my own view on poverty and development aid; stressing even more that in order to help one need to have a complete understanding of the individual's situation and the local boundary conditions.\nProject Hail Mary  by Andy Weir (p:476)\nThis book triggered my science fiction reading. For some reason I never was interested in science fiction. Most likely triggered by reading Foundation by Asimov a few years back which apparently is not a book to my taste. But Andy Weir completely annihilated that wrong perspective on science fiction. Project Hail Mary is interesting, funny and gripping book.\nKindred by Octavia Butler  (p:287)\nThis book.... From page one I was hooked and almost read it in one go. Butler is a wonderful author and Kindred is a must-read. The book is about a woman traveling back in time to end up on a slave plantation. It's a chilling account of slavery.\nOther books I read this year, ask me anything about one of these books. I've added a + if I think its worth a recommendation\nBiography:\nNavalny by Dollbaum, Lallouet and Noble (p:280); The Man from the Future by Ananyo Bhattacharya (p:354) +\nSociology; Politics; Economics; Business:\nOnly the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove (p:224); The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli  (p:140); Winter is Coming by Garry Kasparov (p:290); Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum (p:224) +; Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl (p:164) +; We Are Bellingcat by Eliot Higgins (p:272); De Zeven Vinkjes by Joris Luyendijk (p:200); Waarom vuilnismannen meer verdienen dan bankiers by Rutger Bregman (p:104)\nComedy: The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (p:336)\nHistory:\nBand of Brothers  by Stephen E. Ambrose (p:432); The Nuclear Jihadist by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins (p:413) +; The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre (p:384) +; De Heineken Ontvoering by Peter R. de Vries (p:347); Red Famine by Anne Apllebaum (p:384); Night by Elie Wiesel (p:115) +\nScience, Technology, Mathematics:\nFermat's Enigma by Simon Singh (p:315) +; A Mathematician's Apology by G.H. Hardy (p:153); The Great Influenza by John M. Barry (p:546); The Rise and Fall of the Dinousaurs by Stephen Brusatte (p:404) ++; The Double Helix by James Watson (p:144)\nSport:\nRun or Die by Killian Jornet (p:208); The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton  (p:290) +; The Rise of the Ultra Runners by  (p:304); Tom Dumoulin by Patrick Bernhart (p:203)\nFiction:\nAnthem by Ayn Rand (p:105); Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (p:704); The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (p:566); Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (p:466); Live and Let die by Ian Fleming  (p:229)\nClassics:\nA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (p:104); The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (p:201); The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald (p:180); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (p:139); Animal Farm by George Orwell (p:122) +; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (p:227) +; The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (p:118)\nScience Fiction:\nThe Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (p:399); All Systems Red  by Martha Wells (p:144) +; A Memory Called Empire  by Arkady Martine (p:462) +; A Psalm built for the Wild by Becky Chambers (p:160); Dune by Frank Herbert (p:658); Foundation by Isaac Asimov (p:244); The Martian by Andy Weir (p:384) +;\nThe Forever War by Joe Haldeman (p:278)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Only the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17204961,
          "author": "kken",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T13:14:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17204961",
          "commentText": "This. Also\n\"Spinoff\" by Charlie Sporck - early Silicon Valley history on Semi companies\n\"Commodore - a company on the edge\" by Brian Bagnall\n\"Only the paranoid survive\" by Andy Grove - Intels switch to Microprocessors. (Interestingly you can see in the book that he realized the power of the internet, but failed to act on it to some extend)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Only the paranoid survive\" by Andy Grove",
          "reason": "Recommended as a book about Intel’s transition to microprocessors.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes Grove recognized the internet’s potential but failed to act on it to some extent.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew S. Grove"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "strategic inflection points",
        "management",
        "business strategy",
        "intel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "open-91816b",
      "title": "Open",
      "author": "Andre Agassi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47328579,
          "author": "lnwlebjel",
          "createdAt": "2026-03-10T20:45:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 47315415,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47328579",
          "commentText": "I'm not much of a tennis fan but I really enjoyed this book. The evolution of training and strategy during his era which is a subtext throughout is really interesting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed this book.",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed the book, especially its account of training and strategy during Agassi's era.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is not much of a tennis fan.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 47315461,
          "author": "abmmgb",
          "createdAt": "2026-03-09T21:02:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 47315415,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47315461",
          "commentText": "Open by Andre Agassi. Intriguing to read on the struggles of a tennis legend which were concealed at the time. He provides great detail and insights. It is a great follow up from 'The inner game of tennis', speaking of how athletes, and anyone else really, can find punching themselves down through negative mindset which if overcome can unlock your true potential.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Open by Andre Agassi. Intriguing to read on the struggles of a tennis legend which were concealed at the time. He provides great detail and insights.",
          "reason": "Offers an account of Agassi’s struggles as a tennis player.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18663451,
          "author": "jger15",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:54:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663451",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction:\n7 Powers: The Foundations of Business Strategy - Hamilton Helmer\nAmerican Wolf - Nate Blakeslee\nAtomic Habits - James Clear\nConspiracy - Ryan Holiday\nCourage To Be Disliked - Ichiro Kishimi\nHow To Change Your Mind - Michael Pollan\nOpen - Andre Agassi\nWhy We Sleep - Matthew Walker\nWorld After Capital - Albert Wenger\nFiction:\nChocky - John Wyndham\nConvenience Store Woman - Sayaka Murata\nThe Eight Mountains - Paolo Cognetti\nThe Invisibility Cloak - Ge Fei\nThe Midnight Fox - Betsy Byars\nSuch Small Hands - Andres Barba\nThe Thief - Fuminori Nakamura\nTies - Domenico Starnone\nTrick - Domenico Starnone",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Open - Andre Agassi",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026456,
          "author": "rjett",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T23:36:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026456",
          "commentText": "I'm a fan of reading biographies and Open, Andre Agassi's biography, was a very intriguing, enjoyable, and surprisingly well-written book.\nThe only other book I read this past year that stood out to me was GK Chesterton's The Man Who was Thursday. I thought this was a very well written allegorical spy novel that had some very quippy dialogue.\nNext on my reading list I would like to read some Vladimir Nabokov since I've never read any of his work. Has anyone else here read any of his books?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Open, Andre Agassi's biography, was a very intriguing, enjoyable, and surprisingly well-written book.",
          "reason": "Calls it intriguing, enjoyable, and well-written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andre Agassi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sports memoir",
        "tennis",
        "memoir",
        "sports biography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "open-data-structures-5f846d",
      "title": "Open Data Structures",
      "author": "Pat Morin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29217863,
          "author": "WillDaSilva",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T15:45:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29217863",
          "commentText": "I would recommend Open Data Structures: https://opendatastructures.org/\nIt's available for free online, or if you'd like you can buy a physical copy. It's got 14 chapters that take you through a variety of data structures, introduces you to the theory behind them, and teaches you the basics of analyzing them.\nI've done many of the exercises from this book, and found them useful for learning the topic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend Open Data Structures:",
          "reason": "Covers data structures, their theory, and basics of analyzing them; the commenter found its exercises useful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter mentions it is available free online or as a physical copy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16759330,
          "author": "nicklaf",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T21:30:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16759330",
          "commentText": "Love all those books. Hadn't heard of the last one though. Looks like it's available online [1].\nAnd actually, it has a few cool links on its homepage to similar books. In particular, there is a link to this gem [2], which, for example, has a chapter [3] on what appears to be a very interesting generalization [4] of the \"master theorem\" of CLRS. Another good resource that pages links to seems to be [5], which was recently mentioned on HN.\nOf course, for an even deeper treatment of asymptotic analysis check out Flajolet and Sedgewick [6]!\n[1] http://opendatastructures.org/\n[2] http://jeffe.cs.illinois.edu/teaching/algorithms/\n[3] http://jeffe.cs.illinois.edu/teaching/algorithms/notes/99-re... (http://jeffe.cs.illinois.edu/teaching/algorithms/notes/99-recurrences.pdf)\n[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akra%E2%80%93Bazzi_method\n[5] (PDF warning) http://opendatastructures.org/mcs.pdf\n[6] http://ac.cs.princeton.edu/home/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "[1] http://opendatastructures.org/",
          "reason": "Points to it as one of several useful algorithm and data structure resources.",
          "audience": "Readers studying data structures and algorithms.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16757541,
          "author": "CodeArtisan",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T18:31:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16757541",
          "commentText": "- Structure and interpretation of computer programs\nMore by nostalgia than by need\n- The art of computer programmming\n- Hacker's delight\nThese two are of great help when doing programming challenges. Hacker's delight is about bitwise tricks.\n- Open Data Structures\nUseful for a quick refresh on data structures.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Useful for a quick refresh on data structures.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds it useful for a quick refresh on data structures.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a quick refresher on data structures.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pat Morin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data structures",
        "algorithm analysis",
        "algorithms",
        "open textbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "peopleware-productive-projects-and-teams-cefdad",
      "title": "Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams",
      "author": "Tom DeMarco; Timothy Lister",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40283716,
          "author": "zigmig",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T09:23:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40283716",
          "commentText": "PeopleWare. I read it and then re-read it every year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "PeopleWare. I read it and then re-read it every year.",
          "reason": "Says they reread it every year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2524502,
          "author": "aaronbrethorst",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-07T20:43:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 2524205,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books for soon to be Software Engineers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2524502",
          "commentText": "Peopleware by Demarco and Lister is one of my all-time favorites. The Pragmatic Programmer is also great.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Peopleware by Demarco and Lister is one of my all-time favorites.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of their all-time favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2524351,
          "author": "beagle3",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-07T19:18:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 2524205,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books for soon to be Software Engineers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2524351",
          "commentText": "If you will be programming in Java, my condolences. (yes, I'm ready for the downvotes).\nI'm sure there's some nice Java code out there. I recently agreed to do a Java project, and the 6 months I was at it sucked the joy of programming out of me.\nI've spent the last few years doing Python, C and K, and in comparison, Java is so bureaucratic that I felt like 10% of my work was advancing towards my goal, and 90% was bureaucracy (compared to 20% bureaucracy in C, 5% in Python and 0.001% in K)\nAnd as for books, I recommend Jon Bentley's \"Programming Pearls\" series, Steve McConnell's \"Software Project Survival Guide\" and DeMarco and Lister's \"PeopleWare\". The last two have more to do with project (and people) management than with software engineering - but you will need these skills much earlier than you'd expect, perhaps even in your first couple of months of work. And PeopleWare is a short and enjoyable read, you could put it in the \"leisure\" pile.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "DeMarco and Lister's \"PeopleWare\"",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a short, enjoyable read for skills needed early in a software career.",
          "audience": "New software engineers; the comment highlights project and people management.",
          "caveat": "More about people management than software engineering.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom DeMarco",
        "Timothy Lister"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software teams",
        "team management",
        "project management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "prelude-to-mathematics-1d3731",
      "title": "Prelude to Mathematics",
      "author": "W. W. Sawyer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21346746,
          "author": "fano",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T17:14:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21346746",
          "commentText": "I bought Prelude to Mathematics when I was 12, it was the first maths book I bought. That was a very long time ago! I thought it was very good, I don't know of another book quite like it. He produced some other good books as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I thought it was very good, I don't know of another book quite like it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was very good and distinctive.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21346474,
          "author": "bgutierrez",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T16:55:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21346474",
          "commentText": "Prelude to Mathematics by W.W. Sawyer was written to give students an overview of modern math concepts beyond algebra. Topics include non-euclidian geometry, linear algebra, projective geometry and group theory. Again, for someone with an understanding of algebra. I enjoyed it and think it's in the spirit of what you're looking for.\nEdit: Introduction to Graph Theory by Trudeau is another that I really liked. Very little was applicable to graphs as programmers think of them. Pure math that is easy to grasp and enjoy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Prelude to Mathematics by W.W. Sawyer",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed it and says it fits the spirit of the requested books.",
          "audience": "Readers with an understanding of algebra who want an overview of modern mathematics.",
          "caveat": "Assumes the reader understands algebra.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 665688,
          "author": "JimJinkins",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T18:56:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665688",
          "commentText": "W. W. Sawyer\nMathematician's Delight\nPrelude to Mathematics\nWhat is Calculus About? \nThis is best intro to calculus I ever saw.  When I taught introductory calculus, I recommended it to all my students.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Prelude to Mathematics",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. W. Sawyer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematics education",
        "mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pro-git-95ae3b",
      "title": "Pro Git",
      "author": "Scott Chacon and Ben Straub",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33606125,
          "author": "bad_username",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-15T06:58:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33606125",
          "commentText": "It is very hard to make sense of git's interface and commands unless you have an idea how it works under the hood. The book explains it excellently.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book explains it excellently.",
          "reason": "Says the book clearly explains how Git works under the hood.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27638055,
          "author": "teeray",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T01:01:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27638055",
          "commentText": "So much this. I’d absolutely recommend everyone read the internals chapters, since they’re approachable and really give you a sense for how git thinks. I feel like after reading that chapter, all the superstition around git faded away for me",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I’d absolutely recommend everyone read the internals chapters",
          "reason": "Recommends the internals chapters for an approachable explanation of how Git works.",
          "audience": "Anyone learning Git.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27637856,
          "author": "jldugger",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T00:23:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27637856",
          "commentText": "Pro Git(https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2). You'd be surprised how many people in our professional community try to get by in life having never just sat down and read the documentation on their tooling. Obviously the git man-pages are terrible enough that we have goofy parody generators, but its okay because this book exists.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pro Git(https://git-scm.com/book/en/v2).",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the book as a way to learn Git tooling and documentation.",
          "audience": "People who use Git professionally.",
          "caveat": "The commenter criticizes Git man pages as poor.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Chacon",
        "Ben Straub"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "git",
        "version control"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pro-javascript-techniques-0da4e7",
      "title": "Pro JavaScript Techniques",
      "author": "John Resig",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1463818,
          "author": "michaels0620",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-26T15:52:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 1463717,
          "threadTitle": "Need best Javascript books suggestion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1463818",
          "commentText": "John Resig's, Pro Javascript Techniques was great. It covers good ground and from it you could see how to build something like jQuery yourself.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "John Resig's, Pro Javascript Techniques was great.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book and says it shows how to build something like jQuery.",
          "audience": "JavaScript learners interested in understanding how jQuery works.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1463776,
          "author": "jbail",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-26T15:19:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 1463717,
          "threadTitle": "Need best Javascript books suggestion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1463776",
          "commentText": "The JavaScript Anthology is good. It doesn't focus on the language details a whole lot, but gives tons of hands on examples. My copy is battered pretty bad with coffee spilled all over it. That's a good sign.\nAlso, John Resig (of jQuery fame) wrote an excellent book called Pro JavaScript Techniques. I read it every year. It is a very detailed exploration of the language fundamentals and beyond.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "wrote an excellent book called Pro JavaScript Techniques. I read it every year.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it excellent and says they reread it annually.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a detailed exploration of JavaScript fundamentals and beyond.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135280,
          "author": "jey",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T17:18:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135280",
          "commentText": "It really depends what sort of hacker they are. There's a sort of hacker you buy a copy of \"Pro JavaScript Techniques\" for, a sort you buy the Dragon Book for, and another sort who you give a copy of TAOCP.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a copy of \"Pro JavaScript Techniques\" for",
          "reason": "Presented as a suitable book to buy for one kind of hacker.",
          "audience": "The sort of hacker who would benefit from this book, as described by the commenter.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Resig"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "javascript",
        "jquery",
        "language fundamentals",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "reentry-5d27f2",
      "title": "Reentry",
      "author": "Eric Berger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42650198,
          "author": "sien",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-09T21:56:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42650198",
          "commentText": "I've just read both and highly recommend them and was coming in to this thread to do so.\nLiftoff : https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/53402132-liftoff\nRe-entry : https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/205309521-reentry\nBoth have very high ratings on Goodreads.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Re-entry",
          "reason": "Recommends the two books after reading them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42270351,
          "author": "gangstead",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T02:46:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42270351",
          "commentText": "Definitely read Liftoff first. Reentry picks up at the next chapter of SpaceX right where Liftoff wraps up.\nBoth great books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Reentry picks up at the next chapter of SpaceX right where Liftoff wraps up.\nBoth great books.",
          "reason": "Calls both books great and describes it as continuing Liftoff.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Follows Liftoff in the story of SpaceX.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42269784,
          "author": "computerdork",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T00:46:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42269784",
          "commentText": "Liftoff was super interesting. The start of SpaceX and the Falcon 1 is an incredible story. Didn't know about \"Reentry\", will have to check it out!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "will have to check it out!",
          "reason": "Expresses interest in reading Reentry, the book in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in SpaceX and spaceflight.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Berger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "spacex",
        "spaceflight",
        "company history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rust-in-action-612e6d",
      "title": "Rust in Action",
      "author": "Tim McNamara",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28481034,
          "author": "paulgb",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-10T13:12:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 28478751,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach you programming languages via systems projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28481034",
          "commentText": "+1 for Rust in Action, great book.\nI'll add Distributed Services with Go as well https://pragprog.com/titles/tjgo/distributed-services-with-g... (https://pragprog.com/titles/tjgo/distributed-services-with-go/)\nIt's pretty dense, mostly a code listing with some commentary between, so it takes some work to get through it, but I learned a ton.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for Rust in Action, great book.",
          "reason": "Explicitly endorses the book as great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28479484,
          "author": "yarinr",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-10T09:53:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 28478751,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach you programming languages via systems projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28479484",
          "commentText": "Rust in Action teaches Rust through systems programming\nhttps://www.manning.com/books/rust-in-action",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rust in Action teaches Rust through systems programming",
          "reason": "Recommends it for learning Rust through systems programming.",
          "audience": "Readers learning Rust who are interested in systems programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22304623,
          "author": "timClicks",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-12T00:45:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22304623",
          "commentText": "For Rust, try Rust in Action https://www.manning.com/books/rust-in-action.\nIt has several worked examples, including a key/value append-only database, a CPU emulator, an NTP client, a floating point implementation, multiple graphical applications, a binary files inspector and a few others!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For Rust, try Rust in Action",
          "reason": "It teaches Rust through several worked examples, including a database and CPU emulator.",
          "audience": "People learning Rust.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tim McNamara"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "rust",
        "systems programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "site-reliability-engineering-how-google-runs-production-systems-b6baf4",
      "title": "Site Reliability Engineering: How Google Runs Production Systems",
      "author": "Betsy Beyer, Chris Jones, Jennifer Petoff, and Niall Richard Murphy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41398312,
          "author": "fiftyacorn",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-30T06:58:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41398312",
          "commentText": "I think learning about how your applications will be supported once live is important so always recommend the Google SRE book.\nI think the most important chapter is on Simplicity of your build and code.\nDefinitely worth a read",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "always recommend the Google SRE book",
          "reason": "Recommends the book for learning how applications are supported after launch.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27654571,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T19:38:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 27650775,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27654571",
          "commentText": "If you maintain any software system in a production environment, I think its topics are pretty relevant!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you maintain any software system in a production environment, I think its topics are pretty relevant!",
          "reason": "In response to a question about the Google SRE book, the commenter says its topics are relevant to production system maintainers.",
          "audience": "People maintaining software systems in production.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27654558,
          "author": "drums8787",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T19:37:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 27650775,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27654558",
          "commentText": "How well does the Google SRE book apply to environments at smaller scale?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "How well does the Google SRE book apply to environments at smaller scale?",
          "reason": "The commenter asks whether the book applies to smaller scale environments.",
          "audience": "People working in smaller scale environments.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27653683,
          "author": "mephitix",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T17:59:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 27650775,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27653683",
          "commentText": "This is great, thanks!\n+1 for both data intensive apps and Google SRE books. The other two I haven’t checked out yet",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for both data intensive apps and Google SRE books.",
          "reason": "The commenter endorses the Google SRE book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Betsy Beyer",
        "Chris Jones",
        "Jennifer Petoff",
        "Niall Richard Murphy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "site reliability engineering",
        "production systems",
        "production operations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "software-estimation-demystifying-the-black-art-9b1585",
      "title": "Software Estimation: Demystifying the Black Art",
      "author": "Steve McConnell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33860362,
          "author": "jm1271",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-05T01:45:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33860362",
          "commentText": "That's the one!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "That's the one!",
          "reason": "Confirms that the linked book is the one being discussed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33858408,
          "author": "mooreds",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T22:00:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33858408",
          "commentText": "Is that this book? https://books.google.com/books/about/Software_Estimation.htm... (https://books.google.com/books/about/Software_Estimation.html?id=U5VCAwAAQBAJ)",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Is that this book?",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33856060,
          "author": "cpitman",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T18:11:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33856060",
          "commentText": "Given it is pretty short, easily one of the best investments I have made in time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Given it is pretty short, easily one of the best investments I have made in time.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the short book was one of their best investments of time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment emphasizes that it is short.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33855894,
          "author": "jm1271",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T17:53:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33855894",
          "commentText": "Software Estimation: Demystifying the dark art is an under-appreciated book in this area.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Software Estimation: Demystifying the dark art is an under-appreciated book in this area.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as an under-appreciated book in software estimation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2524259,
          "author": "gte910h",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-07T18:31:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 2524205,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books for soon to be Software Engineers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2524259",
          "commentText": "Code Compete 2\nSoftware Estimation: Demystifying the Black Art\nPro GIT\nDebugging by Agans",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Software Estimation: Demystifying the Black Art",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "New software engineers transitioning from school to industry.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve McConnell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software estimation",
        "project management",
        "project planning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "starting-strength-basic-barbell-training-8ea2df",
      "title": "Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training",
      "author": "Mark Rippetoe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40284561,
          "author": "JackMorgan",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T12:14:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40284561",
          "commentText": "Wow, this is interesting, very few books I've read more than once! Even fewer are non fiction, but they sure do explain a lot about me:\n- Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving by Pete Walker helped me process a number of assaults that happened to me as a child\n- Designing Data Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann helped me understand intuitively how databases work and how to use eventual consistency to handle workloads\n- The Highly Sensitive Person: How To Thrive when the World Overwhelms You by Elaine Aron this helped me process my and my families neurodivergence.\n- Structure And Interpretation of Computer Programs by Ableson and Sussman. Great book, it's how I learned to love Lisp. I felt like I grew 10x in skill from completing all the homework.\n- Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training by Mark Rippetoe. This is the book that got me into powerlifting  as a regular part of my fitness. I used this to heal my back, neck, and wrist pain. Changed my life.\n- Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter by James Gurney. The GOAT of plein air painting himself teaches so much about how light works on complex forms. I've dog-eared this book.\n- Reinventing Organizations by Frederic Laloux. A great look into how to build and run a self organizing team. Very insightful for when I was leading several teams and needed inspiration for something other than the typical chain of command.\n- The Classroom Management Book by Harry Wong. This book taught me so much about how humans work. I still apply lessons from this book 20 years later.\n- Real World Haskell by O'Sullivan, Goerzen, Stewart. This taught me a lot about Haskell, and got me into all the neat effects needed to make a function pure but still handle IO/async, etc.\n- Peopleware by DeMarco, Lister. My go to book for people management and a philosophy of project management\n- Science of Trust: Emotional Attunement for Couples by Gottman. I love this book for teaching me how to be a better spouse and friend.\n- The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing by Larimore, Lindauer. A great guide to building a permanent portfolio that will return consistent gains with the market. Simple in hindsight, thanks to this book. Best book on investing I've ever read.\n- How to Take Smart Notes by Ahrens. Introduces the zettlekasten system for thinking and creativity. Very inspiring, got me to start a personal file that I keep going to this day, five years later.\n- Twenty Small Sailboats to Take you Anywhere by Vigor. I read this book over and over, dreaming of buying a small boat and sailing around the world. Maybe this year...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training by Mark Rippetoe. This is the book that got me into powerlifting",
          "reason": "The commenter credits it with getting them into powerlifting and helping with pain.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26593974,
          "author": "angmarsbane",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-26T16:26:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26593974",
          "commentText": "Ha! I picked up Starting Strength from HN too. It transformed my workout routine and changed my understand of strength building.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I picked up Starting Strength from HN too.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it transformed their workout routine and understanding of strength building.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26593839,
          "author": "npsimons",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-26T16:15:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26593839",
          "commentText": "I've gotten a lot of good book referrals through HN, including \"Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training\" by Mark Rippetoe. So cutting out online stuff is just a bad idea (significantly reduces my \"surface area\").\nOTOH, I really need to get back into a habit of reading books, every day. I used to go through a goodly number of non-fiction books on a regular basis (another good book, \"The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master\" says you should read at least one non-fiction book in your field a quarter), but recently I've just lacked the discipline and habit to do so. I find myself reading a lot online, but so much of it is so low information and not in-depth enough.\nThat said, I also try to partake of fiction, although in that regard I'm not doing great either, as I opt for a lot of passive fiction in the form of video. Fiction can be just as good for expanding the mind, even exercising empathy. Just reading speculative fiction (to give a broader term to science fiction) can exercise one's mind in visualizing things or give one new ideas. Heck, Google Earth was supposedly inspired by a technology in \"Snow Crash\".\nETA: There's some great \"forgotten\" fiction out there, which hasn't been turned into other formats yet. \"The Stars my Destination\" and \"Lord of Light\" are excellent. Which reminds me, another good source I've found for books is /usr/games/fortune",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "including \"Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training\" by Mark Rippetoe.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Rippetoe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "strength training",
        "barbell training"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "systemantics-56df13",
      "title": "Systemantics",
      "author": "John Gall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 44570119,
          "author": "HenryBemis",
          "createdAt": "2025-07-15T11:41:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 44568054,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44570119",
          "commentText": "Books:\n  Siddartha: to think about myself and my changes/voyage through life.\n  Half-time: to think what-the-hell-comes-next (only if you are 40+)(it won't resonate with a 20yo)\n\n  Systemantics, Nexus: if you work in mega-big-corpos this will save your life\n\n  Hold on to your kids, The anxious generation: if you got kids\n\n  Strong Fathers Strong Daughters: (and mothers/sons) if you got kids (too Christian-y for my taste but an amazing 'manual' to manage the relationship with your kid(s))\n\n  1984, Animal Farm, Gulag Archipelago: ...\n\n  Light on Yoga: (also do practice yoga, it's good for most-if-not-all)\n\n\nYou asked for \"one book\"... but.. life.. is not 'one' thing. Systemantics (and Dilbert) have helped me stay afloat at work. Siddartha gave me a perspective in live about myself, the different 'people' I have been throughout my life.\nAll the listed ones are books I read and read again every few years. They shaped me the first time I read them, keep me 'grounded'/taking stock/thinking the 'change' in me and my life. I see them as a 'check-diff' and how I have changed/evolved/devolved since the last time I read it/them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Systemantics, Nexus: if you work in mega-big-corpos this will save your life",
          "reason": "Recommends it for people working in very large corporations.",
          "audience": "People working in very large corporations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40283213,
          "author": "jesterson",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T07:24:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40283213",
          "commentText": "Amazing book",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Amazing book",
          "reason": "Calls the parent comment's book amazing; this clearly refers to Systemantics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40282991,
          "author": "thraxil",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T06:36:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40282991",
          "commentText": "Systemantics by John Gall: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systemantics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Systemantics by John Gall",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12068574,
          "author": "mjklin",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T02:49:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12068574",
          "commentText": "Where I'm Reading From, by Tim Parks\nThe Inevitable, by Kevin Kelly\nIdeas that Changed the World, by Felipe Fernandez-Armesto\nA Reader's Manifesto, by B.R. Myers\nFramed!, by Hari Singh\nLeaves of Grass, by Walt Whitman\nWhy Education is Useless, by Daniel Cottom\nThe New Diary, by Tristine Rainer\nRaising a Happy, Unspoiled Child, by Burton White\nDo way, way more in WorkFlowy, by Frank Degenaar\nUnlearning the Basics, by R. Sativihari\nThe Devil's Pleasure Palace, by Michael Walsh\nThe Truth about Everything, by Matthew Stewart\nThe Big Questions, by Steven Landsburg\nThe Seven Mysteries of Life, by Guy Murchie\nThe Optimistic Child, by Martin Seligman\nSystemantics, by John Gall\nThe Scientists A Family Romance, by Marco Roth\nThe Logic Of Failure, by Dietrich Dorner\nOrganizing Creativity, by Daniel Wessel\nA Curious Mind, by Brian Grazer\nAppointment In Samarra, by John O'Hara",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Systemantics, by John Gall",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Gall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "systems theory",
        "systems thinking",
        "organizations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "taiko-64da85",
      "title": "Taiko",
      "author": "Eiji Yoshikawa",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1753443,
          "author": "lionhearted",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T19:49:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753443",
          "commentText": "Yeah, I quite like Taiko as well. It's more dry and expansive - it covers a few leaders throughout an era, as opposed to Musashi that has one main character and 2-3 important supporting characters.\nDid you know any Japanese history before reading Taiko? I did, and enjoyed it a lot. I wonder if it'd be too much for someone with no historical background before reading it though? It covers a lot of ground.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I did, and enjoyed it a lot.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed it a lot.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "May be demanding for readers without prior Japanese history; it covers a lot of ground.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753398,
          "author": "SkyMarshal",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T19:23:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753398",
          "commentText": "Second that, great historical fiction.  Yoshikawa's other book, Taiko, is equally good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Taiko, is equally good.",
          "reason": "The comment endorses it as equally good, seconding the parent’s praise of Yoshikawa's historical fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227444,
          "author": "lionhearted",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T20:14:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227444",
          "commentText": "> I must say you really sold the Musashi book to me. Definitely going to buy it next time I buy books. Thanks.\nYou're going to love it :) I damn near never guarantee someone is going to love a book, but I figure almost anyone here would. Everyone, literally everyone I'd recommended or gifted a copy of Musashi too is crazy about the book.\nAt the risk of getting way ahead of myself, Taiko by the same author is quite good too, but larger in scope - more characters, more history, a bit more work but still a good story. If you really like Japan or Yoshikawa's writing style, check that out afterwards. But for now, you're in good hands with Musashi. Feel free to drop me an email if you've got thoughts as you're reading, my email is in my profile.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Taiko by the same author is quite good too",
          "reason": "Praised as quite good and suggested to read afterward if interested in Japan or the author's style.",
          "audience": "Readers who like Japan or Yoshikawa's writing style.",
          "caveat": "Larger in scope, with more characters and history, and a bit more work.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226915,
          "author": "edo",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:54:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226915",
          "commentText": "Think & Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill\nTaiko - Eiji Yoshikawa\nAlexander of Macedon - Peter Green\nand +1 for Staunch's choice:\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Taiko - Eiji Yoshikawa",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eiji Yoshikawa"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "feudal japan",
        "japan",
        "samurai"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tao-te-ching-3f649c",
      "title": "Tao Te Ching",
      "author": "Lao Tzu",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47984891,
          "author": "BrunoBernardino",
          "createdAt": "2026-05-02T09:40:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 47984463,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47984891",
          "commentText": "Top 5 books I've offered (and still offer):\n1. Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu (translated by Gia-Fu Feng)\n2. The Analects by Confucius (translated by Annping Chin)\n3. This Is Water by David Foster Wallace\n4. 3 years of Mini Stories - 36 short stories to read quickly, and think slowly — written by me.\n5. As Causas do Atraso Português by Nuno Palma",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu (translated by Gia-Fu Feng)",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s top five books they have offered as gifts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Translation by Gia-Fu Feng.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 877687,
          "author": "elmindreda",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T21:24:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=877687",
          "commentText": "City by Clifford D. Simak\nTao Te Ching by Lao Tzu",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu",
          "reason": "Named as one of the commenter’s favorite books in response to the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875750,
          "author": "gtt",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T02:07:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875750",
          "commentText": "Nassim Nicholas Taleb -- The Black Swan\nSun Tzu --  The Art of War\nLao Tzu --  Tao Te Ching",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lao Tzu --  Tao Te Ching",
          "reason": "Named in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lao Tzu"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chinese philosophy",
        "daoism",
        "classical chinese philosophy",
        "taoism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "team-of-teams-0834b7",
      "title": "Team of Teams",
      "author": "Stanley McChrystal",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33858797,
          "author": "jshen",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T22:43:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33858797",
          "commentText": "Become a better story teller and persuader, and learn how to make better decisions and manage risk. A few books that helped me in no particular order …\nThe Science of Storytelling - Will Storr\nInfluence - Robert Cialdini\nThinking Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman\nAntifragile - Nassim Taleb\nHow Innovation Works - Natt Ridley\nThe One Thing You Need to Know - Marcus Buckingham\nTeam of Teams - General Stanley McChrystal",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Team of Teams - General Stanley McChrystal",
          "reason": "Listed among books that helped the commenter.",
          "audience": "People seeking to work better as a team and manage risk.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12992059,
          "author": "chiefalchemist",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-19T04:23:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12992059",
          "commentText": "+1",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12990862,
          "author": "charlesroper",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-18T23:18:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12990862",
          "commentText": "Team of Teams by General Stanley McChrystal.\nFundamentally about being agile, adaptable, transparent, collaborative and decentralised. You could say it's about digital transformation but on a military scale. An excellent companion to some other books mentioned here, such as Deep Work (this book is a constructive counterpoint in many ways), Extreme Ownership, and Ego is the Enemy.\nhttps://mcchrystalgroup.com/teamofteams/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Team of Teams by General Stanley McChrystal.",
          "reason": "About agility, adaptability, transparency, collaboration, and decentralization.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Framed as a constructive counterpoint to Deep Work.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stanley McChrystal"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "organizational change",
        "organizational leadership",
        "team management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "test-driven-development-by-example-6c2310",
      "title": "Test-Driven Development: By Example",
      "author": "Kent Beck",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41387615,
          "author": "curtis3389",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T05:20:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387615",
          "commentText": "Domain-Driven Design is fantastic.\nTest-Driven Design by Example is a good (and fun) read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Test-Driven Design by Example is a good (and fun) read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a good and fun read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23391395,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-02T14:31:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23391395",
          "commentText": "I second this.  The third part of the book is a great look at which patterns are helpful with testing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second this. The third part of the book is a great look at which patterns are helpful with testing.",
          "reason": "Seconding the recommendation and praising its section on testing patterns.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23366037,
          "author": "neves",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-31T00:15:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23366037",
          "commentText": "Kent Beck TDD book is a thin book e really good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kent Beck TDD book",
          "reason": "Recommends Beck's thin TDD book as a good short read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kent Beck"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "test driven development",
        "software testing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-adolescence-of-p-1-dd08db",
      "title": "The Adolescence of P-1",
      "author": "Thomas J. Ryan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46161500,
          "author": "ashtavakra",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-05T14:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46161500",
          "commentText": "I consolidated the comments for my reference later. Someone else might also find it useful:\n# Fiction Books Recommended for Programmers (HN Thread 46128404)\n## Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- *Children of Time* — Science Fiction (Evolution, Space Opera)  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)\n## Rick Cook — Wizardry Series\n- *Wizard’s Bane* — Fantasy, Programming/Magic Mashup  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112616.Wizard_s_Bane\n- *Wizardry Series (overview)*  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\n## James P. Hogan\n- *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/743568.Inherit_the_Stars\n- *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifem... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifemaker)\n- *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_Tomorrow)\n## D. F. Jones — Colossus Trilogy\n- *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806105.Colossus\n- *The Fall of Colossus* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colos... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colossus)\n- *Colossus and the Crab* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_Crab)\n## Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner)\n- *A Logic Named Joe* — Golden-Age Sci-Fi, AI Precursor  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-j... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-joe)\n## David Gerrold\n- *When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One* — AI, Classic Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_Was_One)\n## William Gibson / Bruce Sterling\n- *Neuromancer* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer\n- *The Difference Engine* — Steampunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Eng... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Engine)\n## Neal Stephenson\n- *Snow Crash* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash\n- *Cryptonomicon* — Techno-thriller, Cyber-history  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/816.Cryptonomicon\n- *Anathem* — Philosophical Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2845024-anathem\n- *The Diamond Age* — Nanopunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827.The_Diamond_Age\n## Fred Saberhagen\n- *Octagon* — AI, Techno-thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1891958.Octagon\n## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga\n- *Series Overview* — Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/40946-vorkosigan-saga\n## Richard Powers\n- *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45104.Galatea_2_2\n## Scott Meyer\n- *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-wizard)\n## Daniel Suarez\n- *Daemon* — Cyber-thriller, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665844-daemon\n## Thomas J. Ryan\n- *The Adolescence of P-1* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_o... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_of_P_1)\n## Ernest Cline\n- *Ready Player One* — Sci-Fi, Gaming, Pop-Culture Adventure  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one\n## Dennis E. Taylor\n- *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)* — Humorous Sci-Fi, AI, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-we-are-bob)\n## Ted Chiang\n- *Stories of Your Life and Others* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\n- *Exhalation* — Speculative Fiction, Philosophy, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation\n- *The Lifecycle of Software Objects* — AI, Digital Consciousness  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of-software-objects)\n## Charles Stross\n- *Laundry Files Series* — Math-based Magic, Techno-Fantasy  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files\n## Ken Liu\n- *The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menag... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories)\n- *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, AI, VR  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl-and-other-stories)\n## Ellen Ullman\n- *The Bug* — Tech Industry Literary Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/703.The_Bug\n## Cory Doctorow\n- *Radicalized* — Techno-sociopolitical Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40604122-radicalized\n## qntm (Sam Hughes)\n- *Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans-in-transit-and-other-stories)\n## Roger Williams\n- *The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect* — AI, Post-Singularity SF  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)\n## Greg Bear\n- *Eon* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/924843.Eon\n## Vernor Vinge\n- *A Deepness in the Sky* — Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the_Sky)\n## Terry Pratchett\n- *Going Postal* — Comic Fantasy, Satire of Bureaucracy & Tech  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64222.Going_Postal\n## Bruce Bethke\n- *Headcrash* — Cyber-satire  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213465.Headcrash\n## Mary Shelley\n- *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* — Classic Gothic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein\n## Douglas Adams\n- *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* — Comic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guid... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)\n## Jorge Luis Borges\n- *The Library of Babel* — Metaphysical Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-babel)\n## Greg Egan\n- *Permutation City* — Simulation Theory, Hard Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156784.Permutation_City\n## Cixin Liu\n- *The Three-Body Problem* — Hard Sci-Fi, First Contact  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- *The Adolescence of P-1* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi",
          "reason": "Lists the title in a compilation of fiction books recommended for programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46135665,
          "author": "code_Whisperer",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T15:33:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46135665",
          "commentText": "\"Galatea 2.2\" by (my all-time favorite author) Richard Powers\n\"Off to Be the Wizard\" by Scott Meyer\n\"Daemon\" by Daniel Suarez\n\"The Adolescence of P1\" (vintage) by Thomas Ryan\n\"Snow Crash\" by William Gibson\n\"Ready Player One\" by Ernest Cline\n\"We are Legion [We are Bob]\" by Dennis Taylor",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The Adolescence of P1\" (vintage) by Thomas Ryan",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter labels it vintage.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35393961,
          "author": "atlanta90210",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-31T21:33:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 35392063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Science Fiction books that predict where ChatGPT might lead us?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35393961",
          "commentText": "The adolescence of P-1\nby Thomas J. Ryan\nhttps://openlibrary.org/works/OL6668634W/The_adolescence_of_... (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL6668634W/The_adolescence_of_P-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The adolescence of P-1\nby Thomas J. Ryan",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas J. Ryan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Computing",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "computer networks"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-multiprocessor-programming-698751",
      "title": "The Art of Multiprocessor Programming",
      "author": "Maurice Herlihy and Nir Shavit",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13567300,
          "author": "ashwanidausodia",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T15:40:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567300",
          "commentText": "The art of multiprocessor programming",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The art of multiprocessor programming",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7765865,
          "author": "dkersten",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-19T05:40:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7765865",
          "commentText": "The only ones I can think of off-hand are these two. The second one isn't really about parallel/concurrent/distributed programming per se, but rather about using Intels Threading Building Blocks - good book if that's what you want to do, but not very useful if not. The first book is interesting and covers a lot of ground (covering general techniques and algorithms as well as specific implementations with OpenMP, MPI and Java's facilities), but I liked Art of multiprocessor programming more, probably because it has a more beginner friendly teach everything from the very beginning approach.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Patterns-Parallel-Programming-Timothy-... (http://www.amazon.com/Patterns-Parallel-Programming-Timothy-Mattson/dp/0321228111/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1400477708&sr=8-1&keywords=patterns+of+parallel+programming)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Intel-Threading-Building-Blocks-Parall... (http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Threading-Building-Blocks-Parallelism/dp/0596514808/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1400477796&sr=1-1&keywords=intel+threading+building+blocks)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I liked Art of multiprocessor programming more, probably because it has a more beginner friendly teach everything from the very beginning approach.",
          "reason": "The commenter preferred it for its beginner-friendly, from-the-beginning approach.",
          "audience": "Beginners to multiprocessor programming",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7756812,
          "author": "dkersten",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:02:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7756812",
          "commentText": "I read (not all of it, maybe 50% of it) \"The art of multiprocessor programming\" a couple of years ago and I agree, its an excellent book. I have a handful of books on the topic and I find this to be my favourite.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I agree, its an excellent book. I have a handful of books on the topic and I find this to be my favourite.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it excellent and their favorite among books on the topic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They read about half of it.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7756716,
          "author": "playing_colours",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T17:42:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7756716",
          "commentText": "\"Peopleware\" http://www.amazon.com/Peopleware-Productive-Projects-Second-... (http://www.amazon.com/Peopleware-Productive-Projects-Second-Edition/dp/0932633439) , a lot of insights and ideas how to build great teams. Great to read for developers, team leads and managers.\n\"The art of multiprocessor programming\", excellent book on parallel programming theory with code explanations:  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0123705916?ie=UTF8&tag=nirs... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0123705916?ie=UTF8&tag=nirshavitshom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=0123705916)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The art of multiprocessor programming\", excellent book on parallel programming theory with code explanations",
          "reason": "Calls it excellent and describes its coverage of parallel programming theory and code.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Maurice Herlihy and Nir Shavit"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "concurrent programming",
        "parallel programming",
        "concurrency",
        "multiprocessor programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-unit-testing-1fdd3a",
      "title": "The Art of Unit Testing",
      "author": "Roy Osherove",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14487136,
          "author": "RossBencina",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T12:36:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487136",
          "commentText": "I see you read Kent Beck's TDD book. A good follow-up might be Roy Osherove's \"The Art of Unit Testing.\" I found it to have a lot of pragmatic, practical advice. It's not the final word, but it is a good next step after Kent Beck's book. It has some C#-specific material, but that stuff is interesting to read about even if you're working in other languages.\nLot's good suggestions in this thread, here's one I didn't see:\n\"Software Runaways - lessons learned from massive software project failures,\" by Robert L. Glass.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A good follow-up might be Roy Osherove's \"The Art of Unit Testing.\"",
          "reason": "Recommended as a follow-up to Kent Beck's TDD book, with pragmatic, practical advice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Includes some C#-specific material; commenter says it is interesting even for readers using other languages. Not the final word.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6976956,
          "author": "kojoru",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T22:33:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976956",
          "commentText": "The Art of Unit Testing by Roy Osherove is indeed amazing.\nThanks to it I now write much better unit tests, and as a result of removed frustration I do it much more often.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Unit Testing by Roy Osherove is indeed amazing.",
          "reason": "Calls it amazing and says it helped them write better unit tests.",
          "audience": "Software developers writing unit tests.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6976558,
          "author": "ramgp",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T21:01:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976558",
          "commentText": "Software development related reads with a strong focus on proven practices that enhance software quality in terms of readability and maintainability (and other software ~ilities) to ease the process of changing the software later on.\nThe Art of Readable Code by  Dustin Boswell & Trevor Foucher\nDon't Make Me Think 2ed by Steve Krug\nRemote: Office not Required by Jason Fried & DHH\nThe Art of Unit Testing by Roy Osherove\nCode Complete 2 by Steve McConnell\nRefactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code by Martin Fowler\nThe Practice of Programming by Brian Kernighan & Rob Pike\nJavaScript: The Good Parts by Douglas Crockford\nCode Simplicity by Max Kanat-Alexander\nAn Introduction to Programming in Go by Caleb Doxsey at http://www.golang-book.com/\nAlso read: How To Be Black by Baratunde Thurston",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Unit Testing by Roy Osherove",
          "reason": "Listed as a software development read focused on proven practices and software quality.",
          "audience": "Software developers seeking to improve software quality.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roy Osherove"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "unit testing",
        "test driven development",
        "software testing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-book-of-why-53eb9f",
      "title": "The Book of Why",
      "author": "Judea Pearl and Dana Mackenzie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804093,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:12:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804093",
          "commentText": "Writing a Go Interpreter\nWriting a Go Compiler\nNo One Cares about Crazy People\nI Heard You Paint Houses\nUNIX: A History and a Memoir\nRed Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine\nHow Asia Works\nThe Dream Machine\nBlack Earth\nThe Fabric of Reality\nBehave (tried twice, maybe third times a charm?)\nA Short History of Nearly Everything\nStiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers\nGenius: The Life and Science Richard Feynman\nSuper Thinking\nMan's Search for Meaning\nThe Cooking Gene\nThe Vital Question: Why is Life The Way it Is (re-read)\nThe Case Against Sugar\nThe 15 Decisive Battles of the World\nThe History of the Peloponnesian War\nThe Beginning of Infinity\nThe Book of Why",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Book of Why",
          "reason": "Listed in the commenter's planned reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803908,
          "author": "andreilys",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:50:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803908",
          "commentText": "Well here are the books I’m currently reading (physical, kindle, and audible). I bounce around a lot. Sometimes it takes me a week to finish a book, other times I take a few months. Sometimes I never finish. But these are the ones I have some progress on so far:\n1. Faust by goethe\n2. I am That\n3. Book of why\n4. The gift by hafiz\n5. Simulacra and simulation\n6. Candide by Voltaire\n7. Meeting the shadow: the hidden power of the dark side of human nature\n8. Nonviolent communication\n9. After the ecstasy, the laundry\n10. Watchmen\n11. Noble heart by Pena chodron\n12. Developer hegemony\n13. Brothers karamazov",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Book of why",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20676216,
          "author": "ReDeiPirati",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T15:22:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20676216",
          "commentText": "1. Grokking Deep Learning (Andrew W. Trask) and Neural Networks and Deep Learning (Michael Nielsen)\n2. I'll probably be off-point here, but maybe The Book of Why (Judea Pearl) could be interesting reading for you.\nFloydHub has a great article about this topic on their blog:\nhttps://blog.floydhub.com/best-deep-learning-books-updated-f... (https://blog.floydhub.com/best-deep-learning-books-updated-for-2019/).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "maybe The Book of Why (Judea Pearl) could be interesting reading for you.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a possibly interesting fit for the requested cross disciplinary perspective.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in causal inference and related ideas.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may be off-point.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20675003,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T13:02:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20675003",
          "commentText": "Seems like 'Deep Learning' [0] might suit for your first type of book. For the second type of book, may I suggest 'The Book of Why' by Judea Pearl. It isn't focused specifically on deep learning, but it is focused philosophical and cross disciplinary applications of statistical techniques.\ndisclaimer: I haven't really dug in to deep learning, so I'll wager there may be great resources I'm completely unaware of.\n[0] 'Deep Learning, Ian Goodfellow and Yoshua Bengio and Aaron Courville, MIT Press, https://www.deeplearningbook.org/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "For the second type of book, may I suggest 'The Book of Why' by Judea Pearl.",
          "reason": "Suggests it for the requested philosophical, cross-disciplinary perspective on statistical techniques.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not focused specifically on deep learning.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18666158,
          "author": "eli_gottlieb",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T18:06:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18666158",
          "commentText": "Ongoing reads:\n* Principles of Neural Design by Peter Sterling\n* What Science Offers the Humanities by Edward Slingerland\n* Category Theory for Programmers by Bartosz Milewski\n* How Do You Feel? by Bud Craig\nCompleted reads:\n* The Book of Why by Judea Pearl\n* Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor by Yossi Klein Halevi\n* The Glass Bead Game by Herman Hesse\n* The Next Revolution by Murray Bookchin\n* Democratic Confederalism by Abdullah Ocalan\n* A bunch of trashy pulp scifi",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "* The Book of Why by Judea Pearl",
          "reason": "Listed as completed; no evaluation or recommendation is expressed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Judea Pearl",
        "Dana Mackenzie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Mathematics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "causal inference",
        "statistics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-cauchy-schwarz-master-class-8928e5",
      "title": "The Cauchy-Schwarz Master Class",
      "author": "J. Michael Steele",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34449228,
          "author": "selimthegrim",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-20T04:23:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34449228",
          "commentText": "Seconding Steele (cf. my comment)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seconding Steele",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly seconds a prior recommendation of Steele's book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34449195,
          "author": "selimthegrim",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-20T04:17:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34449195",
          "commentText": "The Cauchy-Schwarz Master Class by J. Michael Steele\nLinear Algebra by A.O. Morris (out of print and tricky to find)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Cauchy-Schwarz Master Class by J. Michael Steele",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34447073,
          "author": "Py-o7",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T23:23:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34447073",
          "commentText": "Steele's The Cauchy-Schwarz Masterclass is actually quite good and seemingly designed for self study. (A lingering result of this book is I heavily use inequalities even outside of analysis.)\nArtin's Algebra probably has had the most impact on my math thinking.  The  development of groups and rings while tightly linking them to linear algebra was rather brilliant.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Steele's The Cauchy-Schwarz Masterclass is actually quite good and seemingly designed for self study.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds it good and suited to self-study.",
          "audience": "Self-study learners.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395172,
          "author": "lkozma",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T08:45:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395172",
          "commentText": "Best books I read in 2011:\n* \"Salonica, City of Ghosts\" by M.Mazower. Tells the history of Thessaloniki, informative, entertaining, at times nostalgic.\n* \"The Cauchy-Schwarz Master Class\" by J.M.Steele. A guided tour of mathematical inequalities. Very entertaining and readable (for a math book) and extremely well written.\n* \"Indiscrete Thoughts\" by G-C.Rota. Irreverent anecdotes about mathematicians.\n* \"Black Swan\" by N.N.Taleb. Maybe overhyped and at times annoying and pompous, but extremely insightful nevertheless.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Cauchy-Schwarz Master Class\" by J.M.Steele. A guided tour of mathematical inequalities. Very entertaining and readable (for a math book) and extremely well written.",
          "reason": "Praised as entertaining, readable, and extremely well written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Readability is qualified as being for a math book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. Michael Steele"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "inequalities",
        "mathematical analysis",
        "cauchy schwarz inequality",
        "mathematical inequalities"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-circle-a8af1f",
      "title": "The Circle",
      "author": "Dave Eggers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8944977,
          "author": "ilzmastr",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-26T00:50:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944977",
          "commentText": "Childhoods end - Humanity takes the next step in evolution\nAnhilliation - Fish out of water like story of exploring a mysterious, horrific, environment (2 sequels drag on for too much after this one though)\nMany Ray Bradbury stories (Martian chronicles, and the Everyman collection contain the best ones)\nInfinite Jest (Alternate American future of a culture of addiction and depravity, partly mediated by technology)\nThe Circle (haven't read, but like the author, life inside the biggest tech company of the future)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Circle (haven't read, but like the author, life inside the biggest tech company of the future)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Haven't read it; says they like the author.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8740219,
          "author": "daverrad",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-12T14:44:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8740219",
          "commentText": "‘The Circle’ written by David Eggers and published this year, is a modern day twist on 1984 but it seemed so real and so close to where we are heading as a digital society. I recommend it, especially for those in the tech space. It was a fun fictional page turner and I couldn’t put it down for the week.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/The-Circle-Dave-Eggers/dp/0345807294",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend it, especially for those in the tech space. It was a fun fictional page turner and I couldn’t put it down for the week.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends this fast-paced novel for its plausible depiction of the direction of digital society.",
          "audience": "People in the tech space.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8718902,
          "author": "tindrlabs",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T20:19:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8718902",
          "commentText": "I really liked the substance of this book and would highly recommend it. I did struggle through the content of tech support work and other minutia.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I really liked the substance of this book and would highly recommend it. I did struggle through the content of tech support work and other minutia.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends the book's substance, though some content was difficult to get through.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Struggled with the tech support content and other minutia.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8125672,
          "author": "lancewiggs",
          "createdAt": "2014-08-02T19:10:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 8125375,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I save for offline reading during 5 weeks without Internet?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8125672",
          "commentText": "Great question, and one that I asked just before going to Mozambique for 10 weeks a few years back. I'd just bought a kindle, which were not available outside the USA back then, and asked a few interesting folks I was chatting to at Foo. Here are my resulting first few kindle purchases:\nThe Match King\nHeros Die (I bought the rest of them)\nThe city and the city\nEvery patient tells a story\nBlindsight\nBorn to Run\nHot, Flat & Crowded\nThe Autobiography of Ben Franklin\nThe Hunger Games (!)\nAnd on it went - asking for recommendations was a fantastic thing to do.  I'd asked for fiction as I was going there to work and would be too exhausted at first to do much else.\nSo I do encourage everyone to give some names of books. And yes - do take a good camera, do take binoculars - Leica if you can afford them, and embrace the experience.\nA few years later I went to Antarctica on a boat for 30 days offline. By then I had hundreds of books on kindle, and several devices to read them. This is basically a solved problem now. I did take Wikipedia in offline state, which was useful.\nIn decades previous when traveling I cared about weight and price per word and focused on \"good\" books - books that you know you should read but which need a bit of effort. When you are off the grid and in countries where there are few English books then it was a great way to read great books. \nBut now the Internet is everywhere. It might be flaky, and it might be painful to access, but you'll be able to find access to buy and download books relatively easily.\nThree recommendations, aside from the above which I enjoyed a lot.\nBill Aulet: Disciplined Entrepreneurship, covers the topic very well and generously references everything else.\nThe Circle by Dave Eggers paints a picture that's creepily familiar already.\nLeague of Denial will have you shake your head gently and sadly at NFL and other contact sports.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "paints a picture that's creepily familiar already",
          "reason": "Recommends it for its unsettlingly familiar depiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dave Eggers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "surveillance",
        "technology",
        "digital society",
        "technology and privacy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-design-of-design-4aafab",
      "title": "The Design of Design",
      "author": "Frederick P. Brooks Jr.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33856362,
          "author": "dunk010",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T18:43:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33856362",
          "commentText": "The Design of Design.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Design of Design.",
          "reason": "Lists the book in response to a request for suggested reading.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking material on software engineering and related professional skills.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33856354,
          "author": "avg_dev",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T18:42:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33856354",
          "commentText": "I really liked his other book The Design of Design as well. They go well together.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really liked his other book The Design of Design as well. They go well together.",
          "reason": "Says they liked the book and that it pairs well with the parent comment's recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032871,
          "author": "mrweasel",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T19:08:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032871",
          "commentText": "Don't read \"The Design of Design\" though. Brooks had some amazing insights in The Mythical Man Month and managed to be clear an concise in the points he wanted to make.\nThe Design of Design is just Brooks building a house. How the building project relates to software and what his point is, is never really made clear.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Don't read \"The Design of Design\" though.",
          "reason": "Advises against reading it, saying its connection to software is unclear.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter praises Brooks's insights and clarity in The Mythical Man-Month.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14846697,
          "author": "vldx",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T10:52:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14846697",
          "commentText": "That's fascinating. Just ordered Design of Design to supplement GEB. Thanks!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Just ordered Design of Design to supplement GEB. Thanks!",
          "reason": "Says they just ordered it; no positive evaluation or recommendation is expressed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14846601,
          "author": "BJanecke",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T10:31:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14846601",
          "commentText": "Just like the other non programming book on the list(Thinking Fast and Slow) GEB is a lot about perception to me.\nUnderstanding that nothing is purely logical nor is it purely expressionistic; by pigeonholing your perception of any design whether it be Code, Math or Art to either Logic xor Expression you are blinding yourself\nThe other angle for GEB is design\nI read GEB along with Design of Design years ago following my mentor at the times suggestion, I would highly recommend doing this.\nThink of it as the Gödel, Escher, Bach, Brooks (Although Brook's writing style can be laborious at times)\nRecognizing patterns in all design work helped my understand my own design process better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read GEB along with Design of Design years ago following my mentor at the times suggestion, I would highly recommend doing this.",
          "reason": "Recommends reading it alongside GEB.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Brooks's writing style can be laborious at times.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14846482,
          "author": "BJanecke",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T09:59:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14846482",
          "commentText": "* Douglas Hofstadter - Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid\n* Fred Brooks -  Design Of Design\n* Fred Brooks - The Mythical Man month\n* Eric J. Evans - Domain Driven Design\n* Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software\n* Kent Beck - Extreme Programming Explained\n* Kent Beck - Planning Extreme Programming\n*  Michael C. Feathers - Working Effectively with Legacy Code\n* Daniel Kahneman - Thinking, Fast and Slow\n[EDIT] Correct the author for legacy code",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Design Of Design",
          "reason": "Included in a list answering which books affected how the commenter structures code.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frederick P. Brooks Jr."
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software design",
        "design process",
        "architecture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-easy-way-to-stop-smoking-ab12b2",
      "title": "The Easy Way to Stop Smoking",
      "author": "Allen Carr",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25531550,
          "author": "oa335",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T21:22:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25531550",
          "commentText": "Reading “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking” by Alan Carr probably added years to my life.\n“Sirens of Titan” by Kurt Vonnegut resonated with me on an emotional level.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Reading “The Easy Way to Stop Smoking” by Alan Carr probably added years to my life.",
          "reason": "The commenter says reading it probably added years to their life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17171584,
          "author": "nightwatcher",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-28T10:00:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17171584",
          "commentText": "Clean for 6 years. Wow. Respect. Will read for sure. Just the thing I need.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Will read for sure. Just the thing I need.",
          "reason": "Says the book is exactly what they need and plans to read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17169444,
          "author": "oliwarner",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T22:27:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17169444",
          "commentText": "The Easy Way To Stop Smoking, by Alan Carr.\nVery logically made me realise that willpower was really just about changing how you talk to yourself. Essentially learning impulse control.\nI lost a deadly, expensive habit and a fair bit of weight. Clean for 6 years.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Easy Way To Stop Smoking, by Alan Carr.",
          "reason": "Credits the book with helping them quit smoking and lose weight.",
          "audience": "People trying to stop smoking.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Allen Carr"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "smoking cessation",
        "addiction",
        "habit change"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-effective-executive-453d4f",
      "title": "The Effective Executive",
      "author": "Peter Drucker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30735974,
          "author": "tomrod",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:57:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735974",
          "commentText": "Thanks! I like Drucker's communication style. I'll check it out. Amazon delivers it tomorrow!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'll check it out.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30735432,
          "author": "LVB",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:00:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735432",
          "commentText": "“The Effective Executive” by Peter Drucker.\nI’ve never even been an “executive” but have found that nuggets from this book have helped me navigate the working world for 25 years.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“The Effective Executive” by Peter Drucker.",
          "reason": "The commenter says insights from the book have helped them navigate the working world for 25 years.",
          "audience": "People navigating work; the commenter found it useful despite never being an executive.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18663950,
          "author": "philippz",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T14:05:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663950",
          "commentText": "Yuval Harari - Sapiens\nYuval Harari - Homo Deus\nYuval Harari - 21 lessons for the 21st century\nFrank Schätzing - The Swarm\nPeter Drucker - The Effective Executive\nStephen Hawking - A Short History Of Time",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Peter Drucker - The Effective Executive",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416071,
          "author": "gary__",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T20:34:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416071",
          "commentText": "An acquaintance recommended Peter Drucker's \"The Effective Executive\" as a first book to read about management. I found it very interesting and it changed my outlook on the value of tracking time, focusing on strengths and what contribution matters. (I am not a manager myself.)\nhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Effective-Executive-Classic-Drucker... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Effective-Executive-Classic-Drucker-Collection/dp/0750685077)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found it very interesting and it changed my outlook on the value of tracking time, focusing on strengths and what contribution matters.",
          "reason": "Says it was interesting and changed their outlook on time, strengths, and contribution.",
          "audience": "People interested in management; the commenter says they are not a manager.",
          "caveat": "An acquaintance recommended it as a first management book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 715509,
          "author": "lacker",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-21T00:46:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715509",
          "commentText": "Last: The C Programming Language - Kernighan & Ritchie\nCurrent: The Effective Executive - Peter Drucker",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Current: The Effective Executive - Peter Drucker",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as currently reading; no evaluation expressed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Drucker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "management",
        "effectiveness",
        "executive effectiveness",
        "productivity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-friendly-orange-glow-the-untold-story-of-the-plato-system-and-7a702d",
      "title": "The Friendly Orange Glow: The Untold Story of the PLATO System and the Dawn of Cyberculture",
      "author": "Brian Dear",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25540475,
          "author": "apricot",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-26T01:06:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25540475",
          "commentText": "Answer to the title question but not the second one: I decided to go into computer science after reading \"The Turing Omnibus\" by A.K. Dewdney. It was like my brain was let loose in a candy store. I must have been insufferable that summer, always talking about Boolean logic and perceptrons and Turing machines and NP-completeness.\nAnswer to the second question but not the title one: \"The Friendly Orange Glow\" by Brian Dear is a well-written history of the PLATO computer system and, most importantly, of the community that grew around it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Friendly Orange Glow\" by Brian Dear",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a well-written history of the PLATO computer system and its community.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22710118,
          "author": "Rerarom",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T09:26:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22710118",
          "commentText": "Also read its counterpart \"The Friendly Orange Glow\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also read its counterpart \"The Friendly Orange Glow\"",
          "reason": "Encourages reading the related book about PLATO and early cyberculture.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22706830,
          "author": "sien",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T20:59:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22706830",
          "commentText": "The Friendly Orange Glow : The Untold Story of the PLATO system and the dawn of cyberculture (2017) is a really interesting book about a system few people here would probably have heard of.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34373814-the-friendly-or... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34373814-the-friendly-orange-glow)\nHow the Internet Happened is very good. The podcast that was created while writing the book is also worth a listen.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38212134-how-the-interne... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38212134-how-the-internet-happened)\nAccidental Empires is also very good\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27652.Accidental_Empires",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Friendly Orange Glow : The Untold Story of the PLATO system and the dawn of cyberculture (2017) is a really interesting book",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it interesting and describes its subject as the PLATO system and early cyberculture.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the history of educational computing and cyberculture.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Dear"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "plato system",
        "cyberculture",
        "computer history",
        "educational computing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-hunchback-of-notre-dame-875081",
      "title": "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame",
      "author": "Victor Hugo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42511374,
          "author": "majiy",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T21:44:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42511374",
          "commentText": "I read Hunchback of Notre Dame around 20 years ago. The ending is until today the only book ever to make me cry. Don't remember much else, probably a good time to pick it up again.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I read Hunchback of Notre Dame around 20 years ago.",
          "reason": "The commenter recalls the ending made them cry and considers picking the book up again.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They do not remember much else about the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42509533,
          "author": "delichon",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T16:29:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42509533",
          "commentText": "I put The Hunchback of Notre-Dame in that category, a pleasure to read from front to back. The association with work made it take me decades to get to some of the books assigned for class in high school, like these. A few were so good that I tried to read Anna Karenina again. Maybe in a few decades more I'll like that one too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame in that category, a pleasure to read from front to back.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a pleasure to read from beginning to end.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41769414,
          "author": "cambaceres",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T18:39:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41769414",
          "commentText": "I read The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and Les Misérables by Victor Hugo and I loved both of them, can recommend.\nSeveneves is an amazing book, just make sure you skip the last part.\nIf you are into history I can recommend The last days of the Incas by Kim MaqQuarrie, it's just an insanely interesting description on how the Incas was conquered, it feels like you're there man.\nIf you like evolutionary biology/phsycology then check out The Red Queen - Sex and the evolution of human Nature by Matt Ridley.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hunchback of Notre-Dame",
          "reason": "The commenter says they loved it and recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Victor Hugo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical novel",
        "french literature",
        "gothic fiction",
        "historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-idiot-019864",
      "title": "The Idiot",
      "author": "Fyodor Dostoevsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17180326,
          "author": "nuclx",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-29T15:58:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17180326",
          "commentText": "For me it's The Idiot, due to Myshkin being such a distinct character. But all of Doestoevsky's work was eye-opening for me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For me it's The Idiot, due to Myshkin being such a distinct character.",
          "reason": "Names it as their choice and praises its distinctive character.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14864279,
          "author": "zenlot",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-27T11:35:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14864279",
          "commentText": "\"The Idiot\" - was one of the most interesting books I've read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Idiot\" - was one of the most interesting books I've read.",
          "reason": "Describes it as one of the most interesting books they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14859878,
          "author": "FredrikMeyer",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:19:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859878",
          "commentText": "* \"The history of western philosophy\" by Bertrand Russell. A fun read so far (~100 pages). Russell is not afraid to tell the reader that he really dislikes Plato, and thinks he destroyed western philosophy.\n* SICP (Structure and interpretation of computer programs). Learning Scheme for fun now with this book. I'm only in chapter 2 so far, but it is really fun\n* \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" by Douglas Hoefstadter. The story in one line: he have a theory that consciousness aries from \"strange loops\". Along the way he talks about fractals, programming, patterns in music and in pictures,...\n* \"The Idiot\" by Fyodor Dostoyevskij. Fun read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Fun read.",
          "reason": "Calls it a fun read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14481539,
          "author": "balladeer",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-04T13:44:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14481539",
          "commentText": "Anna Karenina, A Suitable Boy, and the like. Excellent books but after college it's been difficult to start and keep at them in a acceptable period of time given the time (or lack of it) is an issue now. I also wanted to read Ulysses. I am stuck around the ~20% of Dostoyevsky's Idiot since a long time. Off late I've had better success with shortner ones.\nFor me the reason is simple - it's just the daunting number of pages and it is a shame that I have not read/finished these books.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I am stuck around the ~20% of Dostoyevsky's Idiot since a long time.",
          "reason": "The commenter reports being partway through it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They have been stuck around 20% for a long time.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fyodor Dostoevsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "russian literature",
        "classic novel",
        "classic literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-land-of-lisp-d65419",
      "title": "The Land of Lisp",
      "author": "Conrad Barski",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29308994,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T17:25:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29308994",
          "commentText": "That is a pretty fun one indeed. :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "That is a pretty fun one indeed.",
          "reason": "Affirms the prior comment's recommendation and describes the book as fun.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29308975,
          "author": "adamkl",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T17:24:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29308975",
          "commentText": "How about \"The Land of Lisp\"? [0]\nIt comes with a bonus music video! [1]\n[0] http://landoflisp.com\n[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM1Zb3xmvMc",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How about \"The Land of Lisp\"?",
          "reason": "Suggests the book in response to a request for interesting software books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414509,
          "author": "dytrivedi",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T09:58:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414509",
          "commentText": "Godel, Escher, Bach\nSICP\nArt of Computer Programming\nC Programming Language\nIntroduction to Algorithms\nLand of Lisp\n-- Extracted from my wishlist - http://flipkart.com/wishlist/dhavaltrivedi",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Land of Lisp",
          "reason": "Lists it among books on the commenter's wishlist in a thread asking for useful CS books.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking computer science study resources.",
          "caveat": "Listed as a wishlist item; no specific evaluation is given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Conrad Barski"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "lisp",
        "programming",
        "functional programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-little-schemer-series-1010b4",
      "title": "The Little Schemer series",
      "author": "Daniel P. Friedman and Matthias Felleisen",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1024008,
          "author": "Kaizyn",
          "createdAt": "2009-12-31T07:41:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 1023970,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which Scheme book to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1024008",
          "commentText": "I would recommend you start with The Little Schemer and follow up with The Seasoned Schemer (the sequel to the other book).  These two will give you a good feel for some aspects of Scheme programming, but they will not go into the same depth about the fundamentals of computer science you'll get from SICP.  After reading them, then you should advance to either How To Design Programs as suggested before SICP or if you're feeling really ambitious jump right to SICP.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "These two will give you a good feel for some aspects of Scheme programming",
          "reason": "The two named books are described as giving a good feel for Scheme programming.",
          "audience": "Readers learning Scheme.",
          "caveat": "Says the books do not cover computer science fundamentals as deeply as SICP.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1024003,
          "author": "prakash",
          "createdAt": "2009-12-31T07:37:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 1023970,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which Scheme book to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1024003",
          "commentText": "+1 for HtDP, after which the schemer series, followed by SICP.\nAlso, read this: http://norvig.com/21-days.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the schemer series",
          "reason": "Included in a recommended sequence after HtDP.",
          "audience": "Readers learning Scheme.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135245,
          "author": "tjr",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T16:46:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135245",
          "commentText": "- New Hacker's Dictionary (print version is nice for browsing)\n- The Little Schemer (or the whole series, if you really like them)\n- The Art of Computer Programming",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "or the whole series, if you really like them",
          "reason": "Suggested as a follow-up for readers who really like the books.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy The Little Schemer.",
          "caveat": "Conditional suggestion.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel P. Friedman",
        "Matthias Felleisen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "scheme",
        "lisp",
        "programming education"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-machine-that-changed-the-world-8335ec",
      "title": "The Machine That Changed the World",
      "author": "James P. Womack, Daniel T. Jones, and Daniel Roos",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36666587,
          "author": "HamptonFounders",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-10T14:01:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36666587",
          "commentText": "Not sure if this is helpful, but a friend fed this conversation through ChatGPT and had it summarize for easier reading:\n-The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy -Bigger by Marc Levinson\n-The Machine That Changed the World: The Story of Lean Production-- Toyota's Secret Weapon in the Global Car Wars That Is Now Revolutionizing World Industry by James P. Womack, Daniel T. Jones, and Daniel Roos\n-Empires of the Sky: Zeppelins, Airplanes, and Two Men's Epic Duel to Rule the World by Erik Larson\n-Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America by Richard -White\n-The Arms of Krupp: The Rise and Fall of the Industrial Dynasty that Armed Germany at War by William Manchester\n-Edison by Edmund Morris\n-Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow\n-The People's Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century by Steven Watts\n-Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler\n-The Victorian Internet by Tom Standage\n-The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood by James Gleick\n-Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age by Michael S. Malone\n-The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester\n-The Innovators by Walter Isaacson\n-Medieval Technology and Social Change by Lynn White Jr.\n-The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation by Jon Gertner\n-Electricity in the 17th and 18th Centuries: A Study of Early Modern Physics by Eric H. Chaney\n-Early Electrical Communication by A. F. Marland\n-Bibliographical History of Electricity and Magnetism by Silvanus P. Thompson\n-Electric Science: Its History, Phenomena, and Applications by J. J. Fahie\n-The History and Present State of Electricity by Andrew Ure\n-https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/\n-De Re Metallica by Georgius Agricola",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Machine That Changed the World: The Story of Lean Production-- Toyota's Secret Weapon in the Global Car Wars That Is Now Revolutionizing World Industry by James P. Womack, Daniel T. Jones, and Daniel Roos",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books offered in response to the history of technology question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36601373,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:00:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601373",
          "commentText": "Here are some histories of specific industries I've read recently and supremely enjoyed:\n- The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger\n- The Machine That Changed the World: The Story of Lean Production-- Toyota's Secret Weapon in the Global Car Wars That Is Now Revolutionizing World Industry\n- Empires of the Sky: Zeppelins, Airplanes, and Two Men's Epic Duel to Rule the World\n- Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America (of all of these not the most amazing but still interesting)\n- The Arms of Krupp: The Rise and Fall of the Industrial Dynasty that Armed Germany at War\nAnd then you can learn a lot by reading about the people who built the industries too. Here are a few I've been reading about recently that I recommend:\n- Edison by Edmund Morris (Just read it backwards, you'll see.)\n- Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow\n- The People's Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century by Steven Watts\n- Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler\nI also got some interesting suggestions asking a similar question on Twitter a bit ago.\nhttps://twitter.com/eatonphil/status/1668625835350454273",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Machine That Changed the World: The Story of Lean Production",
          "reason": "Listed among industry histories the commenter recently read and greatly enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13579490,
          "author": "dano",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-06T14:06:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13579490",
          "commentText": "The Machine That Changed The World\nGood Prose\nTitan",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Machine That Changed The World",
          "reason": "Lists it as an answer to the thread's question about recently reread books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James P. Womack",
        "Daniel T. Jones",
        "Daniel Roos"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "automotive industry",
        "lean production",
        "lean manufacturing",
        "manufacturing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-making-of-a-manager-850543",
      "title": "The Making of a Manager",
      "author": "Julie Zhuo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21712453,
          "author": "dlo",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T14:25:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21712453",
          "commentText": "+100 for this book. Absolutely amazing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+100 for this book. Absolutely amazing.",
          "reason": "Strongly seconds the preceding recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21712438,
          "author": "Pandabob",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T14:23:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21712438",
          "commentText": "The best management book I read this year was \"The Making of a Manager\" by Julie Zhou [1]. The book is concise, clearly written and actionable. It's specifically written for first time managers and the author is a design lead at Facebook.\n[1]: https://www.amazon.com/Making-Manager-What-Everyone-Looks/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Making-Manager-What-Everyone-Looks/dp/0735219567)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The best management book I read this year was \"The Making of a Manager\" by Julie Zhou [1]. The book is concise, clearly written and actionable.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best management book they read that year and praises its clarity and usefulness.",
          "audience": "First-time managers.",
          "caveat": "Specifically written for first-time managers.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Julie Zhuo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "management",
        "first time managers",
        "team leadership",
        "leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-malloreon-6490e7",
      "title": "The Malloreon",
      "author": "David Eddings",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41770168,
          "author": "CuriousSkeptic",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T19:46:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41770168",
          "commentText": "> I reread them, regularly, and go through all ten books,\nThat’s the best part! Coming back to the simple life on Faldors farm again.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "That’s the best part! Coming back to the simple life on Faldors farm again.",
          "reason": "Joins in the parent comment’s enthusiasm for returning to the series’ world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41768759,
          "author": "ChrisMarshallNY",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T17:46:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41768759",
          "commentText": "These threads often end up, with everyone trying to prove they are literary scholars.\nI prefer junky fantasy books. I'm really too old and cynical to give a damn what y'all think of me.\nI probably liked David Edding's Belgariad series, along with the Mallorean series, the most. I reread them, regularly, and go through all ten books, in a couple of weeks. They are an easy read.\nAlso, Glen Cook's Black Company books are awesome. It's a toss-up, between them. Eleven books, in that series. His Garret PI series are fun, but really kind of \"filler.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I probably liked David Edding's Belgariad series, along with the Mallorean series, the most.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they liked and regularly reread the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They describe the books as easy reads.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20982298,
          "author": "deadmanwalking",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T09:17:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20982298",
          "commentText": "David Eddings The Belgariad series ( 5 books) and then the Mallorean series (5 more books) which follows on from the Belgariad. An amazing piece of fantasy writing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An amazing piece of fantasy writing.",
          "reason": "Describes the two connected series together as an amazing piece of fantasy writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Eddings"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "quest fantasy",
        "classic fantasy",
        "quest"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-miracle-morning-c6b3ef",
      "title": "The Miracle Morning",
      "author": "Hal Elrod",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21902182,
          "author": "dustingetz",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T22:15:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902182",
          "commentText": "For founders: #1 is Oren Klaff Pitch Anything. Then: Crossing the Chasm, Zero to One, Blitzscaling, Never Split the Difference, Oversubscribed: A Founders Guide to Seed Fundraising, Exactly What To Say: The Magic Words for Influence and Impact, Miracle Morning, 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Miracle Morning",
          "reason": "Listed as a book for founders.",
          "audience": "Founders",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16310225,
          "author": "nik_0_0",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-05T17:13:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16310225",
          "commentText": "Just to plus one - also really enjoyed \"The Miracle Morning\". Great way to think about structuring your day, and a short read. Earlier may or may not help, but should be read at a time when you are striving to improve yourself, but maybe not finding the success you wish.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "also really enjoyed \"The Miracle Morning\". Great way to think about structuring your day, and a short read.",
          "reason": "Calls it enjoyable and a useful way to think about structuring the day.",
          "audience": "People seeking to structure their day or improve themselves.",
          "caveat": "Says the timing may or may not matter; suggests reading it when striving to improve without finding the desired success.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296324,
          "author": "neya",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T05:21:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296324",
          "commentText": "Right off the bat, here you go:\n1. The 7 habits of highly successful people (Stephen Covey)\n2. The Miracle Morning (Hal Elrod)\n3. Business Model Generation (Aelxander Osterwalder)\n4. The Art Of War (Sun Tzu)\n5. The E-myth, why most businesses don't work and what to do about it (Michel Gerber)\n6. Made In Japan (Founder of Sony, Akio Morita)\n7. How to win friends and influence people (Dale Carnegie)\nProbably I missed a few more, but I think these ones are a good start.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Miracle Morning (Hal Elrod)",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about books one wishes one had read earlier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hal Elrod"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "morning routines",
        "personal development",
        "self improvement"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-model-thinker-what-you-need-to-know-to-make-data-work-for-you-7221a4",
      "title": "The Model Thinker: What You Need to Know to Make Data Work for You",
      "author": "Scott E. Page",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20198733,
          "author": "james_s_tayler",
          "createdAt": "2019-06-17T00:05:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 20196671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What to read after “Thinking in Systems”?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20198733",
          "commentText": "The Model Thinker is excellent.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Model Thinker is excellent.",
          "reason": "Calls the book excellent in response to a request for related reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19899492,
          "author": "emre",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T14:22:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19899492",
          "commentText": "I would recommend Poor Charlie's Almanack by Charlie Munger and these following two books:\nThe Model Thinker: What You Need to Know to Make Data Work for You by Scott Page\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Model-Thinker-What-Need-Know/dp/04650... (https://www.amazon.com/Model-Thinker-What-Need-Know/dp/0465094627)\nand\nThe Great Mental Models: General Thinking Concepts by Shane Parrish\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Great-Mental-Models-Thinking-Concepts... (https://www.amazon.com/Great-Mental-Models-Thinking-Concepts-ebook/dp/B07P79P8ST)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Model Thinker: What You Need to Know to Make Data Work for You by Scott Page",
          "reason": "Recommended as a book on mental models.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking books about mental models.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19896197,
          "author": "andrenth",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T03:14:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19896197",
          "commentText": "* Poor Charlie's Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger\n* Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger\n* The Model Thinker: What You Need to Know to Make Data Work for You\n* The Great Mental Models",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Model Thinker: What You Need to Know to Make Data Work for You",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott E. Page"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "complexity science",
        "data analysis",
        "data modeling",
        "mathematical models"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-motivation-hacker-b41da9",
      "title": "The Motivation Hacker",
      "author": "Nick Winter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11229877,
          "author": "fsiefken",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T16:16:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229877",
          "commentText": "That's a very broad question, so I read your comments to get a feel from where you might be coming from and/or going to and where you and I might overlap:\n* Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Antifragile, things that gain from disorder http://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Incer... (http://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Incerto/dp/0812979680/)\n* Jared Diamond. The World until yesterday, what can we learn from traditional societies http://www.amazon.com/World-Until-Yesterday-Traditional-Soci... (http://www.amazon.com/World-Until-Yesterday-Traditional-Societies/dp/0143124404)\n* Frans de Waal. The Bonobo and the Atheist: In Search of Humanism Among the Primates http://www.amazon.com/Bonobo-Atheist-Search-Humanism-Primate... (http://www.amazon.com/Bonobo-Atheist-Search-Humanism-Primates/dp/0393347796/)\n* John Higgs. The KLF: Chaos, Magic... http://www.amazon.com/KLF-Chaos-Magic-Music-Money-ebook/dp/B... (http://www.amazon.com/KLF-Chaos-Magic-Music-Money-ebook/dp/B00ABFHOS0/)\n* Joseph Jaworski. Synchronicity, the inner Path of leadership http://www.amazon.com/Synchronicity-The-Inner-Path-Leadershi... (http://www.amazon.com/Synchronicity-The-Inner-Path-Leadership-ebook/dp/B0051ANRBI)\n* Piero Ferrucci. Your Inner Will, finding personal strength in critical times http://www.amazon.com/Your-Inner-Will-Personal-Strength/dp/0... (http://www.amazon.com/Your-Inner-Will-Personal-Strength/dp/0399174931)\n* William Irvine. A Guide to the good life, the ancient art of stoic joy http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic/dp/01953... (http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic/dp/0195374614)\n* Chogyam Trungpa. Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior http://www.amazon.com/Shambhala-Sacred-Warrior-Chogyam-Trung... (http://www.amazon.com/Shambhala-Sacred-Warrior-Chogyam-Trungpa/dp/1590304519/)\n* Tomas Malik. Patience with God: The Story of Zacchaeus Continuing In Us http://www.amazon.com/Patience-God-Story-Zacchaeus-Continuin... (http://www.amazon.com/Patience-God-Story-Zacchaeus-Continuing/dp/0385524498/)\n* Nick Winter. The Motivation Hacker http://www.amazon.com/Motivation-Hacker-Nick-Winter/dp/09892... (http://www.amazon.com/Motivation-Hacker-Nick-Winter/dp/0989279820)\n* Chas Emerick, Brian Carper, Christophe Grad. Clojure Programming http://www.amazon.com/Clojure-Programming-Chas-Emerick/dp/14... (http://www.amazon.com/Clojure-Programming-Chas-Emerick/dp/1449394701)\nFiction:\n* Peter Hamilton - The Reality Dysfunction\n* Neal Stephenson - Cryptonomicon (his other hit: Snow Crash is surprisingly more history then SF now...)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nick Winter. The Motivation Hacker",
          "reason": "Included in a response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6976379,
          "author": "thinkersilver",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T20:30:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976379",
          "commentText": "I got this book 3 weeks ago. I agree it is a good book on motivation. It isn't very polished though, like some of the other popular psychology books out there. It isn't embellished with eloquent flowery writing or mind-blowing feats of accomplishments. This isn't a criticism but a strength. It reads more like a series of blog posts where the authour is discovering how to amp up his motivation using a set of hacks to tackle goals.  The format makes it easy to walk away from the book and apply it to those unfinished tasks that have been hanging over your head for months. It's a great find and ranks high on the books I've read this year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I agree it is a good book on motivation.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises it as a good book on motivation and says it is a great find.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not very polished.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6976123,
          "author": "rickdale",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T19:50:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976123",
          "commentText": "Two years ago I was lucky enough to read a comment here about the 4 Hour Body and how it changed someones life. I downloaded it and read it that night. Lost 50lbs. Never looked back.\nThis year the book that shaped my year has to be The Motivation Hacker by Nick Winter. Great read, teaches you how to motivate yourself to get shit done. Has worked really well for me.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/The-Motivation-Hacker-Nick-Winter-eboo... (http://www.amazon.com/The-Motivation-Hacker-Nick-Winter-ebook/dp/B00C8N4FNK)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great read, teaches you how to motivate yourself to get shit done.",
          "reason": "Praises the book and says it effectively teaches self-motivation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nick Winter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "motivation",
        "productivity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-peace-war-d4710c",
      "title": "The Peace War",
      "author": "Vernor Vinge",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23155739,
          "author": "kabdib",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T16:17:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23155739",
          "commentText": "Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek and Holy the Firm. Dillard has a way with words that is both eloquent and a little violent, and she influenced how I write just as much as Strunk and White's Elements of Style.\nDouglas Hofstadter's Godel, Escher, Bach for its captivating presentation of some very complicated ideas (at least to the 17 year old kid who read this for the first time). This book was published around the time that I was growing from hobby programming to writing software as a career, and it exposed me to non-trivial proofs, LISP, and recursion in general.\nVernor Vinge's The Peace War. It's a bit stupid, but . . . I want to make the tech in this book become reality :-)  Bobbles are sheer fantasy, of course, but the Tinker tech stack would be a lot of fun.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Vernor Vinge's The Peace War.",
          "reason": "Recommends it while expressing interest in making its technology real.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it a bit stupid and says its bobbles are sheer fantasy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027206,
          "author": "billswift",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T14:05:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027206",
          "commentText": "The Peace War and Marooned in Realtime are also in a one volume Across Realtime, which also includes his entertaining novella The Ungoverned which introduces some of the characters, including W W Brierson (sp?) of Marooned.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Peace War and Marooned in Realtime are also in a one volume Across Realtime",
          "reason": "Names it as one of the works collected in Across Realtime.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026940,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T07:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026940",
          "commentText": "I got myself a Sony Reader mid-2009 and started reading about twice more than I had been before. 2009 was also the first year in which I wasn't too lazy to document which books I read (I'm really glad I wasn't). Here're some of the favourites this year:\nClassics:\nKafka's The Process and America - both stunning novels that deserve to be read as much as his most famous, The Castle.\nJan Potocki, The Manuscript Found in Saragossa - a trippy collection of tales organised in multiple nested frames.\nScott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby.\nLeo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina. Still as breathtaking as I'd remembered it from the previous reading five years ago.\nScience Fiction:\nGene Wolfe, The Book of the New Sun. Wolfe, whom I hadn't read before, turns out to be in a class of his own. It's literary SF, overwhelmingly masterful and beautiful in its prose and characters, yet it could give any hardcore SF novel a run in terms of its ideas. It demands and richly rewards a close reading. I'll be reading more Wolfe in 2010.\nTed Chiang, collected stories. Chiang writes only stories, and has written just a few of them, but nearly every one is a gem. Read Understand on the web (http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/stories/under.htm) to see if you like his style - I do.\nVernor Vinge, A Deepness in the Sky, The Peace War, Marooned in Realtime. All great novels, but start from A Fire Upon the Deep (I read that in 2008) if you haven't read Vinge before, it's the best introduction.\nGreg Egan, Diaspora, Quarantine, Distress. Egan is the best hardcore SF author out there. _Diaspora_ is a fascinating take on shared simulated reality that's very different from the usual fare. Quarantine will appeal to your inner quantum mechanical geek.\nContemporary fiction:\nPynchon, V. Pynchon is the best novelist we've got. I recommend The Crying of the Lot 49 as the best Pynchon to start from; V is more difficult and much longer, but rewards the patience. I still can't get over the fact that Pynchon wrote and published this novel when he was 26.\nOrhan Pamuk, The Black Book.\nAnnie Proulx, Fine Just The Way It Is. A new collection of stories from the best writer about rural America out there. Three are extraordinary, two so-so, the rest very good.\nNon-fiction:\nW. Sidney Allen, Vox Graeca and Vox Latina. If you want to know how ancient Greek and Latin sounded, these are the books to read.\nElizabeth Lloyd. The Case Of The Female Orgasm. An interesting study into how available evolutionary explanations of female orgasm fail in various ways. This is a book about evolutionary biology and its methodological soundness as much as it is about explaining female orgasm.\nComputer-related:\nPeter Seibel, Coders at Work. A fantastic collection of interview with great programmers. The one 2009 book no hacker should be without.\nSqueak by Example. Does a great job of explaining Smalltalk in general and Squeak in particular.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All great novels, but start from A Fire Upon the Deep",
          "reason": "The commenter calls these novels great and recommends starting with A Fire Upon the Deep.",
          "audience": "Readers new to Vernor Vinge.",
          "caveat": "The commenter recommends beginning with A Fire Upon the Deep, which they read in 2008.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026444,
          "author": "xorphy",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T23:29:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026444",
          "commentText": "I basically discovered Vernor Vinge.\nA Fire Upon the Deep, by Vernor Vinge\nA Deepness in the Sky, by Vernor Vinge\nThe Peace War, by Vernor Vinge\nMarooned in Realtime, by Vernor Vinge\nHyperion, by Dan Simmons\nMrs. Perkins's Electric Quilt, a fun book about some math and physics problems",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Peace War, by Vernor Vinge",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vernor Vinge"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "advanced technology",
        "dystopia",
        "force fields",
        "hard science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-reasoned-schemer-786eb6",
      "title": "The Reasoned Schemer",
      "author": "Daniel P. Friedman, William E. Byrd, and Oleg Kiselyov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29307722,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T15:53:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29307722",
          "commentText": "> I thought Knuts Literate Programming book (https://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/lp.html) was extremely interesting, the paper \"the errors of TeX\" which is a part of it is one of the more interesting papers I've read.\nI haven't read any of Knuth's stuff because doesn't having 7 volumes kinda imply it can't possibly be well edited? Or maybe I really do just need to suck it up and read these books. I know it's not the same exact book but I took his style to be to generate encyclopedic tomes rather than interesting reading.\n> Algorithms + Data structures = Programs\nOo a Wirth book. Those are always good.\n> I know you said no to the little schemer but you technically didn't mention The Reasoned Schemer\nMan you're cutting it close there!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Man you're cutting it close there!",
          "reason": "Acknowledges that the suggestion comes close to the requester's stated exclusion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The requester had excluded The Little Schemer and considered this suggestion close to that boundary.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29307680,
          "author": "tephra",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T15:50:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29307680",
          "commentText": "I thought Knuts Literate Programming book (https://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/lp.html) was extremely interesting, the paper \"the errors of TeX\" which is a part of it is one of the more interesting papers I've read.\nJoe Armstrong used to recommend Algorithms + Data structures = Programs (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algorithms_%2B_Data_Structures... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algorithms_%2B_Data_Structures_%3D_Programs)) but I haven't read it.\nOkay I know you said no to the little schemer but you technically didn't mention The Reasoned Schemer which is just amazingly fun to go through and wrap your head around (https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/reasoned-schemer-second-editi... (https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/reasoned-schemer-second-edition)). Also see Will Byrds latest strangeloop keynote: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AffW-7ika0E",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Reasoned Schemer which is just amazingly fun to go through and wrap your head around",
          "reason": "Describes it as fun to work through and intellectually engaging.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7756999,
          "author": "mtalantikite",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:23:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7756999",
          "commentText": "\"Concepts, Techniques, and Models of Computer Programming\" by Peter Van Roy and Seif Haridi.\nAlso \"The Reasoned Schemer\", which has the same pedagogical style as the other Schemer books, but works around logic programming.\nBoth of those books are mind benders and I've gotten a lot out of them recently.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Both of those books are mind benders and I've gotten a lot out of them recently.",
          "reason": "The commenter says both books are challenging and have been valuable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Uses a similar pedagogical style to other Schemer books and focuses on logic programming.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2415714,
          "author": "charlieconroy",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T16:21:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2415714",
          "commentText": "This book like no other just makes me smile. I read this right after I graduated and started my \"real\" learning in programming and math. The intermission page list books on logic and set theory.\nFYI: it is the first book in a \"trilogy\" -- but your next book could be either of the other two (their only prereq is The Little Schemer). Listed below:\nReasoned Schemer: http://www.amazon.com/Reasoned-Schemer-Daniel-P-Friedman/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Reasoned-Schemer-Daniel-P-Friedman/dp/0262562146/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1302106654&sr=8-2)\nSeasoned Schemer: http://www.amazon.com/Seasoned-Schemer-Daniel-P-Friedman/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Seasoned-Schemer-Daniel-P-Friedman/dp/026256100X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1302106654&sr=8-1)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Reasoned Schemer:",
          "reason": "Named as one of the two books that can follow The Little Schemer in the trilogy.",
          "audience": "Readers who have read The Little Schemer.",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not state a preference between the two follow-up books.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel P. Friedman",
        "William E. Byrd",
        "Oleg Kiselyov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "logic programming",
        "scheme",
        "minikanren"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-rosie-project-d7c041",
      "title": "The Rosie Project",
      "author": "Graeme Simsion",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15976224,
          "author": "nkzednan",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-21T03:38:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15976224",
          "commentText": "Top books that I read this past year:\n- Hillbilly Elegy By JD Vance\n- Golden Son by Pierce Brown (second book in a trilogy) liked the whole trilogy\n- Rosie Project/Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion\n- Graceling by Kristin Cashore\n- Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rosie Project/Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's top books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15964247,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T21:05:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15964247",
          "commentText": "The Aeon 14 novels following Tanis Richards[1] have been a consistently good read. The Intrepid Saga and The Orion War series. Haven't ventured into the other offshoots as yet.\nThe Dome Trilogy[2] was also pretty good, as are the Rho Agenda series[3][4][5].\nAnd if you prefer horror to sci-fi, the I Am Not a Serial Killer series[6] was very good overall, although I thought it lost some steam in the last two books.\nAnd finally, The Rosie Project[7] was so completely charming I ended up reading it straight through in one night.\n[1] https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/6426890.M_D_Cooper\n[2] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25501349-unexpected-rain\n[3] https://www.goodreads.com/series/61746-the-rho-agenda\n[4] https://www.goodreads.com/series/142618-the-rho-agenda-incep... (https://www.goodreads.com/series/142618-the-rho-agenda-inception)\n[5] https://www.goodreads.com/series/175066-rho-agenda-assimilat... (https://www.goodreads.com/series/175066-rho-agenda-assimilation)\n[6] https://www.goodreads.com/series/49883-john-cleaver\n[7] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18015965-the-rosie-proje... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18015965-the-rosie-project)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "was so completely charming I ended up reading it straight through in one night.",
          "reason": "Calls the book completely charming.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12988672,
          "author": "simoch",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-18T18:03:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12988672",
          "commentText": "Several:\n* \"The Elements Of Computing Systems\", by Nisan and Schocken\nAccompanies www.nand2tetris.org and leads you through implementing logic gates, a CPU, Assembler, right up to a functional computer, with the help of simulator software on a PC. Fascinating, but requires 100-200 hours to complete all the exercises.\n* \"The Rosie Project\", by Graeme Simsion\nEasy to read novel about a man searching for a wife, as recommended on Bill Gates' blog\n* \"Island Of The Lost\", by Joan Druett\nA true story of survival after being shipwrecked on a remote island\n* \"River Town\", by Peter Hessler\nThe experiences of an English teacher who spent two years working in China",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Rosie Project\", by Graeme Simsion",
          "reason": "Described as an easy-to-read novel about a man searching for a wife.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for an easy-to-read novel.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Graeme Simsion"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "romantic comedy",
        "autism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-saas-playbook-30fef9",
      "title": "The SaaS Playbook",
      "author": "Rob Walling",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41704061,
          "author": "richardbui95",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-01T02:10:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 41693844,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good essays/books/advice about software sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41704061",
          "commentText": "The SaaS Playbook",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The SaaS Playbook",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41703378,
          "author": "bpiroman",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-01T00:05:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 41693844,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good essays/books/advice about software sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41703378",
          "commentText": "The Saas Playbook! Also includes a lot of good references for further reading",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Saas Playbook! Also includes a lot of good references for further reading",
          "reason": "Recommended as a resource, with further reading references.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41547100,
          "author": "bengale",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-15T12:29:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41547100",
          "commentText": "Couple of my favourites: building a story brand, obviously awesome and the saas playbook.\nThere’s good advice in this thread that is cautioning about getting stuck in research mode. There’s only so much you can get from books. You need to try and fail at some point.\nMy recommendation to this point is to not treat the books as a set of “how tos”, instead use them to develop a model of the world to test your instincts against.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the saas playbook",
          "reason": "Lists it among the commenter's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rob Walling"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "saas",
        "software business",
        "business strategy",
        "startups"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-satanic-verses-4d1d9f",
      "title": "The Satanic Verses",
      "author": "Salman Rushdie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5692079,
          "author": "JackGibbs",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T20:57:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5692079",
          "commentText": "Some authors and a rec or two for each.\nDFW - Infinite Jest\nPynchon - Really anything, but in particular Against the Day, V, and Gravity's Rainbow.\nRushdie - Shame and Satanic Verses, a lot of good other ones.\nNeal Stephenson - Cryptonomicon\nGaddis - JR, hence my name.\nHeller - Catch-22",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shame and Satanic Verses, a lot of good other ones.",
          "reason": "Included among the author's recommended books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says there are many other good ones.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026661,
          "author": "CamperBob",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T02:55:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026661",
          "commentText": "Both Grimus and Midnight's Children are great.  The Satanic Verses is worth a read but not before the first two IMO.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Satanic Verses is worth a read but not before the first two IMO.",
          "reason": "Recommends it with the qualification that the first two books should be read first.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Suggests reading Grimus and Midnight's Children before it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026424,
          "author": "andrewcooke",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T23:12:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026424",
          "commentText": "have you read midnight's children?  if so, how does satanic verses compare to that?  i thought children was wonderful, but everything i've read since by rushdie has been a disappointment (often flat our boring).  i often wonder if i give him another chance and take on satanic verses....",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "how does satanic verses compare to that?",
          "reason": "Asks how it compares to Midnight's Children; gives no evaluation of this title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says other Rushdie books have disappointed, but does not assess this title directly.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026340,
          "author": "reg4c",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T22:17:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026340",
          "commentText": "Harmony Silk Factory - Tash Aw\nSatanic Verses - Salman Rushdi\nOld Man and the Sea - Hemingway",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Satanic Verses - Salman Rushdi",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Salman Rushdie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "magical realism",
        "postcolonial literature",
        "postcolonial fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-schopenhauer-cure-76c6f9",
      "title": "The Schopenhauer Cure",
      "author": "Irvin D. Yalom",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22721036,
          "author": "diehunde",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T17:57:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22721036",
          "commentText": "By Irvin Yalom. Great if you also want to learn bit of philosophy:\n- When Nietzsche Wept\n- The Schopenhauer Cure\n- The Spinoza Problem",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Schopenhauer Cure",
          "reason": "Listed as a fiction recommendation in response to the thread’s request.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1633544,
          "author": "dwwoelfel",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T17:42:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1633544",
          "commentText": "The Schopenhauer Cure: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0066214416/\nWhen Nietzsche Wept:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0060975504/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Schopenhauer Cure: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0066214416/",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed your life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1632694,
          "author": "dimitrisli",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T13:01:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1632694",
          "commentText": "'The Schopenhauer Cure' and 'When Nietzsche Wept', both by Irvin D. Yalom",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Schopenhauer Cure'",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Irvin D. Yalom"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "group therapy",
        "philosophical fiction",
        "existential therapy",
        "group psychotherapy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-tao-is-silent-a52bd5",
      "title": "The Tao Is Silent",
      "author": "Raymond Smullyan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503523,
          "author": "hh",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T11:54:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503523",
          "commentText": "I like this book also.  Every well written by a Western logician.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I like this book also.",
          "reason": "Clearly seconds the parent comment's named book and says they like it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503269,
          "author": "shachaf",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T07:26:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503269",
          "commentText": "_The Tao is Silent_, by Raymond Smullyan, comes to mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "_The Tao is Silent_, by Raymond Smullyan, comes to mind.",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to a request for philosophical book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027146,
          "author": "rsaarelm",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T12:44:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027146",
          "commentText": "Fiction, mostly.\nDeclare, by Tim Powers. Cold war espionage with black magic. Entertainingly bleak, and probably did a lot more weirdness with real history than I knew how to appreciate.\nProducing Open Source Software (http://producingoss.com/), by Karl Fogel. A very thorough look into all sorts of practical matters in running a large open source software project.\nThe Engines of Light trilogy by Ken MacLeod. Entertaining, though a bit erratic. Makes a bunch of Forteana fit in a hard SF framework. Also the second MacLeod book I've read that has a weird pixie dust immortality treatment that seems incongruous with the rest of the technology level.\nMatter by Iain M. Banks. Culture again after Algebraist. Still good.\nThe Dark Side of the Sun by Terry Pratchett. Finally got around to reading this one. Was surprisingly fresh. It would have been interesting to see Pratchett write more science fiction after this and Strata around 30 years ago.\nThe City and the Stars by Arthur C. Clarke. Another old SF book. This one wasn't very fresh, seemed like two or three different novels stapled together, with bits and pieces that might work pretty well if it weren't for the other bits and pieces.\nCrooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis. Not a lot of surprises, if you know what Warren Ellis tends to write. Basically a road trip novel through various degeneracies in America. Fun, but tends to go for gross-out warrenellisisms in favor of overall coherence.\nNeuropath by Scott Bakker. A technothriller about all sorts of fun things you can do by directly rewiring peoples' brains with near-future neurosurgery. Bakker's chilly philosophical outlook doesn't pack quite the same punch in an already mostly rationalistic setting as it did in the Prince of Nothing fantasy books. Sticks with a single not particularly unsympathetic viewpoint character and therefore avoids the problem in Prince of Nothing where you'd often end up in the head of someone you really don't want to be anywhere near.\nThe Tao is Silent by Raymond Smullyan. Smullyan writes various essays inspired by Taoism. Quality varies, but Smullyan is generally fun to read.\nOn SF by Thomas Disch. Beautifully acerbic essays by someone who takes science fiction literature seriously and doesn't let it off easy. And just plain likes to insult people. Representative, though noticeably dated sample: http://www.press.umich.edu/pdf/9780472068968-1.pdf\nDenner's Wreck by Lawrence Watt-Evans. Watt-Evans has an specific style of writing from what follows from the setting and premises rather than going for the most dramatically obvious plot. The results are hit-and-miss with his fantasy novels I've read, but work a lot better here, where the legends of a bronze-age civilization end up emerging from a science fiction setting. Watt-Evans' narrative style supports the plot where the traditional stories end up not really being what they seem to be.\nThe Official Book of Ultima by Shay Addams. It tells how Richard Garriott's obsession with programming in high school lead to the Ultima game series, which were one of the most notable computer games in the 80s and became the flagship product of Garriott's Origin Systems company. Also documents how the games grew from Ultima I being programmed by Garriot alone learning as he went along into Ultima VI developed by a large team. There is much detail about Ultima VI, which was being developed as the book was written. Much of it also conflicts with the game that ended up being released, and I ended up wondering whether this was about the game changing during production or just Addams getting his facts wrong.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Tao is Silent by Raymond Smullyan. Smullyan writes various essays inspired by Taoism. Quality varies, but Smullyan is generally fun to read.",
          "reason": "Says the author is generally fun to read, while noting quality varies.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Taoism and philosophical essays.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the quality varies.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Raymond Smullyan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "taoism",
        "essays",
        "logic",
        "philosophical humor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-tao-of-physics-a715ea",
      "title": "The Tao of Physics",
      "author": "Fritjof Capra",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15156316,
          "author": "RockyMcNuts",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:05:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156316",
          "commentText": "The Emperor's New Mind, by Roger Penrose\nThe Tao of Physics, by Fritjof Capra\nDancing Wu Li Masters, by Gary Zukav\nThe Naked Ape, by Desmond Morris\nThe Road to Serfdom, by Friedrich Hayek\nThe Worldly Philosophers, by Robert Heilbroner\nThe Story of Philosophy, by Will Durant\nGrammatical Man, by Jeremy Campbell\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert M. Pirsig\nFlow, by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Tao of Physics, by Fritjof Capra",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which books had the biggest impact on mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1766999,
          "author": "naradaellis",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-07T06:06:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1763111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Anyone read Tibetan Book of Living and Dying?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1766999",
          "commentText": "I got very excited a while a go when I found out that this book existed, and that it was Capra who wrote it (the Web of Life was great), but the top amazon reviews at the time were pretty disparaging. Looks like the top reviews have shifted since last time I was there though, I'll probably give it a try.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "this book existed, and that it was Capra who wrote it (the Web of Life was great)",
          "reason": "The commenter is interested in trying it after enjoying another book by Capra.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Top Amazon reviews had been disparaging.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1765396,
          "author": "rblion",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-06T19:11:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 1763111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Anyone read Tibetan Book of Living and Dying?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1765396",
          "commentText": "Read this book: http://www.amazon.com/Tao-Physics-Exploration-Parallels-Myst... (http://www.amazon.com/Tao-Physics-Exploration-Parallels-Myst..).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read this book:",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the linked book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1763956,
          "author": "rblion",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-06T14:05:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 1763111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Anyone read Tibetan Book of Living and Dying?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1763956",
          "commentText": "Read this book: \nhttp://www.amazon.com/Tao-Physics-Exploration-Parallels-Myst... (http://www.amazon.com/Tao-Physics-Exploration-Parallels-Mysticism/dp/1590308352/ref=pd_sim_b_16)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read this book:",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the linked book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1763947,
          "author": "rblion",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-06T14:03:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 1763111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Anyone read Tibetan Book of Living and Dying?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1763947",
          "commentText": "I think Steve Jobs, Jason Fried and many other design geeks can relate to this experience in their developing years.\nIt is what it is. Psychedelic means mind-manifesting so the two should go hand in hand anyways. I think people just overthink enlightenment and miss how simple the universe really is. Ancient wisdom and modern science are coming together and revealing the same truths.\nRead this book: \nhttp://www.amazon.com/Tao-Physics-Exploration-Parallels-Myst... (http://www.amazon.com/Tao-Physics-Exploration-Parallels-Mysticism/dp/1590308352/ref=pd_sim_b_16)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read this book:",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the linked book in the discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fritjof Capra"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "eastern mysticism",
        "quantum physics",
        "eastern philosophy",
        "physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-theory-of-moral-sentiments-bfa824",
      "title": "The Theory of Moral Sentiments",
      "author": "Adam Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41787743,
          "author": "throw0101b",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-09T13:26:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41787743",
          "commentText": "> How is Wealth of Nations surprising for a modern reader?\nMost people haven't read it, and tend to only reference things like \"invisible hand\", and skim/skip over a lot of Smith's 'moralizing'. His book before Wealth was after all The Theory of Moral Sentiments:\n* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Theory_of_Moral_Sentiments\nIf you don't want to read Ye Olde English, perhaps see Glory Liu's book Adam Smith’s America:\n> Drawing on a trove of illuminating archival materials, Liu tells the story of how an unassuming Scottish philosopher captured the American imagination and played a leading role in shaping American economic and political ideas. She shows how Smith became known as the father of political economy in the nineteenth century and was firmly associated with free trade, and how, in the aftermath of the Great Depression, the Chicago School of Economics transformed him into the preeminent theorist of self-interest and the miracle of free markets. Liu explores how a new generation of political theorists and public intellectuals has sought to recover Smith’s original intentions and restore his reputation as a moral philosopher.\n* https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60015569-adam-smith-s-am... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60015569-adam-smith-s-america)\nInterview:\n* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbQjDpUfJrs\nShe goes into the \"Adam Smith Problem\"; one paper on it:\n> Adam Smith is best known for his economic theories that extoll the free market and individual self-interest. These ideas are the focus of Smith's second book, The Wealth of Nations. However, Smith also made large contributions to the fields of ethics and moral philosophy. Nearly 20 years prior to the publication of The Wealth of Nations, Smith first became a renowned moral philosopher when he published The Theory of Moral Sentiments. In The Theory of Moral Sentiments, Smith outlines the nature of morality. This morality, for Smith, places an emphasis upon sympathy and compassion, which are felt by imagining the plight of others through the impartial spectator. This impartial spectator is a mode of thinking that allows for one to adjudge the actions of others in relation to society's general attitudes toward that said action. Despite Smith's consummate rumination in both books, there seems to be a disconnect between Smith's moral philosophy, found within The Theory of Moral Sentiments, and his economic philosophy, found within The Wealth of Nations. How can Smith eulogize compassion and fellow feeling in one writing, while also holding that self-interest is necessary for the advancement of society in another? This disconnect is known as the Adam Smith Problem. The purpose of this project is to acknowledge the existence of The Adam Smith Problem by seeing it not as an attempt to undermine Smith's intellectual continuity, but as a challenge to reconcile the self-interested nature of humanity with higher moral standards accomplished through compassion. This reconciliation is accomplished through the notion of a liberal society in which an individual is both free to do anything that does not harm another and can expect society to maintain a higher set of moral standards through a justice system. Both wealth proliferation through self-interest and the upholding of higher values through compassion are predicates of this liberal society: the culmination of Smith's philosophy.\n* https://quod.lib.umich.edu/u/umurj/16481002.0014.007/--adam-... (https://quod.lib.umich.edu/u/umurj/16481002.0014.007/--adam-smith-problem-integrating-self-interest-with-justice?rgn=main;view=fulltext)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "His book before Wealth was after all The Theory of Moral Sentiments",
          "reason": "Identified as Smith's earlier book on moral philosophy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20917175,
          "author": "protomyth",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T11:38:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20917175",
          "commentText": "If you are going to read Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations, then you should probably read The Theory of Moral Sentiments first.  It helps with the understanding.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you should probably read The Theory of Moral Sentiments first. It helps with the understanding.",
          "reason": "Recommended as preparation for understanding The Wealth of Nations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12563793,
          "author": "Dowwie",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T11:35:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12563793",
          "commentText": "Why finance?  Finance was the major viable option for people with your background but that's not the case anymore.  Every industry needs people with your background -- more than ever!\nHowever, if you're hell bent on going into finance and you're going to read one economics book, read Thomas Piketty, \"Capital for 21st Century\".\nThese are the classic economics tomes that you'd read over a lifetime:\nKarl Marx, \"Capital\"\nAdam Smith, \"The Theory of Moral Sentiments\"\nAdam Smith, \"The Wealth of Nations\"\nFA Hayek, \"The Road to Serfdom\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Adam Smith, \"The Theory of Moral Sentiments\"",
          "reason": "Lists it among classic economics works to read over a lifetime.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring classic economics texts.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12561975,
          "author": "AndrewKemendo",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T02:47:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12561975",
          "commentText": "The following list will introduce you to Western Economic Philosophy as it relates to modern history specifically. This list is weighted heavily toward neo-classical economics and does not get into computational model based economics - specifically microeconomics, which comprises the bulk of economics education today:\nSchumpeter - History of economic analysis\nAdam Smith - Theory of Moral Sentiments\nKaynes - The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money\nMarx - Capital\nBenjamin Graham - The Intelligent Investor\nGalbraith - The Affluent Society\nGalbraith - The Great Crash\nMilton Friedman - Capitalism and Freedom\nNassim Taleb - Black Swan\nRon Suskind - Confidence Men\nScott Patterson - Dark Pools\nIf you want to delve into heterodox economics afterward, start with the following:\nHayek - Individualism and Economic Order\nMises - Human Action\nRothbard - Man, Economy, State",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Adam Smith - Theory of Moral Sentiments",
          "reason": "Included in a list described as an introduction to Western economic philosophy.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring economic thought in modern history.",
          "caveat": "The list is weighted toward neoclassical economics and excludes computational model based economics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348831,
          "author": "andrea_sdl",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:35:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348831",
          "commentText": "Quiet by Susan Cain, great book about introversion and why we have the \"Extrovert Ideal\".\nIt's really fascinating to see how introverts have their qualities and how\nZen and the art of motorcycle maintenance - Robert Pirsig:\nFantastic book that talks about philosophy in a new way and goes deeper into discovering what's \"Quality\" and what are the main 2 ways of interacting/reading the world around us.\nAdam Smith, theory of moral sentiments: Just began the book under ryan holiday advice, but can't really say more about it.\nGame of thrones, 1st volume, I suppose this book doesn't need any explanation :)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Adam Smith, theory of moral sentiments: Just began the book under ryan holiday advice, but can't really say more about it.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has just begun reading and says they cannot yet say more about it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adam Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "moral philosophy",
        "classical economics",
        "economic thought",
        "ethics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-two-faces-of-tomorrow-deeee6",
      "title": "The Two Faces of Tomorrow",
      "author": "James P. Hogan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46161500,
          "author": "ashtavakra",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-05T14:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46161500",
          "commentText": "I consolidated the comments for my reference later. Someone else might also find it useful:\n# Fiction Books Recommended for Programmers (HN Thread 46128404)\n## Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- *Children of Time* — Science Fiction (Evolution, Space Opera)  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)\n## Rick Cook — Wizardry Series\n- *Wizard’s Bane* — Fantasy, Programming/Magic Mashup  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112616.Wizard_s_Bane\n- *Wizardry Series (overview)*  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\n## James P. Hogan\n- *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/743568.Inherit_the_Stars\n- *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifem... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifemaker)\n- *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_Tomorrow)\n## D. F. Jones — Colossus Trilogy\n- *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806105.Colossus\n- *The Fall of Colossus* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colos... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colossus)\n- *Colossus and the Crab* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_Crab)\n## Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner)\n- *A Logic Named Joe* — Golden-Age Sci-Fi, AI Precursor  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-j... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-joe)\n## David Gerrold\n- *When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One* — AI, Classic Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_Was_One)\n## William Gibson / Bruce Sterling\n- *Neuromancer* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer\n- *The Difference Engine* — Steampunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Eng... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Engine)\n## Neal Stephenson\n- *Snow Crash* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash\n- *Cryptonomicon* — Techno-thriller, Cyber-history  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/816.Cryptonomicon\n- *Anathem* — Philosophical Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2845024-anathem\n- *The Diamond Age* — Nanopunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827.The_Diamond_Age\n## Fred Saberhagen\n- *Octagon* — AI, Techno-thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1891958.Octagon\n## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga\n- *Series Overview* — Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/40946-vorkosigan-saga\n## Richard Powers\n- *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45104.Galatea_2_2\n## Scott Meyer\n- *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-wizard)\n## Daniel Suarez\n- *Daemon* — Cyber-thriller, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665844-daemon\n## Thomas J. Ryan\n- *The Adolescence of P-1* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_o... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_of_P_1)\n## Ernest Cline\n- *Ready Player One* — Sci-Fi, Gaming, Pop-Culture Adventure  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one\n## Dennis E. Taylor\n- *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)* — Humorous Sci-Fi, AI, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-we-are-bob)\n## Ted Chiang\n- *Stories of Your Life and Others* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\n- *Exhalation* — Speculative Fiction, Philosophy, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation\n- *The Lifecycle of Software Objects* — AI, Digital Consciousness  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of-software-objects)\n## Charles Stross\n- *Laundry Files Series* — Math-based Magic, Techno-Fantasy  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files\n## Ken Liu\n- *The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menag... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories)\n- *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, AI, VR  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl-and-other-stories)\n## Ellen Ullman\n- *The Bug* — Tech Industry Literary Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/703.The_Bug\n## Cory Doctorow\n- *Radicalized* — Techno-sociopolitical Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40604122-radicalized\n## qntm (Sam Hughes)\n- *Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans-in-transit-and-other-stories)\n## Roger Williams\n- *The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect* — AI, Post-Singularity SF  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)\n## Greg Bear\n- *Eon* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/924843.Eon\n## Vernor Vinge\n- *A Deepness in the Sky* — Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the_Sky)\n## Terry Pratchett\n- *Going Postal* — Comic Fantasy, Satire of Bureaucracy & Tech  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64222.Going_Postal\n## Bruce Bethke\n- *Headcrash* — Cyber-satire  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213465.Headcrash\n## Mary Shelley\n- *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* — Classic Gothic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein\n## Douglas Adams\n- *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* — Comic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guid... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)\n## Jorge Luis Borges\n- *The Library of Babel* — Metaphysical Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-babel)\n## Greg Egan\n- *Permutation City* — Simulation Theory, Hard Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156784.Permutation_City\n## Cixin Liu\n- *The Three-Body Problem* — Hard Sci-Fi, First Contact  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction",
          "reason": "Lists the title in a compilation of fiction books recommended for programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46130213,
          "author": "LarryMade2",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T04:09:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46130213",
          "commentText": "These are all entertaining:\nDefinitely the Wizardry series by Rick Cook\nhttps://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/rick-cook/wizardry/\nProgramming meets magical realms\nJames Hogan\nInherit the Stars - Has supercomputers but not main characters\nCode of the Lifemaker Has Ancient Tech evolving into a robotic society\nTwo Faces of Tomorrow  - humans trying to get along with AI\nD.F.Jones\nColossus, the Fall of Colossus, and Colossus and the Crab\nHumans creating machines to protect humanity (computers have different idea) and the rebellion, and a new threat.\nA Logic Names Joe - radioplay of short story.\nhttps://archive.org/details/OTRR_X_Minus_One_Singles/XMinusO... (https://archive.org/details/OTRR_X_Minus_One_Singles/XMinusOne55-12-28031ALogicNamedJoe.mp3)\nThe internet and AI long before the internet and AI.\nDavid Gerrold - When H.A.R.L.I.E. was One - and other tales involving Artificial Super Intelligence\nWilliam Gibson - Neuromancer and related - Cyberpunk series, the Difference Engine - a Steampunk technology tale.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Two Faces of Tomorrow  - humans trying to get along with AI",
          "reason": "Listed among entertaining books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15428898,
          "author": "pdfernhout",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:48:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428898",
          "commentText": "Almost anything by James P. Hogan -- one of the best hard sci-fi writers as he trained as an electrical and computer engineer (including about AI like \"The Two Faces of Tomorrow\" from 1979 and still a good read as it was informed by talking to Marvin Minsky at the MIT AI lab): http://www.jamesphogan.com/biblio/novels.php\nMost of his sci-fi is from the late 1970s through the early 2000s.\nI especially like his Voyage From Yesteryear from 1982:\nhttp://www.jamesphogan.com/books/info.php?titleID=29&cmd=sum... (http://www.jamesphogan.com/books/info.php?titleID=29&cmd=summary)\n\"The fun begins when a generation ship housing a population of thousands arrives to \"reclaim\" the colony on behalf of the repressive, authoritarian regime that emerged following the crisis period. The Mayflower II brings with it all the tried and tested apparatus for bringing a recalcitrant population to heel: authority, with its power structure and symbolism, to impress; commercial institutions with the promise of wealth and possessions, to tempt and ensnare; a religious presence, to awe and instill duty and obedience; and if all else fails, armed military force to compel. But what happens when these methods encounter a population that has never been conditioned to respond? ... \n  The book has an interesting corollary. Around about the mid eighties, I received a letter notifying me that the story had been serialized in an underground Polish s.f. magazine. They hadn't exactly \"stolen\" it, the publishers explained, but had credited zlotys to an account in my name there, so if I ever decided to take a holiday in Poland the expenses would be covered (there was no exchange mechanism with Western currencies at that time). Then the story started surfacing in other countries of Eastern Europe, by all accounts to an enthusiastic reception. What they liked there, apparently, was the updated \"Ghandiesque\" formula on how bring down an oppressive regime when it's got all the guns. And a couple of years later, they were all doing it!\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Two Faces of Tomorrow\" from 1979 and still a good read",
          "reason": "Calls it a good read while discussing the author's AI-related novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James P. Hogan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Computing",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "computer systems",
        "hard science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-vital-question-energy-evolution-and-the-origins-of-complex-li-72f821",
      "title": "The Vital Question: Energy, Evolution, and the Origins of Complex Life",
      "author": "Nick Lane",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33382506,
          "author": "Jedd",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T09:45:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382506",
          "commentText": "Nick Lane's 'Transformer - The Deep Chemistry of Life and Death' (2022).\nI read it just after reading his 2016 novel 'The Vital Question - Energy, Evolution, and the Origins of Complex Life'.\nCan recommend both, and I believe both were suggestions I picked up from HN originally.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read it just after reading his 2016 novel 'The Vital Question - Energy, Evolution, and the Origins of Complex Life'.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it alongside Transformer.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17927653,
          "author": "headsupernova",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-06T17:01:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17927653",
          "commentText": "I'm a third of the way through the Vital Question - absolutely amazing read so far. The concept of eukaryotes' high energy per gene opening up the doors for all of this marvelous complexity is so simple and powerful. Can't wait to keep reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "absolutely amazing read so far",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an amazing read and praises its central concept.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is a third of the way through.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910652,
          "author": "Symmetry",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T17:04:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910652",
          "commentText": "The Secret of Our Success on the co-evolution of humans and human culture.\nThe Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution on what are states, where do they come from, and how do they work?\nThe Vital Question: Energy, Evolution, and the Origins of Complex Life is just what it says on the tin.\nThe Strategy of Conflict is the original book on game theory which stands up pretty well.\nConsciousness and the Brain: Deciphering How the Brain Codes Our Thoughts on the modern science of what we know about what consciousness is.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Vital Question: Energy, Evolution, and the Origins of Complex Life is just what it says on the tin.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nick Lane"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bioenergetics",
        "evolution",
        "origin of life",
        "origins of life"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-way-things-work-469a31",
      "title": "The Way Things Work",
      "author": "David Macaulay",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50038542,
          "author": "sp332",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T00:33:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50038542",
          "commentText": "Graeme Base's illustrations are super good, especially the ones where he hides things that you have to go back and look for. And +1 for The Way Things Work.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for The Way Things Work",
          "reason": "The commenter endorses the title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 50038526,
          "author": "semiquaver",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T00:31:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50038526",
          "commentText": "It Might be an Apple (Shinsuke Yoshitake)\nThe Skull (Jon Klassen)\nThe Way Things Work\n(David Macaulay)\nAnimalia (Graeme Base)\nNanette’s Baguette (Mo Willlems)\nThe princess and the Pony (Kate Beaton)\nFrederick (Leo Leoni)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Way Things Work\n(David Macaulay)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite children's books.",
          "audience": "Children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35578468,
          "author": "carbonguy",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-15T07:30:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 35566416,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technology/creative books and games for my daughter (7 years)",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35578468",
          "commentText": "Perhaps a bit late to the thread here, but I have to put in my $0.02 for \"The Way Things Work\" (and its sequels):\nhttps://www.alibris.com/Way-Things-Work-David-Macaulay/book/... (https://www.alibris.com/Way-Things-Work-David-Macaulay/book/7141802?matches=483)\nFor the unfamiliar - the book is an illustrated guide to how different kinds of mechanisms and designed systems work starting from simple machines, levers, wheel and axle, etc. through to nuclear fission and moving on through computers in the sequels.\nDavid Macaulay's writing and illustrations are top-notch. Honestly, all of his books are great, but this is the one that I actually owned when I was younger so I read it all the time - hard to put into words the impact it had on me at around that same age.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I have to put in my $0.02 for \"The Way Things Work\" (and its sequels)",
          "reason": "An illustrated guide to mechanisms and designed systems, from simple machines to nuclear fission.",
          "audience": "The commenter says it had an impact on them at around the age of the 7-year-old in the question.",
          "caveat": "They particularly recommend the book they owned; their description mentions computers in the sequels.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Macaulay"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Science",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s nonfiction",
        "engineering",
        "how things work",
        "illustrated reference"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-world-of-null-a-19f387",
      "title": "The World of Null-A",
      "author": "A. E. van Vogt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19896976,
          "author": "Zanni",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T07:27:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19896976",
          "commentText": "Language in Thought and Action by S. I. Hayakawa is an introduction to General Semantics and deals with the limitations of language-oriented mental models, e.g. \"the map is not the territory,\" a reminder that a model is just a model and not reality (or what Joel Spolsky would call \"a leaky abstraction\"). [0]\nThe World of Null-A by A. E. Van Vogt is a science-fiction novel with a world that has largely adopted General Semantics. [1]\n[0]https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/567189.Language_in_Thoug... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/567189.Language_in_Thought_and_Action)\n[1]https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/951290.The_World_of_Null... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/951290.The_World_of_Null_A)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The World of Null-A by A. E. Van Vogt is a science-fiction novel with a world that has largely adopted General Semantics.",
          "reason": "Identifies the novel and its premise as a related example; no evaluation is given.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13969001,
          "author": "pugio",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T16:19:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13969001",
          "commentText": "The World of Null-A\nI found a yellow-paged first edition on my parents' shelves as a young kid, and was heavily shaped by the idea of a character (and society) that trained themselves to think clearly.\nThis included years of training on how to channel (and ground) one's emotions, and a constant and deep understanding of \"the map is not the territory\". Or, in other words, our mental models are just that, and should be discarded or updated as soon as reality differs from them.\nThis allowed the character to respond with almost superhuman speed when confronted with otherwise traumatic emotional revelations, and the society as a whole to reorganize in response to an incipient alien invasion.\nI've been trying to train myself to think like that ever since, and it has probably contributed to the large gap I felt between the thinking of my peers and me as I grew up.\nI'm not sure how well the book holds up now, without my nostalgia colored glasses, but I still reread it every few years to remind me of the direction of my thoughts.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've been trying to train myself to think like that ever since",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book shaped how they think and they still reread it.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in clear thinking, mental models, and emotional discipline.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure how well it holds up without nostalgia.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056539,
          "author": "jfoucher",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:21:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056539",
          "commentText": "Null-A is probably the Van Vogt's most famous book, but others are great as well, I loved \"Slan\" from the same author : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slan",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Null-A is probably the Van Vogt's most famous book",
          "reason": "Identifies it as the author's most famous book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056490,
          "author": "tech-no-logical",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:07:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056490",
          "commentText": "didn't expect anyone to mention this book... but it's been a long time favorite of mine. I first read it in my teens, when I was heavily into asimov, vance, dick and other classics :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's been a long time favorite of mine. I first read it in my teens",
          "reason": "The commenter says it has long been a favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056448,
          "author": "joelanders",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T11:55:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056448",
          "commentText": "Stumbled across and started reading \nA. E. van Vogt's \"The World of Null-A\" last night.\nSuper trippy.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_of_Null-A\nhttp://www.amazon.com/World-Null--E-Van-Vogt/dp/0765300974/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A. E. van Vogt's \"The World of Null-A\" last night.\nSuper trippy.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it “Super trippy,” conveying a positive reaction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "A. E. van Vogt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classic science fiction",
        "non aristotelian logic",
        "dystopia",
        "general semantics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "things-to-make-and-do-in-the-fourth-dimension-69cae9",
      "title": "Things to Make and Do in the Fourth Dimension",
      "author": "Matt Parker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23739344,
          "author": "Nikhiil",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-05T15:21:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23739344",
          "commentText": "Another great book that's worth a read is \"Things to make and do in the 4th dimension\" by Matt Parker.\nIt is a really interesting book as it covers multiple topics from mathematics and being that you are a young reader you might benefit from that exposure to topic.\nFrom there on you can fine the topics that interest and dive deeper and learn the nitty gritty!\nThats how I personally found my passion in topology.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another great book that's worth a read is \"Things to make and do in the 4th dimension\" by Matt Parker.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as an enjoyable introduction to multiple math topics.",
          "audience": "Young readers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23727301,
          "author": "njkleiner",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T20:35:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23727301",
          "commentText": "This might be a bit of a different take than the other comments here, but I highly enjoyed reading Things to Make and Do in the Fourth Dimension by Matt Parker when I first became interested in maths.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly enjoyed reading Things to Make and Do in the Fourth Dimension by Matt Parker",
          "reason": "Recommends it based on having highly enjoyed reading it after becoming interested in mathematics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21765978,
          "author": "TallGuyShort",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-11T19:41:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 21765528,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fun Tech Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21765978",
          "commentText": "\"Things to Make and Do in the Fourth Dimension\" is really fun, but it's not really tech, it's more just math. But I do a lot of work with scientific / numerical computing so some may group them together. In addition to math, it covers some interesting algorithms and fun ways to use spreadsheets for images, etc.\nI also really enjoy books about the tech used in the early space program. \"Digital Apollo\" is probably the one that makes the best light / easy reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Things to Make and Do in the Fourth Dimension\" is really fun",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is really fun and describes its math, algorithms, and spreadsheet projects.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in math, algorithms, and scientific computing.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is more math than tech.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matt Parker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "recreational mathematics",
        "four dimensional geometry",
        "fourth dimension",
        "mathematical puzzles"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "thinking-in-java-745512",
      "title": "Thinking in Java",
      "author": "Bruce Eckel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3571149,
          "author": "liva",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-09T14:09:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 3570099,
          "threadTitle": "Best book to study Java",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3571149",
          "commentText": "Thinking in Java by Bruce Eckel is a great book and teaches you not only the \"What\"s and \"How\"s of Java but also the \"Why\"s. http://amzn.to/o2lVx0",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking in Java by Bruce Eckel is a great book",
          "reason": "Praised for teaching Java's what, how, and why.",
          "audience": "Readers learning Java.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 221534,
          "author": "silencio",
          "createdAt": "2008-06-19T04:44:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 221097,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Best book for Java",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=221534",
          "commentText": "I had one introductory Java class that used that book and I didn't find it very helpful. I ended up using it literally as a doorstop after the prof suggested we do so as a joke, only kept it to do the assignments from the book, and went with Eckel's Thinking in Java instead.\nThat was a few years ago and a couple editions back..but I think some of it was personal preference/frustration. It's been a while so I forgot what my particular gripes were..I thought the introductory stuff was okay but (iirc) what ended up happening was that the book didn't cover anything particularly advanced that I wanted to know more about, which at that point was probably things like JDBC and JavaServer...things...I guess back then it was JSP and servlets, it looks like they dropped that for JSF in the newer editions. Obviously I can't expect a book to cover everything, but I mean I was expecting at least a gloss-over of the more advanced topics.\nPlus, if I remember correctly, a new edition of Thinking in Java was less than half the price and an older edition is available online for free. Sooo...",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "went with Eckel's Thinking in Java instead",
          "reason": "The commenter chose this book after finding another Java book unhelpful.",
          "audience": "Java learners.",
          "caveat": "This states a choice, not a positive evaluation of the book itself.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 221375,
          "author": "jm4",
          "createdAt": "2008-06-19T00:17:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 221097,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Best book for Java",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=221375",
          "commentText": "While slightly off topic, albertcardona may have a point here. This deserves some clarification. It may be that they specifically need Java if they're going to have some in house programmers maintain the application later, but if all they're really interested in is the JVM then you've got some options you may want to consider. I don't want to stray too far here, but one thing I've noticed about many Java people is that they have very narrow views of what's good. (Don't flame me. I'm a Java developer myself.) Maybe they're just playing it safe. It seems to be a common theme with Java. Basically, for several years now the prevailing attitude has been that Struts is the only game in town, but there is a world of other good options for the JVM.\nAnyway, back on topic... If you must go the Struts route do yourself a favor and use Struts 2. It's been a little while since I've been in the Java web development world, but when I was keeping up with it a lot of developers still hadn't moved on yet. It's light years ahead of Struts 1 and really not so bad to work with as far as Java web development is concerned.\nSome others have mentioned 'Thinking in Java'. It's a great book for those new to Java and especially object oriented programming. A seasoned programmer may find it a little verbose. Either way it's free to read online so it's probably worth checking out. If you're looking for something a little smaller to digest you might want to check out Sun's tutorials, and the Java API docs are invaluable. The language itself is simple; it's knowledge of the standard libraries that separates a good Java developer from a mediocre one.\n'Effective Java' and 'Hardcore Java' (specifically the chapter on the Collections API) should be mandatory reading for Java developers as well so you may want to check those out once you get up to speed with the language.\nFor learning Struts, I'd check out the online docs first. Last time I checked they were pretty good. If you still want a book, I've found the 'In Action' series from Manning Press to be good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a great book for those new to Java and especially object oriented programming.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book for people new to Java and object oriented programming.",
          "audience": "People new to Java or object oriented programming.",
          "caveat": "A seasoned programmer may find it verbose.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 221202,
          "author": "strlen",
          "createdAt": "2008-06-18T21:35:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 221097,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Best book for Java",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=221202",
          "commentText": "Bruce Eckel's _Thinking in Java_ (available free online, just as are his C++, Design Patterns and .NET books) is excellent, combined with just API references.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bruce Eckel's _Thinking in Java_ (available free online, just as are his C++, Design Patterns and .NET books) is excellent",
          "reason": "Calls it excellent and pairs it with API references for learning Java.",
          "audience": "People learning Java.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruce Eckel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "java",
        "object oriented programming",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "turing-s-cathedral-the-origins-of-the-digital-universe-2393b3",
      "title": "Turing's Cathedral: The Origins of the Digital Universe",
      "author": "George Dyson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36602028,
          "author": "MetallicCloud",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:43:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36602028",
          "commentText": "\"Turing's Cathedral: The Origins of the Digital Universe\" is the best I've read.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Turings-Cathedral-Origins-Digital-Uni... (https://www.amazon.com/Turings-Cathedral-Origins-Digital-Universe/dp/1400075998)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Turing's Cathedral: The Origins of the Digital Universe\" is the best I've read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the best they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22710223,
          "author": "djmips",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T09:59:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22710223",
          "commentText": "Turing’s Cathedral but von Neumann was the Pope.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Turing’s Cathedral but von Neumann was the Pope.",
          "reason": "Adds a humorous characterization of the book's focus on von Neumann.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22707666,
          "author": "didgeoridoo",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T22:59:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22707666",
          "commentText": "Top five, summaries easy enough to find via Amazon:\n- Turings’s Cathedral\n- The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood\n- A Mind at Play\n- The Victorian Internet\n- Dawn of the New Everything\nPlus two that I haven’t read but hear amazing things:\n- Mindstorms\n- Dream Machine",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Turings’s Cathedral",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Dyson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer history",
        "digital computing",
        "early computing",
        "history of computing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "twenty-thousand-leagues-under-the-sea-cc56ab",
      "title": "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea",
      "author": "Jules Verne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46398019,
          "author": "orsenthil",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T00:47:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46398019",
          "commentText": "- Becoming Kareem: Growing Up On and Off the Court, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar\n- My Gita, Devdutt Pattanaik\n- The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right,  Atul Gawande\n- Moonshot: Inside Pfizer's Nine-Month Race to Make the Impossible Possible, Albert Bourla\n- Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism, Anne Case\n- The Vaccine: Inside the Race to Conquer the COVID-19 Pandemic, Joe Miller\n- Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection, John Green\n- Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Jules Verne and Gary Gianni (Illustrator)\n- El Deafo, Cece Bell\n- Acts of God, Kanan Gill\n- Marvels of Modern Science, Paul Severing\n- Empire of AI, Karen Hao",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Jules Verne and Gary Gianni (Illustrator)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20915584,
          "author": "achilleslinux",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T06:08:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20915584",
          "commentText": "I really like books written by Jules Verne. Those books were really ahead of its time. He was a prolific and best Sci-fi writer. I would like to mention few of his works like 20,000 leagues under the sea, journey to the center of earth and  Around the World in Eighty Days.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jules_Verne",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would like to mention few of his works like 20,000 leagues under the sea",
          "reason": "Praises Verne's books as ahead of their time and names this as one of his works.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20915563,
          "author": "eitland",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T06:04:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20915563",
          "commentText": "We share some favorites.\n20000 leagues under the sea by Jules Verne was my introduction to science fiction and I also enjoyed Mysterious Island (which overlaps, but is less science fiction).\nI had forgotten James Fenimore Cooper, and I have forgotten almost everything about the books, but yes, these were in the school library too and I read them.\n(we had no TV when I grew up so I read a lot, mostly books in the styles mentioned above but also historical books and fiction from the WWII, but obviously none of these are over 100 years old.)\nAlso the Bible, it might not be highly regarded here, and I'm obviously biased, but as someone who reads other texts as well I think a number of people here could find parts of it interesting, especially contrasting it to what school and others might have told you. (Spoiler: besides the endless listings of who was who that most people will learn to skip, the full version is also a lot messier than what anyone working in school or wanting your money will tell you ; )",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "20000 leagues under the sea by Jules Verne was my introduction to science fiction and I also enjoyed Mysterious Island",
          "reason": "Names the book as their introduction to science fiction and says they enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15459814,
          "author": "mabbo",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-12T17:53:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15459814",
          "commentText": "> I wouldn't put \"The Martian\" in the scifi AI category\nA story about a near future where a man is living on another planet. You don't think that counts as science fiction?\nOn the one hand, I disagree ('20,000 leagues under the sea' was sci-fi when it was written). On the other hang, holy crap we're so close to humans being on Mars that such a story might not count as science fiction! That's amazing!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "('20,000 leagues under the sea' was sci-fi when it was written).",
          "reason": "Cites it as science fiction for its time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14859815,
          "author": "bstamour",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:12:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859815",
          "commentText": "I'm reading this right now as well. The last time I read it I was still in grade school, and it started my love of science fiction.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it started my love of science fiction.",
          "reason": "Says the book started their love of science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jules Verne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure",
        "underwater adventure",
        "classic literature",
        "undersea adventure"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "walt-disney-the-triumph-of-the-american-imagination-c1a152",
      "title": "Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination",
      "author": "Neal Gabler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36666587,
          "author": "HamptonFounders",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-10T14:01:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36666587",
          "commentText": "Not sure if this is helpful, but a friend fed this conversation through ChatGPT and had it summarize for easier reading:\n-The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy -Bigger by Marc Levinson\n-The Machine That Changed the World: The Story of Lean Production-- Toyota's Secret Weapon in the Global Car Wars That Is Now Revolutionizing World Industry by James P. Womack, Daniel T. Jones, and Daniel Roos\n-Empires of the Sky: Zeppelins, Airplanes, and Two Men's Epic Duel to Rule the World by Erik Larson\n-Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America by Richard -White\n-The Arms of Krupp: The Rise and Fall of the Industrial Dynasty that Armed Germany at War by William Manchester\n-Edison by Edmund Morris\n-Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow\n-The People's Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century by Steven Watts\n-Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler\n-The Victorian Internet by Tom Standage\n-The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood by James Gleick\n-Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age by Michael S. Malone\n-The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester\n-The Innovators by Walter Isaacson\n-Medieval Technology and Social Change by Lynn White Jr.\n-The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation by Jon Gertner\n-Electricity in the 17th and 18th Centuries: A Study of Early Modern Physics by Eric H. Chaney\n-Early Electrical Communication by A. F. Marland\n-Bibliographical History of Electricity and Magnetism by Silvanus P. Thompson\n-Electric Science: Its History, Phenomena, and Applications by J. J. Fahie\n-The History and Present State of Electricity by Andrew Ure\n-https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/\n-De Re Metallica by Georgius Agricola",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books offered in response to the history of technology question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36601373,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:00:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601373",
          "commentText": "Here are some histories of specific industries I've read recently and supremely enjoyed:\n- The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger\n- The Machine That Changed the World: The Story of Lean Production-- Toyota's Secret Weapon in the Global Car Wars That Is Now Revolutionizing World Industry\n- Empires of the Sky: Zeppelins, Airplanes, and Two Men's Epic Duel to Rule the World\n- Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America (of all of these not the most amazing but still interesting)\n- The Arms of Krupp: The Rise and Fall of the Industrial Dynasty that Armed Germany at War\nAnd then you can learn a lot by reading about the people who built the industries too. Here are a few I've been reading about recently that I recommend:\n- Edison by Edmund Morris (Just read it backwards, you'll see.)\n- Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow\n- The People's Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century by Steven Watts\n- Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler\nI also got some interesting suggestions asking a similar question on Twitter a bit ago.\nhttps://twitter.com/eatonphil/status/1668625835350454273",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler",
          "reason": "Listed among books about people who built industries that the commenter recommends.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387589,
          "author": "wallflower",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T23:55:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387589",
          "commentText": "I love biographies/auto-biographies of people not in technology (directly) who live an interesting life.\n\"Giant Steps: The Remarkable Story of the Goliath Expedition From Punta Arenas to Russia\" by Karl Bushby\nUnbelievable what it feels like to just take off...\nhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/0751536954\n\"Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination\"\nThe first third of the book is remarkable in that Walt Disney constantly struggles with failure.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/0679757473\n\"Swimming to Antarctica: Tales of a Long-Distance Swimmer\" by Lynne Cox\nHer story is all about single focus on doing what you want to do.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/B0013L8AQQ\n\"Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life\" by Steve Martin\nhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/1416553657",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination\"",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the first third remarkable for showing Disney struggling with failure.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The praise specifically refers to the book's first third.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neal Gabler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "walt disney",
        "american biography",
        "american entertainment",
        "media history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "war-with-the-newts-f58874",
      "title": "War with the Newts",
      "author": "Karel Čapek",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13249050,
          "author": "ceceron",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T08:01:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249050",
          "commentText": "+1 - Dostoyevsky is a must have.\nThere are many fictional books that tell so much truth about humanity, but I would recommend Karel Capek's novels as those aren't very popular nowadays. Particuraly: The \"Absolute at Large\" and \"War with the Newts\".",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "and \"War with the Newts\".",
          "reason": "Named as a particular Čapek novel recommended by the commenter.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in fiction that explores human nature.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Čapek's novels are not very popular nowadays.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674513,
          "author": "ThePhysicist",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T13:10:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674513",
          "commentText": "Seconded. Great political science-fiction!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seconded. Great political science-fiction!",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the parent’s recommendation and calls the book great political science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674374,
          "author": "ymse",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T12:27:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674374",
          "commentText": "War with the Newts (1936) by Karel Čapek (of R.U.R. fame). Classical sci-fi novel and political satire in which a new intelligent breed of Newts are taking over the world and no-one realizes before it's too late. Still relevant today.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_with_the_Newts",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "War with the Newts (1936) by Karel Čapek (of R.U.R. fame). Classical sci-fi novel and political satire",
          "reason": "Offered as an answer to the thread’s request for a mind-blowing book; the commenter says it remains relevant.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Karel Čapek"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Society",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political satire",
        "czech literature",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "warfighting-500b29",
      "title": "Warfighting",
      "author": "U.S. Marine Corps",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23863242,
          "author": "blaser-waffle",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T20:03:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23863242",
          "commentText": "There were 6 MCDP handbooks -- I helped edit a re-release of #6 as a policy intern/college student after getting out of the USMC.\nSee also:  https://grc-usmcu.libguides.com/research-topics/main/usmc-do... (https://grc-usmcu.libguides.com/research-topics/main/usmc-doctrine)\nBut I agree with parent's point -- MDCP #1 Warfighting is pretty good.  If you're a military nerd all 6 are great, but if you're just going read one of them then definitely stick to Warfighting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "definitely stick to Warfighting",
          "reason": "Recommends this as the one handbook to read if choosing only one.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The other handbooks are recommended for military enthusiasts.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23862625,
          "author": "gmays",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T19:08:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23862625",
          "commentText": "You might specifically mean Warfighting, MCDP 1. That's the first book we read as new Lts. and has stuck with me over a decade later and served me well in tech.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Warfighting, MCDP 1. That's the first book we read as new Lts. and has stuck with me over a decade later and served me well in tech.",
          "reason": "Says the manual has remained influential and served him well in technology work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23862610,
          "author": "gmays",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T19:07:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23862610",
          "commentText": "MCDP 1 Warfighting is also great with broadly applicable concepts.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "MCDP 1 Warfighting is also great",
          "reason": "Recommends the military doctrine manual for its broadly applicable concepts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 456337,
          "author": "icey",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T14:06:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456337",
          "commentText": "\"Warfighting\", hands down:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Warfighting-U-Marine-Corps-Staff/dp/96... (http://www.amazon.com/Warfighting-U-Marine-Corps-Staff/dp/965006043X)\nIt won't teach you how to drive tanks and lob grenades, but it is one of the best military strategy books I've read.\nIf you just want the PDF, it's freely available here:\nhttp://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/service_pubs/mcdp1.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it is one of the best military strategy books I've read",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of the best military strategy books they have read.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in military strategy.",
          "caveat": "It will not teach tank driving or grenade use.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "U.S. Marine Corps"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "military doctrine",
        "marine corps doctrine",
        "military strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "when-nietzsche-wept-447a6e",
      "title": "When Nietzsche Wept",
      "author": "Irvin D. Yalom",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22721036,
          "author": "diehunde",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T17:57:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22721036",
          "commentText": "By Irvin Yalom. Great if you also want to learn bit of philosophy:\n- When Nietzsche Wept\n- The Schopenhauer Cure\n- The Spinoza Problem",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "When Nietzsche Wept",
          "reason": "Listed as a fiction recommendation in response to the thread’s request.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1633544,
          "author": "dwwoelfel",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T17:42:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1633544",
          "commentText": "The Schopenhauer Cure: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0066214416/\nWhen Nietzsche Wept:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0060975504/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "When Nietzsche Wept:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0060975504/",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed your life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1632694,
          "author": "dimitrisli",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T13:01:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1632694",
          "commentText": "'The Schopenhauer Cure' and 'When Nietzsche Wept', both by Irvin D. Yalom",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'When Nietzsche Wept'",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Irvin D. Yalom"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "philosophical fiction",
        "existential therapy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "who-is-fourier-a-mathematical-adventure-9641fb",
      "title": "Who Is Fourier? A Mathematical Adventure",
      "author": "Transnational College of LEX",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23730955,
          "author": "ljw1001",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-04T08:19:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23730955",
          "commentText": "I would second the recommendation for Who is Fourier? A Mathematical Adventure. It's an unusual and engaging introduction to waves, Fourier coefficients, and transforms. The slope is gentle but not dumbed down. \nhttps://www.amazon.com/Who-Fourier-Mathematical-Adventure-2n... (https://www.amazon.com/Who-Fourier-Mathematical-Adventure-2nd/dp/0964350432#:~:text=In%20Who%20is%20Fourier%3F,exponentiation%2C%20differentiation%2C%20and%20integration).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Who is Fourier? A Mathematical Adventure.",
          "reason": "Seconded as an unusual, engaging introduction to waves, Fourier coefficients, and transforms.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The slope is gentle, but it is not dumbed down.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23721531,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T06:24:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23721531",
          "commentText": "Some of the books that you mention seem a bit too hard for a teen, so you have to be careful not to demotivate them by expecting too much of them; instead i suggest a simpler approach before tackling the big ones;\n* Functions and Graphs by Gelfand et al. - A small but great book to develop intuition.\n* Who is Fourier? A Mathematical Adventure - A great \"manga type\" book to build important concepts from first principles\n* Concepts of Modern Mathematics by Ian Stewart - A nice overview in simple language.\n* Mathematics: Its Content, Methods and Meaning by Kolmogorov et al. - A broad but concise presentation of a lot of mathematics.\n* Methods of Mathematics Applied to Calculus, Probability, and Statistics by Richard Hamming - A very good applied maths book. All of Hamming's books are recommended.\nThere are of course plenty more but the above should be good for understanding.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Who is Fourier? A Mathematical Adventure - A great \"manga type\" book to build important concepts from first principles",
          "reason": "Recommends it for building important concepts from first principles.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21347703,
          "author": "sriram_malhar",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T18:32:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21347703",
          "commentText": "My recommendation below is not the equivalent of a Feynman's series for math, but one that is pegged much lower, for someone interested in basic remedial math.\nIt is called \"Who is Fourier: A Mathematical Adventure\".\nI was tremendously surprised by this unusual gem of a book. It covers the range from basic arithmetic to logarithms, trigonometry, calculus to fourier series.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Who-Fourier-Mathematical-Adventure-2n... (https://www.amazon.com/Who-Fourier-Mathematical-Adventure-2nd/dp/0964350432)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It is called \"Who is Fourier: A Mathematical Adventure\".",
          "reason": "Recommends it as an unusual gem covering topics from arithmetic through Fourier series.",
          "audience": "Someone interested in basic remedial math.",
          "caveat": "Pegged much lower than the requested equivalent of Feynman's series for math.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Transnational College of LEX"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Learning",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fourier analysis",
        "fourier series",
        "manga",
        "waves"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "zen-and-the-art-of-motorcycle-maintenance-an-inquiry-into-values-8b5fa2",
      "title": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values",
      "author": "Robert M. Pirsig",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37937218,
          "author": "cgriswald",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:42:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937218",
          "commentText": "I read this as a young adult and I understood what Pirsig was saying in an intellectual sense, but I didn't really grok the book until I was closer to Pirsig's own age (when he wrote it) and learned 'the hard way'. I also didn't finish the book because I felt like Pirsig was repetitively making the same point.\nAs a result, I have some questions (not necessarily directly for you, @patrickthebold, but for whoever cares to answer):\n(1) Were you able to internalize the lessons from this book?\n(2) Is there anything valuable in the back ~half of the book?\n(3) If you read this book about 20 years ago, would you re-read it; or if read it less than 20 years ago, would you recommend your future self re-read it?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I read this as a young adult and I understood what Pirsig was saying in an intellectual sense, but I didn't really grok the book until I was closer to Pirsig's own age",
          "reason": "The commenter says its ideas became clearer with age, but found it repetitive and did not finish it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter did not finish it and found it repetitive.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937140,
          "author": "patrickthebold",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:32:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937140",
          "commentText": "I liked \"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says they liked the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23859204,
          "author": "sdedovic",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T14:17:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859204",
          "commentText": "Anna Karenina - I'm an eastern european raised in the US. It was really eye opening.\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert M. Pirsig"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american literature",
        "american philosophy",
        "motorcycling",
        "philosophical novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-random-walk-down-wall-street-682211",
      "title": "A Random Walk Down Wall Street",
      "author": "Burton Malkiel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 248702,
          "author": "nostrademons",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T16:48:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248702",
          "commentText": "#1 for me would be The Intelligent Investor, by Benjamin Graham.  Also read all of Warren Buffett's Letters from the Chairman - they're all up on the Berkshire Hathaway website.  Peter Lynch's books are good too.\nI see a lot of people here recommending A Random Walk Down Wall Street, which is a good book, but you're going to finish it and say \"This investing stuff is too complicated for me.  I think I'll just put my money in index funds.\"  Which is perfectly sensible investment advice, but if that's all you want, I can tell you \"Go invest in index funds\" right now and save you a couple hours of reading. ;-)\nJeremy Siegel's Stocks for the Long Run is like Random Walk - it's decent, but the conclusion is basically \"go invest in a stock index fund and don't worry about it\".  I'm not even sure that's great advice right now - he bases a lot of his argument on historical performance, but when an asset class has done well over the recent past, that usually means it'll do poorly in the near future.  Read neither or both - Random Walk gives you good perspective for understanding Stocks for the Long Run.\nFinally, if you do get into investing, make sure you start small.  I've made some wonderful investment decisions and some truly terrible ones.  The wonderful ones more than compensated, but they looked very similar at the time, and if I'd put all my money into the terrible one there wouldn't be any capital available for the wonderful one.\nActually, I'd recommend doing some dry-runs: pretend that you're putting money in a stock, and then track how well you'd have done over time if it were real.  Read all the 10-Ks for the stock (they're up in the EDGAR database at the SEC's website), research all the fundamentals, and listen to the analyst conference calls (Yahoo Finance webcasts them live whenever earnings come out).  That'll give you a sense of what questions to ask and what events affect the stock price.\nI did some of those dry runs and lost hypothetical money on a lot of them, which makes me very glad that they're just dry runs. ;-)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "which is a good book",
          "reason": "Calls it a good book, while saying its conclusion is simply to invest in index funds.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in investing and index funds.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its practical conclusion may not require the reading time.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 248600,
          "author": "eposts",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T15:59:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248600",
          "commentText": "Here is a good list:\nhttp://www.bogleheads.org/readbooks.htm\nGeneral Investing\n# The Four Pillars of Investing - by William (\"Bill\") Bernstein.\n# Wise Investing Made Simple or The Only Guide to a Winning Investment Strategy You'll Ever Need - by Larry Swedroe\n# The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing - by Taylor Larimore, Mel Lindauer, and Michael LeBoeuf\n# All About Asset Allocation - by Rick Ferri\n# The Informed Investor - by Frank Armstrong\n# The Little Book of Common Sense Investing - by John \"Jack\" Bogle\n# The Coffeehouse Investor - by Bill Schultheis.\nInvestor Behavior\n# Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes And How To Correct Them - by Gary Belsky and Thomas Gilovich\n# Your Money and Your Brain: How the New Science of Neuroeconomics Can Help Make You Rich - by Jason Zweig\n# Rational Investing in Irrational Times: How to Avoid the Costly Mistakes Even Smart People Make Today - by Larry Swedroe\nFinancial History\n# Against the Gods and Capital Ideas - by Peter L. Bernstein\n# Devil Take the Hindmost: A History of Financial Speculation - by Edward Chancellor\n# A Random Walk Down Wall Street - by Burton Malkiel\nLike others here have mentioned, http://www.bogleheads.org/ is a great forum for Vanguard investors.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Random Walk Down Wall Street - by Burton Malkiel",
          "reason": "Listed under financial history in response to a request for learning resources.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking financial history resources.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 248596,
          "author": "gcv",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T15:56:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248596",
          "commentText": "For the shortest introduction to sensible, index-based investing, read The Coffeehouse Investor (Bill Schultheis). It shouldn't take more than an hour or two to go through, and it contains all the basics. Then, if you're interested in a more in-depth analysis of the same thing, read A Random Walk Down Wall Street (Burton Malkiel), as suggested by several others in this thread.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "read A Random Walk Down Wall Street (Burton Malkiel), as suggested by several others in this thread.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a more in-depth analysis of index-based investing.",
          "audience": "Readers wanting a deeper treatment after a short introduction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Burton Malkiel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "investing",
        "market theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "c-primer-84bb8a",
      "title": "C++ Primer",
      "author": "Stanley B. Lippman, Josée Lajoie, and Barbara E. Moo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10182681,
          "author": "gtani",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-07T19:29:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10182681",
          "commentText": "the big 4, 2 very large dense books, and 2 small, very very very dense books:\n- Lippman et al, C++ Primer, 5th ed\n- Stroustrup, The c++ Language, 4th ed (which has earlier version \"A Tour of\" as 1st 150 pages\n- Meyers \"Effective C++\", 3rd ed and\n- \"Effective Modern C++\" http://www.aristeia.com/books.html (don't dismiss the others cause theyre 14+ years old, either",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lippman et al, C++ Primer, 5th ed",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s “big 4” C++ books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10182423,
          "author": "seivan",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-07T18:19:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10182423",
          "commentText": "Second this. It's the only book I own that specifically covers a programming language. I own the fourth edition - has a slight different cover.\nOnly complaint is the same as yours, it's pretty verbose but I guess that's what you get with c++.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Second this. It's the only book I own that specifically covers a programming language.",
          "reason": "“Second this” endorses the book recommended in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is pretty verbose.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10182342,
          "author": "kruk",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-07T17:53:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10182342",
          "commentText": "Stanley B. Lippman - C++ Primer - http://www.amazon.com/Primer-5th-Stanley-B-Lippman/dp/032171... (http://www.amazon.com/Primer-5th-Stanley-B-Lippman/dp/0321714113/)\nI haven't been using C++ for a few years now and I needed a quick refresher. While I wouldn't call C++ Primer quick it covers all the basics really well. Great resource for people new to the language.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "While I wouldn't call C++ Primer quick it covers all the basics really well. Great resource for people new to the language.",
          "reason": "It covers the basics well and is called a great resource for beginners.",
          "audience": "People new to C++.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not quick.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stanley B. Lippman, Josée Lajoie, and Barbara E. Moo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "foundation-rails-2-7c2ae1",
      "title": "Foundation Rails 2",
      "author": "Eldon Alameda",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 782023,
          "author": "dragonquest",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-24T13:05:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 781079,
          "threadTitle": "Can you recommend some good RoR books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=782023",
          "commentText": "That would be: Ruby on Rails Power!: The Comprehensive Guide by Aneesha Bakharia. Its currently rated 2/5 on Amazon.\nFor my 2 cents, I'd second both of Peter's suggestions - Foundation Rails 2 and Simply Rails 2 - though I do tend to like the former a little more. The latter is better if you have absolutely no prior web dev or programming experience.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For my 2 cents, I'd second both of Peter's suggestions - Foundation Rails 2 and Simply Rails 2 - though I do tend to like the former a little more.",
          "reason": "Seconds the recommendation and says it is the one they prefer.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 781207,
          "author": "isharan",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-23T23:36:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 781079,
          "threadTitle": "Can you recommend some good RoR books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=781207",
          "commentText": "The main thing you want to do when learning Rails is to make sure you're pretty solid in Ruby. David Black's Well-Grounded Rubyist covers a lot of Ruby.\nAs for Rails, I have nothing but good things to about Foundation Rails 2 by Eldon Alameda. He gives a brief introduction to Ruby at the beginning, and doesn't rely on scaffolding/plugins, something a lot of early Rails developers try and overuse. Although, now that I think about it, the routing chapter was a little weak. Of course there's also the standard Agile Web Development with Rails (3rd Edition) which was written by the creator of Rails.\nAfter that, the best place is to start writing apps and get some hands-on experience. If you want, there's another book that Eldon Alameda wrote called \"Practical Rails Projects\" which does exactly that -- guides you through 6 or 7 Rails projects to teach you all about Rails. However, it uses an older version of Rails (1.2.3 compared to the current 2.3.3) but I'm sure a lot of the concepts will still apply. You can always install an older version of Rails to follow along.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I have nothing but good things to about Foundation Rails 2 by Eldon Alameda.",
          "reason": "Expresses unqualified positive regard for the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Its routing chapter is a little weak.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 781131,
          "author": "petercooper",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-23T22:27:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 781079,
          "threadTitle": "Can you recommend some good RoR books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=781131",
          "commentText": "I own almost every Rails book in one format or another (I run a top Ruby blog so I get them to review) and... it depends what you're trying to do.\nThe Rails Way kicks ass once you already know Rails to a certain extent - it's definitely not a first book. It's a \"bible\" type book and is stuck somewhere back in Rails 2.1 land, I believe, but most of it still applies.\nAWDwR is reasonable and mostly up to date (focused at Rails 2.2, as far as I recall) and particularly suited for people who are totally new to Rails.\nMy recommendation for people who are new to both Ruby and Rails is Foundation Rails 2 by Eldon Alameda as it has a 30 page primer to Ruby included and spends a long time \"touring\" Rails. It also covers RSpec which, given you're Agile, might be of significant interest to you.\nBooks I'd steer away from either because they're out of date or just plain bad IMHO would be all of the Packt books and Beginning Rails from Apress (the latter, hopefully, will be brought up to date in a 2nd edition).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My recommendation for people who are new to both Ruby and Rails is Foundation Rails 2 by Eldon Alameda",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it for people new to Ruby and Rails.",
          "audience": "People new to both Ruby and Rails.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eldon Alameda"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ruby on rails",
        "ruby programming",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "foundations-of-computer-science-45fa3a",
      "title": "Foundations of Computer Science",
      "author": "Alfred V. Aho and Jeffrey D. Ullman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29220430,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T20:38:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29220430",
          "commentText": "Came here to recommend the same. From the book's website:\n\"This book has been taken out of print by W. H. Freeman. You are welcome to use it if you like. We believed in 1992 it was the way to introduce theory in Computer Science, and we believe that today.\"\nThe book's introduction to stacks is in chapter 6, link: http://infolab.stanford.edu/~ullman/focs/ch06.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Came here to recommend the same. From the book's website:",
          "reason": "Continues a recommendation of the book discussed in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29218943,
          "author": "fsloth",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T17:52:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29218943",
          "commentText": "\"Foundations of Computer Science\" by Aho and Ullman is my personal favourite.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Foundations of Computer Science\" by Aho and Ullman is my personal favourite.",
          "reason": "Calls it their personal favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29217502,
          "author": "thesuperbigfrog",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T14:56:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29217502",
          "commentText": "\"Foundations of Computer Science\" by Aho and Ullman is an excellent book and freely available:\nhttp://i.stanford.edu/~ullman/focs.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Foundations of Computer Science\" by Aho and Ullman is an excellent book and freely available:",
          "reason": "Calls it an excellent book and notes it is freely available.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20732000,
          "author": "denton-scratch",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T18:38:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20732000",
          "commentText": "The classic \"Foundations of CS\" was referred to in my youth as simply \"Aho and Ullmann\". As I recall, it contained a particularly comprehensive explanation of the construction of parsers, compilers, interpreters and translators.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The classic \"Foundations of CS\" was referred to in my youth as simply \"Aho and Ullmann\".",
          "reason": "The commenter recalls it for its comprehensive explanations of parsers, compilers, interpreters, and translators.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alfred V. Aho",
        "Jeffrey D. Ullman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "compilers",
        "computer science",
        "computer science foundations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "germania-e94f0e",
      "title": "Germania",
      "author": "Simon Winder",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21797938,
          "author": "HuShifang",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-15T18:37:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21797938",
          "commentText": "Seconded -- read this earlier this year, and thoroughly enjoyed it. It also rather radically altered my perception of the \"usual\" German historical narrative about Prussian militarism etc. Winder's a very humane writer, in addition to a hilarious one.\nHis two follow-ups, Danubia and Lotharingia (the latter of which just got a write-up in the New York Review of Books) are on my to-read list for the new year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "thoroughly enjoyed it. It also rather radically altered my perception",
          "reason": "Seconding the book discussed in the parent comment; the author says it changed their view of Prussian militarism and praises the writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21793931,
          "author": "gerdesj",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-15T01:55:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793931",
          "commentText": "I've read Germania and it is an absolute  belter.  I'm a British Army brat and lived for around 10 years in what was West Germany.  The old Saxons are a decent lot in my opinion.  That book - Germania opened my eyes to just how complicated the history of the European continent is.  \"Anglo Saxons\" reminds us of just how much these islands are intertwined with the continent.\n\"Germania\" showed me how much I didn't know about my own sodding history.  I knew a Roman geezer was nicknamed Germanicus but nothing about say Mercian kings or Kentish kings or the subtle interplay in the north with the Picts and the Scotii, the Welsh and the west welsh (Cornwall) and other Britons.  What we call today Ireland - North Ireland and Eire - and the interplay with what we now call Scotland is another very complicated set of circumstances.  We are all aware here in England of King Alfred the Great - Wessex - and might know of King Cnut (Danish) and may be dimly aware of other Kings from the time post Roman (~400AD) until 1066.  It's a bit involved.\nCould I also tender \"1000 years of annoying the French\" by Stephen Clarke.  I've just searched him and it turns out he has quite an oevre.  I just picked up that particular book because of the title and a quick read of a few pages.  It's a great romp through European history from the perspective of a historian who happens to be British and living in France - his love of both France and Britain is quite apparent and his sense of humour is British.  The main focus is France and England but the scope is European.\nI've also bought \"The King in the North\" by Max Adams which is about Oswald \"Whiteblade\" in Northumbria (the region north of the river Humber) in the mid fifth century.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "That book - Germania opened my eyes to just how complicated the history of the European continent is.",
          "reason": "Says it changed his understanding of European history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21793463,
          "author": "Jedd",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-15T00:28:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793463",
          "commentText": "Very much appreciate the recommendation.\nI'm reading (well, listening to) Simon Winder's Germania - the first of a trilogy covering the history of most of western Europe.  It sounds like it may interleave nicely with this work.\nSimon's style, augmented / exacerbated by the narrator, is delightfully droll -- I thoroughly enjoy it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'm reading (well, listening to) Simon Winder's Germania - the first of a trilogy covering the history of most of western Europe.",
          "reason": "Says the author's droll style is enjoyable and the book may interleave nicely with another history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Simon Winder"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "european history",
        "early medieval history",
        "german history",
        "germany"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gig-americans-talk-about-their-jobs-bcce2b",
      "title": "Gig: Americans Talk About Their Jobs",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25326360,
          "author": "LarryMade2",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-06T20:29:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25326360",
          "commentText": "Dishwasher: One Man's Quest to Wash Dishes in All Fifty States by Pete Jordan.  Definitely a different and entertaining read.\nGig: Americans Talk About Their Jobs - This is a short anthology that covers various professions was collected in the 90s.  Interesting quick views of different people's work etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gig: Americans Talk About Their Jobs - This is a short anthology",
          "reason": "A short anthology offering quick views of different people's work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25319113,
          "author": "why5s",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T22:39:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319113",
          "commentText": "Gig: Americans Talk About Their Jobs\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Gig-Americans-Talk-About-Their/dp/060... (https://www.amazon.com/Gig-Americans-Talk-About-Their/dp/0609807072)\nIt's basically a series of interviews with people across various industries talking about their jobs. Not exactly \"memoir\"-style but more of an anthology.\nBullshit Jobs: A Theory by David Graeber\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Bullshit-Jobs-Theory-David-Graeber/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Bullshit-Jobs-Theory-David-Graeber/dp/1501143336/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=bullshit+jobs&qid=1607207865&s=books&sr=1-1)\nA personal favorite that I read alongside the first recommendation. Just puts a lot of things in perspective with respect to finding meaningful work.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gig: Americans Talk About Their Jobs",
          "reason": "Described as interviews with people across industries about their jobs.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not memoir style; more of an anthology.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25319055,
          "author": "varenc",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T22:33:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319055",
          "commentText": "Check out “Gig: Americans Talk About Their Jobs”\nIt’s fascinating and covers a very wide range of professions. Sorta of like a more modern remake of Stud Terkel’s 1974 book “Working”",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Check out “Gig: Americans Talk About Their Jobs”",
          "reason": "Recommended for its coverage of a wide range of professions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Society",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "occupations",
        "work"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "head-first-java-0aa4c6",
      "title": "Head First Java",
      "author": "Kathy Sierra and Bert Bates",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3611502,
          "author": "frenchfries",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-20T06:16:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 3570099,
          "threadTitle": "Best book to study Java",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3611502",
          "commentText": "+1 for head first java, I also recommend effective Java once you've read hfj",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for head first java",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it and says to read it before Effective Java.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Effective Java is suggested after reading this book.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3570584,
          "author": "whostolemyhat",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-09T10:52:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 3570099,
          "threadTitle": "Best book to study Java",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3570584",
          "commentText": "I can't recommend Head First Java enough - initially I thought it was too whimsical and lacked depth, but it goes over key points simply and repeatedly until you understand them. If you have OOP experience then a lot of the first half of the book will be pretty familiar, but it's useful enough for the syntax/quirks etc",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I can't recommend Head First Java enough",
          "reason": "Praised for clear, repeated explanations of key points and usefulness for Java syntax and quirks.",
          "audience": "Java learners, especially those with object-oriented programming experience.",
          "caveat": "The commenter initially found it too whimsical and lacking depth; much of the first half may be familiar to readers with OOP experience.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3570452,
          "author": "thuang513",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-09T09:57:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 3570099,
          "threadTitle": "Best book to study Java",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3570452",
          "commentText": "I love the Head first series books. Even though I already had experience with other languages when I started, Head First Java explained things clearly and enjoyably! http://amzn.to/ybDBJv",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Head First Java explained things clearly and enjoyably!",
          "reason": "Praised for explaining Java clearly and enjoyably.",
          "audience": "Readers learning Java, including those with experience in other languages.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kathy Sierra and Bert Bates"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "java",
        "programming education"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "machine-language-for-beginners-8f8e0e",
      "title": "Machine Language for Beginners",
      "author": "Richard Mansfield",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46780383,
          "author": "vparikh",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-27T14:28:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 46778461,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books to learn 6502 ASM and the Apple II",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46780383",
          "commentText": "I recommend these two books for 6502 assembly:\nhttps://archive.org/details/ataribooks-machine-language-for-... (https://archive.org/details/ataribooks-machine-language-for-beginners/mode/2up)\nand\nhttps://archive.org/details/ataribooks-the-second-book-of-ma... (https://archive.org/details/ataribooks-the-second-book-of-machine-language)\nThese two books will give you a good understanding of 6502 assembler - it is general but gives a good background and has a nice assembler with a full walk through of the code.   I used these two books to learn 6502 on my Commodore 64 and they are highly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://archive.org/details/ataribooks-machine-language-for-...",
          "reason": "Recommended for learning 6502 assembly; the commenter used it on a Commodore 64.",
          "audience": "Learners of 6502 assembly.",
          "caveat": "General coverage rather than Apple II specific.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46779797,
          "author": "kenjackson",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-27T13:43:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 46778461,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books to learn 6502 ASM and the Apple II",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46779797",
          "commentText": "This is what I read as a middle schooler learning 6502 on a C64. Does a good covering the basics in a very conversational manner.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is what I read as a middle schooler learning 6502 on a C64.",
          "reason": "Shares it as a book they read while learning 6502 assembly.",
          "audience": "Beginners learning 6502 assembly.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46779097,
          "author": "billygoat",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-27T12:26:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 46778461,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books to learn 6502 ASM and the Apple II",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46779097",
          "commentText": "Machine Language for Beginners, Charles Mansfield\nhttps://archive.org/details/ataribooks-machine-language-for-... (https://archive.org/details/ataribooks-machine-language-for-beginners)\nThis book specifically targets beginners that are new to 6502 assembly. The examples cover all of the 1980s-era computers including the Apple II. It's free on archive.org and the introductory chapters are worth reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Machine Language for Beginners, Charles Mansfield",
          "reason": "Targets beginners new to 6502 assembly; examples include Apple II and other 1980s computers.",
          "audience": "Beginners new to 6502 assembly.",
          "caveat": "Examples span several 1980s computers, rather than focusing only on Apple II.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Mansfield"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "6502 assembly",
        "machine language",
        "beginner programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mostly-adequate-guide-to-functional-programming-82410a",
      "title": "Mostly Adequate Guide to Functional Programming",
      "author": "Brian Lonsdorf",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14470134,
          "author": "lolive",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-02T14:29:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14470134",
          "commentText": "This book is FANTASTIC to understand functors & monads.\nNot sure it is a good resource to learn the Javascript language.\n(but if you are beyond the beginner level, I highly recommend it, it really rocks!)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "This book is FANTASTIC to understand functors & monads.",
          "reason": "Praises it as a resource for understanding functors and monads.",
          "audience": "Readers beyond beginner level.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure it is a good resource for learning JavaScript.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14461674,
          "author": "fL1Pm0d3",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-01T16:24:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14461674",
          "commentText": "I think there is.  The original author was consulting at the time it was written and he released the book right at ES6 took headwind.  Another contributor has a fork and they are currently working to get the book up to date with ES6.  Once that is done I am sure they will move on to part 5.\nhttps://github.com/MostlyAdequate/mostly-adequate-guide/pull... (https://github.com/MostlyAdequate/mostly-adequate-guide/pull/273)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Another contributor has a fork and they are currently working to get the book up to date with ES6.",
          "reason": "Discusses an ongoing effort to update the book for ES6.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The update is still in progress.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14461411,
          "author": "ice109",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-01T15:59:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14461411",
          "commentText": "nice book. do you know if this person plans on finishing part 3?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "nice book.",
          "reason": "Calls the book nice and asks whether its author plans to finish part 3.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Asks whether part 3 will be finished.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14461338,
          "author": "fL1Pm0d3",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-01T15:52:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14461338",
          "commentText": "https://github.com/MostlyAdequate/mostly-adequate-guide",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://github.com/MostlyAdequate/mostly-adequate-guide",
          "reason": "Linked as a book suggestion in response to a request for JavaScript learning books.",
          "audience": "JavaScript learners.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Lonsdorf"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "functional programming",
        "javascript",
        "functors",
        "monads"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "neural-networks-and-deep-learning-597c90",
      "title": "Neural Networks and Deep Learning",
      "author": "Michael A. Nielsen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20676216,
          "author": "ReDeiPirati",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T15:22:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20676216",
          "commentText": "1. Grokking Deep Learning (Andrew W. Trask) and Neural Networks and Deep Learning (Michael Nielsen)\n2. I'll probably be off-point here, but maybe The Book of Why (Judea Pearl) could be interesting reading for you.\nFloydHub has a great article about this topic on their blog:\nhttps://blog.floydhub.com/best-deep-learning-books-updated-f... (https://blog.floydhub.com/best-deep-learning-books-updated-for-2019/).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neural Networks and Deep Learning (Michael Nielsen)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for technical books on neural networks and deep learning.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an introduction to neural networks and deep learning.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20675328,
          "author": "currymj",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T13:47:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20675328",
          "commentText": "The Michael Nielsen online text is very well-regarded and mostly fits what you describe for 1, although it may have too much code for your taste in addition to the mathematical basics. However the code is not \"how to use TensorFlow\" but rather \"implement backpropagation from scratch\". It covers some interesting topics including the universal approximation proof.\nIt has some reasonable exercises but no solutions, but I think people have posted their own solutions online around the web.\nhttp://neuralnetworksanddeeplearning.com\nI think this is your best bet, to be honest. Meat & potatoes neural networks doesn't really require any super-deep mathematical knowledge (just linear algebra and a very hand-wavy ability to do basic matrix calculus), and the more advanced topics are moving way too fast for a textbook to cover them (Goodfellow et al. is already getting out of date).\nThe recommendation of Strang's new book is probably also pretty good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Michael Nielsen online text is very well-regarded",
          "reason": "Recommended as the best fit for the requester's technical category (1).",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a mathematical introduction to neural networks.",
          "caveat": "May include more code than the questioner wants; exercises have no solutions.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20675262,
          "author": "bitcurious",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T13:38:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20675262",
          "commentText": "I thought this was a great book: http://neuralnetworksanddeeplearning.com/index.html\nIt well balanced, going into the intuition and math while not getting lost in the theoretical weeds.\nIt doesn’t go into the state of the art, but it does give you the background you’ll need to understand it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I thought this was a great book",
          "reason": "Praised for balancing intuition and mathematics and providing useful background.",
          "audience": "Readers who want intuition and math without excessive theoretical detail.",
          "caveat": "Does not cover the state of the art.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael A. Nielsen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "deep learning",
        "neural networks"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "real-time-rendering-093f26",
      "title": "Real-Time Rendering",
      "author": "Tomas Akenine-Möller, Eric Haines, and Naty Hoffman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14653508,
          "author": "bhouston",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-28T12:31:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 14652936,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on modern computer graphics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14653508",
          "commentText": "I sort of know this area....  There two separate paths -- realtime or non-real-time.\nFor non-real-time there is: http://www.pbrt.org/\nFor real-time there is this: http://www.realtimerendering.com/\nNeither book gets into the details of the specific API, they are theoretical.\nReal-time techniques change nearly complete about every 10 years because GPUs get faster and render more techniques possible and obsolete the older less good looking techniques.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For real-time there is this: http://www.realtimerendering.com/",
          "reason": "Listed as the book for real-time rendering.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The books are theoretical and do not cover specific APIs.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14653384,
          "author": "gregorburger",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-28T12:09:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 14652936,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on modern computer graphics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14653384",
          "commentText": "- As a starter Realtime Rendering [0]\n- The siggraph courses on shading [1]. The 2017 course will be on 30th of July [2]. Current techniques from AAA engines.\n- Papers from JCGT [3].\n- Plus the paper collection from Ke-Sen Huang linking all graphics related conferences [4]\nhave fun reading\n[0] http://www.realtimerendering.com/book.html\n[1] http://blog.selfshadow.com/publications/s2016-shading-course\n[2] http://blog.selfshadow.com/publications/s2017-shading-course... (http://blog.selfshadow.com/publications/s2017-shading-course-draft/)\n[3] http://jcgt.org/read.html?reload=1\n[4] http://kesen.realtimerendering.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "As a starter Realtime Rendering",
          "reason": "Suggested as a starting book.",
          "audience": "People starting in computer graphics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14653343,
          "author": "Jare",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-28T11:58:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 14652936,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on modern computer graphics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14653343",
          "commentText": "I would not advise anyone to try to get into computer graphics directly with the Vulkan or DX12 APIs. Start with DX11, modern OpenGL and/or WebGL, and work through your computer graphics theory (and a lot of practice) using those. Geometry, illumination, shaders, tools and GPU computation will take a lot of time to master. When you decide you want to go into low level APIs, if you are comfortable with Apple systems, Metal will likely be easier than Vulkan/DX12.\nA lot of the theory from classic books is still valid, so even a copy of Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice will look fine on your desk. \"Real Time Rendering\" by Moller/Haines and \"Physically Based Rendering\" by Pharr are excellent. \"Game Engine Architecture\" by Gregory and \"Mathematics for 3D Game Programming and Computer Graphics\" by Lengyel will probably prove very useful and relevant to you as well.\nOnline resources, the free https://learnopengl.com/ and the $10 http://graphicscodex.com/ are both fantastic. Make sure to read https://fgiesen.wordpress.com/2011/07/09/a-trip-through-the-... (https://fgiesen.wordpress.com/2011/07/09/a-trip-through-the-graphics-pipeline-2011-index/), and also study the techniques used for the craziest entries in https://www.shadertoy.com/\nAnd then, lots and lots of papers and presentations from the past 5 or 10 years of Game Developers Cconference and Siggraph.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Real Time Rendering\" by Moller/Haines and \"Physically Based Rendering\" by Pharr are excellent.",
          "reason": "Called excellent as a relevant computer graphics text.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tomas Akenine-Möller, Eric Haines, and Naty Hoffman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer graphics",
        "real time rendering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ruby-for-rails-a77a60",
      "title": "Ruby for Rails",
      "author": "David A. Black",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14816,
          "author": "dawie",
          "createdAt": "2007-04-19T22:20:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 14675,
          "threadTitle": "What is the best RoR book for beginners? Best online resources?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14816",
          "commentText": "Ruby for Rails is a good one too. I haven't read it though.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Ruby-Rails-Techniques-Developers/dp/1932394699",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Ruby for Rails is a good one too. I haven't read it though.",
          "reason": "Calls it a good option in a thread asking for Rails books.",
          "audience": "People seeking a Rails-related book.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14743,
          "author": "rjb",
          "createdAt": "2007-04-19T19:43:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 14675,
          "threadTitle": "What is the best RoR book for beginners? Best online resources?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14743",
          "commentText": "I have to second this. \"Ruby for Rails\", I feel, is a great resource for learning not only the Ruby language, but how to program with it. It really did not need the Rails section. I've only flipped through \"Beginning Ruby\" (apress), but that looks like a good Ruby book too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Ruby for Rails\", I feel, is a great resource for learning not only the Ruby language, but how to program with it.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great resource for learning Ruby and programming with it.",
          "audience": "People learning Ruby and Ruby on Rails.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the Rails section was unnecessary.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14738,
          "author": "martin",
          "createdAt": "2007-04-19T19:36:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 14675,
          "threadTitle": "What is the best RoR book for beginners? Best online resources?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14738",
          "commentText": "\"Ruby for Rails\" by David A. Black is a good choice if you're new to Ruby as well as Rails. It spends a lot of time on Ruby fundamentals and only brings in the Rails stuff after having explained the necessary bits of the language so that it actually makes sense. I read the Agile book first, and as a Ruby newbie, it gave me only a very vague understanding of the language. R4R did a much better job of that.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Ruby for Rails\" by David A. Black is a good choice if you're new to Ruby as well as Rails.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for its explanation of Ruby fundamentals before Rails.",
          "audience": "Readers new to Ruby and Rails.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the Agile book gave them only a vague understanding of Ruby.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David A. Black"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ruby",
        "ruby on rails"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "speaking-javascript-84f7ef",
      "title": "Speaking JavaScript",
      "author": "Axel Rauschmayer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14466905,
          "author": "ing33k",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-02T02:10:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14466905",
          "commentText": "Exploring JS: JavaScript books for programmers ( free to read online )\n* Speaking JavaScript\n* Exploring ES6\n* Exploring ES2016 and ES2017\nhttp://exploringjs.com",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Speaking JavaScript",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14462440,
          "author": "johnhenry",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-01T17:31:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14462440",
          "commentText": "I've only read parts, but Dr. Axel Rauschmayer has a few good books; Speaking JavaScript, Exploring ES2016, and more available free online here: http://exploringjs.com/. He also has an insightful blog here: http://2ality.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dr. Axel Rauschmayer has a few good books; Speaking JavaScript",
          "reason": "Includes it among the author's good books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14461232,
          "author": "petercooper",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-01T15:41:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14461232",
          "commentText": "Depends on what your level is going in.\nFor an absolute beginner, JavaScript and jQuery by Jon Duckett is extremely accessible. Sure, it covers jQuery but it's so well aimed at total beginners it's not a bad path.\nAt the lower intermediate level, Eloquent JavaScript (mentioned elsewhere) is fantastic.\nAt higher levels/if you know other languages and are comfortable learning new ones: Effective JavaScript, YDKJS, and Speaking JavaScript all fantastic and complement each other in various ways.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Effective JavaScript, YDKJS, and Speaking JavaScript all fantastic",
          "reason": "Included among books described as fantastic for higher-level learners or those familiar with other languages.",
          "audience": "Higher-level learners or people comfortable learning new languages.",
          "caveat": "The books are said to complement each other.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14461226,
          "author": "itayadler",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-01T15:40:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14461226",
          "commentText": "http://speakingjs.com",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "http://speakingjs.com",
          "reason": "The linked title is presented in response to a request for JavaScript learning books.",
          "audience": "JavaScript learners.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Axel Rauschmayer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "javascript",
        "programming",
        "programming languages"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "strategy-bcf2df",
      "title": "Strategy",
      "author": "B. H. Liddell Hart",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 457036,
          "author": "mmmurf",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T20:14:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=457036",
          "commentText": "+1 for #6.  It's a great read.  It would be fun to teach a high school history class around it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for #6.  It's a great read.",
          "reason": "Seconding item 6 from the parent list and calling it a great read.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in military strategy or high school history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 456387,
          "author": "parzival52",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T14:49:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456387",
          "commentText": "The best I have read is by B.H. Liddell Hart:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Strategy-Meridian-B-Liddell-Hart/dp/04... (http://www.amazon.com/Strategy-Meridian-B-Liddell-Hart/dp/0452010713/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233240383&sr=1-3)\nHe also wrote respected volumes on the world wars and biographies of Rommel and Scipio Africanus, among others.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The best I have read is by B.H. Liddell Hart",
          "reason": "The commenter identifies it as the best book they have read.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in military strategy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 456347,
          "author": "pskomoroch",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T14:15:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456347",
          "commentText": "I used to have a lot more time for non CS reading and actually made an Amazon list on this topic back in 2005:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/2INJSM38... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/2INJSM38IDMDZ/ref=cm_sw_r_de_lm)\n1.  On War (Everyman's Library (Cloth)) by Carl Von Clausewitz\n2.  Leadership: The Warrior's Art by Barry R. McCaffrey\n3.  Small Unit Leadership: A Commonsense Approach by Dandridge M. Malone\n4.  The Defense of Hill 781: An Allegory of Modern Mechanized Combat by James R. McDonough\n5.  The Art of Maneuver: Maneuver-Warfare Theory and AirLand Battle by Robert Leonhard\n6.  Strategy: Second Revised Edition (Meridian) by B. H. Liddell Hart\n7.  The Art of War by Niccolò Machiavelli\n8.  Hagakure: The Book of the Samauri by Tsunetomo Yamamoto\n9.  The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius\n10.  The Art of War (Shambhala classics) by Sun Tzu\n11.  The Prince (Bantam Classics) by Niccolo Machiavelli\n12.  Evolutionary Game Theory by Jörgen W. Weibull\n13.  On Guerrilla Warfare by Mao Tse-tung\n14.  The History of the Peloponnesian War: Revised Edition (Penguin Classics) by Thucydides\n15.  The Histories (Penguin Classics) by Herodotus\n16.  The Persian Expedition (Penguin Classics) by Xenophon\n17.  Plutarch: Lives of Noble Grecians and Romans (Modern Library Series, Vol. 1) by Plutarch\n18.  Plutarch's Lives, Volume 2 (Modern Library Classics) by Plutarch\n19.  Livy: The Early History of Rome, Books I-V (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 1-5) by Titus Livy\n20.  The History of Rome from Its Foundation, Books XXI-XXX: The War with Hannibal (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 21-30) by Titus Livius Livy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "6.  Strategy: Second Revised Edition (Meridian) by B. H. Liddell Hart",
          "reason": "Included in a list of military strategy books answering the thread's request.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking books about military strategy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "B. H. Liddell Hart"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military strategy",
        "war theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-adventures-of-tintin-3ae508",
      "title": "The Adventures of Tintin",
      "author": "Hergé",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17386698,
          "author": "vram22",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-24T14:31:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17386698",
          "commentText": "Yes, crazy kinds of adventures. Things or issues that seem impossible to solve, yet they (Tintin, Captain Haddock and Professor Calculus) come out of them successfully most of the time, not to mention Thomson and Thompson :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Things or issues that seem impossible to solve, yet they (Tintin, Captain Haddock and Professor Calculus) come out of them successfully most of the time",
          "reason": "Describes the characters’ adventures positively in a conversation about Tintin comics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17384990,
          "author": "nojvek",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-24T04:47:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17384990",
          "commentText": "I grew up on Tin Tin comics. They were available in my school library in Nairobi. That stuff was crack. Such adventures! Really made it fun to read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I grew up on Tin Tin comics. They were available in my school library in Nairobi. That stuff was crack. Such adventures! Really made it fun to read.",
          "reason": "Fondly recalls the comics and says they made reading fun.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17383067,
          "author": "vram22",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T19:49:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17383067",
          "commentText": "The drawings / illustrations in Asterix and Tintin comics are just great. I like them almost more than the stories or characters, especially for the Asterix ones. The drawings of scenery are very evocative, and expressions on the faces of the people in the comics seem very realistic, despite being drawn with just a few lines, relatively speaking.\nAnother great point about Asterix comics (so I read), is that they were initially written in French, and later translated into English (I've only read them in English) - and still there are many puns and word plays in the English versions. I don't know how they managed to do it, or whether they created different puns for the English versions. Likely the latter, because I guess the puns would not translate well across languages.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asterix",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The drawings / illustrations in Asterix and Tintin comics are just great. I like them almost more than the stories or characters",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the illustrations and says they like them almost more than the stories or characters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has read the comics in English and speculates that translators may have created different puns.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17382000,
          "author": "gjkood",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T16:34:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17382000",
          "commentText": "Some great comics/graphic novels that are relatively unknown in the US\nAsterix comics [1]\nTintin comics [2]\nYes, I know Spielberg's Tintin animated movie is well known but I doubt most people in the US have heard of the entire series of Tintin comics.\nI couldn't devour these fast enough when I was growing up.\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3... (https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=asterix)\n[2] https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3... (https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=tintin)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tintin comics [2]",
          "reason": "Listed as a great comic series relatively unknown in the US; the commenter says they couldn't devour them fast enough growing up.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The animated movie is well known, but the commenter doubts most Americans know the comic series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hergé"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Art"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure",
        "adventure comics",
        "belgian comics",
        "comic books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-almanack-of-naval-ravikant-13ae68",
      "title": "The Almanack of Naval Ravikant",
      "author": "Eric Jorgenson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35172037,
          "author": "jacktribe",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:47:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172037",
          "commentText": "As someone who is more interested in building the product than marketing it, I found the following recent reads helpful in achieving a balance:\n1. Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey A. Moore - making your product work for the masses\n2. The Cold Start Problem by Andrew Chen - achieving escape velocity, getting viral referral traffic\n3. Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss - it might seem a bit gimmicky but negotiation always comes off gimmicky\nMotivational stories:\n4. The Almanack Of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson\n5. The Founders by Jimmy Soni\n6. The Upstarts by Brad Stone\n7. Hatching Twitter by Nick Bilton\n8. That Will Never Work by Marc Randolph\n9. Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald's by Ray Kroc\nCan't skip:\n10. Zero To One by Peter Thiel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Almanack Of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson",
          "reason": "Listed as a motivational story.",
          "audience": "People building products.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35171590,
          "author": "fidrelity",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:18:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35171590",
          "commentText": "* Crossing the Chasm\n* The Mom Test\n* The Almanack of Naval Ravikant\n* The Cold Start Problem",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Almanack of Naval Ravikant",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25906002,
          "author": "ra7",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T17:28:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25906002",
          "commentText": "A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking. I thought it would be a good time investment to read this book than to watch random Youtube videos about topics related to the cosmos.\nAnother, The Almanack of Naval Ravikant. Probably the podcast or the free PDF versions.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Another, The Almanack of Naval Ravikant. Probably the podcast or the free PDF versions.",
          "reason": "Names it as another planned read, while considering audio or PDF formats.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter may use the podcast or free PDF version.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Jorgenson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "personal development",
        "personal philosophy",
        "wealth"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-bug-fdfa40",
      "title": "The Bug",
      "author": "Ellen Ullman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46161500,
          "author": "ashtavakra",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-05T14:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46161500",
          "commentText": "I consolidated the comments for my reference later. Someone else might also find it useful:\n# Fiction Books Recommended for Programmers (HN Thread 46128404)\n## Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- *Children of Time* — Science Fiction (Evolution, Space Opera)  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)\n## Rick Cook — Wizardry Series\n- *Wizard’s Bane* — Fantasy, Programming/Magic Mashup  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112616.Wizard_s_Bane\n- *Wizardry Series (overview)*  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\n## James P. Hogan\n- *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/743568.Inherit_the_Stars\n- *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifem... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifemaker)\n- *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_Tomorrow)\n## D. F. Jones — Colossus Trilogy\n- *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806105.Colossus\n- *The Fall of Colossus* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colos... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colossus)\n- *Colossus and the Crab* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_Crab)\n## Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner)\n- *A Logic Named Joe* — Golden-Age Sci-Fi, AI Precursor  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-j... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-joe)\n## David Gerrold\n- *When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One* — AI, Classic Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_Was_One)\n## William Gibson / Bruce Sterling\n- *Neuromancer* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer\n- *The Difference Engine* — Steampunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Eng... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Engine)\n## Neal Stephenson\n- *Snow Crash* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash\n- *Cryptonomicon* — Techno-thriller, Cyber-history  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/816.Cryptonomicon\n- *Anathem* — Philosophical Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2845024-anathem\n- *The Diamond Age* — Nanopunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827.The_Diamond_Age\n## Fred Saberhagen\n- *Octagon* — AI, Techno-thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1891958.Octagon\n## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga\n- *Series Overview* — Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/40946-vorkosigan-saga\n## Richard Powers\n- *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45104.Galatea_2_2\n## Scott Meyer\n- *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-wizard)\n## Daniel Suarez\n- *Daemon* — Cyber-thriller, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665844-daemon\n## Thomas J. Ryan\n- *The Adolescence of P-1* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_o... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_of_P_1)\n## Ernest Cline\n- *Ready Player One* — Sci-Fi, Gaming, Pop-Culture Adventure  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one\n## Dennis E. Taylor\n- *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)* — Humorous Sci-Fi, AI, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-we-are-bob)\n## Ted Chiang\n- *Stories of Your Life and Others* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\n- *Exhalation* — Speculative Fiction, Philosophy, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation\n- *The Lifecycle of Software Objects* — AI, Digital Consciousness  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of-software-objects)\n## Charles Stross\n- *Laundry Files Series* — Math-based Magic, Techno-Fantasy  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files\n## Ken Liu\n- *The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menag... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories)\n- *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, AI, VR  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl-and-other-stories)\n## Ellen Ullman\n- *The Bug* — Tech Industry Literary Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/703.The_Bug\n## Cory Doctorow\n- *Radicalized* — Techno-sociopolitical Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40604122-radicalized\n## qntm (Sam Hughes)\n- *Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans-in-transit-and-other-stories)\n## Roger Williams\n- *The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect* — AI, Post-Singularity SF  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)\n## Greg Bear\n- *Eon* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/924843.Eon\n## Vernor Vinge\n- *A Deepness in the Sky* — Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the_Sky)\n## Terry Pratchett\n- *Going Postal* — Comic Fantasy, Satire of Bureaucracy & Tech  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64222.Going_Postal\n## Bruce Bethke\n- *Headcrash* — Cyber-satire  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213465.Headcrash\n## Mary Shelley\n- *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* — Classic Gothic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein\n## Douglas Adams\n- *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* — Comic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guid... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)\n## Jorge Luis Borges\n- *The Library of Babel* — Metaphysical Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-babel)\n## Greg Egan\n- *Permutation City* — Simulation Theory, Hard Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156784.Permutation_City\n## Cixin Liu\n- *The Three-Body Problem* — Hard Sci-Fi, First Contact  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- *The Bug* — Tech Industry Literary Fiction",
          "reason": "Lists the title in a compilation of fiction books recommended for programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46137917,
          "author": "gaws",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T18:15:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46137917",
          "commentText": "> The Bug by Ellen Ullman\nThe best answer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bug by Ellen Ullman\nThe best answer.",
          "reason": "Calls the referenced recommendation the best answer.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46136691,
          "author": "agarv",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T16:46:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46136691",
          "commentText": "The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories and The Hidden Girl and Other Stories by Ken Liu\nThe Bug by Ellen Ullman\nRadicalized by Corey Doctrow\nValuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories by qntm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bug by Ellen Ullman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ellen Ullman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software development",
        "tech industry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-impostor-s-handbook-3ee15f",
      "title": "The Impostor's Handbook",
      "author": "Rob Conery",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20734432,
          "author": "jeffdoolittle",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-19T02:29:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20734432",
          "commentText": "Mentioned before, but I'll +1 these:\n- The Impostor’s Handbook: Rob Conery\n- Foundations of CS: http://blough.ece.gatech.edu/3020/focs.pdf\nAlso be sure to check out\n- Software Fundamentals, essays by David Parnas\nHere's one of the essays from the book: https://www.win.tue.nl/~wstomv/edu/2ip30/references/criteria... (https://www.win.tue.nl/~wstomv/edu/2ip30/references/criteria_for_modularization.pdf)\nParnas promoted the idea of encapsulation before the word had even been invented. And at the time, the idea was actually controversial, if you can believe it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Impostor’s Handbook: Rob Conery",
          "reason": "Included in a list the commenter says they are seconding.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20731455,
          "author": "chrisseaton",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T17:13:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20731455",
          "commentText": "I would find it very difficult to recommend this book - I think parts of it are simply factually mistaken, unfortunately, and I worry someone using knowledge from it would make themselves look like more of an imposter, not less.\nhttps://github.com/imposters-handbook/feedback/issues/50\nThe book itself is a good idea and the author seems to have good intentions even if they didn't take advice in this case, though.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I would find it very difficult to recommend this book - I think parts of it are simply factually mistaken",
          "reason": "The commenter warns that factual errors could make readers appear less knowledgeable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the book has good intentions, but criticizes its factual accuracy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20729569,
          "author": "qubex",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T11:23:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20729569",
          "commentText": "I strongly advise the following:\n- The Computational Beauty Of Nature, by William Gary Flake\n- The Impostor’s Handbook, by Rob Conery\n- The Elements Of Computing Systems, by Noam Nisan & Shimon Schocken",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Impostor’s Handbook, by Rob Conery",
          "reason": "Included in a list the commenter strongly advises.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20729479,
          "author": "kachhalimbu",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T10:53:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20729479",
          "commentText": "I would highly recommend Imposter's Handbook[1] by Rob Conery\nThen there is also excellent BaseCS Podcast [2]\n[1] https://bigmachine.io/products/the-imposters-handbook\n[2] https://www.codenewbie.org/basecs",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would highly recommend Imposter's Handbook[1] by Rob Conery",
          "reason": "The commenter highly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13406799,
          "author": "spraak",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-15T22:38:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13406799",
          "commentText": "Has anyone read \"The Impostor Handbook\"[0]? What do you think of it?\n[0] https://bigmachine.io/products/the-imposters-handbook/\nEdit: I'm not connected to the book.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Has anyone read \"The Impostor Handbook\"[0]? What do you think of it?",
          "reason": "Asks whether others have read it and what they think.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not state an opinion about the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rob Conery"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer science",
        "computer science fundamentals"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-messy-middle-fbf0ca",
      "title": "The Messy Middle",
      "author": "Scott Belsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35171154,
          "author": "hkhanna",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T16:53:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35171154",
          "commentText": "I read The Messy Middle and thought like the chapter titles were phenomenal, but felt everything in the actual chapters was fluff. Maybe I'll give it another try!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I read The Messy Middle and thought like the chapter titles were phenomenal, but felt everything in the actual chapters was fluff.",
          "reason": "Found the chapter titles phenomenal but the chapters themselves fluffy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter may give it another try.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35169147,
          "author": "collin128",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T14:49:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35169147",
          "commentText": "The messy middle was fantastic. Only reason I didn't list it in my comment below was that I read it recently and I'm 11 years in.\nHighly recommend the book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The messy middle was fantastic.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the book fantastic and says they highly recommend it.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes they read it recently and are 11 years into their journey.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35169100,
          "author": "dmkirwan",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T14:47:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35169100",
          "commentText": "I assume you're not interested in hearing the obvious ones (zero to one, lean startup, etc., etc.) so I'll recommend two.\nAt the early stages when you're defining your strategy? \"Good strategy/bad strategy\" by Richard P. Rumelt. \"Strategy\" is thrown around a whole lot in business, often by somebody who is talking about a goal, as opposed to how to reach it. This book can get a little repetitive but the overarching teachings are valuable and will serve you well throughout your entrepreneurship journey.\nAfter the startup phase (growth/acquisition)? I recommend \"The messy middle\" by Scott Belsky.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend \"The messy middle\" by Scott Belsky.",
          "reason": "Recommended for the growth and acquisition stage after a startup's initial phase.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs after the startup phase",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Belsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "company growth",
        "entrepreneurship",
        "scaling",
        "startup growth"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-witcher-saga-f77eee",
      "title": "The Witcher Saga",
      "author": "Andrzej Sapkowski",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24189583,
          "author": "sp527",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-17T17:38:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 24176902,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please suggest some good books you have read recently",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24189583",
          "commentText": "Strongly agree. Just started reading it myself. One note for people picking it up: the English translation for ‘The Last Wish’ is not great but, if you power through it, all the remaining books are fantastic.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Strongly agree. Just started reading it myself.",
          "reason": "Agrees with the parent recommendation and says they have started reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Warns that the English translation of The Last Wish is not great, though the remaining books are fantastic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24188199,
          "author": "burntoutfire",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-17T15:32:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 24176902,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please suggest some good books you have read recently",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24188199",
          "commentText": "The Polish original is absolutely fabulous. I reread it all every 5 years or so.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Polish original is absolutely fabulous. I reread it all every 5 years or so.",
          "reason": "Calls the original Polish version fabulous and says they reread it regularly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment does not name the book; identification comes from the parent context.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24177201,
          "author": "m0ck",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-16T12:22:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 24176902,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please suggest some good books you have read recently",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24177201",
          "commentText": "The Witcher Saga by Sapkowski. For the first time in years I felt like I got really \"lost\" in a book again and it was fantastic. I could do that easily when I was kid/teenager, now it's much harder to achieve for me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Witcher Saga by Sapkowski",
          "reason": "Says the saga made it easy to get immersed in a book again.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says that kind of immersion is harder for them now.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrzej Sapkowski"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dark fantasy",
        "sword and sorcery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-zen-of-css-design-9d0b53",
      "title": "The Zen of CSS Design",
      "author": "Dave Shea and Molly E. Holzschlag",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 574902,
          "author": "cubicle67",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-23T01:20:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 574468,
          "threadTitle": "What is the best CSS book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=574902",
          "commentText": "Seconded. Instead of the usual dry \"Chapter n: Divs, Chapter n+1: Links\" etc, Zen of CSS looks at a number of stunning designs in turn, explaining how each was achieved.\nBeautiful book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seconded. Instead of the usual dry \"Chapter n: Divs, Chapter n+1: Links\" etc, Zen of CSS looks at a number of stunning designs in turn, explaining how each was achieved. Beautiful book.",
          "reason": "Seconding the recommendation and praising its visual, example-based approach.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 574824,
          "author": "peterbraden",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-23T00:03:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 574468,
          "threadTitle": "What is the best CSS book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=574824",
          "commentText": "Not a book, google.\nCSS is such an evolving art - browser inconsistencies and their related hacks are constantly changing, and best practises are continually being developed.\nIt seems ironic to me that you would revert to using dead-tree media for instruction on how to style the cutting edge. If you simply need an introduction to css then w3schools can't be beat.\nOh, and I also own zen of css design, which is pretty good if you must have a physical book.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I also own zen of css design, which is pretty good if you must have a physical book.",
          "reason": "Describes the book as pretty good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter argues that online resources suit the evolving nature of CSS better.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 574578,
          "author": "danw",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-22T21:19:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 574468,
          "threadTitle": "What is the best CSS book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=574578",
          "commentText": "The Zen of CSS Design for me.\nIt takes submissions to the CSS Zen garden and uses them as examples of what techniques you can use for layout, typography, images, etc\nIt suits my learning style of visual diagrams and reverse-engineering things to see how they work.\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0321303474?ie=UTF8&ta... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0321303474?ie=UTF8&tag=newcarto-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=0321303474)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Zen of CSS Design for me.",
          "reason": "Describes its examples and says its visual diagrams and reverse-engineering suit their learning style.",
          "audience": "Visual learners who like studying and reverse-engineering design examples.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dave Shea and Molly E. Holzschlag"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "css",
        "web design",
        "visual design",
        "typography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "to-sell-is-human-13ece5",
      "title": "To Sell Is Human",
      "author": "Daniel H. Pink",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10240701,
          "author": "tsattersten",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-18T17:39:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10240701",
          "commentText": "Our selections from The 100 Best Business Books of All Time were:\n-Selling The Invisible by Harry Beckwith (great look at selling services)\n-Secrets of Closing The Sale by Zig Ziglar (gets you prepared for objections)\n-How to Become A Rainmaker by Jeffrey Fox (shortcuts to better sales techniques)\n-The Little Red Book of Selling by Jeffrey Gitomer (best first book for first time salespeople)\nAs mentioned in other posts, I would also add SPIN Selling, Mastering the Complex Sale and The Referral Engine.\n\"Smart\" books in the sales space include Influence, Made To Stick, To Sell Is Human.\nFor motivation, read more Zig, Tony Robbins, and Dale Carnegie.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "To Sell Is Human",
          "reason": "Listed among smart books in the sales space.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10235527,
          "author": "dragon88",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T19:28:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10235527",
          "commentText": "Books\nhttp://www.amazon.ca/To-Sell-Is-Human-Surprising/dp/15946319... (http://www.amazon.ca/To-Sell-Is-Human-Surprising/dp/1594631905)\nBest insight: The biggest misconception is that extraverts are better salesmen cause they're slick talkers. Actually, it's the exact opposite. It's better to let your prospect to most the talking while you listen. Ask them open-ended questions. The more you learn about your prospect, the more effectively you can explain your product solves their specific problems.\nArticles\nhttp://nlp-mentor.com/nlp-techniques/\nNeurolinguistic programming techniques - can be manipulative if used the wrong way but in sales, they really help you gain an advantage or maintain control. Includes how to build rapport quickly, how to maintain your frame regardless of how the other person acts, etc.\nhttp://www.artofemails.com/sales-follow-up\nMoney is the follow-up - creative ways to keep the convo alive without annoying your prospects",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "http://www.amazon.ca/To-Sell-Is-Human-Surprising/dp/15946319...",
          "reason": "Listed under “Books” in response to a request for sales recommendations; the commenter shares an insight from the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10234056,
          "author": "wunderlust",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T15:55:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10234056",
          "commentText": "\"To Sell is Human\" by Dan Pink. It doesn't so much teach you how to sell as to take the perspective of people whom you may want/need to convince or persuade.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"To Sell is Human\" by Dan Pink. It doesn't so much teach you how to sell as to take the perspective of people whom you may want/need to convince or persuade.",
          "reason": "Describes the book as useful for understanding the perspective of people you need to persuade.",
          "audience": "People who want to understand persuasion from the other person's perspective.",
          "caveat": "It focuses on perspective rather than directly teaching sales technique.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel H. Pink"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "persuasion",
        "sales"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "windows-internals-6e5867",
      "title": "Windows Internals",
      "author": "Mark E. Russinovich, David A. Solomon, and Alex Ionescu",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40519920,
          "author": "anticensor",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-30T03:55:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 40497383,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Can anyone recommend a Windows Systems programming book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40519920",
          "commentText": "Windows Internals, 7th Edition.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Windows Internals, 7th Edition.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40510919,
          "author": "Nevolihs",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-29T11:51:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 40497383,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Can anyone recommend a Windows Systems programming book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40510919",
          "commentText": "MSDN and that book are great https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/resources/win... (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/resources/windows-internals)\nA lot of useful links on that page for additional reading.\nRepo for the tools used in the book https://github.com/zodiacon/WindowsInternals which are invaluable\nhttps://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/resources/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "MSDN and that book are great",
          "reason": "Affirms the book mentioned in the parent recommendation and praises it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40510393,
          "author": "TazeTSchnitzel",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-29T10:25:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 40497383,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Can anyone recommend a Windows Systems programming book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40510393",
          "commentText": "What kind of systems programming are you interested in? A sibling comment already mentioned Windows Internals, but that's really about the architecture of the Windows kernel. If you want to write applications, you probably want to read something about the Windows API?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "A sibling comment already mentioned Windows Internals",
          "reason": "Identifies the sibling recommendation as focused on Windows kernel architecture, then contrasts it with material about the Windows API for application development.",
          "audience": "People interested in Windows kernel architecture.",
          "caveat": "Says it is really about the Windows kernel architecture.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40510053,
          "author": "explaingarlic",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-29T09:23:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 40497383,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Can anyone recommend a Windows Systems programming book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40510053",
          "commentText": "The Windows Internals series is typically the go-to for what you're looking for. Combine with MSDN browsing to determine what you want to do and how you want to do it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Windows Internals series is typically the go-to for what you're looking for.",
          "reason": "Recommends the series for the requested Windows systems programming book.",
          "audience": "Someone looking for Windows systems programming material.",
          "caveat": "Suggests pairing it with MSDN browsing to determine what to do and how.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark E. Russinovich",
        "David A. Solomon",
        "Alex Ionescu"
      ],
      "recommenders": 3,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "operating systems",
        "windows internals"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "1632-c3578d",
      "title": "1632",
      "author": "Eric Flint",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49465385,
          "author": "mikewarot",
          "createdAt": "2026-08-27T14:23:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 49464764,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: If I am 16 what should I learn? Which books should read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49465385",
          "commentText": "Read 1632 by Eric Flint, deeply embedded in it is a lesson about the infrastructure that keeps modern society going.\nIt's important to understand mappers and packers, and figure out where you are on that continuum.    https://wiki.c2.com/?MappersVsPackers\nLearn what capability based security is. Computer security is a solved problem, has been since the 1980s, but the solution hasn't been widely adopted yet.\nKnow that this is a time of immense abundance, we have access to things that even the King of France couldn't afford, like antibiotics and modern medicine, but don't try to keep up with the Joneses, that way lies ruin.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read 1632 by Eric Flint, deeply embedded in it is a lesson about the infrastructure that keeps modern society going.",
          "reason": "Recommends the novel for its embedded lesson about modern society's infrastructure.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 44573085,
          "author": "mikewarot",
          "createdAt": "2025-07-15T16:41:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 44568054,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44573085",
          "commentText": "1632 by Eric Flint - It's an alternative history in which the real town of Mannington, Virginia is fictionalized as \"Grantville\" and thrown back in time to 1631 Germany, causing it's citizens to band together, and kick off the American Revolution more than a Century Early.\nIt's a fascinating study of society and the infrastructure that makes civilization work. Their struggles to avoid starvation and being over-run by the armies of the 30 years war are gripping reading.\nIt was so popular it spawned a community of writers and a series that lived until the authors demise a few years ago.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1632 by Eric Flint",
          "reason": "Calls it fascinating and gripping, highlighting its study of society and the infrastructure of civilization.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43614857,
          "author": "mikewarot",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T19:16:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43614857",
          "commentText": "The 1632 series by Eric Flint changed my perspective on what it takes to keep modern civilization going. In the book (which became a series) he extensively studied the town of Mannington, West Virginia, and it became Grantville, a town which was thrown from the year 2000 back into the summer of 1631 and the middle of the 30 years war in Thuringa, Germany.\nTheir struggle to comprehend the new world into which they were thrust, coping with war and loss of modern supply chains, and a full blown war... make for interesting reading. There were a lot of details about infrastructure in the book and throughout the series that really made me ponder just how hard it is to keep this all afloat.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 1632 series by Eric Flint changed my perspective on what it takes to keep modern civilization going.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the series changed their perspective on sustaining modern civilization and made them ponder infrastructure.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in infrastructure, supply chains, and alternate history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41176989,
          "author": "mikewarot",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T00:25:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41176989",
          "commentText": "1632 by Eric Flint - it became a series. I can read them over and over. - Alternate history, contemplative of everything that makes modern civilization possible and keeps it going.\nThe Art of Electronics  - Horowitz and Hill - All the nitty gritty details you'll need if you're to be a good electronics designer\nThe adolescence of P-1 - Thomas Joseph Ryan - Introduced me to the idea of random walks leading to AI.\nComputer Lib/Dream Machines - Ted Nelson -- Quite a bit of ideas about computers, I read it decades ago.\nDiary of an Early American Boy: Noah Blake 1805 -- By Eric Sloane -- Early Americans really knew their shit, we tend to think of them as simpler people, this book dispelled me of that stupid notion.\nBoys Second Book of Electronics - Alfred Morgan, 1957 -- Introduced me to the idea that I could make my own radio or anything electronic I wanted to make.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1632 by Eric Flint - it became a series. I can read them over and over.",
          "reason": "Says they reread it and describes it as contemplative of what makes modern civilization possible.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36024247,
          "author": "mikewarot",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T20:05:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36024247",
          "commentText": "1632 - Eric Flint\nNot quite science fiction, but it's an alternative history that teaches a lot about infrastructure and science along the way.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1632 - Eric Flint\nNot quite science fiction, but it's an alternative history",
          "reason": "Identifies it as an alternative history that teaches about infrastructure and science.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not quite science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7303128,
          "author": "HackOfAllTrades",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T05:35:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7303128",
          "commentText": "These days I seem to prefer extended series of books that develop a detailed alternate universe.  Three truly excellent series (Author-Series-1st Book):\nEric Flint - 1632 - \"1632\"\nDavid Weber - Honor Harrington - \"On Basilisk Station\"\nStephen Brust - Vlad Taltos - \"Taltos\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Eric Flint - 1632 - \"1632\"",
          "reason": "Names the series as an excellent choice for readers who prefer extended series and detailed alternate universes.",
          "audience": "Readers who prefer extended series with detailed alternate universes.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Flint"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternate history",
        "time travel",
        "infrastructure"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "i-am-that-b128cb",
      "title": "I Am That",
      "author": "Nisargadatta Maharaj",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40299475,
          "author": "andrei_says_",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-08T15:48:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40299475",
          "commentText": "I am That by Nisargadatta Maharaj. Recorded discourses with him, in q&a format.\nThis is the most powerful spiritual text I’ve encountered to date. Instantly places me in a state of deep understanding. I open it on a weekly basis.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I am That by Nisargadatta Maharaj.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a powerful spiritual text that prompts deep understanding and says they return to it weekly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36429545,
          "author": "andrei_says_",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T08:49:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36429545",
          "commentText": "I am That - transcribed conversations with Nisargadatta Maharaj\nIt’s like speaking with … the absolute? beyond human. Cuts through time and space and brings me to it, instantly, always.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I am That - transcribed conversations with Nisargadatta Maharaj",
          "reason": "Describes the book as immediately connecting the reader with the absolute.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31990647,
          "author": "andrei_says_",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-05T16:52:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31990647",
          "commentText": "This is the book I came to recommend. It is different from almost anything else I've read in its causing an immediate shift of awareness which is beyond the intellectual / thinking process.\nIt consists of conversations which modify being and a different state of being changes everything, instantaneously.\nThis is my book - I open it almost every day. Not a story to re-read but a state of being to dissolve into.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is the book I came to recommend.",
          "reason": "The commenter identifies it as the book they came to recommend and says they open it almost every day.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as something to absorb rather than a story to reread.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803908,
          "author": "andreilys",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:50:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803908",
          "commentText": "Well here are the books I’m currently reading (physical, kindle, and audible). I bounce around a lot. Sometimes it takes me a week to finish a book, other times I take a few months. Sometimes I never finish. But these are the ones I have some progress on so far:\n1. Faust by goethe\n2. I am That\n3. Book of why\n4. The gift by hafiz\n5. Simulacra and simulation\n6. Candide by Voltaire\n7. Meeting the shadow: the hidden power of the dark side of human nature\n8. Nonviolent communication\n9. After the ecstasy, the laundry\n10. Watchmen\n11. Noble heart by Pena chodron\n12. Developer hegemony\n13. Brothers karamazov",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I am That",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156611,
          "author": "andrei_says_",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:58:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156611",
          "commentText": "I am That by Nisargdatta Maharaj. Shifted my perception of who/what I am.\nNot a book but Marshall Rosenberg's many lectures, audiobooks and workshops on nonviolent communication. I am now able to set boundaries in a peaceful way, and see myself and everyone, no matter what their actions, through eyes of effortless compassion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shifted my perception of who/what I am.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it shifted their perception of who they are.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13970113,
          "author": "andrei_says_",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T17:59:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13970113",
          "commentText": "I am That -- transcribed talks with Nisargadatta Maharaj\nShifted my sense of self in ways I cannot describe. It is logical but not intellectual and transformative in a strange way.\nEnlightenment is Not What You Think by Wayne Liquorman, a contemporary Advaita teacher.\nIshmael by Daniel Queen.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shifted my sense of self in ways I cannot describe. It is logical but not intellectual and transformative in a strange way.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it transformed their sense of self.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674344,
          "author": "swatkat",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T12:18:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674344",
          "commentText": "\"Freedom from the Known\" by J. Krishnamurti.\n\"I Am That\" by  Nisargadatta Maharaj.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"I Am That\" by  Nisargadatta Maharaj.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nisargadatta Maharaj"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 6,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "advaita vedanta",
        "nonduality",
        "spirituality",
        "self inquiry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-buildings-learn-what-happens-after-they-re-built-77478f",
      "title": "How Buildings Learn: What Happens After They're Built",
      "author": "Stewart Brand",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12144529,
          "author": "fogus",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T16:24:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144529",
          "commentText": "\"Thinking Forth\" by Leo Brodie --> http://thinking-forth.sourceforge.net/\n\"How Buildings Learn: What Happens After They're Built\" by Stewart Brand --> http://www.openculture.com/2015/07/watch-stewart-brands-6-pa... (http://www.openculture.com/2015/07/watch-stewart-brands-6-part-series-how-buildings-learn-with-music-by-brian-eno.html)\n\"Programmer's Guide to the 1802\" by Tom Swan --> http://www.tomswan.com/store/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How Buildings Learn: What Happens After They're Built\" by Stewart Brand",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the books that impacted the commenter's career.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8716553,
          "author": "fogus",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T14:31:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8716553",
          "commentText": "I was a voracious reader of programming books prior to reading Stewart Brand's \"How Buildings Learn: What Happens After They're Built.\"  However, it was this book that made me (finally) realize that some of the best programming books are not about programming at all.  As a result I've cut back drastically on my \"language-specific\" programming books[1] and have sought programming-relevant books instead.\n[1]: And I've made it a personal goal to limit the \"language-specific\" books to those written before 1995.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it was this book that made me (finally) realize that some of the best programming books are not about programming at all.",
          "reason": "The commenter says this book changed their view of what makes a useful programming-related book.",
          "audience": "Programmers looking for relevant ideas beyond language-specific programming books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569524,
          "author": "wallflower",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T23:35:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569524",
          "commentText": "How Buildings Learn by Stewart Brand.\nIt's about how the foundation you build something on top of determines its adaptability to change/new usage patterns",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How Buildings Learn by Stewart Brand.\nIt's about how the foundation you build something on top of determines its adaptability to change/new usage patterns",
          "reason": "Explains how foundational design affects a building's adaptability to changing uses.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227085,
          "author": "wallflower",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T17:54:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227085",
          "commentText": "\"How Buildings Learn: What happens after they're built\" by Stewart Brand (ok, it's about systems and software arch)\n\"Walt Disney: Triumph of the American Imagination\" by Neal Gabler (This is awesome because the 1st third is about his multiple failures)\nAny David Macaulay book (breathtaking deconstruction construction)\nAny book on child crafts and games, vintage better. (The writing is superb and a lot of activities are excellent)\nAny book on network marketing (I'm not involved but have been pitched many times. The talk about funnels for recruiting is realistic).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How Buildings Learn: What happens after they're built\" by Stewart Brand (ok, it's about systems and software arch)",
          "reason": "Lists it as a suggested book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Notes its focus on systems and software architecture.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135563,
          "author": "wallflower",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T22:55:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135563",
          "commentText": "\"Becoming a Technical Leader\" by Gerald Weinberg\nUnconventional perspective on management\n\"How Buildings Learn\" by Stewart Brand\nOne of the best books about designing long-term architectures. Excellent coffee table book\n\"Envisioning Information\" by Edward Tufte\n\"Walt Disney\" by Neal Gabler\nExcellent biography of maybe the greatest imagineer ever\n\"The Art of Software Testing\" by Glenford J. Myers\n~100 page classic. The central premise is that the successful test is one that finds bugs/issues not one that doesn't.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How Buildings Learn\" by Stewart Brand\nOne of the best books about designing long-term architectures. Excellent coffee table book",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of the best books about designing long-term architectures.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Also described as an excellent coffee table book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stewart Brand"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Art",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "architecture",
        "building adaptation",
        "adaptive reuse",
        "building design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-confession-f5bca4",
      "title": "A Confession",
      "author": "Leo Tolstoy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29849924,
          "author": "wholien",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-08T08:59:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29849924",
          "commentText": "“A confession” was written when Tolstoy was in his early fifties, not when he was 18.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "“A confession” was written when Tolstoy was in his early fifties, not when he was 18.",
          "reason": "Corrects the age attributed to Tolstoy when he wrote the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter clarifies that Tolstoy wrote it in his early fifties.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29820163,
          "author": "marttt",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-06T06:31:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29820163",
          "commentText": "\"A Confession\" by Leo Tolstoy [1]. An autobiographical story of Tolstoy's \"search for meaning\" when he was, I believe, around the same age. A masterpiece in around 80 pages.\nFrom a more practical angle, I wish I had had \"Early Retirement Extreme\" by Jacob Lund Fisker [2] in my shelf at that age. Don't get fooled by the title, this is by no means a \"highway to financial independence\" book; rather, it's a really deep book about, well, sensible living strategies, considering the world we're in.\nThe author holds a PhD in theoretical physics, and by living with around $7,000 a year as a scientist and postdoc, he retired in around 5 years in his early 30s.\nIt's a book on thoughtful frugality, if you will.\n1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Confession\n2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Lund_Fisker",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"A Confession\" by Leo Tolstoy [1].",
          "reason": "Recommended as an autobiographical account of Tolstoy's search for meaning around the reader's age.",
          "audience": "A young adult interested in meaning and self-reflection.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure of Tolstoy's age when he wrote it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28466559,
          "author": "marttt",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-09T05:25:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 28450555,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that impacted your work that few other people seem to care about?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28466559",
          "commentText": "\"A Confession\" [1] and \"The Kingdom of God is Within You\" [2] by Leo Tolstoy. I believe Mahatma Gandhi considered the latter as a core influence for his nonviolent resistance philosophy.\nAlso, \"The Death of Ivan Ilych\" [3] by Tolstoy. I felt like a ping-pong ball in the hands of the author: whichever way he wanted me to think at a certain point in the plot, I did. Masterful insight into the life and death of an ordinary, diligent man. And, above and beyond that, it depicts the rarely avoidable self-centeredness of humans.\nOh, and lately, the prominent Finnish deep ecologist Pentti Linkola [4] has been a huge influence on me. In the Nordic countries, he is sometimes called \"ecofascist\", but this is an obvious cherry-picked overstatement of his views to my mind. I think only one of his books has been translated into English, though: \"Can Life Prevail?\" [5].\n1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Confession\n2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kingdom_of_God_Is_Within_Y... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kingdom_of_God_Is_Within_You)\n3: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Death_of_Ivan_Ilyich\n4: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentti_Linkola and a fan page at http://www.penttilinkola.com/\n5: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6397542-can-life-prevail",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"A Confession\" [1] and \"The Kingdom of God is Within You\" [2] by Leo Tolstoy.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21802758,
          "author": "0kl",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T13:11:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21802758",
          "commentText": "I plan to reread a couple core works for myself. Of that list the ones that I’d recommend for others are:\nAurelius (trans. Martin Hammond)\nFear and Trembling\nMan’s Search for Meaning\nTolstoy’s Confessions\nKundera’s The Art of the Novel\nAfter doing a thorough reading of “How to Read a Book” I decided to try rereading a few books to pull more out of them.\nI can’t recommend “How to Read a Book” enough - despite its anachronisms and glaring faults, it’s the only book I’ve found that has genuinely made me feel that I’ve not really read a single book in my life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tolstoy’s Confessions",
          "reason": "One of the books the commenter says they would recommend to others.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17391032,
          "author": "marttt",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-25T09:30:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17391032",
          "commentText": "I think Leo Tolstoy might be fairly well known in the US due to \"War and Peace\" and, possibly, \"Anna Karenina\". But his nonfiction or autobiographical works deserve attention as well. I would highlight two of these:\n\"The Kingdom of God is Within you\" -- I think Mahatma Gandhi considered this to be one of the three most influential books for his philofophy of \"nonviolent resistence\". Even though Tolstoy was already considered a literary genius in his country, the Russian czar initially banned this book due to negative imagery of the Russian church. So I think it was first published in Germany or elsewhere.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kingdom_of_God_Is_Within_Y... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kingdom_of_God_Is_Within_You)\n\"A Confession\" -- a short book that is somewhat related to the previous one; depicts young Tolstoy's \"search for the meaning of life\" (or, God). It had a huge impact on me (even though I read it first being 30+). This would be among my first recommendations for books to read when you're 20.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Confession\nAlso, this might give some more context to understand Tolstoy's nonfiction:\nhttps://libertarianchristians.com/2010/07/09/leo-tolstoy-aga... (https://libertarianchristians.com/2010/07/09/leo-tolstoy-against-the-state)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It had a huge impact on me (even though I read it first being 30+). This would be among my first recommendations for books to read when you're 20.",
          "reason": "Personal impact and an explicit recommendation for readers around age 20.",
          "audience": "Readers around age 20.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17054964,
          "author": "marttt",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-12T17:13:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17054964",
          "commentText": "\"A Confession\" and \"The Kingdom of God is Within You\" by Leo Tolstoy.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Confession\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kingdom_of_God_Is_Within_Y... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kingdom_of_God_Is_Within_You)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"A Confession\"",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books that help with introspection.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leo Tolstoy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Biography",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "autobiography",
        "meaning of life",
        "spiritual autobiography",
        "spiritual crisis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "artificial-life-49adbc",
      "title": "Artificial Life",
      "author": "Steven Levy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12098835,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T03:47:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12098835",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nCode by Charles Petzold\nArtificial Life - Steven Levy\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Singularity is Near - Ray Kurzweil\nSurfaces and Essences - Douglas Hofstadter\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\n-- One of my favorites is How Not to Be Wrong by Jordan Ellenbreg\nI have that on my list of \"to read real soon now\".  Sounds fascinating.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Artificial Life - Steven Levy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10325237,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T20:31:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325237",
          "commentText": "I'm sure there are many, but a few that jump to mind, in no particular order, and spanning both fiction and non-fiction:\nThe Selfish Gene - Dawkins\nA New Kind of Science - Wolfram\nThe Singularity is Near - Kurzweil\nGödel, Escher, Bach - Hofstadter\nFluid Concepts and Creative Analogies - Hofstadter\nAtlas Shrugged - Rand\nThe Fountainhead - Rand\nNineteen Eighty-Four - Orwell\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nAmbient Findability - Peter Morville\nEmergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software - Steven Johnson\nSix Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age - Duncan Watts\nLinked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means for Business, Science, and Everyday Life - Albert-laszlo Barabasi\nArtificial Life - Steven Levy\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nThe World is Flat - Thomas Friedman\nnot a book, but the various writings of Douglas Engelbart - http://www.dougengelbart.org/library/library.html\nGlasshouse - Charles Stross\nPermutation City - Greg Egan\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nThe Shockwave Rider - John Brunner\nThe Society of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nThe Origin of Wealth: The Radical Remaking of Economics and What it Means for Business and Society - Eric Beinhocker\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nFooled By Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Artificial Life - Steven Levy",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10028566,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T20:28:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10028566",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps to the Epiphany - Steve Blank\nSteve Jobs - Walter Isaacson\nArtificial Life  - Steven Levy\nOn Writing - Stephen King\nMachine Learning for Hackers - Drew Conway and John Myles White\nHow Doctors Think - Jerome Goopman\nCholesterol Clarity: What The HDL Is Wrong With My Numbers? - Jimmy Moore & Eric C. Westman\nBarbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco - Bryan Burrough & John Helyar",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Artificial Life  - Steven Levy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 621271,
          "author": "abstractbill",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-21T23:14:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621271",
          "commentText": "Artificial Life, by Steven Levy - I've lost count of how many times I've read it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Artificial Life, by Steven Levy - I've lost count of how many times I've read it.",
          "reason": "The commenter has reread it many times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Levy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial life",
        "history of computing",
        "computer history",
        "computer science history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "business-model-generation-68b232",
      "title": "Business Model Generation",
      "author": "Alexander Osterwalder and Yves Pigneur",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35169168,
          "author": "ljf",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T14:50:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35169168",
          "commentText": "While I briefly ran a 'start up' with a friend (we weren't what most people here would consider a start up), we used the book 'Business Model Generation' almost weekly as we adjusted our business and pitched for new work.\nI still go back to that when kicking off a new project.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "we used the book 'Business Model Generation' almost weekly as we adjusted our business and pitched for new work.",
          "reason": "Used regularly to adjust the business and pitch for new work; still revisits it when starting projects.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs and people kicking off projects.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5501219,
          "author": "ljf",
          "createdAt": "2013-04-05T21:39:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 5501062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Business Book For a 13-year-old Girl?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5501219",
          "commentText": "Business Model Generation is a great practical and useful book. I reckon she could like and enjoy that.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Business Model Generation is a great practical and useful book. I reckon she could like and enjoy that.",
          "reason": "Called practical and useful, and suggested as something she might enjoy.",
          "audience": "A 13-year-old interested in business.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4476568,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-04T21:12:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 4476107,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN : What are some great books an aspiring entrepreneur should read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4476568",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps to the Epiphany - Steve Blank\nThe Art of the Start - Guy Kawasaki\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nBusiness Model Generation - Alex Osterwalder\nThe Personal MBA - Josh Kaufman\nBlue Ocean Strategy - W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne\nAlso, see:\nhttp://www.quora.com/What-are-some-must-read-books-for-entre... (http://www.quora.com/What-are-some-must-read-books-for-entrepreneurs)\nhttp://www.quora.com/Business-Books/What-business-books-must... (http://www.quora.com/Business-Books/What-business-books-must-an-entrepreneur-read)\nhttp://www.quora.com/What-are-3-books-you-would-suggest-any-... (http://www.quora.com/What-are-3-books-you-would-suggest-any-entrepreneur-make-their-top-3-must-reads)\nand\nhttp://personalmba.com/best-business-books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Business Model Generation - Alex Osterwalder",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books aspiring entrepreneurs should read.",
          "audience": "Aspiring entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3987064,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-17T14:17:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3987064",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nBlue Ocean Strategy - W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne\nBusiness Model Generation - Alexander Osterwalder",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Business Model Generation - Alexander Osterwalder",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for a great book read recently.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in designing business models.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alexander Osterwalder",
        "Yves Pigneur"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business models",
        "entrepreneurship",
        "business design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fiasco-693c6b",
      "title": "Fiasco",
      "author": "Stanisław Lem",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36020942,
          "author": "dcminter",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:00:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36020942",
          "commentText": "Fair warning, I only liked the first part of Seveneves; I thought the second part was stupid. You'll get a lot of recommendations for Liu Cixin's \"Three Body Problem\" which I personally hate (though the first part of the first book is very well written), but if you like all of Seveneves then it might suit you.\nMy personal favourites that might not already be on everyone else's lists:\nFiasco - Stanisław Lem\nThis is how you lose the time war - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone\nFeersum Endjinn - Iain Banks\nThe Dark Side of the Sun - Terry Pratchett (yes, that one)\nBlindsight - Peter Watts\nBloom - Wil McCarthy\nGood luck!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fiasco - Stanisław Lem",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's personal favorites in response to a request for science fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31977452,
          "author": "wnkrshm",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-04T14:32:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31977452",
          "commentText": "I wonder whether The Myth of Sysiphus wouldn't be more apt for something like that. But I'd pick an academic text too, though I'm not sure which one.\nThere are many textbooks outside of my expertise that could be just as interesting as more physics or mathematics, e.g. ship/boat construction.\nEdit: For a fiction book I would probably pick Fiasco by Stanislav Lem, it contains some parables and allergories that are interesting to think about.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For a fiction book I would probably pick Fiasco by Stanislav Lem,",
          "reason": "The commenter says they would probably choose it for fiction rereading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28060693,
          "author": "dcminter",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T13:21:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28060693",
          "commentText": "The one really first rate recent SF novel I can recall is: \"This is how you lose the time war\" [0] by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. It's far from being Hard SF if you like that (I do) but the humour and poetry of it won me over very fast. I bought it purely on the basis of the delicious title!\nThe \"Lady Astronaut\" series [1] by Mary Robinette Kowal is not first rate, but it is reliably entertaining and a fairly Hard SF alternate history with some interesting choices.\nI'm going to take a liberty and also recommend a much older SF book that I rarely see mentioned; \"Fiasco\" by Stanisław Lem. This one's all about the characterization and the big picture of humanity's fatal flaws. Not hard SF as such, but he tells a good tall tale when he needs to mess with space and time.\n[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Is_How_You_Lose_the_Time_... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Is_How_You_Lose_the_Time_War)\n[1] https://www.goodreads.com/series/193730-lady-astronaut-unive... (https://www.goodreads.com/series/193730-lady-astronaut-universe)\n[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiasco_%28novel%29",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Fiasco\" by Stanisław Lem",
          "reason": "Recommends this older SF book, highlighting its characterization and broad view of humanity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not hard SF as such.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9057136,
          "author": "secstate",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T15:01:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9057136",
          "commentText": "Just finished reading \"Fiasco\" by Stanislaw Lem. Between that \"Cyberiad\" I feel like Lem doesn't get enough credit. Maybe part of it is not being in the Western European writer's camp?\nAt any rate, I would say:\nMoon is a Harsh Mistress, Heinlein\nThe Dispossessed, Le Guin\nThe Stars My Destination, Bester\nChildhood's End, Clarke\nStand out as some of my favorites. I'm pretty terrible at making top-5 lists, but those stand out as ones that I would read again in a heartbeat if there weren't already 50 books on the floor next to my bed waiting for me :)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Just finished reading \"Fiasco\" by Stanislaw Lem.",
          "reason": "Names a recently finished novel while discussing Lem's recognition.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056492,
          "author": "dcminter",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:08:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056492",
          "commentText": "Once upon a time I would have agreed - but these days I find poor characterisation stalls my suspension of disbelief just as much as dodgy physics.\nSo my current favourite is Fiasco by Lem. The physics at least sounds convincing and the characters are all too human.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "So my current favourite is Fiasco by Lem. The physics at least sounds convincing and the characters are all too human.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it their current favorite and praises its convincing physics and human characters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043498,
          "author": "PilotPirx",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:09:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043498",
          "commentText": "I don't read that much lately, but want to throw in a few names:\n- Stanislaw Lem (Solaris, The Cyberiad, His Masters Voice, Fiasco)\n- William Gibson - evrything worth reading)\n- Bruce Sterling",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Fiasco",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stanisław Lem"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "philosophical science fiction",
        "human nature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "finite-dimensional-vector-spaces-c17d1d",
      "title": "Finite-Dimensional Vector Spaces",
      "author": "Paul R. Halmos",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31491923,
          "author": "graycat",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T13:38:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31491923",
          "commentText": "Bluntly, with only occasional exceptions, have to learn from the books.  Period.  No biggie:  Once are in grad school or a prof, have to learn from papers, and the good books are typically MUCH easier to read than the papers!\nFor first calculus, read one of the well respected books.  In my experience and opinion, don't need high school advanced placement calculus -- regard it as a waste of time.  Also the last time I looked at Khan Academy, I concluded that it was a waste or worse and by people who didn't have a good background in calculus.  Generally the Internet sources are too elementary.  Solution:  Just use some good books.  Protter and Morrey is good (I taught from it), but it is a bit elementary.  I learned from Johnson and Kiokmeister; I like it.  At the time it was also being used at Harvard.  The exercises are especially good.  It's old, but calculus hasn't changed much since 1950 or so about when it gave up on teaching infinitesimals.\nBut might check out the Maxima software for symbolic indefinite integration -- as I recall, its algorithms are so good they do any indefinite integration that can be done in closed form.\nFor linear algebra, sure, Nering (a student of E. Artin at Princeton) and then Halmos (a finite dimensional introduction to Hilbert space and written when Halmos was an assistant to von Neumann, office not far from Einstein), etc.  For still more, R. Bellman has a good book -- he went all over active and put in everything including the kitchen sink.  Then for numerical work, old but a start, Forsythe and\nMoler and/or the documentation of LINPAK.\nFor multivariate calculus through the divergence theorem and as needed, e.g., for Maxwell's equations, start with the most elementary treatments of vector analysis and f'get about the lack of proofs.  Actually notice, can see via a Google search, that the divergence theorem on a box is just a dirt simple application of the fundamental theorem of freshman calculus.  Then the difficulty is proving the thing on other shapes.  Then do multivariate calculus again via, say, Apostol, Mathematical Analysis: A Modern Approach to Advanced Calculus.  That he uses the Jordan curve theorem is a bit much but just go with the flow.  Fleming's Functions of Several Variables does it with both measure theory and exterior algebra.  Or W. Rudin's, as I recall, third edition, Principles of Mathematical Analysis.  For calculus done via Lebesgue's measure theory, Royden's Real Analysis and/or the first half of Rudin's Real and Complex Analysis.\nMy favorite author on ordinary differential equations is Coddington, and his elementary An Introduction to Ordinary\nDifferential Equations is nicely done and likely enough for nearly any applications might encounter.  Will want some of this if do A/C circuit theory or deterministic optimal control.\nFor basic abstract algebra Herstein, Topics in Algebra should usually be enough and is well written.  With that will be well prepared for, say, algebraic coding theory which actually has some important applications.\nOnce have a background in measure theory, for probability, of course, Loeve or either of his students Breiman or Neveu.  Breiman is really nice to read. Neveu is a good candidate for  the most polished and elegantly done math book or writing of any kind in all of civilization.   Be sure to get to the good stuff on the Radon-Nikodym theorem, conditional expectation, martingales, and ergodic processes.\nFor relatively good results, better than hardly any students get just from courses, study the theorems and proofs until can do them yourself and can also explain them to any common man in the street and also explain where they fit in more generally.  Also be able to do the exercises.  E.g., Rudin's Principles has the inverse and implicit function theorems as exercises!  Fleming applies them to Lagrange multipliers. These two theorems are the main prerequisites of differential geometry -- some parts of physics, now popular, touch on this math!\nIn my Ph.D. program I led the class in 4 of the five qualifying exams, and for the analysis and linear algebra exams, the books above were the secret.  After I did that, the department tried to have the students do better by offering a course from Rudin's Principles; the course didn't work; that book is too hard for a course and needs weeks of quiet time where a student can chew on the text slowly line by line. Rudin has some of the most precise presentations on Fourier theory.  So when physics uses Fourier theory or engineers use the fast Fourier transform, you will likely know Fourier theory quite a lot better than they do.  Right, the uncertainty principle in quantum mechanics is just a basic result in Fourier theory.  With Fourier theory and linearity, Schroedinger's equation starts to make sense.  A good exercise in early measure theory is differentiation under the integral sign, Leibniz's rule -- be sure to cover that with a good proof.\nWith the background from the books above will be well prepared for a wide range of more narrow topics in pure and applied math.\nNearly all these books are available used in nearly new condition for low prices.  In a move I lost some of my library and rebuilt with used copies.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and then Halmos (a finite dimensional introduction to Hilbert space",
          "reason": "Suggested for linear algebra and as an introduction to Hilbert space.",
          "audience": "People studying linear algebra or Hilbert spaces.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23728159,
          "author": "graycat",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T22:24:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23728159",
          "commentText": "Linear algebra, and more than one such book.\nIMHO long and still the best linear algebra book is\nHalmos, Finite Dimensional Vector Spaces (FDVS).\nIt was written in 1942 when Halmos was an \"assistant\" to John von Neumann at the Institute for Advanced Study.  It is intended to be finite dimensional vector spaces but done with the techniques of Hilbert space.  The central result in the book, according to Halmos, is the spectral decomposition.  One result at a time, the quality of von Neumann comes through.  Commonly physicists have been given that book as their introduction to Hilbert space for quantum mechanics.\nBut FDVS is a little too much for a first book on linear algebra, or maybe even a second book, should be maybe a third one.\nAlso high quality is Nering, Linear Algebra and Matrix Theory.  Again, the quality comes through:  Nering was a student of Artin at Princeton.  There Nering does most of linear algebra on just finite fields, not just the real and complex fields; finite fields in linear algebra are important in error correcting codes.  So, that finite field work is a good introduction to abstract algebra.\nFor a first book on linear algebra, I'd recommend something easy.  The one I used was\nMurdoch,\nLinear Algebra for Undergraduates.\nIt's still okay if can find it.\nFor a first book, likely the one by Strang at MIT is good.  Just use it as a first book and don't take it too seriously since are going to cover all of it and more again later.\nI can recommend the beginning sections on vector spaces, convexity, and the inverse and implicit function theorems in\nFleming, Functions of Several Variables\nFleming was long at the Brown University Division of Applied Math. The later chapters are on measure theory, the Lebesgue integral, and the exterior algebra of differential forms, and there are better treatments.\nAlso there is now\nStephen Boyd and Lieven Vandenberghe, Introduction to Applied Linear Algebra – Vectors, Matrices, and Least Squares\nat\nhttp://vmls-book.stanford.edu/vmls.pdf\nSince the book is new, I've only       looked through it -- it looks like a good selection and arrangement of topics.  And Boyd is good, wrote a terrific book, maybe, IMHO likely, the best in the world, on convexity, which is in a sense is half of linearity.\nSome course slides are available at\nhttp://vmls-book.stanford.edu/\nFor reference for more, have a copy of\nRichard Bellman,\nIntroduction to Matrix Analysis:\nSecond Edition.\nBellman was famous for dynamic programming.\nFor computations in linear algebra, consider\nGeorge E. Forsythe and\nCleve B. Moler,\nComputer Solution of Linear Algebraic Systems\nalthough now the Linpack materials might be a better starting point for numerical linear algebra.  Numerical linear algebra is now a well developed specialized field, and the Linpack materials might be a good start on the best of the field.  Such linear algebra is apparently the main yardstick in evaluating the highly parallel supercomputers.\nAfter linear algebra go through\nRudin, Principles of Mathematical Analysis, Third Edition.\nHe does the Riemann integral very carefully, Fourier series, vector analysis via exterior algebra, and has the inverse and implicit function theorems (key to differential geometry, e.g., for relativity theory) as exercises.\nAll of this material is to get to the main goals of measure theory, the Lebesgue integral, Fourier theory, Hilbert space and Banach space as in, say, the first, real (not complex) half of\nRudin, Real and Complex Analysis\nBut for that I would start with\nRoyden, Real Analysis\nsweetheart writing on that math.\nDepending on the math department, those books might be enough to pass the Ph.D. qualifying exam in Analysis.  It was for me:  From those books I did the best in the class on that exam.\nMoreover, from independent study of Halmos, Nering, Fleming, Forsythe, linearity in statistics, and some more, I totally blew away all the students in a challenging second (maybe intentionally flunk out), advanced course in linear algebra and, then, did the best in the class on the corresponding qualifying exam, that is, where that second course was my first formal course in linear algebra.\nLesson:  Just self study of those books can give a really good background in linear algebra and its role in the rest of pure and applied math.\nNo joke, linear algebra, and the associated vector spaces, is one of the most important courses for more work in pure and applied math, engineering, and likely the future of computing.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Halmos, Finite Dimensional Vector Spaces (FDVS).",
          "reason": "Introduces finite-dimensional vector spaces using techniques of Hilbert space; the commenter highlights its spectral decomposition result.",
          "audience": "Readers studying linear algebra or Hilbert space, including physicists studying quantum mechanics.",
          "caveat": "Too much for a first or perhaps second linear algebra book; suggested as a third.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6343727,
          "author": "graycat",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-07T02:46:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 6329955,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which two books were the most influential on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6343727",
          "commentText": "Halmos, 'Finite Dimensional Vector Spaces'\nRudin, 'Real and Complex Analysis'",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Halmos, 'Finite Dimensional Vector Spaces'",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2734410,
          "author": "NY_Entrepreneur",
          "createdAt": "2011-07-06T15:46:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 2723436,
          "threadTitle": "Suggest good sites/books on probability",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2734410",
          "commentText": "\"Can you please suggest on-line resource to learn great beginning and advanced probability concepts?\"\nYup!  The subject at the level you ask is a major topic in applied math but is not very popular in US universities.  So, you will not get many good answers.  In particular, the 'computer science' community, with 'machine learning' and 'artificial' this, Bayesian that, likely won't have good answers.\nYour \"on-line\" part is asking a bit much; I can give you references to books but not all on-line.  There may be some PDF files on-line, from TeX, that have such material; try some Google searching with the keywords used here.\nThe intuitive foundations of probability went back to gambling.\n'Probability' is a field of 'applied' math and as such is well defined:\nAbout 100 years ago, E. Borel student H. Lebesgue invented 'measure theory' which essentially 'rewrote' classic calculus, especially the part about integration.  For the simple cases, what Lebesgue did gets the same numerical values as the classic Riemann integral.  The difference is that in theoretical work Lebesgue's integral is much more general and much better 'behaved'.\nBut 'measure theory' has to do with, intuitively, 'length', 'area', 'volume' and various generalizations of these.  Well, in probability, for probability P and event A, the 'probability' of A is P(A) and is a number in [0,1] and acts much like the 'area' of A. The connection is so close that, in the end, we have to accept that the foundations of probability are measure theory.\nThen\nA. N. Kolmogorov, 'Foundations of the Theory of Probability, Second English Edition', Chelsea Publishing Company, New York, 1956.  English translation of the original German '\"Grundbegriffe der Wahrscheinlichkeitrechnung,\"' 'Ergebnisse Der Mathematik', 1933.\napplied Lebesgue's work to make probability a solid field of math.  Since then Kolmogorov's foundations have been nearly the only one taken seriously in any 'modern' or 'advanced' work in probability, stochastic processes, or mathematical statistics.\nA good start on a good text in stochastic processes was:\nJ. L. Doob, 'Stochastic Processes', John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1953.\nDoob was long at University of Illinois.  One of his students was P. Halmos who was later an assistant to von Neumann at the Institute for Advanced Study and in about 1942 wrote the first version of the still standard:\nPaul R. Halmos, 'Finite-Dimensional Vector Spaces, Second Edition', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, New Jersey, 1958.\nLater he wrote:\nPaul R. Halmos, 'Measure Theory', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, NJ, 1950.\nwith at the end a NICE introduction to probability and stochastic processes based on measure theory.\nLikely the first rock solid, quite comprehensive, highly polished presentation of 'modern' probability was the first edition of:\nM. Loeve, 'Probability Theory, I and II, 4th Edition', Springer-Verlag, New York, 1977.\nLoeve was long at Berkeley.  One of his students did:\nJacques Neveu, 'Mathematical Foundations of the Calculus of Probability', Holden-Day, San Francisco, 1965.\nand another did:\nLeo Breiman, 'Probability', ISBN 0-89871-296-3, SIAM, Philadelphia, 1992.\nEither of these two can be regarded as a more succinct presentation of the more important material in Loeve.  Breiman is the more 'practical' and 'accessible'; Neveu is a crown jewel of elegance and succinctness but not always easy to read.\nOther good presentations of much the same material include:\nKai Lai Chung, 'A Course in Probability Theory, Second Edition', ISBN 0-12-174650-X, Academic Press, New York, 1974.\nand\nYuan Shih Chow and Henry Teicher, 'Probability Theory:  Independence, Interchangeability, Martingales', ISBN 0-387-90331-3, Springer-Verlag, New York, 1978.\nIn total, those texts nail down 'probability' at all four corners and make it a rock solid topic in applied math.  Good knowledge of, say, Breiman is a necessary and sufficient condition for knowing 'probability' at a serious level, that is, without being watered down for 'general audiences'.\nFor more, proceed with stochastic processes, stochastic optimal control, mathematical statistics, etc.\nFor learning probability, minimal prerequisites (more would be helpful) would be abstract algebra, linear algebra, 'analysis', measure theory, and functional analysis.\nFor abstract algebra, there are many texts.  Sufficient is\nI. N. Herstein, 'Topics in Algebra', Blaisdell, New York, 1964.\nbut can consider S. Lang, etc.\nFor linear algebra, there are many texts, but the old:\nPaul R. Halmos, 'Finite-Dimensional Vector Spaces, Second Edition', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, New Jersey, 1958.\nremains a good 'second' text.  It is also an introduction to functional analysis.\nThe main text for 'analysis' is just:\nWalter Rudin, 'Principles of Mathematical Analysis', McGraw-Hill, New York.\nin whatever is the latest edition.\nCan skip the material on exterior algebra or just get it from the original source, now in English:\nHenri Cartan, 'Differential Forms', ISBN 0-486-45010-4, Dover, Mineola, NY, 2006.\nFor measure theory and functional analysis, the standards are:\nH. L. Royden, 'Real Analysis:  Second Edition', Macmillan, New York.\nand the first (real) half of:\nWalter Rudin, 'Real and Complex Analysis', ISBN 07-054232-5, McGraw-Hill, New York.\nActually, Loeve also covers much of this material.  Neveu slips in quite a lot.\nThen you will be ready for Breiman, Neveu, Chung, Chow and Teicher, or Loeve.\nYou will discover:\nThe start of probability theory is a 'probability space'.  For that, there are three parts, (1) the 'sample space', (2) the 'events', and (3) the 'probability measure'.\nThe 'sample space' is just a set of points; to support any reasonably serious work in probability, the sample space has to be uncountably infinite.  In all our work, we do some one 'trial', and that corresponds to some one point in the sample space.  The other points in the sample space are what 'might' have been our trial.\nAn 'event' is a set of trials.  We ask that the collection of all events have some 'closure' properties to make that collection a 'sigma algebra'.  So, briefly, the collection of events has as one event the whole sample space and is closed under relative complements and countable unions.\nIn terms of measure theory, the sample space and the sigma algebra of events form a 'measurable space'.  A 'probability measure' is just a positive measure with total 'mass' 1. Thank you Lebesgue and measure theory.\nOn the reals R, we can take the open sets and, then, the Borel sets, that is, the smallest sigma algebra that contains the open sets.  A 'random variable' is a function from the probability space to the reals that is 'measurable', that is, the inverse image of a Borel set is an event.\nAs an alternative, we can ask that the inverse image of the Lebesgue measurable sets of R be events.\nIf X is such a random variable, then its 'expectation' E[X] is just the Lebesgue ('abstract') integral of X over the probability space.  For E[X] to exist, we need only that X be measurable and that the integral of both the positive and the negative parts of X not be infinite (we don't want to subtract one infinity from another).  E.g., Lebesgue integration is very 'general':  All we need is measurability and not subtract one infinity from another.\nBy a change of variable, we can also write the expectation as a Lebesgue integral over the real line with respect to the 'distribution' of X on R. Or, X 'induces' a probability measure on R.\nWe can discuss convergence of random variables -- in distribution, probability, mean square, and almost surely.\nThen we can define independence for events, sigma algebras, and random variables.  E.g., with this approach, if X and Y are independent random variables and f and g are functions, then f(X) and g(Y) are independent random variables.  Don't try to prove this the elementary way!\nWith independent random variables, we can cover the classic limit theorems -- central limit theorem, weak and strong laws of large numbers, and the law of the iterated logarithm.\nUsing the Radon-Nikodym theorem of measure theory, for random variables X and Y we can define their 'conditional expectation' E[Y|X].\nWith such 'conditioning' we can discuss Markov processes, martingales, and the martingale convergence theorem.\nWe can also move on to ergodic theory and, say, Poincare recurrence (keep stirring the coffee and the cream will separate back, close to where it was when it was poured in).\nThose are the previews of coming attractions.\nNote:  This material is not very popular in US universities.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Paul R. Halmos, 'Finite-Dimensional Vector Spaces, Second Edition', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, New Jersey, 1958.",
          "reason": "Later described as a good second text in linear algebra and an introduction to functional analysis.",
          "audience": "Readers with some background in linear algebra.",
          "caveat": "Described as a second text, not a first introduction.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul R. Halmos"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "linear algebra",
        "hilbert spaces",
        "functional analysis",
        "spectral decomposition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mastering-the-complex-sale-c5fcc5",
      "title": "Mastering the Complex Sale",
      "author": "Jeff Thull",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40278808,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-06T19:54:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40278808",
          "commentText": "Offhand I can think of a few that I've read at least 2-3 times. And in a couple of cases, maybe as many as 4 or 5 times. There are probably some others that just aren't jumping to mind, but suffice it to say that these are all books I've found very valuable.\nThe Four Steps to the Epiphany - Steve Blank\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nMastering the Complex Sale - Jeff Thull\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nThe Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mastering the Complex Sale - Jeff Thull",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35169519,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T15:10:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35169519",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps to the Epiphany - Steve Blank\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Fred Wiersema and Michael Treacy\nIt's Not the Big that Eat the Small...It's the Fast that Eat the Slow - Jason Jennings\nMastering The Complex Sale - Jeff Thull\nHow To Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mastering The Complex Sale - Jeff Thull",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10240701,
          "author": "tsattersten",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-18T17:39:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10240701",
          "commentText": "Our selections from The 100 Best Business Books of All Time were:\n-Selling The Invisible by Harry Beckwith (great look at selling services)\n-Secrets of Closing The Sale by Zig Ziglar (gets you prepared for objections)\n-How to Become A Rainmaker by Jeffrey Fox (shortcuts to better sales techniques)\n-The Little Red Book of Selling by Jeffrey Gitomer (best first book for first time salespeople)\nAs mentioned in other posts, I would also add SPIN Selling, Mastering the Complex Sale and The Referral Engine.\n\"Smart\" books in the sales space include Influence, Made To Stick, To Sell Is Human.\nFor motivation, read more Zig, Tony Robbins, and Dale Carnegie.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mastering the Complex Sale",
          "reason": "Suggested as an additional sales book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10235246,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T18:37:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10235246",
          "commentText": "I'm a fan of The Challenger Sale, The New Solution Selling and all three books by Jeff Thull:  Mastering The Complex Sale, Exceptional Selling and The Prime Solution.   I really like Thull's approach, especially his \"always be leaving\" mindset, as opposed to the old \"always be closing\" idea.  Thull's thinking is much more focused on providing an authentic and honest experience, and genuinely trying to help the customer - as opposed to stuff about how to \"trick\" the customer into saying yes.\nI also like a lot of what I've read from Jeffrey Gittomer and Grant Cardone.\nOh, and The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes as well.  He (Chet H.) did a series of videos with Anthony Robbins that is really good.  I really recommend watching those.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mastering The Complex Sale",
          "reason": "The commenter says they like all three of Jeff Thull's books and praises his customer-focused approach.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5859187,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-11T02:22:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 5859004,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5859187",
          "commentText": ">> 1. What books are you currently reading?\nWell, I'm one of those people who has a bookmark in about 15 different books that I'm \"currently reading\" but some are higher priorities than others, and some will never be finished (probably) and others I'll have to start over since I've forgotten what was happening when I sat it aside, etc.  But offhand, I can think of:\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore - re-reading this one\nThe Prime Solution - Jeff Thull - 3rd Jeff Thull book on selling that I've read lately, and I'll probably reread the entire series when I finish this one\nThe New Solution Selling  - re-reading this - can you tell I'm starting to try and move into sales?\nSelling to VITO - more sales stuff.\nHow to Create A Mind - Ray Kurzweil\nGodel, Escher, Bach - Douglas Hofstadter - set this aside over a year ago; about halfway through, will probably finish it, but FSM only knows when\nA New Kind of Science - Stephen Wolfram (see above about GEB)\nMadame Bovary - Meh. May finish one day, may not.  Would have to start it over at this point.\nREAMDE - Neal Stephenson - set this aside a while back, but intend to finish it eventually.  Will probably restart from the beginning.\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Stephen Gary Blank - I'm kinda in a perpetual state of reading and re-reading sections of this book.\nThe Dispossessed - Ursula K. LeGuin - sat this aside quite some time ago, will have to start over at some point.\nThe Man In The Moss - Phil Rickman - another one that I sat aside for a while, and may or may not ever bother finishing.  Weird, because I usually really enjoy Rickman's work and just tear through his books, but I got stalled out on this one for some reason.\n>> 2. Which book has helped you the most?\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Stephen Gary Blank.\nAlso, The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki and Crossing the Chasm by Moore.\nOf all these sales books I've read lately, I'm really starting to buy into this \"Diagnostic Selling\" stuff by Jeff Thull, so I'd endorse Mastering The Complex Sale, Exceptional Selling and The Prime Solution by Thull. Also, The New Solution Selling.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd endorse Mastering The Complex Sale",
          "reason": "Explicitly says they would endorse it as part of Jeff Thull's diagnostic selling approach.",
          "audience": "People interested in sales and diagnostic selling.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeff Thull"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "complex sales",
        "sales",
        "b2b sales",
        "sales strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "travels-a25f0a",
      "title": "Travels",
      "author": "Michael Crichton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23562330,
          "author": "justaguyhere",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-18T12:16:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 23561163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book that nobody you know has heard of?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23562330",
          "commentText": "I can vouch for Travels - nice to see someone mention it! It is a great book. Crichton had a fascinating career - he was in medical school, but he was insanely productive writing novels and earning a living. He was a fantastic writer, director, traveler, producer...\nStrangely, for someone so brilliant, he did not believe in global warming!!!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I can vouch for Travels - nice to see someone mention it! It is a great book.",
          "reason": "Explicitly endorses the book and calls it great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter criticizes Crichton’s disbelief in global warming.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23562235,
          "author": "thorin",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-18T12:01:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 23561163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book that nobody you know has heard of?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23562235",
          "commentText": "Travels, by Michael Crichton - a sort of autobiography with some excellent lessons on life. I've never met anyone else who's read it for some reason.\nIshmael - recommended on here but doesn't seem well known in the UK. Everyone I've recommended to has enjoyed\nThe Ragged Trousered Philanthropists - Proof that politics hasn't changed much in 100 years\nJonathon Livingston Seagull - again well known on here, but not so much generally",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Travels, by Michael Crichton - a sort of autobiography with some excellent lessons on life.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as an autobiography with lessons on life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22098690,
          "author": "thorin",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T13:41:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22098690",
          "commentText": "Not sure if these books are unknown or fallen out of favor, but I've never spoken to anyone else who's read them without me passing them on first:\nTravels - Michael Crichton - a number of useful life lessons I'm only just catching up on\nhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Travels-Vintage-Departures-Michael-... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Travels-Vintage-Departures-Michael-Crichton/dp/0804171270/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3E8SW874CLAC8&keywords=travels+michael+crichton&qid=1579527486&sprefix=travels+micha%2Caps%2C292&sr=8-1)\nThe Ragged Trousered Philanthropists\nhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Ragged-Trousered-Philanthropists-Wo... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ragged-Trousered-Philanthropists-Wordsworth-Classics/dp/184022682X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1DN57D10PVLZS&keywords=ragged+trousered+philanthropist&qid=1579527544&sprefix=ragged+tr%2Caps%2C170&sr=8-1)\nIshmael\nhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Ishmael-Novel-Book-1-ebook/dp/B000S... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ishmael-Novel-Book-1-ebook/dp/B000SEFH6A/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=ismael&qid=1579527572&sr=8-1)\nAnother thought, Robert Heinlein doesn't seem well known in the UK these days but I think he might be better thought of in the UK although may be considered dated and sexist. I often see him quoted on here.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Travels - Michael Crichton - a number of useful life lessons I'm only just catching up on",
          "reason": "The commenter says it offers life lessons they are only now catching up on.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17981705,
          "author": "thorin",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-13T19:37:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17981705",
          "commentText": "Travels - Michael Crichton, got me into travelling, the outdoors and an interest in inner travel\nThe hobbit - came with the adventure game that my aunty had on her c64 got me into computers and reading aged about 7\nFear - Thich nhat hahn, read repeatably during recent hard times. Might need to re-read again soon...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Travels - Michael Crichton, got me into travelling, the outdoors and an interest in inner travel",
          "reason": "The commenter says it sparked interests in travel, the outdoors, and inner travel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14743488,
          "author": "thorin",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T12:18:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14743488",
          "commentText": "I always really enjoyed Travels by Michael Crichton. Considering how popular he is I've never spoken to anyone else who's read it. It gave me a lot to think about in my early 20s.\nI also enjoyed Jonathon Livingston Seagull, which seems to have fallen out of favour recently.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I always really enjoyed Travels by Michael Crichton.",
          "reason": "Says they really enjoyed the book and that it gave them a lot to think about.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes Crichton's popularity but says they have rarely met others who read this book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Crichton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "autobiography",
        "travel memoir",
        "memoir",
        "personal reflection"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-treatise-of-human-nature-c5b60b",
      "title": "A Treatise of Human Nature",
      "author": "David Hume",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19115660,
          "author": "mcraenich",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-08T16:20:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19115660",
          "commentText": "I've been studying history privately for about 8 years now, and 'Maps of Time' by David Christian has fundamentally changed the way I look at the progression of mankind. Essentially, he's described from the highest possible level how modernity has come to be. There is too much detail in the book to go into depth, but it's a fascinating, and more than worthwhile read for the knowledge-seeker.\nAnother I'd add is 'The Selfish Gene' by Richard Dawkins. I have a Bachelor degree in science and never thought I'd be able to add to my understanding of evolution, but this book accomplished it. Almost everything I've studied can be broken into two periods - that I studied before reading the Selfish Gene, and what I studied after.\nLastly, I'd add Hume's 'Treatise on Human Nature', specifically his theory of substances. The basic idea was that as you learn more information about a substance, how you define that substance changes. First you see an orange ball, and you think it's just an orange colored ball. Later someone tells you it's a fruit, and your understanding of it changes.\nHow this is relevant is that I realized this can be applied to the world at large. Our understanding of any given phenomena is intrinsically linked to what we know about it. So there is no such thing as 'enlightenment' 'self-awareness' etc, there is only ever increasing awareness as we move through life, and we can also make a point to be intentional about increasing our own awareness.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hume's 'Treatise on Human Nature', specifically his theory of substances.",
          "reason": "The commenter uses Hume's theory to explain how increasing knowledge changes our understanding of things.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The discussion focuses specifically on the theory of substances.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168677,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:31:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168677",
          "commentText": "I can't give just one, but here are a few that had a strong influence on me: \n\"12 Rules for Life\" by Jordan Peterson, \"Why Switzerland?\" Jonathan Steinberg, \"Little Book of Common Sense Investing\" by John C. Bogle, \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" by Butron Malkiel, \"Liberalismus\" by Ludwig von Mises, \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann, \"Walden\" by Henry David Thoreau, \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"A Treatise on Political Economy\" by Jean-Baptiste Say, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy\" by Joseph Alois Schumpeter, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"My Correct Views on Everything\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"The Captive Mind\" Czesław Miłosz, \"One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, \"The House of the Dead\" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, \"Conversations with an Executioner\" by Kazimierz Moczarski, \"Diary 1954\" by Leopold Tyrmand, \"The Master and Margarita\" by Mikhail Bulgakov, \"A World Apart: A Memoir of the Gulag\" by Gustaw Herling-Grudziński",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a strong influence on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416563,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:55:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416563",
          "commentText": "\"I'm wondering which other books have you read that have had the most impact on you professionally or even personally?\"\nProfessionally: Peter F. Drucker's books.\nPersonally: \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann,  \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"Metaphysical Horror\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"Rationality in Economics\" by Vernon L. Smith, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about books with personal impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Hume"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "empiricism",
        "human nature",
        "epistemology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "algorithmics-the-spirit-of-computing-bd0d13",
      "title": "Algorithmics: The Spirit of Computing",
      "author": "David Harel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31178919,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2022-04-27T12:12:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 31166475,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Top inspiring books on crucial CS ideas?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31178919",
          "commentText": "Seconded!\nHarel's Algorithmics is a must read. The coverage is really broad and comprehensive. For some reason, this book is not that well-known and hence deserves all the publicity/recommendation it can get.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Harel's Algorithmics is a must read.",
          "reason": "Calls it a must read and says its coverage is broad and comprehensive.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30828942,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T10:03:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30828942",
          "commentText": "You have a valid viewpoint.\nI think it is more due to the failure of the CS \"Intelligentsia\" to popularize Computing(theory) and Computer(machines) Sciences for the Layman.\nComputers have ushered in a most radical change in our societies and yet they are a complete mystery to most \"ordinary\" people. There are more popular science books on \"Quantum Physics\" than on \"Computing/Computer Science\" which is sad to say the least.\nBut i think there is hope for the future with books like a) Code by Charles Petzold b) Algorithmics by David Harel becoming more popular.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "b) Algorithmics by David Harel becoming more popular",
          "reason": "Named as a popular science book that may help explain computing to lay readers.",
          "audience": "Lay readers interested in computing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14743872,
          "author": "le-mark",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T13:16:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14743872",
          "commentText": "Non fiction and IT related:\nAlgorithmics The spirit of computing: this is a really great exploration of 'algorithmic' thinking, accessible to anyone:\nhttp://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2378136.Algorithmics\nSoul of a new machine: the book won the pulitzer, it's about now defunct Data General and implementing a new machine in the early 80's:\nhttp://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7090.The_Soul_of_a_New_Ma... (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7090.The_Soul_of_a_New_Machine)\nFiction:\nMarooned in Realtime: Vernor Vinge on a group of people who missed the singularity, and try to understand what happened. A damn good detective story too:\nhttp://www.goodreads.com/book/show/167847.Marooned_in_Realti... (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/167847.Marooned_in_Realtime)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this is a really great exploration of 'algorithmic' thinking, accessible to anyone",
          "reason": "Praised as an accessible exploration of algorithmic thinking.",
          "audience": "Anyone interested in algorithmic thinking.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Harel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "computational thinking",
        "computer science",
        "computer science foundations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-inquiry-into-the-nature-and-causes-of-the-wealth-of-nations-055137",
      "title": "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations",
      "author": "Adam Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37815160,
          "author": "hnfong",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-08T22:55:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37815160",
          "commentText": "Not my fields, but\n- English Law: Treitel on The Law of Contract\n- Economics: An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (Adam Smith)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (Adam Smith)",
          "reason": "Names it as a book people in economics may pretend to have read.",
          "audience": "People in economics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22721872,
          "author": "frabbit",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T19:29:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22721872",
          "commentText": "The Bible (Old and New Testaments), An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, The Constitution of the United States of America and Jonathan Livingstone Seagull.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations",
          "reason": "Listed as a book in response to the thread’s request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22094219,
          "author": "dredmorbius",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T21:27:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22094219",
          "commentText": "In no particular order, and some of these being more \"highly underrated\" as opposed to \"unknown\", with the notable exception of Smith's Wealth of Nations which is disturbingly un- and mis-read:\n1. Grammatical Man, by Jeremy Campbell (1982)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-e... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-entropy-language-and-life/oclc/856698430)\nMy introduction to information theory and its diverse set of interrelated applications and phenomena.\n2. Ecology and the Politics of Scarcity, by William Ophuls (1977)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-s... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-scarcity-revisited-the-unraveling-of-the-american-dream/oclc/872523631)\nDistills the Limits to Growth issue to its essence, and looks at the political implications, with a set of estimates of political developments which have played out closely.\n3. An Inquiry to the Nature and Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith (1776)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/inquiry-into-the-nature-and-c... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/inquiry-into-the-nature-and-causes-of-the-wealth-of-nations/oclc/1083940513)\nThe best-known, but least-read, and most mis-read book on this list.  Smith isn't perfect and has flaws.  But his message is extraordinarily misunderstood and misrepresented.  Even where he is wrong, he is instructive.\n4. Commercialism and Journalism, by Hamilton Holt (1909)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/commercialism-and-journalism/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/commercialism-and-journalism/oclc/639344712)\nA short but extraordinarily illuminating read on the influence of money and advertising on the press, coming near the beginning of the era of mass media.\n5. Unix Power Tools, by Mike Loukides et al (1997)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/2584502... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/258450296)\nThe book that really got me \"over the hump\" in understanding the Unix environment and tools.  Now somewhat dated, though still highly useful.\n6. A Short History of Progress, by Ronald Wright (2004)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/short-history-of-progress/ocl... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/short-history-of-progress/oclc/1089834019)\nAn exploration of the story, question, and future, of progress.\n7. Entropy and the Economic Process, by Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen (1971)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/entropy-law-and-the-economic-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/entropy-law-and-the-economic-process/oclc/299362046)\nA re-thinking of economics taking thermodynamics into account.  Famously difficult to read, but well worth the effort.\n8. On the Damned Human Race, by Mark Twain (1962)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/mark-twain-on-the-damned-huma... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/mark-twain-on-the-damned-human-race/oclc/950982242)\nA darker, angrier, more bitter side of Twain, cracking open the sanitised version those familiar with Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn will know, and giving an insight to the darker side of late 19th and early 20th century America.\n9. Energy and Civilization, by Vaclav Smil (2017)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-and-civilization-a-his... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-and-civilization-a-history/oclc/1032365823)\nA re-casting of history, not according to spiritual or cultural progress, Great Men, or social dynamics, but the access to and utilisation of energy sources.\n10. Resistances to the Adoption of Technological Innovations, by Bernhard J. Stern (1937)\nhttps://archive.org/details/technologicaltre1937unitrich/pag... (https://archive.org/details/technologicaltre1937unitrich/page/39)\nA fascinating exploration of the organised opposition to numerous significant technological innovations through the ages, contrary to the conventional story told by mainstream economic and innovation models and stories.  Stern's research assistant at the time he was working on this topic went on to become known as a science fiction author, and based one of his first works on this notion:  Isaac Asimov.\nOn the question of compiling such lists:  I've recently started keeping a research journal in which I'm trying to capture works of significance that I've read, vaguely inspired by both index-card methods (such as Zettelkasten or POIC) and bullet journals.\nThe organisation is \"BOTI\" -- best of the interval.\nI will start a two-page spread, dated, of a specific class of entries -- works, videos, authors, ideas, etc. -- and when that closes, start another.  Periodically (about every month, for now) I'll select the best of those works for a BOTM list, and at the end of a year, a BOTY list.\nOr at least that's the idea.\nThis may address the question of keeping track of the most significant works (or authors, concepts, ideas, etc.) over time, which otherwise tend to become a bit of a jumble.\nThe BOTI list and periodic aggregations themselves resemble round-robin databases, or ring or circular buffers or files, though without actually rewriting each specific list.  The initial capture levels remain accessible (in the journal) for revisiting, should something prove to have been more significant on subsequent reflection than initially appeared.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An Inquiry to the Nature and Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith (1776)",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book is widely misread and that even its mistakes are instructive.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Smith has flaws and is sometimes wrong.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12494191,
          "author": "dredmorbius",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-14T04:13:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12494191",
          "commentText": "From a recent HN comment,  a list, some authors, and some guidelines, largely based on books which radically changed my thinking.\nCurrently:  Vaclav Smil, Energy in World History (1994), and Manfred Weissenbacher, Sources of Power (2009).  Both detail the role and impact of energy through world history.  The latter draws strongly on the first, both are exceedingly well documented.  TL;DR: coal changed much, oil changed everything.\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/3... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/30398523&referer=brief_results)\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foragin... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foraging-agriculture-and-coal/oclc/837625798&referer=brief_results)\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625970&referer=brief_results)\nJames Burke's books Connections and The Day the Universe Changed, and their accompanying television series, were a profound introduction to the history of technology, science, ideas, and philosophy.  Though 30+ years old, they remain highly current and relevant.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/connections/oclc/4494136\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/day-the-universe-changed/oclc... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/day-the-universe-changed/oclc/12049817)\nJeremy Campbell's Grammatical Man (1984) introduced the concepts of information theory and their deep, deep, deep interconnections to a tremendous number of interconnected systems, many not explored within his book.  Darwin's The Origin of Species, James Gleick's Chaos, and many of the works of Santa Fe Institute members, including John C. Holland, J. Doyne Farmer, Geoffrey West, W. Brian Arthur, David Krakauer, and Sander van der Leeuw, continue these themes.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-e... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-entropy-language-and-life/oclc/8306673)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/chaos-making-a-new-science/oc... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/chaos-making-a-new-science/oclc/15366709)\nWilliam Ophuls' Ecology and the Politics of Scarcity (1977) is perhaps the best, most comprehensive, shortest, and most readable exposition of the fact, reality, dynamics, and interactions of limits on the present phase of fossil-fuel fed economic growth I've found.  This is a book I recommend not only for the message, but the author's clarity of thought and exposition, his meticulous research, exquisite bibliographical notes, and, given the nearly 30 years elapsed, testability numerous of his predictions, some failed, yes, others uncannily accurate.  Rather more the latter.  In a similar vein, William R. Catton's Overshoot looks at the ecological dynamics in more depth, with much wisdom, the writings of Richard Heinberg cover the ground of limits fairly accessibly and more recently.  Vaclav Smil in numerous books addresses technical factors of the profound nature of the past 250 years, and implications for the future.  Meadows, et al, in Limits to Growth set off much of the post-1970 discussion (though they're hardly the first to raise the question -- it dates to Seneca the Elder),\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-s... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-scarcity-prologue-to-a-political-theory-of-the-steady-state/oclc/2524932)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/overshoot-the-ecological-basi... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/overshoot-the-ecological-basis-of-revolutionary-change/oclc/6195764)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Aheinberg%2C+richard&a... (https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Aheinberg%2C+richard&amp;qt=owc_search)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Asmil%2C+vaclav&amp;qt... (https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Asmil%2C+vaclav&amp;qt=results_page)\nThough hardly pessimistic, Daniel Yergin's book The Prize (and TV series) impressed upon me more than any other just how much petroleum specifically changed and transformed the modern world.  Though intended largely as laudetory and championing the oil industry by the author, my read of it was exceptionally cautionary.  The impacts on business, everyday life, politics, wars, industry, and transport, and the rate at which they occurred, are simply staggering.  You can continue this exploration in Vaclav Smil's Energy in World History (1994) (I've recommended Smil independently elsewhere), and a rare but profound two-volume set I'm currently reading, Manfred Weissenbacher's Sources of Power: How energy forges human history (2009).  The shear physicality of this book speaks to the message -- it's divided into five parts:  1) Foraging Age (6 pages), 2) Agricultural Age (156 pp), 3) Coal Age (160 pp),  4) Oil Age (296 pp), and 5) Beyond the Oil Age (142 pp).  That is, the ~2 million years of pre-agricultural existence are little more than a footnote, the 8,000 years of agriculture roughly equal to the 150 years of coal, and the 100 years of petroleum use roughly twice either.  The oil and post-oil ages comprise their own volume.  Yergin followed up with The Quest, continuing the search for oil, though I've been less impressed by it.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/prize-the-epic-quest-for-oil-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/prize-the-epic-quest-for-oil-money-and-power/oclc/22381448)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/30398523)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foragi... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foraging-agriculture-and-coal/oclc/837625798)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/83762... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625970)\nAdam Smith's An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations is among the most-cited (and most incorrectly cited), least-read books of high influence I'm aware of, outside religious texts (and perhaps it is a religious text to some…).  The author's message has been exceptionally shaped and manipulated by a powerful set of forces, quite often utterly misrepresenting Smith's original intent.  Reading him in his own words, yourself, is strongly recommended.  I'd also recommend scholarship particularly by Emma Rothschild and Gavin Kennedy, though also others, on Smith. Contrast with the portrayal by the propaganda disinformation front of the Mont Pelerin Society / Atlas Network / so-called Foundation for Economic Education, and much of the modern American Libertarian movement (von Mises, Hayek, Friedman, Hazlett, Rothbard, and more recently, Norberg).  Contrast The Invisible Hand (1964), a compilation of essays published by Libertarian house Regnery Press in 1966, at the beginning of the rise in public use of Smith's metaphor to indictate mechanism rather than an expression of the unknown.\nThere are numerous editions of Smith, I believe the Glasgow is frequently cited by Smith scholars:  https://www.worldcat.org/title/glasgow-edition-of-the-works-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/glasgow-edition-of-the-works-and-correspondence-of-adam-smith-2-an-inquiry-into-the-nature-and-causes-of-the-wealth-of-nations-vol-1/oclc/832488566)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/economic-sentiments-adam-smit... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/economic-sentiments-adam-smith-condorcet-and-the-enlightenment/oclc/45282974)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smith-and-the-invisible-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smith-and-the-invisible-hand/oclc/820387997)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smiths-lost-legacy/oclc/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smiths-lost-legacy/oclc/56598640)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/invisible-hand-a-collection-o... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/invisible-hand-a-collection-of-essays-on-the-economic-philosophy-of-free-enterprise/oclc/326622)\nI'd like to put in recommendations on technology specifically, but am still searching for a good general text.  The material's covered somewhat in the chaos and complexity recommendations above (Campbell et al), though I'd add Joseph Tainter's The Collapse of Complex Societies.  Charle's Perrow has several excellent books including Normal Accidents and Organizing America.   I'd like to reference something concerning Unix, Linux, and programming, perhaps Kernighan and Pike's The Unix Programming Environment, Linus Torvalds' Just for Fun, Richard Stallman's The GNU Manifesto, and Steve McConnel's Code Complete.  The O'Reilly book Unix Power Tools also encapsulates much the strength of the Unix toolset.  All these are somewhat dated.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/collapse-of-complex-societies... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/collapse-of-complex-societies/oclc/15083222)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/normal-accidents-living-with-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/normal-accidents-living-with-high-risk-technologies/oclc/10229932)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/organizing-america-wealth-pow... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/organizing-america-wealth-power-and-the-origins-of-corporate-capitalism/oclc/939707157)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-programming-environment/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-programming-environment/oclc/10269821)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/5238168... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/52381684)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Reading him in his own words, yourself, is strongly recommended.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommended as a way to encounter Smith's arguments directly rather than through later portrayals.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Smith's message has often been shaped and misrepresented.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adam Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classical economics",
        "political economy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "are-your-lights-on-84fe10",
      "title": "Are Your Lights On?",
      "author": "Donald C. Gause and Gerald M. Weinberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19897329,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T09:04:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19897329",
          "commentText": "+1 for this. Arguably all of Weinberg's works teach mental models. 'Are Your Lights On?' is an easy introduction to his writing and thinking, and 'Exploring Requirements: Quality Before Design' is directly applicable to any software project involving collection of requirements (I thin that's all of them.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Are Your Lights On?' is an easy introduction to his writing and thinking",
          "reason": "Recommended as an easy introduction to Weinberg’s writing and thinking.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an accessible introduction to Weinberg’s ideas.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910419,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:44:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910419",
          "commentText": "Offhand...\n1. 'The Making of the Atomic Bomb', R. Rhodes\n2. 'Apollo: Race to the Moon', C. Murray, C. Cox\n3. 'The Prize', D. Yergin\n4. 'Are Your Lights On?', D. Gause, G. Weinberg\n5. 'Becoming A Technical Leader', G. Weinberg",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Are Your Lights On?', D. Gause, G. Weinberg",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85916,
          "author": "vikram",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T13:23:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85916",
          "commentText": "Are your lights on - Jerry Weinberg\nThe blind watchmaker - Richard Dawkins",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Are your lights on - Jerry Weinberg",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donald C. Gause and Gerald M. Weinberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Business",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "problem solving",
        "systems thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "at-home-a-short-history-of-private-life-0f7aa4",
      "title": "At Home: A Short History of Private Life",
      "author": "Bill Bryson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23859488,
          "author": "ageitgey",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T14:46:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859488",
          "commentText": "At Home by Bill Bryson\nThis is not a Sapiens-style retelling of the history of mankind. It's light reading - a quaint look at the history of the modern house, room-by-room, with many diversions into whatever topic that takes the author. But it ends up touching on a lot of interesting interconnections of how the western world developed.\nIt's a great read to escape the oppressive grind of 2020 while still learning tons of interesting things on every page.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "At Home by Bill Bryson",
          "reason": "A light, room-by-room history of the modern house that connects to how the Western world developed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not a Sapiens-style retelling of humanity’s history; includes many diversions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21797508,
          "author": "randcraw",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-15T17:37:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21797508",
          "commentText": "All of these are by Bill Bryson but none are about travel:\nShakespeare: the World as Stage\nOne Summer: America, 1927\nThe Mother Tongue: English and How it Got that Way\nMade in America: an Informal History of the English Language in the US\nAt Home: A Short History of Private Life",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "At Home: A Short History of Private Life",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238537,
          "author": "kirubakaran",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:59:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238537",
          "commentText": "Here is my full bookshelf: http://www.kirubakaran.com/books-read.html\nBooks Read in 2016:\n1. The Recursive Universe: Cosmic Complexity and the Limits of Scientific Knowledge\n- Poundstone, William\n2. My Brain is Open: The Mathematical Journeys of Paul Erdos\n- Schechter, Bruce\n3. One Summer: America, 1927\n- Bryson, Bill\n4. The Three-Body Problem (Remembrance of Earth’s Past, #1)\n- Liu, Cixin\n5. The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit\n- Godin, Seth\n6. At Home: A Short History of Private Life\n- Bryson, Bill\n7. Kings of Kings (Hardcore History, #56-58)\n- Carlin, Dan\n8. Blueprint for Armageddon (Hardcore History #50-55)\n- Carlin, Dan\n9. Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal\n- Klaff, Oren\n10. William Shakespeare: The World as Stage\n- Bryson, Bill\n11. So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love\n- Newport, Cal\n12. The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles\n- Pressfield, Steven\n13. In a Sunburned Country\n- Bryson, Bill\n14. Cannery Row\n- Steinbeck, John\n15. Traction: A Startup Guide to Getting Customers\n- Weinberg, Gabriel\n16. Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World\n- Newport, Cal\n17. Starship Troopers\n- Heinlein, Robert A.\n18. No Touch Monkey!: And Other Travel Lessons Learned Too Late\n- Halliday, Ayun",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "At Home: A Short History of Private Life",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12243860,
          "author": "randcraw",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-07T21:49:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12243860",
          "commentText": "\"At Home\" by Bill Bryson.\n\"Quiet\" by Susan Cain.\n\"Hackers\" by Steven Levy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"At Home\" by Bill Bryson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Bryson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "domestic life",
        "domestic history",
        "history of the home",
        "material culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cities-and-the-wealth-of-nations-1e6954",
      "title": "Cities and the Wealth of Nations",
      "author": "Jane Jacobs",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22867462,
          "author": "econbooks",
          "createdAt": "2020-04-14T15:52:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 22861452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading to make sense of the economy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22867462",
          "commentText": "Ha-Joon Chang's works\nBad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism   \nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Samaritans:_The_Myth_of_Fr... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Samaritans:_The_Myth_of_Free_Trade_and_the_Secret_History_of_Capitalism)\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WU9DgfOMpmo\nEconomics: The User's Guide\nhttps://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/may/29/economics-the-... (https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/may/29/economics-the-users-guide-ha-joon-chang-review)\nJane Jacobs\nCities and the Wealth of Nations\nhttps://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/reviews/books/0-394-72911-0.htm... (https://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/reviews/books/0-394-72911-0.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cities and the Wealth of Nations",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2643050,
          "author": "MaysonL",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-11T02:25:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2643050",
          "commentText": "Adventures of a Bystander by Peter Drucker.\nJane Jacobs's three city books:\nThe Death and Life of Great American Cities, \nThe Economy of Cities, and \nCities and the Wealth of Nations.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cities and the Wealth of Nations.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 241848,
          "author": "MaysonL",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-10T00:52:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=241848",
          "commentText": "Searching online I eventually found one on Amazon for $12 - about the cheapest I saw (lots on Amazon uk, starting at about 15 pounds) - from Powell's.\nIf you found pg's cities essays interesting or clueless, read Jane Jacobs's trilogy on cities:\nThe Death and Life of Great American Cities\nThe Economy of Cities\nCities and the Wealth of Nations\nThe quality of the writing, and the thought, more than fully justify the hubris of the last title.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cities and the Wealth of Nations",
          "reason": "Recommended if the reader found Paul Graham's essays on cities interesting or clueless.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the title's hubris is justified by the writing and thought.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jane Jacobs"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cities",
        "urban economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "common-sense-3935cc",
      "title": "Common Sense",
      "author": "Thomas Paine",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17168677,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:31:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168677",
          "commentText": "I can't give just one, but here are a few that had a strong influence on me: \n\"12 Rules for Life\" by Jordan Peterson, \"Why Switzerland?\" Jonathan Steinberg, \"Little Book of Common Sense Investing\" by John C. Bogle, \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" by Butron Malkiel, \"Liberalismus\" by Ludwig von Mises, \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann, \"Walden\" by Henry David Thoreau, \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"A Treatise on Political Economy\" by Jean-Baptiste Say, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy\" by Joseph Alois Schumpeter, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"My Correct Views on Everything\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"The Captive Mind\" Czesław Miłosz, \"One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, \"The House of the Dead\" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, \"Conversations with an Executioner\" by Kazimierz Moczarski, \"Diary 1954\" by Leopold Tyrmand, \"The Master and Margarita\" by Mikhail Bulgakov, \"A World Apart: A Memoir of the Gulag\" by Gustaw Herling-Grudziński",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a strong influence on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416563,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:55:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416563",
          "commentText": "\"I'm wondering which other books have you read that have had the most impact on you professionally or even personally?\"\nProfessionally: Peter F. Drucker's books.\nPersonally: \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann,  \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"Metaphysical Horror\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"Rationality in Economics\" by Vernon L. Smith, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about books with personal impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503488,
          "author": "michael_dorfman",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T11:16:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503488",
          "commentText": "I think the quality of advice you're getting on this thread is very mixed.\nSome of the books mentioned are absolutely great-- like \"Being and Time\", or Husserl's \"Logical Investigations\"-- but incredibly difficult to read unprepared.  If you were ready to be reading them, you wouldn't be asking the question here.\nThe two books you mention in the question (Common Sense and \"On the Fourfold Root\") are both quite readable, as are a few of the primary texts mentioned in the responses (\"Existentialism is a Humanism\", \"Thus Spoke Zarathustra\") but in general, I'd have to suggest you stay away from primary texts at first.\nIn other words, begin by reading works about philosophy, rather than works of philosophy.\nA single-volume work on the history of philosophy will give you the broad scope (for example, Durant, or Russell, or \"Sophie's World\" if you prefer fiction), but will tend to turn the philosophers discussed into caricatures of themselves.\nYou mention that you are in school; I'd suggest you take a philosophy course or two, if you are interested in the field.  Having an experienced guide will definitely help.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The two books you mention in the question (Common Sense",
          "reason": "Says the book is quite readable.",
          "audience": "Readers beginning to explore philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Paine"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american revolution",
        "political pamphlet",
        "political philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "conversations-with-god-66ab6e",
      "title": "Conversations with God",
      "author": "Neale Donald Walsch",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30241243,
          "author": "cyneox",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T06:59:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241243",
          "commentText": "- Way of the peaceful warrior\n- Range\n- Conversations with God\n- Factfulness\n- Accelerate: Building and Scaling High-Performing Technology Organizations",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Conversations with God",
          "reason": "Lists it as an answer to the request for a book recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6416398,
          "author": "mattm",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-20T07:25:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6416398",
          "commentText": "Conversations with God",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Conversations with God",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about books that changed one's life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2331132,
          "author": "mattm",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-16T07:00:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 2329700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that change your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2331132",
          "commentText": "How I found Freedom in an Unfree World\nConversations with God (the first book - I didn't get so much out of the 2nd and 3rd)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Conversations with God (the first book - I didn't get so much out of the 2nd and 3rd)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter specifies the first book and says they got less out of the second and third.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neale Donald Walsch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dialogue",
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "digital-design-and-computer-architecture-ecbc89",
      "title": "Digital Design and Computer Architecture",
      "author": "David Money Harris and Sarah L. Harris",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14843326,
          "author": "Kenji",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-24T22:28:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14843326",
          "commentText": "Digital Design and Computer Architecture (Harris & Harris)\nWhy? Because we software engineers can learn a lot from the hardware guys. Almost every piece of software I write these days contains some finite state machines (technically, every program is a finite state machine, where the binary string that makes up all your variables at a given point in time is one state, that insight alone is valuable, but I mean with explicit states in the code) - in fact, they often make up the core structure and uphold some strong invariants that make reasoning about the code simpler. And if one finite state machine does not do it, then you can nest them and keep all the benefits.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Digital Design and Computer Architecture (Harris & Harris)\nWhy? Because we software engineers can learn a lot from the hardware guys.",
          "reason": "Presented as useful for software engineers because hardware concepts, especially finite state machines, can improve code structure and reasoning.",
          "audience": "Software engineers interested in structuring code with finite state machines.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229610,
          "author": "Kenji",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T14:41:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229610",
          "commentText": ">Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: An excellent book with autobiographic content about Richard Feynman, contains many funny stories and interesting insights of this brilliant man.\n>J. Hromkovic: Theoretical Computer Science: An excellent introduction to complexity theory, kolmogorov complexity, automata and turing machine, language and grammar theory\n>Harris & Harris: Digital Design and Computer Architecture: Introduction to electrical engineering, graudally builds your knowledge until you could implement a simple little CPU in e.g. Verilog.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Harris & Harris: Digital Design and Computer Architecture: Introduction to electrical engineering, graudally builds your knowledge until you could implement a simple little CPU in e.g. Verilog.",
          "reason": "Described as a gradual introduction that builds toward implementing a simple CPU.",
          "audience": "Readers learning electrical engineering and computer architecture.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2416115,
          "author": "saurabhsharan",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T17:53:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2416115",
          "commentText": "Two suggestions:\nElements of Programming (by Alexander Stepanov and Paul McJones) takes a mathematical approach to programming. Since its only prerequisite is a basic understanding of high school algebra, the book is very accessible and easy to follow.\nDigital Design and Computer Architecture (by David Harris and Sarah Harris) is a great book on computer architecture that starts with digital logic design (i.e. gates and transistors) and ends with a subset of the MIPS instruction set. Though, it probably won't help you much in 'daily work'.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Digital Design and Computer Architecture (by David Harris and Sarah Harris) is a great book on computer architecture",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book and describes its coverage from digital logic to a subset of the MIPS instruction set.",
          "audience": "Readers studying digital logic and computer architecture.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it probably will not help much with daily work.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Money Harris and Sarah L. Harris"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer architecture",
        "digital logic",
        "digital design",
        "finite state machines"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "firestar-aa1de2",
      "title": "Firestar",
      "author": "Michael Flynn",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 876124,
          "author": "benl",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T05:44:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876124",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand\nFirestar, Michael Flynn",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Firestar, Michael Flynn",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140665,
          "author": "benl",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T08:40:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140665",
          "commentText": "Firestar by Michael Flynn.  It's a little-know book by a  little-known author, but it's the best near-term space sci fi I've ever read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Firestar by Michael Flynn. It's a little-know book by a little-known author, but it's the best near-term space sci fi I've ever read.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best near-term space science fiction they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes it as little-known.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85983,
          "author": "Xichekolas",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T16:51:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85983",
          "commentText": "Ender Series - Orson Scott Card\nRama Series - Arthur C Clarke\nFirestar Series - Michael Flynn\n1984 - George Orwell\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs - Some guys at MIT (I know it's technical, but couldn't resist, it's just too good)\nAnything by Bret Easton Ellis, Greg Bear, Stephen Baxter, and the above mentioned authors.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Firestar Series",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite book series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Flynn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "near future science fiction",
        "near term spaceflight",
        "space colonization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hacking-growth-1a021e",
      "title": "Hacking Growth",
      "author": "Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910210,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:25:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910210",
          "commentText": "- \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies\" - probably the most influential book I've read in my life, profoundly changed the way I think. It's a collection of LessWrong essays on science and rationality.\n- \"On Intelligence\" and \"I am a Strange Loop\" - how mind works.\n- \"Rework\", \"Zero to One\", \"Start Small, Stay Small\" - insightful startup advice.\n- Fun autobiographies: Ghost in the Wires (Kevin Mitnick), iWoz (Steve Wozniak), Catch me if you can (Frank Abagnale), Just for Fun (Linus Torvalds), Elon Musk, Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\n- How companies work: Creativity Inc (Pixar), In the Plex (Google)\n- On writing: Art of fiction/nonfiction by Ayn Rand, Story by Robert McKee, Save the Cat, Step by Step to Standup Comedy.\n- Other: The Selfish Gene, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Serious Creativity, Hackers & Painters, Hacking Growth, Angel (on angel investing, by Jason Calacanis).\nAlso collections of essays by Paul Graham [1] and Scott Alexander [2]:\n[1] https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%20Complete%20Essays.epub?dl=0)\n[2] https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of%20Scott%20Alexandria%20-%20Scott%20Alexander.epub?dl=0)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hacking Growth",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521167,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T07:42:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521167",
          "commentText": "Here are the best books I've read over the last few months:\n- Lost and Founder - the founder of Moz shares his advice and experience from building a 40M/year company. I found the things he says about building a startup extremely insightful and practically useful. Reading it feels like having a dinner with a friend who shares with you the things he has learned in a very honest, down to earth way. Highly recommend it.\n- Rationality from AI to Zombies - probably the most influential book I've read in my life, profoundly changed the way I think. It's a collection of LessWrong essays on science and rationality. (recently they've released an an audio version by the way).\n- \"A Short History of Nearly Everything\" and \"Our Mathematical Universe\" - two general popular science books I'm enjoying a lot. Haven't finished reading them yet, but so far they're brilliant(and very easy to understand, authors do an amazing job explaining complicated things in a simple, accessible way).\n- Hacking Growth - an AMAZING book on \"growth hacking\". It provides a framework for marketing a startup, gives a ton of practical advice and specific tactics. It breaks down step by step how  startups and big tech companies grow their products. Most of the books I've read on the subject were bullshit, but this one is absolutely fantastic, can't recommend it enough.\nOther great books I should mention:  This Idea is Brilliant, Actionable Gamification, The Design of Everyday Things, The Master Algorithm (great overview of machine learning techniqes), Springfield Confidential (fun behind the scenes from one of the writers on Simpsons), Homo Deus(from the author of Sapiens).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this one is absolutely fantastic, can't recommend it enough.",
          "reason": "The commenter strongly recommends its practical startup growth framework and tactics.",
          "audience": "People marketing or growing startups and products.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says most books they have read on the subject were bullshit.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sean Ellis",
        "Morgan Brown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "growth marketing",
        "startups",
        "marketing",
        "startup growth"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "machines-of-loving-grace-422d75",
      "title": "Machines of Loving Grace",
      "author": "John Markoff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13238121,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:01:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238121",
          "commentText": "Last year I gave myself a Zuckerberg-style goal to read a book every two weeks. It started well, but some months were harder than others (usually when the book wasn't very good, so I would switch to podcasts for a few weeks, before getting back on track).\nHere's an unordered list of the best:\n[BUSINESS / SELF-IMPROVEMENT]\n- \"Work Rules!\" - about Google's culture and values\n- \"Search Inside Yourself\" - about mindfulness, meditation, and the impact on your life.\n- \"What got you here won't get you there\" - Liked a lot more than I expected.\n- \"Re-read Innovator's Dilemma\" - a great classic; never gets old.\n- \"How will you measure your life\" - from the same author. Also excellent.\n- \"The Best Service is No Service\" - good overview on why Amazon's customer service is so good\n- \"Crucial Conversations\" - half is common sense; half is good tips to practice everyday.\n[PROGRAMMING]\n- \"Fluent Python\" - was afraid it'd be too basic, but not really. Enjoyed it a lot.\n- \"Think Complexity\" - about algorithm complexity, data structures, etc. Great read.\n- \"Python Data Science Handbook\" - meh.\n- \"Fundamentals of Deep Learning\" - good intro. Helped me solidify some concepts from Andrew Ng's ML course\n- \"Deep Learning\" - by Goodfellow and Bengio. Just started, but really liking it.\n[STARTUPS] (all excellent; in order)\n- \"The Hard Things about Hard Things\"\n- \"Zero to One\"\n- \"The Founder's Dilemmas\"\n- \"The Launch Pad\"\n[FICTION]\n- Trilogy: \"Off to be a wizard / An Unwelcome Quest / Spell or High Water\"\n- \"Infinite Jest\" - tried but failed to finish. May try again later.\n- \"Ready Player One\" - nice, but repetitive after a while. Good read before the movie comes out.\n[NON-FICTION]\n- \"What If?\" - xkcd FTW\n- \"How to Read a Book\" - good concepts, but should be a 10 pages blog post, not a book\n- \"Spark\" - Science of the Exercise and the Brain - Long, but good\n- \"Sugar Shock\" - still reading; hopefully will help me cut my sweet cravings\n[BIOGRAPHIES]\n- \"The New New Thing\" - about Jim Clark's life, one of the very first entrepreneurs\n- \"Machines of Loving Grace\" - about the research and the rise of AI\n- \"Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution\"\n- \"The Second Coming of Steve Jobs\" - About Pixar's story. Liked more than Isaacson's biography\n- \"The Innovators\" - great summary of computer industry, from the 1800's till today\n- \"Ghost in the Wires\" - Kevin Mitnick's story. Had started years ago, but finally finished it\n- \"Idea Man\" - about Paul Allen's story. Quite an impressive man.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Machines of Loving Grace\" - about the research and the rise of AI",
          "reason": "Included in the comment’s unordered list of best books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12475769,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T21:12:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12475769",
          "commentText": "Here's the best books I've read in the last year or so:\n>> Computer History & biographies:\nThe New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story, Michael Lewis\nThe Second Coming of Steve Jobs, by Alan Deutschman\nMachines of Loving Grace, by John Markoff\nThe Innovators, by Walter Isaacson\nGhost in the Wires, by Kevin Mitnick\nIdea Man: A Memoir by the Cofounder of Microsoft, by Paul Allen\nCreativity, Inc, by Ed Catmull (reading)\n>> Startups:\nThe Hard Thing About Hard Things, by Ben Horowitz\nThe Founder's Dilemmas, Noam Wasserman\nThe Launch Pad, by Randall Stross\n>> Other books:\nTrilogy: Off to Be the Wizard (series), by Scott Meyer\nSearch Inside Yourself, Chade-Meng Tan\nJoy on Demand, Chade-Meng Tan (reading)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Machines of Loving Grace, by John Markoff",
          "reason": "Included in the writer's list of best books read over the past year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10176347,
          "author": "drallison",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T23:20:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10176347",
          "commentText": "Machines of Loving Grace by John Markoff.\nThe cover says the book is a \"sweeping history of the complicated and evolving relationships between humans and computer\" and it is just that. A literate and thoughtful history with an eye towards the future.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A literate and thoughtful history with an eye towards the future.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises it as a thoughtful, well-written history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Markoff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "computing history",
        "human computer relations",
        "technology history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mockingbird-ccb1f0",
      "title": "Mockingbird",
      "author": "Walter Tevis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50144936,
          "author": "pietrofmaggi",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-18T20:07:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50144936",
          "commentText": "Walter Tevis - Mockingbird (I’m not sure how many times)\nIs from the 80s but re-reading lately with everything that is going on with AI it sounds more real than ever.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Walter Tevis - Mockingbird",
          "reason": "The commenter is rereading it and finds it increasingly relevant to AI.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure how many times they have read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36023045,
          "author": "nicwolff",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T17:28:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36023045",
          "commentText": "\"Mockingbird\", by Walter Tevis. 40 years old but startlingly timely: centuries after humanity ceded all authority and responsibility to AI, the last superintelligent robot is ready to die of boredom – and one human has learned to read.\n\"Elder Race\", by Adrian Tchaikovsky. This short novel is a bit reminiscent of Iain Bank's \"Inversions\" in that it combines sci-fi and fantasy through the perspectives of an anthropologist from an advanced space-faring culture and a second protagonist from the medieval world they are secretly observing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Mockingbird\", by Walter Tevis. 40 years old but startlingly timely",
          "reason": "Presents it as startlingly timely, describing a future shaped by AI and a human who learns to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5833109,
          "author": "nicwolff",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T15:45:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5833109",
          "commentText": "Top three:\nMockingbird, by Walter Tevis;\nRiddley Walker, by Russell Hoban;\nGlimpses of the Moon, by Edith Wharton\nSome other favorites:\nThe Dog Stars, by Peter Heller;\nTo Reign In Hell, by Steven Brust;\nMachine Man, by Max Barry;\nThe Dawn Patrol, by Don Winslow;\nThe Woman, by Hank Ketchum",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mockingbird, by Walter Tevis",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's top three fiction picks.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Walter Tevis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "dystopia",
        "dystopian fiction",
        "literacy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "more-programming-pearls-0b30bb",
      "title": "More Programming Pearls",
      "author": "Jon Bentley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35954262,
          "author": "vram22",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-15T20:46:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35954262",
          "commentText": "Not all of the ones below may be textbooks, sorry, but IMO they are all very good. I cut my programming teeth on some of them, and read others at different times later in my career.\nHow to Solve It, by Georg Polya. \nA famous Hungarian mathematician. \nA text on general problem solving principles or techniques. A classic.\nHow to Solve It by Computer, by Dromey, an AU CS professor. In the same spirit as the Polya book, but applied to iteratively working out algorithms and pseudocode for common important programming problems.\nThe K&R C book. What to say.\nThe Unix Programming Environment, by Kernighan and Pike. Ditto.\nProgramming Pearls, and More Programming Pearls, by Jon Bentley.\nAmong many other things, some clever / advanced uses of awk.\nWriting Efficient Programs, also by Bentley. I had mentioned it on HN earlier, and someone replied saying they had used it in real life, and it was gold.\nSQL for Professionals, by authors whose names I forget.\nThe Object Primer, by can't remember who, but good.\nA Unix book by Kochan, IIRC.\nObject-Oriented Software Construction, by Bertrand Meyer, creator of the Eiffel programming language.\nA book on object-oriented analysis / design, can't remember the name, by Rebecca Wirfs-Brock (?) and others. Learned about CRC  cards from it. Very cool concept and technique.\nA book on Object-Oriented Design, by Grady Booch, from a time before he co-invented UML. Forget the exact name.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming Pearls, and More Programming Pearls, by Jon Bentley.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29311159,
          "author": "jcynix",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T20:21:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29311159",
          "commentText": "Programming Pearls and More Programming Pearls by Jon Bentley contain short articles \"in the realm of insight and creativity.\" These articles appeared during the 80s in Communications of the ACM, but I think they are still mostly relevant and inspiring today.\nThe second edition from 2000 is online available at https://archive.org/details/ProgrammingPearls2ndEditionJonBe... (https://archive.org/details/ProgrammingPearls2ndEditionJonBentley)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming Pearls and More Programming Pearls by Jon Bentley",
          "reason": "The comment says the essays remain mostly relevant and inspiring.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The essays appeared in the 1980s; the commenter says they are still mostly relevant.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13408981,
          "author": "vram22",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T09:19:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13408981",
          "commentText": "Yes, and the same goes for More Programming Pearls - all 3 by Bentley (for those who don't know).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the same goes for More Programming Pearls - all 3 by Bentley",
          "reason": "Affirms the parent comment's positive assessment of the related book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jon Bentley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nexus-trilogy-cf6d36",
      "title": "Nexus Trilogy",
      "author": "Ramez Naam",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36022197,
          "author": "gverri",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:53:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36022197",
          "commentText": "Dragon's Egg, by Robert L. Forward\nNexus Trilogy, by Ramez Naam\nAnathem, By Neal Stephenson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nexus Trilogy, by Ramez Naam",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15432330,
          "author": "ciocan42",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-09T08:47:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15432330",
          "commentText": "All Systems Red (The Murderbot Series)\nNexus trilogy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nexus trilogy",
          "reason": "Listed as a series in response to a request for science fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14744520,
          "author": "ciocan42",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T14:38:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14744520",
          "commentText": "Nexus trilogy by Ramez Naam -\nSapiens / Homo Deus",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nexus trilogy by Ramez Naam",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ramez Naam"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biotechnology",
        "transhumanism",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "neurotechnology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "object-thinking-725058",
      "title": "Object Thinking",
      "author": "David West",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26836643,
          "author": "dmux",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-16T17:21:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 26833319,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book for software engineers (besides the well-known ones)?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26836643",
          "commentText": "Oddly enough, three of my favorites are all written by Davids.\n1. \"Object Thinking\" by David West (http://davewest.us/product/object-thinking/)\n2. \"Introduction to Computing\" by David Evans (free PDF available: https://computingbook.org/)\n3. \"Data Model Patterns: Conventions of Thought\" by David Hay (https://www.amazon.com/Data-Model-Patterns-David-Hay/dp/0932... (https://www.amazon.com/Data-Model-Patterns-David-Hay/dp/0932633749)). He also gives a great talk about this here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLFXewSpltw",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Object Thinking\" by David West",
          "reason": "One of the commenter's favorites.",
          "audience": "Software engineers",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032702,
          "author": "dmux",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:51:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032702",
          "commentText": "(1) Object Thinking by David West.\n(2) Thinking Forth by Leo Brodie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "(1) Object Thinking by David West.",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question asking which books someone starting a software career should read.",
          "audience": "People starting a software engineering career.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156149,
          "author": "omnibrain",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T14:35:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156149",
          "commentText": "Fiction: Peter Watts - Blindsight   \nNonfiction: Gödel Escher Bach   \nCS: David West - Object Thinking",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "CS: David West - Object Thinking",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which books had the biggest impact on mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David West"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "object oriented design",
        "object oriented programming",
        "software design",
        "software engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-power-88079e",
      "title": "On Power",
      "author": "Bertrand de Jouvenel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17168677,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:31:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168677",
          "commentText": "I can't give just one, but here are a few that had a strong influence on me: \n\"12 Rules for Life\" by Jordan Peterson, \"Why Switzerland?\" Jonathan Steinberg, \"Little Book of Common Sense Investing\" by John C. Bogle, \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" by Butron Malkiel, \"Liberalismus\" by Ludwig von Mises, \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann, \"Walden\" by Henry David Thoreau, \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"A Treatise on Political Economy\" by Jean-Baptiste Say, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy\" by Joseph Alois Schumpeter, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"My Correct Views on Everything\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"The Captive Mind\" Czesław Miłosz, \"One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, \"The House of the Dead\" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, \"Conversations with an Executioner\" by Kazimierz Moczarski, \"Diary 1954\" by Leopold Tyrmand, \"The Master and Margarita\" by Mikhail Bulgakov, \"A World Apart: A Memoir of the Gulag\" by Gustaw Herling-Grudziński",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a strong influence on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416563,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:55:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416563",
          "commentText": "\"I'm wondering which other books have you read that have had the most impact on you professionally or even personally?\"\nProfessionally: Peter F. Drucker's books.\nPersonally: \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann,  \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"Metaphysical Horror\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"Rationality in Economics\" by Vernon L. Smith, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about books with personal impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876471,
          "author": "nazgulnarsil",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T11:06:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876471",
          "commentText": "fiction: time enough for love - robert heinlein\nnon-fiction: on power - bertrand de jouvenel\nboth are treatsies on the human condition.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "non-fiction: on power - bertrand de jouvenel",
          "reason": "Named as a favorite in response to the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bertrand de Jouvenel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political theory",
        "political philosophy",
        "political power",
        "power"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "serious-creativity-2a465f",
      "title": "Serious Creativity",
      "author": "Edward de Bono",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19897295,
          "author": "plinkplonk",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T08:55:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19897295",
          "commentText": "+ 100.\nthe idea that sustained practice till you become fluent in the use of specific mental models is missing in much of the literature.\nJust like learning any other skillset, using mental models effectively takes a lot of work.\nThis is often the missing key to effective use. It is one thing to read about a mental model (say Donella Meadows's systems thinking), and be able to recall the material from memory and quote it and so on. It is quite another to be able to apply that model (here systems thinking) to real life  situations and get useful results.\nI know many people who can quote chapter and verse of literature about mental models, but their thinking remains confused and ad hoc when it comes to dealing with real life problems.\nTo practice, one can also apply mental models to case studies/situations from the past  and compare to the outcome predicted by the model and the actual outcome.(To be fair, there is a risk of making mental models fit the known outcome here, so one has to be aware of that)\nEDIT: (not the same as mental models, but since someone mentioned ARIZ/TRIZ above) Edward De Bono's \"Serious Creativity\" and \"Lateral Thinking for Management\" (yes terrible title) are full of thinking tools that can be practiced systematically. Most of his books are repetitive and have varying ratios of fluff to  core material, but these two together have most of his useful ideas.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Edward De Bono's \"Serious Creativity\"",
          "reason": "Includes thinking tools that can be practiced systematically.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The author’s books are described as repetitive, with varying amounts of fluff relative to core material.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910210,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:25:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910210",
          "commentText": "- \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies\" - probably the most influential book I've read in my life, profoundly changed the way I think. It's a collection of LessWrong essays on science and rationality.\n- \"On Intelligence\" and \"I am a Strange Loop\" - how mind works.\n- \"Rework\", \"Zero to One\", \"Start Small, Stay Small\" - insightful startup advice.\n- Fun autobiographies: Ghost in the Wires (Kevin Mitnick), iWoz (Steve Wozniak), Catch me if you can (Frank Abagnale), Just for Fun (Linus Torvalds), Elon Musk, Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\n- How companies work: Creativity Inc (Pixar), In the Plex (Google)\n- On writing: Art of fiction/nonfiction by Ayn Rand, Story by Robert McKee, Save the Cat, Step by Step to Standup Comedy.\n- Other: The Selfish Gene, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Serious Creativity, Hackers & Painters, Hacking Growth, Angel (on angel investing, by Jason Calacanis).\nAlso collections of essays by Paul Graham [1] and Scott Alexander [2]:\n[1] https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%20Complete%20Essays.epub?dl=0)\n[2] https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of%20Scott%20Alexandria%20-%20Scott%20Alexander.epub?dl=0)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Serious Creativity",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9347895,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T14:48:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9347895",
          "commentText": "Here's my usual list of recommendations, the best books I've read in the past 5 years.\nFiction:\n- Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\nIf you know nothing about this book you might naturally hesitate to read \"Harry Potter fanfiction\" and assume that it's dumb/horrbile, but it's not. Just suspend your disbelief and read the first 5-10 chapters. Trust me, it's brilliant, hilarious, and life-changing.\n- Atlas Shrugged\nControversial, I know, a lot of people here hate it for some reason, but it was incredibly influential on me, inspired my passion for entrepreneurship and science and philosophy. Still is one of the best books I am aware of.\nNonfiction:\n- Hackers and Painters by Paul Graham\nAlso a collection of his essays that you can find on github. He is one of the most clever writers I am aware of, but I assume you know that, since you're on HN.\n- \"On Intelligence\" by Jeff Hawkins\nThis book explains in simple terms a very awesome and elegant theory on how mind works. Incredibly fascinating, I've learned a lot from it and it explains a lot of things, and will change the way you think about thinking process.\n- The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins\nEngaging and entertaining explanation of evolution, absolutely fantastic book.\n- The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli.\nDespite the stigma, and people thinking that Machhiavellian = \"evil\", I've found this book extremely clever and wise.\n- Serious Creativity by Edward De Bono\nThe best book on creativity and the process of generating ideas that I'm aware of.\n- Abundance\nThis is a very inspiring and optimistic book about the future of technology.\nEntrepreneurhsip:\n- Start Small, Stay Small\nGuide to creating your first product/business for hackers. It lays out all the basics of entrepreneurship in a very concise and clear ways, my favorite introduction to startups.\n- Rework\nVery wise and intelligent advice about startups, intelligent and witty, must read.\n- Lean Startup\nClassic book on \"lean startup methodology\", very useful.\n- 4-Hour Workweek\nDespite the silly title I think it is a great book and is very much worth reading. Many people here dislike Tim Ferris, but whatever, I think this book is cool.\nAutobiographies:\n- Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman\n- Ghost In The Wires by Kevin Mitnick\n- Catch me if you can by Abagnale\n- iWoz by Steve Wozniak\n- Losing my Virginity by Richard Branson\nAll these are fantastic and very intelligent autobiographies by the very awesome people.\nNow I'm reading \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" and \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies.\"\n\"Rationality\" is great and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. Can't say much about GEB, I've only started reading it, but everyone is saying that it is so great and the best book ever, so I think it's definitely worth checking out.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The best book on creativity and the process of generating ideas that I'm aware of.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best book they know on creativity and idea generation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward de Bono"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Business",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creative thinking",
        "idea generation",
        "problem solving",
        "thinking tools"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "strong-fathers-strong-daughters-3327b4",
      "title": "Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters",
      "author": "Meg Meeker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 44570119,
          "author": "HenryBemis",
          "createdAt": "2025-07-15T11:41:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 44568054,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44570119",
          "commentText": "Books:\n  Siddartha: to think about myself and my changes/voyage through life.\n  Half-time: to think what-the-hell-comes-next (only if you are 40+)(it won't resonate with a 20yo)\n\n  Systemantics, Nexus: if you work in mega-big-corpos this will save your life\n\n  Hold on to your kids, The anxious generation: if you got kids\n\n  Strong Fathers Strong Daughters: (and mothers/sons) if you got kids (too Christian-y for my taste but an amazing 'manual' to manage the relationship with your kid(s))\n\n  1984, Animal Farm, Gulag Archipelago: ...\n\n  Light on Yoga: (also do practice yoga, it's good for most-if-not-all)\n\n\nYou asked for \"one book\"... but.. life.. is not 'one' thing. Systemantics (and Dilbert) have helped me stay afloat at work. Siddartha gave me a perspective in live about myself, the different 'people' I have been throughout my life.\nAll the listed ones are books I read and read again every few years. They shaped me the first time I read them, keep me 'grounded'/taking stock/thinking the 'change' in me and my life. I see them as a 'check-diff' and how I have changed/evolved/devolved since the last time I read it/them.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Strong Fathers Strong Daughters: (and mothers/sons) if you got kids",
          "reason": "Describes it as a manual for managing parent-child relationships.",
          "audience": "Parents, including mothers and sons.",
          "caveat": "Too Christian-y for the commenter’s taste.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38557134,
          "author": "HenryBemis",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:04:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557134",
          "commentText": "Halftime: Moving from Success...\n(this makes sense if you around 40 or over 40)(I read it a few years back and then again this year as a self-follow-up)\nThou Shall Prosper: Ten Commandments for Making Money\n(it's NOT about making money - I found it more useful on \"adding value\" more than \"making money - it changed my perspective on 'how to work, how to operate, how to see things, how to see/seek/grab opportunities' but ultimately how to add value - _and_ get paid handsomely for it)(ok it is about making money, but as a result, not as a driver)\n(if you ignore the \"too much Judaism\" bits, it is a great book)(I read it a few years back and then again this year as a self-follow-up)\nIf you are a parent, Meg Meeker's\n- Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters\n- Strong Mothers, Strong Sons\n(if you ignore the \"too much Christianity\" bits, these are great books) I found them to be super useful manuals/cheatsheets to building strong loving and trusting relationships with my kid(s). I used it with/for my daughter and our relationship moved from a cold father-daughter-we-don't-understand-each-other to a thriving friendly loving respecting listening relationship where she ASKS to actually spend time with me. I cannot recommend it enough to any parent that asks me for books(again.. ignoring the \"too much Christianity\" bits)\n(Disclaimer: I don't want to proselytize anyone to either/or/both Judaism, Christianity or any other religion.)(it's just that I found the Prosper and Strong books so useful..)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I cannot recommend it enough to any parent that asks me for books",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book was useful in building a strong, loving, trusting relationship with their daughter.",
          "audience": "Parents, especially fathers and daughters.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says to ignore the “too much Christianity” bits.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 127832,
          "author": "merrick33",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-03T05:07:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 127711,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Hacker moms & dads, what do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=127832",
          "commentText": "As a father the best thing you can do after attending to your daughters immediate needs, is learn more about how to become the kind of father that your daughter needs. After reading the following book I feel better prepared and informed to be a better father.\nStrong Fathers, Strong Daughters\n(http://www.amazon.com/Strong-Fathers-Daughters-Secrets-Fathe... (http://www.amazon.com/Strong-Fathers-Daughters-Secrets-Father/dp/1596980125))",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "After reading the following book I feel better prepared and informed to be a better father.\nStrong Fathers, Strong Daughters",
          "reason": "The commenter says reading it left them feeling better prepared to be a better father.",
          "audience": "Fathers seeking to prepare for raising daughters.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Meg Meeker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Parenting",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "father daughter relationships",
        "fatherhood",
        "parent child relationships",
        "raising daughters"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-founder-s-dilemmas-89de3c",
      "title": "The Founder's Dilemmas",
      "author": "Noam Wasserman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238121,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:01:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238121",
          "commentText": "Last year I gave myself a Zuckerberg-style goal to read a book every two weeks. It started well, but some months were harder than others (usually when the book wasn't very good, so I would switch to podcasts for a few weeks, before getting back on track).\nHere's an unordered list of the best:\n[BUSINESS / SELF-IMPROVEMENT]\n- \"Work Rules!\" - about Google's culture and values\n- \"Search Inside Yourself\" - about mindfulness, meditation, and the impact on your life.\n- \"What got you here won't get you there\" - Liked a lot more than I expected.\n- \"Re-read Innovator's Dilemma\" - a great classic; never gets old.\n- \"How will you measure your life\" - from the same author. Also excellent.\n- \"The Best Service is No Service\" - good overview on why Amazon's customer service is so good\n- \"Crucial Conversations\" - half is common sense; half is good tips to practice everyday.\n[PROGRAMMING]\n- \"Fluent Python\" - was afraid it'd be too basic, but not really. Enjoyed it a lot.\n- \"Think Complexity\" - about algorithm complexity, data structures, etc. Great read.\n- \"Python Data Science Handbook\" - meh.\n- \"Fundamentals of Deep Learning\" - good intro. Helped me solidify some concepts from Andrew Ng's ML course\n- \"Deep Learning\" - by Goodfellow and Bengio. Just started, but really liking it.\n[STARTUPS] (all excellent; in order)\n- \"The Hard Things about Hard Things\"\n- \"Zero to One\"\n- \"The Founder's Dilemmas\"\n- \"The Launch Pad\"\n[FICTION]\n- Trilogy: \"Off to be a wizard / An Unwelcome Quest / Spell or High Water\"\n- \"Infinite Jest\" - tried but failed to finish. May try again later.\n- \"Ready Player One\" - nice, but repetitive after a while. Good read before the movie comes out.\n[NON-FICTION]\n- \"What If?\" - xkcd FTW\n- \"How to Read a Book\" - good concepts, but should be a 10 pages blog post, not a book\n- \"Spark\" - Science of the Exercise and the Brain - Long, but good\n- \"Sugar Shock\" - still reading; hopefully will help me cut my sweet cravings\n[BIOGRAPHIES]\n- \"The New New Thing\" - about Jim Clark's life, one of the very first entrepreneurs\n- \"Machines of Loving Grace\" - about the research and the rise of AI\n- \"Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution\"\n- \"The Second Coming of Steve Jobs\" - About Pixar's story. Liked more than Isaacson's biography\n- \"The Innovators\" - great summary of computer industry, from the 1800's till today\n- \"Ghost in the Wires\" - Kevin Mitnick's story. Had started years ago, but finally finished it\n- \"Idea Man\" - about Paul Allen's story. Quite an impressive man.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Founder's Dilemmas\"",
          "reason": "Listed among four startup books described as excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12475769,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T21:12:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12475769",
          "commentText": "Here's the best books I've read in the last year or so:\n>> Computer History & biographies:\nThe New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story, Michael Lewis\nThe Second Coming of Steve Jobs, by Alan Deutschman\nMachines of Loving Grace, by John Markoff\nThe Innovators, by Walter Isaacson\nGhost in the Wires, by Kevin Mitnick\nIdea Man: A Memoir by the Cofounder of Microsoft, by Paul Allen\nCreativity, Inc, by Ed Catmull (reading)\n>> Startups:\nThe Hard Thing About Hard Things, by Ben Horowitz\nThe Founder's Dilemmas, Noam Wasserman\nThe Launch Pad, by Randall Stross\n>> Other books:\nTrilogy: Off to Be the Wizard (series), by Scott Meyer\nSearch Inside Yourself, Chade-Meng Tan\nJoy on Demand, Chade-Meng Tan (reading)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Founder's Dilemmas, Noam Wasserman",
          "reason": "Included in the writer's list of best books read over the past year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Noam Wasserman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "founder decisions",
        "startups",
        "founders",
        "startup teams"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-god-of-small-things-0a5330",
      "title": "The God of Small Things",
      "author": "Arundhati Roy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47325335,
          "author": "nicbou",
          "createdAt": "2026-03-10T16:21:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 47315415,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47325335",
          "commentText": "Invisible Women\nIf you liked Freakonomics, you will like this. It's not a rant, just one example after another of how we fail to account for half of the population.\nI just finished The God of Small Things. The writing is phenomenal, but it was not quite my kind of book, so it took me a bit of effort to finish.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The writing is phenomenal, but it was not quite my kind of book, so it took me a bit of effort to finish.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the writing but found the book difficult to finish.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Was not quite the commenter's kind of book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 47034034,
          "author": "nicbou",
          "createdAt": "2026-02-16T12:08:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 47027236,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47034034",
          "commentText": "The God of Small things. The writing is excellent, and I like the story. I can see why many of my friends liked it. I'm halfway through.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The God of Small things. The writing is excellent, and I like the story.",
          "reason": "Praises the writing and story while describing a current read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is halfway through.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16297231,
          "author": "timellis-smith",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T11:41:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16297231",
          "commentText": "Fiction\nWar and Peace\nCrime and Punishment\nCount of Monte Christo\n1984\nGod of Small Things\nParadise lost\nDivine comedy\nNon fiction\nSelfish gene\nMeditations\nMadness explained (the best book I've encountered for explaining how the mind works)\nThe Red Queen\nTao te Ching",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "God of Small Things",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the question about books the commenter wishes they had read earlier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arundhati Roy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "family saga",
        "literary fiction",
        "family",
        "india"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-idea-factory-8aa7c7",
      "title": "The Idea Factory",
      "author": "Jon Gertner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31168714,
          "author": "ivanmaeder",
          "createdAt": "2022-04-26T15:29:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 31166475,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Top inspiring books on crucial CS ideas?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31168714",
          "commentText": "Great question, I will come back to see what ideas people have. Thanks for the Turing book suggestion too.\nI have read lots of non-fiction books about programmers and engineers that have been very inspiring, they're just not technical: \"Masters of Doom\", \"Blood, Sweat, and Pixels\", \"Coders at Work\", \"The Idea Factory\", \"The Soul of a New Machine\", \"Dealers of Lightning\"...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Idea Factory\",",
          "reason": "Listed among non-fiction books about programmers and engineers that the commenter found inspiring.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these books are inspiring but not technical.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21460116,
          "author": "ivanmaeder",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T06:08:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21460116",
          "commentText": "Right now: \"Never Enough: The Neuroscience and Experience of Addiction\" (Judith Grisel)\nRecommend. Addict turned neuroscientist who doesn't hold back, so a good mix of gritty details—\n> After I got sober, it took me a little over a year to go a single day without wishing for a drink, but it was more than nine years before my craving to get high abated.\n—and science.\nBefore that: \"Educated: A Memoir\" (Tara Westover)\nRecommend. A good break from typical non-fiction books: easy to read, sometimes thrilling, and emotional.\nBefore that: \"The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America\" (Margaret Pugh O'Mara)\nDon't recommend. I really wanted to like this book, and I believe some of the themes are important and aren't often discussed. E.g., the support the Valley received from politicians, the lobby groups, the size of military spending back in the day…\nIt's possible my expectations were in the wrong place—I wanted to be inspired like with \"The Idea Factory\" (Jon Gertner), \"The Soul of a New Machine\" (Tracy Kidder), \"Dealers of Lightning\" (Michael A Hiltzik), etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Idea Factory\" (Jon Gertner)",
          "reason": "Listed as a book the commenter found inspiring.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15962640,
          "author": "rlease",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T18:34:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15962640",
          "commentText": "The full list: https://gitlab.com/rlease/Books\nMy list lines up with a lot of books that people have recommended here, so I'll try to add a few favorites that haven't been mentioned so far.\nFiction:\n1. Ubik - I read a bunch of Philip K. Dick this year, but this was my favorite. It's delightfully mind bending and left me thinking about it long after the book was done.\n2. All the Pretty Horses - Beautifully written. McCarthy has an uncanny ability to paint with words.\n3. Cannery Row - Short, witty, and full of interesting characters.\nNonfiction:\n1. The Idea Factory - A dive into how Bell Labs became such an innovation powerhouse and gives a rounded picture of the figureheads that brought it so much fame.\n2. Moonwalking with Einstein - A fun read about a journalist who took researching a memory competition a bit too seriously.\n3. Countdown to Zero Day - A fascinating look at the development and deployment of Stuxnet -- the virus built to set Iran's nuclear program back.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "A dive into how Bell Labs became such an innovation powerhouse and gives a rounded picture of the figureheads that brought it so much fame.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No evaluation is stated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jon Gertner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bell labs",
        "innovation",
        "innovation history",
        "technology history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-kingdom-of-god-is-within-you-cecdc9",
      "title": "The Kingdom of God Is Within You",
      "author": "Leo Tolstoy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28466559,
          "author": "marttt",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-09T05:25:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 28450555,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that impacted your work that few other people seem to care about?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28466559",
          "commentText": "\"A Confession\" [1] and \"The Kingdom of God is Within You\" [2] by Leo Tolstoy. I believe Mahatma Gandhi considered the latter as a core influence for his nonviolent resistance philosophy.\nAlso, \"The Death of Ivan Ilych\" [3] by Tolstoy. I felt like a ping-pong ball in the hands of the author: whichever way he wanted me to think at a certain point in the plot, I did. Masterful insight into the life and death of an ordinary, diligent man. And, above and beyond that, it depicts the rarely avoidable self-centeredness of humans.\nOh, and lately, the prominent Finnish deep ecologist Pentti Linkola [4] has been a huge influence on me. In the Nordic countries, he is sometimes called \"ecofascist\", but this is an obvious cherry-picked overstatement of his views to my mind. I think only one of his books has been translated into English, though: \"Can Life Prevail?\" [5].\n1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Confession\n2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kingdom_of_God_Is_Within_Y... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kingdom_of_God_Is_Within_You)\n3: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Death_of_Ivan_Ilyich\n4: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentti_Linkola and a fan page at http://www.penttilinkola.com/\n5: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6397542-can-life-prevail",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"A Confession\" [1] and \"The Kingdom of God is Within You\" [2] by Leo Tolstoy.",
          "reason": "Identifies it as a core influence on Gandhi’s philosophy of nonviolent resistance.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The influence is attributed to Gandhi, not presented as the commenter’s own endorsement.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17391032,
          "author": "marttt",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-25T09:30:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17391032",
          "commentText": "I think Leo Tolstoy might be fairly well known in the US due to \"War and Peace\" and, possibly, \"Anna Karenina\". But his nonfiction or autobiographical works deserve attention as well. I would highlight two of these:\n\"The Kingdom of God is Within you\" -- I think Mahatma Gandhi considered this to be one of the three most influential books for his philofophy of \"nonviolent resistence\". Even though Tolstoy was already considered a literary genius in his country, the Russian czar initially banned this book due to negative imagery of the Russian church. So I think it was first published in Germany or elsewhere.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kingdom_of_God_Is_Within_Y... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kingdom_of_God_Is_Within_You)\n\"A Confession\" -- a short book that is somewhat related to the previous one; depicts young Tolstoy's \"search for the meaning of life\" (or, God). It had a huge impact on me (even though I read it first being 30+). This would be among my first recommendations for books to read when you're 20.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Confession\nAlso, this might give some more context to understand Tolstoy's nonfiction:\nhttps://libertarianchristians.com/2010/07/09/leo-tolstoy-aga... (https://libertarianchristians.com/2010/07/09/leo-tolstoy-against-the-state)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would highlight two of these:\n\"The Kingdom of God is Within you\"",
          "reason": "Highlights the book as one of Tolstoy’s nonfiction works deserving attention and notes its influence on Gandhi.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The Russian czar initially banned it; its publication may have first been in Germany or elsewhere.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17054964,
          "author": "marttt",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-12T17:13:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17054964",
          "commentText": "\"A Confession\" and \"The Kingdom of God is Within You\" by Leo Tolstoy.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Confession\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kingdom_of_God_Is_Within_Y... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kingdom_of_God_Is_Within_You)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Kingdom of God is Within You\" by Leo Tolstoy",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books that help with introspection.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6977096,
          "author": "blendergasket",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T23:14:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6977096",
          "commentText": "I think \"The Kingdom of God is Within You\" by Tolstoy was the most life changing book I read this year.\nIt made me start thinking about the idea of sin, which I haven't given much thought about before since I was not raised as a Christian and do not identify myself as one. But sin is such a powerful concept for understanding my own weakness and shortcomings and the evils that come about when I let them control my life.\nIt is also a very powerful message against the corruption of Church and State and the necessity of peaceful rebellion against these corruptions if they do not allow the living of a Christian life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think \"The Kingdom of God is Within You\" by Tolstoy was the most life changing book I read this year.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the most life-changing book they read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 142944,
          "author": "ca98am79",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T00:11:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=142944",
          "commentText": "\"The Kingdom of God is Within You\" - Leo Tolstoy\n\"Atlas Shrugged\" - Ayn Rand",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"The Kingdom of God is Within You\" - Leo Tolstoy",
          "reason": "Lists it as an influence in response to a question about ideas and books that shaped people.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No evaluation or recommendation is expressed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leo Tolstoy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian anarchism",
        "nonviolence",
        "nonviolent resistance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-licanius-trilogy-6d3175",
      "title": "The Licanius Trilogy",
      "author": "James Islington",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38565982,
          "author": "spoiler",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T06:23:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38565982",
          "commentText": "I second the Licanius trilogy! His new series (Hierarchy) is also great!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second the Licanius trilogy!",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the trilogy recommendation in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37158554,
          "author": "spoiler",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T07:58:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37158554",
          "commentText": "The Cradle series by Will Wight. It's a Wuxia adapted for Western audiences. He has other great series; I liked the parallel Sea/Shadow trilogies a lot. Traveler's Gate series I enjoyed, but not as much as the rest. He recently also started a new series called Last Horizon; it's about space wizards and it's a bit whimsical, but fun.\nThe Expanse series is great, but I reckon people already mentioned it elsewhere in the thread.\nJames Islington's Licanius trilogy is one of my favourite fantasy book series probably. He recently started a new series called Hierarchy, which I also recommend. They're very \"grounded\" fantasy, and the magic systems is very woven into society and its structure. The human relationships in his books are pretty nuanced, which is why I like his works so much.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "James Islington's Licanius trilogy is one of my favourite fantasy book series probably.",
          "reason": "Names it as one of their favorite fantasy series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter hedges with “probably.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34161496,
          "author": "psithurism",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T14:53:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161496",
          "commentText": "Sociology:\n- The Coddling of the American Mind\n- The Tao of Pooh\n- Guns, Germs, and Steel\n- Weapons of the Weak\nReligious:\n- Guru Granth Sahib\n- Bible (King James Version)\n- Q’uran\n- The Book of Mormon \n- Tipitaka\nFantasy:\n- Dawn of Wonder by Jonathan Renshaw\n- The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan \n- The Way of Kings series by Brandon Sanderson\n- Mistborn also by Brandon Sanderson\n- Red Rising by Pierce Brown\n- The Licanius trilogy by James Islington\n- Saga of the Forgotten Warrior series by Larry Correia\nBiography\n- John Adams by David McCullough",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The Licanius trilogy by James Islington",
          "reason": "Listed under fantasy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Islington"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "time travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-logic-of-scientific-discovery-c45928",
      "title": "The Logic of Scientific Discovery",
      "author": "Karl Popper",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17168677,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:31:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168677",
          "commentText": "I can't give just one, but here are a few that had a strong influence on me: \n\"12 Rules for Life\" by Jordan Peterson, \"Why Switzerland?\" Jonathan Steinberg, \"Little Book of Common Sense Investing\" by John C. Bogle, \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" by Butron Malkiel, \"Liberalismus\" by Ludwig von Mises, \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann, \"Walden\" by Henry David Thoreau, \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"A Treatise on Political Economy\" by Jean-Baptiste Say, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy\" by Joseph Alois Schumpeter, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"My Correct Views on Everything\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"The Captive Mind\" Czesław Miłosz, \"One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, \"The House of the Dead\" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, \"Conversations with an Executioner\" by Kazimierz Moczarski, \"Diary 1954\" by Leopold Tyrmand, \"The Master and Margarita\" by Mikhail Bulgakov, \"A World Apart: A Memoir of the Gulag\" by Gustaw Herling-Grudziński",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a strong influence on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416563,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:55:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416563",
          "commentText": "\"I'm wondering which other books have you read that have had the most impact on you professionally or even personally?\"\nProfessionally: Peter F. Drucker's books.\nPersonally: \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann,  \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"Metaphysical Horror\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"Rationality in Economics\" by Vernon L. Smith, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about books with personal impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85884,
          "author": "maurycy",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T09:54:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85884",
          "commentText": "Many.\nIn short:\nAll books written by Witold Gombrowicz (Diary if have to pick one),\nAll books written by Slavoj Zizek (Welcome to the Desert of the Real: Five Essays on September 11 and Related Dates if have to pick one)\nRecently read and significant:\nThe Logic of Scientific Discovery, Karl Popper,\nMarket Wizards: Interviews with Top Traders, Jack Schwager",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Logic of Scientific Discovery, Karl Popper",
          "reason": "Lists it among recent reads described as significant.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Karl Popper"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "philosophy of science",
        "scientific method"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-paradox-of-choice-519cb8",
      "title": "The Paradox of Choice",
      "author": "Barry Schwartz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38239363,
          "author": "vidyesh",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T11:43:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38239363",
          "commentText": "Thank you. Will look for a summary, I think that book reference came out of a blog post which was discussing the psychology of choice and  discussed some interesting research conclusions.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "that book reference came out of a blog post which was discussing the psychology of choice",
          "reason": "The commenter is seeking a summary of the book, encountered through a post about choice psychology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38238144,
          "author": "vidyesh",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T07:28:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238144",
          "commentText": "Actively reading:\n- The Fountainhead\n- Project Hail Mary\n- Learning TypeScript\nPassively reading:\n- The Design of Everyday Things\n- Dive into Design Patterns\nConsidering to read - This is mostly for anyone who has read them and would like to give their opinion about it.\n- Algorithms to Live By\n- Name of the Wind\n- Malazan Book of the Fallen\n- Good Girl's guide to murder\n- The Paradox of Choice\n- Moonwalking with Einstein\n- The Boron Letters\n- Storyworthy\n-",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "- The Paradox of Choice",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter is considering and offered for others' opinions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not said they have read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968396,
          "author": "jaymon",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:44:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968396",
          "commentText": "I started The Martian by Andy Weir about 3 days ago and I'm really enjoying it. It's a really entertaining book that I highly recommend!\nLast week I finished The Paradox of Choice and Zero Day. I enjoyed both of them, although I don't think I'll be reading any of the sequels to Zero Day.\nBefore that I went through The Maze Runner trilogy, those were entertaining reads.\nSome other books I've read recently that I can remember off the top of my head are the Divergent series of books (eh), How Will You Measure Your Life by Clayton Christensen (great read), Ready Player One (loved, loved, loved this book), Starters (didn't bother reading any more in the series) and Moon walking With Einstein (I enjoyed it).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed both of them",
          "reason": "Says they were enjoyable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 191912,
          "author": "JayNeely",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-16T16:21:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=191912",
          "commentText": "I found The Wisdom of Crowds hard to get through. Interesting subject matter, but the text just didn't flow for me.\n\"The Paradox of Choice\" by Barry Schwartz was a great read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Paradox of Choice\" by Barry Schwartz was a great read.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135366,
          "author": "andreyf",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T18:44:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135366",
          "commentText": "Schwartz gave a Google talk on the book:\nhttp://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6127548813950043200",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Schwartz gave a Google talk on the book:",
          "reason": "Discusses a Google talk about the book named in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The target comment refers to the book indirectly; title is established by parent context.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135270,
          "author": "JayNeely",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T17:10:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135270",
          "commentText": "- Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson\n- Copywriting (Teach Yourself series), by J. Jonathan Gabay\n- The Paradox of Choice, by Barry Schwartz",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Paradox of Choice, by Barry Schwartz",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books for a hacker's bookshelf.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Barry Schwartz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "decision making",
        "choice",
        "consumer psychology",
        "consumer behavior"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-second-coming-of-steve-jobs-f850e7",
      "title": "The Second Coming of Steve Jobs",
      "author": "Alan Deutschman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13238121,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:01:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238121",
          "commentText": "Last year I gave myself a Zuckerberg-style goal to read a book every two weeks. It started well, but some months were harder than others (usually when the book wasn't very good, so I would switch to podcasts for a few weeks, before getting back on track).\nHere's an unordered list of the best:\n[BUSINESS / SELF-IMPROVEMENT]\n- \"Work Rules!\" - about Google's culture and values\n- \"Search Inside Yourself\" - about mindfulness, meditation, and the impact on your life.\n- \"What got you here won't get you there\" - Liked a lot more than I expected.\n- \"Re-read Innovator's Dilemma\" - a great classic; never gets old.\n- \"How will you measure your life\" - from the same author. Also excellent.\n- \"The Best Service is No Service\" - good overview on why Amazon's customer service is so good\n- \"Crucial Conversations\" - half is common sense; half is good tips to practice everyday.\n[PROGRAMMING]\n- \"Fluent Python\" - was afraid it'd be too basic, but not really. Enjoyed it a lot.\n- \"Think Complexity\" - about algorithm complexity, data structures, etc. Great read.\n- \"Python Data Science Handbook\" - meh.\n- \"Fundamentals of Deep Learning\" - good intro. Helped me solidify some concepts from Andrew Ng's ML course\n- \"Deep Learning\" - by Goodfellow and Bengio. Just started, but really liking it.\n[STARTUPS] (all excellent; in order)\n- \"The Hard Things about Hard Things\"\n- \"Zero to One\"\n- \"The Founder's Dilemmas\"\n- \"The Launch Pad\"\n[FICTION]\n- Trilogy: \"Off to be a wizard / An Unwelcome Quest / Spell or High Water\"\n- \"Infinite Jest\" - tried but failed to finish. May try again later.\n- \"Ready Player One\" - nice, but repetitive after a while. Good read before the movie comes out.\n[NON-FICTION]\n- \"What If?\" - xkcd FTW\n- \"How to Read a Book\" - good concepts, but should be a 10 pages blog post, not a book\n- \"Spark\" - Science of the Exercise and the Brain - Long, but good\n- \"Sugar Shock\" - still reading; hopefully will help me cut my sweet cravings\n[BIOGRAPHIES]\n- \"The New New Thing\" - about Jim Clark's life, one of the very first entrepreneurs\n- \"Machines of Loving Grace\" - about the research and the rise of AI\n- \"Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution\"\n- \"The Second Coming of Steve Jobs\" - About Pixar's story. Liked more than Isaacson's biography\n- \"The Innovators\" - great summary of computer industry, from the 1800's till today\n- \"Ghost in the Wires\" - Kevin Mitnick's story. Had started years ago, but finally finished it\n- \"Idea Man\" - about Paul Allen's story. Quite an impressive man.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Second Coming of Steve Jobs\" - About Pixar's story. Liked more than Isaacson's biography",
          "reason": "The commenter says they liked it more than Isaacson’s biography.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12475769,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T21:12:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12475769",
          "commentText": "Here's the best books I've read in the last year or so:\n>> Computer History & biographies:\nThe New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story, Michael Lewis\nThe Second Coming of Steve Jobs, by Alan Deutschman\nMachines of Loving Grace, by John Markoff\nThe Innovators, by Walter Isaacson\nGhost in the Wires, by Kevin Mitnick\nIdea Man: A Memoir by the Cofounder of Microsoft, by Paul Allen\nCreativity, Inc, by Ed Catmull (reading)\n>> Startups:\nThe Hard Thing About Hard Things, by Ben Horowitz\nThe Founder's Dilemmas, Noam Wasserman\nThe Launch Pad, by Randall Stross\n>> Other books:\nTrilogy: Off to Be the Wizard (series), by Scott Meyer\nSearch Inside Yourself, Chade-Meng Tan\nJoy on Demand, Chade-Meng Tan (reading)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Second Coming of Steve Jobs, by Alan Deutschman",
          "reason": "Included in the writer's list of best books read over the past year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240867,
          "author": "colinplamondon",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T06:55:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240867",
          "commentText": "The World is Flat\nThe Post American World\nLosing My Virginity - Richard Branson's Autobiography\nAutobiography of Andrew Carnegie\nThe Second Coming of Steve Jobs\nInside Steve's Brain\nThe Seven Day Weekend- Book by Ricardo Semler of Semco on company organization and management, Semco essentially operates as a socialist enterprise with election of bosses, profit sharing, open information, flex-time, etc, but with the twist that Ricardo is the majority stock owner. Fascinating book and well-written to boot.\nFounders at Work should go without saying :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Second Coming of Steve Jobs",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for recommended books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan Deutschman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "steve jobs",
        "pixar",
        "technology",
        "technology industry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-underground-history-of-american-education-9fd292",
      "title": "The Underground History of American Education",
      "author": "John Taylor Gatto",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12987787,
          "author": "jstewartmobile",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-18T16:18:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12987787",
          "commentText": "Two books:\n- John Taylor Gatto's \"The Underground History of American Education\"\n- Carroll Quigley's \"Tragedy and Hope\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "John Taylor Gatto's \"The Underground History of American Education\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 142997,
          "author": "Alex3917",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T01:21:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=142997",
          "commentText": "I only read non-fiction that's counterintuitive. I figure, hey, I'm pretty smart, so if it's intuitive then I can probably figure it out on my own. A list of stuff I cite most often:\nNo Contest & Punished by Rewards by Alfie Kohn\nStatus Anxiety by Alain de Botton\nPG's essays & ITConversations interviews\nThe Underground History of American Education by John Taylor Gatto\nThe Singularity is Near by Kurzweil\nThis graph: http://alexkrupp.com/picture_library/plot.jpg\nDee Hock's essay on leadership\nA handful of blog posts by Mark Cuban\nAll Marketers are Liars & Free Prize Inside by Seth Godin. All of the books that Seth recommends are also worth reading.\nBruce Schneier's interview on ITConversations\nMagic Ink, an essay by Bret Victor\nWar Is A  Force That Gives Us Meaning by Chris Hedges\nThe Cluetrain Manifesto (the book)\nI'm sure there's a lot more, but that's what comes to mind right now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Underground History of American Education by John Taylor Gatto",
          "reason": "Includes it among the nonfiction works the commenter cites most often.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85875,
          "author": "Alex3917",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T09:10:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85875",
          "commentText": "No Contest / Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nThe Underground History of American Education (John Taylor Gatto)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Underground History of American Education (John Taylor Gatto)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Taylor Gatto"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american education",
        "education",
        "education history",
        "schooling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-unincorporated-man-a4382c",
      "title": "The Unincorporated Man",
      "author": "Dani Kollin and Eytan Kollin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48085463,
          "author": "rationalist",
          "createdAt": "2026-05-10T16:45:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 48084905,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci fi books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48085463",
          "commentText": "Somewhat lesser-known sci-fi novels I read in the past:\nThe Unincorporated Man (and three sequels)\nCross between science fiction and fantasy: Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality (\"HPMOR\") - the premise is that Harry Potter is raised by a good aunt and uncle, and is taught the Scientific Method and so he uses that when encountering magic.\nOld Man's War (and sequels) by John Scalzi\nRedshirts by John Scalzi\nScience-reality: Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\nRa by qntm\nThere is no Antiemetics Division by qntm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Unincorporated Man (and three sequels)",
          "reason": "Listed as a science fiction read in response to a request for recent books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes three sequels.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021503,
          "author": "rationalist",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:49:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021503",
          "commentText": "The Unincorporated Man\n(Ender's Game too, but haven't read the sequels, but I also recommend Ender's Shadow - a parallel novel from a different character's perspective.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Unincorporated Man",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for science fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5716089,
          "author": "Casseres",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-16T00:36:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5716089",
          "commentText": "The Unincorporated Man by Dani Kollin & Eytan Kollin.  It's a sci-fi set a couple hundred years in the future where everyone is incorporated at birth.  Just like you can own shares in a company, you can own shares of another person.  It's my second favorite novel.  It has some interesting ideas.\nEnder's Game by Orson Scott Card. Don't let the movie fool you. The book is very good.  It was at one point it was on the suggested reading list for the United States Marine Corps.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's my second favorite novel.  It has some interesting ideas.",
          "reason": "Calls it a favorite and says it has interesting ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dani Kollin",
        "Eytan Kollin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political science fiction",
        "corporate personhood",
        "economic systems",
        "economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-untethered-soul-f23ccc",
      "title": "The Untethered Soul",
      "author": "Michael A. Singer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10785719,
          "author": "martythemaniak",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T21:18:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785719",
          "commentText": "Leave it to Psmith - 10/10\nAnna Karenina - 8/10\nThe Code of the Woosters 8/10\nFooled by Randomness 7/10\nFinding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life 8/10\nHow to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia 9/10\nReluctant Fundamentalist 9/10\nThe Sense of an Ending - Julian Barnes 8/10\nThe Last Question - Asimov - 9/10\nThe Magic of Thinking Big - 6/10\nThe catcher in the Rye 8/10\nModels 7/10\nHigh Fidelity - Nick Hornby 8/10\nThe Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman 7/10\nThe Surrender Experiment - 10/10\nUntethered Soul - 9/10\nThe Autobiography of a Yogi - 7/10\nRaja Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 7/10\nSomething Fresh, something new - 7/10\nKarma Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 8/10\nThinking, Fast and Slow - 9/10\nFierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates 10/10\nThe Pearl by John Steinbeck 7/10",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Untethered Soul - 9/10",
          "reason": "Rates the book 9/10.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6446667,
          "author": "amorphous",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-25T19:16:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6446667",
          "commentText": "untethered soul - after 15 years of reading about meditation and \"inner freedom\" this book explains things so clearly, direct and obvious that I feel I have made an important step forward. Right after finishing it I re-read most parts again. It was the right book at the right time for me. I guess many readers might find it indeed too simple but for me that's the strength.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "this book explains things so clearly, direct and obvious that I feel I have made an important step forward.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it clarified inner freedom and helped them make an important step forward.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that many readers might find it too simple.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6339086,
          "author": "amorphous",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-06T07:05:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 6329955,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which two books were the most influential on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6339086",
          "commentText": "Untethered Soul. Just finished it but I can already say it has influenced me more than anything spirituality related I have read in the last 10 years.\nThe power of this book is it's clearity and simplicity. It's not a new age book and not a how-to book. I feel I made a huge leap to a new level of inner tranquility. Maybe it's just the right book at the right time and something I needed to hear but it amazes me how direct the words speak to me.\nThere's also a short article of the same author on huffington post if you want to get an idea of what is it about.\nAs the OP asked for two books and we're on HN I'd say SICP",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I feel I made a huge leap to a new level of inner tranquility.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it had a powerful positive effect on their inner tranquility.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter allows that it may have been the right book at the right time.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael A. Singer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "spirituality",
        "mindfulness",
        "inner freedom",
        "meditation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-virtue-of-selfishness-befe50",
      "title": "The Virtue of Selfishness",
      "author": "Ayn Rand",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35169262,
          "author": "rglover",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T14:55:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35169262",
          "commentText": "- Awareness by Anthony DeMello\n- The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi\n- The Virtue of Selfishness by Ayn Rand\n- Only the Paranoid Survive by Andy Grove\n---\nMore stuff here: http://www.ryanglover.net/library/ (not flagged specific to entrepreneurship but all have had an influence in one way or another).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Virtue of Selfishness by Ayn Rand",
          "reason": "Included among books that have influenced the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Influence is described as general, not specific to entrepreneurship.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9615892,
          "author": "dmfdmf",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-28T03:23:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9615892",
          "commentText": "\"But if you are disaffected with both the mainstream right and progressives, then you are in search of an alternative theory of why everything is going so rotten. And in that case, Moldbug's theories are a revelation.\"\nFar from being a radical repudiating \"the currently prevailing ideologies\" I would say that he is steeped in the currently ideologies and just advocating their logical end; dictatorship.  The Left and Right are both intellectually bankrupt and now just seek power for power's sake, i.e., they stand for nothing.  The society is ripe for a dictator and we will get one as soon as another economic or other crisis arises. The Left and the Right secretly are hoping for such a crisis and that their gang happens to be in power when it happens. Writers like Moldbug are a harbinger of the future of the US as we drift toward dictatorship and they existed in Germany before the rise of the Nazis, laying the intellectual ground work.\nFortunately there is real intellectual opposition to this fate in Ayn Rand's philosophy. You should read \"Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal\" and more importantly her intro on ethics \"The Virtue of Selfishness\". She identified what is wrong with the Left and the Right and proposes an alternative ethical and political theory to support Capitalism and her writings are crystal clear and to the point.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and more importantly her intro on ethics \"The Virtue of Selfishness\".",
          "reason": "Recommends it as an introduction to Rand's ethics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503213,
          "author": "dmfdmf",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T06:46:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503213",
          "commentText": "\"The Virtue of Selfishness\"\n\"Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal\"\n\"Philosophy: Who Needs It\"\n\"Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology\"\nAll by Ayn Rand. Whether you end up agreeing with her or not, she will definitely will make you think.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Virtue of Selfishness\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Whether you agree with Rand or not, she says it will make you think.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ayn Rand"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "objectivism",
        "ethics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "12-rules-for-life-c7af9b",
      "title": "12 Rules for Life",
      "author": "Jordan Peterson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25652012,
          "author": "heintzsight",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-05T22:22:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25652012",
          "commentText": "Try again, and then again - the layers of meaning in the Bible are profound if you have the intellect to dive into them. It's brilliant in addressing different problems at different stages of life and ultimately about consciousness and something beyond. I'm not advocating it as a belief, just try trusting it and not setting up a straw man. Read \"the divine conspiracy\" by Dallas Willard or 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "or 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a book to read alongside the Bible.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are not advocating belief in the Bible.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168677,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:31:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168677",
          "commentText": "I can't give just one, but here are a few that had a strong influence on me: \n\"12 Rules for Life\" by Jordan Peterson, \"Why Switzerland?\" Jonathan Steinberg, \"Little Book of Common Sense Investing\" by John C. Bogle, \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" by Butron Malkiel, \"Liberalismus\" by Ludwig von Mises, \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann, \"Walden\" by Henry David Thoreau, \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"A Treatise on Political Economy\" by Jean-Baptiste Say, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy\" by Joseph Alois Schumpeter, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"My Correct Views on Everything\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"The Captive Mind\" Czesław Miłosz, \"One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, \"The House of the Dead\" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, \"Conversations with an Executioner\" by Kazimierz Moczarski, \"Diary 1954\" by Leopold Tyrmand, \"The Master and Margarita\" by Mikhail Bulgakov, \"A World Apart: A Memoir of the Gulag\" by Gustaw Herling-Grudziński",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"12 Rules for Life\" by Jordan Peterson",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a strong influence on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jordan Peterson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self help",
        "personal responsibility"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "12-rules-for-life-an-antidote-to-chaos-9d22a6",
      "title": "12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos",
      "author": "Jordan B. Peterson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25531467,
          "author": "danielsokil",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T21:12:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25531467",
          "commentText": "12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18746040,
          "author": "geowwy",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T13:50:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18746040",
          "commentText": "The way he rationalises his advice is pretty whacky. But the advice itself is what he found works in his experience as a clinical psychologist, and it seems to ring true with most people who read it. As far as self help books go 12 Rules is not bad at all.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "As far as self help books go 12 Rules is not bad at all.",
          "reason": "Calls it not bad among self-help books, while criticizing the rationale behind its advice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The advice's rationale is described as pretty whacky.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18744400,
          "author": "tomlock",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T04:19:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744400",
          "commentText": "It is a self-help book rooted in Jungian theory, widely discredited in modern psychology.  His understanding of modern and postmodern philosophy is only deep enough to convince readers with no knowledge of those topics that he knows something about them.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "It is a self-help book rooted in Jungian theory, widely discredited in modern psychology.",
          "reason": "Criticizes the book's psychological basis and its treatment of philosophy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17050875,
          "author": "sireat",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T21:18:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17050875",
          "commentText": "12 Rules for Life reads like a skilled astrologer would write: many vague clouded truisms, lots of exceptions, covers pretty much all bases.\nNo wonder people are getting insights out of the book. It is practically impossible not to!",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "12 Rules for Life reads like a skilled astrologer would write: many vague clouded truisms, lots of exceptions, covers pretty much all bases.",
          "reason": "Criticizes the book as vague and all-encompassing, likening it to astrology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jordan B. Peterson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self help",
        "critique",
        "jungian psychology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-brief-history-of-intelligence-5ff1f7",
      "title": "A Brief History of Intelligence",
      "author": "Max Bennett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47317098,
          "author": "lyfeninja",
          "createdAt": "2026-03-09T23:17:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 47315415,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47317098",
          "commentText": "A brief history of intelligence by Max Bennett..I like it so far, I've learned a lot about the brain",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A brief history of intelligence by Max Bennett..I like it so far, I've learned a lot about the brain",
          "reason": "The commenter likes it and says they have learned about the brain.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42269375,
          "author": "predictand",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T23:26:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42269375",
          "commentText": "Daemon series by Daniel Suarez: I can’t believe I slept on this book for so long. It would have altered my worldview fundamentally if I had read it at a younger age.\nMind Hunter: Somehow even better than the show.\nA Brief History of Intelligence: Packed with so much knowledge about the evolution, mechanics, and different forms of intelligence. One of the best non-fiction books I have read in a long time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Brief History of Intelligence: Packed with so much knowledge about the evolution, mechanics, and different forms of intelligence.",
          "reason": "Praised for its wealth of information about intelligence.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Max Bennett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "intelligence",
        "evolution",
        "neuroscience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-course-of-pure-mathematics-997f52",
      "title": "A Course of Pure Mathematics",
      "author": "G. H. Hardy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23728232,
          "author": "gen220",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T22:36:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23728232",
          "commentText": "If they like calculus and can stand proofs, I’d recommend a Course of Pure Mathematics by Hardy. It totally blew my mind when I was that age, to see how everything was “connected” by proofs, starting with real numbers. Despite being proof heavy, I found the writing style singularly legible and comprehensible.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I’d recommend a Course of Pure Mathematics by Hardy.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it connects mathematical ideas through proofs, starting with real numbers, and finds its writing legible.",
          "audience": "Readers who like calculus and can tolerate proof-based exposition.",
          "caveat": "Proof-heavy.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 665250,
          "author": "sanand",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T15:10:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665250",
          "commentText": "My recommendations:\nHardy, A Course of Pure Mathematics.\nKnuth, Graham and Patashnik, Concrete Mathematics.\nHoffman and Kunze, Linear Algebra (there are several free online books on Linear Algebra and Vector Spaces, Strang, Axler, Lang Halmos and Shilov are also recommended).\nFeller, An Introduction to Probability Theory and Its Applications.\nIf you're not studying for exams and you have plenty of time on your hands, try the following algorithm: \n1. Dive into some random chapter in the book and attempt the first exercise in that chapter.\n2. Understand the problem by referring back and learning everything that might potentially have relevance to the exercise.\n3. Attempt to solve exercise.  \n4. If unsuccessful, go to step 2.\n5. If there are more exercises in the chapter, pick the next exercise and go to step 2.\n6. If there are still unsolved exercises in the book, go to step 1.\nInitially, this can cause excruciating pain and frustration.  But every exercise is a little research problem and soon -- if you are the curious type who cannot rest until you have got to the bottom of a problem -- you'll find you've mastered the subject faster than you would have learnt its elements, had you taken a formal classroom course.  The most important benefit of this method is that it will train you in some modes of thinking that are crucial in research.  Think of it as callisthenics for problem solving type of research!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hardy, A Course of Pure Mathematics.",
          "reason": "Included in a list introduced as “My recommendations.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "G. H. Hardy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "proofs",
        "pure mathematics",
        "real analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-discipline-of-programming-d41074",
      "title": "A Discipline of Programming",
      "author": "Edsger W. Dijkstra",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32790850,
          "author": "User23",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T14:15:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790850",
          "commentText": "Dijkstra’s A Discipline of Programming and its spiritual successor that he did with Scholten  Predicate Calculus and Program Semantics. They changed how I think about programming.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dijkstra’s A Discipline of Programming",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed how they think about programming.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23366983,
          "author": "pvarangot",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-31T03:40:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23366983",
          "commentText": "Some classic old textbooks are about that size but they are very dense. A Discipline aof Programming comes to mind. It's about deriving imperative code from the weakest precondition you need to give to the next statement and about proving programs correct with a big emphasis on loop termination.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Discipline aof Programming comes to mind.",
          "reason": "Cited as a classic, concise textbook on deriving imperative code and proving programs correct.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says classic textbooks of this size can be very dense.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edsger W. Dijkstra"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "program verification",
        "imperative programming",
        "structured programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-farewell-to-arms-0c5d69",
      "title": "A Farewell to Arms",
      "author": "Ernest Hemingway",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15961269,
          "author": "calebm",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:24:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961269",
          "commentText": "* The Unconsoled (Kazuo Ishiguro)\n* Never Let Me Go (Kazuo Ishiguro)\n* Influx (Daniel Suarex)\n* Sputnik Sweetheart (Haruki Murakami)\n* Apex (Ramez Naam)\n* One Second After (William R. Forstchen)\n* Anna Karanina (Leo Tolstoy)\n* Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n* A Farewell to Arms (Ernest Hemingway)\n* Crux (Ramez Naam)\n* A Moveable Feast (Ernest Hemingway)\n* Hardboiled Wonderland and The End of the World (Haruki Murakami)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "A Farewell to Arms (Ernest Hemingway)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6698564,
          "author": "Nicholas_C",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-08T19:35:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6698564",
          "commentText": "Categorically Unequal by Douglas Massey, great book on stratification and inequality in America. \nAlso reading A Farewell to Arms.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Also reading A Farewell to Arms.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1724771,
          "author": "SHOwnsYou",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-24T18:29:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1724771",
          "commentText": "If you actually want literature, my favorite book as a child was Where the Red Fern Grows. If they are around 14+ there are some great, captivating Hemmingway books. A Farewell to Arms, Island in the Stream, A Movable Feast, and The Garden of Eden (In that order).\nI keeping editing as I think of new things. This may sound odd, but if they are in the 14+ range, How to Win Friends and Influence People is great. It changed a lot for me.\nWhen I was like 9 I got the book How to be Twice as Smart and it taught me a ton of mental tricks.\nThis book taught me a lot (probably if the boy is like 10 or 12+?)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Backyard-Ballistics-Cannons-Cincinnati... (http://www.amazon.com/Backyard-Ballistics-Cannons-Cincinnati-Dynamite/dp/1556523750/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1285352917&sr=1-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Farewell to Arms, Island in the Stream, A Movable Feast, and The Garden of Eden (In that order).",
          "reason": "Included among captivating Hemingway books suggested for older boys.",
          "audience": "Readers around age 14 and older.",
          "caveat": "Part of a suggested reading order.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569154,
          "author": "sgoraya",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:27:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569154",
          "commentText": "I recently went on a Ernest Hemingway bender after not having read much fiction in a while (sort of a gray area for these novels since a lot of it is based on Hemingway's experiences during the wars);  I would highly recommend:\nFor whom the bell tolls & A farewell to arms\nOut of those two, I liked For Whom The Bell Tolls a little bit better.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I would highly recommend:\nFor whom the bell tolls & A farewell to arms",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter’s highly recommended books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they liked For Whom the Bell Tolls a little better.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ernest Hemingway"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "war novel",
        "world war i"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-fine-balance-bd6a23",
      "title": "A Fine Balance",
      "author": "Rohinton Mistry",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21902093,
          "author": "memn0nis",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T22:01:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902093",
          "commentText": "Not that much fiction in this thread, so I will add A Fine Balance by Rohintin Mistry. It's the saddest book I've ever read but incredibly beautiful. I couldn't stop thinking about it for months",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's the saddest book I've ever read but incredibly beautiful.",
          "reason": "Calls it incredibly beautiful and says it stayed on their mind for months.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes it as the saddest book they have ever read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1765027,
          "author": "dpatel512",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-06T18:00:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1765027",
          "commentText": "Couple that with Camus' <i>The Stranger</i> and <i>The Myth of Sisyphus</i> and you've got enough satisfying \"thinking material\" for a nice long while.\nOne more suggestion for fiction: Rohinton Mistry's <i>A Fine Balance</i>.  This will FOREVER change your perspective on hardship while giving one a fantastic appreciation for living.  I'm always giving copies of this rare gem as a gift and I have heard nothing but rave reviews from those who have been touched by its power.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This will FOREVER change your perspective on hardship",
          "reason": "Strongly praises the novel and recommends it as a gift.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rohinton Mistry"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "india",
        "historical fiction",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-guide-for-the-perplexed-219a3f",
      "title": "A Guide for the Perplexed",
      "author": "E. F. Schumacher",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40436238,
          "author": "smitty1e",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-22T01:04:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40436238",
          "commentText": "\"A Guide for the Perplexed\" by E. F. Schumacher\nIt is increasingly important that we not mistake mounds of data for thought. You may not buy off on a theistic basis for thinking about life, but Schumacher's concise argument is at least an interesting one.\nhttps://a.co/d/1arTWrb",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"A Guide for the Perplexed\" by E. F. Schumacher",
          "reason": "Presents the book as an interesting argument about thinking and life.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in thinking about life, including those who may not accept a theistic basis.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that readers may not accept its theistic basis.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33595048,
          "author": "sbaiddn",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-14T15:08:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33595048",
          "commentText": "Engineering:\nThird year math phys and its accompanying book (McQuarrie). It blew my mind when I learned McQuarrie is a chemist.\nEngineering's role in society:\nSchumacher's \"Small is beautiful\" and \"Guide for the perplexed\" was the straw finally broke me free of the technocrat worldview. (Although Illich's argument that a car's average speed is 3mph made me question my love for cars)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Guide for the perplexed\" was the straw finally broke me free of the technocrat worldview",
          "reason": "Says it helped free them from a technocratic worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it was the final influence among several.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "E. F. Schumacher"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "philosophy of life",
        "spirituality",
        "systems thinking",
        "technology and society"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-history-of-god-fe0562",
      "title": "A History of God",
      "author": "Karen Armstrong",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39736554,
          "author": "rognjen",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-17T18:08:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39736554",
          "commentText": "History of God by Karen Armstrong",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "History of God by Karen Armstrong",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36110701,
          "author": "rognjen",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-29T04:39:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36110701",
          "commentText": "Seconded. Especially A History of God.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Especially A History of God.",
          "reason": "Seconded the parent comment's recommendation of Karen Armstrong's work, singling out this title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36105160,
          "author": "williamdclt",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T15:54:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105160",
          "commentText": "I was surprised at how interested I got in “the history of god”, which covers the 3 big Abrahamic religions.\nIt’s very informative, I’ve actually learnt a lot of useful things to understand  cultural stuff I’m actually encountering often (what does the trinity _means_? Whats do the ancient greeks have to do with Christianity? What’s mysticism? What are Sufis?).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“the history of god”, which covers the 3 big Abrahamic religions",
          "reason": "Says they became interested in it and learned useful context about the Abrahamic religions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Karen Armstrong"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "monotheism",
        "abrahamic religions",
        "comparative religion",
        "history of religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-journey-round-my-skull-66e550",
      "title": "A Journey Round My Skull",
      "author": "Frigyes Karinthy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8257540,
          "author": "smcl",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T13:57:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257540",
          "commentText": "Frigyes Karinthy - A Journey Round My Skull\nA friend turned me onto an international bookstore in Budapest which has an entire section of translated Hungarian novels which is where I bought this. I had no idea Hungary had such a rich literary tradition and I'm counting the days 'til I can go back to Budapest :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Frigyes Karinthy - A Journey Round My Skull",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1568981,
          "author": "lkozma",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T20:41:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1568981",
          "commentText": "Surely you are joking, Mr. Feynman.\nD. MacKay: Sustainable energy - without the hot air.\nN. Taleb: Fooled by randomness.\nM. Karinthy: A journey round my skull.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "M. Karinthy: A journey round my skull.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frigyes Karinthy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "brain tumor",
        "hungarian literature",
        "illness memoir",
        "translated fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-logical-approach-to-discrete-math-2cb92d",
      "title": "A Logical Approach to Discrete Math",
      "author": "David Gries and Fred B. Schneider",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21311770,
          "author": "agentultra",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T13:03:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21311770",
          "commentText": "The Art of Computer Programming\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\nPurely Functional Data Structures\nProgramming in the 1990s\nA Logical Approach to Discrete Math",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Logical Approach to Discrete Math",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 665147,
          "author": "fogus",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T14:16:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665147",
          "commentText": "I personally liked \"A Logical Approach to Discrete Math\" by Gries and Schneider which can be had for a good price on Amazon.  As for statustics, I liked \"Statistics: A Gentle Introduction\" by Coolidge and \"Principles of Statistics\" by Bullmer which can be had for a great price even new.\nAlthough only slightly related to your chosen topics, \"Linear Algebra Done Right\" by Axler is awesome.\n-m",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I personally liked \"A Logical Approach to Discrete Math\" by Gries and Schneider",
          "reason": "Says they personally liked the book.",
          "audience": "Readers studying discrete mathematics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Gries and Fred B. Schneider"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "discrete mathematics",
        "logic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-man-without-a-country-49b3c4",
      "title": "A Man Without a Country",
      "author": "Kurt Vonnegut",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1865051,
          "author": "jeebusroxors",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T15:13:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865051",
          "commentText": "Kurt Vonnegut has some good stuff. Slaughterhouse Five, Cats Cradle and I really liked A Man Without a Country.\nThe Discworld series (Terry Prachett) is good if you liked HHG",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really liked A Man Without a Country.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really liked it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1574523,
          "author": "bgrohman",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-04T14:16:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1574523",
          "commentText": "I highly recommend Kurt Vonnegut's books. You should try A Man Without A Country.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You should try A Man Without A Country.",
          "reason": "Directly recommends trying the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kurt Vonnegut"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Society",
        "Biography",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "essays",
        "political commentary",
        "social commentary"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-man-on-the-moon-the-voyages-of-the-apollo-astronauts-5a4a85",
      "title": "A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts",
      "author": "Andrew Chaikin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42656122,
          "author": "js2",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T14:58:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42656122",
          "commentText": "- Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins Of The Internet\n- A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for books about how hard things got done.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18744369,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T04:11:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744369",
          "commentText": "* The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCullough\n* Higher: A Historic Race to the Sky and the Making of a City by Neal Bascomb\n* Caesar’s Last Breath: Decoding the Secrets of the Air Around Us by Sam Kean\n* Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari\n* A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts by Andrew Chaikin\n* The Actor’s Life: A survival guide by Jenna Fischer\n* The Interstellar Age: The Story of the NASA Men and Women Who Flew the Forty-Year Voyager Mission by Jim Bell\n* The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance by David Epstein\n* Uncommon People: The Rise and Fall of the Rock Stars 1955-1994 by David Hepworth\n* Chasing Space: An Astronaut's Story of Grit, Grace, & Second Chances by Leland Melvin\n* The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough\n* Jefferson: Architect of American Liberty by John B. Boles",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts by Andrew Chaikin",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite nonfiction book read in 2018.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew Chaikin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "apollo program",
        "space exploration",
        "spaceflight"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-mathematical-theory-of-communication-b968d3",
      "title": "A Mathematical Theory of Communication",
      "author": "Claude E. Shannon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34442768,
          "author": "time_to_smile",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T17:12:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34442768",
          "commentText": "I highly recommend working through Claude Shannon's Mathematical Theory of Communications [0]. It's originally a paper but was later restructured as a book, in either form it works quite well.\nThe reason I recommend it is because it shows mathematical reasoning that is easy to follow and relevant to your daily life. It's real math, but very easy to read through and understand. If your unfamiliar this paper is where the very idea of \"bits\" comes from.\nOne of the most important things in the paper for non-mathematicians to see is that the definition Information Entropy is derived simply from the mathematical properties Shannon desires it to have.\nThis is important because I find that one of the biggest questions people ask about mathematical formula and idea is \"What does this mean? Why is it this way?\" without realizing that math is really not engineering nor physics. When deriving his definition of Information, Shannon simply states that information should have the following x,y... properties and then goes on to show that the now standard definition of information meets all these criteria.\nIn mathematics it is very often the case that only after an idea is created to we start realizing the applications. This is quite different than science where a model is only adopted if it correctly describes a physical process.\nWork through the paper and you will have worked through the mathematical underpinnings of the information age and will likely have understood most of it pretty well.\n0. https://people.math.harvard.edu/~ctm/home/text/others/shanno... (https://people.math.harvard.edu/~ctm/home/text/others/shannon/entropy/entropy.pdf)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend working through Claude Shannon's Mathematical Theory of Communications",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it for its accessible mathematical reasoning and explanation of information theory.",
          "audience": "Non-mathematicians are specifically mentioned.",
          "caveat": "Originally a paper, later restructured as a book; the commenter notes that it works well in either form.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10027828,
          "author": "auntienomen",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T16:45:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027828",
          "commentText": "A few books at various levels with very high signal-to-noise ratio:\nFeynman's little popular science book _QED:  The Strange Theory of Light & Matter_ is a gem.  It's very short and non-mathematical, but still manages to get remarkably close to the truth.\nIf you're more mathematically inclined (e.g., fluent in multivariate calculus) and know a little classical physics, the first 5 chapters of Wald's _General Relativity_ are an essentially complete introduction to the subject.\nAnother classic is Shannon's _A Mathematical Theory of Communication_, which introduces the subject of information theory, and then solves basically all the subject's main problems.\nIn economics, I think the record for signal to noise is probably held by Keynes _The Econonic Consequences of the Peace_, 118 pages, in which he basically forecasts the disastrous course of events from 1918 to 1939.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another classic is Shannon's _A Mathematical Theory of Communication_",
          "reason": "Presents it as a classic that introduces information theory and solves many of its main problems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Claude E. Shannon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "information theory",
        "entropy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-message-to-garcia-404f67",
      "title": "A Message to Garcia",
      "author": "Elbert Hubbard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35219113,
          "author": "tmcdos",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-19T14:14:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35219113",
          "commentText": "I am not an entrepreneur (yet) but I still want to share a few titles with you:\n- \"Maverick or The seven day weekend\" by Ricardo Semler\n- \"Rework\" by Jason Fried and David Hansson\n- \"Startup - an insider's guide to launching and running a business\" by Kevin Ready\n- \"Bookkeeping and Cost Accounting for Factories\" by William Kent (1918)\n- \"Practice what you preach\" by David Maister\n- \"Don't oil the squeaky wheel\" by Wolf Rinke\n- \"Selling The Wheel: Choosing The Best Way To Sell For You Your Company Your Customers\" by Jeff Cox\n- \"The power of stupidity\" by Giancarlo Livraghi\n- \"How to write a good advertisement\" by Victor Schwab\n- \"How to Make Money Out of Thin Air\" by Brian Sher\n- \"Good manners and business etiquette. Illustrated Guide\" by Elena Ber\n- \"Don't just roll the dice: A usefully short guide to software pricing\" by Neil Davidson\n- \"Message to Garcia\" by Elbert Hubbard\n- the TopLeaf course of 36 video lectures on management by dr. Izhak Adizes can be purchased on https://vimeo.com/ondemand/topleaf or found on ru tracker (if you have access)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Message to Garcia\" by Elbert Hubbard",
          "reason": "Shares the title among several books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are not yet an entrepreneur.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 57106,
          "author": "rkabir",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T22:53:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=57106",
          "commentText": "Hubbard's \"A Message to Garcia\" (written in 1899) is a must-read. It's available online here: http://www.birdsnest.com/garcia.htm\nMy AI professor made us read it for his class - no one else in the class seemed to like it, so you might not either.\nMy other two staples are\nPaul Arden's books. (\"It's Not How Good You Are, Its How Good You Want to Be: The World's Best Selling Book\", and \"Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite\")\nThey're short reads, with huge print. Very simple, and to the point. They don't really say anything new / earth shaking - but it's a nicely packaged dose of one part inspiration, one part ambition, and one part a kick in the pants to do stuff. Anytime I'm in a lull, I re-read them both. They're also handy to give to nay-saying family, \"friends\" and colleagues.\nIf I haven't gifted you with this personal tri-force, you're probably not my friend.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Hubbard's \"A Message to Garcia\" (written in 1899) is a must-read.",
          "reason": "Calls it a must-read, while noting classmates may not like it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says no one else in their class seemed to like it and cautions the reader might not either.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Elbert Hubbard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Philosophy",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "initiative",
        "essay",
        "workplace discipline"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-mind-for-numbers-how-to-excel-at-math-and-science-994072",
      "title": "A Mind for Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science",
      "author": "Barbara Oakley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30241989,
          "author": "huijzer",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T08:46:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241989",
          "commentText": "A Mind For Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science by Barbara Oakley.\nThe book is almost childish in some sections, but the lessons are great. I'm still using many of the lessons daily such as taking a break when stuck on a hard problem, doing the most difficult task of the day first or that it is okay if you don't understand something immediately.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A Mind For Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science by Barbara Oakley.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for practical learning strategies used in daily life.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking strategies for learning math and science.",
          "caveat": "Some sections feel almost childish.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14483614,
          "author": "d0mine",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-04T21:26:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14483614",
          "commentText": "\"A Mind For Numbers: How to Excel at Math and Science\" by Oakley http://barbaraoakley.com/books/a-mind-for-numbers/\nDespite the title it is useful for learning how to learn in general (not just math). Simple techniques supported by the research. I wish I didn't had to reinvent them in high school, college.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Despite the title it is useful for learning how to learn in general (not just math). Simple techniques supported by the research.",
          "reason": "Praises its practical, research-supported techniques for learning how to learn.",
          "audience": "People who want to improve how they learn, in math or other subjects.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Barbara Oakley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "learning strategies",
        "problem solving",
        "study techniques"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-moveable-feast-79b84a",
      "title": "A Moveable Feast",
      "author": "Ernest Hemingway",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49477590,
          "author": "ssenssei",
          "createdAt": "2026-08-28T12:31:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 49464764,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: If I am 16 what should I learn? Which books should read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49477590",
          "commentText": "best books I could recommend are fiction, they teach you much more than non-fiction, lessons learned in stories are better tha unordered lists of advice you'll forget in a few days.\nSome of my favorites include: a moveable feast, watership down, 11.22.63\nI remember how lost when I was 16, truly it was just a massive wave of depression and fear and loss. I encourage you to do what I did and explore as many facets as you can possibly imagine (coding, guitar practice, drawing, 3D modeling, pixel art, car tuning, botany, gardening, astronomy...) and if you find something you love and you find yourself doing it for months almost like second nature, you should follow that in whichever career direction it leads you  or wherever it takes you with school and opportunities.\nThere's no one set path, and I did struggle with that as a 16 year old as some paths appear better than others. In my time, html, css, and js bootcamps were literally everywhere and now, look at the development space. you never know and you can never predict the future, but you can follow what you love and opportunity will present itself for you to shine and feel comfortable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Some of my favorites include: a moveable feast, watership down, 11.22.63",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorite fiction books, recommended as stories that teach.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961269,
          "author": "calebm",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:24:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961269",
          "commentText": "* The Unconsoled (Kazuo Ishiguro)\n* Never Let Me Go (Kazuo Ishiguro)\n* Influx (Daniel Suarex)\n* Sputnik Sweetheart (Haruki Murakami)\n* Apex (Ramez Naam)\n* One Second After (William R. Forstchen)\n* Anna Karanina (Leo Tolstoy)\n* Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n* A Farewell to Arms (Ernest Hemingway)\n* Crux (Ramez Naam)\n* A Moveable Feast (Ernest Hemingway)\n* Hardboiled Wonderland and The End of the World (Haruki Murakami)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "A Moveable Feast (Ernest Hemingway)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1724771,
          "author": "SHOwnsYou",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-24T18:29:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1724771",
          "commentText": "If you actually want literature, my favorite book as a child was Where the Red Fern Grows. If they are around 14+ there are some great, captivating Hemmingway books. A Farewell to Arms, Island in the Stream, A Movable Feast, and The Garden of Eden (In that order).\nI keeping editing as I think of new things. This may sound odd, but if they are in the 14+ range, How to Win Friends and Influence People is great. It changed a lot for me.\nWhen I was like 9 I got the book How to be Twice as Smart and it taught me a ton of mental tricks.\nThis book taught me a lot (probably if the boy is like 10 or 12+?)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Backyard-Ballistics-Cannons-Cincinnati... (http://www.amazon.com/Backyard-Ballistics-Cannons-Cincinnati-Dynamite/dp/1556523750/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1285352917&sr=1-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Farewell to Arms, Island in the Stream, A Movable Feast, and The Garden of Eden (In that order).",
          "reason": "Included among captivating Hemingway books suggested for older boys.",
          "audience": "Readers around age 14 and older.",
          "caveat": "Part of a suggested reading order.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ernest Hemingway"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "paris"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-short-history-of-progress-a0131d",
      "title": "A Short History of Progress",
      "author": "Ronald Wright",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22094219,
          "author": "dredmorbius",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T21:27:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22094219",
          "commentText": "In no particular order, and some of these being more \"highly underrated\" as opposed to \"unknown\", with the notable exception of Smith's Wealth of Nations which is disturbingly un- and mis-read:\n1. Grammatical Man, by Jeremy Campbell (1982)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-e... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-entropy-language-and-life/oclc/856698430)\nMy introduction to information theory and its diverse set of interrelated applications and phenomena.\n2. Ecology and the Politics of Scarcity, by William Ophuls (1977)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-s... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-scarcity-revisited-the-unraveling-of-the-american-dream/oclc/872523631)\nDistills the Limits to Growth issue to its essence, and looks at the political implications, with a set of estimates of political developments which have played out closely.\n3. An Inquiry to the Nature and Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith (1776)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/inquiry-into-the-nature-and-c... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/inquiry-into-the-nature-and-causes-of-the-wealth-of-nations/oclc/1083940513)\nThe best-known, but least-read, and most mis-read book on this list.  Smith isn't perfect and has flaws.  But his message is extraordinarily misunderstood and misrepresented.  Even where he is wrong, he is instructive.\n4. Commercialism and Journalism, by Hamilton Holt (1909)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/commercialism-and-journalism/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/commercialism-and-journalism/oclc/639344712)\nA short but extraordinarily illuminating read on the influence of money and advertising on the press, coming near the beginning of the era of mass media.\n5. Unix Power Tools, by Mike Loukides et al (1997)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/2584502... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/258450296)\nThe book that really got me \"over the hump\" in understanding the Unix environment and tools.  Now somewhat dated, though still highly useful.\n6. A Short History of Progress, by Ronald Wright (2004)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/short-history-of-progress/ocl... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/short-history-of-progress/oclc/1089834019)\nAn exploration of the story, question, and future, of progress.\n7. Entropy and the Economic Process, by Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen (1971)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/entropy-law-and-the-economic-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/entropy-law-and-the-economic-process/oclc/299362046)\nA re-thinking of economics taking thermodynamics into account.  Famously difficult to read, but well worth the effort.\n8. On the Damned Human Race, by Mark Twain (1962)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/mark-twain-on-the-damned-huma... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/mark-twain-on-the-damned-human-race/oclc/950982242)\nA darker, angrier, more bitter side of Twain, cracking open the sanitised version those familiar with Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn will know, and giving an insight to the darker side of late 19th and early 20th century America.\n9. Energy and Civilization, by Vaclav Smil (2017)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-and-civilization-a-his... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-and-civilization-a-history/oclc/1032365823)\nA re-casting of history, not according to spiritual or cultural progress, Great Men, or social dynamics, but the access to and utilisation of energy sources.\n10. Resistances to the Adoption of Technological Innovations, by Bernhard J. Stern (1937)\nhttps://archive.org/details/technologicaltre1937unitrich/pag... (https://archive.org/details/technologicaltre1937unitrich/page/39)\nA fascinating exploration of the organised opposition to numerous significant technological innovations through the ages, contrary to the conventional story told by mainstream economic and innovation models and stories.  Stern's research assistant at the time he was working on this topic went on to become known as a science fiction author, and based one of his first works on this notion:  Isaac Asimov.\nOn the question of compiling such lists:  I've recently started keeping a research journal in which I'm trying to capture works of significance that I've read, vaguely inspired by both index-card methods (such as Zettelkasten or POIC) and bullet journals.\nThe organisation is \"BOTI\" -- best of the interval.\nI will start a two-page spread, dated, of a specific class of entries -- works, videos, authors, ideas, etc. -- and when that closes, start another.  Periodically (about every month, for now) I'll select the best of those works for a BOTM list, and at the end of a year, a BOTY list.\nOr at least that's the idea.\nThis may address the question of keeping track of the most significant works (or authors, concepts, ideas, etc.) over time, which otherwise tend to become a bit of a jumble.\nThe BOTI list and periodic aggregations themselves resemble round-robin databases, or ring or circular buffers or files, though without actually rewriting each specific list.  The initial capture levels remain accessible (in the journal) for revisiting, should something prove to have been more significant on subsequent reflection than initially appeared.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Short History of Progress, by Ronald Wright (2004)",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as an exploration of progress and its future.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226753,
          "author": "Mankhool",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:01:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226753",
          "commentText": "A Short History of Progress.\nhttp://www.cbc.ca/ideas/massey/massey2004.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Short History of Progress.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for recommended non-software books.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in non-software books relevant to the Hacker News community.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ronald Wright"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of progress",
        "human civilization",
        "progress"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-suitable-boy-6f484b",
      "title": "A Suitable Boy",
      "author": "Vikram Seth",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49907526,
          "author": "nanopasta",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T11:45:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49907526",
          "commentText": "A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth. One of the longest English novels, but it has got me hooked. I love how descriptive the prose is. I can almost see the events happen in front of my eyes. There's a bbc adaptation as well, but I was enraged by it so I can't recommend it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth. One of the longest English novels, but it has got me hooked. I love how descriptive the prose is.",
          "reason": "The descriptive prose has hooked the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The BBC adaptation enraged the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14481539,
          "author": "balladeer",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-04T13:44:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14481539",
          "commentText": "Anna Karenina, A Suitable Boy, and the like. Excellent books but after college it's been difficult to start and keep at them in a acceptable period of time given the time (or lack of it) is an issue now. I also wanted to read Ulysses. I am stuck around the ~20% of Dostoyevsky's Idiot since a long time. Off late I've had better success with shortner ones.\nFor me the reason is simple - it's just the daunting number of pages and it is a shame that I have not read/finished these books.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Anna Karenina, A Suitable Boy, and the like. Excellent books but after college it's been difficult to start and keep at them in a acceptable period of time given the time (or lack of it) is an issue now.",
          "reason": "Called an excellent book, though the commenter finds it difficult to make time for long books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says time constraints make it difficult to start and finish.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vikram Seth"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "family saga",
        "indian literature",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-theory-of-fun-for-game-design-7e71b5",
      "title": "A Theory of Fun for Game Design",
      "author": "Raph Koster",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32790396,
          "author": "mentos",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T13:25:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790396",
          "commentText": "Not a technical book but A Theory of Fun for Game Design by Raph Koster had a few perspectives I’d never considered.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Theory of Fun for Game Design by Raph Koster",
          "reason": "The commenter says it offered perspectives they had not considered.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not a technical book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7972601,
          "author": "loumf",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T18:29:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7972601",
          "commentText": "About to start A Theory of Fun for Game Design.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Theory-Game-Design-Raph-Koster/dp/1449... (http://www.amazon.com/Theory-Game-Design-Raph-Koster/dp/1449363210)\nI have no interest in making games, but this comes highly recommended to understand applied intrinsic motivation (which I am very interested in).  Grabbed it from the worrydream book list.\nhttp://worrydream.com/#!/Links",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this comes highly recommended to understand applied intrinsic motivation",
          "reason": "The commenter says it comes highly recommended for understanding applied intrinsic motivation.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in applied intrinsic motivation; the commenter has no interest in making games.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not yet started reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Raph Koster"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "game design",
        "game theory",
        "intrinsic motivation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-thousand-plateaus-c6ffad",
      "title": "A Thousand Plateaus",
      "author": "Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37160391,
          "author": "uoaei",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T12:10:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37160391",
          "commentText": "Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs\nI'm sure you've heard of it. It's smutty and insane. Oddly reminds me of 1000 Plateaus by Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari with its \"rhizomatic\" style.\nAfter reading it I find myself in a state of mind that only a couple other works have achieved in me, one of free poetic openness to human experience, particularly when in society. It's a strange experience bordering on solipsism or paranoid schizoprenia but feels very liberating from the demands of stuffy \"rational\" existence.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Oddly reminds me of 1000 Plateaus by Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari with its \"rhizomatic\" style.",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a comparison for Naked Lunch's rhizomatic style.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35938300,
          "author": "ducharmdev",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-14T14:32:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35938300",
          "commentText": "That is quite fascinating - I was big into continental philosophy in college, especially Deleuze. I might have to check that out!\nIf you're interested in this stuff, I think you might enjoy Manuel DeLanda - he gives Deleuze a sort of analytic treatment. His book \"A New Philosophy of Society: Assemblage Theory and Social Complexity\" takes a lot of ideas from A Thousand Plateaus, but makes them clearer and more accessible.\nAnother suggestion if interested in Deleuze, and more specifically A Thousand Plateaus: someone named Brent Adkins has a great companion for the work. Unless you have extensive experience with the thinkers & ideas referenced in ATP (e.g. Freud, Marx, Nietzsche), I found secondary sources very helpful for setting up context around certain terms and concepts.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "His book \"A New Philosophy of Society: Assemblage Theory and Social Complexity\" takes a lot of ideas from A Thousand Plateaus",
          "reason": "Discussed as a source of ideas for DeLanda's book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630050,
          "author": "steveklabnik",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:20:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630050",
          "commentText": "My favorite book is \"A Thousand Plateaus\" by Deleuze and Guattari. It's quite the challenge, and I find new things every time I pick it back up.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favorite book is \"A Thousand Plateaus\" by Deleuze and Guattari. It's quite the challenge, and I find new things every time I pick it back up.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it their favorite and says rereading reveals new things.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is quite a challenge.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752295,
          "author": "oscilloscope",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T07:13:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752295",
          "commentText": "\"Will to Power\" by Friedrich Nietzsche, who you'll probably love if you like Rand.\n\"A Thousand Plateaus\" by Deleuze & Guattari.  A psychedelic philosophy of complexity.  Not exactly an airtight philosophical system, but it will blow your mind several times per page.\n\"Being & Time\" by Martin Heidegger.  An intense, logical investigation of individual existence.  A deeply nuanced philosophical take on death, being, and temporality.  This is the book to grapple with your inevitable annihilation.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"A Thousand Plateaus\" by Deleuze & Guattari. A psychedelic philosophy of complexity. Not exactly an airtight philosophical system, but it will blow your mind several times per page.",
          "reason": "Praised as mind-expanding and a philosophical take on complexity.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in philosophy and complexity.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not an airtight philosophical system.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "continental philosophy",
        "complexity",
        "deleuzian philosophy",
        "poststructuralism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-thousand-splendid-suns-6db616",
      "title": "A Thousand Splendid Suns",
      "author": "Khaled Hosseini",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42968080,
          "author": "austin-cheney",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-07T00:47:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42968080",
          "commentText": "* A Thousand Splendid Suns\n* Foundation and Empire\n* On Liberty\n* Good to Great\nThose books shaped how I interact with other people, which is:\n* I will move forward. I am not waiting for you to make a decision. If you need time then it’s on your own time and can catch up at your liability, otherwise it’s absolute empathy and self-sacrifice in all things.\n* As for other people I want to avoid people that state firm conclusions lacking evidence or measures. I consider that stupidity but it could just be bias or autism. Either way it’s a problem. If people do that and can’t help but talk about themselves then they are definitely either autistic or a sociopath. If those people are charming then they are definitely sociopaths.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Thousand Splendid Suns",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter says shaped how they interact with other people.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1974467,
          "author": "_b8r0",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T08:18:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974467",
          "commentText": "It's a toss up for me between Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.\nEnder's Game is one of those books I never got round to reading and I thought it was incredible what they put that boy through. I got the main twist a bit earlier than I should've done but it was such a good story that it didn't affect me too much. I loved the manipulation of political debate by the other children, it reminded me of Fox news for some reason.\nA Thousand Splendid Suns is the tale of two Afghan women, one in Kabul and one from outside. It's incredible, harrowing and keeps you in a vice-like grip from start to finish. I loved it so much I bought a copy for my Mother in Law as I kept raving about it. If you liked the Kite Runner then you'll love this (it's by the same author).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Thousand Splendid Suns is the tale of two Afghan women, one in Kabul and one from outside. It's incredible, harrowing and keeps you in a vice-like grip from start to finish.",
          "reason": "Calls it a favorite and praises its gripping, harrowing story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Khaled Hosseini"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "afghanistan",
        "family",
        "women s fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ai-superpowers-ad7c6c",
      "title": "AI Superpowers",
      "author": "Kai-Fu Lee",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23858983,
          "author": "jakozaur",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:53:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858983",
          "commentText": "Forward looking:\nDisunited Nations: The Scramble for Power in an Ungoverned World\nDoughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist\nAI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order\nHistorical:\nThe Birth of Plenty: How the Prosperity of the Modern World was Created\nWhy Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty\nGeneral:\nPredictably Irrational, Revised and Expanded Edition: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions\nThe Square and the Tower: Networks and Power, from the Freemasons to Facebook",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21853938,
          "author": "saasdev",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T23:24:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21853938",
          "commentText": "I agree that it’s tough to truly grok technical material in purely audio format. With that said, I think you can learn a ton by learning about the history, trends, and other software companies. Here are some of my favorites:\nThe Dream Machine\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer a Revolution\nHow the Internet Happened\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nAI Superpowers\nPlatform Revolution\nThe Everything Store",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "AI Superpowers",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of favorites answering an audiobook request.",
          "audience": "Listeners interested in AI and technology businesses.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kai-Fu Lee"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "china"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "arrl-handbook-e7b161",
      "title": "ARRL Handbook",
      "author": "American Radio Relay League",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 358547,
          "author": "comatose_kid",
          "createdAt": "2008-11-09T21:56:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 358490,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's a good book to learn electronics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=358547",
          "commentText": "the art of electronics is cool, but the ARRL handbook is even better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the ARRL handbook is even better",
          "reason": "Recommends it as better than The Art of Electronics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 149622,
          "author": "kurtosis",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-29T20:01:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 149317,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Learning circuit/hardware; lab book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=149622",
          "commentText": "Someone else mentioned this but I want to give another boost for the lab manual for the horowitz and hill's art of electronics - it's a little dated but still a great resource.  For example I remember doing the project where you build a simple analog to digital converter. I had read the theory behind these devices many times without comprehension, but building the project illuminated it.\nI've also found the ARRL handbooks to be extremely helpful for getting RF and microwave projects to work without sinking huge amounts of cash on expensive equipment like vector network analyzers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've also found the ARRL handbooks to be extremely helpful",
          "reason": "Says the handbooks are extremely helpful for getting RF and microwave projects to work affordably.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 149498,
          "author": "comatose_kid",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-29T17:04:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 149317,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Learning circuit/hardware; lab book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=149498",
          "commentText": "One of the best resources for getting a practical handle on electronics is the ARRL Handbook.  They've released a version every year for many years now.\nhttp://www.arrl.org/catalog/?item=no-hb2008\nBy the way, The Art Of Electronics has a pretty nice lab manual that goes with it....",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One of the best resources for getting a practical handle on electronics is the ARRL Handbook.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the best resources for gaining a practical understanding of electronics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A new version is released every year.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "American Radio Relay League"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "electronics",
        "amateur radio",
        "microwave engineering",
        "radio frequency"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "abundance-366d29",
      "title": "Abundance",
      "author": "Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13805633,
          "author": "baron816",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T20:08:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805633",
          "commentText": "Thinking Strategically. A great primer on game theory. Everything changed colors for me after I read this. Definite required reading for everyone.\nAbundance. Problems of economic scarcity are really about access. Technology can solve those problems, and we're getting close to solving a lot of the biggest ones.\nBorderless Economics. Immigration has a lot of huge benefits. But really, it's the best humanitarian tool advanced countries have.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Abundance. Problems of economic scarcity are really about access. Technology can solve those problems, and we're getting close to solving a lot of the biggest ones.",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about books that changed one’s worldview and summarizes its argument.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4967179,
          "author": "nichodges",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T21:42:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967179",
          "commentText": "A few highlights for me...\nAbundance - Peter H. Diamandis, Steven Kotler.\nDiamandis has an almost infectiously positive way of looking at the world. And a hope that's not just based on a philosophical belief but is backed up with hard data.\nDistrust That Particular Flavor - William Gibson.\nI never got into Gibson as a fiction writer, but this collection of essays, articles and talks immediately made me appreciate him as an amazing thinker, observer, and truly brilliant writer. This book is worthwhile for the pieces on Japan alone, but every single piece is wonderful.\nFinite and Infinite Games - James Carse.\nAn old book but one I only just discovered. No book has every so subtly had an impact on my life every day. The finite vs. infinite way of looking at the world has changed the way I think and act completely on the inside, yet it's probably hardly noticable on the outside. An amazingly easy book to read, couldn't recommend it highly enough.\nHow Music Works - David Byrne\nA unique and refreshing take on creating music that can be applied to the creation of anything. Byrne leaves the mysterious & ethereal world of 'creativity' for dead, and looks at how he creates music, and how the industry works, in a grounded and logical way. A brilliant book for anyone who creates anything.\nThe Plenitude: Creativity, Innovation, and Making Stuff - Rich Gold\nAnother old(er) book, but one I can't believe I only just found. Rich Gold's outlook on how and why we make things should be required reading for anyone who plans on thrusting their big idea into the world.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking - Susan Cain\nIt's had a lot of press, but I'm going to recommend it anyway. HN undoubtedly has a higher than average number of introverts who truly operate in an extroverted world. This book was absolutely eye opening in how it deconstructs different situations and personalities in a useful and positive way. I wouldn't say it's 'changed my life', but it has made a few relationships with close friends and colleagues a lot better.\nAnd a quick plug - for any avid Kindle readers out there, I've built a web app for viewing/sharing/organising Kindle highlights. If any HN'ers want early access sign up at http://kindred.it/ and I'll ping you a beta login.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Abundance - Peter H. Diamandis, Steven Kotler.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its optimistic outlook and data-backed hope.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Society",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "innovation",
        "scarcity",
        "technological optimism",
        "technological progress"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "abundance-the-future-is-better-than-you-think-9fc584",
      "title": "Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think",
      "author": "Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9347895,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T14:48:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9347895",
          "commentText": "Here's my usual list of recommendations, the best books I've read in the past 5 years.\nFiction:\n- Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\nIf you know nothing about this book you might naturally hesitate to read \"Harry Potter fanfiction\" and assume that it's dumb/horrbile, but it's not. Just suspend your disbelief and read the first 5-10 chapters. Trust me, it's brilliant, hilarious, and life-changing.\n- Atlas Shrugged\nControversial, I know, a lot of people here hate it for some reason, but it was incredibly influential on me, inspired my passion for entrepreneurship and science and philosophy. Still is one of the best books I am aware of.\nNonfiction:\n- Hackers and Painters by Paul Graham\nAlso a collection of his essays that you can find on github. He is one of the most clever writers I am aware of, but I assume you know that, since you're on HN.\n- \"On Intelligence\" by Jeff Hawkins\nThis book explains in simple terms a very awesome and elegant theory on how mind works. Incredibly fascinating, I've learned a lot from it and it explains a lot of things, and will change the way you think about thinking process.\n- The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins\nEngaging and entertaining explanation of evolution, absolutely fantastic book.\n- The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli.\nDespite the stigma, and people thinking that Machhiavellian = \"evil\", I've found this book extremely clever and wise.\n- Serious Creativity by Edward De Bono\nThe best book on creativity and the process of generating ideas that I'm aware of.\n- Abundance\nThis is a very inspiring and optimistic book about the future of technology.\nEntrepreneurhsip:\n- Start Small, Stay Small\nGuide to creating your first product/business for hackers. It lays out all the basics of entrepreneurship in a very concise and clear ways, my favorite introduction to startups.\n- Rework\nVery wise and intelligent advice about startups, intelligent and witty, must read.\n- Lean Startup\nClassic book on \"lean startup methodology\", very useful.\n- 4-Hour Workweek\nDespite the silly title I think it is a great book and is very much worth reading. Many people here dislike Tim Ferris, but whatever, I think this book is cool.\nAutobiographies:\n- Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman\n- Ghost In The Wires by Kevin Mitnick\n- Catch me if you can by Abagnale\n- iWoz by Steve Wozniak\n- Losing my Virginity by Richard Branson\nAll these are fantastic and very intelligent autobiographies by the very awesome people.\nNow I'm reading \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" and \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies.\"\n\"Rationality\" is great and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. Can't say much about GEB, I've only started reading it, but everyone is saying that it is so great and the best book ever, so I think it's definitely worth checking out.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is a very inspiring and optimistic book about the future of technology.",
          "reason": "Calls it inspiring and optimistic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6899411,
          "author": "jamesmcintyre",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T06:48:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6899411",
          "commentText": "Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman\nAbundance by Peter H. Diamandis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Abundance by Peter H. Diamandis",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for the best book read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter H. Diamandis and Steven Kotler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "abundance",
        "resource abundance",
        "technological progress",
        "technology futures"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "accelerate-the-science-of-lean-software-and-devops-9085aa",
      "title": "Accelerate: The Science of Lean Software and DevOps",
      "author": "Nicole Forsgren, Jez Humble, and Gene Kim",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21852386,
          "author": "t3hprofit",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T17:49:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21852386",
          "commentText": "Not specifically about programming, but \"Every Tool's a Hammer\" by Adam Savage was really good. Tons of good information in here, and it tickles the Mythbusters itch.\nAre you looking for books about a programming language? or about methodologies, patters, best practices, etc.\nAs far as about specific programming languages, personally I think the internet is a far better resource. Books are better for the \"Soft\"er skills (communication, design, etc)\nHere are a few I've enjoyed:\n* The Phoenix Project\n* Accelerate\n* Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World\n* Rework\nFinally, if you've never read \"How to win Friends & Influence people\", do it now! I'm 34 and for whatever reason put off reading this until last month. I wish I had read that book 10 years ago. I'll definitely be adding it to my re-read list as there is a TON of good advice for building relationships, which is arguably more important than many technical things.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Accelerate",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Developers seeking books about software and professional skills.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21714168,
          "author": "lynfogeek",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T17:25:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21714168",
          "commentText": "A few recommendations from me and peers in my company who highly value some of the following:\n- \"Managing Humans\" by Michael Lopp very insightful and easy to read.\n- \"Accelerate: The Science of Lean Software and DevOps: Building and Scaling High Performing Technology Organizations\" by Dr Nicole Forsgren brings a long research on how to organize teams for success.\n- \"The Manager's Path: A Guide for Tech Leaders Navigating Growth and Change\" by Camille Fournier which I especially recommend for new managers.\nLastly, and this time not tech-specific, but by far my best read of 2019:\n\"Trillion Dollar Coach: The Leadership Playbook of Silicon Valley's Bill Campbell\" written by Eric Schmidt & others.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Accelerate: The Science of Lean Software and DevOps: Building and Scaling High Performing Technology Organizations\" by Dr Nicole Forsgren brings a long research on how to organize teams for success.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it draws on extensive research about organizing teams for success.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nicole Forsgren",
        "Jez Humble",
        "Gene Kim"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "devops",
        "software delivery",
        "organizational performance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "accidental-empires-how-the-boys-of-silicon-valley-make-their-mill-69dece",
      "title": "Accidental Empires: How the Boys of Silicon Valley Make Their Millions, Battle Foreign Competition, and Still Can't Get a Date",
      "author": "Robert X. Cringely",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22706830,
          "author": "sien",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T20:59:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22706830",
          "commentText": "The Friendly Orange Glow : The Untold Story of the PLATO system and the dawn of cyberculture (2017) is a really interesting book about a system few people here would probably have heard of.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34373814-the-friendly-or... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34373814-the-friendly-orange-glow)\nHow the Internet Happened is very good. The podcast that was created while writing the book is also worth a listen.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38212134-how-the-interne... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38212134-how-the-internet-happened)\nAccidental Empires is also very good\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27652.Accidental_Empires",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Accidental Empires is also very good",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book is very good.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Silicon Valley and the computer industry.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 621609,
          "author": "staunch",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-22T04:49:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621609",
          "commentText": "You're thinking of Joe Kraus, who says him reading Accidental Empires lead to Excite succeeding.\nBook -> Cringely -> Digitizing job -> VC -> VC -> funding or something like that.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "him reading Accidental Empires lead to Excite succeeding.",
          "reason": "Mentions the book in an account of its influence on Joe Kraus; does not endorse it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 621577,
          "author": "juliusdavies",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-22T04:03:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621577",
          "commentText": "Accidental Empires: How the Boys of Silicon Valley Make Their Millions, Battle Foreign Competition, and Still Can't Get a Date\nBob Cringely\n(This book gets mentioned in Founders At Work... I think one of the Lycos guys had read it?)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Accidental Empires: How the Boys of Silicon Valley Make Their Millions, Battle Foreign Competition, and Still Can't Get a Date\nBob Cringely",
          "reason": "Listed as a book in response to a favorite true story tech book question.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in technology business stories.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert X. Cringely"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "silicon valley history",
        "technology entrepreneurship",
        "computer industry",
        "silicon valley"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "advanced-calculus-a-differential-forms-approach-719899",
      "title": "Advanced Calculus: A Differential Forms Approach",
      "author": "Harold M. Edwards",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23735412,
          "author": "bmitc",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-04T22:44:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23735412",
          "commentText": "Since you mention analysis, I recommend Yet Another Introduction to Analysis and Metric Spaces by Victor Bryant. They should be at the right level and a lot of fun.\nAnother analysis suggestion is Creative Mathematics by H.S. Wall. It is a book that walks a high school level student through creating the proofs themselves. The topic covered is a stripped down version of analysis, calculus, and later even differential geometry. It's really brilliant. Going slow and having fun when you're a teen would be much more productive than going fast and burning out.\nThe Spivak book is a good suggestion and might be a little difficult depending on their actual background. The books by Gelfand mentioned by someone else (there's actually a series of them that cover algebra, functions, coordinates, trigonometry, etc.) would help provide the needed background.\nThe book Conceptual Mathematics is claimed to be aimed at high school students. Maybe give it a whirl and see what happens. If they know calculus, then Advanced Calculus: A Differential Forms Approach by Harold Edwards is a gem. The first three chapters should be readable, as they give heuristic discussions of the topic.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If they know calculus, then Advanced Calculus: A Differential Forms Approach by Harold Edwards is a gem.",
          "reason": "Recommends it to readers who already know calculus.",
          "audience": "Readers who know calculus.",
          "caveat": "Only the first three chapters are said to be readable.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18662508,
          "author": "amuresan",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T09:26:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18662508",
          "commentText": "1. La peste (Albert Camus) - entertaining if you're into French existentialism\n2. Linked (Barabasi) - insightful and useful to understand that most phenomenon we see in real life follow a power law and what that means\n3. Leonardo da Vinci (Walter Isaacson) - surprising how little of da Vinci's real personality is reflected in his modern image\n4. Matrix computations – third edition (Gene Golub, Charles van Loan) - good read if you're into linear algebra\n5. Giving effective feedback (Harvard business review) - useful for getting an understanding on how to handle human interaction\n6. The old man and the sea (Ernest Hemingway) - enjoyed it a lot, a reflection of Hemingway's romantic spirit. Also, a quick read.\n7. Screwjack (Hunter S. Thompson) - didn't resonate with me although I am a fan of existentialism\n8. Sun and steel (Yukio Mishima) - raw and intimate. before reading this book I'd recommend reading up on Mishima's life\n9. Stranger than fiction (Chuck Palahniuck) - somewhat entertaining, more so because it served as a glimpse into Palahniuck's creative process\n10. Thinking in Systems: A Primer (Dana Meadows) - useful for understanding that in modern life we have complex systems at work with emergent behavior that we didn't expect. Trying to isolate / model a single component of one of these systems is a flawed approach.\n11. Chaos monkeys (Antonio Garcia Martinez) - entertaining, but quite long\n12. Weapons of math destruction (Cathy O'Neil) - in a way, similar to Thinking in systems, but at an applied level. Shows how rules in modern society can have unintended negative consequences when hidden negative feedback loops emerge from the complex system they are embedded in.\n13. Lolita (Nabokov) - a brilliant novel from many points of view. Although the topic is controversial, it is a book that had to be written.\n14. The prince (Machiavelli) - an interesting read. It was intended as a guide to the young price Cesare Borgia from his teacher Machiavelli. The secret to enjoying it is not to judge it by modern morality.\n15. Give and take (Adam Grant) - psychology research about giving / taking / matching personality types presented in a book for the masses. I would not read it again; watching a presentation online should be enough to get the point across.\n16. Mécanique (Landau, Lifchitz) - refresh of mechanics\n17. Do androids dream of electric sheep (Philip K. Dick) - enjoyable and entertaining! I'm surprised how different the feel of the book is compared to the Blade runner films. In the book androids are purely rational beings, whereas the film wraps them in an aura of romanticism.\n18. How we learn (Benedict Carey) - decades of learning research condensed in a book\n19. Advanced Calculus: A Differential Forms Approach (Harold M. Edwards) - the best math book I've read so far! For me it was eye-opening in a fundamental way. Edwards is truly a gifted teacher.\n20. Three men in a boat (Jerome K. Jerome) - enjoyable and amusing\n21. Getting to yes (Roger Fisher, William Ury) - negotiation book, nicely written and structured\n22. Without a word (Zhang Jie) - historical novel by one of China's most acclaimed modern writers. I don't have a good reference to compare against since this was my first Chinese novel, but overall I did enjoy it. It felt real and raw.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the best math book I've read so far! For me it was eye-opening in a fundamental way. Edwards is truly a gifted teacher.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it their best math book so far and says it was fundamentally eye-opening.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Harold M. Edwards"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "advanced calculus",
        "differential forms"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "advanced-engineering-mathematics-efedc1",
      "title": "Advanced Engineering Mathematics",
      "author": "K. A. Stroud",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34444135,
          "author": "kingkongjaffa",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T19:01:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34444135",
          "commentText": "I used this book and the sister book “advanced engineering mathematics” for my bachelors and masters degree in mechanical engineering.\nIt is probably the best pair of books ever written for what I like to call “plug and chug” maths. Strouds books cover the whole of engineering mathematics.\nI turned to them for calculus in first year, and for Fourier and Laplace in my final year and masters.\nBut it will not teach you how to solve and develop proofs.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the sister book “advanced engineering mathematics”",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it for computational engineering mathematics, including Fourier and Laplace topics.",
          "audience": "Engineering students seeking practical computational methods.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it will not teach how to solve and develop proofs.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16081226,
          "author": "joefarish",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-05T20:07:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16081226",
          "commentText": "Engineering Mathematics and Advanced Engineering Mathematics by Ken Stroud\nLots of worked examples. Very easy to follow and really helped me \"teach myself\" calculus and advanced calculus.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Engineering Mathematics and Advanced Engineering Mathematics by Ken Stroud\nLots of worked examples. Very easy to follow and really helped me \"teach myself\" calculus and advanced calculus.",
          "reason": "Praises its worked examples and says it helped him learn advanced calculus.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "K. A. Stroud"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "engineering mathematics",
        "advanced calculus",
        "fourier analysis",
        "laplace transforms"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "advanced-engineering-mathematics-531e75",
      "title": "Advanced Engineering Mathematics",
      "author": "Erwin Kreyszig",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 755890,
          "author": "ottbot",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T18:11:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755890",
          "commentText": "I think Kreyszig's Advanced Engineering Mathematics is an excellent text in applied math.\nI'm not sure where you're at or what direction you want to study, but once you're familiar with calculus concepts this text is a good place to go to deal with ODE and analysis.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think Kreyszig's Advanced Engineering Mathematics is an excellent text in applied math.",
          "reason": "Calls it an excellent applied mathematics text.",
          "audience": "Readers studying applied mathematics, ODEs, or analysis.",
          "caveat": "Suggested after becoming familiar with calculus concepts.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 665108,
          "author": "caffeine",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T13:53:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665108",
          "commentText": "Hi - I was in a similar situation a year ago (starting a Master's in ML, feeling crappy at math).  What worked for me was:\n- Studying is doing problems.  Reading is not studying.  When studying, read the minimum amount necessary to complete the problem.  Do all problems CLOSED-book: no notes or reading while doing problems.\n- A problem is not understood until you can do it on a blank piece of paper two days after reading the relevant material (so do problems several times to check).\n- Study machine learning problems that use the math.  The examples in math text books are pretty useless to you - do ML problems directly. When you don't get it, look the math up quickly in a reference book (A.E.M. by Kreyszig works), as much as needed to complete the problem, and move on.\n- Implement regularly.  Once you've done the problems concerning an algorithm or technique, implement it.  Make sure your implementation is correct, and spend some effort making it quick.  Read source code for other people's implementations.\nThis method is effective (for me) because I like programming and machine learning, I don't like math textbooks or the problems within, and I can't remember what I haven't solved.\nBook recommendation:  David MacKay's (free) book: Information Theory, Inference and Learning Algorithms (http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/mackay/itila/)\n- Enjoyable: not terse or uptight, engaging reading.\n- Problem-focused: the text is really explanations between interesting problems.  The problems are spread throughout the text rather than bunched at the end - this is a huge advantage.\n- Deep and unifying: You don't get this perspective often.  Helps you think about AI/ML from a strong theoretical perspective.  Will give you lots of \"Aha!\" moments.\n- Math: Plenty of math, but not unnecessarily difficult.  The practice you'll get doing these problems will serve you in other situations.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A.E.M. by Kreyszig works",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a reference for looking up math while solving machine learning problems.",
          "audience": "Someone studying machine learning through problems.",
          "caveat": "Used as a quick reference rather than a primary text.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Erwin Kreyszig"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "engineering mathematics",
        "applied mathematics",
        "reference"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "advanced-unix-programming-80ec13",
      "title": "Advanced UNIX Programming",
      "author": "Marc J. Rochkind",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16352122,
          "author": "emmelaich",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T10:40:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16352122",
          "commentText": "All in no particular order....\nAs a Unix systems engineer, I would choose\n    1. W.R. Stevens books on Unix and Tcp/ip.\n    2. Rochkind's Advanced UNIX Programming.\n    3. Most of the Unix/Linux manual pages.\n    4. Bash FAQ\n\nAs a Unix systems programmer I would choose\n    1. Mythical Man Month\n    2. Jon Bentley's Programming Pearls.\n    3. K&R C and Stroustrup C++\n    4. A recent Java reference and Bloch's Java Puzzlers\n    5. a reference and cookbook for the language of your choice -- Python, Ruby, Perl, etc.\n    6. Google's style guides",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rochkind's Advanced UNIX Programming.",
          "reason": "Included among the author's choices for a Unix systems engineer.",
          "audience": "Unix systems engineers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1213369,
          "author": "gte910h",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-23T16:47:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 1212675,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I use and love Python. What's the best book to learn C ?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1213369",
          "commentText": "This post only contains non-aff links\nWhile I'm certainly good at C, and have been the guy people asked the C and C toolchain questions at a couple places I've worked, I'd say you're in for more than 1 book to grok the topics you've expressed interest in, and haven't met the single book that does all you want.\n1: If you're a python programmer, I do suggest staying with pure C and AWAY from C++. You have little use case for it if you can mix python and C and it is literally pain incarnate while you do not know every little bit of it and/or work with people who do not know every little bit of it.\n2: Secondly, a single book on C will not get you where you're going. You will need several.\n3: I'd stick with K&R for reference, but then go to the following two books for threading and all the other stuff like networking:\nYou need these two books to get down C and it's ecosystem (make, autotools, etc):\nAdvanced Unix Programming by Rochkind (Really good explanation of signals especially): http://www.amazon.com/Advanced-UNIX-Programming-Marc-Rochkin... (http://www.amazon.com/Advanced-UNIX-Programming-Marc-Rochkind/dp/0131411543/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269362485&sr=8-1)\nGnu/Linux Application Programming by M. Tim Jones (Recovers some of the same stuff as AUP, but does better with the toolchain): \nhttp://www.amazon.com/GNU-Linux-Application-Programming/dp/1... (http://www.amazon.com/GNU-Linux-Application-Programming/dp/1584505680/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269362580&sr=8-1)\nIf you want to go more advanced, this is likely the correct book:\nAdvanced Programming in the Unix Environment:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Programming-UNIX-Environment-... (http://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Programming-UNIX-Environment-2nd/dp/0201433079/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269362485&sr=8-2)\nAlthough if you're diving deep into networking, this is likely the correct book:\nUnix Networking Programming: Vol I by Stevens:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Unix-Network-Programming-Sockets-Netwo... (http://www.amazon.com/Unix-Network-Programming-Sockets-Networking/dp/0131411551/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269362819&sr=1-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Advanced Unix Programming by Rochkind",
          "reason": "Recommended for learning C and its ecosystem, with a notably good explanation of signals.",
          "audience": "C learners seeking coverage of Unix programming and tooling.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marc J. Rochkind"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming",
        "systems programming",
        "unix",
        "unix programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "advances-in-financial-machine-learning-eef591",
      "title": "Advances in Financial Machine Learning",
      "author": "Marcos López de Prado",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46484854,
          "author": "another_twist",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-04T04:18:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 46483863,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading list for being a better engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46484854",
          "commentText": "None of the generic thought leadership books are particularly useful. I've noticed that the best way to keep relevant as an engineer is to ignore flavor of the day frameworks and tech but rather focus on the basics. For example, if you're working in financial modeling, one way to improve as an engineer to get better at the domain. Maybe \"Advances in Financial Machine Learning\" by Marcos López de Prado. You'd have to work through the math and pick up finance on the go (which I assume should be easier part). As for people doing cool stuff in Zig / Rust, what matters is the problem not the hammer they're using to solve it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Maybe \"Advances in Financial Machine Learning\" by Marcos López de Prado.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a way to learn the financial domain while improving as an engineer.",
          "audience": "Engineers working in financial modeling.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says you would need to work through the math and pick up finance as you go.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46271006,
          "author": "lopatin",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-15T06:14:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 46226571,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46271006",
          "commentText": "1. Inside the Black Box\nIntroduction to quantitative finance and to learn what strategies are used by firms who are supposed to beat the market.\n2. Advances in Financial Machine Learning\nDeep dive into ML techniques if you want to start making money from data and math.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Advances in Financial Machine Learning\nDeep dive into ML techniques if you want to start making money from data and math.",
          "reason": "Described as a deep dive into machine learning techniques for financial data.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in applying data and math to making money.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16769837,
          "author": "meifun",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-05T23:51:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16769837",
          "commentText": "Here are the books on my desk:\nC++:\n\"The C++ Programming Language\", Stroustrup\n\"Programming: Principles and Practice Using C++\", Stroustrup\nQuant:\n\"Quantitative Trading\", Dr. Ernest Chan\n\"Algorithmic Trading\", Dr. Ernest Chan\n\"Machine Trading: Deploying Computer Algorithms to Conquer the Markets\", Dr. Ernest Chan\n\"Advances in Financial Machine Learning\", Marcos Lopez de Prado\n\"Options, Futures and Other Derivatives (10th edition)\", John C. Hull\nBuddhism:\n\"Open Heart, Clear Mind\", Thubten Chodron\n\"Buddhism For Beginners\", Thubten Chodron\n\"Working with Anger\", Thubten Chodron\nReading For Pleasure:\n\"Naked Statistics\", Charles Wheelan\n\"Algorithms to Live By\", Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths\n\"Dark Pools\"\n\"The Quants\", Scott Patterson\n\"The Physics Of Wall Street\", James Owen Weatherall\nPlus some Chinese books, I wont bore with the details, unless anyone wants to know. Fun Fact, while I was in China for 8 weeks in late 2017 I bought 60 Chinese books and stuffed them in a suitcase. It cost me $4,000RMB (~$604 USD) to check all of my stuff and purchases home :-)\nThe Math books are:\n\"Discrete math\", Susan Epp\n\"Discrete with Ducks\"\nvarious Calc books. If you want to learn math, find books that work for you. We all learn differently here.\nMy opinion: The Chan books are just amazing. Thought provoking and motivational. I am still reading the Prado book.\nMy opinion 2: If you ever want to slow down in life and learn what you are about, read about Buddhism. I'm not trying to start a flame war. It just works for me. It isn't being told what to believe because that is the way it is. I feel Buddhism lets me explore myself to find the right answers that work for me. Since studying my anger levels are in check. I am a better Husband. My wife comes first always.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Advances in Financial Machine Learning\", Marcos Lopez de Prado",
          "reason": "Listed on the desk; the commenter says they are still reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marcos López de Prado"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Economics",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial machine learning",
        "quantitative finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "aeneid-75b4c7",
      "title": "Aeneid",
      "author": "Virgil",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41238584,
          "author": "__rito__",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-13T19:10:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41238584",
          "commentText": "Does it have to be old to be a \"classic\"?\nIf not, by far, One Hundred Years of Solitude by Marquez is my favorite novel by a Nobel winner. It's great, epic, and lovely to read.\nIf you include epics, Mahabharata is actually a grand, epic book with war, friendship, love, sex, politics, realpolitik, strategy, and has a reach story line with scores of great side-stories.\nI also genuinely enjoyed Iliad and Aenied.\nI was also surprised at how good Candide by Voltaire was to read. Had a ton of fun reading it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and Aenied.",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32021686,
          "author": "kurupt213",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-08T00:53:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32021686",
          "commentText": "Probably the Iliad or the Aeneid. They are the foundation of the classical education and fundamental to understanding much our past",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Probably the Iliad or the Aeneid.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is foundational to classical education and understanding the past.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Virgil"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient literature",
        "ancient roman epic",
        "classical literature",
        "roman epic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "after-virtue-5fcfce",
      "title": "After Virtue",
      "author": "Alasdair MacIntyre",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42220961,
          "author": "throw0101d",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T14:13:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42220961",
          "commentText": "If I had to pick one: The rise and fall of American growth: the U.S. standard of living since the Civil War by Robert Gordon. The gains that we have made in the (early) 20th century are unlikely to ever be repeated, and progress in many metrics has measurably slowed or even stalled since ~1970s (likely being asymptotic). And while the Internet (classified under the Information, Communication, Technology (ICT) chapters) gave a bump in the 1990s, it's mostly been flat since 2004.\nMore economic history with Slouching towards Utopia: an economic history of the twentieth century by J. Bradford Delong. More economic ideas stuff in Value(s): building a better world for all by Mark Carney (ran the Banks of Canada and England). Also Waphsott's Keynes Hayek: the clash that defined modern economics and Samuelson Friedman: the battle over the free market.\nThe currency of politics: the political theory of money from Aristotle to Keynes by Sefan Eich, Money: the true story of a made-up thing by Jacob Goldstein, and The power of gold: the history of an obsession by Peter Bernstein (also his Against the Gods on risk). Show how much of a human construct \"money\" is, how its meaning changes in different times and places/cultures. Should be required reading by all the 'hard money' folks (gold standard, BTC).\nThe good life: lessons from the world's longest scientific study of happiness by Waldinger and Schultz (directors of the Harvard study). If there's one 'magic' thing for health and happiness it seems to be having good relationships (family, friends) in your life.\nReligion: what it is, how it works, and why it matters by Christian Smith and Strange rites: new religions for a godless world by Tara Burton. While many think that religion is in decline, the non-material/supernatural things that people believe in has actually shifted. And having beliefs in a super-human entity seems to be the basis of most societies and civilizations. Related, The warfare between science and religion : the idea that wouldn't die, a series of essays; the conflict thesis bunk, both historically and presently.\nThe origins of Canadian and American political differences by Jason Kaufman, two seemingly-the-same neighbouring countries that have had different development paths when it comes to culture and government. (I'm Canadian.)\nSpeaking of government: Civil resistance: what everyone needs to know by Erica Chenoweth. Seems violence/force is generally a less effective way to affect change in society than non-violence.\nThe week: a history of the unnatural rhythms that made us who we are by David Henkin. Seems that while seven days has been around for a long while, making it a really 'hard' structure/schedule around it is a more recent phenomenon than you'd expect.\nIf you have kids, Karen Le Billon's French kids eat everything (and yours can, too) and Getting to YUM: the 7 secrets of raising eager eaters, her husband is French and she lived there for a year and found many things done better there than US/CA. See also The happiest kids in the world: how Dutch parents help their kids and themselves by doing less by Acosta and Hutchison.\nFlying blind: the 737 MAX tragedy and the fall of Boeing by Peter Robison is an HN favourite. While we get a lot of engineer vs MBA comments, I think the bigger problem (associated with the MBA-types) is financialization, i.e., returns over everything else. Having non-engineers/MBAs can be 'fine' also long as trying to squeeze blood/money from a stone at the cost of everything else.\nSome philosophy with Alasdair C. MacIntyre: After Virtue is a good starting point. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/After_Virtue",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "After Virtue is a good starting point.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a starting point for philosophy.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630924,
          "author": "mbrock",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T18:57:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630924",
          "commentText": "Gödel, Escher, Bach awakened my intellectual curiosity about formal systems and other autistic modes of beauty as a teenager. After \"The Selfish Gene\" it was the first book I bought and read on my own volition, so I have to credit it as a major influence.\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs for showing that you can think rigorously and compose beautiful programs out of simple pieces.\nContingency, Irony, and Solidarity by Richard Rorty for showing that it's possible to think and feel about politics while maintaining a profoundly ironic and groundless mind.\nThe Body in Pain by Elaine Scarry for its beautiful view of civilization as materialized caring and of the inflicting of pain as metaphysically destructive.\nBeing-in-the-world by Dreyfus for introducing me to Heidegger and showing how continental philosophy inspired by Heidegger was a major force in the evolution of AI and how AI researchers tended to be influenced by rationalist philosophy in the vein of Descartes which leads to huge misunderstandings of the nature of being.\nDhammapada translated by Gil Fronsdal because it's a beautiful exposition of early Buddhist poetry and clearly shows the worldview of south east Asian Buddhism.\nDebt by David Graeber for making me interested in money and credit systems from an anthropological point of view.\nA Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace for being hilarious and sad and buzzing with neurotic perceptive overeducated thought in a way that mirrored my own precocious self-consciousness and made me feel less \"marooned in my own skull.\"\nThe Uses of Disorder by Richard Sennett for giving a defense of the anarchy of urban life that views conflict as necessary for growth.\nAfter Virtue by Alisdair MacIntyre for showing the contemporary situation in thought and ethics as profoundly abnormal and difficult, being the aftermath of the Enlightenment project's failure to ground morality in objective reason, and pointing to virtue within traditions as the only way to live coherently.\nThe Teachings of Huang-bo for being a merciless and hilarious attack on sanctimonious and ritualistic Buddhism, displaying the role of sarcasm and wit in spirituality, and generally just shouting \"wake up, lazy pretentious idiot\" on every page.\nFanged Noumena by Nick Land for diving deeply into amphetaminic insanity thus accurately mirroring the schizophrenia of postmodern capitalism.\nThe letters of Van Gogh.\nPhillip Lopate's personal essays.\nHyperobjects by Timothy Morton.\nOn the Origins of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "After Virtue by Alisdair MacIntyre for showing the contemporary situation in thought and ethics as profoundly abnormal and difficult",
          "reason": "Credits it with explaining the modern ethical condition and pointing to virtue within traditions as a way to live coherently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alasdair MacIntyre"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "virtue ethics",
        "ethics",
        "moral philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "against-method-5651e8",
      "title": "Against Method",
      "author": "Paul Feyerabend",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39064435,
          "author": "demondemidi",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-20T03:39:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39064435",
          "commentText": "Against Method by Paul Feyeraband\nCritical Path by buckminster fuller",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Against Method by Paul Feyeraband",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33799759,
          "author": "tolleydbg",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T12:30:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33799759",
          "commentText": "Against Method. I had an incredibly rigid understanding of how to do science that was more performative, but Feyerabend opened my mind to approaching my exploratory research in a more chaotic and creative manner.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Against Method.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped loosen a rigid, performative view of doing science and encouraged a more creative research approach.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Feyerabend"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "philosophy of science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "against-the-day-676706",
      "title": "Against the Day",
      "author": "Thomas Pynchon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9348243,
          "author": "bshimmin",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:30:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348243",
          "commentText": "I've been reading Pynchon's Against The Day for the better part of a decade now.  I'm hoping to finish it within the next three or four years.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I've been reading Pynchon's Against The Day for the better part of a decade now.",
          "reason": "Names the novel the commenter has been reading over several years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter hopes to finish it within the next few years.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5692079,
          "author": "JackGibbs",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T20:57:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5692079",
          "commentText": "Some authors and a rec or two for each.\nDFW - Infinite Jest\nPynchon - Really anything, but in particular Against the Day, V, and Gravity's Rainbow.\nRushdie - Shame and Satanic Verses, a lot of good other ones.\nNeal Stephenson - Cryptonomicon\nGaddis - JR, hence my name.\nHeller - Catch-22",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "in particular Against the Day",
          "reason": "Listed among the author's particular recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4968895,
          "author": "tucosan",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T11:27:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4968895",
          "commentText": "Seconded. \nI am surprised that there are not more of Pynchon's books in this thread.\n'Vineland' is an easy, humorous read. If you want to take Pynchon head on, I can't recommend 'Against the day' too much.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can't recommend 'Against the day' too much.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Pynchon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "postmodern fiction",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "against-the-grain-a-deep-history-of-the-earliest-states-528881",
      "title": "Against the Grain: A Deep History of the Earliest States",
      "author": "James C. Scott",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32937316,
          "author": "doitLP",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T11:13:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937316",
          "commentText": "Against the Grain by James C. Scott. Eye opening take on early stages in history\nThe entire Aubrey-Maturin series starting with Master and Commander. Exquisite writing, funny, interesting, deep characters and chock full of interesting philosophy and life observations. These books are my happy place: like most fans of the series I have read them all 5 times, which I have never done with another series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Against the Grain by James C. Scott. Eye opening take on early stages in history",
          "reason": "Praised as an eye-opening take on early history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30825842,
          "author": "starwind",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T00:59:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30825842",
          "commentText": "I'm a big fan of his most recent book Against the Grain",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "his most recent book Against the Grain",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are a big fan of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James C. Scott"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "agriculture",
        "early states",
        "state formation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "agent-to-the-stars-6fe3d3",
      "title": "Agent to the Stars",
      "author": "John Scalzi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25846738,
          "author": "Zanni",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T14:23:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25846738",
          "commentText": "Ted Chiang's Stories of Your Life and Others is the best, single-author collection of short stories I've ever read. If you like that, you might also enjoy The Lifecycle of Software Objects, an absolutely heartbreaking novella about simulated children, and his follow-up collection Exhalation.\nOrson Scott Card's Ender's Game is fantastic, and it's follow-up, Speaker for the Dead is even better, and my favorite science fiction novel of all time. They won back to back Hugo and Nebula awards. Card is a polarizing figure for his outspoken political opinions, but if ever the art should be separated from the artist, it's Speaker, which is an incredible exploration of empathy and responsibility, in addition to being a gripping, action-packed, science-literate read. Many more in this series, if you get into it.\nJohn Scalzi's Old Man's War series is fantastic, if you're into military science-fiction, or even if you're not. Smart, funny, engaging and accessible, and reminiscent of Heinlein at his prime, minus the weird incest fetish. Redshirts, a Star Trek parody, rivals Galaxy Quest and only falls short because Galaxy Quest is so goddamn brilliant. Agent to the Stars is less appreciated, but in my opinion his finest novel, rising way above its goofy premise by taking it seriously, exploring the consequences and treating the characters with empathy and respect. Also hilarious.\nSeconding Dune, which is a classic for a reason, and Stranger in a Strange Land (though I think The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is a better place to start with Heinlein). Also Neal Stephenson, though I'd suggest Cryptonomicon over Diamond Age.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "in my opinion his finest novel",
          "reason": "Calls it the author's finest novel and praises its treatment of characters and consequences.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Its premise is described as goofy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3987323,
          "author": "robotmay",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-17T15:13:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3987323",
          "commentText": "I'd highly recommend any Scalzi book. The Old Man's War trilogy is great, but if you're after something more light-hearted then The Android's Dream or Agent to the Stars are also great.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Agent to the Stars are also great",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a great, more lighthearted option.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for lighter science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Scalzi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "humor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "alamut-be02f4",
      "title": "Alamut",
      "author": "Vladimir Bartol",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17381932,
          "author": "cromulen",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T16:20:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17381932",
          "commentText": "Alamut by Vladimir Bartol\nWritten in 1030's by a Slovenian, it's a historical fiction novel set in the in 11th century what is now Iran. It tells the story of how a radical leader of an Islamic faction, based in the impenetrable mountain fortress \"Alamut\", manipulates young men into perfect obedience and turns them against his enemies through the use of drugs and a fake paradise full of women purporting to be heaven.\nIt is also one of the major inspirations for the Assassin's Creed series of games.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Alamut by Vladimir Bartol\nWritten in 1030's by a Slovenian, it's a historical fiction novel set in the in 11th century what is now Iran.",
          "reason": "Presents it as a historical fiction novel and explains its story and influence.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14750118,
          "author": "Bakary",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-12T04:26:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14750118",
          "commentText": "Roma Æterna - Robert Silverberg\nThe Happiness Hypothesis - Jonathan Haidt\nAlamut - Vladimir Bartol\nNon Stop - Brian Aldiss\nA fortune teller told me - Tiziano Terzani",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Alamut - Vladimir Bartol",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vladimir Bartol"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "assassin s creed inspiration",
        "assassins"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "alchemy-06b38e",
      "title": "Alchemy",
      "author": "Rory Sutherland",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21792743,
          "author": "Pandabob",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T22:24:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21792743",
          "commentText": "Annie Duke's \"Thinking in bets\" was pretty good as was Rory Sutherland's \"Alchemy\".\n\"Thinking in bets\" got me thinking about playing more imperfect information games. The obvious choice would be poker, but I've been wondering which modern video games are fun to play and are imperfect information games? Or at least have elements of those. Hearthstone?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rory Sutherland's \"Alchemy\".",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the commenter's favorite nonfiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20981721,
          "author": "arikr",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T07:08:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20981721",
          "commentText": "Alchemy by Rory Sutherland.\n\"Why is Red Bull so popular, though everyone—everyone!—hates the taste? Humans are, in a word, irrational, basing decisions as much on subtle external signals (that little blue can) as on objective qualities (flavor, price, quality). The surrounding world, meanwhile, is irreducibly complex and random. This means future success can’t be projected on any accounting spreadsheet. To strike gold, you must master the dark art and curious science of conjuring irresistible ideas: alchemy.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Alchemy by Rory Sutherland.",
          "reason": "Offered as a book in response to a request for good books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rory Sutherland"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marketing",
        "behavioral economics",
        "behavioral science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "algorithms-4th-edition-a9c775",
      "title": "Algorithms, 4th Edition",
      "author": "Robert Sedgewick and Kevin Wayne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29218148,
          "author": "dhanna",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T16:26:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29218148",
          "commentText": "Yes there’s lots of algorithm books! Too many to learn them all. I had an anxiety attack and bought most of the introductory algo books mentioned in CLRS chapter 1.\nI liked ALGS4 by Sedgewick as my introduction to Algorithms. I still refer to the Coursera course.  I actually started with CLRS and doubled back to ALGS4. I wish I did it in reverse order but it was still useful reading CLRS and refreshing my math skills.\nI would say grab a few and see which ones you like. CLRS, ALGS4, Algorithm Design Manual, and Algorithm Design by Kleinberg and Tardos are a good start. You can look in the bibliography of each books for more suggestions from the experts themselves.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I liked ALGS4 by Sedgewick as my introduction to Algorithms.",
          "reason": "The commenter liked it as their introduction to algorithms.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21318053,
          "author": "todd8",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T22:10:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21318053",
          "commentText": "I read Knuth's Volume 3, Searching and Sorting back in the 70's when I was a new grad student, it's great.\nI now own the second and latest edition of this volume, but it is now over 20 years old. I recommend all of Knuth's publications.\nIs Search and Sorting dated? Well, it is quite old. The fold out chart of tape merging patterns for different tape based sorting algorithms doesn't really come up very often anymore. It's been over 40 years since I've had to write programs that worked with mainframe tape drives.\nAlthough AVL trees are covered well, there is no coverage of red-black trees or splay-trees.\nHashing is covered extensively, but there is no discussion of more modern hash table methods (like Cuckoo Hashing or Robin Hood Hashing or the power of choice results).\nFurthermore, the basic hardware model used by Knuth in volume 3 assumes uniform costs for memory access. Cache sensitive algorithms aren't considered in volume 3 but are very important today.\nEven quicksort, which I learned by studying Volume 3, now has what I consider to be a more modern treatment in Sedgewick and Wayne's Algorithms, 4th Ed.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "now has what I consider to be a more modern treatment in Sedgewick and Wayne's Algorithms, 4th Ed.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a more modern treatment of quicksort.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comparison is specifically about quicksort.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Sedgewick",
        "Kevin Wayne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "data structures",
        "sorting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "allen-carr-s-easy-way-to-stop-smoking-3936b4",
      "title": "Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking",
      "author": "Allen Carr",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36429266,
          "author": "blakblakarak",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T08:03:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36429266",
          "commentText": "Probably not as profound as others here but ‘Allen Carr’s easy way to stop smoking’ - I quit 15 years ago and because the pub was a massive trigger for me I spent the evenings learning how to program which led to my career, saved enough money to go travelling around Asia for six months and discovered cycling.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "‘Allen Carr’s easy way to stop smoking’ - I quit 15 years ago",
          "reason": "The commenter associates the book with quitting smoking and subsequent life changes.",
          "audience": "People who want to quit smoking.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30739262,
          "author": "abhiyerra",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T01:46:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30739262",
          "commentText": "Used that book to quit myself",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Used that book to quit myself",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book helped them quit smoking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Allen Carr"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "smoking cessation",
        "addiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "alone-together-c7e1bb",
      "title": "Alone Together",
      "author": "Sherry Turkle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10786739,
          "author": "hackerbloos",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T02:19:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786739",
          "commentText": "I've just updated my list of books I read this year. Scores are out of 5. If there is a + it means I found it to be extra special for some reason or other.\n= Jan =\nSmarter Than You Think - Clive Thompson 3\nThe positives of tech and the internet.\n= Feb =\nSuper Sad True Love Story - Gary Shteyngart 4\nScience fiction set in the not too distant future. Main themes include life extension and surveillance.\n= Mar =\nThe HitchHiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams 4\nThe Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams 3\nHad never read this series, thought it might be about time.\n= Apr =\nWhat does it all Mean? - Thomas Nagel 2 (though it is kind of meant for people who have never done any Philosophy, ever, so would recommend to someone like that. Will pass it on to someone taking an interest in the subject)\nAn introduction to Philosophy.\nEarth - David Brin 5+\nScience fiction set in the not too distant future, written in the 90s. Really interesting themes / vision of post climate change world.\nSlaughterHouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut 5\nSemi autobiographical account of the bombing of Dresden in WW2. Really funny and clever ideas. Very good.\n= May =\nNick Cohen - What’s Left? 4\nAccount of how the left has degenerated since the collapse of the hard left and the winning of liberal battles e.g. LGBT rights. Basic premise is that those on the left hate the West and the status quo so much they stoop to allying themselves with anyone who also opposes the status quo.\n= June =\nPlato at the Googleplex: Why Philosophy won’t go away - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 5+\nPlato has somehow appeared in the 21st century and is doing a talk at Google! A really enjoyable account of how Plato’s philosophy could be applied to modern issues. Really good. I want to go to Athens.\n= July =\nThe Mind Body Problem - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 4\nNovel about a female philosophy student shagging around and philosophising about it.\nBelieving Bullshit - Stephen Law 4\nBook detailing the various tricks / schemes played by charlatans and how to avoid being taken in by them.\n= August =\n36 Arguments for the Existence of God: a work of fiction - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 3\nNovel about an academic and his mentor. It was ok.\n= September =\nThe Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams 3\nThink I’m done reading these for now, don’t feel the urge to finish the set.\nKafka - The Trial 5\nReally good. Love the surrealism - the nightmarish / dreamish-ness of it. Saw it in the Theatre as well after reading it, thought that was great too.\n= October =\n= November =\nExistence - David Brin 3\nNot as good as Earth. Glad I read that first. Interesting imagining of what form contact from alien life could take though. Also interesting look at existential risks. The main part I didn’t like was how it skipped forward in time 3 decades about 3/4s of the way through, I had thought the characters were a little weak in general up until then anyway, and then they were pretty much gone entirely at that point.\n= December =\nAlone Together - Sherry Turtle 4\nThe negatives of tech, robotics and the internet. Interesting and important read.\nImperium - Robert Harris 5\nFirst in the semi-fictional trilogy accounting the fall of the Roman Republic, told through the eyes of Cicero’s secretary, Tiro. Really good. The politics, the corruption, the ancient city really brought to life. Enhanced by having visited Rome in the Summer.\nAlso currently reading ‘Reclaiming Conversation’ by Sherry Turkle, an account of the negative affect being permanently tethered to the internet has on our conversations, our capacity for empathy and our relationships, and Nietzsche’s 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra'.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Alone Together - Sherry Turtle 4",
          "reason": "Rated 4 and called an interesting and important read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10533483,
          "author": "tjr",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T15:23:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10533483",
          "commentText": "Much enjoyed Sherry Turkle's Alone Together",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Much enjoyed Sherry Turkle's Alone Together",
          "reason": "Says they much enjoyed the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sherry Turkle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "technology and relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "american-caesar-douglas-macarthur-1880-1964-b69800",
      "title": "American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur 1880–1964",
      "author": "William Manchester",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21793119,
          "author": "AlexCoventry",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T23:26:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793119",
          "commentText": "William Manchester's American Caesar, a biography of Douglas MacArthur. Probably a bit too sympathetic to him, but fantastic writing.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "William Manchester's American Caesar, a biography of Douglas MacArthur. Probably a bit too sympathetic to him, but fantastic writing.",
          "reason": "Praised as fantastically written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The biography may be too sympathetic to MacArthur.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8258485,
          "author": "jdess",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T16:21:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8258485",
          "commentText": "The Masks of God series by Joseph Campbell - http://www.amazon.com/The-Masks-God-Vol-Primitive/dp/0140194... (http://www.amazon.com/The-Masks-God-Vol-Primitive/dp/0140194436)\nVarious myths and themes persist across religions, history and geography.\nAmerican Caesar - http://www.amazon.com/American-Caesar-Douglas-MacArthur-1880... (http://www.amazon.com/American-Caesar-Douglas-MacArthur-1880/dp/0316024740)\nBiography of MacArthur. Interesting for its disclosure of relationships between politics, the media and the military in the absence of real time communication.  Also, watch the death of Victorian values during the 20th century.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Biography of MacArthur. Interesting for its disclosure of relationships between politics, the media and the military",
          "reason": "Calls its account of relationships among politics, media, and the military interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Manchester"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "douglas macarthur",
        "military biography",
        "military history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "american-war-9b0f78",
      "title": "American War",
      "author": "Omar El Akkad",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665379,
          "author": "catacombs",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:45:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665379",
          "commentText": "> I was introduced to sci-fi last year and pretty much stuck to it throughout 2018.\nIf you're looking for additional science fiction suggestions:\n1. American War by Omar El Akkad\n2. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel\n3. Artemis by Andy Weir\n4. Daemon by Daniel Suarez\n5. Old Man's War by John Scalzi\n6. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch\n7. Red Rising series by Pierce Brown",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1. American War by Omar El Akkad",
          "reason": "Offered as an additional science fiction suggestion.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for additional science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536606,
          "author": "darthlucio",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:25:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536606",
          "commentText": "The Ted Chiang anthology is sooo good. Every story's premise was so unique - it blows my mind that one person can come up with so many out there ideas.\nI know OP wasn't looking for dystopias, but if you like Parable of the Sower, I recently read two excellent new scifi/dystopia books: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, and American War by Omar El Akkad. American War was really cool - it's by a journalist who covered military trials at Guantanamo Bay and the Arab Spring, who transposes the stories/atrocities he witnessed as a reporter onto the future US.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "American War by Omar El Akkad. American War was really cool",
          "reason": "Explicitly praised as really cool; the author’s reporting experience and the book’s future-US setting are also described.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Omar El Akkad"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopian fiction",
        "civil war",
        "future civil war"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "among-others-0f9c58",
      "title": "Among Others",
      "author": "Jo Walton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056623,
          "author": "moomin",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:42:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056623",
          "commentText": "You realize not a single person has mentioned a female author? Let's fix that:\nThe Long Tomorrow by Leigh Brackett\nThe Doomsday Book by Connie Willis\nAmong Others by Jo Walton\nFeed by Mira Grant\nThe Hunger Games!\nThe Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin\nGrass by Sheri S Tepper\nGate of Ivrael and Downbelow Station by CJ Cherryh\nAnd the fabulous space opera:\nAncillary Justice by Ann Leckie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Among Others by Jo Walton",
          "reason": "Listed as a sci-fi book in response to a favorites question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4967419,
          "author": "jlees",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T23:17:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967419",
          "commentText": "It Starts With Food was the book that has had the most significant impact on my life this year. Power, Speed, Endurance, which I recently got, has a shot at being the next most impactful.\nAmong Others was one of the most enjoyable fiction reads. Beautiful. Prep was also surprisingly good, and not something I would usually have read.\nLeading So People Will Follow surprisingly insightful and clearly actionable.\nThe Big Nerd Ranch's guide to iOS development carried me through last Christmas and the new year admirably. I haven't really read many programming books this year but it stands out as being well crafted.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Among Others was one of the most enjoyable fiction reads.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of their most enjoyable fiction reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jo Walton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coming of age",
        "fairy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-astronaut-s-guide-to-life-on-earth-3144ab",
      "title": "An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth",
      "author": "Chris Hadfield",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20982706,
          "author": "kalado",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T10:35:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20982706",
          "commentText": "Non-Fiction:\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman | \nbook on human rationality and irrationality\n- An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield\nFiction:\n- Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality | \nPetunia married a professor, and Harry grew up reading science and science fiction.\nhttp://www.hpmor.com/\n-  Off to Be the Wizard (Magic 2.0 Book 1) by Scott Meyer | \nReality is defined in a text file, making the protagonist a wizard when he discovers it while hacking a company.\n-  The Magicians (series) by Lev Grossman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Chris Hadfield",
          "reason": "Listed as a recent read in response to the request for good books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968565,
          "author": "saboot",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T00:28:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968565",
          "commentText": "An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth by Col. Chris Hadfield\nHadfield's description of the massive preparation that astronauts must go through to be cleared for space flight really shows how seemingly insurmountable tasks can be accomplished by determined individuals. I think it's valuable to understand that becoming an astronaut (or any other high skill profession) isn't through some magic process but is the result of years of keeping your nose to the grindstone.\nIt's full of many pragmatic life lessons (visualize failure, aim to be a zero) that are contrary to what many 'life gurus' espouse. A wonderful sigh of realism.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A wonderful sigh of realism.",
          "reason": "Praised for pragmatic life lessons and a realistic account of the preparation required to become an astronaut.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The lessons run contrary to what many 'life gurus' espouse.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6699050,
          "author": "Wezc",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-08T20:49:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6699050",
          "commentText": "I just bought the Chris Hadfield book \"An astronaut's guide to life on Earth\" :)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I just bought the Chris Hadfield book \"An astronaut's guide to life on Earth\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris Hadfield"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "astronaut memoir",
        "astronaut",
        "professional preparation",
        "spaceflight memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-elegant-puzzle-systems-of-engineering-management-87e682",
      "title": "An Elegant Puzzle: Systems of Engineering Management",
      "author": "Will Larson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33855581,
          "author": "squeegee_scream",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T17:23:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33855581",
          "commentText": "Will Larson’s An Elegant Puzzle https://lethain.com/elegant-puzzle/. It is mostly or entirely taken from his blog so you can just read the blog for free but I find the book valuable",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Will Larson’s An Elegant Puzzle",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book is valuable, though its material is mostly or entirely available on the author's blog.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mostly or entirely taken from the author's free blog.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32799346,
          "author": "kennend3",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-11T13:14:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32799346",
          "commentText": "Nice list.  I looked at \"An Elegant Puzzle: Systems of Engineering Management\" and think i found my next read so Thanks.\n+1 for Principles (disclaimer - I'm a former BW employee).\nHaving worked at several large banks it is clear to see how they would benefit from basic rules like \"no water cooler talk\" and a clearly documented culture.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I looked at \"An Elegant Puzzle: Systems of Engineering Management\" and think i found my next read so Thanks.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they plan to read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Will Larson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "engineering management",
        "technical leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-infinitely-large-napkin-cf1b62",
      "title": "An Infinitely Large Napkin",
      "author": "Evan Chen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23731207,
          "author": "itsshreyarora",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-04T09:31:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23731207",
          "commentText": "Informal math book called An Infinitely large Napkin is amazing for fun math",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Informal math book called An Infinitely large Napkin is amazing for fun math",
          "reason": "Recommends it for fun math.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21349669,
          "author": "jlebar",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T22:04:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21349669",
          "commentText": "I am very much enjoying Evan Chen's \"An Infinitely Large Napkin\".  https://venhance.github.io/napkin/Napkin.pdf\nI think this is in the spirit of Feynman's lectures inasmuch as it's not going to bring you to expert-level understanding, but it is going to do a good job giving you some intuitive understanding, which you might then be able to apply to re-studying the material in more detail.\nHe even takes pull requests, I fixed a few typos.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I am very much enjoying Evan Chen's \"An Infinitely Large Napkin\".",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are very much enjoying it and praises its intuitive explanations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it does not provide expert-level understanding and is useful for building intuition before studying topics in more detail.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Evan Chen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical intuition",
        "recreational mathematics",
        "visual mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-introduction-to-functional-programming-through-lambda-calculus-1d3484",
      "title": "An Introduction to Functional Programming Through Lambda Calculus",
      "author": "Greg Michaelson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33594159,
          "author": "smcl",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-14T14:14:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33594159",
          "commentText": "\"An Introduction to Functional Programming Through Lambda Calculus\" by Greg Michaelson - takes you on a journey from very basic lambda calculus, to how that evolves quite naturally into an ML-like language: https://www.macs.hw.ac.uk/~greg/books/gjm.lambook88.pdf\nWe covered lambda calculus at university (at HW actually) and I'd played with SML/NJ and OCaml before. But seeing the lambda calculus abstractions being constructed over and over to create numbers (which I'd covered) and types and things, then finally become recognisable as ML was a real \"ahaaa\" moment for me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"An Introduction to Functional Programming Through Lambda Calculus\" by Greg Michaelson",
          "reason": "Says its progression from lambda calculus to an ML-like language produced an “ahaaa” moment.",
          "audience": "Readers learning lambda calculus or functional programming.",
          "caveat": "The commenter had already studied lambda calculus and used SML/NJ and OCaml.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12099943,
          "author": "e19293001",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T10:25:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12099943",
          "commentText": "From my favorite author Anthony J. Dos Reis[0]\nIf you want to learn assembly language, computer architecture and C++ all at the same time: Assembly Language and Computer Architecture Using C++ and Java , Course Technology, 2004 [1]\nIf you want to learn how to write compilers, context free grammars, regular expressions and implement grep: Compiler Construction Using Java, JavaCC, and Yacc, IEEE/Wiley, 2012 [2]\nIf you want to learn functional programming, lambda calculus and LISP: An Introduction to Functional Programming Through Lambda Calculus by Greg Michaelson [3]\nMy programming skills had grown dramatically with this books. I would wholeheartedly recommend the books mentioned above for those who are interested to learn.\n[0] - http://cs.newpaltz.edu/~dosreist/\n[1] - https://www.amazon.com/Assembly-Language-Computer-Architectu... (https://www.amazon.com/Assembly-Language-Computer-Architecture-Using/dp/0534405274)\n[2] - https://www.amazon.com/Compiler-Construction-Using-Java-Java... (https://www.amazon.com/Compiler-Construction-Using-Java-JavaCC/dp/0470949597)\n[3] - https://www.cs.rochester.edu/~brown/173/readings/LCBook.pdf\n    - https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Functional-Programming-C... (https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Functional-Programming-Calculus-Mathematics/dp/0486478831)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An Introduction to Functional Programming Through Lambda Calculus by Greg Michaelson",
          "reason": "Recommended for learning functional programming, lambda calculus, and LISP.",
          "audience": "People interested in learning functional programming, lambda calculus, and LISP.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Greg Michaelson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "functional programming",
        "lambda calculus",
        "lisp"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-introduction-to-probability-theory-and-its-applications-3b3dd2",
      "title": "An Introduction to Probability Theory and Its Applications",
      "author": "William Feller",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7578513,
          "author": "harshreality",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T17:39:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578513",
          "commentText": "As mentioned in another subthread, Pugh's Real Mathematical Analysis is great, and better motivated than baby Rudin.\nWilf - Generatingfunctionology (CRC 3rd ed.; free 2nd ed. pdf[1])\nLovasz - Combinatorial Problems and Exercises (AMS Chelsea)\nThe classic probability book is Feller (2 vol), but it's absurdly priced.  There's also Sidney Resnick's Probability Path and Adventures in Stochastic Processes.  Grinstead & Snell - Introduction to Probability Theory is free[2], and there's also Chung's A Course in Probability Theory (Academic Press/Elsevier).\nDover publishes at least three good books on counterexamples and pathological cases: Counterexamples in {Analysis, Probability, Topology}\n[1] http://www.math.upenn.edu/~wilf/DownldGF.html\n[2] http://www.dartmouth.edu/~chance/teaching_aids/books_article... (http://www.dartmouth.edu/~chance/teaching_aids/books_articles/probability_book/book.html)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The classic probability book is Feller (2 vol), but it's absurdly priced.",
          "reason": "Describes it as the classic probability book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is absurdly priced.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 665250,
          "author": "sanand",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T15:10:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665250",
          "commentText": "My recommendations:\nHardy, A Course of Pure Mathematics.\nKnuth, Graham and Patashnik, Concrete Mathematics.\nHoffman and Kunze, Linear Algebra (there are several free online books on Linear Algebra and Vector Spaces, Strang, Axler, Lang Halmos and Shilov are also recommended).\nFeller, An Introduction to Probability Theory and Its Applications.\nIf you're not studying for exams and you have plenty of time on your hands, try the following algorithm: \n1. Dive into some random chapter in the book and attempt the first exercise in that chapter.\n2. Understand the problem by referring back and learning everything that might potentially have relevance to the exercise.\n3. Attempt to solve exercise.  \n4. If unsuccessful, go to step 2.\n5. If there are more exercises in the chapter, pick the next exercise and go to step 2.\n6. If there are still unsolved exercises in the book, go to step 1.\nInitially, this can cause excruciating pain and frustration.  But every exercise is a little research problem and soon -- if you are the curious type who cannot rest until you have got to the bottom of a problem -- you'll find you've mastered the subject faster than you would have learnt its elements, had you taken a formal classroom course.  The most important benefit of this method is that it will train you in some modes of thinking that are crucial in research.  Think of it as callisthenics for problem solving type of research!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Feller, An Introduction to Probability Theory and Its Applications.",
          "reason": "Included in a list introduced as “My recommendations.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Feller"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "probability theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "anabasis-fb50e1",
      "title": "Anabasis",
      "author": "Xenophon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8125674,
          "author": "spindritf",
          "createdAt": "2014-08-02T19:11:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 8125375,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I save for offline reading during 5 weeks without Internet?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8125674",
          "commentText": "Read books you always wanted but wouldn't get around to with all the distractions available at home. Be it classics, political theory, maybe something light and scientific? Generally, whatever doesn't require additional materials.\nHere are some titles of that kind I enjoyed.\nAnabasis by Xenophon\nHeart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad\nAntifragile by Nassim Taleb\nLearned Optimism by Martin Seligman\nThe Son also Rises by Gregory Clark",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anabasis by Xenophon",
          "reason": "Included among titles the commenter says they enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 456866,
          "author": "pg",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T18:45:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456866",
          "commentText": "Along with the Anabasis and Caesar's Gallic Wars, I particularly recommend Johnnie Johnson's Wing Leader, Hanson's Western Way of War, and Oman's Art of War in the Middle Ages.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Along with the Anabasis and Caesar's Gallic Wars,",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter particularly recommends.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in military history and warfare.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Xenophon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military history",
        "ancient greece",
        "ancient warfare"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "and-then-there-were-none-eacece",
      "title": "And Then There Were None",
      "author": "Agatha Christie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39249377,
          "author": "jascination",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T11:19:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249377",
          "commentText": "For whatever reason I've suddenly gotten deep into murder mystery books. In the last 3 weeks I've read a bunch of Agatha Christie classics:\n- The Murder of Roger Ackroyd\n- And then there were none\n- Evil under the sun\nAll brilliant in their own right but the first is a masterpiece. Don't google any of these because spoilers come up, but I've had a lot more fun and been a lot more active reading than I have in years.\nLast year I read two books, this year I've read 3 books in January and have thoroughly enjoyed it way more than my usual nights of watching Netflix.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All brilliant in their own right",
          "reason": "The commenter praises it as brilliant.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter warns that online searches may reveal spoilers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35724796,
          "author": "eesmith",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-27T08:12:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 35710671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell still a recommended read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35724796",
          "commentText": "I don't think there's much evidence to support your viewpoint.\nMost books don't age well.\nI tried to read Baum's \"The Woggle-Bug Book\" a few years ago, and found its humor, rooted in old ethnic stereotypes, totally un-enjoyable. It did not age well.\nWhile the Hardy Boy books I enjoyed as a kid wouldn't have been so wildly popular had they kept the original text. (\"From 1959 to 1973, the first 38 books were extensively revised, largely to remove depictions of racial stereotypes\" says Wikipedia.)\nOne of the most popular Agatha Christie novels is \"And Then There Were None\". That was \"re-published to align with the political zeitgeist\" so much they even changed the title and the name of the island. Most people have read the re-aligned version, not the original version.\nAnd as I learned recently, \"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory\" was \"re-published to align with the political zeitgeist\" in the 1970s, due to complaints by the NAACP and others that the Oompa-Loompas were African Pygmies. The re-write made them white, and the movie made them orange. The re-aligned version has outsold the original version.\nAlso in the 1970s, Geisel (\"Dr. Seuss\") edited \"And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street\" to change how it describes and portrays a Chinese man. That book continues to be sold.\nCarnegie's \"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" was revised in the 1981 edition to reflect the new feminist zeitgeist. For examples, \"insurance man\" was replaced with \"insurance agent\", and \"leadership gravitates to the man who can talk\" changed to \"leadership gravitates to the person who can talk\". It also dropped the section on marriage. (\"Never get married until you have kissed the Blarney Stone. Praising a woman before marriage is a matter of inclination. But praising one after you marry her is a matter of necessity — and personal safety.\") The preface to the 1981 edition points out how \"Carnegie himself was a tireless reviser of his own work during his lifetime\" and would have made changes because he was \"sensitive to the changing currents of present-day life\".\nWhile not \"tons of books\", the fact that I - with little knowledge of book publishing history - can point to several counter-examples, suggests that there are a lot more popular books out there which were updated to the modern zeitgeist.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "One of the most popular Agatha Christie novels is \"And Then There Were None\".",
          "reason": "Cites its title and island name being changed in a re-publication.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The title and island name were changed in a revised edition.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803166,
          "author": "john-radio",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T14:24:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803166",
          "commentText": "\"And Then There Were None\" by Agatha Christie\n\"The Left Hand of Darkness\" by Ursula Le Guin\n\"This Is How You Lose The Time War\" by Amal El-Mohtar\n\"Priestdaddy\" by Patricia Lockwood\n\"Black Leopard, Red Wolf\" by Marlon James\n\"Consider Phlebas,\" and maybe the rest of The Culture series of novels, by Iain Banks",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"And Then There Were None\" by Agatha Christie",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18663282,
          "author": "bun_at_work",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:22:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663282",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction:\n- Factfulness by Hans Rosling\n- The War on Science by Shawn Otto\n- Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell\n- A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson\n- The Storm Before the Storm by Mike Duncan\n- The Enigma of Reason by Hugo Mercier\nFiction:\n- And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie\n- The Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson\n- The Magicians by Lev Grossman\nThe non-fiction books were all incredible and highly recommended. I especially appreciate The War on Science as it is highly relevant in today's polarized and emotional political climate.\nThe fiction books were good, for the most part. However, The Magicians might be the worst book I have ever read, not limited to fiction or fantasy. For more on that, ask.\nI managed to read significantly more books this year due to joining an at-work book club, which has been very nice.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The fiction books were good, for the most part.",
          "reason": "Included among the fiction books the commenter describes as good for the most part.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter qualifies their positive view of the fiction list as a whole.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17383081,
          "author": "vram22",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T19:51:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17383081",
          "commentText": "How about Agatha Christie and P.G. Wodehouse novels (fiction)? Asking, not saying (whether they are relatively unknown in the US). They are very popular in India, and of course must be so in the UK, since both authors were from there.\nA lot of subtle humor (British-style, mainly about the aristocracy's ways, but fun to read) in the Wodehouse books. And Christie has many good novels in the detective genre. I actually don't find many detective novels good in the literal sense of being good stories about detection of crime, I like them more for the descriptions, conversation and atmosphere.\nThese stats for Christie from Wikipedia are impressive:\n[ Guinness World Records lists Christie as the best-selling novelist of all time. Her novels have sold roughly 2 billion copies, and her estate claims that her works come third in the rankings of the world's most-widely published books,[5] behind only Shakespeare's works and the Bible. According to Index Translationum, she remains the most-translated individual author – having been translated into at least 103 languages.[6] And Then There Were None is Christie's best-selling novel, with 100 million sales to date, making it the world's best-selling mystery ever, and one of the best-selling books of all time. ]",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "And Then There Were None is Christie's best-selling novel",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a factual example of Christie's bestselling work; no personal endorsement is expressed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Agatha Christie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mystery",
        "crime fiction",
        "closed circle mystery",
        "detective fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "andrew-carnegie-63bb35",
      "title": "Andrew Carnegie",
      "author": "David Nasaw",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910521,
          "author": "adventured",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:53:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910521",
          "commentText": "In no particular order.\nEmpires of Light, by Jonnes. Titan, by Chernow. The Wright Brothers, by McCullough. His Excellency, by Ellis. The Wizard of Menlo Park, by Stross. I Invented the Modern Age, by Snow. Dealers of Lightning, by Hiltzik. Margin of Safety, by Klarman. Masters of Doom, by Kushner. Andrew Carnegie, by Nasaw. Infidel, by Hirsi Ali. Buffett, by Lowenstein. Where Wizards Stay Up Late, by Hafner. Shoe Dog, by Knight. The Making of the Atomic Bomb, by Rhodes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Andrew Carnegie, by Nasaw.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15158189,
          "author": "austenallred",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T21:01:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15158189",
          "commentText": "Yes. And the Carnegie biography by Nasaw is long but very good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Carnegie biography by Nasaw is long but very good.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes the biography as very good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it is long.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Nasaw"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "andrew carnegie",
        "industrial history",
        "industrialists"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "angel-46a049",
      "title": "Angel",
      "author": "Jason Calacanis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910210,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:25:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910210",
          "commentText": "- \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies\" - probably the most influential book I've read in my life, profoundly changed the way I think. It's a collection of LessWrong essays on science and rationality.\n- \"On Intelligence\" and \"I am a Strange Loop\" - how mind works.\n- \"Rework\", \"Zero to One\", \"Start Small, Stay Small\" - insightful startup advice.\n- Fun autobiographies: Ghost in the Wires (Kevin Mitnick), iWoz (Steve Wozniak), Catch me if you can (Frank Abagnale), Just for Fun (Linus Torvalds), Elon Musk, Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\n- How companies work: Creativity Inc (Pixar), In the Plex (Google)\n- On writing: Art of fiction/nonfiction by Ayn Rand, Story by Robert McKee, Save the Cat, Step by Step to Standup Comedy.\n- Other: The Selfish Gene, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Serious Creativity, Hackers & Painters, Hacking Growth, Angel (on angel investing, by Jason Calacanis).\nAlso collections of essays by Paul Graham [1] and Scott Alexander [2]:\n[1] https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%20Complete%20Essays.epub?dl=0)\n[2] https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of%20Scott%20Alexandria%20-%20Scott%20Alexander.epub?dl=0)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Angel (on angel investing, by Jason Calacanis).",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15019235,
          "author": "aloukissas",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T15:41:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15019235",
          "commentText": "- Angel by Jason Calacanis (fantastic info + entertaining)\n- Venture Deals 3rd Ed by Brad Feld & Jason Mendelson (must read for startup founders raising)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Angel by Jason Calacanis (fantastic info + entertaining)",
          "reason": "Calls it informative and entertaining.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14860017,
          "author": "kirk211",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:31:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14860017",
          "commentText": "* Angel by Jason Calacanis about angel investing. (http://amzn.to/2eOqkyn)\n* Tools of Titans by Tim Ferris (http://amzn.to/2uYv9LH)\n* Softwar about Larry Ellison (http://amzn.to/2uYHHmf)\n* Wild ride about Uber (http://amzn.to/2eOqrdh)\n* Social Intelligence: the new science of human relationships (http://amzn.to/2uYGueV)\n* Rereading - Letters to shareholders by Warren Buffett (http://amzn.to/2h3xFe0)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Angel by Jason Calacanis about angel investing.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jason Calacanis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "angel investing",
        "startups",
        "venture capital"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "angelmaker-b2bbda",
      "title": "Angelmaker",
      "author": "Nick Harkaway",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8110135,
          "author": "XaspR8d",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T18:38:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8110135",
          "commentText": "3D Shape: Its Unique Place in Visual Perception by Zygmunt Pizlo. (I studied human gesture briefly in college so it caught my eye at a used book store. Pretty good cognitive science survey so far. Haven't gotten to the CS part yet, but I'm not knowledgeable in computer vision anyway so I couldn't really review it from that perspective.)\nQuantum Computing and Quantum Information by Michael Nielsen and Isaac Chuang. (Beastly book. I actually find it to be a pretty well-written introduction so far, but I just barely have the background to plod through it.)\nHocus Pocus by Kurt Vonnegut. (S.O. loves Vonnegut, so I'm working my way through his collection. Great so far, though I don't always have the patience for goofy midwestern people humor, despite being a midwesterner myself.)\nAlif the Unseen by G Willow Wilson. (Only a few pages in, but I have a weakness for fantasy-in-modern-day-setting novels and it came on a recommendation from a friend outside of the genre. On a similar note, I strongly recommend both of Nick Harkaway's novels, Angelmaker and Gone-Away World, which I recently reread.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I strongly recommend both of Nick Harkaway's novels, Angelmaker and Gone-Away World",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it alongside Gone-Away World.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The recommendation is based on the commenter's recent reread.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4788155,
          "author": "kaipakartik",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T12:03:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4788155",
          "commentText": "I quite liked the following\n1) Angelmaker\n2) Gone away world\n3) The Hobbit\n4) Fables the comic seriers\nNon fiction\n1) Steve Jobs\n2) Thinking fast and slow\nHave a look http://blog.kaipakartik.com for the books I enjoyed reading",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1) Angelmaker",
          "reason": "Listed after the commenter says they quite liked the following books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nick Harkaway"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "speculative fiction",
        "spy fiction",
        "thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "animal-liberation-8dafd5",
      "title": "Animal Liberation",
      "author": "Peter Singer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13970668,
          "author": "SwellJoe",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T19:03:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13970668",
          "commentText": "Animal Liberation by Peter Singer.\nI read it over 20 years ago. I've been a vegetarian/vegan ever since. There were probably other things I read or saw that contributed to the decision, but that was, I think, the primary catalyst.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "that was, I think, the primary catalyst.",
          "reason": "The commenter identifies it as the primary catalyst for becoming vegetarian or vegan.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes other things may also have contributed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8125663,
          "author": "Jacobs",
          "createdAt": "2014-08-02T19:06:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 8125375,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I save for offline reading during 5 weeks without Internet?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8125663",
          "commentText": "Animal liberation by Peter Singer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Animal liberation by Peter Singer.",
          "reason": "Offered as a title to read in response to the request for offline reading suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Singer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "animal ethics",
        "animal rights"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "anne-of-green-gables-5e7092",
      "title": "Anne of Green Gables",
      "author": "L. M. Montgomery",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20919826,
          "author": "timbit42",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T16:48:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20919826",
          "commentText": "Anne of Green Gables",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anne of Green Gables",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337611,
          "author": "veddox",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T12:13:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337611",
          "commentText": "\"Anne of Green Gables\" and its sequels. I love the simple, every-day stories LM Montgomery writes and her philosophy of life that shines through. The first reminds me of the way I grew up and the second has often inspired me. I also love the way she sees beauty in everything, and how she conveys that in her prose.\nThese are the books I turn to when I am depressed or stressed or just fed up with life in general :-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Anne of Green Gables\" and its sequels",
          "reason": "The commenter loves its everyday stories, life philosophy, prose, and beauty.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968574,
          "author": "Kroem3r",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T00:30:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968574",
          "commentText": "The Great Tranformation by Karl Polanyi, wikibooks.org/wiki/An_Awk_Primer, and just finished Anne of Green Gables",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "just finished Anne of Green Gables",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "L. M. Montgomery"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coming of age",
        "canadian literature",
        "classic literature",
        "comfort reads"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "anti-oedipus-118753",
      "title": "Anti-Oedipus",
      "author": "Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10786987,
          "author": "jaylitt",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T03:40:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786987",
          "commentText": "\"Debt: The First 5000 Years\" David Graeber\n\"Kokoro\" Natsume Soseki\n\"The Politics of Dialogical Imagination\" Hirano Katsuya\n\"History and Repetition\" Karatani Kojin\n\"The Structure of World History\" Karatani Kojin\n\"Anti-Oedipus\" Gilles Deleuze & Felix Guattari\n\"Before the Dawn: Recovering the Lost History of Our Ancestors\" Nicholas Wade\n\"Capital, Volume I\" Karl Marx\nThese books have been the most informative and thought-provoking for me this year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Anti-Oedipus\" Gilles Deleuze & Felix Guattari",
          "reason": "Included among the year's most informative and thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2150003,
          "author": "sedachv",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T23:13:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2150003",
          "commentText": "Deleuze and Guattari's Anti-Oedipus. It changed the way I think about sanity and insanity, my model of the mind and motivational forces, the \"big-picture\" view of economics, how government works, how psychiatry works, and the way media affects us.\nIMO it's treatment of desire (from a negative (lack) to a positive (thought production machine); relationship of desired object to its platonic object desire; how desire is generated) is a great framework for advertising and product development.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It changed the way I think about sanity and insanity, my model of the mind and motivational forces, the \"big-picture\" view of economics, how government works, how psychiatry works, and the way media affects us.",
          "reason": "Says it changed their thinking across psychology, economics, government, psychiatry, and media.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "psychoanalysis",
        "desire",
        "schizoanalysis",
        "social theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "anything-you-want-8a1cfd",
      "title": "Anything You Want",
      "author": "Derek Sivers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41553572,
          "author": "nprateem",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-16T07:20:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41553572",
          "commentText": "This is from \"Anything You Want\" by Derek Sivers.\nTake what he says with a pinch of salt. He stumbled across an idea with high PMF, so a lot of what he writes is due to survivorship bias and luck.\nIf people are knocking your door down for your product you can afford to make mistakes. It also doesn't mean your advice is worth much since there's little guarantee you can repeat your success.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "This is from \"Anything You Want\" by Derek Sivers.",
          "reason": "Discusses the book's advice and cautions readers to account for survivorship bias and luck.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Sivers's success involved luck and high product-market fit, so advice may not be repeatable.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13258390,
          "author": "alc90",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-26T14:47:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13258390",
          "commentText": "My goal for this year was to read 10 books. Not a huge challenge but I'm happy I managed to complete it. I'm currently at my 16th book - so I might say that's pretty good.\nHere's my 2016 reading list:\n#1. Zero to One - Peter Thiel - 3.5*\n#2. The Alchemis - Paulo Coelho - 3.5*\n#3. Founders at Work - Jessica Livingston - 3*\n#4. Traction - Gabriel Weinberg - 4.5*\n#5. How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie -4*\n#6. Reinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations... - Frederic Laloux, Ken Wilber - 4*\n#7. Daily Rituals: How Artists Work - Mason Currey - 3*\n#8. Rich Dad, Poor Dad - Robert T. Kiyosak - 3*\n#9. The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs... - Eric Ries - 4.5*\n#10. Meaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly - Bernadette Jiwa - 3*\n#11. Elon Musk: Inventing the Future - Ashlee Vance - 4*\n#12. Rework - Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson - 4.5*\n#13. Anything You Want - Derek Sivers - 4.5*\n#14. South of the Border, West of the Sun - Haruki Murakami - 3.5*\n#15. As A Man Thinketh / The Path Of Prosperity - James Allen - 4*\nCurrently I'm reading If This Is a Man / The Truce by Primo Levi - and so far it seems to be one of the top 3 books I've read this year - definitely a 4+* book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "#13. Anything You Want - Derek Sivers - 4.5*",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395837,
          "author": "fduran",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T14:37:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395837",
          "commentText": "\"The snowball: Warren Buffett and the business of life\"\n\"The autobiography of Benjamin Franklin\"\n\"The toilet paper entrepreneur\"\n\"The lean startup\"\n\"Anything you want\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Anything you want\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Derek Sivers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "founder advice"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "apology-c5a857",
      "title": "Apology",
      "author": "Plato",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42977269,
          "author": "atmosx",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-07T20:44:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42977269",
          "commentText": "Plato’s “Apology”.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Plato’s “Apology”.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467743,
          "author": "wazoox",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:56:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467743",
          "commentText": "The book I've reread the most is The Odyssey. For a long time, I've read it once every year.\nAnother book I've read many times is Eco's Foucault's Pendulum.\nI've read Asimov's cycle of Foundation many times. Don't know how many, actually.\nI've also read several times some philosophy classics, particularly Plato's Symposium, Phaedrus, Apology and Republic.\nThen there are many books that I've read at least twice, almost all considered classics (from 1984 to LoTR, Great expectations to Tom Sawyer, Crime and punishment to Twenty thousand leagues under the sea, etc).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "particularly Plato's Symposium, Phaedrus, Apology and Republic.",
          "reason": "Named as one of the philosophy classics the commenter reread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Plato"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "platonic dialogue",
        "socrates",
        "socratic philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "applied-economics-b9d937",
      "title": "Applied Economics",
      "author": "Thomas Sowell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12563071,
          "author": "thr0waway1239",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T08:13:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12563071",
          "commentText": "Thomas Sowell books which stay within the boundaries of economics are all excellent and very readable. I also recommend Applied Economics - which is more practical than Basic Economics.\nA funny and probably relevant piece from Joel Spolsky:\n\"Super quick review if you haven't taken any economics courses: econ is one of those fields that starts off with a bang, with many useful theories and facts that make sense, can be proven in the field, etc., and then it's all downhill from there. The useful bang at the beginning is microeconomics, which is the foundation for literally every theory in business that matters. After that things start to deteriorate: you get into Macroeconomics (feel free to skip this if you want) with its interesting theories about things like the relationship of interest rates to unemployment which, er, seem to be disproven more often than they are proven, and after that it just gets worse and worse and a lot of econ majors switch out to Physics, which gets them better Wall Street jobs, anyway. But make sure you take Microeconomics, because you have to know about supply and demand, you have to know about competitive advantage, and you have to understand NPVs and discounting and marginal utility before you'll have any idea why business works the way it does.\"\nhttp://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/CollegeAdvice.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also recommend Applied Economics - which is more practical than Basic Economics.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it as more practical than Basic Economics.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a practical introduction to economics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1465036,
          "author": "Shmulkey",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T05:49:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1465036",
          "commentText": "Economics in One Lesson by Hazlitt: http://jim.com/econ/, http://www.fee.org/pdf/books/Economics_in_one_lesson.pdf\nBasic Economics by Thomas Sowell\nApplied Economics by Thomas Sowell\nFree to Choose by Milton Friedman (video series, too)\nUse of Knowledge in Society by Hayek (short, non-technical paper which is full of brilliant insights): http://www.econlib.org/library/Essays/hykKnw1.html\nNot a book, but the Econtalk podcast is fantastic: http://www.econtalk.org/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Applied Economics by Thomas Sowell",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Sowell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "applied economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "aramis-or-the-love-of-technology-0c8099",
      "title": "Aramis, or the Love of Technology",
      "author": "Bruno Latour",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39058152,
          "author": "morelisp",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T17:25:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39058152",
          "commentText": "Aramis, or the Love of Technology.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Aramis, or the Love of Technology.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36601648,
          "author": "HillRat",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:20:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601648",
          "commentText": "Lots of options out there. A few from my bookshelf: Bijker's \"Of Bicycles, Bakelites, and Bulbs\" is a case-study-centric work that seeks to build a general theory of STS. Nye's \"Technology Matters\" is less a work of theory than a critique that poses core questions about how society should seek to integrate technical advances. Latour's \"Science in Action,\" \"Reassembling the Social,\" and \"Aramis\" are great examples of his approach to whole-of-system analysis of sociotechnical systems. Rogers' \"Diffusion of Innovation\" is a classic work theorizing how innovation is communicated through social networks.\nMIT Press has a wide variety of books that cover specific topics in history, most of which have great theoretic interest: Agar's \"The Government Machine,\" dealing with the evolution of technology and expertise within the UK government; Medina's \"Cybernetic Revolutionaries,\" about Beer's Cybersyn project; and Ensmenger's \"The Computer Boys Take Over,\" about the cultural development of the \"programmer,\" are all great reads.\nAlso, you can look beyond pure technology for interesting adjacencies: for example, Schatz's \"The Genius of the System\" describes how changes in technology and management production radically upended Hollywood, resulting in the studio system that dominated from the 1930s through the 1950s, while Harris' \"Pictures at a Revolution\" picks up the pieces at the end of that system, discussing the rise of \"New Hollywood,\" driven by cultural and technical (particularly the French use of inexpensive filming technologies to create the New Wave) forces.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and \"Aramis\" are great examples of his approach to whole-of-system analysis of sociotechnical systems.",
          "reason": "Described as a strong example of whole system analysis of sociotechnical systems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruno Latour"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "engineering",
        "science and technology studies",
        "sociotechnical systems",
        "technology studies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "arguably-essays-c1dfa9",
      "title": "Arguably: Essays",
      "author": "Christopher Hitchens",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8528127,
          "author": "jordanpg",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-29T16:35:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 8528058,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Book Has the Most Page-for-Page Wisdom?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8528127",
          "commentText": "- The Open Society and Its Enemies by Karl Popper\n- Writings on an Ethical Life by Peter Singer\n- Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas R. Hofstadter\n- Arguably: Essays by Christopher Hitchens",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Arguably: Essays by Christopher Hitchens",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6417665,
          "author": "jdrenterprises",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-20T13:49:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6417665",
          "commentText": "\"Arguably Essays\" by Christopher Hitchens\n\"Letters to a Young Contrarian\" by the same.\nand \"Unpopular Essays\" by Bertrand Russell.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Arguably Essays\" by Christopher Hitchens",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher Hitchens"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "essays",
        "politics",
        "literary criticism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "artemis-fowl-c4814d",
      "title": "Artemis Fowl",
      "author": "Eoin Colfer",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34637920,
          "author": "xedrac",
          "createdAt": "2023-02-03T06:45:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 34634274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books your kids like most",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34637920",
          "commentText": "\"The Twits\" was a favorite of my younger kids.  I recently read \"The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe\" to them, and they loved it.  Of course we had to make Turkish Delight after learning about it in the book.  Other winners include:  Redwall series, The Wingfeather Saga, Artemis Foul series, The Phantom Toll Booth.  But 4 is a bit young for those.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Artemis Foul series",
          "reason": "The commenter includes the series among other winners, then says the listed books may be too old for a four-year-old.",
          "audience": "Older children",
          "caveat": "The commenter says four is a bit young for it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86199,
          "author": "Darmani",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T03:31:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86199",
          "commentText": "This Perfect Day by Ira Levin (out of print, yet much more worthwhile in my opinion than other dystopic novels)\nGuns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond\nThe Books of the Fey by Kristine Kathryn Rusch\nArtemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer\nThe Deathgate Cycle by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the thread’s question about favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eoin Colfer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure",
        "children s fantasy",
        "children s literature",
        "fairies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "assembly-language-step-by-step-89c08d",
      "title": "Assembly Language, Step by Step",
      "author": "Jeff Duntemann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34416754,
          "author": "numbsafari",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-17T18:43:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 34412069,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach programming by building a series of small projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34416754",
          "commentText": "“Programming BASIC Adventure Games for the TRS-80”\n“Assembly Language, Step by Step”\nCheck those out.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Assembly Language, Step by Step”",
          "reason": "Suggested as a book to check out in response to a request for project-based programming books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4352260,
          "author": "no_one",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-07T20:57:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 4351898,
          "threadTitle": "Best book for x86 assembly (linux)",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4352260",
          "commentText": "Thank You. I'll start with Bartlett and then continue with Duntemann insha-allah.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "continue with Duntemann",
          "reason": "The commenter plans to continue with Duntemann after Bartlett.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeff Duntemann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "assembly language",
        "linux",
        "programming",
        "x86 assembly"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "at-the-mountains-of-madness-a856aa",
      "title": "At the Mountains of Madness",
      "author": "H. P. Lovecraft",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32197730,
          "author": "slotrans",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:12:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197730",
          "commentText": "I've been trying to read The Phoenix Project but it just fills me with rage.\nI took a break to read At The Mountains Of Madness. That made me feel a little better by comparison.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I took a break to read At The Mountains Of Madness. That made me feel a little better by comparison.",
          "reason": "The commenter reads it as a break and says it made them feel better by comparison.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comparison is with a book that fills the commenter with rage.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14859910,
          "author": "korijn",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:22:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859910",
          "commentText": "Necronomicon: The Best Weird Tales of H. P. Lovecraft\nScience fiction and thrilling horror. Unique style. I recommend At The Mountains Of Madness. This man knows how to keep up suspense.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend At The Mountains Of Madness.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "H. P. Lovecraft"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cosmic horror",
        "antarctica",
        "weird fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "athens-and-jerusalem-61ed58",
      "title": "Athens and Jerusalem",
      "author": "Lev Shestov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43612543,
          "author": "ferguess_k",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T15:21:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43612543",
          "commentText": "A short list of books that cost some candles after I reached 40 (has been very picky about books since then). I not only read them into late night but also went back to them whenever I need some mental boost.\n- The Soul of a New Machine\n- Showstoppers\n- iWoz\n- Athens and Jerusalem (Shestov)\nI'm devouring many F & SFs (right now reading Arthur Clarke) but so far nothing really sticks. A lot of them are interesting but I'm keeping counting the pages I read. I used to burn candles reading them back in the day, but the magic was lost. I'm going to try out some recommendations I got on HN and see what happens.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Athens and Jerusalem (Shestov)",
          "reason": "Included in the short list of books the commenter rereads for a mental boost.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36433238,
          "author": "markus_zhang",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T15:05:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36433238",
          "commentText": "\"Brother Karamazov\", \"Jean-Christophe\" and \"Athens and Jerusalem\".\nI come back to these books from time to time. All three give me some kind of inner peace or more mental strength.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Athens and Jerusalem\"",
          "reason": "The commenter returns to the book for inner peace or mental strength.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lev Shestov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "existentialism",
        "religion",
        "religion and philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "average-is-over-88d012",
      "title": "Average Is Over",
      "author": "Tyler Cowen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20986331,
          "author": "oceanghost",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T17:17:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20986331",
          "commentText": "\"Average is Over\" by Tyler Cowen. It maybe isn't revolutionary, but it tied up a LOT of loose ends in my head about where we are and where things are most likely headed.\nHis thesis statement is that scientific and social progress is now largely in the hands of AI and that those best able to utilize those technologies to augment their decisions, and everyone else will suffer.\nI think he overestimates AI in the short term, but in the long term, I don't see how he's wrong. I've started to study AI again (having worked in an AI lab 20 years ago).\nFrom Wikipeida:\nCowen forecasts that modern economies are delaminating into two groups: a small minority of highly educated people who are capable of working collaboratively with automated systems will become a wealthy aristocracy; the vast majority will earn little or nothing, surviving on low-priced goods created by the first group, living in shantytowns working with highly automated production systems.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Average is Over\" by Tyler Cowen. It maybe isn't revolutionary, but it tied up a LOT of loose ends in my head",
          "reason": "Says it clarified many questions for them, while noting it may not be revolutionary and that Cowen may overestimate AI in the short term.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter thinks Cowen overestimates AI in the short term.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13805675,
          "author": "bynkman",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T20:13:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805675",
          "commentText": "Average is Over by Tyler Cowen. About educated middle class workers working with collaborative automated systems vs non-educated and a changing society.\nWho Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson. An allegory about how our modern jobs are changing.\nMindset by Carol Dweck. About the belief of fixed mindset vs a growth or learning mindset, and the effects of both.\nThe Icarus Deception by Seth Godin. How our industrial (conformity) economy has evolved into a connection (post-industrial) economy, and what it takes to survive in this new world.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Average is Over by Tyler Cowen. About educated middle class workers working with collaborative automated systems vs non-educated and a changing society.",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about books that changed one’s worldview and describes its subject.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tyler Cowen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "automation",
        "future of work"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "avogadro-corp-the-singularity-is-closer-than-it-appears-9f04df",
      "title": "Avogadro Corp: The Singularity Is Closer Than It Appears",
      "author": "William Hertling",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11700009,
          "author": "ohazi",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-15T08:11:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11700009",
          "commentText": "Avogadro Corp: The Singularity is Closer than it Appears by William Hertling, as well as the other three books in the series.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Avogadro-Corp-Singularity-Closer-Appe... (https://www.amazon.com/Avogadro-Corp-Singularity-Closer-Appears-ebook/dp/B006ACIMQQ)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Avogadro Corp: The Singularity is Closer than it Appears by William Hertling",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8402022,
          "author": "totalrobe",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T17:51:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8402022",
          "commentText": "Comedic sci fi is getting me back into it:\nJohn Scalzi writes a kickass tale- Old Man's War series\nRobert Kroese just hilarious - Starship Grifters\nRead a while ago and couldn't put it down - Avogadro Corp: The Singularity is Closer than it Appers by William Hertling",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read a while ago and couldn't put it down - Avogadro Corp: The Singularity is Closer than it Appers by William Hertling",
          "reason": "The commenter says they couldn't put it down.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Hertling"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "near future fiction",
        "techno thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "aztec-8dcc4e",
      "title": "Aztec",
      "author": "Gary Jennings",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20333451,
          "author": "tempguy9999",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T09:19:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20333451",
          "commentText": "An odd one here. 'Chimpanzee Material Culture'[0]. It's getting on a bit (pub 1992) so perhaps others can recommend a more updated study, but it's a sophisticated presentation of chimps, their culture, how they compare to human hunter-gatherers (and how difficult it can be to distinguish between crude stone tools used by one or other), how difficult it is to even phrase the right question when it comes to comparing chimps and humans, and a list of open issues. Anyone who wants to talk about limits of nonhuman should read this.\nAnd with a sense of humour too. Not too heavy, and I found it a genuine page-turner (rather unexpected that!)\nAnd as I mention humour I just reminded myself of 'The Innocent Anthropologist'[1] which is kind-of similar in a way but totally hilarious [1]. It's really funny, also very educational, and would make a very good complement to the first.\nI suppose to continue the theme of other cultures (which fascinate me because they teach me so much about my own culture and assumptions when I read how very different other societies can be), 'Aztec'[2]. It tracks the life of a (fictional) aztec and the destruction of his culture and people as the conquistadors arrive. The author does take some historical liberties; allow for that a little.\nI'll call it the best book I ever read, however it is dense so it either works for you or it doesn't. But if it works, it is amazing!\n[0] https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chimpanzee-Material-Culture-Implica... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chimpanzee-Material-Culture-Implications-Evolution/dp/0521423716)\n[1] https://www.amazon.co.uk/Innocent-Anthropologist-Notes-Mud-H... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Innocent-Anthropologist-Notes-Mud-Hut/dp/1906011508)\n[2] https://www.amazon.co.uk/Aztec-Gary-Jennings/dp/0765317508",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "'Aztec'",
          "reason": "The commenter praises it as the best book they ever read and describes its story of an Aztec man and the conquest.",
          "audience": "Readers fascinated by other cultures and their differences from their own.",
          "caveat": "The protagonist is fictional, the commenter notes historical liberties, and says the book is dense and may or may not work for a reader.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9351418,
          "author": "jilted",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T22:17:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9351418",
          "commentText": "Nick Cave - And the Ass Saw the Angel\nGary Jennings - Aztec\nGary Jennings - The Journeyor",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gary Jennings - Aztec",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed one's perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gary Jennings"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aztec civilization",
        "aztec empire",
        "historical fiction",
        "spanish conquest"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bad-science-97a1a8",
      "title": "Bad Science",
      "author": "Ben Goldacre",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32197806,
          "author": "yamrzou",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:22:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197806",
          "commentText": "This week, I'm reading Love is a Choice by Frank Minirth, Paul Meier, and Robert Hemfelt. Read about one third of it.\nLast week, I started and finished The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel.\nDuring the past two months, I read 1) Perfectionism: A Relational Approach to Conceptualization, Assessment, and Treatment by Gordon Flett, Paul L. Hewitt, and Samuel F. Mikail, 2) Bad Science by Ben Goldacre, and 3) Neurosis and Human Growth by Karen Horney.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Bad Science by Ben Goldacre",
          "reason": "Listed among books read during the past two months.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2095421,
          "author": "fakelvis",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-12T08:10:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2095421",
          "commentText": "Of the twenty-three books I read in 2010, these seven really stand out:\n- Predictably Irrational. Everyone here knows this book, right? It had been on my reading list for too long, and I'm glad I eventually managed to read it. Much more enjoyable that I expected it to be, even given the fact that much of the material is well-known already. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predictably_Irrational\n- Longitude follows John Harrison's fascinating, painful and lengthy quest to win the Longitude Prize by creating a clock that was accurate enough to determine longitude at sea. Dava Sobel is a great writer and makes this topic totally engaging (aside: Sobel started her writing career as a technical writer at IBM). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longitude_%28book%29\n- Bad Science is Ben Goldacre's essential and extensive criticism of the media's health care reportage and of various health-related issues (vaccinations, placebos, etc.). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Science_%28book%29\n- Sum has had a fair bit of press over the last few months. It's a collection of forty stories on the afterlife, by David Eagleman. It's a novel exercise in philosophy, and I thoroughly enjoyed five or six of the stories. It's a very creative and original book (and short, too) and is a good lesson in constrained thinking.\n- The PayPal Wars is the story of PayPal's early years from the viewpoint of former PayPal marketing executive, Eric Jackson. I found it a riveting read on the trials and tribulations of a startup in a difficult market. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_PayPal_Wars\n- Made to Stick is interesting in many ways (such as marketing, psychology and rhetoric, to name a few) and is extremely well-written. Chip and Dan Heath really know their subject and explain how to make ideas or concepts memorable in this captivating book. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Made_to_Stick Tip: Read the extensive excerpts on the official website — http://www.madetostick.com/excerpts/ — and, if you enjoy them, read the full book.\n- Lolita is one of those books everyone knows about, even if they haven't read it. I decided to sit down with this beast of a book and am glad I did. It's a great story and will really get your moral cogs ticking over. As well as that, Nabokov has an amazing way with the English language, and from very near the beginning I become a lifelong fan of his style. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lolita",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ben Goldacre's essential and extensive criticism of the media's health care reportage and of various health-related issues",
          "reason": "Described as an essential, extensive critique of health reporting and related issues.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569283,
          "author": "lemming",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T22:08:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569283",
          "commentText": "On a \"what makes us tick\" non-fiction bent:\n1. Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (http://tinyurl.com/33kv6te) - fascinating look at the author's theory of Flow, the state of total absorption that accompanies total concentration - so called \"optimal experience\". Anyone who programs knows this feeling. Really excellent book.\n2. Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert (http://tinyurl.com/38lvdzc) - not the self-help book it sounds like, but an interesting look at why we're so bad at working out what will make us happy.\n3. The Tiger that isn't by Andrew Dilnot (http://tinyurl.com/38hntqx) - interesting guide to our instinctive interpretation of statistics and how the media manipulates it.\n4. Bad Science by Ben Goldacre (http://tinyurl.com/3yk8woz) - at once amusing and horrifying look at various aspects of pseudoscience, especially as applied to healthcare.\nFiction:\n1. Anything by Iain Banks, especially the sci-fi.\n2. If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things by Jon McGregor (http://tinyurl.com/3496d34) - worth reading just for the language he uses.\n3. American Gods by Neil Gaiman (http://tinyurl.com/3xyr65w) - great fantasy with a darkly humorous side.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "at once amusing and horrifying look at various aspects of pseudoscience",
          "reason": "Describes it as an amusing and horrifying look at pseudoscience, especially in healthcare.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ben Goldacre"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "medical misinformation",
        "pseudoscience",
        "critical thinking",
        "healthcare"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "barbarians-at-the-gate-7cabb4",
      "title": "Barbarians at the Gate",
      "author": "Bryan Burrough and John Helyar",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12098116,
          "author": "beachstartup",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-14T23:54:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12098116",
          "commentText": "_barbarians at the gate_ is a good read if you're into that sort of thing (business, banking, law, money)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "_barbarians at the gate_ is a good read if you're into that sort of thing (business, banking, law, money)",
          "reason": "Calls it a good read for people interested in business, banking, law, or money.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in business, banking, law, or money.",
          "caveat": "Recommended if you're into those subjects.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8795694,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T07:00:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795694",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nPredictable Revenue - Aaron Ross, Marylou Tyler\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nThe Ultimate Question 2.0 - Fred Reichheld‎\nThe Singularity is Near - Ray Kurzweil\nMoonshot! - John Sculley\nZero To One - Peter Thiel\nRepublic - Plato\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius\nNineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell\nFahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury\nThe Mysterious Island - Jules Verne\nDiscipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy, Fred Wiersema\nFalse Memory - Dean Koontz\nNOS4A2- Joe Hill\nRevival - Stephen King\nBarbarians At The Gate - John Helyar and Bryan Burrough\nInto Thin Air - John Krakauer\nHow To Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nand any collection of the works of H.P. Lovecraft.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Barbarians At The Gate - John Helyar and Bryan Burrough",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for impactful or liked books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bryan Burrough and John Helyar"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "corporate takeover",
        "business history",
        "leveraged buyout",
        "wall street"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "barsk-the-elephants-graveyard-16d97b",
      "title": "Barsk: The Elephants' Graveyard",
      "author": "Lawrence M. Schoen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17537661,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T23:20:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537661",
          "commentText": "Farmer in the Sky by Robert Heinlein [1]\nThe Complete Robot by Isaac Asimov [2]\nThe Wrong Unit [3] wasn't a bad little humorous tale.\nPretty much anything by Timothy Zahn (sans Star Wars novelisations) [4] or Robert Sawyer [5] floats my boat.\nThe First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North [6]\nBarsk: The Elephants’ Graveyard by Lawrence M. Schoen [7] made me care about sentient elephants.\nFuzzy Nation by John Scalzi [8] is very funny. Audiobook version narrated by Wil Wheaton.\nOf ones already mentioned:\nThe Bobiverse was surprisingly good (including the audiobook version).\nThe Expanse is good.\nWith regards to Dune, there are some like myself who only ever liked the first book in the series. (Also there is a good audiobook version out there.)\nThe Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and sequels are great world building and characters, although the plots seem to meander about with not too much purpose.\nThe Martian is great.\n[1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50851.Farmer_in_the_Sky\n[2] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50091.The_Complete_Robot\n[3] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30959279-the-wrong-unit\n[4] https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12479.Timothy_Zahn\n[5] https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/25883.Robert_J_Sawyer\n[6] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295861-the-first-fifte... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295861-the-first-fifteen-lives-of-harry-august)\n[7] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25667916-barsk\n[8] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11167622-fuzzy-nation",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Barsk: The Elephants’ Graveyard by Lawrence M. Schoen [7] made me care about sentient elephants.",
          "reason": "Says the book made them care about sentient elephants.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13121930,
          "author": "pavel_lishin",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-07T11:56:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13121930",
          "commentText": "Seconding Barsk, and just about anything by Robert Sawyer; I would recommend his Neanderthal Parallax series, which begins with Hominids: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/264946.Hominids",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seconding Barsk",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the recommendation in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13119380,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-07T00:03:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13119380",
          "commentText": "The Wayfarers books The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and A Closed and Common Orbit were quite good. Fantastic world building and characters, although the plots seem to meander about with not too much purpose.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/series/170872-wayfarers\nRecently ploughed through The Expanse series.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/series/56399-the-expanse\nDark Matter was a good read if you like parallel universes.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27833670-dark-matter\nThe Rho Agenda series was a surprisingly good read.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/series/61746-the-rho-agenda\nQuantum Night was something a bit different from Robert Sawyer.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25734179-quantum-night\nAnd Barsk: The Elephants’ Graveyard would probably have to be rated my favourite for the year.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25667916-barsk",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "would probably have to be rated my favourite for the year.",
          "reason": "Names it as their favorite book of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lawrence M. Schoen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alien societies",
        "anthropomorphic fiction",
        "sentient animals"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bartleby-the-scrivener-29399b",
      "title": "Bartleby, the Scrivener",
      "author": "Herman Melville",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39249786,
          "author": "flandish",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T12:43:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249786",
          "commentText": "I found Bartleby to be a fantastic short read that stuck with me. Did you like it?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found Bartleby to be a fantastic short read that stuck with me.",
          "reason": "Calls the story a fantastic short read and asks whether the other commenter liked it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39249761,
          "author": "50",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T12:38:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249761",
          "commentText": "Just finished reading, for the first time, the short story \"Bartleby, The Scrivener\" by Melville.\nI have also been reading the essays in David Foster Wallace in Context[1], published in November of 2022.\nAnd I'm looking forward to reading here soon the seemingly first ever English translation of Philipp Mainländer's The Philosophy of Redemption[2], just published several weeks ago.\n1: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/david-foster-wallace-in... (https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/david-foster-wallace-in-context/0C51017813E20200956100E045ABCE43)\n2: https://www.amazon.com/Philosophy-Redemption-Philipp-Mainl%C... (https://www.amazon.com/Philosophy-Redemption-Philipp-Mainl%C3%A4nder/dp/0645498076)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the short story \"Bartleby, The Scrivener\" by Melville",
          "reason": "Says they read the short story for the first time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12099199,
          "author": "rolancaster01",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T06:01:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12099199",
          "commentText": "Melville \"Bartlby the Scrivener\" & Ramsey \"When We Are No More: how Digital Memory Is Shaping Our Future\"\nDown \"Brilliant Beacons: a History of the American Lighthouse\"\nKoestler \"Darkness Before Noon\" & \"The Invisible Writing\" & \"The Ghost in the Machine\"\nJohn Gardner - anything really but October light and the sunlight dialogs in particular.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Melville \"Bartlby the Scrivener\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Herman Melville"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american literature",
        "short story",
        "short fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "basic-economics-a-common-sense-guide-to-the-economy-fd6870",
      "title": "Basic Economics: A Common Sense Guide to the Economy",
      "author": "Thomas Sowell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36429134,
          "author": "poster24680",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T07:44:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36429134",
          "commentText": "Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell. Previously I was very pro government intervention, but this book is great at explaining basic economic principles while ignoring mathematics.\nIt might be called a little biased by mostly ignoring \"market failures\" yet basic physics also mostly ignore friction.\nAlso regarding \"meaningful\": I had tried to get an understanding of how society works for some time and had even tried reading Capital by Marx but in the end I found most I wanted in Basic Economics.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it explained basic economic principles and helped them understand how society works.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They say it mostly ignores market failures and may be called biased.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23861298,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T17:24:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23861298",
          "commentText": "Probably Sowell's Basic Economics",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Probably Sowell's Basic Economics",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The recommendation is tentative.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Sowell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic principles",
        "free market economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "baudolino-3983a0",
      "title": "Baudolino",
      "author": "Umberto Eco",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41767512,
          "author": "slothtrop",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T16:14:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41767512",
          "commentText": "Baudolino by Umberto Eco. I like all his works, but this one is the most moving and epic. I still think of it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Baudolino by Umberto Eco.",
          "reason": "Calls it the most moving and epic among the author's works and says it stayed with them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5692680,
          "author": "maxerickson",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-12T00:41:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5692680",
          "commentText": "Nobody has suggested Umberto Eco yet.I would try The Island of the Day Before or Baudolino before Foucault's Pendulum.\nAlistair Reynolds is space opera done nicely (if you want to look in that direction). Chasm City stands on its own, but there are some similar works there.\nTwain fits in with some of your other comments.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "or Baudolino before Foucault's Pendulum.",
          "reason": "Explicitly suggests trying the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Suggests it before Foucault's Pendulum.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Umberto Eco"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "literary fiction",
        "medieval europe"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bayesian-data-analysis-b97aef",
      "title": "Bayesian Data Analysis",
      "author": "Andrew Gelman et al.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32793892,
          "author": "dxbydt",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T19:32:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32793892",
          "commentText": "> why you recommend said books. \n> Sell them to me\nok, i will try.\n2 books I absolutely love and have read cover to cover several times, solved most of the 1000+ problems.\n1. Inference - Rohatgi\n2. Inference - Stapleton\nWhy I recommend them ?\nThe real answer is super long. But the short version is - there are thinkers & there are doers. Basically, the mathematical statistics world has these theory-building Bourbaki type guys who write a LOT, say a LOT, but never get to the fucking point (imho). The opposite view is \"math is bunch of tricks. its like chess - more middlegames & endgames you know, higher chance of winning. No real point in learning who originally came up with this particular middle game variation, or why does this opening work etc etc. Just learn the trick & play the game.\" So that's the eastern (Indian/Chinese) school of thought, which is what I subscribe to.\nThe 2 inference books listed above are essentially grab-bags of tricks. Do this - it works - now try it on these problems - ok next trick...on & on. So I solved the 1000+ problems & now I know lots of these methods that just work.\neg. recently i was asked - some vc's are evaluating a startup. their valuations are $1 million, $4 M,$10M, $20M, $50M. what's your evaluation & why ?\nso i'm thinking - hey isn't this just rohatgi taxicar ? so i quickly said- sum is 85, times 1/5 is 17. Whereas largest observed is 50, times 6/5 is 60, so half is 30. since 50 was max observed, another estimator is half that, ie. 25. if you want doctor's estimate, get rid of 1 and 50, then sum is 34 so times 1/3 is 11.3\nso then we have 4 estimators, -  the sample mean is 17 million, its the method of moments estimator, clearly unbiased but high mean square error because variance is high. the maximum likelihood estimator is 25 mil, and has smallest variance, but the mse will not be the lowest since it is not unbiased so bias square will add. the 30 mil estimate is also unbiased, but has low variance so it has the lowest mse of the lot.  the doctor estimator 11 million is unbiased but high variance and mse is in between. now if you want the absolute lowest mse, i can cook up a 5th estimator which has nonzero bias but mse will be the minimum....\nat this point the interviewer interrupts me - you've never seen this problem because we came up with it in our last meeting at our firm. Yet you gave me 4 very good estimators under 2 minutes & want to cook up a 5th one that's even better. And you don't even have a phd. meanwhile i just spoke to an actual phd and asked him this same question, he went on and on for 20 minutes without giving me a single concrete estimator!\nso that's the thing. rohatgi, stapleton, these are about real world, down & dirty, how to do stuff. how to solve actual problems.\nwhereas the gelman bda, the shao, the schervish, the lehman, the bickel & doksum - these were my prescribed textbooks. imho they are absolute garbage, worse than dirt. after the exam i threw them away. such bullcrap. they go on & on without getting anywhere & have practically zero good worked examples.\nso that's my 2 cents. i still have the rohatgi & stapleton on my desk. sometimes i tear up when i look at them. they have taught me so, so much!",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "the gelman bda",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it garbage and says it has practically no good worked examples.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Strongly criticized by the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8795332,
          "author": "autokad",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T03:36:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795332",
          "commentText": "let me know if you guys find better replacements, but this is what I got on my list:\nO'Reilly - Scott Murray - Interactive Data Visualization for the Web\nData Visualization with D3.js Cookbook\nA First Course in Probability\nRails AntiPatterns - Best Practice Ruby on Rails Refactoring\nBayesian Data Analysis Andrew Gelma\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nCode Complete\nBishop - Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning\nO'Reilly Mining The Social Web",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bayesian Data Analysis Andrew Gelma",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 665079,
          "author": "lkozma",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T13:38:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665079",
          "commentText": "You could read Gilbert Strang's Linear Algebra books, there are also video lectures available...\nGelman's Bayesian Data Analysis is a good statistical intro with a Bayesian bend,\nmaybe Freedman's Statistical models,\nread some general machine learning intro book, such as Alpaydin or Bishop for a more probabilistic view.\nFor NLP especially, you'll need some information theory. Maybe start with MacKay's Information Theory, Inference, etc. (it is freely available online), very entertaining and accessible book and you can follow the pointers there for more details.\nFor general data mining and machine learning you need some basics of optimization, pick up any standard book on convex optimization to get an idea of the basic problems and methods.\nthat's it at a first try :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gelman's Bayesian Data Analysis is a good statistical intro",
          "reason": "Described as a good introduction to statistics with a Bayesian focus.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for an introduction to statistics.",
          "caveat": "Has a Bayesian focus.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew Gelman et al."
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bayesian statistics",
        "statistics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "becoming-a16d60",
      "title": "Becoming",
      "author": "Michelle Obama",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21792874,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T22:44:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21792874",
          "commentText": "The ones I rated highest out of those I read this year (which is what I think the question means).\n* Exactly: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester\n* Atomic Adventures: Secret Islands, Forgotten N-Rays, and Isotopic Murder-A Journey into the Wild World of Nuclear Science by James Magaffey\n* Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande\n* Vulcan 607 by Rowland White\n* Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen\n* Best. Movie. Year. Ever: How 1999 Blew Up the Big Screen by Brian Raftery\n* A Fabulous Creation: How the LP Saved Our Lives by David Hepworth\n* 1983: Reagan, Andropov, and a World on the Brink by Taylor Downing\n* The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes and Why by Amanda Ripley\n* In Your Defence: Stories of Life and Law by Sarah Langford\n* Springfield Confidential: Jokes, Secrets, and Outright Lies from a Lifetime Writing for The Simpsons by Mike Reiss\n* Working Actor: Breaking in, Making a Living, and Making a Life in the Fabulous Trenches of Show Business by David Dean Bottrell\n* Becoming by Michelle Obama\n* Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress by Steven Pinker\n* Rush Hour by Iain Gatel\n* Tamed: Ten Species that Changed our World by Alice Roberts\n* The Next American City: The Big Promise of Our Midsize Metros by Mick Cornett",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The ones I rated highest out of those I read this year",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s highest-rated books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18662571,
          "author": "_____bee_____",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T09:41:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18662571",
          "commentText": "I focused on reading books about politics & technology. These are my favorites\n- Whiplash: How to Survive Our Faster Future by Joi Ito (4.5/5)\n- Hit Refresh by Satya Nadella (4.5/5)\n- Becoming by Michelle Obama (4.9/5)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "These are my favorites",
          "reason": "The commenter identifies it among their favorite books and rates it 4.9/5.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michelle Obama"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "politics",
        "public life"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "behave-26c7ac",
      "title": "Behave",
      "author": "Robert M. Sapolsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46461871,
          "author": "Quinzel",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-02T05:58:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46461871",
          "commentText": "I read:\n- The Courage to be Disliked.\n- Moral Tribes\n- Crazy like us\n- Careless People\n- Madness Made Me\n- The righteous mind: Why good people are divided by politics and religion.\nAnd a few that were on my 2025 list that I didn’t make it through, and are on my list for 2026 include: \n- Team of Rivals\n- Behave\n- Why Greatness cannot be planned.\nHopefully I’ll get through those three books before the end of Feb when I go back to Uni, and won’t have time to read for leisure for about 7 months.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Behave",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed among books the commenter did not finish and plans to read in 2026.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804093,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:12:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804093",
          "commentText": "Writing a Go Interpreter\nWriting a Go Compiler\nNo One Cares about Crazy People\nI Heard You Paint Houses\nUNIX: A History and a Memoir\nRed Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine\nHow Asia Works\nThe Dream Machine\nBlack Earth\nThe Fabric of Reality\nBehave (tried twice, maybe third times a charm?)\nA Short History of Nearly Everything\nStiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers\nGenius: The Life and Science Richard Feynman\nSuper Thinking\nMan's Search for Meaning\nThe Cooking Gene\nThe Vital Question: Why is Life The Way it Is (re-read)\nThe Case Against Sugar\nThe 15 Decisive Battles of the World\nThe History of the Peloponnesian War\nThe Beginning of Infinity\nThe Book of Why",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Behave (tried twice, maybe third times a charm?)",
          "reason": "Listed in the commenter's planned reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has tried it twice and may try again.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert M. Sapolsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "neuroscience",
        "behavioral biology",
        "human behavior"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "behold-the-man-ac6b5c",
      "title": "Behold the Man",
      "author": "Michael Moorcock",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39729464,
          "author": "bookofjoe",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T21:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729464",
          "commentText": "\"A Canticle For Leibowitz\"\n\"The Sparrow\"\n\"Lord of Light\"\n\"The Immortal\"\n\"Hyperion\"\n\"The Last Question\"\n\"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?\"\n\"Stranger in a Strange Land\"\n\"The City and the Stars\"\n\"Childhood's End\"\n\"Anathem\"\n\"Eifelheim\"\n\"A Case of Conscience\"\n\"VALIS\" trilogy\n\"The Book of Strange New Things\"\n\"Behold The Man\"\n\"The God Engines\"\n\"Book of the New Sun\"\n\"The Parable of the Sower\"\n\"The Dosadi Experiment\"\n\"Grass\"\n\"Project Pope\"\n\"Calculating God\"\n\"Factoring Humanity\"\n\"Jesus on Mars\"\n\"Surface Detail",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Behold The Man\"",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about books that changed perspectives on religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056559,
          "author": "dghf",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:25:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056559",
          "commentText": "Joe Haldeman, The Forever War.\nMichael Moorcock, An Alien Heat & Behold the Man.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An Alien Heat & Behold the Man.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite sci-fi books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Moorcock"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "time travel",
        "alternate history",
        "christianity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "being-and-nothingness-a7f28e",
      "title": "Being and Nothingness",
      "author": "Jean-Paul Sartre",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19090108,
          "author": "nathias",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T21:39:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090108",
          "commentText": "Plato - Meno, Symposium, Parmenides, Gorgias, Protagoras\nPlotinus -Enneads\nMarkus Aurelius - Meditations\nDescartes - On method\nDescartes - Meditations\nSpinoza - On the improvement of Understanding\nLeibniz - Monadology\nLeibniz - Grace\nVoltaire - Candid\nDiderot - D'Alembert's Dream\nKant - How to orient oneself in thinking\nKant - Critique of Pure Reason\nKant - Critique of Judgment\nHegel - Phenomenology of Spirit\nHegel - Logic\nvon Kleist - Marionette Theatre\nKierkegaard - The Sickness Unto Death\nHeidegger - Being and Time\nSartre - Being and Nothingness\nSartre - Flies\nSartre - Nausea\nDeleuze - Difference and Repetition\nKafka - Metamorphosis\nKafka - The Castle\nLem - Magellan Nebula\nLem - His Master's Voice\nCioran - A Short History of Decay\nPessoa - Book Of Despair\nWolfe -  New Sun tetralogy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sartre - Being and Nothingness",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15157772,
          "author": "1001101",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T19:29:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15157772",
          "commentText": "Our Mathematical Universe - Max Tegmark\nBeing and Nothingness - Sartre\nChaos - Gleik\nSurely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! - Feynman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Being and Nothingness - Sartre",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking which books had the biggest impact on mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jean-Paul Sartre"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "existentialism",
        "phenomenology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "berserk-239f8c",
      "title": "Berserk",
      "author": "Kentaro Miura",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41423129,
          "author": "gugug6",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-02T06:37:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41423129",
          "commentText": "harry potter \nlord of the rings\ndune \ngame of thrones\nberserk\nvinland saga\nrobinson curso\n                 : happy reading time!!!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "berserk",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29670178,
          "author": "tehnub",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T04:24:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29670178",
          "commentText": "Fiction: Berserk. Not a book, but a long-running manga that began in 1989 by then-22-year-old Kentaro Miura, and which was ongoing until his tragic death this year in May. It is a fantasy; some parts are grim, some immensely tragic, but at its core it is human and uplifting, and we see moments of incredible beauty and deep emotion. On top of this, the art is absolutely gorgeous and is in a class of its own. If you're interested in Berserk, I recommend reading the original manga, but the 1997 anime is excellent as well.\nNonfiction: To Pixar And Beyond. The former CFO of Pixar, Lawrence Levy, tells the story of Pixar's IPO and the making of Toy Story. Very interesting reading for anyone interesting in Steve Jobs, Pixar, or the business of movies and tech.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fiction: Berserk. Not a book, but a long-running manga",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends reading the original manga and describes its fantasy, emotional story and artwork.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in fantasy manga and emotionally intense stories.",
          "caveat": "Some parts are grim and immensely tragic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kentaro Miura"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Art",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dark fantasy",
        "manga"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "better-a-surgeon-s-notes-on-performance-6a389f",
      "title": "Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance",
      "author": "Atul Gawande",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12144253,
          "author": "LA_Banker",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:48:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144253",
          "commentText": "1. \"Meditations\" – Marcus Aurelius\n2. \"The Practicing Mind\" – Thomas Sterner\n3. \"Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance\" – Atul Gawande (I'm not a surgeon; the principles herein are universal)\n(honorable mention: \"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" – Dale Carnegie; various biographies by Caro and Chernow)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance\" – Atul Gawande (I'm not a surgeon; the principles herein are universal)",
          "reason": "Recommended for its principles, which the commenter says are universal.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is not a surgeon.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12070313,
          "author": "as17237",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T11:30:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12070313",
          "commentText": "* In Defense of Liberal Edication By Farred Zakaria\n* Confidence Men By Ros Suskind\n* Dark Money by Jane Meyer\n* Better by Atul Gawande\n* The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande\n* Essentialism by Greg Mckeown\n* Contagious by Jonah Berger\n* Sapiens by Yuval Harari\n* The Pentagons Brain by Annie Jacobson\n* Shoe Dog by Phil Knight\n* The Only Game in town by Mohamed El-Erian\n* The Industries of Future By Alec Ross",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Better by Atul Gawande",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10027456,
          "author": "danso",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T15:15:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027456",
          "commentText": "The best book I've read in the last 5 years is David Simon's, \"Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets\"...if you've watched The Wire, half of its material is derived from this real life account of being embedded in Baltimore's homicide unit: https://books.google.com/books/about/Homicide.html?id=N8LS0b... (https://books.google.com/books/about/Homicide.html?id=N8LS0b0_bvUC&hl=en)\nAll of Atul Gawande's books, notably:\nThe Checklist Manifesto [1]: http://atulgawande.com/book/the-checklist-manifesto/\nBetter: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance: http://atulgawande.com/book/better/\n[1] You can read the essay that this book is based on in the New Yorker: http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2007/12/10/the-checklist",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance",
          "reason": "Includes it among the author's notable books in a list answering a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Atul Gawande"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Biography",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "medicine",
        "performance improvement",
        "surgical practice"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "between-the-woods-and-the-water-d6068b",
      "title": "Between the Woods and the Water",
      "author": "Patrick Leigh Fermor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17337252,
          "author": "gerikson",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:06:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337252",
          "commentText": "Used to be the Swallows and Amazon series (when I was much younger).\nThen it was the 2 memoirs by Patrick Leigh Fermor: \"A Time of Gifts\" and \"Between the Woods and the Water\".\nLately it's the Aubrey-Maturin by Patrick O'Brian series which I have re-read multiple times.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Between the Woods and the Water",
          "reason": "Named among the commenter's past and current comfort reads, which they have returned to over time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15635202,
          "author": "dodgyb",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-06T13:21:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15635202",
          "commentText": "Fiction - Narcissus and Goldmund by Hermann Hesse. Contrasting the lives of a free spirit and a disciplined mind.\nNon Fiction - A Time of Gifts/Between the Woods and the Water/The Broken Road by Patrick Leigh Fermor. Recounting a trip from Holland to Constantinople by foot in the 1930's when he was a teenager. A trilogy of books written when he was in his 60's and 70's. An erudite raconteur.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Time of Gifts/Between the Woods and the Water/The Broken Road by Patrick Leigh Fermor.",
          "reason": "Part of a trilogy recounting the author's journey on foot from Holland to Constantinople in the 1930s.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109127,
          "author": "11001",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:22:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109127",
          "commentText": "Just finished Patrick Leigh Fermor's \"A time of gifts\" and I can't recommend it enough! One of the best English books that I have read. You will particularly like it if you're interested in European history (political, as well as art history), if you like traveling, if you're into foreign languages and if you don't mind using a dictionary once in a while. I'm really excited to start its sequel \"Between the woods and the water\".",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm really excited to start its sequel \"Between the woods and the water\".",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Patrick Leigh Fermor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "europe",
        "european history",
        "european travel writing",
        "travel memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bhagavad-gita-b04041",
      "title": "Bhagavad Gita",
      "author": "Unknown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25537169,
          "author": "t0ughcritic",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-25T16:02:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25537169",
          "commentText": "For mental health and spirituality the Bhagvad Gita. Definitely not what I expected originally and had put it off for years/decades. After reading it, I felt a bit blissed out, what actually led me to read it was another book on taming our mind called The Yogasutras of Patanjali. I feel like it hasn’t been ‘discovered’ yet by the west but it had life changing consequences for me (for the better).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Bhagvad Gita",
          "reason": "The commenter says reading it had life-changing consequences for the better.",
          "audience": "People interested in mental health and spirituality.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it was not what they originally expected.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20916824,
          "author": "Jivatman",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T10:23:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20916824",
          "commentText": "Bhagavad Gita\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhagavad_Gita",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bhagavad Gita",
          "reason": "Named as a response to the thread asking for favorite old books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hinduism",
        "spiritual text",
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bhagavad-gita-as-it-is-771c54",
      "title": "Bhagavad Gita As It Is",
      "author": "A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39249066,
          "author": "vidyesh",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T10:26:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249066",
          "commentText": "The Remembrance of Earth's Past has been on my list for some time now. Will you be finishing that trilogy?\nActively reading:\n- Mistborn : Final Empire (~90% finished ding)\n- 3rd novella in The Murderbot Diaries\n- Dive into Design Patterns\n- Fullstack D3 and Data Viz\nPassively reading:\n- The Design of everyday things (I don't think I will ever finish this book)\n- Bhagavad-Gita as it is\n- LOTR (mostly a re-read)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Bhagavad-Gita as it is",
          "reason": "Listed as passively being read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30241412,
          "author": "nullptr_deref",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T07:28:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241412",
          "commentText": "Maybe not for all but,\nBhagavad Gita: As it is.\nDo not read the explanation which are biased to god and religion.\nBut you can definitely read the stanzas. The idea that we are actor whose duty is to act is a powerful concept, especially when you are feeling low.\nThe book also has some egoistic stuff like \"I am god, obey me.\" But once you filter some of these, you see bigger picture.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Maybe not for all but,\nBhagavad Gita: As it is.",
          "reason": "Recommends reading the stanzas for their idea that one should act according to one's duty, especially when feeling low.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not for everyone; warns against biased explanations and says some passages are egoistic and should be filtered.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17534144,
          "author": "joddystreet",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T07:12:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17534144",
          "commentText": "Bhagvad Gita (as it is) - A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada\nNot just a spiritual book, more like the guiding principles that anyone, starting something new, could use.\nThe Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation - Jon Gertner\nBell Labs, the RnD wing of AT&T-was the best laboratory for new ideas in the world. The book tells a story about the life and work of a small group of brilliant people - Mervin Kelly, Bill Shockley, Claude Shannon, John Pierce, and Bill Baker.\nPeak - Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool\nYou must have heard this a 1000 times - \"you can do this\", the book is about - \"yes, and this is how\"\nThe master algorithm - Pedro Domingos\nBook details out the philosophies of various schools of thought in AI - deep learning, bayesian, genetic, reasoning - in a very simple language.\nWhat technology wants - Kevin Kelly\nTechnology is a living organism and there are patterns to the technology evolution, not unlike the organic evolution.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Not just a spiritual book, more like the guiding principles that anyone, starting something new, could use.",
          "reason": "Presents it as useful guiding principles for anyone starting something new.",
          "audience": "Anyone starting something new.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Health",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "spirituality",
        "bhagavad gita",
        "hindu philosophy",
        "hindu scripture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "big-bang-a00b45",
      "title": "Big Bang",
      "author": "Simon Singh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13567349,
          "author": "msravi",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T15:52:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567349",
          "commentText": "Two books by Simon Singh:\nThe Code Book\nBig Bang\nHe has an amazing ability to go really deep into what he's explaining. No hand waving over the details. And yet, it's so very readable.\nUnfortunately that wasn't true with his other book - Fermat's Theorem - probably because the subject matter was too complex?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Two books by Simon Singh:\nThe Code Book\nBig Bang\nHe has an amazing ability to go really deep into what he's explaining.",
          "reason": "Praises the depth and readability of Singh's books listed in the comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10327395,
          "author": "kapauldo",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-04T12:53:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10327395",
          "commentText": "Big Bang, Simon Singh\nThe Trial, Franz Kafka\nProbably the best non fiction and fiction books I've ever read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Probably the best non fiction and fiction books I've ever read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of the best nonfiction books they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Simon Singh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cosmology",
        "big bang theory",
        "history of astronomy",
        "history of science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "billion-dollar-whale-the-man-who-fooled-wall-street-hollywood-and-bc2261",
      "title": "Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World",
      "author": "Tom Wright and Bradley Hope",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804899,
          "author": "AGivant",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:29:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804899",
          "commentText": "Here is my list (from https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/912138-alex-givant?rea...):\nMemoirs:\n- Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti..).\n- Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive by Land, Stephanie, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39218350-maid\n- Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40409969-medium-raw\n- Confessions of a Tax Collector: One Man's Tour of Duty Inside the IRS by Yancey, Rick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_..).\n- The Perfect Predator: A Scientist's Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Superbug: A Memoir by Steffanie Strathdee, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-pre... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-predator)\nPolitics:\n- Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Desmond, Matthew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25852784-evicted\n- Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America by Leovy, Jill, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13153693-ghettoside\n- American Prison: A Reporter's Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment by Bauer, Shane, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38561954-american-prison\n- Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Eban, Katherine, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42448266-bottle-of-lies\n- A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America by Miller, T. Christian, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35805861-a-false-report\n- The New Silk Roads by Frankopan, Peter, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro..).\nHistory:\n- Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-1956 by Applebaum, Anne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13531848-iron-curtain\n- The Romanovs: 1613-1918 by Montefiore, Simon Sebag, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26109020-the-romanovs\n- The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Johnson, Steven, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36086.The_Ghost_Map\n- Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations by Bergman, Ronen, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f..).\n- Madame Fourcade's Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against Hitler by Olson, Lynne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade..).\n- Argo: How the CIA & Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History by Méndez, Antonio J., https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13588425-argo\nCrime:\n- Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History by Selby, Scott Andrew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7071759-flawless\n- American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road by Bilton, Nick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi..).\n- Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by Carreyrou, John, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37976541-bad-blood\n- Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World by Wright, Tom, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-..).\n- The Mastermind: Drugs. Empire. Murder. Betrayal. by Ratliff, Evan, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41181600-the-mastermind\nTechnology:\n- Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon by Zetter, Kim, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze..).\n- Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World by Thompson, Clive, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40406806-coders",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World by Wright, Tom",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list of favorite nonfiction books read in 2019.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18744608,
          "author": "wp381640",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T05:30:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744608",
          "commentText": "released this year and great reads:\n* Bad Blood - mentioned tons of times\n* Billion Dollar Whale - story of the 1MDB scandal\n* Black Edge - chronicles insider trading on wall street\n* The Billionaire Raj - about India's income inequality and ruling oligarchy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Billion Dollar Whale - story of the 1MDB scandal",
          "reason": "Includes the book in a list of recent releases answering a favorite nonfiction books question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Wright and Bradley Hope"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial fraud",
        "1mdb",
        "1mdb scandal"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "billions-and-billions-thoughts-on-life-and-death-at-the-brink-of--4afccf",
      "title": "Billions and Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium",
      "author": "Carl Sagan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50119288,
          "author": "chistev",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T15:05:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50119288",
          "commentText": "1. Animal Farm by George Orwell\n2. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes [1]\n3. Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley\n4. I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette Mccurdy\n5. Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris\n6. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe [2]\n7. Cosmos by Carl Sagan\n8. The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution by Richard Dawkins [3]\n9. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson\n10. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander [4]\n11. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka\n12. Billions and Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium by Carl Sagan [5][6][7]\n13. Outgrowing God: A Beginner’s Guide to Atheism by Richard Dawkins\n[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50076596\n[2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47452253\n[3] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48326741\n[4] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49539535\n[5] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49751771\n[6] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49740712\n[7] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49739256",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Billions and Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium by Carl Sagan [5][6][7]",
          "reason": "Listed among books read repeatedly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5030163,
          "author": "australis",
          "createdAt": "2013-01-09T04:28:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 5000101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5030163",
          "commentText": "Guns, Germs and Steel\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Guns-Germs-Steel-Fates-Societies/dp/03... (http://www.amazon.com/Guns-Germs-Steel-Fates-Societies/dp/0393317552)\nLife of Pi\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Life-Pi-Yann-Martel/dp/0156027321\nBillions and Billions\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Billions-Thoughts-Death-Brink-Millenni... (http://www.amazon.com/Billions-Thoughts-Death-Brink-Millennium/dp/0345379187)\nThe Ancestor's Tale\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Ancestors-Tale-Pilgrimage-Dawn-Evoluti... (http://www.amazon.com/Ancestors-Tale-Pilgrimage-Dawn-Evolution/dp/061861916X)\nSorry for suggesting so many, I couldn't help myself",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Billions and Billions",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carl Sagan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cosmology",
        "popular science",
        "science essays"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "binti-85377d",
      "title": "Binti",
      "author": "Nnedi Okorafor",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34176258,
          "author": "sershe",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-29T18:48:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34176258",
          "commentText": "1) Chris Moriarty. Spin State - relatively-hard sci-fi with decent non sci-fi elements (i.e. characters and stuff), which I think is rare.\n2) Ralph Ellison. Invisible Man. I really enjoyed the writing, among other things, and how he captures short moments and scenes with sort of a hard-to-describe quality of a visual art, almost.\n3) Ilya Somin. Free To Move. To me most of the book was \"duh\" but I think it would be a good read for people on the fence about immigration and private vs public institutions.\n4) Vaclav Smil. Energy And Civilization; possibly How the World Really Works, still reading that one. Really dense and detailed examination of energy history of mankind for the former, and infrastructure of technological civilization for the latter.\n5) Pluckrose & Lindsday. Cynical Theories. Good 101 on CRT and modern woke movement.\n6) Alexander. New Jim Crow. Good 101 on war on drugs, although some broader social arguments the book makes straightforwardly don't seem to follow, or are contradicted by, its factual base IMHO.\n7) Stephenson. Seveneves - really good hard sci-fi imho, although felt very, very long.\n8) Orwell. Down and Out in Paris and London. A good book about poverty only 70-100 years ago. Also a good perspective for modern complaints about poverty - I have some non-US background for that, so I think many US readers might benefit more.\nOn the fence. \n1) I want to plug Seleukid Royal Economy, just for the hell of it, if you are interested in ancient economy :)\n2) Galef. Scout Mindset - on the fence about this one, but it seemed like it was way too long for what it offers. Maybe I've just read a lot of the same stuff ago.\n3) Okorafor. Binti - not bad as a YA book, but sci-fi aspects are remarkably bad.\nA few more I'm too lazy to type out ;)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "not bad as a YA book, but sci-fi aspects are remarkably bad.",
          "reason": "The commenter gives a mixed assessment, criticizing its science-fiction elements.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The science-fiction aspects are described as remarkably bad.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33382259,
          "author": "gertrunde",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T08:55:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382259",
          "commentText": "There is Nnedi Okorafor - Binti, which I enjoyed (a series of three novellas, so fairly short overall).\nThere's quite a lot of interesting African sci-fi around at the moment, usually feels quite different from the usual western fare.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "There is Nnedi Okorafor - Binti, which I enjoyed (a series of three novellas, so fairly short overall).",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the three novella series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The series is fairly short overall.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18666997,
          "author": "asplake",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T19:34:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18666997",
          "commentText": "Read/heard and thoroughly enjoyed all of those except Binti which is new to me. Wishlisted, thanks!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "except Binti which is new to me",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly excludes Binti from the books they enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read or heard it and only says it is new to them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nnedi Okorafor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "afrofuturism",
        "africanfuturism",
        "novellas",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "biological-sequence-analysis-da51f8",
      "title": "Biological Sequence Analysis",
      "author": "Richard Durbin, Sean R. Eddy, Anders Krogh, and Graeme Mitchison",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31710623,
          "author": "nextos",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-12T02:14:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31710623",
          "commentText": "I work in that area :)\nThe skills needed will vary a lot. Hence my concern about studying H&H. It's a good idea, as real analysis is the foundation. But it will take too much of your time to get to something useful. Probably you should try to learn more applied material in parallel and let both threads merge in the future.\nFor maximum likelihood, you need to learn convex optimization right after real analysis. The canonical reference is [1], but there's also a very simple and pragmatic linear algebra textbook by the same author that also covers some of the optimization basics [2]. This might be a good entry point, certainly easier than Spivak or H&H. There's also [3,4], which you probably know about. These are great and emphasize the modeling part. Maximum likelihood (via EM) is in the appendix, and you don't really need to know a lot of math to get going.\nIf you prefer a Bayesian or a variational point of view, modeling is the really important part. MCMC and message passing algorithms tend to be reused. For high level modeling of study results (e.g. differential expression on complicated designs), Gelman's Stan books [5] are a delight to learn from. If you need to roll your own custom inference, you should learn about graphical data structures such as factor graphs [6,7]. Here, knowhow from H&H is also required.\n[1] https://web.stanford.edu/~boyd/cvxbook/\n[2] https://web.stanford.edu/~boyd/vmls/\n[3] http://eddylab.org/cupbook.html\n[4] https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/problems-and-solutions-... (https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/problems-and-solutions-in-biological-sequence-analysis/38C7399A53970CF4B4499EA036074F35)\n[5] http://www.stat.columbia.edu/~gelman/books/\n[6] http://web4.cs.ucl.ac.uk/staff/D.Barber/pmwiki/pmwiki.php?n=... (http://web4.cs.ucl.ac.uk/staff/D.Barber/pmwiki/pmwiki.php?n=Brml.HomePage)\n[7] https://www.inference.org.uk/mackay/itila/book.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "http://eddylab.org/cupbook.html",
          "reason": "Included among books described as great and emphasizing the modeling part.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in probabilistic modeling and biological sequence analysis.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86044,
          "author": "jdale27",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T19:08:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86044",
          "commentText": "(I'm going to ignore the prohibition on \"programming/technical books\".)\n- GEB\n- SICP\n- anything by Paul Auster or Hermann Hesse\n- most Haruki Murakami, especially \"The Wind-up Bird Chronicle\"\n- Joan Didion, \"Where I Was From\"\n- Richard P. Gabriel, \"Patterns of Software\"\n- Durbin, Eddy, Krogh, and Mitchison, \"Biological Sequence Analysis\"\n- Italo Calvino, \"if on a winter's night a traveller\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Biological Sequence Analysis\"",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorites in response to the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes they are ignoring the thread's exclusion of technical books.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Durbin",
        "Sean R. Eddy",
        "Anders Krogh",
        "Graeme Mitchison"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bioinformatics",
        "probabilistic modeling",
        "sequence analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bird-by-bird-6f425d",
      "title": "Bird by Bird",
      "author": "Anne Lamott",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40289299,
          "author": "themadturk",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T18:04:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40289299",
          "commentText": "The Soul Of A New Machine, by Tracy Kidder - \nThe history of computing fascinates me, and this is one of my favorite books on the topic.\nHackers, by Steven Levy -\nAgain, computing history, and especially relevant to me because I started personal computing in the mid-80s and like reading about the stuff I missed. Levy is always fun to read. There are a lot of good books on the microcomputer revolution, this one is just my favorite.\nBird By Bird, by Anne Lamott -\nIt's not just a book about writing, but a book about living. Lamott is a born storyteller, and every one of her non-fiction books is inspiring and highly readable.\nOn Writing, by Stephen King -\nI am not a King fan. The only fiction piece he's written I come back to is The Stand. But the story of how he became a writer, and his life as a writer, gives me hope for my own writing. And his advice is valuable; even if I don't like his books, I can't argue with his success.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bird By Bird, by Anne Lamott",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a book about writing and living.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1965672,
          "author": "demosthe",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-03T13:18:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 1965039,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books for English writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1965672",
          "commentText": "_Bird by Bird_ by Anne Lamott  http://amzn.com/0385480016\nGood, interesting, book on writing from a writing teacher's POV. Useful if you want to read the truth about the struggle to get published. Also good for improving your writing.\n_On Writing_ by Stephen King  http://amzn.com/1439156816\nStephen King's surprisingly good book on being a professional writer for most of his life.\n\"Writer's Digest\" magazine. http://amzn.com/B00005NIPH\nI've been subscribed to Writer's Digest for years. Full of helpful hints, interesting articles, and suggestions for improving your writing, regardless of the genre or media for which you are writing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Good, interesting, book on writing from a writing teacher's POV. Useful if you want to read the truth about the struggle to get published. Also good for improving your writing.",
          "reason": "Praised as interesting and useful for improving writing.",
          "audience": "Writers, including those interested in the publishing process.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anne Lamott"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "publishing",
        "writing advice",
        "writing craft"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "blood-music-996a70",
      "title": "Blood Music",
      "author": "Greg Bear",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38573009,
          "author": "unaindz",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T19:21:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38573009",
          "commentText": "Last year Annihilation and the rest of the trilogy rekindled my passion for reading after almost a decade.\nVandemeer really has a way with words but specifically in this novel he manages to describe what I though was indescribable.\nIt was only fair that I tried another one of his trilogies, Borne, The Strange Bird and Dead Astronauts.\nWith Borne being pretty normal (for Vandermeer standards) and the other two reading like pretty ramblings at times if you lack the context. I still loved them but they may not be for everyone.\nYou should read them in the order above so that you have as many pieces of the prose puzzle when you reach Dead Astronauts. But even if you end up not liking the writing of the last two books, Borne can still be enjoyed independently.\nAs for this year. \n\"Blood music\" by Greg Bear.\nBiology scify with a pretty weird concept.\n\"Firefall\" trilogy by Peter Watts\nUsually a scify story revolvs around one core idea, this one does too, but it kept surprising me with new secondary but interesting ones until the end.\nRead The Colonel between the two main books.\n\"Rifters\" trilogy by Peter Watts\nExploring sexual abuse, empathy\n\"Story of Your Life\" by Ted Chiang\nShort story about a linguist learning the recently arrived aliens language. Liked the humor depicting the different perspectives between scientists and military. Pretty emotional.\nI'm not sure what it tells about me but all of these are bittersweet scify with good prose.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Blood music\" by Greg Bear.",
          "reason": "Described as biology science fiction with a weird concept.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15428711,
          "author": "bglusman",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:07:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428711",
          "commentText": "It's half novel, half related series of 9 short stories, but Accelerando is great.  The Martian by Andy Weir (movie based on it) was quite good.  Daemon I think also qualifies, though it's SF dressed up as a thriller.  Oh, Blood Music by Greg Bear probably counts? Except maybe the ending?\nTempted to mention The Diamond Age, but not sure that qualifies as \"Hard\", though closer than some other Stephenson maybe...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Oh, Blood Music by Greg Bear probably counts? Except maybe the ending?",
          "reason": "Suggests it may count as a hard science fiction recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether it counts, especially given the ending.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140918,
          "author": "gojomo",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T16:36:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140918",
          "commentText": "Second Egan, for 'Permutation City' and his short stories (in 'Axiomatic', especially).\nAlso, Greg Bear's 'Blood Music' inspired me both with its vision and its jumbling of genres, especially given its publication date (1985).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Greg Bear's 'Blood Music' inspired me both with its vision and its jumbling of genres",
          "reason": "Says the book inspired them with its vision and mix of genres.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in science fiction that mixes genres.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Greg Bear"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biotechnology",
        "biopunk",
        "genre blending",
        "hard science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "born-standing-up-a-comic-s-life-272599",
      "title": "Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life",
      "author": "Steve Martin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6387589,
          "author": "wallflower",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T23:55:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387589",
          "commentText": "I love biographies/auto-biographies of people not in technology (directly) who live an interesting life.\n\"Giant Steps: The Remarkable Story of the Goliath Expedition From Punta Arenas to Russia\" by Karl Bushby\nUnbelievable what it feels like to just take off...\nhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/0751536954\n\"Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination\"\nThe first third of the book is remarkable in that Walt Disney constantly struggles with failure.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/0679757473\n\"Swimming to Antarctica: Tales of a Long-Distance Swimmer\" by Lynne Cox\nHer story is all about single focus on doing what you want to do.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/B0013L8AQQ\n\"Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life\" by Steve Martin\nhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/1416553657",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life\" by Steve Martin",
          "reason": "Included in a list of biographies and autobiographies the commenter loves.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in biographies of people outside technology.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 202964,
          "author": "mattmaroon",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T04:12:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=202964",
          "commentText": "I highly recommend Born Standing Up by Steve Martin if you're at all into comedy. One of the more enjoyable books I read recently. I'd say it was entirely unrelated to Hacker News, but pmarca did paraphrase it in his talk at SuS.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend Born Standing Up by Steve Martin if you're at all into comedy. One of the more enjoyable books I read recently.",
          "reason": "Highly recommends it and says it was one of their more enjoyable recent reads.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in comedy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve Martin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Art"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comedy",
        "comedy memoir",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "born-to-run-a-hidden-tribe-superathletes-and-the-greatest-race-th-1440d0",
      "title": "Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen",
      "author": "Christopher McDougall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15960873,
          "author": "jrowley",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T15:36:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15960873",
          "commentText": "1. Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen\nIt's a fun read, and got me inspired to run my first ultra marathon.\n2. Alone on the Wall\nInspiring stories about this amazing rock climber Alex Honnold, as told by himself and one other experienced climber. You get a little insight into what makes him tick.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a fun read, and got me inspired to run my first ultra marathon.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it fun and says it inspired them to run their first ultramarathon.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in running and endurance sports.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865750,
          "author": "HeyLaughingBoy",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T18:05:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865750",
          "commentText": "I just finished this over the weekend and thought it was great. What did you think?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I just finished this over the weekend and thought it was great.",
          "reason": "Says they finished the book and thought it was great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865721,
          "author": "HeyLaughingBoy",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T17:58:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865721",
          "commentText": "Just finished Andrew Vachhs's Haiku which I think is his weakest novel so far, I liked Alina Rodriguez's The Husband Habit and I could not put down Born To Run which gave me new insight into running, a sport I'm just getting started with. Currently reading Cooper's About Face (only technical book on the list :-) and about to start Joshua Slocum's Sailing Alone Around the World",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I could not put down Born To Run which gave me new insight into running",
          "reason": "Says it was hard to put down and gave them new insight into running.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher McDougall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "running",
        "ultrarunning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "borne-d391f1",
      "title": "Borne",
      "author": "Jeff VanderMeer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38573009,
          "author": "unaindz",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T19:21:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38573009",
          "commentText": "Last year Annihilation and the rest of the trilogy rekindled my passion for reading after almost a decade.\nVandemeer really has a way with words but specifically in this novel he manages to describe what I though was indescribable.\nIt was only fair that I tried another one of his trilogies, Borne, The Strange Bird and Dead Astronauts.\nWith Borne being pretty normal (for Vandermeer standards) and the other two reading like pretty ramblings at times if you lack the context. I still loved them but they may not be for everyone.\nYou should read them in the order above so that you have as many pieces of the prose puzzle when you reach Dead Astronauts. But even if you end up not liking the writing of the last two books, Borne can still be enjoyed independently.\nAs for this year. \n\"Blood music\" by Greg Bear.\nBiology scify with a pretty weird concept.\n\"Firefall\" trilogy by Peter Watts\nUsually a scify story revolvs around one core idea, this one does too, but it kept surprising me with new secondary but interesting ones until the end.\nRead The Colonel between the two main books.\n\"Rifters\" trilogy by Peter Watts\nExploring sexual abuse, empathy\n\"Story of Your Life\" by Ted Chiang\nShort story about a linguist learning the recently arrived aliens language. Liked the humor depicting the different perspectives between scientists and military. Pretty emotional.\nI'm not sure what it tells about me but all of these are bittersweet scify with good prose.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It was only fair that I tried another one of his trilogies, Borne, The Strange Bird and Dead Astronauts.",
          "reason": "Part of the trilogy the commenter tried after reading VanderMeer's previous series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Can be enjoyed independently, according to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33849955,
          "author": "prepend",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T02:31:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33849955",
          "commentText": "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood by Quentin Tarantino, a great companion to the movie and expands on characters in really unique ways that make me think about them.\nTermination Shock by Neal Stephenson, a near future book about climate change and trying to fix it with an interesting geopolitical look of China acting like the US. I also liked Ministry of the Future but it was less fun of a read.\nCoddling of the American Mind by Jonathan Haidt, a reasoned look at how social media and devices are negatively impacting society and children.\nBorne by Jeff VanderMeer, a weird near future declinepunk with bioengineering and evil corporations.\nHeart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, very short book with a glimpse into post colonial colonialism in remote locations. Wanted to read a book about Congo.\nInvisible Man by Ralph Ellison, a portrait of a character in a time I didn’t experience.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a weird near future declinepunk with bioengineering and evil corporations",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeff VanderMeer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biopunk",
        "corporate dystopia",
        "weird fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bottle-of-lies-the-inside-story-of-the-generic-drug-boom-2bb5f8",
      "title": "Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom",
      "author": "Katherine Eban",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42219433,
          "author": "lovestory",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T05:56:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42219433",
          "commentText": "I only have time to listen to audiobooks so I hope this list is not too basic.\nOn the Edge: The Art of Risking Everything by Nate Silver\nThe End of Reality: How Four Billionaires Are Selling a Fantasy Future of the Metaverse, Mars, and Crypto by Jonathan Taplin\nThe Value of Others by Orion Taraban\nRinsed: From Cartels to Crypto: How the Tech Industry Washes Money for the World's Deadliest Crooks by Geoff White\nWhy We Die: The New Science of Aging and the Quest for Immortality by Venki Ramakrishnan\nExtremely Hardcore: Inside Elon Musk's Twitter by Zoe Schiffer\nBottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Katherine Eban\nAI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference by Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor\nHijacking Bitcoin: The Hidden History of BTC by Roger Ver\nGo Woke, Go Broke: The Inside Story of the Radicalization of Corporate America by Charles Gasparino\nThe Catalyst: RNA and the Quest to Unlock Life's Deepest Secrets by Thomas R Cech\nand my book of the year\nGood Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health by Casey Means M D",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Katherine Eban",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804899,
          "author": "AGivant",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:29:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804899",
          "commentText": "Here is my list (from https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/912138-alex-givant?rea...):\nMemoirs:\n- Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti..).\n- Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive by Land, Stephanie, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39218350-maid\n- Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40409969-medium-raw\n- Confessions of a Tax Collector: One Man's Tour of Duty Inside the IRS by Yancey, Rick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_..).\n- The Perfect Predator: A Scientist's Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Superbug: A Memoir by Steffanie Strathdee, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-pre... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-predator)\nPolitics:\n- Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Desmond, Matthew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25852784-evicted\n- Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America by Leovy, Jill, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13153693-ghettoside\n- American Prison: A Reporter's Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment by Bauer, Shane, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38561954-american-prison\n- Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Eban, Katherine, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42448266-bottle-of-lies\n- A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America by Miller, T. Christian, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35805861-a-false-report\n- The New Silk Roads by Frankopan, Peter, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro..).\nHistory:\n- Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-1956 by Applebaum, Anne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13531848-iron-curtain\n- The Romanovs: 1613-1918 by Montefiore, Simon Sebag, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26109020-the-romanovs\n- The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Johnson, Steven, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36086.The_Ghost_Map\n- Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations by Bergman, Ronen, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f..).\n- Madame Fourcade's Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against Hitler by Olson, Lynne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade..).\n- Argo: How the CIA & Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History by Méndez, Antonio J., https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13588425-argo\nCrime:\n- Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History by Selby, Scott Andrew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7071759-flawless\n- American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road by Bilton, Nick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi..).\n- Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by Carreyrou, John, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37976541-bad-blood\n- Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World by Wright, Tom, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-..).\n- The Mastermind: Drugs. Empire. Murder. Betrayal. by Ratliff, Evan, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41181600-the-mastermind\nTechnology:\n- Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon by Zetter, Kim, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze..).\n- Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World by Thompson, Clive, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40406806-coders",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Eban, Katherine",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list of favorite nonfiction books read in 2019.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Katherine Eban"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "generic drugs",
        "pharmaceutical industry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "braiding-sweetgrass-38c080",
      "title": "Braiding Sweetgrass",
      "author": "Robin Wall Kimmerer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42220535,
          "author": "28304283409234",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T12:19:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42220535",
          "commentText": "Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Braiding Sweetgrass, by Robin Wall Kimmerer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41770242,
          "author": "hinkley",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T19:53:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41770242",
          "commentText": "A number of my favorites have already been mentioned so I’ll round out the list with Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer.\nIf you have kids, an interest in gardening, or a curiosity about Native American culture, this book will hit you in all three.\nI got it on audiobook, and felt like I wanted to use a highlighter on every fifth sentence. So I bought a paper copy so I can just open to random pages and start reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer",
          "reason": "Recommends it, highlighting its appeal for readers interested in children, gardening, or Native American culture.",
          "audience": "Readers with kids, an interest in gardening, or curiosity about Native American culture.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robin Wall Kimmerer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Society",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ecology",
        "indigenous knowledge",
        "botany",
        "plants"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "brain-rules-for-baby-3b26cb",
      "title": "Brain Rules for Baby",
      "author": "John Medina",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33852085,
          "author": "te_chris",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T09:43:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33852085",
          "commentText": "Sitting with my newborn sleeping on my chest currently. I’ve really enjoyed Brain Rules for Baby and currently reading Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child. Both good, feel like the latter is going to be a pivotal part of our parenting. My wife really enjoyed The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I’ve really enjoyed Brain Rules for Baby",
          "reason": "Says they really enjoyed the book.",
          "audience": "Parents of young children.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15170982,
          "author": "drited",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-04T21:31:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15170982",
          "commentText": "Loved Brain rules, and Brain Rules for baby is also wonderful  :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brain Rules for baby is also wonderful",
          "reason": "Calls the book wonderful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Medina"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Parenting",
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "child development",
        "brain science",
        "parenting advice"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "brideshead-revisited-0fd210",
      "title": "Brideshead Revisited",
      "author": "Evelyn Waugh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41239480,
          "author": "kbknight",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-13T20:30:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41239480",
          "commentText": "I end up re-reading \"Brideshead, Revisited\" about once a year. It's the rare Christian book where every single character (regardless of their relationship with Christianity) is basically screwed up.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I end up re-reading \"Brideshead, Revisited\" about once a year. It's the rare Christian book where every single character (regardless of their relationship with Christianity) is basically screwed up.",
          "reason": "The commenter rereads it yearly and describes its portrayal of flawed characters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes every character as basically screwed up.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13975883,
          "author": "osullivj",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-28T12:12:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13975883",
          "commentText": "IMHO the best 20th century novel in the English language: Brideshead Revisited. A cursory reading, or viewing of the TV series or recent film, can leave the misleading impression that it's a eulogy to aristocratic privilege. But that's because it wears its more profound themes so lightly. Those themes are life, love, the quest for happiness & acceptance, the nature of art, and the Catholic faith. As a work of apologetics it's extremely reticent; only Catholics will notice its Catholicity. All should read at a gentle pace to savour its wisdom. Some quotes...\n“But I was in search of love in those days, and I went full of curiosity and the faint, unrecognized apprehension that here, at last, I should find that low door in the wall, which others, I knew, had found before me, which opened on an enclosed and enchanted garden, which was somewhere, not overlooked by any window, in the heart of that grey city.”\n“To understand all is to forgive all.”\n“... To know and love one other human being is the root of all wisdom.”\n“Oxford, in those days, was still a city of aquatint. In her spacious and quiet streets men walked and spoke as they had done in Newman's day; her autumnal mists, her grey springtime, and the rare glory of her summer days - such as that day - when the chestnut was in flower and the bells rang out high and clear over her gables and cupolas, exhaled the soft airs of centuries of youth. It was this cloistral hush which gave our laughter its resonance, and carried it still, joyously, over the intervening clamour.”\nAnd finally: \"beware charm!\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "IMHO the best 20th century novel in the English language: Brideshead Revisited.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the best 20th-century novel in English and urges everyone to read it slowly.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in themes of life, love, art, and Catholic faith.",
          "caveat": "A cursory reading can give a misleading impression that it praises aristocratic privilege.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Evelyn Waugh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "british literature",
        "catholicism",
        "christian themes",
        "coming of age"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bring-up-the-bodies-c8e6d6",
      "title": "Bring Up the Bodies",
      "author": "Hilary Mantel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8026189,
          "author": "alina24",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-13T00:15:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 8025870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8026189",
          "commentText": "Hilary Mantel's \"Wolf Hall\" and \"Bring Up the Bodies\" - historical fiction. Brilliantly imagined life of Thomas Cromwell - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Cromwell,_1st_Earl_of_Es... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Cromwell,_1st_Earl_of_Essex)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hilary Mantel's \"Wolf Hall\" and \"Bring Up the Bodies\" - historical fiction.",
          "reason": "Included in a pair of novels described as a brilliantly imagined account of Thomas Cromwell's life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4239111,
          "author": "mpesce",
          "createdAt": "2012-07-13T10:06:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 4239104,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read & liked in 2012 till now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4239111",
          "commentText": "Bring Up The Bodies",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bring Up The Bodies",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books read and liked.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hilary Mantel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "tudor england"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "broad-band-the-untold-story-of-the-women-who-made-the-internet-e761b8",
      "title": "Broad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet",
      "author": "Claire L. Evans",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22707561,
          "author": "johnb",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T22:41:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22707561",
          "commentText": "A few good ones that haven't been mentioned yet:\n* \"IBM's 360 and Early 370 Systems\n\" https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/ibms-360-and-early-370-system... (https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/ibms-360-and-early-370-systems)\n* \"Broad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet\" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35953464-broad-band\n* \"Fire in the Valley: The Making of the Personal Computer\" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1427580.Fire_in_the_Vall... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1427580.Fire_in_the_Valley)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Broad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Claire L. Evans"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "internet history",
        "women in computing",
        "women in technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "buddenbrooks-4ffc8c",
      "title": "Buddenbrooks",
      "author": "Thomas Mann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49908211,
          "author": "greset",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T12:51:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49908211",
          "commentText": "Just finished Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann. One of the best books I've read, ever. \nIt's long and tedious, and if you like getting lost in minute descriptions of mundane objects and daily routines of people who lived in past eras, then you'll love it and feel sad when it's over.\nI also find books like this to be a great antidote to the pace of current life, where you're pressured to \"read n books in 1 year\" or you're not deemed a proper reader.\nNext up is going to be Lonesome Dove, suggested by someone in this very thread!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just finished Buddenbrooks by Thomas Mann. One of the best books I've read, ever.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of the best books they have ever read.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy minute descriptions of mundane objects and past daily life.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as long and tedious.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46397495,
          "author": "jaimefjorge",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T23:26:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46397495",
          "commentText": "All fiction.\n- The Great Gatsby. Really enjoyed it and seemed fitting with the current times.\n- Buddenbrooks, Thomas Mann. Generational wealth come and gone. Good for putting things into perspective.\n- Things Fall Apart, Achebe.\n- The Pearl, John Steinbeck\n- Hyperion (first book), Dan Simmons. Great sci-fi. Bought the second book and look forward to reading it.\n- Stoner, John Williams. Incredibly well written book\n- One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez. Still finishing but I hope to finish in time for next year",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Buddenbrooks, Thomas Mann. Generational wealth come and gone. Good for putting things into perspective.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it offers perspective on generational wealth.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Mann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "family saga",
        "generational wealth",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "build-your-own-lisp-1c9282",
      "title": "Build Your Own Lisp",
      "author": "Daniel Holden",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34414479,
          "author": "weird_user",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-17T16:24:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34412069,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach programming by building a series of small projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34414479",
          "commentText": "For beginners, Daniel Holden's Build Your Own Lisp[1] is excellent material for learning C. It's a very succinct book.\nFor intermediate programmers, Build Your Own Redis[2] is a WIP book I am currently writing.\n[1] https://buildyourownlisp.com/\n[2] https://build-your-own.org/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Daniel Holden's Build Your Own Lisp[1] is excellent material for learning C.",
          "reason": "Calls it excellent material for learning C.",
          "audience": "Beginners learning C.",
          "caveat": "Succinct.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22302337,
          "author": "ballpark",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-11T20:17:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22302337",
          "commentText": "- Practical Common Lisp\n- Land of Lisp - http://landoflisp.com/ - watch the video, it's hilarious\n- Build Your Own Lisp - http://www.buildyourownlisp.com/ - Learn C by creating a lisp in C\n- In the spirit of making your own lisp, I would recommend https://github.com/kanaka/mal - learn any language, by making a lisp in that language",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Build Your Own Lisp",
          "reason": "Presented as a way to learn C by building a Lisp.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Holden"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming",
        "interpreters",
        "lisp"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "building-git-65ff75",
      "title": "Building Git",
      "author": "James Coglan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42523379,
          "author": "kaycey2022",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-27T16:15:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42523379",
          "commentText": "Does nobody on this forum read technical books anymore? I read building git by James Coglan, and it was pretty good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read building git by James Coglan, and it was pretty good.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they read it and found it pretty good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34414172,
          "author": "unrequited",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-17T16:04:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 34412069,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach programming by building a series of small projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34414172",
          "commentText": "https://shop.jcoglan.com/building-git/\nThis is an excellent resource.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://shop.jcoglan.com/building-git/",
          "reason": "Identifies the resource as excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Coglan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "git",
        "systems programming",
        "version control"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "built-to-sell-c8668a",
      "title": "Built to Sell",
      "author": "John Warrillow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35174081,
          "author": "celestialcheese",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T20:12:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35174081",
          "commentText": "\"Built to Sell\" - quick read, but transformative for me because something about it clicked with me and got me to pivot from selling \"work\" to selling \"products\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Built to Sell\" - quick read, but transformative for me",
          "reason": "The commenter says it prompted a pivot from selling work to selling products.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a quick read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18669949,
          "author": "pknerd",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-13T05:01:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18669949",
          "commentText": "Though many but a few recommendations:\n- Hooked\n- The dollar trap\n- Built to sell\n- Brain rules\n- The doctor in the house (Memoir of Malaysian PM, Mahathir)\n- 1984 by Orwell (Still reading)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Built to sell",
          "reason": "Listed as a book read in 2018, in response to a question asking which books commenters would recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Warrillow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business growth",
        "business models",
        "productized services",
        "selling a business"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bulletproof-web-design-1d1156",
      "title": "Bulletproof Web Design",
      "author": "Dan Cederholm",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 574497,
          "author": "falsestprophet",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-22T20:27:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 574468,
          "threadTitle": "What is the best CSS book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=574497",
          "commentText": "Bulletproof Web Design is the only CSS book I have liked enough to buy so far. Hopefully, our peers have other suggestions. I would like to learn more.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bulletproof Web Design is the only CSS book I have liked enough to buy so far.",
          "reason": "Says it is the only CSS book they've liked enough to buy.",
          "audience": "People learning CSS and web design.",
          "caveat": "They are still hoping for other suggestions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5633,
          "author": "comatose_kid",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T06:44:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5633",
          "commentText": "Business side:\n\nMost business books are fun to read, but it's really hard to say that any have been truly helpful.  Most lean more to the motivational/inspirational side, instead of focusing on case studies.  My suspicion is that business is probably not best learned from a book.  But I'll list a few I like anyways.\nAlan Sugar: The Amstrad Story\n  - Great story about how Sir Alan grew an empire selling stereos out of the back of a car.  Instructive because his key insights revolved around understanding what the average user wanted, as opposed to the technical elite. \nSoftwar:  An Intimate Portrait of Larry Ellison\n  - He started his first company at 33 after working for other high tech firms.  This book is neat because Ellison adds his own comments in the footer when he disagrees with the biographer.\nFounders @ Work\n  - Pre-ordered it.  I was tempted to read it all at once, but decided to spread it out over 2 weeks.  I'm glad that I did - there's a lot to digest....\nProduct side:\n\nDesigning Interactions\n   -  If you want to design great user experiences, it helps to see the thought processes great designers go through to create successful products.\nBulletproof Web Design\n   - Well written, concise.  Cederholm knows CSS.\nHardening Linux\n   - I've seen many guides at the bookstore.  This one appealed to me because it has both breadth and depth.  The chapter on configuring firewalls was alone worth the price of the book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Well written, concise.  Cederholm knows CSS.",
          "reason": "Praises its concise writing and the author's CSS expertise.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Cederholm"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "css",
        "web design",
        "responsive layouts"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bullshit-jobs-a-theory-7dacbe",
      "title": "Bullshit Jobs: A Theory",
      "author": "David Graeber",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25387302,
          "author": "shicky",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-11T16:09:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25387302",
          "commentText": "With bullshit jobs, could you expand on finding meaningful work? It's something that has eaten me up the last while (non meaningful work and being unsure what direction to head to find it)\nI've searched a few reviews of the book but largely seemed to focus on how many jobs are pointless rather than finding non pointless stuff",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "With bullshit jobs, could you expand on finding meaningful work?",
          "reason": "Asks for more information about finding meaningful work in relation to the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says reviews they found focus on pointless jobs rather than finding meaningful work.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25319113,
          "author": "why5s",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T22:39:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319113",
          "commentText": "Gig: Americans Talk About Their Jobs\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Gig-Americans-Talk-About-Their/dp/060... (https://www.amazon.com/Gig-Americans-Talk-About-Their/dp/0609807072)\nIt's basically a series of interviews with people across various industries talking about their jobs. Not exactly \"memoir\"-style but more of an anthology.\nBullshit Jobs: A Theory by David Graeber\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Bullshit-Jobs-Theory-David-Graeber/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Bullshit-Jobs-Theory-David-Graeber/dp/1501143336/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=bullshit+jobs&qid=1607207865&s=books&sr=1-1)\nA personal favorite that I read alongside the first recommendation. Just puts a lot of things in perspective with respect to finding meaningful work.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bullshit Jobs: A Theory by David Graeber",
          "reason": "Recommended as a personal favorite for reflecting on finding meaningful work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24212085,
          "author": "frompdx",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-19T16:15:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 24176902,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please suggest some good books you have read recently",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24212085",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- The Expanse series.  Long but easy read.  Great science fiction.  I'm on book 5 so far.\nNon-fiction:\n- Bullshit Jobs.  Even if you don't agree with the Author's premise in the end I think this book is thought provoking and worth reading.\n- Dying for a Paycheck.  This book explores how work affects our health.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Even if you don't agree with the Author's premise in the end I think this book is thought provoking and worth reading.",
          "reason": "Thought provoking and worth reading, though the commenter allows readers may disagree with its premise.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "You may not agree with the premise.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Graeber"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Society",
        "Business",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "labor",
        "meaningful work",
        "work"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "business-adventures-82a070",
      "title": "Business Adventures",
      "author": "John Brooks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10767627,
          "author": "krp",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T17:36:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10767627",
          "commentText": "The 48 Laws of Power - Robert Greene.\nI began reading it with a \"know your enemy\" frame of mind, similar to why I read some Ayn Rand, hoping that I'd better understand why some people behave certain ways.\nAs I got further into the book I began reflecting upon the past, becoming consciously aware of all the faux pas I've made over the years.\nI started identifying with all the honest, outspoken historical figures that would speak their mind and end up without a head.\nI used to pride myself on my honesty above all else way of life, thinking how virtuous it was to be like Socrates or Galileo. Now I realize that more often than not, I'd just seem like a dick, and probably wouldn't have a head if the guillotine were still in use. Now I put more energy into understanding others points of view, and understand others better as a result. Much of my old behavior was childish.\nOthers that changed my way of thinking in some way or another:\nRework, Getting Real, and the recent Reconsider post - DHH & Jason Fried:\nI'd always considered external funding as the best way to grow things I've built in the past, and wrote off the few bad experiences with this approach as being outliers. After also reading others' bad experiences throughout the year, now I'm wondering if my experiences were perhaps representative of the industry as a whole. Confirmation bias? Maybe. I'm sure there are the rare few good angel/VC's somewhere out there (no doubt someone will reply with \"YC\"). However, after watching several things I'd passionately built over significant amounts of time be driven to failure by others, I'd much rather bootstrap future projects. I learned a lot from each failure, but trial and error is a shitty way to spend years of your life. Far better to learn what worked from those who succeeded.\nBusiness Adventures - John Brooks:\nUntil this book, reading about businesses was one of the most boring things I could imagine. Some of it is dated, but there are also many valuable gems that still hold true 50 years later. I now see that with a good storyteller, even seemingly boring subjects can be fascinating.\nFreshbooks: Breaking the Time Barrier - McDerment & Cowper:\nThis tiny book (free from their website) helped me think of new ways to improve my consulting services and emphasize value instead of focusing on hourly rates, which made it easier to make more money.\nVarious online sales & marketing resources: My viewpoint on the importance of sales & marketing has also completely flipped since the beginning of the year. I used to have the mental image of a used car salesman whenever I heard the word sales, and of Mad Men when I heard marketing. Now I understand that if you don't market what you build, nobody will know that it exists. If you don't experiment with different sales tactics, you'll miss out on a huge amount of users who would otherwise love using your product, but who avoid it because it's priced wrong, or you're unable to convince them of why they'd want to use it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Some of it is dated, but there are also many valuable gems that still hold true 50 years later.",
          "reason": "Finds lasting value in the book and says good storytelling made a boring subject fascinating.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some of the material is dated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8258184,
          "author": "himanshuy",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T15:42:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8258184",
          "commentText": "Business Adventures By John Brooks. An awesome book. Must read for all.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Business Adventures By John Brooks. An awesome book. Must read for all.",
          "reason": "Calls it an awesome book and a must-read for everyone.",
          "audience": "Everyone, per the commenter.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Brooks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business case studies",
        "business history",
        "case studies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "business-dynamics-90c1d5",
      "title": "Business Dynamics",
      "author": "John D. Sterman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49911978,
          "author": "aanet",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T17:36:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49911978",
          "commentText": "If you loved Thinking In Systems: A Primer, you may want to read Business Dynamics by John Sterman [1], one of the proponents and pioneers (after Jay Forrester) of systems dynamics. It's a textbook, but even so it is readable and engaging.\nSystems thinking changes the way people think about solutions, often for the better (but not always). There's a tendency to think: \"uh... it's the system, nothing's gonna change unless we change the _system_ per se\". And that's correct. But individual actions also change systemic outputs. So. Case in point: climate change and all that...\n[fun fact, I took a class with Sterman at MIT. He's fantastic, very engaging!]\n[1] https://mitsloan.mit.edu/faculty/directory/john-d-sterman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you may want to read Business Dynamics by John Sterman",
          "reason": "Recommends it to someone who enjoyed Thinking in Systems.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in systems thinking.",
          "caveat": "It is a textbook, though the commenter says it is readable and engaging.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12584939,
          "author": "megadrive16",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-26T19:44:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12584939",
          "commentText": "Here are my recommendations. This list is optimised to teach you the fundamentals of economics and finance, give you alternative perspectives on status quo economic/financial thinking and then equip with you with tools, ideas, and concepts to come up with original investment ideas and increase the likelihood that they are going to actually make you, your clients, and your firm a lot of money without anybody getting grilled by the House Financial Services Committee, the SEC, or ending up in jail.\n1.) Get a recent copy of the CFA curriculum and do the end of chapter exercises. You can probably skip a lot of the quantitative methods material if you’re doing a degree in stats. The CFA curriculum will give you a solid understanding of all the major sub-categories of economics (micro, macro, corporate finance, security analysis, accounting, financial statement analysis, alternative investments, derivatives, portfolio management, and most importantly ethical standards for financial professionals.\n2.) Read the Economics Anti-Text Book to crush any illusion that the neoclassical economic paradigm, which the CFA curriculum is based on, is the only scholarly interpretation of how economics works in the real world. Then read it again. If you’re really a diehard scholar read some of the alternative economics papers that the book references.\n3.) Find a good book or paper that covers Rational Choice Theory in depth. Then, at least, read Kahneman and Tversky (1979). If you can, read all of Kahneman and Tversky’s papers. This should also help clear any illusion that humans being are rational agents, which is a cornerstone of neoclassical economics, and give you a foundation for thinking about how people in markets really make decisions.\n4.) Read Fooled by Randomness to get more alternative thinking on decision making and how finance and economics works in the real world vs. the textbook stuff that you’re going to learn via the CFA curriculum.\n5.) Read Business Dynamics (Sterman, 2000) to learn how to model systems the “right” way.\n6.) Read Best Practices for Equity Research Analysts (Valentine). Regardless if you want to be an equity analysis or not, this book is the best book around if you want to learn how to organise yourself to succeed working day-today in an investment decision making role. Just think about the equity specific aspects in the context of whatever category of finance you’re interested in.\n7.) The Sleuth Investor (Mandelman). A lot to people complained that some of this book’s suggestions cross an ethical line. I disagree. Again, this books will give you an alternative perspective about how economic agents gather information on the critical factors that will move the variables they’re  interested in (e.g. stock prices, bond ratings, commodity prices,  earnings, etc). It’s basic premise is get out of the building and collect HUMINT (echoing Valentine more aggressively) like a CIA case officer instead of a nerd in a cube reading the same 10K’s, sell-side research, as everybody else.\n8.) Expectations Investing (Mauboussin) is a must read for how to come up with contra-consensus investment ideas and get it right.\n9.) Investing: The Last Great Liberal Art is a must read for learning how to incorporate information from other fields (physics, biology, sociology, etc) into your economic analysis.\n10.) (Optional) Diaminds: Decoding the Mental Habits of Successful Thinkers that challenges you to think about your thinking and assess how great business thinkers think. Not a economics but definitely will help you become a better economic thinker.\nGood luck!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read Business Dynamics (Sterman, 2000) to learn how to model systems the “right” way.",
          "reason": "Recommended for learning systems modeling.",
          "audience": "Readers learning economics and finance.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John D. Sterman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "system dynamics",
        "modeling",
        "systems thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "business-dynamics-systems-thinking-and-modeling-for-a-complex-wor-40a369",
      "title": "Business Dynamics: Systems Thinking and Modeling for a Complex World",
      "author": "John D. Sterman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20205370,
          "author": "Jtsummers",
          "createdAt": "2019-06-17T17:34:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 20196671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What to read after “Thinking in Systems”?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20205370",
          "commentText": "Sterman's \"Business Dynamics\" may be of interest to you, but it's pricey. You may be able to find a PDF online. Morecroft's \"Strategic Modelling and Business Dynamics\" is available on Safari Books Online if you have a subscription.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Sterman's \"Business Dynamics\" may be of interest to you, but it's pricey.",
          "reason": "Suggests the book as potentially relevant to the request.",
          "audience": "Someone seeking mathematical or programming-oriented systems books.",
          "caveat": "Pricey; may be possible to find a PDF online.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10787209,
          "author": "theologic",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T05:16:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787209",
          "commentText": "Got a new job in May so slowed me down, but got through around 8 this year.\nI'm a Lencioni fan:\nDeath by Meeting --  Describes 3 types of meetings\nGetting Naked -- Describes how to consult\nI'm also a Marshall Goldsmith fan:\nWhat Got You Here Won't Get You There -  Once you get beyond a Director level with some mistakes, read this book\nMojo, How to Get It, How To Keep It - Another \"look yourself in the mirror\" book\nAlso:\n21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership  - John Maxwell. A little prod to act more like a leader.\nReady Player One -- Ernest Cline, Great Young Adult Book.  Escapist fantasy.\nEvery Shot Counts -- Mark Broady, Statistical Look At Golf, but has some smell of Kahnemann\nTo Kill A Mockingbird -- Timeless Classic I Never Got To.  Loved Atticus.  I won't read a Watchman if it spoils my view of what Atticus was all about.\nStarted But Not Finished:\nBusiness Dynamics Thinking -- Sterman (out of MIT). I need to take off work to read this 'cause it is so massive.  Basically it is control theory applied to business modelling.  However, I am convinced if somebody can apply these models, it really is the best competitive advantage.  However, too people willing to stick with it.\nHow to Measure Anything -- Douglas Hubbard.  Sort of makes me mad because it is so commonsense, yet most businesses don't apply this commonsense approach.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I need to take off work to read this 'cause it is so massive.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is massive and would require taking time off work to read.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in applying control theory to business modeling.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has started but not finished it and says it is very large.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John D. Sterman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business modeling",
        "system dynamics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "business-stripped-bare-5ee100",
      "title": "Business Stripped Bare",
      "author": "Richard Branson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4530441,
          "author": "alid",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-16T21:31:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 4530022,
          "threadTitle": "What to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4530441",
          "commentText": "Richard Branson's books (e.g. 'Business Stripped Bare' & 'Like a Virgin') are brilliant for the themes of branding, big picture thinking and leadership. Have a great holiday!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Business Stripped Bare'",
          "reason": "Calls Branson's books brilliant for branding, big-picture thinking, and leadership.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027009,
          "author": "knv",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T09:29:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027009",
          "commentText": "Anathem, by Neal Stephenson\nConsider Phlebas, by Iain M. Banks\nSelfish Gene, by Richard Dawkins\nBusiness Stripped Bare, by Richard Branson\nProgramming Collective Intelligence, by Toby Segaran\nZen and Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert Pirsig",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Business Stripped Bare, by Richard Branson",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books others enjoyed and recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Branson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "branding",
        "business memoir",
        "leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "buyology-8bade2",
      "title": "Buyology",
      "author": "Martin Lindstrom",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15156236,
          "author": "mikesabat",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T14:51:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156236",
          "commentText": "I'm on a streak of reading Neuromarketing/behavioral economic type books. \n1. Predictably irrational is particularly good. Especially the first half. \n2. The Confidence Game explains the steps of how con trick people to fool themselves. \n3. Buyology is very focused on purchases/retail. \n4. Brainfluence. I'm halfway through it. Mostly bite-sized chapters  and it's similar to Buyology, but I prefer this book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Buyology is very focused on purchases/retail.",
          "reason": "Describes its focus within a list answering a question about impactful books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1867925,
          "author": "faz",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-04T06:27:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1867925",
          "commentText": "Loved the book \"Buyology\". I enjoy shopping more now after knowing how my brain works in buying stuff :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Loved the book \"Buyology\".",
          "reason": "Says they loved the book and enjoy shopping more after learning how their brain works in buying.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865483,
          "author": "thevinnie",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T17:04:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865483",
          "commentText": "Buyology - Martin Lindstrom\nThe Data Warehouse Lifecycle Toolkit - Ralph Kimball\nThe Grand Design - Stephen Hawking",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Buyology - Martin Lindstrom",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin Lindstrom"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consumer behavior",
        "marketing",
        "neuromarketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "c-primer-plus-7ee0e1",
      "title": "C++ Primer Plus",
      "author": "Stephen Prata",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30487171,
          "author": "kidgorgeous",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T11:03:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30487171",
          "commentText": "Programming didn't make sense to me until I read C++ Primer Plus by Stephen Prata",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming didn't make sense to me until I read C++ Primer Plus by Stephen Prata",
          "reason": "The commenter credits the book with helping programming make sense.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7756982,
          "author": "Serow225",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:21:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7756982",
          "commentText": "C Primer Plus and Expert C Programming. I wish there was a book similar to the latter that covered C99/11.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "C Primer Plus",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Prata"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c",
        "c programming",
        "programming",
        "programming language learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "calculating-god-5fdbd3",
      "title": "Calculating God",
      "author": "Robert J. Sawyer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39729464,
          "author": "bookofjoe",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T21:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729464",
          "commentText": "\"A Canticle For Leibowitz\"\n\"The Sparrow\"\n\"Lord of Light\"\n\"The Immortal\"\n\"Hyperion\"\n\"The Last Question\"\n\"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?\"\n\"Stranger in a Strange Land\"\n\"The City and the Stars\"\n\"Childhood's End\"\n\"Anathem\"\n\"Eifelheim\"\n\"A Case of Conscience\"\n\"VALIS\" trilogy\n\"The Book of Strange New Things\"\n\"Behold The Man\"\n\"The God Engines\"\n\"Book of the New Sun\"\n\"The Parable of the Sower\"\n\"The Dosadi Experiment\"\n\"Grass\"\n\"Project Pope\"\n\"Calculating God\"\n\"Factoring Humanity\"\n\"Jesus on Mars\"\n\"Surface Detail",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Calculating God\"",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about books that changed perspectives on religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3783897,
          "author": "latch",
          "createdAt": "2012-04-01T15:28:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 3781486,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi Books for Hackers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3783897",
          "commentText": "Non-developer specific good sci-fi books:\n-Dune\n-Hyperion + The Fall of Hyperion\n-The Book Of The New Sun\n-Ilium + Olympos\n-Takeshi Kovacs trilogy\n-The Culture Series (meh..)\n-The Demolished Man\nMore dev-oriented:\n-Reamde (which I hated, but I seem to be in a minority)\n-Neuromancer\nI'll always have a special place in my heart for Calculating God (not science fiction), because its the book that got me into reading seriously.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'll always have a special place in my heart for Calculating God (not science fiction), because its the book that got me into reading seriously.",
          "reason": "Expresses strong personal affection, saying it got them into reading seriously.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert J. Sawyer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "paleontology",
        "religion",
        "theism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "calculus-4a0310",
      "title": "Calculus",
      "author": "Tom M. Apostol",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21350810,
          "author": "rcpt",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-25T01:04:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21350810",
          "commentText": "Apostols Calculus was huge for me. Probably the main reason I majored in math.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Apostols Calculus was huge for me. Probably the main reason I majored in math.",
          "reason": "Says the book had a major positive influence on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 665068,
          "author": "mattheww",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T13:33:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665068",
          "commentText": "Apostol's text is less a Calculus text and more an introduction to real analysis. I would not recommend it to someone seeking a refresher on practical methods.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Apostol's text is less a Calculus text and more an introduction to real analysis.",
          "reason": "Characterizes the book as closer to an introduction to real analysis.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a refresher on practical calculus methods.",
          "caveat": "The commenter would not recommend it for that purpose.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 665056,
          "author": "sepa",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T13:25:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665056",
          "commentText": "Calculus by Tom Apostol",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Calculus by Tom Apostol",
          "reason": "Provides it as a title in response to a request for math book recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a calculus book.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom M. Apostol"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "calculus",
        "real analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "calculus-the-easy-way-1d7e42",
      "title": "Calculus the Easy Way",
      "author": "Douglas Downing",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23726579,
          "author": "JoshTriplett",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T19:07:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23726579",
          "commentText": "As a child, I greatly enjoyed \"Algebra the Easy Way\", \"Trigonometry the Easy Way\", and \"Calculus the Easy Way\". They present each of the subjects not as already-invented concepts that you just have to learn, but as things being invented by a fictional kingdom as they need them. I greatly prefer that style over rote memorization; I can remember it better when I know how to recreate it. Even more importantly, it encourages the mindset that all of these things were invented, and that other things can be, too.\n(Note: the other books in the \"Easy Way\" series do not follow the same style, and are just ordinary textbooks.)\nAlso, in a completely different direction, I haven't seen anyone mention Feynman yet, and that will definitely encourage a broader view of mathematics and science.\nOr, to go another angle, you might consider things like \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Calculus the Easy Way\"",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed its approach of presenting calculus as something invented as needed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says other books in the Easy Way series do not follow the same style.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 665326,
          "author": "dinkumthinkum",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T15:45:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665326",
          "commentText": "Calculus the Easy Way. It's old but good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Calculus the Easy Way. It's old but good.",
          "reason": "Described as good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It's old.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Downing"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "calculus"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "calculus-volume-1-2fbf75",
      "title": "Calculus, Volume 1",
      "author": "Tom M. Apostol",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31491314,
          "author": "laichzeit0",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T12:49:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31491314",
          "commentText": "Supposing you have at least high school mathematics under the belt:\n1. Book of Proof by Hammack [1]\n2. Tom Apostol Calculus Vol 1 (stop at Linear Algebra)\n3. Linear Algebra by Insel, Spence & Friedberg\n4. Understanding Analysis by Stephen Abbott\n5. Tom Apostol Calculus Vol 2\nThese are books with excellent exposition, and solution manuals are available when needed. You are absolutely required to do all the exercises.  To learn mathematics is to do mathematics.\nTwo other excellent books are Spivak - Calculus, the problems in this book are very good, but much more difficult than Apostol.  For more advanced analysis there's Walter Rudin's Principles of Mathematical Analysis (baby Rudin), which on its own is too difficult as a first exposure to analysis, but there's a cool professor that recorded an entire semester of baby Rudin lecture videos [2].  This is as close as it gets without being enrolled in a university.\n[1] https://www.people.vcu.edu/~rhammack/BookOfProof/\n[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab41LEw9oiI&list=PLun8-Z_lTk... (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab41LEw9oiI&list=PLun8-Z_lTkC6qJF1sVh3_Hx7aL6FPd0IN) (the first video is a bit blurry, it gets better)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Tom Apostol Calculus Vol 1",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it in a self-study sequence and says to stop at linear algebra.",
          "audience": "Readers with at least high-school mathematics",
          "caveat": "The commenter says to stop at the linear algebra material.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30486324,
          "author": "thetallstick",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T08:01:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486324",
          "commentText": "Apostol Calculus Vol 1\nThe introduction gives a history lesson, a great description of the method of exhaustion with descriptive drawings, and some very straightforward proofs on finding the area under the curve for parabolic segments via some basic infinite sums (no limits), all in 10 pages in a conversational style.  And it just gets better from there.\nMy dad gave me his book he used in the 70s and I read it in high school in parallel to the textbook the school issued.  Everyone thought I was some genius because I thought calculus was so obvious and I could explain it so well but I was just parroting the text and proofs from this book, basically verbatum.  I told the other kids to use it as well but no one did.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Apostol Calculus Vol 1\nThe introduction gives a history lesson, a great description of the method of exhaustion",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its historical introduction, clear explanations, proofs, and conversational style.",
          "audience": "The commenter read it in high school alongside their school textbook.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom M. Apostol"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "History",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "calculus",
        "linear algebra",
        "mathematical proofs"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "calculus-early-transcendentals-325d7f",
      "title": "Calculus: Early Transcendentals",
      "author": "James Stewart",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31488683,
          "author": "user32489318",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T06:28:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31488683",
          "commentText": "J.Steward's \"Calculus: Early Transcendentals\" is pretty on point for calculus. Mathematics is more than calculus though.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "J.Steward's \"Calculus: Early Transcendentals\" is pretty on point for calculus.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a suitable calculus text.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that mathematics extends beyond calculus.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 665078,
          "author": "J_McQuade",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T13:37:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665078",
          "commentText": "Well, if you're looking for an introduction to the basics of mathematics (which I would recommend for anyone looking to delve deeper into any specific area), you can't really beat 'How to Prove It' by Velleman. It covers the fundamental concepts of mathematical analysis and proof-writing (and, perhaps more importantly, reading proofs) and will help give you a great grounding for further reading, especially in the areas of discrete mathematics, set theory, and probability. I can't recommend it enough as an enjoyable introduction to the field.\nAlso, for a good probability textbook, I would point you to 'Probability and Random Processes' by Grimmett and Stirzaker. It may be a bit hard-going at first (which is why I recommend How to Prove It to get you used to rigorous maths), but it is a very thorough text that also happens to concentrate on many areas of interest to the average programmer (Markov chains and the like). Together with the companion book of exercises, it should be fantastic for self-teaching, too.\nIn calculus, you have so many options that I can only really suggest you go out and find one that you like. I used 'Early Transcendentals' by Stewart in my first year Calculus lectures and it's served as a good reference ever since, particularly for basic vector / multi-dimensional calculus. But, like I say, just look around.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I used 'Early Transcendentals' by Stewart in my first year Calculus lectures",
          "reason": "Reports using it and says it has served as a good reference ever since.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a calculus reference, particularly for vector and multivariable calculus.",
          "caveat": "The commenter suggests looking around to find a calculus book that suits the reader.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Stewart"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "calculus",
        "multivariable calculus",
        "textbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "call-me-ted-d307a1",
      "title": "Call Me Ted",
      "author": "Ted Turner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4967310,
          "author": "arram",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T22:39:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967310",
          "commentText": "I read 27 books in 2012. Here are some of the more interesting ones:\nShogun - James Clavel. 'Epic' is the best word I can use to describe this historical fiction. I first read it in 2009 and have reread all 1100 pages multiple times since. The first English pilot to reach the Japans discovers a culture that, while strange, is in many ways far more advanced than his own. The fictional Lord Toranaga is based on the historical Tokugawa Ieyasu, a brilliant strategist who founded a dynasty that lasted 268 years. The book is full of the real Tokugawa's writings, which can be very profound. For anyone familiar with the 'marshmallow test' for determining how well 5 year olds will do later in life, Tokugawa had it figured out 370 years before Walter Mischel:\n\"The strong manly ones in life are those who understand the meaning of the word patience. Patience means restraining one's inclinations. There are seven emotions: joy, anger, anxiety, adoration, grief, fear, and hate, and if a man does not give way to these he can be called patient. I am not as strong as I might be, but I have long known and practiced patience. And if my descendants wish to be as I am, they must study patience.\"\nLieutenant Hornblower - C.S. Forrester. Shogun taught me that reading historical fiction made regular history much more interesting, which made me seek out more historical fiction. This is a series of 12 books covering the career of a British navel man during the Napoleonic Wars. Gene Roddenberry based the character of Jean Luc Picard on its protagonist. My recommendation won't be as strong as these gentlemen though: \"I find Hornblower admirable.\" -Winston Churchill, and \"I recommend Forester to everyone literate I know,\" -Ernest Hemingway\nThe Sparrow - Mary Doria Russell. I found this through another Hacker News book thread. I enjoyed it so much that after reading the sequel I immediately went back and read the first book again. SETI discovers music coming from Alpha Centauri and the Jesuits are the first to launch an expedition to investigate. It's science fiction, but unlike most science fiction, the story is more about the characters and their relationships than it is about exploring the consequences of an interesting premise.\nCall Me Ted - Ted Turner. At the peak (before the AOL-Time Warner merger debacle) Ted Turner was worth $10 Billion. His autobiography is a great look into the sort of exceptional personality that creates that kind of exceptional result. Everything from growing up in the south and almost being lynched in school when someone started a rumor that he'd badmouthed General Robert E. Lee, to transforming his dad's billboard company several times until it was a media empire with TV channels like CNN, TNT, and Cartoon Network. Here's a great excerpt from a section written by a friend of his:\n\"And you know what I’m going to do next after I have the fourth network?” I said, “No, Ted, what’s that?” “I’m going to run for president and be elected.” Now I thought to myself, “This guy is absolutely nuts— and I’ve just agreed to lend him all this money!” I said to Ted, “Oh, Ted, don’t tell anybody else about that, okay?” And he said, “Cuz, your trouble is you don’t understand the power of television. Let me show you.” He pulled a little book of matches out of his desk drawer and he said, “Okay, it’s Saturday morning at 7: 30 and it’s Captain Teddy’s Kiddy Hour, and I come on television and I say, ‘Hey kids, today we’re going to play a game and it’s going to be so much fun. Now, don’t tell Mommy and Daddy, this is our secret between Captain Teddy and you. Now, everybody go get some matches. See Captain Teddy’s matches? Go get some just like this.’” Then he goes over to his window he says, “All right kids, everybody got your match? Go to the window and strike your match and light the curtain or the drape,” at which point he struck his match right near the old cheesecloth thing he had hanging in front of his window and then he flung the window open and he said to me, “At that point, I’d look out over Atlanta and watch it burn.” It was an incredible performance.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His autobiography is a great look into the sort of exceptional personality that creates that kind of exceptional result.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the autobiography a great look at an exceptional personality and business career.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027868,
          "author": "wushupork",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T23:49:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027868",
          "commentText": "I got a Kindle as a gift too and I love it as well. I highly recommend you play with it or at least borrow someone's (if they'll let you) if you doubt you'll like it.\n\"Inside Steve's Brain\" - Great book on the history of Apple, and the inner workings of the company and the philosophy.\n\"Never Eat Alone\" by Keith Ferrazzi on the importance of networking and building relationships.\n\"Trade-Off, Why Some Things Catch On, and Others Don't\"\n\"The Pixar Touch\" Great history of Pixar and how they came about.\n\"Call me Ted\" - Ted Turner's autobiography\n\"How the Mighty Fall\" Jim Collins",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ted Turner's autobiography",
          "reason": "Lists it as Ted Turner's autobiography in response to a request for recommended books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ted Turner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "autobiography",
        "media",
        "media industry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "capital-volume-i-2bf915",
      "title": "Capital, Volume I",
      "author": "Karl Marx",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40879068,
          "author": "kelseyfrog",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-05T00:29:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40879068",
          "commentText": "Capital Vol 1. Mostly because it demonstrates two things:\n1. How small ideas can have big consequences - each section is a logical consequence of the former, and\n2. How multidisciplinarism is greater than the sum of its parts. One can be an ok historian, sociologist, or political theorist, but combined can find connections outside of the narrow scope of any single domain.\nThe accounts of working conditions, especially of children, will never leave me.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Capital Vol 1. Mostly because it demonstrates two things:",
          "reason": "Says its arguments and accounts of working conditions left a lasting impression.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter identifies effects that stayed with them but does not explicitly recommend it.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25906465,
          "author": "aaron-santos",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T18:04:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25906465",
          "commentText": "I try to alternate fiction and non-fiction when I can. Having recently finished Capital Vol 1, I've started Q by Luther Blissett this week. Q seems to be well regarded, but I'm going in blind. After Q I'll likely go back to Capital Vol 2 which I understand to be on the drier side.\nDuring iso I've set aside Wednesday nights as reading nights. The schedule gives me something to look forward too, but it doesn't preclude reading during the weekends if I'm feeling into it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Having recently finished Capital Vol 1",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10786987,
          "author": "jaylitt",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T03:40:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786987",
          "commentText": "\"Debt: The First 5000 Years\" David Graeber\n\"Kokoro\" Natsume Soseki\n\"The Politics of Dialogical Imagination\" Hirano Katsuya\n\"History and Repetition\" Karatani Kojin\n\"The Structure of World History\" Karatani Kojin\n\"Anti-Oedipus\" Gilles Deleuze & Felix Guattari\n\"Before the Dawn: Recovering the Lost History of Our Ancestors\" Nicholas Wade\n\"Capital, Volume I\" Karl Marx\nThese books have been the most informative and thought-provoking for me this year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Capital, Volume I\" Karl Marx",
          "reason": "Included among the year's most informative and thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Karl Marx"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political economy",
        "marxism",
        "labor history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "capitalism-a-treatise-on-economics-1aa9f6",
      "title": "Capitalism: A Treatise on Economics",
      "author": "George Reisman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22573877,
          "author": "WalterBright",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T08:03:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22573877",
          "commentText": "\"Monetary History of the United States\" by Milton Friedman.\nIt's tough sledding, but worth it. And by giving the history, one comes to understand how we got to where we are.\n\"Capitalism\" by Reisman gives a solid theoretical foundation on topics like rent control, inflation, etc. I especially found illuminating its coverage of the 1970's oil crisis and how the root cause of it was price controls.\nI'd avoid economics books written by journalists and politicians, as all I've run across are dominated by ignorance, bias, and agendas. Ones by economists often have agendas, too, but they aren't nearly as ignorant. Just imagine a technical book about electronics written by a journalist, and you'll know what I mean.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Capitalism\" by Reisman gives a solid theoretical foundation",
          "reason": "Recommended for its theoretical treatment of rent control, inflation, and related topics.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a theoretical foundation in economics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9612744,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T17:01:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9612744",
          "commentText": "The Law - Frédéric Bastiat. http://bastiat.org/en/the_law.html\nCapitalism - A Treatise on Economics - George Reisman.  http://www.capitalism.net/Capitalism/CAPITALISM_Internet.pdf\nThe Works of Lysander Spooner.  http://lysanderspooner.org/node/2\nThe Machinery of Freedom David Friedman. - http://daviddfriedman.com/The_Machinery_of_Freedom_.pdf\nDemocratizing Innovation - Eric Von Hippel. http://web.mit.edu/evhippel/www/democ1.htm\nThe Sources of Innovation - Eric Von Hippel. http://web.mit.edu/evhippel/www/sources.htm\nIntroduction to Information Retrieval - http://nlp.stanford.edu/IR-book/html/htmledition/irbook.html\nInformation Theory, Inference, and Learning Algorithms - David MacKay.  http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/itprnn/book.html\nIntroduction to Cybernetics - William Ross Ashby. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/books/IntroCyb.pdf\n\"Man-Computer Symbiosis\" and \"The Computer As A Communication Device\" - J.C.R. Licklider. http://memex.org/licklider.pdf\nDesign For A Brain - William Ross Ashby. https://archive.org/details/designforbrainor00ashb\nThe Writings of Douglas Engelbart. http://www.dougengelbart.org/library/library.html\nand if you like maths, don't miss this great list of free maths texts by George Cain:  https://people.math.gatech.edu/~cain/textbooks/onlinebooks.h... (https://people.math.gatech.edu/~cain/textbooks/onlinebooks.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Capitalism - A Treatise on Economics - George Reisman.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Reisman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic theory",
        "capitalism",
        "inflation",
        "rent control"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "capitalist-realism-is-there-no-alternative-47df5f",
      "title": "Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative?",
      "author": "Mark Fisher",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25534379,
          "author": "thatguymike",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-25T05:15:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25534379",
          "commentText": "Capitalist Realism by Mark Fisher. It links together Postmodernism in the cultural, social and economic domains, and makes a compelling case for the damage that over-applying it has been. It made a lot of ideas click into place, and made me see that a lot of 'the way things are', wrt the damaging aspects of Neoliberalism in particular, are not only contingent but accidental.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Capitalist Realism by Mark Fisher. It links together Postmodernism in the cultural, social and economic domains",
          "reason": "The commenter says it connected ideas across cultural, social, and economic domains and changed how they viewed neoliberalism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521023,
          "author": "elvinyung",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T07:03:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521023",
          "commentText": "Lots of entrepreneurial suggestions here already, so I'm going do something different by suggesting more humanities-focused books/papers that could help round out our understanding of the state of things:\n* Status Update by Alice Marwick - an ethnography of the SF tech scene in the mid-late 2000s, a very detailed examination of the status structures in Silicon Valley and how we were changed by the rise of social media.\n* Postscript on the Societies of Control by Deleuze - short, insightful, somewhat prescient paper on the evolution of \"control\" mechanisms in postindustrial, capitalist societies.\n* Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative? by Mark Fisher - a very compelling analysis of the neoliberal postmodern condition, and how the cultural milieu has changed since the fall of the Soviet Union, and free-market capitalism became the only extant economic system in the world.\n* Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs - this probably needs no introduction; it was an extremely transformative treatise on urban form, vitality, diversity, and completely overturned the urban planning field when it was originally published. I think everyone who plans on living in a city should read this book.\n* Hollow City by Rebecca Solnit - an ethnography of the gentrification and bohemian displacement in San Francisco during the dot-com boom of the 1990s. She doesn't just blame \"the techies\" for the gentrification, but rather uses the gentrification as a lens to examine the culture around urbanism has changed in the recent decades.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a very compelling analysis of the neoliberal postmodern condition",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it compelling and suggests it for understanding the current social and economic order.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in capitalism, culture, and politics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Fisher"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "capitalism",
        "cultural theory",
        "neoliberalism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "captain-underpants-20b17d",
      "title": "Captain Underpants",
      "author": "Dav Pilkey",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26800750,
          "author": "lnwlebjel",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-13T23:16:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26800750",
          "commentText": "Mo Willems is awesome (Pigeon series, Elephant and Piggy). Some of the Dr. Suess books are still great and fun to read (I can read with my eyes shut, One fish two fish). The book with no pictures, the day the crayons quit, dragons love tacos, and the princess and the dragon by Audrey Wood are all books that I've probably read 100 times and still enjoy.\nAs my kids got a bit older the Box Car children series was compelling, and the girls loved the Rainbow Magic books. Capt. Underpants and Dog man are hilarious and just subversive enough that a 7-9 yr old feel like they are getting away with something. Then on to Mysterious Benedict Society, Harry Potter, Rick Riordan, and Keeper of the Lost Cities.\nOur M.O. was to max out our Library card on a regular basis with just about everything possible and then iterate from there on the authors the kids enjoyed. I feel like reading is one of the things we've gotten right so far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Capt. Underpants",
          "reason": "The commenter describes the books as hilarious and subversive.",
          "audience": "Ages 7–9",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86013,
          "author": "electric",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T18:25:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86013",
          "commentText": "The \"Captain Underpants\" series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The \"Captain Underpants\" series.",
          "reason": "Offered as a favorite book series in response to the thread's request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dav Pilkey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s humor",
        "children s series",
        "graphic novels",
        "humor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cashvertising-d799cb",
      "title": "Cashvertising",
      "author": "Drew Eric Whitman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2963450,
          "author": "fabiandesimone",
          "createdAt": "2011-09-05T22:07:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 2963294,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Got a Kindle. What now? What books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2963450",
          "commentText": "Forget about the spammy title, this is an amazing book on copy writting:\nCashvertising:\nhttp://amzn.to/nrwKnf (all links have my affiliate link. On my way to richness baby! ;)\nI'm currently reading this one, so far so good:\nMoonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything\nhttp://amzn.to/nGEnkv\nThis is a small list of books I want to read:\nThe Secret Life of Pronouns: What Our Words Say About Us\nhttp://amzn.to/oiEIDs\nWillpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength\nhttp://amzn.to/qTNpgB\nDo More Faster: TechStars Lessons to Accelerate Your Startup\nhttp://amzn.to/njSDPh\nThe Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement\nhttp://amzn.to/okuaFh\nThe Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal\nhttp://amzn.to/rptuZ9\nThe Upside of Irrationality: The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic at Work and at Home\nhttp://amzn.to/oaIDgu",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Forget about the spammy title, this is an amazing book on copy writting:\nCashvertising:",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an amazing book on copywriting.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in copywriting and advertising.",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls the title spammy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1081276,
          "author": "redsymbol",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-27T19:11:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 1080708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Marketing Books for Developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1081276",
          "commentText": "In early 2009, I got sick and tired of my incompetence with sales and marketing, and decided to learn.  So I set out to learn, even if it meant sacrificing coding for a while.\nMarketing (and its cousin, sales) has many facets, perhaps surprisingly many, with significant differences among them.  Just like compiler implementation requires skills and knowledge different from 3D graphics coding, or secure web development, for example.  At the \"high end\" of the marketing food chain, there are things like public relations.  I personally don't know much about that yet.\nInstead, I chose to focus on copywriting. Basically, the art and science of creating powerfully effective ads using only the written word.  Often this means writing sales letters, i.e. several-page-long texts that sell something.\nThis focus has proven to be a good choice.  It gives a very strong foundation that applies to other kinds of marketing and sales.  For example, Adwords ads can be viewed as extremely short sales letters.\nYou asked specifically about books.  Over the course of 2009, I worked through (not just read!) about half a dozen marketing tomes that people had recommended to me.  In descending priority, my favorite three:\n  * Hypnotic Writing by Joe Vitale\n  * The Adweek Copywriting Handbook by Joseph Sugerman\n  * Cashvertising by Drew Whitman\n\nIf you can read only three books, I'd suggest these, in the order listed.  But if you can only read one, Cashvertising might actually be the best for you.\nCAVEAT: Make sure you work through all the exercises the book has - and if it doesn't, invent them!  Sugarman's book, for example, has few explicit reader exercises.  So after each section or chapter, close the book and write an ad for your product, and/or some other product (real or imaginary), applying and exercising the principles you just learned.  Use pen and paper, or better yet, a dedicated notebook.  You'll miss out on at least 80% of the value of these books if you fail to do this!!\nAnother very good thing to do is to HAND COPY a good sales letter.  Do it in long hand, on sheets of paper, with a pen or pencil.  Why in the world, you ask?  Because it's a powerful, powerful way to drill some of the more subtle advertising patterns into your subconscious.\nSeveral important marketers - Dan Kennedy is one - famously recommend doing this with 100 long sales letters if you really want to manifest great skill in marketing.  I've done about six of them myself, so far.  Doing just the first one produced a difference in my skill that was too great to ignore.\nAlmost no one will do this, because it's so much work.  A good solid sales letter may be ten pages, which takes me about three hours to hand copy.  Let me just suggest that it's worth it, and you may want to try it out once to evaluate for yourself.  Just make sure you use a GOOD (meaning, highly financially successful) sales letter - you want to make sure you ingrain good habits, not bad ones!\nP.S. Cialdini and Collier are often recommended.  Personally, I found less value in them.  Cialdini's is good, but very, very mental and intellectual.  That can be great for a typical advertising person.  But most people reading this (programmers) need to be LESS mental, to grok marketing, not more.  Reading even a few pages of Cialdini makes me feel \"stuck in my head\".\nFor Collier, I'm personally glad I took the time to read it, but for most people in your shoes it is probably not the first priority, and IMO not even a \"must-read\" at all.\nEDIT: fixed formatting and a typo",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cashvertising by Drew Whitman",
          "reason": "Recommended as one of the commenter’s three books; they say it might be the best choice if reading only one.",
          "audience": "Programmers learning marketing and copywriting.",
          "caveat": "The commenter stresses working through exercises, or inventing them if the book has none.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Drew Eric Whitman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "advertising",
        "copywriting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "chapterhouse-dune-49a56d",
      "title": "Chapterhouse: Dune",
      "author": "Frank Herbert",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3398953,
          "author": "vishaldpatel",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-28T07:00:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3398953",
          "commentText": "Chapterhouse Dune.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Chapterhouse Dune.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043450,
          "author": "gnosis",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T19:54:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043450",
          "commentText": "* Heretics of Dune\n\n  * Chapterhouse: Dune\n\n  * Lem's Cyberiad\n\n  * PKD's Ubik, Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldrich, and Martian Time-Slip\n\n  * The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\n\n  * The Illuminatus Trilogy",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "* Chapterhouse: Dune",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797081,
          "author": "fogus",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T01:27:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797081",
          "commentText": "Okasaki's \"Purely Functional Data Structures\"\nGiola's \"The History of Jazz\"\nHerbert's \"Chapterhouse: Dune\"",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Herbert's \"Chapterhouse: Dune\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140442,
          "author": "cocoy",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T02:07:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140442",
          "commentText": "Dune, Dune Messiah and Children of Dune by Frank Herbert are my favorites. the sequels God Emperor, Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse were good as well but I like the 1st three the most.\nDune was about how people shouldn't let supermen lead. it was complex. it was an ecological novel. they had quotable quotes like \"thou shall not make a machine in the likeness of the human mind\". people say it's the lord of the rings of science fiction. the characters are rich, the plot thick. i highly recommend Dune.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the sequels God Emperor, Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse were good as well",
          "reason": "Describes it as good, while preferring the first three books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Likes the first three books more.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frank Herbert"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dune universe",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "chasing-the-scream-146075",
      "title": "Chasing the Scream",
      "author": "Johann Hari",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18663438,
          "author": "mosiuerbarso",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:52:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663438",
          "commentText": "These are a mixture of audio books and paperbacks I've been reading. I'm listening to more and more audiobooks via audible as it allows me to keep learning new stuff whilst travelling or doing simple household jobs.\nAnyways. Here are a few of my best of I've read/listened to this year:\nDictators Handbook by Bruce De Mesquita and Alastair Smith -\nVery interesting theories on power structures.\nHistory of western philosophy by Bertrand Russel - I love my history. And it was fascinating seeing how ideas/thoughts/thinking have evolved over the centuries.\nAmerica the Farewell tour by Chris Hedges - Very interesting ideas and points of view. A tough read at times. I really hope it some part of the book doesn't come true.\nChasing the Scream by Johanne Hari - Good history of the war on drugs, the cost and its futility.\nI've read more but these are my top 5 of 2018",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Chasing the Scream by Johanne Hari - Good history of the war on drugs, the cost and its futility.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a good history of the war on drugs and its costs and futility.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13237188,
          "author": "kranner",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:44:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237188",
          "commentText": "- Tetris: The Games People Play by Box Brown\n- Tibet, Tibet by Patrick French\n- Maya: A Novel by CW Huntington, Jr\n- The Science of Enlightenment by Shinzen Young\n- Flask Web Development by Miguel Grinberg\n- Buddha's Diet by Tara Cottrell\n- A Feast of Vultures by Josy Joseph\n- Genghis Khan: Life, Death and Resurrection by John Man\n- Chasing the Scream by Johann Hari\n- Cuckold by Kiran Nagarkar\n- Goliath by Tom Gauld\n- This Will Never Happen Again by David Cain\n- Cure by Jo Marchant\n- If It’s Monday It Must Be Madurai: A Conducted Tour of India by Srinath Perur\n- Deep Work by Cal Newport\n- Enduring Love by Ian McEwan\n- The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery\n- The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt\n- The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion\nand a few others that aren't worth recommending; all the above are.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "all the above are.",
          "reason": "The commenter includes the listed books among those worth recommending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Johann Hari"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Society",
        "Health",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "drug policy",
        "war on drugs",
        "addiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "children-of-dune-6bff52",
      "title": "Children of Dune",
      "author": "Frank Herbert",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34161456,
          "author": "spicymaki",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T14:49:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161456",
          "commentText": "2022 was a year full of change for me and I am not looking for change but more of a complement to my life as it is currently.\nIn the process of reading:\nParable of a Sower’s Daughter by Octavia Butler\nRead this year:\nThe Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki\nThe Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson\nFour Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman\nA Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki\nSea of Tranquillity by Emily St. John Mandel\nChildren of Dune by Frank Herbert\nTurtles All the Way Down by John Green\nThe Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu\nStation Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Children of Dune by Frank Herbert",
          "reason": "Listed among books read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33383130,
          "author": "ihuk",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T11:36:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33383130",
          "commentText": "Reread Dune Dune Messiah and Children of Dune.\nHighly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Children of Dune",
          "reason": "Included in the reread and covered by the comment's high recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140442,
          "author": "cocoy",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T02:07:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140442",
          "commentText": "Dune, Dune Messiah and Children of Dune by Frank Herbert are my favorites. the sequels God Emperor, Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse were good as well but I like the 1st three the most.\nDune was about how people shouldn't let supermen lead. it was complex. it was an ecological novel. they had quotable quotes like \"thou shall not make a machine in the likeness of the human mind\". people say it's the lord of the rings of science fiction. the characters are rich, the plot thick. i highly recommend Dune.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dune, Dune Messiah and Children of Dune by Frank Herbert are my favorites.",
          "reason": "Includes it among the commenter's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frank Herbert"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "dune universe",
        "ecology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "city-of-thieves-68696a",
      "title": "City of Thieves",
      "author": "David Benioff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31973110,
          "author": "plaguepilled",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-04T03:07:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31973110",
          "commentText": "Quantum Field Theory by Peskin and Schroeder. There are many things in that book I could make into a standalone project that could occupy years at a time.\nSome other picks:\nThe Man in The High Castle by Phil K. Dick. The Plague or The Outsider by Albert Camus. City of Thieves by David Benioff.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "City of Thieves by David Benioff.",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s other book picks.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6698636,
          "author": "wwweston",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-08T19:44:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6698636",
          "commentText": "_City of Thieves_ by David Benioff\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Thieves_%28novel%29",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "_City of Thieves_ by David Benioff",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387960,
          "author": "veidr",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T02:51:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387960",
          "commentText": "The trilogy of Neuromancer, Burning Chrome, and Mona Lisa Overdrive is still my favorite work of fiction, and also, to my mind, exemplifies the kind of taut, awesome writing that I would want to do if I wrote novels. It the only series of 3 books I have read more than once.\nI caught these books at just the right time in my life (age 13 or 14), leading my high-school fascination with Japan and rekindled interest in computing, and probably played an inordinately large role in me ending up as a programmer who lives in Tokyo, two decades later.\nI like great sci fi best, but I think most of it is crap, including virtually all of the old pulp sci fi and Asimov I grew up reading (which was basically all of it), Star Wars/Trek, etc.\nOther than Gibson's stuff, some of the truly spectacular sci fi I have read is the very-dense-and-not-at-all-thriller-ish Mars trilogy (Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars), and the fast-paced-and-awesome Spin by Robert Charles Wilson. That led me to read all of Wilson's books, many of which are also good. Also Haldeman is an author worth reading, though not all of his books hit their mark.\nGreat sci fi is my favorite fiction, but IMO most of it is broken by being fundamentally implausible. Other fiction I consider great in other genres include Memoirs of a Geisha, Cold Mountain, REAMDE, The Son, The Road, the lighter but still version of that post-apocalyptic concept The Dog Stars, City of Thieves, and All the Pretty Horses and its sequels.\nIt's probably symptomatic of a major flaw in my character that despite also buying dozens of nonfiction works (Lincoln, On China, and so forth) over the past few years, I haven't finished any of them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dog Stars, City of Thieves, and All the Pretty Horses",
          "reason": "Explicitly considers it great fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Benioff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "classic-computer-science-problems-in-python-71b757",
      "title": "Classic Computer Science Problems in Python",
      "author": "David Kopec",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21853876,
          "author": "f00_",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T23:10:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21853876",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed the audiobook versions (while following along with or having already read the written version) of Grokking Algorithms and Classic Computer Science Problems with Python",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "and Classic Computer Science Problems with Python",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed the audiobook version.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They followed along with or had already read the written version.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20731234,
          "author": "WoodenChair",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T16:36:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20731234",
          "commentText": "I wrote two of them specifically for self taught programmers like her: “Classic Computer Science Problems in Python” and “Classic Computer Science Problems in Swift.” Unfortunately we don’t have a JavaScript version yet. Instead of focusing on things like complexity analysis we focus on problem solving techniques in a tutorial like fashion. You can find out more at:\nhttps://classicproblems.com",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Classic Computer Science Problems in Python”",
          "reason": "The author says they wrote it specifically for self-taught programmers.",
          "audience": "Self-taught programmers.",
          "caveat": "Focuses on problem-solving techniques rather than complexity analysis.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Kopec"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "python",
        "computer science problems",
        "problem solving"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "clean-architecture-a-craftsman-s-guide-to-software-structure-and--11d860",
      "title": "Clean Architecture: A Craftsman's Guide to Software Structure and Design",
      "author": "Robert C. Martin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39089137,
          "author": "jjice",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-22T13:13:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39089137",
          "commentText": "I personally don't like Clean Code, but understand that a lot of people I respect do. I do want to throw Clean Architecture into the ring though since we're in the topic.\nThat book is a top three software book for me. It made me understand why OO is a thing and what concepts I should pretty much always use from that ecosystem.\nThe concept of interfaces (not just the programming construct, but the general idea) was massive and it changed my view on the testability of code.\nMartin has some other good stuff related to professionalism as a programmer. He has a few talks and The Clean Coder and those are absolutely worth it as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Clean Architecture into the ring though since we're in the topic.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is one of their top three software books and that it changed how they understand object-oriented programming and testability.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27888333,
          "author": "orlandohill",
          "createdAt": "2021-07-19T23:12:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 27879593,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27888333",
          "commentText": "Manning have many programming audio books. I'd recommend buying directly from their website if you want any that include code samples or illustrations. It's a bit more expensive than from Audible, but they often have sales offering 40% off.\nI normally use the liveBook format with liveAudio narration for books with code samples, and download the ebook and mp3 files for other books.\nhttps://www.manning.com/liveaudio-landing\nYou can also find more audio books by the same publisher as Clean Architecture and Designing Data-Intensive Applications, Upfront Books. There's a link when you view Audible from a web browser, and you can filter by Computers & Technology.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the same publisher as Clean Architecture and Designing Data-Intensive Applications",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27886909,
          "author": "sigg3",
          "createdAt": "2021-07-19T20:26:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 27879593,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27886909",
          "commentText": "Which Clean Architecture, specifically?\nCheers!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Which Clean Architecture, specifically?",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21824206,
          "author": "Simmo",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-18T12:40:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21824206",
          "commentText": "I would like to start with:\nHigh Output Management Grove, Andrew S.\n7 Habits Of Highly Effective People Covey, Stephen R\nClean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship,(Robert C. Martin)\nClean Architecture: A Craftsman's Guide to Software Structure and Design (Robert C. Martin Series)\nBuilding Evolutionary Architectures: Support Constant Change by Neal Ford, Rebecca Parsons, Patrick Kua\nIf you have read any of them and you would like to share your thoughts, I will be truly happy to listen!:)\nHappy reading",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Clean Architecture: A Craftsman's Guide to Software Structure and Design (Robert C. Martin Series)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert C. Martin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software architecture",
        "object oriented programming",
        "software design",
        "testability"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "clojure-programming-c99a5d",
      "title": "Clojure Programming",
      "author": "Chas Emerick, Brian Carper, and Christophe Grand",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11229877,
          "author": "fsiefken",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T16:16:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229877",
          "commentText": "That's a very broad question, so I read your comments to get a feel from where you might be coming from and/or going to and where you and I might overlap:\n* Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Antifragile, things that gain from disorder http://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Incer... (http://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Incerto/dp/0812979680/)\n* Jared Diamond. The World until yesterday, what can we learn from traditional societies http://www.amazon.com/World-Until-Yesterday-Traditional-Soci... (http://www.amazon.com/World-Until-Yesterday-Traditional-Societies/dp/0143124404)\n* Frans de Waal. The Bonobo and the Atheist: In Search of Humanism Among the Primates http://www.amazon.com/Bonobo-Atheist-Search-Humanism-Primate... (http://www.amazon.com/Bonobo-Atheist-Search-Humanism-Primates/dp/0393347796/)\n* John Higgs. The KLF: Chaos, Magic... http://www.amazon.com/KLF-Chaos-Magic-Music-Money-ebook/dp/B... (http://www.amazon.com/KLF-Chaos-Magic-Music-Money-ebook/dp/B00ABFHOS0/)\n* Joseph Jaworski. Synchronicity, the inner Path of leadership http://www.amazon.com/Synchronicity-The-Inner-Path-Leadershi... (http://www.amazon.com/Synchronicity-The-Inner-Path-Leadership-ebook/dp/B0051ANRBI)\n* Piero Ferrucci. Your Inner Will, finding personal strength in critical times http://www.amazon.com/Your-Inner-Will-Personal-Strength/dp/0... (http://www.amazon.com/Your-Inner-Will-Personal-Strength/dp/0399174931)\n* William Irvine. A Guide to the good life, the ancient art of stoic joy http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic/dp/01953... (http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic/dp/0195374614)\n* Chogyam Trungpa. Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior http://www.amazon.com/Shambhala-Sacred-Warrior-Chogyam-Trung... (http://www.amazon.com/Shambhala-Sacred-Warrior-Chogyam-Trungpa/dp/1590304519/)\n* Tomas Malik. Patience with God: The Story of Zacchaeus Continuing In Us http://www.amazon.com/Patience-God-Story-Zacchaeus-Continuin... (http://www.amazon.com/Patience-God-Story-Zacchaeus-Continuing/dp/0385524498/)\n* Nick Winter. The Motivation Hacker http://www.amazon.com/Motivation-Hacker-Nick-Winter/dp/09892... (http://www.amazon.com/Motivation-Hacker-Nick-Winter/dp/0989279820)\n* Chas Emerick, Brian Carper, Christophe Grad. Clojure Programming http://www.amazon.com/Clojure-Programming-Chas-Emerick/dp/14... (http://www.amazon.com/Clojure-Programming-Chas-Emerick/dp/1449394701)\nFiction:\n* Peter Hamilton - The Reality Dysfunction\n* Neal Stephenson - Cryptonomicon (his other hit: Snow Crash is surprisingly more history then SF now...)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Chas Emerick, Brian Carper, Christophe Grad. Clojure Programming",
          "reason": "Included in a response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8063114,
          "author": "kovrik",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-21T10:06:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 8025870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8063114",
          "commentText": "Neal Stephenson - \"REAMDE\"\nand \"Clojure Programming\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Clojure Programming\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4597662,
          "author": "bgrohman",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-01T15:53:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 4596721,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4597662",
          "commentText": "1. Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong, by James W. Loewen\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Lies-My-Teacher-Told-Everything/dp/074... (http://www.amazon.com/Lies-My-Teacher-Told-Everything/dp/0743296281)\n2. Clojure Programming, by Chas Emerick\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Clojure-Programming-Chas-Emerick/dp/14... (http://www.amazon.com/Clojure-Programming-Chas-Emerick/dp/1449394701/)\n3. Zorba the Greek, by Nikos Kazantzakis\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Zorba-Greek-Nikos-Kazantzakis/dp/06848... (http://www.amazon.com/Zorba-Greek-Nikos-Kazantzakis/dp/0684825546)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Clojure Programming, by Chas Emerick",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chas Emerick, Brian Carper, and Christophe Grand"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "clojure",
        "functional programming",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "clojure-for-the-brave-and-true-ecef19",
      "title": "Clojure for the Brave and True",
      "author": "Daniel Higginbotham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21768609,
          "author": "plyptepe",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-12T01:44:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 21765528,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fun Tech Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21768609",
          "commentText": "\"Learn You a Haskell\" by Miran Lipovača: http://learnyouahaskell.com/\n\"Learn You Some Erlang for great good\" by Fred Hebert: https://learnyousomeerlang.com/\n\"If Hemingway Wrote JavaScript\" by Angus Croll: https://nostarch.com/hemingway\n\"Clojure for the Brave and True\" by Daniel Higginbotham: https://www.braveclojure.com/clojure-for-the-brave-and-true/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Clojure for the Brave and True\" by Daniel Higginbotham",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13240233,
          "author": "leandot",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T20:44:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13240233",
          "commentText": "Tech: Relevant Search, Clojure for the Brave and True\nPersonal: The Subtle Art of not Giving a f*ck\nSci-Fi: Red Rising\nFantasy: Powder Mage, Age of Myth\nAnd a plug, but on topic - book mentions on HN: http://hackernewsbooks.com",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Clojure for the Brave and True",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10182449,
          "author": "diego",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-07T18:27:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10182449",
          "commentText": "Clojure: The Joy of Clojure. Not for beginners, but it's excellent.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Joy-Clojure-Michael-Fogus/dp/161729141... (http://www.amazon.com/Joy-Clojure-Michael-Fogus/dp/1617291412)\nI've heard good thing about Clojure for the Brave and True, free online:\nhttp://www.braveclojure.com/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've heard good thing about Clojure for the Brave and True, free online:",
          "reason": "The commenter reports hearing good things about it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The positive assessment is secondhand.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Higginbotham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "clojure",
        "functional programming",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "close-to-the-machine-d59ba1",
      "title": "Close to the Machine",
      "author": "Ellen Ullman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39249240,
          "author": "danielovichdk",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T10:57:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249240",
          "commentText": "\"close to the machine\" by Ellen Ulman.\nSo far i am very pleased!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"close to the machine\" by Ellen Ulman.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are very pleased with it so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4969576,
          "author": "Ryoku",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T15:44:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4969576",
          "commentText": "Well, not so much as new releases, except for one. But this year I really enjoyed:\nReamde by Neil Stephenson (Can't get enough of that guy)\nThe Art of Deception by Kevin Mitnick\nClose to the Machine by Ellen Ullman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Close to the Machine by Ellen Ullman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ellen Ullman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Biography",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "software culture",
        "software industry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "code-complete-second-edition-660173",
      "title": "Code Complete, Second Edition",
      "author": "Steve McConnell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35715044,
          "author": "Cody_C",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-26T15:17:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 35710671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell still a recommended read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35715044",
          "commentText": "I would still recommend it.  Well actually I would recommend Code Complete II as it is the be updated version.  I met Steve McConnell in person and have read most of his books.  I've found them to be gems.\nThere is a lot of value in reading different things even if you aren't sure about the value to see what you pick up.  Sometimes you will learn something or see a situation you never would have expected.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend Code Complete II",
          "reason": "Recommends the updated edition.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28664913,
          "author": "heluser",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T21:40:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28664913",
          "commentText": "- Low level: Code Complete 2 (yes it’s old but still very relevant)\n- Hight level: Designing data intensive applications",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Code Complete 2 (yes it’s old but still very relevant)",
          "reason": "Recommends it for low-level programming.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it is old.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve McConnell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software construction",
        "programming practices"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "code-reading-the-open-source-perspective-7c09e5",
      "title": "Code Reading: The Open Source Perspective",
      "author": "Diomidis Spinellis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33134208,
          "author": "belter",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T17:27:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33134208",
          "commentText": "Start by reading Redis code, slowly take notes on paper, try to make your version changing small bits at a time.\nhttps://github.com/redis/redis/tree/unstable/src\nEntry point here at line 6816: https://github.com/redis/redis/blob/unstable/src/server.c\nAlso \"Code Reading\" will be useful. - https://www.amazon.com/Code-Reading-Open-Source-Perspective/... (https://www.amazon.com/Code-Reading-Open-Source-Perspective/dp/0201799405)\n\"Code Reading\" tends to be criticized, but I think mostly unfairly.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Also \"Code Reading\" will be useful.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a useful resource alongside studying Redis code.",
          "audience": "People learning by reading and studying code.",
          "caveat": "Acknowledges that the book tends to be criticized, but considers that criticism mostly unfair.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30621027,
          "author": "jcubic",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-09T22:50:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30621027",
          "commentText": "* The Art of Unix Programming\n* Code Reading: The Open Source Perspective\n* SICP",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code Reading: The Open Source Perspective",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Diomidis Spinellis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "code reading",
        "open source"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "coding-the-matrix-linear-algebra-through-applications-to-computer-208abd",
      "title": "Coding the Matrix: Linear Algebra through Applications to Computer Science",
      "author": "Philip N. Klein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31712056,
          "author": "aero-glide2",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-12T06:28:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31712056",
          "commentText": "Coding the Matrix",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Coding the Matrix",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16084509,
          "author": "jpamata",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-06T09:12:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16084509",
          "commentText": "Coding the Matrix: Linear Algebra through Applications to Computer Science [0]\nA hands on introduction to both Python and Linear Algebra using real world cases (ex. you are given a high res image, make a low res version to put on your website so that it could load more quickly).\n[0] https://www.amazon.com/Coding-Matrix-Algebra-Applications-Co... (https://www.amazon.com/Coding-Matrix-Algebra-Applications-Computer/dp/0615880991)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Coding the Matrix: Linear Algebra through Applications to Computer Science",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to the thread’s request for the best textbook and described as a hands-on introduction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip N. Klein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "linear algebra",
        "applied mathematics",
        "computer science applications",
        "python"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "collected-fictions-adb758",
      "title": "Collected Fictions",
      "author": "Jorge Luis Borges",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17528914,
          "author": "therealdrag0",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-14T05:02:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17528914",
          "commentText": "Anyone tried this Borges' audiobook? https://www.audible.com/pd/Classics/Collected-Fictions-Audio... (https://www.audible.com/pd/Classics/Collected-Fictions-Audiobook/B003RCAI4G)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Anyone tried this Borges' audiobook?",
          "reason": "Asks whether others have tried the audiobook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14478707,
          "author": "CamperBob2",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T21:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478707",
          "commentText": "Borges: Collected Fictions (https://www.amazon.com/Collected-Fictions-Jorge-Luis-Borges/... (https://www.amazon.com/Collected-Fictions-Jorge-Luis-Borges/dp/0140286802))\nIMO you won't really understand the nature and limitations of fiction until you've read JLB.  His work won't change your life, as such, but it will divide it into two parts: the part that took place before you read him, and the part that comes after.  You'll always be conscious of that division.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Borges: Collected Fictions",
          "reason": "The commenter says Borges makes readers conscious of fiction's nature and limitations, and divides life into before and after reading him.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it will not change your life as such.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13804180,
          "author": "metaphorm",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:19:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804180",
          "commentText": "- The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin\n- Blindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts\n- The Tao Te Ching\n- The Gateless Gate (Koun Yamada translation/editing)\n- The Baroque Cycle (Quicksilver, The Confusion, The System of the World) by Neal Stephenson\n- The Invisibles by Grant Morrison\n- Incerto (Fooled by Randomness, The Black Swan, Antifragile, The Bed of Procrustes) by Nassim Nicholas Taleb\n- Iron John by Robert Bly\n- Catch 22 by Joseph Heller\n- The Character of Physical Law by Richard P. Feynman\n- Collected Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges\n- 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez\n- Pharmakon by Dale Pendell\n- The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss\n- Greek Mythology by Edith Hamilton\n- The Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual by Gary Gygax et al\n- Introduction to Algorithms by Charles E. Leiserson, Clifford Stein, Ronald Rivest, and Thomas H. Cormen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Collected Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed how people think.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jorge Luis Borges"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories",
        "metafiction",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "colorless-tsukuru-tazaki-and-his-years-of-pilgrimage-5a5a0d",
      "title": "Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage",
      "author": "Haruki Murakami",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25906478,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T18:05:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25906478",
          "commentText": "I read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle based on suggestions\nI have that on my list to read \"sometime soon.\" So far I've really enjoyed all the Murakami I've read - After Dark, Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and A Wild Sheep Chase. Definitely planning to read the rest of his works eventually.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki",
          "reason": "Includes it among Murakami works the commenter has enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8717655,
          "author": "unclesaamm",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T17:31:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8717655",
          "commentText": "Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage, by Haruki Murakami\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Colorless-Tsukuru-Tazaki-Years-Pilgrim... (http://www.amazon.com/Colorless-Tsukuru-Tazaki-Years-Pilgrimage/dp/0385352107)\nHard to do it justice, but here is Patti Smith:\nhttp://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/10/books/review/haruki-muraka... (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/10/books/review/haruki-murakamis-colorless-tsukuru-tazaki-and-his-years-of-pilgrimage.html?_r=0)\nI changed my attitude toward all of my old friends after reading this book. I started calling them more, and trying to be more in their lives. It's amazing how centering books can be, if they catch you in the right mindset. I'll pass on a warning that this book deals with some heavy, serious depression.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I changed my attitude toward all of my old friends after reading this book. I started calling them more, and trying to be more in their lives.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes a positive, lasting effect on how they relate to old friends.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Deals with heavy, serious depression.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Haruki Murakami"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "depression",
        "friendship",
        "japanese literature",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "command-and-control-3351e7",
      "title": "Command and Control",
      "author": "Eric Schlosser",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910443,
          "author": "kevinmchugh",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:47:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910443",
          "commentText": "Command And Control, by Eric Schlosser. A history of America's nuclear weapons program and it's many near-disasters.\nRaven, by Tim Reiterman. Biography of Jim Jones by one of the journalists who'd reported the story the longest.\nLiquid Intelligence, by Dave Arnold. Everything you need to know to understand cocktails and make good ones.\nOn Food and Cooking, by Harold McGee. An exhaustive reference on the history and science of food and ingredients. Every page has something surprising and useful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A history of America's nuclear weapons program and it's many near-disasters.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9349489,
          "author": "jamesmishra",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T17:48:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9349489",
          "commentText": "I just finished that book last night! It is a must-read for people in systems engineering. I learned a lot about what kind of errors can happen...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It is a must-read for people in systems engineering.",
          "reason": "Calls it a must-read for people in systems engineering.",
          "audience": "People in systems engineering.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Schlosser"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nuclear weapons",
        "near disasters",
        "safety engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "common-lisp-a-gentle-introduction-to-symbolic-computation-e29ca1",
      "title": "Common Lisp: A Gentle Introduction to Symbolic Computation",
      "author": "David S. Touretzky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9759704,
          "author": "henesy",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T17:12:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9759704",
          "commentText": "Common Lisp: A Gentle Introduction to Symbolic Computation by  David S. Touretzky is solid for learning the fundamentals of thinking in and writing lisp.\nhttp://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dst/LispBook/\nBump for the K&R as well, great book, helped me get my feet wet with C quickly and effectively.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "is solid for learning the fundamentals of thinking in and writing lisp.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for learning Lisp fundamentals.",
          "audience": "Readers learning to think and write in Lisp.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1023976,
          "author": "dragonquest",
          "createdAt": "2009-12-31T07:03:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 1023970,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which Scheme book to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1023976",
          "commentText": "From my own personal experiences, try \"How to Design Programs\" (HTDP) by Felleisen et al as an introduction to Scheme. Its a great educational book which really prepares you for SICP.\nAlso if you want to give Common Lisp a try, I'd highly recommend \"Common Lisp: A Gentle Introduction to Symbolic Computation\" by David S. Touretzky. Its an old book but well worth its price in gold. It is the simplest way to really get Common Lisp and its concepts.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'd highly recommend \"Common Lisp: A Gentle Introduction to Symbolic Computation\" by David S. Touretzky.",
          "reason": "Explicitly highly recommended as a way to learn Common Lisp and its concepts.",
          "audience": "Readers trying Common Lisp.",
          "caveat": "Described as old, but well worth its price.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David S. Touretzky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "common lisp",
        "symbolic computation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "compiler-construction-06b628",
      "title": "Compiler Construction",
      "author": "Niklaus Wirth",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29307647,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T15:48:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29307647",
          "commentText": "Awesome! Specifically not on my list already there's: Concepts, Techniques, and Models of Computer Programming; Smalltalk-80: The language and its implementation; The Architecture of Symbolic Computers and Project Oberon: The design of an operating system and compiler.\nThis reminds me Niklaus Wirth's Compiler Construction probably belongs in this thread.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Niklaus Wirth's Compiler Construction probably belongs in this thread.",
          "reason": "Suggests the book as a fit for the thread's request for interesting software books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23365164,
          "author": "jll29",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-30T22:03:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23365164",
          "commentText": "I recommend these two free online/e-books by Niklaus Wirth:\nCompiler Construction\nhttps://inf.ethz.ch/personal/wirth/CompilerConstruction/inde... (https://inf.ethz.ch/personal/wirth/CompilerConstruction/index.html)\nHow to build a compiler from scractch (if you read German, there is an even\nmore concise book by him, \"Übersetzerbau)\".\nProject Oberon\nhttps://inf.ethz.ch/personal/wirth/ProjectOberon/index.html\nHow to build a personal workstation including all software from scratch.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Compiler Construction",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends this free online book.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in building a compiler.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Niklaus Wirth"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "compiler construction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "computer-architecture-a-quantitative-approach-4c9cd1",
      "title": "Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach",
      "author": "John L. Hennessy; David A. Patterson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21313374,
          "author": "guiraldelli",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T15:27:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21313374",
          "commentText": "I don't think there is a definitive answer for your question because computer science is a relative new area of knowledge and “fundamental books” are still being published.\nIf I had to say one text that is the fundamental one, I would go with a paper: “On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem” [1], by Alan Turing.\n---\nBut if you just started your course in Computer Science, then I will give you some “bookshelf advice\" based on my experience. I had the pleasure to study all the books I am going to recommend you, and most of them I was able to read cover-to-cover during the university years. And they are also in my bookshelf for reference.\nThe book order does not represent rank of importance.\n* “Introduction to the Theory of Computation”, by Michael Sipser.\n    * I also recommend the “Elements of the Theory of Computation”, by Christos Papadimitriou.\n\n    * Another good complement is “Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages and Computation”, by Hopcroft and Ullman. (Thanks, @reacweb, for the reminder.)\n\n* “Graph Theory”, by Reinhard Diestel.\n    * If you feel you want to go deeper, and like a book which you cannot skip a single word, I strongly recommend “Modern Graph Theory”, by Béla Bollobás: it is one of my favorite textbooks ever!\n\n* “The Algorithm Design Manual”, by Steven Skiena.\n    * While a lot of people seems to praise either the Cormen et al. or the Sedgewick books, I have the feeling that “Algorithms” by Dasgupta, Papadimitriou  and Vazirani is my choice for “fundamental” book. But I decided to\n\n* “Computer Architecture: a Quantitative Approach”, by Hennessy and Patterson.\n* “Modern Operating Systems”, by Andrew Tanenbaum.\n* “Artificial Intelligence: a Modern Approach”, by Russel and Norvig.\n* “Modern Compiler Implementation (in ML)”, by Andrew Appel.\nI would like to also recommend “Concrete Mathematics”, by Graham, Knuth and Patashnik, but I remember to not feel it the most pedagogical book on the subject.\nGood luck!\n---\n[1]: https://www.cs.virginia.edu/~robins/Turing_Paper_1936.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Computer Architecture: a Quantitative Approach”, by Hennessy and Patterson",
          "reason": "Includes it among the books recommended for a CS bookshelf.",
          "audience": "People starting a computer science course.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414453,
          "author": "tftfmacedo",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T09:24:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414453",
          "commentText": "I'd recommend this one on architecture:\nComputer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach - Hennessy and Patterson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend this one on architecture:\nComputer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach - Hennessy and Patterson",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the book on computer architecture.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John L. Hennessy; David A. Patterson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer architecture",
        "quantitative methods",
        "textbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "computer-networks-a-systems-approach-81b460",
      "title": "Computer Networks: A Systems Approach",
      "author": "Larry Peterson and Bruce Davie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35929355,
          "author": "Keegs",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T15:33:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35929355",
          "commentText": "Computer Networks: A Systems Approach takes a subject I didn’t think I’d like and presents it in a way that made me want to read every chapter. It’s a master class on how to make technical content enjoyable, and a great intro/refresher to networking. Can’t recommend it enough.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Can’t recommend it enough.",
          "reason": "Praises its engaging presentation and recommends it as an introduction or refresher to networking.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an introduction or refresher on networking.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27653285,
          "author": "arman_ashrafian",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T17:13:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 27650775,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27653285",
          "commentText": "I really like this textbook that was used in my undergrad networking course.\nhttps://book.systemsapproach.org/index.html\nThe “perspective” sections at the end of every chapter are really interesting!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really like this textbook that was used in my undergrad networking course.",
          "reason": "The commenter liked this textbook from their undergraduate networking course.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Larry Peterson",
        "Bruce Davie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer networking",
        "network architecture",
        "network systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "computer-power-and-human-reason-from-judgment-to-calculation-c28f35",
      "title": "Computer Power and Human Reason: From Judgment to Calculation",
      "author": "Joseph Weizenbaum",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43095584,
          "author": "mooreds",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-18T21:51:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 43084739,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction/non-fiction book should everyone read on the topic of CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43095584",
          "commentText": "\"Computer Power and Human Reason: From Judgment to Calculation\" by Joseph Weizenbaum",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Computer Power and Human Reason: From Judgment to Calculation\" by Joseph Weizenbaum",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39058027,
          "author": "jonjacky",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T17:17:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39058027",
          "commentText": "Don't overlook books that are critical of engineering as it is often practiced and how it fits into our society:\nComputer Power and Human Reason by Joseph Weizenbaum (1976).  Weizenbaum wrote\nEliza, the first AI chatbot, almost sixty years ago and was appalled at the reception.  This book is still very pertinent, especially the Introduction,\nChapter 1 On Tools, chapter 9, Incomprehensible Programs, and chapter 10,\nAgainst the Imperialism of Instrumental Reason.  Chapter 4, Science and the Compulsive Programmer, is one of the first written accounts of the hacker culture.\nWeizenbaum's original paper on Eliza (1966) [0] is still very pertinent to the present generation of chatbots, especially the introduction and discussion.\nTools for Conviviality, Ivan Illich (1973) [1].  Influenced recent work\nby the computer scientists Steven Kell [2],[3] and Kartik Agaram [4].\nComputation and Human Experience, Phil Agre (1997) (excerpt at [5]).  Agre\ngot a PhD in AI at MIT in the 80s and 90s and became very critical of the field.\nI think his shorter writings [6][7] are a better introduction, especially the personal memoir at [6]:\n\"about how I became (relatively speaking, and in a small way) a better person through philosophy.\"\n0. https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/365153.365168\n1. http://akkartik.name/illich.pdf\n2. https://www.humprog.org/~stephen//research/talks/kell19de-es... (https://www.humprog.org/~stephen//research/talks/kell19de-escalating-intro-script.txt)\n3. https://www.humprog.org/~stephen//research/talks/kell19softw... (https://www.humprog.org/~stephen//research/talks/kell19software-slides.pdf)\n4. http://akkartik.name/akkartik-convivial-20200607.pdf\n5. https://pages.gseis.ucla.edu/faculty/agre/che-intro.html\n6. https://pages.gseis.ucla.edu/faculty/agre/notes/00-7-12.html\n7. https://pages.gseis.ucla.edu/faculty/agre/critical.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Computer Power and Human Reason by Joseph Weizenbaum (1976).",
          "reason": "Recommended as a critical perspective on engineering and computing; the commenter highlights several chapters as pertinent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter particularly points to the introduction and selected chapters.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph Weizenbaum"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human judgment",
        "ai criticism",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "technology and society"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "confessions-079058",
      "title": "Confessions",
      "author": "Augustine of Hippo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45290042,
          "author": "cafard",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-18T14:19:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 45283087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45290042",
          "commentText": "A Reading of Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit by Quentin Lauer\nAugustine's Confessions\nLast fiction: Nice Job by David Lodge",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Augustine's Confessions",
          "reason": "Listed as a book currently being read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37814502,
          "author": "nickster",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-08T21:17:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37814502",
          "commentText": "In Computers? The Mythical Man Month Fred Brooks\nIn Management? Turn the Ship Around David Marquet\nIn literature? Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad\nIn Philosophy? The Republic Plato\nIn Religion? The Confessions St. Augustine\nIn Mathematics? The Elements Euclid\nIn History? Parallel lives Plutarch\nIn Physics? Principia Isaac Newton",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Confessions St. Augustine",
          "reason": "Listed as a book people in religion may pretend to have read.",
          "audience": "People in religion.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37810868,
          "author": "aniijbod",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-08T14:39:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37810868",
          "commentText": "In Computers? The Mythical Man Month Fred Brooks\nIn Mnaagement? Turn the Ship Around David Marquet\nIn literature? Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad\nIn Philosophy? The Republic Plato\nIn Religion? The Confessions St. Augustine\nIn Mathematics? The Elements Euclid\nIn History? Parallel lives Plutarch\nIn Physics? Principia Isaac Newton",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Confessions St. Augustine",
          "reason": "Listed as a book people in religion may pretend to have read.",
          "audience": "People in religion.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36105248,
          "author": "marginalia_nu",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T16:04:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105248",
          "commentText": "Confessions is a bit of a slog and not very accessible IMO. It's also chock full of bible references that are probably going to fly over your head if you aren't already deep into Christianity.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Confessions is a bit of a slog and not very accessible IMO.",
          "reason": "Finds it slow and difficult to access.",
          "audience": "Readers not already deeply familiar with Christianity may miss its Bible references.",
          "caveat": "Contains many Bible references that may be hard to follow without prior Christian knowledge.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36105038,
          "author": "User23",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T15:42:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105038",
          "commentText": "For Christianity I highly recommend Saint Augustine’s Confessions. It is very readable and the author’s intellect shines throughout.\nEdit: I hear very good things about C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity too, but I've never read it.\nAlso there's always Aristotle. Thanks to him we know there is not really a clear line between theology and philosophy. It's fascinating to me that an ancient Greek pagan derived a kind of classical monotheism as being philosophically necessary. One may disagree, but I don't think anyone seriously interested in the subject denies the importance of his contributions.\nOthers have already suggested the various holy and foundational texts as being worth reading. I'm inclined to agree on account of for thousands of years before printing when keeping a book extant was extremely laborious people from every culture chose some writings as being particularly precious. Surely they had what seemed to them at least to be good reason.\nAnd casting a broader net, reading the myths and stories of the religions can give you a good feel for how believers see it. I'm mostly familiar with Viking and Greek myth, but there is a rich tradition of mythology in the east too. I've never made a serious study of the Vedic stories, but I've read a few adaptations and there is a lot of interest there too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For Christianity I highly recommend Saint Augustine’s Confessions.",
          "reason": "Highly recommended for Christianity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20916978,
          "author": "benstox",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T10:55:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20916978",
          "commentText": "The Confessions of St Augustine",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Confessions of St Augustine",
          "reason": "Offered as a favorite in response to the thread’s question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Augustine of Hippo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "autobiography",
        "christian theology",
        "christianity",
        "spiritual autobiography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "consciousness-explained-255c07",
      "title": "Consciousness Explained",
      "author": "Daniel C. Dennett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9348558,
          "author": "dghf",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:07:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348558",
          "commentText": "Robert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson, Illuminatus!\nCarl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World.\nDaniel Dennett, Consciousness Explained.\nT.H. White, The Once and Future King.\nGeorge Orwell, Homage to Catalonia.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Daniel Dennett, Consciousness Explained.",
          "reason": "Lists it as an answer to which books changed their perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109109,
          "author": "jrlocke",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:19:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109109",
          "commentText": "Consciousness Explained by Daniel Dennett. It's great, now I'm equipped to annoy my friends with arguments like 'dogs are not sentient but computers could be.'",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's great, now I'm equipped to annoy my friends with arguments like 'dogs are not sentient but computers could be.'",
          "reason": "Calls it great and says it equipped them to make arguments about consciousness and sentience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel C. Dennett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consciousness",
        "philosophy of mind"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "contagious-why-things-catch-on-ce19d3",
      "title": "Contagious: Why Things Catch On",
      "author": "Jonah Berger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25209272,
          "author": "mindhash",
          "createdAt": "2020-11-25T14:01:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 25207732,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Suggest good books on bootstrapping a startup",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25209272",
          "commentText": "I was in similar state a few of years back. Read these, and used them to a good extent.\nLean analytics. (must read)\nProduct-Led growth. (must read)\n22 Laws of marketing (must)\nOne million followers\nIf you like scientific approach:\nInfluence by Robert Cialdini\nContagious (Jonah Berger)\nThis resource is also gold: https://brianbalfour.com/essays/customer-acquisition\nI am also documenting my learnings in a book [1].\n[1] https://book.amols.blog/59decisions",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Contagious (Jonah Berger)",
          "reason": "Recommends it among books taking a scientific approach.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Grouped under “If you like scientific approach.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12070313,
          "author": "as17237",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T11:30:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12070313",
          "commentText": "* In Defense of Liberal Edication By Farred Zakaria\n* Confidence Men By Ros Suskind\n* Dark Money by Jane Meyer\n* Better by Atul Gawande\n* The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande\n* Essentialism by Greg Mckeown\n* Contagious by Jonah Berger\n* Sapiens by Yuval Harari\n* The Pentagons Brain by Annie Jacobson\n* Shoe Dog by Phil Knight\n* The Only Game in town by Mohamed El-Erian\n* The Industries of Future By Alec Ross",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Contagious by Jonah Berger",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968252,
          "author": "hemaljshah",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:12:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968252",
          "commentText": "Just finished \"Contagious: Why Things Catch On\" which is great for understanding the triggers you can build into your product to build an inbound gravitational pull for potential and current customers.\nNow I'm about to tackle \"Inspired: How To Create Products Customers Love\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just finished \"Contagious: Why Things Catch On\" which is great for understanding the triggers you can build into your product to build an inbound gravitational pull for potential and current customers.",
          "reason": "Praises it as useful for understanding product features that attract customers.",
          "audience": "People building products and seeking customer interest.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonah Berger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "word of mouth",
        "marketing",
        "product marketing",
        "social influence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "convenience-store-woman-fbf290",
      "title": "Convenience Store Woman",
      "author": "Sayaka Murata",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46264412,
          "author": "firefax",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-14T16:48:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 46226571,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46264412",
          "commentText": "Stasi: The Untold Story Of The East German Secret Police\nhttps://search.worldcat.org/title/39256274\nThis book going into extreme detail about the East German surveillance state. People tend to hyperfocus on the Nazis due to a morbid fascination with bodycounts, but the GDR was closer in time in both history and comopositions. They had faxes, computers, and many other technologies that made them similar to us, and I worry we forget the lessons of that regime. I read his book during a middle school in school suspension and it was a formative read.\nAnother good book is \"Eichman in Jerusalem\", which details the trial of one of the architects of the Holocaust and his claims he was \"just following orders... the book examines the \"banality of evil\".\nhttps://search.worldcat.org/title/385389\nFinally, to lighten things up, my most recent new favorite book that's fiction was Convenience Store Woman, about a woman who's been working at a 7/11 for 18 years. I read it during COVID and it's stuck with me as a favorite.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convenience_Store_Woman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "my most recent new favorite book that's fiction was Convenience Store Woman",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a favorite and says it has stuck with them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34164131,
          "author": "burger_moon",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T18:37:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34164131",
          "commentText": "This was a big reading year for myself, I got through 25 books. They are not technical books like most listed here. I focused on reading memoirs, literature, fiction stories, primarily women authors. I didn’t read any bad books in my opinion, I guess I picked well.\nStandouts,\nConvenience Store Woman - Sayaka Murata\nLakota Woman - Mary Crow Dog\nBeautiful Country: A Memoir of An Undocumented Childhood - Qian Julie Wang\nGather Around in My Name - Maya Angelou\nThe entire autobiographical series by Maya is a must read imo, but this one is my favorite. Maybe also my favorite book I read this year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Convenience Store Woman - Sayaka Murata",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's standout books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18663451,
          "author": "jger15",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:54:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663451",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction:\n7 Powers: The Foundations of Business Strategy - Hamilton Helmer\nAmerican Wolf - Nate Blakeslee\nAtomic Habits - James Clear\nConspiracy - Ryan Holiday\nCourage To Be Disliked - Ichiro Kishimi\nHow To Change Your Mind - Michael Pollan\nOpen - Andre Agassi\nWhy We Sleep - Matthew Walker\nWorld After Capital - Albert Wenger\nFiction:\nChocky - John Wyndham\nConvenience Store Woman - Sayaka Murata\nThe Eight Mountains - Paolo Cognetti\nThe Invisibility Cloak - Ge Fei\nThe Midnight Fox - Betsy Byars\nSuch Small Hands - Andres Barba\nThe Thief - Fuminori Nakamura\nTies - Domenico Starnone\nTrick - Domenico Starnone",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Convenience Store Woman - Sayaka Murata",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sayaka Murata"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "japan",
        "japanese fiction",
        "literary fiction",
        "social conformity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "conversations-with-an-executioner-78ec6c",
      "title": "Conversations with an Executioner",
      "author": "Kazimierz Moczarski",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23862042,
          "author": "ceceron",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T18:22:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23862042",
          "commentText": "\"Conversations with an Executioner\" is IMHO the best book giving insight into a mind of a real nazist. It's direct and honest, much more profound than classical historical book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Conversations with an Executioner\" is IMHO the best book giving insight into a mind of a real nazist.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the best book for insight into the mind of a Nazi.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168677,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:31:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168677",
          "commentText": "I can't give just one, but here are a few that had a strong influence on me: \n\"12 Rules for Life\" by Jordan Peterson, \"Why Switzerland?\" Jonathan Steinberg, \"Little Book of Common Sense Investing\" by John C. Bogle, \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" by Butron Malkiel, \"Liberalismus\" by Ludwig von Mises, \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann, \"Walden\" by Henry David Thoreau, \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"A Treatise on Political Economy\" by Jean-Baptiste Say, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy\" by Joseph Alois Schumpeter, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"My Correct Views on Everything\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"The Captive Mind\" Czesław Miłosz, \"One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, \"The House of the Dead\" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, \"Conversations with an Executioner\" by Kazimierz Moczarski, \"Diary 1954\" by Leopold Tyrmand, \"The Master and Margarita\" by Mikhail Bulgakov, \"A World Apart: A Memoir of the Gulag\" by Gustaw Herling-Grudziński",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Conversations with an Executioner\" by Kazimierz Moczarski",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a strong influence on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kazimierz Moczarski"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nazism",
        "wartime testimony",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "core-python-programming-a52aec",
      "title": "Core Python Programming",
      "author": "Wesley J. Chun",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2380997,
          "author": "stray",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-29T01:51:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 2380810,
          "threadTitle": "Best program and books to learn how to code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2380997",
          "commentText": "You could try starting with \"How to Design Programs\" at http://htdp.org (or buy the dead tree version). That book has been very helpful for some people.  The programming language environment used in HTDP can be downloaded from http://racket-lang.org.\nIf you'd prefer Python, a real gem of a book is Core Python Programming by Westley Chun.  Python btw, is an excellent choice for a first programming language.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a real gem of a book is Core Python Programming by Westley Chun",
          "reason": "Called a real gem and recommended for someone who prefers Python.",
          "audience": "People learning Python, including beginners choosing a first language.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 121898,
          "author": "amour",
          "createdAt": "2008-02-23T06:57:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 121779,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What is the best Python book for a beginner?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=121898",
          "commentText": "I found Core Python Programming by Wesley J. Chun is the best python book so far that I requested the university library to get it (among couple other books) for my research.\nI started with Beginning Python: From Novice to Professional. Extremely helpful and easy to follow book, since I already have few languages in my repertoire.\nAfter you are comfortable with python and its syntax then get some python cookbooks.\nGood Luck",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found Core Python Programming by Wesley J. Chun is the best python book so far",
          "reason": "Calls it the best Python book so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Wesley J. Chun"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming education",
        "python",
        "python programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cosmere-ff7f1e",
      "title": "Cosmere",
      "author": "Brandon Sanderson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33385896,
          "author": "DoingSomeThings",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T17:03:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33385896",
          "commentText": "Fiction - I started reading the Cosmere universe by Brandon Sanderson.\nMistborn Trilogy, Stormlight Archives, and Warbreaker.\nPick 1 - Start with Warbreaker or Mistborn.\nI'm new to fantasy fiction and his writing totally hooked me. I think of \"hard\" fantasy as a puzzle. The world has a unique physics and the plot of the story is based around characters figuring out how to operate inside of those physics... what are the bounds, how can it be manipulated, etc?\nWhat I've loved about Sanderson is the plot turns are never Ex Machina. Every new development fits inside the rules of the world and deepens your understanding of what can be.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I started reading the Cosmere universe by Brandon Sanderson.",
          "reason": "The commenter says Sanderson's writing hooked them as they began reading within the universe.",
          "audience": "Someone new to fantasy fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26595012,
          "author": "fish45",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-26T17:59:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26595012",
          "commentText": "I'm on book 5 of Wheel of Time right now. Honestly I haven't liked it as much as anything Cosmere so far but I'm hoping that will change.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I haven't liked it as much as anything Cosmere so far",
          "reason": "The commenter expresses a preference for the Cosmere over The Wheel of Time so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they hope their opinion of The Wheel of Time will change.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26593788,
          "author": "Kratisto",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-26T16:10:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26593788",
          "commentText": "I'm really into the Dresden novels as well.  Also read all of the Cosmere, and I highly recommend.  1/3rd of the way through Wheel of Time right now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend",
          "reason": "The commenter highly recommends the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brandon Sanderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "shared universe"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cosmic-trigger-23ff56",
      "title": "Cosmic Trigger",
      "author": "Robert Anton Wilson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50117808,
          "author": "zen_kernal",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T12:56:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50117808",
          "commentText": "Robert Anton Wilson: Cosmic Trigger and Quantum Psychology\nIsaac Asimov: Beginnings\nAlex Garland: The Beach\nBuddha: The Dhammapada",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cosmic Trigger",
          "reason": "Listed in response to which books the commenter read at least twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21901584,
          "author": "SirensOfTitan",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T20:42:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21901584",
          "commentText": "Probably Robert Anton Wilson’s Cosmic Trigger or Prometheus Rising back in 2010. The “reality tunnel” concept has defined much of my personal and intellectual exploration of the past 10 years.\n“ When we meet somebody whose separate tunnel-reality is obviously far different from ours, we are a bit frightened and always disoriented. We tend to think they are mad, or that they are crooks trying to con us in some way, or that they are hoaxers playing a joke. Yet it is neurologically obvious that no two brains have the same genetically-programmed hard wiring, the same imprints, the same conditioning, the same learning experiences. We are all living in separate realities. That is why communication fails so often, and misunderstandings and resentments are so common. I say \"meow\" and you say \"Bow-wow,\" and each of us is convinced the other is a bit dumb.”",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Probably Robert Anton Wilson’s Cosmic Trigger or Prometheus Rising back in 2010.",
          "reason": "Named as one of the books that most influenced the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter presents it as one of two possibilities.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Anton Wilson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consciousness",
        "reality tunnels"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cradle-to-cradle-remaking-the-way-we-make-things-3b33fd",
      "title": "Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things",
      "author": "William McDonough and Michael Braungart",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14744376,
          "author": "phlipski",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T14:20:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14744376",
          "commentText": "Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things\nVery thought provoking look at recycling and design for eventual recycling.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Very thought provoking look at recycling and design for eventual recycling.",
          "reason": "Called a thought-provoking treatment of recycling and design for recyclability.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85962,
          "author": "asmosoinio",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T15:58:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85962",
          "commentText": "Cradle to cradle, by William McDonough & Michael Braungart\nhttp://www.mcdonough.com/cradle_to_cradle.htm\nAbout environmental design of, well, everything. Might fall into the \"technical\" category, though.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Cradle to cradle, by William McDonough & Michael Braungart\nhttp://www.mcdonough.com/cradle_to_cradle.htm\nAbout environmental design of, well, everything. Might fall into the \"technical\" category, though.",
          "reason": "It discusses environmental design broadly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it might fall into the technical category.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William McDonough and Michael Braungart"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "circular design",
        "circular economy",
        "recycling",
        "sustainable design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "crash-fd645a",
      "title": "Crash",
      "author": "J. G. Ballard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9674391,
          "author": "dbcooper",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T12:32:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674391",
          "commentText": "Crash by J.G. Ballard.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crash by J.G. Ballard.",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the request for a mind-blowing book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 199836,
          "author": "ola",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-26T00:53:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 199722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=199836",
          "commentText": "Crash by JG Ballard",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crash by JG Ballard",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. G. Ballard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "dystopian fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "crashed-how-a-decade-of-financial-crises-changed-the-world-55ab6e",
      "title": "Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World",
      "author": "Adam Tooze",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22578636,
          "author": "schemathings",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T20:58:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22578636",
          "commentText": "I listened to the audiobook version of 3 books by Adam Tooze in the past year and found them to be excellent for understanding how finance works, through 3 separate case studies/examples if you will ..\n1. The Deluge: The Great War, America and the Remaking of the Global Order describes how most of the current global financial structures were formed, through the lens of WW1 policy\n2. The Wages of Destruction: The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy .. moves you forward to WW2/post-depression economy\n3. Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World (recommended elsewhere in this thread) .. brings things up to current times",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World",
          "reason": "The commenter includes it among audiobooks they found excellent for understanding finance.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Recommended elsewhere in the thread.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18664055,
          "author": "cwal37",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T14:20:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664055",
          "commentText": "A few of my faves.\nNon-Fiction\nBy Adam Tooze: Crashed, and Wages of Destruction. Both excellent economic histories, the former covering the recent financial crisis and its aftermath, the latter on the Nazi economy. Tooze does an excellent job coming up with larger trends and global narratives, I'm often amazed at just how much he's able to keep in his head.\nBy Richard Rothstein: The Color of Law. A quick, informative, yet more than thorough enough on the factual, legal prevention that American employed over the majority of the 20th century to prevent black Americans form participating in the housing market, both personal home ownership and public housing (a major institutional driver of household wealth and success tarting in the early 20th century).\nBy Jeffrey Lockwood: Locust: The Devastating Rise and Mysterious Disappearance of the Insect that Shaped the American Frontier. I had no idea the American frontier was home to devastating largest-in-the-world locust plagues that suddenly disappeared near the end of the 19th century.\nBy Peter Brannen: The Ends of the World. A great primer on mass extinctions and their often geologic causes.\nBy Rick Perstein: Nixonland. Still working on this one, but a deep dive into that era of American politics feels quite relevant at the moment, except that everything today feels stupid in comparison.\nFiction\nBy N.K. Jemisin: The Broken Earth trilogy. A really great self-contained story, extremely evocative, and the author actually puts out great books at an amazingly fast pace.\nCooking\nBy Stella Parks: Bravetart: Iconic American Desserts. If you like baking, and the history of iconic American baked goods this is a must have/read. Never thought I'd spend so much time on a carrot cake.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "By Adam Tooze: Crashed, and Wages of Destruction. Both excellent economic histories",
          "reason": "Described as an excellent economic history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adam Tooze"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial crises",
        "financial crisis",
        "global economy",
        "global financial history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "creativity-inc-0872bc",
      "title": "Creativity, Inc.",
      "author": "Ed Catmull",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12475769,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T21:12:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12475769",
          "commentText": "Here's the best books I've read in the last year or so:\n>> Computer History & biographies:\nThe New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story, Michael Lewis\nThe Second Coming of Steve Jobs, by Alan Deutschman\nMachines of Loving Grace, by John Markoff\nThe Innovators, by Walter Isaacson\nGhost in the Wires, by Kevin Mitnick\nIdea Man: A Memoir by the Cofounder of Microsoft, by Paul Allen\nCreativity, Inc, by Ed Catmull (reading)\n>> Startups:\nThe Hard Thing About Hard Things, by Ben Horowitz\nThe Founder's Dilemmas, Noam Wasserman\nThe Launch Pad, by Randall Stross\n>> Other books:\nTrilogy: Off to Be the Wizard (series), by Scott Meyer\nSearch Inside Yourself, Chade-Meng Tan\nJoy on Demand, Chade-Meng Tan (reading)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Creativity, Inc, by Ed Catmull (reading)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are reading it; no evaluation is stated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12099016,
          "author": "yma",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T04:57:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12099016",
          "commentText": "Creativity, Inc. - Ed Catmull.\nHow to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big - Scott Adams\nSkunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years of Lockheed - Ben Rich\nSeven Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen Covey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Creativity, Inc. - Ed Catmull.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297707,
          "author": "bkirkby",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:44:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297707",
          "commentText": "- Leaders Eat Last, Simon Sinek\n- Creativity Inc., Ed Catmull\n- Reinventing Organizations, Frederic Laloux\n- Joy at Work, Dennis W Bakke\n- Valve Employee Handbook, Valve Software\nThis list is heavily skewed toward self-organization because I work for a company (Zappos) that is currently transitioning to a self-organization model. I thought I'd answer the question about what books I wish my \"manager\" would read even though I don't have a manager because in a self-org environment, you do have leaders that emerge organically. The main difference between \"manager\" and \"leader\" is that managers influence their charges with coersion (even if subtle and unintentional) while a leaders ability to influence comes from the bottom-up and is more meritocratic based on perceived experience and ability by those being led.\nMost companies hope to promote the leaders so their manager structure is reflective of the actual effective social leadership structure, but all companies get it wrong often.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Creativity Inc., Ed Catmull",
          "reason": "Included in a list answering which books the commenter wishes managers would read.",
          "audience": "Managers and emerging leaders.",
          "caveat": "The list is heavily skewed toward self-organization.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968362,
          "author": "fursund",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:38:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968362",
          "commentText": "Creativity Inc by Ed Catmull (Pixar-fame) and The Atlantis Gene by A.G. Riddle (sci-fi'ish)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Creativity Inc by Ed Catmull (Pixar-fame)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ed Catmull"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creative leadership",
        "pixar",
        "organizational culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "creativity-inc-overcoming-the-unseen-forces-that-stand-in-the-way-020931",
      "title": "Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration",
      "author": "Ed Catmull with Amy Wallace",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18479390,
          "author": "ishanjain28",
          "createdAt": "2018-11-18T08:29:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 18473561,
          "threadTitle": "Best book/paper you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18479390",
          "commentText": "Creativity Inc. It's about Pixar.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Creativity Inc. It's about Pixar.",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the thread's question about the best book read in 2018.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17205660,
          "author": "malexw",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T14:37:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205660",
          "commentText": "The Pixar Touch describes the creation of the company and first few films that Pixar made. I especially enjoyed it because of my interest in computer graphics, but it's probably a worthwhile read for most tech folks.\nCreativity, Inc., is another book about Pixar that's been recommended to me, though it was recommended as a way to learn about what successful management at a tech company looks like. I haven't read it though, so I can't vouch for the quality.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I haven't read it though, so I can't vouch for the quality.",
          "reason": "The commenter reports that it was recommended to them as a way to learn about successful management at a tech company.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it and cannot vouch for its quality.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ed Catmull",
        "Amy Wallace"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Art"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "pixar",
        "creative leadership",
        "management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "critical-chain-43bd57",
      "title": "Critical Chain",
      "author": "Eliyahu M. Goldratt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36432117,
          "author": "telesilla",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T13:47:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36432117",
          "commentText": "I listened to 40 hours of Moby Dick on a series of long road trips and couldn't wait to start each one, just me and Melville for a few hours every day.\nOn a business level, Critical Chain (Goldratt) and the Phoenix Project (Kim, Spafford, Behr) were necessary eye-openers once I got into top management.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Critical Chain (Goldratt)",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a necessary eye-opener after entering top management.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19899526,
          "author": "kesor",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T14:25:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19899526",
          "commentText": "\"The Goal\" by Eliyahu Goldratt, and other of his books are great books to learn how to think.\nIt is a more concrete example of Systems Thinking that is applied to various environments, manufacturing in \"The Goal\", marketing and strategy in \"It's Not Luck\", projects in \"Critical Chain\", retail in \"Isn't it Obvious\", and personal improvement in \"The Choice\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "projects in \"Critical Chain\"",
          "reason": "Listed as an application of systems thinking to projects among Goldratt's books.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in systems thinking applied to project work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3277742,
          "author": "billswift",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T18:12:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3277742",
          "commentText": "I will definitely second Atul Gawande's Checklist Manifesto.\nEliyahu Goldratt's books (I have read Critical Chain and It's Not Luck as well as The Goal) are not as original as often claimed.  They are very readable introductions, but a good project management text will cover most of what they do and more.  The project management book that I have found most helpful is Project Management With Cpm, Pert and Precedence Diagramming; despite its age (1983) it covers a wider variety of techniques with more detail and less extraneous crud than any of the others I have seen (note I am still researching this area, anyone who has a favorite book can leave it in a comment).  http://www.amazon.com/Project-Management-Pert-Precedence-Dia... (http://www.amazon.com/Project-Management-Pert-Precedence-Diagramming/dp/0442254156/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322244392&sr=8-1)\nJonathan Baron's Thinking and Deciding is one of the best books on improving your thinking in general that I have ever read.  http://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Deciding-Jonathan-Baron/dp/05... (http://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Deciding-Jonathan-Baron/dp/0521680433/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322244137&sr=8-1)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I have read Critical Chain",
          "reason": "The commenter mentions having read it but gives no separate evaluation of this title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eliyahu M. Goldratt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "project management",
        "theory of constraints",
        "systems thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "critical-path-c34aaa",
      "title": "Critical Path",
      "author": "R. Buckminster Fuller",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48987023,
          "author": "NishanStepak",
          "createdAt": "2026-07-21T01:23:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 48981842,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favourite science history book of the 20th century?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48987023",
          "commentText": "Technics and Civilization by Lewis Mumford and Critical Path by R Buckminster Fuller",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Critical Path by R Buckminster Fuller",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39064435,
          "author": "demondemidi",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-20T03:39:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39064435",
          "commentText": "Against Method by Paul Feyeraband\nCritical Path by buckminster fuller",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Critical Path by buckminster fuller",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "R. Buckminster Fuller"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "global development",
        "design science",
        "systems thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "crito-b68d88",
      "title": "Crito",
      "author": "Plato",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46692926,
          "author": "DataDaoDe",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-20T15:38:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 46690957,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What non-fiction do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46692926",
          "commentText": "Plato's works surrounding Socrates' death: Phaedo, Crito, Euthyphro, The Apology.\nIts fascinating to discover how many thoughts and ideas they had which are still relevant in our societies today. Also, they are incredibly readable, its like taking part in on a conversation among friends.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crito",
          "reason": "Listed among Plato's works about Socrates' death; the commenter says the ideas remain relevant and the works are readable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503692,
          "author": "telemachos",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T14:39:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503692",
          "commentText": "Some from the canon:\n\nPlato: Defence of Socrates, Euthyphro, Crito (translated by David Gallop)\nThe Modes of Scepticism by Julia Annas and Jonathan Barnes (a beautiful collection of texts from Pyrrhonian scepticism and analysis of their arguments; the best way I know to meet ancient scepticism)\nDescartes: Meditations on First Philosophy (The Cambridge University Press edition is very good; it's probably worth buying their Selected Philosophical Writings for a good basic Descartes text)\nDavid Hume: An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding and An Enquiry concerning the Principles of Morals (I recommend the Oxford Philosophical Texts editions)\nWittgenstein: Philosophical Investigations (terribly, terribly difficult, but very rewarding)\n  A few contemporary things:\n\nGilbert Ryle: The Concept of Mind\nWillard Van Orman Quine: From a Logical Point of View\nJ. L. Mackie: Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong\nThomas Nagel: Mortal Questions (short essays, well-written, very accessible)\nBernard Williams: Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy\nMichael Smith: The Moral Problem\n  Specialist, technical, odd:\n\nThe Frege Reader by Michael Beaney (for modern logic and the beginnings of contemporary philosophy in the analytic style)\nJ. L. Mackie: The Cement of the Universe: A Study of Causation\nWilliam Kingdon Clifford: The Ethics of Belief (he argues, oddly but powerfully, that it's immoral to believe things on insufficient evidence or irrationally - an offense to morality, not just reason)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Plato: Defence of Socrates, Euthyphro, Crito (translated by David Gallop)",
          "reason": "Listed as part of the philosophical canon being recommended.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring ancient philosophy.",
          "caveat": "The listed translation is by David Gallop.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Plato"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient greek philosophy",
        "plato",
        "socratic dialogues"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cryptography-engineering-3e8ebe",
      "title": "Cryptography Engineering",
      "author": "Niels Ferguson, Bruce Schneier, and Tadayoshi Kohno",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14488056,
          "author": "TallGuyShort",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T14:59:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14488056",
          "commentText": "I would recommend Schneier's Cryptography Engineering (or its predecessor) Practical Cryptography over Applied Cryptography, given the question. I agree Applied Cryptography is a very interesting book, but that's because I'm a crypto nerd. For someone looking to improve general software engineering skills, I think the other books do a better job of presenting best practices and the understanding behind them, with a bit less mathematical theory, etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend Schneier's Cryptography Engineering",
          "reason": "Recommended over Applied Cryptography for someone seeking general software engineering skills and best practices.",
          "audience": "Readers looking to improve general software engineering skills.",
          "caveat": "The author also recommends its predecessor, Practical Cryptography, over Applied Cryptography; Applied Cryptography is described as interesting for crypto enthusiasts.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10029366,
          "author": "pjungwir",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-09T03:05:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10029366",
          "commentText": "- Managing the Professional Service Firm by David Maister\n- Quantum Computing since Democritus by Scott Aaronson\n- Cryptography Engineering by Bruce Schneier et al\n- Time Management for System Administrators by Thomas Limoncelli\n- Expert C Programming by Peter van der Linden",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cryptography Engineering by Bruce Schneier et al",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Niels Ferguson, Bruce Schneier, and Tadayoshi Kohno"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cryptography",
        "computer security",
        "software engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cyberpunk-outlaws-and-hackers-on-the-computer-frontier-6f8d8a",
      "title": "Cyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier",
      "author": "Katie Hafner and John Markoff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25533998,
          "author": "doopy1",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-25T03:43:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25533998",
          "commentText": "This one scratched that itch:\nCYBERPUNK: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This one scratched that itch:\nCYBERPUNK: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20982937,
          "author": "adamraye",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T11:17:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20982937",
          "commentText": "Well I remember reading in one or two sittings \"Cyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier\" by John Markov and Katie Hafner just before I discovered The Cuckoo's Egg and both gripped me in the same way.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Cyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier\" by John Markov and Katie Hafner",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Katie Hafner",
        "John Markoff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hacker history",
        "cyberpunk",
        "hacker culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dom-scripting-web-design-with-javascript-and-the-document-object--80ba36",
      "title": "DOM Scripting: Web Design with JavaScript and the Document Object Model",
      "author": "Jeremy Keith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27650698,
          "author": "austincheney",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T11:35:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27650698",
          "commentText": "This was is the first programming book I ever read and it has allowed me to do things others cannot. https://www.amazon.com/DOM-Scripting-Design-JavaScript-Docum... (https://www.amazon.com/DOM-Scripting-Design-JavaScript-Document/dp/1430233893/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=document+object+model&qid=1624793455&sprefix=document+ob&sr=8-3)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This was is the first programming book I ever read",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book enabled them to do things others cannot.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2385686,
          "author": "malandrew",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-30T03:29:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 2380810,
          "threadTitle": "Best program and books to learn how to code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2385686",
          "commentText": "You can't go wrong with any of those books.\nGiven your interest in mobile/web apps, my recommendation is to start with Eloquent Javascript then Dive into HTML5 and then DOM Scripting. With those three, you'll have a solid base for what the next 5 years of what technology trends will throw at you.\nEventually you'll need to start working more with stuff on the server side. Once that time comes, you'll know enough to choose the server side language that makes the most sense for you (my bet is that you'll probably end up choosing between Javascript, Python, Ruby or Clojure in that order).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "my recommendation is to start with Eloquent Javascript then Dive into HTML5 and then DOM Scripting",
          "reason": "Recommended as the third book in a learning sequence for mobile and web apps.",
          "audience": "Learners interested in mobile or web apps.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeremy Keith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dom",
        "javascript",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dandelion-wine-dad783",
      "title": "Dandelion Wine",
      "author": "Ray Bradbury",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30739383,
          "author": "every",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T02:08:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30739383",
          "commentText": "Dandelion Wine - Ray Bradbury\nMurder in the Cathedral - T. S. Eliot\nOur Town - Thornton Wilder",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dandelion Wine - Ray Bradbury",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168669,
          "author": "myst",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:29:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168669",
          "commentText": "Dandelion Wine",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dandelion Wine",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ray Bradbury"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coming of age",
        "nostalgia"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dark-pools-89a7cd",
      "title": "Dark Pools",
      "author": "Scott Patterson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16769837,
          "author": "meifun",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-05T23:51:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16769837",
          "commentText": "Here are the books on my desk:\nC++:\n\"The C++ Programming Language\", Stroustrup\n\"Programming: Principles and Practice Using C++\", Stroustrup\nQuant:\n\"Quantitative Trading\", Dr. Ernest Chan\n\"Algorithmic Trading\", Dr. Ernest Chan\n\"Machine Trading: Deploying Computer Algorithms to Conquer the Markets\", Dr. Ernest Chan\n\"Advances in Financial Machine Learning\", Marcos Lopez de Prado\n\"Options, Futures and Other Derivatives (10th edition)\", John C. Hull\nBuddhism:\n\"Open Heart, Clear Mind\", Thubten Chodron\n\"Buddhism For Beginners\", Thubten Chodron\n\"Working with Anger\", Thubten Chodron\nReading For Pleasure:\n\"Naked Statistics\", Charles Wheelan\n\"Algorithms to Live By\", Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths\n\"Dark Pools\"\n\"The Quants\", Scott Patterson\n\"The Physics Of Wall Street\", James Owen Weatherall\nPlus some Chinese books, I wont bore with the details, unless anyone wants to know. Fun Fact, while I was in China for 8 weeks in late 2017 I bought 60 Chinese books and stuffed them in a suitcase. It cost me $4,000RMB (~$604 USD) to check all of my stuff and purchases home :-)\nThe Math books are:\n\"Discrete math\", Susan Epp\n\"Discrete with Ducks\"\nvarious Calc books. If you want to learn math, find books that work for you. We all learn differently here.\nMy opinion: The Chan books are just amazing. Thought provoking and motivational. I am still reading the Prado book.\nMy opinion 2: If you ever want to slow down in life and learn what you are about, read about Buddhism. I'm not trying to start a flame war. It just works for me. It isn't being told what to believe because that is the way it is. I feel Buddhism lets me explore myself to find the right answers that work for me. Since studying my anger levels are in check. I am a better Husband. My wife comes first always.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Dark Pools\"",
          "reason": "Listed under “Reading For Pleasure.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12561975,
          "author": "AndrewKemendo",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T02:47:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12561975",
          "commentText": "The following list will introduce you to Western Economic Philosophy as it relates to modern history specifically. This list is weighted heavily toward neo-classical economics and does not get into computational model based economics - specifically microeconomics, which comprises the bulk of economics education today:\nSchumpeter - History of economic analysis\nAdam Smith - Theory of Moral Sentiments\nKaynes - The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money\nMarx - Capital\nBenjamin Graham - The Intelligent Investor\nGalbraith - The Affluent Society\nGalbraith - The Great Crash\nMilton Friedman - Capitalism and Freedom\nNassim Taleb - Black Swan\nRon Suskind - Confidence Men\nScott Patterson - Dark Pools\nIf you want to delve into heterodox economics afterward, start with the following:\nHayek - Individualism and Economic Order\nMises - Human Action\nRothbard - Man, Economy, State",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Scott Patterson - Dark Pools",
          "reason": "Included in a list described as an introduction to Western economic philosophy.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring economic thought in modern history.",
          "caveat": "The list is weighted toward neoclassical economics and excludes computational model based economics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109858,
          "author": "rahimnathwani",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T17:53:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109858",
          "commentText": "If you like this book, check out 'Dark Pools'.  It's even better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you like this book, check out 'Dark Pools'. It's even better.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as an even better read than the book being discussed.",
          "audience": "Readers who like Flash Boys.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Patterson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial markets",
        "high frequency trading",
        "algorithmic trading"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "data-driven-science-and-engineering-machine-learning-dynamical-sy-f9fe12",
      "title": "Data-Driven Science and Engineering: Machine Learning, Dynamical Systems, and Control",
      "author": "Steven L. Brunton and J. Nathan Kutz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33803362,
          "author": "Joel_Mckay",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T16:44:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33803362",
          "commentText": "\"The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics\" (Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, Alastair Smith)\n\"Outliers: The Story of Success\" (Malcolm Gladwell)\n\"Data-Driven Science and Engineering: Machine Learning, Dynamical Systems, and Control\" (Steven L. Brunton, J. Nathan Kutz)\n\"Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories\" (Dr. Seuss)\n\"The Lorax\" (Dr. Seuss)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Data-Driven Science and Engineering: Machine Learning, Dynamical Systems, and Control\" (Steven L. Brunton, J. Nathan Kutz)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31710912,
          "author": "djmips",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-12T03:03:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31710912",
          "commentText": "For my favourite math YouTuber besides 3B1B as is mentioned all over the comments, I really really like Steve Brunton at UW. I can't believe how much I've learned from his presentations on YouTube which led me to his book 'Data-Driven Science And Engineering' with J. Nathan Kurtz. Excellent book and excellent YouTube videos.\nhttp://www.databookuw.com/\nhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm5mt-A4w61lknZ9lCsZtBw",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "his book 'Data-Driven Science And Engineering' with J. Nathan Kurtz",
          "reason": "The commenter says they learned from Brunton’s presentations, which led them to this book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven L. Brunton",
        "J. Nathan Kutz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dynamical systems",
        "machine learning",
        "control theory",
        "data driven modeling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "database-design-for-mere-mortals-2b11ea",
      "title": "Database Design for Mere Mortals",
      "author": "Michael J. Hernandez",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49781129,
          "author": "apothegm",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-20T23:17:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 49724691,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most career altering course or book you have gone through?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49781129",
          "commentText": "Database Design for Mere Mortals. The first afternoon I spent reading and puzzling through that book was worth an entire semester of computer science classes on the topic — and caused me to fall in love with relational databases.\nWith special mentions to K&R as well as The Manager’s Path.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Database Design for Mere Mortals. The first afternoon I spent reading and puzzling through that book was worth an entire semester of computer science classes on the topic — and caused me to fall in love with relational databases.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book taught them database design exceptionally well and sparked an interest in relational databases.",
          "audience": "Readers learning database design.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8003457,
          "author": "wiseleo",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-08T07:58:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8003457",
          "commentText": "There are just so many...\nHeadfirst series (JavaScript, HTML, jQuery... all of them)\nDiscover Meteor\nRefactoring: improving the design of existing code\nDatabase design for mere mortals\nMIT books (SICP, Algorithms)\nOh, and of course... Human Interface Guidelines by Apple. One of the best UX books on app design.\nAll books are ebooks for me, so this list is impossibly long.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Database design for mere mortals",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter’s list of technical ebooks.",
          "audience": "Readers learning database design.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael J. Hernandez"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "database design",
        "relational databases"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "death-s-end-2592dc",
      "title": "Death's End",
      "author": "Liu Cixin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42566753,
          "author": "edferda",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-01T15:54:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42566753",
          "commentText": "Death's End, the third book in the Remembrance of Earth’s Past series.\nThe book has so many great concepts and touches upon many of the fundamental questions of life itself. I fully recommend it if you’re into space sci fi.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Death's End, the third book in the Remembrance of Earth’s Past series.",
          "reason": "Calls it a strong book elsewhere in this comment's conversational context?",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804894,
          "author": "knzhou",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:29:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804894",
          "commentText": "I try to only read books that are at least a few years old, so these aren’t timely recommendations.\nOn the list for next year:\nThe Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language\nEssays of Montaign\nWhy Zebras Don't Get Ulcers\nHigher Speculations: Grand Theories and Failed Revolutions in Physics and Cosmology\nThe Enigma of Reason\nSurfing Uncertainty: Prediction, Action, and the Embodied Mind\nImpro\nDeng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China\nInvisible Cities\nCollapse of Complex Societies\n--\nFavorites from this year:\nDeath's End\nOne Man's Meat\nLife Ascending: The Ten Great Inventions of Evolution\nA Primate's Memoir: A Neuroscientist's Unconventional Life Among the Baboons\nDo No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery\nCosmicomics\nWhy Quark Rhymes with Pork\nThe Unfolding of Language\nA Sand County Almanac",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Death's End",
          "reason": "Listed among favorites from this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17539642,
          "author": "sumitgs",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T08:33:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17539642",
          "commentText": "Remembrance of earth's past trilogy. There are three books in the series: 1) The Three Body Problem, 2) The Dark Forest, and 3) Death's end.  It talks about the ongoing tension between humanity and the alien race. It explores many facets of human nature and humanity. Must read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1) The Three Body Problem, 2) The Dark Forest, and 3) Death's end.",
          "reason": "Names the third book in the recommended trilogy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961419,
          "author": "legohead",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:38:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961419",
          "commentText": "* Currently reading: Edgedancer\n* Flowers for Algernon\n* Going Rogue: Spells, Swords, & Stealth\n* Split the Party: Spells, Swords, & Stealth\n* NPCs\n* Children of Time\n* Death's End\n* The Shining\n* IT\n* All 7+1 books of The Dark Tower",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Death's End",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed among books read, with no evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10533578,
          "author": "OopsCriticality",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T15:38:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10533578",
          "commentText": "I'm cheating a little on the date, but The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin stands out.  It was translated into english late last year, and received the Hugo this year for best story.  It's wonderful sci-fi written on a grand scale, and made all the more interesting and refreshing to me by coming from outside the Western perspective.  It's one of a trilogy: The Dark Forest english translation is out, and Death's End is coming beginning of next year.\nAlso enjoyed Seveneves by Stephenson, and H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald.  The former is likely known to the HN crowd; the latter draws comparisons to T.H. White's classic The Goshawk.\nAmong non-fiction books, I enjoyed The Little Prover by Friedman and Eastlund.  It was exactly what I expected, a gentle introduction into inductive proofs in the idiom established by The Little Schemer.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Death's End is coming beginning of next year.",
          "reason": "Names the upcoming final book in the trilogy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its English translation was expected the following year.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Liu Cixin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "alien civilizations",
        "chinese science fiction",
        "cosmic sociology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "declare-782433",
      "title": "Declare",
      "author": "Tim Powers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3395562,
          "author": "obtu",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T12:24:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395562",
          "commentText": "Declare, by Tim Powers. Very well-written and convincing, considering the subject matter (a spy thriller with elements of horror).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Declare, by Tim Powers. Very well-written and convincing",
          "reason": "Calls it very well-written and convincing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes its subject matter is a spy thriller with horror elements.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027146,
          "author": "rsaarelm",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T12:44:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027146",
          "commentText": "Fiction, mostly.\nDeclare, by Tim Powers. Cold war espionage with black magic. Entertainingly bleak, and probably did a lot more weirdness with real history than I knew how to appreciate.\nProducing Open Source Software (http://producingoss.com/), by Karl Fogel. A very thorough look into all sorts of practical matters in running a large open source software project.\nThe Engines of Light trilogy by Ken MacLeod. Entertaining, though a bit erratic. Makes a bunch of Forteana fit in a hard SF framework. Also the second MacLeod book I've read that has a weird pixie dust immortality treatment that seems incongruous with the rest of the technology level.\nMatter by Iain M. Banks. Culture again after Algebraist. Still good.\nThe Dark Side of the Sun by Terry Pratchett. Finally got around to reading this one. Was surprisingly fresh. It would have been interesting to see Pratchett write more science fiction after this and Strata around 30 years ago.\nThe City and the Stars by Arthur C. Clarke. Another old SF book. This one wasn't very fresh, seemed like two or three different novels stapled together, with bits and pieces that might work pretty well if it weren't for the other bits and pieces.\nCrooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis. Not a lot of surprises, if you know what Warren Ellis tends to write. Basically a road trip novel through various degeneracies in America. Fun, but tends to go for gross-out warrenellisisms in favor of overall coherence.\nNeuropath by Scott Bakker. A technothriller about all sorts of fun things you can do by directly rewiring peoples' brains with near-future neurosurgery. Bakker's chilly philosophical outlook doesn't pack quite the same punch in an already mostly rationalistic setting as it did in the Prince of Nothing fantasy books. Sticks with a single not particularly unsympathetic viewpoint character and therefore avoids the problem in Prince of Nothing where you'd often end up in the head of someone you really don't want to be anywhere near.\nThe Tao is Silent by Raymond Smullyan. Smullyan writes various essays inspired by Taoism. Quality varies, but Smullyan is generally fun to read.\nOn SF by Thomas Disch. Beautifully acerbic essays by someone who takes science fiction literature seriously and doesn't let it off easy. And just plain likes to insult people. Representative, though noticeably dated sample: http://www.press.umich.edu/pdf/9780472068968-1.pdf\nDenner's Wreck by Lawrence Watt-Evans. Watt-Evans has an specific style of writing from what follows from the setting and premises rather than going for the most dramatically obvious plot. The results are hit-and-miss with his fantasy novels I've read, but work a lot better here, where the legends of a bronze-age civilization end up emerging from a science fiction setting. Watt-Evans' narrative style supports the plot where the traditional stories end up not really being what they seem to be.\nThe Official Book of Ultima by Shay Addams. It tells how Richard Garriott's obsession with programming in high school lead to the Ultima game series, which were one of the most notable computer games in the 80s and became the flagship product of Garriott's Origin Systems company. Also documents how the games grew from Ultima I being programmed by Garriot alone learning as he went along into Ultima VI developed by a large team. There is much detail about Ultima VI, which was being developed as the book was written. Much of it also conflicts with the game that ended up being released, and I ended up wondering whether this was about the game changing during production or just Addams getting his facts wrong.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Declare, by Tim Powers. Cold war espionage with black magic. Entertainingly bleak",
          "reason": "Describes it as entertainingly bleak in a list responding to a book recommendation request.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Cold War espionage and supernatural fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tim Powers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cold war",
        "espionage",
        "horror",
        "occult"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "defying-hitler-7748e2",
      "title": "Defying Hitler",
      "author": "Sebastian Haffner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29671960,
          "author": "leobg",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T09:25:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29671960",
          "commentText": "I had to come back to this thread to say thank you for this recommendation. I just started reading “Defying Hitler”. What an amazing book! It is so well written that I could read it to my five-year-old. Really a deep dive into history from a first person perspective.\nI am also reading JFK by Logeval, which describes the same events as seen (or unseen) from the outside of Germany. Being able to watch events unfold from those two perspectives is just fascinating.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I just started reading “Defying Hitler”. What an amazing book!",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an amazing, well-written first-person history.",
          "audience": "The commenter says it could be read to a five-year-old.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238402,
          "author": "chillingeffect",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:43:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238402",
          "commentText": "While we're on the category of \"just before the shit hit the fan,\" there's \"Defying Hitler.\" [1]  It's the story of the early years in Germany as Hitler was first coming to power, when the war was first beginning.  Very insightful.\n[1]http://dannyreviews.com/h/Defying_Hitler.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "there's \"Defying Hitler.\" [1] It's the story of the early years in Germany as Hitler was first coming to power, when the war was first beginning. Very insightful.",
          "reason": "Recommended as insightful for learning about Hitler’s rise to power and early wartime Germany.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sebastian Haffner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nazi germany",
        "autobiography",
        "rise of hitler"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "delusions-of-gender-65300a",
      "title": "Delusions of Gender",
      "author": "Cordelia Fine",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910625,
          "author": "EngineerBetter",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T17:01:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910625",
          "commentText": "Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb has implications that I find impact very disparate areas. It's hard work in places though.\nThe Quark and the Jaguar by Murray Gell-Mann is a wonderfully readable and accessible intro to complexity, which again is a topic that seems to crop up all over the place.\nDelusions of Gender by Cordelia Fine cites a shedload of research to dispel gender-related myths. It should be taught in schools, in my opinion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It should be taught in schools, in my opinion.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it uses extensive research to dispel gender related myths and should be taught in schools.",
          "audience": "School students and readers interested in gender related claims.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156326,
          "author": "RodericDay",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:08:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156326",
          "commentText": "Ludwig Wittgenstein: Duty of Genius was a great ride, as well as a fantastic introduction to powerful ideas about communication and non-scientific disciplines' wish to imitate science.\nThe Autobiography of Malcolm X makes a brilliant case for angry speech, making the mainstream portrayal of figures like Gandhi and MLK Jr. seem like straight-up whitewashed propaganda.\nDelusions of Gender is a fierce analysis of the nature/nurture discussion that rears its head over and over, explaining various mistakes people when interpreting results, both at the research level and at the journalistic level.\nMarx's Inferno reinvents Marx in a super clever way.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "is a fierce analysis of the nature/nurture discussion",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its analysis of errors in interpreting research and journalism on nature and nurture.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cordelia Fine"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognitive science",
        "gender",
        "gender stereotypes",
        "nature versus nurture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "democracy-in-america-db604e",
      "title": "Democracy in America",
      "author": "Alexis de Tocqueville",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30241534,
          "author": "bryanrasmussen",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T07:42:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241534",
          "commentText": "I would not recommend a single book for everyone to read, because people have different tastes and interests - and even if you recommend a single book based on people's interests - if they are really interested in that and the book is important to that interest it's likely they've already read it.\nSo probably a recommendation on any field should be made based on calculations both of how essential it is, but also how it's reading may change assumptions about the field if the person has not read it. It seems somewhat arrogant.\nAnd in the end it's annoying to get recommended a book one considers essential to the field, as it implies one does not know what one knows.\nAll that said - for the field of:\nFantasy - Gormenghast\nAmerica - Democracy in America\nProgramming - Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "America - Democracy in America",
          "reason": "Listed as a suggestion for the field of America.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20914562,
          "author": "bmmayer1",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T01:45:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914562",
          "commentText": "Economics:\n- The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith\n- Das Kapital, Karl Marx\n- That Which Is Seen, and That Which Is Not Seen, Frederic Bastiat\nPhilosophy / Politics:\n- The Republic, Plato\n- Second Treatise on Government, John Locke\n- The Law, Frederic Bastiat\n- Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes\n- Meditations, Marcus Aurelius\n- Democracy in America, Alexis de Toqueville\n- On Liberty, John Stuart Mill\nFiction:\n- The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, Mark Twain\n- The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin\n- Metamorphoses, Franz Kafka\n- Candide, Voltaire\n- The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Democracy in America, Alexis de Toqueville",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alexis de Tocqueville"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american political history",
        "democracy",
        "political philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "democracy-the-god-that-failed-6217e0",
      "title": "Democracy: The God That Failed",
      "author": "Hans-Hermann Hoppe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29675548,
          "author": "dot1x",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T17:33:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29675548",
          "commentText": "democracy: the god that failed",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "democracy: the god that failed",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10324816,
          "author": "throwaway420",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T18:16:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10324816",
          "commentText": "Democracy: The God That Failed by Hans-Hermann Hoppe",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Democracy: The God That Failed by Hans-Hermann Hoppe",
          "reason": "Offered as an answer to a request for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hans-Hermann Hoppe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political theory",
        "anarcho capitalism",
        "libertarianism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "demon-copperhead-07d9e0",
      "title": "Demon Copperhead",
      "author": "Barbara Kingsolver",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46400944,
          "author": "ssenssei",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T11:09:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46400944",
          "commentText": "My favorite book this year has to be The Divine Farce, I haven't been gripped by a story like that in years. A short stay in hell falls in the same category. I'm still reading a book by Barbara Kingsolver: Demon Copperhead. It's really good and I like the story, but I have not finished it yet since I can't seem to find the time for it. Some other short stories like an inhabitant of Carcossa...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'm still reading a book by Barbara Kingsolver: Demon Copperhead. It's really good and I like the story",
          "reason": "Calls it really good and says they like the story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not finished it yet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40430122,
          "author": "manucardoen",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T15:56:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40430122",
          "commentText": "Barbara Kingsolver - Demon Copperhead. It took me a while before it clicked that the book's title was meant to rhyme with David Copperfield. It's really well written coming-of-age story of a life lived under modern-day poverty. It's well written with clever and subtle phrases and a really good pace. The book stays with you a while after you've finished it (which in my case was fast as I couldn't stop reading). Afterwards I got to reading more about opiods and their nasty origins.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Barbara Kingsolver - Demon Copperhead.",
          "reason": "Praises the writing, pacing, and lasting impact of this coming-of-age story set amid modern poverty.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Took a while to click; title rhymes with David Copperfield.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Barbara Kingsolver"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coming of age",
        "opioid crisis",
        "rural poverty",
        "social issues"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dependency-injection-in-net-dd4a63",
      "title": "Dependency Injection in .NET",
      "author": "Mark Seemann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14844320,
          "author": "nlawalker",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T01:25:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14844320",
          "commentText": "Dependency Injection in .NET by Mark Seemann was the trigger that started my transition from someone basically writing \"script spaghetti\" in an OO language to someone that could actually decompose a conceptual set of processes into decoupled parts and assemble a software system from them.\nIt came along at just the right moment in my career, when I was struggling to understand how I could build things in a more elegant way. I picked up the book thinking I was going to learn about some esoteric design pattern, and came away with a much better understanding of the languages I was using and all of the other design patterns I thought I had learned about previously. It's clear, concise, and focuses on concepts over specific tools and libraries, but most importantly it's practical - it has real, practical code examples and explains how to actually build an object-oriented system. It's such a stark contrast with most presentations I've seen of the Gang of Four patterns and of SOLID, which usually come with really weak examples that aren't helpful or motivational.\nEverything snowballed from there. I started using composition a lot more than inheritance, I started identifying problems with side effects and eliminating them, I started writing real unit tests, I was able to better critique other peoples' code. I felt like I was finally using the tools available to me in the way they were supposed to be used.\nWhat's funny and satisfying to me is following the author's blog and seeing that he has since moved on to focus primarily on F# and functional programming, which I naturally started to do myself after more practice with the concepts in his book. Once you start decoupling things well, and you've built a few systems big enough that you have trouble finding the actual implementation of your IWhatever and an AbstractSingletonProxyFactoryBean actually does solve your problem pretty well even as you realize the insanity of it, the encapsulating borders of classes and the need to assign everything to a noun start to feel more like a hindrance rather than a guide.\nThat said, I still think that most of the world's code written in object-oriented languages would be better off if everyone using them had brief, practical training to understand the value of specifying the behavior of an object through the interfaces it depends on, giving it other objects that implement those interfaces right when you create it, and doing all that creation up front (or specifying other objects that can defer that creation to later). I still see so much C# code from developers at all levels who clearly create classes only because the language offers it and it seems like the right thing to do, randomly jamming methods and fields into classes with names vaguely related to the domain, calling static methods to access databases and external services, and proudly adding unit tests for their one loose little function that mushes strings together. I push this book as hard as I can on junior devs.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dependency Injection in .NET by Mark Seemann was the trigger that started my transition",
          "reason": "Credits it with improving their ability to decompose processes and build decoupled systems; calls it clear, concise, and practical.",
          "audience": "Junior developers and developers learning object-oriented design and dependency injection.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7999470,
          "author": "anilmujagic",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T15:58:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7999470",
          "commentText": "Dependency Injection in .NET by Mark Seemann: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1935182501",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dependency Injection in .NET by Mark Seemann",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Seemann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dependency injection",
        "net",
        "object oriented design",
        "software design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "deploy-empathy-1afa1f",
      "title": "Deploy Empathy",
      "author": "Michele Hansen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43732510,
          "author": "terrellbm",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-18T22:43:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 43723077,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on talking to users?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43732510",
          "commentText": "Great, super helpful hearing your takeaways from each book\nThank you",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Great, super helpful hearing your takeaways from each book",
          "reason": "Thanks the commenter for sharing takeaways about the books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43729985,
          "author": "rozenmd",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-18T17:14:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 43723077,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on talking to users?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43729985",
          "commentText": "I think The Mom Test stands out as a favorite just because it really made me realize I had no idea what I was doing.\nMaking Users Awesome guided me towards the mindset shift needed to build product better, and Deploy Empathy gave me the exact questions to ask in customer interviews when I was stuck.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Deploy Empathy gave me the exact questions to ask in customer interviews when I was stuck.",
          "reason": "Says it provided useful questions for customer interviews.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43725748,
          "author": "rozenmd",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-18T07:09:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 43723077,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on talking to users?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43725748",
          "commentText": "- The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick\n- Deploy Empathy by Michele Hansen\n- Badass: Making Users Awesome by Kathy Sierra",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Deploy Empathy by Michele Hansen",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "People looking to improve user interviewing and communication.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35171605,
          "author": "grepLeigh",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:18:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35171605",
          "commentText": "Most posts offer the obvious suggestions (The Mom Test, High Growth Handbook, The Personal MBA, The Power Law, Hard Thing about Hard Thing, Will It Fly, etc), so I'll focus on some non-obvious suggestions.\nFor tactical advice, I find talks/podcasts and mastermind groups more useful than books.  My favorite podcast (by far) is Rob Walling's Startups for the Rest of Us, which is oriented towards building a capital-efficient bootstrapped business. The archive is full of extremely valuable tactical advice.\nThe books I've found most helpful on my entrepreneurship journey are about mental health, emotional intelligence, and relationships of all kinds. Sharing a few that have had a profound impact, since they helped me metabolize and understand what drove me to become a founder in the first place.\n1. The Self-Compassion Skills Workbook by Tim Desmond\n2. Path of Compassion by Thich Nhat Hanh\n3. The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read, Philippa Perry\n4. Burnout, Emily Nagoski\n5. Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents, Lindsay C. Gibson\n6. Self-Compassion, Dr. Kristin Neff\n7. How to Keep House While Drowning, KC Davis\n8. Deploy Empathy, Michele Hansen\n9. The Body Keeps the Score, Bessel A. Van der Kolk\n10. Atlas of the Heart, Brene Brown\n11. What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Deploy Empathy, Michele Hansen",
          "reason": "Listed among books that helped the commenter on their entrepreneurship journey.",
          "audience": "Founders interested in mental health, emotional intelligence, and relationships.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michele Hansen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "customer interviews",
        "user research",
        "empathy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "design-is-a-job-31977b",
      "title": "Design Is a Job",
      "author": "Mike Monteiro",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35171014,
          "author": "manv1",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T16:43:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35171014",
          "commentText": "Oh, one smaller but useful book:\nDesign is a job, by Mike Monteiro\nEven though it's targeted towards designers, it's actually about businesses that happen to be small design shops. The same principles apply: value your work, don't do work for free, dealing with clients, contacts, etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Design is a job, by Mike Monteiro",
          "reason": "Applies small design shop principles to business, including valuing work and dealing with clients.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs, especially designers or small design shops.",
          "caveat": "Targeted towards designers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5244463,
          "author": "juanrossi",
          "createdAt": "2013-02-19T14:36:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 5244195,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 'Must read' books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5244463",
          "commentText": "A few I read:\nDesign is Job - Mike Monteiro by A Book Apart (Really basic stuff for people starting with agency/freelance work, but really good).\nLearn Ruby The Hard Way for people starting.\nApplied Cryptography, Second Edition: Protocols, Algorithms, and Source Code in C\nBaked In from Alex Bogusky and John Winsor (About C+P agency)\nI'll try to think of a couple more.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Design is Job - Mike Monteiro by A Book Apart (Really basic stuff for people starting with agency/freelance work, but really good).",
          "reason": "Describes it as very good, while noting it is basic.",
          "audience": "People starting with agency or freelance work.",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it really basic.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mike Monteiro"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "agency work",
        "client relationships",
        "freelancing",
        "small business"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "destined-for-war-0670dc",
      "title": "Destined for War",
      "author": "Graham Allison",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30735764,
          "author": "jwood27",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:37:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735764",
          "commentText": "The following have all had a significant effect on my worldview. You can find more information at [1].\n- The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow\n- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\n- Crime and Punishment\n- The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York\n- Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies\n- The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity\n- Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead\n- Franny and Zooey\n- Master of the Senate\n- Atlas Shrugged\n- Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed\n- Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap?\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\n- The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics\n- The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don't\n- Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans\n- Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\n- Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World\n- Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones\n- Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow\n- Ethics in the Real World: 86 Brief Essays on Things that Matter\n- A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life\n- Humankind: A Hopeful History\n- The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think\n[1] https://jacobw.xyz/books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap?",
          "reason": "Listed among books that significantly affected the commenter’s worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20981700,
          "author": "atlasunshrugged",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T07:04:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20981700",
          "commentText": "Graham Allison's Destined for War about Thucydides Trap with an examination of the US and China was quite good",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Graham Allison's Destined for War about Thucydides Trap with an examination of the US and China was quite good",
          "reason": "Says the book was quite good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Graham Allison"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "us china relations",
        "geopolitics",
        "thucydides trap"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "devil-take-the-hindmost-a-history-of-financial-speculation-1a3a9d",
      "title": "Devil Take the Hindmost: A History of Financial Speculation",
      "author": "Edward Chancellor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17520386,
          "author": "saryant",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T03:44:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17520386",
          "commentText": "1) Devil Take the Hindmost: A History of Financial Speculation by Edward Chancellor\nEverything from the tulip craze to the dotcom boom.\n2) If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look On My Face? by Alan Alda\nAlan Alda of MASH fame teaches you how to build more empathy and improve your communication skills.\n3) Bad Blood by James Carreyou\nTheranos.  Enough said.\n4) Directorate S: The C.I.A. and America's Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan by Steve Coll\nI think of this as the last book in Coll's unofficial trilogy on Afghanistan.  First up was Ghost Wars, a history of American involvement in Afghanistan from the Soviet invasion up to 2001.  Second is his biography on the Bin Laden family.  Last year he released Directorate S, a chronicle of American and Pakistani involvement post-9/11 primarily told through the lens of the Pakistani intelligence directorate tasked with influencing Afghanistan.\nColl has interviews with everyone from in-country CIA agents and foot soldiers who were on the ground all the way up to defense secretaries and military leaders, from both sides.  An in-depth examination of what went wrong and why we're still stuck there.\n5) Deep South: Four Seasons on Back Roads by Paul Theroux.\nThe greatest travel writer of the last half-century finally turns his attention homeward: the American Deep South.  Four road trips over four seasons.  He published an article in Smithsonian Magazine hitting the highlights: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/soul-south-180951861/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Devil Take the Hindmost: A History of Financial Speculation by Edward Chancellor",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for interesting recent reading suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416833,
          "author": "cs702",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T22:54:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416833",
          "commentText": "I agree with others on the \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius.\nOff the top of my head, I would add:\n* \"The Way to Wealth,\" by Benjamin Franklin: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0918222885 (also available online for free; it's in the public domain) -- no-nonsense practical advice from a super-successful individual\n* Warren Buffett's Letters to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders: http://www.berkshirehathaway.com/letters/letters.html (also available organized by topic, in a bound book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1611637589 which some will find much easier to read)\n* \"The Intelligent Investor,\" by Benjamin Graham (specifically the chapters titled \"The Investor and Market Fluctuations\" and \"Margin of Safety\"): https://www.amazon.com/dp/0060555661\n* \"Influence: the Psychology of Persuasion,\" by Robert Cialdini: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0688128165\nAlso:\n* \"Devil Take the Hindmost,\" by Edward Chancellor: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0452281806\n* \"A Short History of Financial Euphoria,\" by John Kenneth Galbraith: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0140238565\n* \"Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds,\" by Charles Mackay: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1586635581",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Devil Take the Hindmost,\" by Edward Chancellor",
          "reason": "Includes it in the recommended reading list.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in financial speculation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward Chancellor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial speculation",
        "economic history",
        "market bubbles"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "differentiate-or-die-93809a",
      "title": "Differentiate or Die",
      "author": "Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Differentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 193554,
          "author": "donw",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-18T19:50:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 193308,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What books on marketing do you recomend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=193554",
          "commentText": "Some observations:\nIsn't the first title just the first volume of the Calculus textbook used in 'Saw'?\nDoes the second title have errata?\nDoes the third book describe the current political climate in the States?\nIs the fourth book written by the Mafia?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Isn't the first title just the first volume of the Calculus textbook used in 'Saw'?",
          "reason": "Refers to the title as part of a joke, without evaluating the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 137933,
          "author": "edw519",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-16T03:42:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=137933",
          "commentText": "Art of the Start - Guy Kawasaki\nHow to Get Rich - Felix Dennis\nDifferentiate or Die - Jack Trout\nand of course...\nFounders at Work - Jessica Livingston\nHackers and Painters - Paul Graham",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Differentiate or Die - Jack Trout",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jack Trout",
        "Steve Rivkin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "brand differentiation",
        "brand positioning",
        "differentiation",
        "marketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "differently-morphous-8cbf33",
      "title": "Differently Morphous",
      "author": "Yahtzee Croshaw",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38557160,
          "author": "moss2",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:06:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557160",
          "commentText": "Differently Morphous by Yahtzee Croshaw. It's cute detective novel set in a fantasy version of modern-day London. It includes a ministry of magic (legally distinct from Harry Potter), Lovecraftian cosmic horror, a hive mind of slime monsters seeking asylum in England, and an outstanding cast of wacky characters. A very light and cosy read, highly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A very light and cosy read, highly recommended.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a light, cozy detective novel with fantasy, cosmic horror, and comic characters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33382237,
          "author": "alecco",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T08:50:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382237",
          "commentText": "Re-read Blindsight and Echopraxia by Watts, dark dystopia about the singularity.\nDifferently Morphous and Existentially Challenged by Yahtzee Croshow, a lot of magic comedy.\nThe Price of Time by Chancellor, about how the current financial everything bubble came to exist and how it's always the same story.\nThe World for Sale by Blas, about the history of commodities traders in the past century.\nChaos by O'Neill, 20 year investigation about Manson murders finds ties to government agencies.\nI read about 10 other books but they were all terrible. It's becoming more and more a needle in a haystack.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48484.Blindsight\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18490708-echopraxia\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59056157-the-price-of-ti... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59056157-the-price-of-time)\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52199304-the-world-for-s... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52199304-the-world-for-sale)\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43015073-chaos",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Differently Morphous and Existentially Challenged by Yahtzee Croshow, a lot of magic comedy.",
          "reason": "Described as magic comedy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20332888,
          "author": "KaiserPro",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T07:16:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20332888",
          "commentText": "I personally hate self improvement books/management, so here are some narrative books that I loved and got lost in\n1) The tiger's wife - To me it has a brilliant full universe. Its comprised of a overarching narrative broken up with lots of short stories.\n2) night watch/ making money / going postal - terry pratchett Fun stories with full characters.\n3) THe pigeon tunnels - john le carre, Again composed of short stories, not overly spy-y just fascinating character studies, with a bit of history.\n4) differently morphous - Yahtzee croshaw this one is a scifi comedy, 100% worth getting in audiobook form\n5) rivers of london - ben aaronovich, policeman who was all set for a life of being a desk clerk accidentally becomes a wizard policemen.\n6) harry potter, obviously :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "4) differently morphous - Yahtzee croshaw this one is a scifi comedy, 100% worth getting in audiobook form",
          "reason": "Calls it science fiction comedy and says it is worth getting in audiobook form.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Yahtzee Croshaw"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Fantasy",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fantasy",
        "audio fiction",
        "cosmic horror",
        "magic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "difficult-conversations-how-to-discuss-what-matters-most-2e2fc7",
      "title": "Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most",
      "author": "Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20332844,
          "author": "peteforde",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T07:05:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20332844",
          "commentText": "Perhaps the most important book I've ever read is Difficult Conversations, by Douglas Stone. It's possible that my life is 10-20% easier since I read it, with zero hyperbole.\nIt's not a breezy quick read, but my favourite sci-fi is always likely to be Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Perhaps the most important book I've ever read is Difficult Conversations, by Douglas Stone. It's possible that my life is 10-20% easier since I read it, with zero hyperbole.",
          "reason": "Calls it perhaps their most important read and says it made life easier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it is not a breezy, quick read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19088003,
          "author": "afandian",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T18:19:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19088003",
          "commentText": "On the surface, it's about how to have conversations about difficult topics. Often these are conflict resolution type conversations. These range all the way from \"you never take the bins out\" to marriage breakups to large international political conflicts. These conversations can often go off the rails and conflicts are made worse, not solved. Whatever the scale, these kinds of conversations tend to follow familiar routes.\nIf you dispair at the way that conversations tend to devolve into personal attacks in national politics, office politics or your day-to-day interactions, this book is a very insightful handbook.\nThe book is the result of a big study at Harvard Business School of a large number of case studies. It spots the patterns that humans tend toward. In each case it identifies the pattern, why it happens, what the result can be (usually negative) and how to spot it coming and mitigate it. It also has snippets of conversation as case studies.\nIt's been a while, so I can't remember each item. But one example is that people tend to connect their identity to the point they are trying to argue. You challenge the point but to your conversation partner it feels like a direct personal attack. If you can find a way to acknowledge that connection, gently separate it from the identity, you have a much better chance of resolving the conflict.\nI find a particularly strong parallel in the Gang of Four Design Patterns book. These are the broad problems that people try to solve with software, the structures that tend to emerge as people solve problems.\nAnd, like design patterns, some things are deeply insightful and some things are obvious. E.g. of course 'iterators' are a thing. But development is so much better for having vocabulary to talk about them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you dispair at the way that conversations tend to devolve into personal attacks in national politics, office politics or your day-to-day interactions, this book is a very insightful handbook.",
          "reason": "Calls it an insightful handbook for recognizing and managing difficult conversations.",
          "audience": "People navigating difficult conversations in personal, work, or political settings.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says some of its insights are obvious.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18664276,
          "author": "jrs235",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T14:43:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664276",
          "commentText": "Winter Blues, Fourth Edition: Everything You Need to Know to Beat Seasonal Affective Disorder\nHBR's 10 Must Reads on Managing Yourself\nPrimal Leadership, With a New Preface by the Authors: Unleashing the Power of Emotional Intelligence\nDebugging Teams: Better Productivity through Collaboration\nDifficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most\nKanban: Successful Evolutionary Change for Your Technology Business\nThe Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation\nHBR's Guide to Getting The Right Work Done\nThe Simple Path to Wealth: Your road map to financial independence and a rich, free life",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "communication",
        "conflict resolution"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "digital-fortress-f77807",
      "title": "Digital Fortress",
      "author": "Dan Brown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43118756,
          "author": "epirogov",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-20T19:08:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 43084739,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction/non-fiction book should everyone read on the topic of CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43118756",
          "commentText": "Dan Brown Digital Fortress noivel about cryptoanalysis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dan Brown Digital Fortress noivel about cryptoanalysis",
          "reason": "Described as a novel about cryptanalysis.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229772,
          "author": "max_",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:46:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229772",
          "commentText": "I recommend Dan Drown's first book, Digital Fortress: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Fortress the book is filled with Cryptography, Quantum computing, NSA, Assasins....... Was perfect for me and will be for any other hacker!! :D",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend Dan Drown's first book, Digital Fortress:",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly recommends it and says it was perfect for them and suitable for hackers.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in cryptography, quantum computing, the NSA, or hackers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Brown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cryptography",
        "nsa",
        "techno thriller",
        "technothriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "digital-minimalism-91062e",
      "title": "Digital Minimalism",
      "author": "Cal Newport",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38574950,
          "author": "lavixu123",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T21:46:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38574950",
          "commentText": "2023 has been a good year with regard to reading. This has been year of History, Memoirs and Mythology. Some books I liked and would recommend are:\n1) Nothing To Fear - This book is about the Great Depression in the USA and how president JFK took steps to bring the economy back.\n2) Digital Minimalism - This is one book I would like to revisit every two years. About digital distractions and how to minimize it.\n3) The Odyssey By Emily Wilson- This was a surprising easy read with author's notes on the backdrop. Helps you understand Greek mythology and some unraveling of human emotions. Pretty deep. Highly recommend.\n4) Long Walk to Freedom - Autobiography of Nelson Mandela plus a good history of events in South Africa during his time.\n5) Lies My Teacher Told me - This is about lies that usually are represented in US high school history and the author debunks some myths. This is also a USA history primer, but all the tones associated are negative.\n6) India After Gandhi - Sneak peak into some Indian History and political environment after Independence, events leading to formation of states etc.\n7) Lend Me Your ears: Great Speeches in History - This is a great collection of speeches grouped by events. Highly recommend. Nice way to learn some history through speeches.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Digital Minimalism - This is one book I would like to revisit every two years.",
          "reason": "Recommended for its treatment of digital distractions and minimizing them; the commenter plans to revisit it regularly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33383627,
          "author": "A4ET8a8uTh0",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T12:54:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33383627",
          "commentText": "Hmm. This year wasn't that great for me book-wise, but there were some decent contenders:\n- Ellul's - Technological Society - picked up on HN recommendation and I will admit it is interesting and worthwhile.\n- Cal Newport - Digital Minimalism - Hard to implement and certainly not a quick fix, but the author is onto something here.\nFiction:\nI am re-reading Witcher the series. It is still one of the few books, where it is worth to learn the author's language to read the original ( even though translation is also very good ). I forgot how good it is.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Cal Newport - Digital Minimalism",
          "reason": "The commenter says the author is onto something.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as hard to implement and not a quick fix.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cal Newport"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "attention",
        "digital distraction",
        "digital wellbeing",
        "minimalism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dirk-gently-52e839",
      "title": "Dirk Gently",
      "author": "Douglas Adams",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50116114,
          "author": "genezeta",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T09:24:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50116114",
          "commentText": "Elizabeth Hand's Winterlong, probably 3-4 times.\nMost of Raymond Chandler and Dashiel Hammet I've read multiple times. I've read Brautigan's Dreaming of Babylon a bunch of times too.\nAll of William Gibson. Miyazaki's Nausicaä of The Valley of Wind, in various languages. Stephen Cosgrove's Muffin Muncher, I couldn't say how many times I must have read that (It appears they've now changed the title to Muffin Dragon).\nI've read The Soul of a New Machine a couple of times too. The Hitchhiker's and Dirk Gently's trilogies a few times.\nStefano Benni's Baol probably half a dozen times. And Acts of The Apostles by John FX Sundman a bunch too. Oh, and a few of Martin Gardner's books. And Smullyan's To Mock a Mockingbird.\nAnd most probably also many others. Most of my books are now in boxes or have been gifted away, though.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dirk Gently's trilogies a few times.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have read the trilogy a few times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467776,
          "author": "lukifer",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T16:00:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467776",
          "commentText": "I rather like the Max Landis Dirk Gently series, albeit as its own thing: a drastic reimagining only loosely inspired by the source material, similar to The Shining.\nThe 2 1/2 Dirk Gently books are Adams' finest in my opinion. HHGTTG is fun, but it doesn't hold together as a cohesive narrative in the same way. It's such a shame that we'll never know how the third book would have resolved.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 2 1/2 Dirk Gently books are Adams' finest in my opinion.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the books Adams' finest, while noting the Max Landis adaptation is a loose reimagining.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter discusses Max Landis's series as its own thing, loosely inspired by Adams's source material.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Adams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic detective fiction",
        "comic science fiction",
        "detective",
        "time travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "disciplined-entrepreneurship-936dd7",
      "title": "Disciplined Entrepreneurship",
      "author": "Bill Aulet",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35171587,
          "author": "akshayshah",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:18:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35171587",
          "commentText": "Disciplined Entrepreneurship, by Bill Aulet. A very condensed video version is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtWexnfPhKk.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Disciplined Entrepreneurship, by Bill Aulet.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8125672,
          "author": "lancewiggs",
          "createdAt": "2014-08-02T19:10:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 8125375,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I save for offline reading during 5 weeks without Internet?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8125672",
          "commentText": "Great question, and one that I asked just before going to Mozambique for 10 weeks a few years back. I'd just bought a kindle, which were not available outside the USA back then, and asked a few interesting folks I was chatting to at Foo. Here are my resulting first few kindle purchases:\nThe Match King\nHeros Die (I bought the rest of them)\nThe city and the city\nEvery patient tells a story\nBlindsight\nBorn to Run\nHot, Flat & Crowded\nThe Autobiography of Ben Franklin\nThe Hunger Games (!)\nAnd on it went - asking for recommendations was a fantastic thing to do.  I'd asked for fiction as I was going there to work and would be too exhausted at first to do much else.\nSo I do encourage everyone to give some names of books. And yes - do take a good camera, do take binoculars - Leica if you can afford them, and embrace the experience.\nA few years later I went to Antarctica on a boat for 30 days offline. By then I had hundreds of books on kindle, and several devices to read them. This is basically a solved problem now. I did take Wikipedia in offline state, which was useful.\nIn decades previous when traveling I cared about weight and price per word and focused on \"good\" books - books that you know you should read but which need a bit of effort. When you are off the grid and in countries where there are few English books then it was a great way to read great books. \nBut now the Internet is everywhere. It might be flaky, and it might be painful to access, but you'll be able to find access to buy and download books relatively easily.\nThree recommendations, aside from the above which I enjoyed a lot.\nBill Aulet: Disciplined Entrepreneurship, covers the topic very well and generously references everything else.\nThe Circle by Dave Eggers paints a picture that's creepily familiar already.\nLeague of Denial will have you shake your head gently and sadly at NFL and other contact sports.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "covers the topic very well and generously references everything else",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a thorough introduction that points readers to further sources.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Aulet"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "entrepreneurship framework",
        "startup process",
        "startups"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "disturbing-the-universe-a38c8c",
      "title": "Disturbing the Universe",
      "author": "Freeman Dyson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12417361,
          "author": "mathsciencekid",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-03T02:04:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12417361",
          "commentText": "I grew up in a single-parent household back in the 70's before computers and\nstartups were the thing they are now and although my mom was an uneducated immigrant,\nI was fortunate to grow up in the bay area and get an education at a good public school\nwhere my teachers introduced me to\n  Harold Jacobs's \"Geometry\"\n  Nietziche's \"Thus Spoke Zarathustra\"\n  Freeman Dyson's \"Disturbing The Universe\"\n  Nigel Calder's \"The Key to the Universe\"\n  Jacob Bronowski's \"The Ascent of Man\"\n  Douglas Hofstadter's \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\"\n\nI especially loved spending time in the library, reading OMNI magazine, Scientific American \nmagazine (especially Martin Gardner's column) and the stories of Issac Asimov and Larry Niven.\nThose authors made me want to go to college and learn from people like them - people capable\nof thinking big ideas about science and civilization - and while none of those books ever \nhelped me raise money or start a business, they did help me help me overcome my personal \nfeelings of inadequacy from having come from a poor family and eventually become accepted \ninto a technical community which appreciated an ability to think and ask questions.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Freeman Dyson's \"Disturbing The Universe\"",
          "reason": "Names it among books that helped inspire the commenter to pursue education and big ideas.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in science and civilization.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8106997,
          "author": "itazula",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:34:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106997",
          "commentText": "Disturbing the Universe, by Freeman Dyson.  http://www.amazon.com/Disturbing-Universe-Foundation-Science... (http://www.amazon.com/Disturbing-Universe-Foundation-Science-Series/dp/0465016774)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Disturbing the Universe, by Freeman Dyson.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Freeman Dyson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "physics",
        "scientific life",
        "scientific memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dive-into-html5-1886f0",
      "title": "Dive into HTML5",
      "author": "Mark Pilgrim",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8597246,
          "author": "bzalasky",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-12T18:31:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 8595745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommended books for beginner web developer",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8597246",
          "commentText": "Here's a great collection of resources (compiled by Zed Shaw) for learning about programming, software and web development:\n- http://programming-motherfucker.com/become.html\nYou'll find resources on Zed's site that will help you learn the web development toolchain as well. You'll want a good editor, an understanding of git and version control, as well as the command line (apologies if you're acquainted with these already but looking to get into web development).\nAnother thing to remember is that once you grasp the basics, you can learn a lot from reading other people's code (especially libraries) and the associated documentation.\nSome other resources that helped me out immensely when I was getting started (or that I wish I'd read):\nA great overview of JavaScript.\n- http://eloquentjavascript.net/\nOnce you get the basics of JS down, this book will help you learn how to organize your code better.\n- http://addyosmani.com/resources/essentialjsdesignpatterns/bo... (http://addyosmani.com/resources/essentialjsdesignpatterns/book/)\nAn overview of HTML5.\n- http://fortuito.us/diveintohtml5/\nWhile it's from 2010, most of it is probably still applicable. This was the intro to CSS that helped me grasp the box model and DOM.\n- https://code.tutsplus.com/tutorials/css-noob-to-ninja--net-1... (https://code.tutsplus.com/tutorials/css-noob-to-ninja--net-12186)\nThis is a great book for learning how to organize SASS/CSS files in a large project.\n- https://smacss.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An overview of HTML5.",
          "reason": "Listed as a resource for learning HTML5.",
          "audience": "People learning web development.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2385686,
          "author": "malandrew",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-30T03:29:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 2380810,
          "threadTitle": "Best program and books to learn how to code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2385686",
          "commentText": "You can't go wrong with any of those books.\nGiven your interest in mobile/web apps, my recommendation is to start with Eloquent Javascript then Dive into HTML5 and then DOM Scripting. With those three, you'll have a solid base for what the next 5 years of what technology trends will throw at you.\nEventually you'll need to start working more with stuff on the server side. Once that time comes, you'll know enough to choose the server side language that makes the most sense for you (my bet is that you'll probably end up choosing between Javascript, Python, Ruby or Clojure in that order).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "my recommendation is to start with Eloquent Javascript then Dive into HTML5 and then DOM Scripting",
          "reason": "Recommended as the second book in a learning sequence for mobile and web apps.",
          "audience": "Learners interested in mobile or web apps.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2381053,
          "author": "malandrew",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-29T02:15:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 2380810,
          "threadTitle": "Best program and books to learn how to code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2381053",
          "commentText": "In addition to what others have said, I would add The Little Schemer to the list. It may not seem like the most practical book, but it will make you a better programmer.\nBeyond that, I would reiterate the following suggestions put forth by others:\n-- How to Design Programs (get version 2. Racket, the IDE for this book, is practically plug-and-play, so you won't waste time prepping your development environment)\n-- Think Python by Allen Downey (i haven't read this one, but it comes very highly recommended. the excerpts I've read show that Allen communicates the concepts very clearly)\n-- Eloquent Javascript (very good introduction, all examples can be done directly in the browser with the specially-made console. This eliminates the time and confusion you will experience trying to set up a development environment with other languages.)\nOn top of those I'd also add:\n-- The C Programming Language by K&R (if you are interested in C)\n-- Dive into HTML5 (if you are interested in web development. HTML is a markup language, but you are going to need it to be able to build web stuff. This book complements Eloquent Javascript nicely)\n-- Land of Lisp\n-- DOM Scripting (Pair this book with Eloquent Javascript. It's the best introduction to the DOM that I've seen and will bridge the gap between HTML and Javascript)\nThe best books on coding are those that place equal emphasis on good prose and good programming practice and that de-emphasize syntax.\nAlso, look for books where the examples are real-world examples. i.e. things that people have actually had to implement at one time or another. Avoid books with completely imaginary examples that use made up names like foo, bar, widget, etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dive into HTML5 (if you are interested in web development.",
          "reason": "Suggested for readers interested in web development; said to complement Eloquent JavaScript.",
          "audience": "People learning web development and HTML5.",
          "caveat": "The commenter conditions the suggestion on interest in web development.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Pilgrim"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "html5",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "do-more-faster-cd2c40",
      "title": "Do More Faster",
      "author": "David Cohen and Brad Feld",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5244293,
          "author": "senthadev",
          "createdAt": "2013-02-19T14:06:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 5244195,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 'Must read' books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5244293",
          "commentText": "\"Do more faster\" by David cohen and Brad feld.\nA must have book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Do more faster\" by David cohen and Brad feld.\nA must have book.",
          "reason": "Calls it a must have book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4479002,
          "author": "maheshguruswamy",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-05T12:29:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 4476107,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN : What are some great books an aspiring entrepreneur should read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4479002",
          "commentText": "Surprised no one mentioned these..\nDo more faster\nUltralight startups",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Do more faster",
          "reason": "Named in response to a question asking for books aspiring entrepreneurs should read.",
          "audience": "Aspiring entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865907,
          "author": "davidwparker",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T18:40:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865907",
          "commentText": "Do More Faster by David Cohen and Brad Feld\nBeginning iPhone 3 Development: Exploring the iPhone SDK by David Mark and Jeff LaMarche",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Do More Faster by David Cohen and Brad Feld",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Cohen and Brad Feld"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "startups"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "do-no-harm-stories-of-life-death-and-brain-surgery-7874ec",
      "title": "Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death, and Brain Surgery",
      "author": "Henry Marsh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804894,
          "author": "knzhou",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:29:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804894",
          "commentText": "I try to only read books that are at least a few years old, so these aren’t timely recommendations.\nOn the list for next year:\nThe Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language\nEssays of Montaign\nWhy Zebras Don't Get Ulcers\nHigher Speculations: Grand Theories and Failed Revolutions in Physics and Cosmology\nThe Enigma of Reason\nSurfing Uncertainty: Prediction, Action, and the Embodied Mind\nImpro\nDeng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China\nInvisible Cities\nCollapse of Complex Societies\n--\nFavorites from this year:\nDeath's End\nOne Man's Meat\nLife Ascending: The Ten Great Inventions of Evolution\nA Primate's Memoir: A Neuroscientist's Unconventional Life Among the Baboons\nDo No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery\nCosmicomics\nWhy Quark Rhymes with Pork\nThe Unfolding of Language\nA Sand County Almanac",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery",
          "reason": "Listed among favorites from this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13236323,
          "author": "chimprich",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T10:37:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13236323",
          "commentText": "* The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee. The prose was a bit purple for me but fascinating book about the progress of cancer treatment including recent advances. Second half of the book is more interesting in my opinion so don't give up if you find the history of cancer a little do dry.\n* Tuf Voyaging by George RR Martin. I thought this was a stupid premise (guy travels the universe in a huge ship with cat companions?) but a friend strongly recommended it and I found it stupidly readable and very entertaining.\n* Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery by Henry Marsh. Deeply interesting and humane book about the work of an eminent brain surgeon.\n* The Better Angels of Our Nature: The Decline of Violence In History And Its Causes by Steven Pinker. Strong persuasive central thesis even if though I didn't agree with all his arguments. Very wide-ranging book with many ideas from philosophy and history.\n* Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic by David Quammen. Informative and scary book about zoonotic diseases. Like a non-fiction cross between the detective, horror and sci-fi genres.\n* The Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela. Read this because I felt I should rather than out of pure interest, but it was a good decision: fascinating biography and startling how intelligent and occasionally ruthless Mandela was.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Deeply interesting and humane book about the work of an eminent brain surgeon.",
          "reason": "A deeply interesting and humane account of a brain surgeon's work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229751,
          "author": "tetraodonpuffer",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:42:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229751",
          "commentText": "some recommendations on mixed topics from my recent non-fiction reads, I enjoyed all of them for different reasons (the song machine book even got me to listen to music I would never have thought I'd enjoy, but can't argue Max Martin knows how to write a catchy song!)\nWhen breath becomes air\nhttp://smile.amazon.com/When-Breath-Becomes-Paul-Kalanithi/d... (http://smile.amazon.com/When-Breath-Becomes-Paul-Kalanithi/dp/081298840X/)\nDo no harm, Stories of Life, Death, and Brain Surgery\nhttp://smile.amazon.com/Do-No-Harm-Stories-Surgery/dp/125006... (http://smile.amazon.com/Do-No-Harm-Stories-Surgery/dp/125006581X/)\nThe Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory\nhttp://smile.amazon.com/Song-Machine-Inside-Hit-Factory/dp/0... (http://smile.amazon.com/Song-Machine-Inside-Hit-Factory/dp/0393241920/)\nWhy we work\nhttp://smile.amazon.com/Why-We-Work-TED-Books/dp/1476784868/\nEnlightenment 2.0\nhttp://smile.amazon.com/Enlightenment-2-0-Restoring-politics... (http://smile.amazon.com/Enlightenment-2-0-Restoring-politics-economy/dp/0062342894/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "some recommendations on mixed topics from my recent non-fiction reads, I enjoyed all of them",
          "reason": "Included in a list of nonfiction books the commenter recommends and enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Henry Marsh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "neurosurgery",
        "memoir",
        "medical memoir",
        "medical stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dog-man-aab902",
      "title": "Dog Man",
      "author": "Dav Pilkey",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50059327,
          "author": "dyingkneepad",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-12T17:01:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50059327",
          "commentText": "The Dog Man series is probably the one I read the most to my kids, and the one I liked the most. The 10 first books are one whole story, read them in order. The Cat Kid Comic Club is cool as well.\nThe \"Who would win?\" series is also very popular at home.\nThe Owly comics are amazing for kids who are just starting to read. It's also super cute.\nJunie B. Jones stuff is also something I recall reading multiple times.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dog Man series is probably the one I read the most to my kids, and the one I liked the most.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was the series they read most to their children and liked most.",
          "audience": "The commenter’s children.",
          "caveat": "The first 10 books form one story and should be read in order.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26800750,
          "author": "lnwlebjel",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-13T23:16:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26800750",
          "commentText": "Mo Willems is awesome (Pigeon series, Elephant and Piggy). Some of the Dr. Suess books are still great and fun to read (I can read with my eyes shut, One fish two fish). The book with no pictures, the day the crayons quit, dragons love tacos, and the princess and the dragon by Audrey Wood are all books that I've probably read 100 times and still enjoy.\nAs my kids got a bit older the Box Car children series was compelling, and the girls loved the Rainbow Magic books. Capt. Underpants and Dog man are hilarious and just subversive enough that a 7-9 yr old feel like they are getting away with something. Then on to Mysterious Benedict Society, Harry Potter, Rick Riordan, and Keeper of the Lost Cities.\nOur M.O. was to max out our Library card on a regular basis with just about everything possible and then iterate from there on the authors the kids enjoyed. I feel like reading is one of the things we've gotten right so far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dog man are hilarious and just subversive enough",
          "reason": "The commenter describes the books as hilarious and subversive.",
          "audience": "Ages 7–9",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dav Pilkey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "humor",
        "children s graphic novels",
        "graphic novels"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "doing-bayesian-data-analysis-f37ed7",
      "title": "Doing Bayesian Data Analysis",
      "author": "John K. Kruschke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7759002,
          "author": "sytelus",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-17T02:11:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7759002",
          "commentText": "Doing Bayesian Data Analysis\nInteresting topics: MCMC, Gibbs Sampling\nF# for C# Developers\nThis book seems to leave lot out in order to simplify but good starting book nonetheless\nTCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 1: The Protocols, Second Edition\nI wanted to know what really \"connection\" means. This book has answer.\nAn Introduction to R\nI guess everyone dealing with data should know R, right?\nHere's my Amazon list with quite a few very interesting books collected over time: http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/RXLC4WK1ZOJR",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Doing Bayesian Data Analysis\nInteresting topics: MCMC, Gibbs Sampling",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7579337,
          "author": "kenferry",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T21:50:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7579337",
          "commentText": "I don't know an answer to your original question.\nRe: statistics and such though, I have heard very good things about http://www.indiana.edu/~kruschke/DoingBayesianDataAnalysis/\nIf you are interested in a Math 55 approach (yikes! I took 25), you could consider using their syllabus. http://abel.math.harvard.edu/~elkies/M55a.02/index.html",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I have heard very good things about http://www.indiana.edu/~kruschke/DoingBayesianDataAnalysis/",
          "reason": "Reports having heard positive things about it as a statistics resource.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John K. Kruschke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bayesian statistics",
        "mcmc"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "don-t-just-roll-the-dice-a-usefully-short-guide-to-software-prici-3260e2",
      "title": "Don't Just Roll the Dice: A Usefully Short Guide to Software Pricing",
      "author": "Neil Davidson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35219113,
          "author": "tmcdos",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-19T14:14:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35219113",
          "commentText": "I am not an entrepreneur (yet) but I still want to share a few titles with you:\n- \"Maverick or The seven day weekend\" by Ricardo Semler\n- \"Rework\" by Jason Fried and David Hansson\n- \"Startup - an insider's guide to launching and running a business\" by Kevin Ready\n- \"Bookkeeping and Cost Accounting for Factories\" by William Kent (1918)\n- \"Practice what you preach\" by David Maister\n- \"Don't oil the squeaky wheel\" by Wolf Rinke\n- \"Selling The Wheel: Choosing The Best Way To Sell For You Your Company Your Customers\" by Jeff Cox\n- \"The power of stupidity\" by Giancarlo Livraghi\n- \"How to write a good advertisement\" by Victor Schwab\n- \"How to Make Money Out of Thin Air\" by Brian Sher\n- \"Good manners and business etiquette. Illustrated Guide\" by Elena Ber\n- \"Don't just roll the dice: A usefully short guide to software pricing\" by Neil Davidson\n- \"Message to Garcia\" by Elbert Hubbard\n- the TopLeaf course of 36 video lectures on management by dr. Izhak Adizes can be purchased on https://vimeo.com/ondemand/topleaf or found on ru tracker (if you have access)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Don't just roll the dice: A usefully short guide to software pricing\" by Neil Davidson",
          "reason": "Shares the title among several books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are not yet an entrepreneur.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9611646,
          "author": "jrs235",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T14:39:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9611646",
          "commentText": "Steal This Book: https://leanpub.com/stealthisbook (Apparently no longer available from LeanPub... heres's a dropbox link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/qm6vkabvd8jc3le/stealthisbook.pdf?... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/qm6vkabvd8jc3le/stealthisbook.pdf?dl=0) )\nDon't Just Roll the Dice: http://download.red-gate.com/ebooks/DJRTD_eBook.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Don't Just Roll the Dice: http://download.red-gate.com/ebooks/DJRTD_eBook.pdf",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for recommended free reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neil Davidson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software pricing",
        "pricing strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "don-t-make-me-think-revisited-a-common-sense-approach-to-web-usab-e25849",
      "title": "Don't Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability",
      "author": "Steve Krug",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31167257,
          "author": "Parker_Powell",
          "createdAt": "2022-04-26T13:33:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 31166475,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Top inspiring books on crucial CS ideas?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31167257",
          "commentText": "No matter how long you've been a programmer, you're always looking for new ways to hone your craft and learn new techniques. One of the best ways to do that is by reading books on programming—as in, books that are actually about programming. Here's our list of 10 of the best.\n1. Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software\n2. Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship\n3. Refactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code\n4. The Pragmatic Programmer: From Journeyman to Master\n5. Don't Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability\n6. The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering\n7. Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\n8. Introduction to Algorithms (The MIT Press)\n9. Programming Pearls (2nd Edition)\n10. The Art of Computer Programming",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "5. Don't Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's ten recommended programming books.",
          "audience": "Programmers looking to hone their craft and learn techniques.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12718322,
          "author": "pythonbull",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-16T12:34:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12718322",
          "commentText": "Some great books- immerse in it for rapid learning\nDon't Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability (3rd Edition) - http://amzn.to/2e5Erfc\nDesign for Hackers: Reverse Engineering Beauty - http://amzn.to/2euMOUc\nUX Design and Usability Mentor Book : With Best Practice Business Analysis and User Interface Design Tips and Techniques - http://amzn.to/2dXYZJT",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Some great books- immerse in it for rapid learning\nDon't Make Me Think, Revisited: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability (3rd Edition)",
          "reason": "Suggested as a book for rapid learning in UI design.",
          "audience": "People seeking to learn UI design rapidly.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve Krug"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ui design",
        "usability",
        "user experience",
        "web usability"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "doomsday-book-cb3498",
      "title": "Doomsday Book",
      "author": "Connie Willis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056623,
          "author": "moomin",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:42:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056623",
          "commentText": "You realize not a single person has mentioned a female author? Let's fix that:\nThe Long Tomorrow by Leigh Brackett\nThe Doomsday Book by Connie Willis\nAmong Others by Jo Walton\nFeed by Mira Grant\nThe Hunger Games!\nThe Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin\nGrass by Sheri S Tepper\nGate of Ivrael and Downbelow Station by CJ Cherryh\nAnd the fabulous space opera:\nAncillary Justice by Ann Leckie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis",
          "reason": "Listed as a sci-fi book in response to a favorites question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140494,
          "author": "nazgulnarsil",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T03:05:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140494",
          "commentText": "forgot Time Travel\nConnie Willis (To Say Nothing of the Dog, Doomsday Book) both great.\nanything by Ursula K LeGuin as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Connie Willis (To Say Nothing of the Dog, Doomsday Book) both great.",
          "reason": "Calls both listed books great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Connie Willis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "time travel",
        "plague"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "doppelganger-a-trip-into-the-mirror-world-772934",
      "title": "Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World",
      "author": "Naomi Klein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42510933,
          "author": "littlestripes",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T20:22:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42510933",
          "commentText": "Doppelganger by one of the smartest people alive today, Naomi Klein. I don't know how I'd even begin to summarize it, but it cooled a lot of the existential dread I'd been feeling lately about the direction of Western society. might do the same for you if you're in a similar boat.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Doppelganger by one of the smartest people alive today, Naomi Klein.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it eased their existential dread about the direction of Western society.",
          "audience": "Readers feeling similar existential dread about the direction of Western society.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38558868,
          "author": "pauljonas",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T17:06:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38558868",
          "commentText": "1. Doppleganger: A Trip into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein — have read other titles by this author & they were mostly meh, but this is an incredible book, hard to describe, better to experience. Ostensibly is about how the author is often confused with Naomi Wolf who went down conspiracy rabbit holes but it is so much more than that.\n2. The Myth of Christian Beginnings by Robert Wilkin — an older title (1971), short well written book on how Christians mythologize early Christians, & frame it as some static model of heavenly perfection that they're always trying to get back to, or maintain\n3. Everyday Utopia by Kristen Ghodsee — on the surface, a book about utopian community experiments but is so much more, imaginative conjuring on thinking outside the box, how we blindly just accept things the way they are, so dismissive of nonorthodox ideas\n4. Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World by Malcolm Harris — just as the title advertises, have read a lot of history but the 19C on California presented here was so interesting",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "this is an incredible book, hard to describe, better to experience.",
          "reason": "Calls it an incredible book and says it goes beyond the story of being confused with Naomi Wolf.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says other titles by the author were mostly meh.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Naomi Klein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "identity",
        "politics",
        "conspiracy theories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "double-star-3f8187",
      "title": "Double Star",
      "author": "Robert A. Heinlein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12983372,
          "author": "partisan",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-18T00:58:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12983372",
          "commentText": "What were your takeaways from the book?\nAlso, Citizen of the Galaxy and Double Star are really good reads in the same sort of vein of political-minded science fiction.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Citizen of the Galaxy and Double Star are really good reads",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a really good read, in the vein of political-minded science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865228,
          "author": "ww520",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T16:05:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865228",
          "commentText": "If you like Foundation, you might like the Ringworld series by Larry Niven.  Ringworld is a classic.\nRobert Heinlein's books are great.  Some come to mine are The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, Starship Troopers (much better than the movies), Stranger in a Strange Land, Double Stars, and The Puppet Masters.\nUrsula K. Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness is amazing.  The Earthsea series are fun read if you want to get beyond SciFi.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Double Stars",
          "reason": "Listed among Heinlein books described as great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert A. Heinlein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "identity",
        "political intrigue",
        "political science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "down-and-out-in-the-magic-kingdom-36efd5",
      "title": "Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom",
      "author": "Cory Doctorow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8401598,
          "author": "eli_gottlieb",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:45:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401598",
          "commentText": "Recently finished:\nDown and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow -- frankly, I found it kind of boring, and also found the narrator unsympathetic.  I'm not sure if the author intended him to be an Unreliable Narrator or not.\nFacts, Values, and Norms by Peter Railton --  Gains three stars for combining serious consideration of ethical and meta-ethical issues with a completely naturalistic worldview and a genuine grappling with history and ideology. Loses two stars for being far, far too long-winded and using vague, colloquial terminology and appeals to intuition where a methodoological naturalist can and should appeal to the fruits of science. (Copy-pasta'd from my Amazon review)\nRapture of the Nerds by Charles Stross -- pretty funny, even if it made a transhuman superintelligent supercivilization look kind of... dumb.\nCurrently re-reading for fun:\nThe Wee Free Men and I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett -- It's Discworld.  Go read them.  NOW.  And read A Hat Full of Sky in the middle.\nThen there's been a lot of textbooks I've been reading, which I won't list.  Though...\nLogical Labyrinths by Raymond Smullyan -- dense, and fun, a graduate-level intro textbook to first-order logic disguised as a logic textbook.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "frankly, I found it kind of boring, and also found the narrator unsympathetic.",
          "reason": "Found the book boring and its narrator unsympathetic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6388456,
          "author": "Nekorosu",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T08:16:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6388456",
          "commentText": "Everything from Vernor Vinge is top notch. Start with A Fire Upon the Deep. If you like it read the other two books of the trilogy. It's a space opera by degree of events but it never gets cheesy. The amount of ideas put into these books never cease to amaze me.\nRudy Rucker's Postsingular followed by Hylozoic are great books. It's a rather humorous view on postsingular way of life. It's hard to describe his books and Rucker's writing style is not everyone's cup of tea but William Gibson likes it.\nAlso if you haven't read anything from Michael Swanwick you should give his books a try. It's not strictly science fiction because he likes to slide into more psychedelic and surreal areas of fiction. But I consider that his charm. Start with The Iron Dragon's Daughter.\nI also have to mention Cory Doctorow's Down and Out In the Magic Kingdom. I actually don't really like Doctorow's works. Some of them are boring. But this particular book is an exception and absolutely worth reading. A lot of interesting ideas are in play there including reputation based currency, eternal life (through ability to backup/restore body and memories) and extreme transhumanism.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this particular book is an exception and absolutely worth reading.",
          "reason": "Says it is an exception to their mixed opinion of Doctorow and is absolutely worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter generally does not like Doctorow's works and says some are boring.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026415,
          "author": "daeken",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T23:06:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026415",
          "commentText": "The Machinery of Freedom (David Friedman) -- Great book on a potential anarcho-capitalist society and how we could push the US government in that direction.\nThe Game (Neil Strauss) -- See nopassrecover's response; he explained it well.\nLittle Brother (Cory Doctorow) -- A fantastic novel about freedom and technology.\nMakers (Cory Doctorow) -- A great novel about people who create, whether technology or business models.  Perhaps the best book I read this year.\nDown and Out in the Magic Kingdom (Cory Doctorow) -- The story of a man working in Disney World, which is now part of the Bitchun Society (a post-scarcity, post-death society).  A story of love, betrayal, and death; how can you go wrong?  Worth it for the concept of Whuffie (you'll need to read it to really get it) alone.\nDiamond Age (Neal Stephenson) -- The evolution of a society towards post-scarcity, written around the story of a young girl's growth into an adult.  Best post-cyberpunk book written thus far, IMO.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Worth it for the concept of Whuffie (you'll need to read it to really get it) alone.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for its concept of Whuffie and describes its story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cory Doctorow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Computing",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "post scarcity",
        "reputation economy",
        "cyberpunk",
        "transhumanism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "downbelow-station-175c54",
      "title": "Downbelow Station",
      "author": "C. J. Cherryh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056623,
          "author": "moomin",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:42:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056623",
          "commentText": "You realize not a single person has mentioned a female author? Let's fix that:\nThe Long Tomorrow by Leigh Brackett\nThe Doomsday Book by Connie Willis\nAmong Others by Jo Walton\nFeed by Mira Grant\nThe Hunger Games!\nThe Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin\nGrass by Sheri S Tepper\nGate of Ivrael and Downbelow Station by CJ Cherryh\nAnd the fabulous space opera:\nAncillary Justice by Ann Leckie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Downbelow Station by CJ Cherryh",
          "reason": "Listed as a sci-fi book in response to a favorites question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1864890,
          "author": "spacemanaki",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T14:34:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1864890",
          "commentText": "You might like CJ Cherryh's science fiction. Her Merchanter books are really good, and although there is some weird alien stuff, in general the space travel and combat, as well as economic issues in space, are handled quite well. I'd start with Downbelow Station.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd start with Downbelow Station.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a starting point for Cherryh’s science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some weird alien stuff.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "C. J. Cherryh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "first contact"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dr-seuss-books-259098",
      "title": "Dr. Seuss books",
      "author": "Dr. Seuss",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34634533,
          "author": "deckiedan",
          "createdAt": "2023-02-02T23:01:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 34634274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books your kids like most",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34634533",
          "commentText": "We've 2 kids, 8 and 5 - both total book worms (and into Minecraft and biking and dude perfect and all sorts... But they love books).\nFind stuff you'll enjoy reading to them. And read to them a lot. You've got the right idea.\nMO Williams books are great for that age.  The elephant and piggie books are fun, Annette's Baguette is brilliant.  The Brambly Hedge books are lovely. Dr Seuss is mostly quite fun.  Peter's railway (if they like trains or engineering at all), the Thomas the Tank engine books, the topsy and Tim books are ok...\nBut get lots of books from the library, charity / thrift stores.  Get lots of books to try out, and have available for them to read. And if they aren't interested, you can always thrift them again. Hanging out at the local library can be good. No time pressure, just let them browse and look at whatever random things they want.\nFor slightly older kids, we've really enjoyed reading Hillary McKay, Terry Pratchett's kids books / short stories, Vivian French's books are great.  and some of the classics are great too - EE Milne, the Paddington books...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Dr Seuss is mostly quite fun.",
          "reason": "Described as mostly quite fun.",
          "audience": "Children around ages 5 and 8.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are mostly fun.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13805931,
          "author": "nosuchthing",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T20:48:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805931",
          "commentText": "Codemasters - Game Genie NES Codebook\n  Aldous Huxley - Collected Essays\n  Guy Debord - Society of the Spectacle\n  Antonie de Saint-Exupery - The Little Prince\n\nAlso worth mentioning, is everything by Dr Seuss.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "everything by Dr Seuss",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dr. Seuss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "picture books",
        "children s literature",
        "rhyming stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dragons-love-tacos-e8ec44",
      "title": "Dragons Love Tacos",
      "author": "Adam Rubin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50038288,
          "author": "sp332",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-10T23:47:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50038288",
          "commentText": "The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins - Dr Seuss\nIf You Give a Mouse a Cookie - the original is by far the best of these.\nRamona Quimby series - Beverly Cleary\nIggy Peck, Architect (+series) - Andrea Beaty\nBeast Feast - Emma Yarlett\nDragons Love Tacos (+ 2) - Adam Rubin\nThe Princess in Black (+series) - Shannon & Dean Hale\nDon't Let a Unicorn Scribble (+series) - Diane Abler\nThe Camping Trip - Jennifer Maan\nMaddie & Mabel (+series) - Kari Allen\nI Love You Stinky Face - Lisa McCourt\nAuthors that were always good: Arnold Lobel, Sandra Boynton, James Stevenson\nAnd don't forget to check https://www.betterworldbooks.com/ , they are affiliated with the Internet Archive and they don't show up in shopping searches.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dragons Love Tacos (+ 2) - Adam Rubin",
          "reason": "Listed among favorite children's books.",
          "audience": "Children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26800750,
          "author": "lnwlebjel",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-13T23:16:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26800750",
          "commentText": "Mo Willems is awesome (Pigeon series, Elephant and Piggy). Some of the Dr. Suess books are still great and fun to read (I can read with my eyes shut, One fish two fish). The book with no pictures, the day the crayons quit, dragons love tacos, and the princess and the dragon by Audrey Wood are all books that I've probably read 100 times and still enjoy.\nAs my kids got a bit older the Box Car children series was compelling, and the girls loved the Rainbow Magic books. Capt. Underpants and Dog man are hilarious and just subversive enough that a 7-9 yr old feel like they are getting away with something. Then on to Mysterious Benedict Society, Harry Potter, Rick Riordan, and Keeper of the Lost Cities.\nOur M.O. was to max out our Library card on a regular basis with just about everything possible and then iterate from there on the authors the kids enjoyed. I feel like reading is one of the things we've gotten right so far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "dragons love tacos",
          "reason": "The commenter says it remains enjoyable after many rereads.",
          "audience": "Young children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adam Rubin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "picture books",
        "humor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dynamic-hedging-5dd686",
      "title": "Dynamic Hedging",
      "author": "Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12416715,
          "author": "crdb",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T22:27:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416715",
          "commentText": "The first scene in Tolstoy's War and Peace should be required reading for engineering graduates, particularly the hyper-rational Sheldon types. I'm referring specifically to the impact Pierre has on the people at the party, the importance of manners, why small talk, etc. War and Peace is generally a great book because of how much it captures about human nature and power plays and it is still relevant today. It has a reputation for length but I found it much more readable than, say, Lord of the Rings.\nDelta Force by Col. Charlie Beckwith. Think your company has red tape? Try the US Army post-Vietnam. It's a great example of someone moving through bureaucracy to achieve great things and taught me to stop making excuses based on organisational behaviour. The Phantom Major by Virginia Cowles is in the same vein with some phenomenal hustling lessons. I still think of both men whenever I think whatever I'm doing is hard.\nDynamic Hedging by Taleb was written whilst he was a pit trader and is the most intuitive introduction to thinking about options I've read. It informs my thinking about decision making in terms of probability, path dependency and higher order greeks, and helps me take risks in a smart manner. I recommend it to a lot of people but nobody takes it up because (I'm guessing) it's only available as a second hand paper copy, and people think trading options has nothing to do with their life.\nLegionnaire by Simon Murray was recommended to me by my thesis supervisor shortly before graduation. I respected his opinion so I read the thing and it blew my mind in what people were capable of doing when pushed to the edge. Murray went on to have multiple interesting careers and set records as a helicopter pilot.\nThere are two books that were lessons in what they did not teach me.\nClayton Christensen's Innovator's Dilemma/Solution presents a very enticing idea but I think the core explanation for what it covers is much better set forward in Marc Bloch's Strange Defeat. There are regular sub-threads on the book on HN so I won't go into it further.\nI also read a couple of Jack Welch books and thought, wow, this guy knows what he is talking about. This was before 2007. After 2007, I heard from a few people - including very smart investors - who basically put GE's success down to the 30 year bull market and to the growth of GE Capital which became something like 60% of the company and indeed did almost take down GE with it after Lehman. It introduced the possibility that some famous leaders and gurus might not be as competent as they are branded to be and it's important to check for confounding variables.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "is the most intuitive introduction to thinking about options I've read. It informs my thinking about decision making in terms of probability, path dependency and higher order greeks",
          "reason": "Calls it an intuitive introduction to options and says it informs their decision-making.",
          "audience": "Readers learning about options and probability-based risk.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says people often do not take up the recommendation; it may be hard to find secondhand.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3178140,
          "author": "raymondh",
          "createdAt": "2011-10-31T17:11:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 3177815,
          "threadTitle": "Good books for hackers interested in quant finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3178140",
          "commentText": "Two recommendations:  \"Options, Futures, and Other Derivatives\" by John Hull and \"Dynamic Hedging\" by Taleb.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Dynamic Hedging\" by Taleb",
          "reason": "Listed as one of two recommendations in response to a request for books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nassim Nicholas Taleb"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "risk management",
        "derivatives",
        "options trading",
        "probability"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ecce-homo-a815ad",
      "title": "Ecce Homo",
      "author": "Friedrich Nietzsche",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503560,
          "author": "igravious",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T12:51:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503560",
          "commentText": "It is with joy that I answer your question. And if I may be allowed to answer it philosophically. The books you find incredibly interesting may be the books the validate your worldview. There are many of these. The book you find eye-opening may be the books that open the door into the world of philosophy proper for you. There are not many of these because you only need to go through that door once I feel.\nAlso, I would observe that besides Ayn Rand (who for many is not a philosopher) not a single female philosopher has been mentioned here which I find is a damning indictment on the state of affairs of the world of ideas. To remedy that I would recommend to you read A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft or anything by De Beauvoir (and do ignore her contemporary Sartre for he was nothing but a windbag).\nI am delighted that you singled out Thomas Paine (who again is not a philosopher as such; must be something in the air in the States) and Arthur Schopenhauer. They are both tremendous stylists. I've said this many times before - I don't care how great a philosopher's ideas are, if they can't write well I don't want to know. Thus we have people here recommending Kripke or Frege or heck knows who like that who bludgeon you to death with their tedious logic. Avoid them I say.\nFinally I would like to be clichéd and recommend anything by Nietzsche except for Thus Spake Zarathustra even though he himself considered it his best work and I would especially recommend Ecce Homo by him because it is a summation of his previous works by his own hand. Nietzsche was the supreme stylist and ruthlessly honest and fearless. Also I'd recommend A Short Treatise on the Great Virtues by a contemporary philosopher André Comte-Sponville. This is a remarkable book on virtue theory that takes in Aristotle, Spinoza, Nietzsche and Woody Allen among others and is divided up by virtue which is extremely novel. It is fantastically written. Anything by Cioran as well such as The Trouble with Being Born. I'm trying not to typecast myself here! :)\nAnd finally finally Sophie's World and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance while nice cute books are not true philosophy books. This is also why I wouldn't recommend Camus' The Outsider though someone did mention The Myth of Sisyphus. Borges falls into this category. Sophie's world is really a kid's book as well and one that I would perhaps recommend to children though I'd recommend Borges or Camus or Kafka first.\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Vindication-Rights-Woman-Penguin-Cla... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vindication-Rights-Woman-Penguin-Classics/dp/0141441259)\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Second-Sex-Vintage-classics/dp/00997... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Second-Sex-Vintage-classics/dp/009974421X)\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Penguin-Great-Ideas-Suffering-World/... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Penguin-Great-Ideas-Suffering-World/dp/0141018941)\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Ecce-Homo-Becomes-Penguin-Classics/d... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ecce-Homo-Becomes-Penguin-Classics/dp/0140445153)\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Short-Treatise-Great-Virtues-Philoso... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Short-Treatise-Great-Virtues-Philosophy/dp/0099437988)\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Trouble-Being-Born-E-M-Cioran/dp/155... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Trouble-Being-Born-E-M-Cioran/dp/1559704624)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would especially recommend Ecce Homo by him",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it, describing it as a summation of Nietzsche's previous works.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Nietzsche's philosophy and writing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876258,
          "author": "miked",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T07:38:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876258",
          "commentText": ">> would you mind writing up a comment with why you found it so profound and enjoyable?\nIt's been many years since I read it, but I can still remember the terror of identifying with its hero and his struggle against insanity and alienation. His struggle to create a connection with his son, his deep sense of caring for him and yet not being able to fully reach him.\nPirsig's genius was to get us to identify with its hero Phaedrus, a deeply damaged human being fighting to make sense of his world. Phaedrus is rather clearly an INTP/INTJ personality type, which should only deepen the identification with him by HN readers.\nHis clear explanations of the scientific method in terms of motorcycle maintenance are a big plus as well, especially for me. I worked for several years repairing electronics  and, being a philosophical type, was often struck by how similar  the process was to scientific experimentation and theory formation. Great read.\nMy books:\nThe Fountainhead, Ayn Rand -- A sharp, bitter, and ultimately soaring defense of the individual against the conformity of the compact majority, without the didacticism and moralizing that marred Rand's later novel, Atlas Shrugged.\nEcce Homo, Nietzsche (Kaufmann translation). Nietzsche's last full work, completed days before his descent into insanity. Shatteringly beautiful prose that will rearrange your soul, from one of history's most original (and misunderstood) thinkers. One of history's great fighters against political and cultural correctness. This boy could write.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shatteringly beautiful prose that will rearrange your soul",
          "reason": "Calls its prose shatteringly beautiful and says it can profoundly affect the reader.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Specifies the Kaufmann translation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Friedrich Nietzsche"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "autobiography",
        "nietzsche"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ecclesiastes-99fe40",
      "title": "Ecclesiastes",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37960149,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960149",
          "commentText": "* \"On Writing\" by Stephen King (1 mention)\n    * Summary: In his guide to the craft of writing, King masterfully conveys his views on how good writing is cultivated. The book provides personal insights into the author's life while serving as a guide for aspiring writers.\n* \"The Dictionary\" (1 mention, multiple authors)\n    * Summary: A reference book containing an alphabetical list of words in a specific language, providing definitions, pronunciations, etymology, and other details. It is a valuable resource for understanding and accurately using language.\n* \"Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book chronicles Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 1914-1916 survival journey across the Antarctic. Faced with treacherous weather conditions and a lack of provisions, the men battle to stay alive, highlighting the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.\n* \"The Experience of God\" by David Bentley Hart (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A philosophical exploration of the concept of God that goes beyond specific religious doctrines. Hart articulates a vision of ultimate reality that transcends religious, philosophical, and cultural boundaries.\n* \"A Mind for Numbers\" by Barbara Oakley (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book provides practical advice on how to learn effectively in math and science areas, but the techniques are applicable across disciplines. Oakley shares techniques to overcome learning obstacles and improve comprehension and retention.\n* \"A People's History of the US\" by Howard Zinn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers an alternative exploration of American history from the perspective of ordinary people and marginalized groups rather than political leaders, emphasizing class struggles and systemic injustices.\n* \"The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science\" by Isaac Asimov (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive outline of scientific knowledge, covering fields like physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, and earth science. It communicates complex scientific concepts in a way that is accessible to non-specialist readers.\n* \"Das Kapital\" by Karl Marx (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive critique of capitalism highlighting its inherent contradictions and imbalances. Marx diagnoses the capitalist system as one in which the rich get richer at the expense of the working class. The book has been influential in shaping socialist and communist thought.\n* \"You are Not So Smart\" by David McRaney (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book explores various cognitive biases, logical fallacies, and memory missteps that humans commonly succumb to. The author uses humor and personal anecdotes to make neuroscience and psychology accessible, challenging readers to question their perceptions of the world and themselves.\n* \"Blink\" by Malcolm Gladwell (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Gladwell explores the process of quick decision-making, also known as \"thin-slicing.\" The book delves into both the potential accuracy and the pitfalls of making snap judgments. It demonstrates how our subconscious biases often override our better instincts.\n* \"How To Sell at Margins Higher Than Your Competitors\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book offers detailed advice on how to avoid price competition by creating differentiators and adding value, thereby allowing readers to compete on things other than price.\n*  \"The Surrender Experiment\" by Michael Singer (1 mention)\n    * Summary: The book chronicles the author’s journey from solitude into the business world. It explores the idea of surrendering personal preferences to allow life to guide the way, challenging conventional views about control and outcomes.\n* \"How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World\" by Harry Browne (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This self-help book offers a blueprint for finding personal freedom. It encourages readers to embrace their individual sovereignty and to not be inhibited by societal conventions, effectively teaching how to live on one's own terms.\n* \"Happy by Derren Brown\" and \"The Daily Stoic\" (1 mention, authors not specified)\n    * Summary: \"Happy\" provides a perspective on happiness using the principles of stoic philosophy, challenging modern conceptions of happiness. \"The Daily Stoic\" provides a year's worth of philosophical wisdom from ancient stoics, aimed at allowing people to better respond to life's challenges.\n* \"Guns, Germs, and Steel\" by Jared Diamond (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Diamond investigates the geographical and environmental factors that have shaped the modern world. He argues that civilizations have developed differently across the globe due to variances in geography, climate, vegetation, and animal populations, more so than due to traits inherent to different racial or ethnic groups.\n* \"The Gulag Archipelago\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Solzhenitsyn unveils the brutal reality of the Soviet Union’s forced labor camp system. It's an exploration of the human capability for evil when unchecked by moral constraints, shedding light on the mechanisms of a totalitarian regime.\n* \"Ecclesiastes\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A book from the Bible that delves into the purpose of life and the vain pursuit of earthly things. It debates the merits of wisdom, wealth, and pleasure, underscoring the transience and ultimate futility of human endeavors, and urging readers to fear God and keep his commandments.\n* \"Women hold up half the sky\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A collection of personal stories illuminating the oppression and resistance of women in developing countries. The book confronts issues like gender inequality, sexual violence, maternal mortality and economic disparity while highlighting the resilience and strength of ordinary women in overcoming them.\n* \"Spell of the Sensuous\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book offers a radical reinterpretation of our relationship with the natural world. It critiques Western civilization’s estrangement from nature, exploring indigenous cultures and offering a philosophical enquiry into human perception and its relation to the environment.\n* \"Kids and the Amiga\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A guide to using the Amiga computer, aimed at children and early-tweens. It provides a hands-on approach to learning basic computer skills by creating practical programs.\n* \"Hackers\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: The book provides a comprehensive history of hackers, tracing the evolution of hacking culture from the 1950s to the present day. It details the personalities, philosophies, and technical exploits that have defined this diverse and innovative subculture.\n* \"LSD my problem child\" by Albert Hoffmann (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book is the autobiography of Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who first synthesized LSD. It chronicles his discovery, the subsequent fallout, and his personal experiences with the drug.\n* \"Electric cool aid acid test\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book tells the story of novelist Ken Kesey and his band of Merry Pranksters. They embarked on a cross-country bus journey, experimenting with LSD and challenging societal norms, becoming pivotal figures in the psychedelic movement and the counterculture of the 1960s.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Ecclesiastes\" (1 mention, author not specified)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Biblical book; no author is named in the comment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27724461,
          "author": "aerovistae",
          "createdAt": "2021-07-03T20:07:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27724461",
          "commentText": "Okay, Ecclesiastes is one of my favorite books ever, but referring to its message as if it were the message of the whole Bible is incredibly disingenuous, misleading, and unlikely to get anyone to actually read what you're talking about -- how would they know it was that _one_ section?\nAnd quoting it in Latin with no translation is incredibly pompous.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Ecclesiastes is one of my favorite books ever",
          "reason": "The commenter praises Ecclesiastes but criticizes presenting its message as the Bible's overall message.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment says it is only one section of the Bible.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107077,
          "author": "kilo_man",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T09:00:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107077",
          "commentText": "Just listing books that have had a big impact on me:\n* The Now Habit - http://www.amazon.com/dp/1585425524\n* Getting Things Done - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0142000280\n* Simply Christian - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061920622\n* Surprised by Hope - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061551821\n* The Great Divorce - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060652950\n* Mere Christianity - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060652926\n* The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - http://www.amazon.com/dp/048629823X\n* Tao Te Ching - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060812451\nBooks from the Bible that I like:\n* Genesis\n* Judges\n* Ruth\n* Tobit\n* Job\n* Psalms\n* Ecclesiastes\n* Sirach/Ecclesiasticus\n* Everything written by John",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ecclesiastes",
          "reason": "Listed among biblical books the commenter says they like.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503888,
          "author": "joshuacc",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T16:26:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503888",
          "commentText": "While the Bible as a whole isn't a philosophy book, it does contain a few. Books like the Proverbs of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, the Book of Job, etc. are what we could call \"practical philosophy.\"",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Ecclesiastes",
          "reason": "Offered as an example of biblical books that can be considered practical philosophy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "wisdom literature",
        "bible",
        "biblical literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ecclesiastes-19b251",
      "title": "Ecclesiastes",
      "author": "Qoheleth",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33386050,
          "author": "DoingSomeThings",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T17:16:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33386050",
          "commentText": "Ecclesiastes is my favorite book of the bible. Timeless in the questions it poses.\nEven post-Christianity, I still revisit it. Is everything actually meaningless?Even if so, it's still worth living life today.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ecclesiastes is my favorite book of the bible.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it their favorite biblical book and says they revisit it for its enduring questions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503385,
          "author": "_urga",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T08:58:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503385",
          "commentText": "Philosophy is not always wisdom. Of reading many books there is no end. But if it's wisdom, you can read it in an hour and spend a life-time understanding and applying it. Read Solomon's Proverbs (http://bit.ly/aJpmva) and Ecclesiastes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and Ecclesiastes.",
          "reason": "Directly recommends it as a work of wisdom to read and apply over a lifetime.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking wisdom.",
          "caveat": "The commenter contrasts an hour of reading with a lifetime of understanding and applying it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Qoheleth"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biblical wisdom literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "economics-14541f",
      "title": "Economics",
      "author": "Paul A. Samuelson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12562013,
          "author": "ob",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T02:57:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12562013",
          "commentText": "I still think one of the best textbooks on economics is Paul Samuelson's Economics. Assuming you mean macro-economics that is.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "one of the best textbooks on economics is Paul Samuelson's Economics.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of the best economics textbooks.",
          "audience": "Readers studying macroeconomics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter qualifies the recommendation with “Assuming you mean macro-economics.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1465062,
          "author": "xaverius",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T06:09:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1465062",
          "commentText": "'Economics' by Paul Samuelson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Economics' by Paul Samuelson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul A. Samuelson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economics textbook",
        "macroeconomics",
        "textbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "economics-the-user-s-guide-e54b1b",
      "title": "Economics: The User's Guide",
      "author": "Ha-Joon Chang",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22867462,
          "author": "econbooks",
          "createdAt": "2020-04-14T15:52:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 22861452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading to make sense of the economy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22867462",
          "commentText": "Ha-Joon Chang's works\nBad Samaritans: The Myth of Free Trade and the Secret History of Capitalism   \nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Samaritans:_The_Myth_of_Fr... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Samaritans:_The_Myth_of_Free_Trade_and_the_Secret_History_of_Capitalism)\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WU9DgfOMpmo\nEconomics: The User's Guide\nhttps://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/may/29/economics-the-... (https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/may/29/economics-the-users-guide-ha-joon-chang-review)\nJane Jacobs\nCities and the Wealth of Nations\nhttps://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/reviews/books/0-394-72911-0.htm... (https://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/reviews/books/0-394-72911-0.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Economics: The User's Guide",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21802725,
          "author": "nandreev",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T13:06:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21802725",
          "commentText": "The New Geopolitics of Natural Gas (A. Grigas)\nWe (Y. Zamyatin)\nThe Annotated Turing: A Guided Tour Through Alan Turing's Historic Paper (C. Petzold)\nEndurance (A. Lansing)\nEconomics: The User's Guide (H. Chang)\nOblomov (I. Goncharov)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Economics: The User's Guide (H. Chang)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12562110,
          "author": "dredmorbius",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T03:25:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12562110",
          "commentText": "That's a pretty good list, though I have to take exception to your suggestions for heterodox economics all coming from the Hayek-Mises-Rothbard Austrian/Libertarian tradition.  There's considerably more to heterodox economics than Libertarian school.\n\"Heterodox economics\" is an umbrella term used to cover various approaches, schools, or traditions. These include socialist, Marxian, institutional, evolutionary, Georgist, Austrian, feminist,[3] social, post-Keynesian (not to be confused with New Keynesian),[2] and ecological economics among others.[4]\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heterodox_economics\nSteve Keen offers a fairly compelling criticism in Debunking Economics.\nHa-Joon Chang, of LSE, has several books providing criticisms and overviews of economics, his Economics: the user's guide is a light and readable overview.  http://www.worldcat.org/title/economics-the-users-guide/oclc... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/economics-the-users-guide/oclc/870896694&referer=brief_results)\n(It's worth noting that Ha-Joon Chang tends toward a Marxian view and in particular is a contrarian in trade and development concepts.  I happen to think his views have merits.)\nThere are several books which cover the history of economic thought, from more and less inclusive perspectives.  Roger Backhouse's The Ordinary Business of Life is extraordinarily dry, but reasonably encompasses the mainstream.  \nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/ordinary-business-of-life-a-hi... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/ordinary-business-of-life-a-history-of-economics-from-the-ancient-world-to-the-twenty-first-century/oclc/49198341&referer=brief_results)\nHeilbroner's The Worldly Philosophers is a classic:  http://www.worldcat.org/title/worldly-philosophers-the-lives... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/worldly-philosophers-the-lives-times-and-ideas-of-the-great-economic-thinkers/oclc/40762647&referer=brief_results)\nFor heterodoxy, I'd add to the Austrian side:\nHerman Daly on ecological economics.  http://www.worldcat.org/title/ecological-economics-principle... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/ecological-economics-principles-and-applications/oclc/804847292?referer=br&ht=edition)\nul\nit in f\nl.\nErick D. Beinhocker's The Origin of Wealth: Evolution, complexity, and the radical remaking of economics strikes me from reviews and a brief overview as one of the more interesting recent books on economics.  I've yet to read it in full.\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/origin-of-wealth-evolution-com... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/origin-of-wealth-evolution-complexity-and-the-radical-remaking-of-economics/oclc/64335906&referer=brief_results)\nThere's slew of other books, many quite bad, on the subject.  I'm largely convinced economics is vastly overdue for a robust remaking.  I'm not convinced that will happen.\n(It was my degree subject at uni.  I've been trying to comprehend it and rationalise its vast internal contradictions and inconsistencies since.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "his Economics: the user's guide is a light and readable overview.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as a light and readable overview.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an overview of economics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Chang tends toward a Marxian view and is a contrarian on trade and development, while noting that his views have merit.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ha-Joon Chang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic systems",
        "economic theory",
        "economics primer",
        "heterodox economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "effective-modern-c-80f3c7",
      "title": "Effective Modern C++",
      "author": "Scott Meyers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10182681,
          "author": "gtani",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-07T19:29:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10182681",
          "commentText": "the big 4, 2 very large dense books, and 2 small, very very very dense books:\n- Lippman et al, C++ Primer, 5th ed\n- Stroustrup, The c++ Language, 4th ed (which has earlier version \"A Tour of\" as 1st 150 pages\n- Meyers \"Effective C++\", 3rd ed and\n- \"Effective Modern C++\" http://www.aristeia.com/books.html (don't dismiss the others cause theyre 14+ years old, either",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Effective Modern C++\"",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s “big 4” C++ books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says not to dismiss the other listed books because they are over 14 years old.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10182219,
          "author": "sanderjd",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-07T17:26:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10182219",
          "commentText": "I'm going through that right now, and finding it incredibly good, but still fairly outdated. It was written for Java 6, while Java 7 and (especially) 8 have more or less re-written the language. All of the advice is still really great, but some of the items are workarounds for weaknesses in the language that have since been strengthened. I'm working through Java 8 in Action[0] in parallel, and it's been a good experience.\nI've also been enjoying this Modern Java blog series, which is book-ish[1].\nIn a similar vein, I really enjoyed Effective Modern C++[2].\nI think The Ruby Way[3] is still the best ruby book, and a new edition just came out earlier this year.\nI'm looking for a good book about modern javascript if anyone has any suggestions.\n[0]: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20534354-java-8-in-actio... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20534354-java-8-in-action)\n[1]: http://blog.paralleluniverse.co/2014/05/01/modern-java/\n[2]: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22800553-effective-moder... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22800553-effective-modern-c)\n[3]: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4514.The_Ruby_Way",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In a similar vein, I really enjoyed Effective Modern C++[2].",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10027617,
          "author": "sanderjd",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T15:59:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027617",
          "commentText": "Haven't done any writing of C++ since college, and not too much reading either, but just flew through Effective Modern C++, and found it to be a great, information-dense, and eye-opening read. Highly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "just flew through Effective Modern C++, and found it to be a great, information-dense, and eye-opening read. Highly recommended.",
          "reason": "Calls it great, information-dense, eye-opening, and highly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Meyers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c",
        "modern c",
        "software development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "effective-python-c9c667",
      "title": "Effective Python",
      "author": "Brett Slatkin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27656341,
          "author": "feu",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T23:10:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 27650775,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27656341",
          "commentText": "You said Effective Python is one of the books you'd recommend to \"every developer,\" are the topics covered broadly applicable rather than tied to language features specific to Python?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "You said Effective Python is one of the books you'd recommend to \"every developer,\"",
          "reason": "Asks whether the book's topics apply broadly or depend on Python-specific language features.",
          "audience": "Developers considering the book's applicability beyond Python.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27653461,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T17:36:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 27650775,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27653461",
          "commentText": "As luck would have it, my blog on Github pages is down. So here's the post describing the four in markdown.\nTldr; Designing Data Intensive Applications, Effective Python, The Google SRE book, and High Performance Browser Networking.\nhttps://github.com/eatonphil/notes.eatonphil.com/blob/master... (https://github.com/eatonphil/notes.eatonphil.com/blob/master/posts/books-developers-should-read.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Effective Python",
          "reason": "Listed among the four books the commenter recommends developers read.",
          "audience": "Developers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13239142,
          "author": "a3n",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T18:16:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13239142",
          "commentText": "(Some of the +below are O'Reilly DRM-free ebooks. Big fan.)\nPython:\n+Effective Computation in Physics. Probably the most practical full-environment treatment of Python I've seen. Write, test, package, distribute. Third party libs.\nEffective Python, Brett Slatkin. Sort of an \"N ways to improve your Python.\" Part of a series edited by Scott Meyers.\nGetting my C mojo back:\nI left C/C++ 15 years ago. C++ will likely stay left, but I miss C.\n+Reading 21st Century C, Ben Klemens. The first half is the development environment, which is great, since there's some new stuff since I left, and lots of stuff I've forgotten or never knew.\nRereading Expert C Programming: Deep C Secrets by Van der Linden. The guy's a riot. It's dated but still relevant. The inside baseball stuff on problems seen while working in Sun's compiler group is fascinating.\nRereading C Interfaces and Implementations, Hanson. Hoping this will serve as my C version of Large Scale C++ Design by Lakos. Honestly though, the literate programming style of presentation is off-putting. Are we still talking about that?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Effective Python, Brett Slatkin. Sort of an \"N ways to improve your Python.\"",
          "reason": "Describes it as a collection of ways to improve Python programming.",
          "audience": "Python programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brett Slatkin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "python",
        "programming practices",
        "python programming",
        "software development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "eichmann-in-jerusalem-a-report-on-the-banality-of-evil-5974df",
      "title": "Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil",
      "author": "Hannah Arendt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46280151,
          "author": "firefax",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-15T20:30:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 46226571,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46280151",
          "commentText": ">I've read at least two articles authored by historians that thought this book was full of factual errors and misunderstandings.\nFeel free to provide these citations if you dislike the book\n>It may be good read, but don't expect the book to be fair or truthful.\nIt's creative nonfiction -- a literary telling of a factual event. And no one is required to be \"fair\" to anyone, especially Nazis. Some things don't have \"both sides\".",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's creative nonfiction -- a literary telling of a factual event.",
          "reason": "Defends the book’s literary approach and argues fairness is not required when writing about Nazis.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment does not name the book in its own text; it refers to it as “this book” in context.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46267662,
          "author": "idoubtit",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-14T22:17:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 46226571,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46267662",
          "commentText": "> Another good book is \"Eichman in Jerusalem\"\nI've read at least two articles authored by historians that thought this book was full of factual errors and misunderstandings. One of them had studied Eichmann's life and correspondance, and found that he was far from the character that Hannah Arendt depicted. IIRC, the other article tried to explain her bias; I remember she hated Jerusalem and despised most people she met in Israel.\nIt may be good read, but don't expect the book to be fair or truthful.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I've read at least two articles authored by historians that thought this book was full of factual errors and misunderstandings.",
          "reason": "Argues historians found factual errors and misunderstandings, and says not to expect the book to be fair or truthful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter acknowledges it may be a good read but disputes its fairness and truthfulness.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46264412,
          "author": "firefax",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-14T16:48:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 46226571,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46264412",
          "commentText": "Stasi: The Untold Story Of The East German Secret Police\nhttps://search.worldcat.org/title/39256274\nThis book going into extreme detail about the East German surveillance state. People tend to hyperfocus on the Nazis due to a morbid fascination with bodycounts, but the GDR was closer in time in both history and comopositions. They had faxes, computers, and many other technologies that made them similar to us, and I worry we forget the lessons of that regime. I read his book during a middle school in school suspension and it was a formative read.\nAnother good book is \"Eichman in Jerusalem\", which details the trial of one of the architects of the Holocaust and his claims he was \"just following orders... the book examines the \"banality of evil\".\nhttps://search.worldcat.org/title/385389\nFinally, to lighten things up, my most recent new favorite book that's fiction was Convenience Store Woman, about a woman who's been working at a 7/11 for 18 years. I read it during COVID and it's stuck with me as a favorite.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Convenience_Store_Woman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another good book is \"Eichman in Jerusalem\", which details the trial of one of the architects of the Holocaust",
          "reason": "Described as a good book detailing Eichmann’s trial and his claim that he was just following orders.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No caveat stated by this commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30242593,
          "author": "ddkddk",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T10:01:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30242593",
          "commentText": "Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil by Hannah Arendt. Makes you look at work so differently. We aspire to do our best work, but what if the outcome of the work on the world is adding up to it becoming a worse place?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil by Hannah Arendt.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changes how they think about work and its effects on the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hannah Arendt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "banality of evil",
        "holocaust",
        "work and ethics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "elantris-6ec6f9",
      "title": "Elantris",
      "author": "Brandon Sanderson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17050444,
          "author": "pc2g4d",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T20:06:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17050444",
          "commentText": "As a person who's gone through something comparable in recent years, I will first recommend that you seek out a community of people undergoing a similar shift in worldview. There may be podcasts, forums, blogs, etc. where people who previously held your same worldview are processing their transition after finding \"that a lot of the things that [they] used to believe were false\". For me this has been immensely helpful.\nNow some introspective books:\n* The Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. If you're open to fantasy, this series delves deep into how to respond when one's worldview is shattered. Highly recommended. Elantris also covers some similar territory.\n* The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius. How do you reconcile the whims of capricious Fortune with your desire for peace in this world?\n* Bonds That Make Us Free by Terry Warner. This book makes you take a brutal look at how you contribute to your own misery in life. It will be agonizing to read, but persevere and I believe you will find it insightful. Try not to be too turned off by the conservative religious viewpoint that occasionally peeks through.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Elantris also covers some similar territory.",
          "reason": "Suggested for covering themes similar to the preceding recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1869027,
          "author": "jasonlotito",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-04T14:36:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1869027",
          "commentText": "You won't be disappointed.  The WoKings was a bit odd at the start.  He dumps you right into the middle, and I was somewhat confused by everything changing so fast, but you quickly realise this is in a way intentional, and works well in the long run.\nAlso, if you haven't read the Mistborn trilogy, I highly suggest it.  It's a great, unique setting, and I had a great time with it.\nFinally, his other books are great as well.  Elantris and Warbreaker, each different, and great for single novel stories.  I'm a big fan of the long arcs of great epics, but these one-off's were well worth the time invested.\nBasically, he's an author that will require me to buy everything he writes for as long as he's writing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Elantris and Warbreaker, each different, and great for single novel stories.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great standalone story.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a single novel story.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brandon Sanderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "standalone fantasy",
        "worldview change"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "elder-race-bc438a",
      "title": "Elder Race",
      "author": "Adrian Tchaikovsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36023045,
          "author": "nicwolff",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T17:28:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36023045",
          "commentText": "\"Mockingbird\", by Walter Tevis. 40 years old but startlingly timely: centuries after humanity ceded all authority and responsibility to AI, the last superintelligent robot is ready to die of boredom – and one human has learned to read.\n\"Elder Race\", by Adrian Tchaikovsky. This short novel is a bit reminiscent of Iain Bank's \"Inversions\" in that it combines sci-fi and fantasy through the perspectives of an anthropologist from an advanced space-faring culture and a second protagonist from the medieval world they are secretly observing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Elder Race\", by Adrian Tchaikovsky. This short novel is a bit reminiscent",
          "reason": "Describes it as a short novel combining science fiction and fantasy through two contrasting perspectives.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33382608,
          "author": "disillusioned",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T10:05:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382608",
          "commentText": "Mostly science fiction, and most Adrian Tchaikovsky science fiction at that:\n* Elder Race - Tchaikovsky's Hugo-nominated novella does this really neat thing where it tells the same story from two different perspectives, which happen to perfectly meld fantasy with hard scifi in a super clever conceit.\n* Children of Time - A hard scifi-meets-entomology-study take on how shifting perspectives work and the no-stone-left-unturned world building he does just really works. Its sequel Children of Ruin was great too, and the final in the trilogy comes out next month.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Elder Race - Tchaikovsky's Hugo-nominated novella does this really neat thing where it tells the same story from two different perspectives, which happen to perfectly meld fantasy with hard scifi in a super clever conceit.",
          "reason": "Likes the dual perspectives and blend of fantasy and science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adrian Tchaikovsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "anthropology",
        "dual perspectives",
        "first contact"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "elements-of-clojure-224baf",
      "title": "Elements of Clojure",
      "author": "Zachary Tellman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33856038,
          "author": "mystickphoenix",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T18:08:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33856038",
          "commentText": "A few things come to mind along with what's already been mentioned:\nAssorted Non-Book Readings:\n- https://randsinrepose.com/dont-skip-this/\n- http://www.stilldrinking.org/programming-sucks\n- https://sysadvent.blogspot.com/2019/12/day-21-being-kind-to-... (https://sysadvent.blogspot.com/2019/12/day-21-being-kind-to-3am-you.html)\n- https://donellameadows.org/archives/leverage-points-places-t... (https://donellameadows.org/archives/leverage-points-places-to-intervene-in-a-system/)\n- https://grugbrain.dev/\n- https://changelog.com/posts/rich-hickeys-greatest-hits\n- https://github.com/papers-we-love/papers-we-love/blob/master... (https://github.com/papers-we-love/papers-we-love/blob/master/design/out-of-the-tar-pit.pdf)\n- http://www.cs.unc.edu/techreports/86-020.pdf\nBooks:\n- The Phoenix Project: Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, George Spafford\n- Deep Work: Cal Newport\n- The Art of Leadership: Michael Lopp (Rands)\n- Extreme Ownership: Jocko Willink and Leif Babin (once you get through the \nho-rah stuff it's a fantastic read)\n- Time Management for System Administrators: O'Reilly (fantastic for interrupt driven work)\n- Elements of Clojure: Zachary Tellman (not just for Clojure devs)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Elements of Clojure: Zachary Tellman (not just for Clojure devs)",
          "reason": "The commenter notes it is useful beyond Clojure developers.",
          "audience": "Not only Clojure developers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27628776,
          "author": "ollran",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T09:40:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27628776",
          "commentText": "The Art of Electronics is on my technical reading list as well.\nIf you are into Clojure, you will probably enjoy Elements of Clojure by Zachary Tellman. It is not a tutorial, it's more like an attempt to bring tacit knowledge of idiomatic programming practices into light.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you will probably enjoy Elements of Clojure by Zachary Tellman.",
          "reason": "Suggested for readers interested in Clojure; covers idiomatic programming practices rather than serving as a tutorial.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Clojure.",
          "caveat": "Not a tutorial.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Zachary Tellman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "clojure",
        "idiomatic programming",
        "software design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "elements-of-information-theory-f4aa4b",
      "title": "Elements of Information Theory",
      "author": "Thomas M. Cover and Joy A. Thomas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18664829,
          "author": "yters",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T15:45:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664829",
          "commentText": "Elements of Information Theory by Cover and Thomas.  Very accessible overview of the field.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Elements of Information Theory by Cover and Thomas. Very accessible overview of the field.",
          "reason": "Described as a very accessible overview of information theory.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3178283,
          "author": "zeta",
          "createdAt": "2011-10-31T17:47:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 3177815,
          "threadTitle": "Good books for hackers interested in quant finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3178283",
          "commentText": "Causality by Judea Pearl, Probability by Jaynes & Elements of Information Theory by Cover.\nThe above will help you design trading strategies. For modelling derivatives and such, you'll have to check out books on stochastic calculus (not my thing, so can't help there).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Elements of Information Theory by Cover",
          "reason": "Listed as a suggestion in response to a request for books about quantitative finance.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas M. Cover and Joy A. Thomas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "information theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "elements-of-mathematics-1bc084",
      "title": "Elements of Mathematics",
      "author": "John Stillwell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23727968,
          "author": "jostylr",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T21:53:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23727968",
          "commentText": "I remember Pi in the Sky by John Barrows very fondly. It has more of a focus on geometry and logic.\nA Programmer's Introduction to Mathematics by Jeremy Kun is wide ranging and appropriate if there is also interest in programming.\nNature and Growth of Modern Mathematics by Edna Kramer is a wonderful book if history is a passion as well.\nElements of Mathematics by John Stillwell is a broad overview of subjects. It has a crisp mathematical feel to it.\nVector Calculus, Linear Algebra, and Differential Forms by John & Barbara Hubbard is a beautiful introduction to the multi-dimensional aspects, but it is a book that should happen after knowing one dimensional calculus. .\nIf your child hasn't been exposed to Guesstimation, then a book on that is highly recommended. The book with that title by Weinstein and Adams is a nice guide to investigating that realm.\nIf the child does arithmetic from right to left, as is sadly too common, the book Speed Mathematics Simplified by Edward Stoddard is a great remedy for that.\nEveryday Calculus by Oscar Fernandez could also be worth a look.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Elements of Mathematics by John Stillwell is a broad overview of subjects.",
          "reason": "Provides a broad overview of mathematics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21347257,
          "author": "prof_mm",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T17:55:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21347257",
          "commentText": "Mathematics is typically approached in a different way than physics. But there are some books that offer a similar perspective to what Feynman tried to achieve, IMHO. I would recommend to look at works by John Stillwell, for example 'Elements of mathematics' or 'Mathematics and its history'.\nNathan Carter's 'Visual group theory' also seems an interesting experiment, if you are interested in that part of mathematics, though I have not read it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend to look at works by John Stillwell, for example 'Elements of mathematics'",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as an example of Stillwell's work offering a perspective similar to Feynman's.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Stillwell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematics overview"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "elements-of-the-theory-of-computation-4d1180",
      "title": "Elements of the Theory of Computation",
      "author": "Christos H. Papadimitriou",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21313374,
          "author": "guiraldelli",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T15:27:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21313374",
          "commentText": "I don't think there is a definitive answer for your question because computer science is a relative new area of knowledge and “fundamental books” are still being published.\nIf I had to say one text that is the fundamental one, I would go with a paper: “On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem” [1], by Alan Turing.\n---\nBut if you just started your course in Computer Science, then I will give you some “bookshelf advice\" based on my experience. I had the pleasure to study all the books I am going to recommend you, and most of them I was able to read cover-to-cover during the university years. And they are also in my bookshelf for reference.\nThe book order does not represent rank of importance.\n* “Introduction to the Theory of Computation”, by Michael Sipser.\n    * I also recommend the “Elements of the Theory of Computation”, by Christos Papadimitriou.\n\n    * Another good complement is “Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages and Computation”, by Hopcroft and Ullman. (Thanks, @reacweb, for the reminder.)\n\n* “Graph Theory”, by Reinhard Diestel.\n    * If you feel you want to go deeper, and like a book which you cannot skip a single word, I strongly recommend “Modern Graph Theory”, by Béla Bollobás: it is one of my favorite textbooks ever!\n\n* “The Algorithm Design Manual”, by Steven Skiena.\n    * While a lot of people seems to praise either the Cormen et al. or the Sedgewick books, I have the feeling that “Algorithms” by Dasgupta, Papadimitriou  and Vazirani is my choice for “fundamental” book. But I decided to\n\n* “Computer Architecture: a Quantitative Approach”, by Hennessy and Patterson.\n* “Modern Operating Systems”, by Andrew Tanenbaum.\n* “Artificial Intelligence: a Modern Approach”, by Russel and Norvig.\n* “Modern Compiler Implementation (in ML)”, by Andrew Appel.\nI would like to also recommend “Concrete Mathematics”, by Graham, Knuth and Patashnik, but I remember to not feel it the most pedagogical book on the subject.\nGood luck!\n---\n[1]: https://www.cs.virginia.edu/~robins/Turing_Paper_1936.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also recommend the “Elements of the Theory of Computation”",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it as another book for learning theory of computation.",
          "audience": "People starting a computer science course.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 665069,
          "author": "rw",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T13:33:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665069",
          "commentText": "A few suggestions (if only we all had more time):\nDo ProjectEuler.net, as it provides a great mesh between algorithm design and mathematics; it might be within your expertise already, however. Look in to getting a good discrete math book or two. My circumstances led me to not use my discrete math book very much for class, so I won't give you a recommendation that I do not have.\nGo through Scholarpedia. They are doing cool work over there.\nGet some text(s) on statistical inference, especially Bayesian learning. If you have access to a good library system (say, state-wide library loan), you ought to have no problem getting most textbooks.\nSeeing as how you're into NLP and AI, look at concurrency and what, say, Google is doing with MapReduce and PageRank (they publish reasonably-understandable papers). In general, push yourself to read peer-reviewed journal articles on the topics of your interest.\nPeruse some of the organizations that do research into the philosophical and human issues surrounding AI and technology. For example, there's Less Wrong at lesswrong.com. They can come off as quite hubristic, but if you drill through the latent groupthink and individual over-assertiveness, you'll find a gigantic wealth of information on both what rationality is, and how to apply it to your life.\nAdditionally, check out (I've mentioned these before, so I'll quote myself verbatim):\n\"Problems On Algorithms\" (Parberry, Gasarch): A slim volume containing ~700 exercises on proving various properties of algorithms. And it teaches you most of what is needed. Download it from: http://www.eng.unt.edu/ian/books/free/\n\"Elements of the Theory of Computation\" (Papadimitriou): Classic text. Sure you've heard of Turing machines before, but what do you know about mu-recursive functions? It's very beautiful and if you have a person with whom to read the book and do the exercises, you will gain immensely. It will help unify, in your mind, many of the myriad articles you've probably read on Wikipedia about formal languages and complexity theory.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Elements of the Theory of Computation\" (Papadimitriou): Classic text.",
          "reason": "Calls it a classic and says readers will gain immensely by working through it with someone.",
          "audience": "Readers studying formal languages and complexity theory.",
          "caveat": "The commenter suggests reading and doing the exercises with another person.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christos H. Papadimitriou"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "theory of computation",
        "automata",
        "complexity theory",
        "formal languages"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "elephant-piggie-e9a902",
      "title": "Elephant & Piggie",
      "author": "Mo Willems",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34634533,
          "author": "deckiedan",
          "createdAt": "2023-02-02T23:01:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 34634274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books your kids like most",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34634533",
          "commentText": "We've 2 kids, 8 and 5 - both total book worms (and into Minecraft and biking and dude perfect and all sorts... But they love books).\nFind stuff you'll enjoy reading to them. And read to them a lot. You've got the right idea.\nMO Williams books are great for that age.  The elephant and piggie books are fun, Annette's Baguette is brilliant.  The Brambly Hedge books are lovely. Dr Seuss is mostly quite fun.  Peter's railway (if they like trains or engineering at all), the Thomas the Tank engine books, the topsy and Tim books are ok...\nBut get lots of books from the library, charity / thrift stores.  Get lots of books to try out, and have available for them to read. And if they aren't interested, you can always thrift them again. Hanging out at the local library can be good. No time pressure, just let them browse and look at whatever random things they want.\nFor slightly older kids, we've really enjoyed reading Hillary McKay, Terry Pratchett's kids books / short stories, Vivian French's books are great.  and some of the classics are great too - EE Milne, the Paddington books...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The elephant and piggie books are fun",
          "reason": "Described as fun to read to children.",
          "audience": "Children around ages 5 and 8.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26800750,
          "author": "lnwlebjel",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-13T23:16:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26800750",
          "commentText": "Mo Willems is awesome (Pigeon series, Elephant and Piggy). Some of the Dr. Suess books are still great and fun to read (I can read with my eyes shut, One fish two fish). The book with no pictures, the day the crayons quit, dragons love tacos, and the princess and the dragon by Audrey Wood are all books that I've probably read 100 times and still enjoy.\nAs my kids got a bit older the Box Car children series was compelling, and the girls loved the Rainbow Magic books. Capt. Underpants and Dog man are hilarious and just subversive enough that a 7-9 yr old feel like they are getting away with something. Then on to Mysterious Benedict Society, Harry Potter, Rick Riordan, and Keeper of the Lost Cities.\nOur M.O. was to max out our Library card on a regular basis with just about everything possible and then iterate from there on the authors the kids enjoyed. I feel like reading is one of the things we've gotten right so far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Elephant and Piggy",
          "reason": "The commenter says these books are enjoyable to reread.",
          "audience": "Young children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mo Willems"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "early readers",
        "picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "elon-musk-61fa41",
      "title": "Elon Musk",
      "author": "Walter Isaacson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42650769,
          "author": "tmsh",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-09T23:06:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42650769",
          "commentText": "Re: getting hard things done I've been admiring the way Elon Musk takes calculated risks in:\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elon_Musk_%28Isaacson_book%29",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elon_Musk_(Isaacson_book)",
          "reason": "Connects the book to Musk taking calculated risks.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38304473,
          "author": "raajg",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-17T15:01:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38304473",
          "commentText": "- An Indispensable Truth: How Fusion Power Can Save the Planet - Chen, Francis F.\n- Elon Musk - Isaacson, Walter",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Elon Musk - Isaacson, Walter",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Walter Isaacson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "elon musk",
        "entrepreneurship",
        "technology leaders"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "eloquent-javascript-a-modern-introduction-to-programming-3a3235",
      "title": "Eloquent JavaScript: A Modern Introduction to Programming",
      "author": "Marijn Haverbeke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10184162,
          "author": "clark-kent",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-08T04:49:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10184162",
          "commentText": "\"Eloquent JavaScript: A Modern Introduction to Programming\"\n\"Functional JavaScript: Introducing Functional Programming with Underscore.js\"\n\"Professional JavaScript for Web Developers\"\n[edited to add more books]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Eloquent JavaScript: A Modern Introduction to Programming\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7999231,
          "author": "nnx",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T15:09:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7999231",
          "commentText": "Eloquent Javascript : A Modern Introduction to Programming by Marijn Haverbeke\nhttp://eloquentjavascript.net\nImho, the first chapter is a must-read for anyone in the industry, even and maybe especially if not a developer.\n\"When a program works, it is beautiful. The art of programming is the skill of controlling complexity. The great program is subdued, made simple in its complexity.\"\n... and also, maybe not as \"mindblowing\" as Eloquent Javascript, but really good for diving deep in a low-level land (yet made very accessible in this book) that is probably overlooked by most of us when optimizing a web app for speed :\nHigh-Performance Browser Networking by Ilya Grigorik\nhttp://chimera.labs.oreilly.com/books/1230000000545/index.ht... (http://chimera.labs.oreilly.com/books/1230000000545/index.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the first chapter is a must-read for anyone in the industry, even and maybe especially if not a developer",
          "reason": "Calls the first chapter essential reading for anyone in the industry, including non-developers.",
          "audience": "Anyone in the industry, including non-developers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marijn Haverbeke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "javascript",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "embassytown-546835",
      "title": "Embassytown",
      "author": "China Miéville",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17536607,
          "author": "bostik",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:26:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536607",
          "commentText": "Asimov's original \"Foundation\" - it's effectively a collection of 4,5 short stories. I recommend to remain at a discreet distance from the rest of the series. While good within the universe, they are ... different.\n\"Ender's Game\" and \"Speaker for the Dead\" by O.S.Card. (Do not touch Xenocide without a hazmat suit. And if you do, burn it before reading.)\n\"Snow Crash\" by Neil Stephenson.\n\"Rendez-vouz with Rama\" by Arthur C. Clarke.\nIf you're up for some thought-provoking stuff, \"Stranger in a Strange Land\" by Heinlein. Not the easiest read but your carve-out basically rules out \"The Moon is a Harsh Mistress\".\n\"Embassytown\" by China Mieville.\nEDIT: I forgot \"Hyperion\" by Dan Simmons.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Embassytown\" by China Mieville.",
          "reason": "Listed as a recommendation in the comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17383240,
          "author": "Thersites",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T20:21:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17383240",
          "commentText": "This is more a question, in terms of Sci-Fi are people familiar with China Miéville? Perdido Street Station, Embassytown, and The City and the City are classics, Perdido Street Station might be the best fiction I have ever read. Dark stuff",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Perdido Street Station, Embassytown, and The City and the City are classics",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter calls classics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes the works as dark.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14480212,
          "author": "schemathings",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-04T06:56:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14480212",
          "commentText": "Snowcrash also plays heavily with Jaynes' ideas, as does Embassytown.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "as does Embassytown.",
          "reason": "Says it also draws heavily on Jaynes' ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401518,
          "author": "walterbell",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:32:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401518",
          "commentText": "China Mieville, Embassytown, http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/05/books/review/book-review-e... (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/05/books/review/book-review-embassytown-by-china-mieville.html?_r=0)\n\"Language is the principal theme of “Embassytown,” a particularly deep-thinking entry in a tradition of using the speculative resources of science fiction to address how language shapes culture and society ... The drama of “Embassytown” develops as the Ariekei learn to lie and are beset by violent addiction to a new kind of speech. The resulting plague sends waves of change pulsing through the semi-sentient buildings and machinery of their city — an inspired Miévillean touch, grotesquely original (addicted houses try to grow ears) and yet also strikingly familiar to anybody who’s spent time in a neighborhood in steep decline.\"",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "China Mieville, Embassytown",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "China Miéville"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "linguistics",
        "first contact",
        "alien societies",
        "language and consciousness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "emergence-df71a7",
      "title": "Emergence",
      "author": "Steven Johnson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39729946,
          "author": "bruce343434",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T22:13:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729946",
          "commentText": "https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2296.Emergence",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2296.Emergence",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56777,
          "author": "Kaizyn",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T07:44:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56777",
          "commentText": "1) Musashi's Book of Five Rings\n2) Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People\n3) Machaivelli's The Prince\n4) Sun-Tzu's The Art of War\n5) Hayakawa's Language in Thought and Action\n6) Steven Johnson's Emergence\n7) Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel\n8) Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything\n9) Mark Buchanan's Nexus\n10) C. S. Lewis's The Problem of Pain\nTaken together, these books cover just about everything there is to know about the sciences, about human history, human nature and how to understand and communicate effectively with other people.  Only one other book besides these needs to be studied/read: The Bible.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Steven Johnson's Emergence",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of books said to collectively cover a broad range of subjects.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in complex systems and collective behavior.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Johnson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "complex systems",
        "emergence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "emergence-the-connected-lives-of-ants-brains-cities-and-software-0dbbfc",
      "title": "Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software",
      "author": "Steven Johnson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27628654,
          "author": "Kovah",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T09:21:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27628654",
          "commentText": "I just started reading \"Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software\" by Steven Johnson. Not a highly technical piece, but heard that it should be one of the must-reads for anybody in tech.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "heard that it should be one of the must-reads for anybody in tech.",
          "reason": "The commenter has started it and relays a must-read recommendation for people in tech.",
          "audience": "People in tech.",
          "caveat": "The must-read judgment is hearsay; the commenter says it is not highly technical.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10325237,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T20:31:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325237",
          "commentText": "I'm sure there are many, but a few that jump to mind, in no particular order, and spanning both fiction and non-fiction:\nThe Selfish Gene - Dawkins\nA New Kind of Science - Wolfram\nThe Singularity is Near - Kurzweil\nGödel, Escher, Bach - Hofstadter\nFluid Concepts and Creative Analogies - Hofstadter\nAtlas Shrugged - Rand\nThe Fountainhead - Rand\nNineteen Eighty-Four - Orwell\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nAmbient Findability - Peter Morville\nEmergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software - Steven Johnson\nSix Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age - Duncan Watts\nLinked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means for Business, Science, and Everyday Life - Albert-laszlo Barabasi\nArtificial Life - Steven Levy\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nThe World is Flat - Thomas Friedman\nnot a book, but the various writings of Douglas Engelbart - http://www.dougengelbart.org/library/library.html\nGlasshouse - Charles Stross\nPermutation City - Greg Egan\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nThe Shockwave Rider - John Brunner\nThe Society of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nThe Origin of Wealth: The Radical Remaking of Economics and What it Means for Business and Society - Eric Beinhocker\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nFooled By Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software - Steven Johnson",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Johnson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "complex systems",
        "emergence",
        "self organization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "emotional-intelligence-6751aa",
      "title": "Emotional Intelligence",
      "author": "Daniel Goleman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30738623,
          "author": "rkk3",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T23:47:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30738623",
          "commentText": "Not the OP but presumably the 'Emotional Intelligence' book by Daniel Goleman",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "presumably the 'Emotional Intelligence' book by Daniel Goleman",
          "reason": "Identifies the likely book meant by the parent comment’s generic title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says this is presumed, not certain.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30735755,
          "author": "bloopernova",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:36:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735755",
          "commentText": "Dune. Specifically the parts about how a human can choose their reaction to an external event. And the ability to overcome fear.\nMan's Search For Meaning. Again, overcoming the worst situations and finding joy anywhere.\nHow to Practice. Understanding what you are feeling and why you are feeling it.\nEmotional Intelligence. How the amygdala sends signals to the brain, why it does that, and how to recognize your negative reactions.\nAnd all the Discworld books, to find joy and humour in everything. GNU Terry Pratchett.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Emotional Intelligence. How the amygdala sends signals to the brain, why it does that, and how to recognize your negative reactions.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it explains emotional responses and how to recognize negative reactions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13805487,
          "author": "mike128",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T19:50:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805487",
          "commentText": "Free to Choose - Milton Friedman\nEmotional Intelligence - Daniel Goleman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Emotional Intelligence - Daniel Goleman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 127861,
          "author": "Alex3917",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-03T05:42:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 127711,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Hacker moms & dads, what do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=127861",
          "commentText": "I seem to remember Emotional Intelligence being strongly against ferberization. Not positive though. In any event I'd recommend taking a quick look through the relevant journal articles to make sure you aren't going to be stunting your children's emotional development.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I seem to remember Emotional Intelligence being strongly against ferberization. Not positive though.",
          "reason": "The commenter tentatively recalls the book's position on ferberization.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure of the book's position.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Goleman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "emotional intelligence",
        "emotional skills",
        "neuroscience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "empire-of-ai-b36d2f",
      "title": "Empire of AI",
      "author": "Karen Hao",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46398019,
          "author": "orsenthil",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T00:47:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46398019",
          "commentText": "- Becoming Kareem: Growing Up On and Off the Court, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar\n- My Gita, Devdutt Pattanaik\n- The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right,  Atul Gawande\n- Moonshot: Inside Pfizer's Nine-Month Race to Make the Impossible Possible, Albert Bourla\n- Deaths of Despair and the Future of Capitalism, Anne Case\n- The Vaccine: Inside the Race to Conquer the COVID-19 Pandemic, Joe Miller\n- Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection, John Green\n- Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Jules Verne and Gary Gianni (Illustrator)\n- El Deafo, Cece Bell\n- Acts of God, Kanan Gill\n- Marvels of Modern Science, Paul Severing\n- Empire of AI, Karen Hao",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Empire of AI, Karen Hao",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46227539,
          "author": "paperplaneflyr",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-11T04:08:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 46226571,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46227539",
          "commentText": "Empire of AI by Karen Hao.\nThe whole world is going crazy for AI. This book brings the story of what actually goes on within those companies.\nFooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Empire of AI by Karen Hao.",
          "reason": "Explains what goes on within AI companies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 45652071,
          "author": "bix6",
          "createdAt": "2025-10-21T03:17:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 45651938,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45652071",
          "commentText": "Recently finished childhood’s end and the end of eternity, enjoyed both. Just started the big time… it’s odd so far lol we’ll see.\nEdit: also reading empire of AI. It’s insightful but not as fun of a read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It’s insightful but not as fun of a read.",
          "reason": "Calls it insightful, while saying it is less fun to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not as fun of a read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Karen Hao"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Society",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "ai industry",
        "technology industry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "empires-of-light-edison-tesla-westinghouse-and-the-race-to-electr-76a85a",
      "title": "Empires of Light: Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, and the Race to Electrify the World",
      "author": "Jill Jonnes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42632395,
          "author": "Steffajos",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-08T09:08:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42632395",
          "commentText": "Empires of Light by Jill Jonnes does a great job covering the rivalry between Edison, Tesla, and Westinghouse over electrifying the world. I liked how it broke down the technical and business challenges and showed the impact on everyday life and industry.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Empires of Light by Jill Jonnes does a great job covering the rivalry between Edison, Tesla, and Westinghouse over electrifying the world.",
          "reason": "Praises its coverage of the rivalry and the technical and business challenges of electrification.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 621353,
          "author": "jf",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-22T00:19:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621353",
          "commentText": "Empires of Light: Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse, and the Race to Electrify the World, Jill Jonnes\nAn extremely detailed and engaging book on how electricity was brought to the United States.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An extremely detailed and engaging book on how electricity was brought to the United States.",
          "reason": "Calls it detailed and engaging and describes its history of electrification.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jill Jonnes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nikola tesla",
        "thomas edison",
        "electricity",
        "electrification"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "energy-and-civilization-a-history-64f1c3",
      "title": "Energy and Civilization: A History",
      "author": "Vaclav Smil",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36601366,
          "author": "_Algernon_",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:00:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601366",
          "commentText": "Vaclav Smil: Energy and Civilization - A History",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Vaclav Smil: Energy and Civilization - A History",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22094219,
          "author": "dredmorbius",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T21:27:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22094219",
          "commentText": "In no particular order, and some of these being more \"highly underrated\" as opposed to \"unknown\", with the notable exception of Smith's Wealth of Nations which is disturbingly un- and mis-read:\n1. Grammatical Man, by Jeremy Campbell (1982)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-e... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-entropy-language-and-life/oclc/856698430)\nMy introduction to information theory and its diverse set of interrelated applications and phenomena.\n2. Ecology and the Politics of Scarcity, by William Ophuls (1977)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-s... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-scarcity-revisited-the-unraveling-of-the-american-dream/oclc/872523631)\nDistills the Limits to Growth issue to its essence, and looks at the political implications, with a set of estimates of political developments which have played out closely.\n3. An Inquiry to the Nature and Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith (1776)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/inquiry-into-the-nature-and-c... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/inquiry-into-the-nature-and-causes-of-the-wealth-of-nations/oclc/1083940513)\nThe best-known, but least-read, and most mis-read book on this list.  Smith isn't perfect and has flaws.  But his message is extraordinarily misunderstood and misrepresented.  Even where he is wrong, he is instructive.\n4. Commercialism and Journalism, by Hamilton Holt (1909)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/commercialism-and-journalism/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/commercialism-and-journalism/oclc/639344712)\nA short but extraordinarily illuminating read on the influence of money and advertising on the press, coming near the beginning of the era of mass media.\n5. Unix Power Tools, by Mike Loukides et al (1997)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/2584502... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/258450296)\nThe book that really got me \"over the hump\" in understanding the Unix environment and tools.  Now somewhat dated, though still highly useful.\n6. A Short History of Progress, by Ronald Wright (2004)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/short-history-of-progress/ocl... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/short-history-of-progress/oclc/1089834019)\nAn exploration of the story, question, and future, of progress.\n7. Entropy and the Economic Process, by Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen (1971)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/entropy-law-and-the-economic-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/entropy-law-and-the-economic-process/oclc/299362046)\nA re-thinking of economics taking thermodynamics into account.  Famously difficult to read, but well worth the effort.\n8. On the Damned Human Race, by Mark Twain (1962)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/mark-twain-on-the-damned-huma... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/mark-twain-on-the-damned-human-race/oclc/950982242)\nA darker, angrier, more bitter side of Twain, cracking open the sanitised version those familiar with Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn will know, and giving an insight to the darker side of late 19th and early 20th century America.\n9. Energy and Civilization, by Vaclav Smil (2017)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-and-civilization-a-his... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-and-civilization-a-history/oclc/1032365823)\nA re-casting of history, not according to spiritual or cultural progress, Great Men, or social dynamics, but the access to and utilisation of energy sources.\n10. Resistances to the Adoption of Technological Innovations, by Bernhard J. Stern (1937)\nhttps://archive.org/details/technologicaltre1937unitrich/pag... (https://archive.org/details/technologicaltre1937unitrich/page/39)\nA fascinating exploration of the organised opposition to numerous significant technological innovations through the ages, contrary to the conventional story told by mainstream economic and innovation models and stories.  Stern's research assistant at the time he was working on this topic went on to become known as a science fiction author, and based one of his first works on this notion:  Isaac Asimov.\nOn the question of compiling such lists:  I've recently started keeping a research journal in which I'm trying to capture works of significance that I've read, vaguely inspired by both index-card methods (such as Zettelkasten or POIC) and bullet journals.\nThe organisation is \"BOTI\" -- best of the interval.\nI will start a two-page spread, dated, of a specific class of entries -- works, videos, authors, ideas, etc. -- and when that closes, start another.  Periodically (about every month, for now) I'll select the best of those works for a BOTM list, and at the end of a year, a BOTY list.\nOr at least that's the idea.\nThis may address the question of keeping track of the most significant works (or authors, concepts, ideas, etc.) over time, which otherwise tend to become a bit of a jumble.\nThe BOTI list and periodic aggregations themselves resemble round-robin databases, or ring or circular buffers or files, though without actually rewriting each specific list.  The initial capture levels remain accessible (in the journal) for revisiting, should something prove to have been more significant on subsequent reflection than initially appeared.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Energy and Civilization, by Vaclav Smil (2017)",
          "reason": "The commenter says it recasts history around access to and use of energy sources.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vaclav Smil"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "civilization",
        "energy history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "enlightenment-2-0-4ea314",
      "title": "Enlightenment 2.0",
      "author": "Joseph Heath",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11229751,
          "author": "tetraodonpuffer",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:42:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229751",
          "commentText": "some recommendations on mixed topics from my recent non-fiction reads, I enjoyed all of them for different reasons (the song machine book even got me to listen to music I would never have thought I'd enjoy, but can't argue Max Martin knows how to write a catchy song!)\nWhen breath becomes air\nhttp://smile.amazon.com/When-Breath-Becomes-Paul-Kalanithi/d... (http://smile.amazon.com/When-Breath-Becomes-Paul-Kalanithi/dp/081298840X/)\nDo no harm, Stories of Life, Death, and Brain Surgery\nhttp://smile.amazon.com/Do-No-Harm-Stories-Surgery/dp/125006... (http://smile.amazon.com/Do-No-Harm-Stories-Surgery/dp/125006581X/)\nThe Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory\nhttp://smile.amazon.com/Song-Machine-Inside-Hit-Factory/dp/0... (http://smile.amazon.com/Song-Machine-Inside-Hit-Factory/dp/0393241920/)\nWhy we work\nhttp://smile.amazon.com/Why-We-Work-TED-Books/dp/1476784868/\nEnlightenment 2.0\nhttp://smile.amazon.com/Enlightenment-2-0-Restoring-politics... (http://smile.amazon.com/Enlightenment-2-0-Restoring-politics-economy/dp/0062342894/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "some recommendations on mixed topics from my recent non-fiction reads, I enjoyed all of them",
          "reason": "Included in a list of nonfiction books the commenter recommends and enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8717505,
          "author": "moarsel",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T17:09:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8717505",
          "commentText": "Somewhat related is \"Enlightenment 2.0\" - Joseph Heath\nPolitics professor explains why contemporary politics is becoming irrational by showing how certain cognitive biases in the political atmosphere make political deliberation more difficult.\nIf you are interested in economics, cognitive biases, and why governance is so bad, it is a must read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Enlightenment 2.0\" - Joseph Heath",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it to readers interested in economics, cognitive biases, and problems with governance.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in economics, cognitive biases, and governance.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph Heath"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political reasoning",
        "cognitive bias",
        "public policy",
        "rationality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "eschaton-797687",
      "title": "Eschaton",
      "author": "Charles Stross",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15433636,
          "author": "tetromino_",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-09T13:36:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15433636",
          "commentText": "Charles Stross's Eschaton series: Singularity Sky and Iron Sunrise. It's an interesting hard-scifi take on what happens to humanity after one AI becomes, for all intents and purposes, God.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Charles Stross's Eschaton series: Singularity Sky and Iron Sunrise.",
          "reason": "Offers the series as a hard science fiction take on humanity after a powerful AI emerges.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026581,
          "author": "Asa-Nisse",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T01:50:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026581",
          "commentText": "Recommendations:\n- Collapse by Jared Diamond, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collapse_%28book%29 about how we over-exploit our planet.\n- The Lucifer Principle by Howard Bloom, psychological and cultural explanations of how humans react to \"memes\" amongst other gems of knowledge.\n- The Eschaton series by Charles Stross (sci-fi).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Eschaton series by Charles Stross",
          "reason": "Recommended as a science fiction series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Stross"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "posthumanism",
        "space opera",
        "time travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "essentialism-6436c9",
      "title": "Essentialism",
      "author": "Greg McKeown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42220081,
          "author": "jarko27",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T09:42:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42220081",
          "commentText": "Not 2024 book, but I found \"Essentialism\" by Greg McKeown valuable despite it being a mainstream self-help book.\nWhile the core message isn't revolutionary (focus on what truly matters), it provided a useful framework for re-examining my priorities and look and my current state of things from different perspective. Sometimes the obvious needs to be stated well to sink in.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I found \"Essentialism\" by Greg McKeown valuable despite it being a mainstream self-help book.",
          "reason": "Found it valuable for reconsidering priorities and seeing their situation from a different perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The core message is not revolutionary; it is a mainstream self-help book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19419777,
          "author": "fernandokokocha",
          "createdAt": "2019-03-18T09:51:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 19402065,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is Getting Things Done still a book that HN recommends?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19419777",
          "commentText": "There _are_ an infinite number of _things_, but which ones are important it's up to you.\nI will be advocating GTD. It doesn't only give you the framework. Once you're done with the basics, it also allows you to make clearer decisions. A nice quote (self-translated, I wasn't reading in English): When the boat sinks, you don’t think about its course.\n\"Essentialism\" is another classic in the subject, more disciplined in rejecting unnecessary stuff, complementary to GTD in terms of your concerns.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Essentialism\" is another classic in the subject",
          "reason": "Describes it as a classic on the subject and complementary to GTD.",
          "audience": "People interested in rejecting unnecessary tasks and commitments.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14859591,
          "author": "muhblah",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T19:50:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859591",
          "commentText": "- Essentialism by Greg McKeown\n- The Undercover Economist by Tim Harford",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Essentialism by Greg McKeown",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Greg McKeown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Business",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "prioritization",
        "essentialism",
        "productivity",
        "self help"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "euthyphro-31aa81",
      "title": "Euthyphro",
      "author": "Plato",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46692926,
          "author": "DataDaoDe",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-20T15:38:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 46690957,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What non-fiction do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46692926",
          "commentText": "Plato's works surrounding Socrates' death: Phaedo, Crito, Euthyphro, The Apology.\nIts fascinating to discover how many thoughts and ideas they had which are still relevant in our societies today. Also, they are incredibly readable, its like taking part in on a conversation among friends.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Euthyphro",
          "reason": "Listed among Plato's works about Socrates' death; the commenter says the ideas remain relevant and the works are readable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503692,
          "author": "telemachos",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T14:39:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503692",
          "commentText": "Some from the canon:\n\nPlato: Defence of Socrates, Euthyphro, Crito (translated by David Gallop)\nThe Modes of Scepticism by Julia Annas and Jonathan Barnes (a beautiful collection of texts from Pyrrhonian scepticism and analysis of their arguments; the best way I know to meet ancient scepticism)\nDescartes: Meditations on First Philosophy (The Cambridge University Press edition is very good; it's probably worth buying their Selected Philosophical Writings for a good basic Descartes text)\nDavid Hume: An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding and An Enquiry concerning the Principles of Morals (I recommend the Oxford Philosophical Texts editions)\nWittgenstein: Philosophical Investigations (terribly, terribly difficult, but very rewarding)\n  A few contemporary things:\n\nGilbert Ryle: The Concept of Mind\nWillard Van Orman Quine: From a Logical Point of View\nJ. L. Mackie: Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong\nThomas Nagel: Mortal Questions (short essays, well-written, very accessible)\nBernard Williams: Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy\nMichael Smith: The Moral Problem\n  Specialist, technical, odd:\n\nThe Frege Reader by Michael Beaney (for modern logic and the beginnings of contemporary philosophy in the analytic style)\nJ. L. Mackie: The Cement of the Universe: A Study of Causation\nWilliam Kingdon Clifford: The Ethics of Belief (he argues, oddly but powerfully, that it's immoral to believe things on insufficient evidence or irrationally - an offense to morality, not just reason)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Plato: Defence of Socrates, Euthyphro, Crito (translated by David Gallop)",
          "reason": "Listed as part of the philosophical canon being recommended.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring ancient philosophy.",
          "caveat": "The listed translation is by David Gallop.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Plato"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient greek philosophy",
        "plato",
        "socratic dialogues"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "everything-is-illuminated-9a7ce5",
      "title": "Everything Is Illuminated",
      "author": "Jonathan Safran Foer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3395271,
          "author": "capkutay",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T09:36:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395271",
          "commentText": "I'd say it's a tie between 2 books by Jonathan Safran Foer:\n\"Everything is Illuminated\" and \"Extremely Loud, Incredibly Close\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Everything is Illuminated\"",
          "reason": "Names it as one of the two books tied for the commenter’s choice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753060,
          "author": "bherms",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T17:04:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753060",
          "commentText": "Every one of those is on my list :)\nI've read Watchmen, Everything is Illuminated, and Slaughterhouse Five.  All were fantastic.  The film adaptation of Everything is Illuminated was actually very good too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've read Watchmen, Everything is Illuminated, and Slaughterhouse Five. All were fantastic.",
          "reason": "Includes it among books they found fantastic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Safran Foer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "family history",
        "holocaust fiction",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "everything-is-obvious-once-you-know-the-answer-d89ee1",
      "title": "Everything Is Obvious: *Once You Know the Answer",
      "author": "Duncan J. Watts",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16351511,
          "author": "alexleavitt",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T06:42:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16351511",
          "commentText": "\"Everything is Obvious,\" by MSR researcher Duncan Watts.\nImagine every time when people infer seemingly-obvious extrapolations from data. This book addresses that phenomenon to make you more self-conscious about the limitations of data and the constant need for more research.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book addresses that phenomenon to make you more self-conscious about the limitations of data and the constant need for more research.",
          "reason": "Recommends a book about overconfident conclusions from data and the need for more research.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4789990,
          "author": "pitchups",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T18:35:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4789990",
          "commentText": "Everything Is Obvious: *Once You Know the Answer by Duncan J. Watts\nWhere Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation by Steven Johnson\nThe Upside of Irrationality by Dan Ariely\nThe Hidden Brain: How Our Unconscious Minds Elect Presidents, Control Markets, Wage Wars by Shankar Vedantam\nThe Googlization of Everything: (And Why We Should Worry) by Siva Vaidhyanathan\nIn The Plex: How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives by Steven Levy\nIdea Man: A Memoir by Paul Allen\nThe Art of Choosing by Sheena Iyengar",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Everything Is Obvious: *Once You Know the Answer by Duncan J. Watts",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Duncan J. Watts"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Society",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "social science",
        "causal reasoning",
        "common sense",
        "data interpretation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "evicted-poverty-and-profit-in-the-american-city-8f50c1",
      "title": "Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City",
      "author": "Matthew Desmond",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804899,
          "author": "AGivant",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:29:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804899",
          "commentText": "Here is my list (from https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/912138-alex-givant?rea...):\nMemoirs:\n- Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti..).\n- Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive by Land, Stephanie, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39218350-maid\n- Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40409969-medium-raw\n- Confessions of a Tax Collector: One Man's Tour of Duty Inside the IRS by Yancey, Rick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_..).\n- The Perfect Predator: A Scientist's Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Superbug: A Memoir by Steffanie Strathdee, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-pre... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-predator)\nPolitics:\n- Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Desmond, Matthew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25852784-evicted\n- Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America by Leovy, Jill, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13153693-ghettoside\n- American Prison: A Reporter's Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment by Bauer, Shane, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38561954-american-prison\n- Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Eban, Katherine, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42448266-bottle-of-lies\n- A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America by Miller, T. Christian, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35805861-a-false-report\n- The New Silk Roads by Frankopan, Peter, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro..).\nHistory:\n- Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-1956 by Applebaum, Anne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13531848-iron-curtain\n- The Romanovs: 1613-1918 by Montefiore, Simon Sebag, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26109020-the-romanovs\n- The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Johnson, Steven, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36086.The_Ghost_Map\n- Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations by Bergman, Ronen, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f..).\n- Madame Fourcade's Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against Hitler by Olson, Lynne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade..).\n- Argo: How the CIA & Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History by Méndez, Antonio J., https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13588425-argo\nCrime:\n- Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History by Selby, Scott Andrew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7071759-flawless\n- American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road by Bilton, Nick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi..).\n- Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by Carreyrou, John, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37976541-bad-blood\n- Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World by Wright, Tom, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-..).\n- The Mastermind: Drugs. Empire. Murder. Betrayal. by Ratliff, Evan, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41181600-the-mastermind\nTechnology:\n- Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon by Zetter, Kim, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze..).\n- Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World by Thompson, Clive, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40406806-coders",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Desmond, Matthew",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list of favorite nonfiction books read in 2019.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803515,
          "author": "lghh",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:10:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803515",
          "commentText": "Leisure Stuff:\nBoom Town: The Fantastical Saga Of Oklahoma City, It's Chaotic Founding... by Sam Anderson\nMidnight In Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham\nDune by Frank Herbert\nThe Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu (tried it this year and stopped, want to give it another go)\nStories of Your Life and Others - Ted Chiang (just finished Exhalation and I think it's great)\nAn Ursula K. Le Guin novel, have not picked one out yet\nA book related to basketball (possibly Dream Team, but IDK yet)\nLess Leisure Stuff:\nLocked In: The True Causes of Mass Incarceration and How to Achieve Real Reform by John Pfaff\nEvicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond\nThe End Of Policing by Alex S Vitale\nEither Manufacturing Consent or Understanding Power by Chomsky\nThe Annotated Turing by Charles Petzold\nWork:\nCode Complete 2 by Steve McConnell\nThe Web Application Hacker's Handbook: Finding and Exploiting Security Flaws by Dafydd Stuttard,  Marcus Pinto\nFinish Writing An Interpreter In Go by Thorsten Ball\nIf I can get through all of these, I will be very pleased. Throw in a book or two at recommendation from friends and I think I'm full for the year.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521100,
          "author": "oscarpas",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T07:26:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521100",
          "commentText": "On the same note I’d recommend Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond.\nWritten in research driven prose, it details the relationships between a handfull of landlords and tenants in some of the poorest neighborhoods of Milwaukee.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I’d recommend Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it and describes its research-driven account of landlords and tenants in poor Milwaukee neighborhoods.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in poverty, housing, and urban life.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14860425,
          "author": "Dowwie",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T21:14:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14860425",
          "commentText": "\"Evicted:  Poverty and profit in the American City\", by Matthew Desmond",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "\"Evicted:  Poverty and profit in the American City\", by Matthew Desmond",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthew Desmond"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "housing",
        "poverty",
        "eviction",
        "milwaukee"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "evidence-based-technical-analysis-a5d4dd",
      "title": "Evidence-Based Technical Analysis",
      "author": "David Aronson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8401371,
          "author": "davidkellis",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:15:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401371",
          "commentText": "Evidence-Based Technical Analysis - David Aronson ; Chapters 4 and 5 give a very accessible explanation of statistical inference through the use of sampling distributions. It's an excellent book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's an excellent book.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it excellent and says Chapters 4 and 5 explain statistical inference accessibly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3184995,
          "author": "rfurlan",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-02T01:39:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 3177815,
          "threadTitle": "Good books for hackers interested in quant finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3184995",
          "commentText": "Books I would recommend for beginners:\nEvidence Based Technical Analysis:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Evidence-Based-Technical-Analysis-Scie... (http://www.amazon.com/Evidence-Based-Technical-Analysis-Scientific-Statistical/dp/0470008741)\nPairs Trading:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Pairs-Trading-Quantitative-Methods-Ana... (http://www.amazon.com/Pairs-Trading-Quantitative-Methods-Analysis/dp/0471460672)\nQuantitative Trading:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Quantitative-Trading-Build-Algorithmic... (http://www.amazon.com/Quantitative-Trading-Build-Algorithmic-Business/dp/0470284889)\nAn Introduction to High Frequency Finance:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Introduction-High-Frequency-Finance-Ra... (http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-High-Frequency-Finance-Ramazan-Dacorogna/dp/0122796713)\nTrading and Exchanges: Market Microstructure for Practitioners:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Trading-Exchanges-Market-Microstructur... (http://www.amazon.com/Trading-Exchanges-Market-Microstructure-Practitioners/dp/0195144708)\nI also wrote a couple of very introductory articles, sadly I never got past part #2:\nhttp://www.bitcortex.com/2008/12/28/pragmatic-automated-trad... (http://www.bitcortex.com/2008/12/28/pragmatic-automated-trading-part-1/)\nhttp://www.bitcortex.com/2009/01/04/pragmatic-automated-trad... (http://www.bitcortex.com/2009/01/04/pragmatic-automated-trading-part-2/)\nI am could mentor 1-2 HN readers that are serious about getting into quant trading. Just let me know you are interested :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Evidence Based Technical Analysis:",
          "reason": "Listed among books recommended for beginners.",
          "audience": "Beginners in quant trading.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Aronson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Business",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "technical analysis",
        "quantitative trading",
        "statistical inference"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "exactly-how-precision-engineers-created-the-modern-world-4fb393",
      "title": "Exactly: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World",
      "author": "Simon Winchester",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29046619,
          "author": "xupybd",
          "createdAt": "2021-10-30T06:51:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 29030285,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29046619",
          "commentText": "Thanks I'll start with exactly. It looks like my kind of book.\nhttps://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https:/... (https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.audible.com.au/pd/Exactly-Audiobook/B07CQ31MTW&ved=2ahUKEwjstbHMxfHzAhX363MBHV5RDT4QFnoECAkQAQ&usg=AOvVaw34TPMRDzb87GRpcbQK29Zn)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thanks I'll start with exactly. It looks like my kind of book.",
          "reason": "Says they will start the book and that it looks like their kind of book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21792874,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T22:44:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21792874",
          "commentText": "The ones I rated highest out of those I read this year (which is what I think the question means).\n* Exactly: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester\n* Atomic Adventures: Secret Islands, Forgotten N-Rays, and Isotopic Murder-A Journey into the Wild World of Nuclear Science by James Magaffey\n* Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande\n* Vulcan 607 by Rowland White\n* Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen\n* Best. Movie. Year. Ever: How 1999 Blew Up the Big Screen by Brian Raftery\n* A Fabulous Creation: How the LP Saved Our Lives by David Hepworth\n* 1983: Reagan, Andropov, and a World on the Brink by Taylor Downing\n* The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes and Why by Amanda Ripley\n* In Your Defence: Stories of Life and Law by Sarah Langford\n* Springfield Confidential: Jokes, Secrets, and Outright Lies from a Lifetime Writing for The Simpsons by Mike Reiss\n* Working Actor: Breaking in, Making a Living, and Making a Life in the Fabulous Trenches of Show Business by David Dean Bottrell\n* Becoming by Michelle Obama\n* Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress by Steven Pinker\n* Rush Hour by Iain Gatel\n* Tamed: Ten Species that Changed our World by Alice Roberts\n* The Next American City: The Big Promise of Our Midsize Metros by Mick Cornett",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The ones I rated highest out of those I read this year",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s highest-rated books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Simon Winchester"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "engineering history",
        "measurement",
        "precision engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "expert-c-programming-3dec80",
      "title": "Expert C Programming",
      "author": "Peter van der Linden",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10029366,
          "author": "pjungwir",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-09T03:05:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10029366",
          "commentText": "- Managing the Professional Service Firm by David Maister\n- Quantum Computing since Democritus by Scott Aaronson\n- Cryptography Engineering by Bruce Schneier et al\n- Time Management for System Administrators by Thomas Limoncelli\n- Expert C Programming by Peter van der Linden",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Expert C Programming by Peter van der Linden",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Expert C Programming",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter van der Linden"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "extremely-loud-incredibly-close-fca69b",
      "title": "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close",
      "author": "Jonathan Safran Foer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8795671,
          "author": "asad_ch",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T06:50:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795671",
          "commentText": "Any one book?\nMr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore, Robin Sloan\nAny one series?\nThe Foundation series, Isaac Asimov\nOther personal favourites include:\nThe Alchemist, Paulo Coelho\nThe Book of Disquet, Fernando Pessoa\nThe Count of Monte Cristo, Alexander Dumas \nExtremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Jonathan Safron Foer Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Richard Bach\nThe Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Jonathan Safron Foer",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s personal favourites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395271,
          "author": "capkutay",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T09:36:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395271",
          "commentText": "I'd say it's a tie between 2 books by Jonathan Safran Foer:\n\"Everything is Illuminated\" and \"Extremely Loud, Incredibly Close\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Extremely Loud, Incredibly Close\"",
          "reason": "Names it as one of the two books tied for the commenter’s choice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Safran Foer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "grief",
        "historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "factoring-humanity-a390eb",
      "title": "Factoring Humanity",
      "author": "Robert J. Sawyer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39729464,
          "author": "bookofjoe",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T21:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729464",
          "commentText": "\"A Canticle For Leibowitz\"\n\"The Sparrow\"\n\"Lord of Light\"\n\"The Immortal\"\n\"Hyperion\"\n\"The Last Question\"\n\"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?\"\n\"Stranger in a Strange Land\"\n\"The City and the Stars\"\n\"Childhood's End\"\n\"Anathem\"\n\"Eifelheim\"\n\"A Case of Conscience\"\n\"VALIS\" trilogy\n\"The Book of Strange New Things\"\n\"Behold The Man\"\n\"The God Engines\"\n\"Book of the New Sun\"\n\"The Parable of the Sower\"\n\"The Dosadi Experiment\"\n\"Grass\"\n\"Project Pope\"\n\"Calculating God\"\n\"Factoring Humanity\"\n\"Jesus on Mars\"\n\"Surface Detail",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Factoring Humanity\"",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about books that changed perspectives on religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536654,
          "author": "dochtman",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:35:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536654",
          "commentText": "Isaac Asimov is one of the classics, of course. I'm particularly fond of the robot novels (all four of the Elijah Baley ones especially) and the entire Foundation series. Of course, you also can't miss the robot short stories. Oh, and The End of Eternity!\nAt some point I found Charles Stross' Accelerando, which is freely available online (along with a bunch of other short stories), and found everything I've read (which is most of it at this point, I think) enjoyably fast-paced. In particular the Laundry series (of which I've bought every iteration as soon as they came out over the past few years) -- though arguably these maybe cross-over from SF into fantasy a bit -- and the Halting State trilogy.\nIn terms of online available work, Cory Doctorow's work is also great. Like Stross, most of his work is more near-term SF, which I have liked, and a bunch of it is available online under a Creative Commons license. It often moves fast and is also politically interesting; sometimes the activism shines through a little blatantly, but the themes are always make me thing in various ways I appreciate (but maybe will fail your lighthearted criterion even if it is fun). His latest is Walkaway, which I would recommend.\nI got into Neal Stephenson through Cryptonomicon, which is one of the greats. Stephenson has a pretty rambly, wordy style, but at least that also makes his stories last a bit longer. After that, I mostly moved on to Anathem, Reamde and Seveneves all of which are big and interesting and great reads (it took me longer than usual to get up to speed on Anathem, but it was very much worth it in the end). I tried one of the more historic ones (I think it was Quicksilver) at some point but haven't finished it. The 2017 Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. was a bit lighter, but lots of fun, too.\nWilliam Gibson has already been mentioned, which I would also recommend. I read the Sprawl trilogy a very long time ago, and it's made a lasting expression. I've started rereading it recently. I also liked the Blue Ant trilogy and The Peripheral, but have so far missed the more recent work.\nMore in the one-off category: The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell is one of my all-time favorites, and mixes deep SF with psychology and religion in interesting ways. There's a sequel, but it's not as good. I also liked The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, which is also on the softer side. I read Scalzi's Redshirts and liked it (especially if you're familiar with the Star Trek universe), it feels similar to Ready Player One in some ways. Daniel Suarez's (or Leinad Zeraus as he originally published them) Daemon is fun and easy to digest, along with its sequel Freedom. I liked Robert J. Sawyer's The Terminal Experiment, but one person I recommended it too wasn't impressed -- I still think it's fun, if not very deep. I also bought his Factoring Humanity and liked it okay.\nHope that helps. Always interested in more recommendations based on this list!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I also bought his Factoring Humanity and liked it okay.",
          "reason": "Says they liked the book okay.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert J. Sawyer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "psychology",
        "alien contact",
        "artificial intelligence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fall-or-dodge-in-hell-47088f",
      "title": "Fall; or, Dodge in Hell",
      "author": "Neal Stephenson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28082751,
          "author": "kleer001",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-06T02:46:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28082751",
          "commentText": "I Thought Dodo was really good. Galland seems to ground Stephenson's tendency to spiral off into deep rabbit holes and leave the story behind.\nFall was good, but looooooong.\nMy trick for reading Stephenson? Audio book.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Fall was good, but looooooong.",
          "reason": "The commenter liked it but says it was very long.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Very long.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28068006,
          "author": "the__alchemist",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T23:58:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28068006",
          "commentText": "Thanks for the tip on REAMDE - it and Dodo are the ones I haven't read.\nI'll add Fall; or, Dodge in Hell. It's Stephenson's most recent book, and has nice scifi and (HN-crowd-relevant) societal concepts. Beware of a very slow opening.\nAlso: Project Hail Mary. Similar to The Martian in the right ways. More ambitious, with all its benefits and plausibility traps.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'll add Fall; or, Dodge in Hell.",
          "reason": "The commenter adds the title as a recommendation and praises its science fiction and social concepts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The opening is very slow.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25540360,
          "author": "the__alchemist",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-26T00:40:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25540360",
          "commentText": "Pale Blue Dot, by Carl Sagan - A beautiful perspective on our place in the Cosmos, and how convergent scientific discoveries can be. I think his model of how we learn about our own planet from studying other worlds  applies more broadly to learning and knowledge in general - we can learn so much by exploring and solving new problems.\nThis is more provincial, but I think Neal Stephenson's Fall; or, Dodge in hell makes important statements on the current and (possible? likely?) state of the future of the Internet. It's inspired me to start several projects lately - that drive is why I love good sci-fi.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neal Stephenson's Fall; or, Dodge in hell makes important statements on the current and (possible? likely?) state of the future of the Internet.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it inspired them to start several projects.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter frames its future predictions as possible or likely.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22720918,
          "author": "rsync",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T17:44:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22720918",
          "commentText": "He is, perhaps, my favorite contemporary author.\nI have a fairly predictable \"best novels ever written\" list which includes _War and Peace_, _Anna Karinina_, _Brothers Karamazov_ and _Dune_ ... but I would also place _SevenEves_ on that list.\nI found _Fall Or: Dodge in Hell_ to be terrible, however.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I found _Fall Or: Dodge in Hell_ to be terrible, however.",
          "reason": "Calls it terrible.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neal Stephenson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "digital afterlife",
        "internet",
        "society",
        "speculative fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fallen-dragon-729424",
      "title": "Fallen Dragon",
      "author": "Peter F. Hamilton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17537852,
          "author": "rektide",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T00:15:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537852",
          "commentText": "Central Station by Lavie Tidhar is an amazing charming story of a world deeply steeped old sitting baking world where new things are coming about. It is charm & delight in the purest & simplest.\nSpin by Robert Charles Wilson. \"Robert Charles Wilson is a hell of a storyteller,\" said Stephen King and this wonderful tour through time and space, humanity & people's lives is incredible.\nThe Quantum Thief series by Hannu Rajaniemi is open, scenic, wild, & so so vivid, one of the most beautiful worlds I've ever visited, & it reminds me so much of a joyous wild swashbuckling run. The mystery of the main character is enchanting.\nInfoquake series by David Louis Edelson is a gripping suspenseful rise of a star entrepreneur that redefines and radically expands the world, amid an already boisterous & full & busy beautiful world already overflowing in seamless technology everywhere. Although the plot line whips along with some suspense & tension, the scenery and the voyage is incredible.\nLathe of Heaven by Ursala Le Guin could quite easily, quite simply be the best first contact story story ever. Touching, and sincere, & simple. This world is not bright and shiny but her writing and the bonding of characters is incredible. See also the rest of the Hainish cycle.\nLeft Hand of Darkness also by Ursala Le Guin is a shifting chaotic shizmatic tale, about picking our fates. \"Well, I did it through dreams. Phil would have done it another way. But yeah, homage to Phil [K.] Dick is right.\"\n- https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/a... (https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/all/)\nFallen Dragon is an early & involved Peter Hamilton adventure book. There's leaving home, & space ships, more space ships, bad guys, fighting back the bad guys, bigger ships, and action. There is A LOT going on, all the time, & violence, but damn this book comes together into something incredible, & telling, & powerful & strong, something that easily makes it my top pick for most-underappreciated Peter Hamilton.\nDiamond Age by Neal Stephenson, which I'm providing largely as a counterweight to the Snowcrash & Sevenses recommendations here. Diamond Age is much less dark, and way more a fun tail about an incredible & mysterious primer for a young lady.\nSirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut.\nAll Systems Red series by Martha Wells is a underprivileged barely coping robot dealing with the humans she hates having to talk to & a shitty planet trying to kill them. Simple, fun, some action & violence, but the main character is a total hoot the whole time with more loner/zero/drop-out attitude & spunk than anything I've read & it's unbelievably charming.\nLords of Light by Roger Zelazny has more style, pizzaz, & spirit than I feel like any of us deserve. An interesting, storied tale from the post-singularity, with a remarkable & robust cast.\nIllium/Olympos by Dan Simmons, are, in my mind still the clear winner, far above Hyperion. The cast is charming beyond belief, stumbling through a world they both know all too much about & far far too little. Some really incredible worldbuilding here.\nRainbow's End by Vernor Vinge. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE A Fire Upon the Deep. But Rainbow's End really is our planet, sometime not far out, and Vinge has the most tour of this next place we're headed, with threads, and annotations, and group chat being the defining new technologies of humanity. And the tale of the misfit happenstance adventurers who wind up ensnared in the plot line is a fun, roving hoot of a journey, a wonderful second chance at a coming of age story.\nMedusa Chronicles by two of my favorites, Alastair Reynolds & Stephen Baxter is probably my favorite exploring the solar system book, about a guy/robot a bit apart from humanity that really wants to see what the local area has to offer. A lot of high tension conflicting societal impulses that our somewhat aloof lead stumbles through, on his personal mission of exploration. Lots of interesting robot philosophy & very varied elements of space come together with the characters to make an incredibly fun space epic, set in a delightful & intriguing alternative history\nOther's recommendations I'd +1: Dune (but super heady material), The Stars My Destination (brimming with class & substance), Mote in God's Eye (some of the best Space Colonial Marines style stuff out there), Accelerando (and Iron Sky and ... overflowing playful scifi), Blue Ant series (dripping with style), Foundation series (and much more Asimov!), Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy (simple direct exciting hunt for treasure in Star Wars), Fuzzy Nation (fun tale)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "this book comes together into something incredible, & telling, & powerful & strong",
          "reason": "Says the book comes together into something incredible and powerful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes there is a lot of action and violence.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226847,
          "author": "aarongough",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:34:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226847",
          "commentText": "I'm a big fan of Sci-Fi because I feel it makes people think about what they want the future to be, as well as avoiding the re-hashing of historical and current events that many fiction books set in the present do. With that in mind a list of great books to read:\n  The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson\n  Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson\n  Gridlinked - Neal Asher\n  Neuromancer - William Gibson\n  The Reality Dysfunction - Peter F. Hamilton\n  The Dreaming Void - Peter F. Hamilton\n  Fallen Dragon - Peter F. Hamilton\n  Altered Carbon - Richard Morgan\n  Market Forces - Richard Morgan\n  Blindsight - Peter Watts\n  The Electric Church - Jeff Somers\n  Tunnel in the Sky - Robert A. Heinlein\n  The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Robert A. Heinlein\n  1984 - George Orwell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fallen Dragon - Peter F. Hamilton",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter F. Hamilton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "military science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fear-and-trembling-9e7113",
      "title": "Fear and Trembling",
      "author": "Søren Kierkegaard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21802758,
          "author": "0kl",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T13:11:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21802758",
          "commentText": "I plan to reread a couple core works for myself. Of that list the ones that I’d recommend for others are:\nAurelius (trans. Martin Hammond)\nFear and Trembling\nMan’s Search for Meaning\nTolstoy’s Confessions\nKundera’s The Art of the Novel\nAfter doing a thorough reading of “How to Read a Book” I decided to try rereading a few books to pull more out of them.\nI can’t recommend “How to Read a Book” enough - despite its anachronisms and glaring faults, it’s the only book I’ve found that has genuinely made me feel that I’ve not really read a single book in my life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fear and Trembling",
          "reason": "One of the books the commenter says they would recommend to others.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5693437,
          "author": "gruseom",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-12T07:05:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5693437",
          "commentText": "Wait, how'd you get to Pessoa from there?!\nPessoa is fascinating. I believe it was he who wrote:\n  Poets pretend\n  They pretend so well\n  They even pretend\n  They suffer what they suffer.\n\n... something that lodged itself in my brain years ago and never left. Pessoa wrote under countless pseudonyms. He is like Kierkegaard in that respect. You might like Fear and Trembling, in fact, based on your list.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You might like Fear and Trembling, in fact, based on your list.",
          "reason": "Suggests the book based on the recipient's list.",
          "audience": "Someone whose reading list resembles the recipient's.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Søren Kierkegaard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "existentialism",
        "faith",
        "religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "feeling-good-2cd63b",
      "title": "Feeling Good",
      "author": "David D. Burns",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30742512,
          "author": "irchans",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T13:39:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30742512",
          "commentText": "Personal Power - Robbins, How to win friends and influence people - Carnegie, Feeling Good - Burns, Godel Esher Bach - Hofstadter,  Fundamentals of Physics - Halliday and Resnick, Jonathan Livingston Seagull - Bach, The Commodore 64 User Manual, \"Stocks for the Long Run\",  The Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide - Gygax, Dune - Herbert",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Feeling Good - Burns",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14480052,
          "author": "paraschopra",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-04T05:39:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14480052",
          "commentText": "_The Beginning of Infinity_ changed my worldview from thinking progress is slowing down or problems in the world are overpowering to a more hopeful one where problems always be there for humans to solve, and that through human activity we can keep making progress. It also gave hope that one day in future, we might be able to clearly see that good, bad, evil, love, beauty might be fundamental aspects of universe, just like gravity, atoms, and radioactivity is. It also walks through philosophy of science (v/s pseduo-science). All in all, I wish I had read it earlier.\n_Feeling Good_ because of the tools it contains to battle self-defeating feelings that lead bouts of sadness or depression. I wish everyone would read that book so that they can build mental immunity against circular, depressing thoughts.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "_Feeling Good_ because of the tools it contains to battle self-defeating feelings",
          "reason": "Recommends its tools for dealing with self-defeating thoughts and feelings.",
          "audience": "Everyone, in the commenter's view.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David D. Burns"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognitive behavioral therapy",
        "depression"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fermat-s-enigma-the-epic-quest-to-solve-the-world-s-greatest-math-feeafd",
      "title": "Fermat's Enigma: The Epic Quest to Solve the World's Greatest Mathematical Problem",
      "author": "Simon Singh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15961784,
          "author": "BlackjackCF",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T17:19:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961784",
          "commentText": "1. Fermat's Enigma: The Epic Quest to Solve the World's Greatest Mathematical Problem - I've been on a giant math books kick. I really enjoyed Simon Singh's other book, The Code Book, so this one is awesome.\n2. The Code Book - If you're really into the history of cryptography, this book is for you.\n3. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck - Not a really a revelatory book by any sorts. But a fun read.\n4. The Handmaid's Tale - Revisiting this since the TV series came out and I really felt like getting traumatized all over again.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed Simon Singh's other book, The Code Book, so this one is awesome.",
          "reason": "Calls it awesome, noting they enjoyed another book by the author.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in mathematics, as the commenter has been on a math books kick.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13237838,
          "author": "satyajitranjeev",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T15:30:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237838",
          "commentText": "Things I completed:\n1. Elon Musk: Inventing the Future\n2. The Code Book - Simon Singh\n3. Fermat's Enigma - Simon Singh\n4. Deep Work - Cal Newport\n5. Smarter Faster Better - Charles Duhigg\n6. 1984\n7. So good they can't ignore you - Cal Newport\n8. Distributed Systems for fun and profit\n9. Classic Shell Scripting\nThings I partially read and hope to complete some time:\n1. The music of Primes\n2. Traction\n3. Founders at work\n4. Your Memory: How it works and how to improve it\nThings I would recommend:\nFermat's Enigma and The Code Book are very interesting reads if you are into Mathematics. They are both written very well and you don't need to know too much of Mathematics to understand it. On the other hand The Music of Primes started of very interesting and then got a bit too heavy for an evening read. If you can chug along I think it would be a good one too.\nOf all the self help books I mentioned I think Duhiggs Smarter, faster better is the one that stands out. It is more of an analysis of various teams and people and how they got to work efficiently.\nFounders at work is a long read but something that you can read a chapter independently and that's why it is under half read but definitely something to look at.\n[EDIT: formatting]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fermat's Enigma and The Code Book are very interesting reads if you are into Mathematics.",
          "reason": "Calls it a very interesting read for people into mathematics and says it is well written.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in mathematics and Fermat's Last Theorem.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says extensive mathematical knowledge is not required.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Simon Singh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fermat s last theorem",
        "mathematical history",
        "number theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fermat-s-last-theorem-9f1dac",
      "title": "Fermat's Last Theorem",
      "author": "Simon Singh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38565904,
          "author": "__rito__",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T06:03:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38565904",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- \"The Dark Forest\" by Liu Cixin and the whole Three Body Problem/Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy. Truly massive, grand SciFi. Would recommend 10/10. [HN]\n- \"Anna Karenina\" by Tolstoy. Made me face deeper parts of my mind. Attempted to answer some questions I had. Great story. Huge book. Historical fiction is something I like across languages.\n- \"Candide\" by Voltaire. Genuinely fun and entertaining, besides it being- you know- Voltaire.\n- \"The Diamond Age\" by Neal Stephenson. Very good story, world buulding, nice technology. Great thinking by the author.\nNon Fiction:\n- \"Fermat's Last Theorem\" by Simon Singh. Was very happy to see a Popular Math book where there are so many Popular Science books. Great book. Goes over FMT's solving history, with many many fun anecdotes, short biographies, etc. Truly enjoyable to read.\n- \"Code Book\" by Simon Singh. Genuinely fun and learned a lot. Cryptography's history, progress, and so much more. [HN]\nSelf-Help:\n- \"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\" by Robert Pirsig. Truly marvelous book and nice to read. This book requires the reader to be of certain kind attaining a certain level. Without that, this book will seem a fluff and overrated hugely. Fundamentally changed my thinking. [HN]\n- \"Four Thousand Weeks\" by Oliver Bourkeman. Thought this was about saner time management with some wisdom. But was much deeper than that. Will recommend.\nBengali:\n- \"Abhajaner Mahabharat\" by Mahbub Lilen. A fun and serious retelling of the Mahabharata. Goes deep, too. Really fun to read.\n- \"Khana Mihirer Dhipi\" by Bani Basu. An account of feminism in the light of female-dominated inner part of Bengali elite households- and that in the light of female dominated, fully maternalistic hunter-gatherers of early human history. Very thought provoking and unique.\n[HN]- chose primarily because recommendation in some past HN threads.\nRead 23 so far. Target is 25. Currently reading Snow Crash and Exhalation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Fermat's Last Theorem\" by Simon Singh.",
          "reason": "Enjoyed this popular mathematics book, especially its history, anecdotes, and biographies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567349,
          "author": "msravi",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T15:52:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567349",
          "commentText": "Two books by Simon Singh:\nThe Code Book\nBig Bang\nHe has an amazing ability to go really deep into what he's explaining. No hand waving over the details. And yet, it's so very readable.\nUnfortunately that wasn't true with his other book - Fermat's Theorem - probably because the subject matter was too complex?",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Unfortunately that wasn't true with his other book - Fermat's Theorem - probably because the subject matter was too complex?",
          "reason": "Says the detail and readability they praised in Singh's other books did not hold for this one.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter speculates the subject matter may have been too complex.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10027646,
          "author": "uxcn",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T16:05:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027646",
          "commentText": "Without going into heavily technical books, I'd recommend The Code Book by Simon Singh.  There's also Fermat's Last Theorem by the same author.\nOn the more technical side, it's somewhat cliche but, TAOCP really is excellent.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "There's also Fermat's Last Theorem by the same author.",
          "reason": "Offered as another title in a list responding to the request for high signal to noise books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Simon Singh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "number theory",
        "fermat s last theorem",
        "mathematical biography",
        "mathematical history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "feynman-s-rainbow-d64e1a",
      "title": "Feynman's Rainbow",
      "author": "Leonard Mlodinow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34160861,
          "author": "themodelplumber",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:44:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160861",
          "commentText": "I realized I can't really recommend books to audiences much anymore, because I don't read those types of audience-books as much as I used to.\nBut still, here are some I probably bought for $0.99 and enjoyed:\nLost Restaurants of Seattle\nThis Outcast Generation by Taijun Takeda\nThe Royal Navy Lynx: An Operational History\nA Doctor's War by Aidan MacCarthy\nSniping in France by Hesketh-Prichard\nThe Art of Whittling by Faurot\nMoscow Calling by Angus Roxburgh\nFeynman's Rainbow by Leonard Mlodinow\nIcelandic Folk Tales by Stefansson\nIf you like any of those topics then you have my random recommendation, and possibly the indulgent vanity of once more having avoided consumer risk, or maybe consumer regret.\nThese were fun in 2022, in addition to 1) web browsing, which I find is definitely reading, despite all its numbered-pagelessness, and 2) dipping back into lots of classics and favorites, from Blacksad to Darwin to Scaramouche and Tom Sawyer.\n(Possibly throwing in a volume on the adventures of Groo, a Weird Tales, a Comics Cavalcade, some TTRPGs, and a Scooby-Doo Team-Up...)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Feynman's Rainbow by Leonard Mlodinow",
          "reason": "Included among books enjoyed in 2022 and offered as a recommendation to readers interested in the topics.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the book's topic.",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls the recommendations random.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8402605,
          "author": "rfzabick",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T19:33:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8402605",
          "commentText": "I just finished Feynman's Rainbow by Mlodinow. It's an interesting look at Feynman and Gell-Man. It was a little lighter on Feynman moments than I expected, but certainly worth the read. I took a break from the 3rd Game of Thrones book to read that.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I just finished Feynman's Rainbow by Mlodinow. It's an interesting look at Feynman and Gell-Man. It was a little lighter on Feynman moments than I expected, but certainly worth the read.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds it interesting and says it is worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Lighter on Feynman moments than the commenter expected.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leonard Mlodinow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "richard feynman",
        "murray gell mann",
        "physicists",
        "physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fierce-invalids-home-from-hot-climates-7e1da4",
      "title": "Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates",
      "author": "Tom Robbins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10785719,
          "author": "martythemaniak",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T21:18:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785719",
          "commentText": "Leave it to Psmith - 10/10\nAnna Karenina - 8/10\nThe Code of the Woosters 8/10\nFooled by Randomness 7/10\nFinding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life 8/10\nHow to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia 9/10\nReluctant Fundamentalist 9/10\nThe Sense of an Ending - Julian Barnes 8/10\nThe Last Question - Asimov - 9/10\nThe Magic of Thinking Big - 6/10\nThe catcher in the Rye 8/10\nModels 7/10\nHigh Fidelity - Nick Hornby 8/10\nThe Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman 7/10\nThe Surrender Experiment - 10/10\nUntethered Soul - 9/10\nThe Autobiography of a Yogi - 7/10\nRaja Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 7/10\nSomething Fresh, something new - 7/10\nKarma Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 8/10\nThinking, Fast and Slow - 9/10\nFierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates 10/10\nThe Pearl by John Steinbeck 7/10",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates 10/10",
          "reason": "Rates the book 10/10.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6416411,
          "author": "seanccox",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-20T07:28:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6416411",
          "commentText": "White Teeth, Zadie Smith\nFierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates, Tom Robbins\nHomage to Catalonia, George Orwell\nCatch 22, Joseph Heller\nTimequake; Mother Night, Kurt Vonnegut Jr.\nSeven Pillars of Wisdom, TE Lawrence\nThe Histories, Tacitus\nThe Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger (caveat, it was most effective when I read it at 16)\nRedwall, Brian Jaques (got me really excited about reading when I was in the fourth grade)\nThis list could be much, much longer, but those are the most prominent 'life-changers' that come to mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates, Tom Robbins",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the most prominent life-changers that come to mind.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Robbins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "satire",
        "adventure",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "financial-intelligence-for-entrepreneurs-758241",
      "title": "Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs",
      "author": "Karen Berman and Joe Knight",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13243351,
          "author": "noufalibrahim",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-23T07:00:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13243351",
          "commentText": "1. Red Plenty (Francis Spufford) - Fascinating fictionalised account of the history of the USSR. Gets a little tedious at times but worth it.\n2. Anils Ghost (Michael Ondaatje) - Drama with a war background. Nice read.\n3. Financial intelligence for Entrepreneurs - Very useful now that I have a small company of my own.\n4. How to Speak How to listen (Mortimer Adler) - Worth it. I enjoy public speaking and this was well written and quite useful.\n2016's been a bad year for me as far as books go.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Very useful now that I have a small company of my own.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it very useful while running a small company.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs running a small company.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Karen Berman",
        "Joe Knight"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "financial literacy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "firefall-c05e99",
      "title": "Firefall",
      "author": "Peter Watts",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38573009,
          "author": "unaindz",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T19:21:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38573009",
          "commentText": "Last year Annihilation and the rest of the trilogy rekindled my passion for reading after almost a decade.\nVandemeer really has a way with words but specifically in this novel he manages to describe what I though was indescribable.\nIt was only fair that I tried another one of his trilogies, Borne, The Strange Bird and Dead Astronauts.\nWith Borne being pretty normal (for Vandermeer standards) and the other two reading like pretty ramblings at times if you lack the context. I still loved them but they may not be for everyone.\nYou should read them in the order above so that you have as many pieces of the prose puzzle when you reach Dead Astronauts. But even if you end up not liking the writing of the last two books, Borne can still be enjoyed independently.\nAs for this year. \n\"Blood music\" by Greg Bear.\nBiology scify with a pretty weird concept.\n\"Firefall\" trilogy by Peter Watts\nUsually a scify story revolvs around one core idea, this one does too, but it kept surprising me with new secondary but interesting ones until the end.\nRead The Colonel between the two main books.\n\"Rifters\" trilogy by Peter Watts\nExploring sexual abuse, empathy\n\"Story of Your Life\" by Ted Chiang\nShort story about a linguist learning the recently arrived aliens language. Liked the humor depicting the different perspectives between scientists and military. Pretty emotional.\nI'm not sure what it tells about me but all of these are bittersweet scify with good prose.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Firefall\" trilogy by Peter Watts",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its core idea and says it kept surprising them with interesting secondary ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Read The Colonel between the two main books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21903345,
          "author": "CosmicShadow",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T02:02:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21903345",
          "commentText": "These books really challenge your thinking or force you to think hard and/or see things through another lens. They are also really good reads that are very hard to put down.\nHarry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\nFirefall series by Peter Watts (Blindsight & Echopraxia)\nAxiomatic by Greg Egan\nN.N. Taleb's books\nThese are all books I had seen written about in previous HN threads like this and ended up reading, so glad I did!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Firefall series by Peter Watts (Blindsight & Echopraxia)",
          "reason": "The series is included among books the commenter says challenge thinking and are hard to put down.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in challenging science fiction.",
          "caveat": "The comment names Blindsight and Echopraxia as entries in the series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Watts"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "consciousness",
        "hard science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "five-billion-years-of-solitude-60ea16",
      "title": "Five Billion Years of Solitude",
      "author": "Lee Billings",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17521767,
          "author": "Tepix",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T10:25:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521767",
          "commentText": "Of all the books I read this year, I liked \"Five billion years of solitude\" by Lee Billings the most:\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17707637-five-billion-ye... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17707637-five-billion-years-of-solitude)\nIt's mostly about the Exoplanet boom in astronomy. It also has a lot of philosophical aspects.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Of all the books I read this year, I liked \"Five billion years of solitude\" by Lee Billings the most:",
          "reason": "Says it was their favorite book of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6898852,
          "author": "brotchie",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T03:11:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6898852",
          "commentText": "I make note of the books I read in 1-2 sittings because I can't put them down. This year these were:\n    Five Billion Years of Solitude - Lee Billings\n    Ready Player One - Ernest Cline\n    Grand Ambition: An Extraordinary Yacht, the People Who Built It, and the Millionaire Who Can't Really Afford It - G. Bruce Knecht",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Five Billion Years of Solitude - Lee Billings",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter read in one or two sittings because they could not put them down.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lee Billings"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "astrobiology",
        "exoplanets"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "flow-my-tears-the-policeman-said-3a63f4",
      "title": "Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said",
      "author": "Philip K. Dick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50115941,
          "author": "johncoltrane",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T09:03:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50115941",
          "commentText": "J.R.R. Tolkien: The lord of the Rings (lost count)\nPhilip K. Dick: Ubik, Flow My Tears The Policeman Said, A Scanner Darkly, etc. too many to count (many more than twice)\nWilliam Gibson: everything at least twice\nNeal Stephenson: Snow crash (three times, I think)\nClifford D. Simak: City\nH. P. Lovecraft: everything at least twice. There is a French compilation of The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, The Silver Key, and Through the Gates of the Silver Key that I've read countless times. I've used two editions and I'm at my third.\nMaurice G. Dantec: Babylon Babies (three times)\nPossibly many others.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Flow My Tears The Policeman Said",
          "reason": "Listed among Philip K. Dick books the commenter has read many times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 47984579,
          "author": "johncoltrane",
          "createdAt": "2026-05-02T08:35:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 47984463,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47984579",
          "commentText": "A bunch of William Gibsons.\nPhilip K. Dick's Ubik, A Scanner Darkly, and Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said.\nClifford D. Simak's City.\nClassics.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36033366,
          "author": "MattPalmer1086",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-22T16:18:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36033366",
          "commentText": "Not sure I still have the stage play to be honest, it was done in the late 90s, I'd have to really dig back into my old backups.\nThe whole idea was to use multimedia, video projection, computer animation and live video mixed up with live performance to really mess with the audience's sense of what was real or not.\nWe managed to pull it off quite nicely with Flow My Tears though.  A nice bit was cutting from a live feed of an actress apparently cutting her arm, to a pre recorded close up of the arm being cut and lots of blood.  Audience always thought they were seeing what was happening on stage at that point :)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "We managed to pull it off quite nicely with Flow My Tears though.",
          "reason": "Discusses adapting the novel into a stage play.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056461,
          "author": "auggierose",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T11:59:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056461",
          "commentText": "Philip K. Dick (Ubik, Man in the high castle, Flow my tears the police man said)\nFrederik Pohl (Gateway, the Space Merchants)\nUrsula K. Le Guin (The Dispossessed, Left Hand of Darkness)\nIain M. Banks (Culture novels)\nYou will find many Sci-Fi treasures by just going through http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SF_Masterworks",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Flow my tears the police man said",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for favourite sci-fi books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip K. Dick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "identity",
        "dystopia",
        "dystopian fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fluent-python-8f1d7a",
      "title": "Fluent Python",
      "author": "Luciano Ramalho",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13238121,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:01:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238121",
          "commentText": "Last year I gave myself a Zuckerberg-style goal to read a book every two weeks. It started well, but some months were harder than others (usually when the book wasn't very good, so I would switch to podcasts for a few weeks, before getting back on track).\nHere's an unordered list of the best:\n[BUSINESS / SELF-IMPROVEMENT]\n- \"Work Rules!\" - about Google's culture and values\n- \"Search Inside Yourself\" - about mindfulness, meditation, and the impact on your life.\n- \"What got you here won't get you there\" - Liked a lot more than I expected.\n- \"Re-read Innovator's Dilemma\" - a great classic; never gets old.\n- \"How will you measure your life\" - from the same author. Also excellent.\n- \"The Best Service is No Service\" - good overview on why Amazon's customer service is so good\n- \"Crucial Conversations\" - half is common sense; half is good tips to practice everyday.\n[PROGRAMMING]\n- \"Fluent Python\" - was afraid it'd be too basic, but not really. Enjoyed it a lot.\n- \"Think Complexity\" - about algorithm complexity, data structures, etc. Great read.\n- \"Python Data Science Handbook\" - meh.\n- \"Fundamentals of Deep Learning\" - good intro. Helped me solidify some concepts from Andrew Ng's ML course\n- \"Deep Learning\" - by Goodfellow and Bengio. Just started, but really liking it.\n[STARTUPS] (all excellent; in order)\n- \"The Hard Things about Hard Things\"\n- \"Zero to One\"\n- \"The Founder's Dilemmas\"\n- \"The Launch Pad\"\n[FICTION]\n- Trilogy: \"Off to be a wizard / An Unwelcome Quest / Spell or High Water\"\n- \"Infinite Jest\" - tried but failed to finish. May try again later.\n- \"Ready Player One\" - nice, but repetitive after a while. Good read before the movie comes out.\n[NON-FICTION]\n- \"What If?\" - xkcd FTW\n- \"How to Read a Book\" - good concepts, but should be a 10 pages blog post, not a book\n- \"Spark\" - Science of the Exercise and the Brain - Long, but good\n- \"Sugar Shock\" - still reading; hopefully will help me cut my sweet cravings\n[BIOGRAPHIES]\n- \"The New New Thing\" - about Jim Clark's life, one of the very first entrepreneurs\n- \"Machines of Loving Grace\" - about the research and the rise of AI\n- \"Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution\"\n- \"The Second Coming of Steve Jobs\" - About Pixar's story. Liked more than Isaacson's biography\n- \"The Innovators\" - great summary of computer industry, from the 1800's till today\n- \"Ghost in the Wires\" - Kevin Mitnick's story. Had started years ago, but finally finished it\n- \"Idea Man\" - about Paul Allen's story. Quite an impressive man.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Fluent Python\" - was afraid it'd be too basic, but not really. Enjoyed it a lot.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was not too basic and they enjoyed it a lot.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10183751,
          "author": "rbanffy",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-08T01:10:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10183751",
          "commentText": "I mentioned Fluent Python a couple minutes ago. http://shop.oreilly.com/product/mobile/0636920032519.do",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I mentioned Fluent Python a couple minutes ago.",
          "reason": "The commenter repeats a title they had already mentioned; no evaluation is stated here.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10183748,
          "author": "rbanffy",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-08T01:09:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10183748",
          "commentText": "Fluent Python, http://shop.oreilly.com/product/mobile/0636920032519.do",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fluent Python",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Luciano Ramalho"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "python",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fluid-concepts-and-creative-analogies-f215f0",
      "title": "Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies",
      "author": "Douglas Hofstadter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22093220,
          "author": "Rerarom",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T19:07:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22093220",
          "commentText": "His other non-GEB books are cool. I especially enjoyed Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I especially enjoyed Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they especially enjoyed this book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10325237,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T20:31:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325237",
          "commentText": "I'm sure there are many, but a few that jump to mind, in no particular order, and spanning both fiction and non-fiction:\nThe Selfish Gene - Dawkins\nA New Kind of Science - Wolfram\nThe Singularity is Near - Kurzweil\nGödel, Escher, Bach - Hofstadter\nFluid Concepts and Creative Analogies - Hofstadter\nAtlas Shrugged - Rand\nThe Fountainhead - Rand\nNineteen Eighty-Four - Orwell\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nAmbient Findability - Peter Morville\nEmergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software - Steven Johnson\nSix Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age - Duncan Watts\nLinked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means for Business, Science, and Everyday Life - Albert-laszlo Barabasi\nArtificial Life - Steven Levy\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nThe World is Flat - Thomas Friedman\nnot a book, but the various writings of Douglas Engelbart - http://www.dougengelbart.org/library/library.html\nGlasshouse - Charles Stross\nPermutation City - Greg Egan\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nThe Shockwave Rider - John Brunner\nThe Society of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nThe Origin of Wealth: The Radical Remaking of Economics and What it Means for Business and Society - Eric Beinhocker\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nFooled By Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies - Hofstadter",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Hofstadter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "analogy",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "cognition",
        "cognitive science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "food-of-the-gods-f36969",
      "title": "Food of the Gods",
      "author": "Terence McKenna",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23157861,
          "author": "ExactActuation",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T18:37:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23157861",
          "commentText": "Food of the Gods by Terrence McKenna (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/111941/food-of-the-... (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/111941/food-of-the-gods-by-terrence-mckenna/))\nHow to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/529343/how-to-chang... (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/529343/how-to-change-your-mind-by-michael-pollan/))\nFellowship of the River by Joe Tafur, MD (https://www.drjoetafur.com/the-fellowship-of-the-river)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Food of the Gods by Terrence McKenna",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for mind bending books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17982396,
          "author": "cyberpip",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-13T20:45:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17982396",
          "commentText": "\"Food of the Gods\"  by Terrence McKenna was a revelation and led me to dive into his other books and lectures (and many topics spawned from it). Complete shift in baseline perception. Though not his quote, he said it frequently: \"The truth is not only stranger than you suppose, it is stranger than you _can_ suppose.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Food of the Gods\" by Terrence McKenna was a revelation",
          "reason": "Calls it a revelation and says it prompted exploration of the author's other work and related topics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terence McKenna"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "psychedelics",
        "human culture",
        "human evolution"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fortune-s-formula-93d291",
      "title": "Fortune's Formula",
      "author": "William Poundstone",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fortune's Formula",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 621797,
          "author": "fgimenez",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-22T09:46:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621797",
          "commentText": "Fortune's Formula by William Poundstone. The story behind Claude Shannon and Ed Thorpe gambling (and then using those techniques on Wall Street).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fortune's Formula by William Poundstone. The story behind Claude Shannon and Ed Thorpe gambling (and then using those techniques on Wall Street).",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the favorite true story tech book question.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in mathematical gambling and Wall Street history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Poundstone"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Mathematics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "kelly criterion",
        "information theory",
        "wall street"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "foundation-and-earth-334453",
      "title": "Foundation and Earth",
      "author": "Isaac Asimov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12070956,
          "author": "teh_klev",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T13:41:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12070956",
          "commentText": "No, most (non-pedantic) Asimov fans refer to the first three books (F, F&E, SF - which yes are technically collections of short stories glued together as one) as \"the Foundation Trilogy\". I do recommend reading the Foundation's Edge and Foundation and Earth, they're worthy sequels to the \"trilogy\".\nThe Robot novels are also a top read and tie in with the later Foundation books in a satisfying way:\n- The Caves of Steel\n- The Naked Sun\n- The Robots of Dawn\n- Robots and Empire",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I do recommend reading the Foundation's Edge and Foundation and Earth",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends these as worthy sequels to the trilogy.",
          "audience": "Readers of the Foundation Trilogy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056523,
          "author": "edem",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:18:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056523",
          "commentText": "Since the OP asked about books not authors my favourite book is \"Foundation and Earth\" (Isaac Asimov), \"Childhood's End\" (A.C. Clarke) and Solaris (Stainslaw Lem).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "my favourite book is \"Foundation and Earth\"",
          "reason": "Named as a favorite sci-fi book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6390796,
          "author": "elehack",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T23:41:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6390796",
          "commentText": "A lot of stuff:\nAsimov's Foundation (I only recommend the trilogy, though; Foundation's Edge is good but will make you want to read Foundation and Earth, which does severe damage to the universe. Haven't read the prequels.)\nAsimov's short stories\nTolkien\nBen Hur\nThe Count of Monte Cristo (brilliant revenge story)\nA lot of Brandon Sanderson's work (The Stormlight Archive is promising to be fascinating)\nToo long a list of other stuff to put here.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Foundation and Earth, which does severe damage to the universe.",
          "reason": "Strongly criticizes its effect on the Foundation universe.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isaac Asimov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "foundation-and-empire-75452b",
      "title": "Foundation and Empire",
      "author": "Isaac Asimov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42968080,
          "author": "austin-cheney",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-07T00:47:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42968080",
          "commentText": "* A Thousand Splendid Suns\n* Foundation and Empire\n* On Liberty\n* Good to Great\nThose books shaped how I interact with other people, which is:\n* I will move forward. I am not waiting for you to make a decision. If you need time then it’s on your own time and can catch up at your liability, otherwise it’s absolute empathy and self-sacrifice in all things.\n* As for other people I want to avoid people that state firm conclusions lacking evidence or measures. I consider that stupidity but it could just be bias or autism. Either way it’s a problem. If people do that and can’t help but talk about themselves then they are definitely either autistic or a sociopath. If those people are charming then they are definitely sociopaths.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Foundation and Empire",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter says shaped how they interact with other people.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043481,
          "author": "wwortiz",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043481",
          "commentText": "Snow Crash and The Diamond Age are good books, especially for just starting to read again.\nUbik is my favorite PKD book followed closely by Electric Sheep.\nThe His Dark Materials isn't really sci-fi so much as fantasy but it is quite a good read (though if you didn't have a kindle it might be embarrassing buying them from the young adult section, they are quite adult though).\nI think a huge thing missing from your list is the Foundation series from Asimov (I recommend going in order of publishing, start with Foundation move onto Foundation and Empire then Second Foundation and more if you are into it).\nMy 2 cents.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "start with Foundation move onto Foundation and Empire then Second Foundation",
          "reason": "Included in the recommended publication order for the Foundation series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1973942,
          "author": "GeneralMaximus",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T04:40:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1973942",
          "commentText": "I must say I'm not enjoying Foundation and Empire as much as the original Foundation. Foundation had me pausing every few pages to think, but I found the second book lacking in those viewpoint-altering ideas. Anyway, I'm only halfway through the second one. I hope it gets better towards the end.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I must say I'm not enjoying Foundation and Empire as much as the original Foundation.",
          "reason": "Says the sequel lacks the viewpoint-altering ideas they found in the original.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is only halfway through and hopes it improves.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isaac Asimov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "political science fiction",
        "psychohistory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "foundations-and-fundamental-concepts-of-mathematics-04ce88",
      "title": "Foundations and Fundamental Concepts of Mathematics",
      "author": "Howard Eves",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34441230,
          "author": "mxkopy",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T15:21:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34441230",
          "commentText": "In that vein I highly recommend Foundations and Fundamental Concepts of Mathematics by Howard Eves. I think it might be a little dated, but it gives an amazing overview of the most important developments in mathematics that were relevant at the time. It's less focused on practice (though there are some problems) and more on the history and motivation behind the ideas. This book introduced me to axiomatics, non-Euclidean geometry, quaternions, and abstract algebra in my senior year of high-school.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Foundations and Fundamental Concepts of Mathematics by Howard Eves.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its overview of mathematical developments, history, and motivation behind ideas.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an overview of mathematical ideas and their history.",
          "caveat": "The commenter thinks it may be a little dated and says it focuses less on practice.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10027904,
          "author": "hga",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T17:06:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027904",
          "commentText": "The Selfish Gene is wonderfully tight, indeed very little noise and a whole lot of signal.\nHere's two books if you want to learn about math you might want to learn about: The Facts on File Dictionary on Mathematics by Gibson, and Foundations and Fundamental Concepts of Mathematics by Howard Eves, which takes a historical approach, but is not a history per se.  More like \"this is what the Greeks did, in this period the use of calculus was pretty loose and look at this equation that  Euler thought was right, these are the steps that brought rigor to it\" etc.\nSusan Wise Bauer has been writing a series of history books solely focused on \"politics\", i.e. no coverage of the arts besides occasional mentions; that can be a very useful framework to then hang study of things like the arts off of.  Also no wild speculation like Guns, Germs and Steel is filled with, if it wasn't written down and passed down to us, it gets only brief mention.  Here's the first one: http://www.susanwisebauer.com/books/history-of-the-ancient-w... (http://www.susanwisebauer.com/books/history-of-the-ancient-world/)\nSamuel Eliot Morison wrote a series of book on the History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, they're focused on what happened in detail, with charts of the movement of the ships in various battles and so on.  The TV series Victory at Sea was based on them, and they're a good framework to then hang more detailed study of the war off of: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_United_States_Naval... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_United_States_Naval_Operations_in_World_War_II)\nAs Wikipedians put it, This History of U.S. Naval Operations also intentionally avoided a certain amount of analysis, for instance deferring to other works for the causes of the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor. The intended audience for the work, to quote from the preface, was \"the general reader rather than the professional sailor.\"\nThere are two very tight and short books on self-defense, Jeff Cooper Principles of Personal Defense and Massad Ayoob's In the Gravest Extreme, The Role of the Firearm in Personal Protection, \"Just the facts, ma'am\", firearm centric but wonderfully focused.\nADDED: Sun Tzu's The Art of War is itself very focused (the media on which it was written strongly encourages that!), although the commentary, traditional and what modern translators add, can wander into fluff.  A lot of it is relevant to modern non-violent life, and don't forget that \"You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you\".  I recommend  Samuel B. Griffith's translation, he was a professional military officer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Foundations and Fundamental Concepts of Mathematics by Howard Eves",
          "reason": "Lists it among books for learning about mathematics and describes its historical approach.",
          "audience": "Readers who want to learn about mathematics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not a history per se.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Howard Eves"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "foundations of mathematics",
        "history of mathematics",
        "mathematical history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fragment-dafaf4",
      "title": "Fragment",
      "author": "Warren Fahy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23562996,
          "author": "kleer001",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-18T13:40:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 23561163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book that nobody you know has heard of?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23562996",
          "commentText": "Fragment - Warren Fahey\nA Michael Crichton-esque thriller set on an island that's been cut off from the rest of the world for 1/2 a billion years and the crazy nitro fuelled funny car of an ecosystem that's there.\nIt's not a surprise philosophical treatise that'll revolutionize your cognition, just a bit of good fast fun.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Fragment - Warren Fahey\nA Michael Crichton-esque thriller set on an island",
          "reason": "Recommends it as fast, entertaining fun.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a fast thriller.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not a philosophical treatise.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961346,
          "author": "billbrown",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:31:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961346",
          "commentText": "Here's quite a few, but they might be of interest to others.\n1. You Have the Right to Remain Innocent: great advice that I had never seen anywhere else (except his video that started the whole thing).\n2. The Vital Question: good overview of origin of life research.\n3. Fragment: hard science fiction (is that the term?) that delved into evolution and dovetailed with some of the reading I had been doing around that subject.\n4. The Science of Navigation: delved into the wonder of current navigational technology and how we got to here.\n5. The Lost City of the Monkey God: bought on a lark, made me realize that archaeology can still find new things nowadays.\n6. Island of the Lost: historical account of two shipwrecks on the same island at the same time that knew nothing of each other.\n7. Protecting the Gift: another eye-opener about being more aware of the ways people _can_ prey on children.\n8. Wondrous Contrivances: how people reacted to new techologies in the past.\n9. Rig Ship for Ultra Quiet: submariner's account of life during a Cold War operation.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Fragment: hard science fiction (is that the term?) that delved into evolution",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as hard science fiction and connects it with their reading on evolution.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in science fiction and evolution.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether “hard science fiction” is the right label.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Warren Fahy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creature thriller",
        "ecological thriller",
        "evolution",
        "evolutionary biology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "free-will-5c846d",
      "title": "Free Will",
      "author": "Sam Harris",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19087986,
          "author": "pcprincipal",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T18:17:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19087986",
          "commentText": "\"Free Will\" by Sam Harris. A buddy told me to read this after we got in a long debate about free will at a bar. Basically, he told me I wasn't even grasping what free will is, and that the hour to read the book would totally change everything for me. Lo and behold, he was right and the next conversation we had about free will was much deeper and largely framed by the insights in this book. It convinced me that the real question isn't \"Do we have free will?\" but rather \"What is free will?\"\n\"The Beginning of Infinity\" by David Deutsch. It's difficult to pinpoint this book as being about a thing or a set of things, but my best attempt is to say it's about attaining knowledge and the non-existent limits to human knowledge. I've never felt more inspired than when I finished reading this book and reflected on the infinite lengths humankind has to go on technological progress. Overall, it's an incredible argument for optimism about what is possible.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It convinced me that the real question isn't \"Do we have free will?\" but rather \"What is free will?\"",
          "reason": "Says the book changed how they frame the question of free will.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10766854,
          "author": "lilcarlyung",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T12:20:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10766854",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.\nFree Will by Sam Harris.\nTractatus Logico-Philosophicus by Ludwig Wittgenstein",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Free Will by Sam Harris.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that affected the reader's thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sam Harris"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "free will",
        "consciousness",
        "neuroscience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "freedom-5c9362",
      "title": "Freedom",
      "author": "Jonathan Franzen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9674694,
          "author": "megalodon",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T14:18:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674694",
          "commentText": "Freedom by Jonathan Franzen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Freedom by Jonathan Franzen",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the request for a mind-blowing book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2087423,
          "author": "jgv",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T04:09:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2087423",
          "commentText": "Let The Great World Spin - Colum McCann\nFreedom - Jonathan Franzen\nEating Animals - Jonathan Safran-Foer\nDesperate Characters - Paula Fox",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Freedom - Jonathan Franzen",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Franzen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "freedom-from-the-known-2c3e5d",
      "title": "Freedom from the Known",
      "author": "J. Krishnamurti",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30241303,
          "author": "pizza",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T07:07:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241303",
          "commentText": "at the risk of sounding like a broken record freedom from the known",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "freedom from the known",
          "reason": "Offers it as an answer to the request for a book recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674344,
          "author": "swatkat",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T12:18:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674344",
          "commentText": "\"Freedom from the Known\" by J. Krishnamurti.\n\"I Am That\" by  Nisargadatta Maharaj.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Freedom from the Known\" by J. Krishnamurti.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. Krishnamurti"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self knowledge",
        "eastern philosophy",
        "thought"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "freedom-from-the-known-da4970",
      "title": "Freedom from the Known",
      "author": "Jiddu Krishnamurti",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17912460,
          "author": "dominotw",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T20:24:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17912460",
          "commentText": "The Selfish Gene - Dawkins\nFreedom from the Known - Jiddu\nFor decades I've been plagued by 'what is one supposed to do in life' question, I've been restless for years.\nThese two books gave me atleast a logical framework to understand my frustrations.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Freedom from the Known - Jiddu",
          "reason": "Says the books gave them a logical framework for understanding their frustrations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229799,
          "author": "swatkat",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:52:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229799",
          "commentText": "I Am That, by Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj\nFreedom from the Known, by Jiddu Krishnamurti\nThink on These Things, by Jiddu Krishnamurti\nThe Bhagavad Gita\nThe Grand Design, by Stephen Hawking",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Freedom from the Known, by Jiddu Krishnamurti",
          "reason": "Offered as a book suggestion in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jiddu Krishnamurti"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "freedom",
        "self inquiry",
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "from-impossible-to-inevitable-1c7cfe",
      "title": "From Impossible to Inevitable",
      "author": "Aaron Ross and Jason Lemkin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21902980,
          "author": "baristaGeek",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T00:46:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902980",
          "commentText": "Best business books:\n-Secrets of Sandhill Road\n-Hackers and Painters\n-The Great CEO within\n-Venture Deals\n-Predictable Revenue\n-Zero to One\n-The Hard Thing About Hard Things\n-Lean customer development\n-Lost and founder\n-Lean B2B\n-From Impossible to Inevitable\n-Traction\nBest computer science books:\n-Competitive programming 3\n-Structure and interpretation of computer programs\nBest for fun (non-fiction):\n-Meditations\n-Sapiens\n-How to win friends and influence people\n-A brief history of time\n-Self-reliance\n-Frente a la estrella polar",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-From Impossible to Inevitable",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s best business books in response to a question about influential books.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in scaling sales and startups.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11252763,
          "author": "kennyfrc",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-09T13:19:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11252763",
          "commentText": "Ha! Just had that binge too...\n... Here's what I like:\nOn the business end:\n- Badass by Kathy Sierra\n- Impossible to Inevitable by Aaron Ross\n- Traction by Gabriel Weinberg\n- Cold Calling Early Customers by Robert Graham\n- Learn or Die by Edward Hess\nOn \"refining your thought process\":\n- Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley\n- Racing Towards Excellence by Jan Sramek\n- Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin\n- Case Interview Secrets by Victor Cheng (helps you think in a nice, structured way)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Impossible to Inevitable by Aaron Ross",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s liked business books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Aaron Ross and Jason Lemkin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sales",
        "sales growth",
        "scaling startups",
        "startup growth"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gai-jin-695e1c",
      "title": "Gai-Jin",
      "author": "James Clavell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268850,
          "author": "satvikpendem",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:05:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268850",
          "commentText": "Shogun, after having watched the show. I also read the other books in Clavell's series, I thought Tai Pan and Gai Jin were interesting but not as much as Shogun. Gai Jin in particular felt like it had lots of filler.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Gai Jin in particular felt like it had lots of filler.",
          "reason": "Says it felt like it had a lot of filler.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter found it padded.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6397823,
          "author": "kyzyl",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-17T05:55:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6397823",
          "commentText": "Yeah the Asian Saga includes King Rat, Shogun, Noble House, Taipan as well as Gai-gin, The Whirlwind. They're all pretty good books but I believe Taipan, Noble House and Shogun are considered Clavell's best work, in that order (personally I like Noble House best).\nThanks for the recommendation though.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "King Rat, Shogun, Noble House, Taipan as well as Gai-gin, The Whirlwind.",
          "reason": "Includes it among the saga books the commenter considers pretty good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4969039,
          "author": "theballwatcher",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T12:30:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4969039",
          "commentText": "Shogun is a great read. It got me started on the whole historical fiction genre. The rest of the books in Clavell's Asian Saga are pretty good too except for maybe Gai-jin. I also enjoyed reading Gore Vidal's Lincoln and Burr from his Narratives of the Empire series - very entertaining and definitely not run-of-the-mill biographic portrayals.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "except for maybe Gai-jin",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter suggests it may be an exception to the praise for the other saga books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Clavell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "19th century japan",
        "japan"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "galapagos-6fc52c",
      "title": "Galápagos",
      "author": "Kurt Vonnegut",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16296441,
          "author": "adjkant",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T06:09:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296441",
          "commentText": "Slaughterhouse-Five, Galapagos, Sirens of Titan\nBasically, any Kurt Vonnegut book that isn't Cat's Cradle (good but overrated).\nBias note: I'm still young, but these shaped me easily.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Slaughterhouse-Five, Galapagos, Sirens of Titan",
          "reason": "Includes it among books said to have shaped the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes they are still young.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401555,
          "author": "laurenbee",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:36:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401555",
          "commentText": "Read: \"Galápagos\" - Kurt Vonnegut\n(re)Reading: \"Drown\" - Junot Díaz",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Read: \"Galápagos\" - Kurt Vonnegut",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6983854,
          "author": "Snail_Commando",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-30T09:39:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 6981802,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good general technical books for teenagers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6983854",
          "commentText": "There are already suggestions in this thread that are better than mine, but I'll still throw my hat in the ring.\nThat's great that she's interested in biology. I'd like to gently suggest that if she \"isn't very enthusiastic about computers or technology\", you should instead try to nurture her demonstrated interest in art, biology, and other science.\nI know absolutely nothing about art, except that I apparently have no taste. So I'll refrain from making any suggestions on art books.\nTL;DR: Skip down to the third section for the \"technical book\" suggestion.\n--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n(1)\nHere are some suggestions of books on general science, biology, and chemistry (in no particular order, these are some of the first ones that come to my mind):\n\"The Structure of Scientific Revolutions\" By Thomas S. Kuhn\n\"The Diversity of Life\" By Edward O. Wilson\n\"The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time\"  by Jonathan Weiner\n\"Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes: Further Reflections in Natural History\"  by Stephen Jay Gould\n\"Life on a Young Planet\" By Andrew H. Knoll\n\"Galápagos\" By Kurt Vonnegut (Fiction, but related) (I loved this book, but it's not for everyone I suppose. A couple of my friends didn't like it.)\n\"Napoleon's Buttons\" By Penny Le Couteur and Jay Burreson\n\"The Lives of a Cell: Notes of a Biology Watcher\" By Lewis Thomas\n---------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n(2)\nIf she's interested in learning a lot about cellular biology in beautifully exhaustive detail, buy her this textbook:\n\"Molecular Biology of the Cell\" By Bruce Alberts, Paul Walter, Alexander Johnson, Julian Lewis, Martin Raff, Keith Roberts\nThis book is huge. And it is wonderful.\n---------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n---Read this suggestion if my other suggestions aren't good---\n(3)\nSo you want a technical book? And she's interested in biology?\nBuy her a copy of:\n\"The Principles of Biomedical Informatics\" By Ira J. Kalet\nThis textbook is incredible. It teaches you some fundamentals of many different flavors of bioinformatics. (Different flavors, because, as the author acknowledges, bioinformatics can mean many things.) You can learn how to work with amino acid sequences, protein modeling, medical imaging, probabilistic biomedical models, and more!\nSince you have SICP and LoL on your bookshelf already, you might love the next part. The entire textbook is a cleverly accessible primer on how to build applications with Common Lisp. Whether you're a greybeard Lisp hacker or a repl-noob, you'll like this book if you are interested in learning about bioinformatics.\nI've had the first edition for quite some time. Recently, I think in the past few months, a second edition was released. Someone gifted me the 2nd ed, :) but I haven't really compared the two.\n----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\nI was going to suggest Gödel, Escher, Bach when you mentioned she was interested in art, and were hoping to find a technical book for her. Then I saw that you already had tried that one. I'm going to leave the suggestion anyway because these types of threads are wonderful for finding great books.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Galápagos\" By Kurt Vonnegut (Fiction, but related) (I loved this book, but it's not for everyone I suppose. A couple of my friends didn't like it.)",
          "reason": "The commenter says they loved it, while acknowledging that it is not for everyone and some friends disliked it.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in fiction related to biology and evolution.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not for everyone; a couple of friends disliked it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kurt Vonnegut"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolution",
        "evolutionary fiction",
        "evolutionary satire",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "game-change-d94da2",
      "title": "Game Change",
      "author": "John Heilemann and Mark Halperin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467690,
          "author": "cududa",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:51:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467690",
          "commentText": "Triumph And Tragedy of Lyndon B Johnson (his effectiveness to pass legislation fascinated me)\nHarry Potter (comfort series)\nCharlie Wilson’s War (it’s hilarious and informative),\nGame Change (a sobering reminder of the 2008 election and how we got to today),\nLincoln’s Melancholy (on his depression).\nI’ve read lots of books twice, but the above are the only I can find in my library I’ve read 3 or more times. Outside of Harry Potter, I view the figures in those books most responsible for turning points in our nations history.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Game Change",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a sobering reminder of the 2008 election and its aftermath.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12069186,
          "author": "acabrahams",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T06:10:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12069186",
          "commentText": "1. The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu\n2. One L by Scott Turow\n3. The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu\n4. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells\n5. Believer: My Forty Years in Politics by David Axelrod\n6. The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells\n7. Augustus: First Emperor of Rome by Adrian Goldsworthy\n8. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (re-read)\n9. I, Claudius by Robert Graves\n10. Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks\n11. The Fear Index by Robert Harris\n12. Red Dragon by Thomas Harris (re-read)\n13. The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris (re-read)\n14. Hannibal by Thomas Harris (re-read)\n15. Game Change by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin (re-read)\n16. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (re-read)\n17. Claudius the God by Robert Graves\nRe-reads take hardly any time at all, so I'm not sure whether to count them. If you're not, then 11 books read so far.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Game Change by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin (re-read)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Reread; the commenter questions whether rereads should count.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1973822,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T03:53:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1973822",
          "commentText": "It hasn't been a great year for books for me. Lots of things I found entertaining enough, nothing really stands out. Pinned down, I'd say _Game Change_, which I expected to hate (the story is getting very stale) but turned out to read like a West Wing season put to paper.\nI'm trying to read more fiction and am cruising this thread for ideas. Downthread, someone suggested _Into Thin Air_ as being startup-relevant (in an entrepreneurial, building something amazing up from nothing sense), and I added _Kitchen Confidential_ to that pile. Both are nonfiction. What are some good fiction titles that resonate the same way?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "turned out to read like a West Wing season put to paper.",
          "reason": "Despite expecting to dislike it, says it read like a season of The West Wing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the story felt stale before reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Heilemann",
        "Mark Halperin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american elections",
        "campaigns",
        "political reporting",
        "politics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "games-people-play-74d6ed",
      "title": "Games People Play",
      "author": "Eric Berne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37940367,
          "author": "Quinzel",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T09:10:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37940367",
          "commentText": "A book I really enjoyed was “Games people play” by Eric Berne.\nIt made me reflect a lot on the interactions I have with the people around me, and I think I needed to develop a deeper level of self-awareness than I had prior to reading it. So I’m glad I read it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A book I really enjoyed was “Games people play” by Eric Berne.",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed it and says it prompted reflection and greater self-awareness about interactions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17938850,
          "author": "dmccunney",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-08T01:21:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17938850",
          "commentText": "An assortment:\n\"The Silent Language\" by Edward T. Hall.\nHall was an anthropologist attached to the University of New Mexico.  He and his research partner, linguist Norman Trager, were doing research in comparative culture.  Hall realized they would need a comprehensive theory of culture to describe what they were comparing and provide ways to compare them.  Hall's model was \"culture as communication\", and the results were presented in the book above.  His key point was that most of culture was like the iceberg - 90% of it is processed on an unconscious reflex level.  We are no more aware of most of our culture than a fish is of the water it swims in.  We only become aware when we are set down in a culture that does things differently than ours. The Silent Language is about how we use space.  The followup \"The Hidden Dimension looks into how different cultures use time. Many things fell into place when I read Hall.\n\"Games People Play\" by Eric Berne.\nBerne was a psychiatrist and founder of the discipline of Transactional Analysis.  Games People Play was a PopSci bestseller when first published, which was odd because it's a highly technical volume written for other psychiatrists.  His thesis was that most human behavior could be viewed as games, and most of what we did were ways of structuring time.  Follow up with his \"What Do You Say After You've Said Hello?\" and \"Beyond Games and Scripts\".  Hall's work above did much to explain teh behavior of societies.  Berne's work does much to explain the behavior of people in societies.\n\"The Anatomy of Criticism\" by Northrop Frye.\nFrye was a Professor of English at Toronto University.  He had completed a study of William Blake called \"Fearful Symmetry\", and was attempting to do a study of Spencer's Faery Queen.  But he found himself trying to make sense of various terms used in literature, and the result became a work of pure theory, unconnected with any specific works.  He refers to poetry and poetics, but his canvas is broader.  Part of his problem was that there was no general term in English for a work of prose fiction.  It's a set of four essays, covering Historical Criticism, Ethical Criticism, Archetypal Criticism, and Rhetorical Criticism, but makes clear that while each form is valid in its own terms, none fully described literature, and a more synoptic view was required.\n\"The Structure of Scientific Revolutions\" by Thomas S. Kuhn\nKuhn's work challenged the accepted notions of scientific progress, and the notion of steady accumulation.  His thesis was that the real progress came from notions that lay outside accepted theories, and provided new paradigms by which reality might be understood, and faced all the resistance transformative ideas face from entrenched doctrine until they are demonstrated to be correct.\n\"Management: Tasks, Practices, Responsibilities\" by Peter F. Drucker.\nDrucker was our present generation's primary primary theorist and consultant on the practice of management, and just what management was and what mangers did.  This work was probably his magnum opus, where he pulled together the ideas he'd formulated elsewhere into a coherent whole.  It's a liberal education not only in management, but in the nature and structure of market based economies.\n\"The Making of Economic Society\" by Robert F. Heilbroner.\nThis is probably the best single volume overview I'm aware of on economics and economic history, beginning with just what an economy is, and the changing conception of economics through history, with the transition from Traditional through Command to Market economies and the issues involved with each.  Many animated discussions I see online about economics make me say \"Those words don't mean what you think they do.  Please read Heilbroner, and come back when you have.  Then we might at least be talking about the same things.\"\n\"The Problems of Philosophy\" by Bertrand Russell.\nRussell is concerned with knowledge, and how we know what we know.  He asks \"Is there any knowledge in the world so certin that no reasonable man could doubt it?\", and concludes that it's one of the most difficult questions that can be asked.  When we understand the obstacles in the way of a straightforward and confident answer, we are launched on the study of philosophy, which is concerned with precisely such questions.  If philosophy is of interest, this is a superb place to start.\n\"Religion and the Rise of Capitalism\" by R. H. Tawney.\nEconomies don't exist in vacuums.  The are aspects of the societies in which they exist, and reflect the values of those societies. Religion has been a critical part of the value systems of societies for as long as there have been societies, and religious notions on what sort of behavior is acceptable affect the structure of economies by determining what sort of transactions are permissible. Tawney is specifically concerned with religious thought in England affecting social organization and economic issues in the period immediately preceding the Reformation and the two following centuries, but while his focus in England, his description of the way in which Christian religious doctrine changed gradually to make a capitalist economy possible in England, the underlying processes could be applied through Europe in general. Read this as a companion to Max Weber's \"The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism\", originally written in German and concerned with the Netherlands and Germany.\n\"Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy\" by Joseph A. Schumpeter.\nSchumpeter was an Austrian economist, a contemporary of John Maynard Keynes, and (briefly) Austria's Finance Minister in the 1920's.  Like Keynes, he considered himself influenced by Marx.  But unlike many others, he believed Marx \"asked all the right questions, and got all the wrong answers\".  Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy was Schumpeter's (often delightfully snarky) attempt to understand what Marx got wrong and why.  It's a useful brainwash after you've spent any time reading MArx or other folks who consider themselves Marxists, and provides a needed sense of perspective.\nThere's more, but I have to stop somewhere...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His thesis was that most human behavior could be viewed as games",
          "reason": "Explains behavior through games and ways of structuring time.",
          "audience": "The commenter describes it as highly technical and written for psychiatrists.",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it a technical volume despite its popular-science bestseller status.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Berne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "transactional analysis",
        "social interaction",
        "social psychology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gardens-of-the-moon-f16405",
      "title": "Gardens of the Moon",
      "author": "Steven Erikson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38557293,
          "author": "NoNotTheDuo",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:18:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557293",
          "commentText": "Gardens of the Moon, Deadhouse Gates, Memories of Ice, House of Chains, Midnight Tides, The Bonehunters, Reaper's Gale, Toll the Hounds, Dust of Dreams, and The Crippled God - aka Malazan Book of the Fallen - all by Steven Erikson.\nTalk about a renewed interest in reading.  After getting through Gardens of the Moon, I realized that I didn't really know what was going on or why these characters were doing what they were doing.  I found a readalong podcast (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ten-very-big-books-a-m... (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ten-very-big-books-a-malazan-readthrough-podcast/id1461716128)), which really helped me put into context the storylines throughout the series.\nIt's the most epic fantasy series out there.  The stories are based on GURPS games that Erikson and his gaming partner Ian Cameron Esslemont ran in the 1980s on archeological digs.\nAnd there are an additional 16 novels, written both by Erikson and Esslemont, which continue to flesh out the universe.\nI became completely enamored with the books.  I couldn't put them down.  It took me from about February through October to finish all 10.  There's so much content, and they really shine on a readthrough.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "After getting through Gardens of the Moon, I realized that I didn't really know what was going on",
          "reason": "First book in the series; the commenter found it confusing before continuing with a readalong podcast.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter initially struggled to understand the plot and characters.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20981895,
          "author": "dilippkumar",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T07:45:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20981895",
          "commentText": "Just finished the second book of this series. I agree with the parent comment - strongly recommend.\nI also finished book 10 of the Malazan series.\nImagine Dan Carlin (Hardcore History podcast) and Quentin Tarantino took both the red pill and the blue pill that Morpheus offered Neo and ground both the pills together, snorted it, shook hands and agreed to create something better than Game of Thrones. I imagine they would have come up with something almost as good as the Malazan series.\nYou’ll have to power through the first book (Gardens of the Moon). It is notoriously difficult - I recommend following up each chapter with commentary on Tor’s Gardens of the Moon reread. I will also guarantee that the way book 1 ends will not make sense. But keep reading - the payoff is waiting as early as the end of book 2. And again at the end of book 3. And again all through books 4 and 5. And it’ll stay that good till the end.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "You’ll have to power through the first book (Gardens of the Moon). It is notoriously difficult",
          "reason": "The commenter says to persist through the difficult first book for the later payoff.",
          "audience": "Readers willing to follow chapter commentary and stick with a challenging opening.",
          "caveat": "The first book's ending may not make sense at first.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Erikson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "complex worldbuilding",
        "dark fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "geek-sublime-the-beauty-of-code-the-code-of-beauty-c4db08",
      "title": "Geek Sublime: The Beauty of Code, the Code of Beauty",
      "author": "Vikram Chandra",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9758497,
          "author": "tswartz",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T14:23:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758497",
          "commentText": "Geek Sublime by Vikram Chandra. The connections between the worlds of art and technology.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Geek-Sublime-The-Beauty-Code/dp/155597... (http://www.amazon.com/Geek-Sublime-The-Beauty-Code/dp/1555976859)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Geek Sublime by Vikram Chandra. The connections between the worlds of art and technology.",
          "reason": "Points to its connections between art and technology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401569,
          "author": "MattGrommes",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:39:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401569",
          "commentText": "I'm about a quarter of the way through \"The Martian\" by Andy Weir. It's good, geeky fun so far. Some of the dialog is clunky but the main character is interesting and fun.\nI also read \"11/22/63\" by Stephen King. An interesting twist on time travel with the usual King propulsiveness. Recommended for King fans like me who may not have read him in awhile.\n\"Geek Sublime\" by Vikram Chandra is a surprising mix of \"my career in writing\" with computation lessons and history. I took a break from it to read The Martian but it's extremely interesting. He's one of my favorite writers and I'm glad he's got something out that might expose him to a different audience.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's extremely interesting. He's one of my favorite writers and I'm glad he's got something out that might expose him to a different audience.",
          "reason": "Calls the book extremely interesting and praises its blend of writing, computation, and history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vikram Chandra"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Computing",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "art and technology",
        "literature",
        "programming",
        "programming culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "generation-x-tales-for-an-accelerated-culture-d09e40",
      "title": "Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture",
      "author": "Douglas Coupland",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19557031,
          "author": "blakesterz",
          "createdAt": "2019-04-02T18:17:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 19556208,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on the early history of the Internet and/or Web?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19557031",
          "commentText": "The copy I own says \"Soon to be a movie\" I wonder what ever happened to that. I re-read it for the first time since it came out, it aged way better than Gen-X did for me.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "it aged way better than Gen-X did for me.",
          "reason": "Says the book has aged worse than Microserfs.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comparison is personal and does not elaborate on the criticism.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1973764,
          "author": "johnwatson11218",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T03:33:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1973764",
          "commentText": "I just re-read \"Microserfs\" and \"Generation X\" by Douglas Coupland. I actually read both of these years ago when they first came out. I am amazed at how prescient they were. So many themes and ideas that I had buried away were right there on the printed page. Looking back over the past decade of my own life I can see that even though I wasn't aware of it, these books had a profound influence on my dreams/ideas/aspirations.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I am amazed at how prescient they were.",
          "reason": "The commenter says both reread books were prescient and had a profound influence on their dreams, ideas, and aspirations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1568997,
          "author": "SandB0x",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T20:45:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1568997",
          "commentText": "Two of my favourite summer books:\nThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald\nGeneration X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture by Douglas Coupland\nAny friend of Gatsby is a friend of mine.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture by Douglas Coupland",
          "reason": "Names it among their favorite summer books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Coupland"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "1990s",
        "generation x",
        "counterculture",
        "generational fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "genesis-1c8f5a",
      "title": "Genesis",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35933688,
          "author": "wwarner",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T23:08:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35933688",
          "commentText": "I had exactly the opposite reaction, though I came in thinking it all be fire and brimstone. Genesis is a wonderful take on the attitude one should adopt toward the natural world. Regardless of what our scientific understanding of nature is (today’s will certainly look weird 3000 years from now), we know to behold it is good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Genesis is a wonderful take on the attitude one should adopt toward the natural world.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises Genesis for its perspective on how to approach the natural world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107077,
          "author": "kilo_man",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T09:00:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107077",
          "commentText": "Just listing books that have had a big impact on me:\n* The Now Habit - http://www.amazon.com/dp/1585425524\n* Getting Things Done - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0142000280\n* Simply Christian - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061920622\n* Surprised by Hope - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061551821\n* The Great Divorce - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060652950\n* Mere Christianity - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060652926\n* The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - http://www.amazon.com/dp/048629823X\n* Tao Te Ching - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060812451\nBooks from the Bible that I like:\n* Genesis\n* Judges\n* Ruth\n* Tobit\n* Job\n* Psalms\n* Ecclesiastes\n* Sirach/Ecclesiasticus\n* Everything written by John",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Genesis",
          "reason": "Listed among biblical books the commenter says they like.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "History",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bible",
        "creation",
        "hebrew scripture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "getting-everything-you-can-out-of-all-you-ve-got-41bf1d",
      "title": "Getting Everything You Can Out of All You've Got",
      "author": "Jay Abraham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 673569,
          "author": "sivers",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-25T13:02:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 673487,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there any good Internet marketing books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=673569",
          "commentText": "To get fundamentals and theory foundation, drop the \"internet\" part of your requirement.  The internet is just another way to connect people.\nAll successful marketing comes down to a fundamental understanding of people, how we like to be spoken to, what captures our attention, and what messages stick.\nRead my notes and excerpts on some of these books to get an idea if they're what you're looking for:\n==\nSmall is the New Big - by Seth Godin\nA \"best-of\" collection of small essays about marketing. Seth writes in general terms meant to give you perspective, change the way you think about marketing, and inspire you to actions, no matter how small, that make all the difference.  Read anything by Seth Godin (as others here have said), but this is his best overview.\nhttp://sivers.org/book/SmallIsTheNewBig\n==\nMade to Stick - by Chip Heath and Dan Heath\nA deep analysis of what makes certain ideas or stories memorable.\nhttp://sivers.org/book/MadeToStick\n==\nYou, Inc - The Art of Selling Yourself - by Harry Beckwith\nHarry Beckwith is amazing. Read everything by him. This is just his newest. He's the best at reminding you how basic human consideration translates into marketing.\nhttp://sivers.org/book/YouInc\n==\nGetting Everything You Can Out of All You've Got - by Jay Abraham\nJay Abraham is an absolute marketing genius from an angle the others here don't cover.  This gets you into his mindset, seeing profitable aspects in your business you never noticed before, and how to communicate them to your audience.  Sorry I don't have notes on this one:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/0312284543",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This gets you into his mindset, seeing profitable aspects in your business you never noticed before",
          "reason": "Praised for helping readers see overlooked profitable opportunities and communicate them to their audience.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking business growth and marketing insight.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they do not have notes on this book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 193554,
          "author": "donw",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-18T19:50:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 193308,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What books on marketing do you recomend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=193554",
          "commentText": "Some observations:\nIsn't the first title just the first volume of the Calculus textbook used in 'Saw'?\nDoes the second title have errata?\nDoes the third book describe the current political climate in the States?\nIs the fourth book written by the Mafia?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Does the third book describe the current political climate in the States?",
          "reason": "Refers to the title in a joke, without evaluating the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 193331,
          "author": "edw519",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-18T12:59:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 193308,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What books on marketing do you recomend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=193331",
          "commentText": "Differentiate or Die\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing\nGetting Everything You Can Out of All You've Got\nThe Irresistable Offer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Getting Everything You Can Out of All You've Got",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jay Abraham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marketing strategy",
        "business growth",
        "entrepreneurship",
        "marketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "getting-things-done-the-art-of-stress-free-productivity-dc8dc3",
      "title": "Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity",
      "author": "David Allen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16296361,
          "author": "kevlar1818",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T05:38:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296361",
          "commentText": "Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress Free Productivity by David Allen. Whether as a recent graduate toiling with life decisions or as a recent graduate student juggling life, work, and school, I read this book about 2 to 5 years too late.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read this book about 2 to 5 years too late.",
          "reason": "Says they wish they had read it earlier, as a recent graduate balancing life, work, and school.",
          "audience": "Recent graduates balancing life decisions, work, and study.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416203,
          "author": "AJAlabs",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T20:53:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416203",
          "commentText": "David Allen's Book Getting Things Done\nhttp://gettingthingsdone.com",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "David Allen's Book Getting Things Done",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Allen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "productivity",
        "task management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gideon-the-ninth-f70ee0",
      "title": "Gideon the Ninth",
      "author": "Tamsyn Muir",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268997,
          "author": "lowbloodsugar",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:29:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268997",
          "commentText": "qntm, There is no antimemetics division.\nTamsin Muir, Gideon the Ninth\nIain M Banks, The Algebraist\nD F Jones, Colossus\nJames S A Corey, The Mercy of Gods",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tamsin Muir, Gideon the Ninth",
          "reason": "Lists it among books read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38572036,
          "author": "sverona",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T18:02:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38572036",
          "commentText": "If anyone else is going to read Nona, I strongly recommend you read it immediately after Harrow and immediately before Alecto. And keep a Pynchon-style notebook. Neither I nor a friend could make heads or tails of what was going on without drawing a diagram.\nGideon is amazing. Harrow is amazing. Both are good casual reads. Nona is far more demanding of the reader.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gideon is amazing.",
          "reason": "Praised as amazing and a good casual read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tamsyn Muir"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "necromancy",
        "space fantasy",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "give-and-take-cc826f",
      "title": "Give and Take",
      "author": "Adam Grant",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18662508,
          "author": "amuresan",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T09:26:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18662508",
          "commentText": "1. La peste (Albert Camus) - entertaining if you're into French existentialism\n2. Linked (Barabasi) - insightful and useful to understand that most phenomenon we see in real life follow a power law and what that means\n3. Leonardo da Vinci (Walter Isaacson) - surprising how little of da Vinci's real personality is reflected in his modern image\n4. Matrix computations – third edition (Gene Golub, Charles van Loan) - good read if you're into linear algebra\n5. Giving effective feedback (Harvard business review) - useful for getting an understanding on how to handle human interaction\n6. The old man and the sea (Ernest Hemingway) - enjoyed it a lot, a reflection of Hemingway's romantic spirit. Also, a quick read.\n7. Screwjack (Hunter S. Thompson) - didn't resonate with me although I am a fan of existentialism\n8. Sun and steel (Yukio Mishima) - raw and intimate. before reading this book I'd recommend reading up on Mishima's life\n9. Stranger than fiction (Chuck Palahniuck) - somewhat entertaining, more so because it served as a glimpse into Palahniuck's creative process\n10. Thinking in Systems: A Primer (Dana Meadows) - useful for understanding that in modern life we have complex systems at work with emergent behavior that we didn't expect. Trying to isolate / model a single component of one of these systems is a flawed approach.\n11. Chaos monkeys (Antonio Garcia Martinez) - entertaining, but quite long\n12. Weapons of math destruction (Cathy O'Neil) - in a way, similar to Thinking in systems, but at an applied level. Shows how rules in modern society can have unintended negative consequences when hidden negative feedback loops emerge from the complex system they are embedded in.\n13. Lolita (Nabokov) - a brilliant novel from many points of view. Although the topic is controversial, it is a book that had to be written.\n14. The prince (Machiavelli) - an interesting read. It was intended as a guide to the young price Cesare Borgia from his teacher Machiavelli. The secret to enjoying it is not to judge it by modern morality.\n15. Give and take (Adam Grant) - psychology research about giving / taking / matching personality types presented in a book for the masses. I would not read it again; watching a presentation online should be enough to get the point across.\n16. Mécanique (Landau, Lifchitz) - refresh of mechanics\n17. Do androids dream of electric sheep (Philip K. Dick) - enjoyable and entertaining! I'm surprised how different the feel of the book is compared to the Blade runner films. In the book androids are purely rational beings, whereas the film wraps them in an aura of romanticism.\n18. How we learn (Benedict Carey) - decades of learning research condensed in a book\n19. Advanced Calculus: A Differential Forms Approach (Harold M. Edwards) - the best math book I've read so far! For me it was eye-opening in a fundamental way. Edwards is truly a gifted teacher.\n20. Three men in a boat (Jerome K. Jerome) - enjoyable and amusing\n21. Getting to yes (Roger Fisher, William Ury) - negotiation book, nicely written and structured\n22. Without a word (Zhang Jie) - historical novel by one of China's most acclaimed modern writers. I don't have a good reference to compare against since this was my first Chinese novel, but overall I did enjoy it. It felt real and raw.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I would not read it again; watching a presentation online should be enough to get the point across.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter would not reread it and says an online presentation is sufficient.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15966255,
          "author": "rwieruch",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-20T01:37:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15966255",
          "commentText": "Pretty popular and not a niche book, but I enjoyed Give and Take by Adam Grant very much [0].\n- [0] https://www.robinwieruch.de/lessons-learned-give-and-take/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed Give and Take by Adam Grant very much",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the book very much.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6976630,
          "author": "lpolovets",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T21:15:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976630",
          "commentText": "I read about a book a week this year, and the one that I loved most was \"Give and Take\" by Adam Grant. The book discusses two opposite approaches to work and life: being a taker (where you always try to use people and situations to your advantage) and being a giver (where you try to help others out before yourself). The book included a nice combination of anecdotes and research that all pointed to giving being a more effective road to success than taking. The first half of the book is spent building a compelling case for the main thesis (i.e. that giving is better); the second half talks about a few pitfalls that should be avoided and offers tips on how to be a more effective giver. Some of the lessons that I learned included tips for learning when I'm being taken advantage of and tips on how to keep from burning out on generosity.\nI loved the combination of research + practical applicability and I think the book encapsulates many parts of the startup/tech community where people will help others -- even strangers -- very generously. I've given (no pun intended) about half a dozen copies of this book as gifts to friends.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the one that I loved most was \"Give and Take\" by Adam Grant.",
          "reason": "Loved its blend of research and practical advice, and gave copies to friends.",
          "audience": "People interested in generosity, work, and success.",
          "caveat": "Discusses pitfalls such as being taken advantage of and burning out on generosity.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adam Grant"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "generosity",
        "prosocial behavior",
        "reciprocity",
        "workplace behavior"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "god-is-not-great-how-religion-poisons-everything-11c63b",
      "title": "God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything",
      "author": "Christopher Hitchens",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36105148,
          "author": "matthewmorgan",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T15:53:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105148",
          "commentText": "God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything by Christopher Hitchens",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything by Christopher Hitchens",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10213983,
          "author": "hmartiniano",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-14T07:40:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 10211331,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10213983",
          "commentText": "\"God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything\" by Christopher Hitchens.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/God-Is-Not-Great-Everything/dp/0446697... (http://www.amazon.com/God-Is-Not-Great-Everything/dp/0446697966)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything\" by Christopher Hitchens.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher Hitchens"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "atheism",
        "religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "god-s-debris-0ba1a5",
      "title": "God's Debris",
      "author": "Scott Adams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2615925,
          "author": "tomfluff",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T11:26:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2615925",
          "commentText": "The Religion War - Scott Adams\nReally great read though recommend reading God's Debris first for better understanding of the characters",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "recommend reading God's Debris first for better understanding of the characters",
          "reason": "Recommended as a prerequisite for understanding the characters in The Religion War.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752445,
          "author": "__Joker",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T09:57:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752445",
          "commentText": "There is no wiki page for the provided link. Is it only me ? Tried the suggestion on the wiki page, no avail.\nHN is cleansing the apostrophe in the url. It is god's rather than gods.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "It is god's rather than gods.",
          "reason": "The comment clarifies the apostrophe in the book's title link.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1228436,
          "author": "roundsquare",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-30T05:08:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1228436",
          "commentText": "God's Debris.  Available in pdf here:\nhttp://www.andrewsmcmeel.com/godsdebris/\nIts written by Scott Adams, the guy who does Dilbert, but its completely different from Dilbert.  Its basically an exploration of one theory about where the universe comes from, the nature of god, etc...  A thought experiment in conversation form, if you will.\nI like it because it brings up some neat ideas that may not be obvious.\nSide Note: He gets some of the science wrong in the book, so if you do read it, make sure you fact check any science before you believe it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I like it because it brings up some neat ideas that may not be obvious.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they like it for the ideas it raises.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter warns that some science in the book is wrong and should be fact-checked.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Adams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Fiction",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cosmology",
        "popular philosophy",
        "religion",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "going-clear-scientology-hollywood-and-the-prison-of-belief-185bde",
      "title": "Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief",
      "author": "Lawrence Wright",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23153802,
          "author": "mitchelldeacon9",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T13:35:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23153802",
          "commentText": "In addition to the classics of cognitive psychology (Kahneman, Taleb, et al.), I would also recommend books on psychological manipulation, religious cults, and con men. The following books offer a multi-disciplinary perspective on psychological techniques to improve awareness and exploit other people, both of which are essential to enhance your perception and protect yourself against fraud and manipulation.\nCialdini, Robert (2006) Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion\nGuinn, Jeff (2017) Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple\nEkman, Paul (2007) Emotions Revealed: Recognizing Faces and Feelings to Improve Communication and Emotional Life\nKahneman, Daniel (2011) Thinking, Fast and Slow\nMitnick, Kevin and William Simon (2002) Art of Deception\nNavarro and Karlins (2008) What Every Body is Saying: Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Speed-Reading People\nNietzsche, Friedrich (1887) On the Genealogy of Morals\nRhodes, Richard (1986) Making of the Atomic Bomb\nSun Tzu (c. 400 BCE) Art of War\nTaleb, Nassim Nicholas (2005) Fooled by Randomness\nWright, Lawrence (2013) Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wright, Lawrence (2013) Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief",
          "reason": "Listed among books offering perspectives on cults and manipulation.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in recognizing manipulation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348293,
          "author": "ryanSrich",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:36:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348293",
          "commentText": "Currently I'm trudging through GEB[1]. Last month I read:\n- The Dip (super short read and has a few good points but overall I didn't really like it)[2]\n- Going Clear (great book, terrible formatting, but a great book)[3]\n- The Martian (short read, very entertaining and well researched)[4]\n1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6del,_Escher,_Bach\n2. http://sethgodin.typepad.com/the_dip/\n3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Going_Clear\n4. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Martian_%28Weir_novel%29",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Going Clear (great book, terrible formatting, but a great book)",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The formatting was terrible.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lawrence Wright"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "scientology",
        "religion",
        "religious movements"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gone-with-the-wind-70e044",
      "title": "Gone with the Wind",
      "author": "Margaret Mitchell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15960279,
          "author": "atulatul",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T14:11:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15960279",
          "commentText": "Update: added a few lines about the books than just a name listing\nFrom the ones I read in 2017, I would highly recommend (non-IT):\n1. The hidden life of trees- Peter Wohlleben Why forest trees are different than the ones you plant, how the communicate, how they care for their friends when they are not well, how mother trees protect their young ones by not letting them grow too fast, the fungi network, etc. The book is very easy to read- there is no scientific terminology overload. Things are told very simply. Not restricted to students of the subject. Learned something interesting every couple of pages. \nAnother aspect is that the love shows. It is very clear that the author is in love with the subject. The author manages a wild forest in Germany and talks mainly about trees in terms of beeches, firs, oaks, etc. The author is politely insistent that we should protect the natural wild forests and let them be.\n2. Why the allies won- Richard Overy Probably the best book I read on WW2. So many more factors went into winning the war than actual fight. Probably appealed to my analytical mind.\n3. India After Gandhi- Ramachandra Guha As the author says history ends for many Indians with freedom. Very good chronicles. Started appreciating Nehru more.\n4. Re-read Gone With The Wind, To Kill a Mockingbird, the Godfather and a few P.G Wodehouse- all of which I like.\nCurrently, halfway through Stephen Fry's Mythos which seems good enough to recommend. I am pretty new to the Greek Mythology and he is a good story teller. Don't have much to compare it with, though.\nAlso, by choice, I read quite a few books in rural Marathi(an Indian regional language) and was surprised how good the story telling was. Also noticed that I had gone quite far from my mother tongue but was happy to see how easy it was to go back.\nPlease answer my similar question https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15960188",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Re-read Gone With The Wind, To Kill a Mockingbird, the Godfather and a few P.G Wodehouse- all of which I like.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they like it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8008523,
          "author": "lily2014",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-09T07:48:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8008523",
          "commentText": "Gone with the wimd\nPride and prejudice",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Gone with the wimd",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question asking what the commenter is reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The title is misspelled in the comment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1774945,
          "author": "keerthyv",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-09T13:01:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1774945",
          "commentText": "I'd suggest \"Gone with the Wind\", an ultimate classic. It is tagged as epic romance but I personally feel that it is more than just romance. It has changed a few perspectives of mine and I couldn't get off the story for nearly 3 months. I really enjoyed the book.\nIf you've enjoyed \"Atlas Shrugged, which I'm planning to read, try reading \"The Fountain Head\" by the same author.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd suggest \"Gone with the Wind\", an ultimate classic.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a classic that changed the commenter's perspective and held their interest.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter sees it as more than romance.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Margaret Mitchell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical novel",
        "american civil war",
        "historical romance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "good-omens-2e44a4",
      "title": "Good Omens",
      "author": "Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22719246,
          "author": "hprotagonist",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T14:28:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22719246",
          "commentText": "see my nick, but in addition to stephenson, the books i come back to over and over again for comfort and wisdom include:\n- Lord of the Rings: The other bible. Not even the very wise can see all ends; be of good cheer.\n- A Wrinkle In Time: 9 year old me, there is such a thing as a tesseract, and there is also Mrs. Beast.\n- The Master and Margarita: apocalyptic reading from someone who knew, and a cat who always pays his way.\n- the Discworld series: Sir Terry knew our hearts better than most, and sin, young feller, is treatin’ people as things.\n- If On A Winter’s Night, A Traveler: a perfect joke that you can tell once, plus a love story.\n- Good Omens: Gaiman and Pratchett team up, what’s not to love?\n- Moby Dick: And so the universal thump is passed round, and all hands should rub each other’s shoulder-blades, and be content.\n- Lucky Jim: grad school, a survival guide. Come in on the fa la la las, there’s a good chap.\nThis doesn’t include poetry, which is also in my head constantly.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Good Omens: Gaiman and Pratchett team up, what’s not to love?",
          "reason": "Lists it among books the commenter returns to for comfort and wisdom.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12246136,
          "author": "thallian",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T08:00:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12246136",
          "commentText": "Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett + lots of the Discworld novels (also by Terry Pratchett).\nThe latter have become one of the basic building blocks of my life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett",
          "reason": "Lists it as a gift recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neil Gaiman",
        "Terry Pratchett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "apocalyptic fiction",
        "comic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gorgias-618fa9",
      "title": "Gorgias",
      "author": "Plato",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19090108,
          "author": "nathias",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T21:39:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090108",
          "commentText": "Plato - Meno, Symposium, Parmenides, Gorgias, Protagoras\nPlotinus -Enneads\nMarkus Aurelius - Meditations\nDescartes - On method\nDescartes - Meditations\nSpinoza - On the improvement of Understanding\nLeibniz - Monadology\nLeibniz - Grace\nVoltaire - Candid\nDiderot - D'Alembert's Dream\nKant - How to orient oneself in thinking\nKant - Critique of Pure Reason\nKant - Critique of Judgment\nHegel - Phenomenology of Spirit\nHegel - Logic\nvon Kleist - Marionette Theatre\nKierkegaard - The Sickness Unto Death\nHeidegger - Being and Time\nSartre - Being and Nothingness\nSartre - Flies\nSartre - Nausea\nDeleuze - Difference and Repetition\nKafka - Metamorphosis\nKafka - The Castle\nLem - Magellan Nebula\nLem - His Master's Voice\nCioran - A Short History of Decay\nPessoa - Book Of Despair\nWolfe -  New Sun tetralogy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Plato - Meno, Symposium, Parmenides, Gorgias, Protagoras",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503745,
          "author": "harscoat",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T15:09:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503745",
          "commentText": "It depends if you want to be knowledgeable \"about\" philosophy and knowledge or if you want to apply it to you life.\n* K.Popper (in both cases;): _Open society and its ennemies_ http://www.archive.org/stream/opensocietyandit033120mbp#page... (http://www.archive.org/stream/opensocietyandit033120mbp#page/n7/mode/2up)\nfor \"Ars Vitae\" (applicable to one's life)\n* Plato: _Gorgias_\n* Marc Aurélius: _Meditations_\n* Friedrich Nietzsche: _Beyond good & evil_\nI agree with others on Hume, Russell, Husserl.\nAnother great thinker while he does not pretend to be a philosopher is Dan Sperber, I think of 2 books\n* Dan Sperber (with Deirdre Wilson) _Relevance. Communication and Cognition_ (Blackwell, 1986)\n* Sperber, Dan (1996) Explaining culture: _A naturalistic approach._ (Oxford: Blackwell)\nFinally philosophical literature: \n* Doistoievski: _The Brothers Karamazov_ (question of God is asked)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Plato: _Gorgias_",
          "reason": "Listed among suggestions for exploring philosophy.",
          "audience": "People interested in philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Plato"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient greek philosophy",
        "plato",
        "rhetoric"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gormenghast-bae678",
      "title": "Gormenghast",
      "author": "Mervyn Peake",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30241534,
          "author": "bryanrasmussen",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T07:42:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241534",
          "commentText": "I would not recommend a single book for everyone to read, because people have different tastes and interests - and even if you recommend a single book based on people's interests - if they are really interested in that and the book is important to that interest it's likely they've already read it.\nSo probably a recommendation on any field should be made based on calculations both of how essential it is, but also how it's reading may change assumptions about the field if the person has not read it. It seems somewhat arrogant.\nAnd in the end it's annoying to get recommended a book one considers essential to the field, as it implies one does not know what one knows.\nAll that said - for the field of:\nFantasy - Gormenghast\nAmerica - Democracy in America\nProgramming - Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fantasy - Gormenghast",
          "reason": "Listed as a suggestion for the field of fantasy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5693504,
          "author": "gruseom",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-12T07:33:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5693504",
          "commentText": "Thanks; I've run across his stuff tangentially a few times but not seen that film.\nYou might like Gormenghast: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gormenghast_%28series%29\nWyndham Lewis's novels, especially the Human Comedy that he wrote at the end of his life, are something I've always been meaning to get to. It's hard to tell if they're meaningful or impenetrable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You might like Gormenghast: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gormenghast_(series)",
          "reason": "Suggests the series as something the recipient might like.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mervyn Peake"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "gothic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "grammatical-man-information-entropy-language-and-life-ef260c",
      "title": "Grammatical Man: Information, Entropy, Language, and Life",
      "author": "Jeremy Campbell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22094219,
          "author": "dredmorbius",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T21:27:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22094219",
          "commentText": "In no particular order, and some of these being more \"highly underrated\" as opposed to \"unknown\", with the notable exception of Smith's Wealth of Nations which is disturbingly un- and mis-read:\n1. Grammatical Man, by Jeremy Campbell (1982)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-e... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-entropy-language-and-life/oclc/856698430)\nMy introduction to information theory and its diverse set of interrelated applications and phenomena.\n2. Ecology and the Politics of Scarcity, by William Ophuls (1977)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-s... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-scarcity-revisited-the-unraveling-of-the-american-dream/oclc/872523631)\nDistills the Limits to Growth issue to its essence, and looks at the political implications, with a set of estimates of political developments which have played out closely.\n3. An Inquiry to the Nature and Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith (1776)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/inquiry-into-the-nature-and-c... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/inquiry-into-the-nature-and-causes-of-the-wealth-of-nations/oclc/1083940513)\nThe best-known, but least-read, and most mis-read book on this list.  Smith isn't perfect and has flaws.  But his message is extraordinarily misunderstood and misrepresented.  Even where he is wrong, he is instructive.\n4. Commercialism and Journalism, by Hamilton Holt (1909)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/commercialism-and-journalism/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/commercialism-and-journalism/oclc/639344712)\nA short but extraordinarily illuminating read on the influence of money and advertising on the press, coming near the beginning of the era of mass media.\n5. Unix Power Tools, by Mike Loukides et al (1997)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/2584502... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/258450296)\nThe book that really got me \"over the hump\" in understanding the Unix environment and tools.  Now somewhat dated, though still highly useful.\n6. A Short History of Progress, by Ronald Wright (2004)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/short-history-of-progress/ocl... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/short-history-of-progress/oclc/1089834019)\nAn exploration of the story, question, and future, of progress.\n7. Entropy and the Economic Process, by Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen (1971)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/entropy-law-and-the-economic-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/entropy-law-and-the-economic-process/oclc/299362046)\nA re-thinking of economics taking thermodynamics into account.  Famously difficult to read, but well worth the effort.\n8. On the Damned Human Race, by Mark Twain (1962)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/mark-twain-on-the-damned-huma... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/mark-twain-on-the-damned-human-race/oclc/950982242)\nA darker, angrier, more bitter side of Twain, cracking open the sanitised version those familiar with Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn will know, and giving an insight to the darker side of late 19th and early 20th century America.\n9. Energy and Civilization, by Vaclav Smil (2017)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-and-civilization-a-his... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-and-civilization-a-history/oclc/1032365823)\nA re-casting of history, not according to spiritual or cultural progress, Great Men, or social dynamics, but the access to and utilisation of energy sources.\n10. Resistances to the Adoption of Technological Innovations, by Bernhard J. Stern (1937)\nhttps://archive.org/details/technologicaltre1937unitrich/pag... (https://archive.org/details/technologicaltre1937unitrich/page/39)\nA fascinating exploration of the organised opposition to numerous significant technological innovations through the ages, contrary to the conventional story told by mainstream economic and innovation models and stories.  Stern's research assistant at the time he was working on this topic went on to become known as a science fiction author, and based one of his first works on this notion:  Isaac Asimov.\nOn the question of compiling such lists:  I've recently started keeping a research journal in which I'm trying to capture works of significance that I've read, vaguely inspired by both index-card methods (such as Zettelkasten or POIC) and bullet journals.\nThe organisation is \"BOTI\" -- best of the interval.\nI will start a two-page spread, dated, of a specific class of entries -- works, videos, authors, ideas, etc. -- and when that closes, start another.  Periodically (about every month, for now) I'll select the best of those works for a BOTM list, and at the end of a year, a BOTY list.\nOr at least that's the idea.\nThis may address the question of keeping track of the most significant works (or authors, concepts, ideas, etc.) over time, which otherwise tend to become a bit of a jumble.\nThe BOTI list and periodic aggregations themselves resemble round-robin databases, or ring or circular buffers or files, though without actually rewriting each specific list.  The initial capture levels remain accessible (in the journal) for revisiting, should something prove to have been more significant on subsequent reflection than initially appeared.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Grammatical Man, by Jeremy Campbell (1982)",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an introduction to information theory and its varied applications.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19090626,
          "author": "vishnugupta",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T22:27:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090626",
          "commentText": "All the books below have shaped my thought process to a significant degree. I started reading late but I'm fortunate enough to have stumbled upon these gems.\n\"Debt: The First 5000 Years\": This is truly a magnum opus. Until I read this I had taken money, economy, market etc., for granted. And I had held onto the widely accepted, but naive, view that economic systems somehow grew out of barter systems. The range of topics discussed, and the way author shows how seemingly independent concepts are intertwined, is truly astonishing. I'm on my 2nd read.\n\"Thinking, Fast and Slow\": This book made me truly appreciate the value of psychology. I didn't even know the existence of a vast domain called behavioral science until I read this book. Now I'm deliberately conscious about the decisions I take and retrace my thought process multiple times just to make sure that I haven't fallen pray to some of the cognitive biases.\n\"The Tell-Tale Brain\": While I did know that human brain is a unique organ this book opened my eyes to its layered complexities. For instance, how \"seeing\" is not a single step but a multi step process. From image formation, to identifying the object, to evoking emotional response.\n\"QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter\": The book with the highest signal to noise ratio. I finally understood what science is about, a way to model nature and to keep refining it to fit the observation. There are no true/false theories/models only those that explain nature's behavior better or worse. Nature is agnostic to all our theories and models. She's just the way she is. For details read about double slit experiment.\n\"How the World Works\": This one along with \"Profit Over People: Neoliberalism & Global Order\" has greatly shaped my mental model about the workings of contemporary world. I now understand why does military gets all the funding, why do powerful governments tend to keep its subject under perpetual fear, why is it that the cost of education has been sky-rocketing.\n\"The Hanging of Afzal Guru and the Strange Case of the Attack on the Indian Parliament\": A glimpse into the working of Indian justice system.\n\"Broken Republic\": This is by far the most accurate description about current affairs in India. How India is being hollowed out and how its most vulnerable section is the one fighting against it.\n\"Grammatical Man: Information, Entropy, Language and Life\": I'm currently reading it (20% through) and it has already made a big impact. The meaning of information is deep and subtle and pervades not just human being but the life itself.\n\"The Order of Time\": The book that well and truly shook the foundation that I had taken for granted for my entire life. That space and time aren't something absolute and are personal has had a profound impact on me.\n\"The Upanisads\": A truly remarkable work of human mind. Just to think about some of the concepts uplifts my mood.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Grammatical Man: Information, Entropy, Language and Life\": I'm currently reading it (20% through) and it has already made a big impact.",
          "reason": "Says it has already made a big impact and describes information as deep and subtle.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12494191,
          "author": "dredmorbius",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-14T04:13:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12494191",
          "commentText": "From a recent HN comment,  a list, some authors, and some guidelines, largely based on books which radically changed my thinking.\nCurrently:  Vaclav Smil, Energy in World History (1994), and Manfred Weissenbacher, Sources of Power (2009).  Both detail the role and impact of energy through world history.  The latter draws strongly on the first, both are exceedingly well documented.  TL;DR: coal changed much, oil changed everything.\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/3... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/30398523&referer=brief_results)\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foragin... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foraging-agriculture-and-coal/oclc/837625798&referer=brief_results)\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625970&referer=brief_results)\nJames Burke's books Connections and The Day the Universe Changed, and their accompanying television series, were a profound introduction to the history of technology, science, ideas, and philosophy.  Though 30+ years old, they remain highly current and relevant.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/connections/oclc/4494136\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/day-the-universe-changed/oclc... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/day-the-universe-changed/oclc/12049817)\nJeremy Campbell's Grammatical Man (1984) introduced the concepts of information theory and their deep, deep, deep interconnections to a tremendous number of interconnected systems, many not explored within his book.  Darwin's The Origin of Species, James Gleick's Chaos, and many of the works of Santa Fe Institute members, including John C. Holland, J. Doyne Farmer, Geoffrey West, W. Brian Arthur, David Krakauer, and Sander van der Leeuw, continue these themes.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-e... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-entropy-language-and-life/oclc/8306673)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/chaos-making-a-new-science/oc... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/chaos-making-a-new-science/oclc/15366709)\nWilliam Ophuls' Ecology and the Politics of Scarcity (1977) is perhaps the best, most comprehensive, shortest, and most readable exposition of the fact, reality, dynamics, and interactions of limits on the present phase of fossil-fuel fed economic growth I've found.  This is a book I recommend not only for the message, but the author's clarity of thought and exposition, his meticulous research, exquisite bibliographical notes, and, given the nearly 30 years elapsed, testability numerous of his predictions, some failed, yes, others uncannily accurate.  Rather more the latter.  In a similar vein, William R. Catton's Overshoot looks at the ecological dynamics in more depth, with much wisdom, the writings of Richard Heinberg cover the ground of limits fairly accessibly and more recently.  Vaclav Smil in numerous books addresses technical factors of the profound nature of the past 250 years, and implications for the future.  Meadows, et al, in Limits to Growth set off much of the post-1970 discussion (though they're hardly the first to raise the question -- it dates to Seneca the Elder),\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-s... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-scarcity-prologue-to-a-political-theory-of-the-steady-state/oclc/2524932)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/overshoot-the-ecological-basi... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/overshoot-the-ecological-basis-of-revolutionary-change/oclc/6195764)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Aheinberg%2C+richard&a... (https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Aheinberg%2C+richard&amp;qt=owc_search)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Asmil%2C+vaclav&amp;qt... (https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Asmil%2C+vaclav&amp;qt=results_page)\nThough hardly pessimistic, Daniel Yergin's book The Prize (and TV series) impressed upon me more than any other just how much petroleum specifically changed and transformed the modern world.  Though intended largely as laudetory and championing the oil industry by the author, my read of it was exceptionally cautionary.  The impacts on business, everyday life, politics, wars, industry, and transport, and the rate at which they occurred, are simply staggering.  You can continue this exploration in Vaclav Smil's Energy in World History (1994) (I've recommended Smil independently elsewhere), and a rare but profound two-volume set I'm currently reading, Manfred Weissenbacher's Sources of Power: How energy forges human history (2009).  The shear physicality of this book speaks to the message -- it's divided into five parts:  1) Foraging Age (6 pages), 2) Agricultural Age (156 pp), 3) Coal Age (160 pp),  4) Oil Age (296 pp), and 5) Beyond the Oil Age (142 pp).  That is, the ~2 million years of pre-agricultural existence are little more than a footnote, the 8,000 years of agriculture roughly equal to the 150 years of coal, and the 100 years of petroleum use roughly twice either.  The oil and post-oil ages comprise their own volume.  Yergin followed up with The Quest, continuing the search for oil, though I've been less impressed by it.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/prize-the-epic-quest-for-oil-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/prize-the-epic-quest-for-oil-money-and-power/oclc/22381448)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/30398523)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foragi... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foraging-agriculture-and-coal/oclc/837625798)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/83762... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625970)\nAdam Smith's An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations is among the most-cited (and most incorrectly cited), least-read books of high influence I'm aware of, outside religious texts (and perhaps it is a religious text to some…).  The author's message has been exceptionally shaped and manipulated by a powerful set of forces, quite often utterly misrepresenting Smith's original intent.  Reading him in his own words, yourself, is strongly recommended.  I'd also recommend scholarship particularly by Emma Rothschild and Gavin Kennedy, though also others, on Smith. Contrast with the portrayal by the propaganda disinformation front of the Mont Pelerin Society / Atlas Network / so-called Foundation for Economic Education, and much of the modern American Libertarian movement (von Mises, Hayek, Friedman, Hazlett, Rothbard, and more recently, Norberg).  Contrast The Invisible Hand (1964), a compilation of essays published by Libertarian house Regnery Press in 1966, at the beginning of the rise in public use of Smith's metaphor to indictate mechanism rather than an expression of the unknown.\nThere are numerous editions of Smith, I believe the Glasgow is frequently cited by Smith scholars:  https://www.worldcat.org/title/glasgow-edition-of-the-works-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/glasgow-edition-of-the-works-and-correspondence-of-adam-smith-2-an-inquiry-into-the-nature-and-causes-of-the-wealth-of-nations-vol-1/oclc/832488566)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/economic-sentiments-adam-smit... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/economic-sentiments-adam-smith-condorcet-and-the-enlightenment/oclc/45282974)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smith-and-the-invisible-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smith-and-the-invisible-hand/oclc/820387997)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smiths-lost-legacy/oclc/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smiths-lost-legacy/oclc/56598640)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/invisible-hand-a-collection-o... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/invisible-hand-a-collection-of-essays-on-the-economic-philosophy-of-free-enterprise/oclc/326622)\nI'd like to put in recommendations on technology specifically, but am still searching for a good general text.  The material's covered somewhat in the chaos and complexity recommendations above (Campbell et al), though I'd add Joseph Tainter's The Collapse of Complex Societies.  Charle's Perrow has several excellent books including Normal Accidents and Organizing America.   I'd like to reference something concerning Unix, Linux, and programming, perhaps Kernighan and Pike's The Unix Programming Environment, Linus Torvalds' Just for Fun, Richard Stallman's The GNU Manifesto, and Steve McConnel's Code Complete.  The O'Reilly book Unix Power Tools also encapsulates much the strength of the Unix toolset.  All these are somewhat dated.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/collapse-of-complex-societies... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/collapse-of-complex-societies/oclc/15083222)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/normal-accidents-living-with-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/normal-accidents-living-with-high-risk-technologies/oclc/10229932)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/organizing-america-wealth-pow... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/organizing-america-wealth-power-and-the-origins-of-corporate-capitalism/oclc/939707157)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-programming-environment/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-programming-environment/oclc/10269821)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/5238168... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/52381684)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "introduced the concepts of information theory and their deep, deep, deep interconnections to a tremendous number of interconnected systems",
          "reason": "Described as an introduction to information theory and its connections across systems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeremy Campbell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "information theory",
        "entropy",
        "systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "grass-7415e1",
      "title": "Grass",
      "author": "Sheri S. Tepper",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056623,
          "author": "moomin",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:42:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056623",
          "commentText": "You realize not a single person has mentioned a female author? Let's fix that:\nThe Long Tomorrow by Leigh Brackett\nThe Doomsday Book by Connie Willis\nAmong Others by Jo Walton\nFeed by Mira Grant\nThe Hunger Games!\nThe Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin\nGrass by Sheri S Tepper\nGate of Ivrael and Downbelow Station by CJ Cherryh\nAnd the fabulous space opera:\nAncillary Justice by Ann Leckie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Grass by Sheri S Tepper",
          "reason": "Listed as a sci-fi book in response to a favorites question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569219,
          "author": "mqmouse",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:49:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569219",
          "commentText": "If you like SciFi, I really recommend Ian M. Banks and his Culture Series.\nHere is a link to the \"first\" in the series:\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consider_Phlebas\nBasically to give you a flavour, imagine a utopian society where energy is basically free and run by super intelligent benevolent AIs. So basically the citizens have nothing to do but live a completely hedonistic life.\nWhenever they encounter \"primitive\" societies, they try to make them more human and civilized. Basically the opposite of the \"prime directive\". The organization responsible for that is called Contact. Unfortunately, in order to make these societies more humane they sometimes have to resort to some dirty tricks (like assassinating evil dictators, instigating civil wars, etc etc). The organization responsible for that is called \"Special Circumstances\".\nAnother author I find great is Sheri Tepper.\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheri_S._Tepper\nSciFi with a feminist bent. Examples are Grass / and the Margarets.\nIf you want something more acid, anything by Victor Pelevin. Buddha's little finger is brilliant.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Examples are Grass / and the Margarets.",
          "reason": "Named as an example of Tepper's science fiction with a feminist bent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sheri S. Tepper"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ecological science fiction",
        "feminist science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gravitation-ed9d3e",
      "title": "Gravitation",
      "author": "Charles W. Misner, Kip S. Thorne, and John Archibald Wheeler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30486265,
          "author": "orlandpm",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T07:48:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486265",
          "commentText": "_Algebraic Topology_ by Allen Hatcher.  This is quite an advanced book, but it was the first topology book I picked up and it blew my mind.  Without a serious math background you may only be able to read the first parts (some of chapters 0 and chapter 1), but even so it may amaze you.  It was insane to see how much mathematical machinery can be built up to understand concepts as simple as “space” and “continuity.”  Then these tools can be used to quickly prove facts about mind-boggling higher dimensional objects.\n_Introduction to Quantum Mechanics_ by David Griffiths.  Not CS or Math, but an amazing book because if you sit down and work through it it gives you a manageable intro to a completely non-intuitive and mysterious scientific field.  Prerequisites are “only” multivariable calc and linear algebra.\n_Algebra_ by Michael Artin.  This was the book I decided to grind through at the right time to learn abstract algebra and get better at rigorous proofs, and it was worth it.  Part of why I loved this book and subject is because it feels dry and mechanical at first, but if you work on it long enough you can see the beautiful bigger picture come together.\n_Introduction to Topological Manifolds_ by John M. Lee.  This was another “right book at the right time” for me.  The title is a bit jargony, but it is a rigorous introduction to the foundational objects of modern geometry (namely topological spaces and manifolds in particular).  Great warm-up for the first book on my list.\n_Algebra: Chapter 0_ by Paulo Aluffi.  Weird title, but the first few chapters are the best perspective on abstract algebra I’ve seen.  He focuses early on categories in a useful and philosophically interesting way, which is unique.\n_Gravitation_ by Misner, Thorne, and Wheeler.  Didn’t read the whole thing, but this book taught me a tensor is just a higher-order linear function.  Who knew?  Most physicists give really crappy explanations of tensors.  Also I love that this book, affectionately known as the “phone book”, is so heavy that one imagines spacetime curving around it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Didn’t read the whole thing, but this book taught me a tensor is just a higher-order linear function.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them understand tensors and appreciates its explanation of them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter did not read the whole book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14170964,
          "author": "ice109",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-22T03:25:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14170964",
          "commentText": "gravitation by wheeler misner thorne, qm by sakurai, mechanics by goldstein, e&m by jackson, qft by peskin and shroeder, etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "gravitation by wheeler misner thorne",
          "reason": "Named as one of the field's bible-like books in response to the request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles W. Misner",
        "Kip S. Thorne",
        "John Archibald Wheeler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "general relativity",
        "gravitation",
        "tensors"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "green-eggs-and-ham-0f0b11",
      "title": "Green Eggs and Ham",
      "author": "Dr. Seuss",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34634916,
          "author": "sloaken",
          "createdAt": "2023-02-02T23:37:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 34634274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books your kids like most",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34634916",
          "commentText": "We raised out kids on mostly Dr Seuss.  In particular I remember Go Dogs Go and Green Eggs and ham being their favorites... or was it my favorite?\nThe part they liked the most was my being next to them reading the books, each day.  I would just ask them to choose a book, and off we went.\nFunny thing is one day my son started to read the book himself without opening the book.  I was shocked he had pretty much memorized the first half.  Turns out that is normal and a good thing.\nAs they got older, before getting a device, they would always bring a book into the car when we drove anywhere.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Green Eggs and ham being their favorites",
          "reason": "Named as one of the children's favorites.",
          "audience": "Young children.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether it was the children's or their own favorite.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26779567,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-12T14:03:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26779567",
          "commentText": "My daughter loved all types of books when she was younger.\nMy son, who will be 3 in July, seems to only like books that rhythm or have some type of pattern.\nHere are some he likes:\nEnough Inigo Enough https://www.amazon.com/Enough-Inigo-Gentle-Revolution/dp/075... (https://www.amazon.com/Enough-Inigo-Gentle-Revolution/dp/0757001939)\nGood Night Moon https://www.amazon.com/Goodnight-Moon-Margaret-Wise-Brown/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Goodnight-Moon-Margaret-Wise-Brown/dp/0694003611)\nLittle Blue Truck https://www.amazon.com/Little-Blue-Truck-board-book/dp/05445... (https://www.amazon.com/Little-Blue-Truck-board-book/dp/0544568036)\nGreen Eggs and Ham https://www.amazon.com/Green-Eggs-Ham-Dr-Seuss/dp/0394800168",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Green Eggs and Ham",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "A child who likes books with rhythm or a pattern.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dr. Seuss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s picture books",
        "picture books",
        "rhyming books",
        "rhyming stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "grendel-f82c53",
      "title": "Grendel",
      "author": "John Gardner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268711,
          "author": "computerdork",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T21:43:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268711",
          "commentText": "Grendel by Gardner (so playful and creative), Jane Eyre (a classic with wonderful language and intense story), Sapiens (extraordinarily interesting survey of human history)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Grendel by Gardner (so playful and creative)",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its playful, creative style.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876090,
          "author": "grendel",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T05:23:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876090",
          "commentText": "grendel - john gardner\nbluebeard - kurt vonnegut",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "grendel - john gardner",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Gardner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "myth retelling",
        "anglo saxon literature",
        "literary fiction",
        "point of view"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "grinding-it-out-the-making-of-mcdonald-s-a4f941",
      "title": "Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald's",
      "author": "Ray Kroc",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172037,
          "author": "jacktribe",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:47:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172037",
          "commentText": "As someone who is more interested in building the product than marketing it, I found the following recent reads helpful in achieving a balance:\n1. Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey A. Moore - making your product work for the masses\n2. The Cold Start Problem by Andrew Chen - achieving escape velocity, getting viral referral traffic\n3. Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss - it might seem a bit gimmicky but negotiation always comes off gimmicky\nMotivational stories:\n4. The Almanack Of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson\n5. The Founders by Jimmy Soni\n6. The Upstarts by Brad Stone\n7. Hatching Twitter by Nick Bilton\n8. That Will Never Work by Marc Randolph\n9. Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald's by Ray Kroc\nCan't skip:\n10. Zero To One by Peter Thiel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald's by Ray Kroc",
          "reason": "Listed as a motivational story.",
          "audience": "People building products.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34161648,
          "author": "4pkjai",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T15:06:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161648",
          "commentText": "Grinding it Out, it’s really Ray Kroc’s autobiography. Very interesting to hear about his life before “founding” McDonalds. Very clearly written and easy to understand.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Grinding it Out, it’s really Ray Kroc’s autobiography.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as interesting, clearly written, and easy to understand.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ray Kroc"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mcdonald s",
        "autobiography",
        "entrepreneur memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "grokking-algorithms-eeeb32",
      "title": "Grokking Algorithms",
      "author": "Aditya Y. Bhargava",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29290530,
          "author": "jsonjason",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-20T18:26:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29290530",
          "commentText": "Another vote for Tim Roughgarden’s work. As someone who recently became a software engineer without a cs degree, his Stanford Algorithms I & II lectures (similar content to his books) have been the best instruction I’ve had on DS&A. I’ve dabbled with Skiena’s book, Grokking Algorithms, CTCI, and I now also have a copy CLRS that I use for reference or to go deeper on certain things. But I revisit Tim’s work all the time. Can’t recommend him enough.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Grokking Algorithms",
          "reason": "Mentioned among books the commenter has tried.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21853876,
          "author": "f00_",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T23:10:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21853876",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed the audiobook versions (while following along with or having already read the written version) of Grokking Algorithms and Classic Computer Science Problems with Python",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed the audiobook versions (while following along with or having already read the written version) of Grokking Algorithms",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed the audiobook version.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They followed along with or had already read the written version.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20734224,
          "author": "smnplk",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-19T01:38:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20734224",
          "commentText": "There is a book called Grokking Algorithms (forgot the author), it's a more gentle intro to algorithnd, I would strongly advise that book for someone that completed a bootcamp.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would strongly advise that book for someone that completed a bootcamp.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommended as a gentle introduction to algorithms for a boot camp graduate.",
          "audience": "Someone who has completed a coding boot camp.",
          "caveat": "The commenter forgot the author’s name.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Aditya Y. Bhargava"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "visual learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "grokking-deep-learning-82e88b",
      "title": "Grokking Deep Learning",
      "author": "Andrew W. Trask",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20676216,
          "author": "ReDeiPirati",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T15:22:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20676216",
          "commentText": "1. Grokking Deep Learning (Andrew W. Trask) and Neural Networks and Deep Learning (Michael Nielsen)\n2. I'll probably be off-point here, but maybe The Book of Why (Judea Pearl) could be interesting reading for you.\nFloydHub has a great article about this topic on their blog:\nhttps://blog.floydhub.com/best-deep-learning-books-updated-f... (https://blog.floydhub.com/best-deep-learning-books-updated-for-2019/).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1. Grokking Deep Learning (Andrew W. Trask)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for technical books on neural networks and deep learning.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an introduction to deep learning.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13407065,
          "author": "kartD",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-15T23:22:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13407065",
          "commentText": "Grokking algorithms. Great book, especially for someone like me who doesn't deal too much with this stuff (as an embedded systems engineer).\nGrokking functional programming and deep learning seem awesome as well, but I haven't finished either so take my recommendation with a pinch of salt.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Grokking functional programming and deep learning seem awesome as well, but I haven't finished either so take my recommendation with a pinch of salt.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it seems awesome, while qualifying the recommendation because they have not finished it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not finished it and qualifies the recommendation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew W. Trask"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "deep learning",
        "neural networks"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "groundwork-of-the-metaphysics-of-morals-f2710f",
      "title": "Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals",
      "author": "Immanuel Kant",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20915791,
          "author": "void_nill",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T06:52:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20915791",
          "commentText": "Here a short list\n - The Edda\n - Lots of Latvian Dainas[1]\n - Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, Immanuel Kant, (1785) and Critique of Pure Reason (second edition 1787)  \n - Goethe's Faust, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, (1828–29 edition\n - Divina Commedia, Dante Alighieri, (1320)\n[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daina_%28Latvia%29",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, Immanuel Kant",
          "reason": "Lists the work in response to a request for favorite old books and essays.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13236138,
          "author": "baboun",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T09:47:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13236138",
          "commentText": "A bunch and mostly Why Grow Up. To be followed by Kant's Groundwork.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "To be followed by Kant's Groundwork.",
          "reason": "Mentions it as a planned future read, without endorsing it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503576,
          "author": "jemfinch",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T13:05:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503576",
          "commentText": "> While not eye-opening, 'sexy philosophy' or quite 'enjoyable,' GMM is a relatively short read and a worthwhile thought-journey.\nFor the majority of extremely utilitarian American readers, GMM will most definitely be eye-opening.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "For the majority of extremely utilitarian American readers, GMM will most definitely be eye-opening.",
          "reason": "Predicts the book will be eye-opening for many American readers, referring to the title named in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "Readers with a utilitarian outlook, especially American readers.",
          "caveat": "The parent describes it as relatively short and worthwhile, but not especially enjoyable or eye-opening for everyone.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Immanuel Kant"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "moral philosophy",
        "ethics",
        "kant"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hackers-d87afe",
      "title": "Hackers",
      "author": "Steven Levy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12245283,
          "author": "syngrog66",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T03:19:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12245283",
          "commentText": "Steven Levy's Hackers, to a boy considering a career in computers\nShirer's Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, to a fan of history",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Steven Levy's Hackers, to a boy considering a career in computers",
          "reason": "Named as a gift for someone considering a career in computers.",
          "audience": "A boy considering a career in computers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135284,
          "author": "DarrenStuart",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T17:20:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135284",
          "commentText": "designing the obvious - a common sense approach to web application design by Robert Hoekman Jr\nThe New New Thing\nMasters of Doom (story of id software, great story)\nSmart Start-ups: How Entrepreneurs and Corporations Can Profit by Starting Online Communities\nsteven levy's Hackers and crypto also for the history.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "steven levy's Hackers and crypto also for the history.",
          "reason": "Suggested for the history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Levy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer history",
        "hacker culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hainish-cycle-077cca",
      "title": "Hainish Cycle",
      "author": "Ursula K. Le Guin",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17537852,
          "author": "rektide",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T00:15:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537852",
          "commentText": "Central Station by Lavie Tidhar is an amazing charming story of a world deeply steeped old sitting baking world where new things are coming about. It is charm & delight in the purest & simplest.\nSpin by Robert Charles Wilson. \"Robert Charles Wilson is a hell of a storyteller,\" said Stephen King and this wonderful tour through time and space, humanity & people's lives is incredible.\nThe Quantum Thief series by Hannu Rajaniemi is open, scenic, wild, & so so vivid, one of the most beautiful worlds I've ever visited, & it reminds me so much of a joyous wild swashbuckling run. The mystery of the main character is enchanting.\nInfoquake series by David Louis Edelson is a gripping suspenseful rise of a star entrepreneur that redefines and radically expands the world, amid an already boisterous & full & busy beautiful world already overflowing in seamless technology everywhere. Although the plot line whips along with some suspense & tension, the scenery and the voyage is incredible.\nLathe of Heaven by Ursala Le Guin could quite easily, quite simply be the best first contact story story ever. Touching, and sincere, & simple. This world is not bright and shiny but her writing and the bonding of characters is incredible. See also the rest of the Hainish cycle.\nLeft Hand of Darkness also by Ursala Le Guin is a shifting chaotic shizmatic tale, about picking our fates. \"Well, I did it through dreams. Phil would have done it another way. But yeah, homage to Phil [K.] Dick is right.\"\n- https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/a... (https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/all/)\nFallen Dragon is an early & involved Peter Hamilton adventure book. There's leaving home, & space ships, more space ships, bad guys, fighting back the bad guys, bigger ships, and action. There is A LOT going on, all the time, & violence, but damn this book comes together into something incredible, & telling, & powerful & strong, something that easily makes it my top pick for most-underappreciated Peter Hamilton.\nDiamond Age by Neal Stephenson, which I'm providing largely as a counterweight to the Snowcrash & Sevenses recommendations here. Diamond Age is much less dark, and way more a fun tail about an incredible & mysterious primer for a young lady.\nSirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut.\nAll Systems Red series by Martha Wells is a underprivileged barely coping robot dealing with the humans she hates having to talk to & a shitty planet trying to kill them. Simple, fun, some action & violence, but the main character is a total hoot the whole time with more loner/zero/drop-out attitude & spunk than anything I've read & it's unbelievably charming.\nLords of Light by Roger Zelazny has more style, pizzaz, & spirit than I feel like any of us deserve. An interesting, storied tale from the post-singularity, with a remarkable & robust cast.\nIllium/Olympos by Dan Simmons, are, in my mind still the clear winner, far above Hyperion. The cast is charming beyond belief, stumbling through a world they both know all too much about & far far too little. Some really incredible worldbuilding here.\nRainbow's End by Vernor Vinge. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE A Fire Upon the Deep. But Rainbow's End really is our planet, sometime not far out, and Vinge has the most tour of this next place we're headed, with threads, and annotations, and group chat being the defining new technologies of humanity. And the tale of the misfit happenstance adventurers who wind up ensnared in the plot line is a fun, roving hoot of a journey, a wonderful second chance at a coming of age story.\nMedusa Chronicles by two of my favorites, Alastair Reynolds & Stephen Baxter is probably my favorite exploring the solar system book, about a guy/robot a bit apart from humanity that really wants to see what the local area has to offer. A lot of high tension conflicting societal impulses that our somewhat aloof lead stumbles through, on his personal mission of exploration. Lots of interesting robot philosophy & very varied elements of space come together with the characters to make an incredibly fun space epic, set in a delightful & intriguing alternative history\nOther's recommendations I'd +1: Dune (but super heady material), The Stars My Destination (brimming with class & substance), Mote in God's Eye (some of the best Space Colonial Marines style stuff out there), Accelerando (and Iron Sky and ... overflowing playful scifi), Blue Ant series (dripping with style), Foundation series (and much more Asimov!), Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy (simple direct exciting hunt for treasure in Star Wars), Fuzzy Nation (fun tale)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "See also the rest of the Hainish cycle.",
          "reason": "Points readers to the rest of the cycle after recommending The Lathe of Heaven.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2087738,
          "author": "InclinedPlane",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T06:47:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2087738",
          "commentText": "\"Worlds of Exile and Illusion\" (Hainish cycle collection) and \"The Left Hand of Darkness\" by Ursula K Le Quin\n\"Singularity Sky\" by Charles Stross\n\"The Player of Games\" by Iain M Banks",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "(Hainish cycle collection)",
          "reason": "Identified as the cycle represented by the collection; listed in response to a favorite-books question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ursula K. Le Guin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "anthology series",
        "anthropological science fiction",
        "interstellar civilization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hard-drive-bill-gates-and-the-making-of-the-microsoft-empire-d677af",
      "title": "Hard Drive: Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire",
      "author": "James Wallace and Jim Erickson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22708572,
          "author": "mitchelldeacon9",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T01:58:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22708572",
          "commentText": "The following is a list of my favorite books on software engineering, cyber-security, and the history of IT business development.\nBowden, Mark (2011) Worm: The First Digital World War\nBrooks, Frederick (1995) Mythical Man-Month, 2nd ed.\nChristensen, Clayton (1997) Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail\nHafner, Katie and Matthew Lyon (1996) Where Wizards Stay Up Late: Origins of the Internet\nHunt, Andrew and David Thomas (1999) Pragmatic Programmer\nMacCormick, John (2012) Nine Algorithms that Changed the Future\nMcConnell, Steve (2004) Code Complete, 2nd ed.\nMitnick, Kevin and William Simon (2002) Art of Deception\nPoulsen, Kevin (2011) Kingpin: How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cyber-Crime Underworld\nRaymond, Eric (2003) Art of Unix Programming\nStone, Brad (2013) The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon\nTorvalds, Linus and David Diamond (2001) Just for Fun: Story of an Accidental Revolutionary\nWallace, James and Jim Erickson (1992) Hard Drive: Bill Gates and Making of the Microsoft Empire\nWilliams, Sam (2002) Free as in Freedom: Richard Stallman's Crusade for Free Software\nWilson, Mike (1996) The Difference between God and Larry Ellison: Inside Oracle Corp",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wallace, James and Jim Erickson (1992) Hard Drive: Bill Gates and Making of the Microsoft Empire",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567535,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T16:31:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567535",
          "commentText": "I've not read 'Hard Drive', but I've re-read 'Gates' by Manes and Andrews, and can recommend it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I've not read 'Hard Drive'",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have not read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13566817,
          "author": "johansch",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T12:54:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13566817",
          "commentText": "\"Hard Drive: Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire\" (1992)\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Hard-Drive-Making-Microsoft-Empire/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Hard-Drive-Making-Microsoft-Empire/dp/0887306292)\nhttp://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41611.Hard_Drive\nMostly re-read the parts of the book that talk about the 80s (the creation of the PC, DOS, Windows, the PC clones, Microsoft and Intel outsmarting IBM, Microsoft bullying the rest of the industry, etc.).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Mostly re-read the parts of the book that talk about the 80s",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter reread selected parts about the 1980s.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175627,
          "author": "jccalhoun",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:37:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175627",
          "commentText": "Hard Drive: Bill Gates and the Making of the Microsoft Empire by Wallace and Erickson - because it came out in 1993 it is interesting to read what they saw as the MS empire back then. I am taking a while to read it because every time they mention a name I have to go look that person up online to see what has happen in the 20+ years since the book came out. It is very interesting to see who has went on to notoriety and who has been forgotten. For example, they devote 2 pages to this guy named Gabe Newell...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It is very interesting to see who has went on to notoriety and who has been forgotten.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds the historical perspective on the people mentioned in the book interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Wallace",
        "Jim Erickson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "microsoft",
        "bill gates",
        "microsoft history",
        "personal computing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "head-first-design-patterns-1179a2",
      "title": "Head First Design Patterns",
      "author": "Eric Freeman and Elisabeth Robson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16757386,
          "author": "gradyj",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T18:15:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16757386",
          "commentText": "- Programming Interviews Exposed\n- Head First Design Patterns\n- Clean Code\nI'm a junior in my first job and I've had these books in my personal library for a while now. Incredible helpful",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Head First Design Patterns",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the books in the list incredibly helpful.",
          "audience": "A junior software developer in a first job.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14846298,
          "author": "robinphilip1989",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T09:08:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14846298",
          "commentText": "Head First Design Patterns by Eric Freeman\nDesign patterns by GoF \nCode Complete by Steve McConnel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Head First Design Patterns by Eric Freeman",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the thread's question about books that shaped code structure.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in software design patterns.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Freeman and Elisabeth Robson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "design patterns",
        "object oriented programming",
        "software design patterns"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "head-on-bfa027",
      "title": "Head On",
      "author": "John Scalzi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18663832,
          "author": "djtalia",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T13:49:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663832",
          "commentText": "Lock In And Head On by John Scalzi. The only book of his I've enjoyed more is Red Shirts.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Lock In And Head On by John Scalzi. The only book of his I've enjoyed more is Red Shirts.",
          "reason": "The commenter says only Redshirts is a book by Scalzi they have enjoyed more.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They say they have enjoyed Redshirts more.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17749867,
          "author": "sdoering",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T13:27:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17749867",
          "commentText": "I would throw in the sequel \"Head on\". Same universe - just some time later. The audiobook is also narrated by Wil Wheaton. And it is great as always.\nOfftopic. I would blindly recommend all books in the combination Wheaton narrating Scalzi. But esp. \"The Collapsing Empire\" (I can't wait for the next part to be released in October).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would throw in the sequel \"Head on\".",
          "reason": "Suggests it as an additional book in the discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Scalzi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "locked in syndrome",
        "mystery",
        "near future science fiction",
        "near future thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "high-fidelity-8bc335",
      "title": "High Fidelity",
      "author": "Nick Hornby",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10785719,
          "author": "martythemaniak",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T21:18:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785719",
          "commentText": "Leave it to Psmith - 10/10\nAnna Karenina - 8/10\nThe Code of the Woosters 8/10\nFooled by Randomness 7/10\nFinding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life 8/10\nHow to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia 9/10\nReluctant Fundamentalist 9/10\nThe Sense of an Ending - Julian Barnes 8/10\nThe Last Question - Asimov - 9/10\nThe Magic of Thinking Big - 6/10\nThe catcher in the Rye 8/10\nModels 7/10\nHigh Fidelity - Nick Hornby 8/10\nThe Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman 7/10\nThe Surrender Experiment - 10/10\nUntethered Soul - 9/10\nThe Autobiography of a Yogi - 7/10\nRaja Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 7/10\nSomething Fresh, something new - 7/10\nKarma Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 8/10\nThinking, Fast and Slow - 9/10\nFierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates 10/10\nThe Pearl by John Steinbeck 7/10",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "High Fidelity - Nick Hornby 8/10",
          "reason": "Rates the book 8/10.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2617360,
          "author": "flomincucci",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T18:06:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2617360",
          "commentText": "Just finished reading The Loser by Thomas Bernhard. Cruel, repetitive, ironic... effing brilliant. It's about three pianists - one of them it's Glenn Gould, and how meeting him ruined the life of the other two.\nCurrently reading High Fidelity by Nick Hornby. I can't be objetive about him, I simple love it. (The movie is great, also)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can't be objetive about him, I simple love it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they love Hornby’s book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they cannot be objective about Hornby.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nick Hornby"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "music",
        "popular music",
        "relationships",
        "romantic comedy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hilda-593a08",
      "title": "Hilda",
      "author": "Luke Pearson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50041304,
          "author": "watwut",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T09:29:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50041304",
          "commentText": "Hilda comic series, Bone comic series. Also, depending on kids personality comics from Telemaiger.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hilda comic series",
          "reason": "Suggested as a comic series for children.",
          "audience": "Children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26774793,
          "author": "impendia",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-12T00:09:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26774793",
          "commentText": "While visiting my nephew I got to read to him from the Hilda series by Luke Pearson. Absolute magic, and the title character demonstrates curiosity in spades.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Hilda series by Luke Pearson",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the series “Absolute magic” and praises its curious title character.",
          "audience": "Young children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Luke Pearson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s comics",
        "adventure",
        "curiosity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hit-refresh-68a050",
      "title": "Hit Refresh",
      "author": "Satya Nadella",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18662571,
          "author": "_____bee_____",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T09:41:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18662571",
          "commentText": "I focused on reading books about politics & technology. These are my favorites\n- Whiplash: How to Survive Our Faster Future by Joi Ito (4.5/5)\n- Hit Refresh by Satya Nadella (4.5/5)\n- Becoming by Michelle Obama (4.9/5)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "These are my favorites",
          "reason": "The commenter identifies it among their favorite books and rates it 4.5/5.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17047552,
          "author": "conwy",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T14:34:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17047552",
          "commentText": "Only a quarter through Satya Nadella's 'Hit Refresh' and it's already giving me food for thought.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it's already giving me food for thought.",
          "reason": "Says the book is prompting reflection.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is only a quarter of the way through.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Satya Nadella"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "microsoft",
        "leadership",
        "technology leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hogfather-2edac4",
      "title": "Hogfather",
      "author": "Terry Pratchett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31980384,
          "author": "noir_lord",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-04T18:36:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31980384",
          "commentText": "Hogfather by Sir Terry Pratchett.\nI read it a couple of days before Christmas every year without fail and have since it came out.\nI absolutely adore the discworld (Pratchett's books shaped me as a child - I wouldn't be the person I am now nor have had the career I do without him).\n> “The senior wizards of Unseen University stood and looked at the door.\n> There was no doubt that whoever had shut it wanted it to stay shut. Dozens of nails secured it to the door frame. Planks had been nailed right across. And finally it had, up until this morning, been hidden by a bookcase that had been put in front of it.\n> 'And there's the sign, Ridcully,' said the Dean. 'You have read it, I assume. You know? The sign which says \"Do not, under any circumstances, open this door\"?'\n> 'Of course I've read it,' said Ridcully. 'Why d'yer think I want it opened?'\n> 'Er ... why?' said the Lecturer in Recent Runes.\n> 'To see why they wanted it shut, of course.'\n> This exchange contains almost all you need to know about human civilization. At least, those bits of it that are now under the sea, fenced off or still smoking.”",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hogfather by Sir Terry Pratchett.",
          "reason": "The commenter rereads it every Christmas and says they adore it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168705,
          "author": "AnIdiotOnTheNet",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:35:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168705",
          "commentText": "A friend loaned me a copy of Ken Wilbur's A Brief History of Everything, which I credit with starting me down the path of philosophical thought. I honestly don't remember a whole lot about the book, but even if I did I'm not certain I'd recommend it if only because I've noticed this tendency of people to read a book about philosophical ideas and then just stop thinking about the ideas and treat them as some kind of dogma. I do recommend deep philosophical thinking though, and to try not to get caught up in the academic side of philosophy.\nTerry Pratchett's Hogfather, in retrospect, laid the foundation for a fundamental shift in my understanding of belief and how it interfaces with reality.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Terry Pratchett's Hogfather",
          "reason": "In retrospect, the commenter says it laid the foundation for a fundamental shift in their understanding of belief and reality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry Pratchett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "discworld",
        "comic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "homeland-48e0dd",
      "title": "Homeland",
      "author": "Cory Doctorow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22758918,
          "author": "ASVVVAD",
          "createdAt": "2020-04-02T13:51:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22758918",
          "commentText": "how I didn't see this, I am so happy right now!\nYou're my favorite writer this is an honor, I'll definitely recommend it to everyone\nI'm looking forward for the new book and editions, especially the introduction. Since seeing a copy of Homeland on Ed's mattress in the documentary is what got me to read the books!\nBest of luck on the recording process and publishing ^^",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "a copy of Homeland",
          "reason": "Says seeing the book in a documentary got them to read the books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11578140,
          "author": "thesmileyone",
          "createdAt": "2016-04-27T06:05:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 11556470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your favorite dystopian novel and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11578140",
          "commentText": "Little Brother by Cory Doctorow, and it's sequel, Homeland. Actually more of a \"what if\" set in the US at present time but still shows how there is a very narrow gap between current times and the time predicted in the book!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it's sequel, Homeland.",
          "reason": "Named as a sequel alongside Little Brother in response to a favorite dystopian novel question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes the books as more of a what-if set in the present than a conventional dystopia.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9612582,
          "author": "kenbellows",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T16:41:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9612582",
          "commentText": "All of Cory Doctorow's books are free online: http://craphound.com/\nI enjoyed Little Brother and its sequel Homeland quite a lot.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed Little Brother and its sequel Homeland quite a lot.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed it quite a lot.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cory Doctorow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "surveillance",
        "dystopian fiction",
        "young adult"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "homo-deus-78a0f9",
      "title": "Homo Deus",
      "author": "Yuval Noah Harari",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30735764,
          "author": "jwood27",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:37:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735764",
          "commentText": "The following have all had a significant effect on my worldview. You can find more information at [1].\n- The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow\n- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\n- Crime and Punishment\n- The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York\n- Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies\n- The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity\n- Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead\n- Franny and Zooey\n- Master of the Senate\n- Atlas Shrugged\n- Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed\n- Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap?\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\n- The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics\n- The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don't\n- Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans\n- Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\n- Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World\n- Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones\n- Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow\n- Ethics in the Real World: 86 Brief Essays on Things that Matter\n- A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life\n- Humankind: A Hopeful History\n- The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think\n[1] https://jacobw.xyz/books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow",
          "reason": "Listed among books that significantly affected the commenter’s worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804066,
          "author": "Delfino",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:09:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804066",
          "commentText": "I read about 25 books this year, here are the top 10 I look forward to reading in 2020, many of them informed by my favorites of 2019:\nHomo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari - I read Sapiens this year and really enjoyed it. I just started this today one so I may finish that before the end of the year.\nThinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman - I like books that make me think and from what I've heard, this will definitely do the trick. I read Factfulness this year and this was a suggested follow-up.\nThe Language Instinct by Steven Pinker - I've gotten really into natural languages since I've lived outside my country of origin for the last 2 and a half years and I've heard good things about this book being an entry point into linguistics.\nSword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski - With the new Witcher show coming out on Netflix I finally went back and beat The Witcher 3 then read the first book, The Last Wish. It was enjoyable enough that I want to keep going with the series.\nEducated by Tara Westover - Was convinced by Bill Gate's blog this is worthwhile. I'm a teacher so it wasn't hard to convince me.\nRobot Builder's Bonanza by Gordon McComb - I've been asked to teach a robotics course next year and this one seems to be The Book everyone recommends to dive into robotics.\nDivided by Partition: United by Resilience by Mallika Ahluwalia - I recently visited the Partition Museum in Amritsar, Punjab, India and purchased this book there to learn about more stories about people impacted by this event.\nThe Elements of Computing Systems by Noam Nisan and Shimon Shocken - I just read Code by Petzold and it was one of my favorite books. Even though I studied Computer Science in University and most of the concepts weren't new to me, it was such a fun experience mentally \"building\" a computer from relays/transistors to logic gates and up to assemblers, compilers, and interpreters. I want to keep going with this and jump into the Nand2Tetris online course.\nThe Annotated Turing by Charles Petzold - Again, I loved Petzold's Code so I looked up other books he wrote and this one looks great. I've never actually read Turing's work so I'm excited to have some background and explanation to help me not just read the words but grasp their significance.\nZACH-LIKE by Zachtronics - I played through several Zachtronics games this year (TIS-100, Shenzhen I/O and Opus Magnum) so I can't wait to dive into some of the thinking behind creating these and similar games.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Homo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter looks forward to reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665467,
          "author": "JabavuAdams",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:55:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665467",
          "commentText": "= Finished =\n* Homo Deus, Yuval Noah Harari\n* Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt\n* The Quants\n* All About ADHD: A Family Resource for Helping Your Child Succeed With ADHD\n* Still Procrastinating? The No Regrets Guide To Getting It Done\n* Why Does He Do That? Inside The Minds of Angry And Controlling Men\n* Killing Pablo\n* Blackhawk Down (re-read)\n* Revelation Space. Banks. (re-read)\n= Finished Chapters Required For A Course =\n* Essential University Physics, Volume 1. Wolfson.\n* Linear Algebra, A First Course. Kutler.\n* A Concise Introduction to Linear Algebra. Schay.\n* Biology I: Cells, Molecular Biology, and Genetics. Custom Text (York University, BIOL 1000).\n* Chemistry, A Molecular Approach. Tro et. al.\n= In Progress =\n* 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, Yuval Noah Harari\n* Time Reborn: From the Crisis In Physics to the Future of the Universe. Smolin.\n* Freemium Mobile Games: Design & Monetization",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "* Homo Deus, Yuval Noah Harari",
          "reason": "Listed as finished; no evaluation or recommendation is expressed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Yuval Noah Harari"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "future of humanity",
        "technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "honor-harrington-10adcc",
      "title": "Honor Harrington",
      "author": "David Weber",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8944742,
          "author": "fendale",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-25T23:44:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944742",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed the Honor Harrington series by David Webber. I've also read most of the Safehold series, also by Webber, which has been excellent so far.\nCurrently half way through the Lost Fleet Series, which is pretty good too.\nQuite different from the 3 series above, the Rho Agenda was very good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed the Honor Harrington series by David Webber.",
          "reason": "Says they really enjoyed the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7303128,
          "author": "HackOfAllTrades",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T05:35:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7303128",
          "commentText": "These days I seem to prefer extended series of books that develop a detailed alternate universe.  Three truly excellent series (Author-Series-1st Book):\nEric Flint - 1632 - \"1632\"\nDavid Weber - Honor Harrington - \"On Basilisk Station\"\nStephen Brust - Vlad Taltos - \"Taltos\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "David Weber - Honor Harrington - \"On Basilisk Station\"",
          "reason": "Names the series as an excellent choice for readers who prefer extended series and detailed alternate universes.",
          "audience": "Readers who prefer extended series with detailed alternate universes.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Weber"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military science fiction",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "honor-harrington-series-6e51a2",
      "title": "Honor Harrington series",
      "author": "David Weber",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13566956,
          "author": "joshstrange",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T13:50:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13566956",
          "commentText": "The first 5 books of the Honor Harrington series, I'm on the 6th now and planning on re-reading all 13 the whole thing.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honorverse#Honor_Harrington_se... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honorverse#Honor_Harrington_series)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The first 5 books of the Honor Harrington series",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056693,
          "author": "exar0815",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:59:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056693",
          "commentText": "I got hooked on SciFi with David Webers Harrington-Series which I found after enjoying the old Hornblower Series. Since then I enjoyed much omthe Kantaki-Cycle of Andreas Eschbach and the Collector/Justifier Series by Markus Heitz, even though they are what I would call typical german SciFi: Humans as nuisance in a peaceful and orderly Galaxy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "David Webers Harrington-Series",
          "reason": "The commenter says the series got them hooked on science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043913,
          "author": "wildwood",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T22:52:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043913",
          "commentText": "The only book I ever force on people is \"A Deepness in the Sky\", by Vernor Vinge.  If you haven't read it, please do.\nI've really been enjoying David Weber's Honor Harrington series, if you're open to military sci-fi.  It's not on the Amazon site, but it's easy to get from the Baen Webscriptions site.\nIain M. Banks - \"Algebraist\" was a lot of fun, easily the best visualization of a gas-giant alien society I've ever read.  I read \"Matter\" a while ago, and keep feeling pulled back to re-read it sometime soon.\nFor classic sci-fi, I would recommend Bester's \"The Stars My Destination\" and Miller's \"Canticle for Leibowitz\".\nDon't forget to check out all the free public domain books that are available in the Kindle Store.  All the Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, etc that you can eat, at no charge.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've really been enjoying David Weber's Honor Harrington series",
          "reason": "Says they have really been enjoying the series.",
          "audience": "Readers open to military science fiction.",
          "caveat": "Not available on Amazon; mentioned as available through Baen Webscriptions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Weber"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military science fiction",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hooked-a9ffc5",
      "title": "Hooked",
      "author": "Nir Eyal",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35169576,
          "author": "jvaqueiro",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T15:14:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35169576",
          "commentText": "Looking back my too three are:\nHooked by Nir Eyal\nViral Loop by Adam L. Penenberg\nShoe Dog by Phil Knight",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hooked by Nir Eyal",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18669949,
          "author": "pknerd",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-13T05:01:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18669949",
          "commentText": "Though many but a few recommendations:\n- Hooked\n- The dollar trap\n- Built to sell\n- Brain rules\n- The doctor in the house (Memoir of Malaysian PM, Mahathir)\n- 1984 by Orwell (Still reading)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Hooked",
          "reason": "Listed as a book read in 2018, in response to a question asking which books commenters would recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nir Eyal"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "habit forming products",
        "product design",
        "product engagement"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-big-things-get-done-c5755b",
      "title": "How Big Things Get Done",
      "author": "Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42655560,
          "author": "dwayne_dibley",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T13:52:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42655560",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed 'How big things get done' [1], which is close to your 'how things.... got built' requirement. Very interesting read about delivery of really big projects. I also read 'Built'[2] which was a little more relatable about civil engineering, specifically the Shard in London. And finally 'Build' by Tony Fadell but this didn't quite hit the mark for me as it was more a memoir about how great he is.\n[1] https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/61327449-how-big-thin... (https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/61327449-how-big-things-get-done)\n[2] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34921647-built\n[3] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59696349-build",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed 'How big things get done' [1], which is close to your 'how things.... got built' requirement.",
          "reason": "Enjoyed it and says it closely matches the request for books about how things get built.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41387884,
          "author": "okaleniuk",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T06:17:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387884",
          "commentText": "I would advice not to concentrate on coding per se. Coding fashion is volatile, today's good practice is a tomorrow's code smell. So instead of \"programmer's books\" I would suggest How Big Things are Done by Bent Flyvbjerg and Den Gardner. It's a new book (2023) and while it touches software engineering a bit, as the title suggest, it's more about getting big things done.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How Big Things are Done by Bent Flyvbjerg and Den Gardner.",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a book about getting big things done.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It touches on software engineering only a bit.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bent Flyvbjerg",
        "Dan Gardner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "megaprojects",
        "project management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-emotions-are-made-2d8cf1",
      "title": "How Emotions Are Made",
      "author": "Lisa Feldman Barrett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30735322,
          "author": "ArthurDevNL",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T16:49:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735322",
          "commentText": "Maybe a bit more niche, but these two have been real eye openers.\nThe Book of Why - Judea Pearl. A very down to earth book about causality and related concepts.\nHow Emotions are Made - Lisa Feldman Barrett. Emotions make a lot more sense after reading her book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How Emotions are Made - Lisa Feldman Barrett. Emotions make a lot more sense after reading her book.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped make emotions make more sense.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20335678,
          "author": "ddggdd",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T14:48:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20335678",
          "commentText": "saw numerous pop psychology book recommendations and this one should be read first\nhow emotions are made\nit is the new new thing, really thought-provoking, a lot of ideas are speculation, but if it true(I believe most are)\nwe are seeing a new system to explain our current problems and create a new path to future\nbelieving is seeing\nalso the audio book is fun, the voice lady seems capable of triggering a lot people.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "how emotions are made\nit is the new new thing, really thought-provoking, a lot of ideas are speculation, but if it true(I believe most are)",
          "reason": "Calls it thought-provoking and recommends reading it first among pop psychology books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says many ideas are speculative.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lisa Feldman Barrett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "emotion science",
        "theory of constructed emotion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-google-works-898ad6",
      "title": "How Google Works",
      "author": "Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18488178,
          "author": "duykhoa12t",
          "createdAt": "2018-11-19T17:50:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 18473561,
          "threadTitle": "Best book/paper you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18488178",
          "commentText": "How Google works https://www.howgoogleworks.net/\nThose ideas and principles of building a successful Google, from making great product, build the great culture and hiring the smart creative people.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "How Google works",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961294,
          "author": "vo1d",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:27:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961294",
          "commentText": "- The Innovator's Dilemma by Clay Christensen\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman\n- A Briefer History of Time by Stephen Hawking\n- The Lean Startup by Eric Ries\n- Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson\n- The Industries of the Future by Alec Ross\n- Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss\n- Start with No by Jim Camp\n- How Google Works by Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg\n- The Everything Store by Brad Stone\n- The Inevitable by Kevin Kelly",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How Google Works by Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229612,
          "author": "jakegarelick",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T14:42:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229612",
          "commentText": "My recent favorites: Jobs, The Hard Thing About Hard Things, High Output Management, Innovator's Dilemma, Lean Startup, On The Shortness Of Life, How Google Works, Zero To One, Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, Power of Habit, Things Fall Apart, Stoner",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How Google Works",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's recent favorites in response to a book recommendation request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "company culture",
        "google",
        "management",
        "technology management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-innovation-works-and-why-it-flourishes-in-freedom-f9d64d",
      "title": "How Innovation Works: And Why It Flourishes in Freedom",
      "author": "Matt Ridley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36619755,
          "author": "theage",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-06T17:37:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36619755",
          "commentText": "The Discoverers: A History of Man’s Search to Know His World and Himself - Daniel J. Boorstin\nHow Innovation Works: And Why It Flourishes in Freedom - Matt Ridley\nThe Technology Trap: Capital, Labor, and Power in the Age of Automation - Carl Benedikt Frey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How Innovation Works: And Why It Flourishes in Freedom - Matt Ridley",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for technology history books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33382606,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T10:05:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382606",
          "commentText": "Top 2 so far:\n   * Washington: A life by Ron Chernow\n   * The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won by Victor Davis Hanson\n\nThe Washington book is a very detailed by clear overview of his life. Easy to follow (even for complex situations) and very week written.\nThe WW2 book is amazing. Compares the countries fighting in around 20 different areas (technology, leadership, geography, aircraft) and says who is better and why.\nAlso very good:\n   * FDR by Jean Edward Smith\n   * Master of the Senate by Robert A. Caro\n   * The Penguin History of New Zealand by Michael King\n   * The years of Lyndon Johnson 2 – Means of Ascent by Robert Caro\n   * Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road by Kyle Buchanan\n   * Becoming Trader Joe: How I Did Business My Way and Still Beat the Big Guys by Joe Coulombe\n   * How Innovation Works: And Why It Flourishes in Freedom by Matt Ridley\n   * Yeager: An Autobiography by Chuck Yeager\n   * The years of Lyndon Johnson: The Path to Power by Robert Caro\n   * The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson\n   * Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson\n   * An Economist walks into a Brothel: And Other Unexpected Places to Understand Risk by Allison Schrager\n   * The Devil’s Candy: The Bonfire of the Vanities Goes to Hollywood by Julie Salamon\n   * Sam Walton: Made in America by Sam Walton",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* How Innovation Works: And Why It Flourishes in Freedom by Matt Ridley",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matt Ridley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "innovation",
        "history of innovation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-life-imitates-chess-78eb33",
      "title": "How Life Imitates Chess",
      "author": "Garry Kasparov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35174683,
          "author": "wslh",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T21:03:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35174683",
          "commentText": "I start with five:\n1. \"Only the Paranoid Survive: How to Exploit the Crisis Points That Challenge Every Company\" by Andrew Grove. It is a real CEO experiencing critical moments in a top company.\n2. \"How Life Imitates Chess\" by Garry Kasparov (don't pay attention to the title...). Kasparov talks about different players with different styles and in different moments.\n3. \"New Directions in the Philosophy of Mathematics\" edited by Thomas Tymoczko. Embed epistemological questions that at a higher level could be applied to business. In a way (2) is epistemological regarding chess and it ends when Deep Blue beats Kasparov and Kasparov start thinking in a new kind of chess called advanced chess (even if it was not successful).\n4. Fred Wilson's blog, including MBA Mondays. Answers many questions from the perspective of a VC who can watch multiple companies execution at the same time and tell many humble stories.\n5. \"Idea Man: A Memoir by the Cofounder of Microsoft\" by Paul Allen. It shows you the deep story before Microsoft, seems like a unique technological and advanced experience at that time by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. Spoiler: the lucky IBM/DOS event is not why Microsoft is successful, the book gives you some deep roots before the company foundation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How Life Imitates Chess\" by Garry Kasparov (don't pay attention to the title...). Kasparov talks about different players with different styles and in different moments.",
          "reason": "Recommends Kasparov's discussion of players, styles, and changing circumstances.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says not to pay attention to the title.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16327961,
          "author": "AlexAmee",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-07T21:01:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16327961",
          "commentText": "I thought about my comment and also yours, you made think about why I wrote this.\nI probably want other readers to remind that they should not blindly trust recommendations from HN.\nEdit:\nIf everyone agree's on something, new readers will more likely accept the fact that this book is worth buying, but if a few say the opposite, the reader has to evaluate before buying.\nI once bought the book 'garry kasparov - how life imitates chess'\nbecause of HN reviews, It was probably the worst book I've ever read, full of obvious things.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I once bought the book 'garry kasparov - how life imitates chess'\nbecause of HN reviews, It was probably the worst book I've ever read, full of obvious things.",
          "reason": "Calls it the worst book they have read and says it is full of obvious things.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12156888,
          "author": "1_listerine_pls",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-25T06:40:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12156888",
          "commentText": "Such a coincidence that they have the same title and author name.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Such a coincidence that they have the same title and author name.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12142552,
          "author": "przeor",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T09:27:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12142552",
          "commentText": "1) \"how life imitates chess\" Garry Kasparov\n2) \"how life imitates chess\" Garry Kasparov\n3) \"how life imitates chess\" Garry Kasparov\nHighly recommended, very good read and smart book. I would call it the modern version of The Art of War.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Highly recommended, very good read and smart book.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it highly recommended and a very good, smart read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Garry Kasparov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Biography",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "decision making",
        "chess",
        "strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-music-works-433e2f",
      "title": "How Music Works",
      "author": "David Byrne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29669538,
          "author": "mwattsun",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T02:58:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29669538",
          "commentText": "I try to broaden my horizons and get out of my tech bubble, so I like to learn how artists think. I don't think I could do any better than David Byrne \"How Music Works\" which is surprisingly and satisfyingly technical, along with musical, and Patti Smith's \"Just Kids\" about her time in New York City starting out with artist Robert Mapplethorpe at the Chelsea Hotel. Amusingly, she meets Alan Ginsburg when he tries to pick her up thinking she is a young man.\nIn the same vein, not books but documentaries, I learned a lot from three Andy Warhol documentaries on YouTube: \"The Life of Andy Warhol\", \"Andy Warhol - The Complete Picture\", and \"BBC Modern Masters 1of4 - ANDY WARHOL\"\nFrom those I learned about the art business, how much Warhol loved money (he left an estate or around 400 million dollars) and how much of this applies to today's world of art related NFT speculation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I don't think I could do any better than David Byrne \"How Music Works\" which is surprisingly and satisfyingly technical, along with musical",
          "reason": "Recommends it as an especially good way to learn how artists think.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in how artists think.",
          "caveat": "Described as technical as well as musical.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4967179,
          "author": "nichodges",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T21:42:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967179",
          "commentText": "A few highlights for me...\nAbundance - Peter H. Diamandis, Steven Kotler.\nDiamandis has an almost infectiously positive way of looking at the world. And a hope that's not just based on a philosophical belief but is backed up with hard data.\nDistrust That Particular Flavor - William Gibson.\nI never got into Gibson as a fiction writer, but this collection of essays, articles and talks immediately made me appreciate him as an amazing thinker, observer, and truly brilliant writer. This book is worthwhile for the pieces on Japan alone, but every single piece is wonderful.\nFinite and Infinite Games - James Carse.\nAn old book but one I only just discovered. No book has every so subtly had an impact on my life every day. The finite vs. infinite way of looking at the world has changed the way I think and act completely on the inside, yet it's probably hardly noticable on the outside. An amazingly easy book to read, couldn't recommend it highly enough.\nHow Music Works - David Byrne\nA unique and refreshing take on creating music that can be applied to the creation of anything. Byrne leaves the mysterious & ethereal world of 'creativity' for dead, and looks at how he creates music, and how the industry works, in a grounded and logical way. A brilliant book for anyone who creates anything.\nThe Plenitude: Creativity, Innovation, and Making Stuff - Rich Gold\nAnother old(er) book, but one I can't believe I only just found. Rich Gold's outlook on how and why we make things should be required reading for anyone who plans on thrusting their big idea into the world.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking - Susan Cain\nIt's had a lot of press, but I'm going to recommend it anyway. HN undoubtedly has a higher than average number of introverts who truly operate in an extroverted world. This book was absolutely eye opening in how it deconstructs different situations and personalities in a useful and positive way. I wouldn't say it's 'changed my life', but it has made a few relationships with close friends and colleagues a lot better.\nAnd a quick plug - for any avid Kindle readers out there, I've built a web app for viewing/sharing/organising Kindle highlights. If any HN'ers want early access sign up at http://kindred.it/ and I'll ping you a beta login.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A brilliant book for anyone who creates anything.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its grounded approach to creativity and recommends it to creators.",
          "audience": "Anyone who creates anything.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Byrne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Science",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creativity",
        "music",
        "music industry",
        "music theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-will-you-measure-your-life-f77073",
      "title": "How Will You Measure Your Life?",
      "author": "Clayton M. Christensen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38557152,
          "author": "a_c",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:05:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557152",
          "commentText": "How Will You Measure Your Life by Clayton Christensen\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13425570-how-will-you-me... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13425570-how-will-you-measure-your-life)\nI always feel uneasy with the notion of work-life balance. At the same time I always want more time and attention with my family. Family is part of life, work is part of life, everything you do is part of life. Why the two often appear to be opposing each other? The book offers much counsel on family, parenting and profession. Many of the business examples appeared in the book Innovation Dilemma and a talk at google https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rHdS_4GsKmg",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book offers much counsel on family, parenting and profession.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it offers counsel on family, parenting, and profession.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter questions the framing of work-life balance as a divide, since work and family are both parts of life.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467485,
          "author": "ljoshua",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:30:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467485",
          "commentText": "\"How Will You Measure Your Life?\" by Clayton Christensen. Absolutely love this book and have read and listened to it multiple times. Really provides a fresh perspective on life and work.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How Will You Measure Your Life?\" by Clayton Christensen. Absolutely love this book and have read and listened to it multiple times. Really provides a fresh perspective on life and work.",
          "reason": "The commenter loves it, has revisited it multiple times, and says it offers a fresh perspective on life and work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Clayton M. Christensen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Parenting",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "career",
        "family life",
        "life planning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-the-grinch-stole-christmas-68fa8f",
      "title": "How the Grinch Stole Christmas!",
      "author": "Dr. Seuss",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34634686,
          "author": "mixmastamyk",
          "createdAt": "2023-02-02T23:16:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 34634274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books your kids like most",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34634686",
          "commentText": "> rival the TV and YT junk\nCan't compete with these, nope.  Only way is to limit them a few hours a day or less.  The ability to relax and be bored is essential to support the desire to read.\nWe did it an hour before bed every night under warm lighting.  Loved Dr. Seuss' Cat in the Hat, The Lorax, Grinch, Oh, the Places You'll Go!\nEngelbreit's Mother Goose, Nursery Rhymes set.\nLoved The Police Cloud by Chris Neimann, and Little Owl Lost by Chris Haughton.\nWe liked The Giving Tree, but be prepared as it shows a dysfunctional relationship.  We took it as a \"teachable moment.\"\nAgree with those who say to go to the library for variety.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Grinch,",
          "reason": "Named among books loved during nightly reading.",
          "audience": "Young children.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12244902,
          "author": "flubert",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T01:30:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244902",
          "commentText": "Get a couple of the collections of Dr. Seuss.\nCan't help but think that in addition to \"Yertle\", that \"Sneetches\", \"Horton Hears a Who\", and \"The Grinch who Stole Christmas\" are all timeless masterpieces.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Six-Seuss-Treasury-Dr-Classics/dp/067... (https://www.amazon.com/Six-Seuss-Treasury-Dr-Classics/dp/0679821481/)\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Hatful-Seuss-Favorite-Sneetches-Barth... (https://www.amazon.com/Hatful-Seuss-Favorite-Sneetches-Bartholomew/dp/0679883886/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Can't help but think that in addition to \"Yertle\", that \"Sneetches\", \"Horton Hears a Who\", and \"The Grinch who Stole Christmas\" are all timeless masterpieces.",
          "reason": "Calls the named stories timeless masterpieces.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dr. Seuss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s literature",
        "holiday stories",
        "picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-the-internet-happened-34cfa6",
      "title": "How the Internet Happened",
      "author": "Brian McCullough",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36601270,
          "author": "btseytlin",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T14:54:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601270",
          "commentText": "Really enjoyed this read!\nhttps://www.amazon.com/How-Internet-Happened-Netscape-iPhone... (https://www.amazon.com/How-Internet-Happened-Netscape-iPhone/dp/1631493078)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://www.amazon.com/How-Internet-Happened-Netscape-iPhone...",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22708073,
          "author": "simplicio",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T00:17:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22708073",
          "commentText": "\"How the Internet Happened\" by Brian McCullough covers the early years of the internet through the dotcom bust.  He has a podcast consisting of some of the chapters for the book and interviews he did while writing.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"How the Internet Happened\" by Brian McCullough",
          "reason": "Covers the internet's early years through the dot-com bust.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the dot-com era.",
          "caveat": "The author also made a podcast with some book chapters and interviews; the comment does not assess it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21853938,
          "author": "saasdev",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T23:24:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21853938",
          "commentText": "I agree that it’s tough to truly grok technical material in purely audio format. With that said, I think you can learn a ton by learning about the history, trends, and other software companies. Here are some of my favorites:\nThe Dream Machine\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer a Revolution\nHow the Internet Happened\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nAI Superpowers\nPlatform Revolution\nThe Everything Store",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How the Internet Happened",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of favorites answering an audiobook request.",
          "audience": "Listeners interested in internet history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian McCullough"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "internet history",
        "dot com era",
        "technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-the-irish-saved-civilization-486f98",
      "title": "How the Irish Saved Civilization",
      "author": "Thomas Cahill",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33850354,
          "author": "tbonesteaks",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T03:38:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33850354",
          "commentText": "My favorites I read this year in order:\n- Prayer of Owen Meany, it’s the basis of the movie Simon Birch if you have seen that. The book has so much more going on though\n- My Antonia, wonderful characters\n- Jude the Obscure, the cover tells you the ending is shocking, and the cover is right!\n- How the Irish Saved Civilization, really fun and interesting",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "really fun and interesting",
          "reason": "Calls it fun and interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1273331,
          "author": "iaind",
          "createdAt": "2010-04-17T17:13:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1273331",
          "commentText": "A great way to get into history is Thomas Cahill's \"Pillars of History\" series. Start with \"How the Irish Saved Civilization\" and if you like it, carry on with the rest of the series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Start with \"How the Irish Saved Civilization\"",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as the starting point for the series.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in getting into history.",
          "caveat": "Continue with the rest of the series only if you like it.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Cahill"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "irish history",
        "early medieval history",
        "popular history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-the-mighty-fall-and-why-some-companies-never-give-in-02e1aa",
      "title": "How the Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never Give In",
      "author": "Jim Collins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19402617,
          "author": "espeed",
          "createdAt": "2019-03-15T18:20:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 19402065,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is Getting Things Done still a book that HN recommends?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19402617",
          "commentText": "How the Mighty Fall [1] is the book by Jim Collins  that I'll never forget.\nThe lessons within remain top of mind as a key mental check that has stuck with me over the years. The book begins with a study on hubris and how your blindspots are like a cancer of mind that remain undetected while working to kill you long before their effects are known.\nSee Jim Collins' 2009 interview w/ Charlie Rose to get the gist and understand the context for how the book came to be: https://charlierose.com/videos/22502 [video]\n[1] https://www.jimcollins.com/books/how-the-mighty-fall.html\nHow The Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never Give In, by Jim Collins https://www.amazon.com/How-Mighty-Fall-Companies-Never/dp/09... (https://www.amazon.com/How-Mighty-Fall-Companies-Never/dp/0977326411)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How the Mighty Fall [1] is the book by Jim Collins  that I'll never forget.",
          "reason": "The commenter says its lessons remain top of mind and have stayed with them over the years.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in how companies decline.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865706,
          "author": "larsberg",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T17:53:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865706",
          "commentText": "Or read the book by the same author that covers that exact question, _How The Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never Give In_",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the book by the same author that covers that exact question, _How The Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never Give In_",
          "reason": "Suggested as a book covering the question of why companies fail.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jim Collins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business decline",
        "company decline",
        "management",
        "organizational failure"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-the-world-works-75dc99",
      "title": "How the World Works",
      "author": "Noam Chomsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42280171,
          "author": "neofrommatrix",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-30T07:36:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42280171",
          "commentText": "I discovered Noam Chomsky last year. Read “How the world works”, “Understanding Power” and “Manufacturing Consent”. \nAbsolutely blown away.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read “How the world works”",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter read before saying they were blown away.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19090626,
          "author": "vishnugupta",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T22:27:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090626",
          "commentText": "All the books below have shaped my thought process to a significant degree. I started reading late but I'm fortunate enough to have stumbled upon these gems.\n\"Debt: The First 5000 Years\": This is truly a magnum opus. Until I read this I had taken money, economy, market etc., for granted. And I had held onto the widely accepted, but naive, view that economic systems somehow grew out of barter systems. The range of topics discussed, and the way author shows how seemingly independent concepts are intertwined, is truly astonishing. I'm on my 2nd read.\n\"Thinking, Fast and Slow\": This book made me truly appreciate the value of psychology. I didn't even know the existence of a vast domain called behavioral science until I read this book. Now I'm deliberately conscious about the decisions I take and retrace my thought process multiple times just to make sure that I haven't fallen pray to some of the cognitive biases.\n\"The Tell-Tale Brain\": While I did know that human brain is a unique organ this book opened my eyes to its layered complexities. For instance, how \"seeing\" is not a single step but a multi step process. From image formation, to identifying the object, to evoking emotional response.\n\"QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter\": The book with the highest signal to noise ratio. I finally understood what science is about, a way to model nature and to keep refining it to fit the observation. There are no true/false theories/models only those that explain nature's behavior better or worse. Nature is agnostic to all our theories and models. She's just the way she is. For details read about double slit experiment.\n\"How the World Works\": This one along with \"Profit Over People: Neoliberalism & Global Order\" has greatly shaped my mental model about the workings of contemporary world. I now understand why does military gets all the funding, why do powerful governments tend to keep its subject under perpetual fear, why is it that the cost of education has been sky-rocketing.\n\"The Hanging of Afzal Guru and the Strange Case of the Attack on the Indian Parliament\": A glimpse into the working of Indian justice system.\n\"Broken Republic\": This is by far the most accurate description about current affairs in India. How India is being hollowed out and how its most vulnerable section is the one fighting against it.\n\"Grammatical Man: Information, Entropy, Language and Life\": I'm currently reading it (20% through) and it has already made a big impact. The meaning of information is deep and subtle and pervades not just human being but the life itself.\n\"The Order of Time\": The book that well and truly shook the foundation that I had taken for granted for my entire life. That space and time aren't something absolute and are personal has had a profound impact on me.\n\"The Upanisads\": A truly remarkable work of human mind. Just to think about some of the concepts uplifts my mood.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How the World Works\": This one along with \"Profit Over People: Neoliberalism & Global Order\" has greatly shaped my mental model about the workings of contemporary world.",
          "reason": "Says it helped shape their mental model of the contemporary world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Noam Chomsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political economy",
        "global politics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-invent-everything-a-survival-guide-for-the-stranded-time-t-2a8d9a",
      "title": "How to Invent Everything: A Survival Guide for the Stranded Time Traveler",
      "author": "Ryan North",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30824488,
          "author": "talliedthoughts",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-27T21:48:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30824488",
          "commentText": "Maybe not exactly what you're looking for, but I found this entertaining:\nHow to Invent Everything: A Survival Guide for the Stranded Time Traveler: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39026990-how-to-invent-e... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39026990-how-to-invent-everything)\nIt's written in a comedic style, and takes you through what you would need to build to \"reimplement modern civilization\" if you found yourself stuck back in time.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "How to Invent Everything: A Survival Guide for the Stranded Time Traveler",
          "reason": "Recommended as an entertaining, comedic guide to rebuilding modern civilization while stranded in the past.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Maybe not exactly what you're looking for.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18746780,
          "author": "GarrisonPrime",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T16:04:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18746780",
          "commentText": "Ah, just the book I wanted to write! Glad someone else has done the work. I must grab it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ah, just the book I wanted to write! Glad someone else has done the work. I must grab it.",
          "reason": "Says this is the book they wanted to write and that they must get it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ryan North"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "rebuilding civilization",
        "survival guide",
        "technology history",
        "time travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-measure-anything-finding-the-value-of-intangibles-in-busin-335ed5",
      "title": "How to Measure Anything: Finding the Value of Intangibles in Business",
      "author": "Douglas W. Hubbard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23441194,
          "author": "robi-y",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-06T18:17:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23441194",
          "commentText": "Somewhat related but more generally about estimation:\nHubbard, How to Measure Anything\nhttps://www.amazon.com/How-Measure-Anything-Intangibles-Busi... (https://www.amazon.com/How-Measure-Anything-Intangibles-Business-ebook/dp/B00INUYS2U)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hubbard, How to Measure Anything",
          "reason": "Offers it as a related book about estimation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12418739,
          "author": "ekr",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-03T11:06:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12418739",
          "commentText": "How to Measure Anything: Finding the Value of \"Intangibles\" in Business . A vital step in becoming a more (instrumentally) rational person is to track and calibrate your beliefs.\nThis book teaches you of how to do that.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A vital step in becoming a more (instrumentally) rational person is to track and calibrate your beliefs.\nThis book teaches you of how to do that.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes the book as teaching belief tracking and calibration, calling that vital to becoming more rational.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking to track and calibrate their beliefs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas W. Hubbard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "measurement",
        "decision analysis",
        "estimation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-speak-how-to-listen-fc7375",
      "title": "How to Speak, How to Listen",
      "author": "Mortimer J. Adler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665060,
          "author": "billybatson",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:11:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665060",
          "commentText": "A Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley: Decent. I think this book would best be read in conjunction while working through a textbook. I will admit that it did do quite a bit to help relieve math anxiety, but the nature of the book is practicality.\nBrave New World by Aldous Huxley: A reread. A bit depressing considering the state of the world today. I found myself wondering which reality would be preferable.\nLetters to a Young Mathematician by Ian Stewart: Easy, but fruitful read. I've struggled a lot with math confidence, and this helped alleviate a lot of that.\nHow to Speak, How to Listen by Mortimer J. Adler: A lot of practical advice. My biggest takeaway was this: if it's worth talking about, even if the conversation sucks or the other person doesn't understand, any bit of advancement and understanding is worth the effort. Really helped me increase my patience when talking to people.\nQuack This Way by David Foster Wallace and Bryan Garner: Super useful and practical discussion between two lovers of language. I keep a copy with me at all times.\nThe Autobiography of Gucci Mane: Just a fun read while on vacation. \"If Gucci can do it, you can do it\".\nJesus' Son by Denis Johnson: A nice if brutal read. It was my first foray in DJ. I felt Cormac McCarthyish vibes.\nBlood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy: A classic. The Judge.\nThinking About Mathematics by Stuart Shapiro: Highly recommended for anyone interested in the philosophical questions of mathematics. Shapiro writes clearly, concisely, and in a manner that is easy to read.\nThe Liars' Club by Mary Karr: Pretty great but brutal.\nThe Broom of the System by David Foster Wallace: I really enjoyed it. It's ode to Wittgenstein and it helped me cope with a lot of questions that I felt after studying LW.\nThe Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: I think we've all been in Werther's shoes. Though I hope that nobody comes to the same conclusion he came to.\nManage Your Day-To-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, & Sharpen Your Creative Mind: A pretty great book. I find myself writing a book report on it to make sure I internalize a lot of the lessons. If you're having trouble doing creative work while working, read this.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A lot of practical advice. My biggest takeaway was this: if it's worth talking about, even if the conversation sucks or the other person doesn't understand, any bit of advancement and understanding is worth the effort. Really helped me increase my patience when talking to people.",
          "reason": "The commenter found its practical advice useful for becoming more patient in conversation.",
          "audience": "People seeking to improve their conversations and patience.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13243351,
          "author": "noufalibrahim",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-23T07:00:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13243351",
          "commentText": "1. Red Plenty (Francis Spufford) - Fascinating fictionalised account of the history of the USSR. Gets a little tedious at times but worth it.\n2. Anils Ghost (Michael Ondaatje) - Drama with a war background. Nice read.\n3. Financial intelligence for Entrepreneurs - Very useful now that I have a small company of my own.\n4. How to Speak How to listen (Mortimer Adler) - Worth it. I enjoy public speaking and this was well written and quite useful.\n2016's been a bad year for me as far as books go.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Worth it. I enjoy public speaking and this was well written and quite useful.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is well written and useful, especially given their interest in public speaking.",
          "audience": "People interested in public speaking.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mortimer J. Adler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "listening",
        "communication",
        "public speaking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-win-at-the-sport-of-business-662097",
      "title": "How to Win at the Sport of Business",
      "author": "Mark Cuban",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10839933,
          "author": "pedrodelfino",
          "createdAt": "2016-01-05T00:18:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 10833032,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book you've recently read and enjoyed?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10839933",
          "commentText": "Elon Musk's biography by Ashlee Vance and \"How to win at the sport of Business\", by Mark Cuban.  I really enjoyed both of them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How to win at the sport of Business\", by Mark Cuban",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed both mentioned books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10786160,
          "author": "wushupork",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T22:57:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786160",
          "commentText": "Traction by Justin Mares, Gabriel Weinberg - would probably reread\nGrowth Hacker Marketing by Ryan Holiday\nHow to Fail at Almost Everything by Scott Adams - great read\nScaling Up By Verne Harnish\nGreat By Choice by Jim Collins - love the whole series\nThe Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes - probably worth a reread\nHow to Win at the Sport of Business By Mark Cuban - good read\nElon Mush by Ashlee Vance - need I say more\nThe Hard Thing about Hard Things By Ben Horowitz\nThe Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg - probably need to deeply absorb this - a lot of good stuff\nCopy This! By Paul Orfalea - another good \"small business\" entrepreneur book\nThe E-Myth Revisited By Michael Gerber - 2nd time read. Got more out of it this time.\nThe People's Tycoon (Ford) by Steven Watts - I love reading about businessmen from this age\nScrum by JJ Sutherland Jeff Sutherland - good read for development teams",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Win at the Sport of Business By Mark Cuban - good read",
          "reason": "Described as a good read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Cuban"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "business advice"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-write-a-thesis-343853",
      "title": "How to Write a Thesis",
      "author": "Umberto Eco",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43612522,
          "author": "treetalker",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T15:20:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43612522",
          "commentText": "Peter Bevelin's Seeking Wisdom.\nThe other day someone on here recommended The Philosopher's Toolkit, and I ordered a copy based on that recommendation. I've only started to dip into various parts, but I can already confirm that it is a good introductory compendium of the basics of philosophy, logic, and argumentation. In the same vein is Daniel Dennett's Intuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking.\nA personal favorite is Frances  Yates's The Art of Memory (think: intersection of rhetoric, mnemonic systems, philosophical systems, and the occult during the Renaissance).\nMatthew Butterick's Practical Typography and Typography for Lawyers. Bryan Garner's The Winning Brief.\nUmberto Eco's How to Write a Thesis. Adler's How to Read a Book. Pierre Bayard's How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read.\nI could go on. Book posts are my favorite posts on HN, but they always lighten my wallet and at home I'm surrounded with ever-growing piles of great material.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Umberto Eco's How to Write a Thesis.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23387445,
          "author": "neurocline",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-02T04:26:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23387445",
          "commentText": "I went through my recent-books shelves and found a few shorter books that are well worth reading. Short books for developers are rare these days.\nAlgorithms Unlocked, Thomas Cormen, 212 pages\nThe Art of Readable Code, Dustin Boswell & Trevor Foucher, 180 pages\nHow To Take Smart Notes, Sonke Ahrens, 151 pages\nHow to Write a Thesis, Umberto Eco, 223 pages\nHow Charts Lie, Alberto Cairo, 193 pages",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Write a Thesis, Umberto Eco, 223 pages",
          "reason": "Includes it among shorter books the commenter says are well worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "223 pages.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Umberto Eco"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "academic writing",
        "research",
        "thesis writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "i-and-thou-1effda",
      "title": "I and Thou",
      "author": "Martin Buber",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23468786,
          "author": "booknobook",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T17:35:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23468786",
          "commentText": "I and Thou by Martin Buber\nFinite and Infinite Games by James P. Carse\nOn Having No Head by Douglas E. Harding",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I and Thou by Martin Buber",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971330,
          "author": "jiganti",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T09:47:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971330",
          "commentText": "The Gay Science - Nietzsche - Age 16\nI and Thou - Martin Buber - Age 18\nAtlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand - Age 17",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I and Thou - Martin Buber - Age 18",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin Buber"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dialogical philosophy",
        "relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "i-claudius-27dcc7",
      "title": "I, Claudius",
      "author": "Robert Graves",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12069186,
          "author": "acabrahams",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T06:10:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12069186",
          "commentText": "1. The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu\n2. One L by Scott Turow\n3. The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu\n4. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells\n5. Believer: My Forty Years in Politics by David Axelrod\n6. The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells\n7. Augustus: First Emperor of Rome by Adrian Goldsworthy\n8. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (re-read)\n9. I, Claudius by Robert Graves\n10. Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks\n11. The Fear Index by Robert Harris\n12. Red Dragon by Thomas Harris (re-read)\n13. The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris (re-read)\n14. Hannibal by Thomas Harris (re-read)\n15. Game Change by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin (re-read)\n16. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (re-read)\n17. Claudius the God by Robert Graves\nRe-reads take hardly any time at all, so I'm not sure whether to count them. If you're not, then 11 books read so far.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I, Claudius by Robert Graves",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7970518,
          "author": "gadders",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T13:37:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7970518",
          "commentText": "In other words \"please tell us the names of books that you're not ashamed for people to know that you are reading\".\nIs anyone here reading some absolute trash like Dan Brown, or do we only read \"good\" books?\nI'll start. I've just read \"Full Assault Mode\" by Dalton Fury. The action is good, but the account of hacking a nuclear power station using iPhones is completely risible.\nI'm now reading I, Claudius which is a lot better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm now reading I, Claudius which is a lot better.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is a lot better than the previous book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85867,
          "author": "daniel-cussen",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T08:24:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85867",
          "commentText": "The Selfish Gene (Richard Dawkins)\nI, Claudius (Robert Graves)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I, Claudius (Robert Graves)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Graves"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient rome",
        "historical fiction",
        "historical novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "idea-man-a36d80",
      "title": "Idea Man",
      "author": "Paul Allen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42659908,
          "author": "jdeibele",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T20:38:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42659908",
          "commentText": "\"Idea Man\" is by Paul Allen.\n\"The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man: A Memoir\" looks like an interesting book on Paul Newman but I haven't read it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Idea Man\" is by Paul Allen.",
          "reason": "Identifies the author of Idea Man in response to a mistaken attribution.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Idea Man (Paul Allen)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238121,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:01:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238121",
          "commentText": "Last year I gave myself a Zuckerberg-style goal to read a book every two weeks. It started well, but some months were harder than others (usually when the book wasn't very good, so I would switch to podcasts for a few weeks, before getting back on track).\nHere's an unordered list of the best:\n[BUSINESS / SELF-IMPROVEMENT]\n- \"Work Rules!\" - about Google's culture and values\n- \"Search Inside Yourself\" - about mindfulness, meditation, and the impact on your life.\n- \"What got you here won't get you there\" - Liked a lot more than I expected.\n- \"Re-read Innovator's Dilemma\" - a great classic; never gets old.\n- \"How will you measure your life\" - from the same author. Also excellent.\n- \"The Best Service is No Service\" - good overview on why Amazon's customer service is so good\n- \"Crucial Conversations\" - half is common sense; half is good tips to practice everyday.\n[PROGRAMMING]\n- \"Fluent Python\" - was afraid it'd be too basic, but not really. Enjoyed it a lot.\n- \"Think Complexity\" - about algorithm complexity, data structures, etc. Great read.\n- \"Python Data Science Handbook\" - meh.\n- \"Fundamentals of Deep Learning\" - good intro. Helped me solidify some concepts from Andrew Ng's ML course\n- \"Deep Learning\" - by Goodfellow and Bengio. Just started, but really liking it.\n[STARTUPS] (all excellent; in order)\n- \"The Hard Things about Hard Things\"\n- \"Zero to One\"\n- \"The Founder's Dilemmas\"\n- \"The Launch Pad\"\n[FICTION]\n- Trilogy: \"Off to be a wizard / An Unwelcome Quest / Spell or High Water\"\n- \"Infinite Jest\" - tried but failed to finish. May try again later.\n- \"Ready Player One\" - nice, but repetitive after a while. Good read before the movie comes out.\n[NON-FICTION]\n- \"What If?\" - xkcd FTW\n- \"How to Read a Book\" - good concepts, but should be a 10 pages blog post, not a book\n- \"Spark\" - Science of the Exercise and the Brain - Long, but good\n- \"Sugar Shock\" - still reading; hopefully will help me cut my sweet cravings\n[BIOGRAPHIES]\n- \"The New New Thing\" - about Jim Clark's life, one of the very first entrepreneurs\n- \"Machines of Loving Grace\" - about the research and the rise of AI\n- \"Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution\"\n- \"The Second Coming of Steve Jobs\" - About Pixar's story. Liked more than Isaacson's biography\n- \"The Innovators\" - great summary of computer industry, from the 1800's till today\n- \"Ghost in the Wires\" - Kevin Mitnick's story. Had started years ago, but finally finished it\n- \"Idea Man\" - about Paul Allen's story. Quite an impressive man.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Idea Man\" - about Paul Allen's story. Quite an impressive man.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109533,
          "author": "frik",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T17:13:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109533",
          "commentText": "\"Idea Man\" by Paul Allen\nA historical autobiography of Mr. Allen (cofounder of Microsoft). The first half about Traf-O-Data, Basic and founding Microsoft is especially interesting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The first half about Traf-O-Data, Basic and founding Microsoft is especially interesting.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds the first half, about Allen's early work and Microsoft, especially interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Allen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "microsoft",
        "technology entrepreneurship",
        "entrepreneurship",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "idea-man-a-memoir-by-the-cofounder-of-microsoft-555c74",
      "title": "Idea Man: A Memoir by the Cofounder of Microsoft",
      "author": "Paul Allen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35174683,
          "author": "wslh",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T21:03:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35174683",
          "commentText": "I start with five:\n1. \"Only the Paranoid Survive: How to Exploit the Crisis Points That Challenge Every Company\" by Andrew Grove. It is a real CEO experiencing critical moments in a top company.\n2. \"How Life Imitates Chess\" by Garry Kasparov (don't pay attention to the title...). Kasparov talks about different players with different styles and in different moments.\n3. \"New Directions in the Philosophy of Mathematics\" edited by Thomas Tymoczko. Embed epistemological questions that at a higher level could be applied to business. In a way (2) is epistemological regarding chess and it ends when Deep Blue beats Kasparov and Kasparov start thinking in a new kind of chess called advanced chess (even if it was not successful).\n4. Fred Wilson's blog, including MBA Mondays. Answers many questions from the perspective of a VC who can watch multiple companies execution at the same time and tell many humble stories.\n5. \"Idea Man: A Memoir by the Cofounder of Microsoft\" by Paul Allen. It shows you the deep story before Microsoft, seems like a unique technological and advanced experience at that time by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. Spoiler: the lucky IBM/DOS event is not why Microsoft is successful, the book gives you some deep roots before the company foundation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Idea Man: A Memoir by the Cofounder of Microsoft\" by Paul Allen. It shows you the deep story before Microsoft",
          "reason": "Recommends Allen's account of Microsoft's early history and its founders' experience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Microsoft's success was not simply due to the IBM/DOS event.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12475769,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T21:12:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12475769",
          "commentText": "Here's the best books I've read in the last year or so:\n>> Computer History & biographies:\nThe New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story, Michael Lewis\nThe Second Coming of Steve Jobs, by Alan Deutschman\nMachines of Loving Grace, by John Markoff\nThe Innovators, by Walter Isaacson\nGhost in the Wires, by Kevin Mitnick\nIdea Man: A Memoir by the Cofounder of Microsoft, by Paul Allen\nCreativity, Inc, by Ed Catmull (reading)\n>> Startups:\nThe Hard Thing About Hard Things, by Ben Horowitz\nThe Founder's Dilemmas, Noam Wasserman\nThe Launch Pad, by Randall Stross\n>> Other books:\nTrilogy: Off to Be the Wizard (series), by Scott Meyer\nSearch Inside Yourself, Chade-Meng Tan\nJoy on Demand, Chade-Meng Tan (reading)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Idea Man: A Memoir by the Cofounder of Microsoft, by Paul Allen",
          "reason": "Included in the writer's list of best books read over the past year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Allen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "microsoft",
        "entrepreneurship",
        "technology entrepreneurship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "if-hemingway-wrote-javascript-7102cf",
      "title": "If Hemingway Wrote JavaScript",
      "author": "Angus Croll",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29308129,
          "author": "sombremesa",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:24:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29308129",
          "commentText": "Since you want impractical suggestions, you might enjoy “if Hemingway wrote JavaScript”",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you might enjoy “if Hemingway wrote JavaScript”",
          "reason": "Suggested as a fittingly impractical book.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking impractical suggestions.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21768609,
          "author": "plyptepe",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-12T01:44:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 21765528,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fun Tech Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21768609",
          "commentText": "\"Learn You a Haskell\" by Miran Lipovača: http://learnyouahaskell.com/\n\"Learn You Some Erlang for great good\" by Fred Hebert: https://learnyousomeerlang.com/\n\"If Hemingway Wrote JavaScript\" by Angus Croll: https://nostarch.com/hemingway\n\"Clojure for the Brave and True\" by Daniel Higginbotham: https://www.braveclojure.com/clojure-for-the-brave-and-true/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"If Hemingway Wrote JavaScript\" by Angus Croll",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Angus Croll"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "javascript",
        "programming style"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "if-this-is-a-man-00e99e",
      "title": "If This Is a Man",
      "author": "Primo Levi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17045915,
          "author": "scandox",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T09:19:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17045915",
          "commentText": "Well if you've read Frankl then I think you should read Primo Levi. The Drowned and The Saved and also If This Is A Man. One could say he came to less easily swallowed conclusions, but I think it is essential reading.\nFor me personally however I think Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment more or less informed my world-view from a very young age and continues to do so.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If This Is A Man",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommended as essential reading for someone who has read Frankl.",
          "audience": "Readers of Viktor Frankl.",
          "caveat": "The author says Levi reached less easily swallowed conclusions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13258390,
          "author": "alc90",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-26T14:47:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13258390",
          "commentText": "My goal for this year was to read 10 books. Not a huge challenge but I'm happy I managed to complete it. I'm currently at my 16th book - so I might say that's pretty good.\nHere's my 2016 reading list:\n#1. Zero to One - Peter Thiel - 3.5*\n#2. The Alchemis - Paulo Coelho - 3.5*\n#3. Founders at Work - Jessica Livingston - 3*\n#4. Traction - Gabriel Weinberg - 4.5*\n#5. How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie -4*\n#6. Reinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations... - Frederic Laloux, Ken Wilber - 4*\n#7. Daily Rituals: How Artists Work - Mason Currey - 3*\n#8. Rich Dad, Poor Dad - Robert T. Kiyosak - 3*\n#9. The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs... - Eric Ries - 4.5*\n#10. Meaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly - Bernadette Jiwa - 3*\n#11. Elon Musk: Inventing the Future - Ashlee Vance - 4*\n#12. Rework - Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson - 4.5*\n#13. Anything You Want - Derek Sivers - 4.5*\n#14. South of the Border, West of the Sun - Haruki Murakami - 3.5*\n#15. As A Man Thinketh / The Path Of Prosperity - James Allen - 4*\nCurrently I'm reading If This Is a Man / The Truce by Primo Levi - and so far it seems to be one of the top 3 books I've read this year - definitely a 4+* book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Currently I'm reading If This Is a Man / The Truce by Primo Levi - and so far it seems to be one of the top 3 books I've read this year - definitely a 4+* book.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the top three books read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment says the book is still being read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Primo Levi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "holocaust",
        "holocaust memoir",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "iliad-e70a5c",
      "title": "Iliad",
      "author": "Homer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41238584,
          "author": "__rito__",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-13T19:10:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41238584",
          "commentText": "Does it have to be old to be a \"classic\"?\nIf not, by far, One Hundred Years of Solitude by Marquez is my favorite novel by a Nobel winner. It's great, epic, and lovely to read.\nIf you include epics, Mahabharata is actually a grand, epic book with war, friendship, love, sex, politics, realpolitik, strategy, and has a reach story line with scores of great side-stories.\nI also genuinely enjoyed Iliad and Aenied.\nI was also surprised at how good Candide by Voltaire was to read. Had a ton of fun reading it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also genuinely enjoyed Iliad",
          "reason": "The commenter says they genuinely enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32021686,
          "author": "kurupt213",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-08T00:53:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32021686",
          "commentText": "Probably the Iliad or the Aeneid. They are the foundation of the classical education and fundamental to understanding much our past",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Probably the Iliad or the Aeneid.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is foundational to classical education and understanding the past.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Homer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient greek epic",
        "ancient literature",
        "classical literature",
        "greek epic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "immortality-3717b9",
      "title": "Immortality",
      "author": "Milan Kundera",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41802421,
          "author": "xkcd-sucks",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-10T19:18:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41802421",
          "commentText": "Moby Dick, Herman Melville\nVALIS, Philip K Dick\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance + also Lila, Robert Pirsig\nNaked Lunch, William Burroughs\nImmortality, Milan Kundera\nCatch-22, Joseph Heller (pair with The Deserters, Charles Glass -- In fact a lot of the stuff in Catch-22 is actually toned down from reality)\nMastering the Core Teachings of Buddha, Daniel Ingram (but ignore 80% of it)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Immortality, Milan Kundera",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674187,
          "author": "puranjay",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T11:21:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674187",
          "commentText": "Immortality by Milan Kundera\nIt made me think about mortality, love and sexuality in ways I'd never thought of before",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It made me think about mortality, love and sexuality in ways I'd never thought of before",
          "reason": "Prompted new thoughts about mortality, love, and sexuality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Milan Kundera"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "existential fiction",
        "love and sexuality",
        "mortality",
        "philosophical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "in-search-of-stupidity-d23424",
      "title": "In Search of Stupidity",
      "author": "Merrill R. Chapman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14743954,
          "author": "Gustomaximus",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T13:27:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14743954",
          "commentText": "'In search of stupidity'. Talks about tech companies that boom then flop. Overarching lesson seemed to be don't get arrogant and stop listening to your customers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'In search of stupidity'. Talks about tech companies that boom then flop.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes its account of technology companies that succeed and then fail, with a lesson about listening to customers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240672,
          "author": "rdoherty",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T02:21:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240672",
          "commentText": "* The Pragmatic Programmer\n* Becoming a Technical Leader\n* In Search of Stupidity\n* Hackers & Painters\n* Blockbusters\n* Joel on Software: And on Diverse and Occasionally Related Matters That Will Prove of Interest to Software Developers, Designers, and Managers, and to Those Who, Whether by Good Fortune or Ill Luck, Work with Them in Some Capacity\n* The Best Software Writing I\n* Behind Closed Doors\n* Managing Humans\n* The Mythical Man-Month\n* Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams\n* The Non-Designers Design Book\n* Founders at Work\n* Good to Great\n* Dreaming in Code\n* The Art of the Start\n* Maverick\n* The Design of Everyday Things\n* The Art of Project Management\n* The Art of Innovation",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* In Search of Stupidity",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Merrill R. Chapman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business failures",
        "technology business history",
        "technology companies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "in-the-beginning-was-the-command-line-11fe1c",
      "title": "In the Beginning... Was the Command Line",
      "author": "Neal Stephenson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22706993,
          "author": "elipsey",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T21:18:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22706993",
          "commentText": "Bentley, Jon., Bell Labs. \"Programming Pearls\" 1986. --Coding excercises, advice, and annecdotes about problem solving. Get up on grandpa's knee and listen to a bunch of stories about UNIX.\nStephenson, Neal. \"In the Beginning...Was the Command Line\" 1999. --History of the evolution of UI's and their impact on people, culture, productivity, especially 80's and 90's.\nVan Wyk, Christopher J., Bell Labs. \"Data Structures and C Programs\" 1988. --D & A textbook, 80's style. Like Bently, more focus than we are now used to on things like space time trade offs, resource constraints, in-place operations, etc.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"In the Beginning...Was the Command Line\" 1999. --History of the evolution of UI's and their impact on people, culture, productivity, especially 80's and 90's.",
          "reason": "The comment describes its subject as the history and cultural impact of user interfaces.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in user interfaces and their cultural impact.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536437,
          "author": "gtdthrow",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T18:50:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536437",
          "commentText": "+1\nAnything Gibson, especially Sprawl Trilogy\nAnything Stephenson, though I particularly liked Diamond Age, Cryptonomicon, and Snow Crash, In the beginning was the command line.. oh, I like everything by him.\nSeriously though, In the beginning was the command line and Cryptonomicon are basically an ode to 90s hacker culture, the true neckbeard type of CS. Love that aesthetic, culture and ethics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In the beginning was the command line and Cryptonomicon are basically an ode to 90s hacker culture",
          "reason": "Describes it as an ode to 1990s hacker culture and says they love that aesthetic, culture, and ethics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1633505,
          "author": "dwwoelfel",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T17:33:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1633505",
          "commentText": "Snow Crash: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0553380958\nIn the Beginning was the Command Line: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0380815931",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "In the Beginning was the Command Line: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0380815931",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1633314,
          "author": "AmitinLA",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T16:29:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1633314",
          "commentText": "Snow Crash and In the Beginning was the Command Line by Neal Stephenson both introduced me to tech culture in different ways with the same result: it got me more excited about tech than anything else and made me realize that I had to work in tech, and also filled me with respect for what hackers do and regret that I was never going to be a good hacker.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Snow Crash and In the Beginning was the Command Line by Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "Says it helped introduce them to tech culture and made them more excited about working in tech.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neal Stephenson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Society",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "command line",
        "digital culture",
        "operating systems",
        "technology criticism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "in-the-heart-of-the-sea-the-tragedy-of-the-whaleship-essex-9943d1",
      "title": "In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex",
      "author": "Nathaniel Philbrick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10785428,
          "author": "ycom13__",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:23:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785428",
          "commentText": "Here are all the ones I read this year\n  A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire) by George R. R. Martin\n  A Feast for Crows: A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) by George R.R. Martin\n  The Confident Speaker: Beat Your Nerves and Communicate at Your Best in Any Situation by Harrison Monarth\n  House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewsk\n  To the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War by Jeff Shaara \n  Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson\n  Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader by Brent Schlender\n  George Washington's Secret Six: The Spy Ring That Saved the American Revolution by Brian Kilmeade\n  Think Like a Freak: The Authors of Freakonomics Offer to Retrain Your Brain by Steven D. Levitt\n  Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance\n  Finders Keepers: A Novel by Stephen King\n  The Guns of August: The Pulitzer Prize-Winning Classic About the Outbreak of World War I by Barbara W. Tuchman\n  The Wright Brothers by David McCullough\n  Seveneves: A Novel by Neal Stephenson\n  The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson\n  Hitler's Last Day: Minute by Minute by Emma Craigie\n  The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins\n  Robopocalypse: A Novel (Vintage Contemporaries) by Daniel H. Wilson\n  Robogenesis by Daniel H. Wilson\n  In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick\n\n\n\nMy 5 favorite ones from that list are\n  In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick\n  Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance\n  To the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War by Jeff Shaara \n  Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson\n  The Wright Brothers by David McCullough",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick",
          "reason": "Included in the list and later named among the commenter's five favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401526,
          "author": "JSeymourATL",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:33:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401526",
          "commentText": "In the Heart of the Sea: The Tradgedy of the Whaleship Essex, often called the non-fiction version of Moby Dick.\nIt's a brilliant, engrossing read > http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17780.In_the_Heart_of_the... (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17780.In_the_Heart_of_the_Sea)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In the Heart of the Sea: The Tradgedy of the Whaleship Essex",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as a brilliant, engrossing read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nathaniel Philbrick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "shipwreck",
        "maritime history",
        "survival",
        "whaling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "incognito-the-secret-lives-of-the-brain-bda7ee",
      "title": "Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain",
      "author": "David Eagleman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13243762,
          "author": "urza",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-23T08:57:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13243762",
          "commentText": "Highlights:\nHarry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\nWhen Three Worlds Collide\nPermutation City\nThe Story of Human Body\nIncognito: the secret life of your brain",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Incognito: the secret life of your brain",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3397174,
          "author": "zooz",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T20:06:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3397174",
          "commentText": "Incognito: The Secret Lives of The Brain - David Eagleman.\nA much recommended read.\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Incognito-Secret-Lives-Brain-ebook/d... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Incognito-Secret-Lives-Brain-ebook/dp/B004SP1UEI/ref=pd_sxp_f_pt)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Incognito: The Secret Lives of The Brain - David Eagleman.\nA much recommended read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a much recommended read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Eagleman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "neuroscience",
        "consciousness",
        "unconscious mind"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "indiscrete-thoughts-65d872",
      "title": "Indiscrete Thoughts",
      "author": "Gian-Carlo Rota",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22093141,
          "author": "Rerarom",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T18:54:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22093141",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\nMordecai Roshwald, Level 7\nAlexander Dewdney, The Planiverse\nJoseph Heller, God Knows\nAlan Lightman, Einstein's Dreams\nNon-fiction:\nJane Goodall, In the Shadow of Man\nGian-Carlo Rota, Indiscrete Thoughts\nC. S. Lewis, The Discarded Image\nMichael E. Brown, How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming\nRobert Kegan, In Over Our Heads\nMichael Harris, The Atomic Times\nI may add guilty pleasures like the Legacy of the Force series, but I don't think this is what people here are looking for.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gian-Carlo Rota, Indiscrete Thoughts",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's nonfiction picks in response to a request for unknown books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395172,
          "author": "lkozma",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T08:45:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395172",
          "commentText": "Best books I read in 2011:\n* \"Salonica, City of Ghosts\" by M.Mazower. Tells the history of Thessaloniki, informative, entertaining, at times nostalgic.\n* \"The Cauchy-Schwarz Master Class\" by J.M.Steele. A guided tour of mathematical inequalities. Very entertaining and readable (for a math book) and extremely well written.\n* \"Indiscrete Thoughts\" by G-C.Rota. Irreverent anecdotes about mathematicians.\n* \"Black Swan\" by N.N.Taleb. Maybe overhyped and at times annoying and pompous, but extremely insightful nevertheless.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Indiscrete Thoughts\" by G-C.Rota. Irreverent anecdotes about mathematicians.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gian-Carlo Rota"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Biography",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "anecdotes",
        "mathematical essays",
        "mathematicians"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "infidel-04dbc8",
      "title": "Infidel",
      "author": "Ayaan Hirsi Ali",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910521,
          "author": "adventured",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:53:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910521",
          "commentText": "In no particular order.\nEmpires of Light, by Jonnes. Titan, by Chernow. The Wright Brothers, by McCullough. His Excellency, by Ellis. The Wizard of Menlo Park, by Stross. I Invented the Modern Age, by Snow. Dealers of Lightning, by Hiltzik. Margin of Safety, by Klarman. Masters of Doom, by Kushner. Andrew Carnegie, by Nasaw. Infidel, by Hirsi Ali. Buffett, by Lowenstein. Where Wizards Stay Up Late, by Hafner. Shoe Dog, by Knight. The Making of the Atomic Bomb, by Rhodes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Infidel, by Hirsi Ali.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968642,
          "author": "ggreer",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T00:57:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968642",
          "commentText": "I just started When the Air Hits Your Brain: Tales from Neurosurgery[1]. The author is a neurosurgeon and an excellent writer.\nThe last book I read was Abdel Haleem's translation of the Qur'an[2]. For an ancient religious text, it's rather short. Total reading time was maybe 16 hours over the course of a week. I'm not religious, but it was interesting to get a better idea of what Muslims believe and why. That said, the whole thing reads like a 7th-century version of Time Cube. I came away with the impression that the author was a schizophrenic who knew of parts of the Bible.\nThe most useful book I've recently read is Steve Blank's Four Steps to the Epiphany[3]. It's a more structured version of a lot of the stuff I learned in YC.\nMy favorite books of the past year are Confessions of a Yakuza[4] and Infidel[5]. The subjects of each book are as different as can be, but their stories are quite captivating. Both survived immense suffering and managed to thrive afterwards. Reading those books reminded me of how lucky I am and how insignificant my problems are.\n1. http://www.amazon.com/When-Air-Hits-Your-Brain-ebook/dp/B006... (http://www.amazon.com/When-Air-Hits-Your-Brain-ebook/dp/B006WOFB5C/)\n2. http://www.amazon.com/Quran-Oxford-Worlds-Classics-ebook/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Quran-Oxford-Worlds-Classics-ebook/dp/B001ODEPPI/)\n3. http://www.amazon.com/Four-Steps-Epiphany-Steve-Blank-ebook/... (http://www.amazon.com/Four-Steps-Epiphany-Steve-Blank-ebook/dp/B00FLZKNUQ/)\n4. http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Yakuza-Junichi-Saga-ebook/... (http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Yakuza-Junichi-Saga-ebook/dp/B003YL3PPY)\n5. http://www.amazon.com/Infidel-Ayaan-Hirsi-Ali-ebook/dp/B000N... (http://www.amazon.com/Infidel-Ayaan-Hirsi-Ali-ebook/dp/B000NY12CI/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favorite books of the past year are Confessions of a Yakuza[4] and Infidel[5].",
          "reason": "Names it as one of their favorite books of the past year and says its story is captivating.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ayaan Hirsi Ali"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "infinite-powers-2d1614",
      "title": "Infinite Powers",
      "author": "Steven Strogatz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42509046,
          "author": "jasdi",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T14:52:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42509046",
          "commentText": "You might like Infinite Powers (Steven Strogatz) and Faraday, Maxwell, and The Electromagnetic Field (Nancy Forbes)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Infinite Powers (Steven Strogatz)",
          "reason": "Suggested as a book the reader might like.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23727375,
          "author": "LordOmlette",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T20:41:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23727375",
          "commentText": "I suggest Infinite Powers by Steven Strogatz.  It doesn't matter if they already took a calculus course, I guarantee it's a much better way to make them appreciate the the subject than any textbook.  And if they don't know calculus yet, that just makes it even better!\nIf I'd read this book as a teenager, maybe I would've passed Calc I on my first try as opposed to my third.  With a C-.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I suggest Infinite Powers by Steven Strogatz.",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a way to help readers appreciate calculus.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it works whether the reader has already taken a calculus course or not.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Strogatz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "calculus",
        "mathematical history",
        "popular mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "influence-science-and-practice-d28f51",
      "title": "Influence: Science and Practice",
      "author": "Robert Cialdini",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33859795,
          "author": "markshead",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-05T00:33:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33859795",
          "commentText": "A few books that I've found useful:\nThe Goal - Eli Goldratt - It is a novel about optimizing a factory, but it is immensely valuable in thinking through what are the actual constraints on your team's ability to deliver software and how do you fix it without making other things worse. The Phoenix Project is kind of a modern retelling, but I'd start with The Goal.\nThe Principles of Product Development Flow - Reinersten - Great for thinking deeply about how you deliver value through your system and the tradeoffs you are making in what you choose to focus on next. Once again it isn't specific to software, but very relevant.\nThe 5 Dysfunctions of Teams - Lencioni - Common team problems and what to do instead.\nInfluence: Science and Practice - Cialdini - How to get people into agreement so you can move forward--a skill that can be used for both good and evil.\nThe Little Schemer - Friedman and Felleisen - It is kind of hard to describe why this would be useful, but I felt it made me think more deeply about what it means to program a computer in ways that indirectly supported the topics you mentioned. Or maybe I just happened to work through it at a point in my life when I was growing in those other areas too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Influence: Science and Practice - Cialdini",
          "reason": "Recommends it for learning how to gain agreement and move work forward.",
          "audience": "People seeking to build agreement and move projects forward.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the skill can be used for good or evil.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109090,
          "author": "Jach",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:16:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109090",
          "commentText": "Recently finished Robert Cialdini's Influence: Science and Practice, a great horrifying psychology book. Now I've started Iain Banks' Excession, giving his Culture universe another go. (Player of Games was good, but not great.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "a great horrifying psychology book",
          "reason": "Calls it great but horrifying.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as horrifying.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Cialdini"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "persuasion",
        "social influence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "influx-94f20c",
      "title": "Influx",
      "author": "Daniel Suarez",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15961269,
          "author": "calebm",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:24:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961269",
          "commentText": "* The Unconsoled (Kazuo Ishiguro)\n* Never Let Me Go (Kazuo Ishiguro)\n* Influx (Daniel Suarex)\n* Sputnik Sweetheart (Haruki Murakami)\n* Apex (Ramez Naam)\n* One Second After (William R. Forstchen)\n* Anna Karanina (Leo Tolstoy)\n* Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n* A Farewell to Arms (Ernest Hemingway)\n* Crux (Ramez Naam)\n* A Moveable Feast (Ernest Hemingway)\n* Hardboiled Wonderland and The End of the World (Haruki Murakami)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Influx (Daniel Suarex)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567329,
          "author": "caseysoftware",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T15:47:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567329",
          "commentText": "I just re-started this one recently too. If you enjoy those, check out one of Suarez's other: Influx.\nIt's not a sequel but has some common threads.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you enjoy those, check out one of Suarez's other: Influx.",
          "reason": "Explicitly suggests Influx to readers who enjoyed the books being discussed.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy Daemon and Freedom.",
          "caveat": "Not a sequel, though it shares some threads.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056399,
          "author": "macmac",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T11:42:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056399",
          "commentText": "Anything by Iain M. Banks. Start with \"The Player of Games\" and \"Consider Phlebas\".\nAnything by Vernor S. Vinge especially \"Zones of Thought\" series.\n\"Daemon\", \"Freedom(tm)\", \"Kill Decision\" and \"Influx\" by Daniel Suarez.\n\"The Martian\" by Andy Weir.\nAnything by Neal Stephenson, especially \"Reamde: A Novel\" and \"Cryptonomicon\".\nAnything by Hannu Rajaniemi, especially \"The Fractal Prince\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Daemon\", \"Freedom(tm)\", \"Kill Decision\" and \"Influx\" by Daniel Suarez.",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s sci-fi recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Suarez"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "technothriller",
        "advanced technology",
        "technology thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "infoquake-2dff00",
      "title": "Infoquake",
      "author": "David Louis Edelman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17537852,
          "author": "rektide",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T00:15:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537852",
          "commentText": "Central Station by Lavie Tidhar is an amazing charming story of a world deeply steeped old sitting baking world where new things are coming about. It is charm & delight in the purest & simplest.\nSpin by Robert Charles Wilson. \"Robert Charles Wilson is a hell of a storyteller,\" said Stephen King and this wonderful tour through time and space, humanity & people's lives is incredible.\nThe Quantum Thief series by Hannu Rajaniemi is open, scenic, wild, & so so vivid, one of the most beautiful worlds I've ever visited, & it reminds me so much of a joyous wild swashbuckling run. The mystery of the main character is enchanting.\nInfoquake series by David Louis Edelson is a gripping suspenseful rise of a star entrepreneur that redefines and radically expands the world, amid an already boisterous & full & busy beautiful world already overflowing in seamless technology everywhere. Although the plot line whips along with some suspense & tension, the scenery and the voyage is incredible.\nLathe of Heaven by Ursala Le Guin could quite easily, quite simply be the best first contact story story ever. Touching, and sincere, & simple. This world is not bright and shiny but her writing and the bonding of characters is incredible. See also the rest of the Hainish cycle.\nLeft Hand of Darkness also by Ursala Le Guin is a shifting chaotic shizmatic tale, about picking our fates. \"Well, I did it through dreams. Phil would have done it another way. But yeah, homage to Phil [K.] Dick is right.\"\n- https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/a... (https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/all/)\nFallen Dragon is an early & involved Peter Hamilton adventure book. There's leaving home, & space ships, more space ships, bad guys, fighting back the bad guys, bigger ships, and action. There is A LOT going on, all the time, & violence, but damn this book comes together into something incredible, & telling, & powerful & strong, something that easily makes it my top pick for most-underappreciated Peter Hamilton.\nDiamond Age by Neal Stephenson, which I'm providing largely as a counterweight to the Snowcrash & Sevenses recommendations here. Diamond Age is much less dark, and way more a fun tail about an incredible & mysterious primer for a young lady.\nSirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut.\nAll Systems Red series by Martha Wells is a underprivileged barely coping robot dealing with the humans she hates having to talk to & a shitty planet trying to kill them. Simple, fun, some action & violence, but the main character is a total hoot the whole time with more loner/zero/drop-out attitude & spunk than anything I've read & it's unbelievably charming.\nLords of Light by Roger Zelazny has more style, pizzaz, & spirit than I feel like any of us deserve. An interesting, storied tale from the post-singularity, with a remarkable & robust cast.\nIllium/Olympos by Dan Simmons, are, in my mind still the clear winner, far above Hyperion. The cast is charming beyond belief, stumbling through a world they both know all too much about & far far too little. Some really incredible worldbuilding here.\nRainbow's End by Vernor Vinge. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE A Fire Upon the Deep. But Rainbow's End really is our planet, sometime not far out, and Vinge has the most tour of this next place we're headed, with threads, and annotations, and group chat being the defining new technologies of humanity. And the tale of the misfit happenstance adventurers who wind up ensnared in the plot line is a fun, roving hoot of a journey, a wonderful second chance at a coming of age story.\nMedusa Chronicles by two of my favorites, Alastair Reynolds & Stephen Baxter is probably my favorite exploring the solar system book, about a guy/robot a bit apart from humanity that really wants to see what the local area has to offer. A lot of high tension conflicting societal impulses that our somewhat aloof lead stumbles through, on his personal mission of exploration. Lots of interesting robot philosophy & very varied elements of space come together with the characters to make an incredibly fun space epic, set in a delightful & intriguing alternative history\nOther's recommendations I'd +1: Dune (but super heady material), The Stars My Destination (brimming with class & substance), Mote in God's Eye (some of the best Space Colonial Marines style stuff out there), Accelerando (and Iron Sky and ... overflowing playful scifi), Blue Ant series (dripping with style), Foundation series (and much more Asimov!), Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy (simple direct exciting hunt for treasure in Star Wars), Fuzzy Nation (fun tale)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the scenery and the voyage is incredible.",
          "reason": "Praises the series' setting and story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5245583,
          "author": "dsowers",
          "createdAt": "2013-02-19T17:23:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 5244195,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 'Must read' books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5245583",
          "commentText": "A great scifi book that also mixes in entrepreneurial concepts is \"Infoquake.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A great scifi book that also mixes in entrepreneurial concepts is \"Infoquake.\"",
          "reason": "Calls it a great science fiction book that mixes in entrepreneurial concepts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226850,
          "author": "keyist",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:36:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226850",
          "commentText": "Don't miss sivers's great list: http://sivers.org/book\nAs for mine,\nScience Fiction (I like these authors so I'd recommend most of their books -- listing which ones I think are a good 'starter novel' for them):\n  Charles Stross: Halting State\n  Vernor Vinge: A Fire Upon The Deep\n  Iain M. Banks: Culture novels, start with Player of Games\n  David Louis Edelman: Jump 225 Trilogy\n  Daniel Suarez: Daemon and Freedom(tm)\n  John Scalzi: Old Man's War series\n  Dan Simmons: Hyperion\n\nSelf-improvement:\n  The Talent Code\n  Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger\n  Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion\n\nNon-fiction:\n  Amusing Ourselves To Death (highly recommended)\n  The Science of Fear\n  The Black Swan\n  Tokyo Vice\n  Racing The Beam (Atari history, very cool)\n  books by Daniel Pink\n  Guns, Germs, and Steel\n  The Prize by Daniel Yergin\n\nFantasy:\nAnything by Gaiman or China Mieville, pretty much.\nEDIT: links to previews (legally) available online\nCharles Stross's Accelerando (entire book): http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelera... (http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelerando/accelerando-intro.html)\nDavid Louis Edelman's Infoquake (1st 7 chapters): http://www.davidlouisedelman.com/jump225/infoquake/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "David Louis Edelman's Infoquake (1st 7 chapters)",
          "reason": "The comment supplies a link to a preview of the first seven chapters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 715497,
          "author": "silvio",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-21T00:33:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715497",
          "commentText": "I read Multireal, which is the follow up to Infoquake. They deal with a startup producing software that runs inside people, executed by tiny nanobots. The books explore startup culture.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the follow up to Infoquake",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Named as the preceding book; no evaluation expressed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Louis Edelman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Business",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "corporate intrigue",
        "nanotechnology",
        "business",
        "entrepreneurship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "information-dashboard-design-baf4d5",
      "title": "Information Dashboard Design",
      "author": "Stephen Few",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12711177,
          "author": "meritt",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-14T21:22:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12711177",
          "commentText": "Don't Make Me Think - Steve Krug\nInformation Dashboard Design - Stephen Few",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Information Dashboard Design - Stephen Few",
          "reason": "Lists the book in response to a request for design books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 296057,
          "author": "sfamiliar",
          "createdAt": "2008-09-05T17:16:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 295871,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HC: Which books on user interface design do you wish your CEO/Cofounders would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=296057",
          "commentText": "it's specific to certain types of displays, but Information Dashboard Design is pretty solid.  not great for getting customers in, but excellent for internal reporting and tracking.  these things make ceo's happy. (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0596100167?ie=UTF8&tag=... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0596100167?ie=UTF8&tag=httpsomethico-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0596100167))",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Information Dashboard Design is pretty solid. not great for getting customers in, but excellent for internal reporting and tracking.",
          "reason": "Praised as solid and excellent for internal reporting and tracking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not great for getting customers in; useful for internal reporting and tracking.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Few"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dashboard design",
        "data visualization",
        "information design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "information-rules-375aa8",
      "title": "Information Rules",
      "author": "Carl Shapiro and Hal R. Varian",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8795309,
          "author": "147",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T03:28:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795309",
          "commentText": "I just bought 4 books off of Amazon and got them today:\nMathematics: Its Content, Methods and Meaning. Highly recommended overview of math by some HNers so I figured I would check it out.\nVenture capitalists at work. I didn't realize there were more \"at work\" series books other than coders and founders, so this one sounds right up my alley.\nInformation Rules, a book that's supposedly dated on economics and how it applies to the internet world. Recommended on Chris Dixon's blog and looked interesting. Thought I might get some new insights to bitcoin or something with it.\nAnd Walter Isaacson's new book, the innovators.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "a book that's supposedly dated on economics and how it applies to the internet world",
          "reason": "The commenter is interested in gaining insights about economics, internet businesses, and possibly Bitcoin.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it is supposedly dated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3446439,
          "author": "uast23",
          "createdAt": "2012-01-10T10:21:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 3439607,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best Economics read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3446439",
          "commentText": "You totally sold your FYI. Noted down in the list. Once I am done with some basics, this book is definitely going to be read.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "this book is definitely going to be read.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3445271,
          "author": "malandrew",
          "createdAt": "2012-01-10T01:49:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 3439607,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best Economics read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3445271",
          "commentText": "I highly recommend a commonly ignored part of economics and that is the economics of goods with zero marginal cost of production. The two key texts in this area are:\nYochai Benkler's \"The Wealth of Networks\"\n-- This text is a bit dated (2005) and the first two chapters couldn't be more dry and boring, but after that the economic discussion in the book about how economics changes when the marginal cost of product reaches zero or near-zero is fascinating.\nHal Varian's \"Information Rules\"\n-- This book covers the same ground at Yochai's book, but is less academic in tone. FYI, Varian is Google's chief economist.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hal Varian's \"Information Rules\"",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a key text on the economics of goods with zero marginal production cost.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in economics of goods with zero marginal cost.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it covers the same ground as Benkler’s book but is less academic in tone.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carl Shapiro and Hal R. Varian"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "information economics",
        "digital economics",
        "digital markets",
        "information goods"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "innovation-and-entrepreneurship-7bcaaf",
      "title": "Innovation and Entrepreneurship",
      "author": "Peter F. Drucker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6976452,
          "author": "davidw",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T20:41:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976452",
          "commentText": "Looking through my list, none jumps out as a 'life changer':\nhttp://davids-book-reviews.blogspot.it/\nAlthough there are several good ones there:\n* Nathan Barry's Authority: http://blog.liberwriter.com/2013/11/21/nathan-barrys-authori... (http://blog.liberwriter.com/2013/11/21/nathan-barrys-authority/)\n* Worthless, Impossible and Stupid: http://davids-book-reviews.blogspot.it/2013/09/worthless-imp... (http://davids-book-reviews.blogspot.it/2013/09/worthless-impossible-and-stupid-how.html) - not one for the ages, but I thought his take on entrepreneurship was interesting.\n* http://davids-book-reviews.blogspot.it/2013/08/pathfinder-jo... (http://davids-book-reviews.blogspot.it/2013/08/pathfinder-john-charles-fremont-and.html) - biography of John Fremont.  Interesting guy in an interesting period of American history.\n* http://davids-book-reviews.blogspot.it/2013/02/innovation-an... (http://davids-book-reviews.blogspot.it/2013/02/innovation-and-entrepreneurship.html) - Innovation and Entrepreneurship by Drucker.  Still a very relevant book in a lot of ways.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Still a very relevant book in a lot of ways.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it remains relevant in many ways.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 674923,
          "author": "skmurphy",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-26T03:58:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 673487,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there any good Internet marketing books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=674923",
          "commentText": "I would recommend these books for a good grounding in marketing and fostering innovation:\n   The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen\n   Crossing the Chasm and Inside the Tornado by Geoffrey Moore\n   Innovation and Entrepreneurship by Peter Drucker\n   Marketing High Technology by William Davidow\n   Four Steps to the Epiphany by Steve Blank\n   Jumpstart Your Business Brain by Doug Hall\n   E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber\n   Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim & R. Mauborgne\n   Influence The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini\n   The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries and Jack Trout\n   Secrets of Consulting by Gerald Weinberg\n\nFor an article that summarizes key concepts see http://skmurphy.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/Crucial%20Mar... (http://skmurphy.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/Crucial%20Marketing%20Concepts.pdf)\nThere is a companion slide deck here http://www.skmurphy.com/f/SDForum061211.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Innovation and Entrepreneurship by Peter Drucker",
          "reason": "Recommended for grounding in marketing and fostering innovation.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a grounding in marketing and innovation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter F. Drucker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "innovation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "insanely-simple-d1247c",
      "title": "Insanely Simple",
      "author": "Ken Segall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12144365,
          "author": "kozak",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T16:01:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144365",
          "commentText": "1. \"The Lean Startup\" by Eric Ries\n2. \"Insanely Simple\" by Ken Segall\n3. \"How to Measure Anything\" by Douglas W. Hubbard",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Insanely Simple\" by Ken Segall",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which books impacted the commenter's career.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4967165,
          "author": "emehrkay",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T21:38:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967165",
          "commentText": "Off of the top of my head: Heny Ford -- My Life and Work. The Shape of Design. Ken Segal -- Insanely Simple.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ken Segal -- Insanely Simple.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ken Segall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "apple",
        "simplicity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "inspired-3fb7ae",
      "title": "Inspired",
      "author": "Marty Cagan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Inspired (Marty Cagan)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12476043,
          "author": "tlackemann",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T22:21:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12476043",
          "commentText": "Blue Ocean Strategy by Renée Mauborgne and W. Chan Kim\nAs a software engineer, I've come to really love how good products are built and how to explore new markets. While I don't think it's a life-changing book, it's certainly a good read and I'd recommend it to any engineer that wants to be more product-focused (also Inspired, Creativity Inc, and Zero to One)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "also Inspired",
          "reason": "Listed alongside the recommended Blue Ocean Strategy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marty Cagan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "product management",
        "software products"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "intellectuals-and-society-ab771c",
      "title": "Intellectuals and Society",
      "author": "Thomas Sowell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33814206,
          "author": "thelock85",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-01T09:40:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33814206",
          "commentText": "Intellectuals and Society by Thomas Sowell really challenged my political ideology in my mid-20s. I left unsatisfied or in disagreement with a lot of it, but it was the first time I could clearly apply conservative ideals to my social justice beliefs. Most importantly, it helped me sniff out all of the BS in our (U.S.) sociopolitical system, and subsequently not have my emotions co-opted by the us vs. them culture wars.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Intellectuals and Society by Thomas Sowell really challenged my political ideology",
          "reason": "It challenged the commenter’s political ideology and helped them examine social justice beliefs and political culture.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter left unsatisfied or disagreed with much of it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30242586,
          "author": "olalonde",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T10:00:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30242586",
          "commentText": "I really liked his book \"Intellectuals and Society\" as well. Of course, it is opinionated but there's also a lot of great insight on the root of disagreements in politics. His theory being that there are two broad competing visions of the world: the utopian vs the tragic. Thomas Sowell himself adheres to the tragic vision (e.g. human nature is essentially unchanging and that man is naturally inherently self-interested, etc.).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really liked his book \"Intellectuals and Society\" as well.",
          "reason": "The commenter liked the book and says it offers insight into the roots of political disagreements.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is opinionated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Sowell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political disagreement",
        "political ideology",
        "political thought",
        "social justice"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "internetworking-with-tcp-ip-3adc12",
      "title": "Internetworking with TCP/IP",
      "author": "Douglas E. Comer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27653996,
          "author": "joethrow29292",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T18:35:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 27650775,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27653996",
          "commentText": "This, and any book by W. Richard Stevens. I also cut my teeth on Internetworking with TCP/IP by Comer. https://www.amazon.com/Internetworking-TCP-IP-One-6th/dp/013... (https://www.amazon.com/Internetworking-TCP-IP-One-6th/dp/013608530X)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Internetworking with TCP/IP by Comer.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they learned networking with this book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13408861,
          "author": "daw___",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T08:47:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13408861",
          "commentText": "Internetworking with TCP/IP by Dr. Douglas Comer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Internetworking with TCP/IP by Dr. Douglas Comer.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas E. Comer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "tcp ip",
        "computer networking",
        "internetworking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-probability-084550",
      "title": "Introduction to Probability",
      "author": "Dimitri P. Bertsekas and John N. Tsitsiklis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20332760,
          "author": "waitingkuo",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T06:48:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20332760",
          "commentText": "I always think that learning probability can not only help you to gain more intuition when dealing with scientific relative subjects but also empower you to think the daily life things in a different way. I recommend Introduction of probability [1] since it's easy to study and provides great free video lectures [2].\n[1] - https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Probability-Dimitri-P-Be... (https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Probability-Dimitri-P-Bertsekas/dp/188652940X)\n[2] - https://ocw.mit.edu/resources/res-6-012-introduction-to-prob... (https://ocw.mit.edu/resources/res-6-012-introduction-to-probability-spring-2018/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend Introduction of probability [1] since it's easy to study and provides great free video lectures [2].",
          "reason": "Recommends it for building probability intuition and says it is easy to study.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2723977,
          "author": "namank",
          "createdAt": "2011-07-03T16:38:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 2723436,
          "threadTitle": "Suggest good sites/books on probability",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2723977",
          "commentText": "Used for engineering at leading university's:\nS. Ross, A first course in probability, 8th Edition, Pearson Prentice Hall 2010.\nSuggested by prof as being good for learning:\nIntroduction to probability, D. P. Bertsekas and J. N. Tsitsiklis, Athena Scientific , 2002. ISBN 1-886529-40-X. This is an excellent book for further reading and understanding some of the material.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Introduction to probability, D. P. Bertsekas and J. N. Tsitsiklis, Athena Scientific , 2002. ISBN 1-886529-40-X. This is an excellent book for further reading and understanding some of the material.",
          "reason": "Described as excellent for further reading and understanding the material.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dimitri P. Bertsekas and John N. Tsitsiklis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "probability",
        "statistics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "iron-sunrise-1284f7",
      "title": "Iron Sunrise",
      "author": "Charles Stross",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15433636,
          "author": "tetromino_",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-09T13:36:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15433636",
          "commentText": "Charles Stross's Eschaton series: Singularity Sky and Iron Sunrise. It's an interesting hard-scifi take on what happens to humanity after one AI becomes, for all intents and purposes, God.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Eschaton series: Singularity Sky and Iron Sunrise.",
          "reason": "Named as part of a series described as an interesting hard science fiction take.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026884,
          "author": "Daniel_Newby",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T06:33:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026884",
          "commentText": "Redliners by David Drake. Burned out soldiers are sent to baby-sit a planetary colonization. Fortunately for the story it turns out to be a planet full of monsters. Baen Free Library.\nAccelerando, Iron Sunrise, and Singularity Sky by Charles Stross.  Singularity stories.\nHouse of Leaves by Mark Danielewski.  Supernatural meta-fiction with half the story in the footnotes.  Reminiscent of the movie Donnie Darko.\nCrooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis.  Private eye gets retained by the White House to track down the other U.S. Constitution.  To quote William Gibson, \"Stop It. You're frightening me.\"\nHurry Down Sunshine by Michael Greenberg.  Story of his teenage daughter's descent into manic psychosis.\nA Hat Full of Sky and Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett.  Kids' stories, so they have wall-to-wall story, unlike some of his more situational adult books.\nJames H. Schmitz science fiction stories. Available from the Baen Free Library of digital books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Accelerando, Iron Sunrise, and Singularity Sky by Charles Stross.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Stross"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "posthumanism",
        "singularity",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "irrational-exuberance-f30316",
      "title": "Irrational Exuberance",
      "author": "Robert J. Shiller",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12561817,
          "author": "p4wnc6",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T01:58:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12561817",
          "commentText": "In addition to the many fine recommendations already on the thread, I enjoyed Winner's Curse and Irrational Exuberance.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed Winner's Curse and Irrational Exuberance.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12098713,
          "author": "chrisabrams",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T03:02:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12098713",
          "commentText": "A Song of Fire and Ice\nZennis\nWheel of Time\nQuiet\nLord of the Rings\nIrrational Exuberance",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Irrational Exuberance",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert J. Shiller"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "asset bubbles",
        "financial markets"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "irrational-man-a-study-in-existential-philosophy-b2ba9d",
      "title": "Irrational Man: A Study in Existential Philosophy",
      "author": "William Barrett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33854220,
          "author": "cateblanchett",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T14:57:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33854220",
          "commentText": "Anything by Douglas Rushkoff. I particularly enjoyed Survival of the Richest: Escape Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires.\nAnother good one is Irrational Man by William Barrett. The only truly comprehensive look at existentialism I've read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another good one is Irrational Man by William Barrett.",
          "reason": "Calls it a good book and describes it as a comprehensive look at existentialism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is the only truly comprehensive look at existentialism they have read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503738,
          "author": "jashmenn",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T15:06:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503738",
          "commentText": "Irrational Man is a good introduction to existentialism and he has a very readable overview of philosophy from the Greeks until now.\nThis is will largely be ignored on this tread, but The Bible is a source of philosophical thought for millions of people. You can get a clear picture of the central theme by reading the book of John.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Irrational Man is a good introduction to existentialism",
          "reason": "Calls it a good introduction to existentialism.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in existentialism.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Barrett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "existentialism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "islam-a-short-history-94f64e",
      "title": "Islam: A Short History",
      "author": "Karen Armstrong",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36105102,
          "author": "dangitnotagain",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T15:49:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105102",
          "commentText": "And for Islam, I recommend Karen Armstrong’s “Islam: A Short History”. This book gives context to Muhammad as a Man in addition to the influential religion he adapted/created (for most major religions are adaptations, “modernizations” of what came before.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend Karen Armstrong’s “Islam: A Short History”.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a history of Islam, with context about Muhammad and the religion’s development.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30746251,
          "author": "kcartlidge",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T20:24:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30746251",
          "commentText": "- Total Freedom by Jiddu Krishnamurti.\nInitially this came across as shallow truths masquerading as profundity, especially with his unwillingness/inability to explain himself during discussions. Finally I read enough that some things just 'clicked' into place and my perspectives shifted along with my outlook on life.\n- Letters from the Desert by Carlo Carretto (first half).\nI was brought up a protestant so was never really exposed to catholic thought in my formative years. When I finally started exploring the classics for myself I found them often overly wordy and mystical, so I moved on to more modern (relatively speaking) works like this and the Way of the Pilgrim too. The simplicity of the writing and the clarity of the thoughts in the first few chapters of Letters from the Desert hit me hard.\n- The Quran\nA wonderfully phrased book that captures its times very well. Ideally to be read alongside something like Islam: A Short History or Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet, both by Karen Armstrong, to provide the context.\nAs an aside the Qu'ran is available for free online in audio format both as interlinear English/Arabic but also as Arabic only, and as a non-speaker of Arabic I often find listening to it being chanted a very calming and uplifting experience despite having no clue what is being said.\n- Getting Real by 37 Signals.\nAs a programmer/developer/engineer since the late 1980s this was a revelation, bringing a clarity to my own thoughts and feelings about much of the world of enterprise software development. Very obvious points in retrospect that nobody ever (including me) seemed to have realised during my entire career before then.\n- Web Copy that Sells by Maria Veloso.\nA strange choice, given that there is nothing 'profound' in here. What it is, though, is a very well written book on persuasion which finally got me to see that I'd spent years avoiding 'sales' as something that wasn't for me whereas in reality it's for everyone and we do it all the time.\n- The Body by Charles Colson.\nColson was jailed for his part in the Nixon stuff, then became a Christian. It's an incredibly moving book which is not his autobiography but an analysis of what is going wrong with the church. The impact comes from the stories he relates at the start of the chapters (especially the opening ones about 9/11). Those tales gave me an understanding of the potential 'greatness' in people.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Islam: A Short History",
          "reason": "Recommended as context to read alongside the Quran.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Karen Armstrong"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "islam",
        "religion",
        "religious history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "it-787aac",
      "title": "It",
      "author": "Stephen King",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45300054,
          "author": "random_moonwalk",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-19T10:33:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 45283087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45300054",
          "commentText": "Fiction: It by Stephen King\nNon-Fiction: The Spy and the Traitor by Ben MacIntyre. It's about the KGB spy-turned-MI6 agent Oleg Gordievsky and reads like a thriller.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fiction: It by Stephen King",
          "reason": "Listed as the commenter’s current fiction read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961419,
          "author": "legohead",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:38:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961419",
          "commentText": "* Currently reading: Edgedancer\n* Flowers for Algernon\n* Going Rogue: Spells, Swords, & Stealth\n* Split the Party: Spells, Swords, & Stealth\n* NPCs\n* Children of Time\n* Death's End\n* The Shining\n* IT\n* All 7+1 books of The Dark Tower",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "IT",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed among books read, with no evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 877202,
          "author": "cojadate",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T17:25:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=877202",
          "commentText": "I would argue that Stephen King's 'It' should also have the status of a great novel.\nOne French critic wrote of 'It':\n«Ça» fonctionne parce que «Ça» fait peur. Pendant plus de mille pages – Jean-Pierre Dufreigne, L'Express\nTranslation: 'It' works because \"It\" scares. Throughout over one thousand pages.\nHow wrong can a critic be?\nYes the horror element is great but it's not why 'It' works at all, not for me anyway. For me 'It' works because of its insights into human nature – it's use of fantasy to look unflinchingly at human nature at it's worst and it's most beautiful, to do justice to a world that is full of both evil and goodness, because every story overlaps with other stories overlapping with other stories, just like real life, because it's a morally uncompromising book which presents no hard and fast rules of morality, because it portrays children and childhood accurately, because it shows us a world where abuse, neglect and apathy are rife, come in many forms, and can be perpetrated by people for all kinds of reasons, sometimes wilfully, sometimes from neediness, sometimes from a self-deluded sense of righteousness, sometimes from lack of knowing anything better. Because it also writes about the power of love and the deep bonds people share without a shred of sentimentality. Because it's a fantasy, and yet it shows our world perhaps more accurately than any story I've ever read, watched or heard.\nI particularly loved the theme of standing up to oppressors. Many stories have this element, but 'It' is so true to reality that the standing-up is more inspiring and powerful than in other works. Typically however, King has the wisdom to have a side-plot which shows how standing up to oppressors can go wrong, by way of brutal vigilantism and bloody revenge. It's this steadfast refusal to accept clichés and black-and-white worldviews of any kind which I particularly appreciate in King.\nI don't know, maybe the best thing about it is that makes a giant telepathic space turtle seem like a perfectly plausible part of a novel characterized by gritty realism.\nMy second, not entirely unrelated, nomination is 'Psychology is About People' by HJ Eysenck. This is half a century old so I am sure there are now many better books saying much the same thing. But for me it was the culmination of a train of thought, which started when I came across the quote \"wisest is she who knows she does not know\" in Jostein Gaarder's  Sophie's World  , which made me realize how little I know and how important it is to identify and question my own assumptions.\nPsychology is About People is an attack on fuzzy thinking in the fields of public policy-making, social science and, above all, psychology (Eysenck was himself a psychologist). He demonstrates that pyschotherapy, at least in his time, was little more than storytelling which, when held up to the hard light of the experimental method, was almost always proven false. Likewise, he attacks governments for basing their social policies on similarly unexamined assumptions. These fields, especially psychology have all come a long way since Eysenck's time but it's still very easy to spot the kind of fuzzy thinking and refusal-to-question-assumptions everywhere you look.\nI disagree with Eysenk in some of the conclusions he makes from his own research, but I think his general approach to knowledge and truth is fantastic. It certainly changed the way I think and has effected in me a permanent distaste for 'meta-narratives' of all kinds.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would argue that Stephen King's 'It' should also have the status of a great novel.",
          "reason": "The commenter argues it deserves to be considered a great novel and praises its treatment of human nature and childhood.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen King"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Fantasy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "horror",
        "childhood",
        "human nature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "it-s-not-luck-de7204",
      "title": "It's Not Luck",
      "author": "Eliyahu M. Goldratt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20196709,
          "author": "elviejo79",
          "createdAt": "2019-06-16T17:27:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 20196671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What to read after “Thinking in Systems”?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20196709",
          "commentText": "The Fifth Discipline by Senge.\nAlso a great introduction to systems thinking.\nAlso everything written by Goldratt.\nIn particular:\nThe Goal and\nIt's not luck\nBoth are business novels, they read lightly but the lessons are profound.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's not luck",
          "reason": "Listed among Goldratt's business novels, which read lightly and have profound lessons.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19899526,
          "author": "kesor",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T14:25:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19899526",
          "commentText": "\"The Goal\" by Eliyahu Goldratt, and other of his books are great books to learn how to think.\nIt is a more concrete example of Systems Thinking that is applied to various environments, manufacturing in \"The Goal\", marketing and strategy in \"It's Not Luck\", projects in \"Critical Chain\", retail in \"Isn't it Obvious\", and personal improvement in \"The Choice\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "marketing and strategy in \"It's Not Luck\"",
          "reason": "Listed as an application of systems thinking to marketing and strategy among Goldratt's books.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in systems thinking applied to marketing and strategy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3277742,
          "author": "billswift",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T18:12:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3277742",
          "commentText": "I will definitely second Atul Gawande's Checklist Manifesto.\nEliyahu Goldratt's books (I have read Critical Chain and It's Not Luck as well as The Goal) are not as original as often claimed.  They are very readable introductions, but a good project management text will cover most of what they do and more.  The project management book that I have found most helpful is Project Management With Cpm, Pert and Precedence Diagramming; despite its age (1983) it covers a wider variety of techniques with more detail and less extraneous crud than any of the others I have seen (note I am still researching this area, anyone who has a favorite book can leave it in a comment).  http://www.amazon.com/Project-Management-Pert-Precedence-Dia... (http://www.amazon.com/Project-Management-Pert-Precedence-Diagramming/dp/0442254156/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322244392&sr=8-1)\nJonathan Baron's Thinking and Deciding is one of the best books on improving your thinking in general that I have ever read.  http://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Deciding-Jonathan-Baron/dp/05... (http://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Deciding-Jonathan-Baron/dp/0521680433/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322244137&sr=8-1)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "and It's Not Luck",
          "reason": "The commenter mentions having read it but gives no separate evaluation of this title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eliyahu M. Goldratt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "theory of constraints",
        "business novel",
        "management",
        "marketing strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "jack-reacher-series-b31c1f",
      "title": "Jack Reacher series",
      "author": "Lee Child",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42508781,
          "author": "lawgimenez",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T13:56:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42508781",
          "commentText": "Someone here in HN wrote that he/she read all of Jack Reacher’ 20 books, I’m doing the same and now I just read 2 of its books in a week.\nIt’s a light read, something to get your mind of coding.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I’m doing the same and now I just read 2 of its books in a week.",
          "reason": "Says they are reading the series and explains that it is a light read to take their mind off coding.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a light read or a break from coding.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is following someone else's example; no explicit evaluation beyond calling it a light read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10838081,
          "author": "eibrahim",
          "createdAt": "2016-01-04T20:00:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10838081",
          "commentText": "I broke all my records for reading in 2015.  I set off to read 12 books and ended up reading 49.  You can see them at https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/15981902-emad-ibrahim\nThere were some helpful books but a ton of fiction.  I got hooked on Mitch Rapp and Jack Reacher series and couldn't stop :)  Not educational but lots of fun.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I got hooked on Mitch Rapp and Jack Reacher series and couldn't stop :)",
          "reason": "The commenter says they got hooked on the series and couldn't stop.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not educational, but lots of fun.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lee Child"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "action thriller",
        "crime thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "jane-eyre-3fce16",
      "title": "Jane Eyre",
      "author": "Charlotte Brontë",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268711,
          "author": "computerdork",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T21:43:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268711",
          "commentText": "Grendel by Gardner (so playful and creative), Jane Eyre (a classic with wonderful language and intense story), Sapiens (extraordinarily interesting survey of human history)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jane Eyre (a classic with wonderful language and intense story)",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its language and story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18744610,
          "author": "tagawa",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T05:31:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744610",
          "commentText": "Jane Eyre. Not my usual kind of book and I didn’t know what to expect, but wanted to catch up on the classics and loved it. Not only beautifully written, it also felt like taking a break outside my usual bubble.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jane Eyre. Not my usual kind of book and I didn’t know what to expect, but wanted to catch up on the classics and loved it. Not only beautifully written, it also felt like taking a break outside my usual bubble.",
          "reason": "Says they loved the novel and praises its writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is outside their usual reading taste.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charlotte Brontë"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classic literature",
        "classic novel",
        "gothic fiction",
        "victorian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "java-concurrency-in-practice-99821e",
      "title": "Java Concurrency in Practice",
      "author": "Brian Goetz et al.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3395527,
          "author": "Cardinal",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T12:06:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395527",
          "commentText": "It has to be Java Concurrency in Practice. Even though it has Java in its name I think every programmer should read this.\nOther books I absolutely loved are Effective Java 2 and Programming Interviews Exposed. I'm waiting for Amazon to ship me the second edition of the latter.\nHackers and Painters is a classic I default to whenever I'm looking for inspiration.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think every programmer should read this.",
          "reason": "Says every programmer should read it.",
          "audience": "Programmers",
          "caveat": "Despite Java in the title, the commenter says it applies to every programmer.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Java Concurrency in Practice",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Goetz et al."
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "concurrency",
        "concurrent programming",
        "java",
        "java concurrency"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "java-puzzlers-831b99",
      "title": "Java Puzzlers",
      "author": "Joshua Bloch and Neal Gafter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16352122,
          "author": "emmelaich",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T10:40:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16352122",
          "commentText": "All in no particular order....\nAs a Unix systems engineer, I would choose\n    1. W.R. Stevens books on Unix and Tcp/ip.\n    2. Rochkind's Advanced UNIX Programming.\n    3. Most of the Unix/Linux manual pages.\n    4. Bash FAQ\n\nAs a Unix systems programmer I would choose\n    1. Mythical Man Month\n    2. Jon Bentley's Programming Pearls.\n    3. K&R C and Stroustrup C++\n    4. A recent Java reference and Bloch's Java Puzzlers\n    5. a reference and cookbook for the language of your choice -- Python, Ruby, Perl, etc.\n    6. Google's style guides",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bloch's Java Puzzlers",
          "reason": "Included among the author's choices for a Unix systems programmer.",
          "audience": "Unix systems programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Java Puzzlers",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joshua Bloch and Neal Gafter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "java",
        "java programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "jeeves-173fa0",
      "title": "Jeeves",
      "author": "P. G. Wodehouse",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42508842,
          "author": "ved_a",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T14:10:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42508842",
          "commentText": "I am so glad to read this comment. Wodehouse is sublime in all what he wrote - if you end up reading Jeeves series, I would recommend Right Ho, Jeeves and Code of Woosters",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "reading Jeeves series",
          "reason": "Recommends the series and two books from it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32937273,
          "author": "dotsam",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T11:08:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937273",
          "commentText": "* Philosophy\nArthur Schopenhauer - The World as Will and Representation.\nSurprisingly readable and insightful, even if you don't buy his metaphysics. Einstein had Schopenhauer's portrait on his wall and considered him a genius.\n* Poetry\nJohn Milton - Paradise Lost\nPowerful and beautiful writing.\n* Fiction\nRabelais - Gargantua and Pantagruel. Funny and a real feast of words (the translation is a work of art in itself)\nThomas Mann - The Magic Mountain. Haunting and moving\nPierre Choderlos de Laclos - Dangerous Liaisons. Scandalous, gripping.\nIvan Turgenev - First Love. A masterclass in writing. Short, sensitive and exquisitely told.\nMarcel Proust - In Search of Lost Time. Exceptionally rich and a beautiful study of love. Reading it is like living another life.\nPG Wodehouse - the Jeeves series. Hilarious, perfectly frivolous, light and sunny\n* Non-fiction\nStuart Russell - Human Compatible: AI and the Problem of Control. Potential bad outcomes from AI and what we might be able to do about them\nNoam Chomsky - Necessary Illusions: Thought Control in Democratic Societies. How public discourse is shaped and controlled\nKarl Popper - The Open Society and its Enemies. How to work against totalitarianism",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "PG Wodehouse - the Jeeves series. Hilarious, perfectly frivolous, light and sunny",
          "reason": "Described as hilarious, frivolous, light, and sunny.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "P. G. Wodehouse"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fiction",
        "british humor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "joel-on-software-and-on-diverse-and-occasionally-related-matters--1a203a",
      "title": "Joel on Software: And on Diverse and Occasionally Related Matters That Will Prove of Interest to Software Developers, Designers, and Managers, and to Those Who, Whether by Good Fortune or Ill Luck, Work with Them in Some Capacity",
      "author": "Joel Spolsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7048773,
          "author": "iends",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-13T03:38:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 7048683,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best development book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7048773",
          "commentText": "I just finished reading the Pragmatic Programmer for the first time and felt that it was pretty much a letdown. For one, it makes a huge number of claims but does not back up these claims by any empirical evidence (even though I think it's mostly right, and that empirical evidence for some of their claims exists). Two, I feel like an undergraduate software course covers 75% of the material in the book (at least mine did). Maybe people have learned since it was first published, or maybe I've just worked on pretty good teams that practiced the stuff, but nothing in there was ground breaking or made me a better developer. Three, there was a lot of filler in the book, summaries, talking about future, and past chapters, etc that added no value except to inflate the page count.\nI feel like Pragmatic Programmer would be a good book to read before starting your first job, or maybe your undergraduate year of college.\nI was going to start Code Complete next, but Pragmatic Programmer was so disappointing I decided to read fiction for the next few weeks instead.\nSo to answer your question, the best language agnostic development books I've read are:\n1. Joel on Software: And on Diverse and Occasionally Related Matters That Will Prove of Interest to Software Developers, Designers, and Managers, and to Those Who, Whether by Good Fortune or Ill Luck, Work with Them in Some Capacity\n2. The Best Software Writing I\n3. Hackers and Painters\nI always wish Joel would come out with a second volume of #2, or to start his blog up again. I've yet to find something that equals his quality since he stopped writing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Joel on Software: And on Diverse and Occasionally Related Matters That Will Prove of Interest to Software Developers, Designers, and Managers, and to Those Who, Whether by Good Fortune or Ill Luck, Work with Them in Some Capacity",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the commenter’s best language-agnostic development books.",
          "audience": "Software developers, designers, and managers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240672,
          "author": "rdoherty",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T02:21:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240672",
          "commentText": "* The Pragmatic Programmer\n* Becoming a Technical Leader\n* In Search of Stupidity\n* Hackers & Painters\n* Blockbusters\n* Joel on Software: And on Diverse and Occasionally Related Matters That Will Prove of Interest to Software Developers, Designers, and Managers, and to Those Who, Whether by Good Fortune or Ill Luck, Work with Them in Some Capacity\n* The Best Software Writing I\n* Behind Closed Doors\n* Managing Humans\n* The Mythical Man-Month\n* Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams\n* The Non-Designers Design Book\n* Founders at Work\n* Good to Great\n* Dreaming in Code\n* The Art of the Start\n* Maverick\n* The Design of Everyday Things\n* The Art of Project Management\n* The Art of Innovation",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Joel on Software: And on Diverse and Occasionally Related Matters That Will Prove of Interest to Software Developers, Designers, and Managers, and to Those Who, Whether by Good Fortune or Ill Luck, Work with Them in Some Capacity",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joel Spolsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "essays",
        "software development",
        "software essays"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "joseph-and-his-brothers-c34ead",
      "title": "Joseph and His Brothers",
      "author": "Thomas Mann",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31969469,
          "author": "pfortuny",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T17:41:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31969469",
          "commentText": "Thomas Mann’s “Joseph and his brothers”, a tetralogy on the biblical (old testament) Joseph.\nI am in the fourth reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thomas Mann’s “Joseph and his brothers”, a tetralogy on the biblical (old testament) Joseph.",
          "reason": "Says they are on their fourth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 407426,
          "author": "swombat",
          "createdAt": "2008-12-23T09:31:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 407067,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Let's start a Hacker News book club",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=407426",
          "commentText": "EDIT3: If we're going to go with fiction, this looks like a good list to pick from:\nhttp://www.goodreads.com/list/show/6.Best_Books_of_the_20th_... (http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/6.Best_Books_of_the_20th_Century)\nPersonally, I've read almost none of these!\n1) How can you have read none of these? Get started already! And don't wait for others to tell you which books to read!\n2) That list is very suspect... I don't know how they compiled it, but it's a bit strange that it does contain some good books but then simultaneously allocates several positions to enjoyable but trashy books such as Harry Potter. Also gives several position to LotR (one is warranted, no more!), including one for the Silmarillion (wtf? I enjoyed it, but \"best book of the 20th century\"? no way!) Memoirs of a Geisha is also nice but hardly a thought leader. And it seems to be completely missing immortal masterpieces such as Narziss & Goldmund (Herman Hesse), Joseph and his Brothers (Thomas Mann), The Trial (Kafka), and many others.\nAn \"OK\" starting point, but not even the shadow of a definitive list.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Joseph and his Brothers (Thomas Mann)",
          "reason": "Presents it as an immortal masterpiece and a stronger choice for the list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Mann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biblical fiction",
        "biblical retelling",
        "family saga",
        "historical novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "journey-to-the-end-of-the-night-783b0f",
      "title": "Journey to the End of the Night",
      "author": "Louis-Ferdinand Céline",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25531638,
          "author": "zonovar",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T21:33:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25531638",
          "commentText": "Journey to the End of the Night by Louis-Ferdinand Céline",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Journey to the End of the Night by Louis-Ferdinand Céline",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 203151,
          "author": "lux",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T09:20:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=203151",
          "commentText": "Not that it's an actual autobiography, but \"Journey to the End of the Night\" by Louis Ferdinand Celine was based closely on his own life and was really something to read, albeit a tough something to get through at times.\nI was warned that it would be difficult to relate to as a \"modern-day young democrat\" and in my case at least, they were right.  I've since bought two more of his books though (all of which seem to be fairly autobiographical) and can't wait to read them as well now.\nA word of caution: Not very inspiring material, just interesting literature.  And it definitely had a profound influence on many subsequent authors.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "was really something to read, albeit a tough something to get through at times.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it compelling, though difficult to get through.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not very inspiring; the commenter calls it interesting literature and notes it can be tough to read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Louis-Ferdinand Céline"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "autobiographical fiction",
        "french literature",
        "modernist literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "just-for-fun-the-story-of-an-accidental-revolutionary-58a972",
      "title": "Just for Fun: The Story of an Accidental Revolutionary",
      "author": "Linus Torvalds and David Diamond",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22708572,
          "author": "mitchelldeacon9",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T01:58:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22708572",
          "commentText": "The following is a list of my favorite books on software engineering, cyber-security, and the history of IT business development.\nBowden, Mark (2011) Worm: The First Digital World War\nBrooks, Frederick (1995) Mythical Man-Month, 2nd ed.\nChristensen, Clayton (1997) Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail\nHafner, Katie and Matthew Lyon (1996) Where Wizards Stay Up Late: Origins of the Internet\nHunt, Andrew and David Thomas (1999) Pragmatic Programmer\nMacCormick, John (2012) Nine Algorithms that Changed the Future\nMcConnell, Steve (2004) Code Complete, 2nd ed.\nMitnick, Kevin and William Simon (2002) Art of Deception\nPoulsen, Kevin (2011) Kingpin: How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cyber-Crime Underworld\nRaymond, Eric (2003) Art of Unix Programming\nStone, Brad (2013) The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon\nTorvalds, Linus and David Diamond (2001) Just for Fun: Story of an Accidental Revolutionary\nWallace, James and Jim Erickson (1992) Hard Drive: Bill Gates and Making of the Microsoft Empire\nWilliams, Sam (2002) Free as in Freedom: Richard Stallman's Crusade for Free Software\nWilson, Mike (1996) The Difference between God and Larry Ellison: Inside Oracle Corp",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Torvalds, Linus and David Diamond (2001) Just for Fun: Story of an Accidental Revolutionary",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 203022,
          "author": "msg",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T05:29:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=203022",
          "commentText": "Linus's biography, Just For Fun, is not bad.\nI have sentimental attachments to Man Out of Time, the Tesla biography.\nNo Man Knows My History is about Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon church. It is naturally controversial to the LDS, for its depiction of Smith as a polygamist con man who fell sideways into a religious racket and never quite fell out. I found it very readable, full of color. It might depend on your interest in the period and the subject matter.\nStephen King's On Writing is about half biography, half writing manual. I thought it was terrific. It's had several rereads already.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Linus's biography, Just For Fun, is not bad.",
          "reason": "A mildly positive assessment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Linus Torvalds",
        "David Diamond"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "linux",
        "linus torvalds",
        "technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "keep-the-aspidistra-flying-900f1a",
      "title": "Keep the Aspidistra Flying",
      "author": "George Orwell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10787298,
          "author": "yetanotheracc",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T06:03:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787298",
          "commentText": "Absolutely amazing, changed the way I look at the society, will re-read:\n- George Orwell, Keep the Aspidistra Flying\nLoved:\n- Alastair Reynolds, House of Suns\n- Andy Weir, The Martian\n- Neal Stephenson, Seveneves\n- Greg Egan, Teranesia\nLiked:\n- Arthur C. Clarke, 3001: The Final Odyssey\n- Arthur C. Clarke, 2061: Odyssey Three\n- Richard Feynman, The Character of Physical Laws\n- Richard Feynman, The Pleasure of Finding Things Out\n- Jonathan Slack, Stem Cells: A Very Short Introduction\n- John Scalzi, Fuzzy Nation (bought the audiobook for Wil Wheaton's narration)\n- Ray Monk, Robert Oppenheimer: A Life Inside the Center\n- Alastair Reynolds,  Revelation Space\n- David C. Cassidy, Beyond Uncertainty: Heisenberg, Quantum Physics, and the Bomb\nFound full of BS, did not finish:\n- Noam Chomsky, Understanding Power\nTextbooks:\n- order of 10^3 pages of Open University textbooks\n- Klauber, Student Friendly Quantum Field Theory\n- Feynman & Hibbs, Quantum Mechanics and Path Integrals\n- Wald, General Relativity (5 chapters)\n- Peskin & Schroeder, An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory (5 chapters)\nNot as bad as I felt before making the list, but underwhelming in terms of quantity. I intend to read a whole lot more in 2016.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Absolutely amazing, changed the way I look at the society, will re-read:\n- George Orwell, Keep the Aspidistra Flying",
          "reason": "Called amazing, said to have changed the commenter's view of society, and marked for rereading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569874,
          "author": "nopassrecover",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T02:21:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569874",
          "commentText": "Some recents:\nSurely You're Joking Mr Feynmann is a good read.\nAs is Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle\nAs is Hugh Laurie's The Gun Seller\nAnd I'm just getting into Orwell's Keep The Aspidistra Flying which is quite good too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm just getting into Orwell's Keep The Aspidistra Flying which is quite good too.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book is quite good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is just getting into it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Orwell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "british literature",
        "literary fiction",
        "social class",
        "social satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "killers-of-the-flower-moon-c7129d",
      "title": "Killers of the Flower Moon",
      "author": "David Grann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49903457,
          "author": "pastel8739",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T01:57:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49903457",
          "commentText": "I just read Killers of the Flower Moon, which was great.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I just read Killers of the Flower Moon, which was great.",
          "reason": "Calls the book great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42508349,
          "author": "hijp",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T11:49:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42508349",
          "commentText": "I really liked \"The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder\".  It's very well researched and pieced together from conflicting accounts.\nAfter I was finished I decided to look up the author and found out he wrote \"Killers of the Flower Moon\" and \"The Lost City of Z\", both of which I really enjoyed!  If you like books like Endurance, Unbroken, or A Land So Strange, you'll dig this one.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "both of which I really enjoyed!",
          "reason": "Says they really enjoyed this book, identifying it among the author's works.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Grann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "osage murders",
        "osage nation",
        "true crime"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "kindred-ff5817",
      "title": "Kindred",
      "author": "Octavia E. Butler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34160619,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:11:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160619",
          "commentText": "This year I've put myself to the challenge to read at least one book per week which I primarily could complete by reading in the middle of the night while holding our sleeping baby in my arms. It has been an interesting challenge which gave me a lot of fulfilment and has certainly changed my mind on how I view the world. This comment became quite a long read, apologies for that.\nBooks I highly recommend:\nChurchill by Andrew Roberts (p:1105)\nA biography about one of the most interesting figures in politics and WWII. Roberts gives a very detailed description of the life of Churchill and manages to keep you interested the entire length of the book.\nThe God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (p:374)\nIn The God Delusion Dawkins gives arguments why there is no God, why we do not need a God and why religion is damaging to our society. If you are religious it might not be the book for you unless you are open to hear his arguments and line of reasoning. Dawkins will challenge your worldview.\nThe Bomb by Fred Kaplan (p:384)\nKaplan describes the policy of different US presidents on the atomic bomb and war in general. And primarily on the inability of US presidents and policy-makers to tune down its military. A chilling read which makes you appreciate a nuclear holocaust did not happen (yet)....\nPoor Economics by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo (p:320)\nBanerjee and Duflo give a gripping portrait of how poor people live. They offer an insight in the choices and decisions people make surviving on less than 1 USD a day (corrected for purchasing power). It made me completely rethink my own view on poverty and development aid; stressing even more that in order to help one need to have a complete understanding of the individual's situation and the local boundary conditions.\nProject Hail Mary  by Andy Weir (p:476)\nThis book triggered my science fiction reading. For some reason I never was interested in science fiction. Most likely triggered by reading Foundation by Asimov a few years back which apparently is not a book to my taste. But Andy Weir completely annihilated that wrong perspective on science fiction. Project Hail Mary is interesting, funny and gripping book.\nKindred by Octavia Butler  (p:287)\nThis book.... From page one I was hooked and almost read it in one go. Butler is a wonderful author and Kindred is a must-read. The book is about a woman traveling back in time to end up on a slave plantation. It's a chilling account of slavery.\nOther books I read this year, ask me anything about one of these books. I've added a + if I think its worth a recommendation\nBiography:\nNavalny by Dollbaum, Lallouet and Noble (p:280); The Man from the Future by Ananyo Bhattacharya (p:354) +\nSociology; Politics; Economics; Business:\nOnly the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove (p:224); The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli  (p:140); Winter is Coming by Garry Kasparov (p:290); Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum (p:224) +; Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl (p:164) +; We Are Bellingcat by Eliot Higgins (p:272); De Zeven Vinkjes by Joris Luyendijk (p:200); Waarom vuilnismannen meer verdienen dan bankiers by Rutger Bregman (p:104)\nComedy: The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (p:336)\nHistory:\nBand of Brothers  by Stephen E. Ambrose (p:432); The Nuclear Jihadist by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins (p:413) +; The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre (p:384) +; De Heineken Ontvoering by Peter R. de Vries (p:347); Red Famine by Anne Apllebaum (p:384); Night by Elie Wiesel (p:115) +\nScience, Technology, Mathematics:\nFermat's Enigma by Simon Singh (p:315) +; A Mathematician's Apology by G.H. Hardy (p:153); The Great Influenza by John M. Barry (p:546); The Rise and Fall of the Dinousaurs by Stephen Brusatte (p:404) ++; The Double Helix by James Watson (p:144)\nSport:\nRun or Die by Killian Jornet (p:208); The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton  (p:290) +; The Rise of the Ultra Runners by  (p:304); Tom Dumoulin by Patrick Bernhart (p:203)\nFiction:\nAnthem by Ayn Rand (p:105); Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (p:704); The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (p:566); Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (p:466); Live and Let die by Ian Fleming  (p:229)\nClassics:\nA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (p:104); The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (p:201); The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald (p:180); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (p:139); Animal Farm by George Orwell (p:122) +; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (p:227) +; The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (p:118)\nScience Fiction:\nThe Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (p:399); All Systems Red  by Martha Wells (p:144) +; A Memory Called Empire  by Arkady Martine (p:462) +; A Psalm built for the Wild by Becky Chambers (p:160); Dune by Frank Herbert (p:658); Foundation by Isaac Asimov (p:244); The Martian by Andy Weir (p:384) +;\nThe Forever War by Joe Haldeman (p:278)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kindred by Octavia Butler",
          "reason": "Calls it a must-read and says it hooked them from the first page.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes it as a chilling account of slavery.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22724968,
          "author": "SJMosley",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T03:28:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22724968",
          "commentText": "- Harry Potter and methods of rationality by Eliezer Yudkowsky\nGreat intro to rationality, so fun to see a different take on a world you likely already know.\n- Kindred  by Octavia Butler\nSuch an interesting perspective on the psychology of what it takes to break a human being. In the worst way possible.\n- The Humans by Matt Haig\nBeing outside of the human race, the language is so jarring and alien.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kindred  by Octavia Butler\nSuch an interesting perspective on the psychology of what it takes to break a human being. In the worst way possible.",
          "reason": "The commenter highlights its perspective on the psychology of breaking a person.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as exploring the subject in the worst way possible.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Octavia E. Butler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "slavery",
        "time travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "king-warrior-magician-lover-789588",
      "title": "King, Warrior, Magician, Lover",
      "author": "Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4787418,
          "author": "timmm",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:19:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787418",
          "commentText": "The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho.\nKing, Warrior, Magician, Lover by Moore and Gillette\nThe lean startup\nPaul Graham how to start a startup\nMark Hyman Ultimate Mind Solution\nTribal Leadership\nWheel of Time\nThink and Grow Rich\nSuperior Man David Deida\nThe Fountain Head\nEckhart Tolle New Earth\n50th Law\nGood to Great\nJed Mckenna\nEarl Nightengale\nLong Walk to Freedom\nOutliers\nGood to Great\nPsycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz (Self-image)\nSeven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey(Being awesome)\nWealth of Nations\nWayne Dyer The Tao\nSystem of the World\nOrigin of Species\nBrave new world\nThank you economy\nCrush it\nBuilt to Last\nWho Moved my Cheese\nStillness Speak Eckhert Tolle\nMastery George Leonard\nSteve Jobs Biography\nThe Last Lecture\nSteve Pavlina Books\nIacocca\nStriking Thoughts Bruce Lee\nCarlos Castaneda\nGhost in the Wires\nRichest Man in Babylon\nWay of the Superior Man\nLosing My Virginity\nThink and Grow Rich\nDelivering Happiness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "King, Warrior, Magician, Lover by Moore and Gillette",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227147,
          "author": "enduser",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T18:14:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227147",
          "commentText": "King Warrior Magician Lover, by Robert Moore and Douglas Gilette. It is a deeply insightful book about the path to a mature masculine psyche written by a highly respected Jungian psychologist (Moore) and a mythologist and counselor (Gilette).\nI recently finished reading this book and their four subsequent volumes, each of which goes into great detail about the four archetypes. Reading them has given me much stimulus for thought and personal growth.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/King-Warrior-Magician-Lover-Rediscover... (http://www.amazon.com/King-Warrior-Magician-Lover-Rediscovering/dp/0062506064)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It is a deeply insightful book about the path to a mature masculine psyche",
          "reason": "Praised as deeply insightful and as a source of thought and personal growth.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 716131,
          "author": "fiaz",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-21T12:46:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=716131",
          "commentText": "King Warrior Magician Lover\nby Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette\nhttp://www.amazon.com/King-Warrior-Magician-Lover-Rediscover... (http://www.amazon.com/King-Warrior-Magician-Lover-Rediscovering/dp/0062506064)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "King Warrior Magician Lover\nby Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "jungian psychology",
        "masculinity",
        "jungian archetypes",
        "masculine archetypes"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "kingpin-how-one-hacker-took-over-the-billion-dollar-cybercrime-un-6a34a2",
      "title": "Kingpin: How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cybercrime Underground",
      "author": "Kevin Poulsen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22708572,
          "author": "mitchelldeacon9",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T01:58:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22708572",
          "commentText": "The following is a list of my favorite books on software engineering, cyber-security, and the history of IT business development.\nBowden, Mark (2011) Worm: The First Digital World War\nBrooks, Frederick (1995) Mythical Man-Month, 2nd ed.\nChristensen, Clayton (1997) Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail\nHafner, Katie and Matthew Lyon (1996) Where Wizards Stay Up Late: Origins of the Internet\nHunt, Andrew and David Thomas (1999) Pragmatic Programmer\nMacCormick, John (2012) Nine Algorithms that Changed the Future\nMcConnell, Steve (2004) Code Complete, 2nd ed.\nMitnick, Kevin and William Simon (2002) Art of Deception\nPoulsen, Kevin (2011) Kingpin: How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cyber-Crime Underworld\nRaymond, Eric (2003) Art of Unix Programming\nStone, Brad (2013) The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon\nTorvalds, Linus and David Diamond (2001) Just for Fun: Story of an Accidental Revolutionary\nWallace, James and Jim Erickson (1992) Hard Drive: Bill Gates and Making of the Microsoft Empire\nWilliams, Sam (2002) Free as in Freedom: Richard Stallman's Crusade for Free Software\nWilson, Mike (1996) The Difference between God and Larry Ellison: Inside Oracle Corp",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Poulsen, Kevin (2011) Kingpin: How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cyber-Crime Underworld",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17750643,
          "author": "solotechno",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T15:04:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17750643",
          "commentText": "Similar title, different book:\nKingpin: How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cybercrime Underground\nby Kevin Poulsen ISBN-978-0307588692\nThe story of how credit card hacker Max Butler was caught by the FBI.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Similar title, different book:\nKingpin: How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cybercrime Underground\nby Kevin Poulsen ISBN-978-0307588692",
          "reason": "Identifies the specific book and distinguishes it from a similarly titled work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17750366,
          "author": "sailfast",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T14:32:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17750366",
          "commentText": "Came here to say this. Great book. Not a novel, but still worthy of a mention. It definitely reads like one with the pacing and writing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Came here to say this. Great book. Not a novel, but still worthy of a mention. It definitely reads like one with the pacing and writing.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book and praises its novel-like pacing and writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not a novel.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kevin Poulsen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Society",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybercrime",
        "hacking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "kitchen-confidential-adventures-in-the-culinary-underbelly-135d4d",
      "title": "Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly",
      "author": "Anthony Bourdain",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804899,
          "author": "AGivant",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:29:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804899",
          "commentText": "Here is my list (from https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/912138-alex-givant?rea...):\nMemoirs:\n- Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti..).\n- Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive by Land, Stephanie, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39218350-maid\n- Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40409969-medium-raw\n- Confessions of a Tax Collector: One Man's Tour of Duty Inside the IRS by Yancey, Rick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_..).\n- The Perfect Predator: A Scientist's Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Superbug: A Memoir by Steffanie Strathdee, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-pre... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-predator)\nPolitics:\n- Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Desmond, Matthew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25852784-evicted\n- Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America by Leovy, Jill, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13153693-ghettoside\n- American Prison: A Reporter's Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment by Bauer, Shane, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38561954-american-prison\n- Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Eban, Katherine, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42448266-bottle-of-lies\n- A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America by Miller, T. Christian, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35805861-a-false-report\n- The New Silk Roads by Frankopan, Peter, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro..).\nHistory:\n- Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-1956 by Applebaum, Anne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13531848-iron-curtain\n- The Romanovs: 1613-1918 by Montefiore, Simon Sebag, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26109020-the-romanovs\n- The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Johnson, Steven, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36086.The_Ghost_Map\n- Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations by Bergman, Ronen, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f..).\n- Madame Fourcade's Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against Hitler by Olson, Lynne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade..).\n- Argo: How the CIA & Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History by Méndez, Antonio J., https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13588425-argo\nCrime:\n- Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History by Selby, Scott Andrew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7071759-flawless\n- American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road by Bilton, Nick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi..).\n- Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by Carreyrou, John, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37976541-bad-blood\n- Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World by Wright, Tom, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-..).\n- The Mastermind: Drugs. Empire. Murder. Betrayal. by Ratliff, Evan, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41181600-the-mastermind\nTechnology:\n- Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon by Zetter, Kim, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze..).\n- Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World by Thompson, Clive, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40406806-coders",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Bourdain, Anthony",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list of favorite nonfiction books read in 2019.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569030,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T20:52:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569030",
          "commentText": "Things you can easily read on the beach:\nA Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace.\nThe Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov.\nMedium Raw by Anthony Bourdain (but read Kitchen Confidential first if you haven't already).\nAlso recommend FiveBooks.com, which does interviews with various academics and \"thinkers\" each recommending 5 books on a particular subject. It's a bit slanted towards politics but has a fair bit of hard science as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "read Kitchen Confidential first if you haven't already",
          "reason": "Recommends reading it before Medium Raw.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Suggested as the preceding read to Medium Raw.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anthony Bourdain"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "food writing",
        "restaurants"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "klara-and-the-sun-1f91e8",
      "title": "Klara and the Sun",
      "author": "Kazuo Ishiguro",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42271405,
          "author": "mock-possum",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T06:27:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42271405",
          "commentText": "I read a very sadly sweet near-future-sci-fi book, very much in the vein of Bradbury, called “Klara And The Sun,” by Kazuo Ishiguro.\nIt very credibly tells an agonizingly familiar human story, from the perspective of a inescapably inhuman android protagonist - by seeing the world through her eyes, you also learn who she is, and what her experience of consciousness is - you in fact are offered a precious insight into the nature of artificial consciousness that no one else in the book is quite properly aware of.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read a very sadly sweet near-future-sci-fi book, very much in the vein of Bradbury, called “Klara And The Sun,” by Kazuo Ishiguro.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a sadly sweet, compelling near-future science fiction story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29670564,
          "author": "js2",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T05:24:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29670564",
          "commentText": "The Unwomanly Face of War: An Oral History of Women in World War II. Non-fiction. Harrowing. Was inspired to read it after seeing Beanpole.\nAlso really enjoyed Klara and the Sun.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also really enjoyed Klara and the Sun.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kazuo Ishiguro"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "consciousness",
        "near future science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "knowledge-and-decisions-5ac14b",
      "title": "Knowledge and Decisions",
      "author": "Thomas Sowell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33804329,
          "author": "lukas099",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T17:38:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33804329",
          "commentText": "Knowledge and Decisions by the same is also a great book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Knowledge and Decisions by the same is also a great book.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great book; “the same” refers to Thomas Sowell in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1465307,
          "author": "billswift",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T10:13:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1465307",
          "commentText": "Sowell's Basic Economics is the easiest to read one I have seen, and for the math phobic it has no equations.\nAnother really good, if idiosyncratic, book is David Friedman's Hidden Order: The Economics of Everyday Life.\nAlso Thomas Sowell's Knowledge and Decisions covers roughly the same ground as Hayek's Use of Knowledge in Society, but is newer and more readable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also Thomas Sowell's Knowledge and Decisions covers roughly the same ground as Hayek's Use of Knowledge in Society, but is newer and more readable.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a newer, more readable treatment of similar ground.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Covers roughly the same ground as Hayek's essay.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Sowell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic institutions",
        "economic knowledge",
        "knowledge economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "kurt-vonnegut-s-books-1a5770",
      "title": "Kurt Vonnegut's books",
      "author": "Kurt Vonnegut",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1753293,
          "author": "mp_cnb",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:41:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753293",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction\n- 'The Selfish Gene' - Richard Dawkins\nGrokking the concept changed the way I thought about life forever.\n- 'Quantum Reality' - Nick Herbert\nOne of the best introductory level books on quantum physics mysteries. No nonsense.\n- Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert Pirsig\nThe book that introduced me to Kant, Hume and philosophy of science. Just for that, I'm forever indebted to it.\nSome favorite fiction books -\n- Cryptonomicon - Neal Stephenson\nLoved 'Snowcrash' too.\n- 'The Moon is a Harsh Mistress' - Robert Heinlein\n- Anything by Kurt Vonnegut, Milan Kundera, Somerset Maugham",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anything by Kurt Vonnegut",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 199837,
          "author": "jordyhoyt",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-26T00:53:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 199722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=199837",
          "commentText": "Anything by Vonnegut that you haven't read. Almost all of his books would be readable in a week or so.  (\"Player Piano\" may be most appropriate to suggest given the nature of this site.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anything by Vonnegut that you haven't read.",
          "reason": "Recommends any of the author's books the reader has not yet read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Only books the reader has not already read; says almost all are readable in about a week.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kurt Vonnegut"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lamb-the-gospel-according-to-biff-christ-s-childhood-pal-f28693",
      "title": "Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal",
      "author": "Christopher Moore",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1761613,
          "author": "pstuart",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-05T21:41:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1761613",
          "commentText": "Robert Anton Wilson: The Illuminati Trilogy (rethink your thinking)\nLamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal (very spiritual in its own way, but highly entertaining)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal (very spiritual in its own way, but highly entertaining)",
          "reason": "Describes it as spiritual and highly entertaining.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment notes its unusual, playful premise in the title.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569398,
          "author": "deathbob",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T22:49:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569398",
          "commentText": "I think \"Lamb\" is my favorite Christopher Moore book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think \"Lamb\" is my favorite Christopher Moore book.",
          "reason": "Calls it their favorite Christopher Moore book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher Moore"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "religious satire",
        "comic fiction",
        "historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "large-scale-c-software-design-3d7b64",
      "title": "Large Scale C++ Software Design",
      "author": "John Lakos",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16582555,
          "author": "mbrodersen",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-14T05:24:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16582555",
          "commentText": "\"Large-Scale C++ Software Design\" by John Lakos. The only book (as far as I know) that really teach you the nitty gritty of handling very large scale systems (not just C++ systems). Something I have needed more than once in my career.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The only book (as far as I know) that really teach you the nitty gritty of handling very large scale systems",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it uniquely useful for learning to handle very large-scale systems.",
          "audience": "People who need to work with very large-scale software systems.",
          "caveat": "The commenter qualifies the claim with “as far as I know.”",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9758397,
          "author": "Galanwe",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T14:10:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758397",
          "commentText": "\"Large Scale C++ Software Design\" by John Lakos\nThis book made me understand that writing software is not just about creating opaque binaries with _stuff_ inside. It's also about what does this binary depends on, which symbols does it exports, how is it built, etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Large Scale C++ Software Design\" by John Lakos",
          "reason": "Says the book changed their understanding of software structure and dependencies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Lakos"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c",
        "software architecture",
        "large scale systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "last-chance-to-see-1ac517",
      "title": "Last Chance to See",
      "author": "Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40290219,
          "author": "patal",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T19:11:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40290219",
          "commentText": "\"Last Chance to See\" by Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine. About Adams and Carwardine travelling the world to document several animals on the brink of extinction (by then 1988). Very entertaining and raising questions about the responsibility of human globalization. An all-time favourite.\n\"Never In Anger\" by Jean Briggs. About her living 17 months among Inuit in the 1970ies, documenting how the Inuit see emotions and raise their children without any shouting or violence.\n\"Shots in the Dark - Japan, Zen, and the West\" by Shōji Yamada. About the culture exchange between Japan and the West in the early 20th century and how several perceptions of Zen got constructed in the process.\n\"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" by Douglas Hofstaedter. About core ideas in logic, music and art, and their connections. I always find something new there.\n\"In Praise of Mastery\" / \"芸談\" by Tanizaki Jun’ichirō. An essay about the japanese pursuit of mastery. It's a fascinating window into the arts perception in late 19th century Japan.\nWebster's Dictionary of 1913. A great resource for looking up original meanings of words. I find it very useful for naming stuff in programming.\n\"Woe Is I\" by Patricia O'Conner. A witty grammar book. O'Conner's entertaining style makes it easy to grasp the grammar topics and come back for more.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Last Chance to See\" by Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it entertaining and an all-time favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17917502,
          "author": "btschaegg",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-05T13:05:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17917502",
          "commentText": "Views: Last chance to see, by Douglas Adams.\nNot only does he talk about Animals the average human never gets to see, it's also full of weird insights because of his often rather unique perspective on things. Plus, it's Adams, so it's very entertaining.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's also full of weird insights because of his often rather unique perspective on things. Plus, it's Adams, so it's very entertaining.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its insights and entertainment value.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Adams",
        "Mark Carwardine"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "travel writing",
        "endangered species",
        "wildlife conservation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "learn-you-some-erlang-for-great-good-940acc",
      "title": "Learn You Some Erlang for Great Good!",
      "author": "Fred Hébert",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21768609,
          "author": "plyptepe",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-12T01:44:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 21765528,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fun Tech Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21768609",
          "commentText": "\"Learn You a Haskell\" by Miran Lipovača: http://learnyouahaskell.com/\n\"Learn You Some Erlang for great good\" by Fred Hebert: https://learnyousomeerlang.com/\n\"If Hemingway Wrote JavaScript\" by Angus Croll: https://nostarch.com/hemingway\n\"Clojure for the Brave and True\" by Daniel Higginbotham: https://www.braveclojure.com/clojure-for-the-brave-and-true/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Learn You Some Erlang for great good\" by Fred Hebert",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8000014,
          "author": "brickcap",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T17:28:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8000014",
          "commentText": "Two books\n1. Learn you some erlang (http://learnyousomeerlang.com/)\nWhy?\nBecause it is written in a style in which technical books are rarely written. It has cartoons, jokes, references to pop culture but still it conveys the core subject exceedingly well. I understand that this is written in style of learn you some haskell so I am going to read that as well at some point. The best part  is you can read the book second or third time and still have fun.\n2. Joe Armstrong's thesis(http://www.erlang.org/download/armstrong_thesis_2003.pdf)\nYes it is another erlang book but it is written so well!  I don't read thesis (or to be perfectly honest I try reading them but I can't understand most of them and lose interest after some time) but somehow I Joe's thesis made sense to me. It might be because of his clear writing style I can't say. But every time I read this book I find a certain phrase that sticks with me while I am writing programmes. Joe is a quote machine :)\n3. Essays in the art of writing by R.L stevenson (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/492/492-h/492-h.htm)\nJust read the opening paragraph and see for yourself if you don't want to read any more :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Learn you some erlang",
          "reason": "Says it conveys the core subject exceedingly well and remains fun on rereading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fred Hébert"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "erlang",
        "functional programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "leaving-microsoft-to-change-the-world-2611dd",
      "title": "Leaving Microsoft to Change the World",
      "author": "John Wood",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Leaving Microsoft to Change the World",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86163,
          "author": "sspencer",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T23:52:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86163",
          "commentText": "Same, and with special emphasis on The Diamond Age.\nAlso Douglas Adams, Vernor Vinge, Richard K. Morgan, and all kinds of other stuff.  I like to read almost as much as I like to program.\nBest nonfiction I have read in a while:  \"Leaving Microsoft To Change The World\" by John Wood.  A Microsoft VP leaves to pursue his dream of changing the world with books, and ends up founding Room to Read (http://www.roomtoread.org/ .)  Highly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Best nonfiction I have read in a while:  \"Leaving Microsoft To Change The World\" by John Wood.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best nonfiction they have read in a while.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Wood"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "education",
        "education philanthropy",
        "philanthropy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "legionnaire-58b345",
      "title": "Legionnaire",
      "author": "Simon Murray",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12416715,
          "author": "crdb",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T22:27:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416715",
          "commentText": "The first scene in Tolstoy's War and Peace should be required reading for engineering graduates, particularly the hyper-rational Sheldon types. I'm referring specifically to the impact Pierre has on the people at the party, the importance of manners, why small talk, etc. War and Peace is generally a great book because of how much it captures about human nature and power plays and it is still relevant today. It has a reputation for length but I found it much more readable than, say, Lord of the Rings.\nDelta Force by Col. Charlie Beckwith. Think your company has red tape? Try the US Army post-Vietnam. It's a great example of someone moving through bureaucracy to achieve great things and taught me to stop making excuses based on organisational behaviour. The Phantom Major by Virginia Cowles is in the same vein with some phenomenal hustling lessons. I still think of both men whenever I think whatever I'm doing is hard.\nDynamic Hedging by Taleb was written whilst he was a pit trader and is the most intuitive introduction to thinking about options I've read. It informs my thinking about decision making in terms of probability, path dependency and higher order greeks, and helps me take risks in a smart manner. I recommend it to a lot of people but nobody takes it up because (I'm guessing) it's only available as a second hand paper copy, and people think trading options has nothing to do with their life.\nLegionnaire by Simon Murray was recommended to me by my thesis supervisor shortly before graduation. I respected his opinion so I read the thing and it blew my mind in what people were capable of doing when pushed to the edge. Murray went on to have multiple interesting careers and set records as a helicopter pilot.\nThere are two books that were lessons in what they did not teach me.\nClayton Christensen's Innovator's Dilemma/Solution presents a very enticing idea but I think the core explanation for what it covers is much better set forward in Marc Bloch's Strange Defeat. There are regular sub-threads on the book on HN so I won't go into it further.\nI also read a couple of Jack Welch books and thought, wow, this guy knows what he is talking about. This was before 2007. After 2007, I heard from a few people - including very smart investors - who basically put GE's success down to the 30 year bull market and to the growth of GE Capital which became something like 60% of the company and indeed did almost take down GE with it after Lehman. It introduced the possibility that some famous leaders and gurus might not be as competent as they are branded to be and it's important to check for confounding variables.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I respected his opinion so I read the thing and it blew my mind in what people were capable of doing when pushed to the edge.",
          "reason": "Says the book profoundly changed their view of what people can do under pressure.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The book was recommended by the commenter's thesis supervisor.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229662,
          "author": "leroy_masochist",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:02:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229662",
          "commentText": "Check out Legionnaire [0] by Simon Murray [1].\n[0]: http://www.amazon.com/Legionnaire-Englishman-French-Foreign-... (http://www.amazon.com/Legionnaire-Englishman-French-Foreign-Legion/dp/0330485806)\n[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Murray",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Check out Legionnaire [0] by Simon Murray [1].",
          "reason": "Directly recommends checking out the book in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Simon Murray"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "french foreign legion",
        "memoir",
        "resilience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "less-8cde64",
      "title": "Less",
      "author": "Andrew Sean Greer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21901809,
          "author": "lsc",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T21:20:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21901809",
          "commentText": "I read Less as part of my \"read all the Pulitzer prize for fiction novels\"  and I also enjoyed it quite a lot.   \"the road\" might have been my favorite novel on the list of pulitzer prizes in my lifetime.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read Less as part of my \"read all the Pulitzer prize for fiction novels\" and I also enjoyed it quite a lot.",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed it quite a lot.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665209,
          "author": "PostPost",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:26:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665209",
          "commentText": "Sorry for the wall of text.\n1. Bourne (The language and world of this novel are extraordinary - everything is falling apart yet brimming with life. Strangely moving)\n2. The Design of Everyday things (Essential for anyone in UI/UX)\n3. All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (Highly engaging, entertaining sci-fi novella series, from an author that can write a very decent robot protagonist)\n4. The Power (Interesting story with sci-fi elements on the dynamics of power, sex, and gender roles. I didn't care for the book, but the first 3/4 of the book are amazing)\n5. Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days\n6. 7 brief Lessons on Physics\n7. The Last Lecture (The energy and positivity coming from a man knowing he's about to die is infectious. Great read)\n8. A wizard of Earthsea (Move over Harry Potter, this is the essential children's story about wizards)\n9. Exploring diabetes with owls (Funny, irreverent)\n10. Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children (Made an effort to read more YA this year - this was the best in this series, but I still hated it. There's a host of better YA series out there.)\n11. A Wizard of Earthsea: The Tombs of Atuan (See 8.)\n12. The Girl in the Dark (Interesting book about a skin condition I had never heard of, and the trials of living with a very rare condition)\n13. The Phantom Tollbooth (Clever children's book)\n14. Black hole blues and songs from outer space (Informative book about the study of space,  the political and economic forces standing in the way of science, and the incredible individuals working in this field)\n15. Welcome to Night Vale (Hugely entertaining, clever and weird)\n16. You need a budget (Basic economics book explaining how to budget in a way that lets you do more with your money)\n17. To fight Against This Age (Incredibly pretentious, \nIvory Tower philosophizing)\n18. Infinity Gauntlet (Half the Universe dying because Thanos wanted to sleep with Lady Death will never not be ridiculous)\n19. The Right and Wrong Stuff (Great read explaining how to anticipate and avoid career pitfalls)\n20. Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children: Hollow City (pretty shitty)\n21. The Farthest Shore (Ursula K. Le Guin was the biggest loss this year)\n22. Miss peregrine's home for Peculiar Children: Library of Souls (I hate this book and all its characters)\n23. Every Good Endevour (Religious book about a Christian worldview and the value of labor - not a bad read)\n24. When to Rob a Bank and 131 warped suggestions… (interesting, funny, from the writers of Freakonomics)\n25. Weapons of Math Destruction (Probably the most useful book on this list, if you're reading this on \"hackernews\")\n26. Holes (Perfect summer paperback read)\n27. Silver Screen Sirens (Essential for film geeks)\n28. A full life: reflections at 90 (I gained a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter: he lived an incredible life and does great things)\n29. Call Me by your name (Very good romance novel to send to your bigoted relatives at Christmas)\n30. Hyperbole and a half (Incredibly entertaining, very distinctive art style)\n31. The Murderbot diaries: Artificial Condition (See 3.)\n32. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Best children's book, fight me)\n33. Less (Exceptionally well-written)\n34. Resilience (Great book, especially for those that have gone through extremely difficult circumstances)\n35. The Strange Bird (Dark, bleak, full of life, see 1.)\n36. The Murderbot diaries: Rogue Protocol (See 3.)\n37. His Dark Materials: The subtle knife (See 32.)\n38. Tap Dancing to Work (Very dry, some stories/articles are fantastic, others very, very boring for people that do not care about finance)\n39. So Good They Can't Ignore You (Pretty good)\n40. His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass (Amazing YA, see 32.)\n41. Uncontainable (Inspirational book about conscious capitalism)\n42. The Emperor of All Maladies (Pretty much everything you'll ever want to know about Cancer, written in a very engaging way)\n43. Blind Spot\n44. Shoe dog (Great story, see madmax108's comment, totally agree)\n45. The Faithful Spy (Beautiful artwork describing a Christian pastor's fight against fascism during WW2)\n46. Zero to One\n47. You'll grow out of it\n48. The Happiness advantage (Really fantastic book about the value of positive psychology)\n49. Dreams from my father (Enlightening look into Obama's \nearly days)\n50. Ayoade on Ayoade (Entertaining, extremely scatter-brained, not as funny as his interviews or tv programs)\n51. The Diabolic (badly written YA Sci-Fi)\n52. The Physics of Everyday Things (surprisingly informative, recommended for non science-people interested in the way things work)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Exceptionally well-written",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew Sean Greer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "comedy",
        "pulitzer prize"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lessons-learned-in-software-testing-a-context-driven-approach-2d088d",
      "title": "Lessons Learned in Software Testing: A Context-Driven Approach",
      "author": "Cem Kaner, James Bach, and Bret Pettichord",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41387869,
          "author": "dusanh",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T06:14:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387869",
          "commentText": "The already mentioned The Pragmatic Programmer, 20th Anniversary Edition is so far the best I have read. It's not overly specific to one single thing, it tries to teaches general principles and good practice.[1]\nI also have a personal recommendation for when you want to better understand testing, QA, or want to/have to work with QA people. [2]\n[1] https://pragprog.com/titles/tpp20/the-pragmatic-programmer-2... (https://pragprog.com/titles/tpp20/the-pragmatic-programmer-20th-anniversary-edition/)\n[2] https://www.amazon.com/Lessons-Learned-Software-Testing-Cont... (https://www.amazon.com/Lessons-Learned-Software-Testing-Context-Driven/dp/0471081124)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also have a personal recommendation for when you want to better understand testing, QA",
          "reason": "Recommends it for understanding testing and working with QA people.",
          "audience": "People who want to understand testing or QA, or work with QA colleagues.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16351633,
          "author": "conjecTech",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T07:26:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16351633",
          "commentText": "There is a class at Georgia Tech I colloquially referred to as \"making sure your coworkers don't hate you.\" It covered design patterns, software testing, and project management. I'd tack on a basic knowledge of databases to that. These are things you can gain a true functional knowledge of in a couple of weeks, and which not knowing might make senior engineers hate working with you.\nSo to mimic the class:\nThe Mythical Man Month\nDesign Patterns - Even if some of the particulars are not as relevant, it still provides a useful framework for thought.\nLessons Learned in Software Testing: A Context-Driven Approach\nI'd also add Harry Potter & The Methods of Rationality. A lot of engineers can think empirically, but its not their first reaction. Going through this book helped make it second nature for me. Can't remember if a certain data structure is immutable? Now I'll write a couple of lines of code to see rather than go looking for documentation. A lot of big problems start as false assumptions. Having the instinct to think to test them and knowing how to will prevent a lot of wasted effort, regardless of your role.\nHow to Solve It by Polya also gets an honorable mention for similar reasons.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lessons Learned in Software Testing: A Context-Driven Approach",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books for colleagues, answering the thread’s request.",
          "audience": "Software developers and testers",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cem Kaner",
        "James Bach",
        "Bret Pettichord"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "quality assurance",
        "software testing",
        "context driven testing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "let-my-people-go-surfing-6c64f9",
      "title": "Let My People Go Surfing",
      "author": "Yvon Chouinard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 658101,
          "author": "jbr",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-15T07:47:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 657892,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite management books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=658101",
          "commentText": "Let my people go surfing -- Yvon Chouinard\nhttp://amzn.com/1594200726\nThe seven day weekend -- Ricardo Semler\nhttp://amzn.com/1591840260\nGetting Real\nhttp://gettingreal.37signals.com/\n--\nAlso, help flesh out the list of books for startups I just created for HN on my site:\nhttp://www.stormweight.com/lists/books-for-startups?p=OyAXcZ",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Let my people go surfing -- Yvon Chouinard",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 203280,
          "author": "dhbradshaw",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T14:12:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=203280",
          "commentText": "\"Made in America\" by Sam Walton turned out to be an unexpectedly good read.\n\"Let my people go surfing\" by Yvon Chouinard (climber and founder of Patagonia) is an all-time favorite.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Let my people go surfing\" by Yvon Chouinard (climber and founder of Patagonia) is an all-time favorite.",
          "reason": "Described as an all-time favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Yvon Chouinard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "patagonia",
        "climbing",
        "company culture",
        "sustainable business"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "leviathan-344821",
      "title": "Leviathan",
      "author": "Thomas Hobbes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20914562,
          "author": "bmmayer1",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T01:45:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914562",
          "commentText": "Economics:\n- The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith\n- Das Kapital, Karl Marx\n- That Which Is Seen, and That Which Is Not Seen, Frederic Bastiat\nPhilosophy / Politics:\n- The Republic, Plato\n- Second Treatise on Government, John Locke\n- The Law, Frederic Bastiat\n- Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes\n- Meditations, Marcus Aurelius\n- Democracy in America, Alexis de Toqueville\n- On Liberty, John Stuart Mill\nFiction:\n- The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, Mark Twain\n- The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin\n- Metamorphoses, Franz Kafka\n- Candide, Voltaire\n- The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503420,
          "author": "ionfish",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T09:28:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503420",
          "commentText": "Most of the \"eye-opening or incredibly interesting\" philosophical material that I've read has been in individual articles rather than books. That said, here are a few favourites from various areas. It's a bit heavily weighted towards recent material; Kant and Plato ought to be on there, but I can't stand Kant as a writer, even if his ideas are profound, and Plato's style has always irritated me for some reason I can't quite put my finger on. I could probably keep tying titles all day, so I'll stop with those that first popped into my head.\nAristotle, Nicomachean Ethics\nDavid Chalmers, The Conscious Mind: In Search of a Fundamental Theory\nGottlob Frege, Die Grundlagen der Arithmetik\nThomas Hobbes, Leviathan\nDavid Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding\nJ.S. Mill, On Liberty\nJohn Rawls, A Theory of Justice\nStewart Shapiro, Philosophy of Mathematics: Structure and Ontology",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thomas Hobbes, Leviathan",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Hobbes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political philosophy",
        "social contract"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lexicon-473bbc",
      "title": "Lexicon",
      "author": "Max Barry",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29670732,
          "author": "kccqzy",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T05:55:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29670732",
          "commentText": "Lexicon by Max Barry. Excellent sci-fi novel. In fact I heard of the book from an HN comment (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28199207), checked it out, and loved it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lexicon by Max Barry. Excellent sci-fi novel.",
          "reason": "Calls it an excellent sci-fi novel and says they loved it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7302029,
          "author": "dodders",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T01:07:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7302029",
          "commentText": "Lexicon - Max Barry.\nThe Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman.\nChannel Skin - Jeff Noon.\nThe Long Earth - Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter.\nThe Difference Engine - William Gibson.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lexicon - Max Barry.",
          "reason": "Lists the title in response to a request for science-fiction book suggestions.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking science-fiction novels.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Max Barry"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "language",
        "linguistic mind control",
        "psychic powers"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lies-my-teacher-told-me-2308bb",
      "title": "Lies My Teacher Told Me",
      "author": "James W. Loewen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38574950,
          "author": "lavixu123",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T21:46:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38574950",
          "commentText": "2023 has been a good year with regard to reading. This has been year of History, Memoirs and Mythology. Some books I liked and would recommend are:\n1) Nothing To Fear - This book is about the Great Depression in the USA and how president JFK took steps to bring the economy back.\n2) Digital Minimalism - This is one book I would like to revisit every two years. About digital distractions and how to minimize it.\n3) The Odyssey By Emily Wilson- This was a surprising easy read with author's notes on the backdrop. Helps you understand Greek mythology and some unraveling of human emotions. Pretty deep. Highly recommend.\n4) Long Walk to Freedom - Autobiography of Nelson Mandela plus a good history of events in South Africa during his time.\n5) Lies My Teacher Told me - This is about lies that usually are represented in US high school history and the author debunks some myths. This is also a USA history primer, but all the tones associated are negative.\n6) India After Gandhi - Sneak peak into some Indian History and political environment after Independence, events leading to formation of states etc.\n7) Lend Me Your ears: Great Speeches in History - This is a great collection of speeches grouped by events. Highly recommend. Nice way to learn some history through speeches.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Lies My Teacher Told me - This is about lies that usually are represented in US high school history",
          "reason": "Recommended as a US history primer that debunks commonly taught myths.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its tone is negative.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38238453,
          "author": "itronitron",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T08:32:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238453",
          "commentText": "As an American, I highly recommend \"Lies My Teacher Told Me\" by James Loewen.\nAnd since you are reading 1776 then you might also like \"John Adams\" by David McCullough.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend \"Lies My Teacher Told Me\" by James Loewen.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9350572,
          "author": "cmiles74",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T19:57:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350572",
          "commentText": "\"Lies My Teacher Told Me\" by James W. Loewen, he's a sociologist that examines the major textbooks sold in the US. The title is a little cheesy, the book is a bit more serious.\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lies_My_Teacher_Told_Me",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The title is a little cheesy, the book is a bit more serious.",
          "reason": "Describes the book as more serious than its title suggests; no explicit recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls the title a little cheesy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James W. Loewen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history education",
        "us history",
        "textbook criticism",
        "u s history education"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "light-in-august-1c7737",
      "title": "Light in August",
      "author": "William Faulkner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36429339,
          "author": "smackeyacky",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T08:15:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36429339",
          "commentText": "America made no sense to me until I read Faulkners \"Light In August\".  Its almost 100 years old but those themes persist.\nOtherwise I would really recommend Moby Dick.  Its a rollicking adventure, a wonderful technical description of bygone whaling and ultimately a starting point for introspection on some questions you may be asking yourself.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_in_August#:~:text=Light%... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_in_August#:~:text=Light%20in%20August%20is%20a,gothic%20and%20modernist%20literary%20genres).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "America made no sense to me until I read Faulkners \"Light In August\".",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them make sense of America and that its themes persist.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674317,
          "author": "nish1500",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T12:08:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674317",
          "commentText": "I am biased towards fiction.\nTo Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. The timeless beauty and innocence of the book remains unparalleled.\nLight in August, by William Faulkner. It is the opposite of the above, dealing with complex emotions. Faulkner's prose and characters are unmatched in their depth.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Faulkner's prose and characters are unmatched in their depth.",
          "reason": "Praises the novel's complex emotions and Faulkner's prose and characters.",
          "audience": "Readers biased toward fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Faulkner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american south",
        "literary fiction",
        "modernist fiction",
        "southern gothic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lila-dbbeff",
      "title": "Lila",
      "author": "Robert M. Pirsig",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8718778,
          "author": "gnestor",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T20:02:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8718778",
          "commentText": "I'm 28 and I've read it 3-4 times now. It's a truly an inspired work. I think that it would appeal to the HN community because the author, Robert Persig, arguably reaches a statement of enlightenment entirely through deductive reasoning. The story is essentially Persig's attempt to piece this whole event together after having undergone electric shock therapy. The story unfolds as Persig and his son travel across the US by motorcycle and is complemented by intermediary \"chautauquas\" (philosophical monologues) and technical monologues about motorcycle maintenance. The book is an enigma (unlike its sequel \"Lila\" which is not), and there isn't any other book that I've read that is like it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "unlike its sequel \"Lila\" which is not",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a comparison with the sequel; no endorsement is expressed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it lacks the enigmatic quality of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2639661,
          "author": "pwang",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T03:27:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639661",
          "commentText": "Best overall: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, and its less well-known sequel, Lila\nBest fantasy in terms of most imaginative and full of wonder: The Neverending Story by Michael Ende.  (I know, everyone saw the crappy movie; it simply does not do the book justice.)\nBest Scifi: The Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "its less well-known sequel, Lila",
          "reason": "Named as the sequel to the commenter's best overall choice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as less well-known.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert M. Pirsig"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "philosophical novel",
        "metaphysics",
        "quality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lilith-s-brood-4bcf36",
      "title": "Lilith's Brood",
      "author": "Octavia E. Butler",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36026772,
          "author": "andrei_says_",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-22T02:30:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36026772",
          "commentText": "Galactic North - Alastair Reynolds\nHouse of Suns  - Alastair Reynolds\nLilith’s Brood - Octavia Butler\nThe Expanse",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lilith’s Brood - Octavia Butler",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536565,
          "author": "stevewillows",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:19:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536565",
          "commentText": "I'm halfway through Lilith's Brood / the Xenogenesis series from Octavia E. Butler, and I'm loving it. Despite the sci-fi angle, it feels like this is how things could play out if we were introduced to a mostly well-intended alien species.\nThe first book is mostly conversation in interview form, but I was drawn in tight and didn't want to put it down.\nThe audiobook performance for this series is fantastic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm halfway through Lilith's Brood / the Xenogenesis series from Octavia E. Butler, and I'm loving it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are loving the series and describes its plausible, well-intended aliens.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Octavia E. Butler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "alien human relations",
        "alien species",
        "bioengineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "linchpin-c5d331",
      "title": "Linchpin",
      "author": "Seth Godin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12144266,
          "author": "kentf",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:50:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144266",
          "commentText": "The Pragmatic Programmer, Dave Thomas, Andy Hunt\nFooled by Randomness, Taleb\nLinchpin, Seth Godin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Linchpin, Seth Godin",
          "reason": "Named in response to a request for books that impacted a career.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11702925,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-15T21:47:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11702925",
          "commentText": "Linchpin by Seth Godin. cool take on why we need to all be artists instead of cogs in a machine.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "cool take on why we need to all be artists instead of cogs in a machine.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its take on people becoming artists rather than cogs in a machine.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Seth Godin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "career",
        "creativity",
        "creativity at work",
        "work"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "linear-algebra-9da8ce",
      "title": "Linear Algebra",
      "author": "Kenneth Hoffman and Ray Kunze",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6908104,
          "author": "enthdegree",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-15T02:38:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6908104",
          "commentText": "I had to read Linear Algebra by Hoffman and Kunze for a class. It was really applicable and useful.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Linear Algebra by Hoffman and Kunze for a class. It was really applicable and useful.",
          "reason": "Says the textbook was applicable and useful for a class.",
          "audience": "Students taking a linear algebra class.",
          "caveat": "Had to read it for a class.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 665250,
          "author": "sanand",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T15:10:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665250",
          "commentText": "My recommendations:\nHardy, A Course of Pure Mathematics.\nKnuth, Graham and Patashnik, Concrete Mathematics.\nHoffman and Kunze, Linear Algebra (there are several free online books on Linear Algebra and Vector Spaces, Strang, Axler, Lang Halmos and Shilov are also recommended).\nFeller, An Introduction to Probability Theory and Its Applications.\nIf you're not studying for exams and you have plenty of time on your hands, try the following algorithm: \n1. Dive into some random chapter in the book and attempt the first exercise in that chapter.\n2. Understand the problem by referring back and learning everything that might potentially have relevance to the exercise.\n3. Attempt to solve exercise.  \n4. If unsuccessful, go to step 2.\n5. If there are more exercises in the chapter, pick the next exercise and go to step 2.\n6. If there are still unsolved exercises in the book, go to step 1.\nInitially, this can cause excruciating pain and frustration.  But every exercise is a little research problem and soon -- if you are the curious type who cannot rest until you have got to the bottom of a problem -- you'll find you've mastered the subject faster than you would have learnt its elements, had you taken a formal classroom course.  The most important benefit of this method is that it will train you in some modes of thinking that are crucial in research.  Think of it as callisthenics for problem solving type of research!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hoffman and Kunze, Linear Algebra",
          "reason": "Included in a list introduced as “My recommendations.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment also names several other authors as recommended options.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kenneth Hoffman and Ray Kunze"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "linear algebra",
        "textbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "linear-algebra-and-its-applications-8430e0",
      "title": "Linear Algebra and Its Applications",
      "author": "David C. Lay",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34446891,
          "author": "williamscales",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T23:06:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34446891",
          "commentText": "The three for me were:\n- Principles of Mathematical Analysis by Walter Rudin (aka “Little Rudin”)\n- Linear Algebra and its Applications by David Strang\n- Elementary Differential Equations and Boundary Value Problems by Boyce and Diprima",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Linear Algebra and its Applications by David Strang",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31707296,
          "author": "bajsejohannes",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-11T19:12:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31707296",
          "commentText": "I really liked Linear Algebra And Its Applications by David C Lay, although it seems that more people dislike it. I believe it's a pretty common book for college intro courses. It does illustrate everything pretty well if I remember correctly.\nPerhaps a game development book is even more visual? I haven't read it (yet), but this book is getting recommendations: https://gamemath.com/book/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really liked Linear Algebra And Its Applications by David C Lay",
          "reason": "The commenter liked its explanations and says it illustrates concepts well.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that more people seem to dislike it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David C. Lay"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "linear algebra"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "linear-differential-operators-04803b",
      "title": "Linear Differential Operators",
      "author": "Cornelius Lanczos",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22093944,
          "author": "b215826",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T20:46:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22093944",
          "commentText": "Among technical books, books by Cornelius Lanczos are some of the best (less popular) books I've read.  Some quotes from his \"The Variational Principles of Mechanics\":\nFrom the Preface:\nMany of the scientific treatises of today are formulated in\na half-mystical language, as though to impress the reader with the\nuncomfortable feeling that he is in the permanent presence of\na superman.  The present book is conceived in a humble spirit and is\nwritten for humble people.\nFrom Chapter 8:\nPut off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place\nwhereon thou standest is holy ground.  -- EXODUS III, 5\nWe have done considerable mountain climbing.  Now we are in the rarefied\natmosphere of theories of excessive beauty and we are nearing a high\nplateau on which geometry, optics, mechanics, and wave mechanics meet\non common ground.  Only concentrated thinking, and a considerable\namount of recreation, will reveal the full beauty of our subject in\nwhich the last word has not yet been spoken.\nThis book was also on Gerald Jay Sussman's must-read list of books [1]. Another great book of his is \"Linear Differential Operators\" -- if you've ever wanted an intuitive explanation for why d/dx is not Hermitian but d^2/dx^2 is, this is the book you need to read.  A quote from the book that resonated with me when I first read it:\nSince the days of antiquity it has been the privilege of the\nmathematician to engrave his conclusions, expressed in a rarefied and\nesoteric language, upon the rocks of eternity.  While this method is\nexcellent for the codification of mathematical results, it is not so\nacceptable to the many addicts of mathematics, for whom the science of\nmathematics is not a logical game, but the language in which the\nphysical universe speaks to us, and whose mastery is inevitable for the\ncomprehension of natural phenomena.\n[1]: http://aurellem.org/thoughts/html/sussman-reading-list.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another great book of his is \"Linear Differential Operators\"",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great book and recommends it for an intuitive explanation of differential operators.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an intuitive understanding of differential operators.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21348810,
          "author": "m31415",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T20:28:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21348810",
          "commentText": "For mathematics, I would recommend:\n1. \"What Is Mathematics? An Elementary Approach to Ideas and Methods\" by Courant and Robbins -- a general book on mathematics in the spirit of Feynman lectures.\n2. Strogatz's \"Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos\" -- it's a bit narrow in scope (mostly dynamical systems with a little bit of chaos/fractals thrown in) but very good nonetheless.\n3. Tristan Needham, \"Visual Complex Analysis\", beautiful introduction to complex analysis.\n4. Cornelius Lanczos, \"The Variational Principles of Mechanics\" -- this is a physics book, but one of the classics in the subject, and as Gerald Sussman once remarked, you glean new insights each time you read it.\n5. Cornelius Lanczos, \"Linear Differential Operators\" -- an excellent treatment of differential operators, Green's functions, and other things that one encounters in infinite-dimensional vector spaces.  This book has some very intuitive explanations, e.g., why d/dx is not self-adjoint (i.e., Hermitian), whereas d^2/dx^2 is.\nFor chemistry, I would recommend \"General Chemistry\" by Linus Pauling, even though it's a bit outdated.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "an excellent treatment of differential operators, Green's functions, and other things that one encounters in infinite-dimensional vector spaces",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an excellent treatment of differential operators and related topics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cornelius Lanczos"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "differential operators",
        "green s functions",
        "linear algebra",
        "mathematical physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "linux-from-scratch-792a78",
      "title": "Linux From Scratch",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37941798,
          "author": "Lockal",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T12:15:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37941798",
          "commentText": "\"Linux From Scratch\" was a life-changing experience, with a high practical value: you finally take full control over your hardware and start to understand why every component exists on your system and how you can control it.\nNot going to mention any psychological studies or philosophical essays, because, sorry, OP asked for non-fiction...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Linux From Scratch\" was a life-changing experience",
          "reason": "Described as a life-changing, practical learning experience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22302615,
          "author": "bachmeier",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-11T20:42:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22302615",
          "commentText": "Lots of interesting (smaller) projects in D Cookbook:\nhttps://www.packtpub.com/application-development/d-cookbook\nMore substantial is the Linux from scratch series:\nhttp://www.linuxfromscratch.org/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "More substantial is the Linux from scratch series:",
          "reason": "Recommended as a more substantial project-based series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "linux",
        "operating systems",
        "system building"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "linux-in-a-nutshell-ea47a5",
      "title": "Linux in a Nutshell",
      "author": "Ellen Siever, Stephen Figgins, Robert Love, and Arnold Robbins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3395878,
          "author": "g3orge",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T14:50:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395878",
          "commentText": "Linux in a nutshell.\nBest book for Linux noobs and pros.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Linux in a nutshell.\nBest book for Linux noobs and pros.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best book for Linux beginners and experienced users.",
          "audience": "Linux beginners and experienced users.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135538,
          "author": "matstc",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T22:21:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135538",
          "commentText": "I'm surprised no one mentioned SICP.\nI would also add:\n  - The Little Schemer\n  - Linux in a Nutshell \n  - Unix power tools",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Linux in a Nutshell",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ellen Siever, Stephen Figgins, Robert Love, and Arnold Robbins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "linux",
        "command line reference",
        "reference"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lock-in-48b6c2",
      "title": "Lock In",
      "author": "John Scalzi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18663832,
          "author": "djtalia",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T13:49:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663832",
          "commentText": "Lock In And Head On by John Scalzi. The only book of his I've enjoyed more is Red Shirts.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Lock In And Head On by John Scalzi. The only book of his I've enjoyed more is Red Shirts.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is among their most enjoyed books by Scalzi.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They say they have enjoyed Redshirts more.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17749661,
          "author": "modernerd",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T12:54:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17749661",
          "commentText": "Lock In by John Scalzi.\nhttps://www.tor.com/2014/05/21/lock-in-john-scalzi-excerpt-c... (https://www.tor.com/2014/05/21/lock-in-john-scalzi-excerpt-chapter-1/)\nWil Wheaton's narration is great too. I listened to the audiobook and think about it a lot.\nIt's a techno whodunit — hacking and cracking neural dust/lace, remotely renting and operating physical bodies and committing crimes while “occupying” them, and bio/techno ethics all play a role.\nIn Scalzi's future, locked-in patients receive so much government funding to improve their lives that they gain more abilities and advantages than those who aren't “locked in”, which makes for an interesting inversion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lock In by John Scalzi.",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to a request for similar novels; the comment also discusses its premise and audiobook narration.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Scalzi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mystery",
        "near future science fiction",
        "neurotechnology",
        "techno mystery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "logicomix-an-epic-search-for-truth-9c5e58",
      "title": "Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth",
      "author": "Apostolos Doxiadis and Christos H. Papadimitriou",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 44269211,
          "author": "Davidbrcz",
          "createdAt": "2025-06-13T15:06:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 44269143,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Casual Math Book Suggestions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44269211",
          "commentText": "Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth is a graphic novel about the foundational quest in mathematics",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth is a graphic novel about the foundational quest in mathematics",
          "reason": "Described as a graphic novel about the foundational quest in mathematics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23729763,
          "author": "lalos",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-04T03:14:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23729763",
          "commentText": "Not strictly about math but still recommended and specially for younger folks: Logicomix. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logicomix",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Not strictly about math but still recommended and specially for younger folks: Logicomix.",
          "reason": "Recommended for younger readers despite not being strictly about mathematics.",
          "audience": "Younger readers.",
          "caveat": "Not strictly about math.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22710126,
          "author": "Rerarom",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T09:28:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22710126",
          "commentText": "Curious that \"The Cathedral and the Bazaar\" by Eric S. Raymond hasn't been mentioned yet.\nAlso: Logicomix, about the development of modern logic up to Gödel.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also: Logicomix, about the development of modern logic up to Gödel.",
          "reason": "Names a book about the development of modern logic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Apostolos Doxiadis",
        "Christos H. Papadimitriou"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "History",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "graphic novel",
        "foundations of mathematics",
        "history of logic",
        "mathematical logic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lord-jim-a265c4",
      "title": "Lord Jim",
      "author": "Joseph Conrad",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34161194,
          "author": "gausswho",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T14:20:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161194",
          "commentText": "I recently read Lord Jim (1900) by Joseph Conrad and really enjoyed it. There is a dense playfulness with words in a way that doesn't exist in my diet of Internet reading. The plot is unfurled from questionable narrators, deft time shifts, and overall is compelling and peppered with ethical dilemmas.\nStandard E-books made an excellently formatted version: https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/joseph-conrad/lord-jim",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recently read Lord Jim (1900) by Joseph Conrad and really enjoyed it.",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed its playful language, compelling plot, shifting narrators, and ethical dilemmas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2615954,
          "author": "sokolski",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T11:45:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2615954",
          "commentText": "Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the reading recommendation question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph Conrad"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classic literature",
        "maritime fiction",
        "unreliable narrators"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "losing-the-signal-7bae62",
      "title": "Losing the Signal",
      "author": "Jacquie McNish and Sean Silcoff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36603062,
          "author": "rchaud",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T16:46:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36603062",
          "commentText": "The history of technology is something that's better covered in trade publications, magazines and biographies, rather than textbooks and academic journals. Here's what I'd recommend:\n- Losing the Signal (Blackberry, 1990s-2013)\n- Founders at Work (dotcom era)\n- Masters of Doom ('90s PC video game market/graphics)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Losing the Signal",
          "reason": "Listed as a recommended book about BlackBerry.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32937144,
          "author": "glennos",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T10:49:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937144",
          "commentText": "Losing the Signal is a really well written book about RIM/Blackberry. A cautionary tale about losing focus.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Losing the Signal is a really well written book about RIM/Blackberry. A cautionary tale about losing focus.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as well written and a cautionary tale about losing focus.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jacquie McNish",
        "Sean Silcoff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "blackberry",
        "business history",
        "technology history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lost-and-founder-d336f4",
      "title": "Lost and Founder",
      "author": "Rand Fishkin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21902980,
          "author": "baristaGeek",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T00:46:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902980",
          "commentText": "Best business books:\n-Secrets of Sandhill Road\n-Hackers and Painters\n-The Great CEO within\n-Venture Deals\n-Predictable Revenue\n-Zero to One\n-The Hard Thing About Hard Things\n-Lean customer development\n-Lost and founder\n-Lean B2B\n-From Impossible to Inevitable\n-Traction\nBest computer science books:\n-Competitive programming 3\n-Structure and interpretation of computer programs\nBest for fun (non-fiction):\n-Meditations\n-Sapiens\n-How to win friends and influence people\n-A brief history of time\n-Self-reliance\n-Frente a la estrella polar",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-Lost and founder",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s best business books in response to a question about influential books.",
          "audience": "Founders and readers curious about startup realities.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521167,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T07:42:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521167",
          "commentText": "Here are the best books I've read over the last few months:\n- Lost and Founder - the founder of Moz shares his advice and experience from building a 40M/year company. I found the things he says about building a startup extremely insightful and practically useful. Reading it feels like having a dinner with a friend who shares with you the things he has learned in a very honest, down to earth way. Highly recommend it.\n- Rationality from AI to Zombies - probably the most influential book I've read in my life, profoundly changed the way I think. It's a collection of LessWrong essays on science and rationality. (recently they've released an an audio version by the way).\n- \"A Short History of Nearly Everything\" and \"Our Mathematical Universe\" - two general popular science books I'm enjoying a lot. Haven't finished reading them yet, but so far they're brilliant(and very easy to understand, authors do an amazing job explaining complicated things in a simple, accessible way).\n- Hacking Growth - an AMAZING book on \"growth hacking\". It provides a framework for marketing a startup, gives a ton of practical advice and specific tactics. It breaks down step by step how  startups and big tech companies grow their products. Most of the books I've read on the subject were bullshit, but this one is absolutely fantastic, can't recommend it enough.\nOther great books I should mention:  This Idea is Brilliant, Actionable Gamification, The Design of Everyday Things, The Master Algorithm (great overview of machine learning techniqes), Springfield Confidential (fun behind the scenes from one of the writers on Simpsons), Homo Deus(from the author of Sapiens).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found the things he says about building a startup extremely insightful and practically useful.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds its startup advice insightful and useful, and highly recommends it.",
          "audience": "Startup founders and people building companies.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rand Fishkin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "startup memoir",
        "startups"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lucifer-s-hammer-18197c",
      "title": "Lucifer's Hammer",
      "author": "Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17536533,
          "author": "physicsyogi",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:12:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536533",
          "commentText": "Cryptonomicon and Snow Crash were great. Others you might:\n- The Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang (superb short story that Arrival was based on)\n- The Three Body-Problem (Cixin Liu)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Parable of the Sower (Octavia Butler)\n- Lucifer's Hammer (Larry Niven)\n- The Kundalini Equation (Steven Barnes)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lucifer's Hammer (Larry Niven)",
          "reason": "Listed as a suggestion in response to the request for fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6557960,
          "author": "hkarthik",
          "createdAt": "2013-10-16T04:08:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 6553238,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the essential books of knowledge for civilization?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6557960",
          "commentText": "> Collapse would slow and chaotic\nUnless a comet or asteroid hit the earth. Here's some good sci-fi reading for you: http://www.amazon.com/Lucifers-Hammer-Jerry-Pournelle/dp/044... (http://www.amazon.com/Lucifers-Hammer-Jerry-Pournelle/dp/0449208133)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Here's some good sci-fi reading for you: http://www.amazon.com/Lucifers-Hammer-Jerry-Pournelle/dp/044...",
          "reason": "Offered as good science fiction reading about a catastrophe.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Larry Niven",
        "Jerry Pournelle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "asteroid impact",
        "disaster fiction",
        "post apocalyptic fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lucky-jim-a8f222",
      "title": "Lucky Jim",
      "author": "Kingsley Amis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22724080,
          "author": "hprotagonist",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T00:28:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22724080",
          "commentText": "\"Consciousness was upon him before he could get out of the way.\"",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Consciousness was upon him before he could get out of the way.\"",
          "reason": "Quotes a line from the book being discussed in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22719246,
          "author": "hprotagonist",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T14:28:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22719246",
          "commentText": "see my nick, but in addition to stephenson, the books i come back to over and over again for comfort and wisdom include:\n- Lord of the Rings: The other bible. Not even the very wise can see all ends; be of good cheer.\n- A Wrinkle In Time: 9 year old me, there is such a thing as a tesseract, and there is also Mrs. Beast.\n- The Master and Margarita: apocalyptic reading from someone who knew, and a cat who always pays his way.\n- the Discworld series: Sir Terry knew our hearts better than most, and sin, young feller, is treatin’ people as things.\n- If On A Winter’s Night, A Traveler: a perfect joke that you can tell once, plus a love story.\n- Good Omens: Gaiman and Pratchett team up, what’s not to love?\n- Moby Dick: And so the universal thump is passed round, and all hands should rub each other’s shoulder-blades, and be content.\n- Lucky Jim: grad school, a survival guide. Come in on the fa la la las, there’s a good chap.\nThis doesn’t include poetry, which is also in my head constantly.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lucky Jim: grad school, a survival guide.",
          "reason": "Calls it a survival guide for grad school and lists it among books they return to.",
          "audience": "Graduate students.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630186,
          "author": "projectileboy",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:46:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630186",
          "commentText": "Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis is the only book I've ever read that actually made me laugh out loud. I'm told Catch 22 is like that, but I haven't read it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis is the only book I've ever read that actually made me laugh out loud.",
          "reason": "Says it is the only book they have read that made them laugh out loud.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kingsley Amis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "academic satire",
        "comic novel",
        "campus novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "made-in-japan-b4efb4",
      "title": "Made in Japan",
      "author": "Akio Morita",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35170376,
          "author": "breck",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T16:02:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35170376",
          "commentText": "I love autobiographies. Made in Japan (Sony), Made in America (Walmart), My Father Marconi (not quite an autobiography, but by his daughter).\nMy Father Marconi especially. The story of when he sent the first radio transmission across the air in his attic as a boy is wild.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Made in Japan (Sony)",
          "reason": "Expresses a love of autobiographies; identifies this as Sony's story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16297554,
          "author": "dahx4Eev",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T13:35:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16297554",
          "commentText": "Is it relevant to read Made In Japan now? And, what're the key takeaways?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Is it relevant to read Made In Japan now?",
          "reason": "Asks whether the book is still relevant and what its key takeaways are.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296324,
          "author": "neya",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T05:21:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296324",
          "commentText": "Right off the bat, here you go:\n1. The 7 habits of highly successful people (Stephen Covey)\n2. The Miracle Morning (Hal Elrod)\n3. Business Model Generation (Aelxander Osterwalder)\n4. The Art Of War (Sun Tzu)\n5. The E-myth, why most businesses don't work and what to do about it (Michel Gerber)\n6. Made In Japan (Founder of Sony, Akio Morita)\n7. How to win friends and influence people (Dale Carnegie)\nProbably I missed a few more, but I think these ones are a good start.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Made In Japan (Founder of Sony, Akio Morita)",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about books one wishes one had read earlier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Akio Morita"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sony",
        "autobiography",
        "business memoir",
        "japanese business"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "making-money-50acba",
      "title": "Making Money",
      "author": "Terry Pratchett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17538918,
          "author": "minhazm423",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T05:13:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17538918",
          "commentText": "Hey unfortunately I have nothing to add but I'd like to make a request for sci fi books\nw/ these themes:\nfinance\ncurrency\neconomics\nmath\nmoney\npower\nSome common reccomendations I've seen are\nanything by Neal Stephenson\nThe other recommendations Ive seen are fantasy like\nThe Traitor Baru Cormorant\nThe Dagger and Coin series\nMaking Money\nGoing Postal\nDoes anyone have any similar recommendations?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Making Money",
          "reason": "Listed among recommendations the commenter has seen while requesting similar books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter asks for similar recommendations and does not endorse this title.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2639606,
          "author": "iqster",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T03:02:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639606",
          "commentText": "Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. I'd also strongly recommend Terry P's Going Postal and Making Money.\nI have a long list of non-fiction books I've read and enjoyed. Most recently, I read Paul Graham's Hackers and Painters. Would definitely recommend it!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and Making Money.",
          "reason": "The commenter strongly recommends it alongside Going Postal.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 602299,
          "author": "jpd",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-10T17:46:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 601903,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fictional books related to startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=602299",
          "commentText": "Discworld's Going Postal and Making Money by Terry Pratchett are worth checking out. They are sort-of about startups; the main character has to re-organize the Post Office and the Banking system.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Discworld's Going Postal and Making Money by Terry Pratchett are worth checking out.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the books are worth checking out as stories involving reorganizing institutions.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in humorous fantasy with organizational themes.",
          "caveat": "Only sort-of about startups.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry Pratchett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fantasy",
        "banking",
        "discworld",
        "economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "making-things-happen-mastering-project-management-71a50d",
      "title": "Making Things Happen: Mastering Project Management",
      "author": "Scott Berkun",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12729723,
          "author": "allergeek",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-17T21:02:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12729723",
          "commentText": "Hi,\nin addition to checking out if any of the suggested resources work extremely well for you, I'd like to suggest this book.\nIt answered a lot of the questions about design process I had some ten years ago. (I am now involved in UX and product design)\nhttp://scottberkun.com/making-things-happen/\nIf you go briefly through it, you'll certainly find some sections useful for clearing things up with information design, capturing design goals, singling out tasks etc. It sparked my own interest in user experience and service design back then.\nTo my opinion, after much thought and practice, UI design is very much a shell to everything that's preceeding it on the timeline. Try to cover UX as well as UI, capturing requirements, etc.\nIt is also important to find a book, a blog or a course that is mesmerizing particularly to you, and easy to grasp with your specific background. Good luck!\nAlice",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd like to suggest this book.\nIt answered a lot of the questions about design process I had some ten years ago.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it answered their questions about the design process and sparked their interest in UX and service design.",
          "audience": "People working through questions about design process, UX, or service design.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297347,
          "author": "dizzystar",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:03:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297347",
          "commentText": "Making Things Happen;\nUnfortunately, I read this book when it was too late for me, but definitely something to read if you ever get into management. The politics section itself is worth the price:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0596517718",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The politics section itself is worth the price",
          "reason": "The commenter says its politics section alone is worth the price.",
          "audience": "People who get into management.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they read it too late to benefit.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Berkun"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "project management",
        "design process",
        "technical management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "manifold-trilogy-dc9826",
      "title": "Manifold Trilogy",
      "author": "Stephen Baxter",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12244904,
          "author": "peckrob",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T01:31:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244904",
          "commentText": "I read a lot of Science Fiction for fun. These are a few of my favorites that I've given to other people:\n1. Vacuum Diagrams by Stephen Baxter. When I think of epic hard science fiction, the Xeelee Sequence books spring to mind. With a story line that spans millions of years (and a few dozen books), this collection of short stories is a good introduction to one of the best and most underrated sci-fi series out there. Baxter's Manifold trilogy (Manifold: Space, Manifold: Time and Manifold: Origin) are also fantastic.\n2. Foundation by Isaac Asimov. The whole Foundation series is wonderful, but this book is a landmark of sci-fi that should be on any fan's bookcase.\n3. The Martian by Andy Weir. This book is what I've been giving the last couple years to people who don't think they like sci-fi. Everyone I've given it to has loved it.\n4. Rama by Arthur C. Clarke. Another hard sci-fi staple. The rest of the Rama books he \"co-wrote\" with Gentry Lee are decent but become more space opera than hard sci-fi. I enjoyed them but many sci-fi fans find them polarizing.\n5. Silver Tower by Dale Brown. More of a military thriller than sci-fi (Flight of the Old Dog is another favorite of mine by him) and terribly dated by modern standards (it was written when the Soviet Union was still a thing). But it's the first \"adult\" sci-fi book I ever read as a kid, so it'll always have a special place for me.\nEDIT: Another one:\n6. Coyote by Allen Steele. I love stories like this one: primitive, longshot interstellar exploration and primitive, first generation colonization. Especially for  desperate reasons. The first two Coyote books were good, but I just can't get into any of the subsequent ones.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Manifold trilogy (Manifold: Space, Manifold: Time and Manifold: Origin) are also fantastic.",
          "reason": "Calls the trilogy fantastic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9688532,
          "author": "jacobroufa",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-09T21:05:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9688532",
          "commentText": "I'd have to recommend the Manifold trilogy by Stephen Baxter. I know it's not a book, but as a whole entity, it deserves to be looked at.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd have to recommend the Manifold trilogy by Stephen Baxter.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the trilogy as a whole.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Acknowledges that it is a trilogy rather than one book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9065797,
          "author": "jacobroufa",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-17T23:06:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9065797",
          "commentText": "I'm currently working my way through Stephen Baxter's Manifold trilogy. His writing is incredibly insightful and psychedelic. I'd also suggest the Time Ships (only authorized Time Machine sequel) and anything from the Xeelee universe. Maybe start with Vacuum Diagrams?\nDavid Brin's Uplift series is brilliantly written, and personifies non-human characters wonderfully.\nHeinlein has been a favorite of mine since I was a kid, and his writing always makes me giddy.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm currently working my way through Stephen Baxter's Manifold trilogy.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Baxter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hard science fiction",
        "cosmology",
        "trilogy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "manufacturing-consent-f3448c",
      "title": "Manufacturing Consent",
      "author": "Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42280171,
          "author": "neofrommatrix",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-30T07:36:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42280171",
          "commentText": "I discovered Noam Chomsky last year. Read “How the world works”, “Understanding Power” and “Manufacturing Consent”. \nAbsolutely blown away.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Manufacturing Consent”",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter read before saying they were blown away.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37960142,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:06:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960142",
          "commentText": "I ran this thread through GPT-4 to extract mentions and summarize them in markdown. Sharing if it's helpful for others too.\n* \"Manufacturing Consent\" by Chomsky and Herman (2 mentions)\n    * Summary: This book investigates and criticizes the media's role in promoting and sustaining powerful interests. Chomsky frames the media as a system that safeguards the power of the elite by shaping public opinion.\n* \"On Palestine\" by Chomsky (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers an insightful view of one of the most enduring and intractable conflicts of our time. Chomsky explores the historical origins, developments, and politics surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict.\n* \"Requiem for the American Dream\" by Noam Chomsky (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book discusses the concentration of wealth in the hands of the few and its effects on democracy in America. It highlights the decline of the middle class and the widening wealth gap.\n* \"The Design of Everyday Things\" by Don Norman (2 mentions)\n    * Summary: The book details the science behind our interaction with everyday items. It scrutinizes the design process and explores the relationship between users and the products they use, urging designers to think deeply about how their designs influence user behavior.\n* \"The Better Angels of Our Nature\" by Steven Pinker (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book challenges the belief that society is becoming increasingly violent, arguing instead that violence has declined over historical time periods. It explores the psychological and societal mechanisms that have led to this decrease.\n* \"Factfulness\" by Hans Rosling (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Factfulness emphasizes a more optimistic view of global human progress. It challenges the notion that the world is worse off today than it was in the past by providing facts and statistics that argue the contrary.\n* \"Phenomenology of Spirit\" by Hegel (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This is a central work of German philosophy in which Hegel explores the concept of 'spirit'. He examines the relationship between consciousness and its objects, eventually leading to a discussion about the nature of freedom and the unfolding of history.\n* \"The Righteous Mind\" by Jonathan Haidt (2 mentions)\n    * Summary: The book delves into the world of moral psychology and its impact on politics and religion. Haidt proposes that morality is not a product of rational thought but is driven by intuitive reactions, challenging conventional understandings of morality.\n* \"How To Build A Car\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: The book offers a captivating analysis of Formula 1 car design and the precision engineering involved in creating these high-performance vehicles. It provides insights into the processes followed by a renowned designer.\n* \"Factfulness\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: Factfulness emphasizes a more optimistic view of global human progress. It challenges notions that the world is getting worse by presenting an array of facts that argue the contrary.\n* \"Strunk and White The Elements of Style\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A guide to English language usage and writing style that covers topics such as conciseness, clarity, and simplicity of expression. It is considered a seminal work on English composition and is widely used in American English writing.\n* \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book explores the concept of how symbols, patterns and loops manifest in the fields of mathematics, art and music. It also discusses aspects of cognition and consciousness and how our minds perceive and understand the world.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Manufacturing Consent\" by Chomsky and Herman (2 mentions)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37939708,
          "author": "UtopiaPunk",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T07:40:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37939708",
          "commentText": "I like Chomsky, and I  agree with most of what you say. He is matter-of-fact, maybe cynical, but I wouldn't say pessimistic. He's trying to present the truth (or specifically, the truth of how those in power gain and maintain power). That's his role in trying to build a better world. I recall him saying somewhere (but I can't seem to find it now) that he's a bad organizer, so I think he sees his role as shining a light for others to use.\nI like listening to him speak more, tbh. He can come across as a rambling old man with disjointed thoughts. Then, after going off for 10 minutes, he brings it back. The world is complicated, and Chomsky has a very firm grasp on how complicated it all is, and in order to explain a point, he often has to untangle a large web of relationships and history. Sometimes exhausting, but also kind exhilarating. He refuses to short snappy news bits because he knows a statement that challenges the status quo needs strong evidence and explanation, and that necessarily requires a longer form (he discusses that point in Manufacturing Consent).\nI'd also recommend Manufacturing Consent.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd also recommend Manufacturing Consent.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly recommends the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26670656,
          "author": "cx42net",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-02T11:50:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26670656",
          "commentText": "I try to read every night before going to bed, and I'm trying to alternate between a technical book, and a pleasure book.\nI recently finished the whole lot of Foundation from Asimov, Zero to sold from Arvid Kahl and I'm currently reading \"The wealth of Nations\" from Adam Smith (Gotta admit, it hurts).\nThe motivation behind alternating between pleasure and technical is to try to increase my knowledge (even though I feel like I retain 1% of what I read), and to enjoy reading too (with the pleasure book)\nOn my to read next list, I have:\n- High growth Handbook (Elad Gil) (Pleaure book)\n - Utopia - Thomas More (Technical)\n - Beyond the rift - Peter Watts (Pleasure)\n - Manufacturing consent (Noam Chomsky) (Technical)\n - Children of time - Adrian Tchaikovsky",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Manufacturing consent (Noam Chomsky) (Technical)",
          "reason": "Listed on the commenter's to-read list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12067791,
          "author": "cryoshon",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-10T23:29:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12067791",
          "commentText": "I'm not going to list all 42, but here are the highlights:\nHow to Read a Book (Adler)\nWorld Order (Kissinger)\nDer Grundrisse (Marx)\nThe Grand Chessboard (Brzezinski)\nManufacturing Consent (Chomsky)\nGulag Archipelago (Solhenitzyn)\nOn War (Clausewitz)\nThe Hidden Persuaders (Packard)\nIntuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking (Dennett)\nThe Strategy of Desire (Dichter)\nSkills acquired: intentional syntopical reading, prediction of geopolitical hinge points, and identification of absent context in media... I'm always looking for another book to read.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Manufacturing Consent (Chomsky)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward S. Herman",
        "Noam Chomsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Society",
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "media criticism",
        "propaganda"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "manufacturing-consent-the-political-economy-of-the-mass-media-84fe78",
      "title": "Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media",
      "author": "Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41768296,
          "author": "imjonse",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T17:13:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41768296",
          "commentText": "For fiction no idea, really hard to come up with a criterion and that is great actually.\nFor non-fiction, by far the one that had the most novelty factor and effect of my worldview probably Chomsky - Understanding Power. Not 100% because it's almost a tie with Manufacturing Consent - this one being much darker.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Manufacturing Consent - this one being much darker.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was nearly tied with Understanding Power for its effect on their worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as darker.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937102,
          "author": "reallymental",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:27:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937102",
          "commentText": "If you're not a person who tends to get sucked into a book, and has every waking thought resonate with what you've read, then read some Chomsky.\nYou may not agree with his views (it's so far to the left, that it makes your head spin) but rather read it for how he writes. His terse words are a window into his psyche.\nEverything is presented in a very \"matter-of-fact\" way. I've read most of his books and it's surprising how very little he thinks of his own opinions. For him, it's not a revelation that the world is corrupt and full of structures that incentivise the destruction of the middle class etc., it's just a matter of fact. \"That's how the world is and this is where I think it's going, good luck with changing that.\", that's what it feels like.\nI was pretty young when I started reading them, around 16. It temporarily changed me for the worse, the books are so pessimistic, that it tends to put that person I described above (getting sucked into books) into a depressive state.\nIf you want to start somewhere, try \"Manufacturing Consent\" (by Chomsky and Herman).\nIf you've already read that, then try \"On Palestine\" by Chomsky as well, I don't recall reading it but it does seem timely now.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "try \"Manufacturing Consent\" (by Chomsky and Herman).",
          "reason": "Suggested as a starting point for reading Chomsky.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Chomsky's writing and political views.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes the books as pessimistic and says they can put susceptible readers in a depressive state.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803515,
          "author": "lghh",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:10:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803515",
          "commentText": "Leisure Stuff:\nBoom Town: The Fantastical Saga Of Oklahoma City, It's Chaotic Founding... by Sam Anderson\nMidnight In Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham\nDune by Frank Herbert\nThe Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu (tried it this year and stopped, want to give it another go)\nStories of Your Life and Others - Ted Chiang (just finished Exhalation and I think it's great)\nAn Ursula K. Le Guin novel, have not picked one out yet\nA book related to basketball (possibly Dream Team, but IDK yet)\nLess Leisure Stuff:\nLocked In: The True Causes of Mass Incarceration and How to Achieve Real Reform by John Pfaff\nEvicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond\nThe End Of Policing by Alex S Vitale\nEither Manufacturing Consent or Understanding Power by Chomsky\nThe Annotated Turing by Charles Petzold\nWork:\nCode Complete 2 by Steve McConnell\nThe Web Application Hacker's Handbook: Finding and Exploiting Security Flaws by Dafydd Stuttard,  Marcus Pinto\nFinish Writing An Interpreter In Go by Thorsten Ball\nIf I can get through all of these, I will be very pleased. Throw in a book or two at recommendation from friends and I think I'm full for the year.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Either Manufacturing Consent or Understanding Power by Chomsky",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "One of two options under consideration.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10765730,
          "author": "iamnothere",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T02:00:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10765730",
          "commentText": "Trust Me, I'm Lying by Ryan Holiday. It's Chomsky's \"Manufacturing Consent\" for the social media age.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "It's Chomsky's \"Manufacturing Consent\" for the social media age.",
          "reason": "Referenced as a comparison; the comment does not itself express an evaluation of this book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned only as a comparison to Trust Me, I'm Lying.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward S. Herman",
        "Noam Chomsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Society",
        "History",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "media criticism",
        "propaganda",
        "political economy",
        "propaganda model"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "master-of-the-senate-31d1e5",
      "title": "Master of the Senate",
      "author": "Robert A. Caro",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33382606,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T10:05:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382606",
          "commentText": "Top 2 so far:\n   * Washington: A life by Ron Chernow\n   * The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won by Victor Davis Hanson\n\nThe Washington book is a very detailed by clear overview of his life. Easy to follow (even for complex situations) and very week written.\nThe WW2 book is amazing. Compares the countries fighting in around 20 different areas (technology, leadership, geography, aircraft) and says who is better and why.\nAlso very good:\n   * FDR by Jean Edward Smith\n   * Master of the Senate by Robert A. Caro\n   * The Penguin History of New Zealand by Michael King\n   * The years of Lyndon Johnson 2 – Means of Ascent by Robert Caro\n   * Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road by Kyle Buchanan\n   * Becoming Trader Joe: How I Did Business My Way and Still Beat the Big Guys by Joe Coulombe\n   * How Innovation Works: And Why It Flourishes in Freedom by Matt Ridley\n   * Yeager: An Autobiography by Chuck Yeager\n   * The years of Lyndon Johnson: The Path to Power by Robert Caro\n   * The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson\n   * Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson\n   * An Economist walks into a Brothel: And Other Unexpected Places to Understand Risk by Allison Schrager\n   * The Devil’s Candy: The Bonfire of the Vanities Goes to Hollywood by Julie Salamon\n   * Sam Walton: Made in America by Sam Walton",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Master of the Senate by Robert A. Caro",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30735764,
          "author": "jwood27",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:37:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735764",
          "commentText": "The following have all had a significant effect on my worldview. You can find more information at [1].\n- The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow\n- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\n- Crime and Punishment\n- The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York\n- Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies\n- The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity\n- Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead\n- Franny and Zooey\n- Master of the Senate\n- Atlas Shrugged\n- Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed\n- Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap?\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\n- The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics\n- The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don't\n- Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans\n- Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\n- Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World\n- Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones\n- Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow\n- Ethics in the Real World: 86 Brief Essays on Things that Matter\n- A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life\n- Humankind: A Hopeful History\n- The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think\n[1] https://jacobw.xyz/books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Master of the Senate",
          "reason": "Listed among books that significantly affected the commenter’s worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert A. Caro"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american politics",
        "lyndon b johnson"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "material-world-a-substantial-story-of-our-past-and-future-cd4118",
      "title": "Material World: A Substantial Story of Our Past and Future",
      "author": "Ed Conway",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42536847,
          "author": "Techtsunami",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-29T02:20:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42536847",
          "commentText": "I have yet to read Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization however I paired his \"How the world really works\" with Material World. That was an excellent read in itself.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I paired his \"How the world really works\" with Material World.",
          "reason": "Mentions pairing it with Smil's book without evaluating it in this comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42536835,
          "author": "Techtsunami",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-29T02:19:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42536835",
          "commentText": "Material World is an excellent book. I like the choice of the six metals/minerals/materials he picked to illustrate our dependence on the physical world. It is surprising how the valuation of these materials is commoditized.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Material World is an excellent book. I like the choice of the six metals/minerals/materials he picked to illustrate our dependence on the physical world. It is surprising how the valuation of these materials is commoditized.",
          "reason": "Praises the book's selection of materials and its illustration of dependence on the physical world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40470285,
          "author": "wazoox",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-24T20:36:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40470285",
          "commentText": "I'm just finishing \"Material World\" by Ed Conway. A great read. Check his substack for a preview : https://edconway.substack.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm just finishing \"Material World\" by Ed Conway. A great read.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ed Conway"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Science",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "commodities",
        "materials",
        "mineral resources",
        "critical minerals"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mathematical-analysis-b9087c",
      "title": "Mathematical Analysis",
      "author": "Tom M. Apostol",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23729637,
          "author": "mennis16",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-04T02:50:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23729637",
          "commentText": "I heard a bunch of students complain about how tough the text for our Real Analysis class was, so I was surprised to find it felt pretty readable to me. Turns out it was a new prof that semester who decided to go with \"Mathematical Analysis, Second Edition by Tom Apostol\" instead of Baby Rudin.\nPoint being, there may be a better analysis text for this student to start with right now- depends highly on their background/situation, but personally I am glad I didn't have to read Rudin for my first \"real\" math course.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "a new prof that semester who decided to go with \"Mathematical Analysis, Second Edition by Tom Apostol\"",
          "reason": "The commenter found this text more readable than expected, but says suitability depends on the student's background.",
          "audience": "A student beginning a real analysis course.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is glad they did not have to read Rudin for their first serious math course.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7578265,
          "author": "adem",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T16:25:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578265",
          "commentText": "My recommendation is \"One-Variable-Calculus with and introduction to Linear Algebra\" by Tom M. Apostol, followed by \"Mathematical Analysis\". Both books form a great combination!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "followed by \"Mathematical Analysis\". Both books form a great combination!",
          "reason": "Recommended as the follow-up in a combination with Apostol's calculus book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom M. Apostol"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "real analysis",
        "calculus"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mathematical-foundations-of-the-calculus-of-probability-54a604",
      "title": "Mathematical Foundations of the Calculus of Probability",
      "author": "Jacques Neveu",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13804048,
          "author": "graycat",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:07:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804048",
          "commentText": "Jacques Neveu, Mathematical Foundations\nof the Calculus of Probability,\nHolden-Day, San Francisco.\nRandom variables and the associated\nprobability theory and conditional\nprobability theory are surprisingly\nrelevant, especially now with computing,\nin the real world.  That the set of real\nvalued random variables X such that E[X^2]\nis finite forms a Hilbert space, e.g., is\ncomplete, is astounding.  So is the\nmartingale convergence theorem.\nErich Fromm, The Art of Loving.\nHeavily about how what people do is in\nresponse to the anxiety they feel from the\nrealization that alone they are vulnerable\nto the hostile forces of nature and\nsociety.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Random variables and the associated probability theory and conditional probability theory are surprisingly relevant",
          "reason": "The commenter highlights its probability theory as relevant to computing and the real world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2734410,
          "author": "NY_Entrepreneur",
          "createdAt": "2011-07-06T15:46:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 2723436,
          "threadTitle": "Suggest good sites/books on probability",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2734410",
          "commentText": "\"Can you please suggest on-line resource to learn great beginning and advanced probability concepts?\"\nYup!  The subject at the level you ask is a major topic in applied math but is not very popular in US universities.  So, you will not get many good answers.  In particular, the 'computer science' community, with 'machine learning' and 'artificial' this, Bayesian that, likely won't have good answers.\nYour \"on-line\" part is asking a bit much; I can give you references to books but not all on-line.  There may be some PDF files on-line, from TeX, that have such material; try some Google searching with the keywords used here.\nThe intuitive foundations of probability went back to gambling.\n'Probability' is a field of 'applied' math and as such is well defined:\nAbout 100 years ago, E. Borel student H. Lebesgue invented 'measure theory' which essentially 'rewrote' classic calculus, especially the part about integration.  For the simple cases, what Lebesgue did gets the same numerical values as the classic Riemann integral.  The difference is that in theoretical work Lebesgue's integral is much more general and much better 'behaved'.\nBut 'measure theory' has to do with, intuitively, 'length', 'area', 'volume' and various generalizations of these.  Well, in probability, for probability P and event A, the 'probability' of A is P(A) and is a number in [0,1] and acts much like the 'area' of A. The connection is so close that, in the end, we have to accept that the foundations of probability are measure theory.\nThen\nA. N. Kolmogorov, 'Foundations of the Theory of Probability, Second English Edition', Chelsea Publishing Company, New York, 1956.  English translation of the original German '\"Grundbegriffe der Wahrscheinlichkeitrechnung,\"' 'Ergebnisse Der Mathematik', 1933.\napplied Lebesgue's work to make probability a solid field of math.  Since then Kolmogorov's foundations have been nearly the only one taken seriously in any 'modern' or 'advanced' work in probability, stochastic processes, or mathematical statistics.\nA good start on a good text in stochastic processes was:\nJ. L. Doob, 'Stochastic Processes', John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1953.\nDoob was long at University of Illinois.  One of his students was P. Halmos who was later an assistant to von Neumann at the Institute for Advanced Study and in about 1942 wrote the first version of the still standard:\nPaul R. Halmos, 'Finite-Dimensional Vector Spaces, Second Edition', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, New Jersey, 1958.\nLater he wrote:\nPaul R. Halmos, 'Measure Theory', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, NJ, 1950.\nwith at the end a NICE introduction to probability and stochastic processes based on measure theory.\nLikely the first rock solid, quite comprehensive, highly polished presentation of 'modern' probability was the first edition of:\nM. Loeve, 'Probability Theory, I and II, 4th Edition', Springer-Verlag, New York, 1977.\nLoeve was long at Berkeley.  One of his students did:\nJacques Neveu, 'Mathematical Foundations of the Calculus of Probability', Holden-Day, San Francisco, 1965.\nand another did:\nLeo Breiman, 'Probability', ISBN 0-89871-296-3, SIAM, Philadelphia, 1992.\nEither of these two can be regarded as a more succinct presentation of the more important material in Loeve.  Breiman is the more 'practical' and 'accessible'; Neveu is a crown jewel of elegance and succinctness but not always easy to read.\nOther good presentations of much the same material include:\nKai Lai Chung, 'A Course in Probability Theory, Second Edition', ISBN 0-12-174650-X, Academic Press, New York, 1974.\nand\nYuan Shih Chow and Henry Teicher, 'Probability Theory:  Independence, Interchangeability, Martingales', ISBN 0-387-90331-3, Springer-Verlag, New York, 1978.\nIn total, those texts nail down 'probability' at all four corners and make it a rock solid topic in applied math.  Good knowledge of, say, Breiman is a necessary and sufficient condition for knowing 'probability' at a serious level, that is, without being watered down for 'general audiences'.\nFor more, proceed with stochastic processes, stochastic optimal control, mathematical statistics, etc.\nFor learning probability, minimal prerequisites (more would be helpful) would be abstract algebra, linear algebra, 'analysis', measure theory, and functional analysis.\nFor abstract algebra, there are many texts.  Sufficient is\nI. N. Herstein, 'Topics in Algebra', Blaisdell, New York, 1964.\nbut can consider S. Lang, etc.\nFor linear algebra, there are many texts, but the old:\nPaul R. Halmos, 'Finite-Dimensional Vector Spaces, Second Edition', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, New Jersey, 1958.\nremains a good 'second' text.  It is also an introduction to functional analysis.\nThe main text for 'analysis' is just:\nWalter Rudin, 'Principles of Mathematical Analysis', McGraw-Hill, New York.\nin whatever is the latest edition.\nCan skip the material on exterior algebra or just get it from the original source, now in English:\nHenri Cartan, 'Differential Forms', ISBN 0-486-45010-4, Dover, Mineola, NY, 2006.\nFor measure theory and functional analysis, the standards are:\nH. L. Royden, 'Real Analysis:  Second Edition', Macmillan, New York.\nand the first (real) half of:\nWalter Rudin, 'Real and Complex Analysis', ISBN 07-054232-5, McGraw-Hill, New York.\nActually, Loeve also covers much of this material.  Neveu slips in quite a lot.\nThen you will be ready for Breiman, Neveu, Chung, Chow and Teicher, or Loeve.\nYou will discover:\nThe start of probability theory is a 'probability space'.  For that, there are three parts, (1) the 'sample space', (2) the 'events', and (3) the 'probability measure'.\nThe 'sample space' is just a set of points; to support any reasonably serious work in probability, the sample space has to be uncountably infinite.  In all our work, we do some one 'trial', and that corresponds to some one point in the sample space.  The other points in the sample space are what 'might' have been our trial.\nAn 'event' is a set of trials.  We ask that the collection of all events have some 'closure' properties to make that collection a 'sigma algebra'.  So, briefly, the collection of events has as one event the whole sample space and is closed under relative complements and countable unions.\nIn terms of measure theory, the sample space and the sigma algebra of events form a 'measurable space'.  A 'probability measure' is just a positive measure with total 'mass' 1. Thank you Lebesgue and measure theory.\nOn the reals R, we can take the open sets and, then, the Borel sets, that is, the smallest sigma algebra that contains the open sets.  A 'random variable' is a function from the probability space to the reals that is 'measurable', that is, the inverse image of a Borel set is an event.\nAs an alternative, we can ask that the inverse image of the Lebesgue measurable sets of R be events.\nIf X is such a random variable, then its 'expectation' E[X] is just the Lebesgue ('abstract') integral of X over the probability space.  For E[X] to exist, we need only that X be measurable and that the integral of both the positive and the negative parts of X not be infinite (we don't want to subtract one infinity from another).  E.g., Lebesgue integration is very 'general':  All we need is measurability and not subtract one infinity from another.\nBy a change of variable, we can also write the expectation as a Lebesgue integral over the real line with respect to the 'distribution' of X on R. Or, X 'induces' a probability measure on R.\nWe can discuss convergence of random variables -- in distribution, probability, mean square, and almost surely.\nThen we can define independence for events, sigma algebras, and random variables.  E.g., with this approach, if X and Y are independent random variables and f and g are functions, then f(X) and g(Y) are independent random variables.  Don't try to prove this the elementary way!\nWith independent random variables, we can cover the classic limit theorems -- central limit theorem, weak and strong laws of large numbers, and the law of the iterated logarithm.\nUsing the Radon-Nikodym theorem of measure theory, for random variables X and Y we can define their 'conditional expectation' E[Y|X].\nWith such 'conditioning' we can discuss Markov processes, martingales, and the martingale convergence theorem.\nWe can also move on to ergodic theory and, say, Poincare recurrence (keep stirring the coffee and the cream will separate back, close to where it was when it was poured in).\nThose are the previews of coming attractions.\nNote:  This material is not very popular in US universities.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Jacques Neveu, 'Mathematical Foundations of the Calculus of Probability', Holden-Day, San Francisco, 1965.",
          "reason": "Described as a succinct presentation of important material from Loève.",
          "audience": "Readers studying mathematical probability.",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it elegant and succinct but not always easy to read.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jacques Neveu"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "martingales",
        "measure theory",
        "probability",
        "probability theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mathematical-methods-in-the-physical-sciences-086c47",
      "title": "Mathematical Methods in the Physical Sciences",
      "author": "Mary L. Boas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21348861,
          "author": "hdrujvw-4579",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T20:33:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21348861",
          "commentText": "We used that book for a course and I found it among my less favourite ones. its been a few years since I used it, but I remember it  shallow and uninspiring. not trying to start an argument here, maybe just an outlier opinion since this seems a standard textbook.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I found it among my less favourite ones. its been a few years since I used it, but I remember it shallow and uninspiring.",
          "reason": "The commenter recalls finding it shallow and uninspiring.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it has been a few years since they used it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21346522,
          "author": "chefschef",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T16:58:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21346522",
          "commentText": "Mary Boas wrote one of my fav books targeting folks in the physical sciences: https://www.amazon.com/Mathematical-Methods-Physical-Science... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematical-Methods-Physical-Sciences-Mary/dp/0471198269)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mary Boas wrote one of my fav books targeting folks in the physical sciences",
          "reason": "Calls it one of their favorite books and identifies its intended audience.",
          "audience": "People in the physical sciences.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7578523,
          "author": "gtani",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T17:42:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578523",
          "commentText": "I dunno about SICP-like, but here's some good book lists\nhttps://github.com/ystael/chicago-ug-math-bib (updated Univ of Chicago bibliography\nhttp://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/books.html\nhttp://www.maths.cam.ac.uk/undergrad/course/schedules.pdf\n______________________\nand 2 i got from HN and /r/machineLearning\nhttp://www.reddit.com/r/MachineLearning/comments/1jeawf/mach... (http://www.reddit.com/r/MachineLearning/comments/1jeawf/machine_learning_books/)\nhttps://github.com/vhf/free-programming-books/blob/master/fr... (https://github.com/vhf/free-programming-books/blob/master/free-programming-books.md#machine-learning)\n________________________\nfinally, the \"Maths for PHysics\" texts\nhttp://www.scribd.com/doc/156523189/Boas-mathematical-Method... (http://www.scribd.com/doc/156523189/Boas-mathematical-Methods-in-the-Physical-Sciences-pdf)\nhttp://www.goldbart.gatech.edu/PG_MS_MfP.htm\nhttp://www.scribd.com/doc/91670553/Arfken-Math-Physics\n___________________\n(if i had to recommend only one book, it would be the Boas, or maybe Princeton Companion: http://press.princeton.edu/titles/8350.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "if i had to recommend only one book, it would be the Boas",
          "reason": "Explicitly says this is the one book they would recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter also considers Princeton Companion.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mary L. Boas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical methods",
        "physics",
        "textbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mathematics-for-3d-game-programming-and-computer-graphics-0ce665",
      "title": "Mathematics for 3D Game Programming and Computer Graphics",
      "author": "Eric Lengyel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34442159,
          "author": "legends2k",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T16:32:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34442159",
          "commentText": "Not strictly math books but these three books turned me to live mathematics and appreciate for what it is:\n[1]: 3D Math Prime for Games for Graphics and Game Development; https://www.gamemath.com/ (free to read online)\n[2]: Essential Mathematics for Games and Interactive Applications; https://www.essentialmath.com/book.htm\n[3]: Mathematics for 3D Game Programming and Computer Graphics; https://www.mathfor3dgameprogramming.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "[3]: Mathematics for 3D Game Programming and Computer Graphics; https://www.mathfor3dgameprogramming.com/",
          "reason": "The commenter says these books turned them toward and helped them appreciate mathematics.",
          "audience": "People interested in 3D game programming and computer graphics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are not strictly math books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14653343,
          "author": "Jare",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-28T11:58:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 14652936,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on modern computer graphics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14653343",
          "commentText": "I would not advise anyone to try to get into computer graphics directly with the Vulkan or DX12 APIs. Start with DX11, modern OpenGL and/or WebGL, and work through your computer graphics theory (and a lot of practice) using those. Geometry, illumination, shaders, tools and GPU computation will take a lot of time to master. When you decide you want to go into low level APIs, if you are comfortable with Apple systems, Metal will likely be easier than Vulkan/DX12.\nA lot of the theory from classic books is still valid, so even a copy of Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice will look fine on your desk. \"Real Time Rendering\" by Moller/Haines and \"Physically Based Rendering\" by Pharr are excellent. \"Game Engine Architecture\" by Gregory and \"Mathematics for 3D Game Programming and Computer Graphics\" by Lengyel will probably prove very useful and relevant to you as well.\nOnline resources, the free https://learnopengl.com/ and the $10 http://graphicscodex.com/ are both fantastic. Make sure to read https://fgiesen.wordpress.com/2011/07/09/a-trip-through-the-... (https://fgiesen.wordpress.com/2011/07/09/a-trip-through-the-graphics-pipeline-2011-index/), and also study the techniques used for the craziest entries in https://www.shadertoy.com/\nAnd then, lots and lots of papers and presentations from the past 5 or 10 years of Game Developers Cconference and Siggraph.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Game Engine Architecture\" by Gregory and \"Mathematics for 3D Game Programming and Computer Graphics\" by Lengyel will probably prove very useful and relevant to you as well.",
          "reason": "Expected to be useful and relevant to someone learning graphics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Lengyel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "3d graphics",
        "game development",
        "game programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mathematics-form-and-function-eb8464",
      "title": "Mathematics: Form and Function",
      "author": "Saunders Mac Lane",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21348433,
          "author": "bluishgreen",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T19:41:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21348433",
          "commentText": "Mathematics, form and function. Saunders Mclane",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mathematics, form and function. Saunders Mclane",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4967140,
          "author": "sb",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T21:26:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967140",
          "commentText": "This year I either read, or started to read the following interesting books:\nMathematics: Form and Function by Saunders Mac Lane. This is one of my favorite books concerning the \"build-up\" of mathematics (it also contains nice diagrams of \"relatedness\" of subjects). On HN somebody once recommended Mathematics: Its contents, methods, and meaning (from Russian mathematicians in the 50s) which is similar but without the cross references.\nProofs and Refutations by Imre Lakatos. I have started reading this only recently and have to say that I find the approach and idea excellent. It would be great if we had something comparable for CS theory as well.\nNotes on Introductory Combinatorics by Polya, Tarjan, and Woods. Have not read this exhaustively, but the introduction with Pascal's triangle and some of Polya' legendary problem solving insights (paraphrased from my memory: \"you are on to something once you find a pattern\") are definitely highlights in this book.\nMathematical Discovery: On Understanding, Learning and Teaching Problem Solving by George Polya. Based on the previous book and my fond memories of reading \"How to Solve it\", I got this one from the library. Again I can't attest for all of the contents, but AFAICT now it's another gem from Polya.\nFrom HN advice in previous years I read The Tibetan Book on Living and Dying, which I can heartily recommend, too. It is an anti-thesis to Christian theology and I find it to contain many insightful comments and different views on leading a good, meaningful life. I disagree with some of the church-y comments on that it really is important to have a master and that only the master can do certain things, but that's probably just me being an atheist all along.\nI actually read some other books, but the list is already kind of long and might hold interesting pointers for other mathematically inclined readers, too. I for one am always fascinated on how much advice on problem solving in mathematics translates to CS.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is one of my favorite books concerning the \"build-up\" of mathematics",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of their favorite books on the development and structure of mathematics.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in how mathematical subjects relate to one another.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Saunders Mac Lane"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical structures",
        "mathematics education"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mathematics-queen-and-servant-of-science-9796aa",
      "title": "Mathematics: Queen and Servant of Science",
      "author": "Eric Temple Bell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21351659,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-25T03:41:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21351659",
          "commentText": "In addition to all the other good suggestions, the following are recommended (have not seen these mentioned so far);\n- Concepts of Modern Mathematics - https://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Modern-Mathematics-Dover-Boo... (https://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Modern-Mathematics-Dover-Books/dp/0486284247/ref=sr_1_1?crid=214QSPLG829VY&keywords=concepts+of+modern+mathematics&qid=1571974129&s=books&sprefix=concepts+of+modern+ma%2Cstripbooks-intl-ship%2C1448&sr=1-1)\n- Methods of Mathematics Applied to Calculus, Probability, and Statistics - https://www.amazon.com/Methods-Mathematics-Calculus-Probabil... (https://www.amazon.com/Methods-Mathematics-Calculus-Probability-Statistics/dp/0486439453/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8) (all books by Richard Hamming are recommended)\n- Calculus: An Intuitive and Physical Approach - https://www.amazon.com/Calculus-Intuitive-Physical-Approach-... (https://www.amazon.com/Calculus-Intuitive-Physical-Approach-Mathematics/dp/0486404536/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8)\nFor a Textbook reference, the following are quite good;\n- Mathematical Techniques: An Introduction for the Engineering, Physical, and Mathematical Sciences - https://www.amazon.com/Mathematical-Techniques-Introduction-... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematical-Techniques-Introduction-Engineering-Physical/dp/0199282013/ref=dp_ob_title_bk) (easy to read and succinct)\n- Mathematics for Physicists: Introductory Concepts and Methods - https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Physicists-Introductory-C... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Physicists-Introductory-Concepts-Methods-ebook/dp/B07N48G4KD/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mathematics+for+physicists&qid=1571974732&s=books&sr=1-1)\nFor General reading (all these authors other books are also worth checking out);\n- Mathematics, Queen and Servant of Science - https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Queen-Servant-Science-Tem... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Queen-Servant-Science-Tempus/dp/155615173X/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mathematics+queen+and+servant&qid=1571977505&s=books&sr=1-1)\n- Mathematics and the Physical World - https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Physical-World-Dover-Book... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Physical-World-Dover-Books/dp/0486241041/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mathematics+and+the+physical+world&qid=1571977524&s=books&sr=1-1)\n- Mathematician's Delight - https://www.amazon.com/Mathematicians-Delight-Dover-Books-Ma... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematicians-Delight-Dover-Books-Mathematics/dp/0486462404/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mathematician%27s+delight&qid=1571977538&s=books&sr=1-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Mathematics, Queen and Servant of Science",
          "reason": "Listed as general reading in response to a request for mathematics books.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking general mathematics reading.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 755766,
          "author": "billswift",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T17:32:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755766",
          "commentText": "If you want to DO math, nothing beats working through a decent textbook.  I have worked through several since I'm approaching 50 and don't use math enough to keep my skills up (and like any skill, you have to keep practicing to stay decently competent in math).  The best Precalculus textbook I have used is Swokowski's \"Algebra and Trigonometry with Analytic Geometry\" which is clear, concise, and has lots of problems.\nIf you want to learn ABOUT math, Davis and Hersch's \"The Mathematical Experience\" is a fairly easy read about philosophy of math, how it is used, and a bit about studying math.\nEric Temple Bell's \"Mathematics: Queen and Servant of Science\" is a bit dated but an excellent history of math for someone interested in learning to do advanced math; the author's a bit biased towards algebra over analysis, number theory, and geometry, but not excessively so.  Its biggest lack is only one short chapter on probability and statistics.  This is not a particularly easy read since it covers things in some depth, but I think it is worth the effort.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Eric Temple Bell's \"Mathematics: Queen and Servant of Science\" is a bit dated but an excellent history of math for someone interested in learning to do advanced math",
          "reason": "Calls it an excellent history of mathematics and says it is worth the effort.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the history of mathematics and advanced study.",
          "caveat": "A bit dated, somewhat biased toward algebra, and has only a short chapter on probability and statistics; not an easy read.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Temple Bell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of mathematics",
        "mathematics and science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "matrix-computations-eec39b",
      "title": "Matrix Computations",
      "author": "Gene H. Golub and Charles F. Van Loan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34441383,
          "author": "homerowilson",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T15:33:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34441383",
          "commentText": "I'm coming from an applied math perspective. A few of my favorites (and ones I find myself regularly referring to) are:\nMatrix Analysis by Horn and Johnson  (perhaps the best end-of-chapter problem sets of any math book I've encountered!)\nMatrix Computations by Golub and Van Loan\nElements of Statistical Learning by Hastie, Friedman, Tibshirani\nFunctional Analysis by Reed and Simon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Matrix Computations by Golub and Van Loan",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorites and regular references.",
          "audience": "Readers approaching mathematics from applied math.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18662508,
          "author": "amuresan",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T09:26:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18662508",
          "commentText": "1. La peste (Albert Camus) - entertaining if you're into French existentialism\n2. Linked (Barabasi) - insightful and useful to understand that most phenomenon we see in real life follow a power law and what that means\n3. Leonardo da Vinci (Walter Isaacson) - surprising how little of da Vinci's real personality is reflected in his modern image\n4. Matrix computations – third edition (Gene Golub, Charles van Loan) - good read if you're into linear algebra\n5. Giving effective feedback (Harvard business review) - useful for getting an understanding on how to handle human interaction\n6. The old man and the sea (Ernest Hemingway) - enjoyed it a lot, a reflection of Hemingway's romantic spirit. Also, a quick read.\n7. Screwjack (Hunter S. Thompson) - didn't resonate with me although I am a fan of existentialism\n8. Sun and steel (Yukio Mishima) - raw and intimate. before reading this book I'd recommend reading up on Mishima's life\n9. Stranger than fiction (Chuck Palahniuck) - somewhat entertaining, more so because it served as a glimpse into Palahniuck's creative process\n10. Thinking in Systems: A Primer (Dana Meadows) - useful for understanding that in modern life we have complex systems at work with emergent behavior that we didn't expect. Trying to isolate / model a single component of one of these systems is a flawed approach.\n11. Chaos monkeys (Antonio Garcia Martinez) - entertaining, but quite long\n12. Weapons of math destruction (Cathy O'Neil) - in a way, similar to Thinking in systems, but at an applied level. Shows how rules in modern society can have unintended negative consequences when hidden negative feedback loops emerge from the complex system they are embedded in.\n13. Lolita (Nabokov) - a brilliant novel from many points of view. Although the topic is controversial, it is a book that had to be written.\n14. The prince (Machiavelli) - an interesting read. It was intended as a guide to the young price Cesare Borgia from his teacher Machiavelli. The secret to enjoying it is not to judge it by modern morality.\n15. Give and take (Adam Grant) - psychology research about giving / taking / matching personality types presented in a book for the masses. I would not read it again; watching a presentation online should be enough to get the point across.\n16. Mécanique (Landau, Lifchitz) - refresh of mechanics\n17. Do androids dream of electric sheep (Philip K. Dick) - enjoyable and entertaining! I'm surprised how different the feel of the book is compared to the Blade runner films. In the book androids are purely rational beings, whereas the film wraps them in an aura of romanticism.\n18. How we learn (Benedict Carey) - decades of learning research condensed in a book\n19. Advanced Calculus: A Differential Forms Approach (Harold M. Edwards) - the best math book I've read so far! For me it was eye-opening in a fundamental way. Edwards is truly a gifted teacher.\n20. Three men in a boat (Jerome K. Jerome) - enjoyable and amusing\n21. Getting to yes (Roger Fisher, William Ury) - negotiation book, nicely written and structured\n22. Without a word (Zhang Jie) - historical novel by one of China's most acclaimed modern writers. I don't have a good reference to compare against since this was my first Chinese novel, but overall I did enjoy it. It felt real and raw.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "good read if you're into linear algebra",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a good read for readers interested in linear algebra.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in linear algebra.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gene H. Golub",
        "Charles F. Van Loan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "numerical linear algebra",
        "matrix algorithms",
        "matrix computation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "medium-raw-a-bloody-valentine-to-the-world-of-food-and-the-people-28fa79",
      "title": "Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook",
      "author": "Anthony Bourdain",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804899,
          "author": "AGivant",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:29:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804899",
          "commentText": "Here is my list (from https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/912138-alex-givant?rea...):\nMemoirs:\n- Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti..).\n- Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive by Land, Stephanie, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39218350-maid\n- Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40409969-medium-raw\n- Confessions of a Tax Collector: One Man's Tour of Duty Inside the IRS by Yancey, Rick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_..).\n- The Perfect Predator: A Scientist's Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Superbug: A Memoir by Steffanie Strathdee, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-pre... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-predator)\nPolitics:\n- Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Desmond, Matthew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25852784-evicted\n- Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America by Leovy, Jill, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13153693-ghettoside\n- American Prison: A Reporter's Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment by Bauer, Shane, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38561954-american-prison\n- Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Eban, Katherine, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42448266-bottle-of-lies\n- A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America by Miller, T. Christian, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35805861-a-false-report\n- The New Silk Roads by Frankopan, Peter, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro..).\nHistory:\n- Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-1956 by Applebaum, Anne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13531848-iron-curtain\n- The Romanovs: 1613-1918 by Montefiore, Simon Sebag, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26109020-the-romanovs\n- The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Johnson, Steven, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36086.The_Ghost_Map\n- Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations by Bergman, Ronen, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f..).\n- Madame Fourcade's Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against Hitler by Olson, Lynne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade..).\n- Argo: How the CIA & Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History by Méndez, Antonio J., https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13588425-argo\nCrime:\n- Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History by Selby, Scott Andrew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7071759-flawless\n- American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road by Bilton, Nick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi..).\n- Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by Carreyrou, John, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37976541-bad-blood\n- Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World by Wright, Tom, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-..).\n- The Mastermind: Drugs. Empire. Murder. Betrayal. by Ratliff, Evan, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41181600-the-mastermind\nTechnology:\n- Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon by Zetter, Kim, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze..).\n- Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World by Thompson, Clive, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40406806-coders",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook by Bourdain, Anthony",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list of favorite nonfiction books read in 2019.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569030,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T20:52:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569030",
          "commentText": "Things you can easily read on the beach:\nA Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace.\nThe Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov.\nMedium Raw by Anthony Bourdain (but read Kitchen Confidential first if you haven't already).\nAlso recommend FiveBooks.com, which does interviews with various academics and \"thinkers\" each recommending 5 books on a particular subject. It's a bit slanted towards politics but has a fair bit of hard science as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a beach read.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a beach read.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anthony Bourdain"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "food culture",
        "food writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "memoirs-of-a-revolutionist-a32294",
      "title": "Memoirs of a Revolutionist",
      "author": "Peter Kropotkin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41175683,
          "author": "the-smug-one",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:40:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175683",
          "commentText": "These aren't \"The best\" or whatever, but they're very good:\n- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Summer_Book\n- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoner_%28novel%29\n- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_on_a_winter%27s_night_a_tra... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_on_a_winter%27s_night_a_traveler)\n- I'm currently reading Pyotr Kropotkin's autobiography, it's interesting.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'm currently reading Pyotr Kropotkin's autobiography, it's interesting.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are reading the autobiography and find it interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Currently reading; the comment does not explicitly recommend it to others.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 203181,
          "author": "kaens",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T11:16:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=203181",
          "commentText": "I found Peter Kropotkin's autobiography (Memoirs of a Revolutionist) to be rather interesting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Peter Kropotkin's autobiography (Memoirs of a Revolutionist) to be rather interesting.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it rather interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Kropotkin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "anarchism",
        "autobiography",
        "russian revolution"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "metaphysics-2d6423",
      "title": "Metaphysics",
      "author": "Aristotle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21852644,
          "author": "pyuser583",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T18:44:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21852644",
          "commentText": "Really!? My undergraduate degree was in philosophy. I spent a lot of time studying Aristotle’s “Metaphysics” (which isn’t about metaphysics). How does it apply to software development?\nNichomachean Ethics are very helpful.\nBut don't read Aristotle's actual work unless you have a philosophy background. Way too dense and complicated.\nTry \"Aristotle For Everyone\" by Mortimer J. Adler, and then \"Aristotle\" by David Ross.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I spent a lot of time studying Aristotle’s “Metaphysics” (which isn’t about metaphysics).",
          "reason": "Describes studying it, but gives no direct evaluation of the book.",
          "audience": "Readers with a philosophy background, implied by the discussion.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21851807,
          "author": "ARandomerDude",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T16:09:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21851807",
          "commentText": "\"Organon\" and \"Metaphysics\" by Aristotle.  I've found that the more I think in Aristotelian terms, the easier it is to design and model my systems.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Organon\" and \"Metaphysics\" by Aristotle.  I've found that the more I think in Aristotelian terms, the easier it is to design and model my systems.",
          "reason": "Says Aristotelian thinking makes it easier to design and model systems.",
          "audience": "People designing and modeling systems.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503278,
          "author": "Bishizel",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T07:28:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503278",
          "commentText": "Asking for \"Best Philosophical Books\" is pretty much like asking for an opinion, everyone will have a very different view.  That being said, here's my view!\nJohn Stuart Mill - \"Utilitarianism\" (Kant be damned.)\nThomas Nagel - \"Moral Luck\"\nDavid Lewis - \"On the Plurality of Worlds\"\nPlato - \"The Republic\"\nAristotle - \"The Metaphysics\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Aristotle - \"The Metaphysics\"",
          "reason": "Offered as part of the commenter's own view of the best philosophical books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Aristotle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aristotelian philosophy",
        "ancient greek philosophy",
        "metaphysics",
        "systems design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "middlesex-79a2e8",
      "title": "Middlesex",
      "author": "Jeffrey Eugenides",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31975550,
          "author": "mif",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-04T10:32:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31975550",
          "commentText": "„Be not content - A subterranean journal“ is pretty eternal for me. So is „On the road“. Or take „Middlesex“. Why, they tell the story about a different life. If you want to spend the rest of your life miserable then „Im Westen nichts Neues“ (All quiet on the western front).\nLove those Ask HN lists, btw!!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Or take „Middlesex“.",
          "reason": "Named as an enduring rereading choice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14860180,
          "author": "kiliantics",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:46:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14860180",
          "commentText": "Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds: really creative world-building in a galactic society and an engaging, twisting plotine.\nThe Battle for Spain by Antony Beevor: this is on my shelf long-term as it's quite dense but it's apparently one of the best works on the Spanish revolution.\nMiddlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides: unique intersection of themes with American immigration, industrialisation and gender all packed into one. Fitting themes for the politics of today though the book already seems slightly dated when it comes to gender politics.\nAnarchosyndicalism: Theory and Practice by Rudolf Rocker. This is to compliment my interest in the Spanish civil war and the history of unionism/syndicalism.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "unique intersection of themes with American immigration, industrialisation and gender all packed into one. Fitting themes for the politics of today though the book already seems slightly dated when it comes to gender politics.",
          "reason": "Values its intersection of immigration, industrialization, and gender themes, but finds its gender politics slightly dated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Seems slightly dated on gender politics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeffrey Eugenides"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "family saga",
        "gender",
        "historical fiction",
        "immigration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "midnight-in-chernobyl-ef7aae",
      "title": "Midnight in Chernobyl",
      "author": "Adam Higginbotham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43613486,
          "author": "bloopernova",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T16:54:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43613486",
          "commentText": "The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors by James Hornfischer. The amazing courage shown by the US Navy sailors as their tiny 2,000 ton Destroyers and Destroyer Escorts faced a Japanese fleet of Battleships, Cruisers, and Destroyers at The Battle Off Samar. Inspiring and horrifying, the DDs and DEs of the US navy were protecting \"Escort Carriers\" which were smaller aircraft carriers made from cargo ship hulls. Warning, may inspire you to learn a whole bunch more about world war 2.\nAnd 2 books that sort of go together:\nIncredible Victory: The Battle of Midway by Walter Lord, and Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway by Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully. Read Incredible Victory first, learn about the luck, good and bad, that led to a much-needed victory in the Pacific. Then read Shattered Sword and get a fuller picture of events, especially from the Japanese side. Learn about how hubris and dogma led to the Japanese Navy's defeat. Then learn about how saving face led to history not being accurately told by the witnesses on the Japanese side.\nAll 3 are great books that are well worth your time.\nOthers that I've enjoyed:\nParable of the Sower by Octavia Butler (near future post-apocalyptic sci-fi).\nThe non-fiction Liberation Trilogy by Rick Atkinson (more WW2 non-fiction, nice details about North Africa through Italy, then France to Germany).\nMidnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham.\nMost Secret War by RV Jones (nerdy, funny history of one scientist's world war 2 experience).\nThe Discworld City Guard books, starting with Guards! Guards!, by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy fiction satire, hilarious and comforting. Highly, highly recommended!!\nPeter F Hamilton sci-fi adventure books: Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained are a duo of great space opera stretching across multiple planets and people. Don't spoil yourself by reading any descriptions of Judas Unchained before you read Pandora's Star. Also by the same author, The Night's Dawn Trilogy: The Reality Dysfunction, The Neutronium Alchemist, and The Naked God. Fantastic big canvas space opera with lots of threads, great world-building, and amazing situations. Both sets of books are highly recommended escapes from reality.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Midnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham.",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20981734,
          "author": "lb1lf",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T07:12:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20981734",
          "commentText": "Just finished Higginbotham's Midnight in Chernobyl on the accident, the cleanup and its consequences. At times it read almost like a thriller, while still being extremely informative.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just finished Higginbotham's Midnight in Chernobyl on the accident, the cleanup and its consequences. At times it read almost like a thriller, while still being extremely informative.",
          "reason": "Calls it informative and says it read almost like a thriller.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adam Higginbotham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chernobyl disaster",
        "nuclear history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mindfulness-in-plain-english-de2025",
      "title": "Mindfulness in Plain English",
      "author": "Bhante Henepola Gunaratana",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12244832,
          "author": "orasis",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T01:15:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244832",
          "commentText": "Mindfulness in Plain English changed my life.  You can read the PDF free here:  http://www.wisdompubs.org/sites/default/files/preview/Mindfu... (http://www.wisdompubs.org/sites/default/files/preview/Mindfulness%20in%20Plain%20English%20Book%20Preview.pdf)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mindfulness in Plain English changed my life.",
          "reason": "Says the book changed their life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4967883,
          "author": "murrayb",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T02:18:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967883",
          "commentText": "For the mind: Mindfulness in Plain English - Bhante Henepola Gunaratana\nFor the body: Born To Run - Chris McDougall\nFor fun: REAMDE - Neal Stephenson\nFor business: What The CEO Wants You To Know - Ram Charan",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For the mind: Mindfulness in Plain English - Bhante Henepola Gunaratana",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bhante Henepola Gunaratana"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "meditation",
        "mindfulness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mindhunter-e8b00b",
      "title": "Mindhunter",
      "author": "John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42269375,
          "author": "predictand",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T23:26:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42269375",
          "commentText": "Daemon series by Daniel Suarez: I can’t believe I slept on this book for so long. It would have altered my worldview fundamentally if I had read it at a younger age.\nMind Hunter: Somehow even better than the show.\nA Brief History of Intelligence: Packed with so much knowledge about the evolution, mechanics, and different forms of intelligence. One of the best non-fiction books I have read in a long time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mind Hunter: Somehow even better than the show.",
          "reason": "Says it was even better than the show.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17523146,
          "author": "latexr",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T14:17:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17523146",
          "commentText": "1. Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art, by Scott McCloud\nA comic about comics, but I don’t think you have to enjoy the medium to get something out of the book. If you enjoy exploring subjects to their core, give it a shot.\n2. The Sculptor, by Scott McCloud\nThe latest fiction graphic novel by the person who wrote a seminal book on comics. No surprise it does a lot of things right.\n3. S-Town, by Brian Reed\nTechnically a podcast, but it was released all at once and is a contained story that lasts for seven hours. I’d say a fairer assessment would be to call it a well produced non-fiction audiobook, which is what you’d expect from the producers of Serial and This American Life. When I recommend it I always tell people to give it until the end of the second episode before deciding if they’ll stick with it.\n4. Mindhunter, by John Douglas\nEnjoyed the Netflix show? There’s a good chance you’ll enjoy this.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "There’s a good chance you’ll enjoy this.",
          "reason": "Suggested to people who enjoyed the Netflix show.",
          "audience": "Viewers who enjoyed the Netflix show.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1866413,
          "author": "jhaddon",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T20:43:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1866413",
          "commentText": "I always have multiple books going at one time.  Right now they are:\n1) G.E.B\n2) Mind Hunter - John Douglas\n3) Whoever Fights Monsters - Robert Ressler\n4) End the Fed - Ron Paul\nI leave each book in a different place that I know will be \"downtime\" for me.  i.e - bedroom, bathroom, office, and car.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Mind Hunter - John Douglas",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John E. Douglas",
        "Mark Olshaker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "criminal profiling",
        "true crime",
        "serial murder"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mini-habits-3c0fc0",
      "title": "Mini Habits",
      "author": "Stephen Guise",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21914539,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-30T16:38:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21914539",
          "commentText": "Getting Things Done - the 2001 version I read two years ago, I use the general idea and it helps to have a clear head when your fighting fires daily.\nNever Split the Difference - some very practical negotiation strategies.\nMini Habits by Stephen Guise - short book but awesome method.  I am still doing the one pushup habit since last March.\nHow to Shoot Video That Doesn't Suck by Steve Stockman - I wanted to improve my video production for my programming course for kids.  I am still learning but this book has been a huge help.\nThe Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing and Thinking by Barbara Minto - huge help with improving my written communication at my job.\nThe Coaching Habit by Michael Stanier - short book but huge help when your transitioning to managing people.\nMade to Stick by Dan Heath - was a huge help in planning how I would teach elementary students last month about programming.\nThe 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch - aside from application of Pareto principle, I took away the idea that books provide the best bang for your buck for knowledge density.\nThe 4 Hour Work Week - great inspiration to start your own thing.\nThe $100 Startup - like the 4HWW but with more details.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "short book but awesome method. I am still doing the one pushup habit since last March.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls its method awesome and says they still practice a habit from it.",
          "audience": "Readers who want to build habits through small actions.",
          "caveat": "Described as a short book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14486662,
          "author": "Anand_S",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T11:04:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14486662",
          "commentText": "1. The One Thing. ~ Gary Keller\n2. Mini Habits. ~ Stephen Guise\n3. Learned Optimism. ~ Martin Seligman\n4. Spark. ~ John Ratey\n5. Miracle of Mindfulness. ~ Thich nhat hanh",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2. Mini Habits. ~ Stephen Guise",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Guise"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "behavior change",
        "habit building",
        "habit formation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mining-of-massive-datasets-74eb35",
      "title": "Mining of Massive Datasets",
      "author": "Jure Leskovec, Anand Rajaraman, and Jeffrey D. Ullman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29308142,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:25:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29308142",
          "commentText": "Maybe Clever Algorithms: Nature-Inspired Programming Recipes[1]. These techniques might not be useful to everybody, all the time, but they can be very handy in places.\nEdit:\nA couple of other suggestions.\nManaging Gigabytes: Compressing and Indexing Documents and Images[2]\nMining of Massive Datasets[3]\nAlgorithm Design Manual[4]\nNetwork Algorithmics[5]\nNeural Network Design[6]\nI think all of these fall into the category of \"Won't be applicable to everyone, but can be good for those who need this kind of stuff.\"\n[1]: https://github.com/clever-algorithms/CleverAlgorithms\n[2]: https://people.eng.unimelb.edu.au/ammoffat/mg/\n[3]: http://www.mmds.org/\n[4]: https://www.amazon.com/Algorithm-Design-Manual-Steven-Skiena... (https://www.amazon.com/Algorithm-Design-Manual-Steven-Skiena/dp/1849967202)\n[5]: https://www.amazon.com/Network-Algorithmics-Interdisciplinar... (https://www.amazon.com/Network-Algorithmics-Interdisciplinary-Designing-Networking/dp/0120884771)\n[6]: https://hagan.okstate.edu/NNDesign.pdf",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Mining of Massive Datasets",
          "reason": "Listed as one of several suggested books for readers who need this subject matter.",
          "audience": "Readers who need this kind of material.",
          "caveat": "May not apply to everyone.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7757158,
          "author": "kevinskii",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:42:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7757158",
          "commentText": "\"Mining of Massive Datasets\", by Jure Leskovec, Anand Rajaraman, and Jeffrey D. Ullman. You can get the PDF here:\nhttp://infolab.stanford.edu/~ullman/mmds/book.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Mining of Massive Datasets\", by Jure Leskovec, Anand Rajaraman, and Jeffrey D. Ullman.",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer in a thread asking for recently read programming books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jure Leskovec",
        "Anand Rajaraman",
        "Jeffrey D. Ullman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data mining",
        "big data",
        "large scale data"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mission-of-gravity-fdf180",
      "title": "Mission of Gravity",
      "author": "Hal Clement",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056565,
          "author": "kubiiii",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:26:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056565",
          "commentText": "Many of the already mentionned books.\nHal Clement's Mission of Gravity, in the hard science genre.\nAs a kid I was absolutely stunned by The Tripods. I highly recommend these books (trilogy) for your kids (10-13 yo).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hal Clement's Mission of Gravity, in the hard science genre.",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite science fiction book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8947112,
          "author": "user_235711",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-26T14:25:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8947112",
          "commentText": "Invasion of the Body Snatchers by Jack Finney\n2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke\nBrave New World by Aldous Huxley\nMission of Gravity by Hal Clement\nThe Song and the Pendant by Magnus Von Black",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mission of Gravity by Hal Clement",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hal Clement"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hard science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "modern-c-design-2b3a6d",
      "title": "Modern C++ Design",
      "author": "Andrei Alexandrescu",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14842478,
          "author": "mhh__",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-24T20:42:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14842478",
          "commentText": "Alexandrescu's Modern C++ design taught me how to template properly.\nAlso, Scott Meyers's books were very helpful.\nThe design of the D standard library has also been very influential on my code (Mainly convincing me of the benefits of ranges over iterator)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Alexandrescu's Modern C++ design taught me how to template properly.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it taught them how to use templates properly.",
          "audience": "C++ programmers learning template programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8716627,
          "author": "kabdib",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T14:43:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8716627",
          "commentText": "Armstrong's book on Erlang (2007) is a great read, so you're missing that. (Erlang itself I haven't really used much, but I like some of the concepts).\nAlexandrescu's Modern C++ Design (2001) is a real eye-opener (though I wouldn't use most of the stuff from the latter half of book in real production).\nHerb Sutter's books on Exception C++ (1999) are must-reads if you intend to use exceptions. at. all. [Whereupon, these books will convince you not to use exceptions in C++ :-) ]",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Alexandrescu's Modern C++ Design (2001) is a real eye-opener (though I wouldn't use most of the stuff from the latter half of book in real production).",
          "reason": "Calls it a real eye-opener, while cautioning against much of its latter half in production.",
          "audience": "C++ programmers interested in design techniques.",
          "caveat": "The commenter would not use most of the latter half in production.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401391,
          "author": "ggambetta",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:17:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401391",
          "commentText": "Currently read and recently read, in no particular order:\nModern C++ Design (Andrei Alexandrescu)\nThe Screenwriter's Bible (David Trottier)\nClean Code (Robert Cecil Martin)\nIl Codice da Vinci (Dan Brown)\nThe Anatomy of Story (John Truby)\nA Random Walk Down Wall Street (Burton Malkiel)\nThe Power of Habit (Charles Duhigg)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Modern C++ Design (Andrei Alexandrescu)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrei Alexandrescu"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c",
        "software design",
        "generic programming",
        "template programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "modern-graph-theory-3e97c7",
      "title": "Modern Graph Theory",
      "author": "Béla Bollobás",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34443270,
          "author": "blahblahblah10",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T17:51:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34443270",
          "commentText": "Out of this list, the books I am familiar with, are great (Hilbert-Courant, Spivak, Korner's books). At the same time, even with extensive mathematical training, I haven't read them from start to finish. I wouldn't even like to say \"read\". For someone who's not used to mathematical reading, some of these books require careful study. That means generating examples to understand results (theorems), trying your own conjectures, proving things yourself etc. Over time, one becomes familiar with most/all the material in a book but the knowledge might have been acquired through various books (and courses) over time.\nAlso, mathematics is a massive field. The first question would be what kinds of mathematics would you like to get better at. There are great books in analysis. If you are starting out with a solid calculus knowledge, try Abbott's Understanding Analysis [1] or Duren's Invitation to Classical Analysis [2]. For asymptotic methods in PDEs, try Bender and Orszag  [3] which is a wonderful book. But again, this might not be your cup of tea at all and there are more abstract or formal books like Rudin's.\nIf you want to approach fields without a lot of machinery, graph theory books by Bollobas are great (but difficult). See his Modern Graph Theory book [4] as an example.\nFor linear algebra, one of my favorites (but it was after I already learned the subject) is Trefethen's Numerical Linear Algebra book [5]. Another beautiful topic is at the intersection of linear algebra and combinatorics. See Babai and Frankl's lectures freely available online.\nThen there are wonderful topics in geometry. A massive mountain to climb would be algebraic geometry. For one starting point, see [6]. Differential geometry (Spivak's multi-volume work or Needham's differential forms book) is another wonderful area. I would recommend Crane's discrete differential geometry course at Carnegie Mellon [7] if you want a concrete introduction.\nYou might want to demystify a topic you have heard about. E.g. Galois theory and the unsolvability of quintic equations. You could look at [8] which guides your way through wonderful problems.\nWe haven't even touched huge swathes of mathematics including anything topological or number theory. Even within the topics mentioned above, once you start, your journey will take a life of its own and you'll encounter multiple books and papers opening up new sub-fields.\nThe only approach that worked well for me in the past was to get completely consumed by what one topic one was studying. This meant not getting distracted by multiple topics. Once one enters the workforce, this is very hard (or at least has been for me). Without knowing someone, it's hard to recommend anything but the advantage with topics like graph theory and combinatorics is that one needs less machinery (as opposed to something like algebraic geometry). These fields lead you to interesting problems very rapidly and one can wrestle with them part-time.\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Analysis-Undergraduate-... (https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Analysis-Undergraduate-Texts-Mathematics/dp/1493927116)\n[2] https://www.amazon.com/Invitation-Classical-Analysis-Applied... (https://www.amazon.com/Invitation-Classical-Analysis-Applied-Undergraduate/dp/0821869329)\n[3] https://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Mathematical-Methods-Scienti... (https://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Mathematical-Methods-Scientists-Engineers/dp/0387989315)\n[4] https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Graph-Theory-Graduate-Mathemat... (https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Graph-Theory-Graduate-Mathematics/dp/0387984887/)\n[5] https://www.amazon.com/Numerical-Linear-Algebra-Lloyd-Trefet... (https://www.amazon.com/Numerical-Linear-Algebra-Lloyd-Trefethen/dp/0898713617/)\n[6] https://www.amazon.com/Algebraic-Geometry-Approach-Mathemati... (https://www.amazon.com/Algebraic-Geometry-Approach-Mathematical-Subseries/dp/0821893963)\n[7] https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~kmcrane/Projects/DDG/\n[8] https://www.amazon.com/Through-Exercises-Springer-Undergradu... (https://www.amazon.com/Through-Exercises-Springer-Undergraduate-Mathematics/dp/3319723251)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "See his Modern Graph Theory book",
          "reason": "Given as an example of a graph theory book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Bollobás's graph theory books are difficult.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21313374,
          "author": "guiraldelli",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T15:27:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21313374",
          "commentText": "I don't think there is a definitive answer for your question because computer science is a relative new area of knowledge and “fundamental books” are still being published.\nIf I had to say one text that is the fundamental one, I would go with a paper: “On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem” [1], by Alan Turing.\n---\nBut if you just started your course in Computer Science, then I will give you some “bookshelf advice\" based on my experience. I had the pleasure to study all the books I am going to recommend you, and most of them I was able to read cover-to-cover during the university years. And they are also in my bookshelf for reference.\nThe book order does not represent rank of importance.\n* “Introduction to the Theory of Computation”, by Michael Sipser.\n    * I also recommend the “Elements of the Theory of Computation”, by Christos Papadimitriou.\n\n    * Another good complement is “Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages and Computation”, by Hopcroft and Ullman. (Thanks, @reacweb, for the reminder.)\n\n* “Graph Theory”, by Reinhard Diestel.\n    * If you feel you want to go deeper, and like a book which you cannot skip a single word, I strongly recommend “Modern Graph Theory”, by Béla Bollobás: it is one of my favorite textbooks ever!\n\n* “The Algorithm Design Manual”, by Steven Skiena.\n    * While a lot of people seems to praise either the Cormen et al. or the Sedgewick books, I have the feeling that “Algorithms” by Dasgupta, Papadimitriou  and Vazirani is my choice for “fundamental” book. But I decided to\n\n* “Computer Architecture: a Quantitative Approach”, by Hennessy and Patterson.\n* “Modern Operating Systems”, by Andrew Tanenbaum.\n* “Artificial Intelligence: a Modern Approach”, by Russel and Norvig.\n* “Modern Compiler Implementation (in ML)”, by Andrew Appel.\nI would like to also recommend “Concrete Mathematics”, by Graham, Knuth and Patashnik, but I remember to not feel it the most pedagogical book on the subject.\nGood luck!\n---\n[1]: https://www.cs.virginia.edu/~robins/Turing_Paper_1936.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I strongly recommend “Modern Graph Theory”",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends it, describing it as a favorite textbook.",
          "audience": "Readers who want to study graph theory in depth.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is a book where you cannot skip a single word.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Béla Bollobás"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "graph theory",
        "textbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mona-lisa-overdrive-1dee31",
      "title": "Mona Lisa Overdrive",
      "author": "William Gibson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8110514,
          "author": "jrjarrett",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T19:49:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8110514",
          "commentText": "Count Zero, by Gibson.\nJust finished Neuromancer (for the first time! Bad geek! No cookie!), and plan to read Mona Lisa Overdrive next.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "plan to read Mona Lisa Overdrive next.",
          "reason": "Plans to read it next without evaluating it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387960,
          "author": "veidr",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T02:51:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387960",
          "commentText": "The trilogy of Neuromancer, Burning Chrome, and Mona Lisa Overdrive is still my favorite work of fiction, and also, to my mind, exemplifies the kind of taut, awesome writing that I would want to do if I wrote novels. It the only series of 3 books I have read more than once.\nI caught these books at just the right time in my life (age 13 or 14), leading my high-school fascination with Japan and rekindled interest in computing, and probably played an inordinately large role in me ending up as a programmer who lives in Tokyo, two decades later.\nI like great sci fi best, but I think most of it is crap, including virtually all of the old pulp sci fi and Asimov I grew up reading (which was basically all of it), Star Wars/Trek, etc.\nOther than Gibson's stuff, some of the truly spectacular sci fi I have read is the very-dense-and-not-at-all-thriller-ish Mars trilogy (Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars), and the fast-paced-and-awesome Spin by Robert Charles Wilson. That led me to read all of Wilson's books, many of which are also good. Also Haldeman is an author worth reading, though not all of his books hit their mark.\nGreat sci fi is my favorite fiction, but IMO most of it is broken by being fundamentally implausible. Other fiction I consider great in other genres include Memoirs of a Geisha, Cold Mountain, REAMDE, The Son, The Road, the lighter but still version of that post-apocalyptic concept The Dog Stars, City of Thieves, and All the Pretty Horses and its sequels.\nIt's probably symptomatic of a major flaw in my character that despite also buying dozens of nonfiction works (Lincoln, On China, and so forth) over the past few years, I haven't finished any of them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The trilogy of Neuromancer, Burning Chrome, and Mona Lisa Overdrive is still my favorite work of fiction",
          "reason": "Includes it in the author's favorite work of fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4414562,
          "author": "rrival",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-21T20:15:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 4353632,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon.  What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4414562",
          "commentText": "Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive. The Cukoo's Egg is good as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Gibson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyberpunk",
        "artificial intelligence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "moneyball-the-art-of-winning-an-unfair-game-beda23",
      "title": "Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game",
      "author": "Michael Lewis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33850229,
          "author": "jeffreyrogers",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T03:17:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33850229",
          "commentText": "Red Plenty, a novel that is loosely about the invention of linear programming in the Soviet Union (a branch of mathematics, only somewhat related to computer programming). Good description of what the process of scientific invention feels like in the first part of the book. (if you want more depth on the mathematics of linear programming, Understanding and Using Linear Programming is a very readable (and short) textbook that only requires basic linear algebra knowledge).\nMoneyball, people have been recommending this to me for years but I never read it because I find baseball so boring. I'm glad I finally read it. It's not really a book about baseball it's about finding and exploiting unappreciated edges.\nWho We Are and How We Got Here, makes a lot of the recent genetic research on human origins understandable. Especially relevant this year due to Svante Paabo's nobel prize.\nOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood, possibly better than the movie (which I love). Reads a bit like a script. The dialog is very good and contains many \"scenes\" that aren't in the movie.\n$12 Million Dollar Stuffed Shark, if you are interested in modern art or how things that look like something anyone could do can sell for absurd amounts of money this book is worth reading.\nA Sailor of Austria: In Which Without Really Intending to, Otto Prohaska Becomes Official War Hero No. 27 of the Hapsburg Empire, one of the reviews I read before starting this described it as something like \"a techno-thriller set on an austrian submarine in world war one\". If that sounds appealing to you, you'll probably like this book. If not don't bother starting it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm glad I finally read it. It's not really a book about baseball it's about finding and exploiting unappreciated edges.",
          "reason": "Glad to have read it and describes its subject as finding and exploiting unappreciated edges.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Despite the baseball subject, says it is not really a book about baseball.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17205246,
          "author": "linuxlizard",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T13:48:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205246",
          "commentText": "_Showstopper_ One of the best tech books, after _Soul of a New Machine_ (recommended in the comments, too). Covers Microsoft's creation of Windows NT.\n_DEC is Dead. Long Live DEC_  about the rise and fall of Digital Equipment Corporation.\n_Skunkworks_ Lockheed-Martin's creation of the SR-71.\n_Moneyball_ using math to build a top flight US baseball team.\nBroadening the category a bit:\n_The Smartest Guys in the Room_ is about Enron's collapse. Not directly related to computer tech but definitely tech and people.\n_Billion Dollar Lessons_ covers several spectacular company failures. Again, not strictly tech related but amazing stories of crash & burn. Includes (IIRC) Iridium, Kodak, IBM.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "_Moneyball_ using math to build a top flight US baseball team.",
          "reason": "Listed as an example of using mathematics to build a successful baseball team.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in business stories and applied mathematics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter broadens the topic beyond technology.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Lewis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "baseball analytics",
        "data driven management",
        "decision making"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "moral-letters-to-lucilius-dbdcce",
      "title": "Moral Letters to Lucilius",
      "author": "Seneca",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32935780,
          "author": "reverse_list",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T07:31:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32935780",
          "commentText": "As an atheist, Seneca's Moral letters to Lucilius is my bible. My compass when life gets hard.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seneca's Moral letters to Lucilius is my bible. My compass when life gets hard.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a guiding source when life gets hard.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter identifies as an atheist.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20915364,
          "author": "HNLurker2",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T05:14:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20915364",
          "commentText": "Moral Letters (Seneca)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Moral Letters (Seneca)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite old books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Seneca"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "stoicism",
        "ancient philosophy",
        "letters"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "more-money-than-god-hedge-funds-and-the-making-of-a-new-elite-a26422",
      "title": "More Money Than God: Hedge Funds and the Making of a New Elite",
      "author": "Sebastian Mallaby",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14746173,
          "author": "SirLJ",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T17:40:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14746173",
          "commentText": "More Money Than God - very inspirational and a glimpse into some of the best minds on the planet...\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/More_Money_Than_God",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "More Money Than God - very inspirational and a glimpse into some of the best minds on the planet",
          "reason": "Calls the book inspirational.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144110,
          "author": "phyalow",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:27:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144110",
          "commentText": "1. Beating the Street - Peter Lynch\n2. More Money than God - Sebastian Mallaby\n3. Dark Pools - Scott Patterson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2. More Money than God - Sebastian Mallaby",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sebastian Mallaby"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial history",
        "hedge funds"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "more-than-human-771003",
      "title": "More Than Human",
      "author": "Theodore Sturgeon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36022420,
          "author": "Maelcum",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T16:18:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36022420",
          "commentText": "Many of Philip K. Dick books and short stories, but Ubik and A Maze of Death are my favorites.\nWilliam Gibson's Sprawl trilogy (Neuromancer, Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive)\nDouglas N. Adams - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\nFrank Herbert's Dune books\nTheodore Sturgeon's More Than Human\nRobert A. Heinlein - Citizen of the Galaxy\nRobert Charles Wilson's Spin trilogy\nFrederik Pohl's Heechee books",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Theodore Sturgeon's More Than Human",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140490,
          "author": "nazgulnarsil",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T02:59:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140490",
          "commentText": "depends on the subgenre :)\nSuperhuman:\nSlan by A.E. Van Vogt\nMore Than Human by Theodore STurgeon\nOdd John by Olaf Stapledon\nPost Apocalyptic:\nThe Day of The Triffids by John Whyndham\nEarth Abides by George R. Stewart\nA Canticle for Lebowitz by...don't remember\nSpace Opera/Adventure:\nany of The Culture novels by Iain M. Banks\nThe Reality Dysfunction series by ...don't remember\nHyperion series by Dan Simmons\nTo Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer\nDystopian:\nWe by Yevgeny Zamyatin <---highly overlooked, predates 1984 and Brave New World\nBut the Absolute Best would be anything by:\nStanislaw Lem (Cyberiad, Futurological Congress, Solaris)\nAlfred Bester (The STars my Destination, The Demolished Man)\nor Samuel R. Delany (Babel-17, Dhalgren, Trtion, Nova)\noh and Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light and This Immortal are both great.\nSome of Philip K. Dick's stuff is great, but everyone recommends him. :)\nalmost forgot John Brunner, check out Steel Beach, The Sheep Look Up, and Stand on Zanzibar.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "More Than Human by Theodore STurgeon",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Theodore Sturgeon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "collective consciousness",
        "evolution",
        "evolutionary mutants"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mountaineering-the-freedom-of-the-hills-cd8def",
      "title": "Mountaineering: The Freedom of the Hills",
      "author": "The Mountaineers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14136969,
          "author": "Arcten",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T06:54:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14136969",
          "commentText": "Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills is the de facto reference book for most serious mountaineers",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mountaineering: Freedom of the Hills is the de facto reference book for most serious mountaineers",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as the de facto reference for serious mountaineers.",
          "audience": "Serious mountaineers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "The Mountaineers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mountaineering",
        "climbing",
        "outdoor skills"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "moving-mars-f80e62",
      "title": "Moving Mars",
      "author": "Greg Bear",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15431542,
          "author": "wpietri",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-09T04:15:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15431542",
          "commentText": "For Bear, Queen of Angels and Moving Mars are two that have AIs as major elements. I enjoyed them both.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For Bear, Queen of Angels and Moving Mars are two that have AIs as major elements. I enjoyed them both.",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed the book and notes that AI is a major element.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in science fiction featuring AI.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227602,
          "author": "tsally",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T21:26:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227602",
          "commentText": "When I recommend books I make a coffee shop recommendation and an airport recommendation.  Both books are excellent, but the coffee shop book requires slower reader and more mental effort to get the benefit.\nCoffee shop:\nPlowing the Dark by Richard Powers.  The book follows to parallel stories: one of a company that invents virtual reality and another of a teacher that gets taken hostage by terrorists.  It's an incredible book and the reason why I decided to study computer science.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Plowing-Dark-Novel-Richard-Powers/dp/B... (http://www.amazon.com/Plowing-Dark-Novel-Richard-Powers/dp/B002RAR1DU)\nAirport:\nMoving Mars by Greg Bear.  Mars is a colony of Earth and the book follows a struggle for Martian independence. Also an incredible book.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Moving-Mars-Novel-Greg-Bear/dp/0812524... (http://www.amazon.com/Moving-Mars-Novel-Greg-Bear/dp/0812524802/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also an incredible book.",
          "reason": "Calls it an incredible book.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in a story about Martian independence.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Greg Bear"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mars",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "independence",
        "political science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mr-penumbra-s-24-hour-bookstore-89870b",
      "title": "Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore",
      "author": "Robin Sloan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12070961,
          "author": "veddox",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T13:42:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12070961",
          "commentText": "\"Mr Penumbra's 24 hour bookstore\" - Robin Sloan (a brilliant mix of history, mystery, humour and technology)\n\"The Cuckoo's Egg\" - Clifford Stoll (it really is as good as they always say ;-) )\n\"Winnie the Pooh\" - A.A. Milne (delightful, not only for children)\n\"Sofie's World\" - Jostein Gaarder (a novel about the history of philosophy)\nseveral Discworld novels - Terry Pratchett (a series that manages to satirize fantasy and real life at the same time)\n... as well as a few others, but those were the best.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a brilliant mix of history, mystery, humour and technology",
          "reason": "Calls it a brilliant mix of several genres and technology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8795671,
          "author": "asad_ch",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T06:50:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795671",
          "commentText": "Any one book?\nMr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore, Robin Sloan\nAny one series?\nThe Foundation series, Isaac Asimov\nOther personal favourites include:\nThe Alchemist, Paulo Coelho\nThe Book of Disquet, Fernando Pessoa\nThe Count of Monte Cristo, Alexander Dumas \nExtremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Jonathan Safron Foer Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Richard Bach\nThe Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Any one book?\nMr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore, Robin Sloan",
          "reason": "Offered as the answer to the request for one book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robin Sloan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "books and technology",
        "literary mystery",
        "mystery",
        "technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "naked-lunch-0a4ee7",
      "title": "Naked Lunch",
      "author": "William S. Burroughs",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41802421,
          "author": "xkcd-sucks",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-10T19:18:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41802421",
          "commentText": "Moby Dick, Herman Melville\nVALIS, Philip K Dick\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance + also Lila, Robert Pirsig\nNaked Lunch, William Burroughs\nImmortality, Milan Kundera\nCatch-22, Joseph Heller (pair with The Deserters, Charles Glass -- In fact a lot of the stuff in Catch-22 is actually toned down from reality)\nMastering the Core Teachings of Buddha, Daniel Ingram (but ignore 80% of it)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Naked Lunch, William Burroughs",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37160391,
          "author": "uoaei",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T12:10:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37160391",
          "commentText": "Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs\nI'm sure you've heard of it. It's smutty and insane. Oddly reminds me of 1000 Plateaus by Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari with its \"rhizomatic\" style.\nAfter reading it I find myself in a state of mind that only a couple other works have achieved in me, one of free poetic openness to human experience, particularly when in society. It's a strange experience bordering on solipsism or paranoid schizoprenia but feels very liberating from the demands of stuffy \"rational\" existence.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs\nI'm sure you've heard of it. It's smutty and insane.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as a strange but liberating reading experience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it smutty and insane, and says the experience borders on solipsism or paranoid schizophrenia.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348632,
          "author": "ianamartin",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:15:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348632",
          "commentText": "Naked Lunch -- William S. Borroughs",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Naked Lunch -- William S. Borroughs",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William S. Burroughs"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "experimental literature",
        "beat generation",
        "beat literature",
        "experimental fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "naming-and-necessity-801369",
      "title": "Naming and Necessity",
      "author": "Saul Kripke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41175841,
          "author": "montgomery_r",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:58:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175841",
          "commentText": "Aargh, Formatting! Try 2 :\nFor the value of ‘best’ that includes\n(a) had a deep and long lasting impact on how I think about the world and\n(b) I consider beautiful pieces of writing in their own right,\nhere are some in no particular order:\nThe Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins\nThinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nNaming and Necessity, Saul Kripke\nTractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein\n(These you might want to approach via a gentle introduction if you did not study Philosophy to degree level)\nThe Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle\nDarkness at Noon, Arthur Koestler\nThe Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse\nA Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh\nDiaries, Samuel Pepys\nFalling Off the Map, Pico Iyer\nA Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor\nThe Lonely Sea and the Sky, Francis Chichester\nThe Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope\nBevis, Richard Jeffries\nThe Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith\nThe Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse\nHitch-22, essays, Christopher Hitchens\nCollected Essays, William Hazlitt\nVenice, Martin Gayford\nThe Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski\nThe Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch\nToo obvious a list, perhaps, but some gems for all that! Happy reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Naming and Necessity, Saul Kripke",
          "reason": "Includes the title among books considered impactful and beautifully written.",
          "audience": "Readers without degree-level philosophy study may want a gentle introduction first.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41175718,
          "author": "montgomery_r",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:45:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175718",
          "commentText": "For the value of ‘best’ that includes  (a) had a deep and long lasting impact on how I think about the world and (b) I consider beautiful pieces of writing in their own right, here are some in no particular order: \nThe Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins \nThinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nNaming and Necessity, Saul Kripke\nTractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein\n(These you might want to approach via a gentle introduction if you did not study Philosophy to degree level) \nThe Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle\nDarkness at Noon,\nArthur Koestler\nThe Glass Bead Game,\nHermann Hesse\nA Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh\nDiaries, Samuel Pepys\nFalling Off the Map, Pico Iyer\nA Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor\nThe Lonely Sea and the Sky,\nFrancis Chichester\nThe Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope\nBevis, Richard Jeffries\nThe Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith\nThe Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse\nHitch-22, essaysChristopher Hitchens \nCollected Essays, William Hazlitt\nVenice, Martin Gayford\nThe Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski\nThe Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch\nToo obvious a list, perhaps, but some gems for all that! Happy reading.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Naming and Necessity, Saul Kripke",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a book with lasting impact on how they think and as beautiful writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Suggests a gentle introduction for readers without degree-level philosophy study.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1228638,
          "author": "tommorris",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-30T07:57:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1228638",
          "commentText": "Elsewhere in the thread, I posted some recommendations on books on philosophy of religion from a non-theistic perspective. I guess I should probably list some books on philosophy generally.\n1. Bertrand Russell - The Problems of Philosophy\nA good introduction to the basic things which philosophers in the Anglo-American/analytic tradition worry about in logic, metaphysics and epistemology (primarily epistemology): induction, a priori knowledge, anti-sceptical arguments, and universals.\n2. Hans-Georg Gadamer - Truth and Method\nYou know about the 'Continental' philosophers, right? All those wacky guys like Derrida. They are all a bit suspicious, right? Like, Heidegger was a Nazi, and Foucault spreads HIV. Yeah, gossip is great. A lot of this type of philosophy seems like bunkum - Alan Sokal showed that, right? Lots of waffly French dudes talking out of their ass, abusing science to basically support their political ideology. Gadamer isn't like that. He sets out to try and answer the question \"how do we understand texts?\" and rather than saying something goofy like \"we just make up what we understand about texts\" or that we deconstruct them by subjecting them to our ideological whims, ripping the book apart to suit whatever the passing fancy is. No, Gadamer tries to explicate how the reading of a book is more of a process that starts with pre-judgement - 'prejudice' in Gadamer's words. Such prejudice is natural and actually quite desirable. You do judge a book by the cover. To understand a book as a whole, you need to understand all the components which make it up. But to understand any bit of the book, you need to understand how it fits into the wider contest of the book. This 'hermeneutic cycle' is daunting, but the only thing you can do is jump on board.\n3. Saul Kripke - Naming and Necessity\nKripke's book is on a slightly strange topic: how we use names. But how he deals with this is an interesting problem is a model of clarity and philosophical excellence. It has also been very influential - the way Kripke solves the problem with names led to other philosophers producing many so-called causal accounts of all sorts of things.\nI'd post some more, but I've got to get the hell out of my hotel room and go to a philosophy conference...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "how he deals with this is an interesting problem is a model of clarity and philosophical excellence.",
          "reason": "Praised as clear, philosophically excellent, and influential.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes its topic is somewhat unusual.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Saul Kripke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "philosophy of language",
        "metaphysics",
        "modal logic",
        "reference"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "napoleon-s-buttons-how-17-molecules-changed-history-fb6683",
      "title": "Napoleon's Buttons: How 17 Molecules Changed History",
      "author": "Penny Le Couteur and Jay Burreson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17521131,
          "author": "alexgmcm",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T07:35:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521131",
          "commentText": "Napoleon's Buttons is good - the way the book is divided up keeps it interesting too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Napoleon's Buttons is good - the way the book is divided up keeps it interesting too.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is good and finds its organization engaging.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in chemistry and history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6983854,
          "author": "Snail_Commando",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-30T09:39:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 6981802,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good general technical books for teenagers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6983854",
          "commentText": "There are already suggestions in this thread that are better than mine, but I'll still throw my hat in the ring.\nThat's great that she's interested in biology. I'd like to gently suggest that if she \"isn't very enthusiastic about computers or technology\", you should instead try to nurture her demonstrated interest in art, biology, and other science.\nI know absolutely nothing about art, except that I apparently have no taste. So I'll refrain from making any suggestions on art books.\nTL;DR: Skip down to the third section for the \"technical book\" suggestion.\n--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n(1)\nHere are some suggestions of books on general science, biology, and chemistry (in no particular order, these are some of the first ones that come to my mind):\n\"The Structure of Scientific Revolutions\" By Thomas S. Kuhn\n\"The Diversity of Life\" By Edward O. Wilson\n\"The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time\"  by Jonathan Weiner\n\"Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes: Further Reflections in Natural History\"  by Stephen Jay Gould\n\"Life on a Young Planet\" By Andrew H. Knoll\n\"Galápagos\" By Kurt Vonnegut (Fiction, but related) (I loved this book, but it's not for everyone I suppose. A couple of my friends didn't like it.)\n\"Napoleon's Buttons\" By Penny Le Couteur and Jay Burreson\n\"The Lives of a Cell: Notes of a Biology Watcher\" By Lewis Thomas\n---------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n(2)\nIf she's interested in learning a lot about cellular biology in beautifully exhaustive detail, buy her this textbook:\n\"Molecular Biology of the Cell\" By Bruce Alberts, Paul Walter, Alexander Johnson, Julian Lewis, Martin Raff, Keith Roberts\nThis book is huge. And it is wonderful.\n---------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n---Read this suggestion if my other suggestions aren't good---\n(3)\nSo you want a technical book? And she's interested in biology?\nBuy her a copy of:\n\"The Principles of Biomedical Informatics\" By Ira J. Kalet\nThis textbook is incredible. It teaches you some fundamentals of many different flavors of bioinformatics. (Different flavors, because, as the author acknowledges, bioinformatics can mean many things.) You can learn how to work with amino acid sequences, protein modeling, medical imaging, probabilistic biomedical models, and more!\nSince you have SICP and LoL on your bookshelf already, you might love the next part. The entire textbook is a cleverly accessible primer on how to build applications with Common Lisp. Whether you're a greybeard Lisp hacker or a repl-noob, you'll like this book if you are interested in learning about bioinformatics.\nI've had the first edition for quite some time. Recently, I think in the past few months, a second edition was released. Someone gifted me the 2nd ed, :) but I haven't really compared the two.\n----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\nI was going to suggest Gödel, Escher, Bach when you mentioned she was interested in art, and were hoping to find a technical book for her. Then I saw that you already had tried that one. I'm going to leave the suggestion anyway because these types of threads are wonderful for finding great books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Napoleon's Buttons\" By Penny Le Couteur and Jay Burreson",
          "reason": "Listed among suggestions for general science, biology, and chemistry.",
          "audience": "A teenager interested in biology and science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Penny Le Couteur and Jay Burreson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chemistry",
        "history of science",
        "molecules"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nausicaa-of-the-valley-of-the-wind-b1c7fb",
      "title": "Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind",
      "author": "Hayao Miyazaki",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50116114,
          "author": "genezeta",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T09:24:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50116114",
          "commentText": "Elizabeth Hand's Winterlong, probably 3-4 times.\nMost of Raymond Chandler and Dashiel Hammet I've read multiple times. I've read Brautigan's Dreaming of Babylon a bunch of times too.\nAll of William Gibson. Miyazaki's Nausicaä of The Valley of Wind, in various languages. Stephen Cosgrove's Muffin Muncher, I couldn't say how many times I must have read that (It appears they've now changed the title to Muffin Dragon).\nI've read The Soul of a New Machine a couple of times too. The Hitchhiker's and Dirk Gently's trilogies a few times.\nStefano Benni's Baol probably half a dozen times. And Acts of The Apostles by John FX Sundman a bunch too. Oh, and a few of Martin Gardner's books. And Smullyan's To Mock a Mockingbird.\nAnd most probably also many others. Most of my books are now in boxes or have been gifted away, though.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Miyazaki's Nausicaä of The Valley of Wind, in various languages.",
          "reason": "The commenter lists it among works they have read repeatedly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86010,
          "author": "Locke",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T18:20:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86010",
          "commentText": "A few sort of random selections from my bookshelf (in no particular order):\n * GEB:EGB - Hofstader\n * The Pragmatic Programmer - Hunt / Thomas\n * Peopleware - DeMarco / Lister\n * The Mythical Man Month - Brooks\n * Paradigms of Artificial Intelligence Programming - Norvig\n * Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind - Miyazaki",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind - Miyazaki",
          "reason": "Listed among selections from the commenter's bookshelf in a favorite-books thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hayao Miyazaki"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "manga",
        "environmental themes",
        "post apocalyptic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "netherland-6ba5f4",
      "title": "Netherland",
      "author": "Joseph O'Neill",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25845731,
          "author": "cafard",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T12:41:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25845731",
          "commentText": "A bit long, but The Index of Self-Destructive Acts by Dominic Beha has bits touching on tech and business. It is quickly (for its length) read. Another book set in the first decade of the century is Netherland by Joseph O'Neill (nothing in particular to do with tech or business), not long, and quite readable.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Another book set in the first decade of the century is Netherland by Joseph O'Neill",
          "reason": "Suggested as a readable fiction option.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it has nothing in particular to do with technology or business.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027538,
          "author": "julius_geezer",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T19:28:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027538",
          "commentText": "Some on this list are great, some just good:\n_The Critique of Pure Reason_--got about halfway through 30 years ago, set it aside, picked it up again. Probably shorter than <i>The Fountainhead</i> but takes a long time to read.\n_The Vindication of Tradition_, Jaroslav Pelikan, theology, very short quick read.\n_Netherland_ by Joseph O'Neill, via the neighborhood book club. Interesting picture of New York, thin characterization.\n_The Library at Night_, Alberto Manguel, actually a gift to my wife from a friend of hers. Good browsing book.\n_Untimely Thoughts_ by Nietzche. Probably not a great place to start Nietzche, but at least the first essay is interesting.\n_The Spectator Bird_, Wallace Stegner. Good novel, though maybe not my favorite Stegner.\n_Germany 1866-1945_ by Gordon Craig. Long, very readable.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Interesting picture of New York, thin characterization.",
          "reason": "Calls it an interesting picture of New York.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds the characterization thin.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph O'Neill"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "new york"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "netscape-time-f08eed",
      "title": "Netscape Time",
      "author": "Jim Clark",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17206704,
          "author": "hkmurakami",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T16:07:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17206704",
          "commentText": "\"Andy Grove\"\n\"The Intel Trinity\"\n\"Netscape Time\"\n\"Valley Boy\"\nBrian Kernighan is a CS professor at Princeton and quite a personable guy. I'd imagine that he has some talks about his work and past up online.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Netscape Time\"",
          "reason": "Included in a list of book suggestions in response to a request for tech company history.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Netscape and Silicon Valley.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86007,
          "author": "shayan",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T18:13:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86007",
          "commentText": "Unfortunately I can't read fiction too much, I feel like what I read must directly help me with what I do, so I feel a lot better reading either technical stuff or business related (I love business).  Since we are excluding technical, most of the following are business related, or helps you in dealing with people and solving problems)\nNetscape Time - Jim Clark (very educational for those interested in startups, good piece of Internet history, interesting insights to the culture of the first Internet companies)\nHow To Win Friends And Influence People - Dale Carnegie (found it through YC recommendations, THANK YOU.  one of the best educational books I have ever read, it will teach you how to make friends, be a good leader, get along at home, encourage people, make them follow you and so much more...)\nFounders at Work -  Jessica Livingston (I found it relevant to what I am doing, good lessons, and interesting insights)\nGetting to Yes - Roger Fisher, William L. Ury (teaches you how to negotiate and how to get the best out of each situation for yourself and the other part, will be useful both at work and personal life, a bit dry)\nWinning - Jack Welch (great advices on leadership, might be more useful to someone that is running a big company)\nLeadership Is an Art - Max Depree (great leadership advices, it will give you the right mindset of how to be a great leader) \n-----------\nAnimal Farm (George Orwell), Alchemist (Paulo Coelho), Interpreting Your Dreams(Freud)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "good piece of Internet history, interesting insights to the culture of the first Internet companies",
          "reason": "Praises its educational value, historical account, and insights into early internet companies.",
          "audience": "People interested in startups.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jim Clark"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "internet history",
        "netscape",
        "silicon valley",
        "startup history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "neuropath-9f4883",
      "title": "Neuropath",
      "author": "Scott Bakker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15156612,
          "author": "autarch",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:58:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156612",
          "commentText": "I will warn you that reading Neuropath left me feeling depressed for a couple weeks. It's a great book, but the conclusions it might lead you to may not make you happy.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's a great book, but the conclusions it might lead you to may not make you happy.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book but warns that its possible conclusions may be upsetting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Reading it left the commenter feeling depressed for a couple of weeks; its conclusions may be unsettling.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2923957,
          "author": "salemh",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-25T06:25:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 2919368,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have changed the way you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2923957",
          "commentText": "Reality Tansurfing 1: The Space of Variations\n\"Choosing\" your own reality, positive mind frames, philosophy and actionable steps for goal attainment (no \"Secret\" wish fulfillment).\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1846941229/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1846941229/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1846941229)\n\" Some of Zeeland's techniques are very simple and practical; e.g. his methods of combining rational thinking with intuition for making practical decisions.  Other \"tools\" require a high degree of control over one's thoughts and/or emotions.\n    Zeeland also advocates reducing the amount of mental self-talk in favour of listening to one's intuition, which has some similarity with the teachings of Eckhart Tolle [[2]].\"\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vadim_Zeeland\nThe Tibetan Book of Living and Dying\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062508342/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062508342/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0062508342)\nThis novel has been of great help to me and family with recent deaths. Overall life outlook, happiness, and the like.\nEnders Game\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812550706/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812550706/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0812550706)\nI have read this novel over 15 years roughly 8 times. I get more, and a different perspective (which is interesting just examining my own reaction to re-reads based on my life and age at reading / re-reading).\nPrometheus Rising\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1561840564/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1561840564/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1561840564)\n\"Hacking\" reality, your mind, alternate viewpoints of reality and \"living\" accordingly (or not :D)\nPandora's Star\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345479211/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345479211/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0345479211)\nFascinating \"space opera\" wherein humanity masters worm-hole technology (and space colonization), ever lasting life (downloading / uploading) and a lovely read with a dose of astrophysics (though, the number of plot lines and characters gets far too muddled much of the time, symptomatic of Hamilton's books). Great \"look\" at a potential future of these potential advancements.\nNeuropath\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0765361574/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0765361574/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0765361574)\nScience fiction novel set in near-future based on new advanced in neuroscience; psychopath / serial killer thriller (one night read)on the brain as a chemical machine (and free-will arguments) with brutal thriller violence. This sticks with you for a number of weeks. Sending this to my sister was reacted with \"it was really good, fascinating..why the f* did you send this to me?\"\nThe Darkness That Comes Before (The Prince of Nothing, Book 1)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1841494089/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1841494089/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=1841494089)\nFantasy, philosophy, linguistics in Magic..dark, dark and a very old world. Brilliant, the best fantasy series this decade.\nTitan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400077303/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400077303/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1400077303)\nFrom dirt (literally), to one of the richest men in history, a genius accountant, inventor, process engineer, capitalist, competitive monster (crusher), also spawning much of modern medicine research centers (while he himself was a more holistic man who distrusted \"modern medicine). An incredible biography (oft cited by other novels on various Baron's / dynastic biographies) on the idiocyncrocies and the incredible desire for wealth and power, while abhoring lavish displays of wealth. From his rise, to consolidation, to \"war\" with the Rothschilds to the ultimate breakup of Standard Oil.\n1,000 Dollars and an Idea: Entrepreneur to Billionaire: Expanded Edition\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1557048487/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1557048487/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1557048487)\nSam Wyly, on building businesses to last, 15-20 years to \"flip\" or keep. Nuggets of wisdom for all industries and verticals.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Science fiction novel set in near-future based on new advanced in neuroscience; psychopath / serial killer thriller (one night read)on the brain as a chemical machine (and free-will arguments) with brutal thriller violence. This sticks with you for a number of weeks.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book sticks with you for weeks and describes its exploration of the brain and free will.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in neuroscience themes and psychological thrillers.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes brutal thriller violence.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027146,
          "author": "rsaarelm",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T12:44:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027146",
          "commentText": "Fiction, mostly.\nDeclare, by Tim Powers. Cold war espionage with black magic. Entertainingly bleak, and probably did a lot more weirdness with real history than I knew how to appreciate.\nProducing Open Source Software (http://producingoss.com/), by Karl Fogel. A very thorough look into all sorts of practical matters in running a large open source software project.\nThe Engines of Light trilogy by Ken MacLeod. Entertaining, though a bit erratic. Makes a bunch of Forteana fit in a hard SF framework. Also the second MacLeod book I've read that has a weird pixie dust immortality treatment that seems incongruous with the rest of the technology level.\nMatter by Iain M. Banks. Culture again after Algebraist. Still good.\nThe Dark Side of the Sun by Terry Pratchett. Finally got around to reading this one. Was surprisingly fresh. It would have been interesting to see Pratchett write more science fiction after this and Strata around 30 years ago.\nThe City and the Stars by Arthur C. Clarke. Another old SF book. This one wasn't very fresh, seemed like two or three different novels stapled together, with bits and pieces that might work pretty well if it weren't for the other bits and pieces.\nCrooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis. Not a lot of surprises, if you know what Warren Ellis tends to write. Basically a road trip novel through various degeneracies in America. Fun, but tends to go for gross-out warrenellisisms in favor of overall coherence.\nNeuropath by Scott Bakker. A technothriller about all sorts of fun things you can do by directly rewiring peoples' brains with near-future neurosurgery. Bakker's chilly philosophical outlook doesn't pack quite the same punch in an already mostly rationalistic setting as it did in the Prince of Nothing fantasy books. Sticks with a single not particularly unsympathetic viewpoint character and therefore avoids the problem in Prince of Nothing where you'd often end up in the head of someone you really don't want to be anywhere near.\nThe Tao is Silent by Raymond Smullyan. Smullyan writes various essays inspired by Taoism. Quality varies, but Smullyan is generally fun to read.\nOn SF by Thomas Disch. Beautifully acerbic essays by someone who takes science fiction literature seriously and doesn't let it off easy. And just plain likes to insult people. Representative, though noticeably dated sample: http://www.press.umich.edu/pdf/9780472068968-1.pdf\nDenner's Wreck by Lawrence Watt-Evans. Watt-Evans has an specific style of writing from what follows from the setting and premises rather than going for the most dramatically obvious plot. The results are hit-and-miss with his fantasy novels I've read, but work a lot better here, where the legends of a bronze-age civilization end up emerging from a science fiction setting. Watt-Evans' narrative style supports the plot where the traditional stories end up not really being what they seem to be.\nThe Official Book of Ultima by Shay Addams. It tells how Richard Garriott's obsession with programming in high school lead to the Ultima game series, which were one of the most notable computer games in the 80s and became the flagship product of Garriott's Origin Systems company. Also documents how the games grew from Ultima I being programmed by Garriot alone learning as he went along into Ultima VI developed by a large team. There is much detail about Ultima VI, which was being developed as the book was written. Much of it also conflicts with the game that ended up being released, and I ended up wondering whether this was about the game changing during production or just Addams getting his facts wrong.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Neuropath by Scott Bakker. A technothriller about all sorts of fun things you can do by directly rewiring peoples' brains with near-future neurosurgery.",
          "reason": "Describes its near-future neurosurgery premise; no clear positive evaluation of this book is expressed.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in technothrillers and neuroscience.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Bakker’s philosophical outlook has less impact in this setting.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Bakker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "free will",
        "neuroscience",
        "psychological thriller",
        "neurosurgery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "neurosis-and-human-growth-11c764",
      "title": "Neurosis and Human Growth",
      "author": "Karen Horney",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32197806,
          "author": "yamrzou",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:22:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197806",
          "commentText": "This week, I'm reading Love is a Choice by Frank Minirth, Paul Meier, and Robert Hemfelt. Read about one third of it.\nLast week, I started and finished The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel.\nDuring the past two months, I read 1) Perfectionism: A Relational Approach to Conceptualization, Assessment, and Treatment by Gordon Flett, Paul L. Hewitt, and Samuel F. Mikail, 2) Bad Science by Ben Goldacre, and 3) Neurosis and Human Growth by Karen Horney.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Neurosis and Human Growth by Karen Horney.",
          "reason": "Listed among books read during the past two months.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19896943,
          "author": "honzzz",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T07:17:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19896943",
          "commentText": "Yes. And if I may continue with another old book that IMHO deserves to be mentioned: Neurosis and Human Growth by Karen Horney.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "another old book that IMHO deserves to be mentioned: Neurosis and Human Growth by Karen Horney.",
          "reason": "Says the book deserves to be mentioned, without a stronger evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10770353,
          "author": "kfnn",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-21T09:44:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10770353",
          "commentText": "Karen Horney - Neurosis and Human Growth\nThe book attempts to describe the complete process of neurotic personality development: how and why it starts, how it affects a person's behavior and life choices. It's full of references to real-life cases Horney encountered as a psychoanalyst.\nMany concepts presented in this book where a revelation to me, and I believe it significantly deepened my understanding of myself and human psychology in general.\nI think anyone could benefit from reading this, because even if you're not neurotic at all, you will inevitably meet someone who is.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurosis_and_Human_Growth",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Many concepts presented in this book where a revelation to me, and I believe it significantly deepened my understanding of myself and human psychology in general.",
          "reason": "Says the book's concepts were revelatory and deepened their understanding of themselves and psychology.",
          "audience": "The commenter says anyone could benefit, since everyone will meet someone neurotic.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Karen Horney"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "psychoanalysis",
        "personality",
        "neurosis",
        "self realization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "never-split-the-difference-negotiating-as-if-your-life-depended-o-e15a52",
      "title": "Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It",
      "author": "Chris Voss",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40278885,
          "author": "Jimmc414",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-06T20:03:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40278885",
          "commentText": "Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It - Chris Voss\nClear actionable direction on how to negotiate.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It - Chris Voss\nClear actionable direction on how to negotiate.",
          "reason": "Offers clear, actionable direction on negotiation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35930564,
          "author": "ttul",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T17:27:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35930564",
          "commentText": "Pro tip: GPT-4 was trained on this book and can implement Chris Voss’ negotiating strategies quite effectively.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "GPT-4 was trained on this book",
          "reason": "Mentions the book as the source of negotiating strategies GPT-4 can implement.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35930211,
          "author": "deepersprout",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T16:55:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35930211",
          "commentText": "Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It by Chris Voss. It made me change how I aproach a negotiation in about every aspect of my life.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/0062407805",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It made me change how I aproach a negotiation in about every aspect of my life.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book changed how they approach negotiation.",
          "audience": "People interested in negotiation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris Voss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "negotiation",
        "conflict resolution"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nightfall-3c4ab3",
      "title": "Nightfall",
      "author": "Isaac Asimov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22778673,
          "author": "agustinl",
          "createdAt": "2020-04-04T15:12:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22778673",
          "commentText": "I started in the world of sci-fi books with Nightfall from Asimov, short but extremely interesting. Then I followed with Ubik from Philip Dick, I recommend it 100%.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Nightfall from Asimov",
          "reason": "Names it as where they started reading science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4662086,
          "author": "Rust",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-16T21:55:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 4661261,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite Science Fiction book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4662086",
          "commentText": "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy first, and Nightfall (both the short story and the later novelization) second.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nightfall (both the short story and the later novelization) second.",
          "reason": "Lists it second as an answer to a favorite science fiction book question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment refers to both the short story and its later novelization.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752881,
          "author": "blrgeek",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T15:44:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752881",
          "commentText": "Want to blow your mind?\nFiction\nKeep an open mind, and a sense of wonder when you read these for max effect!\nHitch-hikers guide to the galaxy. I was hooked at \"The big yellow ships hung in the air just the way bricks don't.\"\nDune - what does scarcity do to a society?\nIsaac Asimov - Robot series. Foundation series. All of his short stories, esp. The Last Question, Nightfall.\nA.C. Clarke - 2001 - series, Childhood's End, The Fountains of Paradise\nThe Little Prince, The Count of Monte Cristo, Catch-22, Siddhartha, Ender's Game, Sundiver, Wodehouse.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nightfall.",
          "reason": "Highlighted among the author's short stories in a fiction recommendation list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isaac Asimov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "astronomy",
        "civilization",
        "classic science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nine-algorithms-that-changed-the-future-4ed04a",
      "title": "Nine Algorithms That Changed the Future",
      "author": "John MacCormick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30486599,
          "author": "cenny",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T09:09:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486599",
          "commentText": "The three books that I have appreciated the most when it comes to computer science must be:\n- Code The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software (https://www.programmingbooks.dev/#code)\n- Grokking Algorithms (https://www.programmingbooks.dev/#grokking-algorithms)\n- The Little Schemer (https://www.programmingbooks.dev/#the-little-schemer)\nThese two books I really found interesting as well:\n- Nine Algorithms That Changed the Future (https://www.programmingbooks.dev/extra/#nine-algorithms-that... (https://www.programmingbooks.dev/extra/#nine-algorithms-that-changed-the-future))\n- Good Math (https://www.programmingbooks.dev/extra/#good-math)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nine Algorithms That Changed the Future",
          "reason": "The commenter says they found it interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22708572,
          "author": "mitchelldeacon9",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T01:58:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22708572",
          "commentText": "The following is a list of my favorite books on software engineering, cyber-security, and the history of IT business development.\nBowden, Mark (2011) Worm: The First Digital World War\nBrooks, Frederick (1995) Mythical Man-Month, 2nd ed.\nChristensen, Clayton (1997) Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail\nHafner, Katie and Matthew Lyon (1996) Where Wizards Stay Up Late: Origins of the Internet\nHunt, Andrew and David Thomas (1999) Pragmatic Programmer\nMacCormick, John (2012) Nine Algorithms that Changed the Future\nMcConnell, Steve (2004) Code Complete, 2nd ed.\nMitnick, Kevin and William Simon (2002) Art of Deception\nPoulsen, Kevin (2011) Kingpin: How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cyber-Crime Underworld\nRaymond, Eric (2003) Art of Unix Programming\nStone, Brad (2013) The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon\nTorvalds, Linus and David Diamond (2001) Just for Fun: Story of an Accidental Revolutionary\nWallace, James and Jim Erickson (1992) Hard Drive: Bill Gates and Making of the Microsoft Empire\nWilliams, Sam (2002) Free as in Freedom: Richard Stallman's Crusade for Free Software\nWilson, Mike (1996) The Difference between God and Larry Ellison: Inside Oracle Corp",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "MacCormick, John (2012) Nine Algorithms that Changed the Future",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John MacCormick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "computer science",
        "computing history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "no-man-knows-my-history-7f2305",
      "title": "No Man Knows My History",
      "author": "Fawn M. Brodie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39730204,
          "author": "pinewurst",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T22:58:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39730204",
          "commentText": "“No Man Knows My History”, Brodie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“No Man Knows My History”, Brodie",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 203022,
          "author": "msg",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T05:29:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=203022",
          "commentText": "Linus's biography, Just For Fun, is not bad.\nI have sentimental attachments to Man Out of Time, the Tesla biography.\nNo Man Knows My History is about Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon church. It is naturally controversial to the LDS, for its depiction of Smith as a polygamist con man who fell sideways into a religious racket and never quite fell out. I found it very readable, full of color. It might depend on your interest in the period and the subject matter.\nStephen King's On Writing is about half biography, half writing manual. I thought it was terrific. It's had several rereads already.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I found it very readable, full of color. It might depend on your interest in the period and the subject matter.",
          "reason": "Praised as very readable and vivid, with appeal depending on interest in its period and subject.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Joseph Smith and the period.",
          "caveat": "The subject matter is controversial to LDS readers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fawn M. Brodie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "joseph smith",
        "mormon history",
        "mormonism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "no-more-mr-nice-guy-c8ad3f",
      "title": "No More Mr. Nice Guy",
      "author": "Robert Glover",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25599494,
          "author": "kull",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-01T01:04:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25599494",
          "commentText": "@TheCapeGreek -- I saw this comment a few days ago, I bough the book you recommended `Robert Glover - No More Mr. Nice Guy` and I read it in a day. I will be replaying it again and again and working hard to apply principles from it.  I just wanted to thank you! The recommendation in your comment is changing somebody's life (mine). Thank you.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I bough the book you recommended `Robert Glover - No More Mr. Nice Guy` and I read it in a day.",
          "reason": "The commenter read the book and says they intend to apply its principles, thanking the original recommender.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17046047,
          "author": "galfarragem",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T09:58:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17046047",
          "commentText": "If a \"life-shattering crisis that completely wrecked my world view\" means a breakup definitely read \"No More Mr. Nice Guy\" from Robert Glover.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "definitely read \"No More Mr. Nice Guy\" from Robert Glover.",
          "reason": "Recommended if the crisis refers to a breakup.",
          "audience": "Someone dealing with a breakup.",
          "caveat": "Conditional recommendation; applies if the crisis means a breakup.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Glover"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "relationships",
        "assertiveness",
        "self help"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "no-place-to-hide-13133d",
      "title": "No Place to Hide",
      "author": "Glenn Greenwald",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33851019,
          "author": "elgar1212",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T05:48:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33851019",
          "commentText": "Glenn Greenwald - No Place to Hide\nReason why isn't necessarily because of the specifics of the 2013 leaks, but because he documents the interaction between government and press (and how he was demonized and threatened afterwards). Tl;dr the government blackmailed journalists to keep the story from getting published\nAlso (on a related note because both are about obscure bureaucracy), Kafka's Castle. Kafka bored me at first, but he writes situations that are just a little \"off\" in a way that's really unique. It's incredibly hard to describe and definitely very surreal, he takes certain aspects of human nature and amplifies them to the point of absurdity",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Glenn Greenwald - No Place to Hide",
          "reason": "Explains that the book documents interactions between government and the press around the 2013 leaks.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785453,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:27:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785453",
          "commentText": "I'll skip some mentioned already by others. Books I really enjoyed this year:\nThe Wright Brothers, David McCullough - wonderful book on the Wright Brothers, easy to read, shows that persistence and logic thinking pays out. 5/5\nThe autobiography of Malcom X, Malcolm X - Nice bio, a bit repetitive sometimes. 3/5\nAtlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand - Although the book has more than 1200 pages it really kept me going. I read this book to get a better understanding of the ideology of some republicans. Fun read. 4.5/5\nFreakonomics, Steven D. Levitt - Levitt studies all kind of different everyday questions using economics. 4/5, short, easy to read\nGuantanamo Diary, Mohamedou Ould Slahi - Diary of a Guantanamo prisoner who has been imprisoned since 2002. The US has never charged him with a crime. Profound and disturbing. 5/5\nNo place to hide, Glenn Greenwald - Story on Edward Snowden, probably read by most of HN. Enjoyed it, that's it. 4/5\nHow to lie with statistics, Darrel Huff - Short book on statistics, easy to read and fun. 4/5",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Enjoyed it, that's it. 4/5",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed it and rates it 4/5.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401516,
          "author": "shreeshga",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:32:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401516",
          "commentText": "Reading : After dark by Haruki Murakami\nRead: No Place to Hide by Glenn Greenwald",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "No Place to Hide by Glenn Greenwald",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968603,
          "author": "schoen",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T00:38:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968603",
          "commentText": "Currently reading Spoken Here: Travels Among Threatened Languages by Mark Abley and The Most Human Human: What Artificial Intelligence Teaches Us About Being Alive by Brian Christian.  Just finished No Place to Hide by Glenn Greenwald, My Real Children by Jo Walton, The Martian by Andy Weir, and Toki Pona: The Language of Good by Sonja Lang (the official reference to her conlang, which I had already studied extensively from online references).\nWaiting for new chapters in the serial Ra by Sam Hughes.  Possibly about to read Engineering a Safer World by Nancy Leveson.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Just finished No Place to Hide by Glenn Greenwald",
          "reason": "Lists it among books recently finished.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968370,
          "author": "n0rm",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:40:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968370",
          "commentText": "No Place to Hide by Glenn Greenwald",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "No Place to Hide by Glenn Greenwald",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Glenn Greenwald"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Society",
        "History",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "edward snowden",
        "surveillance",
        "journalism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nonlinear-dynamics-and-chaos-with-applications-to-physics-biology-acac6b",
      "title": "Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos: With Applications to Physics, Biology, Chemistry, and Engineering",
      "author": "Steven H. Strogatz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35929653,
          "author": "tdba",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T16:00:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35929653",
          "commentText": "Non-linear dynamics and chaos by Strogatz\nhttps://www.stevenstrogatz.com/books/nonlinear-dynamics-and-... (https://www.stevenstrogatz.com/books/nonlinear-dynamics-and-chaos-with-applications-to-physics-biology-chemistry-and-engineering)\nI literally read it cover to cover like a novel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Non-linear dynamics and chaos by Strogatz",
          "reason": "Says they read the book cover to cover like a novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21349862,
          "author": "wunderlust",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T22:29:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21349862",
          "commentText": "\"Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos - Steven Strogatz, Cornell University\" is available[0] on youtube as a series of 25 lectures. (From 2014.)\nFrom the description:\n\"This course of 25 lectures, filmed at Cornell University in Spring 2014, is intended for newcomers to nonlinear dynamics and chaos. It closely follows Prof. Strogatz's book, \"Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos: With Applications to Physics, Biology, Chemistry, and Engineering.\"\nThe mathematical treatment is friendly and informal, but still careful. Analytical methods, concrete examples, and geometric intuition are stressed. The theory is developed systematically, starting with first-order differential equations and their bifurcations, followed by phase plane analysis, limit cycles and their bifurcations, and culminating with the Lorenz equations, chaos, iterated maps, period doubling, renormalization, fractals, and strange attractors.\nA unique feature of the course is its emphasis on applications. These include airplane wing vibrations, biological rhythms, insect outbreaks, chemical oscillators, chaotic waterwheels, and even a technique for using chaos to send secret messages. In each case, the scientific background is explained at an elementary level and closely integrated with the mathematical theory. The theoretical work is enlivened by frequent use of computer graphics, simulations, and videotaped demonstrations of nonlinear phenomena.\nThe essential prerequisite is single-variable calculus, including curve sketching, Taylor series, and separable differential equations. In a few places, multivariable calculus (partial derivatives, Jacobian matrix, divergence theorem) and linear algebra (eigenvalues and eigenvectors) are used. Fourier analysis is not assumed, and is developed where needed. Introductory physics is used throughout. Other scientific prerequisites would depend on the applications considered, but in all cases, a first course should be adequate preparation.\"\n[0] https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbN57C5Zdl6j_qJA-pARJ... (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbN57C5Zdl6j_qJA-pARJnKsmROzPnO9V)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "closely follows Prof. Strogatz's book, \"Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos: With Applications to Physics, Biology, Chemistry, and Engineering.\"",
          "reason": "The comment points readers to lectures that closely follow this book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13900551,
          "author": "curuinor",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T09:16:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13900551",
          "commentText": "Strang's class is very pretty and excellent and just a little bit off from the center of the sorts of linear algebra used in machine learning. Not a lot off, but a little off.\nA field that does inspire a lot of deep learning folks and never gets mentiond in this sort of thing is the theory of physical dynamical systems. Attractor is a term that came from here, for example, and much of the mathematics behind the numerical fuckery behind deep nets is dynamical in nature. RNN's are entirely dynamical systems. Classic there is Strogatz book (https://www.amazon.com/Nonlinear-Dynamics-Chaos-Applications... (https://www.amazon.com/Nonlinear-Dynamics-Chaos-Applications-Nonlinearity/dp/0738204536)).\nThere is also information theory, of course, which is part of the MacKay source.\nMany of the earlier papers in deep learning-land are really nontrivial to read, because the terminology and worldview of everybody has changed so much. So reading original Werbos or Rumelhart is really difficult. This is really not the case for Sutton and Barto, \"RL: An Introduction\" (http://webdocs.cs.ualberta.ca/~sutton/book/the-book.html). Two editions, apparently the second edition is basically getting with the program on shoving DL into everything.\nSchmidhuber often mentions that Gauss was the original shallow learner. This is a technically correct statement (best kind of statement), but you definitely should probably know linear and logistic regression like the back of your hand before starting on DL too much.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Classic there is Strogatz book",
          "reason": "Names Strogatz's book as a classic on physical dynamical systems.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring dynamical systems related to deep learning.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven H. Strogatz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chaos theory",
        "nonlinear dynamics",
        "dynamical systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "not-always-so-practicing-the-true-spirit-of-zen-6cd523",
      "title": "Not Always So: Practicing the True Spirit of Zen",
      "author": "Shunryu Suzuki",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17050597,
          "author": "zackb",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T20:30:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17050597",
          "commentText": "And if you like that, I'd recommend \"Not Always So: Practicing the True Spirit of Zen\" which feels like a continuation of \"Zen Mind, Beginners Mind\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend \"Not Always So: Practicing the True Spirit of Zen\"",
          "reason": "Recommended as a continuation of Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Zen practice.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8106928,
          "author": "tdubhro1",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:13:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106928",
          "commentText": "Buddhism: Not Always So, and anything else by Shunryu Suzuki, What Buddha Taught, by Rahula\nSmarter: A Mathematical Bridge by Stephen Hewson, it will make you grok the real structure of mathematics even if you're starting with fairly basic undergraduate level math, and it will make it immensely easier to tackle new areas of mathematics.\nPattern recognition and machine learning by Bishop\nPopular: Coders at Work, Founders at Work, Behind the Cloud",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Buddhism: Not Always So",
          "reason": "Suggested under Buddhism in response to a request for reading suggestions.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Buddhism.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Shunryu Suzuki"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "meditation",
        "zen buddhism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "notes-from-the-underground-dbef70",
      "title": "Notes from the Underground",
      "author": "Fyodor Dostoevsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43614148,
          "author": "zingababba",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T17:59:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43614148",
          "commentText": "The book I consistently reread is Notes from the Underground. Anything by Balzac is highly rereadable also. I don't read much fiction anymore but fiction has left the deepest imprints on me. I did just read Jew Sus by Feuchtwanger, I'd recommend it. All of Kafka's works are up there too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book I consistently reread is Notes from the Underground.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is the book they consistently reread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20914676,
          "author": "hristov",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T02:12:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914676",
          "commentText": "Victory - Joseph Conrad\nNotes from the Underground - Dostoyevsky\nBrothers Karamazov - Dostoyevsky (there is a bunch of other brilliant Dostoyevsky books)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Notes from the Underground - Dostoyevsky",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite old books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fyodor Dostoevsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "existential fiction",
        "existentialism",
        "psychological fiction",
        "russian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "object-oriented-analysis-and-design-with-applications-2e1b99",
      "title": "Object-Oriented Analysis and Design with Applications",
      "author": "Grady Booch",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32790490,
          "author": "intrasight",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T13:36:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790490",
          "commentText": "Object-Oriented Analysis and Design with Applications\nWas a great source of design patterns when I first began to design business applications on top of relational databases.\nhttps://zjnu2017.github.io/OOAD/reading/Object.Oriented.Anal... (https://zjnu2017.github.io/OOAD/reading/Object.Oriented.Analysis.and.Design.with.Applications.3rd.Edition.by.Booch.pdf)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Object-Oriented Analysis and Design with Applications\nWas a great source of design patterns",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was a great source of design patterns.",
          "audience": "People designing business applications on relational databases.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17169741,
          "author": "mm321",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T23:27:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17169741",
          "commentText": "Don't know about changing my life, but these books changed the way i look at things:\nThe Tao of Pooh: Benjamin Hoff\nSlaughterhouse-Five, or The Children's Crusade by Kurt Vonnegut\nTI 99/4a basic reference manual\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, by Abelson, Sussman\nObject Oriented Analysis and Design by Grady Booch\nDarkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler\nThieves in the Night by Arthur Koestler\nAll the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren\nThe Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck\nThe Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.\nWar and Peace by L.N.Tolstoy\nChapaev and the void by Pelevin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Object Oriented Analysis and Design by Grady Booch",
          "reason": "Listed among books that changed how the commenter looks at things.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Grady Booch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "object oriented design",
        "design patterns",
        "relational databases",
        "software engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "objectivism-the-philosophy-of-ayn-rand-075a70",
      "title": "Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand",
      "author": "Leonard Peikoff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5700940,
          "author": "maxharris",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-13T19:41:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5700940",
          "commentText": "The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Those are the two to start with.\nIf you like those, check out some of her nonfiction books: The Virtue of Selfishness: A New Concept of Egoism, Philosophy: Who Needs It, and Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology (these are but a few - Rand wrote a long series of nonfiction books).\nAyn Rand's Normative Ethics: The Virtuous Egoist by Tara Smith (a philosophy professor at UT-Austin) is excellent because it unpacks Ayn Rand's ethical system in an academic style. Finally, Leonard Peikoff's Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand gives a comprehensive view of Rand's entire philosophy.\nLight reading (not by Objectivist authors, and not in any particular order):\nMasters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture by David Kushner\nThe Soul of A New Machine by Tracy Kidder\nThe Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA by James Watson\nWhat Do You Care What Other People Think?: Further Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard Feynman\nSurely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard Feynman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Finally, Leonard Peikoff's Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand gives a comprehensive view of Rand's entire philosophy.",
          "reason": "Says it gives a comprehensive view of Rand's philosophy.",
          "audience": "Readers wanting an overview of Rand's philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1504145,
          "author": "AmaroqWolf",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T18:52:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1504145",
          "commentText": "I'm currently pursuing Rand's philosophy. Her nonfictions are very valuable because they comprise the philosophy itself. But Peikoff's books and lectures about Objectivism are also extremely valuable.\nHe had to overcome a lot of bad thinking habits to gain a genuine understanding of Objectivism and he is in a good position to help others get past those roadblocks.\nObjectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand is useful to help you integrate Rand's philosophy into a mental hierarchy, and his courses Understanding Objectivism and Objectivism Through Induction are useful to help you prove Objectivism to yourself, so you can see how Rand's philosophy really is connected to reality and pertains to your life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand is useful to help you integrate Rand's philosophy into a mental hierarchy",
          "reason": "Describes the book as useful for integrating Rand's philosophy.",
          "audience": "Readers studying Ayn Rand's Objectivism.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leonard Peikoff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "objectivism",
        "ayn rand"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "oblomov-179668",
      "title": "Oblomov",
      "author": "Ivan Goncharov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21802725,
          "author": "nandreev",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T13:06:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21802725",
          "commentText": "The New Geopolitics of Natural Gas (A. Grigas)\nWe (Y. Zamyatin)\nThe Annotated Turing: A Guided Tour Through Alan Turing's Historic Paper (C. Petzold)\nEndurance (A. Lansing)\nEconomics: The User's Guide (H. Chang)\nOblomov (I. Goncharov)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Oblomov (I. Goncharov)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156207,
          "author": "jaco8",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T14:46:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156207",
          "commentText": "Poor no more   - Robert Chester Ruark\nA Coffin Full of Dreams  - Frisco Hitt\nOblomov  - Ivan Goncharov\nThe Man Without Qualities - Robert Musil",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Oblomov  - Ivan Goncharov",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which books had the biggest impact on mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249116,
          "author": "slilo",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T08:40:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249116",
          "commentText": "Since the theme of procrastination and self-discipline is quite popular on HN, I would recommend OP and everyone here \"Oblomov\" and \"Frigate Pallada\" by I.A.Goncharov.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend OP and everyone here \"Oblomov\"",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommended for readers interested in procrastination and self-discipline.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in procrastination and self-discipline.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ivan Goncharov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "russian literature",
        "procrastination",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "obviously-awesome-e9c805",
      "title": "Obviously Awesome",
      "author": "April Dunford",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41547100,
          "author": "bengale",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-15T12:29:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41547100",
          "commentText": "Couple of my favourites: building a story brand, obviously awesome and the saas playbook.\nThere’s good advice in this thread that is cautioning about getting stuck in research mode. There’s only so much you can get from books. You need to try and fail at some point.\nMy recommendation to this point is to not treat the books as a set of “how tos”, instead use them to develop a model of the world to test your instincts against.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "obviously awesome",
          "reason": "Lists it among the commenter's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40278733,
          "author": "DarrenDev",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-06T19:46:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40278733",
          "commentText": "- Zero to One, Peter Thiel\nAlways makes me feel that I’m not ambitious enough. And that too many smart people are in the wrong industry (finance).\n- The Dip, Seth Godin\nDon’t give up. Unless you’re in a cul-de-sac.\n- Obviously Awesome, April Dunford\nYour competitor is often not who you think it is.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Obviously Awesome, April Dunford",
          "reason": "Listed as a nonfiction book the commenter rereads; notes that it challenges assumptions about who a competitor is.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "April Dunford"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marketing",
        "marketing strategy",
        "positioning",
        "product positioning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "of-mice-and-men-dfd5d6",
      "title": "Of Mice and Men",
      "author": "John Steinbeck",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17382129,
          "author": "alexashka",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T16:57:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17382129",
          "commentText": "anything by Jack London.\nI had read translations of his works in russian and after immigrating to Canada, was surprised to know that nobody had ever heard of him here.\nA real gem if you enjoy the likes of 'of mice and men'.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_London",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "'of mice and men'",
          "reason": "Used as a comparison for readers who enjoy Jack London's work; it is not itself recommended here.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10534280,
          "author": "stevesearer",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T17:17:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10534280",
          "commentText": "East of Eden and Grapes of Wrath are on my upcoming list of titles to read. A few others I've read since high school that I ought to have then are Red Badge of Courage, All Quiet On The Western Front, and Of Mice and Men.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "A few others I've read since high school that I ought to have then are Red Badge of Courage, All Quiet On The Western Front, and Of Mice and Men.",
          "reason": "Says it is a book they ought to have read in high school; gives no evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971377,
          "author": "_b8r0",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T10:28:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971377",
          "commentText": "My younger self wouldn't have been interested in the books that interest me now. Instead I'd have to settle for some good fiction.\nGoing back in time to around 12-16, I'd send one of:\n* Brave New World - Aldous Huxley\n* 1984 - George Orwell\n* To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee\n* Catch 22 - Joe Heller\n* Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut\n* Of Mice and Men - Steinbeck\n* Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury\n* The Call of Ctulhu - H.P. Lovecraft\n* Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card\nSome of those I actually read in school and loved (but wish I read earlier), others I didn't. I think any of those books would've interested me at the time. There's plenty of time for Rich Dad, Poor Dad, SPIN Selling and all the business books later in life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Of Mice and Men - Steinbeck",
          "reason": "Included as a fiction choice for their younger self.",
          "audience": "Readers around ages 12–16, as suggested by the commenter.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 192087,
          "author": "mattmaroon",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-16T18:37:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=192087",
          "commentText": "I found a torrent with all of Steinbeck's audio books. There's a great Of Mice and Men read by Gary Sinise. On the off chance you haven't read that yet or are a Gary Sinise fan, it's pretty great.\nI really liked Cannery Row too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "There's a great Of Mice and Men read by Gary Sinise. On the off chance you haven't read that yet or are a Gary Sinise fan, it's pretty great.",
          "reason": "Praises the Gary Sinise audiobook as great.",
          "audience": "People who have not read it or are Gary Sinise fans.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Steinbeck"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american literature",
        "friendship",
        "great depression"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "oh-the-places-you-ll-go-adb7b7",
      "title": "Oh, the Places You'll Go!",
      "author": "Dr. Seuss",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34634686,
          "author": "mixmastamyk",
          "createdAt": "2023-02-02T23:16:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 34634274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books your kids like most",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34634686",
          "commentText": "> rival the TV and YT junk\nCan't compete with these, nope.  Only way is to limit them a few hours a day or less.  The ability to relax and be bored is essential to support the desire to read.\nWe did it an hour before bed every night under warm lighting.  Loved Dr. Seuss' Cat in the Hat, The Lorax, Grinch, Oh, the Places You'll Go!\nEngelbreit's Mother Goose, Nursery Rhymes set.\nLoved The Police Cloud by Chris Neimann, and Little Owl Lost by Chris Haughton.\nWe liked The Giving Tree, but be prepared as it shows a dysfunctional relationship.  We took it as a \"teachable moment.\"\nAgree with those who say to go to the library for variety.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Oh, the Places You'll Go!",
          "reason": "Named among books loved during nightly reading.",
          "audience": "Young children.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240850,
          "author": "trotzke",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T06:28:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240850",
          "commentText": "On my desk:\nGetting Real (37Signals),\nHardball (Chris Mathews),\nPrioritizing Web Usability (Jakob Nielsen)\nNearby shelf:\nThe Design of Everyday Things,\nMaverick,\nFounders at work,\nA Brief History of Time,\nA Pattern Language,\nPeopleware,\nMade to stick,\nWeb Standards Solutions,\nDesigning Interactions,\nThe Pragmatic Programmer,\nThe Mythical Man-Month,\nOh, the Places You'll Go!\nOther good reads:\nBlink,\nTipping Point,\nLong Tail,\nFreakonomics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Oh, the Places You'll Go!",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for recommended books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dr. Seuss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "life transitions",
        "picture book",
        "picture books",
        "rhyming stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "olympos-9860de",
      "title": "Olympos",
      "author": "Dan Simmons",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17537852,
          "author": "rektide",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T00:15:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537852",
          "commentText": "Central Station by Lavie Tidhar is an amazing charming story of a world deeply steeped old sitting baking world where new things are coming about. It is charm & delight in the purest & simplest.\nSpin by Robert Charles Wilson. \"Robert Charles Wilson is a hell of a storyteller,\" said Stephen King and this wonderful tour through time and space, humanity & people's lives is incredible.\nThe Quantum Thief series by Hannu Rajaniemi is open, scenic, wild, & so so vivid, one of the most beautiful worlds I've ever visited, & it reminds me so much of a joyous wild swashbuckling run. The mystery of the main character is enchanting.\nInfoquake series by David Louis Edelson is a gripping suspenseful rise of a star entrepreneur that redefines and radically expands the world, amid an already boisterous & full & busy beautiful world already overflowing in seamless technology everywhere. Although the plot line whips along with some suspense & tension, the scenery and the voyage is incredible.\nLathe of Heaven by Ursala Le Guin could quite easily, quite simply be the best first contact story story ever. Touching, and sincere, & simple. This world is not bright and shiny but her writing and the bonding of characters is incredible. See also the rest of the Hainish cycle.\nLeft Hand of Darkness also by Ursala Le Guin is a shifting chaotic shizmatic tale, about picking our fates. \"Well, I did it through dreams. Phil would have done it another way. But yeah, homage to Phil [K.] Dick is right.\"\n- https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/a... (https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/all/)\nFallen Dragon is an early & involved Peter Hamilton adventure book. There's leaving home, & space ships, more space ships, bad guys, fighting back the bad guys, bigger ships, and action. There is A LOT going on, all the time, & violence, but damn this book comes together into something incredible, & telling, & powerful & strong, something that easily makes it my top pick for most-underappreciated Peter Hamilton.\nDiamond Age by Neal Stephenson, which I'm providing largely as a counterweight to the Snowcrash & Sevenses recommendations here. Diamond Age is much less dark, and way more a fun tail about an incredible & mysterious primer for a young lady.\nSirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut.\nAll Systems Red series by Martha Wells is a underprivileged barely coping robot dealing with the humans she hates having to talk to & a shitty planet trying to kill them. Simple, fun, some action & violence, but the main character is a total hoot the whole time with more loner/zero/drop-out attitude & spunk than anything I've read & it's unbelievably charming.\nLords of Light by Roger Zelazny has more style, pizzaz, & spirit than I feel like any of us deserve. An interesting, storied tale from the post-singularity, with a remarkable & robust cast.\nIllium/Olympos by Dan Simmons, are, in my mind still the clear winner, far above Hyperion. The cast is charming beyond belief, stumbling through a world they both know all too much about & far far too little. Some really incredible worldbuilding here.\nRainbow's End by Vernor Vinge. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE A Fire Upon the Deep. But Rainbow's End really is our planet, sometime not far out, and Vinge has the most tour of this next place we're headed, with threads, and annotations, and group chat being the defining new technologies of humanity. And the tale of the misfit happenstance adventurers who wind up ensnared in the plot line is a fun, roving hoot of a journey, a wonderful second chance at a coming of age story.\nMedusa Chronicles by two of my favorites, Alastair Reynolds & Stephen Baxter is probably my favorite exploring the solar system book, about a guy/robot a bit apart from humanity that really wants to see what the local area has to offer. A lot of high tension conflicting societal impulses that our somewhat aloof lead stumbles through, on his personal mission of exploration. Lots of interesting robot philosophy & very varied elements of space come together with the characters to make an incredibly fun space epic, set in a delightful & intriguing alternative history\nOther's recommendations I'd +1: Dune (but super heady material), The Stars My Destination (brimming with class & substance), Mote in God's Eye (some of the best Space Colonial Marines style stuff out there), Accelerando (and Iron Sky and ... overflowing playful scifi), Blue Ant series (dripping with style), Foundation series (and much more Asimov!), Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy (simple direct exciting hunt for treasure in Star Wars), Fuzzy Nation (fun tale)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Illium/Olympos by Dan Simmons, are, in my mind still the clear winner, far above Hyperion.",
          "reason": "Calls the paired books a clear winner and rates them above Hyperion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056835,
          "author": "tartuffe78",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T13:40:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056835",
          "commentText": "Lot's of my favorites already listed\nSome more good ones:\nIlium/Olympos - Dan Simmons\nCenturies - A. A. Attanasio\nCallahan's Crosstime Saloon - Spider Robinson\nSignal to Noise - Eric Nylund",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ilium/Olympos - Dan Simmons",
          "reason": "Lists it among more good books answering the favorites question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Simmons"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "mythology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-food-and-cooking-the-science-and-lore-of-the-kitchen-cf06bc",
      "title": "On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen",
      "author": "Harold McGee",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30826026,
          "author": "Agamus",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T01:24:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30826026",
          "commentText": "As a former chef with 33 restaurants of experience and a lifelong passion for  science, I can say that if you have an interest in \"the science and lore of the kitchen\" (subtitle), you must own McGee's On Food and Cooking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you must own McGee's On Food and Cooking.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is essential for those interested in kitchen science and lore.",
          "audience": "People interested in food science and kitchen lore.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14139705,
          "author": "urbannomad",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T15:34:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14139705",
          "commentText": "On Food And Cooking: The Science And Lore Of The Kitchen by Harold McGee",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On Food And Cooking: The Science And Lore Of The Kitchen by Harold McGee",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Harold McGee"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "food science",
        "culinary reference",
        "culinary science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-tyranny-0032ed",
      "title": "On Tyranny",
      "author": "Timothy Snyder",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47986851,
          "author": "verdverm",
          "createdAt": "2026-05-02T14:46:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 47984463,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47986851",
          "commentText": "Conquest of Mind\nA Business and its Beliefs\nOn Tyranny",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On Tyranny",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books given as gifts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42269810,
          "author": "rumblestrut",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T00:50:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42269810",
          "commentText": "“On Tyranny,” by Timothy Snyder",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“On Tyranny,” by Timothy Snyder",
          "reason": "Offered as a title in response to the thread's request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Timothy Snyder"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "authoritarianism",
        "democracy",
        "political history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-writing-8d0381",
      "title": "On Writing",
      "author": "Stephen King",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37960149,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960149",
          "commentText": "* \"On Writing\" by Stephen King (1 mention)\n    * Summary: In his guide to the craft of writing, King masterfully conveys his views on how good writing is cultivated. The book provides personal insights into the author's life while serving as a guide for aspiring writers.\n* \"The Dictionary\" (1 mention, multiple authors)\n    * Summary: A reference book containing an alphabetical list of words in a specific language, providing definitions, pronunciations, etymology, and other details. It is a valuable resource for understanding and accurately using language.\n* \"Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book chronicles Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 1914-1916 survival journey across the Antarctic. Faced with treacherous weather conditions and a lack of provisions, the men battle to stay alive, highlighting the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.\n* \"The Experience of God\" by David Bentley Hart (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A philosophical exploration of the concept of God that goes beyond specific religious doctrines. Hart articulates a vision of ultimate reality that transcends religious, philosophical, and cultural boundaries.\n* \"A Mind for Numbers\" by Barbara Oakley (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book provides practical advice on how to learn effectively in math and science areas, but the techniques are applicable across disciplines. Oakley shares techniques to overcome learning obstacles and improve comprehension and retention.\n* \"A People's History of the US\" by Howard Zinn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers an alternative exploration of American history from the perspective of ordinary people and marginalized groups rather than political leaders, emphasizing class struggles and systemic injustices.\n* \"The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science\" by Isaac Asimov (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive outline of scientific knowledge, covering fields like physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, and earth science. It communicates complex scientific concepts in a way that is accessible to non-specialist readers.\n* \"Das Kapital\" by Karl Marx (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive critique of capitalism highlighting its inherent contradictions and imbalances. Marx diagnoses the capitalist system as one in which the rich get richer at the expense of the working class. The book has been influential in shaping socialist and communist thought.\n* \"You are Not So Smart\" by David McRaney (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book explores various cognitive biases, logical fallacies, and memory missteps that humans commonly succumb to. The author uses humor and personal anecdotes to make neuroscience and psychology accessible, challenging readers to question their perceptions of the world and themselves.\n* \"Blink\" by Malcolm Gladwell (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Gladwell explores the process of quick decision-making, also known as \"thin-slicing.\" The book delves into both the potential accuracy and the pitfalls of making snap judgments. It demonstrates how our subconscious biases often override our better instincts.\n* \"How To Sell at Margins Higher Than Your Competitors\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book offers detailed advice on how to avoid price competition by creating differentiators and adding value, thereby allowing readers to compete on things other than price.\n*  \"The Surrender Experiment\" by Michael Singer (1 mention)\n    * Summary: The book chronicles the author’s journey from solitude into the business world. It explores the idea of surrendering personal preferences to allow life to guide the way, challenging conventional views about control and outcomes.\n* \"How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World\" by Harry Browne (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This self-help book offers a blueprint for finding personal freedom. It encourages readers to embrace their individual sovereignty and to not be inhibited by societal conventions, effectively teaching how to live on one's own terms.\n* \"Happy by Derren Brown\" and \"The Daily Stoic\" (1 mention, authors not specified)\n    * Summary: \"Happy\" provides a perspective on happiness using the principles of stoic philosophy, challenging modern conceptions of happiness. \"The Daily Stoic\" provides a year's worth of philosophical wisdom from ancient stoics, aimed at allowing people to better respond to life's challenges.\n* \"Guns, Germs, and Steel\" by Jared Diamond (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Diamond investigates the geographical and environmental factors that have shaped the modern world. He argues that civilizations have developed differently across the globe due to variances in geography, climate, vegetation, and animal populations, more so than due to traits inherent to different racial or ethnic groups.\n* \"The Gulag Archipelago\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Solzhenitsyn unveils the brutal reality of the Soviet Union’s forced labor camp system. It's an exploration of the human capability for evil when unchecked by moral constraints, shedding light on the mechanisms of a totalitarian regime.\n* \"Ecclesiastes\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A book from the Bible that delves into the purpose of life and the vain pursuit of earthly things. It debates the merits of wisdom, wealth, and pleasure, underscoring the transience and ultimate futility of human endeavors, and urging readers to fear God and keep his commandments.\n* \"Women hold up half the sky\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A collection of personal stories illuminating the oppression and resistance of women in developing countries. The book confronts issues like gender inequality, sexual violence, maternal mortality and economic disparity while highlighting the resilience and strength of ordinary women in overcoming them.\n* \"Spell of the Sensuous\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book offers a radical reinterpretation of our relationship with the natural world. It critiques Western civilization’s estrangement from nature, exploring indigenous cultures and offering a philosophical enquiry into human perception and its relation to the environment.\n* \"Kids and the Amiga\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A guide to using the Amiga computer, aimed at children and early-tweens. It provides a hands-on approach to learning basic computer skills by creating practical programs.\n* \"Hackers\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: The book provides a comprehensive history of hackers, tracing the evolution of hacking culture from the 1950s to the present day. It details the personalities, philosophies, and technical exploits that have defined this diverse and innovative subculture.\n* \"LSD my problem child\" by Albert Hoffmann (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book is the autobiography of Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who first synthesized LSD. It chronicles his discovery, the subsequent fallout, and his personal experiences with the drug.\n* \"Electric cool aid acid test\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book tells the story of novelist Ken Kesey and his band of Merry Pranksters. They embarked on a cross-country bus journey, experimenting with LSD and challenging societal norms, becoming pivotal figures in the psychedelic movement and the counterculture of the 1960s.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"On Writing\" by Stephen King (1 mention)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13970233,
          "author": "pagutierrezn",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T18:15:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13970233",
          "commentText": "1- The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli. Specially the edition commented by Napoleon Buonaparte.\n2-Diffusion of Innovations by Everett M. Rogers. This book makes \"Crossing the chasm\" a simplistic introduction for laggards\n3-The Art of War by Sun Tzu\n4-If Nature Is the Answer, What Was the Question? By Jorge Wagensberg\n5-Sacred hoops by Phil Jackson\n6-Fear from freedom by Erich Fromm\n7-Michelangelo biography of a genious\n8-Blindness by Jose Saramago\n9-On writing by Stephen King",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "9-On writing by Stephen King",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10028566,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T20:28:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10028566",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps to the Epiphany - Steve Blank\nSteve Jobs - Walter Isaacson\nArtificial Life  - Steven Levy\nOn Writing - Stephen King\nMachine Learning for Hackers - Drew Conway and John Myles White\nHow Doctors Think - Jerome Goopman\nCholesterol Clarity: What The HDL Is Wrong With My Numbers? - Jimmy Moore & Eric C. Westman\nBarbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco - Bryan Burrough & John Helyar",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On Writing - Stephen King",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1965672,
          "author": "demosthe",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-03T13:18:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 1965039,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books for English writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1965672",
          "commentText": "_Bird by Bird_ by Anne Lamott  http://amzn.com/0385480016\nGood, interesting, book on writing from a writing teacher's POV. Useful if you want to read the truth about the struggle to get published. Also good for improving your writing.\n_On Writing_ by Stephen King  http://amzn.com/1439156816\nStephen King's surprisingly good book on being a professional writer for most of his life.\n\"Writer's Digest\" magazine. http://amzn.com/B00005NIPH\nI've been subscribed to Writer's Digest for years. Full of helpful hints, interesting articles, and suggestions for improving your writing, regardless of the genre or media for which you are writing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stephen King's surprisingly good book on being a professional writer for most of his life.",
          "reason": "Described as a surprisingly good account of a professional writing life.",
          "audience": "People interested in professional writing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen King"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Writing",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "writing craft",
        "memoir",
        "professional writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "one-day-in-the-life-of-ivan-denisovich-a8e9bf",
      "title": "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich",
      "author": "Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29032144,
          "author": "kleer001",
          "createdAt": "2021-10-28T21:18:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 29030285,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29032144",
          "commentText": "I found \"a day in the life of ivan devisionvitch\" sufficient. It was on sale at Audible a little while ago too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found \"a day in the life of ivan devisionvitch\" sufficient.",
          "reason": "Says the audiobook was sufficient.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168677,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:31:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168677",
          "commentText": "I can't give just one, but here are a few that had a strong influence on me: \n\"12 Rules for Life\" by Jordan Peterson, \"Why Switzerland?\" Jonathan Steinberg, \"Little Book of Common Sense Investing\" by John C. Bogle, \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" by Butron Malkiel, \"Liberalismus\" by Ludwig von Mises, \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann, \"Walden\" by Henry David Thoreau, \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"A Treatise on Political Economy\" by Jean-Baptiste Say, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy\" by Joseph Alois Schumpeter, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"My Correct Views on Everything\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"The Captive Mind\" Czesław Miłosz, \"One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, \"The House of the Dead\" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, \"Conversations with an Executioner\" by Kazimierz Moczarski, \"Diary 1954\" by Leopold Tyrmand, \"The Master and Margarita\" by Mikhail Bulgakov, \"A World Apart: A Memoir of the Gulag\" by Gustaw Herling-Grudziński",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a strong influence on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "soviet labor camps",
        "soviet literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "one-fish-two-fish-red-fish-blue-fish-99036c",
      "title": "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish",
      "author": "Dr. Seuss",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50037878,
          "author": "NishanStepak",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-10T22:37:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50037878",
          "commentText": "I have always liked The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter, Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, Chicken Soup With Rice by Maurice Sendak, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss and Yertle The Turtle by Dr. Seuss.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have always liked it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26800750,
          "author": "lnwlebjel",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-13T23:16:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26800750",
          "commentText": "Mo Willems is awesome (Pigeon series, Elephant and Piggy). Some of the Dr. Suess books are still great and fun to read (I can read with my eyes shut, One fish two fish). The book with no pictures, the day the crayons quit, dragons love tacos, and the princess and the dragon by Audrey Wood are all books that I've probably read 100 times and still enjoy.\nAs my kids got a bit older the Box Car children series was compelling, and the girls loved the Rainbow Magic books. Capt. Underpants and Dog man are hilarious and just subversive enough that a 7-9 yr old feel like they are getting away with something. Then on to Mysterious Benedict Society, Harry Potter, Rick Riordan, and Keeper of the Lost Cities.\nOur M.O. was to max out our Library card on a regular basis with just about everything possible and then iterate from there on the authors the kids enjoyed. I feel like reading is one of the things we've gotten right so far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One fish two fish",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Young children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dr. Seuss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "early readers",
        "picture books",
        "rhyming books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "one-up-on-wall-street-f752f6",
      "title": "One Up on Wall Street",
      "author": "Peter Lynch",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12146223,
          "author": "sunstone",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T19:42:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12146223",
          "commentText": "1.The Trouble with Lawyers - an early introduction to conflicts of interest\n2.One Up On Wall Street - insiders view of the markets and other lessons\n3.Consilence - how to distinguish real things from unreal things",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2.One Up On Wall Street - insiders view of the markets and other lessons",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 248542,
          "author": "simplyauser",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T15:09:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248542",
          "commentText": "I have read many of the recommend books. Here are my two pence.\nBooks on Wealth\n    1. \"Rich Dad Poor Dad\"\n     and find out exactly why someone becomes rich.\n    (if you like this one, at some point you may also\n     want to quickly scan through \"Cashflow Quadrant\n     Rich Dad's Guide to Financial Freedom\".)\n\n     2. Also \"chapter 6 - How to make wealth\"\n     from \"Hackers and Painters's chapter 6 - \"\n\n     3. \"The Way to Wealth by Benjamin Franklin\"\n\n\nInvesting books in this order\n    1. Peter Lynch's One Up on wall street\n    2. The Intelligent Investor  (Ben Graham)\n    3. Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits\n    4. Security Analysis (Ben Graham)\n    5. The Warren Buffet Way is a famous business read not exceptional but read it if you have some time left\n    6. A Random Walk Down Wall Street (Read it for a good laugh)\n\n\nDo NOT read\n    1. AA- The Motley Fool Money Guide\n    2. How Gerge Soros Knows What He Knows\n    3. Investing Online For Dummies\n    4. Malkiel Burton - A Random Walk Down Wall Street\n    5. Cracking the millionaire code\n    6. Joel Greenblatt - You Can Be A Stock Market Genius",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Peter Lynch's One Up on wall street",
          "reason": "Listed in the suggested reading order for investing books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Lynch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "investing",
        "stock analysis",
        "stock market"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "operating-manual-for-spaceship-earth-625c09",
      "title": "Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth",
      "author": "R. Buckminster Fuller",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27640267,
          "author": "godmode2019",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T08:46:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27640267",
          "commentText": "* Thinking fast and slow - how to think and make decision and how to consider bias.\n* Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth - specialisation is for insects.\n* Propaganda - 1928 book by the inventor of public relations and modern media. Know how they influence you.\n* The war of art - being a professional. Honesty I don't think this book was written by a human this book completely changed my life and any other person I for to read this book had a similar experience.\nI have more but I don't want to information overload anyone.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth - specialisation is for insects.",
          "reason": "Lists it with a comment criticizing specialization.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109787,
          "author": "crisnoble",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T17:42:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109787",
          "commentText": "Operating Manual For Spaceship Earth - R. Buckminster Fuller\nIt turns out Bucky was a lot more than the man who invented Bucky Balls, this book was written in 1971 and is still incredibly accurate.\nAs an aside, I have been logging the books I read over the past two years here: http://crismannoble.github.io/tabula/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this book was written in 1971 and is still incredibly accurate.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book remains incredibly accurate.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "R. Buckminster Fuller"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "systems thinking",
        "design science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "operating-manual-for-spaceship-earth-b74730",
      "title": "Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth",
      "author": "Buckminster Fuller",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17170821,
          "author": "Fuzzwah",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-28T06:12:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17170821",
          "commentText": "Operating Manual For Spaceship Earth\nBy Buckminster Fuller\nI first read it when I was ~25 and it made me think about the way the world is, the historical reasons it is this way and how we can nudge it towards being better.\nIt frustrates me that Fuller wrote the book nearly 50 years ago and all the same stupid crap continues to happen and humanity doesn't seem to be getting its collective shit together.\nBut then I remember the lessons from the book on why the world is like it is and how we can only nudge it slowly....\nYou can read it here: http://designsciencelab.com/resources/OperatingManual_BF.pdf\nEdit to also mention; Small Gods by Terry Pratchett (as well as basically every other book he ever wrote).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Operating Manual For Spaceship Earth\nBy Buckminster Fuller\nI first read it when I was ~25 and it made me think about the way the world is, the historical reasons it is this way and how we can nudge it towards being better.",
          "reason": "Says it changed how they think about the world and how it can improve.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Frustrated that the same problems continue; change can only be nudged slowly.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156396,
          "author": "decasteve",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:22:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156396",
          "commentText": "Marshall McLuhan's \"Gutenberg Galaxy\" and \"Understanding Media\".\nBuckminster Fuller's \"Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth\" (and other books and essays of his).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Buckminster Fuller's \"Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Buckminster Fuller"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Society",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "systems thinking",
        "sustainability",
        "world design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "operating-system-concepts-974868",
      "title": "Operating System Concepts",
      "author": "Abraham Silberschatz, Peter B. Galvin, and Greg Gagne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12150875,
          "author": "de107549",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-23T20:24:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12150875",
          "commentText": "There were different book that impacted different stages of my career:\nAs a programmer :\n1. The C++ Programming Language by Bjarne Stroustrup.\n2. Operating System Concepts by Silberschatz\n3. Compilers by Aho\nAs an agile software developer:\n1. eXtreme Programming by Kent Beck\n2. Pragmatic Programmer by Hunt and Thomas\n3. Continuous Delivery by Jez Humble\nAs an architect:\n1. Domain Driven Design by Evans\n2. Pattern-Oriented Software Architecture by Buschmann\n3. Envisioning Information by Edward Tufte\nAs a CEO:\n1. Good To Great by Collins\n2. Lean Startup by Eric Ries\n3. Beyond Budgeting by Pfläging",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Operating System Concepts by Silberschatz",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414384,
          "author": "samdalton",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T08:53:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414384",
          "commentText": "While not strictly a CS book, \"Godel, Escher, Bach\" by Douglas Hofstadter definitely has strong roots in the area. It's not a text book, nor anything even close, however, there is a reasonable amount of mathematics and programming language design which make it educational as well as inspirational (particularly formal logic systems, around which the premise of the book is built).\nThe book is somewhat life changing, in the questions that it asks. You might find yourself thinking about things differently, such as what it is to be conscious, can we ever achieve artificial intelligence, is there such a thing as fate, how was J.S. Bach able to produce such stunning compositions, etc.\nIt's quite heavy going however, but there's a slightly more succinct, terse version which he wrote a few years ago, called \"I Am a Strange Loop\". This book takes the point he was trying to make in the first book, and expands on it while adding clarification. It does lack a lot of story that the original contained, so it's not a complete replacement however.\nWhile I think of it, there's also Operating System Concepts by Silberschatz, Gagne and Galvin - http://www.amazon.com/Operating-System-Concepts-Windows-Upda... (http://www.amazon.com/Operating-System-Concepts-Windows-Update/dp/0471250600).\nIt's an extremely detailed look at how operating systems work, down to the lowest level, and it explains a large number of things that we interact with on a daily basis.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's an extremely detailed look at how operating systems work, down to the lowest level",
          "reason": "Describes it as an extremely detailed explanation of how operating systems work.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an in-depth understanding of operating systems.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Abraham Silberschatz, Peter B. Galvin, and Greg Gagne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "operating systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "options-as-a-strategic-investment-da32ef",
      "title": "Options as a Strategic Investment",
      "author": "Lawrence G. McMillan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26323763,
          "author": "nathanasmith",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-03T01:55:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 26321793,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books made you the most money?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26323763",
          "commentText": "Options as a Strategic Investment by Lawrence G. McMillan introduced me to the wonderful world of selling covered calls on my long term holds as well as many of the ins and outs of options wrangling in general.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Options as a Strategic Investment by Lawrence G. McMillan introduced me to the wonderful world of selling covered calls on my long term holds as well as many of the ins and outs of options wrangling in general.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book introduced them to covered calls and options strategies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17524074,
          "author": "kevas",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T16:01:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17524074",
          "commentText": "For me...\n1. Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets by John Murphy\n2. Options as a Strategic Investment by Lawrence G. McMillan\n3. [just finished] The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right By Atul Gawande\n4. [finished last week] Dealers of Lightning by Michael A. Hiltzik\n5. [currently working on] Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software By GOF\n6. [currently working on] Dan Appleman's Visual Basic Programmer's Guide to the Win32 API by Dan Appleman\n7. [next on the list] Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed by Ben Rich, Leo Janos",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Options as a Strategic Investment by Lawrence G. McMillan",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list of books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter provides no evaluation beyond listing it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12562401,
          "author": "jnordwick",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T04:52:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12562401",
          "commentText": "For options the other two that I've read and liked are Sinclair and McMillian:\nhttps://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0470181990/\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Options-Strategic-Investment-Lawrence... (https://www.amazon.com/Options-Strategic-Investment-Lawrence-McMillan/dp/0735204659)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For options the other two that I've read and liked are Sinclair and McMillian:",
          "reason": "Says they have read and liked McMillan's book on options.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in options.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lawrence G. McMillan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "options trading",
        "investing",
        "covered calls",
        "derivatives"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "orbital-cffc59",
      "title": "Orbital",
      "author": "Samantha Harvey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46227376,
          "author": "wryoak",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-11T03:39:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 46226571,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46227376",
          "commentText": "Man’s Search For Meaning (Frankl), The Color Purple (Walker), Orbital (Harvey)\nNot specifically for the HN community but these are the only books I read this year that I would recommend without qualification.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Orbital (Harvey)",
          "reason": "Recommended without qualification.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42268834,
          "author": "sien",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:04:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268834",
          "commentText": "A few of the books that stand out that I've read this year.\nTroubled - Rob Henderson. About how Henderson was in state care and wound up at prestigious universities and his thoughts on the world.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/176444107-troubled\nNot the End of the World - Hannah Ritchie from 'Our World in Data' about the state of the planet.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145624737-not-the-end-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145624737-not-the-end-of-the-world)\nDictatorland - Paul Kenyon - About the dictators who have impoverished Africa.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36260719-dictatorland\nMagic Pill - Johann Hari - About Semaglutide and how people got fat.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/201319612-magic-pill\nOn the Edge - Nate Silver - About how seeing the world in terms of risk and expected value can work.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/204236707-on-the-edge\nOrbital - Samantha Harvey - Booker Prize winner about people on the ISS and the world.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123136728-orbital\nBuild, Baby, Build - Bryan Caplan on why YIMBYism is a good idea. This is a graphic novel. It's really fun.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/181564537-build-baby-bui... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/181564537-build-baby-build)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Orbital - Samantha Harvey - Booker Prize winner about people on the ISS and the world.",
          "reason": "Lists it among books that stood out this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Samantha Harvey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "international space station",
        "space"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "our-mathematical-universe-870f69",
      "title": "Our Mathematical Universe",
      "author": "Max Tegmark",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17521167,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T07:42:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521167",
          "commentText": "Here are the best books I've read over the last few months:\n- Lost and Founder - the founder of Moz shares his advice and experience from building a 40M/year company. I found the things he says about building a startup extremely insightful and practically useful. Reading it feels like having a dinner with a friend who shares with you the things he has learned in a very honest, down to earth way. Highly recommend it.\n- Rationality from AI to Zombies - probably the most influential book I've read in my life, profoundly changed the way I think. It's a collection of LessWrong essays on science and rationality. (recently they've released an an audio version by the way).\n- \"A Short History of Nearly Everything\" and \"Our Mathematical Universe\" - two general popular science books I'm enjoying a lot. Haven't finished reading them yet, but so far they're brilliant(and very easy to understand, authors do an amazing job explaining complicated things in a simple, accessible way).\n- Hacking Growth - an AMAZING book on \"growth hacking\". It provides a framework for marketing a startup, gives a ton of practical advice and specific tactics. It breaks down step by step how  startups and big tech companies grow their products. Most of the books I've read on the subject were bullshit, but this one is absolutely fantastic, can't recommend it enough.\nOther great books I should mention:  This Idea is Brilliant, Actionable Gamification, The Design of Everyday Things, The Master Algorithm (great overview of machine learning techniqes), Springfield Confidential (fun behind the scenes from one of the writers on Simpsons), Homo Deus(from the author of Sapiens).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "so far they're brilliant(and very easy to understand, authors do an amazing job explaining complicated things in a simple, accessible way).",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it brilliant and accessible while still explaining complicated ideas.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking accessible popular science and cosmology.",
          "caveat": "The commenter had not finished reading it.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15157772,
          "author": "1001101",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T19:29:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15157772",
          "commentText": "Our Mathematical Universe - Max Tegmark\nBeing and Nothingness - Sartre\nChaos - Gleik\nSurely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! - Feynman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Our Mathematical Universe - Max Tegmark",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking which books had the biggest impact on mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8026610,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-13T04:06:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 8025870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8026610",
          "commentText": "Fiction: Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace\nNon-Fiction / Science:  Our Mathematical Universe by Max Tegmark\nNon-Fiction / Business: Predictable Revenue by Aaron Ross\nNon-Fiction / Programming / Tech: OSGI in Action by Richard Hall, Karl Pauls, Stuart McCulloch, and David Savage",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Non-Fiction / Science:  Our Mathematical Universe by Max Tegmark",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Max Tegmark"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cosmology",
        "mathematical universe hypothesis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "out-of-their-minds-the-lives-and-discoveries-of-15-great-computer-256efa",
      "title": "Out of Their Minds: The Lives and Discoveries of 15 Great Computer Scientists",
      "author": "Dennis Shasha and Cathy Lazere",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31178955,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2022-04-27T12:15:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 31166475,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Top inspiring books on crucial CS ideas?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31178955",
          "commentText": "* Understanding Computation: From Simple Machines to Impossible Programs by Tom Stuart.\n* Out of their Minds: The Lives and Discoveries of 15 Great Computer Scientists by Dennis Shasha et al.\n* Ideas That Created the Future: Classic Papers of Computer Science edited by Harry Lewis - Came across this book in another HN thread but i don't have it yet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Out of their Minds: The Lives and Discoveries of 15 Great Computer Scientists by Dennis Shasha et al.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22706809,
          "author": "dstein64",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T20:56:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22706809",
          "commentText": "Out of their Minds: The Lives and Discoveries of 15 Great Computer Scientists https://cs.nyu.edu/shasha/outofmind.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Out of their Minds: The Lives and Discoveries of 15 Great Computer Scientists",
          "reason": "The book is offered in response to a request for computer science and computer history books.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computer scientists and their discoveries.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dennis Shasha",
        "Cathy Lazere"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer scientists",
        "scientific biography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "overcoming-gravity-a-systematic-approach-to-gymnastics-and-bodywe-e24842",
      "title": "Overcoming Gravity: A Systematic Approach to Gymnastics and Bodyweight Strength",
      "author": "Steven Low",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30900545,
          "author": "le-hu",
          "createdAt": "2022-04-03T20:54:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30900545",
          "commentText": "What really got me into strength training was accidental read of\nOvercoming Gravity: A Systematic Approach to Gymnastics and Bodyweight Strength\nThis book turned out to be infinite knowledge source about physical training and how our body works in general.\nAt first I wasn't convinced as the author looks more like a computer geek than ultra strong gymnast - but once you read it, you get to understand what strength really is, and why size of your muscles do not convey how strong you are.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "What really got me into strength training was accidental read of\nOvercoming Gravity: A Systematic Approach to Gymnastics and Bodyweight Strength",
          "reason": "The commenter says reading it got them into strength training and describes it as a source of knowledge about physical training.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter initially doubted the author’s credibility based on his appearance.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8716631,
          "author": "Evgeny",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T14:45:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8716631",
          "commentText": "For the mind:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic/dp/01953... (http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic/dp/0195374614)\nA Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy - William B. Irvine\nNot only a description of the Stoic philosophy, which is, unfortunately, not very well known today, but also a great practical guide to a variety of techniques that can be included into daily activities easily, and will increase happiness.\nFor the body:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Overcoming-Gravity-Systematic-Gymnasti... (http://www.amazon.com/Overcoming-Gravity-Systematic-Gymnastics-Bodyweight/dp/1467933120)\nOvercoming Gravity: A Systematic Approach to Gymnastics and Bodyweight Strength - Steven Low\nAs I'm growing older (turned 40 last year), I'm no longer inclined to exercise with very heavy weights and was looking into replacing most of the barbell/dumbell exercises in my routine with bodyweight exercise. The book is a great encyclopedia of exercise that can be performed without or with minimal equipment. There are progressions, advice on creating routines, on injury prevention and management and a lot more. There is also a subreddit for those who follow the book http://www.reddit.com/r/overcominggravity",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book is a great encyclopedia of exercise that can be performed without or with minimal equipment.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great exercise encyclopedia and describes its progressions, routines, and injury guidance.",
          "audience": "People seeking bodyweight exercises with little or no equipment.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Low"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bodyweight training",
        "gymnastics strength",
        "exercise physiology",
        "exercise programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pachinko-4aa85e",
      "title": "Pachinko",
      "author": "Min Jin Lee",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46392136,
          "author": "eleventen",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T14:11:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46392136",
          "commentText": "Pachinko by Min Jin Lee stuck with me more than anything else I read this year. It is a work of simple beauty.\nIt’s a story of several generations of poor Korean women who eventually immigrate to Japan. The front half of the book is wonderfully paced to spend time with the characters.  The back half can feel a bit rushed, but it becomes more of a page turner.\nThe Cold Millions by Jess Walter is another period novel about union organizing in the Pacific Northwest around the turn of the century, and follows two brothers.  The depth of research makes this book wonderfully vibrant.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pachinko by Min Jin Lee stuck with me more than anything else I read this year. It is a work of simple beauty.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it stood out most among their reads and calls it a work of simple beauty.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39249259,
          "author": "philshem",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T11:00:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249259",
          "commentText": "All fiction so far (and with similar themes)\n- Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow\n- Pachinko\n- Homegoing (just started)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Pachinko",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33385979,
          "author": "sg47",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T17:10:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33385979",
          "commentText": "Pachinko, Three Body Problem",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pachinko",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Min Jin Lee"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "korean diaspora",
        "historical fiction",
        "family saga"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "palo-alto-a-history-of-california-capitalism-and-the-world-37b66e",
      "title": "Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World",
      "author": "Malcolm Harris",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38558868,
          "author": "pauljonas",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T17:06:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38558868",
          "commentText": "1. Doppleganger: A Trip into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein — have read other titles by this author & they were mostly meh, but this is an incredible book, hard to describe, better to experience. Ostensibly is about how the author is often confused with Naomi Wolf who went down conspiracy rabbit holes but it is so much more than that.\n2. The Myth of Christian Beginnings by Robert Wilkin — an older title (1971), short well written book on how Christians mythologize early Christians, & frame it as some static model of heavenly perfection that they're always trying to get back to, or maintain\n3. Everyday Utopia by Kristen Ghodsee — on the surface, a book about utopian community experiments but is so much more, imaginative conjuring on thinking outside the box, how we blindly just accept things the way they are, so dismissive of nonorthodox ideas\n4. Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World by Malcolm Harris — just as the title advertises, have read a lot of history but the 19C on California presented here was so interesting",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the 19C on California presented here was so interesting",
          "reason": "Says the book’s account of nineteenth-century California was interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36601468,
          "author": "HamptonFounders",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:07:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601468",
          "commentText": "Not sure if this is what you're interested in, but a friend recently recommended reading these two in tandem:\n\"The Image\" by David Boorstin, and \"Palo Alto\" by Malcom Harris\nBoth offer views on the evolution of technology, but from authors with somewhat opposing viewpoints.\n\"The Image\" is particularly interesting to read today, because it was written in 1962, with the advent of TV, and back then one of the core concerns was edited video and how it was becoming increasingly difficult to differentiate fact from fiction.\nInteresting overlap with some of the concerns around LLMs",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Palo Alto\" by Malcom Harris",
          "reason": "A friend recommended reading it alongside The Image for contrasting views on technology's evolution.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Malcolm Harris"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "california history",
        "capitalism",
        "silicon valley",
        "technology history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "papillon-781f82",
      "title": "Papillon",
      "author": "Henri Charrière",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Papillon",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 57238,
          "author": "sexmissile",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-20T04:10:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=57238",
          "commentText": "Papillion by Charest, amazing inspirational true story.\nVoltaire's Bastards - John Rolston Saul - Timeless\nanything by Nietzsche\nThe economist and the New Yorker\nanything you can get your hands on but with a grain of salt.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Papillion by Charest, amazing inspirational true story.",
          "reason": "Describes it as an amazing, inspirational true story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Henri Charrière"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "prison escape",
        "prison memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "paradigms-of-ai-programming-c55275",
      "title": "Paradigms of AI Programming",
      "author": "Peter Norvig",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22300203,
          "author": "jhbadger",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-11T17:16:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22300203",
          "commentText": "Yes, it really teaches both good Lisp style and the history of AI.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Yes, it really teaches both good Lisp style and the history of AI.",
          "reason": "The reply affirms the parent comment’s praise of the book’s lessons.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14842736,
          "author": "abecedarius",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-24T21:13:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14842736",
          "commentText": "Thinking Forth; Software Tools; SICP; Abstraction and Specification in Program Development; Essentials of Programming Languages; Paradigms of AI Programming; I'd like to list something about OO too, but no book I know really measures up to learning from other programmers. But there's Mark S. Miller's thesis Robust Composition.\n(in roughly chronological order. As you can see from the chronology, it took me a long time to start to like OOP.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Paradigms of AI Programming",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which books shaped the commenter's approach to code structure.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Norvig"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "lisp",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "parallel-worlds-a-journey-through-creation-higher-dimensions-and--bb74f0",
      "title": "Parallel Worlds: A Journey Through Creation, Higher Dimensions, and the Future of the Cosmos",
      "author": "Michio Kaku",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25906469,
          "author": "RocketSyntax",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T18:05:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25906469",
          "commentText": "It's okay. Check out Parallel Worlds.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Check out Parallel Worlds.",
          "reason": "Recommends the book in response to a comment about cosmology reading.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in cosmology and the universe.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876127,
          "author": "niyazpk",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T05:46:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876127",
          "commentText": "Two good books I read recently:\n1) Parallel Worlds: A Journey Through Creation, Higher Dimensions, and the Future of the Cosmos by Michio Kaku\n2) The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (I haven't read Atlas Shrugged yet. So cannot compare them.)\nYesterday I finished Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell and it is a very good book too.\nCurrently reading: What They Teach you at Harvard Business School: My Two Years Inside the Cauldron of Capitalism by Philip Delves Broughton",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Two good books I read recently:\n1) Parallel Worlds: A Journey Through Creation, Higher Dimensions, and the Future of the Cosmos by Michio Kaku",
          "reason": "Calls it one of two good books read recently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michio Kaku"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cosmology",
        "multiverse",
        "string theory",
        "theoretical physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "peace-2b1260",
      "title": "Peace",
      "author": "Gene Wolfe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49906501,
          "author": "raleighm",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T09:37:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49906501",
          "commentText": "I've read all his series but haven't gotten to Peace one yet, and his diehard fans all seem to agree it's one of his best works. How was it, other than the tangle. (Which is my experience with all of his books tbh.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've read all his series but haven't gotten to Peace one yet",
          "reason": "Reports not having read it yet and asks how it was.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Has heard the author's diehard fans consider it one of his best, but expects the same tangle found in his other books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33383519,
          "author": "rnernento",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T12:37:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33383519",
          "commentText": "I think Gene Wolfe is the one of the greatest authors of all time across any genre. I highly highly recommend the Fifth Head of Cerberus which is 3 short interconnected novellas and Peace, which isn't traditional Sci-Fi but is absolutely worth a read.\nHe's not just writing, he's constructing beautifully crafted puzzle-boxes that take a lot of time and thought to unpack.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and Peace, which isn't traditional Sci-Fi but is absolutely worth a read.",
          "reason": "Recommended as worth reading despite not being traditional science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is not traditional science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25910190,
          "author": "etherio",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T23:06:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25910190",
          "commentText": "I got a few nice sci-fi books for Christmas, including Exhalation by Ted Chiang and Peace by Gene Wolf.\nI also want to read Godel, Escher Bach, it's been recommended to me a lot.\nDefinitely some interesting picks on this thread.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "and Peace by Gene Wolf",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gene Wolfe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "unreliable narrator",
        "puzzle narrative",
        "unreliable narration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "peak-secrets-from-the-new-science-of-expertise-8ac14b",
      "title": "Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise",
      "author": "Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33798133,
          "author": "jamager",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T07:59:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33798133",
          "commentText": "Peak: Secrets from New Science of Expertise\nThe book is not actually about problem solving, but about deliberate practice. It is a bit tangential, but in seen problem solving as a skill, you can see how the principles in that book apply.\nA good book - however, like many books of this style, I find it somewhat repetitive too.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Peak: Secrets from New Science of Expertise\nThe book is not actually about problem solving, but about deliberate practice.",
          "reason": "The commenter connects the book's principles of deliberate practice to problem solving as a skill.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It is tangential to problem solving and somewhat repetitive.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17534144,
          "author": "joddystreet",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T07:12:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17534144",
          "commentText": "Bhagvad Gita (as it is) - A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada\nNot just a spiritual book, more like the guiding principles that anyone, starting something new, could use.\nThe Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation - Jon Gertner\nBell Labs, the RnD wing of AT&T-was the best laboratory for new ideas in the world. The book tells a story about the life and work of a small group of brilliant people - Mervin Kelly, Bill Shockley, Claude Shannon, John Pierce, and Bill Baker.\nPeak - Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool\nYou must have heard this a 1000 times - \"you can do this\", the book is about - \"yes, and this is how\"\nThe master algorithm - Pedro Domingos\nBook details out the philosophies of various schools of thought in AI - deep learning, bayesian, genetic, reasoning - in a very simple language.\nWhat technology wants - Kevin Kelly\nTechnology is a living organism and there are patterns to the technology evolution, not unlike the organic evolution.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you can do this\", the book is about - \"yes, and this is how\"",
          "reason": "Describes the book as explaining how to achieve what you set out to do.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961696,
          "author": "Tehchops",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T17:10:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961696",
          "commentText": "Currently reading: Hyperion.\n* Peak: Secretes From the New Science of Expertise\n* The Hard Thing About Hard Things\n* American Gods\n* The Dark Tower\n* Children of Time\n* Sapiens\n* The Lies of Locke Lamora: Gentleman Bastards #1\n* Red Seas Under Red Skies: Gentleman Bastards #2\n* Dark Matter\n* The Dark Tower #1\n* Guns of The Dawn\n* The Hunter Killers\n* Snow Crash",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Peak: Secretes From the New Science of Expertise",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as a book in the commenter's list; no evaluation is given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anders Ericsson",
        "Robert Pool"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "deliberate practice",
        "expertise"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "peopleware-productive-projects-and-teams-3dad74",
      "title": "Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams",
      "author": "Tom DeMarco and Tim Lister",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12416068,
          "author": "jrs235",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T20:34:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416068",
          "commentText": "Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams by Tom DeMarco and Tim Lister (http://amzn.to/2ckIYbJ)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams by Tom DeMarco and Tim Lister",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297242,
          "author": "jeremysmyth",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T13:50:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297242",
          "commentText": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peopleware:_Productive_Project... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peopleware:_Productive_Projects_and_Teams)\nThat page doesn't do it justice, sadly. This book just gets it about working in teams and larger organizations.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book just gets it about working in teams and larger organizations.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it understands working in teams and larger organizations.",
          "audience": "Managers working with teams and larger organizations.",
          "caveat": "The linked page does not do the book justice.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom DeMarco and Tim Lister"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software teams",
        "project management",
        "technical management",
        "workplace culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "performance-modeling-and-design-of-computer-systems-b3c89a",
      "title": "Performance Modeling and Design of Computer Systems",
      "author": "Mor Harchol-Balter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33852194,
          "author": "kqr",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T10:01:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33852194",
          "commentText": "At first I was going to say \"there are too many good ones and I can't pick out a favourite.\" But then I looked at the list and there is one clear favourite among many very good ones: Performance Modeling and Design of Computer Systems.\nQueueing theory is probably one of the most useful subjects of all time, for just about any human. This book teaches it in a way that made it extremely easy for me to grok.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "there is one clear favourite among many very good ones: Performance Modeling and Design of Computer Systems. Queueing theory is probably one of the most useful subjects of all time",
          "reason": "Names it as their clear favorite and says it made queueing theory extremely easy to understand.",
          "audience": "People interested in queueing theory and computer systems.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25989052,
          "author": "mjb",
          "createdAt": "2021-02-01T14:40:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 25987664,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommended books and papers on distributed systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25989052",
          "commentText": "This is a very good list. Adrian's blog is, particularly, a treasure.\nI wrote this post a while ago, aiming to answer a similar question about finding paper: http://brooker.co.za/blog/2020/05/25/reading.html One key point there is that there are, in my mind, multiple 'modes' of reading, and I like to use different approaches to finding material for different modes. Those blogs you list are great for curiosity mode. Another great resource there is Twitter: following distributed systems practitioners and researchers, and seeing what they tweet about. When I read a (recent) paper I really like, I often see if the authors are active on Twitter and follow them there if they are.\nIt's also important not to weight too much on recency. A lot of the canon is actually more approachable than newer papers. For example, Lamport's classic \"Time, Clocks\" (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/publication/time-cl... (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/publication/time-clocks-ordering-events-distributed-system/)) and distributed snapshot (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/publication/distrib... (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/publication/distributed-snapshots-determining-global-states-distributed-system/)) papers, and Gilbert and Lynch's CAP paper (http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.67.... (http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.67.6951&rep=rep1&type=pdf)) are approachable without deep background or systems knowledge. Similarly, John Little's \"\nA Proof for the Queuing Formula: L = λW\" (https://pubsonline.informs.org/doi/abs/10.1287/opre.9.3.383) is quite approachable if you have a math background but no systems knowledge, and is one of the foundational results behind the practice of building stable systems.\nI've got some longer-form dives into researcher's work here: http://brooker.co.za/blog/2014/03/30/lamport-pub.html http://brooker.co.za/blog/2014/09/21/liskov-pub.html\nhttp://brooker.co.za/blog/2014/05/10/lynch-pub.html\nFinally, books. There are a couple recommendations for Martin Kleppman's Designing Data-Intensive Applications book, which I like a whole lot. Alex Petrov's \"Database Internals\" is also a very approachable introduction. I wish every practitioner in the field would read Harchol-Balter's Performance Modeling and Design of Computer Systems.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I wish every practitioner in the field would read Harchol-Balter's Performance Modeling and Design of Computer Systems.",
          "reason": "The commenter says every practitioner in the field should read it.",
          "audience": "Practitioners in the field.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mor Harchol-Balter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "performance modeling",
        "queueing theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "persuasion-42776c",
      "title": "Persuasion",
      "author": "Jane Austen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50119582,
          "author": "pmpmpmpm",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T15:25:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50119582",
          "commentText": "I can’t resist an invocation:)\nMost of these are old since I’ve been reading more articles these days but here are a few good books or series I’ve read more than twice: The Hobbit, LOTR, the Silmarillion, Neuromancer, the Chronicles of Narnia, Hong Lou Meng, The Heart Sutra, The Bhagavad Gita, The Tao De Ching, The Wheel of Time series, No country for old men, Persuasion, Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice, The Way of Kings, The Talisman, the Dark Tower Series, and The Prophet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Persuasion",
          "reason": "Included among good books read more than twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567953,
          "author": "madhadron",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T17:46:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567953",
          "commentText": "I separate my books into levels. Level 0 are the books that I reread steadily over the years (also the ones that I pack in my suitcase when I'm moving as opposed to shipping), so I'll just post that list here, in no particular order: 'Good Poems' edited by Garrison Keiller; 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen; 'Persuasion' by Jane Austen; Fitzgerald's translation of 'The Rubaiyat'; Ford Madox Ford's 'Parade's End'; Hafiz, 'The Gift'; Modesitt, 'Gravity Dreams'; Heinlein, 'Time Enough for Love'; Bulgakov, 'Master and Margarita'; 'Ovid in Love' (Guy Lee's translation of the Amores).\nI've been revisiting a lot of Le Guin's novellas ('The Found and the Lost' is a great collection) and Borges's stories since the election. They have been a source of great comfort.\nI find that I don't reread nonfiction. I'll reference something I remember in it, but I can't think of a work of nonfiction I've reread in the past few years.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Persuasion' by Jane Austen",
          "reason": "Lists it among books reread steadily over the years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jane Austen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "regency romance",
        "romance",
        "second chances"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "philip-and-alex-s-guide-to-web-publishing-6b3e6d",
      "title": "Philip and Alex's Guide to Web Publishing",
      "author": "Philip Greenspun",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4382500,
          "author": "tjr",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-14T18:55:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 4382456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: reading list for high school students interested in CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4382500",
          "commentText": "I was about 17 when I encountered The Hacker's Dictionary. It hasn't been updated much for years, but I think it would still provide an easy-to-read gateway into the way programmers think and some interesting tidbits of history.\nReading or watching Guy Steele's Growing a Language talk could be fun.\nThe Little Schemer could be a good choice.\nVan der Linden's Expert C Programming covers some serious C topics, but is also generally educational and enjoyable.\nYou could introduce them to Knuth's writings in an easily-digestible way, like maybe having them read and implement the Easter date algorithm in Volume 1.\nMaybe have them read [excerpts from?] something like Philip and Alex's Guide to Web Publishing and put together a small database web application.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "something like Philip and Alex's Guide to Web Publishing",
          "reason": "Suggested as a possible reading and project resource for students.",
          "audience": "High school and middle school students interested in software development",
          "caveat": "The commenter frames it as a possibility and suggests excerpts alongside building a small database web application.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143544,
          "author": "ojbyrne",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T20:47:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143544",
          "commentText": "Philip and Alex's Guide to Web Publishing: http://philip.greenspun.com/panda and other Greenspun writings. Yes the technical stuff in that book is dated, but what I really liked was the approach to building websites (and companies) from \"first principles,\" rather than just trying to copy what other people were doing.\nAlso since I was trying to write a Ph.D. thesis, it was just a revelation to see that MIT accepted something interesting and readable for his thesis.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "what I really liked was the approach to building websites (and companies) from \"first principles,\" rather than just trying to copy what other people were doing.",
          "reason": "The commenter liked its first-principles approach to building websites and companies.",
          "audience": "Readers building websites or companies.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the technical material is dated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip Greenspun"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "databases",
        "first principles thinking",
        "web development",
        "web publishing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "philosophy-who-needs-it-94be35",
      "title": "Philosophy: Who Needs It",
      "author": "Ayn Rand",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12562566,
          "author": "dmfdmf",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T05:43:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12562566",
          "commentText": "One of the best articles on Economics is Ayn Rand's \"Egalitarianism and Inflation\" in her anthology \"Philosophy: Who Needs it\".",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "in her anthology \"Philosophy: Who Needs it\".",
          "reason": "Identifies the anthology containing the praised essay.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5700940,
          "author": "maxharris",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-13T19:41:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5700940",
          "commentText": "The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Those are the two to start with.\nIf you like those, check out some of her nonfiction books: The Virtue of Selfishness: A New Concept of Egoism, Philosophy: Who Needs It, and Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology (these are but a few - Rand wrote a long series of nonfiction books).\nAyn Rand's Normative Ethics: The Virtuous Egoist by Tara Smith (a philosophy professor at UT-Austin) is excellent because it unpacks Ayn Rand's ethical system in an academic style. Finally, Leonard Peikoff's Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand gives a comprehensive view of Rand's entire philosophy.\nLight reading (not by Objectivist authors, and not in any particular order):\nMasters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture by David Kushner\nThe Soul of A New Machine by Tracy Kidder\nThe Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA by James Watson\nWhat Do You Care What Other People Think?: Further Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard Feynman\nSurely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard Feynman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Philosophy: Who Needs It",
          "reason": "Suggested as one of Rand's nonfiction books to explore if the reader likes her novels.",
          "audience": "Readers who like Rand's novels.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these are only a few of her nonfiction books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503213,
          "author": "dmfdmf",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T06:46:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503213",
          "commentText": "\"The Virtue of Selfishness\"\n\"Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal\"\n\"Philosophy: Who Needs It\"\n\"Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology\"\nAll by Ayn Rand. Whether you end up agreeing with her or not, she will definitely will make you think.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Philosophy: Who Needs It\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Whether you agree with Rand or not, she says it will make you think.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ayn Rand"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "objectivism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "platform-revolution-c53bee",
      "title": "Platform Revolution",
      "author": "Geoffrey G. Parker, Marshall W. Van Alstyne, and Sangeet Paul Choudary",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21853938,
          "author": "saasdev",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T23:24:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21853938",
          "commentText": "I agree that it’s tough to truly grok technical material in purely audio format. With that said, I think you can learn a ton by learning about the history, trends, and other software companies. Here are some of my favorites:\nThe Dream Machine\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer a Revolution\nHow the Internet Happened\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nAI Superpowers\nPlatform Revolution\nThe Everything Store",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Platform Revolution",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of favorites answering an audiobook request.",
          "audience": "Listeners interested in platform businesses.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20334882,
          "author": "RocketSyntax",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T13:45:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20334882",
          "commentText": "Platform Revolution - explains why two sided marketplaces work.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Platform Revolution - explains why two sided marketplaces work.",
          "reason": "Recommends the book as an explanation of two-sided marketplaces.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Geoffrey G. Parker",
        "Marshall W. Van Alstyne",
        "Sangeet Paul Choudary"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "digital platforms",
        "platform business models",
        "platform businesses",
        "two sided marketplaces"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "plowing-the-dark-e56064",
      "title": "Plowing the Dark",
      "author": "Richard Powers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8109226,
          "author": "johnny_utah",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:34:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109226",
          "commentText": "Plowing the Dark-Richard Powers\nI have tried to finish this book three times, but I have had to start at the beginning each time.  The plot is dense and I can't jump back in after ~150 pages and a month of not reading it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I have tried to finish this book three times, but I have had to start at the beginning each time. The plot is dense and I can't jump back in after ~150 pages and a month of not reading it.",
          "reason": "The dense plot makes it difficult for the commenter to resume after a break.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has struggled to finish it and restart after breaks.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227602,
          "author": "tsally",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T21:26:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227602",
          "commentText": "When I recommend books I make a coffee shop recommendation and an airport recommendation.  Both books are excellent, but the coffee shop book requires slower reader and more mental effort to get the benefit.\nCoffee shop:\nPlowing the Dark by Richard Powers.  The book follows to parallel stories: one of a company that invents virtual reality and another of a teacher that gets taken hostage by terrorists.  It's an incredible book and the reason why I decided to study computer science.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Plowing-Dark-Novel-Richard-Powers/dp/B... (http://www.amazon.com/Plowing-Dark-Novel-Richard-Powers/dp/B002RAR1DU)\nAirport:\nMoving Mars by Greg Bear.  Mars is a colony of Earth and the book follows a struggle for Martian independence. Also an incredible book.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Moving-Mars-Novel-Greg-Bear/dp/0812524... (http://www.amazon.com/Moving-Mars-Novel-Greg-Bear/dp/0812524802/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's an incredible book and the reason why I decided to study computer science.",
          "reason": "Calls it incredible and says it inspired them to study computer science.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy literary fiction involving virtual reality and parallel storylines.",
          "caveat": "Described as requiring slower reading and more mental effort.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Powers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "dense plot",
        "parallel narratives",
        "virtual reality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "politics-4d23c6",
      "title": "Politics",
      "author": "Aristotle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37937260,
          "author": "lylejantzi3rd",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:48:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937260",
          "commentText": "Rhetoric, Politics, and/or Ethics by Aristotle",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rhetoric, Politics, and/or Ethics by Aristotle",
          "reason": "Names Politics by Aristotle in response to a question about impactful non-fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure which work or works they mean.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032388,
          "author": "wilsonnb",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:22:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032388",
          "commentText": "Our field is so varied that there is no good answer to this question unless you specify what you want to focus on.\nSome people are inevitably going to recommend The Art of Computer Programming, which hardly anyone has read and isn't that relevant to the work that 99% of us are doing.\nSomeone will probably recommend The C Programming Language, also called K&R after the authors, but again it's not very useful unless you're going to be using a lot of C and even then I personally don't think it provides anything you can't get from guides on the internet. (I have actually read this one, but it's been a while)\nThere are other classic textbooks that will probably be mentioned that are only useful to those in that domain. Many of us can get by without a deep understanding of algorithms and data structures, most people don't need to read a compiler book, etc, etc.\nHowever, there are some generalized books that people often recommend like The Pragmatic Programmer and Code Complete. These are, in my opinion, good recommendations if you're looking for something to read but I wouldn't say that someone starting a career in software engineering should read them. Software engineering isn't really a field with seminal texts that should be read by everyone.\nFor example, every political scientist should have probably read The Republic by Plato and Politics by Aristotle among many other texts. I don't think software engineering has that equivalent, partially due to the relative newness of the field and partially because the primary output of our field is not written texts.\nAnother interesting question would be \"What codebases should someone starting their career in software engineering look at?\". Are there things that the average joe programmer can learn by poking around the Linux kernel or Firefox? Maybe. I don't know. I've never done it. I'd be interested in hearing from those who have, though. Maybe I'll do my own ask HN.\nedit: I feel I should clarify that this is written from the perspective of a software engineer, not an academic in computer science. For all I know there could be seminal texts that those on the academic side should all have read.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Politics by Aristotle",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Used as an example of seminal reading for political scientists, not software engineers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5627,
          "author": "vo0do0",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T05:43:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5627",
          "commentText": "- Tipping point (creates a urgency feeling)\n- Built to last (tips and best practices)\n- Blink (helps not to waste ideas, shows how your first impressions/thoughts could be useful)\n- Phylosophy Books (Republic and Politics) - you can understand and have good insights about this social networking and community fever moment.\nAnything you could read regarding usability, interfaces and scalability would help a lot when dealing with low money web2 related startups. \nTo know about extreme programming would be very good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Phylosophy Books (Republic and Politics)",
          "reason": "Suggested for insights into social networking and community trends.",
          "audience": "Startup founders",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Aristotle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political philosophy",
        "classical philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pollen-63b7df",
      "title": "Pollen",
      "author": "Jeff Noon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1569628,
          "author": "squidsoup",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T00:25:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569628",
          "commentText": "I think Haruki Murakami (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haruki_murakami) is one of the most interesting and weird contemporary novelists alive today. On a similar Japanese tip, also check out anything by Kobo Abe, particularly The Woman in the Dunes and The Box Man.\nIf you're into sci-fi, as inevitably a lot of hackers are, Jeff Noon's Vurt and Pollen are both brilliant.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jeff Noon's Vurt and Pollen are both brilliant.",
          "reason": "Called brilliant.",
          "audience": "Readers into science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86442,
          "author": "Tichy",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T23:48:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86442",
          "commentText": "Some more SF/Fantasy yarns:\n- Hyperion by Dan Simmons\n- 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear and all the other Zamonien books (only know german version)\n- Pollen by Jeff Noon\n- Otherland by Tad Williams\n- Ubik by PK Dick",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pollen by Jeff Noon",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeff Noon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyberpunk",
        "surreal fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "poor-economics-0e6094",
      "title": "Poor Economics",
      "author": "Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34160619,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:11:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160619",
          "commentText": "This year I've put myself to the challenge to read at least one book per week which I primarily could complete by reading in the middle of the night while holding our sleeping baby in my arms. It has been an interesting challenge which gave me a lot of fulfilment and has certainly changed my mind on how I view the world. This comment became quite a long read, apologies for that.\nBooks I highly recommend:\nChurchill by Andrew Roberts (p:1105)\nA biography about one of the most interesting figures in politics and WWII. Roberts gives a very detailed description of the life of Churchill and manages to keep you interested the entire length of the book.\nThe God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (p:374)\nIn The God Delusion Dawkins gives arguments why there is no God, why we do not need a God and why religion is damaging to our society. If you are religious it might not be the book for you unless you are open to hear his arguments and line of reasoning. Dawkins will challenge your worldview.\nThe Bomb by Fred Kaplan (p:384)\nKaplan describes the policy of different US presidents on the atomic bomb and war in general. And primarily on the inability of US presidents and policy-makers to tune down its military. A chilling read which makes you appreciate a nuclear holocaust did not happen (yet)....\nPoor Economics by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo (p:320)\nBanerjee and Duflo give a gripping portrait of how poor people live. They offer an insight in the choices and decisions people make surviving on less than 1 USD a day (corrected for purchasing power). It made me completely rethink my own view on poverty and development aid; stressing even more that in order to help one need to have a complete understanding of the individual's situation and the local boundary conditions.\nProject Hail Mary  by Andy Weir (p:476)\nThis book triggered my science fiction reading. For some reason I never was interested in science fiction. Most likely triggered by reading Foundation by Asimov a few years back which apparently is not a book to my taste. But Andy Weir completely annihilated that wrong perspective on science fiction. Project Hail Mary is interesting, funny and gripping book.\nKindred by Octavia Butler  (p:287)\nThis book.... From page one I was hooked and almost read it in one go. Butler is a wonderful author and Kindred is a must-read. The book is about a woman traveling back in time to end up on a slave plantation. It's a chilling account of slavery.\nOther books I read this year, ask me anything about one of these books. I've added a + if I think its worth a recommendation\nBiography:\nNavalny by Dollbaum, Lallouet and Noble (p:280); The Man from the Future by Ananyo Bhattacharya (p:354) +\nSociology; Politics; Economics; Business:\nOnly the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove (p:224); The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli  (p:140); Winter is Coming by Garry Kasparov (p:290); Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum (p:224) +; Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl (p:164) +; We Are Bellingcat by Eliot Higgins (p:272); De Zeven Vinkjes by Joris Luyendijk (p:200); Waarom vuilnismannen meer verdienen dan bankiers by Rutger Bregman (p:104)\nComedy: The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (p:336)\nHistory:\nBand of Brothers  by Stephen E. Ambrose (p:432); The Nuclear Jihadist by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins (p:413) +; The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre (p:384) +; De Heineken Ontvoering by Peter R. de Vries (p:347); Red Famine by Anne Apllebaum (p:384); Night by Elie Wiesel (p:115) +\nScience, Technology, Mathematics:\nFermat's Enigma by Simon Singh (p:315) +; A Mathematician's Apology by G.H. Hardy (p:153); The Great Influenza by John M. Barry (p:546); The Rise and Fall of the Dinousaurs by Stephen Brusatte (p:404) ++; The Double Helix by James Watson (p:144)\nSport:\nRun or Die by Killian Jornet (p:208); The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton  (p:290) +; The Rise of the Ultra Runners by  (p:304); Tom Dumoulin by Patrick Bernhart (p:203)\nFiction:\nAnthem by Ayn Rand (p:105); Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (p:704); The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (p:566); Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (p:466); Live and Let die by Ian Fleming  (p:229)\nClassics:\nA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (p:104); The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (p:201); The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald (p:180); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (p:139); Animal Farm by George Orwell (p:122) +; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (p:227) +; The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (p:118)\nScience Fiction:\nThe Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (p:399); All Systems Red  by Martha Wells (p:144) +; A Memory Called Empire  by Arkady Martine (p:462) +; A Psalm built for the Wild by Becky Chambers (p:160); Dune by Frank Herbert (p:658); Foundation by Isaac Asimov (p:244); The Martian by Andy Weir (p:384) +;\nThe Forever War by Joe Haldeman (p:278)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Poor Economics by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo",
          "reason": "Says it changed their view of poverty and development aid by showing how poor people make choices.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107038,
          "author": "khc",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:47:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107038",
          "commentText": "Poor Economics - Abhijit Banerjee & Esther Duflo\nThinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman\nThe Signal and The Noise - Nate Silver\nPredictably Irrational - Dan Ariely\nThis Time is Different - Carmen Reinhart & Kenneth Rogoff\nSubliminal - Leonard Mlodinow\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Taleb\nFor something more lighthearted, I also enjoyed:\nAn Economist Gets Lunch - Tyler Cowen\nInside Jokes - Matthew Hurley & others\n(mostly skipped the dense parts)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Poor Economics - Abhijit Banerjee & Esther Duflo",
          "reason": "Listed among books offered in response to the favorite-books request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Abhijit V. Banerjee",
        "Esther Duflo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "development economics",
        "poverty"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "poor-economics-a-radical-rethinking-of-the-way-to-fight-global-po-5360bd",
      "title": "Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty",
      "author": "Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23859742,
          "author": "StClaire",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T15:07:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859742",
          "commentText": "Two books about economic development that I love:\nWhy Nations Fail by Acemoglu and Robinson\nPoor Economics by Banerjee and Duflo\nThe first deals with why nations stay poor, the second covers how the poor in the third world live and how to actually help them",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Poor Economics by Banerjee and Duflo",
          "reason": "Listed as a loved book about how people in poor countries live and how to help them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107093,
          "author": "mrcdima",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T09:05:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107093",
          "commentText": "Some titles I've recently read or at least have placed on my reading list.\n--------------------\nPhilosohpy\nLetters from a Stoic: Epistulae Morales Ad Lucilium - Seneca\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius (must read)\nThe Republic - Plato\n--------------------\nHistory\nFive Chimneys - Olga Lengyel\nThe Gulag Archipelago - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (must read)\nThe Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank\n--------------------\nFiction\n(particularly dystopian) 1984, Brave New World, Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451\n(crime/action) Child 44, The Secret Speech, Agent 6 - Tom Rob Smith\n--------------------\nEconomics\nCapital in the Twenty-First Century - Thomas Piketty\nPoor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty - Banerjee, Duflo\nWhy Nations Fail - Robinson\n--------------------\nEconomics/Decision making/Psychology\nUndercover Economist, Freakonomics, Nudge, Thinking Fast and Slow\n--------------------\nRandom titles\nThe Selfish Gene, Self-Reliance, The Elements of Style (about writing), Slaughterhouse-Five\n--------------------\nSome links to inspire your reading (though you may want to checkout the websites first to get an idea of the topics they cover)\nhttp://www.gatesnotes.com/Books\nhttp://bookpickings.brainpickings.org/\nhttp://www.farnamstreetblog.com/reading/\nhttp://www.ryanholiday.net/reading-newsletter\nI’m just a working-class guy trying to take part in the conversation that all the smart people are having. What books should I read? - http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-cl... (http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-class-guy-trying-to-take-part-in-the-conversation-that-all-the-smart-people-are-having-what-books-should-i-read/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty - Banerjee, Duflo",
          "reason": "Listed as a title in response to the thread's request for book suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Abhijit V. Banerjee",
        "Esther Duflo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "development economics",
        "poverty",
        "anti poverty policy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pour-your-heart-into-it-d408d7",
      "title": "Pour Your Heart Into It",
      "author": "Howard Schultz and Dori Jones Yang",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pour your Heart into it",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Howard Schultz",
        "Dori Jones Yang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "starbucks",
        "entrepreneurship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "practical-ethics-d61bd3",
      "title": "Practical Ethics",
      "author": "Peter Singer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17169118,
          "author": "bjoli",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T21:08:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17169118",
          "commentText": "I read practical ethics by Peter Singer in a time of my life when I was struggling to justify my way of life. It pushed me down a path that I still follow today.\nGösta Berling's tale by  Selma Lagerlöf was also very defining. It kept me away from the niilism that often strikes teenagers. Truly wonderful writing (Although I can't vouch for any translations).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It pushed me down a path that I still follow today.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book influenced a path they continue to follow.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6989924,
          "author": "trendoid",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-31T10:45:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6989924",
          "commentText": "I highly recommend 'Practical Ethics' by 'Peter Singer'. You will start seeing how you can apply critical thinking to various moral questions in life without clinging to any religious book. If there are facts to learn about human happiness then 'science' only(this includes economics, history, philosophy etc, basically all forms of rational discourse which are open to criticism and change) should suffice.\nThere is some good advice in Bible but there is lot of crap too and if you choose to cherry pick, its fine. Just keep in mind that your innate morals themselves are making you pick and choose. It was not written for a person in 21st century whose world is unfathomable for the Bible's author.\n> I don't claim that you're wrong, but it is very hard to preserve moral values in an atheistic ideology\nWhat do you mean by 'preserve'? Why can't moral values evolve overtime? At this moment, people eat mammalian meat happily without concerning about torture that those animals go through. I have no doubt that 100 years from now, people will look at this tradition similar to how we find slavery now. Slavery was so prevalent(and useful) that there seemed to be nothing 'wrong' with it. No surprise, that Bible didn't mention anything against it. But society evolved and soon it became something unthinkable. Some act which was not wrong, suddenly became very wrong. Similarly many moral values were not 'preserved'. I hope you see my point(literally and metaphorically).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend 'Practical Ethics' by 'Peter Singer'.",
          "reason": "Highly recommends it as a way to apply critical thinking to moral questions.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in reasoning about moral questions.",
          "caveat": "The commenter contrasts its approach with relying on religious texts.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6978760,
          "author": "trendoid",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-29T07:18:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6978760",
          "commentText": "Interesting. I was curious because how can the era which had slavery, didn't treat women equal to man and killed homosexuals could possibly teach something unique. There are bunch of atheist ethics philosophers who talk about good and bad. I read Practical Ethics by Peter singer and even left eating mammalian meat after that. And I totally realize that person who wrote Bible could not have possibly thought about these eternal truths(which are always evolving) :\n1) Love people unconditionally without keeping them in shackles.\n2) Males and females(of all races) as it turns out have equal right to learn, earn and decide. \n3) Fuck conformity, think for yourself and accept who you are even if different. \n4) Don't condemn people for their inborn nature because genetics!\n5) Understand anything in the world(including humans) without bias.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I read Practical Ethics by Peter singer and even left eating mammalian meat after that.",
          "reason": "The commenter says reading it led them to stop eating mammalian meat.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Singer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "applied ethics",
        "animal ethics",
        "moral philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "practical-foundations-for-programming-languages-766234",
      "title": "Practical Foundations for Programming Languages",
      "author": "Robert Harper",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18662208,
          "author": "earthicus",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T08:09:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18662208",
          "commentText": "Ofer Gal - Baroque Science. A highly academic history of the scientific revolution, not the most readable book. It focused quite a bit on mathematization, especially in optics (and Kepler's optics revolution in particular), and also in observation via instrumentation like telescopes and microscopes.\nPaul Nahin - The Logician and the Engineer. About Boole and Shannon's work; I had already learned the material so i skimmed part of it and returned it to the library.\nIan Mortimer - The time traveler's guide to medieval england. Talks about what daily life was like for different social classes in 14th century England eg towns & cities, food, clothes, housing, employment, travel etc. I got about halfway through and lost interest in the subject matter.\nLucio Russo - The forgotten Revolution. A very readable academic history of the development of science in ptolomaic egypt (eg euclid, archimedes, etc). This was certainly the most surprising book I read all year. This time period has been almost completely deleted from history, which jumps straight from aristotle to the renaissance (with a quick stop in the islamic world if you're being spoiled), and their achievements were incredibly impressive!\nJim al-Khalili - The House of Wisdom. A pop-history book about arabic science that i got from the library. I was wary because it's written by a particle physicist and not a historian, and sure enough it is filled with so much nonsense that I through it down in disgust after a few chapters.\nColin Pask - Magnificent Principia. A brief tour of some of the highlights of Newton's Principia, using both newton's geometric diagrams and modern notation. Following the modern notation of course assumes some basic calculus. Highly recommended - it made me want to learn old fashioned celestial mechanics! Perhaps in 2019...\nRandall Munroe - What if. A fun light read about whimsical scenarios.\nSigmund - Exact thinking in demented times. About the vienna circle, the philosophical group associated with logical positivism.\nNewman [ed] - The world of mathematics vol 1. A varied Collection of mathematical writings, both contemporary and historical.\nRichard J Evans - The Coming of the Third Reich. Evans has recently written a three volume treatment of the third Reich. this is of course the first and starts with the origins of the modern form of antisemitism in the late 19th century. I hope to read the next two in 2019!\nRobert Harper - Practical foundations for programming languages. I've mostly just skimmed it so my understanding is quite superficial, maybe in a year or two I'll go through and do all the exercises. I liked that he avoided 'paradigms' and developed the subject more systematically. The book's table of contents is absolutely irresistible!\nTolkien - the Hobbit. I finally got around to reading it... I didn't care for it. I started the lord of the rings but i don't think i'm going to finish it.\nMichael Chriton - Jurassic Park. The movie was better.\nAgatha Christie - Murder on the Orient Express. I think i just don't like fiction. The few years before this I tried reading more fancy literature and i didn't like that, so this year I tried more popular literature... Recently i heard someone say they thought that history spoiled fiction for them. I think I've suffered the same problem.\nFindlay & O'Rourke - Power and Plenty. (in progress) An economic history of the 2nd millennium, absolutely fascinating so far. The discussion of the black death was particularly memorable. It's become something of a meme to point out how the peasant survivors were economically better off than their parents and grandparents. In fact that effect was limited to western europe. In eastern europe the economics were different and feudalism deepened, and in the arab world the reaction was different still: (if i remember my reading correctly) it was certain sects of military men who came out on top. I'm bringing it up because it is a perfect reminder that reality is more complicated than memes.\nRobert Harper - Programming in Standard ML. (in progress) Online notes about functional programming.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I liked that he avoided 'paradigms' and developed the subject more systematically.",
          "reason": "The commenter likes its systematic approach and calls its table of contents irresistible.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Their understanding is superficial after mostly skimming it; they may work through the exercises later.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13411636,
          "author": "hackermailman",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T17:57:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13411636",
          "commentText": "Practical Foundations for Programming Languages by Bob Harper is really good, plus there's a free draft of the second version on the author's site http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~rwh/pfpl.html\nI always go to the book author's page first not only to get the errata but also discover things such as free lectures as in the case with Skeina's Algorithm Design Book",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Practical Foundations for Programming Languages by Bob Harper is really good",
          "reason": "Calls it really good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Harper"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "formal semantics",
        "programming language theory",
        "programming languages",
        "type theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "practical-vim-c30346",
      "title": "Practical Vim",
      "author": "Drew Neil",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38239021,
          "author": "kaladin_1",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T10:26:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38239021",
          "commentText": "For tooling, I am currently reading Practical Vim by Drew Neil. Vim has been my primary editing tool for a couple of years now but I know that I am not close to maxing its capacity. I would like to supercharge my vim skill with more advanced macros and less keystrokes.\nFiction: I am currently reading the Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. I love the way the book plays with logic in a fictional style. The dialogues with the little demon, Wormwood, are super interesting. More like psycho analysis in fictional form. It reminds me about reading Brothers Karamazov where you find a lot about you in characters in the book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I am currently reading Practical Vim by Drew Neil.",
          "reason": "Reading it to build Vim skills, especially with macros and fewer keystrokes.",
          "audience": "Vim users seeking to improve their editing skills.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not yet maxed out Vim's capacity.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936247,
          "author": "yakshaving_jgt",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T08:37:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936247",
          "commentText": "- Practical Vim\n- Seven Languages in Seven Weeks\nCareer changing for me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Practical Vim",
          "reason": "The commenter says the listed books were career changing for them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Drew Neil"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "vim",
        "text editing",
        "text editors"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pragmatic-thinking-and-learning-refactor-your-wetware-45d8df",
      "title": "Pragmatic Thinking and Learning: Refactor Your Wetware",
      "author": "Andy Hunt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33392083,
          "author": "dobrinov",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-30T07:36:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33392083",
          "commentText": "Pragmatic Thinking and Learning: Refactor Your Wetware",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pragmatic Thinking and Learning: Refactor Your Wetware",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9350588,
          "author": "valbaca",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T20:00:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350588",
          "commentText": "I just finished Pragmatic Thinking and Learning: Refactor Your Wetware (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A32NYYE)\nNext I'm picking up Working Effectively with Legacy Code (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0131177052). It's been in my reading list for years and I can finally get to it!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I just finished Pragmatic Thinking and Learning: Refactor Your Wetware",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348392,
          "author": "gregjwild",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:50:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348392",
          "commentText": "Fiction - currently waiting on Poseidon Wakes, by Alastair Reynolds.\nNon-fiction - Pragmatic Thinking and Learning: Refactor Your Wetware, by Andy Hunt",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Pragmatic Thinking and Learning: Refactor Your Wetware, by Andy Hunt",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6339366,
          "author": "rk0567",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-06T08:55:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 6329955,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which two books were the most influential on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6339366",
          "commentText": "1. The Fountainhead\n2. The Power of Habit\n3. Think and Grow Rich\n4. The 4-Hour Workweek\n5. Pragmatic Thinking and Learning",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pragmatic Thinking and Learning",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andy Hunt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Computing",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "learning strategies",
        "programmer development",
        "learning techniques",
        "programmer learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "principles-of-object-oriented-javascript-013ca9",
      "title": "Principles of Object-Oriented JavaScript",
      "author": "Nicholas C. Zakas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37330346,
          "author": "beeburrt",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-30T23:12:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 37325594,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books to learn web development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37330346",
          "commentText": "css-tricks has good stuff:\nhttps://css-tricks.com/\nAnd I like this Principles of Object-Oriented Javascript book by Nicholas Zakas even though it's a little dated (example: its claim that there are no classes in JavaScript)\nhttps://nostarch.com/oojs\nAnd I love everything by Kevin Powell:\nhttps://www.youtube.com/@KevinPowell\nedit* I want to add the The Odin Project has a ton of good material:\nhttps://www.theodinproject.com",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I like this Principles of Object-Oriented Javascript book by Nicholas Zakas even though it's a little dated",
          "reason": "The commenter likes the book but says it is a little dated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A little dated; it claims there are no classes in JavaScript.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14465344,
          "author": "narak",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-01T22:09:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14465344",
          "commentText": "Would also recommend \"Principles of Object Oriented JavaScript\" by him: https://www.amazon.com/Principles-Object-Oriented-JavaScript... (https://www.amazon.com/Principles-Object-Oriented-JavaScript-Nicholas-Zakas/dp/1593275404/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Would also recommend \"Principles of Object Oriented JavaScript\"",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly recommends the book.",
          "audience": "JavaScript programmers interested in object-oriented programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nicholas C. Zakas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "javascript",
        "object oriented programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "principles-of-product-development-flow-5d0957",
      "title": "Principles of Product Development Flow",
      "author": "Donald G. Reinertsen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28451639,
          "author": "knightofmars",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-08T00:50:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 28450555,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that impacted your work that few other people seem to care about?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28451639",
          "commentText": "1) Meditations, Marcus Aurelius\n2) Principles of Product Development Flow, Donald G. Reinertsen\n3) Step Away from the Computer or Hammock Driven Development, Rich Hi ckey\nhttps://github.com/matthiasn/talk-transcripts/blob/master/Hi... (https://github.com/matthiasn/talk-transcripts/blob/master/Hickey_Rich/HammockDrivenDev.md)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Principles of Product Development Flow, Donald G. Reinertsen",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762368,
          "author": "wpietri",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T02:39:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762368",
          "commentText": "Franz de Waal's \"Chimpanzee Politics\". It's nominally about the social relationships of a chimp colony in a Dutch zoo. But it made me see the extent to which humans are just another great ape, and a lot of human dynamics are really primate dynamics, especially around social power.\nJohnstone's \"Impro\". It's about improvisational theater, and mainly meant for people learning improv. But the section on status transactions helped me see a lot about how we express those primate dominance dynamics. There's also great material on the nature of creativity.\n\"Getting to Yes\" is a great book about business negotiation, but is lessons about shifting discussions from zero-sum to positive-sum are things I use a lot.\nBraitenberg's \"Vehicles: Experiments in Synthetic Psychology\" is a way of thinking about psychology (and our inference of mind) by examining imaginary robots.\n\"The Toyota Way\" and other books on Lean Manufacturing are about running extremely effective manufacturing operations. But they have deeply changed how I think about systems of making software and running businesses. Other great books in this category include \"Toyota Kata\" and \"Principles of Product Development Flow\".\n\"Crossing the Chasm\" is about how tech products get adopted. But its mindset around segmenting audiences and building credibility taught me a lot about any sort of social change.\n\"Why Does He Do That? Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men\" is nominally about abuse in romantic relationships. But its insights about power and control have  been useful to me way beyond that. E.g., so much behavior in large corporations is inexplicable if you look at it in business terms, and perfectly sensible if you think about if from the perspective of, \"What would a person with abusive tendencies gain from this situation?\"\nAlso, hearty +1s for books \"Design of Everyday Things\", \"Finite and Infinite Games\", and \"Punished by Rewards\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Principles of Product Development Flow\"",
          "reason": "Explicitly included among other great books on lean manufacturing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donald G. Reinertsen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "product development",
        "flow economics",
        "lean flow"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-clojure-24e04a",
      "title": "Programming Clojure",
      "author": "Stuart Halloway",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10183375,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-07T22:47:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10183375",
          "commentText": "Halloway's Programming Clojure isn't exactly recent, but it's available used, has a lot of depth like Joy of Clojure, but is targeted at beginners. Clojure from the Ground Up is free and online, it's awesome and so is Aphyr.\nhttps://aphyr.com/tags/Clojure-from-the-ground-up",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Halloway's Programming Clojure isn't exactly recent, but it's available used, has a lot of depth like Joy of Clojure, but is targeted at beginners.",
          "reason": "Says it has depth and is targeted at beginners.",
          "audience": "Clojure beginners.",
          "caveat": "Not exactly recent.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4596820,
          "author": "kral",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-01T13:24:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 4596721,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4596820",
          "commentText": "1. A Lovecraft anthology\n2. Programming Clojure (Stuart Halloway)\nBoth books make me dream.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Programming Clojure (Stuart Halloway)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797949,
          "author": "gcopenhaver",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T13:20:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797949",
          "commentText": "* Gödel, Escher, Bach\n* The Pragmatic Programmer\n* Programming Clojure\n* Pragmatic Version Control Using Git",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "* Programming Clojure",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797706,
          "author": "Kototama",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T09:56:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797706",
          "commentText": "Technical:\n- Practical Common Lisp\n- Programming Clojure\nNon technical:\n- Empire, Antonio Negri & Michael Hardt. A deep political and philosophical essay about the transition between modern and postmodern times.\n- Various material about the International Situationist, an avant-garde political and artistic movement from the 60s.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Programming Clojure",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797144,
          "author": "zemariamm",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T02:09:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797144",
          "commentText": ". Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert M. Pirsig\n. Programming Clojure\n. Little Schemer (re-reading)\n. Evidence-Based Technical Analysis: Applying the Scientific Method and Statistical Inference to Trading Signals by David Aronson",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Programming Clojure",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797130,
          "author": "raju",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T02:01:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797130",
          "commentText": "1. Programming Clojure (Not going too well)\n2. Refactoring your Wetware (This is a very good book)\n3. SICP (Just started looking into this to see if I can attempt to write the code in Clojure)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Programming Clojure (Not going too well)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not going too well.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stuart Halloway"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "clojure",
        "functional programming",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-perl-090492",
      "title": "Programming Perl",
      "author": "Larry Wall, Tom Christiansen, and Randal L. Schwartz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49730637,
          "author": "slipwalker",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-16T17:57:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 49724691,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most career altering course or book you have gone through?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49730637",
          "commentText": "Programming Perl, 1st Ed. from Larry Wall.\nThe three great virtues of a programmer were enlightening for a fresh-outta-college beginner.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming Perl, 1st Ed. from Larry Wall.",
          "reason": "The three great virtues of a programmer were enlightening for a fresh-outta-college beginner.",
          "audience": "Beginning programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42743241,
          "author": "nadis",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-17T21:08:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 42686034,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read regarding software development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42743241",
          "commentText": "This is such a strong rec, thank you.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is such a strong rec, thank you.",
          "reason": "Strongly endorses the book recommended in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42729052,
          "author": "slipwalker",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-16T18:34:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 42686034,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read regarding software development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42729052",
          "commentText": "Programming Perl, by Larry Wall.\njust the preaching of \"the three great virtues of a programmer\" makes it the most influential book in my entire ( 25+ years and counting ) carrer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming Perl, by Larry Wall.",
          "reason": "Calls it the most influential book in their 25-plus-year career, citing its discussion of a programmer's three virtues.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Larry Wall",
        "Tom Christiansen",
        "Randal L. Schwartz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "perl",
        "programming languages",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-in-haskell-548791",
      "title": "Programming in Haskell",
      "author": "Graham Hutton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30486859,
          "author": "yellowflash",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T10:04:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486859",
          "commentText": "It would be Graham Hutton's Programming in Haskell. That one little chapter on parser combinators was totally worth it.\nIf I can include this functional pearl \"A play on regular expression\", Not a book though.\nThese two showed how composition and simple abstraction could make the solution super beautiful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Graham Hutton's Programming in Haskell.",
          "reason": "The commenter says a chapter on parser combinators made the book worthwhile.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026868,
          "author": "Xichekolas",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T06:13:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026868",
          "commentText": "Programming in Haskell by Graham Hutton\nA.I. A Modern Approach (ch 13-16) by Russell and Norvig\nA Tunnel In The Sky by Robert Heinlein\nThe Revelation Space series (3 of the 5 books) by Alistair Reynolds\nEon/Eternity (both by Greg Bear)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming in Haskell by Graham Hutton",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Graham Hutton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "functional programming",
        "haskell",
        "parser combinators"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-principles-and-practice-using-c-5e2dc9",
      "title": "Programming: Principles and Practice Using C++",
      "author": "Bjarne Stroustrup",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34412338,
          "author": "poszlem",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-17T13:52:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 34412069,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach programming by building a series of small projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34412338",
          "commentText": "I can recommend \"Programming: Principles and Practice Using C++\", although the fact that it uses C++ as a first language can be a downside to some.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I can recommend \"Programming: Principles and Practice Using C++\"",
          "reason": "Recommended as a project-based programming book.",
          "audience": "People learning programming.",
          "caveat": "Using C++ as a first language can be a downside to some.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28662704,
          "author": "wly_cdgr",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T17:25:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28662704",
          "commentText": "Bjarne Stroustrup's\nProgramming - Principles and Practice Using C++. Unparalleled combination of real-world pragmatism and rigor. Plus, since you learn C++, this book prepares you better than most for more advanced books/courses on compilers, operating systems, computer architecture\nHon. mentions: HtDP and accompanying Simple Data and Complex Data courses on edX; Part I of Sedgewick & Wayne's Computer Science book and accompanying booksite and free Coursera course",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bjarne Stroustrup's\nProgramming - Principles and Practice Using C++. Unparalleled combination of real-world pragmatism and rigor.",
          "reason": "Praises its combination of practical programming and rigor, and says it prepares readers for advanced computing topics.",
          "audience": "Readers learning C++ and preparing for advanced books or courses on compilers, operating systems, or computer architecture.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16769837,
          "author": "meifun",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-05T23:51:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16769837",
          "commentText": "Here are the books on my desk:\nC++:\n\"The C++ Programming Language\", Stroustrup\n\"Programming: Principles and Practice Using C++\", Stroustrup\nQuant:\n\"Quantitative Trading\", Dr. Ernest Chan\n\"Algorithmic Trading\", Dr. Ernest Chan\n\"Machine Trading: Deploying Computer Algorithms to Conquer the Markets\", Dr. Ernest Chan\n\"Advances in Financial Machine Learning\", Marcos Lopez de Prado\n\"Options, Futures and Other Derivatives (10th edition)\", John C. Hull\nBuddhism:\n\"Open Heart, Clear Mind\", Thubten Chodron\n\"Buddhism For Beginners\", Thubten Chodron\n\"Working with Anger\", Thubten Chodron\nReading For Pleasure:\n\"Naked Statistics\", Charles Wheelan\n\"Algorithms to Live By\", Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths\n\"Dark Pools\"\n\"The Quants\", Scott Patterson\n\"The Physics Of Wall Street\", James Owen Weatherall\nPlus some Chinese books, I wont bore with the details, unless anyone wants to know. Fun Fact, while I was in China for 8 weeks in late 2017 I bought 60 Chinese books and stuffed them in a suitcase. It cost me $4,000RMB (~$604 USD) to check all of my stuff and purchases home :-)\nThe Math books are:\n\"Discrete math\", Susan Epp\n\"Discrete with Ducks\"\nvarious Calc books. If you want to learn math, find books that work for you. We all learn differently here.\nMy opinion: The Chan books are just amazing. Thought provoking and motivational. I am still reading the Prado book.\nMy opinion 2: If you ever want to slow down in life and learn what you are about, read about Buddhism. I'm not trying to start a flame war. It just works for me. It isn't being told what to believe because that is the way it is. I feel Buddhism lets me explore myself to find the right answers that work for me. Since studying my anger levels are in check. I am a better Husband. My wife comes first always.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Programming: Principles and Practice Using C++\", Stroustrup",
          "reason": "Listed among the books on the commenter’s desk.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7757244,
          "author": "jason_slack",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:54:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7757244",
          "commentText": "I have a few coming from Amazon\nOpenGL Insights - Cozzi and Riccio\nGame Engine Architecture (2nd Edition) - Jason Gregory\nProgramming: Principles and Practice Using C++ (2nd Edition) - Stroustrup",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Programming: Principles and Practice Using C++ (2nd Edition) - Stroustrup",
          "reason": "Lists it among books they have coming from Amazon.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bjarne Stroustrup"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c",
        "programming education"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pushing-ice-5e9f52",
      "title": "Pushing Ice",
      "author": "Alastair Reynolds",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31975936,
          "author": "M_bara",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-04T11:38:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31975936",
          "commentText": "Pandoras star by Peter f Hamilton. This along with pushing ice and the culture series opened a new vast world for me. Will keep rereading them every few years",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This along with pushing ice",
          "reason": "Named among books that opened a vast world and will be reread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17538946,
          "author": "flukus",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T05:20:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17538946",
          "commentText": "One of my favorites is based on a similar premise, Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds. I like most of his work but for short stand-alone stories this one stands out. Reynolds works are hard sci-fi, mostly sticking within the known laws of physics which present some interesting problems for the characters.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds. I like most of his work but for short stand-alone stories this one stands out.",
          "reason": "Calls it a standout among the author's short stand-alone stories.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in hard science fiction and problems grounded in known physics.",
          "caveat": "The comment says Reynolds's works are mostly hard sci-fi.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alastair Reynolds"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "hard science fiction",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "quantitative-trading-cc836a",
      "title": "Quantitative Trading",
      "author": "Ernest P. Chan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16769837,
          "author": "meifun",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-05T23:51:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16769837",
          "commentText": "Here are the books on my desk:\nC++:\n\"The C++ Programming Language\", Stroustrup\n\"Programming: Principles and Practice Using C++\", Stroustrup\nQuant:\n\"Quantitative Trading\", Dr. Ernest Chan\n\"Algorithmic Trading\", Dr. Ernest Chan\n\"Machine Trading: Deploying Computer Algorithms to Conquer the Markets\", Dr. Ernest Chan\n\"Advances in Financial Machine Learning\", Marcos Lopez de Prado\n\"Options, Futures and Other Derivatives (10th edition)\", John C. Hull\nBuddhism:\n\"Open Heart, Clear Mind\", Thubten Chodron\n\"Buddhism For Beginners\", Thubten Chodron\n\"Working with Anger\", Thubten Chodron\nReading For Pleasure:\n\"Naked Statistics\", Charles Wheelan\n\"Algorithms to Live By\", Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths\n\"Dark Pools\"\n\"The Quants\", Scott Patterson\n\"The Physics Of Wall Street\", James Owen Weatherall\nPlus some Chinese books, I wont bore with the details, unless anyone wants to know. Fun Fact, while I was in China for 8 weeks in late 2017 I bought 60 Chinese books and stuffed them in a suitcase. It cost me $4,000RMB (~$604 USD) to check all of my stuff and purchases home :-)\nThe Math books are:\n\"Discrete math\", Susan Epp\n\"Discrete with Ducks\"\nvarious Calc books. If you want to learn math, find books that work for you. We all learn differently here.\nMy opinion: The Chan books are just amazing. Thought provoking and motivational. I am still reading the Prado book.\nMy opinion 2: If you ever want to slow down in life and learn what you are about, read about Buddhism. I'm not trying to start a flame war. It just works for me. It isn't being told what to believe because that is the way it is. I feel Buddhism lets me explore myself to find the right answers that work for me. Since studying my anger levels are in check. I am a better Husband. My wife comes first always.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Quantitative Trading\", Dr. Ernest Chan",
          "reason": "The commenter lists this as a desk book and later calls the Chan books amazing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3184995,
          "author": "rfurlan",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-02T01:39:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 3177815,
          "threadTitle": "Good books for hackers interested in quant finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3184995",
          "commentText": "Books I would recommend for beginners:\nEvidence Based Technical Analysis:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Evidence-Based-Technical-Analysis-Scie... (http://www.amazon.com/Evidence-Based-Technical-Analysis-Scientific-Statistical/dp/0470008741)\nPairs Trading:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Pairs-Trading-Quantitative-Methods-Ana... (http://www.amazon.com/Pairs-Trading-Quantitative-Methods-Analysis/dp/0471460672)\nQuantitative Trading:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Quantitative-Trading-Build-Algorithmic... (http://www.amazon.com/Quantitative-Trading-Build-Algorithmic-Business/dp/0470284889)\nAn Introduction to High Frequency Finance:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Introduction-High-Frequency-Finance-Ra... (http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-High-Frequency-Finance-Ramazan-Dacorogna/dp/0122796713)\nTrading and Exchanges: Market Microstructure for Practitioners:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Trading-Exchanges-Market-Microstructur... (http://www.amazon.com/Trading-Exchanges-Market-Microstructure-Practitioners/dp/0195144708)\nI also wrote a couple of very introductory articles, sadly I never got past part #2:\nhttp://www.bitcortex.com/2008/12/28/pragmatic-automated-trad... (http://www.bitcortex.com/2008/12/28/pragmatic-automated-trading-part-1/)\nhttp://www.bitcortex.com/2009/01/04/pragmatic-automated-trad... (http://www.bitcortex.com/2009/01/04/pragmatic-automated-trading-part-2/)\nI am could mentor 1-2 HN readers that are serious about getting into quant trading. Just let me know you are interested :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Quantitative Trading:",
          "reason": "Listed among books recommended for beginners.",
          "audience": "Beginners in quant trading.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ernest P. Chan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithmic trading",
        "quantitative finance",
        "quantitative trading"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "quantum-psychology-beb336",
      "title": "Quantum Psychology",
      "author": "Robert Anton Wilson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50117808,
          "author": "zen_kernal",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T12:56:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50117808",
          "commentText": "Robert Anton Wilson: Cosmic Trigger and Quantum Psychology\nIsaac Asimov: Beginnings\nAlex Garland: The Beach\nBuddha: The Dhammapada",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Quantum Psychology",
          "reason": "Listed in response to which books the commenter read at least twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14744918,
          "author": "schrectacular",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T15:22:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14744918",
          "commentText": "Quantum Psychology by Robert Anton Wilson\nZima Blue by Alastair Reynolds",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Quantum Psychology by Robert Anton Wilson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Anton Wilson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consciousness",
        "epistemology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "quarantine-761412",
      "title": "Quarantine",
      "author": "Greg Egan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23153361,
          "author": "tgb",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T12:48:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23153361",
          "commentText": "Greg Egan's an impressively good author even though he's writing about the kinds of sci-fi setups that usually come hand-in-hand with bad dialogue and poor characters. I actually think Quarantine is my favorite of his that I've read so far, though the sci-fi parts are less strong than Permutation City, some of it's philosophical aspects about identity feel like they're more immediately relevant.\nAlso take a trip to his website [1] if you haven't yet.\n[1] https://www.gregegan.net/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I actually think Quarantine is my favorite of his that I've read so far",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it their favorite Egan book read so far and praises its philosophical aspects.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its science-fiction parts are less strong than those in Permutation City.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175643,
          "author": "wicker",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:42:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175643",
          "commentText": "I've just discovered Greg Egan, so I've read Diaspora, Quarantine, and I just finished Distress. I'm working on Axiomatic, which is a collection of his short stories. His characters are a little flat and his endings feel a little odd, but I love the worldbuilding and the ideas.\nI'm having trouble finding other people who've read him and want to talk about his books, though.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I've read Diaspora, Quarantine, and I just finished Distress.",
          "reason": "Discusses having read it as part of discovering Egan.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026940,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T07:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026940",
          "commentText": "I got myself a Sony Reader mid-2009 and started reading about twice more than I had been before. 2009 was also the first year in which I wasn't too lazy to document which books I read (I'm really glad I wasn't). Here're some of the favourites this year:\nClassics:\nKafka's The Process and America - both stunning novels that deserve to be read as much as his most famous, The Castle.\nJan Potocki, The Manuscript Found in Saragossa - a trippy collection of tales organised in multiple nested frames.\nScott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby.\nLeo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina. Still as breathtaking as I'd remembered it from the previous reading five years ago.\nScience Fiction:\nGene Wolfe, The Book of the New Sun. Wolfe, whom I hadn't read before, turns out to be in a class of his own. It's literary SF, overwhelmingly masterful and beautiful in its prose and characters, yet it could give any hardcore SF novel a run in terms of its ideas. It demands and richly rewards a close reading. I'll be reading more Wolfe in 2010.\nTed Chiang, collected stories. Chiang writes only stories, and has written just a few of them, but nearly every one is a gem. Read Understand on the web (http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/stories/under.htm) to see if you like his style - I do.\nVernor Vinge, A Deepness in the Sky, The Peace War, Marooned in Realtime. All great novels, but start from A Fire Upon the Deep (I read that in 2008) if you haven't read Vinge before, it's the best introduction.\nGreg Egan, Diaspora, Quarantine, Distress. Egan is the best hardcore SF author out there. _Diaspora_ is a fascinating take on shared simulated reality that's very different from the usual fare. Quarantine will appeal to your inner quantum mechanical geek.\nContemporary fiction:\nPynchon, V. Pynchon is the best novelist we've got. I recommend The Crying of the Lot 49 as the best Pynchon to start from; V is more difficult and much longer, but rewards the patience. I still can't get over the fact that Pynchon wrote and published this novel when he was 26.\nOrhan Pamuk, The Black Book.\nAnnie Proulx, Fine Just The Way It Is. A new collection of stories from the best writer about rural America out there. Three are extraordinary, two so-so, the rest very good.\nNon-fiction:\nW. Sidney Allen, Vox Graeca and Vox Latina. If you want to know how ancient Greek and Latin sounded, these are the books to read.\nElizabeth Lloyd. The Case Of The Female Orgasm. An interesting study into how available evolutionary explanations of female orgasm fail in various ways. This is a book about evolutionary biology and its methodological soundness as much as it is about explaining female orgasm.\nComputer-related:\nPeter Seibel, Coders at Work. A fantastic collection of interview with great programmers. The one 2009 book no hacker should be without.\nSqueak by Example. Does a great job of explaining Smalltalk in general and Squeak in particular.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Quarantine will appeal to your inner quantum mechanical geek.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it will appeal to readers interested in quantum mechanics.",
          "audience": "Readers with an interest in quantum mechanics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Greg Egan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hard science fiction",
        "consciousness",
        "identity",
        "quantum mechanics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "quiet-a811a5",
      "title": "Quiet",
      "author": "Susan Cain",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17168825,
          "author": "ekblom",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:58:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168825",
          "commentText": "Quiet by Susan Cain: realizing that i am normal, that my need to be alone is something that many other also feel. Realizing that its ok to be like this made me really emotional, sitting there on the train to work, almost crying of relief.. Yep, changes my life for the better, made me feel more secure about my self.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Quiet by Susan Cain: realizing that i am normal, that my need to be alone is something that many other also feel. Realizing that its ok to be like this made me really emotional",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them feel normal and more secure about needing solitude.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9352843,
          "author": "andrea_sdl",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-10T06:44:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9352843",
          "commentText": "Many people already joined in with great comments, but I'll also add mine.\nFor now Quiet seems more about getting to appreciate the differences between introverts and extroverts and how getting to respect the way introverts \"works\" (being someone else or even yourself) might lead to better performance and happiness.\nIt's not a self-help book (at least for now).\nNice book, although now I'm in the part where it's super-filled with references and it's kinda boring (I started reading it after writing the comment on HN :D )\nUsually we are filled with self-help book that describe how to be \"super\".\nI was a bit bored by all that topic (although some takeaways of the self-help world are valuable), and I wanted something that went in a totally different direction.\nReading something like quiet (aside from the fact that I feel like I'm a bit introvert) is a great way to expand how I see things, because it does give me new point of view about people and the world.\nHope it helps ;)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Quiet seems more about getting to appreciate the differences between introverts and extroverts",
          "reason": "Calls it a nice book and says it offers a new point of view, though the reference-heavy section is boring.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in introversion, extroversion, and seeing people differently.",
          "caveat": "The author finds the references-heavy section boring.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Susan Cain"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "introversion",
        "extroversion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "racing-the-beam-92e30d",
      "title": "Racing the Beam",
      "author": "Nick Montfort and Ian Bogost",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8107046,
          "author": "pjc50",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:50:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107046",
          "commentText": "See also \"Racing the beam\" about the Atari 2600; part sociology, part very accessible deep technical explanation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "See also \"Racing the beam\" about the Atari 2600; part sociology, part very accessible deep technical explanation.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a related book about the Atari 2600, praised for its accessible technical explanation.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the Atari 2600, its technology, or its social context.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226850,
          "author": "keyist",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:36:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226850",
          "commentText": "Don't miss sivers's great list: http://sivers.org/book\nAs for mine,\nScience Fiction (I like these authors so I'd recommend most of their books -- listing which ones I think are a good 'starter novel' for them):\n  Charles Stross: Halting State\n  Vernor Vinge: A Fire Upon The Deep\n  Iain M. Banks: Culture novels, start with Player of Games\n  David Louis Edelman: Jump 225 Trilogy\n  Daniel Suarez: Daemon and Freedom(tm)\n  John Scalzi: Old Man's War series\n  Dan Simmons: Hyperion\n\nSelf-improvement:\n  The Talent Code\n  Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger\n  Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion\n\nNon-fiction:\n  Amusing Ourselves To Death (highly recommended)\n  The Science of Fear\n  The Black Swan\n  Tokyo Vice\n  Racing The Beam (Atari history, very cool)\n  books by Daniel Pink\n  Guns, Germs, and Steel\n  The Prize by Daniel Yergin\n\nFantasy:\nAnything by Gaiman or China Mieville, pretty much.\nEDIT: links to previews (legally) available online\nCharles Stross's Accelerando (entire book): http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelera... (http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelerando/accelerando-intro.html)\nDavid Louis Edelman's Infoquake (1st 7 chapters): http://www.davidlouisedelman.com/jump225/infoquake/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Racing The Beam (Atari history, very cool)",
          "reason": "Described as very cool.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nick Montfort",
        "Ian Bogost"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "video game history",
        "atari",
        "atari 2600"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "railsea-52d268",
      "title": "Railsea",
      "author": "China Miéville",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42269201,
          "author": "sandy_coyote",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:59:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42269201",
          "commentText": "I caught up with some science fiction this year.\nThe Murderbot diaries books by Martha Wells - 6/10. Mixed on these. They're fun to read. The setting is cool and the worldbuilding is shallow but effective (i.e., don't read it if you want game of thrones in space). Each novella takes an afternoon to read. I think \"snarky violent droid\" is overcooked these days and lost interest after book 5.\nLight by M. John Harrison - 7/10 excellent prose; great multiple-storyline plot; the journey was better than the destination, but it kept me thinking\nFar from the Light of Heaven by Tade Thompson - 7/10 Fun. If \"near future Nigerian/British post-colonial frontier action with guns, robots, and psychic aliens\" sounds cool to you, check it out. I liked his Rosewater Trilogy just as much.\nBlindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts - tough to rate these. brilliant ideas, VERY challenging plots. I wish I didn't get so confused by the end of each book.\nProject Hail Mary by Andy Weir - 6/10 - this and the Martian read like blog posts pasted together. The grand dilemma is spelled out on page one and never gets any deeper. Pro: the plot is in your face on every page and you will never be confused when reading; Con - there is zero internal character development. Read if you like stories driven by applied science, not comparative moral decision-making.\nThe City and the City by China Miéville - 9/10 - you will invariably see something like \"Kafka meets [some affected crime novelist] to describe this book, and that ain't wrong. Kind of SF, kind of fantasy.\nRailsea by China Miéville - 8/10 - great good vs evil YA SF about, well, imagine if trains were like boats. Good character writing, tight plot.\nThe Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi - 8/10 - loved this. More \"realist\" near-future fabulism than Gibson, but if you love cyberpunk, read this.\nThe Shipbreaker Triology by Paolo Bacigalupi - 6/10 - near-future YA science fiction with a lot of blood and guns. Pretty good stories.\nRoadside Picnic by the Strugatsky brothers - 9/10 - reread. I had to go back. This gets a near perfect score because of its style, setting, and plot.\nThe Sprawl Trilogy (Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive) by William Gibson - 9/10 - I had read Neuromancer 3 times but never the next two. I was pleasantly surprised to find the second and third novel easier to read* but just as enjoyable as Neuromancer.\nThe Bridge trilogy by William Gibson - 8/10 so far. I am in the second book. Can't believe I slept on these for the last couple decades.\nnon-SF:\nOur Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981-1991 by Michael Azerrad - 9/10 - if you like punk/hardcore from the 80s, this is a great read.\n* Every time I read Neuromancer, Gibson's literary footguns --holograms, false memories, hallucinations, and drug-addled unreality--make me feel crazy for not being able to follow the plot at times. I'm okay with believing that was the intended effect.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Railsea by China Miéville - 8/10 - great good vs evil YA SF",
          "reason": "Praises its character writing and tight plot.",
          "audience": "Young adult science fiction readers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4967065,
          "author": "King_Krak",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T20:44:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967065",
          "commentText": "Railsea by China Miéville is my standout book of the year; such fun with incredible detail that it would also make such a great game world.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Railsea by China Miéville is my standout book of the year; such fun with incredible detail",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it their standout book of the year and praises its fun and detail.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "China Miéville"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure",
        "railways",
        "weird fiction",
        "worldbuilding"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rainbow-six-aac299",
      "title": "Rainbow Six",
      "author": "Tom Clancy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25846874,
          "author": "giantg2",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T14:36:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25846874",
          "commentText": "I don't read much fiction either. I did read more when I was younger.\nI enjoyed many of the Halo books (there are a couple duds in there too), which lead me to other books authored by Eric Nylund. I like his writing style, even though he has more fantasy elements to his stories than I would typically like but it somehow works. A Game of Universe and Mortal Coils are some that I have read.\nI also read some of the Splinter Cell books. They were ok from what I remember, but probably only good if you liked the games. Tom Clancy has some good books (the Splinter Cell game books are ghost written). I remember Rainbow Six was a good one.\nYou could also try non-fiction adventure books. Since they are set in areas you are not familiar with, your brain still has to build the environment and imagery. Something like One Man's Wilderness. I enjoyed that book. I used to read and listen to books like Hatchet and this was along the same lines but non-fiction. I'd also say to be careful about these. For me, it makes me want to quit and live on a farm.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I remember Rainbow Six was a good one.",
          "reason": "Recalls it as a good book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85926,
          "author": "nfriedly",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T14:05:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85926",
          "commentText": "The Bible,\nWild at Heart,\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People,\nSongs for Martha <-- I have an autographed copy,\nHitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy,\nRainbow Six (and most other Clancy books)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rainbow Six (and most other Clancy books)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter includes most of Clancy's other books too, without naming them individually.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Clancy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "espionage",
        "military thriller",
        "spy fiction",
        "thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "raja-yoga-514dd7",
      "title": "Raja Yoga",
      "author": "Swami Vivekananda",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36429831,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T09:42:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36429831",
          "commentText": "In no particular order and off the top of my head;\nThe Sherlock Holmes canonical stories - The importance of logical reasoning and brain over brawn. Instrumental in teaching me to think.\nPhysics for Entertainment (and other books) by Ya. Perelman - Beauty and understanding of Science. Instrumental in giving me a lifelong interest in Science/Technology.\nStructured Computer Organization by Andrew Tanenbaum - Instrumental in teaching me the layering of abstractions by which something complex can arise from more simpler and detailed components.\nRaja Yoga by Swami Vivekananda and The Science of Yoga by Swami Sivananda - Instrumental in introducing me to Hindu philosophy.\nBruce lee's fighting method (3 vols) - Instrumental in introducing me to Martial Arts and physical culture.\nThe above books were the ones which sparked my interest in their respective domains decades ago (late 1980s/early 1990s in India) when books were hard to come by and money wasn't available either. When i look around today, books are so easily available and yet people have stopped reading and even seem to lack curiosity.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Raja Yoga by Swami Vivekananda",
          "reason": "It introduced the commenter to Hindu philosophy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785719,
          "author": "martythemaniak",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T21:18:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785719",
          "commentText": "Leave it to Psmith - 10/10\nAnna Karenina - 8/10\nThe Code of the Woosters 8/10\nFooled by Randomness 7/10\nFinding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life 8/10\nHow to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia 9/10\nReluctant Fundamentalist 9/10\nThe Sense of an Ending - Julian Barnes 8/10\nThe Last Question - Asimov - 9/10\nThe Magic of Thinking Big - 6/10\nThe catcher in the Rye 8/10\nModels 7/10\nHigh Fidelity - Nick Hornby 8/10\nThe Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman 7/10\nThe Surrender Experiment - 10/10\nUntethered Soul - 9/10\nThe Autobiography of a Yogi - 7/10\nRaja Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 7/10\nSomething Fresh, something new - 7/10\nKarma Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 8/10\nThinking, Fast and Slow - 9/10\nFierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates 10/10\nThe Pearl by John Steinbeck 7/10",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Raja Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 7/10",
          "reason": "Rates the book 7/10.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Swami Vivekananda"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "yoga",
        "hindu philosophy",
        "vedanta"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rama-series-633de5",
      "title": "Rama series",
      "author": "Arthur C. Clarke and Gentry Lee",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12244904,
          "author": "peckrob",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T01:31:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244904",
          "commentText": "I read a lot of Science Fiction for fun. These are a few of my favorites that I've given to other people:\n1. Vacuum Diagrams by Stephen Baxter. When I think of epic hard science fiction, the Xeelee Sequence books spring to mind. With a story line that spans millions of years (and a few dozen books), this collection of short stories is a good introduction to one of the best and most underrated sci-fi series out there. Baxter's Manifold trilogy (Manifold: Space, Manifold: Time and Manifold: Origin) are also fantastic.\n2. Foundation by Isaac Asimov. The whole Foundation series is wonderful, but this book is a landmark of sci-fi that should be on any fan's bookcase.\n3. The Martian by Andy Weir. This book is what I've been giving the last couple years to people who don't think they like sci-fi. Everyone I've given it to has loved it.\n4. Rama by Arthur C. Clarke. Another hard sci-fi staple. The rest of the Rama books he \"co-wrote\" with Gentry Lee are decent but become more space opera than hard sci-fi. I enjoyed them but many sci-fi fans find them polarizing.\n5. Silver Tower by Dale Brown. More of a military thriller than sci-fi (Flight of the Old Dog is another favorite of mine by him) and terribly dated by modern standards (it was written when the Soviet Union was still a thing). But it's the first \"adult\" sci-fi book I ever read as a kid, so it'll always have a special place for me.\nEDIT: Another one:\n6. Coyote by Allen Steele. I love stories like this one: primitive, longshot interstellar exploration and primitive, first generation colonization. Especially for  desperate reasons. The first two Coyote books were good, but I just can't get into any of the subsequent ones.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The rest of the Rama books he \"co-wrote\" with Gentry Lee are decent but become more space opera than hard sci-fi.",
          "reason": "Says the later books are decent, while noting a shift toward space opera and that fans find them polarizing.",
          "audience": "Readers open to space opera.",
          "caveat": "Many science fiction fans find the later books polarizing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 141827,
          "author": "mkanemoto",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-20T18:43:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=141827",
          "commentText": "Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson, followed by Blue Mars and Green Mars. These to me are the only ones not mentioned already and are set in an inspiring way that celebrates humanity. Also the Rama Series by Clarke and Lee starting with the second in the series \"Rama II\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also the Rama Series by Clarke and Lee starting with the second in the series \"Rama II\".",
          "reason": "Offers the series in response to a question about inspiring science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they started with the second book, Rama II.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur C. Clarke and Gentry Lee"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "alien artifacts",
        "space exploration",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rapture-of-the-nerds-a98548",
      "title": "Rapture of the Nerds",
      "author": "Cory Doctorow and Charles Stross",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8401598,
          "author": "eli_gottlieb",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:45:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401598",
          "commentText": "Recently finished:\nDown and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow -- frankly, I found it kind of boring, and also found the narrator unsympathetic.  I'm not sure if the author intended him to be an Unreliable Narrator or not.\nFacts, Values, and Norms by Peter Railton --  Gains three stars for combining serious consideration of ethical and meta-ethical issues with a completely naturalistic worldview and a genuine grappling with history and ideology. Loses two stars for being far, far too long-winded and using vague, colloquial terminology and appeals to intuition where a methodoological naturalist can and should appeal to the fruits of science. (Copy-pasta'd from my Amazon review)\nRapture of the Nerds by Charles Stross -- pretty funny, even if it made a transhuman superintelligent supercivilization look kind of... dumb.\nCurrently re-reading for fun:\nThe Wee Free Men and I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett -- It's Discworld.  Go read them.  NOW.  And read A Hat Full of Sky in the middle.\nThen there's been a lot of textbooks I've been reading, which I won't list.  Though...\nLogical Labyrinths by Raymond Smullyan -- dense, and fun, a graduate-level intro textbook to first-order logic disguised as a logic textbook.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "pretty funny, even if it made a transhuman superintelligent supercivilization look kind of... dumb.",
          "reason": "Finds it funny, though it portrays a superintelligent civilization as rather dumb.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Its depiction of a transhuman supercivilization seems kind of dumb.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387571,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T23:49:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387571",
          "commentText": "While I often read Science Fiction and recently enjoyed Corey Doctorow's Rapture of the Nerds, Last week I finished Jeet Thayil's Narcopolis.\nCurrently, I am reading the third volume of Rick Atkinson's history of the second world war, The Guns at Last Light: The War in Western Europe, 1944-1945. I've enjoyed all three volumes over the past decade.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "recently enjoyed Corey Doctorow's Rapture of the Nerds",
          "reason": "The commenter says they recently enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cory Doctorow and Charles Stross"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "satire",
        "satirical science fiction",
        "transhumanism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "re-imagine-business-excellence-in-a-disruptive-age-33e7bf",
      "title": "Re-imagine! Business Excellence in a Disruptive Age",
      "author": "Tom Peters",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1080753,
          "author": "tyohn",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-27T16:03:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 1080708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Marketing Books for Developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1080753",
          "commentText": "I recommend: \"Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices\" by Peter Drucker, \"Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind\", by Al Ries, Jack Trout and \"Re-imagine! Business Excellence in a Disruptive Age\" by Tom Peters. They aren't all strictly marketing books but they are awesome as well as informative.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Re-imagine! Business Excellence in a Disruptive Age\" by Tom Peters. They aren't all strictly marketing books but they are awesome as well as informative.",
          "reason": "Calls the book awesome and informative.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not strictly a marketing book, per the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 658147,
          "author": "dejan",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-15T08:29:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 657892,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite management books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=658147",
          "commentText": "I still have to come across better book than Tom Peters - \"ReImagine\". It's amazing look at markets that are under-served, problems that need to be solved in B2C and B2B environments, managing talents, creativity and innovation..\nTrust me, besides that the book is colorful and everything but a typical business book, it is an insight in what will happen. These are all opinions of Tom, and a book doesn't get more personal than this. A load of startup ideas as you turn pages.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Re-Imagine-Business-Excellence-Disrupt... (http://www.amazon.com/Re-Imagine-Business-Excellence-Disruptive-Age/dp/078949647X)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I still have to come across better book than Tom Peters - \"ReImagine\". It's amazing look at markets that are under-served",
          "reason": "Calls it an outstanding, insightful business book and says it offers startup ideas.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in business management, innovation, and startup ideas.",
          "caveat": "The author presents personal opinions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Peters"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "innovation",
        "business strategy",
        "entrepreneurship",
        "management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ready-fire-aim-a4340f",
      "title": "Ready, Fire, Aim",
      "author": "Michael Masterson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 947710,
          "author": "jason_tko",
          "createdAt": "2009-11-18T03:08:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 947581,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN:  What's the best first business book for a programmer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=947710",
          "commentText": "Great question.\nFirstly, the more I've gotten involved in business over the years, the more I've come to realise that for any kind of sale requiring human contact, personal relationships are absolutely paramount.\nThis is fairly straightforward, but it bears repeating.  People will buy from people who they like.  In a situation where a customer can choose between Vendor A and Vendor B who have similar products and prices, they will choose the likable Vendor A who is friendly and who they enjoy getting a call from.  This is 100 times more powerful than Vendor B who has 3 additional features that are really great, but who has made no attempt to establish any kind of relationship with the customer.\nAs such, the first book I would recommend would be the classic \"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" by Dale Carnegie.\nOnce you've got a handle on that, \"Ready, Fire, Aim\" by Michael Masterson talks about the value of moving quickly, selling quickly, and figuring out the finer details as you're moving along.  This was invaluable for me, since I used to want to have everything pretty much perfect before moving.  This was negative because it took a long time to get anything to market, and also because theory rarely survives direct contact with reality - the adjustment period in the first stage of operations is critical to the overall success of the project.  This book also has plenty of enjoyable personal stories and business anecdotes that make it very readable.\nI second \"Made to Stick\" as a great study on what makes things popular, and how they become popular.\nIt's really hard to narrow down more book recommendations actually - I've read hundreds of books over the years on a variety of topics.  What I found I needed to do, was continuously seek out good books and learn about topics as they arose.\nGenerally when it comes to book learning and business, I would recommend this : figure out your basic plan, and get started.\nOnce you encounter your first problem, seek help (ideally from both a mentor and some books).\nFor instance, you've built a product, now you want to sell it.  You hop on Google Ads and put down $400.  You've got a solid click through rate, and 2 weeks later, zero sales.\nTime to learn about marketing.  Seek out some good marketing books (Your Marketing Sucks is very good), buy them, read them, and ask your mentor about them.\nNow you're making some sales, and a Sales guy approaches you.  He bought your product, and he likes it.  He's interested to become your salesperson.  Next you need to find some good books on negotiation (Getting To Yes).  Of course, you're also going to need to get some advice from a lawyer or a mentor to ensure that the deal you do is fair and economically sustainable.\nDifferent books will provide all sorts of different benefits and insights depending on the stage of your business and your level of experience.  Book selection should be a continual process.\nHope this is helpful and best of luck.  Please feel free to contact me if you need anything else.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Ready, Fire, Aim\" by Michael Masterson talks about the value of moving quickly, selling quickly, and figuring out the finer details as you're moving along. This was invaluable for me",
          "reason": "Recommends it for moving quickly, selling early, and adapting as a business develops.",
          "audience": "People launching or growing a business.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is most useful once you have a handle on the first book's subject.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 193708,
          "author": "petercooper",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-18T23:42:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 193308,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What books on marketing do you recomend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=193708",
          "commentText": "If any book results in me becoming a multi-millionaire, I'm thinking it'll be Ready, Fire Aim by Michael Masterson. Written by someone with waist-deep experience in multi million dollar revenue businesses and full of crazy amounts of advice. The focus of the book is marketing, although it most certainly crosses over into entrepreneurship a long way.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Ready-Fire-Aim-Million-Agora/dp/047018... (http://www.amazon.com/Ready-Fire-Aim-Million-Agora/dp/0470182024)\nThe reviews on that Amazon page should show how well it's regarded.\nThe thing about many \"clever\" marketing books, such as Seth Godin's (which ARE good), is that they don't help you clarify if what you're building is actually WORTH marketing. Ready, Fire, Aim looks at that side a lot more. You need to work out WHAT your product quite is before marketing it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ready, Fire Aim by Michael Masterson.",
          "reason": "The commenter expects the book to help clarify what is worth marketing and offers extensive advice.",
          "audience": "People working on a product or business",
          "caveat": "The commenter frames its potential to make them a multi-millionaire as speculation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Masterson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "business growth",
        "marketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ready-fire-aim-zero-to-100-million-in-no-time-flat-e40b51",
      "title": "Ready, Fire, Aim: Zero to $100 Million in No Time Flat",
      "author": "Michael Masterson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 687200,
          "author": "petercooper",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-04T15:01:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 687066,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on getting rich?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=687200",
          "commentText": "Others have already suggested the best overall books I'd recommend in terms of philosophy, but in terms of the nitty gritty details of actually doing it, I'd recommend Ready, Fire, Aim: Zero to $100 Million in No Time Flat by Michael Masterson.\nNot everything will be applicable to your situation but it's a pretty detailed guide to taking an idea, launching it, and building the company around it up to a multi million dollar company.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend Ready, Fire, Aim: Zero to $100 Million in No Time Flat by Michael Masterson.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a detailed guide to launching an idea and building a company.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking practical guidance on building a company.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says not everything will apply to every reader's situation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 568596,
          "author": "dangoldin",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-18T19:01:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 568556,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sales book recommendation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=568596",
          "commentText": "Ready, Fire, Aim: Zero to $100 Million in No Time Flat by  Michael Masterson is pretty good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ready, Fire, Aim: Zero to $100 Million in No Time Flat by  Michael Masterson is pretty good.",
          "reason": "Called pretty good in response to a request for sales books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Masterson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business growth",
        "entrepreneurship",
        "sales",
        "startups"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "real-analysis-313f89",
      "title": "Real Analysis",
      "author": "H. L. Royden",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7580177,
          "author": "graycat",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-13T04:03:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7580177",
          "commentText": "Royden is breathtakingly gorgeous.  But,\nit can be good to skip some parts.\nThe main content is just 'measure theory',\nand that's just freshman calculus grown up.\nWhy?  Because near 1900 it became clear that\nfreshman calculus was clumsy for some important\nprogress, especially cases of convergence of\nfunctions.\nMeasure theory?  Well, first cut, 'measure' is just\na grown up version of ordinary area.  Simple.\nWhy interested in measure theory?  Because want to\ncook up a new way to do integration, that is, what\nfreshman calculus dues with the Riemann integral.\nRecall, the Riemann integral partitions the X axis\nand approximates the area under the curve with \ntall, thin rectangles.  Measure theory partitions\nthe Y axis:  At first glance this seems a little\nclumsy, but in the usual cases get the same number\nfor area under a curve and in bizarre cases, that\ncan get from converging functions, get a nice \nanswer that Riemann integration can't do.\nRoyden likes Littlewood's three principles, and\nthey are cute.  So, spend an evening on them.\nYes, it's possible to use Littlewood's to do\nthe subject, but there is a better way, also\nheavily in Royden, roughly called 'monotone\nclass arguments' -- which are gorgeous and turn\nmuch of the whole book into something quite simple.\nSo, prove the theorem for indicator functions.\nThen extend to simple functions by linearity.\nThen extend to non-negative measurable functions by \na monotone sequence.  Then extend to integrable\nfunctions by linearity.  Can knock off much of the\nbook this way, e.g., Fubini's theorem which\nis just interchange of order of integration grown up.\nThe foundations of this\nlittle four step process is Fatou's lemma, \nthe monotone convergence theorem, and the\ndominated convergence theorem.\nAbout 2/3rds of the way through Royden is\na single chapter that essentially compresses\nmuch of the rest of the book -- I would have\nto step into my library to find the chapter.\nFor the early exercises on upper and lower\nsemi-continuity, they are a bit much and\nyou likely won't see that topic again.\nSo that exercise can be skipped.\nRoyden is elegant beyond belief; if you still\nhave trouble finding the main themes, then\nchat for an hour with a good math proof\nwho understand Royden well.\nThen, don't miss the Radon-Nikodym theorem:\nIt can be seen as a grown up version of the\nfundamental theorem of freshman calculus but, really,\nis much, much better.  The role of the Radon-Nikodym\ntheorem in 'modern' (i.e., Kolmogorov) probability\ntheory, stochastic processes, Markov processes,\nmartingales, etc. is astounding.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Royden is breathtakingly gorgeous.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book's elegance and explains its treatment of measure theory and integration.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some early upper and lower semi-continuity exercises can be skipped.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7579867,
          "author": "jvreeland",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-13T01:52:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7579867",
          "commentText": "Real Analysis by Royden is the source of my nightmares.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Real Analysis by Royden is the source of my nightmares.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book caused them nightmares.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2734410,
          "author": "NY_Entrepreneur",
          "createdAt": "2011-07-06T15:46:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 2723436,
          "threadTitle": "Suggest good sites/books on probability",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2734410",
          "commentText": "\"Can you please suggest on-line resource to learn great beginning and advanced probability concepts?\"\nYup!  The subject at the level you ask is a major topic in applied math but is not very popular in US universities.  So, you will not get many good answers.  In particular, the 'computer science' community, with 'machine learning' and 'artificial' this, Bayesian that, likely won't have good answers.\nYour \"on-line\" part is asking a bit much; I can give you references to books but not all on-line.  There may be some PDF files on-line, from TeX, that have such material; try some Google searching with the keywords used here.\nThe intuitive foundations of probability went back to gambling.\n'Probability' is a field of 'applied' math and as such is well defined:\nAbout 100 years ago, E. Borel student H. Lebesgue invented 'measure theory' which essentially 'rewrote' classic calculus, especially the part about integration.  For the simple cases, what Lebesgue did gets the same numerical values as the classic Riemann integral.  The difference is that in theoretical work Lebesgue's integral is much more general and much better 'behaved'.\nBut 'measure theory' has to do with, intuitively, 'length', 'area', 'volume' and various generalizations of these.  Well, in probability, for probability P and event A, the 'probability' of A is P(A) and is a number in [0,1] and acts much like the 'area' of A. The connection is so close that, in the end, we have to accept that the foundations of probability are measure theory.\nThen\nA. N. Kolmogorov, 'Foundations of the Theory of Probability, Second English Edition', Chelsea Publishing Company, New York, 1956.  English translation of the original German '\"Grundbegriffe der Wahrscheinlichkeitrechnung,\"' 'Ergebnisse Der Mathematik', 1933.\napplied Lebesgue's work to make probability a solid field of math.  Since then Kolmogorov's foundations have been nearly the only one taken seriously in any 'modern' or 'advanced' work in probability, stochastic processes, or mathematical statistics.\nA good start on a good text in stochastic processes was:\nJ. L. Doob, 'Stochastic Processes', John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1953.\nDoob was long at University of Illinois.  One of his students was P. Halmos who was later an assistant to von Neumann at the Institute for Advanced Study and in about 1942 wrote the first version of the still standard:\nPaul R. Halmos, 'Finite-Dimensional Vector Spaces, Second Edition', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, New Jersey, 1958.\nLater he wrote:\nPaul R. Halmos, 'Measure Theory', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, NJ, 1950.\nwith at the end a NICE introduction to probability and stochastic processes based on measure theory.\nLikely the first rock solid, quite comprehensive, highly polished presentation of 'modern' probability was the first edition of:\nM. Loeve, 'Probability Theory, I and II, 4th Edition', Springer-Verlag, New York, 1977.\nLoeve was long at Berkeley.  One of his students did:\nJacques Neveu, 'Mathematical Foundations of the Calculus of Probability', Holden-Day, San Francisco, 1965.\nand another did:\nLeo Breiman, 'Probability', ISBN 0-89871-296-3, SIAM, Philadelphia, 1992.\nEither of these two can be regarded as a more succinct presentation of the more important material in Loeve.  Breiman is the more 'practical' and 'accessible'; Neveu is a crown jewel of elegance and succinctness but not always easy to read.\nOther good presentations of much the same material include:\nKai Lai Chung, 'A Course in Probability Theory, Second Edition', ISBN 0-12-174650-X, Academic Press, New York, 1974.\nand\nYuan Shih Chow and Henry Teicher, 'Probability Theory:  Independence, Interchangeability, Martingales', ISBN 0-387-90331-3, Springer-Verlag, New York, 1978.\nIn total, those texts nail down 'probability' at all four corners and make it a rock solid topic in applied math.  Good knowledge of, say, Breiman is a necessary and sufficient condition for knowing 'probability' at a serious level, that is, without being watered down for 'general audiences'.\nFor more, proceed with stochastic processes, stochastic optimal control, mathematical statistics, etc.\nFor learning probability, minimal prerequisites (more would be helpful) would be abstract algebra, linear algebra, 'analysis', measure theory, and functional analysis.\nFor abstract algebra, there are many texts.  Sufficient is\nI. N. Herstein, 'Topics in Algebra', Blaisdell, New York, 1964.\nbut can consider S. Lang, etc.\nFor linear algebra, there are many texts, but the old:\nPaul R. Halmos, 'Finite-Dimensional Vector Spaces, Second Edition', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, New Jersey, 1958.\nremains a good 'second' text.  It is also an introduction to functional analysis.\nThe main text for 'analysis' is just:\nWalter Rudin, 'Principles of Mathematical Analysis', McGraw-Hill, New York.\nin whatever is the latest edition.\nCan skip the material on exterior algebra or just get it from the original source, now in English:\nHenri Cartan, 'Differential Forms', ISBN 0-486-45010-4, Dover, Mineola, NY, 2006.\nFor measure theory and functional analysis, the standards are:\nH. L. Royden, 'Real Analysis:  Second Edition', Macmillan, New York.\nand the first (real) half of:\nWalter Rudin, 'Real and Complex Analysis', ISBN 07-054232-5, McGraw-Hill, New York.\nActually, Loeve also covers much of this material.  Neveu slips in quite a lot.\nThen you will be ready for Breiman, Neveu, Chung, Chow and Teicher, or Loeve.\nYou will discover:\nThe start of probability theory is a 'probability space'.  For that, there are three parts, (1) the 'sample space', (2) the 'events', and (3) the 'probability measure'.\nThe 'sample space' is just a set of points; to support any reasonably serious work in probability, the sample space has to be uncountably infinite.  In all our work, we do some one 'trial', and that corresponds to some one point in the sample space.  The other points in the sample space are what 'might' have been our trial.\nAn 'event' is a set of trials.  We ask that the collection of all events have some 'closure' properties to make that collection a 'sigma algebra'.  So, briefly, the collection of events has as one event the whole sample space and is closed under relative complements and countable unions.\nIn terms of measure theory, the sample space and the sigma algebra of events form a 'measurable space'.  A 'probability measure' is just a positive measure with total 'mass' 1. Thank you Lebesgue and measure theory.\nOn the reals R, we can take the open sets and, then, the Borel sets, that is, the smallest sigma algebra that contains the open sets.  A 'random variable' is a function from the probability space to the reals that is 'measurable', that is, the inverse image of a Borel set is an event.\nAs an alternative, we can ask that the inverse image of the Lebesgue measurable sets of R be events.\nIf X is such a random variable, then its 'expectation' E[X] is just the Lebesgue ('abstract') integral of X over the probability space.  For E[X] to exist, we need only that X be measurable and that the integral of both the positive and the negative parts of X not be infinite (we don't want to subtract one infinity from another).  E.g., Lebesgue integration is very 'general':  All we need is measurability and not subtract one infinity from another.\nBy a change of variable, we can also write the expectation as a Lebesgue integral over the real line with respect to the 'distribution' of X on R. Or, X 'induces' a probability measure on R.\nWe can discuss convergence of random variables -- in distribution, probability, mean square, and almost surely.\nThen we can define independence for events, sigma algebras, and random variables.  E.g., with this approach, if X and Y are independent random variables and f and g are functions, then f(X) and g(Y) are independent random variables.  Don't try to prove this the elementary way!\nWith independent random variables, we can cover the classic limit theorems -- central limit theorem, weak and strong laws of large numbers, and the law of the iterated logarithm.\nUsing the Radon-Nikodym theorem of measure theory, for random variables X and Y we can define their 'conditional expectation' E[Y|X].\nWith such 'conditioning' we can discuss Markov processes, martingales, and the martingale convergence theorem.\nWe can also move on to ergodic theory and, say, Poincare recurrence (keep stirring the coffee and the cream will separate back, close to where it was when it was poured in).\nThose are the previews of coming attractions.\nNote:  This material is not very popular in US universities.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "H. L. Royden, 'Real Analysis:  Second Edition', Macmillan, New York.",
          "reason": "Listed as a standard text for measure theory and functional analysis preparation.",
          "audience": "Readers preparing for advanced probability.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "H. L. Royden"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "real analysis",
        "measure theory",
        "integration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "real-mathematical-analysis-4377bf",
      "title": "Real Mathematical Analysis",
      "author": "Charles C. Pugh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30825229,
          "author": "amirkdv",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-27T23:30:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30825229",
          "commentText": "(1) Real Mathematical Analysis, by Charles Pugh is a wonderful introduction to pure mathematics for a mathematically inclined engineer. The back cover starts like this\n> Was plane geometry your favourite math course in high school? Did you like proving theorems? Are you sick of memorising integrals?\n(2) The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, by Oliver Sacks. I think it's impossible to read this (or a number of other works of Sacks') and not be mesmerized by the workings of the human brain. Disclaimer: I wouldn't call neuroscience my \"field of study\" even though I did study it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Real Mathematical Analysis, by Charles Pugh is a wonderful introduction to pure mathematics for a mathematically inclined engineer.",
          "reason": "Called a wonderful introduction to pure mathematics for mathematically inclined engineers.",
          "audience": "Mathematically inclined engineers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7578513,
          "author": "harshreality",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T17:39:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578513",
          "commentText": "As mentioned in another subthread, Pugh's Real Mathematical Analysis is great, and better motivated than baby Rudin.\nWilf - Generatingfunctionology (CRC 3rd ed.; free 2nd ed. pdf[1])\nLovasz - Combinatorial Problems and Exercises (AMS Chelsea)\nThe classic probability book is Feller (2 vol), but it's absurdly priced.  There's also Sidney Resnick's Probability Path and Adventures in Stochastic Processes.  Grinstead & Snell - Introduction to Probability Theory is free[2], and there's also Chung's A Course in Probability Theory (Academic Press/Elsevier).\nDover publishes at least three good books on counterexamples and pathological cases: Counterexamples in {Analysis, Probability, Topology}\n[1] http://www.math.upenn.edu/~wilf/DownldGF.html\n[2] http://www.dartmouth.edu/~chance/teaching_aids/books_article... (http://www.dartmouth.edu/~chance/teaching_aids/books_articles/probability_book/book.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pugh's Real Mathematical Analysis is great, and better motivated than baby Rudin.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it great and better motivated than baby Rudin.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles C. Pugh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "real analysis",
        "pure mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "real-world-haskell-b203ed",
      "title": "Real World Haskell",
      "author": "Bryan O'Sullivan, Don Stewart, and John Goerzen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40284561,
          "author": "JackMorgan",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T12:14:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40284561",
          "commentText": "Wow, this is interesting, very few books I've read more than once! Even fewer are non fiction, but they sure do explain a lot about me:\n- Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving by Pete Walker helped me process a number of assaults that happened to me as a child\n- Designing Data Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann helped me understand intuitively how databases work and how to use eventual consistency to handle workloads\n- The Highly Sensitive Person: How To Thrive when the World Overwhelms You by Elaine Aron this helped me process my and my families neurodivergence.\n- Structure And Interpretation of Computer Programs by Ableson and Sussman. Great book, it's how I learned to love Lisp. I felt like I grew 10x in skill from completing all the homework.\n- Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training by Mark Rippetoe. This is the book that got me into powerlifting  as a regular part of my fitness. I used this to heal my back, neck, and wrist pain. Changed my life.\n- Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter by James Gurney. The GOAT of plein air painting himself teaches so much about how light works on complex forms. I've dog-eared this book.\n- Reinventing Organizations by Frederic Laloux. A great look into how to build and run a self organizing team. Very insightful for when I was leading several teams and needed inspiration for something other than the typical chain of command.\n- The Classroom Management Book by Harry Wong. This book taught me so much about how humans work. I still apply lessons from this book 20 years later.\n- Real World Haskell by O'Sullivan, Goerzen, Stewart. This taught me a lot about Haskell, and got me into all the neat effects needed to make a function pure but still handle IO/async, etc.\n- Peopleware by DeMarco, Lister. My go to book for people management and a philosophy of project management\n- Science of Trust: Emotional Attunement for Couples by Gottman. I love this book for teaching me how to be a better spouse and friend.\n- The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing by Larimore, Lindauer. A great guide to building a permanent portfolio that will return consistent gains with the market. Simple in hindsight, thanks to this book. Best book on investing I've ever read.\n- How to Take Smart Notes by Ahrens. Introduces the zettlekasten system for thinking and creativity. Very inspiring, got me to start a personal file that I keep going to this day, five years later.\n- Twenty Small Sailboats to Take you Anywhere by Vigor. I read this book over and over, dreaming of buying a small boat and sailing around the world. Maybe this year...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Real World Haskell by O'Sullivan, Goerzen, Stewart. This taught me a lot about Haskell",
          "reason": "The commenter says it taught them about Haskell and functional programming effects.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7756900,
          "author": "elwell",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:13:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7756900",
          "commentText": "The authors put the book online; though they prefer you purchase a copy if you like it:\nhttp://book.realworldhaskell.org/read/index.html",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The authors put the book online; though they prefer you purchase a copy if you like it:",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "This comment discusses the authors' preference about purchasing; it does not state an evaluation of the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7756713,
          "author": "julian25",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T17:41:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7756713",
          "commentText": "I've been reading Real World Haskell recently and loving it. It does a fantastic job of blowing your mind while simultaneously showing you how to apply Haskell to real-world problems.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've been reading Real World Haskell recently and loving it.",
          "reason": "Says they are loving the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797545,
          "author": "Gertm",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T06:51:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797545",
          "commentText": "Real World Haskell\nhttp://book.realworldhaskell.org/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Real World Haskell",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 715597,
          "author": "christofd",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-21T02:26:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715597",
          "commentText": "Last: Create your own Economy, by Tyler Cowen\nCurrent: Real World Haskell",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Current: Real World Haskell",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as currently reading; no evaluation expressed.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bryan O'Sullivan",
        "Don Stewart",
        "John Goerzen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "functional programming",
        "haskell"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "reality-check-1dc205",
      "title": "Reality Check",
      "author": "Guy Kawasaki",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1647646,
          "author": "hajiss",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-30T21:50:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1647646",
          "commentText": "From a start up perspective, Reality Check by Guy Kawasaki is probably one of the most all around no bs start up book out there....",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Reality Check by Guy Kawasaki is probably one of the most all around no bs start up book out there",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a broad, practical startup book.",
          "audience": "People interested in startups.",
          "caveat": "The commenter qualifies it as their view: “probably.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 602266,
          "author": "lpolovets",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-10T17:10:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 600953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on the nuts and bolts of starting up",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=602266",
          "commentText": "Reality Check by Guy Kawasaki is excellent, and covers everything from PR to marketing to legal. Some parts are advice on how to approach various aspects of starting up while other parts are more \"nuts and bolts.\" (on average, the book stays somewhere between those two slants)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Reality-Check-Outsmarting-Outmanaging-... (http://www.amazon.com/Reality-Check-Outsmarting-Outmanaging-Outmarketing/dp/1591842239) is e",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Reality Check by Guy Kawasaki is excellent, and covers everything from PR to marketing to legal.",
          "reason": "Explicitly calls the book excellent and describes its practical startup coverage.",
          "audience": "People seeking practical advice on starting a business.",
          "caveat": "Some sections are advice, while others focus on nuts and bolts.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Guy Kawasaki"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "marketing",
        "public relations",
        "startup advice"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rebel-without-a-crew-f72e86",
      "title": "Rebel Without a Crew",
      "author": "Robert Rodriguez",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30824320,
          "author": "mkaic",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-27T21:25:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30824320",
          "commentText": "Rebel Without a Crew by Robert Rodriguez. I'm a filmmaker and that book glorifies guerrilla filmmaking like no other. Really fun book by the guy who unfortunately didn't go on to make very many critical successes but did create the masterpiece of cinema that is Sharkboy and Lavagirl",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Rebel Without a Crew by Robert Rodriguez. I'm a filmmaker and that book glorifies guerrilla filmmaking like no other. Really fun book",
          "reason": "Calls it a fun book that glorifies guerrilla filmmaking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes Rodriguez did not go on to make many critical successes.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85957,
          "author": "dottertrotter",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T15:49:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85957",
          "commentText": "Rebel Without a Crew (Robert Rodriguez),\nThe Alchemist (Paulo Coelho),\nSherlock Holmes (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rebel Without a Crew (Robert Rodriguez),",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Rodriguez"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "filmmaking",
        "guerrilla filmmaking",
        "independent film"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "refactoring-ui-3afbdd",
      "title": "Refactoring UI",
      "author": "Adam Wathan and Steve Schoger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41387633,
          "author": "rado_stankov",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T05:24:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387633",
          "commentText": "The top book imho is The Pragmatic Programer.\nHere some other recomendations\n- Designing Data-Intensive Applications\n- Tidy First?: A Personal Exercise in Empirical Software Design\n- A Philosophy of Software Design\n- Refactoring UI\n- The Software Engineer's Guidebook\n- https://blog.rstankov.com/programing-books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Refactoring UI",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23364206,
          "author": "anaxag0ras",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-30T20:07:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23364206",
          "commentText": "Refactoring UI.\nVery pragmatic and approachable for us developers who may not have much idea about design. \nIf you want 'good enough' design for your side project but don't want to use templates, this is the book you'd want to read. The book is a bit expensive though.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Refactoring UI.\nVery pragmatic and approachable for us developers who may not have much idea about design. \nIf you want 'good enough' design for your side project but don't want to use templates, this is the book you'd want to read. The book is a bit expensive though.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a practical, approachable guide to designing side projects without templates.",
          "audience": "Developers with limited design experience",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the book is a bit expensive.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18667791,
          "author": "keithnz",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T21:09:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 18662992,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on modern UI/UX?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18667791",
          "commentText": "seems quite suspicious that a book that just came out is getting quite a few reccomendations when no one currently would have used it as the basis to build anything.\nlooking at the twitter stream of tips from 2017, there's some good stuff there ( https://twitter.com/i/moments/994601867987619840 ) not sure that translates well to the book or not, and it seems quite pricey, especially if you only end up making use of a couple of the tips.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "a book that just came out is getting quite a few reccomendations",
          "reason": "The commenter questions the legitimacy of recent recommendations and says few could have used it to build anything yet.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes the book is pricey and is unsure whether its tips translate well to the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adam Wathan",
        "Steve Schoger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "interface design",
        "ui design",
        "web design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "refactoring-to-patterns-997704",
      "title": "Refactoring to Patterns",
      "author": "Joshua Kerievsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25531086,
          "author": "dave_sid",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T20:24:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25531086",
          "commentText": "Refactoring to Patterns by Joshua Kerievsky",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Refactoring to Patterns by Joshua Kerievsky",
          "reason": "Offered as the commenter's book choice in response to a recommendation question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7763971,
          "author": "loumf",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-18T19:09:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7763971",
          "commentText": "There's a great book called Refactoring to Patterns which I would suggest after GoF (and just overviewing the Refactoring book)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Refactoring-Patterns-Joshua-Kerievsky/... (http://www.amazon.com/Refactoring-Patterns-Joshua-Kerievsky/dp/0321213351)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "There's a great book called Refactoring to Patterns which I would suggest after GoF (and just overviewing the Refactoring book)",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book and suggests reading it after GoF.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Suggested after reading GoF and only overviewing Refactoring.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joshua Kerievsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "design patterns",
        "refactoring",
        "software design",
        "software refactoring"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "release-it-design-and-deploy-production-ready-software-e905c2",
      "title": "Release It!: Design and Deploy Production-Ready Software",
      "author": "Michael T. Nygard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27655009,
          "author": "news_hacker",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T20:31:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 27650775,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27655009",
          "commentText": "I was also interested in this, instead of all the TCP/IP resources mentioned here. You may find the Interconnect section of this book helpful: https://pragprog.com/titles/mnee2/release-it-second-edition/\nIt covers:\n- DNS\n- Load Balancing\n- Demand Control\n- Network Routing\n- Discovering Services\n- Migratory Virtual IP Addresses",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You may find the Interconnect section of this book helpful",
          "reason": "Recommends the book for its coverage of networking topics including DNS, load balancing, routing, and service discovery.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in networking topics for web applications.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20981773,
          "author": "tracer4201",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T07:21:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20981773",
          "commentText": "I’ve been reading Release It - design deploy production ready software.\nThis is a fantastic book with several lessons my teams learned either by failing. The parts on how so many issues tend to be blocked threads, how you accidentally DDOS yourself, or how scaling/capacity management has failures even when you follow all the textbook, sound patterns... it takes many of my personal experiences and some failures I haven’t had (but will) and provides such a fresh perspective.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Release-Design-Deploy-Production-Read... (https://www.amazon.com/Release-Design-Deploy-Production-Ready-Software-ebook/dp/B079YWMY2V)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is a fantastic book with several lessons my teams learned either by failing.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it fantastic and highlights lessons about production software failures.",
          "audience": "Software teams and practitioners working with production systems.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael T. Nygard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software architecture",
        "distributed systems",
        "networking",
        "production systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "republic-lost-5036fb",
      "title": "Republic, Lost",
      "author": "Lawrence Lessig",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10027862,
          "author": "xherberta",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T16:54:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027862",
          "commentText": "Econtalk.org regularly interviews authors with recent books on a wide range of interesting topics from food to history to human nature to health care. Each hour-long interview serves as an overview of the book and helps me decide which would be worth a read.\nRepublic Lost by Lawrence Lessig had a high density of ideas.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Republic Lost by Lawrence Lessig had a high density of ideas.",
          "reason": "Says the book had a high density of ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3648400,
          "author": "fourmii",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-29T16:28:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 3643009,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-technical book you've read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3648400",
          "commentText": "Republic Lost - Lawrence Lessig\nKinda depressing, but if he gives some good examples on how to reform politics and campaign financing more specifically...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Republic Lost - Lawrence Lessig\nKinda depressing, but if he gives some good examples on how to reform politics and campaign financing more specifically...",
          "reason": "Describes the book as somewhat depressing and tentatively notes its examples for political reform.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The evaluation is tentative; the commenter says it is kind of depressing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lawrence Lessig"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Society",
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "campaign finance",
        "political corruption",
        "political reform"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "right-ho-jeeves-9827df",
      "title": "Right Ho, Jeeves",
      "author": "P. G. Wodehouse",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42508842,
          "author": "ved_a",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T14:10:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42508842",
          "commentText": "I am so glad to read this comment. Wodehouse is sublime in all what he wrote - if you end up reading Jeeves series, I would recommend Right Ho, Jeeves and Code of Woosters",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend Right Ho, Jeeves",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends this book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8062426,
          "author": "brickcap",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-21T03:53:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 8025870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8062426",
          "commentText": "I just finished Right ho Jeeves by PG wodehouse[1].\nI am reading essays in the art of writing by RL stevenson.[2]\nI want to read an adventure story next. Moby dick[3] seems to be one of the most popular ones on gutenberg so it will probably be my next choice.\n[1]http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10554\n[2]http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/492\n[3]http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2701",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I just finished Right ho Jeeves by PG wodehouse",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387654,
          "author": "waterhouse",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T00:15:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387654",
          "commentText": "Isaac Asimov's robot series (start with \"I, Robot\" and \"The Caves of Steel\") is good, as is his Foundation series.  Ender's Game is also good; I've heard other people complain about the other novels in that universe (Speaker for the Dead and sequels, Ender's Shadow and sequels), but I liked them fine.  Cryptonomicon is rich, fascinating, and entertaining.  Dune is rich and pretty fascinating.  Heinlein's \"Stranger in a Strange Land\" and \"Time Enough for Love\" are somewhat scandalous, but I thoroughly enjoyed them.\nOutside science fiction: P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster novels, as well as what of his other books I've read, are hilarious and brilliant; I would suggest \"Right Ho, Jeeves\" as a starting point.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would suggest \"Right Ho, Jeeves\" as a starting point.",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a starting point for Wodehouse.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "P. G. Wodehouse"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fiction",
        "british humor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "robopocalypse-fbe367",
      "title": "Robopocalypse",
      "author": "Daniel H. Wilson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15428924,
          "author": "sammko128",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:54:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428924",
          "commentText": "You should check out Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You should check out Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson",
          "reason": "Direct recommendation in response to a request for hard sci-fi AI novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785428,
          "author": "ycom13__",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:23:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785428",
          "commentText": "Here are all the ones I read this year\n  A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire) by George R. R. Martin\n  A Feast for Crows: A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) by George R.R. Martin\n  The Confident Speaker: Beat Your Nerves and Communicate at Your Best in Any Situation by Harrison Monarth\n  House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewsk\n  To the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War by Jeff Shaara \n  Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson\n  Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader by Brent Schlender\n  George Washington's Secret Six: The Spy Ring That Saved the American Revolution by Brian Kilmeade\n  Think Like a Freak: The Authors of Freakonomics Offer to Retrain Your Brain by Steven D. Levitt\n  Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance\n  Finders Keepers: A Novel by Stephen King\n  The Guns of August: The Pulitzer Prize-Winning Classic About the Outbreak of World War I by Barbara W. Tuchman\n  The Wright Brothers by David McCullough\n  Seveneves: A Novel by Neal Stephenson\n  The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson\n  Hitler's Last Day: Minute by Minute by Emma Craigie\n  The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins\n  Robopocalypse: A Novel (Vintage Contemporaries) by Daniel H. Wilson\n  Robogenesis by Daniel H. Wilson\n  In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick\n\n\n\nMy 5 favorite ones from that list are\n  In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick\n  Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance\n  To the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War by Jeff Shaara \n  Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson\n  The Wright Brothers by David McCullough",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Robopocalypse: A Novel (Vintage Contemporaries) by Daniel H. Wilson",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3989857,
          "author": "latch",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-18T00:50:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3989857",
          "commentText": "I find Robopocalypse silly, and not just the title.\nSPOILER\nIt seems to me that, despite how the turn of events are explained, we'd have no..none, zero, chance at winning that war.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I find Robopocalypse silly, and not just the title.",
          "reason": "The commenter criticizes the book as silly and doubts humanity could win the war it depicts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment includes a spoiler warning.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3987980,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-17T17:13:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3987980",
          "commentText": "I'll put this in the recently read rather than great science fiction thread:\nRobopocalypse: A Novel by Daniel H. Wilson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Robopocalypse: A Novel by Daniel H. Wilson",
          "reason": "Presents it as a recently read science fiction book in response to the discussion.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel H. Wilson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "robot uprising"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "room-on-the-broom-1abc25",
      "title": "Room on the Broom",
      "author": "Julia Donaldson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50038501,
          "author": "stackghost",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T00:27:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50038501",
          "commentText": "I really wanted to like Iggy Peck, Ada Twist, and Rosie Revere, because they promote really positive messages. But man, the verse is really clumsy and poor in some areas.  Not stellar writing.\nTo add to your list: anything by Julia Donaldson. The Gruffalo, Super Worm, Room on the Broom, the Whale and the Snail.\nPerennial favs when my kids were 3-5",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Gruffalo, Super Worm, Room on the Broom, the Whale and the Snail.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends Julia Donaldson's children's books as perennial favorites.",
          "audience": "Children ages 3–5",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23468088,
          "author": "chrismatheson",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T16:33:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23468088",
          "commentText": "HAHA yes!\nadd Gruffalo, Room on the broom and Snail and the wale for me",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "add Gruffalo, Room on the broom and Snail and the wale for me",
          "reason": "Added to the books the commenter has read repeatedly with children.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Julia Donaldson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Fantasy",
        "Parenting"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s picture book",
        "picture books",
        "rhyming books",
        "witches"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ruby-under-a-microscope-8864ff",
      "title": "Ruby Under a Microscope",
      "author": "Pat Shaughnessy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29308407,
          "author": "cenazoic",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:43:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29308407",
          "commentText": "Ruby Under the Microscope:\nhttp://patshaughnessy.net/ruby-under-a-microscope\nThe CS Detective: \nhttps://nostarch.com/csdetective\nMazes for Programmers: \nhttp://www.mazesforprogrammers.com/\nA Curious Moon:\nhttps://bigmachine.io/products/a-curious-moon/\nxchg rax,rax:\nhttps://www.xorpd.net/pages/xchg_rax/snip_00.html",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Ruby Under the Microscope:",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27629992,
          "author": "divtiwari",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T12:40:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27629992",
          "commentText": "I would recommend reading/implementing the below:\n1. 'Write a Interpreter in Go' by Thorsten Ball\n2. 'Write a Compiler in Go' by Thorsten Ball\n3. 'Crafting Interpreters' by Bob Nystrom\n4. 'Ruby under a Microscope' by Pat Shaughnessy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Ruby under a Microscope' by Pat Shaughnessy",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends reading and implementing it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785234,
          "author": "lmcnish14",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T19:52:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785234",
          "commentText": "A few books I read for fun this year:\n- Armada: Ernest Cline - Very disappointing and predictable\n- Library of Souls: Ransom Riggs - Easy but engrossing book\n- Ruby Under a Microscope: Pat Shaughnessy - I find his style of explaining things very accessible\n- Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End: Atul Gawande - It's a hard subject to think about but helped me to understand that prolonging life and continuing treatment shouldn't necessarily be the end goal for every case.\n- Go in Action: William Kennedy - A must if you're learning Go lang",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ruby Under a Microscope: Pat Shaughnessy - I find his style of explaining things very accessible",
          "reason": "The commenter finds the author's explanations accessible.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pat Shaughnessy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming language internals",
        "ruby",
        "programming languages",
        "ruby internals"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "safehold-b0d995",
      "title": "Safehold",
      "author": "David Weber",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8944742,
          "author": "fendale",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-25T23:44:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944742",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed the Honor Harrington series by David Webber. I've also read most of the Safehold series, also by Webber, which has been excellent so far.\nCurrently half way through the Lost Fleet Series, which is pretty good too.\nQuite different from the 3 series above, the Rho Agenda was very good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've also read most of the Safehold series, also by Webber, which has been excellent so far.",
          "reason": "Calls the series excellent so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Has read most of the series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752451,
          "author": "mindcreek",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T10:03:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752451",
          "commentText": "Peter F. Hamilton trilogies are astounding eye openers.\nSafehold Series by David Weber is worth the time",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Safehold Series by David Weber is worth the time",
          "reason": "The commenter says the series is worth the time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Weber"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternate history",
        "military science fiction",
        "space opera",
        "technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sam-walton-made-in-america-b952cc",
      "title": "Sam Walton: Made in America",
      "author": "Sam Walton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42657260,
          "author": "TripleChecker",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T16:44:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42657260",
          "commentText": "One of my favorites is Sam Walton: Made In America",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One of my favorites is Sam Walton: Made In America",
          "reason": "The commenter names it as one of their favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33382606,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T10:05:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382606",
          "commentText": "Top 2 so far:\n   * Washington: A life by Ron Chernow\n   * The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won by Victor Davis Hanson\n\nThe Washington book is a very detailed by clear overview of his life. Easy to follow (even for complex situations) and very week written.\nThe WW2 book is amazing. Compares the countries fighting in around 20 different areas (technology, leadership, geography, aircraft) and says who is better and why.\nAlso very good:\n   * FDR by Jean Edward Smith\n   * Master of the Senate by Robert A. Caro\n   * The Penguin History of New Zealand by Michael King\n   * The years of Lyndon Johnson 2 – Means of Ascent by Robert Caro\n   * Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road by Kyle Buchanan\n   * Becoming Trader Joe: How I Did Business My Way and Still Beat the Big Guys by Joe Coulombe\n   * How Innovation Works: And Why It Flourishes in Freedom by Matt Ridley\n   * Yeager: An Autobiography by Chuck Yeager\n   * The years of Lyndon Johnson: The Path to Power by Robert Caro\n   * The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson\n   * Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson\n   * An Economist walks into a Brothel: And Other Unexpected Places to Understand Risk by Allison Schrager\n   * The Devil’s Candy: The Bonfire of the Vanities Goes to Hollywood by Julie Salamon\n   * Sam Walton: Made in America by Sam Walton",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Sam Walton: Made in America by Sam Walton",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sam Walton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "retail",
        "sam walton",
        "walmart"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "saturn-s-children-8b8b46",
      "title": "Saturn's Children",
      "author": "Charles Stross",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17536603,
          "author": "inthekitch8n",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:25:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536603",
          "commentText": "Saturn's Children. It's a neat idea for a story(humans have died off and robots have colonized the solar system) and it's pretty well written.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Saturn's Children. It's a neat idea for a story(humans have died off and robots have colonized the solar system) and it's pretty well written.",
          "reason": "Praises its premise and writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15429261,
          "author": "moomin",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T18:17:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15429261",
          "commentText": "A novel that qualifies as hard SF in which every character is an AI? Saturn's Children by Charlie Stross. 100% not what you have in mind, though. (You'll enjoy it, though.)\nOTOH, I always find \"Hard SF\" a self-defeating category. I mean, anything with humans living on a different planet is pretty definitionally not Hard SF. Even Solar System stuff like The Expanse has troubles with economic plausibility. That leaves us with... well basically a couple of Vernor Vinge novels.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Saturn's Children by Charlie Stross. 100% not what you have in mind, though. (You'll enjoy it, though.)",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a hard SF novel about AI characters and predicts the reader will enjoy it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not what the questioner has in mind.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Stross"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "hard science fiction",
        "posthuman future",
        "robot protagonists"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "scalable-internet-architectures-b922e9",
      "title": "Scalable Internet Architectures",
      "author": "Theo Schlossnagle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29307895,
          "author": "carapace",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:07:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29307895",
          "commentText": "Not quite in the vein, but I think Ted Nelson's \"Computer Lib/Dream Machines\" deserves mention (although it's partly history.)\nhttps://computerlibbook.com/\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_Lib/Dream_Machines\nhttps://archive.org/details/computer-lib-dream-machines\n- - - -\nAlso \"Scalable Internet Architectures\" by Theo Schlossnagle",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also \"Scalable Internet Architectures\" by Theo Schlossnagle",
          "reason": "Listed as another book suggestion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135291,
          "author": "konsl",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T17:25:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135291",
          "commentText": "Upcoming:\n\"High Performance MySQL\" (O'Reilly) (New Edition)\n\"Advanced PHP Programming: Developing Large-scale Web Applications With PHP 5\" (Developer's Library) by George Schlossnagle\nReleased:\n\"Building Scalable Websites\" (O'Reilly) by Cal Henderson\n\"Scalable Internet Architectures\" (Developer's Library) by Theo Schlossnagle",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Scalable Internet Architectures\" (Developer's Library) by Theo Schlossnagle",
          "reason": "Listed as a released book in response to a bookshelf recommendation thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Theo Schlossnagle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "internet architecture",
        "scalability"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "schaum-s-outlines-ca6bb8",
      "title": "Schaum's Outlines",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 755141,
          "author": "kingkawn",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T13:30:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755141",
          "commentText": "Honestly I think Schaum's is pretty good because it does a bit of explanation, but you primarily learn through doing two dozen pages of problems per chapter.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think Schaum's is pretty good because it does a bit of explanation, but you primarily learn through doing two dozen pages of problems per chapter.",
          "reason": "Praises its explanations and extensive practice problems.",
          "audience": "Learners who benefit from learning by solving problems.",
          "caveat": "Learning is primarily through problem practice, with some explanation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 665304,
          "author": "menloparkbum",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T15:40:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665304",
          "commentText": "I want some recommendations on good math books on: calculus, discrete math, probabilities, statistics\nCalculus Made Easy by Silvanius P. Thompson  (Feynman taught himself calc with this book)\nConcrete Mathematics by Knuth, Graham, Patashnik\nFundamentals of Applied Probability Theory by Alvin Drake\nYou probably want to learn Linear Algebra - get Gilbert Strang's book.\nThe Schuam's outlines in each topic are good for review. I like the ancient ones, usually there are dozens of them for next to nothing at any good used bookstore.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Schuam's outlines in each topic are good for review.",
          "reason": "Recommends the series for review across different topics.",
          "audience": "Readers reviewing math topics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "math study guides",
        "mathematics reference",
        "practice problems",
        "study guides"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "schild-s-ladder-89e3ab",
      "title": "Schild's Ladder",
      "author": "Greg Egan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15428717,
          "author": "ziofill",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:08:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428717",
          "commentText": "\"Schild's Ladder\" by Greg Egan",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Schild's Ladder\" by Greg Egan",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6976015,
          "author": "Ironballs",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T19:29:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976015",
          "commentText": "Greg Egan is a great visionary, his ideas and ingenuities are profound and intelligent. His works exude a kind of brilliance, a technological devotion to the big ideas, but at a cost: sometimes the ideas take the stage, and characters and plot are bystanders. Overall, they are still excellent, and they're big on the ideas. A warning: it's the hardest hard sci-fi out there, for example, the book Schild's Ladder is full of hardcore mathematics and physics.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the book Schild's Ladder is full of hardcore mathematics and physics.",
          "reason": "Praises Egan’s work overall while warning that this novel is exceptionally demanding.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy idea-driven hard science fiction.",
          "caveat": "The ideas can overshadow character and plot; described as the hardest hard sci-fi, with extensive mathematics and physics.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Greg Egan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hard science fiction",
        "cosmology",
        "mathematical physics",
        "posthuman themes"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "science-strategy-and-war-the-strategic-theory-of-john-boyd-615293",
      "title": "Science, Strategy and War: The Strategic Theory of John Boyd",
      "author": "Frans P. B. Osinga",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19896028,
          "author": "abhiyerra",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T02:31:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19896028",
          "commentText": "Really enjoyed Science Strategy and War. Basically using the OODA loop and using mental models to make rapid decisions. The best book on John Boyd’s OODA loop in my opinion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Really enjoyed Science Strategy and War. Basically using the OODA loop and using mental models to make rapid decisions. The best book on John Boyd’s OODA loop in my opinion.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best book on John Boyd's OODA loop and says they enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The assessment is explicitly the commenter's opinion.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785476,
          "author": "ThrustVectoring",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:31:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785476",
          "commentText": "Books I'm glad I've read:\nThe Inner Game of Tennis\nImpro by Keith Johnstone\nSeeing Like a State\nThe Timeless Way of Building\nLinear and Geometric Algebra by Alan Macdonald\nMeditations by Marcus Aurelius (read this one thrice)\nThe Tao of Pooh\nScience, Strategy and War: The Strategic Theory of John Boyd\nThe Drama of the Gifted Child\nInteraction Ritual\nWhat Do You Say After You Say Hello?\nOf niche use:\nMathematics: its Content, Methods and Meaning - mostly useful for figuring out what math you don't know. I recommend reading it at a fairly decent pace, and noting what subjects don't sound like an overview of something you've already learned.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Science, Strategy and War: The Strategic Theory of John Boyd",
          "reason": "Included under “Books I'm glad I've read.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frans P. B. Osinga"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military strategy",
        "decision making",
        "john boyd",
        "ooda loop"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "second-treatise-of-government-ddd281",
      "title": "Second Treatise of Government",
      "author": "John Locke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20914562,
          "author": "bmmayer1",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T01:45:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914562",
          "commentText": "Economics:\n- The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith\n- Das Kapital, Karl Marx\n- That Which Is Seen, and That Which Is Not Seen, Frederic Bastiat\nPhilosophy / Politics:\n- The Republic, Plato\n- Second Treatise on Government, John Locke\n- The Law, Frederic Bastiat\n- Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes\n- Meditations, Marcus Aurelius\n- Democracy in America, Alexis de Toqueville\n- On Liberty, John Stuart Mill\nFiction:\n- The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, Mark Twain\n- The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin\n- Metamorphoses, Franz Kafka\n- Candide, Voltaire\n- The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Second Treatise on Government, John Locke",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503416,
          "author": "kkshin",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T09:21:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503416",
          "commentText": "It really depends on what you're looking for, but Philosophy is a field where one philosopher's work is built on top of the other's going all the way back to the ancient Greek's.  Its important (I think anyways) to read the raw texts before you read philosophical commentary so that you have a chance to form your own opinions.  That being said, here's some recommendations of mine that cover a breadth of philosophical subjects and time periods.  Its always good to see someone else want to learn more philsophy, especially if its of their own volition.\nPlato.  Strangely enough, Plato is probably one of the best introductions to philosophy, not only because he was one of the first whose writings survive to modern time, but also because its relatively simple to read and understand.  Some of my personal favorite are 'The Apology', 'The Symposium', and 'The Phaedrus', and of course 'The Republic'.  The weird thing with Plato is you'll never know how much of his writings are his thinking as opposed to Socrates teaching.  I still reread Plato because the stories (most of his writing is in narrative form) are so damn entertaining.\nAristotle.  This is a natural progression from reading Plato.  The 'Nichomachean Ethics' is a cornerstone of ancient philosophy and is a relative simple read.\nJohn Locke/Gottfried Leibniz.  I'll admit, I struggled through 'An Essay of Human Understanding' but this title and Leibniz's rebuttal 'New Essays on Human Understanding' illustrate a historically important philosophical debate between empiricists and rationalists.  Since you're reading 'Common Sense' you might also want to give Locke's 'Second Treatise on Civil Government' a gander.\nImmaneul Kant.  Since you're reading Schopenhauer you should read Kant as he was heavily influenced by him.  You'll hear him referenced a lot if you continue to read philosophy so you should familiarize yourself with his thinking, especially on his thoughts in epistemology.\nBertrand Russell.  People have already recommended him and he's one of the most popular philosopher's of modern times, mostly because he's so easy to read and was somewhat of a cultural icon during his time.  I have a particular fondness for his work because when I had doubts about my faith, \"Why I Am not A Christian\" helped me find words to communicate my break with Catholocism.  His \"History of Western Philosophy\" is considered a cornerstone history of philosophy book (although it is somewhat dated now).  His writings are usually rather short and concise.\nJacques Derrida/Gilles Deleuze.  Now we're getting into some wacky shit.  To be fair, I shouldn't even be commenting on it because I have no idea what these guys are talking about half the time.  These are the philosophers that people read and pretend to understand because they want to sound smart.  You know the stereotypical \"philosophy\" students that you see in movies.  Maybe you'll find something of substance in their work although many philsopher's believe these guys are/were hacks and purposefully obfuscate their writing to hide the fact that there's no substance in it.\nOne of the best ways to read philosophy is to start with a philosopher who truly changed the game with their work (such as Kant) and work your way out reading the work of his supporters as well as the work of those that disagree with him.  This way you'll get a worldy view on 'important' philosophical issues while starting to formulate your own opinions on th ematter.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Locke's 'Second Treatise on Civil Government'",
          "reason": "Suggested as a possible follow-up for someone reading Common Sense.",
          "audience": "Readers studying Common Sense.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797257,
          "author": "Oompa",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T03:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797257",
          "commentText": "Second Treatise of Government - Locke\nOn Liberty - Mill\nThe Communist Manifesto - Marx & Engels\nEros & Civilization - Marcuse\nCivilization and Its Discontents - Freud\nThe Road To Serfdom - Hayak\nMilestones - Qutb",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Second Treatise of Government - Locke",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Locke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political philosophy",
        "social contract"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "secrets-of-sand-hill-road-9c1f61",
      "title": "Secrets of Sand Hill Road",
      "author": "Scott Kupor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41591186,
          "author": "mchinen",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-19T12:35:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41591186",
          "commentText": "All the 'founder attitude' book recs are probably a good idea, but I would recommend supplementing with some VC and investing vehicle stuff, such as Secrets of Sand Hill Road and The Power Law, especially if that seems unimportant and tedious. Understanding your options and what the incentives are for investors will help you better understand where you are likely to be aligned and where you have to be careful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend supplementing with some VC and investing vehicle stuff, such as Secrets of Sand Hill Road",
          "reason": "Recommended as a resource on venture capital and investing vehicles.",
          "audience": "Founders who want to understand investor options and incentives.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Kupor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "venture capital",
        "fundraising",
        "startup investing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "selling-the-invisible-cc7f08",
      "title": "Selling the Invisible",
      "author": "Harry Beckwith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10240701,
          "author": "tsattersten",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-18T17:39:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10240701",
          "commentText": "Our selections from The 100 Best Business Books of All Time were:\n-Selling The Invisible by Harry Beckwith (great look at selling services)\n-Secrets of Closing The Sale by Zig Ziglar (gets you prepared for objections)\n-How to Become A Rainmaker by Jeffrey Fox (shortcuts to better sales techniques)\n-The Little Red Book of Selling by Jeffrey Gitomer (best first book for first time salespeople)\nAs mentioned in other posts, I would also add SPIN Selling, Mastering the Complex Sale and The Referral Engine.\n\"Smart\" books in the sales space include Influence, Made To Stick, To Sell Is Human.\nFor motivation, read more Zig, Tony Robbins, and Dale Carnegie.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Selling The Invisible by Harry Beckwith (great look at selling services)",
          "reason": "Recommended for its look at selling services.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 568601,
          "author": "melvinram",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-18T19:04:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 568556,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sales book recommendation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=568601",
          "commentText": "Selling the Invisible by Harry Beckwith from the list is a good one.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Selling the Invisible by Harry Beckwith from the list is a good one.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as a good choice from the sales and marketing list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Harry Beckwith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sales",
        "marketing",
        "service marketing",
        "services"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "selling-the-wheel-7b8762",
      "title": "Selling the Wheel",
      "author": "Jeff Cox and Howard Stevens",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 568630,
          "author": "kashif",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-18T19:26:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 568556,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sales book recommendation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=568630",
          "commentText": "Highly recommend - Selling the Wheel!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Highly recommend - Selling the Wheel!",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the book in response to a request for sales books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 241027,
          "author": "vikram",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T11:57:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=241027",
          "commentText": "* Selling the Wheel\n* Growing a business",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Selling the Wheel",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for recommended books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeff Cox and Howard Stevens"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sales",
        "business growth",
        "business strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "seven-concurrency-models-in-seven-weeks-aceb6a",
      "title": "Seven Concurrency Models in Seven Weeks",
      "author": "Paul Butcher",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8801567,
          "author": "pairing",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-27T03:30:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8801567",
          "commentText": "I'm really enjoying 7 concurrency models in 7 weeks. I'm about 2/3 through it. It has covered examples in Java, Clojure, and Elixir so far. As someone trying to learn a functional language (Clojure), I've found it to be a great introduction to the concurrency benefits of functional programming.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm really enjoying 7 concurrency models in 7 weeks.",
          "reason": "Says they are really enjoying the book and calls it a great introduction.",
          "audience": "Someone trying to learn a functional language such as Clojure.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8066761,
          "author": "cfredmond",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-22T00:03:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 8025870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8066761",
          "commentText": "Seven Concurrency Models in Seven weeks - Paul Butcher",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seven Concurrency Models in Seven weeks - Paul Butcher",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Butcher"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "concurrency",
        "functional programming",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "seven-languages-in-seven-weeks-741b0a",
      "title": "Seven Languages in Seven Weeks",
      "author": "Bruce A. Tate",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32936247,
          "author": "yakshaving_jgt",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T08:37:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936247",
          "commentText": "- Practical Vim\n- Seven Languages in Seven Weeks\nCareer changing for me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seven Languages in Seven Weeks",
          "reason": "The commenter says the listed books were career changing for them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348252,
          "author": "awalGarg",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:31:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348252",
          "commentText": "I am somewhat new to programming (<1.5yr, age 17). Recently read the book Seven Languages in Seven Weeks. It was a very sweet read. Have read some HP books and skimmed through rest (1, 2 and 6 were my favorite reads). I will give some more time to read books soon though :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Recently read the book Seven Languages in Seven Weeks. It was a very sweet read.",
          "reason": "Calls the book a very sweet read after recently reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruce A. Tate"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming languages",
        "hands on learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "shipping-greatness-d86588",
      "title": "Shipping Greatness",
      "author": "Chris Vander Mey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172558,
          "author": "e9",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:25:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172558",
          "commentText": "Shipping Greatness by Chris Vander Mey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shipping Greatness by Chris Vander Mey",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23366254,
          "author": "ternaryoperator",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-31T00:54:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23366254",
          "commentText": "Shipping Greatness by Chris Vander Mey is a brilliant book that relates his experience at Google and Amazon and the culture of quality necessary to ship reliable products that will be used by millions. Well written and a great read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shipping Greatness by Chris Vander Mey is a brilliant book",
          "reason": "Calls it brilliant and praises its account of product quality culture at Google and Amazon.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris Vander Mey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "product development",
        "quality culture",
        "startups"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "show-your-work-10-ways-to-share-your-creativity-and-get-discovere-f99816",
      "title": "Show Your Work!: 10 Ways to Share Your Creativity and Get Discovered",
      "author": "Austin Kleon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783256,
          "author": "dbalan",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T13:59:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783256",
          "commentText": "I finished \"Thinking Fast and Slow\" by Kahneman - A slow read, but a good one. He talks about the intricacies and surprising observations about how me take decisions.\n\"Logicomix\" - A brief \"history\" of logic, its not always historically accurate. Did I tell you its a graphic novel?\n\"Show Your work\" - Aston Kleon - A short motivating read about sharing ones work, he makes some good arguments for sharing the process as well, not just the product.\nPicked up \"Coders at work\" - read two chapters, a great read so far (I know its pretty popular one amoung HN)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A short motivating read about sharing ones work, he makes some good arguments for sharing the process as well, not just the product.",
          "reason": "Calls it motivating and says it makes good arguments for sharing creative process.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10773991,
          "author": "tedmiston",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-21T22:23:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10773991",
          "commentText": "Show Your Work! by Austin Kleon\nIt's a short book with a bias toward action that's changed how I interact with my work and share it with others.\nKey takeaways:\n- good work doesn't market or promote itself [writing a great library doesn't matter if you don't have docs and examples to make it accessible to people]\n- give people a convenient way to access your work [convince yourself that having a personal mailing list does not make you too self-important]\n- share your side projects to create a feedback loop early [maybe they could help solve other people's problems too] / stop telling yourself \"i'll ship this after i fix one more thing\"\n- let good ideas bubble up from \"flow\" to \"stock\" -- for example, a few well received tweets might lead to a blog post which might lead to a whole book\n- reuse the things you create across projects and mediums\n- life is messy and uncertain, but you choose how you crop and present your experiences [share the interesting parts!]\nMy full chapter-by-chapter notes: https://github.com/tedmiston/notes/blob/master/books/Show%20... (https://github.com/tedmiston/notes/blob/master/books/Show%20Your%20Work!.md)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a short book with a bias toward action that's changed how I interact with my work and share it with others.",
          "reason": "Says it changed how they work and share, and lists practical takeaways.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Austin Kleon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creative process",
        "self promotion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "showstopper-0c68d1",
      "title": "Showstopper!",
      "author": "G. Pascal Zachary",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43098041,
          "author": "markus_zhang",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-19T02:55:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 43084739,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction/non-fiction book should everyone read on the topic of CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43098041",
          "commentText": "Soul of a New Machine\nShowstopper\nBooks that pull me from the darker mood from time to time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Showstopper",
          "reason": "Listed among books that sometimes lift the commenter out of a darker mood.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The mood effect is occasional, not presented as universal.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 621437,
          "author": "sriramk",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-22T01:33:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621437",
          "commentText": "Showstopper. This influenced me to join Microsoft and work on the same team as Dave Cutler",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Showstopper. This influenced me to join Microsoft and work on the same team as Dave Cutler",
          "reason": "Says the book influenced the commenter to join Microsoft.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "G. Pascal Zachary"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "microsoft history",
        "software development history",
        "windows nt"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "silo-series-5e9b4f",
      "title": "Silo series",
      "author": "Hugh Howey",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49904900,
          "author": "steve_adams_86",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T05:55:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49904900",
          "commentText": "Thinking In Systems: A Primer by Donella Meadows\nMy 17 year old son bought it for me for my birthday. I've been enjoying it a lot. I do in fact like thinking in systems and learning more about it, and reading it in a more generalized fashion than I tend to in the computer science world has provided a refreshing perspective. It's all very approachable, nothing very complex, but gives names and discreet patterns to things I intuitively understood but previously wouldn't articulate easily. Definitely one of my favourite gifts in a long time.\nStories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang\nI read bits of this to my wife at night occasionally. One of the first trips we went on together was camping on a little island, and I had Kafka on the Shore (Haruki Murakami) with me which I suggested I read to her in the evening. She really liked it and I've done it since. I wish I did it more often. Anyway, Stories of Your Life and Others is a wonderful collection. I've read it a few times, not always completely, and I enjoy it. Story of your life is the standout. It's what the movie Arrival is based on, which I consider one of the best scifi movies of all time. It's a beautiful story.\nSilo series by Hugh Howey\nI've been watching the show and decided the books deserve a shot. If the show is as good as it is, the books must be great, right?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Silo series by Hugh Howey",
          "reason": "Decided to try the books after watching the show.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The expectation that the books must be great is based on enjoying the show.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536678,
          "author": "aequitas",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:39:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536678",
          "commentText": "Wool aka Silo series https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silo_%28series%29\nA dystopian future where people live in a Silo (a skyscraper but underground). What I found especially nice is how the author tried to make it realistic and portray people and work fields (machinist, IT, etc) as they really are without to much buffing.\nThe IT department in this story plays a really big role and it is portrayed as I've seen real IT departments, with the old, stubborn, autistic 'this is my kingdom' sysadmin boss down to the 'stupid' intern. It's just to real.\nThe first chapters are a little off compared to the rest of the books as it was released as novella's at first via Kindle and later written into 3 books. But every bit is as awesome as the other.\nEdit: I think this mismatches on your fun/non-dystopian critaria that I just now read. But a good read anyways. Otherwise definitely Hyperion cantos as already mentioned. Although also not without drama it sure is a hell lot of mindboggling world's to plunge into!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Wool aka Silo series",
          "reason": "Names the series and describes its setting and strengths; acknowledges it does not match the requested tone.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Dystopian, contrary to the request for fun, non-dystopian fiction; first chapters differ from the rest.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hugh Howey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopian fiction",
        "underground society"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "simply-scheme-introducing-computer-science-7aa1e5",
      "title": "Simply Scheme: Introducing Computer Science",
      "author": "Brian Harvey and Matthew Wright",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29308260,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:33:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29308260",
          "commentText": "Neat! I haven't heard of this one.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I haven't heard of this one.",
          "reason": "Acknowledges the book discussed in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29308209,
          "author": "onemoresoop",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:29:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29308209",
          "commentText": "Simply Scheme[0] as an intro to scheme and a good bridge for taking on SICP. It is available for free online. \n[0] https://people.eecs.berkeley.edu/~bh/ss-toc2.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Simply Scheme[0] as an intro to scheme and a good bridge for taking on SICP.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as an introduction to Scheme and preparation for SICP.",
          "audience": "People learning Scheme or preparing to read SICP.",
          "caveat": "Available for free online.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8029133,
          "author": "clark-kent",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-14T01:03:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8029133",
          "commentText": "SCIP should always be in the list as one of the best programming books ever written. Others are \n'Simply Scheme: An introduction to computer science', simply scheme is an alternative to  \"How to design Programs\", http://htdp.org/, both books are written for non-programmers but they provide a gentle introduction to many advanced topics covered in SCIP. I prefer \"Simply Scheme\".\nAnother one is the \"Little Schemer\" http://www.amazon.com/The-Little-Schemer-4th-Edition/dp/0262... (http://www.amazon.com/The-Little-Schemer-4th-Edition/dp/0262560992).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I prefer \"Simply Scheme\".",
          "reason": "Names it as a preferred alternative to How to Design Programs.",
          "audience": "Non-programmers seeking an introduction to computer science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Harvey",
        "Matthew Wright"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "scheme",
        "programming language education",
        "computer science education"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "simulacra-and-simulation-fb7cb2",
      "title": "Simulacra and Simulation",
      "author": "Jean Baudrillard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37960159,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:07:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960159",
          "commentText": "* \"Amusing Ourselves to Death\" by Neil Postman (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Postman contrasts the dystopian visions of George Orwell's \"1984\" and Aldous Huxley's \"Brave New World\" to argue that western society is becoming a shallow, entertainment-driven culture shaped by television and other media. He discusses the profound effects of television on politics, education, and other aspects of society.\n* \"Howard Zinn: A People's History of the US\" by Howard Zinn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers an alternative exploration of American history from the perspective of ordinary people and marginalized groups rather than from political leaders, emphasizing class struggles and systemic injustices.\n* \"The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science\" by Isaac Asimov (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive outline of scientific knowledge, covering fields like physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, and earth science. It communicates complex scientific concepts in a way that is accessible to non-specialist readers.\n* \"Das Kapital\" by Karl Marx (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive critique of capitalism highlighting its inherent contradictions and imbalances. Marx diagnoses the capitalist system as one in which the rich get richer at the expense of the working class. The book has been influential in shaping socialist and communist thought.\n* \"Handbook of Electronic Circuits\" (1 mention, authors not specified)\n    * Summary: An extensive reference guide that provides information on basic electronic circuits and components. It delves into the world of electronics with detailed illustrations and designs, making it a valuable resource for both beginners and professionals in the field.\n* \"Simulacra and Simulation\" by Jean Baudrillard (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This philosophical work explores the nature and cultural implications of signs and images in contemporary society. Baudrillard posits that symbols and signs have replaced reality and meaning, creating a hyperreal world where simulations of reality have become more real than reality itself.\n* \"LSD: My Problem Child\" by Albert Hofmann (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This autobiographical work by Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who first synthesized LSD, discusses his discovery and personal experiences with the drug, exploring both the positive and negative effects of LSD, its influence on society, and its potential therapeutic uses.\n* \"Requiem for the American Dream: The 10 Principles of Concentration of Wealth & Power\" by Noam Chomsky (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Chomsky provides an extensive critique of inequality in America, arguing that the concentration of wealth and power among a small elite is undermining democracy. He lays out 10 principles of concentration of wealth and power that have led to this situation.\n* \"Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\" by Alfred Lansing (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This true account of Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton's 1914-1916 expedition turned survival story. When his ship, the Endurance, was crushed by ice and left Shackleton and his crew stranded, they embarked on a harrowing and miraculous voyage to safety.\n* \"Hacker's Handbook\" by Hugo Cornwall (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A guidebook for computer enthusiasts that provides a look at the world of hacking. It covers a range of topics, including telephone and computer hacking, as well as legal implications.\n* \"Cosmos\" by Carl Sagan (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This widely-admired book introduces the universe beyond the Earth. Sagan explores our place in the universe, the history of scientific discovery, and the crucial role of critical thinking in grasping our world and the vast cosmos we are part of.\n* \"Six Pillars of Self-Esteem\" by Nathaniel Branden (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book provides a comprehensive exploration of self-esteem, its importance, its sources, and how to cultivate it. It offers concrete strategies to enhance self-esteem, which Branden argues is a key component of psychological health and personal fulfillment.\n* \"Future Shock\" by Alvin Toffler (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Future Shock examines the psychological and sociological impact of accelerating technological and social change. Toffler introduces the concept of \"future shock\" as a form of psychological disorientation caused by a rapid change in society and advocates for a more measured and conscious approach to future planning.\n* \"The Metropolis and Mental Life\" by Georg Simmel (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This seminal essay analyzes the effects of the urban environment on the individual's mind and social relationships. Simmel argues that the impersonality and money-centered economy of the metropolis lead to individuals feeling more alienated and adopting a defensive, blase attitude towards life.\n* \"The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power\" by Shoshana Zuboff (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book provides an extensive critique of the commodification of personal data by corporations in the digital age. Zuboff explores the rise of surveillance capitalism, where businesses harvest and analyze customer data to predict and influence behaviors.\n* \"Permanent Record\" by Edward Snowden (1 mention)\n    * Summary: In this powerful memoir, whistle-blower Edward Snowden tells his story on why he decided to expose the mass surveillance practices of the U.S. government. Permanent Record opens a broader conversation about free societies, privacy, surveillance, and what makes a country strong.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Simulacra and Simulation\" by Jean Baudrillard (1 mention)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803908,
          "author": "andreilys",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:50:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803908",
          "commentText": "Well here are the books I’m currently reading (physical, kindle, and audible). I bounce around a lot. Sometimes it takes me a week to finish a book, other times I take a few months. Sometimes I never finish. But these are the ones I have some progress on so far:\n1. Faust by goethe\n2. I am That\n3. Book of why\n4. The gift by hafiz\n5. Simulacra and simulation\n6. Candide by Voltaire\n7. Meeting the shadow: the hidden power of the dark side of human nature\n8. Nonviolent communication\n9. After the ecstasy, the laundry\n10. Watchmen\n11. Noble heart by Pena chodron\n12. Developer hegemony\n13. Brothers karamazov",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Simulacra and simulation",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17520199,
          "author": "cirgue",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T02:57:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17520199",
          "commentText": "‘Simulacrum and simulation’, ‘understanding media’, and ‘society of the spectacle’ right now. My focus this summer is on everything ever written about media and society. I am currently looking for works on social trends in response to radio and television.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "‘Simulacrum and simulation’",
          "reason": "Listed among works the commenter is currently reading; no evaluation is given.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296544,
          "author": "Zarath",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T06:45:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296544",
          "commentText": "Simulacra and Simulation",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Simulacra and Simulation",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the thread's question about books to have read earlier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503513,
          "author": "agconway",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T11:44:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503513",
          "commentText": "Read \"Simulacrum and Simulation\" by Jean Baudrillard, then question everything that technology provides.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read \"Simulacrum and Simulation\" by Jean Baudrillard, then question everything that technology provides.",
          "reason": "Urges the reader to read it and question what technology provides.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in philosophy and technology.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jean Baudrillard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "media theory",
        "postmodernism",
        "hyperreality",
        "semiotics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "singularity-series-24469c",
      "title": "Singularity Series",
      "author": "William Hertling",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35393647,
          "author": "danielbnelson",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-31T21:05:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 35392063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Science Fiction books that predict where ChatGPT might lead us?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35393647",
          "commentText": "https://www.amazon.com/Avogadro-Corp-William-Hertling-audiob... (https://www.amazon.com/Avogadro-Corp-William-Hertling-audiobook/dp/B009F0GEFQ/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2WIXAC8JBADPO&keywords=william+hertling+singularity+series&qid=1680296586&sprefix=hertling+series%2Caps%2C121&sr=8-1)\nSingularity Series by William Hertling.\nIt's a few years old but I think it really nailed where AI could go - both in amazing positive ways but also in dark ways as well.\nIt starts essentially a plugin for gmail that makes email more effective and snowballs into.........no spoilers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Singularity Series by William Hertling.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it portrays AI's potential in both positive and dark ways, beginning with an email plugin.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It's a few years old.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15432516,
          "author": "BjoernKW",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-09T09:42:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15432516",
          "commentText": "Apart from classics like Neuromancer I'd recommend the fairly new Singularity Series by William Hertling and the first novel \"Avogadro Corp\" in particular.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Apart from classics like Neuromancer I'd recommend the fairly new Singularity Series by William Hertling and the first novel \"Avogadro Corp\" in particular.",
          "reason": "Recommends the series, especially its first novel.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in AI science fiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter particularly singles out the first novel.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Hertling"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "technological futures",
        "technological singularity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "six-easy-pieces-1f3e9f",
      "title": "Six Easy Pieces",
      "author": "Richard P. Feynman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7968503,
          "author": "imranq",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T00:12:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968503",
          "commentText": "Just finished Six Easy Pieces by Richard Feynman, which I liked a lot and now finishing \"Eight Engineering Stories\" by Bill Hammack...both of which are really good at explaining complex physical / engineering concepts in a simple way",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just finished Six Easy Pieces by Richard Feynman, which I liked a lot",
          "reason": "The commenter says they liked it a lot and praises its clear explanations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231276,
          "author": "eschutte2",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T17:45:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231276",
          "commentText": "I'd read Six Easy Pieces first.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd read Six Easy Pieces first.",
          "reason": "Advises reading this before the book under discussion.",
          "audience": "Someone seeking an accessible starting point for physics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard P. Feynman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "physics",
        "introductory physics",
        "popular science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "skunk-works-a-personal-memoir-of-my-years-at-lockheed-688860",
      "title": "Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed",
      "author": "Ben R. Rich with Leo Janos",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21793269,
          "author": "geocrasher",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T23:51:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793269",
          "commentText": "That's Ben Rich's book, right? I have read it twice, and it's pretty incredible. And the amount of details he's had to leave out (such as creating a hybrid turbojet/ramjet engine nacelle or a top speed of around Mach 4) is also interesting. As an aside, I got to see (and surreptitiously touch!) an A12 in Seattle at the Museum of Flight recently, and it was just incredible.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "That's Ben Rich's book, right? I have read it twice, and it's pretty incredible.",
          "reason": "Calls the book incredible after reading it twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12099016,
          "author": "yma",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T04:57:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12099016",
          "commentText": "Creativity, Inc. - Ed Catmull.\nHow to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big - Scott Adams\nSkunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years of Lockheed - Ben Rich\nSeven Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen Covey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years of Lockheed - Ben Rich",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ben R. Rich with Leo Janos"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aerospace",
        "aerospace engineering",
        "military aviation",
        "stealth aircraft"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "slan-3f8553",
      "title": "Slan",
      "author": "A. E. van Vogt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056539,
          "author": "jfoucher",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:21:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056539",
          "commentText": "Null-A is probably the Van Vogt's most famous book, but others are great as well, I loved \"Slan\" from the same author : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slan",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved \"Slan\" from the same author",
          "reason": "Says they loved the book in a thread asking for favorite sci-fi books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140490,
          "author": "nazgulnarsil",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T02:59:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140490",
          "commentText": "depends on the subgenre :)\nSuperhuman:\nSlan by A.E. Van Vogt\nMore Than Human by Theodore STurgeon\nOdd John by Olaf Stapledon\nPost Apocalyptic:\nThe Day of The Triffids by John Whyndham\nEarth Abides by George R. Stewart\nA Canticle for Lebowitz by...don't remember\nSpace Opera/Adventure:\nany of The Culture novels by Iain M. Banks\nThe Reality Dysfunction series by ...don't remember\nHyperion series by Dan Simmons\nTo Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer\nDystopian:\nWe by Yevgeny Zamyatin <---highly overlooked, predates 1984 and Brave New World\nBut the Absolute Best would be anything by:\nStanislaw Lem (Cyberiad, Futurological Congress, Solaris)\nAlfred Bester (The STars my Destination, The Demolished Man)\nor Samuel R. Delany (Babel-17, Dhalgren, Trtion, Nova)\noh and Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light and This Immortal are both great.\nSome of Philip K. Dick's stuff is great, but everyone recommends him. :)\nalmost forgot John Brunner, check out Steel Beach, The Sheep Look Up, and Stand on Zanzibar.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Slan by A.E. Van Vogt",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "A. E. van Vogt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classic science fiction",
        "evolutionary mutants",
        "mutants"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "small-is-beautiful-a-study-of-economics-as-if-people-mattered-51c2c3",
      "title": "Small Is Beautiful: A Study of Economics as if People Mattered",
      "author": "E. F. Schumacher",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42965389,
          "author": "k310",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-06T19:01:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42965389",
          "commentText": "Walden, by Thoreau\nThe Myth of the Machine, by Lewis Mumford\nCloud Hidden, by Alan Watts\nComputer Lib/Dream Machines, by Ted Nelson (Technology purpose and arrow)\nThe Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, by William L. Shirer\nSmall is Beautiful, by E. F. Schumacher",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Small is Beautiful, by E. F. Schumacher",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10030465,
          "author": "lothlorien",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-09T15:20:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10030465",
          "commentText": "Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy by Joseph Schumpeteer and Small is Beautiful by Schumacher are two classic, heterodox economic works. People outside the field rarely read them, which is a shame. Both have very high S/N ratios, and will make any reader more thoughtful about the world.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Small is Beautiful by Schumacher",
          "reason": "Calls it a classic heterodox economic work with a high signal-to-noise ratio.",
          "audience": "Readers outside economics, who the commenter says rarely read it.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "E. F. Schumacher"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "appropriate technology",
        "ecological economics",
        "economic development",
        "human scale economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "small-is-beautiful-economics-as-if-people-mattered-c3b11e",
      "title": "Small Is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered",
      "author": "E. F. Schumacher",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12565777,
          "author": "marmot777",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T16:23:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12565777",
          "commentText": "These are important books but obviously not a comprehensive list.\n* John Locke's Two Treatises of Government - It's political philosophy but it's hard to understand Classical Liberalism without having read some Locke.\n* Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations - He and Locke are the two main guys to read for a solid start on Classical Liberalism, which is completely different than modern political liberalism. It's like having two features in an app with nearly the same name. Confusing as fuck.\n* E. F. Schumacher's Small Is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered - This book will shift your perspective, useful to avoid becoming an a mindless advocate for one school of thought or another.\n* Marx is a tough one as Capital is massive and unreadable and The Communist Manifesto is a propaganda pamphlet but I think you need to at least find some articles that summarize the basics.\n* Keynes and Hayek - This hip hop battle is a decent start:\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0nERTFo-Sk\nthen read Keynes' The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money and Hayek's The Road to Serfdom.\n* Milton Friedman's - Yes, read Capitalism and Freedom. I hesitated to include it as the guy's so good at making the case that it can turn you into a market advocate bot. Please resist that.\nCan someone help me on this, is there a book balance Hayek and a book to balance Friedman? I'm sorry but Keynes doesn't do it for me. Look at the difference in titles between Hayek and Keynes. It's hard to motivate to read the Keynes book but nobody ever has trouble reading Hayek.\nI see a lot of these ideas come up on HN a lot. What I don't like so much is when someone becomes an advocate for a particular ism. To me, all isms are rubbish. All of them. Understand but do not become a shill for an ideology.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book will shift your perspective, useful to avoid becoming an a mindless advocate for one school of thought or another.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a perspective-shifting counterweight to advocacy for one school of thought.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking perspective across economic schools of thought.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569535,
          "author": "JangoSteve",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T23:39:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569535",
          "commentText": "Capitalism and Freedom by Milton Friedman\nAlso, as a good counterpoint (sort of)...\nSmall is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered by E.F. Schumacher\nI personally don't think the whole book is that great, but the chapter, \"Buddhist Economics\", is really good and reprinted here: http://www.smallisbeautiful.org/buddhist_economics/english.h... (http://www.smallisbeautiful.org/buddhist_economics/english.html)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I personally don't think the whole book is that great, but the chapter, \"Buddhist Economics\", is really good",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as a counterpoint and praises its “Buddhist Economics” chapter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not think the whole book is that great.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "E. F. Schumacher"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternative economics",
        "appropriate technology",
        "buddhist economics",
        "economic ethics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "small-is-the-new-big-957dba",
      "title": "Small Is the New Big",
      "author": "Seth Godin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Small is the New Big",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 673569,
          "author": "sivers",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-25T13:02:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 673487,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there any good Internet marketing books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=673569",
          "commentText": "To get fundamentals and theory foundation, drop the \"internet\" part of your requirement.  The internet is just another way to connect people.\nAll successful marketing comes down to a fundamental understanding of people, how we like to be spoken to, what captures our attention, and what messages stick.\nRead my notes and excerpts on some of these books to get an idea if they're what you're looking for:\n==\nSmall is the New Big - by Seth Godin\nA \"best-of\" collection of small essays about marketing. Seth writes in general terms meant to give you perspective, change the way you think about marketing, and inspire you to actions, no matter how small, that make all the difference.  Read anything by Seth Godin (as others here have said), but this is his best overview.\nhttp://sivers.org/book/SmallIsTheNewBig\n==\nMade to Stick - by Chip Heath and Dan Heath\nA deep analysis of what makes certain ideas or stories memorable.\nhttp://sivers.org/book/MadeToStick\n==\nYou, Inc - The Art of Selling Yourself - by Harry Beckwith\nHarry Beckwith is amazing. Read everything by him. This is just his newest. He's the best at reminding you how basic human consideration translates into marketing.\nhttp://sivers.org/book/YouInc\n==\nGetting Everything You Can Out of All You've Got - by Jay Abraham\nJay Abraham is an absolute marketing genius from an angle the others here don't cover.  This gets you into his mindset, seeing profitable aspects in your business you never noticed before, and how to communicate them to your audience.  Sorry I don't have notes on this one:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/0312284543",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Small is the New Big - by Seth Godin",
          "reason": "Described as Seth Godin's best overview of marketing and praised for giving perspective and inspiring action.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking marketing fundamentals and perspective.",
          "caveat": "A collection of short essays.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5574,
          "author": "python_kiss",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T02:11:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5574",
          "commentText": "About 14 months ago, I had little knowledge of how to execute a startup. In particular, I wasn't familiar with any online marketing tactics. The following books helped me a lot in that respective, and more:\n\n1. Positioning, 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing/Branding, Focus, Marketing Warfare\n2. Purple Cow, All Marketers are Liars, Permission Marketing (I didn't like \"The Big Moo\", \"Free prize inside\" or \"Small is the new Big\").\n3. Founters At Work\n4. Wikinomics, Wisdom of Crowds, The Tipping Point (Blink! was alright). I am looking forward to reading \"The Long Tail\" and \"The starfish and the spider\"...has anyone read them yet?\n6. Why We Buy\n7. Hackers and Painters\n8. The E-Myth revisited\n9. The Art of the Start\n10. On War, The Art of War by Machiavelli and Sun Tzu (not exactly for startups, but definitely useful)\n11. Crossing the Chasm",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "\"Small is the new Big\"",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly says they did not like this book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Seth Godin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marketing",
        "business strategy",
        "essays"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "smalltalk-80-the-language-and-its-implementation-74e45e",
      "title": "Smalltalk-80: The Language and Its Implementation",
      "author": "Adele Goldberg and David Robson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29307647,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T15:48:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29307647",
          "commentText": "Awesome! Specifically not on my list already there's: Concepts, Techniques, and Models of Computer Programming; Smalltalk-80: The language and its implementation; The Architecture of Symbolic Computers and Project Oberon: The design of an operating system and compiler.\nThis reminds me Niklaus Wirth's Compiler Construction probably belongs in this thread.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Smalltalk-80: The language and its implementation",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 177202,
          "author": "EdwardCoffin",
          "createdAt": "2008-04-30T01:49:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 176803,
          "threadTitle": "Which is your favorite 70-80s computer book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=177202",
          "commentText": "I'll second \"Smalltalk-80 The language and its implementation\".  You can get the implementation chapter online now: http://wiki.squeak.org/squeak/64",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'll second \"Smalltalk-80 The language and its implementation\".",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 177199,
          "author": "dmb",
          "createdAt": "2008-04-30T01:46:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 176803,
          "threadTitle": "Which is your favorite 70-80s computer book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=177199",
          "commentText": "There is a legal HTML'd version of the missing chapters here:\nhttp://users.ipa.net/~dwighth/smalltalk/bluebook/bluebook_im... (http://users.ipa.net/~dwighth/smalltalk/bluebook/bluebook_imp_toc.html)\nI also vaguely remember the ACM releasing the full PDF of the book if you signed up for a free account.  It was posted on lambda-the-ultimate at some point.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the missing chapters here:",
          "reason": "Points to an online version of missing chapters from the book being discussed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adele Goldberg",
        "David Robson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming languages",
        "smalltalk"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "smartcuts-62fa5e",
      "title": "Smartcuts",
      "author": "Shane Snow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14478716,
          "author": "febin",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T21:58:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478716",
          "commentText": "The Holy Bible\nStart With Why\nThe Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck\nThink Like a Freak\nSmartCuts",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SmartCuts",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9355742,
          "author": "robodale",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-10T17:17:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9355742",
          "commentText": "I just read Smartcuts, Made to Stick, and Traction - a great trio of books to get your mind in the right spot as you pursue a market to create a product.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I just read Smartcuts, Made to Stick, and Traction - a great trio of books to get your mind in the right spot as you pursue a market to create a product.",
          "reason": "Recommended as part of a trio for pursuing a product market.",
          "audience": "People pursuing a market to create a product.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Shane Snow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "career",
        "entrepreneurship",
        "innovation",
        "product strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "so-good-they-can-t-ignore-you-why-skills-trump-passion-in-the-que-ef7db4",
      "title": "So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love",
      "author": "Cal Newport",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16582639,
          "author": "q-base",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-14T05:46:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16582639",
          "commentText": "Pitch Anything - About selling and the psychology of selling. Really need to re-read that one actually.\nAnd +1 for Deep Work, So Good They Can't Ignore You or The World Beyond Your Head. They made me realize that being in a profession where you can reach \"flow state\" actually is a privilege.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "And +1 for Deep Work, So Good They Can't Ignore You or The World Beyond Your Head.",
          "reason": "The commenter endorses it as one of three books that changed their view of reaching a flow state at work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238537,
          "author": "kirubakaran",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:59:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238537",
          "commentText": "Here is my full bookshelf: http://www.kirubakaran.com/books-read.html\nBooks Read in 2016:\n1. The Recursive Universe: Cosmic Complexity and the Limits of Scientific Knowledge\n- Poundstone, William\n2. My Brain is Open: The Mathematical Journeys of Paul Erdos\n- Schechter, Bruce\n3. One Summer: America, 1927\n- Bryson, Bill\n4. The Three-Body Problem (Remembrance of Earth’s Past, #1)\n- Liu, Cixin\n5. The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit\n- Godin, Seth\n6. At Home: A Short History of Private Life\n- Bryson, Bill\n7. Kings of Kings (Hardcore History, #56-58)\n- Carlin, Dan\n8. Blueprint for Armageddon (Hardcore History #50-55)\n- Carlin, Dan\n9. Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal\n- Klaff, Oren\n10. William Shakespeare: The World as Stage\n- Bryson, Bill\n11. So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love\n- Newport, Cal\n12. The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles\n- Pressfield, Steven\n13. In a Sunburned Country\n- Bryson, Bill\n14. Cannery Row\n- Steinbeck, John\n15. Traction: A Startup Guide to Getting Customers\n- Weinberg, Gabriel\n16. Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World\n- Newport, Cal\n17. Starship Troopers\n- Heinlein, Robert A.\n18. No Touch Monkey!: And Other Travel Lessons Learned Too Late\n- Halliday, Ayun",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12421719,
          "author": "codyZ",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-03T23:10:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12421719",
          "commentText": "Moonwalking with Einstein -Definitely. Also Brain Rules is a good one as well.\nI would be cautious with Cal Newport's books and take it with a box of salt, however. To be fair, I only read one of his books (So Good They Can't Ignore You). His intentions with framing the book and its details are great. But I found it hard to trust that he actually believes in some of the things he writes - as opposed to just writing books that can sell well",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I would be cautious with Cal Newport's books and take it with a box of salt, however. To be fair, I only read one of his books (So Good They Can't Ignore You).",
          "reason": "The commenter advises caution and says they found the book's claims hard to trust.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has read only one of Newport's books and describes its intentions and details as great.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cal Newport"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "career development",
        "skill building",
        "craftsmanship",
        "meaningful work"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "soft-skills-32d81a",
      "title": "Soft Skills",
      "author": "John Sonmez",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33856481,
          "author": "summertime42",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T18:55:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33856481",
          "commentText": "I have all of these on my shelf. Fantastic reads.\n* Extreme Programming Explained by Kent Beck\n* Clean Code and The Clean Coder by Robert C. Martin\n* Soft Skills by John Sonmez (1st edition)\n* Pragmatic Programmer by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas\n* Working Effectively with Legacy Code by Michael Feathers\n* The Mythical Man-Month by Frederick Brooks\n(Selfish plug) Additionally, I wrote my own book concerning the entire industry, from just starting out to becoming a self employed consultant when you get sick of fulltime work - all soft skills from my decade or so of the industry, as well - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B43V1JJW",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Soft Skills by John Sonmez (1st edition)",
          "reason": "Includes it among books they describe as fantastic reads.",
          "audience": "Software engineers interested in professional development.",
          "caveat": "The commenter specifies the first edition.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10324784,
          "author": "codemonkeymike",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T18:09:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10324784",
          "commentText": "These two books are must reads for sure (Or must listens, both are well narrated in audio book form)\n* The One Thing By Gary Keller and Jay Papasan\n* Soft Skills By John Sonmez",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "These two books are must reads for sure",
          "reason": "Describes the books as must-reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Also recommends the audiobook version.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Sonmez"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "professional development",
        "software career",
        "software careers"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "software-engineering-at-google-lessons-learned-from-programming-o-3d65c9",
      "title": "Software Engineering at Google: Lessons Learned from Programming Over Time",
      "author": "Titus Winters, Tom Manshreck, and Hyrum Wright",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33857300,
          "author": "tonto",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T20:08:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33857300",
          "commentText": "\"Software engineering at Google\" (O'Reilley) has a lot of \"team focused\" advice also, it's overall pretty non-technical but generally a good read. Free to read online too https://abseil.io/resources/swe-book",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Software engineering at Google\" (O'Reilley) has a lot of \"team focused\" advice also",
          "reason": "Offers team-focused advice and is described as generally a good read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is overall pretty non-technical.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27656648,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-28T00:01:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 27650775,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27656648",
          "commentText": "I've read through half of it as well. I think it's pretty good but poorly edited somehow because of how long it's taken me to get through even just the first half.\nSo ultimately I don't think it will break my top list even when I finish it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I think it's pretty good but poorly edited somehow",
          "reason": "Gives a mixed assessment, praising the book while criticizing its editing and slow pace.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is poorly edited, took a long time to read, and will not make their top list.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27656166,
          "author": "vitus",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T22:44:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 27650775,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27656166",
          "commentText": "Since you mention the Google SRE book, I'm curious if you've read the Google SWE book (and if so, what your thoughts are).\nhttps://abseil.io/resources/swe-book has a link to a PDF copy.\nI've read through about... half of it; at least from my perspective (as a current software engineer at Google with experience with most of the systems / processes outlined in the book), a lot of it is philosophical about the \"why\" of software engineering.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm curious if you've read the Google SWE book",
          "reason": "Asks for the other person's opinion of the book and says they have read about half of it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter characterizes much of it as philosophical about the reasons behind software engineering.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Titus Winters",
        "Tom Manshreck",
        "Hyrum Wright"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software engineering",
        "google",
        "engineering culture",
        "software teams"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "software-project-survival-guide-640099",
      "title": "Software Project Survival Guide",
      "author": "Steve McConnell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16358031,
          "author": "xstartup",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-12T11:40:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16358031",
          "commentText": "McConnell, Steve. Code Complete. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Press, 1993.\nMcConnell, Steve. Software Project Survival Guide. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Press, 1998.\nMaguire, Steve. Writing Solid Code. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Press, 1993.\nRanade and Nash. The Elements of C Programming Style. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1992.\nKernighan and Plauger. The Elements of Programming Style. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1982.\nCaner, Cem, et al. Testing Computer Software, Second Edition. New York: Wiley Computer Publishing, 1999.\nHunt, Andrew, et al. The Pragmatic Programmer. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 2000.\nHolub, Allen. Enough Rope to Shoot Yourself in the Foot: Rules for C and C++ Programming. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1995.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "McConnell, Steve. Software Project Survival Guide.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the question about books colleagues should have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2524351,
          "author": "beagle3",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-07T19:18:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 2524205,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books for soon to be Software Engineers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2524351",
          "commentText": "If you will be programming in Java, my condolences. (yes, I'm ready for the downvotes).\nI'm sure there's some nice Java code out there. I recently agreed to do a Java project, and the 6 months I was at it sucked the joy of programming out of me.\nI've spent the last few years doing Python, C and K, and in comparison, Java is so bureaucratic that I felt like 10% of my work was advancing towards my goal, and 90% was bureaucracy (compared to 20% bureaucracy in C, 5% in Python and 0.001% in K)\nAnd as for books, I recommend Jon Bentley's \"Programming Pearls\" series, Steve McConnell's \"Software Project Survival Guide\" and DeMarco and Lister's \"PeopleWare\". The last two have more to do with project (and people) management than with software engineering - but you will need these skills much earlier than you'd expect, perhaps even in your first couple of months of work. And PeopleWare is a short and enjoyable read, you could put it in the \"leisure\" pile.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Steve McConnell's \"Software Project Survival Guide\"",
          "reason": "Recommends it for project skills needed early in a software career.",
          "audience": "New software engineers who need project management skills.",
          "caveat": "More about project management than software engineering.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve McConnell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software project management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "solar-clipper-series-a72387",
      "title": "Solar Clipper series",
      "author": "Nathan Lowell",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48089141,
          "author": "cheese_van",
          "createdAt": "2026-05-10T23:16:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 48084905,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci fi books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48089141",
          "commentText": "I can recommend A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine.  Heartily recommend in fact.\nAnd if you're like me, always looking for a series to fill the time, I can recomend the Solar Clipper series by Nathan Lowell.  It's nothing dramatic, just human interactions, which I found refreshing.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I can recomend the Solar Clipper series by Nathan Lowell.",
          "reason": "Recommends the series for readers looking for a series to read.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a series to fill their time.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is nothing dramatic and appreciates its focus on human interactions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36022846,
          "author": "pandemicsyn",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T17:06:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36022846",
          "commentText": "Solar Clipper series by Nathan Lowell. It's not a grand epic space opera - its more like a grand \"learn what life on a space freighter is like\" opera. The books are strangely relaxing and calming.\nLove throwing on an \"ambient spaceship sounds\" youtube and re-reading these.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Solar Clipper series by Nathan Lowell.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes the books as relaxing and calming.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not a grand epic space opera.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nathan Lowell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "slice of life",
        "space freighter",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "something-happened-ebbaf0",
      "title": "Something Happened",
      "author": "Joseph Heller",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268721,
          "author": "MarcelOlsz",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T21:44:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268721",
          "commentText": "Best one was Something Happened by Joseph Heller (Catch 22 guy). Worst one was 1Q84 by Murakami (so far).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Best one was Something Happened by Joseph Heller",
          "reason": "Names it as the best book the commenter read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3643174,
          "author": "instakill",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-28T14:09:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 3643009,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-technical book you've read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3643174",
          "commentText": "Something happened - Joseph Heller.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Something happened - Joseph Heller.",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to a question asking for recent non-technical books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph Heller"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american literature",
        "literary fiction",
        "satire",
        "workplace fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sources-of-power-how-people-make-decisions-c92aa0",
      "title": "Sources of Power: How People Make Decisions",
      "author": "Gary Klein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19896279,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T03:38:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19896279",
          "commentText": "1) Sources of Power: How people make decisions by Gary Klein\nIntroduces https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recognition_primed_decision It really resonated with me.\n2) Thinking and Deciding by Jonathan Baron. Quite thorough and comprehensive.\n3) There are also books on \"TRIZ\"(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRIZ) a technique for problem solving, which arose from the former Soviet Union.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sources of Power: How people make decisions by Gary Klein\nIntroduces",
          "reason": "Introduces recognition-primed decision making, which resonated with the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3278494,
          "author": "jamesbkel",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T23:03:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3278494",
          "commentText": "Sources of Power: How People Make Decisions - Gary Klein\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Sources-Power-People-Make-Decisions/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/Sources-Power-People-Make-Decisions/dp/0262611465/)\nAlso, Gerd Gigerenzer is a good name to look into. My degree is in Decision Science, so I'm slightly biased against some of the pop-sci authors. However Gigerenzer has a number of books that range from highly accessible to the academic. Also, he has served as an editor on volumes that relate the study of mental models/cognition to other fields.\nOne example is: Heuristics and the Law\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Heuristics-Law-Dahlem-Workshop-Reports... (http://www.amazon.com/Heuristics-Law-Dahlem-Workshop-Reports/dp/0262072750/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sources of Power: How People Make Decisions - Gary Klein",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gary Klein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "decision making",
        "expertise",
        "naturalistic decision making",
        "recognition primed decision"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "space-odyssey-series-da09c9",
      "title": "Space Odyssey series",
      "author": "Arthur C. Clarke",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13249033,
          "author": "GlassOuroboros",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T07:54:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249033",
          "commentText": "While I cannot recommend any particular books, I can recommend that you look into the \"Hard Science Fiction\" genre. They are very realistic, yet still have a cool aspect of fiction. The Wikipedia page for Hard Science Fiction has a list of good books in the genre.\nBesides that, off the top of my head, I would say books by Isaac Asimov (Foundation series) or Arthur C. Clarke (Space Odyssey series).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Arthur C. Clarke (Space Odyssey series)",
          "reason": "Suggested as a fiction option in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking fiction, especially hard science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86342,
          "author": "wbornor",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T18:01:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86342",
          "commentText": "1984 (George Orwell)\nFountains of Paradise (Arthur C Clarke, Space Elevator SciFi)\nDune Series (Herbert)\nEnder Series (Orson Scott Card)\n2001 Series (Arthur C Clarke)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2001 Series (Arthur C Clarke)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur C. Clarke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space exploration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "spark-joy-632c10",
      "title": "Spark Joy",
      "author": "Marie Kondo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37942102,
          "author": "ydnaclementine",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T12:44:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37942102",
          "commentText": "Marie Kondo - Spark Joy. I like it because it provides a different perspective on the stuff you buy but don't use (thank you for showing me that I didn't like this style of shirt) as you give it away. Getting rid of stuff isn't revolutionary, but how she thinks about the things you own is different.\nHer show is very similar to the book, but the book explains it better. Her second book is more of the same, not sure about the third",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Marie Kondo - Spark Joy. I like it because it provides a different perspective",
          "reason": "The commenter likes its perspective on possessions and says the book explains the approach better than the show.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15019092,
          "author": "_jdams",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T15:26:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15019092",
          "commentText": "Marie Kondo's other book Spark Joy is great too",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Marie Kondo's other book Spark Joy is great too",
          "reason": "Calls it great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marie Kondo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "decluttering",
        "home organization",
        "organizing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "spark-the-revolutionary-new-science-of-exercise-and-the-brain-3d634b",
      "title": "Spark: The Revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain",
      "author": "John J. Ratey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14486662,
          "author": "Anand_S",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T11:04:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14486662",
          "commentText": "1. The One Thing. ~ Gary Keller\n2. Mini Habits. ~ Stephen Guise\n3. Learned Optimism. ~ Martin Seligman\n4. Spark. ~ John Ratey\n5. Miracle of Mindfulness. ~ Thich nhat hanh",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "4. Spark. ~ John Ratey",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8716601,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T14:39:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8716601",
          "commentText": "Spark, by John J. Ratey, one of the pioneers of studying ADHD and the impact of exercise on the brain.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Spark-Revolutionary-Science-Exercise-B... (http://www.amazon.com/Spark-Revolutionary-Science-Exercise-Brain/dp/0316113514)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Spark, by John J. Ratey, one of the pioneers of studying ADHD and the impact of exercise on the brain.",
          "reason": "Names the book and highlights its subject; it is offered in response to the request for influential books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John J. Ratey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adhd",
        "brain health",
        "exercise",
        "exercise and brain health"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sprint-35e9e8",
      "title": "Sprint",
      "author": "Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky, and Braden Kowitz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35170167,
          "author": "jfernandez",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T15:50:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35170167",
          "commentText": "Sprint (product development and testing)\nIt left me with a more fundamental, \"first principles\" outlook on the 5 key stages of doing _anything_:\n1. Understand\n2. Explore\n3. Decide\n4. Prototype/Build\n5. Test\nSo for example, when things often go wrong it's because a stage was skipped, done out of sequence, or extremely neglected.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sprint (product development and testing)",
          "reason": "Presents a five-stage approach: understand, explore, decide, prototype/build, and test.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12992067,
          "author": "chiefalchemist",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-19T04:25:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12992067",
          "commentText": "Haven't gifted these yet but both Chaos Monkeys and Sprint should see action next month.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "both Chaos Monkeys and Sprint should see action next month.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Has not been gifted yet; plans to give it next month.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12711167,
          "author": "stemuk",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-14T21:20:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12711167",
          "commentText": "Slightly OT, but 'Sprint' written by Jake Knapp is a pretty cool book on working on all kinds of projects, UI/UX projects included.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "is a pretty cool book on working on all kinds of projects",
          "reason": "Calls it a pretty cool book and says it applies to UI/UX projects too.",
          "audience": "People working on projects, including UI/UX projects.",
          "caveat": "Slightly off topic for UI design.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jake Knapp",
        "John Zeratsky",
        "Braden Kowitz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "product development",
        "design sprints",
        "design sprint",
        "project planning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "starting-forth-d1e6e7",
      "title": "Starting Forth",
      "author": "Leo Brodie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14852625,
          "author": "vram22",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T23:09:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14852625",
          "commentText": ">Thinking Forth. Nearly 35 years later it still probably dominates my approach.\nThat's interesting. Can you elaborate on why you think it dominates your approach? I'm interested because I had read a good amount of Starting Forth by Leo Brodie some years ago, and liked the language, and had played around with it a bit (only got access to a Forth system for a short time, so could not go deeply into it, on the practical side). But I remember liking the language. I don't think I have read Thinking Forth.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I had read a good amount of Starting Forth by Leo Brodie some years ago, and liked the language",
          "reason": "The commenter says they liked the language after reading the book, but does not evaluate the book itself.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14486900,
          "author": "throwaway7645",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T11:45:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14486900",
          "commentText": "Reading this one after Starting Forth. I wonder how many have read this that have never written a line of Forth?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "after Starting Forth.",
          "reason": "Named as the book the commenter read before Thinking Forth.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2417692,
          "author": "blacksmythe",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-07T00:37:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2417692",
          "commentText": "Although you might prefer to start off with \"Starting Forth\" first.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Although you might prefer to start off with \"Starting Forth\" first.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2382005,
          "author": "NonEUCitizen",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-29T09:44:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 2380810,
          "threadTitle": "Best program and books to learn how to code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2382005",
          "commentText": "Starting Forth, by Leo Brodie\nhttp://www.forth.com/starting-forth/sf1/sf1.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Starting Forth, by Leo Brodie",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leo Brodie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "forth",
        "concatenative programming",
        "forth programming",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "statistical-rethinking-d9e67f",
      "title": "Statistical Rethinking",
      "author": "Richard McElreath",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35931158,
          "author": "maxFlow",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T18:25:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35931158",
          "commentText": "I've found that Statistics is one of those topics that changes your world view about everything. You can consider pretty much any issue statistically, and that will enrich your perspective significantly. In that sense, Statistical Rethinking will help. However, it's a book on Bayesian stats, it's quite dense, and examples are coded in R. It may be overkill for web app metrics interpretation. For that you may be better served with basic stats & inference, frequencies, descriptive statistics, percentiles, basic distributions, data visualization (e.g., trend lines, scatter plots, boxplots, histograms), etc.\nTo be clear though, Statistical Rethinking is a beautiful piece of work. You can check out the author's lectures[0] and see how much they suit your needs.\n[0] https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDcUM9US4XdPz-KxHM4XH... (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDcUM9US4XdPz-KxHM4XHt7uUVGWWVSus)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "In that sense, Statistical Rethinking will help.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for understanding statistics and interpreting data, while noting it may exceed the needs of web app metrics.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a deeper understanding of statistics or Bayesian statistics.",
          "caveat": "Quite dense, uses R examples, and may be overkill for interpreting web app metrics.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35930167,
          "author": "electriccatblan",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T16:51:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35930167",
          "commentText": "Would Statistical Rethinking help me interpret web app metrics? E.g. if I have a canary out and the response times are longer after x requests, is that significant?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Would Statistical Rethinking help me interpret web app metrics?",
          "reason": "Asks whether it would help interpret web app metrics and assess response-time changes.",
          "audience": "Readers interpreting web app metrics or canary results.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33604253,
          "author": "bmitc",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-15T01:53:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33604253",
          "commentText": "Would you recommend his original Coursera course or his new course here: https://www.deeplearning.ai/courses/machine-learning-special... (https://www.deeplearning.ai/courses/machine-learning-specialization/)?\n> Statistical rethinking by Richard McElreath\nThank you for that reference! I'm definitely going to check it out.\nIf you are able and want to, are you able to elaborate on how you changed the trajectory of your career? I'm a software engineer who was originally wanting to be a mathematician, so I've always been wanting to get back to something a bit more analytical and quantitative.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Statistical rethinking by Richard McElreath",
          "reason": "Thanks the commenter for the reference and says they will check it out.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27629010,
          "author": "samuel",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T10:30:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27629010",
          "commentText": "I came here to recommend \"Statistical Rethinking\" but if you have read(and understood) the Gelman one, you can skip it completely...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I came here to recommend \"Statistical Rethinking\" but if you have read(and understood) the Gelman one, you can skip it completely...",
          "reason": "Recommended as an alternative introduction to statistical modeling.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in statistical modeling.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says readers who have read and understood Gelman's book can skip it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard McElreath"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "statistical modeling",
        "bayesian statistics",
        "bayesian analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stealing-the-network-7128d4",
      "title": "Stealing the Network",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9757833,
          "author": "a_bonobo",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T12:43:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9757833",
          "commentText": "Check out the Stealing The Network series if you're into security -\nit's a bunch of short stories about network security usually written from the POV of a hacker who's trying to gain access to a system. The stories are very tech-heavy  to the point that parts of the stories are non-fiction, with huge excerpts from console sessions and the like.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Check out the Stealing The Network series if you're into security",
          "reason": "Suggests the series for readers interested in security; describes its network-security short stories as technically detailed.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in security.",
          "caveat": "Stories include non-fictional technical material and console excerpts.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2642870,
          "author": "user24",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-11T00:22:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2642870",
          "commentText": "without visible comment scores, this thread is not as useful as it could have been.\nFor computer security fact-wrapped-up-as-fiction, the \"Stealing the network' books are very entertaining, realistic depictions of 'the perfect hack'.\nFor scifi, I enjoy collections of short stories such as the \"new writings in SF\" anthologies. But they're hard to get hold of, so any \"best SF\" collection of short stories will serve you well.\nFor postmodern fiction, Haruki Murakami's Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World is a great read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the \"Stealing the network' books are very entertaining, realistic depictions of 'the perfect hack'.",
          "reason": "The series is described as entertaining and realistic depictions of hacking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybersecurity",
        "hacker fiction",
        "hacking",
        "network security"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "strange-defeat-87d9d4",
      "title": "Strange Defeat",
      "author": "Marc Bloch",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17521978,
          "author": "wazoox",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T11:26:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521978",
          "commentText": "Here is a quick list of the last great books I've read which are available in English (some 'Ive read in other languages):\n- History of Western Philosophy, by Bertrand Russell :\n   This is a wonderful book. Read it.\n- Why the West rules -- for now, Ian Morris :\n   How geography drives history. really deep and thought-provoking.\n- the Strange Defeat, Marc Bloch :\n   A gripping, living narration of the French armies collapse in 1940, from the inside (Marc Bloch was an officer). With a very deep analysis of the long maturing reasons for this defeat.\n- Histories of Alexander the Great, Quintus Curtius Rufus :\n   The title says it all. Very elegant Latin prose.\n- The Golden Ass, Apuleius :\n   A funny story and an immortal classic.\n- The Blitzkrieg Legend: The 1940 Campaign in the West, Karl-Heinz Frieser :\n   For true military history geeks :)\nI notice that these are either classics, or history. Well, so be it :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A gripping, living narration of the French armies collapse in 1940, from the inside",
          "reason": "Describes it as a gripping account and analysis of the French defeat in 1940.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416715,
          "author": "crdb",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T22:27:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416715",
          "commentText": "The first scene in Tolstoy's War and Peace should be required reading for engineering graduates, particularly the hyper-rational Sheldon types. I'm referring specifically to the impact Pierre has on the people at the party, the importance of manners, why small talk, etc. War and Peace is generally a great book because of how much it captures about human nature and power plays and it is still relevant today. It has a reputation for length but I found it much more readable than, say, Lord of the Rings.\nDelta Force by Col. Charlie Beckwith. Think your company has red tape? Try the US Army post-Vietnam. It's a great example of someone moving through bureaucracy to achieve great things and taught me to stop making excuses based on organisational behaviour. The Phantom Major by Virginia Cowles is in the same vein with some phenomenal hustling lessons. I still think of both men whenever I think whatever I'm doing is hard.\nDynamic Hedging by Taleb was written whilst he was a pit trader and is the most intuitive introduction to thinking about options I've read. It informs my thinking about decision making in terms of probability, path dependency and higher order greeks, and helps me take risks in a smart manner. I recommend it to a lot of people but nobody takes it up because (I'm guessing) it's only available as a second hand paper copy, and people think trading options has nothing to do with their life.\nLegionnaire by Simon Murray was recommended to me by my thesis supervisor shortly before graduation. I respected his opinion so I read the thing and it blew my mind in what people were capable of doing when pushed to the edge. Murray went on to have multiple interesting careers and set records as a helicopter pilot.\nThere are two books that were lessons in what they did not teach me.\nClayton Christensen's Innovator's Dilemma/Solution presents a very enticing idea but I think the core explanation for what it covers is much better set forward in Marc Bloch's Strange Defeat. There are regular sub-threads on the book on HN so I won't go into it further.\nI also read a couple of Jack Welch books and thought, wow, this guy knows what he is talking about. This was before 2007. After 2007, I heard from a few people - including very smart investors - who basically put GE's success down to the 30 year bull market and to the growth of GE Capital which became something like 60% of the company and indeed did almost take down GE with it after Lehman. It introduced the possibility that some famous leaders and gurus might not be as competent as they are branded to be and it's important to check for confounding variables.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the core explanation for what it covers is much better set forward in Marc Bloch's Strange Defeat.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a better explanation of the subject discussed in the Innovator books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marc Bloch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "france",
        "institutional failure",
        "military history",
        "wartime france"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sundiver-ea79a5",
      "title": "Sundiver",
      "author": "David Brin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14859819,
          "author": "sparq_beam",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:12:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859819",
          "commentText": "The Uplift War - David Brin\nI had enjoyed Sundiver and Startide Rising from the same series quite a bit, but I have to be honest, this one is trying my patience. I like the whole uplift concept, but I'm finding the writing in this one a bit clumsy.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I had enjoyed Sundiver and Startide Rising from the same series quite a bit",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed it quite a bit.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752881,
          "author": "blrgeek",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T15:44:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752881",
          "commentText": "Want to blow your mind?\nFiction\nKeep an open mind, and a sense of wonder when you read these for max effect!\nHitch-hikers guide to the galaxy. I was hooked at \"The big yellow ships hung in the air just the way bricks don't.\"\nDune - what does scarcity do to a society?\nIsaac Asimov - Robot series. Foundation series. All of his short stories, esp. The Last Question, Nightfall.\nA.C. Clarke - 2001 - series, Childhood's End, The Fountains of Paradise\nThe Little Prince, The Count of Monte Cristo, Catch-22, Siddhartha, Ender's Game, Sundiver, Wodehouse.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sundiver",
          "reason": "Listed as fiction to read for a mind-blowing experience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Brin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "space opera",
        "uplift"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "superforecasting-5119e9",
      "title": "Superforecasting",
      "author": "Philip E. Tetlock and Dan Gardner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18663308,
          "author": "ivanmaeder",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:27:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663308",
          "commentText": "My highlights from this year:\n1. \"How to Measure Anything\" (Douglas Hubbard)\nPresents a few simple techniques (confidence intervals, Monte Carlo simulations, regression analysis, Bayes, etc) to help with decision-making. E.g., should we build this feature or spend the same money on marketing?\nI put it alongside \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" (Daniel Kahneman), \"Superforecasting\" (Philip Tetlock), \"The Art of Thinking Clearly\" (Rolf Dobelli), etc. These books explain how our thinking is often flawed; \"How to Measure Anything\" gives you some tools to avoid flawed thinking.\nNote: if you already know the math (a lot of people on HN would), you might not get that much out of it.\n2. \"Why We Sleep\" (Matthew Walker)\nAs I read this book I kept thinking about all the people I knew who would benefit from it: family and friends whom I want to have healthy happy lives, managers who believe that they'll get more out of people by pushing them to work crazy hours… and lots of people who think they’ll get more out of themselves if they sleep less.\nWith references to studies, the book explains the different factors that influence sleep, what your body does during sleep and the different phases of sleep, how your body—mostly the brain—benefits, etc.\nFor days after reading it I kept telling friends about things I'd learnt from it. One of my favourite was how certain types of bird are able to sleep: they line themselves up in a row, with the birds on each end putting only half their brain to sleep. This way they can keep one of their eyes open—the one furthest to the end—so they can keep watch. Then after a while the birds on the end will turn around and sleep the other side of their brain.\nFascinating!\nMy only complaint is that it very rarely mentions the actual numbers behind studies. E.g., there might be a mention of a lack of sleep and an increased risk of diabetes or depression or heart attacks, but there's no reference to the amount the risks increase by.\n3. \"Shoe Dog\" (Phil Knight)\nThe story of Nike, told by the founder. I honestly don't care about Nike but that's not the takeaway—it's not about shoes or T-shirts or Michael Jordan. It's about a guy trying to keep a business alive: almost from day one there no let-up, the company is continually under threat.\nAlso the early employees are a really fun bunch.\n4. \"The Master and Margarita\" (Mikhail Bulgakov)\nFiction. It took me a while to warm up to this but I'm glad I stuck it out. I think the charm is in the language and the crazy mix of characters, the way religion is dealt with in a very human way; the tension, the fun…\nI really struggle to describe this book.\n5. \"Shantaram\" (David Gregory Roberts)\nFiction. I was looking for a book about India. I've never been, and I thought I might learn something and get a feeling of what it's like to be there.\nI didn't. Not in the same way that I could feel the heat in \"Heart of Darkness\" (Joseph Conrad) or the sun and the trees in \"From the Holy Mountain\" (William Dalrymple) or the weight of the world in \"Suttree\" (Cormac McCarthy).\nBut it's a good ride of a story.\n6. \"In Dreams Begin Responsibilities and Other Stories\" (Delmore Schwartz)\nI knew this book from university. And then a few weeks ago: I needed a break from the world of tech and productivity and work, and this did the trick. It is so far away from that. Think: creative types working on books and poems and plays during the depression, struggling, self-conscious, observant, talkative…",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "These books explain how our thinking is often flawed",
          "reason": "The commenter says it explains how thinking can be flawed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10766433,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T08:01:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10766433",
          "commentText": "Not sure about \"significantly affected how I think\", but here are a couple of the standouts from 2015 that come to mind:\nThe First World War: A Complete History\nPredictable Revenue\nSuperforecasting\nThe Master Algorithm\nNatural Born Heroes",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Superforecasting",
          "reason": "Listed as a standout read in response to a question about books that affected the reader's thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether it significantly affected their thinking.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip E. Tetlock and Dan Gardner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Business",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "forecasting",
        "decision making",
        "judgment"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "superintelligence-24dc5f",
      "title": "Superintelligence",
      "author": "Nick Bostrom",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910404,
          "author": "briga",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:42:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910404",
          "commentText": "The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch. The sheer breadth of the ideas covered in this book is breathtaking, and there are some truly mind-bending ideas explored in this book. If you're looking for a good general science book I highly recommend this one.\nSuperintelligence by Nick Bostrom. Few thinkers have thought about this issue as deeply as Bostrom, and it was fascinating to hear his thoughts on AI.\nBury My Heart at Wounded Knee. Pretty traumatic read but essential if you really want to understand a dark and overlooked chapter of American history",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it was fascinating to hear his thoughts on AI.",
          "reason": "The commenter found Bostrom's thoughts on AI fascinating.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10784101,
          "author": "skorgu",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:39:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10784101",
          "commentText": "I was on a sf kick this year apparently.\nFull list (why can't amazon show me the read dates of my kindle books?!):\n- Ancillary Sword\n- The Magician's Land\n- The Three Body Problem (incomplete)\n- Libriomancer, Codex Born, Unbound\n- Thank You, Jeeves\n- Omon Ra (incomplete)\n- Stations of the Tide\n- 1Q84 (staggeringly incomplete)\n- The Desert Spear (incomplete)\n- The Lost Fleet: {Dauntless,Fearless,Courageous} (third \none incomplete)\n- Superintelligence\n- Nexus, Crux (incomplete)\n- Another Fine Myth\n- The Annihilation Score\n- The Man with the Golden Torc, Daemons are Forever\n- The Fractal Prince (incomplete)\n- Crooked\n- Ancillary Mercy\n- The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet\n- The Traitor Baru Cormarant\n- Excession\n- Hive Mind\n- Seveneves",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "- Superintelligence",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed in a reading list; no evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10534025,
          "author": "avnfish",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T16:43:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10534025",
          "commentText": "Superintelligence - Nick Bostrom\nInfinite Jest - David Foster Wallace\n100 Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Superintelligence - Nick Bostrom",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about the best books read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nick Bostrom"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "ai risk",
        "ai safety",
        "existential risk"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "surfing-uncertainty-prediction-action-and-the-embodied-mind-3bb114",
      "title": "Surfing Uncertainty: Prediction, Action, and the Embodied Mind",
      "author": "Andy Clark",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23156085,
          "author": "pftburger",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T16:42:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23156085",
          "commentText": "There is no wind\nthere is no flag\nthere are no monks \nonly your mind. \nIts really not just semantics. Skip the Buddhism and go read Andy Clark's Surfing Uncertainty. Its humorously written, its current science and it'll blow your mind ;)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "go read Andy Clark's Surfing Uncertainty.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a humorous account of current science that can change how readers think.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804894,
          "author": "knzhou",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:29:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804894",
          "commentText": "I try to only read books that are at least a few years old, so these aren’t timely recommendations.\nOn the list for next year:\nThe Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language\nEssays of Montaign\nWhy Zebras Don't Get Ulcers\nHigher Speculations: Grand Theories and Failed Revolutions in Physics and Cosmology\nThe Enigma of Reason\nSurfing Uncertainty: Prediction, Action, and the Embodied Mind\nImpro\nDeng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China\nInvisible Cities\nCollapse of Complex Societies\n--\nFavorites from this year:\nDeath's End\nOne Man's Meat\nLife Ascending: The Ten Great Inventions of Evolution\nA Primate's Memoir: A Neuroscientist's Unconventional Life Among the Baboons\nDo No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery\nCosmicomics\nWhy Quark Rhymes with Pork\nThe Unfolding of Language\nA Sand County Almanac",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Surfing Uncertainty: Prediction, Action, and the Embodied Mind",
          "reason": "Listed among books planned for next year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andy Clark"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "embodied cognition",
        "predictive processing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "surrounded-by-idiots-7b4c3d",
      "title": "Surrounded by Idiots",
      "author": "Thomas Erikson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45954201,
          "author": "bicepjai",
          "createdAt": "2025-11-17T15:03:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 45947737,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45954201",
          "commentText": "1. Talking to My Daughter About the Economy: or, How Capitalism Works--and How It Fails\n2. Writing to learn. People who are scared of writing like me must listen to this every year :)\n3. Made to stick\n4. Million dollar weekend\n5. Surrounded by idiots",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Surrounded by idiots",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41387709,
          "author": "dboreham",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T05:40:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387709",
          "commentText": "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy\nSurrounded by Idiots\nMeditations",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Surrounded by Idiots",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Erikson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "communication styles"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "swann-s-way-2362d4",
      "title": "Swann's Way",
      "author": "Marcel Proust",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17058171,
          "author": "speedplane",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-13T10:07:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17058171",
          "commentText": "No question,hands down: Proust. He wrote his novels over a hundred years ago, in a vastly different world that we line in now, but over-and-over again, he totally nails and dissects human experience.\nThe first 30 or so pages of Swan's Way is about a child waking up in his room. He shows that something so benign and ordinary is anything but, it includes countless memories, senses, instincts, and emotions. Technologists should take note.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The first 30 or so pages of Swan's Way",
          "reason": "Praised for revealing the complexity of an ordinary childhood moment.",
          "audience": "Technologists, whom the commenter says should take note.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109317,
          "author": "chimeracoder",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:47:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109317",
          "commentText": "One summer in high school I decided to read In Search of Lost Time before school started up again.\nI only made my way through Swann's Way (the first of seven books in the series), but I'm so glad I did. I think it was probably the toughest piece of literature I'd ever read, but one of the most rewarding by far.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I only made my way through Swann's Way (the first of seven books in the series), but I'm so glad I did. I think it was probably the toughest piece of literature I'd ever read, but one of the most rewarding by far.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it exceptionally rewarding despite its difficulty.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as one of the toughest works of literature the commenter had read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marcel Proust"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "modernist literature",
        "french literature",
        "memory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sync-the-emerging-science-of-spontaneous-order-5cb308",
      "title": "Sync: The Emerging Science of Spontaneous Order",
      "author": "Steven Strogatz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40964910,
          "author": "vehicles2b",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-15T02:51:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 40962582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most accurate scientific book on human sleep?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40964910",
          "commentText": "A disclaimer is that I haven't read \"Why We Sleep\". Nonetheless I recommend the book \"Sync\" by Steven Strogatz (2003) -- particularly chapter 3 on sleep -- which describes a neat coupling of when we sleep / when we wake up to our body temperature which oscillates with a period of roughly 24 hours. (See figures on pgs 81 and 83.) Much of this discussion on sleep is derived from \"isolation\" research in the mid 1970's by Elliot Weitzman and Charles Czeisler, experiments in which subjects were isolated from all sense of time including daylight, clocks, and the news, to study their sleep cycles in the absence of external information telling them the time of day.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nonetheless I recommend the book \"Sync\" by Steven Strogatz (2003) -- particularly chapter 3 on sleep",
          "reason": "Recommends the book and highlights its discussion of sleep and circadian rhythms.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in sleep cycles and circadian rhythms.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read Why We Sleep.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12098993,
          "author": "0xmohit",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T04:49:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12098993",
          "commentText": "Here are a few:\nSync: The Emerging Science of Spontaneous Order by Steven Strogatz\nPrime Obsession: Bernhard Riemann and the Greatest Unsolved Problem in Mathematics by John Derbyshire\nPredictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely\nThe Peter Principle: Why Things Always Go Wrong by \tLaurence J. Peter and Raymond Hull",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sync: The Emerging Science of Spontaneous Order by Steven Strogatz",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Strogatz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "complex systems",
        "synchronization",
        "circadian rhythms"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "talent-is-overrated-91568d",
      "title": "Talent Is Overrated",
      "author": "Geoff Colvin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7478844,
          "author": "hallidayjb13",
          "createdAt": "2014-03-27T05:50:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 7450534,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's on your reading list? Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7478844",
          "commentText": "You may have already come across it if you've read a lot of Stoic philosophy, but 'Meditations' by Marcus Aurelius is a good read.\nOther books I've really enjoyed are:\nTalent is overrated, by Geoff Colvin (short version: working hard is more than half the battle)\nDrive, by Daniel Pink (short version: to be motivated, you need to have/be working toward purpose, autonomy, and mastery)\nHow will you measure your life, by Clayton Christensen (short version: just read it - very good)\nFor the win - how game thinking can revolutionize your business, by Kevin Werbach and Dan Hunter (Note: one of the authors offers a Gamification MOOC on Coursera)\nAnd for fun:\nEastern Approaches, by Fitzroy Maclean (short version: a pseudo-biography about a british man who was a diplomat, politician, and special forces operator all in one lifetime. Incredible)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Other books I've really enjoyed are:\nTalent is overrated, by Geoff Colvin",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter has really enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5752857,
          "author": "joshux",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-22T18:35:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5752857",
          "commentText": "Talent Is Overrated - Geoff Colvin ( Theory from Anders Ericsson )\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Introvert Advantage - Marti Olsen Laney\nThe Mindful Way Through Depression - Mark Williams et al.\nSurely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Talent Is Overrated - Geoff Colvin",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Geoff Colvin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "deliberate practice",
        "expertise",
        "talent"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tales-of-pirx-the-pilot-189989",
      "title": "Tales of Pirx the Pilot",
      "author": "Stanisław Lem",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17537426,
          "author": "xteze",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T22:26:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537426",
          "commentText": "For fun and/or lighthearted, I enjoyed: \nStanislaw Lem: Cyberiad, The Futurological Congress, Tales of Pirx the Pilot;\nSteven Paul Leiva: Traveling in Space;\nTed Chiang: Stories of your Life;\nJohn Scalzi: Old Man's War (and sequels)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tales of Pirx the Pilot",
          "reason": "Suggested as a fun or lighthearted read.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for fun or lighthearted fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387394,
          "author": "deletes",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T22:59:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387394",
          "commentText": "Harry Potter; Tales of Pirx the Pilot (Stanislaw Lem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tales of Pirx the Pilot (Stanislaw Lem)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stanisław Lem"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories",
        "space exploration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tao-te-ching-3588e7",
      "title": "Tao Te Ching",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31980436,
          "author": "mikelevins",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-04T18:41:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31980436",
          "commentText": "I stumbled across it when I was about twelve and made a habit of reading it fairly frequently for the following fifteen years or so.\nIn my mid twenties I was in a graduate psychology program at a Buddhist college and one of my instructors was a Chinese Buddhist nun. She said that she knew of the Tao Te Ching, but had not read it, so I brought her a copy with the text in Chinese, as well as in English translation.\nOn a subsequent day of the class she took a little time to comment on it. She said it was like the answers in the back of a mathematics textbook: the answers were correct, of course, but they weren't useful unless you first did the work needed to correctly understand the corresponding questions.\nThere was one other occasion when making a gift of that book to someone elicited a memorable response: when I was in high school my neighbor from India had a baby, and her father, a philosophy professor from Delhi, came to stay for a few months. A friend of mine and I struck up a friendship with him. On one visit we gave him a copy of the Tao Te Ching, which he had not read before. He responded by giving me a beautiful copy of the Rig Veda, and giving my friend a sitar.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the Tao Te Ching, but had not read it",
          "reason": "Discusses prior rereading of the book and describes sharing copies with others.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25531456,
          "author": "wintorez",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T21:10:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25531456",
          "commentText": "Tao Te Ching. It taught me how to let go.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tao Te Ching. It taught me how to let go.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it taught them how to let go.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23859081,
          "author": "fsewe20",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T14:03:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859081",
          "commentText": "The Tao Te Ching.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Tao Te Ching.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "taoism",
        "classical chinese philosophy",
        "classical chinese text"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "team-topologies-7bc22c",
      "title": "Team Topologies",
      "author": "Matthew Skelton and Manuel Pais",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35178460,
          "author": "wallflower",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-16T05:30:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35178460",
          "commentText": "“Team Topologies”\nhttps://teamtopologies.com/\n“Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard”\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Switch-Change-Things-When-Hard/dp/038... (https://www.amazon.com/Switch-Change-Things-When-Hard/dp/0385528752)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Team Topologies”",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about organizational structure and incentives.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27630948,
          "author": "beckingz",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T14:09:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27630948",
          "commentText": "Going to be reading:\n- Staff Engineer\n- Thinking in Systems: a Primer\n- Team Topologies\nAnd for fiction:\n- The Master and Margarita\nMight re-read peopleware again as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Team Topologies",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthew Skelton",
        "Manuel Pais"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "organizational design",
        "software delivery",
        "software teams",
        "team organization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "team-of-rivals-772311",
      "title": "Team of Rivals",
      "author": "Doris Kearns Goodwin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46461871,
          "author": "Quinzel",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-02T05:58:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46461871",
          "commentText": "I read:\n- The Courage to be Disliked.\n- Moral Tribes\n- Crazy like us\n- Careless People\n- Madness Made Me\n- The righteous mind: Why good people are divided by politics and religion.\nAnd a few that were on my 2025 list that I didn’t make it through, and are on my list for 2026 include: \n- Team of Rivals\n- Behave\n- Why Greatness cannot be planned.\nHopefully I’ll get through those three books before the end of Feb when I go back to Uni, and won’t have time to read for leisure for about 7 months.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Team of Rivals",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed among books the commenter did not finish and plans to read in 2026.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 203004,
          "author": "plinkplonk",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T05:00:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=203004",
          "commentText": ">\"Lincoln's War Cabinet by Hendrick Burton  - learn to surround yourself with ideas you don't necessarily agree with and be influenced by the most unlikely minds\"\n\"Team of Rivals\" by Doris Kearns Goodwin explores the same topic, specifically how Lincoln made up his cabinet from talented rivals.\nApparently Obama referred to this book (reference http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/05/obama-propos... (http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/05/obama-proposes.html)) which made me curious enough to buy it. It is a great read and a fascinating study in leadership.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It is a great read and a fascinating study in leadership.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great read and a fascinating study in leadership.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Doris Kearns Goodwin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "abraham lincoln",
        "american civil war",
        "leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "technopoly-the-surrender-of-culture-to-technology-0b1bdf",
      "title": "Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology",
      "author": "Neil Postman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36602518,
          "author": "ggroberg",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T16:12:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36602518",
          "commentText": "\"Technopoly\" by Neil Postman focusses on how technologies influence cultures. Postman taught at NYU for decades. He was not anti-technology - he said we need technology like we need food - but he was critical. He believed we should be careful about the technologies we adopt and how we use them. \"Technopoly\" looks at the history of technology over thousands of years. It describes how societies can become monopolized by technology. It was published in 1992 but feels even more relevant today.\nInteresting fact: he wrote the book with pen and paper, without the help of a computer. He felt his writing was better that way. (Actually he wrote at least 20 books that way.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Technopoly\" by Neil Postman focusses on how technologies influence cultures.",
          "reason": "Examines technology's influence on cultures and the history of technology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Postman was critical of technology and urged care in its adoption and use.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297767,
          "author": "jazzyb",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:52:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297767",
          "commentText": "I think it's important to think about the effect technology has on culture (both positive and negative).  To that end, I would recommend _Technopoly_ by Neil Postman.  (And optionally _Amusing Ourselves to Death_ by the same author -- it's more accessible but slightly less applicable to the software industry.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend _Technopoly_ by Neil Postman.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for thinking about technology's effects on culture.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neil Postman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Society",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "technology and culture",
        "media criticism",
        "philosophy of technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "termination-shock-dac450",
      "title": "Termination Shock",
      "author": "Neal Stephenson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45284626,
          "author": "shawn_w",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-18T02:48:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 45283087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45284626",
          "commentText": "Currently: Moby-Dick and Termination Shock. (That the former gets brought up a lot in the latter is a coincidence.)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "and Termination Shock.",
          "reason": "Says they are currently reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33849955,
          "author": "prepend",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T02:31:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33849955",
          "commentText": "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood by Quentin Tarantino, a great companion to the movie and expands on characters in really unique ways that make me think about them.\nTermination Shock by Neal Stephenson, a near future book about climate change and trying to fix it with an interesting geopolitical look of China acting like the US. I also liked Ministry of the Future but it was less fun of a read.\nCoddling of the American Mind by Jonathan Haidt, a reasoned look at how social media and devices are negatively impacting society and children.\nBorne by Jeff VanderMeer, a weird near future declinepunk with bioengineering and evil corporations.\nHeart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, very short book with a glimpse into post colonial colonialism in remote locations. Wanted to read a book about Congo.\nInvisible Man by Ralph Ellison, a portrait of a character in a time I didn’t experience.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a near future book about climate change and trying to fix it",
          "reason": "Likes its geopolitical look at China acting like the US.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33382606,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T10:05:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382606",
          "commentText": "Top 2 so far:\n   * Washington: A life by Ron Chernow\n   * The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won by Victor Davis Hanson\n\nThe Washington book is a very detailed by clear overview of his life. Easy to follow (even for complex situations) and very week written.\nThe WW2 book is amazing. Compares the countries fighting in around 20 different areas (technology, leadership, geography, aircraft) and says who is better and why.\nAlso very good:\n   * FDR by Jean Edward Smith\n   * Master of the Senate by Robert A. Caro\n   * The Penguin History of New Zealand by Michael King\n   * The years of Lyndon Johnson 2 – Means of Ascent by Robert Caro\n   * Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road by Kyle Buchanan\n   * Becoming Trader Joe: How I Did Business My Way and Still Beat the Big Guys by Joe Coulombe\n   * How Innovation Works: And Why It Flourishes in Freedom by Matt Ridley\n   * Yeager: An Autobiography by Chuck Yeager\n   * The years of Lyndon Johnson: The Path to Power by Robert Caro\n   * The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson\n   * Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson\n   * An Economist walks into a Brothel: And Other Unexpected Places to Understand Risk by Allison Schrager\n   * The Devil’s Candy: The Bonfire of the Vanities Goes to Hollywood by Julie Salamon\n   * Sam Walton: Made in America by Sam Walton",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neal Stephenson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "climate fiction",
        "geopolitics",
        "near future"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "test-driven-development-with-python-cca324",
      "title": "Test-Driven Development with Python",
      "author": "Harry J.W. Percival",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28483044,
          "author": "ctippett",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-10T15:37:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 28478751,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach you programming languages via systems projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28483044",
          "commentText": "I can highly recommend Test-Driven Development with Python[0]. The book has you build and deploy a web application, with emphasis on writing tests at each stage of development. The author has a great sense of humour and the whole book is a fun read-through.\n[0] https://www.obeythetestinggoat.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can highly recommend Test-Driven Development with Python[0].",
          "reason": "Has you build and deploy a web application while writing tests at each stage.",
          "audience": "People seeking a Python project-based learning book.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13661711,
          "author": "larc",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-16T17:22:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13661711",
          "commentText": "Test Driven Development with Python (http://www.obeythetestinggoat.com/) teaches you to use Django and TDD practices to create a basic list web app.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Test Driven Development with Python",
          "reason": "Names the book as an answer to the thread’s request for project-based learning books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Harry J.W. Percival"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "python",
        "test driven development",
        "django",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-100-startup-c673b1",
      "title": "The $100 Startup",
      "author": "Chris Guillebeau",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21914539,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-30T16:38:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21914539",
          "commentText": "Getting Things Done - the 2001 version I read two years ago, I use the general idea and it helps to have a clear head when your fighting fires daily.\nNever Split the Difference - some very practical negotiation strategies.\nMini Habits by Stephen Guise - short book but awesome method.  I am still doing the one pushup habit since last March.\nHow to Shoot Video That Doesn't Suck by Steve Stockman - I wanted to improve my video production for my programming course for kids.  I am still learning but this book has been a huge help.\nThe Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing and Thinking by Barbara Minto - huge help with improving my written communication at my job.\nThe Coaching Habit by Michael Stanier - short book but huge help when your transitioning to managing people.\nMade to Stick by Dan Heath - was a huge help in planning how I would teach elementary students last month about programming.\nThe 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch - aside from application of Pareto principle, I took away the idea that books provide the best bang for your buck for knowledge density.\nThe 4 Hour Work Week - great inspiration to start your own thing.\nThe $100 Startup - like the 4HWW but with more details.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "like the 4HWW but with more details.",
          "reason": "Recommended as similar to The 4-Hour Workweek but with more detail.",
          "audience": "People interested in starting a small business.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7450603,
          "author": "pskittle",
          "createdAt": "2014-03-22T19:57:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 7450534,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's on your reading list? Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7450603",
          "commentText": "100$ startup: Reinvent the way you make a living, Myths of Innovation - Scott Berkun",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "100$ startup: Reinvent the way you make a living",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for startup book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5402912,
          "author": "clockwork_189",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-19T19:08:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 5401749,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What interesting books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5402912",
          "commentText": "The $100 startup.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The $100 startup.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris Guillebeau"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "bootstrapping",
        "small business",
        "startups"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-131-2-lives-of-captain-bluebear-faa304",
      "title": "The 13½ Lives of Captain Bluebear",
      "author": "Walter Moers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227208,
          "author": "GvS",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T18:42:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227208",
          "commentText": "I can recommend Zamonia series by Walter Moers:\n   The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear\n   Rumo & His Miraculous Adventures\n   The City of Dreaming Books\n\nAwesome fantasy books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear",
          "reason": "Named as an installment in the recommended Zamonia series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86442,
          "author": "Tichy",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T23:48:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86442",
          "commentText": "Some more SF/Fantasy yarns:\n- Hyperion by Dan Simmons\n- 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear and all the other Zamonien books (only know german version)\n- Pollen by Jeff Noon\n- Otherland by Tad Williams\n- Ubik by PK Dick",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes they only know the German version.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Walter Moers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fantasy",
        "adventure fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-7-habits-of-highly-effective-people-c8ad12",
      "title": "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People",
      "author": "Stephen Covey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21861303,
          "author": "thorlon",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-23T03:31:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21861303",
          "commentText": "The Unicorn Project,\nThe 7 habits of highly effective people by Stephen Covey,\nPermanent Record, \nTurn the ship around,\nThe Checklist Manifesto,\nThese are good ones!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 7 habits of highly effective people by Stephen Covey,",
          "reason": "Listed as a good audiobook in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "People looking for audiobooks for developers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2173110,
          "author": "rvb",
          "createdAt": "2011-02-03T01:20:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 2172825,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: If you could recommend only three management books...",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2173110",
          "commentText": "I loved Good to Great, especially the data-oriented nature of it. And, of course, Seven Habits is a classic. I look forward to checking out the others. Thank you",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seven Habits is a classic.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a classic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Covey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "personal effectiveness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-awk-programming-language-3e03db",
      "title": "The AWK Programming Language",
      "author": "Alfred V. Aho, Brian W. Kernighan, and Peter J. Weinberger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28667124,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-27T04:36:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28667124",
          "commentText": "The AWK Programming Language (1988)\nhttps://archive.org/details/pdfy-MgN0H1joIoDVoIC7\nBest as in best written, along with K&R—Brian Kernighan co-authoring both can't be an accident!—it's just a pleasure to read. I use it as a model when writing documentation myself. They get you started using AWK literally on page 1. Later they get into the details of particular use cases—profiling, making DSL interpreters/compilers, random text generation, making indexes, a graph-drawing language, databases, data validation etc etc. All in under 200 pages!\nAnd best as in most useful—I use AWK every day for all kinds of things–web scraping, rearranging and creating data for programs, meta-programming etc. So easy to make whatever tool's needed for a job.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The AWK Programming Language (1988)",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its writing and usefulness, and uses it as a model for documentation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14489700,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T17:57:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14489700",
          "commentText": "+1. I have a corner of a bookshelf reserved for everything Kernighan, e.g. both Software Tools editions, both C Language editions, The Unix Programming Environment, The Practice of Programming, The AWK Language, even a copy of The Elements of Programming Style. I, and my employers and clients, may owe more to Mr. Kernighan for his teaching and programming style, than anyone else.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The AWK Language",
          "reason": "Endorses Kernighan’s teaching and programming style and says they may owe him more than anyone else.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alfred V. Aho",
        "Brian W. Kernighan",
        "Peter J. Weinberger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "awk",
        "programming languages",
        "text processing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-accounting-game-basic-accounting-fresh-from-the-lemonade-stan-816ef7",
      "title": "The Accounting Game: Basic Accounting Fresh from the Lemonade Stand",
      "author": "Darrell Mullis and Judith Orloff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22306575,
          "author": "htrapz",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-12T07:05:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22306575",
          "commentText": "The Accounting Game: Basic Accounting Fresh from the Lemonade Stand by Darrell Mullis\nWith this book you a build a business from nothing, and in the process you learn:\nThe mechanics of Balance Sheet, P/L Statement and Cash flow Statement. (My initial motivation was to understand these statements, inorder to have a better understanding of the companies I want to invest in)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Accounting Game: Basic Accounting Fresh from the Lemonade Stand by Darrell Mullis",
          "reason": "Explains basic financial statements through building a business from scratch.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking to understand accounting statements and evaluate companies for investing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5501831,
          "author": "1331",
          "createdAt": "2013-04-06T00:06:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 5501062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Business Book For a 13-year-old Girl?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5501831",
          "commentText": "Something that I wish I would have learned at 13 is basic accounting (accrual method).  Since your daughter is running a vending business, she has a great opportunity to practice accounting!  Perhaps this book would be a good one for her:\nThe Accounting Game: Basic Accounting Fresh from the Lemonade Stand\nhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/1402211864/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Perhaps this book would be a good one for her:\nThe Accounting Game: Basic Accounting Fresh from the Lemonade Stand",
          "reason": "Suggested as a good fit for learning accounting through the daughter's vending business.",
          "audience": "A young person who runs a small business and wants to learn accounting.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Darrell Mullis",
        "Judith Orloff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "accounting",
        "financial statements",
        "small business"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-affluent-society-7dc1e6",
      "title": "The Affluent Society",
      "author": "John Kenneth Galbraith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12569474,
          "author": "marmot777",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-24T04:36:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12569474",
          "commentText": "John Kenneth Galbraith most famous book was The Affluent Society. If you don't want to be a slave to fashion, read Robert Reich's all-time favorite book on economics, The New Industrial State.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "John Kenneth Galbraith most famous book was The Affluent Society.",
          "reason": "Identified as Galbraith’s most famous book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12561975,
          "author": "AndrewKemendo",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T02:47:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12561975",
          "commentText": "The following list will introduce you to Western Economic Philosophy as it relates to modern history specifically. This list is weighted heavily toward neo-classical economics and does not get into computational model based economics - specifically microeconomics, which comprises the bulk of economics education today:\nSchumpeter - History of economic analysis\nAdam Smith - Theory of Moral Sentiments\nKaynes - The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money\nMarx - Capital\nBenjamin Graham - The Intelligent Investor\nGalbraith - The Affluent Society\nGalbraith - The Great Crash\nMilton Friedman - Capitalism and Freedom\nNassim Taleb - Black Swan\nRon Suskind - Confidence Men\nScott Patterson - Dark Pools\nIf you want to delve into heterodox economics afterward, start with the following:\nHayek - Individualism and Economic Order\nMises - Human Action\nRothbard - Man, Economy, State",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Galbraith - The Affluent Society",
          "reason": "Included in a list described as an introduction to Western economic philosophy.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring economic thought in modern history.",
          "caveat": "The list is weighted toward neoclassical economics and excludes computational model based economics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1465197,
          "author": "rwl",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T08:13:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1465197",
          "commentText": "I learned a heck of a lot from reading John Kenneth Galbraith's books.  In particular, The Affluent Society,\nThe New Industrial State, and Money: Whence it Came, Where it Went",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I learned a heck of a lot from reading John Kenneth Galbraith's books.  In particular, The Affluent Society",
          "reason": "The commenter says Galbraith's books taught them a lot.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Kenneth Galbraith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consumer society",
        "consumerism",
        "economic history",
        "economic inequality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-age-of-reason-f56035",
      "title": "The Age of Reason",
      "author": "Thomas Paine",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20914568,
          "author": "fernly",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T01:47:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914568",
          "commentText": "Some of the speeches of Robert G. Ingersoll. Great oratory from an age when oratory was prized.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_G._Ingersoll\nhttp://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/2662\nThomas Paine's The Age of Reason. Not intended as oratory, but like Ingersoll's lectures, great fun to read aloud.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Paine\nhttp://thomaspaine.org/major-works/the-age-of-reason-part-1.... (http://thomaspaine.org/major-works/the-age-of-reason-part-1.html)\n> But some, perhaps, will say: Are we to have no word of God—no revelation? I answer, Yes; there is a word of God; there is a revelation. THE WORD OF GOD IS THE CREATION WE BEHOLD and it is in this word, which no human invention can counterfeit or alter, that God speaketh universally to man... The Creation speaketh an universal language, independently of human speech or human language, multiplied and various as they may be. It is an ever-existing original, which every man can read. It cannot be forged; it cannot be counterfeited; it cannot be lost; it cannot be altered; it cannot be suppressed....",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thomas Paine's The Age of Reason. Not intended as oratory, but like Ingersoll's lectures, great fun to read aloud.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it great fun to read aloud and offers it in response to a request for old favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter distinguishes it from oratory.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12244242,
          "author": "typeseven",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-07T23:05:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244242",
          "commentText": "The Age of Reason by Thomas Paine.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Age of Reason by Thomas Paine.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8262878,
          "author": "pgathogo",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-03T13:30:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8262878",
          "commentText": "Age Of Reason by Thomas Paine\nA Tour of C++ by Bjarne Stroustrup\nEffective C++ by Scott Meyers\nMoon Walking With Einstein by Joshua Foer",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Age Of Reason by Thomas Paine",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Paine"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "deism",
        "religious criticism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-amazing-adventures-of-kavalier-clay-435c75",
      "title": "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay",
      "author": "Michael Chabon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17337369,
          "author": "ranic",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:28:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337369",
          "commentText": "Either Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell or The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon.",
          "reason": "Lists it as one of two answers to the comfort-book question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5832627,
          "author": "thesash",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T14:31:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5832627",
          "commentText": "A few on my \"re-read every few years\" list: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Speaker for the Dead, Infinite Jest, Watchmen, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list of books to reread every few years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865629,
          "author": "awolf",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T17:37:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865629",
          "commentText": "Kavalier and Clay",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Kavalier and Clay",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 199870,
          "author": "robg",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-26T01:46:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 199722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=199870",
          "commentText": "The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon\n- I'm finishing it this weekend and it's a good fun read with lots to like: portrayal of early comics' culture, history, and impact, working long hours to produce a passionate product, leveraging your best qualities, and finding meaning when it appears bleak.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon\n- I'm finishing it this weekend and it's a good fun read with lots to like",
          "reason": "Calls it a fun read and lists several appealing aspects.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Chabon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic books",
        "historical fiction",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-antidote-happiness-for-people-who-can-t-stand-positive-thinki-17f80c",
      "title": "The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking",
      "author": "Oliver Burkeman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8111985,
          "author": "smartial_arts",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-31T01:28:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8111985",
          "commentText": "\"Zebras don't get ulcers\" by Robert Sapolsky [ http://amzn.to/1kFszdH ]\nGreat book on stress, it's evolutionary role and how it's screwing us up now, in the modern environment that's quite different from our evolutionary past.\n\"Brain Rules\" by John Medina [http://amzn.to/UCgCPG]  \nJohn, a molecular biologist, looks at things such as health and cognitive development and performance of kids and adults from an evolutionary perspective. \nHe highlights problems with our approaches to work and study, how these are at odds with the way our brains evolved to work and what we can do about it.\nGreat collection of actionable advice backed up by current research. See more at http://brainrules.net/\n\"The world until yesterday\" by Jared Diamond http://amzn.to/1AAJjNL\nGreat book on how \"traditional\" societies handle trade, war and interpersonal conflicts. Lots of thing to consider taking on board in \"modern\" societies - such as restorative justice.\n\"The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking\" by Oliver Burkeman http://amzn.to/1rITiKX\nGreat overview of pitfalls that \"positive thinking\" approach brings and how one can start employing alternative ways of attaining happiness.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great overview of pitfalls that \"positive thinking\" approach brings",
          "reason": "Praises its overview of positive thinking's pitfalls and alternative approaches to happiness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8108001,
          "author": "Shorel",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T13:38:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8108001",
          "commentText": "I just finished this: http://www.amazon.com/The-Antidote-Happiness-Positive-Thinki... (http://www.amazon.com/The-Antidote-Happiness-Positive-Thinking/dp/0865478015)\nI think you will like it. It paints Buddhism and Stoicism in a very pragmatic light.\nI second the Discworld recomendation. The series is fantastic. Read everything Pratchett has written, it is worth it.\nAlso: Ishmael by Daniel Quinn: the only book to truly explain the genesis scripture.\nThe prophet by Khalil Gibran: One of the most beautiful books I've read.\nAnd please ignore Paulo Coelho books. Paulo Coelho is to Richard Bach what Dan Brown is to Humberto Eco.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think you will like it. It paints Buddhism and Stoicism in a very pragmatic light.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the reader will like it and describes its approach positively.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Oliver Burkeman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "positive thinking",
        "buddhism",
        "happiness",
        "stoicism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-armchair-universe-cc8988",
      "title": "The Armchair Universe",
      "author": "A. K. Dewdney",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45951939,
          "author": "scrapheap",
          "createdAt": "2025-11-17T08:55:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 45947737,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45951939",
          "commentText": "Stand out books for me that I've read this year:\n* The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler (Short, but a great read)\n* The Incandescent by Emily Tesh\n* The Armchair Universe by A.K.Dewdney (First read this one many years ago, but I've been reading it again)\n* Final Orbit by Chris Hadfield (third book in a series, so you'd want to start at the begining with The Apollo Murders)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Armchair Universe by A.K.Dewdney (First read this one many years ago, but I've been reading it again)",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s standout books and reread this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14566471,
          "author": "SourPatch",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-16T03:33:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14566471",
          "commentText": "Great recommendation! His book The Armchair Universe is pretty much what made me want to be a programmer. I enjoy books that keep the fun in programming.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His book The Armchair Universe is pretty much what made me want to be a programmer.",
          "reason": "Says the book inspired the commenter to become a programmer.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "A. K. Dewdney"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "recreational mathematics",
        "computer science",
        "mathematical puzzles"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-asking-7186fe",
      "title": "The Art of Asking",
      "author": "Amanda Palmer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10177391,
          "author": "thenomad",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-06T11:50:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10177391",
          "commentText": "The Art Of Asking by Amanda Palmer.\nMore autobiography and less advice than I was expecting, but very interesting, and extremely engaging.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "More autobiography and less advice than I was expecting, but very interesting, and extremely engaging.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as very interesting and extremely engaging.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It contains more autobiography and less advice than expected.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8734728,
          "author": "thirdtruck",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-11T14:05:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8734728",
          "commentText": "I only just finished Amanda Palmer's \"The Art of Asking\" (read by the author), but I already find it invaluable.\nIf you're an aspiring freelancer or working on creative projects of your own, in particular, then her story has a lot for you.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I already find it invaluable.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it invaluable and says the author's story has a lot to offer aspiring freelancers and people doing creative projects.",
          "audience": "Aspiring freelancers and people working on creative projects.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Amanda Palmer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Art",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "asking for help",
        "creative work",
        "freelancing",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-assembly-language-93a874",
      "title": "The Art of Assembly Language",
      "author": "Randall Hyde",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40115102,
          "author": "OldeMold",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-22T15:04:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 40104823,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books/resources to understand modern Assembler?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40115102",
          "commentText": "I’d like to mention that The Art of Assembly Language didn’t feel like a good resource to me, as it spoke largely about “High Level Assembly” which is an awful lot like C and didn’t really focus on CPU architecture in a particularly technical way.\nI was expecting a bit more of a technical approach and was disappointed. If you’re in the same boat reference manuals and compiling to .s files may be the way to go.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The Art of Assembly Language didn’t feel like a good resource to me",
          "reason": "The commenter found it insufficiently technical and focused too much on High Level Assembly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter expected more technical coverage of CPU architecture and was disappointed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40109366,
          "author": "t-3",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-21T21:23:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 40104823,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books/resources to understand modern Assembler?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40109366",
          "commentText": "I like this book, it's just as good as The Art of Assembly Language, but much cheaper: https://rayseyfarth.com/asm/index.html\nIf you are interested in ARM or RISC-V assembly, the concepts are pretty similar but the instructions are different. For any architecture, you're going to have to read the architecture manuals to get a good working knowledge of the instructions and how to use them. An easy way to get started is to write a program in C, then replace the functions with assembly code one by one until your C code is just main() and a header.\nARMv7: https://developer.arm.com/documentation/100076/0200/a32-t32-... (https://developer.arm.com/documentation/100076/0200/a32-t32-instruction-set-reference/)\nARMv8: https://developer.arm.com/documentation/ddi0602/2024-03/Base... (https://developer.arm.com/documentation/ddi0602/2024-03/Base-Instructions)\nalternative: https://www.scs.stanford.edu/~zyedidia/arm64/\nRISC-V: https://riscv.org/technical/specifications/\nx86: https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/developer/articles/t... (https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/developer/articles/technical/intel-sdm.html)\nweb format: http://x86.dapsen.com/\nIf you like to learn by example (most of these are not great, but good enough to get started):\nhttps://rosettacode.org/wiki/Assembly\nhttps://github.com/TheAlgorithms/AArch64_Assembly",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "it's just as good as The Art of Assembly Language, but much cheaper",
          "reason": "Uses it as a comparison for another assembly book.",
          "audience": "Someone learning assembly.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4354496,
          "author": "rsaarelm",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-08T08:18:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 4351898,
          "threadTitle": "Best book for x86 assembly (linux)",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4354496",
          "commentText": "Randall Hyde's The Art of Assembly Language is available online for free: http://www.plantation-productions.com/Webster/www.artofasm.c... (http://www.plantation-productions.com/Webster/www.artofasm.com/Linux/index.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Randall Hyde's The Art of Assembly Language is available online for free",
          "reason": "Points readers to a freely available assembly language book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Available online for free.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414395,
          "author": "T-R",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T08:57:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414395",
          "commentText": "It really depends on what you feel you're missing and what you're hoping to do (definitions of \"daily work\" vary widely). If you're looking to get up on theory by doing your own program of sorts, you could do worse than start with these (in roughly this order):\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs - Abelson, Sussman, and Sussman\nIntroduction to Algorithms - Cormen, Leiserson, Rivest, and Stein\nThe Art of Assembly Language - Hyde\na digital logic book (not sure which is most recommended), and an architecture book (see reply by tftfmacedo)\nModern Operating Systems - Tanenbaum\nIntroduction to the Theory of Computation - Sipser\nCompilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools - Aho, Lam, Sethi, and Ullman (a.k.a. \"Dragon Book\")\nProgramming Language Pragmatics - Scott\nA database design book (one that covers Relational Algebra, not just a book on SQL), and maybe a book on Networks. Also, Roy Fielding's paper on REST is both academic and applicable (and more approachable than you'd expect of a Ph.D paper). If you want to go all the way, an undergraduate program usually also has Calculus, Discrete Math, Linear Algebra, and Statistics. Some schools would also require Physics and Differential Equations. I'm sure I'm missing some topics, too, particularly electives.\nIf you can get through those and the associated problem sets, you'll have a better foundation than most.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Assembly Language - Hyde",
          "reason": "Included in a suggested sequence for studying computer science theory.",
          "audience": "Readers studying computer science theory independently.",
          "caveat": "The list is conditional on what the reader feels they are missing and hopes to do.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Randall Hyde"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "assembly language",
        "x86",
        "x86 assembly"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-computer-programming-volume-1-fundamental-algorithms-c69cb6",
      "title": "The Art of Computer Programming, Volume 1: Fundamental Algorithms",
      "author": "Donald E. Knuth",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30486035,
          "author": "Animats",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T06:53:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486035",
          "commentText": "Knuth, vol. 1.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Knuth, vol. 1.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4382500,
          "author": "tjr",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-14T18:55:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 4382456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: reading list for high school students interested in CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4382500",
          "commentText": "I was about 17 when I encountered The Hacker's Dictionary. It hasn't been updated much for years, but I think it would still provide an easy-to-read gateway into the way programmers think and some interesting tidbits of history.\nReading or watching Guy Steele's Growing a Language talk could be fun.\nThe Little Schemer could be a good choice.\nVan der Linden's Expert C Programming covers some serious C topics, but is also generally educational and enjoyable.\nYou could introduce them to Knuth's writings in an easily-digestible way, like maybe having them read and implement the Easter date algorithm in Volume 1.\nMaybe have them read [excerpts from?] something like Philip and Alex's Guide to Web Publishing and put together a small database web application.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "read and implement the Easter date algorithm in Volume 1",
          "reason": "Suggested as an accessible way to introduce students to Knuth's writing through an algorithm to read and implement.",
          "audience": "High school and middle school students interested in software development",
          "caveat": "The commenter suggests an easily digestible excerpt or activity, not necessarily reading the whole volume.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donald E. Knuth"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "computer science",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-computer-programming-volume-3-sorting-and-searching-5e9322",
      "title": "The Art of Computer Programming, Volume 3: Sorting and Searching",
      "author": "Donald Knuth",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21318053,
          "author": "todd8",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T22:10:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21318053",
          "commentText": "I read Knuth's Volume 3, Searching and Sorting back in the 70's when I was a new grad student, it's great.\nI now own the second and latest edition of this volume, but it is now over 20 years old. I recommend all of Knuth's publications.\nIs Search and Sorting dated? Well, it is quite old. The fold out chart of tape merging patterns for different tape based sorting algorithms doesn't really come up very often anymore. It's been over 40 years since I've had to write programs that worked with mainframe tape drives.\nAlthough AVL trees are covered well, there is no coverage of red-black trees or splay-trees.\nHashing is covered extensively, but there is no discussion of more modern hash table methods (like Cuckoo Hashing or Robin Hood Hashing or the power of choice results).\nFurthermore, the basic hardware model used by Knuth in volume 3 assumes uniform costs for memory access. Cache sensitive algorithms aren't considered in volume 3 but are very important today.\nEven quicksort, which I learned by studying Volume 3, now has what I consider to be a more modern treatment in Sedgewick and Wayne's Algorithms, 4th Ed.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I recommend all of Knuth's publications.",
          "reason": "Recommends Knuth's publications and discusses this volume's coverage and limitations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Notes that the volume is old and lacks coverage of several modern methods and cache-sensitive algorithms.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20729871,
          "author": "graycat",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T12:49:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20729871",
          "commentText": "Maybe it would be possible to give a somewhat useful first answer just as a post here; I'll try.\nGoing way back in computing, often an important issue was, how fast will a program run?  That study is now sometimes called computational time complexity.\nThis study was important because, for some common work, some ways of programming the work ran many times faster than some other ways -- i.e., the study of computational time complexity got some big results.\nUsually in practice an issue of a little less concern than running time was how much of the computer main memory would a program need, and this study was computational space complexity.\nThe first big case of big gains was running time for sorting. So, for some positive integer n, we are given n numbers (or alphabetic names, etc.) and want to sort them into ascending order.  So, an obvious first approach is to look at all n numbers one at a time and find the smallest.  Then look at the remaining n - 1 numbers and again find the smallest. Then with a little algebra, the running time grows proportional to n^2 (n times n, n squared).  So we say (I'm omitting some fine points) that the running time is \"big O n^2\" written\nO(n^2).\nNow for some big stuff:  (1) There is a way (method, technique, algorithm) called heap sort with running time (computational time complexity)\nO(n log(n) )\nboth on average for random numbers and also for the worst case of the order of the given n numbers.  (2) Heap sort works by comparing numbers two at a time (so did our\nO(n^2)\nalgorithm above), and there is a cute counting result from A. Gleason, long a math prof at Harvard, that shows that for sorting by comparing numbers two at a time\nO(n log(n) )\nis the fastest possible.  (3) Heap sort is also in-place which means that the storage used, except for a constant independent of n, is just what is needed for the n numbers being sorted.\nAfter sorting, there was interest in working with trees.  Likely the tree most people are most familiar with is the hierarchical file system.  A tree can be good for keeping a set of numbers in order while adding numbers to the set or removing numbers from the set.  To get good guaranteed fast running time, we want the tree balanced, that is, all the paths in the tree from the root to the leaves are about the same length.  So, keeping the tree balanced while making the changes and doing so with relatively fast worst case running time was a challenge.  One solution was AVL trees (see D. Knuth's The Art of Computer Programming:  Sorting and Searching or more recent books listed in this thread) and, mostly for data stored on disk, B-trees.  Actually there are several important, that is, relatively fast, algorithms for manipulating trees.\nEarly on in computing there were more problems with algorithms that improved running time, e.g., string searching.\nThere is a general technique, dynamic programming, that is the basis of several important, relatively fast algorithms. Here the programming is in the sense of the English project planning, that is, from the field of optimization in operations research.\nGenerally, given a program, it can be difficult to do algebraic manipulations, say, assuming either random or worst case inputs, to find the \"Big O\" running time.  Knuth's book starts with a lot of algebraic techniques that can help finding Big O running times.  That work can be as challenging as we please.\nThere is some work that early on was not really in computer science but very much needs computers and where running time was and is a huge issue.  An important source of such work was optimization in operations research.  The first work of concern was the simplex algorithm of linear programming.  Next was the closely related integer linear programming, i.e., combinatorial optimization.  There were too many cases of problems starting with n numbers and running in\nO(2^n)\nwhich is exponential and so bad that, for too many realistic problems, we could run for billions of years with about the fastest computers we can imagine and big enough to fill the visible universe, literally.\nSo, a question became, can we have some positive integer k and have worst case running time grow only as\nO(n^k)\nthat is, a polynomial in k?  The problem was generalized and now is the question of P versus NP, the leading question in computational complexity and maybe in much of computer science and pure and applied mathematics.  The standard example of such a problem is the traveling salesman problem were we are given some n cities and ask for the shortest path that visits each city exactly once.\nThat's a nutshell start on computational time complexity in computer science.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "D. Knuth's The Art of Computer Programming: Sorting and Searching",
          "reason": "Cited for its discussion of AVL trees and algebraic techniques for finding Big O running times.",
          "audience": "Readers studying algorithms and computational complexity.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14487041,
          "author": "0xbadf00d",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T12:16:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487041",
          "commentText": "I would recommend \"Sorting and Searching\" Volume 3 from Donald Knuth's \"The Art of Computer Programming\". Fantastic, in-depth read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend \"Sorting and Searching\" Volume 3 from Donald Knuth's \"The Art of Computer Programming\". Fantastic, in-depth read.",
          "reason": "Explicit recommendation; described as a fantastic, in-depth read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donald Knuth"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "search algorithms",
        "sorting",
        "data structures"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-deception-fe6eb9",
      "title": "The Art of Deception",
      "author": "Kevin Mitnick and William L. Simon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23153802,
          "author": "mitchelldeacon9",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T13:35:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23153802",
          "commentText": "In addition to the classics of cognitive psychology (Kahneman, Taleb, et al.), I would also recommend books on psychological manipulation, religious cults, and con men. The following books offer a multi-disciplinary perspective on psychological techniques to improve awareness and exploit other people, both of which are essential to enhance your perception and protect yourself against fraud and manipulation.\nCialdini, Robert (2006) Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion\nGuinn, Jeff (2017) Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple\nEkman, Paul (2007) Emotions Revealed: Recognizing Faces and Feelings to Improve Communication and Emotional Life\nKahneman, Daniel (2011) Thinking, Fast and Slow\nMitnick, Kevin and William Simon (2002) Art of Deception\nNavarro and Karlins (2008) What Every Body is Saying: Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Speed-Reading People\nNietzsche, Friedrich (1887) On the Genealogy of Morals\nRhodes, Richard (1986) Making of the Atomic Bomb\nSun Tzu (c. 400 BCE) Art of War\nTaleb, Nassim Nicholas (2005) Fooled by Randomness\nWright, Lawrence (2013) Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mitnick, Kevin and William Simon (2002) Art of Deception",
          "reason": "Listed among books offering perspectives on psychological techniques and manipulation.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in recognizing fraud and manipulation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4530801,
          "author": "dysoco",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-16T23:51:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 4530022,
          "threadTitle": "What to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4530801",
          "commentText": "You can try some Kevin Mitnick's books.\n\"Ghost in the wires\" is his biography with a lot of fun stories, recommended.\n\"The art of intrusion\" is about more technical hacking, lot of war stories from all over the world.\n\"The art of deception\" is about Social Engineering, I have not read it yet... but looks amazing.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The art of deception\" is about Social Engineering, I have not read it yet... but looks amazing.",
          "reason": "Says it looks amazing, while noting the commenter has not read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it yet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kevin Mitnick",
        "William L. Simon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "social engineering",
        "cybersecurity",
        "fraud"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-deception-fa4cb2",
      "title": "The Art of Deception",
      "author": "Kevin Mitnick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4969576,
          "author": "Ryoku",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T15:44:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4969576",
          "commentText": "Well, not so much as new releases, except for one. But this year I really enjoyed:\nReamde by Neil Stephenson (Can't get enough of that guy)\nThe Art of Deception by Kevin Mitnick\nClose to the Machine by Ellen Ullman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Deception by Kevin Mitnick",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kevin Mitnick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "social engineering",
        "cybersecurity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-happiness-18d0da",
      "title": "The Art of Happiness",
      "author": "Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21902225,
          "author": "aprdm",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T22:23:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902225",
          "commentText": "Both sapiens and The art of happiness were great books I've read.\nSapiens made history very interesting, I loved the idea behind our species being able to believe in the concept of a Created Myth( capitalism , companies, money,  socialism, religion) as the main thing that made homo sapiens thrive.\nThe view of empires as not something bad and how they shaped our world of today and we essentially living in a global empire as well was a great point.\nBuddhism is truly incredible and while I don't consider myself a Buddhist I have very similar approach to life.\nHaving a western psychologist/ researcher having conversations on topics about suffering, happiness, death, loneliness with Dalai Lama and how their separate views of the world interacted was awesome.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Both sapiens and The art of happiness were great books I've read.",
          "reason": "Explicitly calls it a great book and describes its conversations about happiness and other life topics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are not Buddhist.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2147187,
          "author": "raghav305",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T09:00:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2147187",
          "commentText": "Vedanta books - so many good authors all saying the same thing\nArt of Happiness - Dalai Lama\nJonathan Livingston Seagull - Richard Bach\nPhysics problems - Irodov\nSeven Mysteries of Life - Guy Murchie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Art of Happiness - Dalai Lama",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797631,
          "author": "murrayb",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T08:20:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797631",
          "commentText": "Fatal Revenant by Stephen Donaldson\nThe Art of Happiness by HH Dalai Lama",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Art of Happiness by HH Dalai Lama",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhism",
        "happiness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-intrusion-a0414f",
      "title": "The Art of Intrusion",
      "author": "Kevin Mitnick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 622133,
          "author": "chanux",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-22T14:52:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=622133",
          "commentText": "Art of intrusion - Kevin Mitnick",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Art of intrusion - Kevin Mitnick",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kevin Mitnick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer security",
        "hacking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-non-conformity-41f065",
      "title": "The Art of Non-Conformity",
      "author": "Chris Guillebeau",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5501438,
          "author": "jkaykin",
          "createdAt": "2013-04-05T22:25:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 5501062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Business Book For a 13-year-old Girl?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5501438",
          "commentText": "Since you mentioned \"$100 Startup\", she should read \"The Art of Non-Conformity\"\nOne of the best books around.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One of the best books around.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of the best books around and says she should read it.",
          "audience": "A young person interested in business.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4539731,
          "author": "dholowiski",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-18T18:32:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 4530022,
          "threadTitle": "What to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4539731",
          "commentText": ">if it counts as non-fiction\nBarely, but I still think it's a great read. Along the same lines but less fiction is the art of non conformity, since it talks about a similar subject, without going too off-the-rails crazy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the art of non conformity, since it talks about a similar subject, without going too off-the-rails crazy.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a book on a similar subject, with a less extreme approach.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter qualifies that it avoids going too far off the rails.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris Guillebeau"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "lifestyle design",
        "nonconformity",
        "personal development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-possibility-132f98",
      "title": "The Art of Possibility",
      "author": "Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35171836,
          "author": "ranabuzdar",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:32:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35171836",
          "commentText": "Here are some of the most popular ones:\nThe Lean Startup by Eric Ries\nZero to One by Peter Thiel\nThe 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey\nThink and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill\nThe E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber\nGood to Great by Jim Collins\nThe Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander\nThe Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz\nThe Innovator's Dilemma by Clayton Christensen\nRework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson\nThese books cover various aspects of entrepreneurship, from idea generation and innovation to leadership and management. Each one offers a unique perspective and valuable insights that can help entrepreneurs navigate the challenges and opportunities of starting and growing a business.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the books covering entrepreneurship.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17914326,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-05T01:12:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17914326",
          "commentText": "All these had a huge impact on me. The descriptions are inadequate, I've just tried to mention the subject matter.\nDeborah Tannen, You Just Don't Understand - how males and females talk different languages.\nLakoff & Johnson, Metaphors We Live By - how our language and thoughts are built from a fabric of conceptual metaphors. Philosophy In The Flesh is about the conceptual metaphors that philosophy is built from.\nJonathan Glover, Humanity: A Moral History of the Twentieth Century - WWI, WWII and other wars, nazism, communism etc\nPlutarch's Lives - biographies and stories from famous ancient Greeks and Romans. Amazing how little's changed.\nLin Yutang, The Importance of Understanding - introduced me to ancient Chinese philosophers. The Importance of Living - introduced me to ancient Chinese writers, poets and the Chinese way of life.\nHofstadter, Gödel, Escher, Bach - read it when I was 14, and I was into music, art and programming, so it blew my mind.\nSusan Faludi, STIFFED - men, work, jobs, masculinity, 20th C\nWalter Lippmann, Public Opinion - media, war, propaganda, democracy\nNoam Chomsky's political books\nE.F. Schumacher, Small is Beautiful - the world, development, government, planning, organization, humanity, sustainability\nJ.R. Saul, Voltaire's Bastards - power, history, democracy, technocracy, reason, rationality, history from late 18th C until today.\nRaymond Williams, Culture and Society 1780-1950 - the anti-industrialist tradition, politics, culture, society and the new language describing these things\nClifford Pickover, Computers, Patterns, Chaos, and Beauty - programming, mathematics, art, fractals, dynamical systems etc\nBen Zander, The Art of Possibility - hard to explain, kind of advanced self-help, the magic of changing attitudes, expectations, habits.\nMy favourite non-fiction books of all time, though, are the essays of Emerson, Hazlitt, RL Stevenson, GK Chesterton, Santayana, Bertrand Russell. And the books of Nietzsche, SARK and Robert Fulghum.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ben Zander, The Art of Possibility - hard to explain, kind of advanced self-help, the magic of changing attitudes, expectations, habits.",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books said to have had a huge impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as advanced self-help.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rosamund Stone Zander",
        "Benjamin Zander"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creative thinking",
        "leadership",
        "mindset",
        "personal growth"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-probability-6ee80a",
      "title": "The Art of Probability",
      "author": "Richard W. Hamming",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34443134,
          "author": "jsenn",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T17:41:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34443134",
          "commentText": "* The Art of Probability by Hamming. An opinionated, slightly quirky text on probability. Unlike the text used in my university course its explanations were clear and rigourous without being pedantic. The exercises were both interesting and enlightening. The only book in this list that taught skills I've actually used in the real world.\n* Calculus by Spivak. This was used in my intro calculus course in university. It's very much a bottom-up, first-principles construction of calculus. Very proof-based, so you have to be into that. Tons of exercises, including some that sneakily introduce pretty advanced concepts not explicitly covered in the main text. This book, along with the course, rearranged by brain. Not sure how useful it would be for self-study though.\n* Measurement by Lockhart. I haven't read the whole thing, but have enjoyed working through some of the exercises. A good book for really grokking geometric proofs and understanding \"mathematical beauty\", rather than just cranking through algebraic proofs step by step.\n* Naive Set Theory by Halmos. Somewhat spare, but a nice, concise introduction to axiomatic set theory. Brings you from nothing up to the Continuum Hypothesis. I read this somewhere around my first year in university and it was another brain-rearranger.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Probability by Hamming.",
          "reason": "Clear explanations and useful, engaging exercises; the commenter says it taught skills used in real life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as opinionated and slightly quirky.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1866106,
          "author": "notaddicted",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T19:27:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1866106",
          "commentText": "I probably have bookmarks in 20+ books but these are at the top of the pile:\nThe Art Of Probability , Richard Hamming. I find prob/stat frustratingly hard to master. This book is clearing up my confusion chapter by chapter. As an engineer this book appears to be written for someone with exactly my level of knowledge which helps a lot.\nConspiracy of Fools , Kurt Eichenwald. Very entertaining ... shining examples of what not to do.\nSecurity Analysis, 1934 Edition, Graham and Dodd. They authors are exquisitely clear thinkers. I don't know how useful the financial information is because it is 80 years old.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art Of Probability , Richard Hamming. I find prob/stat frustratingly hard to master. This book is clearing up my confusion chapter by chapter. As an engineer this book appears to be written for someone with exactly my level of knowledge which helps a lot.",
          "reason": "The author says it clears up their confusion chapter by chapter and fits their knowledge level.",
          "audience": "An engineer with a similar level of knowledge who finds probability and statistics hard to master.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard W. Hamming"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Learning",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "probability",
        "statistics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-readable-code-1ed5ed",
      "title": "The Art of Readable Code",
      "author": "Dustin Boswell and Trevor Foucher",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23387445,
          "author": "neurocline",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-02T04:26:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23387445",
          "commentText": "I went through my recent-books shelves and found a few shorter books that are well worth reading. Short books for developers are rare these days.\nAlgorithms Unlocked, Thomas Cormen, 212 pages\nThe Art of Readable Code, Dustin Boswell & Trevor Foucher, 180 pages\nHow To Take Smart Notes, Sonke Ahrens, 151 pages\nHow to Write a Thesis, Umberto Eco, 223 pages\nHow Charts Lie, Alberto Cairo, 193 pages",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Readable Code, Dustin Boswell & Trevor Foucher, 180 pages",
          "reason": "Includes it among shorter books the commenter says are well worth reading.",
          "audience": "Developers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4087516,
          "author": "zkan",
          "createdAt": "2012-06-09T07:23:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 4087396,
          "threadTitle": "Must-read programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4087516",
          "commentText": "I would recommend \"The Art of Readable Code\" by Boswell. It is very well-written and enjoyable.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/The-Readable-Code-Dustin-Boswell/dp/05... (http://www.amazon.com/The-Readable-Code-Dustin-Boswell/dp/0596802293)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend \"The Art of Readable Code\" by Boswell. It is very well-written and enjoyable.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommended as well-written and enjoyable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dustin Boswell",
        "Trevor Foucher"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "code readability",
        "software craftsmanship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ascent-of-man-dbe312",
      "title": "The Ascent of Man",
      "author": "Jacob Bronowski",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41175841,
          "author": "montgomery_r",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:58:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175841",
          "commentText": "Aargh, Formatting! Try 2 :\nFor the value of ‘best’ that includes\n(a) had a deep and long lasting impact on how I think about the world and\n(b) I consider beautiful pieces of writing in their own right,\nhere are some in no particular order:\nThe Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins\nThinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nNaming and Necessity, Saul Kripke\nTractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein\n(These you might want to approach via a gentle introduction if you did not study Philosophy to degree level)\nThe Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle\nDarkness at Noon, Arthur Koestler\nThe Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse\nA Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh\nDiaries, Samuel Pepys\nFalling Off the Map, Pico Iyer\nA Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor\nThe Lonely Sea and the Sky, Francis Chichester\nThe Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope\nBevis, Richard Jeffries\nThe Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith\nThe Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse\nHitch-22, essays, Christopher Hitchens\nCollected Essays, William Hazlitt\nVenice, Martin Gayford\nThe Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski\nThe Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch\nToo obvious a list, perhaps, but some gems for all that! Happy reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski",
          "reason": "Includes the title among books considered impactful and beautifully written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41175718,
          "author": "montgomery_r",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:45:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175718",
          "commentText": "For the value of ‘best’ that includes  (a) had a deep and long lasting impact on how I think about the world and (b) I consider beautiful pieces of writing in their own right, here are some in no particular order: \nThe Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins \nThinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nNaming and Necessity, Saul Kripke\nTractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein\n(These you might want to approach via a gentle introduction if you did not study Philosophy to degree level) \nThe Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle\nDarkness at Noon,\nArthur Koestler\nThe Glass Bead Game,\nHermann Hesse\nA Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh\nDiaries, Samuel Pepys\nFalling Off the Map, Pico Iyer\nA Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor\nThe Lonely Sea and the Sky,\nFrancis Chichester\nThe Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope\nBevis, Richard Jeffries\nThe Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith\nThe Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse\nHitch-22, essaysChristopher Hitchens \nCollected Essays, William Hazlitt\nVenice, Martin Gayford\nThe Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski\nThe Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch\nToo obvious a list, perhaps, but some gems for all that! Happy reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski",
          "reason": "Includes it among books with lasting impact on how they think and that they consider beautiful writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12417361,
          "author": "mathsciencekid",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-03T02:04:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12417361",
          "commentText": "I grew up in a single-parent household back in the 70's before computers and\nstartups were the thing they are now and although my mom was an uneducated immigrant,\nI was fortunate to grow up in the bay area and get an education at a good public school\nwhere my teachers introduced me to\n  Harold Jacobs's \"Geometry\"\n  Nietziche's \"Thus Spoke Zarathustra\"\n  Freeman Dyson's \"Disturbing The Universe\"\n  Nigel Calder's \"The Key to the Universe\"\n  Jacob Bronowski's \"The Ascent of Man\"\n  Douglas Hofstadter's \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\"\n\nI especially loved spending time in the library, reading OMNI magazine, Scientific American \nmagazine (especially Martin Gardner's column) and the stories of Issac Asimov and Larry Niven.\nThose authors made me want to go to college and learn from people like them - people capable\nof thinking big ideas about science and civilization - and while none of those books ever \nhelped me raise money or start a business, they did help me help me overcome my personal \nfeelings of inadequacy from having come from a poor family and eventually become accepted \ninto a technical community which appreciated an ability to think and ask questions.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jacob Bronowski's \"The Ascent of Man\"",
          "reason": "Names it among books that helped inspire the commenter to pursue education and big ideas.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in science and civilization.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jacob Bronowski"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of science",
        "human civilization",
        "human evolution"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-atrocity-archives-6ac177",
      "title": "The Atrocity Archives",
      "author": "Charles Stross",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20729968,
          "author": "danielbarla",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T13:19:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20729968",
          "commentText": "> Harrumph. Wikipedia says that only three-and-a-bit volumes have yet been published. Seven volumes was the original plan. Smacks a little of George R. R. Martin?\nMy favourite poke at this is Charlie Stross' book the Atrocity Archives (a kind of Lovecraftian, CS nerd horror / humour novel where advanced mathematics is dangerous), wherein Knuth did in fact finish the 4th edition, but it contained secrets that immediately got it shut down by various governments.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Charlie Stross' book the Atrocity Archives",
          "reason": "Mentioned as the author's favorite example of a joke about Knuth finishing the fourth edition.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a Lovecraftian computer science nerd horror and humor novel.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13566821,
          "author": "nickcw",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T12:55:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13566821",
          "commentText": "I wanted some light relief so I started re-reading Charles Stross' Laundry files, starting with The Atrocity Archives.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/101869.The_Atrocity_Arch... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/101869.The_Atrocity_Archives)\nThere are 7 books in the series now, and hopefully I'll finish the re-read not too long before the next one comes out!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "starting with The Atrocity Archives",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6393499,
          "author": "msh",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-16T14:46:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6393499",
          "commentText": "anything by Charles Stross, the atrocity archive could be a good place to start: humor, computers and cosmic horrors, whats not to like ;)\nAnother would be halting state but time have properly overrun it.\nHe even have a interesting background as a programmer/tech writer/pharmacist, read it here: http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2009/07/how_i_go... (http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2009/07/how_i_got_here_in_the_end_my_n.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the atrocity archive could be a good place to start",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a starting point for Charles Stross’s work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043581,
          "author": "rst",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:36:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043581",
          "commentText": "Oh, a little more Stross:  the Laundry books, starting with The Atrocity Archives.  The British Secret Service has a division which guards against Lovecraftian occult horrors --- and your narrator is one of its I.T. grunts.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "starting with The Atrocity Archives",
          "reason": "Names it as the starting point for the Laundry books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 715377,
          "author": "Evgeny",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-20T22:41:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715377",
          "commentText": "Last fiction - The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross\nBefore that - The Mistborn trilogy by Brandon Sanderson (recommended to all fantasy fans)\nLast technical - AntiPatterns: Refactoring Software, Architectures, and Projects in Crisis",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Last fiction - The Atrocity Archives by Charles Stross",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as the last fiction read; no evaluation expressed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Stross"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Computing",
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "lovecraftian horror",
        "cosmic horror",
        "computer science humor",
        "espionage"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-attention-merchants-9c919a",
      "title": "The Attention Merchants",
      "author": "Tim Wu",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23858810,
          "author": "chevis",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:37:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858810",
          "commentText": "The Attention Merchants by Tim Wu\nedit: I should mention this is a book recommended by Yuval Noah Harari himself. I read it myself and it is a great companion to his fantastic books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Attention Merchants by Tim Wu",
          "reason": "The commenter read it and says it is a great companion to Harari's books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22713312,
          "author": "intopieces",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T18:41:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22713312",
          "commentText": "I second this recommendation and his book \"The Attention Merchants\" as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "his book \"The Attention Merchants\" as well.",
          "reason": "Recommends another book by Tim Wu.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tim Wu"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "advertising",
        "attention economy",
        "media history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-beginning-of-infinity-explanations-that-transform-the-world-89faa0",
      "title": "The Beginning of Infinity: Explanations That Transform the World",
      "author": "David Deutsch",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40279505,
          "author": "dotsam",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-06T21:04:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40279505",
          "commentText": "The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch. Has an exceptionally high density of good ideas.\nThe first time I read it, I didn't love it and only engaged with it superficially. But gradually I began thinking about it more and came back to it, and I read it with more attention. After re-reading it several times I think it is one of the deepest and most important books I have ever read. It has changed how I see the world.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch.",
          "reason": "After rereading it several times, the commenter calls it one of the deepest and most important books they have read, and says it changed how they see the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The first reading did not appeal to the commenter, who initially engaged with it superficially.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3243006,
          "author": "bumbledraven",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-16T13:28:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3243006",
          "commentText": "The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch. A wide-ranging inquiry into the kinds of ideas that lead to human progress and those that don't. In the top five on the list of \"best books I've ever read\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch. A wide-ranging inquiry into the kinds of ideas that lead to human progress and those that don't. In the top five on the list of \"best books I've ever read\".",
          "reason": "Ranks it among the top five books they have ever read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Deutsch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epistemology",
        "progress",
        "knowledge"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-best-software-writing-i-9be83b",
      "title": "The Best Software Writing I",
      "author": "Joel Spolsky, editor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3565927,
          "author": "revorad",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-08T09:50:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 3564256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best programming books for someone in prison?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3565927",
          "commentText": "Here's another idea: Since your friend is coming out in 9 months anyway and there's so much risk involved in trying to sneak in a programming book, he should probably spend his time developing another equally useful skill: writing well.\nAs many other successful programmers have noted (Spolsky, Yegge) and demonstrated, effective communication, especially through writing, is a very useful and necessary skill for a programmer. So, maybe you should send him just some good books on writing well.\nIn general books, I can think of Strunk and White, On Writing (by Stephen King). But some examples of good writing about programming could also help:\nThe Best Software Writing (edited by Spolsky)\nJoel on Software (the best articles from his blog)\nSteve Yegge's blog posts (others might disagree but I think he is an excellent writer).\nPaul Graham's essays\nraganwald's old blog - http://weblog.raganwald.com/\nJames Hague's blog - http://prog21.dadgum.com/\nRands in Repose - http://randsinrepose.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Best Software Writing (edited by Spolsky)",
          "reason": "Suggested as an example of good writing about programming.",
          "audience": "Programmers interested in writing about programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240672,
          "author": "rdoherty",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T02:21:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240672",
          "commentText": "* The Pragmatic Programmer\n* Becoming a Technical Leader\n* In Search of Stupidity\n* Hackers & Painters\n* Blockbusters\n* Joel on Software: And on Diverse and Occasionally Related Matters That Will Prove of Interest to Software Developers, Designers, and Managers, and to Those Who, Whether by Good Fortune or Ill Luck, Work with Them in Some Capacity\n* The Best Software Writing I\n* Behind Closed Doors\n* Managing Humans\n* The Mythical Man-Month\n* Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams\n* The Non-Designers Design Book\n* Founders at Work\n* Good to Great\n* Dreaming in Code\n* The Art of the Start\n* Maverick\n* The Design of Everyday Things\n* The Art of Project Management\n* The Art of Innovation",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* The Best Software Writing I",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joel Spolsky, editor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software essays"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-better-angels-of-our-nature-why-violence-has-declined-6d4069",
      "title": "The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined",
      "author": "Steven Pinker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37937439,
          "author": "gcanyon",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T02:12:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937439",
          "commentText": "The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker.\nNot because of the actual topic, although that's important too; but because of the first 150 or so pages, where Pinker starts by saying something like: you won't believe me about how violence has declined unless I first disabuse you of the notion that the past was nice. He then describes how truly awful pretty much everyone and everything was in the past. It was an eye-opener.\nThose who romanticize the past (which is most people) do themselves a grave disservice.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book’s account of the past was an eye-opener.",
          "audience": "People who romanticize the past.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10028964,
          "author": "timbuckley",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T23:32:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10028964",
          "commentText": "I'm a bit of a Pinker fanboy, but his counter-criticism of Taleb is very well-written and hits on every point Taleb makes.\n\"Taleb shows no signs of having read Better Angels with the slightest attention to its content. Instead he\nhas merged it in his mind with claims by various fools and knaves whom he believes he has bettered in\nthe past. The confusion begins with his remarkable claim that the thesis in Better Angels is “identical” to\nBen Bernanke’s theory of a moderation in the stock market. Identical! This alone should warn readers\nthat for all of Taleb’s prescience about the financial crisis, accurate attribution and careful analysis of\nother people’s ideas are not his strong suits.\"",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the thesis in Better Angels is “identical” to Ben Bernanke’s theory",
          "reason": "Discusses the book's thesis and Taleb's criticism without taking a clear position on the book itself.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10027590,
          "author": "timbuckley",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T15:52:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027590",
          "commentText": "\"Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined\" by Steven Pinker\nBill Gates calls it one of the most important books he's read in his life. \n\"People often ask me what is the best book I’ve read in the last year.  Steven Pinker’s The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined stands out as one of the most important books I’ve read – not just this year, but ever.\"\nhttp://www.gatesnotes.com/Books/The-Better-Angels-of-Our-Nat... (http://www.gatesnotes.com/Books/The-Better-Angels-of-Our-Nature)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined\" by Steven Pinker\nBill Gates calls it one of the most important books he's read in his life.",
          "reason": "Presented as an important book, with praise quoted from Bill Gates.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Pinker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human progress",
        "violence",
        "decline of violence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-big-short-inside-the-doomsday-machine-169ae7",
      "title": "The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine",
      "author": "Michael Lewis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23858879,
          "author": "sigwinch28",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:44:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858879",
          "commentText": "The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine - Michael Lewis\nAn entertaining read about just how fragile and naive western financial systems can be.\nStories of the Law and How It's Broken - The Secret Barrister\nGives a (mostly anecdotal) insight about how broken the English legal system is. I had to pause several times while reading because it conflicted so much with my world view.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine - Michael Lewis",
          "reason": "Described as an entertaining read about the fragility and naivety of Western financial systems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569629,
          "author": "throw_away",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T00:25:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569629",
          "commentText": "logicomix - a graphical novel about bertrand russell, logic and the history of computation.\ndiary of a very bad year: interviews with an anonymous hedge fund manager/the big short: inside the doomsday machine - two books about the financial crisis.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the big short: inside the doomsday machine - two books about the financial crisis.",
          "reason": "Presented as one of two books about the financial crisis.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Lewis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial crisis",
        "2008 crisis",
        "financial markets"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-billion-dollar-spy-a-true-story-of-cold-war-espionage-and-bet-d608cc",
      "title": "The Billion Dollar Spy: A True Story of Cold War Espionage and Betrayal",
      "author": "David E. Hoffman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42654327,
          "author": "FinnLobsien",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T10:09:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42654327",
          "commentText": "All of the author's books are great imo. If you like cold war spy stories, you'd also enjoy Billion Dollar Spy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you'd also enjoy Billion Dollar Spy.",
          "reason": "Recommends it to readers who like Cold War spy stories.",
          "audience": "Readers who like Cold War spy stories.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961256,
          "author": "strictnein",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:22:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961256",
          "commentText": "Sorry, this got a little longer than I meant it to be\n- Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed - It's over 20 years old now but still really good, especially if you're into planes like the U-2, F-117, and SR-71\nIf you're wanting a deeper understanding of the other side of the war on terror, I'd recommend the following:\n- I Was Told to Come Alone: My Journey Behind the Lines of Jihad\n- Salafi-Jihadism: The History of an Idea\n- The Way of the Strangers: Encounters with the Islamic State\n- After the Prophet: The Epic Story of the Shia-Sunni Split in Islam\n- The Black Banners: The Inside Story of 9/11 and the War Against al-Qaeda\nIf you're wanting a dive into Russia:\n- The Invention of Russia: From Gorbachev's Freedom to Putin's War\n- The Red Web: The Struggle Between Russia's Digital Dictators and the New Online Revolutionaries\n- Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible: The Surreal Heart of the New Russia\nIf you're wanting true Spy stuff:\n- The Billion Dollar Spy: A True Story of Cold War Espionage and Betrayal\n- The Spy's Son: The True Story of the Highest-Ranking CIA Officer Ever Convicted of Espionage and the Son He Trained to Spy for Russia\n- Left of Boom: How a Young CIA Case Officer Penetrated the Taliban and Al-Qaeda (the author is a little full of himself, but still, it's interesting)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Billion Dollar Spy: A True Story of Cold War Espionage and Betrayal",
          "reason": "Listed under the commenter’s recommendations for spy stories.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in espionage and intelligence work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David E. Hoffman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cold war",
        "espionage",
        "cia"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-biological-basis-of-teleological-concepts-0ba280",
      "title": "The Biological Basis of Teleological Concepts",
      "author": "Harry Binswanger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10028883,
          "author": "mkempe",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T22:53:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10028883",
          "commentText": "\"The Elements of Style\" by Strunk & White.\n\"The biological basis of teleological concepts\" by Harry Binswanger.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The biological basis of teleological concepts\" by Harry Binswanger.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2150710,
          "author": "Tim1776",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-28T03:47:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2150710",
          "commentText": "Other books that influence how I build software:\n\"The Biological Basis of Teleological Concepts\" by Harry Binswanger,\n\"The Fountainhead\" by Ayn Rand,\n\"The Autobiography of an Idea\" by Louis H. Sullivan,\n\"Reason and Analysis\" by Brand Blanshard",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Biological Basis of Teleological Concepts\" by Harry Binswanger",
          "reason": "Lists it among books that influence how they build software.",
          "audience": "Software builders.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Harry Binswanger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "teleology",
        "philosophy of biology",
        "software development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-birth-of-tragedy-c9f364",
      "title": "The Birth of Tragedy",
      "author": "Friedrich Nietzsche",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21802813,
          "author": "0kl",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T13:22:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21802813",
          "commentText": "When I studied Nietzsche it was more or less “Read Zarathustra, then read all the ‘Viking Portable Nietzsche’ then read all of the ‘Basic Writings of Nietzche’” all translates by Hollingdale or, preferably, Kauffman.\nAmong the jewels you’ll find in such a reading are things like the seed of Nietzsche’s thought being placed, imo, in The Birth of Tragedy, with the line:\n> It is only as an aesthetic phenomenon that existence and the world are eternally justified\nOther Nietzsche related recommendations:\nPre-Nietzsche: Plato, Schopenhauer \nPost-Nietzsche: Camus - maybe?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the seed of Nietzsche’s thought being placed, imo, in The Birth of Tragedy",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a source of Nietzsche's thought.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter presents this as their opinion.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10765572,
          "author": "ldd",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T00:53:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10765572",
          "commentText": "Nietzsche's The Birth of Tragedy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nietzsche's The Birth of Tragedy",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the question about a book that affected the commenter's thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Friedrich Nietzsche"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "greek tragedy",
        "nietzsche",
        "aesthetics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-black-cloud-768a5d",
      "title": "The Black Cloud",
      "author": "Fred Hoyle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9676421,
          "author": "glaberficken",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T21:36:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9676421",
          "commentText": "2 great sf books\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatland\nSet as a satire of Victorian society \"The story describes a two-dimensional world occupied by geometric figures, whereof women are simple line-segments, while men are polygons with various numbers of sides. The narrator is a square named A Square, a member of the caste of gentlemen and professionals, who guides the readers through some of the implications of life in two dimensions.\"\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_Cloud\nI won't spoil this one for you, it's just a really interesting and suspenseful sf story.\nRichard Dawkins (writing in the 2010 Penguin Classics reissue) claimed the novel was \"one of the greatest science fiction novels ever written.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's just a really interesting and suspenseful sf story.",
          "reason": "Described as an interesting, suspenseful science fiction story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140507,
          "author": "bstadil",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T03:31:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140507",
          "commentText": "excellent choice.\nFor many years I always looked at the animation when I was defragging my windows disk and thinking about the end of Black Cloud.  (Hint. The janitor looking at the screen)\n\"October the first is too late\" is another Hoyle classic.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "thinking about the end of Black Cloud.",
          "reason": "Refers to its ending while sharing a memory about the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140422,
          "author": "dedalus",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T01:37:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140422",
          "commentText": "The Black Cloud by Fred Hoyle",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Black Cloud by Fred Hoyle",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fred Hoyle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "astronomy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-book-93d20b",
      "title": "The Book",
      "author": "Alan Watts",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36105472,
          "author": "a13o",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T16:25:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105472",
          "commentText": "For the westernized-eastern viewpoint, The Book by Alan Watts. It specifically opens by trying to deprogram western religious beliefs",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Book by Alan Watts",
          "reason": "Suggested as a westernized Eastern viewpoint; it opens by challenging Western religious beliefs.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21459622,
          "author": "dsaavy",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T04:01:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21459622",
          "commentText": "The Book by Alan Watts. It metaphorically and literally puts a lot of thoughts I’ve had into words while also pushing the limits of my own perspective and philosophical thought.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It metaphorically and literally puts a lot of thoughts I’ve had into words while also pushing the limits of my own perspective and philosophical thought.",
          "reason": "Says it articulates their thoughts and pushes their perspective and philosophical thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan Watts"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "eastern philosophy",
        "religion",
        "self and identity",
        "zen"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-book-you-wish-your-parents-had-read-bbde4c",
      "title": "The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read",
      "author": "Philippa Perry",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35171605,
          "author": "grepLeigh",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:18:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35171605",
          "commentText": "Most posts offer the obvious suggestions (The Mom Test, High Growth Handbook, The Personal MBA, The Power Law, Hard Thing about Hard Thing, Will It Fly, etc), so I'll focus on some non-obvious suggestions.\nFor tactical advice, I find talks/podcasts and mastermind groups more useful than books.  My favorite podcast (by far) is Rob Walling's Startups for the Rest of Us, which is oriented towards building a capital-efficient bootstrapped business. The archive is full of extremely valuable tactical advice.\nThe books I've found most helpful on my entrepreneurship journey are about mental health, emotional intelligence, and relationships of all kinds. Sharing a few that have had a profound impact, since they helped me metabolize and understand what drove me to become a founder in the first place.\n1. The Self-Compassion Skills Workbook by Tim Desmond\n2. Path of Compassion by Thich Nhat Hanh\n3. The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read, Philippa Perry\n4. Burnout, Emily Nagoski\n5. Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents, Lindsay C. Gibson\n6. Self-Compassion, Dr. Kristin Neff\n7. How to Keep House While Drowning, KC Davis\n8. Deploy Empathy, Michele Hansen\n9. The Body Keeps the Score, Bessel A. Van der Kolk\n10. Atlas of the Heart, Brene Brown\n11. What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read, Philippa Perry",
          "reason": "Listed among books that helped the commenter on their entrepreneurship journey.",
          "audience": "Founders interested in mental health, emotional intelligence, and relationships.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33852085,
          "author": "te_chris",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T09:43:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33852085",
          "commentText": "Sitting with my newborn sleeping on my chest currently. I’ve really enjoyed Brain Rules for Baby and currently reading Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child. Both good, feel like the latter is going to be a pivotal part of our parenting. My wife really enjoyed The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My wife really enjoyed The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read.",
          "reason": "Reports that their wife really enjoyed the book.",
          "audience": "Parents.",
          "caveat": "The enjoyment is attributed to the commenter's wife.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philippa Perry"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Parenting",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "parent child relationships",
        "parenting",
        "parenting advice"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-book-you-wish-your-parents-had-read-and-your-children-will-be-9dcb6b",
      "title": "The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read (and Your Children Will Be Glad That You Did)",
      "author": "Philippa Perry",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38557717,
          "author": "Brajeshwar",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:51:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557717",
          "commentText": "Most of the books I read are influenced by similar threads on HN. This year has not been good overall and it impacted my reading. I need to finish writing the post https://brajeshwar.com/2023/books/\n“How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question” by Michael Schur is a fun book that opens with a good question, “Should I punch my friend in the face for no reason?”\nI have been meaning to and this year I finally read The Diary of a Young Girl.\nFor 2024, here are some of the ones from my list (sorry for the formatting, copied Markdown from my notes);\n- [Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_War:_The_Fight_for_the_Wo... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_War:_The_Fight_for_the_World%27s_Most_Critical_Technology)) by [Chris Miller](https://www.christophermiller.net)\n- [First Principles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Principles_%28book%29) by [Thomas E. Ricks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_E._Ricks_%28journalist%29)\n- [Greenlights](https://greenlights.com) by [Matthew McConaughey](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_McConaughey)\n- How Asia Works: Success and Failure in the World's Most Dynamic Region by Joe Studwell\n- [Poor Economics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poor_Economics): A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty by [Abhijit V. Banerjee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abhijit_Banerjee),  and [Esther Duflo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther_Duflo)\n- Raising An Emotionally Intelligent Child The Heart of Parenting by [John Gottman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gottman), and Joan DeClaire\n- [The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read](https://www.amazon.com/Book-Wish-Your-Parents-Read/dp/198487... (https://www.amazon.com/Book-Wish-Your-Parents-Read/dp/1984879553)): (and Your Children Will Be Glad That You Did) by [Philippa Perry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippa_Perry)\n- [The End Of The World Is Just The Beginning: Mapping The Collapse Of Globalization](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_End_of_the_World_is_just_t... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_End_of_the_World_is_just_the_Beginning)) by [Peter Zeihan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Zeihan)\n- [The Tatas: How a Family Built a Business and a Nation](https://www.amazon.com/Tatas-Family-Built-Business-Nation/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Tatas-Family-Built-Business-Nation/dp/9352779371)) by [Girish Kuber](https://mr.wikipedia.org/wiki/गिरीश_कुबेर), and English translation by Vikrant Pande.\n- [Windfall: The Booming Business of Global Warming](https://www.amazon.com/Windfall-Booming-Business-Global-Warm... (https://www.amazon.com/Windfall-Booming-Business-Global-Warming/dp/1594204012)) by [McKenzie Funk](https://www.mckenziefunk.com)\n- [Dieter Rams: The Complete Works](https://www.amazon.com/Dieter-Rams-Complete-Klaus-Klemp/dp/1... (https://www.amazon.com/Dieter-Rams-Complete-Klaus-Klemp/dp/1838661530/)) by [Klaus Klemp](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaus_Klemp)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "here are some of the ones from my list",
          "reason": "Included on the commenter's reading list for 2024.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as a planned read, not an evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25537436,
          "author": "dotmanish",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-25T16:44:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25537436",
          "commentText": "> \"It also helps to think about how you were raised, and if that impacted the way you are.\"\nFor people interested in this area, I can also recommend \"The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read: (And Your Children Will Be Glad That You Did)\" (author: Philippa Perry).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can also recommend \"The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read: (And Your Children Will Be Glad That You Did)\"",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it to people interested in how upbringing affects a person.",
          "audience": "People interested in how upbringing shapes behavior.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philippa Perry"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Parenting",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "parenting",
        "child development",
        "family relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-book-of-disquiet-164941",
      "title": "The Book of Disquiet",
      "author": "Fernando Pessoa",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47316093,
          "author": "ofalkaed",
          "createdAt": "2026-03-09T21:52:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 47315415,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47316093",
          "commentText": "I finally started reading The Book of Disquiet, which I have had sitting about for years. Quite surprised by it, has a far greater range than people make it out to have and some amazing humor. It is turning out to be one of the most fascinating books I have read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Book of Disquiet",
          "reason": "The commenter says it has a broader range and more humor than commonly attributed to it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8795671,
          "author": "asad_ch",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T06:50:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795671",
          "commentText": "Any one book?\nMr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore, Robin Sloan\nAny one series?\nThe Foundation series, Isaac Asimov\nOther personal favourites include:\nThe Alchemist, Paulo Coelho\nThe Book of Disquet, Fernando Pessoa\nThe Count of Monte Cristo, Alexander Dumas \nExtremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Jonathan Safron Foer Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Richard Bach\nThe Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Book of Disquet, Fernando Pessoa",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s personal favourites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fernando Pessoa"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fragmentary prose",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-book-of-mirdad-286480",
      "title": "The Book of Mirdad",
      "author": "Mikhail Naimy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23472163,
          "author": "photonemitter",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T23:31:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23472163",
          "commentText": "I’ve read most Discworld novels by Terry Pratchett 3 or more times.\nFinite and Infinite Games, by James P. Carse is another philosophical favourite when it comes to getting something new each read through.\nBook of Mirdad, which is like a modern take on the Abramelin, don’t recall the author’s name, but it’s very much into the symbolic/mystic/esoteric ways and very revealing to that side without explicitly stating any “secrets”\nFirst Law trilogy, by Abercrombie. This is what Gritty Fantasy should read like. It’s got scenes in them that I want to reread the books just to get to. Really hope these would be made into a series or films, as the cinematography in them is already perfect. Without spoiling the first book as it’s revealed early on; Logan Ninefingers is essentially a Barbarian, but throughout you get the feeling he’s deeply afraid of that side. (If you’ve watched how Mike Tyson talked about his fear of that side in him on his podcast, this is essentially it...)\nThere’s been other books as well, but these are the biggest reread-able ones for me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Book of Mirdad, which is like a modern take on the Abramelin, don’t recall the author’s name",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as revealing about symbolic, mystical, and esoteric ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not recall the author's name.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416298,
          "author": "unusximmortalis",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:08:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416298",
          "commentText": "The book of Mirdad",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book of Mirdad",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mikhail Naimy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "esotericism",
        "mysticism",
        "parable",
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-book-of-mormon-ebd988",
      "title": "The Book of Mormon",
      "author": "Joseph Smith Jr.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25531603,
          "author": "ashton314",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T21:28:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25531603",
          "commentText": "If you want a fresh perspective on Christianity and religion generally, read the Book of Mormon. Even if you’re not religious at all, it has lots of moving stories that have helped me understand how to get along better with people I disagree with or with difficult life circumstances.\nThere’s an app and a website:\n- iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/the-book-of-mormon/id547313550\n - Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.lds.bom\n - Website: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/ti... (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/title-page?lang=eng)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "read the Book of Mormon",
          "reason": "Recommended for a fresh perspective on Christianity and religion; the commenter says its stories helped them understand disagreements and difficult circumstances.",
          "audience": "People seeking perspective on Christianity or religion, including nonreligious readers.",
          "caveat": "The commenter presents this as their own perspective and experience.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17048672,
          "author": "react_burger38",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T16:31:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17048672",
          "commentText": "I recommend the Book of Mormon as it is one of the most introspective books you can find.\nIt comes across much clearer than many other religious books like the Bible (even though the Bible I recommend as well) because it has a common narrator who fills in the gaps for you and helps you understand the links between stories.\nIt also is fairly scientific in its premise-- if you do an experiment by reading some of it and asking God if it is true, you can receive an answer from God if you ask Him sincerely and are willing to act upon the answer you receive. See Moroni 10:3-5 [1]\nThe Book of Mormon also answers questions like why am I here? [2]\nand where am I going after I die? [3]\nA key idea of the Book of Mormon that is reflected many times is the cycle of \"pride\", where a group of people first humbles themselves, then prospers, then becomes prideful and makes poor choices, forgets love for others, and then falls, then causing the people to humble themselves again and repeat the cycle.\nOverall I heartily recommend this book. Reading it will make you feel great.\n[1] https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/moro/10?lang=eng\n[2] https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/2?lang=eng\n[3] https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/alma/40?lang=eng",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend the Book of Mormon as it is one of the most introspective books you can find.",
          "reason": "Heartily recommends it as an introspective book that helps readers consider life's purpose and what happens after death.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking religious reflection on life's purpose and the afterlife.",
          "caveat": "The commenter presents its premise as scientific and says sincere prayer can produce an answer from God.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph Smith Jr."
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mormonism",
        "scripture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-book-of-mormon-3736ea",
      "title": "The Book of Mormon",
      "author": "Unknown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34161496,
          "author": "psithurism",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T14:53:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161496",
          "commentText": "Sociology:\n- The Coddling of the American Mind\n- The Tao of Pooh\n- Guns, Germs, and Steel\n- Weapons of the Weak\nReligious:\n- Guru Granth Sahib\n- Bible (King James Version)\n- Q’uran\n- The Book of Mormon \n- Tipitaka\nFantasy:\n- Dawn of Wonder by Jonathan Renshaw\n- The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan \n- The Way of Kings series by Brandon Sanderson\n- Mistborn also by Brandon Sanderson\n- Red Rising by Pierce Brown\n- The Licanius trilogy by James Islington\n- Saga of the Forgotten Warrior series by Larry Correia\nBiography\n- John Adams by David McCullough",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The Book of Mormon",
          "reason": "Listed under religious books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17913331,
          "author": "lcall",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T22:16:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17913331",
          "commentText": "Upvoted, and I would also say the Book of Mormon, with the Bible.  The BoM reinforces the Bible's teachings powerfully, and as I age and read again, sometimes in other languages, and some scholarly things about it, they both just keep getting better and better.  Including in their effect on me.  You can get a copy of either one for free.\nEdit:\nAdditionally, some which have been mentioned or not:\n- a couple of biographies of Lincoln (one is free on gutenberg.org, the other more recent by Doris Kearns Goodwin), and one of Washington whose name I forget now, but there are good ones out there.\n- the 7 Habits book (Covey), and How to Win Friends and Influence People by Carnegie.\n- Refactoring ..., by Martin Fowler.\n- some thick Scheme programming book from college (sorry, it's downstairs).  And \"The Little Schemer\", also about Scheme (one of the authors, Friedman, was also our instructor).\n- Since Cumorah, by Hugh Nibley (maybe dated now, but there is a lot of related work).  Really got me interested in related topics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would also say the Book of Mormon, with the Bible.  The BoM reinforces the Bible's teachings powerfully",
          "reason": "Says it powerfully reinforces the Bible's teachings and keeps getting better on rereading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mormonism",
        "religious scripture",
        "scripture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-book-of-strange-new-things-8b89e9",
      "title": "The Book of Strange New Things",
      "author": "Michel Faber",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39729464,
          "author": "bookofjoe",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T21:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729464",
          "commentText": "\"A Canticle For Leibowitz\"\n\"The Sparrow\"\n\"Lord of Light\"\n\"The Immortal\"\n\"Hyperion\"\n\"The Last Question\"\n\"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?\"\n\"Stranger in a Strange Land\"\n\"The City and the Stars\"\n\"Childhood's End\"\n\"Anathem\"\n\"Eifelheim\"\n\"A Case of Conscience\"\n\"VALIS\" trilogy\n\"The Book of Strange New Things\"\n\"Behold The Man\"\n\"The God Engines\"\n\"Book of the New Sun\"\n\"The Parable of the Sower\"\n\"The Dosadi Experiment\"\n\"Grass\"\n\"Project Pope\"\n\"Calculating God\"\n\"Factoring Humanity\"\n\"Jesus on Mars\"\n\"Surface Detail",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Book of Strange New Things\"",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about books that changed perspectives on religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36083958,
          "author": "code_Whisperer",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-26T13:38:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36083958",
          "commentText": "Easily these (so far):\nThis is How You Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (actually now one of my all-time favorites, without regard to genre. Just amazing)\nChildren of Time - Adrian Tchaikovsky\nThe Book of Strange New Things - Michael Faber\nTed Chiang's short story collections (Exhalations and Stories of your life and others)\nDaemon - Daniel Suarez\nThe City and the City - China Miéville\nRoadside Picnic - Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (this one still haunts my dreams at times)\nWe Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse Book 1) - Dennis Taylor (just finished this series for book club)\nGalatea 2.2, The Overstory, Bewilderment, The Gold Bug Variations - 4 different books, all by Richard Powers - what can I say, the man is a genius and a treasure\nEifelheim - Michael Flynn - ok, this book can be a slog at times, but it is very rewarding for those who persevere, and has stuck in my brain for many years\nChocky - John Wyndham - A quiet, delightful surprise\nProvidence - Max Barry - This book flows like a movie. It will make a great movie. I found myself LITERALLY out of breath a couple of times\nHench: A Novel - Natalie Zina Walschots - Quirky, memorable\nThe Peacemaker's Code - Deepak Malhotra - Why hasn't this guy written more sci-fi?\nOrange World and Other Stories - Karen Russell - OK, maybe not strictly sci-fi, but this book tickles my brain\nGUILTY PLEASURE SCI-FI FAVORITE: The Vaz series by Laurence Dahners. I think I've read that series 3 times now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Book of Strange New Things - Michael Faber",
          "reason": "Listed among favorite science fiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michel Faber"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christianity",
        "first contact",
        "religion",
        "space exploration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-book-with-no-pictures-db0a57",
      "title": "The Book with No Pictures",
      "author": "B. J. Novak",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34634653,
          "author": "mattbrewsbytes",
          "createdAt": "2023-02-02T23:13:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 34634274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books your kids like most",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34634653",
          "commentText": "The Book With No Pictures, BJ Novak. Apparently its a favorite because it makes the reader say a whole bunch of silly stuff. There are other books out there too that have titles like \"Please Open This Book\" and stuff that breaks the 4th wall in a story-telling aspect. It might get their brain thinking in different ways. Its just important to read to them, daily if you can. We did that and we have one that kinda likes reading and one that doesn't.\nThe pull of TV and YT stuff is that its kinda mindless entertainment.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Book With No Pictures, BJ Novak.",
          "reason": "Presented as a favorite because it makes the reader say silly things.",
          "audience": "Young children and the adult reading aloud.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26800750,
          "author": "lnwlebjel",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-13T23:16:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26800750",
          "commentText": "Mo Willems is awesome (Pigeon series, Elephant and Piggy). Some of the Dr. Suess books are still great and fun to read (I can read with my eyes shut, One fish two fish). The book with no pictures, the day the crayons quit, dragons love tacos, and the princess and the dragon by Audrey Wood are all books that I've probably read 100 times and still enjoy.\nAs my kids got a bit older the Box Car children series was compelling, and the girls loved the Rainbow Magic books. Capt. Underpants and Dog man are hilarious and just subversive enough that a 7-9 yr old feel like they are getting away with something. Then on to Mysterious Benedict Society, Harry Potter, Rick Riordan, and Keeper of the Lost Cities.\nOur M.O. was to max out our Library card on a regular basis with just about everything possible and then iterate from there on the authors the kids enjoyed. I feel like reading is one of the things we've gotten right so far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book with no pictures",
          "reason": "The commenter says it remains enjoyable after many rereads.",
          "audience": "Young children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "B. J. Novak"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "interactive read aloud",
        "picture books",
        "read aloud"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-boy-who-loved-math-the-improbable-life-of-paul-erdos-2356f4",
      "title": "The Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdős",
      "author": "Deborah Heiligman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26778167,
          "author": "marttt",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-12T11:25:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26778167",
          "commentText": "To me, \"The Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdos\" [1] by Deborah Heiligman and LeUyen Pham is a true gem. I suppose it might raise interesting discussions on how and why one should tolerate eccentric people. A book full of warmth, both in storytelling and illustrations (wow!).\n1: https://www.amazon.com/Boy-Who-Loved-Math-Improbable/dp/1596... (https://www.amazon.com/Boy-Who-Loved-Math-Improbable/dp/1596433078)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "To me, \"The Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdos\" [1] by Deborah Heiligman and LeUyen Pham is a true gem. I suppose it might raise interesting discussions on how and why one should tolerate eccentric people.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book and notes it could prompt discussion about tolerating eccentric people.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Could raise discussions about how and why to tolerate eccentric people.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10786710,
          "author": "japhyr",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T02:06:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786710",
          "commentText": "Have you seen The Boy Who Loved Math? It's a bio of Paul Erdos written for kids, and we've really enjoyed it.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Boy-Who-Loved-Math-Improbable/dp/15964... (http://www.amazon.com/Boy-Who-Loved-Math-Improbable/dp/1596433078/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Boy Who Loved Math? It's a bio of Paul Erdos written for kids, and we've really enjoyed it.",
          "reason": "The commenter and their family have really enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "Children.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Deborah Heiligman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Mathematics",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s biography",
        "mathematicians",
        "paul erdos"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-bridge-trilogy-bd4215",
      "title": "The Bridge Trilogy",
      "author": "William Gibson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42269201,
          "author": "sandy_coyote",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:59:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42269201",
          "commentText": "I caught up with some science fiction this year.\nThe Murderbot diaries books by Martha Wells - 6/10. Mixed on these. They're fun to read. The setting is cool and the worldbuilding is shallow but effective (i.e., don't read it if you want game of thrones in space). Each novella takes an afternoon to read. I think \"snarky violent droid\" is overcooked these days and lost interest after book 5.\nLight by M. John Harrison - 7/10 excellent prose; great multiple-storyline plot; the journey was better than the destination, but it kept me thinking\nFar from the Light of Heaven by Tade Thompson - 7/10 Fun. If \"near future Nigerian/British post-colonial frontier action with guns, robots, and psychic aliens\" sounds cool to you, check it out. I liked his Rosewater Trilogy just as much.\nBlindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts - tough to rate these. brilliant ideas, VERY challenging plots. I wish I didn't get so confused by the end of each book.\nProject Hail Mary by Andy Weir - 6/10 - this and the Martian read like blog posts pasted together. The grand dilemma is spelled out on page one and never gets any deeper. Pro: the plot is in your face on every page and you will never be confused when reading; Con - there is zero internal character development. Read if you like stories driven by applied science, not comparative moral decision-making.\nThe City and the City by China Miéville - 9/10 - you will invariably see something like \"Kafka meets [some affected crime novelist] to describe this book, and that ain't wrong. Kind of SF, kind of fantasy.\nRailsea by China Miéville - 8/10 - great good vs evil YA SF about, well, imagine if trains were like boats. Good character writing, tight plot.\nThe Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi - 8/10 - loved this. More \"realist\" near-future fabulism than Gibson, but if you love cyberpunk, read this.\nThe Shipbreaker Triology by Paolo Bacigalupi - 6/10 - near-future YA science fiction with a lot of blood and guns. Pretty good stories.\nRoadside Picnic by the Strugatsky brothers - 9/10 - reread. I had to go back. This gets a near perfect score because of its style, setting, and plot.\nThe Sprawl Trilogy (Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive) by William Gibson - 9/10 - I had read Neuromancer 3 times but never the next two. I was pleasantly surprised to find the second and third novel easier to read* but just as enjoyable as Neuromancer.\nThe Bridge trilogy by William Gibson - 8/10 so far. I am in the second book. Can't believe I slept on these for the last couple decades.\nnon-SF:\nOur Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981-1991 by Michael Azerrad - 9/10 - if you like punk/hardcore from the 80s, this is a great read.\n* Every time I read Neuromancer, Gibson's literary footguns --holograms, false memories, hallucinations, and drug-addled unreality--make me feel crazy for not being able to follow the plot at times. I'm okay with believing that was the intended effect.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bridge trilogy by William Gibson - 8/10 so far.",
          "reason": "Rates it highly so far and says they can't believe they waited decades to read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is only in the second book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22724556,
          "author": "barnabee",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T02:03:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22724556",
          "commentText": "William Gibson. The Bridge trilogy and the Sprawl trilogy, at a minimum. They still feel like maps to the future even now. You have to work at it, the map is not the territory after all, but the realisations about the impact of technology, progress, and the choices we make when we let society work a certain way have been profound, for me at least.\nAlso The Peripheral, and Gibson’s essay in Wired about undersea cables, and... yeah. Having read Gibson feels like a superpower.\nAs others have said:\n- The Hitch Hiker’s Guide\n- Stepehnson’s Diamond Age, Cryptonomicon, Seveneves, Anathem (aside: totally surprised how much love there is for Anathem, I remember it not being received very kindly at the time by people around me, though I liked it.)\n- The Culture series (special shout out to The Player of Games.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bridge trilogy and the Sprawl trilogy, at a minimum.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a map to the future, with reflections on technology, progress, and society's choices.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says you have to work at it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Gibson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyberpunk",
        "near future"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-bright-sword-5caac3",
      "title": "The Bright Sword",
      "author": "Lev Grossman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46227592,
          "author": "wxw",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-11T04:15:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 46226571,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46227592",
          "commentText": "This year I quite enjoyed:\n- The Bright Sword, Lev Grossman\nModern take on King Arthur, very fun, wild ride.\n- The Courage to Be Disliked, Ichiro Kishimi\nPhilosophy as a dialogue between teacher and student, lots to think about.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bright Sword, Lev Grossman\nModern take on King Arthur, very fun, wild ride.",
          "reason": "Described as a fun modern take on King Arthur.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42274559,
          "author": "giaour",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T15:38:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42274559",
          "commentText": "Highlights so far this year are:\n- Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesch -- really phenomenal pacing and psychological terror in a sci-fi action novel.\n- The Golem of Brooklyn by Adam Mansbach -- good portrait of different strains of American Judaism in a book structured around a quest\n- Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters -- great characters and structured revelation. This was sitting unread on my shelf for years because I thought it would be preachy, but it wasn't.\n- The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman -- tales from Camelot in the aftermath of Arthur's defeat at Camlann. Excellent mixing of round table legends from different points in history.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman -- tales from Camelot in the aftermath of Arthur's defeat at Camlann. Excellent mixing of round table legends from different points in history.",
          "reason": "Praised for its blending of Arthurian legends from different historical periods.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lev Grossman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "arthurian legend",
        "camelot"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-brothers-karamazov-1a7de6",
      "title": "The Brothers Karamazov",
      "author": "Fyodor Dostoyevsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10193389,
          "author": "eivarv",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-09T18:50:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10193389",
          "commentText": "The Brothers Karamazov - Fyodor Dostoyevsky.\nPicked this up after recently finishing The Selfish Gene, as I remembered what a thrilling read Crime and Punishment was.\nDostoyevsky is funny, thought-provoking and anxiety-inducing as ever.\nUnlike some other authors, he rarely makes characters whose viewpoints he disagrees with into cheap caricatures with bad arguments.\nHe is intellectually honest and provides unprecedented (at least for its time) psychological insight into his complex characters.\nI have always been sad to finish Dostoyevsky's books, but as the Penguin Classics version is around 1000 pages long, it will hopefully take a bit longer this time around.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dostoyevsky is funny, thought-provoking and anxiety-inducing as ever.",
          "reason": "Praises Dostoyevsky's writing and describes his books as intellectually honest with deep psychological insight.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The Penguin Classics edition is around 1,000 pages.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348359,
          "author": "carsongross",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:45:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348359",
          "commentText": "\"Orthodoxy\" - GK Chesterton\n\"The Abolition of Man\" - CS Lewis\n\"The Master and Margarita\" - Mikhail Bulgakov\n\"The Brothers Karamazov\" - Fyodor Dostoyevsky",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Brothers Karamazov\" - Fyodor Dostoyevsky",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7969033,
          "author": "sandipagr",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T03:24:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7969033",
          "commentText": "Halfway into The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Halfway into The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky",
          "reason": "Says they are halfway through reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No evaluation is expressed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5691552,
          "author": "youngbenny",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T18:31:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5691552",
          "commentText": "Dostoyevsky is a great. Still haven't read The Brothers Karamazov.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Still haven't read The Brothers Karamazov.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have not read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fyodor Dostoyevsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "russian literature",
        "classic literature",
        "family drama",
        "moral philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-buried-giant-77ddfd",
      "title": "The Buried Giant",
      "author": "Kazuo Ishiguro",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46400119,
          "author": "Dambalala",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T08:10:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46400119",
          "commentText": ". Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch. Urban fantasy with a great audiobook narrator (Kobna Holdbrook-Smith). Harry Potter meets Sherlock Holmes. Loved the computer history and London Library parts in False Value.\n. Chrestomanci series by Diana Wynne Jones. Found the first book in a local phonebox library. Especially liked the probability computer in Conrad’s Fate.\n. Southern Reach trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer. Recommended by a barber after I mentioned the cartoon \"Scavengers Reign\". Annihilation is well worth reading.\n. The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro. Novel about memory, forgetting.\n. Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman. Short novel imagining Einstein's dreams whilst he worked on his relativity theory.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro. Novel about memory, forgetting.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a novel about memory and forgetting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46246518,
          "author": "tra3",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-12T17:44:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 46226571,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46246518",
          "commentText": "Couple of books from this year:\n- A short stay in hell (sci-fi): A modern take on Library of Babel. Pretty dark. Quick read.\n- The Burried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro. Nominally fantasy, but not really. Great, like his other books.\n- Small things like these (fiction). Set in 1900s Ireland, atmospheric. I learned about Magdalene laundries from this book.\n- Parable of the Sawer by Octavia E. Butler, science fiction. Collapse of society, survival etc. Pretty bleak.\n- Lonely Kind of War (biography). Author was a forward air controller during the Vietnam war. His job was to direct air strikes from jets and bombers on enemy positions and then confirm the kills. Interesting and depressing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Burried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro. Nominally fantasy, but not really. Great, like his other books.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it great, like Ishiguro’s other books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Nominally fantasy, but not really.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961393,
          "author": "adamheins",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:36:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961393",
          "commentText": "To continue the Ishiguro and Hemingway theme, two of the books I enjoyed most this year were The Buried Giant (Ishiguro) and The Old Man and the Sea (Hemingway).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "two of the books I enjoyed most this year were The Buried Giant (Ishiguro)",
          "reason": "The commenter names it among the books they enjoyed most that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kazuo Ishiguro"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "arthurian fantasy",
        "arthurian fiction",
        "arthurian legend",
        "historical fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-business-of-software-7c5ed2",
      "title": "The Business of Software",
      "author": "Eric Sink",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 601167,
          "author": "imp",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-09T17:51:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 600953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on the nuts and bolts of starting up",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=601167",
          "commentText": "The Business of Software by Eric Sink is pretty good. \nhttp://www.amazon.com/Eric-Business-Software-Experts-Voice/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Eric-Business-Software-Experts-Voice/dp/1590596234)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Business of Software by Eric Sink is pretty good.",
          "reason": "Calls the book pretty good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 138005,
          "author": "larryfreeman",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-16T05:32:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=138005",
          "commentText": "1) Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell (very interesting ideas)\n2) Innovator's Dilemma (for understanding what can work well)\n3) Inside Intuit (for a great business story)\n4) Eric Sink on the Business of Software",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Eric Sink on the Business of Software",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Sink"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "software business"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-cat-in-the-hat-3c1c24",
      "title": "The Cat in the Hat",
      "author": "Dr. Seuss",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34634686,
          "author": "mixmastamyk",
          "createdAt": "2023-02-02T23:16:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 34634274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books your kids like most",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34634686",
          "commentText": "> rival the TV and YT junk\nCan't compete with these, nope.  Only way is to limit them a few hours a day or less.  The ability to relax and be bored is essential to support the desire to read.\nWe did it an hour before bed every night under warm lighting.  Loved Dr. Seuss' Cat in the Hat, The Lorax, Grinch, Oh, the Places You'll Go!\nEngelbreit's Mother Goose, Nursery Rhymes set.\nLoved The Police Cloud by Chris Neimann, and Little Owl Lost by Chris Haughton.\nWe liked The Giving Tree, but be prepared as it shows a dysfunctional relationship.  We took it as a \"teachable moment.\"\nAgree with those who say to go to the library for variety.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Loved Dr. Seuss' Cat in the Hat,",
          "reason": "Named among books loved during nightly reading.",
          "audience": "Young children.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467501,
          "author": "fourseventy",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:31:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467501",
          "commentText": "Good Night Moon - 187 times\nThe Cat In The Hat - 200 times\nThe Very Hungry Caterpillar - 85 times\nBut seriously, im on my third re-read of Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin, In my opinion its the best book about leadership ever written.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Cat In The Hat - 200 times",
          "reason": "Lists it among books read repeatedly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dr. Seuss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "picture books",
        "children s literature",
        "rhyming stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-catalyst-rna-and-the-quest-to-unlock-life-s-deepest-secrets-97d207",
      "title": "The Catalyst: RNA and the Quest to Unlock Life's Deepest Secrets",
      "author": "Thomas R. Cech",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42508496,
          "author": "zhiQ",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T12:31:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42508496",
          "commentText": "The Catalyst: RNA and the Quest to Unlock Life's Deepest Secrets by Thomas R. Cech — This is a standout for me. Spotlight on RNA with interesting historical context of the field.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Catalyst: RNA and the Quest to Unlock Life's Deepest Secrets by Thomas R. Cech — This is a standout for me.",
          "reason": "Calls it a standout and notes its focus on RNA and the field's history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42219433,
          "author": "lovestory",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T05:56:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42219433",
          "commentText": "I only have time to listen to audiobooks so I hope this list is not too basic.\nOn the Edge: The Art of Risking Everything by Nate Silver\nThe End of Reality: How Four Billionaires Are Selling a Fantasy Future of the Metaverse, Mars, and Crypto by Jonathan Taplin\nThe Value of Others by Orion Taraban\nRinsed: From Cartels to Crypto: How the Tech Industry Washes Money for the World's Deadliest Crooks by Geoff White\nWhy We Die: The New Science of Aging and the Quest for Immortality by Venki Ramakrishnan\nExtremely Hardcore: Inside Elon Musk's Twitter by Zoe Schiffer\nBottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Katherine Eban\nAI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference by Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor\nHijacking Bitcoin: The Hidden History of BTC by Roger Ver\nGo Woke, Go Broke: The Inside Story of the Radicalization of Corporate America by Charles Gasparino\nThe Catalyst: RNA and the Quest to Unlock Life's Deepest Secrets by Thomas R Cech\nand my book of the year\nGood Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health by Casey Means M D",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Catalyst: RNA and the Quest to Unlock Life's Deepest Secrets by Thomas R Cech",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas R. Cech"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "molecular biology",
        "rna"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-character-of-physical-law-505b95",
      "title": "The Character of Physical Law",
      "author": "Richard P. Feynman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13804180,
          "author": "metaphorm",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:19:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804180",
          "commentText": "- The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin\n- Blindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts\n- The Tao Te Ching\n- The Gateless Gate (Koun Yamada translation/editing)\n- The Baroque Cycle (Quicksilver, The Confusion, The System of the World) by Neal Stephenson\n- The Invisibles by Grant Morrison\n- Incerto (Fooled by Randomness, The Black Swan, Antifragile, The Bed of Procrustes) by Nassim Nicholas Taleb\n- Iron John by Robert Bly\n- Catch 22 by Joseph Heller\n- The Character of Physical Law by Richard P. Feynman\n- Collected Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges\n- 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez\n- Pharmakon by Dale Pendell\n- The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss\n- Greek Mythology by Edith Hamilton\n- The Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual by Gary Gygax et al\n- Introduction to Algorithms by Charles E. Leiserson, Clifford Stein, Ronald Rivest, and Thomas H. Cormen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Character of Physical Law by Richard P. Feynman",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed how people think.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10787298,
          "author": "yetanotheracc",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T06:03:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787298",
          "commentText": "Absolutely amazing, changed the way I look at the society, will re-read:\n- George Orwell, Keep the Aspidistra Flying\nLoved:\n- Alastair Reynolds, House of Suns\n- Andy Weir, The Martian\n- Neal Stephenson, Seveneves\n- Greg Egan, Teranesia\nLiked:\n- Arthur C. Clarke, 3001: The Final Odyssey\n- Arthur C. Clarke, 2061: Odyssey Three\n- Richard Feynman, The Character of Physical Laws\n- Richard Feynman, The Pleasure of Finding Things Out\n- Jonathan Slack, Stem Cells: A Very Short Introduction\n- John Scalzi, Fuzzy Nation (bought the audiobook for Wil Wheaton's narration)\n- Ray Monk, Robert Oppenheimer: A Life Inside the Center\n- Alastair Reynolds,  Revelation Space\n- David C. Cassidy, Beyond Uncertainty: Heisenberg, Quantum Physics, and the Bomb\nFound full of BS, did not finish:\n- Noam Chomsky, Understanding Power\nTextbooks:\n- order of 10^3 pages of Open University textbooks\n- Klauber, Student Friendly Quantum Field Theory\n- Feynman & Hibbs, Quantum Mechanics and Path Integrals\n- Wald, General Relativity (5 chapters)\n- Peskin & Schroeder, An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory (5 chapters)\nNot as bad as I felt before making the list, but underwhelming in terms of quantity. I intend to read a whole lot more in 2016.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Richard Feynman, The Character of Physical Laws",
          "reason": "Listed under books the commenter says they liked.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard P. Feynman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "physics",
        "scientific method"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-clean-coder-a-code-of-conduct-for-professional-programmers-7eb2a5",
      "title": "The Clean Coder: A Code of Conduct for Professional Programmers",
      "author": "Robert C. Martin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39089137,
          "author": "jjice",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-22T13:13:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39089137",
          "commentText": "I personally don't like Clean Code, but understand that a lot of people I respect do. I do want to throw Clean Architecture into the ring though since we're in the topic.\nThat book is a top three software book for me. It made me understand why OO is a thing and what concepts I should pretty much always use from that ecosystem.\nThe concept of interfaces (not just the programming construct, but the general idea) was massive and it changed my view on the testability of code.\nMartin has some other good stuff related to professionalism as a programmer. He has a few talks and The Clean Coder and those are absolutely worth it as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Clean Coder and those are absolutely worth it as well.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the author's books related to professionalism as a programmer.",
          "audience": "Programmers interested in professionalism.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8013419,
          "author": "nstart",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-10T03:20:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8013419",
          "commentText": "This book when combined with \"The Clean Coder\", and \"Refactoring: Improving the design of existing code\" completely changed how I thought about programming. It \"levelled me up\" so to speak. Even though I'm as far from being good as it gets, I still know I improved significantly from reading these three books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Clean Coder\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says it and the other two books changed how they thought about programming and improved their skills.",
          "audience": "Programmers seeking to improve their professional practice.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert C. Martin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "professional programming",
        "programming career",
        "software craftsmanship",
        "software professionalism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-clockwork-rocket-6750f9",
      "title": "The Clockwork Rocket",
      "author": "Greg Egan",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48595627,
          "author": "db48x",
          "createdAt": "2026-06-19T06:58:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 48595560,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please recommend sci-fi books similar to \"children of time\" or \"anathem\"",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48595627",
          "commentText": "A Deepness in the Sky, by Vernor Vinge\nDune, by Frank Herbert\nDiaspora, by Greg Egan\nThe Clockwork Rocket, by Greg Egan\nThe Book of the New Sun, by Gene Wolfe\nProject Hail Mary, by Andy Weir",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Clockwork Rocket, by Greg Egan",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for similar science fiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36022071,
          "author": "rigmarole",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:42:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36022071",
          "commentText": "I’ve seen Greg Egan mentioned a couple times. I love most of what I’ve read by him, but “The Clockwork Rocket” trilogy stands far above for me. A multi-generational hard sci-fi story. Characters who are intelligent, curious researchers who set out to learn and unravel the nature of their universe to try to save their world, set in alternate physics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“The Clockwork Rocket” trilogy stands far above for me.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it stands far above Egan’s other work they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A multi-generational hard science fiction story set in alternate physics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Greg Egan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternate physics",
        "hard science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-cluetrain-manifesto-5c0f60",
      "title": "The Cluetrain Manifesto",
      "author": "Rick Levine, Christopher Locke, Doc Searls, and David Weinberger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1569403,
          "author": "dedalus",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T22:51:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569403",
          "commentText": "Just finished reading \"Small Pieces Loosely Joined\" (http://www.smallpieces.com/) which is a wonderful read on why we care about the Web.\nThe author's previous work called \"The Cluetrain Manifesto\" (http://www.cluetrain.com/ ) is also a nice read",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "is also a nice read",
          "reason": "Describes the author's previous work as a nice read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 193603,
          "author": "skmurphy",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-18T20:50:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 193308,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What books on marketing do you recomend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=193603",
          "commentText": "If you look at his profile he gives his real name and his company and he clearly stands behind and owns his comments. You seem to be pushing \"Cluetrain\" as some form of political correctness. At some point a company becomes more than a collection of startup founders, which it must to succeed, and makes commitments as a firm based on a working consensus. I don't find it hard to believe that the founders talked over what books had been most useful: for me the \"we\" sounds natural now hollow.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "You seem to be pushing \"Cluetrain\" as some form of political correctness.",
          "reason": "The title is discussed as part of a disagreement about company identity and voice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 142997,
          "author": "Alex3917",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T01:21:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=142997",
          "commentText": "I only read non-fiction that's counterintuitive. I figure, hey, I'm pretty smart, so if it's intuitive then I can probably figure it out on my own. A list of stuff I cite most often:\nNo Contest & Punished by Rewards by Alfie Kohn\nStatus Anxiety by Alain de Botton\nPG's essays & ITConversations interviews\nThe Underground History of American Education by John Taylor Gatto\nThe Singularity is Near by Kurzweil\nThis graph: http://alexkrupp.com/picture_library/plot.jpg\nDee Hock's essay on leadership\nA handful of blog posts by Mark Cuban\nAll Marketers are Liars & Free Prize Inside by Seth Godin. All of the books that Seth recommends are also worth reading.\nBruce Schneier's interview on ITConversations\nMagic Ink, an essay by Bret Victor\nWar Is A  Force That Gives Us Meaning by Chris Hedges\nThe Cluetrain Manifesto (the book)\nI'm sure there's a lot more, but that's what comes to mind right now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Cluetrain Manifesto (the book)",
          "reason": "Includes it among the nonfiction works the commenter cites most often.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rick Levine, Christopher Locke, Doc Searls, and David Weinberger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "internet culture",
        "marketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-collapse-of-complex-societies-662ef0",
      "title": "The Collapse of Complex Societies",
      "author": "Joseph A. Tainter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804894,
          "author": "knzhou",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:29:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804894",
          "commentText": "I try to only read books that are at least a few years old, so these aren’t timely recommendations.\nOn the list for next year:\nThe Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language\nEssays of Montaign\nWhy Zebras Don't Get Ulcers\nHigher Speculations: Grand Theories and Failed Revolutions in Physics and Cosmology\nThe Enigma of Reason\nSurfing Uncertainty: Prediction, Action, and the Embodied Mind\nImpro\nDeng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China\nInvisible Cities\nCollapse of Complex Societies\n--\nFavorites from this year:\nDeath's End\nOne Man's Meat\nLife Ascending: The Ten Great Inventions of Evolution\nA Primate's Memoir: A Neuroscientist's Unconventional Life Among the Baboons\nDo No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery\nCosmicomics\nWhy Quark Rhymes with Pork\nThe Unfolding of Language\nA Sand County Almanac",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Collapse of Complex Societies",
          "reason": "Listed among books planned for next year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12494191,
          "author": "dredmorbius",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-14T04:13:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12494191",
          "commentText": "From a recent HN comment,  a list, some authors, and some guidelines, largely based on books which radically changed my thinking.\nCurrently:  Vaclav Smil, Energy in World History (1994), and Manfred Weissenbacher, Sources of Power (2009).  Both detail the role and impact of energy through world history.  The latter draws strongly on the first, both are exceedingly well documented.  TL;DR: coal changed much, oil changed everything.\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/3... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/30398523&referer=brief_results)\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foragin... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foraging-agriculture-and-coal/oclc/837625798&referer=brief_results)\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625970&referer=brief_results)\nJames Burke's books Connections and The Day the Universe Changed, and their accompanying television series, were a profound introduction to the history of technology, science, ideas, and philosophy.  Though 30+ years old, they remain highly current and relevant.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/connections/oclc/4494136\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/day-the-universe-changed/oclc... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/day-the-universe-changed/oclc/12049817)\nJeremy Campbell's Grammatical Man (1984) introduced the concepts of information theory and their deep, deep, deep interconnections to a tremendous number of interconnected systems, many not explored within his book.  Darwin's The Origin of Species, James Gleick's Chaos, and many of the works of Santa Fe Institute members, including John C. Holland, J. Doyne Farmer, Geoffrey West, W. Brian Arthur, David Krakauer, and Sander van der Leeuw, continue these themes.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-e... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-entropy-language-and-life/oclc/8306673)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/chaos-making-a-new-science/oc... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/chaos-making-a-new-science/oclc/15366709)\nWilliam Ophuls' Ecology and the Politics of Scarcity (1977) is perhaps the best, most comprehensive, shortest, and most readable exposition of the fact, reality, dynamics, and interactions of limits on the present phase of fossil-fuel fed economic growth I've found.  This is a book I recommend not only for the message, but the author's clarity of thought and exposition, his meticulous research, exquisite bibliographical notes, and, given the nearly 30 years elapsed, testability numerous of his predictions, some failed, yes, others uncannily accurate.  Rather more the latter.  In a similar vein, William R. Catton's Overshoot looks at the ecological dynamics in more depth, with much wisdom, the writings of Richard Heinberg cover the ground of limits fairly accessibly and more recently.  Vaclav Smil in numerous books addresses technical factors of the profound nature of the past 250 years, and implications for the future.  Meadows, et al, in Limits to Growth set off much of the post-1970 discussion (though they're hardly the first to raise the question -- it dates to Seneca the Elder),\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-s... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-scarcity-prologue-to-a-political-theory-of-the-steady-state/oclc/2524932)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/overshoot-the-ecological-basi... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/overshoot-the-ecological-basis-of-revolutionary-change/oclc/6195764)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Aheinberg%2C+richard&a... (https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Aheinberg%2C+richard&amp;qt=owc_search)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Asmil%2C+vaclav&amp;qt... (https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Asmil%2C+vaclav&amp;qt=results_page)\nThough hardly pessimistic, Daniel Yergin's book The Prize (and TV series) impressed upon me more than any other just how much petroleum specifically changed and transformed the modern world.  Though intended largely as laudetory and championing the oil industry by the author, my read of it was exceptionally cautionary.  The impacts on business, everyday life, politics, wars, industry, and transport, and the rate at which they occurred, are simply staggering.  You can continue this exploration in Vaclav Smil's Energy in World History (1994) (I've recommended Smil independently elsewhere), and a rare but profound two-volume set I'm currently reading, Manfred Weissenbacher's Sources of Power: How energy forges human history (2009).  The shear physicality of this book speaks to the message -- it's divided into five parts:  1) Foraging Age (6 pages), 2) Agricultural Age (156 pp), 3) Coal Age (160 pp),  4) Oil Age (296 pp), and 5) Beyond the Oil Age (142 pp).  That is, the ~2 million years of pre-agricultural existence are little more than a footnote, the 8,000 years of agriculture roughly equal to the 150 years of coal, and the 100 years of petroleum use roughly twice either.  The oil and post-oil ages comprise their own volume.  Yergin followed up with The Quest, continuing the search for oil, though I've been less impressed by it.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/prize-the-epic-quest-for-oil-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/prize-the-epic-quest-for-oil-money-and-power/oclc/22381448)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/30398523)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foragi... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foraging-agriculture-and-coal/oclc/837625798)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/83762... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625970)\nAdam Smith's An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations is among the most-cited (and most incorrectly cited), least-read books of high influence I'm aware of, outside religious texts (and perhaps it is a religious text to some…).  The author's message has been exceptionally shaped and manipulated by a powerful set of forces, quite often utterly misrepresenting Smith's original intent.  Reading him in his own words, yourself, is strongly recommended.  I'd also recommend scholarship particularly by Emma Rothschild and Gavin Kennedy, though also others, on Smith. Contrast with the portrayal by the propaganda disinformation front of the Mont Pelerin Society / Atlas Network / so-called Foundation for Economic Education, and much of the modern American Libertarian movement (von Mises, Hayek, Friedman, Hazlett, Rothbard, and more recently, Norberg).  Contrast The Invisible Hand (1964), a compilation of essays published by Libertarian house Regnery Press in 1966, at the beginning of the rise in public use of Smith's metaphor to indictate mechanism rather than an expression of the unknown.\nThere are numerous editions of Smith, I believe the Glasgow is frequently cited by Smith scholars:  https://www.worldcat.org/title/glasgow-edition-of-the-works-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/glasgow-edition-of-the-works-and-correspondence-of-adam-smith-2-an-inquiry-into-the-nature-and-causes-of-the-wealth-of-nations-vol-1/oclc/832488566)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/economic-sentiments-adam-smit... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/economic-sentiments-adam-smith-condorcet-and-the-enlightenment/oclc/45282974)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smith-and-the-invisible-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smith-and-the-invisible-hand/oclc/820387997)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smiths-lost-legacy/oclc/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smiths-lost-legacy/oclc/56598640)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/invisible-hand-a-collection-o... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/invisible-hand-a-collection-of-essays-on-the-economic-philosophy-of-free-enterprise/oclc/326622)\nI'd like to put in recommendations on technology specifically, but am still searching for a good general text.  The material's covered somewhat in the chaos and complexity recommendations above (Campbell et al), though I'd add Joseph Tainter's The Collapse of Complex Societies.  Charle's Perrow has several excellent books including Normal Accidents and Organizing America.   I'd like to reference something concerning Unix, Linux, and programming, perhaps Kernighan and Pike's The Unix Programming Environment, Linus Torvalds' Just for Fun, Richard Stallman's The GNU Manifesto, and Steve McConnel's Code Complete.  The O'Reilly book Unix Power Tools also encapsulates much the strength of the Unix toolset.  All these are somewhat dated.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/collapse-of-complex-societies... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/collapse-of-complex-societies/oclc/15083222)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/normal-accidents-living-with-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/normal-accidents-living-with-high-risk-technologies/oclc/10229932)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/organizing-america-wealth-pow... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/organizing-america-wealth-power-and-the-origins-of-corporate-capitalism/oclc/939707157)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-programming-environment/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-programming-environment/oclc/10269821)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/5238168... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/52381684)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd add Joseph Tainter's The Collapse of Complex Societies.",
          "reason": "Added as a suggested work in the discussion of technology, chaos, and complexity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12067228,
          "author": "balnaphone",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-10T20:55:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12067228",
          "commentText": "\"The Art of Profitability\" by Adrian Slywotzky\n\"The Myth of the Rational Voter\" by Bryan Caplan\n\"Fanatical Prospecting\" by Jeb Blount\n\"Fooling Some of the People All of the Time\" by David Einhorn\n\"Confidence Game\" by Christine Richard\n\"Mouth Matters; How Your Mouth Ages Your Body and What YOU Can Do About It\" by Carol Vander Stoep\n\"Adventures in Stochastic Processes\" by Sidney & Resnick\n\"The Great Deformation\" by David Stockman\n\"Efficient Electrical Systems Design Handbook\" by Thumann & Franz\n\"The Goal\" by Eliyahu Goldratt\n\"Notes on Discrete Mathematics\" by Miguel Lerma\n\"Stochastic Calculus with Infinitesimals\" by Frederik S. Herzberg\n\"Information Theory, Inference, and Learning Algorithms\" by David Mackay\n\"Coming Apart\" by Charles Murray\n\"The Collapse of Complex Societies\" by Joseph Tainter\n\"In Other Words: The Science And Psychology Of Second-language Acquisition\" by Ellen Bialystok and Kenji Hakuta",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"The Collapse of Complex Societies\" by Joseph Tainter",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph A. Tainter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "complexity",
        "societal collapse"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-colossal-book-of-mathematics-3d864a",
      "title": "The Colossal Book of Mathematics",
      "author": "Martin Gardner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 44271145,
          "author": "calstad",
          "createdAt": "2025-06-13T18:50:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 44269143,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Casual Math Book Suggestions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44271145",
          "commentText": "These fall more in the \"pop-sci\" realm, but I think are really good at trying to convey what kinds of things working mathematicians actually think about:\n- Colossal Book of Mathematics by Martin Gardner: Uses games and recreational math to introduce areas like group theory and topology.\n- Finding Moonshine by Marcus Du Sautoy: Tells the story of the unexpected connection between two areas of math that, on the surface, seem to be completely unrelated.\n- The Great Mathematical Problems by Ian Stewart: Does a good job explaining several of the major open problems in math today.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Colossal Book of Mathematics by Martin Gardner: Uses games and recreational math to introduce areas like group theory and topology.",
          "reason": "Uses games and recreational mathematics to introduce areas including group theory and topology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23730377,
          "author": "pjungwir",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-04T05:36:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23730377",
          "commentText": "I second this! Gardner would be something more recreational and fun than a lot else out there. The Colossal Book of Mathematics is a good way to get a lot in one place. The Night is Large is also great but less math-focused.\nI don't see any recommendations for Smullyan yet. The Lady or the Tiger is the classic I think, but I really loved Forever Undecided.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Colossal Book of Mathematics is a good way to get a lot in one place.",
          "reason": "Described as a convenient collection of recreational mathematics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin Gardner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "recreational mathematics",
        "group theory",
        "mathematical puzzles",
        "topology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-comedians-423d3d",
      "title": "The Comedians",
      "author": "Graham Greene",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25904696,
          "author": "mbg721",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T16:01:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25904696",
          "commentText": "I have a bit of a queue going; I read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle based on suggestions from here, and it was definitely worth the investment.  Next on my list is Graham Greene's The Comedians.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Next on my list is Graham Greene's The Comedians.",
          "reason": "Names it as their next planned read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249110,
          "author": "petre",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T08:36:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249110",
          "commentText": "Just about any Graham Greene book: The Power and the Glory. The Quiet American, The Ministry of Fear, The Comedians, Our Man in Havana etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Comedians",
          "reason": "Listed as an example of a Graham Greene book in response to a request for fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Graham Greene"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political fiction",
        "haiti",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-comfort-crisis-7882b8",
      "title": "The Comfort Crisis",
      "author": "Michael Easter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45325879,
          "author": "xu3u32",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-21T19:29:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 45312545,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that helped you lose weight?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45325879",
          "commentText": "Outlive by Peter Attia, Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter, Finding Ultra by Rich Roll. Lost 60 lbs and kept it off for 5 years now. Doing my first half ironman in 5 weeks.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter",
          "reason": "Listed among books associated with the commenter’s weight loss.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43612447,
          "author": "b_mcphail",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T15:12:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43612447",
          "commentText": "The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter. \nI gift this book at every opportunity and consistently receive overwhelmingly positive feedback, even from those who typically don't read much.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter. \nI gift this book at every opportunity and consistently receive overwhelmingly positive feedback",
          "reason": "The commenter gifts it often and reports positive feedback.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Easter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Nature",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "challenge seeking",
        "discomfort",
        "resilience",
        "weight loss"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-commonwealth-saga-659fd1",
      "title": "The Commonwealth Saga",
      "author": "Peter F. Hamilton",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41761378,
          "author": "Sabinus",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-06T23:48:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41761378",
          "commentText": "Sorry, series instead of books.\nBest Sci-fi: The Commonwealth Saga\nBest Fantasy: The Wheel of Time",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Best Sci-fi: The Commonwealth Saga",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1979216,
          "author": "wlievens",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-07T15:04:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1979216",
          "commentText": "The Commonwealth Saga by Peter F. Hamilton.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Commonwealth Saga by Peter F. Hamilton.",
          "reason": "Names it as an answer to the question about the best book read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter F. Hamilton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-complete-works-of-swami-vivekananda-22b5e5",
      "title": "The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda",
      "author": "Swami Vivekananda",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8719700,
          "author": "harshbhasin",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T22:39:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8719700",
          "commentText": "These three works have influenced me. These  are writings of very creative people and I read them to understand their creative process.\n1. Nikola Tesla's autobiography:\nhttp://www.mystacki.com/#!/binder/35/nikola-tesla%27s-autobi... (http://www.mystacki.com/#!/binder/35/nikola-tesla%27s-autobiography)\n2. Swami Vivekananda's complete works: \nhttp://www.mystacki.com/#!/binder/45/swami-vivakananda\n3. David Bohm on creativity: http://www.amazon.com/Creativity-Routledge-Classics-David-Bo... (http://www.amazon.com/Creativity-Routledge-Classics-David-Bohm/dp/0415336406)\nI have been reading these three authors for many years, over and over again. In his autobiography, Tesla brings forth many exciting things about his creative process. He could prototype complete machines in his mind before building them. In his mind he could run tests, even see scars and blemishes on his machines. In my coding, I (feebly) try to emulate his method by trying to visualize my coding prototype in my mind. His short autobiography  reads like that of a mystic. In there he describes how the idea of AC current came to him, while taking a walk and looking into the Sun. Philosophically, everything in life alternates: the pairs of opposites, ebb and flow-- its seems to be the code of life; and AC current does the same, it alternates. His writings on Electricity are against the established grain: for him electricity (his only love) is the current of life. There cannot be two electricities(positive and negative,) he says, these are only terms for the state of having more or less of the same thing.\nDavid Bohm has important things to say about the creative process. He talks about completeness (wholeness) of thought. He talks about \"mental models\" that we create to understand reality and how we keep growing out of older models... newtonian physics gives way to relativity etc.\nSwami Vivekananda was a contemporary of Tesla and they did actually meet. He was a scholar of the Indian philosophy system called Advaita and Sankhya. As Jung has said about archetypes -- same thoughts occur to people of all ages, the Sankhya philosophy system believed in the equivalence of matter and energy. Vivekananda introduced  these ideas to Tesla and expected him to prove them. But the proof came ten years later with Einstein. I have written about this here:\nhttp://www.mystacki.com/#!/post/132/vivakanand's-meeting-wit... (http://www.mystacki.com/#!/post/132/vivakanand's-meeting-with-tesla)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2. Swami Vivekananda's complete works:",
          "reason": "Included among works the commenter says have influenced them and reads to understand creative process.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in creative process and Indian philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8106974,
          "author": "k0t0n0",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:27:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106974",
          "commentText": "Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda (9 vols. , English) https://db.tt/3sGQNzs1",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda (9 vols. , English)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Swami Vivekananda"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "advaita vedanta",
        "hinduism",
        "sankhya",
        "vedanta"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-compound-effect-986245",
      "title": "The Compound Effect",
      "author": "Darren Hardy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30241537,
          "author": "pknerd",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T07:42:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241537",
          "commentText": "Compound Effect by Darren Hardy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Compound Effect by Darren Hardy.",
          "reason": "Offered as an answer to the thread's book recommendation question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14480111,
          "author": "bonhasgone",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-04T06:10:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14480111",
          "commentText": "The compound effect - Darren Hardy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The compound effect - Darren Hardy.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Darren Hardy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal development",
        "habit building",
        "habits"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-computational-beauty-of-nature-287f5f",
      "title": "The Computational Beauty of Nature",
      "author": "Gary William Flake",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9674345,
          "author": "qubex",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T12:18:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674345",
          "commentText": "The Computational Beauty of Nature by Gary William flake (1997) https://books.google.it/books/about/The_Computational_Beauty... (https://books.google.it/books/about/The_Computational_Beauty_of_Nature.html?id=0aUhuv7fjxMC&hl=en)\nA totally astounding introduction to how computing fits into the broader scale of understanding other phenomena in our everyday scientific lives — and, unlike most “oh wide-eyed wonder!” popsci books it contains code, equations, and deeply significant diagrams.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A totally astounding introduction to how computing fits into the broader scale of understanding other phenomena in our everyday scientific lives",
          "reason": "Calls it a totally astounding introduction connecting computing with other scientific phenomena.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Unlike most popular science books, it contains code, equations, and detailed diagrams.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Computational Beauty of Nature",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gary William Flake"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "complex systems",
        "computational modeling",
        "computational science",
        "popular science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-consolation-of-philosophy-1db3dd",
      "title": "The Consolation of Philosophy",
      "author": "Boethius",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41241021,
          "author": "nataliste",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-13T23:41:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41241021",
          "commentText": "The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius. Written in 523 while he was imprisoned and awaiting execution by the Ostrogothic King Theodoric, it is often described as the last great Western work of the Classical Period.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius",
          "reason": "Identifies it as a major work from the late Classical period, written while Boethius awaited execution.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17050444,
          "author": "pc2g4d",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T20:06:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17050444",
          "commentText": "As a person who's gone through something comparable in recent years, I will first recommend that you seek out a community of people undergoing a similar shift in worldview. There may be podcasts, forums, blogs, etc. where people who previously held your same worldview are processing their transition after finding \"that a lot of the things that [they] used to believe were false\". For me this has been immensely helpful.\nNow some introspective books:\n* The Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. If you're open to fantasy, this series delves deep into how to respond when one's worldview is shattered. Highly recommended. Elantris also covers some similar territory.\n* The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius. How do you reconcile the whims of capricious Fortune with your desire for peace in this world?\n* Bonds That Make Us Free by Terry Warner. This book makes you take a brutal look at how you contribute to your own misery in life. It will be agonizing to read, but persevere and I believe you will find it insightful. Try not to be too turned off by the conservative religious viewpoint that occasionally peeks through.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius.",
          "reason": "Offered as an introspective book about reconciling Fortune's whims with the desire for peace.",
          "audience": "Readers reflecting on fortune and finding peace.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Boethius"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consolation literature",
        "fortune",
        "late antiquity",
        "stoicism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-craft-of-prolog-ae69b3",
      "title": "The Craft of Prolog",
      "author": "Richard A. O'Keefe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9758510,
          "author": "abecedarius",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T14:25:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758510",
          "commentText": "Knuth: he's an excellent writer with a sense of humor.\nAnything coauthored by Kernighan is a good bet, though the material is not quite so ageless. Similar remarks for P.J. Plauger.\nNorvig doesn't just write exquisite code, but good prose too.\nI always liked Abelson & Sussman's style, even though it's more textbookish. Abelson also co-wrote Turtle Geometry, which is almost unknown these days and still eye-opening. (It's more of a math book than a programming one, but its point is to be both.)\nDaniel Hillis: The Pattern on the Stone, The Connection Machine.\nRichard O'Keefe, The Craft of Prolog.\nJon Bentley.\nI remember pg's On Lisp as good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Richard O'Keefe, The Craft of Prolog.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414452,
          "author": "microtonal",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T09:23:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414452",
          "commentText": "I haven't read \"The Art of Prolog\". But if you want to write correct and fast Prolog, reading \"The Craft of Prolog\" by Richard O'Keefe is a must.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "reading \"The Craft of Prolog\" by Richard O'Keefe is a must.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as essential for writing correct and fast Prolog.",
          "audience": "Readers who want to write correct and fast Prolog.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read The Art of Prolog.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard A. O'Keefe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "logic programming",
        "prolog"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-daily-stoic-0751a6",
      "title": "The Daily Stoic",
      "author": "Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37945974,
          "author": "stranded22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T17:41:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37945974",
          "commentText": "Ok:\n1) Happy by Derren Brown - a stoic interpretation for the modern world (how to live, and die, happy)\n2) The Daily Stoic - 366 pages of stoic philosophy for each day\n3) how to control drinking / this naked mind- second book is a reinterpretation of the first, made the biggest impact on my life, helping me stop drinking\n4) Atomic Habits - helped me appreciate it is a little nudge that makes the biggest long term difference",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Daily Stoic - 366 pages of stoic philosophy for each day",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the books that made a major impact on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as 366 pages of Stoic philosophy, one for each day.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936526,
          "author": "microtonal",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T09:18:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936526",
          "commentText": "I have started reading the Daily Stoic, but I often find the commentaries underwhelming (obvious, predictable, not adding much insight).",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I have started reading the Daily Stoic, but I often find the commentaries underwhelming",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Finds the commentaries obvious, predictable, and lacking insight.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14860010,
          "author": "bawigga",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:30:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14860010",
          "commentText": "I've just recently become fascinated with Stoicism after reading the Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck!\nI've since read through Meditations, Letters from a Stoic and The Art of Living, and am really enjoying The Daily Stoic every morning before work. r/stoicism is also great.\nDo you have any other books/resources you recommend on the subject?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "am really enjoying The Daily Stoic every morning before work.",
          "reason": "Says they are really enjoying it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ryan Holiday",
        "Stephen Hanselman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "stoicism",
        "daily reflections"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-daily-stoic-366-meditations-on-wisdom-perseverance-and-the-ar-ad381f",
      "title": "The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living",
      "author": "Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43576099,
          "author": "HenryBemis",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-03T22:12:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 43572949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books written on “How to think”?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43576099",
          "commentText": "- Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know by Adam Grant\n  - Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman\n  - The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living Hardcover by Ryan Holiday",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living Hardcover by Ryan Holiday",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books about how to think.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for books about thinking.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762842,
          "author": "e19293001",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T04:52:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762842",
          "commentText": "The best book for me. I read this everyday.\nThe Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living\nI've learned a lot from this book. It made me calm and influenced my decisions.\nFor those who are interested and want to see an example here is an excerpt from the book:\nJuly 1st\nDO YOUR JOB\n“Whatever anyone does or says, for my part I’m bound to the good. In the same way an emerald or gold or purple might always proclaim: ‘whatever anyone does or says, I must be what I am and show my true colors.’”\n— MARCUS  AURELIUS,  MEDITATIONS, 7.15\nThe Stoics believed that every person, animal, and thing has a purpose or a place in nature. Even in ancient Greek and Roman times, they vaguely understood that the world was composed of millions of tiny atoms. It was this idea—this sense of an interconnected cosmos—that underpinned their sense that every person and every action was part of a larger system. Everyone had a job—a specific duty. Even people who did bad things—they were doing their job of being evil because evil is a part of life. The most critical part of this system was the belief that you, the student who has sought out Stoicism,have the most important job: to be good! To be wise. “To remain the person that philosophy wished to make us.” Do your job today. Whatever happens, whatever other people’s jobs happen to be, do yours. Be good.\nThere's more gems in this book. Guaranteed!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The best book for me. I read this everyday.\nThe Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living",
          "reason": "Calls it the best book for them and says it has helped them feel calmer and influenced their decisions.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Stoicism and daily reflection.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ryan Holiday",
        "Stephen Hanselman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "stoicism",
        "daily meditations",
        "daily reflections"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dark-side-of-the-sun-146be9",
      "title": "The Dark Side of the Sun",
      "author": "Terry Pratchett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36020942,
          "author": "dcminter",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:00:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36020942",
          "commentText": "Fair warning, I only liked the first part of Seveneves; I thought the second part was stupid. You'll get a lot of recommendations for Liu Cixin's \"Three Body Problem\" which I personally hate (though the first part of the first book is very well written), but if you like all of Seveneves then it might suit you.\nMy personal favourites that might not already be on everyone else's lists:\nFiasco - Stanisław Lem\nThis is how you lose the time war - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone\nFeersum Endjinn - Iain Banks\nThe Dark Side of the Sun - Terry Pratchett (yes, that one)\nBlindsight - Peter Watts\nBloom - Wil McCarthy\nGood luck!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dark Side of the Sun - Terry Pratchett (yes, that one)",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's personal favorites in response to a request for science fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027146,
          "author": "rsaarelm",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T12:44:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027146",
          "commentText": "Fiction, mostly.\nDeclare, by Tim Powers. Cold war espionage with black magic. Entertainingly bleak, and probably did a lot more weirdness with real history than I knew how to appreciate.\nProducing Open Source Software (http://producingoss.com/), by Karl Fogel. A very thorough look into all sorts of practical matters in running a large open source software project.\nThe Engines of Light trilogy by Ken MacLeod. Entertaining, though a bit erratic. Makes a bunch of Forteana fit in a hard SF framework. Also the second MacLeod book I've read that has a weird pixie dust immortality treatment that seems incongruous with the rest of the technology level.\nMatter by Iain M. Banks. Culture again after Algebraist. Still good.\nThe Dark Side of the Sun by Terry Pratchett. Finally got around to reading this one. Was surprisingly fresh. It would have been interesting to see Pratchett write more science fiction after this and Strata around 30 years ago.\nThe City and the Stars by Arthur C. Clarke. Another old SF book. This one wasn't very fresh, seemed like two or three different novels stapled together, with bits and pieces that might work pretty well if it weren't for the other bits and pieces.\nCrooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis. Not a lot of surprises, if you know what Warren Ellis tends to write. Basically a road trip novel through various degeneracies in America. Fun, but tends to go for gross-out warrenellisisms in favor of overall coherence.\nNeuropath by Scott Bakker. A technothriller about all sorts of fun things you can do by directly rewiring peoples' brains with near-future neurosurgery. Bakker's chilly philosophical outlook doesn't pack quite the same punch in an already mostly rationalistic setting as it did in the Prince of Nothing fantasy books. Sticks with a single not particularly unsympathetic viewpoint character and therefore avoids the problem in Prince of Nothing where you'd often end up in the head of someone you really don't want to be anywhere near.\nThe Tao is Silent by Raymond Smullyan. Smullyan writes various essays inspired by Taoism. Quality varies, but Smullyan is generally fun to read.\nOn SF by Thomas Disch. Beautifully acerbic essays by someone who takes science fiction literature seriously and doesn't let it off easy. And just plain likes to insult people. Representative, though noticeably dated sample: http://www.press.umich.edu/pdf/9780472068968-1.pdf\nDenner's Wreck by Lawrence Watt-Evans. Watt-Evans has an specific style of writing from what follows from the setting and premises rather than going for the most dramatically obvious plot. The results are hit-and-miss with his fantasy novels I've read, but work a lot better here, where the legends of a bronze-age civilization end up emerging from a science fiction setting. Watt-Evans' narrative style supports the plot where the traditional stories end up not really being what they seem to be.\nThe Official Book of Ultima by Shay Addams. It tells how Richard Garriott's obsession with programming in high school lead to the Ultima game series, which were one of the most notable computer games in the 80s and became the flagship product of Garriott's Origin Systems company. Also documents how the games grew from Ultima I being programmed by Garriot alone learning as he went along into Ultima VI developed by a large team. There is much detail about Ultima VI, which was being developed as the book was written. Much of it also conflicts with the game that ended up being released, and I ended up wondering whether this was about the game changing during production or just Addams getting his facts wrong.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dark Side of the Sun by Terry Pratchett. Finally got around to reading this one. Was surprisingly fresh.",
          "reason": "Says it was surprisingly fresh in a list responding to a recommendation request.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Pratchett’s science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry Pratchett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic science fiction",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-deadline-07b513",
      "title": "The Deadline",
      "author": "Tom DeMarco",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14487431,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T13:30:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487431",
          "commentText": "'Implementation Patterns', Kent Beck. A semi-language-agnostic extension of his 'Smalltalk Patterns'for how to clearly and consistently express what you're saying when you code.\n'Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering', Robert Glass.  Glass presents a list of things everybody knows, or ought to know, and gives both academic and opinionated support and/or critique for why they are and aren't so.\n'Making Software', Oram and Wilson. An edited collection of papers on evidence-based software engineering.\n'The Deadline', Tom DeMarco. A thinly disguised commercial for his advice on how to organize software development teams and organizations, packaged as light, light novel.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "'The Deadline', Tom DeMarco.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for programming books to add to a library.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a commercial for advice on organizing software teams, packaged as a light novel.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 601939,
          "author": "Tichy",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-10T08:42:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 601903,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fictional books related to startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=601939",
          "commentText": "The Deadline by Tom DeMarco\njPod (not sure, too long ago that I read it)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Deadline by Tom DeMarco",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom DeMarco"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Fiction",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software project management",
        "technology industry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-design-and-implementation-of-the-freebsd-operating-system-980c0f",
      "title": "The Design and Implementation of the FreeBSD Operating System",
      "author": "Marshall Kirk McKusick, George V. Neville-Neil, and Robert N. M. Watson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13409454,
          "author": "weavie",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T11:43:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13409454",
          "commentText": "If you are into operating systems:\nThe Design and Implementation of the FreeBSD Operating System\nhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Design-Implementation-FreeBSD-Opera... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Design-Implementation-FreeBSD-Operating-System/dp/0321968972)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you are into operating systems:\nThe Design and Implementation of the FreeBSD Operating System",
          "reason": "Suggested for readers interested in operating systems.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in operating systems.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135262,
          "author": "klocksib",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T16:59:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135262",
          "commentText": "Hmmm, here's a list of books I really like:\nMemory as a Programming Concept in C and C++ by Frenck\nThe Design and Implementation of the FreeBSD Operating System by McKusick/Neville-Neil\nLearning GNU Emacs by Cameron, et al.\nPractical Common Lisp by Seibel\nThe C Programming Language by K&R\nThe C++ Programming Language Stroustrup\nThe Design and Analysis of Algorithms by Leviten\nAssembly Language Programming for the IBM PC Family by Jones\nEssays/Collections:\nHackers & Painters by PG\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman by Feynman\nWhat Do You Care What Other People Think by Feynman\nThe Cathedral & The Bazaar by Raymond\nNovels:\nThe Soul of a New Machine by Kidder\nWhere Wizards Stay up Late by Hafner",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Design and Implementation of the FreeBSD Operating System by McKusick/Neville-Neil",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books the commenter really likes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marshall Kirk McKusick, George V. Neville-Neil, and Robert N. M. Watson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "freebsd",
        "operating systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-design-of-the-unix-operating-system-1c2b4b",
      "title": "The Design of the UNIX Operating System",
      "author": "Maurice J. Bach",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17032345,
          "author": "mfrw",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:17:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032345",
          "commentText": "My take on some which I think should be atleast read once:\n  1) The unix programming environment\n  2) The design of the unix operating system\n  3) The Pragmatic Programmer\n  4) Programming Pearls\n  5) Computer Systems: A Programmers Prespective\n  6) K & R C\n  7) The art of Unix Programming.\n\nPS: I admit my bias towards systems.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The design of the unix operating system",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books the commenter thinks should be read at least once.",
          "audience": "People starting careers in software engineering or computer science, as implied by the thread question.",
          "caveat": "The commenter admits a bias toward systems.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229918,
          "author": "Ping_2_Ur_Pong",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T16:31:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229918",
          "commentText": "Below list are some of my favorite books overall that I didn't see mentioned.\n---Non-software related\nHow to win friends and influence people -Dale Carnegie (The definitive guide to helping you work better with people, truly great book, should be required reading)\nBlink- Malcolm Gladwell\nGodel Escher, Bach -  (Recursion, but not from a software perspective.  Its a glorious book that will change the way you think about recursion.)\nHitch Hiker's guide to the galaxy, - Douglas Adams  (Glorious book that is a fun read, when you need a break pick this up and laugh hard)\nFoundation Series - Assimov (Great stories from one of the best sci-fi writers ever)\n-------------------Software related\nCode Complete\nConcrete Mathematics\nThe Art of Computer Programming\nThe Design of the Unix Operating System\nIntroduction to Algorithms -Cormen\nDesign Patterns Elements of Resusable OO Design -Gang of Four",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Design of the Unix Operating System",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorite books in a response to a recommendation request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Maurice J. Bach"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "operating systems",
        "unix"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-devops-handbook-5a50ca",
      "title": "The DevOps Handbook",
      "author": "Gene Kim, Jez Humble, Patrick Debois, and John Willis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30828132,
          "author": "yourdeadneopet",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T07:41:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30828132",
          "commentText": "The Phoenix Project is a fiction novel about an IT department for a large car company that experiences management dysfunction and battles frequent technical debt, but ultimately overcomes it by adopting the best practices of DevOps.\nI first read its non-fiction companion book, the DevOps Handbook, which got me drinking the Kool-Aid, but this is also a wonderful, breezy read (no small feat for such a technical topic) that is an even more gentle introduction.\nNot only did these two books make me come to appreciate DevOps, they also taught me about Kaizen and Toyota Production Model, which DevOps began as a software translation of. Subsequently, I have also applied these principles to the field of screenwriting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the DevOps Handbook, which got me drinking the Kool-Aid",
          "reason": "The commenter says this book got them interested in DevOps.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in DevOps.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21852222,
          "author": "sethammons",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T17:17:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21852222",
          "commentText": "The DevOps Handbook and The Phoenix Project",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The DevOps Handbook and The Phoenix Project",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Developers seeking audiobook recommendations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gene Kim",
        "Jez Humble",
        "Patrick Debois",
        "John Willis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "devops",
        "it operations",
        "process improvement",
        "software delivery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-devil-s-dictionary-c43603",
      "title": "The Devil's Dictionary",
      "author": "Ambrose Bierce",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20926622,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-10T10:05:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20926622",
          "commentText": "All the essays of Emerson, GK Chesterton, Hazlitt, Oscar Wilde, RL Stevenson, William James\nEvery book by Nietzsche (except Zarathustra).\nLa Bruyere - Characters\nCharles Mackay - Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular \nDelusions and the Madness of Crowds\nAmbrose Bierce - The Devil's Dictionary",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ambrose Bierce - The Devil's Dictionary",
          "reason": "Lists it among favorite older works.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86223,
          "author": "icky",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:37:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86223",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- The Time Machine (still holds up very well, and seems strangely eerie and prescient in places)... (H. G. Wells)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Hobbit (and LotR) (Tolkien)\n- Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n- Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties (I picked up Idoru first, so I haven't yet read Virtual Light) (also Gibson)\n- The Difference Engine (Gibson, Sterling)\n- Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n- Cryptonomicon (\" \")\n- Circuit of Heaven, End of Days (Dennis Danvers)\n- All of the \"Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser\" stories and novels. (Fritz Leiber)\n- The Earthsea trilogy (Ursula K. LeGuin)\n- 'salem's Lot (Stephen King)\n- Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein)\n- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)\n- the Coldfire trilogy (C. S. Friedman)\n- various Cory Doctorow short stories\n- Kamikaze L'Amour (Richard Kadrey)\n- Lightpaths (Howard V. Hendrix)\n- A Canticle For Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)\n- Moonwar, Venus (Ben Bova)\n- the Stainless Steel Rat series (Harry Harrison)\n- Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)\n- Ringworld (Larry Niven)\n- Cthon (Piers Anthony) -- Trippiness level approaching Philip Jose Farmer ;-)\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (Douglas Adams)\n- The Black Company (Glen Cook)\n- there's one particularly good post-cyberpunk series that takes place in a world in which Canada emerged as a major world power, but for the life of me I can't rememeber the title.\n- the 1632 series (Eric Flint)... see also S. M. Stirling's Nantucket series (\"Island in the Sea of Time\", et al.), and H. Beam Piper's novel Kalvan of Otherwhen\nNon-fiction:\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (Hume)\n- the surviving words and works of Epicurus, and Diogenes the Cynic\n- Freakonomics (Levitt, Dubner)\n- The Gay Science (Nietzsche)\n- The Jefferson Bible (Christ, Jefferson (ed.))\n- The Devil's Dictionary (Bierce)\n- Brain Droppings (George Carlin)\n- anything by P. J. O'Rourke\n- anything by Dave Barry",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Devil's Dictionary (Bierce)",
          "reason": "Listed under nonfiction in response to the thread’s question about favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ambrose Bierce"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Art"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "satire",
        "aphorisms",
        "dictionary"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dharma-bums-446f7b",
      "title": "The Dharma Bums",
      "author": "Jack Kerouac",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32936339,
          "author": "dreadnip",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T08:49:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936339",
          "commentText": "The Dharma Bums - Jack Kerouac\nThe Tao of Pooh - Benjamin Hoff\nBoth offer a fictitious and simplistic introduction to eastern philosophy. Growing up as an atheist in Western Europe, I never realized just how deep the influence of religion on our culture, traditions and history was. These books gave me a playful look at Buddhism and Taoism, right when I needed it. Shifted my entire worldview.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Dharma Bums - Jack Kerouac",
          "reason": "The commenter says it offers a playful introduction to Eastern philosophy and shifted their worldview.",
          "audience": "The commenter describes reading it while growing up as an atheist in Western Europe.",
          "caveat": "The commenter characterizes the introduction as fictitious and simplistic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5832482,
          "author": "wj",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T14:08:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5832482",
          "commentText": "Using best and favorite interchangeably as literature is a pretty subjective subject:\nAs a kid: Where the Red Fern Grows\nAs an adult: The Dharma Bums",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "As an adult: The Dharma Bums",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jack Kerouac"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "beat generation",
        "buddhism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dichotomy-of-leadership-b8bf39",
      "title": "The Dichotomy of Leadership",
      "author": "Jocko Willink and Leif Babin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21712720,
          "author": "eloff",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T14:54:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21712720",
          "commentText": "And the dichotomy of leadership.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "And the dichotomy of leadership.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21712513,
          "author": "Bumerang",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T14:33:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21712513",
          "commentText": "Everything by Simon Sinek, but most important for me is \"Leaders Eat Last\" [0]. I haven't read the last one (The Infinite Game), but I've heard it's pretty good as well.\nAlso Extreme Ownership [1] and Dichotomy of Leadership [2] by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin.\nAll of these books had tremendous impact on me as a leader and I highly recommend them.\n[0]: https://www.amazon.com/Leaders-Eat-Last-Together-Others/dp/B... (https://www.amazon.com/Leaders-Eat-Last-Together-Others/dp/B00HQ3K34M/)\n[1]: https://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Ownership-U-S-Navy-SEALs-eboo... (https://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Ownership-U-S-Navy-SEALs-ebook/dp/B00VE4Y0Z2)\n[2]: https://www.amazon.com/Dichotomy-Leadership-Balancing-Challe... (https://www.amazon.com/Dichotomy-Leadership-Balancing-Challenges-Ownership/dp/B07BN5NGQ5/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also Extreme Ownership [1] and Dichotomy of Leadership [2] by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin.",
          "reason": "Includes it in a set of books the commenter says had a tremendous impact and highly recommends.",
          "audience": "People interested in leadership.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18666320,
          "author": "getsomeboi",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T18:24:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18666320",
          "commentText": "Extreme Ownership - Jocko/Babin\nDichotomy of Leadership - Jocko/Babin\nEvery Little Step: My Story - Bobby Brown\nThe Art and Science of Respect - J. Prince",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dichotomy of Leadership - Jocko/Babin",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jocko Willink",
        "Leif Babin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "military leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dollar-crisis-causes-consequences-cures-842215",
      "title": "The Dollar Crisis: Causes, Consequences, Cures",
      "author": "Richard Duncan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12561955,
          "author": "saganus",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T02:41:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12561955",
          "commentText": "Not sure how popular this take on finance is, here in HN (really I have no idea), but I found these two very interesting.\n\"The New Depression: The Breakdown of the Paper Money Economy\"\nand \"The Dollar Crisis: Causes, Consequences, Cures\" both by Richard Duncan",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The Dollar Crisis: Causes, Consequences, Cures\" both by Richard Duncan",
          "reason": "The commenter says they found the book interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure how popular this view of finance is.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 180642,
          "author": "ideas101",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-04T04:09:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 180589,
          "threadTitle": "Good book for economics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=180642",
          "commentText": "I strongly recommend:\nThe Dollar Crisis: Causes, Consequences, Cures\nBy Richard Duncan",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I strongly recommend:\nThe Dollar Crisis: Causes, Consequences, Cures\nBy Richard Duncan",
          "reason": "The commenter strongly recommends the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Duncan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "monetary economics",
        "dollar crisis",
        "financial crises"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-door-into-summer-8e202e",
      "title": "The Door into Summer",
      "author": "Robert A. Heinlein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056662,
          "author": "aaronem",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:53:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056662",
          "commentText": "Peter Watts's Blindsight - easily the best SF novel I've read in the last decade. I haven't got round to Echopraxia yet, but I doubt it'll fail to live up to its predecessor.\nAlso, while I have no use whatsoever for Stross's \"Singularity\" stuff, his Laundry Files series excels, especially for an inveterate old Lovecraft fan such as myself. If you want a taste, there are some shorts available online -- \"Overtime\" and \"Funny Farm\" are good places to start; \"Equoid\" is the most recent, but it's not representative, and it's also the weakest entry in the series as a whole due to its poor characterization and reliance on shock and gruesomeness rather than the more insidious sort of horror in which the rest of the series specializes.\nI'm sort of surprised to see that no one has yet mentioned Heinlein; I know he's a politically divisive figure in the fandom, to say the least, but he's also the great granddaddy of the modern field, and such prominence deserves recognition. (Hell, he was pushing the Rapture of the Nerds before any of its modern adherents was even born!) Granted that his later works tend to bog down in self-referentiality and author tracts on the evils of Communism and the benefits of casual nudism; in his prime, though, he was an author and storyteller practically beyond compare.\nIn particular, his The Moon is a Harsh Mistress remains a classic among classics; The Puppet Masters even more so, to the extent of spawning practically a whole subgenre of second-rate imitations; and, for a lighter entry, his oft-overlooked The Door into Summer is a sweet story in which all's well that ends well and the importance of feline companionship in a well-rounded life is not overlooked.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "his oft-overlooked The Door into Summer is a sweet story",
          "reason": "Praised as a sweet story and suggested as a lighter entry.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a lighter Heinlein story.",
          "caveat": "The comment notes Heinlein's political divisiveness and criticizes his later works.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86120,
          "author": "estherschindler",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T22:05:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86120",
          "commentText": "For sheer enjoyment (measured in how many times I've re-read them, at least at various times in my life): Heinlein's _The Door into Summer_. Connie Willis' _Bellwether_ (these can be funny, right?). Ayn Rand's _Atlas Shrugged_ (more in my youth than today, but I can probably still recite passages by heart). \nNon-fiction: Gerry Weinberg's _Secrets of Consulting_. Lynn Truss' _Eats Shoots & Leaves_.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For sheer enjoyment (measured in how many times I've re-read them, at least at various times in my life): Heinlein's _The Door into Summer_.",
          "reason": "Lists it among books reread for sheer enjoyment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert A. Heinlein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "time travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-doors-of-stone-7a805f",
      "title": "The Doors of Stone",
      "author": "Patrick Rothfuss",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804304,
          "author": "clavalle",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:37:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804304",
          "commentText": "The Doors of Stone by Patrick Rothfuss.  Fingers crossed.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Doors of Stone by Patrick Rothfuss. Fingers crossed.",
          "reason": "Named as a hoped-for read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "“Fingers crossed” signals uncertainty about its arrival.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20981849,
          "author": "paradoxos",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T07:35:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20981849",
          "commentText": "I can really recommend The Kingkiller Chronicle.\nIt is an outstanding piece of fantasy. The way of magic is developed / presented in a way you really can feel how it could be possible. A great piece of art by Patrick Rothfuss.\nThe last book (of three) is currently in the making. I am really looking forward to read the first two books again once the last part is published. I want to know more about The Doors of Stone - now! :-)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I want to know more about The Doors of Stone - now!",
          "reason": "The commenter eagerly anticipates the final book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It has not yet been published.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Patrick Rothfuss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "kingkiller chronicle",
        "magic systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-double-helix-730b61",
      "title": "The Double Helix",
      "author": "James D. Watson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36602976,
          "author": "costco",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T16:42:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36602976",
          "commentText": "To add some that haven't already been listed here:\n- The Billion Dollar Molecule: story of Vertex pharmaceuticals and their new approach to drug design\n- The Double Helix: story of the discovery of the structure of DNA by one of the principal scientists involved (Watson)\nMore of a business/economic history but if you liked Titan by Chernow you would probably also like \"Iron Empires: Robber Barons, Railroads, and the Making of Modern America\" which is the about the history of the railroad industry in America.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Double Helix: story of the discovery of the structure of DNA by one of the principal scientists involved (Watson)",
          "reason": "An account of the discovery of DNA's structure by one of its principal scientists.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34160619,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:11:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160619",
          "commentText": "This year I've put myself to the challenge to read at least one book per week which I primarily could complete by reading in the middle of the night while holding our sleeping baby in my arms. It has been an interesting challenge which gave me a lot of fulfilment and has certainly changed my mind on how I view the world. This comment became quite a long read, apologies for that.\nBooks I highly recommend:\nChurchill by Andrew Roberts (p:1105)\nA biography about one of the most interesting figures in politics and WWII. Roberts gives a very detailed description of the life of Churchill and manages to keep you interested the entire length of the book.\nThe God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (p:374)\nIn The God Delusion Dawkins gives arguments why there is no God, why we do not need a God and why religion is damaging to our society. If you are religious it might not be the book for you unless you are open to hear his arguments and line of reasoning. Dawkins will challenge your worldview.\nThe Bomb by Fred Kaplan (p:384)\nKaplan describes the policy of different US presidents on the atomic bomb and war in general. And primarily on the inability of US presidents and policy-makers to tune down its military. A chilling read which makes you appreciate a nuclear holocaust did not happen (yet)....\nPoor Economics by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo (p:320)\nBanerjee and Duflo give a gripping portrait of how poor people live. They offer an insight in the choices and decisions people make surviving on less than 1 USD a day (corrected for purchasing power). It made me completely rethink my own view on poverty and development aid; stressing even more that in order to help one need to have a complete understanding of the individual's situation and the local boundary conditions.\nProject Hail Mary  by Andy Weir (p:476)\nThis book triggered my science fiction reading. For some reason I never was interested in science fiction. Most likely triggered by reading Foundation by Asimov a few years back which apparently is not a book to my taste. But Andy Weir completely annihilated that wrong perspective on science fiction. Project Hail Mary is interesting, funny and gripping book.\nKindred by Octavia Butler  (p:287)\nThis book.... From page one I was hooked and almost read it in one go. Butler is a wonderful author and Kindred is a must-read. The book is about a woman traveling back in time to end up on a slave plantation. It's a chilling account of slavery.\nOther books I read this year, ask me anything about one of these books. I've added a + if I think its worth a recommendation\nBiography:\nNavalny by Dollbaum, Lallouet and Noble (p:280); The Man from the Future by Ananyo Bhattacharya (p:354) +\nSociology; Politics; Economics; Business:\nOnly the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove (p:224); The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli  (p:140); Winter is Coming by Garry Kasparov (p:290); Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum (p:224) +; Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl (p:164) +; We Are Bellingcat by Eliot Higgins (p:272); De Zeven Vinkjes by Joris Luyendijk (p:200); Waarom vuilnismannen meer verdienen dan bankiers by Rutger Bregman (p:104)\nComedy: The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (p:336)\nHistory:\nBand of Brothers  by Stephen E. Ambrose (p:432); The Nuclear Jihadist by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins (p:413) +; The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre (p:384) +; De Heineken Ontvoering by Peter R. de Vries (p:347); Red Famine by Anne Apllebaum (p:384); Night by Elie Wiesel (p:115) +\nScience, Technology, Mathematics:\nFermat's Enigma by Simon Singh (p:315) +; A Mathematician's Apology by G.H. Hardy (p:153); The Great Influenza by John M. Barry (p:546); The Rise and Fall of the Dinousaurs by Stephen Brusatte (p:404) ++; The Double Helix by James Watson (p:144)\nSport:\nRun or Die by Killian Jornet (p:208); The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton  (p:290) +; The Rise of the Ultra Runners by  (p:304); Tom Dumoulin by Patrick Bernhart (p:203)\nFiction:\nAnthem by Ayn Rand (p:105); Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (p:704); The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (p:566); Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (p:466); Live and Let die by Ian Fleming  (p:229)\nClassics:\nA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (p:104); The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (p:201); The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald (p:180); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (p:139); Animal Farm by George Orwell (p:122) +; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (p:227) +; The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (p:118)\nScience Fiction:\nThe Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (p:399); All Systems Red  by Martha Wells (p:144) +; A Memory Called Empire  by Arkady Martine (p:462) +; A Psalm built for the Wild by Becky Chambers (p:160); Dune by Frank Herbert (p:658); Foundation by Isaac Asimov (p:244); The Martian by Andy Weir (p:384) +;\nThe Forever War by Joe Haldeman (p:278)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Double Helix by James Watson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762470,
          "author": "Bulkington",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T03:13:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762470",
          "commentText": "“The Double Helix”\nRich on so many levels—must read for anyone considering grad school with a real, research component. Also a good, broad look at team/organizational dynamics—and, surprise: the best self-promoter wins.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“The Double Helix” Rich on so many levels—must read for anyone considering grad school with a real, research component.",
          "reason": "Called rich on many levels and a must-read for prospective research graduate students; also discusses team dynamics.",
          "audience": "Anyone considering graduate school involving real research.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2148113,
          "author": "maxharris",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T15:27:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2148113",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged, The Fountainhead, and Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology, by Ayn Rand.\nTo a lesser extent, The Double Helix, by James D. Watson.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Double Helix, by James D. Watson",
          "reason": "Says this book had a lesser impact than the others listed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its impact was to a lesser extent.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James D. Watson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dna",
        "dna discovery",
        "history of molecular biology",
        "history of science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dragon-book-2bce81",
      "title": "The Dragon Book",
      "author": "Alfred V. Aho, Monica S. Lam, Ravi Sethi, and Jeffrey D. Ullman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14491155,
          "author": "aalhour",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T20:02:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14491155",
          "commentText": "Hey, I seconded this, the Dragons Book is not the best textbook or introduction to the topic, there are a lot of better ones. The Dragons Book is more of a classic. If you want to read a good book on compilers construction then you're better off reading \"Engineering a Compiler\" by K. Cooper and L. Torczon or \"Modern Compiler Implementation in ML\" by A. Appel.\nIf you want more resources on Compilers other than books, such as tutorials, guides, talks and papers, then go ahead and check the Awesome Compilers vertical I compiled a while ago: https://github.com/aalhour/awesome-compilers\nCheers!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the Dragons Book is not the best textbook or introduction to the topic, there are a lot of better ones.",
          "reason": "Says it is not the best introduction and calls it a classic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter considers other compiler books better.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 137134,
          "author": "huhtenberg",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-14T20:19:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 136875,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good compiler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=137134",
          "commentText": "I second this. It was (and still is) a book almost all instructors swore by back when I was in the Uni. Even though the version had a green cover and had no dragon on it :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second this.",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the parent comment's reference to the Dragon Book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alfred V. Aho",
        "Monica S. Lam",
        "Ravi Sethi",
        "Jeffrey D. Ullman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "compiler construction",
        "compiler design",
        "compiler theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dragons-of-eden-7c12ef",
      "title": "The Dragons of Eden",
      "author": "Carl Sagan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36429547,
          "author": "rusticpenn",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T08:50:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36429547",
          "commentText": "Carl Sagan's \"Dragons of Eden\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Carl Sagan's \"Dragons of Eden\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467632,
          "author": "xutopia",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:45:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467632",
          "commentText": "Dragons of Eden by Carl Sagan.  It just is amazing in so many ways but it is hard to describe.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dragons of Eden by Carl Sagan.",
          "reason": "Calls it amazing but says it is hard to describe why.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not explain what makes it compelling.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carl Sagan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognitive science",
        "evolution of human intelligence",
        "human evolution"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-drunkard-s-walk-1150ff",
      "title": "The Drunkard's Walk",
      "author": "Leonard Mlodinow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16296549,
          "author": "grosspoint",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T06:46:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296549",
          "commentText": "The Drunkard's Walk by Mlodinow. Really reshaped how I perceive what happens in the world, in my job, in my life in general.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Drunkard's Walk by Mlodinow. Really reshaped how I perceive what happens in the world, in my job, in my life in general.",
          "reason": "Says the book reshaped how they perceive the world, work, and life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6976229,
          "author": "capkutay",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T20:07:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976229",
          "commentText": "I was thinking about reading 'Thinking, Fast and Slow', but I couldn't tell if it would really be useful or if it would just be another glorified self-help book. But if people here like it, I will probably give it a shot.\nAlso, Drunkard's Walk was excellent.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also, Drunkard's Walk was excellent.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leonard Mlodinow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "probability",
        "randomness",
        "statistics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-einstein-intersection-ad715d",
      "title": "The Einstein Intersection",
      "author": "Samuel R. Delany",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4353871,
          "author": "e12e",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-08T04:16:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 4353632,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon.  What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4353871",
          "commentText": "If you enjoyed \"Snow Crash\" and \"Diamond Age\", I'd recommend \"Islands in the Net\" (if you can get hold of a copy) and \"Holy Fire\" by Bruce Sterling. Or for something newer, \"the Zenith Angle\" by same.\nI've also enjoyed all of Willam Gibsons books, including the latest trilogy \"Pattern Recognition\", \"Spook Country\" and \"Zero History\".\nIf you bothered to read through \"Cryptonomicon\" you'll either love \"the Code Book\" by Simon Singh more than I did, or hate it :-)\nAssuming you've picket through the classics shelf, you might have missed out on Samuel Delany - \"The Einstein Intersection\" might be a good one to try on for size -- although I actually found \"Neveryóna\" to be maybe his most interesting book (of the ones I've been able to get hold of) [edit: After \"Dhalgren\", that is. But I think \"Dhalgren\" is a bit like Joyce's \"Ulysses\" -- a classic I haven't gotten around to yet. I spent the better part of ten (10!) years reading through \"Dhalgren\", picking it up on odd holidays - never loosing touch with the intricate unreality within, readily satisfied after reading a few pages or a chapter -- like nibbling on a choice ham that didn't spoil. It's rather more complex than any of the other books I've listed here].\nAlso worth mentioning in the \"might be overlooked\" section is Jerry Pournelle's \"Falkenberg's Legion\" (republished as \"the Prince\").\nI'm afraid I've been mostly digging through second hand books lately, so the only other semi-recent book I could recommend would be \"Broken Angels\" by Richard Morgan (technically it's number two in a trilogy -- but I find it stands better on its own).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "might be a good one to try on for size",
          "reason": "Suggested as a book to try after browsing classic science fiction.",
          "audience": "Readers who have explored the classics shelf",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140404,
          "author": "dhimes",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T01:10:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140404",
          "commentText": "The Lathe of Heaven\n (also: The Forever War;\n  The Einstein Intersection).\nHmmm.  My favs seem to all start with \"The.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Einstein Intersection",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Samuel R. Delany"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "identity",
        "myth",
        "myth retellings",
        "new wave science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-elegant-universe-3dc8af",
      "title": "The Elegant Universe",
      "author": "Brian Greene",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Elegant Universe - Brian Greene",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8257617,
          "author": "bstamour",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T14:08:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257617",
          "commentText": "I have two on the go. In the middle of moving houses so it's been about a week or so since I've picked up either :S\n1. Prelude to Foundation by Asimov\n2. The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene\nI've read the Foundation series in the past, and I'm going through them again since it's been years. As for Greene, I've always had an interest in Physics, though I studied Computer Science. It's a nice introduction to String Theory that is approachable enough to be read during my leisure time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2. The Elegant Universe by Brian Greene",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as an approachable introduction to string theory for leisure reading.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in physics, including non-specialists.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Greene"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "string theory",
        "cosmology",
        "theoretical physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-elephant-in-the-brain-hidden-motives-in-everyday-life-5c4167",
      "title": "The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life",
      "author": "Kevin Simler and Robin Hanson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43688205,
          "author": "hiAndrewQuinn",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-15T01:44:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 43685856,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What 3 Books Would You Recommend to Anyone?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43688205",
          "commentText": "The Elephant in the Brain\nThe Enigma of Reason\nThe Problem of Political Authority",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Elephant in the Brain",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23155904,
          "author": "asivokon",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T16:29:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23155904",
          "commentText": "\"The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life\"\nIt gives you an alternative perspective on art, school, charity, politics (including office politics), religion, and, well, yourself. This book will likely make you revise at least some of your beliefs.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Elephant in the Brain: Hidden Motives in Everyday Life\"",
          "reason": "Recommends it as an alternative perspective on everyday institutions and personal motives.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it will likely make readers revise at least some beliefs.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kevin Simler",
        "Robin Hanson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hidden motives",
        "evolutionary psychology",
        "social behavior"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-emperor-of-scent-58d519",
      "title": "The Emperor of Scent",
      "author": "Chandler Burr",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25319088,
          "author": "fluxic",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T22:36:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319088",
          "commentText": "Editing: Editor of Genius by A. Scott Berg\n>>> Max Perkins was the editor of Hemingway, Thomas Wolfe, F Scott Fitzgerald, and other famous 20th century writers. Great, great, book.\nBartending: Cosmopolitan by Toby Cecchini\n>>> Very well-written memoir of a bartender in New York in the late 1980s. He invented the Cosmo in NYC while working at the Odeon — on a lark, without thinking much of it. The drink took off, but I think he's still a working bartender in NYC.\nCooking: Kitchen Confidential by Bourdain\nPainting: Interviews with Francis Bacon by David Sylvester\nMusic: Meet me in the Bathroom by Lizzy Goodman\nTech: Chaos Monkeys by AGM\nAnd seconding swyx's recommendations for all things Michael Lewis, who can spin a good yarn about any profession — whether it's baseball managers, junk bond salesmen, or high frequency traders, etc.\nI've also picked up lots of good recommendations from this thread https://ask.metafilter.com/243036/Recommend-a-nonfiction-aut... (https://ask.metafilter.com/243036/Recommend-a-nonfiction-author-who-has-a-style-like-Anthony-Bourdain) (I, too, like \"insidery\" type business books. I'm currently reading \"The Emperor of Scent\" about the world of perfume and it's pretty good! Also looking forward to reading \"Ninety Percent of Everything\" about the shipping industry.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm currently reading \"The Emperor of Scent\" about the world of perfume and it's pretty good!",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are reading it and think it is pretty good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752964,
          "author": "qeorge",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T16:17:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752964",
          "commentText": "The Emperor Of Scent - Chandler Burr\nI never appreciated my sense of smell until this book.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Emperor-Scent-Perfume-Obsession-Myster... (http://www.amazon.com/Emperor-Scent-Perfume-Obsession-Mystery/dp/0375507973)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Emperor Of Scent - Chandler Burr\nI never appreciated my sense of smell until this book.",
          "reason": "Credits the book with changing their appreciation of their sense of smell.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chandler Burr"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "olfaction",
        "perfume"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-emperor-s-handbook-4f29d9",
      "title": "The Emperor's Handbook",
      "author": "Marcus Aurelius",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10785552,
          "author": "benajibayassine",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:50:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785552",
          "commentText": "1- The Emperor's Handbook by Marcus Aurelius. Jan, 10th 2015\n2- The crowd, a study of the popular mind by Gustave Le Bon. Jan, 10th 2015\n3- Remote by Jason Fried. Jan, 11th 2015\n4- The shape of the world to come by Laurent Cohen-Tanugi, Jan, 20th, 2015\n5- Post office by Charles Bukowski. Jan, 23rd 2015\n6- Gang leader for a day by Sudhir Venkatesh. Feb, 6th 2015\n7- Zen mind, beginner's mind by Shunryu Suzuki. Feb, 8th 2015\n8- The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Feb, 23rd 2015\n9- Darkness Visible by William Styron. March, 1st 2015\n10- Zero to One by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters. March, 9th 2015\n11- The Kaizen way: One small step can change your life by Robert Mauter. March, 11th 2015\n12- Time by Alexander Waugh. March, 12th 2015\n13- Max and the cats by Moacyr Scliar. March, 14th 2015\n14- Scattered by Gabor Mate. March, 20th 2015\n15- East of Eden by John Steinbeck. March, 30th 2015\n16- Crossing the unknown sea by David Whyte. April, 7th 2015\n17- Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. April, 13th 2015\n18- The World beyond your Head by Matthew Crawford. April, 22nd 2015\n19- How to Think about Exercise by Damon Young. April, 23rd 2015\n20- Solitude by Anthony Storr. May, 8th 2015\n21- Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. June, 10th 2015\n22- The bastard of Istanbul (in Arabic) by Elif Shafak. June, 21st 2015\n23- L’ordre libertaire: la vie philosophique d’Albert Camus by Michel Onfray. July, 7th 2015\n24- Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse. July, 10th 2015\n25- The arab uprisings by James Gelvin. July, 13th 2015\n26- How to worry less about money by John Armstrong. July, 13th 2015\n27- Self comes to mind by Antonio Damasio. July, 31st2015\n28- Muhammad: The First Muslim by Lesley Hazleton. August, 4th t2015\n29- Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. August, 15th 2015 \n30- Heidegger's Being and Time by William Blattner. August, 18th 2015 \n31- Heidegger and a hippo walk through those pearly gates by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. August, 19th 2015 \n32- Why nations fail by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson. October, 3rd 2015 \n33- Charlie Munger: the complete investor by Tren Griffin October, 9th 2015 \n34- The selfish gene by Richard Dawkins October, 23rd 2015\n35- The philosophical baby by Alison Gopnik October, 28th 2015\n36- The three-body problem by Cixin Liu November, 1st 2015\n37- Open letter to a young man by Andre Maurois November, 13th 2015\n38- Thinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman November, 16th 2015\n39- What do you care what people think by Richard Feynman November, 18th 2015\n40- When the body says No by Gabor Maté November, 29th 2015\n41- The truth will set you free by Alice Miller. December, 5th 2015\n42- The shallows by Nicholar Carr. December, 7th 2015\n43- What matters most byJames Hollis. December, 14th 2015\n44- Finding meaning in the second jalf of life byJames Hollis. December, 20yh2015",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Emperor's Handbook by Marcus Aurelius",
          "reason": "Included in a dated list of books read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2639625,
          "author": "jaz",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T03:12:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639625",
          "commentText": "Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. Some translations are better than others, but I have found The Emperor's Handbook[1] to be the best so far.\n[1] http://www.amazon.com/dp/0743233832/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I have found The Emperor's Handbook[1] to be the best so far.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls this the best translation they have found.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The judgment is about the translation; other translations may differ.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 456347,
          "author": "pskomoroch",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T14:15:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456347",
          "commentText": "I used to have a lot more time for non CS reading and actually made an Amazon list on this topic back in 2005:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/2INJSM38... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/2INJSM38IDMDZ/ref=cm_sw_r_de_lm)\n1.  On War (Everyman's Library (Cloth)) by Carl Von Clausewitz\n2.  Leadership: The Warrior's Art by Barry R. McCaffrey\n3.  Small Unit Leadership: A Commonsense Approach by Dandridge M. Malone\n4.  The Defense of Hill 781: An Allegory of Modern Mechanized Combat by James R. McDonough\n5.  The Art of Maneuver: Maneuver-Warfare Theory and AirLand Battle by Robert Leonhard\n6.  Strategy: Second Revised Edition (Meridian) by B. H. Liddell Hart\n7.  The Art of War by Niccolò Machiavelli\n8.  Hagakure: The Book of the Samauri by Tsunetomo Yamamoto\n9.  The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius\n10.  The Art of War (Shambhala classics) by Sun Tzu\n11.  The Prince (Bantam Classics) by Niccolo Machiavelli\n12.  Evolutionary Game Theory by Jörgen W. Weibull\n13.  On Guerrilla Warfare by Mao Tse-tung\n14.  The History of the Peloponnesian War: Revised Edition (Penguin Classics) by Thucydides\n15.  The Histories (Penguin Classics) by Herodotus\n16.  The Persian Expedition (Penguin Classics) by Xenophon\n17.  Plutarch: Lives of Noble Grecians and Romans (Modern Library Series, Vol. 1) by Plutarch\n18.  Plutarch's Lives, Volume 2 (Modern Library Classics) by Plutarch\n19.  Livy: The Early History of Rome, Books I-V (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 1-5) by Titus Livy\n20.  The History of Rome from Its Foundation, Books XXI-XXX: The War with Hannibal (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 21-30) by Titus Livius Livy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "9.  The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius",
          "reason": "Included in a list of military strategy books answering the thread's request.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking books about military strategy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marcus Aurelius"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "stoicism",
        "ancient philosophy",
        "leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-enchiridion-5b08b0",
      "title": "The Enchiridion",
      "author": "Epictetus",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15156374,
          "author": "i_dont_know_",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:17:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156374",
          "commentText": "Two that I almost never see on these kinds of lists, but really think they should get more acknowledgement:\n\"Crucial Conversations\" - breaks down how to have what might otherwise be an uncomfortable conversation about anything. I really think everyone should read it.\n\"The Enchiridion\" - A stoic guide, boiled down, short, and very very relatable even in the modern age.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A stoic guide, boiled down, short, and very very relatable even in the modern age.",
          "reason": "Listed as an impactful book and described as a concise, relatable guide to Stoicism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8533086,
          "author": "infiniteseeker",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-30T14:25:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 8528058,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Book Has the Most Page-for-Page Wisdom?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8533086",
          "commentText": "- The Enchihirdion by Epictetus\n- Meditations by Marcus Aurelius\n- Letters of a Stoic by Seneca\n- Dhammapada (various translations)\n- Bhagavad Gita (various translations)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Enchihirdion by Epictetus",
          "reason": "Listed as a book fitting the thread's request for page-for-page wisdom.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Epictetus"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "stoicism",
        "practical philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-fabulous-showman-the-life-and-times-of-p-t-barnum-1c66e9",
      "title": "The Fabulous Showman: The Life and Times of P. T. Barnum",
      "author": "Irving Wallace",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1974150,
          "author": "wyclif",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T06:05:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974150",
          "commentText": "The Fabulous Showman: The Life and Times of P.T. Barnum by Irving Wallace http://www.amazon.com/Fabulous-Showman-Life-Times-Barnum/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Fabulous-Showman-Life-Times-Barnum/dp/B002735OPE/)\nBarnum was masterful at using the media of his day to promote his various business enterprises:\n\"I am indebted to the press of the United States for almost every dollar which I possess and for every success as an amusement manager which I have ever achieved. The very great popularity which I have attained both at home and abroad I ascribe almost entirely to the liberal and persistent use of the public journals of this country.\"\nA great read for startup people, even though it's a biography of a 19th-century personality. Chock full of timeless advice and quotes, to whit:\n\"Without promotion something terrible happens... Nothing!\"\n\"Every crowd has a silver lining.\"\n\"Money is a terrible master but an excellent servant.\"\n\"Those who really desire to attain an independence, have only set their minds upon it, and adopt the proper means, as they do in regard to any other object which they wish to accomplish, and the thing is easily done.\"\n\"If I shoot at the sun I may hit a star.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A great read for startup people, even though it's a biography of a 19th-century personality. Chock full of timeless advice and quotes",
          "reason": "Recommends it to startup readers for its enduring advice and quotes.",
          "audience": "Startup people.",
          "caveat": "The subject is a 19th-century showman.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 203196,
          "author": "epi0Bauqu",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T11:37:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=203196",
          "commentText": "I'm just finishing reading The Fabulous Showman: The Life and Times of P. T. Barnum by Wallace, Irving.  Recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Recommended.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommended.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Irving Wallace"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "p t barnum",
        "circus",
        "entrepreneurship",
        "promotion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-fifth-discipline-f5d356",
      "title": "The Fifth Discipline",
      "author": "Peter M. Senge",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13967741,
          "author": "mcone",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T14:00:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13967741",
          "commentText": "The Fifth Discipline by Peter Senge, a professor at MIT.\nSome might call it a business book. It focuses primarily on teaching readers to use \"systems thinking\" to turn companies into learning organizations that respond and adapt to change. That's useful advice to those in management positions, but I have to be honest and confess that the chapter on personal mastery changed my life in a big way. It put into words something that I had been thinking and feeling for a long time: namely, that we have the power to change the systems that influence us.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the chapter on personal mastery changed my life in a big way.",
          "reason": "Says the book's chapter on personal mastery changed their life and describes its effect.",
          "audience": "People interested in systems thinking, organizational learning, or personal mastery.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it might be called a business book and says its main focus is teaching systems thinking for organizations.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12145642,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T18:30:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12145642",
          "commentText": "As a reader of books, one of the good things about growing older is that the books the younger version of myself read are books that this older version of myself hasn't and there is great pleasure in rereading the books the younger version of myself read as the older person I am.\nAnd that makes this exercise impossible for me. The books I would tell the younger version of myself to read wouldn't resonate the same way (or not at all) with that other person I used to be. Picking books that might have appealed to the younger version of myself accurately would mean picking the books I actually read -- e.g. The Fifth Discipline -- and not books that the younger version of myself tried to read but couldn't but that I read and recommend today: e.g. TAoCP.\nPart of the complexity is that the world in which I read books today is radically different from that of my younger self. Today I can get a MIX interpreter from the internet [1]...there's even help on StackOverflow. My younger self couldn't because even in the time when there was an internet bandwidth was low and Google didn't exist.\nLike I said it's great to pick up a good book and realize it is better than I remember when I remember it being really good, but it's hard to see how it could have been better for my younger self.\n1. Neuromancer\n2. Blood Meridian\n3. A Pattern Language\n[1]:https://apps.ubuntu.com/cat/applications/precise/mixal/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "e.g. The Fifth Discipline",
          "reason": "Names it among books the commenter actually read when younger.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8717295,
          "author": "95014_refugee",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T16:34:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8717295",
          "commentText": "The Fifth Discipline (Senge)\nAs a systems architect struggling with Conway's Law, this has helped me understand systems-of-people better and given me some simple ways to think about interactions in a more abstract fashion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Fifth Discipline (Senge)",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them understand people within systems and think about interactions more abstractly.",
          "audience": "Systems architects dealing with organizational systems and interactions.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter M. Senge"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "organizational learning",
        "systems thinking",
        "personal mastery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-fifth-discipline-1be6c9",
      "title": "The Fifth Discipline",
      "author": "Peter Senge",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14508601,
          "author": "vldx",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-07T18:14:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14508601",
          "commentText": "Peter Senge's Fifth Discipline is great. Related, I would also recommend \"Thinking in Systems\" by Donella Meadows and \"An Introduction to General Systems Thinking\" by Jerry Weinberg.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Peter Senge's Fifth Discipline is great.",
          "reason": "Calls the book great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10207768,
          "author": "manidoraisamy",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T10:42:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10207768",
          "commentText": "Peter Senge's Fifth Discipline. The chapters on mental models and learning disabilities definitely change the way you look at the world.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Peter Senge's Fifth Discipline. The chapters on mental models and learning disabilities definitely change the way you look at the world.",
          "reason": "The chapters on mental models and learning disabilities are described as changing how you see the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Senge"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "organizational learning",
        "systems thinking",
        "mental models"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-fifth-discipline-the-art-practice-of-the-learning-organizatio-b3e6da",
      "title": "The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of the Learning Organization",
      "author": "Peter M. Senge",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20196709,
          "author": "elviejo79",
          "createdAt": "2019-06-16T17:27:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 20196671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What to read after “Thinking in Systems”?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20196709",
          "commentText": "The Fifth Discipline by Senge.\nAlso a great introduction to systems thinking.\nAlso everything written by Goldratt.\nIn particular:\nThe Goal and\nIt's not luck\nBoth are business novels, they read lightly but the lessons are profound.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Fifth Discipline by Senge.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is a great introduction to systems thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19896983,
          "author": "plainOldText",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T07:30:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19896983",
          "commentText": "Small correction: The title is The Fifth Discipline.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Small correction: The title is The Fifth Discipline.",
          "reason": "Corrects the title of the book mentioned in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19896975,
          "author": "prennert",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T07:27:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19896975",
          "commentText": "I am reading The Fifth Discipline by Peter M. Senge at the moment.\nIt is a fantastic book that came out in the 90s and was updated in the 00s. It describes the need and practical solutions to systemic thinking for a learning / adaptive organization. It covers a lot of different areas:\n- introduction to systemic thinking (via a very good example and then a formalised introduction to three often occuring systems)\n- personal mastery (life long learning with a reflective attitude) as foundation for a learning organization (i.e. how can personal self improvement be scaled up to a similar process with many people involved while keeping everything together)\n- practical examples at the end (I have not read that part yet, I am just inferring from the chapter titles)\nEven that I have not read the book completely, it is now one of the books I always recommend when friends with interest in founding a startup ask me for advice. It is one of the very few \"management\" (loose category) books I have read that I actually found useful and actionable. Only problem is that it is quite big so it takes dedication to read through it.\nEdited for formatting, title..",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Even that I have not read the book completely, it is now one of the books I always recommend when friends with interest in founding a startup ask me for advice.",
          "reason": "Recommends it to friends interested in founding a startup and calls it useful and actionable.",
          "audience": "People interested in founding a startup.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not finished reading it and says it takes dedication because it is quite big.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter M. Senge"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Learning",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "organizational learning",
        "systems thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-first-20-million-is-always-the-hardest-a4444d",
      "title": "The First $20 Million Is Always the Hardest",
      "author": "Po Bronson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17337067,
          "author": "eb0la",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T10:27:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337067",
          "commentText": "The First $20 Million Is Always the Hardest by PO Bronson.\nAbout the beginning of something very similar to java.\nHope you enjoy it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The First $20 Million Is Always the Hardest by PO Bronson",
          "reason": "The commenter names it as a comfort book and describes it as being about the beginnings of something like Java.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 601918,
          "author": "peter123",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-10T07:59:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 601903,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fictional books related to startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=601918",
          "commentText": "The First 20 Million Is Always the Hardest by Po Bronson\nhttp://www.pobronson.com/index_first_20_million.htm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The First 20 Million Is Always the Hardest by Po Bronson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Po Bronson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "silicon valley",
        "startup fiction",
        "technology industry",
        "technology startups"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-first-90-days-f821ee",
      "title": "The First 90 Days",
      "author": "Michael D. Watkins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35173739,
          "author": "dadrian",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T19:47:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35173739",
          "commentText": "Systems of Engineering Management (Larson)\n- Best practical advice for dealing with software engineering teams\nLeading at the Speed of Growth (Catlin & Matthews)\n- Despite the title making me want to vomit, it has a bunch of practical advice about problems you'll encounter at various \"stages\" of a company, and how to identify what stage you're in.\nThe First 90 Days (Watkins)\n- Useful if you ever take on a leadership role where the current state of the organization could be described as a \"shitshow\".\nGood Strategy / Bad Strategy (Rumelt)\n- Learn the difference between goals and strategy and plans.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The First 90 Days (Watkins)",
          "reason": "Recommended as useful when taking a leadership role in a badly troubled organization.",
          "audience": "People taking on a leadership role in a struggling organization.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16615941,
          "author": "SkyRocknRoll",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-19T02:54:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16615941",
          "commentText": "First 90 days from HBR",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "First 90 days from HBR",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael D. Watkins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "career transitions",
        "leadership",
        "leadership transitions",
        "management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-first-circle-1052d7",
      "title": "The First Circle",
      "author": "Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40878238,
          "author": "slibhb",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-04T21:35:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40878238",
          "commentText": "I've never really felt like Kafka seems to have and I read a lot, mostly novels. For what it's worth, I don't love Kafka's novels: I think he wanted them burned for a reason -- they're meandering failures. Very clever but they don't go anywhere. His short stories, though, are excellent.\nOff the top of my head, the most moving books I've read are The First Circle, any long Dostoevsky novel, The Master and Margarita, The Tartar Steppe, any Elena Ferrante, any Cormac McCarthy, some Murakami (Ryu and Haruki), Gene Wolf (The Book of the New Sun), 2666, parts of Moby Dick, any Alice Munro. All well known \"good books\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the most moving books I've read are The First Circle",
          "reason": "Includes it among the commenter’s most moving books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86337,
          "author": "gills",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T17:57:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86337",
          "commentText": "The First Circle (Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn)\nLOTR\nSiddhartha (Hermann Hesse)\nThe Odyssey (Homer)\nThe Dilbert Principle (Scott Adams) -- Alright, not literature! But come on, it's Dilbert :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The First Circle (Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-foundation-trilogy-eaf10a",
      "title": "The Foundation Trilogy",
      "author": "Isaac Asimov",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29672624,
          "author": "pedrolins",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T11:11:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29672624",
          "commentText": "I wouldn't have gotten nearly as much enjoyment out of the series (including the 2 sequels after the trilogy) if I hadn't read Asimov's Robot Series. I know that the whole \"you don't get it because you haven't read these other books\" thing is kind of cliché, but I really do think that the majority of the joy I got from Foundation was because of how it connected with the Robot Series.\nBut of course, part of the enjoyment should come from the book itself. I'd say that the book does get better as new threats to the Foundation appear, but the premise largely stays the same throughout the trilogy: will the Seldon Plan succeed?\n(NOTE) The reading sequence for me went something like: \n1. Caves of Steel\n2. Naked Sun\n3. I, Robot\n4. Robots of Dawn\n5. Foundation Trilogy\nEDIT: remove redundant last paragraph",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The reading sequence for me went something like: \n1. Caves of Steel\n2. Naked Sun\n3. I, Robot\n4. Robots of Dawn\n5. Foundation Trilogy",
          "reason": "The commenter says the Foundation books get better as new threats appear and describes enjoying their premise.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the premise largely stays the same throughout the trilogy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12067467,
          "author": "escapologybb",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-10T22:02:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12067467",
          "commentText": "I have just finished the Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov, I can't believe it took me so long to get round to reading such classic sci-fi.  Definitely recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Definitely recommended.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the trilogy as a classic science fiction read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isaac Asimov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "galactic empire",
        "psychohistory",
        "science fiction classics",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-fourth-turning-4650a4",
      "title": "The Fourth Turning",
      "author": "William Strauss and Neil Howe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Fourth Turning",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227367,
          "author": "dkimball",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T19:49:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227367",
          "commentText": "You might be interested in _War and Peace and War_, a theory of history focusing on social capital as a driving force, and in _The Fourth Turning_ -- which looks at changes over four-generation intervals, and which, written in 1997, made some surprisingly good predictions about the 2000s (the Aughts?).\nBoth of these are in the tradition of Oswald Spengler's _Decline of the West_ and Arnold Toynbee's _A Study of History_; I'd recommend the abridged version of the latter, and I'd observe that if you can make it all the way through either of these you have more stamina than I do...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and in _The Fourth Turning_ -- which looks at changes over four-generation intervals",
          "reason": "Suggested as a book examining change across four-generation intervals.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in generational patterns in history.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes its predictions about the 2000s as surprisingly good.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Strauss and Neil Howe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "generational theory",
        "historical cycles"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-gallic-wars-117f01",
      "title": "The Gallic Wars",
      "author": "Julius Caesar",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227090,
          "author": "lionhearted",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T17:56:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227090",
          "commentText": "It's amazing how many good historical works are out of copyright and free. I got an Amazon Kindle as a gift, and it's been really wonderful for me.\nIf you like Roman history, you've got to check out Gibbons' History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. It's just a masterpiece. I flip through my copy of Meditations from time to time (actually, now I look at it on my Kindle, but I used to flip through my paper copy) and just pick out random quotes. A great work. \"It is not the thing itself that disturbs a man, but the man's perception of and reaction to the thing. The thing may not be able to be changed, but a man's perception and reaction may be changed.\" I'm butchering that quote, but it's incredibly meaningful to me, and I try to reflect on it when things seem to be going wrong or I get inconvenienced.\nWhile talking about classics, there's a lot of good philosophy out of copyright. Beyond Good and Evil and Thus Spoke Zarathustra aren't perfect works and I disagree with a fair bit of it, but there's some absolute jewels in them too.\nLately I've been looking for a decent electronic copy of Freud's Civilization and Its Discontents and Kierkegaard's Either/Or, but I've been having a hard time finding copies that are decently formatted and readable.\nAlso, got any other recommendations Staunch? I'm going to get Gallic Wars, and it seems like you and I have similar taste if you have other recommendations.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm going to get Gallic Wars",
          "reason": "The commenter plans to get the book after a related recommendation and asks for similar recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 456866,
          "author": "pg",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T18:45:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456866",
          "commentText": "Along with the Anabasis and Caesar's Gallic Wars, I particularly recommend Johnnie Johnson's Wing Leader, Hanson's Western Way of War, and Oman's Art of War in the Middle Ages.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Caesar's Gallic Wars",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter particularly recommends.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in military history and warfare.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Julius Caesar"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military history",
        "ancient rome",
        "ancient warfare"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-girl-who-played-with-fire-d3c6b7",
      "title": "The Girl Who Played with Fire",
      "author": "Stieg Larsson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1027286,
          "author": "brown9-2",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T15:27:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027286",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction:\nCoders at Work by Peter Siebel and Founders at Work by Jessica Livingston - I loved reading about the founder's stories and first-hand perspectives of notable programmers.\nThe Pleasures and Sorrows of Work by Alain de Botton - really interesting perspective on \"work\" and various types of careers and people that find happiness in them/work itself.\nSuperfreakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner - even if you don't agree with their arguments or think that the authors are all fluff, I think that their writing style is exceptionally clear and easy to understand.\nThe Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb - some really interesting ideas and analysis, although the book could have been 1/2 as short\nFiction:\nAnathem by Neal Stephenson - starts out slow but after the first 200 pages it became a really great story that I couldn't put down.\nLife of Pi by Yann Martel - loved the main story of the book, the controversial ending didn't bother me too much because I don't feel like it takes away from the story at all.\nThe Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson - cheap fun and suspenseful\nThe Road by Cormac McCarthy - I don't think much needs to be said about this book\nWhite Tiger by Aravind Adiga - extremely interesting and gripping novel about a side of the world most of us Westerners never see\nHitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams - finally read this classic. I read the \"Ultimate Edition\" which contains all 5 of Adams' novel, loved the first one but the story felt like it started to putter out by the third.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "cheap fun and suspenseful",
          "reason": "Calls it fun and suspenseful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as cheap fun.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797128,
          "author": "JimmyL",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T01:59:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797128",
          "commentText": "Infinite Jest, as a long slow process.\nThe Girl with the Dragon Tatoo/The Girl who Played with Fire, each of which I found myself burning through in a day (the new definition of the genre of Swedish crime writing, which is amazing).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Girl who Played with Fire",
          "reason": "The commenter says they burned through it in a day and praises the Swedish crime genre.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stieg Larsson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crime thriller",
        "mystery",
        "mystery thriller",
        "swedish crime fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-9ee05a",
      "title": "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo",
      "author": "Stieg Larsson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12069186,
          "author": "acabrahams",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T06:10:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12069186",
          "commentText": "1. The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu\n2. One L by Scott Turow\n3. The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu\n4. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells\n5. Believer: My Forty Years in Politics by David Axelrod\n6. The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells\n7. Augustus: First Emperor of Rome by Adrian Goldsworthy\n8. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (re-read)\n9. I, Claudius by Robert Graves\n10. Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks\n11. The Fear Index by Robert Harris\n12. Red Dragon by Thomas Harris (re-read)\n13. The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris (re-read)\n14. Hannibal by Thomas Harris (re-read)\n15. Game Change by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin (re-read)\n16. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (re-read)\n17. Claudius the God by Robert Graves\nRe-reads take hardly any time at all, so I'm not sure whether to count them. If you're not, then 11 books read so far.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (re-read)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Reread; the commenter questions whether rereads should count.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968595,
          "author": "fataliss",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T00:36:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968595",
          "commentText": "If you are looking for some good SF read I can't recommend \"Dune\" enough, this thing is a masterpiece.\nAs far as right now goes, I just started \"The girl with the Dragon Tattoo\", too early to give an opinion.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I just started \"The girl with the Dragon Tattoo\", too early to give an opinion.",
          "reason": "Says they have just started reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Too early for the commenter to give an opinion.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027286,
          "author": "brown9-2",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T15:27:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027286",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction:\nCoders at Work by Peter Siebel and Founders at Work by Jessica Livingston - I loved reading about the founder's stories and first-hand perspectives of notable programmers.\nThe Pleasures and Sorrows of Work by Alain de Botton - really interesting perspective on \"work\" and various types of careers and people that find happiness in them/work itself.\nSuperfreakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner - even if you don't agree with their arguments or think that the authors are all fluff, I think that their writing style is exceptionally clear and easy to understand.\nThe Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb - some really interesting ideas and analysis, although the book could have been 1/2 as short\nFiction:\nAnathem by Neal Stephenson - starts out slow but after the first 200 pages it became a really great story that I couldn't put down.\nLife of Pi by Yann Martel - loved the main story of the book, the controversial ending didn't bother me too much because I don't feel like it takes away from the story at all.\nThe Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson - cheap fun and suspenseful\nThe Road by Cormac McCarthy - I don't think much needs to be said about this book\nWhite Tiger by Aravind Adiga - extremely interesting and gripping novel about a side of the world most of us Westerners never see\nHitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams - finally read this classic. I read the \"Ultimate Edition\" which contains all 5 of Adams' novel, loved the first one but the story felt like it started to putter out by the third.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "cheap fun and suspenseful",
          "reason": "Calls it fun and suspenseful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as cheap fun.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797128,
          "author": "JimmyL",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T01:59:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797128",
          "commentText": "Infinite Jest, as a long slow process.\nThe Girl with the Dragon Tatoo/The Girl who Played with Fire, each of which I found myself burning through in a day (the new definition of the genre of Swedish crime writing, which is amazing).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo",
          "reason": "The commenter says they burned through it in a day and praises the Swedish crime genre.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 400633,
          "author": "garnerwoods",
          "createdAt": "2008-12-17T06:24:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=400633",
          "commentText": "Usually I will find out what book famous people has read, what are their favorite books, hope that any book which bring influence on them, will bring good influence on me too.. also, as famous n successful people combined with their experience, I'm sure they have better taste on their choice too.\nStephen King's Favorite:\nThis Book Will Save Your Life by A. M. Homes\nSaturday by Ian McEwan\nThe Mad Cook of Pymatuning: A Novel by Christopher Lehmann-Haupt\nThe Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson\nThe Tenderness of Wolves: A Novel by Stef Penney\nWhen Will There Be Good News?: A Novel by Kate Atkinson\nJ.K. Rowling's Favorite:\nThe Five Red Herrings by Dorothy L. Sayers\nI Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith\nSkellig by David Almond\nThe Woman Who Walked into Doors by Roddy Doyle\nJeffrey Eugenides, author, Pulitzer prize winner\n\"Herzog,\" by Saul Bellow\n\"Love in a Fallen City,\" by Eileen Chang\n\"The Lay of the Land,\" by Richard Ford\nOprah Winfrey's Favorite:\nWhite Oleander by Janet Fitch\nThe Color Purple by Alice Walker\nA Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith\nThe Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz\nTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee\nThe Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison\nThe Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck\nFor complete list visit http://www.famouspal.com",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson",
          "reason": "Listed as one of Stephen King's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment reports it as someone else's favorite; it does not state the author's own endorsement.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stieg Larsson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crime fiction",
        "crime thriller",
        "mystery",
        "mystery thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-giver-5d2782",
      "title": "The Giver",
      "author": "Lois Lowry",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6460473,
          "author": "ChrisC215",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-28T01:13:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6460473",
          "commentText": "The Creature from Jekyll Island,\nEasy Reads: Alchemist, The Giver, The Greatest Salesman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Giver",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387451,
          "author": "mjn",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T23:15:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387451",
          "commentText": "I don't think that one is really read in schools. We did read an Ayn Rand book in my high school (in Texas), but it was Anthem, a much shorter novella, with a more general theme of future-utopia-is-actuallly-dystopia, ending with a paean to individualism. It bears some similarities to a more recent book, The Giver, which is also popular as young-adult literature.\nI haven't read her other books, but from a literary perspective, Anthem has the same problem that I gather her other works have, just in miniature: there is a core of an actual novel there and it's starting to build an interesting world and characters, but then at some point it degenerates into a pages-and-pages-long non-fiction essay in Ayn Rand's voice pasted into the book, with a pretty flimsy excuse for what these pages of text are doing in a novel (I think in Anthem it's the character thinking out loud or something).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "It bears some similarities to a more recent book, The Giver",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a book similar to Anthem and popular as young-adult literature.",
          "audience": "Young-adult readers",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2330041,
          "author": "shantanubala",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-15T23:57:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 2329700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that change your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2330041",
          "commentText": "If you do a search through HN, you'll find some really good recommendations.\nRead The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb (Fooled By Randomness is also good) if you want to peer into the mind of an investor.\nRead Hesse's Siddhartha if you're thinking along the lines of culture/religion/philosophy.\nRead a few Ayn Rand books if you like libertarianism and don't really care to relate to the characters.\nRead We by Yevgheny Zamyatin if you want an interesting allegory that metaphorically compares heaven to a dystopian dictatorship.\nRead Unweaving the Rainbow by Richard Dawkins if you're very interested in the sciences.\nI remember Sebastian Marshall recommending Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa -- I'd recommend it too. It's pretty good, and I was especially interested since I've been doing marshal arts for over 10 years now.\nAnd read Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! no matter how you think. It's fantastic.\nEDIT: More Books!\nI read these when I was in elementary school, but they still hold their value:\nThe Giver by Lois Lowry if you want more dystopias.\nThe Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery if you're feeling especially playful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Giver by Lois Lowry if you want more dystopias.",
          "reason": "Recommended to readers who want more dystopian fiction.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in dystopias.",
          "caveat": "The commenter read it in elementary school.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lois Lowry"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "young adult",
        "dystopian fiction",
        "dystopia"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-goal-8edd58",
      "title": "The Goal",
      "author": "Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29673055,
          "author": "danabrams",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T12:26:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29673055",
          "commentText": "It's an oldie, but The Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt and Jeff Cox kept me from succumbing to stress during a particularly stressful period at work.\nIt's a great business book in the form of an ok novel, and everyone who cares about management or has consistent stress at work should read it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt and Jeff Cox kept me from succumbing to stress during a particularly stressful period at work.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them through a stressful period and recommends it to people who care about management or have recurring work stress.",
          "audience": "People interested in management or experiencing consistent stress at work.",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it a great business book in the form of an okay novel.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17039417,
          "author": "jacksmith21006",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-10T14:59:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17039417",
          "commentText": "The Phoenix project.   Everyone should read, IMO.  I actually started with The Goal first.  Then Phoenix project and then the Google SRE book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I actually started with The Goal first.",
          "reason": "The commenter mentions starting with it before reading another book; no positive evaluation or recommendation is expressed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401490,
          "author": "keithba",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:30:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401490",
          "commentText": "The Goal is one my favorite books to recommend to anyone joining a startup, but also for product management types. I first read it around the same time I read The Lean Startup, and I found the two to be very complementary.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Goal is one my favorite books to recommend to anyone joining a startup, but also for product management types.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a favorite recommendation for startup newcomers and product managers.",
          "audience": "People joining a startup and product management professionals.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eliyahu M. Goldratt",
        "Jeff Cox"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "theory of constraints",
        "operations management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-gold-bug-variations-b137bf",
      "title": "The Gold Bug Variations",
      "author": "Richard Powers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36083958,
          "author": "code_Whisperer",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-26T13:38:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36083958",
          "commentText": "Easily these (so far):\nThis is How You Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (actually now one of my all-time favorites, without regard to genre. Just amazing)\nChildren of Time - Adrian Tchaikovsky\nThe Book of Strange New Things - Michael Faber\nTed Chiang's short story collections (Exhalations and Stories of your life and others)\nDaemon - Daniel Suarez\nThe City and the City - China Miéville\nRoadside Picnic - Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (this one still haunts my dreams at times)\nWe Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse Book 1) - Dennis Taylor (just finished this series for book club)\nGalatea 2.2, The Overstory, Bewilderment, The Gold Bug Variations - 4 different books, all by Richard Powers - what can I say, the man is a genius and a treasure\nEifelheim - Michael Flynn - ok, this book can be a slog at times, but it is very rewarding for those who persevere, and has stuck in my brain for many years\nChocky - John Wyndham - A quiet, delightful surprise\nProvidence - Max Barry - This book flows like a movie. It will make a great movie. I found myself LITERALLY out of breath a couple of times\nHench: A Novel - Natalie Zina Walschots - Quirky, memorable\nThe Peacemaker's Code - Deepak Malhotra - Why hasn't this guy written more sci-fi?\nOrange World and Other Stories - Karen Russell - OK, maybe not strictly sci-fi, but this book tickles my brain\nGUILTY PLEASURE SCI-FI FAVORITE: The Vaz series by Laurence Dahners. I think I've read that series 3 times now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Gold Bug Variations",
          "reason": "Included among four books by the author.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227056,
          "author": "pwk",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T17:41:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227056",
          "commentText": "The Gold Bug Variations, by Richard Powers: a love story that touches on music, genetics, history, art... lots of themes that HN readers might appreciate.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Gold Bug Variations, by Richard Powers: a love story that touches on music, genetics, history, art... lots of themes that HN readers might appreciate.",
          "reason": "Presents it as a love story with themes HN readers might appreciate.",
          "audience": "HN readers who may enjoy music, genetics, history, and art themes.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Powers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "genetics",
        "music",
        "art"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-golden-age-9daa82",
      "title": "The Golden Age",
      "author": "John C. Wright",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8629448,
          "author": "rajacombinator",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-19T11:40:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8629448",
          "commentText": "\"The Golden Age\" by John C. Wright - just awesome, and I agree with the values of the main character\n\"Chronicles of Amber\" by Roger Zelazny - for imagination and badassery\nFavorite short story is \"Understand\" by Ted Chiang - mind-expanding ;)\nAlso in general the lesser known Heinlein books are amazing. Not a fan of Stranger in a Strange Land. Named my current company after a reference to The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "just awesome, and I agree with the values of the main character",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the book awesome and agrees with its main character's values.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter specifically identifies with the main character's values.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7302433,
          "author": "Jach",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T02:33:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7302433",
          "commentText": "My two favorites are Permutation City by Greg Egan and The Golden Age by John C. Wright (actually that one's a trilogy).\nI hear good things about Iain M. Banks' Culture novels. I've only read one (The Player of Games) and while it was enjoyable it was still sort of meh, if that makes sense... (I've got Excession in my queue and I suspect I'll enjoy it more.)\nWhile it's more in the realm of science-fantasy, you might enjoy this alternate universe imagining of the Harry Potter story: http://hpmor.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Golden Age by John C. Wright (actually that one's a trilogy)",
          "reason": "Names it as one of the commenter’s two favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter clarifies that it is a trilogy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John C. Wright"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "far future",
        "space opera",
        "transhumanism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-golden-bough-1c5b1d",
      "title": "The Golden Bough",
      "author": "James George Frazer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36105507,
          "author": "techload",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T16:29:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105507",
          "commentText": "\"The Golden Bough\" - a study in comparative religion, by James George Frazer\nhttps://openlibrary.org/works/OL1159648W/The_golden_bough?ed... (https://openlibrary.org/works/OL1159648W/The_golden_bough?edition=key%3A/books/OL13504043M)\nLETTER TO A BRAZILIAN MASON - Marcelo Ramos Motta\nhttps://parareligion.ch/dplanet/motta/moma2.htm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Golden Bough\" - a study in comparative religion, by James George Frazer",
          "reason": "Listed as a study in comparative religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630232,
          "author": "rwnspace",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:54:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630232",
          "commentText": "Out of the Silent Planet, by C.S. Lewis. Wonderfully written, though not as completely fleshed-out as a modern sci-fi reader may be used to. Still stands on its own two feet, worth a try. My first sci-fi.\nThe Golden Bough, Frazer. Sublime, frustrating and intriguing. Changes your dreams, whether you immediately realise it or not.\nHow Things Work: The Universal Encyclopedia of Machines. My grandfather gave me this when I was 8, I still regularly leaf through the tea-coloured pages and detailed black-and-red drawings two decades later. It's a charming book, the kind of thing we have websites for nowadays.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Sublime, frustrating and intriguing. Changes your dreams, whether you immediately realise it or not.",
          "reason": "Describes the book as sublime and intriguing, while acknowledging frustration.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Frustrating.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James George Frazer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comparative religion",
        "folklore",
        "mythology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-gone-away-world-35d0b7",
      "title": "The Gone-Away World",
      "author": "Nick Harkaway",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8110135,
          "author": "XaspR8d",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T18:38:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8110135",
          "commentText": "3D Shape: Its Unique Place in Visual Perception by Zygmunt Pizlo. (I studied human gesture briefly in college so it caught my eye at a used book store. Pretty good cognitive science survey so far. Haven't gotten to the CS part yet, but I'm not knowledgeable in computer vision anyway so I couldn't really review it from that perspective.)\nQuantum Computing and Quantum Information by Michael Nielsen and Isaac Chuang. (Beastly book. I actually find it to be a pretty well-written introduction so far, but I just barely have the background to plod through it.)\nHocus Pocus by Kurt Vonnegut. (S.O. loves Vonnegut, so I'm working my way through his collection. Great so far, though I don't always have the patience for goofy midwestern people humor, despite being a midwesterner myself.)\nAlif the Unseen by G Willow Wilson. (Only a few pages in, but I have a weakness for fantasy-in-modern-day-setting novels and it came on a recommendation from a friend outside of the genre. On a similar note, I strongly recommend both of Nick Harkaway's novels, Angelmaker and Gone-Away World, which I recently reread.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I strongly recommend both of Nick Harkaway's novels, Angelmaker and Gone-Away World",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it alongside Angelmaker.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The recommendation is based on the commenter's recent reread.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4788155,
          "author": "kaipakartik",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T12:03:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4788155",
          "commentText": "I quite liked the following\n1) Angelmaker\n2) Gone away world\n3) The Hobbit\n4) Fables the comic seriers\nNon fiction\n1) Steve Jobs\n2) Thinking fast and slow\nHave a look http://blog.kaipakartik.com for the books I enjoyed reading",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2) Gone away world",
          "reason": "Listed after the commenter says they quite liked the following books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nick Harkaway"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "post apocalyptic",
        "post apocalyptic fiction",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-greatest-trade-ever-f16f75",
      "title": "The Greatest Trade Ever",
      "author": "Gregory Zuckerman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22576560,
          "author": "dogman144",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T16:37:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22576560",
          "commentText": "Random Walk and Black Swan are two good reads. Even if you end up not agreeing with the two's takes, they'll make you sufficiently skeptical of how well a book claims to explain the industry, which is a good position to approach it from.\nMy bias will show, but the industry routinely blows itself on sometimes small or sometimes very large scales, sometimes or often through devices of its own creation. It's important to know that the system is entirely capable of doing this to itself, and therefore the system, and those in it, may not be able to explain itself well.\nEdit: another thing worth reading is Too Big to Fail, The Big Short, and Greatest Trade Ever. All are engaging books, and really walk through how 2008 started and ended through different perspectives of the system. TBtF will cover the Fed and Tier 1. BS/GTE cover the sell side. And then when you pair GTE with what happened to it's focus, John Paulson, after 2008, in that he didn't really have a repeat 'win,' it's a good anecdote for what I said above.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "another thing worth reading is Too Big to Fail, The Big Short, and Greatest Trade Ever.",
          "reason": "Recommended for its account of how the 2008 crisis unfolded from the sell side perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes John Paulson did not repeat that win after 2008.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395583,
          "author": "teja1990",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T12:32:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395583",
          "commentText": "Mine are :\nAtlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, I just love this book!\nGreatest Trade Ever by Gregory Zuckerman.\nAnd I read manga , so include One Piece as well :D",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Greatest Trade Ever by Gregory Zuckerman.",
          "reason": "Lists it as a favorite in response to a question about the best book read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gregory Zuckerman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hedge funds",
        "2008 financial crisis",
        "financial crisis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-halo-effect-613b1e",
      "title": "The Halo Effect",
      "author": "Phil Rosenzweig",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19088692,
          "author": "MikeCapone",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T19:15:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19088692",
          "commentText": "So many, and I wish I could write a long paragraph on each, but I'm unfortunately short on time. I'm posting any in case just one person who hasn't heard of those checks them out and gets value:\n-Godel, Escher, Bach (Douglas Hosfstadter)\n-The Mindbody Prescription (John E. Sarno, completely cured my long-term crippling RSI that kept me from using computers and was ruining my life)\n-Feeling Good (Dr. Burns, cognitive therapy mostly centered on depression, but I want to learn about this before I have depression so that I can avoid it and do 'maintenance' on myself)\n-The 5 Love Languages (Gary Chapman, made me understand a lot more about how people express and receive love, and the problems that arise from mismatched languages in relationships)\n-Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman (you guys probably already know this)\n-The Blank Slate (Steven Pinker)\n-The Snowball (Warren Buffett biography)\n-Influence (Robert B. Cialdini)\n-Your Money or Your Life (Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin)\n-When Heaven and Earth Changed Places: A Vietnamese Woman's Journey from War to Peace (Le Ly Hayslip)\n-The Halo Effect (Phil Rosenzweig)\n-The LessWrong.com sequences on rationality",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-The Halo Effect (Phil Rosenzweig)",
          "reason": "Listed among books offered to readers who might get value from them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16351413,
          "author": "tinymollusk",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T05:57:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16351413",
          "commentText": "You Are Not So Smart && The Halo Effect.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You Are Not So Smart && The Halo Effect.",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which books colleagues should have read.",
          "audience": "Colleagues.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Phil Rosenzweig"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business judgment",
        "business performance",
        "cognitive bias",
        "cognitive biases"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-hard-thing-about-hard-things-building-a-business-when-there-a-890476",
      "title": "The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers",
      "author": "Ben Horowitz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21802665,
          "author": "rakamotog",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T12:56:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21802665",
          "commentText": "Books I bought in 2019\n1) Creativity Inc\n2) Competing Against Luck: The Story of Innovation and Customer Choice\n3) Start With Why\n4) Inspired: How to Create Products Customers Love\n5)  The Hard Thing about Hard Thing: Building a Business When There are No Easy Answers\nI only managed to finish ~50% of my planned reading in 2019",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Hard Thing about Hard Thing: Building a Business When There are No Easy Answers",
          "reason": "Included among books bought in 2019; no evaluation stated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Buying the book is not an endorsement.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13239780,
          "author": "jdpigeon",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T19:47:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13239780",
          "commentText": "It was the second year of my \"read books like an adult\" effort and there were some great ones:\nInfinite Jest (David Foster Wallace)*\nI was blown away by how completely delightful it was to read. I went in to it with a lot of trepidation about its length and esoteric fixation, but found myself completely immersed in the book in a way that I hadn't been since I was kid. I didn't pick up any hard and fast lessons from the book (indeed, its thesis is mostly that life is hard and the easy answers that are out there are toxic), but I definitely came away from it feeling like it was a bit more acceptable to share what I really thought and felt with others. Reading the book is like entering an intimate communion with DFW's mind and it reinforced in me the importance of inter-human connection in that way.\nEvery Love Story is a Ghost Story (D.T. Max)\nDFW's biography, which I read after Infinite Jest. I highly recommend reading after IJ to get more background on where the books idea's came from. Two things I learned: 1. IJ basically took him ten years to write, 2: An incredible amount of it is drawn from personal issues and experiences, his struggles with addiction and loneliness were very real and he greatly downplayed them in his interviews.\nThe Invention of Nature (Andrea Wulf)\nThe best historical book I've ever read. Von Humbolt was one of the greatest scientists to ever live and I can't believe I'd ever heard of him before. The book itself does a great job of tying together the ideas of many great thinkers: Humboldt, Darwin, Thoreau, Muir, Goethe.\nThe Conquest of Happiness (Bertrand Russel)\nGreat little 'self-help' book from Russel. Perhaps a bit quaint in its datedness and Englishness, but a lot of the ideas still hold true. His thoughts on boredom were the high point of the book IMO.\nThe Hard Thing About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\nThe most 'make an adult of you'-feeling book I read this year. After attending an 'MBA bootcamp' style course, this book was the gritty, personal account that helped me tie all those lessons together. I got a job with a startup shortly afterwards and because I've never studied business (or worked in a real company before), I refer to the lessons in this book a lot.\nMy Struggle, first  volume (Karl Ove Knausgaard)\nStill reading this one and not entirely sure what to think. It's entertaining, heartfelt, and provides that sense of communion that good fiction needs. The book's purpose seems totally up in the air, however.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this book was the gritty, personal account that helped me tie all those lessons together.",
          "reason": "Says it helped connect business lessons to their startup job and that they refer to its lessons often.",
          "audience": "People new to business or working at a startup.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10769841,
          "author": "miraj",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-21T06:06:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10769841",
          "commentText": "Some of the books that made me think and look at things differently (from 2015 readings only):\n- In the Light of What We Know\n- The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers\n- Bathing the Lion\n- The Art of Asking; or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help\n- The Tears of Dark Water\n- God Is Dead\n- A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life\n- The Water Knife",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers",
          "reason": "Listed among books that made the commenter think and look at things differently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ben Horowitz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "management",
        "startups"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-heart-of-the-buddha-s-teaching-transforming-suffering-into-pe-48b273",
      "title": "The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation",
      "author": "Thich Nhat Hanh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36105412,
          "author": "mtalantikite",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T16:20:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105412",
          "commentText": "For Buddhism I might recommend Thich Nhat Hanh's \"The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching\" [1]. He's very clear and is careful to make sure he points out when a particular teaching he's describing might not be emphasized in other schools of Buddhism, but are still there as a foundation across all of them.\nThere are tons of sutras available at Access to Insight [2], which all schools of Buddhism use, but one (the Theravada) uses almost exclusively.\nAnother book that I found really illuminating was Chogyam Trungpa's \"Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism\" [3]. It helps point out how the teachings can be put into practice.\n[1] https://plumvillage.org/books/the-heart-of-the-buddhas-teach... (https://plumvillage.org/books/the-heart-of-the-buddhas-teaching/)\n[2] https://www.accesstoinsight.org/\n[3] https://www.shambhala.com/cutting-through-spiritual-material... (https://www.shambhala.com/cutting-through-spiritual-materialism-458.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For Buddhism I might recommend Thich Nhat Hanh's \"The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching\"",
          "reason": "Recommended as a clear introduction to Buddhist teachings across schools.",
          "audience": "Readers learning about Buddhism.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes some teachings may not be emphasized in every Buddhist school.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17047140,
          "author": "koonsolo",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T13:29:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17047140",
          "commentText": "Welcome to the club! The same happened to me 3 years ago. At that time I also started reading \"Man's search for meaning\".\nThe following book had the biggest impact on my world view:\nThe Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation, by Thich Nhat Hanh\nI personally don't believe in any religious things, and I still don't. But now I look at the world differently.\nBuddhism is know for reincarnation, which looks a bit silly to me. But as this book points out, it is not reincarnation, but rebirth in (Zen) Buddhism. Both are completely different. There is nothing silly about rebirth, and it's actually more accurate that how we, as individualistic westerners, view the world.\nAs someone who loves science, after reading this book, I have a more realistic view on the world than I had before, and than most of my rational friends right now.\nThe (Zen) Buddhism in this book is not so much a religion with believes, but more a philosophy on how to look at life and the world.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The following book had the biggest impact on my world view:\nThe Heart of the Buddha's Teaching: Transforming Suffering into Peace, Joy, and Liberation, by Thich Nhat Hanh",
          "reason": "The commenter says it had the biggest impact on their worldview and gave them a more realistic view.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Buddhism is known for reincarnation, which seems silly to them, but distinguishes it from rebirth.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thich Nhat Hanh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhism",
        "buddhist teachings",
        "zen"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-hidden-persuaders-022b30",
      "title": "The Hidden Persuaders",
      "author": "Vance Packard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12067791,
          "author": "cryoshon",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-10T23:29:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12067791",
          "commentText": "I'm not going to list all 42, but here are the highlights:\nHow to Read a Book (Adler)\nWorld Order (Kissinger)\nDer Grundrisse (Marx)\nThe Grand Chessboard (Brzezinski)\nManufacturing Consent (Chomsky)\nGulag Archipelago (Solhenitzyn)\nOn War (Clausewitz)\nThe Hidden Persuaders (Packard)\nIntuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking (Dennett)\nThe Strategy of Desire (Dichter)\nSkills acquired: intentional syntopical reading, prediction of geopolitical hinge points, and identification of absent context in media... I'm always looking for another book to read.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Hidden Persuaders (Packard)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10535419,
          "author": "sogen",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T20:03:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10535419",
          "commentText": "1.- Sandman\n2.- Toxic Sludge is Good For You: Lies, Damn Lies and the Public Relations Industry\n3.- The Advertised Mind: Groundbreaking Insights into How Our Brains Respond to Advertising\n4.- The Hidden Persuaders - \"A brisk, authoritative and frightening report on how manufacturers, fundraisers and politicians are attempting to turn the American mind into a kind of catatonic dough that will buy, give or vote at their command--The New Yorker",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hidden Persuaders",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the question about the year's best books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10243595,
          "author": "Fundlab",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-19T07:27:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10243595",
          "commentText": "Ymmv but I got a good grip on gimmicks from The Hidden Persuaders by Vance Packard\nAlso I can't emphasize this enough\nINSIDE SECRETS OF SELLING (FIND A NEED AND FILL IT)\nhttps://archive.org/details/insidesecretsofs00ward",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I got a good grip on gimmicks from The Hidden Persuaders by Vance Packard",
          "reason": "Says the book helped the commenter understand gimmicks.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "“Ymmv” qualifies the recommendation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vance Packard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "advertising",
        "consumer persuasion",
        "consumer psychology",
        "persuasion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-histories-26225e",
      "title": "The Histories",
      "author": "Herodotus",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12098726,
          "author": "pklausler",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T03:08:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12098726",
          "commentText": "Infinite Jest\nUlysses\nThe Selfish Gene\nThe Histories of Herodotus\nMoby-Dick\nGödel, Escher, Bach",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Histories of Herodotus",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 456347,
          "author": "pskomoroch",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T14:15:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456347",
          "commentText": "I used to have a lot more time for non CS reading and actually made an Amazon list on this topic back in 2005:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/2INJSM38... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/2INJSM38IDMDZ/ref=cm_sw_r_de_lm)\n1.  On War (Everyman's Library (Cloth)) by Carl Von Clausewitz\n2.  Leadership: The Warrior's Art by Barry R. McCaffrey\n3.  Small Unit Leadership: A Commonsense Approach by Dandridge M. Malone\n4.  The Defense of Hill 781: An Allegory of Modern Mechanized Combat by James R. McDonough\n5.  The Art of Maneuver: Maneuver-Warfare Theory and AirLand Battle by Robert Leonhard\n6.  Strategy: Second Revised Edition (Meridian) by B. H. Liddell Hart\n7.  The Art of War by Niccolò Machiavelli\n8.  Hagakure: The Book of the Samauri by Tsunetomo Yamamoto\n9.  The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius\n10.  The Art of War (Shambhala classics) by Sun Tzu\n11.  The Prince (Bantam Classics) by Niccolo Machiavelli\n12.  Evolutionary Game Theory by Jörgen W. Weibull\n13.  On Guerrilla Warfare by Mao Tse-tung\n14.  The History of the Peloponnesian War: Revised Edition (Penguin Classics) by Thucydides\n15.  The Histories (Penguin Classics) by Herodotus\n16.  The Persian Expedition (Penguin Classics) by Xenophon\n17.  Plutarch: Lives of Noble Grecians and Romans (Modern Library Series, Vol. 1) by Plutarch\n18.  Plutarch's Lives, Volume 2 (Modern Library Classics) by Plutarch\n19.  Livy: The Early History of Rome, Books I-V (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 1-5) by Titus Livy\n20.  The History of Rome from Its Foundation, Books XXI-XXX: The War with Hannibal (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 21-30) by Titus Livius Livy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "15.  The Histories (Penguin Classics) by Herodotus",
          "reason": "Included in a list of military strategy books answering the thread's request.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking books about military strategy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Herodotus"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient greece",
        "ancient history",
        "persian wars"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-history-of-the-decline-and-fall-of-the-roman-empire-c4762c",
      "title": "The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire",
      "author": "Edward Gibbon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17338060,
          "author": "himom",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T13:30:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17338060",
          "commentText": "A book? I can’t color between the lines on this one, maybe I can’t read between them either. Here’s 3:\nCollapse by Jared Diamond\nThe History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Gibbon\nBrevísima relación de la destrucción de las Indias (English: A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies ) by Bartolomé de las Casas",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Gibbon",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227090,
          "author": "lionhearted",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T17:56:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227090",
          "commentText": "It's amazing how many good historical works are out of copyright and free. I got an Amazon Kindle as a gift, and it's been really wonderful for me.\nIf you like Roman history, you've got to check out Gibbons' History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. It's just a masterpiece. I flip through my copy of Meditations from time to time (actually, now I look at it on my Kindle, but I used to flip through my paper copy) and just pick out random quotes. A great work. \"It is not the thing itself that disturbs a man, but the man's perception of and reaction to the thing. The thing may not be able to be changed, but a man's perception and reaction may be changed.\" I'm butchering that quote, but it's incredibly meaningful to me, and I try to reflect on it when things seem to be going wrong or I get inconvenienced.\nWhile talking about classics, there's a lot of good philosophy out of copyright. Beyond Good and Evil and Thus Spoke Zarathustra aren't perfect works and I disagree with a fair bit of it, but there's some absolute jewels in them too.\nLately I've been looking for a decent electronic copy of Freud's Civilization and Its Discontents and Kierkegaard's Either/Or, but I've been having a hard time finding copies that are decently formatted and readable.\nAlso, got any other recommendations Staunch? I'm going to get Gallic Wars, and it seems like you and I have similar taste if you have other recommendations.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you've got to check out Gibbons' History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. It's just a masterpiece.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a masterpiece for readers interested in Roman history.",
          "audience": "People interested in Roman history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward Gibbon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient rome",
        "historical writing",
        "roman history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-holy-quran-b53955",
      "title": "The Holy Quran",
      "author": "Unknown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25532038,
          "author": "cvhashim",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T22:22:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25532038",
          "commentText": "The Holy Quran",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Holy Quran",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12250504,
          "author": "chygryn",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T20:04:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12250504",
          "commentText": "The holy Quran number 1\nDon't be sad by dr alqarnee",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The holy Quran number 1",
          "reason": "Listed as the commenter's top book in response to a question about impactful books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "islam",
        "islamic scripture",
        "religious text"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-hot-zone-d831a5",
      "title": "The Hot Zone",
      "author": "Richard Preston",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42225569,
          "author": "cheshire137",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-24T02:45:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42225569",
          "commentText": "I read The Hot Zone by Richard Preston and Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. Enjoyed both. Think I preferred Into Thin Air.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read The Hot Zone by Richard Preston",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 621383,
          "author": "indiejade",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-22T00:42:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621383",
          "commentText": "The Hot Zone by Richard Preston.  It's not actually a \"tech book\" but it is a true story about the highly technical science of how a deadly virus spread.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hot Zone by Richard Preston.  It's not actually a \"tech book\" but it is a true story about the highly technical science of how a deadly virus spread.",
          "reason": "Presented as a true story about technical science, with a caveat that it is not really a tech book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not actually a tech book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Preston"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Health",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "viral outbreaks",
        "ebola",
        "epidemiology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-house-of-god-bdf9f4",
      "title": "The House of God",
      "author": "Samuel Shem",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37827887,
          "author": "n8henrie",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-10T02:20:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37827887",
          "commentText": "The House of God",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The House of God",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25322266,
          "author": "rscho",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-06T09:23:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25322266",
          "commentText": "For something a touch more down to earth regarding medicine:\nHouse of God, by Samuel Shem. It might be difficult to believe, but this book is very realistic. Much more so than many other insufferable navel-gazing books about medical work taking grand philosophical stances.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "House of God, by Samuel Shem. It might be difficult to believe, but this book is very realistic.",
          "reason": "Described as a realistic account of medicine.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may be difficult to believe.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Samuel Shem"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "medical fiction",
        "medical training",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-human-use-of-human-beings-48328b",
      "title": "The Human Use of Human Beings",
      "author": "Norbert Wiener",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49903934,
          "author": "fiatpandas",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T03:10:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49903934",
          "commentText": "- Impro: Improvisation and the Theatre\n- From Third World to First\nLast finished: Human Use of Human Beings",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Last finished: Human Use of Human Beings",
          "reason": "Names the last book they finished.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15159375,
          "author": "mrmyers",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T02:26:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15159375",
          "commentText": "Modeling the world generally (as in, why mathematics works and can apply to the real world):\n  =Bertrand Russell=\n  * An Inquiry into Meaning and Truth\n  * A Theory of Knowledge\n  * Logic and Knowledge\n  =W.V. Quine=\n  * Word and Object\n  * Mathematical Logic\n  =Norbert Weiner=\n  * Cybernetics: Or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine\n  =Smullyan=\n  * Diagonalization and Self Reference\n\nSquishy Human Things:\n  Thomas Kuhn      - The Structure of Scientific Revolutions\n  Norbert Weiner   - The Human Use of Human-Beings\n  Bertrand Russell - A History of Western Philosophy\n  Karl Popper      - The Open Society and Its Enemies\n  Daniel Dennet    - Consciousness Explained\n  E. Abbot Abbot   - Flatland",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Human Use of Human-Beings",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10767821,
          "author": "SeaDude",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T18:43:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10767821",
          "commentText": "\"The Internet is Not the Answer\" by: Andrew Keen\nFINALLY! a scathing, rake-that-rich-a$$-across-thee-coals dive into our superficial obsession with the digitally privileged. Muah!Best book I've read in years + the appendix/biblio holds 20 pages or so of FURTHER awesome reading.\n\"Human Use of Human Beings\" by: Norbert Weiner\nAn awesome transportation into 1950 MIT professor who calls out the problems of \"progress\" and explores communication in the neatest way. Everything he mentions is still a problem today! I just really dug this book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I just really dug this book.",
          "reason": "Praises the book's treatment of progress and communication, saying its concerns remain relevant.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Norbert Wiener"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybernetics",
        "communication",
        "humanism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-hunt-for-red-october-e0f22a",
      "title": "The Hunt for Red October",
      "author": "Tom Clancy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37165169,
          "author": "gamedna",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T17:25:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37165169",
          "commentText": "+1  Its a great read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 Its a great read.",
          "reason": "Affirms the parent comment's recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31986316,
          "author": "bknight1983",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-05T09:57:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31986316",
          "commentText": "Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff by  Richard Carlson. Very centering and good way to lead life.\nThat or Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "That or Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Clancy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cold war",
        "military thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-identity-trap-f60884",
      "title": "The Identity Trap",
      "author": "Yascha Mounk",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40429996,
          "author": "_virtu",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T15:48:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40429996",
          "commentText": "- The identity trap: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/712961/the-identity... (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/712961/the-identity-trap-by-yascha-mounk/)\nI really like \"The identity trap\" it's one of the few socio-political books that helps to make sense of a lot of the current social media landscape, and political landscape.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really like \"The identity trap\"",
          "reason": "Says it helps make sense of the current social media and political landscape.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking context on contemporary social media and politics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38557215,
          "author": "thicknavyrain",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:11:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557215",
          "commentText": "The Identity Trap by Yascha Mounk, a mostly even handed, sensible and necessary read for right now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a mostly even handed, sensible and necessary read for right now.",
          "reason": "Described as even-handed, sensible, and necessary for the present moment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says “mostly” even-handed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Yascha Mounk"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "identity politics",
        "liberalism",
        "social media"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-image-a-guide-to-pseudo-events-in-america-6cb48b",
      "title": "The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-events in America",
      "author": "Daniel J. Boorstin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36601468,
          "author": "HamptonFounders",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:07:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601468",
          "commentText": "Not sure if this is what you're interested in, but a friend recently recommended reading these two in tandem:\n\"The Image\" by David Boorstin, and \"Palo Alto\" by Malcom Harris\nBoth offer views on the evolution of technology, but from authors with somewhat opposing viewpoints.\n\"The Image\" is particularly interesting to read today, because it was written in 1962, with the advent of TV, and back then one of the core concerns was edited video and how it was becoming increasingly difficult to differentiate fact from fiction.\nInteresting overlap with some of the concerns around LLMs",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The Image\" by David Boorstin",
          "reason": "A friend recommended reading it alongside Palo Alto for contrasting views on technology's evolution.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23864071,
          "author": "esja",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T21:34:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23864071",
          "commentText": "A timeless classic.\nAlong similar lines I'd recommend \"The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-events in America\", by Daniel Boorstin (former Librarian of Congress).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend \"The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-events in America\", by Daniel Boorstin",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a book along similar lines to the parent’s title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel J. Boorstin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "media",
        "media history",
        "pseudo events",
        "public relations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-imagineers-of-war-bc33a5",
      "title": "The Imagineers of War",
      "author": "Sharon Weinberger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36588298,
          "author": "max_",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-04T15:51:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36588298",
          "commentText": "1. The Imagineers of War by Sharon Weinberger\n2. The Nature of Technology by Brian Arthur\n3. (Not a book but documentary) Connections by James Burk\n4. Books by James Burk [0]\n[0]: https://www.thriftbooks.com/a/james--burke/215445/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Imagineers of War by Sharon Weinberger",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18664025,
          "author": "godelmachine",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T14:15:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664025",
          "commentText": "Finished The Imagineers of War by Sharon Weinberger and The Pentagons Brain\nBoth are on DARPA.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Finished The Imagineers of War by Sharon Weinberger and The Pentagons Brain",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17520298,
          "author": "godelmachine",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T03:27:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17520298",
          "commentText": "1) The Imagineer’s of War by Sharon Weinberger\n2) The Pentagon’s Brain by Annie Jacobson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Imagineer’s of War by Sharon Weinberger",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for interesting recent reading suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sharon Weinberger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "defense research",
        "military technology",
        "darpa",
        "military research"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-industries-of-the-future-473981",
      "title": "The Industries of the Future",
      "author": "Alec Ross",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15961294,
          "author": "vo1d",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:27:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961294",
          "commentText": "- The Innovator's Dilemma by Clay Christensen\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman\n- A Briefer History of Time by Stephen Hawking\n- The Lean Startup by Eric Ries\n- Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson\n- The Industries of the Future by Alec Ross\n- Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss\n- Start with No by Jim Camp\n- How Google Works by Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg\n- The Everything Store by Brad Stone\n- The Inevitable by Kevin Kelly",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Industries of the Future by Alec Ross",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13240800,
          "author": "cicero",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T22:06:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13240800",
          "commentText": "A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter Miller (recommended SF classic)\nThe Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis (an old favorite, recommended)\nThe Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco (some interesting parts, but overall a disappointment)\nTheology and Sanity - Frank Sheed (recommended; a very written description of the Catholic faith; weaknesses are it's long and it's aimed to a mid 20th c. audience)\nChristianity for Modern Pagans: Pascal's Pensees - Peter Kreeft (recommended; a good exposition of Blaise Pascal's thought)\nCatholicism: A journey to the heart of the faith - Robert Barron (recommended; a good explanation of Catholicism for the common person)\nHis Master's Voice - Stanislaw Lem (recommended; very intellectual look at the problem of first contact)\nThe Industries of the Future - Alec Ross (the robotics chapter is best; other parts are more light-weight; easy read)\nClouds of Witnesses - Dorothy Sayers (not my favorite Sayers mystery, but enjoyable)\nA Study in Scarlet - Arthur Conan Doyle (recommended)\nWhy Gender Matters - Leonard Sax (recommended; most of the book is based on good science, but he does go out on a limb a time or two.)\nOld School - Tobias Wolff (recommended; a world before widespread TV where high school boys actually got excited about literature)\nInfinite Space, Infinite God - Karina and Robert Fabian editors (story quality varies; I enjoyed some of them)\nThe Sign of Four - Arthur Conan Doyle (recommended)\nOn Stranger Tides - Tim Powers (recommended; I love Powers, but Anubis Gates and Last Call are better. Still, if you like pirates you should like this)\nThe Art of Worldly Wisdom - Baltasar Gracian (interesting)\nAquinas at Prayer: the Bible, Mysticism, and Poetry - Paul Murray (recommended; this shows a different side of Thomas Aquinas)\nAristotle for Everybody: Difficult Thought Made Easy - Mortimer Adler (recommended; I almost think this should be required reading)\nThe Pilgrim's Regress - C.S. Lewis (I enjoyed it, but the ideas Lewis argues against are somewhat dated.)\nEdit for formatting",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Industries of the Future - Alec Ross (the robotics chapter is best; other parts are more light-weight; easy read)",
          "reason": "The commenter highlights the robotics chapter and describes the rest as lighter and easy to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Other parts are described as more lightweight.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12070313,
          "author": "as17237",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T11:30:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12070313",
          "commentText": "* In Defense of Liberal Edication By Farred Zakaria\n* Confidence Men By Ros Suskind\n* Dark Money by Jane Meyer\n* Better by Atul Gawande\n* The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande\n* Essentialism by Greg Mckeown\n* Contagious by Jonah Berger\n* Sapiens by Yuval Harari\n* The Pentagons Brain by Annie Jacobson\n* Shoe Dog by Phil Knight\n* The Only Game in town by Mohamed El-Erian\n* The Industries of Future By Alec Ross",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Industries of Future By Alec Ross",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alec Ross"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Science",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "emerging technologies",
        "emerging technology",
        "global economy",
        "robotics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-inimitable-jeeves-6ebc23",
      "title": "The Inimitable Jeeves",
      "author": "P. G. Wodehouse",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41175841,
          "author": "montgomery_r",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:58:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175841",
          "commentText": "Aargh, Formatting! Try 2 :\nFor the value of ‘best’ that includes\n(a) had a deep and long lasting impact on how I think about the world and\n(b) I consider beautiful pieces of writing in their own right,\nhere are some in no particular order:\nThe Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins\nThinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nNaming and Necessity, Saul Kripke\nTractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein\n(These you might want to approach via a gentle introduction if you did not study Philosophy to degree level)\nThe Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle\nDarkness at Noon, Arthur Koestler\nThe Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse\nA Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh\nDiaries, Samuel Pepys\nFalling Off the Map, Pico Iyer\nA Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor\nThe Lonely Sea and the Sky, Francis Chichester\nThe Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope\nBevis, Richard Jeffries\nThe Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith\nThe Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse\nHitch-22, essays, Christopher Hitchens\nCollected Essays, William Hazlitt\nVenice, Martin Gayford\nThe Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski\nThe Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch\nToo obvious a list, perhaps, but some gems for all that! Happy reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse",
          "reason": "Includes the title among books considered impactful and beautifully written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41175718,
          "author": "montgomery_r",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:45:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175718",
          "commentText": "For the value of ‘best’ that includes  (a) had a deep and long lasting impact on how I think about the world and (b) I consider beautiful pieces of writing in their own right, here are some in no particular order: \nThe Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins \nThinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nNaming and Necessity, Saul Kripke\nTractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein\n(These you might want to approach via a gentle introduction if you did not study Philosophy to degree level) \nThe Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle\nDarkness at Noon,\nArthur Koestler\nThe Glass Bead Game,\nHermann Hesse\nA Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh\nDiaries, Samuel Pepys\nFalling Off the Map, Pico Iyer\nA Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor\nThe Lonely Sea and the Sky,\nFrancis Chichester\nThe Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope\nBevis, Richard Jeffries\nThe Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith\nThe Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse\nHitch-22, essaysChristopher Hitchens \nCollected Essays, William Hazlitt\nVenice, Martin Gayford\nThe Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski\nThe Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch\nToo obvious a list, perhaps, but some gems for all that! Happy reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse",
          "reason": "Includes it among books with lasting impact on how they think and that they consider beautiful writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467623,
          "author": "chrisa",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:44:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467623",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\nThe Inimitable Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse\nNon-fiction:\nThe War of Art by Steven Pressfield",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Inimitable Jeeves by P.G. Wodehouse",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "P. G. Wodehouse"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fiction",
        "british humor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-inner-citadel-2266ec",
      "title": "The Inner Citadel",
      "author": "Pierre Hadot",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45290218,
          "author": "whatamidoingyo",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-18T14:33:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 45283087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45290218",
          "commentText": "I'm reading The Inner Citadel by Pierre Hadot for the second time. It's full of gems.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm reading The Inner Citadel by Pierre Hadot for the second time. It's full of gems.",
          "reason": "The commenter is rereading it and says it is full of gems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37157460,
          "author": "theusus",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T05:02:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37157460",
          "commentText": "Reading The Inner Citadel, even though it's repetitive but it gave me new insights into Stoicism.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Reading The Inner Citadel, even though it's repetitive but it gave me new insights into Stoicism.",
          "reason": "It gave the commenter new insights into Stoicism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds it repetitive.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pierre Hadot"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marcus aurelius",
        "stoicism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-introvert-advantage-76eda3",
      "title": "The Introvert Advantage",
      "author": "Marti Olsen Laney",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5752857,
          "author": "joshux",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-22T18:35:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5752857",
          "commentText": "Talent Is Overrated - Geoff Colvin ( Theory from Anders Ericsson )\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Introvert Advantage - Marti Olsen Laney\nThe Mindful Way Through Depression - Mark Williams et al.\nSurely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Introvert Advantage - Marti Olsen Laney",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2897746,
          "author": "dmitrig01",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-18T02:32:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 2897515,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on overcoming shyness",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2897746",
          "commentText": "I am in very much the same situation. Something thing I've found that really helps me is just reading about shy behavior. I find that identifying an issue is the first step to solving, and reading descriptions of shy behavior often help me better and more precisely identify what to fix. One book I found to be quite helpful in this regard was \"The Introvert Advantage\" by Marti Laney.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One book I found to be quite helpful in this regard was \"The Introvert Advantage\" by Marti Laney.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them identify aspects of shy behavior to work on.",
          "audience": "People interested in understanding shy behavior and what they might work on.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marti Olsen Laney"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "introversion",
        "personality",
        "shyness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-joy-of-abstraction-5d95af",
      "title": "The Joy of Abstraction",
      "author": "Eugenia Cheng",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46226650,
          "author": "marai2",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-11T01:43:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 46226571,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46226650",
          "commentText": "1. Why Machines Learn - Anil Ananthaswamy\nFantastic exposition of machine learning. The author does an amazing job of bringing a technical subject down to an easily readable level.\n2. The Joy of Abstraction - Eugenia Cheng\nSimilar to the above review. I never thought Category Theory could be made so easily readable!\n3. A Little History of Philosophy - Nigel Warburton\nSmall, compact book. A quick interesting jaunnt through the history of philosophy. Entertaining and educational!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2. The Joy of Abstraction - Eugenia Cheng\nSimilar to the above review. I never thought Category Theory could be made so easily readable!",
          "reason": "Says category theory is made easy to read.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in an accessible introduction to category theory.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34165428,
          "author": "rg111",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T20:21:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34165428",
          "commentText": "I am currently reading The Joy of Abstraction.\nThis is a fine book.\nBut what this book needed is a good editor. Most space of most chapters of the book is written like a preface.\nThis book also suffers from what many technical books suffers from- uneven assumption of background. While some easy, trivial part is explained with more space, more hand-holding, harder parts receive briefer, relatively unfriendlier treatment.\nDespite these flaws, the book is great.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I am currently reading The Joy of Abstraction.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a fine, great book despite editorial and pacing flaws.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Needs a good editor; background assumptions are uneven, with harder parts receiving less explanation.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eugenia Cheng"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "category theory",
        "accessible mathematics",
        "mathematical abstraction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-klf-chaos-magic-and-the-band-who-burned-a-million-pounds-f21ea9",
      "title": "The KLF: Chaos, Magic and the Band Who Burned a Million Pounds",
      "author": "John Higgs",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43613568,
          "author": "josefritzishere",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T17:01:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43613568",
          "commentText": "I am a lifetime avid reader but  there are very few books I come back to and re-read. I guess the books which impact you the most aren't the ones you'd expect. Here are some that come to mind:\n*Novels in Three Lines* - Felix Feneon; like clever sarcastic haiku\n*Riddley Walker* - Russell Hoban; It's written in an imagined language making it completely and utterly immersive\n*Waiting for Nothing* - Tom Kromer; Great depression era destitution, and travel\n*Days of Life and Death and Escape to the Moon* - William Saroyan; In an era of great writers, Saroyan remains wildly under appreciated.\n*Really the Blues* - Mezz Mezzrow; Written in 1920s jive slang, it's emblematic of an era\n*The KLF* - John Higgs; The book is subtitled \"Chaos, Magic and the Band who Burned a Million Pounds\"  All those things are true and Higgs brilliantly tells the tale.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "*The KLF* - John Higgs; The book is subtitled \"Chaos, Magic and the Band who Burned a Million Pounds\" All those things are true and Higgs brilliantly tells the tale.",
          "reason": "The commenter says Higgs brilliantly tells the band's story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229877,
          "author": "fsiefken",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T16:16:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229877",
          "commentText": "That's a very broad question, so I read your comments to get a feel from where you might be coming from and/or going to and where you and I might overlap:\n* Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Antifragile, things that gain from disorder http://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Incer... (http://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Incerto/dp/0812979680/)\n* Jared Diamond. The World until yesterday, what can we learn from traditional societies http://www.amazon.com/World-Until-Yesterday-Traditional-Soci... (http://www.amazon.com/World-Until-Yesterday-Traditional-Societies/dp/0143124404)\n* Frans de Waal. The Bonobo and the Atheist: In Search of Humanism Among the Primates http://www.amazon.com/Bonobo-Atheist-Search-Humanism-Primate... (http://www.amazon.com/Bonobo-Atheist-Search-Humanism-Primates/dp/0393347796/)\n* John Higgs. The KLF: Chaos, Magic... http://www.amazon.com/KLF-Chaos-Magic-Music-Money-ebook/dp/B... (http://www.amazon.com/KLF-Chaos-Magic-Music-Money-ebook/dp/B00ABFHOS0/)\n* Joseph Jaworski. Synchronicity, the inner Path of leadership http://www.amazon.com/Synchronicity-The-Inner-Path-Leadershi... (http://www.amazon.com/Synchronicity-The-Inner-Path-Leadership-ebook/dp/B0051ANRBI)\n* Piero Ferrucci. Your Inner Will, finding personal strength in critical times http://www.amazon.com/Your-Inner-Will-Personal-Strength/dp/0... (http://www.amazon.com/Your-Inner-Will-Personal-Strength/dp/0399174931)\n* William Irvine. A Guide to the good life, the ancient art of stoic joy http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic/dp/01953... (http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic/dp/0195374614)\n* Chogyam Trungpa. Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior http://www.amazon.com/Shambhala-Sacred-Warrior-Chogyam-Trung... (http://www.amazon.com/Shambhala-Sacred-Warrior-Chogyam-Trungpa/dp/1590304519/)\n* Tomas Malik. Patience with God: The Story of Zacchaeus Continuing In Us http://www.amazon.com/Patience-God-Story-Zacchaeus-Continuin... (http://www.amazon.com/Patience-God-Story-Zacchaeus-Continuing/dp/0385524498/)\n* Nick Winter. The Motivation Hacker http://www.amazon.com/Motivation-Hacker-Nick-Winter/dp/09892... (http://www.amazon.com/Motivation-Hacker-Nick-Winter/dp/0989279820)\n* Chas Emerick, Brian Carper, Christophe Grad. Clojure Programming http://www.amazon.com/Clojure-Programming-Chas-Emerick/dp/14... (http://www.amazon.com/Clojure-Programming-Chas-Emerick/dp/1449394701)\nFiction:\n* Peter Hamilton - The Reality Dysfunction\n* Neal Stephenson - Cryptonomicon (his other hit: Snow Crash is surprisingly more history then SF now...)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "John Higgs. The KLF: Chaos, Magic...",
          "reason": "Included in a response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Higgs"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "klf",
        "music",
        "music history",
        "performance art"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-knack-8a9929",
      "title": "The Knack",
      "author": "Norm Brodsky and Bo Burlingham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 947724,
          "author": "krishnakv",
          "createdAt": "2009-11-18T03:26:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 947581,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN:  What's the best first business book for a programmer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=947724",
          "commentText": "I second this. In addition, +1 for Eric Sink.\nAlso check out \"The Knack\" by Norm Brodsky and Bo Burlingham.\nIn the end, though, no book can prepare you for starting up,",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also check out \"The Knack\" by Norm Brodsky and Bo Burlingham.",
          "reason": "Suggests the book as an additional business resource.",
          "audience": "People interested in starting a business.",
          "caveat": "The commenter adds that no book can prepare someone completely for starting up.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 658118,
          "author": "idiopathic",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-15T08:00:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 657892,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite management books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=658118",
          "commentText": "Thank you for this list - I liked reading The Knack so will explore the others.\nI disagree with you about your examples of exceptional circumstances. Anyone can raise 350k or be stuck in a lift with Jeff Bezos if they do the hard around it. Focus on building something amazing and you can build your own luck around. For example, 18 months ago I did speak to Bezos - I did not have anything to talk tom about (apart from asking him sign my Kindle!) so nothing happened. But this year I really do so I will find another way to talk to him (and everyone else).\nThat is not to say that are not exceptional circumstances. For example, only a handful of people around the world in the 1970s had the priviliges of Bill Gates, ie a childhood growing up in a school with a mainframe. But it is not worth worrying about such things - each of us has to look for the unusual advantages we have and work with those. In my case I have a genetic illness which meant most of my childhood was spent ill or in hospital. I survived long enough to train as a physician and a programmer so this year I founded a company that builds software to help patients work online with their clinicians.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I liked reading The Knack so will explore the others.",
          "reason": "Says they liked reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Norm Brodsky and Bo Burlingham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "small business"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-last-ringbearer-22122c",
      "title": "The Last Ringbearer",
      "author": "Kirill Yeskov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41769936,
          "author": "xlii",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T19:24:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41769936",
          "commentText": "When I’m asked about best book I always bring up „The Last Ringbearer” by Yeskov.\nIt’s a fanfic in LOTR universe, and it wasn’t very interesting when I was reading it but it revolved around a twist that helped me develop critical thinking skills.\nIn short and without too much of a spoiler - it’s about relativism of everything, including history and importance of narrative in shaping perspectives.\nSomewhat similar to much later Indoctrination Theory in Mass Effect games.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Last Ringbearer” by Yeskov",
          "reason": "Calls it their pick for the best book and says its central twist helped develop critical thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They found it uninteresting while reading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21907905,
          "author": "qznc",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T19:31:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21907905",
          "commentText": "I read a lot of fanfiction in the last years. On the downside the writing is less polished. On the upside it is free and non-mainstream.\nI was influenced by Eliezer Yudkowsky and his take on rationality. His fanfiction \"Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\" serves as a nice introduction. http://www.hpmor.com/\nWorm by John McCrae is an epic superhero/villain story. Consider it Game of Thrones in the superhero genre. With 16 million words it is a really long story. For comparison, the Harry Potter series is 10 million words.\nThe Metropolition Man by Alexander Wales is also in the superhero genre, but turns it on its head. Lex Luthor is the hero standing up against Superman.\nThe Last Ringbearer by Kirill Yeskov does the same to Lord of the Rings. It effectively becomes a fantasy spy thriller.\nThese three are great stories that show how good and evil are a point of view. An important lesson to learn in a time when US and China are increasingly hostile. Since HN is american, China might be compared to Mordor and Xi Jinping to Lux Luthor. Fiction stories may help you to at least imagine that they consider themselves as the good guys.\nAccelerando by Charles Stross turns the concept of technological singularity into a well-written story. As the story spans a looong timespan and shows how humanity antiquates itself, it makes you feel small in a good sense.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Last Ringbearer by Kirill Yeskov does the same to Lord of the Rings. It effectively becomes a fantasy spy thriller.",
          "reason": "Praised for recasting the story as a fantasy spy thriller.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in fantasy and reframings of familiar stories.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kirill Yeskov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternate perspective",
        "fantasy spy thriller",
        "historical revisionism",
        "lord of the rings fan fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-library-at-mount-char-410b58",
      "title": "The Library at Mount Char",
      "author": "Scott Hawkins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38569426,
          "author": "eps",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T14:28:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38569426",
          "commentText": "The Library at Mount Char.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Library-at-Mount-Char/dp/0553418629",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Library at Mount Char.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29669098,
          "author": "candiddevmike",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T01:55:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29669098",
          "commentText": "The Library at Mount Char came from a Reddit recommendation for weird/bizarre fiction, and it did not disappoint.  It's about kids who were abducted by a very powerful person, and that's all I'll say about it.  If you like house of leaves or some of the strange chuck palahniuk stuff, you'll like this.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Library at Mount Char came from a Reddit recommendation for weird/bizarre fiction, and it did not disappoint.",
          "reason": "Says it did not disappoint and recommends it to readers who like the cited books and authors.",
          "audience": "Readers who like House of Leaves or strange Chuck Palahniuk fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Hawkins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dark fantasy",
        "urban fantasy",
        "weird fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-life-and-opinions-of-tristram-shandy-gentleman-aea484",
      "title": "The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman",
      "author": "Laurence Sterne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31968968,
          "author": "kthejoker2",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T16:36:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31968968",
          "commentText": "Tough choices ..\nMoby Dick has so much to offer .. Gulliver's Travels ... Tristam Shandy ... Essays by Montaigne.. Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man ....\nProbably the collected works of Shaw? Things with dialogue feel freah every time you read them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tristam Shandy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876096,
          "author": "zzzmarcus",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T05:28:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876096",
          "commentText": "Nice. Hadn't heard of Tristan Shandy, starting vol. 1 tonight.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "starting vol. 1 tonight",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are starting the first volume tonight.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Starting to read it is not an expressed endorsement.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875717,
          "author": "jsackmann",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T01:49:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875717",
          "commentText": "Moby-Dick\nThe Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman",
          "reason": "Named in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Laurence Sterne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "18th century literature",
        "comic novel",
        "experimental fiction",
        "experimental novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-little-prover-216222",
      "title": "The Little Prover",
      "author": "Daniel P. Friedman and Carl Eastlund",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33801148,
          "author": "Lio",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T14:25:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33801148",
          "commentText": "Came here to say the same thing.  The other books in the series are pretty good too.\nE.g. The Little Prover  https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262527958/the-little-prover/\nand\nThe Little Typer  https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262536431/the-little-typer/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Prover",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of the other books in the series and says those books are pretty good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10533578,
          "author": "OopsCriticality",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T15:38:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10533578",
          "commentText": "I'm cheating a little on the date, but The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin stands out.  It was translated into english late last year, and received the Hugo this year for best story.  It's wonderful sci-fi written on a grand scale, and made all the more interesting and refreshing to me by coming from outside the Western perspective.  It's one of a trilogy: The Dark Forest english translation is out, and Death's End is coming beginning of next year.\nAlso enjoyed Seveneves by Stephenson, and H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald.  The former is likely known to the HN crowd; the latter draws comparisons to T.H. White's classic The Goshawk.\nAmong non-fiction books, I enjoyed The Little Prover by Friedman and Eastlund.  It was exactly what I expected, a gentle introduction into inductive proofs in the idiom established by The Little Schemer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Prover by Friedman and Eastlund. It was exactly what I expected, a gentle introduction into inductive proofs",
          "reason": "Describes it as a gentle introduction to inductive proofs.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an introduction to inductive proofs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel P. Friedman",
        "Carl Eastlund"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "logic programming",
        "inductive proofs",
        "proof assistants"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-little-schemer-c375dd",
      "title": "The Little Schemer",
      "author": "Daniel P. Friedman, Matthias Felleisen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14466903,
          "author": "dontJudge",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-02T02:10:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14466903",
          "commentText": "Lot's of books throw recursion at beginners and expect them to understand it as intuitively they would a loop. But it's not intuitive at all (at least it wasn't for me).\nI like the book \"The Little Schemer\" to learn recursion. Yes, a whole book to learn something other books briefly throw at you. You will not regret the read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You will not regret the read.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it for learning recursion and says they like it.",
          "audience": "Readers learning recursion.",
          "caveat": "It is a whole book on recursion.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414815,
          "author": "stevelosh",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T12:29:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414815",
          "commentText": "My vote goes for The Little Schemer.  It's short (but don't read it all in one sitting), entertaining, and will teach you some important concepts.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Little-Schemer-Daniel-P-Friedman/dp/02... (http://www.amazon.com/Little-Schemer-Daniel-P-Friedman/dp/0262560992/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1302092891&sr=8-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My vote goes for The Little Schemer. It's short (but don't read it all in one sitting), entertaining, and will teach you some important concepts.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as short and entertaining, and says it teaches important concepts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Suggests not reading it all in one sitting.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel P. Friedman, Matthias Felleisen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "functional programming",
        "recursion",
        "scheme"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-logic-of-failure-c0cf3b",
      "title": "The Logic of Failure",
      "author": "Dietrich Dörner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16296370,
          "author": "maroonblazer",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T05:41:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296370",
          "commentText": "\"The Logic of Failure\" by Dietrich Dorner. Sort of an applied \"Heuristics and Biases\".\n\"The Moral Animal\" by Robert Wright. It unlocked the reasons why my impulses and aspirations were at such odds.\n\"The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin\". Very practical advice for how to better oneself.\nCaveat: Reading them earlier is one thing. Appreciating them is another.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Logic of Failure\" by Dietrich Dorner. Sort of an applied \"Heuristics and Biases\".",
          "reason": "Lists it as a book they wish they had read earlier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12068574,
          "author": "mjklin",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T02:49:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12068574",
          "commentText": "Where I'm Reading From, by Tim Parks\nThe Inevitable, by Kevin Kelly\nIdeas that Changed the World, by Felipe Fernandez-Armesto\nA Reader's Manifesto, by B.R. Myers\nFramed!, by Hari Singh\nLeaves of Grass, by Walt Whitman\nWhy Education is Useless, by Daniel Cottom\nThe New Diary, by Tristine Rainer\nRaising a Happy, Unspoiled Child, by Burton White\nDo way, way more in WorkFlowy, by Frank Degenaar\nUnlearning the Basics, by R. Sativihari\nThe Devil's Pleasure Palace, by Michael Walsh\nThe Truth about Everything, by Matthew Stewart\nThe Big Questions, by Steven Landsburg\nThe Seven Mysteries of Life, by Guy Murchie\nThe Optimistic Child, by Martin Seligman\nSystemantics, by John Gall\nThe Scientists A Family Romance, by Marco Roth\nThe Logic Of Failure, by Dietrich Dorner\nOrganizing Creativity, by Daniel Wessel\nA Curious Mind, by Brian Grazer\nAppointment In Samarra, by John O'Hara",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Logic Of Failure, by Dietrich Dorner",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3278350,
          "author": "zb",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T21:54:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3278350",
          "commentText": "Dietrich Dörner, The Logic of Failure.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dietrich Dörner, The Logic of Failure.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dietrich Dörner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "decision making",
        "systems thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-long-dark-tea-time-of-the-soul-4778ef",
      "title": "The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul",
      "author": "Douglas Adams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467709,
          "author": "alanfalcon",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:53:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467709",
          "commentText": "I find myself re-listening to large portions of my audible library fairly often. I pick up so much more on additional read/listen-throughs.\nI listen to or read Snow Crash at least once a year. I just enjoy most everything about it. Anathem required a couple listens, and a third listen was just for comfort food.\nThe Altered Carbon trilogy has depth and sublime world-building that I have now enjoyed at least a half dozen times.\nI second mentions of Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (and will mention The Long, Dark Tea Time of the Soul as well).\nEnder’s Game is also comfort food for me.\nBreaking from the speculative fiction reco’s above...\nThe Power of Vulnerability (Brené Brown) is more lecture series than audiobook, but as for non fiction I’ve recently given multiple listens to, that tops the list.\nI borrowed “Landline” from the local library, read it twice and then bought it so I could continue to read it when I want to. I think I was in just the right age group and life situation for this novel to hit home for me. Your mileage may vary, but IMO read it without knowing anything about it in advance if you’re going to read it. That means don’t read the back cover etc.\n(Blind borrowing of books from the library is fun and can be eye opening, try it sometime! Most places, you can borrow eBooks and even digital audiobooks without even leaving your home as long as you have a library card.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Long, Dark Tea Time of the Soul as well",
          "reason": "The commenter adds this title to the recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85895,
          "author": "DarrenStuart",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T11:10:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85895",
          "commentText": "got to love Hitchhikers, I also enjoyed Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency and The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul by adams too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul by adams too.",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Adams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "absurdism",
        "comic mystery",
        "comic science fiction",
        "detective fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-long-earth-1e46fb",
      "title": "The Long Earth",
      "author": "Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49903001,
          "author": "patrickdavey",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T00:52:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49903001",
          "commentText": "Thanks for that.  Dune used to be my favourite sci-fi, but, The Expanse maybe trumps that now.  I'll definitely check these out once I finish The Long Earth :)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "once I finish The Long Earth",
          "reason": "Names the book they are currently reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7302029,
          "author": "dodders",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T01:07:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7302029",
          "commentText": "Lexicon - Max Barry.\nThe Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman.\nChannel Skin - Jeff Noon.\nThe Long Earth - Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter.\nThe Difference Engine - William Gibson.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Long Earth - Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter.",
          "reason": "Lists the title in response to a request for science-fiction book suggestions.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking science-fiction novels.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4967033,
          "author": "tessellated",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T20:31:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967033",
          "commentText": "\"The Long Earth\" - Stephen Baxter, Terry Pratchett",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Long Earth\" - Stephen Baxter, Terry Pratchett",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "parallel worlds",
        "co written fiction",
        "collaborative novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-lorax-ce0dc6",
      "title": "The Lorax",
      "author": "Dr. Seuss",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34634686,
          "author": "mixmastamyk",
          "createdAt": "2023-02-02T23:16:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 34634274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books your kids like most",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34634686",
          "commentText": "> rival the TV and YT junk\nCan't compete with these, nope.  Only way is to limit them a few hours a day or less.  The ability to relax and be bored is essential to support the desire to read.\nWe did it an hour before bed every night under warm lighting.  Loved Dr. Seuss' Cat in the Hat, The Lorax, Grinch, Oh, the Places You'll Go!\nEngelbreit's Mother Goose, Nursery Rhymes set.\nLoved The Police Cloud by Chris Neimann, and Little Owl Lost by Chris Haughton.\nWe liked The Giving Tree, but be prepared as it shows a dysfunctional relationship.  We took it as a \"teachable moment.\"\nAgree with those who say to go to the library for variety.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Lorax,",
          "reason": "Named among books loved during nightly reading.",
          "audience": "Young children.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33803362,
          "author": "Joel_Mckay",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T16:44:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33803362",
          "commentText": "\"The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics\" (Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, Alastair Smith)\n\"Outliers: The Story of Success\" (Malcolm Gladwell)\n\"Data-Driven Science and Engineering: Machine Learning, Dynamical Systems, and Control\" (Steven L. Brunton, J. Nathan Kutz)\n\"Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories\" (Dr. Seuss)\n\"The Lorax\" (Dr. Seuss)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Lorax\" (Dr. Seuss)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dr. Seuss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s stories",
        "environmental fiction",
        "environmental themes",
        "picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-lost-cause-0191da",
      "title": "The Lost Cause",
      "author": "Cory Doctorow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39249345,
          "author": "raybb",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T11:13:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249345",
          "commentText": "I just finished Cory Doctorow's The Lost Cause and wrote a short review [1]. I'm not a huge fiction person so maybe my standards are not so high but I found it quite inspiring and relevant to my current life. Grappling with feelings about climate change and housing shortages and how to use my skills to improve the world but also setting limits and enjoying life. Well... At least those are the things I felt in the book but maybe not really the main topic.\nCurrently reading Tomorrow Tomorrow Tomorrow which I like but I only started reading because I found a copy in a free pile.\nI'd like to read some nonfiction next and I think it'll be A City is Not a Tree by Christopher W. Alexander. I think it was recommended on HN recently but I'm also doing and Urban Studies master program so the urban things have been on my mind lately.\n[1] https://blog.rayberger.org/book-review-the-lost-cause",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I found it quite inspiring and relevant to my current life",
          "reason": "The commenter found it inspiring and relevant while thinking about climate change, housing, work, and enjoying life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is not a huge fiction reader and notes these may not be the book’s main topics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38251065,
          "author": "sircastor",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-13T15:12:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38251065",
          "commentText": "“The Lost Cause” by Cory Doctorow\nI got an early copy at a conference he keynoted at. I’m enjoying it quite lot.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“The Lost Cause” by Cory Doctorow\nI got an early copy at a conference he keynoted at. I’m enjoying it quite lot.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are enjoying it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter had an early copy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cory Doctorow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "climate fiction",
        "housing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-lost-world-64846a",
      "title": "The Lost World",
      "author": "Arthur Conan Doyle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40282954,
          "author": "HellDunkel",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T06:29:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40282954",
          "commentText": "The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38562494,
          "author": "rmk",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T22:08:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38562494",
          "commentText": "A few books I read this year (or perhaps late last year), and wholeheartedly recommend:\n- Typee: A peep at Polynesian Life by Herman Melville\n- Fatu-Hiva, Back to Nature by Thor Heyerdahl\n- The lost world: being an account of the recent amazing adventures of Professor E. Challenger, Lord John Roxton, Professor Summerlee and Mr Ed. Malone of the 'Daily Gazette'",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The lost world: being an account of the recent amazing adventures of Professor E. Challenger, Lord John Roxton, Professor Summerlee and Mr Ed. Malone",
          "reason": "Includes it among books read and wholeheartedly recommended.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur Conan Doyle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure fiction",
        "lost world",
        "professor challenger"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-machine-stops-1c02ff",
      "title": "The Machine Stops",
      "author": "E. M. Forster",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20918115,
          "author": "mirceal",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T13:49:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20918115",
          "commentText": "+1 for the machine stops. it’s happening right now",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for the machine stops. it’s happening right now",
          "reason": "Strongly seconds the recommendation and says the story feels relevant now.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056477,
          "author": "primitivesuave",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:03:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056477",
          "commentText": "There are some excellent books in this thread (makes sense that the HN community would know their sci fi) - a short story addition to the list is \"The Machine Stops\" by E. M. Forster. Totally changed my opinion technology's impact on the modern world.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The Machine Stops\" by E. M. Forster. Totally changed my opinion technology's impact on the modern world.",
          "reason": "The short story changed the commenter’s view of technology’s impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "E. M. Forster"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopia",
        "technological dependence",
        "technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-machinery-of-life-28eecc",
      "title": "The Machinery of Life",
      "author": "David S. Goodsell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43614414,
          "author": "shpx",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T18:25:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43614414",
          "commentText": "The Machinery of Life by David Goodsell. It's a short book with beautiful diagrams and explanations of microbiology.\nThe Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. Its thesis is that everything is built up of smaller things that are all trying to replicate or get replicated.\nPhilosophical Investigations by Ludwig Wittgenstein. I haven't read the book, but reading about the book's argument that language is a type of multiplayer game, along with the aforementioned ideas about things being built out of smaller things that are trying to replicate changed how seriously I take ideas in general. I'm not looking for a universal truth anymore, I'm watching different collections of ideas compete with each other based on how well they replicate and how well they compete once they've entered a brain.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Machinery of Life by David Goodsell. It's a short book with beautiful diagrams and explanations of microbiology.",
          "reason": "The commenter highlights its brief format, diagrams, and explanations of microbiology.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in microbiology.",
          "caveat": "Described as a short book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42272192,
          "author": "a_tartaruga",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T08:42:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42272192",
          "commentText": "^^ This book is the best\nI heard about it from the same HN post",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "^^ This book is the best\nI heard about it from the same HN post",
          "reason": "Calls the referenced book the best.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42271799,
          "author": "shpx",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T07:45:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42271799",
          "commentText": "The Machinery of Life by David S. Goodsell - it's a short microbiology book with paintings and renders of molecules and molecular processes. It's easy to read and imagining biology is straightforward when you can just see the molecules. I heard about it from https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40103590",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Machinery of Life by David S. Goodsell - it's a short microbiology book with paintings and renders of molecules and molecular processes. It's easy to read and imagining biology is straightforward when you can just see the molecules.",
          "reason": "Presents it as short and easy to read, with clear molecular illustrations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David S. Goodsell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "microbiology",
        "molecular biology",
        "scientific illustration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-magus-6711a1",
      "title": "The Magus",
      "author": "John Fowles",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23151565,
          "author": "picatycomb",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T08:01:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23151565",
          "commentText": "\"The Magus\" by John Fowles",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Magus\" by John Fowles",
          "reason": "Offered as a book suggestion in response to a request for mind-bending reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387610,
          "author": "macrael",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T00:02:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387610",
          "commentText": "East of Eden is my favorite book I've read in the last several years. Beautiful end to end and very moral. If you've read it it's totally worth reading Journal of a Novel: a collection of letters Steinbeck wrote to his editor every day as he was writing East of Eden. It's a fascinating window into the mind of a master deliberately creating a masterpiece.\nOther favorites: Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner, In Our Time by Hemingway, The Magus by John Fowles, 100 years of solitude, Moby Dick (perhaps a precursor to all modern fantasy?) Stranger in a Strange Land, and Infinite Jest. I've also loved both of DFW's big essay collections: Consider the Lobster and A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll never Do Again.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Magus by John Fowles",
          "reason": "Includes it among other favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Fowles"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "psychological fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-making-of-prince-of-persia-3cb2a2",
      "title": "The Making of Prince of Persia",
      "author": "Jordan Mechner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17236432,
          "author": "whitingx",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-05T10:41:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17236432",
          "commentText": "Recommendations in this area;\nBooks\n'The Making of Karateka' by Jordan Mechner \nhttp://amzn.eu/5iUrxxo\n'The Making of Prince of Persia' by Jordan Mechner \nhttp://amzn.eu/fJ0Nfr2\nDocumentaries\n'From Bedrooms to Billions'\nhttp://www.frombedroomstobillions.com/about-the-film\nhttps://www.imdb.com/title/tt2404567/\n'From Bedrooms to Billions: The Amiga Years!'\nhttp://www.frombedroomstobillions.com/amiga\nhttps://www.imdb.com/title/tt4603210/\nBlog Posts\nhttps://arstechnica.com/series/history-of-the-amiga/\nHope ^ these prove interesting, will update comment if I think of others ツ",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Making of Prince of Persia' by Jordan Mechner",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8257680,
          "author": "rtpg",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T14:17:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257680",
          "commentText": "Finished reading The Center Holds recently, which was a page-turner despite being pretty aware of the events (spoiler: Obama wins 2012).\nThere's a section about the Obama campaign's digital strategy which is interesting.\nAlso read Jordan Mechner's \"The Making of Prince of Persia\", which is snippets of his diary from working on the game. It's insanely interesting, very sad I couldn't read more from his life (especially the making of Last Express).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also read Jordan Mechner's \"The Making of Prince of Persia\", which is snippets of his diary from working on the game. It's insanely interesting",
          "reason": "Calls the diary excerpts from game development insanely interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jordan Mechner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "video game development",
        "development diaries",
        "game history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-man-who-was-thursday-f76bff",
      "title": "The Man Who Was Thursday",
      "author": "G. K. Chesterton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467840,
          "author": "starpilot",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T16:07:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467840",
          "commentText": "Anna Karenina, 3x in two translations\nSkunk Works\nIntelligent Investor\nMan Who Was Thursday",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Man Who Was Thursday",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter reread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22721667,
          "author": "sdegutis",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T19:09:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22721667",
          "commentText": "Someone I know really liked The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Someone I know really liked The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton.",
          "reason": "Reports that someone they know liked the book, without expressing their own endorsement.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026456,
          "author": "rjett",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T23:36:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026456",
          "commentText": "I'm a fan of reading biographies and Open, Andre Agassi's biography, was a very intriguing, enjoyable, and surprisingly well-written book.\nThe only other book I read this past year that stood out to me was GK Chesterton's The Man Who was Thursday. I thought this was a very well written allegorical spy novel that had some very quippy dialogue.\nNext on my reading list I would like to read some Vladimir Nabokov since I've never read any of his work. Has anyone else here read any of his books?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "GK Chesterton's The Man Who was Thursday. I thought this was a very well written allegorical spy novel",
          "reason": "Praises its writing, allegory, and dialogue.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "G. K. Chesterton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "allegorical novel",
        "allegory",
        "philosophical fiction",
        "philosophical thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-map-and-the-territory-8c9697",
      "title": "The Map and the Territory",
      "author": "Michel Houellebecq",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15631156,
          "author": "taway_1212",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T19:41:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15631156",
          "commentText": "\"The map and the territory\" by Michel Houellbecq. It's hauntingly beautiful depiction of life and loneliness of a man obsessive about his field of work - a visual art in his case, but I feel the book could just as well be about a working-from-home kernel hacker or SaaS bootstrapper.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The map and the territory\" by Michel Houellbecq. It's hauntingly beautiful depiction of life and loneliness",
          "reason": "Calls its depiction of life and loneliness hauntingly beautiful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6922501,
          "author": "lgieron",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-17T17:50:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 6921805,
          "threadTitle": "What book has inspired you the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6922501",
          "commentText": "Recently: \"The map and the territory\" by Michel Houellebecq. It's certainly not the kind of book that you'd think is inspiring in a literal way (ie. would make you want to go and achieve things etc.), but it's just such an extraordinary piece of literature that reading it shows how much a person (a writer in this case) is capable of when he applies himself.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's certainly not the kind of book that you'd think is inspiring in a literal way (ie. would make you want to go and achieve things etc.), but it's just such an extraordinary piece of literature",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it extraordinary literature and says reading it reveals what a writer can accomplish through application.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not inspiring in the literal sense of motivating action.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michel Houellebecq"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "art world",
        "contemporary french literature",
        "literary fiction",
        "loneliness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-master-switch-711abf",
      "title": "The Master Switch",
      "author": "Tim Wu",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37960155,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:07:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960155",
          "commentText": "* \"The Code Book\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book explores the history of codes and codebreaking. It traces the evolution of cryptography from ancient times to the digital age, detailing famous codebreakers, notorious codes, and the role of codes in wars and revolutions.\n* \"Warped Passages\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book guides readers through the world of particle physics and string theory. It discusses key theories, experiments, and concepts that have shaped our understanding of the fundamental structure of the universe.\n* \"A History of The Internet And the Digital Future\" by Johnny Ryan (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers a comprehensive history of the internet and looks forward to its future. It traces the development of the internet, exploring its impact on society and speculating on potential future developments.\n* \"The Master Switch\" by Tim Wu (1 mention)\n    * Summary: The Master Switch looks at the history of information technologies like telephone, radio, television, and the Internet to see how their development was shaped by businesses and government. The book discusses the cycle of open to closed systems in the context of the Internet.\n* \"The Realities of Work: Experiencing Work and Employment in Contemporary Society\" by Mike Noon and Paul Blyton (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Examines the nature of work, the variety of different jobs, and the skills they require. This book highlights the changes in the structures and cultures of work and analyses their impact on the working lives of employees.\n* \"The Ascent of Humanity: Civilization and the Human Sense of Self\" by Charles Eisenstein (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book explores the history and future of civilization from a unique perspective. It hypothesizes that human history is a story of the self's marginalization from nature and each other and proposes that mounting crises in the modern world will lead to an 'Age of Reunion' with a more connected sense of self.\n* \"Cosmos\" by Carl Sagan (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A guide to the universe beyond the Earth. Sagan explores the origins, scale, and future of the universe, offering insights into the nature of life and mankind's place in the cosmos. The book fosters an appreciation for the quest for knowledge for its own sake.\n* \"Women, fire, and dangerous things\" by Lakoff (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A scholarly book about human cognition and linguistic categorization. It posits that human categorization is not arbitrary, but is based on cognitive models that originate from physical, social, and mental experience. It argues against a classical categorization approach in favor of a prototype approach.\n* \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A series of philosophical reflections and exercises by the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. The book offers guidance and insights on matters such as resilience, rationality, morality, duty, and the temporal nature of human life, reflecting the Stoic philosophy that Aurelius practiced.\n* \"A History of the Internet and the Digital Future\" by Johnny Ryan (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers a comprehensive history of the internet and speculates about its future. It discusses the various technological and social transformations that have accompanied the rise of the internet, as well as the implications these changes may have for the future.\n* \"The Master Switch\" by Tim Wu (1 mention)\n    * Summary: The book examines the history of information, communications and technology industries in the United States. Wu explores how the control of these industries has shifted from an open to a closed system, stifling innovation and threatening net neutrality.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"The Master Switch\" by Tim Wu (1 mention)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37940825,
          "author": "thefz",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T10:19:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37940825",
          "commentText": "A History of The Internet And the Digital Future - Johnny Ryan\nThe Master Switch - Tim Wu",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Master Switch - Tim Wu",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1974323,
          "author": "yewweitan",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T07:14:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974323",
          "commentText": "'The Master Switch' by Tim Wu, because it gave me an added perspective on how History shapes present Information Empires",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Master Switch' by Tim Wu, because it gave me an added perspective on how History shapes present Information Empires",
          "reason": "Says it added perspective on how history shapes present-day information empires.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tim Wu"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "communications",
        "media history",
        "information empires",
        "media industries"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-master-and-his-emissary-0d82b4",
      "title": "The Master and His Emissary",
      "author": "Iain McGilchrist",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40889507,
          "author": "nataliste",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-06T10:32:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40889507",
          "commentText": "Here are some books that pop bubbles, but must be read with humility to avoid becoming its own new bubble, as the world is complex and contains contradictions:\nHoward Zinn's People's History of the United States\nJared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel\nMichael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma\nAyn Rand's the Fountainhead\nThomas Sowell's Basic Economics\nJulian Jaynes's the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind\nIain McGilchrist's the Master and his Emmisary\nVarlam Sharlamov's the Kolyma Tales\nJacques Ellul's Propaganda: the Formation of Men's Attitudes (or alternatively Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Iain McGilchrist's the Master and his Emmisary",
          "reason": "Listed as a book that pops bubbles.",
          "audience": "Readers who want their assumptions challenged.",
          "caveat": "Read with humility; the world is complex and contains contradictions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17522407,
          "author": "mvleming",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T12:40:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17522407",
          "commentText": "Check out the Unfolding of Language if you're interest in the Language Instinct. Also Elephant in the Room made me think of the Master and his Emissary, very interesting book, check that one out too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "very interesting book, check that one out too.",
          "reason": "Calls it very interesting and recommends checking it out.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Iain McGilchrist"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hemispheric theory",
        "cognition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mathematical-experience-1f2eb3",
      "title": "The Mathematical Experience",
      "author": "Philip J. Davis and Reuben Hersh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34441038,
          "author": "mrazomor",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T15:04:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34441038",
          "commentText": "The Mathematical Experience -- https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1113522.The_Mathematical... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1113522.The_Mathematical_Experience)\nIt's touching many areas. For some it explains how they were developed or the controversy around them (e.g. the definition and use of infinity).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mathematical Experience",
          "reason": "The commenter says it covers many areas, including their development and controversies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 755766,
          "author": "billswift",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T17:32:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755766",
          "commentText": "If you want to DO math, nothing beats working through a decent textbook.  I have worked through several since I'm approaching 50 and don't use math enough to keep my skills up (and like any skill, you have to keep practicing to stay decently competent in math).  The best Precalculus textbook I have used is Swokowski's \"Algebra and Trigonometry with Analytic Geometry\" which is clear, concise, and has lots of problems.\nIf you want to learn ABOUT math, Davis and Hersch's \"The Mathematical Experience\" is a fairly easy read about philosophy of math, how it is used, and a bit about studying math.\nEric Temple Bell's \"Mathematics: Queen and Servant of Science\" is a bit dated but an excellent history of math for someone interested in learning to do advanced math; the author's a bit biased towards algebra over analysis, number theory, and geometry, but not excessively so.  Its biggest lack is only one short chapter on probability and statistics.  This is not a particularly easy read since it covers things in some depth, but I think it is worth the effort.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Davis and Hersch's \"The Mathematical Experience\" is a fairly easy read about philosophy of math, how it is used, and a bit about studying math.",
          "reason": "Presented as an accessible book for learning about mathematics.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the philosophy and practice of mathematics.",
          "caveat": "Described as covering only a bit about studying math.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip J. Davis",
        "Reuben Hersh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Philosophy",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "philosophy of mathematics",
        "mathematical history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mating-mind-f70b88",
      "title": "The Mating Mind",
      "author": "Geoffrey Miller",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10325295,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T20:47:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325295",
          "commentText": "http://jakeseliger.com/2010/03/22/influential-books-on-me-that-is\n\nSome good stuff there indeed.  The Game, Predictably Irrational, The Mating Mind, and Lord of the Rings stand out to me as excellent suggestions.  I'm just now starting book 12 of Jordan's Wheel of Time series, and while I've enjoyed it so far, I'm not sure I'd cite it as \"thought provoking\".  Entertaining, yes, and certainly worth reading, but the series doesn't stand out to me in that way.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Game, Predictably Irrational, The Mating Mind, and Lord of the Rings stand out to me as excellent suggestions.",
          "reason": "Calls it an excellent suggestion from the linked list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6333864,
          "author": "PeterWhittaker",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-05T13:05:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 6329955,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which two books were the most influential on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6333864",
          "commentText": "Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman. Should be read by all who wonder how our minds work - and how much happens \"behind the scenes\", \"under the covers\".\nDarwin's Dangerous Idea, by Daniel Dennett. Should be read by all curious to know the full implications of mechanistic evolution (hint: think about what came before life).\nThe Mating Mind, by Geoffrey Miller. Must-read for anyone in marketing, or anyone wondering why the other guy got laid and you didn't.\nGuns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, by Jared Diamond. Why are we rich and they poor? Why so few domesticated African animals? Why one big China and a many-state Europe?\nThe Laughter of Triumph: William Hone and the Fight for the Free Press, by Ben Wilson. Great read about an early 19th C. struggle against unjust laws used to gag journalism. Relevant in today's age of bloggers, etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Must-read for anyone in marketing",
          "reason": "Calls it a must-read for people in marketing and those curious about sexual attraction.",
          "audience": "People in marketing and readers curious about attraction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Geoffrey Miller"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolutionary psychology",
        "sexual selection"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mayor-of-casterbridge-6082b5",
      "title": "The Mayor of Casterbridge",
      "author": "Thomas Hardy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41240816,
          "author": "bikenaga",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-13T23:14:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41240816",
          "commentText": "Someone else mentioned Thomas Hardy's \"The Mayor of Casterbirdge\". It's the one of his 5 major novels I haven't read. \"Far From the Madding Crowd\" and \"Return of the Native\" are okay, but the two that really are magnificent are:\n\"Jude the Obscure\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/153\n\"Tess of the D'Urbervilles\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/110\nYou can sense his fury at the society he was depicting. You might not want to read either of these, particularly \"Tess\", if you're prone to depression.\nFrederick Jackson Turner, \"The Frontier in American History\" (1921) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/22994\nThis collection leads off with Turner's essay \"The Significance of the Frontier in American History\" (1893). It's considered by some the most influential historical essay about America ever written. Historians went back and forth on his claims for decades, and people pointed out many issues with them. It seems like the critics predominate now. But it's still worth reading, particularly since (right or wrong) his ideas influenced the way we think of ourselves. Turner was a very good writer - he was a noted orator, and his essays have an oratorical quality - and the other essays in the collection are pretty good, too.\nOwen Wister, \"The Virginian\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1298\nZane Grey, \"Riders of the Purple Sage\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1300\nAnd the sequel: \"The Rainbow Trail\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/5067\n\"The Virginian\" (1902) and \"Riders\" (1912) established many of the themes and tropes for the \"standard\" western, and they're still fun to read. But the genre comprises many other kinds of writing - e.g. A. B. Guthrie, Elmer Kelton, and the next writer.\nWilla Cather's novels:\nThe \"plains trilogy\" (the stories are set in Nebraska and Colorado, but otherwise unrelated):\n\"O Pioneers!\" (1913) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/24\n\"The Song of the Lark\" (1915) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/44\n\"My Ántonia\" (1918) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19810\nAnd not quite a hundred years ago, but a wonderful novel:\n\"Death Comes for the Archbishop\" (1927) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/69730\nA few brief mentions: James Joyce's \"Ulysses\", though I had a tough time getting through it; some of Nathaniel Hawthorne's short stories (e.g. \"The Minister's Black Veil\"); \"Njal's Saga\" (I liked the Penguin edition with the translation by Magnusson and Pallson); the great works of classic fantasy (Lord Dunsany, E. R. Eddison, William Morris, Arthur Machen); the essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Someone else mentioned Thomas Hardy's \"The Mayor of Casterbirdge\".",
          "reason": "Names it as a major novel Hardy wrote.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41239414,
          "author": "ZeroGravitas",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-13T20:25:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41239414",
          "commentText": "The Mayor of Casterbridge: The Life and Death of a Man of Character by Thomas Hardy (1886)\nhttps://standardebooks.org/ebooks/thomas-hardy/the-mayor-of-... (https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/thomas-hardy/the-mayor-of-casterbridge)\nI notice from that link it was on a top 100 Great British novels list.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mayor of Casterbridge: The Life and Death of a Man of Character by Thomas Hardy (1886)",
          "reason": "Named as a favorite classic in response to the request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20916658,
          "author": "louhike",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T09:49:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20916658",
          "commentText": "The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy, my favorite book of all time.\nI loved the characters, how they evolved and their relations with them. A weak character will through years become successful while another character they admired will fail miserably.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy, my favorite book of all time.\nI loved the characters, how they evolved and their relations with them.",
          "reason": "Calls it their favorite book and praises its characters and their development.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Hardy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "british literature",
        "character development",
        "english literature",
        "victorian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-message-1a9731",
      "title": "The Message",
      "author": "Ta-Nehisi Coates",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268867,
          "author": "fredoliveira",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:08:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268867",
          "commentText": "Read a lot this year — a lot more than most years. A few highlights:\nThe making of the atomic bomb by Richard Rhodes was probably the best of the bunch. I read it because I see some parallels between the discovery of atomic power and the search for AGI, and wanted an insight on the ethics and decision making of the time. It didn't disappoint.\nThe dawn of everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow was a solid read and retelling of how civilization began and evolved.\nThe message by Ta-Nehisi Coates, I read in two sittings — it was that impactful. A reminder of how the oppressed becomes the oppressor again and again. \"As it happens, you can See the world but never see the people in it\"\nOther highlights: The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt; re-read Thinking in Systems by Daniella Meadows; re-read Wherever You Go There You Are by Jon Kabat Zinn; The light eaters by Zoe Schlanger; I don't want to talk about it, by Terrence Real.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The message by Ta-Nehisi Coates, I read in two sittings — it was that impactful.",
          "reason": "Says it was impactful enough to read in two sittings.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42221120,
          "author": "foogazi",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T14:38:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42221120",
          "commentText": "The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates\nI liked how it connected dis-connected stories and extracts a truth or message from observing each situation",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates",
          "reason": "Likes how it connects distinct stories to draw out a message.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ta-Nehisi Coates"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Society",
        "Biography",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "essays",
        "race",
        "race and culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mezzanine-908292",
      "title": "The Mezzanine",
      "author": "Nicholson Baker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13238048,
          "author": "thisisforyou",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T15:53:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238048",
          "commentText": "The Complete Fiction -Lovecraft, H.P.\nPilgrim at Tinker Creek -Dillard, Annie\nThe Fractalist: Memoir of a Scientific Maverick -Mandelbrot, Benoît B.\nAncient Sorceries and Other Weird Stories -Blackwood, Algernon\nFlow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience -Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly\nDeath in Venice -Mann, Thomas\nWhites -Rush, Norman\nThe Room -Selby Jr., Hubert\nBook of Numbers -Cohen, Joshua\nMaggot: Poems -Muldoon, Paul\nThe Peasant in Nineteenth-Century Russia -Vucinich, Wayne S.\nThe Mezzanine -Baker, Nicholson\nThe Museum of Unconditional Surrender -Ugrešić, Dubravka\nWhat Is Life? with Mind and Matter and Autobiographical Sketches -Schrödinger, Erwin\nDictionary of the Khazars -Pavić, Milorad\nHonored Guest -Williams, Joy\nMartyrs and Miracles -Trickey-Bapty, Carolyn\nNoa Noa -Gauguin, Paul\nTheir Eyes Were Watching God -Hurston, Zora Neale\nOrdeal by Hunger: The Story of the Donner Party -Stewart, George R.\nMoby-Dick; or, The Whale -Melville, Herman\nEileen -Moshfegh, Ottessa\nHaute Surveillance -Göransson, Johannes\nMazes and Labyrinths: Their History and Development -Matthews, W.H.\nA Higher Form of Killing: The Secret History of Chemical and Biological Warfare -Harris, Robert\nOur Lady of the Flowers -Genet, Jean\n*The House of the Dead -Dostoyevsky, Fyodor\nCurrent: \nBlack Swan, Nassim Taleb",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Mezzanine -Baker, Nicholson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10207619,
          "author": "zachrose",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T08:42:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10207619",
          "commentText": "The Mezzanine by Nicholson Baker\nA man goes out to buy shoelaces and a cookie during his lunch break, but the story is packed with insane levels of detail about the objects around us and the narrator's imagination about how those details came to be.\nOne such detail: the way a plastic straw will float in a can of soda until it's horizontal, but sometimes the microscopic burrs in the pull-tab opening will dig into the straw and keep it from doing that.\n(Baker is a much more entertaining writer than I am.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mezzanine by Nicholson Baker",
          "reason": "Its detailed observations of everyday objects and the narrator’s imagination about their origins are highlighted.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5000486,
          "author": "yolesaber",
          "createdAt": "2013-01-03T01:14:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 5000101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5000486",
          "commentText": "I would heartily recommend \"The Mezzanine\" by Nicholson Baker. It is an excellent written account of an unnamed mid-level corporate employee riding the escalator to his office after getting some lunch. The large majority of the novel is set inside his thoughts as his ruminates over the minutiae of everyday life.\nWhat makes the book so brilliant is that Baker has an incredibly inquisitive mind. Ordinary things like straws or shoelaces become the subject of several pages worth of digression on manufacturing processes, design decisions, economics, human relationships, and so on and so forth. He is really able to look at devices that we take for granted and explore the history behind them and what makes them so interesting yet so forgettable despite being ubiquitous.\nIt is a beautiful book and splendidly written. I read it in one sitting I was so captivated by it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would heartily recommend \"The Mezzanine\" by Nicholson Baker.",
          "reason": "Praised for its inquisitive digressions into ordinary objects and its exploration of their histories and contexts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nicholson Baker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "everyday life",
        "interior monologue",
        "literary fiction",
        "stream of consciousness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-midnight-library-6aa17c",
      "title": "The Midnight Library",
      "author": "Matt Haig",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40466264,
          "author": "biinui",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-24T13:51:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40466264",
          "commentText": "The Midnight Library. It helped me process my regrets. And frame my mind to do my best with the life that I have now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Midnight Library. It helped me process my regrets.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book helped them process regrets and focus on doing their best with their current life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29669795,
          "author": "icosahedron",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T03:27:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29669795",
          "commentText": "I didn't read as much as I normally do, mostly due to school, but I really enjoyed \"The Midnight Library\" and \"Recursion\" for fiction.\nI am mostly done with Antifragile, and it's pulling me between political and philosophical sides.  Don't know which side I'll land on, or how long I'll stay there.\nAs a side note, I've found \"Deep Learning: A Visual Approach\" to be very instructive.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed \"The Midnight Library\" and \"Recursion\" for fiction.",
          "reason": "Says they really enjoyed it as fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matt Haig"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternate lives",
        "regret"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-millionaire-fastlane-047e75",
      "title": "The Millionaire Fastlane",
      "author": "MJ DeMarco",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32944951,
          "author": "Matake007",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T21:37:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32944951",
          "commentText": "The Millionaire Fastlane - MJ DeMarco\n12 Rules for Life - Jordan Peterson\nThe Carnivore Diet - Paul Saladino\nThe 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen Covey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Millionaire Fastlane - MJ DeMarco",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4477513,
          "author": "vermasque",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-05T01:51:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 4476107,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN : What are some great books an aspiring entrepreneur should read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4477513",
          "commentText": "MJ DeMarco:  The Millionaire Fastlane\nRegardless of what you read, you'll prove that you learned something if you do something with this stuff beyond reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "MJ DeMarco:  The Millionaire Fastlane",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for books aspiring entrepreneurs should read.",
          "audience": "Aspiring entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "MJ DeMarco"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "personal finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-millionaire-mind-d503b5",
      "title": "The Millionaire Mind",
      "author": "Thomas J. Stanley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1971251,
          "author": "loganfrederick",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T08:41:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971251",
          "commentText": "+ Hacker Ethic by Steven Levy\n+ Masters of Doom by David Kushner\n+ The Millionaire Mind by Dr. Thomas Stanley\n+ The Intelligent Investor by Ben Graham\n+ The Essays of Warren Buffet by Lawrence Cunningham\n+ Buffet by Roger Lowenstein\n+ The Knack by Norm Brodsky\n+ Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar by Thomas Cathcart, Daniel Klein\n+ The Return of the Great Depression by Vox Day\n+ Capitalism and Freedom by Milton Friedman\n+ Road to Serfdom by Hayek\n+ Iacocca:An Autobiography by Lee Iacocca",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Millionaire Mind by Dr. Thomas Stanley",
          "reason": "Listed as a book to give the commenter's younger self.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 687245,
          "author": "agotterer",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-04T16:07:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 687066,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on getting rich?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=687245",
          "commentText": "Check out \"The Millionaire Mind\" and \"The Millionaire Next Door\". The book isn't really about how to become rich. More about the mind set a millionaire has to get rich and stay rich.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Millionaire-Mind-Thomas-J-Stanley/dp/0... (http://www.amazon.com/Millionaire-Mind-Thomas-J-Stanley/dp/0740703579)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Millionaire-Next-Door-Thomas-Stanley/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Millionaire-Next-Door-Thomas-Stanley/dp/0671015206)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Check out \"The Millionaire Mind\"",
          "reason": "Recommended in response to a request for favorite books on getting rich.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the mindset associated with becoming and staying wealthy.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the book is more about millionaire mindset than how to become rich.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas J. Stanley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "millionaires",
        "wealth mindset",
        "wealth psychology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mind-illuminated-241435",
      "title": "The Mind Illuminated",
      "author": "Culadasa (John Yates), Matthew Immergut, and Jeremy Graves",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30738371,
          "author": "sk1pper",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T23:06:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30738371",
          "commentText": "A great counterpart to this book might be Everyday Zen by Charlotte Joko Beck. The Mind Illuminated is a technical manual for meditation practice; Everyday Zen is more about how to think of the rest of your life while you’re not meditating as practice. (It’s not much about Zen specifically either; it’s author just happened to be a practitioner of Zen.)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Mind Illuminated is a technical manual for meditation practice",
          "reason": "Described as a technical manual for meditation practice.",
          "audience": "People practicing meditation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17922864,
          "author": "rickitan",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-05T23:53:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17922864",
          "commentText": "Very interesting that you point to a Meditation book (The Mind Illuminated) and a Stoic book (A Guide to the Good Life).\nI've read both, and I like both philosophies. While they both share similarities (non attachment, living in the present), it seems that in Vipasana you wouldn't try to get rid of a bad thouhgt by using your rationality. You would just observe it.\nWhile Stoicism demands engaging rationality to overcome the emotion or bad thought.\nHave you thought on how to reconcile the two? This is something I've been pondering for a while.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I've read both, and I like both philosophies.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they like the philosophy associated with the book, without evaluating the book itself.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910365,
          "author": "burke",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:39:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910365",
          "commentText": "In no particular order:\n• Sapiens\n• Thinking Fast and Slow\n• The Mind Illuminated\n• A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "• The Mind Illuminated",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for favorite nonfiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17523282,
          "author": "jackstraw14",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T14:37:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17523282",
          "commentText": "Yes, pick this one up. The Mind Illuminated is also a good one.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mind Illuminated is also a good one.",
          "reason": "Described as another good book in the meditation context.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Culadasa (John Yates)",
        "Matthew Immergut",
        "Jeremy Graves"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "meditation",
        "buddhism",
        "mindfulness",
        "practice manual"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mind-s-i-c5cdc9",
      "title": "The Mind's I",
      "author": "Douglas Hofstadter and Daniel C. Dennett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15630677,
          "author": "wensheng",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T18:08:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630677",
          "commentText": "In my youth, my favorite book is The Count of Monte Cristo, in college it is The Mind's I by Hofstadter and Dennett.  (Actually for both I read their Chinese translations as I was in China).  \nMy favorite English book is The Fall of Hyperion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "in college it is The Mind's I by Hofstadter and Dennett.",
          "reason": "Names it as a favorite from college.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter read the Chinese translation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14479304,
          "author": "radicality",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-04T00:41:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14479304",
          "commentText": "Isn't that mostly a book of math problems? I've read some of his other books (GEB, The Mind's I, I'm a Strange Loop) - how does it compare to those?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I've read some of his other books (GEB, The Mind's I, I'm a Strange Loop)",
          "reason": "The commenter lists it among books they have read while asking how another title compares.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85889,
          "author": "jsomers",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T10:32:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85889",
          "commentText": "Godel, Escher, Bach (An Eternal Golden Braid) by Douglas Hofstadter. Also, The Mind's I (more philosophical) edited by the same guy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mind's I (more philosophical) edited by the same guy.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "For readers interested in a more philosophical book.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Hofstadter and Daniel C. Dennett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consciousness",
        "mind",
        "mind and identity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mindbody-prescription-850d7c",
      "title": "The Mindbody Prescription",
      "author": "John E. Sarno",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19088692,
          "author": "MikeCapone",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T19:15:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19088692",
          "commentText": "So many, and I wish I could write a long paragraph on each, but I'm unfortunately short on time. I'm posting any in case just one person who hasn't heard of those checks them out and gets value:\n-Godel, Escher, Bach (Douglas Hosfstadter)\n-The Mindbody Prescription (John E. Sarno, completely cured my long-term crippling RSI that kept me from using computers and was ruining my life)\n-Feeling Good (Dr. Burns, cognitive therapy mostly centered on depression, but I want to learn about this before I have depression so that I can avoid it and do 'maintenance' on myself)\n-The 5 Love Languages (Gary Chapman, made me understand a lot more about how people express and receive love, and the problems that arise from mismatched languages in relationships)\n-Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman (you guys probably already know this)\n-The Blank Slate (Steven Pinker)\n-The Snowball (Warren Buffett biography)\n-Influence (Robert B. Cialdini)\n-Your Money or Your Life (Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin)\n-When Heaven and Earth Changed Places: A Vietnamese Woman's Journey from War to Peace (Le Ly Hayslip)\n-The Halo Effect (Phil Rosenzweig)\n-The LessWrong.com sequences on rationality",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-The Mindbody Prescription (John E. Sarno, completely cured my long-term crippling RSI that kept me from using computers and was ruining my life)",
          "reason": "The commenter credits the book with curing their long-term RSI.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The reported cure is the commenter’s personal experience.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7005368,
          "author": "user_235711",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-03T13:50:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 7001282,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7005368",
          "commentText": "Universe by Freedman and Kaufmann\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Universe-Roger-Freedman/dp/142923153X\nExistentialism from Dostoevsky to Sartre\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Existentialism-Dostoevsky-Sartre-Revis... (http://www.amazon.com/Existentialism-Dostoevsky-Sartre-Revised-Expanded/dp/0452009308/)\nA Kierkegaard Anthology\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Kierkegaard-Anthology-Soren/dp/0691019... (http://www.amazon.com/Kierkegaard-Anthology-Soren/dp/0691019789/)\nParty of One: The Loner's Manifesto by Anneli Rufus\nhttp://www.annelirufus.com/partyofone/\nThe Mindbody Prescription by John E. Sarno\nhttp://www.amazon.com/The-Mindbody-Prescription-Healing-Body... (http://www.amazon.com/The-Mindbody-Prescription-Healing-Body/dp/0446675156/)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Mindbody Prescription by John E. Sarno",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6332302,
          "author": "shreyas-satish",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-05T05:16:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 6329955,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which two books were the most influential on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6332302",
          "commentText": "1. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (No pun intended).\nThis book really turned my head around and made me realize how there are people (especially ones in the Sales & Marketing realm) out there waiting to sneak one past you. Don't be surprised (not if you can help it), if while reading the book you go \"Oh my, someone actually used that trick on me!\".\n2. The Mindbody Prescription\nI understand that some people are skeptical about the theory (TMS) that Dr John Sarno proposes (I was too at first). I'm no neuro-scientist to attest anything in the book, but empirical evidence (experiences of mine and a few others even on HN) seems to suggest the possibility of Dr Sarno getting it right. Anyway, it seemed to help me overcome a problem I had with my wrists and I'm thankful.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Anyway, it seemed to help me overcome a problem I had with my wrists",
          "reason": "The commenter says it seemed to help with a wrist problem.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes skepticism about the theory and says they cannot attest to its validity.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John E. Sarno"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mind body medicine",
        "chronic pain",
        "rsi"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-minto-pyramid-principle-38e02b",
      "title": "The Minto Pyramid Principle",
      "author": "Barbara Minto",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35169292,
          "author": "sotu",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T14:57:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35169292",
          "commentText": "Atlas shrugged, Minto Pyramid Principle, Nail it then Scale it",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Minto Pyramid Principle",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32344799,
          "author": "Denzel",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-04T16:12:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32344799",
          "commentText": "The Minto Pyramid Principle is what you're looking for - https://www.amazon.com/NEW-Pyramid-Principle-Writing-Thinkin... (https://www.amazon.com/NEW-Pyramid-Principle-Writing-Thinking/dp/B09W2VPVJX/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=). A timeless book on how to structure writing. Once you understand it, you'll start to notice applications of the book out in the wild. You'll also start to loathe writing that isn't structured as such because it's needlessly tedious and more difficult to understand.\nThe Minto Pyramid Principle is heavily used and recommended within Amazon, a company famous for their culture of written narratives.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Minto Pyramid Principle is what you're looking for",
          "reason": "Recommended as a way to structure writing.",
          "audience": "People seeking to improve technical writing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Barbara Minto"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business communication",
        "structured communication",
        "structured writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-monk-who-sold-his-ferrari-7ee20f",
      "title": "The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari",
      "author": "Robin Sharma",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17046256,
          "author": "godelmachine",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T10:55:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17046256",
          "commentText": "1) All of Robin Sharma's books - especially The Monk who sold his Ferrari\n2) The Conquest of Happiness by Bertrand Russell\n3) Self Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson\n4) The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius\n5) Barking up the wrong tree by Eric Barker\n6) This might be strange - but Harry Potter series also teach us a lot, especially about Courage and Conviction.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All of Robin Sharma's books - especially The Monk who sold his Ferrari",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for introspective book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12103556,
          "author": "vram22",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T20:20:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12103556",
          "commentText": "Robin Sharma's \"The Monk who sold his Ferrari\" is a good one. So is his \"Who Will Cry When You Die?\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Monk who sold his Ferrari\" is a good one.",
          "reason": "Calls it a good book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robin Sharma"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self help",
        "personal growth",
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-moral-landscape-61a332",
      "title": "The Moral Landscape",
      "author": "Sam Harris",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42967215,
          "author": "DataDaoDe",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-06T22:37:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42967215",
          "commentText": "The Old Man and the sea - Hemmingway - so many things, with every reread I find something new.\nThe Heart of the Buddhas Teaching - Thich Nhat Hanh, useful prayers, concepts for understanding and dealing with life and a moral compass for going through it.\nThe Way of Zen - Alan Watts, opened my eyes to different forms of religious experience\nAlso a lot of psychology and philosophy books in undergrad were foundational to my thinking. The Moral Animal, the Moral Landscape, The Blank Slate, The Republic and Plato’s writings on Socrates, Tao te Ching, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, the Tanakh and parts of the Talmud, but many of these were more academic, still holistically they have shaped my thinking and moral compass.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Moral Landscape",
          "reason": "Lists it among books and writings that shaped their thinking and moral compass.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Grouped with academic works.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10766367,
          "author": "adomanico",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T07:19:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10766367",
          "commentText": "The Moral Landscape - Sam Harris\nRiver Out of Eden - Richard Dawkins\nThe God Delusion - Richard Dawkins",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Moral Landscape - Sam Harris",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that affected the reader's thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sam Harris"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "moral philosophy",
        "neuroscience",
        "science and morality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-murder-of-roger-ackroyd-7fe463",
      "title": "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd",
      "author": "Agatha Christie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39249377,
          "author": "jascination",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T11:19:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249377",
          "commentText": "For whatever reason I've suddenly gotten deep into murder mystery books. In the last 3 weeks I've read a bunch of Agatha Christie classics:\n- The Murder of Roger Ackroyd\n- And then there were none\n- Evil under the sun\nAll brilliant in their own right but the first is a masterpiece. Don't google any of these because spoilers come up, but I've had a lot more fun and been a lot more active reading than I have in years.\nLast year I read two books, this year I've read 3 books in January and have thoroughly enjoyed it way more than my usual nights of watching Netflix.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the first is a masterpiece",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a masterpiece.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter warns that online searches may reveal spoilers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15642103,
          "author": "tcx",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-07T10:00:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15642103",
          "commentText": "Jared Diamond - \"Collapse: how societies choose to fail or succeed\" (non-fiction)\nIván Repila - \"The Boy Who Stole Attila’s Horse\": short intense novel about 2 boys who are trapped in a well\nMargaret Atwood - \"The handmaid's tale\"\nKhaled Hosseini - \"The kite runner\"\nAgatha Christie - \"The murder of Roger Ackroyd\" (very surprising plot)\nAndy Weir - \"The Martian\"\nCharles Dickens - \"David Copperfield\"\nClare Mackintosh - \"I let you go\"\nCarlos Ruiz Zafón - \"The Shadow of the Wind\"\nM.R. Carey - \"The girl with all the gifts\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Agatha Christie - \"The murder of Roger Ackroyd\" (very surprising plot)",
          "reason": "Notes that the plot is very surprising.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Agatha Christie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "detective fiction",
        "mystery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-music-of-the-primes-a89846",
      "title": "The Music of the Primes",
      "author": "Marcus du Sautoy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30489270,
          "author": "evacchi",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T15:25:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30489270",
          "commentText": "\"The Music of the Primes\" by Marcus du Sautoy, about history of prime number theory and the Riemann hypothesis. Beautiful and inspiring.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Music of the Primes\" by Marcus du Sautoy, about history of prime number theory and the Riemann hypothesis. Beautiful and inspiring.",
          "reason": "Describes the book as beautiful and inspiring, covering prime number theory and the Riemann hypothesis.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13237838,
          "author": "satyajitranjeev",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T15:30:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237838",
          "commentText": "Things I completed:\n1. Elon Musk: Inventing the Future\n2. The Code Book - Simon Singh\n3. Fermat's Enigma - Simon Singh\n4. Deep Work - Cal Newport\n5. Smarter Faster Better - Charles Duhigg\n6. 1984\n7. So good they can't ignore you - Cal Newport\n8. Distributed Systems for fun and profit\n9. Classic Shell Scripting\nThings I partially read and hope to complete some time:\n1. The music of Primes\n2. Traction\n3. Founders at work\n4. Your Memory: How it works and how to improve it\nThings I would recommend:\nFermat's Enigma and The Code Book are very interesting reads if you are into Mathematics. They are both written very well and you don't need to know too much of Mathematics to understand it. On the other hand The Music of Primes started of very interesting and then got a bit too heavy for an evening read. If you can chug along I think it would be a good one too.\nOf all the self help books I mentioned I think Duhiggs Smarter, faster better is the one that stands out. It is more of an analysis of various teams and people and how they got to work efficiently.\nFounders at work is a long read but something that you can read a chapter independently and that's why it is under half read but definitely something to look at.\n[EDIT: formatting]",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Music of Primes started of very interesting and then got a bit too heavy for an evening read. If you can chug along I think it would be a good one too.",
          "reason": "Initially engaging account that the commenter thinks is worthwhile if readers persist through the heavier parts.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in mathematics and prime numbers.",
          "caveat": "It becomes too heavy for casual evening reading, according to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marcus du Sautoy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "prime numbers",
        "number theory",
        "riemann hypothesis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mysterious-stranger-9cf71f",
      "title": "The Mysterious Stranger",
      "author": "Mark Twain",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46397578,
          "author": "Barrin92",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T23:39:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46397578",
          "commentText": "Among non-fiction what stood out to me was David Bentley Hart's All Things are Full of Gods, great book also very fun to read written as a Platonic dialogue. To me one of the most compelling theologians today.\nBruno Maçães, World Builders. Good book on the impact of technology in geopolitics has been consistently interesting.\nAmong fiction re-read a lot of Lovecraft, noticed that I like the Dream Quest stories more than the horror these days which surprised me. But they're more compelling to me now because of how much you can see Lovecraft as a person in them.\nThe last three Dune books. Liked the last two about the Bene Gesserit a lot, was surprised how much I disliked God Emperor given the praise it gets, but it honestly reads like Frank Herbert posting twitter hot takes as a worm with no story\nMark Twain, The Mysterious Stranger. Among the best novellas I've ever read, very different in tone from most of his books.\nShūsaku Endō, Silence. Book about a Jesuit mission in early Edo Japan. My favorite Japanese book in a long time.\nAmong technical books, re-read The Mythical Man Month, probably more relevant than it ever was in an age of artifical man-hours added to projects. Robert Seacord Effective C, after not having written C in a long time. Really good intermediate level book for modern C. Also making my way through The Little Schemer as a replacement for advent of code in the second half of the month this year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mark Twain, The Mysterious Stranger. Among the best novellas I've ever read, very different in tone from most of his books.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of the best novellas they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes its tone differs from most of Twain's books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10207264,
          "author": "mmonihan",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T04:51:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10207264",
          "commentText": "Believe it or not: Slaughterhouse V by Kurt Vonnegut and No. 44 The Mysterious Stranger by Mark Twain. The first for the idea of being \"unstuck\" in time, and the second for introducing the concept of nihilism.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "No. 44 The Mysterious Stranger by Mark Twain",
          "reason": "Introduces the concept of nihilism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Twain"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american literature",
        "nihilism",
        "novella"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-myth-of-the-machine-c2d136",
      "title": "The Myth of the Machine",
      "author": "Lewis Mumford",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42965389,
          "author": "k310",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-06T19:01:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42965389",
          "commentText": "Walden, by Thoreau\nThe Myth of the Machine, by Lewis Mumford\nCloud Hidden, by Alan Watts\nComputer Lib/Dream Machines, by Ted Nelson (Technology purpose and arrow)\nThe Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, by William L. Shirer\nSmall is Beautiful, by E. F. Schumacher",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Myth of the Machine, by Lewis Mumford",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36582990,
          "author": "keiferski",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-04T06:35:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36582990",
          "commentText": "Lewis Mumford wrote some very interesting books about technology and society:\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technics_and_Civilization\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Myth_of_the_Machine",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Myth_of_the_Machine",
          "reason": "Described as one of Mumford's very interesting books about technology and society.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in technology and society.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lewis Mumford"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "technology and society",
        "technology history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-myths-of-innovation-af3717",
      "title": "The Myths of Innovation",
      "author": "Scott Berkun",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42656342,
          "author": "ubj",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T15:18:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42656342",
          "commentText": "\"The Wright Brothers\" by David McCullough - Shows how Orville and Wilbur surpassed the leading researchers of the day to be the first to achieve controlled, powered flight. Does a great job of describing their work ethic and research process.\n\"The Myths of Innovation\" by Scott Berkun - Not exactly about how hard things got done, but it discusses some of the misconceptions and assumptions we make about current technology and the process of inventing new tech.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The Myths of Innovation\" by Scott Berkun - Not exactly about how hard things got done",
          "reason": "Discusses misconceptions about technology and the process of invention.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not exactly about how hard things got done.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7450603,
          "author": "pskittle",
          "createdAt": "2014-03-22T19:57:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 7450534,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's on your reading list? Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7450603",
          "commentText": "100$ startup: Reinvent the way you make a living, Myths of Innovation - Scott Berkun",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Myths of Innovation - Scott Berkun",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for startup book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Berkun"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "innovation",
        "invention"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-new-industrial-state-935a47",
      "title": "The New Industrial State",
      "author": "John Kenneth Galbraith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12569474,
          "author": "marmot777",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-24T04:36:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12569474",
          "commentText": "John Kenneth Galbraith most famous book was The Affluent Society. If you don't want to be a slave to fashion, read Robert Reich's all-time favorite book on economics, The New Industrial State.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "read Robert Reich's all-time favorite book on economics, The New Industrial State",
          "reason": "Suggested as an economics book to read, citing Robert Reich’s enthusiasm for it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1465197,
          "author": "rwl",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T08:13:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1465197",
          "commentText": "I learned a heck of a lot from reading John Kenneth Galbraith's books.  In particular, The Affluent Society,\nThe New Industrial State, and Money: Whence it Came, Where it Went",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The New Industrial State",
          "reason": "Included among the Galbraith books the commenter says taught them a lot.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Kenneth Galbraith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "industrial economics",
        "corporate power"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-new-new-thing-a-silicon-valley-story-1096bf",
      "title": "The New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story",
      "author": "Michael Lewis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17207174,
          "author": "w126",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T16:43:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17207174",
          "commentText": "\"The New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story\" by Michael Lewis. Written not long before the peak of the dot-com bubble, tells the story of James H. Clark, the founder of SGI, Netscape and other companies.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story\" by Michael Lewis.",
          "reason": "Offered as a relevant story about James H. Clark and his companies.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Silicon Valley founders and companies.",
          "caveat": "Written not long before the peak of the dot-com bubble.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12475769,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T21:12:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12475769",
          "commentText": "Here's the best books I've read in the last year or so:\n>> Computer History & biographies:\nThe New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story, Michael Lewis\nThe Second Coming of Steve Jobs, by Alan Deutschman\nMachines of Loving Grace, by John Markoff\nThe Innovators, by Walter Isaacson\nGhost in the Wires, by Kevin Mitnick\nIdea Man: A Memoir by the Cofounder of Microsoft, by Paul Allen\nCreativity, Inc, by Ed Catmull (reading)\n>> Startups:\nThe Hard Thing About Hard Things, by Ben Horowitz\nThe Founder's Dilemmas, Noam Wasserman\nThe Launch Pad, by Randall Stross\n>> Other books:\nTrilogy: Off to Be the Wizard (series), by Scott Meyer\nSearch Inside Yourself, Chade-Meng Tan\nJoy on Demand, Chade-Meng Tan (reading)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story, Michael Lewis",
          "reason": "Included in the writer's list of best books read over the past year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Lewis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "silicon valley",
        "company founders",
        "dot com bubble",
        "technology entrepreneurship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-new-testament-e72f65",
      "title": "The New Testament",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30746017,
          "author": "kcartlidge",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T19:54:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30746017",
          "commentText": "> The \"only thing\" worth reading from the The Bible are the \"Wisdom Books\"\nFrom the perspective of Wisdom you're probably right.\nFrom the perspective of the modern Christian Faith I'd include the complete New Testament.  From the perspective of historical reference (I know archaeological opinions vary) include the Old Testament too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd include the complete New Testament",
          "reason": "Recommends it from the perspective of modern Christian faith.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30243497,
          "author": "laumars",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T11:46:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30243497",
          "commentText": "I got that but you’re being disingenuous to my point by distilling it down to the gender of the author.  I’d never suggest one should read or not read a book because of the gender of the author.\nMy point was that the sincerity and authenticity of the Nee Testament is comprised because they withheld accounts. Thus if you were to choose not to read it, it wouldn’t be because the authors were male, it would be because it lacks authenticity. I also gave other examples of how it lacked authenticity too so even that point about authenticity wasn’t just about gender.\nSo while you’re free to disagree with me, please at least disagree with the actual argument I’ve made rather than creating these straw man arguments that even I wouldn’t agree with.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "the sincerity and authenticity of the Nee Testament is comprised",
          "reason": "The commenter argues that withheld accounts undermine the New Testament's authenticity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The title appears misspelled as “Nee Testament” in the comment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21905542,
          "author": "emodendroket",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T12:25:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21905542",
          "commentText": "Not really. The New Testament grabbed me in a way I didn't anticipate.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The New Testament grabbed me in a way I didn't anticipate.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17048297,
          "author": "0xdeadbeefbabe",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T15:53:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17048297",
          "commentText": "The New Testament along with some history of the early Christian church in Rome.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The New Testament along with some history of the early Christian church in Rome.",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to a request for books that could prompt reflection.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christianity",
        "religious texts",
        "early christianity",
        "scripture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-nexus-trilogy-344fe4",
      "title": "The Nexus Trilogy",
      "author": "Ramez Naam",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42271870,
          "author": "LargoLasskhyfv",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T07:54:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42271870",
          "commentText": "At the times I've read the Daemon series, I also enjoyed https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nexus_Trilogy by Ramez Naam shortly afterwards.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "At the times I've read the Daemon series, I also enjoyed https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nexus_Trilogy by Ramez Naam shortly afterwards.",
          "reason": "Says the commenter also enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17520186,
          "author": "xzion",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T02:54:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17520186",
          "commentText": "The Nexus Trilogy, by Ramez Naam. Rereading it at the moment, my favourite modern sci-fi series by far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Nexus Trilogy, by Ramez Naam. Rereading it at the moment, my favourite modern sci-fi series by far.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it their favorite modern science fiction series by far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is rereading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ramez Naam"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nanotechnology",
        "near future science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-order-of-things-5d3ecb",
      "title": "The Order of Things",
      "author": "Michel Foucault",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9348419,
          "author": "grey-area",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:53:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348419",
          "commentText": "Meditations by Marcus Aurelius - a wonderfully simple explanation of what is truly important in life.\nThe Order of Things or Madness and Civilisation by Michel Foucault - a look at how our culture and time limit the horizons of our world view.\nAnna Karenina by Tolstoy - a complicated set of love stories set in 19C Russia - brilliantly observed.\nGodel, Escher, Bach by Hofstadter - an exhilarating skip through the wonderland of western maths, art, music and philosophy.\nFounders at Work by Jessica Livingston - a great insight into the first computer revolution - interviews with a lot of very interesting people.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Order of Things or Madness and Civilisation by Michel Foucault - a look at how our culture and time limit the horizons of our world view.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it examines how culture and time limit our worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503562,
          "author": "halojones",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T12:52:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503562",
          "commentText": "(Your reply brings to mind another book I should have mentioned - The Order of Things (Les Mots et Les Choses) by Michel Foucault.)\nIf philosophy is the drive to understand the human condition, I don't think any philosopher can or should ignore the Bible.  Athens, Rome and Jerusalem are where the Western mind was born it has been said. And there is nothing to stop you approaching the Bible as it were hermeneutically, ie. in the same way you might treat the Greek Myths. I find it fascinating myself - from the \"ex nihilo\" of Genesis, through the \"de profundis\" of the Psalms, to Job's \"Why?!\", not to mention the Christian New Testament - and I think it will be read (by philosophers) long after many books in \"The Philosophy Section\" have been forgotten.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "another book I should have mentioned - The Order of Things (Les Mots et Les Choses)",
          "reason": "Adds it as a book they should have mentioned in the philosophical discussion.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in philosophy and the human condition.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michel Foucault"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epistemology",
        "social theory",
        "structuralism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-order-of-time-51b302",
      "title": "The Order of Time",
      "author": "Carlo Rovelli",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19090626,
          "author": "vishnugupta",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T22:27:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090626",
          "commentText": "All the books below have shaped my thought process to a significant degree. I started reading late but I'm fortunate enough to have stumbled upon these gems.\n\"Debt: The First 5000 Years\": This is truly a magnum opus. Until I read this I had taken money, economy, market etc., for granted. And I had held onto the widely accepted, but naive, view that economic systems somehow grew out of barter systems. The range of topics discussed, and the way author shows how seemingly independent concepts are intertwined, is truly astonishing. I'm on my 2nd read.\n\"Thinking, Fast and Slow\": This book made me truly appreciate the value of psychology. I didn't even know the existence of a vast domain called behavioral science until I read this book. Now I'm deliberately conscious about the decisions I take and retrace my thought process multiple times just to make sure that I haven't fallen pray to some of the cognitive biases.\n\"The Tell-Tale Brain\": While I did know that human brain is a unique organ this book opened my eyes to its layered complexities. For instance, how \"seeing\" is not a single step but a multi step process. From image formation, to identifying the object, to evoking emotional response.\n\"QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter\": The book with the highest signal to noise ratio. I finally understood what science is about, a way to model nature and to keep refining it to fit the observation. There are no true/false theories/models only those that explain nature's behavior better or worse. Nature is agnostic to all our theories and models. She's just the way she is. For details read about double slit experiment.\n\"How the World Works\": This one along with \"Profit Over People: Neoliberalism & Global Order\" has greatly shaped my mental model about the workings of contemporary world. I now understand why does military gets all the funding, why do powerful governments tend to keep its subject under perpetual fear, why is it that the cost of education has been sky-rocketing.\n\"The Hanging of Afzal Guru and the Strange Case of the Attack on the Indian Parliament\": A glimpse into the working of Indian justice system.\n\"Broken Republic\": This is by far the most accurate description about current affairs in India. How India is being hollowed out and how its most vulnerable section is the one fighting against it.\n\"Grammatical Man: Information, Entropy, Language and Life\": I'm currently reading it (20% through) and it has already made a big impact. The meaning of information is deep and subtle and pervades not just human being but the life itself.\n\"The Order of Time\": The book that well and truly shook the foundation that I had taken for granted for my entire life. That space and time aren't something absolute and are personal has had a profound impact on me.\n\"The Upanisads\": A truly remarkable work of human mind. Just to think about some of the concepts uplifts my mood.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Order of Time\": The book that well and truly shook the foundation that I had taken for granted for my entire life.",
          "reason": "Says it shook their assumptions about space and time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17169369,
          "author": "wrycoder",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T22:10:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17169369",
          "commentText": "Gravitation by Misner, Thorne, and Wheeler\nThe Road to Reality by Penrose\nThe Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli\n\"For a long time, we have tried to understand the world in terms of some primary substance.  Perhaps physics, more than any other discipline, has pursued this primary substance.  But the more we have studied it, the less the world seems comprehensible in terms of something that is.  It seems to be a lot more intelligible in terms of relations between events.\n...\nWe therefore describe the world as it happens, not as it is.  Newton's mechanics, Maxwell's equations, quantum mechanics, and so on, tell us how events happen, not how things are...we understand the world in its becoming, not in its being.  Things in themselves are only events that for a while are monotonous.  But only before returning to dust, everything returns to dust.\nThe absence of time does not mean, therefore, that everything is frozen and unmoving.  It means that the incessant happening that wearies the world is not ordered along a time line, is not measured by a gigantic tick-tocking.  It does not even form a four-dimensional geometry.  It is a boundless and disorderly network of quantum events.  The world is more like Naples than Singapore.\nIf by 'time' we mean nothing more than happening, then everything is time.  There is only that which exists in time.\"\nVery influential in my teens:\nAbsalom, Absalom by Faulkner\nUSA by John Dos Passos\nCache Lake Country by Rowlands",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which book changed the commenter’s life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carlo Rovelli"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "physics",
        "time"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-passenger-317d20",
      "title": "The Passenger",
      "author": "Cormac McCarthy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40457935,
          "author": "deathgripsss",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-23T18:10:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40457935",
          "commentText": "I finally got round to reading The Passenger and the companion piece Stella Maris. Cormac McCarthy still had it even in his late 80's. Not quite as good as his earlier novels but still very sharp.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I finally got round to reading The Passenger",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the novel as sharp, while comparing it less favorably with McCarthy's earlier novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not quite as good as his earlier novels.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12475387,
          "author": "fitzwatermellow",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T20:07:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12475387",
          "commentText": "There is some remarkable fiction coming out this season by some of the best:\nJonathan Safran Foer's Here I Am\nZadie Smith's Swing Time\nIan McEwan's Nutshell\nColson Whitehead's The Underground Railroad\nCarl Hiassan's Razor Girl\nAlan Moore's Jerusalem\nJonathan Lethem's A Gamber's Anatomy\nHa Jin's The Boat Rocker\nT.C. Boyle's The Terranauts\nMichael Chabon's Moonglow\nCormac McCarthy's The Passenger\nI've got plenty of friends who never touch fiction because \"it's not real\". Preferring science, history, economics, biography and virtually anything else. But I think its obligatory at times. The soul requires it's own nourishment, if not more so than the body and the mind. Indulge yourself. If only because great writing will make your writing greater, as if by osmosis. But ultimately, because only fiction can uncover the truths that can't be revealed any other way ;)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cormac McCarthy's The Passenger",
          "reason": "Included in a list of remarkable fiction; the comment urges readers to indulge in fiction.",
          "audience": "Readers who tend to avoid fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cormac McCarthy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-path-to-power-816aff",
      "title": "The Path to Power",
      "author": "Robert A. Caro",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38685840,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-18T17:53:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38685840",
          "commentText": "'The Path To Power', Caro, first volume of his LBJ biography. Elsewhere ('Working'), Caro has explained that his career in writing is to make clear how power is acquired and used. I think he achieves this goal here and am looking forward to the remaining volumes.\n'Spiritual Formation', Henri Nouwen. A deep, Catholic, thinker with much to offer those who are looking in this direction.\n'In A Sunburned Country', Bryson. Bryson is an ideal travel companion.\n'The Information', Gleick. A tour of the ideas and technologies underneath how we became so dependent on bits.\n'Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons'... the most worthwhile part was how my son and I bonded over working through the lessons.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Path To Power', Caro, first volume of his LBJ biography.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33811058,
          "author": "a_bonobo",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-01T01:34:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33811058",
          "commentText": "Robert Caro's The Path To Power.\nIt's the first volume of a set of biographies of Lyndon B. Johnson, but it's so much more an exploration of how power works and shapes. Caro is obsessed with power (thus the other classic: Caro's The Power Broker). Learning how Johnson learned how to wield power made me see the impact of power in my daily work and interactions, and hopefully, taught me how to predict how 'upstairs' reacts. It's all about power.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Robert Caro's The Path To Power.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the biography explores how power works and shaped their understanding of power in daily work and interactions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It is the first volume in a set of Lyndon B. Johnson biographies.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert A. Caro"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "lyndon b johnson",
        "political biography",
        "political power"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-pattern-on-the-stone-the-simple-ideas-that-make-computers-wor-3daea9",
      "title": "The Pattern on the Stone: The Simple Ideas That Make Computers Work",
      "author": "W. Daniel Hillis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35985583,
          "author": "jiriro",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-18T09:01:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35985583",
          "commentText": "The Pattern on the Stone by W. Daniel Hillis [1]\nThis book shocked me with the idea of a universal computer:-)\n\"..there is really only one kind of computer .. all kinds of computers are alike in what they can and cannot do\"\n\".. any computing device, whether it’s built of transistors, sticks and strings, or neurons, can be simulated by a universal computer.\"\n\".. making a computer think like a brain is just a matter of programming it correctly.\"\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/Pattern-Stone-Computers-Science-Maste... (https://www.amazon.com/Pattern-Stone-Computers-Science-Masters/dp/0465066933)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Pattern on the Stone by W. Daniel Hillis",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book introduced them to the idea of a universal computer.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23726569,
          "author": "npr11",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T19:06:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23726569",
          "commentText": "If they might enjoy something on computing, I'd recommend \n\"The Pattern On The Stone: The Simple Ideas That Make Computers Work\" by W.Daniel Hillis. It's very clear and well written, is quite short but covers a lot and can be enjoyed cover to cover more like a novel than a textbook.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The Pattern On The Stone: The Simple Ideas That Make Computers Work\" by W.Daniel Hillis.",
          "reason": "Recommended for its clear, concise introduction to ideas behind computing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Suggested if the recipient might enjoy something on computing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. Daniel Hillis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer science",
        "computer science for general readers",
        "universal computation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-paypal-wars-7b9192",
      "title": "The PayPal Wars",
      "author": "Eric M. Jackson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7970935,
          "author": "theshadowmonkey",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T14:39:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7970935",
          "commentText": "I just started reading \n* Shambala - The Sacred Path of the Warrior\n* The PayPal Wars\n* Founders at Work",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The PayPal Wars",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter only says they started reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2095421,
          "author": "fakelvis",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-12T08:10:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2095421",
          "commentText": "Of the twenty-three books I read in 2010, these seven really stand out:\n- Predictably Irrational. Everyone here knows this book, right? It had been on my reading list for too long, and I'm glad I eventually managed to read it. Much more enjoyable that I expected it to be, even given the fact that much of the material is well-known already. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predictably_Irrational\n- Longitude follows John Harrison's fascinating, painful and lengthy quest to win the Longitude Prize by creating a clock that was accurate enough to determine longitude at sea. Dava Sobel is a great writer and makes this topic totally engaging (aside: Sobel started her writing career as a technical writer at IBM). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longitude_%28book%29\n- Bad Science is Ben Goldacre's essential and extensive criticism of the media's health care reportage and of various health-related issues (vaccinations, placebos, etc.). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Science_%28book%29\n- Sum has had a fair bit of press over the last few months. It's a collection of forty stories on the afterlife, by David Eagleman. It's a novel exercise in philosophy, and I thoroughly enjoyed five or six of the stories. It's a very creative and original book (and short, too) and is a good lesson in constrained thinking.\n- The PayPal Wars is the story of PayPal's early years from the viewpoint of former PayPal marketing executive, Eric Jackson. I found it a riveting read on the trials and tribulations of a startup in a difficult market. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_PayPal_Wars\n- Made to Stick is interesting in many ways (such as marketing, psychology and rhetoric, to name a few) and is extremely well-written. Chip and Dan Heath really know their subject and explain how to make ideas or concepts memorable in this captivating book. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Made_to_Stick Tip: Read the extensive excerpts on the official website — http://www.madetostick.com/excerpts/ — and, if you enjoy them, read the full book.\n- Lolita is one of those books everyone knows about, even if they haven't read it. I decided to sit down with this beast of a book and am glad I did. It's a great story and will really get your moral cogs ticking over. As well as that, Nabokov has an amazing way with the English language, and from very near the beginning I become a lifelong fan of his style. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lolita",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found it a riveting read on the trials and tribulations of a startup in a difficult market.",
          "reason": "The commenter found the account of PayPal's early years riveting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The PayPal Wars",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric M. Jackson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "paypal",
        "startup history",
        "company history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-peregrine-917db7",
      "title": "The Peregrine",
      "author": "J. A. Baker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24287895,
          "author": "omosubi",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-26T22:11:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 24286084,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading at the moment and what do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24287895",
          "commentText": "The 42nd parallel by John Dos Passos - really good novel about America at the turn of the century until the depression. Considered a classic\nThe Peregrine by J.A. Baker Englishman follows a few peregrines around the English countryside documenting everything he can. Past the first quarter or so it's just a log of his days which has no real narrative and is hard to get through. I'm not going to finish it\nI just finished Oracle Bones by Peter Hessler. Really good book about ancient China and it's relationship to the near present day (it was written in the late 90s and early 2000s)",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Past the first quarter or so it's just a log of his days which has no real narrative and is hard to get through. I'm not going to finish it",
          "reason": "The commenter finds it hard to get through and says they will not finish it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "After the first quarter, the commenter finds it lacks narrative and becomes a log of days.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21011882,
          "author": "gkolli",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-19T00:05:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21011882",
          "commentText": "The Peregrine - the way the author describes nature and the beauty and focus of everyday life is awe-inspiring.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Peregrine - the way the author describes nature and the beauty and focus of everyday life is awe-inspiring.",
          "reason": "Calls the descriptions of nature and everyday life awe-inspiring.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783726,
          "author": "mjhoy",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T15:28:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783726",
          "commentText": "My reading slowed to a crawl this year. Here were a few:\n- Chronicles Vol 1, Bob Dylan. Inspiring, I felt very open to the world after. I loved his descriptions of Dave Van Ronk: \"No puppet strings on him ever. He was big, sky high, and I looked up to him. He came from the land of giants.\"\n- Peregrine, J.A. Baker. Intense, spiritual, like some sort of modern Moby Dick, but sparse, focused, elemental.\nNext year I hope to read more Roberto Bolaño and start Elena Ferrante.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Peregrine, J.A. Baker. Intense, spiritual, like some sort of modern Moby Dick, but sparse, focused, elemental.",
          "reason": "Calls it intense, spiritual, focused, and elemental.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. A. Baker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nature writing",
        "birdwatching",
        "falconry",
        "peregrine falcons"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-pillars-of-the-earth-633e18",
      "title": "The Pillars of the Earth",
      "author": "Ken Follett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41762240,
          "author": "rgun",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T02:28:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41762240",
          "commentText": "I was blown away by Pillars of the Earth.\nI had never read a historical fiction before it. It is so well crafted, showing different characters and their perspectives, all in the backdrop of medieval England.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I was blown away by Pillars of the Earth.",
          "reason": "Praises its craft, multiple character perspectives, and medieval English setting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1973924,
          "author": "sgallant",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T04:32:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1973924",
          "commentText": "Pillars of the Earth. It's a historical fiction novel by Ken Follett about the building of a cathedral in 12th century England. Brilliant book.\nhttp://www.amazon.ca/Pillars-Earth-Ken-Follett/dp/0451166892",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brilliant book.",
          "reason": "Explicitly calls it brilliant.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ken Follett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "medieval england",
        "cathedral building"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-planiverse-c45ccc",
      "title": "The Planiverse",
      "author": "A. K. Dewdney",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22093141,
          "author": "Rerarom",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T18:54:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22093141",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\nMordecai Roshwald, Level 7\nAlexander Dewdney, The Planiverse\nJoseph Heller, God Knows\nAlan Lightman, Einstein's Dreams\nNon-fiction:\nJane Goodall, In the Shadow of Man\nGian-Carlo Rota, Indiscrete Thoughts\nC. S. Lewis, The Discarded Image\nMichael E. Brown, How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming\nRobert Kegan, In Over Our Heads\nMichael Harris, The Atomic Times\nI may add guilty pleasures like the Legacy of the Force series, but I don't think this is what people here are looking for.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Alexander Dewdney, The Planiverse",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's fiction picks in response to a request for unknown books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1228827,
          "author": "jacquesm",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-30T11:25:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1228827",
          "commentText": "In the same spirit, by A.K. Dewdney : The Planiverse.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In the same spirit, by A.K. Dewdney : The Planiverse.",
          "reason": "Offered as another book in the same spirit as Flatland.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "A. K. Dewdney"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "two dimensional world"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-postman-37f083",
      "title": "The Postman",
      "author": "David Brin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17543621,
          "author": "runjake",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T18:20:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17543621",
          "commentText": "I am not your traditional sci-fi fan, so while the books below may not be considered masterpieces or even \"true\" sci-fi, they may be a good \"gateway drug\" for others like me:\n- The Postman by David Brin\n- The Dog Stars by Peter Heller\n- I am Legend by Richard Matheson",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Postman by David Brin",
          "reason": "Presents it among books that may serve as gateway fiction for nontraditional science fiction fans.",
          "audience": "Readers new to science fiction or not traditionally sci-fi readers.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these may not be masterpieces or even true sci-fi.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12100481,
          "author": "tartuffe78",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T12:30:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12100481",
          "commentText": "Big science fiction fan\n1. Revelation Space\n2. Hyperion\n3. The Postman\n4. The Day of the Triffids\n5. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\n[1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revelation_Space\n[2] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperion_Cantos\n[3] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Postman\n[4] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_of_the_Triffids\n[5]  - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hitchhiker%27s_Guide_to_th... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hitchhiker%27s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "3. The Postman",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter’s favorite science fiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Brin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "post apocalyptic",
        "survival"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-power-of-vulnerability-3f52ed",
      "title": "The Power of Vulnerability",
      "author": "Brené Brown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467709,
          "author": "alanfalcon",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:53:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467709",
          "commentText": "I find myself re-listening to large portions of my audible library fairly often. I pick up so much more on additional read/listen-throughs.\nI listen to or read Snow Crash at least once a year. I just enjoy most everything about it. Anathem required a couple listens, and a third listen was just for comfort food.\nThe Altered Carbon trilogy has depth and sublime world-building that I have now enjoyed at least a half dozen times.\nI second mentions of Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (and will mention The Long, Dark Tea Time of the Soul as well).\nEnder’s Game is also comfort food for me.\nBreaking from the speculative fiction reco’s above...\nThe Power of Vulnerability (Brené Brown) is more lecture series than audiobook, but as for non fiction I’ve recently given multiple listens to, that tops the list.\nI borrowed “Landline” from the local library, read it twice and then bought it so I could continue to read it when I want to. I think I was in just the right age group and life situation for this novel to hit home for me. Your mileage may vary, but IMO read it without knowing anything about it in advance if you’re going to read it. That means don’t read the back cover etc.\n(Blind borrowing of books from the library is fun and can be eye opening, try it sometime! Most places, you can borrow eBooks and even digital audiobooks without even leaving your home as long as you have a library card.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Power of Vulnerability (Brené Brown) is more lecture series than audiobook",
          "reason": "The commenter says this lecture series tops their list of nonfiction they've listened to multiple times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as more a lecture series than an audiobook.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17911258,
          "author": "mrmrcoleman",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T17:57:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17911258",
          "commentText": "“Soft skills” are typically the hardest.\nThe Power of Vulnerability: Brene Brown\nNon-Violent Communication: Marshall Rosenberg\nThe Secrets of Consulting: Gerald Weinberg",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Power of Vulnerability: Brene Brown",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brené Brown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "vulnerability",
        "personal development",
        "soft skills"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-power-of-the-powerless-a175c2",
      "title": "The Power of the Powerless",
      "author": "Václav Havel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42508811,
          "author": "dsotirovski",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T14:02:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42508811",
          "commentText": "The Power of the Powerless by Havel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Power of the Powerless by Havel",
          "reason": "Named as a standout read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30242021,
          "author": "ploppyploppy",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T08:51:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30242021",
          "commentText": "Power of the Powerless by Vaclav Havel.\nPerfectly explain the progressive religion we find ourselves under.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Power of the Powerless by Vaclav Havel.\nPerfectly explain the progressive religion we find ourselves under.",
          "reason": "Presents it as an explanation of what the commenter calls progressive religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Václav Havel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "totalitarianism",
        "dissent",
        "political dissent",
        "political essays"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-pragmatic-programmer-your-journey-to-mastery-564eec",
      "title": "The Pragmatic Programmer: Your Journey to Mastery",
      "author": "Andrew Hunt and David Thomas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33857433,
          "author": "pkoird",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T20:21:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33857433",
          "commentText": "So I asked this same question to ChatGPT, here's its response. This thing really does have the potential to be a good recommendation tool for books/resources.\n\"Here are a few books that may be helpful for improving your skills as a software engineer:\n\"The Pragmatic Programmer\" by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas: This book offers practical advice on a wide range of topics, including how to write clean and maintainable code, how to work effectively with others, and how to manage your time and priorities.\n\"Clean Code\" by Robert C. Martin: This book focuses on the importance of writing code that is easy to read and understand, and provides specific guidance on how to write clean and maintainable code.\n\"Peopleware\" by Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister: This book discusses the human side of software development, including how to create effective teams and work environments, and how to avoid common pitfalls such as overwork and burnout.\n\"Agile Software Development\" by Alistair Cockburn: This book provides an introduction to agile software development methodologies, which are designed to help teams deliver high-quality software quickly and efficiently.\nIn addition to these books, there are many excellent blog posts and online resources on these topics. Some websites that may be helpful include the Pragmatic Programmer blog, the Agile Alliance website, and the ACM SIGSOFT Software Engineering Notes journal.\nAnother helpful resource may be attending conferences and workshops on software engineering and related topics. These can provide opportunities to learn from experts in the field, network with other professionals, and stay up to date on the latest trends and best practices. Many conferences and workshops also offer certification programs, which can be a valuable way to demonstrate your knowledge and expertise to potential employers. Some well-known conferences in the software engineering field include the ACM SIGSOFT International Symposium on the Foundations of Software Engineering (FSE), the ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (CHI), and the International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE).\n\"",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The Pragmatic Programmer\" by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas: This book offers practical advice",
          "reason": "Quoted recommendation describes practical advice on maintainable code, teamwork, and managing time and priorities.",
          "audience": "Software engineers.",
          "caveat": "This is presented as ChatGPT’s response, not the commenter’s own assessment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22708572,
          "author": "mitchelldeacon9",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T01:58:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22708572",
          "commentText": "The following is a list of my favorite books on software engineering, cyber-security, and the history of IT business development.\nBowden, Mark (2011) Worm: The First Digital World War\nBrooks, Frederick (1995) Mythical Man-Month, 2nd ed.\nChristensen, Clayton (1997) Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail\nHafner, Katie and Matthew Lyon (1996) Where Wizards Stay Up Late: Origins of the Internet\nHunt, Andrew and David Thomas (1999) Pragmatic Programmer\nMacCormick, John (2012) Nine Algorithms that Changed the Future\nMcConnell, Steve (2004) Code Complete, 2nd ed.\nMitnick, Kevin and William Simon (2002) Art of Deception\nPoulsen, Kevin (2011) Kingpin: How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cyber-Crime Underworld\nRaymond, Eric (2003) Art of Unix Programming\nStone, Brad (2013) The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon\nTorvalds, Linus and David Diamond (2001) Just for Fun: Story of an Accidental Revolutionary\nWallace, James and Jim Erickson (1992) Hard Drive: Bill Gates and Making of the Microsoft Empire\nWilliams, Sam (2002) Free as in Freedom: Richard Stallman's Crusade for Free Software\nWilson, Mike (1996) The Difference between God and Larry Ellison: Inside Oracle Corp",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hunt, Andrew and David Thomas (1999) Pragmatic Programmer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew Hunt",
        "David Thomas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming practices",
        "software development",
        "software engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-prince-of-nothing-fd89fb",
      "title": "The Prince of Nothing",
      "author": "R. Scott Bakker",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2923957,
          "author": "salemh",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-25T06:25:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 2919368,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have changed the way you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2923957",
          "commentText": "Reality Tansurfing 1: The Space of Variations\n\"Choosing\" your own reality, positive mind frames, philosophy and actionable steps for goal attainment (no \"Secret\" wish fulfillment).\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1846941229/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1846941229/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1846941229)\n\" Some of Zeeland's techniques are very simple and practical; e.g. his methods of combining rational thinking with intuition for making practical decisions.  Other \"tools\" require a high degree of control over one's thoughts and/or emotions.\n    Zeeland also advocates reducing the amount of mental self-talk in favour of listening to one's intuition, which has some similarity with the teachings of Eckhart Tolle [[2]].\"\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vadim_Zeeland\nThe Tibetan Book of Living and Dying\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062508342/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062508342/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0062508342)\nThis novel has been of great help to me and family with recent deaths. Overall life outlook, happiness, and the like.\nEnders Game\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812550706/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812550706/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0812550706)\nI have read this novel over 15 years roughly 8 times. I get more, and a different perspective (which is interesting just examining my own reaction to re-reads based on my life and age at reading / re-reading).\nPrometheus Rising\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1561840564/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1561840564/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1561840564)\n\"Hacking\" reality, your mind, alternate viewpoints of reality and \"living\" accordingly (or not :D)\nPandora's Star\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345479211/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345479211/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0345479211)\nFascinating \"space opera\" wherein humanity masters worm-hole technology (and space colonization), ever lasting life (downloading / uploading) and a lovely read with a dose of astrophysics (though, the number of plot lines and characters gets far too muddled much of the time, symptomatic of Hamilton's books). Great \"look\" at a potential future of these potential advancements.\nNeuropath\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0765361574/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0765361574/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0765361574)\nScience fiction novel set in near-future based on new advanced in neuroscience; psychopath / serial killer thriller (one night read)on the brain as a chemical machine (and free-will arguments) with brutal thriller violence. This sticks with you for a number of weeks. Sending this to my sister was reacted with \"it was really good, fascinating..why the f* did you send this to me?\"\nThe Darkness That Comes Before (The Prince of Nothing, Book 1)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1841494089/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1841494089/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=1841494089)\nFantasy, philosophy, linguistics in Magic..dark, dark and a very old world. Brilliant, the best fantasy series this decade.\nTitan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400077303/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400077303/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1400077303)\nFrom dirt (literally), to one of the richest men in history, a genius accountant, inventor, process engineer, capitalist, competitive monster (crusher), also spawning much of modern medicine research centers (while he himself was a more holistic man who distrusted \"modern medicine). An incredible biography (oft cited by other novels on various Baron's / dynastic biographies) on the idiocyncrocies and the incredible desire for wealth and power, while abhoring lavish displays of wealth. From his rise, to consolidation, to \"war\" with the Rothschilds to the ultimate breakup of Standard Oil.\n1,000 Dollars and an Idea: Entrepreneur to Billionaire: Expanded Edition\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1557048487/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1557048487/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1557048487)\nSam Wyly, on building businesses to last, 15-20 years to \"flip\" or keep. Nuggets of wisdom for all industries and verticals.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Darkness That Comes Before (The Prince of Nothing, Book 1)",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the best fantasy series this decade.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in dark fantasy.",
          "caveat": "Described as very dark.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226952,
          "author": "Apreche",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T17:09:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226952",
          "commentText": "The Prince of Nothing series of books by R. Scott Bakker",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Prince of Nothing series of books by R. Scott Bakker",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "R. Scott Bakker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dark fantasy",
        "epic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-princess-bride-c840bb",
      "title": "The Princess Bride",
      "author": "William Goldman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17337302,
          "author": "ColinWright",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:16:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337302",
          "commentText": "The Princess Bride, by William Goldman.\nI found the book after I saw the film, and it was a revelation that even the action sequences are better in the book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Princess Bride, by William Goldman.\nI found the book after I saw the film, and it was a revelation that even the action sequences are better in the book.",
          "reason": "Says the book was a revelation and its action sequences surpass the film's.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 879048,
          "author": "newsdog",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-13T14:03:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=879048",
          "commentText": "The Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart\nThe Princess Bride by William Goldman\nThe first is insanely superior. The second just really really good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The second just really really good.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it really good and names it as a favorite in response to the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter ranks it below Bridge of Birds.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Goldman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure",
        "fairy tale",
        "fairy tale adventure",
        "romance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-princeton-companion-to-mathematics-8f2d41",
      "title": "The Princeton Companion to Mathematics",
      "author": "Timothy Gowers, June Barrow-Green, and Imre Leader",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34446143,
          "author": "vmilner",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T21:51:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34446143",
          "commentText": "Something else I’ve found extremely useful in getting into maths topics is the Princeton Companion to Mathematics - it doesn’t have exercises but gives excellent overview essays of a wide range of maths topics - expensive to buy (mine was a present) but should be available in academic libraries, say.\nhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Princeton-Companion-Mathematics-Tim... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Princeton-Companion-Mathematics-Timothy-Gowers/dp/0691118809)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Princeton Companion to Mathematics - it doesn’t have exercises but gives excellent overview essays of a wide range of maths topics",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it for its overview essays spanning many areas of mathematics.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring mathematical topics.",
          "caveat": "It has no exercises and is expensive to buy; the commenter suggests academic libraries.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21349787,
          "author": "throwaway_bad",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T22:20:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21349787",
          "commentText": "It's easy to gain physical intuition because you can often explain one physical phenomenon in terms of another physical phenomenon that you have much more real life experience with.\nBut with mathematics, \"intuitive\" analogies are all in terms of other mathematical objects! You can't build intuition if you don't even know what they trying to abstract over.\nIn that regards, The Princeton Companion to Mathematics is fantastic because it maps out how the different fields of mathematics are interrelated.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Princeton Companion to Mathematics is fantastic because it maps out how the different fields of mathematics are interrelated.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it fantastic for showing how mathematical fields connect.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21349526,
          "author": "mturmon",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T21:46:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21349526",
          "commentText": "I purchased [2], having enjoyed Nick Higham's other book (a treatise on matrix computations), and knowing how well-received [1] was.\nBut, [2] turned out to be kind of a dud.  It was not really fun to browse, and I wasn't sure who it was directed to.  The articles that I sampled read like they were intended for academic applied math folks, rather than introductions for interested outsiders.  It's a huge book, so YMMV, and has been very well-reviewed by high-profile and well-qualified academics (like Steven Strogatz) but I spent a couple evenings with the book and could not recommend.\nIn any event, it's not like Feynmann's lectures!  It's an encyclopedia.\nTLDR: \"it was good for someone, but it was not the book I wanted\".\n(PS: recommending the CRC tables is an odd thing, this is also nothing like Feymann's lectures)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "knowing how well-received [1] was",
          "reason": "The commenter notes its strong reception but gives no personal evaluation of it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Timothy Gowers",
        "June Barrow-Green",
        "Imre Leader"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematics reference",
        "mathematical fields",
        "mathematical surveys"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-prize-cea156",
      "title": "The Prize",
      "author": "Daniel Yergin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910419,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:44:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910419",
          "commentText": "Offhand...\n1. 'The Making of the Atomic Bomb', R. Rhodes\n2. 'Apollo: Race to the Moon', C. Murray, C. Cox\n3. 'The Prize', D. Yergin\n4. 'Are Your Lights On?', D. Gause, G. Weinberg\n5. 'Becoming A Technical Leader', G. Weinberg",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Prize', D. Yergin",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226850,
          "author": "keyist",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:36:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226850",
          "commentText": "Don't miss sivers's great list: http://sivers.org/book\nAs for mine,\nScience Fiction (I like these authors so I'd recommend most of their books -- listing which ones I think are a good 'starter novel' for them):\n  Charles Stross: Halting State\n  Vernor Vinge: A Fire Upon The Deep\n  Iain M. Banks: Culture novels, start with Player of Games\n  David Louis Edelman: Jump 225 Trilogy\n  Daniel Suarez: Daemon and Freedom(tm)\n  John Scalzi: Old Man's War series\n  Dan Simmons: Hyperion\n\nSelf-improvement:\n  The Talent Code\n  Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger\n  Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion\n\nNon-fiction:\n  Amusing Ourselves To Death (highly recommended)\n  The Science of Fear\n  The Black Swan\n  Tokyo Vice\n  Racing The Beam (Atari history, very cool)\n  books by Daniel Pink\n  Guns, Germs, and Steel\n  The Prize by Daniel Yergin\n\nFantasy:\nAnything by Gaiman or China Mieville, pretty much.\nEDIT: links to previews (legally) available online\nCharles Stross's Accelerando (entire book): http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelera... (http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelerando/accelerando-intro.html)\nDavid Louis Edelman's Infoquake (1st 7 chapters): http://www.davidlouisedelman.com/jump225/infoquake/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Prize by Daniel Yergin",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Yergin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "energy history",
        "oil industry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-problem-of-pain-081278",
      "title": "The Problem of Pain",
      "author": "C. S. Lewis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17914850,
          "author": "combatentropy",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-05T03:36:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17914850",
          "commentText": "The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E. B. White\nThe Language Instinct by Steven Pinker\nThe Problem of Pain by C. S. Lewis\nThe Mac Is Not a Typewriter by Robin Williams\nGetting Real by 37 Signals",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Problem of Pain by C. S. Lewis",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite nonfiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56777,
          "author": "Kaizyn",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T07:44:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56777",
          "commentText": "1) Musashi's Book of Five Rings\n2) Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People\n3) Machaivelli's The Prince\n4) Sun-Tzu's The Art of War\n5) Hayakawa's Language in Thought and Action\n6) Steven Johnson's Emergence\n7) Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel\n8) Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything\n9) Mark Buchanan's Nexus\n10) C. S. Lewis's The Problem of Pain\nTaken together, these books cover just about everything there is to know about the sciences, about human history, human nature and how to understand and communicate effectively with other people.  Only one other book besides these needs to be studied/read: The Bible.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "C. S. Lewis's The Problem of Pain",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list said to cover human nature and broad questions.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Christian philosophy and the problem of suffering.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "C. S. Lewis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian apologetics",
        "christian theology",
        "problem of suffering",
        "theodicy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-psychopath-code-caa686",
      "title": "The Psychopath Code",
      "author": "Peter Hintjens",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25562855,
          "author": "andrei_says_",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-28T20:27:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 25554464,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books for dealing with workplace politics and dishonesty?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25562855",
          "commentText": "Peter Hintjens' Psychopath Code fits the bill perfectly. Available for free online. http://hintjens.com/blog:_psychopaths",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Peter Hintjens' Psychopath Code fits the bill perfectly.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a good fit for understanding workplace politics and dishonesty.",
          "audience": "People navigating workplace politics and dishonesty.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296609,
          "author": "siberianbear",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T07:12:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296609",
          "commentText": "The Psychopath Code [1], by Peter Hintjens.  You can download a free legal copy.\nPsychopaths and sociopaths are out there: they're about five to ten percent of the population.  Once you've had your life intertwined with one, you'll never see the world the same.  Know how to identify them and deal with them.\nI learned about Peter Hintjens and his book when his death was reported here on Hacker News.\n[1] http://hintjens.com/blog:_psychopaths",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Psychopath Code [1], by Peter Hintjens.",
          "reason": "Urges readers to learn how to identify and deal with psychopaths and sociopaths.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking to identify and deal with psychopaths and sociopaths.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says a free legal copy is available.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Hintjens"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "psychopathy",
        "sociopathy",
        "workplace politics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-puppet-masters-3c5dcc",
      "title": "The Puppet Masters",
      "author": "Robert A. Heinlein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056662,
          "author": "aaronem",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:53:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056662",
          "commentText": "Peter Watts's Blindsight - easily the best SF novel I've read in the last decade. I haven't got round to Echopraxia yet, but I doubt it'll fail to live up to its predecessor.\nAlso, while I have no use whatsoever for Stross's \"Singularity\" stuff, his Laundry Files series excels, especially for an inveterate old Lovecraft fan such as myself. If you want a taste, there are some shorts available online -- \"Overtime\" and \"Funny Farm\" are good places to start; \"Equoid\" is the most recent, but it's not representative, and it's also the weakest entry in the series as a whole due to its poor characterization and reliance on shock and gruesomeness rather than the more insidious sort of horror in which the rest of the series specializes.\nI'm sort of surprised to see that no one has yet mentioned Heinlein; I know he's a politically divisive figure in the fandom, to say the least, but he's also the great granddaddy of the modern field, and such prominence deserves recognition. (Hell, he was pushing the Rapture of the Nerds before any of its modern adherents was even born!) Granted that his later works tend to bog down in self-referentiality and author tracts on the evils of Communism and the benefits of casual nudism; in his prime, though, he was an author and storyteller practically beyond compare.\nIn particular, his The Moon is a Harsh Mistress remains a classic among classics; The Puppet Masters even more so, to the extent of spawning practically a whole subgenre of second-rate imitations; and, for a lighter entry, his oft-overlooked The Door into Summer is a sweet story in which all's well that ends well and the importance of feline companionship in a well-rounded life is not overlooked.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Puppet Masters even more so",
          "reason": "Praised as a classic that spawned many imitations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment notes Heinlein's political divisiveness and criticizes his later works.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865228,
          "author": "ww520",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T16:05:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865228",
          "commentText": "If you like Foundation, you might like the Ringworld series by Larry Niven.  Ringworld is a classic.\nRobert Heinlein's books are great.  Some come to mine are The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, Starship Troopers (much better than the movies), Stranger in a Strange Land, Double Stars, and The Puppet Masters.\nUrsula K. Le Guin's The Left Hand of Darkness is amazing.  The Earthsea series are fun read if you want to get beyond SciFi.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Puppet Masters.",
          "reason": "Listed among Heinlein books described as great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert A. Heinlein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alien invasion",
        "paranoia"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-pyramid-principle-90c20a",
      "title": "The Pyramid Principle",
      "author": "Barbara Minto",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33799888,
          "author": "amoopa",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T12:43:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33799888",
          "commentText": "Barbara Minto: The Pyramide principle.\nThe book is basically a bible among top tier management consulting firms as it has some fantastic principles for breaking down complex problems and communicating it to others (e.g. MECE; Mutually Exclusive, Collectively Exhaustive)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Barbara Minto: The Pyramide principle.",
          "reason": "The commenter says its principles help break down complex problems and communicate them.",
          "audience": "Management consultants, according to the commenter",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17050524,
          "author": "enkindu5",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T20:20:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17050524",
          "commentText": "pyramid principle - barbara minto",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "pyramid principle - barbara minto",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Barbara Minto"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business communication",
        "business writing",
        "structured communication",
        "structured thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-pyramid-principle-logic-in-writing-and-thinking-c6d608",
      "title": "The Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing and Thinking",
      "author": "Barbara Minto",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29671866,
          "author": "leeuw01",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T09:12:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29671866",
          "commentText": "Non-Fiction: The Pyramid Principle - Logic in Writing and Thinking.\nAlthough the writing techniques the author presents sound obvious in hindsight, having them all-in one place as an comprehensive framework you can follow helped me a lot for the writing and research in my work\nFiction: The Black Lizard Big Book of Locked-Room Mysteries\nA curated and annotated collection of locked-room mystery stories. All the stories are accompagnied by a small introduction into the author and the main character written by the curator. His enthousiasm shows in these small introductions, making the stories themselves even better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Pyramid Principle - Logic in Writing and Thinking.",
          "reason": "The framework helped with writing and research at work.",
          "audience": "People seeking a framework for writing and research.",
          "caveat": "The techniques may sound obvious in hindsight.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21914539,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-30T16:38:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21914539",
          "commentText": "Getting Things Done - the 2001 version I read two years ago, I use the general idea and it helps to have a clear head when your fighting fires daily.\nNever Split the Difference - some very practical negotiation strategies.\nMini Habits by Stephen Guise - short book but awesome method.  I am still doing the one pushup habit since last March.\nHow to Shoot Video That Doesn't Suck by Steve Stockman - I wanted to improve my video production for my programming course for kids.  I am still learning but this book has been a huge help.\nThe Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing and Thinking by Barbara Minto - huge help with improving my written communication at my job.\nThe Coaching Habit by Michael Stanier - short book but huge help when your transitioning to managing people.\nMade to Stick by Dan Heath - was a huge help in planning how I would teach elementary students last month about programming.\nThe 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch - aside from application of Pareto principle, I took away the idea that books provide the best bang for your buck for knowledge density.\nThe 4 Hour Work Week - great inspiration to start your own thing.\nThe $100 Startup - like the 4HWW but with more details.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "huge help with improving my written communication at my job.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it greatly helped improve their workplace writing.",
          "audience": "People seeking to improve written communication at work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Barbara Minto"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business writing",
        "structured thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-quantum-thief-be9a80",
      "title": "The Quantum Thief",
      "author": "Hannu Rajaniemi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17537852,
          "author": "rektide",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T00:15:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537852",
          "commentText": "Central Station by Lavie Tidhar is an amazing charming story of a world deeply steeped old sitting baking world where new things are coming about. It is charm & delight in the purest & simplest.\nSpin by Robert Charles Wilson. \"Robert Charles Wilson is a hell of a storyteller,\" said Stephen King and this wonderful tour through time and space, humanity & people's lives is incredible.\nThe Quantum Thief series by Hannu Rajaniemi is open, scenic, wild, & so so vivid, one of the most beautiful worlds I've ever visited, & it reminds me so much of a joyous wild swashbuckling run. The mystery of the main character is enchanting.\nInfoquake series by David Louis Edelson is a gripping suspenseful rise of a star entrepreneur that redefines and radically expands the world, amid an already boisterous & full & busy beautiful world already overflowing in seamless technology everywhere. Although the plot line whips along with some suspense & tension, the scenery and the voyage is incredible.\nLathe of Heaven by Ursala Le Guin could quite easily, quite simply be the best first contact story story ever. Touching, and sincere, & simple. This world is not bright and shiny but her writing and the bonding of characters is incredible. See also the rest of the Hainish cycle.\nLeft Hand of Darkness also by Ursala Le Guin is a shifting chaotic shizmatic tale, about picking our fates. \"Well, I did it through dreams. Phil would have done it another way. But yeah, homage to Phil [K.] Dick is right.\"\n- https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/a... (https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/all/)\nFallen Dragon is an early & involved Peter Hamilton adventure book. There's leaving home, & space ships, more space ships, bad guys, fighting back the bad guys, bigger ships, and action. There is A LOT going on, all the time, & violence, but damn this book comes together into something incredible, & telling, & powerful & strong, something that easily makes it my top pick for most-underappreciated Peter Hamilton.\nDiamond Age by Neal Stephenson, which I'm providing largely as a counterweight to the Snowcrash & Sevenses recommendations here. Diamond Age is much less dark, and way more a fun tail about an incredible & mysterious primer for a young lady.\nSirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut.\nAll Systems Red series by Martha Wells is a underprivileged barely coping robot dealing with the humans she hates having to talk to & a shitty planet trying to kill them. Simple, fun, some action & violence, but the main character is a total hoot the whole time with more loner/zero/drop-out attitude & spunk than anything I've read & it's unbelievably charming.\nLords of Light by Roger Zelazny has more style, pizzaz, & spirit than I feel like any of us deserve. An interesting, storied tale from the post-singularity, with a remarkable & robust cast.\nIllium/Olympos by Dan Simmons, are, in my mind still the clear winner, far above Hyperion. The cast is charming beyond belief, stumbling through a world they both know all too much about & far far too little. Some really incredible worldbuilding here.\nRainbow's End by Vernor Vinge. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE A Fire Upon the Deep. But Rainbow's End really is our planet, sometime not far out, and Vinge has the most tour of this next place we're headed, with threads, and annotations, and group chat being the defining new technologies of humanity. And the tale of the misfit happenstance adventurers who wind up ensnared in the plot line is a fun, roving hoot of a journey, a wonderful second chance at a coming of age story.\nMedusa Chronicles by two of my favorites, Alastair Reynolds & Stephen Baxter is probably my favorite exploring the solar system book, about a guy/robot a bit apart from humanity that really wants to see what the local area has to offer. A lot of high tension conflicting societal impulses that our somewhat aloof lead stumbles through, on his personal mission of exploration. Lots of interesting robot philosophy & very varied elements of space come together with the characters to make an incredibly fun space epic, set in a delightful & intriguing alternative history\nOther's recommendations I'd +1: Dune (but super heady material), The Stars My Destination (brimming with class & substance), Mote in God's Eye (some of the best Space Colonial Marines style stuff out there), Accelerando (and Iron Sky and ... overflowing playful scifi), Blue Ant series (dripping with style), Foundation series (and much more Asimov!), Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy (simple direct exciting hunt for treasure in Star Wars), Fuzzy Nation (fun tale)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "one of the most beautiful worlds I've ever visited",
          "reason": "Praises the vivid world and calls the experience beautiful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4353804,
          "author": "SinFulNard",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-08T03:53:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 4353632,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon.  What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4353804",
          "commentText": "Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan - highly. highly. Recommend. Ready Player One... meh. Much preferred MetaGame (only $2!). Otherwise - The Quantum Thief was a great mind blower. Haven't heard of Daemon, loved Snow Crash. Will look into.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Quantum Thief was a great mind blower.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great mind blower.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hannu Rajaniemi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "posthumanism",
        "quantum computing",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-quincunx-80f243",
      "title": "The Quincunx",
      "author": "Charles Palliser",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31968614,
          "author": "URfejk",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T15:52:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31968614",
          "commentText": "Quincunx",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Quincunx",
          "reason": "Named as the book the commenter would reread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5691697,
          "author": "cenazoic",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T19:01:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5691697",
          "commentText": "* The Quincunx, Charles Palliser (historical fiction: \"Those for whom this...will be a special treat are those who enjoy solving word or logic puzzles. To be enjoyed to its fullest, this is a book that benefits from active participation on the part of the reader.\"\n* Playing at the World, Jon Peterson (\"Explore the conceptual origins of wargames and role-playing games in this unprecedented history of simulating the real and the impossible.\")\n* The Years of Lyndon Johnson (v1-4, 5 in production), Robert Caro.  (If you ever wanted to see how political power actually works in the US, you can't beat this biography of LBJ, which reads like a (very long) novel.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* The Quincunx, Charles Palliser (historical fiction: \"Those for whom this...will be a special treat are those who enjoy solving word or logic puzzles. To be enjoyed to its fullest, this is a book that benefits from active participation on the part of the reader.\"",
          "reason": "Described as a special treat for readers who enjoy word or logic puzzles.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy solving word or logic puzzles.",
          "caveat": "The book benefits from active participation by the reader.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Palliser"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "historical mystery",
        "puzzles",
        "victorian fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-rational-optimist-5c1dec",
      "title": "The Rational Optimist",
      "author": "Matt Ridley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16296540,
          "author": "schizoidboy",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T06:43:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296540",
          "commentText": "I just read that review, and it's been years since I've read the book, but here are my thoughts on what I see as the substantive points in the critique:\n1. Climate change: Ridley calls himself a \"luke-warmer\". He doesn't deny that a doubling of carbon dioxide causes a 1 degree celsius increase in temperature, but he accumulates various evidence in the book suggesting that estimated feedback effects (water vapor, etc.) are in excess of what's likely. This claim certainly falls into one of the debatable aspects of the book and I'm not an expert to really evaluate it. I think it's a valid criticism that Ridley is excessively optimistic on existential risks. My guess is that he has a Bayesian prior that dooms-dayers are more likely to be wrong than not. He has many examples in the book of experts predicting existential risks in history and being wrong, and I think this colors his view of all experts. I think those historical examples of wrong doomsdayers is an interesting and important perspective.\n2. Societal Collapse: I believe Ridley wrote about how the black plague may have been an important catalyst in igniting the renaissaince, so I don't remember him making teleological arguments. I don't think Ridley ever claimed that there won't be problems or collapse, but simply that if you look at the aggregate statistics, humans have been improving dramatically in the last few thousand years, largely driven by new forms of energy in the last few hundred years.\n3. Materialism: I don't understand this critique. I already see evidence of movements forming to help people find more meaningful lives: the scientific field of Positive Psychology and Meaning-in-life research by professors such as Dr. Steger, The School of Life, etc.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Ridley calls himself a \"luke-warmer\".",
          "reason": "Discusses the book's arguments and critique, while noting concerns about its optimism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter considers Ridley's optimism about existential risks excessive.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296423,
          "author": "adjkant",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T06:04:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296423",
          "commentText": "Could you elaborate on the new perspective for you? What was the previous one?\nI was intrigued by the title and looked up the book and found this review, and it seems to bring up some good points.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/show/102880724?book_show_ac... (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/102880724?book_show_action=true&from_review_page=1)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I was intrigued by the title and looked up the book",
          "reason": "Asks the previous commenter to elaborate; mentions looking up the book after being intrigued by its title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment does not express an evaluation or recommendation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296407,
          "author": "schizoidboy",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T05:56:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296407",
          "commentText": "The Rational Optimist by Matt Ridley. Debatable but opened up a new perspective for me.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Debatable but opened up a new perspective for me.",
          "reason": "Says it opened up a new perspective, while noting it is debatable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes its case as debatable.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12248755,
          "author": "binalpatel",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T15:59:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12248755",
          "commentText": "The Rational Optimist.\nIt helped me realize (along with other things), that no, the world isn't getting worse. Things are much better than they've ever been for most people, and they're only getting better, faster.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Rational Optimist.\nIt helped me realize (along with other things), that no, the world isn't getting worse.",
          "reason": "The commenter credits it with changing their view of human progress.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matt Ridley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "progress",
        "human development",
        "climate change",
        "human progress"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-razor-s-edge-9e7061",
      "title": "The Razor's Edge",
      "author": "W. Somerset Maugham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467601,
          "author": "playingchanges",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:42:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467601",
          "commentText": "The Razors Edge - Somerset Maugham\nSiddhartha - Herman Hesse\nThe Hobbit - Tolkien",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Razors Edge - Somerset Maugham",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297799,
          "author": "roymurdock",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:56:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297799",
          "commentText": "Older Stuff: The Bible/Quran, The Republic (Plato), The Social Contract (Rousseau), Tao Te Ching (Laozi), Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky), History of the Peloponnesian War (Thucydides)\nNewer Stuff: Nine Stories (Salinger), The Razor's Edge (Maugham), Nausea (Sartre), Siddartha (Hesse), Road to Serfdom (Hayek), The Book (Watts), Design of Everyday Things (Norman), Atlas Shrugged (Rand), Invisible Man (Ellison), Debunking Economics (Keen), Blood Meridian (McCarthy), The Center Cannot Hold (Saks), This Time Is Different (Reinhart/Rogoff), Infinite Jest (Wallace), Calvin and Hobbes (Watterson)\nAll of these books are well written and have given me some perspective on interesting people/situations/ways of thinking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Razor's Edge (Maugham)",
          "reason": "Listed among books said to have given the commenter perspective on interesting people, situations, and ways of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. Somerset Maugham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "spiritual search",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-red-queen-7b84ed",
      "title": "The Red Queen",
      "author": "Matt Ridley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16297231,
          "author": "timellis-smith",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T11:41:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16297231",
          "commentText": "Fiction\nWar and Peace\nCrime and Punishment\nCount of Monte Christo\n1984\nGod of Small Things\nParadise lost\nDivine comedy\nNon fiction\nSelfish gene\nMeditations\nMadness explained (the best book I've encountered for explaining how the mind works)\nThe Red Queen\nTao te Ching",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Red Queen",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the question about books the commenter wishes they had read earlier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674285,
          "author": "jepper",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T11:55:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674285",
          "commentText": "The Selfish Gene - Dawkins, The Red Queen - Ridley\nI've read these books midway through high school, already interested in biology and medicine. The depth and complexity of how life forms handle evolutionary pressure is mind blowing. Why you favor relatives over strangers, the competition between mother and child, progress through collaboration of genes etc. You see the world completely differently (after reading many more books on geology, genetics, anthropology, anatomy, cellular biology etc) afterwards.\nFor a novel: Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson,\nTruely changed how I look at computers and encryption as a not mathematically inclined reader. Building a computer out of church pipe organ components etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Red Queen - Ridley",
          "reason": "Listed as a mind-blowing book in response to the request.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in biology and medicine.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matt Ridley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sexual selection",
        "evolution",
        "evolutionary biology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-right-it-a1964a",
      "title": "The Right It",
      "author": "Alberto Savoia",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41546775,
          "author": "sdoering",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-15T11:17:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41546775",
          "commentText": "I‘d recommend 'the right it' by Alberto Savoia [1].\n> Pretotyping is a set of tools, techniques, and tactics designed to help you validate any idea for a new product quickly, objectively, and accurately. The goal of pretotyping is to help you make sure that you are building The Right It before you build It right.\n[1] https://www.pretotyping.org/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I‘d recommend 'the right it' by Alberto Savoia",
          "reason": "Recommends it for validating product ideas before building them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35171213,
          "author": "frabia",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T16:57:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35171213",
          "commentText": "A book that I really want to recommend to anybody in the process of validating product and business ideas:\n“The right it” by Alberto Savoia",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A book that I really want to recommend to anybody in the process of validating product and business ideas:\n“The right it” by Alberto Savoia",
          "reason": "Recommended for validating product and business ideas.",
          "audience": "People validating product and business ideas.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alberto Savoia"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "product validation",
        "idea testing",
        "pretotyping",
        "startups"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-rise-and-fall-of-american-growth-the-u-s-standard-of-living-s-97e072",
      "title": "The Rise and Fall of American Growth: The U.S. Standard of Living since the Civil War",
      "author": "Robert J. Gordon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42220961,
          "author": "throw0101d",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T14:13:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42220961",
          "commentText": "If I had to pick one: The rise and fall of American growth: the U.S. standard of living since the Civil War by Robert Gordon. The gains that we have made in the (early) 20th century are unlikely to ever be repeated, and progress in many metrics has measurably slowed or even stalled since ~1970s (likely being asymptotic). And while the Internet (classified under the Information, Communication, Technology (ICT) chapters) gave a bump in the 1990s, it's mostly been flat since 2004.\nMore economic history with Slouching towards Utopia: an economic history of the twentieth century by J. Bradford Delong. More economic ideas stuff in Value(s): building a better world for all by Mark Carney (ran the Banks of Canada and England). Also Waphsott's Keynes Hayek: the clash that defined modern economics and Samuelson Friedman: the battle over the free market.\nThe currency of politics: the political theory of money from Aristotle to Keynes by Sefan Eich, Money: the true story of a made-up thing by Jacob Goldstein, and The power of gold: the history of an obsession by Peter Bernstein (also his Against the Gods on risk). Show how much of a human construct \"money\" is, how its meaning changes in different times and places/cultures. Should be required reading by all the 'hard money' folks (gold standard, BTC).\nThe good life: lessons from the world's longest scientific study of happiness by Waldinger and Schultz (directors of the Harvard study). If there's one 'magic' thing for health and happiness it seems to be having good relationships (family, friends) in your life.\nReligion: what it is, how it works, and why it matters by Christian Smith and Strange rites: new religions for a godless world by Tara Burton. While many think that religion is in decline, the non-material/supernatural things that people believe in has actually shifted. And having beliefs in a super-human entity seems to be the basis of most societies and civilizations. Related, The warfare between science and religion : the idea that wouldn't die, a series of essays; the conflict thesis bunk, both historically and presently.\nThe origins of Canadian and American political differences by Jason Kaufman, two seemingly-the-same neighbouring countries that have had different development paths when it comes to culture and government. (I'm Canadian.)\nSpeaking of government: Civil resistance: what everyone needs to know by Erica Chenoweth. Seems violence/force is generally a less effective way to affect change in society than non-violence.\nThe week: a history of the unnatural rhythms that made us who we are by David Henkin. Seems that while seven days has been around for a long while, making it a really 'hard' structure/schedule around it is a more recent phenomenon than you'd expect.\nIf you have kids, Karen Le Billon's French kids eat everything (and yours can, too) and Getting to YUM: the 7 secrets of raising eager eaters, her husband is French and she lived there for a year and found many things done better there than US/CA. See also The happiest kids in the world: how Dutch parents help their kids and themselves by doing less by Acosta and Hutchison.\nFlying blind: the 737 MAX tragedy and the fall of Boeing by Peter Robison is an HN favourite. While we get a lot of engineer vs MBA comments, I think the bigger problem (associated with the MBA-types) is financialization, i.e., returns over everything else. Having non-engineers/MBAs can be 'fine' also long as trying to squeeze blood/money from a stone at the cost of everything else.\nSome philosophy with Alasdair C. MacIntyre: After Virtue is a good starting point. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/After_Virtue",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The rise and fall of American growth: the U.S. standard of living since the Civil War by Robert Gordon.",
          "reason": "Picks it as their one choice and discusses its account of economic progress.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40430584,
          "author": "throw0101b",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T16:29:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40430584",
          "commentText": "In rough order:\nThe Rise and Fall of American Growth: The U.S. Standard of Living since the Civil War:\n> In the century after the Civil War, an economic revolution improved the American standard of living in ways previously unimaginable. Electric lighting, indoor plumbing, motor vehicles, air travel, and television transformed households and workplaces. But has that era of unprecedented growth come to an end? Weaving together a vivid narrative, historical anecdotes, and economic analysis, The Rise and Fall of American Growth challenges the view that economic growth will continue unabated, and demonstrates that the life-altering scale of innovations between 1870 and 1970 cannot be repeated. Gordon contends that the nation's productivity growth will be further held back by the headwinds of rising inequality, stagnating education, an aging population, and the rising debt of college students and the federal government, and that we must find new solutions. A critical voice in the most pressing debates of our time, The Rise and Fall of American Growth is at once a tribute to a century of radical change and a harbinger of tougher times to come.\n* https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/26634594\nData Driven: Truckers, Technology, and the New Workplace Surveillance:\n> Long-haul truckers are the backbone of the American economy, transporting goods under grueling conditions and immense economic pressure. Truckers have long valued the day-to-day independence of their work, sharing a strong occupational identity rooted in a tradition of autonomy. Yet these workers increasingly find themselves under many watchful eyes. Data Driven examines how digital surveillance is upending life and work on the open road, and raises crucial questions about the role of data collection in broader systems of social control.\n* https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/60564512\nWhy We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams:\n> Neuroscientist and sleep expert Matthew Walker provides a revolutionary exploration of sleep, examining how it affects every aspect of our physical and mental well-being. Charting the most cutting-edge scientific breakthroughs, and marshalling his decades of research and clinical practice, Walker explains how we can harness sleep to improve learning, mood and energy levels, regulate hormones, prevent cancer, Alzheimer's and diabetes, slow the effects of aging, and increase longevity. He also provides actionable steps towards getting a better night's sleep every night.\n* https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34466963-why-we-sleep\nChip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology (which goes over the history semiconductors, and not just present day events):\n* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_War:_The_Fight_for_the_Wo... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_War:_The_Fight_for_the_World%27s_Most_Critical_Technology)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Rise and Fall of American Growth: The U.S. Standard of Living since the Civil War:",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert J. Gordon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american economy",
        "economic growth",
        "economic history",
        "standard of living"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-riyria-revelations-cc2c74",
      "title": "The Riyria Revelations",
      "author": "Michael J. Sullivan",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25913977,
          "author": "asicsp",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-26T09:34:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25913977",
          "commentText": "See https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/wiki/lists\nMy recommendations, in no particular order:\n* The Riyria Revelations by Michael Sullivan\n* Memory, Sorrow and Thorn by Tad Williams\n* To Ride Hell's Chasm by Janny Wurts\n* Worm by Wildbow\n* Cradle by Will Wight (think anime like Naruto in book form, but without fillers/fan-service)\n* Farseer by Robin Hobb\n* Powder Mage by Brian McClellan\n* The First Law by Joe Abercrombie\n* The Dagger and the Coin by Daniel Abraham",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* The Riyria Revelations by Michael Sullivan",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's fantasy recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking fantasy novels or epics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785820,
          "author": "nkzednan",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T21:37:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785820",
          "commentText": "Riyria Revelations trilogy - quite good. Follows two thieves for hire. Read the books in publication order\nReady player one - liked it\nsamurai's garden\nExpanse series by James Corey entertaining\nSteelheart and Firefight by Sanderson- good but like Mistborn better\nWorm online serial parahumans good\nNonfiction I read: Delivering happiness, Drive, Power of Habit, Power of full engagement",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Riyria Revelations trilogy - quite good.",
          "reason": "Calls the trilogy quite good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael J. Sullivan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure",
        "epic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-road-less-traveled-38ba39",
      "title": "The Road Less Traveled",
      "author": "M. Scott Peck",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11230120,
          "author": "arunaugustine",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T17:36:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11230120",
          "commentText": "May I also add \"The Road Less Travelled\" by Scott Peck to books on Psychotherapy. Excellent read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "May I also add \"The Road Less Travelled\" by Scott Peck to books on Psychotherapy. Excellent read.",
          "reason": "Calls it an excellent read and suggests adding it to books on psychotherapy.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in psychotherapy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348299,
          "author": "humanarity",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:37:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348299",
          "commentText": "Meditations (Marcus Aurelius) - incredibly clear ideas probably clear-up 80% of issues you have with everyday life\nThe Bible (& The Gnostic Gospels) - I love the idea that Jesus was a real guy who (literally) petrified his childhood playmates because they \"vexed\" him by dispersing his anti-gravity water :)\nAtlas Shrugged - no excuses\nSelf and Others - personal pyschology\nSeth Speaks - a lady channels an interdimensional being\nThe Road Less Travelled - a psychoanalyst's memoirs\nLetters to a Young Artist - encouragement for going your own way, a series of letters\nThe Alchemist - help you read the signs from the heart of the World for your own path\nAn Introduction to Zen Buddhism, et al (T. Suzuki) - really interesting, non-duality, higher third unification of opposites\nHear the Wind Sing (Murakami) - really bizarre and pure, his first one written late nights at kitchen table after working in a bar, before he became famous\nRich Dad Poor Dad - solid advice\nDiscrete Maths (Rosen) - interesting and very learnable, a great reference\nAn Imaginary Life (Malouf) - great clarity of writing\nThe Solid Mandala (Patrick White) - amazing observation of people",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Road Less Travelled - a psychoanalyst's memoirs",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "M. Scott Peck"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal growth",
        "psychotherapy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-road-to-character-5f4c41",
      "title": "The Road to Character",
      "author": "David Brooks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17046842,
          "author": "aizatto",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T12:39:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17046842",
          "commentText": "I can say I've got through something similar.\nA book that made me very introspective was David Brook's The Road To Character . It made me ask my self a lot of questions which I have documented here https://www.deepthoughtapp.com/packages/55/david-brooks-humi... (https://www.deepthoughtapp.com/packages/55/david-brooks-humility-code-from-the-road-to-character/)\nAnother book was Paul Kalanathi's When Breath Becomes Air I also copied some quotes, questions, and answers here  https://www.deepthoughtapp.com/packages/135/paul-kalanithis-... (https://www.deepthoughtapp.com/packages/135/paul-kalanithis-when-breath-becomes-air/)\nI'd recommend reading biographies because they can help you give perspective about how a person leads their life. The ones I found thoroughly fun was Trevor Noah's Born a Crime, Phil Knight's Shoe Dog.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A book that made me very introspective was David Brook's The Road To Character .",
          "reason": "The commenter says it prompted substantial introspection.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15965699,
          "author": "tranvu",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T23:56:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15965699",
          "commentText": "- The Road to Character (David Brooks)\n- Code (Charles Petzold)\n- Soft Skills: The Software Developer's Life Manual (John Z. Sonmez)\n- Zero Bugs and Program Faster (Kate Thompson)\n- Daemon (Daniel Suarez)\n- Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions (Brian Christian)\n- How to Talk to Anyone: 92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships (Leil Lowndes)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Road to Character (David Brooks)",
          "reason": "Listed as a book read in response to a question asking which books the commenter would recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Brooks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Biography",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "character",
        "character development",
        "moral development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-rosie-effect-13936e",
      "title": "The Rosie Effect",
      "author": "Graeme Simsion",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15976224,
          "author": "nkzednan",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-21T03:38:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15976224",
          "commentText": "Top books that I read this past year:\n- Hillbilly Elegy By JD Vance\n- Golden Son by Pierce Brown (second book in a trilogy) liked the whole trilogy\n- Rosie Project/Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion\n- Graceling by Kristin Cashore\n- Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rosie Project/Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's top books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13237188,
          "author": "kranner",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:44:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237188",
          "commentText": "- Tetris: The Games People Play by Box Brown\n- Tibet, Tibet by Patrick French\n- Maya: A Novel by CW Huntington, Jr\n- The Science of Enlightenment by Shinzen Young\n- Flask Web Development by Miguel Grinberg\n- Buddha's Diet by Tara Cottrell\n- A Feast of Vultures by Josy Joseph\n- Genghis Khan: Life, Death and Resurrection by John Man\n- Chasing the Scream by Johann Hari\n- Cuckold by Kiran Nagarkar\n- Goliath by Tom Gauld\n- This Will Never Happen Again by David Cain\n- Cure by Jo Marchant\n- If It’s Monday It Must Be Madurai: A Conducted Tour of India by Srinath Perur\n- Deep Work by Cal Newport\n- Enduring Love by Ian McEwan\n- The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery\n- The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt\n- The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion\nand a few others that aren't worth recommending; all the above are.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "all the above are.",
          "reason": "The commenter includes the listed books among those worth recommending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Graeme Simsion"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "romantic comedy",
        "sequel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-rust-programming-language-349037",
      "title": "The Rust Programming Language",
      "author": "Steve Klabnik and Carol Nichols",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33598994,
          "author": "m4tthumphrey",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-14T18:54:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33598994",
          "commentText": "Starting learning Rust and The Book is great.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Book is great.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is great for learning Rust.",
          "audience": "People starting to learn Rust.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33134789,
          "author": "cryptonector",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T18:39:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33134789",
          "commentText": "The best one might be https://doc.rust-lang.org/book/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The best one might be https://doc.rust-lang.org/book/",
          "reason": "Suggested as the best book in response to a request for a book to learn C.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve Klabnik",
        "Carol Nichols"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming",
        "rust",
        "rust programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-savage-detectives-88acb3",
      "title": "The Savage Detectives",
      "author": "Roberto Bolaño",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2087413,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T04:03:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2087413",
          "commentText": "Jose Saramago - The Cave because it the language was so beautiful even in translation that it made me want to learn Portuguese.\nRoberto Bolano - The Savage Detectives because what's not to love about tough guy poets?\nDavid Bain - Empire Express because it put startups and business in a new light.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Roberto Bolano - The Savage Detectives because what's not to love about tough guy poets?",
          "reason": "Gives it as a favorite, with an approving comment about its tough-guy poets.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026332,
          "author": "andrewcooke",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T22:09:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026332",
          "commentText": "is fiction ok?  i live in chile and stumbled across bolano's books (particularly the savage detectives and 2666) in spanish just as they became popular in english in the usa (2666 was released in translation).\nsavage detectives is a funny account of adolescent \"poets\" in mexico; 2666 is a much darker, somewhat rambling tome that addresses \"evil\".  they're very different, but both great books.\nfor non-fiction the book i've used most this year is an old classic - harbison & steele's \"c a reference manual\".  it's invaluable (if you're writing c).  i don't know how people can prefer kernighan & ritchie...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "savage detectives is a funny account of adolescent \"poets\" in mexico",
          "reason": "Describes it as funny; the thread asks for books enjoyed and recommended.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roberto Bolaño"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "mexican literature",
        "poets"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-score-takes-care-of-itself-f8059d",
      "title": "The Score Takes Care of Itself",
      "author": "Bill Walsh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21716917,
          "author": "chasedehan",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T21:43:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21716917",
          "commentText": "“Score takes care of itself” By Bill Walsh\nWhile not necessarily a “tech” book, the parallels to leading high performing teams are incredible. For me, this was the book that changed the way I think about leading my team.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Score takes care of itself” By Bill Walsh",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book changed how they think about leading their team.",
          "audience": "People leading teams, including in tech.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is not necessarily a tech book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6976248,
          "author": "contextual",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T20:10:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976248",
          "commentText": "Seconded. I listened to the audiobook about a year ago and am ready to listen to it again - and I never do that.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seconded. I listened to the audiobook about a year ago and am ready to listen to it again - and I never do that.",
          "reason": "Readiness to replay the audiobook signals unusual enthusiasm, in response to the book recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Walsh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coaching",
        "high performing teams",
        "leadership",
        "team leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-score-takes-care-of-itself-my-philosophy-of-leadership-4171a2",
      "title": "The Score Takes Care of Itself: My Philosophy of Leadership",
      "author": "Bill Walsh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8717597,
          "author": "dabent",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T17:23:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8717597",
          "commentText": "\"The Score Takes Care of Itself\" by Bill Walsh: http://www.amazon.com/The-Score-Takes-Care-Itself/dp/1591843... (http://www.amazon.com/The-Score-Takes-Care-Itself/dp/1591843472)\nJack Dorsey recommended this title at Startup School 2013 and I got around to reading it in 2014.  It's also one of the readings for YC's \"How to Start a Startup\" class: http://startupclass.samaltman.com/lists/readings/\nI didn't think the leadership notes from a highly successful NFL (American professional football) coach would have much application in the world of technology, but Walsh's insights and discipline can be applied to many different fields.  It's changed the way I work as I lead teams and I realize I have a lot more to learn and apply in my day-to-day duties.\n\"The Score Takes Care of Itself\" does get a bit behind-the-scenes in the football world, but if the reader is willing to get past those parts, or better, learn the lessons in some of the stories, there is a lot to be gained.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's changed the way I work as I lead teams and I realize I have a lot more to learn and apply in my day-to-day duties.",
          "reason": "The commenter says its leadership insights changed how they work and apply across fields.",
          "audience": "Leaders and readers interested in applying leadership lessons beyond football.",
          "caveat": "It includes behind-the-scenes material about football that may require patience.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6975848,
          "author": "busterarm",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T19:03:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6975848",
          "commentText": "Bill Walsh - The Score Takes Care of Itself",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bill Walsh - The Score Takes Care of Itself",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Walsh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "team management",
        "coaching"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-scout-mindset-e71b1d",
      "title": "The Scout Mindset",
      "author": "Julia Galef",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34176258,
          "author": "sershe",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-29T18:48:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34176258",
          "commentText": "1) Chris Moriarty. Spin State - relatively-hard sci-fi with decent non sci-fi elements (i.e. characters and stuff), which I think is rare.\n2) Ralph Ellison. Invisible Man. I really enjoyed the writing, among other things, and how he captures short moments and scenes with sort of a hard-to-describe quality of a visual art, almost.\n3) Ilya Somin. Free To Move. To me most of the book was \"duh\" but I think it would be a good read for people on the fence about immigration and private vs public institutions.\n4) Vaclav Smil. Energy And Civilization; possibly How the World Really Works, still reading that one. Really dense and detailed examination of energy history of mankind for the former, and infrastructure of technological civilization for the latter.\n5) Pluckrose & Lindsday. Cynical Theories. Good 101 on CRT and modern woke movement.\n6) Alexander. New Jim Crow. Good 101 on war on drugs, although some broader social arguments the book makes straightforwardly don't seem to follow, or are contradicted by, its factual base IMHO.\n7) Stephenson. Seveneves - really good hard sci-fi imho, although felt very, very long.\n8) Orwell. Down and Out in Paris and London. A good book about poverty only 70-100 years ago. Also a good perspective for modern complaints about poverty - I have some non-US background for that, so I think many US readers might benefit more.\nOn the fence. \n1) I want to plug Seleukid Royal Economy, just for the hell of it, if you are interested in ancient economy :)\n2) Galef. Scout Mindset - on the fence about this one, but it seemed like it was way too long for what it offers. Maybe I've just read a lot of the same stuff ago.\n3) Okorafor. Binti - not bad as a YA book, but sci-fi aspects are remarkably bad.\nA few more I'm too lazy to type out ;)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "on the fence about this one, but it seemed like it was way too long for what it offers.",
          "reason": "The commenter is unsure about it and feels it is too long for what it offers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is on the fence and found it too long for what it offers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30735764,
          "author": "jwood27",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:37:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735764",
          "commentText": "The following have all had a significant effect on my worldview. You can find more information at [1].\n- The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow\n- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\n- Crime and Punishment\n- The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York\n- Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies\n- The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity\n- Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead\n- Franny and Zooey\n- Master of the Senate\n- Atlas Shrugged\n- Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed\n- Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap?\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\n- The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics\n- The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don't\n- Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans\n- Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\n- Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World\n- Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones\n- Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow\n- Ethics in the Real World: 86 Brief Essays on Things that Matter\n- A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life\n- Humankind: A Hopeful History\n- The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think\n[1] https://jacobw.xyz/books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don't",
          "reason": "Listed among books that significantly affected the commenter’s worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Julia Galef"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "critical thinking",
        "motivated reasoning",
        "rationality",
        "reasoning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-search-how-google-and-its-rivals-rewrote-the-rules-of-busines-0f372e",
      "title": "The Search: How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed Our Culture",
      "author": "John Battelle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 191784,
          "author": "coglethorpe",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-16T14:12:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=191784",
          "commentText": "1. \"The Wisdom of Crowds\" by James Surowiecki\n2. \"Predictably Irrational\" by Dan Ariely\n3. \"The Search\" by John Battelle\n4. \"Made to Stick\" by Chip Heath and Dan Heath\n5. \"The Tipping Point\" by Malcolm Gladwell\nThat should cover your trip. I've listened to all of them and really liked all of them.  \"Blink\" by Gladwell is also good, but not as business related.\nI would love to hear any other suggestions people have in this category.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Search\" by John Battelle",
          "reason": "Included in a list of suggested audiobooks; the commenter says they listened to and liked all the listed titles.",
          "audience": "Listeners interested in business related books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56663,
          "author": "Readmore",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T03:26:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56663",
          "commentText": "The Search by John Battelle. Then, just for fun, Neuromancer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Search by John Battelle.",
          "reason": "Listed as a book to read in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Battelle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "google",
        "search engines",
        "technology business"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-second-machine-age-1f3f9e",
      "title": "The Second Machine Age",
      "author": "Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13901179,
          "author": "pieterp",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T13:40:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13901179",
          "commentText": "The Second Machine Age",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Second Machine Age",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968197,
          "author": "lemma",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T22:57:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968197",
          "commentText": "Just finished \"The Second Machine Age\",not bad for a quick read and some framing of tech trends, but definitely not very technical/thorough.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Just finished \"The Second Machine Age\",not bad for a quick read and some framing of tech trends, but definitely not very technical/thorough.",
          "reason": "Finds it useful for framing technology trends, but not very technical or thorough.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not very technical or thorough.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "digital economy",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "automation",
        "technology trends"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-secret-of-our-success-4f62ab",
      "title": "The Secret of Our Success",
      "author": "Joseph Henrich",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22096235,
          "author": "schoen",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T04:12:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22096235",
          "commentText": "A different recent take on \"where is X really located?\" is The Secret of Our Success by Joseph Henrich, which argues that our useful intelligence is largely in our culture and our capacity to build it incrementally, rather than in our individual minds' capacities.\nHe starts off with observations about well-educated, intelligent, capable people in possession of sophisticated technology starving or freezing to death when they were stranded in unfamiliar physical environments, in which other cultural groups could thrive.\nIf Turner thinks that your constructed habitat is part of your body, Henrich thinks that your culture is part of your intelligence, and for a wide range of purposes, the most important part.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Secret of Our Success by Joseph Henrich",
          "reason": "Argues that useful intelligence is largely in culture and the capacity to build it incrementally.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910652,
          "author": "Symmetry",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T17:04:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910652",
          "commentText": "The Secret of Our Success on the co-evolution of humans and human culture.\nThe Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution on what are states, where do they come from, and how do they work?\nThe Vital Question: Energy, Evolution, and the Origins of Complex Life is just what it says on the tin.\nThe Strategy of Conflict is the original book on game theory which stands up pretty well.\nConsciousness and the Brain: Deciphering How the Brain Codes Our Thoughts on the modern science of what we know about what consciousness is.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Secret of Our Success on the co-evolution of humans and human culture.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph Henrich"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Society",
        "Nature",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cultural evolution",
        "collective intelligence",
        "human cooperation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sense-of-an-ending-636e47",
      "title": "The Sense of an Ending",
      "author": "Julian Barnes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10785719,
          "author": "martythemaniak",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T21:18:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785719",
          "commentText": "Leave it to Psmith - 10/10\nAnna Karenina - 8/10\nThe Code of the Woosters 8/10\nFooled by Randomness 7/10\nFinding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life 8/10\nHow to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia 9/10\nReluctant Fundamentalist 9/10\nThe Sense of an Ending - Julian Barnes 8/10\nThe Last Question - Asimov - 9/10\nThe Magic of Thinking Big - 6/10\nThe catcher in the Rye 8/10\nModels 7/10\nHigh Fidelity - Nick Hornby 8/10\nThe Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman 7/10\nThe Surrender Experiment - 10/10\nUntethered Soul - 9/10\nThe Autobiography of a Yogi - 7/10\nRaja Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 7/10\nSomething Fresh, something new - 7/10\nKarma Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 8/10\nThinking, Fast and Slow - 9/10\nFierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates 10/10\nThe Pearl by John Steinbeck 7/10",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Sense of an Ending - Julian Barnes 8/10",
          "reason": "Rates the book 8/10.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3336150,
          "author": "gforces",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-09T23:27:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3336150",
          "commentText": "Philip Roth's 'Indignation. Julian Barnes 'The sense of an ending'. And a few other novels. Plus I'm reading 'The Price of Civilization: Reawakening American Virtue and Prosperity by Jeffrey Sachs. I would recommend one and all.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend one and all.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the listed books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Julian Barnes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "memory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-shadow-of-the-wind-86e0ad",
      "title": "The Shadow of the Wind",
      "author": "Carlos Ruiz Zafón",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15642103,
          "author": "tcx",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-07T10:00:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15642103",
          "commentText": "Jared Diamond - \"Collapse: how societies choose to fail or succeed\" (non-fiction)\nIván Repila - \"The Boy Who Stole Attila’s Horse\": short intense novel about 2 boys who are trapped in a well\nMargaret Atwood - \"The handmaid's tale\"\nKhaled Hosseini - \"The kite runner\"\nAgatha Christie - \"The murder of Roger Ackroyd\" (very surprising plot)\nAndy Weir - \"The Martian\"\nCharles Dickens - \"David Copperfield\"\nClare Mackintosh - \"I let you go\"\nCarlos Ruiz Zafón - \"The Shadow of the Wind\"\nM.R. Carey - \"The girl with all the gifts\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Carlos Ruiz Zafón - \"The Shadow of the Wind\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229693,
          "author": "jseliger",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:21:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229693",
          "commentText": "Jonathan Haidt, The Righteous Mind: http://jakeseliger.com/2012/03/25/jonathan-haidts-the-righte... (http://jakeseliger.com/2012/03/25/jonathan-haidts-the-righteous-mind-and-what-were-really-arguing-about/)\nThis is a novel, but Carlos Ruiz Zafon's The Shadow of the Wind is fantastic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Shadow of the Wind is fantastic",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the novel fantastic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carlos Ruiz Zafón"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical mystery",
        "barcelona",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-shape-of-design-35f32c",
      "title": "The Shape of Design",
      "author": "Frank Chimero",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4967165,
          "author": "emehrkay",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T21:38:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967165",
          "commentText": "Off of the top of my head: Heny Ford -- My Life and Work. The Shape of Design. Ken Segal -- Insanely Simple.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Shape of Design.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4601185,
          "author": "maguay",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-02T09:19:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 4596721,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4601185",
          "commentText": "Frank Chimero's The Shape of Design in PDF. Great, thought-provoking book on design in everything in life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great, thought-provoking book on design in everything in life.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a great, thought-provoking book about design.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frank Chimero"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "design theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-shape-of-space-b5e369",
      "title": "The Shape of Space",
      "author": "Jeffrey R. Weeks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35930133,
          "author": "dpflan",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T16:47:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35930133",
          "commentText": "- The Shape of Space by Jeffrey R. Weeks -- from geometry to cosmology, exercises your mind into visualizing the shape of the universe.\n- Algorithms by  S. Dasgupta, C. H. Papadimitriou, and U. V. Vazirani. -- compact book that goes from the basics to divide-and-conquer, graphs, dynamic programming, linear programming, NP-completeness, and Quantum.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Shape of Space by Jeffrey R. Weeks -- from geometry to cosmology, exercises your mind into visualizing the shape of the universe.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it exercises the mind to visualize the universe’s shape.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in geometry and cosmology.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34448348,
          "author": "zmgsabst",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-20T02:09:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34448348",
          "commentText": "I really liked “Excursions in Modern Mathematics” and “The Shape of Space”.\nNot the most technical — but really influenced how I thought about mathematics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“The Shape of Space”.\nNot the most technical — but really influenced how I thought about mathematics.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it influenced how they thought about mathematics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not the most technical.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeffrey R. Weeks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "geometry",
        "topology",
        "cosmology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-shock-doctrine-the-rise-of-disaster-capitalism-ebeee7",
      "title": "The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism",
      "author": "Naomi Klein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23859898,
          "author": "famuvie",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T15:22:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859898",
          "commentText": "The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism, by Naomi Klein (2007)\nOpen Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent, Eudardo Galeano (1971)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism, by Naomi Klein (2007)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17522624,
          "author": "nickvanhoog",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T13:13:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17522624",
          "commentText": "The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein and The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes were both great.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein and The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes were both great.",
          "reason": "Calls both named books great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Naomi Klein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "disaster capitalism",
        "neoliberalism",
        "political economy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sickness-unto-death-1323cc",
      "title": "The Sickness Unto Death",
      "author": "Søren Kierkegaard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31971671,
          "author": "romesmoke",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T22:50:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31971671",
          "commentText": "Kierkegaard's The Sickness Unto Death.\nIn many books I have tried to find answers and failed. TSUD stresses the importance of who is asking the questions.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kierkegaard's The Sickness Unto Death.\nIn many books I have tried to find answers and failed. TSUD stresses the importance of who is asking the questions.",
          "reason": "Says it stresses the importance of who is asking the questions, after describing a search for answers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19090108,
          "author": "nathias",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T21:39:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090108",
          "commentText": "Plato - Meno, Symposium, Parmenides, Gorgias, Protagoras\nPlotinus -Enneads\nMarkus Aurelius - Meditations\nDescartes - On method\nDescartes - Meditations\nSpinoza - On the improvement of Understanding\nLeibniz - Monadology\nLeibniz - Grace\nVoltaire - Candid\nDiderot - D'Alembert's Dream\nKant - How to orient oneself in thinking\nKant - Critique of Pure Reason\nKant - Critique of Judgment\nHegel - Phenomenology of Spirit\nHegel - Logic\nvon Kleist - Marionette Theatre\nKierkegaard - The Sickness Unto Death\nHeidegger - Being and Time\nSartre - Being and Nothingness\nSartre - Flies\nSartre - Nausea\nDeleuze - Difference and Repetition\nKafka - Metamorphosis\nKafka - The Castle\nLem - Magellan Nebula\nLem - His Master's Voice\nCioran - A Short History of Decay\nPessoa - Book Of Despair\nWolfe -  New Sun tetralogy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kierkegaard - The Sickness Unto Death",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Søren Kierkegaard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "existentialism",
        "christian philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-simple-path-to-wealth-ea783f",
      "title": "The Simple Path to Wealth",
      "author": "JL Collins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42219192,
          "author": "stocknoob",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T04:23:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42219192",
          "commentText": "I think Your Money or Your Life (Vicki Robbins, 1992) predates it and helped inspire Mr Money Moustache, but Collins’ book is great too.\nFor everyone reading this, pursuing FIRE will impact your life more than any other book. Set the ball in motion and wait. Soon you’ll have time to enjoy all these other great books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Collins’ book is great too.",
          "reason": "Calls Collins’ book great while discussing the FIRE movement.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29815529,
          "author": "avgDev",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-05T21:52:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29815529",
          "commentText": "I'm huge on investing. I believe building wealth is extremely important and 18 is a great time to start.\nTherefore, I would recommend \"The simple path to wealth\" and \"The little book of common sense investing\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend \"The simple path to wealth\"",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the book for someone starting to invest.",
          "audience": "Young people starting to build wealth.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "JL Collins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial independence",
        "investing",
        "personal finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sixth-extinction-an-unnatural-history-690e01",
      "title": "The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History",
      "author": "Elizabeth Kolbert",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29669823,
          "author": "brailsafe",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T03:33:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29669823",
          "commentText": "The Sixth Extinction",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Sixth Extinction",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Elizabeth Kolbert"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biodiversity loss",
        "mass extinction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sleepwalkers-how-europe-went-to-war-in-1914-6dab2e",
      "title": "The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914",
      "author": "Christopher Clark",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43612794,
          "author": "hackeraccount",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T15:47:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43612794",
          "commentText": "The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer\nSiddhartha Mukherjee\nIt's an inherently interesting subject but (and it's been more then 10 years  since I read it) it's a history of people innovating.  I remember really enjoying the way it tries to get at the whys and the hows of people coming up with good ideas.\nThe Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914\nChristopher Clark \nThe origin of WWI is a story that's been told repeatedly.  This version is delightfully depressing.  I can't quite describe the book.  If you say X happening was the fault of everyone it's easy to imagine that's synonymous with saying it's no one's fault.  That's not what's being argued - here it's that it's literally everyone's fault.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This version is delightfully depressing.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes this account of the origins of World War I as delightfully depressing and stresses collective responsibility.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the story has been told repeatedly.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32200252,
          "author": "ylee",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-23T04:06:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32200252",
          "commentText": "Currently actively reading:\nThe Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War by Clark\nThe Napoleonic Wars: A Global History by Mikaberidze\nAn Introduction to Programming in Emacs Lisp by Chassell\nThe Girl from the Channel Islands by Lecoat\nRecently completed:\nLeviathan Falls by Corey\nIron Kingdom: The Rise and Downfall of Prussia, 1600-1947 by Clark\nShowstopper! the Breakneck Race to Create Windows NT and the Next Generation at Microsoft by Zachary\nMercury Rising: John Glenn, John Kennedy, and the New Battleground of the Cold War by Shesol\nSeeking Love in Modern Britain: Gender, Dating and the Rise of 'the Single' by Strimpel\nThe Club: Johnson, Boswell, and the Friends Who Shaped an Age by Damrosch\nCome Fly with Us: NASA's Payload Specialist Program by Croft\nAerial Warfare: The Battle for the Skies by Ledwidge\nDe Gaulle by Jackson\n1913: The Year Before the Storm by Illies\nVichy France by Paxton\nYear Zero by Reid\nAnd the Show Went On: Cultural Life in Nazi-occupied Paris by Riding\nThe Kinsman Saga by Bova\nThe Triumph of William McKinley: Why the Election of 1896 Still Matters by Rove\nLa Place De La Concorde Suisse by McPhee\nEnd of a Berlin Diary by Shirer\nSeizing the Enigma: The Race to Break the German U-Boat Codes, 1933-1945 by Kahn\nHell and Good Company: The Spanish Civil War and the World it Made by Rhodes\nThe Forgotten Depression: 1921 : The Crash that Cured Itself by Grant\nBernard Baruch by Grant\nWool by Howey\nProject Hail Mary by Weir",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War by Clark",
          "reason": "Listed among books currently being read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14860000,
          "author": "Symmetry",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:30:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14860000",
          "commentText": "The Guns of August - Can't say I really recommend it, read The Sleepwalkers instead.  Barely talks about Austria-Hungary which was a disappointment.\nAstrobiology - A Very Short Introduciton - Good so far but I haven't gotten very far in yet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "read The Sleepwalkers instead.",
          "reason": "Recommends this in place of The Guns of August.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher Clark"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "world war i",
        "diplomacy",
        "european history",
        "origins of war"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-social-construction-of-reality-da1af6",
      "title": "The Social Construction of Reality",
      "author": "Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckmann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32791257,
          "author": "wunderlust",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T15:04:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32791257",
          "commentText": "My field of study (what I really like to think and learn about) isn't my field of work, but I like the question so I'll spill some thoughts.\nI spend a lot of time thinking about philosophical-ish stuff, so here are some books that have had the strongest residual effects (whether that's changing how I think, changing what I think about, changing my values, or simply getting the thought ball rolling faster):\nIshmael (Daniel Quinn)\n1984 (George Orwell)\nBrave New World (Aldous Huxley)\nGodel, Escher, Bach (Douglas Hofstadter)\nThe Republic [imp. \"the allegory of the cave\"] (Plato)\nThe Genealogy of Morals (Friedrich Nietzsche)\nThe Social Construction of Reality (Peter L. Berger, Thomas Luckmann)\nTractatus Logico-Philosophicus (L. Wittgenstein)\nDissemination [imp. \"The Pharmakon\"] (Jacques Derrida)\nThe Quest for Reality (Barry Stroud)\nLanguages of Art (Nelson Goodman)\nThe Structure of Scientific Revolutions (Thomas Kuhn)\nConcepts (Jerry Fodor)\nThe Web of Life (Fritjof Capra)\nFoucault's Pendulum (Umberto Eco)\nNaming and Necessity (Saul Kripke)\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Robert Pirsig)\nThere are others, and a lot of essays (by thinkers like Bertrand Russell, Carl Hempel, Hilary Putnam, WVO Quine, Karl Popper, Alfred Tarski, Gottlob Frege, David Chalmers, Daniel Dennett, Michel Foucault, Jean Baudrillard, Mikhail Bakunin, CS Peirce, and David Hume, among many others), but these seem apropos as they most readily came to mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Social Construction of Reality (Peter L. Berger, Thomas Luckmann)",
          "reason": "Listed among books with strong residual effects on the commenter’s thinking and values.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29669269,
          "author": "kelseyfrog",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T02:20:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29669269",
          "commentText": "The Social Construction of Reality[1]. This book helped me in my personal life coming to terms with my identity. But it also helped me understand the art of discourse much more deeply. It gives the tools to easily and quickly identify implicit assumptions in arguments and drill down into why and how they are made. It also makes it very clear that people in general construct very poor arguments. You may already believe this, but just how poor they are is almost unbelievable.\n1. Berger, Luckmannn1966\nISBN 978-0-385-05898-8\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-38... (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-385-05898-8)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book helped me in my personal life coming to terms with my identity. But it also helped me understand the art of discourse much more deeply.",
          "reason": "Says it helped with identity and understanding discourse and arguments.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter L. Berger",
        "Thomas Luckmann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "social constructionism",
        "sociology of knowledge"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-source-e37a00",
      "title": "The Source",
      "author": "James A. Michener",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36105121,
          "author": "jpm_sd",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T15:51:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105121",
          "commentText": "\"The Source\" by James Michener is fun historical fiction on the subject.\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Source_%28novel%29\nI'm also a big fan of the Cartoon History of the Universe series.\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cartoon_History_of_the_U... (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cartoon_History_of_the_Universe)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Source\" by James Michener is fun historical fiction on the subject.",
          "reason": "Recommended as enjoyable historical fiction related to religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12244499,
          "author": "acidburnNSA",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T00:03:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244499",
          "commentText": "Just read The Source. What an epic whirlwind of historical fiction. Good call.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just read The Source. What an epic whirlwind of historical fiction. Good call.",
          "reason": "Calls it an epic whirlwind of historical fiction and affirms the recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James A. Michener"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "archaeology",
        "israel",
        "religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-spirit-catches-you-and-you-fall-down-f152fc",
      "title": "The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down",
      "author": "Anne Fadiman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49904502,
          "author": "enjrolas",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T04:54:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49904502",
          "commentText": "just finished The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, by Anne Fadiman.  It's a really well-written story looking at the collision of the American Medical System and Hmong culture, specifically one Hmong family who has a young child with epilepsy.  I like it a _lot_, because there are no villains in the story, but it is a tragedy, and the writer really gets into why these two groups aren't on the same wavelength.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, by Anne Fadiman",
          "reason": "Praises its writing and account of a collision between American medicine and Hmong culture.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes it as a tragedy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22095207,
          "author": "ctrager",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T00:29:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22095207",
          "commentText": "\"The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down\", non-fiction, about the cultural clash of modern American medicine and Hmong immigrants. The author demonstrates an amazing amount of empathy for both sides.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down\", non-fiction, about the cultural clash of modern American medicine and Hmong immigrants.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes the book's subject and praises its empathy toward both sides.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in cultural differences in medicine and Hmong American experiences.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anne Fadiman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hmong culture",
        "medical anthropology",
        "cross cultural medicine"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-stainless-steel-rat-2edf66",
      "title": "The Stainless Steel Rat",
      "author": "Harry Harrison",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41768957,
          "author": "cannonpr",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T18:03:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41768957",
          "commentText": "Scifi here but the most embarrassing one I have to admit to loving is the stainless steel rat series by Harry Harrison.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the stainless steel rat series by Harry Harrison.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they love the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes loving it as embarrassing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86223,
          "author": "icky",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:37:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86223",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- The Time Machine (still holds up very well, and seems strangely eerie and prescient in places)... (H. G. Wells)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Hobbit (and LotR) (Tolkien)\n- Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n- Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties (I picked up Idoru first, so I haven't yet read Virtual Light) (also Gibson)\n- The Difference Engine (Gibson, Sterling)\n- Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n- Cryptonomicon (\" \")\n- Circuit of Heaven, End of Days (Dennis Danvers)\n- All of the \"Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser\" stories and novels. (Fritz Leiber)\n- The Earthsea trilogy (Ursula K. LeGuin)\n- 'salem's Lot (Stephen King)\n- Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein)\n- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)\n- the Coldfire trilogy (C. S. Friedman)\n- various Cory Doctorow short stories\n- Kamikaze L'Amour (Richard Kadrey)\n- Lightpaths (Howard V. Hendrix)\n- A Canticle For Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)\n- Moonwar, Venus (Ben Bova)\n- the Stainless Steel Rat series (Harry Harrison)\n- Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)\n- Ringworld (Larry Niven)\n- Cthon (Piers Anthony) -- Trippiness level approaching Philip Jose Farmer ;-)\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (Douglas Adams)\n- The Black Company (Glen Cook)\n- there's one particularly good post-cyberpunk series that takes place in a world in which Canada emerged as a major world power, but for the life of me I can't rememeber the title.\n- the 1632 series (Eric Flint)... see also S. M. Stirling's Nantucket series (\"Island in the Sea of Time\", et al.), and H. Beam Piper's novel Kalvan of Otherwhen\nNon-fiction:\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (Hume)\n- the surviving words and works of Epicurus, and Diogenes the Cynic\n- Freakonomics (Levitt, Dubner)\n- The Gay Science (Nietzsche)\n- The Jefferson Bible (Christ, Jefferson (ed.))\n- The Devil's Dictionary (Bierce)\n- Brain Droppings (George Carlin)\n- anything by P. J. O'Rourke\n- anything by Dave Barry",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Stainless Steel Rat series (Harry Harrison)",
          "reason": "Recommends the series in the fiction list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Harry Harrison"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic science fiction",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-startup-owner-s-manual-6dcbb0",
      "title": "The Startup Owner's Manual",
      "author": "Steve Blank, Bob Dorf",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41562390,
          "author": "muzani",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-16T23:38:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41562390",
          "commentText": "The startup playbook. All the basics: https://playbook.samaltman.com/\nThe Startup Owner's Manual: https://www.amazon.com/Startup-Owners-Manual-Step-Step/dp/09... (https://www.amazon.com/Startup-Owners-Manual-Step-Step/dp/0984999302)\nNobody seems to recommend this because nobody has finished reading it, but it's meant to be acted on, not finished. There are literally checklists. It's also hard to get a soft copy, but th soft copies are useful for printing out the checklists. Paul Graham has changed the definition of a startup, but I still love the one from here - the goal of a startup is to have a scalable and repeatable business model.\nStartup=Growth, by Paul Graham https://paulgraham.com/growth.html\nI'd recommend the whole site, and many do. But start here. Many don't understand that startups are about growing assets, not revenue. And exponential is a funny word for \"very slow\". If you wanted to grow to a million dollars, do anything but a startup and don't raise VC money. But this shows how the math works.\nHigh Growth Handbook: https://growth.eladgil.com/\nAnd this is what you read after you get past 10 employees. Who to hire next, how to manage. There are tons of people who talk about how to get Product Market Fit, but few who talk about how to build an engine to turn PMF to money. There's tons of podcasts but consider this book a collection of the best ones.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Startup Owner's Manual: https://www.amazon.com/Startup-Owners-Manual-Step-Step/dp/09...\nNobody seems to recommend this because nobody has finished reading it, but it's meant to be acted on, not finished.",
          "reason": "Recommends using its checklists as an actionable startup guide, even without reading it cover to cover.",
          "audience": "Startup founders seeking practical steps and checklists.",
          "caveat": "Long and difficult to get a soft copy; meant to be acted on rather than finished.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41562205,
          "author": "muzani",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-16T23:16:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41562205",
          "commentText": "If you've read the right books, you will be motivated. I started a startup after binging through Paul Graham's essays and The Startup Owner's Manual; it made the whole idea of a startup seem like an easy step-by-step process. Some people do the same after reading CTCI and applying for FAANG.\nI'd argue too many read the simple books. You have to slog through the tough content, actually apply the content to your work, and find a book that fixes the next problem you hit.\nAction is the spark that ignites the fire, but knowledge is the fuel. I've worked almost 10 years in startups and I wish the people who ran them read books other than Rich Dad Poor Dad.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "and The Startup Owner's Manual; it made the whole idea of a startup seem like an easy step-by-step process.",
          "reason": "Says reading it made startups seem like an easy step-by-step process, then urges readers to apply difficult material to real problems.",
          "audience": "People learning about startups.",
          "caveat": "The commenter argues against relying only on simple books and urges applying tougher material to current work.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41553027,
          "author": "mumer101",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-16T05:29:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41553027",
          "commentText": "Yes and the book is like 800 pages",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Yes and the book is like 800 pages",
          "reason": "Affirms the referenced book and notes its length.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The book is about 800 pages.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25216443,
          "author": "webmaven",
          "createdAt": "2020-11-26T02:56:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 25207732,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Suggest good books on bootstrapping a startup",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25216443",
          "commentText": "> - The Four Steps to the Epiphany\nGood (even great) book, but has some flaws and focuses mostly on enterprise costumers. The revised version  The Startup Owner's Manual is more polished and covers a wider range of business models.\n> - The Lean Startup\nAn excellent recommendation. The other books in the series (especially IMO Running Lean and Lean Analytics) are also worth a look:\nhttps://www.amazon.com/stores/page/7509FE4F-9888-4384-ACBC-D... (https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/7509FE4F-9888-4384-ACBC-D5B12AA08563)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The revised version  The Startup Owner's Manual is more polished and covers a wider range of business models.",
          "reason": "Presented as a more polished revision covering a wider range of business models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve Blank",
        "Bob Dorf"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "customer development",
        "startups",
        "startup methodology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-startup-owner-s-manual-e5774d",
      "title": "The Startup Owner's Manual",
      "author": "Steve Blank",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35169107,
          "author": "collin128",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T14:47:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35169107",
          "commentText": "Steve Blank's blog (not a book, I know) + The Startup Owners Manual also by Steve Blank.\nLean Product Playbook by Dan Olsen.\nThe two helped me understand what it meant to 'get out of the building'.\n7 Powers + Good Strategy Bad Strategy helped me think long term about the business model and evolution of the company.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Startup Owners Manual also by Steve Blank.",
          "reason": "The commenter says this book helped them understand what it means to get out of the building.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144179,
          "author": "naboavida",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:38:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144179",
          "commentText": "Thinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman. Learn why we're fools by nature.\nIncerto - Nassim Nicholas Taleb (4 volumes, with The Black Swan as my favourite). Learn how not to be a fool, or at least, minimize its impacts.\nThe Startup Owner's Manual - Steve Blank. Learn how to find your way through the market.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Startup Owner's Manual - Steve Blank. Learn how to find your way through the market.",
          "reason": "Presented as one of three career-impacting recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve Blank"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "customer development",
        "startups",
        "entrepreneurship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-strange-bird-d13b4f",
      "title": "The Strange Bird",
      "author": "Jeff VanderMeer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38573009,
          "author": "unaindz",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T19:21:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38573009",
          "commentText": "Last year Annihilation and the rest of the trilogy rekindled my passion for reading after almost a decade.\nVandemeer really has a way with words but specifically in this novel he manages to describe what I though was indescribable.\nIt was only fair that I tried another one of his trilogies, Borne, The Strange Bird and Dead Astronauts.\nWith Borne being pretty normal (for Vandermeer standards) and the other two reading like pretty ramblings at times if you lack the context. I still loved them but they may not be for everyone.\nYou should read them in the order above so that you have as many pieces of the prose puzzle when you reach Dead Astronauts. But even if you end up not liking the writing of the last two books, Borne can still be enjoyed independently.\nAs for this year. \n\"Blood music\" by Greg Bear.\nBiology scify with a pretty weird concept.\n\"Firefall\" trilogy by Peter Watts\nUsually a scify story revolvs around one core idea, this one does too, but it kept surprising me with new secondary but interesting ones until the end.\nRead The Colonel between the two main books.\n\"Rifters\" trilogy by Peter Watts\nExploring sexual abuse, empathy\n\"Story of Your Life\" by Ted Chiang\nShort story about a linguist learning the recently arrived aliens language. Liked the humor depicting the different perspectives between scientists and military. Pretty emotional.\nI'm not sure what it tells about me but all of these are bittersweet scify with good prose.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Borne, The Strange Bird and Dead Astronauts.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they loved it, while noting that it can read like rambling without context.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "May read like rambling without context; read after Borne for context.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665209,
          "author": "PostPost",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:26:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665209",
          "commentText": "Sorry for the wall of text.\n1. Bourne (The language and world of this novel are extraordinary - everything is falling apart yet brimming with life. Strangely moving)\n2. The Design of Everyday things (Essential for anyone in UI/UX)\n3. All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (Highly engaging, entertaining sci-fi novella series, from an author that can write a very decent robot protagonist)\n4. The Power (Interesting story with sci-fi elements on the dynamics of power, sex, and gender roles. I didn't care for the book, but the first 3/4 of the book are amazing)\n5. Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days\n6. 7 brief Lessons on Physics\n7. The Last Lecture (The energy and positivity coming from a man knowing he's about to die is infectious. Great read)\n8. A wizard of Earthsea (Move over Harry Potter, this is the essential children's story about wizards)\n9. Exploring diabetes with owls (Funny, irreverent)\n10. Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children (Made an effort to read more YA this year - this was the best in this series, but I still hated it. There's a host of better YA series out there.)\n11. A Wizard of Earthsea: The Tombs of Atuan (See 8.)\n12. The Girl in the Dark (Interesting book about a skin condition I had never heard of, and the trials of living with a very rare condition)\n13. The Phantom Tollbooth (Clever children's book)\n14. Black hole blues and songs from outer space (Informative book about the study of space,  the political and economic forces standing in the way of science, and the incredible individuals working in this field)\n15. Welcome to Night Vale (Hugely entertaining, clever and weird)\n16. You need a budget (Basic economics book explaining how to budget in a way that lets you do more with your money)\n17. To fight Against This Age (Incredibly pretentious, \nIvory Tower philosophizing)\n18. Infinity Gauntlet (Half the Universe dying because Thanos wanted to sleep with Lady Death will never not be ridiculous)\n19. The Right and Wrong Stuff (Great read explaining how to anticipate and avoid career pitfalls)\n20. Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children: Hollow City (pretty shitty)\n21. The Farthest Shore (Ursula K. Le Guin was the biggest loss this year)\n22. Miss peregrine's home for Peculiar Children: Library of Souls (I hate this book and all its characters)\n23. Every Good Endevour (Religious book about a Christian worldview and the value of labor - not a bad read)\n24. When to Rob a Bank and 131 warped suggestions… (interesting, funny, from the writers of Freakonomics)\n25. Weapons of Math Destruction (Probably the most useful book on this list, if you're reading this on \"hackernews\")\n26. Holes (Perfect summer paperback read)\n27. Silver Screen Sirens (Essential for film geeks)\n28. A full life: reflections at 90 (I gained a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter: he lived an incredible life and does great things)\n29. Call Me by your name (Very good romance novel to send to your bigoted relatives at Christmas)\n30. Hyperbole and a half (Incredibly entertaining, very distinctive art style)\n31. The Murderbot diaries: Artificial Condition (See 3.)\n32. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Best children's book, fight me)\n33. Less (Exceptionally well-written)\n34. Resilience (Great book, especially for those that have gone through extremely difficult circumstances)\n35. The Strange Bird (Dark, bleak, full of life, see 1.)\n36. The Murderbot diaries: Rogue Protocol (See 3.)\n37. His Dark Materials: The subtle knife (See 32.)\n38. Tap Dancing to Work (Very dry, some stories/articles are fantastic, others very, very boring for people that do not care about finance)\n39. So Good They Can't Ignore You (Pretty good)\n40. His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass (Amazing YA, see 32.)\n41. Uncontainable (Inspirational book about conscious capitalism)\n42. The Emperor of All Maladies (Pretty much everything you'll ever want to know about Cancer, written in a very engaging way)\n43. Blind Spot\n44. Shoe dog (Great story, see madmax108's comment, totally agree)\n45. The Faithful Spy (Beautiful artwork describing a Christian pastor's fight against fascism during WW2)\n46. Zero to One\n47. You'll grow out of it\n48. The Happiness advantage (Really fantastic book about the value of positive psychology)\n49. Dreams from my father (Enlightening look into Obama's \nearly days)\n50. Ayoade on Ayoade (Entertaining, extremely scatter-brained, not as funny as his interviews or tv programs)\n51. The Diabolic (badly written YA Sci-Fi)\n52. The Physics of Everyday Things (surprisingly informative, recommended for non science-people interested in the way things work)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Dark, bleak, full of life, see 1.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes its tone and points to the earlier positive description of Bourne.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as dark and bleak.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeff VanderMeer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "weird fiction",
        "biopunk",
        "climate fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-strangest-man-the-hidden-life-of-paul-dirac-quantum-genius-a1d1af",
      "title": "The Strangest Man: The Hidden Life of Paul Dirac, Quantum Genius",
      "author": "Graham Farmelo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33850077,
          "author": "XeO3",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T02:51:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33850077",
          "commentText": "The Strangest man by Graham Farmelo.\nIt`s a biography of Paul Dirac, considered one of the best physicists of the 20th century. The book elucidates his obscure life and his contribution to quantum physics while not being overly jargonistic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book elucidates his obscure life and his contribution to quantum physics while not being overly jargonistic.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a readable account of Paul Dirac's life and contribution to quantum physics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it is not overly jargonistic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4027336,
          "author": "peterwiese",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-26T14:24:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4027336",
          "commentText": "The Strangest Man - Graham Farmelo\nA biography of Paul Dirac. Very good.\n---------------\nThe Fabric of the Universe - David Deutsch\nWhat picture can we paint of the universe if we take together the best theories we have about fundamental things like time, life, virtual reality, cosmology etc. Easily the best book i've read in recent years.\nConsider that Deutsch is a very distinguished scientist in the field of quantum cryptography/computing. He is really good at explaining things in terms that non-physicists and experts alike can learn a lot!\n---------------\nRoadside Picnic - Strugatzky\nSoviet Science Fiction book about the first and only visit\nof earth by aliens. The approach is very unusual since there is never any direct contact between humans and the extra\nterrestrial intelligence. The book is more like a study of human society and how it could develop if suddenly there was some extremely advanced technology available to us which we are too primitive to understand/control.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Strangest Man - Graham Farmelo\nA biography of Paul Dirac. Very good.",
          "reason": "Described as a very good biography of Paul Dirac.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Graham Farmelo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "paul dirac",
        "quantum physics",
        "theoretical physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-structure-of-world-history-6aa854",
      "title": "The Structure of World History",
      "author": "Kojin Karatani",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40278854,
          "author": "closetkantian",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-06T19:59:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40278854",
          "commentText": "The Structure of World History, Karatani",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Structure of World History, Karatani",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10786987,
          "author": "jaylitt",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T03:40:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786987",
          "commentText": "\"Debt: The First 5000 Years\" David Graeber\n\"Kokoro\" Natsume Soseki\n\"The Politics of Dialogical Imagination\" Hirano Katsuya\n\"History and Repetition\" Karatani Kojin\n\"The Structure of World History\" Karatani Kojin\n\"Anti-Oedipus\" Gilles Deleuze & Felix Guattari\n\"Before the Dawn: Recovering the Lost History of Our Ancestors\" Nicholas Wade\n\"Capital, Volume I\" Karl Marx\nThese books have been the most informative and thought-provoking for me this year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Structure of World History\" Karatani Kojin",
          "reason": "Included among the year's most informative and thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kojin Karatani"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "world history",
        "historical materialism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-swerve-how-the-world-became-modern-648616",
      "title": "The Swerve: How the World Became Modern",
      "author": "Stephen Greenblatt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8107058,
          "author": "danschuller",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:53:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107058",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed \"The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles\".\nI've have it recommended a few times but the title sounded a bit self help-like so I avoided it. Eventually I did ready and it's pretty great. It covers how people manage to get work done, which is pretty important for everyone.\nLast year I read The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt. It's non-fiction, though I believe the central premise is a little tongue in cheek. An ancient Roman manuscript that's rediscovered and helps set off the enlightenment and our modern culture.\nFor Buddhism I enjoyed Zen Flesh, Zen Bones by Paul Reps, mainly a collection of translated koans. If you've never it I recommend Godel Escher Bach : An Eternal Golden Braid, as it also likes to play with Buddhism. It's a book that tends to get a bit of hate but I found it quite fun and playful.\nNon-fiction for sci-fi and fantasy: Robin Hobb and Vernor Vinge.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Last year I read The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt. It's non-fiction, though I believe the central premise is a little tongue in cheek.",
          "reason": "Described as having a central premise the commenter believes is somewhat tongue in cheek.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter questions the seriousness of its central premise.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3400136,
          "author": "deStab",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-28T15:55:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3400136",
          "commentText": "The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Greenblatt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "renaissance",
        "classical texts",
        "intellectual history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-talisman-8bffd2",
      "title": "The Talisman",
      "author": "Stephen King and Peter Straub",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50119582,
          "author": "pmpmpmpm",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T15:25:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50119582",
          "commentText": "I can’t resist an invocation:)\nMost of these are old since I’ve been reading more articles these days but here are a few good books or series I’ve read more than twice: The Hobbit, LOTR, the Silmarillion, Neuromancer, the Chronicles of Narnia, Hong Lou Meng, The Heart Sutra, The Bhagavad Gita, The Tao De Ching, The Wheel of Time series, No country for old men, Persuasion, Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice, The Way of Kings, The Talisman, the Dark Tower Series, and The Prophet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Talisman",
          "reason": "Included among good books read more than twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31969017,
          "author": "excalibur",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T16:41:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31969017",
          "commentText": "Maybe it's the nostalgia talking, but I finished season 4 of Stranger Things yesterday, and now I have a strong urge to pick up a copy of The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub. A great book, it really captured the magic that King's Dark Tower series lost along the way.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a copy of The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub. A great book",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book and says they feel a strong urge to pick it up.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen King",
        "Peter Straub"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dark fantasy",
        "coming of age"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-tell-tale-brain-961f46",
      "title": "The Tell-Tale Brain",
      "author": "V. S. Ramachandran",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19090626,
          "author": "vishnugupta",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T22:27:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090626",
          "commentText": "All the books below have shaped my thought process to a significant degree. I started reading late but I'm fortunate enough to have stumbled upon these gems.\n\"Debt: The First 5000 Years\": This is truly a magnum opus. Until I read this I had taken money, economy, market etc., for granted. And I had held onto the widely accepted, but naive, view that economic systems somehow grew out of barter systems. The range of topics discussed, and the way author shows how seemingly independent concepts are intertwined, is truly astonishing. I'm on my 2nd read.\n\"Thinking, Fast and Slow\": This book made me truly appreciate the value of psychology. I didn't even know the existence of a vast domain called behavioral science until I read this book. Now I'm deliberately conscious about the decisions I take and retrace my thought process multiple times just to make sure that I haven't fallen pray to some of the cognitive biases.\n\"The Tell-Tale Brain\": While I did know that human brain is a unique organ this book opened my eyes to its layered complexities. For instance, how \"seeing\" is not a single step but a multi step process. From image formation, to identifying the object, to evoking emotional response.\n\"QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter\": The book with the highest signal to noise ratio. I finally understood what science is about, a way to model nature and to keep refining it to fit the observation. There are no true/false theories/models only those that explain nature's behavior better or worse. Nature is agnostic to all our theories and models. She's just the way she is. For details read about double slit experiment.\n\"How the World Works\": This one along with \"Profit Over People: Neoliberalism & Global Order\" has greatly shaped my mental model about the workings of contemporary world. I now understand why does military gets all the funding, why do powerful governments tend to keep its subject under perpetual fear, why is it that the cost of education has been sky-rocketing.\n\"The Hanging of Afzal Guru and the Strange Case of the Attack on the Indian Parliament\": A glimpse into the working of Indian justice system.\n\"Broken Republic\": This is by far the most accurate description about current affairs in India. How India is being hollowed out and how its most vulnerable section is the one fighting against it.\n\"Grammatical Man: Information, Entropy, Language and Life\": I'm currently reading it (20% through) and it has already made a big impact. The meaning of information is deep and subtle and pervades not just human being but the life itself.\n\"The Order of Time\": The book that well and truly shook the foundation that I had taken for granted for my entire life. That space and time aren't something absolute and are personal has had a profound impact on me.\n\"The Upanisads\": A truly remarkable work of human mind. Just to think about some of the concepts uplifts my mood.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Tell-Tale Brain\": While I did know that human brain is a unique organ this book opened my eyes to its layered complexities.",
          "reason": "Says it revealed the brain's layered complexities, including stages involved in seeing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4515140,
          "author": "webstartupper",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-13T07:26:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 4513324,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading currently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4515140",
          "commentText": "The Tell-Tale Brain - V S Ramachandran. This has been one awesome book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This has been one awesome book.",
          "reason": "Calls the book awesome.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "V. S. Ramachandran"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "neuroscience",
        "brain",
        "perception"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-theory-that-would-not-die-9b8974",
      "title": "The Theory That Would Not Die",
      "author": "Sharon Bertsch McGrayne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18825877,
          "author": "turingspiritfly",
          "createdAt": "2019-01-04T17:36:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 18824130,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What article/book do you recommend for my next flight?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18825877",
          "commentText": "\"the theory that would not die\"\nI didn't expect much, and don't think I was a fan of the first chapter because the story is pretty well known atleast in my circles. But it grows exponentially interesting as the chapters roll\nhttps://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300188226/theory-would-n... (https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300188226/theory-would-not-die)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "But it grows exponentially interesting as the chapters roll",
          "reason": "Says the book becomes increasingly interesting as it progresses.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The first chapter did not appeal to the commenter, and its story was already familiar to them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3643068,
          "author": "jcarden",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-28T13:32:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 3643009,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-technical book you've read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3643068",
          "commentText": "The Theory That Would Not Die (http://amzn.to/w0N2Q6%29is a non-technical and nice historical overview of Bayes theorem and its applications. Another one I've enjoyed recently is Evening's Empire: A History of the Night in Early Modern Europe(http://amzn.to/zywusB). I started the Big Short too, but just couldn't really get into it. If you like things along that line then you should check out The Poker Face of Wall Street (http://amzn.to/zcbYHy)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Theory That Would Not Die",
          "reason": "Described as a nice, non-technical historical overview of Bayes' theorem and its applications.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an accessible history of Bayesian statistics.",
          "caveat": "Described as non-technical.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sharon Bertsch McGrayne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bayesian statistics",
        "history of probability",
        "history of statistics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-things-they-carried-a8312a",
      "title": "The Things They Carried",
      "author": "Tim O’Brien",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23859007,
          "author": "JacobDotVI",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:54:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859007",
          "commentText": "The Things They Carried by O’Brian - it’s ostensibly a war book but is nothing about war. It’s about empathy. The world, unfortunately, mostly operates without empathy. Knowing that helps to understand various actions people take.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Things They Carried by O’Brian - it’s ostensibly a war book but is nothing about war.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is about empathy and helps explain people's actions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Despite appearing to be a war book, the commenter says it is not about war.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10534103,
          "author": "jlewallen",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T16:53:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10534103",
          "commentText": "I found myself in a similar position recently. I've gone back and read books usually assigned in high school and really enjoyed returning to them after all these years. Anything Vonnegut, East of Eden, and The Things They Carried, to name a few.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anything Vonnegut, East of Eden, and The Things They Carried, to name a few.",
          "reason": "Names it among books the commenter really enjoyed returning to.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tim O’Brien"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "vietnam war",
        "empathy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-third-policeman-f7cc6c",
      "title": "The Third Policeman",
      "author": "Flann O’Brien",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34161356,
          "author": "mbg721",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T14:38:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161356",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed \"The Third Policeman\" by Flann O'Brien, an author who died in the 60s but who had been completely unknown to me until this year.  It's a short and very surreal novel, with an Irish dark tongue-in-cheek sense of humor.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed \"The Third Policeman\" by Flann O'Brien",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed this short, surreal novel.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy surreal fiction and Irish dark humor.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16756633,
          "author": "Finnucane",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T17:00:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16756633",
          "commentText": "There's a copy of The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien on the floor next to my bed. Does that count?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter asks whether a copy beside their bed counts.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5832592,
          "author": "joe8756438",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T14:27:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5832592",
          "commentText": "a couple favorites:\nclassic: The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brian \nrecent scifi: Stories of your life and others (short stories) by Ted Chiang",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "classic: The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brian",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Flann O’Brien"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "irish literature",
        "absurdist fiction",
        "dark humor",
        "surrealism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-time-machine-aed763",
      "title": "The Time Machine",
      "author": "H. G. Wells",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34160619,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:11:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160619",
          "commentText": "This year I've put myself to the challenge to read at least one book per week which I primarily could complete by reading in the middle of the night while holding our sleeping baby in my arms. It has been an interesting challenge which gave me a lot of fulfilment and has certainly changed my mind on how I view the world. This comment became quite a long read, apologies for that.\nBooks I highly recommend:\nChurchill by Andrew Roberts (p:1105)\nA biography about one of the most interesting figures in politics and WWII. Roberts gives a very detailed description of the life of Churchill and manages to keep you interested the entire length of the book.\nThe God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (p:374)\nIn The God Delusion Dawkins gives arguments why there is no God, why we do not need a God and why religion is damaging to our society. If you are religious it might not be the book for you unless you are open to hear his arguments and line of reasoning. Dawkins will challenge your worldview.\nThe Bomb by Fred Kaplan (p:384)\nKaplan describes the policy of different US presidents on the atomic bomb and war in general. And primarily on the inability of US presidents and policy-makers to tune down its military. A chilling read which makes you appreciate a nuclear holocaust did not happen (yet)....\nPoor Economics by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo (p:320)\nBanerjee and Duflo give a gripping portrait of how poor people live. They offer an insight in the choices and decisions people make surviving on less than 1 USD a day (corrected for purchasing power). It made me completely rethink my own view on poverty and development aid; stressing even more that in order to help one need to have a complete understanding of the individual's situation and the local boundary conditions.\nProject Hail Mary  by Andy Weir (p:476)\nThis book triggered my science fiction reading. For some reason I never was interested in science fiction. Most likely triggered by reading Foundation by Asimov a few years back which apparently is not a book to my taste. But Andy Weir completely annihilated that wrong perspective on science fiction. Project Hail Mary is interesting, funny and gripping book.\nKindred by Octavia Butler  (p:287)\nThis book.... From page one I was hooked and almost read it in one go. Butler is a wonderful author and Kindred is a must-read. The book is about a woman traveling back in time to end up on a slave plantation. It's a chilling account of slavery.\nOther books I read this year, ask me anything about one of these books. I've added a + if I think its worth a recommendation\nBiography:\nNavalny by Dollbaum, Lallouet and Noble (p:280); The Man from the Future by Ananyo Bhattacharya (p:354) +\nSociology; Politics; Economics; Business:\nOnly the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove (p:224); The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli  (p:140); Winter is Coming by Garry Kasparov (p:290); Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum (p:224) +; Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl (p:164) +; We Are Bellingcat by Eliot Higgins (p:272); De Zeven Vinkjes by Joris Luyendijk (p:200); Waarom vuilnismannen meer verdienen dan bankiers by Rutger Bregman (p:104)\nComedy: The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (p:336)\nHistory:\nBand of Brothers  by Stephen E. Ambrose (p:432); The Nuclear Jihadist by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins (p:413) +; The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre (p:384) +; De Heineken Ontvoering by Peter R. de Vries (p:347); Red Famine by Anne Apllebaum (p:384); Night by Elie Wiesel (p:115) +\nScience, Technology, Mathematics:\nFermat's Enigma by Simon Singh (p:315) +; A Mathematician's Apology by G.H. Hardy (p:153); The Great Influenza by John M. Barry (p:546); The Rise and Fall of the Dinousaurs by Stephen Brusatte (p:404) ++; The Double Helix by James Watson (p:144)\nSport:\nRun or Die by Killian Jornet (p:208); The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton  (p:290) +; The Rise of the Ultra Runners by  (p:304); Tom Dumoulin by Patrick Bernhart (p:203)\nFiction:\nAnthem by Ayn Rand (p:105); Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (p:704); The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (p:566); Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (p:466); Live and Let die by Ian Fleming  (p:229)\nClassics:\nA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (p:104); The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (p:201); The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald (p:180); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (p:139); Animal Farm by George Orwell (p:122) +; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (p:227) +; The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (p:118)\nScience Fiction:\nThe Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (p:399); All Systems Red  by Martha Wells (p:144) +; A Memory Called Empire  by Arkady Martine (p:462) +; A Psalm built for the Wild by Becky Chambers (p:160); Dune by Frank Herbert (p:658); Foundation by Isaac Asimov (p:244); The Martian by Andy Weir (p:384) +;\nThe Forever War by Joe Haldeman (p:278)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Time Machine by H.G. Wells",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12069186,
          "author": "acabrahams",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T06:10:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12069186",
          "commentText": "1. The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu\n2. One L by Scott Turow\n3. The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu\n4. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells\n5. Believer: My Forty Years in Politics by David Axelrod\n6. The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells\n7. Augustus: First Emperor of Rome by Adrian Goldsworthy\n8. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (re-read)\n9. I, Claudius by Robert Graves\n10. Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks\n11. The Fear Index by Robert Harris\n12. Red Dragon by Thomas Harris (re-read)\n13. The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris (re-read)\n14. Hannibal by Thomas Harris (re-read)\n15. Game Change by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin (re-read)\n16. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (re-read)\n17. Claudius the God by Robert Graves\nRe-reads take hardly any time at all, so I'm not sure whether to count them. If you're not, then 11 books read so far.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Time Machine by H.G. Wells",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9058397,
          "author": "mojotoad",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T18:40:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9058397",
          "commentText": "On that note, I highly recommend The Time Ships, by Stephen Baxter. He picks up where The Time Machine leaves off and takes the story into some amazing directions.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "He picks up where The Time Machine leaves off",
          "reason": "Identifies the earlier novel that The Time Ships continues.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056573,
          "author": "jfoucher",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:28:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056573",
          "commentText": "Really surprised to see no mention of H. G. Wells here, so I'm just going to add it :\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Time_Machine\nYou can get it at project Gutemberg, so no excuse not to read it.\nAny book by French author Barjavel are also worth reading in my opinion, especially \"La Nuit des Temps\" / \"The Ice People\" ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ice_People_%28Barjavel_nov... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ice_People_%28Barjavel_novel%29) ) and \"Ravage\" / \"Ashes, Ashes\" ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravage_%28novel%29 )",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Time_Machine\nYou can get it at project Gutemberg, so no excuse not to read it.",
          "reason": "Adds the book as a recommendation in a favorite science fiction books discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86223,
          "author": "icky",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:37:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86223",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- The Time Machine (still holds up very well, and seems strangely eerie and prescient in places)... (H. G. Wells)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Hobbit (and LotR) (Tolkien)\n- Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n- Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties (I picked up Idoru first, so I haven't yet read Virtual Light) (also Gibson)\n- The Difference Engine (Gibson, Sterling)\n- Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n- Cryptonomicon (\" \")\n- Circuit of Heaven, End of Days (Dennis Danvers)\n- All of the \"Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser\" stories and novels. (Fritz Leiber)\n- The Earthsea trilogy (Ursula K. LeGuin)\n- 'salem's Lot (Stephen King)\n- Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein)\n- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)\n- the Coldfire trilogy (C. S. Friedman)\n- various Cory Doctorow short stories\n- Kamikaze L'Amour (Richard Kadrey)\n- Lightpaths (Howard V. Hendrix)\n- A Canticle For Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)\n- Moonwar, Venus (Ben Bova)\n- the Stainless Steel Rat series (Harry Harrison)\n- Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)\n- Ringworld (Larry Niven)\n- Cthon (Piers Anthony) -- Trippiness level approaching Philip Jose Farmer ;-)\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (Douglas Adams)\n- The Black Company (Glen Cook)\n- there's one particularly good post-cyberpunk series that takes place in a world in which Canada emerged as a major world power, but for the life of me I can't rememeber the title.\n- the 1632 series (Eric Flint)... see also S. M. Stirling's Nantucket series (\"Island in the Sea of Time\", et al.), and H. Beam Piper's novel Kalvan of Otherwhen\nNon-fiction:\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (Hume)\n- the surviving words and works of Epicurus, and Diogenes the Cynic\n- Freakonomics (Levitt, Dubner)\n- The Gay Science (Nietzsche)\n- The Jefferson Bible (Christ, Jefferson (ed.))\n- The Devil's Dictionary (Bierce)\n- Brain Droppings (George Carlin)\n- anything by P. J. O'Rourke\n- anything by Dave Barry",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Time Machine (still holds up very well, and seems strangely eerie and prescient in places)... (H. G. Wells)",
          "reason": "Says it still holds up well and feels prescient.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "H. G. Wells"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "time travel",
        "classic literature",
        "early science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-toilers-of-the-sea-ceb33c",
      "title": "The Toilers of the Sea",
      "author": "Victor Hugo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15630270,
          "author": "gtycomb",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:01:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630270",
          "commentText": "Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann. The first time it was slow read, but I went back the book several times later in life and it has much to tell.\nThe Glass Beads Game by Herman Hess.\nSeveral books by Steinbeck - Travels with Charley, Log from the Sea of Cortez.\nThe Toilers of the Sea by Victor Hugo. A recent penguin translation is superb. Among the saddest and most memorable love stories.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Among the saddest and most memorable love stories.",
          "reason": "Praises it as a memorable love story and says a recent translation is superb.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387689,
          "author": "mjn",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T00:28:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387689",
          "commentText": "I recently read one of Victor Hugo's shorter books, The Toilers of the Sea, and quite enjoyed it. I like Hugo's writing in general: has a rich feeling of time and place, with the style of the sentences he crafts sort of feeding into it. He's not exactly underrated in general, but I don't meet many people in my circles who read his novels.\nI also recently read Kafka's The Trial, which I've long known about but never read, and it was good but not at all what I expected. For some reason I expected Kafka to be an intimidating, serious writer, based on how his name has come to be used metaphorically. But The Trial is a very easy read, engaging and plot-driven, moving along at a fast pace. You can read it in a few hours, and it feels like light reading, despite having some serious content.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Toilers of the Sea, and quite enjoyed it.",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Victor Hugo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classic literature",
        "historical fiction",
        "love story",
        "sea adventure"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-trauma-of-everyday-life-e1e86f",
      "title": "The Trauma of Everyday Life",
      "author": "Mark Epstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8716367,
          "author": "petecooper",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T13:56:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8716367",
          "commentText": ">The Trauma of Everyday Life - Mark Epstein\nThat's the top of my list for next year. I have HN to thank for that, too - it was name dropped in a video recommended by macmac [1].\n[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8673597",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "That's the top of my list for next year.",
          "reason": "The commenter says this book is at the top of their reading list for next year, without giving an evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Plans to read it; no endorsement is expressed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8716342,
          "author": "boothead",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T13:46:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8716342",
          "commentText": "The Trauma of Everyday Life - Mark Epstein\nMindsight - Dan Siegel\nConflict Communications - Rory Miller",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Trauma of Everyday Life - Mark Epstein",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed the commenter's life in 2014.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8261745,
          "author": "brerlapn",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-03T06:23:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8261745",
          "commentText": "Advanced API Security by Prabath Siriwardena\nJust started it, but so far it's a well-written discussion of OAuth, OpenID Connect, UMA, and JSON for API security.\nThe State of the Art by Iain Banks\nI have been forcing myself to ration out the Culture books so I don't run through them too quickly.  Such a great series.\nThe Trauma of Everyday Life by Mark Epstein\nThe fourth book I've read by him, a really good synthesis of Buddhism and psychology.  I was pleasantly surprised to see him appear in Dan Harris's 10% Happier, too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Trauma of Everyday Life by Mark Epstein\nThe fourth book I've read by him, a really good synthesis of Buddhism and psychology.",
          "reason": "Called a really good synthesis of Buddhism and psychology.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Buddhism and psychology.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Epstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Health",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhism",
        "psychotherapy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-tripods-cb6226",
      "title": "The Tripods",
      "author": "John Christopher",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17338118,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T13:38:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17338118",
          "commentText": "My top three would be:\nDune by  Frank Herbert (only the first book, dislike the rest of the series)\nFarmer in the Sky by Robert Heinlein\nThe Crysalids by John Wyndham\nI've probably read these three books at least twice a decade since the 80s when I was a teenager.\nThe Complete Robot from Isaac Asimov would be a close forth.\nThe Tripod Trilogy by John Christopher would be fifth on the list. Hadn't read since a teenager, but about ten years ago tracked down copies of them (and the prequel) and it was delightful to reread.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Tripod Trilogy by John Christopher",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says rereading it was delightful.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056565,
          "author": "kubiiii",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:26:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056565",
          "commentText": "Many of the already mentionned books.\nHal Clement's Mission of Gravity, in the hard science genre.\nAs a kid I was absolutely stunned by The Tripods. I highly recommend these books (trilogy) for your kids (10-13 yo).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend these books (trilogy) for your kids (10-13 yo).",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the trilogy for children aged 10–13.",
          "audience": "Children aged 10–13.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Christopher"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alien invasion",
        "young adult",
        "young adult science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-true-believer-0747a7",
      "title": "The True Believer",
      "author": "Eric Hoffer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40280220,
          "author": "black6",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-06T22:25:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40280220",
          "commentText": "Eric Hoffer's \"The True Believer\"\nCicero's \"How to Grow Old\"\nJohn Derbyshire's \"Prime Obsession\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Eric Hoffer's \"The True Believer\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37943360,
          "author": "zingababba",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T14:26:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37943360",
          "commentText": "Some recent ones I've really enjoyed:   \nThe Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind - Julian Jaynes;   \nAnd: Phenomenology of the End - Franco Berardi;   \nThe True Believer - Eric Hoffer;   \nI See Satan Fall Like Lightning - Rene Girard;   \nSurplus Enjoyment - Slavoy Zizek;   \nDionysus, Christ, and the Death of God - Giuseppe Fornari\nPhenomenology of the End in particular blew my mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The True Believer - Eric Hoffer",
          "reason": "Included among recent books the commenter has enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Hoffer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mass movements",
        "political psychology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-true-believer-thoughts-on-the-nature-of-mass-movements-e1d448",
      "title": "The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements",
      "author": "Eric Hoffer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23860969,
          "author": "Turing_Machine",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T16:59:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23860969",
          "commentText": "The True Believer by Eric Hoffer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The True Believer by Eric Hoffer.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521488,
          "author": "Stronico",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T09:06:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521488",
          "commentText": "1.  You Can't Win by Jack Black - autobiography of a late 19th century safecracker and general criminal - long enough ago for everything to be different, but the differences are still recognizable\n2.  Stalin - the Kremlin Mountaineer - a great, and short biography of Joseph Stalin - one of the rare books that could have been longer\n3.  Stars Beneath Us: Finding God in the Evolving Cosmos by Paul Wallace - an astrophysicist looks at the book of Job and reveals it as the big picture view.\n4.  The True Believer by Eric Hoffer - the all time classic of the study of mass movements.  Full of aphorisms too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the all time classic of the study of mass movements. Full of aphorisms too.",
          "reason": "Calls it an all-time classic and praises its aphorisms.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in mass movements.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Hoffer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mass movements",
        "political psychology",
        "social psychology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-truth-448202",
      "title": "The Truth",
      "author": "Terry Pratchett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12247192,
          "author": "RegW",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T12:34:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12247192",
          "commentText": "I gave this to one son when he was about 18, along with a pretty much complete set of Discworld: http://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/discworld-reading-order/.  These were collected over many years, so a bit of a wrench.  The best of which might be: \"Wyrd Sisters\" (Shakespeare), or \"The Truth\" (Newspapers).  He can make fun of pretty much anything, while still showing it great affection.\nNeil Gaiman's \"The Graveyard Book\" is a great book for reading to younger kids. Weird, creepy, but strangely uplifting, even if it does begin with a triple murder.  I can't remember which kid took that.\nI bought Robert Silverberg's \"Nightwings\" in the 80s and read it several times.  I was going to give away but couldn't find it, so I had to buy a new copy and read it again first.  This seems to anticipate a lot that followed, from genetic modification to drastic climate change, but it is essentially about a character trying to cope in a mad world.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "or \"The Truth\" (Newspapers)",
          "reason": "Named as one of the best Discworld books; its subject is newspapers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 601929,
          "author": "greendestiny",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-10T08:17:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 601903,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fictional books related to startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=601929",
          "commentText": "If you want something a little different, \"The Truth\" and \"Going Postal\" by Terry Pratchett both capture a sense of startupness.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Truth\" and \"Going Postal\" by Terry Pratchett both capture a sense of startupness.",
          "reason": "Said to capture a sense of startupness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter suggests them for a slightly different take.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry Pratchett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fantasy",
        "discworld",
        "journalism",
        "startup themes"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ultimate-sales-letter-f1e634",
      "title": "The Ultimate Sales Letter",
      "author": "Dan S. Kennedy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41547264,
          "author": "pryelluw",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-15T13:00:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41547264",
          "commentText": "Read “The ultimate sales letter”. This is an older book by a very successful copywriter. It has made me so much money and provided so much success (still does). I read it every year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read “The ultimate sales letter”. This is an older book by a very successful copywriter.",
          "reason": "Recommends it, saying it has repeatedly brought the commenter success.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as an older book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 193372,
          "author": "jakewolf",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-18T14:41:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 193308,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What books on marketing do you recomend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=193372",
          "commentText": "Any book by Harry Beckwith. The Ultimate Sales Letter - Dan Kennedy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Ultimate Sales Letter - Dan Kennedy.",
          "reason": "Listed as a response to a request for marketing book recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for marketing books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan S. Kennedy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "direct response marketing",
        "copywriting",
        "sales copywriting",
        "sales letters"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-underground-railroad-fc2c29",
      "title": "The Underground Railroad",
      "author": "Colson Whitehead",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29678842,
          "author": "ChristopherDrum",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T23:36:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29678842",
          "commentText": "Fiction: \"The Underground Railroad\" by Colson Whitehead\n(now a well-reviewed series on Amazon) A fantastic book that lingered with me for weeks after reading it.\nNon-fiction: \"This Is How They Tell Me The World Ends\" by Nicole Perlroth\nIf you want to be shaken to your core by the past, present, and future of cyber-espionage and cyber-warfare, this is the book that will drop your jaw more than once.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A fantastic book that lingered with me for weeks after reading it.",
          "reason": "Calls it fantastic and says it lingered with them after reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12475387,
          "author": "fitzwatermellow",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T20:07:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12475387",
          "commentText": "There is some remarkable fiction coming out this season by some of the best:\nJonathan Safran Foer's Here I Am\nZadie Smith's Swing Time\nIan McEwan's Nutshell\nColson Whitehead's The Underground Railroad\nCarl Hiassan's Razor Girl\nAlan Moore's Jerusalem\nJonathan Lethem's A Gamber's Anatomy\nHa Jin's The Boat Rocker\nT.C. Boyle's The Terranauts\nMichael Chabon's Moonglow\nCormac McCarthy's The Passenger\nI've got plenty of friends who never touch fiction because \"it's not real\". Preferring science, history, economics, biography and virtually anything else. But I think its obligatory at times. The soul requires it's own nourishment, if not more so than the body and the mind. Indulge yourself. If only because great writing will make your writing greater, as if by osmosis. But ultimately, because only fiction can uncover the truths that can't be revealed any other way ;)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Colson Whitehead's The Underground Railroad",
          "reason": "Included in a list of remarkable fiction; the comment urges readers to indulge in fiction.",
          "audience": "Readers who tend to avoid fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Colson Whitehead"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "enslavement",
        "slavery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-unfolding-of-language-da532b",
      "title": "The Unfolding of Language",
      "author": "Guy Deutscher",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30827509,
          "author": "restlessbytes",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T05:48:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30827509",
          "commentText": "For general linguistics: \"The Unfolding of Language\" by Guy Deutscher.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Unfolding of Language\" by Guy Deutscher",
          "reason": "Suggested as a book for general linguistics.",
          "audience": "Readers curious about linguistics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804894,
          "author": "knzhou",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:29:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804894",
          "commentText": "I try to only read books that are at least a few years old, so these aren’t timely recommendations.\nOn the list for next year:\nThe Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language\nEssays of Montaign\nWhy Zebras Don't Get Ulcers\nHigher Speculations: Grand Theories and Failed Revolutions in Physics and Cosmology\nThe Enigma of Reason\nSurfing Uncertainty: Prediction, Action, and the Embodied Mind\nImpro\nDeng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China\nInvisible Cities\nCollapse of Complex Societies\n--\nFavorites from this year:\nDeath's End\nOne Man's Meat\nLife Ascending: The Ten Great Inventions of Evolution\nA Primate's Memoir: A Neuroscientist's Unconventional Life Among the Baboons\nDo No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery\nCosmicomics\nWhy Quark Rhymes with Pork\nThe Unfolding of Language\nA Sand County Almanac",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Unfolding of Language",
          "reason": "Listed among favorites from this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17522407,
          "author": "mvleming",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T12:40:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17522407",
          "commentText": "Check out the Unfolding of Language if you're interest in the Language Instinct. Also Elephant in the Room made me think of the Master and his Emissary, very interesting book, check that one out too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Check out the Unfolding of Language if you're interest in the Language Instinct.",
          "reason": "Recommends it to someone interested in The Language Instinct.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in language and linguistics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Guy Deutscher"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "History",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "language change",
        "linguistics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-untethered-soul-the-journey-beyond-yourself-ec128f",
      "title": "The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself",
      "author": "Michael A. Singer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41177041,
          "author": "tardismechanic",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T00:34:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41177041",
          "commentText": "The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself\n- Michael Singer\nIt had such a deep impact on me that I ended up using it as a \"holy\" book to take my oath of Canadian citizenship.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself\n- Michael Singer\nIt had such a deep impact on me",
          "reason": "Says it had a deep impact and that they used it when taking their citizenship oath.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8717910,
          "author": "mgmeyers",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T18:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8717910",
          "commentText": "The Divided Mind: The Epidemic of Mindbody Disorders\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/130610.The_Divided_Mind?... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/130610.The_Divided_Mind?ac=1)\nThis book helped me get rid of the wrist tendinitis I had for four years prior, in four weeks. It also changed the way I view many of the chronic physical ailments many of us face.\nThe Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1963638.The_Untethered_S... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1963638.The_Untethered_Soul?ac=1)\nA great book about consciousness and awareness that isn't too \"froo froo\"-y. It definitely has had a profound impact on my relationship to myself and my surroundings.\nTo Soften the Blow\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16209280-to-soften-the-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16209280-to-soften-the-blow?ac=1)\nIt's hard to define the impact this book had on me, but it was also profound. It's an autobiography of Lynnie Vessels who's father shot her mother with a shotgun across their dining room table. As depressing as that sounds, it's actually a very inspiring and strangely uplifting book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A great book about consciousness and awareness that isn't too \"froo froo\"-y. It definitely has had a profound impact on my relationship to myself and my surroundings.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its treatment of consciousness and says it profoundly affected their relationship to self and surroundings.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it avoids being too \"froo froo\"-y.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael A. Singer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "awareness",
        "consciousness",
        "mindfulness",
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-unthinkable-who-survives-when-disaster-strikes-and-why-36481c",
      "title": "The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes—and Why",
      "author": "Amanda Ripley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21792874,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T22:44:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21792874",
          "commentText": "The ones I rated highest out of those I read this year (which is what I think the question means).\n* Exactly: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester\n* Atomic Adventures: Secret Islands, Forgotten N-Rays, and Isotopic Murder-A Journey into the Wild World of Nuclear Science by James Magaffey\n* Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande\n* Vulcan 607 by Rowland White\n* Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen\n* Best. Movie. Year. Ever: How 1999 Blew Up the Big Screen by Brian Raftery\n* A Fabulous Creation: How the LP Saved Our Lives by David Hepworth\n* 1983: Reagan, Andropov, and a World on the Brink by Taylor Downing\n* The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes and Why by Amanda Ripley\n* In Your Defence: Stories of Life and Law by Sarah Langford\n* Springfield Confidential: Jokes, Secrets, and Outright Lies from a Lifetime Writing for The Simpsons by Mike Reiss\n* Working Actor: Breaking in, Making a Living, and Making a Life in the Fabulous Trenches of Show Business by David Dean Bottrell\n* Becoming by Michelle Obama\n* Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress by Steven Pinker\n* Rush Hour by Iain Gatel\n* Tamed: Ten Species that Changed our World by Alice Roberts\n* The Next American City: The Big Promise of Our Midsize Metros by Mick Cornett",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The ones I rated highest out of those I read this year",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s highest-rated books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783443,
          "author": "SuperChihuahua",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:34:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783443",
          "commentText": "I've read 33 books so I'm not going to publish the list here, but i blogged about it: http://blog.habrador.com/2015/12/books-ive-read-in-2015.html\nThe books I liked the most were:\n-  The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes - and Why\n- On Intelligence\n- The Martian\n- The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution\n- Einstein: His Life and Universe\n- Alan Turing: The Enigma\n- Neuroscience for Dummies\n- Thunder Run - (which is about the battle of Baghdad in 2003)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The books I liked the most were:\n-  The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes - and Why",
          "reason": "Includes it among the books they liked most.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Amanda Ripley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "disaster survival",
        "crisis psychology",
        "human behavior"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-unwomanly-face-of-war-an-oral-history-of-women-in-world-war-i-1b850e",
      "title": "The Unwomanly Face of War: An Oral History of Women in World War II",
      "author": "Svetlana Alexievich",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33381887,
          "author": "vasco",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T07:36:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33381887",
          "commentText": "The Unwomanly Face of War: A  Oral Histoy of Women in World War II. By Svetlana Alexievich.\nThought it was timely, and wanted to know more about the soviet perspective, from a different angle. Easy to go through as it's a series of short oral accounts written down. Sometimes a person shares a single memory, sometimes a few. Hard to get through at points due to the subject, obviously.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Unwomanly Face of War: A  Oral Histoy of Women in World War II. By Svetlana Alexievich.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it timely and wanted a different angle on the Soviet perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The subject can make it hard to get through at points.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29670564,
          "author": "js2",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T05:24:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29670564",
          "commentText": "The Unwomanly Face of War: An Oral History of Women in World War II. Non-fiction. Harrowing. Was inspired to read it after seeing Beanpole.\nAlso really enjoyed Klara and the Sun.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Unwomanly Face of War: An Oral History of Women in World War II. Non-fiction. Harrowing.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes this nonfiction oral history as harrowing and says they were inspired to read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Harrowing subject matter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Svetlana Alexievich"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "world war ii",
        "oral history",
        "women s history",
        "women s oral histories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-upside-of-irrationality-4b99b1",
      "title": "The Upside of Irrationality",
      "author": "Dan Ariely",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12144310,
          "author": "0xmohit",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:55:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144310",
          "commentText": "- The Peter Principle: Why Things Always Go Wrong by Lawrence J. Peter & Raymond Hull\n- The Upside of Irrationality by Dan Ariely\n- Screw It, Let's Do It: Lessons In Life by Sir Richard Branson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Upside of Irrationality by Dan Ariely",
          "reason": "Named in response to a request for books that impacted a career.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4789990,
          "author": "pitchups",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T18:35:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4789990",
          "commentText": "Everything Is Obvious: *Once You Know the Answer by Duncan J. Watts\nWhere Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation by Steven Johnson\nThe Upside of Irrationality by Dan Ariely\nThe Hidden Brain: How Our Unconscious Minds Elect Presidents, Control Markets, Wage Wars by Shankar Vedantam\nThe Googlization of Everything: (And Why We Should Worry) by Siva Vaidhyanathan\nIn The Plex: How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives by Steven Levy\nIdea Man: A Memoir by Paul Allen\nThe Art of Choosing by Sheena Iyengar",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Upside of Irrationality by Dan Ariely",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Ariely"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "behavioral economics",
        "decision making"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-urth-of-the-new-sun-3e5309",
      "title": "The Urth of the New Sun",
      "author": "Gene Wolfe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31971420,
          "author": "jdmoreira",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T22:05:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31971420",
          "commentText": "I read BotNS + Urth this year and followed the chapter by chapter analysis at Alzabo Soup.\nIt was one of the best experiences of my life. No doubt.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read BotNS + Urth this year",
          "reason": "Describes reading it as part of one of the best experiences of their life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876411,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T10:18:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876411",
          "commentText": "I read it last year and absolutely loved it. It was tough going for a while though, and I might have sated myself with its style, because I couldn't get through _The Urth of the New Sun_, the sequel, immediately afterwards. Maybe I'll give it another try soon.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I couldn't get through _The Urth of the New Sun_, the sequel, immediately afterwards.",
          "reason": "The commenter could not get through the sequel immediately after reading the preceding book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They may give it another try; the preceding book’s style may have sated them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gene Wolfe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dying earth",
        "literary science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-user-experience-team-of-one-4fcfb3",
      "title": "The User Experience Team of One",
      "author": "Leah Buley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18667305,
          "author": "uxcolumbo",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T20:07:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 18662992,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on modern UI/UX?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18667305",
          "commentText": "I think what you're asking is more about UI Design.\nYou should have a look at these:\nhttps://designcode.io/sketch-learn (if you're on Windows have a look at their Figma courses)\nhttps://hackdesign.org/\nTo learn more about UX, this is a good start\nhttps://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/the-user-experience-team-of... (https://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/the-user-experience-team-of-one/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/the-user-experience-team-of...",
          "reason": "The commenter says the linked book is a good start for learning about UX.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12711329,
          "author": "Nekorosu",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-14T21:46:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12711329",
          "commentText": "This one is good at teaching both fundamental design principles and UI design in particular\nDesigning Visual Interfaces: Communication Oriented Techniques\nThis is an introduction to UX \nThe User Experience Team of One\nIt's from Rosenfeld Media and you should take a look at the rest of their books. They are of a high quality and cover a wide range of topics related to both UI design and UX.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The User Experience Team of One",
          "reason": "Presented as an introduction to UX in response to a request for UI design books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leah Buley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "user experience",
        "ux methods",
        "ux teams"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-variational-principles-of-mechanics-01c9c1",
      "title": "The Variational Principles of Mechanics",
      "author": "Cornelius Lanczos",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22093944,
          "author": "b215826",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T20:46:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22093944",
          "commentText": "Among technical books, books by Cornelius Lanczos are some of the best (less popular) books I've read.  Some quotes from his \"The Variational Principles of Mechanics\":\nFrom the Preface:\nMany of the scientific treatises of today are formulated in\na half-mystical language, as though to impress the reader with the\nuncomfortable feeling that he is in the permanent presence of\na superman.  The present book is conceived in a humble spirit and is\nwritten for humble people.\nFrom Chapter 8:\nPut off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place\nwhereon thou standest is holy ground.  -- EXODUS III, 5\nWe have done considerable mountain climbing.  Now we are in the rarefied\natmosphere of theories of excessive beauty and we are nearing a high\nplateau on which geometry, optics, mechanics, and wave mechanics meet\non common ground.  Only concentrated thinking, and a considerable\namount of recreation, will reveal the full beauty of our subject in\nwhich the last word has not yet been spoken.\nThis book was also on Gerald Jay Sussman's must-read list of books [1]. Another great book of his is \"Linear Differential Operators\" -- if you've ever wanted an intuitive explanation for why d/dx is not Hermitian but d^2/dx^2 is, this is the book you need to read.  A quote from the book that resonated with me when I first read it:\nSince the days of antiquity it has been the privilege of the\nmathematician to engrave his conclusions, expressed in a rarefied and\nesoteric language, upon the rocks of eternity.  While this method is\nexcellent for the codification of mathematical results, it is not so\nacceptable to the many addicts of mathematics, for whom the science of\nmathematics is not a logical game, but the language in which the\nphysical universe speaks to us, and whose mastery is inevitable for the\ncomprehension of natural phenomena.\n[1]: http://aurellem.org/thoughts/html/sussman-reading-list.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Among technical books, books by Cornelius Lanczos are some of the best (less popular) books I've read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls Lanczos's technical books among the best they have read and quotes this one.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in mechanics and mathematical physics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21348810,
          "author": "m31415",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T20:28:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21348810",
          "commentText": "For mathematics, I would recommend:\n1. \"What Is Mathematics? An Elementary Approach to Ideas and Methods\" by Courant and Robbins -- a general book on mathematics in the spirit of Feynman lectures.\n2. Strogatz's \"Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos\" -- it's a bit narrow in scope (mostly dynamical systems with a little bit of chaos/fractals thrown in) but very good nonetheless.\n3. Tristan Needham, \"Visual Complex Analysis\", beautiful introduction to complex analysis.\n4. Cornelius Lanczos, \"The Variational Principles of Mechanics\" -- this is a physics book, but one of the classics in the subject, and as Gerald Sussman once remarked, you glean new insights each time you read it.\n5. Cornelius Lanczos, \"Linear Differential Operators\" -- an excellent treatment of differential operators, Green's functions, and other things that one encounters in infinite-dimensional vector spaces.  This book has some very intuitive explanations, e.g., why d/dx is not self-adjoint (i.e., Hermitian), whereas d^2/dx^2 is.\nFor chemistry, I would recommend \"General Chemistry\" by Linus Pauling, even though it's a bit outdated.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "one of the classics in the subject, and as Gerald Sussman once remarked, you glean new insights each time you read it",
          "reason": "Called a classic, with new insights to be gained on rereading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It is a physics book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cornelius Lanczos"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classical mechanics",
        "variational principles",
        "mathematical physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-varieties-of-religious-experience-f2cbf0",
      "title": "The Varieties of Religious Experience",
      "author": "William James",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37937558,
          "author": "kaycebasques",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T02:27:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937558",
          "commentText": "Six Pillars Of Self-Esteem. Biggest effect on me of any book, by far. The only book that immediately jumped to mind without me needing to check my \"read\" list.\nI vaguely recall The Soul Of Sex giving me a healthier foundation for my own sexuality.\nThe Power Of Myth and The Varieties Of Religious Experience for general spiritual goodness.\nThe Selfish Gene has probably had a deep lingering effect on my thoughts about my life as a biological creature.\nEvery Page Is Page One is very helpful for realizing (what I believe to be) the higher purpose of technical documentation, which is knowledge sharing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Power Of Myth and The Varieties Of Religious Experience for general spiritual goodness.",
          "reason": "Listed as a book for general spiritual goodness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20914862,
          "author": "cjwillcock",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T02:57:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914862",
          "commentText": "The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James (1902).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Varieties of Religious Experience by William James (1902).",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite old books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William James"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "psychology of religion",
        "religion",
        "religious studies",
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-victorian-internet-the-remarkable-story-of-the-telegraph-and--c36ce5",
      "title": "The Victorian Internet: The Remarkable Story of the Telegraph and the Nineteenth Century's On-line Pioneers",
      "author": "Tom Standage",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36601709,
          "author": "alexpotato",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:24:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601709",
          "commentText": "The Victorian Internet by Tom Standage is one of my favorites.\nIt talks about how the telegraph brought near instantaneous communication and how that changed the world. He gives specific examples for finance, newspapers and even the law (\"Can you approve a contract over the telegraph?\")\nWhat I found most interesting:\nI read this book in the late 2000s/early 2010s and remember thinking \"Wow! This is is EXACTLY what's happening now with newspapers. When was this written?\" and seeing that the original copy came out in 1998!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Victorian Internet by Tom Standage is one of my favorites.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of their favorites and describes its account of the telegraph's effects.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22707666,
          "author": "didgeoridoo",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T22:59:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22707666",
          "commentText": "Top five, summaries easy enough to find via Amazon:\n- Turings’s Cathedral\n- The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood\n- A Mind at Play\n- The Victorian Internet\n- Dawn of the New Everything\nPlus two that I haven’t read but hear amazing things:\n- Mindstorms\n- Dream Machine",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The Victorian Internet",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Standage"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "telegraph history",
        "communication technology",
        "communications technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-weirdest-people-in-the-world-fcfad2",
      "title": "The WEIRDest People in the World",
      "author": "Joseph Henrich",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37157571,
          "author": "baron816",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T05:22:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37157571",
          "commentText": "It’s been probably a year since I read The WEIRDest People in the World by Joseph Henrich, but the ideas in there have really stuck in my head.\nThe WEIRD acronym stands for Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic. The thesis is that the Christian Church inadvertently created modern society by prohibiting polygamy and cousin marriage.\nThe topic of polygamy is what’s really stuck in my head. Polygamy is a more natural state for civilized human societies than we think it is. It may be to women’s advantage to choose an “elite” spouse she has to share because it could mean a better quality of life for her and her children than the alternatives. Chris Hemsworth could have two dozen wives if it were legal and social acceptable (and he wanted to), and his wives might be happy with that. But the downside (or one of them) is that it creates huge imbalances in society—men find it really hard to find a mate. They then do risky stuff to make it into the elite to try to attract a mate—steal to accumulate wealth or kill potential romantic rivals.\nThis isn’t in the book, but it made me think—are we back in that same position now? Polygamy isn’t *technically* legal or common, but you still have plenty of people who have many romantic partners—just not at the same time. We know the what the activity of dating apps looks like—a very small subset of “elite” men get an outsized proportion of likes and matches from women. It’s slim pickings for the rest of the men. Are men, unable to find a mate, going to resort to risky behavior to try to make it into that subset that are able to attract women?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It’s been probably a year since I read The WEIRDest People in the World by Joseph Henrich, but the ideas in there have really stuck in my head.",
          "reason": "The commenter says its ideas have stayed with them and discusses its thesis about the church and modern society.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36432782,
          "author": "dilippkumar",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T14:35:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36432782",
          "commentText": "A couple of books here.\n1. Caesar by Adrian Goldsworthy.\nThis is a biography of Julius Ceasar. There’s a story in here about a teenage Ceasar, with no institutional authority and effectively a student at this point, raising a navy to go capture pirates who had previously kidnapped him. \nI spent many years thinking about influence without any authority after reading this story and it’s probably had a significant shift in how I see the world and my role in it.\n2. The WEIRDest people in the world  by Joseph Henrich\nI grew up in India. This book helped me understand so much of the cultural differences between American culture and what I grew up with that it is easily one of the most valuable books for any immigrant or anyone from America who has to work across cultures.\n3. Debt - The first 5,000 years by David Greber.\nThe single most valuable thing I took away from this book came pretty early in the book - Buying stocks in a company is effectively loaning money to the company. This book shifted my perspective significantly- I use to see the world as a network of power relationships. Now I see the world as a network of debt relationships. I can not recommend it enough.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The WEIRDest people in the world  by Joseph Henrich",
          "reason": "It helped the commenter understand cultural differences between American culture and the culture they grew up with.",
          "audience": "Immigrants and people in America who work across cultures.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph Henrich"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cultural evolution",
        "cross cultural psychology",
        "marriage customs",
        "weird societies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-wages-of-destruction-the-making-and-breaking-of-the-nazi-econ-a8031b",
      "title": "The Wages of Destruction: The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy",
      "author": "Adam Tooze",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22578636,
          "author": "schemathings",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T20:58:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22578636",
          "commentText": "I listened to the audiobook version of 3 books by Adam Tooze in the past year and found them to be excellent for understanding how finance works, through 3 separate case studies/examples if you will ..\n1. The Deluge: The Great War, America and the Remaking of the Global Order describes how most of the current global financial structures were formed, through the lens of WW1 policy\n2. The Wages of Destruction: The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy .. moves you forward to WW2/post-depression economy\n3. Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World (recommended elsewhere in this thread) .. brings things up to current times",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Wages of Destruction: The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy",
          "reason": "The commenter says the audiobook was excellent for understanding finance through the World War II and Depression era.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18664055,
          "author": "cwal37",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T14:20:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664055",
          "commentText": "A few of my faves.\nNon-Fiction\nBy Adam Tooze: Crashed, and Wages of Destruction. Both excellent economic histories, the former covering the recent financial crisis and its aftermath, the latter on the Nazi economy. Tooze does an excellent job coming up with larger trends and global narratives, I'm often amazed at just how much he's able to keep in his head.\nBy Richard Rothstein: The Color of Law. A quick, informative, yet more than thorough enough on the factual, legal prevention that American employed over the majority of the 20th century to prevent black Americans form participating in the housing market, both personal home ownership and public housing (a major institutional driver of household wealth and success tarting in the early 20th century).\nBy Jeffrey Lockwood: Locust: The Devastating Rise and Mysterious Disappearance of the Insect that Shaped the American Frontier. I had no idea the American frontier was home to devastating largest-in-the-world locust plagues that suddenly disappeared near the end of the 19th century.\nBy Peter Brannen: The Ends of the World. A great primer on mass extinctions and their often geologic causes.\nBy Rick Perstein: Nixonland. Still working on this one, but a deep dive into that era of American politics feels quite relevant at the moment, except that everything today feels stupid in comparison.\nFiction\nBy N.K. Jemisin: The Broken Earth trilogy. A really great self-contained story, extremely evocative, and the author actually puts out great books at an amazingly fast pace.\nCooking\nBy Stella Parks: Bravetart: Iconic American Desserts. If you like baking, and the history of iconic American baked goods this is a must have/read. Never thought I'd spend so much time on a carrot cake.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "By Adam Tooze: Crashed, and Wages of Destruction. Both excellent economic histories",
          "reason": "Described as an excellent economic history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adam Tooze"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nazi germany",
        "economic history",
        "war economy",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-wandering-earth-51323d",
      "title": "The Wandering Earth",
      "author": "Liu Cixin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36030286,
          "author": "ianyanusko",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-22T12:03:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36030286",
          "commentText": "1) Three-Body Problem series\n2) Hyperion series (first two books especially)\n3) Cryptonomicon \n4) Cloud Atlas\n5) Wandering Earth (collection of short stories)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "5) Wandering Earth (collection of short stories)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536840,
          "author": "pablode",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T20:18:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536840",
          "commentText": "I particularly enjoyed Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson (won the Hugo Award) and Liu Cixin's collection of short stories, The Wandering Earth.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Liu Cixin's collection of short stories, The Wandering Earth.",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a request for enjoyable fiction.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for science fiction stories.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Liu Cixin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories",
        "chinese science fiction",
        "hard science fiction",
        "space travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-wandering-inn-690f62",
      "title": "The Wandering Inn",
      "author": "Pirateaba",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37160433,
          "author": "RheingoldRiver",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T12:16:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37160433",
          "commentText": "It's a lot more likely that you will get tired of The Wandering Inn before you catch up to present than that you will run out of source material, I think",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's a lot more likely that you will get tired of The Wandering Inn before you catch up to present than that you will run out of source material, I think",
          "reason": "The commenter says the series has enough material to outlast a reader's interest before they catch up.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter suggests readers may tire of it before reaching the current installments.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37159954,
          "author": "xeonax",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T11:22:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37159954",
          "commentText": "The Wandering Inn [1], \nStories of an alternate world somehow connected to a certain innkeeper of the said inn.\nFeatures extensive world building, character building,\nLots of fleshed out characters, contains humour as well as serious stuff, has dragons, fae, aliens, time travel, hiveminds, automatons, cute pets, cosmic horrors, history lessons, magic, alchemy and steampunk engineering.\nIt's a bit longish and not finished yet, 2/3  done as of this year.\n[1]: https://wanderinginn.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Wandering Inn [1],",
          "reason": "Described as a long-running fantasy story with extensive world and character building and a wide range of speculative elements.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is long and unfinished.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34170946,
          "author": "xeonax",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-29T09:21:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34170946",
          "commentText": "The Wandering Inn. https://wanderinginn.com/\nIt's a webnovel, litRPG, slice of life, rememeberable cast of characters, with most of the characters getting extensive character building. Has dragons, aliens, time travel, fae etc. Also has modern pop references. For e.g. \"arrow to the knee\"\nAlso it's massive. You can spend an year reading it to reach the current chapters.\nI probably spent more time reading this then watching webseries.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Wandering Inn.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a webnovel with a memorable cast and extensive character development.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Very large; reaching current chapters may take a year of reading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pirateaba"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "web serial",
        "epic fantasy",
        "litrpg",
        "portal fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-way-to-wealth-5949c2",
      "title": "The Way to Wealth",
      "author": "Benjamin Franklin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12416833,
          "author": "cs702",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T22:54:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416833",
          "commentText": "I agree with others on the \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius.\nOff the top of my head, I would add:\n* \"The Way to Wealth,\" by Benjamin Franklin: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0918222885 (also available online for free; it's in the public domain) -- no-nonsense practical advice from a super-successful individual\n* Warren Buffett's Letters to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders: http://www.berkshirehathaway.com/letters/letters.html (also available organized by topic, in a bound book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1611637589 which some will find much easier to read)\n* \"The Intelligent Investor,\" by Benjamin Graham (specifically the chapters titled \"The Investor and Market Fluctuations\" and \"Margin of Safety\"): https://www.amazon.com/dp/0060555661\n* \"Influence: the Psychology of Persuasion,\" by Robert Cialdini: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0688128165\nAlso:\n* \"Devil Take the Hindmost,\" by Edward Chancellor: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0452281806\n* \"A Short History of Financial Euphoria,\" by John Kenneth Galbraith: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0140238565\n* \"Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds,\" by Charles Mackay: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1586635581",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Way to Wealth,\" by Benjamin Franklin: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0918222885 (also available online for free; it's in the public domain) -- no-nonsense practical advice from a super-successful individual",
          "reason": "Presents it as practical advice from a successful individual.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking practical advice about wealth.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 248542,
          "author": "simplyauser",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T15:09:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248542",
          "commentText": "I have read many of the recommend books. Here are my two pence.\nBooks on Wealth\n    1. \"Rich Dad Poor Dad\"\n     and find out exactly why someone becomes rich.\n    (if you like this one, at some point you may also\n     want to quickly scan through \"Cashflow Quadrant\n     Rich Dad's Guide to Financial Freedom\".)\n\n     2. Also \"chapter 6 - How to make wealth\"\n     from \"Hackers and Painters's chapter 6 - \"\n\n     3. \"The Way to Wealth by Benjamin Franklin\"\n\n\nInvesting books in this order\n    1. Peter Lynch's One Up on wall street\n    2. The Intelligent Investor  (Ben Graham)\n    3. Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits\n    4. Security Analysis (Ben Graham)\n    5. The Warren Buffet Way is a famous business read not exceptional but read it if you have some time left\n    6. A Random Walk Down Wall Street (Read it for a good laugh)\n\n\nDo NOT read\n    1. AA- The Motley Fool Money Guide\n    2. How Gerge Soros Knows What He Knows\n    3. Investing Online For Dummies\n    4. Malkiel Burton - A Random Walk Down Wall Street\n    5. Cracking the millionaire code\n    6. Joel Greenblatt - You Can Be A Stock Market Genius",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Way to Wealth by Benjamin Franklin\"",
          "reason": "Included in the comment's wealth book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Benjamin Franklin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal finance",
        "wealth"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-web-of-life-7067db",
      "title": "The Web of Life",
      "author": "Fritjof Capra",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32791257,
          "author": "wunderlust",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T15:04:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32791257",
          "commentText": "My field of study (what I really like to think and learn about) isn't my field of work, but I like the question so I'll spill some thoughts.\nI spend a lot of time thinking about philosophical-ish stuff, so here are some books that have had the strongest residual effects (whether that's changing how I think, changing what I think about, changing my values, or simply getting the thought ball rolling faster):\nIshmael (Daniel Quinn)\n1984 (George Orwell)\nBrave New World (Aldous Huxley)\nGodel, Escher, Bach (Douglas Hofstadter)\nThe Republic [imp. \"the allegory of the cave\"] (Plato)\nThe Genealogy of Morals (Friedrich Nietzsche)\nThe Social Construction of Reality (Peter L. Berger, Thomas Luckmann)\nTractatus Logico-Philosophicus (L. Wittgenstein)\nDissemination [imp. \"The Pharmakon\"] (Jacques Derrida)\nThe Quest for Reality (Barry Stroud)\nLanguages of Art (Nelson Goodman)\nThe Structure of Scientific Revolutions (Thomas Kuhn)\nConcepts (Jerry Fodor)\nThe Web of Life (Fritjof Capra)\nFoucault's Pendulum (Umberto Eco)\nNaming and Necessity (Saul Kripke)\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Robert Pirsig)\nThere are others, and a lot of essays (by thinkers like Bertrand Russell, Carl Hempel, Hilary Putnam, WVO Quine, Karl Popper, Alfred Tarski, Gottlob Frege, David Chalmers, Daniel Dennett, Michel Foucault, Jean Baudrillard, Mikhail Bakunin, CS Peirce, and David Hume, among many others), but these seem apropos as they most readily came to mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Web of Life (Fritjof Capra)",
          "reason": "Listed among books with strong residual effects on the commenter’s thinking and values.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15160659,
          "author": "pbhjpbhj",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T10:16:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15160659",
          "commentText": "The synoptic gospels and NT, but to choose one book from the NT, ...\nThe Epistle of James - as it has some strong counterpoints to other parts of the NT particularly the contrast of Pauline notions of grace with charity/works.\nEmperor's New Mind, Penrose - probably my biggest take away from it was to consider how human perception works alongside, and co-mingles with, physics.\nWeb of Life, Capra - considering holistic nature of life, one's connection to the World at large; emergent patterns, complex structure birthing from simplicity (goes well with what I recall of Gleick's Chaos).\nZen and the Art ... - what is value, what is valuable to me, whither/whence/wherefore value; how should I relate to my children (long before i had any) and how to challenge them philosophically.\nRepublic, Plato - the first book that really set me thinking about the structure of society, about inequalities. And of course about stepping out of The Cave.\nKoran & Hadith (partial readings, ie whole sections; couple of major hadith only) - [redacted]; but greater understanding of Islam and of religion in general; taught me to watchfully avoid being tainted by the labels people give themselves and look instead to their actions.\nMein Kampf (partial reading) - ideas have intrinsic moral value, that we should judge ideas on their merits and not by who has them; we should be careful about tarring people by simple association.\nArt of War - preparedness, looking to supply lines, avoiding conflicts, not entering \"battles\" you know you'll lose (which I'd take as 'learn nothing from').\nChristianarchy - what it means to be a Christian, who is and isn't \"in\".\nAgrarian Justice, Paine - what is my place politically and economically in the world, whence do I derive the 'rights' to own what I do, whether such ownership is good.\nWorth noting here that the ideas and impressions I got are unlikely to be what you will get, we react to books based on who we are, our frame of mind, moods, etc.. Most of these books I read as a late teenager, that at least in part boosts their impact. The impact is not necessarily the purpose of the book, quite the opposite in some cases.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Web of Life, Capra - considering holistic nature of life, one's connection to the World at large",
          "reason": "Named for its influence on how the commenter thinks about life and emergent patterns.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fritjof Capra"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "complexity",
        "systems thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-wheel-of-time-3ce9b9",
      "title": "The Wheel of Time",
      "author": "Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46397307,
          "author": "shoobiedoo",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T22:59:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46397307",
          "commentText": "What did you think of it? I got to about the third book and completely lost interest",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "What did you think of it? I got to about the third book and completely lost interest",
          "reason": "The commenter lost interest after about the third book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Lost interest around book three.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37179087,
          "author": "leandot",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-18T17:27:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37179087",
          "commentText": "WoT is great, albeit a bit slow in the middle. But the last three books are just amazing, Brandon Sanderson was hired to finish the series and he did it expertly.\nA great series I can recommend is Red Rising from Pierce Brown (book 6 just came out, one more to go).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "WoT is great, albeit a bit slow in the middle. But the last three books are just amazing, Brandon Sanderson was hired to finish the series and he did it expertly.",
          "reason": "Recommends the series while noting the middle is slow and praising its conclusion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The middle is a bit slow.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968776,
          "author": "timw0j",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T01:44:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968776",
          "commentText": "I've been working on the Wheel of Time series for a while now.  I just got through book 11, which means I'm out of the books that Robert Jordan wrote and into the home stretch of books that were finished by Brandon Sanderson.\nOverall, the series has been good, if not a little long-winded and a bit repetitive at times.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Overall, the series has been good, if not a little long-winded and a bit repetitive at times.",
          "reason": "Says the series has been good overall.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy long fantasy series.",
          "caveat": "Can be long-winded and repetitive.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Jordan",
        "Brandon Sanderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "long series",
        "high fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-will-to-power-dd6580",
      "title": "The Will to Power",
      "author": "Friedrich Nietzsche",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1752295,
          "author": "oscilloscope",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T07:13:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752295",
          "commentText": "\"Will to Power\" by Friedrich Nietzsche, who you'll probably love if you like Rand.\n\"A Thousand Plateaus\" by Deleuze & Guattari.  A psychedelic philosophy of complexity.  Not exactly an airtight philosophical system, but it will blow your mind several times per page.\n\"Being & Time\" by Martin Heidegger.  An intense, logical investigation of individual existence.  A deeply nuanced philosophical take on death, being, and temporality.  This is the book to grapple with your inevitable annihilation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Will to Power\" by Friedrich Nietzsche, who you'll probably love if you like Rand.",
          "reason": "Suggested for readers who like Ayn Rand.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in philosophy or Ayn Rand.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503706,
          "author": "edna_piranha",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T14:46:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503706",
          "commentText": "If you're interested in phenomenology and/or existentialism and works that are somewhat readable (this is subjective of course), I'd suggest:\n1. Maurice Merleau-Ponty - The Phenomenology of Perception\n2. Simone de Beauvoir - Ethics of Ambiguity\n3. Friedrich Nietzsche - Will to Power\nI'd highly recommend NOT reading Being and Time by Heidegger - you'll want to stab your eyes out ten times.\nOutside of pure philosophical texts and more emphasis on fictional works related to philosophy, I'd suggest indirect material that encourage ideas of subjective perception and point-of-view. Examples are works by Franz Kafka, Ryu Murakami and William S. Burroughs.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "3. Friedrich Nietzsche - Will to Power",
          "reason": "Suggests it to readers interested in phenomenology or existentialism.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in phenomenology or existentialism.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says readability is subjective.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Friedrich Nietzsche"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nietzsche",
        "nietzschean philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-winds-of-winter-5ad980",
      "title": "The Winds of Winter",
      "author": "George R. R. Martin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38237803,
          "author": "alexmolas",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T06:19:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38237803",
          "commentText": "Re-reading \"A song of ice and fire\" saga with the hope that \"Winds of winter\" arrives just when I finish",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Winds of winter\"",
          "reason": "The commenter hopes this next installment arrives while they reread the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether it will arrive in time.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804208,
          "author": "dcchambers",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:29:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804208",
          "commentText": "The Winds of Winter\n...I hope!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Winds of Winter\n...I hope!",
          "reason": "Named as a hoped-for read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter expresses uncertainty that it will be available.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George R. R. Martin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "a song of ice and fire",
        "epic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-winner-s-curse-93796d",
      "title": "The Winner's Curse",
      "author": "Richard H. Thaler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12561817,
          "author": "p4wnc6",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T01:58:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12561817",
          "commentText": "In addition to the many fine recommendations already on the thread, I enjoyed Winner's Curse and Irrational Exuberance.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed Winner's Curse",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1464990,
          "author": "NeilCJames",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T05:21:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1464990",
          "commentText": "For an overview of mainstream modern econ, if you read nothing else, read Naked Economics by Charles Wheelan. For a good introduction to the major economic schools of thought check out Economics as Religion by Robert Nelson (he has written a new one on the same subject that I haven't yet read). To get into behavioral economics, I'd recommend Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely and The Winner's Curse by Richard Thaler.\nTread carefully, there is a lot of polemic posing as economics on bookstore shelves.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and The Winner's Curse by Richard Thaler.",
          "reason": "Recommended alongside Predictably Irrational for getting into behavioral economics.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in behavioral economics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard H. Thaler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "behavioral economics",
        "decision making"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-wolf-of-wall-street-098ba7",
      "title": "The Wolf of Wall Street",
      "author": "Jordan Belfort",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10238302,
          "author": "maxims",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-18T10:02:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10238302",
          "commentText": "I'm surprised that Jordan Belfort hasn't appeared here already. You might know him more appropriately as The Wolf of Wall Street, and its doesn't matter what your opinion of the guy is - he has a natural talent for sales.\nAs you will note from his material, that there are 3 types of people, those that don't want the product, those that are unsure if they want it, and those that want the product. Sales is about converting those \"unsures'\" to sure wants.\nI would recommend giving the book \"The Wolf of Wall Street\" a read.\nHis course \"Straight Line System\" is pretty pricey, but if you have the money or the means, I would recommend this course over any other:\nhttp://jordanbelfort.com/sales-order/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend giving the book \"The Wolf of Wall Street\" a read.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends reading the book for someone seeking sales advice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The author is praised for natural sales talent, but the comment says opinion of him does not matter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027082,
          "author": "ecq",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T11:01:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027082",
          "commentText": "Great books i read in 2009\n-The Wolf of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort - hilarious\n-Inside Steve's Brain\n-Paypal Wars - old book but still very informative and relevant\n-Viral Loop by Adam L. Penenberg",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Wolf of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort - hilarious",
          "reason": "Calls the book hilarious.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in humorous business memoirs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jordan Belfort"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business memoir",
        "sales",
        "wall street"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-word-for-world-is-forest-d40a0a",
      "title": "The Word for World Is Forest",
      "author": "Ursula K. Le Guin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33382065,
          "author": "hgibbs",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T08:15:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382065",
          "commentText": "Earthsea is great. Ursula also wrote a lot of amazing science fiction: left hand of darkness, the dispossessed, the lathe of heaven, the word for world is forest etc. All are worth reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the word for world is forest",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13803959,
          "author": "yesbabyyes",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T16:59:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13803959",
          "commentText": "Fundamentally changed are so big words but these were pretty cool:\n- Douglas Hofstadter's GEB: An Eternal Golden Braid\n- Debt: The First 5,000 Years by David Graeber\n- Ursula K. LeGuin's The Word for World is Forest\n- Propaganda by Edward Bernays\n- Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond\n-  Empires: The Logic of World Domination from Ancient Rome to the United States by Herfried Münkler\n- Smedley D. Butler's War is a Racket (more of an exposé)\n- In Praise of Idleness by Bertrand Russell (ditto)\n- Neuromancer by William Gibson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ursula K. LeGuin's The Word for World is Forest",
          "reason": "Listed among books that changed the way the commenter thinks about the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ursula K. Le Guin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "colonialism",
        "ecological colonialism",
        "ecology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-world-beyond-your-head-on-becoming-an-individual-in-an-age-of-409c6f",
      "title": "The World Beyond Your Head: On Becoming an Individual in an Age of Distraction",
      "author": "Matthew B. Crawford",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16582639,
          "author": "q-base",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-14T05:46:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16582639",
          "commentText": "Pitch Anything - About selling and the psychology of selling. Really need to re-read that one actually.\nAnd +1 for Deep Work, So Good They Can't Ignore You or The World Beyond Your Head. They made me realize that being in a profession where you can reach \"flow state\" actually is a privilege.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "And +1 for Deep Work, So Good They Can't Ignore You or The World Beyond Your Head.",
          "reason": "The commenter endorses it as one of three books that changed their view of reaching a flow state at work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238075,
          "author": "beat",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T15:56:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238075",
          "commentText": "Two standouts:\nThe World Beyond Your Head: On Becoming an Individual in an Age of Distraction, by Matthew B. Crawford. This is Crawford's second book, and I recommend his first, Shop Class as Soulcraft, even more highly. This is modern philosophy, intense and grounded in the history and conventions of philosophy, but not unreadable if you're patient. Crawford started working at a Washington think tank, and bailed for a more honest life as a vintage motorcycle mechanic. He walked away from wealth and \"success\" in favor of ethics and peace. His focus is on the intellectual and moral value of working at a craft, using your hands and your mind in concert to create and maintain things of lasting value. When you work with the physical world, you must shape yourself to the physical world, as much as you bend the physical world to your will. In this book, he talks less about the value of work, and more about the structure of society. It has some fairly extensive critique of the Enlightenment philosophy that molded American government and ethics, and pretty brutal takedowns of many of our institutions today, which he considers wrongheaded and actively interfering with a good life. He'll make you think, for sure.\nThe second book is Drift into Failure: From Hunting Broken Components to Understanding Complex Systems, by Sidney Dekker. The subject is how we analyze failures in very complex systems (such as airplane crashes, bridge collapses, etc). Such systems are built extremely carefully and at great cost, with extensive engineering for safety and reliability, and regulatory oversight. Yet sometimes, they fail anyway. Analyzing such failures can take years and is never (honestly) reduceable to some single-sentence cause. Yet that's what we try to do. Dekker argues that the reductionist approach of the scientific method, our entire way of doing rigorous thinking, is inadequate for complex systems, because there are too many interactions. Scientific method depends on reducing variables, and sometimes, variables can't be reduced. Again, this is fascinating stuff that will really change how you think.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Two standouts:\nThe World Beyond Your Head: On Becoming an Individual in an Age of Distraction, by Matthew B. Crawford.",
          "reason": "Described as a standout and as fascinating, thought provoking modern philosophy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The author’s institutional critiques are characterized as brutal takedowns.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthew B. Crawford"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "attention",
        "concentration",
        "craft",
        "individuality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-world-until-yesterday-229c08",
      "title": "The World Until Yesterday",
      "author": "Jared Diamond",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9674336,
          "author": "Symmetry",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T12:16:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674336",
          "commentText": "I'm just going to answer with the books that rearranged my understanding of the world the most.  In no particular order.\n\"Thinking Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman.\n\"Quantum Computing since Democritus\" by Scott Aaronson.\n\"The Strategy of Conflict\" by Thomas Schelling.\n\"Guns, Germs, and Steel\" and \"The World until Yesterday\" by Jared Diamond.\n\"The Retreat To Commitment\" by W. W. Bartley.\n\"The Myth of the Rational Voter\" by Bryan Caplan.  Despite the name it made me appreciate democracy a lot more.\n\"Wars, Guns, and Votes\" by Paul Collier.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Guns, Germs, and Steel\" and \"The World until Yesterday\" by Jared Diamond.",
          "reason": "Included among books that rearranged the commenter's understanding of the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8111985,
          "author": "smartial_arts",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-31T01:28:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8111985",
          "commentText": "\"Zebras don't get ulcers\" by Robert Sapolsky [ http://amzn.to/1kFszdH ]\nGreat book on stress, it's evolutionary role and how it's screwing us up now, in the modern environment that's quite different from our evolutionary past.\n\"Brain Rules\" by John Medina [http://amzn.to/UCgCPG]  \nJohn, a molecular biologist, looks at things such as health and cognitive development and performance of kids and adults from an evolutionary perspective. \nHe highlights problems with our approaches to work and study, how these are at odds with the way our brains evolved to work and what we can do about it.\nGreat collection of actionable advice backed up by current research. See more at http://brainrules.net/\n\"The world until yesterday\" by Jared Diamond http://amzn.to/1AAJjNL\nGreat book on how \"traditional\" societies handle trade, war and interpersonal conflicts. Lots of thing to consider taking on board in \"modern\" societies - such as restorative justice.\n\"The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking\" by Oliver Burkeman http://amzn.to/1rITiKX\nGreat overview of pitfalls that \"positive thinking\" approach brings and how one can start employing alternative ways of attaining happiness.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great book on how \"traditional\" societies handle trade, war and interpersonal conflicts.",
          "reason": "Praises its account of traditional societies and suggests considering lessons for modern ones.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jared Diamond"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "traditional societies",
        "anthropology",
        "comparative anthropology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-world-of-yesterday-a5fe21",
      "title": "The World of Yesterday",
      "author": "Stefan Zweig",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38238607,
          "author": "randsp",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T08:59:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238607",
          "commentText": "I have just finished “World of yesterday” by Stefan Zweig, probably one of the best books I have ever read, it gives you a picture how the world was at the beginning of 20th century and how despite of cultural and technological advances of the world, Europe turned to madness.\nNow i am starting “Infinite Jest” by David Foster Wallace.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“World of yesterday” by Stefan Zweig, probably one of the best books I have ever read",
          "reason": "Highly praises the memoir for its picture of early 20th-century Europe.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240706,
          "author": "bokonist",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T02:56:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240706",
          "commentText": "The Triumph of Conservatism by Gabriel Kolko - the book for understanding the rise of corporate serfdom\nThe World of Yesterday by Stefan Zweig - will make you nostalgic for the days of monarchy\nWorld on Fire by Amy Chua - the single best book for understanding globalization that I have read.  The antidote to Tom Friedman.\nAmerica's Great Depression by Murray Rothbard - very different from the story you get in school.  Is he right?\nTwo favorite tech books are Inside Intuit and The Manager Pool",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The World of Yesterday by Stefan Zweig - will make you nostalgic for the days of monarchy",
          "reason": "Presented as a book likely to make readers nostalgic for monarchy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stefan Zweig"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "early 20th century europe",
        "habsburg europe"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-worldly-philosophers-the-lives-times-and-ideas-of-the-great-e-a1d4cc",
      "title": "The Worldly Philosophers: The Lives, Times, and Ideas of the Great Economic Thinkers",
      "author": "Robert L. Heilbroner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13839518,
          "author": "xitrium",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-10T15:56:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13839518",
          "commentText": "Going along with this sort of fundamentally changed worldview theme - I loved Debt: The First 5,000 Years but for me it was equally important to read a book called The Worldly Philosophers: The Lives, Times and Ideas of the Great Economic Thinkers by Robert L. Heilbroner. This book summarizes the entirety of major paradigms in the history of economic thought, complete with great little biosketches of the authors and their times, from Adam Smith to Joseph Schumpeter. Highly recommended, especially as a counterpoint if you are already a little much in the David Graeber camp as I was.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved Debt: The First 5,000 Years but for me it was equally important to read a book called The Worldly Philosophers: The Lives, Times and Ideas of the Great Economic Thinkers by Robert L. Heilbroner. This book summarizes the entirety of major paradigms in the history of economic thought",
          "reason": "Calls it equally important and describes it as a summary of major paradigms in economic thought; explicitly recommends it.",
          "audience": "Especially readers already familiar with David Graeber's perspective.",
          "caveat": "Suggested as a counterpoint to the David Graeber camp.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 180667,
          "author": "mstoehr",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-04T05:37:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 180589,
          "threadTitle": "Good book for economics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=180667",
          "commentText": "These two are my favorite (that are reasonably priced!).  Samuelson is definitely a formidable thinker and lays the groundwork for much later economic thinking.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Worldly-Philosophers-Lives-Economic-Th... (http://www.amazon.com/Worldly-Philosophers-Lives-Economic-Thinkers/dp/068486214X)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Price-Theory-Milton-Friedman/dp/020206... (http://www.amazon.com/Price-Theory-Milton-Friedman/dp/0202060748)\nHowever if you go with the Samuelson, Fridman, and Heilbroner you'll be missing out on some key concepts relating to information and games, which are essential for understanding modern developments in economics.\nSo, I would also look at Myerson's Game Theory\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Game-Theory-Analysis-Roger-Myerson/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Game-Theory-Analysis-Roger-Myerson/dp/0674341163)\nFinally, the empirical side of economics is quite important, and it is essential for investigating whether the theoretical conceptions (say in Samuelson) actually hold up.  There are many bad texts, and the seminal ones (Greene) are quite difficult in the beginning.  So, I recommend a pedagogical text that uses the likelihood approach.  Although, this is, by no means, a comprehensive text, you can certainly gain an understanding of a basic econometric study\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Econometric-Modeling-David-Hendry-Ni... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Econometric-Modeling-David-Hendry-Nielsen/dp/0691130892)\nThat should give you a broad introduction.  Also, checkout http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/DisplayJournalBrowse.cfm, which is an excellent resource with many free papers.\nGood Luck!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "These two are my favorite",
          "reason": "The commenter identifies this title as one of their two favorite books in the list.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking economics reading recommendations.",
          "caveat": "The commenter qualifies the favorites as reasonably priced.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert L. Heilbroner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of economic thought"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-worthing-saga-44f907",
      "title": "The Worthing Saga",
      "author": "Orson Scott Card",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8613353,
          "author": "partisan",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-16T03:22:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8613353",
          "commentText": "Hard to say... had you asked me this question 15 years ago, I would have answered without hesitation, The Hobbit and Ender's Game.\nToday, it's a bit less clear, but here is what comes to mind.\nRendezvous with Rama - Arthur C. Clarke\nWorthing Saga - Orson Scott Card",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Worthing Saga - Orson Scott Card",
          "reason": "Listed among the books that come to mind as the commenter’s current favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says their current favorite is less clear.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1570310,
          "author": "edanm",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T06:17:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1570310",
          "commentText": "I'm a huge fan of Orson Scott Card, so take the following with a grain of salt.\nDespite \"recent interviews\" which most people really disagree with, I still think almost all his fiction works are great. So if you liked Ender's Game, be sure to pick up other fiction books by him. I especially recommend \"Songmaster\" and \"The Worthing Saga\".",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "and \"The Worthing Saga\"",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends this novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says to take their enthusiasm with a grain of salt and notes disagreement with the author's recent interviews.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Orson Scott Card"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary science fiction",
        "space opera",
        "telepathy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-years-of-rice-and-salt-a6200b",
      "title": "The Years of Rice and Salt",
      "author": "Kim Stanley Robinson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42509196,
          "author": "_whiteCaps_",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T15:20:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42509196",
          "commentText": "The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson\nAn alternate future where the Europeans are completely wiped out by the plague, and how society could have changed.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson",
          "reason": "Named as a standout read; describes its alternate history premise.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10787171,
          "author": "wycx",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T04:55:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787171",
          "commentText": "All consumed as audiobooks.\nAmerican Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America - Colin Woodard;\nI learned much about early US history.\nWhere Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman - Jon Krakauer\nFind Me - Laura van den Berg\nStation Eleven - Emily St. John Mandel\nThe Dog Stars - Peter Heller\nEndurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage - Alfred Lansing;\nI was fortunate enough to read this right before Seveneves, so the references made immediate sense. Endurance looks to be popular on this list/this year. How many were inspired by Seveneves?\nSeveneves - Neal Stephenson\nThe Years of Rice and Salt - Kim Stanley Robinson\nCrystal Fire: The Birth of the Information Age - Michael Riordan, Lillian Hoddeson;\nI highly recommend this book. Like The Making of the Atomic Bomb, but for the transistor. Lots of background on John Bardeen, William Shockley and Walter Brattain. I was unaware of the great legacy of John Bardeen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bardeen\nThe Making of the Atomic Bomb - Richard Rhodes;\nIf you have not read this book, read it, just for the summary of discoveries that lead to the atomic bomb.\nAlas, Babylon - Pat Frank\nThe Man Who Ate His Boots: The Tragic History of the Search for the Northwest Passage - Anthony Brandt\nThe Worst Journey in the World - Apsley Cherry-Garrard\nThe Last Viking: The Life of Roald Amundsen - Stephen R. Bown\nI am looking for other books similar to Crystal Fire and The Making of the Atomic Bomb, that cover the history of scientific and technological discoveries. Any recommendations?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Years of Rice and Salt - Kim Stanley Robinson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9088408,
          "author": "robbdavis",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-22T05:46:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9088408",
          "commentText": "Kim Stanley Robinson's \"2312\" carries on from the Mars Trilogy. \nStephenson's \"REAMDE\", \"The Diamond Age\", \"Cryptonomicon\" and \"Snow Crash\"\nDoes alternate history count her?  If so, Robinson's \"The Years of Rice and Salt\" is great",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Robinson's \"The Years of Rice and Salt\" is great",
          "reason": "Describes it as great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned conditionally as an alternate history novel that may fit the request.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kim Stanley Robinson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternate history",
        "historical fiction",
        "plague"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "think-again-the-power-of-knowing-what-you-don-t-know-236b55",
      "title": "Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know",
      "author": "Adam Grant",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43576099,
          "author": "HenryBemis",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-03T22:12:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 43572949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books written on “How to think”?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43576099",
          "commentText": "- Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know by Adam Grant\n  - Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman\n  - The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living Hardcover by Ryan Holiday",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know by Adam Grant",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books about how to think.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for books about thinking.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33855100,
          "author": "chiefalchemist",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T16:33:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33855100",
          "commentText": "+1 for \"You're Not Listening\". I had it on my shelf for too long. When I finally pulled it down and read it there was a feeling of \"I wish I would have done that a lot sooner.\"\nThink Again was good as well, but didn't hit me as hard as \"Listening.\"",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Think Again was good as well, but didn't hit me as hard as \"Listening.\"",
          "reason": "Says it was good, while ranking it below You're Not Listening in impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It did not affect the commenter as strongly as You're Not Listening.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adam Grant"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "rethinking",
        "cognitive flexibility",
        "critical thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "think-complexity-6b871e",
      "title": "Think Complexity",
      "author": "Allen B. Downey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20731452,
          "author": "bthallplz",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T17:12:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20731452",
          "commentText": "You mentioned getting to grips with complexity analysis. Has she looked at the book Think Complexity[1]? It seems pretty cool and related to that area of study.\n[1]: http://greenteapress.com/complexity/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Has she looked at the book Think Complexity[1]? It seems pretty cool and related to that area of study.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a relevant book for complexity analysis.",
          "audience": "Someone learning computer science after a coding boot camp.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238121,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:01:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238121",
          "commentText": "Last year I gave myself a Zuckerberg-style goal to read a book every two weeks. It started well, but some months were harder than others (usually when the book wasn't very good, so I would switch to podcasts for a few weeks, before getting back on track).\nHere's an unordered list of the best:\n[BUSINESS / SELF-IMPROVEMENT]\n- \"Work Rules!\" - about Google's culture and values\n- \"Search Inside Yourself\" - about mindfulness, meditation, and the impact on your life.\n- \"What got you here won't get you there\" - Liked a lot more than I expected.\n- \"Re-read Innovator's Dilemma\" - a great classic; never gets old.\n- \"How will you measure your life\" - from the same author. Also excellent.\n- \"The Best Service is No Service\" - good overview on why Amazon's customer service is so good\n- \"Crucial Conversations\" - half is common sense; half is good tips to practice everyday.\n[PROGRAMMING]\n- \"Fluent Python\" - was afraid it'd be too basic, but not really. Enjoyed it a lot.\n- \"Think Complexity\" - about algorithm complexity, data structures, etc. Great read.\n- \"Python Data Science Handbook\" - meh.\n- \"Fundamentals of Deep Learning\" - good intro. Helped me solidify some concepts from Andrew Ng's ML course\n- \"Deep Learning\" - by Goodfellow and Bengio. Just started, but really liking it.\n[STARTUPS] (all excellent; in order)\n- \"The Hard Things about Hard Things\"\n- \"Zero to One\"\n- \"The Founder's Dilemmas\"\n- \"The Launch Pad\"\n[FICTION]\n- Trilogy: \"Off to be a wizard / An Unwelcome Quest / Spell or High Water\"\n- \"Infinite Jest\" - tried but failed to finish. May try again later.\n- \"Ready Player One\" - nice, but repetitive after a while. Good read before the movie comes out.\n[NON-FICTION]\n- \"What If?\" - xkcd FTW\n- \"How to Read a Book\" - good concepts, but should be a 10 pages blog post, not a book\n- \"Spark\" - Science of the Exercise and the Brain - Long, but good\n- \"Sugar Shock\" - still reading; hopefully will help me cut my sweet cravings\n[BIOGRAPHIES]\n- \"The New New Thing\" - about Jim Clark's life, one of the very first entrepreneurs\n- \"Machines of Loving Grace\" - about the research and the rise of AI\n- \"Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution\"\n- \"The Second Coming of Steve Jobs\" - About Pixar's story. Liked more than Isaacson's biography\n- \"The Innovators\" - great summary of computer industry, from the 1800's till today\n- \"Ghost in the Wires\" - Kevin Mitnick's story. Had started years ago, but finally finished it\n- \"Idea Man\" - about Paul Allen's story. Quite an impressive man.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Think Complexity\" - about algorithm complexity, data structures, etc. Great read.",
          "reason": "Called a great read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175556,
          "author": "Traut",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:21:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175556",
          "commentText": "Finished «The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger» by Marc Levinson and started Think Complexity By Allen B. Downey (O'Reilly series)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "started Think Complexity By Allen B. Downey",
          "reason": "The commenter reports having started the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7757165,
          "author": "jeremyis",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:43:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7757165",
          "commentText": "Not programming per say, but love Downey's ThinkOs (free): http://greenteapress.com/thinkos/.\nAm currently reading Think Complexity (also free): http://greenteapress.com/complexity/index.html",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Am currently reading Think Complexity (also free)",
          "reason": "Mentions currently reading it without stating an evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Allen B. Downey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "complex systems",
        "complexity science",
        "computational complexity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "think-os-f2a076",
      "title": "Think OS",
      "author": "Allen B. Downey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9758428,
          "author": "rubiquity",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T14:14:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758428",
          "commentText": "Eloquent Ruby is one of my favorite books, too. That book really motivated me to learn how programming languages work. Here are a few other books I found to be enjoyable and well-written:\nProgramming Erlang by Joe Armstrong\nProgramming Elixir by Dave Thomas\nSeven (more) Languages In Seven Weeks by Bruce Tate\nThink Bayes, Think OS, How To Think Like A Functional Programmer (Think OCaml) and The Little Book of Semaphores by Allen B. Downey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Think OS",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter found enjoyable and well-written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7757165,
          "author": "jeremyis",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:43:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7757165",
          "commentText": "Not programming per say, but love Downey's ThinkOs (free): http://greenteapress.com/thinkos/.\nAm currently reading Think Complexity (also free): http://greenteapress.com/complexity/index.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "love Downey's ThinkOs (free)",
          "reason": "Says they love the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not programming per se.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Allen B. Downey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "operating systems",
        "python"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "think-python-c1e43c",
      "title": "Think Python",
      "author": "Allen B. Downey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40935630,
          "author": "lcordier",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-11T11:47:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 40840658,
          "threadTitle": "Books to Dive in into Fullstack Development",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40935630",
          "commentText": "Here is my 2c.\nFirst try to avoid the languages with too many warts. Why do that to your brain?\n0. https://www.destroyallsoftware.com/talks/wat\n1. https://greenteapress.com/thinkpython2/thinkpython2.pdf\n2. https://docs.djangoproject.com/en/5.0/\n3. https://htmx.org/   (let the little framework handle JavaScript)\n4. https://cssgridgarden.com/\n5. https://flexboxfroggy.com/\nThis should give you nice overview to get started...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://greenteapress.com/thinkpython2/thinkpython2.pdf",
          "reason": "Part of an ordered set of resources to get started learning full-stack development.",
          "audience": "People starting to learn full-stack development.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2381053,
          "author": "malandrew",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-29T02:15:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 2380810,
          "threadTitle": "Best program and books to learn how to code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2381053",
          "commentText": "In addition to what others have said, I would add The Little Schemer to the list. It may not seem like the most practical book, but it will make you a better programmer.\nBeyond that, I would reiterate the following suggestions put forth by others:\n-- How to Design Programs (get version 2. Racket, the IDE for this book, is practically plug-and-play, so you won't waste time prepping your development environment)\n-- Think Python by Allen Downey (i haven't read this one, but it comes very highly recommended. the excerpts I've read show that Allen communicates the concepts very clearly)\n-- Eloquent Javascript (very good introduction, all examples can be done directly in the browser with the specially-made console. This eliminates the time and confusion you will experience trying to set up a development environment with other languages.)\nOn top of those I'd also add:\n-- The C Programming Language by K&R (if you are interested in C)\n-- Dive into HTML5 (if you are interested in web development. HTML is a markup language, but you are going to need it to be able to build web stuff. This book complements Eloquent Javascript nicely)\n-- Land of Lisp\n-- DOM Scripting (Pair this book with Eloquent Javascript. It's the best introduction to the DOM that I've seen and will bridge the gap between HTML and Javascript)\nThe best books on coding are those that place equal emphasis on good prose and good programming practice and that de-emphasize syntax.\nAlso, look for books where the examples are real-world examples. i.e. things that people have actually had to implement at one time or another. Avoid books with completely imaginary examples that use made up names like foo, bar, widget, etc.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Think Python by Allen Downey (i haven't read this one, but it comes very highly recommended. the excerpts I've read show that Allen communicates the concepts very clearly)",
          "reason": "The commenter reports strong recommendations from others and praises the clarity of excerpts.",
          "audience": "People learning Python.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read the book.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Allen B. Downey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming education",
        "python",
        "python programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "think-stats-probability-and-statistics-for-programmers-61d777",
      "title": "Think Stats: Probability and Statistics for Programmers",
      "author": "Allen B. Downey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13662505,
          "author": "grimoald",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-16T18:57:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13662505",
          "commentText": "OK, you don't build a complete project, but it's a similar approach:\nThink Stats: Probability and Statistics for Programmers\nhttp://greenteapress.com/thinkstats/\nHere, you learn statistics by implementing statistics functions in Python along the way and use them to solve the questions in the book.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Think Stats: Probability and Statistics for Programmers",
          "reason": "Presented as a way to learn statistics by implementing functions in Python and solving problems.",
          "audience": "Programmers learning probability and statistics with Python.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it does not involve building a complete project.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9612334,
          "author": "avinassh",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T16:06:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9612334",
          "commentText": "This repo maintains list of free programming books [0].\nMany of the books at Green Tea Press[1] are available for free:\n- Think Python: How To Think Like a Computer Scientist\n- Think Bayes: Bayesian Statistics in Python\n- Think Complexity: Exploring Complexity Science with Python\n- Think Stats: Probability and Statistics for Programmers\n- The Little Book of Semaphores\n- Physical Modeling in MATLAB\n- Learning Perl the Hard Way\nfew others. Do check the site.\nSecondly, books by Al Sweigart[2] are also freely available. They include:\n- Automate the Boring Stuff with Python[3]\n- Hacking Secret Ciphers with Python\n- Invent Your Own Computer Games with Python\n- Making Games with Python & Pygame\n[0] - https://github.com/vhf/free-programming-books\n[1] - http://www.greenteapress.com/\n[2] - https://inventwithpython.com/\n[3] - https://automatetheboringstuff.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Think Stats: Probability and Statistics for Programmers",
          "reason": "Listed among freely available programming books in response to a request for free reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Allen B. Downey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "statistics",
        "probability",
        "programming",
        "programming exercises"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "thinking-and-deciding-637a67",
      "title": "Thinking and Deciding",
      "author": "Jonathan Baron",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19896279,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T03:38:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19896279",
          "commentText": "1) Sources of Power: How people make decisions by Gary Klein\nIntroduces https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recognition_primed_decision It really resonated with me.\n2) Thinking and Deciding by Jonathan Baron. Quite thorough and comprehensive.\n3) There are also books on \"TRIZ\"(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TRIZ) a technique for problem solving, which arose from the former Soviet Union.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking and Deciding by Jonathan Baron. Quite thorough and comprehensive.",
          "reason": "Described as thorough and comprehensive.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3277742,
          "author": "billswift",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T18:12:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3277742",
          "commentText": "I will definitely second Atul Gawande's Checklist Manifesto.\nEliyahu Goldratt's books (I have read Critical Chain and It's Not Luck as well as The Goal) are not as original as often claimed.  They are very readable introductions, but a good project management text will cover most of what they do and more.  The project management book that I have found most helpful is Project Management With Cpm, Pert and Precedence Diagramming; despite its age (1983) it covers a wider variety of techniques with more detail and less extraneous crud than any of the others I have seen (note I am still researching this area, anyone who has a favorite book can leave it in a comment).  http://www.amazon.com/Project-Management-Pert-Precedence-Dia... (http://www.amazon.com/Project-Management-Pert-Precedence-Diagramming/dp/0442254156/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322244392&sr=8-1)\nJonathan Baron's Thinking and Deciding is one of the best books on improving your thinking in general that I have ever read.  http://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Deciding-Jonathan-Baron/dp/05... (http://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Deciding-Jonathan-Baron/dp/0521680433/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322244137&sr=8-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "one of the best books on improving your thinking in general that I have ever read",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of the best books they have read for improving thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Baron"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "decision making",
        "critical thinking",
        "judgment"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "thinking-in-bets-d2035b",
      "title": "Thinking in Bets",
      "author": "Annie Duke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21792743,
          "author": "Pandabob",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T22:24:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21792743",
          "commentText": "Annie Duke's \"Thinking in bets\" was pretty good as was Rory Sutherland's \"Alchemy\".\n\"Thinking in bets\" got me thinking about playing more imperfect information games. The obvious choice would be poker, but I've been wondering which modern video games are fun to play and are imperfect information games? Or at least have elements of those. Hearthstone?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Thinking in bets\" got me thinking about playing more imperfect information games.",
          "reason": "The book prompted interest in imperfect-information games; the list is a response to a favorite-books question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18664026,
          "author": "rcarrigan87",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T14:15:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664026",
          "commentText": "Concur on Thinking in Bets, very meh",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Concur on Thinking in Bets, very meh",
          "reason": "The commenter agrees with the parent comment's negative assessment, calling it “very meh.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes the book as “very meh.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Annie Duke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "decision making",
        "probability",
        "negotiation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "this-changes-everything-capitalism-vs-the-climate-c97d7b",
      "title": "This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate",
      "author": "Naomi Klein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11699796,
          "author": "neilsharma",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-15T06:44:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11699796",
          "commentText": "\"This changes everything\" by Naomi Klein. It's a very well-written, liberal book on climate policy failures written by an investigative journalist.\nI think it was written in 2014, so it doesn't cover the latest trends in fracking or solar. I didn't know anything about the climate industry coming from a silicon valley background, so this was an ingestible yet detailed primer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a very well-written, liberal book on climate policy failures written by an investigative journalist.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it well written and describes it as an accessible, detailed primer on climate policy.",
          "audience": "Readers new to the climate industry or climate policy.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it does not cover newer trends in fracking or solar.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783319,
          "author": "musgravepeter",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:12:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783319",
          "commentText": "\"Leaving Orbit - Notes from the last days of American spaceflight\" - pleasantly sentimental view of the wind down of the shuttle program.\n\"The Dark Forest\" 2nd installment in Three Body Problem series. Quite clever.\n\"This Changes Everything\" - triggered by a quote from the doc on the radio about trying not to think about climate change and whether it's possible to be bored by the end of the world. Lots of good info (including a visit to a climate deniers conference), bit long winded.\n\"The Princeton Companion to Applied Mathematics\". If I read only 10% still worth it. Lots of things to dip into.\n\"The Astronomer and the Witch\" Kepler fights to save his mother from persecution.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"This Changes Everything\" - triggered by a quote from the doc on the radio about trying not to think about climate change and whether it's possible to be bored by the end of the world. Lots of good info (including a visit to a climate deniers conference), bit long winded.",
          "reason": "Says it has lots of good information, though it is a bit long-winded.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A bit long-winded.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Naomi Klein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Science",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "capitalism",
        "climate change",
        "climate policy",
        "environmental politics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "this-idea-is-brilliant-40b914",
      "title": "This Idea Is Brilliant",
      "author": "John Brockman (editor)",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19896678,
          "author": "imakwana",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T05:51:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19896678",
          "commentText": "# Intuition Pump and other tools for thinking by Daniel Dennett\n# Books edited by John Brockman - 1) This Explains Everything, 2) This Idea is Brilliant, 3) This Will Make You Smarter, 4) Thinking\n# Personal MBA by Josh Kaufman\nAlso second the recommendation of other books based on Charlie Munger's wisdom and farnam street's reading list.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2) This Idea is Brilliant",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521167,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T07:42:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521167",
          "commentText": "Here are the best books I've read over the last few months:\n- Lost and Founder - the founder of Moz shares his advice and experience from building a 40M/year company. I found the things he says about building a startup extremely insightful and practically useful. Reading it feels like having a dinner with a friend who shares with you the things he has learned in a very honest, down to earth way. Highly recommend it.\n- Rationality from AI to Zombies - probably the most influential book I've read in my life, profoundly changed the way I think. It's a collection of LessWrong essays on science and rationality. (recently they've released an an audio version by the way).\n- \"A Short History of Nearly Everything\" and \"Our Mathematical Universe\" - two general popular science books I'm enjoying a lot. Haven't finished reading them yet, but so far they're brilliant(and very easy to understand, authors do an amazing job explaining complicated things in a simple, accessible way).\n- Hacking Growth - an AMAZING book on \"growth hacking\". It provides a framework for marketing a startup, gives a ton of practical advice and specific tactics. It breaks down step by step how  startups and big tech companies grow their products. Most of the books I've read on the subject were bullshit, but this one is absolutely fantastic, can't recommend it enough.\nOther great books I should mention:  This Idea is Brilliant, Actionable Gamification, The Design of Everyday Things, The Master Algorithm (great overview of machine learning techniqes), Springfield Confidential (fun behind the scenes from one of the writers on Simpsons), Homo Deus(from the author of Sapiens).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Other great books I should mention: This Idea is Brilliant",
          "reason": "The commenter includes it among other great books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Brockman (editor)"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ideas",
        "intellectual essays",
        "science essays"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "this-immortal-440ef0",
      "title": "This Immortal",
      "author": "Roger Zelazny",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2527540,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-09T04:15:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 2526568,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2527540",
          "commentText": "I recently have been reading Hugo Award Novels and recommend Roger Zelazny's This Immortal which is good enough to have shared the award with Dune in 1965. Lord of Light is also a great read and won a Hugo in 1968. Clifford Simak's Way Station, Phillip K. Dick's Man in the High Castle, and Walter Miller's Canticle for Leibowitz are other great Hugo novels from the early 1960's that tend to be overshadowed by more famous authors from that period such as Heinlein (not that I wouldn't recommend The Moon is a Harsh Mistress if you haven't read it).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "recommend Roger Zelazny's This Immortal which is good enough to have shared the award with Dune",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the novel and praises its Hugo-winning standing.",
          "audience": "Science fiction readers interested in Hugo Award novels.",
          "caveat": "Shared the award with Dune in 1965.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140490,
          "author": "nazgulnarsil",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T02:59:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140490",
          "commentText": "depends on the subgenre :)\nSuperhuman:\nSlan by A.E. Van Vogt\nMore Than Human by Theodore STurgeon\nOdd John by Olaf Stapledon\nPost Apocalyptic:\nThe Day of The Triffids by John Whyndham\nEarth Abides by George R. Stewart\nA Canticle for Lebowitz by...don't remember\nSpace Opera/Adventure:\nany of The Culture novels by Iain M. Banks\nThe Reality Dysfunction series by ...don't remember\nHyperion series by Dan Simmons\nTo Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer\nDystopian:\nWe by Yevgeny Zamyatin <---highly overlooked, predates 1984 and Brave New World\nBut the Absolute Best would be anything by:\nStanislaw Lem (Cyberiad, Futurological Congress, Solaris)\nAlfred Bester (The STars my Destination, The Demolished Man)\nor Samuel R. Delany (Babel-17, Dhalgren, Trtion, Nova)\noh and Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light and This Immortal are both great.\nSome of Philip K. Dick's stuff is great, but everyone recommends him. :)\nalmost forgot John Brunner, check out Steel Beach, The Sheep Look Up, and Stand on Zanzibar.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light and This Immortal are both great.",
          "reason": "Calls it great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roger Zelazny"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "post apocalyptic",
        "hugo award"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "this-is-water-3cf889",
      "title": "This Is Water",
      "author": "David Foster Wallace",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47984891,
          "author": "BrunoBernardino",
          "createdAt": "2026-05-02T09:40:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 47984463,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47984891",
          "commentText": "Top 5 books I've offered (and still offer):\n1. Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu (translated by Gia-Fu Feng)\n2. The Analects by Confucius (translated by Annping Chin)\n3. This Is Water by David Foster Wallace\n4. 3 years of Mini Stories - 36 short stories to read quickly, and think slowly — written by me.\n5. As Causas do Atraso Português by Nuno Palma",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This Is Water by David Foster Wallace",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s top five books they have offered as gifts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18829634,
          "author": "remilouf",
          "createdAt": "2019-01-05T03:05:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 18824130,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What article/book do you recommend for my next flight?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18829634",
          "commentText": "“This is water” the transcript of a commencement speech that David Foster Wallace gave. Probably the best thing he ever wrote (and shortest :) ).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“This is water” the transcript of a commencement speech that David Foster Wallace gave. Probably the best thing he ever wrote (and shortest :) ).",
          "reason": "Calls it probably Wallace’s best work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It is a commencement speech transcript, not a full-length book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Foster Wallace"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "attention",
        "commencement address",
        "commencement speeches"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "this-perfect-day-26ceeb",
      "title": "This Perfect Day",
      "author": "Ira Levin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7301871,
          "author": "yawz",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T00:39:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7301871",
          "commentText": "Are you looking for something similar?\nIt's not easy to recommend something based on a single book but have a look at Vicious by V. E. Schwab, This Perfect Day by Ira Levin or Wool by Hugh Howey.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "This Perfect Day by Ira Levin",
          "reason": "Suggests the book as a possible read in response to a request for science-fiction suggestions.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking science-fiction suggestions.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that recommending from a single book is difficult.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86199,
          "author": "Darmani",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T03:31:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86199",
          "commentText": "This Perfect Day by Ira Levin (out of print, yet much more worthwhile in my opinion than other dystopic novels)\nGuns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond\nThe Books of the Fey by Kristine Kathryn Rusch\nArtemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer\nThe Deathgate Cycle by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This Perfect Day by Ira Levin (out of print, yet much more worthwhile in my opinion than other dystopic novels)",
          "reason": "Calls it more worthwhile than other dystopian novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it is out of print.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ira Levin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopia",
        "social control"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "this-time-is-different-3bd407",
      "title": "This Time Is Different",
      "author": "Carmen M. Reinhart and Kenneth S. Rogoff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11297799,
          "author": "roymurdock",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:56:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297799",
          "commentText": "Older Stuff: The Bible/Quran, The Republic (Plato), The Social Contract (Rousseau), Tao Te Ching (Laozi), Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky), History of the Peloponnesian War (Thucydides)\nNewer Stuff: Nine Stories (Salinger), The Razor's Edge (Maugham), Nausea (Sartre), Siddartha (Hesse), Road to Serfdom (Hayek), The Book (Watts), Design of Everyday Things (Norman), Atlas Shrugged (Rand), Invisible Man (Ellison), Debunking Economics (Keen), Blood Meridian (McCarthy), The Center Cannot Hold (Saks), This Time Is Different (Reinhart/Rogoff), Infinite Jest (Wallace), Calvin and Hobbes (Watterson)\nAll of these books are well written and have given me some perspective on interesting people/situations/ways of thinking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This Time Is Different (Reinhart/Rogoff)",
          "reason": "Listed among books said to have given the commenter perspective on interesting people, situations, and ways of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107038,
          "author": "khc",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:47:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107038",
          "commentText": "Poor Economics - Abhijit Banerjee & Esther Duflo\nThinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman\nThe Signal and The Noise - Nate Silver\nPredictably Irrational - Dan Ariely\nThis Time is Different - Carmen Reinhart & Kenneth Rogoff\nSubliminal - Leonard Mlodinow\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Taleb\nFor something more lighthearted, I also enjoyed:\nAn Economist Gets Lunch - Tyler Cowen\nInside Jokes - Matthew Hurley & others\n(mostly skipped the dense parts)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This Time is Different - Carmen Reinhart & Kenneth Rogoff",
          "reason": "Listed among books offered in response to the favorite-books request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carmen M. Reinhart and Kenneth S. Rogoff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic history",
        "financial crises"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "three-cups-of-tea-30f24e",
      "title": "Three Cups of Tea",
      "author": "Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2105717,
          "author": "bsnyder",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-14T22:42:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2105717",
          "commentText": "I read a lot. But the books that moved me the most were about Greg Mortenson's adventures building schools in Paksistan and Afghanistan:\nThree Cups of Tea (http://www.threecupsoftea.com/)\nStones Into Schools (http://www.stonesintoschools.com/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the books that moved me the most were about Greg Mortenson's adventures building schools in Paksistan and Afghanistan:\nThree Cups of Tea",
          "reason": "The commenter says the books moved them the most.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1570071,
          "author": "gsaurus",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T03:58:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1570071",
          "commentText": "\"Into Thin Air\" (Krakauer) \nJournalist/Mountaineer account of an Everest expedition gone wrong. Read it, ponder, but know that there is some controversy. Very interesting look into expedition dynamics.\n\"Mountains Beyond Mountains\" (Kidder)\nAn account of Paul Farmer's work in Haiti, and later in other parts of the world. If you are interested in public health it is a great read, and may provide a fresh angle on recent Haiti <-> world politics.\n\"Three Cups of Tea\" (Oliver, I think)\nGreg Mortensen starts building schools in Pakistan / Afghanistan. Adventure ensues. There's some definite political bias here but it's worth a read.\nFun summer read: \"World War Z\".\nUnrelated, I use Shelfari [http://www.shelfari.com/] to organize my books-to-read, if you need an organization tool.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "There's some definite political bias here but it's worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is worth reading despite political bias.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes definite political bias.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "afghanistan",
        "education",
        "pakistan"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tidy-first-4dbab1",
      "title": "Tidy First?",
      "author": "Kent Beck",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46248549,
          "author": "skydhash",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-12T20:36:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 46226571,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46248549",
          "commentText": "The \"Sun Eater\" series (7 books) by C. Ruocchio have the final book published this year. Dune vibe/A bit of Warhammer.\n\"Simplicity\" by Dave Thomas is in the same vein of \"The Pragmatic Programmer\". Worth a quick read.\n\"Tidy First?\" by Kent Beck is another one that's worth a quick read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Tidy First?\" by Kent Beck is another one that's worth a quick read.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a quick read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Worth a quick read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42274691,
          "author": "perrygeo",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T15:56:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42274691",
          "commentText": "Origin - A genetic history of the Americas by Jennifer Raff. Recent evidence of how humans came to the Americas; it's a significantly different story than our conventional wisdom account.\nCows, Pigs, Wars, and Witches by Marvin Harris. How cultural norms establish collective behavior.\nThe Extermination of the American Bison. Written in the late 1800s as the tragedy was unfolding. Lots on great detail on how and why we decimated a keystone species in a matter of a few decades.\nPlato's Revenge by William Ophuls. A concise manifesto on societal change. Lays out a vision for a new post-growth, post-oil, ecological consciousness that incorporates modern science, religion and philosophy.\nFour Thousand Weeks. Far from a self-help time-management book, this is more a philosophy book on human's relationship with time. Delightful read.\nBreath by James Nestor. Modern humans are breathing incorrectly due to factors of modern life. An exploration of the science and art of breathing properly.\nBernoulli's Fallacy by Aubrey Clayton. In the statistical wars, this book takes a strong stance: Bayesian is unequivocally better. He exploses the racist/colonial history of frequentist statistics, as well as the fundamental flaws in their math. Posits that mis-applied frequentist methods are to blame for the reproducibility crisis in science.\nHow the World Really Works by Vaclav Smil. A no-nonsense, factual account of the systems that keep our modern globalized society running.\nElements of Clojure by Zach Tellman. A concise, high-level philosophy about how we build and compose abstractions. One of those books where every sentence is gold. My only wish that the book wasn't tied to Clojure (most of the book is applicable to any language, despite the title).\nTidy First? by Kent Beck. How and when to make structural changes (refactoring, architecture, paying down tech debt) vs behavioral changes (new features, bug fixes). You need both, and you can use economic theory as a guide for when to invest in one or the other. But you need to treat them differently.\nNumerical Linear Algebra for Programmers by Dragan Djuric. A code-centric introduction to common linear algrebra routines, Using Clojure and the neaderthal library - a high-level API for fast math optimized for CPU and GPU hardware.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Tidy First? by Kent Beck. How and when to make structural changes (refactoring, architecture, paying down tech debt) vs behavioral changes (new features, bug fixes).",
          "reason": "Described as explaining when to make structural versus behavioral changes, using economic theory to guide investment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41387633,
          "author": "rado_stankov",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T05:24:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387633",
          "commentText": "The top book imho is The Pragmatic Programer.\nHere some other recomendations\n- Designing Data-Intensive Applications\n- Tidy First?: A Personal Exercise in Empirical Software Design\n- A Philosophy of Software Design\n- Refactoring UI\n- The Software Engineer's Guidebook\n- https://blog.rstankov.com/programing-books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tidy First?: A Personal Exercise in Empirical Software Design",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kent Beck"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Business",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "refactoring",
        "software design",
        "code refactoring",
        "software architecture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "titan-a94dfa",
      "title": "Titan",
      "author": "Ron Chernow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910521,
          "author": "adventured",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:53:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910521",
          "commentText": "In no particular order.\nEmpires of Light, by Jonnes. Titan, by Chernow. The Wright Brothers, by McCullough. His Excellency, by Ellis. The Wizard of Menlo Park, by Stross. I Invented the Modern Age, by Snow. Dealers of Lightning, by Hiltzik. Margin of Safety, by Klarman. Masters of Doom, by Kushner. Andrew Carnegie, by Nasaw. Infidel, by Hirsi Ali. Buffett, by Lowenstein. Where Wizards Stay Up Late, by Hafner. Shoe Dog, by Knight. The Making of the Atomic Bomb, by Rhodes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Titan, by Chernow.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15157177,
          "author": "kornish",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T17:28:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15157177",
          "commentText": "Not the OP, but Ron Chernow's Titan is a phenomenal chronicle of Rockefeller.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ron Chernow's Titan is a phenomenal chronicle of Rockefeller.",
          "reason": "Calls the book phenomenal and offers it as a biography of Rockefeller.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5833121,
          "author": "jborden13",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T15:47:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5833121",
          "commentText": "I purposely left it open-ended.  I probably haven't read a fiction book in 15 years.  I've been so heavy on business/marketing/tech/startup/biography books that I'm not even sure what fiction I would enjoy anymore.\nBooks I've enjoyed recently are Titan, Outliers, Blue Ocean Strategy.  I think a portion of my burnout is losing my sense of fun - hence my general attitude towards fiction over the last decade+ has been it's fake and thus a waste of time.  While I know that's not true (the waste of time part), it just hasn't been 'productive' to read a fiction book.\nSo I was just curious which fiction books everyone else enjoyed, and I was going to pick a couple from the list that was created.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Books I've enjoyed recently are Titan, Outliers, Blue Ocean Strategy.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed it recently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned as context about nonfiction reading, not as a fiction pick.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ron Chernow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "john d rockefeller",
        "business biography",
        "business history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "to-say-nothing-of-the-dog-0f1869",
      "title": "To Say Nothing of the Dog",
      "author": "Connie Willis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13125353,
          "author": "elevensies",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-07T19:23:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13125353",
          "commentText": "It is a really great book, and I highly recommend it, but IIRC you could tear out about 20 pages and it would become historical fiction.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It is a really great book, and I highly recommend it",
          "reason": "Explicitly calls it a great book and highly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says about 20 pages could be removed to make it historical fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13118207,
          "author": "elevensies",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-06T20:50:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13118207",
          "commentText": "Three books I enjoyed this year:\nthis census taker, China Mieville\nTo Say Nothing Of The Dog, Connie Willis\nThe Possibility of an Island, Houellebecq\nIf you enjoy science-fiction, it is quite possible that you wouldn't enjoy any of the books above or even classify them as science-fiction (I would though) -- so definitely look them up or try the kindle sample to see if they appeal to you.\nAlso, I see Ann Leckie's Ancillary trilogy mentioned elsewhere, I second that recommendation.\n[Also, honourable mention to the TV show Westworld -- if it were a book I would have included.]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "To Say Nothing Of The Dog, Connie Willis",
          "reason": "Listed among three books the commenter enjoyed that year, in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes some readers may not classify it as science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140494,
          "author": "nazgulnarsil",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T03:05:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140494",
          "commentText": "forgot Time Travel\nConnie Willis (To Say Nothing of the Dog, Doomsday Book) both great.\nanything by Ursula K LeGuin as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Connie Willis (To Say Nothing of the Dog, Doomsday Book) both great.",
          "reason": "Calls both listed books great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Connie Willis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "time travel",
        "comedy",
        "comic science fiction",
        "historical comedy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "to-the-lighthouse-319a1d",
      "title": "To the Lighthouse",
      "author": "Virginia Woolf",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30735602,
          "author": "thatjoeoverthr",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:20:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735602",
          "commentText": "Jacob’s Room, Virginia Woolf\nBefore this book I generally did not read, unless it was a Star Trek branded airport novel. I had just got an iPad and was rummaging around the Project Gutenberg texts they’d dumped into iBooks. I chose it impulsively.\nThis book set my brain and heart on fire and opened the world of literature for me. It’s very specific, though, and I can’t -recommend- it to anyone.\nThere is little spackle in this book, as if every sentence and scene is cropped a bit beyond the point of readability. But reading aloud it flows well. There is effectively no plot and a great deal of its merit is at the sentence level. Furthermore, this book in particular resonated with me emotionally.\nI was thirsty for more and read other classics. My favorites; To the Lighthouse, Picture of Dorian Grey and Thus Spake Zarathustra (the translation they have on Gutenberg).\nThis hobby dominated my attention for years. What displaced it was I had to learn Polish. At first I tried to combine these; I read Charlotte’s Web, the Little Prince and Pulp (bukowski) in Polish. But it really wasn’t an effective way to continue and Polish was the priority. All other hobbies had to go.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favorites; To the Lighthouse, Picture of Dorian Grey and Thus Spake Zarathustra (the translation they have on Gutenberg).",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674234,
          "author": "dietrichepp",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T11:42:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674234",
          "commentText": "If you want \"crazy-to-grasp\", you want Ulysses, To the Lighthouse, Gravity's Rainbow, Infinite Jest, Moby Dick, House of Leaves, etc.\nNot that \"crazy-to-grasp\" approximates \"good\" in any way.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If you want \"crazy-to-grasp\", you want Ulysses, To the Lighthouse, Gravity's Rainbow, Infinite Jest, Moby Dick, House of Leaves, etc.",
          "reason": "Suggested for readers seeking challenging books.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking books that are “crazy-to-grasp.”",
          "caveat": "The commenter says difficulty does not approximate quality.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4597375,
          "author": "rwl",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-01T15:03:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 4596721,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4597375",
          "commentText": "For work: Quine's Word and Object; Dummett's Frege: Philosophy of Language; Plato's Republic; and paper after paper. (I am a philosophy graduate student.)\nFor pleasure: just started Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Virginia Woolf"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "modernist literature",
        "stream of consciousness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tokyo-vice-e39c5e",
      "title": "Tokyo Vice",
      "author": "Jake Adelstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910884,
          "author": "berbec",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T17:26:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910884",
          "commentText": "Tokyo Vice by Jake Adlestein [1]\nIt's the story of a foreigner working as a serious reporter in Japan. He finds that the US government has been essentially selling organs to the Yakuza crime lords. No, really!\n1: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0307475298",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tokyo Vice by Jake Adlestein",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226850,
          "author": "keyist",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:36:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226850",
          "commentText": "Don't miss sivers's great list: http://sivers.org/book\nAs for mine,\nScience Fiction (I like these authors so I'd recommend most of their books -- listing which ones I think are a good 'starter novel' for them):\n  Charles Stross: Halting State\n  Vernor Vinge: A Fire Upon The Deep\n  Iain M. Banks: Culture novels, start with Player of Games\n  David Louis Edelman: Jump 225 Trilogy\n  Daniel Suarez: Daemon and Freedom(tm)\n  John Scalzi: Old Man's War series\n  Dan Simmons: Hyperion\n\nSelf-improvement:\n  The Talent Code\n  Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger\n  Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion\n\nNon-fiction:\n  Amusing Ourselves To Death (highly recommended)\n  The Science of Fear\n  The Black Swan\n  Tokyo Vice\n  Racing The Beam (Atari history, very cool)\n  books by Daniel Pink\n  Guns, Germs, and Steel\n  The Prize by Daniel Yergin\n\nFantasy:\nAnything by Gaiman or China Mieville, pretty much.\nEDIT: links to previews (legally) available online\nCharles Stross's Accelerando (entire book): http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelera... (http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelerando/accelerando-intro.html)\nDavid Louis Edelman's Infoquake (1st 7 chapters): http://www.davidlouisedelman.com/jump225/infoquake/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tokyo Vice",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jake Adelstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crime reporting",
        "japan",
        "yakuza"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "too-big-to-fail-22b7ca",
      "title": "Too Big to Fail",
      "author": "Andrew Ross Sorkin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22576560,
          "author": "dogman144",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T16:37:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22576560",
          "commentText": "Random Walk and Black Swan are two good reads. Even if you end up not agreeing with the two's takes, they'll make you sufficiently skeptical of how well a book claims to explain the industry, which is a good position to approach it from.\nMy bias will show, but the industry routinely blows itself on sometimes small or sometimes very large scales, sometimes or often through devices of its own creation. It's important to know that the system is entirely capable of doing this to itself, and therefore the system, and those in it, may not be able to explain itself well.\nEdit: another thing worth reading is Too Big to Fail, The Big Short, and Greatest Trade Ever. All are engaging books, and really walk through how 2008 started and ended through different perspectives of the system. TBtF will cover the Fed and Tier 1. BS/GTE cover the sell side. And then when you pair GTE with what happened to it's focus, John Paulson, after 2008, in that he didn't really have a repeat 'win,' it's a good anecdote for what I said above.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "another thing worth reading is Too Big to Fail, The Big Short, and Greatest Trade Ever.",
          "reason": "Recommended for its account of how the 2008 crisis unfolded, including the Fed and Tier 1.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026335,
          "author": "jakarta",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T22:10:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026335",
          "commentText": "Too Big to Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin - a great blow by blow account of the financial crisis shortly after the fall of Bear Stearns. A really amazing look at how decisions are made under extraordinary pressure. It is fast paced and reads almost like a movie.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a great blow by blow account of the financial crisis shortly after the fall of Bear Stearns. A really amazing look at how decisions are made under extraordinary pressure.",
          "reason": "Praises its account of the financial crisis and decision-making under pressure.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Fast paced and reads almost like a movie.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew Ross Sorkin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "2008 financial crisis",
        "banking",
        "decision making",
        "financial crisis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "topology-56557e",
      "title": "Topology",
      "author": "James R. Munkres",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34442270,
          "author": "wannabebarista",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T16:40:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34442270",
          "commentText": "As far as the canonical texts of math goes, Dummit and Foote is excellent. I'm also fond of the first half of Munkres' Topology.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm also fond of the first half of Munkres' Topology.",
          "reason": "The commenter is fond of the book's first half.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter specifically mentions the first half.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7579726,
          "author": "karamazov",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-13T00:41:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7579726",
          "commentText": "I'm a big fan of SICP. I'd describe it as \"hard-core\": requiring hard work, but extremely rewarding for the people who take the time and effort to go through it.\nI'd recommend the following three books to similarly cover the three main areas of higher mathematics (analysis, algebra, and topology):\n1. Principles of Mathematical Analysis by Rudin (http://www.amazon.com/Principles-Mathematical-Analysis-Inter... (http://www.amazon.com/Principles-Mathematical-Analysis-International-Mathematics/dp/007054235X))\n2. Algebra by Artin (http://www.amazon.com/Algebra-2nd-Featured-Titles-Abstract/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Algebra-2nd-Featured-Titles-Abstract/dp/0132413779))\n3. Topology by Munkres (http://www.amazon.com/Topology-2nd-James-Munkres/dp/01318162... (http://www.amazon.com/Topology-2nd-James-Munkres/dp/0131816292))\nWorking through all three (including the exercises!) will give you a solid understanding of the basis of modern mathematics. If you don't have experience with proofwriting, you might find them difficult at first - the activity is very different from performing calculations or solving equations. It's also best to have someone trained in mathematics talk to you about the proofs, until you develop a feel for the needed level of logical rigor.\nRudin, in particular, leaves a lot of work to the reader; going through that book is the most intellectually difficult work I've ever done. If you find it hard-going (which is completely natural), you might want to try Artin first, especially since you have some background in algebra.\n(Incidentally, these are the three books used to teach analysis, algebra, and topology to MIT mathematics majors. You can look up the assignments and exams for the three courses - 18.100B, 18.701, and 18.901 - for a good list of exercises to work through.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "3. Topology by Munkres",
          "reason": "Recommended as one of three books covering analysis, algebra, and topology.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a solid grounding in modern mathematics.",
          "caveat": "Proofwriting experience helps; proofs may require discussion with someone trained in mathematics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James R. Munkres"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "point set topology",
        "topology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "toxic-sludge-is-good-for-you-lies-damn-lies-and-the-public-relati-c0b1fc",
      "title": "Toxic Sludge Is Good for You: Lies, Damn Lies and the Public Relations Industry",
      "author": "John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10535419,
          "author": "sogen",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T20:03:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10535419",
          "commentText": "1.- Sandman\n2.- Toxic Sludge is Good For You: Lies, Damn Lies and the Public Relations Industry\n3.- The Advertised Mind: Groundbreaking Insights into How Our Brains Respond to Advertising\n4.- The Hidden Persuaders - \"A brisk, authoritative and frightening report on how manufacturers, fundraisers and politicians are attempting to turn the American mind into a kind of catatonic dough that will buy, give or vote at their command--The New Yorker",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Toxic Sludge is Good For You: Lies, Damn Lies and the Public Relations Industry",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the question about the year's best books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3993748,
          "author": "shappy",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-18T20:28:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 3991620,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What PR book should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3993748",
          "commentText": "This one is required reading for almost every 101-level PR course.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Toxic-Sludge-Good-For-You/dp/156751060... (http://www.amazon.com/Toxic-Sludge-Good-For-You/dp/1567510604)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This one is required reading for almost every 101-level PR course.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is required reading in nearly every introductory PR course.",
          "audience": "Students in introductory PR courses.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Stauber and Sheldon Rampton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "media criticism",
        "public relations",
        "propaganda"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "traction-a-startup-guide-to-getting-customers-84fe7a",
      "title": "Traction: A Startup Guide to Getting Customers",
      "author": "Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13238537,
          "author": "kirubakaran",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:59:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238537",
          "commentText": "Here is my full bookshelf: http://www.kirubakaran.com/books-read.html\nBooks Read in 2016:\n1. The Recursive Universe: Cosmic Complexity and the Limits of Scientific Knowledge\n- Poundstone, William\n2. My Brain is Open: The Mathematical Journeys of Paul Erdos\n- Schechter, Bruce\n3. One Summer: America, 1927\n- Bryson, Bill\n4. The Three-Body Problem (Remembrance of Earth’s Past, #1)\n- Liu, Cixin\n5. The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit\n- Godin, Seth\n6. At Home: A Short History of Private Life\n- Bryson, Bill\n7. Kings of Kings (Hardcore History, #56-58)\n- Carlin, Dan\n8. Blueprint for Armageddon (Hardcore History #50-55)\n- Carlin, Dan\n9. Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal\n- Klaff, Oren\n10. William Shakespeare: The World as Stage\n- Bryson, Bill\n11. So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love\n- Newport, Cal\n12. The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles\n- Pressfield, Steven\n13. In a Sunburned Country\n- Bryson, Bill\n14. Cannery Row\n- Steinbeck, John\n15. Traction: A Startup Guide to Getting Customers\n- Weinberg, Gabriel\n16. Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World\n- Newport, Cal\n17. Starship Troopers\n- Heinlein, Robert A.\n18. No Touch Monkey!: And Other Travel Lessons Learned Too Late\n- Halliday, Ayun",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Traction: A Startup Guide to Getting Customers",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9347880,
          "author": "nick_wikilerts",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T14:45:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9347880",
          "commentText": "Obviously there are a lot of good books out there, however \"Traction: A Startup Guide to Getting Customers\" is certainly one which most of the folks here would find interesting. It's a comprehensive list of what you can do to get your initial bunch of users.\nThe best line in the book though is the definition of traction: \"It's identical to the Supreme Court's definition of porn: you know it when you see it!\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Traction: A Startup Guide to Getting Customers\" is certainly one which most of the folks here would find interesting. It's a comprehensive list of what you can do to get your initial bunch of users.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as an interesting, comprehensive guide to acquiring initial users.",
          "audience": "People interested in getting a startup's first users.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8257745,
          "author": "corford",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T14:28:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257745",
          "commentText": "Traction: A Startup Guide to Getting Customers by Gabriel Weinberg (guy behind Duck Duck Go).\nFantastic read so far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fantastic read so far.",
          "reason": "Calls it a fantastic read so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gabriel Weinberg",
        "Justin Mares"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "customer acquisition",
        "startups",
        "growth channels",
        "marketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "travels-with-charley-e69fe4",
      "title": "Travels with Charley",
      "author": "John Steinbeck",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17337199,
          "author": "ljw1001",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T10:54:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337199",
          "commentText": "Travels with Charlie, Blue Highways, The Little Prince.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Travels with Charlie",
          "reason": "Listed as a comfort book in response to the thread question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630270,
          "author": "gtycomb",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:01:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630270",
          "commentText": "Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann. The first time it was slow read, but I went back the book several times later in life and it has much to tell.\nThe Glass Beads Game by Herman Hess.\nSeveral books by Steinbeck - Travels with Charley, Log from the Sea of Cortez.\nThe Toilers of the Sea by Victor Hugo. A recent penguin translation is superb. Among the saddest and most memorable love stories.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Several books by Steinbeck - Travels with Charley, Log from the Sea of Cortez.",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's favorite books in response to the thread question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Steinbeck"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "travel writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "treasure-island-b7c631",
      "title": "Treasure Island",
      "author": "Robert Louis Stevenson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32197266,
          "author": "jsherrard",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T21:22:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197266",
          "commentText": "Treasure Island - since last week - just started\nThe Left hand of Darkness - since two weeks\nSeven Brief Lessons on Physics - since three weeks nearly finished\nBreakfast of Champions - since a month - can't find the damn thing to finish the last chapter\nSpace 2069 - since two months - half way\nSnow Crash - since three weeks - first chapter\nLeonardo Da Vinci - Walter Isaacson - two months - nearly finished\nI've finished a bunch this year but you didn't ask about those...",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Treasure Island - since last week - just started",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1725179,
          "author": "Willwhatley",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-24T20:02:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1725179",
          "commentText": "Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson.\nAlice in Wonderland iff still young enough not to think girls are gross. Otherwise you must sneak up on him with the poetry, then introduce the book. (I've had success with reciting 'Jabberwocky' and 'The Walrus and the Carpenter.')\nLearn 'If,' by Kipling, by heart. Then teach it slowly and patiently.\nAs an aside, quite a lot of Kipling is truly excellently boy friendly.\nThe Proverbs of Solomon, et al. Found in any Bible or Talmud. Bears repeated reading, as most eastern 'wisdom' literature does (The Book of Five Rings, The Art of War, etc.).\nWhile we're at, why not the Narnia books? I loved them, and I'd no idea the Lion was apparently Jesus until I was nine or so.\nBut by far do not DO NOT forget Michel Ende's marvelous 'The Neverending Story.'\nIf you're only familiar with it from a movie, you've missed the best part, when the boy 'Bastian must take up arms and become the adventurer he has read about and loved.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson.",
          "reason": "Suggests it in response to a request for books for boys.",
          "audience": "Boys.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86223,
          "author": "icky",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:37:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86223",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- The Time Machine (still holds up very well, and seems strangely eerie and prescient in places)... (H. G. Wells)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Hobbit (and LotR) (Tolkien)\n- Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n- Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties (I picked up Idoru first, so I haven't yet read Virtual Light) (also Gibson)\n- The Difference Engine (Gibson, Sterling)\n- Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n- Cryptonomicon (\" \")\n- Circuit of Heaven, End of Days (Dennis Danvers)\n- All of the \"Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser\" stories and novels. (Fritz Leiber)\n- The Earthsea trilogy (Ursula K. LeGuin)\n- 'salem's Lot (Stephen King)\n- Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein)\n- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)\n- the Coldfire trilogy (C. S. Friedman)\n- various Cory Doctorow short stories\n- Kamikaze L'Amour (Richard Kadrey)\n- Lightpaths (Howard V. Hendrix)\n- A Canticle For Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)\n- Moonwar, Venus (Ben Bova)\n- the Stainless Steel Rat series (Harry Harrison)\n- Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)\n- Ringworld (Larry Niven)\n- Cthon (Piers Anthony) -- Trippiness level approaching Philip Jose Farmer ;-)\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (Douglas Adams)\n- The Black Company (Glen Cook)\n- there's one particularly good post-cyberpunk series that takes place in a world in which Canada emerged as a major world power, but for the life of me I can't rememeber the title.\n- the 1632 series (Eric Flint)... see also S. M. Stirling's Nantucket series (\"Island in the Sea of Time\", et al.), and H. Beam Piper's novel Kalvan of Otherwhen\nNon-fiction:\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (Hume)\n- the surviving words and works of Epicurus, and Diogenes the Cynic\n- Freakonomics (Levitt, Dubner)\n- The Gay Science (Nietzsche)\n- The Jefferson Bible (Christ, Jefferson (ed.))\n- The Devil's Dictionary (Bierce)\n- Brain Droppings (George Carlin)\n- anything by P. J. O'Rourke\n- anything by Dave Barry",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)",
          "reason": "Listed under fiction in response to the thread’s question about favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Louis Stevenson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure",
        "pirates",
        "adventure novel",
        "classic literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tribal-leadership-b3a1b9",
      "title": "Tribal Leadership",
      "author": "Dave Logan, John King, and Halee Fischer-Wright",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21713941,
          "author": "jppope",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T17:01:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21713941",
          "commentText": "Here's my shortlist:\n- The Art of the Advantage (33 stratagems)\n- Winning By Jack Welch\n- Tribal Leadership\n- Creativity Inc\n- The Lean Startup (~leadership in the face of uncertainty)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Tribal Leadership",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21712664,
          "author": "rarspace01",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T14:50:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21712664",
          "commentText": "One of my personal favorites is Tribal Leadership:\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Tribal-Leadership-Leveraging-Thriving... (https://www.amazon.com/Tribal-Leadership-Leveraging-Thriving-Organization/dp/0061251321)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One of my personal favorites is Tribal Leadership:",
          "reason": "Calls it one of their personal favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4787418,
          "author": "timmm",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:19:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787418",
          "commentText": "The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho.\nKing, Warrior, Magician, Lover by Moore and Gillette\nThe lean startup\nPaul Graham how to start a startup\nMark Hyman Ultimate Mind Solution\nTribal Leadership\nWheel of Time\nThink and Grow Rich\nSuperior Man David Deida\nThe Fountain Head\nEckhart Tolle New Earth\n50th Law\nGood to Great\nJed Mckenna\nEarl Nightengale\nLong Walk to Freedom\nOutliers\nGood to Great\nPsycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz (Self-image)\nSeven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey(Being awesome)\nWealth of Nations\nWayne Dyer The Tao\nSystem of the World\nOrigin of Species\nBrave new world\nThank you economy\nCrush it\nBuilt to Last\nWho Moved my Cheese\nStillness Speak Eckhert Tolle\nMastery George Leonard\nSteve Jobs Biography\nThe Last Lecture\nSteve Pavlina Books\nIacocca\nStriking Thoughts Bruce Lee\nCarlos Castaneda\nGhost in the Wires\nRichest Man in Babylon\nWay of the Superior Man\nLosing My Virginity\nThink and Grow Rich\nDelivering Happiness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tribal Leadership",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dave Logan, John King, and Halee Fischer-Wright"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "organizational culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "truman-f702a7",
      "title": "Truman",
      "author": "David McCullough",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37160798,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T12:52:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37160798",
          "commentText": "Truman by David McCullough: https://www.goodreads.com/zh/book/show/2279\nReally amazing biography about a man who became president by accident and guided country during the initial years of the atomic age. He was perfect, but the book depicts him to be a great person and a good president .\nThe End of the World Is just Beginning: https://www.amazon.com/End-World-Just-Beginning-Globalizatio... (https://www.amazon.com/End-World-Just-Beginning-Globalization/dp/006323047X)\nUses lots of data to back up his hypothesis two events\n1. the US no longer policing the world 2) demographic shifts in most countries not reproducing\nhave create a situation where the the world as we know it is changing, and things are only going to get worse, the peace we know and the supplies we rely on will no longer exist soon.\nCountries like China and most of West Europe are completely fucked because their populations are going to decrease by > 50% in the next few decades and they do not have the workforce or immigration policies in place to solve these problems. Ironically, he claims the US is in the best position because we have all the natural resources we need, we are not dying demographically, and Mexico and Canada are not threats.\nWe should expect to see less peace, more nationalism and overall a lot more instability in the future.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Truman by David McCullough: https://www.goodreads.com/zh/book/show/2279\nReally amazing biography about a man who became president by accident and guided country during the initial years of the atomic age.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an amazing biography about Truman's presidency during the early atomic age.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 202956,
          "author": "rglovejoy",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T03:50:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=202956",
          "commentText": "John Forbes Nash: \"A Beautiful Mind\" by Sylvia Nasir\nRichard Feynman: \"Genius\" by James Gleick\n\"The Passion of Ayn Rand\" by Barbara Brandon\n\"John Adams\" and \"Truman\" by David McCullough\n\"Lincoln the Unknown\" by Dale Carnegie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"John Adams\" and \"Truman\" by David McCullough",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David McCullough"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american presidency",
        "american presidents",
        "atomic age",
        "harry s truman"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "truth-and-method-433828",
      "title": "Truth and Method",
      "author": "Hans-Georg Gadamer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503671,
          "author": "zppx",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T14:26:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503671",
          "commentText": "My list:\n- Pirkei Avot, it's a section of the Mishnah (a part of the Talmud), it summarizes the jewish moral thought (well, not for the Karaites Jews, they did not believe in the Talmud), I was born in a Orthodox Jewish family so it was important on my beliefs, even though I am an Atheist now.\n- Organon, it's a compilation of Aristotle's logic works, they are the basis for the logical thought of the Western civilization, I think it's easier to read the originals than compendiums.\n- Philosophical Investigations, the second book of Wittgenstein, it's dense, and obscure to some extent, but it's really eye-opener, some ideas that influenced the last century are introduced there.\n- Proofs and Refutations, a posthumous work by Imre Lakatos, it defied much of my established view on how Mathematics works.\n- Thus Spoke Zarathustra, a powerful book, it's dense and you can only drag many conclusions from it when you read other works from Nietzsche, which lead to my next book.\n- On the Genealogy of Morality, this is for me the most important of the 5 books that I have read from Nietzsche, in the first essay of the book the concept of master morality and slave morality is introduced, some people think that Nietzsche favors the first, I disagree, for me he describes and criticizes both.\n- Truth and Method, the classic of Gadamer, some people call it a \"postmodern\" work, this only serves to show how \"modern\" some of the \"postmodern\" were, the book basically addresses how our current beliefs and customs, which he calls traditions, plays an important part in our hermeneutics and how we always are biased to interpret something.\n- Epistemic Justification, this book of William Alston is a good refinement if you already know some epistemology, although I disagree with the \"justified true belief\" definition of knowledge, that is the main theme of the book and its essays, it introduced some questions about the nature and limitations of knowledge.\n- Inquiry into the Human Mind, by Thomas Reid is a good read and also a staunch defense of the common sense.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the book basically addresses how our current beliefs and customs, which he calls traditions, plays an important part in our hermeneutics",
          "reason": "Includes it in the requested list and describes its subject.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in interpretation and tradition.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1228638,
          "author": "tommorris",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-30T07:57:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1228638",
          "commentText": "Elsewhere in the thread, I posted some recommendations on books on philosophy of religion from a non-theistic perspective. I guess I should probably list some books on philosophy generally.\n1. Bertrand Russell - The Problems of Philosophy\nA good introduction to the basic things which philosophers in the Anglo-American/analytic tradition worry about in logic, metaphysics and epistemology (primarily epistemology): induction, a priori knowledge, anti-sceptical arguments, and universals.\n2. Hans-Georg Gadamer - Truth and Method\nYou know about the 'Continental' philosophers, right? All those wacky guys like Derrida. They are all a bit suspicious, right? Like, Heidegger was a Nazi, and Foucault spreads HIV. Yeah, gossip is great. A lot of this type of philosophy seems like bunkum - Alan Sokal showed that, right? Lots of waffly French dudes talking out of their ass, abusing science to basically support their political ideology. Gadamer isn't like that. He sets out to try and answer the question \"how do we understand texts?\" and rather than saying something goofy like \"we just make up what we understand about texts\" or that we deconstruct them by subjecting them to our ideological whims, ripping the book apart to suit whatever the passing fancy is. No, Gadamer tries to explicate how the reading of a book is more of a process that starts with pre-judgement - 'prejudice' in Gadamer's words. Such prejudice is natural and actually quite desirable. You do judge a book by the cover. To understand a book as a whole, you need to understand all the components which make it up. But to understand any bit of the book, you need to understand how it fits into the wider contest of the book. This 'hermeneutic cycle' is daunting, but the only thing you can do is jump on board.\n3. Saul Kripke - Naming and Necessity\nKripke's book is on a slightly strange topic: how we use names. But how he deals with this is an interesting problem is a model of clarity and philosophical excellence. It has also been very influential - the way Kripke solves the problem with names led to other philosophers producing many so-called causal accounts of all sorts of things.\nI'd post some more, but I've got to get the hell out of my hotel room and go to a philosophy conference...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gadamer isn't like that. He sets out to try and answer the question \"how do we understand texts?\"",
          "reason": "The commenter presents Gadamer as a worthwhile alternative and explains its approach to understanding texts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hans-Georg Gadamer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hermeneutics",
        "continental philosophy",
        "tradition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tunnel-in-the-sky-a1974b",
      "title": "Tunnel in the Sky",
      "author": "Robert A. Heinlein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1226847,
          "author": "aarongough",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:34:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226847",
          "commentText": "I'm a big fan of Sci-Fi because I feel it makes people think about what they want the future to be, as well as avoiding the re-hashing of historical and current events that many fiction books set in the present do. With that in mind a list of great books to read:\n  The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson\n  Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson\n  Gridlinked - Neal Asher\n  Neuromancer - William Gibson\n  The Reality Dysfunction - Peter F. Hamilton\n  The Dreaming Void - Peter F. Hamilton\n  Fallen Dragon - Peter F. Hamilton\n  Altered Carbon - Richard Morgan\n  Market Forces - Richard Morgan\n  Blindsight - Peter Watts\n  The Electric Church - Jeff Somers\n  Tunnel in the Sky - Robert A. Heinlein\n  The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Robert A. Heinlein\n  1984 - George Orwell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tunnel in the Sky - Robert A. Heinlein",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026868,
          "author": "Xichekolas",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T06:13:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026868",
          "commentText": "Programming in Haskell by Graham Hutton\nA.I. A Modern Approach (ch 13-16) by Russell and Norvig\nA Tunnel In The Sky by Robert Heinlein\nThe Revelation Space series (3 of the 5 books) by Alistair Reynolds\nEon/Eternity (both by Greg Bear)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Tunnel In The Sky by Robert Heinlein",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert A. Heinlein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "juvenile science fiction",
        "survival",
        "survival fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "turn-the-ship-around-a-true-story-of-turning-followers-into-leade-39cdbe",
      "title": "Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders",
      "author": "L. David Marquet",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21713504,
          "author": "MisterOctober",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T16:14:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21713504",
          "commentText": "\"Turn the Ship Around!\" has been awesome resource for our team, most definitely recommend",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Turn the Ship Around!\" has been awesome resource for our team, most definitely recommend",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an awesome resource for their team and explicitly recommends it.",
          "audience": "Teams and people managing in technology.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11232087,
          "author": "motxilo",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-06T01:44:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11232087",
          "commentText": "\"Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders\".  I am reading it now, very entertaining and you'll learn thing about management styles.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders\". I am reading it now, very entertaining and you'll learn thing about management styles.",
          "reason": "Calls the book entertaining and says readers will learn about management styles.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "L. David Marquet"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "delegation",
        "management",
        "team management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "turning-pro-e5a742",
      "title": "Turning Pro",
      "author": "Steven Pressfield",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29815592,
          "author": "mmerlin",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-05T21:56:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29815592",
          "commentText": "David Allen - Getting things done\nSteven Pressfield - The War of Art + Turning Pro\nTony Robbins - Awaken the giant within \n(maybe he's released a better book than that now, but it was impactful personally back in the 90s)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Steven Pressfield - The War of Art + Turning Pro",
          "reason": "Lists the book among recommendations in response to a book request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15763383,
          "author": "Zanni",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T07:09:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15763383",
          "commentText": "The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. This is the book I've recommended more than any other, and have been thanked by people I've recommended it to disproportionately. He's got a few other books--Do The Work, Turning Pro--that cover similar ground, but The War of Art is the best of them by far.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "He's got a few other books--Do The Work, Turning Pro--that cover similar ground",
          "reason": "Mentioned as covering similar ground to The War of Art.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says The War of Art is better by far.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Pressfield"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creative work",
        "overcoming resistance",
        "professional practice"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "turtle-geometry-7fd8b5",
      "title": "Turtle Geometry",
      "author": "Harold Abelson and Andrea diSessa",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29315079,
          "author": "kamaal",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-23T06:21:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29315079",
          "commentText": "Turtle Geometry, is a very interesting book: https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/turtle-geometry",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Turtle Geometry, is a very interesting book",
          "reason": "Recommended as a very interesting book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9758510,
          "author": "abecedarius",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T14:25:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758510",
          "commentText": "Knuth: he's an excellent writer with a sense of humor.\nAnything coauthored by Kernighan is a good bet, though the material is not quite so ageless. Similar remarks for P.J. Plauger.\nNorvig doesn't just write exquisite code, but good prose too.\nI always liked Abelson & Sussman's style, even though it's more textbookish. Abelson also co-wrote Turtle Geometry, which is almost unknown these days and still eye-opening. (It's more of a math book than a programming one, but its point is to be both.)\nDaniel Hillis: The Pattern on the Stone, The Connection Machine.\nRichard O'Keefe, The Craft of Prolog.\nJon Bentley.\nI remember pg's On Lisp as good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Abelson also co-wrote Turtle Geometry, which is almost unknown these days and still eye-opening.",
          "reason": "Calls it still eye-opening.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "More a math book than a programming book, though the commenter says its point is to be both.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Harold Abelson",
        "Andrea diSessa"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "geometry",
        "programming",
        "turtle graphics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "twilight-of-the-idols-a8db16",
      "title": "Twilight of the Idols",
      "author": "Friedrich Nietzsche",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13805392,
          "author": "upquark",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T19:38:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805392",
          "commentText": "Strange not to see Nietzsche here. Twilight of the Idols was his first book I read, then I ended up reading all the others without taking a break. Can't agree with everything he says, but it definitely resulted in making a 180 degree in my views on religion and morality.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Twilight of the Idols was his first book I read",
          "reason": "The commenter says it began a reading streak and contributed to a major change in their views on religion and morality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they cannot agree with everything Nietzsche says.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86220,
          "author": "diversityhire",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:14:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86220",
          "commentText": "Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's Flow: the Psychology of Optimal Experience\nWilliam Faulkner's As I Lay Dying &amp; The Sound and the Fury\nJulian Jaynes' The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind\nPeter Medawar's The Art of the Soluable\nDesigned by Peter Saville\nNietzsche's Twilight of the Idols\nBloom County Babylon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nietzsche's Twilight of the Idols",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the thread’s question about favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Friedrich Nietzsche"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "german philosophy",
        "morality",
        "nietzsche",
        "religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "type-driven-development-with-idris-edbb96",
      "title": "Type-Driven Development with Idris",
      "author": "Edwin Brady",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16084212,
          "author": "lodi",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-06T06:57:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16084212",
          "commentText": "Type-Driven Development with Idris\nhttps://www.manning.com/books/type-driven-development-with-i... (https://www.manning.com/books/type-driven-development-with-idris)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Type-Driven Development with Idris",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to the thread’s request for the best textbook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13407713,
          "author": "edko",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T01:40:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13407713",
          "commentText": "Type-driven development with Idris (https://www.manning.com/books/type-driven-development-with-i... (https://www.manning.com/books/type-driven-development-with-idris)).\nIt was a real eye-opener of what types can do.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It was a real eye-opener of what types can do.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed their understanding of what types can do.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edwin Brady"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "idris",
        "dependent types",
        "type driven development",
        "type systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "unix-network-programming-c83920",
      "title": "UNIX Network Programming",
      "author": "W. Richard Stevens",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30486405,
          "author": "oogali",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T08:21:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486405",
          "commentText": "Seconded. He had such a strong and clear style of delivery.\nBut if I had to pick one, it’s a toss up between Unix Network Programming and TCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 2.\nThose two books had a significant impact on me in terms of demystifying the network stack.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it’s a toss up between Unix Network Programming and TCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 2.\nThose two books had a significant impact on me",
          "reason": "The commenter says the books significantly helped demystify the network stack.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28662170,
          "author": "twodayrice",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T16:23:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28662170",
          "commentText": "Unix network programming. Stevens brought sockets to the masses and helped launch the internet as we know it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Unix network programming. Stevens brought sockets to the masses and helped launch the internet as we know it.",
          "reason": "Credits the book with popularizing sockets and helping launch the modern internet.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. Richard Stevens"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "network programming",
        "unix",
        "sockets"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "unix-and-linux-system-administration-handbook-299ab4",
      "title": "UNIX and Linux System Administration Handbook",
      "author": "Evi Nemeth, Garth Snyder, Trent R. Hein, and Ben Whaley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17032052,
          "author": "busterarm",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T17:52:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032052",
          "commentText": "I've read most of the recommended books, but as far as what I think has delivered immediate real value, I'm going to go with:\n1) Clean Code\n2) The Phoenix Project\n3) UNIX and Linux System Administration Handbook\nI'm sure #2 will be something folks want to fight over shrug.  If you want to sidestep years of headache it's a must-read though.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "3) UNIX and Linux System Administration Handbook",
          "reason": "Listed as a book that delivered immediate real value.",
          "audience": "People starting careers in software engineering or computer science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16839303,
          "author": "vram22",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-14T20:28:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16839303",
          "commentText": ">UNIX and Linux System Administration Handbook.\nThat's a great book. I've read parts of both the Unix and later Linux versions.\nEdit: It also reminded me of the O'Reilly book Unix Power Tools - another classic. I had bought it early on and read almost the whole thing. Both it and the Handbook are quite thick, too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": ">UNIX and Linux System Administration Handbook.\nThat's a great book. I've read parts of both the Unix and later Linux versions.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great book and says they have read parts of its Unix and Linux versions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has read only parts of the versions mentioned.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1866579,
          "author": "evolvingstuff",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T21:22:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1866579",
          "commentText": "* Networks of the Brain by Olaf Sporns\n* Set Theory and the Continuum Problem by Smullyan and Fitting\n* The Calculus Lifesaver by Adrian Banner\n* Discrete Mathematics with Proof by Eric Gossett\n* Unix and Linux System Adminstration Handbook by Nemeth, Snyder, Hein, and Whaley",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Unix and Linux System Adminstration Handbook by Nemeth, Snyder, Hein, and Whaley",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Evi Nemeth, Garth Snyder, Trent R. Hein, and Ben Whaley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "linux",
        "system administration",
        "unix"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "unix-in-a-nutshell-706490",
      "title": "UNIX in a Nutshell",
      "author": "Arnold Robbins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2415365,
          "author": "nikcub",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T15:08:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2415365",
          "commentText": "The best way to learn the UNIX tools is in the context of shell scripting and using the combination of tools to achieve a purpose (such as parsing log files, setting up shortcuts as part of your dev toolchain)\n1. Understand the philosophy behind UNIX. ie. everything is a file and it is small apps that are very good at a single task that can be combined through pipes etc. to process larger tasks (this has lost its way somewhat in Linux, but still holds true)\n2. Look at your computer usage through development, sysadmin, etc. and find parts that you want to automate, and then set out to write scripts to complete these tasks. for eg. in each one of my projects I have a script called start.sh which has a bunch of tasks implemented (eg. backup, serve, dns (to update dyndns for callbacks), push, diff, deploy, stage (run remote commands) etc.). Remember that git is itself a set of shell scripts, as are most server management commands. Take a peak inside each of these to learn how they are implemented.\n3. Once you have a good understanding of what you want to implement, just go for it. Learn along the way by using Bash scripting, regular expressions, an understanding of UNIX/Linux, sed, awk, yacc/bison (to analyze code and extract info). You will end up building your own collection of shell scripts, environment variables, .vimrc, ssh, curl (you can do almost any API request and auth with curl and a shell script - automate tweets, RSS feeds) etc. (I have been meaning to publish my own, the most recent one I wrote greps my code for TODO's and pushes them to a simple webapp where I can view them, sort them, etc. along side my 'personal' todo list)\n4. You need two sets of resources, one is for learning, the other is for reference which you keep handy. Here are my own recommendations:\nLearning:\nThe learning style book comes down a lot to personal preference. You can go wrong, so get a feel for each topic by reading online tutorials and then scan the TOC and sample chapters of books that look good. A subscription to O'Reilly Safari comes in handy. There are now also a lot of screencasts online, try searching YouTube for the topic with 'screencast' or 'tutorial', once you find a good screencast publisher look at the rest of his/her videos.\nYou can also get the O'Reilly books on special in bundles sometimes, check their website\nThere is no book that really introduces UNIX and then covers most of these topics as I described. ie. 'UNIX for Developers'.\n* UNIX:\n- FreeBSD handbook: http://www.freebsd.org/doc/handbook/\n- Linux Documentation Project: http://tldp.org/LDP/\n- Linux Command Line and Shell Scripting Bible: http://www.amazon.com/Linux-Command-Shell-Scripting-Bible/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/Linux-Command-Shell-Scripting-Bible/dp/047025128X/)\n- UNIX In a Nutshell (I haven't read this in a while but it is on my shelf): http://oreilly.com/catalog/9781565924277\n- Learning UNIX (also O'Reilly): http://www.amazon.com/Learning-UNIX-Operating-System-Fifth/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Learning-UNIX-Operating-System-Fifth/dp/0596002610)\n* Bash:\n- http://linuxcommand.org/\n- http://bash.cyberciti.biz/guide/Main_Page (better, and v good)\n- Learning the Bash shell: http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596009656/\n- Advanced Bash Scripting (online): http://tldp.org/LDP/abs/html/\n- YouTube playlist: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=2284887FAE36E6D8\n* Regular Expressions:\n- Mastering Regular Expressions (this is such a great book. I didn't like regexp until I picked this up eons ago): http://oreilly.com/catalog/9781565922570\n* sed/awk/grep etc.\n- sed & awk (O'Reilly): http://oreilly.com/catalog/9781565922259\n* Vim/Vi:\n- vimcasts (screencasts): http://vimcasts.org\n- more screencasts (these are great): http://vimeo.com/user1690209/videos\n- learning vi: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1565924266\nReference:\nOn my browser toolbar, I have a folder called '_ref', it has around 70+ bookmarks (online documentation, cheatsheats) in it each titled what the link is a reference for (ie. 'vi', 'bash' etc.). I will publish it online, and will post the links here. I have collected the links over years.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- UNIX In a Nutshell (I haven't read this in a while but it is on my shelf)",
          "reason": "Listed as a UNIX learning resource.",
          "audience": "Readers learning UNIX.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have not read it in a while.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135444,
          "author": "mosburger",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T20:04:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135444",
          "commentText": "-Showstopper by G. Pascal Zachary\n-The Design of Everyday Things by Donald Norman\n-UNIX in a Nutshell (O'Reilly book written by Arnold Robbins)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "UNIX in a Nutshell (O'Reilly book written by Arnold Robbins)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arnold Robbins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "unix",
        "command line",
        "command line reference",
        "reference"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ukridge-32f199",
      "title": "Ukridge",
      "author": "P. G. Wodehouse",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42508327,
          "author": "SubGenius",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T11:42:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42508327",
          "commentText": "Ukridge by PG Wodehouse. I hadn't really ventured out the Blandings/Jeeves/Psmith collections that much. Ukridge may be the funniest book I've ever read. He's also featured in another book 'Love Among the Chickens' - absolutely hilarious.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ukridge may be the funniest book I've ever read.",
          "reason": "Calls it perhaps the funniest book they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9615699,
          "author": "brickcap",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-28T02:08:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9615699",
          "commentText": "Good to see a fan of Wodehouse :) I like his longer works better. I read ukridge and mulliner nights a while back. They were good but not as good as jeeves and the others.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I read ukridge and mulliner nights a while back. They were good but not as good as jeeves and the others.",
          "reason": "Says the works were good, while ranking them below Jeeves stories.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Less favorable than Jeeves and the others.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "P. G. Wodehouse"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "understanding-comics-4386b9",
      "title": "Understanding Comics",
      "author": "Scott McCloud",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18667565,
          "author": "mortenjorck",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T20:42:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 18662992,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on modern UI/UX?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18667565",
          "commentText": "I don’t teach UX design, but if I did, Norman’s The Design of Everyday Things would be the first assigned reading. I’ve even recommended it to friends who aren’t looking to transition into design, but just want a better understanding of the discipline for the occasional departmental web page, etc.\nIf you want to focus on visual language, iconography, and how graphics communicate, an unconventional, yet highly-regarded choice is Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics. What Norman does for interaction, McCloud does for visual communication (and does so, appropriately, in the form of a comic book).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "an unconventional, yet highly-regarded choice is Scott McCloud’s Understanding Comics",
          "reason": "Recommended for learning visual language, iconography, and how graphics communicate.",
          "audience": "People focused on visual communication and design.",
          "caveat": "Described as unconventional.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Understanding Comics",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott McCloud"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comics",
        "visual communication"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "understanding-computation-from-simple-machines-to-impossible-prog-e67bfc",
      "title": "Understanding Computation: From Simple Machines to Impossible Programs",
      "author": "Tom Stuart",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31178955,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2022-04-27T12:15:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 31166475,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Top inspiring books on crucial CS ideas?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31178955",
          "commentText": "* Understanding Computation: From Simple Machines to Impossible Programs by Tom Stuart.\n* Out of their Minds: The Lives and Discoveries of 15 Great Computer Scientists by Dennis Shasha et al.\n* Ideas That Created the Future: Classic Papers of Computer Science edited by Harry Lewis - Came across this book in another HN thread but i don't have it yet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Understanding Computation: From Simple Machines to Impossible Programs by Tom Stuart.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13409019,
          "author": "henrythewasp",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T09:30:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13409019",
          "commentText": "Understanding Computation: From Simple Machines to Impossible Programs by Tom Stuart\nhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Understanding-Computation-Machines-... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Understanding-Computation-Machines-Impossible-Programs/dp/1449329276/)\nNot finished it yet, but it's a joy to read and explains fundamental concepts of things like parsers, interpreters and Lambda Calculus using minimal Ruby syntax.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Not finished it yet, but it's a joy to read",
          "reason": "Calls it a joy to read, despite not having finished it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not finished reading it yet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Stuart"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computation theory",
        "interpreters",
        "programming",
        "programming languages"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "understanding-digital-signal-processing-a2295c",
      "title": "Understanding Digital Signal Processing",
      "author": "Richard G. Lyons",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33595532,
          "author": "abfan1127",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-14T15:37:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33595532",
          "commentText": "Understanding DSP by Richard Lyons. He made the basic concepts of DSP simple to understand. It should be required reading for all DSP engineers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Understanding DSP by Richard Lyons. He made the basic concepts of DSP simple to understand. It should be required reading for all DSP engineers.",
          "reason": "Praises its clear explanation of DSP basics and recommends it as required reading for DSP engineers.",
          "audience": "DSP engineers and readers learning digital signal processing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30486518,
          "author": "vermarish",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T08:52:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486518",
          "commentText": "For curiosity: Understanding Digital Signal Processing, by Richard G Lyons. I read it when I was starting college as an undeclared major, and I honestly didn't understand half of it, but I was getting into music production and it taught me the ins and outs of impulse responses. I later declared a major in Applied Computational Math primarily because of that book.\nFor intellectual ability: it wasn't a particular book, but it was an honors-level Real Analysis class that forced me to re-learn the way I learn mathematics.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I honestly didn't understand half of it, but I was getting into music production and it taught me the ins and outs of impulse responses.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it taught them about impulse responses and sparked their interest in applied computational mathematics.",
          "audience": "The commenter read it while starting college as an undeclared major.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they did not understand half of it at the time.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard G. Lyons"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "digital signal processing",
        "dsp",
        "impulse responses"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "understanding-media-the-extensions-of-man-d9d525",
      "title": "Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man",
      "author": "Marshall McLuhan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37819905,
          "author": "vtns",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-09T12:48:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37819905",
          "commentText": "Communications / Media studies: Understanding Media by Marshall McLuhan",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Communications / Media studies: Understanding Media by Marshall McLuhan",
          "reason": "Names it as a book in communications and media studies.",
          "audience": "People studying communications or media studies.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17520199,
          "author": "cirgue",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T02:57:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17520199",
          "commentText": "‘Simulacrum and simulation’, ‘understanding media’, and ‘society of the spectacle’ right now. My focus this summer is on everything ever written about media and society. I am currently looking for works on social trends in response to radio and television.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "‘understanding media’",
          "reason": "Listed among works the commenter is currently reading; no evaluation is given.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156396,
          "author": "decasteve",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:22:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156396",
          "commentText": "Marshall McLuhan's \"Gutenberg Galaxy\" and \"Understanding Media\".\nBuckminster Fuller's \"Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth\" (and other books and essays of his).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and \"Understanding Media\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3987333,
          "author": "tchock",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-17T15:15:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3987333",
          "commentText": "Understanding Media: the extensions of Man, by Marshall McLuhan",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Understanding Media: the extensions of Man, by Marshall McLuhan",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for a great book read recently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marshall McLuhan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "media theory",
        "communication",
        "communications"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "understanding-power-the-indispensable-chomsky-3fad06",
      "title": "Understanding Power: The Indispensable Chomsky",
      "author": "Noam Chomsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23859027,
          "author": "q-base",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:57:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859027",
          "commentText": "Debt: The first 5000 years\nAnd then I have not yet read it myself, although I have it on the shelf, but others recommended it for the exact same question as yours:\nUnderstanding Power by Noam Chomsky",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Understanding Power by Noam Chomsky",
          "reason": "The commenter says others recommended it for the question of which book helps understand the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it; the recommendation is secondhand.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803515,
          "author": "lghh",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:10:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803515",
          "commentText": "Leisure Stuff:\nBoom Town: The Fantastical Saga Of Oklahoma City, It's Chaotic Founding... by Sam Anderson\nMidnight In Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham\nDune by Frank Herbert\nThe Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu (tried it this year and stopped, want to give it another go)\nStories of Your Life and Others - Ted Chiang (just finished Exhalation and I think it's great)\nAn Ursula K. Le Guin novel, have not picked one out yet\nA book related to basketball (possibly Dream Team, but IDK yet)\nLess Leisure Stuff:\nLocked In: The True Causes of Mass Incarceration and How to Achieve Real Reform by John Pfaff\nEvicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond\nThe End Of Policing by Alex S Vitale\nEither Manufacturing Consent or Understanding Power by Chomsky\nThe Annotated Turing by Charles Petzold\nWork:\nCode Complete 2 by Steve McConnell\nThe Web Application Hacker's Handbook: Finding and Exploiting Security Flaws by Dafydd Stuttard,  Marcus Pinto\nFinish Writing An Interpreter In Go by Thorsten Ball\nIf I can get through all of these, I will be very pleased. Throw in a book or two at recommendation from friends and I think I'm full for the year.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Either Manufacturing Consent or Understanding Power by Chomsky",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "One of two options under consideration.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6434515,
          "author": "mksm",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-23T22:13:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6434515",
          "commentText": "From the books not already mentioned above, I would strongly recommend this one:\n\"Understanding Power: The Indispensible Chomsky\" by Noam Chomsky",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Understanding Power: The Indispensible Chomsky\" by Noam Chomsky",
          "reason": "The commenter says they would strongly recommend it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Noam Chomsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "media criticism",
        "political power",
        "political thought"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "unix-a-history-and-a-memoir-aac997",
      "title": "Unix: A History and a Memoir",
      "author": "Brian Kernighan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45956850,
          "author": "bencornia",
          "createdAt": "2025-11-17T19:08:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 45947737,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45956850",
          "commentText": "- Philosophy of Software Design by John Ousterhout\n- Leviathan Wakes by James Corey\n- UNIX: A History and a Memoir by Brian Kernighan\n- Efficient Linux at the Command Line by Daniel Barrett",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "UNIX: A History and a Memoir by Brian Kernighan",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21792957,
          "author": "sl8r",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T22:59:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21792957",
          "commentText": "* \"the dream machine\" is an fascinating, joyful account of jr licklider's work in interactive computing\n* \"hard landing\" makes the airline industry seem tumultuous and exciting\n* \"a man for all markets\" is the autobiography of ed thorpe, father of card counting and quant hedge funds\n* \"unix: a history and a memoir\" is a mischievous first hand account from brian kernighan (of unix / c / awk fame)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"unix: a history and a memoir\" is a mischievous first hand account from brian kernighan",
          "reason": "Characterized as a mischievous first-hand account.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Kernighan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computing history",
        "unix"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "unpopular-essays-ecb330",
      "title": "Unpopular Essays",
      "author": "Bertrand Russell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6417665,
          "author": "jdrenterprises",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-20T13:49:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6417665",
          "commentText": "\"Arguably Essays\" by Christopher Hitchens\n\"Letters to a Young Contrarian\" by the same.\nand \"Unpopular Essays\" by Bertrand Russell.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Unpopular Essays\" by Bertrand Russell.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503387,
          "author": "wheels",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T08:59:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503387",
          "commentText": "I don't think it's the best place to get started.  I've read it cover to cover and it's great background for further reading in philosophy, but it's a dry start.  Russell's Unpopular Essays is a good deal more fun to read.\nOther things I'd recommend for wading into the waters of philosophy would be Utopia by Sir Thomas More, or Meditations on First Philosophy by René Descartes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Russell's Unpopular Essays is a good deal more fun to read.",
          "reason": "Recommended as more enjoyable to read than the other book being discussed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bertrand Russell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "essays",
        "philosophical essays",
        "social criticism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "unweaving-the-rainbow-8fa0c3",
      "title": "Unweaving the Rainbow",
      "author": "Richard Dawkins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15156189,
          "author": "arc_of_descent",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T14:44:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156189",
          "commentText": "Mind is a myth - UG Krishnamurti\nGodel, Escher, Bach - Douglas Hofstadter\nUnweaving the rainbow - Richard Dawkins",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Unweaving the rainbow - Richard Dawkins",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which books had the biggest impact on mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2330041,
          "author": "shantanubala",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-15T23:57:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 2329700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that change your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2330041",
          "commentText": "If you do a search through HN, you'll find some really good recommendations.\nRead The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb (Fooled By Randomness is also good) if you want to peer into the mind of an investor.\nRead Hesse's Siddhartha if you're thinking along the lines of culture/religion/philosophy.\nRead a few Ayn Rand books if you like libertarianism and don't really care to relate to the characters.\nRead We by Yevgheny Zamyatin if you want an interesting allegory that metaphorically compares heaven to a dystopian dictatorship.\nRead Unweaving the Rainbow by Richard Dawkins if you're very interested in the sciences.\nI remember Sebastian Marshall recommending Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa -- I'd recommend it too. It's pretty good, and I was especially interested since I've been doing marshal arts for over 10 years now.\nAnd read Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! no matter how you think. It's fantastic.\nEDIT: More Books!\nI read these when I was in elementary school, but they still hold their value:\nThe Giver by Lois Lowry if you want more dystopias.\nThe Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery if you're feeling especially playful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read Unweaving the Rainbow by Richard Dawkins if you're very interested in the sciences.",
          "reason": "Recommended for readers very interested in the sciences.",
          "audience": "Readers very interested in science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Dawkins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "science and poetry",
        "evolution"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "up-the-organization-e3d4cc",
      "title": "Up the Organization",
      "author": "Robert Townsend",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12416227,
          "author": "lifeisstillgood",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T20:57:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416227",
          "commentText": "Up the organization\nhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Up-Organization-Corporation-Stiflin... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Up-Organization-Corporation-Stifling-Strangling/dp/0787987751)\nThe complete Yes Minister\nhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Yes-Minister-Prime-Complete-Collect... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Yes-Minister-Prime-Complete-Collection/dp/B000HXDM0U)\nThe undercover economist and it's follow up\nhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Undercover-Economist-Tim-Harford/dp... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Undercover-Economist-Tim-Harford/dp/0349119856)\nI would struggle to encapsulate it all except \"people and organizations can be vicious and complex but we all innately want them to be simple, fair and if we can find someone believable we can turn around any hideous situation\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Up the organization",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1567886,
          "author": "shin_lao",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T15:31:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 1567456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I want to start a web company what books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1567886",
          "commentText": "Up the Organization - http://www.amazon.com/Up-Organization-Corporation-Stifling-S... (http://www.amazon.com/Up-Organization-Corporation-Stifling-Strangling/dp/0787987751/ref=pd_cp_b_1)\nAnd outstanding book about running a business.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Up the Organization - http://www.amazon.com/Up-Organization-Corporation-Stifling-S...\nAnd outstanding book about running a business.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an outstanding book about running a business.",
          "audience": "People interested in running a business.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Townsend"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "management",
        "organizational culture",
        "organizational management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "utilitarianism-8e36af",
      "title": "Utilitarianism",
      "author": "John Stuart Mill",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503278,
          "author": "Bishizel",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T07:28:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503278",
          "commentText": "Asking for \"Best Philosophical Books\" is pretty much like asking for an opinion, everyone will have a very different view.  That being said, here's my view!\nJohn Stuart Mill - \"Utilitarianism\" (Kant be damned.)\nThomas Nagel - \"Moral Luck\"\nDavid Lewis - \"On the Plurality of Worlds\"\nPlato - \"The Republic\"\nAristotle - \"The Metaphysics\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "John Stuart Mill - \"Utilitarianism\" (Kant be damned.)",
          "reason": "Offered as part of the commenter's own view of the best philosophical books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143380,
          "author": "_5y6p",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T16:32:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143380",
          "commentText": "Without a doubt, Heidegger's explanation of readiness-to-hand in Being and Time has done more for my usability and process inefficiency evaluating skills than even Don Norman's Design of Everyday Things or any HCI book I've ever read.  While Norman's book comes in a strong second, the benefit of the first few chapters of Being and Time is the incredibly low-level cognitive access it gives you to the work your brain does when engaged in a task.  (If you're interested and don't mind slogging through some tough writing, pick up the hardcover version and Dreyfus' Being-in-the-World and read them together.  Reading a Wikipedia article or some other summary fails to deliver the same degree of low-level access.)\nI'll also mention Ayn Rand as someone who wrote inspiringly about the entrepreneur as a (potentially) heroic figure, but hasten to add that her sociology of looters and movers is way too simplistic to ground some of her views on ethics.\nJohn Stuart Mill's \"Utilitarianism\" was my first assigned reading in a political philosophy class, and remains my favorite.\nNietzsche's On the Genealogy of Morals prompted me to question whether the values I had always held were really all that valuable.\nEleanor Rosch's work on basic categories and prototype theory (without which Lakoff's Women, Fire, and Dangerous Things--not to mention Weinberger's Everything is Miscellaneous--would likely not have been written) is fantastic, debunking empirically the Aristotelian theory of categories as being defined by necessary and sufficient conditions (they can be, where we intentionally define them to be from a top-down point of view, as in geometry, but bottom-up the construction of categories is much looser and based on family resemblances with one or several prototypes serving as the central point of comparison: hence, when I say \"bird\" you're more likely to think of a bluebird-type bird than a penguin or an ostrich).  Knowing this does a lot to help loosen up your understanding of things, which can become rigidified by traditional mathematical, scientific, and analytic philosophical education.\nSeveral others worth mentioning, but I've got to get back to work!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "John Stuart Mill's \"Utilitarianism\" was my first assigned reading in a political philosophy class, and remains my favorite.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it remains their favorite, though the basis is not specified.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in political philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Stuart Mill"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ethics",
        "utilitarianism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "utopia-for-realists-66b3b8",
      "title": "Utopia for Realists",
      "author": "Rutger Bregman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23151835,
          "author": "cnorthwood",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T08:47:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23151835",
          "commentText": "Rutger Bregman's \"Utopia for Realists\", changed my political outlook completely",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rutger Bregman's \"Utopia for Realists\", changed my political outlook completely",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book completely changed their political outlook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11700099,
          "author": "therealasdf",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-15T09:00:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11700099",
          "commentText": "Currently reading \"Utopia for Realists\"\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Utopia-Realists-Universal-Borders-Wor... (https://www.amazon.com/Utopia-Realists-Universal-Borders-Workweek-ebook/)\nAn interesting big picture look at the world. It questions what we understand and do about work and life.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "An interesting big picture look at the world. It questions what we understand and do about work and life.",
          "reason": "Described as an interesting overview that questions ideas about work and life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rutger Bregman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "universal basic income",
        "social policy",
        "work and leisure",
        "workweek"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "v-for-vendetta-b462c4",
      "title": "V for Vendetta",
      "author": "Alan Moore and David Lloyd",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38238472,
          "author": "sidkhanooja",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T08:35:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238472",
          "commentText": "Comics! I recently finished Wanted (which made for a shitty movie, but a decent comic) and Watchmen (I despair I hadn't gotten around to it sooner).\nNow I'm planning to read V for Vendetta, The Killing Joke, Batman: Year One, and some more. I've finally come around to comics as an art form, and I couldn't be happier!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Now I'm planning to read V for Vendetta",
          "reason": "Plans to read it; no endorsement stated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13809246,
          "author": "simonturvey",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-07T09:27:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13809246",
          "commentText": "- Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand\n- V for Vendetta - Alan Moore/David Lloyd\n- Heat: How we can stop the planet burning - George Monbiot\nThese are the books that quite literally changed my world view and interpretation of our place/purpose in it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "These are the books that quite literally changed my world view and interpretation of our place/purpose in it.",
          "reason": "Listed as a work that changed the commenter's worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1979312,
          "author": "arvinjoar",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-07T15:33:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1979312",
          "commentText": "Not one book, but two graphic novels.\n\"Watchmen\" and \"V for Vendetta\", Alan Moore's perspective is such a great perspective. Alan Moore tackles important philosophical questions in a really accessible medium. Alan Moore is a realist with very dramatic inclinations and all hackers will appreciate the references in his works. He combines the pretentious with the subtle in a way that will blow your mind. It's not very time-consuming to read through a graphic novel, but after reading them you will spend a lot of time processing the content in your mind, until you reread the graphic novels by Alan Moore.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Watchmen\" and \"V for Vendetta\", Alan Moore's perspective is such a great perspective.",
          "reason": "Praises the graphic novel and its philosophical questions and perspective.",
          "audience": "Hackers, according to the commenter.",
          "caveat": "The comment discusses both titles together.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan Moore and David Lloyd"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Art",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "graphic novel",
        "dystopian",
        "dystopian fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "vacuum-diagrams-267366",
      "title": "Vacuum Diagrams",
      "author": "Stephen Baxter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12244904,
          "author": "peckrob",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T01:31:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244904",
          "commentText": "I read a lot of Science Fiction for fun. These are a few of my favorites that I've given to other people:\n1. Vacuum Diagrams by Stephen Baxter. When I think of epic hard science fiction, the Xeelee Sequence books spring to mind. With a story line that spans millions of years (and a few dozen books), this collection of short stories is a good introduction to one of the best and most underrated sci-fi series out there. Baxter's Manifold trilogy (Manifold: Space, Manifold: Time and Manifold: Origin) are also fantastic.\n2. Foundation by Isaac Asimov. The whole Foundation series is wonderful, but this book is a landmark of sci-fi that should be on any fan's bookcase.\n3. The Martian by Andy Weir. This book is what I've been giving the last couple years to people who don't think they like sci-fi. Everyone I've given it to has loved it.\n4. Rama by Arthur C. Clarke. Another hard sci-fi staple. The rest of the Rama books he \"co-wrote\" with Gentry Lee are decent but become more space opera than hard sci-fi. I enjoyed them but many sci-fi fans find them polarizing.\n5. Silver Tower by Dale Brown. More of a military thriller than sci-fi (Flight of the Old Dog is another favorite of mine by him) and terribly dated by modern standards (it was written when the Soviet Union was still a thing). But it's the first \"adult\" sci-fi book I ever read as a kid, so it'll always have a special place for me.\nEDIT: Another one:\n6. Coyote by Allen Steele. I love stories like this one: primitive, longshot interstellar exploration and primitive, first generation colonization. Especially for  desperate reasons. The first two Coyote books were good, but I just can't get into any of the subsequent ones.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Vacuum Diagrams by Stephen Baxter.",
          "reason": "Included among the writer's favorite science fiction books given to others; called a good introduction to the Xeelee Sequence.",
          "audience": "Science fiction readers, including people new to the Xeelee Sequence.",
          "caveat": "A collection of short stories.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9065797,
          "author": "jacobroufa",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-17T23:06:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9065797",
          "commentText": "I'm currently working my way through Stephen Baxter's Manifold trilogy. His writing is incredibly insightful and psychedelic. I'd also suggest the Time Ships (only authorized Time Machine sequel) and anything from the Xeelee universe. Maybe start with Vacuum Diagrams?\nDavid Brin's Uplift series is brilliantly written, and personifies non-human characters wonderfully.\nHeinlein has been a favorite of mine since I was a kid, and his writing always makes me giddy.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Maybe start with Vacuum Diagrams?",
          "reason": "Suggests this as a possible starting point in the Xeelee universe.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Baxter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories",
        "hard science fiction",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "vagabonding-an-uncommon-guide-to-the-art-of-long-term-world-trave-43bd58",
      "title": "Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel",
      "author": "Rolf Potts",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12416338,
          "author": "tedmiston",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:15:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416338",
          "commentText": "Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel by Rolf Potts\nOn the surface, it's about traveling the world on a budget for extended periods of time, but deeper than that is a philosophy about going without things you don't need and connecting with people more authentically.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Vagabonding-Uncommon-Guide-Long-Term-... (https://www.amazon.com/Vagabonding-Uncommon-Guide-Long-Term-Travel/dp/0812992180/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On the surface, it's about traveling the world on a budget for extended periods of time, but deeper than that is a philosophy about going without things you don't need and connecting with people more authentically.",
          "reason": "Describes the book's practical travel focus and deeper philosophy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2615878,
          "author": "scrrr",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T11:04:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2615878",
          "commentText": "I've just started reading \"Vagabonding\" by R. Potts. http://www.vagabonding.net/ So far quite nice.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "So far quite nice.",
          "reason": "Says the book is quite nice so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has only just started reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rolf Potts"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "long term travel",
        "independent travel",
        "simple living"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "viral-loop-2e6805",
      "title": "Viral Loop",
      "author": "Adam L. Penenberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35169576,
          "author": "jvaqueiro",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T15:14:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35169576",
          "commentText": "Looking back my too three are:\nHooked by Nir Eyal\nViral Loop by Adam L. Penenberg\nShoe Dog by Phil Knight",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Viral Loop by Adam L. Penenberg",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027082,
          "author": "ecq",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T11:01:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027082",
          "commentText": "Great books i read in 2009\n-The Wolf of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort - hilarious\n-Inside Steve's Brain\n-Paypal Wars - old book but still very informative and relevant\n-Viral Loop by Adam L. Penenberg",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Viral Loop by Adam L. Penenberg",
          "reason": "Listed under “Great books i read in 2009” in response to a request for recommended books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adam L. Penenberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "viral marketing",
        "network effects"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "visual-group-theory-79da86",
      "title": "Visual Group Theory",
      "author": "Nathan Carter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31489198,
          "author": "rg111",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T07:49:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31489198",
          "commentText": "- Linear Algebra: Gilbert Strang videos + book\n- Calculus and basics of Analysis: Spivak\n- Group Theory: Visual Group Theory\n- Complex Analysis: Visual Complex Analysis\n- Writing proofs: Proofs: A Long Form Textbook by Jay Cummings\n- Abstract Algebra: Dummit-Foote book. First few chapters if you like.\n___\nPop-Sci:\n1. The Joy of X by Steven Strogatz\n2. Fermat's Enigma by Simon Singh\n(All this books except AA are very highly recommended by me)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Group Theory: Visual Group Theory",
          "reason": "Listed as a resource for group theory.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21347257,
          "author": "prof_mm",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T17:55:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21347257",
          "commentText": "Mathematics is typically approached in a different way than physics. But there are some books that offer a similar perspective to what Feynman tried to achieve, IMHO. I would recommend to look at works by John Stillwell, for example 'Elements of mathematics' or 'Mathematics and its history'.\nNathan Carter's 'Visual group theory' also seems an interesting experiment, if you are interested in that part of mathematics, though I have not read it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "'Visual group theory' also seems an interesting experiment",
          "reason": "The commenter identifies it as an interesting experiment for readers interested in that part of mathematics.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in group theory.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nathan Carter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "group theory",
        "visual learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "voltaire-s-bastards-the-dictatorship-of-reason-in-the-west-595477",
      "title": "Voltaire's Bastards: The Dictatorship of Reason in the West",
      "author": "John Ralston Saul",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9674193,
          "author": "dade_",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T11:24:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674193",
          "commentText": "Voltaire's Bastards: The Dictatorship of Reason in the West\nby John Ralston Saul",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Voltaire's Bastards: The Dictatorship of Reason in the West\nby John Ralston Saul",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 57238,
          "author": "sexmissile",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-20T04:10:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=57238",
          "commentText": "Papillion by Charest, amazing inspirational true story.\nVoltaire's Bastards - John Rolston Saul - Timeless\nanything by Nietzsche\nThe economist and the New Yorker\nanything you can get your hands on but with a grain of salt.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Voltaire's Bastards - John Rolston Saul - Timeless",
          "reason": "Calls it timeless.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Ralston Saul"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "critique of rationalism",
        "enlightenment",
        "political philosophy",
        "reason"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "war-is-a-force-that-gives-us-meaning-ec9dfd",
      "title": "War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning",
      "author": "Chris Hedges",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 456530,
          "author": "kingkongrevenge",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T16:11:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456530",
          "commentText": "\"War is a Force that Gives Us Meaning\" is the best book on the psychological dimensions of war that I'm aware of.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"War is a Force that Gives Us Meaning\" is the best book on the psychological dimensions of war that I'm aware of.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best book they know on the psychological dimensions of war.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the psychology of war.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 142997,
          "author": "Alex3917",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T01:21:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=142997",
          "commentText": "I only read non-fiction that's counterintuitive. I figure, hey, I'm pretty smart, so if it's intuitive then I can probably figure it out on my own. A list of stuff I cite most often:\nNo Contest & Punished by Rewards by Alfie Kohn\nStatus Anxiety by Alain de Botton\nPG's essays & ITConversations interviews\nThe Underground History of American Education by John Taylor Gatto\nThe Singularity is Near by Kurzweil\nThis graph: http://alexkrupp.com/picture_library/plot.jpg\nDee Hock's essay on leadership\nA handful of blog posts by Mark Cuban\nAll Marketers are Liars & Free Prize Inside by Seth Godin. All of the books that Seth recommends are also worth reading.\nBruce Schneier's interview on ITConversations\nMagic Ink, an essay by Bret Victor\nWar Is A  Force That Gives Us Meaning by Chris Hedges\nThe Cluetrain Manifesto (the book)\nI'm sure there's a lot more, but that's what comes to mind right now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "War Is A Force That Gives Us Meaning by Chris Hedges",
          "reason": "Includes it among the nonfiction works the commenter cites most often.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris Hedges"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military history",
        "politics",
        "war",
        "war psychology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "washington-a-life-abe8b4",
      "title": "Washington: A Life",
      "author": "Ron Chernow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33382606,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T10:05:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382606",
          "commentText": "Top 2 so far:\n   * Washington: A life by Ron Chernow\n   * The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won by Victor Davis Hanson\n\nThe Washington book is a very detailed by clear overview of his life. Easy to follow (even for complex situations) and very week written.\nThe WW2 book is amazing. Compares the countries fighting in around 20 different areas (technology, leadership, geography, aircraft) and says who is better and why.\nAlso very good:\n   * FDR by Jean Edward Smith\n   * Master of the Senate by Robert A. Caro\n   * The Penguin History of New Zealand by Michael King\n   * The years of Lyndon Johnson 2 – Means of Ascent by Robert Caro\n   * Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road by Kyle Buchanan\n   * Becoming Trader Joe: How I Did Business My Way and Still Beat the Big Guys by Joe Coulombe\n   * How Innovation Works: And Why It Flourishes in Freedom by Matt Ridley\n   * Yeager: An Autobiography by Chuck Yeager\n   * The years of Lyndon Johnson: The Path to Power by Robert Caro\n   * The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson\n   * Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson\n   * An Economist walks into a Brothel: And Other Unexpected Places to Understand Risk by Allison Schrager\n   * The Devil’s Candy: The Bonfire of the Vanities Goes to Hollywood by Julie Salamon\n   * Sam Walton: Made in America by Sam Walton",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Top 2 so far:\n   * Washington: A life by Ron Chernow",
          "reason": "Describes it as a detailed, clear, easy-to-follow overview of Washington’s life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21719981,
          "author": "Diesel555",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-06T07:56:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21719981",
          "commentText": "You learn from history and what other people did well and didn't do well. Leadership is a combination of your own innate abilities combined with self-awareness and feedback. From this, you can apply historical knowledge (understand you may not have Washington's height and strength, but may be a better tactical decision maker).\nRead biographies on others:\nWashington: A Life\nHamilton\nGrant\nFighter Pilot (Robin Olds)\nBoyd\nAnyone you admire - read about them - find out what was good and what was bad.\nMattis's new book is good: Call Sign Chaos.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Washington: A Life",
          "reason": "Listed as a biography to read for leadership lessons from history.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking leadership lessons from biographies.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ron Chernow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "george washington",
        "leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wayfarers-74f18d",
      "title": "Wayfarers",
      "author": "Becky Chambers",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33383079,
          "author": "morelisp",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T11:28:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33383079",
          "commentText": "For non-fiction, Graeber and Wengrow's The Dawn of Everything (which I'm still working through the references of as well, many of which are also good).\nFor fiction, my sample size this year is sadly small but probably Becky Chambers's The Galaxy, and the Ground Within, the final(?) book in the Wayfarers (The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet) series. A great end to the series, and given that it must have been plotted originally pre-2020 oddly contemporary.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the final(?) book in the Wayfarers (The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet) series",
          "reason": "Identifies The Galaxy, and the Ground Within as a book in the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether it is the final book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13119380,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-07T00:03:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13119380",
          "commentText": "The Wayfarers books The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and A Closed and Common Orbit were quite good. Fantastic world building and characters, although the plots seem to meander about with not too much purpose.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/series/170872-wayfarers\nRecently ploughed through The Expanse series.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/series/56399-the-expanse\nDark Matter was a good read if you like parallel universes.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27833670-dark-matter\nThe Rho Agenda series was a surprisingly good read.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/series/61746-the-rho-agenda\nQuantum Night was something a bit different from Robert Sawyer.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25734179-quantum-night\nAnd Barsk: The Elephants’ Graveyard would probably have to be rated my favourite for the year.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25667916-barsk",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Wayfarers books The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and A Closed and Common Orbit were quite good.",
          "reason": "Praises the world building and characters, while noting that the plots meander.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The plots seem to meander without much purpose.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Becky Chambers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "character driven fiction",
        "character driven science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "we-the-living-8b0d5c",
      "title": "We the Living",
      "author": "Ayn Rand",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13820861,
          "author": "boris2293",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-08T15:29:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13820861",
          "commentText": "\"We the Living\" -- by Ayn Rand.  This novel, unlike Orwell's 1984, shows that one does not have to loose his identity under oppression of communism.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This novel, unlike Orwell's 1984, shows that one does not have to loose his identity under oppression of communism.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the novel's portrayal of maintaining identity under communist oppression.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9675000,
          "author": "vijayr",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T15:27:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9675000",
          "commentText": "Could you explain why you find Atlas Shrugged mind blowing? I read \"we the living\" and \"The fountainhead\" and found them quite annoying. Haven't read Atlas Shrugged, just curious if I am missing something.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I read \"we the living\"",
          "reason": "Says the commenter found it annoying.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as annoying.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401237,
          "author": "Kevin_S",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T15:54:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401237",
          "commentText": "Read: Ayn Rand - We The Living\nCurrently Reading: Ayn Rand - Atlas Shrugged\nHonestly loving Atlas Shrugged, but We The Living is easily my favorite book I have ever read. It has deeply affected how I think about life and I share many philosophical beliefs with Rand, would highly highly recommend.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "We The Living",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is their favorite book and that it deeply affected how they think about life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ayn Rand"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political fiction",
        "communism",
        "political novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "welcome-to-the-monkey-house-57ec09",
      "title": "Welcome to the Monkey House",
      "author": "Kurt Vonnegut",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8026950,
          "author": "aruss",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-13T08:26:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 8025870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8026950",
          "commentText": "Welcome to the Monkey House by Kurt Vonnegut.  It's a collection of his short stories, often funny, sometimes touching, and always insightful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Welcome to the Monkey House by Kurt Vonnegut. It's a collection of his short stories, often funny, sometimes touching, and always insightful.",
          "reason": "Praises the stories as funny, touching, and insightful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2919397,
          "author": "njharman",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-24T03:59:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 2919368,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have changed the way you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2919397",
          "commentText": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tao_Te_Ching\nThe translations vary greatly. (from making it sound like new age mumbo jumbo, to mystic mumbo jumbo, to a profound philosophy), need to find one that's right for you.\n\"The C Programming Language\" by K&R (I read this very young 12-13, it's life changing aspects probably had a lot to do with my age)\n\"The Hobbit\" by J.R.R. Tolkien\n\"Welcome to the Monkey House\" by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Welcome to the Monkey House\" by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about books that changed the way people think.",
          "audience": "Readers of short fiction and satire.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kurt Vonnegut"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-color-is-your-parachute-e835d5",
      "title": "What Color Is Your Parachute?",
      "author": "Richard N. Bolles",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11229409,
          "author": "twunde",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T13:14:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229409",
          "commentText": "The Goal.\nIf you're interested in project management, Making Things Happen is good.\nI've just started High Output Management and so far it seems good. Of course there are always the classics like Good to Great, What Color Is Your Parachute, etc",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Of course there are always the classics like Good to Great, What Color Is Your Parachute, etc",
          "reason": "Named among classic books in a response to a book recommendation request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2899116,
          "author": "impendia",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-18T13:39:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 2897515,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on overcoming shyness",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2899116",
          "commentText": "One book I like is Bolles' \"What color is your parachute?\" It is about job-searching, but the message of the book is: find things you like; be cheerful, polite, grateful always; remember that most people are usually happy to help; nobody owes you anything, and you don't owe anyone anything.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One book I like is Bolles' \"What color is your parachute?\"",
          "reason": "The commenter likes this book and summarizes its message as finding things you like and treating people well.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for job-search guidance and practical attitudes toward helping and connecting with others.",
          "caveat": "The book is about job-searching.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard N. Bolles"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "job searching",
        "career development",
        "career planning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-every-body-is-saying-ed55af",
      "title": "What Every BODY Is Saying",
      "author": "Joe Navarro",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32935901,
          "author": "idonthaveanacc2",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T07:46:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32935901",
          "commentText": "What Every Body Says. It's about understanding body language, I feel like it has helped me understand others better sometimes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "What Every Body Says. It's about understanding body language, I feel like it has helped me understand others better sometimes.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it has sometimes helped them understand other people.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21712600,
          "author": "DarwinMailApp",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T14:44:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21712600",
          "commentText": "What Every Body is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Speed-Reading People [1]\nThis book has allowed me to understand what the people around me are saying, without even saying a word!\n\"Read this book and send your nonverbal intelligence soaring. Joe Navarro, a former FBI counterintelligence officer and a recognized expert on nonverbal behavior, explains how to \"speed-read\" people: decode sentiments and behaviors, avoid hidden pitfalls, and look for deceptive behaviors. You'll also learn how your body language can influence what your boss, family, friends, and strangers think of you.\"\n[1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1173576.What_Every_Body_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1173576.What_Every_Body_is_Saying)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "What Every Body is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Speed-Reading People [1]\nThis book has allowed me to understand what the people around me are saying, without even saying a word!",
          "reason": "Says the book helped them understand nonverbal communication.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in interpreting body language.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joe Navarro"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "body language",
        "nonverbal communication"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-the-dormouse-said-95edae",
      "title": "What the Dormouse Said",
      "author": "John Markoff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36601356,
          "author": "Zelphyr",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T14:59:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601356",
          "commentText": "It's quite old and so doesn't include the rise of the Internet and subsequent innovations but, Accidental Empires is pretty good: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accidental_Empires\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late - on the creation of the Internet\nThe Soul of a New Machine - On computing in the 70's and 80's\nThe Difference Between God and Larry Ellison - On the rise of Oracle (also has the best title)\nMasters of Doom - A history of id Software\nWhat The Dormouse Said - How the 60's counterculture influenced computing\nThe New New Thing - Follows Jim Clark around while he creates SGI, Netscape, etc...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "What The Dormouse Said",
          "reason": "Described as covering how 1960s counterculture influenced computing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86161,
          "author": "david",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T23:36:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86161",
          "commentText": "- What the Dormouse Said, John Markoff\n- Alongside Night, J Neil Schulman,\n- Prometheus Rising, Robert Anton Wilson\n- Anything by Doug Rushkoff, Get Back in the Box is a good one for business/entrepreneurship\n- The Dubliners, James Joyce\n- The Elements of Typographic Style, by Robert Bringhurst",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "What the Dormouse Said, John Markoff",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Markoff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "counterculture",
        "computing history",
        "silicon valley"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "when-bad-things-happen-to-good-people-ea34e8",
      "title": "When Bad Things Happen to Good People",
      "author": "Harold S. Kushner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4787443,
          "author": "fsethi",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:27:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787443",
          "commentText": "Some old that I have re-read, some new, all worth your time:\nOld Man And The Sea - Ernest Hemingway\nIQ84 - Haruki Murakami\nThe Last Lecture - Randy Pausch\nOn Writing - Stephen King\nWhen Bad Things Happen To Good People - Harold Kushner\nCatcher In The Rye - J.D. Salinger\nNotes To Myself - Hugh Prather",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "When Bad Things Happen To Good People - Harold Kushner",
          "reason": "Included among books described as worth the reader's time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875882,
          "author": "edw519",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T03:22:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875882",
          "commentText": "\"The Jungle\" by Upton Sinclair\n\"When Bad Things Happen to Good People\" by Harold Kushner",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"When Bad Things Happen to Good People\" by Harold Kushner",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Harold S. Kushner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "faith",
        "suffering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "when-i-say-no-i-feel-guilty-265189",
      "title": "When I Say No, I Feel Guilty",
      "author": "Manuel J. Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42511878,
          "author": "undopamine",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T23:20:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42511878",
          "commentText": "The 3-body problem trilogy (Rememberance of the Earth's past). My first sci-fi novels ever - the Netflix show sold me and these novels compelled me on a whole new hard sci-fi rabbit hole.\nPresumed Innocent (preceeded by the Apple TV show of same name). Murder mystery. Loved it.\nTie-in novels from videogame franchise:\n- Deus Ex: Black Light\n- Devil May Cry: before the nightmare\nI've also started Marvel Comics in anticipation of Fantastic Four and the whole Secret Wars storyline it will build up.\nCouldn't finish a single non-fiction this year, but enjoyable so far:\n- Zero to One\n- When I say no, I feel guilty\n- Designing data-intensive applications",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "When I say no, I feel guilty",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have started it and describes it as enjoyable so far.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40279566,
          "author": "UniverseHacker",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-06T21:10:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40279566",
          "commentText": "The Discourses of Epictetus - This is useful to re-read frequently while thinking about any new challenges in my life, as these are powerful tools for managing hardship and generally living well.\nWhen I say no, I feel guilty by Manuel J. Smith - a book on assertive and non-manipulative communication. This has been incredibly valuable for improving my personal relationships and work. It's also allowed me to recognize and defend myself against emotional manipulation, which is more common than I realized. For many people that is the main way they communicate- by trying to control others with guilt through manipulation.. and I used to be both unaware and extremely vulnerable to it. It is useful to re-read and practice frequently, as these are skills that require practice.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "When I say no, I feel guilty by Manuel J. Smith - a book on assertive and non-manipulative communication.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped improve personal and work relationships, recognize and resist emotional manipulation, and practice communication skills.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the skills require frequent practice.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Manuel J. Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "assertiveness",
        "communication",
        "emotional manipulation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "when-we-cease-to-understand-the-world-667150",
      "title": "When We Cease to Understand the World",
      "author": "Benjamín Labatut",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42287783,
          "author": "rasulkireev",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-01T11:22:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42287783",
          "commentText": "When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamín Labatut.\nIt is about scientists that are fully consumed by their work, going mad somtimes. Their work is making a world a better place, but at the same time is used to kill lots of people.\nThis is the first book for me that I can say is beautifully written. Even though the subject was heavy at times, I couldn't stop reading it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamín Labatut.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is beautifully written and they couldn't stop reading, despite the heavy subject.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The subject is described as heavy at times.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29674104,
          "author": "cmyr",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T14:58:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29674104",
          "commentText": "seconding this, it is an absolutely wonderful book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "seconding this, it is an absolutely wonderful book.",
          "reason": "The commenter endorses the book mentioned in the parent context as absolutely wonderful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Benjamín Labatut"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "history of science",
        "scientists"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "whiplash-how-to-survive-our-faster-future-1506bd",
      "title": "Whiplash: How to Survive Our Faster Future",
      "author": "Joi Ito and Jeff Howe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18662571,
          "author": "_____bee_____",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T09:41:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18662571",
          "commentText": "I focused on reading books about politics & technology. These are my favorites\n- Whiplash: How to Survive Our Faster Future by Joi Ito (4.5/5)\n- Hit Refresh by Satya Nadella (4.5/5)\n- Becoming by Michelle Obama (4.9/5)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "These are my favorites",
          "reason": "The commenter identifies it among their favorite books and rates it 4.5/5.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18475041,
          "author": "___cs____",
          "createdAt": "2018-11-17T11:26:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 18473561,
          "threadTitle": "Best book/paper you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18475041",
          "commentText": "- Hit Refresh: The Quest to Rediscover Microsoft's Soul and Imagine a Better\n- Whiplash: How to Survive Our Faster Future",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Whiplash: How to Survive Our Faster Future",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the thread's question about the best book read in 2018.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joi Ito and Jeff Howe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Society",
        "Business",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "technology and society",
        "future",
        "future trends"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "white-fang-ed4689",
      "title": "White Fang",
      "author": "Jack London",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41239245,
          "author": "abrookewood",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-13T20:09:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41239245",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed both The Call of the Wild and White Fang by Jack London.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed both The Call of the Wild and White Fang by Jack London.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1973747,
          "author": "bootload",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T03:26:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1973747",
          "commentText": "\"White Fang\", http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_London\nKlondike \"like\" experience, forges determination.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Klondike \"like\" experience, forges determination.",
          "reason": "The commenter names the book and describes its wilderness experience as forging determination.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jack London"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure",
        "animal fiction",
        "survival",
        "wilderness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "why-does-he-do-that-inside-the-minds-of-angry-and-controlling-men-c47b97",
      "title": "Why Does He Do That?: Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men",
      "author": "Lundy Bancroft",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41767913,
          "author": "Rendello",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T16:45:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41767913",
          "commentText": "There are 2 books that have fundamentally shifted my thinking:\n- The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics.\nThis has been covered by CGP Grey and now has a Netflix adaptation, so I figure it lies well within the HN Zeitgeist already. There's a lot to debate in this book, but I fundamentally didn't understand political power before reading it.\n- Why Does He Do That?: Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men.\nI have a more complicated relationship with this one, in fact I never finished it. It's about men (mainly) who are abusive in relationships, and how they are able to manipulate their partners. It hits close to home because I've seen a lot of that growing up, and I've seen a lot of women close to me end up in abuse in a predictable but devastating cycle.\nThe primary controversial idea is that domestic abuse can be from man→woman, man→man, woman→woman, but the author pretty much discredits woman→man abuse. I don't think I can reconcile that with my own experience. But, where it changed my thinking was a chapter about \"it's not emotions, it's values\". I'd grown up knowing the importance of emotions and being open and communicative, but I was never able to put to words the disconnect I was feeling. Emotions are secondary, it's what one values that determines their emotions and actions, whether it be in an abusive relationship, or in any other place or time in the world.\nIt really shifted how I think about the world, and let me sever connections to people I was kept in my life because they'd had a bad childhood or whatever. I realized that they would never get over their turmoil, because they valued using it to hurt others.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Why Does He Do That?: Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes how the book changed their thinking about abusive relationships and values.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They never finished it and disagree with its treatment of woman-to-man abuse.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665467,
          "author": "JabavuAdams",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:55:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665467",
          "commentText": "= Finished =\n* Homo Deus, Yuval Noah Harari\n* Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt\n* The Quants\n* All About ADHD: A Family Resource for Helping Your Child Succeed With ADHD\n* Still Procrastinating? The No Regrets Guide To Getting It Done\n* Why Does He Do That? Inside The Minds of Angry And Controlling Men\n* Killing Pablo\n* Blackhawk Down (re-read)\n* Revelation Space. Banks. (re-read)\n= Finished Chapters Required For A Course =\n* Essential University Physics, Volume 1. Wolfson.\n* Linear Algebra, A First Course. Kutler.\n* A Concise Introduction to Linear Algebra. Schay.\n* Biology I: Cells, Molecular Biology, and Genetics. Custom Text (York University, BIOL 1000).\n* Chemistry, A Molecular Approach. Tro et. al.\n= In Progress =\n* 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, Yuval Noah Harari\n* Time Reborn: From the Crisis In Physics to the Future of the Universe. Smolin.\n* Freemium Mobile Games: Design & Monetization",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "* Why Does He Do That? Inside The Minds of Angry And Controlling Men",
          "reason": "Listed as finished; no evaluation or recommendation is expressed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15762368,
          "author": "wpietri",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T02:39:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762368",
          "commentText": "Franz de Waal's \"Chimpanzee Politics\". It's nominally about the social relationships of a chimp colony in a Dutch zoo. But it made me see the extent to which humans are just another great ape, and a lot of human dynamics are really primate dynamics, especially around social power.\nJohnstone's \"Impro\". It's about improvisational theater, and mainly meant for people learning improv. But the section on status transactions helped me see a lot about how we express those primate dominance dynamics. There's also great material on the nature of creativity.\n\"Getting to Yes\" is a great book about business negotiation, but is lessons about shifting discussions from zero-sum to positive-sum are things I use a lot.\nBraitenberg's \"Vehicles: Experiments in Synthetic Psychology\" is a way of thinking about psychology (and our inference of mind) by examining imaginary robots.\n\"The Toyota Way\" and other books on Lean Manufacturing are about running extremely effective manufacturing operations. But they have deeply changed how I think about systems of making software and running businesses. Other great books in this category include \"Toyota Kata\" and \"Principles of Product Development Flow\".\n\"Crossing the Chasm\" is about how tech products get adopted. But its mindset around segmenting audiences and building credibility taught me a lot about any sort of social change.\n\"Why Does He Do That? Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men\" is nominally about abuse in romantic relationships. But its insights about power and control have  been useful to me way beyond that. E.g., so much behavior in large corporations is inexplicable if you look at it in business terms, and perfectly sensible if you think about if from the perspective of, \"What would a person with abusive tendencies gain from this situation?\"\nAlso, hearty +1s for books \"Design of Everyday Things\", \"Finite and Infinite Games\", and \"Punished by Rewards\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Why Does He Do That? Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men\" is nominally about abuse in romantic relationships. But its insights about power and control have  been useful to me way beyond that.",
          "reason": "The author says its insights about power and control apply well beyond romantic relationships.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lundy Bancroft"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coercive control",
        "domestic abuse",
        "abusive relationships",
        "power and control"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "why-greatness-cannot-be-planned-59558a",
      "title": "Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned",
      "author": "Kenneth O. Stanley and Joel Lehman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46461871,
          "author": "Quinzel",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-02T05:58:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46461871",
          "commentText": "I read:\n- The Courage to be Disliked.\n- Moral Tribes\n- Crazy like us\n- Careless People\n- Madness Made Me\n- The righteous mind: Why good people are divided by politics and religion.\nAnd a few that were on my 2025 list that I didn’t make it through, and are on my list for 2026 include: \n- Team of Rivals\n- Behave\n- Why Greatness cannot be planned.\nHopefully I’ll get through those three books before the end of Feb when I go back to Uni, and won’t have time to read for leisure for about 7 months.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Why Greatness cannot be planned.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed among books the commenter did not finish and plans to read in 2026.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249538,
          "author": "bewe42",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T12:26:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249538",
          "commentText": "I'd like to add \"Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned\". Even though the book could be shorter and the idea is rather simple, it made me re-think how I search for ideas and how I decide what to work on.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'd like to add \"Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned\".",
          "reason": "Says the book prompted them to rethink how they search for ideas and choose what to work on.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the book could be shorter and its idea is rather simple.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kenneth O. Stanley",
        "Joel Lehman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creativity",
        "evolutionary computation",
        "goal setting",
        "innovation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "why-i-am-not-a-christian-1f00e3",
      "title": "Why I Am Not a Christian",
      "author": "Bertrand Russell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503416,
          "author": "kkshin",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T09:21:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503416",
          "commentText": "It really depends on what you're looking for, but Philosophy is a field where one philosopher's work is built on top of the other's going all the way back to the ancient Greek's.  Its important (I think anyways) to read the raw texts before you read philosophical commentary so that you have a chance to form your own opinions.  That being said, here's some recommendations of mine that cover a breadth of philosophical subjects and time periods.  Its always good to see someone else want to learn more philsophy, especially if its of their own volition.\nPlato.  Strangely enough, Plato is probably one of the best introductions to philosophy, not only because he was one of the first whose writings survive to modern time, but also because its relatively simple to read and understand.  Some of my personal favorite are 'The Apology', 'The Symposium', and 'The Phaedrus', and of course 'The Republic'.  The weird thing with Plato is you'll never know how much of his writings are his thinking as opposed to Socrates teaching.  I still reread Plato because the stories (most of his writing is in narrative form) are so damn entertaining.\nAristotle.  This is a natural progression from reading Plato.  The 'Nichomachean Ethics' is a cornerstone of ancient philosophy and is a relative simple read.\nJohn Locke/Gottfried Leibniz.  I'll admit, I struggled through 'An Essay of Human Understanding' but this title and Leibniz's rebuttal 'New Essays on Human Understanding' illustrate a historically important philosophical debate between empiricists and rationalists.  Since you're reading 'Common Sense' you might also want to give Locke's 'Second Treatise on Civil Government' a gander.\nImmaneul Kant.  Since you're reading Schopenhauer you should read Kant as he was heavily influenced by him.  You'll hear him referenced a lot if you continue to read philosophy so you should familiarize yourself with his thinking, especially on his thoughts in epistemology.\nBertrand Russell.  People have already recommended him and he's one of the most popular philosopher's of modern times, mostly because he's so easy to read and was somewhat of a cultural icon during his time.  I have a particular fondness for his work because when I had doubts about my faith, \"Why I Am not A Christian\" helped me find words to communicate my break with Catholocism.  His \"History of Western Philosophy\" is considered a cornerstone history of philosophy book (although it is somewhat dated now).  His writings are usually rather short and concise.\nJacques Derrida/Gilles Deleuze.  Now we're getting into some wacky shit.  To be fair, I shouldn't even be commenting on it because I have no idea what these guys are talking about half the time.  These are the philosophers that people read and pretend to understand because they want to sound smart.  You know the stereotypical \"philosophy\" students that you see in movies.  Maybe you'll find something of substance in their work although many philsopher's believe these guys are/were hacks and purposefully obfuscate their writing to hide the fact that there's no substance in it.\nOne of the best ways to read philosophy is to start with a philosopher who truly changed the game with their work (such as Kant) and work your way out reading the work of his supporters as well as the work of those that disagree with him.  This way you'll get a worldy view on 'important' philosophical issues while starting to formulate your own opinions on th ematter.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Why I Am not A Christian\" helped me find words to communicate my break with Catholocism.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book helped them express their break with Catholicism.",
          "audience": "Readers questioning their faith.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227807,
          "author": "tommorris",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T23:11:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227807",
          "commentText": "I don't agree that the arguments in the God Delusion are too bad. He does take some real liberties with Aquinas, but all the scholarly dressing you apply to Aquinas doesn't really improve the arguments. Dawkins deals with them too hastily, but even if Dawkins was an Aquinas scholar and applied the principle of charity to the arguments, they'd still be unconvincing arguments. The God Delusion is a popular book, not a scholarly refutation of all arguments for the existence of God.\nIf you want to read scholarly refutations of arguments for the existence of God, as well as read some arguments put forward explicitly for the non-existence of God, then you have to turn elsewhere: Michael Martin's \"Atheism: A Philosophical Justification\", Robin Le Podevin's \"Arguing for Atheism\" and Nick Everett's \"The Non-Existence Of God\". Another good book from an agnostic rather than atheist perspective is Anthony Kenny's \"The God of the Philosophers\". A slightly easier read is Julian Baggini's \"Atheism: A Very Short Introduction\" which is okay. I have some reservations with it, but it covers most of the important arguments and has some stuff about ethics and living the good life and all that happy-clappy stuff too.\nAs for stuff that isn't concerned with the philosophical arguments? I found Onfray's \"In Defence of Atheism\" a pretty good read - it is polemical, but is well-written. Nietzsche is always good to read so long as you don't - you know - become a damn goth or whatever after reading it or try and commit genocide or something. Russell's \"Why I Am Not A Christian\" and the much less read compilation \"Russell on Religion\" (not widely available outside academia as far as I'm aware) - Russell is a good writer and says some very refreshing things like:\n<blockquote>Even if the open windows of science at first make us shiver after the cozy indoor warmth of traditional humanizing myths, in the end the fresh air brings vigor, and the great spaces have a splendor of their own.</blockquote>",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Russell's \"Why I Am Not A Christian\"",
          "reason": "Included among works on religion; the commenter praises Russell as a good writer and says he has refreshing things to say.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bertrand Russell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "atheism",
        "religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "why-people-believe-weird-things-d58a74",
      "title": "Why People Believe Weird Things",
      "author": "Michael Shermer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23858924,
          "author": "arethuza",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:48:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858924",
          "commentText": "\"The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark\" by Carl Sagan\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Demon-Haunted_World\nAlso around the age of 8 or 9 I read some Erich von Däniken book and got quite excited by what it contained. However, I eventually realised that it was complete nonsense and I got really affronted that people could write books that contained stuff that wasn't true. A useful lesson!\nEdit: Another one is \"Why People Believe Weird Things\":\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_People_Believe_Weird_Thing... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_People_Believe_Weird_Things)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another one is \"Why People Believe Weird Things\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971296,
          "author": "athom",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T09:17:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971296",
          "commentText": "Michael Shermer's Why People Believe Weird Things (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_People_Believe_Weird_Things... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_People_Believe_Weird_Things:_Pseudoscience,_Superstition,_and_Other_Confusions_of_Our_Time))\nOr just about anything by Martin Gardner, along with a note to write him sometime before 2010.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Michael Shermer's Why People Believe Weird Things",
          "reason": "Chosen as a book to give their younger self.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Shermer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "pseudoscience",
        "critical thinking",
        "skepticism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "why-zebras-don-t-get-ulcers-6ba2ff",
      "title": "Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers",
      "author": "Robert M. Sapolsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804894,
          "author": "knzhou",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:29:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804894",
          "commentText": "I try to only read books that are at least a few years old, so these aren’t timely recommendations.\nOn the list for next year:\nThe Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language\nEssays of Montaign\nWhy Zebras Don't Get Ulcers\nHigher Speculations: Grand Theories and Failed Revolutions in Physics and Cosmology\nThe Enigma of Reason\nSurfing Uncertainty: Prediction, Action, and the Embodied Mind\nImpro\nDeng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China\nInvisible Cities\nCollapse of Complex Societies\n--\nFavorites from this year:\nDeath's End\nOne Man's Meat\nLife Ascending: The Ten Great Inventions of Evolution\nA Primate's Memoir: A Neuroscientist's Unconventional Life Among the Baboons\nDo No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery\nCosmicomics\nWhy Quark Rhymes with Pork\nThe Unfolding of Language\nA Sand County Almanac",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers",
          "reason": "Listed among books planned for next year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8111985,
          "author": "smartial_arts",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-31T01:28:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8111985",
          "commentText": "\"Zebras don't get ulcers\" by Robert Sapolsky [ http://amzn.to/1kFszdH ]\nGreat book on stress, it's evolutionary role and how it's screwing us up now, in the modern environment that's quite different from our evolutionary past.\n\"Brain Rules\" by John Medina [http://amzn.to/UCgCPG]  \nJohn, a molecular biologist, looks at things such as health and cognitive development and performance of kids and adults from an evolutionary perspective. \nHe highlights problems with our approaches to work and study, how these are at odds with the way our brains evolved to work and what we can do about it.\nGreat collection of actionable advice backed up by current research. See more at http://brainrules.net/\n\"The world until yesterday\" by Jared Diamond http://amzn.to/1AAJjNL\nGreat book on how \"traditional\" societies handle trade, war and interpersonal conflicts. Lots of thing to consider taking on board in \"modern\" societies - such as restorative justice.\n\"The Antidote: Happiness for People Who Can't Stand Positive Thinking\" by Oliver Burkeman http://amzn.to/1rITiKX\nGreat overview of pitfalls that \"positive thinking\" approach brings and how one can start employing alternative ways of attaining happiness.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great book on stress, it's evolutionary role and how it's screwing us up now",
          "reason": "Praises its discussion of stress and its role in modern life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert M. Sapolsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "stress",
        "evolutionary biology",
        "neuroscience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "will-it-fly-f7511f",
      "title": "Will It Fly?",
      "author": "Pat Flynn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41547404,
          "author": "lcordier",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-15T13:31:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41547404",
          "commentText": "\"The new business road test\" - John Mullins\n\"Will it fly\" - Pat Flynn\n\"Start marketing\" - Rob Walling (https://robwalling.com/assets/ebook.pdf)\nI recommend the article on \"Why Startup Founders Should Stop Reading Business Books\" ;)\nhttps://youtu.be/19WpIbBhxJU\n(don't know where I got this...)\nIdeas are worth nothing unless executed. They are just a multiplier. Execution is worth millions.\n  Explanation:\n  AWFUL IDEA           -1\n  WEAK IDEA             1\n  SO-SO IDEA            5\n  GOOD IDEA            10\n  GREAT IDEA           15\n  BRILLIANT IDEA       20\n  \n  NO EXECUTION         $1\n  WEAK EXECUTION       $1000\n  SO-SO EXECUTION      $10,000\n  GOOD EXECUTION       $100,000\n  GREAT EXECUTION      $1,000,000\n  BRILLIANT EXECUTION  $10,000,000\n\nTo make a business, you need to multiply the two.\nThe most brilliant idea, with no execution, is worth $20.\nThe most brilliant idea takes great execution to be worth $20,000,000.\nThat’s why I don’t want to hear people’s ideas.\nI’m not interested until I see their execution.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Will it fly\" - Pat Flynn",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12097225,
          "author": "samblr",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-14T21:16:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12097225",
          "commentText": "Will it fly has a 5 star rating from 450 odd reviews!!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Will it fly has a 5 star rating from 450 odd reviews!!",
          "reason": "Points to its high reader rating without giving a personal evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12097160,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-14T21:04:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12097160",
          "commentText": "I just started reading the Art of Learning\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Art-Learning-Journey-Optimal-Performa... (https://www.amazon.com/Art-Learning-Journey-Optimal-Performance/dp/0743277465)\nI finished Linchpin a few weeks back and that was an amazing book  \nhttps://www.amazon.com/Linchpin-Are-Indispensable-Seth-Godin... (https://www.amazon.com/Linchpin-Are-Indispensable-Seth-Godin/dp/1591844096)\nWill It Fly is a great book I learning a lot of great marketing tricks from\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Will-Test-Business-Waste-Money/dp/099... (https://www.amazon.com/Will-Test-Business-Waste-Money/dp/0997082305)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Will It Fly is a great book I learning a lot of great marketing tricks from",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book and says they learned marketing tricks from it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pat Flynn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business validation",
        "entrepreneurship",
        "marketing",
        "business ideas"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wind-sand-and-stars-fb51bc",
      "title": "Wind, Sand and Stars",
      "author": "Antoine de Saint-Exupéry",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15630276,
          "author": "alekseypo",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:02:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630276",
          "commentText": "I really enjoy Jorge Luis Borges (hard to pick a favorite, just dive into the short stories and find out for yourself). Imagine an M.C. Escher drawing in story form.\nI also have a strong pull towards adventure so books like Wind, Sand and Stars by Exupery or Starlight and Storm by Rebuffat are constant companions.\nGrowing up I loved books by Emilio Salgari, for a man who traveled so little outside of Italy he had an uncanny ability to imagine worlds and adventures beyond his doorstep. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emilio_Salgari\nI second Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "or Starlight and Storm by Rebuffat are constant companions.",
          "reason": "Describes this adventure book as a constant companion.",
          "audience": "Readers drawn to adventure.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876630,
          "author": "richieb",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T13:13:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876630",
          "commentText": "\"War and Peace\"  Tolstoy\n\"Wind< Sand and Stars\" Saint Exupery",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wind< Sand and Stars\" Saint Exupery",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Antoine de Saint-Exupéry"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aviation",
        "adventure writing",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "windfall-the-booming-business-of-global-warming-4ae05c",
      "title": "Windfall: The Booming Business of Global Warming",
      "author": "McKenzie Funk",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38557717,
          "author": "Brajeshwar",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:51:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557717",
          "commentText": "Most of the books I read are influenced by similar threads on HN. This year has not been good overall and it impacted my reading. I need to finish writing the post https://brajeshwar.com/2023/books/\n“How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question” by Michael Schur is a fun book that opens with a good question, “Should I punch my friend in the face for no reason?”\nI have been meaning to and this year I finally read The Diary of a Young Girl.\nFor 2024, here are some of the ones from my list (sorry for the formatting, copied Markdown from my notes);\n- [Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_War:_The_Fight_for_the_Wo... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_War:_The_Fight_for_the_World%27s_Most_Critical_Technology)) by [Chris Miller](https://www.christophermiller.net)\n- [First Principles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Principles_%28book%29) by [Thomas E. Ricks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_E._Ricks_%28journalist%29)\n- [Greenlights](https://greenlights.com) by [Matthew McConaughey](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_McConaughey)\n- How Asia Works: Success and Failure in the World's Most Dynamic Region by Joe Studwell\n- [Poor Economics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poor_Economics): A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty by [Abhijit V. Banerjee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abhijit_Banerjee),  and [Esther Duflo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther_Duflo)\n- Raising An Emotionally Intelligent Child The Heart of Parenting by [John Gottman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gottman), and Joan DeClaire\n- [The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read](https://www.amazon.com/Book-Wish-Your-Parents-Read/dp/198487... (https://www.amazon.com/Book-Wish-Your-Parents-Read/dp/1984879553)): (and Your Children Will Be Glad That You Did) by [Philippa Perry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippa_Perry)\n- [The End Of The World Is Just The Beginning: Mapping The Collapse Of Globalization](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_End_of_the_World_is_just_t... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_End_of_the_World_is_just_the_Beginning)) by [Peter Zeihan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Zeihan)\n- [The Tatas: How a Family Built a Business and a Nation](https://www.amazon.com/Tatas-Family-Built-Business-Nation/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Tatas-Family-Built-Business-Nation/dp/9352779371)) by [Girish Kuber](https://mr.wikipedia.org/wiki/गिरीश_कुबेर), and English translation by Vikrant Pande.\n- [Windfall: The Booming Business of Global Warming](https://www.amazon.com/Windfall-Booming-Business-Global-Warm... (https://www.amazon.com/Windfall-Booming-Business-Global-Warming/dp/1594204012)) by [McKenzie Funk](https://www.mckenziefunk.com)\n- [Dieter Rams: The Complete Works](https://www.amazon.com/Dieter-Rams-Complete-Klaus-Klemp/dp/1... (https://www.amazon.com/Dieter-Rams-Complete-Klaus-Klemp/dp/1838661530/)) by [Klaus Klemp](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaus_Klemp)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "here are some of the ones from my list",
          "reason": "Included on the commenter's reading list for 2024.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as a planned read, not an evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11700128,
          "author": "shoo",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-15T09:22:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11700128",
          "commentText": "You might also be interested in reading \"Windfall: The Booming Business of Global Warming\" by McKenzie Funk.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You might also be interested in reading \"Windfall: The Booming Business of Global Warming\" by McKenzie Funk.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a book the reader might be interested in.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "McKenzie Funk"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "climate change",
        "climate economics",
        "energy industry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wolf-hall-3aa1c3",
      "title": "Wolf Hall",
      "author": "Hilary Mantel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13250939,
          "author": "tarboreus",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T18:19:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13250939",
          "commentText": "Some great suggestions here, but mostly well within the engineer comfort zone (Adams, Gaiman, Tolkien, Asimov, Pratchett, Weir, Sanderson, Rothfuss). If you're feeling like trying something a little different, I'd highly recommend Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. It's historical fiction set in Tudor England, and follows Oliver Cromwell who is a kind of fixer for Henry VIII. Beautiful language, but Mantel also has an ability to enter into the mindset of the times in a way that can be striking and alien.\nI have a fear that engineers on here are all reading and watching the same things. Intellectual monocultures are boring and potentially fragile. Let's make 2017 the year where HN reads a few books that aren't about wizards or engineers in space.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd highly recommend Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel.",
          "reason": "Explicitly highly recommended for its language and vivid portrayal of the period's mindset.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8026189,
          "author": "alina24",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-13T00:15:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 8025870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8026189",
          "commentText": "Hilary Mantel's \"Wolf Hall\" and \"Bring Up the Bodies\" - historical fiction. Brilliantly imagined life of Thomas Cromwell - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Cromwell,_1st_Earl_of_Es... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Cromwell,_1st_Earl_of_Essex)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brilliantly imagined life of Thomas Cromwell",
          "reason": "Praised for its imaginative portrayal of Thomas Cromwell.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3338061,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T18:15:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3338061",
          "commentText": "Just bought a (physical) Kindle; it has:\n_Wolf Hall_ (http://www.amazon.com/Wolf-Hall-Novel-Booker-Prize/dp/080508... (http://www.amazon.com/Wolf-Hall-Novel-Booker-Prize/dp/0805080686))\n_Tree of Smoke_ (http://www.amazon.com/Tree-Smoke-Novel-Denis-Johnson/dp/0374... (http://www.amazon.com/Tree-Smoke-Novel-Denis-Johnson/dp/0374279128))\n(I'm about halfway through both; I'm trying to get better about reading fiction).\n_The Lean Startup_ (http://www.amazon.com/Lean-Startup-Entrepreneurs-Continuous-... (http://www.amazon.com/Lean-Startup-Entrepreneurs-Continuous-Innovation/dp/0307887898/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323540517&sr=1-1))\n(Having trouble getting myself propelled into this one)\n_Imbibe!_ (http://www.amazon.com/Imbibe-Absinthe-Cocktail-Professor-Fea... (http://www.amazon.com/Imbibe-Absinthe-Cocktail-Professor-Featuringthe/dp/0399532870/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323540560&sr=1-1))\n(Probably the best book on booze ever written, my favorite thing I've read all year)\n_Bitters_ (http://www.amazon.com/Bitters-Spirited-Cure-All-Cocktails-Fo... (http://www.amazon.com/Bitters-Spirited-Cure-All-Cocktails-Formulas/dp/1580083595/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323540592&sr=1-1))\n(The Atlantic liked this book, but I found it slight --- although we're going to make bitters from this book in our office, so maybe I'll appreciate it more later)\nFinally, I didn't read this \"recently\", but I'll take the opportunity to STRONGLY RECOMMEND IT TO EVERYONE:\n_Ideas in Food_ (http://www.amazon.com/Ideas-Food-Great-Recipes-They/dp/03077... (http://www.amazon.com/Ideas-Food-Great-Recipes-They/dp/0307717402/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323540682&sr=1-1))\nThis book blew my freaking head off. The authors are modernist (\"molecular\", gag) consultant/chefs with a very popular blog; the book adapts the stuff on their blog to home and professional cooking.\nWhat's amazing about it is that they did such a great job translating modernist techniques not just to home kitchens but to home cooking, so that the same concepts that give you wanking spherification and foam dishes in restaurants give you hands-free bulletproof risotto at home. I could go on and on about this thing. It is simultaneously the geekiest and most useful food book I've ever bought. Own it immediately.\n(Do audiobooks count? If so, add to the list _Thinking Fast And Slow_ by Daniel Kahneman, _Blood, Bones & Butter_ by Gabrielle Hamilton, and Caro's _Power Broker_).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "_Wolf Hall_",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hilary Mantel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "tudor england"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "women-fire-and-dangerous-things-82fff5",
      "title": "Women, Fire, and Dangerous Things",
      "author": "George Lakoff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37960155,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:07:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960155",
          "commentText": "* \"The Code Book\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book explores the history of codes and codebreaking. It traces the evolution of cryptography from ancient times to the digital age, detailing famous codebreakers, notorious codes, and the role of codes in wars and revolutions.\n* \"Warped Passages\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book guides readers through the world of particle physics and string theory. It discusses key theories, experiments, and concepts that have shaped our understanding of the fundamental structure of the universe.\n* \"A History of The Internet And the Digital Future\" by Johnny Ryan (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers a comprehensive history of the internet and looks forward to its future. It traces the development of the internet, exploring its impact on society and speculating on potential future developments.\n* \"The Master Switch\" by Tim Wu (1 mention)\n    * Summary: The Master Switch looks at the history of information technologies like telephone, radio, television, and the Internet to see how their development was shaped by businesses and government. The book discusses the cycle of open to closed systems in the context of the Internet.\n* \"The Realities of Work: Experiencing Work and Employment in Contemporary Society\" by Mike Noon and Paul Blyton (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Examines the nature of work, the variety of different jobs, and the skills they require. This book highlights the changes in the structures and cultures of work and analyses their impact on the working lives of employees.\n* \"The Ascent of Humanity: Civilization and the Human Sense of Self\" by Charles Eisenstein (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book explores the history and future of civilization from a unique perspective. It hypothesizes that human history is a story of the self's marginalization from nature and each other and proposes that mounting crises in the modern world will lead to an 'Age of Reunion' with a more connected sense of self.\n* \"Cosmos\" by Carl Sagan (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A guide to the universe beyond the Earth. Sagan explores the origins, scale, and future of the universe, offering insights into the nature of life and mankind's place in the cosmos. The book fosters an appreciation for the quest for knowledge for its own sake.\n* \"Women, fire, and dangerous things\" by Lakoff (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A scholarly book about human cognition and linguistic categorization. It posits that human categorization is not arbitrary, but is based on cognitive models that originate from physical, social, and mental experience. It argues against a classical categorization approach in favor of a prototype approach.\n* \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A series of philosophical reflections and exercises by the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. The book offers guidance and insights on matters such as resilience, rationality, morality, duty, and the temporal nature of human life, reflecting the Stoic philosophy that Aurelius practiced.\n* \"A History of the Internet and the Digital Future\" by Johnny Ryan (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers a comprehensive history of the internet and speculates about its future. It discusses the various technological and social transformations that have accompanied the rise of the internet, as well as the implications these changes may have for the future.\n* \"The Master Switch\" by Tim Wu (1 mention)\n    * Summary: The book examines the history of information, communications and technology industries in the United States. Wu explores how the control of these industries has shifted from an open to a closed system, stifling innovation and threatening net neutrality.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Women, fire, and dangerous things\" by Lakoff (1 mention)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937290,
          "author": "jazzyjackson",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:50:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937290",
          "commentText": "\"women, fire, and dangerous things\" by Lakoff for the meta on categories in general :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"women, fire, and dangerous things\" by Lakoff",
          "reason": "Suggested for exploring categories in general.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in categories.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3277790,
          "author": "corprew",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T18:26:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3277790",
          "commentText": "Not a business book, but \"Women, Fire, and Dangerous Things\" by George Lakoff is a great guide to how humans think about categories and other related topics rather than how as computer professionals we're trained to represent those relationships.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Women, Fire, and Dangerous Things\" by George Lakoff is a great guide",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great guide to how people think about categories.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in human categorization and how people think.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143380,
          "author": "_5y6p",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T16:32:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143380",
          "commentText": "Without a doubt, Heidegger's explanation of readiness-to-hand in Being and Time has done more for my usability and process inefficiency evaluating skills than even Don Norman's Design of Everyday Things or any HCI book I've ever read.  While Norman's book comes in a strong second, the benefit of the first few chapters of Being and Time is the incredibly low-level cognitive access it gives you to the work your brain does when engaged in a task.  (If you're interested and don't mind slogging through some tough writing, pick up the hardcover version and Dreyfus' Being-in-the-World and read them together.  Reading a Wikipedia article or some other summary fails to deliver the same degree of low-level access.)\nI'll also mention Ayn Rand as someone who wrote inspiringly about the entrepreneur as a (potentially) heroic figure, but hasten to add that her sociology of looters and movers is way too simplistic to ground some of her views on ethics.\nJohn Stuart Mill's \"Utilitarianism\" was my first assigned reading in a political philosophy class, and remains my favorite.\nNietzsche's On the Genealogy of Morals prompted me to question whether the values I had always held were really all that valuable.\nEleanor Rosch's work on basic categories and prototype theory (without which Lakoff's Women, Fire, and Dangerous Things--not to mention Weinberger's Everything is Miscellaneous--would likely not have been written) is fantastic, debunking empirically the Aristotelian theory of categories as being defined by necessary and sufficient conditions (they can be, where we intentionally define them to be from a top-down point of view, as in geometry, but bottom-up the construction of categories is much looser and based on family resemblances with one or several prototypes serving as the central point of comparison: hence, when I say \"bird\" you're more likely to think of a bluebird-type bird than a penguin or an ostrich).  Knowing this does a lot to help loosen up your understanding of things, which can become rigidified by traditional mathematical, scientific, and analytic philosophical education.\nSeveral others worth mentioning, but I've got to get back to work!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Lakoff's Women, Fire, and Dangerous Things",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Readers interested in categories and cognitive linguistics.",
          "caveat": "Mentioned as a work likely influenced by Eleanor Rosch's research.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Lakoff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "categorization",
        "cognitive linguistics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "words-of-radiance-d2e8f6",
      "title": "Words of Radiance",
      "author": "Brandon Sanderson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46416728,
          "author": "jharohit",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-29T02:15:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46416728",
          "commentText": "sharing a few books I recommended in my annual list (recommend reading!)\nhttps://rohitjha.com/blog/reading-highlights-2025/\nNon Fiction:\n- Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future by Dan Wang (2025)\n- How to Live an Extraordinary Life by Anthony Pompliano (2024)\nFiction:\n- The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester (1956)\n- Consider Phlebas (Culture Series #1) by Iain M. Banks (1987)\n- The Way of Kings (2010, Stormlight #1) & Words of Radiance (2014, Stormlight #2) by Brandon Sanderson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Words of Radiance (2014, Stormlight #2)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783776,
          "author": "noxToken",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T15:40:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783776",
          "commentText": "Was light year for me:\nConfessions of a D-List Supervillain - Jim Bernheimer\nOrigins of a D-List Supervillain - Jim Bernheimer\nThe second is a prequel of the first. I haven't read the third in the series. Light reading about a guy's descent into villainy.\nYes Please - Amy Poehler: I love memoirs. I just didn't love this one. It read a lot like Leslie Knope was the author, but there was an obscene amount of name dropping that kept interrupting the flow of the book for me.\nFresh Off the Boat: A Memoir - Eddie Huang: Like I said, I'm a sucker for these things. Picked it up, because the series reminded me of a 90s Asian version of Everybody Hates Chris. The absurdity and random profanity was a little off-putting at first. Remembering how I felt as a black boy doing some of the same dumb things in the 90s really put it into perspective though.\nThe Serpent of Venice: A Novel - Christopher Moore: The follow up to Fool. It's a different take on Shakespearian story-telling. I can't recommend his novels enough.\nQuantum Lens - Douglas E. Richards: I read this solely because I liked Wired and Amped. No-frills action with a sci-fi element. You probably won't get engrossed, but you will be entertained.\nSpell or High Water & An Unwelcome Quest - Scott Meyer: Books 2 & 3 in a series about a group of guys who can manipulate reality through writing scripts. Good, but not my favorite.\nArmada: A Novel - Ernest Cline: Ah yes. The long awaited sophomore effort from the author of Ready Player One. This book fell harder than it deserved to, because people where expecting it to be analogous to Ready Player One. Spoiler: it's not. The novel does have its short-comings. Repetitive dialogue, shoe-horned classic pop-culture references and shallow writing plague this book. If you've got time for a short novel, give it a whirl, but don't expect anything amazing.\nWords of Radiance - Brandon Sanderson: Book 2 of the Stormlight Archives. If it's an epic by Sanderson, do yourself a favor and board the hype train. You won't be disappointed. It's everything you want in a long fantasy novel without being bogged down with side-plots and details.\nWarbreaker - Brandon Sanderson: This is a standalone novel with a tie-on to Words of Radiance. I'm only halfway through it. Would recommend so far, especially since it's free from the author.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Words of Radiance - Brandon Sanderson: Book 2 of the Stormlight Archives. If it's an epic by Sanderson, do yourself a favor and board the hype train. You won't be disappointed. It's everything you want in a long fantasy novel without being bogged down with side-plots and details.",
          "reason": "Recommends Sanderson's epic fantasy and says this delivers what readers want without bogging down.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy long epic fantasy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968373,
          "author": "m3mnoch",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:40:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968373",
          "commentText": "i just finished listening to brandon sanderson's \"words of radiance\" as read to me by my digital personal assistant during my work commutes.  in the ivona amy voice, of course as she's pretty good with crazy names like \"urithiru\".\nmoving on to his \"warbreaker\" now.  apparently, they're all tied together in an uber-epic.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "just finished listening to brandon sanderson's \"words of radiance\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brandon Sanderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "cosmere",
        "high fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "work-rules-df740c",
      "title": "Work Rules!",
      "author": "Laszlo Bock",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238121,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:01:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238121",
          "commentText": "Last year I gave myself a Zuckerberg-style goal to read a book every two weeks. It started well, but some months were harder than others (usually when the book wasn't very good, so I would switch to podcasts for a few weeks, before getting back on track).\nHere's an unordered list of the best:\n[BUSINESS / SELF-IMPROVEMENT]\n- \"Work Rules!\" - about Google's culture and values\n- \"Search Inside Yourself\" - about mindfulness, meditation, and the impact on your life.\n- \"What got you here won't get you there\" - Liked a lot more than I expected.\n- \"Re-read Innovator's Dilemma\" - a great classic; never gets old.\n- \"How will you measure your life\" - from the same author. Also excellent.\n- \"The Best Service is No Service\" - good overview on why Amazon's customer service is so good\n- \"Crucial Conversations\" - half is common sense; half is good tips to practice everyday.\n[PROGRAMMING]\n- \"Fluent Python\" - was afraid it'd be too basic, but not really. Enjoyed it a lot.\n- \"Think Complexity\" - about algorithm complexity, data structures, etc. Great read.\n- \"Python Data Science Handbook\" - meh.\n- \"Fundamentals of Deep Learning\" - good intro. Helped me solidify some concepts from Andrew Ng's ML course\n- \"Deep Learning\" - by Goodfellow and Bengio. Just started, but really liking it.\n[STARTUPS] (all excellent; in order)\n- \"The Hard Things about Hard Things\"\n- \"Zero to One\"\n- \"The Founder's Dilemmas\"\n- \"The Launch Pad\"\n[FICTION]\n- Trilogy: \"Off to be a wizard / An Unwelcome Quest / Spell or High Water\"\n- \"Infinite Jest\" - tried but failed to finish. May try again later.\n- \"Ready Player One\" - nice, but repetitive after a while. Good read before the movie comes out.\n[NON-FICTION]\n- \"What If?\" - xkcd FTW\n- \"How to Read a Book\" - good concepts, but should be a 10 pages blog post, not a book\n- \"Spark\" - Science of the Exercise and the Brain - Long, but good\n- \"Sugar Shock\" - still reading; hopefully will help me cut my sweet cravings\n[BIOGRAPHIES]\n- \"The New New Thing\" - about Jim Clark's life, one of the very first entrepreneurs\n- \"Machines of Loving Grace\" - about the research and the rise of AI\n- \"Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution\"\n- \"The Second Coming of Steve Jobs\" - About Pixar's story. Liked more than Isaacson's biography\n- \"The Innovators\" - great summary of computer industry, from the 1800's till today\n- \"Ghost in the Wires\" - Kevin Mitnick's story. Had started years ago, but finally finished it\n- \"Idea Man\" - about Paul Allen's story. Quite an impressive man.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Work Rules!\" - about Google's culture and values",
          "reason": "Included in the comment’s unordered list of best books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Laszlo Bock"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human resources",
        "workplace culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "works-by-neal-stephenson-b3a54e",
      "title": "Works by Neal Stephenson",
      "author": "Neal Stephenson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2043523,
          "author": "coffeenut",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:17:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043523",
          "commentText": "The Sparrow - Mary Doria Russell.  Hands down one of the best sci-fi books I've ever read.\nOh, and anything by Neil Stephenson (except Zodiac).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "anything by Neil Stephenson (except Zodiac)",
          "reason": "Recommends the author's work, with an exception for Zodiac.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Excludes Zodiac.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85940,
          "author": "bockris",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T14:43:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85940",
          "commentText": "All of William Gibson and all of Neal Stephenson (especially Cryptonomicon and Baroque cycle series)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "all of Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neal Stephenson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "speculative fiction",
        "historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "worlds-of-exile-and-illusion-42d122",
      "title": "Worlds of Exile and Illusion",
      "author": "Ursula K. Le Guin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39252024,
          "author": "jkmcf",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T17:05:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39252024",
          "commentText": "This past week I started Ursula Le Guin's \"Worlds of Exile and Illusion: Three Complete Novels of the Hainish Series in One Volume--Rocannon's World; Planet of Exile; City of Illusions\"\nThese are her earliest, published novels. The introduction is a bit odd as the author hasn't read much le Guin including her most popular, award winning books other than The Wizard of Earthsea.\nI'm not much of a critical reader, but these definitely do not have the philosophical depth (or I don't have the philosophical depth to pic up on it) of The Dispossessed and friends, but they are interesting and well written.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Worlds-Exile-Illusion-Rocannons-Illus... (https://www.amazon.com/Worlds-Exile-Illusion-Rocannons-Illusions-ebook/dp/B01MQIG9PL)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "This past week I started Ursula Le Guin's \"Worlds of Exile and Illusion: Three Complete Novels of the Hainish Series in One Volume--Rocannon's World; Planet of Exile; City of Illusions\"",
          "reason": "The commenter finds the early novels interesting and well written, though lacking the philosophical depth of later work.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Le Guin's earliest novels.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these lack the philosophical depth of The Dispossessed and other later works.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2087738,
          "author": "InclinedPlane",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T06:47:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2087738",
          "commentText": "\"Worlds of Exile and Illusion\" (Hainish cycle collection) and \"The Left Hand of Darkness\" by Ursula K Le Quin\n\"Singularity Sky\" by Charles Stross\n\"The Player of Games\" by Iain M Banks",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Worlds of Exile and Illusion\" (Hainish cycle collection)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ursula K. Le Guin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hainish cycle",
        "collected novels"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "worm-07acea",
      "title": "Worm",
      "author": "John C. McCrae (Wildbow)",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17539190,
          "author": "DuskStar",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T06:31:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17539190",
          "commentText": "Wait, HPMOR was lighthearted? That's not quite how I'd describe it. But in the same vein, try Worm [0]: A take on superpowers that tries to include changes to the world it's set in. Highly recommended by the author of HPMOR - \"The characters in Worm use their powers so intelligently I didn’t even notice until something like the 10th volume that the alleged geniuses were behaving like actual geniuses\". Also now has a sequel, Ward [1]. But be warned - \"people who get powers continuing to act like people\" does not a happy world make. (Also, it's really remarkably long. Like, current length of the ASOIAF series long.) Goodreads: [2]\nFollowing a slightly more conventional definition of lighthearted, I think I'd recommend Larry Niven's Ringworld. When it comes to \"moderately plausible megastructures\", the ringworld concept is by far my favorite. Much less complicated than a Dyson Swarm, after all! Story is ok, and the sequels expanded things well enough. Not exactly the biggest fan of his female characters. Still worth it. Triple Crown (Hugo/Nebula/Locus) winner. Goodreads: [3]\n0: https://parahumans.wordpress.com/\n1: https://www.parahumans.net/about/\n2: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18713259-worm\n3: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61179.Ringworld",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Highly recommended by the author of HPMOR",
          "reason": "Recommends Worm, citing the strong characterization of intelligent use of superpowers.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in stories about superpowers and their effects on society.",
          "caveat": "The comment warns that it is not a happy world and is remarkably long.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9349987,
          "author": "aharrison",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T18:47:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9349987",
          "commentText": "I will second this and say that in my opinion it gets better as you go along, although it gets tedious in parts. Be prepared, it is a long story.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I will second this and say that in my opinion it gets better as you go along, although it gets tedious in parts.",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the recommendation and thinks it improves as it progresses.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It gets tedious in parts and is a long story.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John C. McCrae (Wildbow)"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "web serial",
        "superhero fiction",
        "superheroes"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "writing-efficient-programs-b528b6",
      "title": "Writing Efficient Programs",
      "author": "Jon Bentley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35954262,
          "author": "vram22",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-15T20:46:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35954262",
          "commentText": "Not all of the ones below may be textbooks, sorry, but IMO they are all very good. I cut my programming teeth on some of them, and read others at different times later in my career.\nHow to Solve It, by Georg Polya. \nA famous Hungarian mathematician. \nA text on general problem solving principles or techniques. A classic.\nHow to Solve It by Computer, by Dromey, an AU CS professor. In the same spirit as the Polya book, but applied to iteratively working out algorithms and pseudocode for common important programming problems.\nThe K&R C book. What to say.\nThe Unix Programming Environment, by Kernighan and Pike. Ditto.\nProgramming Pearls, and More Programming Pearls, by Jon Bentley.\nAmong many other things, some clever / advanced uses of awk.\nWriting Efficient Programs, also by Bentley. I had mentioned it on HN earlier, and someone replied saying they had used it in real life, and it was gold.\nSQL for Professionals, by authors whose names I forget.\nThe Object Primer, by can't remember who, but good.\nA Unix book by Kochan, IIRC.\nObject-Oriented Software Construction, by Bertrand Meyer, creator of the Eiffel programming language.\nA book on object-oriented analysis / design, can't remember the name, by Rebecca Wirfs-Brock (?) and others. Learned about CRC  cards from it. Very cool concept and technique.\nA book on Object-Oriented Design, by Grady Booch, from a time before he co-invented UML. Forget the exact name.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Writing Efficient Programs, also by Bentley.",
          "reason": "The commenter relays that someone said the book was useful in real life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The positive assessment is attributed to another commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13413102,
          "author": "vram22",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T21:14:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13413102",
          "commentText": "> (in an environment where efficiency was paramount), Writing Efficient Programs was gold. I still have it, and I'm glad that to see that it's still valued.\nInteresting to know, and agreed.\nThe book even has a list of thumb rules for the various kinds of optimizations it describes, with guidelines on when each one is appropriate to use or not (as you would know, having read it). Great writing throughout, too. Loop unrolling (for both fixed- and variable-length loops) was one among the many cool ones.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book even has a list of thumb rules for the various kinds of optimizations it describes",
          "reason": "Calls out useful optimization rules, appropriate use guidelines, and strong writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13409695,
          "author": "dfan",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T13:01:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13409695",
          "commentText": "When I started coding for a living in the early 1990s (in an environment where efficiency was paramount), Writing Efficient Programs was gold. I still have it, and I'm glad that to see that it's still valued.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "When I started coding for a living in the early 1990s (in an environment where efficiency was paramount), Writing Efficient Programs was gold. I still have it, and I'm glad that to see that it's still valued.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it invaluable in an efficiency-focused programming environment and is glad it remains valued.",
          "audience": "Programmers concerned with efficiency.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jon Bentley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "program optimization",
        "performance tuning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "yertle-the-turtle-95f695",
      "title": "Yertle the Turtle",
      "author": "Dr. Seuss",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50039386,
          "author": "NishanStepak",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T02:52:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50039386",
          "commentText": "Yertle is fantastic.  For something more modern try Pete the Cat.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Yertle is fantastic.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the book fantastic and recommends it alongside Pete the Cat.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15629970,
          "author": "hirundo",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:05:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15629970",
          "commentText": "Yertle the Turtle, by Dr. Seuss. It taught me early to question authority and resist popular movements that are built on my back.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Yertle the Turtle, by Dr. Seuss. It taught me early to question authority and resist popular movements that are built on my back.",
          "reason": "The commenter credits it with teaching them to question authority and resist exploitative movements.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dr. Seuss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s literature",
        "children s picture book",
        "political allegory",
        "rhyming story"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "your-brain-at-work-1644fa",
      "title": "Your Brain at Work",
      "author": "David Rock",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9674341,
          "author": "vlow",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T12:18:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674341",
          "commentText": "\"Your Brain at Work\" by David Rock is full of insights about the human brain in daily situations. What makes it different from many other neuro-biology books is that it does not only present scientific knowledge but enables you to put that knowledge to use immediately. It really changed my way of thinking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It really changed my way of thinking.",
          "reason": "Says it changed their way of thinking and offers practical use of brain science.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in applying brain science to everyday situations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5328335,
          "author": "gary__",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-05T23:57:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 5323956,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: which are some good self-help books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5328335",
          "commentText": "Your Brain at Work http://www.amazon.co.uk/Your-Brain-Work-Strategies-Distracti... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Your-Brain-Work-Strategies-Distraction/dp/0061771295)\nIt uses the short stories from the work days of a senior manager and software consultancy owner to explain how and why the brain reacts the way it does in challenging situations and gives advice on how best to mitigate its limitations.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Your Brain at Work",
          "reason": "Explains brain responses in challenging situations and offers advice for managing limitations.",
          "audience": "People facing challenging situations at work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Rock"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Business",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognitive neuroscience",
        "neuroscience",
        "workplace",
        "workplace productivity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "zero-bugs-and-program-faster-ae5eca",
      "title": "Zero Bugs and Program Faster",
      "author": "Kate Thompson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15965699,
          "author": "tranvu",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T23:56:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15965699",
          "commentText": "- The Road to Character (David Brooks)\n- Code (Charles Petzold)\n- Soft Skills: The Software Developer's Life Manual (John Z. Sonmez)\n- Zero Bugs and Program Faster (Kate Thompson)\n- Daemon (Daniel Suarez)\n- Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions (Brian Christian)\n- How to Talk to Anyone: 92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships (Leil Lowndes)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zero Bugs and Program Faster (Kate Thompson)",
          "reason": "Listed as a book read in response to a question asking which books the commenter would recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13408406,
          "author": "ktRolster",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T05:41:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13408406",
          "commentText": "Zero Bugs and Program Faster, I'd say. Here's a brief reflection: https://www.opinionatedgeek.com/Blog/2016/11/23/zero-bugs-an... (https://www.opinionatedgeek.com/Blog/2016/11/23/zero-bugs-and-program-faster-by-kate-thompson)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zero Bugs and Program Faster, I'd say.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kate Thompson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "debugging",
        "programming",
        "software development",
        "software quality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "zero-day-0ec787",
      "title": "Zero Day",
      "author": "Mark Russinovich",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17750399,
          "author": "nebulous1",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T14:37:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17750399",
          "commentText": "I only read Zero Day and I thought it was pretty bad.  Obviously he's got much better tech credentials than most authors, and I felt he probably should have gone for a more niche tech-literate market than just write tech-oriented bad fiction.  Just looking now, his later novels seemed to get slightly better goodreads reviews so perhaps his writing got a little better.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I only read Zero Day and I thought it was pretty bad.",
          "reason": "Says the novel was pretty bad and criticizes its tech-oriented fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says later novels seemed to receive slightly better Goodreads reviews.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17749639,
          "author": "terminalcommand",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T12:49:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17749639",
          "commentText": "Mark Russinovich's Jeff Aiken Trilogy. If you're looking for a quality bestseller similar to Dan Brown books.\nZero day, Trojan Horse and Rogue Code are all excellent novels. Some common themes include computer virus epidemics, cyber armies, cyber warfare, dangers of an overnetworked but undersecured society",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zero day, Trojan Horse and Rogue Code are all excellent novels.",
          "reason": "Described as an excellent novel in a recommended trilogy.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a quality bestseller similar to Dan Brown.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968396,
          "author": "jaymon",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:44:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968396",
          "commentText": "I started The Martian by Andy Weir about 3 days ago and I'm really enjoying it. It's a really entertaining book that I highly recommend!\nLast week I finished The Paradox of Choice and Zero Day. I enjoyed both of them, although I don't think I'll be reading any of the sequels to Zero Day.\nBefore that I went through The Maze Runner trilogy, those were entertaining reads.\nSome other books I've read recently that I can remember off the top of my head are the Divergent series of books (eh), How Will You Measure Your Life by Clayton Christensen (great read), Ready Player One (loved, loved, loved this book), Starters (didn't bother reading any more in the series) and Moon walking With Einstein (I enjoyed it).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed both of them, although I don't think I'll be reading any of the sequels to Zero Day.",
          "reason": "Says it was enjoyable, while declining to read its sequels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not plan to read the sequels.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Russinovich"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer security",
        "cyber thriller",
        "cybercrime",
        "cyberwarfare"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "zero-history-00daba",
      "title": "Zero History",
      "author": "William Gibson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10207278,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T04:56:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10207278",
          "commentText": "Neuromancer - William Gibson\nREAMDE- Neal Stephenson\nPattern Recognition / Zero History / Spook Country - William Gibson\nThe Peripheral - William Gibson\nNot exactly the same thing, but I'll also throw in Glasshouse by Charles Stross.  And since we're talking Charles Stross, also add Halting State to the list.\nOh, and VALIS by Philip K. Dick.  Definitely worth a read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pattern Recognition / Zero History / Spook Country - William Gibson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8026501,
          "author": "wj",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-13T03:03:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 8025870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8026501",
          "commentText": "Zero History by William Gibson. Half way through.\nPattern Recognition, the first of the trilogy, was my favorite.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Zero History by William Gibson. Half way through.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is halfway through.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4353871,
          "author": "e12e",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-08T04:16:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 4353632,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon.  What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4353871",
          "commentText": "If you enjoyed \"Snow Crash\" and \"Diamond Age\", I'd recommend \"Islands in the Net\" (if you can get hold of a copy) and \"Holy Fire\" by Bruce Sterling. Or for something newer, \"the Zenith Angle\" by same.\nI've also enjoyed all of Willam Gibsons books, including the latest trilogy \"Pattern Recognition\", \"Spook Country\" and \"Zero History\".\nIf you bothered to read through \"Cryptonomicon\" you'll either love \"the Code Book\" by Simon Singh more than I did, or hate it :-)\nAssuming you've picket through the classics shelf, you might have missed out on Samuel Delany - \"The Einstein Intersection\" might be a good one to try on for size -- although I actually found \"Neveryóna\" to be maybe his most interesting book (of the ones I've been able to get hold of) [edit: After \"Dhalgren\", that is. But I think \"Dhalgren\" is a bit like Joyce's \"Ulysses\" -- a classic I haven't gotten around to yet. I spent the better part of ten (10!) years reading through \"Dhalgren\", picking it up on odd holidays - never loosing touch with the intricate unreality within, readily satisfied after reading a few pages or a chapter -- like nibbling on a choice ham that didn't spoil. It's rather more complex than any of the other books I've listed here].\nAlso worth mentioning in the \"might be overlooked\" section is Jerry Pournelle's \"Falkenberg's Legion\" (republished as \"the Prince\").\nI'm afraid I've been mostly digging through second hand books lately, so the only other semi-recent book I could recommend would be \"Broken Angels\" by Richard Morgan (technically it's number two in a trilogy -- but I find it stands better on its own).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Zero History\"",
          "reason": "Included among Gibson's books, which the commenter says they have enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Gibson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "blue ant",
        "contemporary fiction",
        "near future",
        "near future fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "zone-to-win-715320",
      "title": "Zone to Win",
      "author": "Geoffrey A. Moore",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14478577,
          "author": "williamstein",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T21:25:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478577",
          "commentText": "\"Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling High-Tech Products to Mainstream Customers\" by Geoffrey A. Moore and also his recent \"Zone to win\".  His books explain some of the \"deeper structure\" to tech business, and is one of the few business-related books I've read  that has any depth.  By \"depth\", I mean in the sense that I'm used to from research mathematics (I'm a number theorist by training), where you learn something about a problem that lets you think about problems in a more detailed way.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "his recent \"Zone to win\"",
          "reason": "Included among the author's books praised for explaining deeper structures in technology business.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in technology business and detailed frameworks.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Geoffrey A. Moore"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business strategy",
        "organizational change",
        "technology companies",
        "technology strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "zorba-the-greek-ab88a6",
      "title": "Zorba the Greek",
      "author": "Nikos Kazantzakis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9349511,
          "author": "georgiev",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T17:50:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9349511",
          "commentText": "\"Zorba the Greek\" by Nikos Kazantzakis\nIt's a novel which makes you think about how you want to spend your everyday life. It's a book about appreciating what you have, about friendship, about love. It's very pure.\nI'd recommend it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend it.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it for its reflections on everyday life, appreciation, friendship, and love.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4597662,
          "author": "bgrohman",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-01T15:53:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 4596721,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4597662",
          "commentText": "1. Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong, by James W. Loewen\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Lies-My-Teacher-Told-Everything/dp/074... (http://www.amazon.com/Lies-My-Teacher-Told-Everything/dp/0743296281)\n2. Clojure Programming, by Chas Emerick\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Clojure-Programming-Chas-Emerick/dp/14... (http://www.amazon.com/Clojure-Programming-Chas-Emerick/dp/1449394701/)\n3. Zorba the Greek, by Nikos Kazantzakis\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Zorba-Greek-Nikos-Kazantzakis/dp/06848... (http://www.amazon.com/Zorba-Greek-Nikos-Kazantzakis/dp/0684825546)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Zorba the Greek, by Nikos Kazantzakis",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569262,
          "author": "ascuttlefish",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T22:04:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569262",
          "commentText": "Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nikos Kazantzakis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "greek literature",
        "existentialism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-beautiful-mind-f96701",
      "title": "A Beautiful Mind",
      "author": "Sylvia Nasar",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 203173,
          "author": "sohamdas",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T10:28:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=203173",
          "commentText": "\"Surely you are joking Mr. Feynman\" [absolutely rockstar of a autobiography]\n\"Every Second Counts\" Lance Armstrong [poignant]\n\"A beautiful mind\" John Forbes Nash [moving, and heart wrenching]\nMy personal favourite:\n\"Icon\" Steve Jobs",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"A beautiful mind\" John Forbes Nash [moving, and heart wrenching]",
          "reason": "Described as moving and heart-wrenching.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 202956,
          "author": "rglovejoy",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T03:50:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=202956",
          "commentText": "John Forbes Nash: \"A Beautiful Mind\" by Sylvia Nasir\nRichard Feynman: \"Genius\" by James Gleick\n\"The Passion of Ayn Rand\" by Barbara Brandon\n\"John Adams\" and \"Truman\" by David McCullough\n\"Lincoln the Unknown\" by Dale Carnegie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "John Forbes Nash: \"A Beautiful Mind\" by Sylvia Nasir",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sylvia Nasar"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Mathematics",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "john nash",
        "mathematicians",
        "schizophrenia"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-history-of-warfare-641924",
      "title": "A History of Warfare",
      "author": "John Keegan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 457944,
          "author": "uuilly",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-30T10:15:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=457944",
          "commentText": "I've been waiting years for someone to ask this question :)\nWishlited this last night on amazon:\nCarnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise to Western Power by Victor Davis Hanson\nHave read these and enjoyed these:\nGeneral Warfare theory:\nHistory of Warfare by Keegan\nIntel:\nIntelligence and War by Keegan\nCounterinsurgency:\n\"Ghost Wars\" by Steve Coll.  For a really enjoyable experience read \"The Great Game\"  by Hopkirk first.\nThe Civil War deserves it's own category. Watch the PBS dvds, actually buy them.  If you're hungry for more dig into \"The Civil War\" by Shelby Foote is hefty but it's satisfying.\n1776 is a classic.\n\"Blind mans bluff\" is a great book about submarine warfare.\nFor more current stuff Robert Kagan is probably the most informed pundit on war and military strategy.\nWW-II\n\"The Last Lion\" books 1 and 2 are about Churchill and they involve lots of military strategy.  You should also check out \"The gathering storm + the other six books Churchill wrote on WWII.\nMan I could go on forever.  I have \"Panzer General\" and \"Caesar's Conquest of Gaul\" on my nightstand...\nEnjoy...\nPS:  Once you're well versed you'll hear people referring to Clauswitz a lot.  When you're sick of hearing his name and you want more than the wikipedia entry go read \"On War.\"  Art of War goes w/o saying as well...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Have read these and enjoyed these:\nGeneral Warfare theory:\nHistory of Warfare by Keegan",
          "reason": "The commenter says they read and enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 456339,
          "author": "mechanical_fish",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T14:08:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456339",
          "commentText": "You sound like you're looking for something like Jones' The Art of War in the Western World:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Art-War-Western-World/dp/0252069668\nOr just go there and follow Amazon \"related\" links.\nJones is of the \"very broad\" school of military history. It can be a little bit dry, but it certainly tries to be comprehensive: It's like Civilization in that it starts with phalanx and then moves slowly forward through the history of strategy and tactics.\nYou might like the works of John Keegan, another famous military historian who takes a general approach. He's got a History of Warfare that's like a lighter-weight version of Jones -- I might recommend starting with that, actually. His one-volume histories of WWI and WWII are probably decent.\nKeegan is British, so it wouldn't surprise me if his histories were heavy on the Western front. If you want the actual history of WWII you need a history that's more about the Eastern Front, which is pretty much where the war in Europe was actually decided. Unfortunately, the history on that subject lags decades behind, because the surviving Germans didn't exactly want to dwell on it and the Soviets weren't exactly forthcoming. (Many of the key Soviet figures either got disappeared by Stalin or lived under the constant fear of being disappeared by Stalin.) I'm not sure what the best current general history of the Eastern Front is, but I do know that the big Western expert on the subject is David Glantz, who has spent the last twenty years digging through formerly-sealed Soviet records of enormous battles that were covered up for years.  I'd probably start with:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Slaughterhouse-Handbook-Eastern-David-... (http://www.amazon.com/Slaughterhouse-Handbook-Eastern-David-Glantz/dp/097176509X)\nbecause I don't know any better and it comes up first on Amazon.\nIf you want something written by a gamer try the works of James Dunnigan, founder of SPI and author of a whole pile of famous simulation board games. I read most of his Dirty Little Secrets of World War II and it was interesting. A much breezier style than the heavy-duty military historians. And he's got books that cover contemporary military stuff as well as history.\nNobody should read about war at the 10,000 foot level without also reading about what it's actually like on the ground. Obviously, the great modern literary works on the subject are Slaughterhouse Five and, even more so, Catch-22. In the realm of nonfiction, Fussell's Wartime was interesting, but it led me to Eugene Sledge's With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa, which is even better: a very good book by a guy from the front lines in the Pacific who is not shy about telling you exactly what went on. Comes with an endorsement by PG! (from the last time I mentioned it on HN.)Don't read it over lunch if you're squeamish.\n(I haven't actually read some of these, but my dad is a military boardgamer and military history buff. He's got several bookshelves packed with books like these.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I might recommend starting with that, actually",
          "reason": "Recommended as a lighter-weight overview than Jones's work.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a general military history.",
          "caveat": "The commenter speculates Keegan's histories may emphasize the Western Front.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Keegan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military history",
        "warfare"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-retargetable-c-compiler-design-and-implementation-e499af",
      "title": "A Retargetable C Compiler: Design and Implementation",
      "author": "David R. Hanson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1213184,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-23T15:46:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 1212675,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I use and love Python. What's the best book to learn C ?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1213184",
          "commentText": "You should read it! It's fantastically written, and goes from a hand-written C lexer all the way to x86 code generation. Hanson's books are written in literate code style, and it's a shame that that style went out of fashion, because it is the answer to how to write code-heavy books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You should read it! It's fantastically written",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the writing and describes its path from a hand-written C lexer to x86 code generation.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in C compilers and code-heavy books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1213176,
          "author": "Maro",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-23T15:44:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 1212675,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I use and love Python. What's the best book to learn C ?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1213176",
          "commentText": "A number of people have recommended David R. Hanson's C Interfaces and Impementations, so I'll mention his A Retargetable C Compiler: Design and Implementation. I own this book though I haven't read it, but it's about writing a C compiler in C. You should pretty much just go out and buy these two books because they'll eventually go out of print, and then you'll be screwed. CII used to be out of print and impossible to obtain until Addison-Wesley started printing it again a year ago.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "his A Retargetable C Compiler: Design and Implementation.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book is about writing a C compiler in C and recommends buying it.",
          "audience": "C programmers interested in compiler implementation.",
          "caveat": "The commenter owns it but has not read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David R. Hanson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming",
        "compiler design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "adp-6-22-army-leadership-and-the-profession-5b0b2a",
      "title": "ADP 6-22: Army Leadership and the Profession",
      "author": "United States Army",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23155243,
          "author": "jeffreyrogers",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T15:45:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23155243",
          "commentText": "I just want to comment that the Army publication you listed is really good. While you can only learn so much about leadership from books, the military is one of the best organizations at explaining what leadership is. There is another pub from the Marines that is similar and equally high quality. I think it is called \"Leading Marines\" or something like that.\nAlso, FYI, all of these publications are free online. Here is the Army one you linked to: https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/pdf/web/ARN2003... (https://armypubs.army.mil/epubs/DR_pubs/DR_a/pdf/web/ARN20039_ADP%206-22%20C1%20FINAL%20WEB.pdf)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I just want to comment that the Army publication you listed is really good.",
          "reason": "Calls the referenced Army leadership publication really good.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in leadership and military organizations.",
          "caveat": "The parent identifies it as ADP 6-22 and notes its militaristic material.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23153506,
          "author": "tpaschalis",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T13:04:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23153506",
          "commentText": "So many good suggestions here! I'll try adding two more\n[1] \"So Good They Can’t Ignore You\" by Cal Newport. It changed the way I look at my career and how I view my personal development.\n[2] ADP 6-22 Army Leadership and the Profession by the US Army. Looking past the militaristic stuff, it made me change the way I see leader/subordinate relationships and how to start becoming a person others can depend on and look up to.\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/Good-They-Cant-Ignore-You/dp/14555091... (https://www.amazon.com/Good-They-Cant-Ignore-You/dp/1455509124)\n[2] https://www.amazon.com/Army-Doctrine-Publication-Leadership-... (https://www.amazon.com/Army-Doctrine-Publication-Leadership-Profession/dp/1689088931)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "ADP 6-22 Army Leadership and the Profession by the US Army.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed how they view leader-subordinate relationships and becoming dependable.",
          "audience": "People developing leadership skills.",
          "caveat": "The commenter recommends looking past its militaristic material.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "United States Army"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "military",
        "military doctrine",
        "professional relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "advanced-api-security-6eedc2",
      "title": "Advanced API Security",
      "author": "Prabath Siriwardena",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8261981,
          "author": "sourabh86",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-03T08:13:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8261981",
          "commentText": "The Prabath Siriwardena book is too expensive. Any good cheaper alternatives out there?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Prabath Siriwardena book is too expensive.",
          "reason": "Asks for cheaper alternatives, indicating the named book is too expensive for the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Too expensive; asks for cheaper alternatives.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8261745,
          "author": "brerlapn",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-03T06:23:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8261745",
          "commentText": "Advanced API Security by Prabath Siriwardena\nJust started it, but so far it's a well-written discussion of OAuth, OpenID Connect, UMA, and JSON for API security.\nThe State of the Art by Iain Banks\nI have been forcing myself to ration out the Culture books so I don't run through them too quickly.  Such a great series.\nThe Trauma of Everyday Life by Mark Epstein\nThe fourth book I've read by him, a really good synthesis of Buddhism and psychology.  I was pleasantly surprised to see him appear in Dan Harris's 10% Happier, too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Advanced API Security by Prabath Siriwardena\nJust started it, but so far it's a well-written discussion",
          "reason": "Described as a well-written discussion of API security topics.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in OAuth, OpenID Connect, UMA, and JSON for API security.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Prabath Siriwardena"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "api security",
        "oauth",
        "openid connect"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "advanced-compiler-design-and-implementation-7b0e23",
      "title": "Advanced Compiler Design and Implementation",
      "author": "Steven S. Muchnick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 136911,
          "author": "jey",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-14T17:01:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 136875,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good compiler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=136911",
          "commentText": "\"Engineering a Compiler\" by Cooper and Torczon\nThe Dragon Book is not the best book these days, it focuses too much on stuff you won't care about and not enough on the stuff you do care about. (e.g. it focuses a lot on parser generators and says almost nothing about analysis and optimization)\nEDIT: A good followup text is \"Advanced Compiler Design and Implementation\" by Muchnick",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A good followup text is \"Advanced Compiler Design and Implementation\" by Muchnick",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it as a follow-up text.",
          "audience": "Readers who want to continue studying compiler design.",
          "caveat": "Suggested as a follow-up text.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 136907,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-14T16:58:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 136875,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good compiler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=136907",
          "commentText": "10 years ago, I loved Hanson and Fraser:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0805316701\nThis is a good tour of front-end and back-end stuff, a decent intro to code gen, and is built on a hand-written recursive-descent C parser. That it's specific to one C compiler made it better to read straight through, but I rarely refer back to it.\nSo far this year, I've been liking Muchnick:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1558603204\nThis is pretty heavy on the backend and codegen, which is where my head is at these days.\nCompilers is a big topic. What part interests you most? Parsing? Optimization? Semantics and error detection? Code generation?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "So far this year, I've been liking Muchnick:",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have been liking it and notes its backend and code-generation focus.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in compiler back ends and code generation.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as pretty heavy on the backend and codegen.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven S. Muchnick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "compiler design",
        "optimization",
        "code generation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "adventures-in-raspberry-pi-6831ca",
      "title": "Adventures in Raspberry Pi",
      "author": "Carrie Anne Philbin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12161217,
          "author": "Intermernet",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-25T20:05:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 12160209,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 12 year old tech savvy girl – books, programs, events, advice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12161217",
          "commentText": "Hope you have a great wedding!\nI've heard that \"Adventures in Raspberry Pi\" is awesome, but I'd also maybe throw in some additional R-Pi based hackery (for music http://www.instructables.com/id/PiMiDi-A-Raspberry-Pi-Midi-B... (http://www.instructables.com/id/PiMiDi-A-Raspberry-Pi-Midi-Box-or-How-I-Learned-to/) is pretty cool, but it all depends on what she's into!)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've heard that \"Adventures in Raspberry Pi\" is awesome",
          "reason": "The commenter has heard positive feedback about the book and suggests it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter reports what they've heard.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12160729,
          "author": "asb",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-25T18:55:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 12160209,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 12 year old tech savvy girl – books, programs, events, advice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12160729",
          "commentText": "I'm horrifically biased (I'm getting married to the author in a few months :)) but Adventures in Raspberry Pi seems to get great feedback https://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Raspberry-Carrie-Anne-Phil... (https://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Raspberry-Carrie-Anne-Philbin/dp/1119046025/) as well as Carrie Anne's Geek Gurl Diaries https://www.youtube.com/user/GeekGurlDiaries",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Adventures in Raspberry Pi seems to get great feedback",
          "reason": "Recommended based on the positive feedback it receives.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter discloses being biased because they are marrying the author.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carrie Anne Philbin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "raspberry pi",
        "electronics projects",
        "hands on projects"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "african-fractals-modern-computing-and-indigenous-design-b2155d",
      "title": "African Fractals: Modern Computing and Indigenous Design",
      "author": "Ron Eglash",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8125482,
          "author": "refrigerator",
          "createdAt": "2014-08-02T18:11:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 8125375,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I save for offline reading during 5 weeks without Internet?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8125482",
          "commentText": "Thanks for the reply. Updated the OP - my areas of interest are the kinds of things that get posted about on HN, but I'd really like to broaden my horizons and learn about things like politics and economics and philosophy, anything interesting really.\nI'm leaving tomorrow so the only requirement is that I need to be able to get it before then. I had planned on downloading/buying stuff for this during the weeks before I leave but just never got round to it.\nAfrican Fractals looks interesting though, I'll check it out. Thanks",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "African Fractals looks interesting though, I'll check it out.",
          "reason": "Says the suggested book looks interesting and plans to check it out.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8125430,
          "author": "walterbell",
          "createdAt": "2014-08-02T17:54:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 8125375,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I save for offline reading during 5 weeks without Internet?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8125430",
          "commentText": "Areas of interest? Free or paid?\nEdit: book suggestion: \"African Fractals\", by Ron Eglash, http://www.amazon.com/African-Fractals-Modern-Computing-Indi... (http://www.amazon.com/African-Fractals-Modern-Computing-Indigenous/dp/0813526140)\n\"..traditional African settlements tend to use fractal structures-circles of circles of circular dwellings, rectangular walls enclosing ever-smaller rectangles, and streets in which broad avenues branch down to tiny footpaths with striking geometric repetition. These indigenous fractals are not limited to architecture; their recursive patterns echo throughout many disparate African designs and knowledge systems.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "book suggestion: \"African Fractals\", by Ron Eglash",
          "reason": "Offered as a book suggestion for offline reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ron Eglash"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "african design",
        "fractal geometry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "agile-web-development-with-rails-dc9a69",
      "title": "Agile Web Development with Rails",
      "author": "Sam Ruby; Dave Thomas; David Heinemeier Hansson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28480639,
          "author": "westurner",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-10T12:37:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 28478751,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach you programming languages via systems projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28480639",
          "commentText": "From \"Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?\" https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26042447 :\n> \"Agile Web Development with Rails [6]\" (2020) teaches TDD and agile in conjunction with a DRY, CoC, RAD web application framework: https://g.co/kgs/GNqnWV \nAnd:\n> \"ugit – Learn Git Internals by Building Git in Python\" \nhttps://www.leshenko.net/p/ugit/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Agile Web Development with Rails [6]\" (2020) teaches TDD and agile",
          "reason": "Quotes it as an example from a prior thread about books that teach through projects.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231728,
          "author": "tryitnow",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T20:25:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231728",
          "commentText": "The Sorcerer's Apprentice: How Medical Imaging Is Changing Health Care (by Bruce Hillman and Jeff Goldsmith )\nAgile Web Development with Rails (by Sam Ruby, Dave Thomas, David Heinemeier Hansson)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Agile Web Development with Rails (by Sam Ruby, Dave Thomas, David Heinemeier Hansson)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16519,
          "author": "ACSparks",
          "createdAt": "2007-04-25T02:18:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 16518,
          "threadTitle": "What is the best book/resource for CSS? (more than the basics)",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16519",
          "commentText": "I am looking for something like the quality equivalent of Agile Web Development with Rails, but for CSS.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I am looking for something like the quality equivalent of Agile Web Development with Rails, but for CSS.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14738,
          "author": "martin",
          "createdAt": "2007-04-19T19:36:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 14675,
          "threadTitle": "What is the best RoR book for beginners? Best online resources?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14738",
          "commentText": "\"Ruby for Rails\" by David A. Black is a good choice if you're new to Ruby as well as Rails. It spends a lot of time on Ruby fundamentals and only brings in the Rails stuff after having explained the necessary bits of the language so that it actually makes sense. I read the Agile book first, and as a Ruby newbie, it gave me only a very vague understanding of the language. R4R did a much better job of that.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I read the Agile book first, and as a Ruby newbie, it gave me only a very vague understanding of the language.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it left them with only a vague understanding of Ruby.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The criticism is specifically about explaining Ruby to a beginner.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14701,
          "author": "jamongkad",
          "createdAt": "2007-04-19T18:18:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 14675,
          "threadTitle": "What is the best RoR book for beginners? Best online resources?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14701",
          "commentText": "I second the thought on getting Agile Web Development with Rails. Best damn book I've ever bought concerning Rails. It is true that there is code specific for Rails(which kinda peeves me from my comfortable Ruby shell) but I highly recommend you learn Ruby first just to get the feel of programming in it. I must say coming from Java(ugh) programming is Ruby is such a pleasure. As long as you can think idiomatically then you're pretty much set!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Best damn book I've ever bought concerning Rails.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best Rails book they have bought and recommends learning Ruby first.",
          "audience": "Rails learners, especially those new to Ruby.",
          "caveat": "Rails-specific code may be frustrating; commenter recommends learning Ruby first.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14692,
          "author": "grahamr",
          "createdAt": "2007-04-19T17:34:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 14675,
          "threadTitle": "What is the best RoR book for beginners? Best online resources?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14692",
          "commentText": "I highly recommend the Lynda.com online training for rails:\nhttp://movielibrary.lynda.com/html/modListing.asp?sid=229\nIt does a great job of explaining the theory of rails and is a great intro to ruby as well.\nObviously Agile Web Development with Rails is the bible of RoR books:\nhttp://www.pragmaticprogrammer.com/titles/rails2/\nI'd personally be wary of many of the RoR tutorials you'll find online: none of the ones I used did a good job of explaining rails at the conceptual level: you'll end up with a rails app from the tutorial, but limited understanding of what you did and why.\nUpdated:\nThis page has a good selection of relevant books:\nhttp://www.sapphiresteel.com/Ruby-and-Rails-Books-the-essential\nMy opinion is that one should begin with a Rails-specific book or tutorial and not feel the need to learn Ruby first.  Much of rails code is specific to rails and, while you'll want to master Ruby eventually, you'll get enough from the Rails books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Obviously Agile Web Development with Rails is the bible of RoR books:",
          "reason": "Describes it as the definitive Rails book.",
          "audience": "People learning Ruby on Rails.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sam Ruby; Dave Thomas; David Heinemeier Hansson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ruby on rails",
        "web development",
        "agile development",
        "agile software development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "algorithms-c8973c",
      "title": "Algorithms",
      "author": "Sanjeev Dasgupta, Christos Papadimitriou, and Umesh Vazirani",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20734172,
          "author": "w8rbt",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-19T01:24:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20734172",
          "commentText": "+1 for Dasgupta (DPV). It is used at GT and Berkeley in CS.\nhttp://algorithmics.lsi.upc.edu/docs/Dasgupta-Papadimitriou-... (http://algorithmics.lsi.upc.edu/docs/Dasgupta-Papadimitriou-Vazirani.pdf)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for Dasgupta (DPV).",
          "reason": "The commenter endorses the previously mentioned Dasgupta book and notes its use at Georgia Tech and Berkeley.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20732314,
          "author": "seagullz",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T19:35:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20732314",
          "commentText": "Jeff Erickson's Algorithms text is a great resource: http://jeffe.cs.illinois.edu/teaching/algorithms/\nThe entire book -- including the portions labeled Models of Computation, Director's cut, and Extended Dance Remix -- presents accessible introduction to much of the CS theory landscape.\nSomeone already praised the shorter book titled \"Algorithms\" by Dasgupta et al, and I second it. Tim Roughgarden's \"Algorithms Illuminated\" series is in this genre too.\nI'd also recommend the MIT lecture notes on Mathematics for CS: https://courses.csail.mit.edu/6.042/spring18/mcs.pdf  \nThis is distinctive for its intuitive explanations with essential, approachable formalism. The exercises are fine too, if you are really mean it.\nSipser's book on the Theory of Computation is great and the one by Hopcroft et al is also very good (as suggested by others). But the most beginner-friendly (or, light on math) coverage of this area is apparently in Peter Linz's book \"Introduction to Formal Languages and Automata\".\nAn alternative flavor in the treatment of much of the same topics is in this free book: http://cs.brown.edu/people/jsavage/book/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second it.",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds a preceding positive mention of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sanjeev Dasgupta, Christos Papadimitriou, and Umesh Vazirani"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-introduction-to-information-theory-symbols-signals-and-noise-9d5819",
      "title": "An Introduction to Information Theory: Symbols, Signals and Noise",
      "author": "John R. Pierce",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46280216,
          "author": "marai2",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-15T20:34:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 46226571,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46280216",
          "commentText": "quite an interesting list of books for 2025. I’ll have to get some of these to read. Especially the Information theory one above and the one you mentioned in your review.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Especially the Information theory one above",
          "reason": "Says they especially want to read the information theory book listed in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46272459,
          "author": "wannabebarista",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-15T10:03:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 46226571,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46272459",
          "commentText": "1. Differential Privacy (2025) by Simson Garfinkel\nA readable but thorough introduction to differential privacy.\n2. Tales of the Weird: An Uncanny Introduction (2023)\nA collection of short stories from the British Library to introduce the many flavors of weird fiction.\n3. An Introduction to Information Theory: Symbols, Signals and Noise (1980) by John R. Pierce\nA fun survey of information theory with great anecdotes about Bell Labs in mid-century.\nSee my full list here: https://bcmullins.github.io/interesting-books-2025/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An Introduction to Information Theory: Symbols, Signals and Noise (1980) by John R. Pierce\nA fun survey of information theory",
          "reason": "A fun survey of information theory with anecdotes about Bell Labs.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John R. Pierce"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bell labs",
        "information theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "apollo-the-race-to-the-moon-2831ed",
      "title": "Apollo: The Race to the Moon",
      "author": "Charles Murray and Catherine Bly Cox",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39060825,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T20:39:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39060825",
          "commentText": "Seconded, phenomenal book and suggestion.\nIMO in a similar vein is 'The Making of the Atomic Bomb', Richard Rhodes, another industry- and world-reshaping project.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seconded, phenomenal book and suggestion.",
          "reason": "Seconding the parent comment's recommendation of the book about Apollo engineering history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39059341,
          "author": "ChicagoBoy11",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T18:45:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39059341",
          "commentText": "Not totally what you are looking for, but I'd highlghly recommend \"Apollo\" by Murray and Cox. It focuses on the engineering history of the Apollo program, and it is a superbly well written and researched worked and so many of the stories are about engineering philosophy that I think it'll really be worth your while.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'd highlghly recommend \"Apollo\" by Murray and Cox.",
          "reason": "Recommended for its account of Apollo program engineering history and engineering philosophy.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in engineering history and philosophy.",
          "caveat": "Focuses on the engineering history of the Apollo program.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Murray",
        "Catherine Bly Cox"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "apollo program",
        "engineering history",
        "spaceflight history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "armada-bd3c70",
      "title": "Armada",
      "author": "Ernest Cline",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28061444,
          "author": "code_Whisperer",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T14:32:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28061444",
          "commentText": "Agreed. I mentioned that it is 'imaginative and fun', but it is not the same style of \"The Martian\" which (in my opinion) had nearly perfect technical execution. I admit to having had some apprehension about a loved author's next effort (I'm looking at you, \"Artemis\" and \"Armada\"), but \"Hail Mary\" did not fulfill that dread for me. So... yay!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Artemis\" and \"Armada\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned as an example of a loved author's next effort that caused apprehension.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249434,
          "author": "qwertyuiop924",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T11:39:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249434",
          "commentText": "I'll second The Baroque Cycle (or Cryptonomicon: it doesn't matter which). But might I also suggest the works of Terry Pratchett, particularly Discworld? Sir Pterry's work is among the best I've ever read.\nIf you're looking for something a bit fluffier than the above, then I would suggest The Dresden Files. Sure, it's mindless fluff, but man, it's good mindless fluff. The same applies to The Codex Alera (which apparently resulted from a bet that the author couldn't make a good book from an awful idea: the idea given was the lost roman legion crossed with Pokemon).\nI can also suggest Ready Player one in this category. Ready Player One is essentially geek culture (especially gaming culture) furiously... well, you know. Giving itself one. But it's a fun ride (unlike Armada. But that's another story).\nFinally, I can reccomend The Laundry Files. Do you like computing? Do you like lovecraftian nightmares? Go buy these now. The first book is okay, but has a rather nasty problem, sort of: It keeps winking at the audience incessantly. I didn't mind too much, myself, but I know others have been put off by it. Don't worry, the winking lessens to a manageable rate (although never quite fully goes away: after all, this is a series about a CS Student turned Sysadmin turned hunter of unspeakable monstrosities named Bob Oliver Francis Howard. Think about that for a second). And it is one of very few horror series that I have enjoyed. Take that as you will.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "unlike Armada",
          "reason": "Mentioned unfavorably in comparison with Ready Player One.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the ride is unlike Armada, without elaborating.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785660,
          "author": "EliRivers",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T21:10:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785660",
          "commentText": "- Armada: Ernest Cline - Very disappointing and predictable ... but much improved (although still bad) if you take the interpretation that everything that happens after he almost beats someone's head in with a tire iron happens inside his head during his full-on psychotic break. You can push some of the earlier events into being clues towards that, mix in his father's conspiracy theory insanity for a genetic component, and then view everything that happens as purely a story he tells himself, fuelled by his obsession with eighties sf. It's a push, but it makes it a better book (although still pretty bad) :)",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Very disappointing and predictable ... but much improved (although still bad)",
          "reason": "Calls it disappointing and predictable, though a speculative interpretation improves it somewhat.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Even under that interpretation, the commenter still considers it bad.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785234,
          "author": "lmcnish14",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T19:52:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785234",
          "commentText": "A few books I read for fun this year:\n- Armada: Ernest Cline - Very disappointing and predictable\n- Library of Souls: Ransom Riggs - Easy but engrossing book\n- Ruby Under a Microscope: Pat Shaughnessy - I find his style of explaining things very accessible\n- Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End: Atul Gawande - It's a hard subject to think about but helped me to understand that prolonging life and continuing treatment shouldn't necessarily be the end goal for every case.\n- Go in Action: William Kennedy - A must if you're learning Go lang",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Armada: Ernest Cline - Very disappointing and predictable",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter found it disappointing and predictable.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783776,
          "author": "noxToken",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T15:40:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783776",
          "commentText": "Was light year for me:\nConfessions of a D-List Supervillain - Jim Bernheimer\nOrigins of a D-List Supervillain - Jim Bernheimer\nThe second is a prequel of the first. I haven't read the third in the series. Light reading about a guy's descent into villainy.\nYes Please - Amy Poehler: I love memoirs. I just didn't love this one. It read a lot like Leslie Knope was the author, but there was an obscene amount of name dropping that kept interrupting the flow of the book for me.\nFresh Off the Boat: A Memoir - Eddie Huang: Like I said, I'm a sucker for these things. Picked it up, because the series reminded me of a 90s Asian version of Everybody Hates Chris. The absurdity and random profanity was a little off-putting at first. Remembering how I felt as a black boy doing some of the same dumb things in the 90s really put it into perspective though.\nThe Serpent of Venice: A Novel - Christopher Moore: The follow up to Fool. It's a different take on Shakespearian story-telling. I can't recommend his novels enough.\nQuantum Lens - Douglas E. Richards: I read this solely because I liked Wired and Amped. No-frills action with a sci-fi element. You probably won't get engrossed, but you will be entertained.\nSpell or High Water & An Unwelcome Quest - Scott Meyer: Books 2 & 3 in a series about a group of guys who can manipulate reality through writing scripts. Good, but not my favorite.\nArmada: A Novel - Ernest Cline: Ah yes. The long awaited sophomore effort from the author of Ready Player One. This book fell harder than it deserved to, because people where expecting it to be analogous to Ready Player One. Spoiler: it's not. The novel does have its short-comings. Repetitive dialogue, shoe-horned classic pop-culture references and shallow writing plague this book. If you've got time for a short novel, give it a whirl, but don't expect anything amazing.\nWords of Radiance - Brandon Sanderson: Book 2 of the Stormlight Archives. If it's an epic by Sanderson, do yourself a favor and board the hype train. You won't be disappointed. It's everything you want in a long fantasy novel without being bogged down with side-plots and details.\nWarbreaker - Brandon Sanderson: This is a standalone novel with a tie-on to Words of Radiance. I'm only halfway through it. Would recommend so far, especially since it's free from the author.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Armada: A Novel - Ernest Cline: Ah yes. The long awaited sophomore effort from the author of Ready Player One. This book fell harder than it deserved to, because people where expecting it to be analogous to Ready Player One. Spoiler: it's not. The novel does have its short-comings. Repetitive dialogue, shoe-horned classic pop-culture references and shallow writing plague this book. If you've got time for a short novel, give it a whirl, but don't expect anything amazing.",
          "reason": "Criticizes repetitive dialogue, forced pop-culture references, and shallow writing, while allowing it may be worth a try.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Do not expect anything amazing; the writing has several stated shortcomings.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783367,
          "author": "nothingpersonal",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:21:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783367",
          "commentText": "Do audio books count? If so my favorites from this year would be Snow Crash by Neil Stephenson, and Armada by Ernest Cline.\nBooks I actually read which were good:\nThe Informationist by Taylor Stevens\nReady Player One by Ernest Cline",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "my favorites from this year would be Snow Crash by Neil Stephenson, and Armada by Ernest Cline.",
          "reason": "Lists it among their favorite audiobooks of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10178026,
          "author": "ariamokr",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-06T16:12:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10178026",
          "commentText": "Armada",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Armada",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ernest Cline"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alien invasion",
        "video games",
        "1980s science fiction",
        "conspiracy theories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "art-of-problem-solving-f65134",
      "title": "Art of Problem Solving",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23727502,
          "author": "montalbano",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T20:51:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23727502",
          "commentText": "Spivak is an excellent choice but may be too advanced depending on his level. I would also strongly recommend any of the books in the Art of Problem Solving series:\nhttps://artofproblemsolving.com/store/list/aops-curriculum\nI've got a PhD in bioengineering but I'm currently going through Introduction to Counting and Probability and I'm really enjoying it.\nSome others (not AOPS series):\nNelsen - Proofs Without Words\nPolya - How to Solve it\nStrogatz - Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "strongly recommend any of the books in the Art of Problem Solving series",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends books in the series and says they are enjoying Introduction to Counting and Probability.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23727089,
          "author": "crawftv",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T20:12:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23727089",
          "commentText": "I second this. Do t be scared off by it being for math Olympiads. A lot the first volume deals with concepts across much of the field. Lots of practice and ideas for logs, exponents, word problems. \nAnd it comes with a solution guide which helped me a lot.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second this.",
          "reason": "Supports the parent’s recommendation of the Art of Problem Solving materials.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "math olympiad",
        "problem solving"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "assembly-lines-the-complete-book-6164a7",
      "title": "Assembly Lines: The Complete Book",
      "author": "Roger Wagner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46779219,
          "author": "Gracana",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-27T12:40:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 46778461,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books to learn 6502 ASM and the Apple II",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46779219",
          "commentText": "Assembly Lines is the one I came to recommend. Great book to sit down with and work your way through.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Assembly Lines is the one I came to recommend. Great book to sit down with and work your way through.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly recommends working through it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46779025,
          "author": "ksherlock",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-27T12:20:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 46778461,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books to learn 6502 ASM and the Apple II",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46779025",
          "commentText": "For Apple-II specific info, consider\nThe Assembly Lines book -- https://archive.org/details/AssemblyLinesCompleteWagner\nUnderstanding the Apple IIe -- https://archive.org/details/understandingapp0000sath\nUnderstanding the Apple II -- https://archive.org/details/understanding_the_apple_ii",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Assembly Lines book",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46778793,
          "author": "asdefghyk",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-27T11:54:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 46778461,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books to learn 6502 ASM and the Apple II",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46778793",
          "commentText": "The answer would depend on what programming experience you have?\nDo you have any assembly language experience ? with other targets?\nie have you used an assembler ( and maybe linker ) before.\nAre you familiar with hex? bytes, bits etc , You will learn this and much more ...\nId look for a book that targets Assembly programming on a Apple 2, ie not a book on general 6502 programming.\n   Such a book Id expect to discuss things like Apple 2 memory map , Apple 2 hardware and how they are used in assembler language. \n\nHopefully the book would also provide guidance using a particular assembler ( hopefully still available)\nI googled phrase\nApple 2 assembly language programming for beginners?\nand lots of very good looking links popped up.\nYou aim is a challenging task. Much to learn. Good luck. However entirely do able these days.\nMy background is electronics engineer, embedded programing on in assembler (some Motorola processors and others)  and C for a few years before moving on to other things ....\nThe book\nAssembly Lines: The Complete Book\navailable as a FREE PDF download   from .... site https://ct6502.org/product/assembly-lines-the-complete-book/\nINCLUDES\nAll 33 of Roger Wagner’s Assembly Lines articles from Softalk magazine, plus appendices, in one complete volume.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The book\nAssembly Lines: The Complete Book\navailable as a FREE PDF download",
          "reason": "Identifies a free collection of Roger Wagner's Assembly Lines articles.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Contains articles from Softalk magazine and appendices.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roger Wagner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "6502 assembly",
        "apple ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "asterix-511c10",
      "title": "Asterix",
      "author": "René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17383067,
          "author": "vram22",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T19:49:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17383067",
          "commentText": "The drawings / illustrations in Asterix and Tintin comics are just great. I like them almost more than the stories or characters, especially for the Asterix ones. The drawings of scenery are very evocative, and expressions on the faces of the people in the comics seem very realistic, despite being drawn with just a few lines, relatively speaking.\nAnother great point about Asterix comics (so I read), is that they were initially written in French, and later translated into English (I've only read them in English) - and still there are many puns and word plays in the English versions. I don't know how they managed to do it, or whether they created different puns for the English versions. Likely the latter, because I guess the puns would not translate well across languages.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asterix",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The drawings / illustrations in Asterix and Tintin comics are just great. I like them almost more than the stories or characters",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the illustrations and says they like them even more than the stories or characters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has read the comics in English and speculates that translators may have created different puns.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17382000,
          "author": "gjkood",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T16:34:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17382000",
          "commentText": "Some great comics/graphic novels that are relatively unknown in the US\nAsterix comics [1]\nTintin comics [2]\nYes, I know Spielberg's Tintin animated movie is well known but I doubt most people in the US have heard of the entire series of Tintin comics.\nI couldn't devour these fast enough when I was growing up.\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3... (https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=asterix)\n[2] https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3... (https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=tintin)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Asterix comics [1]",
          "reason": "Listed as a great comic series relatively unknown in the US.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic books",
        "comics",
        "french comics",
        "graphic novels"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "autobiography-of-an-unknown-indian-6dcf5c",
      "title": "Autobiography of an Unknown Indian",
      "author": "Nirad C. Chaudhuri",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1633539,
          "author": "dwwoelfel",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T17:41:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1633539",
          "commentText": "Autobiography of an unknown Indian: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/094032282X/\nLittle Schemer: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0262560992/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Autobiography of an unknown Indian: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/094032282X/",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed your life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1632026,
          "author": "dman",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T04:38:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1632026",
          "commentText": "Non technical - Autobiography of an unknown Indian.\nTechnical - Little Schemer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Autobiography of an unknown Indian",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nirad C. Chaudhuri"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "indian autobiography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "babel-or-the-necessity-of-violence-311f6f",
      "title": "Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence",
      "author": "R. F. Kuang",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39250910,
          "author": "edanm",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T15:25:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39250910",
          "commentText": "I love that book, one of my favorite reads of last year.\n(Read it before the controversy.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I love that book, one of my favorite reads of last year.",
          "reason": "Says they love the book and count it among their favorite reads of last year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Read it before the controversy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39250669,
          "author": "tlubinski",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T14:59:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39250669",
          "commentText": "Just started \"Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence\" after the whole controversy about the book (see: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39099914) - enjoyable read so far, but can still go both ways.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Just started \"Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence\" after the whole controversy about the book",
          "reason": "Says they just started it and find it enjoyable so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Still undecided; says it could go either way.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "R. F. Kuang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "colonialism",
        "historical fantasy",
        "language and translation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "beautiful-code-5c82eb",
      "title": "Beautiful Code",
      "author": "Andy Oram and Greg Wilson, editors",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 771449,
          "author": "wkdown",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-18T20:59:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=771449",
          "commentText": "I'd like to second Beautiful Code\nEnjoyable vacation read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd like to second Beautiful Code\nEnjoyable vacation read.",
          "reason": "Seconds the recommendation and calls it an enjoyable vacation read.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an enjoyable programming book for vacation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 766954,
          "author": "vibhavs",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-16T23:25:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=766954",
          "commentText": "I suggest Beautiful Architecture from O'Reilly.\nhttp://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596517984/\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Architecture-Leading-Thinker... (http://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Architecture-Leading-Thinkers-Software/dp/059651798X)\nIt's similar to Beautiful Code (also mentioned here) with various chapters on different, independent topics: e.g. Facebook's data-centric architecture, Xen hypervisor, etc.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "It's similar to Beautiful Code",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a comparison to Beautiful Architecture.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 766598,
          "author": "SwellJoe",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-16T19:53:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=766598",
          "commentText": "Try some fiction, instead.  It's a vacation. I just finished The Road by Cormac McCarthy a couple of weeks ago. It's really good.\nThat said, if you're going to read programming books, you might want narrative texts rather than \"practical\" books, since the practical ones require you to also have a computer, and work through the examples and such. Books like Programming Pearls, Beautiful Code, etc. tell stories about code, rather than just show you code (though there are probably moments in either book where the best course of action is to try applying what you've read about).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Books like Programming Pearls, Beautiful Code, etc. tell stories about code, rather than just show you code",
          "reason": "Included as an example of a narrative programming book suited to vacation reading.",
          "audience": "Readers wanting programming books that can be read without working through examples on a computer.",
          "caveat": "May still include moments where applying what you read would be useful.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240710,
          "author": "kylec",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T03:03:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240710",
          "commentText": "I thought about posting this here after a relative success asking the question on Reddit:\nhttp://www.reddit.com/info/6mikl/comments/\nbut it looks like you've beaten me to it!\nI did create a listing of the most popular books mentioned on the comment thread, if you're interested. The following were mentioned by 4 or more people:\n14 The C Programming Language\n11 Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\n8 Introduction to Algorithms\n7 Compilers: Principles, Techniques and Tools\n6 Programming Erlang\n5 The Mythical Man-Month\n5 The Pragmatic Programmer\n5 Applied Cryptography\n4 Beautiful Code\n4 The Little Schemer\n4 Programming Perl\nmore here: http://www.reddit.com/info/6mikl/comments/c04abpy",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "4 Beautiful Code",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the most frequently mentioned books in the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andy Oram",
        "Greg Wilson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "case studies",
        "software design",
        "programming",
        "programming essays"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "being-geek-the-software-developer-s-career-handbook-c96c52",
      "title": "Being Geek: The Software Developer's Career Handbook",
      "author": "Michael Lopp",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2524644,
          "author": "Mongoose",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-07T21:38:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 2524205,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books for soon to be Software Engineers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2524644",
          "commentText": "+1 for Being Geek. It's essentially a well-laid out rehash of Rands' blog posts over the years but I've found it good reading, even with the enormous amount of typos. I'm in the same situation as the OP, so the strategic career advice is much more relevant now than when I read it in the past.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've found it good reading, even with the enormous amount of typos.",
          "reason": "Calls it good reading and says its career advice is relevant to their situation.",
          "audience": "Software developers seeking strategic career advice.",
          "caveat": "The book has an enormous amount of typos.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2524312,
          "author": "rhettg",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-07T19:02:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 2524205,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books for soon to be Software Engineers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2524312",
          "commentText": "Code Complete\n   Being Geek",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Being Geek",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "New software engineers transitioning from school to industry.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Lopp"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software careers"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "biology-campbell-biology-fe9632",
      "title": "Biology (Campbell Biology)",
      "author": "Neil A. Campbell et al.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16093044,
          "author": "veddox",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-07T22:15:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16093044",
          "commentText": "Yep, that's the one I was going to say :-)\n\"It goes really deep\" is, unfortunately, a relative description. Half-way through my undergraduate studies, I had pretty much outgrown it and needed more specialized books.\nNonetheless, it is a superb entry-level college textbook that covers the entire breadth of modern biology. The text is very understandable and gives more background information than is needed for a typical introductory lecture to any given topic (while still emphasizing the salient points so you don't get confused). Apart from the above-mentionend interviews, it also includes sections on current methods in biology, which are pretty handy when you're new to the field. Plus, the illustrations are simply excellent: pretty to look at and a huge help for understanding. On the whole, I find it to be one of the most aesthetically pleasing textbooks I know. (Beaten only by Futuyma's \"Evolution\".)\nMy best investment in university so far!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nonetheless, it is a superb entry-level college textbook that covers the entire breadth of modern biology.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a superb entry-level textbook and praises its explanations and illustrations.",
          "audience": "New biology students, especially at the introductory college level.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they outgrew it halfway through undergraduate studies and needed more specialized books.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16090740,
          "author": "tom_mellior",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-07T13:09:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16090740",
          "commentText": "A bit late to this party, but: Campbell et al.'s \"Biology\" is the best textbook I've ever read. It starts at entry level but goes really deep. Everything is explained very well and beautifully illustrated. To add context to the \"hard\" scientific content, there are also interviews with leading researchers in biology who provide their points of view on the main themes of the book.\nThere is a bewildering confusion of editions and versions of this book, but look for a book called \"Biology\" or \"Campbell Biology\" with Neil A. Campbell and Jane B. Reece in the author list, but not necessarily listed first. There is what I believe to be an abridged version called \"Biology: Concepts and Connections\", and something called \"Biology: A Global Approach\", which may just be the name for the newest editions.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Campbell et al.'s \"Biology\" is the best textbook I've ever read.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best textbook they have read and praises its explanations and illustrations.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an introductory biology textbook with broad coverage.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes confusion among editions and versions.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neil A. Campbell et al."
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biology textbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "blackout-tomorrow-will-be-too-late-e71c2d",
      "title": "Blackout: Tomorrow Will Be Too Late",
      "author": "Marc Elsberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17749701,
          "author": "trampi",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T13:02:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17749701",
          "commentText": "I read it some weeks ago and can definitely recommend it. It was a departing gift from my university, a very fitting one for computer science students if you ask me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read it some weeks ago and can definitely recommend it.",
          "reason": "Says they can definitely recommend the book discussed in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "Computer science students; the commenter calls it a fitting university gift.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17749511,
          "author": "Faaak",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T12:26:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17749511",
          "commentText": "Citing Wikipedia: \"Blackout: Tomorrow Will Be Too Late\" is a disaster thriller book by the Austrian author Marc Elsberg, described by Penguin Books as \"a 21st-century high-concept disaster thriller\".\nThe novel is about a European power outage due to a cyberattack. For realism the book is written on the basis of interviews with intelligence and computer security officials.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Blackout: Tomorrow Will Be Too Late\" is a disaster thriller book",
          "reason": "Describes the novel and its cyberattack premise in response to a request for similar books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marc Elsberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyberattack",
        "disaster thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "brief-cases-236999",
      "title": "Brief Cases",
      "author": "Jim Butcher",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46407482,
          "author": "ilvez",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-28T01:30:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46407482",
          "commentText": "\"Brief Cases\" -- just give me more Dresden. I think my favourite series, I'm a simple guy :) Short stories themself are so and so. If you are into the series then these small stories are just like Saturday evening reading, so no big investment. Some of them stick and make you warm, some of them meh, thats ok.\n\"Mother of Learning\" I picked up from my (ex-)colleague. Not in the time-travelling, but he told me that I would probably like Dungeon Crawler Carl. Haven't gotten to it yet. He's read more fantasy than me so he just suggested after we discussed about our preferences. This one I just wanted to read because he really was into :)\nAbout Fitz -- read my other comment. I think whole Elderling series is worth it. It is the long game. Just being invested in characters and Robin Hobb can write characters. If you only think about Farseer trilogy, then I still think it's worth it, but maybe I'm just sucker for it. :-) (there are pacing issues for sure, but Hobb wrote it in 90s, in that sense it was ahead of time, forgive some of those small issues). Read it first I guess 20+ years ago or so..",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Brief Cases\" -- just give me more Dresden. I think my favourite series, I'm a simple guy :) Short stories themself are so and so.",
          "reason": "Enjoys more Dresden stories, though the short stories are uneven for them.",
          "audience": "Readers who already enjoy the Dresden series.",
          "caveat": "The short stories are mixed in quality.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46400128,
          "author": "tstrimple",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T08:12:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46400128",
          "commentText": "You've got some great ones on here. I'm curious how you found some of them to be.\nJim Butcher \"Brief Cases\": I'm a huge fan of the Dresden series. I find it to be very enlightening as we watch an author grow with his primary character. The early books were particularly weak, but they grow and get better and better. However, I'm unfairly biased against short stories, so I avoid all the X.5 releases. Are these worth exploring as I'm waiting for the followup to Battleground?\nMother of Learning: I generally don't like litrpg or progression fantasy, but I'm a sucker for time loops. I enjoyed this series and craved more like it. Anything else you'd recommend in this genre?\nI read the Fitz books... fuck... decades ago at this point. Is it worth revisiting in audiobook? I've been burned so many times by nostalgia that I'm reluctant to revisit old favorites.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Jim Butcher \"Brief Cases\": I'm a huge fan of the Dresden series.",
          "reason": "Asks whether the short story collection is worth exploring.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is biased against short stories and usually avoids the X.5 releases.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jim Butcher"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories",
        "urban fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bugs-in-writing-fc49f1",
      "title": "Bugs in Writing",
      "author": "Lyn Dupré",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32354659,
          "author": "funcDropShadow",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-05T11:34:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32354659",
          "commentText": "I've use this book countless times.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've use this book countless times.",
          "reason": "Says they have repeatedly used the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32344977,
          "author": "belter",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-04T16:25:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32344977",
          "commentText": "Second this recommendation. Very dense with lots of useful recommendations.\nOnly thing I cannot agree with, is the critique of Star Trek's motto and the suggested alternative. Does not have the same emotional connection.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Second this recommendation. Very dense with lots of useful recommendations.",
          "reason": "Seconded as useful, though dense.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter disagrees with its critique of Star Trek's motto and the suggested alternative.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32344302,
          "author": "tshapedrob",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-04T15:36:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32344302",
          "commentText": "Bugs in writing by Lyn Dupré",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Bugs in writing by Lyn Dupré",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lyn Dupré"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "technical writing",
        "editing",
        "grammar"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "build-ce5649",
      "title": "Build",
      "author": "Tony Fadell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42655560,
          "author": "dwayne_dibley",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T13:52:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42655560",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed 'How big things get done' [1], which is close to your 'how things.... got built' requirement. Very interesting read about delivery of really big projects. I also read 'Built'[2] which was a little more relatable about civil engineering, specifically the Shard in London. And finally 'Build' by Tony Fadell but this didn't quite hit the mark for me as it was more a memoir about how great he is.\n[1] https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/61327449-how-big-thin... (https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/61327449-how-big-things-get-done)\n[2] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34921647-built\n[3] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59696349-build",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "'Build' by Tony Fadell but this didn't quite hit the mark for me as it was more a memoir about how great he is.",
          "reason": "Did not quite meet the requested focus; the commenter found it more of a self praising memoir.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Did not quite hit the mark; described as more a memoir about how great the author is.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Build (Tony Fadell)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35170097,
          "author": "e61133e3",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T15:45:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35170097",
          "commentText": "Build by Tony Fadell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Build by Tony Fadell",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tony Fadell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Biography",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "product development",
        "entrepreneurship",
        "leadership",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "build-your-own-metal-working-shop-from-scrap-02a4bc",
      "title": "Build Your Own Metal Working Shop from Scrap",
      "author": "David J. Gingery",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13665461,
          "author": "chromaton",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-17T02:26:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13665461",
          "commentText": "Yeah, it's a ton of work. I never got past the metal casting.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Yeah, it's a ton of work. I never got past the metal casting.",
          "reason": "The comment discusses attempting the series' metal-casting project and not progressing beyond it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The attempt stopped at metal casting.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13661256,
          "author": "kyoob",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-16T16:38:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13661256",
          "commentText": "Wow. This looks incredible.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Build-Metal-Working-Scrap-Complete/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Build-Metal-Working-Scrap-Complete/dp/1878087355)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wow. This looks incredible.",
          "reason": "Calls the linked series incredible.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David J. Gingery"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "metalworking",
        "diy",
        "home machine shop"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "building-enterprise-javascript-applications-799e66",
      "title": "Building Enterprise JavaScript Applications",
      "author": "Nicolás Bevacqua",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22301260,
          "author": "Shosty123",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-11T18:43:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22301260",
          "commentText": "I didn't find it too out of date. I used the latest versions of everything and the only thing I had to update myself was the React section for the frontend to use hooks. Packt books regularly go on sale for $5-$10 so you can also wait for one of those.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I didn't find it too out of date.",
          "reason": "The commenter found the book usable with current versions, with a React section that needed updating for hooks.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The React section needed updating to use hooks.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22300908,
          "author": "jlelonm",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-11T18:14:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22300908",
          "commentText": "VERY interested in \"Building Enterprise JavaScript Applications\"\nI noticed that it was released Sept 2018. That's not too old, but I'm curious if there's a more up-to-date version.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "VERY interested in \"Building Enterprise JavaScript Applications\"",
          "reason": "The commenter expresses interest and asks whether there is a more up-to-date version.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They wonder whether a newer version is available.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nicolás Bevacqua"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "full stack development",
        "javascript"
      ],
      "purposes": []
    },
    {
      "id": "c-interfaces-and-implementations-techniques-for-creating-reusable-04657f",
      "title": "C Interfaces and Implementations: Techniques for Creating Reusable Software",
      "author": "David R. Hanson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33134097,
          "author": "chubot",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T17:16:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33134097",
          "commentText": "Yup, same!\nAnd I just looked it up -- C was invented BEFORE abstract data types were!  This explains a lot.\nProgrammers think \"hash table\", stack, queue, set, etc. are \"the way you program\", because that's how it's taught in CS 101.  It's also asked a lot in interview questions.\nBut that line of thinking was invented AFTER C.  I recall that Liskov did foundational work on ADTs, and Wikipedia agrees\nProgramming with abstract data types  (Liskov and Zilles, 1974)\nhttps://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/942572.807045\ni.e. the origin of abstract data types is in this work on the CLU language.\nHer 2008 Turing Award cites this work: https://amturing.acm.org/award_winners/liskov_1108679.cfm\nAt MIT she led the design and implementation of the CLU programming language, which emphasized the notions of modular programming, data abstraction, and polymorphism\n-----\nMeanwhile C was developed around 1972-73 to make the Unix kernel portable.  It's a minimal layer meant to generate machine different machine instructions that will work on machines; it doesn't feature strong abstraction.\nSo what Hanson was trying to do is to add abstraction to C, but you need a language more like CLU or C++ to do that.  Arguably Bjarne was \"doing it right\" -- actually changing the language.\n----\nHOWEVER I also had a recent experience that vividly shows the folly of ADTs even in C++, a language designed for them.\nIn C++, unordered_set<void star>::insert() is shockingly slow -- slower than malloc(1) !!!  And it is slow BY THE SPEC.  Because of the abstract operations that the C++ standard requires (e.g. iterators and invalidation), you have to use a slow closed-addressing/linked list implementation that allocates for EVERY element !!!\nI hit this when working on the garbage collector for https://www.oilshell.org/ -- we're making a fork() friendly collector  (no intrusive mark bits) that works with arbitrary addresses returned by malloc.\nIt made some of our benchmarks 10x slower in TOTAL runtime!\nBest comment I found that explains it:\nhttps://old.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/5pwgtn/hash_ma... (https://old.reddit.com/r/programming/comments/5pwgtn/hash_map_benchmark_stdunordered_map_seems_very/)\nChrome message from 2017:\nhttps://groups.google.com/a/chromium.org/g/chromium-dev/c/rd... (https://groups.google.com/a/chromium.org/g/chromium-dev/c/rdxOHKzQmRY?pli=1)\nSo basically the hash table in C++ is a shockingly bad default, and it has to with a bad  ADT design.\nDoing ADTs in C is even worse.   Hanson's book is more like a thought experiment in merging two distinct lines of thinking -- not something you should actually use and base your code on!!\n----\nThis would be a good blog post -- I would title it something like C Was Invented Before ADTs, and C++ Isn't Great Either",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Hanson's book is more like a thought experiment",
          "reason": "Characterizes its approach to adding abstraction to C as a thought experiment, not a practical basis for code.",
          "audience": "C programmers considering abstract data types and reusable components.",
          "caveat": "The commenter advises against basing actual code on the book's approach.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33133117,
          "author": "chubot",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T15:30:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33133117",
          "commentText": "I wouldn't recommend it for that (see sibling comment).  Reuse isn't as idiomatic in C as it is in other languages, for reasons inherent in the language, e.g. see all widely used C codebases",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I wouldn't recommend it for that",
          "reason": "Says the book is not a good choice for learning reusable, language-agnostic code.",
          "audience": "Someone seeking reusable, language-agnostic programming techniques.",
          "caveat": "The comment points to reuse being less idiomatic in C.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33133087,
          "author": "chubot",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T15:26:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33133087",
          "commentText": "I read the Hanson book ~10 years ago (he was briefly a coworker).  It's interesting, and maybe worth checking out for experienced programmers, but NOT for someone who wants to learn C in 2022 and be productive.\nThe style doesn't match any C code you're likely to see.  It basically presenting an STL-like set of data structures and standard library in C, not C++.\nThat style of programming isn't idiomatic in C.  One thing that took me a long time to realize is that C is NOT a modular language!  The best way to use C is to roll your own (or copy and paste) data structures for your problem, not try to use canned ones!\nIf you want the latter approach, C++ is better.  It has better support for type safety, abstraction, and modularity (at great cost).\ni.e. if you compare code of commonly used codebases like Lua, CPython, sqlite, Redis, BSD kernels, Linux, etc. you will see patterns, and they don't look anything like Hanson's book",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I read the Hanson book ~10 years ago",
          "reason": "Says it presents reusable data structures in a style that is not idiomatic in C.",
          "audience": "Experienced programmers considering it for learning C.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not suitable for learning C and becoming productive in 2022.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33131136,
          "author": "tdrgabi",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T10:09:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33131136",
          "commentText": "Would David Hanson's book be useful for non C programming?\nWill it help me understand how to build reusable, language agnostic, code?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Would David Hanson's book be useful for non C programming?",
          "reason": "The commenter asks whether the book could teach reusable, language-agnostic code.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in reusable code beyond C.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33131115,
          "author": "mhd",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T10:03:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33131115",
          "commentText": "One can only learn a language one time, so I've got a hard time recommending first books.\nBut I definitely second the recommendation for the second book here ;)\nHanson's style is a bit idiosyncratic, with his somewhat Modula-3-ish naming style and literate programming use, but there are a lot of usable data structures in there, and I especially like that the focus is on the module level, not on the algorithms themselves.\nNow, having said that, if you're in a particularly weird sub-domain of C, books from there might supersede or at least color a lot of what you're doing on a day to day basis. In the days of yore, if you wanted to do Win16/Win32 programming, getting to work with your Petzold early is a good idea, and I would assume the same to be true if you do glib/gobject based Gtk programming.\nTwo free resources that looked good to me and that I forwarded in the past were \"An Introduction to the C Programming Language and Software Design\"[1] by Tim Baily and \"Beej's Guide to C Programming\"[2]. Those are a bit more concise than your average intro to C book, but for some paths (prior experience, quick headway to C++ etc), they might be sufficient.\n[1]: https://www-personal.acfr.usyd.edu.au/tbailey/ctext/ctext.pd... (https://www-personal.acfr.usyd.edu.au/tbailey/ctext/ctext.pdf)\n[2]: https://beej.us/guide/bgc/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I especially like that the focus is on the module level, not on the algorithms themselves.",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds a recommendation and praises its usable data structures and module-level focus.",
          "audience": "Programmers learning to implement reusable C components.",
          "caveat": "The style is described as idiosyncratic, with Modula-3-like naming and literate programming.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David R. Hanson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming",
        "reusable software components",
        "software libraries",
        "abstract data types"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cascading-style-sheets-the-definitive-guide-1243e6",
      "title": "Cascading Style Sheets: The Definitive Guide",
      "author": "Eric A. Meyer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 585949,
          "author": "mechanical_fish",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-29T21:53:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 574468,
          "threadTitle": "What is the best CSS book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=585949",
          "commentText": "No, I believe there is also an \"Eric Meyer on CSS\". Not that the Definitive Guide isn't also a very good book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Not that the Definitive Guide isn't also a very good book.",
          "reason": "Calls the book very good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 574886,
          "author": "willwagner",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-23T01:02:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 574468,
          "threadTitle": "What is the best CSS book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=574886",
          "commentText": "I think you mean Eric Meyer and the book Cascading Style Sheets, The Definitive Guide (http://meyerweb.com/eric/books/css-tdg/).  I really like this book and highly recommmend it.\nIt hasn't converted me into a CSS fanatic, but it has helped me learn the tech and write better CSS when needed.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really like this book and highly recommmend it.",
          "reason": "Highly recommends it for learning CSS and writing better CSS.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It did not make the commenter a CSS fanatic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric A. Meyer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "css",
        "web design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "category-theory-for-programmers-452204",
      "title": "Category Theory for Programmers",
      "author": "Bartosz Milewski",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27630201,
          "author": "benrbray",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T13:00:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27630201",
          "commentText": "Riehl's \"Category Theory in Context\" is great.  It's one of those books where every page really takes a couple hours to fully absorb.  It pairs well with Milewski's \"Category Theory for Programmers\" [1] series, which is comparatively lighter and gives some concrete examples.\n[1] https://bartoszmilewski.com/2014/10/28/category-theory-for-p... (https://bartoszmilewski.com/2014/10/28/category-theory-for-programmers-the-preface/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Milewski's \"Category Theory for Programmers\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says it pairs well with Riehl's book and gives concrete examples.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as comparatively lighter than Riehl's book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27629097,
          "author": "axelroze",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T10:47:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27629097",
          "commentText": "Category theory for programmers is also a great read if one is into FP.\n[1] https://bartoszmilewski.com/2014/10/28/category-theory-for-p... (https://bartoszmilewski.com/2014/10/28/category-theory-for-programmers-the-preface/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Category theory for programmers is also a great read if one is into FP.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great read.",
          "audience": "People interested in functional programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18666158,
          "author": "eli_gottlieb",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T18:06:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18666158",
          "commentText": "Ongoing reads:\n* Principles of Neural Design by Peter Sterling\n* What Science Offers the Humanities by Edward Slingerland\n* Category Theory for Programmers by Bartosz Milewski\n* How Do You Feel? by Bud Craig\nCompleted reads:\n* The Book of Why by Judea Pearl\n* Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor by Yossi Klein Halevi\n* The Glass Bead Game by Herman Hesse\n* The Next Revolution by Murray Bookchin\n* Democratic Confederalism by Abdullah Ocalan\n* A bunch of trashy pulp scifi",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "* Category Theory for Programmers by Bartosz Milewski",
          "reason": "Listed as an ongoing read; no evaluation or recommendation is expressed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Still in progress.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bartosz Milewski"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "category theory",
        "functional programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "category-theory-in-context-75a874",
      "title": "Category Theory in Context",
      "author": "Emily Riehl",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27630201,
          "author": "benrbray",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T13:00:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27630201",
          "commentText": "Riehl's \"Category Theory in Context\" is great.  It's one of those books where every page really takes a couple hours to fully absorb.  It pairs well with Milewski's \"Category Theory for Programmers\" [1] series, which is comparatively lighter and gives some concrete examples.\n[1] https://bartoszmilewski.com/2014/10/28/category-theory-for-p... (https://bartoszmilewski.com/2014/10/28/category-theory-for-programmers-the-preface/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Riehl's \"Category Theory in Context\" is great.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book and says each page takes hours to absorb.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it takes a couple of hours to fully absorb each page.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27629435,
          "author": "thraxil",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T11:34:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27629435",
          "commentText": "Does math count as \"technical?\"\nI was originally a Physics major and lately I've been on a kick of filling in the mathematics that was used in my Physics classes but that I feel like was never really gone into in much depth.\nMy current reading list is:\n- \"Analysis I\" (and II) by Terence Tao (I finished the first volume and am now on the second, but I consider them really one book)\n- \"Understanding Analysis\" by Stephen Abbott\n- \"Topology Through Inquiry\" by Starbird and Su\n- \"Introduction To Topology And Modern Analysis\" by George F. Simmons\nThe Terence Tao books are amazing so far. Extremely readable introduction to Real Analysis. Abbott also came highly recommended and from reading the first couple chapters I can see why as it also seems to be very readable. I don't know if it would be a better introduction than Tao, but it covers mostly the same material and I think having two different perspectives will really help solidify things for me.\nOnce I finish those, I'll see whether I want to go deeper into Topology or move to Complex Analysis or Differential Geometry.\nI also have a copy of Emily Riehl's Category Theory in Context. I've read some Category Theory before and have a basic grasp, but after reading a few pages of her book, I put it aside until I feel like I'm much more well versed in Topology (the content looks amazing and I really want to read it, but it relies on Algegraic Topology more heavily than other Category Theory material I've seen). So I'll see where I'm at after getting through those Topology books.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I also have a copy of Emily Riehl's Category Theory in Context.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the content looks amazing and they really want to read it.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in category theory.",
          "caveat": "The commenter set it aside until they are more versed in topology, because it draws more heavily on algebraic topology.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Emily Riehl"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "category theory",
        "algebraic topology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "causality-6dfad3",
      "title": "Causality",
      "author": "Judea Pearl",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3178292,
          "author": "eykanal",
          "createdAt": "2011-10-31T17:50:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 3177815,
          "threadTitle": "Good books for hackers interested in quant finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3178292",
          "commentText": "I own and have read Pearl's book \"Causality\", and it does not relate to finance at all. It's a good book otherwise, though.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Pearl's book \"Causality\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book does not relate to finance but is good otherwise.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it does not relate to finance.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3178283,
          "author": "zeta",
          "createdAt": "2011-10-31T17:47:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 3177815,
          "threadTitle": "Good books for hackers interested in quant finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3178283",
          "commentText": "Causality by Judea Pearl, Probability by Jaynes & Elements of Information Theory by Cover.\nThe above will help you design trading strategies. For modelling derivatives and such, you'll have to check out books on stochastic calculus (not my thing, so can't help there).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Causality by Judea Pearl",
          "reason": "Listed as a suggestion in response to a request for books about quantitative finance.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Judea Pearl"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "causal inference"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "certain-to-win-3cee08",
      "title": "Certain to Win",
      "author": "Chet Richards",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 457511,
          "author": "nivi",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-30T01:38:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=457511",
          "commentText": "I second \"Certain to Win\".\nGame theorists might define a strategy as an approach to optimal decision-making while you are surrounded by other actors whose actions interact with yours. Chess strategies are a good example.\nThe author of Certain to Win, Chet Richards, takes a different approach. He defines strategy as \"a scheme for creating and managing plans.\" It is a means to generate, act upon, and discard plans. Strategy is how you \"plan to plan.\" OODA loops are a good example of this approach.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second \"Certain to Win\".",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly seconds the recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 456999,
          "author": "jaspertheghost",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T19:49:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456999",
          "commentText": "I would recommend: \n1) The Art of War by Niccolò Machiavelli (read by Napoleon)\n2) Certain to Win by Chet Richards (talks about OODA loop by John Boyd)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Certain to Win by Chet Richards",
          "reason": "Listed as a recommendation in response to a book request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chet Richards"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military strategy",
        "ooda loop"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "chip-war-18f97a",
      "title": "Chip War",
      "author": "Chris Miller",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46713300,
          "author": "Blackstrat",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-21T23:44:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 46690957,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What non-fiction do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46713300",
          "commentText": "Second Chip War. That and Breakneck by Dan Wang do a good job of broadening one’s perspective on the global situation",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Second Chip War.",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the recommendation and says the book broadens one's perspective on the global situation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46692558,
          "author": "jbrockwork",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-20T15:09:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 46690957,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What non-fiction do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46692558",
          "commentText": "Your Inner Fish: A Journey Into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body\n - Really cool account of human evolutionary history\nStolen Focus (Johann Hari)\n - About how we've lost (and can regain) the ability to focus due to technological distraction (currently social media, etc. but hasn't always been)\nChip War\n - History and geopolitical significance of the semiconductor industry",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Chip War",
          "reason": "Covers the history and geopolitical significance of the semiconductor industry.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris Miller"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "geopolitics",
        "semiconductor industry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "city-watch-c6ff59",
      "title": "City Watch",
      "author": "Terry Pratchett",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17545441,
          "author": "nataz",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T21:46:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17545441",
          "commentText": "Agree, with the city watch arc as the discworld introduction. I'd even go so far as to say start with nightwatch and then go back to the beginning.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "with the city watch arc as the discworld introduction",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the City Watch arc as an introduction to Discworld.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17544903,
          "author": "NeedMoreTea",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T20:42:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17544903",
          "commentText": "Personally I found the witches arc the slowest to get in to. It's too long ago to remember why I found that, but they sat unfinished. I've read them all several times now, and enjoy them, but only after I'd thoroughly got into the rest of Discworld.\nThe City Watch sub-series is my favourite with the Death arc a close second. laurentl already made recommendation on City Watch, if you want to try the Death arc Mort is the first.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The City Watch sub-series is my favourite",
          "reason": "The commenter identifies this as their favorite Discworld sub-series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry Pratchett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fantasy",
        "police procedural"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "clever-algorithms-nature-inspired-programming-recipes-2fcf23",
      "title": "Clever Algorithms: Nature-Inspired Programming Recipes",
      "author": "Jason Brownlee",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29308156,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:26:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29308156",
          "commentText": "That looks good! Thanks!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "That looks good! Thanks!",
          "reason": "Affirms the parent comment's suggestion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29308142,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:25:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29308142",
          "commentText": "Maybe Clever Algorithms: Nature-Inspired Programming Recipes[1]. These techniques might not be useful to everybody, all the time, but they can be very handy in places.\nEdit:\nA couple of other suggestions.\nManaging Gigabytes: Compressing and Indexing Documents and Images[2]\nMining of Massive Datasets[3]\nAlgorithm Design Manual[4]\nNetwork Algorithmics[5]\nNeural Network Design[6]\nI think all of these fall into the category of \"Won't be applicable to everyone, but can be good for those who need this kind of stuff.\"\n[1]: https://github.com/clever-algorithms/CleverAlgorithms\n[2]: https://people.eng.unimelb.edu.au/ammoffat/mg/\n[3]: http://www.mmds.org/\n[4]: https://www.amazon.com/Algorithm-Design-Manual-Steven-Skiena... (https://www.amazon.com/Algorithm-Design-Manual-Steven-Skiena/dp/1849967202)\n[5]: https://www.amazon.com/Network-Algorithmics-Interdisciplinar... (https://www.amazon.com/Network-Algorithmics-Interdisciplinary-Designing-Networking/dp/0120884771)\n[6]: https://hagan.okstate.edu/NNDesign.pdf",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Maybe Clever Algorithms: Nature-Inspired Programming Recipes",
          "reason": "Suggested as a possibly suitable book; the techniques may be useful in some contexts.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in nature-inspired programming methods.",
          "caveat": "The techniques may not be useful to everyone all the time.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jason Brownlee"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "metaheuristics",
        "nature inspired algorithms"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "code-complete-2-2bc91c",
      "title": "Code Complete 2",
      "author": "Steve McConnell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17031879,
          "author": "nacho2sweet",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T17:37:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17031879",
          "commentText": "Code Complete 2. I bought it... never read it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Code Complete 2. I bought it... never read it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they bought it but never read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2524343,
          "author": "rw",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-07T19:14:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 2524205,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books for soon to be Software Engineers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2524343",
          "commentText": "I strongly recommend both of these:\n  * The Practice Of Programming (co-authored by the 'K' in C's K&R)\n  * Code Complete 2",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code Complete 2",
          "reason": "The commenter strongly recommends it.",
          "audience": "New software engineers transitioning from school to industry.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2524259,
          "author": "gte910h",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-07T18:31:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 2524205,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books for soon to be Software Engineers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2524259",
          "commentText": "Code Compete 2\nSoftware Estimation: Demystifying the Black Art\nPro GIT\nDebugging by Agans",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code Compete 2",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "New software engineers transitioning from school to industry.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve McConnell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software construction",
        "programming practices",
        "software engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "code-of-the-lifemaker-31fba1",
      "title": "Code of the Lifemaker",
      "author": "James P. Hogan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46161500,
          "author": "ashtavakra",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-05T14:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46161500",
          "commentText": "I consolidated the comments for my reference later. Someone else might also find it useful:\n# Fiction Books Recommended for Programmers (HN Thread 46128404)\n## Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- *Children of Time* — Science Fiction (Evolution, Space Opera)  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)\n## Rick Cook — Wizardry Series\n- *Wizard’s Bane* — Fantasy, Programming/Magic Mashup  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112616.Wizard_s_Bane\n- *Wizardry Series (overview)*  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\n## James P. Hogan\n- *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/743568.Inherit_the_Stars\n- *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifem... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifemaker)\n- *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_Tomorrow)\n## D. F. Jones — Colossus Trilogy\n- *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806105.Colossus\n- *The Fall of Colossus* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colos... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colossus)\n- *Colossus and the Crab* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_Crab)\n## Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner)\n- *A Logic Named Joe* — Golden-Age Sci-Fi, AI Precursor  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-j... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-joe)\n## David Gerrold\n- *When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One* — AI, Classic Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_Was_One)\n## William Gibson / Bruce Sterling\n- *Neuromancer* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer\n- *The Difference Engine* — Steampunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Eng... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Engine)\n## Neal Stephenson\n- *Snow Crash* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash\n- *Cryptonomicon* — Techno-thriller, Cyber-history  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/816.Cryptonomicon\n- *Anathem* — Philosophical Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2845024-anathem\n- *The Diamond Age* — Nanopunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827.The_Diamond_Age\n## Fred Saberhagen\n- *Octagon* — AI, Techno-thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1891958.Octagon\n## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga\n- *Series Overview* — Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/40946-vorkosigan-saga\n## Richard Powers\n- *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45104.Galatea_2_2\n## Scott Meyer\n- *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-wizard)\n## Daniel Suarez\n- *Daemon* — Cyber-thriller, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665844-daemon\n## Thomas J. Ryan\n- *The Adolescence of P-1* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_o... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_of_P_1)\n## Ernest Cline\n- *Ready Player One* — Sci-Fi, Gaming, Pop-Culture Adventure  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one\n## Dennis E. Taylor\n- *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)* — Humorous Sci-Fi, AI, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-we-are-bob)\n## Ted Chiang\n- *Stories of Your Life and Others* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\n- *Exhalation* — Speculative Fiction, Philosophy, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation\n- *The Lifecycle of Software Objects* — AI, Digital Consciousness  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of-software-objects)\n## Charles Stross\n- *Laundry Files Series* — Math-based Magic, Techno-Fantasy  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files\n## Ken Liu\n- *The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menag... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories)\n- *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, AI, VR  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl-and-other-stories)\n## Ellen Ullman\n- *The Bug* — Tech Industry Literary Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/703.The_Bug\n## Cory Doctorow\n- *Radicalized* — Techno-sociopolitical Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40604122-radicalized\n## qntm (Sam Hughes)\n- *Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans-in-transit-and-other-stories)\n## Roger Williams\n- *The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect* — AI, Post-Singularity SF  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)\n## Greg Bear\n- *Eon* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/924843.Eon\n## Vernor Vinge\n- *A Deepness in the Sky* — Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the_Sky)\n## Terry Pratchett\n- *Going Postal* — Comic Fantasy, Satire of Bureaucracy & Tech  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64222.Going_Postal\n## Bruce Bethke\n- *Headcrash* — Cyber-satire  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213465.Headcrash\n## Mary Shelley\n- *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* — Classic Gothic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein\n## Douglas Adams\n- *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* — Comic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guid... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)\n## Jorge Luis Borges\n- *The Library of Babel* — Metaphysical Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-babel)\n## Greg Egan\n- *Permutation City* — Simulation Theory, Hard Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156784.Permutation_City\n## Cixin Liu\n- *The Three-Body Problem* — Hard Sci-Fi, First Contact  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life",
          "reason": "Lists the title in a compilation of fiction books recommended for programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46130213,
          "author": "LarryMade2",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T04:09:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46130213",
          "commentText": "These are all entertaining:\nDefinitely the Wizardry series by Rick Cook\nhttps://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/rick-cook/wizardry/\nProgramming meets magical realms\nJames Hogan\nInherit the Stars - Has supercomputers but not main characters\nCode of the Lifemaker Has Ancient Tech evolving into a robotic society\nTwo Faces of Tomorrow  - humans trying to get along with AI\nD.F.Jones\nColossus, the Fall of Colossus, and Colossus and the Crab\nHumans creating machines to protect humanity (computers have different idea) and the rebellion, and a new threat.\nA Logic Names Joe - radioplay of short story.\nhttps://archive.org/details/OTRR_X_Minus_One_Singles/XMinusO... (https://archive.org/details/OTRR_X_Minus_One_Singles/XMinusOne55-12-28031ALogicNamedJoe.mp3)\nThe internet and AI long before the internet and AI.\nDavid Gerrold - When H.A.R.L.I.E. was One - and other tales involving Artificial Super Intelligence\nWilliam Gibson - Neuromancer and related - Cyberpunk series, the Difference Engine - a Steampunk technology tale.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code of the Lifemaker Has Ancient Tech evolving into a robotic society",
          "reason": "Listed among entertaining books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James P. Hogan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "artificial life",
        "robotic society"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "coding-the-matrix-192eb9",
      "title": "Coding the Matrix",
      "author": "Philip N. Klein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31707438,
          "author": "navbaker",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-11T19:27:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31707438",
          "commentText": "I’ll second this book, tons of very practical exercises to help you understand what’s happening for every main concept.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I’ll second this book, tons of very practical exercises",
          "reason": "Seconding the recommendation, with praise for its practical exercises.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31707375,
          "author": "rscho",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-11T19:19:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31707375",
          "commentText": "If you want something hands on: \"coding the matrix\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"coding the matrix\"",
          "reason": "Suggested for a hands-on approach to linear algebra.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip N. Klein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "linear algebra",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "colossus-and-the-crab-42990e",
      "title": "Colossus and the Crab",
      "author": "D. F. Jones",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46161500,
          "author": "ashtavakra",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-05T14:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46161500",
          "commentText": "I consolidated the comments for my reference later. Someone else might also find it useful:\n# Fiction Books Recommended for Programmers (HN Thread 46128404)\n## Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- *Children of Time* — Science Fiction (Evolution, Space Opera)  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)\n## Rick Cook — Wizardry Series\n- *Wizard’s Bane* — Fantasy, Programming/Magic Mashup  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112616.Wizard_s_Bane\n- *Wizardry Series (overview)*  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\n## James P. Hogan\n- *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/743568.Inherit_the_Stars\n- *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifem... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifemaker)\n- *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_Tomorrow)\n## D. F. Jones — Colossus Trilogy\n- *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806105.Colossus\n- *The Fall of Colossus* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colos... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colossus)\n- *Colossus and the Crab* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_Crab)\n## Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner)\n- *A Logic Named Joe* — Golden-Age Sci-Fi, AI Precursor  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-j... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-joe)\n## David Gerrold\n- *When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One* — AI, Classic Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_Was_One)\n## William Gibson / Bruce Sterling\n- *Neuromancer* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer\n- *The Difference Engine* — Steampunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Eng... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Engine)\n## Neal Stephenson\n- *Snow Crash* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash\n- *Cryptonomicon* — Techno-thriller, Cyber-history  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/816.Cryptonomicon\n- *Anathem* — Philosophical Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2845024-anathem\n- *The Diamond Age* — Nanopunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827.The_Diamond_Age\n## Fred Saberhagen\n- *Octagon* — AI, Techno-thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1891958.Octagon\n## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga\n- *Series Overview* — Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/40946-vorkosigan-saga\n## Richard Powers\n- *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45104.Galatea_2_2\n## Scott Meyer\n- *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-wizard)\n## Daniel Suarez\n- *Daemon* — Cyber-thriller, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665844-daemon\n## Thomas J. Ryan\n- *The Adolescence of P-1* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_o... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_of_P_1)\n## Ernest Cline\n- *Ready Player One* — Sci-Fi, Gaming, Pop-Culture Adventure  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one\n## Dennis E. Taylor\n- *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)* — Humorous Sci-Fi, AI, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-we-are-bob)\n## Ted Chiang\n- *Stories of Your Life and Others* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\n- *Exhalation* — Speculative Fiction, Philosophy, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation\n- *The Lifecycle of Software Objects* — AI, Digital Consciousness  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of-software-objects)\n## Charles Stross\n- *Laundry Files Series* — Math-based Magic, Techno-Fantasy  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files\n## Ken Liu\n- *The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menag... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories)\n- *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, AI, VR  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl-and-other-stories)\n## Ellen Ullman\n- *The Bug* — Tech Industry Literary Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/703.The_Bug\n## Cory Doctorow\n- *Radicalized* — Techno-sociopolitical Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40604122-radicalized\n## qntm (Sam Hughes)\n- *Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans-in-transit-and-other-stories)\n## Roger Williams\n- *The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect* — AI, Post-Singularity SF  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)\n## Greg Bear\n- *Eon* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/924843.Eon\n## Vernor Vinge\n- *A Deepness in the Sky* — Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the_Sky)\n## Terry Pratchett\n- *Going Postal* — Comic Fantasy, Satire of Bureaucracy & Tech  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64222.Going_Postal\n## Bruce Bethke\n- *Headcrash* — Cyber-satire  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213465.Headcrash\n## Mary Shelley\n- *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* — Classic Gothic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein\n## Douglas Adams\n- *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* — Comic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guid... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)\n## Jorge Luis Borges\n- *The Library of Babel* — Metaphysical Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-babel)\n## Greg Egan\n- *Permutation City* — Simulation Theory, Hard Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156784.Permutation_City\n## Cixin Liu\n- *The Three-Body Problem* — Hard Sci-Fi, First Contact  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- *Colossus and the Crab* — AI, Sci-Fi",
          "reason": "Lists the title in a compilation of fiction books recommended for programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46130213,
          "author": "LarryMade2",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T04:09:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46130213",
          "commentText": "These are all entertaining:\nDefinitely the Wizardry series by Rick Cook\nhttps://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/rick-cook/wizardry/\nProgramming meets magical realms\nJames Hogan\nInherit the Stars - Has supercomputers but not main characters\nCode of the Lifemaker Has Ancient Tech evolving into a robotic society\nTwo Faces of Tomorrow  - humans trying to get along with AI\nD.F.Jones\nColossus, the Fall of Colossus, and Colossus and the Crab\nHumans creating machines to protect humanity (computers have different idea) and the rebellion, and a new threat.\nA Logic Names Joe - radioplay of short story.\nhttps://archive.org/details/OTRR_X_Minus_One_Singles/XMinusO... (https://archive.org/details/OTRR_X_Minus_One_Singles/XMinusOne55-12-28031ALogicNamedJoe.mp3)\nThe internet and AI long before the internet and AI.\nDavid Gerrold - When H.A.R.L.I.E. was One - and other tales involving Artificial Super Intelligence\nWilliam Gibson - Neuromancer and related - Cyberpunk series, the Difference Engine - a Steampunk technology tale.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Colossus, the Fall of Colossus, and Colossus and the Crab",
          "reason": "Named as part of a group of entertaining books about machines created to protect humanity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "D. F. Jones"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Computing",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "machine rebellion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "command-in-war-d54841",
      "title": "Command in War",
      "author": "Martin van Creveld",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 457027,
          "author": "rudyfink",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T20:02:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=457027",
          "commentText": "The first book I checked to make sure was included in this tread was \"Supplying War\".  There are many standard texts on conflict, but that one somehow misses many lists.  I think the examination of conflicts from the point of view of logistics serves two very good purposes: it's an essential education in making sure a force is supplied and it's a good perspective of looking at a conflict as a long term temporal and spacial endeavor.\n\"Command in War\" is also quite good, and I have not yet read \"Transformation in War\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Command in War\" is also quite good",
          "reason": "Explicitly calls the book quite good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 456375,
          "author": "Agathos",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T14:38:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456375",
          "commentText": "Martin van Creveld writes some serious analysis. Consider...\nSupplying War -- on logistics (as in \"professionals study...\")\nCommand in War -- on communication, information, and the importance of local autonomy leading to quick action\nThe Transformation of War -- has strategy's biggest buzzword right there in the title, but this was written back in 1991. On the growing role of low-intensity and asymmetric conflicts.\nHis books tend to be short, but very dense.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Command in War -- on communication, information, and the importance of local autonomy leading to quick action",
          "reason": "Recommended for its discussion of communication, information, and local autonomy in war.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in military command and communication.",
          "caveat": "The comment says his books tend to be short but very dense.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin van Creveld"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military communication",
        "military command",
        "military strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "common-stocks-and-uncommon-profits-8e84bf",
      "title": "Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits",
      "author": "Philip A. Fisher",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 248548,
          "author": "Xichekolas",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T15:12:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248548",
          "commentText": "I've read The Intelligent Investor and The Theory of Investment Value and Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits. All three were quite good.\nTo summarize the first two (very roughly): The market isn't perfect and there are a lot of undervalued companies that are great. You have to find these companies at a significant discount to what they are really worth, and then you have to be patient enough for everyone else to realize their error.\nThe third would IMHO be more geared towards someone that wanted to be a professional. Fisher talks extensively about ways to interview management/competitors/clients for information not found on a balance sheet, and prefers to look for new technology companies with huge potential upsides. He admits himself that most of his success was due to a half dozen huge wins in his entire life, and he tries to document how to find such wins.\nRealize that with Buffet's reading list you are going to end up wanting to invest like Buffet/Graham/Fisher, which means patience and a lot of due diligence on what you buy.\nIf you don't have 100 hours a week to research/interview prospects, Buffet and Graham would both recommend that you set a good allocation and buy index funds. Fisher would probably tell you the same, as he makes it very clear that he never buys a single stock without knowing the company like it was his own (which often included knowing the management on a first name basis).\nAnd remember, the key to allocation-based investing is rebalancing, so you periodically lock in gains and don't get overly concentrated in one thing over time.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book was quite good, while noting its professional focus.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in professional investing and company research.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is more geared toward professionals and involves extensive research.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 248542,
          "author": "simplyauser",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T15:09:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248542",
          "commentText": "I have read many of the recommend books. Here are my two pence.\nBooks on Wealth\n    1. \"Rich Dad Poor Dad\"\n     and find out exactly why someone becomes rich.\n    (if you like this one, at some point you may also\n     want to quickly scan through \"Cashflow Quadrant\n     Rich Dad's Guide to Financial Freedom\".)\n\n     2. Also \"chapter 6 - How to make wealth\"\n     from \"Hackers and Painters's chapter 6 - \"\n\n     3. \"The Way to Wealth by Benjamin Franklin\"\n\n\nInvesting books in this order\n    1. Peter Lynch's One Up on wall street\n    2. The Intelligent Investor  (Ben Graham)\n    3. Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits\n    4. Security Analysis (Ben Graham)\n    5. The Warren Buffet Way is a famous business read not exceptional but read it if you have some time left\n    6. A Random Walk Down Wall Street (Read it for a good laugh)\n\n\nDo NOT read\n    1. AA- The Motley Fool Money Guide\n    2. How Gerge Soros Knows What He Knows\n    3. Investing Online For Dummies\n    4. Malkiel Burton - A Random Walk Down Wall Street\n    5. Cracking the millionaire code\n    6. Joel Greenblatt - You Can Be A Stock Market Genius",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits",
          "reason": "Listed in the suggested reading order for investing books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip A. Fisher"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "growth investing",
        "stock analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "concepts-of-programming-languages-b022c6",
      "title": "Concepts of Programming Languages",
      "author": "Robert W. Sebesta",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32792266,
          "author": "sarchertech",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T16:45:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32792266",
          "commentText": "The programming language concepts class I took in college used that as our text book. Looking back it was one of the most useful classes I took.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The programming language concepts class I took in college used that as our text book. Looking back it was one of the most useful classes I took.",
          "reason": "The commenter identifies it as a college course textbook and says the class was highly useful.",
          "audience": "College students studying programming language concepts.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32791849,
          "author": "spapas82",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T16:07:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32791849",
          "commentText": "A classic reading on the field of programming language theory is the Sebesta one: Concepts of Programming Languages.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A classic reading on the field of programming language theory is the Sebesta one: Concepts of Programming Languages.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a classic reading in programming language theory.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert W. Sebesta"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming languages"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "conceptual-mathematics-a-first-introduction-to-categories-9e8723",
      "title": "Conceptual Mathematics: A First Introduction to Categories",
      "author": "F. William Lawvere and Stephen H. Schanuel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7585632,
          "author": "decasteve",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-14T11:50:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7585632",
          "commentText": "A lot of the same ground but Sets for Mathematics is more concise and probably goes into more depth by the end.  If you've previously done rings, groups, vector spaces, topological spaces, the concepts tie nicely together in Sets for Mathematics.\nConceptual Mathematics puts a lot more time up front motivating the material with examples and tries to build your intuition before getting into the details.    If all you've done previously was linear algebra and some discrete math, this book is probably better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If all you've done previously was linear algebra and some discrete math, this book is probably better.",
          "reason": "Recommended as the better fit for readers with only linear algebra and some discrete math.",
          "audience": "Readers whose background is linear algebra and some discrete math.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7582602,
          "author": "tel",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-13T19:33:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7582602",
          "commentText": "I've only read Conceptual Mathematics; sorry for the confusion.\nCM covers Category Theory as a general tool for probing and exploring algebraic concepts beginning as simply as endomorphism and extending all the way out to how it can be the foundations of a generalization of set theory via Toposes... all in a cheery and explorative fashion which really illuminates why the ideas work instead of merely stating them.\nI'm not sure what the required background might be, but it's probably pretty minimal.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've only read Conceptual Mathematics; sorry for the confusion.",
          "reason": "Explains that it covers category theory and praises its explorative presentation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Required background is uncertain, though probably minimal.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7579619,
          "author": "nextos",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T23:51:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7579619",
          "commentText": "What about Lawvere's Conceptual Mathematics or Sets for Mathematics?",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Lawvere's Conceptual Mathematics",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7579324,
          "author": "tel",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T21:47:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7579324",
          "commentText": "I was going to recommend this one. Conceptual Mathematics is wonderful in that it provides a narrative of intuition instead of just the proofs. It's kind of like seeing How It Is Made for algebra.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Conceptual Mathematics is wonderful in that it provides a narrative of intuition instead of just the proofs.",
          "reason": "Calls it wonderful for its intuitive narrative approach.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "F. William Lawvere",
        "Stephen H. Schanuel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "category theory",
        "intuition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "crooked-little-vein-558c72",
      "title": "Crooked Little Vein",
      "author": "Warren Ellis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1027146,
          "author": "rsaarelm",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T12:44:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027146",
          "commentText": "Fiction, mostly.\nDeclare, by Tim Powers. Cold war espionage with black magic. Entertainingly bleak, and probably did a lot more weirdness with real history than I knew how to appreciate.\nProducing Open Source Software (http://producingoss.com/), by Karl Fogel. A very thorough look into all sorts of practical matters in running a large open source software project.\nThe Engines of Light trilogy by Ken MacLeod. Entertaining, though a bit erratic. Makes a bunch of Forteana fit in a hard SF framework. Also the second MacLeod book I've read that has a weird pixie dust immortality treatment that seems incongruous with the rest of the technology level.\nMatter by Iain M. Banks. Culture again after Algebraist. Still good.\nThe Dark Side of the Sun by Terry Pratchett. Finally got around to reading this one. Was surprisingly fresh. It would have been interesting to see Pratchett write more science fiction after this and Strata around 30 years ago.\nThe City and the Stars by Arthur C. Clarke. Another old SF book. This one wasn't very fresh, seemed like two or three different novels stapled together, with bits and pieces that might work pretty well if it weren't for the other bits and pieces.\nCrooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis. Not a lot of surprises, if you know what Warren Ellis tends to write. Basically a road trip novel through various degeneracies in America. Fun, but tends to go for gross-out warrenellisisms in favor of overall coherence.\nNeuropath by Scott Bakker. A technothriller about all sorts of fun things you can do by directly rewiring peoples' brains with near-future neurosurgery. Bakker's chilly philosophical outlook doesn't pack quite the same punch in an already mostly rationalistic setting as it did in the Prince of Nothing fantasy books. Sticks with a single not particularly unsympathetic viewpoint character and therefore avoids the problem in Prince of Nothing where you'd often end up in the head of someone you really don't want to be anywhere near.\nThe Tao is Silent by Raymond Smullyan. Smullyan writes various essays inspired by Taoism. Quality varies, but Smullyan is generally fun to read.\nOn SF by Thomas Disch. Beautifully acerbic essays by someone who takes science fiction literature seriously and doesn't let it off easy. And just plain likes to insult people. Representative, though noticeably dated sample: http://www.press.umich.edu/pdf/9780472068968-1.pdf\nDenner's Wreck by Lawrence Watt-Evans. Watt-Evans has an specific style of writing from what follows from the setting and premises rather than going for the most dramatically obvious plot. The results are hit-and-miss with his fantasy novels I've read, but work a lot better here, where the legends of a bronze-age civilization end up emerging from a science fiction setting. Watt-Evans' narrative style supports the plot where the traditional stories end up not really being what they seem to be.\nThe Official Book of Ultima by Shay Addams. It tells how Richard Garriott's obsession with programming in high school lead to the Ultima game series, which were one of the most notable computer games in the 80s and became the flagship product of Garriott's Origin Systems company. Also documents how the games grew from Ultima I being programmed by Garriot alone learning as he went along into Ultima VI developed by a large team. There is much detail about Ultima VI, which was being developed as the book was written. Much of it also conflicts with the game that ended up being released, and I ended up wondering whether this was about the game changing during production or just Addams getting his facts wrong.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Crooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis. Not a lot of surprises, if you know what Warren Ellis tends to write. Basically a road trip novel through various degeneracies in America. Fun, but tends to go for gross-out warrenellisisms in favor of overall coherence.",
          "reason": "Calls it fun while criticizing its gross-out style and lack of coherence.",
          "audience": "Readers familiar with Warren Ellis’s style who enjoy transgressive fiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says gross-out elements take priority over overall coherence.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026884,
          "author": "Daniel_Newby",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T06:33:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026884",
          "commentText": "Redliners by David Drake. Burned out soldiers are sent to baby-sit a planetary colonization. Fortunately for the story it turns out to be a planet full of monsters. Baen Free Library.\nAccelerando, Iron Sunrise, and Singularity Sky by Charles Stross.  Singularity stories.\nHouse of Leaves by Mark Danielewski.  Supernatural meta-fiction with half the story in the footnotes.  Reminiscent of the movie Donnie Darko.\nCrooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis.  Private eye gets retained by the White House to track down the other U.S. Constitution.  To quote William Gibson, \"Stop It. You're frightening me.\"\nHurry Down Sunshine by Michael Greenberg.  Story of his teenage daughter's descent into manic psychosis.\nA Hat Full of Sky and Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett.  Kids' stories, so they have wall-to-wall story, unlike some of his more situational adult books.\nJames H. Schmitz science fiction stories. Available from the Baen Free Library of digital books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis. Private eye gets retained by the White House to track down the other U.S. Constitution.",
          "reason": "The commenter gives its premise: a private investigator searches for another U.S. Constitution on behalf of the White House.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Warren Ellis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "conspiracy fiction",
        "detective fiction",
        "road novel",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "data-mining-practical-machine-learning-tools-and-techniques-8f6843",
      "title": "Data Mining: Practical Machine Learning Tools and Techniques",
      "author": "Ian H. Witten and Eibe Frank",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 79590,
          "author": "neilc",
          "createdAt": "2007-11-14T00:19:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 79359,
          "threadTitle": "Can anyone recommend good books, articles or essays that introduce machine learning?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=79590",
          "commentText": "I've seen the Norvig book recommended by others on this site for ML, but I don't understand why: the Norvig book is an AI book, not an ML book. It only has a few chapters on learning, and IIRC much of that is on reinforcement learning. Obviously the Norvig book is very well-written and is good background for learning about ML, but I don't think it is a sufficient ML book as such.\nAs far as ML goes, I found the \"Programming Collective Intelligence\" book to very readable and practical, but very light on the theoretical foundations (which is intentional, of course). I've got a copy of the Witten ML book (\"Data Mining: Practical Machine Learning Tools and Techniques\"), but to be honest I haven't gotten much from it yet, either: it doesn't seem to discuss SVMs in any detail, nor random forests or neural networks. But I haven't really dug into it yet.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've got a copy of the Witten ML book (\"Data Mining: Practical Machine Learning Tools and Techniques\"), but to be honest I haven't gotten much from it yet",
          "reason": "Reports getting little from the book so far and names techniques it seems not to cover in detail.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have not dug into it yet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 79491,
          "author": "cschmidt",
          "createdAt": "2007-11-13T20:59:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 79359,
          "threadTitle": "Can anyone recommend good books, articles or essays that introduce machine learning?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=79491",
          "commentText": "If you want a fairly easy read without too many equations, try:\nData Mining: Practical Machine Learning Tools and Techniques (Second Edition)\nhttp://www.cs.waikato.ac.nz/~ml/weka/book.html\nWhich goes nicely with the Weka open source ML toolkit\nhttp://www.cs.waikato.ac.nz/ml/weka/\n(although it is a good read without the toolkit)\nIf you want a bit more math, I really like the recent (Oct 2007) book:\nPattern Recognition and Machine Learning\nby Christopher M. Bishop \nhttp://www.amazon.com/Pattern-Recognition-Learning-Informati... (http://www.amazon.com/Pattern-Recognition-Learning-Information-Statistics/dp/0387310738)\nIt is nicely self contained, going through all the stats you'll need.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "try:\nData Mining: Practical Machine Learning Tools and Techniques (Second Edition)",
          "reason": "Suggested as an easy introduction to machine learning with few equations.",
          "audience": "Readers who want a fairly easy read without too many equations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ian H. Witten and Eibe Frank"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data mining",
        "machine learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "de-re-metallica-92a0fc",
      "title": "De Re Metallica",
      "author": "Georgius Agricola",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36666587,
          "author": "HamptonFounders",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-10T14:01:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36666587",
          "commentText": "Not sure if this is helpful, but a friend fed this conversation through ChatGPT and had it summarize for easier reading:\n-The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy -Bigger by Marc Levinson\n-The Machine That Changed the World: The Story of Lean Production-- Toyota's Secret Weapon in the Global Car Wars That Is Now Revolutionizing World Industry by James P. Womack, Daniel T. Jones, and Daniel Roos\n-Empires of the Sky: Zeppelins, Airplanes, and Two Men's Epic Duel to Rule the World by Erik Larson\n-Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America by Richard -White\n-The Arms of Krupp: The Rise and Fall of the Industrial Dynasty that Armed Germany at War by William Manchester\n-Edison by Edmund Morris\n-Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow\n-The People's Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century by Steven Watts\n-Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler\n-The Victorian Internet by Tom Standage\n-The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood by James Gleick\n-Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age by Michael S. Malone\n-The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester\n-The Innovators by Walter Isaacson\n-Medieval Technology and Social Change by Lynn White Jr.\n-The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation by Jon Gertner\n-Electricity in the 17th and 18th Centuries: A Study of Early Modern Physics by Eric H. Chaney\n-Early Electrical Communication by A. F. Marland\n-Bibliographical History of Electricity and Magnetism by Silvanus P. Thompson\n-Electric Science: Its History, Phenomena, and Applications by J. J. Fahie\n-The History and Present State of Electricity by Andrew Ure\n-https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/\n-De Re Metallica by Georgius Agricola",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "De Re Metallica by Georgius Agricola",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books offered in response to the history of technology question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36610944,
          "author": "mikewarot",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-06T03:49:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36610944",
          "commentText": "I found Herbert Hoover's translation of De Re Metallica[1] to be fascinating. A compendium of the technology of the day for processing most metals.\nI also found Longitude[2]: \"The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time\" to be an interesting account of the solving of the problem of nautical timekeeping.\nI second the nomination of Simon Winchester's book \"The Perfectionists\"\n[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_re_metallica\n[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longitude_%28book%29",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found Herbert Hoover's translation of De Re Metallica[1] to be fascinating.",
          "reason": "Calls the book fascinating and describes it as a compendium of metal processing technology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Georgius Agricola"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "metallurgy",
        "mining history",
        "renaissance technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "design-for-hackers-reverse-engineering-beauty-821e3c",
      "title": "Design for Hackers: Reverse Engineering Beauty",
      "author": "David Kadavy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12711670,
          "author": "frio",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-14T22:49:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12711670",
          "commentText": "I found Design for Hackers helped make my work less vomit inducing, but I'd suggest that it's really mindfulness of what you're building (rather than just flinging interface at a screen) that'll get you over the first hump, and almost any book will suffice.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Design-Hackers-Reverse-Engineering-Be... (https://www.amazon.com/Design-Hackers-Reverse-Engineering-Beauty/dp/1119998956)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I found Design for Hackers helped make my work less vomit inducing",
          "reason": "Says the book helped improve the commenter's design work, while qualifying that mindfulness matters more.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter emphasizes mindfulness over relying on a book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12711594,
          "author": "harryf",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-14T22:28:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12711594",
          "commentText": "Design for Hackers is a pretty good book - https://www.amazon.com/Design-Hackers-Reverse-Engineering-Be... (https://www.amazon.com/Design-Hackers-Reverse-Engineering-Beauty/dp/1119998956)\nMeanwhile https://www.designernews.co is Hackernews for designers",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Design for Hackers is a pretty good book",
          "reason": "Described as a pretty good book in response to a request for UI design books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231325,
          "author": "blatherard",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T18:01:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231325",
          "commentText": "The Authentic Animal: Inside the Odd and Obsessive World of Taxidermy (Dave Madden)\nDesign for Hackers: Reverse Engineering Beauty (David Kadavy)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Design for Hackers: Reverse Engineering Beauty (David Kadavy)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Kadavy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "visual design",
        "web design",
        "design principles"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "designing-the-obvious-a-common-sense-approach-to-web-mobile-appli-30daac",
      "title": "Designing the Obvious: A Common Sense Approach to Web & Mobile Application Design",
      "author": "Robert Hoekman Jr.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6231363,
          "author": "hcarvalhoalves",
          "createdAt": "2013-08-18T02:27:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 6231052,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is a good book for learning front end design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6231363",
          "commentText": "Try to learn and understand design as a discipline before going into the specifics of user interfaces and interaction design. For that I recommend:\n- Universal Principles of Design - William Lidwell\n- The Design of Everyday Things - Donald A. Norman\nThen for more practical knowledge:\n- Forms that Work: Designing Web Forms for Usability - Caroline Jarrett\n- Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability - Steve Krug\n- Designing the Obvious: A Common Sense Approach to Web & Mobile Application Design - Robert Hoekman Jr.\n- Sketching User Experiences: Getting the Design Right and the Right Design - Bill Buxton",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Designing the Obvious: A Common Sense Approach to Web & Mobile Application Design - Robert Hoekman Jr.",
          "reason": "Listed as practical knowledge for user interfaces and interaction design.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking practical UI and interaction design knowledge.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6231145,
          "author": "danibx",
          "createdAt": "2013-08-18T01:17:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 6231052,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is a good book for learning front end design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6231145",
          "commentText": "Designing the Obvious: A Common Sense Approach to Web & Mobile Application Design",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Designing the Obvious: A Common Sense Approach to Web & Mobile Application Design",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Hoekman Jr."
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mobile application design",
        "web design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dhammapada-009c6b",
      "title": "Dhammapada",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8533086,
          "author": "infiniteseeker",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-30T14:25:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 8528058,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Book Has the Most Page-for-Page Wisdom?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8533086",
          "commentText": "- The Enchihirdion by Epictetus\n- Meditations by Marcus Aurelius\n- Letters of a Stoic by Seneca\n- Dhammapada (various translations)\n- Bhagavad Gita (various translations)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dhammapada (various translations)",
          "reason": "Listed as a book fitting the thread's request for page-for-page wisdom.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Various translations.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8529987,
          "author": "bromone4",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-29T21:10:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 8528058,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Book Has the Most Page-for-Page Wisdom?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8529987",
          "commentText": "Dhammapada or Tao The Ching.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dhammapada or Tao The Ching.",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to the question about page-for-page wisdom.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhist texts",
        "wisdom literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "diagnostic-and-statistical-manual-of-mental-disorders-fifth-editi-4231ed",
      "title": "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5)",
      "author": "American Psychiatric Association",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11297633,
          "author": "talkingquickly",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:36:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297633",
          "commentText": "Do you know of any more accessible books which might give people a feel for what they might encounter? DSM-5 is pretty heavy going for someone outside of the field but agree that some awareness of it could be really valuable.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "DSM-5 is pretty heavy going for someone outside of the field",
          "reason": "Says awareness of DSM-5 could be valuable.",
          "audience": "People outside the mental health field.",
          "caveat": "Describes it as heavy going for non-specialists and asks for more accessible books.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297563,
          "author": "brnstz",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:29:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297563",
          "commentText": "* Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DSM-5\nSoftware engineering in particular attracts some extreme personalities. There are elements of narcissism, OCD, borderline, avoidance, etc. in every organization, even if it would not necessarily warrant a diagnosis. People have irrational motivations. This is often ignored in the rational business of software.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5)",
          "reason": "Listed as a reference for understanding personality traits and diagnoses discussed in organizations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "American Psychiatric Association"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "diagnostic criteria",
        "mental disorders",
        "psychiatry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "digital-image-processing-a74748",
      "title": "Digital Image Processing",
      "author": "Rafael C. Gonzalez and Richard E. Woods",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 859089,
          "author": "fuzzythinker",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-03T19:53:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 858824,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Image recognition books and resources",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=859089",
          "commentText": "That's a tough call.  It's hard to tell if I can understand the concepts from that along after already read and studied DIP.  You may want to pick up the 2.ed of DIP if your concern is price.  I learned from 2.ed of DIP, and not sure if 3.ed is worth $60+ more.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "You may want to pick up the 2.ed of DIP if your concern is price.",
          "reason": "Suggests the second edition as a lower cost option.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether the third edition is worth over $60 more.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 859032,
          "author": "matt1",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-03T19:02:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 858824,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Image recognition books and resources",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=859032",
          "commentText": "Feature Extraction and Image Processing looks pretty good. Do you think a beginner would be able to follow it without reading Digital Image Processing first?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "without reading Digital Image Processing first?",
          "reason": "Asked whether the book is needed as prior reading; no evaluation is expressed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 859000,
          "author": "fuzzythinker",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-03T18:33:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 858824,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Image recognition books and resources",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=859000",
          "commentText": "For that I suggest \"Feature Extraction and Image Processing\" 2.ed by Mark Nixon and Alberto S Aguado.  But \"Digital Image Processing\" (DIP) by Gonzalez and Woods as suggested by monk_the_dog is pretty much the standard prereq.  Actually  DIP may get you what you need depending on how deep you need to go.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Digital Image Processing\" (DIP) by Gonzalez and Woods as suggested by monk_the_dog is pretty much the standard prereq.",
          "reason": "Described as the standard prerequisite for the subject.",
          "audience": "People learning image recognition and processing.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may be sufficient depending on the desired depth.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 858952,
          "author": "monk_the_dog",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-03T17:38:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 858824,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Image recognition books and resources",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=858952",
          "commentText": "Here's my list:\nFor a general introduction:\n* \"Digital Image Processing\" by Gonzalez and Woods\n* \"Image Processing, Analysis, and Machine Vision\" by Sonka, Hlavac, and Boyle\nAfter you learn the basics, some more advanced and specialized books I'd recommend:\n* \"Morphological Image Analysis\" by Soille.\n* \"Insight into Images\" by Yoo (explains many of the algorithms in the ITK library).\nI hesitate to recommend this book because it is so dated (1992), but I refer to \"Computer and Robot Vision\" by Haralick and Shapiro quite often.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Digital Image Processing\" by Gonzalez and Woods",
          "reason": "Listed under “For a general introduction” in response to a request for resources.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a general introduction to image processing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rafael C. Gonzalez and Richard E. Woods"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer vision",
        "image processing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dilbert-bf6228",
      "title": "Dilbert",
      "author": "Scott Adams",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17035655,
          "author": "tabtab",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-10T00:54:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17035655",
          "commentText": "Dilbert! Amen. Humans are not Vulcans.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dilbert! Amen. Humans are not Vulcans.",
          "reason": "Affirms the parent comment's positive mention of Dilbert as an introduction to how corporations work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17031880,
          "author": "modbait",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T17:37:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17031880",
          "commentText": "1.  The Mythical Man Month.  Quite old, but still a classic.\n2.  Dilbert.  This comic series is an excellent introduction into how corporations actually work.\n3.  The Systems Bible.  Somewhat obscure.  Fascinating ideas on how large systems, both technical and organizational, actually work.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dilbert. This comic series is an excellent introduction into how corporations actually work.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the comic series an excellent introduction to how corporations work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Adams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "corporate culture",
        "office culture",
        "workplace",
        "workplace humor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "distraction-90d0ab",
      "title": "Distraction",
      "author": "Bruce Sterling",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8620639,
          "author": "thenomad",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-17T21:16:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8620639",
          "commentText": "+1 for Distraction, and indeed most of BruceS's works. Incredible, visionary stuff.\n\"Heavy Weather\" is probably the book of his that's most similar to Distraction - also very very good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for Distraction, and indeed most of BruceS's works. Incredible, visionary stuff.",
          "reason": "Strongly agrees with the recommendation and calls the work incredible and visionary.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8613960,
          "author": "pkinsky",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-16T11:07:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8613960",
          "commentText": "Bruce Sterling's Distraction. He touches on net-smart nomads, technology-driven disruption and the resulting unemployment, gridlock in congress, something similar to the Occupy movement in DC, a trade war with China that ended when they dumped all US IP online, a war referred to as 'Iraq 3', etc.\nThis is seriously impressive considering that it was published in 1998. My current hypothesis is that he's a time traveller messing with us.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is seriously impressive considering that it was published in 1998.",
          "reason": "Calls the book's prescient details seriously impressive.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruce Sterling"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "near future fiction",
        "political technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "distributed-systems-principles-and-paradigms-0042c5",
      "title": "Distributed Systems: Principles and Paradigms",
      "author": "Andrew S. Tanenbaum and Maarten van Steen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25989305,
          "author": "KingOfCoders",
          "createdAt": "2021-02-01T15:12:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 25987664,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommended books and papers on distributed systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25989305",
          "commentText": "I've learned distributed systems from Andrew S. Tanenbaum books [1]\nDistributed Operating Systems\nDistributed Systems: Principles and Paradigms\n[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_S._Tanenbaum#Books",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Distributed Systems: Principles and Paradigms",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the books the commenter used to learn distributed systems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25988909,
          "author": "PartiallyTyped",
          "createdAt": "2021-02-01T14:23:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 25987664,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommended books and papers on distributed systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25988909",
          "commentText": "The class I took used 'Distributed Systems: Principles and Paradigms' which is an older book by the same authors and it was great.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The class I took used 'Distributed Systems: Principles and Paradigms' which is an older book by the same authors and it was great.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book used in their class was great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as an older edition.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew S. Tanenbaum",
        "Maarten van Steen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "distributed systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "do-more-faster-d37555",
      "title": "Do More Faster",
      "author": "Brad Feld and David Cohen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1980092,
          "author": "zachallaun",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-07T18:54:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1980092",
          "commentText": "One of the great triumphs of _Founders at Work_ is its obvious emphasis on multiple perspectives to any single given problem. This book seems to emulate that approach to similar success, if your enthusiasm is to be taken as any indicator!\nI can't wait to read it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One of the great triumphs of _Founders at Work_ is its obvious emphasis on multiple perspectives to any single given problem. This book seems to emulate that approach to similar success, if your enthusiasm is to be taken as any indicator!",
          "reason": "Praises the book's use of multiple perspectives, based on the enthusiasm in the recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The target comment does not name the book; the parent identifies it as Do More Faster.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1974020,
          "author": "edw519",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T05:09:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974020",
          "commentText": "_Do More Faster_ by Techstars founders Brad Feld and David Cohen\n(Apologies to OP's request for brevity; there's just a lot of good stuff that I'd like to share.)\nA must read for anyone here who is serious about their startup.\nI read it on the flight to Startup School to \"get in the mood\". I couldn't put it down.\nIt's easy to read for 2 reasons: every chapter is a short essay by a different person (including many Techstars alumni) and it's very well written, almost like pg essays but by lots of different people. It covers lots of ground, much of which has been covered here at hn many times, but then again, some of this stuff can't be covered too often. Also, sometimes someone says the same thing a little differently, and that's the one that actually reaches you.\nMy 300 page copy has 50 or 60 dog-earred pages and hundreds of red marks; it's that full of gems. (For that reason, I highly suggest buying a hard copy and keeping it on your bookshelf for future reference.)\nI think that yc should come out with a similar book. I'd love to read essays from yc alumni, their advisors, and of course the yc principals themselves about what they thought was important. I realize much of this is on-line already, but there's nothing like a great hard copy too.\nA few of my favorite quotes from _Do More Faster_:\n\"I realized that I had two options. I could quit buying comics or I could quit my job and build the iTunes of comics.\" - Kevin Mann\n\"Getting feedback and new ideas is the lifeblood of any startup. There is no point in living in fear of someone stealing your idea.\" - Nate Abbott and Natty Zola\n\"That means every moment you're working on something without it being in the public arena, it's actually dying, deprived of the oxygen of the real world.\" - Matt Mullenweb\n\"Focus on the smallest possible problem you could solve that would potentially be useful\" - David Cohen\n\"You know you're on to something when the community starts donating money to make sure it stays alive.\" - Darren Crystal\n\"In companies that rely on having a large user base as ours does, it is very unlikely that you will offend enough people quickly enough to dampen your future growth.\" - Sean Corbett\n\"We learned that very few people care how you accomplish something. Instead, these people care more about whether you create value for your end user.\" - Colin Angle\n\"We knew that the high-level concept of our first site still really inspired us.\" - Alex White\n\"They stepped back from what they had created and thought about what they could do better than anyone else in the world.\" - editors\n\"During the first few days of every TechStars cycle, we tell the 10 bright-eyed new teams that one of them will not be together at the end of the program. Unfortunately, we have not been wrong yet.\" - editors\n\"If you can't quit no matter how hard you try, then you have a chance to succeed.\" - Laura Fitton\n\"When you ask CEOs of major companies what they're most worried about, one common answer is 'a couple of guys in a garage somewhere.'\" - David Cohen\n\"Companies that work just always seem to move at lightning pace.\" - David Cohen\n\"It turns out that giving up your one obvious competitive advantage often proves to be deadly. If a startup can't do more faster, it usually just gets dead faster.\" - David Cohen\n\"There is an enormous difference between exciting technology and an exciting business.\" - Howard Diamond\n\"Changes come daily, weekly, and monthly - not once a quarter or once a year.\" - Ari Newman\n\"While it was only a detour of a week, that's a lot in TechStars time.\" - Bill Warner\n\"Only hope instead is to listen to their head and their heart and follow a path that they believe in, keeping some of the feedback and discarding other thoughts and ideas.\" - Bill Warner\n\"...when presented with exponential growth, remember that people tend to drastically overestimate what will happen in the short term, but will profoundly underestimate what happens over longer time spans.\" - Ryan McIntyre\n\"...consider life as a founder of a startup to be one big intelligence test.\" - Ryan McIntyre\n\"Remember that human nature has a tendency to admire complexity, but to reward simplicity.\" - Ben Huh\n\"If you are innovating, you actually don't know what your product needs to be. Furthermore, your customers don't either. No one does.\" - Ajay Kulkarni and Andy Cheung\n\"Nearly every startup must find ways to differentiate itself from competitors.\" - Raj Aggarwai\n\"What is the thing that matters most to making progress right now?\" - Dick Costolo\n\"...you cannot create the need.\" - Michael Zeissner\n\"Opportunity cost can kill a startup.\" - Michael Zeissner\n\"It's easy to feel trapped by these handcuffs but if you change your perspective just a little, you might find that you hands are bound by nothing more than air, and the future is yours to create.\" - Eric Marcoullier\n\"There is one thing that the hundred of founders I meet each year have in common, and that is that their plan is wrong. Sometimes it's the big things, sometimes it's the little things, but the plan is always wrong.\" - Rob Hayes\n\"...we have to strike while the iron is hot! My experience is that this is rarely true.\" - David Brown\n\"Take the time to get it right and you'll find that those competitors might not be as close as you think.\" - David Brown\n\"Seeking the perfect combo: 'a smart-ass team with a kick-ass product in a big-ass market.'\" - Jeff Clavier\n\"The moral of the story is easy: When you follow your heart, good things usually happen. We have a very short stay on this spinning orb and I believe life is way too short to be stuck in a career that doesn't fulfill you.\" - Mark Solon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A must read for anyone here who is serious about their startup.",
          "reason": "Calls it a must-read and says it is full of useful startup advice and reference material.",
          "audience": "People serious about startups.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brad Feld and David Cohen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "startups",
        "startup advice"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "eats-shoots-leaves-b8f144",
      "title": "Eats, Shoots & Leaves",
      "author": "Lynne Truss",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 86120,
          "author": "estherschindler",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T22:05:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86120",
          "commentText": "For sheer enjoyment (measured in how many times I've re-read them, at least at various times in my life): Heinlein's _The Door into Summer_. Connie Willis' _Bellwether_ (these can be funny, right?). Ayn Rand's _Atlas Shrugged_ (more in my youth than today, but I can probably still recite passages by heart). \nNon-fiction: Gerry Weinberg's _Secrets of Consulting_. Lynn Truss' _Eats Shoots & Leaves_.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lynn Truss' _Eats Shoots & Leaves_.",
          "reason": "Lists it as a favorite nonfiction book in response to the thread question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86041,
          "author": "oditogre",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T19:03:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86041",
          "commentText": "- Brave New World\n- Night\n- Hitchhiker's Guide series\n- Dark Tower series (Mostly just the first 4, though)\n- Eats, Shoots & Leaves\n- Just about any George Carlin or Patrick F. McManus books\n- Wheel of Time Series\n- Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Eats, Shoots & Leaves",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lynne Truss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "grammar",
        "punctuation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "economics-2d24c5",
      "title": "Economics",
      "author": "Paul A. Samuelson and William D. Nordhaus",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 180740,
          "author": "danohuiginn",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-04T10:12:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 180589,
          "threadTitle": "Good book for economics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=180740",
          "commentText": "Get hold of at least two textbooks. In economics even more than elsewhere, each book will give you a different perspective.\nIf you're feeling really adventurous, pick up a second-hand textbook that's a decade or two old, and keep an eye on how the orthodoxy has shifted.\nWhich to buy? The best-sellers are all pretty similar: quite clearly written, but maybe longer than they need to be. Mankiw, Samuelson/Nordhaus and Baumol/Blinder all seemed OK to me; I'm not aware of any truly exceptional econ. textbook.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Mankiw, Samuelson/Nordhaus and Baumol/Blinder all seemed OK to me",
          "reason": "Listed as an acceptable economics textbook, with the caveat that best-sellers are similar and none seem exceptional.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the best-sellers may be longer than needed and does not know of a truly exceptional textbook.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 180659,
          "author": "michael_dorfman",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-04T05:09:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 180589,
          "threadTitle": "Good book for economics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=180659",
          "commentText": "I can't think of a better textbook than Samuelson.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can't think of a better textbook than Samuelson.",
          "reason": "The commenter says Samuelson's textbook is the best they can think of.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an economics textbook.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul A. Samuelson and William D. Nordhaus"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economics textbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "edison-afe84a",
      "title": "Edison",
      "author": "Edmund Morris",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36666587,
          "author": "HamptonFounders",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-10T14:01:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36666587",
          "commentText": "Not sure if this is helpful, but a friend fed this conversation through ChatGPT and had it summarize for easier reading:\n-The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy -Bigger by Marc Levinson\n-The Machine That Changed the World: The Story of Lean Production-- Toyota's Secret Weapon in the Global Car Wars That Is Now Revolutionizing World Industry by James P. Womack, Daniel T. Jones, and Daniel Roos\n-Empires of the Sky: Zeppelins, Airplanes, and Two Men's Epic Duel to Rule the World by Erik Larson\n-Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America by Richard -White\n-The Arms of Krupp: The Rise and Fall of the Industrial Dynasty that Armed Germany at War by William Manchester\n-Edison by Edmund Morris\n-Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow\n-The People's Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century by Steven Watts\n-Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler\n-The Victorian Internet by Tom Standage\n-The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood by James Gleick\n-Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age by Michael S. Malone\n-The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester\n-The Innovators by Walter Isaacson\n-Medieval Technology and Social Change by Lynn White Jr.\n-The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation by Jon Gertner\n-Electricity in the 17th and 18th Centuries: A Study of Early Modern Physics by Eric H. Chaney\n-Early Electrical Communication by A. F. Marland\n-Bibliographical History of Electricity and Magnetism by Silvanus P. Thompson\n-Electric Science: Its History, Phenomena, and Applications by J. J. Fahie\n-The History and Present State of Electricity by Andrew Ure\n-https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/\n-De Re Metallica by Georgius Agricola",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Edison by Edmund Morris",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books offered in response to the history of technology question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36601373,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:00:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601373",
          "commentText": "Here are some histories of specific industries I've read recently and supremely enjoyed:\n- The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger\n- The Machine That Changed the World: The Story of Lean Production-- Toyota's Secret Weapon in the Global Car Wars That Is Now Revolutionizing World Industry\n- Empires of the Sky: Zeppelins, Airplanes, and Two Men's Epic Duel to Rule the World\n- Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America (of all of these not the most amazing but still interesting)\n- The Arms of Krupp: The Rise and Fall of the Industrial Dynasty that Armed Germany at War\nAnd then you can learn a lot by reading about the people who built the industries too. Here are a few I've been reading about recently that I recommend:\n- Edison by Edmund Morris (Just read it backwards, you'll see.)\n- Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow\n- The People's Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century by Steven Watts\n- Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler\nI also got some interesting suggestions asking a similar question on Twitter a bit ago.\nhttps://twitter.com/eatonphil/status/1668625835350454273",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Edison by Edmund Morris",
          "reason": "Listed among books about people who built industries that the commenter recommends.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter jokingly says, \"Just read it backwards, you'll see.\"",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edmund Morris"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "thomas edison",
        "invention",
        "inventors",
        "technology history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "emotional-design-743f44",
      "title": "Emotional Design",
      "author": "Donald A. Norman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 295900,
          "author": "UandIblog",
          "createdAt": "2008-09-05T15:06:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 295871,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HC: Which books on user interface design do you wish your CEO/Cofounders would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=295900",
          "commentText": "Thank you for taking the time to help me.. Spectacular looking books, I've got my work cut out for me.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Spectacular looking books",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the appearance of the books and says they have a lot of reading ahead.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 295886,
          "author": "fiaz",
          "createdAt": "2008-09-05T14:54:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 295871,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HC: Which books on user interface design do you wish your CEO/Cofounders would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=295886",
          "commentText": "Emotional Design\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Emotional-Design-Love-Everyday-Things/... (http://www.amazon.com/Emotional-Design-Love-Everyday-Things/dp/0465051367/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1220626431&sr=8-1)\nDesigning Interactions\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Designing-Interactions-Bill-Moggridge/... (http://www.amazon.com/Designing-Interactions-Bill-Moggridge/dp/0262134748/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1220626480&sr=1-12)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Emotional Design",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donald A. Norman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "emotional design",
        "user experience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "encyclopaedia-britannica-b38fb4",
      "title": "Encyclopaedia Britannica",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12245682,
          "author": "SeaDude",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T05:36:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12245682",
          "commentText": "Boom ditto!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Boom ditto!",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12245286,
          "author": "mud_dauber",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T03:20:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12245286",
          "commentText": "Not one book - but a series. The Encyclopedia Brittanica. (That's right, the old-school hard bound set of books taking up an entire shelf.)\nMy 3rd grade class had a set, and I devoured each one. They turned me into a nerd thanks to a teacher who told me to never stop reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Encyclopedia Brittanica. (That's right, the old-school hard bound set of books taking up an entire shelf.)",
          "reason": "The commenter says the set shaped them into a reader and nerd.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes the old-school hardbound set.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "encyclopedia",
        "reference",
        "reference encyclopedia"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "engineering-and-the-mind-s-eye-21b933",
      "title": "Engineering and the Mind's Eye",
      "author": "Eugene S. Ferguson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39058170,
          "author": "nshunter",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T17:27:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39058170",
          "commentText": "Came here looking for this one to be mentioned",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Came here looking for this one to be mentioned",
          "reason": "Seconding the recommendation in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39057576,
          "author": "ics",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T16:48:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39057576",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed Engineering and the Mind's Eye by Eugene Ferguson https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262560788/engineering-and-the-m... (https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262560788/engineering-and-the-minds-eye/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed Engineering and the Mind's Eye by Eugene Ferguson",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eugene S. Ferguson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "engineering design",
        "engineering history",
        "visual thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "eric-meyer-on-css-d9edc5",
      "title": "Eric Meyer on CSS",
      "author": "Eric A. Meyer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 585949,
          "author": "mechanical_fish",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-29T21:53:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 574468,
          "threadTitle": "What is the best CSS book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=585949",
          "commentText": "No, I believe there is also an \"Eric Meyer on CSS\". Not that the Definitive Guide isn't also a very good book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "there is also an \"Eric Meyer on CSS\".",
          "reason": "Corrects the prior comment by noting this separate book exists.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not state a personal recommendation for it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 574544,
          "author": "mr_justin",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-22T20:59:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 574468,
          "threadTitle": "What is the best CSS book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=574544",
          "commentText": "The definitive book is Designing with Web Standards. Not all CSS per se, but it is requisite reading if you're just getting into the whole CSS-based design thing.\nThat book goes hand in hand with Eric Meyer on CSS.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "That book goes hand in hand with Eric Meyer on CSS.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a companion to Designing with Web Standards.",
          "audience": "People learning CSS-based design.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 574502,
          "author": "codemechanic",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-22T20:30:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 574468,
          "threadTitle": "What is the best CSS book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=574502",
          "commentText": "Eric myer on CSS",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Eric myer on CSS",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric A. Meyer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "css",
        "web development",
        "web design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "essence-of-linear-algebra-6b1053",
      "title": "Essence of Linear Algebra",
      "author": "3Blue1Brown",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31707825,
          "author": "whatsakandr",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-11T20:08:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31707825",
          "commentText": "Highly recommend 3blue1brown's essence of linear algebra playlist as a supplement to anything you do. I \"knew\" linear before watching this playlist, now I know it. \nLink:\nhttps://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0-GT3co4r2y2YErbmuJw2L5t... (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0-GT3co4r2y2YErbmuJw2L5tW4Ew2O5B)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Highly recommend 3blue1brown's essence of linear algebra playlist as a supplement to anything you do.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a supplement and says it improved their understanding.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Recommended as a supplement to other study.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31707568,
          "author": "aidos",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-11T19:41:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31707568",
          "commentText": "Essence of linear algebra is an absolutely wonderful series. It gave me an intuition of the subject in a matter of hours in way years of university didn’t do.\nhttps://youtu.be/fNk_zzaMoSs",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Essence of linear algebra is an absolutely wonderful series.",
          "reason": "Says it built intuition for the subject within hours.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "3Blue1Brown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "linear algebra",
        "visual explanations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "essential-javascript-design-patterns-a2e711",
      "title": "Essential JavaScript Design Patterns",
      "author": "Addy Osmani",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8597246,
          "author": "bzalasky",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-12T18:31:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 8595745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommended books for beginner web developer",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8597246",
          "commentText": "Here's a great collection of resources (compiled by Zed Shaw) for learning about programming, software and web development:\n- http://programming-motherfucker.com/become.html\nYou'll find resources on Zed's site that will help you learn the web development toolchain as well. You'll want a good editor, an understanding of git and version control, as well as the command line (apologies if you're acquainted with these already but looking to get into web development).\nAnother thing to remember is that once you grasp the basics, you can learn a lot from reading other people's code (especially libraries) and the associated documentation.\nSome other resources that helped me out immensely when I was getting started (or that I wish I'd read):\nA great overview of JavaScript.\n- http://eloquentjavascript.net/\nOnce you get the basics of JS down, this book will help you learn how to organize your code better.\n- http://addyosmani.com/resources/essentialjsdesignpatterns/bo... (http://addyosmani.com/resources/essentialjsdesignpatterns/book/)\nAn overview of HTML5.\n- http://fortuito.us/diveintohtml5/\nWhile it's from 2010, most of it is probably still applicable. This was the intro to CSS that helped me grasp the box model and DOM.\n- https://code.tutsplus.com/tutorials/css-noob-to-ninja--net-1... (https://code.tutsplus.com/tutorials/css-noob-to-ninja--net-12186)\nThis is a great book for learning how to organize SASS/CSS files in a large project.\n- https://smacss.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this book will help you learn how to organize your code better.",
          "reason": "Recommended for learning how to organize JavaScript code.",
          "audience": "Readers who know JavaScript basics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8597060,
          "author": "dorfuss",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-12T18:05:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 8595745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommended books for beginner web developer",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8597060",
          "commentText": "Yes, start with HTML + JavaScript.\nhttp://www.w3schools.com/js/ has a very clean, straightforward tutorial with complete reference. My advice would be that as you learn you should take notes in form of questions, so instead of writing: \"To declare a function: function name (...) {...}\" write a question: \"How to define a function?\" Then rewise your questions after each chapter and write your answers on a piece of paper, not into the computer - you'll memorise the syntax faster and better.\nAfter reading the entire tutorial you should have about 8-10  pages of notes with questions. If you don't remember how to write something, go back to the online tutorial/reference and find what you need.\nAt the beginning don't spend too much time on the Math or Date functions, as these won't be that much useful. Focus on Strings and Arrays instead, regular expressions are also fun to play with.\nAnd after you're done with the basics you could try the Design Patterns:  \nhttp://addyosmani.com/resources/essentialjsdesignpatterns/bo... (http://addyosmani.com/resources/essentialjsdesignpatterns/book/)\nThirdly: as you learn you should try to build things that could be useful for yourself and that you would enjoy building. For instance you could try to make a simple flashcard system or a little script that could strip a given string from HTML tags, or a script that would create numerated footnotes on your website. Something like 150-200 lines of code.\nYour could also play with manipulting SVG elements with your JS - it's very rewarding and I believe that as for a beginner it's important to SEE the effects instantly.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you could try the Design Patterns",
          "reason": "Suggested as a next step after learning JavaScript basics.",
          "audience": "Beginner learning JavaScript.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Addy Osmani"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "design patterns",
        "javascript"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "every-tool-s-a-hammer-6f9cf6",
      "title": "Every Tool's a Hammer",
      "author": "Adam Savage",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21852552,
          "author": "notjustanymike",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T18:24:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21852552",
          "commentText": "100% agree on every tool, it's one of the best project planning and management books I've read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's one of the best project planning and management books I've read.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the best books they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21852386,
          "author": "t3hprofit",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T17:49:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21852386",
          "commentText": "Not specifically about programming, but \"Every Tool's a Hammer\" by Adam Savage was really good. Tons of good information in here, and it tickles the Mythbusters itch.\nAre you looking for books about a programming language? or about methodologies, patters, best practices, etc.\nAs far as about specific programming languages, personally I think the internet is a far better resource. Books are better for the \"Soft\"er skills (communication, design, etc)\nHere are a few I've enjoyed:\n* The Phoenix Project\n* Accelerate\n* Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World\n* Rework\nFinally, if you've never read \"How to win Friends & Influence people\", do it now! I'm 34 and for whatever reason put off reading this until last month. I wish I had read that book 10 years ago. I'll definitely be adding it to my re-read list as there is a TON of good advice for building relationships, which is arguably more important than many technical things.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Every Tool's a Hammer\" by Adam Savage was really good. Tons of good information in here, and it tickles the Mythbusters itch.",
          "reason": "Says it was really good, informative, and evokes MythBusters.",
          "audience": "Developers interested in making, practical skills, and Adam Savage.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not specifically about programming.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adam Savage"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Business",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creative process",
        "making",
        "practical skills",
        "project management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "feature-extraction-and-image-processing-513510",
      "title": "Feature Extraction and Image Processing",
      "author": "Mark Nixon and Alberto S. Aguado",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 859032,
          "author": "matt1",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-03T19:02:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 858824,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Image recognition books and resources",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=859032",
          "commentText": "Feature Extraction and Image Processing looks pretty good. Do you think a beginner would be able to follow it without reading Digital Image Processing first?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Feature Extraction and Image Processing looks pretty good.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book looks pretty good and asks whether a beginner can follow it.",
          "audience": "Beginners interested in image processing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 859000,
          "author": "fuzzythinker",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-03T18:33:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 858824,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Image recognition books and resources",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=859000",
          "commentText": "For that I suggest \"Feature Extraction and Image Processing\" 2.ed by Mark Nixon and Alberto S Aguado.  But \"Digital Image Processing\" (DIP) by Gonzalez and Woods as suggested by monk_the_dog is pretty much the standard prereq.  Actually  DIP may get you what you need depending on how deep you need to go.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I suggest \"Feature Extraction and Image Processing\" 2.ed by Mark Nixon and Alberto S Aguado.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a resource for learning image recognition and processing.",
          "audience": "People learning image recognition and processing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Nixon and Alberto S. Aguado"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer vision",
        "image processing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "foundation-trilogy-8af07f",
      "title": "Foundation trilogy",
      "author": "Isaac Asimov",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12070429,
          "author": "escapologybb",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T12:04:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12070429",
          "commentText": "Yes, that's exactly what I meant, is there some of the trilogy I should be reading as well?  :-)",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "some of the trilogy I should be reading as well?",
          "reason": "Asks which books from the trilogy to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12069031,
          "author": "sohkamyung",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T05:17:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12069031",
          "commentText": "By \"Foundation Trilogy\" you mean the original 'Foundation' stories as gathered in the first three books (\"Foundation\", \"Foundation and Empire\" and \"Second Foundation\")?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "By \"Foundation Trilogy\"",
          "reason": "Clarifies which stories the parent meant by the trilogy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140562,
          "author": "TrevorJ",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T05:41:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140562",
          "commentText": "Asimovs' \"Foundation Trilogy\" was among my most inspiring reads, however I loved his short stories even more.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Asimovs' \"Foundation Trilogy\" was among my most inspiring reads",
          "reason": "Named among the commenter’s most inspiring reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they loved Asimov’s short stories even more.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140379,
          "author": "hernan7",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T00:31:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140379",
          "commentText": "For some reason I misread \"the most insipid\". Oh well...\nPersonally the one that inspired me the most was the Foundation trilogy, with its nerd-propelled universe.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the one that inspired me the most was the Foundation trilogy",
          "reason": "Names the trilogy as the work that inspired them most.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isaac Asimov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "galactic empire",
        "psychohistory",
        "science fiction classics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "founding-sales-98e911",
      "title": "Founding Sales",
      "author": "Pete Kazanjy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41702815,
          "author": "bigbossman",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-30T22:30:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 41693844,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good essays/books/advice about software sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41702815",
          "commentText": "Get Founding Sales by Pete Kazanjy (https://www.foundingsales.com/). It's written by a tech founder for founders, and he also runs some popular events and forums for the startup community.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Get Founding Sales by Pete Kazanjy",
          "reason": "Suggested as a resource for founders.",
          "audience": "Founders; the commenter describes it as written by a tech founder for founders.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41702809,
          "author": "telaandrews2",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-30T22:29:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 41693844,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good essays/books/advice about software sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41702809",
          "commentText": "Founding Sales is a great book for non sales people who need to learn sales for their own startup / business. Sounds like this is what you're after. Free to read, too. https://www.foundingsales.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Founding Sales is a great book for non sales people who need to learn sales for their own startup / business.",
          "reason": "Recommended for learning sales when starting a business.",
          "audience": "Non-salespeople working on their own startup or business.",
          "caveat": "Free to read.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pete Kazanjy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "founder led sales",
        "startup sales"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fractals-everywhere-5d8a58",
      "title": "Fractals Everywhere",
      "author": "Michael F. Barnsley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35929330,
          "author": "theOneWhoSmores",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T15:31:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35929330",
          "commentText": "You just made a sale of copy. Holy shit that is a cool start!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Holy shit that is a cool start!",
          "reason": "Reacting positively to the book's opening passage.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35929281,
          "author": "philipswood",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T15:26:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35929281",
          "commentText": "Fractals Everywhere, Michael F. Barnsley.\nI love the way it starts:\n>Fractal geometry will make you see everything differently. There is a danger in reading further. You risk the loss of your childhood vision of clouds, forests, flowers, galaxies, leaves, feathers, rocks, mountains, torrents of water, carpet, bricks, and much else besides. Never again will your interpretation of these things be quite the same.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fractals Everywhere, Michael F. Barnsley.",
          "reason": "Offers the book as an eye-opening read and quotes its description of fractal geometry.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael F. Barnsley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fractal geometry",
        "fractals"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "from-the-soil-the-foundations-of-chinese-society-b498d0",
      "title": "From the Soil: The Foundations of Chinese Society",
      "author": "Fei Xiaotong",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39249473,
          "author": "yannis",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T11:37:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249473",
          "commentText": "I am not sure about the bargain part. It is a window in the roots of Chinese society and mainly its relation to rural communities and villages (from a sociology perspective). I would recommend it to anyone trying to understand a society based on its people and not its politicians. Also anyone from a rural small town in the US or any other country, I think will enjoy it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend it to anyone trying to understand a society based on its people and not its politicians.",
          "reason": "Recommended for understanding Chinese society through its people and rural communities.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in society, rural communities, or small-town life.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39249152,
          "author": "zi_",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T10:42:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249152",
          "commentText": "\"From the soil: Foundations of Chinese Society\" by Fei Xiaotong.\nIt is a book (accessible to non-chinese) that helps one understand a population of >1.4 billion in less than 180 pages. Wouldn’t one call this a bargain?\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/134293.From_the_Soil",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"From the soil: Foundations of Chinese Society\" by Fei Xiaotong.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helps readers understand Chinese society in under 180 pages.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an accessible introduction to Chinese society",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fei Xiaotong"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chinese society",
        "anthropology",
        "rural sociology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fundamentals-of-physics-bb0dac",
      "title": "Fundamentals of Physics",
      "author": "David Halliday, Robert Resnick, and Jearl Walker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46483452,
          "author": "codinhood",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-04T00:33:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 46473352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Expository/Succinct Books on Modern Physics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46483452",
          "commentText": "> Fundamentals of Physics by Halliday, Resnick, Walker\nI strongly recommend this textbook. I used in college, and it's really good. There are a lot of problems for each chapter, I suggest doing them as they help a lot.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I strongly recommend this textbook. I used in college, and it's really good.",
          "reason": "The commenter strongly recommends it and says they used it in college.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46478252,
          "author": "senorcrab",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-03T16:09:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 46473352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Expository/Succinct Books on Modern Physics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46478252",
          "commentText": "Freshman university textbooks have what you need. Two of the most popular are:\n- University Physics by Young and Freedman\n- Fundamentals of Physics by Halliday, Resnick, Walker\n- Modern Physics by Krane\nYou might guess that real physics is not actually in freshman textbooks, and you are right. Modern physics requires rigorous mathematics.\nFor a nonrigorous introduction/overview:\n- The Road to Reality by Roger Penrose\nIf you want to actually learn almost all of physics at a high level:\n- Course of Theoretical Physics by Landau\nNote that Landau is extremely difficult.\nIf you want to learn the math needed for modern physics (topology) in the context of physics, nonrigorously:\n- Geometry, Topology, and Physics by Nakahara",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fundamentals of Physics by Halliday, Resnick, Walker",
          "reason": "Listed among popular freshman university textbooks relevant to the request.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking introductory physics textbooks.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231119,
          "author": "dananjaya86",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T16:52:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231119",
          "commentText": "Fundamentals of Physics - Halliday et al. and\nThe Collected Short Stories of Robert Dahl.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Fundamentals of Physics - Halliday et al.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Halliday",
        "Robert Resnick",
        "Jearl Walker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "introductory physics",
        "physics textbook",
        "physics textbooks"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "garrett-p-i-247e73",
      "title": "Garrett, P.I.",
      "author": "Glen Cook",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41768950,
          "author": "loufe",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T18:02:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41768950",
          "commentText": "I second the Black Company. I recently turned some friends onto it and got back in as a consequence. It was such a great twist on how a dark fantasy reads. Totally agree for Garret PI.\nI'll have to add my other fantasy favourites : The Kingkiller Chronicles (though be prepared to be left hanging) and the Stormlight Archives are truly excellent.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Totally agree for Garret PI.",
          "reason": "The commenter agrees with the positive mention in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41768759,
          "author": "ChrisMarshallNY",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T17:46:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41768759",
          "commentText": "These threads often end up, with everyone trying to prove they are literary scholars.\nI prefer junky fantasy books. I'm really too old and cynical to give a damn what y'all think of me.\nI probably liked David Edding's Belgariad series, along with the Mallorean series, the most. I reread them, regularly, and go through all ten books, in a couple of weeks. They are an easy read.\nAlso, Glen Cook's Black Company books are awesome. It's a toss-up, between them. Eleven books, in that series. His Garret PI series are fun, but really kind of \"filler.\"",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "His Garret PI series are fun, but really kind of \"filler.\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says the series is fun.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They characterize it as filler.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Glen Cook"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "detective fiction",
        "fantasy mystery",
        "mystery fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "geometric-algebra-for-physicists-07b1ab",
      "title": "Geometric Algebra for Physicists",
      "author": "Chris Doran and Anthony Lasenby",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34450747,
          "author": "jordibc",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-20T09:30:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34450747",
          "commentText": "In case it helps:\nIn addition to \"Geometric Algebra for Physicists\" (whose first two chapters I'd recommend to get a nice overview), I found Hestenes' \"New Foundations for Classical Mechanics\" to be very good and readable.\nAlso, there are many good resources in https://bivector.net/ , including videos, papers, presentations and programs.\nFinally, an interesting paper (that got me kickstarted) is \"Imaginary Numbers Are Not Real—The Geometric Algebra of Spacetime\" by Gull, Lasenby and Doran.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In addition to \"Geometric Algebra for Physicists\"",
          "reason": "Named as an additional resource; the commenter specifically recommends its first two chapters for an overview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The recommendation is specifically for the first two chapters.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34445948,
          "author": "dorchadas",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T21:35:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34445948",
          "commentText": "> * Geometric Algebra for Physicists, by Doran and Lasenby. I found the power and elegance of geometric algebra mesmerizing, and even if this book is also about physics and there may be more appropriate math-only books about geometric algebra, this is the one that made it for me.\nI've tried to read several of them, and, sadly, I feel most geometric algebra books fail at explaining it. It's a shame as it's part of what kindled my interest in pure mathematics and I still feel I'm nowhere nearer understanding it despite working through several other mathematics textbooks, including just plain algebra. But, it did spark my interest and now I've moved on to other interesting topics, though Geometric Algebra is still my white whale.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Geometric Algebra is still my white whale.",
          "reason": "The commenter says attempts to understand geometric algebra through this book and other texts have not succeeded, though it sparked their interest.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter remains unsure they understand the subject despite working through several books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris Doran",
        "Anthony Lasenby"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "geometric algebra",
        "mathematical physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "good-strategy-bad-strategy-eeda63",
      "title": "Good Strategy/Bad Strategy",
      "author": "Richard P. Rumelt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35169107,
          "author": "collin128",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T14:47:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35169107",
          "commentText": "Steve Blank's blog (not a book, I know) + The Startup Owners Manual also by Steve Blank.\nLean Product Playbook by Dan Olsen.\nThe two helped me understand what it meant to 'get out of the building'.\n7 Powers + Good Strategy Bad Strategy helped me think long term about the business model and evolution of the company.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "7 Powers + Good Strategy Bad Strategy helped me think long term about the business model and evolution of the company.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them think long term about the business model and company evolution.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35169100,
          "author": "dmkirwan",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T14:47:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35169100",
          "commentText": "I assume you're not interested in hearing the obvious ones (zero to one, lean startup, etc., etc.) so I'll recommend two.\nAt the early stages when you're defining your strategy? \"Good strategy/bad strategy\" by Richard P. Rumelt. \"Strategy\" is thrown around a whole lot in business, often by somebody who is talking about a goal, as opposed to how to reach it. This book can get a little repetitive but the overarching teachings are valuable and will serve you well throughout your entrepreneurship journey.\nAfter the startup phase (growth/acquisition)? I recommend \"The messy middle\" by Scott Belsky.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Good strategy/bad strategy\" by Richard P. Rumelt.",
          "reason": "Recommended for defining a startup's strategy and distinguishing goals from plans for reaching them.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs defining an early-stage strategy",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it can get repetitive.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard P. Rumelt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business strategy",
        "strategic planning",
        "business models",
        "entrepreneurship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "grokking-algorithms-an-illustrated-guide-for-programmers-and-othe-e24280",
      "title": "Grokking Algorithms: An Illustrated Guide for Programmers and Other Curious People",
      "author": "Aditya Bhargava",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23365409,
          "author": "xadoc",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-30T22:34:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23365409",
          "commentText": "Don't Make Me Think (200 pages)\nGrokking Algorithms An Illustrated Guide For Programmers and Other Curious People (235 pages)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Grokking Algorithms An Illustrated Guide For Programmers and Other Curious People (235 pages)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Programmers and other curious readers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23364621,
          "author": "frompdx",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-30T20:54:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23364621",
          "commentText": "I really like Grokking Algorithms.  You can probably read it in a weekend if you don't do the code exercises.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really like Grokking Algorithms.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really like the book and notes it can be read in a weekend without doing the code exercises.",
          "audience": "Software developers looking for a short book.",
          "caveat": "Reading it in a weekend may depend on skipping the code exercises.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Aditya Bhargava"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "head-first-c-e21a16",
      "title": "Head First C",
      "author": "David Griffiths and Dawn Griffiths",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33134436,
          "author": "bmitc",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T17:56:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33134436",
          "commentText": "I highly recommend Head First C. Don’t be taken aback by its appearance. It’s an excellent book that drives the concepts home.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend Head First C.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a book for learning C.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Don’t be taken aback by its appearance.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33131864,
          "author": "sureglymop",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T12:46:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33131864",
          "commentText": "If you have ADHD like me I would recommend \"Head First C\" from o reilly.  Was very visual and covered a lot. Then I continued with The C Programming Language. Sadly I haven't found something similar for rust yet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend \"Head First C\" from o reilly.",
          "reason": "Recommends this visual C book, especially for readers with ADHD.",
          "audience": "Readers with ADHD or those who benefit from visual explanations.",
          "caveat": "The commenter later moved on to The C Programming Language.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Griffiths",
        "Dawn Griffiths"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming",
        "visual learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "healthy-sleep-habits-happy-child-188987",
      "title": "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child",
      "author": "Marc Weissbluth",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 128209,
          "author": "pchristensen",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-03T18:35:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 127711,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Hacker moms & dads, what do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=128209",
          "commentText": "+1 for healthy sleep habits, happy child. Also recommend Happiest Baby on the Block (http://www.amazon.com/o/asin/0553381466/pchristensen-20)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for healthy sleep habits, happy child.",
          "reason": "Seconding the previous recommendation.",
          "audience": "Parents interested in infant sleep.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 128170,
          "author": "koolmoe",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-03T17:43:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 127711,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Hacker moms & dads, what do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=128170",
          "commentText": "I have a 15 mo girl.\nMy wife read lots of books.  I read a few.  With a few exceptions, the books have been a waste of time and money.  So many of the books in this genre have the feel of the Learn Blub in 21 Days line of programming books.  Accept from the get-go that parenting is hard, there are no silver bullets, and you are going to spend a lot of time and energy if you want to do a good job, and filter anything you read from that perspective.\nNevertheless, we did find some helpful books.  The most useful books we have are a reference book given to us by our pediatrician and a book about baby sign language (The following link is to the revised edition, which is not the one we have, but it's cheaper on amazon http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Signs-Revised-Linda-Acredolo/dp/B... (http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Signs-Revised-Linda-Acredolo/dp/B0012F7UCI/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1204563699&sr=8-1)).\nWe went through a lot of \"the book says\" conversations early on, especially related to getting her to sleep.  The thing to realize here is that it is up to you how to do it.  There's a book out there that will support your position, and many of the books are contradictory.  So, in the end, you'll end up having to decide what you think is right.  The book many parents find useful is merely the one that reinforces their opinion, and they will use that book to appeal to authority in the passive-aggressive conversations that all new parents seem wont to have.\nI had trouble finding what I felt like were unbiased opinions on sleep in particular.  This book: http://www.amazon.com/Healthy-Sleep-Habits-Happy-Child/dp/03... (http://www.amazon.com/Healthy-Sleep-Habits-Happy-Child/dp/0345486455/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1204563964&sr=1-1) was helpful, mostly because it more or less laid out three approaches and passed few, if any, value judgements on going to the baby vs. letting her cry herself to sleep.\nIn the end, I decided I couldn't stand to let her cry, so we settled on developing a very predictable routine at bedtime, and it has worked well.  We have had our bumpy patches, particularly during illnesses, teething, and major milestones, but in general my child looks forward to bedtime and naps.\nThe sign language seems somewhat controversial among our peers, but we are in the less progressive southeastern US.  The common fear is that it will retard speech.  I just wanted to be able to communicate with my child, and it has made for a pleasant experience so far.  She seems to be developing vocbulary at an above normal rate.  I don't necessarily attribute that to signs, but it is at least one counterexample to the fear of significant speech retardation.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "This book: http://www.amazon.com/Healthy-Sleep-Habits-Happy-Child/dp/03... was helpful",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was helpful for laying out three approaches to infant sleep without much judgment.",
          "audience": "Parents looking for approaches to infant sleep.",
          "caveat": "They found few unbiased opinions on sleep and ultimately chose not to let their child cry.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marc Weissbluth"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Parenting"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "infant sleep",
        "bedtime routines"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hello-world-computer-programming-for-kids-and-other-beginners-cf32bb",
      "title": "Hello World! Computer Programming for Kids and Other Beginners",
      "author": "Warren S. Briggs",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3380227,
          "author": "anthonyb",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-22T03:29:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 3380141,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Intro Programming Book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3380227",
          "commentText": "It might help to have a bit more background on your nephew and his interests.\nIf he's generally geeky, then Learn Python the Hard Way is excellent - but you need to already be very motivated to sit down and work through the exercises.\nSimilarly, Hello World! is a good book for the complete beginner, but a 17 year old might find it a bit easy.\nAnd based on the reviewers who've looked at it so far, Hello Python! tends to do well with relative beginners, but complete novices find it a bit hard, and it annoys the hell out of some experienced programmers - not sure why, I think it's because I don't explain everything in detail and gloss over to the interesting bits :)\nHave you considered something along the lines of an Arduino + book? Some people seem to get a kick out of making things actually happen, rather than just appear on a screen...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Hello World! is a good book for the complete beginner",
          "reason": "Recommended as a good book for complete beginners.",
          "audience": "Complete beginners.",
          "caveat": "A 17 year old might find it a bit easy.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3380196,
          "author": "cschmidt",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-22T03:16:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 3380141,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Intro Programming Book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3380196",
          "commentText": "My son liked \"Hello World! Computer Programming for Kids and Other Beginners\", which teaches python.  He preferred it to Zed Shaw's \"Learn Python the Hard Way\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My son liked \"Hello World! Computer Programming for Kids and Other Beginners\"",
          "reason": "The commenter reports that their son liked the book and says it teaches Python.",
          "audience": "Kids and other beginners.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Warren S. Briggs"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming education",
        "python"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "heretics-of-dune-67f067",
      "title": "Heretics of Dune",
      "author": "Frank Herbert",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2043450,
          "author": "gnosis",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T19:54:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043450",
          "commentText": "* Heretics of Dune\n\n  * Chapterhouse: Dune\n\n  * Lem's Cyberiad\n\n  * PKD's Ubik, Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldrich, and Martian Time-Slip\n\n  * The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\n\n  * The Illuminatus Trilogy",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "* Heretics of Dune",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140509,
          "author": "knv",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T03:32:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140509",
          "commentText": "+1 for Dune (my favorite in the series is the 5th book - Heretics).\nBy the way, don't expect the prequels and sequels have even half the quality of original Herbert works.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "my favorite in the series is the 5th book - Heretics",
          "reason": "Names it as their favorite in the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Warns that the prequels and sequels have less than half the quality of Herbert's original works.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140442,
          "author": "cocoy",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T02:07:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140442",
          "commentText": "Dune, Dune Messiah and Children of Dune by Frank Herbert are my favorites. the sequels God Emperor, Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse were good as well but I like the 1st three the most.\nDune was about how people shouldn't let supermen lead. it was complex. it was an ecological novel. they had quotable quotes like \"thou shall not make a machine in the likeness of the human mind\". people say it's the lord of the rings of science fiction. the characters are rich, the plot thick. i highly recommend Dune.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the sequels God Emperor, Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse were good as well",
          "reason": "Describes it as good, while preferring the first three books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Likes the first three books more.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frank Herbert"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dune universe"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "homer-price-85c221",
      "title": "Homer Price",
      "author": "Robert McCloskey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50044073,
          "author": "sp332",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T15:04:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50044073",
          "commentText": "I'll be darned, I have that one sitting on my table right now. The rhythm of his writing is great, and the allusions to Greek myths are fun even if you don't know what they mean as a kid.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The rhythm of his writing is great, and the allusions to Greek myths are fun even if you don't know what they mean as a kid.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the writing rhythm and mythological allusions of the book being discussed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The allusions are enjoyable even if a child does not understand them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 50040500,
          "author": "al_borland",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T07:20:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50040500",
          "commentText": "Homer Price by Robert McCloskey.\nIt was one of the few books I actually remember enjoying as a kid.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Homer Price by Robert McCloskey.",
          "reason": "The commenter remembers enjoying the book as a child.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert McCloskey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s fiction",
        "children s literature",
        "humor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "in-the-name-of-self-defense-what-it-costs-when-it-s-worth-it-b62f20",
      "title": "In the Name of Self-Defense: What It Costs. When It’s Worth It",
      "author": "Marc MacYoung",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24304550,
          "author": "giantg2",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-28T13:26:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 24286084,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading at the moment and what do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24304550",
          "commentText": "Those seem like good books. The longer one might be a civilian replacement for Street Survival. I'll have to read it. I didn't see any mention of mental rehearsal, visualization, and managing stress in the excepts/overviews, but those don't always list everything. If they cover those as well as tactical thought processes, then these sound like great resources.\nThe only caveat, which I should have mentioned in my book suggestion too, is that any book dealing with potential legal matters on self-defense is only written generally and one should also read their state's statutes/code.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The longer one might be a civilian replacement for Street Survival. I'll have to read it.",
          "reason": "Plans to read it and sees it as a possible civilian replacement for Street Survival.",
          "audience": "Civilians interested in self-defense.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it and did not find the listed overviews mentioning mental rehearsal, visualization, or stress management.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24301603,
          "author": "giardini",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-28T05:20:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 24286084,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading at the moment and what do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24301603",
          "commentText": "Perhaps Mark Macyoung's books:\n\"What You Don't Know Can Kill You: How Most Self-Defense Training Will Put You into Prison or the Ground\"\nor the longer more detailed\n\"In the Name of Self-Defense: What it costs. When it's worth it\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"In the Name of Self-Defense: What it costs. When it's worth it\"",
          "reason": "Offers the longer, more detailed book as a possible citizen-oriented resource.",
          "audience": "Civilians interested in self-defense.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as longer and more detailed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marc MacYoung"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self defense",
        "use of force"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "inherit-the-stars-f1879a",
      "title": "Inherit the Stars",
      "author": "James P. Hogan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46161500,
          "author": "ashtavakra",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-05T14:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46161500",
          "commentText": "I consolidated the comments for my reference later. Someone else might also find it useful:\n# Fiction Books Recommended for Programmers (HN Thread 46128404)\n## Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- *Children of Time* — Science Fiction (Evolution, Space Opera)  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)\n## Rick Cook — Wizardry Series\n- *Wizard’s Bane* — Fantasy, Programming/Magic Mashup  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112616.Wizard_s_Bane\n- *Wizardry Series (overview)*  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\n## James P. Hogan\n- *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/743568.Inherit_the_Stars\n- *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifem... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifemaker)\n- *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_Tomorrow)\n## D. F. Jones — Colossus Trilogy\n- *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806105.Colossus\n- *The Fall of Colossus* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colos... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colossus)\n- *Colossus and the Crab* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_Crab)\n## Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner)\n- *A Logic Named Joe* — Golden-Age Sci-Fi, AI Precursor  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-j... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-joe)\n## David Gerrold\n- *When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One* — AI, Classic Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_Was_One)\n## William Gibson / Bruce Sterling\n- *Neuromancer* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer\n- *The Difference Engine* — Steampunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Eng... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Engine)\n## Neal Stephenson\n- *Snow Crash* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash\n- *Cryptonomicon* — Techno-thriller, Cyber-history  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/816.Cryptonomicon\n- *Anathem* — Philosophical Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2845024-anathem\n- *The Diamond Age* — Nanopunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827.The_Diamond_Age\n## Fred Saberhagen\n- *Octagon* — AI, Techno-thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1891958.Octagon\n## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga\n- *Series Overview* — Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/40946-vorkosigan-saga\n## Richard Powers\n- *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45104.Galatea_2_2\n## Scott Meyer\n- *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-wizard)\n## Daniel Suarez\n- *Daemon* — Cyber-thriller, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665844-daemon\n## Thomas J. Ryan\n- *The Adolescence of P-1* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_o... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_of_P_1)\n## Ernest Cline\n- *Ready Player One* — Sci-Fi, Gaming, Pop-Culture Adventure  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one\n## Dennis E. Taylor\n- *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)* — Humorous Sci-Fi, AI, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-we-are-bob)\n## Ted Chiang\n- *Stories of Your Life and Others* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\n- *Exhalation* — Speculative Fiction, Philosophy, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation\n- *The Lifecycle of Software Objects* — AI, Digital Consciousness  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of-software-objects)\n## Charles Stross\n- *Laundry Files Series* — Math-based Magic, Techno-Fantasy  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files\n## Ken Liu\n- *The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menag... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories)\n- *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, AI, VR  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl-and-other-stories)\n## Ellen Ullman\n- *The Bug* — Tech Industry Literary Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/703.The_Bug\n## Cory Doctorow\n- *Radicalized* — Techno-sociopolitical Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40604122-radicalized\n## qntm (Sam Hughes)\n- *Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans-in-transit-and-other-stories)\n## Roger Williams\n- *The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect* — AI, Post-Singularity SF  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)\n## Greg Bear\n- *Eon* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/924843.Eon\n## Vernor Vinge\n- *A Deepness in the Sky* — Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the_Sky)\n## Terry Pratchett\n- *Going Postal* — Comic Fantasy, Satire of Bureaucracy & Tech  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64222.Going_Postal\n## Bruce Bethke\n- *Headcrash* — Cyber-satire  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213465.Headcrash\n## Mary Shelley\n- *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* — Classic Gothic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein\n## Douglas Adams\n- *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* — Comic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guid... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)\n## Jorge Luis Borges\n- *The Library of Babel* — Metaphysical Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-babel)\n## Greg Egan\n- *Permutation City* — Simulation Theory, Hard Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156784.Permutation_City\n## Cixin Liu\n- *The Three-Body Problem* — Hard Sci-Fi, First Contact  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction",
          "reason": "Lists the title in a compilation of fiction books recommended for programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46130213,
          "author": "LarryMade2",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T04:09:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46130213",
          "commentText": "These are all entertaining:\nDefinitely the Wizardry series by Rick Cook\nhttps://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/rick-cook/wizardry/\nProgramming meets magical realms\nJames Hogan\nInherit the Stars - Has supercomputers but not main characters\nCode of the Lifemaker Has Ancient Tech evolving into a robotic society\nTwo Faces of Tomorrow  - humans trying to get along with AI\nD.F.Jones\nColossus, the Fall of Colossus, and Colossus and the Crab\nHumans creating machines to protect humanity (computers have different idea) and the rebellion, and a new threat.\nA Logic Names Joe - radioplay of short story.\nhttps://archive.org/details/OTRR_X_Minus_One_Singles/XMinusO... (https://archive.org/details/OTRR_X_Minus_One_Singles/XMinusOne55-12-28031ALogicNamedJoe.mp3)\nThe internet and AI long before the internet and AI.\nDavid Gerrold - When H.A.R.L.I.E. was One - and other tales involving Artificial Super Intelligence\nWilliam Gibson - Neuromancer and related - Cyberpunk series, the Difference Engine - a Steampunk technology tale.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Inherit the Stars - Has supercomputers but not main characters",
          "reason": "Listed among entertaining books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Has supercomputers, but they are not main characters.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James P. Hogan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hard science fiction",
        "supercomputers"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "inside-intuit-94171a",
      "title": "Inside Intuit",
      "author": "Suzanne Taylor and Kathy Schroeder",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 138018,
          "author": "jasonlbaptiste",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-16T05:52:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=138018",
          "commentText": "heres the google books full version of inside intuit. this book looks awesome:\nhttp://books.google.com/books?id=lRs_4U43UcEC&printsec=f... (http://books.google.com/books?id=lRs_4U43UcEC&printsec=frontcover#PPR9,M1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this book looks awesome",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book looks awesome.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 138005,
          "author": "larryfreeman",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-16T05:32:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=138005",
          "commentText": "1) Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell (very interesting ideas)\n2) Innovator's Dilemma (for understanding what can work well)\n3) Inside Intuit (for a great business story)\n4) Eric Sink on the Business of Software",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Inside Intuit (for a great business story)",
          "reason": "Recommended as a great business story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Suzanne Taylor and Kathy Schroeder"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "company history",
        "entrepreneurship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-algorithms-a-creative-approach-af4d85",
      "title": "Introduction to Algorithms: A Creative Approach",
      "author": "Udi Manber",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29223512,
          "author": "digianarchist",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-15T03:58:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29223512",
          "commentText": "Excellent book if you can find it. I kick myself for selling my hardback copy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Excellent book if you can find it. I kick myself for selling my hardback copy.",
          "reason": "Calls the book excellent and regrets selling a copy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "May be difficult to find.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29218920,
          "author": "lr1970",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T17:49:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29218920",
          "commentText": "A great and quite unconventional book on Algorithms is \"INTRODUCTION TO ALGORITHMS - A Creative Approach\" by Udi Manber. After leaving academia the author was hired first by Amazon (A9.com) and then by Google. At some point around 2010 he was responsible for all search products at Google [0].\nThe book not only describes the algorithms per se, but also teaches how to think about the algorithms and the problems they are solving. I enjoyed it very much as a complimentary reading to the classic Knuth volumes.\n[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Udi_Manber",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A great and quite unconventional book on Algorithms is \"INTRODUCTION TO ALGORITHMS - A Creative Approach\" by Udi Manber.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as an unconventional book on algorithms.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as complementary reading alongside Knuth's volumes.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Udi Manber"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "algorithm analysis",
        "algorithm design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-electrodynamics-c07f38",
      "title": "Introduction to Electrodynamics",
      "author": "David J. Griffiths",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16082592,
          "author": "27182818284",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-05T23:08:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16082592",
          "commentText": ">Griffiths\nYes!\nI actually jumped in this thread to recommend Griffiths' Electrodynamics.\nEven the review sections on how to think about things like divergence and curl is particularly well done by Griffiths.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I actually jumped in this thread to recommend Griffiths' Electrodynamics.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly says they joined the thread to recommend it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16081569,
          "author": "kuang_eleven",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-05T20:57:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16081569",
          "commentText": "Introduction of Quantum Mechanics and Introduction to Electrodynamics, both by David J. Griffiths. He also wrote Introduction to Elementary Particles, but I have not read that one.\nBoth books masterfully take exceptionally complex fields and break them down into easily digested chunks, with a clear progression of ideas as you go through the book. Do note that these are \"Introduction\" books written for Junior/Senior Physics majors.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Introduction of Quantum Mechanics and Introduction to Electrodynamics, both by David J. Griffiths. He also wrote Introduction to Elementary Particles, but I have not read that one.",
          "reason": "Says the books masterfully break down complex fields into easily digested chunks.",
          "audience": "Junior and senior physics majors.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David J. Griffiths"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "electrodynamics",
        "physics",
        "physics textbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-general-systems-thinking-d71de0",
      "title": "Introduction to General Systems Thinking",
      "author": "Gerald M. Weinberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18669646,
          "author": "ncphillips",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-13T03:24:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18669646",
          "commentText": "Mathematics is useful for modelling systems of small numbers (mechanics) and large numbers (statistics), but most of the systems we engage with are systems of medium numbers. For medium number systems we must rely on heuristics. General Systems Thinking is about finding heuristics that can be applied to medium number systems.\nThis idea is examined from different angles in both Pirsig's and Taleb's books as well.\nThat said, it is a bit difficult to read. I really had to sit down and read it slowly and deliberately. I think I would suggest trying to come back to it in a couple years. Different books catch our attention at different times, and that's okay.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "That said, it is a bit difficult to read. I really had to sit down and read it slowly and deliberately. I think I would suggest trying to come back to it in a couple years.",
          "reason": "Says the book is difficult and suggests returning to it in a couple of years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Difficult to read; the commenter suggests trying it again in a couple of years.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18664580,
          "author": "Jtsummers",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T15:18:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664580",
          "commentText": "I read that and the first of the follow ons recently. They were both good reads, and I plan to finish up the 4 (e-book) series [1] over the next month.\n[0] Passive Regulation, in print form it and Active Regulation were one book.\n[1] https://leanpub.com/b/generalsystemsthinkerbundle",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I read that",
          "reason": "Refers to the book in the parent comment and says they read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18664438,
          "author": "Pamar",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T15:01:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664438",
          "commentText": "+1 for Introduction to General Systems Thinking",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for Introduction to General Systems Thinking",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds a recommendation for this book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gerald M. Weinberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "systems thinking",
        "software engineering",
        "heuristics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "investments-f277e7",
      "title": "Investments",
      "author": "Zvi Bodie, Alex Kane, and Alan J. Marcus",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 248809,
          "author": "brianlash",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T17:58:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248809",
          "commentText": "jon_dahl is dead on. Understand Malkiel's Random Walk and the rest is details.\nBut for a really thorough discussion of those details check Investments by Bodie, Kane and Marcus (http://www.amazon.com/Investments-Zvi-Bodie/dp/007293414X/re... (http://www.amazon.com/Investments-Zvi-Bodie/dp/007293414X/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216317813&sr=8-2)).  My corporate finance prof encouraged me to look into it, then it was required reading for an economics course I took later.  I understand it's the standard-bearer in most finance departments, so there's no going wrong if you're willing to work through the technical parts.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "check Investments by Bodie, Kane and Marcus",
          "reason": "Recommends it for a thorough discussion of investing details.",
          "audience": "Readers willing to work through the technical parts.",
          "caveat": "It has technical parts.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 248652,
          "author": "samt",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T16:26:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248652",
          "commentText": "Investments by Bodie, Kane and Marcus (BKM) is one classic that still has value in this climate.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Investments by Bodie, Kane and Marcus (BKM) is one classic that still has value in this climate.",
          "reason": "Described as a classic that remains valuable in the current climate.",
          "audience": "Readers learning about investments.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Zvi Bodie, Alex Kane, and Alan J. Marcus"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "investing",
        "finance textbook",
        "textbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "jeff-aiken-trilogy-963347",
      "title": "Jeff Aiken Trilogy",
      "author": "Mark Russinovich",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17754679,
          "author": "actf",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-14T00:20:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17754679",
          "commentText": "Second this suggestion. As others have noted his books probably aren't going to win any literary awards, but they are fun entertaining reads. There are some similarities in subject matter to some of Dan Brown's books, but Russinovich is a former Microsoft employee (and iirc he wrote the sys intervals suite of tools) so his are much more technically detailed, and accurate then what you would find in Dan Brown.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "his books probably aren't going to win any literary awards, but they are fun entertaining reads.",
          "reason": "Seconding the trilogy suggestion and describes the books as fun, entertaining, technically detailed, and accurate.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the books probably will not win literary awards.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17749639,
          "author": "terminalcommand",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T12:49:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17749639",
          "commentText": "Mark Russinovich's Jeff Aiken Trilogy. If you're looking for a quality bestseller similar to Dan Brown books.\nZero day, Trojan Horse and Rogue Code are all excellent novels. Some common themes include computer virus epidemics, cyber armies, cyber warfare, dangers of an overnetworked but undersecured society",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mark Russinovich's Jeff Aiken Trilogy.",
          "reason": "Recommends the trilogy as quality fiction similar to Dan Brown's books.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a quality bestseller similar to Dan Brown.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Russinovich"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer security",
        "cyber thriller",
        "cybersecurity",
        "technothriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "journey-to-the-center-of-the-earth-48dcdf",
      "title": "Journey to the Center of the Earth",
      "author": "Jules Verne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22723412,
          "author": "BenjiWiebe",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T22:35:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22723412",
          "commentText": "When I read the mysterious island for the first time, I thought of Jules Verne in terms of Journey to the Center of the Earth, or Around the World in 80 Days. The Mysterious Island absolutely bowled me over with the science and engineering.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Journey to the Center of the Earth",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22722949,
          "author": "SergeAx",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T21:30:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22722949",
          "commentText": "\"The Mysterious Island\". It was my first book by Jules Verne, and it striked me with it's utter realism. Most his other books, like \"20000 leagues under sea\" or \"Journey to the center of the Earth\" are based on a fictional devices or exceptional characters, but Cyrus Smith became for me a realistic exemplar of a man using his engineering skills and knowledge to change his life and world around him.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Journey to the center of the Earth\"",
          "reason": "Names it as one of Verne's other books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20918199,
          "author": "idoubtit",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T13:58:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20918199",
          "commentText": "When I was a child, I loved Jules Vernes' novels. My favorite were \"L'île mystérieuse\" et \"Michel Strogoff\". I've read them again after a few decades, and I enjoyed them both.\n\"L'île mystérieuse\" is the survival adventure of a small and disparate group, but the main theme is how science can dominate nature. The mystery part is better enjoyed if the reader knows a bit of Jules Verne' other books.\n\"Michel Strogoff\" is a pure and romantic adventure in Russia, at the time of the Tatar invasions. It was sometimes brutal for a child reader, but I could still remember many scenes thirty years later.\nOther good novels are \"Voyage au centre de la terre\", \"Vingt-mille lieues sous les mers\", \"Cinq semaines en ballon\", \"Le tour du monde en 80 jours\", \"Les indes noires\". I've a few others which I enjoyed at a lesser point.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Other good novels are \"Voyage au centre de la terre\"",
          "reason": "Includes it among other good novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20915584,
          "author": "achilleslinux",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T06:08:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20915584",
          "commentText": "I really like books written by Jules Verne. Those books were really ahead of its time. He was a prolific and best Sci-fi writer. I would like to mention few of his works like 20,000 leagues under the sea, journey to the center of earth and  Around the World in Eighty Days.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jules_Verne",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "journey to the center of earth",
          "reason": "Praises Verne's books as ahead of their time and names this as one of his works.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jules Verne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure",
        "exploration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "kolyma-tales-79635b",
      "title": "Kolyma Tales",
      "author": "Varlam Shalamov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40889507,
          "author": "nataliste",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-06T10:32:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40889507",
          "commentText": "Here are some books that pop bubbles, but must be read with humility to avoid becoming its own new bubble, as the world is complex and contains contradictions:\nHoward Zinn's People's History of the United States\nJared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel\nMichael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma\nAyn Rand's the Fountainhead\nThomas Sowell's Basic Economics\nJulian Jaynes's the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind\nIain McGilchrist's the Master and his Emmisary\nVarlam Sharlamov's the Kolyma Tales\nJacques Ellul's Propaganda: the Formation of Men's Attitudes (or alternatively Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Varlam Sharlamov's the Kolyma Tales",
          "reason": "Listed as a book that pops bubbles.",
          "audience": "Readers who want their assumptions challenged.",
          "caveat": "Read with humility; the world is complex and contains contradictions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40879721,
          "author": "jasonboyd",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-05T03:56:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40879721",
          "commentText": "Kolyma tales. It's a collection of essays from Varlam Shalamov, a Russian writer and reporter, who was imprisoned in the Gulag for nearly two decades. It was a shocking first hand account of human suffering and depravity.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Kolyma tales. It's a collection of essays from Varlam Shalamov, a Russian writer and reporter, who was imprisoned in the Gulag for nearly two decades.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a shocking firsthand account of human suffering and depravity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Varlam Shalamov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "gulag",
        "gulag literature",
        "memoir",
        "soviet history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "l-art-de-la-meditation-a6cf7e",
      "title": "L'Art de la Méditation",
      "author": "Matthieu Ricard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9353362,
          "author": "galephico",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-10T10:02:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9353362",
          "commentText": "I forgot to list this book but it is changing at the moment my way of managing thoughts and feelings, especially strong ones. Thanks !",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I forgot to list this book but it is changing at the moment my way of managing thoughts and feelings",
          "reason": "Says the book is changing how they manage thoughts and feelings, especially strong ones.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9352929,
          "author": "epsylon",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-10T07:27:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9352929",
          "commentText": "The one book that I first thought of when I read the OP's original question was Mathieu Ricard's L'Art de la Méditation (an English translation aptly named The Art of Meditation is available).\nAt some point in my life, while I was going through severe depression, I got interested (by the folks on HN) into looking more into Buddhist philosophy and meditation. This little book, quick to read, made me realize that our selves are not what we think they are, and that our emotions are impermanent, that we can deal with them by simply acknowledging them instead of letting them overthrow us. It's a brilliant simple idea, though it is harder to put into practice. (I am still not quite managing to be a regular meditator to this day)\nThis little book changed my life, and I've now bought it or lent it to several people from my friends or family in the hope that it may have the same impact on them as it had on me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The one book that I first thought of when I read the OP's original question was Mathieu Ricard's L'Art de la Méditation",
          "reason": "Says it changed their life and describes how it reshaped their view of the self and emotions.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Buddhist philosophy, meditation, or handling difficult emotions.",
          "caveat": "The author says the idea is harder to put into practice and they still struggle to meditate regularly.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthieu Ricard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhist meditation",
        "emotional impermanence",
        "emotional regulation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "leadership-theory-and-practice-c5e916",
      "title": "Leadership: Theory and Practice",
      "author": "Peter G. Northouse",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1633547,
          "author": "dwwoelfel",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T17:43:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1633547",
          "commentText": "Leadership: Theory and Practice: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/076192566X/\nThe Craft of Research: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0226065847/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Leadership: Theory and Practice: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/076192566X/",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed your life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1632400,
          "author": "suckerfish",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T09:19:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1632400",
          "commentText": "Leadership: Theory and Practice (Peter Northouse)\nThe Craft of Research (Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams)\nOn Writing Well (Zig Ziglar)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Leadership: Theory and Practice (Peter Northouse)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter G. Northouse"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "leadership studies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "learn-to-program-with-assembly-46a41a",
      "title": "Learn to Program with Assembly",
      "author": "Jonathan Bartlett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40111343,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-22T04:10:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 40104823,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books/resources to understand modern Assembler?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40111343",
          "commentText": "Seconded; his books are a very good introduction to assembly programming.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seconded; his books are a very good introduction to assembly programming.",
          "reason": "Agrees with the parent’s recommendation of Bartlett’s assembly books.",
          "audience": "People learning assembly programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40110824,
          "author": "billsix",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-22T01:46:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 40104823,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books/resources to understand modern Assembler?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40110824",
          "commentText": "I've liked Jonathan Bartlett's books, his newest is \"Learn to Program with Assembly\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "his newest is \"Learn to Program with Assembly\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have liked Bartlett's books and identifies this as his newest.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Bartlett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "assembly language",
        "assembly programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "learning-perl-3ee30e",
      "title": "Learning Perl",
      "author": "Randal L. Schwartz, brian d foy, and Tom Phoenix",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9758015,
          "author": "SwellJoe",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T13:10:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758015",
          "commentText": "Learning Perl is an excellent book. It's one of the reasons I still consider Perl a pretty good teaching and learning language, despite it's bad reputation among some programmers. All of the big O'Reilly books for Perl are truly excellent, in fact, and a big part of why O'Reilly developed such a reputation for excellence (which, I think, has faded somewhat in the past decade or so...at least for me...I don't tend to automatically choose the O'Reilly title, anymore, whereas that used to be what I always picked up first).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Learning Perl is an excellent book.",
          "reason": "Calls it an excellent book and says O’Reilly’s Perl books helped build the publisher’s reputation for excellence.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says their view of O’Reilly’s reputation has faded over the past decade and they no longer automatically choose its titles.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9757978,
          "author": "jaryd",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T13:06:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9757978",
          "commentText": "Might be an unpopular language but \"Learning Perl\" was pretty helpful for me when I was coming up.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Learning Perl\" was pretty helpful for me when I was coming up.",
          "reason": "Says the book was helpful while learning.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes Perl may be unpopular among some programmers.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Randal L. Schwartz, brian d foy, and Tom Phoenix"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "perl",
        "programming languages"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "legends-lattes-1b8617",
      "title": "Legends & Lattes",
      "author": "Travis Baldree",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38580669,
          "author": "pbnjeh",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-09T10:44:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38580669",
          "commentText": "The first pages have drawn me in -- thanks!  And likewise, if and as it doubtless holds up to further reading, I'll be recommending it to some friends who will rather enjoy it.  :-)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "if and as it doubtless holds up to further reading, I'll be recommending it to some friends",
          "reason": "The commenter says they will recommend it to friends if it holds up to further reading.",
          "audience": "friends who will enjoy it",
          "caveat": "The commenter has only read the first pages and their recommendation is conditional.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38557163,
          "author": "sciuromorpha_",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:06:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557163",
          "commentText": "Love this book. It's not set in any of the D&D universes as far as I'm aware, though it is very clearly influenced by the fantasy trappings of D&D",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Love this book.",
          "reason": "The commenter expresses affection for the book and discusses its D&D-inspired fantasy trappings.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not set in a D&D universe.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Travis Baldree"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cozy fantasy",
        "coffee shop fantasy",
        "d d inspired fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "letters-to-lucilius-cdf3fa",
      "title": "Letters to Lucilius",
      "author": "Seneca",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12416276,
          "author": "kornish",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:04:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416276",
          "commentText": "Seconded.\nFor those interested in Seneca's timeless letters but short on time (or if you find existing translations a bit dry), http://stoicletters.blogspot.com/ is a phenomenal resource which concisely but effectively modernizes the language. They're a pleasure to read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seconded.",
          "reason": "Seconding the parent comment's positive recommendation of Seneca's letters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416047,
          "author": "pavlov",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T20:30:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416047",
          "commentText": "Seneca's Letters to Lucilius helped me come to grips with the modest scale of my own achievements (or lack thereof) and the futility of further ambition at the expense of anything else.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seneca's Letters to Lucilius helped me come to grips with the modest scale of my own achievements (or lack thereof) and the futility of further ambition at the expense of anything else.",
          "reason": "Says it helped them reassess achievement and ambition.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Seneca"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "letters",
        "stoicism",
        "ambition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "magic-ink-information-software-and-the-graphical-interface-0fd34e",
      "title": "Magic Ink: Information Software and the Graphical Interface",
      "author": "Bret Victor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9613280,
          "author": "jowiar",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T18:17:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9613280",
          "commentText": "Along with everything else Bret Victor has done.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Along with everything else Bret Victor has done.",
          "reason": "Extends the parent recommendation to the named work and Victor's other work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9612494,
          "author": "charliepark",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T16:30:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9612494",
          "commentText": "Magic Ink: Information Software and the Graphical Interface, by Bret Victor http://worrydream.com/MagicInk/\n(or PDF: http://worrydream.com/MagicInk/MagicInk.pdf)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Magic Ink: Information Software and the Graphical Interface, by Bret Victor",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bret Victor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "graphical interfaces",
        "information design",
        "information software",
        "interface design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "making-things-happen-4eac07",
      "title": "Making Things Happen",
      "author": "Scott Berkun",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11229635,
          "author": "toumhi",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T14:51:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229635",
          "commentText": "Self-help/personal development/philosophy:\n- The obstacle is the way (Ryan Holiday)\n- Meditations (Marcus Aurelius)\n- Level up your life: how to unlock adventure and happiness by becoming the hero of your own story\n- the six pillars of self-esteem\n- so good they can’t ignore you\n- the power of habit\n- how to fail at almost everything and still win big\nBusiness:\n- soft sell: the new art of selling\n- essentialism: the disciplined pursuit of less\n- the magic of thinking big\n- everything is negotiable\n- making things happen\n- lean customer development\n- what customers want\n- inspired: how to create products customers love\n- delivering happiness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "making things happen",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229409,
          "author": "twunde",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T13:14:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229409",
          "commentText": "The Goal.\nIf you're interested in project management, Making Things Happen is good.\nI've just started High Output Management and so far it seems good. Of course there are always the classics like Good to Great, What Color Is Your Parachute, etc",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you're interested in project management, Making Things Happen is good.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is good for people interested in project management.",
          "audience": "People interested in project management.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Berkun"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "project management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "master-and-commander-e3bb12",
      "title": "Master and Commander",
      "author": "Patrick O'Brian",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21803308,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T14:43:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803308",
          "commentText": "I hilariously overestimate the number of books I can get through when I make these lists, but my current list for 2020 is as follows:\nDigital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World\nThe Man Who Solved the Market: How Jim Simons Launched the Quant Revolution\nBook of Proof\nDesigning Data-Intensive Applications: The Big Ideas Behind Reliable, Scalable, and Maintainable Systems\nSeeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed\nGuns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies\nWe Make the Road by Walking: A Year-Long Quest for Spiritual Formation, Reorientation, and Activation\nSoul Repair: Recovering from Moral Injury after War (for a friend)\nMaster and Commander\nEducated\nWithout Getting Killed or Caught: The Life and Music of Guy Clark\nStretch goal: The Power Broker, as a warm-up for Caro's LBJ series\nThe Bible (perpetual, I don't get through it every year, but I get through much of it, often)\nEDIT: I also hilariously underestimate the number of books I want to read. Here's one more I think is vital for my 2020:\nThe Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Master and Commander",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 715228,
          "author": "domodomo",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-20T21:16:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715228",
          "commentText": "Last book:  1984\nCurrent book:  Master & Commander",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Current book:  Master & Commander",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56748,
          "author": "yters",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T06:31:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56748",
          "commentText": "Yeah, I third the Master and Commander series.  Besides extraordinary historical detail, his characters show a deep understanding of the human personality (at least to a socially inept geek).\nThat being said, I'm only on my second one so far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I third the Master and Commander series. Besides extraordinary historical detail, his characters show a deep understanding of the human personality",
          "reason": "Thirds the recommendation and praises its historical detail and characterization.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in historical fiction and character-driven stories.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has only read the second book so far.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56629,
          "author": "herdrick",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T02:21:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56629",
          "commentText": "Among all books since the printing press?  Can you be more specific?\nActually, I take that back.  I do know some great ones that you ought to read no matter what your situation.\nThe Little Schemer  http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/matthias/BTLS/\nMaster and Commander  http://books.google.com/books?id=rx_yw5iMtnIC&dq=&pg... (http://books.google.com/books?id=rx_yw5iMtnIC&dq=&pg=PP1&ots=quZSkX-66f&sig=4rmlsrtPNSRNEfB8Zg6BmXiA0us&prev=http://www.google.com/search%3Fhl%3Den%26q%3Dmaster%2Band%2Bcommander%26btnG%3DGoogle%2BSearch&sa=X&oi=print&ct=title)\nLord of the Rings (you can find this one yourself)\nand probably a lot more, but I've got to run.  Good luck!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Master and Commander",
          "reason": "Recommended among books to read regardless of one's situation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Patrick O'Brian"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "napoleonic wars",
        "naval fiction",
        "historical naval fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mathematica-a-secret-world-of-intuition-and-curiosity-993ed0",
      "title": "Mathematica: A Secret World of Intuition and Curiosity",
      "author": "David Bessis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42273845,
          "author": "teleforce",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T13:52:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42273845",
          "commentText": "+1 this book is on my reading list for this year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 this book is on my reading list for this year.",
          "reason": "The commenter adds the book to their reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42272694,
          "author": "Cloudly",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T09:59:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42272694",
          "commentText": "Mathematica: A Secret World of Intuition and Curiosity- David Bessis\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/200128457-mathematica?ac... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/200128457-mathematica?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=gZW99wUg05&rank=1)\nExcellent book on mathematical thinking in the true sense - what needs to happen in the mind's eye to really grapple with abstract mathematics. Definitely a eye (mind?) opener for someone who has some graduate level math education but couldn't gel with the crazier stuff.\nCame across the book from this article which was on HN a little bit ago: https://www.quantamagazine.org/mathematical-thinking-isnt-wh... (https://www.quantamagazine.org/mathematical-thinking-isnt-what-you-think-it-is-20241118/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mathematica: A Secret World of Intuition and Curiosity- David Bessis\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/200128457-mathematica?ac...\nExcellent book on mathematical thinking in the true sense - what needs to happen in the mind's eye to really grapple with abstract mathematics. Definitely a eye (mind?) opener for someone who has some graduate level math education but couldn't gel with the crazier stuff.",
          "reason": "Calls it excellent and says it opened up mathematical thinking.",
          "audience": "Readers with some graduate-level mathematics who struggle with more abstract topics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter’s audience framing is specific to readers who already have some graduate-level math education.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Bessis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical thinking",
        "abstract mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mathematical-analysis-9d66c9",
      "title": "Mathematical Analysis",
      "author": "Charles C. Pugh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7578787,
          "author": "kliao",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T19:02:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578787",
          "commentText": "I like Pugh too. All three are sitting on my bookshelf :). Coming from very little formal math training, and trying to self-study analysis, I would bounce from Rudin if I got stuck, go to Abbott for a confidence boost, and try out some Pugh for a different viewpoint. Pugh might have been just right in terms of rigor and accessibility.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I like Pugh too.",
          "reason": "Expresses liking for the book in the parent comment's recommendation context.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7578201,
          "author": "randomknowledge",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T16:05:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578201",
          "commentText": "Personally I would recommend mathematical analysis by Pugh. Goes into as much depth as Rudin, but more approachable and a great selection of exercises.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Personally I would recommend mathematical analysis by Pugh.",
          "reason": "Recommended for its depth, approachability, and selection of exercises.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it goes into as much depth as Rudin.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles C. Pugh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "real analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mathematics-and-computation-9090bf",
      "title": "Mathematics and Computation",
      "author": "Avi Wigderson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20729743,
          "author": "ykevinator",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T12:16:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20729743",
          "commentText": "Perfect answer, I second this.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Perfect answer, I second this.",
          "reason": "Seconding the parent comment's recommendation of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20729737,
          "author": "charlescearl",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T12:14:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20729737",
          "commentText": "Go ahead and get your free copy of Avi Wigderson's Mathematics and Computation https://www.math.ias.edu/avi/book.\nBroadly speaking there are two types of \"CS Theory\":\n1. \"What is computation and what can be computed?\" That's what Wigderson's book is about. Complexity theory.\n2. \"What's the best way to compute something?\" covered by \"Introduction to Algorithms\" and the like -- sth people ask on interview questions. In addition to the references here, http://people.cs.uchicago.edu/~laci/17discrete/ gives some good puzzles to work through.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Go ahead and get your free copy of Avi Wigderson's Mathematics and Computation",
          "reason": "Recommended for learning what computation is and what can be computed, especially complexity theory.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in complexity theory.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Avi Wigderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computational complexity",
        "theory of computation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mathematics-for-machine-learning-4aa0c1",
      "title": "Mathematics for Machine Learning",
      "author": "Marc Peter Deisenroth, A. Aldo Faisal, and Cheng Soon Ong",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20764222,
          "author": "iandanforth",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-22T02:53:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20764222",
          "commentText": "\"Mathematics for Machine Learning\" by Marc Peter Deisenroth, A Aldo Faisal, and Cheng Soon Ong.\nhttps://mml-book.github.io/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Mathematics for Machine Learning\" by Marc Peter Deisenroth, A Aldo Faisal, and Cheng Soon Ong.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20675063,
          "author": "FrozenSynapse",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T13:13:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20675063",
          "commentText": "This for the background: https://mml-book.github.io/\nThis for actual methods: http://www.deeplearningbook.org/\nThis is also useful, but harder to read than the previous ones: https://web.stanford.edu/~hastie/Papers/ESLII.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This for the background: https://mml-book.github.io/",
          "reason": "Recommends it for background in response to a request for books on neural networks and deep learning.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marc Peter Deisenroth, A. Aldo Faisal, and Cheng Soon Ong"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "linear algebra",
        "machine learning",
        "machine learning mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "medieval-technology-and-social-change-5663e8",
      "title": "Medieval Technology and Social Change",
      "author": "Lynn White Jr.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36666587,
          "author": "HamptonFounders",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-10T14:01:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36666587",
          "commentText": "Not sure if this is helpful, but a friend fed this conversation through ChatGPT and had it summarize for easier reading:\n-The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy -Bigger by Marc Levinson\n-The Machine That Changed the World: The Story of Lean Production-- Toyota's Secret Weapon in the Global Car Wars That Is Now Revolutionizing World Industry by James P. Womack, Daniel T. Jones, and Daniel Roos\n-Empires of the Sky: Zeppelins, Airplanes, and Two Men's Epic Duel to Rule the World by Erik Larson\n-Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America by Richard -White\n-The Arms of Krupp: The Rise and Fall of the Industrial Dynasty that Armed Germany at War by William Manchester\n-Edison by Edmund Morris\n-Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow\n-The People's Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century by Steven Watts\n-Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler\n-The Victorian Internet by Tom Standage\n-The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood by James Gleick\n-Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age by Michael S. Malone\n-The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester\n-The Innovators by Walter Isaacson\n-Medieval Technology and Social Change by Lynn White Jr.\n-The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation by Jon Gertner\n-Electricity in the 17th and 18th Centuries: A Study of Early Modern Physics by Eric H. Chaney\n-Early Electrical Communication by A. F. Marland\n-Bibliographical History of Electricity and Magnetism by Silvanus P. Thompson\n-Electric Science: Its History, Phenomena, and Applications by J. J. Fahie\n-The History and Present State of Electricity by Andrew Ure\n-https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/\n-De Re Metallica by Georgius Agricola",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Medieval Technology and Social Change by Lynn White Jr.",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books offered in response to the history of technology question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36586910,
          "author": "dpeck",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-04T14:09:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36586910",
          "commentText": "Medieval Technology and Social Change - Medieval Technology and Social Change https://a.co/d/8RuGXQM\nNot a book, but the old Connections series is really wonderful for broad overviews along a narrow band. I wish there were more things that took a similar approach - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connections_(British_TV_series... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Connections_%28British_TV_series%29)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Medieval Technology and Social Change",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lynn White Jr."
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "medieval technology",
        "agricultural history",
        "social change",
        "social history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "meetings-with-remarkable-manuscripts-f36a23",
      "title": "Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts",
      "author": "Christopher de Hamel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21793866,
          "author": "dorchadas",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-15T01:43:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793866",
          "commentText": "I read this book too, and it was such a great book. The paper it was printed on, the whole binding of it, everything. It's definitely one you have to read hardback.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it was such a great book",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book and says it is one you have to read in hardcover.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says the hardcover edition is essential to the experience.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21792951,
          "author": "kashyapc",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T22:58:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21792951",
          "commentText": "A delightful book I've been savouring over several months: Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts[1].\nLet's hear from the abstract:\n\"[...] The idea for the book, which is entirely new, is to invite the reader into intimate conversations with twelve of the most famous manuscripts in existence and to explore with the author what they tell us about nearly a thousand years of medieval history - and sometimes about the modern world too. Christopher de Hamel introduces us to kings, queens, saints, scribes, artists, librarians, thieves, dealers, collectors and the international community of manuscript scholars, showing us how he and his fellows piece together evidence to reach unexpected conclusions. He traces the elaborate journeys which these exceptionally precious artefacts have made through time and space, shows us how they have been copied, who has owned them or lusted after them (and how we can tell), how they have been embroiled in politics and scholarly disputes, how they have been regarded as objects of supreme beauty and luxury and as symbols of national identity. The book touches on religion, art, literature, music, science and the history of taste.\n\"Part travel book, part detective story, part conversation with the reader, Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts conveys the fascination and excitement of encountering some of the greatest works of art in our culture which, in the originals, are to most people completely inaccessible. At the end, we have a slightly different perspective on history and how we come by knowledge. It is a most unusual book.\"\n        - - -\n\nDon't let the page count (~550, modulo references) discourage you. The hardcover edition absolutely enhances the reading experience—it's beautifully bound, has plenty of pictures of medieval manuscripts, calligraphic exemplars and more.  (I've mentioned it previously here[2].)\n[1] https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/213/213069/meetings-with-rem... (https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/213/213069/meetings-with-remarkable-manuscripts/9780141977492.html)\n[2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20332914",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A delightful book I've been savouring over several months: Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts",
          "reason": "Calls it delightful and praises its illustrated hardcover edition.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter cautions that its roughly 550-page length may discourage readers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher de Hamel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "medieval manuscripts",
        "book design",
        "book history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "midnight-s-children-36a959",
      "title": "Midnight's Children",
      "author": "Salman Rushdie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1026661,
          "author": "CamperBob",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T02:55:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026661",
          "commentText": "Both Grimus and Midnight's Children are great.  The Satanic Verses is worth a read but not before the first two IMO.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Both Grimus and Midnight's Children are great.",
          "reason": "Calls the book great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026424,
          "author": "andrewcooke",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T23:12:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026424",
          "commentText": "have you read midnight's children?  if so, how does satanic verses compare to that?  i thought children was wonderful, but everything i've read since by rushdie has been a disappointment (often flat our boring).  i often wonder if i give him another chance and take on satanic verses....",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "have you read midnight's children?  if so, how does satanic verses compare to that?  i thought children was wonderful",
          "reason": "Calls it wonderful and asks how another Rushdie novel compares.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Salman Rushdie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "magical realism",
        "postcolonial fiction",
        "postcolonial literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "misquoting-jesus-the-story-behind-who-changed-the-bible-and-why-ce20c6",
      "title": "Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why",
      "author": "Bart D. Ehrman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40289087,
          "author": "notdonspaulding",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T17:49:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40289087",
          "commentText": "I've not personally read \"Misquoting Jesus\", but I've listened to Ehrman on YT a bit.  Based on that, and having spoken with a few biblical scholars who have read Ehrman, the general impression I get is that he has a \"select is broken\"[0] attitude toward the reliability of the Bible.\nMuch like GCC, and the Linux kernel, and the PostgreSQL query planner, the Bible is a battle-tested historical artifact.  There may be a slew of yet-to-be-discovered \"edge cases\" in its interpretation (and perhaps Ehrman is the man to discover them).  But in the main, it's an incredibly reliable witness to history.\nSo, while I wouldn't want to discourage people from starting their study of Biblical textual criticism with Bart Ehrman, I would definitely discourage them from concluding it with him.\n    The one who states his case first seems right,\n      until the other comes and examines him.\n    Prov. 18:17\n\n[0]: https://blog.codinghorror.com/the-first-rule-of-programming-... (https://blog.codinghorror.com/the-first-rule-of-programming-its-always-your-fault/)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Misquoting Jesus\", but I've listened to Ehrman on YT a bit.",
          "reason": "Discusses the book as a possible starting point for studying biblical textual criticism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter advises against treating it as the final word on the subject.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40284932,
          "author": "smokeydoe",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T12:59:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40284932",
          "commentText": "Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why by Bart D. Ehrman. It’s a great read about early scribe practices and known problems with different manuscript translations in the New Testament.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why by Bart D. Ehrman. It’s a great read about early scribe practices and known problems with different manuscript translations in the New Testament.",
          "reason": "Praised as a great read about early scribal practices and New Testament manuscript issues.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bart D. Ehrman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biblical studies",
        "biblical textual criticism",
        "new testament",
        "textual criticism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "modern-compiler-design-a40e95",
      "title": "Modern Compiler Design",
      "author": "Dick Grune, Kees van Reeuwijk, Henri E. Bal, and Ceriel J. H. Jacobs",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 137365,
          "author": "plinkplonk",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-15T03:58:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 136875,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good compiler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=137365",
          "commentText": "I second \"Modern Compiler Design\" by Dick Grune. Without being bound to any language in particular, it gives you all the juicy details about how lex,yacc, LL(1) parses, recursive descent parsers etc really work really work, various backend/code ge  techniques, (threading, BURS etc) and also how compilation worlks for various programming paradigms (functional, logic, imperative). This is the most \"dense\" beginner's book I've found. And it is very engagingly written too.\n Once you've worked through this you are in good shape for more advanced books like Muchnick's.\nGood Luck",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is the most \"dense\" beginner's book I've found. And it is very engagingly written too.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is engaging and a strong beginner's book, despite its density.",
          "audience": "Beginners studying compiler design.",
          "caveat": "Described as dense.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 137073,
          "author": "MMZ",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-14T19:10:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 136875,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good compiler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=137073",
          "commentText": "This is one of the best books I have come across. Precise and to the point. Lots of examples, and bibliographic references.\nhttp://www.wiley.co.uk/wileychi/grune/\nThere is also a great book by the same author on parsing.\nhttp://www.cs.vu.nl/~dick/PTAPG.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is one of the best books I have come across. Precise and to the point.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of the best books they've encountered and praises its precision.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dick Grune, Kees van Reeuwijk, Henri E. Bal, and Ceriel J. H. Jacobs"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "compiler design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "moral-mazes-2930ee",
      "title": "Moral Mazes",
      "author": "Robert Jackall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25558237,
          "author": "abhayb",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-28T10:57:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 25554464,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books for dealing with workplace politics and dishonesty?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25558237",
          "commentText": "First, I understand what you are saying and understand the constraints keeping you at a job you have issues with. I've certainly seen organizations go too far on consensus even when each person individually (especially the ones at the top) would like more decisiveness. This is a hard and draining place. And all moves out require even more energy that you may not have and should not (in a just world) have to expend.\nSomeone recommended \"Moral Mazes\" and I heartily second it. Though mostly because it was so profoundly cynical that it pushed me to defend the systems I was so annoyed by.\nIf you want to learn the language of design by committee, \"Nonviolent Communication\" by Marshall Rosenberg is the book that the rest of the committee is playing from. It has genuinely useful pieces. But I also find it fundamentally dishonest in that it frames all other forms of communication as \"violent\" in a rank misuse of the word. Additionally, the techniques it recommends require that you put in all the effort of framing a situation as no-blame or shared-blame when it very much is not. You do not need to agree with your opponents' tactics manual to find value in its study.\n\"Radical Candor\" by Kim Scott is an attempt to bring directness in to otherwise passive aggressive situations. It's a valiant attempt but it's unclear to me how viable its recommendations are.\nHowever it's not clear to me that any amount of high or low level reading is going to help with your feelings of dissatisfaction here. It sounds like you're looking for a \"win\" instead of an \"out\". And despite the deeply cynical feelings it can generate, you cannot succeed at office politics through cynicism. Or irony. Or cynical, ironic, distance. The successful are either completely earnest, or sociopathic enough to fake complete earnestness. And from the outside those are indistinguishable.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Someone recommended \"Moral Mazes\" and I heartily second it.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly seconds the recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its cynicism prompted them to defend the systems they had resented.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25554844,
          "author": "didgeoridoo",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-27T22:32:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 25554464,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books for dealing with workplace politics and dishonesty?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25554844",
          "commentText": "Check out “Moral Mazes” by Robert Jackall. Contains some great research on how bureaucracy shapes the way that we act, think, and work.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Check out “Moral Mazes” by Robert Jackall.",
          "reason": "Recommends research on how bureaucracy shapes how people act, think, and work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Jackall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bureaucracy",
        "organizational culture",
        "organizational sociology",
        "workplace politics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "moravagine-5a41b8",
      "title": "Moravagine",
      "author": "Blaise Cendrars",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3988417,
          "author": "mixonic",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-17T18:40:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3988417",
          "commentText": "This Maguire & Malmstad translation is what I read:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Petersburg-Andrei-Bely/dp/0253202191\nAnd I found it pretty tolerable. The footnotes are in the back (I think?) which kind of stinks for your first read. Unless you're a serious student of Petersburg history, the footnotes are requisite for understanding half of the nuance. Bely is doing all these tricks shifting the geography of the city and playing off places and events, and that's lost to the modern reader without help. I'm eager to read it again without paying attention to the notes though.\nI'll take a look at Moravagine, it looks great. It's in line after Volume 3 of Gulag A. and Orlando Figes's history of the Russian revolutions. I need more context for all this pre-WWI stuff!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'll take a look at Moravagine, it looks great.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book looks great and plans to read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3987855,
          "author": "yolesaber",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-17T16:50:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3987855",
          "commentText": "Petersburg is exactly what I wanted to read once school ends. All this CS and math work makes me want to just discorporate myself into a ridiculous, subjective work.\nWhich translation would you recommend?\nAlso, if you enjoyed the darker parts of The Master and Margarita, I highly recommend Blaise Cendras' Moravagine (http://www.amazon.com/Moravagine-York-Review-Books-Classics/... (http://www.amazon.com/Moravagine-York-Review-Books-Classics/dp/1590170636)).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend Blaise Cendras' Moravagine",
          "reason": "Highly recommends it to readers who enjoyed the darker parts of The Master and Margarita.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoyed the darker parts of The Master and Margarita.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Blaise Cendrars"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "french literature",
        "modernist literature",
        "psychological fiction",
        "surrealist fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "morte-d-urban-01a353",
      "title": "Morte d'Urban",
      "author": "J. F. Powers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41248683,
          "author": "kbknight",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-14T17:48:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41248683",
          "commentText": "It certainly seems rare for a book that is \"pro-Christianity.\"\nBut maybe that's just my own blind spot?\nHaven't read Morte d'Urban. It's on the list now, thanks!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Haven't read Morte d'Urban. It's on the list now, thanks!",
          "reason": "The commenter adds the suggested book to their reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They have not read it yet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41241552,
          "author": "cafard",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-14T01:04:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41241552",
          "commentText": "Is that rare? J.F. Powers's Morte d'Urban nearly meets that description.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "J.F. Powers's Morte d'Urban nearly meets that description.",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a near match for the previous commenter's description of a Christian novel with flawed characters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. F. Powers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian novel",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nation-0386a9",
      "title": "Nation",
      "author": "Terry Pratchett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39252921,
          "author": "andher",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T18:30:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39252921",
          "commentText": "I haven't read Nation but I till now Guards! Guards! Guards! has been my favorite. Its been a while since I read Discworld, will have to pick up nation",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "will have to pick up nation",
          "reason": "The commenter says they plan to read it after hearing about it from someone else.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39248995,
          "author": "Verath",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T10:12:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39248995",
          "commentText": "I'm currently reading Nation by Terry Pratchett. I have previously read all of the Discworld novels and thoroughly enjoyed them. Then last year I read the Terry Pratchett biography (also worth a read, IMO!), where it is mentioned that Terry himself thought Nation was probably his best book. Had to give it a read after that! So far it's pretty good, but I do miss the characters from the Discworld universe to be honest.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'm currently reading Nation by Terry Pratchett.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it has been pretty good so far, though they miss the Discworld characters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter misses the characters from the Discworld universe.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry Pratchett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coming of age",
        "historical fiction",
        "island castaways",
        "island survival"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "neural-networks-a-systematic-introduction-ae00b9",
      "title": "Neural Networks: A Systematic Introduction",
      "author": "Raúl Rojas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20683389,
          "author": "thelastbender12",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-13T06:52:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20683389",
          "commentText": "thank you, this looks very readable. I was very much looking for a treatment like this that spends more time on how the primitives - perceptron, backprop, etc. came about.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "thank you, this looks very readable. I was very much looking for a treatment like this that spends more time on how the primitives - perceptron, backprop, etc. came about.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book looks very readable and matches the treatment they wanted.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the origins and explanations of neural network concepts.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20676511,
          "author": "jointpdf",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T15:48:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20676511",
          "commentText": "Take a look at “Neural Networks: A Systematic Introduction” by Raul Rojas: https://page.mi.fu-berlin.de/rojas/neural/\nIt’s an older book, but it’s a deep dive into the math and intuition of neural networks. We used it for a grad-level applied math course in neural networks in 2013 (just as deep learning was emerging). It has tons of great visualizations and interesting exercises, is very readable, and is the best price (free).\nI recommend reading a chapter or two to see how you like it, it has a bit of a different flavor compared to more modern deep learning books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Take a look at “Neural Networks: A Systematic Introduction” by Raul Rojas",
          "reason": "Recommended for its math, intuition, visualizations, exercises, and readability.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a mathematical and intuitive treatment of neural networks.",
          "caveat": "It is older and has a different flavor from more modern deep learning books.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Raúl Rojas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "neural networks",
        "applied mathematics",
        "backpropagation",
        "perceptron"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "neverness-beca02",
      "title": "Neverness",
      "author": "David Zindell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31969216,
          "author": "the_third_wave",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T17:10:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31969216",
          "commentText": "Not a book but the facilities to make one - access to either paper and pencils/pens/ink, glue, linen binding thread, leather for making covers and a book press to bind the thing. Given that I'd have the rest of my life I'd settle for access to the raw materials to make these.\nI'd write the book myself, it'd probably end up like a cross between Robinson Crusoë, Baden Powell's \"Scouting for Boys\", Zindell's \"Neverness\", Tolkien's \"Silmarillion\", The Gulag Archipelago - for what twisted mind would keep people from reading new (to them) books other than the same mind which created the GULAG system - and more of such. It would take years to write but that'd be a good thing given that it would keep me busy.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Zindell's \"Neverness\"",
          "reason": "Lists it as one influence for the book they would write.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned as an influence, not a recommendation to read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056556,
          "author": "dasmoth",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:24:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056556",
          "commentText": "That's definitely retroactive, my old copy says no such thing.\nNeverness is a fabulous book though.  RfHS also worthwhile, but does sprawl a bit for my taste.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neverness is a fabulous book though.",
          "reason": "Calls it a fabulous book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056506,
          "author": "aardvark179",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:13:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056506",
          "commentText": "Neverness is not a prequel since it was written before A Requiem For Homo Sapiens.\nThat sort of sloppy thinking would get you killed as a pilot. :-)\nAlso, autocorrect really doesn't want to let me type Neverness.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Neverness is not a prequel since it was written before A Requiem For Homo Sapiens.",
          "reason": "Corrects the claim about its publication order.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056481,
          "author": "Yetanfou",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:04:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056481",
          "commentText": "One of the read-worthy books which immediately came to mind is Neverness [1] by David Zindell. It is actually the 'prequel' to a series ('A requiem for Homo Sapiens' [2]) which I have yet to read, but it stands by itself as far as I'm concerned.\nIf you like SF, mathematics and deep ideas, this might be a book for you.\n[1] http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/968997.Neverness\n[2] http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/399921.David_Zindell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One of the read-worthy books which immediately came to mind is Neverness",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it read-worthy and says it stands by itself.",
          "audience": "Readers who like science fiction, mathematics, and deep ideas.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read the related series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Zindell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Mathematics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "big ideas",
        "space opera",
        "philosophical science fiction",
        "pilgrimage"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "new-sales-simplified-1f9e0b",
      "title": "New Sales, Simplified",
      "author": "Mike Weinberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10233675,
          "author": "selleck",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T14:54:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10233675",
          "commentText": "I just finished New Sales Simplified:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/New-Sales-Simplified-Prospecting-Devel... (http://www.amazon.com/New-Sales-Simplified-Prospecting-Development/dp/0814431771/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442501569&sr=8-1&keywords=new+sales+simplified)\nIf you are responsible for getting new business, it is probably the best sales book I have read. Walks through defining your target customers, creating appropriate messaging to reach out to those customers and how to structure discovery and presentation calls.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If you are responsible for getting new business, it is probably the best sales book I have read.",
          "reason": "Called probably the best sales book the commenter has read.",
          "audience": "People responsible for getting new business.",
          "caveat": "Qualified by “probably.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10233668,
          "author": "JSeymourATL",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T14:53:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10233668",
          "commentText": "There have been several worthy recommendations in this string. Keep in mind, the more you read-- the more data you compile and master the subject.  Here are a couple not already mentioned--\nThe best book I've read in ages on prospecting and business development, New Sales, Simplified by Mike Weinberg.   If you read nothing else, Chapter 14: Planning & Executing the Attack is pure protein! http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15863998-new-sales-simpli... (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15863998-new-sales-simplified)\nHere's a video presentation by Matt Dixon on The Challenger Sale. It's a bit long, just over an hour.  But give it 15 minutes-- you'll see it's solid material. Good insights on how marketing supports & equips sales. Read the book!\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSfE8zZUoMc",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The best book I've read in ages on prospecting and business development, New Sales, Simplified by Mike Weinberg.",
          "reason": "Praised as the best recent book the commenter has read on prospecting and business development.",
          "audience": "People working on prospecting and business development.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mike Weinberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business development",
        "prospecting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ninety-percent-of-everything-abdac4",
      "title": "Ninety Percent of Everything",
      "author": "Rose George",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25321797,
          "author": "nickff",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-06T07:21:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25321797",
          "commentText": "\"Ninety Percent of Everything\" is a great book about what it's like to work in container shipping.\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ninety_Percent_of_Everything",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Ninety Percent of Everything\" is a great book about what it's like to work in container shipping.",
          "reason": "Describes what it is like to work in container shipping.",
          "audience": "Readers curious about container shipping work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25319088,
          "author": "fluxic",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T22:36:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319088",
          "commentText": "Editing: Editor of Genius by A. Scott Berg\n>>> Max Perkins was the editor of Hemingway, Thomas Wolfe, F Scott Fitzgerald, and other famous 20th century writers. Great, great, book.\nBartending: Cosmopolitan by Toby Cecchini\n>>> Very well-written memoir of a bartender in New York in the late 1980s. He invented the Cosmo in NYC while working at the Odeon — on a lark, without thinking much of it. The drink took off, but I think he's still a working bartender in NYC.\nCooking: Kitchen Confidential by Bourdain\nPainting: Interviews with Francis Bacon by David Sylvester\nMusic: Meet me in the Bathroom by Lizzy Goodman\nTech: Chaos Monkeys by AGM\nAnd seconding swyx's recommendations for all things Michael Lewis, who can spin a good yarn about any profession — whether it's baseball managers, junk bond salesmen, or high frequency traders, etc.\nI've also picked up lots of good recommendations from this thread https://ask.metafilter.com/243036/Recommend-a-nonfiction-aut... (https://ask.metafilter.com/243036/Recommend-a-nonfiction-author-who-has-a-style-like-Anthony-Bourdain) (I, too, like \"insidery\" type business books. I'm currently reading \"The Emperor of Scent\" about the world of perfume and it's pretty good! Also looking forward to reading \"Ninety Percent of Everything\" about the shipping industry.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also looking forward to reading \"Ninety Percent of Everything\" about the shipping industry.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they look forward to reading it for its coverage of shipping.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rose George"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "container shipping",
        "maritime",
        "maritime industry",
        "shipping industry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nobody-s-perfect-writings-from-the-new-yorker-8734c3",
      "title": "Nobody's Perfect: Writings from The New Yorker",
      "author": "Anthony Lane",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24286714,
          "author": "he11ow",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-26T20:10:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 24286084,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading at the moment and what do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24286714",
          "commentText": "Second what you said about Anthony Lane's book. He still produces reviews almost weekly for the New Yorker, and they're a masterclass in writing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Second what you said about Anthony Lane's book.",
          "reason": "Seconding the parent comment's recommendation of Lane's book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24286324,
          "author": "sbuccini",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-26T19:34:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 24286084,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading at the moment and what do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24286324",
          "commentText": "Currently reading: Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. A fun, quick read about something I knew nothing about.\nI'm sure you'll get all the classic HN recommendations so I'll pick two that are a little different:\n* Nobody's Perfect: Writings From the New Yorker, by Anthony Lane. Lane was responsible for writing reviews of many prominent movies from the 90s. We now know which of those movies hold up (Forrest Gump, Pulp Fiction) and faded away into cultural oblivion despite insane amounts of hype (Godzilla from 2000, Pearl Harbor), and I enjoyed reading contemporary treatments of both. Why spend the time to read such reviews? Because Lane is a master of his craft. The blend of dry British humor, insightful critiques, and his surprising accessibility makes for really enjoyable prose. Also, the pieces are quite short, so I can read two or three before bed and have natural points.\n* Meet Me in the Bathroom -- an oral history of the NYC music scene from 2001 to 2011. You can make the argument that the Strokes are directly responsible for the money-soaked Manhattan we have today. The Strokes, LCD Soundsystem, and TV On The Radio were hugely inspirational to me growing up so it was really neat to watch them look back on this crazy time in their own words. But really, it's a story about transitions. New York transitioning after 9/11 to what it is today; the transition of the music industry (the author makes a compelling point that although the Strokes and Vampire Weekend were both NYC-based bands that blew up 5 years apart, their trajectories couldn't have been more different); the influence of blogs and the kids who ran them had on this global industry. It's a fascinating to reflect on what is really just the not-so-distant past and see how much has changed.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Nobody's Perfect: Writings From the New Yorker, by Anthony Lane.",
          "reason": "Recommended for Lane's dry humor, insightful critiques, accessible prose, and short pieces.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anthony Lane"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "essay collection",
        "film criticism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nonlinear-dynamics-and-chaos-a56bc7",
      "title": "Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos",
      "author": "Steven H. Strogatz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21348810,
          "author": "m31415",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T20:28:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21348810",
          "commentText": "For mathematics, I would recommend:\n1. \"What Is Mathematics? An Elementary Approach to Ideas and Methods\" by Courant and Robbins -- a general book on mathematics in the spirit of Feynman lectures.\n2. Strogatz's \"Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos\" -- it's a bit narrow in scope (mostly dynamical systems with a little bit of chaos/fractals thrown in) but very good nonetheless.\n3. Tristan Needham, \"Visual Complex Analysis\", beautiful introduction to complex analysis.\n4. Cornelius Lanczos, \"The Variational Principles of Mechanics\" -- this is a physics book, but one of the classics in the subject, and as Gerald Sussman once remarked, you glean new insights each time you read it.\n5. Cornelius Lanczos, \"Linear Differential Operators\" -- an excellent treatment of differential operators, Green's functions, and other things that one encounters in infinite-dimensional vector spaces.  This book has some very intuitive explanations, e.g., why d/dx is not self-adjoint (i.e., Hermitian), whereas d^2/dx^2 is.\nFor chemistry, I would recommend \"General Chemistry\" by Linus Pauling, even though it's a bit outdated.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it's a bit narrow in scope (mostly dynamical systems with a little bit of chaos/fractals thrown in) but very good nonetheless",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is very good, while noting its narrow scope.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mostly dynamical systems, with some chaos and fractals.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21348077,
          "author": "falcor84",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T19:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21348077",
          "commentText": "Seconded, and so is his Nonlinear dynamics and Chaos",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seconded, and so is his Nonlinear dynamics and Chaos",
          "reason": "Seconding the parent recommendation and adding this title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven H. Strogatz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chaos theory",
        "dynamical systems",
        "nonlinear dynamics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "octagon-e215df",
      "title": "Octagon",
      "author": "Fred Saberhagen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46161500,
          "author": "ashtavakra",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-05T14:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46161500",
          "commentText": "I consolidated the comments for my reference later. Someone else might also find it useful:\n# Fiction Books Recommended for Programmers (HN Thread 46128404)\n## Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- *Children of Time* — Science Fiction (Evolution, Space Opera)  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)\n## Rick Cook — Wizardry Series\n- *Wizard’s Bane* — Fantasy, Programming/Magic Mashup  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112616.Wizard_s_Bane\n- *Wizardry Series (overview)*  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\n## James P. Hogan\n- *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/743568.Inherit_the_Stars\n- *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifem... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifemaker)\n- *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_Tomorrow)\n## D. F. Jones — Colossus Trilogy\n- *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806105.Colossus\n- *The Fall of Colossus* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colos... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colossus)\n- *Colossus and the Crab* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_Crab)\n## Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner)\n- *A Logic Named Joe* — Golden-Age Sci-Fi, AI Precursor  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-j... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-joe)\n## David Gerrold\n- *When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One* — AI, Classic Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_Was_One)\n## William Gibson / Bruce Sterling\n- *Neuromancer* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer\n- *The Difference Engine* — Steampunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Eng... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Engine)\n## Neal Stephenson\n- *Snow Crash* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash\n- *Cryptonomicon* — Techno-thriller, Cyber-history  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/816.Cryptonomicon\n- *Anathem* — Philosophical Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2845024-anathem\n- *The Diamond Age* — Nanopunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827.The_Diamond_Age\n## Fred Saberhagen\n- *Octagon* — AI, Techno-thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1891958.Octagon\n## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga\n- *Series Overview* — Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/40946-vorkosigan-saga\n## Richard Powers\n- *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45104.Galatea_2_2\n## Scott Meyer\n- *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-wizard)\n## Daniel Suarez\n- *Daemon* — Cyber-thriller, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665844-daemon\n## Thomas J. Ryan\n- *The Adolescence of P-1* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_o... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_of_P_1)\n## Ernest Cline\n- *Ready Player One* — Sci-Fi, Gaming, Pop-Culture Adventure  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one\n## Dennis E. Taylor\n- *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)* — Humorous Sci-Fi, AI, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-we-are-bob)\n## Ted Chiang\n- *Stories of Your Life and Others* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\n- *Exhalation* — Speculative Fiction, Philosophy, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation\n- *The Lifecycle of Software Objects* — AI, Digital Consciousness  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of-software-objects)\n## Charles Stross\n- *Laundry Files Series* — Math-based Magic, Techno-Fantasy  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files\n## Ken Liu\n- *The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menag... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories)\n- *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, AI, VR  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl-and-other-stories)\n## Ellen Ullman\n- *The Bug* — Tech Industry Literary Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/703.The_Bug\n## Cory Doctorow\n- *Radicalized* — Techno-sociopolitical Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40604122-radicalized\n## qntm (Sam Hughes)\n- *Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans-in-transit-and-other-stories)\n## Roger Williams\n- *The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect* — AI, Post-Singularity SF  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)\n## Greg Bear\n- *Eon* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/924843.Eon\n## Vernor Vinge\n- *A Deepness in the Sky* — Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the_Sky)\n## Terry Pratchett\n- *Going Postal* — Comic Fantasy, Satire of Bureaucracy & Tech  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64222.Going_Postal\n## Bruce Bethke\n- *Headcrash* — Cyber-satire  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213465.Headcrash\n## Mary Shelley\n- *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* — Classic Gothic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein\n## Douglas Adams\n- *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* — Comic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guid... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)\n## Jorge Luis Borges\n- *The Library of Babel* — Metaphysical Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-babel)\n## Greg Egan\n- *Permutation City* — Simulation Theory, Hard Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156784.Permutation_City\n## Cixin Liu\n- *The Three-Body Problem* — Hard Sci-Fi, First Contact  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- *Octagon* — AI, Techno-thriller",
          "reason": "Lists the title in a compilation of fiction books recommended for programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46130322,
          "author": "LarryMade2",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T04:30:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46130322",
          "commentText": "Fred Saberhagen\nOctagon - an AI backdoor created by the early inventors of computers is inadvertently \"activated\" by a youth.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Octagon - an AI backdoor created by the early inventors of computers is inadvertently \"activated\" by a youth.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes the book's premise in response to a fiction recommendation question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fred Saberhagen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "computer security",
        "techno thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "old-masters-and-young-geniuses-the-two-life-cycles-of-artistic-cr-2b8572",
      "title": "Old Masters and Young Geniuses: The Two Life Cycles of Artistic Creativity",
      "author": "David W. Galenson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14746277,
          "author": "ChicagoBoy11",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T17:50:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14746277",
          "commentText": "I took his class in college and it is one of the few decisions I completely regret in life.\nThe point he makes in the book is in fact very interesting (essentially, the lifepaths of creative individuals fall into two discernible categories: innovators, whose main contributions are early in the career and slowly fade, and those who slowly master a craft, whose most noteworthy contributions come later in life), and the techniques he marshals to study it in different context noteworthy, but it would have made for a great two week class. Instead, Galenson spent the entire time basically assigning everything he ever wrote -- which made the same point over, and over, and over again -- and constantly berated students who tried to respectfully dialogue with him.\nSorry, didn't mean to hijack your post, but every mention I see of him just elicits this visceral reaction in me and I just needed to get it off my chest.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The point he makes in the book is in fact very interesting",
          "reason": "Finds the book's central idea interesting but criticizes the repetitive course and the author's behavior.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter regrets taking the author's class and says his writing repeatedly made the same point.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14744468,
          "author": "gdulli",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T14:33:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14744468",
          "commentText": "Old Masters and Young Geniuses: The Two Life Cycles of Artistic Creativity (by David Galenson)\nInfluential to someone whose practices and path to success in engineering doesn't follow the normal pattern but is still valid. (At least it was influential to me.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Influential to someone whose practices and path to success in engineering doesn't follow the normal pattern but is still valid. (At least it was influential to me.)",
          "reason": "The commenter says it influenced their view of an unconventional path to success in engineering.",
          "audience": "People whose career path or creative practice does not follow a conventional pattern.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David W. Galenson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artistic careers",
        "creativity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "once-upon-a-time-in-hollywood-06380a",
      "title": "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood",
      "author": "Quentin Tarantino",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33850229,
          "author": "jeffreyrogers",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T03:17:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33850229",
          "commentText": "Red Plenty, a novel that is loosely about the invention of linear programming in the Soviet Union (a branch of mathematics, only somewhat related to computer programming). Good description of what the process of scientific invention feels like in the first part of the book. (if you want more depth on the mathematics of linear programming, Understanding and Using Linear Programming is a very readable (and short) textbook that only requires basic linear algebra knowledge).\nMoneyball, people have been recommending this to me for years but I never read it because I find baseball so boring. I'm glad I finally read it. It's not really a book about baseball it's about finding and exploiting unappreciated edges.\nWho We Are and How We Got Here, makes a lot of the recent genetic research on human origins understandable. Especially relevant this year due to Svante Paabo's nobel prize.\nOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood, possibly better than the movie (which I love). Reads a bit like a script. The dialog is very good and contains many \"scenes\" that aren't in the movie.\n$12 Million Dollar Stuffed Shark, if you are interested in modern art or how things that look like something anyone could do can sell for absurd amounts of money this book is worth reading.\nA Sailor of Austria: In Which Without Really Intending to, Otto Prohaska Becomes Official War Hero No. 27 of the Hapsburg Empire, one of the reviews I read before starting this described it as something like \"a techno-thriller set on an austrian submarine in world war one\". If that sounds appealing to you, you'll probably like this book. If not don't bother starting it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "possibly better than the movie (which I love)",
          "reason": "Enjoyed the book, which they say may be better than the movie.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Reads a bit like a script.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33849955,
          "author": "prepend",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T02:31:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33849955",
          "commentText": "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood by Quentin Tarantino, a great companion to the movie and expands on characters in really unique ways that make me think about them.\nTermination Shock by Neal Stephenson, a near future book about climate change and trying to fix it with an interesting geopolitical look of China acting like the US. I also liked Ministry of the Future but it was less fun of a read.\nCoddling of the American Mind by Jonathan Haidt, a reasoned look at how social media and devices are negatively impacting society and children.\nBorne by Jeff VanderMeer, a weird near future declinepunk with bioengineering and evil corporations.\nHeart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, very short book with a glimpse into post colonial colonialism in remote locations. Wanted to read a book about Congo.\nInvisible Man by Ralph Ellison, a portrait of a character in a time I didn’t experience.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a great companion to the movie",
          "reason": "Enjoyed how the book expands on the movie's characters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Quentin Tarantino"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "film tie in",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "orthogonal-trilogy-1a37f4",
      "title": "Orthogonal Trilogy",
      "author": "Greg Egan",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39250963,
          "author": "edanm",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T15:31:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39250963",
          "commentText": "I love Egan, and have planned to read more of his books. Haven't read this trilogy yet but definitely going on my list.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Haven't read this trilogy yet but definitely going on my list.",
          "reason": "Says they have not read it yet but plan to add it to their reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39250346,
          "author": "snapplebobapple",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T14:15:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39250346",
          "commentText": "Just Finished Greg Egan's Orthogonal Trilogy (it was very interesting if you like hard science fiction but want to spice it up with a universe that operates under different fundamental laws)\nAm about half way through \"The constitution of Liberty\" by Friedrich A. Hayek (it's got a lot of correct in it but is way too preachy/needed a better editor to cut down on some of the repetition. It's nowhere near as bad as something like Ayn Rand's Atlas shrugged in this regard though).\nStarted Vernor Vinge's \"rainbow's end\", so far it's decent but I am also very early in so that isn't really a qualified opinion until I get through another 50 or 60 pages at least.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Greg Egan's Orthogonal Trilogy",
          "reason": "Says the trilogy was interesting for readers who like hard science fiction and want a universe with different fundamental laws.",
          "audience": "Readers who like hard science fiction.",
          "caveat": "Described as interesting if this kind of science fiction appeals to you.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Greg Egan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternate physics",
        "hard science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "paul-wilmott-on-quantitative-finance-aaf6e2",
      "title": "Paul Wilmott on Quantitative Finance",
      "author": "Paul Wilmott",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3179810,
          "author": "joncooper",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-01T00:07:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 3177815,
          "threadTitle": "Good books for hackers interested in quant finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3179810",
          "commentText": "John Hull is canon. Read it, live it, love it, keep it under your pillow. It is truly superb.\nNassim Taleb's \"Dynamic Hedging\" is the finest book I'm aware of on the subject of actually trading/managing vol portfolios. It's REALLY good. And dense.\n\"Paul Wilmott on Quantitative Finance\" vol 1-3 are worth having as a reference, perhaps.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Paul Wilmott on Quantitative Finance\" vol 1-3 are worth having as a reference, perhaps.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a possible reference.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter qualifies the suggestion with “perhaps.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3178028,
          "author": "SkyMarshal",
          "createdAt": "2011-10-31T16:47:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 3177815,
          "threadTitle": "Good books for hackers interested in quant finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3178028",
          "commentText": "Any of Paul Wilmott's books.  Either his single Introduction to Quantitative Finance, or his three volume set.  His focus is on knowing where models work and where they break down, and how to avoid using them naively.  http://wilmott.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "or his three volume set.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends Wilmott's three-volume quantitative finance set.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Wilmott"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "quantitative finance",
        "financial engineering",
        "financial modeling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ponniyin-selvan-60ac6f",
      "title": "Ponniyin Selvan",
      "author": "Kalki Krishnamurthy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10792503,
          "author": "krishna2",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-25T22:08:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10792503",
          "commentText": "Happy my list will cons new lists. :)\nPoSe is by far the magnum opus. PaKa was written first and SiSa was written a dozen or so years later but historically SiSa happens about a decade or two before PaKa. PaKa is short (one-fifth the size of the other two). I liked the story of PaKa a lot. [although the movie version was totally butchered]. And just like how PoSe (which happens about 300 years after PaKa/SiSa) is all about Chozhas, the other two are about Pallavas. Very fascinating reads - will totally recommend it.\nIf you like Science and Music (in this case, western classical music), and biographies/history related to the science/music characters, then you will like my list a lot.\nPlease feel free to get in touch offline - can share more details. [I have the same id as the hn id in google/gmail as well].\nPS: the goodreads link you posted takes me to my year_in_books page - can you please share your public url? Would love to see your reading list. thanks.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "PoSe is by far the magnum opus.",
          "reason": "Calls it by far the author's magnum opus.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10788790,
          "author": "sundarurfriend",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T17:10:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10788790",
          "commentText": "Wow, that's quite the inspiring list. I've been thinking about creating a list of 52 books to read for 2016 (one per week), and I think I'll be stealing a lot from your list here.\nI'm a big fan of Ponniyin Selvan, how do Parthiban Kanavu and Sivagamiyin Sabatham compare to it?\nHere's the 52 I finished this year: https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2015",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm a big fan of Ponniyin Selvan",
          "reason": "Says they are a big fan of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kalki Krishnamurthy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "tamil literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "practical-irrationality-249f27",
      "title": "Practical Irrationality",
      "author": "Dan Ariely",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3987479,
          "author": "mixonic",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-17T15:46:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3987479",
          "commentText": "I agree, a fun & informative read!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I agree, a fun & informative read!",
          "reason": "Agrees with the positive assessment and calls it fun and informative.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3987474,
          "author": "jnorthrop",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-17T15:45:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3987474",
          "commentText": "Practical Irrationality - Dan Ariely\nIt changed the way I think about pricing, among other things, forever. He makes some wild conclusions then backs them up with scientific experiments. Its a fun read to boot.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It changed the way I think about pricing, among other things, forever.",
          "reason": "Says it permanently changed their thinking about pricing and praises its evidence and readability.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in pricing and behavioral science.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it makes some wild conclusions, which it supports with experiments.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Ariely"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "behavioral economics",
        "pricing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "practical-linear-algebra-a-geometry-toolbox-46ffae",
      "title": "Practical Linear Algebra: A Geometry Toolbox",
      "author": "Gerald Farin and Dianne Hansford",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31712667,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-12T08:14:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31712667",
          "commentText": "Seconded.\nThe full name of the book is; Practical Linear Algebra: A Geometry Toolbox. The preface states The subtitle of this book is A Geometry Toolbox; this is meant\nto emphasize that we approach linear algebra in a geometric and\nalgorithmic way (The first edition was named \"The Geometry Toolbox for Graphics and Modeling\").\nPair it with Introduction to Applied Linear Algebra – Vectors, Matrices, and Least Squares by Boyd and Vandenberghe (https://web.stanford.edu/~boyd/vmls/) and you are golden.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seconded.",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the recommendation in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31712100,
          "author": "a_e_k",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-12T06:35:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31712100",
          "commentText": "As a visual thinker and graphics practioner, I'll second this one.  This is the linear algebra text that I keep on the bookcase near my desk.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'll second this one. This is the linear algebra text that I keep on the bookcase near my desk.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly seconds the recommendation and says they keep the text near their desk.",
          "audience": "Visual thinkers and graphics practitioners.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gerald Farin",
        "Dianne Hansford"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "linear algebra",
        "geometry",
        "graphics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pragmatics-of-human-communication-f06169",
      "title": "Pragmatics of Human Communication",
      "author": "Paul Watzlawick, Janet Beavin Bavelas, and Don D. Jackson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40432670,
          "author": "iamthirsty",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T19:22:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40432670",
          "commentText": "\"Called “one of the best books ever about human communication,” and a perennial bestseller, Pragmatics of Human Communication has formed the foundation of much contemporary research into interpersonal communication, in addition to laying the groundwork for context-based approaches to psychotherapy.\"\nWith a summary like that, I think I absolutely have to add it to the list.\nMight make me a better HN commenter, too. Thanks!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "With a summary like that, I think I absolutely have to add it to the list.",
          "reason": "Says the quoted book summary convinced them to add it to their reading list.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in human communication and psychotherapy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40432531,
          "author": "dang",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T19:09:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40432531",
          "commentText": "I don't know about \"so far in 2024\" but Pragmatics of Human Communication by Watzlawick et. al. is great: https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393710595.\nIts sequel Change is also great: https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393707069, though in my copy the opening 20 pages or so are printed at the end (as if the printing machine used a ring buffer). That is a pity because the Preface has one of the great openings of all time. I was paging through the entire book looking for it—I'd read it years ago and remembered it being at the beginning, which it is, except the beginning was at the end in this copy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pragmatics of Human Communication by Watzlawick et. al. is great",
          "reason": "Calls the book great in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Watzlawick",
        "Janet Beavin Bavelas",
        "Don D. Jackson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "interpersonal communication",
        "systems theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "principles-of-program-analysis-be1e52",
      "title": "Principles of Program Analysis",
      "author": "Flemming Nielson, Hanne Riis Nielson, and Chris Hankin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32798117,
          "author": "aleclm",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-11T09:15:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32798117",
          "commentText": "> certainly the best static analysis textbook out there\nDuring my PhD I really felt stupid reading Muchnick and not getting data-flow analysis.\nNielson & Nielson literally saved my PhD and enabled the creation of the company. I'm so grateful.\nDo you have any contact? It'd be cool to invite one of the authors to our weekly internal meetings.\n> the authors have written a prequel\nOh crap, that's great!\nHonestly, we use Chapter 2 a lot, it already provides so much value. And in fact, you could write a whole book only about that.\nHere's our C++ implementation of MFP:\n    https://github.com/revng/revng/blob/develop/include/revng/MFP/MFP.h#L66\n\nHaving infinite time, it'd be nice to rewrite some LLVM analyses using it.\nWe joke saying that we'll open a new company when we start using Chapter 3 effectively. :)\nBtw, if you're in a CEST-friendly time zone and are interested in what we do, drop us an e-mail :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Honestly, we use Chapter 2 a lot, it already provides so much value.",
          "reason": "The commenter says their team uses Chapter 2 frequently and finds it valuable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32793400,
          "author": "nextos",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T18:45:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32793400",
          "commentText": "Wow, I never expected Nielson & Nielson to be mentioned here. It's one of my favorite books, I have referred to it in some of my past comments, and certainly the best static analysis textbook out there.\nI actually took several courses from the authors some years back, and implemented most of the book for a not-so-simple imperative language, including e.g. abstract interpretation for detecting out-of-bounds array accesses.\nThe book is a bit advanced unless you are well seasoned in the basics of abstract algebra and interpreter / compiler construction. Most fellow students struggled a lot. Hence, the authors have written a prequel [1], which is a bit simpler and also uses Datalog to get going faster.\n[1] https://arxiv.org/pdf/2012.10086.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's one of my favorite books, I have referred to it in some of my past comments, and certainly the best static analysis textbook out there.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a favorite and the best static analysis textbook, while noting it can be advanced.",
          "audience": "Readers with a strong grounding in abstract algebra and interpreter or compiler construction.",
          "caveat": "Advanced; many fellow students struggled with it. The commenter says a simpler prequel exists.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Flemming Nielson",
        "Hanne Riis Nielson",
        "Chris Hankin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "program analysis",
        "static analysis",
        "abstract interpretation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "prisoners-of-geography-93df54",
      "title": "Prisoners of Geography",
      "author": "Tim Marshall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13806959,
          "author": "lappet",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T23:11:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13806959",
          "commentText": "Thank you for Prisoners of Geography. I just bought it and it seems very insightful, judging by the first few pages.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Thank you for Prisoners of Geography. I just bought it and it seems very insightful, judging by the first few pages.",
          "reason": "The first pages seem insightful to the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Evaluation is based only on the first few pages.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13805365,
          "author": "jonbaer",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T19:34:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805365",
          "commentText": "Prisoners of Geography - Tim Marshall\nThe Revenge of Geography - Robert D. Kaplan\nPrisoner's Dilemma - William Poundstone\nThe Master Algorithm - Pedro Domingos\nZero-Sum Future - Gideon Rachman\nThe End of History and the Last Man - Francis Fukuyama\nEntanglement - Amir Aczel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Prisoners of Geography - Tim Marshall",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tim Marshall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "geopolitics",
        "political geography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "professor-frisby-s-mostly-adequate-guide-to-functional-programmin-cbb165",
      "title": "Professor Frisby's Mostly Adequate Guide to Functional Programming",
      "author": "Brian Lonsdorf",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23366640,
          "author": "stormdennis",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-31T02:20:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23366640",
          "commentText": "Sounds interesting but unfortunately for me knowing JavaScript seems to be a requirement",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Sounds interesting but unfortunately for me knowing JavaScript seems to be a requirement",
          "reason": "The commenter notes that prior JavaScript knowledge seems to be required.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says knowing JavaScript seems to be a requirement.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23365102,
          "author": "woldemariam",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-30T21:54:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23365102",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed reading Professor Frisby's Mostly Adequate Guide to Functional Programming, 146 pages.\nhttps://github.com/MostlyAdequate/mostly-adequate-guide",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Professor Frisby's Mostly Adequate Guide to Functional Programming",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed reading it and notes its length.",
          "audience": "Developers interested in functional programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Lonsdorf"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "functional programming",
        "javascript"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-game-ai-by-example-6192d2",
      "title": "Programming Game AI by Example",
      "author": "Mat Buckland",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22305816,
          "author": "tvalentius",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-12T04:33:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22305816",
          "commentText": "Programming Game AI By Example\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Programming-Example-Wordware-Develope... (https://www.amazon.com/Programming-Example-Wordware-Developers-Library/dp/1556220782)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Programming Game AI By Example",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13907180,
          "author": "LyutD",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-19T14:14:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13907180",
          "commentText": "I can also vouch for this, it's a great introduction to AI in Games, however it is just an introduction as the topic is very broad.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it's a great introduction to AI in Games, however it is just an introduction",
          "reason": "Vouches for it as a great introduction, while noting that it covers only an introduction to a broad topic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It is just an introduction to a very broad topic.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13902546,
          "author": "tvalentius",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T17:53:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13902546",
          "commentText": "If you are developing AI for games, then Programming Game AI By Example by Mat Buckland are one of the best book for that :\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Programming-Example-Wordware-Develope... (https://www.amazon.com/Programming-Example-Wordware-Developers-Library/dp/1556220782)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming Game AI By Example by Mat Buckland are one of the best book for that",
          "reason": "Recommends it as one of the best books for developing AI for games.",
          "audience": "People developing AI for games.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mat Buckland"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "game ai",
        "game programming",
        "game development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-on-purpose-5dcd04",
      "title": "Programming on Purpose",
      "author": "P. J. Plauger",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29311686,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T21:19:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29311686",
          "commentText": "> Purely Functional Data Structures\nA classic! Good suggestion.\nI'm curious to check out Programming on Purpose.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm curious to check out Programming on Purpose.",
          "reason": "The commenter expresses interest in checking it out.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29311672,
          "author": "scruple",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T21:18:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29311672",
          "commentText": "I think these meet the criteria...\nP. J. Plauger's \"Programming on Purpose\" series of essays.\nPurely Functional Data Structures by Chris Okasaki.\nI would put both of these alongside Bentley's \"Programming Pearls\" books which I saw mentioned in another comment.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "P. J. Plauger's \"Programming on Purpose\" series of essays.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it meets the thread's criteria.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a series of essays.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "P. J. Plauger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "essays",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "psalms-99c799",
      "title": "Psalms",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8108812,
          "author": "Aym_C",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T15:36:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8108812",
          "commentText": "Dive into the classics.\nJohn Cowper Powys may help you to plan a great journey :\nhttp://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/12914/pg12914.html\n(Despite a few bizarre choices. Paul Bourget, seriously ?)\nIf I had to choose myself : Homer (The Iliad and the Odyssey), the Bible (David's psalms and Job's book), Augustine, Dante, Saint Simon, Shakespeare, Rousseau, Dostoievsky, Proust, Céline.\nAparté :\nIf you like ambitious history with economic insights, I would strongly suggest to read Fernand Braudel works. He wrote three fantastic triptychs :\n- The Mediterranean: And the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II (his thesis)\n- Civilization and Capitalism, 15th-18th Century (the best history books I've ever read)\n- The Identity of France",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "David's psalms",
          "reason": "Specifically names the Psalms as part of the Bible they would choose.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8107077,
          "author": "kilo_man",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T09:00:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107077",
          "commentText": "Just listing books that have had a big impact on me:\n* The Now Habit - http://www.amazon.com/dp/1585425524\n* Getting Things Done - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0142000280\n* Simply Christian - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061920622\n* Surprised by Hope - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061551821\n* The Great Divorce - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060652950\n* Mere Christianity - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060652926\n* The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - http://www.amazon.com/dp/048629823X\n* Tao Te Ching - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060812451\nBooks from the Bible that I like:\n* Genesis\n* Judges\n* Ruth\n* Tobit\n* Job\n* Psalms\n* Ecclesiastes\n* Sirach/Ecclesiasticus\n* Everything written by John",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Psalms",
          "reason": "Listed among biblical books the commenter says they like.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bible",
        "biblical poetry",
        "hebrew poetry",
        "scripture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "python-machine-learning-9a3fb6",
      "title": "Python Machine Learning",
      "author": "Sebastian Raschka",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13901847,
          "author": "EternalData",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T16:00:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13901847",
          "commentText": "+1 to Python Machine Learning, I feel like some of artificial intelligence is understanding a lot of finer (but critical) mathematical nuances, but some of it is just getting your hands dirty, and the second is definitely more accessible for somebody who is starting to learn.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 to Python Machine Learning",
          "reason": "Adds support for the book in a thread asking for AI book recommendations.",
          "audience": "Someone starting to learn, seeking practical access to machine learning.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13900898,
          "author": "krosaen",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T12:01:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13900898",
          "commentText": "Some on this thread have recommended Norvig's PAIP, but that's kind of an old school AI book in that it focuses on heuristic search and logic (implementing prolog in lisp at one point, very impressive stuff actually); but is lacking any coverage of statistical machine learning, which is the approach that underlies most of the cool stuff these days. It's still a great book, but I'd instead recommend a path that focuses on machine learning:\n- The Master Algorithm: made for a general audience, gives you a lay of the land\n- Python Machine Learning by Sebastian Raschka: gives you practical skills using python, scikit-learn, numpy, jupyter notebooks, pandas etc. From zero to kaggle in 4 chapters, goes deeper after that. Also goes into enough theory you aren't flying completely blind.\nAfter that, I'm afraid I think you do need to go \"academic\", if by that you mean learning some of the underlying math to approach AI / ML from a more rigorous probabilistic perspective. I'd recommend studying probability theory and then working your way through Bishop's Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning. After that a lot more doors open up too more specialized topics like computer vision, reinforcement learning etc.\nI've written up a lot more about this here:\nhttp://karlrosaen.com/ml/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Python Machine Learning by Sebastian Raschka: gives you practical skills using python",
          "reason": "Recommended for practical Python machine learning skills, with theory and a rapid start toward Kaggle.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sebastian Raschka"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "machine learning",
        "python",
        "scikit learn"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "restful-web-apis-1d190d",
      "title": "RESTful Web APIs",
      "author": "Leonard Richardson and Mike Amundsen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12264132,
          "author": "fzilla",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-10T19:13:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 12262586,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are good reads for designing APIs?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12264132",
          "commentText": "this this this this this this\nI cannot recommend this book enough. Read it, read it again, take in everything it is trying to say and try as hard as you can to understand it.\nThere is a whole world of awesome and tragically misunderstood tools in the book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I cannot recommend this book enough. Read it, read it again",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends the book and urges repeated reading and close attention.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12263585,
          "author": "JimDabell",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-10T17:52:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 12262586,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are good reads for designing APIs?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12263585",
          "commentText": "I think it depends on what type of API you'd like to design.\nIf you're talking about REST APIs, then the best book I've come across is RESTful Web APIs by Leonard Richardson and Mike Amundsen:\nhttp://restfulwebapis.org/\nIt actually shows you how to do REST properly, not that shoddy knock-off REST that some people push, where you have to document all your URI structures and hard-code them in your clients.  There's solid examples that you build upon throughout each chapter, and jumping off points to standardisation work like JSON-LD etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the best book I've come across is RESTful Web APIs by Leonard Richardson and Mike Amundsen",
          "reason": "Calls it the best book encountered and says it teaches REST properly with examples built through the chapters.",
          "audience": "People designing REST APIs.",
          "caveat": "Depends on the type of API being designed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leonard Richardson and Mike Amundsen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "api design",
        "rest apis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "radicalized-ae959e",
      "title": "Radicalized",
      "author": "Cory Doctorow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46161500,
          "author": "ashtavakra",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-05T14:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46161500",
          "commentText": "I consolidated the comments for my reference later. Someone else might also find it useful:\n# Fiction Books Recommended for Programmers (HN Thread 46128404)\n## Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- *Children of Time* — Science Fiction (Evolution, Space Opera)  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)\n## Rick Cook — Wizardry Series\n- *Wizard’s Bane* — Fantasy, Programming/Magic Mashup  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112616.Wizard_s_Bane\n- *Wizardry Series (overview)*  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\n## James P. Hogan\n- *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/743568.Inherit_the_Stars\n- *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifem... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifemaker)\n- *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_Tomorrow)\n## D. F. Jones — Colossus Trilogy\n- *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806105.Colossus\n- *The Fall of Colossus* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colos... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colossus)\n- *Colossus and the Crab* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_Crab)\n## Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner)\n- *A Logic Named Joe* — Golden-Age Sci-Fi, AI Precursor  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-j... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-joe)\n## David Gerrold\n- *When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One* — AI, Classic Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_Was_One)\n## William Gibson / Bruce Sterling\n- *Neuromancer* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer\n- *The Difference Engine* — Steampunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Eng... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Engine)\n## Neal Stephenson\n- *Snow Crash* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash\n- *Cryptonomicon* — Techno-thriller, Cyber-history  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/816.Cryptonomicon\n- *Anathem* — Philosophical Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2845024-anathem\n- *The Diamond Age* — Nanopunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827.The_Diamond_Age\n## Fred Saberhagen\n- *Octagon* — AI, Techno-thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1891958.Octagon\n## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga\n- *Series Overview* — Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/40946-vorkosigan-saga\n## Richard Powers\n- *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45104.Galatea_2_2\n## Scott Meyer\n- *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-wizard)\n## Daniel Suarez\n- *Daemon* — Cyber-thriller, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665844-daemon\n## Thomas J. Ryan\n- *The Adolescence of P-1* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_o... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_of_P_1)\n## Ernest Cline\n- *Ready Player One* — Sci-Fi, Gaming, Pop-Culture Adventure  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one\n## Dennis E. Taylor\n- *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)* — Humorous Sci-Fi, AI, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-we-are-bob)\n## Ted Chiang\n- *Stories of Your Life and Others* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\n- *Exhalation* — Speculative Fiction, Philosophy, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation\n- *The Lifecycle of Software Objects* — AI, Digital Consciousness  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of-software-objects)\n## Charles Stross\n- *Laundry Files Series* — Math-based Magic, Techno-Fantasy  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files\n## Ken Liu\n- *The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menag... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories)\n- *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, AI, VR  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl-and-other-stories)\n## Ellen Ullman\n- *The Bug* — Tech Industry Literary Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/703.The_Bug\n## Cory Doctorow\n- *Radicalized* — Techno-sociopolitical Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40604122-radicalized\n## qntm (Sam Hughes)\n- *Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans-in-transit-and-other-stories)\n## Roger Williams\n- *The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect* — AI, Post-Singularity SF  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)\n## Greg Bear\n- *Eon* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/924843.Eon\n## Vernor Vinge\n- *A Deepness in the Sky* — Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the_Sky)\n## Terry Pratchett\n- *Going Postal* — Comic Fantasy, Satire of Bureaucracy & Tech  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64222.Going_Postal\n## Bruce Bethke\n- *Headcrash* — Cyber-satire  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213465.Headcrash\n## Mary Shelley\n- *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* — Classic Gothic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein\n## Douglas Adams\n- *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* — Comic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guid... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)\n## Jorge Luis Borges\n- *The Library of Babel* — Metaphysical Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-babel)\n## Greg Egan\n- *Permutation City* — Simulation Theory, Hard Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156784.Permutation_City\n## Cixin Liu\n- *The Three-Body Problem* — Hard Sci-Fi, First Contact  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- *Radicalized* — Techno-sociopolitical Speculative Fiction",
          "reason": "Lists the title in a compilation of fiction books recommended for programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46136691,
          "author": "agarv",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T16:46:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46136691",
          "commentText": "The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories and The Hidden Girl and Other Stories by Ken Liu\nThe Bug by Ellen Ullman\nRadicalized by Corey Doctrow\nValuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories by qntm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Radicalized by Corey Doctrow",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cory Doctorow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "near future fiction",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "railroaded-the-transcontinentals-and-the-making-of-modern-america-14cd86",
      "title": "Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America",
      "author": "Richard White",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36666587,
          "author": "HamptonFounders",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-10T14:01:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36666587",
          "commentText": "Not sure if this is helpful, but a friend fed this conversation through ChatGPT and had it summarize for easier reading:\n-The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy -Bigger by Marc Levinson\n-The Machine That Changed the World: The Story of Lean Production-- Toyota's Secret Weapon in the Global Car Wars That Is Now Revolutionizing World Industry by James P. Womack, Daniel T. Jones, and Daniel Roos\n-Empires of the Sky: Zeppelins, Airplanes, and Two Men's Epic Duel to Rule the World by Erik Larson\n-Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America by Richard -White\n-The Arms of Krupp: The Rise and Fall of the Industrial Dynasty that Armed Germany at War by William Manchester\n-Edison by Edmund Morris\n-Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow\n-The People's Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century by Steven Watts\n-Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler\n-The Victorian Internet by Tom Standage\n-The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood by James Gleick\n-Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age by Michael S. Malone\n-The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester\n-The Innovators by Walter Isaacson\n-Medieval Technology and Social Change by Lynn White Jr.\n-The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation by Jon Gertner\n-Electricity in the 17th and 18th Centuries: A Study of Early Modern Physics by Eric H. Chaney\n-Early Electrical Communication by A. F. Marland\n-Bibliographical History of Electricity and Magnetism by Silvanus P. Thompson\n-Electric Science: Its History, Phenomena, and Applications by J. J. Fahie\n-The History and Present State of Electricity by Andrew Ure\n-https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/\n-De Re Metallica by Georgius Agricola",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America by Richard -White",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books offered in response to the history of technology question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36601373,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:00:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601373",
          "commentText": "Here are some histories of specific industries I've read recently and supremely enjoyed:\n- The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger\n- The Machine That Changed the World: The Story of Lean Production-- Toyota's Secret Weapon in the Global Car Wars That Is Now Revolutionizing World Industry\n- Empires of the Sky: Zeppelins, Airplanes, and Two Men's Epic Duel to Rule the World\n- Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America (of all of these not the most amazing but still interesting)\n- The Arms of Krupp: The Rise and Fall of the Industrial Dynasty that Armed Germany at War\nAnd then you can learn a lot by reading about the people who built the industries too. Here are a few I've been reading about recently that I recommend:\n- Edison by Edmund Morris (Just read it backwards, you'll see.)\n- Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow\n- The People's Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century by Steven Watts\n- Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler\nI also got some interesting suggestions asking a similar question on Twitter a bit ago.\nhttps://twitter.com/eatonphil/status/1668625835350454273",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America",
          "reason": "Listed among industry histories the commenter recently read and greatly enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it was not the most amazing of the listed books but was still interesting.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard White"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american history",
        "railroad history",
        "railroads",
        "transcontinental railroads"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rapid-development-435ccc",
      "title": "Rapid Development",
      "author": "Steve McConnell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35711305,
          "author": "gjadi",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-26T09:32:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 35710671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell still a recommended read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35711305",
          "commentText": "Well, Rapid Development is the next level after Code Complete :)\nCode Complete is the \"Introductory Level\" and Rapid Development is the \"Practitioner Level\".",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Rapid Development is the \"Practitioner Level\".",
          "reason": "Describes it as the practitioner level after Code Complete.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35711198,
          "author": "kqr",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-26T09:14:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 35710671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell still a recommended read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35711198",
          "commentText": "I liked /Rapid Development/ too. It misses out on things like the Unix philosophy and worse-is-better, which are sort of previous incarnations of the agile/lean stuff that is very popular today.\nI would assume the author just hadn't had much exposure to those ideas so they weren't even considered for inclusion. (Besides, they tend to not be researched so actively because they don't leave as many paper trails.)\nOther than that gripe, though, I learned a lot from it!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I liked /Rapid Development/ too.",
          "reason": "Says they liked the book and learned a lot from it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it omits Unix philosophy and worse-is-better ideas.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35711146,
          "author": "ChrisMarshallNY",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-26T09:08:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 35710671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell still a recommended read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35711146",
          "commentText": "Heck, I still use stuff I picked up from Writing Solid Code.\nThat book hasn’t aged as well, but it had some parts that are still quite relevant, today.\nI always thought that Rapid Development was better than Code Complete.\nI’ve probably read all of McConnell’s stuff (and I’ve taken a lot of Construx courses). At one time, I was quite the fanboi.\nA lot of folks around here don’t seem to like him, which I find odd.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I always thought that Rapid Development was better than Code Complete.",
          "reason": "Compares it favorably with Code Complete.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175589,
          "author": "crazypyro",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:28:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175589",
          "commentText": "Finally bought Pragmatic Programmer and Code Complete so I'm perusing through those in between my school work/reading.\nAlso got Rapid Development for 5 dollars, but haven't started on that. Haven't really read any software engineering books like these before, but enjoying them so far.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Also got Rapid Development for 5 dollars, but haven't started on that.",
          "reason": "The commenter bought the book but has not started it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not yet started; purchase alone does not express an evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve McConnell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software development",
        "project management",
        "software project management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "real-world-haskell-534f1e",
      "title": "Real World Haskell",
      "author": "Bryan O'Sullivan; Don Stewart; John Goerzen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2414485,
          "author": "kamechan",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T09:43:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414485",
          "commentText": "+1 on real world haskell, which is here: http://book.realworldhaskell.org/read/\ndefinitely a lot less hand-holding than learnyouahaskell, but they complement each other pretty well.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "+1 on real world haskell",
          "reason": "Endorses the book and says it complements Learn You a Haskell well.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it provides much less hand-holding than Learn You a Haskell.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414454,
          "author": "T-R",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T09:25:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414454",
          "commentText": "To steal words from a comment earlier today, Haskell has a very steep but very rewarding learning curve.\nIt'll reinforce some concepts from math, and lead you toward writing code in a manner that's considered good practice in other languages - such that it's generally maintainable and testable. Similarly, if you're familiar with Design Patterns, you'll see that a lot of patterns are attempts to implement functional concepts in OO languages. That said, as a fan of Haskell I'm definitely biased, and a lot of that can be said for other functional languages as well.\n\"Real World Haskell\" is also very good, but probably not the best place to start if you haven't written in a functional language before.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Real World Haskell\" is also very good",
          "reason": "Calls it very good, but says it is probably not the best starting point for someone new to functional programming.",
          "audience": "Readers who already have experience with a functional language.",
          "caveat": "Probably not the best place to start if you have not written in a functional language before.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bryan O'Sullivan; Don Stewart; John Goerzen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "functional programming",
        "haskell"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "richard-scarry-books-c5f2e1",
      "title": "Richard Scarry books",
      "author": "Richard Scarry",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26782271,
          "author": "mojoe",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-12T17:24:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26782271",
          "commentText": "Thanks! We have a big stack of Richard Scarry books, they're excellent.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Richard Scarry books",
          "reason": "The commenter says their stack of these books is excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26779231,
          "author": "farseer",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-12T13:36:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26779231",
          "commentText": "Try Richard Scarry, his books are illustrious with a high re-read value.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Try Richard Scarry, his books are illustrious with a high re-read value.",
          "reason": "Recommended for their high reread value.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Scarry"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "robbins-and-cotran-pathologic-basis-of-disease-03e10f",
      "title": "Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease",
      "author": "Vinay Kumar, Abul K. Abbas, and Jon C. Aster",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32790916,
          "author": "cannaceo",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T14:22:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790916",
          "commentText": "Robbin's was great. Read it cover to cover many times in medical school.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Robbin's was great. Read it cover to cover many times in medical school.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was great and that they read it repeatedly in medical school.",
          "audience": "Medical students.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32790567,
          "author": "docdocgoose",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T13:43:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790567",
          "commentText": "Principles of Neural Science by Kandel et al\nMolecular Biology of The Cell by Alberts et al\nJaneway’s Immunobiology\nRobbin’s Pathologic Basis of Disease\nAll of these books are extraordinary in their sheer ability to organize thousands of small details into thematic narratives of how life operates.\nThey also reveal how hard  we humans try to narrate life into tidy, comprehensible themes.\nThese books are all of an era (2005-2015), and there are probably newer ones. That said, they are a great guide for non biologists into how experts think things work.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Robbin’s Pathologic Basis of Disease",
          "reason": "The commenter praises these books for organizing details into thematic narratives about how life operates.",
          "audience": "Non-biologists seeking insight into how experts think about how life works.",
          "caveat": "These books are from 2005–2015; the commenter notes newer books may exist.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vinay Kumar",
        "Abul K. Abbas",
        "Jon C. Aster"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "pathology",
        "disease mechanisms",
        "medical education"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "saga-of-the-forgotten-warrior-f97211",
      "title": "Saga of the Forgotten Warrior",
      "author": "Larry Correia",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34162554,
          "author": "pugio",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T16:25:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34162554",
          "commentText": "I've read and loved most of the fantasy you mentioned, except for saga of The forgotten warrior. This makes me an excellent target for that last recommendation, thank you!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "except for saga of The forgotten warrior. This makes me an excellent target for that last recommendation",
          "reason": "The commenter says the series is a fitting recommendation for them.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy fantasy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34161496,
          "author": "psithurism",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T14:53:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161496",
          "commentText": "Sociology:\n- The Coddling of the American Mind\n- The Tao of Pooh\n- Guns, Germs, and Steel\n- Weapons of the Weak\nReligious:\n- Guru Granth Sahib\n- Bible (King James Version)\n- Q’uran\n- The Book of Mormon \n- Tipitaka\nFantasy:\n- Dawn of Wonder by Jonathan Renshaw\n- The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan \n- The Way of Kings series by Brandon Sanderson\n- Mistborn also by Brandon Sanderson\n- Red Rising by Pierce Brown\n- The Licanius trilogy by James Islington\n- Saga of the Forgotten Warrior series by Larry Correia\nBiography\n- John Adams by David McCullough",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Saga of the Forgotten Warrior series by Larry Correia",
          "reason": "Listed under fantasy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Larry Correia"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "salonica-city-of-ghosts-2dec3a",
      "title": "Salonica, City of Ghosts",
      "author": "Mark Mazower",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3395267,
          "author": "capkutay",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T09:32:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395267",
          "commentText": "\"Salonica, City of Ghosts\" is definitely an excellent read. I thought it was somewhat sad how the world wars of the 20th century diminished one of Europe's great, culturally rich cities.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Salonica, City of Ghosts\" is definitely an excellent read.",
          "reason": "Calls it an excellent read and reflects on the city’s history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395172,
          "author": "lkozma",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T08:45:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395172",
          "commentText": "Best books I read in 2011:\n* \"Salonica, City of Ghosts\" by M.Mazower. Tells the history of Thessaloniki, informative, entertaining, at times nostalgic.\n* \"The Cauchy-Schwarz Master Class\" by J.M.Steele. A guided tour of mathematical inequalities. Very entertaining and readable (for a math book) and extremely well written.\n* \"Indiscrete Thoughts\" by G-C.Rota. Irreverent anecdotes about mathematicians.\n* \"Black Swan\" by N.N.Taleb. Maybe overhyped and at times annoying and pompous, but extremely insightful nevertheless.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Salonica, City of Ghosts\" by M.Mazower. Tells the history of Thessaloniki, informative, entertaining, at times nostalgic.",
          "reason": "Described as informative and entertaining.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Mazower"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "thessaloniki",
        "jewish history",
        "urban history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "shakespeare-s-sonnets-3c1eb2",
      "title": "Shakespeare's Sonnets",
      "author": "William Shakespeare",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17337601,
          "author": "nmg",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T12:12:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337601",
          "commentText": "May I suggest Robert Frost? He's fanatical about rigorously adhering to meter, cunningly so.. when you go back and count the iambs it's striking how few deviate. The way he encodes his lyricism is subtle and soothing, like a precise, subaudible metronome.\nIf this appeals to you, then dip into Shakespeare's sonnets, and let yourself feel the rhythm as you read. It's so bloody good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "dip into Shakespeare's sonnets",
          "reason": "Described as exceptionally good when read for their rhythm.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337487,
          "author": "dri_ft",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:49:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337487",
          "commentText": "I got into it relatively recently, way after high school. I think I got my start mostly with Victorians like Christina Rosetti, maybe some of the Romantics. Far away enough in time to be interestingly different, but close enough that the language is comprehensible. And prior to all that modernist experimentation which moved poetry away from poetry as I understand it. (I don't denigrate that stuff but it isn't a good entry point.)\nShakespeare's sonnets are a bit more accessible than his plays insofar as each one is a small, manageable, bite-sized chunk. Nonetheless, they do require fairly slow, relaxed attention in an edition with good notes to get the most out of them. (When I was reading them, I would read a couple very slowly over breakfast every day. I miss being able to do that!)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Shakespeare's sonnets are a bit more accessible than his plays",
          "reason": "Says they are more accessible than the plays and need slow, relaxed attention with good notes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Require slow, relaxed attention and an edition with good notes.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337310,
          "author": "dri_ft",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:18:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337310",
          "commentText": "Poetry's always nice for familiarity and rereadability. Perhaps Shakespeare's Sonnets.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Perhaps Shakespeare's Sonnets.",
          "reason": "Offers the sonnets as a possible familiar, rereadable choice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Shakespeare"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Fiction",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "poetry",
        "sonnets"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "shibumi-6e0ef1",
      "title": "Shibumi",
      "author": "Trevanian",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15632357,
          "author": "DrScump",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T23:13:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15632357",
          "commentText": "Shibumi\n\n\"Northrop bombers. American bombers.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shibumi",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15631348,
          "author": "borroka",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T20:20:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15631348",
          "commentText": "Shibumi - yes, it is partly a parody, but I have found many good, inspiring lessons from the characterization of Nicholai Hel. For instance, this paragraph made me deeply reflect on the \"convenient rationalization\" of bad behavior. Basically, there is always a good excuse that is up for grabs. Don't be that guy.\n\"Politeness is more reliable than the moist virtues of compassion, charity, and sincerity; just as fair play is more important than the abstraction of justice. The major virtues tend to disintegrate under the pressures of convenient rationalization. But good form is good form, and it stands immutable in the storm of circumstance.”\nAll Trevanian's books are great.\n- The Bernie Gunther series by Philip Kerr. Flawed badass with a quick wit, I love Bernie Gunther.\n- Hypnotherapy by Dave Elman. Dated, but gives you a clear abstract (oxymoron) path on how to \"bypass the critical filter of the conscious mind\"\n- Coaching the Mental Game by Harvey Dorfman. Erudite, deep, chocked full of lessons that are applicable to your personal, professional, and sports life.\nMany, many others.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Shibumi - yes, it is partly a parody, but I have found many good, inspiring lessons from the characterization of Nicholai Hel.",
          "reason": "Says the characterization offered good, inspiring lessons.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Notes that the book is partly a parody.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Trevanian"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "espionage",
        "martial arts",
        "parody"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "silence-on-the-wire-ea1b9c",
      "title": "Silence on the Wire",
      "author": "Michal Zalewski",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 135488,
          "author": "corentin",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T21:24:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135488",
          "commentText": "Yes. Some ideas expressed in this book are really creative.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Some ideas expressed in this book are really creative.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises ideas in the book as creative.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 135476,
          "author": "pjf",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T21:06:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135476",
          "commentText": "\"Silence on the Wire\" by Michal Zalewski",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Silence on the Wire\" by Michal Zalewski",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michal Zalewski"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer security",
        "networking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "simply-rails-2-ac4b6b",
      "title": "Simply Rails 2",
      "author": "Patrick Lenz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 782023,
          "author": "dragonquest",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-24T13:05:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 781079,
          "threadTitle": "Can you recommend some good RoR books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=782023",
          "commentText": "That would be: Ruby on Rails Power!: The Comprehensive Guide by Aneesha Bakharia. Its currently rated 2/5 on Amazon.\nFor my 2 cents, I'd second both of Peter's suggestions - Foundation Rails 2 and Simply Rails 2 - though I do tend to like the former a little more. The latter is better if you have absolutely no prior web dev or programming experience.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For my 2 cents, I'd second both of Peter's suggestions - Foundation Rails 2 and Simply Rails 2 - though I do tend to like the former a little more. The latter is better if you have absolutely no prior web dev or programming experience.",
          "reason": "Seconds the suggestion and identifies it as better for readers with no prior experience.",
          "audience": "People with no prior web development or programming experience.",
          "caveat": "The commenter prefers Foundation Rails 2.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 781932,
          "author": "adharma",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-24T12:01:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 781079,
          "threadTitle": "Can you recommend some good RoR books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=781932",
          "commentText": "I suggest you read http://guides.rubyonrails.org/getting_started.html then I recommend sitepoint Patrick Lenz - Simply Rails, although it is outdated (rails 2.0.2) but it have a solid simply background on rails knowledge.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I recommend sitepoint Patrick Lenz - Simply Rails, although it is outdated (rails 2.0.2) but it have a solid simply background on rails knowledge.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for its solid foundation in Rails.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking background knowledge on Rails.",
          "caveat": "Outdated; covers Rails 2.0.2.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Patrick Lenz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ruby on rails",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "song-of-solomon-75b148",
      "title": "Song of Solomon",
      "author": "Toni Morrison",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39251324,
          "author": "n2dasun",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T16:04:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39251324",
          "commentText": "Song of Solomon is a favorite and I love seeing it mentioned here",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Song of Solomon is a favorite and I love seeing it mentioned here",
          "reason": "Calls it a favorite and expresses pleasure at seeing it mentioned.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39249268,
          "author": "magnio",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T11:01:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249268",
          "commentText": "I just finished \"Song of Solomon\". Toni Morrison needs no introduction, and the book is simply an irresistible whirlwind of emotions and lessons.\nCurrently reading \"The Shakespeare and Company Book of Interviews.\" Shakespeare and Co. is a bookstore in Paris with a long history of inviting authors to reside at and give talks there. A nice and fun pot-pourri of down-to-earth wisdom, it does not exude the typical literary snobbery from this kind of book. I like it so far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I just finished \"Song of Solomon\". Toni Morrison needs no introduction, and the book is simply an irresistible whirlwind of emotions and lessons.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as an irresistible whirlwind of emotions and lessons.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Toni Morrison"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "african american literature",
        "family",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "starter-villain-8f2095",
      "title": "Starter Villain",
      "author": "John Scalzi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40432733,
          "author": "iamthirsty",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T19:28:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40432733",
          "commentText": ">  you will LoL, and wake her up.\nIronically, I committed that mortal sin the other night around 1 am.\nGuess I'll have to add this to a \"morning\" specific reading list.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Guess I'll have to add this to a \"morning\" specific reading list.",
          "reason": "Plans to add the book being discussed to a reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Suggests reading it in the morning to avoid waking someone.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40431263,
          "author": "mstef",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T17:23:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40431263",
          "commentText": "john scalzi: starter villain\nnote, if your wife doesn't like to be woken up, do not try to read this next to her in bed. you will LoL, and wake her up.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "john scalzi: starter villain",
          "reason": "Offered as an answer in a thread asking for the best book read so far in 2024.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "May make readers laugh aloud and wake someone nearby.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Scalzi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "starting-struts-2-439a08",
      "title": "Starting Struts 2",
      "author": "Ian Roughley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 221279,
          "author": "delano",
          "createdAt": "2008-06-18T22:40:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 221097,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Best book for Java",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=221279",
          "commentText": "This also:\nhttp://www.infoq.com/books/starting-struts2",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This also:\nhttp://www.infoq.com/books/starting-struts2",
          "reason": "Adds this book as a relevant resource in a discussion of Java and Struts books.",
          "audience": "People looking for resources on Struts 2.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 221122,
          "author": "richesh",
          "createdAt": "2008-06-18T20:25:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 221097,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Best book for Java",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=221122",
          "commentText": "I'm assuming you are looking for Struts 2, if this is the case there are only few good books out there. I own all these books below and they are useful, but they are not as updated as the latest release.  My suggestion to you is to keep an eye on the struts 2 wiki and join the mailing list to get the latest information.\n1. Practical Apache Struts 2 Web 2.0 Projects (Practical Projects) by Ian Roughley - http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Apache-Struts-Web-Projects/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Apache-Struts-Web-Projects/dp/1590599039/)\n2. Starting Struts 2 by Ian Roughley - http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Struts-2-Ian-Roughley/dp/1430... (http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Struts-2-Ian-Roughley/dp/1430320338/)\n3. Struts 2 in Action (In Action) by Don Brown, Chad Davis, and Scott Stanlick - http://www.amazon.com/Struts-2-Action-Don-Brown/dp/193398807... (http://www.amazon.com/Struts-2-Action-Don-Brown/dp/193398807X)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Starting Struts 2 by Ian Roughley",
          "reason": "Lists it as a useful resource for learning Struts 2.",
          "audience": "People learning Struts 2.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the books are not as up to date as the latest release.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ian Roughley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "apache struts",
        "java",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stay-awhile-and-listen-9ce420",
      "title": "Stay Awhile and Listen",
      "author": "David L. Craddock",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21852329,
          "author": "t3hprofit",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T17:38:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21852329",
          "commentText": "this looks great! I've been looking for another book. just grabbed it on audible.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this looks great! I've been looking for another book. just grabbed it on audible.",
          "reason": "Positive reaction and says they bought the book after looking for another one.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the history of video game development.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21851948,
          "author": "thrower123",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T16:33:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21851948",
          "commentText": "Stay Awhile and Listen is also a very good one in this vein.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stay Awhile and Listen is also a very good one in this vein.",
          "reason": "Calls it a very good book in the vein of the parent comment's recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the history of video game development.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David L. Craddock"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "game developers",
        "video game history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stochastic-calculus-for-finance-ii-20e1bf",
      "title": "Stochastic Calculus for Finance II",
      "author": "Steven E. Shreve",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3178598,
          "author": "shogunmike",
          "createdAt": "2011-10-31T19:16:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 3177815,
          "threadTitle": "Good books for hackers interested in quant finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3178598",
          "commentText": "If by 'quantitative finance' you mean option pricing then check out the books by Mark Joshi:\n- 'The Concepts and Practice of Mathematical Finance'\n- 'C++ Design Patterns and Derivatives Pricing'\nAlso of note is Baxter & Rennie:\n- 'Financial Calculus: An Introduction to Derivative Pricing'\nOnce you've studied those and have a good grasp of Measure Theory, you'll want to tackle Shreve, Vol II.\nAnd a brief plug of my (slightly out of date!) quant finance website, Quantstart.com.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you'll want to tackle Shreve, Vol II",
          "reason": "Suggested as a later study step after the other books and a good grasp of measure theory.",
          "audience": "Readers with a good grasp of measure theory.",
          "caveat": "Presented as a later step in the study sequence.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3178313,
          "author": "veyron",
          "createdAt": "2011-10-31T17:55:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 3177815,
          "threadTitle": "Good books for hackers interested in quant finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3178313",
          "commentText": "You need to be a little more specific regarding your interests and background.  If you are interested in theory, there are plenty of books discussing specific models.  However, most practical or buzzword (e.g. HFT) books are rubbish (think about it: if you have a profitable operation, why would you write a book?  Unless, like me, you have a screw loose :P )\nIf you want some practical discussions, \"Trading and Exchanges\" by Larry Harris is a bit dated, but nothing comes close.  Most of the descriptions are still valid today (even if some of the mechanics have changed)\nIf you want something more along the lines of what a financial engineer would know:\n- \"Options, Futures, and other Derivatives\" by John Hull (goes over basic models without delving too deeply into theoretical math aspects)\n- \"Stochastic Calculus for Finance II\" by Steve Shreve (goes over the basic stuff but has enough stats to keep a grad student happy)\n- \"Monte Carlo Methods in Financial Engineering\" by Paul Glasserman (much more practical, and goes over subtleties of monte carlo simulation and other stuff like low discrepancy sampling)\n- \"Modelling Fixed Income Securities and Interest Rate Options\" by Robert Jarrow (walks through how to perform certain simulations, covers lots of little details most theoretical books skip)\nIf you want something more theoretical:\n- \"Introduction to Stochastic Calculus Applied to Finance\" by Lamberton and Lapeyre (Nice little intro)\n- \"Arbitrage Theory in Continuous Time\" by Tomas Bjork (Slower discussion, larger breadth)\n- \"Brownian Motion and Stochastic Calculus\" and \"Methods of Mathematical Finance\" by Karatzas and Shreve (Solid theoretical foundation, for the more mathematically inclined)\nThere was a good non-measure theoretic discussion of financial models but the name escapes me ATM.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "goes over the basic stuff but has enough stats to keep a grad student happy",
          "reason": "Listed for financial engineering; covers fundamentals with enough statistics for a graduate student.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in financial engineering, including graduate students.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven E. Shreve"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "quantitative finance",
        "stochastic calculus",
        "measure theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "style-toward-clarity-and-grace-13178e",
      "title": "Style: Toward Clarity and Grace",
      "author": "Joseph M. Williams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23412075,
          "author": "afarrell",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-04T03:30:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23412075",
          "commentText": "I think that Style: Towards Clarity and Grace is a good follow-up. Have a free PDF: https://sites.duke.edu/niou/files/2014/07/WilliamsJosephM199... (https://sites.duke.edu/niou/files/2014/07/WilliamsJosephM1990StyleTowardClarityandGrace.pdf)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think that Style: Towards Clarity and Grace is a good follow-up.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a follow-up to The Elements of Style.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23366246,
          "author": "madhadron",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-31T00:53:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23366246",
          "commentText": "If you liked that, I heartily recommend \"Style: Toward Clarity and Grace\" by Williams.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I heartily recommend \"Style: Toward Clarity and Grace\" by Williams.",
          "reason": "Heartily recommends it to someone who liked Strunk and White.",
          "audience": "Readers who liked Strunk and White.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph M. Williams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Writing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "writing style",
        "clarity",
        "clear writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "summa-theologica-09ceae",
      "title": "Summa Theologica",
      "author": "Thomas Aquinas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13572466,
          "author": "ezechiel",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-05T14:13:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13572466",
          "commentText": "I've been re-reading the aeneid and the summa theologica. And as for tech, mostly RFCs and wikipedia articles.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "and the summa theologica",
          "reason": "Mentions rereading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503873,
          "author": "joshuacc",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T16:16:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503873",
          "commentText": "Since it looks like skeptical philosophy is covered pretty well, here are some books from religious philosophy that you'd probably do well to read:\nThe Tao te Ching\nThe Summa Theologica by Thomas Aquinas\nAn Essay in Aid of a Grammar of Assent by John Henry Newman\nEither/Or by Kierkegaard",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Summa Theologica by Thomas Aquinas",
          "reason": "Suggested among books on religious philosophy in response to a request for philosophical books.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in religious philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503393,
          "author": "yters",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T09:07:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503393",
          "commentText": "Some of the best philosophy books I've found for free online:\nThomas Aquinas' Summa Theologica.  Even though you may not agree with his conclusions, it is still a remarkable piece of work.\nhttp://www.ccel.org/a/aquinas/summa/FP.html\nDavid Stove does a good job debunking Hume's problem of induction, which underlies what I consider wrong in most modern philosophy\nhttp://web.maths.unsw.edu.au/~jim/davidstove.html\nLiberty or Equality outlines the potential for tyranny inherent in democracy\nhttp://blog.mises.org/6326/liberty-or-equality/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologica.",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s best philosophy books; called a remarkable work even for readers who disagree with its conclusions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that readers may disagree with its conclusions.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Aquinas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian theology",
        "scholasticism",
        "scholastic philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "super-sad-true-love-story-7d47d8",
      "title": "Super Sad True Love Story",
      "author": "Gary Shteyngart",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21459610,
          "author": "dsaavy",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T03:57:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21459610",
          "commentText": "Oh man, Super Sad True Love Story had me seeing its storylines surface in American culture for months. Even new news I’m like; “this is just how it happened in the book!” Great read and great author.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great read and great author.",
          "reason": "Calls the book a great read and the author great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21459415,
          "author": "gerpsh",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T03:10:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21459415",
          "commentText": "I’m getting into Gary Shteyngart. Just read Lake Success and now reading Super Sad True Love Story. Both sort of dark and really funny.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "now reading Super Sad True Love Story. Both sort of dark and really funny.",
          "reason": "Describes it as dark and really funny.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is still reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10786739,
          "author": "hackerbloos",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T02:19:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786739",
          "commentText": "I've just updated my list of books I read this year. Scores are out of 5. If there is a + it means I found it to be extra special for some reason or other.\n= Jan =\nSmarter Than You Think - Clive Thompson 3\nThe positives of tech and the internet.\n= Feb =\nSuper Sad True Love Story - Gary Shteyngart 4\nScience fiction set in the not too distant future. Main themes include life extension and surveillance.\n= Mar =\nThe HitchHiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams 4\nThe Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams 3\nHad never read this series, thought it might be about time.\n= Apr =\nWhat does it all Mean? - Thomas Nagel 2 (though it is kind of meant for people who have never done any Philosophy, ever, so would recommend to someone like that. Will pass it on to someone taking an interest in the subject)\nAn introduction to Philosophy.\nEarth - David Brin 5+\nScience fiction set in the not too distant future, written in the 90s. Really interesting themes / vision of post climate change world.\nSlaughterHouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut 5\nSemi autobiographical account of the bombing of Dresden in WW2. Really funny and clever ideas. Very good.\n= May =\nNick Cohen - What’s Left? 4\nAccount of how the left has degenerated since the collapse of the hard left and the winning of liberal battles e.g. LGBT rights. Basic premise is that those on the left hate the West and the status quo so much they stoop to allying themselves with anyone who also opposes the status quo.\n= June =\nPlato at the Googleplex: Why Philosophy won’t go away - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 5+\nPlato has somehow appeared in the 21st century and is doing a talk at Google! A really enjoyable account of how Plato’s philosophy could be applied to modern issues. Really good. I want to go to Athens.\n= July =\nThe Mind Body Problem - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 4\nNovel about a female philosophy student shagging around and philosophising about it.\nBelieving Bullshit - Stephen Law 4\nBook detailing the various tricks / schemes played by charlatans and how to avoid being taken in by them.\n= August =\n36 Arguments for the Existence of God: a work of fiction - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 3\nNovel about an academic and his mentor. It was ok.\n= September =\nThe Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams 3\nThink I’m done reading these for now, don’t feel the urge to finish the set.\nKafka - The Trial 5\nReally good. Love the surrealism - the nightmarish / dreamish-ness of it. Saw it in the Theatre as well after reading it, thought that was great too.\n= October =\n= November =\nExistence - David Brin 3\nNot as good as Earth. Glad I read that first. Interesting imagining of what form contact from alien life could take though. Also interesting look at existential risks. The main part I didn’t like was how it skipped forward in time 3 decades about 3/4s of the way through, I had thought the characters were a little weak in general up until then anyway, and then they were pretty much gone entirely at that point.\n= December =\nAlone Together - Sherry Turtle 4\nThe negatives of tech, robotics and the internet. Interesting and important read.\nImperium - Robert Harris 5\nFirst in the semi-fictional trilogy accounting the fall of the Roman Republic, told through the eyes of Cicero’s secretary, Tiro. Really good. The politics, the corruption, the ancient city really brought to life. Enhanced by having visited Rome in the Summer.\nAlso currently reading ‘Reclaiming Conversation’ by Sherry Turkle, an account of the negative affect being permanently tethered to the internet has on our conversations, our capacity for empathy and our relationships, and Nietzsche’s 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra'.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Super Sad True Love Story - Gary Shteyngart 4",
          "reason": "Rated 4 out of 5.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Rated 4 out of 5.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gary Shteyngart"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopian fiction",
        "satire",
        "dystopia",
        "surveillance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "superfreakonomics-55fb7d",
      "title": "SuperFreakonomics",
      "author": "Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1026869,
          "author": "zackattack",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T06:14:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026869",
          "commentText": "Gangleader for a Day - Sudhir Venkatesh's illuminating story about the housing projects, crack gangs and community dynamics of south side chicago in the '90s.\nPredictably Irrational - Dan Ariely explains a lot of the idiosyncracies in everyday human behavior\nThoughts Without a Thinker - Mark Epstein's enjoyable tale about buddhism and psychotherapy\nWorst:\nSuperFreakonomics - Superficial, poorly written, overly patriotic cocktail party factoids",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Superficial, poorly written, overly patriotic cocktail party factoids",
          "reason": "The commenter criticizes it as superficial, poorly written, and overly patriotic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026465,
          "author": "quizbiz",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T23:44:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026465",
          "commentText": "Started and finished Super Freakonomics on a flight just recently. I enjoyed it a lot.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Started and finished Super Freakonomics on a flight just recently. I enjoyed it a lot.",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed it a lot.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026351,
          "author": "tokenadult",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T22:22:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026351",
          "commentText": "My favorite read in early 2009 was What Intelligence Tests Miss: The Psychology of Rational Thought by Keith Stanovich\nhttp://www.amazon.com/What-Intelligence-Tests-Miss-Psycholog... (http://www.amazon.com/What-Intelligence-Tests-Miss-Psychology/dp/030012385X/)\nwhich is full of helpful information on developing the kind of cognition missed by IQ tests that constitutes rationality, very important information for parents, educators, and business leaders.\n2009, the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his book On the Origin of Species, has been a banner year for new books on evolutionary biology. Some of my favorites include\nWhy Evolution is True by Jerry Coyne\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Why-Evolution-True-Jerry-Coyne/dp/0670... (http://www.amazon.com/Why-Evolution-True-Jerry-Coyne/dp/0670020532/)\nThe Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution by Richard Dawkins\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Show-Earth-Evidence-Evolution... (http://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Show-Earth-Evidence-Evolution/dp/1416594787/)\nand\nEvolution: The First Four Billion Years edited by Michael Ruse and Joseph Travis.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Evolution-First-Four-Billion-Years/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Evolution-First-Four-Billion-Years/dp/067403175X/)\nAll are full of up to date information about biology, which, as Thedosius Dobzhansky said, only makes sense in the light of evolution.\nSuperFreakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner\nhttp://www.amazon.com/SuperFreakonomics-Cooling-Patriotic-Pr... (http://www.amazon.com/SuperFreakonomics-Cooling-Patriotic-Prostitutes-Insurance/dp/0060889578)\nis enjoyable and thought-provoking, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, for all the usual reasons applying to collaborations by those two authors.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "is enjoyable and thought-provoking, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny",
          "reason": "Calls it enjoyable, thought-provoking, and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven D. Levitt",
        "Stephen J. Dubner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "popular economics",
        "behavioral economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "supplying-war-865030",
      "title": "Supplying War",
      "author": "Martin van Creveld",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 457027,
          "author": "rudyfink",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T20:02:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=457027",
          "commentText": "The first book I checked to make sure was included in this tread was \"Supplying War\".  There are many standard texts on conflict, but that one somehow misses many lists.  I think the examination of conflicts from the point of view of logistics serves two very good purposes: it's an essential education in making sure a force is supplied and it's a good perspective of looking at a conflict as a long term temporal and spacial endeavor.\n\"Command in War\" is also quite good, and I have not yet read \"Transformation in War\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The first book I checked to make sure was included in this tread was \"Supplying War\".",
          "reason": "Calls it a book to include on a list of standard texts on conflict and praises its logistics perspective as essential education.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 456375,
          "author": "Agathos",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T14:38:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456375",
          "commentText": "Martin van Creveld writes some serious analysis. Consider...\nSupplying War -- on logistics (as in \"professionals study...\")\nCommand in War -- on communication, information, and the importance of local autonomy leading to quick action\nThe Transformation of War -- has strategy's biggest buzzword right there in the title, but this was written back in 1991. On the growing role of low-intensity and asymmetric conflicts.\nHis books tend to be short, but very dense.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Supplying War -- on logistics",
          "reason": "Recommended as a book about military logistics.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in military logistics.",
          "caveat": "The comment says his books tend to be short but very dense.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin van Creveld"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military logistics",
        "military history",
        "military strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tango-with-django-d2587b",
      "title": "Tango with Django",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13665520,
          "author": "raintrees",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-17T02:38:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13665520",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed Tango with Django, and was very positively surprised when they emailed me an update for the PDF I bought.  The first was inexpensive, and worth it, hopefully helping support the authors.\nNot only a good tutorial for Django, but the authors made it even better offering the free improved/corrected version.\nThe final project is a Django webapp that allows visitors to add sites and rank them.  Many different aspects in Django are looked at, as well as beyond, such as CSS, Bootstrap, search, Jquery, AJAX, etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed Tango with Django",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed it and describes its project-based Django tutorial.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13662096,
          "author": "__strisk",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-16T18:06:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13662096",
          "commentText": "I remember liking http://www.tangowithdjango.com/ .\nIt goes over building a link aggregating service using Django.\nHowever, I also remember it being free.  Doesn't seem to be an option with the most recent release.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I remember liking http://www.tangowithdjango.com/ . It goes over building a link aggregating service using Django.",
          "reason": "The commenter remembers liking this hands-on Django guide.",
          "audience": "People learning Django by building a web application.",
          "caveat": "The commenter recalls it being free, but says the latest release may not be free.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "django",
        "project based learning",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "that-which-is-seen-and-that-which-is-not-seen-5c17a9",
      "title": "That Which Is Seen, and That Which Is Not Seen",
      "author": "Frédéric Bastiat",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22866765,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2020-04-14T14:55:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 22861452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading to make sense of the economy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22866765",
          "commentText": "I have really enjoyed simple economics texts.\nI highly recommend Economics in One Lesson by Henry Hazlitt. It is a very approachable book that can be read in one sitting.\nIt illustrates the seen and unseen effects of action from Frédéric Bastiat.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "It illustrates the seen and unseen effects of action from Frédéric Bastiat.",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a work illustrating the seen and unseen effects of action.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20915788,
          "author": "oh-moses",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T06:50:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20915788",
          "commentText": "I second That Which Is Seen by Bastiat, nice and short intro to economic way of thinking",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second That Which Is Seen by Bastiat, nice and short intro to economic way of thinking",
          "reason": "Seconds the recommendation and calls it a short introduction to economic thinking.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a short introduction to economic thinking.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20914562,
          "author": "bmmayer1",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T01:45:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914562",
          "commentText": "Economics:\n- The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith\n- Das Kapital, Karl Marx\n- That Which Is Seen, and That Which Is Not Seen, Frederic Bastiat\nPhilosophy / Politics:\n- The Republic, Plato\n- Second Treatise on Government, John Locke\n- The Law, Frederic Bastiat\n- Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes\n- Meditations, Marcus Aurelius\n- Democracy in America, Alexis de Toqueville\n- On Liberty, John Stuart Mill\nFiction:\n- The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, Mark Twain\n- The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin\n- Metamorphoses, Franz Kafka\n- Candide, Voltaire\n- The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "That Which Is Seen, and That Which Is Not Seen, Frederic Bastiat",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frédéric Bastiat"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic reasoning",
        "political economy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-api-design-book-18ffbf",
      "title": "The API Design Book",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12264852,
          "author": "Perihelion",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-10T21:24:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 12262586,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are good reads for designing APIs?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12264852",
          "commentText": "Having just picked this one up, I can confirm it's actually worth a read. It's short but full of information that will help you design better APIs even if you've already done it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's actually worth a read. It's short but full of information that will help you design better APIs",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book is worthwhile and useful for designing APIs.",
          "audience": "People designing APIs, including those with prior experience.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has just picked it up.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12264796,
          "author": "caseysoftware",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-10T21:13:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 12262586,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are good reads for designing APIs?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12264796",
          "commentText": "I'm horribly biased as one of the co-authors, but check out: http://TheAPIDesignBook.com\nIt documents a number of things we've learned building, using, and supporting APIs at Twilio, major banks, major hotel chains, and others. It's 100% driven by practices in the wild, not academic or theoretical info.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "check out: http://TheAPIDesignBook.com",
          "reason": "The co-author recommends the book for learning API design, while disclosing their bias.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are horribly biased as a co-author.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "api design",
        "api development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-alabaster-girl-09065d",
      "title": "The Alabaster Girl",
      "author": "Zan Perrion",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25550548,
          "author": "joshxyz",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-27T12:22:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25550548",
          "commentText": "Jeez I've read most of those.\nPersonal favourites are David Deida's book which is great on understanding relationship dynamics; and Zan Perrion's book which is great in cultivating and perceiving depth in relationships.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zan Perrion's book which is great in cultivating and perceiving depth in relationships.",
          "reason": "Describes it as useful for cultivating and perceiving depth in relationships.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25534951,
          "author": "TheCapeGreek",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-25T07:39:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25534951",
          "commentText": "Sounds like the right way to go! For further reading, look at:\nModels - Mark Manson\nNo More Mr. Nice Guy - Robert Glover\nWhat also helped change mindsets to positive-by-default interactions with potential partners, I recommend The Alabaster Girl by Zan Perrion. Very flowery book, but an enjoyable read and at worst a decent mode of mind to consider.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I recommend The Alabaster Girl by Zan Perrion. Very flowery book, but an enjoyable read and at worst a decent mode of mind to consider.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as an enjoyable read and a perspective to consider.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The prose is described as very flowery; at worst, the commenter considers it a decent mode of mind.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Zan Perrion"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "relationships",
        "dating"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-algorithm-design-manual-30eefe",
      "title": "The Algorithm Design Manual",
      "author": "Steven Skiena",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 55539,
          "author": "ravimohan",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-17T04:21:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 55372,
          "threadTitle": "Question: What are the best books on algorithms?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=55539",
          "commentText": "In my experience,  the combination of the \"Algorithms\" by Rivest et al and Skiena's  \"Algorithm Design Manual\" provides a very complete exposition of algorithms.  Just make sure you work through as many of the exercises in \"Algorithms\" as you can.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Skiena's  \"Algorithm Design Manual\" provides a very complete exposition of algorithms.",
          "reason": "Recommended as part of a combination that gives a very complete exposition of algorithms.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a thorough algorithms exposition.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 55510,
          "author": "thisisnotmyname",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-17T03:11:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 55372,
          "threadTitle": "Question: What are the best books on algorithms?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=55510",
          "commentText": "I would like to second the recommendation of The Algorithm Design Manual by Skiena - it is really a fantastic presentation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would like to second the recommendation of The Algorithm Design Manual by Skiena - it is really a fantastic presentation.",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the recommendation and calls its presentation fantastic.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an algorithms text.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Skiena"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "textbooks"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-algorithmic-beauty-of-plants-046a3a",
      "title": "The Algorithmic Beauty of Plants",
      "author": "Przemysław Prusinkiewicz and Aristid Lindenmayer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29309686,
          "author": "carapace",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T18:12:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29309686",
          "commentText": "\"The Algorithmic Beauty of Plants\"\n> ... is a book by Przemyslaw Prusinkiewicz and Aristid Lindenmayer. It's notable as it is the first comprehensive volume on the computer simulation of certain patterns in nature found in plant development (L-systems).\n> The book is no longer in print but is available free online.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Algorithmic_Beauty_of_Plan... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Algorithmic_Beauty_of_Plants)\nhttp://algorithmicbotany.org/papers/#abop",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Algorithmic Beauty of Plants\"",
          "reason": "Offers the book as a suggestion in a thread asking for interesting software books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment says it is no longer in print but available free online.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29307981,
          "author": "thoughtFrame",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:14:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29307981",
          "commentText": "Somewhat varied but I think some of these may fit your criteria.\nProgramming Erlang by Joe Armstrong\nCommunicating Sequential Processes by Hoare\nThe algorithmic beauty of plants by Prusinkiewicz, Lindenmayer\nNetwork Performance Analysis Using the J Programming Language by Alan Holt\nRelational Programming in miniKanren by William Byrd\nExercises in Programming Style by Cristina Videira Lopes\nedit: also \"SAT/SMT by example\" by Dennis Yurichev",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The algorithmic beauty of plants by Prusinkiewicz, Lindenmayer",
          "reason": "Listed as a suggestion in response to the request for books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Przemysław Prusinkiewicz",
        "Aristid Lindenmayer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "l systems",
        "computer simulation",
        "plant development",
        "procedural modeling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-amber-series-b8912a",
      "title": "The Amber series",
      "author": "Roger Zelazny",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15631665,
          "author": "huhtenberg",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T21:21:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15631665",
          "commentText": "I find later books in the series to be... well... a garbage. And it pains me to say that, because Nine Princes in Amber was jaw-droppingly impressive.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I find later books in the series to be... well... a garbage. And it pains me to say that, because Nine Princes in Amber was jaw-droppingly impressive.",
          "reason": "Criticizes later installments while praising Nine Princes in Amber as jaw-droppingly impressive.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The criticism applies to later books; the first book is praised.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630757,
          "author": "Mz",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T18:24:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630757",
          "commentText": "The Amber series is excellent.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Amber series is excellent.",
          "reason": "Calls the series excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roger Zelazny"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "portal fantasy",
        "multiverse",
        "parallel worlds"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-multiprocessor-programming-e59958",
      "title": "The Art of Multiprocessor Programming",
      "author": "Maurice Herlihy, Nir Shavit",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13408599,
          "author": "DearVolt",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T07:10:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13408599",
          "commentText": "This is an excellent book! It was my prescribed textbook for an undergrad concurrent systems course. It's very \"proofy\" but explains a large amount of important concepts quite well.\nThe book is divided into two sections: Principles and Practice. The former introduces basic terminology, concepts and common mistakes. The latter is where it gets interesting and introduces real-world problems like cache coherence traffic.\nThe language used in the book is Java but the concepts can be applied to practically any language that supports concurrency. Highly recommended!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is an excellent book!",
          "reason": "Calls the book excellent and highly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as proof-heavy; examples use Java, though concepts apply broadly to languages supporting concurrency.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13408010,
          "author": "pbhowmic",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T03:18:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13408010",
          "commentText": "The Art of Multiprocessor Programming by Shavit & Herlihy. Recommend topping it off with the lecture delivered at Microsoft Research (https://youtu.be/nrUszqrlvi8)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Multiprocessor Programming by Shavit & Herlihy.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Maurice Herlihy, Nir Shavit"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "concurrent programming",
        "multiprocessor systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-profitability-c4d649",
      "title": "The Art of Profitability",
      "author": "Adrian Slywotzky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12067228,
          "author": "balnaphone",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-10T20:55:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12067228",
          "commentText": "\"The Art of Profitability\" by Adrian Slywotzky\n\"The Myth of the Rational Voter\" by Bryan Caplan\n\"Fanatical Prospecting\" by Jeb Blount\n\"Fooling Some of the People All of the Time\" by David Einhorn\n\"Confidence Game\" by Christine Richard\n\"Mouth Matters; How Your Mouth Ages Your Body and What YOU Can Do About It\" by Carol Vander Stoep\n\"Adventures in Stochastic Processes\" by Sidney & Resnick\n\"The Great Deformation\" by David Stockman\n\"Efficient Electrical Systems Design Handbook\" by Thumann & Franz\n\"The Goal\" by Eliyahu Goldratt\n\"Notes on Discrete Mathematics\" by Miguel Lerma\n\"Stochastic Calculus with Infinitesimals\" by Frederik S. Herzberg\n\"Information Theory, Inference, and Learning Algorithms\" by David Mackay\n\"Coming Apart\" by Charles Murray\n\"The Collapse of Complex Societies\" by Joseph Tainter\n\"In Other Words: The Science And Psychology Of Second-language Acquisition\" by Ellen Bialystok and Kenji Hakuta",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"The Art of Profitability\" by Adrian Slywotzky",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8717851,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T17:55:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8717851",
          "commentText": "I just finished The Art Of Profitability and it would be a strong contender for my choice as well.  Probably the only reason it isn't a shoe in, is because I haven't really had time to try putting the ideas into practice yet.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I just finished The Art Of Profitability and it would be a strong contender for my choice as well.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a strong contender for their choice, while noting they have not tried its ideas in practice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They have not had time to try putting the ideas into practice.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8717409,
          "author": "taylorbuley",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T16:53:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8717409",
          "commentText": "The Art of Profitability http://www.amazon.com/Art-Profitability-Adrian-Slywotzky/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Art-Profitability-Adrian-Slywotzky/dp/0446692271/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418057572&sr=8-1&keywords=art+of+profitability)\nRevenue Management http://www.amazon.com/Revenue-Management-Robert-G-Cross/dp/0... (http://www.amazon.com/Revenue-Management-Robert-G-Cross/dp/0767900332/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418057547&sr=8-1&keywords=revenue+management)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Profitability",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adrian Slywotzky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business strategy",
        "profitability",
        "profit models"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-war-be9eca",
      "title": "The Art of War",
      "author": "Niccolò Machiavelli",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 456999,
          "author": "jaspertheghost",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T19:49:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456999",
          "commentText": "I would recommend: \n1) The Art of War by Niccolò Machiavelli (read by Napoleon)\n2) Certain to Win by Chet Richards (talks about OODA loop by John Boyd)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of War by Niccolò Machiavelli",
          "reason": "Listed as a recommendation in response to a book request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 456347,
          "author": "pskomoroch",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T14:15:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456347",
          "commentText": "I used to have a lot more time for non CS reading and actually made an Amazon list on this topic back in 2005:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/2INJSM38... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/2INJSM38IDMDZ/ref=cm_sw_r_de_lm)\n1.  On War (Everyman's Library (Cloth)) by Carl Von Clausewitz\n2.  Leadership: The Warrior's Art by Barry R. McCaffrey\n3.  Small Unit Leadership: A Commonsense Approach by Dandridge M. Malone\n4.  The Defense of Hill 781: An Allegory of Modern Mechanized Combat by James R. McDonough\n5.  The Art of Maneuver: Maneuver-Warfare Theory and AirLand Battle by Robert Leonhard\n6.  Strategy: Second Revised Edition (Meridian) by B. H. Liddell Hart\n7.  The Art of War by Niccolò Machiavelli\n8.  Hagakure: The Book of the Samauri by Tsunetomo Yamamoto\n9.  The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius\n10.  The Art of War (Shambhala classics) by Sun Tzu\n11.  The Prince (Bantam Classics) by Niccolo Machiavelli\n12.  Evolutionary Game Theory by Jörgen W. Weibull\n13.  On Guerrilla Warfare by Mao Tse-tung\n14.  The History of the Peloponnesian War: Revised Edition (Penguin Classics) by Thucydides\n15.  The Histories (Penguin Classics) by Herodotus\n16.  The Persian Expedition (Penguin Classics) by Xenophon\n17.  Plutarch: Lives of Noble Grecians and Romans (Modern Library Series, Vol. 1) by Plutarch\n18.  Plutarch's Lives, Volume 2 (Modern Library Classics) by Plutarch\n19.  Livy: The Early History of Rome, Books I-V (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 1-5) by Titus Livy\n20.  The History of Rome from Its Foundation, Books XXI-XXX: The War with Hannibal (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 21-30) by Titus Livius Livy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "7.  The Art of War by Niccolò Machiavelli",
          "reason": "Included in a list of military strategy books answering the thread's request.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking books about military strategy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Niccolò Machiavelli"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military strategy",
        "renaissance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ascent-of-money-ab85cd",
      "title": "The Ascent of Money",
      "author": "Niall Ferguson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38585798,
          "author": "darkest_ruby",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-09T20:36:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38585798",
          "commentText": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ascent_of_Money",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The_Ascent_of_Money",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22575854,
          "author": "s_r_n",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T15:13:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22575854",
          "commentText": "While I haven't read the book, the corresponding multi-part documentary \"The Ascent of Money\" is a really good introduction to what money is and how it evolved over the past centuries. It's also free on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAbVltqySrA",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the corresponding multi-part documentary \"The Ascent of Money\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read the book; they describe the multi-part documentary as a good introduction to money and its history.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22575236,
          "author": "motohagiography",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T13:48:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22575236",
          "commentText": "Ascent of Money is indispensable as a foundation for the whys and hows of banking from it's origins and first principles. It's a history book.\nAnything technical (mathematical finance) is really not going to provide a foundation without the historical why of the instruments creation and use. One you have that, the most efficient way to understand it after would be with Quantlib (https://www.quantlib.org/docs.shtml)\nThere is a lot of middle brow commentary (krugman, piketty,  reinhard/rogoff, dalio, taleb, etc) that will be entertaining and philosophical, but only that. The guts of economics (Keynes, Galbraith, Mises/Hayek) are very dense, and provide a very narrow, depth first plunge into something you won't be able to apply well without a more complete education.\nFunctional grasp of (re)insurance, securitization, liquidity, and the bond/debt markets is the best royal road, I\"d say.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ascent of Money is indispensable as a foundation for the whys and hows of banking from it's origins and first principles.",
          "reason": "Called indispensable for understanding the origins and principles of banking.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a historical foundation for banking.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is a history book and that technical finance alone will not provide this foundation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22574256,
          "author": "jayflux",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T09:55:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22574256",
          "commentText": "Ascent of Money - Niall Ferguson will start you from the very beginning, and does cover all the subjects you mentioned.\nRandom walk down wall street is good, but the angle is more “so you want to get into investing?” It won’t go into too much detail of underlying systems like fiat currency.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ascent of Money - Niall Ferguson will start you from the very beginning, and does cover all the subjects you mentioned.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a broad introduction that starts at the beginning and covers the subjects in the question.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a broad introduction to financial systems.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231434,
          "author": "ohashi",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T18:43:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231434",
          "commentText": "The Ascent of Money (Niall Fergusson)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Ascent of Money (Niall Fergusson)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Niall Ferguson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial history",
        "financial systems",
        "history of banking",
        "history of money"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-atlantis-gene-c83d7f",
      "title": "The Atlantis Gene",
      "author": "A. G. Riddle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7971602,
          "author": "fursund",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T16:03:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7971602",
          "commentText": "Yeah I like it. Good entertainment that doesn't require too much of the reader.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Yeah I like it. Good entertainment that doesn't require too much of the reader.",
          "reason": "The commenter likes it and describes it as good entertainment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it does not require too much of the reader.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7970895,
          "author": "will_work4tears",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T14:33:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7970895",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed it. I also finished the other two books in the series which ties it all together.  I can see where the reviews would be very binary though.  It brings up some possibly controversial scenarios which requires some suspension of disbelief.  It's almost Fantasy more than Science Fiction in that regard.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed it. I also finished the other two books in the series which ties it all together.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the book and completed the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some controversial scenarios require suspension of disbelief; the commenter says it leans almost toward fantasy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968406,
          "author": "jaymon",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:47:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968406",
          "commentText": "Did you like The Atlantis Gene? I've almost pulled the trigger at Amazon a couple times but the reviews seem hit or miss and my reading list is already so long.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Did you like The Atlantis Gene?",
          "reason": "Asks the parent commenter whether they liked the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "This comment asks for another person's opinion and does not itself state an evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968362,
          "author": "fursund",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:38:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968362",
          "commentText": "Creativity Inc by Ed Catmull (Pixar-fame) and The Atlantis Gene by A.G. Riddle (sci-fi'ish)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Atlantis Gene by A.G. Riddle (sci-fi'ish)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "A. G. Riddle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "speculative thriller",
        "thriller",
        "ancient mysteries",
        "genetic engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-big-book-of-small-python-projects-f81964",
      "title": "The Big Book of Small Python Projects",
      "author": "Al Sweigart",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34412901,
          "author": "modernerd",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-17T14:43:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 34412069,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach programming by building a series of small projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34412901",
          "commentText": "For Swift:\nhttps://www.apple.com/swift/playgrounds/ (I've had more success introducing programming with this than with any of the links below; it's a very compelling intro for those who already own an iPad/Mac, and the core concepts are generalisable to other languages/environments even if it's specific to Apple's APIs and hardware.)\n~~~\nFor Python:\nhttps://automatetheboringstuff.com\nhttps://nostarch.com/big-book-small-python-projects\n~~~\nFor JS:\nhttps://eloquentjavascript.net (project-based and for beginners)\nhttps://javascript30.com (not for total beginners or self-study, would need a friend/tutor)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://nostarch.com/big-book-small-python-projects",
          "reason": "Listed under Python in response to a request for project-based programming books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34412673,
          "author": "lazyant",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-17T14:22:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 34412069,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach programming by building a series of small projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34412673",
          "commentText": "> - A few python books from No Starch Press (notably those authored by Al Sweigart)\nYes for example https://nostarch.com/inventwithpython and https://nostarch.com/big-book-small-python-projects",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://nostarch.com/big-book-small-python-projects",
          "reason": "Given as an example of a Python book with small projects.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Al Sweigart"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming projects",
        "python",
        "python programming",
        "small projects"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-cambridge-handbook-of-expertise-and-expert-performance-525127",
      "title": "The Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance",
      "author": "K. Anders Ericsson, Neil Charness, Paul J. Feltovich, and Robert R. Hoffman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3278125,
          "author": "sayemm",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T20:26:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3278125",
          "commentText": "\"The Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance\" is an awesome read, I recently bought it and started reading it.\nHere are some really cool excerpts from the book:\nhttp://www.psy.fsu.edu/faculty/ericsson/ericsson.exp.perf.ht... (http://www.psy.fsu.edu/faculty/ericsson/ericsson.exp.perf.html)\nhttp://www.psy.fsu.edu/faculty/ericsson/ericsson.mem.exp.htm... (http://www.psy.fsu.edu/faculty/ericsson/ericsson.mem.exp.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance\" is an awesome read",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an awesome read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3277741,
          "author": "mixu",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T18:11:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3277741",
          "commentText": "How about some books that aren't pop-sci / business books? I am kind of biased, since I love this area of psychology.\n- The Sciences of the Artificial by Simon\n- The Psychology of Problem Solving by Davidson & Sternberg\n- The Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance (Cambridge Handbooks in Psychology) by Ericsson, Charness, Feltovich & Hoffman\n- Minds, Brains and Computers - The Foundations of Cognitive Science: An Anthology (Blackwell Philosophy Anthologies)\n- Choices, Values, and Frames by Kahneman & Tversky\nThe Sciences of the Artificial is a small but deep book by Herbert Simon, who is considered a key figure in founding the study of these areas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Simon ).\nDavidson & Sternberg focuses on problem solving (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Sternberg ).\nThe Cambridge Handbooks (there are many others) in particular are excellent as they contain classic articles in Cognitive Science and Psychology, with introductions and overviews by people who actually research this area. The one on Expertise and Expert performance is edited by K. A. Ericsson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K._Anders_Ericsson )\nMinds, Brains and Computers is another collection of classics, from a more model-based perspective.\nFinally, Kahneman and Tversky offer a more economics-centric viewpoint. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Kahneman & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amos_Tversky )\nIf you read scientific articles in this area, you'll notice that many of these author's names will keep popping up...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Cambridge Handbooks (there are many others) in particular are excellent",
          "reason": "The commenter calls this handbook series excellent and identifies this volume as an example.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "K. Anders Ericsson, Neil Charness, Paul J. Feltovich, and Robert R. Hoffman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "expert performance",
        "expertise"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-coffeehouse-investor-0ae3ff",
      "title": "The Coffeehouse Investor",
      "author": "Bill Schultheis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 248600,
          "author": "eposts",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T15:59:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248600",
          "commentText": "Here is a good list:\nhttp://www.bogleheads.org/readbooks.htm\nGeneral Investing\n# The Four Pillars of Investing - by William (\"Bill\") Bernstein.\n# Wise Investing Made Simple or The Only Guide to a Winning Investment Strategy You'll Ever Need - by Larry Swedroe\n# The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing - by Taylor Larimore, Mel Lindauer, and Michael LeBoeuf\n# All About Asset Allocation - by Rick Ferri\n# The Informed Investor - by Frank Armstrong\n# The Little Book of Common Sense Investing - by John \"Jack\" Bogle\n# The Coffeehouse Investor - by Bill Schultheis.\nInvestor Behavior\n# Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes And How To Correct Them - by Gary Belsky and Thomas Gilovich\n# Your Money and Your Brain: How the New Science of Neuroeconomics Can Help Make You Rich - by Jason Zweig\n# Rational Investing in Irrational Times: How to Avoid the Costly Mistakes Even Smart People Make Today - by Larry Swedroe\nFinancial History\n# Against the Gods and Capital Ideas - by Peter L. Bernstein\n# Devil Take the Hindmost: A History of Financial Speculation - by Edward Chancellor\n# A Random Walk Down Wall Street - by Burton Malkiel\nLike others here have mentioned, http://www.bogleheads.org/ is a great forum for Vanguard investors.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Coffeehouse Investor - by Bill Schultheis.",
          "reason": "Listed as a general investing book in response to a request for learning resources.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking general investing resources.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 248596,
          "author": "gcv",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T15:56:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248596",
          "commentText": "For the shortest introduction to sensible, index-based investing, read The Coffeehouse Investor (Bill Schultheis). It shouldn't take more than an hour or two to go through, and it contains all the basics. Then, if you're interested in a more in-depth analysis of the same thing, read A Random Walk Down Wall Street (Burton Malkiel), as suggested by several others in this thread.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "read The Coffeehouse Investor (Bill Schultheis). It shouldn't take more than an hour or two to go through, and it contains all the basics.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a short introduction to sensible, index-based investing.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a brief introduction to index-based investing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Schultheis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "index investing",
        "personal finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-collected-works-of-shakespeare-ecf11d",
      "title": "The Collected Works of Shakespeare",
      "author": "William Shakespeare",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31974286,
          "author": "d13",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-04T07:06:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31974286",
          "commentText": "The Collected Works of Shakespeare. There’s nothing else that even comes close.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Collected Works of Shakespeare. There’s nothing else that even comes close.",
          "reason": "Selects it above all other choices.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31973607,
          "author": "blockwriter",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-04T04:54:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31973607",
          "commentText": "In the sense of a piece of writing that was meant to be a book, Ulysses. Otherwise, the collected works of Shakespeare.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the collected works of Shakespeare.",
          "reason": "Chosen as the alternative if a collection of works is acceptable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Offered as an alternative to a single work.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Shakespeare"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classical literature",
        "plays",
        "poetry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-complete-guide-to-capital-markets-for-quantitative-profession-73fd2d",
      "title": "The Complete Guide to Capital Markets for Quantitative Professionals",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3178051,
          "author": "JabavuAdams",
          "createdAt": "2011-10-31T16:51:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 3177815,
          "threadTitle": "Good books for hackers interested in quant finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3178051",
          "commentText": "Trading and Exchanges: Market Microstructure for Practitioners.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Trading-Exchanges-Market-Microstructur... (http://www.amazon.com/Trading-Exchanges-Market-Microstructure-Practitioners/dp/0195144708/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320079747&sr=8-1)\nI'm finding this a more interesting and detailed read than _Capital Markets for Quantitative Professionals_. For instance, the book traces through everything that happens when placing, executing, and settling typical trades.\nOn the other hand, I've taken the Canadian Securities Course, so perhaps Capital Markets is a better introduction for total beginners.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "perhaps Capital Markets is a better introduction for total beginners.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it may be a better introduction for total beginners.",
          "audience": "Total beginners.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has taken the Canadian Securities Course.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3178020,
          "author": "king_magic",
          "createdAt": "2011-10-31T16:45:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 3177815,
          "threadTitle": "Good books for hackers interested in quant finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3178020",
          "commentText": "The Complete Guide to Capital Markets for Quantitative Professionals\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Complete-Quantitative-Professionals-Mc... (http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Quantitative-Professionals-McGraw-Hill-Investment/dp/0071468293)\nGreat book. It's what I recommend to my new developers when we hire them without previous financial services experience.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great book. It's what I recommend to my new developers when we hire them without previous financial services experience.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it to newly hired developers without financial services experience.",
          "audience": "New developers without prior financial services experience.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "capital markets",
        "quantitative finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-conspiracy-against-the-human-race-f90ad5",
      "title": "The Conspiracy Against the Human Race",
      "author": "Thomas Ligotti",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40285370,
          "author": "FumblingBear",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T13:44:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40285370",
          "commentText": "I've read and adored a lot of Thomas Ligotti's fictional works—I think this comment will finally push me to read The Conspiracy Against the Human Race. Thanks for sharing some additional reading to consider too.\nAt least from what I've read from Ligotti, he has such a hauntingly poetic way to touch on the horrors of the mundane.\nThanks for sharing :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think this comment will finally push me to read The Conspiracy Against the Human Race.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the recommendation may finally prompt them to read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40284603,
          "author": "NoGravitas",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T12:20:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40284603",
          "commentText": "The Conspiracy Against the Human Race by Thomas Ligotti: a good introduction to radical pessimism. If you get into it, it's a good idea to move on to Eugene Thacker, whose writing is deeper and less polemical.\nFear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail 1972 by Hunter S. Thompson: gives a better understanding of the political contexts that led to our current politics. Somehow, we keep re-living this election over and over again.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Conspiracy Against the Human Race by Thomas Ligotti: a good introduction to radical pessimism.",
          "reason": "Described as a good introduction to radical pessimism.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in radical pessimism.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18745659,
          "author": "DyslexicAtheist",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T12:06:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18745659",
          "commentText": "my reading has taken a dark turn this year. I blame it on Thomas Ligotti (first book on my list)  ;)\n- The Conspiracy Against the Human Race (Thomas Ligotti) ... fun fact: S01 of 'True Detectives' has ripped part of the dialogue straight from this book without giving credit\n- The Trouble with being born (Emil Cioran)\n- The Industrial Society and its Future (Ted Kaczynski)\n- The Technological Society (Jaques Ellul)\n- Propaganda (Jaques Ellul)\n- McMafia - A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld (Misha Glenny)\n- The Doors Of Perception (Aldous Huxley)\n- The Manipulation of Human Behavior (Albert D. Biderman)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Conspiracy Against the Human Race (Thomas Ligotti)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as the first book on a reading list; the commenter calls their reading year dark.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Ligotti"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "existentialism",
        "philosophical pessimism",
        "antinatalism",
        "pessimism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-craft-of-research-01d0e1",
      "title": "The Craft of Research",
      "author": "Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph M. Williams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1633547,
          "author": "dwwoelfel",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T17:43:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1633547",
          "commentText": "Leadership: Theory and Practice: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/076192566X/\nThe Craft of Research: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0226065847/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Craft of Research: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0226065847/",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed your life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1632400,
          "author": "suckerfish",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T09:19:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1632400",
          "commentText": "Leadership: Theory and Practice (Peter Northouse)\nThe Craft of Research (Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams)\nOn Writing Well (Zig Ziglar)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Craft of Research (Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, Joseph M. Williams)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph M. Williams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "academic writing",
        "research methods"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-design-and-evolution-of-c-b2d79f",
      "title": "The Design and Evolution of C++",
      "author": "Bjarne Stroustrup",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22711464,
          "author": "CJefferson",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T14:53:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22711464",
          "commentText": "These are going to seem a bit strange, as they don't go that far into history, but I found the really interesting in showing how projects grow and evolve over time.\nThe Design and Evolution of C++ by Bjarne Stroustrup: This book is quite old itself now, but it talks about the early days of C++, and does a good job of describing how we ended up with the language we did.\nThe Old New Thing, Practical Development Throughout the Evolution of Windows by Raymond Chen. You can also read lots of the parts of this book on Raymond's blog, of the same name. This book really gave me a lot more respect for Windows and Microsoft on a technical level, giving many small fun stories on how functionality evolves over time, and how sensible decisions cause pain 10 years later.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Design and Evolution of C++ by Bjarne Stroustrup: This book is quite old itself now, but it talks about the early days of C++, and does a good job of describing how we ended up with the language we did.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for its account of C++’s early development and design.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in C++ and how programming languages evolve.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that the book is quite old.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22707577,
          "author": "manaskarekar",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T22:44:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22707577",
          "commentText": "Here’s one that’s a hit or miss depending on your interests: The Design And Evolution of C++ by Bjarne Stroustrup himself.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Design-Evolution-C-Bjarne-Stroustrup/... (https://www.amazon.com/Design-Evolution-C-Bjarne-Stroustrup/dp/0201543303)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Design And Evolution of C++ by Bjarne Stroustrup himself.",
          "reason": "Points out that it may or may not suit a reader, depending on their interests.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in C++ language design and history.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is a hit or miss depending on your interests.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bjarne Stroustrup"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c",
        "programming language design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-design-of-web-apis-2b5675",
      "title": "The Design of Web APIs",
      "author": "Arnaud Lauret",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24383726,
          "author": "HuShifang",
          "createdAt": "2020-09-05T14:21:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 24383180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Suggestions for books about API design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24383726",
          "commentText": "Maybe Lauret's The Design of Web APIs? [0]\n[0]: https://www.manning.com/books/the-design-of-web-apis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Maybe Lauret's The Design of Web APIs?",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a possible API design book.",
          "audience": "People interested in API design.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24383688,
          "author": "majkinetor",
          "createdAt": "2020-09-05T14:15:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 24383180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Suggestions for books about API design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24383688",
          "commentText": "https://apisyouwonthate.com and their book(s) offer good advices.\nNot a book, but MS REST API Guidelines are pretty good although they don't cover funky important details like how to properly do REST operations/actions.\nhttps://github.com/microsoft/api-guidelines\nThis is short one based on RedHat VM engineer experience:\nhttps://restful-api-design.readthedocs.io/en/latest/intro.ht... (https://restful-api-design.readthedocs.io/en/latest/intro.html)\nManning has a solid books on topic:\nhttps://www.manning.com/books/the-design-of-web-apis\nhttps://www.manning.com/books/api-design-patterns",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://www.manning.com/books/the-design-of-web-apis",
          "reason": "Includes it among book resources on API design.",
          "audience": "People interested in API design.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arnaud Lauret"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "api design",
        "web apis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-duty-of-genius-fa666e",
      "title": "The Duty of Genius",
      "author": "Ray Monk",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33855911,
          "author": "ruggeri",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T17:54:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33855911",
          "commentText": "I second this!\nIn a similar, but different, vein, I also recommend Alan Turing: The Enigma, by Andrew Hodges. Do not be turned off by the useless film adaptation. The book is intelligent and fascinating, and more aimed at someone with an undergraduate level understanding of math and logic, rather than a general layperson.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second this!",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly seconds the parent comment's recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33852087,
          "author": "racktash",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T09:43:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33852087",
          "commentText": "My favourite nonfiction read of the year was a biography of Wittgenstein by Ray Monk called The Duty of Genius. Absolutely enthralling read about a really fascinating person. I find Wittgenstein's own writings almost impenetrable, but I feel I got to know and love the man, and his way of thinking, in this work.\nFor fiction, I read almost all Chaim Potok's novels this year and he has become my favourite author. If anybody has a deep interest in religion, and how it interacts with the secular world, and how one is to reconcile the two, I heartily recommend Potok.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a biography of Wittgenstein by Ray Monk called The Duty of Genius. Absolutely enthralling read",
          "reason": "Calls it an absolutely enthralling biography and says it helped them get to know Wittgenstein.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Wittgenstein or his life and thinking.",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds Wittgenstein’s own writings almost impenetrable.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ray Monk"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ludwig wittgenstein",
        "intellectual biography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dying-earth-32ecd4",
      "title": "The Dying Earth",
      "author": "Jack Vance",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22094899,
          "author": "atombender",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T23:28:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22094899",
          "commentText": "I mean the story, sorry, not the style. It's one of Banks' few self-contained sci-fi novels, and it's set in a rather odd universe that fits into the \"dying Earth\" tradition of dystopian sci-fi (Wolfe's New Sun/Short Sun/Long Sun sequence, Vance's Dying Earth, etc.) more than in Banks' more utopian/panoramic Culture novels. His other standalones, Against a Dark Background and The Algebraist, are much closer to his Culture novels, for example.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Vance's Dying Earth",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a literary tradition and work grouping associated with the dying Earth genre.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2047314,
          "author": "solost",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-28T23:38:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2047314",
          "commentText": "A few additional thoughts based on the comments here:\nIf you liked \"In Conquest Born\" - Friedman wrote These Alien Shores, which is a true hacker sci fi, absolutely incredible.\nThe Book of Skaith by Leigh Bracket is a truely awesome compilation of the three Skaith novels. Leigh helped write the initial Empire Strikes back!\nAlmost anything by Jack Vance will be good.  If you've read The Dying Earth, George RR Martin just produced a tribute called Songs of the Dying Earth with some of the best Sci Fi writers contributing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Almost anything by Jack Vance will be good.  If you've read The Dying Earth",
          "reason": "Recommends almost anything by the author and refers readers to The Dying Earth.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2043506,
          "author": "mhd",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:12:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043506",
          "commentText": "Snow Crash is great. Generally I'd recommend some \"classics\", just to see who treaded some ground first, i.e. who gets copied by everyone.\nIsaac Asimov - Foundation (and the rest of the trilogy)\nRobert A. Heinlein - Stranger in a Strange Land / Starship Troopers / The Moon is a Harsh Mistress\nAlfred Bester - The Demolished Man / The Stars My Destination\nJack Vance - The Dying Earth\nPhilip K. Dick - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep / The Man in the High Castle\nLarry Niven - Ringworld\netc. etc.\nA list of Hugo Award winners[1] might come in helpful.\nAnother advantage of having read \"the greats\" is that if some critic says that new author X writes \"in the style of Y\" you have a slightly better idea if you might like it.\nTastes vary, of course. Personally I never got what's supposed to be so great about Ender's Game. Teen Mary Sue geek power fantasy with questionable morals. Then again, lots of people said similar things about Heinlein…\n[1]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Award_for_Best_Novel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jack Vance - The Dying Earth",
          "reason": "Included in a list of science fiction classics recommended to explore influential works.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring science fiction classics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jack Vance"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dying earth",
        "science fantasy",
        "sword and sorcery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-end-of-the-world-is-just-the-beginning-11b049",
      "title": "The End of the World Is Just the Beginning",
      "author": "Peter Zeihan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39249247,
          "author": "oumua_don17",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T10:58:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249247",
          "commentText": "The End of the World Is Just the Beginning.\n[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_End_of_the_World_Is_Just_t... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_End_of_the_World_Is_Just_the_Beginning)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The End of the World Is Just the Beginning.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34162876,
          "author": "pivo",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T16:50:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34162876",
          "commentText": "I'm in the middle of the Zeihan book right now. Even if his prediction about globalization's end turns out to be wrong (not that I don't think it's possible), the history and worldview in this book has been really enlightening for me.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'm in the middle of the Zeihan book right now.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book's history and worldview have been enlightening.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter allows that its prediction about the end of globalization may be wrong.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34161508,
          "author": "wazoox",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T14:54:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161508",
          "commentText": "* The End of the World is just the Beginning, by Peter Zeihan\nHow the globalisation is coming to an end, how the US Navy made Chinese power possible, how the 21st Century will be American after all, and many other counter-intuitive things. A must read IMO.\n* Atlas of AI, by Kate Crawford\nPolitics of AI: power, exploitation, colonialism, global surveillance and control...  Fascinating. Another must read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A must read IMO.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a must-read and summarizes its geopolitical claims.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32198012,
          "author": "decebalus1",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:47:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32198012",
          "commentText": "How do you feel about the writing style? I was barely able to finish it. I can't say I agree with most of the speculative non-fiction he wrote in that book (which is also a rehash of the ideas in the previous book, Disunited Nations) but the writing style with all the clichés and the expressions trying to make it funny were absolutely horrible.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I can't say I agree with most of the speculative non-fiction he wrote in that book",
          "reason": "Disagrees with most of the book's speculative nonfiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it repeats ideas from Disunited Nations and criticizes its writing style.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Zeihan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "geopolitics",
        "globalization",
        "demographics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ends-of-the-earth-a-journey-to-the-frontiers-of-anarchy-744074",
      "title": "The Ends of the Earth: A Journey to the Frontiers of Anarchy",
      "author": "Robert D. Kaplan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14747416,
          "author": "clock_tower",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T19:52:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14747416",
          "commentText": "Not a bad idea -- I've only read his book on the formerly-Ottoman world (_Eastward to Tartary_, I think), but this sounds worth looking up.\nHave you come across Tony Horwitz? He's goofier than Kaplan, but his writing scratches the same itch.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this sounds worth looking up.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book discussed in the parent comment sounds worth looking up.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14746703,
          "author": "dirtyaura",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T18:30:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14746703",
          "commentText": "Robert Kalpan: The Ends of the Earth: A Journey to the Frontiers of Anarchy\nIt's a part travel book, a part geopolitical analysis. In the hindsight, Kaplan was probably wrong on many things, and his views were US and West centric, but personally it was inspiring read, a travel book that was much more than a travel book.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Robert Kalpan: The Ends of the Earth: A Journey to the Frontiers of Anarchy",
          "reason": "Describes it as an inspiring travel book with geopolitical analysis.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says Kaplan was probably wrong on many things and his views were US and West centric.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert D. Kaplan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "geopolitics",
        "travel writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-fall-of-colossus-f47413",
      "title": "The Fall of Colossus",
      "author": "D. F. Jones",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46161500,
          "author": "ashtavakra",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-05T14:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46161500",
          "commentText": "I consolidated the comments for my reference later. Someone else might also find it useful:\n# Fiction Books Recommended for Programmers (HN Thread 46128404)\n## Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- *Children of Time* — Science Fiction (Evolution, Space Opera)  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)\n## Rick Cook — Wizardry Series\n- *Wizard’s Bane* — Fantasy, Programming/Magic Mashup  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112616.Wizard_s_Bane\n- *Wizardry Series (overview)*  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\n## James P. Hogan\n- *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/743568.Inherit_the_Stars\n- *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifem... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifemaker)\n- *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_Tomorrow)\n## D. F. Jones — Colossus Trilogy\n- *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806105.Colossus\n- *The Fall of Colossus* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colos... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colossus)\n- *Colossus and the Crab* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_Crab)\n## Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner)\n- *A Logic Named Joe* — Golden-Age Sci-Fi, AI Precursor  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-j... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-joe)\n## David Gerrold\n- *When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One* — AI, Classic Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_Was_One)\n## William Gibson / Bruce Sterling\n- *Neuromancer* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer\n- *The Difference Engine* — Steampunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Eng... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Engine)\n## Neal Stephenson\n- *Snow Crash* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash\n- *Cryptonomicon* — Techno-thriller, Cyber-history  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/816.Cryptonomicon\n- *Anathem* — Philosophical Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2845024-anathem\n- *The Diamond Age* — Nanopunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827.The_Diamond_Age\n## Fred Saberhagen\n- *Octagon* — AI, Techno-thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1891958.Octagon\n## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga\n- *Series Overview* — Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/40946-vorkosigan-saga\n## Richard Powers\n- *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45104.Galatea_2_2\n## Scott Meyer\n- *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-wizard)\n## Daniel Suarez\n- *Daemon* — Cyber-thriller, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665844-daemon\n## Thomas J. Ryan\n- *The Adolescence of P-1* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_o... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_of_P_1)\n## Ernest Cline\n- *Ready Player One* — Sci-Fi, Gaming, Pop-Culture Adventure  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one\n## Dennis E. Taylor\n- *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)* — Humorous Sci-Fi, AI, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-we-are-bob)\n## Ted Chiang\n- *Stories of Your Life and Others* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\n- *Exhalation* — Speculative Fiction, Philosophy, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation\n- *The Lifecycle of Software Objects* — AI, Digital Consciousness  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of-software-objects)\n## Charles Stross\n- *Laundry Files Series* — Math-based Magic, Techno-Fantasy  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files\n## Ken Liu\n- *The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menag... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories)\n- *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, AI, VR  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl-and-other-stories)\n## Ellen Ullman\n- *The Bug* — Tech Industry Literary Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/703.The_Bug\n## Cory Doctorow\n- *Radicalized* — Techno-sociopolitical Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40604122-radicalized\n## qntm (Sam Hughes)\n- *Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans-in-transit-and-other-stories)\n## Roger Williams\n- *The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect* — AI, Post-Singularity SF  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)\n## Greg Bear\n- *Eon* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/924843.Eon\n## Vernor Vinge\n- *A Deepness in the Sky* — Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the_Sky)\n## Terry Pratchett\n- *Going Postal* — Comic Fantasy, Satire of Bureaucracy & Tech  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64222.Going_Postal\n## Bruce Bethke\n- *Headcrash* — Cyber-satire  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213465.Headcrash\n## Mary Shelley\n- *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* — Classic Gothic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein\n## Douglas Adams\n- *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* — Comic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guid... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)\n## Jorge Luis Borges\n- *The Library of Babel* — Metaphysical Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-babel)\n## Greg Egan\n- *Permutation City* — Simulation Theory, Hard Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156784.Permutation_City\n## Cixin Liu\n- *The Three-Body Problem* — Hard Sci-Fi, First Contact  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- *The Fall of Colossus* — AI, Sci-Fi",
          "reason": "Lists the title in a compilation of fiction books recommended for programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46130213,
          "author": "LarryMade2",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T04:09:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46130213",
          "commentText": "These are all entertaining:\nDefinitely the Wizardry series by Rick Cook\nhttps://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/rick-cook/wizardry/\nProgramming meets magical realms\nJames Hogan\nInherit the Stars - Has supercomputers but not main characters\nCode of the Lifemaker Has Ancient Tech evolving into a robotic society\nTwo Faces of Tomorrow  - humans trying to get along with AI\nD.F.Jones\nColossus, the Fall of Colossus, and Colossus and the Crab\nHumans creating machines to protect humanity (computers have different idea) and the rebellion, and a new threat.\nA Logic Names Joe - radioplay of short story.\nhttps://archive.org/details/OTRR_X_Minus_One_Singles/XMinusO... (https://archive.org/details/OTRR_X_Minus_One_Singles/XMinusOne55-12-28031ALogicNamedJoe.mp3)\nThe internet and AI long before the internet and AI.\nDavid Gerrold - When H.A.R.L.I.E. was One - and other tales involving Artificial Super Intelligence\nWilliam Gibson - Neuromancer and related - Cyberpunk series, the Difference Engine - a Steampunk technology tale.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Colossus, the Fall of Colossus, and Colossus and the Crab",
          "reason": "Named as part of a group of entertaining books about machines created to protect humanity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "D. F. Jones"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Computing",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "machine rebellion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-fellowship-of-the-ring-6447fa",
      "title": "The Fellowship of the Ring",
      "author": "J. R. R. Tolkien",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38570149,
          "author": "thorin",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T15:27:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38570149",
          "commentText": "I think they are willing to put up with / indulge me reading something I enjoy to have a bit of close time together. The like the challenge of it being a massive book, but I remember finding the two towers pretty boring as a kid myself. I may stop for a bit after fellowship as I always thought that was the most readable of the books myself. I suppose that makes me not a true fan. I found the Silmarillion completely unreadable, but I do like middle earth.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I may stop for a bit after fellowship as I always thought that was the most readable of the books myself.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was the most readable of the books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38568894,
          "author": "jmstfv",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T13:39:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38568894",
          "commentText": "username checks out.\nit's my first time reading it, and i'd recommend it to anyone who has an interest in LotR and has only seen the movies; it adds so much context and nuance.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "i'd recommend it to anyone who has an interest in LotR and has only seen the movies; it adds so much context and nuance.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it to people who like the films and want more context and nuance.",
          "audience": "People interested in The Lord of the Rings who have only seen the movies.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. R. R. Tolkien"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "high fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-forgotten-revolution-743ea2",
      "title": "The Forgotten Revolution",
      "author": "Lucio Russo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18687159,
          "author": "selimthegrim",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-15T05:07:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18687159",
          "commentText": "Seconding the book by Russo - also recommend Simon Winchester’s recent book on precision engineering",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seconding the book by Russo",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the recommendation of Russo's book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18662208,
          "author": "earthicus",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T08:09:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18662208",
          "commentText": "Ofer Gal - Baroque Science. A highly academic history of the scientific revolution, not the most readable book. It focused quite a bit on mathematization, especially in optics (and Kepler's optics revolution in particular), and also in observation via instrumentation like telescopes and microscopes.\nPaul Nahin - The Logician and the Engineer. About Boole and Shannon's work; I had already learned the material so i skimmed part of it and returned it to the library.\nIan Mortimer - The time traveler's guide to medieval england. Talks about what daily life was like for different social classes in 14th century England eg towns & cities, food, clothes, housing, employment, travel etc. I got about halfway through and lost interest in the subject matter.\nLucio Russo - The forgotten Revolution. A very readable academic history of the development of science in ptolomaic egypt (eg euclid, archimedes, etc). This was certainly the most surprising book I read all year. This time period has been almost completely deleted from history, which jumps straight from aristotle to the renaissance (with a quick stop in the islamic world if you're being spoiled), and their achievements were incredibly impressive!\nJim al-Khalili - The House of Wisdom. A pop-history book about arabic science that i got from the library. I was wary because it's written by a particle physicist and not a historian, and sure enough it is filled with so much nonsense that I through it down in disgust after a few chapters.\nColin Pask - Magnificent Principia. A brief tour of some of the highlights of Newton's Principia, using both newton's geometric diagrams and modern notation. Following the modern notation of course assumes some basic calculus. Highly recommended - it made me want to learn old fashioned celestial mechanics! Perhaps in 2019...\nRandall Munroe - What if. A fun light read about whimsical scenarios.\nSigmund - Exact thinking in demented times. About the vienna circle, the philosophical group associated with logical positivism.\nNewman [ed] - The world of mathematics vol 1. A varied Collection of mathematical writings, both contemporary and historical.\nRichard J Evans - The Coming of the Third Reich. Evans has recently written a three volume treatment of the third Reich. this is of course the first and starts with the origins of the modern form of antisemitism in the late 19th century. I hope to read the next two in 2019!\nRobert Harper - Practical foundations for programming languages. I've mostly just skimmed it so my understanding is quite superficial, maybe in a year or two I'll go through and do all the exercises. I liked that he avoided 'paradigms' and developed the subject more systematically. The book's table of contents is absolutely irresistible!\nTolkien - the Hobbit. I finally got around to reading it... I didn't care for it. I started the lord of the rings but i don't think i'm going to finish it.\nMichael Chriton - Jurassic Park. The movie was better.\nAgatha Christie - Murder on the Orient Express. I think i just don't like fiction. The few years before this I tried reading more fancy literature and i didn't like that, so this year I tried more popular literature... Recently i heard someone say they thought that history spoiled fiction for them. I think I've suffered the same problem.\nFindlay & O'Rourke - Power and Plenty. (in progress) An economic history of the 2nd millennium, absolutely fascinating so far. The discussion of the black death was particularly memorable. It's become something of a meme to point out how the peasant survivors were economically better off than their parents and grandparents. In fact that effect was limited to western europe. In eastern europe the economics were different and feudalism deepened, and in the arab world the reaction was different still: (if i remember my reading correctly) it was certain sects of military men who came out on top. I'm bringing it up because it is a perfect reminder that reality is more complicated than memes.\nRobert Harper - Programming in Standard ML. (in progress) Online notes about functional programming.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A very readable academic history of the development of science in ptolomaic egypt",
          "reason": "The commenter found it very readable and the most surprising book they read all year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lucio Russo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient science",
        "hellenistic science",
        "history of science",
        "ptolemaic egypt"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-four-pillars-of-investing-c0c8d1",
      "title": "The Four Pillars of Investing",
      "author": "William J. Bernstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 248673,
          "author": "mechanical_fish",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T16:35:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248673",
          "commentText": "+1 for Bill Bernstein. An excellent book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An excellent book.",
          "reason": "Calls Bernstein's book excellent; the parent identifies it as The Four Pillars of Investing.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking investing guidance.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 248600,
          "author": "eposts",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T15:59:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248600",
          "commentText": "Here is a good list:\nhttp://www.bogleheads.org/readbooks.htm\nGeneral Investing\n# The Four Pillars of Investing - by William (\"Bill\") Bernstein.\n# Wise Investing Made Simple or The Only Guide to a Winning Investment Strategy You'll Ever Need - by Larry Swedroe\n# The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing - by Taylor Larimore, Mel Lindauer, and Michael LeBoeuf\n# All About Asset Allocation - by Rick Ferri\n# The Informed Investor - by Frank Armstrong\n# The Little Book of Common Sense Investing - by John \"Jack\" Bogle\n# The Coffeehouse Investor - by Bill Schultheis.\nInvestor Behavior\n# Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes And How To Correct Them - by Gary Belsky and Thomas Gilovich\n# Your Money and Your Brain: How the New Science of Neuroeconomics Can Help Make You Rich - by Jason Zweig\n# Rational Investing in Irrational Times: How to Avoid the Costly Mistakes Even Smart People Make Today - by Larry Swedroe\nFinancial History\n# Against the Gods and Capital Ideas - by Peter L. Bernstein\n# Devil Take the Hindmost: A History of Financial Speculation - by Edward Chancellor\n# A Random Walk Down Wall Street - by Burton Malkiel\nLike others here have mentioned, http://www.bogleheads.org/ is a great forum for Vanguard investors.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Four Pillars of Investing - by William (\"Bill\") Bernstein.",
          "reason": "Listed among general investing books in response to a request for learning resources.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking general investing resources.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William J. Bernstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "asset allocation",
        "investing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-general-theory-of-employment-interest-and-money-91afa3",
      "title": "The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money",
      "author": "John Maynard Keynes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12569639,
          "author": "yomritoyj",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-24T05:48:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12569639",
          "commentText": "Definitely, and I'm sure many do. And it is often very surprising how far ahead the older authors had thought. But while such reading is fun as a leisure activity, doing it seriously requires full-time dedication as a historian of thought because often even if the words are intelligible the concepts have drifted so much that they can be understood only by studying not only the famous works but their entire intellectual milieu. For example, to someone trained in contemporary economics even Keynes' 'General Theory' written in 1936 is very hard to make detailed sense of. So as a practical matter it comes down to a choice of studying either economics or the history of economics.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "even Keynes' 'General Theory' written in 1936 is very hard to make detailed sense of.",
          "reason": "Uses Keynes’s book as an example of why older economic works can be difficult to interpret.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is hard to make detailed sense of without studying its intellectual context.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12565777,
          "author": "marmot777",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T16:23:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12565777",
          "commentText": "These are important books but obviously not a comprehensive list.\n* John Locke's Two Treatises of Government - It's political philosophy but it's hard to understand Classical Liberalism without having read some Locke.\n* Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations - He and Locke are the two main guys to read for a solid start on Classical Liberalism, which is completely different than modern political liberalism. It's like having two features in an app with nearly the same name. Confusing as fuck.\n* E. F. Schumacher's Small Is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered - This book will shift your perspective, useful to avoid becoming an a mindless advocate for one school of thought or another.\n* Marx is a tough one as Capital is massive and unreadable and The Communist Manifesto is a propaganda pamphlet but I think you need to at least find some articles that summarize the basics.\n* Keynes and Hayek - This hip hop battle is a decent start:\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0nERTFo-Sk\nthen read Keynes' The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money and Hayek's The Road to Serfdom.\n* Milton Friedman's - Yes, read Capitalism and Freedom. I hesitated to include it as the guy's so good at making the case that it can turn you into a market advocate bot. Please resist that.\nCan someone help me on this, is there a book balance Hayek and a book to balance Friedman? I'm sorry but Keynes doesn't do it for me. Look at the difference in titles between Hayek and Keynes. It's hard to motivate to read the Keynes book but nobody ever has trouble reading Hayek.\nI see a lot of these ideas come up on HN a lot. What I don't like so much is when someone becomes an advocate for a particular ism. To me, all isms are rubbish. All of them. Understand but do not become a shill for an ideology.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "then read Keynes' The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money",
          "reason": "Included in a suggested reading list.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring economic schools of thought.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the book is hard to feel motivated to read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12561975,
          "author": "AndrewKemendo",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T02:47:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12561975",
          "commentText": "The following list will introduce you to Western Economic Philosophy as it relates to modern history specifically. This list is weighted heavily toward neo-classical economics and does not get into computational model based economics - specifically microeconomics, which comprises the bulk of economics education today:\nSchumpeter - History of economic analysis\nAdam Smith - Theory of Moral Sentiments\nKaynes - The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money\nMarx - Capital\nBenjamin Graham - The Intelligent Investor\nGalbraith - The Affluent Society\nGalbraith - The Great Crash\nMilton Friedman - Capitalism and Freedom\nNassim Taleb - Black Swan\nRon Suskind - Confidence Men\nScott Patterson - Dark Pools\nIf you want to delve into heterodox economics afterward, start with the following:\nHayek - Individualism and Economic Order\nMises - Human Action\nRothbard - Man, Economy, State",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kaynes - The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money",
          "reason": "Included in a list described as an introduction to Western economic philosophy.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring economic thought in modern history.",
          "caveat": "The list is weighted toward neoclassical economics and excludes computational model based economics.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8106942,
          "author": "dirktheman",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:16:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106942",
          "commentText": "- Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance was a real eye-opener to me.\n- Last year, I read both Das Kapital by Karl Marx and The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money by John Maynard Keynes.\n- Walden by Henry David Thoreau\nNote that these are classic works (Zen is the newest, from 1974), but they haven't lost their relevance yet. Zen is a journey in your mind, disguised as a journey by motorcycle by a father and his son. Das Kapital and GToEIM offer deeper insight in why our economy works the way it does, and I especially liked the contrast between the two books. Walden is difficult to classify. It changed the way I look at things, but I can't say exactly how. Sometimes I encounter a situation and a quote or scene from the book pops up in my head. Highly recommended!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I read both Das Kapital by Karl Marx and The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money by John Maynard Keynes.",
          "reason": "Reports reading it and notes its contrast with Marx's book, without a positive evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Maynard Keynes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "keynesian economics",
        "macroeconomics",
        "macroeconomic theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-giving-tree-d5ec94",
      "title": "The Giving Tree",
      "author": "Shel Silverstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34635156,
          "author": "ROTMetro",
          "createdAt": "2023-02-03T00:00:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 34634274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books your kids like most",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34635156",
          "commentText": "Yeah love it but super torn on the Giving Tree.\nI'll ad 'The Little Prince' as one my kids liked.\nBut separate from reading books spend time telling stories about a character you make up with your child. Get them to love story telling and being creative. For my family it was 'A pig named Nelson' who did things like wear his halloween costume to school and accidentally get mistaken as a super hero when things went down, or who loved spaghetti and ate and ate until he threw up so much it flooded the whole house. The best was when my kids were adamant things go the nice happy way where Nelson didn't get into trouble, but nope, my story had him start to go the other way and my kids could see what was coming and would bury their heads under the pillows. You can also slip upcoming things into the stories so that the kids can prepare for them (low key non-preachy parenting in advance).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Little Prince'",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly adds it as one their kids liked.",
          "audience": "Children.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34634686,
          "author": "mixmastamyk",
          "createdAt": "2023-02-02T23:16:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 34634274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books your kids like most",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34634686",
          "commentText": "> rival the TV and YT junk\nCan't compete with these, nope.  Only way is to limit them a few hours a day or less.  The ability to relax and be bored is essential to support the desire to read.\nWe did it an hour before bed every night under warm lighting.  Loved Dr. Seuss' Cat in the Hat, The Lorax, Grinch, Oh, the Places You'll Go!\nEngelbreit's Mother Goose, Nursery Rhymes set.\nLoved The Police Cloud by Chris Neimann, and Little Owl Lost by Chris Haughton.\nWe liked The Giving Tree, but be prepared as it shows a dysfunctional relationship.  We took it as a \"teachable moment.\"\nAgree with those who say to go to the library for variety.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "We liked The Giving Tree, but be prepared as it shows a dysfunctional relationship.",
          "reason": "The commenters liked it and used it as a teachable moment.",
          "audience": "Young children, read together with an adult.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it depicts a dysfunctional relationship.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Shel Silverstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "allegory",
        "children s literature",
        "picture books",
        "relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-golf-omnibus-9ef45d",
      "title": "The Golf Omnibus",
      "author": "P. G. Wodehouse",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17382331,
          "author": "gtycomb",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T17:36:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17382331",
          "commentText": "Even years after reading the story, reminiscing \"The Great Sermon Handicap\" lightens my day.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Great Sermon Handicap\" lightens my day.",
          "reason": "Says the story still brightens their day.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17382135,
          "author": "gjkood",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T16:58:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17382135",
          "commentText": "My favorite collection is the \"The Golf Omnibus\" aside from all the Bertie Wooster books themselves.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favorite collection is the \"The Golf Omnibus\"",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it their favorite collection.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "P. G. Wodehouse"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "golf stories",
        "comic fiction",
        "humor",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-great-mathematical-problems-c5d9a2",
      "title": "The Great Mathematical Problems",
      "author": "Ian Stewart",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 44276774,
          "author": "eimrine",
          "createdAt": "2025-06-14T14:55:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 44269143,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Casual Math Book Suggestions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44276774",
          "commentText": "Ian Stewart never disappoints and seems related to OP's request. His \"Nature of Numbers\" is exactly that, also this is the first English book (foreign language for me) which I have read without any need of dictionary.\n\"The Great Mathematical Problems\" is about reading a chapter, then taking a rest, then reading another. \"Nature of Numbers\" can be read in one attempt and my emotion about that is I want this book to be several times thicker. The illustrations are among the best mathematical images I ever seen, despite being monochrome.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The Great Mathematical Problems\" is about reading a chapter, then taking a rest, then reading another.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is best read one chapter at a time with breaks.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as requiring breaks between chapters.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 44271145,
          "author": "calstad",
          "createdAt": "2025-06-13T18:50:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 44269143,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Casual Math Book Suggestions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44271145",
          "commentText": "These fall more in the \"pop-sci\" realm, but I think are really good at trying to convey what kinds of things working mathematicians actually think about:\n- Colossal Book of Mathematics by Martin Gardner: Uses games and recreational math to introduce areas like group theory and topology.\n- Finding Moonshine by Marcus Du Sautoy: Tells the story of the unexpected connection between two areas of math that, on the surface, seem to be completely unrelated.\n- The Great Mathematical Problems by Ian Stewart: Does a good job explaining several of the major open problems in math today.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Great Mathematical Problems by Ian Stewart: Does a good job explaining several of the major open problems in math today.",
          "reason": "Explains several major open problems in mathematics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ian Stewart"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical conjectures",
        "open problems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-hacker-ethic-472faf",
      "title": "The Hacker Ethic",
      "author": "Steven Levy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1971251,
          "author": "loganfrederick",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T08:41:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971251",
          "commentText": "+ Hacker Ethic by Steven Levy\n+ Masters of Doom by David Kushner\n+ The Millionaire Mind by Dr. Thomas Stanley\n+ The Intelligent Investor by Ben Graham\n+ The Essays of Warren Buffet by Lawrence Cunningham\n+ Buffet by Roger Lowenstein\n+ The Knack by Norm Brodsky\n+ Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar by Thomas Cathcart, Daniel Klein\n+ The Return of the Great Depression by Vox Day\n+ Capitalism and Freedom by Milton Friedman\n+ Road to Serfdom by Hayek\n+ Iacocca:An Autobiography by Lee Iacocca",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hacker Ethic by Steven Levy",
          "reason": "Listed as a book to give the commenter's younger self.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1971205,
          "author": "Mithrandir",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T07:48:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971205",
          "commentText": "If I could travel back in time (and felt justified in changing the past/future) I would give myself The Hacker Ethic ( https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/The_Hacker_Et... (https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/The_Hacker_Ethic) ), Python by Chris Fehily ( http://www.amazon.com/Python-Chris-Fehily/dp/0201748843 ), and Free Software Free Society ( http://shop.fsf.org/product/free-software-free-society/ ). If I could only give one book, I'd choose FSFS\nAge doesn't matter. :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would give myself The Hacker Ethic",
          "reason": "Chosen as one of the books to give the commenter's younger self.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Levy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hacker culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-happiest-baby-on-the-block-6b2f59",
      "title": "The Happiest Baby on the Block",
      "author": "Harvey Karp",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 128209,
          "author": "pchristensen",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-03T18:35:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 127711,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Hacker moms & dads, what do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=128209",
          "commentText": "+1 for healthy sleep habits, happy child. Also recommend Happiest Baby on the Block (http://www.amazon.com/o/asin/0553381466/pchristensen-20)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also recommend Happiest Baby on the Block",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommended alongside the other title.",
          "audience": "Parents of babies.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 127721,
          "author": "ixnu",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-03T01:44:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 127711,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Hacker moms & dads, what do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=127721",
          "commentText": "We have a 10 month old, a six, and eight y-o. Here are some  books that have helped us:\nThe Happiest Baby on the Block: The New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Newborn Baby Sleep Longer (Paperback)\nby Harvey Karp\nParenting Beyond Belief: On Raising Ethical, Caring Kids Without Religion by Dale McGowan",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Happiest Baby on the Block: The New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Newborn Baby Sleep Longer (Paperback)\nby Harvey Karp",
          "reason": "Listed among books that helped the family.",
          "audience": "Parents of newborns.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Harvey Karp"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Parenting"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "infant care",
        "infant sleep",
        "newborn care",
        "newborn soothing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-hero-of-ages-5c2605",
      "title": "The Hero of Ages",
      "author": "Brandon Sanderson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25905446,
          "author": "brokenintuition",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T16:52:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25905446",
          "commentText": "This is mine as well, I'll probably start it this week. I just finished Well of Ascension and really enjoying the series so far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is mine as well",
          "reason": "Affirms the parent commenter’s choice of The Hero of Ages as their next read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25905072,
          "author": "yurishimo",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T16:31:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25905072",
          "commentText": "The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson is next up on my list. Really enjoying Mistborn so far. Still working my way through the second book.\nI've also read a lot of his other work as well as the Wheel of Time. If anyone has recommendations for other fantasy novels/epics, I'm all ears!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson is next up on my list.",
          "reason": "Names it as their next planned read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brandon Sanderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "mistborn"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-hidden-girl-and-other-stories-c38237",
      "title": "The Hidden Girl and Other Stories",
      "author": "Ken Liu",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46161500,
          "author": "ashtavakra",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-05T14:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46161500",
          "commentText": "I consolidated the comments for my reference later. Someone else might also find it useful:\n# Fiction Books Recommended for Programmers (HN Thread 46128404)\n## Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- *Children of Time* — Science Fiction (Evolution, Space Opera)  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)\n## Rick Cook — Wizardry Series\n- *Wizard’s Bane* — Fantasy, Programming/Magic Mashup  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112616.Wizard_s_Bane\n- *Wizardry Series (overview)*  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\n## James P. Hogan\n- *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/743568.Inherit_the_Stars\n- *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifem... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifemaker)\n- *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_Tomorrow)\n## D. F. Jones — Colossus Trilogy\n- *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806105.Colossus\n- *The Fall of Colossus* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colos... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colossus)\n- *Colossus and the Crab* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_Crab)\n## Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner)\n- *A Logic Named Joe* — Golden-Age Sci-Fi, AI Precursor  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-j... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-joe)\n## David Gerrold\n- *When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One* — AI, Classic Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_Was_One)\n## William Gibson / Bruce Sterling\n- *Neuromancer* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer\n- *The Difference Engine* — Steampunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Eng... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Engine)\n## Neal Stephenson\n- *Snow Crash* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash\n- *Cryptonomicon* — Techno-thriller, Cyber-history  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/816.Cryptonomicon\n- *Anathem* — Philosophical Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2845024-anathem\n- *The Diamond Age* — Nanopunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827.The_Diamond_Age\n## Fred Saberhagen\n- *Octagon* — AI, Techno-thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1891958.Octagon\n## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga\n- *Series Overview* — Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/40946-vorkosigan-saga\n## Richard Powers\n- *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45104.Galatea_2_2\n## Scott Meyer\n- *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-wizard)\n## Daniel Suarez\n- *Daemon* — Cyber-thriller, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665844-daemon\n## Thomas J. Ryan\n- *The Adolescence of P-1* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_o... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_of_P_1)\n## Ernest Cline\n- *Ready Player One* — Sci-Fi, Gaming, Pop-Culture Adventure  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one\n## Dennis E. Taylor\n- *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)* — Humorous Sci-Fi, AI, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-we-are-bob)\n## Ted Chiang\n- *Stories of Your Life and Others* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\n- *Exhalation* — Speculative Fiction, Philosophy, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation\n- *The Lifecycle of Software Objects* — AI, Digital Consciousness  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of-software-objects)\n## Charles Stross\n- *Laundry Files Series* — Math-based Magic, Techno-Fantasy  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files\n## Ken Liu\n- *The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menag... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories)\n- *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, AI, VR  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl-and-other-stories)\n## Ellen Ullman\n- *The Bug* — Tech Industry Literary Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/703.The_Bug\n## Cory Doctorow\n- *Radicalized* — Techno-sociopolitical Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40604122-radicalized\n## qntm (Sam Hughes)\n- *Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans-in-transit-and-other-stories)\n## Roger Williams\n- *The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect* — AI, Post-Singularity SF  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)\n## Greg Bear\n- *Eon* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/924843.Eon\n## Vernor Vinge\n- *A Deepness in the Sky* — Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the_Sky)\n## Terry Pratchett\n- *Going Postal* — Comic Fantasy, Satire of Bureaucracy & Tech  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64222.Going_Postal\n## Bruce Bethke\n- *Headcrash* — Cyber-satire  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213465.Headcrash\n## Mary Shelley\n- *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* — Classic Gothic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein\n## Douglas Adams\n- *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* — Comic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guid... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)\n## Jorge Luis Borges\n- *The Library of Babel* — Metaphysical Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-babel)\n## Greg Egan\n- *Permutation City* — Simulation Theory, Hard Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156784.Permutation_City\n## Cixin Liu\n- *The Three-Body Problem* — Hard Sci-Fi, First Contact  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, AI, VR",
          "reason": "Lists the title in a compilation of fiction books recommended for programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46136691,
          "author": "agarv",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T16:46:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46136691",
          "commentText": "The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories and The Hidden Girl and Other Stories by Ken Liu\nThe Bug by Ellen Ullman\nRadicalized by Corey Doctrow\nValuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories by qntm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories and The Hidden Girl and Other Stories by Ken Liu",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ken Liu"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories",
        "speculative fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-history-of-tom-jones-a-foundling-53d114",
      "title": "The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling",
      "author": "Henry Fielding",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40429323,
          "author": "iamthirsty",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T14:58:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40429323",
          "commentText": "Interesting suggestion! My favorite subject is History and this fits right in, in the broader sense of being a historically significant novel.\nOn the list!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On the list!",
          "reason": "Adds the book to their reading list as a historically significant novel.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40429288,
          "author": "unbalancedevh",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T14:55:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40429288",
          "commentText": "I've been in a reading rut lately, so I'm re-reading an old favorite of mine:  \"The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling\" by Henry Fielding.  It's in the public domain, so available for free!\nNo doubt the writing style isn't for everyone, but besides being a generally enjoyable story, I like the author's wit.  He quite literally tells exactly how he's going to tell the story, and his on-going commentary serves to keep the reader in increasingly tantalizing cliff-hangers as the story progresses.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "re-reading an old favorite of mine:  \"The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling\"",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as enjoyable and praises the author's wit and storytelling.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the writing style may not be for everyone.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Henry Fielding"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "18th century literature",
        "comic novel",
        "historical novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-illuminatus-trilogy-f812b8",
      "title": "The Illuminatus! Trilogy",
      "author": "Robert Anton Wilson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1761613,
          "author": "pstuart",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-05T21:41:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1761613",
          "commentText": "Robert Anton Wilson: The Illuminati Trilogy (rethink your thinking)\nLamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal (very spiritual in its own way, but highly entertaining)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Robert Anton Wilson: The Illuminati Trilogy (rethink your thinking)",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a book series for rethinking how you think.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1754096,
          "author": "brunoc",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-04T00:29:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1754096",
          "commentText": "Robert Anton Wilson's \"Illuminatus Trilogy\", \"Prometheus Rising\".\nAleister Crowley's \"Book of lies\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Robert Anton Wilson's \"Illuminatus Trilogy\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Anton Wilson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "conspiracy fiction",
        "counterculture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-illuminatus-trilogy-44af10",
      "title": "The Illuminatus! Trilogy",
      "author": "Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12251094,
          "author": "cableshaft",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T21:45:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12251094",
          "commentText": "Still one of my favorites. I've reread this book more often than any other and still catch new references in it each time.\nIf you've never checked out RAW'S audiobook \"Robert Anton Wilson Explains Everything\", I highly recommend it. Lots of meandering talk about most of the concepts that occur again and again in his books.\nI haven't checked out Maybe Logic yet, but now I'm curious.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Still one of my favorites. I've reread this book more often than any other and still catch new references in it each time.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a favorite and praises the discoveries on rereading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12248703,
          "author": "alex_ixd",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T15:54:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12248703",
          "commentText": "\"The Illuminatus! Triology\" by Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea\nI did my first reading in high school and it was absolutely brilliant. I never expected so many twists and turns where characters melt into one another and plots jump from world domination conspiracy theories to self discovery and awakening.\nDecades later, I am now looking more into Robert Anton Wilson's other work (in particular Maybe Logic) and am seeing some very interesting applications, especially in software quality and artificial intelligence.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Illuminatus! Triology\" by Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the book brilliant and describes its lasting impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "conspiracy fiction",
        "counterculture",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-illustrated-man-a4e7c0",
      "title": "The Illustrated Man",
      "author": "Ray Bradbury",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8944625,
          "author": "Tycho",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-25T23:05:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944625",
          "commentText": "Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, Dune, Foundation series, Martian Chronicles & Illustrated Man, Ender's Game, Accelerando, Hyperion, The Forever War, Player of Games, Snow Crash",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Illustrated Man",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8944618,
          "author": "jdmoreira",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-25T23:03:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944618",
          "commentText": "If you like short stories I recommend Nine Tomorrows by Issac Asimov & The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it to readers who like short stories.",
          "audience": "Readers who like short stories.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ray Bradbury"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-infinite-game-0cc2af",
      "title": "The Infinite Game",
      "author": "Simon Sinek",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32212047,
          "author": "ttanev",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-24T10:35:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32212047",
          "commentText": "The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek from early March and Immune by Phillipp Dettmer from February (mainly when on a holiday)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek",
          "reason": "Lists it as a book being read since early March.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21793035,
          "author": "inexplicable",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T23:13:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793035",
          "commentText": "Not a new book; I’m reading The Checklist Manifesto [0]\nI’m very impressed by how much is has clarified the importance of identifying repeatable steps for my team and ensuring they are accurately and successfully completed!\nI’m looking forward to reading The Infinite Game [1]\n[0] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6667514-the-checklist-ma... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6667514-the-checklist-manifesto)\n[1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38390751-the-infinite-ga... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38390751-the-infinite-game)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I’m looking forward to reading The Infinite Game",
          "reason": "The commenter is looking forward to reading it; no evaluation or recommendation is expressed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21713958,
          "author": "dooferlad",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T17:02:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21713958",
          "commentText": "The Infinite Game is also great. The focus is on building companies that last hundreds of years, so you need leadership, culture and investors that are all about long term stability over keeping sort term investors happy. There are some rants, but nothing I disagree with!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Infinite Game is also great.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it great and describes its focus on long-term companies and leadership.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it contains some rants, though none they disagree with.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21712513,
          "author": "Bumerang",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T14:33:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21712513",
          "commentText": "Everything by Simon Sinek, but most important for me is \"Leaders Eat Last\" [0]. I haven't read the last one (The Infinite Game), but I've heard it's pretty good as well.\nAlso Extreme Ownership [1] and Dichotomy of Leadership [2] by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin.\nAll of these books had tremendous impact on me as a leader and I highly recommend them.\n[0]: https://www.amazon.com/Leaders-Eat-Last-Together-Others/dp/B... (https://www.amazon.com/Leaders-Eat-Last-Together-Others/dp/B00HQ3K34M/)\n[1]: https://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Ownership-U-S-Navy-SEALs-eboo... (https://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Ownership-U-S-Navy-SEALs-ebook/dp/B00VE4Y0Z2)\n[2]: https://www.amazon.com/Dichotomy-Leadership-Balancing-Challe... (https://www.amazon.com/Dichotomy-Leadership-Balancing-Challenges-Ownership/dp/B07BN5NGQ5/)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I haven't read the last one (The Infinite Game), but I've heard it's pretty good as well.",
          "reason": "Reports hearing positive things about it, while noting they have not read it.",
          "audience": "People interested in leadership.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it; the positive assessment is secondhand.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Simon Sinek"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "business strategy",
        "company culture",
        "infinite games"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-kubernetes-book-24243a",
      "title": "The Kubernetes Book",
      "author": "Nigel Poulton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21852449,
          "author": "mstipetic",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T18:01:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21852449",
          "commentText": "I can also recommend this one, works surprisingly well",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can also recommend this one, works surprisingly well",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the book from the parent comment and says it works surprisingly well as an audiobook.",
          "audience": "Developers learning Kubernetes through audio.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21852050,
          "author": "thinkmassive",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T16:47:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21852050",
          "commentText": "The Kubernetes Book by Nigel Poulton is the best audiobook adaptation of a technical book that I’ve come across.\nhttps://nigelpoulton.com/blog/f/kubernetes-audiobook",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Kubernetes Book by Nigel Poulton is the best audiobook adaptation of a technical book that I’ve come across.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best audiobook adaptation of a technical book they have encountered.",
          "audience": "Developers learning Kubernetes through audio.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nigel Poulton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "containers",
        "kubernetes"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-little-red-book-of-selling-9ae7b1",
      "title": "The Little Red Book of Selling",
      "author": "Jeffrey Gitomer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10240701,
          "author": "tsattersten",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-18T17:39:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10240701",
          "commentText": "Our selections from The 100 Best Business Books of All Time were:\n-Selling The Invisible by Harry Beckwith (great look at selling services)\n-Secrets of Closing The Sale by Zig Ziglar (gets you prepared for objections)\n-How to Become A Rainmaker by Jeffrey Fox (shortcuts to better sales techniques)\n-The Little Red Book of Selling by Jeffrey Gitomer (best first book for first time salespeople)\nAs mentioned in other posts, I would also add SPIN Selling, Mastering the Complex Sale and The Referral Engine.\n\"Smart\" books in the sales space include Influence, Made To Stick, To Sell Is Human.\nFor motivation, read more Zig, Tony Robbins, and Dale Carnegie.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Red Book of Selling by Jeffrey Gitomer (best first book for first time salespeople)",
          "reason": "Called the best first book for first-time salespeople.",
          "audience": "First-time salespeople.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10233896,
          "author": "ccockerhamkc",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T15:32:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10233896",
          "commentText": "I can't recommend \"The Little Red Book Of Selling\" by Jeffrey Gitomer enough. I have a copy in my desk right now.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Little-Red-Book-Selling-Principles/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Little-Red-Book-Selling-Principles/dp/1885167601)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can't recommend \"The Little Red Book Of Selling\" by Jeffrey Gitomer enough.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends the book.",
          "audience": "People interested in selling.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeffrey Gitomer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sales",
        "sales fundamentals",
        "selling skills"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mating-mind-how-sexual-choice-shaped-the-evolution-of-human-n-dfdfe2",
      "title": "The Mating Mind: How Sexual Choice Shaped the Evolution of Human Nature",
      "author": "Geoffrey Miller",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1752321,
          "author": "iamwil",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T07:33:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752321",
          "commentText": "I'll have to second #3, the Mating Mind. It put a lot of stuff about dating into context.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'll have to second #3, the Mating Mind. It put a lot of stuff about dating into context.",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the recommendation and says it put dating into context.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in understanding dating and human nature.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752307,
          "author": "jseliger",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T07:24:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752307",
          "commentText": "See here: http://jseliger.com/2010/03/22/influential-books-on-me-that-... (http://jseliger.com/2010/03/22/influential-books-on-me-that-is/) for a list of influential books on me. I actually have a half-written post on books I wish I'd read when I was younger; here it is:\n1. <em>Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience</em> by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi\n2. <em>The Guide to Getting It On</em> by Paul Johannides [sp?]\n3. <em>The Mating Mind: How Sexual Choice Shaped the Evolution of Human Nature</em> by Geoffrey Miller\n4. <em>Hackers & Painters</em> by Paul Graham\n5. <em>Man's Search for Meaning</em> by Viktor Frankl\n6. <em>Stumbling on Happiness</em> by Daniel Gilbert\nIn all cases, I think these books profoundly shaped how not only I think, but I think others can learn to think too. All suddenly revealed new connections and ideas about the world I'd never experienced or expected to experience before.\nGranted, no book can be removed from its context, and its possible that if I'd read some of the books above as a younger person I wouldn't have been ready to appreciate them. But <em>Flow</em> seems by far the most valuable of the choices listed above because it engulfs more of the content of the others than any other choice.\nSteven Berlin Johnson's new book Where Ideas Come From looks promising: http://www.amazon.com/Where-Good-Ideas-Come-Innovation/dp/15... (http://www.amazon.com/Where-Good-Ideas-Come-Innovation/dp/1594487715?ie=UTF8&tag=thstsst-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957) .",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "3. <em>The Mating Mind: How Sexual Choice Shaped the Evolution of Human Nature</em> by Geoffrey Miller",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books the commenter says profoundly shaped their thinking.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in human nature and sexual selection.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that age and context can affect whether a reader is ready to appreciate it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Geoffrey Miller"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolutionary psychology",
        "sexual selection"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-meme-machine-d01e21",
      "title": "The Meme Machine",
      "author": "Susan Blackmore",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10028265,
          "author": "leephillips",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T18:48:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10028265",
          "commentText": "Blackmore's book is a very clear introduction to the meme, and general replicator, concept.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blackmore's book is a very clear introduction to the meme, and general replicator, concept.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises it as a clear introduction to memes and replicators.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10028033,
          "author": "danialtz",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T17:41:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10028033",
          "commentText": "I was lucky that during my research time I got to know Dawkin's work. And the journey started there:\n1. \"Cats' Paws and Catapults: Mechanical Worlds of Nature and People\" by Steven Vogel. If you were fascinated by the wings of birds or little waves behind the plants in water read this. Fascinating book!\n2. \"The meme machine\" by Susan Blackmore. Starting off where Dawkin's book ended.\n3. \"Three steps to yes\" by Gene Bedell, beside Getting to Yes already mentioned here.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The meme machine\" by Susan Blackmore. Starting off where Dawkin's book ended.",
          "reason": "Presents it as a continuation of ideas from Dawkins's book in a list of suggested reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Susan Blackmore"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cultural evolution",
        "memetics",
        "evolutionary theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-millionaire-fastlane-crack-the-code-to-wealth-and-live-rich-f-a0d866",
      "title": "The Millionaire Fastlane: Crack the Code to Wealth and Live Rich for a Lifetime",
      "author": "MJ DeMarco",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12143586,
          "author": "solarengineer",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T14:11:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12143586",
          "commentText": "+1 to number 3. It's been a life changer for me. I'm working on these principles now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's been a life changer for me. I'm working on these principles now.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book changed their life and that they are applying its principles.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12142886,
          "author": "ohgh1ieD",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T11:17:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12142886",
          "commentText": "1. Ego Is the Enemy - Ryan Holiday\n2. sidebar from /r/theredpill\n3. The Millionaire Fastlane: Crack the Code to Wealth and Live Rich for a Lifetime\nBook number 3 has probably the most 'click baity' and the most douchey title of all times.\nIt sounds like one of those self help books or one of those get rich fast schemas but in fact, it's an eye opener and it encourages hard work.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "in fact, it's an eye opener and it encourages hard work.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is eye-opening and encourages hard work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls its title click-baity and douchey, and says it sounds like a get-rich-fast book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "MJ DeMarco"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "wealth building"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-muqaddimah-0e0cb0",
      "title": "The Muqaddimah",
      "author": "Ibn Khaldun",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 876108,
          "author": "mahmud",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T05:36:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876108",
          "commentText": "The unequaled Franz Rosenthal did a translation of the Muqadima (Prolegomena in Greek) in English:\nhttp://www.muslimphilosophy.com/ik/Muqaddimah/index.htm\nMy copy of it is Arabic but heavily annotated by researchers. A translation of that would be great, I know.\nShort bio:\nhttp://www.cis-ca.org/voices/k/khaldun.htm\nLonger bio (PDF):\nhttp://www.muslimphilosophy.com/books/ibn-khald.pdf\nN.B: This is a medieval personality and the text is ancient. Please read it under that light. He lived 1332 - 1406 CE.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "did a translation of the Muqadima (Prolegomena in Greek) in English",
          "reason": "Discusses an English translation and the author's annotated Arabic copy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says to read it in the context of its medieval period.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875972,
          "author": "Scott_MacGregor",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T04:10:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875972",
          "commentText": "Muqadimat Ibn Khaldun. You make this book seem very interesting. Based on your description and explanation of it, I think many people from outside the Islamic culture might find this book fascinating (buy a copy) if it came with a running dialog inserted into the text as needed that explained the history and cultural beliefs of that time. Might be a best seller in the west.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I think many people from outside the Islamic culture might find this book fascinating (buy a copy)",
          "reason": "The commenter thinks it could fascinate readers unfamiliar with Islamic culture if supplied with historical and cultural explanations.",
          "audience": "Readers outside Islamic culture, with contextual explanations.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it would benefit from running dialogue explaining the history and cultural beliefs of its time.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875775,
          "author": "mahmud",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T02:22:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875775",
          "commentText": "The Story of Civilization; 11 volumes of pure joy. Will and Ariel Durant will make you fall in love with mankind. The most humanist take on history I have read. I read them over 6 years and I still live under the Durants' spell. Exquisite and delightful read.\nMuqadimat Ibn Khaldun. History, Sociology, Political Science, Scientific Empiricism, Theology, Superstition, Gossip, Leadership, Trivia .. it's everything. It feels like a collaboration between the Grim brothers, Karl Marx, Douglas Adams and Plato. People well versed in Islamic history will get the most out of it. It's a book written by a scientist for a religious and superstitious audience. You can see him walk the fine line, appeasing his princely sponsors while speaking his mind. It's full of code-language written for a better enlightened generation while accommodating the religious and cultural beliefs of his era. Read his biography and you should see bits and pieces of Rousseau; a hypocritical, pan-handling snob who makes his living saying one thing, and living his life doing another .. while still being a fucking genius :-D",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Muqadimat Ibn Khaldun. History, Sociology, Political Science, Scientific Empiricism, Theology, Superstition, Gossip, Leadership, Trivia .. it's everything.",
          "reason": "Presents it as broad and fascinating, and says readers versed in Islamic history will get the most out of it.",
          "audience": "People well versed in Islamic history will get the most out of it.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as written for a religious and superstitious audience, with coded language shaped by its era.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ibn Khaldun"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historiography",
        "islamic history",
        "social theory",
        "sociology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-never-ending-challenge-of-engineering-afe3ff",
      "title": "The Never-Ending Challenge of Engineering",
      "author": "Hyman G. Rickover",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39081708,
          "author": "atomicnature",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-21T19:06:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39081708",
          "commentText": "Essay: Rickover's \"Doing a job\" - https://govleaders.org/rickover.htm\nBooks:\n- Rickover's \"The Never-Ending Challenge of Engineering\"\n- Taichi Ohno's \"WorkPlace Management\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rickover's \"The Never-Ending Challenge of Engineering\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39076221,
          "author": "lovestaco",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-21T06:41:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39076221",
          "commentText": "https://www.amazon.com/Never-Ending-Challenge-Engineering-Ad... (https://www.amazon.com/Never-Ending-Challenge-Engineering-Admiral-Rickover/dp/0894485776)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://www.amazon.com/Never-Ending-Challenge-Engineering-Ad...",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hyman G. Rickover"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-new-capitalist-manifesto-6b70d2",
      "title": "The New Capitalist Manifesto",
      "author": "Umair Haque",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4530147,
          "author": "dennisvdvliet",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-16T19:54:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 4530022,
          "threadTitle": "What to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4530147",
          "commentText": "+1 for the first book. Already read the other three.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for the first book.",
          "reason": "Endorses the first book in the parent comment's recommendation list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4530118,
          "author": "Roelven",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-16T19:44:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 4530022,
          "threadTitle": "What to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4530118",
          "commentText": "Here are some of the top of my head, assuming you already read some:\n- The New Capitalist Manifesto - Umar Haque\n- Net Smart - Howard Rheingold\n- Delivering Happiness - Tony Hsieh\n- Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert M. Pirsig",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The New Capitalist Manifesto - Umar Haque",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to a request for nonfiction books to bring on holiday.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Umair Haque"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business strategy",
        "capitalism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-power-law-venture-capital-and-the-making-of-the-new-future-2ab895",
      "title": "The Power Law: Venture Capital and the Making of the New Future",
      "author": "Sebastian Mallaby",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41591186,
          "author": "mchinen",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-19T12:35:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41591186",
          "commentText": "All the 'founder attitude' book recs are probably a good idea, but I would recommend supplementing with some VC and investing vehicle stuff, such as Secrets of Sand Hill Road and The Power Law, especially if that seems unimportant and tedious. Understanding your options and what the incentives are for investors will help you better understand where you are likely to be aligned and where you have to be careful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and The Power Law, especially if that seems unimportant and tedious.",
          "reason": "Recommended for understanding venture capital and investor incentives.",
          "audience": "Founders considering their financing options.",
          "caveat": "The commenter acknowledges the subject may seem unimportant and tedious.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41556745,
          "author": "whereistejas",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-16T14:56:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41556745",
          "commentText": "I would recommend The Power Law[1], especially if you don't have any exposure to the startup/VC ecosystem. Contrary to what should be the ideal case, a founder needs to cater to VCs and their perspective of looking at products, just as they must cater to users.\nI feel like I would have saved myself a lot of stupid conversations if I had the context this book provides.\n[1]: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61403389-the-power-law",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend The Power Law[1], especially if you don't have any exposure to the startup/VC ecosystem.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for context on how VCs view products and the startup ecosystem.",
          "audience": "Readers without exposure to the startup and VC ecosystem.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sebastian Mallaby"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "venture capital",
        "startup investing",
        "startups"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-pragmatic-programmer-e97abf",
      "title": "The Pragmatic Programmer",
      "author": "Andrew Hunt; David Thomas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2524502,
          "author": "aaronbrethorst",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-07T20:43:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 2524205,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books for soon to be Software Engineers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2524502",
          "commentText": "Peopleware by Demarco and Lister is one of my all-time favorites. The Pragmatic Programmer is also great.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Pragmatic Programmer is also great.",
          "reason": "Describes it as great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2524258,
          "author": "swanson",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-07T18:31:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 2524205,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books for soon to be Software Engineers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2524258",
          "commentText": "I read these two books in the first few months at my job with a book club that included the other new hires and a good mix of more experienced developers.\n  * The Pragmatic Programmer [1]\n  * Apprenticeship Patterns [2]\n\nI would highly recommend both.\n[1] http://swanson.github.com/writeup/2010/10/25/pragmatic-progr... (http://swanson.github.com/writeup/2010/10/25/pragmatic-programmer.html)\n[2] http://swanson.github.com/writeup/2010/10/26/apprenticeship-... (http://swanson.github.com/writeup/2010/10/26/apprenticeship-patterns.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would highly recommend both.",
          "reason": "The commenter highly recommends it.",
          "audience": "New software engineers transitioning from school to industry.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew Hunt; David Thomas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-princeton-companion-to-applied-mathematics-36f851",
      "title": "The Princeton Companion to Applied Mathematics",
      "author": "Nicholas J. Higham and Mark R. Dennis, editors",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21347553,
          "author": "thanatropism",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T18:23:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21347553",
          "commentText": "The Princeton Companions to Mathematics and Applied Mathematics are beautiful to leaf through at the library. They're also hardcore heavy-weight (physically) and unlikely to be read twice, so don't buy them.\nMy personal take is that good linear algebra books at any level are great \"tours of mathematics\". Start with Strang and never stop. In a few years you'll be balled up with Kreyszig scribbling proof attempts in receipts, flaming unkempt hair and everyone around you will think you're weird but you'll be so, so happy.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Princeton Companions to Mathematics and Applied Mathematics are beautiful to leaf through at the library.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the volumes beautiful to browse at the library.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They are physically heavy and unlikely to be read twice; the commenter advises against buying them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21347320,
          "author": "anton_tarasenko",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T18:01:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21347320",
          "commentText": "In terms of depth and breadth, the Princeton companions get close to Feynman.[1][2]\nA more formal approach appears in handbooks.[3][4]\n[1] Gowers et al., The Princeton Companion to Mathematics. https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691118802/th... (https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691118802/the-princeton-companion-to-mathematics)\n[2] Higham and Dennis, The Princeton Companion to Applied Mathematics. https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691150390/th... (https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691150390/the-princeton-companion-to-applied-mathematics)\n[3] Zwillinger, CRC Standard Mathematical Tables and Formulae. https://www.crcpress.com/CRC-Standard-Mathematical-Tables-an... (https://www.crcpress.com/CRC-Standard-Mathematical-Tables-and-Formulas/Zwillinger/p/book/9781498777803)\n[4] Bronshtein, Handbook of Mathematics. https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783540721222",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Higham and Dennis, The Princeton Companion to Applied Mathematics.",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the companions that comes close to Feynman in depth and breadth.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nicholas J. Higham and Mark R. Dennis, editors"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "applied mathematics",
        "mathematics reference"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-princeton-companion-to-mathematics-0ce008",
      "title": "The Princeton Companion to Mathematics",
      "author": "Timothy Gowers et al.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 665247,
          "author": "chollida1",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T15:08:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665247",
          "commentText": "I've seen a few people recommend The Princeton Companion to Mathematics(PCM) http://press.princeton.edu/titles/8350\nI own this book and while I do agree it's a great book for getting a 10000 foot view about topics in mathematics it's not really a book one read to learn the math that the poster is asking for.\nI agree with another post here that said studying is doing problems and being able to do them again a week later without having to consult the text again.\nPCM isnt a good book for learning calculus, discrete math, probability or statistics( what the posters wants to learn) simply because it isn't designed to teach them.  There are no problems/solutions in the book to try.\nIf you really want one book then I'd recommend Concrete Mathamatics http://www.amazon.com/Concrete-Mathematics-Foundation-Comput... (http://www.amazon.com/Concrete-Mathematics-Foundation-Computer-Science/dp/0201558025/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245423997&sr=1-1)\nby Graham, Knuth and Patashnik.  It has relevant topics and problem sets that you can work through to see if you truly did learn anything when reading it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've seen a few people recommend The Princeton Companion to Mathematics",
          "reason": "Says others have recommended it, but explains it is not designed to teach the requested math topics.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an overview of mathematics.",
          "caveat": "Not suited to learning calculus, discrete math, probability, or statistics according to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 665209,
          "author": "dschobel",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T14:51:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665209",
          "commentText": "I'll third this recommendation. Fantastic text.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Princeton-Companion-Mathematics-Timoth... (http://www.amazon.com/Princeton-Companion-Mathematics-Timothy-Gowers/dp/0691118809/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245423077&sr=8-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'll third this recommendation.",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the recommendation of the book in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Timothy Gowers et al."
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematics reference"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-rails-way-26f4d4",
      "title": "The Rails Way",
      "author": "Obie Fernandez",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 781663,
          "author": "keeptrying",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-24T07:01:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 781079,
          "threadTitle": "Can you recommend some good RoR books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=781663",
          "commentText": "AWD (to start) + Rails Way (for the details)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rails Way (for the details)",
          "reason": "Recommends it for Rails details.",
          "audience": "People seeking more detailed Rails guidance.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 781101,
          "author": "thedevelopment",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-23T22:08:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 781079,
          "threadTitle": "Can you recommend some good RoR books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=781101",
          "commentText": "The Rails Way is pretty good.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Rails-Way-Addison-Wesley-Professional-... (http://www.amazon.com/Rails-Way-Addison-Wesley-Professional-Ruby/dp/0321445619)\nI've found the peepcode webcasts worth their weight in gold, but that's not a book =)\nAnd I found Design Patterns in Ruby pretty good for Ruby beginners\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Design-Patterns-Ruby-Addison-Wesley-Pr... (http://www.amazon.com/Design-Patterns-Ruby-Addison-Wesley-Professional/dp/0321490452/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251065278&sr=1-1)\nhttp://peepcode.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Rails Way is pretty good.",
          "reason": "Says it is pretty good in response to a request for Ruby on Rails book recommendations.",
          "audience": "Ruby on Rails readers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Obie Fernandez"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ruby on rails",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-rails-way-5e346c",
      "title": "The Rails Way",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 781328,
          "author": "larrywright",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-24T01:32:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 781079,
          "threadTitle": "Can you recommend some good RoR books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=781328",
          "commentText": "I'll second the votes for The Rails Way, it really is good. Another one to consider which I didn't see mentioned is an Apress book called \"Practical Rails Social Networking Sites\". It's slightly out of date, though anything written more than 6 months ago is. In spite of it's somewhat misleading title, it's a good introduction to building a site in Rails, and touches on most of the things you'd need to build any modern application. It serves as a good introduction to Rails IMO.\nOne other really good resource is The Rails Guides: http://guides.rubyonrails.org - they cover everything, and are very up to date. I use them regularly.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'll second the votes for The Rails Way, it really is good.",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds the recommendation and says it is good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 781131,
          "author": "petercooper",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-23T22:27:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 781079,
          "threadTitle": "Can you recommend some good RoR books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=781131",
          "commentText": "I own almost every Rails book in one format or another (I run a top Ruby blog so I get them to review) and... it depends what you're trying to do.\nThe Rails Way kicks ass once you already know Rails to a certain extent - it's definitely not a first book. It's a \"bible\" type book and is stuck somewhere back in Rails 2.1 land, I believe, but most of it still applies.\nAWDwR is reasonable and mostly up to date (focused at Rails 2.2, as far as I recall) and particularly suited for people who are totally new to Rails.\nMy recommendation for people who are new to both Ruby and Rails is Foundation Rails 2 by Eldon Alameda as it has a 30 page primer to Ruby included and spends a long time \"touring\" Rails. It also covers RSpec which, given you're Agile, might be of significant interest to you.\nBooks I'd steer away from either because they're out of date or just plain bad IMHO would be all of the Packt books and Beginning Rails from Apress (the latter, hopefully, will be brought up to date in a 2nd edition).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Rails Way kicks ass once you already know Rails to a certain extent - it's definitely not a first book.",
          "reason": "Strongly praises it for readers who already know some Rails.",
          "audience": "People with some Rails experience.",
          "caveat": "Not a first Rails book; reflects older Rails 2.1 material, though the commenter says most still applies.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ruby on rails"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-reader-446719",
      "title": "The Reader",
      "author": "Bernhard Schlink",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9675611,
          "author": "shervinafshar",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T17:48:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9675611",
          "commentText": "I watched the movie and find the narrative fascinating and have the book in my to-read list. Was the movie faithful to the book (in case you watched it as well)?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I watched the movie and find the narrative fascinating and have the book in my to-read list.",
          "reason": "Calls the narrative fascinating and says the book is on their to-read list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter's interest is based on the film; they have not read the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674188,
          "author": "slilo",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T11:21:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674188",
          "commentText": "The Reader (Der Vorleser)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Reader (Der Vorleser)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bernhard Schlink"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "german literature",
        "historical fiction",
        "postwar germany"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sales-acceleration-formula-1521b1",
      "title": "The Sales Acceleration Formula",
      "author": "Mark Roberge",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10233545,
          "author": "mbesto",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T14:30:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10233545",
          "commentText": "These are great books for starting off with the why and how of sales:\nDaniel Pink - To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others http://www.amazon.com/Sell-Human-Surprising-Moving-Others/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/Sell-Human-Surprising-Moving-Others/dp/1594631905/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8)\nDale Carnegie - How to Win Friends & Influence People http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/06... (http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0671027034/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1442499882&sr=1-1)\nAs you understand the macro details of sales, the more micro things (tactics, strategies, best practices) are probably best served by specific industry or specific aspects of sales. For example:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Behind-Cloud-Salesforce-com-Billion-Do... (http://www.amazon.com/Behind-Cloud-Salesforce-com-Billion-Dollar-Company-/dp/0470521163/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442500049&sr=8-1)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Sales-Acceleration-Formula-Technology-... (http://www.amazon.com/Sales-Acceleration-Formula-Technology-Inbound/dp/1119047072/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1442500089&sr=8-2)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Predictable-Revenue-Business-Practices... (http://www.amazon.com/Predictable-Revenue-Business-Practices-Salesforce-com/dp/0984380213/ref=pd_sim_14_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=08BC3RAFN4RSZDNWQJ9Q&dpID=51mYrIgNB6L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR104%2C160_)\nI also really like Jason Lemkin and his SaaStr blog: http://www.saastr.com/ Loads of SaaS sales practices on there.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "http://www.amazon.com/Sales-Acceleration-Formula-Technology-...",
          "reason": "Listed as an example of a book for learning specific sales tactics and practices.",
          "audience": "People seeking industry-specific sales advice.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10233506,
          "author": "austenallred",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T14:25:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10233506",
          "commentText": "\"Sales\" is very broad.\nMy favorite book about the act of selling (i.e. pitching) is \"Pitch Anything\" - http://www.amazon.com/Pitch-Anything-Innovative-Presenting-P... (http://www.amazon.com/Pitch-Anything-Innovative-Presenting-Persuading/dp/0071752854/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442499872&sr=8-1&keywords=pitch+anything)\nIf you're looking for an overall sales primer/bible, your best bet is probably The Sales Acceleration Formula http://www.amazon.com/Sales-Acceleration-Formula-Technology-... (http://www.amazon.com/Sales-Acceleration-Formula-Technology-Inbound/dp/1119047072/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1442499928&sr=1-1&keywords=sales+acceleration+formula)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "your best bet is probably The Sales Acceleration Formula",
          "reason": "Recommends it as an overall sales primer.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for an overall sales primer.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is probably the best bet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Roberge"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sales management",
        "sales",
        "technology startups"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sense-of-style-the-thinking-person-s-guide-to-writing-in-the--52d2f6",
      "title": "The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21st Century",
      "author": "Steven Pinker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32343961,
          "author": "neves",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-04T15:11:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32343961",
          "commentText": "I liked the approach of Pinker's book \"A Sense of Style\": https://stevenpinker.com/publications/sense-style-thinking-p... (https://stevenpinker.com/publications/sense-style-thinking-persons-guide-writing-21st-century)\nHe gives writing tips based in how the mind works. Instead of a bunch of rigid rules, you can understand it based in cognitive theory.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I liked the approach of Pinker's book \"A Sense of Style\"",
          "reason": "Likes its approach, which explains writing tips through cognitive theory rather than rigid rules.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32343125,
          "author": "fabiom",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-04T14:09:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32343125",
          "commentText": "Though not specifically targeted for developers, I recommend Steven Pinker's The Sense of Style.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sense_of_Style",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I recommend Steven Pinker's The Sense of Style.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a resource for writing.",
          "audience": "People seeking help with technical writing.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not specifically targeted for developers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Pinker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognitive theory",
        "prose style",
        "usage and grammar",
        "writing style"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-shadow-of-the-torturer-107e36",
      "title": "The Shadow of the Torturer",
      "author": "Gene Wolfe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42510312,
          "author": "baggy_trough",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T18:34:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42510312",
          "commentText": "Shadow of the Torturer is wonderful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shadow of the Torturer is wonderful.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42508806,
          "author": "dartos",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T14:01:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42508806",
          "commentText": "Shadow of the torturer by Gene Wolf\nAnd\nSeveral play throughs of Caves of Qud.\nBeen on a weird sci fi kick this year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shadow of the torturer by Gene Wolf",
          "reason": "Named as the standout read of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14747071,
          "author": "Finnucane",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T19:10:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14747071",
          "commentText": "The conceit is that the narrator has an eidetic memory, or at least claims to. And at the same time, it is apparent that he is not always a reliable or honest narrator, not does he always fully understand what is going on in front of him. The narrator is also being manipulated by alien powers beyond his control. The relationships of the characters are weird and complicated. And it is true--Wolfe deliberately constructed the books so that rereading them would make these connections apparent in different ways. (I should say that Shadow of the Torturer was published when I was 17, and  over the next decade I must have gone through the series four or five times, even taking up a correspondence with Gene, who was actually pretty good about answering questions).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Shadow of the Torturer was published when I was 17",
          "reason": "Mentions when the first book was published and describes rereading the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gene Wolfe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dying earth",
        "book of the new sun",
        "philosophical science fiction",
        "unreliable narrator"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-shape-of-space-how-to-visualize-surfaces-and-three-dimensiona-e2b977",
      "title": "The Shape of Space: How to Visualize Surfaces and Three-Dimensional Manifolds",
      "author": "Jeffrey R. Weeks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8112797,
          "author": "wetmore",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-31T07:00:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8112797",
          "commentText": "Shape of Space is a really neat book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shape of Space is a really neat book.",
          "reason": "Explicitly calls it a really neat book, affirming the parent's positive assessment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109508,
          "author": "xrange",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T17:11:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109508",
          "commentText": "The Shape of Space: How to Visualize Surfaces and Three-Dimensional Manifolds by Jeffrey R. Weeks\n...this one has been a good read so far, but it is quite mind bending, I only read like a half chapter at a time slowly, and then I have to spend some time contemplating.\nCupid's Poisoned Arrow: From Habit to Harmony in Sexual Relationships by Marnia Robinson\n...I just finished this one, and it has quite the interesting premise, and 300+ footnotes and references to scientific research, but I don't quite know if I'll be trying it out.  The testimonials don't comport with my experiences, but they are somehow compelling.  It is worth a read if you are looking for something different, and it definitely has some challenging thoughts to ponder.  The main theory is that there is mammalian programming in your brain that releases oxytocin to make you feel good when you touch someone or engage in other bonding behavior.  And there is a contrary effect that after orgasm your dopamine levels drop which causes people to get bored with their current partner and seek novel partners (to spread their gene further).  The recommendation is to engage in intercourse, but avoid orgasm.  And that it takes 2-3 weeks of avoiding orgasm to reset the neurochemistry in your brain, so that you get the blissful effects of oxytocin, without the dopamine depletion of orgasm.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "this one has been a good read so far, but it is quite mind bending, I only read like a half chapter at a time slowly",
          "reason": "The commenter says it has been a good read so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as mind-bending and best read slowly.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeffrey R. Weeks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "topology",
        "manifolds",
        "three dimensional manifolds"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-specialist-ff7bd8",
      "title": "The Specialist",
      "author": "Charles Sale",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39076107,
          "author": "rmk",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-21T06:19:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39076107",
          "commentText": "That was a great read! Thank you for posting this gem.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "That was a great read! Thank you for posting this gem.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the linked story as a great read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39061958,
          "author": "rjrodger",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T22:08:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39061958",
          "commentText": "You did say philosophy of engineering, right?\nLook no further than “The Specialist” by Charles Sale\n“YOU'VE heard a lot of pratin' and prattlin' about this bein' the age of specialization. I'm a carpenter by trade. At one time I could of built a house, barn, church, or chicken coop. But I seen the need of a specialist in my line, so I studied her. I got her, she's mine. Gentlemen, you are face to face with the champion privybuilder of Sangamon County.”\nSometimes the best books are also the shortest.\nhttps://www.toiletrevolution.com/wp-content/uploads/The-Spec... (https://www.toiletrevolution.com/wp-content/uploads/The-Specialist-by-Charles-Sale.pdf)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Look no further than “The Specialist” by Charles Sale",
          "reason": "Recommended as a short book on the philosophy of engineering.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in philosophy of engineering.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it is very short.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Sale"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "specialization",
        "craftsmanship",
        "satire",
        "short story"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-story-of-my-experiments-with-truth-61272b",
      "title": "The Story of My Experiments with Truth",
      "author": "Mahatma Gandhi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1866168,
          "author": "jaspalsawhney",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T19:39:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1866168",
          "commentText": "Finishing My Experiments with Truth - Mahatma Gandhi",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Finishing My Experiments with Truth - Mahatma Gandhi",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 202983,
          "author": "gaika",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T04:40:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=202983",
          "commentText": "Not just philosophical, very practical.\nPG's \"lies we tell kids\" is just scratching the problem that Gandhi dedicated his whole life: can you live in a society and always tell the truth and only truth?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Not just philosophical, very practical.",
          "reason": "Continues the discussion of Gandhi's autobiography, describing its focus as practical.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 202923,
          "author": "visakhcr",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T03:18:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=202923",
          "commentText": "If you want to go philosophical, read Gandhi's My Expirements with Truth.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "read Gandhi's My Expirements with Truth.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a philosophical biography in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a philosophical biography.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mahatma Gandhi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "autobiography",
        "gandhi",
        "indian independence",
        "truthfulness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-story-of-your-life-30bb7f",
      "title": "The Story of Your Life",
      "author": "Ted Chiang",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17536597,
          "author": "orev",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:24:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536597",
          "commentText": "The Story of Your Life was really remarkable. A collection of short stories, only one of which Arrival was based on. The others are equally intriguing and unique.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Story of Your Life was really remarkable.",
          "reason": "Explicitly praises the title as remarkable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17536533,
          "author": "physicsyogi",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:12:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536533",
          "commentText": "Cryptonomicon and Snow Crash were great. Others you might:\n- The Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang (superb short story that Arrival was based on)\n- The Three Body-Problem (Cixin Liu)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Parable of the Sower (Octavia Butler)\n- Lucifer's Hammer (Larry Niven)\n- The Kundalini Equation (Steven Barnes)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang (superb short story that Arrival was based on)",
          "reason": "Calls the story superb and suggests it to the reader.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A short story, not a book-length work.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ted Chiang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "linguistics",
        "first contact",
        "time perception"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-texbook-ccbc1a",
      "title": "The TeXbook",
      "author": "Donald E. Knuth",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30486670,
          "author": "cpach",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T09:23:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486670",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed reading The TeXbook. I found it very approachable.\nHere’s a link for the curious: https://www.worldcat.org/title/texbook-describes-tex-version... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/texbook-describes-tex-version-30/oclc/826569026)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed reading The TeXbook. I found it very approachable.",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed it and found it approachable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30486370,
          "author": "arisbe__",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T08:14:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486370",
          "commentText": "What initially turned me into a curious person were Surely You Are Joking Mr Feynman & Godel, Escher, Bach. Then Book of Proof & Forallx: an introduction to formal logic helped me develop an interest in mathematics. But what was really a kind of aesthetic crack was The UNIX Programming Environment and The TeXbook.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "But what was really a kind of aesthetic crack was The UNIX Programming Environment and The TeXbook.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it had a strong effect on them, describing it as an “aesthetic crack.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donald E. Knuth"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "tex",
        "typesetting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-technological-society-14cf24",
      "title": "The Technological Society",
      "author": "Jacques Ellul",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33383627,
          "author": "A4ET8a8uTh0",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T12:54:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33383627",
          "commentText": "Hmm. This year wasn't that great for me book-wise, but there were some decent contenders:\n- Ellul's - Technological Society - picked up on HN recommendation and I will admit it is interesting and worthwhile.\n- Cal Newport - Digital Minimalism - Hard to implement and certainly not a quick fix, but the author is onto something here.\nFiction:\nI am re-reading Witcher the series. It is still one of the few books, where it is worth to learn the author's language to read the original ( even though translation is also very good ). I forgot how good it is.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ellul's - Technological Society",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is interesting and worthwhile after an HN recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33383080,
          "author": "pjbeam",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T11:28:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33383080",
          "commentText": "Ellul is a mid-century French academic and it shows. That said once I got used to the writing I found it reasonable to get through.\nThe ideas are very interesting, strong second recommendation for Technological Society.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "strong second recommendation for Technological Society.",
          "reason": "Strongly seconds the recommendation after discussing the book’s challenging writing and interesting ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter had to get used to the writing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18745659,
          "author": "DyslexicAtheist",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T12:06:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18745659",
          "commentText": "my reading has taken a dark turn this year. I blame it on Thomas Ligotti (first book on my list)  ;)\n- The Conspiracy Against the Human Race (Thomas Ligotti) ... fun fact: S01 of 'True Detectives' has ripped part of the dialogue straight from this book without giving credit\n- The Trouble with being born (Emil Cioran)\n- The Industrial Society and its Future (Ted Kaczynski)\n- The Technological Society (Jaques Ellul)\n- Propaganda (Jaques Ellul)\n- McMafia - A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld (Misha Glenny)\n- The Doors Of Perception (Aldous Huxley)\n- The Manipulation of Human Behavior (Albert D. Biderman)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Technological Society (Jaques Ellul)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Included in the commenter’s reading list.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jacques Ellul"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "technology and society",
        "technological determinism",
        "technology critique"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-theory-of-the-leisure-class-eb48be",
      "title": "The Theory of the Leisure Class",
      "author": "Thorstein Veblen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18477118,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2018-11-17T20:09:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 18473561,
          "threadTitle": "Best book/paper you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18477118",
          "commentText": "I loved that too! Apparently there was Veblen craze in the US when that came out, Veblen societies everywhere. Here's a bit I liked:\n...the cheap, and therefore indecorous, articles of daily consumption in modern industrial communities are commonly machine products; and the generic feature of the physiognomy of machine-made goods as compared with the hand-wrought article is their greater perfection in workmanship and greater accuracy in the detail execution of the design. Hence it comes about that the visible imperfections of the hand-wrought goods, being honorific, are accounted marks of superiority in point of beauty, or serviceability, or both. Hence has arisen that exaltation of the defective, of which John Ruskin and William Morris were such eager spokesmen in their time; and on this ground their propaganda of crudity and wasted effort has been taken up and carried forward since their time. And hence also the propaganda for a return to handicraft and household industry. So much of the work and speculations of this group of men as fairly comes under the characterisation here given would have been impossible at a time when the visibly more perfect goods were not the cheaper. - p162",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved that too!",
          "reason": "Affirms the parent commenter's positive view of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18476768,
          "author": "olcor",
          "createdAt": "2018-11-17T18:43:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 18473561,
          "threadTitle": "Best book/paper you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18476768",
          "commentText": "Thorstein Veblen's \"The Theory of the Leisure Class\" (1899). The book was difficult to read for me since the language is very archaic, but it pretty much explained a lot about how class and community is structured.\nAs an introvert and a social recluse, this book is a goldmine; it eased a lot of confusions in my head about how society and class structures work, and taught me to better avoid the pitfalls of consumerism and peer pressure.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "this book is a goldmine; it eased a lot of confusions in my head about how society and class structures work",
          "reason": "Calls it a goldmine that clarified class and society and helped them avoid consumerism and peer pressure.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in class, society, consumerism, and peer pressure.",
          "caveat": "The commenter found its archaic language difficult.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thorstein Veblen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "conspicuous consumption",
        "social class"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-time-ships-79aeed",
      "title": "The Time Ships",
      "author": "Stephen Baxter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9065797,
          "author": "jacobroufa",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-17T23:06:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9065797",
          "commentText": "I'm currently working my way through Stephen Baxter's Manifold trilogy. His writing is incredibly insightful and psychedelic. I'd also suggest the Time Ships (only authorized Time Machine sequel) and anything from the Xeelee universe. Maybe start with Vacuum Diagrams?\nDavid Brin's Uplift series is brilliantly written, and personifies non-human characters wonderfully.\nHeinlein has been a favorite of mine since I was a kid, and his writing always makes me giddy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd also suggest the Time Ships",
          "reason": "Suggested as a science fiction read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as the only authorized sequel to The Time Machine.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9058397,
          "author": "mojotoad",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T18:40:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9058397",
          "commentText": "On that note, I highly recommend The Time Ships, by Stephen Baxter. He picks up where The Time Machine leaves off and takes the story into some amazing directions.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend The Time Ships, by Stephen Baxter.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Continues the story of The Time Machine.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Baxter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "time travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-vision-of-the-anointed-self-congratulation-as-a-basis-for-soc-9234e5",
      "title": "The Vision of the Anointed: Self-Congratulation as a Basis for Social Policy",
      "author": "Thomas Sowell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23870087,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-17T13:12:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23870087",
          "commentText": "Thanks for that. I wasn't familiar with that work, despite being a big fan of Sowell. I'm definitely adding that to my reading list.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm definitely adding that to my reading list.",
          "reason": "Accepts the parent’s book recommendation and says they will read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23864187,
          "author": "esja",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T21:48:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23864187",
          "commentText": "Anyone who enjoys Sowell's perspective and is interested in (and irritated by) modern politics should also take a look at \"The Vision of the Anointed: Self-Congratulation as a Basis for Social Policy\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "take a look at \"The Vision of the Anointed: Self-Congratulation as a Basis for Social Policy\"",
          "reason": "Suggests it to readers interested in Sowell’s perspective and irritated by modern politics.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Sowell’s perspective and modern politics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Sowell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political ideology",
        "public policy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-visual-display-of-quantitative-information-5674ee",
      "title": "The Visual Display of Quantitative Information",
      "author": "Edward Tufte",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12711673,
          "author": "Normal_gaussian",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-14T22:49:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12711673",
          "commentText": "Sure.\nThe book,  and Tufte,  focuses on effectively displaying quantitative information.  He takes a relatively hard line about it and I have found it one of the most useful texts for helping me take \"some truth the system knows\" to \"some truth the user knows\".\nOf course you have to take it with a few pinches of salt.\nFirstly it is largely his opinion.  Studies into this area are rather good on the general points however the fine detail is incredibly hard to study accurately.\nSecondly you may not actually want to make a UI that conveys the \"truth it knows\" above all else.  Often you want to convince the user that the UI is good at conveying information (which is not the same thing) or that it is very easy to use (which is again,  not the same thing).\nI heartily recommend this book because it teaches one very hard thing very well.  You just have to understand that you do not always want to do this thing (yet you now have a way to start to understand the trade-offs you are making).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I heartily recommend this book because it teaches one very hard thing very well.",
          "reason": "Heartily recommended for teaching effective presentation of information, with trade-offs to keep in mind.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the book takes a hard line and that its approach is not always desirable.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12711667,
          "author": "combatentropy",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-14T22:48:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12711667",
          "commentText": "The book gets high marks for its own design (https://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/books_vdqi).\nI also enjoyed his one-day course: https://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/courses ($420, includes four books).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The book gets high marks for its own design",
          "reason": "Responds to discussion of Tufte's book, noting praise for the book's design.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12711578,
          "author": "peller",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-14T22:26:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12711578",
          "commentText": "One of Tufte's main themes was, I thought, that only information that directly conveys meaning should be included, and everything else should be thrown out. Where everything else, in the context of UI design, would probably be excess styling. On the other hand, I forget where I read it but we know that people are biased into finding more attractive interfaces more usable, even if a \"usability expert\" might disagree. So personally, I find Tufte's title fitting - he really is talking about effectively displaying quantitative information.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Tufte's title fitting - he really is talking about effectively displaying quantitative information.",
          "reason": "Discusses the title's fit with Tufte's focus on presenting quantitative information.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12711221,
          "author": "ryanSrich",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-14T21:28:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12711221",
          "commentText": "Here's a list of all design books that I give to new hires:\nBranded Interactions: Creating the Digital Experience - (https://www.amazon.com/Branded-Interactions-Creating-Digital... (https://www.amazon.com/Branded-Interactions-Creating-Digital-Experience/dp/0500518173))\nThe Visual Display of Quantitative Information - https://www.amazon.com/Visual-Display-Quantitative-Informati... (https://www.amazon.com/Visual-Display-Quantitative-Information/dp/0961392142/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480332&sr=1-1&keywords=Edward+Tufte)\nUniversal Principles of Design - https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Principles-Design-Revised-U... (https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Principles-Design-Revised-Updated/dp/1592535879/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480359&sr=1-1&keywords=universal+principles+of+design)\nThe Interface: IBM and the Transformation of Corporate Design, 1945-1976 - https://www.amazon.com/Interface-Transformation-Corporate-19... (https://www.amazon.com/Interface-Transformation-Corporate-1945-1976-Quadrant/dp/0816670390/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480388&sr=1-1&keywords=the+interface+ibm)\nMultiple Signatures: On Designers, Authors, Readers and Users - https://www.amazon.com/Multiple-Signatures-Designers-Authors... (https://www.amazon.com/Multiple-Signatures-Designers-Authors-Readers/dp/0847839737/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480427&sr=1-1&keywords=Multiple+Signatures)\nChange by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation - https://www.amazon.com/Change-Design-Transforms-Organization... (https://www.amazon.com/Change-Design-Transforms-Organizations-Innovation/dp/0061766089/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480449&sr=1-1&keywords=Change+by+design)\nThoughts on Design - https://www.amazon.com/Thoughts-Design-Paul-Rand/dp/08118754... (https://www.amazon.com/Thoughts-Design-Paul-Rand/dp/081187544X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480478&sr=1-1&keywords=Thoughts+on+design)\nNotes on the Synthesis of Form - https://www.amazon.com/Notes-Synthesis-Form-Harvard-Paperbac... (https://www.amazon.com/Notes-Synthesis-Form-Harvard-Paperbacks/dp/0674627512/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480495&sr=1-1&keywords=notes+on+the+synthesis+of+form)\n..and a list of ones I'm considering adding:\nUnflattening - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0674744438/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0674744438/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\nCreative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All  - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/038534936X/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/038534936X/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\nThe Design Method - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321928849/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321928849/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\nProduct Design for the Web: Principles of Designing and Releasing Web Products- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321929039/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321929039/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Here's a list of all design books that I give to new hires:",
          "reason": "Included in a design book list given to new hires.",
          "audience": "New hires.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12711140,
          "author": "Normal_gaussian",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-14T21:16:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12711140",
          "commentText": "The Visual Display of Quantitative Information - Edward Tufte\nAll UI's are graphs at their heart",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Visual Display of Quantitative Information - Edward Tufte",
          "reason": "Lists the book in response to a request for design books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward Tufte"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data visualization",
        "information design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-wall-street-journal-guide-to-information-graphics-the-dos-and-0666ea",
      "title": "The Wall Street Journal Guide to Information Graphics: The Dos and Don'ts of Presenting Data, Facts, and Figures",
      "author": "Dona M. Wong",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1265287,
          "author": "Flemlord",
          "createdAt": "2010-04-14T16:17:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 1265091,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good books on graphing/charting/visualization?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1265287",
          "commentText": "I do a lot of charting for financial services software. The best practical book that I've found is The Wall Street Journal Guide to Information Graphics: The Dos and Don'ts of Presenting Data, Facts, and Figures. Simple but practical guidelines for displaying pie/line/area graphs.\nBut for your situation, check out some of these sites which focus on more complicated graphing techniques:\nhttp://www.perceptualedge.com/examples.php\nhttp://blogof.francescomugnai.com/2009/04/50-great-examples-... (http://blogof.francescomugnai.com/2009/04/50-great-examples-of-infographics/)\nhttp://interface.fh-potsdam.de/infodesignpatterns/news.php\nhttp://patternbrowser.org/\nhttp://webdesignledger.com/inspiration/15-stunning-examples-... (http://webdesignledger.com/inspiration/15-stunning-examples-of-data-visualization)\nhttp://www.tableausoftware.com/public/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The best practical book that I've found is The Wall Street Journal Guide to Information Graphics: The Dos and Don'ts of Presenting Data, Facts, and Figures.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best practical book they've found for charting.",
          "audience": "People creating charts for financial services software.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1265219,
          "author": "wdewind",
          "createdAt": "2010-04-14T15:52:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 1265091,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good books on graphing/charting/visualization?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1265219",
          "commentText": "Tufte is great, but he's extremely heavy and a bit dated.  He is about 80% brilliant 20% completely missing the point.  It's very strange.\nIf you are looking for a smaller book I've found the WSJ Guide to Information Graphics by Dona Wong to be pretty decent and pretty straight forward, and it's about 100 pages.  It's not too focused on finance either, although that's what I got it for (I do front end development for financial analysis company - lots of charting).\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Street-Journal-Guide-Information-Graph... (http://www.amazon.com/Street-Journal-Guide-Information-Graphics/dp/0393072959)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've found the WSJ Guide to Information Graphics by Dona Wong to be pretty decent and pretty straight forward",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a shorter, straightforward guide.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a concise, practical guide to information graphics.",
          "caveat": "About 100 pages; not too focused on finance.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dona M. Wong"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data visualization",
        "information graphics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-woman-in-the-dunes-16255c",
      "title": "The Woman in the Dunes",
      "author": "Kobo Abe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14859912,
          "author": "thisisforyou",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:22:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859912",
          "commentText": "'The Woman in the Dunes' by Kobo Abe: Sometimes called the Japanese Kafka. Looks at a Japanese salaryman who is imprisoned in the bottom of a sand pit with a woman he does not know and is forced to remove the sand in order to protect a nearby village. Creepy and ripe for symbolic analysis.\nBefore that:\n'Kolyma: The Arctic Death Camps' by Robert Conquest. A nice, short overview of the Kolyma Region with a special focus on the especially brutal years of 1937-1938. Has some great eyewitness accounts as well as some semi-rigorous historical analysis (as well as appendices of camps, administrative regions at c.)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "'The Woman in the Dunes' by Kobo Abe: Sometimes called the Japanese Kafka. Looks at a Japanese salaryman who is imprisoned in the bottom of a sand pit with a woman he does not know and is forced to remove the sand in order to protect a nearby village. Creepy and ripe for symbolic analysis.",
          "reason": "Described as creepy and ripe for symbolic analysis.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569697,
          "author": "aik",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T00:56:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569697",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed The Woman in the Dunes as well.  Very well written, though it left me feeling a bit disturbed.\nAnother great novel (also Japanese) is Kokoro by Natsume Soseki.  It's not sci-fi and the plot isn't especially thick, however just like a lot of Japanese novels, the focus is on the character development, and it is done very very well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed The Woman in the Dunes as well. Very well written, though it left me feeling a bit disturbed.",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed the novel and praises its writing, while noting its disturbing effect.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It left the commenter feeling disturbed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569628,
          "author": "squidsoup",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T00:25:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569628",
          "commentText": "I think Haruki Murakami (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haruki_murakami) is one of the most interesting and weird contemporary novelists alive today. On a similar Japanese tip, also check out anything by Kobo Abe, particularly The Woman in the Dunes and The Box Man.\nIf you're into sci-fi, as inevitably a lot of hackers are, Jeff Noon's Vurt and Pollen are both brilliant.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "particularly The Woman in the Dunes and The Box Man.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a particularly worthwhile Kobo Abe novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kobo Abe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "japanese literature",
        "existential fiction",
        "symbolic fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-world-s-religions-a38252",
      "title": "The World's Religions",
      "author": "Huston Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36108130,
          "author": "chillycurve",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T21:49:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36108130",
          "commentText": "My recommendation, as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My recommendation, as well.",
          "reason": "Seconding the recommendation of the book named in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36104914,
          "author": "tauroid",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T15:32:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36104914",
          "commentText": "The World's Religions by Huston Smith",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The World's Religions by Huston Smith",
          "reason": "Named in response to a request for books about religions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Huston Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comparative religion",
        "religious traditions",
        "world religions"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "thinking-recursively-432942",
      "title": "Thinking Recursively",
      "author": "Eric Roberts",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14489483,
          "author": "jrapdx3",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T17:35:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14489483",
          "commentText": "Yes it's a classic and very well written.  When I read this more than 25 years ago it was a real eye-opener and made the workings of recursion clear to me.  Curiously acquiring an understanding of recursion in programming allows me to \"think recursively\" in regard to many other matters as well, so important for thinking \"outside the box\".\nI'd venture that besides recursion, the other key concepts in programming have been pointers and first-class functions. Getting a grasp on these 3 ideas has been essential to learning.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Yes it's a classic and very well written. When I read this more than 25 years ago it was a real eye-opener and made the workings of recursion clear to me.",
          "reason": "Calls it a classic and well written, and says it clarified recursion.",
          "audience": "Readers learning recursion in programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14488619,
          "author": "smcgraw",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T16:03:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14488619",
          "commentText": "\"Thinking Recursively\" by Eric Roberts. Completely changed the way I think about recursive programming and easy to pick up.\nhttps://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/books/ThinkingRecurs... (https://cs.stanford.edu/people/eroberts/books/ThinkingRecursively/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Thinking Recursively\" by Eric Roberts. Completely changed the way I think about recursive programming and easy to pick up.",
          "reason": "Says it changed how they think about recursive programming and is easy to pick up.",
          "audience": "Readers learning recursive programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Roberts"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming education",
        "recursion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "titanium-noir-00ab5f",
      "title": "Titanium Noir",
      "author": "Nick Harkaway",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37167381,
          "author": "kristianp",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T20:19:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37167381",
          "commentText": "Have you read Titanium Noir by Harkaway?  Mixture of S.F. and noir. Very engaging, I read most of it in one evening.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Have you read Titanium Noir by Harkaway? Mixture of S.F. and noir. Very engaging, I read most of it in one evening.",
          "reason": "Recommends the novel as engaging science fiction noir.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37160152,
          "author": "smcleod",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T11:46:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37160152",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed Titanium Noir by Nick Harkaway. (Future Crime Noir with a pinch of sci-fi/cyberpunk)\nhttps://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/710281/titanium-noi... (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/710281/titanium-noir-by-nick-harkaway/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed Titanium Noir by Nick Harkaway.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nick Harkaway"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "science fiction noir",
        "cyberpunk",
        "detective fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "to-engineer-is-human-b827ef",
      "title": "To Engineer Is Human",
      "author": "Henry Petroski",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39063658,
          "author": "yair99dd",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-20T01:20:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39063658",
          "commentText": "To engineer is human by Henry Petroski [1982]. \nThe short film of this is also great",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "To engineer is human by Henry Petroski [1982].",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39063276,
          "author": "__loam",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-20T00:21:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39063276",
          "commentText": "To Engineer is Human by Petroski. It's about engineering failures and responsibility.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "To Engineer is Human by Petroski. It's about engineering failures and responsibility.",
          "reason": "Describes the book as covering engineering failures and responsibility.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Henry Petroski"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "engineering failures",
        "engineering responsibility"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "to-engineer-is-human-the-role-of-failure-in-successful-design-6a676c",
      "title": "To Engineer Is Human: The Role of Failure in Successful Design",
      "author": "Henry Petroski",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39059054,
          "author": "kesavvaranasi",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T18:20:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39059054",
          "commentText": "For software engineering, I recommend A Philosophy of Software Design. It has principles that I think translate well to other engineering fields.\nFor engineering in general:\nTo Engineer is Human - Henry Petroski\nThe Art of Doing Science and Engineering - Richard Hamming\nStructures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down - J.E. Gordon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "To Engineer is Human - Henry Petroski",
          "reason": "Listed as a book about engineering in general.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in engineering broadly.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39057339,
          "author": "c6400sc",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T16:33:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39057339",
          "commentText": "Normal Accidents and To Engineer is Human are two popular and great books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "To Engineer is Human",
          "reason": "Called a popular and great book in response to a request for engineering philosophy recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the philosophy of engineering.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Henry Petroski"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Science",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "design safety",
        "engineering design",
        "engineering failure",
        "engineering failures"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "traders-guns-money-1a9952",
      "title": "Traders, Guns & Money",
      "author": "Satyajit Das",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12561912,
          "author": "crdoconnor",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T02:27:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12561912",
          "commentText": "Traders, Guns and Money - Satyajit Das\nDebunking Economics - Steve Keen\nThe Volatility Machine - Michael Pettis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Traders, Guns and Money - Satyajit Das",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for must-read economics and finance books.",
          "audience": "Someone learning about economics or finance.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12561908,
          "author": "n00b101",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T02:25:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12561908",
          "commentText": "Options, Futures, and Other Derivatives by John Hull\nPrinciples of Corporate Finance by Richard Brealey, Stewart Myers, Franklin Allen\nTraders, Guns and Money: Knowns and unknowns in the dazzling world of derivatives by Satyajit Das",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Traders, Guns and Money: Knowns and unknowns in the dazzling world of derivatives by Satyajit Das",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for must-read economics and finance books.",
          "audience": "Someone learning about finance.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Satyajit Das"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "derivatives",
        "financial markets"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "two-years-before-the-mast-555efe",
      "title": "Two Years Before the Mast",
      "author": "Richard Henry Dana Jr.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25320138,
          "author": "billfruit",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-06T01:34:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25320138",
          "commentText": "The Right Stuff - Test Pilots\nArrowsmith - Sinclair Lewis - Medical Profession\nMcTeague - Frank Norris - Dentistry\nTwo Years Behind the Mast - Dana - Sailor in thr Merchant Marine\nThe Red and the Black - Stendahl - Catholic Clergy\nThe Centurions - Jean Larteguy  - Infantry/Special Ops\nI always suggest reading fiction, it is a good source for lot of incidental knowledge about various aspects of life.\nCan anyone recommend books/novels on the English legal profession? Thanks.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Two Years Behind the Mast - Dana - Sailor in thr Merchant Marine",
          "reason": "Listed as fiction offering insight into life as a merchant sailor.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the Merchant Marine.",
          "caveat": "The title is given as “Two Years Behind the Mast” in the comment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25319676,
          "author": "cafard",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-06T00:10:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319676",
          "commentText": "Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana is about a way of life long gone, but it is well worth reading. As for the more recent merchant marine, Christopher Buckley's Steaming to Bamboola is very funny, and I suppose fairly accurate. For forest rangers, Norman Maclean's novella \"USFS 1919\", collected in A River Runs Through It, gives a picture of how it was then.\nAugust Fruge, longtime director of the University of California Press, wrote an excellent memoir, A Skeptic Among Scholars. There are many academic novels and memoirs, but I think very well of Alvin Kernan's In Plato's Cave. Also there is Herbert Simon's Models of My Life, which touches on academia and computing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana is about a way of life long gone, but it is well worth reading.",
          "reason": "Called well worth reading as an account of a vanished way of life.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in maritime life.",
          "caveat": "Describes a way of life long gone.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Henry Dana Jr."
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Biography",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sailing",
        "maritime history",
        "merchant marine"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "underground-59f8a2",
      "title": "Underground",
      "author": "Suelette Dreyfus",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 621512,
          "author": "brl",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-22T02:52:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621512",
          "commentText": "If you liked this, you should check out Underground by Suelette Dreyfus.  It's by far the best book about hackers ever written.\nEdit: Oops, already mentioned in this thread http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621273",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you should check out Underground by Suelette Dreyfus.  It's by far the best book about hackers ever written.",
          "reason": "Directly recommends it as the best book about hackers.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in hackers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 621273,
          "author": "keenerd",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-21T23:15:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621273",
          "commentText": "\"Underground\" by Susan Dreyfus\nIt is about the phreaking/BBS era, specifically the Australian scene.\nThe deadtree version is impossible to find, but the author has released it as an ebook.\nDownload here:  http://www.underground-book.net/download.php3",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Underground\" by Susan Dreyfus\nIt is about the phreaking/BBS era, specifically the Australian scene.",
          "reason": "Describes its subject and points readers to an ebook download.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The print edition is described as impossible to find.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Suelette Dreyfus"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "australian hacker history",
        "bbs",
        "computer history",
        "hacker culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "understanding-software-d4b2b9",
      "title": "Understanding Software",
      "author": "Max Kanat-Alexander",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28664103,
          "author": "peakaboo",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T19:58:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28664103",
          "commentText": "That looks like a great read. I feel tempted to buy it right away. So few books about this topic our there. Huge thanks for letting me know!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "That looks like a great read. I feel tempted to buy it right away.",
          "reason": "The commenter is tempted to buy the book mentioned in the parent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28662936,
          "author": "atsaloli",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T17:53:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28662936",
          "commentText": "Sounds like \"Understanding Software\" by Max Kanat-Alexander.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Software-Kanat-Alexande... (https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Software-Kanat-Alexander-simplicity-programmer-ebook/dp/B075V9S57B)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sounds like \"Understanding Software\" by Max Kanat-Alexander.",
          "reason": "Suggests it in response to a request for a book about writing simple programs.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking to write simpler programs and manage complexity.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Max Kanat-Alexander"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "simplicity",
        "software design",
        "software development",
        "software engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "understanding-the-apple-iie-f3bf80",
      "title": "Understanding the Apple IIe",
      "author": "Jim Sather",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46779775,
          "author": "joezydeco",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-27T13:40:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 46778461,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books to learn 6502 ASM and the Apple II",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46779775",
          "commentText": "Sather's book is the most comprehensive I've ever read. He even discusses the split screen vblank trick.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sather's book is the most comprehensive I've ever read.",
          "reason": "Describes Sather's book as the most comprehensive one they've read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46779025,
          "author": "ksherlock",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-27T12:20:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 46778461,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books to learn 6502 ASM and the Apple II",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46779025",
          "commentText": "For Apple-II specific info, consider\nThe Assembly Lines book -- https://archive.org/details/AssemblyLinesCompleteWagner\nUnderstanding the Apple IIe -- https://archive.org/details/understandingapp0000sath\nUnderstanding the Apple II -- https://archive.org/details/understanding_the_apple_ii",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Understanding the Apple IIe",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jim Sather"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "apple iie",
        "computer hardware"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "university-physics-a35c34",
      "title": "University Physics",
      "author": "Hugh D. Young and Roger A. Freedman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46478252,
          "author": "senorcrab",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-03T16:09:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 46473352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Expository/Succinct Books on Modern Physics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46478252",
          "commentText": "Freshman university textbooks have what you need. Two of the most popular are:\n- University Physics by Young and Freedman\n- Fundamentals of Physics by Halliday, Resnick, Walker\n- Modern Physics by Krane\nYou might guess that real physics is not actually in freshman textbooks, and you are right. Modern physics requires rigorous mathematics.\nFor a nonrigorous introduction/overview:\n- The Road to Reality by Roger Penrose\nIf you want to actually learn almost all of physics at a high level:\n- Course of Theoretical Physics by Landau\nNote that Landau is extremely difficult.\nIf you want to learn the math needed for modern physics (topology) in the context of physics, nonrigorously:\n- Geometry, Topology, and Physics by Nakahara",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "University Physics by Young and Freedman",
          "reason": "Listed among popular freshman university textbooks relevant to the request.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking introductory physics textbooks.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46478222,
          "author": "timthorn",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-03T16:07:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 46473352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Expository/Succinct Books on Modern Physics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46478222",
          "commentText": "Felder & Felder's Modern Physics is pretty good (https://www.cambridge.org/gb/universitypress/subjects/physic... (https://www.cambridge.org/gb/universitypress/subjects/physics/general-and-classical-physics/modern-physics)). I also second OgsyedIE's suggestion og Young & Freedman.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also second OgsyedIE's suggestion og Young & Freedman.",
          "reason": "Explicitly seconds Young and Freedman's suggestion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hugh D. Young",
        "Roger A. Freedman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "physics textbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "unruly-1ab17b",
      "title": "Unruly",
      "author": "David Mitchell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42508428,
          "author": "wrboyce",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T12:11:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42508428",
          "commentText": "Unruly would make my list too, thoroughly enjoyable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Unruly would make my list too, thoroughly enjoyable.",
          "reason": "Adds it to their own list and calls it thoroughly enjoyable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42508401,
          "author": "KaiserPro",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T12:06:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42508401",
          "commentText": "Fun books:\no the follet valley mysteries by Ian Moore. (Fun crime procedural, with the protagonist being a rather ineffectual unemployed film studies lecturer in france , and a cast of domineering supporting actors)\no Uruly by David Mitchell (A \"rollock\" through early english monarchy, pointing out the luck, or lack of it, of all the kings and queens)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Uruly by David Mitchell (A \"rollock\" through early english monarchy",
          "reason": "Lists it as a fun book and describes its historical subject.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Mitchell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "english monarchy",
        "popular history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "unruly-the-ridiculous-history-of-england-s-kings-and-queens-9edb69",
      "title": "Unruly: The Ridiculous History of England's Kings and Queens",
      "author": "David Mitchell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42508363,
          "author": "KaiserPro",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T11:54:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42508363",
          "commentText": "I did very much enjoy this. Its a fun book, and an even funner-er-er audiobook",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I did very much enjoy this. Its a fun book, and an even funner-er-er audiobook",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed the book and audiobook and found it fun.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42508360,
          "author": "emehex",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T11:53:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42508360",
          "commentText": "Unruly: The Ridiculous History of England's Kings and Queens",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Unruly: The Ridiculous History of England's Kings and Queens",
          "reason": "Names it as a standout read in response to the question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Mitchell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "british monarchy",
        "popular history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "uplift-series-33687a",
      "title": "Uplift series",
      "author": "David Brin",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9065797,
          "author": "jacobroufa",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-17T23:06:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9065797",
          "commentText": "I'm currently working my way through Stephen Baxter's Manifold trilogy. His writing is incredibly insightful and psychedelic. I'd also suggest the Time Ships (only authorized Time Machine sequel) and anything from the Xeelee universe. Maybe start with Vacuum Diagrams?\nDavid Brin's Uplift series is brilliantly written, and personifies non-human characters wonderfully.\nHeinlein has been a favorite of mine since I was a kid, and his writing always makes me giddy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "David Brin's Uplift series is brilliantly written, and personifies non-human characters wonderfully.",
          "reason": "Praises the writing and characterization.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056639,
          "author": "Bzomak",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:47:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056639",
          "commentText": "Some which I have re-read recently and still enjoyed:\n  William Gibson's Sprawl trilogy\n\n  Frank Herbert's Dune series\n\n  Isaac Asimov's Foundation series\n\n  Frederik Pohl's \"Gateway\"\n\n  Robert Heinlein's \"The Moon is a harsh Mistress\"\n\nSome which I remember liking when I read them many years ago as a teenager:\n  E.E. Doc Smith's Lensman series\n\n  David Brin's Uplift series\n\n  Peter F. Hamilton's Greg Mandel trilogy and The Night's \nDawn trilogy\n  Orson Scott Card's \"Ender's Game\"\n\n  George R. Dickson's \"Dorsai!\"",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "David Brin's Uplift series",
          "reason": "The commenter remembers liking it as a teenager.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Their recollection is from many years ago.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Brin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "uplift",
        "alien characters",
        "first contact"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "valuable-humans-in-transit-and-other-stories-4a246a",
      "title": "Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories",
      "author": "qntm",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46161500,
          "author": "ashtavakra",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-05T14:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46161500",
          "commentText": "I consolidated the comments for my reference later. Someone else might also find it useful:\n# Fiction Books Recommended for Programmers (HN Thread 46128404)\n## Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- *Children of Time* — Science Fiction (Evolution, Space Opera)  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)\n## Rick Cook — Wizardry Series\n- *Wizard’s Bane* — Fantasy, Programming/Magic Mashup  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112616.Wizard_s_Bane\n- *Wizardry Series (overview)*  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\n## James P. Hogan\n- *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/743568.Inherit_the_Stars\n- *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifem... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifemaker)\n- *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_Tomorrow)\n## D. F. Jones — Colossus Trilogy\n- *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806105.Colossus\n- *The Fall of Colossus* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colos... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colossus)\n- *Colossus and the Crab* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_Crab)\n## Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner)\n- *A Logic Named Joe* — Golden-Age Sci-Fi, AI Precursor  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-j... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-joe)\n## David Gerrold\n- *When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One* — AI, Classic Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_Was_One)\n## William Gibson / Bruce Sterling\n- *Neuromancer* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer\n- *The Difference Engine* — Steampunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Eng... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Engine)\n## Neal Stephenson\n- *Snow Crash* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash\n- *Cryptonomicon* — Techno-thriller, Cyber-history  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/816.Cryptonomicon\n- *Anathem* — Philosophical Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2845024-anathem\n- *The Diamond Age* — Nanopunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827.The_Diamond_Age\n## Fred Saberhagen\n- *Octagon* — AI, Techno-thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1891958.Octagon\n## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga\n- *Series Overview* — Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/40946-vorkosigan-saga\n## Richard Powers\n- *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45104.Galatea_2_2\n## Scott Meyer\n- *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-wizard)\n## Daniel Suarez\n- *Daemon* — Cyber-thriller, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665844-daemon\n## Thomas J. Ryan\n- *The Adolescence of P-1* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_o... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_of_P_1)\n## Ernest Cline\n- *Ready Player One* — Sci-Fi, Gaming, Pop-Culture Adventure  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one\n## Dennis E. Taylor\n- *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)* — Humorous Sci-Fi, AI, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-we-are-bob)\n## Ted Chiang\n- *Stories of Your Life and Others* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\n- *Exhalation* — Speculative Fiction, Philosophy, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation\n- *The Lifecycle of Software Objects* — AI, Digital Consciousness  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of-software-objects)\n## Charles Stross\n- *Laundry Files Series* — Math-based Magic, Techno-Fantasy  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files\n## Ken Liu\n- *The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menag... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories)\n- *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, AI, VR  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl-and-other-stories)\n## Ellen Ullman\n- *The Bug* — Tech Industry Literary Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/703.The_Bug\n## Cory Doctorow\n- *Radicalized* — Techno-sociopolitical Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40604122-radicalized\n## qntm (Sam Hughes)\n- *Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans-in-transit-and-other-stories)\n## Roger Williams\n- *The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect* — AI, Post-Singularity SF  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)\n## Greg Bear\n- *Eon* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/924843.Eon\n## Vernor Vinge\n- *A Deepness in the Sky* — Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the_Sky)\n## Terry Pratchett\n- *Going Postal* — Comic Fantasy, Satire of Bureaucracy & Tech  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64222.Going_Postal\n## Bruce Bethke\n- *Headcrash* — Cyber-satire  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213465.Headcrash\n## Mary Shelley\n- *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* — Classic Gothic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein\n## Douglas Adams\n- *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* — Comic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guid... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)\n## Jorge Luis Borges\n- *The Library of Babel* — Metaphysical Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-babel)\n## Greg Egan\n- *Permutation City* — Simulation Theory, Hard Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156784.Permutation_City\n## Cixin Liu\n- *The Three-Body Problem* — Hard Sci-Fi, First Contact  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- *Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, Computing Themes",
          "reason": "Lists the title in a compilation of fiction books recommended for programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46136691,
          "author": "agarv",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T16:46:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46136691",
          "commentText": "The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories and The Hidden Girl and Other Stories by Ken Liu\nThe Bug by Ellen Ullman\nRadicalized by Corey Doctrow\nValuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories by qntm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories by qntm",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "qntm"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories",
        "speculative fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "victory-city-be39f1",
      "title": "Victory City",
      "author": "Salman Rushdie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38560202,
          "author": "monkeypicks",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T18:52:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38560202",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\nVictory City- new Salman Rushdie book. Great retelling of the history of one of the great medieval South Indian kingdoms. Not his best, but his writing is still top notch.\nSea of Tranquility- speculative fiction from Emily St. John Mandel (of Station Eleven fame). It's a series of interconnected stories spanning centuries from the near past to the near future. Beautifully written. Read when I was down with COVID earlier this year and it invaded my dreams (in a good way). Short and easy read.\nGiovanni's Room- story of an American expat in Paris caught between his love for a man and his duty to his girlfriend. This is the first James Baldwin book I have read but will definitely check out more of his work in 2024.\nTheory of Bastards- speculative fiction by Audrey Schulmann. Literary sci-fi similar to Station Eleven. It's about a woman researching primate behavior set in the near future where the earth is ravaged by the effects of climate change. Very well researched, beautifully written and nothing like I have ever read before. This won the 2019 Philip K Dick Award.\nInvisible Cities- literary fiction by Italo Calvino. It's less than 200 pages but a very dense and tough read. It's a conversation between Marco Polo and Kublai Khan where MP is describing cities in KK's vast empire. It's a strange, strange book that I think I will return to often. If you liked the world building in Piranesi and want more, this is the book for you. Calvino describes 55 cities in under 200 pages, with each one feeling very different. Again, first Calvino book I have read and will definitely check out more of his works in 2024.\nNon-fiction:\nThinking in Systems: A Primer- by Donella Meadows. Read this based on HN's recommendation. Thank you!\nOn Intelligence- by Jeff Hawkins. This was on my shelf for years and am glad I got to read it this year. The creator of the Palm Pilot presents his theory of intelligence and how the brain works. It's compelling. I hope to read his follow up book in 2024. Would love HN's recommendations of similar books.\nA Primate's Memoir- by Robert M. Sapolsky. Enjoyable read of the author's research on Savannah baboons and his adventures in Africa. His love for primates and humans alike come through clearly.\nBuild: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making- by Tony Fadell. A great business book by the co-founder of Nest. Draws on his experience both as a startup founder and leading innovative teams at large tech companies (Apple, in his case). Just as any business book, this could have been shorter and less repetitive but thankfully, there is enough good material here to be a book rather than a blog post.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Great retelling of the history of one of the great medieval South Indian kingdoms.",
          "reason": "Praises it as a retelling of a medieval South Indian kingdom’s history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not Rushdie’s best.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38557198,
          "author": "velavar",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:09:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557198",
          "commentText": "This was the year I got my attention under enough control to be able to read voraciously again like I used to in my childhood :)\n* I'll always bring up The Three-body problem because I re-read it every year\n* Piranesi because of it's fantastical story-telling\n* The Covenant of Water - because it's a fantastic medical drama and a sweeping story spanning generations\n* Victory City - Salamn Rushdie's latest novel which is surprisingly readable\n* The Enchanted Forest/Kaikeyi/Palace of Illusions - because they cover the major Indian epics from the lens of the women characters (think Circe with an Indian background)\n* Trust - The same story told from different viewpoints with a setting in the early NY financial world, which makes it extra interesting\nI notice that I do tend to favour books with an Indian background because of my nostalgia for it as  I live in a foreign land. Maybe I'll branch out more next year!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Salamn Rushdie's latest novel which is surprisingly readable",
          "reason": "Described as surprisingly readable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Salman Rushdie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fantasy",
        "historical fiction",
        "literary fiction",
        "south india"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "visualizing-data-160318",
      "title": "Visualizing Data",
      "author": "Ben Fry",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1266040,
          "author": "physcab",
          "createdAt": "2010-04-14T20:20:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 1265091,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good books on graphing/charting/visualization?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1266040",
          "commentText": "Most of these (rather good) suggestions revolve around learning the theory of representing data.  But how does one practically accomplish these visualization tasks?\nI have been delving in this area for the past couple months, and even though I am still learning, I will give my practical suggestions to the programmer:\n1)  First accept that there is no silver bullet to data visualization.  You pick the tool that makes the most sense.  Sometimes you have to write a Java program, sometimes a Python program, and yes, even sometimes an Excel spreadsheet.  Don't be picky--just get it done.\n2)  Programmatically speaking, there are ways to represent truly massive terabyte datasets.\n- You can learn Processing (used by Ben Fry in Visualizing Data) which is based on Java and pretty simple to learn.  My caveat is that you can't run these scripts server-side, that is, it doesn't generate jpgs or pngs on demand due to headless mode constraints.\n- You can use Beautiful Soup in Python to easily modify XML data for SVG graphics.  Check out this: http://flowingdata.com/2009/11/12/how-to-make-a-us-county-th... (http://flowingdata.com/2009/11/12/how-to-make-a-us-county-thematic-map-using-free-tools/)\n- You can learn Java's image library (I haven't done this so I can't really give any advice, but this is what Processing simplifies I think)\n- You can use Excel to easily pump out bar/pie/line graphs\n- You can use the Google Chart API\n- You can use Flash.  Check out AmCharts for that Mint-y goodness.\n3)  Learn statistics. Browse the Netflix Prize forums.  Struggle with MatLab or R or Octave.  You need to learn how to efficiently handle large datasets in memory to better sift through the essential information you need.  For very very large sets that absolutely cannot be handled in memory, you'll want to check out Hadoop + MapReduce.  Check out Cloudera's distribution for Hadoop.  Handling data is every bit as important as visualizing it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "You can learn Processing (used by Ben Fry in Visualizing Data)",
          "reason": "Names the book as context for learning Processing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1265159,
          "author": "evgen",
          "createdAt": "2010-04-14T15:35:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 1265091,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good books on graphing/charting/visualization?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1265159",
          "commentText": "Visualizing Data is a good choice, but I would also suggest you note the recent string of critiques of content-free visualization on flowingdata and start out with Tufte if you are new to the field.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Visualizing Data is a good choice",
          "reason": "Calls it a good choice and also recommends starting with Tufte.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1265134,
          "author": "duck",
          "createdAt": "2010-04-14T15:25:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 1265091,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good books on graphing/charting/visualization?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1265134",
          "commentText": "I would check out Visualizing Data - http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596514556\nAlso, I enjoy this site http://flowingdata.com.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would check out Visualizing Data",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to a request for books on data visualization.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking practical data visualization guidance.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ben Fry"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data visualization",
        "processing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "waking-up-1e3b23",
      "title": "Waking Up",
      "author": "Sam Harris",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10766917,
          "author": "fasteo",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T13:00:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10766917",
          "commentText": ">>> then perhaps «Waking Up» by Sam Harris (a bit more obvious).\nBought it 1 hour ago. Great reading so far. Thanks for the pointer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bought it 1 hour ago. Great reading so far.",
          "reason": "Says the book is great reading so far after buying it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has only just started reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10766651,
          "author": "lamby",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T10:12:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10766651",
          "commentText": "Curious, although not altogether unsurprising, to find so few fiction books being mentioned. :)\nFor me, it would be a toss-up between James Clavell's «Shogun» (but I wouldn't really be able to explain how or why), and then perhaps «Waking Up» by Sam Harris (a bit more obvious).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "«Waking Up» by Sam Harris (a bit more obvious)",
          "reason": "Names it as a possible book that affected their thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter offers it as a tentative choice.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8723837,
          "author": "ausername_ohhai",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-09T16:54:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8723837",
          "commentText": "Waking Up by Sam Harris http://www.samharris.org/waking-up",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Waking Up by Sam Harris",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sam Harris"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "meditation",
        "consciousness",
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "weapons-of-math-destruction-ffc903",
      "title": "Weapons of Math Destruction",
      "author": "Cathy O'Neil",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665209,
          "author": "PostPost",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:26:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665209",
          "commentText": "Sorry for the wall of text.\n1. Bourne (The language and world of this novel are extraordinary - everything is falling apart yet brimming with life. Strangely moving)\n2. The Design of Everyday things (Essential for anyone in UI/UX)\n3. All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (Highly engaging, entertaining sci-fi novella series, from an author that can write a very decent robot protagonist)\n4. The Power (Interesting story with sci-fi elements on the dynamics of power, sex, and gender roles. I didn't care for the book, but the first 3/4 of the book are amazing)\n5. Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days\n6. 7 brief Lessons on Physics\n7. The Last Lecture (The energy and positivity coming from a man knowing he's about to die is infectious. Great read)\n8. A wizard of Earthsea (Move over Harry Potter, this is the essential children's story about wizards)\n9. Exploring diabetes with owls (Funny, irreverent)\n10. Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children (Made an effort to read more YA this year - this was the best in this series, but I still hated it. There's a host of better YA series out there.)\n11. A Wizard of Earthsea: The Tombs of Atuan (See 8.)\n12. The Girl in the Dark (Interesting book about a skin condition I had never heard of, and the trials of living with a very rare condition)\n13. The Phantom Tollbooth (Clever children's book)\n14. Black hole blues and songs from outer space (Informative book about the study of space,  the political and economic forces standing in the way of science, and the incredible individuals working in this field)\n15. Welcome to Night Vale (Hugely entertaining, clever and weird)\n16. You need a budget (Basic economics book explaining how to budget in a way that lets you do more with your money)\n17. To fight Against This Age (Incredibly pretentious, \nIvory Tower philosophizing)\n18. Infinity Gauntlet (Half the Universe dying because Thanos wanted to sleep with Lady Death will never not be ridiculous)\n19. The Right and Wrong Stuff (Great read explaining how to anticipate and avoid career pitfalls)\n20. Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children: Hollow City (pretty shitty)\n21. The Farthest Shore (Ursula K. Le Guin was the biggest loss this year)\n22. Miss peregrine's home for Peculiar Children: Library of Souls (I hate this book and all its characters)\n23. Every Good Endevour (Religious book about a Christian worldview and the value of labor - not a bad read)\n24. When to Rob a Bank and 131 warped suggestions… (interesting, funny, from the writers of Freakonomics)\n25. Weapons of Math Destruction (Probably the most useful book on this list, if you're reading this on \"hackernews\")\n26. Holes (Perfect summer paperback read)\n27. Silver Screen Sirens (Essential for film geeks)\n28. A full life: reflections at 90 (I gained a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter: he lived an incredible life and does great things)\n29. Call Me by your name (Very good romance novel to send to your bigoted relatives at Christmas)\n30. Hyperbole and a half (Incredibly entertaining, very distinctive art style)\n31. The Murderbot diaries: Artificial Condition (See 3.)\n32. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Best children's book, fight me)\n33. Less (Exceptionally well-written)\n34. Resilience (Great book, especially for those that have gone through extremely difficult circumstances)\n35. The Strange Bird (Dark, bleak, full of life, see 1.)\n36. The Murderbot diaries: Rogue Protocol (See 3.)\n37. His Dark Materials: The subtle knife (See 32.)\n38. Tap Dancing to Work (Very dry, some stories/articles are fantastic, others very, very boring for people that do not care about finance)\n39. So Good They Can't Ignore You (Pretty good)\n40. His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass (Amazing YA, see 32.)\n41. Uncontainable (Inspirational book about conscious capitalism)\n42. The Emperor of All Maladies (Pretty much everything you'll ever want to know about Cancer, written in a very engaging way)\n43. Blind Spot\n44. Shoe dog (Great story, see madmax108's comment, totally agree)\n45. The Faithful Spy (Beautiful artwork describing a Christian pastor's fight against fascism during WW2)\n46. Zero to One\n47. You'll grow out of it\n48. The Happiness advantage (Really fantastic book about the value of positive psychology)\n49. Dreams from my father (Enlightening look into Obama's \nearly days)\n50. Ayoade on Ayoade (Entertaining, extremely scatter-brained, not as funny as his interviews or tv programs)\n51. The Diabolic (badly written YA Sci-Fi)\n52. The Physics of Everyday Things (surprisingly informative, recommended for non science-people interested in the way things work)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Probably the most useful book on this list, if you're reading this on \"hackernews\"",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it probably the most useful book on the list.",
          "audience": "Hacker News readers.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says “probably.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18662508,
          "author": "amuresan",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T09:26:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18662508",
          "commentText": "1. La peste (Albert Camus) - entertaining if you're into French existentialism\n2. Linked (Barabasi) - insightful and useful to understand that most phenomenon we see in real life follow a power law and what that means\n3. Leonardo da Vinci (Walter Isaacson) - surprising how little of da Vinci's real personality is reflected in his modern image\n4. Matrix computations – third edition (Gene Golub, Charles van Loan) - good read if you're into linear algebra\n5. Giving effective feedback (Harvard business review) - useful for getting an understanding on how to handle human interaction\n6. The old man and the sea (Ernest Hemingway) - enjoyed it a lot, a reflection of Hemingway's romantic spirit. Also, a quick read.\n7. Screwjack (Hunter S. Thompson) - didn't resonate with me although I am a fan of existentialism\n8. Sun and steel (Yukio Mishima) - raw and intimate. before reading this book I'd recommend reading up on Mishima's life\n9. Stranger than fiction (Chuck Palahniuck) - somewhat entertaining, more so because it served as a glimpse into Palahniuck's creative process\n10. Thinking in Systems: A Primer (Dana Meadows) - useful for understanding that in modern life we have complex systems at work with emergent behavior that we didn't expect. Trying to isolate / model a single component of one of these systems is a flawed approach.\n11. Chaos monkeys (Antonio Garcia Martinez) - entertaining, but quite long\n12. Weapons of math destruction (Cathy O'Neil) - in a way, similar to Thinking in systems, but at an applied level. Shows how rules in modern society can have unintended negative consequences when hidden negative feedback loops emerge from the complex system they are embedded in.\n13. Lolita (Nabokov) - a brilliant novel from many points of view. Although the topic is controversial, it is a book that had to be written.\n14. The prince (Machiavelli) - an interesting read. It was intended as a guide to the young price Cesare Borgia from his teacher Machiavelli. The secret to enjoying it is not to judge it by modern morality.\n15. Give and take (Adam Grant) - psychology research about giving / taking / matching personality types presented in a book for the masses. I would not read it again; watching a presentation online should be enough to get the point across.\n16. Mécanique (Landau, Lifchitz) - refresh of mechanics\n17. Do androids dream of electric sheep (Philip K. Dick) - enjoyable and entertaining! I'm surprised how different the feel of the book is compared to the Blade runner films. In the book androids are purely rational beings, whereas the film wraps them in an aura of romanticism.\n18. How we learn (Benedict Carey) - decades of learning research condensed in a book\n19. Advanced Calculus: A Differential Forms Approach (Harold M. Edwards) - the best math book I've read so far! For me it was eye-opening in a fundamental way. Edwards is truly a gifted teacher.\n20. Three men in a boat (Jerome K. Jerome) - enjoyable and amusing\n21. Getting to yes (Roger Fisher, William Ury) - negotiation book, nicely written and structured\n22. Without a word (Zhang Jie) - historical novel by one of China's most acclaimed modern writers. I don't have a good reference to compare against since this was my first Chinese novel, but overall I did enjoy it. It felt real and raw.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shows how rules in modern society can have unintended negative consequences when hidden negative feedback loops emerge",
          "reason": "The commenter says it explains harmful consequences of hidden feedback loops in societal systems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter compares it to Thinking in Systems at an applied level.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cathy O'Neil"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithmic bias",
        "data ethics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-customers-want-using-outcome-driven-innovation-to-create-bre-9ba559",
      "title": "What Customers Want: Using Outcome-Driven Innovation to Create Breakthrough Products and Services",
      "author": "Anthony W. Ulwick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43732502,
          "author": "terrellbm",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-18T22:42:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 43723077,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on talking to users?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43732502",
          "commentText": "Looks interesting - downloading the sample!\nAny interesting tidbits from the book you'd like to share?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Looks interesting - downloading the sample!",
          "reason": "Expresses interest in the book and says they are downloading a sample.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43730494,
          "author": "uticus",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-18T18:10:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 43723077,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on talking to users?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43730494",
          "commentText": "\"what customers want\" Anthony W. Ulwick\nhttps://a.co/d/5UHzfNK (amazon link)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"what customers want\" Anthony W. Ulwick",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anthony W. Ulwick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "customer needs",
        "jobs to be done",
        "product innovation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-is-this-thing-called-science-d3c66a",
      "title": "What Is This Thing Called Science?",
      "author": "Alan F. Chalmers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35930424,
          "author": "juujian",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T17:15:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35930424",
          "commentText": "Fantastic book, and almost a non-fiction read. Pick it up, everyone!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fantastic book, and almost a non-fiction read. Pick it up, everyone!",
          "reason": "Calls it a fantastic book and encourages everyone to read it.",
          "audience": "General readers.",
          "caveat": "Describes it as almost a non-fiction read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35929334,
          "author": "qntty",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T15:31:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35929334",
          "commentText": "For me, probably What Is This Thing Called Science?. It was the first time I really thought about some basic questions in epistemology.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "What Is This Thing Called Science?",
          "reason": "Says the book prompted reflection on basic questions in epistemology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan F. Chalmers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epistemology",
        "philosophy of science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-is-the-what-f7013d",
      "title": "What Is the What",
      "author": "Dave Eggers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1864993,
          "author": "andrewce",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T15:00:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1864993",
          "commentText": "\"What is the What\" is one of the most beautifully written books of the last decade. I wholeheartedly endorse this.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"What is the What\" is one of the most beautifully written books of the last decade. I wholeheartedly endorse this.",
          "reason": "Explicitly endorses it as beautifully written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1864838,
          "author": "gigawatt",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T14:17:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1864838",
          "commentText": "\"Anathem\" by Neal Stephenson is the best book I've read in years. The first 50 pages or so are a slog, but after that I couldn't put it down.\n\"What is the What\" by Dave Eggers is also phenomenal.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"What is the What\" by Dave Eggers is also phenomenal.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it phenomenal.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dave Eggers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "memoir novel",
        "sudanese refugee experience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-you-don-t-know-can-kill-you-how-most-self-defense-training-w-d17934",
      "title": "What You Don’t Know Can Kill You: How Most Self-Defense Training Will Put You into Prison or the Ground",
      "author": "Marc MacYoung",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24304550,
          "author": "giantg2",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-28T13:26:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 24286084,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading at the moment and what do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24304550",
          "commentText": "Those seem like good books. The longer one might be a civilian replacement for Street Survival. I'll have to read it. I didn't see any mention of mental rehearsal, visualization, and managing stress in the excepts/overviews, but those don't always list everything. If they cover those as well as tactical thought processes, then these sound like great resources.\nThe only caveat, which I should have mentioned in my book suggestion too, is that any book dealing with potential legal matters on self-defense is only written generally and one should also read their state's statutes/code.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "any book dealing with potential legal matters on self-defense is only written generally",
          "reason": "Discusses the suggested book as a possible resource, while noting the limits of general legal guidance.",
          "audience": "Civilians interested in self-defense.",
          "caveat": "Read the relevant state's statutes or code as well; self-defense books address legal matters generally.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24301603,
          "author": "giardini",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-28T05:20:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 24286084,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading at the moment and what do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24301603",
          "commentText": "Perhaps Mark Macyoung's books:\n\"What You Don't Know Can Kill You: How Most Self-Defense Training Will Put You into Prison or the Ground\"\nor the longer more detailed\n\"In the Name of Self-Defense: What it costs. When it's worth it\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"What You Don't Know Can Kill You: How Most Self-Defense Training Will Put You into Prison or the Ground\"",
          "reason": "Offers it as a possible book for a citizen's perspective on self-defense.",
          "audience": "Civilians interested in self-defense.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marc MacYoung"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self defense",
        "use of force"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "when-h-a-r-l-i-e-was-one-e564a1",
      "title": "When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One",
      "author": "David Gerrold",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46161500,
          "author": "ashtavakra",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-05T14:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46161500",
          "commentText": "I consolidated the comments for my reference later. Someone else might also find it useful:\n# Fiction Books Recommended for Programmers (HN Thread 46128404)\n## Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- *Children of Time* — Science Fiction (Evolution, Space Opera)  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)\n## Rick Cook — Wizardry Series\n- *Wizard’s Bane* — Fantasy, Programming/Magic Mashup  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112616.Wizard_s_Bane\n- *Wizardry Series (overview)*  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\n## James P. Hogan\n- *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/743568.Inherit_the_Stars\n- *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifem... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifemaker)\n- *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_Tomorrow)\n## D. F. Jones — Colossus Trilogy\n- *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806105.Colossus\n- *The Fall of Colossus* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colos... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colossus)\n- *Colossus and the Crab* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_Crab)\n## Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner)\n- *A Logic Named Joe* — Golden-Age Sci-Fi, AI Precursor  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-j... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-joe)\n## David Gerrold\n- *When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One* — AI, Classic Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_Was_One)\n## William Gibson / Bruce Sterling\n- *Neuromancer* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer\n- *The Difference Engine* — Steampunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Eng... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Engine)\n## Neal Stephenson\n- *Snow Crash* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash\n- *Cryptonomicon* — Techno-thriller, Cyber-history  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/816.Cryptonomicon\n- *Anathem* — Philosophical Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2845024-anathem\n- *The Diamond Age* — Nanopunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827.The_Diamond_Age\n## Fred Saberhagen\n- *Octagon* — AI, Techno-thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1891958.Octagon\n## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga\n- *Series Overview* — Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/40946-vorkosigan-saga\n## Richard Powers\n- *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45104.Galatea_2_2\n## Scott Meyer\n- *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-wizard)\n## Daniel Suarez\n- *Daemon* — Cyber-thriller, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665844-daemon\n## Thomas J. Ryan\n- *The Adolescence of P-1* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_o... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_of_P_1)\n## Ernest Cline\n- *Ready Player One* — Sci-Fi, Gaming, Pop-Culture Adventure  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one\n## Dennis E. Taylor\n- *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)* — Humorous Sci-Fi, AI, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-we-are-bob)\n## Ted Chiang\n- *Stories of Your Life and Others* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\n- *Exhalation* — Speculative Fiction, Philosophy, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation\n- *The Lifecycle of Software Objects* — AI, Digital Consciousness  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of-software-objects)\n## Charles Stross\n- *Laundry Files Series* — Math-based Magic, Techno-Fantasy  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files\n## Ken Liu\n- *The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menag... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories)\n- *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, AI, VR  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl-and-other-stories)\n## Ellen Ullman\n- *The Bug* — Tech Industry Literary Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/703.The_Bug\n## Cory Doctorow\n- *Radicalized* — Techno-sociopolitical Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40604122-radicalized\n## qntm (Sam Hughes)\n- *Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans-in-transit-and-other-stories)\n## Roger Williams\n- *The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect* — AI, Post-Singularity SF  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)\n## Greg Bear\n- *Eon* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/924843.Eon\n## Vernor Vinge\n- *A Deepness in the Sky* — Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the_Sky)\n## Terry Pratchett\n- *Going Postal* — Comic Fantasy, Satire of Bureaucracy & Tech  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64222.Going_Postal\n## Bruce Bethke\n- *Headcrash* — Cyber-satire  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213465.Headcrash\n## Mary Shelley\n- *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* — Classic Gothic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein\n## Douglas Adams\n- *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* — Comic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guid... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)\n## Jorge Luis Borges\n- *The Library of Babel* — Metaphysical Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-babel)\n## Greg Egan\n- *Permutation City* — Simulation Theory, Hard Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156784.Permutation_City\n## Cixin Liu\n- *The Three-Body Problem* — Hard Sci-Fi, First Contact  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- *When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One* — AI, Classic Science Fiction",
          "reason": "Lists the title in a compilation of fiction books recommended for programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46130213,
          "author": "LarryMade2",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T04:09:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46130213",
          "commentText": "These are all entertaining:\nDefinitely the Wizardry series by Rick Cook\nhttps://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/rick-cook/wizardry/\nProgramming meets magical realms\nJames Hogan\nInherit the Stars - Has supercomputers but not main characters\nCode of the Lifemaker Has Ancient Tech evolving into a robotic society\nTwo Faces of Tomorrow  - humans trying to get along with AI\nD.F.Jones\nColossus, the Fall of Colossus, and Colossus and the Crab\nHumans creating machines to protect humanity (computers have different idea) and the rebellion, and a new threat.\nA Logic Names Joe - radioplay of short story.\nhttps://archive.org/details/OTRR_X_Minus_One_Singles/XMinusO... (https://archive.org/details/OTRR_X_Minus_One_Singles/XMinusOne55-12-28031ALogicNamedJoe.mp3)\nThe internet and AI long before the internet and AI.\nDavid Gerrold - When H.A.R.L.I.E. was One - and other tales involving Artificial Super Intelligence\nWilliam Gibson - Neuromancer and related - Cyberpunk series, the Difference Engine - a Steampunk technology tale.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "David Gerrold - When H.A.R.L.I.E. was One - and other tales involving Artificial Super Intelligence",
          "reason": "Listed among entertaining fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Gerrold"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Computing",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "windows-internals-8ba699",
      "title": "Windows Internals",
      "author": "Mark Russinovich, David A. Solomon, Alex Ionescu",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40511572,
          "author": "pjmlp",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-29T13:05:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 40497383,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Can anyone recommend a Windows Systems programming book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40511572",
          "commentText": "Besides the great learning resources at MSDN, the  Windows Internals series is a requirement.\nThen depending on which area of Windows you want to focus on, there are plenty of Microsoft Press books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the  Windows Internals series is a requirement",
          "reason": "Presented as a required resource for Windows study.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40511549,
          "author": "adamsilkey",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-29T13:03:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 40497383,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Can anyone recommend a Windows Systems programming book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40511549",
          "commentText": "This is the best answer.\nWindows Internals is a great book/reference for understanding how Windows work, but it won't teach you how to actually program Windows.\nThe Fifth Edition of Petzold's book will actually take you through the Win32 API, which is still usable even on modern Windows platforms.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Windows Internals is a great book/reference for understanding how Windows work",
          "reason": "Useful for understanding Windows, but does not teach Windows programming.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It won't teach you how to actually program Windows.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Russinovich",
        "David A. Solomon",
        "Alex Ionescu"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "operating systems",
        "windows internals"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "windows-via-c-c-a51d8c",
      "title": "Windows via C/C++",
      "author": "Jeffrey Richter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40512771,
          "author": "kruador",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-29T15:10:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 40497383,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Can anyone recommend a Windows Systems programming book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40512771",
          "commentText": "I would recommend \"Programming Server-Side Applications for Windows 2000\" by Jeffrey Richter and Jason D. Clark.\nRichter also wrote \"Windows via C/C++\", which was previously titled \"Programming Applications for Windows 2000\" (4th edition) or \"Advanced Windows\" (3rd and earlier editions).\nI realise these books are now very old (17 years old for \"Windows via C/C++\" and 25 years for \"Programming Server-Side Applications\") but really, the Windows API hasn't changed all that much in that time.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Windows via C/C++\"",
          "reason": "Named as another book by Richter relevant to Windows programming.",
          "audience": "Someone learning Windows systems programming.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is 17 years old, though the Windows API has changed little.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40511872,
          "author": "__alexander",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-29T13:38:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 40497383,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Can anyone recommend a Windows Systems programming book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40511872",
          "commentText": "Hello, Windows via C/C++ by Jeffrey Richter is what you are looking for. Yes, it’s a little dated but it’s a a great book to start with.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Hello, Windows via C/C++ by Jeffrey Richter is what you are looking for.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a good starting book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A little dated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeffrey Richter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "windows programming",
        "c",
        "windows api"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wizardry-series-54f5ea",
      "title": "Wizardry series",
      "author": "Rick Cook",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46134880,
          "author": "ferguess_k",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T14:31:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46134880",
          "commentText": "Definitely recommends the Wizardry series. It has a FORTH vibe.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Definitely recommends the Wizardry series. It has a FORTH vibe.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the series and compares its feel to FORTH.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46130213,
          "author": "LarryMade2",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T04:09:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46130213",
          "commentText": "These are all entertaining:\nDefinitely the Wizardry series by Rick Cook\nhttps://www.fantasticfiction.com/c/rick-cook/wizardry/\nProgramming meets magical realms\nJames Hogan\nInherit the Stars - Has supercomputers but not main characters\nCode of the Lifemaker Has Ancient Tech evolving into a robotic society\nTwo Faces of Tomorrow  - humans trying to get along with AI\nD.F.Jones\nColossus, the Fall of Colossus, and Colossus and the Crab\nHumans creating machines to protect humanity (computers have different idea) and the rebellion, and a new threat.\nA Logic Names Joe - radioplay of short story.\nhttps://archive.org/details/OTRR_X_Minus_One_Singles/XMinusO... (https://archive.org/details/OTRR_X_Minus_One_Singles/XMinusOne55-12-28031ALogicNamedJoe.mp3)\nThe internet and AI long before the internet and AI.\nDavid Gerrold - When H.A.R.L.I.E. was One - and other tales involving Artificial Super Intelligence\nWilliam Gibson - Neuromancer and related - Cyberpunk series, the Difference Engine - a Steampunk technology tale.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Definitely the Wizardry series by Rick Cook",
          "reason": "Listed among entertaining fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rick Cook"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming magic",
        "forth"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "working-backwards-insights-stories-and-secrets-from-inside-amazon-605575",
      "title": "Working Backwards: Insights, Stories, and Secrets from Inside Amazon",
      "author": "Colin Bryar, Bill Carr",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29307367,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T15:29:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29307367",
          "commentText": "I liked this book too! But not at all in the vein I'm talking about here. Thinking books that actually talk about software/programming in technical depth.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I liked this book too!",
          "reason": "The commenter says they liked the book, while noting it does not fit the technical focus of the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is outside the requested vein of technical software books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29307326,
          "author": "the_arun",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T15:26:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29307326",
          "commentText": "“Working Backwards: Insights, Stories, and Secrets from Inside Amazon” -  https://www.amazon.com/dp/1250267595 by Amazon executives. Gives overview of Amazon’s core practices that made them successful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Working Backwards: Insights, Stories, and Secrets from Inside Amazon”",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to a request for interesting, well-written books on software.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Colin Bryar",
        "Bill Carr"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "amazon",
        "business strategy",
        "management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "writing-without-bullshit-9a8567",
      "title": "Writing Without Bullshit",
      "author": "Josh Bernoff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32359349,
          "author": "rekabis",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-05T17:41:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32359349",
          "commentText": "Not a book on technical writing per se, but Writing Without Bullshit (https://www.amazon.ca/dp/0062477153) can bring immense clarity and purpose to your writing.\nDe-bloating prose is essential to good technical writing, and this book teaches you that.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Not a book on technical writing per se, but Writing Without Bullshit",
          "reason": "Says it can bring clarity and purpose to writing and teaches how to de-bloat prose.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not specifically a book on technical writing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32345597,
          "author": "tebeka",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-04T17:15:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32345597",
          "commentText": "I found \"Writing Without Bullshit\" helpful.\nhttps://withoutbullshit.com/book",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found \"Writing Without Bullshit\" helpful.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it helpful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Josh Bernoff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Writing",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business writing",
        "clear writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "x64-assembly-language-step-by-step-programming-with-linux-7dd20e",
      "title": "x64 Assembly Language Step-by-Step: Programming with Linux",
      "author": "Jeff Duntemann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40113986,
          "author": "udev4096",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-22T13:06:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 40104823,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books/resources to understand modern Assembler?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40113986",
          "commentText": "Hey, thanks for the book suggestion. It's an interesting one and will definitely help me in my journey of learning assembly (just started a few days ago)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hey, thanks for the book suggestion.",
          "reason": "Acknowledges and thanks the commenter for the book suggestion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40113147,
          "author": "jim_lawless",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-22T11:02:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 40104823,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books/resources to understand modern Assembler?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40113147",
          "commentText": "\"x64 Assembly Language Step-by-Step: Programming with Linux\" (4th edition) by Jeff Duntemann is a pretty good book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"x64 Assembly Language Step-by-Step: Programming with Linux\" (4th edition) by Jeff Duntemann is a pretty good book.",
          "reason": "Described as a pretty good book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeff Duntemann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 2,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "linux programming",
        "x64 assembly"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "consilience-the-unity-of-knowledge-3396d7",
      "title": "Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge",
      "author": "Edward O. Wilson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23561729,
          "author": "sunstone",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-18T10:29:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 23561163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book that nobody you know has heard of?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23561729",
          "commentText": "\"Consilience\" E.O. Wilson (Nobel Laureate)\nSmall book, small words, short sentences; will kick your butt.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Consilience\" E.O. Wilson (Nobel Laureate)\nSmall book, small words, short sentences; will kick your butt.",
          "reason": "Presents it as a favorite lesser-known book and warns that it is challenging despite its simple style.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it will be challenging.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22095001,
          "author": "sunstone",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T23:44:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22095001",
          "commentText": "Consilience by E.O Wilson should be more popular than it is.  How to tell BS from things that might be real.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Consilience by E.O Wilson should be more popular than it is.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book deserves wider readership and describes it as helping distinguish dubious claims from plausible ones.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in evaluating claims across disciplines.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13804319,
          "author": "sunstone",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:36:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804319",
          "commentText": "Consilience by E.O. Wilson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Consilience by E.O. Wilson",
          "reason": "Named in response to a question about books that changed how people think.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12476787,
          "author": "sunstone",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-12T02:15:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12476787",
          "commentText": "Didn't read it lately but Consilience by W.O Wilson (Nobel Prize winner) is definitely worth a look if you're not too distressed by having your sacred cows butchered.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "is definitely worth a look if you're not too distressed by having your sacred cows butchered.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is worth a look, with a caveat for readers unsettled by challenges to cherished beliefs.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "May challenge readers' cherished beliefs.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12146223,
          "author": "sunstone",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T19:42:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12146223",
          "commentText": "1.The Trouble with Lawyers - an early introduction to conflicts of interest\n2.One Up On Wall Street - insiders view of the markets and other lessons\n3.Consilence - how to distinguish real things from unreal things",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "3.Consilence - how to distinguish real things from unreal things",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward O. Wilson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 5,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "interdisciplinary science",
        "unity of knowledge",
        "consilience",
        "critical thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "killer-of-men-748c5a",
      "title": "Killer of Men",
      "author": "Christian Cameron",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 44574017,
          "author": "bwb",
          "createdAt": "2025-07-15T17:58:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 44568054,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44574017",
          "commentText": "Killer of Men by Christian Cameron\nHelped me reboot in my early 30s, fantastic series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Killer of Men by Christian Cameron",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them reboot in their early 30s and calls it a fantastic series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36429084,
          "author": "bwb",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T07:35:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36429084",
          "commentText": "Most meaningful is a hard measure, as there are a bunch within that grouping...\nI'll share one from when I was in my 30s, Killer Of Men by Christian Cameron; the entire series is fantastic and came around just at the right time I needed it. It is the story of an older man telling the story of his life and looking back through those eyes (I really like that perspective and it helped me see some things). The entire series takes place in Ancient Greece and the Greco-Persian wars.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Killer Of Men by Christian Cameron",
          "reason": "The commenter says it came at the right time and helped them see things through the perspective of an older man reflecting on his life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22721030,
          "author": "bwb",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T17:56:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22721030",
          "commentText": "It is a series, but Killer of Men by Christian Cameron. Just helped me understand a lot of things about myself and how I grew over the last 20+ years.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Killer of Men by Christian Cameron. Just helped me understand a lot of things about myself",
          "reason": "Says the book helped them understand themselves and how they grew.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is part of a series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20335569,
          "author": "bwb",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T14:36:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20335569",
          "commentText": "Killer of Men - The best historical fiction I've read, you will love it :)\nhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GVFY6BM/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?... (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GVFY6BM/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Killer of Men - The best historical fiction I've read, you will love it :)",
          "reason": "Calls it the best historical fiction they have read and predicts the reader will love it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christian Cameron"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient greece",
        "historical fiction",
        "greco persian wars"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-breakdown-of-nations-0f8cf9",
      "title": "The Breakdown of Nations",
      "author": "Leopold Kohr",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22095459,
          "author": "natmaka",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T01:22:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22095459",
          "commentText": "Leopold Kohr, especially \"The Breakdown of Nations\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "especially \"The Breakdown of Nations\"",
          "reason": "The commenter singles out this book by Leopold Kohr.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21910061,
          "author": "natmaka",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-30T01:41:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21910061",
          "commentText": "\"The Breakdown of Nations\", by Leopold Kohr\nIt clearly shows why huge human groups aren't adequate.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It clearly shows why huge human groups aren't adequate.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it makes a clear case against very large human groups.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20333771,
          "author": "natmaka",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T10:29:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20333771",
          "commentText": "The Breakdown of Nations by Leopold Kohr.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Breakdown of Nations by Leopold Kohr.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17988085,
          "author": "natmaka",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-14T15:43:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17988085",
          "commentText": "\"The Breakdown of Nations\", by Leopold Kohr.  Big organizations, centralization... are not good for humans, nor really efficient or sustainable.  Some/many/most(?) of us feel it, this book clearly shows why.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Some/many/most(?) of us feel it, this book clearly shows why.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book clearly explains why big organizations and centralization are harmful and unsustainable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leopold Kohr"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Society",
        "Philosophy",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political decentralization",
        "small scale societies",
        "decentralization",
        "political philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-discipline-of-market-leaders-2c9cf7",
      "title": "The Discipline of Market Leaders",
      "author": "Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40278808,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-06T19:54:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40278808",
          "commentText": "Offhand I can think of a few that I've read at least 2-3 times. And in a couple of cases, maybe as many as 4 or 5 times. There are probably some others that just aren't jumping to mind, but suffice it to say that these are all books I've found very valuable.\nThe Four Steps to the Epiphany - Steve Blank\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nMastering the Complex Sale - Jeff Thull\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nThe Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35169519,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T15:10:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35169519",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps to the Epiphany - Steve Blank\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Fred Wiersema and Michael Treacy\nIt's Not the Big that Eat the Small...It's the Fast that Eat the Slow - Jason Jennings\nMastering The Complex Sale - Jeff Thull\nHow To Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Discipline of Market Leaders - Fred Wiersema and Michael Treacy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8795694,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T07:00:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795694",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nPredictable Revenue - Aaron Ross, Marylou Tyler\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nThe Ultimate Question 2.0 - Fred Reichheld‎\nThe Singularity is Near - Ray Kurzweil\nMoonshot! - John Sculley\nZero To One - Peter Thiel\nRepublic - Plato\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius\nNineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell\nFahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury\nThe Mysterious Island - Jules Verne\nDiscipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy, Fred Wiersema\nFalse Memory - Dean Koontz\nNOS4A2- Joe Hill\nRevival - Stephen King\nBarbarians At The Gate - John Helyar and Bryan Burrough\nInto Thin Air - John Krakauer\nHow To Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nand any collection of the works of H.P. Lovecraft.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy, Fred Wiersema",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for impactful or liked books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Treacy",
        "Fred Wiersema"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 4,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business strategy",
        "competitive strategy",
        "customer value"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "assembly-language-and-computer-architecture-using-c-and-java-440e5a",
      "title": "Assembly Language and Computer Architecture Using C++ and Java",
      "author": "Anthony J. Dos Reis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28481028,
          "author": "e19293001",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-10T13:11:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 28478751,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach you programming languages via systems projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28481028",
          "commentText": "Books by Anthony J. Dos Reis\nThose are so much underrated books that thought me how to become a software engineer. I hightly recommend especially these books.\nAssembly Language and Computer Architecture Using C++ and Java\nCompiler Construction Using Java, JavaCC, and Yacc\nI promise! You'll obtain tons of skills from his books. I'm very debted to this man. I enjoyed a lot reading his books and made me who I am today.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Assembly Language and Computer Architecture Using C++ and Java",
          "reason": "Recommended among the author's books for learning software engineering.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12099943,
          "author": "e19293001",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T10:25:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12099943",
          "commentText": "From my favorite author Anthony J. Dos Reis[0]\nIf you want to learn assembly language, computer architecture and C++ all at the same time: Assembly Language and Computer Architecture Using C++ and Java , Course Technology, 2004 [1]\nIf you want to learn how to write compilers, context free grammars, regular expressions and implement grep: Compiler Construction Using Java, JavaCC, and Yacc, IEEE/Wiley, 2012 [2]\nIf you want to learn functional programming, lambda calculus and LISP: An Introduction to Functional Programming Through Lambda Calculus by Greg Michaelson [3]\nMy programming skills had grown dramatically with this books. I would wholeheartedly recommend the books mentioned above for those who are interested to learn.\n[0] - http://cs.newpaltz.edu/~dosreist/\n[1] - https://www.amazon.com/Assembly-Language-Computer-Architectu... (https://www.amazon.com/Assembly-Language-Computer-Architecture-Using/dp/0534405274)\n[2] - https://www.amazon.com/Compiler-Construction-Using-Java-Java... (https://www.amazon.com/Compiler-Construction-Using-Java-JavaCC/dp/0470949597)\n[3] - https://www.cs.rochester.edu/~brown/173/readings/LCBook.pdf\n    - https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Functional-Programming-C... (https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Functional-Programming-Calculus-Mathematics/dp/0486478831)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Assembly Language and Computer Architecture Using C++ and Java , Course Technology, 2004",
          "reason": "Recommended for learning assembly, computer architecture, and C++ together.",
          "audience": "People interested in learning assembly, computer architecture, and C++.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10184364,
          "author": "e19293001",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-08T06:51:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10184364",
          "commentText": "Here is my favorite author:\nhttp://cs.newpaltz.edu/~dosreist/\nThis a good opportunity to say thank you to Anthony J. Dos Reis.\nI like the way he writes and when reading his books, I feel like he is in\nfront of me teaching the subject.\nHere are his books that I bought:\nAssembly Language and Computer Architecture Using C++ and Java , Course Technology, 2004\nBy reading this book, I've developed my skills in programming with\nC/C++, assembly language and while learning computer architecture all\nat the same time. This book contains lots of low level stuffs.\nThe exercises are easy enough and had really sharpen my skills.\nAlthough the target machine is theoretical, I was able to switch\neasily into the real machine.\nCompiler Construction Using Java, JavaCC, and Yacc, IEEE/Wiley, 2012\nThis book taught me how to create compilers. The author started from\nsimple principles in grammars then slowly introducing a very simple compiler\neventually adding more features to the compiler. I was able to adapt\nhis method in developing a compiler. In later chapters, the book does\na great job in presenting an application of what was learned from the previous\nchapters by implementing grep using automata theory.\nI might have forgotten some of the topics after more than a year but I\nwill not forget the fun it gave to me when reading and learning from\nthose books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Assembly Language and Computer Architecture Using C++ and Java , Course Technology, 2004",
          "reason": "Says it helped develop programming and computer architecture skills; describes the exercises as sharpening skills.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The target machine is theoretical, though the commenter says switching to a real machine was easy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anthony J. Dos Reis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "assembly language",
        "c",
        "computer architecture",
        "java"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "compiler-construction-using-java-javacc-and-yacc-6d7820",
      "title": "Compiler Construction Using Java, JavaCC, and Yacc",
      "author": "Anthony J. Dos Reis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28481028,
          "author": "e19293001",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-10T13:11:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 28478751,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach you programming languages via systems projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28481028",
          "commentText": "Books by Anthony J. Dos Reis\nThose are so much underrated books that thought me how to become a software engineer. I hightly recommend especially these books.\nAssembly Language and Computer Architecture Using C++ and Java\nCompiler Construction Using Java, JavaCC, and Yacc\nI promise! You'll obtain tons of skills from his books. I'm very debted to this man. I enjoyed a lot reading his books and made me who I am today.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Compiler Construction Using Java, JavaCC, and Yacc",
          "reason": "Recommended among the author's books for learning software engineering.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12099943,
          "author": "e19293001",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T10:25:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12099943",
          "commentText": "From my favorite author Anthony J. Dos Reis[0]\nIf you want to learn assembly language, computer architecture and C++ all at the same time: Assembly Language and Computer Architecture Using C++ and Java , Course Technology, 2004 [1]\nIf you want to learn how to write compilers, context free grammars, regular expressions and implement grep: Compiler Construction Using Java, JavaCC, and Yacc, IEEE/Wiley, 2012 [2]\nIf you want to learn functional programming, lambda calculus and LISP: An Introduction to Functional Programming Through Lambda Calculus by Greg Michaelson [3]\nMy programming skills had grown dramatically with this books. I would wholeheartedly recommend the books mentioned above for those who are interested to learn.\n[0] - http://cs.newpaltz.edu/~dosreist/\n[1] - https://www.amazon.com/Assembly-Language-Computer-Architectu... (https://www.amazon.com/Assembly-Language-Computer-Architecture-Using/dp/0534405274)\n[2] - https://www.amazon.com/Compiler-Construction-Using-Java-Java... (https://www.amazon.com/Compiler-Construction-Using-Java-JavaCC/dp/0470949597)\n[3] - https://www.cs.rochester.edu/~brown/173/readings/LCBook.pdf\n    - https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Functional-Programming-C... (https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Functional-Programming-Calculus-Mathematics/dp/0486478831)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Compiler Construction Using Java, JavaCC, and Yacc, IEEE/Wiley, 2012",
          "reason": "Recommended for learning compiler writing, grammars, regular expressions, and grep implementation.",
          "audience": "People interested in learning compilers, grammars, regular expressions, and grep.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10184364,
          "author": "e19293001",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-08T06:51:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10184364",
          "commentText": "Here is my favorite author:\nhttp://cs.newpaltz.edu/~dosreist/\nThis a good opportunity to say thank you to Anthony J. Dos Reis.\nI like the way he writes and when reading his books, I feel like he is in\nfront of me teaching the subject.\nHere are his books that I bought:\nAssembly Language and Computer Architecture Using C++ and Java , Course Technology, 2004\nBy reading this book, I've developed my skills in programming with\nC/C++, assembly language and while learning computer architecture all\nat the same time. This book contains lots of low level stuffs.\nThe exercises are easy enough and had really sharpen my skills.\nAlthough the target machine is theoretical, I was able to switch\neasily into the real machine.\nCompiler Construction Using Java, JavaCC, and Yacc, IEEE/Wiley, 2012\nThis book taught me how to create compilers. The author started from\nsimple principles in grammars then slowly introducing a very simple compiler\neventually adding more features to the compiler. I was able to adapt\nhis method in developing a compiler. In later chapters, the book does\na great job in presenting an application of what was learned from the previous\nchapters by implementing grep using automata theory.\nI might have forgotten some of the topics after more than a year but I\nwill not forget the fun it gave to me when reading and learning from\nthose books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Compiler Construction Using Java, JavaCC, and Yacc, IEEE/Wiley, 2012",
          "reason": "Says it taught them to create compilers and that they adapted its method in their own work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anthony J. Dos Reis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "compiler construction",
        "java",
        "yacc",
        "automata theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nine-hundred-grandmothers-f8dedb",
      "title": "Nine Hundred Grandmothers",
      "author": "R. A. Lafferty",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16296406,
          "author": "walterbell",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T05:54:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296406",
          "commentText": "Nine Hundred Grandmothers by R.A. Lafferty.  Timeless and immortal: http://www.conceptualfiction.com/nine_hundred_grandmothers.h... (http://www.conceptualfiction.com/nine_hundred_grandmothers.html)\nAnything on vision therapy/improvement, e.g. https://gettingstronger.org/2016/03/faq-for-vision-improveme... (https://gettingstronger.org/2016/03/faq-for-vision-improvement-by-hormetism/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nine Hundred Grandmothers by R.A. Lafferty. Timeless and immortal",
          "reason": "Calls the book timeless and immortal.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10324794,
          "author": "walterbell",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T18:12:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10324794",
          "commentText": "Nine Hundred Grandmothers, by R.A. Lafferty (out of print except for \"The Books of Sand\")\nLast and First Men, by Olaf Stapledon, free at http://www.feedbooks.com/book/2028/last-and-first-men\nAccelerando, by Charles Stross, free at http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelera... (http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelerando/accelerando.html)\nThe Doubter's Companion, by John Ralston Saul, http://www.amazon.com/The-Doubters-Companion-Dictionary-Aggr... (http://www.amazon.com/The-Doubters-Companion-Dictionary-Aggressive/dp/0743236602)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nine Hundred Grandmothers, by R.A. Lafferty",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Out of print except for The Books of Sand, according to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056607,
          "author": "walterbell",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:37:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056607",
          "commentText": "R.A. Lafferty's Nine Hundred Grandmothers blends fantasy and science fiction, http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/usr/roboman/www/sigma/review/90... (http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/usr/roboman/www/sigma/review/900grannies.html)\n\"I can point to two writers who stand outside, who aren't like anyone before them, and whom nobody has really tried to write like since: Cordwainer Smith and R.A. Lafferty. And of the two, Lafferty is the more sui generis ... Lafferty's approach to the universe was somewhat skewed and very much his own. He looked at things in a new, fresh way, and caused his readers to do the same (and often walk away scratching their heads).\"\nRelated writers: http://www.ralafferty.org/related/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "R.A. Lafferty's Nine Hundred Grandmothers blends fantasy and science fiction",
          "reason": "Introduces the collection and quotes praise of Lafferty's unusual, fresh approach.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The quoted praise says his work can leave readers scratching their heads.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "R. A. Lafferty"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories",
        "satire",
        "speculative fiction",
        "surreal"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-chosen-d2ff4a",
      "title": "The Chosen",
      "author": "Chaim Potok",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4771386,
          "author": "tokenadult",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-12T02:51:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 4770238,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fiction books that entertain and educate?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4771386",
          "commentText": "The Chosen by Chaim Potok.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Chosen-Chaim-Potok/dp/0449213447",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Chosen by Chaim Potok.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2639734,
          "author": "tokenadult",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T03:51:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639734",
          "commentText": "Best novel about growing up is The Chosen by Chaim Potok.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Chosen-Chaim-Penguin-Modern-Classics/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Chosen-Chaim-Penguin-Modern-Classics/dp/0141040777/)\nI got a LOT out of that when I reread it at least thirty years after reading it the first time.\nBest nonfiction book full of amazing facts and insights into the human condition I didn't know before I read the book is The Nature of Paleolithic Art by R. Dale Guthrie.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Nature-Paleolithic-Art-Dale-Guthrie/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/Nature-Paleolithic-Art-Dale-Guthrie/dp/0226311260/)\nThere are bunch of others I could remember, but these two in particular took me by surprise by being much better than I would have guessed they would be when I first picked them up.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Best novel about growing up is The Chosen by Chaim Potok.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best novel about growing up.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1724786,
          "author": "tokenadult",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-24T18:32:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1724786",
          "commentText": "My children like the George R. R. Martin books, the Philip Pullman books, the Harry Potter series, and other books much in that genre category. They also read \"classic\" literature as they get older, for example Oliver Twist or Tom Sawyer. Two of my sons have really liked A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (which I have never read) and I really liked The Chosen by Chaim Potok (which I reread a few years ago, and still thought was very good).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really liked The Chosen by Chaim Potok (which I reread a few years ago, and still thought was very good).",
          "reason": "Says they liked it and still thought it was very good after rereading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chaim Potok"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coming of age",
        "jewish american fiction",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-slight-edge-9da2a0",
      "title": "The Slight Edge",
      "author": "Jeff Olson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15156202,
          "author": "palerdot",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T14:45:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156202",
          "commentText": "The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson\nThinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which books had the biggest impact on mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13975268,
          "author": "palerdot",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-28T09:41:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13975268",
          "commentText": "The Slight Edge - Jeff Olson.\nInteresting take on how consistent little things matter and how they can make or break things.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Interesting take on how consistent little things matter and how they can make or break things.",
          "reason": "Praises its perspective on the impact of consistent small actions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13808909,
          "author": "palerdot",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-07T07:46:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13808909",
          "commentText": "The Slight Edge - Jeff Olson\nThis is the book that suddenly hit me like a lightning. Give it a try if you haven't. It will fundamentally change the way you plan and execute things, from short-term immediate stuffs to your ultimate dreams.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is the book that suddenly hit me like a lightning. Give it a try if you haven't.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed how they plan and execute things and urges readers to try it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeff Olson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "habits",
        "personal development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "time-reborn-c4a7b7",
      "title": "Time Reborn",
      "author": "Lee Smolin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Time Reborn - Lee Smolin",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12098835,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T03:47:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12098835",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nCode by Charles Petzold\nArtificial Life - Steven Levy\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Singularity is Near - Ray Kurzweil\nSurfaces and Essences - Douglas Hofstadter\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\n-- One of my favorites is How Not to Be Wrong by Jordan Ellenbreg\nI have that on my list of \"to read real soon now\".  Sounds fascinating.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Time Reborn - Lee Smolin",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10325237,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T20:31:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325237",
          "commentText": "I'm sure there are many, but a few that jump to mind, in no particular order, and spanning both fiction and non-fiction:\nThe Selfish Gene - Dawkins\nA New Kind of Science - Wolfram\nThe Singularity is Near - Kurzweil\nGödel, Escher, Bach - Hofstadter\nFluid Concepts and Creative Analogies - Hofstadter\nAtlas Shrugged - Rand\nThe Fountainhead - Rand\nNineteen Eighty-Four - Orwell\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nAmbient Findability - Peter Morville\nEmergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software - Steven Johnson\nSix Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age - Duncan Watts\nLinked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means for Business, Science, and Everyday Life - Albert-laszlo Barabasi\nArtificial Life - Steven Levy\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nThe World is Flat - Thomas Friedman\nnot a book, but the various writings of Douglas Engelbart - http://www.dougengelbart.org/library/library.html\nGlasshouse - Charles Stross\nPermutation City - Greg Egan\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nThe Shockwave Rider - John Brunner\nThe Society of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nThe Origin of Wealth: The Radical Remaking of Economics and What it Means for Business and Society - Eric Beinhocker\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nFooled By Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Time Reborn - Lee Smolin",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lee Smolin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 3,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "time",
        "cosmology",
        "physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-business-and-its-beliefs-3cbabc",
      "title": "A Business and Its Beliefs",
      "author": "Thomas J. Watson Jr.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47986851,
          "author": "verdverm",
          "createdAt": "2026-05-02T14:46:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 47984463,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47986851",
          "commentText": "Conquest of Mind\nA Business and its Beliefs\nOn Tyranny",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Business and its Beliefs",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books given as gifts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40047078,
          "author": "verdverm",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-16T00:16:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40047078",
          "commentText": "A Business and its Beliefs\nConquest of Mind",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Business and its Beliefs",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas J. Watson Jr."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "corporate culture",
        "management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "after-dark-003df0",
      "title": "After Dark",
      "author": "Haruki Murakami",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25906478,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T18:05:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25906478",
          "commentText": "I read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle based on suggestions\nI have that on my list to read \"sometime soon.\" So far I've really enjoyed all the Murakami I've read - After Dark, Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and A Wild Sheep Chase. Definitely planning to read the rest of his works eventually.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've really enjoyed all the Murakami I've read - After Dark",
          "reason": "Includes it among Murakami works the commenter has enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14480362,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-04T08:01:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14480362",
          "commentText": "Interesting.  I had exactly the opposite experience with my first Murakami.  I was at Barnes & Noble one Sunday evening, grabbed one of his titles (After Dark) off the shelf, intending to flip through a few pages; and next thing you know the store is about to close and I'm halfway through the book.  I bought the copy, drove home and finished reading it that night.   I was hooked pretty much from the get-go.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "grabbed one of his titles (After Dark) off the shelf, intending to flip through a few pages; and next thing you know the store is about to close and I'm halfway through the book. I bought the copy, drove home and finished reading it that night. I was hooked pretty much from the get-go.",
          "reason": "Says the novel quickly hooked them and they finished it the same night.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401516,
          "author": "shreeshga",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:32:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401516",
          "commentText": "Reading : After dark by Haruki Murakami\nRead: No Place to Hide by Glenn Greenwald",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "After dark by Haruki Murakami",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Haruki Murakami"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "japanese literature",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "alexander-of-macedon-6f0161",
      "title": "Alexander of Macedon",
      "author": "Peter Green",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1752533,
          "author": "edo",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T11:32:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752533",
          "commentText": "I read a lot of biographies. It's interesting how you start seeing the common denominators between great men when you do. Especially 'Alexander of Macedon' by Peter Green is a riveting read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Alexander of Macedon' by Peter Green is a riveting read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a riveting read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226915,
          "author": "edo",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:54:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226915",
          "commentText": "Think & Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill\nTaiko - Eiji Yoshikawa\nAlexander of Macedon - Peter Green\nand +1 for Staunch's choice:\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Alexander of Macedon - Peter Green",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Green"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alexander the great",
        "ancient greece"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "algorithmics-a24eae",
      "title": "Algorithmics",
      "author": "David Harel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31171411,
          "author": "jonjacky",
          "createdAt": "2022-04-26T18:41:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 31166475,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Top inspiring books on crucial CS ideas?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31171411",
          "commentText": "Algorithmics by David Harel.  Discussion from a few months ago:\nhttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29501589",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Algorithmics by David Harel.",
          "reason": "Named in response to a request for books on computer science ideas.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computer science topics, data structures, or algorithms.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20731765,
          "author": "jonjacky",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T18:02:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20731765",
          "commentText": "Algorithmics by David Harel.  Not a textbook, but a more popular Scientific American level treatment.  Very readable and accessible but quite rigorous also - Harel's a noted computer scientist.  I recall there was a slightly different edition of this book called something like Algorithms - the Soul of Computing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Algorithmics by David Harel. Not a textbook, but a more popular Scientific American level treatment. Very readable and accessible but quite rigorous also",
          "reason": "Described as readable, accessible, and rigorous.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an accessible introduction to algorithms and computing.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not a textbook.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Harel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "computational thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "anarchy-state-and-utopia-07ce74",
      "title": "Anarchy, State, and Utopia",
      "author": "Robert Nozick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34171483,
          "author": "t0bia_s",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-29T11:05:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34171483",
          "commentText": "Anarchy, State, and Utopia (1974) - Robert Nozick\nWhen you question competence of state, usefulness of bureaucracy, purpose of police, laws and basically dependence society on state.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anarchy, State, and Utopia (1974) - Robert Nozick",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a thread asking for books read and recommended.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33853279,
          "author": "t0bia_s",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T12:57:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33853279",
          "commentText": "Anarchy, State, and Utopia - Robert Nozick\nWhen you question competence of state, usefulness of bureaucracy, purpose of police, laws and basically dependence society on state.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anarchy, State, and Utopia - Robert Nozick",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the thread's question about the best book read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Nozick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "libertarianism",
        "political philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "apollo-race-to-the-moon-8a801e",
      "title": "Apollo: Race to the Moon",
      "author": "Charles Murray and Catherine Bly Cox",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910419,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:44:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910419",
          "commentText": "Offhand...\n1. 'The Making of the Atomic Bomb', R. Rhodes\n2. 'Apollo: Race to the Moon', C. Murray, C. Cox\n3. 'The Prize', D. Yergin\n4. 'Are Your Lights On?', D. Gause, G. Weinberg\n5. 'Becoming A Technical Leader', G. Weinberg",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Apollo: Race to the Moon', C. Murray, C. Cox",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17204914,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T13:08:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17204914",
          "commentText": "Not software books, but 'Apollo: Race to the Moon' by Murray and Cox, and 'The Making of The Atomic Bomb', Rhodes are my two favorite books about engineering projects and the people behind them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Apollo: Race to the Moon' by Murray and Cox",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s two favorite books about engineering projects and the people behind them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not a software book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Murray",
        "Catherine Bly Cox"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "apollo program",
        "engineering history",
        "space exploration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "autobiography-of-benjamin-franklin-c51b78",
      "title": "Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin",
      "author": "Benjamin Franklin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17168677,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:31:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168677",
          "commentText": "I can't give just one, but here are a few that had a strong influence on me: \n\"12 Rules for Life\" by Jordan Peterson, \"Why Switzerland?\" Jonathan Steinberg, \"Little Book of Common Sense Investing\" by John C. Bogle, \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" by Butron Malkiel, \"Liberalismus\" by Ludwig von Mises, \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann, \"Walden\" by Henry David Thoreau, \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"A Treatise on Political Economy\" by Jean-Baptiste Say, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy\" by Joseph Alois Schumpeter, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"My Correct Views on Everything\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"The Captive Mind\" Czesław Miłosz, \"One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, \"The House of the Dead\" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, \"Conversations with an Executioner\" by Kazimierz Moczarski, \"Diary 1954\" by Leopold Tyrmand, \"The Master and Margarita\" by Mikhail Bulgakov, \"A World Apart: A Memoir of the Gulag\" by Gustaw Herling-Grudziński",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a strong influence on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416563,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:55:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416563",
          "commentText": "\"I'm wondering which other books have you read that have had the most impact on you professionally or even personally?\"\nProfessionally: Peter F. Drucker's books.\nPersonally: \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann,  \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"Metaphysical Horror\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"Rationality in Economics\" by Vernon L. Smith, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about books with personal impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Benjamin Franklin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american history",
        "autobiography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "barking-up-the-wrong-tree-f390d7",
      "title": "Barking Up the Wrong Tree",
      "author": "Eric Barker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17336777,
          "author": "godelmachine",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T09:01:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17336777",
          "commentText": "Barking up the Wrong Tree by Eric Barker",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Barking up the Wrong Tree by Eric Barker",
          "reason": "Named as the commenter's comfort book in response to the thread question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17046256,
          "author": "godelmachine",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T10:55:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17046256",
          "commentText": "1) All of Robin Sharma's books - especially The Monk who sold his Ferrari\n2) The Conquest of Happiness by Bertrand Russell\n3) Self Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson\n4) The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius\n5) Barking up the wrong tree by Eric Barker\n6) This might be strange - but Harry Potter series also teach us a lot, especially about Courage and Conviction.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Barking up the wrong tree by Eric Barker",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for introspective book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Barker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "behavior",
        "popular psychology",
        "success"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "blindsight-the-mostly-hidden-ways-marketing-reshapes-our-brains-6a1c98",
      "title": "Blindsight: The (Mostly) Hidden Ways Marketing Reshapes Our Brains",
      "author": "Matt Johnson and Prince Ghuman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34183972,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-30T11:07:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34183972",
          "commentText": "Ten Steps to Nanette, Hannah Gadsby - Autobiography of an Australian comedian I like. (If you like audiobooks, she reads it herself which is a treat.)\nTrue Biz, Sara Nović - A year in the life of a boarding school for the deaf.\nUpgrade, Blake Crouch\nBlindsight: The (Mostly) Hidden Ways Marketing Reshapes Our Brains, Matt Johnson & Prince Ghuman - Interesting angle of examining neurology.\nTreasure & Dirt, and The Tilt, Chris Hammer - Good Australian rural crime fiction.\nHarry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, Eliezer Yudkowsky - Alternate fan fic depiction of Harry Potter as a hyper-rationalist. My review linked below.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60034663-ten-steps-to-na... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60034663-ten-steps-to-nanette)\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58395049-true-biz\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59838811-upgrade\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52225003-blindsight\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58520598-treasure-dirt\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61413297-the-tilt\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33951086-harry-potter-an... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33951086-harry-potter-and-the-methods-of-rationality)\n(My review) https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5124124732",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Interesting angle of examining neurology.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes its approach to neurology as interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33850390,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T03:46:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33850390",
          "commentText": "Ten Steps to Nanette, Hannah Gadsby - Autobiography of an Australian comedian I like. (If you like audiobooks, she reads it herself which is a treat.)\nTrue Biz, Sara Nović - A year in the life of a boarding school for the deaf.\nUpgrade, Blake Crouch\nBlindsight: The (Mostly) Hidden Ways Marketing Reshapes Our Brains, Matt Johnson & Prince Ghuman - Interesting angle of examining neurology.\nTreasure & Dirt, and The Tilt, Chris Hammer - Good Australian rural crime fiction.\nHarry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, Eliezer Yudkowsky - Alternate fan fic depiction of Harry Potter as a hyper-rationalist. My review linked below.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60034663-ten-steps-to-na... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60034663-ten-steps-to-nanette)\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58395049-true-biz\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59838811-upgrade\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52225003-blindsight\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58520598-treasure-dirt\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61413297-the-tilt\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33951086-harry-potter-an... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33951086-harry-potter-and-the-methods-of-rationality)\n(My review) https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5124124732",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Interesting angle of examining neurology.",
          "reason": "Finds its angle on neurology interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matt Johnson",
        "Prince Ghuman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consumer behavior",
        "neuromarketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "borrow-the-american-way-of-debt-79082b",
      "title": "Borrow: The American Way of Debt",
      "author": "Louis Hyman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22578307,
          "author": "anaphor",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T20:17:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22578307",
          "commentText": "\"Borrow: The American Way of Debt\" by Louis Hyman\nIt's basically a historical study of debt in the United States over the past 100 years or so. Very interesting and educational.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Borrow: The American Way of Debt\" by Louis Hyman",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a historical study of debt in the United States.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21902992,
          "author": "anaphor",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T00:48:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902992",
          "commentText": "Most of mine are going to be books by philosophers or scientists (about philosophy or other things).\n- The Conquest of Happiness by Bertrand Russell was a pretty good one. He has a lot of ideas that were ahead of their time (positive psychology, etc). You can see a lot of parallels between his ideas and modern Stoicism (although Russell criticized it elsewhere, I think he came to some of the same conclusions).\n- Introduction To Mathematical Philosophy by Bertrand Russell. Another Russell one. I think this is probably the clearest and easiest to understand explanation I've ever read of the underpinnings of mathematical foundations. It's written in a style that should be accessible to almost anyone with a high school education. He wrote it while he was in prison (for refusing to be drafted) during WW1. Apparently he left a copy of it to the prison warden.\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding by David Hume. This is worth reading because it is the motivation for basically all of modern philosophy of science (at least in the west). It's also pretty easy to read and if you read it you'll be able to more easily understand other books and papers that are responses to it.\n- Turing's Cathedral by George Dyson. This book should be required reading for every programmer or aspiring programmer IMO. I learned so much about the history of computing that I didn't know before reading this. You will not regret buying this one.\n- I Am A Strange Loop by Douglas Hofstadter. Obviously everyone knows about GEB, but he also wrote a shorter follow up that in my opinion expresses his ideas much more clearly. I think that even if you disagree with him, it's worth reading because there are so many things you can take away from this book. For example, he talks about his wife's death, and ties that into his theory of mind and explains the unstated purposes of why we have funerals/wakes for people.\n- An Introduction to Information Theory by John R. Pierce. For someone like me who doesn't really have a very strong math background, this was a very clear intro to the ideas behind information theory, and why they're important historically. I would recommend this to anyone who feels like they need a gentle intro to the ideas and motivation for them. Dover mathematics books in general are great.\n- Borrow: The American Way of Debt by Louis Hyman. This is a fantastic historical overview of personal credit in the US that covers the past 120 years or so. I learned a ton from reading this that I had no clue about. Recommended to anyone who wants to understand the origins of credit cards / loans, and how society came to embrace being in debt.\nhttps://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.222834/page/n7\nhttps://people.umass.edu/klement/imp/imp-ebk.pdf\nhttps://archive.org/details/humeenquiry00humerich/page/n7\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Turings-Cathedral-Origins-Digital-Uni... (https://www.amazon.com/Turings-Cathedral-Origins-Digital-Universe/dp/1400075998)\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Am-Strange-Loop-Douglas-Hofstadter/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Am-Strange-Loop-Douglas-Hofstadter/dp/0465030793)\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Information-Theory-Symbo... (https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Information-Theory-Symbols-Mathematics/dp/0486240614)\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Borrow-American-Debt-Louis-Hyman/dp/0... (https://www.amazon.com/Borrow-American-Debt-Louis-Hyman/dp/0307741680)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Recommended to anyone who wants to understand the origins of credit cards / loans, and how society came to embrace being in debt.",
          "reason": "Called a fantastic historical overview of personal credit in the United States.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the history of credit cards, loans, and debt.",
          "caveat": "Focuses on the United States and roughly the past 120 years.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Louis Hyman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consumer credit",
        "american debt history",
        "financial history",
        "history of debt"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "capitalism-the-unknown-ideal-5daa5c",
      "title": "Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal",
      "author": "Ayn Rand",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9615892,
          "author": "dmfdmf",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-28T03:23:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9615892",
          "commentText": "\"But if you are disaffected with both the mainstream right and progressives, then you are in search of an alternative theory of why everything is going so rotten. And in that case, Moldbug's theories are a revelation.\"\nFar from being a radical repudiating \"the currently prevailing ideologies\" I would say that he is steeped in the currently ideologies and just advocating their logical end; dictatorship.  The Left and Right are both intellectually bankrupt and now just seek power for power's sake, i.e., they stand for nothing.  The society is ripe for a dictator and we will get one as soon as another economic or other crisis arises. The Left and the Right secretly are hoping for such a crisis and that their gang happens to be in power when it happens. Writers like Moldbug are a harbinger of the future of the US as we drift toward dictatorship and they existed in Germany before the rise of the Nazis, laying the intellectual ground work.\nFortunately there is real intellectual opposition to this fate in Ayn Rand's philosophy. You should read \"Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal\" and more importantly her intro on ethics \"The Virtue of Selfishness\". She identified what is wrong with the Left and the Right and proposes an alternative ethical and political theory to support Capitalism and her writings are crystal clear and to the point.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You should read \"Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal\"",
          "reason": "Directly recommends the book as part of Rand's alternative ethical and political theory.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503213,
          "author": "dmfdmf",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T06:46:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503213",
          "commentText": "\"The Virtue of Selfishness\"\n\"Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal\"\n\"Philosophy: Who Needs It\"\n\"Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology\"\nAll by Ayn Rand. Whether you end up agreeing with her or not, she will definitely will make you think.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Whether you agree with Rand or not, she says it will make you think.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ayn Rand"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "capitalism",
        "objectivism",
        "political philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "consciousness-and-the-brain-deciphering-how-the-brain-codes-our-t-ccd339",
      "title": "Consciousness and the Brain: Deciphering How the Brain Codes Our Thoughts",
      "author": "Stanislas Dehaene",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20333996,
          "author": "Symmetry",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T11:29:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20333996",
          "commentText": "Limiting us to recommending one book is very cruel.\nI suppose if I have to recommend one it would be Consciousness and the Brain: Deciphering How the Brain Codes Our Thoughts by Stanislas Dehaene.  This isn't a complete scientific explanation of consciousness.  This is looking at questions like how do stimuli we're consciously aware of differ from subliminal stimuli?  How does awareness relate to memory?  How do the readings our instruments give relate to people's descriptions of their experiences?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Consciousness and the Brain: Deciphering How the Brain Codes Our Thoughts",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as their choice, describing questions it explores about awareness, subliminal stimuli, memory, and experience.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in scientific questions about consciousness and awareness.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not a complete scientific explanation of consciousness.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17910652,
          "author": "Symmetry",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T17:04:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910652",
          "commentText": "The Secret of Our Success on the co-evolution of humans and human culture.\nThe Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution on what are states, where do they come from, and how do they work?\nThe Vital Question: Energy, Evolution, and the Origins of Complex Life is just what it says on the tin.\nThe Strategy of Conflict is the original book on game theory which stands up pretty well.\nConsciousness and the Brain: Deciphering How the Brain Codes Our Thoughts on the modern science of what we know about what consciousness is.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "on the modern science of what we know about what consciousness is.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stanislas Dehaene"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consciousness",
        "cognitive neuroscience",
        "neuroscience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "crossing-to-safety-96c6b3",
      "title": "Crossing to Safety",
      "author": "Wallace Stegner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6387610,
          "author": "macrael",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T00:02:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387610",
          "commentText": "East of Eden is my favorite book I've read in the last several years. Beautiful end to end and very moral. If you've read it it's totally worth reading Journal of a Novel: a collection of letters Steinbeck wrote to his editor every day as he was writing East of Eden. It's a fascinating window into the mind of a master deliberately creating a masterpiece.\nOther favorites: Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner, In Our Time by Hemingway, The Magus by John Fowles, 100 years of solitude, Moby Dick (perhaps a precursor to all modern fantasy?) Stranger in a Strange Land, and Infinite Jest. I've also loved both of DFW's big essay collections: Consider the Lobster and A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll never Do Again.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Other favorites: Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner",
          "reason": "Includes it among other favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753020,
          "author": "macrael",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T16:40:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753020",
          "commentText": "Another lovely counterpoint to Ayn Rand is \"Sewer Gas and Electric\" by Matt Ruff. It is absurdist science fiction that is hilarious and full of fascinating characters.\nI really enjoy Atlas Shrugged as well, I've read the whole book twice, actually. But I don't believe it is a good code to live by. My favorite quite about her books comes from The Daily Show. On the back of America The Book there is a fake blurb from Rand: \"just like one of my books, reading this book will make you an asshole for two weeks.\"\nHer books are seductive because they intentionally oversimplify life. Her characters are not realistic and are completely binary. Everyone is either a superhero or a weasel. This makes for entertaining reading, but not much else.\nRead \"Crossing to Safety\" by Wallace Stegner. It is a brautiful book about an intense relationship forged between two couples. It's my favorite thing I've read recently.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read \"Crossing to Safety\" by Wallace Stegner. It is a brautiful book about an intense relationship forged between two couples. It's my favorite thing I've read recently.",
          "reason": "Explicitly tells readers to read it and calls it a beautiful recent favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Wallace Stegner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "friendship",
        "literary fiction",
        "marriage"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "darwinian-fairytales-cc0f64",
      "title": "Darwinian Fairytales",
      "author": "David Stove",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23153642,
          "author": "scottlocklin",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T13:19:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23153642",
          "commentText": "Read the philosopher of science David Stove's \"Darwinian fairytales.\" You'll realize that Dawkins book is\n1) Not orthodox science in any sense of the word, nor really philosophy of science (though it is a popularization of the work of people like William Hamilton)\n2) Philosophically bonkers; it's essentially medieval demonology repackaged where the demons are called \"genes.\"\n3) Not written by an actual scientist.\nIt's also a hilarious takedown, as are most of David Stove's essays and books. I liked Dawkin's fairytale when I first read it, for the same reason I liked death metal music and fedora tier atheism arguments on usenet. But it's horse shit. FWIIW another nail in its coffin; Dawkin's ideology originates in part from a guy named George Price: have a look at part 3 of the Adam Curtis documentary \"all watched over by machines of loving grace\" for more on what became of him.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read the philosopher of science David Stove's \"Darwinian fairytales.\"",
          "reason": "Recommended as a philosophical critique of Dawkins's ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter characterizes Dawkins's work as scientifically and philosophically unsound.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19088795,
          "author": "scottlocklin",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T19:26:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19088795",
          "commentText": "Yeah, that was a biggie for me, until I read \"Darwinian Fairytales\" by David Stove. Everyone who has read Dawkins needs to have a look at this.\nA philosopher has a look at what Dawkins actually says and realizes it is basically medieval demonology dressed up in pseudoscientific verbiage.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Everyone who has read Dawkins needs to have a look at this.",
          "reason": "The commenter urges readers of Dawkins to read the book.",
          "audience": "Readers of Dawkins.",
          "caveat": "The commenter sharply criticizes Dawkins’s account as pseudoscientific.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Stove"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "critique of darwinism",
        "critique of sociobiology",
        "evolutionary theory",
        "philosophy of biology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "diary-of-an-early-american-boy-noah-blake-1805-9182c9",
      "title": "Diary of an Early American Boy: Noah Blake 1805",
      "author": "Eric Sloane",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41176989,
          "author": "mikewarot",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T00:25:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41176989",
          "commentText": "1632 by Eric Flint - it became a series. I can read them over and over. - Alternate history, contemplative of everything that makes modern civilization possible and keeps it going.\nThe Art of Electronics  - Horowitz and Hill - All the nitty gritty details you'll need if you're to be a good electronics designer\nThe adolescence of P-1 - Thomas Joseph Ryan - Introduced me to the idea of random walks leading to AI.\nComputer Lib/Dream Machines - Ted Nelson -- Quite a bit of ideas about computers, I read it decades ago.\nDiary of an Early American Boy: Noah Blake 1805 -- By Eric Sloane -- Early Americans really knew their shit, we tend to think of them as simpler people, this book dispelled me of that stupid notion.\nBoys Second Book of Electronics - Alfred Morgan, 1957 -- Introduced me to the idea that I could make my own radio or anything electronic I wanted to make.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Diary of an Early American Boy: Noah Blake 1805 -- By Eric Sloane -- Early Americans really knew their shit, we tend to think of them as simpler people, this book dispelled me of that stupid notion.",
          "reason": "Says it dispelled their notion that early Americans were simpler people.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36442950,
          "author": "mikewarot",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-23T04:54:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36442950",
          "commentText": "The Boy's Second Book of Radio and Electronics - by Alfred Morgan (1957).[1]\nI had almost failed 4th grade, and it was strongly suggested (I don't know the details, but it happened quickly) that I should be set loose in the school library, and allowed to pick out any book and read it. This very book got me into electronics, and later when the personal computing revolution arrived, I was all set to join in.\n---\nDiary of an Early American Boy: Noah Blake 1805.[2]\nIt was the love story wound into this quite fascinating look into the lives of young men in that time period, that inspired my decision to propose to my Wife.\n---\n[1] https://worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/Technology/The-B... (https://worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/Technology/The-Boys-Second-Book-of-Radio-and-Electronics-Morgan-1957.pdf)\n[2] https://store.doverpublications.com/0486436667.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Diary of an Early American Boy: Noah Blake 1805.",
          "reason": "The commenter says its love story inspired them to propose to their wife.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Sloane"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "daily life",
        "early american history",
        "early american life"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "differential-privacy-15b7bf",
      "title": "Differential Privacy",
      "author": "Simson Garfinkel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46272459,
          "author": "wannabebarista",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-15T10:03:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 46226571,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46272459",
          "commentText": "1. Differential Privacy (2025) by Simson Garfinkel\nA readable but thorough introduction to differential privacy.\n2. Tales of the Weird: An Uncanny Introduction (2023)\nA collection of short stories from the British Library to introduce the many flavors of weird fiction.\n3. An Introduction to Information Theory: Symbols, Signals and Noise (1980) by John R. Pierce\nA fun survey of information theory with great anecdotes about Bell Labs in mid-century.\nSee my full list here: https://bcmullins.github.io/interesting-books-2025/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Differential Privacy (2025) by Simson Garfinkel\nA readable but thorough introduction to differential privacy.",
          "reason": "A readable, thorough introduction to differential privacy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 45947912,
          "author": "wannabebarista",
          "createdAt": "2025-11-16T19:57:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 45947737,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45947912",
          "commentText": "Here's my list so far:\nDifferential Privacy (2025) by Simson Garfinkel. This is an accessible and enjoyable introduction to differential privacy from the MIT Press essentials series.\nThe Philosopher in the Kitchen (1825) by Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin. This is a primer on gourmandism or the art and science of cooking, eating, and hosting. An interesting look at the French intellectual milieu at the turn of the nineteenth century.\nRelativism and the Foundations of Philosophy (2006) by Steven Hales. This book argues for relativism about philosophical propositions, e.g., metaphysical statements. I came across this book and picked it up after enjoying a few articles from Hales' blog [0].\nI usually put up a list at the end of each year. Here's the list from last year [1].\n[0] https://hilariusbookbinder.substack.com\n[1] https://bcmullins.github.io/interesting-books-2024/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is an accessible and enjoyable introduction to differential privacy",
          "reason": "Describes it as an accessible and enjoyable introduction to differential privacy.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an introduction to differential privacy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Simson Garfinkel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "differential privacy",
        "data privacy",
        "privacy engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "exceptional-selling-2a7c56",
      "title": "Exceptional Selling",
      "author": "Jeff Thull",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10235246,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T18:37:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10235246",
          "commentText": "I'm a fan of The Challenger Sale, The New Solution Selling and all three books by Jeff Thull:  Mastering The Complex Sale, Exceptional Selling and The Prime Solution.   I really like Thull's approach, especially his \"always be leaving\" mindset, as opposed to the old \"always be closing\" idea.  Thull's thinking is much more focused on providing an authentic and honest experience, and genuinely trying to help the customer - as opposed to stuff about how to \"trick\" the customer into saying yes.\nI also like a lot of what I've read from Jeffrey Gittomer and Grant Cardone.\nOh, and The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes as well.  He (Chet H.) did a series of videos with Anthony Robbins that is really good.  I really recommend watching those.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Exceptional Selling",
          "reason": "The commenter says they like all three of Jeff Thull's books and praises his customer-focused approach.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5859187,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-11T02:22:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 5859004,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5859187",
          "commentText": ">> 1. What books are you currently reading?\nWell, I'm one of those people who has a bookmark in about 15 different books that I'm \"currently reading\" but some are higher priorities than others, and some will never be finished (probably) and others I'll have to start over since I've forgotten what was happening when I sat it aside, etc.  But offhand, I can think of:\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore - re-reading this one\nThe Prime Solution - Jeff Thull - 3rd Jeff Thull book on selling that I've read lately, and I'll probably reread the entire series when I finish this one\nThe New Solution Selling  - re-reading this - can you tell I'm starting to try and move into sales?\nSelling to VITO - more sales stuff.\nHow to Create A Mind - Ray Kurzweil\nGodel, Escher, Bach - Douglas Hofstadter - set this aside over a year ago; about halfway through, will probably finish it, but FSM only knows when\nA New Kind of Science - Stephen Wolfram (see above about GEB)\nMadame Bovary - Meh. May finish one day, may not.  Would have to start it over at this point.\nREAMDE - Neal Stephenson - set this aside a while back, but intend to finish it eventually.  Will probably restart from the beginning.\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Stephen Gary Blank - I'm kinda in a perpetual state of reading and re-reading sections of this book.\nThe Dispossessed - Ursula K. LeGuin - sat this aside quite some time ago, will have to start over at some point.\nThe Man In The Moss - Phil Rickman - another one that I sat aside for a while, and may or may not ever bother finishing.  Weird, because I usually really enjoy Rickman's work and just tear through his books, but I got stalled out on this one for some reason.\n>> 2. Which book has helped you the most?\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Stephen Gary Blank.\nAlso, The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki and Crossing the Chasm by Moore.\nOf all these sales books I've read lately, I'm really starting to buy into this \"Diagnostic Selling\" stuff by Jeff Thull, so I'd endorse Mastering The Complex Sale, Exceptional Selling and The Prime Solution by Thull. Also, The New Solution Selling.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Exceptional Selling",
          "reason": "Explicitly includes it among the books they would endorse.",
          "audience": "People interested in sales and diagnostic selling.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeff Thull"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "complex sales",
        "sales"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "false-memory-dfb7f9",
      "title": "False Memory",
      "author": "Dean Koontz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17338858,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T15:19:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17338858",
          "commentText": "There's a few:\nThe Mysterious Island by Jules Verne\nFalse Memory by Dean Koontz\nNeuromancer by William Gibson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "False Memory by Dean Koontz",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8795694,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T07:00:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795694",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nPredictable Revenue - Aaron Ross, Marylou Tyler\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nThe Ultimate Question 2.0 - Fred Reichheld‎\nThe Singularity is Near - Ray Kurzweil\nMoonshot! - John Sculley\nZero To One - Peter Thiel\nRepublic - Plato\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius\nNineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell\nFahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury\nThe Mysterious Island - Jules Verne\nDiscipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy, Fred Wiersema\nFalse Memory - Dean Koontz\nNOS4A2- Joe Hill\nRevival - Stephen King\nBarbarians At The Gate - John Helyar and Bryan Burrough\nInto Thin Air - John Krakauer\nHow To Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nand any collection of the works of H.P. Lovecraft.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "False Memory - Dean Koontz",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for impactful or liked books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dean Koontz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "psychological thriller",
        "suspense"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "farmer-in-the-sky-f59ecc",
      "title": "Farmer in the Sky",
      "author": "Robert A. Heinlein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17537661,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T23:20:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537661",
          "commentText": "Farmer in the Sky by Robert Heinlein [1]\nThe Complete Robot by Isaac Asimov [2]\nThe Wrong Unit [3] wasn't a bad little humorous tale.\nPretty much anything by Timothy Zahn (sans Star Wars novelisations) [4] or Robert Sawyer [5] floats my boat.\nThe First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North [6]\nBarsk: The Elephants’ Graveyard by Lawrence M. Schoen [7] made me care about sentient elephants.\nFuzzy Nation by John Scalzi [8] is very funny. Audiobook version narrated by Wil Wheaton.\nOf ones already mentioned:\nThe Bobiverse was surprisingly good (including the audiobook version).\nThe Expanse is good.\nWith regards to Dune, there are some like myself who only ever liked the first book in the series. (Also there is a good audiobook version out there.)\nThe Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and sequels are great world building and characters, although the plots seem to meander about with not too much purpose.\nThe Martian is great.\n[1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50851.Farmer_in_the_Sky\n[2] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50091.The_Complete_Robot\n[3] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30959279-the-wrong-unit\n[4] https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12479.Timothy_Zahn\n[5] https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/25883.Robert_J_Sawyer\n[6] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295861-the-first-fifte... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295861-the-first-fifteen-lives-of-harry-august)\n[7] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25667916-barsk\n[8] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11167622-fuzzy-nation",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Farmer in the Sky by Robert Heinlein",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17338118,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T13:38:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17338118",
          "commentText": "My top three would be:\nDune by  Frank Herbert (only the first book, dislike the rest of the series)\nFarmer in the Sky by Robert Heinlein\nThe Crysalids by John Wyndham\nI've probably read these three books at least twice a decade since the 80s when I was a teenager.\nThe Complete Robot from Isaac Asimov would be a close forth.\nThe Tripod Trilogy by John Christopher would be fifth on the list. Hadn't read since a teenager, but about ten years ago tracked down copies of them (and the prequel) and it was delightful to reread.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Farmer in the Sky by Robert Heinlein",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13569455,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T22:20:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13569455",
          "commentText": "Three books I tend to re-read every 3-8 years are: Farmer in the Sky[1], The Chrysalids[2] and Dune[3][4]. Read them as a teenager and thirty years later still re-read.\nOthers I’ve re-read recently are:\n* Camouflage [5]\n* The Green And the Gray [6]\n* The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August [7]\n* The Martian [8]\n* I Am Not A Serial Killer series [9]\nI plan to re-read in the near future:\n* Touch [10]\n* The Hollow City [11]\n* Pulling Up Stakes [12]\nYes, I read a lot. [13]\n---\n[1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50851.Farmer_in_the_Sky\n[2] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/826845.The_Chrysalids\n[3] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1000049.Dune\n[4] Only the first book in the series. Really disliked all the rest. Last couple of times I’ve listened to the Audible audiobook version which is excellent.\n[5] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21607.Camouflage\n[6] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/216455.The_Green_And_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/216455.The_Green_And_the_Gray)\n[7] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295861-the-first-fifte... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295861-the-first-fifteen-lives-of-harry-august)\n[8] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18007564-the-martian\n[9] https://www.goodreads.com/series/49883-john-cleaver\n[10] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23561543-touch\n[11] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13034956-the-hollow-city\n[12] https://www.goodreads.com/series/94696-pulling-up-stakes\n[13] http://www.michevan.id.au/content/reading-habits-of-2015/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Three books I tend to re-read every 3-8 years are: Farmer in the Sky[1],",
          "reason": "Lists it among books reread every three to eight years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert A. Heinlein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "colonization",
        "planetary settlement",
        "terraforming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "functions-and-graphs-83d94b",
      "title": "Functions and Graphs",
      "author": "Israel M. Gelfand, E. G. Glagoleva, and E. E. Shnol",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29226108,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-15T11:16:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29226108",
          "commentText": "There are literally hundreds of threads with this topic on the Web. Most of them contain the same standard references which IMO are not always the best for people without much mathematical maturity and wishing to learn from first principles. That said, here are my recommendations for them (pdfs of almost all are available online and they can also be purchased cheaply as used books);\n* 1) Functions and Graphs and 2) The Method of Coordinates by I.M.Gelfand et. al. - These give you the basics on functions and how to visualize them which is crucial for understanding.\n* Introductory Logic and Sets for Computer Scientists by Nimal Nissanke - Nice succinct introduction to various required topics for Comp. Sci.\n*  Compared To What?: Introduction to the Analysis of Algorithms by Gregory Rawlins - This is a classic book which takes you by hand and walks you through Algorithm Analysis and the reqd. mathematics. You will find this more approachable than most other text books and well worth a study.\n* How to Think about Algorithms by Jeff Edmonds - Practical techniques without too much mathematical formalism.\n* Data Structure Techniques by Thomas Standish - A Classic text; good adjunct to more modern texts.\n* Advanced Data Structures by Peter Brass - Nice succinct text but not necessarily \"advanced\".\nOne final point; try to get a Algorithms and Data Structures book with code in the language with which you are most familiar. That way you understand the mapping from \"Abstract Algorithm\" to \"Concrete Language Implementation\" which is not always trivial.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Functions and Graphs",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a foundation for understanding functions and visualizing them.",
          "audience": "Readers who want mathematical grounding for algorithms.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23721531,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T06:24:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23721531",
          "commentText": "Some of the books that you mention seem a bit too hard for a teen, so you have to be careful not to demotivate them by expecting too much of them; instead i suggest a simpler approach before tackling the big ones;\n* Functions and Graphs by Gelfand et al. - A small but great book to develop intuition.\n* Who is Fourier? A Mathematical Adventure - A great \"manga type\" book to build important concepts from first principles\n* Concepts of Modern Mathematics by Ian Stewart - A nice overview in simple language.\n* Mathematics: Its Content, Methods and Meaning by Kolmogorov et al. - A broad but concise presentation of a lot of mathematics.\n* Methods of Mathematics Applied to Calculus, Probability, and Statistics by Richard Hamming - A very good applied maths book. All of Hamming's books are recommended.\nThere are of course plenty more but the above should be good for understanding.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Functions and Graphs by Gelfand et al. - A small but great book to develop intuition.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a small book for developing intuition.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Israel M. Gelfand",
        "E. G. Glagoleva",
        "E. E. Shnol"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "functions",
        "graphs",
        "mathematical visualization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "functions-of-several-variables-d18f11",
      "title": "Functions of Several Variables",
      "author": "Wendell H. Fleming",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31491923,
          "author": "graycat",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T13:38:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31491923",
          "commentText": "Bluntly, with only occasional exceptions, have to learn from the books.  Period.  No biggie:  Once are in grad school or a prof, have to learn from papers, and the good books are typically MUCH easier to read than the papers!\nFor first calculus, read one of the well respected books.  In my experience and opinion, don't need high school advanced placement calculus -- regard it as a waste of time.  Also the last time I looked at Khan Academy, I concluded that it was a waste or worse and by people who didn't have a good background in calculus.  Generally the Internet sources are too elementary.  Solution:  Just use some good books.  Protter and Morrey is good (I taught from it), but it is a bit elementary.  I learned from Johnson and Kiokmeister; I like it.  At the time it was also being used at Harvard.  The exercises are especially good.  It's old, but calculus hasn't changed much since 1950 or so about when it gave up on teaching infinitesimals.\nBut might check out the Maxima software for symbolic indefinite integration -- as I recall, its algorithms are so good they do any indefinite integration that can be done in closed form.\nFor linear algebra, sure, Nering (a student of E. Artin at Princeton) and then Halmos (a finite dimensional introduction to Hilbert space and written when Halmos was an assistant to von Neumann, office not far from Einstein), etc.  For still more, R. Bellman has a good book -- he went all over active and put in everything including the kitchen sink.  Then for numerical work, old but a start, Forsythe and\nMoler and/or the documentation of LINPAK.\nFor multivariate calculus through the divergence theorem and as needed, e.g., for Maxwell's equations, start with the most elementary treatments of vector analysis and f'get about the lack of proofs.  Actually notice, can see via a Google search, that the divergence theorem on a box is just a dirt simple application of the fundamental theorem of freshman calculus.  Then the difficulty is proving the thing on other shapes.  Then do multivariate calculus again via, say, Apostol, Mathematical Analysis: A Modern Approach to Advanced Calculus.  That he uses the Jordan curve theorem is a bit much but just go with the flow.  Fleming's Functions of Several Variables does it with both measure theory and exterior algebra.  Or W. Rudin's, as I recall, third edition, Principles of Mathematical Analysis.  For calculus done via Lebesgue's measure theory, Royden's Real Analysis and/or the first half of Rudin's Real and Complex Analysis.\nMy favorite author on ordinary differential equations is Coddington, and his elementary An Introduction to Ordinary\nDifferential Equations is nicely done and likely enough for nearly any applications might encounter.  Will want some of this if do A/C circuit theory or deterministic optimal control.\nFor basic abstract algebra Herstein, Topics in Algebra should usually be enough and is well written.  With that will be well prepared for, say, algebraic coding theory which actually has some important applications.\nOnce have a background in measure theory, for probability, of course, Loeve or either of his students Breiman or Neveu.  Breiman is really nice to read. Neveu is a good candidate for  the most polished and elegantly done math book or writing of any kind in all of civilization.   Be sure to get to the good stuff on the Radon-Nikodym theorem, conditional expectation, martingales, and ergodic processes.\nFor relatively good results, better than hardly any students get just from courses, study the theorems and proofs until can do them yourself and can also explain them to any common man in the street and also explain where they fit in more generally.  Also be able to do the exercises.  E.g., Rudin's Principles has the inverse and implicit function theorems as exercises!  Fleming applies them to Lagrange multipliers. These two theorems are the main prerequisites of differential geometry -- some parts of physics, now popular, touch on this math!\nIn my Ph.D. program I led the class in 4 of the five qualifying exams, and for the analysis and linear algebra exams, the books above were the secret.  After I did that, the department tried to have the students do better by offering a course from Rudin's Principles; the course didn't work; that book is too hard for a course and needs weeks of quiet time where a student can chew on the text slowly line by line. Rudin has some of the most precise presentations on Fourier theory.  So when physics uses Fourier theory or engineers use the fast Fourier transform, you will likely know Fourier theory quite a lot better than they do.  Right, the uncertainty principle in quantum mechanics is just a basic result in Fourier theory.  With Fourier theory and linearity, Schroedinger's equation starts to make sense.  A good exercise in early measure theory is differentiation under the integral sign, Leibniz's rule -- be sure to cover that with a good proof.\nWith the background from the books above will be well prepared for a wide range of more narrow topics in pure and applied math.\nNearly all these books are available used in nearly new condition for low prices.  In a move I lost some of my library and rebuilt with used copies.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fleming's Functions of Several Variables does it with both measure theory and exterior algebra.",
          "reason": "Suggested for multivariate calculus, using measure theory and exterior algebra.",
          "audience": "People studying multivariate calculus.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23728159,
          "author": "graycat",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T22:24:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23728159",
          "commentText": "Linear algebra, and more than one such book.\nIMHO long and still the best linear algebra book is\nHalmos, Finite Dimensional Vector Spaces (FDVS).\nIt was written in 1942 when Halmos was an \"assistant\" to John von Neumann at the Institute for Advanced Study.  It is intended to be finite dimensional vector spaces but done with the techniques of Hilbert space.  The central result in the book, according to Halmos, is the spectral decomposition.  One result at a time, the quality of von Neumann comes through.  Commonly physicists have been given that book as their introduction to Hilbert space for quantum mechanics.\nBut FDVS is a little too much for a first book on linear algebra, or maybe even a second book, should be maybe a third one.\nAlso high quality is Nering, Linear Algebra and Matrix Theory.  Again, the quality comes through:  Nering was a student of Artin at Princeton.  There Nering does most of linear algebra on just finite fields, not just the real and complex fields; finite fields in linear algebra are important in error correcting codes.  So, that finite field work is a good introduction to abstract algebra.\nFor a first book on linear algebra, I'd recommend something easy.  The one I used was\nMurdoch,\nLinear Algebra for Undergraduates.\nIt's still okay if can find it.\nFor a first book, likely the one by Strang at MIT is good.  Just use it as a first book and don't take it too seriously since are going to cover all of it and more again later.\nI can recommend the beginning sections on vector spaces, convexity, and the inverse and implicit function theorems in\nFleming, Functions of Several Variables\nFleming was long at the Brown University Division of Applied Math. The later chapters are on measure theory, the Lebesgue integral, and the exterior algebra of differential forms, and there are better treatments.\nAlso there is now\nStephen Boyd and Lieven Vandenberghe, Introduction to Applied Linear Algebra – Vectors, Matrices, and Least Squares\nat\nhttp://vmls-book.stanford.edu/vmls.pdf\nSince the book is new, I've only       looked through it -- it looks like a good selection and arrangement of topics.  And Boyd is good, wrote a terrific book, maybe, IMHO likely, the best in the world, on convexity, which is in a sense is half of linearity.\nSome course slides are available at\nhttp://vmls-book.stanford.edu/\nFor reference for more, have a copy of\nRichard Bellman,\nIntroduction to Matrix Analysis:\nSecond Edition.\nBellman was famous for dynamic programming.\nFor computations in linear algebra, consider\nGeorge E. Forsythe and\nCleve B. Moler,\nComputer Solution of Linear Algebraic Systems\nalthough now the Linpack materials might be a better starting point for numerical linear algebra.  Numerical linear algebra is now a well developed specialized field, and the Linpack materials might be a good start on the best of the field.  Such linear algebra is apparently the main yardstick in evaluating the highly parallel supercomputers.\nAfter linear algebra go through\nRudin, Principles of Mathematical Analysis, Third Edition.\nHe does the Riemann integral very carefully, Fourier series, vector analysis via exterior algebra, and has the inverse and implicit function theorems (key to differential geometry, e.g., for relativity theory) as exercises.\nAll of this material is to get to the main goals of measure theory, the Lebesgue integral, Fourier theory, Hilbert space and Banach space as in, say, the first, real (not complex) half of\nRudin, Real and Complex Analysis\nBut for that I would start with\nRoyden, Real Analysis\nsweetheart writing on that math.\nDepending on the math department, those books might be enough to pass the Ph.D. qualifying exam in Analysis.  It was for me:  From those books I did the best in the class on that exam.\nMoreover, from independent study of Halmos, Nering, Fleming, Forsythe, linearity in statistics, and some more, I totally blew away all the students in a challenging second (maybe intentionally flunk out), advanced course in linear algebra and, then, did the best in the class on the corresponding qualifying exam, that is, where that second course was my first formal course in linear algebra.\nLesson:  Just self study of those books can give a really good background in linear algebra and its role in the rest of pure and applied math.\nNo joke, linear algebra, and the associated vector spaces, is one of the most important courses for more work in pure and applied math, engineering, and likely the future of computing.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I can recommend the beginning sections on vector spaces, convexity, and the inverse and implicit function theorems in\nFleming, Functions of Several Variables",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the early sections on vector spaces, convexity, and inverse and implicit function theorems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says later chapters have better treatments elsewhere.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Wendell H. Fleming"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "convexity",
        "exterior algebra",
        "implicit function theorem",
        "measure theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "game-scripting-mastery-af0e0c",
      "title": "Game Scripting Mastery",
      "author": "Alex Varanese",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47729765,
          "author": "markus_zhang",
          "createdAt": "2026-04-11T11:48:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 47728352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on building a programming language",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47729765",
          "commentText": "Crafting interpreters. Very well written and free of cost, but ofc I’d recommend purchasing a copy.\nIf you find it a bit hard to chew, there is a simpler book using Python: https://www.amazon.ca/Anthony-J-Dos-Reis/e/B001KE4SU8/ref=dp... (https://www.amazon.ca/Anthony-J-Dos-Reis/e/B001KE4SU8/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1)\nAnother book: Game Scripting Mastery.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another book: Game Scripting Mastery.",
          "reason": "Listed as another book on the topic in response to a request for resources.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28661372,
          "author": "markus_zhang",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T14:59:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28661372",
          "commentText": "Game programming patterns,\nGame scripting mastery",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Game scripting mastery",
          "reason": "Listed as a programming book recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alex Varanese"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "game scripting",
        "game programming",
        "programming languages"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "geometry-and-the-imagination-52fb29",
      "title": "Geometry and the Imagination",
      "author": "David Hilbert and S. Cohn-Vossen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23727980,
          "author": "enriquto",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T21:55:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23727980",
          "commentText": "The princeton companion is nice to have around, but you do not really read it end to end.\nSpivak's calculus you bring to the beach and read it between swim and swim.\nEDIT: Also, some books by Hilbert are breathtakingly beautiful: Geometry and the Imagination (just the chapter on synthetic differential geometry is worth more than 10 other great books), and the Methods of Mathematical Physics is also great.  It begins by giving three proofs of cauchy-schwartz inequality, and then goes on to give several different definitions of the eigenvectors of a matrix.  Both of those make great beach readings for this summer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Geometry and the Imagination",
          "reason": "Described as a beautiful book; the commenter especially praises a chapter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The claim about a chapter on synthetic differential geometry appears to be a mistaken chapter description.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21352608,
          "author": "enriquto",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-25T07:05:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21352608",
          "commentText": "All the books cited here by Arnold, Spivak, and Lanczos are extraordinarily good.\nNobody has mentioned yet \"Geometry and the Imagination\" by Hilbert and Cohn-Vossen.  If there is a Feynman equivalent in math it is certainly this book.\nFor elementary geometry, the Feynman equivalent is probably \"Introduction to Geometry\", by H.S.M.Coxeter.  Beautifully written, figures on every page, covers all geometric topics (affine, projective, ordered, differential, ...)\nFor differential geometry, nothing beats \"A Panoramic view of Differential Geometry\" by Berger.  It is a stunning comprehensive overview of the whole field, focused on the meaning and the applications of each part and, strangely for a math book, with no formal proofs.  Only the main ideas of the proof and the relationships between them are given, but this allows to fit the whole subject into a single, manageable whole.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Geometry and the Imagination\" by Hilbert and Cohn-Vossen.",
          "reason": "Described as a possible mathematical counterpart to Feynman and praised as a good book.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking engaging mathematics books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Hilbert",
        "S. Cohn-Vossen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "geometry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gonzo-marketing-d43ae0",
      "title": "Gonzo Marketing",
      "author": "Christopher Locke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 65157,
          "author": "Kaizyn",
          "createdAt": "2007-10-09T06:11:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 65153,
          "threadTitle": "Top Books for Entrepreneurs. List them.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=65157",
          "commentText": "This has come up a couple times before.  However, specifically for entrepreneurs, the books to read are:\n  1) How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie\n  2) Musashi's The Book of Five Rings\n  3) Gonzo Marketing by Christopher Locke\n  4) Getting Things Done by David Allen\n  5) What Management Is by Joan Magretta\n\nThere are other books, but less relevant in a business context.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gonzo Marketing by Christopher Locke",
          "reason": "Listed among books to read specifically for entrepreneurs.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56778,
          "author": "Kaizyn",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T07:48:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56778",
          "commentText": "Look up Peter Drucker if you're having to deal with big institutions.  If you're trying to understand web startups, then you probably need to read Gonzo Marketing",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you're trying to understand web startups, then you probably need to read Gonzo Marketing",
          "reason": "Recommends it for understanding web startups.",
          "audience": "Readers trying to understand web startups.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher Locke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "internet business",
        "internet marketing",
        "marketing",
        "startup marketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "harry-potter-and-the-chamber-of-secrets-eefcf7",
      "title": "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets",
      "author": "J. K. Rowling",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11297336,
          "author": "pearjuice",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:02:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297336",
          "commentText": "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6699432,
          "author": "pearjuice",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-08T22:00:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6699432",
          "commentText": "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets",
          "reason": "Named as the book being read in response to the thread's reading question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. K. Rowling"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coming of age fantasy",
        "magic",
        "young adult fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hierarchy-c6e5c8",
      "title": "Hierarchy",
      "author": "James Islington",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38565982,
          "author": "spoiler",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T06:23:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38565982",
          "commentText": "I second the Licanius trilogy! His new series (Hierarchy) is also great!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His new series (Hierarchy) is also great!",
          "reason": "Calls the author's new series great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37158554,
          "author": "spoiler",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T07:58:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37158554",
          "commentText": "The Cradle series by Will Wight. It's a Wuxia adapted for Western audiences. He has other great series; I liked the parallel Sea/Shadow trilogies a lot. Traveler's Gate series I enjoyed, but not as much as the rest. He recently also started a new series called Last Horizon; it's about space wizards and it's a bit whimsical, but fun.\nThe Expanse series is great, but I reckon people already mentioned it elsewhere in the thread.\nJames Islington's Licanius trilogy is one of my favourite fantasy book series probably. He recently started a new series called Hierarchy, which I also recommend. They're very \"grounded\" fantasy, and the magic systems is very woven into society and its structure. The human relationships in his books are pretty nuanced, which is why I like his works so much.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "He recently started a new series called Hierarchy, which I also recommend.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Islington"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "holy-the-firm-8a2a67",
      "title": "Holy the Firm",
      "author": "Annie Dillard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23155739,
          "author": "kabdib",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T16:17:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23155739",
          "commentText": "Annie Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek and Holy the Firm. Dillard has a way with words that is both eloquent and a little violent, and she influenced how I write just as much as Strunk and White's Elements of Style.\nDouglas Hofstadter's Godel, Escher, Bach for its captivating presentation of some very complicated ideas (at least to the 17 year old kid who read this for the first time). This book was published around the time that I was growing from hobby programming to writing software as a career, and it exposed me to non-trivial proofs, LISP, and recursion in general.\nVernor Vinge's The Peace War. It's a bit stupid, but . . . I want to make the tech in this book become reality :-)  Bobbles are sheer fantasy, of course, but the Tinker tech stack would be a lot of fun.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Holy the Firm",
          "reason": "Praises Dillard’s writing and says her work influenced the commenter’s own writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9348434,
          "author": "kabdib",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:55:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348434",
          "commentText": "\"Godel, Escher, Bach\" by Douglas Hopfstadter. I was in high school when it came out, and it really opened my eyes up to the field of computability. The philosophy was interesting, too.\n\"Holy the Firm\" by Annie Dillard. Not really about religion, more about our relationship to the world. A beautifully written little book.\n\"The Making of the Atomic Bomb\" by Richard Rhodes. This one works on me at several levels: The physics (which are explained well), the sheer titanic scope of the Manhattan project, and the meta-knowledge that someone was able to write a book this good.\n\"The C Programming Language\", by Kernighan and Ritchie. Probably the single most influential book on programming that I've read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Holy the Firm\" by Annie Dillard. Not really about religion, more about our relationship to the world. A beautifully written little book.",
          "reason": "Calls it beautifully written and describes its subject as our relationship to the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it is not really about religion.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Annie Dillard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Nature",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary nonfiction",
        "nature writing",
        "spiritual reflection",
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-measure-anything-8563e3",
      "title": "How to Measure Anything",
      "author": "Douglas Hubbard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40278808,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-06T19:54:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40278808",
          "commentText": "Offhand I can think of a few that I've read at least 2-3 times. And in a couple of cases, maybe as many as 4 or 5 times. There are probably some others that just aren't jumping to mind, but suffice it to say that these are all books I've found very valuable.\nThe Four Steps to the Epiphany - Steve Blank\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nMastering the Complex Sale - Jeff Thull\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nThe Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Hubbard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "decision analysis",
        "measurement"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-talk-about-books-you-haven-t-read-74c09a",
      "title": "How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read",
      "author": "Pierre Bayard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49478636,
          "author": "treetalker",
          "createdAt": "2026-08-28T14:01:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 49464764,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: If I am 16 what should I learn? Which books should read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49478636",
          "commentText": "> I'm probably not in the position of educating teenagers as my life has not been a success.\nNot true! The OP should learn not only about (and from) models but also anti-models!\nAddressing OP:\nOn anti-models, read NN Taleb's books (the Incerto) and Charlie Munger (his speech on inversion / thinking about what you would do, and how you would do it, in order to ensure a miserable life — and then not doing those things). Read statements from the elderly / terminally ill about what they regret having done or not done in their lifetimes.\nA lesson I wish I had learned at your age: for most things in life, B– quality or \"80% of the perfect performance/solution\" is almost always more than enough, and can be accomplished quickly. (E.g., it's easy and fast to sweep the floor so that it's mostly clean / 80% of optimal cleanliness. You feel better about your surroundings, you clear your head, and fewer future problems arise.) This is the 80/20 principle at work. Get to 80% on everything fast, and then only spend time polishing/perfecting what really matters. (I was raised in a perfectionist family/environment/culture — to my detriment, in many ways.) Similarly, it's OK (and probably beneficial) to do most of your workout sessions (~80%!) at 80% effort. You don't need to go HAM / 6th gear all the time.\nLearn that questions are often more important than answers. And learn to ask better questions.\nLearn basic probability and expected value, and apply those principles to your own daily life. It's easy to do several times a day in normal situations.\nLearn to take (and avoid) repeated, small actions in order to put yourself in a slightly better position with regard to your future. (Increase your optionality; take repeated beneficial actions.) Pick up that dirty cup on your way to the kitchen. Don't drink two beers every day. Don't smoke.\nAsk yourself: \"If I do (or avoid doing) this same thing 1,000 times (or days) in a row, where will I end up?\" (That helps you develop consistency and the habit of repeated actions/practice, and it magnifies the effects of your daily choices.)\nRemind yourself: \"What I do today, I do every day. What I do now, I choose to do every time I have the choice.\"\nRead real books, not Internet stuff. Read particularly from (long) before 2022 (avoid LLM-generated text). Read as much as you can and develop a maintainable note-taking system.\nLearn other languages and read the greatest books from other countries, cultures, and eras.\nTaleb's general rule is not to read anything written in the last 10 years. Take that with a grain of salt.\nOn reading (and not reading) books in general, and in a meta-reading sense, I strongly urge you to read How to Read a Book (by Adler & Doren) and How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read (by Pierre Bayard).\nYou'll also find no shortage of suggested reading and lists of books of all sorts here on HN.\nDaily exercise, good eating, sleep, hygiene, and overall mental health and self-care are table stakes. Personally, I've found that my optimal amount of physical activity is much higher than one would think: 2–3 hours per day, 5–6 days per week. (That's my experience, not a prescription for you.) Taking care of myself has required life- and work-organization choices and sacrifices to make it happen. Everything is about trade-offs.\nThe most important thing is that it's better to consistently practice implementing a single piece of advice than to collect or merely think about or imagine implementing lists of advice. You'll find lots of great advice everywhere. But EXECUTION IS EVERYTHING.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read (by Pierre Bayard)",
          "reason": "Recommended in a discussion of reading books and meta-reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43612522,
          "author": "treetalker",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T15:20:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43612522",
          "commentText": "Peter Bevelin's Seeking Wisdom.\nThe other day someone on here recommended The Philosopher's Toolkit, and I ordered a copy based on that recommendation. I've only started to dip into various parts, but I can already confirm that it is a good introductory compendium of the basics of philosophy, logic, and argumentation. In the same vein is Daniel Dennett's Intuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking.\nA personal favorite is Frances  Yates's The Art of Memory (think: intersection of rhetoric, mnemonic systems, philosophical systems, and the occult during the Renaissance).\nMatthew Butterick's Practical Typography and Typography for Lawyers. Bryan Garner's The Winning Brief.\nUmberto Eco's How to Write a Thesis. Adler's How to Read a Book. Pierre Bayard's How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read.\nI could go on. Book posts are my favorite posts on HN, but they always lighten my wallet and at home I'm surrounded with ever-growing piles of great material.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pierre Bayard's How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pierre Bayard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Learning",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "books",
        "literary criticism",
        "reading"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "i-am-not-a-serial-killer-921bef",
      "title": "I Am Not a Serial Killer",
      "author": "Dan Wells",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21461088,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T09:54:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21461088",
          "commentText": "Currently:\nThrough a Camel's Eye by Dorothy Johnston although admit I'm having trouble getting into it. Will give it another 50 pages before I decide.\nAnd today started listening to Dune Messiah on audiobook. I loved the first book which I've reread many times, but didn't enjoy the following books at all when I read them years and years ago. Decided to give them another try.\nRecommend:\nThe First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North for beautiful prose, charming writing and an inventive story. Her first and best book under that pseudonym.\nBarsk: The Elephants' Graveyard and The Moons of Barsk by Lawrence M. Schoen for making me care about anthropomorphic elephants.\nChildren of Time and Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky for almost making me care about non-anthropomorphic spiders.\nI Am Not a Serial Killer and sequels by Dan Wells for tricking me into reading a horror novel when I at first thought it was a thriller, but really enjoying it anyway.\nThe Lost Man by Jane Harper for being similar but so far a lot better than Through a Camel's Eye.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I Am Not a Serial Killer and sequels by Dan Wells for tricking me into reading a horror novel when I at first thought it was a thriller, but really enjoying it anyway.",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed it despite initially mistaking the horror novel for a thriller.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The genre shift from thriller expectations to horror is noted.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15964247,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T21:05:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15964247",
          "commentText": "The Aeon 14 novels following Tanis Richards[1] have been a consistently good read. The Intrepid Saga and The Orion War series. Haven't ventured into the other offshoots as yet.\nThe Dome Trilogy[2] was also pretty good, as are the Rho Agenda series[3][4][5].\nAnd if you prefer horror to sci-fi, the I Am Not a Serial Killer series[6] was very good overall, although I thought it lost some steam in the last two books.\nAnd finally, The Rosie Project[7] was so completely charming I ended up reading it straight through in one night.\n[1] https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/6426890.M_D_Cooper\n[2] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25501349-unexpected-rain\n[3] https://www.goodreads.com/series/61746-the-rho-agenda\n[4] https://www.goodreads.com/series/142618-the-rho-agenda-incep... (https://www.goodreads.com/series/142618-the-rho-agenda-inception)\n[5] https://www.goodreads.com/series/175066-rho-agenda-assimilat... (https://www.goodreads.com/series/175066-rho-agenda-assimilation)\n[6] https://www.goodreads.com/series/49883-john-cleaver\n[7] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18015965-the-rosie-proje... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18015965-the-rosie-project)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the I Am Not a Serial Killer series[6] was very good overall",
          "reason": "Calls the series very good overall.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter thought it lost steam in the last two books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13569455,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T22:20:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13569455",
          "commentText": "Three books I tend to re-read every 3-8 years are: Farmer in the Sky[1], The Chrysalids[2] and Dune[3][4]. Read them as a teenager and thirty years later still re-read.\nOthers I’ve re-read recently are:\n* Camouflage [5]\n* The Green And the Gray [6]\n* The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August [7]\n* The Martian [8]\n* I Am Not A Serial Killer series [9]\nI plan to re-read in the near future:\n* Touch [10]\n* The Hollow City [11]\n* Pulling Up Stakes [12]\nYes, I read a lot. [13]\n---\n[1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50851.Farmer_in_the_Sky\n[2] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/826845.The_Chrysalids\n[3] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1000049.Dune\n[4] Only the first book in the series. Really disliked all the rest. Last couple of times I’ve listened to the Audible audiobook version which is excellent.\n[5] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21607.Camouflage\n[6] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/216455.The_Green_And_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/216455.The_Green_And_the_Gray)\n[7] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295861-the-first-fifte... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295861-the-first-fifteen-lives-of-harry-august)\n[8] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18007564-the-martian\n[9] https://www.goodreads.com/series/49883-john-cleaver\n[10] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23561543-touch\n[11] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13034956-the-hollow-city\n[12] https://www.goodreads.com/series/94696-pulling-up-stakes\n[13] http://www.michevan.id.au/content/reading-habits-of-2015/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "* I Am Not A Serial Killer series [9]",
          "reason": "Lists the series among books reread recently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Wells"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Fantasy",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "horror",
        "serial killer",
        "serial killers",
        "thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "i-m-glad-my-mom-died-744b3d",
      "title": "I'm Glad My Mom Died",
      "author": "Jennette McCurdy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50119288,
          "author": "chistev",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T15:05:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50119288",
          "commentText": "1. Animal Farm by George Orwell\n2. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes [1]\n3. Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley\n4. I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette Mccurdy\n5. Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris\n6. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe [2]\n7. Cosmos by Carl Sagan\n8. The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution by Richard Dawkins [3]\n9. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson\n10. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander [4]\n11. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka\n12. Billions and Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium by Carl Sagan [5][6][7]\n13. Outgrowing God: A Beginner’s Guide to Atheism by Richard Dawkins\n[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50076596\n[2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47452253\n[3] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48326741\n[4] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49539535\n[5] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49751771\n[6] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49740712\n[7] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49739256",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette Mccurdy",
          "reason": "Listed among books read repeatedly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 44574451,
          "author": "chistev",
          "createdAt": "2025-07-15T18:40:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 44568054,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44574451",
          "commentText": "Hard to choose for myself who made the post.\nBut some of my favorites are -\n1. God: The Failed Hypothesis\nBook by Victor J. Stenger\n2. The God Delusion\nBook by Richard Dawkins\n3. Berlin: The Downfall 1945\nBook by Antony Beevor\n4. A Song of Ice and Fire\nNovel series by George R.R. Martin\n5. A Short History of Nearly Everything\nBook by Bill Bryson\n6. Billions and Billions\nBook by Carl Sagan\n7. Flowers for Algernon\nShort story by Daniel Keyes\n8. I'm Glad My Mom Died\nBook by Jennette McCurdy\n9. Manhunt: The Ten-Year Search for Bin Laden--from 9/11 to Abbottabad\nBook by Peter Bergen\n10. Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space\nBook by Carl Sagan\n11. The Metamorphosis\nNovella by Franz Kafka\n12. The Selfish Gene\nBook by Richard Dawkins\nGun to my head, pick one? The God Delusion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm Glad My Mom Died",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jennette McCurdy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "family trauma"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "jean-christophe-4df056",
      "title": "Jean-Christophe",
      "author": "Romain Rolland",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41237565,
          "author": "markus_zhang",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-13T17:40:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41237565",
          "commentText": "Anything by Dostoevsky, but specifically \"Notes from Underground\" and \"The Brothers Karamazov\".\n\"Jean-Christophe\" by Romain Rolland.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Jean-Christophe\" by Romain Rolland",
          "reason": "Named in response to a request for favorite classic books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36433238,
          "author": "markus_zhang",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T15:05:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36433238",
          "commentText": "\"Brother Karamazov\", \"Jean-Christophe\" and \"Athens and Jerusalem\".\nI come back to these books from time to time. All three give me some kind of inner peace or more mental strength.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Jean-Christophe\"",
          "reason": "The commenter returns to the book for inner peace or mental strength.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Romain Rolland"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bildungsroman",
        "french literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lady-of-mazes-a585e9",
      "title": "Lady of Mazes",
      "author": "Karl Schroeder",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 140365,
          "author": "inklesspen",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T00:19:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140365",
          "commentText": "Lady of Mazes, by Karl Schroeder.\nSimply the most idea-packed book I've ever read that was actually entertaining. It also has some interesting discussions about meaningful post-singularity life (which are at least partially applicable to our lives today).\nhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/0765350785/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Simply the most idea-packed book I've ever read that was actually entertaining.",
          "reason": "Praises its dense ideas and says it remains entertaining.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56671,
          "author": "inklesspen",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T03:31:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56671",
          "commentText": "In fiction:\nBridge of Birds, by Barry Hughart. Easily some of the best storytelling I've ever read. 1/3 comedy, 2/3 adventure, in an ancient China that never was. http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0345321383/\nHomer's epics. I prefer the translation by W.H.D. Rouse, which you can find at http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0451527372/ and http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0451527364/\nHeading even further back in time, I love this rendition of Gilgamesh: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0618275649/ Even in 2000 BCE they thought the world was ancient.\nLady of Mazes by Karl Schroeder has one of the best treatments of post-singularity life (and what makes life in general worth living) that I've ever read: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0765350785/\nNonfiction:\nThe Mythical Man-Month. A little dated (it's directed at mainframe developers and their managers) but still relevant.\nThe Elements of Style (Strunk and White). Learn to write clearly -- it's valuable no matter what you do.\nProgramming Erlang: Software for a Concurrent World. Easily the best programming text I've read in the last year, and it's sold me on Erlang.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "has one of the best treatments of post-singularity life (and what makes life in general worth living) that I've ever read",
          "reason": "Praised for its treatment of post-singularity life and what makes life worth living.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in post-singularity fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Karl Schroeder"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "post singularity",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "social speculation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "left-of-boom-how-a-young-cia-case-officer-penetrated-the-taliban--d16015",
      "title": "Left of Boom: How a Young CIA Case Officer Penetrated the Taliban and Al-Qaeda",
      "author": "Douglas Laux and Ralph Pezzullo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15961256,
          "author": "strictnein",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:22:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961256",
          "commentText": "Sorry, this got a little longer than I meant it to be\n- Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed - It's over 20 years old now but still really good, especially if you're into planes like the U-2, F-117, and SR-71\nIf you're wanting a deeper understanding of the other side of the war on terror, I'd recommend the following:\n- I Was Told to Come Alone: My Journey Behind the Lines of Jihad\n- Salafi-Jihadism: The History of an Idea\n- The Way of the Strangers: Encounters with the Islamic State\n- After the Prophet: The Epic Story of the Shia-Sunni Split in Islam\n- The Black Banners: The Inside Story of 9/11 and the War Against al-Qaeda\nIf you're wanting a dive into Russia:\n- The Invention of Russia: From Gorbachev's Freedom to Putin's War\n- The Red Web: The Struggle Between Russia's Digital Dictators and the New Online Revolutionaries\n- Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible: The Surreal Heart of the New Russia\nIf you're wanting true Spy stuff:\n- The Billion Dollar Spy: A True Story of Cold War Espionage and Betrayal\n- The Spy's Son: The True Story of the Highest-Ranking CIA Officer Ever Convicted of Espionage and the Son He Trained to Spy for Russia\n- Left of Boom: How a Young CIA Case Officer Penetrated the Taliban and Al-Qaeda (the author is a little full of himself, but still, it's interesting)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the author is a little full of himself, but still, it's interesting",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is interesting despite finding the author self-important.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in espionage and intelligence work.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the author is a little full of himself.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14859839,
          "author": "strictnein",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:14:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859839",
          "commentText": "Recently:\n- The Invention of Russia: From Gorbachev's Freedom to Putin's War\n- The Red Web: The Struggle Between Russia’s Digital Dictators and the New Online Revolutionaries\nBoth excellent and pair really well. Add in \"Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible\" and you've got some decent insight into modern Russia, I think.\nJust finished:\n- Left of Boom: How a Young CIA Case Officer Penetrated the Taliban and Al-Qaeda\nInteresting to read. Author is rather sure of himself, but I guess that helped him be successful. Also interesting to see what the CIA redacted, since they left all the redactions in place in the book and used classical music in the audio book to represent them. Kind of sloppily redacted at times, with the redacted country or entity clearly referenced a sentence or two later. And then there's strange things redacted, like the language of bootleg DVDs that are purchased in SE Afghanistan. It's Farsi, for the record.\n- The Hacked World Order: How Nations Fight, Trade, Maneuver, and Manipulate in the Digital Age\nIf you're interested in kind of an overview of the cyber (yes, I hate the word too) space, from the perspective of nation states and the impact of their actions, this is a good read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Interesting to read. Author is rather sure of himself, but I guess that helped him be successful.",
          "reason": "Finds it interesting, while noting the author’s self-assurance.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The author comes across as rather sure of himself.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Laux and Ralph Pezzullo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cia",
        "afghanistan",
        "counterterrorism",
        "espionage"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "letters-from-the-desert-e26493",
      "title": "Letters from the Desert",
      "author": "Carlo Carretto",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39735155,
          "author": "kcartlidge",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-17T15:35:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39735155",
          "commentText": "Quite a few along the way, but in an attempt to minimise:\n- \"Letters from the Desert\" by Carlo Carretto\n- \"Being the Body\" by Charles Colson\n- \"Fire in Our Hearts\" by Mike Farrant\n- \"Total Freedom\" by Jiddu Krishnamurti\n- \"Muhammad - a Prophet for Our Time\" by Karen Armstrong",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Letters from the Desert\" by Carlo Carretto",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34166076,
          "author": "kcartlidge",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T21:16:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34166076",
          "commentText": "For sheer entertainment value: I've just finished KC Alexander's two \"SINless\" books - Necrotech and Nanoshock.  Both were excellent reads.  Nothing heavy, just some extremely filthy and brutal transhumanist SciFi with a hint of cyberpunk in there too (not enough to make it that genre).  Fast, frantic, gritty.\nGreat writing by a young bi-polar feminist writer with a great future.\nAlso, the introduction and the first few chapters of \"Letters from the Desert\" by Carlo Carretto.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the introduction and the first few chapters of \"Letters from the Desert\" by Carlo Carretto.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter only mentions reading the introduction and first few chapters.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30746251,
          "author": "kcartlidge",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T20:24:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30746251",
          "commentText": "- Total Freedom by Jiddu Krishnamurti.\nInitially this came across as shallow truths masquerading as profundity, especially with his unwillingness/inability to explain himself during discussions. Finally I read enough that some things just 'clicked' into place and my perspectives shifted along with my outlook on life.\n- Letters from the Desert by Carlo Carretto (first half).\nI was brought up a protestant so was never really exposed to catholic thought in my formative years. When I finally started exploring the classics for myself I found them often overly wordy and mystical, so I moved on to more modern (relatively speaking) works like this and the Way of the Pilgrim too. The simplicity of the writing and the clarity of the thoughts in the first few chapters of Letters from the Desert hit me hard.\n- The Quran\nA wonderfully phrased book that captures its times very well. Ideally to be read alongside something like Islam: A Short History or Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet, both by Karen Armstrong, to provide the context.\nAs an aside the Qu'ran is available for free online in audio format both as interlinear English/Arabic but also as Arabic only, and as a non-speaker of Arabic I often find listening to it being chanted a very calming and uplifting experience despite having no clue what is being said.\n- Getting Real by 37 Signals.\nAs a programmer/developer/engineer since the late 1980s this was a revelation, bringing a clarity to my own thoughts and feelings about much of the world of enterprise software development. Very obvious points in retrospect that nobody ever (including me) seemed to have realised during my entire career before then.\n- Web Copy that Sells by Maria Veloso.\nA strange choice, given that there is nothing 'profound' in here. What it is, though, is a very well written book on persuasion which finally got me to see that I'd spent years avoiding 'sales' as something that wasn't for me whereas in reality it's for everyone and we do it all the time.\n- The Body by Charles Colson.\nColson was jailed for his part in the Nixon stuff, then became a Christian. It's an incredibly moving book which is not his autobiography but an analysis of what is going wrong with the church. The impact comes from the stories he relates at the start of the chapters (especially the opening ones about 9/11). Those tales gave me an understanding of the potential 'greatness' in people.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Letters from the Desert by Carlo Carretto",
          "reason": "The writing's simplicity and clarity in the first chapters made a strong impression.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter specifies the first half and first few chapters.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carlo Carretto"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian spirituality",
        "catholicism",
        "desert spirituality",
        "religious writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "market-wizards-interviews-with-top-traders-04e322",
      "title": "Market Wizards: Interviews with Top Traders",
      "author": "Jack D. Schwager",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 248539,
          "author": "maurycy",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T15:05:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248539",
          "commentText": "Market Wizards: Interviews with Top Traders  by Jack D. Schwager\nStock Market Wizards: Interviews with America's Top Stock Traders  by Jack D. Schwager",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Market Wizards: Interviews with Top Traders  by Jack D. Schwager",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for investing books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85884,
          "author": "maurycy",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T09:54:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85884",
          "commentText": "Many.\nIn short:\nAll books written by Witold Gombrowicz (Diary if have to pick one),\nAll books written by Slavoj Zizek (Welcome to the Desert of the Real: Five Essays on September 11 and Related Dates if have to pick one)\nRecently read and significant:\nThe Logic of Scientific Discovery, Karl Popper,\nMarket Wizards: Interviews with Top Traders, Jack Schwager",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Market Wizards: Interviews with Top Traders, Jack Schwager",
          "reason": "Lists it among recent reads described as significant.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jack D. Schwager"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "trading",
        "interviews",
        "investment interviews"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "measuring-and-managing-performance-in-organizations-1ca8fd",
      "title": "Measuring and Managing Performance in Organizations",
      "author": "Robert D. Austin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19088630,
          "author": "coverclock",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T19:09:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19088630",
          "commentText": "\"Measuring and Managing Performance in Organizations\" by Robert D. Austin, Dorset House, 1996. Changed my entire world view. The basic idea - which Austin arrives at using an offshoot of game theory - is that all incentive systems will be gamed by the people to which they are applied, and there is no way around it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Changed my entire world view. The basic idea - which Austin arrives at using an offshoot of game theory - is that all incentive systems will be gamed by the people to which they are applied, and there is no way around it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book changed their worldview and explains its central idea.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13412279,
          "author": "coverclock",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T19:31:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13412279",
          "commentText": "It's very rare for me to read a technical book cover to cover. I recently read IPv6 FUNDAMENTALS by Graziani (Cisco), but that was more an act of desperation. The best CS-related book I've ever read was probably MEASURING AND MANAGING PERFORMANCE IN ORGANIZATIONS by Robert Austin. It completely changed the way I see the world, both professional and personally. Austin uses agency theory, an application of game theory, to show how incentives in an information economy drive dysfunction into organizations because not all metrics of behavior can be adequately or economically measured. This is extremely applicable to, for example, incentive programs in high tech organizations. At the time he wrote it, Austin was working on his Ph.D. in (I dimly recall) operations research at Carnegie Mellon while working as an executive in IT for Ford Motor Company Europe. Now he's on the tenured faculty at Harvard Business School.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The best CS-related book I've ever read was probably MEASURING AND MANAGING PERFORMANCE IN ORGANIZATIONS by Robert Austin. It completely changed the way I see the world",
          "reason": "Calls it probably the best CS-related book they have read and says it changed their perspective.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in organizational incentives and performance measurement.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert D. Austin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "performance measurement",
        "agency theory",
        "incentive systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "methods-of-mathematics-applied-to-calculus-probability-and-statis-59f6b8",
      "title": "Methods of Mathematics Applied to Calculus, Probability, and Statistics",
      "author": "Richard W. Hamming",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23721531,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T06:24:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23721531",
          "commentText": "Some of the books that you mention seem a bit too hard for a teen, so you have to be careful not to demotivate them by expecting too much of them; instead i suggest a simpler approach before tackling the big ones;\n* Functions and Graphs by Gelfand et al. - A small but great book to develop intuition.\n* Who is Fourier? A Mathematical Adventure - A great \"manga type\" book to build important concepts from first principles\n* Concepts of Modern Mathematics by Ian Stewart - A nice overview in simple language.\n* Mathematics: Its Content, Methods and Meaning by Kolmogorov et al. - A broad but concise presentation of a lot of mathematics.\n* Methods of Mathematics Applied to Calculus, Probability, and Statistics by Richard Hamming - A very good applied maths book. All of Hamming's books are recommended.\nThere are of course plenty more but the above should be good for understanding.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Methods of Mathematics Applied to Calculus, Probability, and Statistics by Richard Hamming - A very good applied maths book.",
          "reason": "Calls it a very good applied mathematics book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21351659,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-25T03:41:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21351659",
          "commentText": "In addition to all the other good suggestions, the following are recommended (have not seen these mentioned so far);\n- Concepts of Modern Mathematics - https://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Modern-Mathematics-Dover-Boo... (https://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Modern-Mathematics-Dover-Books/dp/0486284247/ref=sr_1_1?crid=214QSPLG829VY&keywords=concepts+of+modern+mathematics&qid=1571974129&s=books&sprefix=concepts+of+modern+ma%2Cstripbooks-intl-ship%2C1448&sr=1-1)\n- Methods of Mathematics Applied to Calculus, Probability, and Statistics - https://www.amazon.com/Methods-Mathematics-Calculus-Probabil... (https://www.amazon.com/Methods-Mathematics-Calculus-Probability-Statistics/dp/0486439453/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8) (all books by Richard Hamming are recommended)\n- Calculus: An Intuitive and Physical Approach - https://www.amazon.com/Calculus-Intuitive-Physical-Approach-... (https://www.amazon.com/Calculus-Intuitive-Physical-Approach-Mathematics/dp/0486404536/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8)\nFor a Textbook reference, the following are quite good;\n- Mathematical Techniques: An Introduction for the Engineering, Physical, and Mathematical Sciences - https://www.amazon.com/Mathematical-Techniques-Introduction-... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematical-Techniques-Introduction-Engineering-Physical/dp/0199282013/ref=dp_ob_title_bk) (easy to read and succinct)\n- Mathematics for Physicists: Introductory Concepts and Methods - https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Physicists-Introductory-C... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Physicists-Introductory-Concepts-Methods-ebook/dp/B07N48G4KD/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mathematics+for+physicists&qid=1571974732&s=books&sr=1-1)\nFor General reading (all these authors other books are also worth checking out);\n- Mathematics, Queen and Servant of Science - https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Queen-Servant-Science-Tem... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Queen-Servant-Science-Tempus/dp/155615173X/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mathematics+queen+and+servant&qid=1571977505&s=books&sr=1-1)\n- Mathematics and the Physical World - https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Physical-World-Dover-Book... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Physical-World-Dover-Books/dp/0486241041/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mathematics+and+the+physical+world&qid=1571977524&s=books&sr=1-1)\n- Mathematician's Delight - https://www.amazon.com/Mathematicians-Delight-Dover-Books-Ma... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematicians-Delight-Dover-Books-Mathematics/dp/0486462404/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mathematician%27s+delight&qid=1571977538&s=books&sr=1-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Methods of Mathematics Applied to Calculus, Probability, and Statistics",
          "reason": "Listed among recommended books in response to a request for accessible mathematics reading.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for mathematics books similar to Feynman's lectures.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521355,
          "author": "r41nbowdash",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T08:28:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521355",
          "commentText": "Refreshing my math with Richard Hamming's \"Methods of Mathematics Applied to Calculus, Probability, and Statistics\"",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Richard Hamming's \"Methods of Mathematics Applied to Calculus, Probability, and Statistics\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Currently refreshing math; no evaluation or recommendation stated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard W. Hamming"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "calculus",
        "statistics",
        "probability",
        "applied mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "minds-brains-and-machines-9faf25",
      "title": "Minds, Brains and Machines",
      "author": "Geoffrey Brown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17168835,
          "author": "alok-g",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T20:00:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168835",
          "commentText": "Minds, Brains and Machines, by Geoffrey Brown: \n https://www.amazon.com/Minds-Brains-Machines-Mind-Matters/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Minds-Brains-Machines-Mind-Matters/dp/1853990132)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Minds, Brains and Machines, by Geoffrey Brown",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12252572,
          "author": "alok-g",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-09T04:11:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12252572",
          "commentText": "Minds, Brains and Machines by Geoffrey Brown [1] for introducing me to the complexities of the mind-body problem.  It did not show the answers of course, but helped me think right about it.\nSiddhartha by Herman Hesse [2] for contributing to helping me come out of excessive questioning of everything (philosophy) to science that helps towards actually answering the questions answerable.\nFeynman Lectures in Physics [3] and Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman [4], with no need to explain \"how\".  :-)\nThe Ghost in the Atom [5] for explaining varied views on the nature of science, especially Quantum Mechanics, and what goes in the minds of the top-notch scientists working on these problems.\nParsing Techniques by Dick Grune [6] for teaching me the fundamentals of computer science and helping me proceed with my deep interest in Artificial Intelligence.\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/Minds-Brains-Machines-Mind-Matters/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Minds-Brains-Machines-Mind-Matters/dp/1853990132)\n[2] https://www.amazon.com/Siddhartha-Hermann-Hesse/dp/161382378... (https://www.amazon.com/Siddhartha-Hermann-Hesse/dp/1613823789/)\n[3] http://www.feynmanlectures.caltech.edu/\n[4] https://www.amazon.com/Surely-Feynman-Adventures-Curious-Cha... (https://www.amazon.com/Surely-Feynman-Adventures-Curious-Character/dp/0393316041/)\n[5] https://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Atom-Discussion-Mysteries-Quant... (https://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Atom-Discussion-Mysteries-Quantum/dp/0521457289/)\n[6] https://www.amazon.com/Parsing-Techniques-Practical-Monograp... (https://www.amazon.com/Parsing-Techniques-Practical-Monographs-Computer/dp/038720248X/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "for introducing me to the complexities of the mind-body problem. It did not show the answers of course, but helped me think right about it.",
          "reason": "Credited with introducing the mind-body problem and helping the commenter think about it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it does not provide the answers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Geoffrey Brown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "philosophy of mind",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "mind body problem"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mortality-57ca87",
      "title": "Mortality",
      "author": "Christopher Hitchens",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8717188,
          "author": "agentultra",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T16:18:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8717188",
          "commentText": "Permutation City by Greg Egan takes the cake this year in fiction. Although a very close second would be the Hardcover Penguin Classic's edition of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley mainly for it's deftly abridged version and preface which gave a new dimension to the story for me.\nNon-fiction would either be Mortality by the late Christopher Hitchens or \"On Numbers and Games\" by John H. Conway.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Non-fiction would either be Mortality by the late Christopher Hitchens",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's non-fiction choices in response to the book question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4967959,
          "author": "agentultra",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T02:48:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967959",
          "commentText": "Mortality, Christopher Hitchens",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mortality, Christopher Hitchens",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher Hitchens"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "essays",
        "illness",
        "illness and mortality",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nanoshock-7f571f",
      "title": "Nanoshock",
      "author": "K.C. Alexander",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36023446,
          "author": "kcartlidge",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T18:20:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36023446",
          "commentText": "Multiple re-reads:\n- Saga of the Exiles by Julian May, which merges science fiction with folklore/fantasy in Pliocene Earth\n- Hyperion by Dan Simmons, excellent SF with a feel of the Canterbury Tales about it\n- Neuromancer by William Gibson, plus the follow-ups (all the Sprawl) are very good too\n- The Sheep Look Up by John Brunner, about the eco collapse of the US in the 1980s (10 years after it was written) and which William Gibson called a \"brilliant novel\"\nAnd a couple of guilty pleasures:\n- Venus Equilateral by George O Smith, 1940s stories based around a three mile long space station at the L4 point in space, a bit like Babylon 5 meets DS9 in the era of vacuum tubes\n- Necrotech by KC Alexander, a brutal and obscene body-mod cyberpunk dystopia (the sequel of which, Nanoshock, has a superbly offensive opening sentence)\n- Halcyon Drift by Brian Stableford, about a corporate dystopia and a pilot who hooks up his body to merge with his ship (a bit blase now but less so then, especially as I had read far less at the time)\n- Bio of a Space Tyrant by Piers Anthony, a 6 book series following the rise of a refugee to becoming the Tyrant of Jupiter",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the sequel of which, Nanoshock, has a superbly offensive opening sentence",
          "reason": "Comments on the sequel's opening sentence.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The opening sentence is described as superbly offensive.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34166076,
          "author": "kcartlidge",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T21:16:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34166076",
          "commentText": "For sheer entertainment value: I've just finished KC Alexander's two \"SINless\" books - Necrotech and Nanoshock.  Both were excellent reads.  Nothing heavy, just some extremely filthy and brutal transhumanist SciFi with a hint of cyberpunk in there too (not enough to make it that genre).  Fast, frantic, gritty.\nGreat writing by a young bi-polar feminist writer with a great future.\nAlso, the introduction and the first few chapters of \"Letters from the Desert\" by Carlo Carretto.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "KC Alexander's two \"SINless\" books - Necrotech and Nanoshock.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an excellent, entertaining read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as filthy and brutal.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "K.C. Alexander"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyberpunk",
        "biopunk",
        "body modification",
        "transhumanism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "necrotech-13814c",
      "title": "Necrotech",
      "author": "K.C. Alexander",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36023446,
          "author": "kcartlidge",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T18:20:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36023446",
          "commentText": "Multiple re-reads:\n- Saga of the Exiles by Julian May, which merges science fiction with folklore/fantasy in Pliocene Earth\n- Hyperion by Dan Simmons, excellent SF with a feel of the Canterbury Tales about it\n- Neuromancer by William Gibson, plus the follow-ups (all the Sprawl) are very good too\n- The Sheep Look Up by John Brunner, about the eco collapse of the US in the 1980s (10 years after it was written) and which William Gibson called a \"brilliant novel\"\nAnd a couple of guilty pleasures:\n- Venus Equilateral by George O Smith, 1940s stories based around a three mile long space station at the L4 point in space, a bit like Babylon 5 meets DS9 in the era of vacuum tubes\n- Necrotech by KC Alexander, a brutal and obscene body-mod cyberpunk dystopia (the sequel of which, Nanoshock, has a superbly offensive opening sentence)\n- Halcyon Drift by Brian Stableford, about a corporate dystopia and a pilot who hooks up his body to merge with his ship (a bit blase now but less so then, especially as I had read far less at the time)\n- Bio of a Space Tyrant by Piers Anthony, a 6 book series following the rise of a refugee to becoming the Tyrant of Jupiter",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Necrotech by KC Alexander, a brutal and obscene body-mod cyberpunk dystopia",
          "reason": "Describes it as a brutal, obscene body-mod cyberpunk dystopia.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls the book brutal and obscene.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34166076,
          "author": "kcartlidge",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T21:16:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34166076",
          "commentText": "For sheer entertainment value: I've just finished KC Alexander's two \"SINless\" books - Necrotech and Nanoshock.  Both were excellent reads.  Nothing heavy, just some extremely filthy and brutal transhumanist SciFi with a hint of cyberpunk in there too (not enough to make it that genre).  Fast, frantic, gritty.\nGreat writing by a young bi-polar feminist writer with a great future.\nAlso, the introduction and the first few chapters of \"Letters from the Desert\" by Carlo Carretto.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "KC Alexander's two \"SINless\" books - Necrotech and Nanoshock.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an excellent, entertaining read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as filthy and brutal.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "K.C. Alexander"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyberpunk",
        "biopunk",
        "body modification",
        "dystopia"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "no-bullshit-guide-to-math-and-physics-e4273a",
      "title": "No Bullshit Guide to Math and Physics",
      "author": "Ivan Savov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11232009,
          "author": "ivan_ah",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-06T01:17:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11232009",
          "commentText": "In a flagrant act of self-promotion, I'll recommend my own book on math and physics: No bullshit guide to math and physics. What is remarkable about it is the interlinked explanations of mechanics and calculus, so you get a picture of why it all works. Great review if you ever wanted to learn these topics. Comes with a review of high school math too, in case you need it.\nhttps://minireference.com/ 4.5 stars on amazon http://www.amazon.com/No-bullshit-guide-math-physics/product... (http://www.amazon.com/No-bullshit-guide-math-physics/product-reviews/0992001005/) If you're getting a print version, I recommend the version through lulu.com, since the print quality is better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'll recommend my own book on math and physics: No bullshit guide to math and physics.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the author's book for learning math and physics.",
          "audience": "Readers wanting to learn math and physics, including those who need a high-school math review.",
          "caveat": "Print quality is said to be better in the Lulu version.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7578333,
          "author": "ivan_ah",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T16:45:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578333",
          "commentText": "Recently, I've been reading this mega book that covers a lot of advanced topics in math by Kolmogorov et al. It is nice because it covers a lot of topics w/o in a fairly short text --- it is a brick but it covers 2000 years of knowledge! http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Content-Methods-Meaning-Do... (http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Content-Methods-Meaning-Dover/dp/0486409163)\nFor first-year stuff, I would recommend No bullshit guide to math and physics[1] and the No bullshit guide to linear algebra[2] of which I am the author.\n[1] http://minireference.com/\n[2] http://gum.co/noBSLA",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend No bullshit guide to math and physics",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it for first-year material.",
          "audience": "Learners studying first-year math and physics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ivan Savov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "calculus",
        "first year mathematics",
        "mechanics",
        "physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "no-contest-the-case-against-competition-c2417c",
      "title": "No Contest: The Case Against Competition",
      "author": "Alfie Kohn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 142997,
          "author": "Alex3917",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T01:21:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=142997",
          "commentText": "I only read non-fiction that's counterintuitive. I figure, hey, I'm pretty smart, so if it's intuitive then I can probably figure it out on my own. A list of stuff I cite most often:\nNo Contest & Punished by Rewards by Alfie Kohn\nStatus Anxiety by Alain de Botton\nPG's essays & ITConversations interviews\nThe Underground History of American Education by John Taylor Gatto\nThe Singularity is Near by Kurzweil\nThis graph: http://alexkrupp.com/picture_library/plot.jpg\nDee Hock's essay on leadership\nA handful of blog posts by Mark Cuban\nAll Marketers are Liars & Free Prize Inside by Seth Godin. All of the books that Seth recommends are also worth reading.\nBruce Schneier's interview on ITConversations\nMagic Ink, an essay by Bret Victor\nWar Is A  Force That Gives Us Meaning by Chris Hedges\nThe Cluetrain Manifesto (the book)\nI'm sure there's a lot more, but that's what comes to mind right now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "No Contest & Punished by Rewards by Alfie Kohn",
          "reason": "Includes it among the nonfiction works the commenter cites most often.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85875,
          "author": "Alex3917",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T09:10:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85875",
          "commentText": "No Contest / Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nThe Underground History of American Education (John Taylor Gatto)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "No Contest / Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alfie Kohn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Learning",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "competition",
        "education",
        "motivation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nothing-is-true-and-everything-is-possible-the-surreal-heart-of-t-9a582e",
      "title": "Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible: The Surreal Heart of the New Russia",
      "author": "Peter Pomerantsev",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15961256,
          "author": "strictnein",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:22:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961256",
          "commentText": "Sorry, this got a little longer than I meant it to be\n- Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed - It's over 20 years old now but still really good, especially if you're into planes like the U-2, F-117, and SR-71\nIf you're wanting a deeper understanding of the other side of the war on terror, I'd recommend the following:\n- I Was Told to Come Alone: My Journey Behind the Lines of Jihad\n- Salafi-Jihadism: The History of an Idea\n- The Way of the Strangers: Encounters with the Islamic State\n- After the Prophet: The Epic Story of the Shia-Sunni Split in Islam\n- The Black Banners: The Inside Story of 9/11 and the War Against al-Qaeda\nIf you're wanting a dive into Russia:\n- The Invention of Russia: From Gorbachev's Freedom to Putin's War\n- The Red Web: The Struggle Between Russia's Digital Dictators and the New Online Revolutionaries\n- Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible: The Surreal Heart of the New Russia\nIf you're wanting true Spy stuff:\n- The Billion Dollar Spy: A True Story of Cold War Espionage and Betrayal\n- The Spy's Son: The True Story of the Highest-Ranking CIA Officer Ever Convicted of Espionage and the Son He Trained to Spy for Russia\n- Left of Boom: How a Young CIA Case Officer Penetrated the Taliban and Al-Qaeda (the author is a little full of himself, but still, it's interesting)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible: The Surreal Heart of the New Russia",
          "reason": "Listed under the commenter’s recommendations for a dive into Russia.",
          "audience": "Readers wanting to learn about Russia.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14859839,
          "author": "strictnein",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:14:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859839",
          "commentText": "Recently:\n- The Invention of Russia: From Gorbachev's Freedom to Putin's War\n- The Red Web: The Struggle Between Russia’s Digital Dictators and the New Online Revolutionaries\nBoth excellent and pair really well. Add in \"Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible\" and you've got some decent insight into modern Russia, I think.\nJust finished:\n- Left of Boom: How a Young CIA Case Officer Penetrated the Taliban and Al-Qaeda\nInteresting to read. Author is rather sure of himself, but I guess that helped him be successful. Also interesting to see what the CIA redacted, since they left all the redactions in place in the book and used classical music in the audio book to represent them. Kind of sloppily redacted at times, with the redacted country or entity clearly referenced a sentence or two later. And then there's strange things redacted, like the language of bootleg DVDs that are purchased in SE Afghanistan. It's Farsi, for the record.\n- The Hacked World Order: How Nations Fight, Trade, Maneuver, and Manipulate in the Digital Age\nIf you're interested in kind of an overview of the cyber (yes, I hate the word too) space, from the perspective of nation states and the impact of their actions, this is a good read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "you've got some decent insight into modern Russia, I think.",
          "reason": "Says it contributes to decent insight into modern Russia.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter qualifies the assessment with “I think.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Pomerantsev"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "media",
        "modern russia",
        "propaganda"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pity-the-nation-f6d33c",
      "title": "Pity the Nation",
      "author": "Robert Fisk",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1226794,
          "author": "scorpioxy",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:15:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226794",
          "commentText": "Oh, lots! I wish you'd narrow down to some categories you're interested in.\nA few example i enjoyed:\nThe State of Africa, Martin Meredith\nThe Code Book, Simon Singh\nPity the Nation, Robert Fisk\nThe Great War for Civilization, Robert Fisk\nAlan Turing: The Enigma, Andrew Hodges\nLong Walk to Freedom, Nelson Mandela\nThe Last Lecture, Randy Pausch\nFermat's Engima, Simon Singh\nLots more....",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pity the Nation, Robert Fisk",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 200099,
          "author": "scorpioxy",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-26T09:39:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 199722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=200099",
          "commentText": "Well, for non-technical books; I have enjoyed the following in no particular order:\n- Founders At Work\n- Eric Sink on the Business of Software\n- The Great War for Civilization\n- Pity the Nation\n- On Intelligence\n- The State of Africa\n- Long Walk to Freedom\n....etc",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Pity the Nation",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter has enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Fisk"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "lebanon",
        "middle east"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "plutarch-s-lives-b3f478",
      "title": "Plutarch's Lives",
      "author": "Plutarch",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17914326,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-05T01:12:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17914326",
          "commentText": "All these had a huge impact on me. The descriptions are inadequate, I've just tried to mention the subject matter.\nDeborah Tannen, You Just Don't Understand - how males and females talk different languages.\nLakoff & Johnson, Metaphors We Live By - how our language and thoughts are built from a fabric of conceptual metaphors. Philosophy In The Flesh is about the conceptual metaphors that philosophy is built from.\nJonathan Glover, Humanity: A Moral History of the Twentieth Century - WWI, WWII and other wars, nazism, communism etc\nPlutarch's Lives - biographies and stories from famous ancient Greeks and Romans. Amazing how little's changed.\nLin Yutang, The Importance of Understanding - introduced me to ancient Chinese philosophers. The Importance of Living - introduced me to ancient Chinese writers, poets and the Chinese way of life.\nHofstadter, Gödel, Escher, Bach - read it when I was 14, and I was into music, art and programming, so it blew my mind.\nSusan Faludi, STIFFED - men, work, jobs, masculinity, 20th C\nWalter Lippmann, Public Opinion - media, war, propaganda, democracy\nNoam Chomsky's political books\nE.F. Schumacher, Small is Beautiful - the world, development, government, planning, organization, humanity, sustainability\nJ.R. Saul, Voltaire's Bastards - power, history, democracy, technocracy, reason, rationality, history from late 18th C until today.\nRaymond Williams, Culture and Society 1780-1950 - the anti-industrialist tradition, politics, culture, society and the new language describing these things\nClifford Pickover, Computers, Patterns, Chaos, and Beauty - programming, mathematics, art, fractals, dynamical systems etc\nBen Zander, The Art of Possibility - hard to explain, kind of advanced self-help, the magic of changing attitudes, expectations, habits.\nMy favourite non-fiction books of all time, though, are the essays of Emerson, Hazlitt, RL Stevenson, GK Chesterton, Santayana, Bertrand Russell. And the books of Nietzsche, SARK and Robert Fulghum.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Plutarch's Lives - biographies and stories from famous ancient Greeks and Romans.",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books said to have had a huge impact; the commenter calls it amazing how little has changed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15793462,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-28T01:24:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15793462",
          "commentText": "Metaphors We Live By - Lakoff/Johnson\nPhilosophy in the Flesh - L/J\nRationalism in Politics - Oakeshott\nErving Goffman – Presentation of Self in Everyday Life\nWalter Lippmann – Public Opinion\nArt as Experience - John Dewey\nPlutarch's Lives\nG.K. Chesterton – Heretics\n(essay) William James - On A Certain Blindness in Human Beings (and its sequel)\n(essay) R.L. Stevenson - The Lantern-Bearers",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Plutarch's Lives",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Plutarch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient greece",
        "ancient rome",
        "classical biography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "prisoners-of-geography-ten-maps-that-explain-everything-about-the-b30ffa",
      "title": "Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World",
      "author": "Tim Marshall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29817208,
          "author": "tjalfi",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-06T00:11:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29817208",
          "commentText": "Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World - Tim Marshall",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World - Tim Marshall",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23858825,
          "author": "tjalfi",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:39:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858825",
          "commentText": "Here are two books that explain a lot about politics.\nThe Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Alastair Smith\nPrisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World - Tim Marshall",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps That Explain Everything About the World - Tim Marshall",
          "reason": "Presented as one of two books that explain a lot about politics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tim Marshall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "geopolitics",
        "political geography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "public-opinion-bd1691",
      "title": "Public Opinion",
      "author": "Walter Lippmann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17914326,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-05T01:12:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17914326",
          "commentText": "All these had a huge impact on me. The descriptions are inadequate, I've just tried to mention the subject matter.\nDeborah Tannen, You Just Don't Understand - how males and females talk different languages.\nLakoff & Johnson, Metaphors We Live By - how our language and thoughts are built from a fabric of conceptual metaphors. Philosophy In The Flesh is about the conceptual metaphors that philosophy is built from.\nJonathan Glover, Humanity: A Moral History of the Twentieth Century - WWI, WWII and other wars, nazism, communism etc\nPlutarch's Lives - biographies and stories from famous ancient Greeks and Romans. Amazing how little's changed.\nLin Yutang, The Importance of Understanding - introduced me to ancient Chinese philosophers. The Importance of Living - introduced me to ancient Chinese writers, poets and the Chinese way of life.\nHofstadter, Gödel, Escher, Bach - read it when I was 14, and I was into music, art and programming, so it blew my mind.\nSusan Faludi, STIFFED - men, work, jobs, masculinity, 20th C\nWalter Lippmann, Public Opinion - media, war, propaganda, democracy\nNoam Chomsky's political books\nE.F. Schumacher, Small is Beautiful - the world, development, government, planning, organization, humanity, sustainability\nJ.R. Saul, Voltaire's Bastards - power, history, democracy, technocracy, reason, rationality, history from late 18th C until today.\nRaymond Williams, Culture and Society 1780-1950 - the anti-industrialist tradition, politics, culture, society and the new language describing these things\nClifford Pickover, Computers, Patterns, Chaos, and Beauty - programming, mathematics, art, fractals, dynamical systems etc\nBen Zander, The Art of Possibility - hard to explain, kind of advanced self-help, the magic of changing attitudes, expectations, habits.\nMy favourite non-fiction books of all time, though, are the essays of Emerson, Hazlitt, RL Stevenson, GK Chesterton, Santayana, Bertrand Russell. And the books of Nietzsche, SARK and Robert Fulghum.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Walter Lippmann, Public Opinion - media, war, propaganda, democracy",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books said to have had a huge impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15793462,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-28T01:24:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15793462",
          "commentText": "Metaphors We Live By - Lakoff/Johnson\nPhilosophy in the Flesh - L/J\nRationalism in Politics - Oakeshott\nErving Goffman – Presentation of Self in Everyday Life\nWalter Lippmann – Public Opinion\nArt as Experience - John Dewey\nPlutarch's Lives\nG.K. Chesterton – Heretics\n(essay) William James - On A Certain Blindness in Human Beings (and its sequel)\n(essay) R.L. Stevenson - The Lantern-Bearers",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Walter Lippmann – Public Opinion",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Walter Lippmann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "media and public opinion",
        "propaganda",
        "public opinion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "real-analysis-bccfcd",
      "title": "Real Analysis",
      "author": "Halsey L. Royden",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31491923,
          "author": "graycat",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T13:38:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31491923",
          "commentText": "Bluntly, with only occasional exceptions, have to learn from the books.  Period.  No biggie:  Once are in grad school or a prof, have to learn from papers, and the good books are typically MUCH easier to read than the papers!\nFor first calculus, read one of the well respected books.  In my experience and opinion, don't need high school advanced placement calculus -- regard it as a waste of time.  Also the last time I looked at Khan Academy, I concluded that it was a waste or worse and by people who didn't have a good background in calculus.  Generally the Internet sources are too elementary.  Solution:  Just use some good books.  Protter and Morrey is good (I taught from it), but it is a bit elementary.  I learned from Johnson and Kiokmeister; I like it.  At the time it was also being used at Harvard.  The exercises are especially good.  It's old, but calculus hasn't changed much since 1950 or so about when it gave up on teaching infinitesimals.\nBut might check out the Maxima software for symbolic indefinite integration -- as I recall, its algorithms are so good they do any indefinite integration that can be done in closed form.\nFor linear algebra, sure, Nering (a student of E. Artin at Princeton) and then Halmos (a finite dimensional introduction to Hilbert space and written when Halmos was an assistant to von Neumann, office not far from Einstein), etc.  For still more, R. Bellman has a good book -- he went all over active and put in everything including the kitchen sink.  Then for numerical work, old but a start, Forsythe and\nMoler and/or the documentation of LINPAK.\nFor multivariate calculus through the divergence theorem and as needed, e.g., for Maxwell's equations, start with the most elementary treatments of vector analysis and f'get about the lack of proofs.  Actually notice, can see via a Google search, that the divergence theorem on a box is just a dirt simple application of the fundamental theorem of freshman calculus.  Then the difficulty is proving the thing on other shapes.  Then do multivariate calculus again via, say, Apostol, Mathematical Analysis: A Modern Approach to Advanced Calculus.  That he uses the Jordan curve theorem is a bit much but just go with the flow.  Fleming's Functions of Several Variables does it with both measure theory and exterior algebra.  Or W. Rudin's, as I recall, third edition, Principles of Mathematical Analysis.  For calculus done via Lebesgue's measure theory, Royden's Real Analysis and/or the first half of Rudin's Real and Complex Analysis.\nMy favorite author on ordinary differential equations is Coddington, and his elementary An Introduction to Ordinary\nDifferential Equations is nicely done and likely enough for nearly any applications might encounter.  Will want some of this if do A/C circuit theory or deterministic optimal control.\nFor basic abstract algebra Herstein, Topics in Algebra should usually be enough and is well written.  With that will be well prepared for, say, algebraic coding theory which actually has some important applications.\nOnce have a background in measure theory, for probability, of course, Loeve or either of his students Breiman or Neveu.  Breiman is really nice to read. Neveu is a good candidate for  the most polished and elegantly done math book or writing of any kind in all of civilization.   Be sure to get to the good stuff on the Radon-Nikodym theorem, conditional expectation, martingales, and ergodic processes.\nFor relatively good results, better than hardly any students get just from courses, study the theorems and proofs until can do them yourself and can also explain them to any common man in the street and also explain where they fit in more generally.  Also be able to do the exercises.  E.g., Rudin's Principles has the inverse and implicit function theorems as exercises!  Fleming applies them to Lagrange multipliers. These two theorems are the main prerequisites of differential geometry -- some parts of physics, now popular, touch on this math!\nIn my Ph.D. program I led the class in 4 of the five qualifying exams, and for the analysis and linear algebra exams, the books above were the secret.  After I did that, the department tried to have the students do better by offering a course from Rudin's Principles; the course didn't work; that book is too hard for a course and needs weeks of quiet time where a student can chew on the text slowly line by line. Rudin has some of the most precise presentations on Fourier theory.  So when physics uses Fourier theory or engineers use the fast Fourier transform, you will likely know Fourier theory quite a lot better than they do.  Right, the uncertainty principle in quantum mechanics is just a basic result in Fourier theory.  With Fourier theory and linearity, Schroedinger's equation starts to make sense.  A good exercise in early measure theory is differentiation under the integral sign, Leibniz's rule -- be sure to cover that with a good proof.\nWith the background from the books above will be well prepared for a wide range of more narrow topics in pure and applied math.\nNearly all these books are available used in nearly new condition for low prices.  In a move I lost some of my library and rebuilt with used copies.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Royden's Real Analysis",
          "reason": "Suggested for studying calculus through Lebesgue measure theory.",
          "audience": "People studying measure theory and analysis.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23728159,
          "author": "graycat",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T22:24:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23728159",
          "commentText": "Linear algebra, and more than one such book.\nIMHO long and still the best linear algebra book is\nHalmos, Finite Dimensional Vector Spaces (FDVS).\nIt was written in 1942 when Halmos was an \"assistant\" to John von Neumann at the Institute for Advanced Study.  It is intended to be finite dimensional vector spaces but done with the techniques of Hilbert space.  The central result in the book, according to Halmos, is the spectral decomposition.  One result at a time, the quality of von Neumann comes through.  Commonly physicists have been given that book as their introduction to Hilbert space for quantum mechanics.\nBut FDVS is a little too much for a first book on linear algebra, or maybe even a second book, should be maybe a third one.\nAlso high quality is Nering, Linear Algebra and Matrix Theory.  Again, the quality comes through:  Nering was a student of Artin at Princeton.  There Nering does most of linear algebra on just finite fields, not just the real and complex fields; finite fields in linear algebra are important in error correcting codes.  So, that finite field work is a good introduction to abstract algebra.\nFor a first book on linear algebra, I'd recommend something easy.  The one I used was\nMurdoch,\nLinear Algebra for Undergraduates.\nIt's still okay if can find it.\nFor a first book, likely the one by Strang at MIT is good.  Just use it as a first book and don't take it too seriously since are going to cover all of it and more again later.\nI can recommend the beginning sections on vector spaces, convexity, and the inverse and implicit function theorems in\nFleming, Functions of Several Variables\nFleming was long at the Brown University Division of Applied Math. The later chapters are on measure theory, the Lebesgue integral, and the exterior algebra of differential forms, and there are better treatments.\nAlso there is now\nStephen Boyd and Lieven Vandenberghe, Introduction to Applied Linear Algebra – Vectors, Matrices, and Least Squares\nat\nhttp://vmls-book.stanford.edu/vmls.pdf\nSince the book is new, I've only       looked through it -- it looks like a good selection and arrangement of topics.  And Boyd is good, wrote a terrific book, maybe, IMHO likely, the best in the world, on convexity, which is in a sense is half of linearity.\nSome course slides are available at\nhttp://vmls-book.stanford.edu/\nFor reference for more, have a copy of\nRichard Bellman,\nIntroduction to Matrix Analysis:\nSecond Edition.\nBellman was famous for dynamic programming.\nFor computations in linear algebra, consider\nGeorge E. Forsythe and\nCleve B. Moler,\nComputer Solution of Linear Algebraic Systems\nalthough now the Linpack materials might be a better starting point for numerical linear algebra.  Numerical linear algebra is now a well developed specialized field, and the Linpack materials might be a good start on the best of the field.  Such linear algebra is apparently the main yardstick in evaluating the highly parallel supercomputers.\nAfter linear algebra go through\nRudin, Principles of Mathematical Analysis, Third Edition.\nHe does the Riemann integral very carefully, Fourier series, vector analysis via exterior algebra, and has the inverse and implicit function theorems (key to differential geometry, e.g., for relativity theory) as exercises.\nAll of this material is to get to the main goals of measure theory, the Lebesgue integral, Fourier theory, Hilbert space and Banach space as in, say, the first, real (not complex) half of\nRudin, Real and Complex Analysis\nBut for that I would start with\nRoyden, Real Analysis\nsweetheart writing on that math.\nDepending on the math department, those books might be enough to pass the Ph.D. qualifying exam in Analysis.  It was for me:  From those books I did the best in the class on that exam.\nMoreover, from independent study of Halmos, Nering, Fleming, Forsythe, linearity in statistics, and some more, I totally blew away all the students in a challenging second (maybe intentionally flunk out), advanced course in linear algebra and, then, did the best in the class on the corresponding qualifying exam, that is, where that second course was my first formal course in linear algebra.\nLesson:  Just self study of those books can give a really good background in linear algebra and its role in the rest of pure and applied math.\nNo joke, linear algebra, and the associated vector spaces, is one of the most important courses for more work in pure and applied math, engineering, and likely the future of computing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Royden, Real Analysis\nsweetheart writing on that math.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a starting point for further study of analysis.",
          "audience": "Readers studying advanced analysis.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Halsey L. Royden"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "measure theory",
        "real analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "say-this-not-that-14a56e",
      "title": "Say This, Not That",
      "author": "Carl Alasko",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10840256,
          "author": "kleer001",
          "createdAt": "2016-01-05T01:17:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 10833032,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book you've recently read and enjoyed?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10840256",
          "commentText": "Say This Not That: Carl Alasko",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Say This Not That: Carl Alasko",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10765322,
          "author": "kleer001",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-19T23:27:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10765322",
          "commentText": "Reading it now, so that technically counts.\n\"Say this not that.\" by Carl Alasko\nI've gone through a metric shit ton pile of self help and relationship help books in my time. But I think this one, while it repeats some well worn wisdom, it presents them in a concrete enough way that the advice is finally gaining traction in my own head. I think the key is that it presents the advice in real world vignettes as both bad and good idea formats. Like that bone guy on Animaniacs.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "this one, while it repeats some well worn wisdom, it presents them in a concrete enough way that the advice is finally gaining traction in my own head.",
          "reason": "Says its concrete presentation makes the advice effective for them, despite repeating familiar wisdom.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The title is mentioned as “Say this not that”; commenter notes it repeats well-worn wisdom.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carl Alasko"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "communication",
        "relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "silent-spring-d74155",
      "title": "Silent Spring",
      "author": "Rachel Carson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42270216,
          "author": "Yawrehto",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T02:15:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42270216",
          "commentText": "Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott. If you're into Jewish history/legend, Baba Yaga, intergenerational trauma, or just good books, I would find it difficult to recommend it more. It's well-told and well-paced (note: do not read at night if you have something to do in the early morning the next day). As you would expect from a book drawing heavily on Jewish history, it can be difficult to read.\nMiddlegame by Seanan McGuire. Excellent book that handles time travel and its implications reasonablly well. She also wrote a shorter, \"children's\" book series under a pen name; quotes from it appeared in Middlegame. It's called the Up-and-under series. I've only made it through book one so far, as I lost book two, but so far it's been good!\nSilent Spring by Rachel Carson. It's been on my list of books to read for ages and it is in fact excellent, if difficult. I'm planning on reading some of her--allegedly much less dark--books about the sea next, because I've heard she can be very poetic and in Silent Spring it shines through sometimes, but not often.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. It's been on my list of books to read for ages and it is in fact excellent, if difficult.",
          "reason": "Calls it excellent while noting it is difficult.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter found it difficult to read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42224890,
          "author": "Yawrehto",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-24T00:01:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42224890",
          "commentText": "So far? It could be (read: is) recency bias, but I recently finished Silent Spring by Rachel Carson and found it fascinating and relevant, although some of the one-off science facts are outdated. I'm planning on reading her other books. I've heard they're much more poetic annd have a nicer subject matter than how we're killing ourselves.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I recently finished Silent Spring by Rachel Carson and found it fascinating and relevant",
          "reason": "Found it fascinating and relevant.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some one-off science facts are outdated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8718219,
          "author": "therealdrag0",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T18:48:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8718219",
          "commentText": "This is what I thought about posting. I've read a lot of books this year (45 books totaling 22,000 pages), the most important being: History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Silent Spring, The Feminine Mystique, The Grapes of Wrath, The Price of Inequality, The Happiness Hypothesis.\nBut, out of all that (which I had to go look up on my Goodreads), HPMOR is what came to mind, both an engaging story, thought provoking ideas, and a lot of pages to work with :).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Silent Spring",
          "reason": "Listed among books read this year; no individual evaluation is given.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rachel Carson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "pesticides",
        "environmentalism",
        "environmental science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "silo-saga-8f077f",
      "title": "Silo Saga",
      "author": "Hugh Howey",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6898810,
          "author": "bmelton",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T02:58:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6898810",
          "commentText": "The Silo Saga, by Hugh Howey.  Originally self-published and released as short Kindle \"Singles\", the first section of the series is collected in \"Wool\".  The Omnibus collects the first five singles, and is $6 on Amazon[1]... but if you want to test it out, the first single he released is still available for free in the Kindle store.  It ranks among the best zero dollars I spent all year.\nBehind that, I really enjoyed \"White Noise\" by Don Delillo, though I did have some problems with characterization (basically, all the characters were the author), and Democracy Incorporated: Managed Democracy and the Specter of Inverted Totalitarianism\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Wool-Part-One-Hugh-Howey-ebook/dp/B005... (http://www.amazon.com/Wool-Part-One-Hugh-Howey-ebook/dp/B005FC52L0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386903043&sr=8-1&keywords=Wool+Part+1)\n[2] http://www.amazon.com/Wool-Omnibus-Silo-Saga-ebook/dp/B0071X... (http://www.amazon.com/Wool-Omnibus-Silo-Saga-ebook/dp/B0071XO8RA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386903023&sr=8-1&keywords=Wool)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Silo Saga, by Hugh Howey.",
          "reason": "Listed among the best books the commenter read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6700607,
          "author": "brickcap",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-09T03:47:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6700607",
          "commentText": "Yeah that is on my radar. I have wanted to read it ever since I read more about Hugh. Really like the guy.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Yeah that is on my radar. I have wanted to read it ever since I read more about Hugh.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have wanted to read the series, without evaluating it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6700093,
          "author": "bmelton",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-09T00:38:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6700093",
          "commentText": "Not reading it currently, but I can't let a thread like this go by without suggesting the Silo Saga by Hugh Howey.  The first book in the series is \"Wool: Part 1\", which (last I looked) was a free Kindle book on Amazon, and I'd graduated to purchasing the rest of the series before finishing the second chapter.\nIt's a phenomenal series, and I'm a little embarrassed that it took me so long to find it.\nAside from that, I had started (before his passing) an Elmore Leonard marathon with the goal of completing every single novel that Leonard has ever written.  If you're ordinarily a sci-fi reader, perhaps this isn't the best suggestion, but I find the wit, terseness and change of pace extremely refreshing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "suggesting the Silo Saga by Hugh Howey",
          "reason": "Explicitly suggests the series and calls it phenomenal.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it may not suit readers who ordinarily read science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hugh Howey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopian fiction",
        "post apocalyptic fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "society-of-mind-4358bd",
      "title": "Society of Mind",
      "author": "Marvin Minsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40278808,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-06T19:54:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40278808",
          "commentText": "Offhand I can think of a few that I've read at least 2-3 times. And in a couple of cases, maybe as many as 4 or 5 times. There are probably some others that just aren't jumping to mind, but suffice it to say that these are all books I've found very valuable.\nThe Four Steps to the Epiphany - Steve Blank\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nMastering the Complex Sale - Jeff Thull\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nThe Selfish Gene - Richard Dawkins",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Society of Mind - Marvin Minsky",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Society of Mind - Marvin Minsky",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marvin Minsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "cognitive science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ten-steps-to-nanette-92ee1c",
      "title": "Ten Steps to Nanette",
      "author": "Hannah Gadsby",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34183972,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-30T11:07:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34183972",
          "commentText": "Ten Steps to Nanette, Hannah Gadsby - Autobiography of an Australian comedian I like. (If you like audiobooks, she reads it herself which is a treat.)\nTrue Biz, Sara Nović - A year in the life of a boarding school for the deaf.\nUpgrade, Blake Crouch\nBlindsight: The (Mostly) Hidden Ways Marketing Reshapes Our Brains, Matt Johnson & Prince Ghuman - Interesting angle of examining neurology.\nTreasure & Dirt, and The Tilt, Chris Hammer - Good Australian rural crime fiction.\nHarry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, Eliezer Yudkowsky - Alternate fan fic depiction of Harry Potter as a hyper-rationalist. My review linked below.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60034663-ten-steps-to-na... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60034663-ten-steps-to-nanette)\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58395049-true-biz\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59838811-upgrade\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52225003-blindsight\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58520598-treasure-dirt\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61413297-the-tilt\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33951086-harry-potter-an... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33951086-harry-potter-and-the-methods-of-rationality)\n(My review) https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5124124732",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ten Steps to Nanette, Hannah Gadsby - Autobiography of an Australian comedian I like.",
          "reason": "The commenter likes the comedian and lists her autobiography among books read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33850390,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T03:46:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33850390",
          "commentText": "Ten Steps to Nanette, Hannah Gadsby - Autobiography of an Australian comedian I like. (If you like audiobooks, she reads it herself which is a treat.)\nTrue Biz, Sara Nović - A year in the life of a boarding school for the deaf.\nUpgrade, Blake Crouch\nBlindsight: The (Mostly) Hidden Ways Marketing Reshapes Our Brains, Matt Johnson & Prince Ghuman - Interesting angle of examining neurology.\nTreasure & Dirt, and The Tilt, Chris Hammer - Good Australian rural crime fiction.\nHarry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, Eliezer Yudkowsky - Alternate fan fic depiction of Harry Potter as a hyper-rationalist. My review linked below.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60034663-ten-steps-to-na... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60034663-ten-steps-to-nanette)\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58395049-true-biz\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59838811-upgrade\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52225003-blindsight\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58520598-treasure-dirt\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61413297-the-tilt\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33951086-harry-potter-an... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33951086-harry-potter-and-the-methods-of-rationality)\n(My review) https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5124124732",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Autobiography of an Australian comedian I like.",
          "reason": "Likes the comedian and says she reads the audiobook herself, which is a treat.",
          "audience": "Audiobook listeners.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hannah Gadsby"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "audiobook",
        "autobiography",
        "comedy",
        "comedy memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-80-20-principle-2e7751",
      "title": "The 80/20 Principle",
      "author": "Richard Koch",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21914539,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-30T16:38:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21914539",
          "commentText": "Getting Things Done - the 2001 version I read two years ago, I use the general idea and it helps to have a clear head when your fighting fires daily.\nNever Split the Difference - some very practical negotiation strategies.\nMini Habits by Stephen Guise - short book but awesome method.  I am still doing the one pushup habit since last March.\nHow to Shoot Video That Doesn't Suck by Steve Stockman - I wanted to improve my video production for my programming course for kids.  I am still learning but this book has been a huge help.\nThe Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing and Thinking by Barbara Minto - huge help with improving my written communication at my job.\nThe Coaching Habit by Michael Stanier - short book but huge help when your transitioning to managing people.\nMade to Stick by Dan Heath - was a huge help in planning how I would teach elementary students last month about programming.\nThe 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch - aside from application of Pareto principle, I took away the idea that books provide the best bang for your buck for knowledge density.\nThe 4 Hour Work Week - great inspiration to start your own thing.\nThe $100 Startup - like the 4HWW but with more details.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "aside from application of Pareto principle, I took away the idea that books provide the best bang for your buck for knowledge density.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes a useful takeaway about the Pareto principle and knowledge density.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14478717,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T21:59:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478717",
          "commentText": "4 Hour Work Week, it gave me some perspective on the 9-5 job I wish I had given more thought to earlier in my life when I had more time.\n80/20 principle, while mentioned in the 4 hour work week, it really has a lot more to offer in the book.  How you should go about leveraging your time.  There was a real gem in there about how books are really the best way to acquire knowledge and a great way to approach reading in the university.\nThere was a speed readying and studying book I came across from a friend that owns a book store that really helped me.  I wish I had that book before I entered high school.  I can never recall the name, but I will try to find it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "80/20 principle, while mentioned in the 4 hour work week, it really has a lot more to offer in the book. How you should go about leveraging your time.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it offers more on how to use time effectively, including a useful insight about books as a way to acquire knowledge.",
          "audience": "The commenter mentions approaching reading at university.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Koch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "pareto principle",
        "productivity",
        "time management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-anatomy-of-peace-01961d",
      "title": "The Anatomy of Peace",
      "author": "The Arbinger Institute",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33382342,
          "author": "andersthue",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T09:12:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382342",
          "commentText": "“The anatomy of peace”, by the Arbinger institute.\nIt has helped me navigate conflicts better and I have become more succesful through better collaborations and stronger relationships.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“The anatomy of peace”, by the Arbinger institute.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them navigate conflicts and build stronger collaborations and relationships.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17046886,
          "author": "andersthue",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T12:46:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17046886",
          "commentText": "The most important book I have read currently is “The Anatomy of Peace” by the arbinger institute. This book teaches me how to stay out of interpersonal conflicts and become a person pthers want to be together with.\n“Crucial Conversations” is another really important book that teaches how to safely deal with very hard conversations.\nFor my own personal development/relationship with women I must say that “No more mister nice guy” and “the way of the superior man” has both helped me.\nLastly the letting go e-book by Leo Babauta from zenhabits also is really good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“The Anatomy of Peace” by the arbinger institute. This book teaches me how to stay out of interpersonal conflicts",
          "reason": "The commenter says it teaches ways to avoid interpersonal conflict and build better relationships.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "The Arbinger Institute"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "conflict resolution",
        "relationships",
        "collaboration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ancient-engineers-b3440d",
      "title": "The Ancient Engineers",
      "author": "L. Sprague de Camp",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39057512,
          "author": "walterbell",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T16:44:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39057512",
          "commentText": "The Ancient Engineers by L. Sprague de Camp (1963), https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8158385",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Ancient Engineers by L. Sprague de Camp (1963)",
          "reason": "Offered as a book suggestion in response to a request for books on engineering philosophy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10027564,
          "author": "walterbell",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T15:46:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027564",
          "commentText": "1) A2K Handbook, free online, http://a2knetwork.org/handbook\n\"Access to Knowledge (A2K) is the umbrella term for a movement that aims to create more equitable public access to the products of human culture and learning. The ultimate objective of the movement is to create a world in which educational and cultural works are accessible to all, and in which consumers and creators alike participate in a vibrant ecosystem of innovation and creativity.\"\n2) Sci-Fi author L. Sprague de Camp's 1963 book, \"The Ancient Engineers\", covers the period from early Egyptian engineering up to Galileo. http://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Engineers-L-Sprague-Camp/dp/03... (http://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Engineers-L-Sprague-Camp/dp/0345482875/)\n“History, technology, culture, finance, and sociology intersect here. It’s not history from the top (kings and such, which some say is dry), nor history from the bottom (average people, which is necessarily endless and perhaps not very revealing). It’s history from the nuts-and-bolts middle – how structures were built, how materials were transported, how wars were fought. When you know this sort of foundational information, everything else becomes more real.”\n3) Paul Calter, \"Squaring the Circle: Geometry in Art & Architecture\", http://www.amazon.com/Squaring-Circle-Geometry-Art-Architect... (http://www.amazon.com/Squaring-Circle-Geometry-Art-Architecture/dp/0470412127/)\n\"the combination of the subject knowledge of design, architecture, art, geometry, philospohy, music theory, and mathematics ... Calter includes the basic lessons and explanations of a regular Geometry course in his book, but then he interweaves an integrated classical curriculum (based on deductive reasoning)\"\n4) Georges Ifrah, \"Universal History of Numbers\", http://www.amazon.com/Universal-History-Numbers-Prehistory-I... (http://www.amazon.com/Universal-History-Numbers-Prehistory-Invention/dp/0471375683/)\n\"the first complete account of the invention and evolution of numbers the world over ... Dubbed the \"Indiana Jones of numbers,\" Georges Ifrah traveled all over the world for ten years to uncover the little-known details of this amazing story. From India to China, and from Egypt to Chile, Ifrah talked to mathematicians, historians, archaeologists, and philosophers.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sci-Fi author L. Sprague de Camp's 1963 book, \"The Ancient Engineers\"",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a history of engineering, describing how structures, materials, and warfare worked.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "L. Sprague de Camp"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "engineering history",
        "ancient technology",
        "technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-bet-4dc10b",
      "title": "The Bet",
      "author": "Anton Chekhov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1226996,
          "author": "dschobel",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T17:19:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226996",
          "commentText": "I'll repost my suggestion from the last \"great reads\" thread on HN.\n----------------------------------------\nThe Bet by Anton Chekhov\nYou can read it here: http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/Bet.shtml\nIt shouldn't take more than 10 minutes. It's so fantastically misanthropic, I cannot recommend it enough.\nThe polemic against society at the end is just epic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bet by Anton Chekhov\nYou can read it here: http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/Bet.shtml\nIt shouldn't take more than 10 minutes. It's so fantastically misanthropic, I cannot recommend it enough.",
          "reason": "Explicitly says they cannot recommend the story enough and praises its misanthropic quality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Should take no more than 10 minutes to read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026437,
          "author": "dschobel",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T23:25:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026437",
          "commentText": "The Bet by Anton Chekhov\nYou can read it here: http://www.eastoftheweb.com/short-stories/UBooks/Bet.shtml\nIt shouldn't take more than 10 minutes. It's so fantastically misanthropic, I cannot recommend it enough.\nThe prisoner's polemic against society at the end is just legendary.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's so fantastically misanthropic, I cannot recommend it enough.",
          "reason": "Says it is fantastically misanthropic and recommends it emphatically.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It is a short story; the commenter says it takes under 10 minutes to read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anton Chekhov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "russian literature",
        "short story"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-computational-beauty-of-nature-f9485d",
      "title": "The Computational Beauty of Nature",
      "author": "William Gary Flake",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31218006,
          "author": "qubex",
          "createdAt": "2022-04-30T18:20:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 31166475,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Top inspiring books on crucial CS ideas?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31218006",
          "commentText": "I cannot recommend William Gary Flake’s The Computational Beauty of Nature (1998) enough.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I cannot recommend William Gary Flake’s The Computational Beauty of Nature (1998) enough.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20729569,
          "author": "qubex",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T11:23:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20729569",
          "commentText": "I strongly advise the following:\n- The Computational Beauty Of Nature, by William Gary Flake\n- The Impostor’s Handbook, by Rob Conery\n- The Elements Of Computing Systems, by Noam Nisan & Shimon Schocken",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Computational Beauty Of Nature, by William Gary Flake",
          "reason": "Included in a list the commenter strongly advises.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Gary Flake"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "complex systems",
        "computational modeling",
        "artificial life"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-consolations-of-philosophy-b8df91",
      "title": "The Consolations of Philosophy",
      "author": "Alain de Botton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18759603,
          "author": "vitaminCPP",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-25T23:24:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18759603",
          "commentText": "> \"Most useful: The Consolations of Philosophy\"\nInteresting ! Can you explain why it was the most useful to you ?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Most useful: The Consolations of Philosophy\"\nInteresting !",
          "reason": "Asks another commenter to explain why they found the book useful; does not express their own view.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17032115,
          "author": "bloodorange",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T17:58:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032115",
          "commentText": "There are many books which sound good in theory but I think my younger self would not have been able to make use of the wisdom in those books because I did not have the experience to relate to what the book was talking about. Nevertheless, if I had to ignore this factor, I too, like many others in this thread, recommend \"The Mythical Man Month\". However, I think, it's more important to figure out what one wants from life than to just better one's craft. Of course if that is what you want in life, then indeed pursuing that makes sense. I'm also tempted to recommend \"Siddhartha\" by Herman Hesse and \"The Consolations of Philosophy\" by Alain de Botton.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The Consolations of Philosophy\" by Alain de Botton",
          "reason": "Named as a possible recommendation while reflecting on what one wants from life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are tempted to recommend it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5692169,
          "author": "bloodorange",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T21:32:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5692169",
          "commentText": "Adding more:\nSiddhartha - Hermen Hesse\nNarcissus and Goldmund - Herman Hesse\nThe Glass Bead Game - Herman Hesse\nThe Consolations of Philosophy - Alain de Botton\nA Brief History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson\nPolitics and The English Lanaguage (essay) - George Orwell\nA Modest Proposal (essay) - Jonathan Swift",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Consolations of Philosophy - Alain de Botton",
          "reason": "Listed in a response to a request for good books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alain de Botton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "practical philosophy",
        "accessible philosophy",
        "popular philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-disappearance-of-the-universe-d1c442",
      "title": "The Disappearance of the Universe",
      "author": "Gary Renard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23154758,
          "author": "preordained",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T15:05:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23154758",
          "commentText": "The Disappearance of the Universe, Gary Renard",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Disappearance of the Universe, Gary Renard",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17192905,
          "author": "preordained",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-30T23:53:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17192905",
          "commentText": "The Disappearance of the Universe, by Gary Renard...and following naturally, A Course in Miracles (supplemented by lots and lots of Kenneth Wapnick).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Disappearance of the Universe, by Gary Renard",
          "reason": "Offers it as their answer to the question about a life-changing book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gary Renard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "spirituality",
        "non duality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-economy-of-cities-11e529",
      "title": "The Economy of Cities",
      "author": "Jane Jacobs",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2643050,
          "author": "MaysonL",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-11T02:25:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2643050",
          "commentText": "Adventures of a Bystander by Peter Drucker.\nJane Jacobs's three city books:\nThe Death and Life of Great American Cities, \nThe Economy of Cities, and \nCities and the Wealth of Nations.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Economy of Cities,",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 241848,
          "author": "MaysonL",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-10T00:52:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=241848",
          "commentText": "Searching online I eventually found one on Amazon for $12 - about the cheapest I saw (lots on Amazon uk, starting at about 15 pounds) - from Powell's.\nIf you found pg's cities essays interesting or clueless, read Jane Jacobs's trilogy on cities:\nThe Death and Life of Great American Cities\nThe Economy of Cities\nCities and the Wealth of Nations\nThe quality of the writing, and the thought, more than fully justify the hubris of the last title.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Economy of Cities",
          "reason": "Recommended if the reader found Paul Graham's essays on cities interesting or clueless.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jane Jacobs"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cities",
        "urban economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-effective-manager-f6ef54",
      "title": "The Effective Manager",
      "author": "Mark Horstman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33855715,
          "author": "mikehollinger",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T17:35:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33855715",
          "commentText": "“The Effective Manager” by the people behind Manager Tools (a great podcast) is a really, really good view of this.\nRe: Communication, this book starts there and builds upon that foundation. It’s targeted at line managers, but anyone in a leadership position can and will benefit. For example, I don’t do one-on-one’s with my team. I do “Project Management 1:1’s” or “Weekly project status updates.” I don’t always give feedback the way they prescribe (because the team doesn’t formally report to me). I do, however, go out of my way to say “Just to let you know, when you do X, Y happens.” And from the book, learned that there’s a 10:1 ratio of positive to negative feedback to strive for.\nSide note: Manager Tools has a great podcast series that is arranged into a “map of the universe” [1] which shows a huge list of topics, and how to discuss everything from good or bad performance, dealing with various types of conflict, to even how to structure emails or how to address a personal scent issue (which I’ve actually used).\n[1] https://www.manager-tools.com/map-of-the-universe",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“The Effective Manager” by the people behind Manager Tools (a great podcast) is a really, really good view of this.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a really good guide and says its communication foundation can benefit people in leadership positions.",
          "audience": "Line managers and anyone in a leadership position.",
          "caveat": "The commenter adapts some advice because their team does not formally report to them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32791330,
          "author": "mikehollinger",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T15:10:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32791330",
          "commentText": "Engineer turned engineering leader here.\n\"Good Strategy / Bad Strategy\" by Richard Rumelt - An awesome book on strategy, which explains very plainly how to construct a reasonable strategy, and see signs of bad strategy. It (among other things) dissects NVIDIA's rise in the late 2000's, and predicts (more or less) the next ten years of where the company went.\n\"The Effective Manager\" by Mark Horstman - All the things that no one says or tells about management and communication.\n\"Team Topologies\" by Skelton and Pais - A really good view of organizational design patterns and anti-patterns for software teams rooted in the premise of Conway's Law.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Effective Manager\" by Mark Horstman - All the things that no one says or tells about management and communication.",
          "reason": "Covers management and communication.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Horstman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "communication",
        "management",
        "manager communication",
        "people management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-end-of-faith-b16f72",
      "title": "The End of Faith",
      "author": "Sam Harris",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3643491,
          "author": "japhyr",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-28T15:37:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 3643009,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-technical book you've read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3643491",
          "commentText": "The End of Faith, Sam Harris.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The End of Faith, Sam Harris.",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to a question asking for recent non-technical books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3338194,
          "author": "japhyr",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T19:09:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3338194",
          "commentText": "The End of Faith by Sam Harris - http://www.amazon.com/End-Faith-Religion-Terror-Future/dp/03... (http://www.amazon.com/End-Faith-Religion-Terror-Future/dp/0393327655/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323544076&sr=1-1)\nIt's the first non-technical book I've read in a while, and I am loving it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I am loving it.",
          "reason": "Says they are loving the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sam Harris"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "religion",
        "religion and secularism",
        "secularism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-first-and-last-freedom-62ed50",
      "title": "The First and Last Freedom",
      "author": "Jiddu Krishnamurti",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19089319,
          "author": "hypertexthero",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T20:15:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19089319",
          "commentText": "The First and Last Freedom by Jiddu Krishnamurti.\nIt changed how I think about identity by showing me the danger of labels, and made me appreciate the beauty of life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The First and Last Freedom by Jiddu Krishnamurti.\nIt changed how I think about identity by showing me the danger of labels, and made me appreciate the beauty of life.",
          "reason": "Credits it with changing their view of identity and appreciation of life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567237,
          "author": "hypertexthero",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T15:26:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567237",
          "commentText": "The First and Last Freedom by Jiddu Krishnamurti\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_First_and_Last_Freedom",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The First and Last Freedom by Jiddu Krishnamurti",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8257632,
          "author": "hypertexthero",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T14:09:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257632",
          "commentText": "1. Another Great Day at Sea: Life Aboard the USS George H.W. Bush by Geoff Dyer with photographs by Chris Steele-Perkins\n2. Windhorse by Kaushik Barua\n3. 17 Equations That Changed the World by Ian Stewart\n4. The First and Last Freedom by Jiddu Krishnamurti",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The First and Last Freedom by Jiddu Krishnamurti",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jiddu Krishnamurti"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "identity",
        "jiddu krishnamurti",
        "krishnamurti",
        "spiritual philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-great-war-for-civilization-30aecf",
      "title": "The Great War for Civilization",
      "author": "Robert Fisk",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1226794,
          "author": "scorpioxy",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:15:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226794",
          "commentText": "Oh, lots! I wish you'd narrow down to some categories you're interested in.\nA few example i enjoyed:\nThe State of Africa, Martin Meredith\nThe Code Book, Simon Singh\nPity the Nation, Robert Fisk\nThe Great War for Civilization, Robert Fisk\nAlan Turing: The Enigma, Andrew Hodges\nLong Walk to Freedom, Nelson Mandela\nThe Last Lecture, Randy Pausch\nFermat's Engima, Simon Singh\nLots more....",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Great War for Civilization, Robert Fisk",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 200099,
          "author": "scorpioxy",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-26T09:39:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 199722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=200099",
          "commentText": "Well, for non-technical books; I have enjoyed the following in no particular order:\n- Founders At Work\n- Eric Sink on the Business of Software\n- The Great War for Civilization\n- Pity the Nation\n- On Intelligence\n- The State of Africa\n- Long Walk to Freedom\n....etc",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The Great War for Civilization",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter has enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Fisk"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "middle east",
        "war reporting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-invention-of-russia-from-gorbachev-s-freedom-to-putin-s-war-6d0e62",
      "title": "The Invention of Russia: From Gorbachev's Freedom to Putin's War",
      "author": "Arkady Ostrovsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15961256,
          "author": "strictnein",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:22:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961256",
          "commentText": "Sorry, this got a little longer than I meant it to be\n- Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed - It's over 20 years old now but still really good, especially if you're into planes like the U-2, F-117, and SR-71\nIf you're wanting a deeper understanding of the other side of the war on terror, I'd recommend the following:\n- I Was Told to Come Alone: My Journey Behind the Lines of Jihad\n- Salafi-Jihadism: The History of an Idea\n- The Way of the Strangers: Encounters with the Islamic State\n- After the Prophet: The Epic Story of the Shia-Sunni Split in Islam\n- The Black Banners: The Inside Story of 9/11 and the War Against al-Qaeda\nIf you're wanting a dive into Russia:\n- The Invention of Russia: From Gorbachev's Freedom to Putin's War\n- The Red Web: The Struggle Between Russia's Digital Dictators and the New Online Revolutionaries\n- Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible: The Surreal Heart of the New Russia\nIf you're wanting true Spy stuff:\n- The Billion Dollar Spy: A True Story of Cold War Espionage and Betrayal\n- The Spy's Son: The True Story of the Highest-Ranking CIA Officer Ever Convicted of Espionage and the Son He Trained to Spy for Russia\n- Left of Boom: How a Young CIA Case Officer Penetrated the Taliban and Al-Qaeda (the author is a little full of himself, but still, it's interesting)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Invention of Russia: From Gorbachev's Freedom to Putin's War",
          "reason": "Listed under the commenter’s recommendations for a dive into Russia.",
          "audience": "Readers wanting to learn about Russia.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14859839,
          "author": "strictnein",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:14:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859839",
          "commentText": "Recently:\n- The Invention of Russia: From Gorbachev's Freedom to Putin's War\n- The Red Web: The Struggle Between Russia’s Digital Dictators and the New Online Revolutionaries\nBoth excellent and pair really well. Add in \"Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible\" and you've got some decent insight into modern Russia, I think.\nJust finished:\n- Left of Boom: How a Young CIA Case Officer Penetrated the Taliban and Al-Qaeda\nInteresting to read. Author is rather sure of himself, but I guess that helped him be successful. Also interesting to see what the CIA redacted, since they left all the redactions in place in the book and used classical music in the audio book to represent them. Kind of sloppily redacted at times, with the redacted country or entity clearly referenced a sentence or two later. And then there's strange things redacted, like the language of bootleg DVDs that are purchased in SE Afghanistan. It's Farsi, for the record.\n- The Hacked World Order: How Nations Fight, Trade, Maneuver, and Manipulate in the Digital Age\nIf you're interested in kind of an overview of the cyber (yes, I hate the word too) space, from the perspective of nation states and the impact of their actions, this is a good read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Both excellent and pair really well.",
          "reason": "Calls this and The Red Web excellent and says they pair well.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arkady Ostrovsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "modern russia",
        "post soviet politics",
        "russian politics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-last-lion-28ac3a",
      "title": "The Last Lion",
      "author": "William Manchester and Paul Reid",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 457944,
          "author": "uuilly",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-30T10:15:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=457944",
          "commentText": "I've been waiting years for someone to ask this question :)\nWishlited this last night on amazon:\nCarnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise to Western Power by Victor Davis Hanson\nHave read these and enjoyed these:\nGeneral Warfare theory:\nHistory of Warfare by Keegan\nIntel:\nIntelligence and War by Keegan\nCounterinsurgency:\n\"Ghost Wars\" by Steve Coll.  For a really enjoyable experience read \"The Great Game\"  by Hopkirk first.\nThe Civil War deserves it's own category. Watch the PBS dvds, actually buy them.  If you're hungry for more dig into \"The Civil War\" by Shelby Foote is hefty but it's satisfying.\n1776 is a classic.\n\"Blind mans bluff\" is a great book about submarine warfare.\nFor more current stuff Robert Kagan is probably the most informed pundit on war and military strategy.\nWW-II\n\"The Last Lion\" books 1 and 2 are about Churchill and they involve lots of military strategy.  You should also check out \"The gathering storm + the other six books Churchill wrote on WWII.\nMan I could go on forever.  I have \"Panzer General\" and \"Caesar's Conquest of Gaul\" on my nightstand...\nEnjoy...\nPS:  Once you're well versed you'll hear people referring to Clauswitz a lot.  When you're sick of hearing his name and you want more than the wikipedia entry go read \"On War.\"  Art of War goes w/o saying as well...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Last Lion\" books 1 and 2 are about Churchill and they involve lots of military strategy.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the first two books for their military strategy content.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter specifies books 1 and 2.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 203160,
          "author": "uuilly",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T09:49:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=203160",
          "commentText": "The Last Lion - Churchill",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Last Lion - Churchill",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Manchester and Paul Reid"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "winston churchill",
        "military biography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-last-stand-of-the-tin-can-sailors-9ea4e4",
      "title": "The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors",
      "author": "James D. Hornfischer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43613486,
          "author": "bloopernova",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T16:54:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43613486",
          "commentText": "The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors by James Hornfischer. The amazing courage shown by the US Navy sailors as their tiny 2,000 ton Destroyers and Destroyer Escorts faced a Japanese fleet of Battleships, Cruisers, and Destroyers at The Battle Off Samar. Inspiring and horrifying, the DDs and DEs of the US navy were protecting \"Escort Carriers\" which were smaller aircraft carriers made from cargo ship hulls. Warning, may inspire you to learn a whole bunch more about world war 2.\nAnd 2 books that sort of go together:\nIncredible Victory: The Battle of Midway by Walter Lord, and Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway by Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully. Read Incredible Victory first, learn about the luck, good and bad, that led to a much-needed victory in the Pacific. Then read Shattered Sword and get a fuller picture of events, especially from the Japanese side. Learn about how hubris and dogma led to the Japanese Navy's defeat. Then learn about how saving face led to history not being accurately told by the witnesses on the Japanese side.\nAll 3 are great books that are well worth your time.\nOthers that I've enjoyed:\nParable of the Sower by Octavia Butler (near future post-apocalyptic sci-fi).\nThe non-fiction Liberation Trilogy by Rick Atkinson (more WW2 non-fiction, nice details about North Africa through Italy, then France to Germany).\nMidnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham.\nMost Secret War by RV Jones (nerdy, funny history of one scientist's world war 2 experience).\nThe Discworld City Guard books, starting with Guards! Guards!, by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy fiction satire, hilarious and comforting. Highly, highly recommended!!\nPeter F Hamilton sci-fi adventure books: Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained are a duo of great space opera stretching across multiple planets and people. Don't spoil yourself by reading any descriptions of Judas Unchained before you read Pandora's Star. Also by the same author, The Night's Dawn Trilogy: The Reality Dysfunction, The Neutronium Alchemist, and The Naked God. Fantastic big canvas space opera with lots of threads, great world-building, and amazing situations. Both sets of books are highly recommended escapes from reality.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors by James Hornfischer. The amazing courage shown by the US Navy sailors",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the account of the sailors' courage.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in World War II naval history.",
          "caveat": "May inspire further learning about World War II.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33852858,
          "author": "bloopernova",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T11:58:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33852858",
          "commentText": "Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors by James Hornfischer.\nAn astonishing tale of daring and determination about the Battle off Samar in WW2 Pacific. Told with respect and admiration for the 6 USA escort carriers, their planes, and their destroyer escorts, that faced 4 battleships, 6 heavy cruisers, 2 light cruisers, and 11 destroyers of the Japanese navy. One of the greatest last stands in history, and a riveting story.\nIt made me realize the utter horror of the conditions the sailors fought under. The ordinary backgrounds of them all. That training and a culture of excellence can multiply the effectiveness of people far beyond what feels possible. That accurate information is critical to making good decisions. And that for all your preparation, you are still at the mercy of chance.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors by James Hornfischer.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as an astonishing, riveting account and explains what they took away from it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James D. Hornfischer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "battle off samar",
        "naval history",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-launch-pad-0ed287",
      "title": "The Launch Pad",
      "author": "Randall Stross",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13238121,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:01:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238121",
          "commentText": "Last year I gave myself a Zuckerberg-style goal to read a book every two weeks. It started well, but some months were harder than others (usually when the book wasn't very good, so I would switch to podcasts for a few weeks, before getting back on track).\nHere's an unordered list of the best:\n[BUSINESS / SELF-IMPROVEMENT]\n- \"Work Rules!\" - about Google's culture and values\n- \"Search Inside Yourself\" - about mindfulness, meditation, and the impact on your life.\n- \"What got you here won't get you there\" - Liked a lot more than I expected.\n- \"Re-read Innovator's Dilemma\" - a great classic; never gets old.\n- \"How will you measure your life\" - from the same author. Also excellent.\n- \"The Best Service is No Service\" - good overview on why Amazon's customer service is so good\n- \"Crucial Conversations\" - half is common sense; half is good tips to practice everyday.\n[PROGRAMMING]\n- \"Fluent Python\" - was afraid it'd be too basic, but not really. Enjoyed it a lot.\n- \"Think Complexity\" - about algorithm complexity, data structures, etc. Great read.\n- \"Python Data Science Handbook\" - meh.\n- \"Fundamentals of Deep Learning\" - good intro. Helped me solidify some concepts from Andrew Ng's ML course\n- \"Deep Learning\" - by Goodfellow and Bengio. Just started, but really liking it.\n[STARTUPS] (all excellent; in order)\n- \"The Hard Things about Hard Things\"\n- \"Zero to One\"\n- \"The Founder's Dilemmas\"\n- \"The Launch Pad\"\n[FICTION]\n- Trilogy: \"Off to be a wizard / An Unwelcome Quest / Spell or High Water\"\n- \"Infinite Jest\" - tried but failed to finish. May try again later.\n- \"Ready Player One\" - nice, but repetitive after a while. Good read before the movie comes out.\n[NON-FICTION]\n- \"What If?\" - xkcd FTW\n- \"How to Read a Book\" - good concepts, but should be a 10 pages blog post, not a book\n- \"Spark\" - Science of the Exercise and the Brain - Long, but good\n- \"Sugar Shock\" - still reading; hopefully will help me cut my sweet cravings\n[BIOGRAPHIES]\n- \"The New New Thing\" - about Jim Clark's life, one of the very first entrepreneurs\n- \"Machines of Loving Grace\" - about the research and the rise of AI\n- \"Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution\"\n- \"The Second Coming of Steve Jobs\" - About Pixar's story. Liked more than Isaacson's biography\n- \"The Innovators\" - great summary of computer industry, from the 1800's till today\n- \"Ghost in the Wires\" - Kevin Mitnick's story. Had started years ago, but finally finished it\n- \"Idea Man\" - about Paul Allen's story. Quite an impressive man.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Launch Pad\"",
          "reason": "Listed among four startup books described as excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12475769,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T21:12:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12475769",
          "commentText": "Here's the best books I've read in the last year or so:\n>> Computer History & biographies:\nThe New New Thing: A Silicon Valley Story, Michael Lewis\nThe Second Coming of Steve Jobs, by Alan Deutschman\nMachines of Loving Grace, by John Markoff\nThe Innovators, by Walter Isaacson\nGhost in the Wires, by Kevin Mitnick\nIdea Man: A Memoir by the Cofounder of Microsoft, by Paul Allen\nCreativity, Inc, by Ed Catmull (reading)\n>> Startups:\nThe Hard Thing About Hard Things, by Ben Horowitz\nThe Founder's Dilemmas, Noam Wasserman\nThe Launch Pad, by Randall Stross\n>> Other books:\nTrilogy: Off to Be the Wizard (series), by Scott Meyer\nSearch Inside Yourself, Chade-Meng Tan\nJoy on Demand, Chade-Meng Tan (reading)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Launch Pad, by Randall Stross",
          "reason": "Included in the writer's list of best books read over the past year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Randall Stross"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "startups",
        "accelerators",
        "y combinator"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-life-changing-magic-of-not-giving-a-f-ck-381f50",
      "title": "The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck",
      "author": "Sarah Knight",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38573135,
          "author": "nicbou",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T19:33:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38573135",
          "commentText": "Wait, I got the titles confused. The LIFE-CHANGING MAGIC of not giving a fuck was great. The idea of Konmari applied to obligations was clever.\nThe Mark Manson one was not good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The LIFE-CHANGING MAGIC of not giving a fuck was great.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was great and liked its application of KonMari to obligations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28453971,
          "author": "nicbou",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-08T06:59:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 28450555,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that impacted your work that few other people seem to care about?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28453971",
          "commentText": "How To Do Nothing [0]. The article, though the book is on my list.\nThis is not a straightforward article, so I can see how people could struggle with it, but I love every bit of it.\nThe author taught me to slow down, work less, and pay more attention to the other things.\n[0] https://medium.com/@the_jennitaur/how-to-do-nothing-57e100f5... (https://medium.com/@the_jennitaur/how-to-do-nothing-57e100f59bbb)\n---\nThe Life-Changing Magic Of Not Giving A F*ck, or at least the first chapter or two. This book should have been a blog article, so you don't need to read the whole thing.\nLong story short, it's minimalism for obligations. If it doesn't bring joy or serve a purpose, chuck it.\nIt's not a clever book, but I suppose it hit at the right time. It made me realise how most work obligations are negotiable. It emboldened me to cancel meetings, cut their headcount, and send people back to their desks once they played their part in them.\nWhen I went freelance, I applied the same energy to maintenance tasks like accounting, comment moderation and the dreaded introductory phone calls.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Life-Changing Magic Of Not Giving A F*ck, or at least the first chapter or two.",
          "reason": "Says the book helped them see that work obligations were negotiable.",
          "audience": "People reconsidering work obligations and everyday tasks.",
          "caveat": "The commenter suggests only the first chapter or two; says the book could have been a blog article and is not clever.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sarah Knight"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "decluttering",
        "obligation minimalism",
        "self help",
        "work boundaries"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-lucifer-principle-a-scientific-expedition-into-the-forces-of--150e4f",
      "title": "The Lucifer Principle: A Scientific Expedition into the Forces of History",
      "author": "Howard Bloom",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15960988,
          "author": "briga",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T15:51:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15960988",
          "commentText": "A few of the best were:\nWhat Technology Wants by Kevin Kelly. A really profound and interesting look into what technology is. Technology evolves through the same sort of Darwinian process that life evolves. Technology is in some sense alive, and Kelly's perspective on it is wonderfully refreshing. I also read his book Out of Control, which is fantastic.\nSapiens by Yuval Harari. Enough people are talking about this one that I don't have to say much, suffice it to say it's a fascinating look into human history a la Guns, Germs, and Steel.\nThe Lucifer Principle by Howard Bloom. If you're a fan of Harari you'll love this one. It's an alternative scientific look at evil, and how evil appears to be encoded into our species.\nHyperspace by Michio Kaku. Kaku is an amazing popular science writer bar none and this is his exploration of modern physics and string theory. The most concise and understandable explanation of modern physics I've read, which is part for the course with Kaku.\nRed Queen by Matt Ridley. A fascinating look at sex, and why the human sex drive, and therefore human  nature, is the way it is.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you're a fan of Harari you'll love this one. It's an alternative scientific look at evil",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it to fans of Harari and describes its account of evil as an alternative scientific perspective.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy Harari's work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14747119,
          "author": "briga",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T19:17:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14747119",
          "commentText": "I felt like Homo Deus was largely a retread of Sapiens. Some of his speculations about the various forms of humanism that have arisen in the 20th century were interesting, but for most of the book it felt like he was treading very familiar ground. It seemed like Harari was in a rush to release another book after the runaway success of Sapiens, and because of that he didn't take his time writing it. Sapiens was very concise and felt like the product of years of careful thought. Homo Deus felt like it was rushed in comparison. Still a good read, don't get me wrong.\nFor a similar type of book I would recommend Howard Bloom's Lucifer Principle and Global Brain. They both take a similarly  broad scientific perspective on human history and behavior, and both are fun reads.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For a similar type of book I would recommend Howard Bloom's Lucifer Principle and Global Brain.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it as a similar kind of book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Howard Bloom"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "History",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolutionary theory",
        "collective behavior",
        "human behavior"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-machinery-of-freedom-701c9e",
      "title": "The Machinery of Freedom",
      "author": "David Friedman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17168677,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:31:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168677",
          "commentText": "I can't give just one, but here are a few that had a strong influence on me: \n\"12 Rules for Life\" by Jordan Peterson, \"Why Switzerland?\" Jonathan Steinberg, \"Little Book of Common Sense Investing\" by John C. Bogle, \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" by Butron Malkiel, \"Liberalismus\" by Ludwig von Mises, \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann, \"Walden\" by Henry David Thoreau, \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"A Treatise on Political Economy\" by Jean-Baptiste Say, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy\" by Joseph Alois Schumpeter, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"My Correct Views on Everything\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"The Captive Mind\" Czesław Miłosz, \"One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, \"The House of the Dead\" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, \"Conversations with an Executioner\" by Kazimierz Moczarski, \"Diary 1954\" by Leopold Tyrmand, \"The Master and Margarita\" by Mikhail Bulgakov, \"A World Apart: A Memoir of the Gulag\" by Gustaw Herling-Grudziński",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a strong influence on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416563,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:55:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416563",
          "commentText": "\"I'm wondering which other books have you read that have had the most impact on you professionally or even personally?\"\nProfessionally: Peter F. Drucker's books.\nPersonally: \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann,  \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"Metaphysical Horror\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"Rationality in Economics\" by Vernon L. Smith, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about books with personal impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Friedman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "anarcho capitalism",
        "political economy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-man-versus-the-state-3c82c1",
      "title": "The Man Versus the State",
      "author": "Herbert Spencer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17168677,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:31:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168677",
          "commentText": "I can't give just one, but here are a few that had a strong influence on me: \n\"12 Rules for Life\" by Jordan Peterson, \"Why Switzerland?\" Jonathan Steinberg, \"Little Book of Common Sense Investing\" by John C. Bogle, \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" by Butron Malkiel, \"Liberalismus\" by Ludwig von Mises, \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann, \"Walden\" by Henry David Thoreau, \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"A Treatise on Political Economy\" by Jean-Baptiste Say, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy\" by Joseph Alois Schumpeter, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"My Correct Views on Everything\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"The Captive Mind\" Czesław Miłosz, \"One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, \"The House of the Dead\" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, \"Conversations with an Executioner\" by Kazimierz Moczarski, \"Diary 1954\" by Leopold Tyrmand, \"The Master and Margarita\" by Mikhail Bulgakov, \"A World Apart: A Memoir of the Gulag\" by Gustaw Herling-Grudziński",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a strong influence on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416563,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:55:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416563",
          "commentText": "\"I'm wondering which other books have you read that have had the most impact on you professionally or even personally?\"\nProfessionally: Peter F. Drucker's books.\nPersonally: \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann,  \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"Metaphysical Horror\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"Rationality in Economics\" by Vernon L. Smith, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about books with personal impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Herbert Spencer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political philosophy",
        "individualism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mind-and-heart-of-the-negotiator-819ffa",
      "title": "The Mind and Heart of the Negotiator",
      "author": "Leigh L. Thompson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10234583,
          "author": "Mz",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T17:01:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10234583",
          "commentText": "You might find books on social psychology helpful.\nAt one point in his career, my ex was a military recruiter. They get world class sales training. He borrowed my textbook from the social psych class I had taken and I didn't see it again until his tour of duty as a recruiter was over.\nI will also recommend \"Getting to yes\" which is research based and a quick read and \"The mind and heart of the negotiator\", which is also research based but meatier. I believe there is a free version of the latter available online. These were both required texts for my class on conflict management and negotiation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The mind and heart of the negotiator\", which is also research based but meatier.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a research-based, more substantial text for conflict management and negotiation.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking help with sales, conflict management, or negotiation.",
          "caveat": "Meatier than Getting to Yes.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 947645,
          "author": "Mz",
          "createdAt": "2009-11-18T02:07:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 947581,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN:  What's the best first business book for a programmer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=947645",
          "commentText": "And when you are ready for something more in depth but also research-based, go with The Mind and Heart of the Negotiator:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Mind-Heart-Negotiator-Leigh-Thompson/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Mind-Heart-Negotiator-Leigh-Thompson/dp/0131407384)\nGetting to Yes and Mind and Heart were the two required texts for a class I had on negotiation.  Both are excellent books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "go with The Mind and Heart of the Negotiator",
          "reason": "Recommended as a deeper, research-based negotiation book; the commenter says it was an excellent required text.",
          "audience": "Someone ready for a more in-depth negotiation book.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leigh L. Thompson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "negotiation",
        "conflict management",
        "decision making",
        "research based"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-nature-of-order-79e5c6",
      "title": "The Nature of Order",
      "author": "Christopher Alexander",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16355646,
          "author": "skilesare",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-12T00:27:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16355646",
          "commentText": "Chris Alexander’s Timeless way of building and Nature of order\nRobert Pirsig’s Lila",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nature of order",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the question about books colleagues should have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13806026,
          "author": "skilesare",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T21:04:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13806026",
          "commentText": "If you like that stuff, check out Alexander's Nature of Order.  The books are expensive, but are also beautiful books, and the content is great as well.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "check out Alexander's Nature of Order.",
          "reason": "Recommended as beautiful, with great content.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The books are expensive.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher Alexander"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Design",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "architecture",
        "design theory",
        "order"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-nature-of-paleolithic-art-f56674",
      "title": "The Nature of Paleolithic Art",
      "author": "R. Dale Guthrie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9674247,
          "author": "tokenadult",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T11:46:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674247",
          "commentText": "The Nature of Paleolithic Art by R. Dale Guthrie.[1] I accidentally chanced upon this book in a library catalog search while looking for something else. The author is a biologist based at the University of Alaska Fairbanks who specializes in late Pleistocene megafauna (including Homo sapiens) and who is a very skilled visual artist himself. He analyzes most of the surviving rock art from the earlist period of human art around the world and along the way discusses hunting, ancient art technique, sex, and the nature of human nature. The book is full of interesting illustrations and lots of food for thought.\n[1] http://www.amazon.com/The-Nature-Paleolithic-Dale-Guthrie/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/The-Nature-Paleolithic-Dale-Guthrie/dp/0226311260)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book is full of interesting illustrations and lots of food for thought.",
          "reason": "Praised for its illustrations and thought-provoking treatment of ancient art, hunting, and human nature.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2639734,
          "author": "tokenadult",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T03:51:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639734",
          "commentText": "Best novel about growing up is The Chosen by Chaim Potok.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Chosen-Chaim-Penguin-Modern-Classics/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Chosen-Chaim-Penguin-Modern-Classics/dp/0141040777/)\nI got a LOT out of that when I reread it at least thirty years after reading it the first time.\nBest nonfiction book full of amazing facts and insights into the human condition I didn't know before I read the book is The Nature of Paleolithic Art by R. Dale Guthrie.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Nature-Paleolithic-Art-Dale-Guthrie/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/Nature-Paleolithic-Art-Dale-Guthrie/dp/0226311260/)\nThere are bunch of others I could remember, but these two in particular took me by surprise by being much better than I would have guessed they would be when I first picked them up.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Best nonfiction book full of amazing facts and insights into the human condition I didn't know before I read the book is The Nature of Paleolithic Art by R. Dale Guthrie.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best nonfiction book and praises its facts and insights.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "R. Dale Guthrie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "History",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "paleolithic",
        "paleolithic art",
        "prehistoric art",
        "prehistoric culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-new-solution-selling-36d4c3",
      "title": "The New Solution Selling",
      "author": "Keith M. Eades",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10235246,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T18:37:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10235246",
          "commentText": "I'm a fan of The Challenger Sale, The New Solution Selling and all three books by Jeff Thull:  Mastering The Complex Sale, Exceptional Selling and The Prime Solution.   I really like Thull's approach, especially his \"always be leaving\" mindset, as opposed to the old \"always be closing\" idea.  Thull's thinking is much more focused on providing an authentic and honest experience, and genuinely trying to help the customer - as opposed to stuff about how to \"trick\" the customer into saying yes.\nI also like a lot of what I've read from Jeffrey Gittomer and Grant Cardone.\nOh, and The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes as well.  He (Chet H.) did a series of videos with Anthony Robbins that is really good.  I really recommend watching those.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The New Solution Selling",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are a fan of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5859187,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-11T02:22:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 5859004,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5859187",
          "commentText": ">> 1. What books are you currently reading?\nWell, I'm one of those people who has a bookmark in about 15 different books that I'm \"currently reading\" but some are higher priorities than others, and some will never be finished (probably) and others I'll have to start over since I've forgotten what was happening when I sat it aside, etc.  But offhand, I can think of:\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore - re-reading this one\nThe Prime Solution - Jeff Thull - 3rd Jeff Thull book on selling that I've read lately, and I'll probably reread the entire series when I finish this one\nThe New Solution Selling  - re-reading this - can you tell I'm starting to try and move into sales?\nSelling to VITO - more sales stuff.\nHow to Create A Mind - Ray Kurzweil\nGodel, Escher, Bach - Douglas Hofstadter - set this aside over a year ago; about halfway through, will probably finish it, but FSM only knows when\nA New Kind of Science - Stephen Wolfram (see above about GEB)\nMadame Bovary - Meh. May finish one day, may not.  Would have to start it over at this point.\nREAMDE - Neal Stephenson - set this aside a while back, but intend to finish it eventually.  Will probably restart from the beginning.\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Stephen Gary Blank - I'm kinda in a perpetual state of reading and re-reading sections of this book.\nThe Dispossessed - Ursula K. LeGuin - sat this aside quite some time ago, will have to start over at some point.\nThe Man In The Moss - Phil Rickman - another one that I sat aside for a while, and may or may not ever bother finishing.  Weird, because I usually really enjoy Rickman's work and just tear through his books, but I got stalled out on this one for some reason.\n>> 2. Which book has helped you the most?\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Stephen Gary Blank.\nAlso, The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki and Crossing the Chasm by Moore.\nOf all these sales books I've read lately, I'm really starting to buy into this \"Diagnostic Selling\" stuff by Jeff Thull, so I'd endorse Mastering The Complex Sale, Exceptional Selling and The Prime Solution by Thull. Also, The New Solution Selling.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The New Solution Selling  - re-reading this",
          "reason": "Later explicitly says they would endorse it.",
          "audience": "People interested in sales.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Keith M. Eades"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sales",
        "solution selling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-old-regime-and-the-revolution-d1d6de",
      "title": "The Old Regime and the Revolution",
      "author": "Alexis de Tocqueville",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17168677,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:31:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168677",
          "commentText": "I can't give just one, but here are a few that had a strong influence on me: \n\"12 Rules for Life\" by Jordan Peterson, \"Why Switzerland?\" Jonathan Steinberg, \"Little Book of Common Sense Investing\" by John C. Bogle, \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" by Butron Malkiel, \"Liberalismus\" by Ludwig von Mises, \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann, \"Walden\" by Henry David Thoreau, \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"A Treatise on Political Economy\" by Jean-Baptiste Say, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy\" by Joseph Alois Schumpeter, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"My Correct Views on Everything\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"The Captive Mind\" Czesław Miłosz, \"One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, \"The House of the Dead\" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, \"Conversations with an Executioner\" by Kazimierz Moczarski, \"Diary 1954\" by Leopold Tyrmand, \"The Master and Margarita\" by Mikhail Bulgakov, \"A World Apart: A Memoir of the Gulag\" by Gustaw Herling-Grudziński",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a strong influence on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416563,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:55:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416563",
          "commentText": "\"I'm wondering which other books have you read that have had the most impact on you professionally or even personally?\"\nProfessionally: Peter F. Drucker's books.\nPersonally: \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann,  \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"Metaphysical Horror\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"Rationality in Economics\" by Vernon L. Smith, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about books with personal impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alexis de Tocqueville"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "french revolution",
        "political history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-pleasures-of-counting-292e08",
      "title": "The Pleasures of Counting",
      "author": "T. W. Körner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 44281408,
          "author": "nbernard",
          "createdAt": "2025-06-15T09:30:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 44269143,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Casual Math Book Suggestions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44281408",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed T. W. Körner's The Pleasures of Counting ( https://www.amazon.com/dp/0521568234 ).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed T. W. Körner's The Pleasures of Counting",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23716221,
          "author": "nbernard",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-02T18:11:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23716221",
          "commentText": "The Pleasures of Counting by T. W. Körner. If you want something more oriented towards analysis, I see he also authored a Calculus for the Ambitious but I have no experience with it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Pleasures of Counting by T. W. Körner.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "T. W. Körner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "applied mathematics",
        "mathematical exposition",
        "mathematical history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-prime-solution-4defdc",
      "title": "The Prime Solution",
      "author": "Jeff Thull",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10235246,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T18:37:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10235246",
          "commentText": "I'm a fan of The Challenger Sale, The New Solution Selling and all three books by Jeff Thull:  Mastering The Complex Sale, Exceptional Selling and The Prime Solution.   I really like Thull's approach, especially his \"always be leaving\" mindset, as opposed to the old \"always be closing\" idea.  Thull's thinking is much more focused on providing an authentic and honest experience, and genuinely trying to help the customer - as opposed to stuff about how to \"trick\" the customer into saying yes.\nI also like a lot of what I've read from Jeffrey Gittomer and Grant Cardone.\nOh, and The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes as well.  He (Chet H.) did a series of videos with Anthony Robbins that is really good.  I really recommend watching those.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Prime Solution",
          "reason": "The commenter says they like all three of Jeff Thull's books and praises his customer-focused approach.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5859187,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-11T02:22:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 5859004,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5859187",
          "commentText": ">> 1. What books are you currently reading?\nWell, I'm one of those people who has a bookmark in about 15 different books that I'm \"currently reading\" but some are higher priorities than others, and some will never be finished (probably) and others I'll have to start over since I've forgotten what was happening when I sat it aside, etc.  But offhand, I can think of:\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore - re-reading this one\nThe Prime Solution - Jeff Thull - 3rd Jeff Thull book on selling that I've read lately, and I'll probably reread the entire series when I finish this one\nThe New Solution Selling  - re-reading this - can you tell I'm starting to try and move into sales?\nSelling to VITO - more sales stuff.\nHow to Create A Mind - Ray Kurzweil\nGodel, Escher, Bach - Douglas Hofstadter - set this aside over a year ago; about halfway through, will probably finish it, but FSM only knows when\nA New Kind of Science - Stephen Wolfram (see above about GEB)\nMadame Bovary - Meh. May finish one day, may not.  Would have to start it over at this point.\nREAMDE - Neal Stephenson - set this aside a while back, but intend to finish it eventually.  Will probably restart from the beginning.\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Stephen Gary Blank - I'm kinda in a perpetual state of reading and re-reading sections of this book.\nThe Dispossessed - Ursula K. LeGuin - sat this aside quite some time ago, will have to start over at some point.\nThe Man In The Moss - Phil Rickman - another one that I sat aside for a while, and may or may not ever bother finishing.  Weird, because I usually really enjoy Rickman's work and just tear through his books, but I got stalled out on this one for some reason.\n>> 2. Which book has helped you the most?\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Stephen Gary Blank.\nAlso, The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki and Crossing the Chasm by Moore.\nOf all these sales books I've read lately, I'm really starting to buy into this \"Diagnostic Selling\" stuff by Jeff Thull, so I'd endorse Mastering The Complex Sale, Exceptional Selling and The Prime Solution by Thull. Also, The New Solution Selling.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Prime Solution - Jeff Thull - 3rd Jeff Thull book on selling that I've read lately",
          "reason": "Later says they would endorse it as part of Jeff Thull's diagnostic selling approach.",
          "audience": "People interested in sales and diagnostic selling.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeff Thull"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "complex sales",
        "sales"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-red-web-the-struggle-between-russia-s-digital-dictators-and-t-e4a589",
      "title": "The Red Web: The Struggle Between Russia’s Digital Dictators and the New Online Revolutionaries",
      "author": "Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15961256,
          "author": "strictnein",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:22:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961256",
          "commentText": "Sorry, this got a little longer than I meant it to be\n- Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed - It's over 20 years old now but still really good, especially if you're into planes like the U-2, F-117, and SR-71\nIf you're wanting a deeper understanding of the other side of the war on terror, I'd recommend the following:\n- I Was Told to Come Alone: My Journey Behind the Lines of Jihad\n- Salafi-Jihadism: The History of an Idea\n- The Way of the Strangers: Encounters with the Islamic State\n- After the Prophet: The Epic Story of the Shia-Sunni Split in Islam\n- The Black Banners: The Inside Story of 9/11 and the War Against al-Qaeda\nIf you're wanting a dive into Russia:\n- The Invention of Russia: From Gorbachev's Freedom to Putin's War\n- The Red Web: The Struggle Between Russia's Digital Dictators and the New Online Revolutionaries\n- Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible: The Surreal Heart of the New Russia\nIf you're wanting true Spy stuff:\n- The Billion Dollar Spy: A True Story of Cold War Espionage and Betrayal\n- The Spy's Son: The True Story of the Highest-Ranking CIA Officer Ever Convicted of Espionage and the Son He Trained to Spy for Russia\n- Left of Boom: How a Young CIA Case Officer Penetrated the Taliban and Al-Qaeda (the author is a little full of himself, but still, it's interesting)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Red Web: The Struggle Between Russia's Digital Dictators and the New Online Revolutionaries",
          "reason": "Listed under the commenter’s recommendations for a dive into Russia.",
          "audience": "Readers wanting to learn about Russia.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14859839,
          "author": "strictnein",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:14:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859839",
          "commentText": "Recently:\n- The Invention of Russia: From Gorbachev's Freedom to Putin's War\n- The Red Web: The Struggle Between Russia’s Digital Dictators and the New Online Revolutionaries\nBoth excellent and pair really well. Add in \"Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible\" and you've got some decent insight into modern Russia, I think.\nJust finished:\n- Left of Boom: How a Young CIA Case Officer Penetrated the Taliban and Al-Qaeda\nInteresting to read. Author is rather sure of himself, but I guess that helped him be successful. Also interesting to see what the CIA redacted, since they left all the redactions in place in the book and used classical music in the audio book to represent them. Kind of sloppily redacted at times, with the redacted country or entity clearly referenced a sentence or two later. And then there's strange things redacted, like the language of bootleg DVDs that are purchased in SE Afghanistan. It's Farsi, for the record.\n- The Hacked World Order: How Nations Fight, Trade, Maneuver, and Manipulate in the Digital Age\nIf you're interested in kind of an overview of the cyber (yes, I hate the word too) space, from the perspective of nation states and the impact of their actions, this is a good read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Both excellent and pair really well.",
          "reason": "Calls this and The Invention of Russia excellent and says they pair well.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybersecurity",
        "digital activism",
        "digital surveillance",
        "internet censorship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-rho-agenda-ab1e1a",
      "title": "The Rho Agenda",
      "author": "Richard Phillips",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15964247,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T21:05:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15964247",
          "commentText": "The Aeon 14 novels following Tanis Richards[1] have been a consistently good read. The Intrepid Saga and The Orion War series. Haven't ventured into the other offshoots as yet.\nThe Dome Trilogy[2] was also pretty good, as are the Rho Agenda series[3][4][5].\nAnd if you prefer horror to sci-fi, the I Am Not a Serial Killer series[6] was very good overall, although I thought it lost some steam in the last two books.\nAnd finally, The Rosie Project[7] was so completely charming I ended up reading it straight through in one night.\n[1] https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/6426890.M_D_Cooper\n[2] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25501349-unexpected-rain\n[3] https://www.goodreads.com/series/61746-the-rho-agenda\n[4] https://www.goodreads.com/series/142618-the-rho-agenda-incep... (https://www.goodreads.com/series/142618-the-rho-agenda-inception)\n[5] https://www.goodreads.com/series/175066-rho-agenda-assimilat... (https://www.goodreads.com/series/175066-rho-agenda-assimilation)\n[6] https://www.goodreads.com/series/49883-john-cleaver\n[7] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18015965-the-rosie-proje... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18015965-the-rosie-project)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "as are the Rho Agenda series",
          "reason": "Described as good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13119380,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-07T00:03:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13119380",
          "commentText": "The Wayfarers books The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and A Closed and Common Orbit were quite good. Fantastic world building and characters, although the plots seem to meander about with not too much purpose.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/series/170872-wayfarers\nRecently ploughed through The Expanse series.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/series/56399-the-expanse\nDark Matter was a good read if you like parallel universes.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27833670-dark-matter\nThe Rho Agenda series was a surprisingly good read.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/series/61746-the-rho-agenda\nQuantum Night was something a bit different from Robert Sawyer.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25734179-quantum-night\nAnd Barsk: The Elephants’ Graveyard would probably have to be rated my favourite for the year.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25667916-barsk",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Rho Agenda series was a surprisingly good read.",
          "reason": "Recommends the series as a surprisingly good read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Phillips"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alien technology",
        "thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sabbath-18217f",
      "title": "The Sabbath",
      "author": "Abraham Joshua Heschel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39730711,
          "author": "hprotagonist",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-17T00:26:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39730711",
          "commentText": "Brueggemann is amazing.\nI would also add, in no particular order:\n- wisdom of the desert (merton's translation of the sayings of the desert fathers)\n- pilgrim at tinker creek; annie dillard\n- goatwalking, jim corbett\n- Impostors of God: Inquiries into our favorite Idols, william stringfellow\n- the new testament, trans. by david bentley hart\n- the sabbath, Abraham Joshua Heschel\n- zen flesh, zen bones\n- moral man, immoral society -- neibuhr\n- principia discordia\n- the poetry and sermons of john donne\n- many other poets.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the sabbath, Abraham Joshua Heschel",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29668879,
          "author": "hprotagonist",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T01:24:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29668879",
          "commentText": "Abraham Heschel, \"The Sabbath\" (1951)\n“Gallantly, ceaselessly, quietly, man must fight for inner liberty” to remain independent of the enslavement of the material world. “Inner liberty depends upon being exempt from domination of things as well as from domination of people. There are many who have acquired a high degree of political and social liberty, but only very few are not enslaved to things. This is our constant problem—how to live with people and remain free, how to live with things and remain independent.”",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Abraham Heschel, \"The Sabbath\" (1951)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the thread asking for the best book read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Abraham Joshua Heschel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sabbath",
        "jewish philosophy",
        "jewish theology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-startup-of-you-c50509",
      "title": "The Startup of You",
      "author": "Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28471445,
          "author": "imakwana",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-09T16:25:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 28450555,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that impacted your work that few other people seem to care about?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28471445",
          "commentText": "The Startup of You by Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha. There are lessons in this book which go far beyond conceptual origin of LinkedIn. There are network effects in labor market which can be systematically harnessed to accelerate one's career. It contains lot of those practices which are simple but not easy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Startup of You by Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha.",
          "reason": "Recommends its practices for harnessing labor-market network effects to accelerate a career.",
          "audience": "People looking to accelerate their careers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26333432,
          "author": "imakwana",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-03T19:49:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 26321793,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books made you the most money?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26333432",
          "commentText": "The Startup of You by Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha. It helped me in my early career right after graduation and influenced my career trajectory thereafter. I haven't lived up to the ideal that is set out in the book but it has been a guiding light.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Startup of You by Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha.",
          "reason": "Says it helped early in their career and influenced their career trajectory.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have not lived up to the ideal set out in the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Reid Hoffman",
        "Ben Casnocha"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "career development",
        "entrepreneurship",
        "professional networking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-state-7d6d8d",
      "title": "The State",
      "author": "Anthony de Jasay",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17168677,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:31:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168677",
          "commentText": "I can't give just one, but here are a few that had a strong influence on me: \n\"12 Rules for Life\" by Jordan Peterson, \"Why Switzerland?\" Jonathan Steinberg, \"Little Book of Common Sense Investing\" by John C. Bogle, \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" by Butron Malkiel, \"Liberalismus\" by Ludwig von Mises, \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann, \"Walden\" by Henry David Thoreau, \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"A Treatise on Political Economy\" by Jean-Baptiste Say, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy\" by Joseph Alois Schumpeter, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"My Correct Views on Everything\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"The Captive Mind\" Czesław Miłosz, \"One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, \"The House of the Dead\" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, \"Conversations with an Executioner\" by Kazimierz Moczarski, \"Diary 1954\" by Leopold Tyrmand, \"The Master and Margarita\" by Mikhail Bulgakov, \"A World Apart: A Memoir of the Gulag\" by Gustaw Herling-Grudziński",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a strong influence on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12416563,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:55:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416563",
          "commentText": "\"I'm wondering which other books have you read that have had the most impact on you professionally or even personally?\"\nProfessionally: Peter F. Drucker's books.\nPersonally: \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann,  \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"Metaphysical Horror\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"Rationality in Economics\" by Vernon L. Smith, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about books with personal impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anthony de Jasay"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political economy",
        "state theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-state-of-africa-cc8873",
      "title": "The State of Africa",
      "author": "Martin Meredith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1226794,
          "author": "scorpioxy",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:15:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226794",
          "commentText": "Oh, lots! I wish you'd narrow down to some categories you're interested in.\nA few example i enjoyed:\nThe State of Africa, Martin Meredith\nThe Code Book, Simon Singh\nPity the Nation, Robert Fisk\nThe Great War for Civilization, Robert Fisk\nAlan Turing: The Enigma, Andrew Hodges\nLong Walk to Freedom, Nelson Mandela\nThe Last Lecture, Randy Pausch\nFermat's Engima, Simon Singh\nLots more....",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The State of Africa, Martin Meredith",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 200099,
          "author": "scorpioxy",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-26T09:39:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 199722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=200099",
          "commentText": "Well, for non-technical books; I have enjoyed the following in no particular order:\n- Founders At Work\n- Eric Sink on the Business of Software\n- The Great War for Civilization\n- Pity the Nation\n- On Intelligence\n- The State of Africa\n- Long Walk to Freedom\n....etc",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The State of Africa",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter has enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin Meredith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "african history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sticking-point-solution-9-ways-to-move-your-business-from-sta-107c3c",
      "title": "The Sticking Point Solution: 9 Ways to Move Your Business from Stagnation to Stunning Growth in Tough Economic Times",
      "author": "Jay Abraham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12416259,
          "author": "JSeymourATL",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:00:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416259",
          "commentText": "A couple of thought provoking professional reads-\nThe Sticking Point Solution: 9 Ways to Move Your Business from Stagnation to Stunning Growth In Tough Economic Times > http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6515635-the-sticking-poin... (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6515635-the-sticking-point-solution)\nPitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal > http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10321016-pitch-anything?a... (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10321016-pitch-anything?ac=1&from_search=true)\n* Several excellent recommendations already posted here, always impressed by HNers!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A couple of thought provoking professional reads- The Sticking Point Solution: 9 Ways to Move Your Business from Stagnation to Stunning Growth In Tough Economic Times",
          "reason": "Presents it as a thought provoking professional read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10191973,
          "author": "JSeymourATL",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-09T15:21:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10191973",
          "commentText": "Nearly finished reading The Sticking Point Solution: 9 Ways to Move Your Business from Stagnation to Stunning Growth In Tough Economic Times, by Jay Abrahams.\nAn unusually thought provoking read for a business book, highly recommended. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6515635-the-sticking-poin... (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6515635-the-sticking-point-solution)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An unusually thought provoking read for a business book, highly recommended.",
          "reason": "Calls it unusually thought-provoking and highly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jay Abraham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business growth",
        "marketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-strategy-of-conflict-91bb6b",
      "title": "The Strategy of Conflict",
      "author": "Thomas C. Schelling",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910652,
          "author": "Symmetry",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T17:04:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910652",
          "commentText": "The Secret of Our Success on the co-evolution of humans and human culture.\nThe Origins of Political Order: From Prehuman Times to the French Revolution on what are states, where do they come from, and how do they work?\nThe Vital Question: Energy, Evolution, and the Origins of Complex Life is just what it says on the tin.\nThe Strategy of Conflict is the original book on game theory which stands up pretty well.\nConsciousness and the Brain: Deciphering How the Brain Codes Our Thoughts on the modern science of what we know about what consciousness is.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Strategy of Conflict is the original book on game theory which stands up pretty well.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as the original book on game theory and says it holds up well.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752669,
          "author": "Symmetry",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T13:24:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752669",
          "commentText": "Trying to confine myself to books I haven't seen others mention:\n\"Guns, Votes, and Democracy\" is a wonderful book about democracy in the third world and is both insightful and surprisingly readable.\n\"The Retreat to Commitment\" is the only philosophy book I'd actually recommend.\n\"The Design of Everyday Things\" is a book for anyone who makes or uses things.\n\"The Transparent Society\" is a thought provoking book on the future of privacy.\n\"The Mystery of Capital\" is a book on the importance of non-corrupt government in successful capitalism, a good point of view to have in addition to Rand.\n\"The Strategy of Conflict\" on how to use game theory in the real world, and negotiations especially.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Strategy of Conflict\" on how to use game theory in the real world, and negotiations especially.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for thought-provoking or perspective-changing books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas C. Schelling"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "game theory",
        "negotiation",
        "strategic decision making"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-tatas-how-a-family-built-a-business-and-a-nation-674a36",
      "title": "The Tatas: How a Family Built a Business and a Nation",
      "author": "Girish Kuber",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42219077,
          "author": "Brajeshwar",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T03:54:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42219077",
          "commentText": "This year, I decided to read more fiction, and I like it.[1] Here are some of the interesting non-fiction books I liked;\n- Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology by Chris Miller\n- How We Got to Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World by Steven Johnson\n- The Accidental Masterpiece: On the Art of Life and Vice Versa by Michael Kimmelman\n- The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin\n- The TATAS: How a Family Built a Business and a Nation by Girish Kuber\n1. https://brajeshwar.com/2024/books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The TATAS: How a Family Built a Business and a Nation by Girish Kuber",
          "reason": "Included among the non-fiction books the commenter liked.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38557717,
          "author": "Brajeshwar",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:51:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557717",
          "commentText": "Most of the books I read are influenced by similar threads on HN. This year has not been good overall and it impacted my reading. I need to finish writing the post https://brajeshwar.com/2023/books/\n“How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question” by Michael Schur is a fun book that opens with a good question, “Should I punch my friend in the face for no reason?”\nI have been meaning to and this year I finally read The Diary of a Young Girl.\nFor 2024, here are some of the ones from my list (sorry for the formatting, copied Markdown from my notes);\n- [Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_War:_The_Fight_for_the_Wo... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_War:_The_Fight_for_the_World%27s_Most_Critical_Technology)) by [Chris Miller](https://www.christophermiller.net)\n- [First Principles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Principles_%28book%29) by [Thomas E. Ricks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_E._Ricks_%28journalist%29)\n- [Greenlights](https://greenlights.com) by [Matthew McConaughey](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_McConaughey)\n- How Asia Works: Success and Failure in the World's Most Dynamic Region by Joe Studwell\n- [Poor Economics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poor_Economics): A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty by [Abhijit V. Banerjee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abhijit_Banerjee),  and [Esther Duflo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther_Duflo)\n- Raising An Emotionally Intelligent Child The Heart of Parenting by [John Gottman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gottman), and Joan DeClaire\n- [The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read](https://www.amazon.com/Book-Wish-Your-Parents-Read/dp/198487... (https://www.amazon.com/Book-Wish-Your-Parents-Read/dp/1984879553)): (and Your Children Will Be Glad That You Did) by [Philippa Perry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippa_Perry)\n- [The End Of The World Is Just The Beginning: Mapping The Collapse Of Globalization](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_End_of_the_World_is_just_t... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_End_of_the_World_is_just_the_Beginning)) by [Peter Zeihan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Zeihan)\n- [The Tatas: How a Family Built a Business and a Nation](https://www.amazon.com/Tatas-Family-Built-Business-Nation/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Tatas-Family-Built-Business-Nation/dp/9352779371)) by [Girish Kuber](https://mr.wikipedia.org/wiki/गिरीश_कुबेर), and English translation by Vikrant Pande.\n- [Windfall: The Booming Business of Global Warming](https://www.amazon.com/Windfall-Booming-Business-Global-Warm... (https://www.amazon.com/Windfall-Booming-Business-Global-Warming/dp/1594204012)) by [McKenzie Funk](https://www.mckenziefunk.com)\n- [Dieter Rams: The Complete Works](https://www.amazon.com/Dieter-Rams-Complete-Klaus-Klemp/dp/1... (https://www.amazon.com/Dieter-Rams-Complete-Klaus-Klemp/dp/1838661530/)) by [Klaus Klemp](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaus_Klemp)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "here are some of the ones from my list",
          "reason": "Included on the commenter's reading list for 2024.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as a planned read, not an evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Girish Kuber"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "family business",
        "indian business"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-tilt-3126e8",
      "title": "The Tilt",
      "author": "Chris Hammer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34183972,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-30T11:07:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34183972",
          "commentText": "Ten Steps to Nanette, Hannah Gadsby - Autobiography of an Australian comedian I like. (If you like audiobooks, she reads it herself which is a treat.)\nTrue Biz, Sara Nović - A year in the life of a boarding school for the deaf.\nUpgrade, Blake Crouch\nBlindsight: The (Mostly) Hidden Ways Marketing Reshapes Our Brains, Matt Johnson & Prince Ghuman - Interesting angle of examining neurology.\nTreasure & Dirt, and The Tilt, Chris Hammer - Good Australian rural crime fiction.\nHarry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, Eliezer Yudkowsky - Alternate fan fic depiction of Harry Potter as a hyper-rationalist. My review linked below.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60034663-ten-steps-to-na... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60034663-ten-steps-to-nanette)\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58395049-true-biz\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59838811-upgrade\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52225003-blindsight\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58520598-treasure-dirt\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61413297-the-tilt\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33951086-harry-potter-an... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33951086-harry-potter-and-the-methods-of-rationality)\n(My review) https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5124124732",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Treasure & Dirt, and The Tilt, Chris Hammer - Good Australian rural crime fiction.",
          "reason": "Included among the author's good Australian rural crime fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33850390,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T03:46:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33850390",
          "commentText": "Ten Steps to Nanette, Hannah Gadsby - Autobiography of an Australian comedian I like. (If you like audiobooks, she reads it herself which is a treat.)\nTrue Biz, Sara Nović - A year in the life of a boarding school for the deaf.\nUpgrade, Blake Crouch\nBlindsight: The (Mostly) Hidden Ways Marketing Reshapes Our Brains, Matt Johnson & Prince Ghuman - Interesting angle of examining neurology.\nTreasure & Dirt, and The Tilt, Chris Hammer - Good Australian rural crime fiction.\nHarry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, Eliezer Yudkowsky - Alternate fan fic depiction of Harry Potter as a hyper-rationalist. My review linked below.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60034663-ten-steps-to-na... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60034663-ten-steps-to-nanette)\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58395049-true-biz\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59838811-upgrade\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52225003-blindsight\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58520598-treasure-dirt\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61413297-the-tilt\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33951086-harry-potter-an... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33951086-harry-potter-and-the-methods-of-rationality)\n(My review) https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5124124732",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Good Australian rural crime fiction.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as Australian rural crime fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris Hammer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "australian crime fiction",
        "australian fiction",
        "crime fiction",
        "rural noir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-trouble-with-physics-0d04e0",
      "title": "The Trouble with Physics",
      "author": "Lee Smolin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10325237,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T20:31:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325237",
          "commentText": "I'm sure there are many, but a few that jump to mind, in no particular order, and spanning both fiction and non-fiction:\nThe Selfish Gene - Dawkins\nA New Kind of Science - Wolfram\nThe Singularity is Near - Kurzweil\nGödel, Escher, Bach - Hofstadter\nFluid Concepts and Creative Analogies - Hofstadter\nAtlas Shrugged - Rand\nThe Fountainhead - Rand\nNineteen Eighty-Four - Orwell\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nAmbient Findability - Peter Morville\nEmergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software - Steven Johnson\nSix Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age - Duncan Watts\nLinked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means for Business, Science, and Everyday Life - Albert-laszlo Barabasi\nArtificial Life - Steven Levy\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nThe World is Flat - Thomas Friedman\nnot a book, but the various writings of Douglas Engelbart - http://www.dougengelbart.org/library/library.html\nGlasshouse - Charles Stross\nPermutation City - Greg Egan\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nThe Shockwave Rider - John Brunner\nThe Society of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nThe Origin of Wealth: The Radical Remaking of Economics and What it Means for Business and Society - Eric Beinhocker\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nFooled By Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lee Smolin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "string theory",
        "theoretical physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-world-as-will-and-representation-b1711e",
      "title": "The World as Will and Representation",
      "author": "Arthur Schopenhauer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46293065,
          "author": "cafard",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-16T19:20:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 46226571,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46293065",
          "commentText": "You should be able to get the Dover edition of The World as Will and Representation from Alibris for not much more than the cost of shipping. Cambridge University Press is or was bringing out a new edition of his works.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "You should be able to get the Dover edition of The World as Will and Representation from Alibris for not much more than the cost of shipping.",
          "reason": "Gives practical advice on finding an edition of the work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32937598,
          "author": "cetahfh14615",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T11:51:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937598",
          "commentText": "> Arthur Schopenhauer - The World as Will and Representation.\nActually just ordered this about a week ago. Read a couple articles about him and got the impression that he shares a lot with early Christianity (and also Buddhism)\n> Marcel Proust - In Search of Lost Time. Exceptionally rich and a beautiful study of love. Reading it is like living another life.\nHaven't read the Proust but I'd say the same for War and Peace",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Actually just ordered this about a week ago. Read a couple articles about him and got the impression that he shares a lot with early Christianity (and also Buddhism)",
          "reason": "The commenter has ordered it and is interested in its philosophical connections.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32937273,
          "author": "dotsam",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T11:08:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937273",
          "commentText": "* Philosophy\nArthur Schopenhauer - The World as Will and Representation.\nSurprisingly readable and insightful, even if you don't buy his metaphysics. Einstein had Schopenhauer's portrait on his wall and considered him a genius.\n* Poetry\nJohn Milton - Paradise Lost\nPowerful and beautiful writing.\n* Fiction\nRabelais - Gargantua and Pantagruel. Funny and a real feast of words (the translation is a work of art in itself)\nThomas Mann - The Magic Mountain. Haunting and moving\nPierre Choderlos de Laclos - Dangerous Liaisons. Scandalous, gripping.\nIvan Turgenev - First Love. A masterclass in writing. Short, sensitive and exquisitely told.\nMarcel Proust - In Search of Lost Time. Exceptionally rich and a beautiful study of love. Reading it is like living another life.\nPG Wodehouse - the Jeeves series. Hilarious, perfectly frivolous, light and sunny\n* Non-fiction\nStuart Russell - Human Compatible: AI and the Problem of Control. Potential bad outcomes from AI and what we might be able to do about them\nNoam Chomsky - Necessary Illusions: Thought Control in Democratic Societies. How public discourse is shaped and controlled\nKarl Popper - The Open Society and its Enemies. How to work against totalitarianism",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Arthur Schopenhauer - The World as Will and Representation.",
          "reason": "Described as surprisingly readable and insightful, even if the reader does not accept its metaphysics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says readers need not accept its metaphysics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32794529,
          "author": "lioeters",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T20:57:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32794529",
          "commentText": "The Planiverse: Computer contact with a two-dimensional world - by A.K. Dewdney\n> A mind-bending, paradigm shifting visit with Yedred, a denizen of the 2 dimensional Universe. It is written so that the physics comes through very easily for those without science training. A university student discovers that this being Yendred is communicating with him through his computer. There begins a lively dialog as both the 2D Yendred and the 3D author struggle to explain and understand each others worlds.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Planiverse\n---\nThe Glass Bead Game - by Hermann Hesse\n> The Glass Bead Game takes place at an unspecified date centuries in the future. Hesse suggested that he imagined the book's narrator writing around the start of the 25th century.\n> The setting is a fictional province of central Europe called Castalia, which was reserved by political decision for the life of the mind.. Castalia is home to an austere order of intellectuals with a twofold mission: to run boarding schools, and to cultivate and play the Glass Bead Game, whose exact nature remains elusive and whose devotees occupy a special school in Castalia known as Waldzell.\n> The rules of the game are only alluded to — they are so sophisticated that they are not easy to imagine. Playing the game well requires years of hard study of music, mathematics, and cultural history. The game is essentially an abstract synthesis of all arts and sciences.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Glass_Bead_Game\n---\nThe World as Will and Representation - by Arthur Schopenhauer\n> The phrase \"Tat Tvam Asi\" ('thou art that'), one of the Mahāvākyas of the Upanishads, displayed on an Indian temple. Schopenhauer uses this Sanskrit phrase to express a foundational tenet of his ethics: 'the will is the in-itself of every appearance, and as such is itself free from the form of appearance, and thus from all multiplicity'.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_as_Will_and_Represen... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_World_as_Will_and_Representation)\n---\nThe Shape of Ancient Thought: Comparative Studies in Greek and Indian Philosophies - by Thomas McEvilley\n> Spanning thirty years of intensive research, this book proves what many scholars could not explain: that today’s Western world must be considered the product of both Greek and Indian thought — Western and Eastern philosophies.\n> Thomas McEvilley explores how trade, imperialism, and migration currents allowed cultural philosophies to intermingle freely throughout India, Egypt, Greece, and the ancient Near East. This groundbreaking reference will stir relentless debate among philosophers, art historians, and students.\n---\nTemporary Autonomous Zone - by Hakim Bey\n    1. Pirate Utopias\n    2. Waiting for the Revolution\n    3. The Psychotopology of Everyday Life\n    4. The Net and the Web\n    5. Gone to Croatan\n    6. Music as an Organizational Principle\n    7. The Will To Power as Disappearance\n    8. Ratholes in the Babylon of Information\n\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temporary_Autonomous_Zone\n---\nNature of Code - by Daniel Shiffman\nhttps://natureofcode.com/\n> How can we capture the unpredictable evolutionary and emergent properties of nature in software? How can understanding the mathematical principles behind our physical world help us to create digital worlds?\n> This book focuses on a range of programming strategies and techniques behind computer simulations of natural systems, from elementary concepts in mathematics and physics to more advanced algorithms that enable sophisticated visual results.\n> Readers will progress from building a basic physics engine to creating intelligent moving objects and complex systems, setting the foundation for further experiments in generative design. Subjects covered include forces, trigonometry, fractals, cellular automata, self-organization, and genetic algorithms.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The World as Will and Representation - by Arthur Schopenhauer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23858833,
          "author": "dotsam",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:39:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858833",
          "commentText": "The World as Will and Representation by Arthur Schopenhauer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The World as Will and Representation by Arthur Schopenhauer",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that helped readers understand the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur Schopenhauer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "metaphysics",
        "german philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "total-freedom-6bbbdb",
      "title": "Total Freedom",
      "author": "Jiddu Krishnamurti",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39735155,
          "author": "kcartlidge",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-17T15:35:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39735155",
          "commentText": "Quite a few along the way, but in an attempt to minimise:\n- \"Letters from the Desert\" by Carlo Carretto\n- \"Being the Body\" by Charles Colson\n- \"Fire in Our Hearts\" by Mike Farrant\n- \"Total Freedom\" by Jiddu Krishnamurti\n- \"Muhammad - a Prophet for Our Time\" by Karen Armstrong",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Total Freedom\" by Jiddu Krishnamurti",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30746251,
          "author": "kcartlidge",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T20:24:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30746251",
          "commentText": "- Total Freedom by Jiddu Krishnamurti.\nInitially this came across as shallow truths masquerading as profundity, especially with his unwillingness/inability to explain himself during discussions. Finally I read enough that some things just 'clicked' into place and my perspectives shifted along with my outlook on life.\n- Letters from the Desert by Carlo Carretto (first half).\nI was brought up a protestant so was never really exposed to catholic thought in my formative years. When I finally started exploring the classics for myself I found them often overly wordy and mystical, so I moved on to more modern (relatively speaking) works like this and the Way of the Pilgrim too. The simplicity of the writing and the clarity of the thoughts in the first few chapters of Letters from the Desert hit me hard.\n- The Quran\nA wonderfully phrased book that captures its times very well. Ideally to be read alongside something like Islam: A Short History or Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet, both by Karen Armstrong, to provide the context.\nAs an aside the Qu'ran is available for free online in audio format both as interlinear English/Arabic but also as Arabic only, and as a non-speaker of Arabic I often find listening to it being chanted a very calming and uplifting experience despite having no clue what is being said.\n- Getting Real by 37 Signals.\nAs a programmer/developer/engineer since the late 1980s this was a revelation, bringing a clarity to my own thoughts and feelings about much of the world of enterprise software development. Very obvious points in retrospect that nobody ever (including me) seemed to have realised during my entire career before then.\n- Web Copy that Sells by Maria Veloso.\nA strange choice, given that there is nothing 'profound' in here. What it is, though, is a very well written book on persuasion which finally got me to see that I'd spent years avoiding 'sales' as something that wasn't for me whereas in reality it's for everyone and we do it all the time.\n- The Body by Charles Colson.\nColson was jailed for his part in the Nixon stuff, then became a Christian. It's an incredibly moving book which is not his autobiography but an analysis of what is going wrong with the church. The impact comes from the stories he relates at the start of the chapters (especially the opening ones about 9/11). Those tales gave me an understanding of the potential 'greatness' in people.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Total Freedom by Jiddu Krishnamurti.",
          "reason": "The commenter says their perspectives and outlook on life shifted after reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "At first it seemed like shallow truths masquerading as profundity.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jiddu Krishnamurti"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self inquiry",
        "jiddu krishnamurti",
        "krishnamurti"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "treasure-dirt-3e01ad",
      "title": "Treasure & Dirt",
      "author": "Chris Hammer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34183972,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-30T11:07:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34183972",
          "commentText": "Ten Steps to Nanette, Hannah Gadsby - Autobiography of an Australian comedian I like. (If you like audiobooks, she reads it herself which is a treat.)\nTrue Biz, Sara Nović - A year in the life of a boarding school for the deaf.\nUpgrade, Blake Crouch\nBlindsight: The (Mostly) Hidden Ways Marketing Reshapes Our Brains, Matt Johnson & Prince Ghuman - Interesting angle of examining neurology.\nTreasure & Dirt, and The Tilt, Chris Hammer - Good Australian rural crime fiction.\nHarry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, Eliezer Yudkowsky - Alternate fan fic depiction of Harry Potter as a hyper-rationalist. My review linked below.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60034663-ten-steps-to-na... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60034663-ten-steps-to-nanette)\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58395049-true-biz\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59838811-upgrade\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52225003-blindsight\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58520598-treasure-dirt\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61413297-the-tilt\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33951086-harry-potter-an... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33951086-harry-potter-and-the-methods-of-rationality)\n(My review) https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5124124732",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Good Australian rural crime fiction.",
          "reason": "Described as good Australian rural crime fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33850390,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T03:46:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33850390",
          "commentText": "Ten Steps to Nanette, Hannah Gadsby - Autobiography of an Australian comedian I like. (If you like audiobooks, she reads it herself which is a treat.)\nTrue Biz, Sara Nović - A year in the life of a boarding school for the deaf.\nUpgrade, Blake Crouch\nBlindsight: The (Mostly) Hidden Ways Marketing Reshapes Our Brains, Matt Johnson & Prince Ghuman - Interesting angle of examining neurology.\nTreasure & Dirt, and The Tilt, Chris Hammer - Good Australian rural crime fiction.\nHarry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, Eliezer Yudkowsky - Alternate fan fic depiction of Harry Potter as a hyper-rationalist. My review linked below.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60034663-ten-steps-to-na... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60034663-ten-steps-to-nanette)\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58395049-true-biz\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59838811-upgrade\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52225003-blindsight\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58520598-treasure-dirt\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61413297-the-tilt\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33951086-harry-potter-an... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33951086-harry-potter-and-the-methods-of-rationality)\n(My review) https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5124124732",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Good Australian rural crime fiction.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as Australian rural crime fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris Hammer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "australian crime fiction",
        "australian fiction",
        "crime fiction",
        "rural noir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "true-biz-5e95f3",
      "title": "True Biz",
      "author": "Sara Nović",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34183972,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-30T11:07:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34183972",
          "commentText": "Ten Steps to Nanette, Hannah Gadsby - Autobiography of an Australian comedian I like. (If you like audiobooks, she reads it herself which is a treat.)\nTrue Biz, Sara Nović - A year in the life of a boarding school for the deaf.\nUpgrade, Blake Crouch\nBlindsight: The (Mostly) Hidden Ways Marketing Reshapes Our Brains, Matt Johnson & Prince Ghuman - Interesting angle of examining neurology.\nTreasure & Dirt, and The Tilt, Chris Hammer - Good Australian rural crime fiction.\nHarry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, Eliezer Yudkowsky - Alternate fan fic depiction of Harry Potter as a hyper-rationalist. My review linked below.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60034663-ten-steps-to-na... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60034663-ten-steps-to-nanette)\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58395049-true-biz\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59838811-upgrade\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52225003-blindsight\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58520598-treasure-dirt\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61413297-the-tilt\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33951086-harry-potter-an... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33951086-harry-potter-and-the-methods-of-rationality)\n(My review) https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5124124732",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "True Biz, Sara Nović - A year in the life of a boarding school for the deaf.",
          "reason": "Listed with a brief description in a thread asking for books read and recommended.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33850390,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T03:46:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33850390",
          "commentText": "Ten Steps to Nanette, Hannah Gadsby - Autobiography of an Australian comedian I like. (If you like audiobooks, she reads it herself which is a treat.)\nTrue Biz, Sara Nović - A year in the life of a boarding school for the deaf.\nUpgrade, Blake Crouch\nBlindsight: The (Mostly) Hidden Ways Marketing Reshapes Our Brains, Matt Johnson & Prince Ghuman - Interesting angle of examining neurology.\nTreasure & Dirt, and The Tilt, Chris Hammer - Good Australian rural crime fiction.\nHarry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, Eliezer Yudkowsky - Alternate fan fic depiction of Harry Potter as a hyper-rationalist. My review linked below.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60034663-ten-steps-to-na... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60034663-ten-steps-to-nanette)\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58395049-true-biz\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59838811-upgrade\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52225003-blindsight\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58520598-treasure-dirt\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61413297-the-tilt\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33951086-harry-potter-an... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33951086-harry-potter-and-the-methods-of-rationality)\n(My review) https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5124124732",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A year in the life of a boarding school for the deaf.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sara Nović"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "boarding school",
        "deaf culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-intelligence-tests-miss-the-psychology-of-rational-thought-417195",
      "title": "What Intelligence Tests Miss: The Psychology of Rational Thought",
      "author": "Keith E. Stanovich",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10028259,
          "author": "conistonwater",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T18:47:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10028259",
          "commentText": "Would you find What Intelligence Tests Miss - Psychology of Rational Thought by Keith Stanovich more convincing?",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Would you find What Intelligence Tests Miss - Psychology of Rational Thought by Keith Stanovich more convincing?",
          "reason": "The commenter asks whether this book would be more convincing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5700687,
          "author": "tokenadult",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-13T19:01:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5700687",
          "commentText": "A book that helped change the way I think is What Intelligence Tests Miss: The Psychology of Rational Thought\nhttp://yalepress.yale.edu/yupbooks/book.asp?isbn=97803001646... (http://yalepress.yale.edu/yupbooks/book.asp?isbn=9780300164626)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/What-Intelligence-Tests-Miss-Psycholog... (http://www.amazon.com/What-Intelligence-Tests-Miss-Psychology/dp/0300164629/)\nby Keith R. Stanovich. I'll quote here from a review of the book I wrote for friends on an email list about education of high-IQ children, and sum up an answer to your question in my last paragraph:\n\"For many kinds of errors in cognition, as Stanovich points out with multiple citations to peer-reviewed published research, the performance of high-IQ individuals is no better at all than the performance of low-IQ individuals. The default behavior of being a cognitive miser applies to everyone, as it is strongly selected for by evolution. In some cases, an experimenter can prompt a test subject on effective strategies to minimize cognitive errors, and in some of those cases prompted high-IQ individuals perform better than control groups. Stanovich concludes with dismay in a sentence he writes in bold print: 'Intelligent people perform better only when you tell them what to do!'\n\"Stanovich gives you the reader the chance to put your own cognition to the test. Many famous cognitive tests that have been presented to thousands of subjects in dozens of studies are included in the book. Read along, and try those cognitive tests on yourself. Stanovich comments that if the many cognitive tasks found in cognitive research were included in the item content of IQ tests, we would change the rank-ordering of many test-takers, and some persons now called intelligent would be called average, while some other people who are now called average would be called highly intelligent.\n\"Stanovich then goes on to discuss the term 'mindware' coined by David Perkins and illustrates two kinds of 'mindware' problems. Some--most--people have little knowledge of correct reasoning processes, which Stanovich calls having 'mindware gaps,' and thus make many errors of reasoning. And most people have quite a lot of 'contaminated mindware,' ideas and beliefs that lead to repeated irrational behavior. High IQ does nothing to protect thinkers from contaminated mindware. Indeed, some forms of contaminated mindware appeal to high-IQ individuals by the complicated structure of the false belief system. He includes information about a survey of a high-IQ society that find widespread belief in false concepts from pseudoscience among the society members.\"\nSo Stanovich, based on the studies he cites in his book, concludes that the cognitive strategy of being a cognitive miser (using the minimal amount of information and thinking possible, even if it is too little) is such an inherent part of the human condition that external incentives and societal processes of decision-making are necessary to overcome that weakness. He has a fair amount of optimism about filling mindware gaps through educational processes that would train more thinkers in correct reasoning (as, for example, the kind of statistical training that some but not all hackers receive during higher education). He suggests that actively counteracting contaminated mindware (which is something I have a penchant for doing here on HN) is considerably more difficult, because it is precisely high-IQ individuals who are best able to defend their irrational beliefs.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A book that helped change the way I think is What Intelligence Tests Miss: The Psychology of Rational Thought",
          "reason": "Says the book helped change how they think and summarizes its arguments.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in cognition and reasoning.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026351,
          "author": "tokenadult",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T22:22:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026351",
          "commentText": "My favorite read in early 2009 was What Intelligence Tests Miss: The Psychology of Rational Thought by Keith Stanovich\nhttp://www.amazon.com/What-Intelligence-Tests-Miss-Psycholog... (http://www.amazon.com/What-Intelligence-Tests-Miss-Psychology/dp/030012385X/)\nwhich is full of helpful information on developing the kind of cognition missed by IQ tests that constitutes rationality, very important information for parents, educators, and business leaders.\n2009, the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his book On the Origin of Species, has been a banner year for new books on evolutionary biology. Some of my favorites include\nWhy Evolution is True by Jerry Coyne\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Why-Evolution-True-Jerry-Coyne/dp/0670... (http://www.amazon.com/Why-Evolution-True-Jerry-Coyne/dp/0670020532/)\nThe Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution by Richard Dawkins\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Show-Earth-Evidence-Evolution... (http://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Show-Earth-Evidence-Evolution/dp/1416594787/)\nand\nEvolution: The First Four Billion Years edited by Michael Ruse and Joseph Travis.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Evolution-First-Four-Billion-Years/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Evolution-First-Four-Billion-Years/dp/067403175X/)\nAll are full of up to date information about biology, which, as Thedosius Dobzhansky said, only makes sense in the light of evolution.\nSuperFreakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner\nhttp://www.amazon.com/SuperFreakonomics-Cooling-Patriotic-Pr... (http://www.amazon.com/SuperFreakonomics-Cooling-Patriotic-Prostitutes-Insurance/dp/0060889578)\nis enjoyable and thought-provoking, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, for all the usual reasons applying to collaborations by those two authors.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favorite read in early 2009 was What Intelligence Tests Miss: The Psychology of Rational Thought by Keith Stanovich",
          "reason": "Names it as the commenter's favorite early 2009 read and says it offers helpful information on rational cognition.",
          "audience": "Parents, educators, and business leaders.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Keith E. Stanovich"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognitive psychology",
        "intelligence testing",
        "rationality",
        "rational thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wounded-tigris-d87ced",
      "title": "Wounded Tigris",
      "author": "Leon McCarron",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42280530,
          "author": "bwb",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-30T09:15:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42280530",
          "commentText": "If you guys want to browse, I've had 1,300+ readers share their 3 favorite reads of the year here:\nhttps://shepherd.com/bboy/2024\nYou can browse by a lot of different genres, etc.\nYou can also submit yours here -> https://shepherd.com/bboy/my-3-fav-reads\nYou can see my 3 here: https://shepherd.com/bboy/2024/f/bwb\n*Every submitter gets a page like that.\nWhat were my 3?\n1. The Cold Cold Ground - Fantastic police procedural set in Northern Ireland during The Troubles.\n2. The Aggressor - Near future Tom-Clancy-like sketch of a USA/China war.\n3. Wounded Tigris - Amazing Nonfiction about a team traveling down the entire Tigris River. Heavy on environment, history, and people. Utterly fascinating.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "3. Wounded Tigris - Amazing Nonfiction about a team traveling down the entire Tigris River. Heavy on environment, history, and people. Utterly fascinating.",
          "reason": "Named as one of the commenter’s three favorite reads and described as fascinating nonfiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42220933,
          "author": "bwb",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T14:07:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42220933",
          "commentText": "Wounded Tigris By Leon McCarron\nThis book is not something you can read and forget. Leon and his small team travel down the entire Tigris River. They start in Turkey, go through all of Iraq, and end in the marshes.\nI picked it up, thinking it would be an interesting adventure with a heavy dose of history. Instead, I got an utterly fascinating account of the river, its ecosystem, the heavy impact of pollution and water management, and the cultural impact of all these changes on the people who live alongside it.\nLonger thoughts here: https://shepherd.com/bboy/2024/f/bwb\nSo far Ive asked around 1,200 readers for their 3 fav reads of the year. Here are the nonfiction results so far: https://shepherd.com/bboy/2024/nonfiction\nYou can share yours too if you want :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wounded Tigris By Leon McCarron",
          "reason": "Describes it as a fascinating account of the Tigris River and its ecological and cultural impacts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter expected an adventure with a heavy dose of history, but found the focus broader.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leon McCarron"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Nature",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "tigris river",
        "iraq",
        "river ecology",
        "travel writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "you-ve-only-got-three-seconds-c6832d",
      "title": "You've Only Got Three Seconds",
      "author": "Camille Lavington",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16569252,
          "author": "amorphid",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-12T16:29:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16569252",
          "commentText": "You've Only Got Three Seconds by Camille Lavington.  Basically helped me to understand what I can do to make a good impression on others.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You've Only Got Three Seconds by Camille Lavington. Basically helped me to understand what I can do to make a good impression on others.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them understand how to make a good impression.",
          "audience": "People seeking to make a good impression on others.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13967897,
          "author": "amorphid",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T14:20:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13967897",
          "commentText": "You've Only Got Three Seconds by Camille Lavington\nThe book taught me the importance of making a good impression, how to improve my situation, to focus on being effective, and not hang on to things that are holding me back.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book taught me the importance of making a good impression, how to improve my situation, to focus on being effective, and not hang on to things that are holding me back.",
          "reason": "Describes practical lessons the book taught them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Camille Lavington"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 2,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first impressions",
        "interpersonal communication",
        "personal effectiveness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "2-00-a-day-living-on-almost-nothing-in-america-83bbd7",
      "title": "$2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12474909,
          "author": "neom",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T18:44:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12474909",
          "commentText": "Last three great books I've read are:\n$2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America\nThe Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism\nMakers and Takers: The Rise of Finance and the Fall of American Business",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "$2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America",
          "reason": "Included among the writer's three great recent reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "poverty",
        "united states"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "salem-s-lot-a76c79",
      "title": "'Salem's Lot",
      "author": "Stephen King",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14860234,
          "author": "eduren",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:52:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14860234",
          "commentText": "'Salems Lot by Stephen King. Just got done with his memoir/writing guide \"On Writing\" and it's given me a new appreciation for his style. Currently going back and reading the books of his that I missed in middle school.\nThe Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin. First book I'm reading on a Kindle, so not yet sure how that will effect my perception of the novel (it is helpful for footnotes I've found). Absolutely fresh SciFi is rare these days so it's wonderful so far.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "'Salems Lot by Stephen King. Just got done with his memoir/writing guide \"On Writing\" and it's given me a new appreciation for his style. Currently going back and reading the books of his that I missed in middle school.",
          "reason": "Names it as one of the author's books the commenter is going back to read; no title-specific evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86223,
          "author": "icky",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:37:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86223",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- The Time Machine (still holds up very well, and seems strangely eerie and prescient in places)... (H. G. Wells)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Hobbit (and LotR) (Tolkien)\n- Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n- Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties (I picked up Idoru first, so I haven't yet read Virtual Light) (also Gibson)\n- The Difference Engine (Gibson, Sterling)\n- Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n- Cryptonomicon (\" \")\n- Circuit of Heaven, End of Days (Dennis Danvers)\n- All of the \"Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser\" stories and novels. (Fritz Leiber)\n- The Earthsea trilogy (Ursula K. LeGuin)\n- 'salem's Lot (Stephen King)\n- Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein)\n- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)\n- the Coldfire trilogy (C. S. Friedman)\n- various Cory Doctorow short stories\n- Kamikaze L'Amour (Richard Kadrey)\n- Lightpaths (Howard V. Hendrix)\n- A Canticle For Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)\n- Moonwar, Venus (Ben Bova)\n- the Stainless Steel Rat series (Harry Harrison)\n- Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)\n- Ringworld (Larry Niven)\n- Cthon (Piers Anthony) -- Trippiness level approaching Philip Jose Farmer ;-)\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (Douglas Adams)\n- The Black Company (Glen Cook)\n- there's one particularly good post-cyberpunk series that takes place in a world in which Canada emerged as a major world power, but for the life of me I can't rememeber the title.\n- the 1632 series (Eric Flint)... see also S. M. Stirling's Nantucket series (\"Island in the Sea of Time\", et al.), and H. Beam Piper's novel Kalvan of Otherwhen\nNon-fiction:\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (Hume)\n- the surviving words and works of Epicurus, and Diogenes the Cynic\n- Freakonomics (Levitt, Dubner)\n- The Gay Science (Nietzsche)\n- The Jefferson Bible (Christ, Jefferson (ed.))\n- The Devil's Dictionary (Bierce)\n- Brain Droppings (George Carlin)\n- anything by P. J. O'Rourke\n- anything by Dave Barry",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'salem's Lot (Stephen King)",
          "reason": "Listed under fiction in response to the thread’s question about favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen King"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "horror",
        "vampires"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "1-000-dollars-and-an-idea-entrepreneur-to-billionaire-03918f",
      "title": "1,000 Dollars and an Idea: Entrepreneur to Billionaire",
      "author": "Sam Wyly",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2923957,
          "author": "salemh",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-25T06:25:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 2919368,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have changed the way you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2923957",
          "commentText": "Reality Tansurfing 1: The Space of Variations\n\"Choosing\" your own reality, positive mind frames, philosophy and actionable steps for goal attainment (no \"Secret\" wish fulfillment).\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1846941229/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1846941229/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1846941229)\n\" Some of Zeeland's techniques are very simple and practical; e.g. his methods of combining rational thinking with intuition for making practical decisions.  Other \"tools\" require a high degree of control over one's thoughts and/or emotions.\n    Zeeland also advocates reducing the amount of mental self-talk in favour of listening to one's intuition, which has some similarity with the teachings of Eckhart Tolle [[2]].\"\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vadim_Zeeland\nThe Tibetan Book of Living and Dying\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062508342/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062508342/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0062508342)\nThis novel has been of great help to me and family with recent deaths. Overall life outlook, happiness, and the like.\nEnders Game\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812550706/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812550706/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0812550706)\nI have read this novel over 15 years roughly 8 times. I get more, and a different perspective (which is interesting just examining my own reaction to re-reads based on my life and age at reading / re-reading).\nPrometheus Rising\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1561840564/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1561840564/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1561840564)\n\"Hacking\" reality, your mind, alternate viewpoints of reality and \"living\" accordingly (or not :D)\nPandora's Star\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345479211/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345479211/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0345479211)\nFascinating \"space opera\" wherein humanity masters worm-hole technology (and space colonization), ever lasting life (downloading / uploading) and a lovely read with a dose of astrophysics (though, the number of plot lines and characters gets far too muddled much of the time, symptomatic of Hamilton's books). Great \"look\" at a potential future of these potential advancements.\nNeuropath\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0765361574/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0765361574/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0765361574)\nScience fiction novel set in near-future based on new advanced in neuroscience; psychopath / serial killer thriller (one night read)on the brain as a chemical machine (and free-will arguments) with brutal thriller violence. This sticks with you for a number of weeks. Sending this to my sister was reacted with \"it was really good, fascinating..why the f* did you send this to me?\"\nThe Darkness That Comes Before (The Prince of Nothing, Book 1)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1841494089/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1841494089/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=1841494089)\nFantasy, philosophy, linguistics in Magic..dark, dark and a very old world. Brilliant, the best fantasy series this decade.\nTitan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400077303/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400077303/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1400077303)\nFrom dirt (literally), to one of the richest men in history, a genius accountant, inventor, process engineer, capitalist, competitive monster (crusher), also spawning much of modern medicine research centers (while he himself was a more holistic man who distrusted \"modern medicine). An incredible biography (oft cited by other novels on various Baron's / dynastic biographies) on the idiocyncrocies and the incredible desire for wealth and power, while abhoring lavish displays of wealth. From his rise, to consolidation, to \"war\" with the Rothschilds to the ultimate breakup of Standard Oil.\n1,000 Dollars and an Idea: Entrepreneur to Billionaire: Expanded Edition\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1557048487/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1557048487/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1557048487)\nSam Wyly, on building businesses to last, 15-20 years to \"flip\" or keep. Nuggets of wisdom for all industries and verticals.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sam Wyly, on building businesses to last, 15-20 years to \"flip\" or keep. Nuggets of wisdom for all industries and verticals.",
          "reason": "Presented as offering advice on building businesses to last and deciding whether to sell or keep them.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in entrepreneurship and business building.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sam Wyly"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business strategy",
        "entrepreneurship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "10-happier-b804e2",
      "title": "10% Happier",
      "author": "Dan Harris",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15964246,
          "author": "matchmike1313",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T21:05:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15964246",
          "commentText": "1. 10% Happier\n2. Traction\n3. Unshakable\n4. Shoe Dog (This has been my favorite book thus far of 2017, I did not think it would of left such a lasting impression on me about life and success and business)\n5. Start with Why\n6. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*uck",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1. 10% Happier",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking which books the commenter would recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Harris"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "meditation",
        "mindfulness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "1000-years-of-annoying-the-french-7e959b",
      "title": "1000 Years of Annoying the French",
      "author": "Stephen Clarke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21793931,
          "author": "gerdesj",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-15T01:55:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793931",
          "commentText": "I've read Germania and it is an absolute  belter.  I'm a British Army brat and lived for around 10 years in what was West Germany.  The old Saxons are a decent lot in my opinion.  That book - Germania opened my eyes to just how complicated the history of the European continent is.  \"Anglo Saxons\" reminds us of just how much these islands are intertwined with the continent.\n\"Germania\" showed me how much I didn't know about my own sodding history.  I knew a Roman geezer was nicknamed Germanicus but nothing about say Mercian kings or Kentish kings or the subtle interplay in the north with the Picts and the Scotii, the Welsh and the west welsh (Cornwall) and other Britons.  What we call today Ireland - North Ireland and Eire - and the interplay with what we now call Scotland is another very complicated set of circumstances.  We are all aware here in England of King Alfred the Great - Wessex - and might know of King Cnut (Danish) and may be dimly aware of other Kings from the time post Roman (~400AD) until 1066.  It's a bit involved.\nCould I also tender \"1000 years of annoying the French\" by Stephen Clarke.  I've just searched him and it turns out he has quite an oevre.  I just picked up that particular book because of the title and a quick read of a few pages.  It's a great romp through European history from the perspective of a historian who happens to be British and living in France - his love of both France and Britain is quite apparent and his sense of humour is British.  The main focus is France and England but the scope is European.\nI've also bought \"The King in the North\" by Max Adams which is about Oswald \"Whiteblade\" in Northumbria (the region north of the river Humber) in the mid fifth century.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a great romp through European history",
          "reason": "Praises it as an entertaining history of Europe, especially France and England.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The author’s British perspective and humor are part of its appeal.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Clarke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "anglo french history",
        "european history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "1177-b-c-the-year-civilization-collapsed-a6f3f0",
      "title": "1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed",
      "author": "Eric H. Cline",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45983184,
          "author": "pioneer42",
          "createdAt": "2025-11-19T18:34:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 45947737,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45983184",
          "commentText": "On a pop history/nonfiction streak this year:\nAssyria, The Rise and Fall of the World's First Empire by Eckart Frahm\n1177 B.C. The Year Civilization Collapsed by Eric Cline\nChildren of Ash and Elm, a History of the Vikings by Neil Price",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1177 B.C. The Year Civilization Collapsed by Eric Cline",
          "reason": "Listed in the commenter’s pop history and nonfiction reading this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric H. Cline"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient history",
        "bronze age"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "1453-the-holy-war-for-constantinople-and-the-clash-of-islam-and-t-c5e4c9",
      "title": "1453: The Holy War for Constantinople and the Clash of Islam and the West",
      "author": "Roger Crowley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1867913,
          "author": "faz",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-04T06:22:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1867913",
          "commentText": "Just started with \"Pragmatic Thinking and Learning\" by Andy Hunt.\nAlso reading \"1453: The Holy War For Constantinople and the Clash of Islam and the West\" by Roger Crowley. More of an action book than a historical one.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Also reading \"1453: The Holy War For Constantinople and the Clash of Islam and the West\" by Roger Crowley. More of an action book than a historical one.",
          "reason": "Describes it as more action-oriented than historical.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "More of an action book than a historical one.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roger Crowley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fall of constantinople",
        "ottoman empire"
      ],
      "purposes": []
    },
    {
      "id": "1491-dec724",
      "title": "1491",
      "author": "Charles C. Mann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13804336,
          "author": "xemoka",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:38:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804336",
          "commentText": "- Ishmael and Story of B by Daniel Quinn\nHis thoughts on religion and interpretation of religion as propaganda and how we've framed our taker society very much influenced my young mind.\n- 1491 and 1493 by Charles C. Mann\nThe way we look at the new world and how vastly different standard teachings and what actually happened are.\n- A Guide to the Good Life by William Irvine\nPut to words what I already mostly practise, it identified my issues I had with buddhism.\n- A Dictators Handbook by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita\nAn interesting flip on politics, it made me stop worrying so much about the here-and-now of it, and quelled my anger with the (further?) realisation that it is a game. If we want to fix what's happening we need to fix the rules, not the players.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1491 and 1493 by Charles C. Mann",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed how they view the pre-Columbian Americas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles C. Mann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "pre columbian americas"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "1493-ad5c29",
      "title": "1493",
      "author": "Charles C. Mann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13804336,
          "author": "xemoka",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:38:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804336",
          "commentText": "- Ishmael and Story of B by Daniel Quinn\nHis thoughts on religion and interpretation of religion as propaganda and how we've framed our taker society very much influenced my young mind.\n- 1491 and 1493 by Charles C. Mann\nThe way we look at the new world and how vastly different standard teachings and what actually happened are.\n- A Guide to the Good Life by William Irvine\nPut to words what I already mostly practise, it identified my issues I had with buddhism.\n- A Dictators Handbook by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita\nAn interesting flip on politics, it made me stop worrying so much about the here-and-now of it, and quelled my anger with the (further?) realisation that it is a game. If we want to fix what's happening we need to fix the rules, not the players.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1491 and 1493 by Charles C. Mann",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed how they view the New World and its history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles C. Mann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "columbian exchange"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "1493-uncovering-the-new-world-columbus-created-2b47c0",
      "title": "1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created",
      "author": "Charles C. Mann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12984113,
          "author": "JauntTrooper",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-18T03:42:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12984113",
          "commentText": "1491 is fantastic. Have you read the sequel, 1493?  It's thoroughly enjoyable as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's thoroughly enjoyable as well.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the sequel is thoroughly enjoyable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles C. Mann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "columbian exchange",
        "global history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "1632-series-bddc2e",
      "title": "1632 series",
      "author": "Eric Flint",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50143068,
          "author": "mikewarot",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-18T17:13:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50143068",
          "commentText": "When I was working as a machinist making gears, I read through the books I had from the 1632 Series by Eric Flint on rotation, by the time I got back to a story, there were new details I'd notice, over and over.\nThe books stayed there because I got Covid back in 2020, and I didn't get back to pick them up.  Since Eric's death, the series is in some sort of limbo, and my attention span isn't what it used to be with Long Covid. 8(\nI miss Mike Sterns and the whole world he moved to, though.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the books I had from the 1632 Series by Eric Flint",
          "reason": "The commenter reread the books in rotation and noticed new details on each pass.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The series is in limbo since Flint's death; Long Covid has affected the commenter's attention span.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Flint"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternate history",
        "time travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "1946-the-making-of-the-modern-world-dc2020",
      "title": "1946: The Making of the Modern World",
      "author": "Victor Sebestyen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 44569673,
          "author": "ratracer2025",
          "createdAt": "2025-07-15T10:17:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 44568054,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44569673",
          "commentText": "- Lost Connections by Johann Hari (Life, Overcome depression)\n- 1946: The Making of the Modern World : Sebestyen, Victor (History, WWII)\n- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1946: The Making of the Modern World : Sebestyen, Victor",
          "reason": "Lists it among favorite books and tags it as history and WWII.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Victor Sebestyen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "postwar history",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "1983-reagan-andropov-and-a-world-on-the-brink-cecb99",
      "title": "1983: Reagan, Andropov, and a World on the Brink",
      "author": "Taylor Downing",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21792874,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T22:44:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21792874",
          "commentText": "The ones I rated highest out of those I read this year (which is what I think the question means).\n* Exactly: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester\n* Atomic Adventures: Secret Islands, Forgotten N-Rays, and Isotopic Murder-A Journey into the Wild World of Nuclear Science by James Magaffey\n* Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande\n* Vulcan 607 by Rowland White\n* Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen\n* Best. Movie. Year. Ever: How 1999 Blew Up the Big Screen by Brian Raftery\n* A Fabulous Creation: How the LP Saved Our Lives by David Hepworth\n* 1983: Reagan, Andropov, and a World on the Brink by Taylor Downing\n* The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes and Why by Amanda Ripley\n* In Your Defence: Stories of Life and Law by Sarah Langford\n* Springfield Confidential: Jokes, Secrets, and Outright Lies from a Lifetime Writing for The Simpsons by Mike Reiss\n* Working Actor: Breaking in, Making a Living, and Making a Life in the Fabulous Trenches of Show Business by David Dean Bottrell\n* Becoming by Michelle Obama\n* Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress by Steven Pinker\n* Rush Hour by Iain Gatel\n* Tamed: Ten Species that Changed our World by Alice Roberts\n* The Next American City: The Big Promise of Our Midsize Metros by Mick Cornett",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The ones I rated highest out of those I read this year",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s highest-rated books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Taylor Downing"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "1980s",
        "cold war"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "2061-odyssey-three-b41ded",
      "title": "2061: Odyssey Three",
      "author": "Arthur C. Clarke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10787298,
          "author": "yetanotheracc",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T06:03:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787298",
          "commentText": "Absolutely amazing, changed the way I look at the society, will re-read:\n- George Orwell, Keep the Aspidistra Flying\nLoved:\n- Alastair Reynolds, House of Suns\n- Andy Weir, The Martian\n- Neal Stephenson, Seveneves\n- Greg Egan, Teranesia\nLiked:\n- Arthur C. Clarke, 3001: The Final Odyssey\n- Arthur C. Clarke, 2061: Odyssey Three\n- Richard Feynman, The Character of Physical Laws\n- Richard Feynman, The Pleasure of Finding Things Out\n- Jonathan Slack, Stem Cells: A Very Short Introduction\n- John Scalzi, Fuzzy Nation (bought the audiobook for Wil Wheaton's narration)\n- Ray Monk, Robert Oppenheimer: A Life Inside the Center\n- Alastair Reynolds,  Revelation Space\n- David C. Cassidy, Beyond Uncertainty: Heisenberg, Quantum Physics, and the Bomb\nFound full of BS, did not finish:\n- Noam Chomsky, Understanding Power\nTextbooks:\n- order of 10^3 pages of Open University textbooks\n- Klauber, Student Friendly Quantum Field Theory\n- Feynman & Hibbs, Quantum Mechanics and Path Integrals\n- Wald, General Relativity (5 chapters)\n- Peskin & Schroeder, An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory (5 chapters)\nNot as bad as I felt before making the list, but underwhelming in terms of quantity. I intend to read a whole lot more in 2016.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Arthur C. Clarke, 2061: Odyssey Three",
          "reason": "Listed under books the commenter says they liked.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur C. Clarke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space exploration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "21st-century-c-c-tips-from-the-new-school-ed8f0d",
      "title": "21st Century C: C Tips from the New School",
      "author": "Ben Klemens",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7757635,
          "author": "actf",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T20:08:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7757635",
          "commentText": "I haven't read the book you mention, but regarding a book that does cover c99/11, I really enjoyed: 21st Century C: C Tips from the New School\nIf you are an experienced C programmer you may end up skipping large portions of it.\nIn my opinion the book is mostly targeted at people that have had some C experience in the past (probably long ago in school) and have since moved on to newer languages. FWIW I read (and enjoyed) the book cover-to-cover, and I mostly do C# in my day to day work.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "21st Century C: C Tips from the New School",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed the book and read it cover to cover.",
          "audience": "People with some prior C experience, especially those who have since moved to newer languages.",
          "caveat": "Experienced C programmers may skip large portions.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ben Klemens"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming",
        "systems programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "3001-the-final-odyssey-413b41",
      "title": "3001: The Final Odyssey",
      "author": "Arthur C. Clarke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10787298,
          "author": "yetanotheracc",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T06:03:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787298",
          "commentText": "Absolutely amazing, changed the way I look at the society, will re-read:\n- George Orwell, Keep the Aspidistra Flying\nLoved:\n- Alastair Reynolds, House of Suns\n- Andy Weir, The Martian\n- Neal Stephenson, Seveneves\n- Greg Egan, Teranesia\nLiked:\n- Arthur C. Clarke, 3001: The Final Odyssey\n- Arthur C. Clarke, 2061: Odyssey Three\n- Richard Feynman, The Character of Physical Laws\n- Richard Feynman, The Pleasure of Finding Things Out\n- Jonathan Slack, Stem Cells: A Very Short Introduction\n- John Scalzi, Fuzzy Nation (bought the audiobook for Wil Wheaton's narration)\n- Ray Monk, Robert Oppenheimer: A Life Inside the Center\n- Alastair Reynolds,  Revelation Space\n- David C. Cassidy, Beyond Uncertainty: Heisenberg, Quantum Physics, and the Bomb\nFound full of BS, did not finish:\n- Noam Chomsky, Understanding Power\nTextbooks:\n- order of 10^3 pages of Open University textbooks\n- Klauber, Student Friendly Quantum Field Theory\n- Feynman & Hibbs, Quantum Mechanics and Path Integrals\n- Wald, General Relativity (5 chapters)\n- Peskin & Schroeder, An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory (5 chapters)\nNot as bad as I felt before making the list, but underwhelming in terms of quantity. I intend to read a whole lot more in 2016.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Arthur C. Clarke, 3001: The Final Odyssey",
          "reason": "Listed under books the commenter says they liked.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur C. Clarke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space exploration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "32-piano-sonatas-8c98b3",
      "title": "32 Piano Sonatas",
      "author": "Ludwig van Beethoven",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14145513,
          "author": "tylercubell",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-19T04:52:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14145513",
          "commentText": "For pianists, I think many would agree with Hans von Bülow when he called Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier the \"The Old Testament\" and Beethoven's 32 Piano Sonatas the \"The New Testament\".\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_von_B%C3%BClow#Quotations",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Beethoven's 32 Piano Sonatas the \"The New Testament\"",
          "reason": "Presented as a canonical work for pianists.",
          "audience": "Pianists.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ludwig van Beethoven"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classical piano",
        "keyboard music"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "36-arguments-for-the-existence-of-god-a-work-of-fiction-aea90d",
      "title": "36 Arguments for the Existence of God: A Work of Fiction",
      "author": "Rebecca Newberger Goldstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10786739,
          "author": "hackerbloos",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T02:19:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786739",
          "commentText": "I've just updated my list of books I read this year. Scores are out of 5. If there is a + it means I found it to be extra special for some reason or other.\n= Jan =\nSmarter Than You Think - Clive Thompson 3\nThe positives of tech and the internet.\n= Feb =\nSuper Sad True Love Story - Gary Shteyngart 4\nScience fiction set in the not too distant future. Main themes include life extension and surveillance.\n= Mar =\nThe HitchHiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams 4\nThe Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams 3\nHad never read this series, thought it might be about time.\n= Apr =\nWhat does it all Mean? - Thomas Nagel 2 (though it is kind of meant for people who have never done any Philosophy, ever, so would recommend to someone like that. Will pass it on to someone taking an interest in the subject)\nAn introduction to Philosophy.\nEarth - David Brin 5+\nScience fiction set in the not too distant future, written in the 90s. Really interesting themes / vision of post climate change world.\nSlaughterHouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut 5\nSemi autobiographical account of the bombing of Dresden in WW2. Really funny and clever ideas. Very good.\n= May =\nNick Cohen - What’s Left? 4\nAccount of how the left has degenerated since the collapse of the hard left and the winning of liberal battles e.g. LGBT rights. Basic premise is that those on the left hate the West and the status quo so much they stoop to allying themselves with anyone who also opposes the status quo.\n= June =\nPlato at the Googleplex: Why Philosophy won’t go away - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 5+\nPlato has somehow appeared in the 21st century and is doing a talk at Google! A really enjoyable account of how Plato’s philosophy could be applied to modern issues. Really good. I want to go to Athens.\n= July =\nThe Mind Body Problem - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 4\nNovel about a female philosophy student shagging around and philosophising about it.\nBelieving Bullshit - Stephen Law 4\nBook detailing the various tricks / schemes played by charlatans and how to avoid being taken in by them.\n= August =\n36 Arguments for the Existence of God: a work of fiction - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 3\nNovel about an academic and his mentor. It was ok.\n= September =\nThe Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams 3\nThink I’m done reading these for now, don’t feel the urge to finish the set.\nKafka - The Trial 5\nReally good. Love the surrealism - the nightmarish / dreamish-ness of it. Saw it in the Theatre as well after reading it, thought that was great too.\n= October =\n= November =\nExistence - David Brin 3\nNot as good as Earth. Glad I read that first. Interesting imagining of what form contact from alien life could take though. Also interesting look at existential risks. The main part I didn’t like was how it skipped forward in time 3 decades about 3/4s of the way through, I had thought the characters were a little weak in general up until then anyway, and then they were pretty much gone entirely at that point.\n= December =\nAlone Together - Sherry Turtle 4\nThe negatives of tech, robotics and the internet. Interesting and important read.\nImperium - Robert Harris 5\nFirst in the semi-fictional trilogy accounting the fall of the Roman Republic, told through the eyes of Cicero’s secretary, Tiro. Really good. The politics, the corruption, the ancient city really brought to life. Enhanced by having visited Rome in the Summer.\nAlso currently reading ‘Reclaiming Conversation’ by Sherry Turkle, an account of the negative affect being permanently tethered to the internet has on our conversations, our capacity for empathy and our relationships, and Nietzsche’s 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra'.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "36 Arguments for the Existence of God: a work of fiction - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 3",
          "reason": "Rated 3 out of 5 and described as okay.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it was okay.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rebecca Newberger Goldstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "academic life",
        "religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "3d-game-engine-architecture-d209f3",
      "title": "3D Game Engine Architecture",
      "author": "David H. Eberly",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13666607,
          "author": "jessedhillon",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-17T07:28:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13666607",
          "commentText": "3D Game Engine Architecture by David H. Eberly:\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Game-Engine-Architecture-Engineering-... (https://www.amazon.com/Game-Engine-Architecture-Engineering-Applications/dp/012229064X)\nNot only is this a fantastic introduction to the math and the data structures involved in computer graphics, the book also walks you through the construction of an in-software renderer!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Not only is this a fantastic introduction to the math and the data structures involved in computer graphics, the book also walks you through the construction of an in-software renderer!",
          "reason": "Praised as a fantastic introduction that guides readers through building a software renderer.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David H. Eberly"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer graphics",
        "game engine architecture",
        "software rendering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "3d-math-primer-for-graphics-and-game-development-9327a6",
      "title": "3D Math Primer for Graphics and Game Development",
      "author": "Fletcher Dunn and Ian Parberry",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34442159,
          "author": "legends2k",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T16:32:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34442159",
          "commentText": "Not strictly math books but these three books turned me to live mathematics and appreciate for what it is:\n[1]: 3D Math Prime for Games for Graphics and Game Development; https://www.gamemath.com/ (free to read online)\n[2]: Essential Mathematics for Games and Interactive Applications; https://www.essentialmath.com/book.htm\n[3]: Mathematics for 3D Game Programming and Computer Graphics; https://www.mathfor3dgameprogramming.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "[1]: 3D Math Prime for Games for Graphics and Game Development; https://www.gamemath.com/",
          "reason": "The commenter says these books turned them toward and helped them appreciate mathematics.",
          "audience": "People interested in 3D graphics and game development.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are not strictly math books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fletcher Dunn",
        "Ian Parberry"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "3d graphics",
        "game development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "3d-shape-its-unique-place-in-visual-perception-9d57a7",
      "title": "3D Shape: Its Unique Place in Visual Perception",
      "author": "Zygmunt Pizlo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8110135,
          "author": "XaspR8d",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T18:38:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8110135",
          "commentText": "3D Shape: Its Unique Place in Visual Perception by Zygmunt Pizlo. (I studied human gesture briefly in college so it caught my eye at a used book store. Pretty good cognitive science survey so far. Haven't gotten to the CS part yet, but I'm not knowledgeable in computer vision anyway so I couldn't really review it from that perspective.)\nQuantum Computing and Quantum Information by Michael Nielsen and Isaac Chuang. (Beastly book. I actually find it to be a pretty well-written introduction so far, but I just barely have the background to plod through it.)\nHocus Pocus by Kurt Vonnegut. (S.O. loves Vonnegut, so I'm working my way through his collection. Great so far, though I don't always have the patience for goofy midwestern people humor, despite being a midwesterner myself.)\nAlif the Unseen by G Willow Wilson. (Only a few pages in, but I have a weakness for fantasy-in-modern-day-setting novels and it came on a recommendation from a friend outside of the genre. On a similar note, I strongly recommend both of Nick Harkaway's novels, Angelmaker and Gone-Away World, which I recently reread.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pretty good cognitive science survey so far.",
          "reason": "Calls it a pretty good cognitive science survey.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Has not reached the computer science part and cannot review it from that perspective.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Zygmunt Pizlo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognitive science",
        "visual perception"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "4-manifolds-and-kirby-calculus-d3b28e",
      "title": "4-Manifolds and Kirby Calculus",
      "author": "András I. Stipsicz and Robert E. Gompf",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34441747,
          "author": "kdavis",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T16:02:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34441747",
          "commentText": "* 4-Manifolds and Kirby Calculus by Andras I. Stipsicz and Robert E. Gompf\n* Differential Manifolds by Antoni A. Kosinski\n* Introduction to Smooth Manifolds by John M. Lee",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "4-Manifolds and Kirby Calculus by Andras I. Stipsicz and Robert E. Gompf",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about math books valued for their impact on mathematical thinking and skills.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "András I. Stipsicz",
        "Robert E. Gompf"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "four manifolds",
        "kirby calculus"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "50-great-myths-of-popular-psychology-98ccbe",
      "title": "50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology",
      "author": "Scott O. Lilienfeld, Steven Jay Lynn, John Ruscio, and Barry L. Beyerstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1226972,
          "author": "gcheong",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T17:14:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226972",
          "commentText": "50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott O. Lilienfeld, Steven Jay Lynn, John Ruscio, and Barry L. Beyerstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "popular psychology",
        "psychology myths"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "50-great-short-stories-4a98a1",
      "title": "50 Great Short Stories",
      "author": "Milton Crane (editor)",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49905335,
          "author": "lkm0",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T06:53:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49905335",
          "commentText": "Actually not very flashy but I'm reading 50 great short stories (selected) by Milton Crane.\nVery good way to discover new authors, and the proximity of different styles (I hope) develops my conscious awareness of them.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/1005670.50_Great_Shor... (https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/1005670.50_Great_Short_Stories)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "50 great short stories (selected) by Milton Crane",
          "reason": "Says it is a good way to discover authors and develop awareness of different writing styles.",
          "audience": "Readers who want to discover authors and styles.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Milton Crane (editor)"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary anthology",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "500-lines-or-less-847794",
      "title": "500 Lines or Less",
      "author": "The Architecture of Open Source Applications contributors",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22300141,
          "author": "cedricium",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-11T17:12:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22300141",
          "commentText": "There are some really cool projects in the \"500 Lines or Less\"[0] book which is a part of the \"The Architecture of Open Source Applications\" series.\n[0]: http://aosabook.org/en/index.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"500 Lines or Less\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says it contains projects useful for learning by building.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "The Architecture of Open Source Applications contributors"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "open source",
        "project based learning",
        "software architecture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "500-lines-or-less-a50766",
      "title": "500 Lines or Less",
      "author": "Various authors",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8004199,
          "author": "ApiM",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-08T12:37:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8004199",
          "commentText": "The Early Preview of '500 Lines or Less' by AOSA: https://github.com/aosabook/500lines",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Early Preview of '500 Lines or Less' by AOSA",
          "reason": "Shared as an early preview in response to a question about the best technical ebooks.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in how software systems are built.",
          "caveat": "The commenter identifies it as an early preview.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "open source",
        "software architecture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "59-seconds-709f29",
      "title": "59 Seconds",
      "author": "Richard Wiseman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4967773,
          "author": "smartial_arts",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T01:23:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967773",
          "commentText": "1. \"59 Seconds\"\nhttp://amzn.to/12DMx27\nA good no-nonsense self-help book. Outlines set of strategies for dealing with challenging situations in everyday life, touching on areas such as Parenting, Career, Dating. Author also looks into common misconceptions about how we function and which mental tricks are efficient and which are not so much.\n2. \"Start Small, Stay Small: - A Developer's Guide to Launching a Startup\"\nhttp://amzn.to/12DMzHt\nI actually have a blog post on it here - http://blog.nimblegecko.com/when-your-drugs-wear-off/ - in short it's a book for developers that focuses on how to start building an online product, with heavy emphasis on market, and marketing. It also addresses some of the common mistakes we, as developers, tend to make when conceiving and carrying out the execution of an idea.\n3. \"The Startup Owner's Manual: The Step-by-Step Guide for Building a Great Company \"\nebook - http://amzn.to/V3BxWq\ndead tree book - http://amzn.to/12DNfwd\nThis is classic, really. What was interesting for me in particular is the types of markets that a startup launches to - new market, resegmenting an existing market (low-end, high-end, specific features), clone market, and all of the limitations/dangers/expectations/growth profiles that choice of marketing strategy entails.\n4. \"Core Transformation: Reaching the wellspring within\"\nhttp://amzn.to/Vw5nAR\nNot that I've only read this book in 2012, but I keep returning to it - that's probably one of not too many truly life changing books for me. It contains very simple, yet very efficient reframing exercise (think NLP) that helps to uncover the true motivations behind behaviours that you don't like in yourself, and change those for good, yet in a completely unexpected and never predictable ways.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"59 Seconds\"",
          "reason": "Described as a good, no-nonsense self-help book with strategies for everyday challenges.",
          "audience": "People seeking strategies for parenting, career, or dating challenges.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Wiseman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "everyday strategies",
        "self help"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "6502-assembly-language-0489a3",
      "title": "6502 Assembly Language",
      "author": "Randy Hyde",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46779345,
          "author": "eej71",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-27T12:54:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 46778461,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books to learn 6502 ASM and the Apple II",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46779345",
          "commentText": "Two books for consideration.\nRandy Hyde the creator of the Lisa assembler.\nhttps://archive.org/details/A2_Hyde_6502_Asm_Lang/mode/1up\nKen Williams of Sierra OnLine fame.\nhttps://vintageapple.org/apple_ii/pdf/Apple_II_Computer_Grap... (https://vintageapple.org/apple_ii/pdf/Apple_II_Computer_Graphics_1983.pdf)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://archive.org/details/A2_Hyde_6502_Asm_Lang/mode/1up",
          "reason": "Offered as one of two books for consideration; the archive link identifies the title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Randy Hyde"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "6502 assembly",
        "apple ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "6502-assembly-language-programming-6f2425",
      "title": "6502 Assembly Language Programming",
      "author": "Andrew N. Leventhal",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46783002,
          "author": "runjake",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-27T17:17:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 46778461,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books to learn 6502 ASM and the Apple II",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46783002",
          "commentText": "6502 Assembly Language Programming by Leventhal.\nThis is how I learned. This book is great. I have the worn paper copy sitting 6 feet behind me as I type this. It's worth getting a paper copy if that is still possible.\nhttps://archive.org/details/6502-assembly-language-programmi... (https://archive.org/details/6502-assembly-language-programming)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "6502 Assembly Language Programming by Leventhal.",
          "reason": "The commenter says this was how they learned and calls it great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Paper copy may be difficult to find.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew N. Leventhal"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "6502 assembly",
        "assembly language"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "6502-games-fa10ba",
      "title": "6502 Games",
      "author": "Rodnay Zaks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46778617,
          "author": "aa-jv",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-27T11:31:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 46778461,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books to learn 6502 ASM and the Apple II",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46778617",
          "commentText": "Pretty much the best resource available:\nhttps://6502.org/\nCheck the books section and find something that compels you.\nAlso, don't forget the HUGE number of resources for 6502 assembly programming that are available in the https://archive.org/ magazine and book sections:\nhttps://archive.org/search?query=6502\nRodney Zaks' books are great - I like especially \"6502 Games\", which taught me a lot back in the day:\nhttps://archive.org/download/6502g/6502Games.pdf\nI'm also especially fond of the easy6502 emulator - its a very handy tool to have while studying 6502 techniques:\nhttps://skilldrick.github.io/easy6502/\nIts not absolutely necessary to learn BASIC before Assembly, but it will definitely help you understand the resources of the machine better if you can debug BASIC ROM code.  My personal 6502 platform of choice, the Oric-1/Atmos machines, has a pretty great ROM disassembly available, from which a lot of great knowledge can be obtained - but it does of course first require an undersanding of BASIC.\nIn case you're curious, the Oric-1 ROM Disassembly:\nhttps://library.defence-force.org/books/content/oric_advance... (https://library.defence-force.org/books/content/oric_advanced_user_guide_rom_disassembly.pdf)\n(You can get an Oric emulator named Oricutron, or you can access a virtual Oric here: https://oric.games/ ..)\nGood luck!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rodney Zaks' books are great - I like especially \"6502 Games\", which taught me a lot back in the day",
          "reason": "The commenter says it taught them a lot.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rodnay Zaks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "6502 assembly",
        "retro programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "7-powers-0eb25b",
      "title": "7 Powers",
      "author": "Hamilton Helmer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35169107,
          "author": "collin128",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T14:47:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35169107",
          "commentText": "Steve Blank's blog (not a book, I know) + The Startup Owners Manual also by Steve Blank.\nLean Product Playbook by Dan Olsen.\nThe two helped me understand what it meant to 'get out of the building'.\n7 Powers + Good Strategy Bad Strategy helped me think long term about the business model and evolution of the company.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "7 Powers + Good Strategy Bad Strategy helped me think long term about the business model and evolution of the company.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them think long term about the business model and company evolution.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hamilton Helmer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business models",
        "business strategy",
        "competitive advantage"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "7-powers-the-foundations-of-business-strategy-6df897",
      "title": "7 Powers: The Foundations of Business Strategy",
      "author": "Hamilton Helmer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33852477,
          "author": "shanebellone",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T10:58:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33852477",
          "commentText": "I devoured Hamilton Helmer's 7 Powers this year. I rarely read a book in a single sitting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I devoured Hamilton Helmer's 7 Powers this year.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they devoured it and read it in one sitting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18663451,
          "author": "jger15",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:54:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663451",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction:\n7 Powers: The Foundations of Business Strategy - Hamilton Helmer\nAmerican Wolf - Nate Blakeslee\nAtomic Habits - James Clear\nConspiracy - Ryan Holiday\nCourage To Be Disliked - Ichiro Kishimi\nHow To Change Your Mind - Michael Pollan\nOpen - Andre Agassi\nWhy We Sleep - Matthew Walker\nWorld After Capital - Albert Wenger\nFiction:\nChocky - John Wyndham\nConvenience Store Woman - Sayaka Murata\nThe Eight Mountains - Paolo Cognetti\nThe Invisibility Cloak - Ge Fei\nThe Midnight Fox - Betsy Byars\nSuch Small Hands - Andres Barba\nThe Thief - Fuminori Nakamura\nTies - Domenico Starnone\nTrick - Domenico Starnone",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "7 Powers: The Foundations of Business Strategy - Hamilton Helmer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hamilton Helmer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business strategy",
        "competitive advantage"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "9-lives-of-jacob-tibbs-14e43f",
      "title": "9 Lives of Jacob Tibbs",
      "author": "Cylin Busby",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34635300,
          "author": "CharlieDigital",
          "createdAt": "2023-02-03T00:16:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 34634274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books your kids like most",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34635300",
          "commentText": "9 Lives of Jacob Tibbs.\nFantastic read. Read it to my daughter multiple times and she read a few times herself.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "9 Lives of Jacob Tibbs.\nFantastic read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a fantastic read and says they read it repeatedly with their daughter.",
          "audience": "Children; the commenter read it aloud to their daughter.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cylin Busby"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cats",
        "children s adventure"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "97-things-every-programmer-should-know-ccfd33",
      "title": "97 Things Every Programmer Should Know",
      "author": "Kevlin Henney, editor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12144298,
          "author": "cmax",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:54:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144298",
          "commentText": "1) The Art of Unix Programming\n2) TCP/IP Illustrated \n3) 97 Things Every Programmer Should Know",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "97 Things Every Programmer Should Know",
          "reason": "Named in response to a request for books that impacted a career.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kevlin Henney, editor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming practices",
        "software development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-beginner-s-guide-to-mathematical-logic-39f5d6",
      "title": "A Beginner's Guide to Mathematical Logic",
      "author": "Raymond Smullyan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21350454,
          "author": "Mugwort",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-25T00:07:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21350454",
          "commentText": "There are some really good suggestions here.  I would like to add that learning calculus properly is of the utmost importance.  It's no exaggeration when I say that this is unquestionably the single best, most profitable action you can take.  Any one of these books can change your life.\n1. Spivak Calculus\n2. Apostol Calculus vol. I and II\n3.  Courant and Johns, Introduction to Calculus and Analysis vol. I, IIA and IIB\nFor the more casual computer science or physics major, I'd go with choice 3 which resembles the Feynmann lectures the most. All the rigour of the other two is there but in a more digestible form.  It's hard for someone not accustomed to hard maths to digest long proofs, it could give you a bad case of indigestion.  It's more a function of patience.  Courant and Johns get to the point much more quickly while Spivak and Apostol take their time to do everything thoroughly.  Courant and Johns does do everything thoroughly but they are kinder to the reader and delay lengthy rigoourous proofs as long as possible while giving plenty of motivation and intuition.\nAlso I strongly recommend any books by Ray Smullyan particularly his introduction to mathematical logic.\n\"A Beginner's Guide to Mathematical Logic\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"A Beginner's Guide to Mathematical Logic\"",
          "reason": "Included after the commenter strongly recommends books by Ray Smullyan.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Raymond Smullyan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical logic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-biography-of-the-pixel-ef25f0",
      "title": "A Biography of the Pixel",
      "author": "Alvy Ray Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36601396,
          "author": "topherjaynes",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:02:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601396",
          "commentText": "Have you looked for online courses? Here are a few of the books I'd go through around computers, but are you thinking more extensive history of \"technology?\" Like how we've grown from printing press as innovation?\nSoul of a New Machine is a great non-fiction but reads like a fiction account of trying to overtake the Vax by building one of the first 32-bit machines https://www.amazon.com/Soul-New-Machine-Tracy-Kidder/dp/0316... (https://www.amazon.com/Soul-New-Machine-Tracy-Kidder/dp/0316491977)\nA Biography of the Pixel https://www.amazon.com/Biography-Pixel-Leonardo-Alvy-Smith/d... (https://www.amazon.com/Biography-Pixel-Leonardo-Alvy-Smith/dp/0262542455) great overview of the innovation and math that pushed graphics forwrard\nThe Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood https://www.amazon.com/Information-History-Theory-Flood/dp/1... (https://www.amazon.com/Information-History-Theory-Flood/dp/1400096235) walks through information theory and how we got to the internet\nDealers of lightning: https://www.amazon.com/Dealers-of-Lightning-audiobook/dp/B00... (https://www.amazon.com/Dealers-of-Lightning-audiobook/dp/B0000546R7/) how a lot of modenr computing grew out of Xerox",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Biography of the Pixel",
          "reason": "Described as an overview of the innovation and mathematics that advanced computer graphics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alvy Ray Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer graphics",
        "pixels"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-book-apart-684a14",
      "title": "A Book Apart",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18675721,
          "author": "dieg0",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-13T20:24:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18662992,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on modern UI/UX?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18675721",
          "commentText": "Up this, I'd start from here",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Up this, I'd start from here",
          "reason": "Endorses the linked collection as a starting point for UI/UX books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ui ux"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-book-of-abstract-algebra-3771a2",
      "title": "A Book of Abstract Algebra",
      "author": "Charles C. Pinter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31494254,
          "author": "tzs",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T16:33:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31494254",
          "commentText": "For abstract algebra, I'd go with Pinter's \"A Book of Abstract Algebra\" (ABoAA) [1].\nThe other recommendations given so far for abstract algebra are fine, but Pinter's organization makes it I think work better for self-study, and it is much more friendly on the wallet because it is a Dover edition. It's currently $14.89 on Amazon ($6.49 eBook).\nABoAA tends to divide the material into short chapters with lots of exercises. A typical chapter is around 5 pages of text and 5 pages of exercises. The ratio of text to exercises varies a bit but mostly will be in the 40-60% range for the text. Chapters are mostly around 10 pages +/- 3.\nThe exercises for each chapter are split into several sections each section covering a different aspect of the chapter's material. Sometimes there is a section of exercises applying the material to some interesting area. For example, the chapter on groups of permutations has 6 pages of text, then 5 pages of exercises divided into N sections.\nThe exercise sections for that chapter are computing elements in S6 (5 problems), examples of groups of permutations (4 problems), groups of permutations in R (4 problems), a cyclic group of permutations (4 problems), a subgroup of SR (4 problems), symmetries of geometric figures (4 problems), symmetries of polynomials (4 problems), properties of permutations of a set A (4 problems), and algebra of kinship structures which consists of 9 problems covering how anthropologists have applied groups of permutations to describe kinship systems in primitive societies.\nThis combination of small chapters with lots of exercises organized in small groups of related exercises makes it a lot easier to fit this book into a self-study plan if you are like the typical self-study student who has other things (like work) taking up much of their time and so can't get in many long study sessions.\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/Book-Abstract-Algebra-Second-Mathemat... (https://www.amazon.com/Book-Abstract-Algebra-Second-Mathematics/dp/0486474178/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For abstract algebra, I'd go with Pinter's \"A Book of Abstract Algebra\" (ABoAA)",
          "reason": "Recommends it for abstract algebra and explains that its short chapters and grouped exercises suit self-study.",
          "audience": "Self-study students, especially those fitting study around work.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is not easy to fit in long study sessions for a typical self-study student.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14860927,
          "author": "tzs",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T22:24:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14860927",
          "commentText": "I typically have several books in progress. I'll read a chapter from whichever one I'm in the mood for when I have some time for reading. Currently in progress:\n\"A Book of Abstract Algebra: Second Edition\" by Charles C. Pinter [1].\n\"How Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking\" by Jordan Ellenberg [2].\n\"Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies\" by Jared Diamond [3].\n\"Introduction to Analytic Number Theory\" by Tom M. Apostol [4].\n\"Algorithmic Puzzles\" by Levitin and Levitin [7].\nI've also got a 46 books in my Safari Library queue, although only about half a dozen are actually in the in progress state.\nIn addition to the above, I'm about 3 years behind on Analog, the science fiction magazine. Those are all on my Kindle and I'm slowly trying to catch up.\nRecently finished:\n\"Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything\" by Joshua Foer [5].\nProbably going to pick up soon:\n\"The Greatest Story Ever Told--So Far\" by Lawrence M. Krauss [6]. Flipped through it at a bookstore and there were some very interesting things in it.\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/Book-Abstract-Algebra-Second-Mathemat... (https://www.amazon.com/Book-Abstract-Algebra-Second-Mathematics/dp/0486474178/)\n[2] https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00G3L6JQ4/\n[3] https://www.amazon.com/Guns-Germs-Steel-Fates-Societies/dp/0... (https://www.amazon.com/Guns-Germs-Steel-Fates-Societies/dp/0393354326/)\n[4] https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Analytic-Number-Theory-A... (https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Analytic-Number-Theory-Apostol/dp/0387901639/)\n[5] https://www.amazon.com/Moonwalking-Einstein-Science-Remember... (https://www.amazon.com/Moonwalking-Einstein-Science-Remembering-Everything-ebook/dp/B004H4XI5O/)\n[6] https://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Story-Ever-Told-So-Far-ebook... (https://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Story-Ever-Told-So-Far-ebook/dp/B01HMXUZIO/)\n[7] https://www.amazon.com/Algorithmic-Puzzles-Anany-Levitin/dp/... (https://www.amazon.com/Algorithmic-Puzzles-Anany-Levitin/dp/0199740445/)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"A Book of Abstract Algebra: Second Edition\" by Charles C. Pinter",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles C. Pinter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "abstract algebra",
        "exercise books",
        "self study"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-bridge-too-far-40f448",
      "title": "A Bridge Too Far",
      "author": "Cornelius Ryan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1865794,
          "author": "scottkrager",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T18:16:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865794",
          "commentText": "Great book! I used to love story format non-fiction books, and \"The Killer Angels\" was one of my favorites. Also, check out \"The Longest Day\" by Cornelius Ryan (D-Day) and my favorite one of his, \"A Bridge Too Far\" (about largest airborne operation in WWII). Just don't watch the movies!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "my favorite one of his, \"A Bridge Too Far\" (about largest airborne operation in WWII). Just don't watch the movies!",
          "reason": "Calls it their favorite Ryan book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Advises against watching the movie adaptations.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cornelius Ryan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "operation market garden",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-brief-history-of-everything-d721f2",
      "title": "A Brief History of Everything",
      "author": "Ken Wilber",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17168705,
          "author": "AnIdiotOnTheNet",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:35:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168705",
          "commentText": "A friend loaned me a copy of Ken Wilbur's A Brief History of Everything, which I credit with starting me down the path of philosophical thought. I honestly don't remember a whole lot about the book, but even if I did I'm not certain I'd recommend it if only because I've noticed this tendency of people to read a book about philosophical ideas and then just stop thinking about the ideas and treat them as some kind of dogma. I do recommend deep philosophical thinking though, and to try not to get caught up in the academic side of philosophy.\nTerry Pratchett's Hogfather, in retrospect, laid the foundation for a fundamental shift in my understanding of belief and how it interfaces with reality.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A Brief History of Everything",
          "reason": "Credited with starting the commenter on the path of philosophical thought.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure they would recommend it and warns against treating philosophical ideas as dogma.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ken Wilber"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "integral theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-brief-history-of-intelligence-evolution-ai-and-the-five-breakth-29de28",
      "title": "A Brief History of Intelligence: Evolution, AI, and the Five Breakthroughs That Made Our Brains",
      "author": "Max Solomon Bennett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42536706,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-29T01:47:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42536706",
          "commentText": "In terms of books, I read way less than usual this year for $REASONS. But of the books I did read, one stood out:\nA Brief History of Intelligence: Evolution, AI, and the Five Breakthroughs That Made Our Brains by Max Solomon Bennett. If you're interested in intelligence and related topics, it's definitely worth a read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Brief History of Intelligence: Evolution, AI, and the Five Breakthroughs That Made Our Brains by Max Solomon Bennett. If you're interested in intelligence and related topics, it's definitely worth a read.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a worthwhile read for people interested in intelligence and related topics.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in intelligence and related topics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Max Solomon Bennett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "brain evolution",
        "intelligence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-brief-history-of-nearly-everything-b28fac",
      "title": "A Brief History of Nearly Everything",
      "author": "Bill Bryson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5692169,
          "author": "bloodorange",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T21:32:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5692169",
          "commentText": "Adding more:\nSiddhartha - Hermen Hesse\nNarcissus and Goldmund - Herman Hesse\nThe Glass Bead Game - Herman Hesse\nThe Consolations of Philosophy - Alain de Botton\nA Brief History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson\nPolitics and The English Lanaguage (essay) - George Orwell\nA Modest Proposal (essay) - Jonathan Swift",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Brief History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson",
          "reason": "Listed in a response to a request for good books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Bryson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "popular science",
        "science history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-brief-history-of-progress-465a46",
      "title": "A Brief History of Progress",
      "author": "Ronald Wright",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29815965,
          "author": "TheMerovingian",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-05T22:25:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29815965",
          "commentText": "My recommendation: A Brief History of Progress by Ronald Wright.\nMy Wife's recommendation: Your Money or Your Life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My recommendation: A Brief History of Progress by Ronald Wright.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommended by the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ronald Wright"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "civilization",
        "human progress"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-brief-history-of-thought-93c0e7",
      "title": "A Brief History of Thought",
      "author": "Luc Ferry",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32936496,
          "author": "memling",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T09:13:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936496",
          "commentText": "> The Bible is not exactly .. readable?\nI can appreciate why people might say this, but modern translations are not that hard, and large parts are narrative and relatively straightforward. Probably a bit of an explainer is helpful, just like any other major work of literature.\nAs to whether OP would find it worthwhile reading, that obviously depends. But as others point out it is the most important book in shaping Western civilization as we know it...so there is probably some value.\nOn that subject Luc Ferry's Brief History of Thought has perspectives on several major thought streams. I don't know how accessible it is, but when I read it a few years ago, I found it reasonable, and I don't know much about philosophy.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "On that subject Luc Ferry's Brief History of Thought has perspectives on several major thought streams.",
          "reason": "Offers perspectives on several major philosophical traditions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure how accessible it is.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401422,
          "author": "steve-benjamins",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:22:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401422",
          "commentText": "-- Read --\nDon Delillo: End Zone\nLuc Ferry: A Brief History of Thought\nBrett Easton Ellis: Less Than Zero\n-- Working on --\nDon Delillo: Libra\nHubert Dreyfuss: Being in the World (it's taking me a long time...)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Luc Ferry: A Brief History of Thought",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Luc Ferry"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of philosophy",
        "philosophical traditions"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-briefer-history-of-time-66b9fb",
      "title": "A Briefer History of Time",
      "author": "Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8109173,
          "author": "jestinjoy1",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:28:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109173",
          "commentText": "The Drunkards Walk by Leonard Mlodinow\nFor the uninitiated he is the coauthor of 2005 edition of A Briefer History of Time. As the title says this is about \"how randomness rules our lives\".",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "he is the coauthor of 2005 edition of A Briefer History of Time.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227384,
          "author": "Element_",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T19:55:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227384",
          "commentText": "A Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson\nA Briefer History of Time - Stephen Hawking",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Briefer History of Time - Stephen Hawking",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cosmology",
        "physics",
        "popular science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-briefer-history-of-time-5c989d",
      "title": "A Briefer History of Time",
      "author": "Stephen Hawking",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15961294,
          "author": "vo1d",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:27:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961294",
          "commentText": "- The Innovator's Dilemma by Clay Christensen\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman\n- A Briefer History of Time by Stephen Hawking\n- The Lean Startup by Eric Ries\n- Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson\n- The Industries of the Future by Alec Ross\n- Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss\n- Start with No by Jim Camp\n- How Google Works by Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg\n- The Everything Store by Brad Stone\n- The Inevitable by Kevin Kelly",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Briefer History of Time by Stephen Hawking",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2617616,
          "author": "Toddward",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T19:14:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2617616",
          "commentText": "Crazy - I was just about to ask this same question.\nMy New Years resolution for this year was to read two books a month. I just finished reading \"In the Plex\" by Steven Levy and I'm starting Stephen Hawking's \"A Briefer History of Time.\" It should take me no time to blow through the latter, so I'm looking for suggestions as for what to read next.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm starting Stephen Hawking's \"A Briefer History of Time.\"",
          "reason": "Mentioned as the book the commenter is starting to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No evaluation or recommendation is expressed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Hawking"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cosmology",
        "physics",
        "popular science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-case-for-the-book-of-mormon-5471f5",
      "title": "A Case for the Book of Mormon",
      "author": "Tad R. Callister",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39736188,
          "author": "lcall",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-17T17:32:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39736188",
          "commentText": "\"No Ma'am That's Not History\", Hugh Nibley\nhttps://www.amazon.com/History-Brodies-Reluctant-Vindication... (https://www.amazon.com/History-Brodies-Reluctant-Vindication-Prophet/dp/B001LAYSEW/ref=sr_1_1)\n_A Case for the Book of Mormon_, Callister\nhttps://www.amazon.com/s?k=a+case+for+the+book+of+mormon&cri... (https://www.amazon.com/s?k=a+case+for+the+book+of+mormon&crid=ZIJDJHQ8NTA3&sprefix=A+case+for+the+book%2Caps%2C268&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_19)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "_A Case for the Book of Mormon_, Callister",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tad R. Callister"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mormonism",
        "religious apologetics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-case-of-conscience-6282da",
      "title": "A Case of Conscience",
      "author": "James Blish",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39729464,
          "author": "bookofjoe",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T21:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729464",
          "commentText": "\"A Canticle For Leibowitz\"\n\"The Sparrow\"\n\"Lord of Light\"\n\"The Immortal\"\n\"Hyperion\"\n\"The Last Question\"\n\"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?\"\n\"Stranger in a Strange Land\"\n\"The City and the Stars\"\n\"Childhood's End\"\n\"Anathem\"\n\"Eifelheim\"\n\"A Case of Conscience\"\n\"VALIS\" trilogy\n\"The Book of Strange New Things\"\n\"Behold The Man\"\n\"The God Engines\"\n\"Book of the New Sun\"\n\"The Parable of the Sower\"\n\"The Dosadi Experiment\"\n\"Grass\"\n\"Project Pope\"\n\"Calculating God\"\n\"Factoring Humanity\"\n\"Jesus on Mars\"\n\"Surface Detail",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"A Case of Conscience\"",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about books that changed perspectives on religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Blish"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "catholicism",
        "theodicy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-child-s-garden-of-verses-d2c1ef",
      "title": "A Child's Garden of Verses",
      "author": "Robert Louis Stevenson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32790586,
          "author": "eimrine",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T13:47:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790586",
          "commentText": "A Child's Garden of Verses.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Child's Garden of Verses.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Louis Stevenson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s poetry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-clash-of-kings-6360f6",
      "title": "A Clash of Kings",
      "author": "George R. R. Martin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4240472,
          "author": "stevenspasbo",
          "createdAt": "2012-07-13T16:31:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 4239104,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read & liked in 2012 till now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4240472",
          "commentText": "I just finished Game of Thrones, I couldn't put it down and had to go out and buy the A Clash of Kings as soon as I was done.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "had to go out and buy the A Clash of Kings as soon as I was done.",
          "reason": "The reader bought the next book immediately after finishing the first; the comment conveys enthusiasm for continuing the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3336101,
          "author": "ashconnor",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-09T23:13:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3336101",
          "commentText": "Currently reading:\niOS Programming - Big Nerd Ranch - 2nd Edition\nAgile Web Dev with Rails - Pragmatic Programmers - 4th Edition\nA Clash of Kings - GRR Martin",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "A Clash of Kings - GRR Martin",
          "reason": "Listed among the books the commenter is currently reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569067,
          "author": "sliverstorm",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:03:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569067",
          "commentText": "Such practical and classic recommendations!\nI'm just trying to make it through A Clash of Kings and Dune.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm just trying to make it through A Clash of Kings and Dune.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are trying to get through it, without expressing a positive evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George R. R. Martin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "a song of ice and fire",
        "political fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-closed-and-common-orbit-fe12df",
      "title": "A Closed and Common Orbit",
      "author": "Becky Chambers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38237917,
          "author": "tstack",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T06:41:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38237917",
          "commentText": "A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13119380,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-07T00:03:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13119380",
          "commentText": "The Wayfarers books The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and A Closed and Common Orbit were quite good. Fantastic world building and characters, although the plots seem to meander about with not too much purpose.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/series/170872-wayfarers\nRecently ploughed through The Expanse series.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/series/56399-the-expanse\nDark Matter was a good read if you like parallel universes.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27833670-dark-matter\nThe Rho Agenda series was a surprisingly good read.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/series/61746-the-rho-agenda\nQuantum Night was something a bit different from Robert Sawyer.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25734179-quantum-night\nAnd Barsk: The Elephants’ Graveyard would probably have to be rated my favourite for the year.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25667916-barsk",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Wayfarers books The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and A Closed and Common Orbit were quite good.",
          "reason": "Includes it among books praised for world building and characters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The plots seem to meander without much purpose.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Becky Chambers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "character driven fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-coffin-full-of-dreams-5dc473",
      "title": "A Coffin Full of Dreams",
      "author": "Frisco Hitt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15156207,
          "author": "jaco8",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T14:46:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156207",
          "commentText": "Poor no more   - Robert Chester Ruark\nA Coffin Full of Dreams  - Frisco Hitt\nOblomov  - Ivan Goncharov\nThe Man Without Qualities - Robert Musil",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Coffin Full of Dreams  - Frisco Hitt",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which books had the biggest impact on mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frisco Hitt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-commentary-on-the-sixth-edition-unix-operating-system-6911dd",
      "title": "A Commentary on the Sixth Edition UNIX Operating System",
      "author": "John Lions",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 177240,
          "author": "landondyer",
          "createdAt": "2008-04-30T03:01:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 176803,
          "threadTitle": "Which is your favorite 70-80s computer book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=177240",
          "commentText": "Dang, choices, choices.  K&R, of course.  Followed closely by _Software Tools_, and Lion's Notes on V6 Unix.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lion's Notes on V6 Unix.",
          "reason": "Names the notes among favorite computer books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Lions"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "operating systems",
        "unix"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-companion-to-analysis-7f602c",
      "title": "A Companion to Analysis",
      "author": "Tom Körner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23727807,
          "author": "ColinWright",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T21:27:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23727807",
          "commentText": "A list:\nhttps://www.topicsinmaths.co.uk/cgi-bin/sews.py?SuggestedRea... (https://www.topicsinmaths.co.uk/cgi-bin/sews.py?SuggestedReading)\nFor a single suggestion, \"How to Think Like a Mathematician\" by Kevin Houston.\nA second suggestion: \"A Companion to Analysis\" by Tom Körner.\nBut it depends a lot on whether you want books about math, or books of math.  It sounds like you want the latter ... at some point I'll get around to putting annotations on the choices in the list that would help distinguish.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A second suggestion: \"A Companion to Analysis\" by Tom Körner.",
          "reason": "Offers it as a second book suggestion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter distinguishes books about mathematics from books of mathematics and says the request sounds like the latter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Körner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "real analysis",
        "textbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-comprehensive-introduction-to-differential-geometry-cca94b",
      "title": "A Comprehensive Introduction to Differential Geometry",
      "author": "Michael Spivak",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34442367,
          "author": "VyseofArcadia",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T16:44:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34442367",
          "commentText": "Seconding all of Spivak's books. My favorite treatment of differential geometry.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seconding all of Spivak's books.",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds Spivak’s books and calls his differential geometry treatment a favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Spivak"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "differential geometry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-computer-called-leo-lyons-tea-shops-and-the-world-s-first-offic-157d0e",
      "title": "A Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer",
      "author": "Georgina Ferry",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Georgina Ferry"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business computing",
        "leo computer"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-concise-guide-to-macroeconomics-what-managers-executives-and-st-00ab21",
      "title": "A Concise Guide to Macroeconomics: What Managers, Executives, and Students Need to Know",
      "author": "David A. Moss",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12562063,
          "author": "cubey17",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T03:12:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12562063",
          "commentText": "Can't recommend this book highly enough: A Concise Guide to Macroeconomics, Second Edition: What Managers, Executives, and Students Need to Know http://a.co/jicSNc9",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Can't recommend this book highly enough: A Concise Guide to Macroeconomics, Second Edition: What Managers, Executives, and Students Need to Know",
          "reason": "The commenter strongly recommends the book.",
          "audience": "Managers, executives, and students, as stated in the subtitle.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David A. Moss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "macroeconomics",
        "textbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-conflict-of-visions-c21af5",
      "title": "A Conflict of Visions",
      "author": "Thomas Sowell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19089970,
          "author": "Fellshard",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T21:24:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19089970",
          "commentText": "In similar veins, his 'A Conflict of Visions' and 'The Vision of the Anointed' are two stunning incisive books that show pretty directly why we are where we are now, as divided as we are now.  Likely corresponds strongly with Haidt's 'The Righteous Mind', referred to elsewhere in this topic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "his 'A Conflict of Visions' and 'The Vision of the Anointed' are two stunning incisive books",
          "reason": "Calls both books stunning and incisive, saying they help explain current social divisions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Sowell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political ideology",
        "social divisions"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-conflict-of-visions-ideological-origins-of-political-struggles-12a68c",
      "title": "A Conflict of Visions: Ideological Origins of Political Struggles",
      "author": "Thomas Sowell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29669843,
          "author": "anonuser123456",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T03:36:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29669843",
          "commentText": "A Conflict of Visions, Thomas Sowell.\nA good book regardless of what you think of Sowell’s politics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Conflict of Visions, Thomas Sowell.\nA good book regardless of what you think of Sowell’s politics.",
          "reason": "Calls it a good book regardless of the reader’s views of the author's politics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Separates the book's merit from Sowell’s politics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Sowell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political ideology",
        "social vision"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-course-in-miracles-04a206",
      "title": "A Course in Miracles",
      "author": "Helen Schucman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32936760,
          "author": "pkszg",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T09:54:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936760",
          "commentText": "I like to read a wide variety of genre from fiction to human psychology.\nFor the mind:\nNonviolent Communication by  Marshall Rosenberg - A great book on how to communcate more effectively with others.\nThinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman -He is the only psychologist ever to recieve the Nobel Prize if I remember correctly. This book scientifically digests human biases and errors and how they influence our every day lives and decision making. Sometimes it a bit too technical for my taste and I like mostly the first part. (its not an easy read) I rarely had so many Aha-moments.\nA random walk down on wall street - For investing your income in stocks. What to do and what no to do. Simple, with facts.\nSapiens by Harari -Interesting, I remember it was a great read and fun read. Connecting a lot of dots :)\nOn programming:\nDesigning Data-Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann - I am failry a junior web dev, so any material that is clear and explains well is a great source of information and inspiration. This is such a book.\nComputer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective by Randal E. Bryant and David R. O'Hallaron - Teaches CS from the basics, which for me is a great source since I don't have a CS degree. I complement it with other materials from the internet (such as Harvard's CS50) for learning the fundamentals paralell working in my daily web dev job. Its a long book, so It will take a couple of months, years to go thorugh, but definitely worth the effort.\nFictions I love, without much introduction:\nLord of the Rings\nDune (first book)\nGame of thrones books\nFor me JRRs storytelling is outstanding, the books are better than the serires IMO.\nSpiritual Books:\n(I am not a religous person by any means and I do not follow traditions)\nSpirituality for me means a deeper connection with the universe.\nIf I really want to dig deeper than everyday work-life stuff I listen/read these books. Usually when there is a great emotional upheaval in my life or when I feel my daily distractions failed on me.\nPower of now by Eckhart Tolle - This book gives me the occasional goosebumps, a great summary of all spiritual teachings (before becoming religions) in a really simple way. If you are interested in such, I highly recommend it.\nMeditations by Marcus Aurelius - I see it mentioned here already, no intro needed.\nLetters by Seneca - This book is a proof for me that the essential human experience, the core of what makes us human does not change over time. Seneca was a great stoic thinker, who is very relatable by anyone even today (and probably will be for many millenia)\nZen Mind, Beginners Mind by Suzuki Roshi - All true spiritual teaching have the same source, but all are expressed differently. This is a great, simple powerful book to read if you lean towards buddhism.\nA Course in Miracles (no official author) -Now this is a heavy read. It has a textbook with daily practices also. This is definitely not a book for everyone.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "This is definitely not a book for everyone.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes it as a heavy read with a textbook and daily practices, and says it is not for everyone.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Helen Schucman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "daily practices",
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-course-in-miracles-b3d356",
      "title": "A Course in Miracles",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17192905,
          "author": "preordained",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-30T23:53:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17192905",
          "commentText": "The Disappearance of the Universe, by Gary Renard...and following naturally, A Course in Miracles (supplemented by lots and lots of Kenneth Wapnick).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Course in Miracles",
          "reason": "Adds it as a natural follow-on to the first title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian mysticism",
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-course-in-probability-theory-56a2fc",
      "title": "A Course in Probability Theory",
      "author": "Kai Lai Chung",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7578513,
          "author": "harshreality",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T17:39:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578513",
          "commentText": "As mentioned in another subthread, Pugh's Real Mathematical Analysis is great, and better motivated than baby Rudin.\nWilf - Generatingfunctionology (CRC 3rd ed.; free 2nd ed. pdf[1])\nLovasz - Combinatorial Problems and Exercises (AMS Chelsea)\nThe classic probability book is Feller (2 vol), but it's absurdly priced.  There's also Sidney Resnick's Probability Path and Adventures in Stochastic Processes.  Grinstead & Snell - Introduction to Probability Theory is free[2], and there's also Chung's A Course in Probability Theory (Academic Press/Elsevier).\nDover publishes at least three good books on counterexamples and pathological cases: Counterexamples in {Analysis, Probability, Topology}\n[1] http://www.math.upenn.edu/~wilf/DownldGF.html\n[2] http://www.dartmouth.edu/~chance/teaching_aids/books_article... (http://www.dartmouth.edu/~chance/teaching_aids/books_articles/probability_book/book.html)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "there's also Chung's A Course in Probability Theory (Academic Press/Elsevier).",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2734410,
          "author": "NY_Entrepreneur",
          "createdAt": "2011-07-06T15:46:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 2723436,
          "threadTitle": "Suggest good sites/books on probability",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2734410",
          "commentText": "\"Can you please suggest on-line resource to learn great beginning and advanced probability concepts?\"\nYup!  The subject at the level you ask is a major topic in applied math but is not very popular in US universities.  So, you will not get many good answers.  In particular, the 'computer science' community, with 'machine learning' and 'artificial' this, Bayesian that, likely won't have good answers.\nYour \"on-line\" part is asking a bit much; I can give you references to books but not all on-line.  There may be some PDF files on-line, from TeX, that have such material; try some Google searching with the keywords used here.\nThe intuitive foundations of probability went back to gambling.\n'Probability' is a field of 'applied' math and as such is well defined:\nAbout 100 years ago, E. Borel student H. Lebesgue invented 'measure theory' which essentially 'rewrote' classic calculus, especially the part about integration.  For the simple cases, what Lebesgue did gets the same numerical values as the classic Riemann integral.  The difference is that in theoretical work Lebesgue's integral is much more general and much better 'behaved'.\nBut 'measure theory' has to do with, intuitively, 'length', 'area', 'volume' and various generalizations of these.  Well, in probability, for probability P and event A, the 'probability' of A is P(A) and is a number in [0,1] and acts much like the 'area' of A. The connection is so close that, in the end, we have to accept that the foundations of probability are measure theory.\nThen\nA. N. Kolmogorov, 'Foundations of the Theory of Probability, Second English Edition', Chelsea Publishing Company, New York, 1956.  English translation of the original German '\"Grundbegriffe der Wahrscheinlichkeitrechnung,\"' 'Ergebnisse Der Mathematik', 1933.\napplied Lebesgue's work to make probability a solid field of math.  Since then Kolmogorov's foundations have been nearly the only one taken seriously in any 'modern' or 'advanced' work in probability, stochastic processes, or mathematical statistics.\nA good start on a good text in stochastic processes was:\nJ. L. Doob, 'Stochastic Processes', John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1953.\nDoob was long at University of Illinois.  One of his students was P. Halmos who was later an assistant to von Neumann at the Institute for Advanced Study and in about 1942 wrote the first version of the still standard:\nPaul R. Halmos, 'Finite-Dimensional Vector Spaces, Second Edition', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, New Jersey, 1958.\nLater he wrote:\nPaul R. Halmos, 'Measure Theory', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, NJ, 1950.\nwith at the end a NICE introduction to probability and stochastic processes based on measure theory.\nLikely the first rock solid, quite comprehensive, highly polished presentation of 'modern' probability was the first edition of:\nM. Loeve, 'Probability Theory, I and II, 4th Edition', Springer-Verlag, New York, 1977.\nLoeve was long at Berkeley.  One of his students did:\nJacques Neveu, 'Mathematical Foundations of the Calculus of Probability', Holden-Day, San Francisco, 1965.\nand another did:\nLeo Breiman, 'Probability', ISBN 0-89871-296-3, SIAM, Philadelphia, 1992.\nEither of these two can be regarded as a more succinct presentation of the more important material in Loeve.  Breiman is the more 'practical' and 'accessible'; Neveu is a crown jewel of elegance and succinctness but not always easy to read.\nOther good presentations of much the same material include:\nKai Lai Chung, 'A Course in Probability Theory, Second Edition', ISBN 0-12-174650-X, Academic Press, New York, 1974.\nand\nYuan Shih Chow and Henry Teicher, 'Probability Theory:  Independence, Interchangeability, Martingales', ISBN 0-387-90331-3, Springer-Verlag, New York, 1978.\nIn total, those texts nail down 'probability' at all four corners and make it a rock solid topic in applied math.  Good knowledge of, say, Breiman is a necessary and sufficient condition for knowing 'probability' at a serious level, that is, without being watered down for 'general audiences'.\nFor more, proceed with stochastic processes, stochastic optimal control, mathematical statistics, etc.\nFor learning probability, minimal prerequisites (more would be helpful) would be abstract algebra, linear algebra, 'analysis', measure theory, and functional analysis.\nFor abstract algebra, there are many texts.  Sufficient is\nI. N. Herstein, 'Topics in Algebra', Blaisdell, New York, 1964.\nbut can consider S. Lang, etc.\nFor linear algebra, there are many texts, but the old:\nPaul R. Halmos, 'Finite-Dimensional Vector Spaces, Second Edition', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, New Jersey, 1958.\nremains a good 'second' text.  It is also an introduction to functional analysis.\nThe main text for 'analysis' is just:\nWalter Rudin, 'Principles of Mathematical Analysis', McGraw-Hill, New York.\nin whatever is the latest edition.\nCan skip the material on exterior algebra or just get it from the original source, now in English:\nHenri Cartan, 'Differential Forms', ISBN 0-486-45010-4, Dover, Mineola, NY, 2006.\nFor measure theory and functional analysis, the standards are:\nH. L. Royden, 'Real Analysis:  Second Edition', Macmillan, New York.\nand the first (real) half of:\nWalter Rudin, 'Real and Complex Analysis', ISBN 07-054232-5, McGraw-Hill, New York.\nActually, Loeve also covers much of this material.  Neveu slips in quite a lot.\nThen you will be ready for Breiman, Neveu, Chung, Chow and Teicher, or Loeve.\nYou will discover:\nThe start of probability theory is a 'probability space'.  For that, there are three parts, (1) the 'sample space', (2) the 'events', and (3) the 'probability measure'.\nThe 'sample space' is just a set of points; to support any reasonably serious work in probability, the sample space has to be uncountably infinite.  In all our work, we do some one 'trial', and that corresponds to some one point in the sample space.  The other points in the sample space are what 'might' have been our trial.\nAn 'event' is a set of trials.  We ask that the collection of all events have some 'closure' properties to make that collection a 'sigma algebra'.  So, briefly, the collection of events has as one event the whole sample space and is closed under relative complements and countable unions.\nIn terms of measure theory, the sample space and the sigma algebra of events form a 'measurable space'.  A 'probability measure' is just a positive measure with total 'mass' 1. Thank you Lebesgue and measure theory.\nOn the reals R, we can take the open sets and, then, the Borel sets, that is, the smallest sigma algebra that contains the open sets.  A 'random variable' is a function from the probability space to the reals that is 'measurable', that is, the inverse image of a Borel set is an event.\nAs an alternative, we can ask that the inverse image of the Lebesgue measurable sets of R be events.\nIf X is such a random variable, then its 'expectation' E[X] is just the Lebesgue ('abstract') integral of X over the probability space.  For E[X] to exist, we need only that X be measurable and that the integral of both the positive and the negative parts of X not be infinite (we don't want to subtract one infinity from another).  E.g., Lebesgue integration is very 'general':  All we need is measurability and not subtract one infinity from another.\nBy a change of variable, we can also write the expectation as a Lebesgue integral over the real line with respect to the 'distribution' of X on R. Or, X 'induces' a probability measure on R.\nWe can discuss convergence of random variables -- in distribution, probability, mean square, and almost surely.\nThen we can define independence for events, sigma algebras, and random variables.  E.g., with this approach, if X and Y are independent random variables and f and g are functions, then f(X) and g(Y) are independent random variables.  Don't try to prove this the elementary way!\nWith independent random variables, we can cover the classic limit theorems -- central limit theorem, weak and strong laws of large numbers, and the law of the iterated logarithm.\nUsing the Radon-Nikodym theorem of measure theory, for random variables X and Y we can define their 'conditional expectation' E[Y|X].\nWith such 'conditioning' we can discuss Markov processes, martingales, and the martingale convergence theorem.\nWe can also move on to ergodic theory and, say, Poincare recurrence (keep stirring the coffee and the cream will separate back, close to where it was when it was poured in).\nThose are the previews of coming attractions.\nNote:  This material is not very popular in US universities.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kai Lai Chung, 'A Course in Probability Theory, Second Edition', ISBN 0-12-174650-X, Academic Press, New York, 1974.",
          "reason": "Included among good presentations of the core material in probability.",
          "audience": "Readers studying mathematical probability.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kai Lai Chung"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "probability",
        "probability theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-course-of-higher-mathematics-8fd471",
      "title": "A Course of Higher Mathematics",
      "author": "V. I. Smirnov",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31492203,
          "author": "rq1",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T13:59:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31492203",
          "commentText": "These are MIR books afaik, where would you get them?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "These are MIR books afaik, where would you get them?",
          "reason": "Asks where to obtain the books listed in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The target comment refers to the parent’s list without repeating individual titles.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31489785,
          "author": "Jugurtha",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T09:20:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31489785",
          "commentText": "- \"A Course of Higher Mathematics\", V. I. Smirnov.\n- \"Differential and Integral Calculus\", N. Piskunov.\n- \"Problems in Mathematical Analysis\", B. Demidovich.\nThese are great books. Demidovich's book is a collection of more than 3000 exercises. Smirnov's book is a course that takes you from what a value means, to advanced topics (5 volumes, in 7 books). Piskunov's book is in-between (course and exercises).\nThese are the books we've used and went to during the first two years of Engineering (all engineers civil/mechanical/electrical/etc. and phys/maths/chem students go through the maths/phys/chem heavy common core except CS/SE students).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"A Course of Higher Mathematics\", V. I. Smirnov.",
          "reason": "The commenter lists it among the books they used and describes its broad course of topics.",
          "audience": "Engineering, physics, mathematics, and chemistry students in the first two years.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes an edition spanning five volumes in seven books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "V. I. Smirnov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "higher mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-culture-of-ambiguity-an-alternative-history-of-islam-306eae",
      "title": "A Culture of Ambiguity: An Alternative History of Islam",
      "author": "Thomas Bauer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36105343,
          "author": "mrwnmonm",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T16:14:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105343",
          "commentText": "I would add \"What is Islam? - by Shahab Ahmed\" and \"A Culture of Ambiguity - by Thomas Bauer\", althought I don't agree with everything they say.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"A Culture of Ambiguity - by Thomas Bauer\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they do not agree with everything in the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Bauer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "islam",
        "religious studies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-curious-mind-the-secret-to-a-bigger-life-e46353",
      "title": "A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life",
      "author": "Brian Grazer and Charles Fishman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10769841,
          "author": "miraj",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-21T06:06:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10769841",
          "commentText": "Some of the books that made me think and look at things differently (from 2015 readings only):\n- In the Light of What We Know\n- The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers\n- Bathing the Lion\n- The Art of Asking; or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help\n- The Tears of Dark Water\n- God Is Dead\n- A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life\n- The Water Knife",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life",
          "reason": "Listed among books that made the commenter think and look at things differently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Grazer and Charles Fishman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "curiosity",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-day-in-the-life-of-ivan-denisovich-afc16b",
      "title": "A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich",
      "author": "Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1027121,
          "author": "vira",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T11:51:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027121",
          "commentText": "American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin.\n- Captivating and well researched. This book not only captures the life of a genius, but also exposes the politics and propaganda of WWII, the Cold War and nuclear proliferation (which were conveniently omitted from my government-set high school curriculum), as well as raising issue of morality and the ethical responsibilities of scientists. Interested in start-ups? They don't come bigger than the Manhattan Project. Most of the guys in Los Alamos at the time were in their 20s.\nTwo books by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich and For The Good of the Cause.\n- Both are brilliant. Solzenitsyn's language is powerful and descriptive yet simple and concise. Since reading his books, I consciously look at the entropy of other writers.\nAmbedkar and Buddhism by Sangarakshita\n- An interesting account of the life of a great man, who's philosophy should be read by anyone who hails from the Indian sub-continent.\nA Fraction of The Whole by Steve Toltz.\n- A book lover's book, Toltz's novel made me laugh out loud at numerous times. A fun read, made better by the fact that he's Aussie.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Two books by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich and For The Good of the Cause.\n- Both are brilliant.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls both named works brilliant and praises Solzhenitsyn’s language.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Solzhenitsyn’s writing and Soviet-era experience.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "gulag",
        "soviet literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-distant-mirror-2f4fa1",
      "title": "A Distant Mirror",
      "author": "Barbara W. Tuchman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38563772,
          "author": "wannabebarista",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T00:21:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38563772",
          "commentText": "+1 for Barbara Tuchman (A Distant Mirror)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for Barbara Tuchman (A Distant Mirror)",
          "reason": "Seconds the parent comment's recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Barbara W. Tuchman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "medieval europe"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-doctor-s-war-2358e4",
      "title": "A Doctor's War",
      "author": "Aidan MacCarthy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34160861,
          "author": "themodelplumber",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:44:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160861",
          "commentText": "I realized I can't really recommend books to audiences much anymore, because I don't read those types of audience-books as much as I used to.\nBut still, here are some I probably bought for $0.99 and enjoyed:\nLost Restaurants of Seattle\nThis Outcast Generation by Taijun Takeda\nThe Royal Navy Lynx: An Operational History\nA Doctor's War by Aidan MacCarthy\nSniping in France by Hesketh-Prichard\nThe Art of Whittling by Faurot\nMoscow Calling by Angus Roxburgh\nFeynman's Rainbow by Leonard Mlodinow\nIcelandic Folk Tales by Stefansson\nIf you like any of those topics then you have my random recommendation, and possibly the indulgent vanity of once more having avoided consumer risk, or maybe consumer regret.\nThese were fun in 2022, in addition to 1) web browsing, which I find is definitely reading, despite all its numbered-pagelessness, and 2) dipping back into lots of classics and favorites, from Blacksad to Darwin to Scaramouche and Tom Sawyer.\n(Possibly throwing in a volume on the adventures of Groo, a Weird Tales, a Comics Cavalcade, some TTRPGs, and a Scooby-Doo Team-Up...)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A Doctor's War by Aidan MacCarthy",
          "reason": "Included among books enjoyed in 2022 and offered as a recommendation to readers interested in the topics.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the book's topic.",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls the recommendations random.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Aidan MacCarthy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "medical memoir",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-dozen-tough-jobs-d9e78e",
      "title": "A Dozen Tough Jobs",
      "author": "Howard Waldrop",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17540123,
          "author": "prawnosaurus",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T10:25:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17540123",
          "commentText": "More or less anything by Howard Waldrop.  Night of The Cooters and A Dozen Tough Jobs are great.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Night of The Cooters and A Dozen Tough Jobs are great.",
          "reason": "Calls it great as part of a list of works by Waldrop.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Howard Waldrop"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "greek mythology retelling",
        "short fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-dream-of-wessex-b2c273",
      "title": "A Dream of Wessex",
      "author": "Christopher Priest",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14743114,
          "author": "timclark",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T11:05:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14743114",
          "commentText": "Adrift on the Sea of Rains by Ian Sales\nA Dream of Wessex by Christopher Priest",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Dream of Wessex by Christopher Priest",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher Priest"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternate reality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-fabulous-creation-how-the-lp-saved-our-lives-b4b94e",
      "title": "A Fabulous Creation: How the LP Saved Our Lives",
      "author": "David Hepworth",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21792874,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T22:44:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21792874",
          "commentText": "The ones I rated highest out of those I read this year (which is what I think the question means).\n* Exactly: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester\n* Atomic Adventures: Secret Islands, Forgotten N-Rays, and Isotopic Murder-A Journey into the Wild World of Nuclear Science by James Magaffey\n* Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande\n* Vulcan 607 by Rowland White\n* Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen\n* Best. Movie. Year. Ever: How 1999 Blew Up the Big Screen by Brian Raftery\n* A Fabulous Creation: How the LP Saved Our Lives by David Hepworth\n* 1983: Reagan, Andropov, and a World on the Brink by Taylor Downing\n* The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes and Why by Amanda Ripley\n* In Your Defence: Stories of Life and Law by Sarah Langford\n* Springfield Confidential: Jokes, Secrets, and Outright Lies from a Lifetime Writing for The Simpsons by Mike Reiss\n* Working Actor: Breaking in, Making a Living, and Making a Life in the Fabulous Trenches of Show Business by David Dean Bottrell\n* Becoming by Michelle Obama\n* Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress by Steven Pinker\n* Rush Hour by Iain Gatel\n* Tamed: Ten Species that Changed our World by Alice Roberts\n* The Next American City: The Big Promise of Our Midsize Metros by Mick Cornett",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The ones I rated highest out of those I read this year",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s highest-rated books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Hepworth"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "music history",
        "vinyl records"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-false-report-a-true-story-of-rape-in-america-a1366d",
      "title": "A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America",
      "author": "T. Christian Miller and Ken Armstrong",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804899,
          "author": "AGivant",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:29:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804899",
          "commentText": "Here is my list (from https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/912138-alex-givant?rea...):\nMemoirs:\n- Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti..).\n- Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive by Land, Stephanie, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39218350-maid\n- Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40409969-medium-raw\n- Confessions of a Tax Collector: One Man's Tour of Duty Inside the IRS by Yancey, Rick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_..).\n- The Perfect Predator: A Scientist's Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Superbug: A Memoir by Steffanie Strathdee, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-pre... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-predator)\nPolitics:\n- Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Desmond, Matthew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25852784-evicted\n- Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America by Leovy, Jill, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13153693-ghettoside\n- American Prison: A Reporter's Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment by Bauer, Shane, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38561954-american-prison\n- Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Eban, Katherine, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42448266-bottle-of-lies\n- A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America by Miller, T. Christian, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35805861-a-false-report\n- The New Silk Roads by Frankopan, Peter, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro..).\nHistory:\n- Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-1956 by Applebaum, Anne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13531848-iron-curtain\n- The Romanovs: 1613-1918 by Montefiore, Simon Sebag, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26109020-the-romanovs\n- The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Johnson, Steven, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36086.The_Ghost_Map\n- Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations by Bergman, Ronen, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f..).\n- Madame Fourcade's Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against Hitler by Olson, Lynne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade..).\n- Argo: How the CIA & Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History by Méndez, Antonio J., https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13588425-argo\nCrime:\n- Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History by Selby, Scott Andrew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7071759-flawless\n- American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road by Bilton, Nick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi..).\n- Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by Carreyrou, John, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37976541-bad-blood\n- Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World by Wright, Tom, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-..).\n- The Mastermind: Drugs. Empire. Murder. Betrayal. by Ratliff, Evan, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41181600-the-mastermind\nTechnology:\n- Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon by Zetter, Kim, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze..).\n- Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World by Thompson, Clive, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40406806-coders",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America by Miller, T. Christian",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list of favorite nonfiction books read in 2019.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "T. Christian Miller and Ken Armstrong"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "investigative journalism",
        "sexual assault"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-feast-of-vultures-c9b684",
      "title": "A Feast of Vultures",
      "author": "Josy Joseph",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237188,
          "author": "kranner",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:44:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237188",
          "commentText": "- Tetris: The Games People Play by Box Brown\n- Tibet, Tibet by Patrick French\n- Maya: A Novel by CW Huntington, Jr\n- The Science of Enlightenment by Shinzen Young\n- Flask Web Development by Miguel Grinberg\n- Buddha's Diet by Tara Cottrell\n- A Feast of Vultures by Josy Joseph\n- Genghis Khan: Life, Death and Resurrection by John Man\n- Chasing the Scream by Johann Hari\n- Cuckold by Kiran Nagarkar\n- Goliath by Tom Gauld\n- This Will Never Happen Again by David Cain\n- Cure by Jo Marchant\n- If It’s Monday It Must Be Madurai: A Conducted Tour of India by Srinath Perur\n- Deep Work by Cal Newport\n- Enduring Love by Ian McEwan\n- The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery\n- The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt\n- The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion\nand a few others that aren't worth recommending; all the above are.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "all the above are.",
          "reason": "The commenter includes the listed books among those worth recommending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Josy Joseph"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "corruption",
        "india",
        "investigative journalism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-fistful-of-wisdom-f902b0",
      "title": "A Fistful of Wisdom",
      "author": "Om Swami",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17053216,
          "author": "kr4",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-12T09:28:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17053216",
          "commentText": "Try this: http://omswami.com/book/a-fistful-of-wisdom",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Try this: http://omswami.com/book/a-fistful-of-wisdom",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to a request for introspective books.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking introspective books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Om Swami"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self reflection",
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-fortunate-life-the-autobiography-of-paddy-ashdown-459b21",
      "title": "A Fortunate Life: The Autobiography of Paddy Ashdown",
      "author": "Paddy Ashdown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8401367,
          "author": "arethuza",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:14:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401367",
          "commentText": "The Rising Sun: The Decline and Fall of the Japanese Empire, 1936–1945 (John Toland)\nEndurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage (Alfred Lansing)\nDusty Warriors: Modern Soldiers at War (Richard Holmes)\nNB A book that I read recently that I wasn't expecting to like very much but really enjoyed was \"A Fortunate Life: The Autobiography of Paddy Ashdown\" - to say that he's had an eventful life is a bit of an understatement (Royal Marines, SBS, MI6, politics) - he actually comes across as a politician with strongly held morals - shame I can't vote for him!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Fortunate Life: The Autobiography of Paddy Ashdown",
          "reason": "The commenter says they unexpectedly enjoyed this autobiography and describes Ashdown's eventful life and moral convictions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The positive assessment is specifically about this autobiography.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paddy Ashdown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-fortune-teller-told-me-98e30e",
      "title": "A Fortune-Teller Told Me",
      "author": "Tiziano Terzani",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14750118,
          "author": "Bakary",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-12T04:26:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14750118",
          "commentText": "Roma Æterna - Robert Silverberg\nThe Happiness Hypothesis - Jonathan Haidt\nAlamut - Vladimir Bartol\nNon Stop - Brian Aldiss\nA fortune teller told me - Tiziano Terzani",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A fortune teller told me - Tiziano Terzani",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tiziano Terzani"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "asia",
        "journalism",
        "travel writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-fraction-of-the-whole-eacbd7",
      "title": "A Fraction of the Whole",
      "author": "Steve Toltz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1027121,
          "author": "vira",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T11:51:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027121",
          "commentText": "American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin.\n- Captivating and well researched. This book not only captures the life of a genius, but also exposes the politics and propaganda of WWII, the Cold War and nuclear proliferation (which were conveniently omitted from my government-set high school curriculum), as well as raising issue of morality and the ethical responsibilities of scientists. Interested in start-ups? They don't come bigger than the Manhattan Project. Most of the guys in Los Alamos at the time were in their 20s.\nTwo books by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich and For The Good of the Cause.\n- Both are brilliant. Solzenitsyn's language is powerful and descriptive yet simple and concise. Since reading his books, I consciously look at the entropy of other writers.\nAmbedkar and Buddhism by Sangarakshita\n- An interesting account of the life of a great man, who's philosophy should be read by anyone who hails from the Indian sub-continent.\nA Fraction of The Whole by Steve Toltz.\n- A book lover's book, Toltz's novel made me laugh out loud at numerous times. A fun read, made better by the fact that he's Aussie.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Fraction of The Whole by Steve Toltz.\n- A book lover's book, Toltz's novel made me laugh out loud at numerous times. A fun read",
          "reason": "Praises it as a fun read that prompted laughter.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy humorous novels.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that the author is Australian.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve Toltz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "australian literature",
        "comic novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-full-life-reflections-at-90-fc9b63",
      "title": "A Full Life: Reflections at 90",
      "author": "Jimmy Carter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665209,
          "author": "PostPost",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:26:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665209",
          "commentText": "Sorry for the wall of text.\n1. Bourne (The language and world of this novel are extraordinary - everything is falling apart yet brimming with life. Strangely moving)\n2. The Design of Everyday things (Essential for anyone in UI/UX)\n3. All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (Highly engaging, entertaining sci-fi novella series, from an author that can write a very decent robot protagonist)\n4. The Power (Interesting story with sci-fi elements on the dynamics of power, sex, and gender roles. I didn't care for the book, but the first 3/4 of the book are amazing)\n5. Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days\n6. 7 brief Lessons on Physics\n7. The Last Lecture (The energy and positivity coming from a man knowing he's about to die is infectious. Great read)\n8. A wizard of Earthsea (Move over Harry Potter, this is the essential children's story about wizards)\n9. Exploring diabetes with owls (Funny, irreverent)\n10. Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children (Made an effort to read more YA this year - this was the best in this series, but I still hated it. There's a host of better YA series out there.)\n11. A Wizard of Earthsea: The Tombs of Atuan (See 8.)\n12. The Girl in the Dark (Interesting book about a skin condition I had never heard of, and the trials of living with a very rare condition)\n13. The Phantom Tollbooth (Clever children's book)\n14. Black hole blues and songs from outer space (Informative book about the study of space,  the political and economic forces standing in the way of science, and the incredible individuals working in this field)\n15. Welcome to Night Vale (Hugely entertaining, clever and weird)\n16. You need a budget (Basic economics book explaining how to budget in a way that lets you do more with your money)\n17. To fight Against This Age (Incredibly pretentious, \nIvory Tower philosophizing)\n18. Infinity Gauntlet (Half the Universe dying because Thanos wanted to sleep with Lady Death will never not be ridiculous)\n19. The Right and Wrong Stuff (Great read explaining how to anticipate and avoid career pitfalls)\n20. Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children: Hollow City (pretty shitty)\n21. The Farthest Shore (Ursula K. Le Guin was the biggest loss this year)\n22. Miss peregrine's home for Peculiar Children: Library of Souls (I hate this book and all its characters)\n23. Every Good Endevour (Religious book about a Christian worldview and the value of labor - not a bad read)\n24. When to Rob a Bank and 131 warped suggestions… (interesting, funny, from the writers of Freakonomics)\n25. Weapons of Math Destruction (Probably the most useful book on this list, if you're reading this on \"hackernews\")\n26. Holes (Perfect summer paperback read)\n27. Silver Screen Sirens (Essential for film geeks)\n28. A full life: reflections at 90 (I gained a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter: he lived an incredible life and does great things)\n29. Call Me by your name (Very good romance novel to send to your bigoted relatives at Christmas)\n30. Hyperbole and a half (Incredibly entertaining, very distinctive art style)\n31. The Murderbot diaries: Artificial Condition (See 3.)\n32. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Best children's book, fight me)\n33. Less (Exceptionally well-written)\n34. Resilience (Great book, especially for those that have gone through extremely difficult circumstances)\n35. The Strange Bird (Dark, bleak, full of life, see 1.)\n36. The Murderbot diaries: Rogue Protocol (See 3.)\n37. His Dark Materials: The subtle knife (See 32.)\n38. Tap Dancing to Work (Very dry, some stories/articles are fantastic, others very, very boring for people that do not care about finance)\n39. So Good They Can't Ignore You (Pretty good)\n40. His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass (Amazing YA, see 32.)\n41. Uncontainable (Inspirational book about conscious capitalism)\n42. The Emperor of All Maladies (Pretty much everything you'll ever want to know about Cancer, written in a very engaging way)\n43. Blind Spot\n44. Shoe dog (Great story, see madmax108's comment, totally agree)\n45. The Faithful Spy (Beautiful artwork describing a Christian pastor's fight against fascism during WW2)\n46. Zero to One\n47. You'll grow out of it\n48. The Happiness advantage (Really fantastic book about the value of positive psychology)\n49. Dreams from my father (Enlightening look into Obama's \nearly days)\n50. Ayoade on Ayoade (Entertaining, extremely scatter-brained, not as funny as his interviews or tv programs)\n51. The Diabolic (badly written YA Sci-Fi)\n52. The Physics of Everyday Things (surprisingly informative, recommended for non science-people interested in the way things work)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I gained a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter: he lived an incredible life and does great things",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book increased their respect for Carter and describes his life positively.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jimmy Carter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "presidential memoir",
        "public service"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-funny-thing-happened-on-the-way-to-the-control-room-f33296",
      "title": "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Control Room",
      "author": "Gregory K. McMillan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30825929,
          "author": "typhonic",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T01:11:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30825929",
          "commentText": "I don’t think a really good title exists, but the closest might be “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Control Room” by Gregory McMillan. It is basically a comic book written by an engineer in the industrial controls field.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Control Room” by Gregory McMillan",
          "reason": "Described as an inviting comic book about industrial controls.",
          "audience": "People curious about industrial controls.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gregory K. McMillan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "industrial control systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-gambler-s-anatomy-994a19",
      "title": "A Gambler's Anatomy",
      "author": "Jonathan Lethem",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12475387,
          "author": "fitzwatermellow",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T20:07:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12475387",
          "commentText": "There is some remarkable fiction coming out this season by some of the best:\nJonathan Safran Foer's Here I Am\nZadie Smith's Swing Time\nIan McEwan's Nutshell\nColson Whitehead's The Underground Railroad\nCarl Hiassan's Razor Girl\nAlan Moore's Jerusalem\nJonathan Lethem's A Gamber's Anatomy\nHa Jin's The Boat Rocker\nT.C. Boyle's The Terranauts\nMichael Chabon's Moonglow\nCormac McCarthy's The Passenger\nI've got plenty of friends who never touch fiction because \"it's not real\". Preferring science, history, economics, biography and virtually anything else. But I think its obligatory at times. The soul requires it's own nourishment, if not more so than the body and the mind. Indulge yourself. If only because great writing will make your writing greater, as if by osmosis. But ultimately, because only fiction can uncover the truths that can't be revealed any other way ;)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jonathan Lethem's A Gamber's Anatomy",
          "reason": "Included in a list of remarkable fiction; the comment urges readers to indulge in fiction.",
          "audience": "Readers who tend to avoid fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Lethem"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-game-design-vocabulary-8c696e",
      "title": "A Game Design Vocabulary",
      "author": "Anna Anthropy and Naomi Clark",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8401283,
          "author": "city41",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:00:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401283",
          "commentText": "Reading: \"A Game Design Vocabulary\" by Anna Anthropy and Naomi Clark.\nIt's good, I recommend it. She addresses quite well what I think is wrong with a lot of indie games these days, and offers insightful ideas to making games better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's good, I recommend it.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it for its critique of indie games and ideas for improving game design.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in game design and indie games.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anna Anthropy and Naomi Clark"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "game design",
        "indie games"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-genetic-switch-f62350",
      "title": "A Genetic Switch",
      "author": "Mark Ptashne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30824027,
          "author": "vibrio",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-27T20:54:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30824027",
          "commentText": "This had great impact on me…and the quick read of Ptashne’s “a genetic switch” really pulled me into molecular biology. They helped me start to conceptualize how a group of inanimate objects (eg proteins, lipids, nucleic acid) can collectively be “alive”, including reproduce, and “make decisions”.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the quick read of Ptashne’s “a genetic switch” really pulled me into molecular biology.",
          "reason": "Says the book helped spark their interest in molecular biology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Ptashne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "gene regulation",
        "molecular biology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-good-enough-parent-a-book-on-child-rearing-e87829",
      "title": "A Good Enough Parent: A Book on Child-Rearing",
      "author": "Bruno Bettelheim",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33853233,
          "author": "Brajeshwar",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T12:51:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33853233",
          "commentText": "\"A Good Enough Parent: A Book on Child-Rearing\" by Bruno Bettelheim. Here is the correct link - https://www.amazon.com/Good-Enough-Parent-Book-Child-Rearing... (https://www.amazon.com/Good-Enough-Parent-Book-Child-Rearing/dp/0394471482/)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"A Good Enough Parent: A Book on Child-Rearing\" by Bruno Bettelheim.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33853230,
          "author": "Brajeshwar",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T12:51:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33853230",
          "commentText": "\"A Good Enough Parent: A Book on Child-Rearing\" by Bruno Bettelheim. Here is the correct link - https://www.amazon.com/Good-Enough-Parent-Book-Child-Rearing... (https://www.amazon.com/Good-Enough-Parent-Book-Child-Rearing/dp/0394471482/)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"A Good Enough Parent: A Book on Child-Rearing\" by Bruno Bettelheim.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33853218,
          "author": "Brajeshwar",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T12:49:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33853218",
          "commentText": "I didn't realize I might have the wrong link to the book everywhere I wrote until now (this comment thread). \"A Good Enough Parent: A Book on Child-Rearing\" by Bruno Bettelheim.\nIt is not a popular book. The approaches and ideas were great though, and that was indeed the beauty of the book. Here is the correct link - https://www.amazon.com/Good-Enough-Parent-Book-Child-Rearing... (https://www.amazon.com/Good-Enough-Parent-Book-Child-Rearing/dp/0394471482/)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"A Good Enough Parent: A Book on Child-Rearing\" by Bruno Bettelheim.",
          "reason": "The commenter identifies the intended book and says its approaches and ideas were great.",
          "audience": "Parents interested in child-rearing.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it is not a popular book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruno Bettelheim"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Parenting",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "child rearing",
        "parenting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-guide-to-better-movement-the-science-and-practice-of-moving-wit-bceecd",
      "title": "A Guide to Better Movement: The Science and Practice of Moving with More Skill and Less Pain",
      "author": "Todd Hargrove",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11230833,
          "author": "ThrustVectoring",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T20:09:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11230833",
          "commentText": "Impro by Keith Johnstone\nThe Inner Game of Tennis\nA Guide to Better Movement: The Science and Practice of Moving with More Skill and Less Pain\nPunished by Rewards\nMicroeconomics: Behavior, Institutions, and Evolution by Bowles",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Guide to Better Movement: The Science and Practice of Moving with More Skill and Less Pain",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Todd Hargrove"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "movement",
        "pain management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-guide-to-reliable-distributed-systems-65090e",
      "title": "A Guide to Reliable Distributed Systems",
      "author": "Kenneth P. Birman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33406830,
          "author": "chadoverfl0w",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-31T15:07:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33406830",
          "commentText": "Guide to Reliable Distributed Systems by Kenneth P. Birman: gave me the same effect that the people who read DDIA/Designing Data Intensive Applications claimed it gave them.\nI first tried reading DDIA before it since it was newer and it had more hype. But DDIA is so dense that most of the things went over my head. Then I came across Ken Birman's book and I found it easier to follow. Although it had a hundred pages more than DDIA, it doesnt cover as much ground such as it didnt mention object storages. The niche topics were also better in DDIA, such as error correction schemes was only mentioned once in Birman's book. DDIA seems to be more complete. So I'll re-read DDIA again next year.\nHarassment Architecture: saw it on Amazon and I could never understand the humor behind the reviews for the book. So I tried a few pages, and something about it was gripping. All I could say is that I've never read anything like it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Guide to Reliable Distributed Systems by Kenneth P. Birman: gave me the same effect",
          "reason": "Says it was easier to follow than DDIA and compares its coverage with DDIA.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter found DDIA dense and says it covers more ground, including topics absent from Birman's book.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kenneth P. Birman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "distributed systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-guide-to-writing-as-an-engineer-b22ad3",
      "title": "A Guide to Writing as an Engineer",
      "author": "David Beer, David McMurrey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32346550,
          "author": "cratermoon",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-04T18:29:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32346550",
          "commentText": "David Beer & David McMurrey, A Guide to Writing as an Engineer http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1103219505\nPhilip Kiely, Writing for Software Developers https://philipkiely.com/wfsd/\nMichael Alley The Craft of Scientific Writing http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1032304610\nAlso see Online Technical Writing https://mcmassociates.io/textbook/ David McMurrey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "David Beer & David McMurrey, A Guide to Writing as an Engineer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Beer",
        "David McMurrey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "engineering writing",
        "technical writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-guide-to-the-good-life-13dac7",
      "title": "A Guide to the Good Life",
      "author": "William Irvine",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17046447,
          "author": "jpamata",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T11:35:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17046447",
          "commentText": "1. A Guide to the Good Life by William Irvine\n-my first introduction to stoicism.\n2. Mastery by Robert Greene\n-stories about the lives of luminaries such as Henry Ford, Michael Faraday, and Da Vinci on what it takes to be successful.\n3. Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story by Arnold Schwarzenegger\n-for providing me a new mental framework on building discipline and confidence.\n4. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain\n-for giving me a paradigm shift on how to think about myself and others.\n5. Seeking Wisdom From Darwin to Munger by Peter Bevelin\n-a compendium of cognitive biases and mental models.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Guide to the Good Life by William Irvine",
          "reason": "The commenter lists it as their introduction to Stoicism in response to a request for introspective book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Irvine"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "stoicism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-guide-to-the-good-life-the-ancient-art-of-stoic-joy-bf44fb",
      "title": "A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy",
      "author": "William Irvine",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17045888,
          "author": "aytekin",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T09:11:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17045888",
          "commentText": "“A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy” by William Irvine has taught me appreciate what I have and take it easy on myself when things don’t go as planned.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B0040JHNQG/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy” by William Irvine has taught me appreciate what I have and take it easy on myself when things don’t go as planned.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it taught them to appreciate what they have and be easier on themselves.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401532,
          "author": "tustlem",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:34:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401532",
          "commentText": "Read:\nDeep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why by Laurence Gonzales (This was a great read),\nThe Painter by Peter Heller (Interesting novel),\nEssentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown (Good ideas and content, repeats a lot)\nCurrently reading:\nThe Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham,\nA Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William Irvine,\nInto Thin Air by Jon Krakauer\nEdit: reformatted for clarity.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William Irvine",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Irvine"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "stoicism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-handful-of-dust-320ed8",
      "title": "A Handful of Dust",
      "author": "Evelyn Waugh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41175841,
          "author": "montgomery_r",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:58:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175841",
          "commentText": "Aargh, Formatting! Try 2 :\nFor the value of ‘best’ that includes\n(a) had a deep and long lasting impact on how I think about the world and\n(b) I consider beautiful pieces of writing in their own right,\nhere are some in no particular order:\nThe Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins\nThinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nNaming and Necessity, Saul Kripke\nTractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein\n(These you might want to approach via a gentle introduction if you did not study Philosophy to degree level)\nThe Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle\nDarkness at Noon, Arthur Koestler\nThe Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse\nA Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh\nDiaries, Samuel Pepys\nFalling Off the Map, Pico Iyer\nA Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor\nThe Lonely Sea and the Sky, Francis Chichester\nThe Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope\nBevis, Richard Jeffries\nThe Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith\nThe Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse\nHitch-22, essays, Christopher Hitchens\nCollected Essays, William Hazlitt\nVenice, Martin Gayford\nThe Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski\nThe Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch\nToo obvious a list, perhaps, but some gems for all that! Happy reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh",
          "reason": "Includes the title among books considered impactful and beautifully written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41175718,
          "author": "montgomery_r",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:45:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175718",
          "commentText": "For the value of ‘best’ that includes  (a) had a deep and long lasting impact on how I think about the world and (b) I consider beautiful pieces of writing in their own right, here are some in no particular order: \nThe Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins \nThinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nNaming and Necessity, Saul Kripke\nTractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein\n(These you might want to approach via a gentle introduction if you did not study Philosophy to degree level) \nThe Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle\nDarkness at Noon,\nArthur Koestler\nThe Glass Bead Game,\nHermann Hesse\nA Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh\nDiaries, Samuel Pepys\nFalling Off the Map, Pico Iyer\nA Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor\nThe Lonely Sea and the Sky,\nFrancis Chichester\nThe Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope\nBevis, Richard Jeffries\nThe Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith\nThe Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse\nHitch-22, essaysChristopher Hitchens \nCollected Essays, William Hazlitt\nVenice, Martin Gayford\nThe Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski\nThe Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch\nToo obvious a list, perhaps, but some gems for all that! Happy reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh",
          "reason": "Includes it among books with lasting impact on how they think and that they consider beautiful writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Evelyn Waugh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "british satire",
        "satire",
        "social comedy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-handful-of-men-05b2cc",
      "title": "A Handful of Men",
      "author": "Dave Duncan",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50122341,
          "author": "hyperman1",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T18:26:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50122341",
          "commentText": "Dave Duncan, A handfull of men.\nIt is the second series in the same world, and all the people have grown up. The kids became parents and think like responsible adults.  It talks in an adult way about quite a few horrific events, without overdoing it.   It gave child me an idea about what the difference actually was.\nApart from that, it had an interesting magic system.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dave Duncan, A handfull of men.",
          "reason": "Described as the second series in the same world, with an interesting magic system.",
          "audience": "The commenter reflects on its effect when they read it as a child.",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it a second series in the same world.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dave Duncan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "magic systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-heartbreaking-work-of-staggering-genius-0b13e2",
      "title": "A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius",
      "author": "Dave Eggers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 715285,
          "author": "kes",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-20T21:43:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715285",
          "commentText": "\"A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius\" by David Eggers. Ironic title, thoughtful and enjoyable book. Suggested.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius\" by David Eggers. Ironic title, thoughtful and enjoyable book. Suggested.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it thoughtful and enjoyable, and says it is suggested.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dave Eggers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary nonfiction",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-hero-of-our-time-7f4068",
      "title": "A Hero of Our Time",
      "author": "Mikhail Lermontov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17387219,
          "author": "x0x0",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-24T17:00:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17387219",
          "commentText": "Don't miss _A Hero of Our Time_ by Lermontov.  Plus, it's short!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Don't miss _A Hero of Our Time_ by Lermontov.  Plus, it's short!",
          "reason": "Direct recommendation; notes that the book is short.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mikhail Lermontov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "russian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-history-of-computing-in-the-twentieth-century-079342",
      "title": "A History of Computing in the Twentieth Century",
      "author": "Nicholas Metropolis, Jack Howlett, and Gian-Carlo Rota",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22712569,
          "author": "pmcjones",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T17:18:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22712569",
          "commentText": "Metropolis, N., J. Howlett, and Gian-Carlo Rota, A History of Computing in the Twentieth Century, Academic Press, 1980.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/History-Computing-Twentieth-Nicholas-... (https://www.amazon.com/History-Computing-Twentieth-Nicholas-Metropolis/dp/0124916503)\nThis is based on papers presented at a 1976 conference by many of the original pioneers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Metropolis, N., J. Howlett, and Gian-Carlo Rota, A History of Computing in the Twentieth Century, Academic Press, 1980.",
          "reason": "Offers this historical collection based on papers from a 1976 conference.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in twentieth-century computing history and its early pioneers.",
          "caveat": "Based on papers presented at a 1976 conference.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nicholas Metropolis",
        "Jack Howlett",
        "Gian-Carlo Rota"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computing history",
        "conference papers"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-history-of-indian-buddhism-from-sakyamuni-to-early-mahayana-fdb1ee",
      "title": "A History of Indian Buddhism: From Sakyamuni to Early Mahayana",
      "author": "Akira Hirakawa",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36104972,
          "author": "_hzw",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T15:36:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36104972",
          "commentText": "For Judaism and Christianity, Yale offers two intro courses (admittedly, they are more about the scriptures, not the religions per se):\n1. https://oyc.yale.edu/religious-studies/rlst-145\n2. https://oyc.yale.edu/religious-studies/rlst-152\nThey are also available in book form.\nFor Buddhism, A History of Indian Buddhism: From Sakyamuni to Early Mahayana (インド仏教史) by Akira Hirakawa is the best one I ever read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A History of Indian Buddhism: From Sakyamuni to Early Mahayana (インド仏教史) by Akira Hirakawa is the best one I ever read.",
          "reason": "Recommended as the commenter’s top book on Buddhism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Akira Hirakawa"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhism",
        "indian buddhism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-history-of-mathematical-notations-1d0084",
      "title": "A History of Mathematical Notations",
      "author": "Florian Cajori",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34441828,
          "author": "breck",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T16:08:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34441828",
          "commentText": "This is a project of mine that I take attempts at here and there.\nAnother great book on this topic is \"History of Mathematical Notations\"\nhttps://www.amazon.com/History-Mathematical-Notations-Dover-... (https://www.amazon.com/History-Mathematical-Notations-Dover-Mathematics/dp/0486677664/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another great book on this topic is \"History of Mathematical Notations\"",
          "reason": "Called a great book on mathematical notation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Florian Cajori"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical notation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-history-of-modern-computing-8f4300",
      "title": "A History of Modern Computing",
      "author": "Paul E. Ceruzzi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22707020,
          "author": "Mongoose",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T21:21:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22707020",
          "commentText": "Highly recommend A History of Modern Computing [1]. Starting with the ENIAC in the '40s through the successive generations of computing technology in the 20th century, it gives a fantastic overview of the field's history.\nSadly, now that I look into it, it looks like it's out of print. There are a few copies available on Amazon, so act now!\n[1] https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/history-modern-computing",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Highly recommend A History of Modern Computing",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends its overview of computing technology from ENIAC through the 20th century.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a broad history of modern computing.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it appears to be out of print, with a few copies available on Amazon.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul E. Ceruzzi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "20th century computing",
        "computing technology",
        "eniac"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-history-of-western-thought-from-ancient-greece-to-the-twentieth-35f468",
      "title": "A History of Western Thought: From Ancient Greece to the Twentieth Century",
      "author": "Gunnar Skirbekk and Nils Gilje",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503537,
          "author": "afroisalreadyin",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T12:18:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503537",
          "commentText": "This is also my experience with reading philosophy; just like significant works in any other fields, you can't approach many important books of philosophy head-on. You have to first get an understanding of the bckground, which also allows you to understand the fundamental dichotomies, and why different philosophers treat different questions as the primary ones. In this respect, the best history of philosophy I know of is Skirbekk's \"A History of Western Thought: From Ancient Greece to the Twentieth Century\", a highly recommended read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the best history of philosophy I know of is Skirbekk's \"A History of Western Thought: From Ancient Greece to the Twentieth Century\", a highly recommended read.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best history of philosophy they know and highly recommends it.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking background before tackling primary philosophy texts.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gunnar Skirbekk and Nils Gilje"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of philosophy",
        "western philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-history-of-the-arab-peoples-b5d3b6",
      "title": "A History of the Arab Peoples",
      "author": "Albert Hourani",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11229681,
          "author": "shpx",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:15:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229681",
          "commentText": "The Design of Everyday Things. Probably the quintessential book on design, the basic premise is that if you can't figure out how a thing works, it's not your fault.\nStructures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down. About the engineering of various things, mostly buildings. Highly recommend.\nThe Elements of Computer Systems (better known as NAND to Tetris). Describes a computer from the bottom up.\nA History of the Arab Peoples\nThe Quran\nThe Bible\nSpace and Time in General Relativity by David Mermin\nFeynman QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A History of the Arab Peoples",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Albert Hourani"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "arab history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-history-of-the-internet-and-the-digital-future-c4a3d4",
      "title": "A History of the Internet and the Digital Future",
      "author": "Johnny Ryan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37960155,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:07:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960155",
          "commentText": "* \"The Code Book\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book explores the history of codes and codebreaking. It traces the evolution of cryptography from ancient times to the digital age, detailing famous codebreakers, notorious codes, and the role of codes in wars and revolutions.\n* \"Warped Passages\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book guides readers through the world of particle physics and string theory. It discusses key theories, experiments, and concepts that have shaped our understanding of the fundamental structure of the universe.\n* \"A History of The Internet And the Digital Future\" by Johnny Ryan (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers a comprehensive history of the internet and looks forward to its future. It traces the development of the internet, exploring its impact on society and speculating on potential future developments.\n* \"The Master Switch\" by Tim Wu (1 mention)\n    * Summary: The Master Switch looks at the history of information technologies like telephone, radio, television, and the Internet to see how their development was shaped by businesses and government. The book discusses the cycle of open to closed systems in the context of the Internet.\n* \"The Realities of Work: Experiencing Work and Employment in Contemporary Society\" by Mike Noon and Paul Blyton (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Examines the nature of work, the variety of different jobs, and the skills they require. This book highlights the changes in the structures and cultures of work and analyses their impact on the working lives of employees.\n* \"The Ascent of Humanity: Civilization and the Human Sense of Self\" by Charles Eisenstein (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book explores the history and future of civilization from a unique perspective. It hypothesizes that human history is a story of the self's marginalization from nature and each other and proposes that mounting crises in the modern world will lead to an 'Age of Reunion' with a more connected sense of self.\n* \"Cosmos\" by Carl Sagan (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A guide to the universe beyond the Earth. Sagan explores the origins, scale, and future of the universe, offering insights into the nature of life and mankind's place in the cosmos. The book fosters an appreciation for the quest for knowledge for its own sake.\n* \"Women, fire, and dangerous things\" by Lakoff (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A scholarly book about human cognition and linguistic categorization. It posits that human categorization is not arbitrary, but is based on cognitive models that originate from physical, social, and mental experience. It argues against a classical categorization approach in favor of a prototype approach.\n* \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A series of philosophical reflections and exercises by the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. The book offers guidance and insights on matters such as resilience, rationality, morality, duty, and the temporal nature of human life, reflecting the Stoic philosophy that Aurelius practiced.\n* \"A History of the Internet and the Digital Future\" by Johnny Ryan (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers a comprehensive history of the internet and speculates about its future. It discusses the various technological and social transformations that have accompanied the rise of the internet, as well as the implications these changes may have for the future.\n* \"The Master Switch\" by Tim Wu (1 mention)\n    * Summary: The book examines the history of information, communications and technology industries in the United States. Wu explores how the control of these industries has shifted from an open to a closed system, stifling innovation and threatening net neutrality.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"A History of The Internet And the Digital Future\" by Johnny Ryan (1 mention)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37940825,
          "author": "thefz",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T10:19:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37940825",
          "commentText": "A History of The Internet And the Digital Future - Johnny Ryan\nThe Master Switch - Tim Wu",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A History of The Internet And the Digital Future - Johnny Ryan",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Johnny Ryan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "internet history",
        "digital society",
        "digital technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-history-of-the-world-1e3790",
      "title": "A History of the World",
      "author": "J. M. Roberts",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2642861,
          "author": "blownd",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-11T00:16:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2642861",
          "commentText": "History of the World - J. M. Roberts\nhttp://www.amazon.com/History-World-J-M-Roberts/dp/019521043... (http://www.amazon.com/History-World-J-M-Roberts/dp/0195210433)\nThis was my lunch time reading for many months whilst doing contract web development. I was working with the most offensive tech lead I've ever met, but he was also incredibly effective.\nIt kept me sane (I think).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "History of the World - J. M. Roberts",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was their lunchtime reading for many months and that it helped keep them sane.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter qualifies the effect with “I think.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. M. Roberts"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "world history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-history-of-the-world-in-100-objects-402aa3",
      "title": "A History of the World in 100 Objects",
      "author": "Neil MacGregor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15762394,
          "author": "sukhadatkeereo",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T02:46:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762394",
          "commentText": "1.Rice, Noodle, Fish: Deep Travels Through Japan's Food Culture by Matt Goulding\n2.Oaxaca Journal by Oliver Sacks\n3.A History of the World in 100 Objects by Neil MacGregor\n4.Ernest Hemingway on Writing by Ernest Hemingway\n5.Seven Elements That Have Changed the World: An Adventure of Ingenuity and Discovery by John Browne.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A History of the World in 100 Objects by Neil MacGregor",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neil MacGregor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "material culture",
        "world history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-history-of-the-world-in-12-maps-3caa66",
      "title": "A History of the World in 12 Maps",
      "author": "Jerry Brotton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21458608,
          "author": "skytreader",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T00:42:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21458608",
          "commentText": "Lately, I've had this fascination/idea of reading about world history (or at least major events in world history) through the history of seemingly-mundane, everyday objects. The search for literature in this vein has been predictably difficult but I've been fortunate to come across two great books of this theme.\nThe first is A History of the World in 12 Maps by Jerry Brotton. The main idea of the book is somewhat like a visual variant of the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis: that our maps shape our perception of the world and, in turn, our place in it. I actually tried going into this book with a skeptical mind. I first took on the premise that you can't say much about world history by just looking at maps; maybe the crudeness of various Mappaemundi make them unsuitable for educated speculation. I am pleased to say that, by the end of the book, my premise has been completely obliterated.\nHN Readers might find the final chapter particularly interesting. It reads on Google Maps and demonstrates that even today in an age of satellite imagery, a map can't claim complete objectivity.\n(I'd like to note that in a couple of instances, Brotton gets some technical details wrong. There is an especially glaring one in the Google Maps chapter the hunt for which is left as an exercise to the reader. It does not really affect his main arguments and I really enjoyed the book despite these errors that bite at my attention to detail.)\nThe next one is Library: An Unquiet History by Matthew Battles. This is lighter in content than 12 Maps and deals mostly with obscure figures (in world history) and yet has emerged influential to the modern-day library. The big thing that piqued my interest in this book is the part about Nazi Germany. I know, I know, any discussion can be maneuvered towards Hitler and especially one about censorship. But Battles shows how libraries are, more than anything, social institutions; how even in a bleak time and place such as Nazi-occupied Europe, make-do libraries can support a community.\nHe also touches on the other side of the coin. We are used to thinking of libraries as benevolent institutions of knowledge but we rarely think of them as ideological apparatuses to curtail knowledge. Highly recommended even for non-bibliophiles. At least, enjoy entertaining stories behind libraries even if you don't get a grand takeaway lesson from it all.\n(Edited for formatting.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed the book despite these errors that bite at my attention to detail.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed it and that its errors do not undermine its main arguments.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in maps and world history.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes technical errors in a couple of places.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jerry Brotton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cartography",
        "maps"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-joseph-campbell-companion-reflections-on-the-art-of-living-ae327c",
      "title": "A Joseph Campbell Companion: Reflections on the Art of Living",
      "author": "Joseph Campbell; edited by Diane Osbon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17049469,
          "author": "wgj",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T17:59:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17049469",
          "commentText": "Because I haven't seen it mentioned yet: A Joseph Campbell Companion: Reflections on the Art of Living, by Joseph Campbell and beautifully edited by Diane Osbon.\nI can trace much of my life direction back to principles I established for myself while reading this book. My copy is very marked up. :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Joseph Campbell Companion: Reflections on the Art of Living, by Joseph Campbell and beautifully edited by Diane Osbon.",
          "reason": "The commenter says principles from reading it shaped much of their life direction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph Campbell; edited by Diane Osbon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mythology",
        "personal reflection"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-journey-round-my-room-3d93c9",
      "title": "A Journey Round My Room",
      "author": "Xavier de Maistre",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20914481,
          "author": "cpound",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T01:27:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914481",
          "commentText": "In the 'travel essay' genre, Xavier de Maistre's \"A Journey Round My Room\"\nhttps://publicdomainreview.org/collections/a-journey-round-m... (https://publicdomainreview.org/collections/a-journey-round-my-room-1794-1871/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Xavier de Maistre's \"A Journey Round My Room\"",
          "reason": "Named as an example in the travel essay genre in response to a request for old favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Xavier de Maistre"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "travel essays"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-liberated-mind-69146d",
      "title": "A Liberated Mind",
      "author": "Steven C. Hayes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27652818,
          "author": "apis_nearctica",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T16:19:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27652818",
          "commentText": "Thanks for the suggestions, I think I will get some very good use out of these. For real reduction of anxiety you might be interested in reading about Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which I think would fit well with the resources you mentioned. It’s an evidence-based therapy with a focus on mindfulness and meditation. A big part of what it taught me is how to unconditionally accept my unpleasant emotions which paradoxically leads to experiencing less of them. That’s easier said than done of course but ACT gives exercises and concrete advice for how to get there. The book I liked is called A Liberated Mind, a self-help book by the creator of ACT, Steven Hayes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book I liked is called A Liberated Mind",
          "reason": "The commenter liked this self-help book and says it offers ACT exercises and concrete advice for accepting unpleasant emotions.",
          "audience": "People interested in reducing anxiety through ACT.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says accepting emotions is easier said than done.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven C. Hayes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "acceptance and commitment therapy",
        "anxiety",
        "mindfulness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-light-in-the-attic-855772",
      "title": "A Light in the Attic",
      "author": "Shel Silverstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34635728,
          "author": "fRCRXVMWzG7YFux",
          "createdAt": "2023-02-03T01:00:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34634274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books your kids like most",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34635728",
          "commentText": "Something that has stuck with me for my entire life is my mother reading me poetry as a child, in particular\n- The Cremation Of Sam McGee by Robert W. Service\n- The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes\n- Forgiven and King John's Christmas by A. A. Milne\n- Called Up by Dudley Clarke (not sure how good that one is to everyone, I'm just incredibly nostalgic for it.)\nIt gave me a lifelong love of rhyming and word games, one I've always been happy to have. Yours might still be a bit young for that, but other more age-appropriate stuff would work just as well. Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light In The Attic by Shell Silverstein are fantastic.\nOh man, wait, also Robert Munsch. Equally wonderful memories with some of those (Love You Forever is in my opinion, really great from the lens of a kid, and it's silly to read it through the eyes of an adult. The intended message is very obviously that your parental love will always be with your child. It also introduced me to the idea of caring for my parents someday as something I would have to consider, and something I would want to do).\nAs for screen time itself, I would really recommend just putting a hard limit on it, it did nothing but good for me as a kid to be limited to 4 hours of recreational screen time per week, and when I was introduced to computers, the limitations they place on me vis-a-vis social networks saved me from myself in so many ways.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light In The Attic by Shell Silverstein are fantastic.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends these poetry books as fantastic.",
          "audience": "Children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Shel Silverstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s poetry",
        "rhyming poetry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-little-history-of-philosophy-557442",
      "title": "A Little History of Philosophy",
      "author": "Nigel Warburton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46226650,
          "author": "marai2",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-11T01:43:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 46226571,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46226650",
          "commentText": "1. Why Machines Learn - Anil Ananthaswamy\nFantastic exposition of machine learning. The author does an amazing job of bringing a technical subject down to an easily readable level.\n2. The Joy of Abstraction - Eugenia Cheng\nSimilar to the above review. I never thought Category Theory could be made so easily readable!\n3. A Little History of Philosophy - Nigel Warburton\nSmall, compact book. A quick interesting jaunnt through the history of philosophy. Entertaining and educational!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "3. A Little History of Philosophy - Nigel Warburton\nSmall, compact book. A quick interesting jaunnt through the history of philosophy. Entertaining and educational!",
          "reason": "Calls it an entertaining, educational, compact overview of philosophy's history.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a quick overview of philosophy.",
          "caveat": "Described as a compact, quick survey.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nigel Warburton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of philosophy",
        "short introduction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-little-life-c0a8c3",
      "title": "A Little Life",
      "author": "Hanya Yanagihara",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12476936,
          "author": "noumenon",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-12T03:06:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12476936",
          "commentText": "\"A Little Life\" by Hanya Yanagihara. It follows the story of a group of friends over 30+ years. I haven't been this gripped by a book in a while. Difficult subject matter and hard to read a times but it rewards you for your effort.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I haven't been this gripped by a book in a while. Difficult subject matter and hard to read a times but it rewards you for your effort.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it gripping and says it rewards the effort of reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Difficult subject matter; hard to read at times.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hanya Yanagihara"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "friendship",
        "literary fiction",
        "trauma"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-long-walk-to-freedom-712652",
      "title": "A Long Walk to Freedom",
      "author": "Nelson Mandela",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8153790,
          "author": "b_emery",
          "createdAt": "2014-08-08T16:53:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 8125375,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I save for offline reading during 5 weeks without Internet?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8153790",
          "commentText": "While traveling through Africa I read A Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela. Reading about the history while being there makes it all very real. I also just read A Primate's Memoir by Robert Sapolsky, which has some of the wildest travel stories about Africa you could ever imagine. A must read if only to prepare you for what you are about to experience. Those two could keep you busy for a few weeks.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a way to connect with African history while traveling there.",
          "audience": "A traveler in Africa interested in local history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nelson Mandela"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "african history",
        "nelson mandela"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-man-called-ove-7fb2bb",
      "title": "A Man Called Ove",
      "author": "Fredrik Backman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18725873,
          "author": "henrik_w",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-20T15:48:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18725873",
          "commentText": "+1 for A Man Called Ove - surprisingly good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for A Man Called Ove - surprisingly good.",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the recommendation and calls it surprisingly good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fredrik Backman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comedy",
        "grief"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-man-s-place-21a202",
      "title": "A Man's Place",
      "author": "Annie Ernaux",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25848903,
          "author": "blablabla123",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T17:10:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25848903",
          "commentText": "Small book shops (those you find at train stations or airports) can be quite nice to navigate. I'd pick something that looks interesting to you and it should have less than 130 pages. Since book shops might not be an option during Covid, I'd try an online book website.\nActually most books that I buy are either from authors that I've already read a lot of times (=easy reads for me) or I read an article in a magazine and a book is referenced. Unfortunately I don't read much contemporary fiction in English, but I liked A Man's Place from Annie Ernaux, it's also just 96 pages",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I liked A Man's Place from Annie Ernaux, it's also just 96 pages",
          "reason": "Says they liked the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they do not read much contemporary fiction in English.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Annie Ernaux"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "autobiographical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-mathematical-bridge-784d77",
      "title": "A Mathematical Bridge",
      "author": "Stephen Hewson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8106928,
          "author": "tdubhro1",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:13:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106928",
          "commentText": "Buddhism: Not Always So, and anything else by Shunryu Suzuki, What Buddha Taught, by Rahula\nSmarter: A Mathematical Bridge by Stephen Hewson, it will make you grok the real structure of mathematics even if you're starting with fairly basic undergraduate level math, and it will make it immensely easier to tackle new areas of mathematics.\nPattern recognition and machine learning by Bishop\nPopular: Coders at Work, Founders at Work, Behind the Cloud",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Mathematical Bridge by Stephen Hewson, it will make you grok the real structure of mathematics even if you're starting with fairly basic undergraduate level math, and it will make it immensely easier to tackle new areas of mathematics.",
          "reason": "Says it clarifies mathematical structure and helps readers tackle new areas.",
          "audience": "Readers with fairly basic undergraduate mathematics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Hewson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical foundations",
        "undergraduate mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-mathematical-introduction-to-logic-ef0267",
      "title": "A Mathematical Introduction to Logic",
      "author": "Herbert B. Enderton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 665061,
          "author": "ionfish",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T13:28:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665061",
          "commentText": "I rate Enderton's A Mathematical Introduction to Logic.\nhttp://www.math.ucla.edu/~hbe/amil/index.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I rate Enderton's A Mathematical Introduction to Logic.",
          "reason": "Positive evaluation of the book.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in mathematical logic.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Herbert B. Enderton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical logic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-mathematical-theory-of-communication-97f171",
      "title": "A Mathematical Theory of Communication",
      "author": "Claude Shannon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21314691,
          "author": "throwaway_bad",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T17:12:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21314691",
          "commentText": "I think you're right that you shouldn't learn from the \"fundamental\" books but there definitely are such a thing as fundamental books.\nThey are usually hugely influential in their times but have been refined or made easier to digest since. If you care deeply about your field you should read them at some point to see how ideas evolved historically.\nEnglish: Shakespeare\nBiology: Darwin's Origin of Species\nMath: Euclid's Elements\nFor OP's topic, I'd say Shannon's \"A Mathematical Theory of Communication\" is up there for computer science.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd say Shannon's \"A Mathematical Theory of Communication\" is up there for computer science.",
          "reason": "Identified as a fundamental work in computer science.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Claude Shannon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "communication systems",
        "information theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-mathematical-theory-of-computation-cd64ef",
      "title": "A Mathematical Theory of Computation",
      "author": "Zohar Manna",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22093707,
          "author": "brownbat",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T20:14:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22093707",
          "commentText": "Andy Kessler's How We Got Here.\nOnly a few hundred people have rated it on GoodReads, but if you wanted to trace a march of technological progress from swords to the Internet, it does a good job. There are definitely other stories you could tell about this accelerating sweep of technological change, but this one was a solid rapid overview and really stuck some ideas with me about how changes compound (or completely swerve to a new goal) over time.\nThe original tweet is more about how domain experts would rely on books nobody outside that domain has heard of, so maybe I should be thinking more about textbooks that stuck with me. Sources of Chinese Tradition, the Tractatus, and A Mathematical Theory of Computation all left pretty lasting influences in one way or another.\nSources of Japanese Tradition discusses the origins of Tendai Zen Buddhism, with some bits on Dogen, who once wrote something like, \"If you want to achieve a certain thing, you must first become a certain person. After becoming a certain person, you no longer want that certain thing.\"\nThat's a pretty good tie in to Kessler's view of the last several hundred years of human progress. We were repeatedly solving some other problem, which once we had the tools to solve that, it became nearly irrelevant compared to what else we could do now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sources of Chinese Tradition, the Tractatus, and A Mathematical Theory of Computation all left pretty lasting influences in one way or another.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it had a lasting influence on them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Zohar Manna"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming languages",
        "theory of computation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-mathematician-s-delight-7d52ea",
      "title": "A Mathematician's Delight",
      "author": "W. W. Sawyer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 755416,
          "author": "tokenadult",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T15:27:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755416",
          "commentText": "That thread recommends many very few good books, but probably mostly books too hard at first for the participant who has posted this new thread.\nI'll recommend a couple of books from that thread:\nhttp://www.springer.com/physics/book/978-0-306-45036-5\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Short-Introduction-Timothy... (http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Short-Introduction-Timothy-Gowers/dp/0192853619/)\nI agree with the recommendation of An Introduction to Mathematical Reasoning in this thread.\nAnother participant has already recommended my favorite for background reading, Concepts of Modern Mathematics by Ian Stewart.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Modern-Mathematics-Ian-Stewar... (http://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Modern-Mathematics-Ian-Stewart/dp/0486284247/)\nGet that right away.\nSawyer's A Mathematician's Delight is surely also good (I've read other books by Sawyer).\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0486462404/\nRead those for background as you get my favorite overviews of mathematics: Basic Mathematics by Serge Lang and Numbers and Geometry by Joseph Stillwell.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Basic-Mathematics-Serge-Lang/dp/038796... (http://www.amazon.com/Basic-Mathematics-Serge-Lang/dp/0387967877/)\n(Basic Mathematics is mostly high school level math, with a minimum of fuss and bother, and good exercises.)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Geometry-John-Stillwell/dp/038... (http://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Geometry-John-Stillwell/dp/0387982892/)\n(Numbers and Geometry is mostly undergraduate level math, with very good explanations and excellent exercises.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Sawyer's A Mathematician's Delight is surely also good",
          "reason": "Recommends it, citing the author's other books as the basis for the assessment.",
          "audience": "A beginner seeking background reading in mathematics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has read other books by Sawyer, but does not say they have read this one.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. W. Sawyer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-mathematician-s-lament-6b2932",
      "title": "A Mathematician's Lament",
      "author": "Paul Lockhart",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227716,
          "author": "aik",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T22:20:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227716",
          "commentText": "I very much wish I would have read the below books in (or pre) high school.  I'm not sure if they have the same effect on everyone, but for me they were huge in redefining elements of my life that needed to be fixed/unlearned/enhanced.\nAll related to having a passion for learning and life in general:\n\"Art of Learning\" by Josh Waitzkin\n\"Mastery\" by George Leonard\n\"A Mathematician's Lament\" by Paul Lockhart\n\"Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\" by Richard Feynman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"A Mathematician's Lament\" by Paul Lockhart",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of books the commenter wishes they had read earlier, saying these books helped redefine parts of their life.",
          "audience": "People interested in learning and personal development.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the books' effects may vary by person.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Lockhart"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "math pedagogy",
        "mathematics education"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-mathematics-autodidact-s-aid-f6c1ef",
      "title": "A Mathematics Autodidact's Aid",
      "author": "William L. Fowler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7578319,
          "author": "cottonseed",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T16:40:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578319",
          "commentText": "You might be interested in this math.SE question I asked:\nhttps://math.stackexchange.com/questions/62190/mathematical-... (https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/62190/mathematical-equivalent-of-feynmans-lectures-on-physics)\n(comparing to Feynman's Lectures on Physics rather than SICP.)\nHowever, I agree with zodiac: Math is a much broader field and I think very few living people have the kind knowledge you're talking about: consistent and broad knowledge in all areas.\nI have the same background as you and I started doing exactly this about 8 years ago.  I'm just finishing my PhD in math.  I'll give you some advice.  First, studying math for its own sake by yourself is extremely hard.  That's one reason I ended up back in academia.  If you can't go back to school, still find some kind of community.  Second, rather than studying generally, try to identify a goal to work towards.  What are you trying to understand or figure out?  Third, try to model your plan on a rigorous undergrad program, e.g., MIT.  Then, in each main undergrad area (algebra, analysis, topology, geometry, etc.) try to find the \"SICP\" and study that.  For general book recommendations, I like Fowler's A Mathematics Autodidact's Aid:\nhttp://www.ams.org/notices/200510/comm-fowler.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For general book recommendations, I like Fowler's A Mathematics Autodidact's Aid",
          "reason": "The commenter says they like it and offers it as a general book recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William L. Fowler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self study"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-maze-of-death-9132f3",
      "title": "A Maze of Death",
      "author": "Philip K. Dick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36022420,
          "author": "Maelcum",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T16:18:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36022420",
          "commentText": "Many of Philip K. Dick books and short stories, but Ubik and A Maze of Death are my favorites.\nWilliam Gibson's Sprawl trilogy (Neuromancer, Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive)\nDouglas N. Adams - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\nFrank Herbert's Dune books\nTheodore Sturgeon's More Than Human\nRobert A. Heinlein - Citizen of the Galaxy\nRobert Charles Wilson's Spin trilogy\nFrederik Pohl's Heechee books",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ubik and A Maze of Death are my favorites.",
          "reason": "The commenter names it as one of their favorite works.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip K. Dick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "colonization",
        "religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-mentoring-course-in-smalltalk-5f1daf",
      "title": "A Mentoring Course in Smalltalk",
      "author": "Andres Valloud",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14843536,
          "author": "fusiongyro",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-24T23:01:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14843536",
          "commentText": "A Mentoring Course in Smalltalk[0]. I was really surprised, after reading and really loving Design Patterns, that there was still so much to say about OO design.\nI did love Design Patterns a lot though. Purely Functional Data Structures by Chris Okasaki was also really useful for Haskell, as was Real World Haskell.\nProgramming Prolog probably had a bigger influence on my Prolog than the other books, even though I read Art of Prolog and Prolog Programming in Depth first. Especially the latest edition, it's a really beautiful book.\n[0]: http://www.lulu.com/us/en/shop/andres-valloud/a-mentoring-co... (http://www.lulu.com/us/en/shop/andres-valloud/a-mentoring-course-on-smalltalk/paperback/product-3788890.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Mentoring Course in Smalltalk[0]. I was really surprised, after reading and really loving Design Patterns, that there was still so much to say about OO design.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they read and loved it, and found it revealed more about object-oriented design.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andres Valloud"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "object oriented design",
        "smalltalk"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-midsummer-night-s-dream-c12eb7",
      "title": "A Midsummer Night’s Dream",
      "author": "William Shakespeare",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17337473,
          "author": "arethuza",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:47:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337473",
          "commentText": "Shakespeare and Robert Burns were both blighted for me by being inflicted at high school.\nIronically I found that I really like A Midsummer Night's Dream by watching a movie version with my son who was performing in it at school.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found that I really like A Midsummer Night's Dream",
          "reason": "Says they really like it after watching a film version.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Shakespeare"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "plays",
        "shakespearean comedy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-million-miles-in-a-thousand-years-what-i-learned-while-editing--80ee15",
      "title": "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life",
      "author": "Donald Miller",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33850938,
          "author": "sahilc2200",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T05:36:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33850938",
          "commentText": "Three books that really stood out for me last year were:-\n1. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life by Donald Miller (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1999475.A_Million_Miles_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1999475.A_Million_Miles_in_a_Thousand_Years))\n2. The Third Door: The Wild Quest to Uncover How the World's Most Successful People Launched Their Careers by Alex Banyan  (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36739769-the-third-door)\n3. A Thousand Brains: A New Theory of Intelligence by Jeff Hawkins (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54503521-a-thousand-brai... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54503521-a-thousand-brains))\nThere are still like 4 weeks left until 2022 ends, and am hoping to finish more books. Wish me luck! :D",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life by Donald Miller",
          "reason": "Lists it among the three books that stood out last year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donald Miller"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "personal growth"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-mind-at-play-how-claude-shannon-invented-the-information-age-283e0c",
      "title": "A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age",
      "author": "Jimmy Soni and Rob Goodman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25907814,
          "author": "jp42",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T19:48:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25907814",
          "commentText": "Current: Crack in the Creation by Jennifer Doudna and Samuel H. Sternberg\nNext: A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age by Jimmy Soni & Rob Goodman",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Next: A Mind at Play: How Claude Shannon Invented the Information Age by Jimmy Soni & Rob Goodman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22707666,
          "author": "didgeoridoo",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T22:59:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22707666",
          "commentText": "Top five, summaries easy enough to find via Amazon:\n- Turings’s Cathedral\n- The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood\n- A Mind at Play\n- The Victorian Internet\n- Dawn of the New Everything\nPlus two that I haven’t read but hear amazing things:\n- Mindstorms\n- Dream Machine",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- A Mind at Play",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jimmy Soni",
        "Rob Goodman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "claude shannon",
        "information theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-modern-utopia-a4d0fe",
      "title": "A Modern Utopia",
      "author": "H. G. Wells",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3650714,
          "author": "connorlee",
          "createdAt": "2012-03-01T02:49:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 3643009,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-technical book you've read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3650714",
          "commentText": "A Modern Utopia, H.G. Wells. Most amazing book I've read in my life so far",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Most amazing book I've read in my life so far",
          "reason": "Calls it the most amazing book they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "H. G. Wells"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "utopian fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-modest-proposal-63fd13",
      "title": "A Modest Proposal",
      "author": "Jonathan Swift",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5692169,
          "author": "bloodorange",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T21:32:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5692169",
          "commentText": "Adding more:\nSiddhartha - Hermen Hesse\nNarcissus and Goldmund - Herman Hesse\nThe Glass Bead Game - Herman Hesse\nThe Consolations of Philosophy - Alain de Botton\nA Brief History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson\nPolitics and The English Lanaguage (essay) - George Orwell\nA Modest Proposal (essay) - Jonathan Swift",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Modest Proposal (essay) - Jonathan Swift",
          "reason": "Named as an essay in a response to a request for good books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "An essay rather than a book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Swift"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-monetary-history-of-the-united-states-1867-1960-b8a50e",
      "title": "A Monetary History of the United States, 1867–1960",
      "author": "Milton Friedman and Anna J. Schwartz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22573877,
          "author": "WalterBright",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T08:03:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22573877",
          "commentText": "\"Monetary History of the United States\" by Milton Friedman.\nIt's tough sledding, but worth it. And by giving the history, one comes to understand how we got to where we are.\n\"Capitalism\" by Reisman gives a solid theoretical foundation on topics like rent control, inflation, etc. I especially found illuminating its coverage of the 1970's oil crisis and how the root cause of it was price controls.\nI'd avoid economics books written by journalists and politicians, as all I've run across are dominated by ignorance, bias, and agendas. Ones by economists often have agendas, too, but they aren't nearly as ignorant. Just imagine a technical book about electronics written by a journalist, and you'll know what I mean.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Monetary History of the United States\" by Milton Friedman.",
          "reason": "Recommended for understanding how the monetary system developed through history.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a historical account of US monetary policy.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is tough going but worth it.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Milton Friedman",
        "Anna J. Schwartz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "federal reserve",
        "monetary history",
        "us economic history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-moral-animal-245374",
      "title": "A Moral Animal",
      "author": "Robert Wright",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17046599,
          "author": "novalis78",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T12:02:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17046599",
          "commentText": "“How to get what you want”, by Raymond Hull. (Most effective self help book)\n“A moral animal”, by Robert Wright. (Evolutionary Psychology overview - will change your view on life)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“A moral animal”, by Robert Wright. (Evolutionary Psychology overview - will change your view on life)",
          "reason": "Presented as an evolutionary psychology overview that can change your view on life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Wright"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolutionary psychology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-more-beautiful-question-the-power-of-inquiry-to-spark-breakthro-30c6ca",
      "title": "A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas",
      "author": "Warren Berger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18474808,
          "author": "ZainRiz",
          "createdAt": "2018-11-17T09:47:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 18473561,
          "threadTitle": "Best book/paper you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18474808",
          "commentText": "\"A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas\"\nIt's a very insightful read on how you can see the world differently by simply asking questions (even if you never get an answer)\nhttps://www.amazon.com/More-Beautiful-Question-Inquiry-Break... (https://www.amazon.com/More-Beautiful-Question-Inquiry-Breakthrough/dp/1632861054)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"A More Beautiful Question: The Power of Inquiry to Spark Breakthrough Ideas\"\nIt's a very insightful read",
          "reason": "Calls it a very insightful read about seeing the world differently by asking questions.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in inquiry and changing how they see the world.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Warren Berger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "innovation",
        "questioning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-new-earth-41af86",
      "title": "A New Earth",
      "author": "Eckhart Tolle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4787418,
          "author": "timmm",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:19:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787418",
          "commentText": "The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho.\nKing, Warrior, Magician, Lover by Moore and Gillette\nThe lean startup\nPaul Graham how to start a startup\nMark Hyman Ultimate Mind Solution\nTribal Leadership\nWheel of Time\nThink and Grow Rich\nSuperior Man David Deida\nThe Fountain Head\nEckhart Tolle New Earth\n50th Law\nGood to Great\nJed Mckenna\nEarl Nightengale\nLong Walk to Freedom\nOutliers\nGood to Great\nPsycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz (Self-image)\nSeven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey(Being awesome)\nWealth of Nations\nWayne Dyer The Tao\nSystem of the World\nOrigin of Species\nBrave new world\nThank you economy\nCrush it\nBuilt to Last\nWho Moved my Cheese\nStillness Speak Eckhert Tolle\nMastery George Leonard\nSteve Jobs Biography\nThe Last Lecture\nSteve Pavlina Books\nIacocca\nStriking Thoughts Bruce Lee\nCarlos Castaneda\nGhost in the Wires\nRichest Man in Babylon\nWay of the Superior Man\nLosing My Virginity\nThink and Grow Rich\nDelivering Happiness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Eckhart Tolle New Earth",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eckhart Tolle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-new-guide-to-better-writing-c282cd",
      "title": "A New Guide to Better Writing",
      "author": "Rudolf Flesch and A. H. Lass",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33596633,
          "author": "GartzenDeHaes",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-14T16:35:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33596633",
          "commentText": "A New Guide to Better Writing by Rudolf Flesch, A.H. Lass.  Somehow, I never learned to write well in high school.\nhttps://archive.org/details/newguidetobetter0000fles_z5a7",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A New Guide to Better Writing by Rudolf Flesch, A.H. Lass.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they never learned to write well in high school.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rudolf Flesch",
        "A. H. Lass"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "writing instruction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-new-history-of-modern-computing-12cb5e",
      "title": "A New History of Modern Computing",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33384218,
          "author": "agomez314",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T14:17:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33384218",
          "commentText": "A New History of Modern Computing gave me a huge perspective on computers that I felt I lacked vs others who are older.\nCrafting Interpreters (Nystrom) makes compilers/interpreters not spooky and fun.\nOperating Systems: 3 Easy pieces and the xv6 OS manual are also great introductory books that got me interested in OS dev.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A New History of Modern Computing gave me a huge perspective on computers that I felt I lacked vs others who are older.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it broadened their perspective on computing history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of computing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-new-philosophy-of-society-assemblage-theory-and-social-complexi-fd4819",
      "title": "A New Philosophy of Society: Assemblage Theory and Social Complexity",
      "author": "Manuel DeLanda",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35938300,
          "author": "ducharmdev",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-14T14:32:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35938300",
          "commentText": "That is quite fascinating - I was big into continental philosophy in college, especially Deleuze. I might have to check that out!\nIf you're interested in this stuff, I think you might enjoy Manuel DeLanda - he gives Deleuze a sort of analytic treatment. His book \"A New Philosophy of Society: Assemblage Theory and Social Complexity\" takes a lot of ideas from A Thousand Plateaus, but makes them clearer and more accessible.\nAnother suggestion if interested in Deleuze, and more specifically A Thousand Plateaus: someone named Brent Adkins has a great companion for the work. Unless you have extensive experience with the thinkers & ideas referenced in ATP (e.g. Freud, Marx, Nietzsche), I found secondary sources very helpful for setting up context around certain terms and concepts.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His book \"A New Philosophy of Society: Assemblage Theory and Social Complexity\" takes a lot of ideas from A Thousand Plateaus, but makes them clearer and more accessible.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a clearer, more accessible treatment of ideas from A Thousand Plateaus.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Deleuze and continental philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Manuel DeLanda"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "assemblage theory",
        "continental philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-panoramic-view-of-differential-geometry-50bb85",
      "title": "A Panoramic View of Differential Geometry",
      "author": "Marcel Berger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21352608,
          "author": "enriquto",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-25T07:05:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21352608",
          "commentText": "All the books cited here by Arnold, Spivak, and Lanczos are extraordinarily good.\nNobody has mentioned yet \"Geometry and the Imagination\" by Hilbert and Cohn-Vossen.  If there is a Feynman equivalent in math it is certainly this book.\nFor elementary geometry, the Feynman equivalent is probably \"Introduction to Geometry\", by H.S.M.Coxeter.  Beautifully written, figures on every page, covers all geometric topics (affine, projective, ordered, differential, ...)\nFor differential geometry, nothing beats \"A Panoramic view of Differential Geometry\" by Berger.  It is a stunning comprehensive overview of the whole field, focused on the meaning and the applications of each part and, strangely for a math book, with no formal proofs.  Only the main ideas of the proof and the relationships between them are given, but this allows to fit the whole subject into a single, manageable whole.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"A Panoramic view of Differential Geometry\" by Berger. It is a stunning comprehensive overview",
          "reason": "Called a stunning, comprehensive overview focused on meaning and applications.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an overview of differential geometry.",
          "caveat": "The comment notes it has no formal proofs, giving only main ideas and relationships between proofs.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marcel Berger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "differential geometry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-paradise-built-in-hell-f55350",
      "title": "A Paradise Built in Hell",
      "author": "Rebecca Solnit",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19090257,
          "author": "g_sch",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T21:53:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090257",
          "commentText": "Reading Rebecca Solnit's A Paradise Built in Hell changed my views of human nature and expanded my imagination on how societies can be organized.\nThe book is a series of histories of disaster events, natural and human-made. It shows how traditional ideas of what happens to people in crisis - i.e. that it brings out the worst in human nature and people need to be managed, by force if necessary - are wrong and that disaster and hardship create temporary communities that are peaceful, egalitarian, and supportive. In many cases, the experience of working in common to support others was so powerful that it led to profound individual and even structural political transformations.\nAll in all, it's a deeply optimistic view of human nature, one that you rarely see these days.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Reading Rebecca Solnit's A Paradise Built in Hell changed my views of human nature and expanded my imagination on how societies can be organized.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed their views of human nature and describes its optimistic account of communities after disasters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rebecca Solnit"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "disaster response",
        "mutual aid"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-pattern-language-towns-buildings-construction-d099ce",
      "title": "A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction",
      "author": "Christopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa, Murray Silverstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17206932,
          "author": "brensmith",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T16:23:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17206932",
          "commentText": "\"A Pattern Language\" by Christopher Alexander. Helped me to understand the language of architecture. What works and why, and what doesn't work and why. To this day I can still pick up this book, turn to a random page and get lost for hours in it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Pattern_Language",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"A Pattern Language\" by Christopher Alexander. Helped me to understand the language of architecture.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them understand architecture and describes returning to it for hours.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in architecture and how buildings and places work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa, Murray Silverstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "architecture",
        "pattern language"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-peek-at-computer-electronics-things-you-should-know-c0fce3",
      "title": "A Peek at Computer Electronics: Things You Should Know",
      "author": "unknown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 149376,
          "author": "cian",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-29T12:23:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 149317,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Learning circuit/hardware; lab book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=149376",
          "commentText": "This book may help as a starting point assuming no prior knowledge, you could work from there to an O'Reilly hacks book.\nA Peek at Computer Electronics: Things you Should Know\nhttp://www.pragprog.com/titles/ctelec",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Peek at Computer Electronics: Things you Should Know",
          "reason": "Suggested as a starting point for learning electronics with no prior knowledge.",
          "audience": "Beginners with no prior electronics knowledge.",
          "caveat": "The commenter suggests moving on to an O'Reilly hacks book afterward.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "unknown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer hardware",
        "electronics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-people-s-history-of-computing-in-the-united-states-75e204",
      "title": "A People's History of Computing in the United States",
      "author": "Joy Lisi Rankin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22707994,
          "author": "nprescott",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T00:03:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22707994",
          "commentText": "A People’s History of Computing in the United States - Joy Lisi Rankin\nJoy Rankin draws on detailed records to explore how users exchanged messages, programmed music and poems, fostered communities, and developed computer games like The Oregon Trail. These unsung pioneers helped shape our digital world, just as much as the inventors, garage hobbyists, and eccentric billionaires of Palo Alto.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A People’s History of Computing in the United States - Joy Lisi Rankin",
          "reason": "Explores how computer users built communities, created programs and games, and shaped computing history.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the history of computing and its users.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joy Lisi Rankin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computing communities",
        "history of computing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-people-s-tragedy-the-russian-revolution-1891-1924-6e3844",
      "title": "A People's Tragedy: The Russian Revolution, 1891–1924",
      "author": "Orlando Figes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10211732,
          "author": "ChildOfEru",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-13T15:43:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 10211331,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10211732",
          "commentText": "\"A People's Tragedy: The Russian Revolution: 1891-1924\" by Orlando Figes\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/014024364X",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"A People's Tragedy: The Russian Revolution: 1891-1924\" by Orlando Figes",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569107,
          "author": "arethuza",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:13:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569107",
          "commentText": "Recent favorites of mine:\nAnathem - Neal Stephenson\nA People's Tragedy: Russian Revolution, 1891-1924 - Orlando Figes\nThe Big Short - Michael Lewis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A People's Tragedy: Russian Revolution, 1891-1924 - Orlando Figes",
          "reason": "Listed as a recent favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Orlando Figes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "russian revolution",
        "social history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-perfect-spy-bb7962",
      "title": "A Perfect Spy",
      "author": "John le Carré",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49909916,
          "author": "hardwaregeek",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T15:00:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49909916",
          "commentText": "Almost finished with A Perfect Spy. Maybe the most emotionally compelling Le Carre I’ve read. Long and I do find him a bit of a slog (The Honorable Schoolboy especially), but there’s something so fun about his brand of tactical, psychological espionage.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Almost finished with A Perfect Spy. Maybe the most emotionally compelling Le Carre I’ve read.",
          "reason": "Calls it perhaps the most emotionally compelling le Carré novel they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Finds le Carré a bit of a slog, especially The Honourable Schoolboy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 45304576,
          "author": "jorisboris",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-19T18:02:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 45283087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45304576",
          "commentText": "Yes, I’ve read the spy who came in from the cold, and i tried to read a perfect spy\nI liked the first one but its very raw and dark, no glitter and glamour\nI quit the second one, part of the book are flashback scenes and I had a hard time staying concentrated, i forgot why exactly i didnt like those scenes",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "i tried to read a perfect spy",
          "reason": "The commenter describes trying the book and quitting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Flashback scenes made it hard for the commenter to stay focused.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John le Carré"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "espionage",
        "psychological thriller",
        "spy fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-personal-matter-c37876",
      "title": "A Personal Matter",
      "author": "Kenzaburō Ōe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25849937,
          "author": "WaltPurvis",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T18:23:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25849937",
          "commentText": "Quibble: One is awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for an entire body of work, not just a single novel; Oe wrote many other highly regarded novels in the thirty years between publishing A Personal Matter in 1964 and winning the Nobel Prize in 1994.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Oe wrote many other highly regarded novels in the thirty years between publishing A Personal Matter in 1964 and winning the Nobel Prize in 1994.",
          "reason": "Corrects the parent’s claim about the Nobel Prize and places the novel in Ōe’s career.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25846688,
          "author": "dawg-",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T14:19:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25846688",
          "commentText": "A Personal Matter by Kenzaburo Oe. It's short, it's gripping, it's devastating. Oe won a nobel prize for it, so you can't go wrong there.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Personal Matter by Kenzaburo Oe. It's short, it's gripping, it's devastating.",
          "reason": "Recommends the novel, describing it as short, gripping, and devastating.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as devastating.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kenzaburō Ōe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "japanese literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-philosopher-s-notes-on-optimal-living-creating-an-authentically-330589",
      "title": "A Philosopher's Notes: On Optimal Living, Creating an Authentically Awesome Life and Other Such Goodness, Vol. 1",
      "author": "Brian Johnson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5368247,
          "author": "ThinkADRIAN",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-13T13:38:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 5323956,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: which are some good self-help books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5368247",
          "commentText": "10 Key Principles that are common to over 100 of the most famous Personal Development books...  Brian Johnson discovered these Concepts for Optimal Living and wrote a book about it:\nA Philosopher's Notes: On Optimal Living, Creating an Authentically Awesome Life and Other Such Goodness, Vol. 1\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Philosophers-Notes-Creating-Authentica... (http://www.amazon.com/Philosophers-Notes-Creating-Authentically-Goodness/dp/0983059101)\nThis is the best Personal Development Book I ever read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is the best Personal Development Book I ever read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the best personal development book they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Johnson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "optimal living",
        "personal development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-philosophical-essay-on-probabilities-3f831a",
      "title": "A Philosophical Essay on Probabilities",
      "author": "Pierre-Simon Laplace",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2723504,
          "author": "buro9",
          "createdAt": "2011-07-03T11:22:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 2723436,
          "threadTitle": "Suggest good sites/books on probability",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2723504",
          "commentText": "There is only one book I would recommend:\nTitle: Philosophical Essay on Probabilities\nAuthor: Pierre Simon Marquis de Laplace\nYear: 1794 (and still applicable)\nAmazon Search: http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3D... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=philosophical+essay+on+probability&x=0&y=0)\nGoogle Books: http://books.google.com/books/about/A_philosophical_essay_on... (http://books.google.com/books/about/A_philosophical_essay_on_probabilities.html?id=WxoPAAAAIAAJ)\nSure you can find more current texts, but this introduces it as if this was a cold introduction, and makes the foundation understanding almost complete. It's a pretty stunning piece of work, the essay being a popular introduction and not the underlying mathematical lecture it was based on.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "There is only one book I would recommend:\nTitle: Philosophical Essay on Probabilities\nAuthor: Pierre Simon Marquis de Laplace",
          "reason": "The commenter says it provides a strong foundation and is a stunning popular introduction to probability.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an introduction to probability.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it is a popular introduction, not the underlying mathematical lecture.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pierre-Simon Laplace"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bayesian reasoning",
        "probability"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-plague-upon-our-house-75fa0e",
      "title": "A Plague Upon Our House",
      "author": "Scott W. Atlas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29815720,
          "author": "Const-me",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-05T22:07:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29815720",
          "commentText": "Last non-fiction book I read was “A Plague Upon Our House” by dr. Scott Atlas. Good one, can recommend, but it might be too depressing for a birthday, it’s about COVID and modern politics.\nAnother good non-fiction one is “Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years of Lockheed” by Leo Janos, about cold war and aviation technology. This one is fine for a birthday, assuming you generally like these topics.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Last non-fiction book I read was “A Plague Upon Our House” by dr. Scott Atlas. Good one, can recommend, but it might be too depressing for a birthday, it’s about COVID and modern politics.",
          "reason": "Recommends it, with a warning that it may be too depressing for a birthday.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "May be too depressing for a birthday; about COVID and modern politics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott W. Atlas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "covid 19",
        "pandemic politics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-player-of-games-f3f267",
      "title": "A Player of Games",
      "author": "Iain M. Banks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17536668,
          "author": "thetruepickle5",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:37:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536668",
          "commentText": "I would recommend Ubik by Phillip K Dick.\nIt reads like a thriller and a mind bender. It sort of has the feel of the movie Inception if you liked that. It's not too long or hard to read, and it's completely self contained. The more I read by Phillip K Dick the more I appreciate his ideas.\nI also second a recommendation for A Player of Games someone noted above.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also second a recommendation for A Player of Games someone noted above.",
          "reason": "Seconds the recommendation for the novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Iain M. Banks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-positive-revolution-in-change-appreciative-inquiry-12c20c",
      "title": "A Positive Revolution in Change: Appreciative Inquiry",
      "author": "David L. Cooperrider and Diana Whitney",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 143172,
          "author": "bumbledraven",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T07:05:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143172",
          "commentText": "http://appreciativeinquiry.case.edu/uploads/whatisai.pdf A  Positive Revolution in Change: Appreciative Inquiry\nI started reading this and was amazed. It's written for organizations but it rings true when read as applying to an individual as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A  Positive Revolution in Change: Appreciative Inquiry",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is written for organizations but also rings true when applied to an individual.",
          "audience": "People interested in applying organizational change ideas to individual life.",
          "caveat": "Written for organizations, though the commenter finds it relevant to individuals.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David L. Cooperrider and Diana Whitney"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "appreciative inquiry",
        "organizational change"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-primate-s-memoir-0e2c44",
      "title": "A Primate's Memoir",
      "author": "Robert M. Sapolsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38560202,
          "author": "monkeypicks",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T18:52:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38560202",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\nVictory City- new Salman Rushdie book. Great retelling of the history of one of the great medieval South Indian kingdoms. Not his best, but his writing is still top notch.\nSea of Tranquility- speculative fiction from Emily St. John Mandel (of Station Eleven fame). It's a series of interconnected stories spanning centuries from the near past to the near future. Beautifully written. Read when I was down with COVID earlier this year and it invaded my dreams (in a good way). Short and easy read.\nGiovanni's Room- story of an American expat in Paris caught between his love for a man and his duty to his girlfriend. This is the first James Baldwin book I have read but will definitely check out more of his work in 2024.\nTheory of Bastards- speculative fiction by Audrey Schulmann. Literary sci-fi similar to Station Eleven. It's about a woman researching primate behavior set in the near future where the earth is ravaged by the effects of climate change. Very well researched, beautifully written and nothing like I have ever read before. This won the 2019 Philip K Dick Award.\nInvisible Cities- literary fiction by Italo Calvino. It's less than 200 pages but a very dense and tough read. It's a conversation between Marco Polo and Kublai Khan where MP is describing cities in KK's vast empire. It's a strange, strange book that I think I will return to often. If you liked the world building in Piranesi and want more, this is the book for you. Calvino describes 55 cities in under 200 pages, with each one feeling very different. Again, first Calvino book I have read and will definitely check out more of his works in 2024.\nNon-fiction:\nThinking in Systems: A Primer- by Donella Meadows. Read this based on HN's recommendation. Thank you!\nOn Intelligence- by Jeff Hawkins. This was on my shelf for years and am glad I got to read it this year. The creator of the Palm Pilot presents his theory of intelligence and how the brain works. It's compelling. I hope to read his follow up book in 2024. Would love HN's recommendations of similar books.\nA Primate's Memoir- by Robert M. Sapolsky. Enjoyable read of the author's research on Savannah baboons and his adventures in Africa. His love for primates and humans alike come through clearly.\nBuild: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making- by Tony Fadell. A great business book by the co-founder of Nest. Draws on his experience both as a startup founder and leading innovative teams at large tech companies (Apple, in his case). Just as any business book, this could have been shorter and less repetitive but thankfully, there is enough good material here to be a book rather than a blog post.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Enjoyable read of the author's research on Savannah baboons and his adventures in Africa.",
          "reason": "Describes it as an enjoyable account of baboon research and adventures in Africa.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert M. Sapolsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "baboons",
        "primatology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-primate-s-memoir-d0c140",
      "title": "A Primate's Memoir",
      "author": "Robert Sapolsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8153790,
          "author": "b_emery",
          "createdAt": "2014-08-08T16:53:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 8125375,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I save for offline reading during 5 weeks without Internet?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8153790",
          "commentText": "While traveling through Africa I read A Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela. Reading about the history while being there makes it all very real. I also just read A Primate's Memoir by Robert Sapolsky, which has some of the wildest travel stories about Africa you could ever imagine. A must read if only to prepare you for what you are about to experience. Those two could keep you busy for a few weeks.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Primate's Memoir by Robert Sapolsky",
          "reason": "Calls it a must-read for its vivid travel stories about Africa and to help prepare for the trip.",
          "audience": "A traveler preparing to experience Africa.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it has wild travel stories; no other caveat given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Sapolsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "africa",
        "primatology",
        "travel memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-profound-mind-cultivating-wisdom-in-everyday-life-30323a",
      "title": "A Profound Mind: Cultivating Wisdom in Everyday Life",
      "author": "Dalai Lama",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23154196,
          "author": "gdubs",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T14:15:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23154196",
          "commentText": "Someone already mentioned “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”, so I’ll go with something I read last year, Carlo Rovelli’s, “Reality is Not What it Seems.”\nI don’t think I really ever grasped the concept of relativity fully until reading that book — at least the aspects of time. [edit: well, not “fully”, I’m sure — but at least a lot more than I have in the past.]\nAt the same time I read the Dalai Lama’s, “Universe in a Single Atom”, which focuses on his love of science / physics, and was a very good pair to Rovelli’s book. It made me really think about the role of subjectivity in terms of Relativity. It also made me think about life, and consciousness, broadly.\nThat led to the Dalai Lama’s other book, “A Profound Mind”, which helped me really understand the Buddhist concept of “Emptiness” for the first time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Dalai Lama’s other book, “A Profound Mind”",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them understand the Buddhist concept of emptiness.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Buddhist philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dalai Lama"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhism",
        "emptiness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-psalm-for-the-wild-built-447891",
      "title": "A Psalm for the Wild-Built",
      "author": "Becky Chambers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34160619,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:11:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160619",
          "commentText": "This year I've put myself to the challenge to read at least one book per week which I primarily could complete by reading in the middle of the night while holding our sleeping baby in my arms. It has been an interesting challenge which gave me a lot of fulfilment and has certainly changed my mind on how I view the world. This comment became quite a long read, apologies for that.\nBooks I highly recommend:\nChurchill by Andrew Roberts (p:1105)\nA biography about one of the most interesting figures in politics and WWII. Roberts gives a very detailed description of the life of Churchill and manages to keep you interested the entire length of the book.\nThe God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (p:374)\nIn The God Delusion Dawkins gives arguments why there is no God, why we do not need a God and why religion is damaging to our society. If you are religious it might not be the book for you unless you are open to hear his arguments and line of reasoning. Dawkins will challenge your worldview.\nThe Bomb by Fred Kaplan (p:384)\nKaplan describes the policy of different US presidents on the atomic bomb and war in general. And primarily on the inability of US presidents and policy-makers to tune down its military. A chilling read which makes you appreciate a nuclear holocaust did not happen (yet)....\nPoor Economics by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo (p:320)\nBanerjee and Duflo give a gripping portrait of how poor people live. They offer an insight in the choices and decisions people make surviving on less than 1 USD a day (corrected for purchasing power). It made me completely rethink my own view on poverty and development aid; stressing even more that in order to help one need to have a complete understanding of the individual's situation and the local boundary conditions.\nProject Hail Mary  by Andy Weir (p:476)\nThis book triggered my science fiction reading. For some reason I never was interested in science fiction. Most likely triggered by reading Foundation by Asimov a few years back which apparently is not a book to my taste. But Andy Weir completely annihilated that wrong perspective on science fiction. Project Hail Mary is interesting, funny and gripping book.\nKindred by Octavia Butler  (p:287)\nThis book.... From page one I was hooked and almost read it in one go. Butler is a wonderful author and Kindred is a must-read. The book is about a woman traveling back in time to end up on a slave plantation. It's a chilling account of slavery.\nOther books I read this year, ask me anything about one of these books. I've added a + if I think its worth a recommendation\nBiography:\nNavalny by Dollbaum, Lallouet and Noble (p:280); The Man from the Future by Ananyo Bhattacharya (p:354) +\nSociology; Politics; Economics; Business:\nOnly the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove (p:224); The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli  (p:140); Winter is Coming by Garry Kasparov (p:290); Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum (p:224) +; Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl (p:164) +; We Are Bellingcat by Eliot Higgins (p:272); De Zeven Vinkjes by Joris Luyendijk (p:200); Waarom vuilnismannen meer verdienen dan bankiers by Rutger Bregman (p:104)\nComedy: The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (p:336)\nHistory:\nBand of Brothers  by Stephen E. Ambrose (p:432); The Nuclear Jihadist by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins (p:413) +; The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre (p:384) +; De Heineken Ontvoering by Peter R. de Vries (p:347); Red Famine by Anne Apllebaum (p:384); Night by Elie Wiesel (p:115) +\nScience, Technology, Mathematics:\nFermat's Enigma by Simon Singh (p:315) +; A Mathematician's Apology by G.H. Hardy (p:153); The Great Influenza by John M. Barry (p:546); The Rise and Fall of the Dinousaurs by Stephen Brusatte (p:404) ++; The Double Helix by James Watson (p:144)\nSport:\nRun or Die by Killian Jornet (p:208); The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton  (p:290) +; The Rise of the Ultra Runners by  (p:304); Tom Dumoulin by Patrick Bernhart (p:203)\nFiction:\nAnthem by Ayn Rand (p:105); Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (p:704); The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (p:566); Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (p:466); Live and Let die by Ian Fleming  (p:229)\nClassics:\nA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (p:104); The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (p:201); The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald (p:180); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (p:139); Animal Farm by George Orwell (p:122) +; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (p:227) +; The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (p:118)\nScience Fiction:\nThe Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (p:399); All Systems Red  by Martha Wells (p:144) +; A Memory Called Empire  by Arkady Martine (p:462) +; A Psalm built for the Wild by Becky Chambers (p:160); Dune by Frank Herbert (p:658); Foundation by Isaac Asimov (p:244); The Martian by Andy Weir (p:384) +;\nThe Forever War by Joe Haldeman (p:278)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "A Psalm built for the Wild by Becky Chambers",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29669060,
          "author": "49531",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T01:51:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29669060",
          "commentText": "A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers. Very thoughtful and short read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers. Very thoughtful and short read.",
          "reason": "Described as thoughtful and short.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Becky Chambers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "solarpunk",
        "robot and human companionship",
        "robots"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-pure-waste-of-paper-ce1b2f",
      "title": "A Pure Waste of Paper",
      "author": "Jean-Yves Girard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30823361,
          "author": "amateurlogician",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-27T19:41:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30823361",
          "commentText": "Girard's rhetoric never fails to keep me hooked. I treasure any number of works of Girard, whether his introductions to Type Theory and his Linear Logic or notes on his quest for Transcendental Logic. Clear prose of exposition, to the point and clearly motivated, intermingled with literary allusions in critique of philosophers' ideas of truth, the work of Girard is truly a gem.\nParticularly entertaining is his 'A pure waste of paper' (Appendix A of 'LOCUS SOLUM') (https://girard.perso.math.cnrs.fr/0.pdf). I could flip to a random page of his 'appendix' and just sink in.\nA fine introductory work of his to the subject would be 'PROOFS AND TYPES' (https://people.mpi-sws.org/~dreyer/ats/papers/girard.pdf).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'A pure waste of paper' (Appendix A of 'LOCUS SOLUM')",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoy opening it to a random page and reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It is an appendix within Locus Solum.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jean-Yves Girard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "logic",
        "philosophy of mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-quarter-century-of-unix-37bd21",
      "title": "A Quarter Century of UNIX",
      "author": "Peter H. Salus",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43085058,
          "author": "ggm",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-18T01:20:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 43084739,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction/non-fiction book should everyone read on the topic of CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43085058",
          "commentText": "A Quarter Century of UNIX, (Peter Salus, 1994)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Quarter Century of UNIX, (Peter Salus, 1994)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter H. Salus"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "unix history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-radical-approach-to-lebesgue-s-theory-of-integration-ab7967",
      "title": "A Radical Approach to Lebesgue's Theory of Integration",
      "author": "David M. Bressoud",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20676293,
          "author": "thelastbender12",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T15:28:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20676293",
          "commentText": "Thanks for asking this. I had a related question - have you found any other textbooks/courses which take a chronological view on the subject of neural networks, sort of a tour-de-force of their history?\nA lot of MOOCs and open courses do a very good job at teaching the deep learning toolset for specific domains - vision, text, and so on. I was looking to find a curated source on how neural network architectures and algorithms gradually evolved over time as people realized they could solve a wider variety of problems.\nThis probably sounds like a `seminar` course with extensive readings? A good analogy for instance would be the MAA book on the history of integration [0], which describes how the notion of integration was formalized over time. Thank you for your help!\n[0] https://www.maa.org/press/maa-reviews/a-radical-approach-to-... (https://www.maa.org/press/maa-reviews/a-radical-approach-to-lebesgues-theory-of-integration)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "would be the MAA book on the history of integration [0]",
          "reason": "Used as an analogy for the kind of chronological history source the commenter is seeking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7602095,
          "author": "zeta8",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-17T05:14:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7602095",
          "commentText": "I'm in a similar position as well - perhaps at just a wee bit higher level (am learning grad-level math by myself). Below is a list of books that I have enjoyed. Some might perhaps be at a slightly higher level than you might need right now though.\n1. Analysis - The Elias Stein, Rami Shakarchi Analysis series, Meassure Theory by Terrence Tao, Lebesgue Integration on Euclidean Spaces by Frank Jones, A radical approach to Lebesgue Integration by Bressoud\n2. Algebra - Can't do much better than the classic texts by Herstein & Artin here. I know Artin doesn't get much love but after a point, you really begin to appreciate it.\n3. Complex Analysis - is there a better math book than Visual Complex Analysis by Needham?\n4. Topology - i'm partial to a Dover book on Topology by Theodore Gamelin. I learnt the basics of point-set topology & homotopy form this book. Great exercises.\n5. Number Theory - check out the 2 problem books on number theory by Ram Murty. Melvyn Nathanson's book is quite good as well.\n6. Combinatorics - Combinatorics of Finite Sets by Ian Anderson. Extremal Combinatorics by Jukna.\n7. Graph Theory - Diestel or Bondy/Murty.\n8. Galois Theory - Rotman is great.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A radical approach to Lebesgue Integration by Bressoud",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter has enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some recommendations may be at a higher level than needed right now.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David M. Bressoud"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "lebesgue integration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-radically-beneficial-world-automation-technology-and-creating-j-e181df",
      "title": "A Radically Beneficial World: Automation, Technology and Creating Jobs for All",
      "author": "Charles Hugh Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14860014,
          "author": "openfuture",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:31:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14860014",
          "commentText": "Mahabharata - Extremely interesting ethics in my opinion, also the cosmology is so inconsistent and interesting.\nA Radically Beneficial World: Automation, Technology and Creating Jobs for All: The Future Belongs to Work That Is Meaningful - Charles Hugh Smith\nThis one is a must read already and I'm only a few chapters in. His arguments are good enough and perfect is the enemy of good. Wish this book was more popular.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Radically Beneficial World: Automation, Technology and Creating Jobs for All: The Future Belongs to Work That Is Meaningful - Charles Hugh Smith\nThis one is a must read already and I'm only a few chapters in.",
          "reason": "Calls it a must read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has only read a few chapters.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Hugh Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "automation",
        "future of work"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-requiem-for-homo-sapiens-b451dc",
      "title": "A Requiem for Homo Sapiens",
      "author": "David Zindell",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056556,
          "author": "dasmoth",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:24:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056556",
          "commentText": "That's definitely retroactive, my old copy says no such thing.\nNeverness is a fabulous book though.  RfHS also worthwhile, but does sprawl a bit for my taste.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "RfHS also worthwhile, but does sprawl a bit for my taste.",
          "reason": "Calls the series worthwhile while noting that it sprawls.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It sprawls a bit for the commenter’s taste.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056538,
          "author": "Yetanfou",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:21:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056538",
          "commentText": "Prequel in the sense of being named 'A Requiem for Homo Sapiens 0'. I think I'll find my way through the manifold yet...",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Prequel in the sense of being named 'A Requiem for Homo Sapiens 0'. I think I'll find my way through the manifold yet...",
          "reason": "Clarifies the series' naming and says they plan to work through it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056506,
          "author": "aardvark179",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:13:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056506",
          "commentText": "Neverness is not a prequel since it was written before A Requiem For Homo Sapiens.\nThat sort of sloppy thinking would get you killed as a pilot. :-)\nAlso, autocorrect really doesn't want to let me type Neverness.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Neverness is not a prequel since it was written before A Requiem For Homo Sapiens.",
          "reason": "Named to clarify the publication order between the works.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056481,
          "author": "Yetanfou",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:04:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056481",
          "commentText": "One of the read-worthy books which immediately came to mind is Neverness [1] by David Zindell. It is actually the 'prequel' to a series ('A requiem for Homo Sapiens' [2]) which I have yet to read, but it stands by itself as far as I'm concerned.\nIf you like SF, mathematics and deep ideas, this might be a book for you.\n[1] http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/968997.Neverness\n[2] http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/399921.David_Zindell",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "a series ('A requiem for Homo Sapiens' [2]) which I have yet to read",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a related series the commenter has not read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Zindell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolution",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-retargetable-c-compiler-design-and-implementation-1f99a8",
      "title": "A Retargetable C Compiler: Design and Implementation",
      "author": "Chris Fraser and David Hanson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 136907,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-14T16:58:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 136875,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good compiler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=136907",
          "commentText": "10 years ago, I loved Hanson and Fraser:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0805316701\nThis is a good tour of front-end and back-end stuff, a decent intro to code gen, and is built on a hand-written recursive-descent C parser. That it's specific to one C compiler made it better to read straight through, but I rarely refer back to it.\nSo far this year, I've been liking Muchnick:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1558603204\nThis is pretty heavy on the backend and codegen, which is where my head is at these days.\nCompilers is a big topic. What part interests you most? Parsing? Optimization? Semantics and error detection? Code generation?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "10 years ago, I loved Hanson and Fraser:",
          "reason": "The commenter says they loved the book and describes its compiler coverage.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in compiler front ends, back ends, and code generation.",
          "caveat": "Specific to one C compiler; the commenter rarely refers back to it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris Fraser and David Hanson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c",
        "compiler design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-river-sutra-e5c053",
      "title": "A River Sutra",
      "author": "Gita Mehta",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13968820,
          "author": "pcsanwald",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T16:00:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13968820",
          "commentText": "A River Sutra, by Gita Mehta.\nIt's a book I've re-read many times over the years, and drawn something different and new from each reading. It's hard to articulate why it's so important to me, but I've learned a tremendous amount from it. Highly recommended!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A River Sutra, by Gita Mehta.",
          "reason": "Says repeated readings yielded new insights and that they learned a tremendous amount; explicitly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds it hard to articulate why it matters to them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gita Mehta"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "indian culture",
        "interconnected stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-room-with-a-view-ca7215",
      "title": "A Room with a View",
      "author": "E. M. Forster",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41178889,
          "author": "curry798",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T07:00:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41178889",
          "commentText": "Romeo and Juliet\nhe Blue Castle: a novel by L. M. Montgomery\nA Room with a View by E. M. Forster",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Room with a View by E. M. Forster",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite classic books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231259,
          "author": "jamesrcole",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T17:40:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231259",
          "commentText": "Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, by Chip Heath and Dan Heath\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Made-Stick-Ideas-Survive-Others/dp/140... (http://www.amazon.com/Made-Stick-Ideas-Survive-Others/dp/1400064287)\n- quite good so far (1/2 way through)\nA Room with a View, by E.M. Forster\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Room-View-Bantam-Classics/dp/055321323... (http://www.amazon.com/Room-View-Bantam-Classics/dp/0553213237)\n- not sure what I think of it yet (about 1/2 way through).  Found some of the writing a bit opaque, where I'm not sure what he's trying to say.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "not sure what I think of it yet (about 1/2 way through). Found some of the writing a bit opaque",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure what they think and finds some writing opaque.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "E. M. Forster"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "edwardian england",
        "edwardian literature",
        "literary fiction",
        "romance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-rule-is-to-break-a-child-s-guide-to-anarchy-ad1e4e",
      "title": "A Rule Is to Break: A Child's Guide to Anarchy",
      "author": "John Seven",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50038456,
          "author": "treetalker",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T00:20:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50038456",
          "commentText": "A Rule Is to Break: A Child’s Guide to Anarchy by John Seven",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Rule Is to Break: A Child’s Guide to Anarchy by John Seven",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite children's books.",
          "audience": "Children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Seven"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "anarchism",
        "picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-rulebook-for-arguments-9e93fd",
      "title": "A Rulebook for Arguments",
      "author": "Anthony Weston",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43573578,
          "author": "nofalsescotsman",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-03T18:31:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 43572949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books written on “How to think”?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43573578",
          "commentText": "A succinct book which is a good primer for thinking through things is \"Rulebook for Arguments\" by Anthony Weston. Quick to get through and understandable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Rulebook for Arguments\" by Anthony Weston",
          "reason": "Described as a concise primer for thinking through things.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Quick to read and understandable.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anthony Weston"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "argumentation",
        "critical thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-sailor-of-austria-in-which-without-really-intending-to-otto-pro-6733f5",
      "title": "A Sailor of Austria: In Which Without Really Intending to, Otto Prohaska Becomes Official War Hero No. 27 of the Hapsburg Empire",
      "author": "John Biggins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33850229,
          "author": "jeffreyrogers",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T03:17:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33850229",
          "commentText": "Red Plenty, a novel that is loosely about the invention of linear programming in the Soviet Union (a branch of mathematics, only somewhat related to computer programming). Good description of what the process of scientific invention feels like in the first part of the book. (if you want more depth on the mathematics of linear programming, Understanding and Using Linear Programming is a very readable (and short) textbook that only requires basic linear algebra knowledge).\nMoneyball, people have been recommending this to me for years but I never read it because I find baseball so boring. I'm glad I finally read it. It's not really a book about baseball it's about finding and exploiting unappreciated edges.\nWho We Are and How We Got Here, makes a lot of the recent genetic research on human origins understandable. Especially relevant this year due to Svante Paabo's nobel prize.\nOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood, possibly better than the movie (which I love). Reads a bit like a script. The dialog is very good and contains many \"scenes\" that aren't in the movie.\n$12 Million Dollar Stuffed Shark, if you are interested in modern art or how things that look like something anyone could do can sell for absurd amounts of money this book is worth reading.\nA Sailor of Austria: In Which Without Really Intending to, Otto Prohaska Becomes Official War Hero No. 27 of the Hapsburg Empire, one of the reviews I read before starting this described it as something like \"a techno-thriller set on an austrian submarine in world war one\". If that sounds appealing to you, you'll probably like this book. If not don't bother starting it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If that sounds appealing to you, you'll probably like this book. If not don't bother starting it.",
          "reason": "Recommends it if the description of a World War I submarine techno-thriller sounds appealing.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in a techno-thriller set on an Austrian submarine in World War I.",
          "caveat": "Advises against starting it if that premise does not appeal.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Biggins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "naval fiction",
        "world war i"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-sane-approach-to-database-design-5f1100",
      "title": "A Sane Approach to Database Design",
      "author": "Mark Johansen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7999535,
          "author": "adricnet",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T16:11:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7999535",
          "commentText": "A Sane Approach to Database Design by Mark Johansen\nhttp://www.electrictactics.com/book/sanedb.html\nThe book is really accessible and helpful. SaneDB helped me survive a development project when I was new to many things and beat some sense into me about what databases (and DBAs) are for that still comes in handy every week.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book is really accessible and helpful.",
          "reason": "Calls it accessible and helpful, and says it helped them through a development project.",
          "audience": "Readers new to database design and development.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Johansen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "database design",
        "relational databases"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-savage-war-of-peace-584a09",
      "title": "A Savage War of Peace",
      "author": "Alistair Horne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 797236,
          "author": "oink",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T02:55:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797236",
          "commentText": "Empires of the Silk Road yesterday and Inside Central Asia today. Also The Lightness of Being, A Savage War of Peace, and Confessions of an English Opium Eater.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "A Savage War of Peace",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 457538,
          "author": "yters",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-30T01:57:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=457538",
          "commentText": "You might also want to read Nagl's book: \"How to Eat Soup with a Knife.\" (who knows how that period/quotation thing works...)\nAnyways, he covers insurgencies fought unsuccessfully by Americans and successfully by the British, and why they succeeded and failed.  Nagl doesn't come out and say the reasons are X, Y, Z.  It's more here are important events A, B, C and here are important structural and cultural facts about the militaries that can help explain them.\nAnother book to read is \"A Savage War of Peace.\"  It describes the Algerian insurgency during French rule.  While Petraeus based his strategy in Iraq on the French's strategy, it is also relevant due to the strong similarity between what happened with the French populace and what is happening with our own.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another book to read is \"A Savage War of Peace.\"",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as a relevant account of the Algerian insurgency.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alistair Horne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algerian war",
        "counterinsurgency",
        "decolonization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-seat-at-the-table-689d63",
      "title": "A Seat at the Table",
      "author": "Mark Schwartz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21851823,
          "author": "slics",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T16:11:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21851823",
          "commentText": "1- A sit at the table / Mark Schwartz\n2- Influencer\n3- Accelerate (devops)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1- A sit at the table / Mark Schwartz",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Developers seeking audiobook recommendations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Schwartz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "digital transformation",
        "it leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-secular-age-9d7bbf",
      "title": "A Secular Age",
      "author": "Charles Taylor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36105063,
          "author": "keiferski",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T15:45:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105063",
          "commentText": "It’s a huge book and not particularly well-written, but I recommend Charles Taylor’s A Secular Age. It helped clarify a lot of things about the modern Western world and our relationship with religion and secularity.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I recommend Charles Taylor’s A Secular Age.",
          "reason": "Recommended for clarifying the modern Western world and its relationship with religion and secularity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It is huge and not particularly well-written.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Taylor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "modernity",
        "secularity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-short-account-of-the-destruction-of-the-indies-3c4663",
      "title": "A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies",
      "author": "Bartolomé de las Casas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40881262,
          "author": "hi-v-rocknroll",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-05T09:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40881262",
          "commentText": "A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies (Original title: Brevísima relación de la destrucción de las Indias) 1552, Bartolomé de las Casas.\nThe genocide by the Spanish of directly and indirectly ~110M indigenous peoples and African slaves in the Americas needs a \"Holocaust\"-type unique name.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies (Original title: Brevísima relación de la destrucción de las Indias) 1552, Bartolomé de las Casas.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17338060,
          "author": "himom",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T13:30:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17338060",
          "commentText": "A book? I can’t color between the lines on this one, maybe I can’t read between them either. Here’s 3:\nCollapse by Jared Diamond\nThe History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Gibbon\nBrevísima relación de la destrucción de las Indias (English: A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies ) by Bartolomé de las Casas",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brevísima relación de la destrucción de las Indias (English: A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies ) by Bartolomé de las Casas",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bartolomé de las Casas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "spanish colonization",
        "colonial history",
        "indigenous history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-short-history-of-decay-c71976",
      "title": "A Short History of Decay",
      "author": "Emil Cioran",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19090108,
          "author": "nathias",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T21:39:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090108",
          "commentText": "Plato - Meno, Symposium, Parmenides, Gorgias, Protagoras\nPlotinus -Enneads\nMarkus Aurelius - Meditations\nDescartes - On method\nDescartes - Meditations\nSpinoza - On the improvement of Understanding\nLeibniz - Monadology\nLeibniz - Grace\nVoltaire - Candid\nDiderot - D'Alembert's Dream\nKant - How to orient oneself in thinking\nKant - Critique of Pure Reason\nKant - Critique of Judgment\nHegel - Phenomenology of Spirit\nHegel - Logic\nvon Kleist - Marionette Theatre\nKierkegaard - The Sickness Unto Death\nHeidegger - Being and Time\nSartre - Being and Nothingness\nSartre - Flies\nSartre - Nausea\nDeleuze - Difference and Repetition\nKafka - Metamorphosis\nKafka - The Castle\nLem - Magellan Nebula\nLem - His Master's Voice\nCioran - A Short History of Decay\nPessoa - Book Of Despair\nWolfe -  New Sun tetralogy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cioran - A Short History of Decay",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Emil Cioran"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "pessimism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-short-history-of-financial-euphoria-3558b1",
      "title": "A Short History of Financial Euphoria",
      "author": "John Kenneth Galbraith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12416833,
          "author": "cs702",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T22:54:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416833",
          "commentText": "I agree with others on the \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius.\nOff the top of my head, I would add:\n* \"The Way to Wealth,\" by Benjamin Franklin: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0918222885 (also available online for free; it's in the public domain) -- no-nonsense practical advice from a super-successful individual\n* Warren Buffett's Letters to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders: http://www.berkshirehathaway.com/letters/letters.html (also available organized by topic, in a bound book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1611637589 which some will find much easier to read)\n* \"The Intelligent Investor,\" by Benjamin Graham (specifically the chapters titled \"The Investor and Market Fluctuations\" and \"Margin of Safety\"): https://www.amazon.com/dp/0060555661\n* \"Influence: the Psychology of Persuasion,\" by Robert Cialdini: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0688128165\nAlso:\n* \"Devil Take the Hindmost,\" by Edward Chancellor: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0452281806\n* \"A Short History of Financial Euphoria,\" by John Kenneth Galbraith: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0140238565\n* \"Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds,\" by Charles Mackay: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1586635581",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"A Short History of Financial Euphoria,\" by John Kenneth Galbraith",
          "reason": "Includes it in the recommended reading list.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in financial crises and market behavior.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Kenneth Galbraith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial bubbles",
        "market psychology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-short-stay-in-hell-a2bd13",
      "title": "A Short Stay in Hell",
      "author": "Steven L. Peck",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46400944,
          "author": "ssenssei",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T11:09:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46400944",
          "commentText": "My favorite book this year has to be The Divine Farce, I haven't been gripped by a story like that in years. A short stay in hell falls in the same category. I'm still reading a book by Barbara Kingsolver: Demon Copperhead. It's really good and I like the story, but I have not finished it yet since I can't seem to find the time for it. Some other short stories like an inhabitant of Carcossa...",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "A short stay in hell falls in the same category.",
          "reason": "Groups it with a favorite story that held the commenter’s attention.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46246518,
          "author": "tra3",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-12T17:44:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 46226571,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46246518",
          "commentText": "Couple of books from this year:\n- A short stay in hell (sci-fi): A modern take on Library of Babel. Pretty dark. Quick read.\n- The Burried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro. Nominally fantasy, but not really. Great, like his other books.\n- Small things like these (fiction). Set in 1900s Ireland, atmospheric. I learned about Magdalene laundries from this book.\n- Parable of the Sawer by Octavia E. Butler, science fiction. Collapse of society, survival etc. Pretty bleak.\n- Lonely Kind of War (biography). Author was a forward air controller during the Vietnam war. His job was to direct air strikes from jets and bombers on enemy positions and then confirm the kills. Interesting and depressing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A short stay in hell (sci-fi): A modern take on Library of Babel. Pretty dark. Quick read.",
          "reason": "A dark, quick science fiction read described as a modern take on the Library of Babel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Pretty dark.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 45303706,
          "author": "carlnewton",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-19T16:44:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 45283087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45303706",
          "commentText": "For some reason I've been really enjoying stories with endless and well described repeating rooms. Borges' Library of Babel got me started, I have just finished Susanna Clarke's Piranesi - which was so wonderfully described, I don't know if I'll find anything to beat it. I'm now on A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L. Peck,  which outright mentions Borges' novel. If anyone has any similar recommendations I'd love to hear them.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm now on A Short Stay in Hell by Steven L. Peck, which outright mentions Borges' novel.",
          "reason": "Mentioned as the commenter’s current read; they note its reference to Borges’ story.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in stories about endless, repeating spaces.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven L. Peck"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Fantasy",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "afterlife",
        "existential horror",
        "labyrinths"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-simple-act-of-violence-f8b0c3",
      "title": "A Simple Act of Violence",
      "author": "R. J. Ellory",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1032181,
          "author": "adam-_-",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-05T10:31:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1032181",
          "commentText": "Flat Earth News - Nick Davies: An interesting discussion about falsehood and PR in newspapers and the media generally.\nHackers & Painters - Paul Graham: Read it this year and enjoyed it a lot.\nShantaram - Gregory David Roberts: Awe inspiring \"true\" story about a convict who escaped to India.  Really made me want to take a trip to India.  Perhaps not the highest quality prose but a gripping story never-the-less.\nA Simple Act of Violence - R J Ellory: I'm reading this right now and it's the first book in a while that has really grabbed me.  Well written crime/thriller type book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Simple Act of Violence - R J Ellory: I'm reading this right now and it's the first book in a while that has really grabbed me. Well written crime/thriller type book.",
          "reason": "Says it has grabbed them and is well written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "R. J. Ellory"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crime thriller",
        "mystery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-skeptic-among-scholars-d0539c",
      "title": "A Skeptic Among Scholars",
      "author": "August Fruge",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25319676,
          "author": "cafard",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-06T00:10:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319676",
          "commentText": "Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana is about a way of life long gone, but it is well worth reading. As for the more recent merchant marine, Christopher Buckley's Steaming to Bamboola is very funny, and I suppose fairly accurate. For forest rangers, Norman Maclean's novella \"USFS 1919\", collected in A River Runs Through It, gives a picture of how it was then.\nAugust Fruge, longtime director of the University of California Press, wrote an excellent memoir, A Skeptic Among Scholars. There are many academic novels and memoirs, but I think very well of Alvin Kernan's In Plato's Cave. Also there is Herbert Simon's Models of My Life, which touches on academia and computing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "wrote an excellent memoir, A Skeptic Among Scholars.",
          "reason": "Described as an excellent memoir by a university press director.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in academic publishing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "August Fruge"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "academic publishing",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-song-of-stone-326810",
      "title": "A Song of Stone",
      "author": "Iain Banks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1569722,
          "author": "viraptor",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T01:07:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569722",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- Someone already mentioned Neil Gaiman's \"American Gods\", but it's so good, I'll mention it again :) Very well constructed and has its specific atmosphere...\n- Anything by Iain Banks - \"Walking on glass\", \"Wasp factory\", \"A song of stone\" are definitely not light reading, but worth spending some time on them. His science-fiction is much simpler, but... didn't get me as excited as \"Walking on glass\".\nNon-fiction:\n- \"Leading Lean Software Development - Results are not the point\" (http://www.amazon.com/Leading-Lean-Software-Development-Resu... (http://www.amazon.com/Leading-Lean-Software-Development-Results/dp/0321620704)) is the best team / organisation / project leading book I've seen. I hate most of books like that with passion, but this one is different. I can't wait for the next story they introduce in every chapter. It touches many topics useful for anyone working with even one other person and you can read it like a good adventure book - it's got clear examples, interesting quotes and in-depth but not boring analysis.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Walking on glass\", \"Wasp factory\", \"A song of stone\" are definitely not light reading, but worth spending some time on them",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is worth spending time on, while noting it is not light reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not light reading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Iain Banks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "scottish literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-spot-of-bother-ac04fc",
      "title": "A Spot of Bother",
      "author": "Mark Haddon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5832634,
          "author": "agilecoder",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T14:32:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5832634",
          "commentText": "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and A \nSpot of Bother both by Mark Haddon\nThe Corrections by Jonathan Franzen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Spot of Bother both by Mark Haddon",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Haddon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fiction",
        "family relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-study-in-scarlet-bf1720",
      "title": "A Study in Scarlet",
      "author": "Arthur Conan Doyle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13240800,
          "author": "cicero",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T22:06:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13240800",
          "commentText": "A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter Miller (recommended SF classic)\nThe Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis (an old favorite, recommended)\nThe Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco (some interesting parts, but overall a disappointment)\nTheology and Sanity - Frank Sheed (recommended; a very written description of the Catholic faith; weaknesses are it's long and it's aimed to a mid 20th c. audience)\nChristianity for Modern Pagans: Pascal's Pensees - Peter Kreeft (recommended; a good exposition of Blaise Pascal's thought)\nCatholicism: A journey to the heart of the faith - Robert Barron (recommended; a good explanation of Catholicism for the common person)\nHis Master's Voice - Stanislaw Lem (recommended; very intellectual look at the problem of first contact)\nThe Industries of the Future - Alec Ross (the robotics chapter is best; other parts are more light-weight; easy read)\nClouds of Witnesses - Dorothy Sayers (not my favorite Sayers mystery, but enjoyable)\nA Study in Scarlet - Arthur Conan Doyle (recommended)\nWhy Gender Matters - Leonard Sax (recommended; most of the book is based on good science, but he does go out on a limb a time or two.)\nOld School - Tobias Wolff (recommended; a world before widespread TV where high school boys actually got excited about literature)\nInfinite Space, Infinite God - Karina and Robert Fabian editors (story quality varies; I enjoyed some of them)\nThe Sign of Four - Arthur Conan Doyle (recommended)\nOn Stranger Tides - Tim Powers (recommended; I love Powers, but Anubis Gates and Last Call are better. Still, if you like pirates you should like this)\nThe Art of Worldly Wisdom - Baltasar Gracian (interesting)\nAquinas at Prayer: the Bible, Mysticism, and Poetry - Paul Murray (recommended; this shows a different side of Thomas Aquinas)\nAristotle for Everybody: Difficult Thought Made Easy - Mortimer Adler (recommended; I almost think this should be required reading)\nThe Pilgrim's Regress - C.S. Lewis (I enjoyed it, but the ideas Lewis argues against are somewhat dated.)\nEdit for formatting",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Study in Scarlet - Arthur Conan Doyle (recommended)",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommended.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur Conan Doyle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "detective fiction",
        "sherlock holmes"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-study-of-history-a9d00d",
      "title": "A Study of History",
      "author": "Arnold J. Toynbee",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227367,
          "author": "dkimball",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T19:49:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227367",
          "commentText": "You might be interested in _War and Peace and War_, a theory of history focusing on social capital as a driving force, and in _The Fourth Turning_ -- which looks at changes over four-generation intervals, and which, written in 1997, made some surprisingly good predictions about the 2000s (the Aughts?).\nBoth of these are in the tradition of Oswald Spengler's _Decline of the West_ and Arnold Toynbee's _A Study of History_; I'd recommend the abridged version of the latter, and I'd observe that if you can make it all the way through either of these you have more stamina than I do...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "and Arnold Toynbee's _A Study of History_; I'd recommend the abridged version of the latter",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the abridged version and says completing the full work takes stamina.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in broad historical theory.",
          "caveat": "The recommendation is specifically for the abridged version; the full work is demanding.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arnold J. Toynbee"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "civilizational theory",
        "historical philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-swim-in-a-pond-in-the-rain-a13e77",
      "title": "A Swim in a Pond in the Rain",
      "author": "George Saunders",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30735764,
          "author": "jwood27",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:37:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735764",
          "commentText": "The following have all had a significant effect on my worldview. You can find more information at [1].\n- The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow\n- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\n- Crime and Punishment\n- The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York\n- Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies\n- The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity\n- Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead\n- Franny and Zooey\n- Master of the Senate\n- Atlas Shrugged\n- Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed\n- Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap?\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\n- The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics\n- The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don't\n- Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans\n- Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\n- Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World\n- Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones\n- Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow\n- Ethics in the Real World: 86 Brief Essays on Things that Matter\n- A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life\n- Humankind: A Hopeful History\n- The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think\n[1] https://jacobw.xyz/books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life",
          "reason": "Listed among books that significantly affected the commenter’s worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Saunders"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary craft",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-tale-of-love-and-darkness-cc1946",
      "title": "A Tale of Love and Darkness",
      "author": "Amos Oz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42274658,
          "author": "edanm",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T15:52:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42274658",
          "commentText": "I also read A Tale of Love and Darkness this year, it was great.\nAnd A Desolation Called Peace, or really that series, is one of my favorite SF reads of the last 10 years, I've recommended it often.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also read A Tale of Love and Darkness this year, it was great.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they read it and thought it was great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Amos Oz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "israel",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-theory-of-fun-830ee5",
      "title": "A Theory of Fun",
      "author": "Raph Koster",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35568625,
          "author": "scrollaway",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-14T12:14:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 35566416,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technology/creative books and games for my daughter (7 years)",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35568625",
          "commentText": "As far as creative books go, I want to share \"A theory of fun\" (https://www.amazon.com/Theory-Game-Design-Raph-Koster/dp/144... (https://www.amazon.com/Theory-Game-Design-Raph-Koster/dp/1449363210)) - it's a game design book very accessible for an .. let's say 8-10 year old, might still be a bit early for your daughter depending on her level.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"A theory of fun\"",
          "reason": "Suggested as a creative book about game design.",
          "audience": "The commenter says it is accessible for ages 8–10.",
          "caveat": "May still be too early for the daughter, depending on her level.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Raph Koster"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "game design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-theory-of-knowledge-203ec0",
      "title": "A Theory of Knowledge",
      "author": "Bertrand Russell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15159375,
          "author": "mrmyers",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T02:26:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15159375",
          "commentText": "Modeling the world generally (as in, why mathematics works and can apply to the real world):\n  =Bertrand Russell=\n  * An Inquiry into Meaning and Truth\n  * A Theory of Knowledge\n  * Logic and Knowledge\n  =W.V. Quine=\n  * Word and Object\n  * Mathematical Logic\n  =Norbert Weiner=\n  * Cybernetics: Or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine\n  =Smullyan=\n  * Diagonalization and Self Reference\n\nSquishy Human Things:\n  Thomas Kuhn      - The Structure of Scientific Revolutions\n  Norbert Weiner   - The Human Use of Human-Beings\n  Bertrand Russell - A History of Western Philosophy\n  Karl Popper      - The Open Society and Its Enemies\n  Daniel Dennet    - Consciousness Explained\n  E. Abbot Abbot   - Flatland",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Theory of Knowledge",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bertrand Russell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epistemology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-thousand-brains-a-new-theory-of-intelligence-008a27",
      "title": "A Thousand Brains: A New Theory of Intelligence",
      "author": "Jeff Hawkins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33850938,
          "author": "sahilc2200",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T05:36:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33850938",
          "commentText": "Three books that really stood out for me last year were:-\n1. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life by Donald Miller (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1999475.A_Million_Miles_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1999475.A_Million_Miles_in_a_Thousand_Years))\n2. The Third Door: The Wild Quest to Uncover How the World's Most Successful People Launched Their Careers by Alex Banyan  (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36739769-the-third-door)\n3. A Thousand Brains: A New Theory of Intelligence by Jeff Hawkins (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54503521-a-thousand-brai... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54503521-a-thousand-brains))\nThere are still like 4 weeks left until 2022 ends, and am hoping to finish more books. Wish me luck! :D",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Thousand Brains: A New Theory of Intelligence by Jeff Hawkins",
          "reason": "Lists it among the three books that stood out last year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeff Hawkins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "neuroscience",
        "theory of intelligence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-thousand-years-of-nonlinear-history-21dd62",
      "title": "A Thousand Years of Nonlinear History",
      "author": "Manuel DeLanda",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910826,
          "author": "whoisstan",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T17:20:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910826",
          "commentText": "1. - 5. \"A Thousand Years of Nonlinear History\" by Manuel De Landa\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/88941.A_Thousand_Years_o... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/88941.A_Thousand_Years_of_Nonlinear_History)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"A Thousand Years of Nonlinear History\" by Manuel De Landa",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Manuel DeLanda"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "material culture",
        "nonlinear history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-ticket-to-tranai-eb5275",
      "title": "A Ticket to Tranai",
      "author": "Robert Sheckley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8613862,
          "author": "kephra",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-16T10:10:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8613862",
          "commentText": "The Sheep Look Up by John Brunner is still my favorite novel while A Ticket to Tranai by Robert Sheckley is my preferred short story.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Ticket to Tranai by Robert Sheckley is my preferred short story.",
          "reason": "Names it as their preferred short story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Sheckley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "satire",
        "short story"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-tour-of-the-calculus-11dce4",
      "title": "A Tour of the Calculus",
      "author": "David Berlinski",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21351511,
          "author": "DoreenMichele",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-25T03:11:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21351511",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed \"A tour of the calculus,\" at least the half I read.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Tour-Calculus-David-Berlinski/dp/0679... (https://www.amazon.com/Tour-Calculus-David-Berlinski/dp/0679747885/ref=asc_df_0679747885/?tag=bingshoppinga-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid={creative}&hvpos={adposition}&hvnetw=o&hvrand={random}&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=e&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl={devicemodel}&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=&hvtargid=pla-4583795260672248&psc=1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed \"A tour of the calculus,\" at least the half I read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the portion they read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter read only half the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Berlinski"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "calculus"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-town-like-alice-658f78",
      "title": "A Town Like Alice",
      "author": "Nevil Shute",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2963390,
          "author": "intuitionhq",
          "createdAt": "2011-09-05T21:34:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 2963294,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Got a Kindle. What now? What books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2963390",
          "commentText": "Our local bookstore regularly publishes top 100 lists in various categories which often have good selections. Goodreads is pretty good for that as well, and Amazon as mattm suggested.\nAsking people for suggestions is a good idea too - obviously that's what you're doing here... I recently read 'A Town like Alice' by Nevil Shute which I really enjoyed. Maybe you could check that out?\nGood luck!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recently read 'A Town like Alice' by Nevil Shute which I really enjoyed. Maybe you could check that out?",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed it and suggests the reader check it out.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nevil Shute"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "romance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-transition-to-advanced-mathematics-1a14cf",
      "title": "A Transition to Advanced Mathematics",
      "author": "Douglas Smith, Maurice Eggen, and Richard St. Andre",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31496932,
          "author": "blindmute",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T20:05:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31496932",
          "commentText": "In order:\n1. Book of Proof\n1a. How to Prove It: A Structured Approach\n2. Elements of Set Theory - Enderton\n2a. Naive Set Theory - Halmos\n3. Foundations of Analysis - Landau\n4. Basic Mathematics - Lang\n5. Principles of Mathematics - Allendoerfer & Oakley\n6. A Transition to Advanced Mathematics\n6a. Concept of Modern Mathematics - Stewart\n7. Calculus - Apostol or Spivak\nDon't skip any",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "6. A Transition to Advanced Mathematics",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Smith",
        "Maurice Eggen",
        "Richard St. Andre"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "proof writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-transition-to-advanced-mathematics-c7d458",
      "title": "A Transition to Advanced Mathematics",
      "author": "Charles D. Miller, Margaret L. Lial, and David Schneider",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1971396,
          "author": "floatingatoll",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T10:53:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971396",
          "commentText": "\"A Transition to Advanced Mathematics\" (0-534-38214-2) at the end of my 6th grade school year, just as summer was starting.\nI would give this book to myself because it's a bridge between finishing the final class in high school math and learning how to read proofs on arXiv.  The world would be a better place today if I'd known how to manipulate mathematical proofs a decade ago.\nDuring fourth grade and fifth grade, i walked across the street to the other school for my math classes.  To this day, people i never knew recognize me on sight as \"that kid from math class\".  When sixth grade ended at age 12, the school ran out of math to teach me (at pre-calculus).  I was offered a choice: bus to the high school miles away for math classes, or take music instead.  I worried that the bus would ostracize me further from my peers.  I would be someone else today if i had chosen the bus.  Fluent in math, certainly!\nIn the years since, I've harbored a desire for a textbook that will teach advanced mathematics to someone with my experience.  I've had this dream of understanding how to consider and construct equations with Hilbert spaces.  I know it sounds arcane and weird, but it's just a few steps away from cosines and bitwise operators.  You can reach into an equation and \"flip\" things over into this weird space with dimensionality that is not constant, enabling solutions that cannot be had simply from high school algebra alone.\nTwo months ago, while surfing a used bookstore's Math section, I came across a textbook with the singularly direct title \"A Transition To Advanced Mathematics\".  It is amazing.  I am reading sections, doing the exercises, checking against the teacher's guide, redoing until I get a right answer or at least \"get it\".  So far, I can handle one section a week, which means I will complete the book in 39 weeks.  (Coincidentally, 39 weeks is precisely 75% of a year, just like American school years.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It is amazing.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book and says it is helping them learn to read and construct mathematical proofs.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a bridge to advanced mathematics and proof writing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles D. Miller, Margaret L. Lial, and David Schneider"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "advanced mathematics",
        "proof writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-treatise-on-electricity-and-magnetism-b66bf5",
      "title": "A Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism",
      "author": "James Clerk Maxwell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20925512,
          "author": "DoctorOetker",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-10T06:13:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20925512",
          "commentText": "severine is correct: it is in A Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism, which can be had free of charge from the Internet Archive.\nvol I\nhttps://archive.org/details/electricandmagne01maxwrich\nvol II\nhttps://archive.org/details/electricandmag02maxwrich\nThe relevant section is in the preliminaries in Vol I : I assume you already know electromagnetism, I suggest jumping to pdf pages 52 \"on potentials\" and reading till 57. No modern textbook will explicitly introduce such an assumption, instead modern textbooks assume the student has been indoctrinated with cartesian product spaces i.e. R^3 etc. Such students would have seen in prior analysis courses that the line integral of the gradient of a scalar function does not depent on the path [... in R^n!]. So if curricula and students implicitly and a priori exclude spaces other than R^n, then no student will protest that for example the line integral of the electric field between 2 points could depend on the exact path, making all subsequent math and theorems more tractable, at the \"small price\" of a priori excluding the (arguably) confusing possibilities of handles (if you are a mathematiciann), wormholes (if your a physicist).\nMaxwell on the contrary refuses compromise on investigative accuracy to \"ease the job of didactics\", theres many examples of that throughout the treatise.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "severine is correct: it is in A Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism",
          "reason": "Identifies the treatise and highlights Maxwell's careful investigative approach throughout it.",
          "audience": "Readers studying electromagnetism and its mathematical foundations.",
          "caveat": "The commenter suggests skipping to a specific section if the reader already knows electromagnetism.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Clerk Maxwell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "electromagnetism",
        "mathematical physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-treatise-on-political-economy-a7472c",
      "title": "A Treatise on Political Economy",
      "author": "Jean-Baptiste Say",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17168677,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:31:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168677",
          "commentText": "I can't give just one, but here are a few that had a strong influence on me: \n\"12 Rules for Life\" by Jordan Peterson, \"Why Switzerland?\" Jonathan Steinberg, \"Little Book of Common Sense Investing\" by John C. Bogle, \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" by Butron Malkiel, \"Liberalismus\" by Ludwig von Mises, \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann, \"Walden\" by Henry David Thoreau, \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"A Treatise on Political Economy\" by Jean-Baptiste Say, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy\" by Joseph Alois Schumpeter, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"My Correct Views on Everything\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"The Captive Mind\" Czesław Miłosz, \"One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, \"The House of the Dead\" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, \"Conversations with an Executioner\" by Kazimierz Moczarski, \"Diary 1954\" by Leopold Tyrmand, \"The Master and Margarita\" by Mikhail Bulgakov, \"A World Apart: A Memoir of the Gulag\" by Gustaw Herling-Grudziński",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"A Treatise on Political Economy\" by Jean-Baptiste Say",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a strong influence on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jean-Baptiste Say"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classical economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-treatise-on-probability-ea11bd",
      "title": "A Treatise on Probability",
      "author": "John Maynard Keynes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2723548,
          "author": "Yipster",
          "createdAt": "2011-07-03T12:04:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 2723436,
          "threadTitle": "Suggest good sites/books on probability",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2723548",
          "commentText": "You can download A Treatise on Probability by John Maynard Keynes from Guttenberg\nhttp://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/32625\nAlthough I agree on the Laplace book mentioned already as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You can download A Treatise on Probability by John Maynard Keynes from Guttenberg",
          "reason": "Suggested as a downloadable probability resource.",
          "audience": "Readers learning probability.",
          "caveat": "The commenter also agrees with the earlier recommendation of Laplace's book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Maynard Keynes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Mathematics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "probability"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-tree-grows-in-brooklyn-f06aa6",
      "title": "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn",
      "author": "Betty Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38594065,
          "author": "daltont",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-10T19:20:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38594065",
          "commentText": "The book \"A Tree Grows in Brooklyn\", is handy is you are Bugs Bunny and your are cornered by pack a dogs in New York. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XFFqbr27Vc&t=148s )",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "The book \"A Tree Grows in Brooklyn\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17170616,
          "author": "Arete31415",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-28T04:36:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17170616",
          "commentText": "Not the only one for sure, but A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. The plain-spoken honesty in that book contains multitudes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Not the only one for sure, but A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. The plain-spoken honesty in that book contains multitudes.",
          "reason": "Praises the book’s plain-spoken honesty.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1724786,
          "author": "tokenadult",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-24T18:32:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1724786",
          "commentText": "My children like the George R. R. Martin books, the Philip Pullman books, the Harry Potter series, and other books much in that genre category. They also read \"classic\" literature as they get older, for example Oliver Twist or Tom Sawyer. Two of my sons have really liked A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (which I have never read) and I really liked The Chosen by Chaim Potok (which I reread a few years ago, and still thought was very good).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Two of my sons have really liked A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (which I have never read)",
          "reason": "Reports that two of their sons liked the book.",
          "audience": "Children as they get older.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have never read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 400633,
          "author": "garnerwoods",
          "createdAt": "2008-12-17T06:24:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=400633",
          "commentText": "Usually I will find out what book famous people has read, what are their favorite books, hope that any book which bring influence on them, will bring good influence on me too.. also, as famous n successful people combined with their experience, I'm sure they have better taste on their choice too.\nStephen King's Favorite:\nThis Book Will Save Your Life by A. M. Homes\nSaturday by Ian McEwan\nThe Mad Cook of Pymatuning: A Novel by Christopher Lehmann-Haupt\nThe Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson\nThe Tenderness of Wolves: A Novel by Stef Penney\nWhen Will There Be Good News?: A Novel by Kate Atkinson\nJ.K. Rowling's Favorite:\nThe Five Red Herrings by Dorothy L. Sayers\nI Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith\nSkellig by David Almond\nThe Woman Who Walked into Doors by Roddy Doyle\nJeffrey Eugenides, author, Pulitzer prize winner\n\"Herzog,\" by Saul Bellow\n\"Love in a Fallen City,\" by Eileen Chang\n\"The Lay of the Land,\" by Richard Ford\nOprah Winfrey's Favorite:\nWhite Oleander by Janet Fitch\nThe Color Purple by Alice Walker\nA Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith\nThe Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz\nTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee\nThe Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison\nThe Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck\nFor complete list visit http://www.famouspal.com",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith",
          "reason": "Listed as one of Oprah Winfrey's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment reports it as someone else's favorite; it does not state the author's own endorsement.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Betty Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coming of age",
        "american literature",
        "brooklyn",
        "family"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-troublesome-inheritance-genes-race-and-human-history-19fea7",
      "title": "A Troublesome Inheritance: Genes, Race and Human History",
      "author": "Nicholas Wade",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8257610,
          "author": "wmil",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T14:07:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257610",
          "commentText": "\"A Troublesome Inheritance: Genes, Race and Human History\" by Nicholas Wade.\nControversial but fascinating.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"A Troublesome Inheritance: Genes, Race and Human History\" by Nicholas Wade. Controversial but fascinating.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as fascinating while acknowledging that it is controversial.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it controversial.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nicholas Wade"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human genetics",
        "race and ancestry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-truck-full-of-money-446cc6",
      "title": "A Truck Full of Money",
      "author": "Tracy Kidder",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17207060,
          "author": "jlevers",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T16:33:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17207060",
          "commentText": "I just read and really enjoyed A Truck Full of Money by Tracy Kidder. It's about Paul English (founder of Kayak), both his life in general and his entrepreneurial adventures. I highly recommend it!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I just read and really enjoyed A Truck Full of Money by Tracy Kidder. It's about Paul English (founder of Kayak), both his life in general and his entrepreneurial adventures. I highly recommend it!",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed it and highly recommends it.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in entrepreneurs and technology company founders.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tracy Kidder"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurs",
        "technology companies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-universe-from-nothing-9c1eac",
      "title": "A Universe from Nothing",
      "author": "Lawrence M. Krauss",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29670263,
          "author": "brunooliv",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T04:37:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29670263",
          "commentText": "\"The Goal: A process of ongoing improvement\" by Eliyahu M. Goldratt\nAn amazing introduction to the theory of constraints and the value in doing things in small, incremental improvements\n\"A universe from nothing\" was also amazing!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"A universe from nothing\" was also amazing!",
          "reason": "The commenter also calls it amazing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lawrence M. Krauss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cosmology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-very-short-introduction-f0d613",
      "title": "A Very Short Introduction",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19093705,
          "author": "bsrhng",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-06T08:55:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19093705",
          "commentText": "The Scientific Revolution: A Very Short Introduction. This is a non-popular example, I found it because I like the series.\nThe book introduces the context of the scientific revolution and the thinking from which the ideas that we think of as science developed. It tells a very different story than the \"dark ages to enlightenment\" narrative and shows the seriousness and depth of thought at the time and also of subjects that many dismiss even without thinking, such as astrology.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found it because I like the series.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they like the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "concise introductions",
        "oxford university press"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-vindication-of-the-rights-of-woman-4f8f55",
      "title": "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman",
      "author": "Mary Wollstonecraft",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503560,
          "author": "igravious",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T12:51:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503560",
          "commentText": "It is with joy that I answer your question. And if I may be allowed to answer it philosophically. The books you find incredibly interesting may be the books the validate your worldview. There are many of these. The book you find eye-opening may be the books that open the door into the world of philosophy proper for you. There are not many of these because you only need to go through that door once I feel.\nAlso, I would observe that besides Ayn Rand (who for many is not a philosopher) not a single female philosopher has been mentioned here which I find is a damning indictment on the state of affairs of the world of ideas. To remedy that I would recommend to you read A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft or anything by De Beauvoir (and do ignore her contemporary Sartre for he was nothing but a windbag).\nI am delighted that you singled out Thomas Paine (who again is not a philosopher as such; must be something in the air in the States) and Arthur Schopenhauer. They are both tremendous stylists. I've said this many times before - I don't care how great a philosopher's ideas are, if they can't write well I don't want to know. Thus we have people here recommending Kripke or Frege or heck knows who like that who bludgeon you to death with their tedious logic. Avoid them I say.\nFinally I would like to be clichéd and recommend anything by Nietzsche except for Thus Spake Zarathustra even though he himself considered it his best work and I would especially recommend Ecce Homo by him because it is a summation of his previous works by his own hand. Nietzsche was the supreme stylist and ruthlessly honest and fearless. Also I'd recommend A Short Treatise on the Great Virtues by a contemporary philosopher André Comte-Sponville. This is a remarkable book on virtue theory that takes in Aristotle, Spinoza, Nietzsche and Woody Allen among others and is divided up by virtue which is extremely novel. It is fantastically written. Anything by Cioran as well such as The Trouble with Being Born. I'm trying not to typecast myself here! :)\nAnd finally finally Sophie's World and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance while nice cute books are not true philosophy books. This is also why I wouldn't recommend Camus' The Outsider though someone did mention The Myth of Sisyphus. Borges falls into this category. Sophie's world is really a kid's book as well and one that I would perhaps recommend to children though I'd recommend Borges or Camus or Kafka first.\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Vindication-Rights-Woman-Penguin-Cla... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vindication-Rights-Woman-Penguin-Classics/dp/0141441259)\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Second-Sex-Vintage-classics/dp/00997... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Second-Sex-Vintage-classics/dp/009974421X)\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Penguin-Great-Ideas-Suffering-World/... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Penguin-Great-Ideas-Suffering-World/dp/0141018941)\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Ecce-Homo-Becomes-Penguin-Classics/d... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ecce-Homo-Becomes-Penguin-Classics/dp/0140445153)\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Short-Treatise-Great-Virtues-Philoso... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Short-Treatise-Great-Virtues-Philosophy/dp/0099437988)\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Trouble-Being-Born-E-M-Cioran/dp/155... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Trouble-Being-Born-E-M-Cioran/dp/1559704624)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend to you read A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it as a remedy for the lack of female philosophers in the discussion.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring philosophy and women's place in intellectual history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mary Wollstonecraft"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "feminism",
        "women s rights"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-void-a7338b",
      "title": "A Void",
      "author": "Georges Perec",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17382172,
          "author": "egourlao",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T17:06:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17382172",
          "commentText": "Also noteworthy, from Georges Perec: A Void (La Disparition), which was written entirely without using the letter \"e\" (and which the translation reproduces brilliantly well).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Void (La Disparition), which was written entirely without using the letter \"e\"",
          "reason": "Described as noteworthy for its constraint and the translation's successful reproduction of it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Georges Perec"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "experimental fiction",
        "lipogram",
        "oulipo"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-walk-across-america-0db02e",
      "title": "A Walk Across America",
      "author": "Peter Jenkins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6922986,
          "author": "japhyr",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-17T18:54:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 6921805,
          "threadTitle": "What book has inspired you the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6922986",
          "commentText": "It's really outdated now, but \"A Walk Across America\" by Peter Jenkins. Reading that inspired me to spend 13+ months living on a bicycle in my twenties.\nSo much of who I am is a direct result of the experiences I had living on the road for several years. (I spent several summers, and one full year living on a bike.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's really outdated now, but \"A Walk Across America\" by Peter Jenkins. Reading that inspired me to spend 13+ months living on a bicycle in my twenties.",
          "reason": "Reading it inspired the commenter to spend over a year living on a bicycle.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is really outdated now.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Jenkins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american travel",
        "travel memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-way-to-victory-the-annotated-book-of-five-rings-789f79",
      "title": "A Way to Victory: The Annotated Book of Five Rings",
      "author": "Miyamoto Musashi; annotated by Hidy Ochiai",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1228246,
          "author": "realitygrill",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-30T03:12:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1228246",
          "commentText": "I've enjoyed all the fictionalized accounts, but I think that if you want to learn from Musashi, you should read him directly. That's the Go Rin no Sho aka The Book of Five Rings. Nekopa has recommended the Cleary translation. I will recommend Hidy Ochiai's version, A Way to Victory: The Annotated Book of Five Rings. The annotations and analysis (after each book) really help get a sense of Musashi. Some points that stood out to me, considering that I'd read several other translations before:\nHis absolute priority on winning. It's not that his style is the best way to win, it's that his style is based around winning. The whole point of the book is winning! You always have to win, by any means necessary. It's very bald; the text is peppered with bits like\nA tenet of my teaching is that one must win regardless of the length of the sword one uses, so I do not dictate the length of the sword. The ultimate objective of my style is to be prepared to win, no matter what weapons are involved.\nand somewhat disconcertingly,\nWhen applying martial strategy to the world of leadership, it is important that you make the acquaintance of people of good character; that you become a good leader to others; that you conduct yourself in a correct manner; that you govern people well; that you take good care of others; that you follow and maintain the laws and customs of the land for the sake of order; and that you never take second place to anyone in whatever you engage.\nIt's also noted that while Musashi did take on well-known opponents, especially Sasaki Kojiro, he also never dueled with several other extremely famous samurai in the same period. Ochiai notes that it is entirely consistent with his strategy to not fight if you think you will not win.\nDirectness and simplicity: As I sit down here to begin writing this book, I do not intend to use any archaic words from the scriptures of Buddhism or Confucianism, nor will I depend on the examples of various writings of old war chronicles and battle tactics. Musashi also considers the idea of dividing techniques into basic and advanced stupid, although he concedes that you should teach what's easiest for a beginner first, depending on the person.\nHumility: However, after the age of thirty, I started to reflect on my experiences and began to wonder whether or not my victories were attributable to my natural ability, sheer luck, or the inferior techniques of those whom I had defeated, rather than my true understanding of the principle of martial strategy.\nOnce I became enlightened by the true meaning of martial strategy, I ceased to have any real interest or desire in the worldly affairs. \nStrangely individualistic: Ochiai writes, \"It’s true that Musashi intended to teach his readers to be victorious in one-to-one combat as well as in war involving armies. But if you read the book carefully, with an open mind and sincere attitude, it becomes clear that Musashi’s teaching goes far beyond that. His philosophy can be summarized as ji-riki; the power of each individual that emanates from within oneself. Musashi believed that ji-riki must be cultivated and empowered through constant effort and training. With correct understanding, his messages become concrete and personal, directly relating to the problems of living – to the human being who struggles and strives for individual achievement.\"\nSpirit of discovery: It is not enough that you read what is written here, you must train as hard as if you were the one who developed the doctrine, instead of being the one who had it given to you. Train constantly as if you were the source of the discovery of the Way. Avoid mere imitation or learning without sincerity.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I will recommend Hidy Ochiai's version, A Way to Victory: The Annotated Book of Five Rings.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends this version for its helpful annotations and analysis.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "An annotated version of Musashi's work.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Miyamoto Musashi; annotated by Hidy Ochiai"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "japanese martial strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-wild-ride-through-the-night-b74f94",
      "title": "A Wild Ride Through the Night",
      "author": "Walter Moers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40050557,
          "author": "11001100",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-16T11:03:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40050557",
          "commentText": "A Wild Ride Through the Night by Walter Moers\nPlot summary: \"The story begins with 12-year-old Gustave, captain of the Aventure as he attempts to escape the deadly Siamese Twins Tornado. When the storm finally catches up with his crew, everyone is killed except Gustave, who meets Death, and his crazy sister Dementia. After the wicked siblings play dice for Gustave's soul, Death gives him six seemingly impossible tasks in order to stay alive. In one night, he must face six giants, rescue a damsel in distress from the clutches of a dragon, make himself conspicuous amidst a forest of evil spirits, encounter the Most Monstrous of all Monsters, and even meet himself.\" [0]\nIn addition the book has great illustrations from Gustave Doré.\n[0]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Wild_Ride_Through_the_Night",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Wild Ride Through the Night by Walter Moers",
          "reason": "Presents the book and describes its story and illustrations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Walter Moers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fairy tale",
        "illustrated fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-world-apart-b6a789",
      "title": "A World Apart",
      "author": "Gustaw Herling-Grudziński",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17168677,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:31:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168677",
          "commentText": "I can't give just one, but here are a few that had a strong influence on me: \n\"12 Rules for Life\" by Jordan Peterson, \"Why Switzerland?\" Jonathan Steinberg, \"Little Book of Common Sense Investing\" by John C. Bogle, \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" by Butron Malkiel, \"Liberalismus\" by Ludwig von Mises, \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann, \"Walden\" by Henry David Thoreau, \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"A Treatise on Political Economy\" by Jean-Baptiste Say, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy\" by Joseph Alois Schumpeter, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"My Correct Views on Everything\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"The Captive Mind\" Czesław Miłosz, \"One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, \"The House of the Dead\" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, \"Conversations with an Executioner\" by Kazimierz Moczarski, \"Diary 1954\" by Leopold Tyrmand, \"The Master and Margarita\" by Mikhail Bulgakov, \"A World Apart: A Memoir of the Gulag\" by Gustaw Herling-Grudziński",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"A World Apart: A Memoir of the Gulag\" by Gustaw Herling-Grudziński",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a strong influence on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gustaw Herling-Grudziński"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "gulag memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-world-at-arms-a-global-history-of-world-war-ii-b9422b",
      "title": "A World at Arms: A Global History of World War II",
      "author": "Gerhard L. Weinberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32937560,
          "author": "jarek83",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T11:47:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937560",
          "commentText": "*Newest history\nA World At Arms - A Global History of World War II\nby Gerhard L. Weinberg\nI found it to be a shot of modern history that gave me surprisingly good context for many of current events. I really started to see world at different perspective . The author tries his best to avoid having a bias.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A World At Arms - A Global History of World War II\nby Gerhard L. Weinberg\nI found it to be a shot of modern history that gave me surprisingly good context for many of current events.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it gave useful context for current events and a new perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gerhard L. Weinberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-world-to-build-new-paths-toward-twenty-first-century-socialism-453c8a",
      "title": "A World to Build: New Paths toward Twenty-First Century Socialism",
      "author": "Marta Harnecker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37939863,
          "author": "UtopiaPunk",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T08:01:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37939863",
          "commentText": "I really love \"A World to Build: New Paths toward Twenty-First Century Socialism\" by Marta Harnecker. Here, the phrase \"21st Century socialism\" is a phrase meant to distinguish between a different socialism that existed in the 20th century (namely the Soviet Union). The book outlines a socialist vision that is decidedly not like the Soviet Union, and it's inspiring. Think a focus on decentralization, anti-authoritarian, pushing power closer to people, greater democracy, and a general goal of human flourishing (or \"living well\"). I think a lot of people would resonate with Marta Harnecker's vision if they knew about it. It's hopeful and optimistic without being naive. Also a pretty easy read that doesn't get bogged down by academia or technical philosophy. It's also much more modern than a lot of the classic texts of socialism.\nhttps://monthlyreview.org/product/a_world_to_build/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really love \"A World to Build: New Paths toward Twenty-First Century Socialism\" by Marta Harnecker.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book’s vision and says many people would resonate with it.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in a contemporary, democratic socialist vision.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it focuses on a vision distinct from Soviet socialism.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marta Harnecker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "decentralization",
        "democracy",
        "socialism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "a-tudatallapotok-szivarvanya-4395b5",
      "title": "A tudatállapotok szivárványa",
      "author": "Andrew Feldmár",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10330514,
          "author": "NumberCruncher",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-05T08:37:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10330514",
          "commentText": "A tudatállapotok szivárványa by Andrew Feldmar\nHow I Found Freedom in an Unfree World by Harry Browne\nA Guide To The Good Life: The Ancient Art Of Stoic Joy by William B. Irvine",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A tudatállapotok szivárványa by Andrew Feldmar",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew Feldmár"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consciousness",
        "psychedelic therapy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ai-snake-oil-what-artificial-intelligence-can-do-what-it-can-t-an-1ce6be",
      "title": "AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference",
      "author": "Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42219433,
          "author": "lovestory",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T05:56:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42219433",
          "commentText": "I only have time to listen to audiobooks so I hope this list is not too basic.\nOn the Edge: The Art of Risking Everything by Nate Silver\nThe End of Reality: How Four Billionaires Are Selling a Fantasy Future of the Metaverse, Mars, and Crypto by Jonathan Taplin\nThe Value of Others by Orion Taraban\nRinsed: From Cartels to Crypto: How the Tech Industry Washes Money for the World's Deadliest Crooks by Geoff White\nWhy We Die: The New Science of Aging and the Quest for Immortality by Venki Ramakrishnan\nExtremely Hardcore: Inside Elon Musk's Twitter by Zoe Schiffer\nBottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Katherine Eban\nAI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference by Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor\nHijacking Bitcoin: The Hidden History of BTC by Roger Ver\nGo Woke, Go Broke: The Inside Story of the Radicalization of Corporate America by Charles Gasparino\nThe Catalyst: RNA and the Quest to Unlock Life's Deepest Secrets by Thomas R Cech\nand my book of the year\nGood Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health by Casey Means M D",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "AI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference by Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arvind Narayanan",
        "Sayash Kapoor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ai claims",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "technology criticism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "api-design-patterns-b40422",
      "title": "API Design Patterns",
      "author": "JJ Geewax",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24383688,
          "author": "majkinetor",
          "createdAt": "2020-09-05T14:15:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 24383180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Suggestions for books about API design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24383688",
          "commentText": "https://apisyouwonthate.com and their book(s) offer good advices.\nNot a book, but MS REST API Guidelines are pretty good although they don't cover funky important details like how to properly do REST operations/actions.\nhttps://github.com/microsoft/api-guidelines\nThis is short one based on RedHat VM engineer experience:\nhttps://restful-api-design.readthedocs.io/en/latest/intro.ht... (https://restful-api-design.readthedocs.io/en/latest/intro.html)\nManning has a solid books on topic:\nhttps://www.manning.com/books/the-design-of-web-apis\nhttps://www.manning.com/books/api-design-patterns",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://www.manning.com/books/api-design-patterns",
          "reason": "Includes it among book resources on API design.",
          "audience": "People interested in API design.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "JJ Geewax"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "api design",
        "web apis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "api-design-in-c-3ff7e1",
      "title": "API Design in C++",
      "author": "Martin Reddy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24384175,
          "author": "billfruit",
          "createdAt": "2020-09-05T15:19:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 24383180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Suggestions for books about API design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24384175",
          "commentText": "API design in C++ by Martin Reddy is a good text.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "API design in C++ by Martin Reddy is a good text.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a text about API design.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin Reddy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "api design",
        "c"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "arrl-antenna-book-ad377e",
      "title": "ARRL Antenna Book",
      "author": "American Radio Relay League",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16759284,
          "author": "jquinby",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T21:25:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16759284",
          "commentText": "Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows\nGetting to Yes by Roger Fisher and William Ury\nARRL Handbook for Radio Communications\nARRL Antenna Book\nAmerican Heritage Dictionary, 5th Ed.\nBible/Lectionary, Breviary, and Catechism\nIf fiction counts, I will probably never delete Flatland or the complete Joseph Conrad from my Kindle.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "ARRL Antenna Book",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "American Radio Relay League"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "amateur radio",
        "antenna design"
      ],
      "purposes": []
    },
    {
      "id": "arrl-handbook-for-radio-communications-d51677",
      "title": "ARRL Handbook for Radio Communications",
      "author": "American Radio Relay League",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16759284,
          "author": "jquinby",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T21:25:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16759284",
          "commentText": "Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows\nGetting to Yes by Roger Fisher and William Ury\nARRL Handbook for Radio Communications\nARRL Antenna Book\nAmerican Heritage Dictionary, 5th Ed.\nBible/Lectionary, Breviary, and Catechism\nIf fiction counts, I will probably never delete Flatland or the complete Joseph Conrad from my Kindle.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "ARRL Handbook for Radio Communications",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "American Radio Relay League"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "amateur radio",
        "radio communications"
      ],
      "purposes": []
    },
    {
      "id": "abhajaner-mahabharat-7e29f8",
      "title": "Abhajaner Mahabharat",
      "author": "Mahbub Lilen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38565904,
          "author": "__rito__",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T06:03:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38565904",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- \"The Dark Forest\" by Liu Cixin and the whole Three Body Problem/Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy. Truly massive, grand SciFi. Would recommend 10/10. [HN]\n- \"Anna Karenina\" by Tolstoy. Made me face deeper parts of my mind. Attempted to answer some questions I had. Great story. Huge book. Historical fiction is something I like across languages.\n- \"Candide\" by Voltaire. Genuinely fun and entertaining, besides it being- you know- Voltaire.\n- \"The Diamond Age\" by Neal Stephenson. Very good story, world buulding, nice technology. Great thinking by the author.\nNon Fiction:\n- \"Fermat's Last Theorem\" by Simon Singh. Was very happy to see a Popular Math book where there are so many Popular Science books. Great book. Goes over FMT's solving history, with many many fun anecdotes, short biographies, etc. Truly enjoyable to read.\n- \"Code Book\" by Simon Singh. Genuinely fun and learned a lot. Cryptography's history, progress, and so much more. [HN]\nSelf-Help:\n- \"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\" by Robert Pirsig. Truly marvelous book and nice to read. This book requires the reader to be of certain kind attaining a certain level. Without that, this book will seem a fluff and overrated hugely. Fundamentally changed my thinking. [HN]\n- \"Four Thousand Weeks\" by Oliver Bourkeman. Thought this was about saner time management with some wisdom. But was much deeper than that. Will recommend.\nBengali:\n- \"Abhajaner Mahabharat\" by Mahbub Lilen. A fun and serious retelling of the Mahabharata. Goes deep, too. Really fun to read.\n- \"Khana Mihirer Dhipi\" by Bani Basu. An account of feminism in the light of female-dominated inner part of Bengali elite households- and that in the light of female dominated, fully maternalistic hunter-gatherers of early human history. Very thought provoking and unique.\n[HN]- chose primarily because recommendation in some past HN threads.\nRead 23 so far. Target is 25. Currently reading Snow Crash and Exhalation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Abhajaner Mahabharat\" by Mahbub Lilen.",
          "reason": "Calls it a fun, serious, deep retelling of the Mahabharata.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mahbub Lilen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bengali literature",
        "mahabharata retelling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "about-face-cd72f4",
      "title": "About Face",
      "author": "Alan Cooper, Robert Reimann, David Cronin, and Christopher Noessel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26833412,
          "author": "tjr",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-16T13:09:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 26833319,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book for software engineers (besides the well-known ones)?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26833412",
          "commentText": "Software Engineering for Internet Applications\nAbout Face / The Inmates Are Running the Asylum",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "About Face",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan Cooper",
        "Robert Reimann",
        "David Cronin",
        "Christopher Noessel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "interaction design",
        "user interface design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "about-face-2-0-902e1d",
      "title": "About Face 2.0",
      "author": "Alan Cooper",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12712112,
          "author": "neosat",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-15T00:52:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12712112",
          "commentText": "If you can read only one book read About Face 2.0\nYou can find a somewhat better about most of the topics mentioned there that go into more depth into individual topics (except maybe the core of interaction design) but About Face 2.0 will give you a solid foundation into design applied to interfaces.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If you can read only one book read About Face 2.0\nYou can find a somewhat better about most of the topics mentioned there that go into more depth into individual topics (except maybe the core of interaction design) but About Face 2.0 will give you a solid foundation into design applied to interfaces.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a single book that provides a solid foundation in interface design.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Other books may cover most individual topics better and in more depth; the core of interaction design may be an exception.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan Cooper"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "interaction design",
        "user interface design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "about-face-3-the-essentials-of-interaction-design-3784a2",
      "title": "About Face 3: The Essentials of Interaction Design",
      "author": "Alan Cooper, Robert Reimann, and David Cronin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18663126,
          "author": "tejcirkulate",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T11:54:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 18662992,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on modern UI/UX?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663126",
          "commentText": "1. Contextual design, holzblat\nHow to understand and structure a user's life and environment and what to look for when they are struggling with a problem or using your product.\n2. Lean Customer Development, Cindy Alvarez\nPractical and immediately useful guide to interviewing and talking to users. Read after the Contextual Inquiry book above. If that book teaches what to understand about a user's workflow and environment, this one teaches how to elicit those answers from customers when talking to them.\n3. About Face 3, alan cooper\nIf the previous two are about (a) what to look for when understanding a customer and (b) how to get the info you need to build solutions for those customers, then this book is about translating those learnings into user journeys and experiences.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this book is about translating those learnings into user journeys and experiences.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as a guide to translating user research into journeys and experiences.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan Cooper, Robert Reimann, and David Cronin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "interaction design",
        "user journeys"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "about-time-9ef3de",
      "title": "About Time",
      "author": "Paul Davies",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "About Time - Paul Davies",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Davies"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cosmology",
        "time"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "absalom-absalom-7cf611",
      "title": "Absalom, Absalom!",
      "author": "William Faulkner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17169369,
          "author": "wrycoder",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T22:10:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17169369",
          "commentText": "Gravitation by Misner, Thorne, and Wheeler\nThe Road to Reality by Penrose\nThe Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli\n\"For a long time, we have tried to understand the world in terms of some primary substance.  Perhaps physics, more than any other discipline, has pursued this primary substance.  But the more we have studied it, the less the world seems comprehensible in terms of something that is.  It seems to be a lot more intelligible in terms of relations between events.\n...\nWe therefore describe the world as it happens, not as it is.  Newton's mechanics, Maxwell's equations, quantum mechanics, and so on, tell us how events happen, not how things are...we understand the world in its becoming, not in its being.  Things in themselves are only events that for a while are monotonous.  But only before returning to dust, everything returns to dust.\nThe absence of time does not mean, therefore, that everything is frozen and unmoving.  It means that the incessant happening that wearies the world is not ordered along a time line, is not measured by a gigantic tick-tocking.  It does not even form a four-dimensional geometry.  It is a boundless and disorderly network of quantum events.  The world is more like Naples than Singapore.\nIf by 'time' we mean nothing more than happening, then everything is time.  There is only that which exists in time.\"\nVery influential in my teens:\nAbsalom, Absalom by Faulkner\nUSA by John Dos Passos\nCache Lake Country by Rowlands",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Absalom, Absalom by Faulkner",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was very influential in their teens.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Faulkner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "southern gothic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "absolute-freebsd-f82116",
      "title": "Absolute FreeBSD",
      "author": "Michael W. Lucas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8000473,
          "author": "evandena",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T18:30:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8000473",
          "commentText": "Absolute FreeBSD.  Found it hilarious\nhttps://www.michaelwlucas.com/nonfiction/absolute-freebsd",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Absolute FreeBSD.  Found it hilarious",
          "reason": "Says they found the book hilarious.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael W. Lucas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "freebsd",
        "operating systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "absolute-recoil-towards-a-new-foundation-of-dialectical-materiali-f70891",
      "title": "Absolute Recoil: Towards a New Foundation of Dialectical Materialism",
      "author": "Slavoj Žižek",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8795504,
          "author": "pizza",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T05:21:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795504",
          "commentText": "Books I imagine will have 'tremendous' (what a prior, lol) effect\nNon-fiction;\nSlavoj Zizek's Absolute Recoil: Towards a New Foundation of Dialectical Materialism\nEvgeny Morozov's To Save Everything Click Here: The Folly of Technological Solutionism\nFiction;\nWilliam Gibson's Neuromancer\nVernor Vinge's A Deepness in the Sky (Zones of Thought)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Slavoj Zizek's Absolute Recoil: Towards a New Foundation of Dialectical Materialism",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter expects to have a tremendous effect.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Slavoj Žižek"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dialectical materialism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "abstract-algebra-a-student-friendly-approach-fca38d",
      "title": "Abstract Algebra: A Student-Friendly Approach",
      "author": "Roberto dos Reis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34447642,
          "author": "savryn",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-20T00:32:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34447642",
          "commentText": "Abstract Algebra: A Student-Friendly Approach by Dos Reis\nPaperback layout feels like a workbook, not overwhelming-- beginner friendly",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Abstract Algebra: A Student-Friendly Approach by Dos Reis\nPaperback layout feels like a workbook, not overwhelming-- beginner friendly",
          "reason": "Described as beginner-friendly, with a workbook-like layout that feels manageable.",
          "audience": "Beginners studying abstract algebra.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roberto dos Reis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "abstract algebra"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "abstraction-and-specification-in-program-development-3e676f",
      "title": "Abstraction and Specification in Program Development",
      "author": "Barbara Liskov and John Guttag",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14842736,
          "author": "abecedarius",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-24T21:13:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14842736",
          "commentText": "Thinking Forth; Software Tools; SICP; Abstraction and Specification in Program Development; Essentials of Programming Languages; Paradigms of AI Programming; I'd like to list something about OO too, but no book I know really measures up to learning from other programmers. But there's Mark S. Miller's thesis Robust Composition.\n(in roughly chronological order. As you can see from the chronology, it took me a long time to start to like OOP.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Abstraction and Specification in Program Development",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which books shaped the commenter's approach to code structure.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Barbara Liskov and John Guttag"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "abstraction",
        "software specification"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "abundance-1f1042",
      "title": "Abundance",
      "author": "Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46396841,
          "author": "phtrivier",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T22:08:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46396841",
          "commentText": "I started the year with \"Right thing, right now\", and I'm ending it with \"wisdom takes work\" (R.Holiday), but I'm happy to say that I'm now a bit \"tired\" of re-reading the same rehashing of other people's book, and I want to read the original ones. Which, actually, is the pont.\nI wanted to read classics, and devoured \"The portrait of Dorian Gray\" (O.Wilde), where maybe 50% of all the \"as O.Wilde said...\" quotes seem to come from (uttered by a single, incredibly obnoxious character.)\nI challenged myself to read \"Les Miserables\" (V.Hugo), and actually managed to get two tomes out of five down. Eminently quotable, heavily skippable - why on earth spend half a time on describing the ins and out of Waterloo, except to show off ? - and, surprisingly, at times, _funny_.\nThe bio of Pierre Mendès France (J.Lacouture) was very much topical, given the mess in Franch politics. We had more PMs in one year than in a few chapters of the book. It's very weird to read that, at some point, some politicians were \"liked\" by the people - but lost power anyway.\nA small Edouard Phillipe book called \"Men who read\" almost made me like the guy - his next book is more serious and expected. It pains me to think that our next election is going to be about \"well read people who disappointed everyone\" vs \"popular jocks with no education who will end up disappointing everyone\".\n\"Abundance\" (E.Klein / D.Thompson) is an attempt from \"well read people\" to at least try and understand why everyone is disappointed and prefer the jocks. I don't think they included any solution in their book, though - maybe they save it for the sequel, or for E.Klein's presidential bid.\nI want to read all Stripe press - if only, because the covers rock, and they're optimistic. Started with \"Poor Charlie's Almanach\" (C.Munger), which a disappointing rehash of the same funny speech seven times. (Tldr : be multidisciplinary, study cognitive biases, don't trade). In the middle of \"The Origins of Efficiency \" (Potter)\n\"The Wave\" (Souleymane) was not optimistic. And not practical at all - sure, AI enabled drones carrying bioweapons will suck. \"The Age of predators\" (G. Da Empoli) reminds us that the AI enabled bioweapons carrying drones will come from an illiberal state enabled by billionaires from Silicon Valley, and Russian trolls. I wish someone told me where to go to avoid being targeted too early.\n\"Everything is tuberculosis\" (J. Greene) reminded me of a time when scientists were trying to solve problems as opposed to creating brand new ones - but at least the next generations won't die of boredom.\n\"We, programmers\" is a rehash of Uncle Bob's pre talks \"history of programming\". I loved the long and detailed parts about G.Hopper. He ends with a (failed) attempt to convince that programmers will still be needed in the age of AI.\nSteve Yegge's \"Vibe coding\" goes full \"resistance is futile\" about programming with agents, and, interestingly, ends up talking more about TDD than Uncle Bob - but the words \"electricity consumption\" and \"climate impact\" are not utured, because, why spoil the fun.\n\"The Common LISP cookbook\" tried to explain me the difference between ASDF, quicklisp and whatnot - 2025 was the closest year I ever go to actually writing something in LISP instead of reading books about it.\nAnd also, \"The baby is a mammal\" (M.Odent) and \"Becoming a dad for dummies\", because this year was probably the last one we're I'll get so much time to read :)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Abundance\" (E.Klein / D.Thompson) is an attempt from \"well read people\" to at least try and understand why everyone is disappointed and prefer the jocks.",
          "reason": "Describes it as an attempt to understand public disappointment and preferences.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter thinks the book includes no solutions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ezra Klein",
        "Derek Thompson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "housing",
        "progressive politics",
        "public policy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "abundance-f9ff4c",
      "title": "Abundance",
      "author": "Peter H. Diamandis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12248549,
          "author": "dannels",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T15:32:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12248549",
          "commentText": "Abundance by Peter Diamandis totally changed the way I look at businesses and future technology and helped me clearly see the difference between exponential growth and linear growth changing the world.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Abundance by Peter Diamandis totally changed the way I look at businesses and future technology",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed their perspective on business and future technology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter H. Diamandis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "exponential growth",
        "future technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "accelerate-building-and-scaling-high-performing-technology-organi-a41d0a",
      "title": "Accelerate: Building and Scaling High-Performing Technology Organizations",
      "author": "Nicole Forsgren, Jez Humble, and Gene Kim",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30241243,
          "author": "cyneox",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T06:59:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241243",
          "commentText": "- Way of the peaceful warrior\n- Range\n- Conversations with God\n- Factfulness\n- Accelerate: Building and Scaling High-Performing Technology Organizations",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Accelerate: Building and Scaling High-Performing Technology Organizations",
          "reason": "Lists it as an answer to the request for a book recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nicole Forsgren",
        "Jez Humble",
        "Gene Kim"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "devops",
        "software delivery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "accelerated-c-781eed",
      "title": "Accelerated C++",
      "author": "Andrew Koenig and Barbara E. Moo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15963577,
          "author": "wink",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T19:52:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15963577",
          "commentText": "1. Off to Be the Wizard (Scott Meyer) - Very good.\n2. Ready Player One (Ernest Cline) - I liked it although it's kinda ridiculous and one-sided.\n3. The Bloodline Feud (Charles Stross) - Actually part 1&2 of a series. Really need to continue, very good. I'd say this was not \"oh I know what will happen next\" which is kinda rare.\n4. The Graveyard Book (Neil Gaiman) - It's ok, but not as good as I had hoped.\n5. Coraline (Neil Gaiman) - It's a children's book, and very short, but I liked it a lot.\n6. Accelerated C++ (Koening/Moo) - Not finished, I was under the impression it's \"C++ for programmers well-versed in other languages\" and for that it's a bit slow-starting, but not bad I guess\nI really need to read more. :|",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "not bad I guess",
          "reason": "Offers a qualified positive assessment while noting it starts slowly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not finished; slower start than expected for programmers already versed in other languages.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231131,
          "author": "Mutinix",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T16:55:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231131",
          "commentText": "Accelerated C++ (Andrew Koenig and Barbara E. Moo)\nA Game of Thrones (George R. R. Martin)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Accelerated C++ (Andrew Koenig and Barbara E. Moo)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew Koenig",
        "Barbara E. Moo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c",
        "c programming",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "accelerating-matlab-performance-5500aa",
      "title": "Accelerating MATLAB Performance",
      "author": "Yair M. Altman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16758142,
          "author": "engi_nerd",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T19:34:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16758142",
          "commentText": "I keep a wide variety of references around this desk. Some of my favorites:\nManuel Lima's \"Visual Complexity\", \"The Book of Circles\", and \"The Book of Trees\". These are useful as references and as visualization inspiration.\nJacques Bertin's \"Semiology of Graphics\". Gorgeous and immensely useful.\nDesmond and Nicholas Higham's \"MATLAB Guide, 3rd Edition\", and Yair Altman's \"Accelerating MATLAB Performance\". Both are invaluable for serious MATLAB work.\nTitus A. Beu's book on Numerical Programming is very good as a reference.\nFor anyone needing to work on military simulations, \"Engineering Principles of Combat Modeling and Distributed Simulation\" by Tolk is the best reference I have found on the subject.\nAnd TAOCP and CLRS are here for reference purposes as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Accelerating MATLAB Performance\". Both are invaluable for serious MATLAB work.",
          "reason": "Described as invaluable for serious MATLAB work.",
          "audience": "People doing serious MATLAB work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Yair M. Altman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "matlab",
        "numerical computing",
        "performance optimization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "accidental-empires-943b86",
      "title": "Accidental Empires",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17207423,
          "author": "nimeshneema",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T17:01:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17207423",
          "commentText": "Accidental Empires - Accidental Empires is the trenchant, vastly readable history of the computer industry, focusing as much on the astoundingly odd personalities at its core--Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Mitch Kapor, etc. and the hacker culture they spawned as it does on the remarkable technology they created.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Accidental Empires - Accidental Empires is the trenchant, vastly readable history of the computer industry",
          "reason": "Listed as a readable history of the computer industry, its personalities, and hacker culture.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computer industry history and hacker culture.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer industry",
        "hacker culture",
        "technology history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "accidental-genius-1b140f",
      "title": "Accidental Genius",
      "author": "Mark Levy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3987129,
          "author": "klaut",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-17T14:33:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3987129",
          "commentText": "How To Get Rich - Felix Dennis\nAccidental Genius - Mark Levy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Accidental Genius - Mark Levy",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for a great book read recently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Levy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creative thinking",
        "freewriting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "acid-for-the-children-2832af",
      "title": "Acid for the Children",
      "author": "Flea",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33801996,
          "author": "ArtWomb",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T15:25:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33801996",
          "commentText": ">>> problem solver\n“Applied Engineering Analysis” by Tai‐Ran Hsu, published by John Wiley & Sons, 2018 (ISBN 9781110071204)\nRecent discovery. Complete reference in a single textbook. Applicable to any scale: from industrial automation to lunchtable experiments ;)\n>>> better thinker\nWolfgang Engel. Decades of books from shaderx to gpuzen. Plus The Forge renderer!\n>>> holiday fun\nFlea | Acid for the Children (if you enjoy Just Kids, Chronicles: Vol 1, etc)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Flea | Acid for the Children (if you enjoy Just Kids, Chronicles: Vol 1, etc)",
          "reason": "Suggested as holiday reading for people who enjoy Just Kids or Chronicles: Volume 1.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Flea"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "music"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "across-the-nightingale-floor-f2d65b",
      "title": "Across the Nightingale Floor",
      "author": "Lian Hearn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1027000,
          "author": "blahblahblah",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T09:17:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027000",
          "commentText": "Revelation Space, by Alastair Reynolds - Quirky sci-fi novel with a xenoarchaeology angle\nHunters of Dune, by Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson - I'm not recommending this one on the basis of the writing.  I'd recommend it only to those who read all of Frank Herbert's original Dune series and have been hanging in suspense ever since because the cliffhanger ending of Chapterhouse Dune was never resolved due to Frank's untimely death.  They based the book on Frank's outline, but it clearly would have been a better book if it had been written by Frank.  Nonetheless, it is satisfying to resolve the unanswered questions:  Who the heck are these Honored Matres and what were they running away from?\nLabyrinths:  Selected Stories & Other Writings, by Jorges Luis Borges - This is kind of a quirky collection of short stories that are all mindbenders of one variety or another.  The best description I can give of Borges is that reading him is kind of like solving puzzles.\nAcross the Nightingale Floor:  Tales of the Otori, by Lain Hearn - Historical fiction set in feudal Japan with lords and their retainers, assassins, etc.\nThe Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown - If you liked The Da Vinci Code or Angels & Demons, you'll probably like this one as well.  While Dan Brown will probably never write anything that matches the utter genius of Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum, he is entertaining in his own way and worth a read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Across the Nightingale Floor: Tales of the Otori, by Lain Hearn - Historical fiction set in feudal Japan with lords and their retainers, assassins, etc.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books others enjoyed and recommend.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in historical fiction set in feudal Japan.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lian Hearn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "feudal japan",
        "historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "action-nothing-happens-until-something-moves-6fb4c9",
      "title": "Action!: Nothing Happens Until Something Moves",
      "author": "Robert Ringer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25557921,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-28T09:38:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 25554464,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books for dealing with workplace politics and dishonesty?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25557921",
          "commentText": ">There are tactics I call socialist tactics.\nNo, do not call them \"socialist\" tactics since it gives quite the wrong impression. They are just \"Realpolitik\". That said, i agree completely with your post, it is how people play games to get what they want. We just have to learn and beat them at it without moralizing.\nSecond Robert Ringer's books. A good follow up is his other book Action!: Nothing happens until something moves.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A good follow up is his other book Action!: Nothing happens until something moves.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a follow-up to Robert Ringer's other books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Ringer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal effectiveness",
        "workplace politics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "actionable-gamification-6cdd01",
      "title": "Actionable Gamification",
      "author": "Yu-kai Chou",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17521167,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T07:42:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521167",
          "commentText": "Here are the best books I've read over the last few months:\n- Lost and Founder - the founder of Moz shares his advice and experience from building a 40M/year company. I found the things he says about building a startup extremely insightful and practically useful. Reading it feels like having a dinner with a friend who shares with you the things he has learned in a very honest, down to earth way. Highly recommend it.\n- Rationality from AI to Zombies - probably the most influential book I've read in my life, profoundly changed the way I think. It's a collection of LessWrong essays on science and rationality. (recently they've released an an audio version by the way).\n- \"A Short History of Nearly Everything\" and \"Our Mathematical Universe\" - two general popular science books I'm enjoying a lot. Haven't finished reading them yet, but so far they're brilliant(and very easy to understand, authors do an amazing job explaining complicated things in a simple, accessible way).\n- Hacking Growth - an AMAZING book on \"growth hacking\". It provides a framework for marketing a startup, gives a ton of practical advice and specific tactics. It breaks down step by step how  startups and big tech companies grow their products. Most of the books I've read on the subject were bullshit, but this one is absolutely fantastic, can't recommend it enough.\nOther great books I should mention:  This Idea is Brilliant, Actionable Gamification, The Design of Everyday Things, The Master Algorithm (great overview of machine learning techniqes), Springfield Confidential (fun behind the scenes from one of the writers on Simpsons), Homo Deus(from the author of Sapiens).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Other great books I should mention: This Idea is Brilliant, Actionable Gamification",
          "reason": "The commenter includes it among other great books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Yu-kai Chou"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "behavior design",
        "gamification"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "active-portfolio-management-a-quantitative-approach-for-producing-372d22",
      "title": "Active Portfolio Management: A Quantitative Approach for Producing Superior Returns and Controlling Risk",
      "author": "Richard C. Grinold and Ronald N. Kahn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3178373,
          "author": "joshu",
          "createdAt": "2011-10-31T18:10:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 3177815,
          "threadTitle": "Good books for hackers interested in quant finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3178373",
          "commentText": "People think all quant finance is the same as HFT. It's not.\nA big part of algorithmic trading and stat arb is portfolio management, including deriving alpha, building risk models, etc.\nThe bible is: http://www.amazon.com/Active-Portfolio-Management-Quantitati... (http://www.amazon.com/Active-Portfolio-Management-Quantitative-Controlling/dp/0070248826)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The bible is:",
          "reason": "Recommended as a definitive book on portfolio management, alpha, and risk models in algorithmic trading and statistical arbitrage.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in portfolio management, algorithmic trading, and statistical arbitrage.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard C. Grinold and Ronald N. Kahn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "portfolio management",
        "quantitative finance",
        "risk models"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "acts-396728",
      "title": "Acts",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36105715,
          "author": "p0d",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T16:51:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105715",
          "commentText": "You are asking this question on Pentecost Sunday, observed by many Christians. Today we celebrate the arrival of person of The Holy Spirit, who supernaturally empowered Jesus's disciples in Jerusalem, following his death. You can read about this in the book of Acts in the Bible.\nAs you study I would encourage you to pray. If I was interested in learning to drive, I just wouldn't read about it :-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You can read about this in the book of Acts in the Bible.",
          "reason": "Points to Acts for an account of the described event.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christianity",
        "scripture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "acts-of-the-apostles-f83456",
      "title": "Acts of the Apostles",
      "author": "Traditionally attributed to Luke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37939772,
          "author": "UtopiaPunk",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T07:49:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37939772",
          "commentText": "Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell largely the same story, with several important differences. If you only read one, my favorite is Luke. It has The Magnificat (aka Mary's Song of Praise), and it's awesome.\nJohn, meanwhile, is very different vibe on the story of Jesus and is cool in its own way.\nI'd also recommend Acts, personally. It is a history of the very early church and written by the same author as the Gospel of Luke. Very proto-communist/anarchist in places, imo.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd also recommend Acts, personally.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly recommends Acts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Traditionally attributed to Luke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christianity",
        "early church"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "acts-of-the-apostles-4af7f6",
      "title": "Acts of the Apostles",
      "author": "John F. X. Sundman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50116114,
          "author": "genezeta",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T09:24:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50116114",
          "commentText": "Elizabeth Hand's Winterlong, probably 3-4 times.\nMost of Raymond Chandler and Dashiel Hammet I've read multiple times. I've read Brautigan's Dreaming of Babylon a bunch of times too.\nAll of William Gibson. Miyazaki's Nausicaä of The Valley of Wind, in various languages. Stephen Cosgrove's Muffin Muncher, I couldn't say how many times I must have read that (It appears they've now changed the title to Muffin Dragon).\nI've read The Soul of a New Machine a couple of times too. The Hitchhiker's and Dirk Gently's trilogies a few times.\nStefano Benni's Baol probably half a dozen times. And Acts of The Apostles by John FX Sundman a bunch too. Oh, and a few of Martin Gardner's books. And Smullyan's To Mock a Mockingbird.\nAnd most probably also many others. Most of my books are now in boxes or have been gifted away, though.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Acts of The Apostles by John FX Sundman a bunch too.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have read it many times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John F. X. Sundman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "religious themes",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ada-or-ardor-a-family-chronicle-4659b4",
      "title": "Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle",
      "author": "Vladimir Nabokov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227193,
          "author": "MikeCapone",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T18:36:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227193",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed it, but if you want epic Nabokov, check out ADA. It's a HUGE book, but very rewarding if you have the patience.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "check out ADA. It's a HUGE book, but very rewarding if you have the patience.",
          "reason": "Recommended as rewarding for readers willing to be patient with its length.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter warns that it is a huge book and requires patience.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vladimir Nabokov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "modernist literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "adam-smith-s-america-35ca68",
      "title": "Adam Smith's America",
      "author": "Glory Liu",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41787743,
          "author": "throw0101b",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-09T13:26:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41787743",
          "commentText": "> How is Wealth of Nations surprising for a modern reader?\nMost people haven't read it, and tend to only reference things like \"invisible hand\", and skim/skip over a lot of Smith's 'moralizing'. His book before Wealth was after all The Theory of Moral Sentiments:\n* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Theory_of_Moral_Sentiments\nIf you don't want to read Ye Olde English, perhaps see Glory Liu's book Adam Smith’s America:\n> Drawing on a trove of illuminating archival materials, Liu tells the story of how an unassuming Scottish philosopher captured the American imagination and played a leading role in shaping American economic and political ideas. She shows how Smith became known as the father of political economy in the nineteenth century and was firmly associated with free trade, and how, in the aftermath of the Great Depression, the Chicago School of Economics transformed him into the preeminent theorist of self-interest and the miracle of free markets. Liu explores how a new generation of political theorists and public intellectuals has sought to recover Smith’s original intentions and restore his reputation as a moral philosopher.\n* https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60015569-adam-smith-s-am... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60015569-adam-smith-s-america)\nInterview:\n* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbQjDpUfJrs\nShe goes into the \"Adam Smith Problem\"; one paper on it:\n> Adam Smith is best known for his economic theories that extoll the free market and individual self-interest. These ideas are the focus of Smith's second book, The Wealth of Nations. However, Smith also made large contributions to the fields of ethics and moral philosophy. Nearly 20 years prior to the publication of The Wealth of Nations, Smith first became a renowned moral philosopher when he published The Theory of Moral Sentiments. In The Theory of Moral Sentiments, Smith outlines the nature of morality. This morality, for Smith, places an emphasis upon sympathy and compassion, which are felt by imagining the plight of others through the impartial spectator. This impartial spectator is a mode of thinking that allows for one to adjudge the actions of others in relation to society's general attitudes toward that said action. Despite Smith's consummate rumination in both books, there seems to be a disconnect between Smith's moral philosophy, found within The Theory of Moral Sentiments, and his economic philosophy, found within The Wealth of Nations. How can Smith eulogize compassion and fellow feeling in one writing, while also holding that self-interest is necessary for the advancement of society in another? This disconnect is known as the Adam Smith Problem. The purpose of this project is to acknowledge the existence of The Adam Smith Problem by seeing it not as an attempt to undermine Smith's intellectual continuity, but as a challenge to reconcile the self-interested nature of humanity with higher moral standards accomplished through compassion. This reconciliation is accomplished through the notion of a liberal society in which an individual is both free to do anything that does not harm another and can expect society to maintain a higher set of moral standards through a justice system. Both wealth proliferation through self-interest and the upholding of higher values through compassion are predicates of this liberal society: the culmination of Smith's philosophy.\n* https://quod.lib.umich.edu/u/umurj/16481002.0014.007/--adam-... (https://quod.lib.umich.edu/u/umurj/16481002.0014.007/--adam-smith-problem-integrating-self-interest-with-justice?rgn=main;view=fulltext)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you don't want to read Ye Olde English, perhaps see Glory Liu's book Adam Smith’s America",
          "reason": "Suggested as an alternative for readers who do not want to read older English.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Adam Smith who prefer a modern account.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Glory Liu"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of economic thought"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "adaptation-in-natural-and-artificial-systems-4a9bd3",
      "title": "Adaptation in Natural and Artificial Systems",
      "author": "John H. Holland",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48712007,
          "author": "rolph",
          "createdAt": "2026-06-28T21:45:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 48711408,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about Genetic Algorithms",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48712007",
          "commentText": "https://faculty.cc.gatech.edu/~turk/bio_sim/articles/genetic... (https://faculty.cc.gatech.edu/~turk/bio_sim/articles/genetic_algorithm.pdf[pdf])\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holland%27s_schema_theorem\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Henry_Holland\nAdaptation in Natural and Artificial Systems (1975, MIT Press)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Adaptation in Natural and Artificial Systems (1975, MIT Press)",
          "reason": "Listed as a book in response to a request for genetic algorithm reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John H. Holland"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolutionary computation",
        "genetic algorithms"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "adaptive-markets-aeff39",
      "title": "Adaptive Markets",
      "author": "Andrew W. Lo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22574472,
          "author": "kriro",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T11:10:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22574472",
          "commentText": "I think the first question that you will face is if you agree with the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) and the random walk. Basically they say that prices reflect all available information and that you cannot \"beat\" the market (there's a subtle difference between EMH and random walk). The return on an investment is a direct reflection of the risk.\nGood reading to get an understanding for this are \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" and papers by Eugene Fama (EMH will be covered by any intro to finance book as well). For a good overview of EMH, I like this paper: http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/fileadmin/UCL-CS/images/Research_Stu... (http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/fileadmin/UCL-CS/images/Research_Student_Information/RN_11_04.pdf)\nThe investment takeaway is that you should invest in passive index funds with low management cost (typically ETFs).\nThere's different contrasting points of view most notably behavioral finance. The EMH argument is basically the market is an aggregation of all available information. Due to the power of averaging it is going to be correct (if one person overestimates, another will underestimate and it will all cancel out). The behavioral counterargument is that there are certain human biases that lead to all parties being wrong in the same direction (such as risk aversion).\nAnother POV that is aligned with the behavioral view is that the theory of evolution provides a good framework for thinking about markets. I like the book \"Adaptive Markets\" which also gives a good overview of EMH and behavioral finance so I'll recommend that as a reference. I think together with \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" you're set for \"general framework of thought\" material.\nPersonally, I am a value investor so I can only recommend books from that school of thought. The basic idea is that you look at the fundamentals of a company and the stock market can misprice them. The holy grail is finding a company where the sum of (current) assets is worth more than the current market valuation via the stock price because in essence that means if the company would be liquidated and everything would be sold off, you'd still walk away with a profit. In essence, you're trying to buy 1$ for < 1$.\nThis is Buffett's philosophy and he has done really well with it. I'd recommend \"Value Investing\" by Greenwald, Kahn, Sonkin and van Biema as a good intro book that summarizes everything and has some easy to follow examples (because you can't usually just take the assets face value but have to discount them etc.). The classics are \"The Intelligent Investor\" and \"Security Analysis\" (more academic but for me this is the gold standard).\nIf you need a quick \"how to read balance sheets/income statement/cash flow statements\" I'd recommend \"Warren Buffett Accounting Book\"\nI think the best essay that describes what markets are good for is \"The use of Knowledge in Society\" by Hayek. At least it makes sense for me that they serve the function of aggregating local and specialized information.\nIf you're interested, it's also a decent idea to research the different theories of the business cycle. Keynesian, Real Business Cycle, Austrian etc.\ntl;dr:\n- A Random Walk Down Wall Street\n- Adaptive Markets\n- Value Investing (+ Warren Buffett Accounting Book)\nEdit: I'm assuming you want a \"quick overview\". Otherwise, get some mainstream Finance and Behavioral Finance textbooks :D",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I like the book \"Adaptive Markets\" which also gives a good overview of EMH and behavioral finance so I'll recommend that as a reference.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a reference and overview of the efficient market hypothesis and behavioral finance.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a general framework for thinking about markets.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew W. Lo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "behavioral finance",
        "efficient market hypothesis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "adaptive-web-design-3789dc",
      "title": "Adaptive Web Design",
      "author": "Aaron Gustafson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18668510,
          "author": "dccoolgai",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T23:07:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 18662992,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on modern UI/UX?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18668510",
          "commentText": "Adaptive Web Design is the most important book in the field that not many people have read. If there was one book I could force everyone to read that would make the whole field better, it would be that one.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Adaptive Web Design is the most important book in the field that not many people have read. If there was one book I could force everyone to read that would make the whole field better, it would be that one.",
          "reason": "Calls it the field's most important book and says everyone should read it.",
          "audience": "People working in web design.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Aaron Gustafson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "responsive web design",
        "web design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "adjustment-team-4628a7",
      "title": "Adjustment Team",
      "author": "Philip K. Dick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36024186,
          "author": "unixhero",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T19:55:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36024186",
          "commentText": "Philip K Dick, Adjustment Team, https://en.m.wikisource.org/wiki/Adjustment_Team\nmy comment: Wonderful scifi, highly recommended, short and sweet. The story which the Matt Damon movie Adjustment Bureau was based upon. This story is shorter than the movie plot tho.\nTheres a wonderful audiobook tape recording of this book as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Philip K Dick, Adjustment Team",
          "reason": "Calls the story wonderful, highly recommends it, and says it is short and sweet.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The story is shorter than the movie plot.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip K. Dick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternate reality",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "adolphe-ad6b76",
      "title": "Adolphe",
      "author": "Benjamin Constant",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12070964,
          "author": "cafard",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T13:43:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12070964",
          "commentText": "Solo: An American Dreamer in Europe by Wright Morris, a memoir of spending part of 1932 and 1933 in Austria, Italy, and France. Not on the whole as rewarding as his other memoirs Will's Boy and A Cloak of Light, but interesting enough.\nAdolphe and Le Cahier Rouge by Benjamin Constant. The former a devastating short novel, the latter a memoir, a portrait of the artist as a young twerp. (The things we boomers would say if something comparable had been published by a millenial!)\nFates and Furies by Lauren Groff, a novel read for a book club. The less said, the better.\nAutobiography by Henry James. Very slow going, but rewarding, a mind at work.\nMy Promised Land by Avi Shalets. A history of Israel and the Zionist project by an Israeli journalist. It covers a lot of ground that most Americans (I infer from my book club) don't know. It seemed to me that it could have been maybe 15% shorter, and that David Remnick should have impounded Shalets's thesaurus.\nThree Critics of the Enlightenment: Vico, Hamann, Herder by Isaiah Berlin. Well worth reading, but requiring more time than just its own reading, for now I have to read some Herder. I have already fought my way through some Hamann; the translation is heavily footnoted, as necessary for those of us who aren't handy with Greek, Hebrew, and Latin, and don't have the Bible memorized.\nKulturgeschichte der Neuzeit (vol. ii) by Egon Friedell. Clive James's recommendation in Cultural Amnesia put me onto this one. Most interesting, but slow going because my German is rusty.\n[Edit: got rid of most of the \"most interesting\"s.]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The former a devastating short novel",
          "reason": "Describes it as a devastating short novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Benjamin Constant"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "french literature",
        "novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "adrift-on-the-sea-of-rains-a70eb7",
      "title": "Adrift on the Sea of Rains",
      "author": "Ian Sales",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14743114,
          "author": "timclark",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T11:05:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14743114",
          "commentText": "Adrift on the Sea of Rains by Ian Sales\nA Dream of Wessex by Christopher Priest",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Adrift on the Sea of Rains by Ian Sales",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ian Sales"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space exploration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "adult-children-of-alcoholics-c9237a",
      "title": "Adult Children of Alcoholics",
      "author": "Janet G. Woititz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46398558,
          "author": "ImaCake",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T02:38:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46398558",
          "commentText": "I read/listened/sampled a lot this year but a few have reached out into my life and changed me at least a little bit.\n- In Defense of Food - Michael Pollan. A brilliant \"not diet\" book about not eating crap and enjoying chocolate cake with your friends. I followed this up with Ultra Processed People to arm myself with the facts to defend not eating the junk people call food.\n- The Dispossesed - Ursula Le Guin: recommended in previous year's HN what did you reads. An absolutely triumph for how it manages to portray a believable anarchist society.\n- Adult Children of Alcoholics: useful to the multitude of us who grew up with an alcoholic parent(s). I used this to identify the common patterns I share with others who grew up like me. You are not alone!\n- The Invention of Clouds (not finished): I really like the context of \"dissenting science\" which the author conveys brilliantly. Turns out Dark Academia and Bro Science are not new.\n- The Art of Frugal Hedonism: Irreverant although it comes off a little pious. This book has helped me accept that I have enough stuff already.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "useful to the multitude of us who grew up with an alcoholic parent(s).",
          "reason": "Says it helped identify shared patterns among people raised by a parent with alcohol use problems.",
          "audience": "People who grew up with an alcoholic parent.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Janet G. Woititz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adult children",
        "family alcoholism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "adult-children-of-emotionally-immature-parents-814a9d",
      "title": "Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents",
      "author": "Lindsay C. Gibson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35171605,
          "author": "grepLeigh",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:18:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35171605",
          "commentText": "Most posts offer the obvious suggestions (The Mom Test, High Growth Handbook, The Personal MBA, The Power Law, Hard Thing about Hard Thing, Will It Fly, etc), so I'll focus on some non-obvious suggestions.\nFor tactical advice, I find talks/podcasts and mastermind groups more useful than books.  My favorite podcast (by far) is Rob Walling's Startups for the Rest of Us, which is oriented towards building a capital-efficient bootstrapped business. The archive is full of extremely valuable tactical advice.\nThe books I've found most helpful on my entrepreneurship journey are about mental health, emotional intelligence, and relationships of all kinds. Sharing a few that have had a profound impact, since they helped me metabolize and understand what drove me to become a founder in the first place.\n1. The Self-Compassion Skills Workbook by Tim Desmond\n2. Path of Compassion by Thich Nhat Hanh\n3. The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read, Philippa Perry\n4. Burnout, Emily Nagoski\n5. Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents, Lindsay C. Gibson\n6. Self-Compassion, Dr. Kristin Neff\n7. How to Keep House While Drowning, KC Davis\n8. Deploy Empathy, Michele Hansen\n9. The Body Keeps the Score, Bessel A. Van der Kolk\n10. Atlas of the Heart, Brene Brown\n11. What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents, Lindsay C. Gibson",
          "reason": "Listed among books that helped the commenter on their entrepreneurship journey.",
          "audience": "Founders interested in mental health, emotional intelligence, and relationships.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lindsay C. Gibson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "emotional immaturity",
        "family relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "advanced-6502-programming-3416db",
      "title": "Advanced 6502 Programming",
      "author": "Rodnay Zaks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46778727,
          "author": "i_don_t_know",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-27T11:46:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 46778461,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books to learn 6502 ASM and the Apple II",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46778727",
          "commentText": "I'm seconding the recommendation to look at Rodnay Zack's books. For example, I really enjoyed Advanced 6502 Programming. It's a project-based tutorial for a custom 6502 machine. The design and schematics are in the book.\nhttps://archive.org/details/Advanced_6502_Programming/mode/2... (https://archive.org/details/Advanced_6502_Programming/mode/2up)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed Advanced 6502 Programming. It's a project-based tutorial for a custom 6502 machine.",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed it and describes it as a project-based tutorial.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It teaches through a custom 6502 machine.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rodnay Zaks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "6502 assembly",
        "project based learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "advanced-c-programming-styles-and-idioms-8b7c8f",
      "title": "Advanced C++ Programming Styles and Idioms",
      "author": "James O. Coplien",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33599923,
          "author": "pacman128",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-14T19:51:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33599923",
          "commentText": "_Advanced C++ Programming Styles and Idioms_ by James O. Coplien\nIt showed me how to really use C++ effectively back in the 1990's. It was at the time in a class by itself. (Pun intended).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "_Advanced C++ Programming Styles and Idioms_ by James O. Coplien",
          "reason": "The commenter says it showed them how to use C++ effectively.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it was in a class by itself at the time, in the 1990s.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James O. Coplien"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c",
        "programming idioms"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "advanced-calculus-85632c",
      "title": "Advanced Calculus",
      "author": "Lynn H. Loomis and Shlomo Sternberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7579548,
          "author": "Grothendieck",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T23:11:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7579548",
          "commentText": "SICP doesn't really cover very much in the grand scheme of CS, so \"like SICP\" might mean ...\n... something covering \"how to do math\".  This might be an introductory real analysis or linear algebra book, or (alas, I haven't read much in this area) you could do no wrong looking for books on problem solving, contests, and inequalities, say by Polya or Andreescu.\n... a higher-level view of day-to-day mathematical practice.  There probably isn't one book for this, but I'd recommend Loomis and Sternberg's Advanced Calculus as a summation of linear algebra and calculus on manifolds; you'd also need to read on complex and functional analysis, algebra (Lang and the unofficial companion volume?), topology ...\n... a broad but shallow introduction to several fields and applications unified but a common underlying approach (abstraction and programming language design).  I'd recommend Geroch's Mathematical physics, which, as the name implies, studies algebra, algebraic topology, and functional analysis through the common lens of category theory.\n... a somewhat quirky book on foundations?  You could look for a book on naive or axiomatic set theory, categories, or type theory.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend Loomis and Sternberg's Advanced Calculus",
          "reason": "Recommended as a synthesis of linear algebra and calculus on manifolds.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lynn H. Loomis and Shlomo Sternberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "calculus on manifolds",
        "multivariable calculus"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "advanced-data-structures-38545f",
      "title": "Advanced Data Structures",
      "author": "Peter Brass",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29226108,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-15T11:16:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29226108",
          "commentText": "There are literally hundreds of threads with this topic on the Web. Most of them contain the same standard references which IMO are not always the best for people without much mathematical maturity and wishing to learn from first principles. That said, here are my recommendations for them (pdfs of almost all are available online and they can also be purchased cheaply as used books);\n* 1) Functions and Graphs and 2) The Method of Coordinates by I.M.Gelfand et. al. - These give you the basics on functions and how to visualize them which is crucial for understanding.\n* Introductory Logic and Sets for Computer Scientists by Nimal Nissanke - Nice succinct introduction to various required topics for Comp. Sci.\n*  Compared To What?: Introduction to the Analysis of Algorithms by Gregory Rawlins - This is a classic book which takes you by hand and walks you through Algorithm Analysis and the reqd. mathematics. You will find this more approachable than most other text books and well worth a study.\n* How to Think about Algorithms by Jeff Edmonds - Practical techniques without too much mathematical formalism.\n* Data Structure Techniques by Thomas Standish - A Classic text; good adjunct to more modern texts.\n* Advanced Data Structures by Peter Brass - Nice succinct text but not necessarily \"advanced\".\nOne final point; try to get a Algorithms and Data Structures book with code in the language with which you are most familiar. That way you understand the mapping from \"Abstract Algorithm\" to \"Concrete Language Implementation\" which is not always trivial.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Advanced Data Structures by Peter Brass",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a succinct text, with a caveat about its level.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not necessarily advanced.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Brass"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data structures"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "advanced-marathoning-9622db",
      "title": "Advanced Marathoning",
      "author": "Pete Pfitzinger and Scott Douglas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14138931,
          "author": "Humdeee",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T14:11:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14138931",
          "commentText": "I will skip the tech stuff and go with a top hobby:\nAdvanced Marathoning, 2nd Edition - Pete Pfitzinger, Scott Douglas\nIt's heavier on the biology and human kinetics in a way that I don't need a bachelors in a hard science to understand and is quite well known now to serious runners. I read it every year as a motivator and to reinforce the importance of training smart.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Advanced Marathoning, 2nd Edition - Pete Pfitzinger, Scott Douglas",
          "reason": "Praised as well known among serious runners and used by the commenter as a motivator and training reminder.",
          "audience": "Serious runners",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its biology and human kinetics are understandable without a hard-science degree.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pete Pfitzinger and Scott Douglas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marathon training",
        "running"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "advanced-mathematical-methods-for-scientists-and-engineers-f2f3c0",
      "title": "Advanced Mathematical Methods for Scientists and Engineers",
      "author": "Carl M. Bender; Steven A. Orszag",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34443270,
          "author": "blahblahblah10",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T17:51:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34443270",
          "commentText": "Out of this list, the books I am familiar with, are great (Hilbert-Courant, Spivak, Korner's books). At the same time, even with extensive mathematical training, I haven't read them from start to finish. I wouldn't even like to say \"read\". For someone who's not used to mathematical reading, some of these books require careful study. That means generating examples to understand results (theorems), trying your own conjectures, proving things yourself etc. Over time, one becomes familiar with most/all the material in a book but the knowledge might have been acquired through various books (and courses) over time.\nAlso, mathematics is a massive field. The first question would be what kinds of mathematics would you like to get better at. There are great books in analysis. If you are starting out with a solid calculus knowledge, try Abbott's Understanding Analysis [1] or Duren's Invitation to Classical Analysis [2]. For asymptotic methods in PDEs, try Bender and Orszag  [3] which is a wonderful book. But again, this might not be your cup of tea at all and there are more abstract or formal books like Rudin's.\nIf you want to approach fields without a lot of machinery, graph theory books by Bollobas are great (but difficult). See his Modern Graph Theory book [4] as an example.\nFor linear algebra, one of my favorites (but it was after I already learned the subject) is Trefethen's Numerical Linear Algebra book [5]. Another beautiful topic is at the intersection of linear algebra and combinatorics. See Babai and Frankl's lectures freely available online.\nThen there are wonderful topics in geometry. A massive mountain to climb would be algebraic geometry. For one starting point, see [6]. Differential geometry (Spivak's multi-volume work or Needham's differential forms book) is another wonderful area. I would recommend Crane's discrete differential geometry course at Carnegie Mellon [7] if you want a concrete introduction.\nYou might want to demystify a topic you have heard about. E.g. Galois theory and the unsolvability of quintic equations. You could look at [8] which guides your way through wonderful problems.\nWe haven't even touched huge swathes of mathematics including anything topological or number theory. Even within the topics mentioned above, once you start, your journey will take a life of its own and you'll encounter multiple books and papers opening up new sub-fields.\nThe only approach that worked well for me in the past was to get completely consumed by what one topic one was studying. This meant not getting distracted by multiple topics. Once one enters the workforce, this is very hard (or at least has been for me). Without knowing someone, it's hard to recommend anything but the advantage with topics like graph theory and combinatorics is that one needs less machinery (as opposed to something like algebraic geometry). These fields lead you to interesting problems very rapidly and one can wrestle with them part-time.\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Analysis-Undergraduate-... (https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Analysis-Undergraduate-Texts-Mathematics/dp/1493927116)\n[2] https://www.amazon.com/Invitation-Classical-Analysis-Applied... (https://www.amazon.com/Invitation-Classical-Analysis-Applied-Undergraduate/dp/0821869329)\n[3] https://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Mathematical-Methods-Scienti... (https://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Mathematical-Methods-Scientists-Engineers/dp/0387989315)\n[4] https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Graph-Theory-Graduate-Mathemat... (https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Graph-Theory-Graduate-Mathematics/dp/0387984887/)\n[5] https://www.amazon.com/Numerical-Linear-Algebra-Lloyd-Trefet... (https://www.amazon.com/Numerical-Linear-Algebra-Lloyd-Trefethen/dp/0898713617/)\n[6] https://www.amazon.com/Algebraic-Geometry-Approach-Mathemati... (https://www.amazon.com/Algebraic-Geometry-Approach-Mathematical-Subseries/dp/0821893963)\n[7] https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~kmcrane/Projects/DDG/\n[8] https://www.amazon.com/Through-Exercises-Springer-Undergradu... (https://www.amazon.com/Through-Exercises-Springer-Undergraduate-Mathematics/dp/3319723251)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "try Bender and Orszag",
          "reason": "Suggested for asymptotic methods in PDEs; the commenter calls it wonderful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it might not suit the reader's interests.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carl M. Bender",
        "Steven A. Orszag"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "asymptotic methods",
        "partial differential equations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "advanced-php-programming-developing-large-scale-web-applications--4c6fbd",
      "title": "Advanced PHP Programming: Developing Large-scale Web Applications With PHP 5",
      "author": "George Schlossnagle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 135291,
          "author": "konsl",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T17:25:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135291",
          "commentText": "Upcoming:\n\"High Performance MySQL\" (O'Reilly) (New Edition)\n\"Advanced PHP Programming: Developing Large-scale Web Applications With PHP 5\" (Developer's Library) by George Schlossnagle\nReleased:\n\"Building Scalable Websites\" (O'Reilly) by Cal Henderson\n\"Scalable Internet Architectures\" (Developer's Library) by Theo Schlossnagle",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Advanced PHP Programming: Developing Large-scale Web Applications With PHP 5\" (Developer's Library) by George Schlossnagle",
          "reason": "Listed as an upcoming book in response to a bookshelf recommendation thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is upcoming.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Schlossnagle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "php",
        "web applications"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "advanced-programming-in-the-unix-environment-21b73d",
      "title": "Advanced Programming in the Unix Environment",
      "author": "W. Richard Stevens and Stephen A. Rago",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14491019,
          "author": "cestith",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T19:53:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14491019",
          "commentText": "- The Practice of Programming ; Kernighan and Pike\n- The Advent of the Algorithm ; Berlinski\n- Engineering a Compiler ; Torczon and Cooper\n- Advanced Programming in the Unix Environment ; Stevens and Rago\n- Databases, Types, and the Relational Model ; Date\n- Code ; Petzold",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Advanced Programming in the Unix Environment ; Stevens and Rago",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for language-agnostic programming books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. Richard Stevens and Stephen A. Rago"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "unix programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "advanced-r-7da457",
      "title": "Advanced R",
      "author": "Hadley Wickham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30618325,
          "author": "Breza",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-09T18:37:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30618325",
          "commentText": "I agree with you. They assume the level of math of an MIT freshman. And the level of computer experience of a modern 11 year old. So sometimes they lean on the math in situations where a professor today might explain something in terms of a computer. Take a step back and try to understand the concepts that they are explaining, even if your math is a little rusty. I love SICP, it really make functional programming click for me. The other book I recommend in this space is Advanced R.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The other book I recommend in this space is Advanced R.",
          "reason": "Recommended alongside SICP in a discussion of computer science books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hadley Wickham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "functional programming",
        "r programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "advanced-rails-affaa1",
      "title": "Advanced Rails",
      "author": "Ediger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 781147,
          "author": "gtani",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-23T22:43:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 781079,
          "threadTitle": "Can you recommend some good RoR books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=781147",
          "commentText": "all good rec's.  Some others, all well-reviewed on amazon and assuming you have a team of java /C, C++, C# / PHP, python or some kind of web app coders\n- Well-Grounded Rubyist by David A. Black (infinite number stars!)\n- the 2 Wrox books, Professional Rails (Rappin), Art of (Benson)\n- Advanced rails (Oreilly, Ediger);\nThe one i'd stear clear of, i don't remember who wrote it, but it has a picture of an ocean wave on the cover.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Advanced rails (Oreilly, Ediger);",
          "reason": "Included in a list of other book recommendations for Rails.",
          "audience": "Teams with experience in Java, C, C++, C#, PHP, Python, or web app development.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ediger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ruby on rails"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "advanced-selling-strategies-05a2a6",
      "title": "Advanced Selling Strategies",
      "author": "Brian Tracy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 568752,
          "author": "iainduncan",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-18T21:22:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 568556,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sales book recommendation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=568752",
          "commentText": "I'm a freelancer in web dev and show biz and have done a lot of sales in that area. Brian Tracey's \"Advanced Selling Strategies\" is probably the best single book out there for individual one-on-one selling, especially if you also read \"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" 80% of reviewers on Amazon gave it 5 stars, and the rest 4. That's saying something for a business book!\nI would also highly recommend finding good books on negotiation too. Balancing relationship sales with negotiation and estimation is IMHO the hardest and most far-reaching aspect of being a freelance web dev.\nIain Duncan",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brian Tracey's \"Advanced Selling Strategies\" is probably the best single book out there for individual one-on-one selling",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it probably the best single book for individual one-on-one selling.",
          "audience": "People doing individual one-on-one sales, including freelance web developers.",
          "caveat": "The commenter also recommends reading How to Win Friends and Influence People.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Tracy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "one to one selling",
        "sales"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "advanced-unix-programming-c13e05",
      "title": "Advanced Unix Programming",
      "author": "W. Richard Stevens and Stephen A. Rago",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16839283,
          "author": "vram22",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-14T20:25:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16839283",
          "commentText": "On that topic, I really liked Advanced Unix Programming by Marc Rochkind. [1] It was an early Unix programming book and covered very well how to correctly use many important Unix system calls and showed how to write some non-trivial apps including a simple DBMS, using them. IIRC I read recently that he is coming out with a new edition after many years:\nhttp://basepath.com/aup/\n[1] I got to read it because it used to be shipped for free with all HP-UX servers for some time, when I was working in an HP joint venture company.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really liked Advanced Unix Programming by Marc Rochkind.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really liked it and describes its coverage as very good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter recalls a new edition may be coming.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. Richard Stevens and Stephen A. Rago"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "system programming",
        "unix"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "adventures-in-immediate-unreality-c24959",
      "title": "Adventures in Immediate Unreality",
      "author": "Max Blecher",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23573384,
          "author": "wonsh",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-19T11:48:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 23561163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book that nobody you know has heard of?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23573384",
          "commentText": "Adventures in Immediate Unreality by Max Blecher\nTranslation from the Romanian available at the Internet Archive: \nhttps://archive.org/details/AdventuresInImmediateUnreality\nAbout Max Blecher: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Blecher\nThis book is a masterpiece. Very few people have heard of it, and until roughly a decade ago, Blecher was almost completely unknown outside of Romania.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book is a masterpiece.",
          "reason": "Calls the book a masterpiece.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Max Blecher"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "romanian literature",
        "surrealism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "adventures-of-a-bystander-8de46c",
      "title": "Adventures of a Bystander",
      "author": "Peter Drucker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2643050,
          "author": "MaysonL",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-11T02:25:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2643050",
          "commentText": "Adventures of a Bystander by Peter Drucker.\nJane Jacobs's three city books:\nThe Death and Life of Great American Cities, \nThe Economy of Cities, and \nCities and the Wealth of Nations.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Adventures of a Bystander by Peter Drucker.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Drucker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "management",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "adventures-of-a-physicist-1b848d",
      "title": "Adventures of a Physicist",
      "author": "Luis W. Alvarez",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46401388,
          "author": "borroka",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T12:31:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46401388",
          "commentText": "I read Alvarez: Adventures of a Physicist a few years ago, and I was impressed by the breadth and depth of the great physicist. Later in life, he became a geologist, working with his son.\nThose physicists worked hard: he writes in the book that 60 hours of work per week — and there were no phones back in the day to blur the lines between work and non-work — were routine in Berkeley. Those were dedicated people.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read Alvarez: Adventures of a Physicist a few years ago, and I was impressed by the breadth and depth of the great physicist.",
          "reason": "The commenter was impressed by Alvarez’s breadth and depth.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Luis W. Alvarez"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "advertising-secrets-of-the-written-word-64591f",
      "title": "Advertising Secrets of the Written Word",
      "author": "Claude Hopkins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 673542,
          "author": "craigbellot",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-25T12:38:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 673487,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there any good Internet marketing books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=673542",
          "commentText": "Breakthrough Advertising - Eugene Shwartz\nAdvertising Secrets of the Written Word - Claude Hopkins\nAnything by Seth Godin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Advertising Secrets of the Written Word - Claude Hopkins",
          "reason": "Listed as a book title in response to a request for marketing books.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking books about internet marketing and advertising.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Claude Hopkins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "advertising",
        "copywriting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "afghanistan-a-cultural-and-political-history-3d68ae",
      "title": "Afghanistan: A Cultural and Political History",
      "author": "Thomas Barfield",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21903980,
          "author": "unlinked_dll",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T04:38:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21903980",
          "commentText": "Nonfiction/history: Afghanistan, a Cultural and Political History\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Afghanistan-Cultural-Political-Prince... (https://www.amazon.com/Afghanistan-Cultural-Political-Princeton-Politics/dp/0691154414/ref=sr_1_3?crid=3MSSYMHHIVV6Y&keywords=afghanistan&qid=1577594094&s=books&sprefix=afghani%2Caps%2C204&sr=1-3)\nThe author is one of the leading American scholars on Afghanistan and provides fascinating and pertinent insight into the history of Afghanistan. Highly recommend if you want to understand how and why Afghanistan came to exist as it does today, and to gain insight and respect for its people, culture, their struggles, and the geopolitical significance of Afghanistan.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Afghanistan, a Cultural and Political History",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its fascinating, pertinent history and strongly recommends it for understanding Afghanistan and its people.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking context on Afghanistan’s history, society, and geopolitics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Barfield"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "afghanistan",
        "political history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "after-babel-cffbf4",
      "title": "After Babel",
      "author": "George Steiner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30840307,
          "author": "marcocevoli",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-29T08:54:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30840307",
          "commentText": "About translation and language studies: \"After Babel\" by George Steiner.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"After Babel\" by George Steiner.",
          "reason": "Offered as a book about translation and language studies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Steiner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "language studies",
        "translation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "after-piketty-a54e14",
      "title": "After Piketty",
      "author": "Edited by Heather Boushey, J. Bradford DeLong, and Marshall Steinbaum",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37814538,
          "author": "srhtftw",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-08T21:22:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37814538",
          "commentText": "Perhaps it's because it's not my field that I found the After Piketty¹ collection of shorter essays easier reading.\n1- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/After_Piketty",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "After Piketty¹ collection of shorter essays",
          "reason": "The commenter says this collection was easier reading than Piketty’s book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says this may be because the subject is outside their field.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Heather Boushey",
        "J. Bradford DeLong",
        "Marshall Steinbaum"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic thought",
        "wealth inequality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "after-the-prophet-the-epic-story-of-the-shia-sunni-split-in-islam-a60203",
      "title": "After the Prophet: The Epic Story of the Shia-Sunni Split in Islam",
      "author": "Lesley Hazleton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15961256,
          "author": "strictnein",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:22:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961256",
          "commentText": "Sorry, this got a little longer than I meant it to be\n- Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed - It's over 20 years old now but still really good, especially if you're into planes like the U-2, F-117, and SR-71\nIf you're wanting a deeper understanding of the other side of the war on terror, I'd recommend the following:\n- I Was Told to Come Alone: My Journey Behind the Lines of Jihad\n- Salafi-Jihadism: The History of an Idea\n- The Way of the Strangers: Encounters with the Islamic State\n- After the Prophet: The Epic Story of the Shia-Sunni Split in Islam\n- The Black Banners: The Inside Story of 9/11 and the War Against al-Qaeda\nIf you're wanting a dive into Russia:\n- The Invention of Russia: From Gorbachev's Freedom to Putin's War\n- The Red Web: The Struggle Between Russia's Digital Dictators and the New Online Revolutionaries\n- Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible: The Surreal Heart of the New Russia\nIf you're wanting true Spy stuff:\n- The Billion Dollar Spy: A True Story of Cold War Espionage and Betrayal\n- The Spy's Son: The True Story of the Highest-Ranking CIA Officer Ever Convicted of Espionage and the Son He Trained to Spy for Russia\n- Left of Boom: How a Young CIA Case Officer Penetrated the Taliban and Al-Qaeda (the author is a little full of himself, but still, it's interesting)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "After the Prophet: The Epic Story of the Shia-Sunni Split in Islam",
          "reason": "Recommended for a deeper understanding of the other side of the war on terror.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a deeper understanding of the other side of the war on terror.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lesley Hazleton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "islamic history",
        "sunni shia split"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "after-the-quake-9c735b",
      "title": "After the Quake",
      "author": "Haruki Murakami",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 199906,
          "author": "justindz",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-26T02:37:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 199722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=199906",
          "commentText": "Haruki Murakami.  Sputnik Sweetheart, Norwegian Wood, Kafka on the Shore.  After the Quake, if you like short stories.  Great stuff.\nIf you want something lighter, try Banana Yoshimoto.  If you want something with more sex and gruesome murders, try Ryu Murakami.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "After the Quake, if you like short stories. Great stuff.",
          "reason": "Recommended with a specific fit for readers who like short stories.",
          "audience": "Readers who like short stories.",
          "caveat": "A short story collection.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Haruki Murakami"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "japanese literature",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "afterlife-08d365",
      "title": "AfterLife",
      "author": "Simon Funk",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15431201,
          "author": "superkuh",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-09T02:25:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15431201",
          "commentText": "By far the best is Simon Funk's \"AfterLife\". The mystery keeps you on the edge of your seat and the tech jargon and concepts are both detailed and correct which is a rare thing for any fiction. Also,\nCharles Stross - \"Accelerando\"\nDaniel Suarez\" \"Daemon\"\nKim Stanley Robinson - \"Aurora\"\nTobias Buckell - \"System Reset\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "By far the best is Simon Funk's \"AfterLife\". The mystery keeps you on the edge of your seat and the tech jargon and concepts are both detailed and correct which is a rare thing for any fiction.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best and praises its mystery and detailed, accurate technology.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for AI science fiction with detailed, accurate technology.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Simon Funk"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "technothriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "against-a-dark-background-b1ccb0",
      "title": "Against a Dark Background",
      "author": "Iain M. Banks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22094899,
          "author": "atombender",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T23:28:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22094899",
          "commentText": "I mean the story, sorry, not the style. It's one of Banks' few self-contained sci-fi novels, and it's set in a rather odd universe that fits into the \"dying Earth\" tradition of dystopian sci-fi (Wolfe's New Sun/Short Sun/Long Sun sequence, Vance's Dying Earth, etc.) more than in Banks' more utopian/panoramic Culture novels. His other standalones, Against a Dark Background and The Algebraist, are much closer to his Culture novels, for example.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "His other standalones, Against a Dark Background and The Algebraist",
          "reason": "Listed as one of Banks's standalone novels in a comparison of his works.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783915,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:06:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783915",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction, best to worst:\nHenry Marsh, Do No Harm. A brilliant memoir by a neurosurgeon about his work, the nature of his profession, successes and mistakes (especially the latter). Frequently touches or verges into the personal. Not morbid, but often sad.\nKeith Johnstone, Impro for Storytellers. \nViola Spolin, Improvisation for the Theater\nTwo very good books about improvisation, although Spolin's is too dry and theory-laden for me (it's meant for teachers more than practitioners). Both, however, pale compared to Keith Johnstone's earlier Impro: Improvisation and the Theater, which is a life-changing book about what improvisation can teach us about spontaneous creativity and relationships between people. I recommend that one first and foremost if you know nothing about improvisation and are curious.\nMartinus J G Veltman, Facts and Mysteries in Elementary Particle Physics. A readable account - necessarily simplified, of course - of the current state of affairs in elementary particles and much of the last 50 years of history, by one of the participants (a Nobel prize winner). Not as organized and methodical as I thought it would be, and half a year later I forgot most of the physical explanations, but it was an interesting read.\nRobert B. Edgerton, Sick Societies. A thorough examination of the hundreds of horrible examples when \"natural\" societies studied by anthropologists have customs that are not only bad from our modern Western point of view, but arguably fail in achieving their own objectives. The whole book exists to counter lazy cultural relativism of the \"maybe we don't like X, but if they do it, it must be for a good reason and it must be a useful adaptation for them\" kind.\nMichael Harris, Mathematics Without Apologies. A very eclectic and idiosyncratic book by a mathematician on the sociology and epistemology of mathematics as a discipline. To be appreciated for its wealth of ideas and references to other interesting books and theories, rather than for any particular argument or thread.\nMilton Rokeach, The Three Christs of Ypsilanti. A story on what happened when a psychologist tried to bring three psychiatric patients, each believing themselves to be Christ, together and to talk it out amongst themselves. Happened in the 1960s. The idea is more interesting than the outcome.\nFiction, best to worst:\nPatrick O'Brian, The Hundred Days. The penultimate book in the series of the best historical novels (the Aubrey-Maturin series) ever written, by a huge margin. The series transcend the genre and I count the Aubrey-Maturin books among the very best books I read in the last decade.\nDodie Smith, I Capture the Castle. A brilliantly written coming-of-age story about a girl growing up in an impoverished family occupying a decaying castle in the English countryside, set in the 1930s. Reminded me in many ways of Rebecca West's The Fountain Overflows, a novel in the similar genre (but with a younger protagonist) that's known much less than it deserves.\nJuan Rulfo, Pedro Paramo. If you read and liked Garcia Marquez's A Hundred Years of Solitude, this one is shorter, darker, involves many more dead people, and you may want to give it a try.\nAlfred Hayes, In Love. A story of a man obsessed by love in a mid-century NYC. Unexpectedly touching, very convincing psychologically.\nIain M. Banks, Against a Dark Background. SF, a grand heist novel set in a advanced civilization living in a star system located unimaginably far away from any other stars and galaxies, and so doomed to a lone struggle with its own long history. A wealth of technological and social ideas you'd expect from Banks. The ending felt a bit forced.\nGene Wolfe, There Are Doors. Gene Wolfe, Nightsite of the Long Sun/Lake of the Long Sun.\nGene Wolfe is the best writer American science fiction produced in the last half-century. \"There are Doors\" is a pretty weird fantasy novel about an alternate world where men die after their first intercourse (as some spiders do in ours), and the hero travels back and forth between that world and ours. It's good, but not as strong as Wolfe's best, which to my taste is the Book of the New Sun tetralogy, the novellas in the Fifth Head of Cerberus collection, and many of his short stories (well-collected in The Best of Gene Wolfe). The other two are the first half of the \"Book of the Long Sun\" series that I'm still reading through.\nUrsula K. Le Guin, The Dispossessed. Superb political SF about an imagined anarchist [anti-]utopia. A serious attempt to describe a human society with no central power structures and no ownership. The hero is a physicist born and raised in that society who escapes to a sibling planet with the more typical modern states. This novel took all the awards in the 1970s when it was published, and deservedly so.\n[cont'd]",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Iain M. Banks, Against a Dark Background. SF, a grand heist novel set in a advanced civilization living in a star system located unimaginably far away from any other stars and galaxies, and so doomed to a lone struggle with its own long history. A wealth of technological and social ideas you'd expect from Banks. The ending felt a bit forced.",
          "reason": "Praises its wealth of technological and social ideas, but finds the ending forced.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The ending felt forced.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Iain M. Banks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "heist"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "against-the-gods-059572",
      "title": "Against the Gods",
      "author": "Peter L. Bernstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 248600,
          "author": "eposts",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T15:59:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248600",
          "commentText": "Here is a good list:\nhttp://www.bogleheads.org/readbooks.htm\nGeneral Investing\n# The Four Pillars of Investing - by William (\"Bill\") Bernstein.\n# Wise Investing Made Simple or The Only Guide to a Winning Investment Strategy You'll Ever Need - by Larry Swedroe\n# The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing - by Taylor Larimore, Mel Lindauer, and Michael LeBoeuf\n# All About Asset Allocation - by Rick Ferri\n# The Informed Investor - by Frank Armstrong\n# The Little Book of Common Sense Investing - by John \"Jack\" Bogle\n# The Coffeehouse Investor - by Bill Schultheis.\nInvestor Behavior\n# Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes And How To Correct Them - by Gary Belsky and Thomas Gilovich\n# Your Money and Your Brain: How the New Science of Neuroeconomics Can Help Make You Rich - by Jason Zweig\n# Rational Investing in Irrational Times: How to Avoid the Costly Mistakes Even Smart People Make Today - by Larry Swedroe\nFinancial History\n# Against the Gods and Capital Ideas - by Peter L. Bernstein\n# Devil Take the Hindmost: A History of Financial Speculation - by Edward Chancellor\n# A Random Walk Down Wall Street - by Burton Malkiel\nLike others here have mentioned, http://www.bogleheads.org/ is a great forum for Vanguard investors.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Against the Gods and Capital Ideas - by Peter L. Bernstein",
          "reason": "Listed under financial history in response to a request for learning resources.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking financial history resources.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter L. Bernstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial history",
        "risk"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "against-the-odds-875ea8",
      "title": "Against the Odds",
      "author": "James Dyson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 85848,
          "author": "terpua",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T07:00:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85848",
          "commentText": "Against the Odds (James Dyson)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Against the Odds (James Dyson)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Dyson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "industrial design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "against-the-odds-an-autobiography-b9b065",
      "title": "Against the Odds: An Autobiography",
      "author": "James Dyson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 203515,
          "author": "aditya",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T18:29:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=203515",
          "commentText": "James Dyson - Against the odds (http://www.amazon.com/Against-Odds-Autobiography-James-Dyson... (http://www.amazon.com/Against-Odds-Autobiography-James-Dyson/dp/1587991705))\nVery inspiring read, especially the parts about how he kept going for almost 10 years and persevered to truly innovate in a market that had seen no innovation for a long time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Very inspiring read, especially the parts about how he kept going for almost 10 years and persevered to truly innovate",
          "reason": "Describes the autobiography as inspiring, especially Dyson's persistence and innovation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Dyson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "autobiography",
        "entrepreneurship",
        "invention"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "age-of-propaganda-the-everyday-use-and-abuse-of-persuasion-0a143a",
      "title": "Age of Propaganda: The Everyday Use and Abuse of Persuasion",
      "author": "Anthony R. Pratkanis and Elliot Aronson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 57009,
          "author": "bandris",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T19:16:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=57009",
          "commentText": "Pratkanis & Aronson: Age of Propaganda: The Everyday Use and Abuse of Persuasion\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Age-Propaganda-Everyday-Abuse-Persuasi... (http://www.amazon.com/Age-Propaganda-Everyday-Abuse-Persuasion/dp/0716731088)\nIt helped me to filter politics to save more time for coding.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It helped me to filter politics to save more time for coding.",
          "reason": "Says the book helped them filter political messaging and spend more time coding.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anthony R. Pratkanis and Elliot Aronson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "persuasion",
        "propaganda"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "agency-5aec3b",
      "title": "Agency",
      "author": "William Gibson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33383028,
          "author": "photochemsyn",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T11:20:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33383028",
          "commentText": "Nomi Prins, All the Presidents Bankers, and also Collusion: How Central Bankers Rigged the World.\nThose two books illustrate the financialization of the US and global economy over time, and although dense, are well worth the effort.  She has a new book out as of Oct, \"Permanent Distortion: How Financial Markets Abandoned the Real Economy Forever.\"\nPeter Anderas, Smuggler Nation: How Illicit Trade Made America\nA very fun historical read, covering everything from textile machinery smuggling from Britain to the American colonies, to rum and whiskey smuggling into Indian Country in the 19th century, to opium smuggling to China, to Prohibition and the modern Drug War, cotton smuggling by the South to Europe to finance the South's Civil War army, and the smuggling of people from slaves to immigrants.  Very eye-opening, a lot of America's 'wealthy families' got their first pool of capital in this manner.\nAlso:\nJunji Ito, Uzumaki and No Longer Human\nWilliam Gibson, The Peripheral and Agency",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and Agency",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Gibson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyberpunk",
        "speculative fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "agent-6-afc6c9",
      "title": "Agent 6",
      "author": "Tom Rob Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8107093,
          "author": "mrcdima",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T09:05:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107093",
          "commentText": "Some titles I've recently read or at least have placed on my reading list.\n--------------------\nPhilosohpy\nLetters from a Stoic: Epistulae Morales Ad Lucilium - Seneca\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius (must read)\nThe Republic - Plato\n--------------------\nHistory\nFive Chimneys - Olga Lengyel\nThe Gulag Archipelago - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (must read)\nThe Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank\n--------------------\nFiction\n(particularly dystopian) 1984, Brave New World, Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451\n(crime/action) Child 44, The Secret Speech, Agent 6 - Tom Rob Smith\n--------------------\nEconomics\nCapital in the Twenty-First Century - Thomas Piketty\nPoor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty - Banerjee, Duflo\nWhy Nations Fail - Robinson\n--------------------\nEconomics/Decision making/Psychology\nUndercover Economist, Freakonomics, Nudge, Thinking Fast and Slow\n--------------------\nRandom titles\nThe Selfish Gene, Self-Reliance, The Elements of Style (about writing), Slaughterhouse-Five\n--------------------\nSome links to inspire your reading (though you may want to checkout the websites first to get an idea of the topics they cover)\nhttp://www.gatesnotes.com/Books\nhttp://bookpickings.brainpickings.org/\nhttp://www.farnamstreetblog.com/reading/\nhttp://www.ryanholiday.net/reading-newsletter\nI’m just a working-class guy trying to take part in the conversation that all the smart people are having. What books should I read? - http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-cl... (http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-class-guy-trying-to-take-part-in-the-conversation-that-all-the-smart-people-are-having-what-books-should-i-read/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Agent 6 - Tom Rob Smith",
          "reason": "Listed as a title in response to the thread's request for book suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Rob Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crime fiction",
        "soviet union"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "agent-cormac-d2403d",
      "title": "Agent Cormac",
      "author": "Neal Asher",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36023307,
          "author": "DazWilkin",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T18:03:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36023307",
          "commentText": "I really enjoy(ed) Neal Asher's \"Transformation\" series (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Intelligence) and the Polity universe.\nI enjoy sci-fi series, interesting spacecraft, compelling aliens and am a sucker for machine-based intelligence.\nThis series combines all these and re-engaged in sci-fi. I went on to read most of Asher's other books including \"Agent Cormac\" and \"Spatterjay\" series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "including \"Agent Cormac\"",
          "reason": "Names Agent Cormac among the author's other books the commenter went on to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neal Asher"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "agile-retrospectives-making-good-teams-great-4811e3",
      "title": "Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great",
      "author": "Esther Derby and Diana Larsen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Esther Derby and Diana Larsen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "agile",
        "team retrospectives"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "agile-software-development-99eaf7",
      "title": "Agile Software Development",
      "author": "Alistair Cockburn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33857433,
          "author": "pkoird",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T20:21:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33857433",
          "commentText": "So I asked this same question to ChatGPT, here's its response. This thing really does have the potential to be a good recommendation tool for books/resources.\n\"Here are a few books that may be helpful for improving your skills as a software engineer:\n\"The Pragmatic Programmer\" by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas: This book offers practical advice on a wide range of topics, including how to write clean and maintainable code, how to work effectively with others, and how to manage your time and priorities.\n\"Clean Code\" by Robert C. Martin: This book focuses on the importance of writing code that is easy to read and understand, and provides specific guidance on how to write clean and maintainable code.\n\"Peopleware\" by Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister: This book discusses the human side of software development, including how to create effective teams and work environments, and how to avoid common pitfalls such as overwork and burnout.\n\"Agile Software Development\" by Alistair Cockburn: This book provides an introduction to agile software development methodologies, which are designed to help teams deliver high-quality software quickly and efficiently.\nIn addition to these books, there are many excellent blog posts and online resources on these topics. Some websites that may be helpful include the Pragmatic Programmer blog, the Agile Alliance website, and the ACM SIGSOFT Software Engineering Notes journal.\nAnother helpful resource may be attending conferences and workshops on software engineering and related topics. These can provide opportunities to learn from experts in the field, network with other professionals, and stay up to date on the latest trends and best practices. Many conferences and workshops also offer certification programs, which can be a valuable way to demonstrate your knowledge and expertise to potential employers. Some well-known conferences in the software engineering field include the ACM SIGSOFT International Symposium on the Foundations of Software Engineering (FSE), the ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (CHI), and the International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE).\n\"",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Agile Software Development\" by Alistair Cockburn: This book provides an introduction",
          "reason": "Quoted recommendation presents it as an introduction to agile software development methods.",
          "audience": "Software engineers.",
          "caveat": "This is presented as ChatGPT’s response, not the commenter’s own assessment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alistair Cockburn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "agile software development",
        "software methodologies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "agile-software-development-principles-patterns-and-practices-d3f3d8",
      "title": "Agile Software Development: Principles, Patterns, and Practices",
      "author": "Robert C. Martin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7048900,
          "author": "shellab",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-13T04:23:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 7048683,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best development book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7048900",
          "commentText": "The book that really helped me was Agile Software Development by Robert Martin. It outlines some of the best principles for writing software that will be high quality and easy to extend and refactor for years to come.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book that really helped me was Agile Software Development by Robert Martin.",
          "reason": "Says it helped and describes its principles for writing maintainable software.",
          "audience": "Software developers seeking principles for high-quality, extensible software.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert C. Martin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "agile software",
        "software design",
        "software development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "agile-web-development-with-rails-second-edition-d788b4",
      "title": "Agile Web Development with Rails, Second Edition",
      "author": "Sam Ruby, Dave Thomas, David Heinemeier Hansson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14688,
          "author": "dawie",
          "createdAt": "2007-04-19T17:28:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 14675,
          "threadTitle": "What is the best RoR book for beginners? Best online resources?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14688",
          "commentText": "By far the best: \nAgile Web Development with Rails—Second Edition\nhttp://www.pragmaticprogrammer.com/titles/rails2/\nDHH wrote it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "By far the best: \nAgile Web Development with Rails—Second Edition",
          "reason": "Called the best book for Rails.",
          "audience": "Rails beginners seeking a book.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sam Ruby, Dave Thomas, David Heinemeier Hansson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ruby on rails",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "agile-web-development-with-rails-third-edition-091a99",
      "title": "Agile Web Development with Rails, Third Edition",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 781128,
          "author": "acangiano",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-23T22:24:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 781079,
          "threadTitle": "Can you recommend some good RoR books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=781128",
          "commentText": "For Ruby books, checkout my page here:\n* Recommended Ruby Books (http://antoniocangiano.com/ruby-and-rails-recommended-books/)\nI have not updated the Rails page yet, but you should be fine with:\n* Agile Web Development with Rails, Third Edition (http://www.pragprog.com/titles/rails3/agile-web-development-... (http://www.pragprog.com/titles/rails3/agile-web-development-with-rails-third-edition))\nOther books you may want to consider afterward are:\n* The Art of Rails (http://www.amazon.com/Art-Rails-Programmer/dp/0470189487)\n* Enterprise Rails (http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596515201/).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you should be fine with:\n* Agile Web Development with Rails, Third Edition",
          "reason": "Suggested as a suitable Rails book in response to a book recommendation request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ruby on rails"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "agincourt-5af4b1",
      "title": "Agincourt",
      "author": "Bernard Cornwell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227139,
          "author": "NEPatriot",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T18:11:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227139",
          "commentText": "The War of Art - Stephen Pressfield - how to overcome yourself\nGates of Fire - same as above, the story of the stand at Thermopylae\nAgincourt & 3 part series Archer's tale - Bernard Cornwell - accounts of medievil warfare\nStrengthsFinder 2.0 - Tom Rath - take a test and discover your strengths/things you love to do, focus on on doing those",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Agincourt & 3 part series Archer's tale - Bernard Cornwell - accounts of medievil warfare",
          "reason": "Listed as a suggestion about medieval warfare.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bernard Cornwell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical novel",
        "medieval warfare"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "agincourt-39a45a",
      "title": "Agincourt",
      "author": "Juliet Barker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12067440,
          "author": "Nomentatus",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-10T21:55:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12067440",
          "commentText": "Agincourt by Juliet Barker\nThe story of a nerd, who loved forensic accounting and was thought unwarlike; but was knew an innovation when it was shot through his face (during an earlier battle in Wales) and used it to end the Age of Chivalry - i.e. Henry V.\nWhat I learned was \"always take enough arrows\": even if your (relatively few) knights have to walk 'cause the horses are laden with literally millions of arrows. I'll write up a review one of these days, fine book. He was fighting piracy (it wasn't a needless war) so I don't he'd have liked Tor.\nSkills - need to exercise the ones I have, not pile on more, just now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Agincourt by Juliet Barker",
          "reason": "Calls it a fine book and describes its historical narrative and lesson about preparing with enough arrows.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Juliet Barker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "battle of agincourt",
        "hundred years war"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "agnotology-the-making-and-unmaking-of-ignorance-a6b7b9",
      "title": "Agnotology: The Making and Unmaking of Ignorance",
      "author": "Robert N. Proctor and Londa Schiebinger, editors",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15961204,
          "author": "SJMosley",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:15:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961204",
          "commentText": "Recommendations:\n1) Einsteins Dreams - This book is a quick read, but shows a bunch of different perceptions of time. Fantastic.\n2) Rock warriors way - Even if you aren't a climber, I feel like this book has a lot of great lessons about committing without fear. Much more accessible as a climber though.\n3) Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art - Quick read, I learned a lot about storytelling in general.\n4) Agnotology: The Making and Unmaking of Ignorance - This is a series of essays and the first few were great views into companies creating ignorance in the 50's around smoking and link to cancer. Gets a little dense after a while.\nFull list:\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/list/18975415-samuel-mosley... (https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/18975415-samuel-mosley?shelf=read-2017)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the first few were great views into companies creating ignorance in the 50's around smoking and link to cancer. Gets a little dense after a while.",
          "reason": "Praises the early essays’ insight into the creation of ignorance around smoking and cancer.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in how organizations shape public knowledge.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it gets dense after a while.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert N. Proctor and Londa Schiebinger, editors"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "agnotology",
        "manufactured doubt",
        "tobacco industry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "agrarian-justice-4dfd0b",
      "title": "Agrarian Justice",
      "author": "Thomas Paine",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15160659,
          "author": "pbhjpbhj",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T10:16:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15160659",
          "commentText": "The synoptic gospels and NT, but to choose one book from the NT, ...\nThe Epistle of James - as it has some strong counterpoints to other parts of the NT particularly the contrast of Pauline notions of grace with charity/works.\nEmperor's New Mind, Penrose - probably my biggest take away from it was to consider how human perception works alongside, and co-mingles with, physics.\nWeb of Life, Capra - considering holistic nature of life, one's connection to the World at large; emergent patterns, complex structure birthing from simplicity (goes well with what I recall of Gleick's Chaos).\nZen and the Art ... - what is value, what is valuable to me, whither/whence/wherefore value; how should I relate to my children (long before i had any) and how to challenge them philosophically.\nRepublic, Plato - the first book that really set me thinking about the structure of society, about inequalities. And of course about stepping out of The Cave.\nKoran & Hadith (partial readings, ie whole sections; couple of major hadith only) - [redacted]; but greater understanding of Islam and of religion in general; taught me to watchfully avoid being tainted by the labels people give themselves and look instead to their actions.\nMein Kampf (partial reading) - ideas have intrinsic moral value, that we should judge ideas on their merits and not by who has them; we should be careful about tarring people by simple association.\nArt of War - preparedness, looking to supply lines, avoiding conflicts, not entering \"battles\" you know you'll lose (which I'd take as 'learn nothing from').\nChristianarchy - what it means to be a Christian, who is and isn't \"in\".\nAgrarian Justice, Paine - what is my place politically and economically in the world, whence do I derive the 'rights' to own what I do, whether such ownership is good.\nWorth noting here that the ideas and impressions I got are unlikely to be what you will get, we react to books based on who we are, our frame of mind, moods, etc.. Most of these books I read as a late teenager, that at least in part boosts their impact. The impact is not necessarily the purpose of the book, quite the opposite in some cases.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Agrarian Justice, Paine - what is my place politically and economically in the world",
          "reason": "Named for prompting reflection on political and economic position, rights, and ownership.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Paine"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "land ownership",
        "political economy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "agricola-42102a",
      "title": "Agricola",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35568899,
          "author": "bombcar",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-14T12:42:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 35566416,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technology/creative books and games for my daughter (7 years)",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35568899",
          "commentText": "Carcassone is great and there are a ton of games that are fun in that vein; check out boardgamegeek.\nWhatever you do do NOT buy all the expansions at once! Only one at a time over time.\nThere are games like Agricola that even when you lose you feel you built something, which can be nice for overcompetitive types.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "games like Agricola",
          "reason": "Offered as another board game example.",
          "audience": "For overcompetitive players who may appreciate feeling they built something even when they lose.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "board game"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "aha-gotcha-4a9e44",
      "title": "Aha! Gotcha",
      "author": "Martin Gardner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34441031,
          "author": "dfan",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T15:04:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34441031",
          "commentText": "This is different from the other answers, but it does answer your question: When I was a kid I had tons of math and logic puzzle books. Two I remember specifically are \"Aha! Insight\" and \"Aha! Gotcha\" by Martin Gardner. Decades later, when a math problem comes up in my work, I have an apparently unusual ability to cut to the heart of it (\"by symmetry, we must have X\" or \"looking at this extreme case, we must have Y\" or \"this looks like a special case of Z\" sort of things) instead of starting by soldiering through equations, and I credit a lot of that to all the puzzle-solving I did as a kid.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Aha! Gotcha\"",
          "reason": "The commenter credits childhood puzzle solving with developing mathematical insight.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin Gardner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "math puzzles"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "aha-insight-03eb18",
      "title": "Aha! Insight",
      "author": "Martin Gardner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34441031,
          "author": "dfan",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T15:04:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34441031",
          "commentText": "This is different from the other answers, but it does answer your question: When I was a kid I had tons of math and logic puzzle books. Two I remember specifically are \"Aha! Insight\" and \"Aha! Gotcha\" by Martin Gardner. Decades later, when a math problem comes up in my work, I have an apparently unusual ability to cut to the heart of it (\"by symmetry, we must have X\" or \"looking at this extreme case, we must have Y\" or \"this looks like a special case of Z\" sort of things) instead of starting by soldiering through equations, and I credit a lot of that to all the puzzle-solving I did as a kid.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Aha! Insight\"",
          "reason": "The commenter credits childhood puzzle solving with developing mathematical insight.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin Gardner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "math puzzles"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ahead-of-the-curve-two-years-at-harvard-business-school-16cbfa",
      "title": "Ahead of the Curve: Two Years at Harvard Business School",
      "author": "Philip Delves Broughton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1569456,
          "author": "akshayubhat",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T23:10:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569456",
          "commentText": "1. The Black Swan\n2. Fooled by Randomness\n3. The unbearable lighness of being\n4. Ahead of the Curve (Its about a student's experience at HBS)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ahead of the Curve (Its about a student's experience at HBS)",
          "reason": "Described as a student's experience at HBS.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip Delves Broughton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business school",
        "harvard business school"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ain-t-nobody-s-business-if-you-do-the-absurdity-of-consensual-cri-d0479c",
      "title": "Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do: The Absurdity of Consensual Crimes in a Free Society",
      "author": "Peter McWilliams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15676574,
          "author": "jostylr",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-11T14:53:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15676574",
          "commentText": "Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do: The Absurdity of Consensual Crimes in a Free Society by Peter McWilliams\nHumorous, comprehensive, and, sadly, still as needed today as it was 20 years ago.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Humorous, comprehensive, and, sadly, still as needed today as it was 20 years ago.",
          "reason": "Praises it as humorous and comprehensive, and says it remains needed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter McWilliams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "civil liberties",
        "consensual crimes"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "aion-researches-into-the-phenomenology-of-the-self-29bd49",
      "title": "Aion: Researches into the Phenomenology of the Self",
      "author": "C. G. Jung",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25531403,
          "author": "thebillywayne",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T21:04:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25531403",
          "commentText": "Aion by Carl Jung",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Aion by Carl Jung",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "C. G. Jung"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "analytical psychology",
        "jungian psychology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "airframe-af5655",
      "title": "Airframe",
      "author": "Michael Crichton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25320463,
          "author": "austincheney",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-06T02:24:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25320463",
          "commentText": "The follow suggestions are all novels or non-fiction written as narratives\n* English rural veterinarian novels - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Herriot\n* Corporate security - The ISC2 CISSP course book https://www.amazon.com/Official-ISC-Guide-CISSP-CBK/dp/11194... (https://www.amazon.com/Official-ISC-Guide-CISSP-CBK/dp/1119423341)\n* Military - Catch 22 by Joseph Heller https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catch-22\n* Internal investigations - Airframe by Michael Chriton https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airframe_%28novel%29",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Airframe by Michael Chriton",
          "reason": "Suggested as a narrative about internal investigations.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in internal investigations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Crichton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aviation",
        "internal investigations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ajax-4ca7af",
      "title": "Ajax",
      "author": "Sophocles",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25561604,
          "author": "rithmAlgo",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-28T18:23:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 25554464,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books for dealing with workplace politics and dishonesty?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25561604",
          "commentText": "Ancient classics like Sophocles, Ajax, Philoctetes, Antigone, Oedipus or the writings of Cicero, etc. Everything that happens today already happened thousands of years ago the only difference was they lived in a much less censored time back then, so Sophocles could really express to the viewer(now reader) the true nature of the human condition such as workplace dishonesty, or why accolades are given to the scoundrels and the virtuous never receive any recognition. All of this can be found reading our civilizations history because the fundamental nature of humans has not changed in that time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sophocles, Ajax, Philoctetes, Antigone, Oedipus",
          "reason": "Recommended as an ancient classic illustrating enduring human behavior and workplace dishonesty.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sophocles"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classics",
        "greek tragedy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ajax-on-rails-2e61dd",
      "title": "Ajax on Rails",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 781452,
          "author": "compay",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-24T03:33:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 781079,
          "threadTitle": "Can you recommend some good RoR books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=781452",
          "commentText": "\"Ajax on Rails,\" while focussed on Ajax, has a lot of really good general information on Rails too, and is extremely well written. It's somewhat outdated now (really all Rails books are) but still very much worth reading IMHO.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Ajax on Rails,\" while focussed on Ajax, has a lot of really good general information on Rails too, and is extremely well written. It's somewhat outdated now (really all Rails books are) but still very much worth reading IMHO.",
          "reason": "Praises its writing and Rails coverage, and says it remains worth reading.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for Rails guidance alongside Ajax.",
          "caveat": "Somewhat outdated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ajax",
        "ruby on rails",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "akira-d38893",
      "title": "Akira",
      "author": "Katsuhiro Otomo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467600,
          "author": "Apreche",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:42:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467600",
          "commentText": "AKIRA",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "AKIRA",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Katsuhiro Otomo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyberpunk",
        "manga"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "alan-sugar-the-amstrad-story-da6e99",
      "title": "Alan Sugar: The Amstrad Story",
      "author": "Alan Sugar",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5633,
          "author": "comatose_kid",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T06:44:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5633",
          "commentText": "Business side:\n\nMost business books are fun to read, but it's really hard to say that any have been truly helpful.  Most lean more to the motivational/inspirational side, instead of focusing on case studies.  My suspicion is that business is probably not best learned from a book.  But I'll list a few I like anyways.\nAlan Sugar: The Amstrad Story\n  - Great story about how Sir Alan grew an empire selling stereos out of the back of a car.  Instructive because his key insights revolved around understanding what the average user wanted, as opposed to the technical elite. \nSoftwar:  An Intimate Portrait of Larry Ellison\n  - He started his first company at 33 after working for other high tech firms.  This book is neat because Ellison adds his own comments in the footer when he disagrees with the biographer.\nFounders @ Work\n  - Pre-ordered it.  I was tempted to read it all at once, but decided to spread it out over 2 weeks.  I'm glad that I did - there's a lot to digest....\nProduct side:\n\nDesigning Interactions\n   -  If you want to design great user experiences, it helps to see the thought processes great designers go through to create successful products.\nBulletproof Web Design\n   - Well written, concise.  Cederholm knows CSS.\nHardening Linux\n   - I've seen many guides at the bookstore.  This one appealed to me because it has both breadth and depth.  The chapter on configuring firewalls was alone worth the price of the book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Alan Sugar: The Amstrad Story\n  - Great story about how Sir Alan grew an empire selling stereos out of the back of a car.  Instructive",
          "reason": "Calls it a great story and says it is instructive about understanding what average users want.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan Sugar"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "customer understanding",
        "entrepreneurship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "alastor-b6185a",
      "title": "Alastor",
      "author": "Jack Vance",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17596605,
          "author": "kevinofe",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-23T22:39:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17596605",
          "commentText": "Wow, I can’t believe I just found this thread and not one mention of Jack Vance. His \"Planet of Adventure\" series, Alastor series or Demon Princes novels are classics. His command of language and dialogue is unparalleled. Every modern sci-fi author cites him as an influence.\nGateway by Frederik Pohl is another underrated one from the 70s although the sequels are disappointing.\nThe Forever War Joe Haldeman and Robert Heinlein’s Starship Troopers are also indispensable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Alastor series",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the series a classic and praises Vance’s language and dialogue.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jack Vance"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "planetary romance",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "alexander-hamilton-db2971",
      "title": "Alexander Hamilton",
      "author": "Ron Chernow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32936628,
          "author": "kupopuffs",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T09:33:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936628",
          "commentText": "Alexander Hamilton, by Ron Chernow. The story of America's greatest loser",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Alexander Hamilton, by Ron Chernow. The story of America's greatest loser",
          "reason": "Names Chernow's biography of Hamilton.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes Hamilton as “America's greatest loser.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ron Chernow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "alexandra-quick-d2b5e9",
      "title": "Alexandra Quick",
      "author": "Inverarity",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33858529,
          "author": "nazgul17",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T22:14:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33858529",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed the Alexandra Quick series so far (still being written). It's a fan fiction in the Harry Potter universe set in the US, with almost no reference to any character in the HP books. The books expand on the magic system in satisfying ways, and portrays the characters more deeply than the original books. If that's your thing, I'd suggest you give it a go.\nI found it while searching for fan fictions that would explore the HP universe from different cultural perspectives and in different settings. I was looking for a bigger jump (the US is more similar to the UK than other countries are) but the books have everything I was looking for in terms of exploring magic associated to the local cultures.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed the Alexandra Quick series so far (still being written).",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed the series and suggests giving it a go.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Harry Potter fan fiction, culturally varied magic, and a US setting.",
          "caveat": "Still being written; the commenter notes the US is more similar to the UK than other countries.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Inverarity"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american setting",
        "harry potter fan fiction",
        "magical systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "algebra-655870",
      "title": "Algebra",
      "author": "Serge Lang",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31489279,
          "author": "RheingoldRiver",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T08:03:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31489279",
          "commentText": "Dummit & Foote is fantastic for algebra. I also really liked Carrothers for analysis. None of the other books I used really stood out, other than Lang's algebra book, but that one was for the opposite reason - once, he said \"the following is obvious\" and I thought, \"oh yes, it is!\" and it was one of my proudest moments as a math student. Would not recommend for self-teaching.\nMore important than a good teacher, imo, is collaborators you're learning with who are around your same level. Sometimes they should figure out exercises faster than you, sometimes you should figure things out faster than them, often together. If that's not happening, it's a lot harder (and more frustrating) to learn. This becomes more important the more advanced you get. I never found lectures useful really but if I had no one to collaborate with I was almost certainly going to drop the class.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "other than Lang's algebra book, but that one was for the opposite reason",
          "reason": "The commenter mentions Lang's book while explaining why they would not recommend it for self-teaching.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they would not recommend it for self-teaching.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7580104,
          "author": "auvrw",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-13T03:36:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7580104",
          "commentText": "> \"that yellow mathematics book\"\nreplace \"that\" with \"those\" ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graduate_Texts_in_Mathematics ).\nthe dover books are also a good series, and pretty much anything by Artin is good.  i also looked at the Halmos book a couple of people have mentioned.\nperhaps one thing to be aware of, though, is that you're not always going to learn things in the linear way they're layed out on the page.  moreover, it might be helpful to have more than one book for any given subject.  Lang's Algebra, for example, is a really good reference, but a tome if you read it like a text.  so you might pick up something small and subject-oriented with a lot of exercises like Artin's Galois Theory or Atiyah's Commutative Algebra, and supplement it with a reference like Dummit and Foote or Lang's texts on Algebra as a whole.\noh, right:  whatever book you choose, do the exercises.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lang's Algebra, for example, is a really good reference, but a tome if you read it like a text.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a really good reference and notes it is lengthy as a textbook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A tome if read like a text.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Serge Lang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "abstract algebra",
        "reference"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "algebra-and-trigonometry-with-analytic-geometry-08a006",
      "title": "Algebra and Trigonometry with Analytic Geometry",
      "author": "Earl W. Swokowski",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 755766,
          "author": "billswift",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T17:32:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755766",
          "commentText": "If you want to DO math, nothing beats working through a decent textbook.  I have worked through several since I'm approaching 50 and don't use math enough to keep my skills up (and like any skill, you have to keep practicing to stay decently competent in math).  The best Precalculus textbook I have used is Swokowski's \"Algebra and Trigonometry with Analytic Geometry\" which is clear, concise, and has lots of problems.\nIf you want to learn ABOUT math, Davis and Hersch's \"The Mathematical Experience\" is a fairly easy read about philosophy of math, how it is used, and a bit about studying math.\nEric Temple Bell's \"Mathematics: Queen and Servant of Science\" is a bit dated but an excellent history of math for someone interested in learning to do advanced math; the author's a bit biased towards algebra over analysis, number theory, and geometry, but not excessively so.  Its biggest lack is only one short chapter on probability and statistics.  This is not a particularly easy read since it covers things in some depth, but I think it is worth the effort.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The best Precalculus textbook I have used is Swokowski's \"Algebra and Trigonometry with Analytic Geometry\" which is clear, concise, and has lots of problems.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best precalculus textbook they have used and praises its clarity and problems.",
          "audience": "Learners practicing precalculus and wanting many problems.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Earl W. Swokowski"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algebra",
        "precalculus",
        "trigonometry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "algebra-the-easy-way-7fa19a",
      "title": "Algebra the Easy Way",
      "author": "Douglas Downing",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23726579,
          "author": "JoshTriplett",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T19:07:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23726579",
          "commentText": "As a child, I greatly enjoyed \"Algebra the Easy Way\", \"Trigonometry the Easy Way\", and \"Calculus the Easy Way\". They present each of the subjects not as already-invented concepts that you just have to learn, but as things being invented by a fictional kingdom as they need them. I greatly prefer that style over rote memorization; I can remember it better when I know how to recreate it. Even more importantly, it encourages the mindset that all of these things were invented, and that other things can be, too.\n(Note: the other books in the \"Easy Way\" series do not follow the same style, and are just ordinary textbooks.)\nAlso, in a completely different direction, I haven't seen anyone mention Feynman yet, and that will definitely encourage a broader view of mathematics and science.\nOr, to go another angle, you might consider things like \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Algebra the Easy Way\"",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed its approach of presenting algebra as something invented as needed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says other books in the Easy Way series do not follow the same style.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Downing"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algebra"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "algebraic-topology-38a343",
      "title": "Algebraic Topology",
      "author": "Allen Hatcher",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30486265,
          "author": "orlandpm",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T07:48:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486265",
          "commentText": "_Algebraic Topology_ by Allen Hatcher.  This is quite an advanced book, but it was the first topology book I picked up and it blew my mind.  Without a serious math background you may only be able to read the first parts (some of chapters 0 and chapter 1), but even so it may amaze you.  It was insane to see how much mathematical machinery can be built up to understand concepts as simple as “space” and “continuity.”  Then these tools can be used to quickly prove facts about mind-boggling higher dimensional objects.\n_Introduction to Quantum Mechanics_ by David Griffiths.  Not CS or Math, but an amazing book because if you sit down and work through it it gives you a manageable intro to a completely non-intuitive and mysterious scientific field.  Prerequisites are “only” multivariable calc and linear algebra.\n_Algebra_ by Michael Artin.  This was the book I decided to grind through at the right time to learn abstract algebra and get better at rigorous proofs, and it was worth it.  Part of why I loved this book and subject is because it feels dry and mechanical at first, but if you work on it long enough you can see the beautiful bigger picture come together.\n_Introduction to Topological Manifolds_ by John M. Lee.  This was another “right book at the right time” for me.  The title is a bit jargony, but it is a rigorous introduction to the foundational objects of modern geometry (namely topological spaces and manifolds in particular).  Great warm-up for the first book on my list.\n_Algebra: Chapter 0_ by Paulo Aluffi.  Weird title, but the first few chapters are the best perspective on abstract algebra I’ve seen.  He focuses early on categories in a useful and philosophically interesting way, which is unique.\n_Gravitation_ by Misner, Thorne, and Wheeler.  Didn’t read the whole thing, but this book taught me a tensor is just a higher-order linear function.  Who knew?  Most physicists give really crappy explanations of tensors.  Also I love that this book, affectionately known as the “phone book”, is so heavy that one imagines spacetime curving around it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is quite an advanced book, but it was the first topology book I picked up and it blew my mind.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it amazed them and helped explain topology and higher-dimensional objects.",
          "audience": "Readers with a serious math background; the commenter says readers without one may only manage the first parts.",
          "caveat": "Advanced; readers without a serious math background may only be able to read the first parts.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29218866,
          "author": "mathhh",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T17:44:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29218866",
          "commentText": "> You can work through the concepts and delude yourself into thinking you understand something when really you're just hand waving it\nI keep seeing this and I don't quite understand how this one works.\nIf I were studying math on my own (which I've done and still do), I'd do the following:\n1. Pick a book. Say, Rudin's Principles of Mathematical Analysis[0]. Read a section, then attempt problems. Pick a problem. Say, \"prove {1/n: n is natural} U{0} is compact directly from the definition(not using Heine-Borel)\". It's guaranteed your \"proof\" is not a proof.\n2. Compare your solution to existing solution manuals or ask a question on MSE[1]. Since the given book by Rudin is super-massively famous, each question has probably been asked/answered about a bagillion times each on MSE, so just searching MSE alone would likely to spit out many answers to your questions. People on MSE will tell you exactly why your \"solution\" is wrong and where you tripped up. Sometimes even the clarifying answers are hard to understand. But then you can ask new questions, think more, correct your misconceptions until it all finally clicks. Do that with all  the rest of the problems[2].\nI don't see how the process above is delusional.\n[0] This book is not a realistic fit for a novice, though. Instead, one would start with books like [3], [4], [5], [6] to learn how to prove things and think like a mathematician would.\n[1] https://math.stackexchange.com/\n[2] In reality, the more math you see and do, the more mathematically mature and less dependent on others(to check your work) you become. In fact, if you can solve any problem in \"B@by Rudin\" and some famous abstract algebra textbook (say, Dummit & Foote's \"Abstract Algebra\") cold, you're way ahead of most any undergrad math major in the world! Because standards on undergrad math majors are not that high, nor that brutal the world over no matter what they say. If, additionally, you can solve any given problem in a book like, say, Hatcher's \"Algebraic Topology\" or any other famous grad level textbooks on, say, differential geometry or, uhh, functional analysis, you're officially in the big leagues. Again, if you're worried about being delusional about your proofs, you can always present them on MSE.\n[3] \"Book of Proof\" by Richard Hammach. It's online free.\nhttps://www.people.vcu.edu/~rhammack/BookOfProof/\n[4] \"Discrete Math\" by Susanna Epp\nhttps://www.google.com/books/edition/Discrete_Mathematics_wi... (https://www.google.com/books/edition/Discrete_Mathematics_with_Applications/_341EAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover)\n[5] \"How to Think About Analysis\" by Lara Alcock\nhttps://www.google.com/books/edition/How_to_Think_about_Anal... (https://www.google.com/books/edition/How_to_Think_about_Analysis/n0tuBAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover)\n[6] \"Linear Algebra\" by Kuldeep Singh\nhttps://www.google.com/books/edition/Linear_Algebra/BJNoAgAA... (https://www.google.com/books/edition/Linear_Algebra/BJNoAgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "a book like, say, Hatcher's \"Algebraic Topology\"",
          "reason": "Mentioned as an example of a famous graduate-level textbook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Presented as a graduate-level example, not a recommendation for beginners.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Allen Hatcher"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algebraic topology",
        "topology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "algorithmic-trading-6a9685",
      "title": "Algorithmic Trading",
      "author": "Ernest P. Chan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16769837,
          "author": "meifun",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-05T23:51:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16769837",
          "commentText": "Here are the books on my desk:\nC++:\n\"The C++ Programming Language\", Stroustrup\n\"Programming: Principles and Practice Using C++\", Stroustrup\nQuant:\n\"Quantitative Trading\", Dr. Ernest Chan\n\"Algorithmic Trading\", Dr. Ernest Chan\n\"Machine Trading: Deploying Computer Algorithms to Conquer the Markets\", Dr. Ernest Chan\n\"Advances in Financial Machine Learning\", Marcos Lopez de Prado\n\"Options, Futures and Other Derivatives (10th edition)\", John C. Hull\nBuddhism:\n\"Open Heart, Clear Mind\", Thubten Chodron\n\"Buddhism For Beginners\", Thubten Chodron\n\"Working with Anger\", Thubten Chodron\nReading For Pleasure:\n\"Naked Statistics\", Charles Wheelan\n\"Algorithms to Live By\", Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths\n\"Dark Pools\"\n\"The Quants\", Scott Patterson\n\"The Physics Of Wall Street\", James Owen Weatherall\nPlus some Chinese books, I wont bore with the details, unless anyone wants to know. Fun Fact, while I was in China for 8 weeks in late 2017 I bought 60 Chinese books and stuffed them in a suitcase. It cost me $4,000RMB (~$604 USD) to check all of my stuff and purchases home :-)\nThe Math books are:\n\"Discrete math\", Susan Epp\n\"Discrete with Ducks\"\nvarious Calc books. If you want to learn math, find books that work for you. We all learn differently here.\nMy opinion: The Chan books are just amazing. Thought provoking and motivational. I am still reading the Prado book.\nMy opinion 2: If you ever want to slow down in life and learn what you are about, read about Buddhism. I'm not trying to start a flame war. It just works for me. It isn't being told what to believe because that is the way it is. I feel Buddhism lets me explore myself to find the right answers that work for me. Since studying my anger levels are in check. I am a better Husband. My wife comes first always.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Algorithmic Trading\", Dr. Ernest Chan",
          "reason": "The commenter lists this as a desk book and later calls the Chan books amazing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ernest P. Chan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithmic trading",
        "quantitative finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "algorithmic-trading-and-dma-d86370",
      "title": "Algorithmic Trading and DMA",
      "author": "Barry Johnson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3178323,
          "author": "steve8918",
          "createdAt": "2011-10-31T17:58:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 3177815,
          "threadTitle": "Good books for hackers interested in quant finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3178323",
          "commentText": "It really depends on which angle you're coming from, when you mean \"hacker\".\nQuantitative finance is all math, so in order to really understand it, you need a solid background in probability and statistics.  Even the most basic concepts make heavy use of probability, so without strong fundamentals you won't get very far.\nThere are other concepts, such as risk-free returns, etc that also play a big part in quant finance.  A book that I really enjoyed that gave a good background in a lot of these concepts was \"Trading Strategies for Capital Markets\".\nOne of the basic concepts of quantitative finance revolves around the Black-Scholes equation, which calculates a price for an option.  I would suggest first looking this up as well as how it was derived, to see if you want to pursue this further.  If you're having a hard time with this, then quant finance may not be what you're looking for.\nA video tutorial website that seems decent for quant finance is Nathan's Lessons:\nhttp://nathanslessons.com/?paged=3\n-------------------\nIf what you REALLY mean is you want to program trading algorithms, that's a bit of a different beast.  For that you really need to understand how algorithmic trading works, how the market microstructure works, how to place trades, etc.  For this there are a bunch of books but the best introductory book is definitely \"Trading and Exchanges: Market Microstructure for Practitioners\".  It's a bit old, but still largely relevant and gives you a lot of the history.  I really wish they would update this book, because I would buy it again.  Another decent book is \"Algorithmic Trading and DMA\".",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Another decent book is",
          "reason": "Described as a decent book for readers interested in programming trading algorithms.",
          "audience": "Readers who want to program trading algorithms.",
          "caveat": "Described as decent, without further detail.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Barry Johnson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithmic trading",
        "direct market access",
        "quantitative finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "algorithms-8a2f7f",
      "title": "Algorithms",
      "author": "Sanjoy Dasgupta, Christos Papadimitriou, and Umesh Vazirani",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23430033,
          "author": "jeffreyrogers",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-05T16:02:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23430033",
          "commentText": "The Dasgupta algorithms book is great. I read through it on my own a few years ago. Much easier to follow than CLRS (and much more manageable in size, though it obviously leaves out a lot of the stuff they cover). It strikes a good balance between rigor and clarity. Also has one of the better explanations of dynamic programming that I've seen if I remember correctly.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Dasgupta algorithms book is great. I read through it on my own a few years ago. Much easier to follow than CLRS (and much more manageable in size, though it obviously leaves out a lot of the stuff they cover).",
          "reason": "Praises its clarity and manageable size, while noting that it covers less than CLRS.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Leaves out much of the material covered by CLRS.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sanjoy Dasgupta",
        "Christos Papadimitriou",
        "Umesh Vazirani"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "algorithms-a00433",
      "title": "Algorithms",
      "author": "Sanjeev Arora, Boaz Barak, and Prabhakar Raghavan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29219506,
          "author": "anuragbiyani",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T18:54:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29219506",
          "commentText": "The good thing about Algorithm Design & Analysis as a topic is that there is no lack of great resources to learn from! And even better, a large portion of them are freely available online (in forms of lecture notes, or entire books, video lectures, programming challenges with online judging, etc).\nIn addition to what others have mentioned, here are some example resources you might prefer for a beginner-intermediate level intro:\n1. (free online) Algorithms by Dasgupta, Papadimitriou, and Vazirani  http://algorithmics.lsi.upc.edu/docs/Dasgupta-Papadimitriou-... (http://algorithmics.lsi.upc.edu/docs/Dasgupta-Papadimitriou-Vazirani.pdf)\n2. (free online) Algorithms by Jeff Erickson https://jeffe.cs.illinois.edu/teaching/algorithms/\n3. Algorithm design by Kleinberg & Tardos https://www.amazon.com/Algorithm-Design-Jon-Kleinberg/dp/032... (https://www.amazon.com/Algorithm-Design-Jon-Kleinberg/dp/0321295358)\n4. Another one specifically for more applied view (esp., how they are used in programming contests such as ICPC) is Skiena & Revilla's \"Programming Challenges\" book (https://www.amazon.com/Programming-Challenges-Contest-Traini... (https://www.amazon.com/Programming-Challenges-Contest-Training-Computer/dp/0387001638)). Note that this is different than Skiena's other popular book (Algorithm Design manual) which is also pretty good and has a \"war story\" based perspective to design of algorithms.\n5. There are also several resources where lecture notes from university  Algorithm & DS courses are very useful. Here is an example from my previous Professor, David Kempe: http://david-kempe.com/teaching/DataStructures.pdf\n6. Several programming competition specific tutorials can be found on Topcoder: https://www.topcoder.com/thrive/tracks?track=Competitive%20P... (https://www.topcoder.com/thrive/tracks?track=Competitive%20Programming) (individual SRM archives are also good place to try problems first hand and then learn from other's approach). In general,  if you search for ACM-ICPC resources, you will find a lot more targeted information/problems which will apply not only for leetcode, but also for detailed understanding of the theory too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Algorithms by Dasgupta, Papadimitriou, and Vazirani",
          "reason": "Includes it among example resources for learning algorithms.",
          "audience": "Beginner to intermediate learners.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as a free online resource.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sanjeev Arora",
        "Boaz Barak",
        "Prabhakar Raghavan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "textbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "algorithms-3af359",
      "title": "Algorithms",
      "author": "Sanjoy Dasgupta, Christos H. Papadimitriou, and Umesh Vazirani",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35930133,
          "author": "dpflan",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T16:47:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35930133",
          "commentText": "- The Shape of Space by Jeffrey R. Weeks -- from geometry to cosmology, exercises your mind into visualizing the shape of the universe.\n- Algorithms by  S. Dasgupta, C. H. Papadimitriou, and U. V. Vazirani. -- compact book that goes from the basics to divide-and-conquer, graphs, dynamic programming, linear programming, NP-completeness, and Quantum.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Algorithms by  S. Dasgupta, C. H. Papadimitriou, and U. V. Vazirani.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as a compact book covering foundational and advanced algorithm topics.",
          "audience": "Readers learning algorithms.",
          "caveat": "Compact coverage spans many topics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sanjoy Dasgupta",
        "Christos H. Papadimitriou",
        "Umesh Vazirani"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "complexity theory",
        "quantum computing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "algorithms-9d3043",
      "title": "Algorithms",
      "author": "S. Dasgupta, C. H. Papadimitriou, U. V. Vazirani",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35932297,
          "author": "__rito__",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T20:18:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35932297",
          "commentText": "+1 for DPV. It is on another league when it comes to algo textbooks.\nIt is so compact, crisp, and enjoyable to read despite containing a lot of Math.\nI was surprised when I was reading this book, it was so great to read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for DPV.",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds this recommendation and praises the book’s readability.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "S. Dasgupta",
        "C. H. Papadimitriou",
        "U. V. Vazirani"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "dynamic programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "algorithms-3f649f",
      "title": "Algorithms",
      "author": "Sanjeev Arora, Boaz Barak",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21313374,
          "author": "guiraldelli",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T15:27:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21313374",
          "commentText": "I don't think there is a definitive answer for your question because computer science is a relative new area of knowledge and “fundamental books” are still being published.\nIf I had to say one text that is the fundamental one, I would go with a paper: “On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem” [1], by Alan Turing.\n---\nBut if you just started your course in Computer Science, then I will give you some “bookshelf advice\" based on my experience. I had the pleasure to study all the books I am going to recommend you, and most of them I was able to read cover-to-cover during the university years. And they are also in my bookshelf for reference.\nThe book order does not represent rank of importance.\n* “Introduction to the Theory of Computation”, by Michael Sipser.\n    * I also recommend the “Elements of the Theory of Computation”, by Christos Papadimitriou.\n\n    * Another good complement is “Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages and Computation”, by Hopcroft and Ullman. (Thanks, @reacweb, for the reminder.)\n\n* “Graph Theory”, by Reinhard Diestel.\n    * If you feel you want to go deeper, and like a book which you cannot skip a single word, I strongly recommend “Modern Graph Theory”, by Béla Bollobás: it is one of my favorite textbooks ever!\n\n* “The Algorithm Design Manual”, by Steven Skiena.\n    * While a lot of people seems to praise either the Cormen et al. or the Sedgewick books, I have the feeling that “Algorithms” by Dasgupta, Papadimitriou  and Vazirani is my choice for “fundamental” book. But I decided to\n\n* “Computer Architecture: a Quantitative Approach”, by Hennessy and Patterson.\n* “Modern Operating Systems”, by Andrew Tanenbaum.\n* “Artificial Intelligence: a Modern Approach”, by Russel and Norvig.\n* “Modern Compiler Implementation (in ML)”, by Andrew Appel.\nI would like to also recommend “Concrete Mathematics”, by Graham, Knuth and Patashnik, but I remember to not feel it the most pedagogical book on the subject.\nGood luck!\n---\n[1]: https://www.cs.virginia.edu/~robins/Turing_Paper_1936.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Algorithms” by Dasgupta, Papadimitriou and Vazirani is my choice for “fundamental” book",
          "reason": "Identifies it as the commenter’s choice for a fundamental algorithms book.",
          "audience": "People starting a computer science course.",
          "caveat": "The comment says many people praise Cormen or Sedgewick instead.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sanjeev Arora, Boaz Barak"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "textbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "algorithms-illuminated-part-2-graph-algorithms-and-data-structure-cb6d35",
      "title": "Algorithms Illuminated, Part 2: Graph Algorithms and Data Structures",
      "author": "Tim Roughgarden",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29275435,
          "author": "issirsq3",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-19T09:40:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29275435",
          "commentText": "Im not good at maths but to get my work done this books helped me a lot:\nhttps://www.amazon.de/Problem-Solving-Algorithms-Structures-... (https://www.amazon.de/Problem-Solving-Algorithms-Structures-Python/dp/1590282574/)\nIf I remember correctly it is Python 2\nhttps://www.amazon.de/Algorithms-Illuminated-Part-1-Basics/d... (https://www.amazon.de/Algorithms-Illuminated-Part-1-Basics/dp/0999282905/)\nhttps://www.amazon.de/Algorithms-Illuminated-Part-Graph-Stru... (https://www.amazon.de/Algorithms-Illuminated-Part-Graph-Structures/dp/0999282921/)\nhttps://www.amazon.de/Algorithms-Illuminated-Part-Dynamic-Pr... (https://www.amazon.de/Algorithms-Illuminated-Part-Dynamic-Programming/dp/0999282948/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://www.amazon.de/Algorithms-Illuminated-Part-Graph-Stru...",
          "reason": "Listed among books that helped the commenter with their work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tim Roughgarden"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "data structures",
        "graph algorithms"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "algorithms-illuminated-part-3-greedy-algorithms-and-dynamic-progr-9f0a26",
      "title": "Algorithms Illuminated, Part 3: Greedy Algorithms and Dynamic Programming",
      "author": "Tim Roughgarden",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29275435,
          "author": "issirsq3",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-19T09:40:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29275435",
          "commentText": "Im not good at maths but to get my work done this books helped me a lot:\nhttps://www.amazon.de/Problem-Solving-Algorithms-Structures-... (https://www.amazon.de/Problem-Solving-Algorithms-Structures-Python/dp/1590282574/)\nIf I remember correctly it is Python 2\nhttps://www.amazon.de/Algorithms-Illuminated-Part-1-Basics/d... (https://www.amazon.de/Algorithms-Illuminated-Part-1-Basics/dp/0999282905/)\nhttps://www.amazon.de/Algorithms-Illuminated-Part-Graph-Stru... (https://www.amazon.de/Algorithms-Illuminated-Part-Graph-Structures/dp/0999282921/)\nhttps://www.amazon.de/Algorithms-Illuminated-Part-Dynamic-Pr... (https://www.amazon.de/Algorithms-Illuminated-Part-Dynamic-Programming/dp/0999282948/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://www.amazon.de/Algorithms-Illuminated-Part-Dynamic-Pr...",
          "reason": "Listed among books that helped the commenter with their work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tim Roughgarden"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "dynamic programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "algorithms-unlocked-55a667",
      "title": "Algorithms Unlocked",
      "author": "Thomas H. Cormen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23387445,
          "author": "neurocline",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-02T04:26:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23387445",
          "commentText": "I went through my recent-books shelves and found a few shorter books that are well worth reading. Short books for developers are rare these days.\nAlgorithms Unlocked, Thomas Cormen, 212 pages\nThe Art of Readable Code, Dustin Boswell & Trevor Foucher, 180 pages\nHow To Take Smart Notes, Sonke Ahrens, 151 pages\nHow to Write a Thesis, Umberto Eco, 223 pages\nHow Charts Lie, Alberto Cairo, 193 pages",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Algorithms Unlocked, Thomas Cormen, 212 pages",
          "reason": "Includes it among shorter books the commenter says are well worth reading.",
          "audience": "Developers.",
          "caveat": "212 pages.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas H. Cormen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "algorithms-and-data-structures-c78302",
      "title": "Algorithms and Data Structures",
      "author": "Niklaus Wirth",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14487722,
          "author": "pjmlp",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T14:15:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487722",
          "commentText": "A few ones:\n\"Algorithms and Data Structures\" from Niklaus Wirth.\n\"Introduction to Algorithms, 3rd Edition\" from Thomas H. Cormen, Charles E. Leiserson, Ronald L. Rivest, Clifford Stein.\n\"The Garbage Collection Handbook: The Art of Automatic Memory Management\" from Richard Jones and Antony Hosking\n\"Code Complete\" from Steve McConnell\n\"From Mathematics to Generic Programming\" from Alexander Stepanov and Daniel Rose",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Algorithms and Data Structures\" from Niklaus Wirth.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books to add to a programming library.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Niklaus Wirth"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "data structures"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "algorithms-in-c-1486da",
      "title": "Algorithms in C",
      "author": "Robert Sedgewick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29220975,
          "author": "morty_s",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T21:38:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29220975",
          "commentText": "CLRS does about 5 pages on linked lists. If you want more, my advice would be to implement one in your language of choice, then look at the API for the standard lib impl of a linked list in your language of choice (if there is one).\nOtherwise, for more reading on linked lists, read through adlist.c from redis, by antirez.\nNext, one of the best books (IMO) on algorithmic thinking is SICP. Get through a few chapters, do the exercises, grok recursion, etc.\nIn no particular order:\nAlgorithm Design Manual, Skiena\nAlgorithm Design, by Kleinberg/Tardos\nAlgorithms, Sedgwick 4th ed. (also Algorithms in C)\nIf you find you need or would like more math:\nDiscrete Mathematics (Epp is an easier read, Rosen seems more verbose)\nMathematical Proofs, Charrand\nFor interview prep:\nElements of Programming Interviews (EPI)\nDesigning Data Intensive Applications",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "(also Algorithms in C)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12264177,
          "author": "p333347",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-10T19:20:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12264177",
          "commentText": "Sedgewick's Algorithms in C++.\nI am a non CS guy who learnt C++ programming in order to do simulation for my final year project in mechanical engineering. I ended up creating a wonderful GUI (MFC) simulation complete with the diagram of the engine etc. For the next 5 years or so as a freelancer developer assisting professors and the like, I created pretty hot shot applications with nifty graphics, UI etc. I began to see myself as a master programmer and thought how easy it is for CS guys compared to Mech guys. Then I picked up this book. I had never known any of what it talked about. The very first example of union find was a revelation. My ego was completely thrashed. I was thoroughly humbled.\nAs for non technical, it would be The Count of Monte Cristo. I first read an abridged version of it as part of high school curriculum. As a young teen, I was instantly enamored by revenge and adventure. I still long to own a yacht and sail the oceans, if not get imprisoned, or find a treasure, or kill people. I am reading it again at bedtime and Dantes just got locked up at Chateau d'if.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Then I picked up this book. I had never known any of what it talked about.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book humbled them and revealed how much they had to learn about algorithms.",
          "audience": "A non-CS programmer seeking to learn algorithms.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Sedgewick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "c",
        "data structures"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "algorithms-in-a-nutshell-277f16",
      "title": "Algorithms in a Nutshell",
      "author": "George T. Heineman, Gary Pollice, and Stanley Selkow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29218393,
          "author": "jypepin",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T16:50:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29218393",
          "commentText": "Algorithms in a nutshell by George T. Heineman helped me a lot. It's not too dense so it's easy to read, just enough to learn and understand how an algorithm works.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Algorithms in a nutshell by George T. Heineman helped me a lot.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them learn how algorithms work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is not too dense.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7757338,
          "author": "will_work4tears",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T19:11:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7757338",
          "commentText": "I've got this right at the top of my wish list.  Got a list of other books I gotta finish first though, lol:\nCode Complete 2, The Web Application Hacker's Handbook, Algorithms in a Nutshell, and Code.\nNot to mention an Arduino book - but I'll probably get Effective Java and read it first.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Algorithms in a Nutshell",
          "reason": "Lists it among books they still need to finish.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7756876,
          "author": "deathtrader666",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:10:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7756876",
          "commentText": "I've recently started my way through SICP and Algorithms in a Nutshell.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "and Algorithms in a Nutshell.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has recently started reading it; no evaluation is given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George T. Heineman",
        "Gary Pollice",
        "Stanley Selkow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "algorithm reference"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "algorithms-to-live-by-the-computer-science-of-human-decisions-2de54c",
      "title": "Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions",
      "author": "Brian Christian, Tom Griffiths",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18664037,
          "author": "yboris",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T14:17:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664037",
          "commentText": "The top 4 this year for me:\nHow Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking\nAlgorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions\nHow to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us about Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence\nMoral Tribes: Emotion, Reason, and the Gap Between Us and Them\nPhenomenal books. I have a longer list of recommendations I've collected over the decades: http://yboris.com/reading/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's top four books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Christian, Tom Griffiths"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "decision making"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "algorithms-etc-3922ea",
      "title": "Algorithms, Etc.",
      "author": "Jeff Erickson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16776364,
          "author": "CodeArtisan",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-06T19:06:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16776364",
          "commentText": "Algorithms, Etc. by Jeff Erickson chapter on dynamic programming is great, especially that part:\nIn a nutshell, dynamic programming is recursion without repetition. Dynamic programming\nalgorithms store the solutions of intermediate subproblems, often but not always in some kind of\narray or table. Many algorithms students make the mistake of focusing on the table (because\ntables are easy and familiar) instead of the much more important (and difficult) task of finding a\ncorrect recurrence. As long as we memoize the correct recurrence, an explicit table isn’t really\nnecessary, but if the recursion is incorrect, nothing works.\nDynamic programming is not about filling in tables. It’s about smart recursion!\nhttp://jeffe.cs.illinois.edu/teaching/algorithms/notes/05-dy... (http://jeffe.cs.illinois.edu/teaching/algorithms/notes/05-dynprog.pdf)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Algorithms, Etc. by Jeff Erickson chapter on dynamic programming is great",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its chapter on dynamic programming.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeff Erickson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "dynamic programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "alice-in-numberland-b34d4d",
      "title": "Alice in Numberland",
      "author": "Baylis and Haggarty",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30828701,
          "author": "jvvw",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T09:14:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30828701",
          "commentText": "Alice in Numberland by Baylis and Haggarty was one of the books that made me want to become a mathematician when I found it in the school library and read it as a teenager. There was also a little set of booklets called Derek Holton's Problem Solving Series that drew me in but I'm sure they must be impossible to get hold of now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Alice in Numberland by Baylis and Haggarty was one of the books that made me want to become a mathematician",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped spark their interest in becoming a mathematician.",
          "audience": "Readers curious about mathematics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Baylis",
        "Haggarty"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical puzzles"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "alien-clay-1b59e0",
      "title": "Alien Clay",
      "author": "Adrian Tchaikovsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45294160,
          "author": "bodantogat",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-18T19:50:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 45283087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45294160",
          "commentText": "I mostly read science fiction and fantasy, and I’ve just started Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky. It follows a scientist sentenced to a prison camp on a planet teeming with bizarre lifeforms. So far, it hasn’t drawn me in the way Children of Time did, though I’m only about a quarter of the way through.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I’ve just started Alien Clay by Adrian Tchaikovsky.",
          "reason": "The commenter has just started reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It has not drawn the commenter in as much as Children of Time so far; they are only a quarter of the way through.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adrian Tchaikovsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biopunk",
        "prison colony"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "aliens-the-world-s-leading-scientists-on-the-search-for-extraterr-4a54af",
      "title": "Aliens: The World's Leading Scientists on the Search for Extraterrestrial Life",
      "author": "Jim Al-Khalili (editor)",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14859738,
          "author": "hamishtarah",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:03:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859738",
          "commentText": "Aliens: The World's Leading Scientists on the Search for Extraterrestrial Life edited by Jim Al-Khalili. It's a nice overview of various topics including the origins of life on earth. I think I'll look for some of the books and studies mentioned by various authors as follow up.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's a nice overview of various topics including the origins of life on earth.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a nice overview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jim Al-Khalili (editor)"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "extraterrestrial life",
        "origins of life"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "all-about-asset-allocation-c82a19",
      "title": "All About Asset Allocation",
      "author": "Rick Ferri",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 248600,
          "author": "eposts",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T15:59:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248600",
          "commentText": "Here is a good list:\nhttp://www.bogleheads.org/readbooks.htm\nGeneral Investing\n# The Four Pillars of Investing - by William (\"Bill\") Bernstein.\n# Wise Investing Made Simple or The Only Guide to a Winning Investment Strategy You'll Ever Need - by Larry Swedroe\n# The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing - by Taylor Larimore, Mel Lindauer, and Michael LeBoeuf\n# All About Asset Allocation - by Rick Ferri\n# The Informed Investor - by Frank Armstrong\n# The Little Book of Common Sense Investing - by John \"Jack\" Bogle\n# The Coffeehouse Investor - by Bill Schultheis.\nInvestor Behavior\n# Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes And How To Correct Them - by Gary Belsky and Thomas Gilovich\n# Your Money and Your Brain: How the New Science of Neuroeconomics Can Help Make You Rich - by Jason Zweig\n# Rational Investing in Irrational Times: How to Avoid the Costly Mistakes Even Smart People Make Today - by Larry Swedroe\nFinancial History\n# Against the Gods and Capital Ideas - by Peter L. Bernstein\n# Devil Take the Hindmost: A History of Financial Speculation - by Edward Chancellor\n# A Random Walk Down Wall Street - by Burton Malkiel\nLike others here have mentioned, http://www.bogleheads.org/ is a great forum for Vanguard investors.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All About Asset Allocation - by Rick Ferri",
          "reason": "Listed as a general investing book in response to a request for learning resources.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking general investing resources.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rick Ferri"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "asset allocation",
        "investing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "all-creatures-great-and-small-01a99d",
      "title": "All Creatures Great and Small",
      "author": "James Herriot",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25320639,
          "author": "jkepler",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-06T03:00:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25320639",
          "commentText": "For perspective on a veterinary surgeon's work and world, James Herriot wrote eight books , starting with, \"If Only They Could Talk\" in 1970. [0]\nTo learn what its like to start a non-profit/NGO working to help homeless people, prostitutes and addicts in the streets of Glasgow, Scotland, read \"From Whitewashed Stairs to Heaven.\" The book tells the story of Maureen McKenna, cofounder of Open Door Trust Glasgow.[1]\nWendell Berry's written much about farming (among other things).\n[0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Herriot\n[1] https://www.christianfocus.com/products/855/from-whitewashed... (https://www.christianfocus.com/products/855/from-whitewashed-stairs-to-heaven)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "James Herriot wrote eight books , starting with, \"If Only They Could Talk\" in 1970.",
          "reason": "Introduces Herriot's books as perspective on veterinary surgery and its world.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in veterinary work.",
          "caveat": "The comment does not name the series; the cited starting title is If Only They Could Talk.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Herriot"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "rural life",
        "veterinary medicine"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "all-men-are-mortal-4258e3",
      "title": "All Men Are Mortal",
      "author": "Simone de Beauvoir",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17382188,
          "author": "Pica_soO",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T17:08:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17382188",
          "commentText": "All men are mortal - Simone de Beauvoir",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All men are mortal - Simone de Beauvoir",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Simone de Beauvoir"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "existentialism",
        "french literature",
        "immortality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "all-my-friends-are-superheroes-fd8358",
      "title": "All My Friends Are Superheroes",
      "author": "Andrew Kaufman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2639611,
          "author": "vinced",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T03:07:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639611",
          "commentText": "-All my friends are superheros\n-The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time\n-Outliers ... and other Malcolm Gladwel books\n-The Professor and the Madman\nmany more.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-All my friends are superheros",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the thread’s question about the greatest book ever read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew Kaufman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fiction",
        "magical realism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "all-that-the-rain-promises-and-more-a-hip-pocket-guide-to-western-c8e136",
      "title": "All That the Rain Promises and More: A Hip Pocket Guide to Western Mushrooms",
      "author": "David Arora",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37158296,
          "author": "Loughla",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T07:17:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37158296",
          "commentText": "All The Rain Promises and More: A Hip Pocket Guide to Western Mushrooms\nIt's not a novel, but a reference guide to mushrooms. It's phenomenal, is small, it's funny, and is a really good starter reference for mushroom foraging. 10/10 just for the cover, 20/10 for the content.\n(https://www.amazon.com/All-That-Rain-Promises-More/dp/089815... (https://www.amazon.com/All-That-Rain-Promises-More/dp/0898153883/))",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All The Rain Promises and More: A Hip Pocket Guide to Western Mushrooms\nIt's not a novel, but a reference guide to mushrooms. It's phenomenal, is small, it's funny, and is a really good starter reference for mushroom foraging. 10/10 just for the cover, 20/10 for the content.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises it as a funny, compact starter reference for mushroom foraging.",
          "audience": "Beginners interested in mushroom foraging.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is a reference guide, not a novel.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Arora"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "foraging",
        "mushroom identification",
        "western mushrooms"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "all-things-are-full-of-gods-381405",
      "title": "All Things Are Full of Gods",
      "author": "David Bentley Hart",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46397578,
          "author": "Barrin92",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T23:39:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46397578",
          "commentText": "Among non-fiction what stood out to me was David Bentley Hart's All Things are Full of Gods, great book also very fun to read written as a Platonic dialogue. To me one of the most compelling theologians today.\nBruno Maçães, World Builders. Good book on the impact of technology in geopolitics has been consistently interesting.\nAmong fiction re-read a lot of Lovecraft, noticed that I like the Dream Quest stories more than the horror these days which surprised me. But they're more compelling to me now because of how much you can see Lovecraft as a person in them.\nThe last three Dune books. Liked the last two about the Bene Gesserit a lot, was surprised how much I disliked God Emperor given the praise it gets, but it honestly reads like Frank Herbert posting twitter hot takes as a worm with no story\nMark Twain, The Mysterious Stranger. Among the best novellas I've ever read, very different in tone from most of his books.\nShūsaku Endō, Silence. Book about a Jesuit mission in early Edo Japan. My favorite Japanese book in a long time.\nAmong technical books, re-read The Mythical Man Month, probably more relevant than it ever was in an age of artifical man-hours added to projects. Robert Seacord Effective C, after not having written C in a long time. Really good intermediate level book for modern C. Also making my way through The Little Schemer as a replacement for advent of code in the second half of the month this year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "David Bentley Hart's All Things are Full of Gods, great book also very fun to read written as a Platonic dialogue.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great, fun-to-read book and says it is written as a Platonic dialogue.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Bentley Hart"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "platonic dialogue",
        "theology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "all-things-considered-6bdfe4",
      "title": "All Things Considered",
      "author": "G. K. Chesterton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10183897,
          "author": "bradleyland",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-08T02:16:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10183897",
          "commentText": "G.K Chesterton, All Things Considered\nLight, but full of pragmatism.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "G.K Chesterton, All Things Considered",
          "reason": "Described as light but full of pragmatism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "G. K. Chesterton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "essays",
        "pragmatism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "all-tomorrow-s-parties-23393f",
      "title": "All Tomorrow's Parties",
      "author": "William Gibson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 86223,
          "author": "icky",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:37:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86223",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- The Time Machine (still holds up very well, and seems strangely eerie and prescient in places)... (H. G. Wells)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Hobbit (and LotR) (Tolkien)\n- Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n- Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties (I picked up Idoru first, so I haven't yet read Virtual Light) (also Gibson)\n- The Difference Engine (Gibson, Sterling)\n- Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n- Cryptonomicon (\" \")\n- Circuit of Heaven, End of Days (Dennis Danvers)\n- All of the \"Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser\" stories and novels. (Fritz Leiber)\n- The Earthsea trilogy (Ursula K. LeGuin)\n- 'salem's Lot (Stephen King)\n- Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein)\n- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)\n- the Coldfire trilogy (C. S. Friedman)\n- various Cory Doctorow short stories\n- Kamikaze L'Amour (Richard Kadrey)\n- Lightpaths (Howard V. Hendrix)\n- A Canticle For Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)\n- Moonwar, Venus (Ben Bova)\n- the Stainless Steel Rat series (Harry Harrison)\n- Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)\n- Ringworld (Larry Niven)\n- Cthon (Piers Anthony) -- Trippiness level approaching Philip Jose Farmer ;-)\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (Douglas Adams)\n- The Black Company (Glen Cook)\n- there's one particularly good post-cyberpunk series that takes place in a world in which Canada emerged as a major world power, but for the life of me I can't rememeber the title.\n- the 1632 series (Eric Flint)... see also S. M. Stirling's Nantucket series (\"Island in the Sea of Time\", et al.), and H. Beam Piper's novel Kalvan of Otherwhen\nNon-fiction:\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (Hume)\n- the surviving words and works of Epicurus, and Diogenes the Cynic\n- Freakonomics (Levitt, Dubner)\n- The Gay Science (Nietzsche)\n- The Jefferson Bible (Christ, Jefferson (ed.))\n- The Devil's Dictionary (Bierce)\n- Brain Droppings (George Carlin)\n- anything by P. J. O'Rourke\n- anything by Dave Barry",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties (I picked up Idoru first, so I haven't yet read Virtual Light) (also Gibson)",
          "reason": "Listed under fiction in response to the thread’s question about favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have not yet read Virtual Light.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Gibson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyberpunk",
        "near future"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "all-you-wanted-to-know-about-mathematics-but-were-afraid-to-ask-m-027d05",
      "title": "All You Wanted to Know About Mathematics but Were Afraid to Ask: Mathematics for Science Students",
      "author": "Louis Lyons",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16085003,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-06T12:34:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16085003",
          "commentText": "Visual Complex Analysis - Needham.\nA lot of great pictures, exerything is explained (and shown) geometrically. Complex differentiation/integration, non-Euclidean geometry, vector fields etc.\nMathematics and its History - Stillwell.\nWonderfully written. From the ancients to the 20th century, covers the mathematics (in a lot of detail) and lives of major mathematicians (potted bios).\nConcrete Mathematics - Knuth et al. \nDiscrete maths, number theory, generating functions, covers most of the maths that pops up continually in programming.\nAll You Wanted To Know About Mathematics But Were Afraid To Ask. Mathematics for Science Students 2 Vols. - Louis Lyons.\nPretty basic, but covers all the mathematical basics for physics. (1st year uni level I guess) I learned a lot from this years ago, I still consult it as a reference. It's a pleasure to read.\nAlso, all of Hamming's books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pretty basic, but covers all the mathematical basics for physics.",
          "reason": "Calls it a basic resource for physics mathematics and says it is a pleasure to read.",
          "audience": "Physics students seeking foundational mathematics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as pretty basic and at about first-year university level.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Louis Lyons"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematics for physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "all-of-us-the-collected-poems-f52173",
      "title": "All of Us: The Collected Poems",
      "author": "Raymond Carver",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15156533,
          "author": "jeffersonheard",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:44:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156533",
          "commentText": "Getting More - Stuart Diamond. I still think this is the best book on the art of negotiation.\nGetting Things Done - David Allen. If you have adult ADHD like me, and you haven't read this, it's the first system that's really worked for productivity for me.\nMan's Search for Meaning - Victor Frankl.\nLiving Buddha, Living Christ - Thich Nhat Hanh.\nCosmos - Carl Sagan.\nThe Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. LeGuin.\nThe One who Walks Away from Omelas - U.K. LeGuin.\nWild Seed - Octavia Butler.\nThe Heike Monogatari - (tr. Helen Craig McCullough) “The sound of the Gion Shoja temple bells echoes the impermanence of all things; the color of the sala flowers reveals the truth that to flourish is to fall. The proud do not endure, like a passing dream on a night in spring; the mighty fall at last, to be no more than dust before the wind.” If you need a comparison. this is the Japanese historical equivalent of Game of Thrones combined with a bit of MacBeth. The rise and fall of two shogunate families, and an analysis of the tragic flaws of character that brought their fall about.\nLes Miserables - Victor Hugo.\nSmall Gods - Terry Pratchett.\nHeart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad.\nThe Guide - R. K. Narayan.\nEvidence - Mary Oliver.\nAll of Us - The Collected Poetry of Raymond Carver.\nSilence - Shusaku Endo.\nThe Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald.\nThe Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Murakami Haruki. This and the next four are odd choices, perhaps, since it's a surrealist book, but IMO books that force your imagination to work hard do as much for creativity and fresh ideas as any of the more popular methods.\nThe Well-Built City (The Physiognomy / Memoranda / The Beyond) Jeffery Ford - Surrealist novellas best described as about the protagonist living and achieving agency within the constructs, dreams, and nightmares of a \"Great Man's\" mind.\nSnow Crash - Neal Stephenson.\nGravity's Rainbow - Thomas Pynchon.\nDhalgren - Samuel L. \"Chip\" Delany.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All of Us - The Collected Poetry of Raymond Carver.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Raymond Carver"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "collected poems",
        "poetry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "all-the-birds-in-the-sky-3f062a",
      "title": "All the Birds in the Sky",
      "author": "Charlie Jane Anders",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18663395,
          "author": "Arkdy",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:44:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663395",
          "commentText": "Wow, that's interesting. We must have approached Grossman from completely different perspectives. Last year (2017) I read the entire Magicians series and thoroughly enjoyed them because they made me uncomfortable. I was trash, in the same way that Quentin was trash, so following his arc was introspective.\nAt the time I contrasted it to the optimism in \"All the Birds in the Sky\" by Charlie Jane Anders (if you're familiar)\nWhat was your experience like?\nFor reference, my most recent fiction is:\n- \"Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World\" by Murakami\n- \"Uprooted\" by Naomi Novik\n- \"God Emperor of Dune\" by Frank Herbert",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "At the time I contrasted it to the optimism in \"All the Birds in the Sky\" by Charlie Jane Anders",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a contrast in tone; the commenter gives no evaluation of this book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13237020,
          "author": "Jemaclus",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:13:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237020",
          "commentText": "I keep an active list of books I've read, along with my reviews at my book review website, https://books.brianseitel.com. One of the benefits of this is that my favorite books automatically populate on the left. In 2016, I read over 60 books. My top 10 for 2016 (so far) are, in rough order of favorite-ness:\n- \"All the Birds in the Sky\" by Charlie Jane Anders\n- \"The Shards of Heaven\" and its sequel \"The Gates of Hell\" by Michael Livingston (fictional story set in Roman times)\n- \"The Last Breath\" by Charlie Magee\n- \"The Guns of Empire\" by Django Wexler (Book 4 of The Shadow Campaigns series, which I highly recommend)\n- \"The King's Traitor\" by Jeff Wheeler (original take on Arthurian legend)\n- \"Uprooted\" by Naomi Novik\n- \"End Game\" by Lindsay Buroker (Book 8 of her sci-fi series, The Fallen Empire, which is a pretty fun series overall. Short and sweet adventures.)\n- \"Soulblade\" by Lindsay Buroker (Book 8 of her fantasy series, Dragon Blood, which is another great series. All of Buroker's books are good, imo.)\n- \"Ghost Talkers\" by Mary Robinette Kowal (It's WWII, ghosts are real... and they're spies.)\nThis year I also read books 1-3 of The Expanse, and I think they would also be in this list, except I haven't reviewed them yet. I'm currently reading Book 4, with the recently published book, Babylon's Ashes, in the queue. I fully expect these to make it into the top 10.\nObviously, I enjoy sci-fi / fantasy the most, but across a wide range of sub-genres. For non-sci-fi, my top read was \"I Will Teach You To Be Rich\" by Ramit Sethi, which really changed the way I organize my finances.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My top 10 for 2016 (so far) are, in rough order of favorite-ness:",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's top books of the year, ranked by preference.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charlie Jane Anders"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "climate fiction",
        "coming of age",
        "magic",
        "science fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "all-the-math-you-missed-but-need-to-know-for-graduate-school-990806",
      "title": "All the Math You Missed: (But Need to Know for Graduate School)",
      "author": "Thomas A. Garrity",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34444706,
          "author": "Buttons840",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T19:48:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34444706",
          "commentText": "All the Math You Missed by Thomas A. Garrity. I have not read it, but it looks interesting and is on my list. It is aimed at new graduate students who need a quick refresher that is still detailed enough to be useful for postgraduate math.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "All the Math You Missed by Thomas A. Garrity. I have not read it, but it looks interesting and is on my list.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is on their reading list as a useful quick refresher for new graduate students.",
          "audience": "New graduate students needing a refresher in postgraduate mathematics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas A. Garrity"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "graduate mathematics",
        "math refresher"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "all-the-mathematics-you-missed-but-need-to-know-for-graduate-scho-8dec78",
      "title": "All the Mathematics You Missed: But Need to Know for Graduate School",
      "author": "Thomas A. Garrity",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7578415,
          "author": "krick",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T17:12:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578415",
          "commentText": "Words cannot express how grateful I am. This seems to be the very thing I looked for the long time and missed somehow! Seems not to cover really All the Mathematics I Missed however (nothing on algebra and number theory for example, which is admittedly my weak spot), but I'm already thrilled to start reading.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Seems not to cover really All the Mathematics I Missed however",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it lacks algebra and number theory.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7578356,
          "author": "okasaki",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T16:52:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578356",
          "commentText": "All the Mathematics You Missed: But Need to Know for Graduate School - http://www.amazon.com/All-Mathematics-You-Missed-Graduate/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/All-Mathematics-You-Missed-Graduate/dp/0521797071/)",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "All the Mathematics You Missed: But Need to Know for Graduate School",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 665789,
          "author": "Alienz",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T20:43:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665789",
          "commentText": "All the Mathematics You Missed:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/All-Mathematics-You-Missed-Graduate/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/All-Mathematics-You-Missed-Graduate/dp/0521797071)",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "All the Mathematics You Missed:",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas A. Garrity"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "graduate mathematics",
        "mathematics overview"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "all-the-names-a08552",
      "title": "All the Names",
      "author": "José Saramago",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8125530,
          "author": "mbillie1",
          "createdAt": "2014-08-02T18:23:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 8125375,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I save for offline reading during 5 weeks without Internet?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8125530",
          "commentText": "I've always enjoyed fiction in situations like yours. Iain M. Banks has some accessible but interesting sci-fi (recommendations: Consider Phlebas, Use of Weapons), and it's hard to go wrong with anything Jose Saramago wrote (recommendations: All the Names, Blindness, Death With Interruptions).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "recommendations: All the Names, Blindness, Death With Interruptions",
          "reason": "Recommended as an example of Saramago's work that is hard to go wrong with.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for literary fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "José Saramago"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "all-the-presidents-bankers-8e1992",
      "title": "All the Presidents’ Bankers",
      "author": "Nomi Prins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33383028,
          "author": "photochemsyn",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T11:20:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33383028",
          "commentText": "Nomi Prins, All the Presidents Bankers, and also Collusion: How Central Bankers Rigged the World.\nThose two books illustrate the financialization of the US and global economy over time, and although dense, are well worth the effort.  She has a new book out as of Oct, \"Permanent Distortion: How Financial Markets Abandoned the Real Economy Forever.\"\nPeter Anderas, Smuggler Nation: How Illicit Trade Made America\nA very fun historical read, covering everything from textile machinery smuggling from Britain to the American colonies, to rum and whiskey smuggling into Indian Country in the 19th century, to opium smuggling to China, to Prohibition and the modern Drug War, cotton smuggling by the South to Europe to finance the South's Civil War army, and the smuggling of people from slaves to immigrants.  Very eye-opening, a lot of America's 'wealthy families' got their first pool of capital in this manner.\nAlso:\nJunji Ito, Uzumaki and No Longer Human\nWilliam Gibson, The Peripheral and Agency",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nomi Prins, All the Presidents Bankers",
          "reason": "Groups it with the book’s account of financialization in the US and global economy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nomi Prins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political finance",
        "us banking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "almagest-fe03e7",
      "title": "Almagest",
      "author": "Ptolemy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 755107,
          "author": "seanstickle",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T13:06:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755107",
          "commentText": "I heartily endorse reading the classic works of geometry as a way to both the subject as well as a way of thinking about math, proof, and argumentation.\nStart with Euclid's _Elements_, and then move onto Archimedes' short books on levers and floating bodies, Apollonius's wonderful treatise on conic sections, and Ptolemy's _Almagest_.\nThey are excellent for self-education, providing both geometrical knowledge in itself, as well as extensive training in sound reasoning. Don't be fooled by the antiquity of their origin: they teach more clearly than most modern day texts, and their content is timeless.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ptolemy's _Almagest_",
          "reason": "Recommends it as part of a self-education path in geometry and sound reasoning.",
          "audience": "Readers pursuing self-education in geometry and mathematical reasoning.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ptolemy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient mathematics",
        "astronomy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "almost-perfect-ba5b57",
      "title": "Almost Perfect",
      "author": "Pete Peterson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37160174,
          "author": "prepend",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T11:49:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37160174",
          "commentText": "I’ve had the pdf of “Almost Perfect” by Pete Peterson [0] on my cloud for a while and like reading it in bits and pieces and rereading it when I’m stuck somewhere without data. It’s the story of WordPerfect and while desktop software is very different than today’s software the organizational dynamics is fascinating to me. And I like how what to me is a very technical thing- writing excellent software- is designed and run by a “non-technical” person. And feeds my anxiety and imposter syndrome that maybe I’m not a tech person but a business person who knows enough technology to make a living.\nI also keep referring to “An Illustrated Book of Bad Arguments” by Ali Almossawi [1] as it’s fun and seems to me to be technically correct. I recently had to look it up to remember if it’s “natural fallacy” or “naturalistic fallacy” or something else. It’s not covered in the book but I did get to read about others with sepia animal drawings. I’ve also found it useful for introducing critical thinking and avoiding logical fallacies to young people.\n[0] https://wepeterson.com/almostperfect/\n[1] https://bookofbadarguments.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I’ve had the pdf of “Almost Perfect” by Pete Peterson [0] on my cloud for a while and like reading it in bits and pieces and rereading it when I’m stuck somewhere without data.",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoys revisiting its account of WordPerfect and its organizational dynamics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pete Peterson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "organizational dynamics",
        "software history",
        "wordperfect"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "almost-perfect-8d042b",
      "title": "Almost Perfect",
      "author": "W. E. Peterson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17205604,
          "author": "peterkelly",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T14:30:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205604",
          "commentText": "\"Almost Perfect\" by W. E. Peterson, the story of the rise and fall of WordPerfect Corporation\nhttp://www.wordplace.com/ap/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Almost Perfect\" by W. E. Peterson, the story of the rise and fall of WordPerfect Corporation",
          "reason": "Presented as a book relevant to the thread's request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. E. Peterson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software company history",
        "wordperfect"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "alone-on-the-wall-a6fe64",
      "title": "Alone on the Wall",
      "author": "Alex Honnold and David Roberts",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15960873,
          "author": "jrowley",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T15:36:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15960873",
          "commentText": "1. Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen\nIt's a fun read, and got me inspired to run my first ultra marathon.\n2. Alone on the Wall\nInspiring stories about this amazing rock climber Alex Honnold, as told by himself and one other experienced climber. You get a little insight into what makes him tick.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Inspiring stories about this amazing rock climber Alex Honnold",
          "reason": "The commenter describes its stories about Alex Honnold as inspiring and says it offers insight into his character.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in rock climbing and Alex Honnold.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alex Honnold and David Roberts"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "rock climbing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "alongside-night-f49f87",
      "title": "Alongside Night",
      "author": "J. Neil Schulman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 86161,
          "author": "david",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T23:36:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86161",
          "commentText": "- What the Dormouse Said, John Markoff\n- Alongside Night, J Neil Schulman,\n- Prometheus Rising, Robert Anton Wilson\n- Anything by Doug Rushkoff, Get Back in the Box is a good one for business/entrepreneurship\n- The Dubliners, James Joyce\n- The Elements of Typographic Style, by Robert Bringhurst",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Alongside Night, J Neil Schulman",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. Neil Schulman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "libertarian"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "altered-carbon-920421",
      "title": "Altered Carbon",
      "author": "Richard Morgan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1226847,
          "author": "aarongough",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:34:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226847",
          "commentText": "I'm a big fan of Sci-Fi because I feel it makes people think about what they want the future to be, as well as avoiding the re-hashing of historical and current events that many fiction books set in the present do. With that in mind a list of great books to read:\n  The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson\n  Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson\n  Gridlinked - Neal Asher\n  Neuromancer - William Gibson\n  The Reality Dysfunction - Peter F. Hamilton\n  The Dreaming Void - Peter F. Hamilton\n  Fallen Dragon - Peter F. Hamilton\n  Altered Carbon - Richard Morgan\n  Market Forces - Richard Morgan\n  Blindsight - Peter Watts\n  The Electric Church - Jeff Somers\n  Tunnel in the Sky - Robert A. Heinlein\n  The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Robert A. Heinlein\n  1984 - George Orwell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Altered Carbon - Richard Morgan",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Morgan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyberpunk",
        "transhumanism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "altered-carbon-trilogy-7c76dc",
      "title": "Altered Carbon trilogy",
      "author": "Richard K. Morgan",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467709,
          "author": "alanfalcon",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:53:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467709",
          "commentText": "I find myself re-listening to large portions of my audible library fairly often. I pick up so much more on additional read/listen-throughs.\nI listen to or read Snow Crash at least once a year. I just enjoy most everything about it. Anathem required a couple listens, and a third listen was just for comfort food.\nThe Altered Carbon trilogy has depth and sublime world-building that I have now enjoyed at least a half dozen times.\nI second mentions of Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (and will mention The Long, Dark Tea Time of the Soul as well).\nEnder’s Game is also comfort food for me.\nBreaking from the speculative fiction reco’s above...\nThe Power of Vulnerability (Brené Brown) is more lecture series than audiobook, but as for non fiction I’ve recently given multiple listens to, that tops the list.\nI borrowed “Landline” from the local library, read it twice and then bought it so I could continue to read it when I want to. I think I was in just the right age group and life situation for this novel to hit home for me. Your mileage may vary, but IMO read it without knowing anything about it in advance if you’re going to read it. That means don’t read the back cover etc.\n(Blind borrowing of books from the library is fun and can be eye opening, try it sometime! Most places, you can borrow eBooks and even digital audiobooks without even leaving your home as long as you have a library card.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Altered Carbon trilogy has depth and sublime world-building that I have now enjoyed at least a half dozen times.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have enjoyed the trilogy at least six times for its depth and world-building.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard K. Morgan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyberpunk",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "although-of-course-you-end-up-becoming-yourself-a-road-trip-with--2518a9",
      "title": "Although of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself: A Road Trip with David Foster Wallace",
      "author": "David Lipsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1973577,
          "author": "joshfinnie",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T02:28:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1973577",
          "commentText": "My choice: Although Of Course You End Up Becoming Yourself: A Road Trip with David Foster Wallace\nI was actually very surprised on how insightful this book was.  It is a great look into the inner mind of a prolific writer and the anguish he felt by in genius.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I was actually very surprised on how insightful this book was.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book as insightful and as a look into a prolific writer's inner mind.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Lipsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "david foster wallace",
        "literary biography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "alton-brown-s-gear-for-your-kitchen-30cdcc",
      "title": "Alton Brown's Gear for Your Kitchen",
      "author": "Alton Brown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10040689,
          "author": "danesparza",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-11T13:07:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10040689",
          "commentText": "==For electronics:\nThe Art of Electronics 3rd Edition (interview with the one of the authors, if you're unconvinced: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCI3B5eT9NA )\n==For finances:\nThe Millionaire Next Door (filled with a lot of interesting facts and habits from extensive research)\n==For food/cooking:\nAlton Brown's Gear for Your Kitchen\nBakeWise: The Hows and Whys of Successful Baking",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Alton Brown's Gear for Your Kitchen",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Readers interested in food and cooking.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alton Brown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cooking equipment",
        "kitchen tools"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "altruism-a9bd63",
      "title": "Altruism",
      "author": "Matthieu Ricard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9348755,
          "author": "galephico",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:27:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348755",
          "commentText": "Altruism - Mathieu Ricard\nSearch Inside Yourself - Chade-Meng Tan\nBible - several authors\nSiddhartha - Hermann Hesse\nFight Club - Chuck Palahniuk\nEléments de Philosophie Angélique - Denis Marquet (french)\nAu coeur de l'instant - Jean Bouchart d'Orval (french)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Altruism - Mathieu Ricard",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthieu Ricard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "altruism",
        "compassion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "amazing-tales-7e75fd",
      "title": "Amazing Tales",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35567939,
          "author": "throw_away1525",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-14T10:51:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 35566416,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technology/creative books and games for my daughter (7 years)",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35567939",
          "commentText": "I can highly recommend Amazing Tales, it is a pen and paper RPG for kids her age. I play with my daughter and she LOVES it. You only need a couple of six sided dice, although you can optionally spice things up with 8, 10, and 12 sided die if you have them (or you can make it special and buy some from your local games shop).\nIt's basically collaborative storytelling, and the possibility of failing dice rolls makes it exciting (you always 'fail forward', failures never really hurt the player but just open up new opportunities). The book also has tons of tips that you would probably never think of on your own - for instance, don't let your child name their character after themselves. Having a separate name allows them to keep some emotional distance between themselves and their character, which makes scary situations less scary for them!\nhttps://amazing-tales.net/introducing-amazing-tales/\nThe PDF is 6 bucks, I felt like I had gotten my moneys worth after our very first session.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can highly recommend Amazing Tales",
          "reason": "Recommended as a pen-and-paper RPG for children, with collaborative storytelling and tips for playing with a child.",
          "audience": "Kids her age; the commenter plays with their daughter.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it is a game and requires dice.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s role playing game",
        "collaborative storytelling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ambedkar-and-buddhism-5f6323",
      "title": "Ambedkar and Buddhism",
      "author": "Sangharakshita",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1027121,
          "author": "vira",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T11:51:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027121",
          "commentText": "American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin.\n- Captivating and well researched. This book not only captures the life of a genius, but also exposes the politics and propaganda of WWII, the Cold War and nuclear proliferation (which were conveniently omitted from my government-set high school curriculum), as well as raising issue of morality and the ethical responsibilities of scientists. Interested in start-ups? They don't come bigger than the Manhattan Project. Most of the guys in Los Alamos at the time were in their 20s.\nTwo books by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich and For The Good of the Cause.\n- Both are brilliant. Solzenitsyn's language is powerful and descriptive yet simple and concise. Since reading his books, I consciously look at the entropy of other writers.\nAmbedkar and Buddhism by Sangarakshita\n- An interesting account of the life of a great man, who's philosophy should be read by anyone who hails from the Indian sub-continent.\nA Fraction of The Whole by Steve Toltz.\n- A book lover's book, Toltz's novel made me laugh out loud at numerous times. A fun read, made better by the fact that he's Aussie.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ambedkar and Buddhism by Sangarakshita\n- An interesting account of the life of a great man, who's philosophy should be read by anyone who hails from the Indian sub-continent.",
          "reason": "Calls the account interesting and says its subject’s philosophy should be read by people from the Indian subcontinent.",
          "audience": "Readers from the Indian subcontinent interested in Ambedkar and Buddhism.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sangharakshita"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "b r ambedkar",
        "buddhism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ambient-9d3e17",
      "title": "Ambient",
      "author": "Jack Womack",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056472,
          "author": "firegrind",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:02:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056472",
          "commentText": "Snow Crash\nedit : and Ambient, by Jack Womack",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and Ambient, by Jack Womack",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to the favourite sci-fi books question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jack Womack"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyberpunk"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ambient-findability-7383a7",
      "title": "Ambient Findability",
      "author": "Peter Morville",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10325237,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T20:31:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325237",
          "commentText": "I'm sure there are many, but a few that jump to mind, in no particular order, and spanning both fiction and non-fiction:\nThe Selfish Gene - Dawkins\nA New Kind of Science - Wolfram\nThe Singularity is Near - Kurzweil\nGödel, Escher, Bach - Hofstadter\nFluid Concepts and Creative Analogies - Hofstadter\nAtlas Shrugged - Rand\nThe Fountainhead - Rand\nNineteen Eighty-Four - Orwell\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nAmbient Findability - Peter Morville\nEmergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software - Steven Johnson\nSix Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age - Duncan Watts\nLinked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means for Business, Science, and Everyday Life - Albert-laszlo Barabasi\nArtificial Life - Steven Levy\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nThe World is Flat - Thomas Friedman\nnot a book, but the various writings of Douglas Engelbart - http://www.dougengelbart.org/library/library.html\nGlasshouse - Charles Stross\nPermutation City - Greg Egan\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nThe Shockwave Rider - John Brunner\nThe Society of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nThe Origin of Wealth: The Radical Remaking of Economics and What it Means for Business and Society - Eric Beinhocker\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nFooled By Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ambient Findability - Peter Morville",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Morville"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "information architecture",
        "search",
        "usability"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "amelia-bedelia-173d26",
      "title": "Amelia Bedelia",
      "author": "Herman Parish",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50118329,
          "author": "EdgarVerona",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T13:44:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50118329",
          "commentText": "My 6 year old loves the 2020's-era Amelia Bedelia books.\nIn this reimagining, they are basically 100-140 page long novellas with a lot of pictures accompanying them. Amelia is a child (3rd grade possibly?  Not sure exactly) and she doesn't understand slang or colloquialisms, but otherwise she's a smart kid... which means she's less frustrating than the OG Amelia Bedelia where she was an adult maid that has absolutely no clue what the hell's going on around her.\nThe books are cute, though sometimes you can tell the author has belabored something just to reach a publisher-mandated word count.\nThe other annoying thing about them is that that they can't just say \"she\" when they talk about Amelia Bedelia, and instead they say Amelia Bedelia's full name over and over whenever they mention Amelia Bedelia's father or Amelia Bedelia's mother or Amelia Bedelia's dog.  (I basically have just re-created what could have been a real sentence in the books)\nOnce you get over those annoyances though, they're cute little stories about children who have problems and try hard to come up with and execute on creative solutions.  They've grown on me, like a fungus.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the 2020's-era Amelia Bedelia books",
          "reason": "The commenter describes the newer books as cute stories about children solving problems creatively.",
          "audience": "Children; the commenter’s child is six.",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds the writing sometimes padded and repetitive in its use of the character’s full name.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Herman Parish"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s books",
        "picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "america-is-in-the-heart-268d52",
      "title": "America Is in the Heart",
      "author": "Carlos Bulosan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8111056,
          "author": "monknomo",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T21:20:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8111056",
          "commentText": "\"America is in the Heart\", by Carlos Bulosan, an excellent book on the early days of Filipino immigrant experience",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "an excellent book on the early days of Filipino immigrant experience",
          "reason": "Calls it an excellent book about early Filipino immigrant experience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carlos Bulosan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "filipino american history",
        "immigration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "america-s-great-depression-149895",
      "title": "America's Great Depression",
      "author": "Murray N. Rothbard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 240706,
          "author": "bokonist",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T02:56:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240706",
          "commentText": "The Triumph of Conservatism by Gabriel Kolko - the book for understanding the rise of corporate serfdom\nThe World of Yesterday by Stefan Zweig - will make you nostalgic for the days of monarchy\nWorld on Fire by Amy Chua - the single best book for understanding globalization that I have read.  The antidote to Tom Friedman.\nAmerica's Great Depression by Murray Rothbard - very different from the story you get in school.  Is he right?\nTwo favorite tech books are Inside Intuit and The Manager Pool",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "America's Great Depression by Murray Rothbard - very different from the story you get in school.  Is he right?",
          "reason": "The commenter notes that it offers a different account from school and questions whether it is right.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter explicitly questions the book's accuracy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Murray N. Rothbard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "austrian economics",
        "great depression"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "america-the-farewell-tour-a6ce57",
      "title": "America: The Farewell Tour",
      "author": "Chris Hedges",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18663438,
          "author": "mosiuerbarso",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:52:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663438",
          "commentText": "These are a mixture of audio books and paperbacks I've been reading. I'm listening to more and more audiobooks via audible as it allows me to keep learning new stuff whilst travelling or doing simple household jobs.\nAnyways. Here are a few of my best of I've read/listened to this year:\nDictators Handbook by Bruce De Mesquita and Alastair Smith -\nVery interesting theories on power structures.\nHistory of western philosophy by Bertrand Russel - I love my history. And it was fascinating seeing how ideas/thoughts/thinking have evolved over the centuries.\nAmerica the Farewell tour by Chris Hedges - Very interesting ideas and points of view. A tough read at times. I really hope it some part of the book doesn't come true.\nChasing the Scream by Johanne Hari - Good history of the war on drugs, the cost and its futility.\nI've read more but these are my top 5 of 2018",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "America the Farewell tour by Chris Hedges - Very interesting ideas and points of view. A tough read at times.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds its ideas and points of view interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A tough read at times.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris Hedges"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american politics",
        "social critique"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "american-bonds-888b9a",
      "title": "American Bonds",
      "author": "Sarah Quinn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22575420,
          "author": "jonahbenton",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T14:16:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22575420",
          "commentText": "Huge, huge topic. You will have to pick a path through the enormous jungle.\nThe starting point I would recommend is bottom up, through accounting and financial statements. Core knowledge, of both practical and intellectual value. Tons of books here, I particularly like\nThomas Ittelson - Financial Statements\nAccessible, straightforward, friendly.\nAfter that, any of the collections of\nWarren Buffett's Letters to Shareholders\nare both entertaining and intellectually valuable, and provide great insight. Read forward, eg, from his first letters in the 1960s, to now.\nOne of the realizations in the journey is that there are, and have been, a lot of different kinds of money- credit money and exchange money and asset money and so forth. A relatively abstract/intellectual but immensely useful survey is\nThe Nature of Money - Geoffrey Ingham\nThe concept of an asset is critical to the functioning of the financial system. New kinds of assets are created all the time. One of the best written books I have read recently goes into venture capital and debt asset creation:\nThe Code Of Capital - Katharina Pistor\nThe role of different kinds of money in history, especially US history, is absolutely fascinating. I am in the middle of\nAmerican Bonds - Sarah Quinn\nand can recommend.\nI do not especially recommend the Dalio books or Graeber's Debt or Ferguson's books. They are fine but I did not find them helping me build understanding. Not quite junk food, but definitely not protein.\nI unfortunately have not found any of the books I have seen about the Federal Reserve to be worthy of recommending. My wife works there and so I have perhaps a unique perspective. But nothing conveys the challenge and the mechanics of what they do. Still looking. The papers the various Fed banks publish, as well as the papers published by the Bank of England, are uniformly outstanding.\nFinally, some of the bitcoin people have written about money. Tho I am a believer in bitcoin I absolutely recommend against most of them, especially Saifedean Ammous's book. Do not read.\nGood luck!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "American Bonds - Sarah Quinn",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are in the middle of it and can recommend it for its focus on money in US history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter had not finished reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sarah Quinn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bonds",
        "money",
        "us financial history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "american-heritage-dictionary-bd4667",
      "title": "American Heritage Dictionary",
      "author": "American Heritage Publishing Company",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16759284,
          "author": "jquinby",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T21:25:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16759284",
          "commentText": "Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows\nGetting to Yes by Roger Fisher and William Ury\nARRL Handbook for Radio Communications\nARRL Antenna Book\nAmerican Heritage Dictionary, 5th Ed.\nBible/Lectionary, Breviary, and Catechism\nIf fiction counts, I will probably never delete Flatland or the complete Joseph Conrad from my Kindle.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "American Heritage Dictionary, 5th Ed.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "American Heritage Publishing Company"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american english",
        "dictionary"
      ],
      "purposes": []
    },
    {
      "id": "american-icon-alan-mulally-and-the-fight-to-save-ford-motor-compa-906939",
      "title": "American Icon: Alan Mulally and the Fight to Save Ford Motor Company",
      "author": "Bryce G. Hoffman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34161946,
          "author": "jmoak3",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T15:31:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161946",
          "commentText": "2022 was a great year for my reading (in order of my favorites):\nThe Great Demographic Reversal by Charles Goodhart - this book changed my life, but now that inflation and the retirements are in full swing it might be harder to make early moves on the knowledge. The graphs are also beginning to become outdated since the book was written in the end of 2019/early 2020? Either way, it inspired my decision to move closer to family.\nThe End of the World is Just the Beginning by Peter Zeihan - this book is well worth the read. Peter is a very educated and factual guy, and it's hard to disagree with the normalized vectors of change he is describing. The magnitude of these vectors however are up for much debate. Lots to think on, agree with, and disagree with.\nAmerican Icon by Bryce G. Hoffman - a book on Ford's handling of the 2008 crisis. It's got some flowery parts that idolize these men too much IMO but a great book on leadership and problem solving.\nLights Out - a book on how GE failed. If hypothetically American Icon was paid for to make Ford look good, Lights Out would have been paid for by disgruntled investors to burn that company's reputation to the ground. By some Wall Street Journal employees, this book is bonkers and a really frigid lesson about how incentives play out and a sober view of work in the real world.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "American Icon by Bryce G. Hoffman - a book on Ford's handling of the 2008 crisis.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great book on leadership and problem solving.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says some parts are flowery and idolize the men too much.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bryce G. Hoffman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ford motor company",
        "leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "american-kingpin-the-epic-hunt-for-the-criminal-mastermind-behind-5aa056",
      "title": "American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road",
      "author": "Nick Bilton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804899,
          "author": "AGivant",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:29:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804899",
          "commentText": "Here is my list (from https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/912138-alex-givant?rea...):\nMemoirs:\n- Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti..).\n- Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive by Land, Stephanie, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39218350-maid\n- Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40409969-medium-raw\n- Confessions of a Tax Collector: One Man's Tour of Duty Inside the IRS by Yancey, Rick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_..).\n- The Perfect Predator: A Scientist's Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Superbug: A Memoir by Steffanie Strathdee, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-pre... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-predator)\nPolitics:\n- Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Desmond, Matthew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25852784-evicted\n- Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America by Leovy, Jill, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13153693-ghettoside\n- American Prison: A Reporter's Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment by Bauer, Shane, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38561954-american-prison\n- Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Eban, Katherine, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42448266-bottle-of-lies\n- A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America by Miller, T. Christian, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35805861-a-false-report\n- The New Silk Roads by Frankopan, Peter, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro..).\nHistory:\n- Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-1956 by Applebaum, Anne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13531848-iron-curtain\n- The Romanovs: 1613-1918 by Montefiore, Simon Sebag, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26109020-the-romanovs\n- The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Johnson, Steven, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36086.The_Ghost_Map\n- Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations by Bergman, Ronen, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f..).\n- Madame Fourcade's Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against Hitler by Olson, Lynne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade..).\n- Argo: How the CIA & Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History by Méndez, Antonio J., https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13588425-argo\nCrime:\n- Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History by Selby, Scott Andrew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7071759-flawless\n- American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road by Bilton, Nick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi..).\n- Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by Carreyrou, John, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37976541-bad-blood\n- Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World by Wright, Tom, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-..).\n- The Mastermind: Drugs. Empire. Murder. Betrayal. by Ratliff, Evan, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41181600-the-mastermind\nTechnology:\n- Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon by Zetter, Kim, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze..).\n- Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World by Thompson, Clive, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40406806-coders",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road by Bilton, Nick",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list of favorite nonfiction books read in 2019.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nick Bilton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybercrime",
        "silk road"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "american-predator-the-hunt-for-the-most-meticulous-serial-killer--afa8ab",
      "title": "American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century",
      "author": "Maureen Callahan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21792828,
          "author": "Velert",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T22:38:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21792828",
          "commentText": "American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century by Maureen Callahan\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43231095-american-predat... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43231095-american-predator)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century by Maureen Callahan",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Maureen Callahan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "serial killers",
        "true crime"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "american-prison-a-reporter-s-undercover-journey-into-the-business-2fccc3",
      "title": "American Prison: A Reporter's Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment",
      "author": "Shane Bauer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804899,
          "author": "AGivant",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:29:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804899",
          "commentText": "Here is my list (from https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/912138-alex-givant?rea...):\nMemoirs:\n- Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti..).\n- Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive by Land, Stephanie, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39218350-maid\n- Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40409969-medium-raw\n- Confessions of a Tax Collector: One Man's Tour of Duty Inside the IRS by Yancey, Rick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_..).\n- The Perfect Predator: A Scientist's Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Superbug: A Memoir by Steffanie Strathdee, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-pre... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-predator)\nPolitics:\n- Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Desmond, Matthew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25852784-evicted\n- Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America by Leovy, Jill, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13153693-ghettoside\n- American Prison: A Reporter's Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment by Bauer, Shane, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38561954-american-prison\n- Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Eban, Katherine, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42448266-bottle-of-lies\n- A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America by Miller, T. Christian, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35805861-a-false-report\n- The New Silk Roads by Frankopan, Peter, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro..).\nHistory:\n- Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-1956 by Applebaum, Anne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13531848-iron-curtain\n- The Romanovs: 1613-1918 by Montefiore, Simon Sebag, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26109020-the-romanovs\n- The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Johnson, Steven, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36086.The_Ghost_Map\n- Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations by Bergman, Ronen, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f..).\n- Madame Fourcade's Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against Hitler by Olson, Lynne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade..).\n- Argo: How the CIA & Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History by Méndez, Antonio J., https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13588425-argo\nCrime:\n- Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History by Selby, Scott Andrew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7071759-flawless\n- American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road by Bilton, Nick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi..).\n- Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by Carreyrou, John, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37976541-bad-blood\n- Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World by Wright, Tom, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-..).\n- The Mastermind: Drugs. Empire. Murder. Betrayal. by Ratliff, Evan, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41181600-the-mastermind\nTechnology:\n- Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon by Zetter, Kim, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze..).\n- Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World by Thompson, Clive, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40406806-coders",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "American Prison: A Reporter's Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment by Bauer, Shane",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list of favorite nonfiction books read in 2019.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Shane Bauer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "criminal justice",
        "prisons"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "american-prometheus-79d6be",
      "title": "American Prometheus",
      "author": "Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41177664,
          "author": "basementcat",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T02:23:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41177664",
          "commentText": "A few that haven’t been mentioned:\nRed Plenty by Francis Spufford is a historical fiction story about the mathematicians and engineers who tried to optimize the Soviet economy.\nThe Neverending Story by Michael Ende is much deeper and more interesting than any of the theatrical versions. Reminiscent of the Matrix sequels, the Childlike Empress threatens to crash Fantastica with a stack overflow (via infinite recursion) to force Bastian to give her a name.\nAmerican Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin goes into much more detail than the film (Oppenheimer).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin",
          "reason": "Offered as a book that has not been mentioned; said to provide much more detail than the film Oppenheimer.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kai Bird",
        "Martin J. Sherwin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "j robert oppenheimer",
        "manhattan project"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "american-shaolin-ab2d83",
      "title": "American Shaolin",
      "author": "Matthew Polly",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1026904,
          "author": "boundlessdreamz",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T06:58:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026904",
          "commentText": "1. Shantaram (Gregory David Roberts): So good that mom stayed up until 3AM to finish it.\n2. Mistborn trilogy (brandon sanderson): Gripping storytelling and by far one of the best fantasy books i've ever read.\n3. Millennium trilogy (steig larsson): Hard to slot this book. On its face it is a thriller but the book is merely the medium through which the author lashes out against crimes toward women and corruption.In 2008, he was the second-best selling author in the world\n4. American Shaolin (Matthew Polly): An exciting read but still do not know what is fact and what is fiction. .",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "An exciting read but still do not know what is fact and what is fiction.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an exciting read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They remain unsure which parts are fact and which are fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthew Polly"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "martial arts",
        "shaolin",
        "travel memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "american-slavery-american-freedom-19861a",
      "title": "American Slavery, American Freedom",
      "author": "Edmund S. Morgan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13805498,
          "author": "infosample",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T19:51:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805498",
          "commentText": "American Slavery, American Freedom by Edmund Morgan\nBest American history book I've read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Best American history book I've read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the best American history book they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edmund S. Morgan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american slavery",
        "colonial america"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "american-steel-2127c3",
      "title": "American Steel",
      "author": "Richard Preston",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17208243,
          "author": "timdellinger",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T18:08:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17208243",
          "commentText": "American Steel by Richard Preston is under-appreciated.  A market opportunity is identified, and a so-crazy-that-it-just-might-work design for a new type of steel mill is pursued by crazy maverick cowboys.  The true story of Nucor Steel.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "American Steel by Richard Preston is under-appreciated.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it under-appreciated and summarizes its true story of Nucor Steel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Preston"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "manufacturing",
        "steel industry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "americanah-471d7a",
      "title": "Americanah",
      "author": "Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17520611,
          "author": "lukeschlather",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T04:56:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17520611",
          "commentText": "Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is very good. It's fiction, but semi-autobiographical. It's as much about living as a Nigerian immigrant in America as it is about Nigeria, but it's really well-written and gives a ton of insight into Nigerian culture (from a very specific perspective some might find grating.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is very good.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its writing and says it offers insight into Nigerian culture.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Nigeria, immigration, or literary fiction.",
          "caveat": "The perspective is specific and may feel grating to some readers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "immigration",
        "nigerian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "amerika-b6ffc4",
      "title": "Amerika",
      "author": "Franz Kafka",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46396350,
          "author": "brokegrammer",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T21:16:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46396350",
          "commentText": "Demian by Hermann Hesse. I wanted to scream \"Stop overthinking!\" to the protagonist. Something I can relate to.\nSiddharta by Hermann Hesse. Helped me understand that a perfect life is a collection of ups and downs and that one must accept it all.\nAmerika by Franz Kafka. Could relate to the protagonist because people take advantage of his naivety.\nFactfulness by Hans Rosling. Made me see the world in a less pessimistic way.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Amerika by Franz Kafka. Could relate to the protagonist because people take advantage of his naivety.",
          "reason": "The commenter related to the protagonist’s naivety and how others exploit it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026940,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T07:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026940",
          "commentText": "I got myself a Sony Reader mid-2009 and started reading about twice more than I had been before. 2009 was also the first year in which I wasn't too lazy to document which books I read (I'm really glad I wasn't). Here're some of the favourites this year:\nClassics:\nKafka's The Process and America - both stunning novels that deserve to be read as much as his most famous, The Castle.\nJan Potocki, The Manuscript Found in Saragossa - a trippy collection of tales organised in multiple nested frames.\nScott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby.\nLeo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina. Still as breathtaking as I'd remembered it from the previous reading five years ago.\nScience Fiction:\nGene Wolfe, The Book of the New Sun. Wolfe, whom I hadn't read before, turns out to be in a class of his own. It's literary SF, overwhelmingly masterful and beautiful in its prose and characters, yet it could give any hardcore SF novel a run in terms of its ideas. It demands and richly rewards a close reading. I'll be reading more Wolfe in 2010.\nTed Chiang, collected stories. Chiang writes only stories, and has written just a few of them, but nearly every one is a gem. Read Understand on the web (http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/stories/under.htm) to see if you like his style - I do.\nVernor Vinge, A Deepness in the Sky, The Peace War, Marooned in Realtime. All great novels, but start from A Fire Upon the Deep (I read that in 2008) if you haven't read Vinge before, it's the best introduction.\nGreg Egan, Diaspora, Quarantine, Distress. Egan is the best hardcore SF author out there. _Diaspora_ is a fascinating take on shared simulated reality that's very different from the usual fare. Quarantine will appeal to your inner quantum mechanical geek.\nContemporary fiction:\nPynchon, V. Pynchon is the best novelist we've got. I recommend The Crying of the Lot 49 as the best Pynchon to start from; V is more difficult and much longer, but rewards the patience. I still can't get over the fact that Pynchon wrote and published this novel when he was 26.\nOrhan Pamuk, The Black Book.\nAnnie Proulx, Fine Just The Way It Is. A new collection of stories from the best writer about rural America out there. Three are extraordinary, two so-so, the rest very good.\nNon-fiction:\nW. Sidney Allen, Vox Graeca and Vox Latina. If you want to know how ancient Greek and Latin sounded, these are the books to read.\nElizabeth Lloyd. The Case Of The Female Orgasm. An interesting study into how available evolutionary explanations of female orgasm fail in various ways. This is a book about evolutionary biology and its methodological soundness as much as it is about explaining female orgasm.\nComputer-related:\nPeter Seibel, Coders at Work. A fantastic collection of interview with great programmers. The one 2009 book no hacker should be without.\nSqueak by Example. Does a great job of explaining Smalltalk in general and Squeak in particular.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kafka's The Process and America - both stunning novels",
          "reason": "The commenter calls both novels stunning.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Franz Kafka"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "absurdism",
        "german literature",
        "modernist fiction",
        "social alienation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "amnesia-299d90",
      "title": "Amnesia",
      "author": "Peter Carey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10215579,
          "author": "ruraljuror",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-14T15:36:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 10211331,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10215579",
          "commentText": "Slightly-techy fiction: Amnesia by Peter Carey.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Slightly-techy fiction: Amnesia by Peter Carey.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as slightly techy fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Carey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybersecurity",
        "political fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "amphigorey-too-055b67",
      "title": "Amphigorey Too",
      "author": "Edward Gorey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16757593,
          "author": "jhedwards",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T18:37:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16757593",
          "commentText": "_Amphigorey Too_ by Edward Gorey. When I've been staring at a computer screen and thinking about logic for too long it's nice to look at some beautiful hand drawn illustrations and enjoy some surreal humor.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's nice to look at some beautiful hand drawn illustrations and enjoy some surreal humor.",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoys its illustrations and surreal humor as a break from computer work.",
          "audience": "People wanting an illustrated, surreal-humor break from screen work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward Gorey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "illustrated books",
        "surreal humor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-abridged-koran-bd215d",
      "title": "An Abridged Koran",
      "author": "Bill Warner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19089400,
          "author": "Shihan",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T20:21:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19089400",
          "commentText": "I read various translations, scientific editions by (german) islamic schoolars - I know there are other versions out there which are more white washed.\nI can especially recommend Bill Warners \"An Abridged Koran\", if you believe there are errors in his translation, please let us know.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I can especially recommend Bill Warners \"An Abridged Koran\"",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends this edition, while inviting readers to point out translation errors.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter acknowledges other versions may be less \"white washed\" and invites corrections to the translation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Warner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "islam",
        "quran translation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-absolutely-remarkable-thing-e0013e",
      "title": "An Absolutely Remarkable Thing",
      "author": "Hank Green",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24290042,
          "author": "O_H_E",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-27T04:10:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 24286084,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading at the moment and what do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24290042",
          "commentText": "I very recently listening to the audiobook of the Carls series[0] by Hank Green. Some top notch fiction, some sci-fi, very 2020-like society, young adult, accidental parallels to 2020 events, discusses social media, money, and empathy, in a very tasteful way. Yes the book was released in 2020, but the script was set in stone way before things went south.\n(Tease: the audio of the second book is done with different actors and have a interview with Cory Doctorow )\nBuy while supporting local bookshops:\n- https://Bookshop.org\n- Audiobook: http://libro.fm/referral?rf_code=lfm208662 (referral link)\n[0] with the great full names being \"An absolutely remarkable thing\" and \"A beautifully foolish endeavour\"",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "with the great full names being \"An absolutely remarkable thing\" and \"A beautifully foolish endeavour\"",
          "reason": "Named as the first book in the Carls series.",
          "audience": "Young adult readers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18708770,
          "author": "rexaliquid",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-18T17:57:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18708770",
          "commentText": "Some fiction from this year I would recommend:\nLeviathan Wakes (The Expanse #1) by James S. A. Corey - I enjoyed this whole series. I like that the physics of space travel is respected among the politics/mystery. Each book in the series is a bit of a different genre set in the universe.\nSpinning Silver by Naomi Novak - Eastern European folk tale akin to Rumplestiltskin.\nAn Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green - Contemporary fiction with a scifi bent. Ultimately hopeful, it explores the consequences of viral fame.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list of fiction they recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as contemporary fiction with a science-fiction bent, ultimately hopeful, about viral fame.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hank Green"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "contemporary fiction",
        "social media",
        "viral fame",
        "young adult"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-alien-heat-185c45",
      "title": "An Alien Heat",
      "author": "Michael Moorcock",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056559,
          "author": "dghf",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:25:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056559",
          "commentText": "Joe Haldeman, The Forever War.\nMichael Moorcock, An Alien Heat & Behold the Man.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Michael Moorcock, An Alien Heat & Behold the Man.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite sci-fi books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Moorcock"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternate history",
        "science fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-anonymous-girl-7a60aa",
      "title": "An Anonymous Girl",
      "author": "Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20982033,
          "author": "codefreq",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T08:14:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20982033",
          "commentText": "I am reading An Anonymous Girl by Greer and Sarah and it's a hell of a ride. I try to answer the questions asked by the doctor and makes me wonder about myself.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's a hell of a ride. I try to answer the questions asked by the doctor and makes me wonder about myself.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a hell of a ride and says it prompts self-reflection.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "domestic suspense",
        "psychological thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-economist-gets-lunch-110a66",
      "title": "An Economist Gets Lunch",
      "author": "Tyler Cowen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8107038,
          "author": "khc",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:47:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107038",
          "commentText": "Poor Economics - Abhijit Banerjee & Esther Duflo\nThinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman\nThe Signal and The Noise - Nate Silver\nPredictably Irrational - Dan Ariely\nThis Time is Different - Carmen Reinhart & Kenneth Rogoff\nSubliminal - Leonard Mlodinow\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Taleb\nFor something more lighthearted, I also enjoyed:\nAn Economist Gets Lunch - Tyler Cowen\nInside Jokes - Matthew Hurley & others\n(mostly skipped the dense parts)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An Economist Gets Lunch - Tyler Cowen",
          "reason": "For the lighter suggestions, the commenter says they enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tyler Cowen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "food economics",
        "public policy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-economist-walks-into-a-brothel-and-other-unexpected-places-to--96eb24",
      "title": "An Economist Walks into a Brothel: And Other Unexpected Places to Understand Risk",
      "author": "Allison Schrager",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33382606,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T10:05:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382606",
          "commentText": "Top 2 so far:\n   * Washington: A life by Ron Chernow\n   * The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won by Victor Davis Hanson\n\nThe Washington book is a very detailed by clear overview of his life. Easy to follow (even for complex situations) and very week written.\nThe WW2 book is amazing. Compares the countries fighting in around 20 different areas (technology, leadership, geography, aircraft) and says who is better and why.\nAlso very good:\n   * FDR by Jean Edward Smith\n   * Master of the Senate by Robert A. Caro\n   * The Penguin History of New Zealand by Michael King\n   * The years of Lyndon Johnson 2 – Means of Ascent by Robert Caro\n   * Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road by Kyle Buchanan\n   * Becoming Trader Joe: How I Did Business My Way and Still Beat the Big Guys by Joe Coulombe\n   * How Innovation Works: And Why It Flourishes in Freedom by Matt Ridley\n   * Yeager: An Autobiography by Chuck Yeager\n   * The years of Lyndon Johnson: The Path to Power by Robert Caro\n   * The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson\n   * Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson\n   * An Economist walks into a Brothel: And Other Unexpected Places to Understand Risk by Allison Schrager\n   * The Devil’s Candy: The Bonfire of the Vanities Goes to Hollywood by Julie Salamon\n   * Sam Walton: Made in America by Sam Walton",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* An Economist walks into a Brothel: And Other Unexpected Places to Understand Risk by Allison Schrager",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Allison Schrager"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "risk"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-empire-of-wealth-the-epic-history-of-american-economic-power-35abcc",
      "title": "An Empire of Wealth: The Epic History of American Economic Power",
      "author": "John Steele Gordon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12982622,
          "author": "mywittyname",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-17T23:06:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12982622",
          "commentText": "An Empire of Wealth\nhttp://www.goodreads.com/book/show/101341.Empire_of_Wealth",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An Empire of Wealth",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Steele Gordon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american economic history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-engine-not-a-camera-01204e",
      "title": "An Engine, Not a Camera",
      "author": "Donald MacKenzie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33807653,
          "author": "muggermuch",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T21:03:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33807653",
          "commentText": "1. I would fiercely recommend reading “An Engine, Not A Camera” (Donald MacKenzie). Formally, it reads as a sociological study of the practice of finance - how financial markets shape society instead of simply capturing its needs and desires at large. More importantly, however, it made me think deeper on questions about fields of study that are (were?) distant and to question assumptions: a lot of ideas that we take for granted as absolute truths are simply consensus-derived and have no objective reality.\n2. On a similar theme, “The Lady Tasting Tea” (David Salsburg) was a wonderful history of the development of statistics as a mathematical discipline. I found it absolutely fascinating to map out how individual personalities were buffeted and shaped by larger historical events and movements (e.g. eugenics in the late 19th century, WW2, the rise of the Soviet Union, etc.) into asking questions of data that propelled statistics forward. Disciplines we think of as being “hard” (math, CS, statistics, physics) have been shaped by social forces in a non-linear non-Hegelian fashion, in fits and starts, quite contrary to the way they are presented in a pedagogical setting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would fiercely recommend reading “An Engine, Not A Camera” (Donald MacKenzie).",
          "reason": "Explores how financial markets shape society and challenges assumptions about supposedly objective truths.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donald MacKenzie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial markets",
        "sociology of finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-engineering-approach-to-computer-networking-atm-networks-the-i-a00bfb",
      "title": "An Engineering Approach to Computer Networking: ATM Networks, the Internet, and the Telephone Network",
      "author": "S. Keshav",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27671662,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-29T04:08:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 27650775,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27671662",
          "commentText": "I think you are looking for a book which covers details of all the \"Hardware Appliances/Software Components\" which live in a network serving \"Web based Applications\". I don't know of any one book which will cover everything but you might find the following useful.\n* An Engineering Approach to Computer Networking: ATM Networks, the Internet, and the Telephone Network by S. Keshav - This is a great text on fundamentals of Networking. Nothing to do with the \"Web\" but everything to do with what underpins it.\n* Web Protocols and Practice: HTTP/1.1, Networking Protocols, Caching, and Traffic Measurement by Krishnamurthy and Rexford - Best book i have seen yet which explains the interplay between HTTP and the underlying TCP/IP protocol suite.\n* Load Balancing Servers, Firewalls, and Caches by Kopparapu.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An Engineering Approach to Computer Networking: ATM Networks, the Internet, and the Telephone Network by S. Keshav - This is a great text on fundamentals of Networking.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a text on networking fundamentals.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it has nothing to do with the Web, but covers what underpins it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "S. Keshav"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer networking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-enquiry-concerning-the-principles-of-morals-c5131d",
      "title": "An Enquiry concerning the Principles of Morals",
      "author": "David Hume",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503692,
          "author": "telemachos",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T14:39:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503692",
          "commentText": "Some from the canon:\n\nPlato: Defence of Socrates, Euthyphro, Crito (translated by David Gallop)\nThe Modes of Scepticism by Julia Annas and Jonathan Barnes (a beautiful collection of texts from Pyrrhonian scepticism and analysis of their arguments; the best way I know to meet ancient scepticism)\nDescartes: Meditations on First Philosophy (The Cambridge University Press edition is very good; it's probably worth buying their Selected Philosophical Writings for a good basic Descartes text)\nDavid Hume: An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding and An Enquiry concerning the Principles of Morals (I recommend the Oxford Philosophical Texts editions)\nWittgenstein: Philosophical Investigations (terribly, terribly difficult, but very rewarding)\n  A few contemporary things:\n\nGilbert Ryle: The Concept of Mind\nWillard Van Orman Quine: From a Logical Point of View\nJ. L. Mackie: Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong\nThomas Nagel: Mortal Questions (short essays, well-written, very accessible)\nBernard Williams: Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy\nMichael Smith: The Moral Problem\n  Specialist, technical, odd:\n\nThe Frege Reader by Michael Beaney (for modern logic and the beginnings of contemporary philosophy in the analytic style)\nJ. L. Mackie: The Cement of the Universe: A Study of Causation\nWilliam Kingdon Clifford: The Ethics of Belief (he argues, oddly but powerfully, that it's immoral to believe things on insufficient evidence or irrationally - an offense to morality, not just reason)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "David Hume: An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding and An Enquiry concerning the Principles of Morals (I recommend the Oxford Philosophical Texts editions)",
          "reason": "Recommends the Oxford Philosophical Texts editions of these Hume works.",
          "audience": "Readers studying Hume.",
          "caveat": "Specifically recommends the Oxford Philosophical Texts editions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Hume"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hume",
        "moral philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-essay-concerning-human-understanding-c9040f",
      "title": "An Essay Concerning Human Understanding",
      "author": "John Locke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503416,
          "author": "kkshin",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T09:21:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503416",
          "commentText": "It really depends on what you're looking for, but Philosophy is a field where one philosopher's work is built on top of the other's going all the way back to the ancient Greek's.  Its important (I think anyways) to read the raw texts before you read philosophical commentary so that you have a chance to form your own opinions.  That being said, here's some recommendations of mine that cover a breadth of philosophical subjects and time periods.  Its always good to see someone else want to learn more philsophy, especially if its of their own volition.\nPlato.  Strangely enough, Plato is probably one of the best introductions to philosophy, not only because he was one of the first whose writings survive to modern time, but also because its relatively simple to read and understand.  Some of my personal favorite are 'The Apology', 'The Symposium', and 'The Phaedrus', and of course 'The Republic'.  The weird thing with Plato is you'll never know how much of his writings are his thinking as opposed to Socrates teaching.  I still reread Plato because the stories (most of his writing is in narrative form) are so damn entertaining.\nAristotle.  This is a natural progression from reading Plato.  The 'Nichomachean Ethics' is a cornerstone of ancient philosophy and is a relative simple read.\nJohn Locke/Gottfried Leibniz.  I'll admit, I struggled through 'An Essay of Human Understanding' but this title and Leibniz's rebuttal 'New Essays on Human Understanding' illustrate a historically important philosophical debate between empiricists and rationalists.  Since you're reading 'Common Sense' you might also want to give Locke's 'Second Treatise on Civil Government' a gander.\nImmaneul Kant.  Since you're reading Schopenhauer you should read Kant as he was heavily influenced by him.  You'll hear him referenced a lot if you continue to read philosophy so you should familiarize yourself with his thinking, especially on his thoughts in epistemology.\nBertrand Russell.  People have already recommended him and he's one of the most popular philosopher's of modern times, mostly because he's so easy to read and was somewhat of a cultural icon during his time.  I have a particular fondness for his work because when I had doubts about my faith, \"Why I Am not A Christian\" helped me find words to communicate my break with Catholocism.  His \"History of Western Philosophy\" is considered a cornerstone history of philosophy book (although it is somewhat dated now).  His writings are usually rather short and concise.\nJacques Derrida/Gilles Deleuze.  Now we're getting into some wacky shit.  To be fair, I shouldn't even be commenting on it because I have no idea what these guys are talking about half the time.  These are the philosophers that people read and pretend to understand because they want to sound smart.  You know the stereotypical \"philosophy\" students that you see in movies.  Maybe you'll find something of substance in their work although many philsopher's believe these guys are/were hacks and purposefully obfuscate their writing to hide the fact that there's no substance in it.\nOne of the best ways to read philosophy is to start with a philosopher who truly changed the game with their work (such as Kant) and work your way out reading the work of his supporters as well as the work of those that disagree with him.  This way you'll get a worldy view on 'important' philosophical issues while starting to formulate your own opinions on th ematter.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "'An Essay of Human Understanding'",
          "reason": "Included to illustrate a historically important debate between empiricists and rationalists.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter struggled through it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Locke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "empiricism",
        "epistemology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-essay-in-aid-of-a-grammar-of-assent-c53b52",
      "title": "An Essay in Aid of a Grammar of Assent",
      "author": "John Henry Newman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503873,
          "author": "joshuacc",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T16:16:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503873",
          "commentText": "Since it looks like skeptical philosophy is covered pretty well, here are some books from religious philosophy that you'd probably do well to read:\nThe Tao te Ching\nThe Summa Theologica by Thomas Aquinas\nAn Essay in Aid of a Grammar of Assent by John Henry Newman\nEither/Or by Kierkegaard",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An Essay in Aid of a Grammar of Assent by John Henry Newman",
          "reason": "Suggested among books on religious philosophy in response to a request for philosophical books.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in religious philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Henry Newman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian theology",
        "religious epistemology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-illustrated-book-of-bad-arguments-535e7c",
      "title": "An Illustrated Book of Bad Arguments",
      "author": "Ali Almossawi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37160174,
          "author": "prepend",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T11:49:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37160174",
          "commentText": "I’ve had the pdf of “Almost Perfect” by Pete Peterson [0] on my cloud for a while and like reading it in bits and pieces and rereading it when I’m stuck somewhere without data. It’s the story of WordPerfect and while desktop software is very different than today’s software the organizational dynamics is fascinating to me. And I like how what to me is a very technical thing- writing excellent software- is designed and run by a “non-technical” person. And feeds my anxiety and imposter syndrome that maybe I’m not a tech person but a business person who knows enough technology to make a living.\nI also keep referring to “An Illustrated Book of Bad Arguments” by Ali Almossawi [1] as it’s fun and seems to me to be technically correct. I recently had to look it up to remember if it’s “natural fallacy” or “naturalistic fallacy” or something else. It’s not covered in the book but I did get to read about others with sepia animal drawings. I’ve also found it useful for introducing critical thinking and avoiding logical fallacies to young people.\n[0] https://wepeterson.com/almostperfect/\n[1] https://bookofbadarguments.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also keep referring to “An Illustrated Book of Bad Arguments” by Ali Almossawi [1] as it’s fun and seems to me to be technically correct.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds it fun, technically correct, and useful for introducing critical thinking to young people.",
          "audience": "Useful for introducing critical thinking and logical fallacies to young people.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it does not cover the naturalistic fallacy.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ali Almossawi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "critical thinking",
        "logical fallacies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-imaginary-life-7e268e",
      "title": "An Imaginary Life",
      "author": "David Malouf",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9348299,
          "author": "humanarity",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:37:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348299",
          "commentText": "Meditations (Marcus Aurelius) - incredibly clear ideas probably clear-up 80% of issues you have with everyday life\nThe Bible (& The Gnostic Gospels) - I love the idea that Jesus was a real guy who (literally) petrified his childhood playmates because they \"vexed\" him by dispersing his anti-gravity water :)\nAtlas Shrugged - no excuses\nSelf and Others - personal pyschology\nSeth Speaks - a lady channels an interdimensional being\nThe Road Less Travelled - a psychoanalyst's memoirs\nLetters to a Young Artist - encouragement for going your own way, a series of letters\nThe Alchemist - help you read the signs from the heart of the World for your own path\nAn Introduction to Zen Buddhism, et al (T. Suzuki) - really interesting, non-duality, higher third unification of opposites\nHear the Wind Sing (Murakami) - really bizarre and pure, his first one written late nights at kitchen table after working in a bar, before he became famous\nRich Dad Poor Dad - solid advice\nDiscrete Maths (Rosen) - interesting and very learnable, a great reference\nAn Imaginary Life (Malouf) - great clarity of writing\nThe Solid Mandala (Patrick White) - amazing observation of people",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An Imaginary Life (Malouf) - great clarity of writing",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the clarity of the writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Malouf"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "roman poetry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-indispensable-truth-how-fusion-power-can-save-the-planet-c820fd",
      "title": "An Indispensable Truth: How Fusion Power Can Save the Planet",
      "author": "Francis F. Chen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38304473,
          "author": "raajg",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-17T15:01:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38304473",
          "commentText": "- An Indispensable Truth: How Fusion Power Can Save the Planet - Chen, Francis F.\n- Elon Musk - Isaacson, Walter",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An Indispensable Truth: How Fusion Power Can Save the Planet - Chen, Francis F.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Francis F. Chen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fusion energy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-infinitely-long-napkin-94c3bf",
      "title": "An Infinitely Long Napkin",
      "author": "Evan Chen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804348,
          "author": "JonathanMerklin",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:41:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804348",
          "commentText": "Great thread. 2019 was the first time in about 7-8 years I made reading for pleasure a tertiary priority ((school+career)work/sleep/exercise+socializing+(NEW!)reading) and I got through about 20 books of varying length and difficulty, so here are the next 20 in my queue:\n- Infinite Jest (already started, will likely finish in early Jan. I love it so far.)\n- Quantum Computing Since Democritus (started in November as my nonfiction read, but took a break; I think I want to finish IJ first. Scott is an excellent writer and I was really enjoying this)\n- Building Microservices\n- The Code Book\n- How Cars Work (I want to turn the projection of a car in my brain from a black box to a gray box this year, and I don't mean by purchasing a Cybertruck)\n- To Kill a Mockingbird\n- The Personal MBA (for years I laughed off caring about the business of business and lived in my fantasy land of being satisfied with just the technical details and being focused on only implementing great software/learning how to do so. With a few years in the workforce under my belt, I realize that such an outlook was of great detriment to me. I'm open to other suggestions on similar \"catch me up to speed on general business education\" material)\n- Designing Data-Intensive Applications\n- Island (I have a copy of this but not Brave New World. Multiple friends of mine demand I try Huxley, so here we are.)\n- The Annotated Turing\n- How to Invent Everything\n- Soonish (SMBC is a daily read for me and I'm excited to get to this.)\n- How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems (ditto XKCD modulo release schedule)\n- Basic Economics\n- Thus Spoke Zarathustra\n- Seveneves\n- The Prince\n- Pacific Rims: Beermen Ballin' in Flip-Flops and the Philippines' Unlikely Love Affair with Basketball\n- Elevator Music: A Surreal History of Muzak, Easy-Listening, and Other Moodsong\n- Fahrenheit 451\nAdditionally, to tickle the part of my brain that fancies mathematics (one of my my majors in undergrad), I try to work through a chapter or two of Evan Chen's \"An Infinitely Long Napkin\" on a quarterly basis. If you don't mind a conversational tone to your math textbooks, I've found this to be an excellent resource for scraping the surface of a wide variety of topics and fields (including, well, topics like fields). I think I'll continue this habit.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've found this to be an excellent resource for scraping the surface of a wide variety of topics and fields",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an excellent resource for exploring a wide range of mathematical topics.",
          "audience": "Readers who like conversational mathematics textbooks.",
          "caveat": "The commenter works through only a chapter or two each quarter.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Evan Chen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "conversational textbook",
        "olympiad mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-inquiry-into-meaning-and-truth-264500",
      "title": "An Inquiry into Meaning and Truth",
      "author": "Bertrand Russell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15159375,
          "author": "mrmyers",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T02:26:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15159375",
          "commentText": "Modeling the world generally (as in, why mathematics works and can apply to the real world):\n  =Bertrand Russell=\n  * An Inquiry into Meaning and Truth\n  * A Theory of Knowledge\n  * Logic and Knowledge\n  =W.V. Quine=\n  * Word and Object\n  * Mathematical Logic\n  =Norbert Weiner=\n  * Cybernetics: Or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine\n  =Smullyan=\n  * Diagonalization and Self Reference\n\nSquishy Human Things:\n  Thomas Kuhn      - The Structure of Scientific Revolutions\n  Norbert Weiner   - The Human Use of Human-Beings\n  Bertrand Russell - A History of Western Philosophy\n  Karl Popper      - The Open Society and Its Enemies\n  Daniel Dennet    - Consciousness Explained\n  E. Abbot Abbot   - Flatland",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An Inquiry into Meaning and Truth",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bertrand Russell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epistemology",
        "meaning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-inquiry-into-the-human-mind-on-the-principles-of-common-sense-e28ca4",
      "title": "An Inquiry into the Human Mind on the Principles of Common Sense",
      "author": "Thomas Reid",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503671,
          "author": "zppx",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T14:26:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503671",
          "commentText": "My list:\n- Pirkei Avot, it's a section of the Mishnah (a part of the Talmud), it summarizes the jewish moral thought (well, not for the Karaites Jews, they did not believe in the Talmud), I was born in a Orthodox Jewish family so it was important on my beliefs, even though I am an Atheist now.\n- Organon, it's a compilation of Aristotle's logic works, they are the basis for the logical thought of the Western civilization, I think it's easier to read the originals than compendiums.\n- Philosophical Investigations, the second book of Wittgenstein, it's dense, and obscure to some extent, but it's really eye-opener, some ideas that influenced the last century are introduced there.\n- Proofs and Refutations, a posthumous work by Imre Lakatos, it defied much of my established view on how Mathematics works.\n- Thus Spoke Zarathustra, a powerful book, it's dense and you can only drag many conclusions from it when you read other works from Nietzsche, which lead to my next book.\n- On the Genealogy of Morality, this is for me the most important of the 5 books that I have read from Nietzsche, in the first essay of the book the concept of master morality and slave morality is introduced, some people think that Nietzsche favors the first, I disagree, for me he describes and criticizes both.\n- Truth and Method, the classic of Gadamer, some people call it a \"postmodern\" work, this only serves to show how \"modern\" some of the \"postmodern\" were, the book basically addresses how our current beliefs and customs, which he calls traditions, plays an important part in our hermeneutics and how we always are biased to interpret something.\n- Epistemic Justification, this book of William Alston is a good refinement if you already know some epistemology, although I disagree with the \"justified true belief\" definition of knowledge, that is the main theme of the book and its essays, it introduced some questions about the nature and limitations of knowledge.\n- Inquiry into the Human Mind, by Thomas Reid is a good read and also a staunch defense of the common sense.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Inquiry into the Human Mind, by Thomas Reid is a good read and also a staunch defense of the common sense.",
          "reason": "Calls it a good read and a staunch defense of common sense.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in common sense philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Reid"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "common sense philosophy",
        "mind"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-introduction-to-cybernetics-7f72a6",
      "title": "An Introduction to Cybernetics",
      "author": "W. Ross Ashby",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9612744,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T17:01:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9612744",
          "commentText": "The Law - Frédéric Bastiat. http://bastiat.org/en/the_law.html\nCapitalism - A Treatise on Economics - George Reisman.  http://www.capitalism.net/Capitalism/CAPITALISM_Internet.pdf\nThe Works of Lysander Spooner.  http://lysanderspooner.org/node/2\nThe Machinery of Freedom David Friedman. - http://daviddfriedman.com/The_Machinery_of_Freedom_.pdf\nDemocratizing Innovation - Eric Von Hippel. http://web.mit.edu/evhippel/www/democ1.htm\nThe Sources of Innovation - Eric Von Hippel. http://web.mit.edu/evhippel/www/sources.htm\nIntroduction to Information Retrieval - http://nlp.stanford.edu/IR-book/html/htmledition/irbook.html\nInformation Theory, Inference, and Learning Algorithms - David MacKay.  http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/itprnn/book.html\nIntroduction to Cybernetics - William Ross Ashby. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/books/IntroCyb.pdf\n\"Man-Computer Symbiosis\" and \"The Computer As A Communication Device\" - J.C.R. Licklider. http://memex.org/licklider.pdf\nDesign For A Brain - William Ross Ashby. https://archive.org/details/designforbrainor00ashb\nThe Writings of Douglas Engelbart. http://www.dougengelbart.org/library/library.html\nand if you like maths, don't miss this great list of free maths texts by George Cain:  https://people.math.gatech.edu/~cain/textbooks/onlinebooks.h... (https://people.math.gatech.edu/~cain/textbooks/onlinebooks.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Introduction to Cybernetics - William Ross Ashby.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. Ross Ashby"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybernetics",
        "systems theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-introduction-to-geometry-467a12",
      "title": "An Introduction to Geometry",
      "author": "H. S. M. Coxeter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34441116,
          "author": "steppi",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T15:11:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34441116",
          "commentText": "Some favorites below. Books 0-3 are accessible. The remaining books are more difficult but I'd highly recommend them to math students.\n0. Jan Gullberg, Mathematics, From the Birth of Numbers. A highly accessible popular survey on different branches of higher mathematics. I read this over the Summer between high school and starting my undergraduate degree. It's what made me want to study math. Previously I'd wanted to be a guitar player, but had to find a new ambition after an injury left me unable to play.\n1. The high school mathematics series by Israel Gelfand. Algebra, Trigonometry, The Method of Coordinates, and Functions and Graphs. I\ndidn't have much mathematics background in high school, but working through these really solidified my grasp on the basics.\n2. George Polya. How to Solve it. A short book giving excellent high level advice on mathematical problem solving.\n3. George E. Andrews, Number Theory. I worked through this freshman year contemporaneously with my first proof based class on simple logic and set theory. A very beautiful and accessible introduction to basic number theory. The combinatorial/geometric proofs of Fermat's Little Theorem and Wilson's Theorem are lovely. It also includes a very nice proof of Chebyshev's theorem on the asymptotic density of primes and even the Rogers-Ramanujan identities for integer partitions.\n4. Vladimir Arnold, Ordinary Differential Equations: Undergrad ODE classes are often taught in a cookbook fashion and if so, don't offer much enlightenment. This book explains what's going on at geometrical level. I didn't appreciate ODEs until I read this. See https://www.uni-muenster.de/Physik.TP/~munsteg/arnold.html for Arnold's views on teaching mathematics.\n5. E.C. Titchmarsh The Theory of Functions: Recommended by my undergraduate advisor because he noticed that I liked reading older books. It contains sections on complex analysis and real analysis with measure theory, but I've only read the complex analysis sections. It's not for everyone, if I recall correctly, there is not a single picture, but it is very lively and has a lot of material you won't find in a standard complex analysis book, including Dirichlet series. Excellent as a supplement to a standard complex analysis book.\n6. George Polya. Mathematics and Plausible Reasoning. An excellent expansion on Polya's ideas on How to Solve it. While the goal is to seek rigorous proofs, to get there it's powerful to be able to think based on intuition, heuristics, and plausible reasoning. A lot of math exposition is theorem/proof based and doesn't help develop these skills. In a similar vein, see also Terence Tao's classic post There's more to mathematics than rigour and proofs https://terrytao.wordpress.com/career-advice/theres-more-to-... (https://terrytao.wordpress.com/career-advice/theres-more-to-mathematics-than-rigour-and-proofs/).\n7. H.S.M Coxeter, An Introduction to Geometry. A book of very beautiful classical geometry. Something typically not touched on at all in a typical mathematics curriculum.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "H.S.M Coxeter, An Introduction to Geometry.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it for its beautiful treatment of classical geometry.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in classical geometry.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says this topic is typically absent from a standard mathematics curriculum.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "H. S. M. Coxeter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classical geometry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-introduction-to-high-frequency-finance-e83834",
      "title": "An Introduction to High-Frequency Finance",
      "author": "Dacorogna et al.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3184995,
          "author": "rfurlan",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-02T01:39:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 3177815,
          "threadTitle": "Good books for hackers interested in quant finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3184995",
          "commentText": "Books I would recommend for beginners:\nEvidence Based Technical Analysis:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Evidence-Based-Technical-Analysis-Scie... (http://www.amazon.com/Evidence-Based-Technical-Analysis-Scientific-Statistical/dp/0470008741)\nPairs Trading:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Pairs-Trading-Quantitative-Methods-Ana... (http://www.amazon.com/Pairs-Trading-Quantitative-Methods-Analysis/dp/0471460672)\nQuantitative Trading:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Quantitative-Trading-Build-Algorithmic... (http://www.amazon.com/Quantitative-Trading-Build-Algorithmic-Business/dp/0470284889)\nAn Introduction to High Frequency Finance:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Introduction-High-Frequency-Finance-Ra... (http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-High-Frequency-Finance-Ramazan-Dacorogna/dp/0122796713)\nTrading and Exchanges: Market Microstructure for Practitioners:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Trading-Exchanges-Market-Microstructur... (http://www.amazon.com/Trading-Exchanges-Market-Microstructure-Practitioners/dp/0195144708)\nI also wrote a couple of very introductory articles, sadly I never got past part #2:\nhttp://www.bitcortex.com/2008/12/28/pragmatic-automated-trad... (http://www.bitcortex.com/2008/12/28/pragmatic-automated-trading-part-1/)\nhttp://www.bitcortex.com/2009/01/04/pragmatic-automated-trad... (http://www.bitcortex.com/2009/01/04/pragmatic-automated-trading-part-2/)\nI am could mentor 1-2 HN readers that are serious about getting into quant trading. Just let me know you are interested :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An Introduction to High Frequency Finance:",
          "reason": "Listed among books recommended for beginners.",
          "audience": "Beginners in quant trading.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dacorogna et al."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "high frequency trading",
        "market data"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-introduction-to-homological-algebra-52c71a",
      "title": "An Introduction to Homological Algebra",
      "author": "Charles A. Weibel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34444481,
          "author": "kevinventullo",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T19:28:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34444481",
          "commentText": "This is a bit of an odd suggestion, but I learned the basics of category theory from the appendix to Weibel’s “An Introduction to Homological Algebra”.\nI’m not sure why, but I think the fact that it’s an appendix meant the author had no motivation to inflate the content unnecessarily. So it’s more like a pamphlet; only about 30 pages IIRC, and it’s really just the bare-bones definitions and facts. The full-on textbooks dedicated to category theory have way too much superfluous content IMO, unless your aim is to be a researcher in that field specifically.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I learned the basics of category theory from the appendix to Weibel’s “An Introduction to Homological Algebra”.",
          "reason": "The appendix served as a concise introduction to the basics of category theory.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says dedicated category theory textbooks have unnecessary content unless pursuing research in the field.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles A. Weibel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "category theory",
        "homological algebra"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-introduction-to-information-theory-e13ebc",
      "title": "An Introduction to Information Theory",
      "author": "John R. Pierce",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21902992,
          "author": "anaphor",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T00:48:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902992",
          "commentText": "Most of mine are going to be books by philosophers or scientists (about philosophy or other things).\n- The Conquest of Happiness by Bertrand Russell was a pretty good one. He has a lot of ideas that were ahead of their time (positive psychology, etc). You can see a lot of parallels between his ideas and modern Stoicism (although Russell criticized it elsewhere, I think he came to some of the same conclusions).\n- Introduction To Mathematical Philosophy by Bertrand Russell. Another Russell one. I think this is probably the clearest and easiest to understand explanation I've ever read of the underpinnings of mathematical foundations. It's written in a style that should be accessible to almost anyone with a high school education. He wrote it while he was in prison (for refusing to be drafted) during WW1. Apparently he left a copy of it to the prison warden.\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding by David Hume. This is worth reading because it is the motivation for basically all of modern philosophy of science (at least in the west). It's also pretty easy to read and if you read it you'll be able to more easily understand other books and papers that are responses to it.\n- Turing's Cathedral by George Dyson. This book should be required reading for every programmer or aspiring programmer IMO. I learned so much about the history of computing that I didn't know before reading this. You will not regret buying this one.\n- I Am A Strange Loop by Douglas Hofstadter. Obviously everyone knows about GEB, but he also wrote a shorter follow up that in my opinion expresses his ideas much more clearly. I think that even if you disagree with him, it's worth reading because there are so many things you can take away from this book. For example, he talks about his wife's death, and ties that into his theory of mind and explains the unstated purposes of why we have funerals/wakes for people.\n- An Introduction to Information Theory by John R. Pierce. For someone like me who doesn't really have a very strong math background, this was a very clear intro to the ideas behind information theory, and why they're important historically. I would recommend this to anyone who feels like they need a gentle intro to the ideas and motivation for them. Dover mathematics books in general are great.\n- Borrow: The American Way of Debt by Louis Hyman. This is a fantastic historical overview of personal credit in the US that covers the past 120 years or so. I learned a ton from reading this that I had no clue about. Recommended to anyone who wants to understand the origins of credit cards / loans, and how society came to embrace being in debt.\nhttps://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.222834/page/n7\nhttps://people.umass.edu/klement/imp/imp-ebk.pdf\nhttps://archive.org/details/humeenquiry00humerich/page/n7\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Turings-Cathedral-Origins-Digital-Uni... (https://www.amazon.com/Turings-Cathedral-Origins-Digital-Universe/dp/1400075998)\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Am-Strange-Loop-Douglas-Hofstadter/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Am-Strange-Loop-Douglas-Hofstadter/dp/0465030793)\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Information-Theory-Symbo... (https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Information-Theory-Symbols-Mathematics/dp/0486240614)\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Borrow-American-Debt-Louis-Hyman/dp/0... (https://www.amazon.com/Borrow-American-Debt-Louis-Hyman/dp/0307741680)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend this to anyone who feels like they need a gentle intro to the ideas and motivation for them.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a clear, gentle introduction to information theory and its motivation.",
          "audience": "Readers wanting an accessible introduction, including those without a strong math background.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John R. Pierce"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "communication",
        "information theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-introduction-to-kolmogorov-complexity-and-its-applications-35d386",
      "title": "An Introduction to Kolmogorov Complexity and Its Applications",
      "author": "Ming Li, Paul Vitányi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21312313,
          "author": "bo1024",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T14:01:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21312313",
          "commentText": "CS is like math, not philosophy -- the fundamental ideas are gradually refined by a community, and eventually someone puts them into a book. Usually there are many books and people have different favorites.\nSo the closest parallels are original research papers like Turing's and Shannon's; but you're probably better off reading more recent textbooks.\nThat said, to balance out the heavy emphasis on programming and engineering books here, some recommendations:\n- Sipser. Introduction to the Theory of Computation.\n- Russell, Norvig. AI: A Modern Approach.\n- For algorithms I don't have a preference. There is Dasgupta-Papadimitriou-Vazirani; Cormen-Leisersen-Rivest-Stein; Kleinberg-Tardos; and more.\nA bit farther from core CS, I also like:\n- Cover, Thomas. Elements of Information Theory.\n- Li, Vitanyi. An Introduction to Kolmogorov Complexity and Its Applications",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Li, Vitanyi. An Introduction to Kolmogorov Complexity and Its Applications",
          "reason": "Listed among recommendations farther from core computer science.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as farther from core computer science.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ming Li, Paul Vitányi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "information theory",
        "kolmogorov complexity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-introduction-to-logic-37db08",
      "title": "An Introduction to Logic",
      "author": "H. W. B. Joseph",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2152798,
          "author": "Tim1776",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-28T18:04:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2152798",
          "commentText": "Books that sharpened my thinking: \"An Introduction to Logic\" by H.W.B. Joseph, everything written by Ayn Rand, \"On the Several Senses of Being in Aristotle\" by Franz Brentano, and the works of Aristotle.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"An Introduction to Logic\" by H.W.B. Joseph",
          "reason": "Lists it among books that sharpened their thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "H. W. B. Joseph"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "formal logic",
        "reasoning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-introduction-to-manifolds-18f325",
      "title": "An Introduction to Manifolds",
      "author": "Loring W. Tu",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34442498,
          "author": "bmitc",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T16:52:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34442498",
          "commentText": "While I have a ton of favorite math books, the two books that I felt really helped me the relevant subject are:\n* An Introduction to Manifolds by Loring Tu\n* The Elements of Integration and Lebesgue Measure by Robert G. Bartle.\nThese two books were instrumental to my studying for my qualifying exams.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An Introduction to Manifolds by Loring Tu",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was instrumental in studying for qualifying exams.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Loring W. Tu"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "differential geometry",
        "manifolds"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-introduction-to-mathematical-reasoning-233a4f",
      "title": "An Introduction to Mathematical Reasoning",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 755416,
          "author": "tokenadult",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T15:27:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755416",
          "commentText": "That thread recommends many very few good books, but probably mostly books too hard at first for the participant who has posted this new thread.\nI'll recommend a couple of books from that thread:\nhttp://www.springer.com/physics/book/978-0-306-45036-5\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Short-Introduction-Timothy... (http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Short-Introduction-Timothy-Gowers/dp/0192853619/)\nI agree with the recommendation of An Introduction to Mathematical Reasoning in this thread.\nAnother participant has already recommended my favorite for background reading, Concepts of Modern Mathematics by Ian Stewart.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Modern-Mathematics-Ian-Stewar... (http://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Modern-Mathematics-Ian-Stewart/dp/0486284247/)\nGet that right away.\nSawyer's A Mathematician's Delight is surely also good (I've read other books by Sawyer).\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0486462404/\nRead those for background as you get my favorite overviews of mathematics: Basic Mathematics by Serge Lang and Numbers and Geometry by Joseph Stillwell.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Basic-Mathematics-Serge-Lang/dp/038796... (http://www.amazon.com/Basic-Mathematics-Serge-Lang/dp/0387967877/)\n(Basic Mathematics is mostly high school level math, with a minimum of fuss and bother, and good exercises.)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Geometry-John-Stillwell/dp/038... (http://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Geometry-John-Stillwell/dp/0387982892/)\n(Numbers and Geometry is mostly undergraduate level math, with very good explanations and excellent exercises.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I agree with the recommendation of An Introduction to Mathematical Reasoning in this thread.",
          "reason": "Explicitly agrees with the recommendation of this book.",
          "audience": "A beginner learning mathematics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the books from the earlier thread may be too hard at first.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical reasoning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-introduction-to-ordinary-differential-equations-339e94",
      "title": "An Introduction to Ordinary Differential Equations",
      "author": "Earl A. Coddington",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31491923,
          "author": "graycat",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T13:38:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31491923",
          "commentText": "Bluntly, with only occasional exceptions, have to learn from the books.  Period.  No biggie:  Once are in grad school or a prof, have to learn from papers, and the good books are typically MUCH easier to read than the papers!\nFor first calculus, read one of the well respected books.  In my experience and opinion, don't need high school advanced placement calculus -- regard it as a waste of time.  Also the last time I looked at Khan Academy, I concluded that it was a waste or worse and by people who didn't have a good background in calculus.  Generally the Internet sources are too elementary.  Solution:  Just use some good books.  Protter and Morrey is good (I taught from it), but it is a bit elementary.  I learned from Johnson and Kiokmeister; I like it.  At the time it was also being used at Harvard.  The exercises are especially good.  It's old, but calculus hasn't changed much since 1950 or so about when it gave up on teaching infinitesimals.\nBut might check out the Maxima software for symbolic indefinite integration -- as I recall, its algorithms are so good they do any indefinite integration that can be done in closed form.\nFor linear algebra, sure, Nering (a student of E. Artin at Princeton) and then Halmos (a finite dimensional introduction to Hilbert space and written when Halmos was an assistant to von Neumann, office not far from Einstein), etc.  For still more, R. Bellman has a good book -- he went all over active and put in everything including the kitchen sink.  Then for numerical work, old but a start, Forsythe and\nMoler and/or the documentation of LINPAK.\nFor multivariate calculus through the divergence theorem and as needed, e.g., for Maxwell's equations, start with the most elementary treatments of vector analysis and f'get about the lack of proofs.  Actually notice, can see via a Google search, that the divergence theorem on a box is just a dirt simple application of the fundamental theorem of freshman calculus.  Then the difficulty is proving the thing on other shapes.  Then do multivariate calculus again via, say, Apostol, Mathematical Analysis: A Modern Approach to Advanced Calculus.  That he uses the Jordan curve theorem is a bit much but just go with the flow.  Fleming's Functions of Several Variables does it with both measure theory and exterior algebra.  Or W. Rudin's, as I recall, third edition, Principles of Mathematical Analysis.  For calculus done via Lebesgue's measure theory, Royden's Real Analysis and/or the first half of Rudin's Real and Complex Analysis.\nMy favorite author on ordinary differential equations is Coddington, and his elementary An Introduction to Ordinary\nDifferential Equations is nicely done and likely enough for nearly any applications might encounter.  Will want some of this if do A/C circuit theory or deterministic optimal control.\nFor basic abstract algebra Herstein, Topics in Algebra should usually be enough and is well written.  With that will be well prepared for, say, algebraic coding theory which actually has some important applications.\nOnce have a background in measure theory, for probability, of course, Loeve or either of his students Breiman or Neveu.  Breiman is really nice to read. Neveu is a good candidate for  the most polished and elegantly done math book or writing of any kind in all of civilization.   Be sure to get to the good stuff on the Radon-Nikodym theorem, conditional expectation, martingales, and ergodic processes.\nFor relatively good results, better than hardly any students get just from courses, study the theorems and proofs until can do them yourself and can also explain them to any common man in the street and also explain where they fit in more generally.  Also be able to do the exercises.  E.g., Rudin's Principles has the inverse and implicit function theorems as exercises!  Fleming applies them to Lagrange multipliers. These two theorems are the main prerequisites of differential geometry -- some parts of physics, now popular, touch on this math!\nIn my Ph.D. program I led the class in 4 of the five qualifying exams, and for the analysis and linear algebra exams, the books above were the secret.  After I did that, the department tried to have the students do better by offering a course from Rudin's Principles; the course didn't work; that book is too hard for a course and needs weeks of quiet time where a student can chew on the text slowly line by line. Rudin has some of the most precise presentations on Fourier theory.  So when physics uses Fourier theory or engineers use the fast Fourier transform, you will likely know Fourier theory quite a lot better than they do.  Right, the uncertainty principle in quantum mechanics is just a basic result in Fourier theory.  With Fourier theory and linearity, Schroedinger's equation starts to make sense.  A good exercise in early measure theory is differentiation under the integral sign, Leibniz's rule -- be sure to cover that with a good proof.\nWith the background from the books above will be well prepared for a wide range of more narrow topics in pure and applied math.\nNearly all these books are available used in nearly new condition for low prices.  In a move I lost some of my library and rebuilt with used copies.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "his elementary An Introduction to Ordinary Differential Equations is nicely done",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a well-done elementary book and says it is likely enough for nearly any applications encountered.",
          "audience": "People learning ordinary differential equations for applications.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as elementary.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Earl A. Coddington"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ordinary differential equations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-introduction-to-philosophical-analysis-f893c0",
      "title": "An Introduction to Philosophical Analysis",
      "author": "John Hospers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33801569,
          "author": "coolguysamt",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T14:56:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33801569",
          "commentText": "How to Read a Book by Adler. It describes a systematic way of reading, interpreting, criticizing, and judging the value of non-fiction.\nAn Introduction to Philosophical Analysis by Hospers. Provides an approach to thinking about different types of philosophical problems.\nBoth are accessible and will make you super genius.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An Introduction to Philosophical Analysis by Hospers. Provides an approach to thinking about different types of philosophical problems.",
          "reason": "Provides an approach to thinking about philosophical problems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Hospers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "philosophical analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-introduction-to-programming-in-go-3b20dc",
      "title": "An Introduction to Programming in Go",
      "author": "Caleb Doxsey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6976558,
          "author": "ramgp",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T21:01:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976558",
          "commentText": "Software development related reads with a strong focus on proven practices that enhance software quality in terms of readability and maintainability (and other software ~ilities) to ease the process of changing the software later on.\nThe Art of Readable Code by  Dustin Boswell & Trevor Foucher\nDon't Make Me Think 2ed by Steve Krug\nRemote: Office not Required by Jason Fried & DHH\nThe Art of Unit Testing by Roy Osherove\nCode Complete 2 by Steve McConnell\nRefactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code by Martin Fowler\nThe Practice of Programming by Brian Kernighan & Rob Pike\nJavaScript: The Good Parts by Douglas Crockford\nCode Simplicity by Max Kanat-Alexander\nAn Introduction to Programming in Go by Caleb Doxsey at http://www.golang-book.com/\nAlso read: How To Be Black by Baratunde Thurston",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An Introduction to Programming in Go by Caleb Doxsey",
          "reason": "Listed as a software development read focused on proven practices and software quality.",
          "audience": "Programmers learning Go.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Caleb Doxsey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "go programming",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-introduction-to-quantum-field-theory-49a2e9",
      "title": "An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory",
      "author": "Michael E. Peskin and Daniel V. Schroeder",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14170964,
          "author": "ice109",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-22T03:25:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14170964",
          "commentText": "gravitation by wheeler misner thorne, qm by sakurai, mechanics by goldstein, e&m by jackson, qft by peskin and shroeder, etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "qft by peskin and shroeder",
          "reason": "Named as one of the field's bible-like books in response to the request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10787298,
          "author": "yetanotheracc",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T06:03:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787298",
          "commentText": "Absolutely amazing, changed the way I look at the society, will re-read:\n- George Orwell, Keep the Aspidistra Flying\nLoved:\n- Alastair Reynolds, House of Suns\n- Andy Weir, The Martian\n- Neal Stephenson, Seveneves\n- Greg Egan, Teranesia\nLiked:\n- Arthur C. Clarke, 3001: The Final Odyssey\n- Arthur C. Clarke, 2061: Odyssey Three\n- Richard Feynman, The Character of Physical Laws\n- Richard Feynman, The Pleasure of Finding Things Out\n- Jonathan Slack, Stem Cells: A Very Short Introduction\n- John Scalzi, Fuzzy Nation (bought the audiobook for Wil Wheaton's narration)\n- Ray Monk, Robert Oppenheimer: A Life Inside the Center\n- Alastair Reynolds,  Revelation Space\n- David C. Cassidy, Beyond Uncertainty: Heisenberg, Quantum Physics, and the Bomb\nFound full of BS, did not finish:\n- Noam Chomsky, Understanding Power\nTextbooks:\n- order of 10^3 pages of Open University textbooks\n- Klauber, Student Friendly Quantum Field Theory\n- Feynman & Hibbs, Quantum Mechanics and Path Integrals\n- Wald, General Relativity (5 chapters)\n- Peskin & Schroeder, An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory (5 chapters)\nNot as bad as I felt before making the list, but underwhelming in terms of quantity. I intend to read a whole lot more in 2016.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "- Peskin & Schroeder, An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory (5 chapters)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter read five chapters.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael E. Peskin",
        "Daniel V. Schroeder"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "quantum field theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-introduction-to-r-f9b27b",
      "title": "An Introduction to R",
      "author": "W. N. Venables and D. M. Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7759002,
          "author": "sytelus",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-17T02:11:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7759002",
          "commentText": "Doing Bayesian Data Analysis\nInteresting topics: MCMC, Gibbs Sampling\nF# for C# Developers\nThis book seems to leave lot out in order to simplify but good starting book nonetheless\nTCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 1: The Protocols, Second Edition\nI wanted to know what really \"connection\" means. This book has answer.\nAn Introduction to R\nI guess everyone dealing with data should know R, right?\nHere's my Amazon list with quite a few very interesting books collected over time: http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/RXLC4WK1ZOJR",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An Introduction to R\nI guess everyone dealing with data should know R, right?",
          "reason": "Presented as a useful book for people working with data and learning R.",
          "audience": "People dealing with data",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. N. Venables and D. M. Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data analysis",
        "r programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-introduction-to-statistical-learning-2532d1",
      "title": "An Introduction to Statistical Learning",
      "author": "Gareth James, Daniela Witten, Trevor Hastie, and Robert Tibshirani",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9611721,
          "author": "lovelearning",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T14:48:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9611721",
          "commentText": "\"Introduction to Statistical Learning\" (http://www-bcf.usc.edu/~gareth/ISL/) gives an excellent foundation for all machine learning approaches.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Introduction to Statistical Learning\" (http://www-bcf.usc.edu/~gareth/ISL/) gives an excellent foundation for all machine learning approaches.",
          "reason": "Says it gives an excellent foundation for machine learning.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gareth James",
        "Daniela Witten",
        "Trevor Hastie",
        "Robert Tibshirani"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "machine learning",
        "statistical learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-introduction-to-statistical-learning-45f631",
      "title": "An Introduction to Statistical Learning",
      "author": "Gareth James, Daniela Witten, Trevor Hastie, Robert Tibshirani, and Jonathan Taylor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20678365,
          "author": "_fullpint",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T18:28:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20678365",
          "commentText": "OP mentions Essentials Of Statistical Learning — it’s a pretty heavy book that gets mentioned quite a bit.\nFrom the same Stanford publishing there is Introduction to Statistical Learning. It’s a good intro to Machine Learning as a whole.\nFar too often it seems people want to jump directly into Deep Learning, I’d shy away from that and having a better understanding of ML as a discipline makes the application of DL much more productive.\nEdit:\nAlso would like to add a lot of people want to use DL for imaging stuff. Take some time to understand Digital Image Processing as well. It’s a good introduction to convolution and filtering. As well as just understanding what an image is and what can be done with it!\nThis is just sort of advice from my path.\nThe second book they mention also had some pretty heavy stuff involving probability and probability models. If you can take some time to understand Automata and it’s supplications such as Hidden Markov Models that’ll be a big help.\nAlso you mentioning that you never taking a formal algorithm course. While it isn’t necessary as you probably won’t be building anything from scratch. Learning some dynamic programming methods is very helpful when understanding FFT and it’s impact with convolution methods and also how some of these hidden models for probability are evaluated efficiently.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "From the same Stanford publishing there is Introduction to Statistical Learning. It’s a good intro to Machine Learning as a whole.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a good introduction to machine learning as a whole.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an introduction to machine learning as a discipline.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gareth James, Daniela Witten, Trevor Hastie, Robert Tibshirani, and Jonathan Taylor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "machine learning",
        "statistical learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-introduction-to-statistical-learning-with-applications-in-r-b3b580",
      "title": "An Introduction to Statistical Learning: with Applications in R",
      "author": "Gareth James, Daniela Witten, Trevor Hastie, and Robert Tibshirani",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13410458,
          "author": "ardivekar",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T15:29:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13410458",
          "commentText": "I really like Introduction To Statistical Learning with Applications in R, by Daniela Witten, Gareth James, Robert Tibshirani, and Trevor Hastie.\nIt's the easiest book I've found to get into machine learning without any formal statistics training.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really like Introduction To Statistical Learning with Applications in R, by Daniela Witten, Gareth James, Robert Tibshirani, and Trevor Hastie.\nIt's the easiest book I've found to get into machine learning without any formal statistics training.",
          "reason": "Says they really like it and found it an easy way to enter machine learning without statistics training.",
          "audience": "Readers entering machine learning without formal statistics training.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gareth James",
        "Daniela Witten",
        "Trevor Hastie",
        "Robert Tibshirani"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "machine learning",
        "statistical learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-introduction-to-zen-buddhism-a1c4b8",
      "title": "An Introduction to Zen Buddhism",
      "author": "D. T. Suzuki",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9348299,
          "author": "humanarity",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:37:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348299",
          "commentText": "Meditations (Marcus Aurelius) - incredibly clear ideas probably clear-up 80% of issues you have with everyday life\nThe Bible (& The Gnostic Gospels) - I love the idea that Jesus was a real guy who (literally) petrified his childhood playmates because they \"vexed\" him by dispersing his anti-gravity water :)\nAtlas Shrugged - no excuses\nSelf and Others - personal pyschology\nSeth Speaks - a lady channels an interdimensional being\nThe Road Less Travelled - a psychoanalyst's memoirs\nLetters to a Young Artist - encouragement for going your own way, a series of letters\nThe Alchemist - help you read the signs from the heart of the World for your own path\nAn Introduction to Zen Buddhism, et al (T. Suzuki) - really interesting, non-duality, higher third unification of opposites\nHear the Wind Sing (Murakami) - really bizarre and pure, his first one written late nights at kitchen table after working in a bar, before he became famous\nRich Dad Poor Dad - solid advice\nDiscrete Maths (Rosen) - interesting and very learnable, a great reference\nAn Imaginary Life (Malouf) - great clarity of writing\nThe Solid Mandala (Patrick White) - amazing observation of people",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An Introduction to Zen Buddhism, et al (T. Suzuki) - really interesting, non-duality, higher third unification of opposites",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it really interesting and mentions non-duality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "D. T. Suzuki"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "non duality",
        "zen buddhism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-introduction-to-the-c-programming-language-and-software-design-a1ffc9",
      "title": "An Introduction to the C Programming Language and Software Design",
      "author": "Tim Bailey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33131115,
          "author": "mhd",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T10:03:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33131115",
          "commentText": "One can only learn a language one time, so I've got a hard time recommending first books.\nBut I definitely second the recommendation for the second book here ;)\nHanson's style is a bit idiosyncratic, with his somewhat Modula-3-ish naming style and literate programming use, but there are a lot of usable data structures in there, and I especially like that the focus is on the module level, not on the algorithms themselves.\nNow, having said that, if you're in a particularly weird sub-domain of C, books from there might supersede or at least color a lot of what you're doing on a day to day basis. In the days of yore, if you wanted to do Win16/Win32 programming, getting to work with your Petzold early is a good idea, and I would assume the same to be true if you do glib/gobject based Gtk programming.\nTwo free resources that looked good to me and that I forwarded in the past were \"An Introduction to the C Programming Language and Software Design\"[1] by Tim Baily and \"Beej's Guide to C Programming\"[2]. Those are a bit more concise than your average intro to C book, but for some paths (prior experience, quick headway to C++ etc), they might be sufficient.\n[1]: https://www-personal.acfr.usyd.edu.au/tbailey/ctext/ctext.pd... (https://www-personal.acfr.usyd.edu.au/tbailey/ctext/ctext.pdf)\n[2]: https://beej.us/guide/bgc/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An Introduction to the C Programming Language and Software Design",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is a concise resource that may suit readers with prior experience or those moving quickly to C++.",
          "audience": "Readers with prior programming experience.",
          "caveat": "May be sufficient for some paths; described as more concise than the average introductory C book.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tim Bailey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming",
        "software design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-introduction-to-the-philosophy-of-science-ae4961",
      "title": "An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science",
      "author": "Rudolf Carnap",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25531171,
          "author": "ojnabieoot",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T20:36:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25531171",
          "commentText": "Rudolf Carnap - An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science\nMaybe it didn’t “change my life” but as a physics/math student this was probably the single book that most affected my internal ideology, by simply raising so many questions I hadn’t ever considered (or if I had, it was clumsy and inadequate).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Rudolf Carnap - An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science",
          "reason": "The commenter says it raised questions and strongly affected their thinking.",
          "audience": "Physics and mathematics students.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may not have changed their life.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rudolf Carnap"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epistemology",
        "philosophy of science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-introduction-to-the-theory-of-numbers-f7cdc3",
      "title": "An Introduction to the Theory of Numbers",
      "author": "G. H. Hardy and E. M. Wright",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21315153,
          "author": "playing_colours",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T17:51:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21315153",
          "commentText": "Focusing on mathematics, I think about two kinds of foundational books.\n1. Historically foundational: books that brought important ideas, introduced a new branch, progressed the maths significantly. You can read them these days, but their content, proofs, language, etc. is not up to date. Examples: Elements by Euclid, Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica by Newton, Disquisitiones Arithmeticae by Gauss.\n2. Modern foundational books: The ones that can be used for studying now. Books that are clearly written, popular, cover their subject well. Examples: Visual Complex Analysis, Spivak’s Calculus, Linear Algebra Done Right, Hardy’s \nAn Introduction to the Theory of Numbers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hardy’s \nAn Introduction to the Theory of Numbers.",
          "reason": "Named as a modern foundational book for studying mathematics now.",
          "audience": "People studying mathematics today.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "G. H. Hardy and E. M. Wright"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "number theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-invitation-to-formal-reasoning-2e950a",
      "title": "An Invitation to Formal Reasoning",
      "author": "Fred Sommers and George Englebretsen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 143268,
          "author": "gibsonf1",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T12:42:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143268",
          "commentText": "_Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology_, Ayn Rand\nThe \"Organon\" books by Aristotle\n_Introduction to Logic_, H. W. B. Joseph\n_An Invitation to Formal Reasoning_, Fred Sommers & George Englebretsen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "_An Invitation to Formal Reasoning_, Fred Sommers & George Englebretsen",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fred Sommers and George Englebretsen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "formal logic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-island-to-oneself-e6cc64",
      "title": "An Island to Oneself",
      "author": "Tom Neale",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1633514,
          "author": "dwwoelfel",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T17:36:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1633514",
          "commentText": "http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0918024765/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0918024765/",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1633104,
          "author": "ljf",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T15:32:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1633104",
          "commentText": "An Island to Oneself - Tom Neale\nFree version somewhere online - but I own a first run edition. Amazing book about what you can do if you really want to, and how strong the human mind can be.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An Island to Oneself - Tom Neale",
          "reason": "Calls it an amazing book about what a person can accomplish and the strength of the human mind.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Neale"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Nature",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "castaway memoir",
        "self reliance",
        "solitude"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-ocean-of-air-a-natural-history-of-the-atmosphere-5ca57b",
      "title": "An Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere",
      "author": "Gabrielle Walker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gabrielle Walker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "atmosphere",
        "climate"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-open-heart-4140ce",
      "title": "An Open Heart",
      "author": "Dalai Lama",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15761767,
          "author": "j45",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T00:03:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15761767",
          "commentText": "Good to Great - Jim Collins\nThe Man who Mistook his job for a life\nAn Open Heart - Dalai Lama",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An Open Heart - Dalai Lama",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question asking for books useful across areas of daily life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dalai Lama"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhism",
        "compassion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "an-unwelcome-quest-6dfd1d",
      "title": "An Unwelcome Quest",
      "author": "Scott Meyer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783776,
          "author": "noxToken",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T15:40:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783776",
          "commentText": "Was light year for me:\nConfessions of a D-List Supervillain - Jim Bernheimer\nOrigins of a D-List Supervillain - Jim Bernheimer\nThe second is a prequel of the first. I haven't read the third in the series. Light reading about a guy's descent into villainy.\nYes Please - Amy Poehler: I love memoirs. I just didn't love this one. It read a lot like Leslie Knope was the author, but there was an obscene amount of name dropping that kept interrupting the flow of the book for me.\nFresh Off the Boat: A Memoir - Eddie Huang: Like I said, I'm a sucker for these things. Picked it up, because the series reminded me of a 90s Asian version of Everybody Hates Chris. The absurdity and random profanity was a little off-putting at first. Remembering how I felt as a black boy doing some of the same dumb things in the 90s really put it into perspective though.\nThe Serpent of Venice: A Novel - Christopher Moore: The follow up to Fool. It's a different take on Shakespearian story-telling. I can't recommend his novels enough.\nQuantum Lens - Douglas E. Richards: I read this solely because I liked Wired and Amped. No-frills action with a sci-fi element. You probably won't get engrossed, but you will be entertained.\nSpell or High Water & An Unwelcome Quest - Scott Meyer: Books 2 & 3 in a series about a group of guys who can manipulate reality through writing scripts. Good, but not my favorite.\nArmada: A Novel - Ernest Cline: Ah yes. The long awaited sophomore effort from the author of Ready Player One. This book fell harder than it deserved to, because people where expecting it to be analogous to Ready Player One. Spoiler: it's not. The novel does have its short-comings. Repetitive dialogue, shoe-horned classic pop-culture references and shallow writing plague this book. If you've got time for a short novel, give it a whirl, but don't expect anything amazing.\nWords of Radiance - Brandon Sanderson: Book 2 of the Stormlight Archives. If it's an epic by Sanderson, do yourself a favor and board the hype train. You won't be disappointed. It's everything you want in a long fantasy novel without being bogged down with side-plots and details.\nWarbreaker - Brandon Sanderson: This is a standalone novel with a tie-on to Words of Radiance. I'm only halfway through it. Would recommend so far, especially since it's free from the author.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Spell or High Water & An Unwelcome Quest - Scott Meyer: Books 2 & 3 in a series about a group of guys who can manipulate reality through writing scripts. Good, but not my favorite.",
          "reason": "Calls the series books good, but not a favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Good but not their favorite.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Meyer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fantasy",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "analogy-making-as-perception-68521e",
      "title": "Analogy Making as Perception",
      "author": "Melanie Mitchell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Analogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Melanie Mitchell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "analogy",
        "cognitive science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "analysis-ec3c1a",
      "title": "Analysis",
      "author": "Terence Tao",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34443779,
          "author": "algon33",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T18:35:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34443779",
          "commentText": "Problem sets are useful for improving your mathematical ability, as is looking at an expert's attempt at a problem after your attempt. Both are a core part of reading books well. So when someone asks for books to improve their mathematical ability, a likely interpretation is just \"they want books with good problem sets, clear presentation and elegance\". Another interpretation is \"what's a book which, when after I intrepret all the individual sentences into a vague impression, will make me good at maths?\"\nYour answer is somewhat helpful in the latter sort of world where OP didn't know how to read a textbook (which is unfortunately common) but not in the former sort. You seem to be venting though, which is understandable. But venting with a side of helpful content would be even better.\nFor instance, advising OP on how to to read a maths book (generate content yourself, check dependancies, connect things to what you know etc.) or suggest books which contain advise like this alongside their main content (I think Tao's analysis texts might do this?)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I think Tao's analysis texts might do this?",
          "reason": "Suggested as texts that may offer advice on reading mathematics and developing understanding.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether they do.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terence Tao"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "analysis",
        "mathematical problem solving"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "analysis-e6b057",
      "title": "Analysis",
      "author": "Elias M. Stein and Rami Shakarchi",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7602095,
          "author": "zeta8",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-17T05:14:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7602095",
          "commentText": "I'm in a similar position as well - perhaps at just a wee bit higher level (am learning grad-level math by myself). Below is a list of books that I have enjoyed. Some might perhaps be at a slightly higher level than you might need right now though.\n1. Analysis - The Elias Stein, Rami Shakarchi Analysis series, Meassure Theory by Terrence Tao, Lebesgue Integration on Euclidean Spaces by Frank Jones, A radical approach to Lebesgue Integration by Bressoud\n2. Algebra - Can't do much better than the classic texts by Herstein & Artin here. I know Artin doesn't get much love but after a point, you really begin to appreciate it.\n3. Complex Analysis - is there a better math book than Visual Complex Analysis by Needham?\n4. Topology - i'm partial to a Dover book on Topology by Theodore Gamelin. I learnt the basics of point-set topology & homotopy form this book. Great exercises.\n5. Number Theory - check out the 2 problem books on number theory by Ram Murty. Melvyn Nathanson's book is quite good as well.\n6. Combinatorics - Combinatorics of Finite Sets by Ian Anderson. Extremal Combinatorics by Jukna.\n7. Graph Theory - Diestel or Bondy/Murty.\n8. Galois Theory - Rotman is great.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Elias Stein, Rami Shakarchi Analysis series",
          "reason": "Listed in a collection of books the commenter has enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some recommendations may be at a higher level than needed right now.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Elias M. Stein and Rami Shakarchi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "analysis-and-use-of-financial-statements-ebb0b2",
      "title": "Analysis and Use of Financial Statements",
      "author": "K. R. Subramanyam, John J. Wild, Robert F. Halsey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3179823,
          "author": "joncooper",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-01T00:11:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 3177815,
          "threadTitle": "Good books for hackers interested in quant finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3179823",
          "commentText": "Let me add also:\n\"Analysis and Use of Financial Statements\" by White, Sondhi and Fried.\nIt has nothing to do with computational finance but knowing more than nothing about financial statements and how to think about what a company actually IS can only help you in the long run. Also, it's quite interesting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Analysis and Use of Financial Statements\" by White, Sondhi and Fried.",
          "reason": "Added to a discussion of books that can help build knowledge about financial statements and companies.",
          "audience": "Readers wanting to understand financial statements and how to think about companies.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it has nothing to do with computational finance.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "K. R. Subramanyam, John J. Wild, Robert F. Halsey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "corporate finance",
        "financial statement analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "analysis-of-financial-time-series-70bd44",
      "title": "Analysis of Financial Time Series",
      "author": "Ruey S. Tsay",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3178261,
          "author": "zweiterlinde",
          "createdAt": "2011-10-31T17:42:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 3177815,
          "threadTitle": "Good books for hackers interested in quant finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3178261",
          "commentText": "Hull is always the first recommendation. After that, it depends what area you're interested in. You could move on to Shreve for more hard core quantity material,  or go to Tsay (Analysis of Financial Time Series) for a time series primer. You could try Natenberg for options material or Grinld and Khan for portfolio management. Not too much useful material on HFT out there. Agreed that Harris is useful but out of date.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "go to Tsay (Analysis of Financial Time Series) for a time series primer",
          "reason": "Suggested as a primer on financial time series.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a time series primer.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ruey S. Tsay"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "econometrics",
        "financial time series"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "analysis-of-the-self-a-systematic-approach-to-the-psychoanalytic--7a62a5",
      "title": "Analysis of the Self: A Systematic Approach to the Psychoanalytic Treatment of Narcissistic Personality Disorders",
      "author": "Heinz Kohut",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42963690,
          "author": "PaulHoule",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-06T16:05:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42963690",
          "commentText": "Can animals be moral? by Rowlands\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Can-Animals-Moral-Mark-Rowlands/dp/01... (https://www.amazon.com/Can-Animals-Moral-Mark-Rowlands/dp/019024030X)\nAlso Analysis of the Self by Kohut\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Analysis-Self-Psychoanalytic-Narcissi... (https://www.amazon.com/Analysis-Self-Psychoanalytic-Narcissistic-Personality/dp/0226450120)\nwhich is difficult going but helps draw a circle around the concept of \"self-centeredness\"",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Analysis of the Self by Kohut",
          "reason": "Says it helps draw a boundary around the concept of self-centeredness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as difficult going.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Heinz Kohut"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "psychoanalysis",
        "self psychology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "analysis-with-an-introduction-to-proof-9c5d79",
      "title": "Analysis: With an Introduction to Proof",
      "author": "Steven R. Lay",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 666751,
          "author": "spmacdonald",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-20T19:58:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=666751",
          "commentText": "A really good book for analysis:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Analysis-History-Undergraduate-Texts-M... (http://www.amazon.com/Analysis-History-Undergraduate-Texts-Mathematics/dp/0387770313/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245527842&sr=8-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A really good book for analysis:",
          "reason": "Called a really good book for analysis and offered in response to a request for math book recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a book on mathematical analysis.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven R. Lay"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical analysis",
        "proof"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "analytic-combinatorics-fdea23",
      "title": "Analytic Combinatorics",
      "author": "Philippe Flajolet and Robert Sedgewick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16759330,
          "author": "nicklaf",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T21:30:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16759330",
          "commentText": "Love all those books. Hadn't heard of the last one though. Looks like it's available online [1].\nAnd actually, it has a few cool links on its homepage to similar books. In particular, there is a link to this gem [2], which, for example, has a chapter [3] on what appears to be a very interesting generalization [4] of the \"master theorem\" of CLRS. Another good resource that pages links to seems to be [5], which was recently mentioned on HN.\nOf course, for an even deeper treatment of asymptotic analysis check out Flajolet and Sedgewick [6]!\n[1] http://opendatastructures.org/\n[2] http://jeffe.cs.illinois.edu/teaching/algorithms/\n[3] http://jeffe.cs.illinois.edu/teaching/algorithms/notes/99-re... (http://jeffe.cs.illinois.edu/teaching/algorithms/notes/99-recurrences.pdf)\n[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akra%E2%80%93Bazzi_method\n[5] (PDF warning) http://opendatastructures.org/mcs.pdf\n[6] http://ac.cs.princeton.edu/home/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Of course, for an even deeper treatment of asymptotic analysis check out Flajolet and Sedgewick [6]!",
          "reason": "Recommends it for a deeper treatment of asymptotic analysis.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an advanced treatment of asymptotic analysis.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philippe Flajolet and Robert Sedgewick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "analytic combinatorics",
        "asymptotic analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "anarchism-and-other-essays-72296d",
      "title": "Anarchism and Other Essays",
      "author": "Emma Goldman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20916542,
          "author": "clydethefrog",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T09:26:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20916542",
          "commentText": "See also Anarchism and Other Essays (1910) by Emma Goldman. It reads like it was written yesterday.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "See also Anarchism and Other Essays (1910) by Emma Goldman. It reads like it was written yesterday.",
          "reason": "Says the essays still feel timely.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Emma Goldman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "anarchism",
        "political essays"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "anatomy-of-an-epidemic-8c10fe",
      "title": "Anatomy of an Epidemic",
      "author": "Robert Whitaker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2087491,
          "author": "MaxGabriel",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T04:37:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2087491",
          "commentText": "My favorite book was Robert Whitaker's Anatomy of an Epidemic.\nThe book is about how, for a confluence of reasons, psychotropic drugs like antipsychotics and antidepressants actually, long-term, exacerbate the mental illness they're trying to cure.\nWhat I love about Whitaker is his approach. He doesn't say 'these drugs are bad, footnote 11'. He explains the studies he talks about. He indicts other studies. He's EXACTLY what I look for in an academic paper (he's not an academic, though). Definitely worth a read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favorite book was Robert Whitaker's Anatomy of an Epidemic.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a favorite, praises its evidence-based approach, and says it is definitely worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Whitaker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "psychiatric medication"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "anatomy-of-the-state-a01233",
      "title": "Anatomy of the State",
      "author": "Murray N. Rothbard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46391858,
          "author": "nmora",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T13:38:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46391858",
          "commentText": "I read a decent amount of books but the ones that stood out are:\n- Anatomy of the State (Murray N. Rothbard)\n- Diaspora (Greg Egan)\n- The Freeze-Frame Revolution (Peter Watts)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Anatomy of the State (Murray N. Rothbard)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13969637,
          "author": "Entangled",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T17:15:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13969637",
          "commentText": "\"Anatomy of the state\" by Murray Rothbard.\nEye opener about overall politics and why the sheeple is what it is.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Eye opener about overall politics and why the sheeple is what it is.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an eye-opener about politics.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in political theory.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Murray N. Rothbard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "libertarianism",
        "political theory",
        "state theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ancient-evenings-9b7b0a",
      "title": "Ancient Evenings",
      "author": "Norman Mailer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9674192,
          "author": "ThomPete",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T11:23:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674192",
          "commentText": "The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Origin-Consciousness-Breakdown-Bicamer... (http://www.amazon.com/Origin-Consciousness-Breakdown-Bicameral-Mind/dp/0618057072)\nI found it on this list:\nhttp://spacecollective.org/wilfriedhoujebek/4076/Summery-Boo... (http://spacecollective.org/wilfriedhoujebek/4076/Summery-Books-Too-Far-Out-For-Johnny-Depp)\nWhere also the following books some of which I read to (Vehicles is really good) can be found:\nThe White Goddess - Robert Graves\nGraves' grammar of poetic myth works at so many levels at the same time that I can't keep track of them all. This is not a book, this is a neurosis you can borrow. Druidic power to the nerds.\nThe Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind - Julian Jaynes\nNever mind the bulky title. The theory of Jaynes seems preposterous at first: before man was conscious he would not stop and think when making a decision, instead he would literally hear a voice telling him what to do. When life became too complicated this faculty broke down, but not in an instant. Religion is a by-product of this neuro-catastrophe. Jaynes however knows to make use of historic material in such a way that in the course of his argument he becomes plausible! If you don't trust me on this, trust Daniel Dennett.\nThe Ghost of Chance - William S. Burroughs\nBurroughs was a great admirer of Jaynes and here he uses the bicameral image of two dividing brain spheres as a metaphor for the divide between peaceful lemur on Madagascar and the war-mongering chimpanzee on the African mainland as a reminder that human evolution could have taken a better turn.\nAncient Evenings - Norman Mailer\nThis book, the only lengthy novel in this list, I first looked up because Burroughs referenced it as his inspiration for 'The Western Lands'. When I noticed it starts with my favourite Yeats quote I knew I needed to read this. Even though Burroughs could never have written it like this, at times it is more Burroughs then Burroughs himself. It is the autobiography of a Ka, the lowliest soul of the seven souls of the ancient Egyptians, which makes for unusual reading. Especially because Mailer uses an uncensored version of Egyptian mythology which, to put it mildly, differs from the version you get of it from the National Geographic. The Egyptians practised sex magic with the stamina of a bonobo. Mailer makes Aleister Crowley look like a prudish schoolboy. This is the boldest attempt to recreate a radically different mind from ours that I know of, and does so successfully. The novel as the creation of an artificial consciousness. At the same time it doubles as an All American Novel (yuk).\nThe Mind in the Cave - David Lewis-Williams\nPalaeolithic Psychedelia anyone? Close your eyes, place a finger on both of your eyelids and press gently. What you see is the origin of all art, you only need to look at rock-art with a guide like Lewis-Williams to see it.\nThe Chinese Written Character as a Medium for Poetry - Ernest Fennolosa\nEdited by Ezra Pound, the most spectacular misunderstanding of language ever to be reprinted. It reads excellent and it gives us a language (Chinoiserie-Chinese) that does not exist in this world but should exist in a better world.\nVehicles - Valentino Braitenberg\nI have read so much stuff relating to Cybernetics, AI, emergent systems and self-organization that I am totally saturated with it. The material itself is exciting but the professional obligation of science to be dull gets on my nerves. But this is an exception, wonderfully written and illustrated with funky little drawings. Vehicles is a tiny book but its size is deceptive. This introduction to synthetic psychology describes a number of simple responsive vehicles that with each new feature became aware of the world around them a good deal more. Each new vehicle is a new mind.\nThe Coleridge Notebooks.\nCharles Lamb said he loved to lend his books to ‘Poet, Metaphysician, Bard’ Coleridge because he would return them with annotations more interesting then the book itself. Samuel Taylor Coleridge had a mind that was free, discursive, unruly and truly original. His notebooks record the flow of his thoughts as if you are sitting next to him. Every now and then I dip into this and always come out with some gem I never saw before. Get the Seamus Perry edition of this. Get a copy of the Road to Xanadu by Livingstone-Lowes for extra enjoyment.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is the boldest attempt to recreate a radically different mind from ours that I know of, and does so successfully.",
          "reason": "Praised as a successful, bold recreation of a radically different mind.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it doubles as an “All American Novel.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Norman Mailer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient egypt",
        "experimental fiction",
        "historical novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ancillary-mercy-9425d9",
      "title": "Ancillary Mercy",
      "author": "Ann Leckie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13117504,
          "author": "heisenbit",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-06T19:26:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13117504",
          "commentText": "Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie (admittedly end 2015)\nVery good closing of the Hugo&Nebula Award series (Justice, Sword, Mercy) exploring the questions of identity and consciousness of individuals, androids and hive minds on the background of a galaxy spanning social, political and military struggle.\nYeah and I second the 3 Body Series by Liu Cixin - that is one for the ages too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Very good closing of the Hugo&Nebula Award series (Justice, Sword, Mercy) exploring the questions of identity and consciousness",
          "reason": "Calls it a very good conclusion to the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it was technically read at the end of 2015.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10784101,
          "author": "skorgu",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:39:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10784101",
          "commentText": "I was on a sf kick this year apparently.\nFull list (why can't amazon show me the read dates of my kindle books?!):\n- Ancillary Sword\n- The Magician's Land\n- The Three Body Problem (incomplete)\n- Libriomancer, Codex Born, Unbound\n- Thank You, Jeeves\n- Omon Ra (incomplete)\n- Stations of the Tide\n- 1Q84 (staggeringly incomplete)\n- The Desert Spear (incomplete)\n- The Lost Fleet: {Dauntless,Fearless,Courageous} (third \none incomplete)\n- Superintelligence\n- Nexus, Crux (incomplete)\n- Another Fine Myth\n- The Annihilation Score\n- The Man with the Golden Torc, Daemons are Forever\n- The Fractal Prince (incomplete)\n- Crooked\n- Ancillary Mercy\n- The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet\n- The Traitor Baru Cormarant\n- Excession\n- Hive Mind\n- Seveneves",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "- Ancillary Mercy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed in a reading list; no evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ann Leckie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "hive minds",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "and-the-ass-saw-the-angel-4f7c4c",
      "title": "And the Ass Saw the Angel",
      "author": "Nick Cave",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9351418,
          "author": "jilted",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T22:17:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9351418",
          "commentText": "Nick Cave - And the Ass Saw the Angel\nGary Jennings - Aztec\nGary Jennings - The Journeyor",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nick Cave - And the Ass Saw the Angel",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed one's perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nick Cave"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "religious imagery",
        "southern gothic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "andersonville-b9452e",
      "title": "Andersonville",
      "author": "MacKinlay Kantor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15762357,
          "author": "megaman22",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T02:36:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762357",
          "commentText": "Lee's Lieutenants by Douglass Southall Freeman\nAndersonville by MacKinlay Kantor\nThe Magic Mountain Thomas Mann",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Andersonville by MacKinlay Kantor",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "MacKinlay Kantor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american civil war",
        "prisoner of war"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "angel-tech-a-modern-shaman-s-guide-to-reality-selection-4a33f6",
      "title": "Angel Tech: A Modern Shaman's Guide to Reality Selection",
      "author": "Antero Alli",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27638943,
          "author": "carapace",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T03:52:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27638943",
          "commentText": "\"Book of the Subgenius\" (various authors) but I don't recommend it.  It's not for everyone.\nLearn (self-)hypnosis.  \"TRANCE-formations\" by Bandler and Grinder (and Bandler's other books as well) and \"Monsters and Magical Sticks: There's No Such Thing as Hypnosis?\" by Steven Heller.\nRobert Anton Wilson's books are pretty good too.  Also \"Angel Tech: A Modern Shaman's Guide to Reality Selection\" by Antero Alli.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Angel Tech: A Modern Shaman's Guide to Reality Selection\" by Antero Alli.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Antero Alli"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "shamanism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "angle-of-repose-275c96",
      "title": "Angle of Repose",
      "author": "Wallace Stegner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31968871,
          "author": "bmj",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T16:25:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31968871",
          "commentText": "This has been a year of re-reading for me, so this is a timely question.  I can't pick just one at the moment, but I'll split a couple of top choices via genre.  (Also worth noting that in the end, my final choice would probably be the Bible.)\nFiction:\nThe Heart Is a Lonely Hunter - Carson McCullers\nAngle of Repose - Wallace Stegner\nNon-fiction:\nIn Good Company - Stanley Hauerwas\nInto the Silent Land - Martin Laird",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Angle of Repose - Wallace Stegner",
          "reason": "Listed as a fiction choice for rereading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter cannot pick just one at the moment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Wallace Stegner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american west",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "anil-s-ghost-461818",
      "title": "Anil's Ghost",
      "author": "Michael Ondaatje",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13243351,
          "author": "noufalibrahim",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-23T07:00:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13243351",
          "commentText": "1. Red Plenty (Francis Spufford) - Fascinating fictionalised account of the history of the USSR. Gets a little tedious at times but worth it.\n2. Anils Ghost (Michael Ondaatje) - Drama with a war background. Nice read.\n3. Financial intelligence for Entrepreneurs - Very useful now that I have a small company of my own.\n4. How to Speak How to listen (Mortimer Adler) - Worth it. I enjoy public speaking and this was well written and quite useful.\n2016's been a bad year for me as far as books go.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Drama with a war background. Nice read.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as a nice read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Ondaatje"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sri lanka",
        "war fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "animalia-649fbe",
      "title": "Animalia",
      "author": "Graeme Base",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50038526,
          "author": "semiquaver",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T00:31:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50038526",
          "commentText": "It Might be an Apple (Shinsuke Yoshitake)\nThe Skull (Jon Klassen)\nThe Way Things Work\n(David Macaulay)\nAnimalia (Graeme Base)\nNanette’s Baguette (Mo Willlems)\nThe princess and the Pony (Kate Beaton)\nFrederick (Leo Leoni)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Animalia (Graeme Base)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite children's books.",
          "audience": "Children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Graeme Base"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alphabet books",
        "picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "animals-in-translation-6632b9",
      "title": "Animals in Translation",
      "author": "Temple Grandin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6982220,
          "author": "dmlorenzetti",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-30T00:01:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 6981802,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good general technical books for teenagers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6982220",
          "commentText": "Check out \"Physics for Future Presidents\" by Richard Muller.  It gives an overview of physics, emphasizing why the concepts are important in the modern world, rather than the math details.\nIf she's interested in biology, you might consider \"Animals in Translation\" by Temple Grandin.  It's more about animals than about technology, but it touches on how understanding animals affects the low-tech systems that you use to handle them.\nFor interesting/easy intros to why some math skills are important, look at Darrell Huff's \"How to Lie With Statistics\" or John Allen Paulos' \"Innumeracy\" (or \"A Mathematician Reads the Newspaper\").\nI haven't read any of them, but I hear Petroski's books recommended.\nFor a great short read that touches on architectural engineering, law, and ethics, look for Joe Morgenstern's \"Fifty-Nine Story Crisis\" which appeared in the New Yorker in May 1995.  It's about how the structural engineer for the Citicorp tower realized its design was flawed, after the tower had been built and occupied.  You can find it on the web.\nSome of these are not overtly about \"learn this technology\", but to me they all sell the idea of technology and science as both central to our lives and interesting.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "you might consider \"Animals in Translation\" by Temple Grandin.",
          "reason": "Suggested for someone interested in biology; it concerns animals and systems for handling them.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in biology.",
          "caveat": "More about animals than technology.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Temple Grandin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "animal behavior",
        "animal cognition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "animals-in-translation-b1d1f5",
      "title": "Animals in Translation",
      "author": "Temple Grandin and Catherine Johnson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6982308,
          "author": "lovemath",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-30T00:21:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 6981802,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good general technical books for teenagers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6982308",
          "commentText": "Physics for Future Presidents is a great book - my wife gave  her a copy last spring.  I don't know if my daughter finished it but I know she said she found it interesting.\nWe have the the math books you mentioned but I haven't heard about the others before.  Animals in Translation and Fifty-Nine Story Crisis look really good.  Thanks for the reference!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Animals in Translation and Fifty-Nine Story Crisis look really good.",
          "reason": "Says the titles look really good in response to book suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Temple Grandin and Catherine Johnson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "animal behavior"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "anne-of-green-gables-series-c97948",
      "title": "Anne of Green Gables series",
      "author": "L. M. Montgomery",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17337611,
          "author": "veddox",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T12:13:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337611",
          "commentText": "\"Anne of Green Gables\" and its sequels. I love the simple, every-day stories LM Montgomery writes and her philosophy of life that shines through. The first reminds me of the way I grew up and the second has often inspired me. I also love the way she sees beauty in everything, and how she conveys that in her prose.\nThese are the books I turn to when I am depressed or stressed or just fed up with life in general :-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and its sequels",
          "reason": "The commenter turns to these books when depressed, stressed, or fed up with life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "L. M. Montgomery"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comfort reads",
        "coming of age"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "annette-s-baguette-08f2d6",
      "title": "Annette's Baguette",
      "author": "Mo Willems",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34634533,
          "author": "deckiedan",
          "createdAt": "2023-02-02T23:01:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 34634274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books your kids like most",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34634533",
          "commentText": "We've 2 kids, 8 and 5 - both total book worms (and into Minecraft and biking and dude perfect and all sorts... But they love books).\nFind stuff you'll enjoy reading to them. And read to them a lot. You've got the right idea.\nMO Williams books are great for that age.  The elephant and piggie books are fun, Annette's Baguette is brilliant.  The Brambly Hedge books are lovely. Dr Seuss is mostly quite fun.  Peter's railway (if they like trains or engineering at all), the Thomas the Tank engine books, the topsy and Tim books are ok...\nBut get lots of books from the library, charity / thrift stores.  Get lots of books to try out, and have available for them to read. And if they aren't interested, you can always thrift them again. Hanging out at the local library can be good. No time pressure, just let them browse and look at whatever random things they want.\nFor slightly older kids, we've really enjoyed reading Hillary McKay, Terry Pratchett's kids books / short stories, Vivian French's books are great.  and some of the classics are great too - EE Milne, the Paddington books...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Annette's Baguette is brilliant.",
          "reason": "Described as brilliant.",
          "audience": "Children around ages 5 and 8.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mo Willems"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "annotated-turing-1903a7",
      "title": "Annotated Turing",
      "author": "Charles Petzold",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8109204,
          "author": "gatesphere",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:31:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109204",
          "commentText": "Finished that recently -- great book!  His \"Annotated Turing\" is pretty great too, for machine heads.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His \"Annotated Turing\" is pretty great too, for machine heads.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it pretty great.",
          "audience": "People interested in machine computing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Petzold"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computability",
        "turing machines"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "annaherungen-drogen-und-rausch-ecf2a5",
      "title": "Annäherungen: Drogen und Rausch",
      "author": "Ernst Jünger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18663414,
          "author": "r34",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:47:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663414",
          "commentText": "Ernst Jünger: Annäherungen. Drogen und Rausch (not transleted to english? I've read it in polish). Great piece of essay.\nThe Art of War by Sun Tzu - bit sad\n2 books by Greg Egan: Distress & Teranesia\nThe Invention of Nature : Alexander Von Humboldt's New World\nDMT: The spirit molecule\nOne Hundred Years of Solitude by Marquez (WOW)\nThe book of dead philosophers by Simon Critchley (funny!)\n& some more (I have to start noting it down :P)\nCurrently: The Systems View of the World by Ervin Laszlo",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ernst Jünger: Annäherungen. Drogen und Rausch (not transleted to english? I've read it in polish). Great piece of essay.",
          "reason": "Called a great essay.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they read it in Polish and is unsure whether it has been translated into English.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ernst Jünger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "drugs",
        "intoxication"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "another-roadside-attraction-2d11c1",
      "title": "Another Roadside Attraction",
      "author": "Tom Robbins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41175653,
          "author": "taylodl",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:37:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175653",
          "commentText": "- Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Pirsig)\n- Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid (Hofstadter)\n- Shadows of the Mind: A Search for the Missing Science of Consciousness (Penrose)\n- Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind (Suzuki)\n- Demian (Hesse)\n- The Stranger (Camus)\n- Slaughterhouse-Five (Vonnegut)\n- Another Roadside Attraction (Robbins)\nI have read many books that have had an impact on me for a time, but these are the books that have had an enduring impact going on now for decades.\nAnd yes, one of these books, Another Roadside Attraction, is unlike the others. You can substitute any Tom Robbins book, or read them all!, but this is the book that started it all for me. Tom Robbins' books taught me to not take life so seriously.\nDemian and The Stranger may be fiction, but let's just say their purpose is to get across a philosophical point.\nFinally, with regards to Slaughterhouse-Five, you'll just have to read it.\nEnjoy!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this is the book that started it all for me",
          "reason": "Names it among enduring books and says Robbins's books taught them not to take life so seriously.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says any Tom Robbins book could be substituted, or readers could read them all.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Robbins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "counterculture",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "antigone-75d535",
      "title": "Antigone",
      "author": "Sophocles",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25561604,
          "author": "rithmAlgo",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-28T18:23:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 25554464,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books for dealing with workplace politics and dishonesty?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25561604",
          "commentText": "Ancient classics like Sophocles, Ajax, Philoctetes, Antigone, Oedipus or the writings of Cicero, etc. Everything that happens today already happened thousands of years ago the only difference was they lived in a much less censored time back then, so Sophocles could really express to the viewer(now reader) the true nature of the human condition such as workplace dishonesty, or why accolades are given to the scoundrels and the virtuous never receive any recognition. All of this can be found reading our civilizations history because the fundamental nature of humans has not changed in that time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ajax, Philoctetes, Antigone, Oedipus",
          "reason": "Recommended as an ancient classic illustrating enduring human behavior and workplace dishonesty.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sophocles"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classics",
        "greek tragedy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "antimemoires-268052",
      "title": "Antimémoires",
      "author": "André Malraux",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30737366,
          "author": "hulitu",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T20:35:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30737366",
          "commentText": "1984 and Animal farm - George Orwell.\nDune - Frank Herbert.\nAntimemoire - André Malraux",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Antimemoire - André Malraux",
          "reason": "Listed among books that changed the commenter’s life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "André Malraux"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "20th century history",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "anxiety-phobias-and-panic-7e9d0f",
      "title": "Anxiety, Phobias, and Panic",
      "author": "Reneau Z. Peurifoy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4968560,
          "author": "arc_of_descent",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T07:45:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4968560",
          "commentText": "1. The Blind Watchmaker - Richard Dawkins\n2. Anxiety, Phobias, and Panic - Reneau Z. Peurifoy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2. Anxiety, Phobias, and Panic - Reneau Z. Peurifoy",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about the best books read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Reneau Z. Peurifoy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "anxiety disorders",
        "self help"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "anxious-using-the-brain-to-understand-and-treat-fear-and-anxiety-c62c81",
      "title": "Anxious: Using the Brain to Understand and Treat Fear and Anxiety",
      "author": "Joseph LeDoux",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237230,
          "author": "abronan",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:53:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237230",
          "commentText": "I maintain a list of my readings triaged by topics: https://github.com/abronan/readings\nThis year was rough for me as I had to deal with severe symptoms of anxiety that eventually led to panic attacks. I tried to understand the phenomenon and tackle subjects such as anxiety, consciousness and perceptual experience. Three books are especially interesting in that regard:\n- The Feeling of What Happens: Body and Emotion in the Making of Consciousness - Antonio Damasio - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/125777.The_Feeling_of_Wh... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/125777.The_Feeling_of_What_Happens?from_search=true)\n- Anxious: Using the Brain to Understand and Treat Fear and Anxiety - Joseph LeDoux - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23398722-anxious?ac=1&fr... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23398722-anxious?ac=1&from_search=true)\n- Seeing Things As They Are: A Theory of Perception - John Searle: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22104265-seeing-things-a... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22104265-seeing-things-as-they-are?from_search=true)\nThe first two books are dealing with the neurophysiological aspects, with a focus on the brain and the specific areas involved with physical sensory experiences and/or consciousness. It explains how some areas of the brain are linked to fear and anxiety (fear conditioning, fight-or-flight response, etc.). Reading \"The Feeling of What Happens\" gives you all the necessary knowledge to fully understand the second book which is a tough read. The book \"Anxious\" also gives you a glimpse on different methods to treat and prevent symptoms of anxiety (Cognitive behavioral Therapy, SSRI, beta blockers, meditation, etc..). The last book is theoretical but comes as a good complement and gives you a broad understanding on the notion of perception (which is central to the first book).\nKnowing which parts of the brain are involved with fear and anxiety and how everything fits together helps me controlling my emotions when physical symptoms of anxiety are appearing (the trigger to panic attacks).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The book \"Anxious\" also gives you a glimpse on different methods to treat and prevent symptoms of anxiety",
          "reason": "Explains brain mechanisms of fear and anxiety and outlines treatment approaches.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in anxiety and its treatment.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as a tough read.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph LeDoux"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "anxiety",
        "fear",
        "neuroscience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "anything-you-want-40-lessons-for-a-new-kind-of-entrepreneur-c9999e",
      "title": "Anything You Want: 40 Lessons for a New Kind of Entrepreneur",
      "author": "Derek Sivers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4968440,
          "author": "swatkat",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T06:43:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4968440",
          "commentText": "'The Joy of X: A Guided Tour of Mathematics, from One to Infinity' by Steven Strogatz. http://www.flipkart.com/joy-x-1848878443/p/itmdekzuwjwwngfz?... (http://www.flipkart.com/joy-x-1848878443/p/itmdekzuwjwwngfz?pid=9781848878440)\n'Anything You Want: 40 Lessons For A New Kind Of Entrepreneur' by Derek Sivers. http://www.flipkart.com/anything-you-want-1936719118/p/itmdy... (http://www.flipkart.com/anything-you-want-1936719118/p/itmdynfvqes6fdbd?pid=9781936719112)\n'Jugari Cross' by Poornachandra Tejaswi; an amazing thriller novel that takes place in real-time. http://www.flipkart.com/jugari-cross/p/itmd7gdp6xvushkd?pid=... (http://www.flipkart.com/jugari-cross/p/itmd7gdp6xvushkd?pid=RBKD7GDPGERXMG4T)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Anything You Want: 40 Lessons For A New Kind Of Entrepreneur' by Derek Sivers.",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about the best books read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Derek Sivers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "apollo-the-epic-journey-to-the-moon-1963-1972-be756d",
      "title": "Apollo: The Epic Journey to the Moon, 1963–1972",
      "author": "David West Reynolds",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13235866,
          "author": "f_allwein",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T08:40:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13235866",
          "commentText": "Apollo: The Epic Journey to the Moon, 1963-1972\nby David West Reynolds. Good account of one of humanity's greatest technological achievements. \nhttp://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16072775-apollo",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Good account of one of humanity's greatest technological achievements.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a good account of the Apollo program.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David West Reynolds"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "apollo program",
        "spaceflight"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "apple-human-interface-guidelines-052746",
      "title": "Apple Human Interface Guidelines",
      "author": "Apple",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8003457,
          "author": "wiseleo",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-08T07:58:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8003457",
          "commentText": "There are just so many...\nHeadfirst series (JavaScript, HTML, jQuery... all of them)\nDiscover Meteor\nRefactoring: improving the design of existing code\nDatabase design for mere mortals\nMIT books (SICP, Algorithms)\nOh, and of course... Human Interface Guidelines by Apple. One of the best UX books on app design.\nAll books are ebooks for me, so this list is impossibly long.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Human Interface Guidelines by Apple. One of the best UX books on app design.",
          "reason": "Called one of the best books on app design.",
          "audience": "People designing user interfaces for apps.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Apple"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "app design",
        "user interface design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "apple-ii-6502-assembly-language-tutor-cc0c26",
      "title": "Apple II 6502 Assembly Language Tutor",
      "author": "Richard E Haskell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46781262,
          "author": "ThinkingGuy",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-27T15:28:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 46778461,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books to learn 6502 ASM and the Apple II",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46781262",
          "commentText": "This one worked for me:\nApple II 6502 Assembly Language Tutor (1983)\nRichard E Haskell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Apple II 6502 Assembly Language Tutor (1983)\nRichard E Haskell",
          "reason": "The commenter says this book worked for them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard E Haskell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "6502 assembly",
        "apple ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "apple-ii-reference-manual-ffa8f2",
      "title": "Apple II Reference Manual",
      "author": "Apple Computer, Inc.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46789912,
          "author": "jsrcout",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-28T01:38:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 46778461,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books to learn 6502 ASM and the Apple II",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46789912",
          "commentText": "The Apple II Reference Manual includes assembly listings (with full comments!) for the Monitor ROM and Autostart ROM, the mini-assembler, floating point routines, and a very nice 16-bit \"pseudo machine interpreter\" called SWEET 16. Most of which was written by Steve Wozniak. Learned a lot from this book back in the day.\nHere's a link from archive.org. It's not the best scan, but you can easily find other copies.\nhttps://archive.org/details/applerefjan78/page/n69/mode/2up\nIf you're feeling adventurous, you can find assembly listings for the AppleSoft BASIC language (though maybe only from third parties). It's pretty huge.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Apple II Reference Manual includes assembly listings",
          "reason": "The commenter says they learned a lot from this manual and points to a copy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The linked scan is described as not the best; other copies are available.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Apple Computer, Inc."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "6502 assembly",
        "apple ii",
        "technical manuals"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "applied-cryptography-protocols-algorithms-and-source-code-in-c-se-e91b0c",
      "title": "Applied Cryptography: Protocols, Algorithms, and Source Code in C, Second Edition",
      "author": "Bruce Schneier",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5244463,
          "author": "juanrossi",
          "createdAt": "2013-02-19T14:36:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 5244195,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 'Must read' books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5244463",
          "commentText": "A few I read:\nDesign is Job - Mike Monteiro by A Book Apart (Really basic stuff for people starting with agency/freelance work, but really good).\nLearn Ruby The Hard Way for people starting.\nApplied Cryptography, Second Edition: Protocols, Algorithms, and Source Code in C\nBaked In from Alex Bogusky and John Winsor (About C+P agency)\nI'll try to think of a couple more.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Applied Cryptography, Second Edition: Protocols, Algorithms, and Source Code in C",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruce Schneier"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cryptography",
        "security protocols"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "applied-engineering-analysis-a95734",
      "title": "Applied Engineering Analysis",
      "author": "Tai-Ran Hsu",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33801996,
          "author": "ArtWomb",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T15:25:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33801996",
          "commentText": ">>> problem solver\n“Applied Engineering Analysis” by Tai‐Ran Hsu, published by John Wiley & Sons, 2018 (ISBN 9781110071204)\nRecent discovery. Complete reference in a single textbook. Applicable to any scale: from industrial automation to lunchtable experiments ;)\n>>> better thinker\nWolfgang Engel. Decades of books from shaderx to gpuzen. Plus The Forge renderer!\n>>> holiday fun\nFlea | Acid for the Children (if you enjoy Just Kids, Chronicles: Vol 1, etc)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Applied Engineering Analysis” by Tai‐Ran Hsu, published by John Wiley & Sons, 2018 (ISBN 9781110071204)\nRecent discovery. Complete reference in a single textbook.",
          "reason": "Described as a recently discovered, comprehensive reference applicable at different scales.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tai-Ran Hsu"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "engineering analysis",
        "reference textbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "applied-predictive-modeling-ca49f7",
      "title": "Applied Predictive Modeling",
      "author": "Max Kuhn and Kjell Johnson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27637608,
          "author": "wenc",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T23:46:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27637608",
          "commentText": "* Fooled By Randomness (NN Taleb): Taleb is a complicated personality, but this book gave me a heuristic for thinking about long-tails and uncertain events that I could never have derived myself from a probability textbook.\n* Designing Data Intensive Applications (M Kleppmann): Provided a first-principles approach for thinking about the design of modern large-scale data infrastructure. It's not just about assembling different technologies -- there are principles behind how data moves and transforms that transcend current technology, and DDIA is an articulation of those principles. After reading this, I began to notice general patterns in data infrastructure, which helped me quickly grasp how new technologies worked. (most are variations on the same principles)\n* Introduction to Statistical Learning (James et al) and Applied Predictive Modeling (Kuhn et al). These two books gave me a grand sweep of predictive modeling methods pre-deep learning, methods which continue to be useful and applicable to a wider variety of problem contexts than AI/Deep Learning. (neural networks aren't appropriate for huge classes of problems)\n* High Output Management (A Grove): oft-recommended book by former Intel CEO Andy Grove on how middle management in large corporations actually works, from promotions to meetings (as a unit of work). This was my guide to interpreting my experiences when I joined a large corporation and boy was it accurate. It gave me a language and a framework for thinking about what was happening around me. I heard this was 1 of 2 books Tobi Luetke read to understand management when he went from being a technical person to CEO of Shopify. (the other book being Cialdini's Influence). Hard Things about Hard Things (B Horowitz) is a different take that is also worth a read to understand the hidden--but intentional--managerial design of a modern tech company. These some of the very few books written by practitioners--rather than management gurus--that I've found to track pretty closely with my own real life experiences.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Applied Predictive Modeling (Kuhn et al)",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped provide a broad understanding of predictive modeling methods that remain useful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The methods discussed are pre-deep learning.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Max Kuhn",
        "Kjell Johnson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "machine learning",
        "predictive modeling",
        "statistics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "apprenticeship-patterns-e1e77b",
      "title": "Apprenticeship Patterns",
      "author": "Dave Hoover and Adewale Oshineye",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14487584,
          "author": "mighty_warrior",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T13:57:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487584",
          "commentText": "Apprenticeship Patterns - A great book more focused on being an good software engineer and less on software specific details. Online for free at \nhttp://chimera.labs.oreilly.com/books/1234000001813/index.ht... (http://chimera.labs.oreilly.com/books/1234000001813/index.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Apprenticeship Patterns - A great book more focused on being an good software engineer and less on software specific details.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book for developing as a software engineer.",
          "audience": "People aiming to become better software engineers.",
          "caveat": "Focuses less on software-specific details.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dave Hoover",
        "Adewale Oshineye"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "career development",
        "software craftsmanship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "apprenticeship-patterns-guidance-for-the-aspiring-software-crafts-e985ad",
      "title": "Apprenticeship Patterns: Guidance for the Aspiring Software Craftsman",
      "author": "Dave Hoover and Adewale Oshineye",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23364140,
          "author": "erkanerol",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-30T20:01:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23364140",
          "commentText": "Here is my recommendation: Apprenticeship Patterns: Guidance for the Aspiring Software Craftsman\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Apprenticeship-Patterns-Guidance-Aspi... (https://www.amazon.com/Apprenticeship-Patterns-Guidance-Aspiring-Craftsman-ebook/dp/B002RMSZ7E)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Here is my recommendation: Apprenticeship Patterns: Guidance for the Aspiring Software Craftsman",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommended to software developers.",
          "audience": "Aspiring software craftspeople",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7757829,
          "author": "enterx",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T20:49:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7757829",
          "commentText": "Apprenticeship Patterns: Guidance for the Aspiring Software Craftsman - Dave Hoover , Adewale Oshineye",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Apprenticeship Patterns: Guidance for the Aspiring Software Craftsman - Dave Hoover , Adewale Oshineye",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dave Hoover",
        "Adewale Oshineye"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "career development",
        "software craftsmanship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "apprenticeship-patterns-guidance-for-the-aspiring-software-crafts-62f421",
      "title": "Apprenticeship Patterns: Guidance for the Aspiring Software Craftsman",
      "author": "Dave Hoover; Adewale Oshineye",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2524258,
          "author": "swanson",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-07T18:31:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 2524205,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books for soon to be Software Engineers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2524258",
          "commentText": "I read these two books in the first few months at my job with a book club that included the other new hires and a good mix of more experienced developers.\n  * The Pragmatic Programmer [1]\n  * Apprenticeship Patterns [2]\n\nI would highly recommend both.\n[1] http://swanson.github.com/writeup/2010/10/25/pragmatic-progr... (http://swanson.github.com/writeup/2010/10/25/pragmatic-programmer.html)\n[2] http://swanson.github.com/writeup/2010/10/26/apprenticeship-... (http://swanson.github.com/writeup/2010/10/26/apprenticeship-patterns.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would highly recommend both.",
          "reason": "The commenter highly recommends it.",
          "audience": "New software engineers transitioning from school to industry.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dave Hoover; Adewale Oshineye"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software careers",
        "software craftsmanship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "apres-la-democratie-034f4f",
      "title": "Après la démocratie",
      "author": "Emmanuel Todd",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3395293,
          "author": "rhizome31",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T09:46:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395293",
          "commentText": "Tech: Code by Charles Petzold\nNovel: Invisible by Paul Auster\nEssay: Après la démocratie (French) by Emmanuel Todd",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Essay: Après la démocratie (French) by Emmanuel Todd",
          "reason": "Listed as the commenter’s essay choice in response to the best book question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "In French.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Emmanuel Todd"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "democracy",
        "french politics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "aquarium-baeccd",
      "title": "Aquarium",
      "author": "Viktor Suvorov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22093760,
          "author": "45ure",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T20:20:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22093760",
          "commentText": "Aquarium by Viktor Suvorov.\nThe \"Aquarium\" of the title is the nickname given to GRU headquarters in Moscow by those who work there. \"What sort of fish are there swimming there?\" asks Suvorov of his boss when he learns about it. \"There's only one kind there—piranhas.\" ─ Wikipedia.\nBook:\nhttps://archive.org/details/ViktorSuvorovAquariumTheCareerAn... (https://archive.org/details/ViktorSuvorovAquariumTheCareerAndDefectibOk.xyz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Aquarium by Viktor Suvorov.",
          "reason": "The commenter names it in response to a request for unknown books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Viktor Suvorov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cold war",
        "gru",
        "soviet intelligence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "aquinas-at-prayer-the-bible-mysticism-and-poetry-dd5875",
      "title": "Aquinas at Prayer: The Bible, Mysticism, and Poetry",
      "author": "Paul Murray",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13240800,
          "author": "cicero",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T22:06:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13240800",
          "commentText": "A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter Miller (recommended SF classic)\nThe Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis (an old favorite, recommended)\nThe Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco (some interesting parts, but overall a disappointment)\nTheology and Sanity - Frank Sheed (recommended; a very written description of the Catholic faith; weaknesses are it's long and it's aimed to a mid 20th c. audience)\nChristianity for Modern Pagans: Pascal's Pensees - Peter Kreeft (recommended; a good exposition of Blaise Pascal's thought)\nCatholicism: A journey to the heart of the faith - Robert Barron (recommended; a good explanation of Catholicism for the common person)\nHis Master's Voice - Stanislaw Lem (recommended; very intellectual look at the problem of first contact)\nThe Industries of the Future - Alec Ross (the robotics chapter is best; other parts are more light-weight; easy read)\nClouds of Witnesses - Dorothy Sayers (not my favorite Sayers mystery, but enjoyable)\nA Study in Scarlet - Arthur Conan Doyle (recommended)\nWhy Gender Matters - Leonard Sax (recommended; most of the book is based on good science, but he does go out on a limb a time or two.)\nOld School - Tobias Wolff (recommended; a world before widespread TV where high school boys actually got excited about literature)\nInfinite Space, Infinite God - Karina and Robert Fabian editors (story quality varies; I enjoyed some of them)\nThe Sign of Four - Arthur Conan Doyle (recommended)\nOn Stranger Tides - Tim Powers (recommended; I love Powers, but Anubis Gates and Last Call are better. Still, if you like pirates you should like this)\nThe Art of Worldly Wisdom - Baltasar Gracian (interesting)\nAquinas at Prayer: the Bible, Mysticism, and Poetry - Paul Murray (recommended; this shows a different side of Thomas Aquinas)\nAristotle for Everybody: Difficult Thought Made Easy - Mortimer Adler (recommended; I almost think this should be required reading)\nThe Pilgrim's Regress - C.S. Lewis (I enjoyed it, but the ideas Lewis argues against are somewhat dated.)\nEdit for formatting",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Aquinas at Prayer: the Bible, Mysticism, and Poetry - Paul Murray (recommended; this shows a different side of Thomas Aquinas)",
          "reason": "Recommended as a book that shows a different side of Thomas Aquinas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Murray"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian spirituality",
        "thomas aquinas"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "aquinas-a-beginner-s-guide-16298a",
      "title": "Aquinas: A Beginner's Guide",
      "author": "Edward Feser",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43612521,
          "author": "wduquette",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T15:20:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43612521",
          "commentText": "Feser's very good at explaining Thomistic/Aristotelian metaphysics clearly.  His _Aquinas: A Beginner's Guide_ is a good introduction.\nThe point of Thomistic/Aristotelian metaphysics it not that it's useful for building things; it isn't, which is why the early moderns mostly abandoned it.  But physics and the quantitative/mechanistic view of the world that it fosters is an abstraction from reality--an extremely useful and productive one, granted, but still an abstraction.  It leaves things out that Thomistic metaphysics retains; and while Aristotelian science has been left in the dust, his metaphysics still has important things to say.\nModern philosophy embraced the mechanistic view of the world with Descartes, leading to a number of philosophical problems (the mind-body problem, the problem of other minds, how to account for qualia and consciousness, and so forth) that are amply accounted for in the older philosophy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His _Aquinas: A Beginner's Guide_ is a good introduction.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a good introduction to Thomistic and Aristotelian metaphysics.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an introduction to Thomistic and Aristotelian metaphysics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward Feser"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aristotelian metaphysics",
        "thomism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "arabian-nights-fff4d9",
      "title": "Arabian Nights",
      "author": "Husain Haddawy (translator)",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227073,
          "author": "lionhearted",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T17:48:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227073",
          "commentText": "If you're talented and get frustrated with stupid people, you have to read \"Musashi\" by Eiji Yoshikawa. I mean, you have to.\nMusashi was one of the greatest (maybe the greatest) swordsman of all time. He invented a Japanese longblade/shortblade mixed style of swordsmanship, at one point fighting himself out of an ambush when he was attacked by over 30 men. He was undefeated in over 60 duels, including defeating arguably the second best swordsman in Japan at the time while fighting with a wooden oar he carved into a rough swordlike shape.\nHere's Musashi's Wikipedia page:\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miyamoto_Musashi\nThe book by Eiji Yoshikawa is historical fiction - it's period accurate and follows all of Musashi's most well known story. It fills in some other details we don't know of Musashi's life - how he might have trained, some minor scuffles with bandits of the day, and it added a love story.\nThe book is exceptional. Musashi has immense amounts of raw talent, but is in conflict with himself in the world, arrogant, keeps getting into problems and trouble until he comes to more mastery and wisdom. Seriously, I read a lot, and this is hands-down my favorite book of all time. It's a hell of an enjoyable read, really pleasant and beautiful, fun and adventurous, but also filled with deep wisdom. It's a great swashbuckling story, but also teaches you about thinking critically, tactics, strategy, training, tradeoffs, and so on. Just a masterpiece. Easily the most influential book of my life.\nNo affiliate link:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Musashi-Eiji-Yoshikawa/dp/4770019572\nWhilst on subject, I'll also recommend Husain Haddawy's translation of Arabian Nights, which is uproariously funny and also contains a lot of wisdom, and \"The E-Myth Revisited\" by Michael Gerber, which I consider the Bible of small business. I buy a copy of E-Myth and make anyone I'm going to partner with read it before I'll do business with them.\nArabian Nights:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Arabian-Nights-Norton-Critical-Edition... (http://www.amazon.com/Arabian-Nights-Norton-Critical-Editions/dp/039392808X)\nE-Myth:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/E-Myth-Revisited-Small-Businesses-Abou... (http://www.amazon.com/E-Myth-Revisited-Small-Businesses-About/dp/0887307280)\nEdit: Wow, that's quite a few upvotes pretty quickly. If you pick a copy of one of these and enjoy it, feel free to shoot me an email if you want to chat about it. These books have been huge for my life, and not enough people read, so I don't get to talk books as much as I'd like. Also, people with similar tastes feel free to make recommendations either commenting here or by email. Lurkers too! I'm always looking for great books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'll also recommend Husain Haddawy's translation of Arabian Nights, which is uproariously funny and also contains a lot of wisdom",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends this translation, calling it uproariously funny and wise.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Refers specifically to Husain Haddawy's translation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Husain Haddawy (translator)"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "folktales",
        "middle eastern literature",
        "translation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "arabian-sands-fca78f",
      "title": "Arabian Sands",
      "author": "Wilfred Thesiger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8401405,
          "author": "interurban",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:18:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401405",
          "commentText": "Just finished:\nIn Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin\nArabian Sands by Wilfred Thesiger\nNow reading:\nSnow Leopard by Peter Matthiesen\nBeen on a travel themed binge the last few weeks, rereading my favorite travel books.  I highly recommend Arabian Sands, gives a pretty unique view of how the Arabian Peninsula was changing right after WWII.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend Arabian Sands",
          "reason": "The commenter highly recommends this travel book and says it offers a distinctive view of the Arabian Peninsula's postwar changes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Wilfred Thesiger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "arabian peninsula",
        "travel writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "arbitrage-theory-in-continuous-time-be31fa",
      "title": "Arbitrage Theory in Continuous Time",
      "author": "Tomas Björk",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3178313,
          "author": "veyron",
          "createdAt": "2011-10-31T17:55:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 3177815,
          "threadTitle": "Good books for hackers interested in quant finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3178313",
          "commentText": "You need to be a little more specific regarding your interests and background.  If you are interested in theory, there are plenty of books discussing specific models.  However, most practical or buzzword (e.g. HFT) books are rubbish (think about it: if you have a profitable operation, why would you write a book?  Unless, like me, you have a screw loose :P )\nIf you want some practical discussions, \"Trading and Exchanges\" by Larry Harris is a bit dated, but nothing comes close.  Most of the descriptions are still valid today (even if some of the mechanics have changed)\nIf you want something more along the lines of what a financial engineer would know:\n- \"Options, Futures, and other Derivatives\" by John Hull (goes over basic models without delving too deeply into theoretical math aspects)\n- \"Stochastic Calculus for Finance II\" by Steve Shreve (goes over the basic stuff but has enough stats to keep a grad student happy)\n- \"Monte Carlo Methods in Financial Engineering\" by Paul Glasserman (much more practical, and goes over subtleties of monte carlo simulation and other stuff like low discrepancy sampling)\n- \"Modelling Fixed Income Securities and Interest Rate Options\" by Robert Jarrow (walks through how to perform certain simulations, covers lots of little details most theoretical books skip)\nIf you want something more theoretical:\n- \"Introduction to Stochastic Calculus Applied to Finance\" by Lamberton and Lapeyre (Nice little intro)\n- \"Arbitrage Theory in Continuous Time\" by Tomas Bjork (Slower discussion, larger breadth)\n- \"Brownian Motion and Stochastic Calculus\" and \"Methods of Mathematical Finance\" by Karatzas and Shreve (Solid theoretical foundation, for the more mathematically inclined)\nThere was a good non-measure theoretic discussion of financial models but the name escapes me ATM.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Slower discussion, larger breadth",
          "reason": "Recommended for theoretical coverage, with a slower discussion and broader scope.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a broad theoretical treatment.",
          "caveat": "The discussion is slower paced.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tomas Björk"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "arbitrage",
        "continuous time finance",
        "quantitative finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "arcadia-e6ffdc",
      "title": "Arcadia",
      "author": "Tom Stoppard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10216946,
          "author": "planet_carter",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-14T19:28:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 10211331,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10216946",
          "commentText": "\"Arcadia\" by Tom Stoppard. It's an incredible play which explores some of the foundational concepts of Chaos Theory as literary themes. I'm not a huge fiction reader, but this one gets me every time I read it. The ending is really beautiful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's an incredible play which explores some of the foundational concepts of Chaos Theory as literary themes.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it incredible, says it gets them every time, and praises its beautiful ending.",
          "audience": "The commenter says they are not a huge fiction reader.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Stoppard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chaos theory",
        "theatre"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "arcadian-adventures-with-the-idle-rich-3f5584",
      "title": "Arcadian Adventures with the Idle Rich",
      "author": "Stephen Leacock",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47992718,
          "author": "onecommentman",
          "createdAt": "2026-05-03T02:26:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 47984463,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47992718",
          "commentText": "To a college friend from a Canadian academic family who was in senior management in a large tech firm, a period copy of Arcadian Adventures with the Idle Rich by Canadian professor and humorist, Stephen Leacock, published in 1914.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a period copy of Arcadian Adventures with the Idle Rich by Canadian professor and humorist, Stephen Leacock, published in 1914.",
          "reason": "Describes giving a period copy as a gift.",
          "audience": "A college friend from a Canadian academic family who worked in senior management.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Leacock"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "canadian literature",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "architect-of-aeons-9075d4",
      "title": "Architect of Aeons",
      "author": "John C. Wright",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13122261,
          "author": "rajacombinator",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-07T13:15:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13122261",
          "commentText": "Sweet so glad to hear this is continuing. When I finished Architect it seemed it could have been an end to the series.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "When I finished Architect it seemed it could have been an end to the series.",
          "reason": "Discusses finishing the book and its apparent role as a possible series ending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13120144,
          "author": "joeclark77",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-07T03:05:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13120144",
          "commentText": "John C Wright's \"eschaton sequence\":\nCount to a Trillion\nThe Hermetic Millennia\nJudge of Ages\nArchitect of Aeons\nThe Vindication of Man\n(and one more to come)\nIt's a combination of hard sci-fi and space opera, based around one essentially immortal character (and his rival, and his girl) carrying out a mission over tens of thousands of years.  Mind-blowing scale and yet there's a romance to it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Architect of Aeons",
          "reason": "Listed as an installment in the series offered in response to a request for the year's best sci-fi.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John C. Wright"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hard science fiction",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "arcology-the-city-in-the-image-of-man-a974c4",
      "title": "Arcology: The City in the Image of Man",
      "author": "Paolo Soleri",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10325772,
          "author": "allard",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T23:11:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325772",
          "commentText": "arcology : city in the image of man",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "arcology : city in the image of man",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paolo Soleri"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Nature",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "arcology",
        "sustainable cities",
        "urban design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ardor-32072f",
      "title": "Ardor",
      "author": "Roberto Calasso",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15630498,
          "author": "dedalus",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:35:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630498",
          "commentText": "Three Scientists and their Gods: This book foreshadows the meaning and purpose of science+tech https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214570.Three_Scientists_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214570.Three_Scientists_and_Their_Gods)\nScifi: The Three Body problem (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)) for its whole encompassing narrative about human future and some of it will be real (fusion instead of chemical fuel, pulse propulsion and other social consequences)\nArdor: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20931250-ardor if you ever wanted to understand ancient indian philosophy. Heavy read, not recommended for fun but more as quest\nFoxTales: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/412167.Foxtales about how software was developed in the midwest free of all the fashion/hipsterism currently in vogue and building a community of users for your software\nThe elements of networking style: If you ever wanted to know the politics of how networking RFCs are made: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2298785.The_Elements_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2298785.The_Elements_of_Networking_Style) and design choices made to build modern day internet\nUnwritten Laws of Engineering: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13122143-unwritten-laws-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13122143-unwritten-laws-of-engineering) is an old and timeless way detailing what it means to engineer\nHigh Performance Browser Networking: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17985198-high-performanc... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17985198-high-performance-browser-networking) if you ever wanted to know what happens inside a browser\nThe Computer and the Brain: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/358880.The_Computer_and_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/358880.The_Computer_and_the_Brain) where the master compares the machine with our brain\nThe Grammatical Man: If you ever wanted to know the importance of structure and constraint in everything: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/722028.Grammatical_Man",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Ardor: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20931250-ardor if you ever wanted to understand ancient indian philosophy. Heavy read, not recommended for fun but more as quest",
          "reason": "Presents it as a way to understand ancient Indian philosophy.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in ancient Indian philosophy.",
          "caveat": "A heavy read; framed as a quest rather than fun reading.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roberto Calasso"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "indian philosophy",
        "vedic tradition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "are-your-lights-on-bd2559",
      "title": "Are Your Lights On?",
      "author": "Gerald M. Weinberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14489223,
          "author": "aaronmu",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T17:06:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14489223",
          "commentText": "A couple fun ones that weren't mentioned yet:\nJavaScript Allongé, the \"Six\" Edition by Reginald Braithwaite\nAre Your Lights On? by Gerald M. Weinberg",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Are Your Lights On? by Gerald M. Weinberg",
          "reason": "Listed as a fun book in response to a request for programming book suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gerald M. Weinberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "problem solving",
        "systems thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "are-your-lights-on-a-treatise-on-the-definition-of-diverse-proble-2cb6a3",
      "title": "Are Your Lights On?: A Treatise on the Definition of Diverse Problems",
      "author": "Donald C. Gause and Gerald M. Weinberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12098771,
          "author": "gregimba",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T03:22:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12098771",
          "commentText": "Are Your Lights On?: A Treatise on the Definition of Diverse Problems",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Are Your Lights On?: A Treatise on the Definition of Diverse Problems",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donald C. Gause and Gerald M. Weinberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "problem definition",
        "problem solving"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "are-your-lights-on-how-to-figure-out-what-the-problem-really-is-cdaf4d",
      "title": "Are Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is",
      "author": "Donald C. Gause and Gerald M. Weinberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donald C. Gause and Gerald M. Weinberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "problem solving",
        "systems thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "argo-3225bf",
      "title": "Argo",
      "author": "Antonio J. Méndez",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804899,
          "author": "AGivant",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:29:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804899",
          "commentText": "Here is my list (from https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/912138-alex-givant?rea...):\nMemoirs:\n- Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti..).\n- Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive by Land, Stephanie, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39218350-maid\n- Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40409969-medium-raw\n- Confessions of a Tax Collector: One Man's Tour of Duty Inside the IRS by Yancey, Rick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_..).\n- The Perfect Predator: A Scientist's Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Superbug: A Memoir by Steffanie Strathdee, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-pre... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-predator)\nPolitics:\n- Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Desmond, Matthew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25852784-evicted\n- Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America by Leovy, Jill, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13153693-ghettoside\n- American Prison: A Reporter's Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment by Bauer, Shane, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38561954-american-prison\n- Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Eban, Katherine, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42448266-bottle-of-lies\n- A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America by Miller, T. Christian, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35805861-a-false-report\n- The New Silk Roads by Frankopan, Peter, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro..).\nHistory:\n- Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-1956 by Applebaum, Anne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13531848-iron-curtain\n- The Romanovs: 1613-1918 by Montefiore, Simon Sebag, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26109020-the-romanovs\n- The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Johnson, Steven, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36086.The_Ghost_Map\n- Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations by Bergman, Ronen, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f..).\n- Madame Fourcade's Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against Hitler by Olson, Lynne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade..).\n- Argo: How the CIA & Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History by Méndez, Antonio J., https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13588425-argo\nCrime:\n- Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History by Selby, Scott Andrew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7071759-flawless\n- American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road by Bilton, Nick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi..).\n- Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by Carreyrou, John, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37976541-bad-blood\n- Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World by Wright, Tom, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-..).\n- The Mastermind: Drugs. Empire. Murder. Betrayal. by Ratliff, Evan, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41181600-the-mastermind\nTechnology:\n- Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon by Zetter, Kim, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze..).\n- Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World by Thompson, Clive, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40406806-coders",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Argo: How the CIA & Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History by Méndez, Antonio J.",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list of favorite nonfiction books read in 2019.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Antonio J. Méndez"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cia",
        "iran hostage crisis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "arguing-for-atheism-b27b23",
      "title": "Arguing for Atheism",
      "author": "Robin Le Poidevin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227807,
          "author": "tommorris",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T23:11:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227807",
          "commentText": "I don't agree that the arguments in the God Delusion are too bad. He does take some real liberties with Aquinas, but all the scholarly dressing you apply to Aquinas doesn't really improve the arguments. Dawkins deals with them too hastily, but even if Dawkins was an Aquinas scholar and applied the principle of charity to the arguments, they'd still be unconvincing arguments. The God Delusion is a popular book, not a scholarly refutation of all arguments for the existence of God.\nIf you want to read scholarly refutations of arguments for the existence of God, as well as read some arguments put forward explicitly for the non-existence of God, then you have to turn elsewhere: Michael Martin's \"Atheism: A Philosophical Justification\", Robin Le Podevin's \"Arguing for Atheism\" and Nick Everett's \"The Non-Existence Of God\". Another good book from an agnostic rather than atheist perspective is Anthony Kenny's \"The God of the Philosophers\". A slightly easier read is Julian Baggini's \"Atheism: A Very Short Introduction\" which is okay. I have some reservations with it, but it covers most of the important arguments and has some stuff about ethics and living the good life and all that happy-clappy stuff too.\nAs for stuff that isn't concerned with the philosophical arguments? I found Onfray's \"In Defence of Atheism\" a pretty good read - it is polemical, but is well-written. Nietzsche is always good to read so long as you don't - you know - become a damn goth or whatever after reading it or try and commit genocide or something. Russell's \"Why I Am Not A Christian\" and the much less read compilation \"Russell on Religion\" (not widely available outside academia as far as I'm aware) - Russell is a good writer and says some very refreshing things like:\n<blockquote>Even if the open windows of science at first make us shiver after the cozy indoor warmth of traditional humanizing myths, in the end the fresh air brings vigor, and the great spaces have a splendor of their own.</blockquote>",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Robin Le Podevin's \"Arguing for Atheism\"",
          "reason": "Listed as a scholarly refutation of arguments for God's existence and an argument for atheism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robin Le Poidevin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "atheism",
        "philosophy of religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "aristoi-440a0f",
      "title": "Aristoi",
      "author": "Walter Jon Williams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17545605,
          "author": "wurp",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T22:10:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17545605",
          "commentText": "Aristoi is my favorite of Walter Jon Williams's work. I reread it every few years, just like Diamond Age, Stranger in a Strange Land, and Fire Upon the Deep.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Aristoi is my favorite of Walter Jon Williams's work.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls Aristoi their favorite work by the author.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Walter Jon Williams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "posthumanism",
        "utopian science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "aristotle-435c7a",
      "title": "Aristotle",
      "author": "David Ross",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21852644,
          "author": "pyuser583",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T18:44:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21852644",
          "commentText": "Really!? My undergraduate degree was in philosophy. I spent a lot of time studying Aristotle’s “Metaphysics” (which isn’t about metaphysics). How does it apply to software development?\nNichomachean Ethics are very helpful.\nBut don't read Aristotle's actual work unless you have a philosophy background. Way too dense and complicated.\nTry \"Aristotle For Everyone\" by Mortimer J. Adler, and then \"Aristotle\" by David Ross.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and then \"Aristotle\" by David Ross.",
          "reason": "Recommends it after Aristotle for Everyone.",
          "audience": "Readers without a philosophy background.",
          "caveat": "The commenter advises starting with Aristotle for Everyone.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Ross"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aristotelian philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "aristotle-for-everybody-difficult-thought-made-easy-ce4d4f",
      "title": "Aristotle for Everybody: Difficult Thought Made Easy",
      "author": "Mortimer J. Adler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13240800,
          "author": "cicero",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T22:06:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13240800",
          "commentText": "A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter Miller (recommended SF classic)\nThe Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis (an old favorite, recommended)\nThe Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco (some interesting parts, but overall a disappointment)\nTheology and Sanity - Frank Sheed (recommended; a very written description of the Catholic faith; weaknesses are it's long and it's aimed to a mid 20th c. audience)\nChristianity for Modern Pagans: Pascal's Pensees - Peter Kreeft (recommended; a good exposition of Blaise Pascal's thought)\nCatholicism: A journey to the heart of the faith - Robert Barron (recommended; a good explanation of Catholicism for the common person)\nHis Master's Voice - Stanislaw Lem (recommended; very intellectual look at the problem of first contact)\nThe Industries of the Future - Alec Ross (the robotics chapter is best; other parts are more light-weight; easy read)\nClouds of Witnesses - Dorothy Sayers (not my favorite Sayers mystery, but enjoyable)\nA Study in Scarlet - Arthur Conan Doyle (recommended)\nWhy Gender Matters - Leonard Sax (recommended; most of the book is based on good science, but he does go out on a limb a time or two.)\nOld School - Tobias Wolff (recommended; a world before widespread TV where high school boys actually got excited about literature)\nInfinite Space, Infinite God - Karina and Robert Fabian editors (story quality varies; I enjoyed some of them)\nThe Sign of Four - Arthur Conan Doyle (recommended)\nOn Stranger Tides - Tim Powers (recommended; I love Powers, but Anubis Gates and Last Call are better. Still, if you like pirates you should like this)\nThe Art of Worldly Wisdom - Baltasar Gracian (interesting)\nAquinas at Prayer: the Bible, Mysticism, and Poetry - Paul Murray (recommended; this shows a different side of Thomas Aquinas)\nAristotle for Everybody: Difficult Thought Made Easy - Mortimer Adler (recommended; I almost think this should be required reading)\nThe Pilgrim's Regress - C.S. Lewis (I enjoyed it, but the ideas Lewis argues against are somewhat dated.)\nEdit for formatting",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Aristotle for Everybody: Difficult Thought Made Easy - Mortimer Adler (recommended; I almost think this should be required reading)",
          "reason": "Strongly recommended; the commenter says it might deserve to be required reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mortimer J. Adler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aristotle",
        "introductory philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "aristotle-for-everyone-5a9d9d",
      "title": "Aristotle for Everyone",
      "author": "Mortimer J. Adler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21852644,
          "author": "pyuser583",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T18:44:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21852644",
          "commentText": "Really!? My undergraduate degree was in philosophy. I spent a lot of time studying Aristotle’s “Metaphysics” (which isn’t about metaphysics). How does it apply to software development?\nNichomachean Ethics are very helpful.\nBut don't read Aristotle's actual work unless you have a philosophy background. Way too dense and complicated.\nTry \"Aristotle For Everyone\" by Mortimer J. Adler, and then \"Aristotle\" by David Ross.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Try \"Aristotle For Everyone\" by Mortimer J. Adler",
          "reason": "Suggests it as an accessible introduction to Aristotle.",
          "audience": "Readers without a philosophy background.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mortimer J. Adler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aristotelian philosophy",
        "introductory philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "aristotle-s-works-0a6cc7",
      "title": "Aristotle's works",
      "author": "Aristotle",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2152798,
          "author": "Tim1776",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-28T18:04:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2152798",
          "commentText": "Books that sharpened my thinking: \"An Introduction to Logic\" by H.W.B. Joseph, everything written by Ayn Rand, \"On the Several Senses of Being in Aristotle\" by Franz Brentano, and the works of Aristotle.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the works of Aristotle",
          "reason": "Says Aristotle's works sharpened their thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No specific titles named.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Aristotle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aristotle",
        "classical philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "arithmetic-4e3f7d",
      "title": "Arithmetic",
      "author": "Paul Lockhart",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31489204,
          "author": "garmain",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T07:50:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31489204",
          "commentText": "Seconded. also consider Lockhart's \"Arithmetic\". Bear in mind. These are both non-orthodox style books. Burn Math Class least orthodox.\nAn orthodox approach to Analysis would be Terence Tao's Analysis books.\nFurther recommendations depend on your specific goals.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "consider Lockhart's \"Arithmetic\".",
          "reason": "Suggested as a non-orthodox style book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as non-orthodox.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Lockhart"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "arithmetic",
        "mathematical thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "arkady-renko-novels-66100b",
      "title": "Arkady Renko novels",
      "author": "Martin Cruz Smith",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10552571,
          "author": "gadders",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-12T11:46:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10552571",
          "commentText": "I've just binge-read all the Martin Cruz Smith Arkady Renko novels - Gorky Park etc. Really well written, great plots and very droll in places.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've just binge-read all the Martin Cruz Smith Arkady Renko novels - Gorky Park etc. Really well written, great plots and very droll in places.",
          "reason": "Praises the novels as well written, with great plots and a droll tone.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The praise is for the novels as a group; Gorky Park is given as an example.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin Cruz Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crime fiction",
        "detective fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "armchair-universe-an-exploration-of-computer-worlds-ece4b7",
      "title": "Armchair Universe: An Exploration of Computer Worlds",
      "author": "A. K. Dewdney",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12098001,
          "author": "quoraquestions",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-14T23:34:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12098001",
          "commentText": "A)The Annotated Turing - Petzold\nB)Armchair Universe: An Exploration of Computer Worlds -- A.K. Dewdney\nThe latter had many great ideas which inspired me to do interesting experiments on computers with minimal programming experience,  it had a great chapter on recursion which really helped me understand recursion when it had no programming experience. I still go back and read sections of this book. Quite a joy IMHO",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Armchair Universe: An Exploration of Computer Worlds -- A.K. Dewdney",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a joy and says its ideas inspired experiments and helped explain recursion.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in exploring computer ideas through simple programming experiments.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "A. K. Dewdney"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer experiments",
        "programming for beginners",
        "recursion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "armor-f515df",
      "title": "Armor",
      "author": "John Steakley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7301814,
          "author": "sophe",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T00:24:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7301814",
          "commentText": "Armor by John Steakley",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Armor by John Steakley",
          "reason": "Gives the title in response to a request for science-fiction book suggestions.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for science-fiction novels.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Steakley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alien war",
        "military science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "arrowsmith-e3a60b",
      "title": "Arrowsmith",
      "author": "Sinclair Lewis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25320138,
          "author": "billfruit",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-06T01:34:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25320138",
          "commentText": "The Right Stuff - Test Pilots\nArrowsmith - Sinclair Lewis - Medical Profession\nMcTeague - Frank Norris - Dentistry\nTwo Years Behind the Mast - Dana - Sailor in thr Merchant Marine\nThe Red and the Black - Stendahl - Catholic Clergy\nThe Centurions - Jean Larteguy  - Infantry/Special Ops\nI always suggest reading fiction, it is a good source for lot of incidental knowledge about various aspects of life.\nCan anyone recommend books/novels on the English legal profession? Thanks.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Arrowsmith - Sinclair Lewis - Medical Profession",
          "reason": "Listed as fiction offering insight into the medical profession.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the medical profession.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sinclair Lewis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "medical profession",
        "medicine"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "art-fear-observations-on-the-perils-and-rewards-of-artmaking-174770",
      "title": "Art & Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking",
      "author": "Ted Orland and David Bayles",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5501509,
          "author": "mknappen",
          "createdAt": "2013-04-05T22:43:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 5501062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Business Book For a 13-year-old Girl?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5501509",
          "commentText": "Try \"Art & Fear: Observations On the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking\" by Ted Orland and David Bayles.
\nPithy and written for those beginning their careers in fields traditionally considered \"creative\", the discussions within are relevant to both would-be programmers and entrepreneurs. Much of the book is about finding your work, ignoring distractions, recognizing failed attempts as essential to success, the intrinsic motivations of problem solving, cultivation of useful habits, and building a life of engagement with the ideas and materials that matter most to you.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pithy and written for those beginning their careers in fields traditionally considered \"creative\", the discussions within are relevant to both would-be programmers and entrepreneurs.",
          "reason": "Recommended as relevant to aspiring programmers and entrepreneurs, with guidance on creative work and useful habits.",
          "audience": "People beginning careers in creative fields, including aspiring programmers and entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ted Orland and David Bayles"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Business",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "career development",
        "creative work",
        "motivation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "art-fear-observations-on-the-perils-and-rewards-of-artmaking-690e12",
      "title": "Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking",
      "author": "David Bayles and Ted Orland",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10029150,
          "author": "WesternStar",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-09T01:00:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10029150",
          "commentText": "Lately I've been reading about the functional artist and writer because ultimately they do similar work to what we do. Our work is more concrete and has definite correctness but at least for me some of the admonishments towards Craftsmanship are good. I'm Reading Art and Fear at the moment. On Writing Well is also good.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm Reading Art and Fear at the moment.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment only says the author is currently reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8716558,
          "author": "arthurjj",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T14:32:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8716558",
          "commentText": "Having a 30 minute subway commute I'm looking forward to seeing what suggestions come out of this thread. My two suggestions:\n1. Thinking fast and slow - Understanding how we actually think as opposed to how we think we think is a critical skill, especially in a startup. Having a Nobel prize winner explain how the two systems of your brain work together (and  can sabotage you) was enlightening and enjoyable. This book helped me understand many aspects of design and sales that had been black boxes for me\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-Kahneman/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Fast-Slow-Daniel-Kahneman/dp/0374533555/tag=youtubeplayli-20)\n2. Art and Fear - This is a book nominally about the relationship between artists and how they go about making art but it is useful for anyone creative. It's about how to go about making when you have errands to run, a deadline, or just don't feel like it. As a dev I found it inspiring\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Art-Fear-Observations-Rewards-Artmakin... (http://www.amazon.com/Art-Fear-Observations-Rewards-Artmaking-ebook/dp/B0042JSQLU/tag=youtubeplayli-20)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "As a dev I found it inspiring",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book is useful for creative work and found it inspiring as a developer.",
          "audience": "Creative people, including developers.",
          "caveat": "Although nominally about artists, the commenter finds it useful beyond the art world.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Bayles and Ted Orland"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creative practice",
        "art making",
        "artmaking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "art-as-experience-9e1e85",
      "title": "Art as Experience",
      "author": "John Dewey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15793462,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-28T01:24:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15793462",
          "commentText": "Metaphors We Live By - Lakoff/Johnson\nPhilosophy in the Flesh - L/J\nRationalism in Politics - Oakeshott\nErving Goffman – Presentation of Self in Everyday Life\nWalter Lippmann – Public Opinion\nArt as Experience - John Dewey\nPlutarch's Lives\nG.K. Chesterton – Heretics\n(essay) William James - On A Certain Blindness in Human Beings (and its sequel)\n(essay) R.L. Stevenson - The Lantern-Bearers",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Art as Experience - John Dewey",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Dewey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aesthetics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "art-of-problem-solving-books-d12735",
      "title": "Art of Problem Solving books",
      "author": "Richard Rusczyk and others",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31499196,
          "author": "sn9",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-25T00:28:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31499196",
          "commentText": "The other benefit is that all of the AoPS books have extremely complete solutions manuals so you'll get immediate feedback on the quality of your solution, or you can just look if you've been banging your head against something for a while.\nSolutions manuals are the autodidact's best friend.\nOther high quality books with complete solutions included or in separate solutions manuals include Spivak's Calculus, Hubbard and Hubbard's Vector Calculus, Tenenbaum and Pollard's Ordinary Differential Equations (a really cheap Dover text from the 60s!), and Knuth et. al's Concrete Mathematics.\nGoing through the AoPS books and the above will give you an extremely solid foundation to learn any further math you might need as a software engineer as needed.\nIf you have a career spanning 3-4 decades, spending a few years mastering this material can be extremely useful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "all of the AoPS books",
          "reason": "Praises their complete solutions manuals as a source of immediate feedback for independent learners.",
          "audience": "Autodidacts studying mathematics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Rusczyk"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "problem solving"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "artful-design-technology-in-search-of-the-sublime-0ac292",
      "title": "Artful Design: Technology in Search of the Sublime",
      "author": "Ge Wang",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21767179,
          "author": "ArtWomb",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-11T21:55:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 21765528,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fun Tech Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21767179",
          "commentText": "Can recommend Ge Wang's Artful Design. Dense, photo-graphic-novel hybrid you can sample for hours. And low-key it's an encyclopedic History of Computer Music ;)\nhttps://artful.design/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Can recommend Ge Wang's Artful Design.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as a dense, richly illustrated book about computer music history.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computer music and design.",
          "caveat": "Described as dense; it is a photo-graphic-novel hybrid.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ge Wang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer music",
        "design",
        "technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "arthashastra-1f5097",
      "title": "Arthashastra",
      "author": "Chanakya",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 456353,
          "author": "prakash",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T14:18:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456353",
          "commentText": "The book of 5 rings is a nice book. Here's another: Arthashastra by Chāṇakya has some chapters on war - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthashastra",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Arthashastra by Chāṇakya has some chapters on war",
          "reason": "Offered as another book, noting its chapters on war.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in books touching on war.",
          "caveat": "Only some chapters cover war.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chanakya"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient indian statecraft",
        "military strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "artificial-intelligence-a797ce",
      "title": "Artificial Intelligence",
      "author": "Stuart Russell and Peter Norvig",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13901031,
          "author": "JamilD",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T12:47:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13901031",
          "commentText": "Firstly, I don't think you can dive straight into coding without understanding the fundamentals. AI is such a broad and rich field, and there's a lot you need to know before you start.\nIt also depends on what you're going to focus on. Are you looking to implement a game-playing agent? An object recognition algorithm? More of a logic focus?\nIf you just want Deep Learning and statistical methods, then Bishop's Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning is a good start. Otherwise, Russel and Norvig's Artificial Intelligence or Patrick Winston's similarly titled book are great starting points. For more big-picture stuff,\nMarvin Minsky's Society of Mind is great, and Hofstader's Gödel, Escher, Bach is a classic too. Both are a lot less practical though, which seems to be what you're looking for.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Russel and Norvig's Artificial Intelligence",
          "reason": "Recommended as a starting point for AI outside a focus on deep learning and statistical methods.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stuart Russell",
        "Peter Norvig"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ai textbooks",
        "artificial intelligence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "artificial-intelligence-e9d37f",
      "title": "Artificial Intelligence",
      "author": "Patrick Winston",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13901031,
          "author": "JamilD",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T12:47:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13901031",
          "commentText": "Firstly, I don't think you can dive straight into coding without understanding the fundamentals. AI is such a broad and rich field, and there's a lot you need to know before you start.\nIt also depends on what you're going to focus on. Are you looking to implement a game-playing agent? An object recognition algorithm? More of a logic focus?\nIf you just want Deep Learning and statistical methods, then Bishop's Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning is a good start. Otherwise, Russel and Norvig's Artificial Intelligence or Patrick Winston's similarly titled book are great starting points. For more big-picture stuff,\nMarvin Minsky's Society of Mind is great, and Hofstader's Gödel, Escher, Bach is a classic too. Both are a lot less practical though, which seems to be what you're looking for.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Patrick Winston's similarly titled book",
          "reason": "Recommended as a starting point for AI outside a focus on deep learning and statistical methods.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Patrick Winston"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ai textbooks",
        "artificial intelligence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "artificial-intelligence-a-guide-for-thinking-humans-66b2a7",
      "title": "Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans",
      "author": "Melanie Mitchell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30735764,
          "author": "jwood27",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:37:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735764",
          "commentText": "The following have all had a significant effect on my worldview. You can find more information at [1].\n- The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow\n- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\n- Crime and Punishment\n- The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York\n- Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies\n- The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity\n- Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead\n- Franny and Zooey\n- Master of the Senate\n- Atlas Shrugged\n- Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed\n- Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap?\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\n- The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics\n- The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don't\n- Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans\n- Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\n- Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World\n- Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones\n- Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow\n- Ethics in the Real World: 86 Brief Essays on Things that Matter\n- A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life\n- Humankind: A Hopeful History\n- The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think\n[1] https://jacobw.xyz/books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans",
          "reason": "Listed among books that significantly affected the commenter’s worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Melanie Mitchell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "artificial-life-a-report-from-the-frontier-where-computers-meet-b-d5a920",
      "title": "Artificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology",
      "author": "Steven Levy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Artificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Levy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial life"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "as-causas-do-atraso-portugues-426df5",
      "title": "As Causas do Atraso Português",
      "author": "Nuno Palma",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47984891,
          "author": "BrunoBernardino",
          "createdAt": "2026-05-02T09:40:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 47984463,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47984891",
          "commentText": "Top 5 books I've offered (and still offer):\n1. Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu (translated by Gia-Fu Feng)\n2. The Analects by Confucius (translated by Annping Chin)\n3. This Is Water by David Foster Wallace\n4. 3 years of Mini Stories - 36 short stories to read quickly, and think slowly — written by me.\n5. As Causas do Atraso Português by Nuno Palma",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "As Causas do Atraso Português by Nuno Palma",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s top five books they have offered as gifts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nuno Palma"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic history",
        "portuguese history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "as-i-see-it-the-autobiography-of-j-paul-getty-c9b5cd",
      "title": "As I See It: The Autobiography of J. Paul Getty",
      "author": "J. Paul Getty",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 203314,
          "author": "rrival",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T14:43:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=203314",
          "commentText": "J Paul Getty - As I See It.\nCarl Icahn (unofficial, out of print) - King Icahn",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "J Paul Getty - As I See It.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. Paul Getty"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "j paul getty",
        "oil industry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "as-little-design-as-possible-658866",
      "title": "As Little Design As Possible",
      "author": "Dieter Rams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18669564,
          "author": "sbr464",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-13T03:02:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 18662992,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on modern UI/UX?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18669564",
          "commentText": "Dieter Rams — As Little Design As Possible [0]\nAlso, if you like Dieter Rams, the film “Rams” by Gary Hustwit [1] is digitally available on Dec 14th.\n[0] https://www.phaidon.com/store/design/as-little-design-as-pos... (https://www.phaidon.com/store/design/as-little-design-as-possible-9780714849188/)\n[1] https://www.hustwit.com/rams/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dieter Rams — As Little Design As Possible",
          "reason": "Offered in response to a question asking for books about modern UI/UX.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dieter Rams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "industrial design",
        "minimalist design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ash-a-secret-history-56808b",
      "title": "Ash: A Secret History",
      "author": "Mary Gentle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2043561,
          "author": "rst",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:30:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043561",
          "commentText": "Vernor Vinge --- A Fire Upon the Deep.  (Also worth seeking out is the hugely influential novella \"True Names\", but you'd probably have to dig it out of a library someplace.)\nNeal Stephenson --- Cryptonomicon.  (Present day setting, but with an SF sensibility; ties into his literally epic Baroque Cycle.)\nCharles Stross --- Halting State.  (Investigation of an MMORPG bank breakin spills out into real-world skulduggery.)\nAnd an oddball that folks here may not have encountered:\nMary Gentle --- Ash, A Secret History.  (Starts off with interleaved narratives of a Joan of Arc figure in a strangely different medieval Europe, and a present-day Ph.D. researcher who's investigating her, and finding out that his sources literally don't say the same thing day to day.  Then it gets... weirder.  Quirky, brilliant, and kind of hard to find in the U.S.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mary Gentle --- Ash, A Secret History.",
          "reason": "Describes it as quirky and brilliant.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as hard to find in the U.S.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mary Gentle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternate history",
        "medieval europe"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ashtavakra-gita-c6f251",
      "title": "Ashtavakra Gita",
      "author": "Ashtavakra",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503307,
          "author": "ashutoshm",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T07:46:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503307",
          "commentText": "Beyond Good and Evil - Nietzsche\nAshtavakra Gita - Ashtavakra\nThe Prophet - Gibran",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ashtavakra Gita - Ashtavakra",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for eye-opening and interesting philosophy books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ashtavakra"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "advaita vedanta"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "asimov-s-new-guide-to-science-6c5618",
      "title": "Asimov’s New Guide to Science",
      "author": "Isaac Asimov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48984047,
          "author": "leobg",
          "createdAt": "2026-07-20T19:54:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 48981842,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favourite science history book of the 20th century?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48984047",
          "commentText": "The Faber Book of Science (Carey)\nAsimov’s New Guide to Science (Asimov)\nThe Great Influenza (Barry)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Asimov’s New Guide to Science (Asimov)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isaac Asimov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "science overview"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ask-your-developer-59403f",
      "title": "Ask Your Developer",
      "author": "Jeff Lawson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32198070,
          "author": "fm2606",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:52:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32198070",
          "commentText": "_Ask Your Developer_ by Jeff Lawson (CEO and co-founder of Twilio) since last weekend, 3/4 way through.  Very good read even for just a developer like myself who has no aspiration of going into management.\n_Midnight Riot_ by Ben Aaronovitch A fun read set in London about a new cop who sees ghosts and finds out he has ability to do magic .  He becomes an apprentice to a master magician who also happens to be an inspector for the the police department.  Started about 2 weeks ago maybe and just past half way.  _Ask Your Developer_ took precedence for a while but now give each equal attention.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "_Ask Your Developer_ by Jeff Lawson (CEO and co-founder of Twilio)",
          "reason": "Calls it a very good read, including for a developer with no management aspirations.",
          "audience": "Developers, including those with no aspirations to enter management.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeff Lawson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "management",
        "technology leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "assassin-s-quest-56143f",
      "title": "Assassin's Quest",
      "author": "Robin Hobb",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10176071,
          "author": "captn3m0",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T21:21:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10176071",
          "commentText": "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking [0]. This is surprisingly full of citations and references.\nAssassin's Quest by Robin Hobb [1]. Stock fantasy at its best.\nRendezvous with Rama by Arthur C Clarke [2]. Been stuck at halfway for too long, it gets boring in places.\n[0]: http://www.amazon.com/Quiet-Power-Introverts-World-Talking/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Quiet-Power-Introverts-World-Talking/dp/0307352153/)\n[1]: http://www.amazon.com/Assassins-Quest-Farseer-Trilogy-Book/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Assassins-Quest-Farseer-Trilogy-Book/dp/0553565699)\n[2]: http://www.amazon.com/Rendezvous-Rama-Arthur-C-Clarke-ebook/... (http://www.amazon.com/Rendezvous-Rama-Arthur-C-Clarke-ebook/dp/B00AHIP8ZM)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Assassin's Quest by Robin Hobb [1]. Stock fantasy at its best.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises it as stock fantasy at its best.",
          "audience": "Fantasy readers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robin Hobb"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "quest"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "assembling-california-072222",
      "title": "Assembling California",
      "author": "John McPhee",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7968336,
          "author": "jonah",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:34:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968336",
          "commentText": "I'm in the middle of Assembling California by John McPhee. It's a richly written exploration of where the land that is now California came from and how it got here. It examines the geologic history of the state as well as the discovery of plate tectonics and more recent California history such as the Gold Rush.\nIt's the last in a series exploring the geologic history the country along Interstate 80.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a richly written exploration of where the land that is now California came from and how it got here.",
          "reason": "Praises its writing and describes its exploration of California's geological history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John McPhee"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "california geology",
        "plate tectonics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "assembly-language-step-by-step-programming-with-linux-c8e142",
      "title": "Assembly Language Step by Step: Programming with Linux",
      "author": "Jeff Duntemann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4352114,
          "author": "vparikh",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-07T20:31:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 4351898,
          "threadTitle": "Best book for x86 assembly (linux)",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4352114",
          "commentText": "I would recommend \"Assembly Language Step By Step, for Linux!\" by Jeff Duntemann -- covers 32 bit only, but is an excellent introduction to assembly language on the Linux platform.  I learned assembly language on X86 when he had the DOS edition of that book in the early 90s.  You can get the info here: http://www.duntemann.com/assembly.html",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I would recommend \"Assembly Language Step By Step, for Linux!\" by Jeff Duntemann",
          "reason": "Directly recommends the book as an introduction to assembly language on Linux.",
          "audience": "People learning assembly language on Linux.",
          "caveat": "Covers 32-bit only.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeff Duntemann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "assembly language",
        "linux",
        "x86"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "assembly-lines-57d5dc",
      "title": "Assembly Lines",
      "author": "Roger Wagner",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46781725,
          "author": "wang_li",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-27T15:59:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 46778461,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books to learn 6502 ASM and the Apple II",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46781725",
          "commentText": "If you aren't doing hires graphics, you don't have to mess with the screen memory directly. You can just call the ROM routines which has the nice side effect of working with 40- or 80-columns automatically. If you are doing hires graphics you are going to use a lookup table regardless as doing the multiplication to get the base address of a particular scanline is far too slow. You can, one time, either make a table manually, which you can use forever, or you can write a short routine that counts from 0 to 191, stick 0 in X and the scanline number in A and JSR $F411. It'll leave the base address of the scanline in $36 and $37. Which you can stick in your table.\nAs in other comments, if you are specifically interested in the Apple II line, the Assembly Lines books by Roger Wagner is fantastic.\nAlso, if you can find it Sandy Mossberg's Disassembly Lines articles in Nibble magazine were great too. Start with Assembly Lines, then read the Disassembly Lines and you'll be quite expert.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Assembly Lines books by Roger Wagner is fantastic.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the books fantastic and suggests starting with them.",
          "audience": "People interested in programming the Apple II.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roger Wagner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "apple ii",
        "assembly language"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "assembly-programming-and-computer-architecture-for-software-engin-456e60",
      "title": "Assembly Programming and Computer Architecture for Software Engineers",
      "author": "Brian R. Hall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40114363,
          "author": "brianrhall",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-22T13:51:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 40104823,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books/resources to understand modern Assembler?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40114363",
          "commentText": "Assembly Programming and Computer Architecture for Software Engineers\nhttps://github.com/brianrhall/Assembly\nAlso helpful is the compiler explorer https://godbolt.org/\nAlthough a more modern way to do cross platform low level tasks is with compiler intrinsics. The book above introduces intrinsics, but Intel has a great intrinsics guide\nhttps://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/docs/intrinsics-guid... (https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/docs/intrinsics-guide/index.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Assembly Programming and Computer Architecture for Software Engineers",
          "reason": "Offered as a book to help with learning assembly.",
          "audience": "Software engineers learning assembly and computer architecture.",
          "caveat": "The commenter also notes the book introduces intrinsics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian R. Hall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "assembly language",
        "computer architecture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "assyria-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-world-s-first-empire-51a156",
      "title": "Assyria, The Rise and Fall of the World's First Empire",
      "author": "Eckart Frahm",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45983184,
          "author": "pioneer42",
          "createdAt": "2025-11-19T18:34:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 45947737,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45983184",
          "commentText": "On a pop history/nonfiction streak this year:\nAssyria, The Rise and Fall of the World's First Empire by Eckart Frahm\n1177 B.C. The Year Civilization Collapsed by Eric Cline\nChildren of Ash and Elm, a History of the Vikings by Neil Price",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Assyria, The Rise and Fall of the World's First Empire by Eckart Frahm",
          "reason": "Listed in the commenter’s pop history and nonfiction reading this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eckart Frahm"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient empires",
        "assyrian history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "asterios-polyp-919271",
      "title": "Asterios Polyp",
      "author": "David Mazzucchelli",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17047379,
          "author": "kyoob",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T14:09:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17047379",
          "commentText": "\"Finite and Infinite Games\" by James Carse. Makes me think a lot about the rat race versus a life lived for a higher purpose. My copy is pretty worn out from my carrying it around a rereading it.\nIf you like graphic novels, the ending of \"Asterios Polyp\" made me gasp and put the book down and walk outside to mull it all over.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the ending of \"Asterios Polyp\" made me gasp and put the book down and walk outside to mull it all over.",
          "reason": "Describes a powerful, thought-provoking reaction to its ending.",
          "audience": "Readers who like graphic novels.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Mazzucchelli"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "graphic novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "asteroid-wars-54152f",
      "title": "Asteroid Wars",
      "author": "Ben Bova",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2043697,
          "author": "veb",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T21:20:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043697",
          "commentText": "Why has nobody mentioned the author Ben Bova? Especially the Astroid Wars trilogy.\nAnything by Stephen Baxter, Arthur C. Clarke, and Isaac Asimov is a must read!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Especially the Astroid Wars trilogy.",
          "reason": "Highlights this trilogy while asking why the author has not been mentioned.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ben Bova"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "asteroid mining",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "astoria-john-jacob-astor-and-thomas-jefferson-s-lost-pacific-empi-56a8b9",
      "title": "Astoria: John Jacob Astor and Thomas Jefferson's Lost Pacific Empire: A Story of Wealth, Ambition, and Survival",
      "author": "Peter Stark",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8258954,
          "author": "malyk",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T17:36:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8258954",
          "commentText": "I just finished reading Astoria: John Jacob Astor and Thomas Jefferson's Lost Pacific Empire: A Story of Wealth, Ambition, and Survival[1].  It's a about a piece of american history that I had no idea had ever happened.  The Lewis and Clark expedition is generally well known...at least that it happened...but the Astorian expedition was completely unknown to me and to probably a ton of you as well.\nVery interesting.\n1 - http://www.amazon.com/Astoria-Jeffersons-Pacific-Ambition-Su... (http://www.amazon.com/Astoria-Jeffersons-Pacific-Ambition-Survival/dp/0062218298)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Very interesting.",
          "reason": "Calls the book very interesting and describes its subject as a little-known episode in American history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Stark"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american history",
        "pacific northwest"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "astounding-john-w-campbell-isaac-asimov-robert-a-heinlein-l-ron-h-efe3d0",
      "title": "Astounding: John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, and the Golden Age of Science Fiction",
      "author": "Alec Nevala-Lee",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21793675,
          "author": "captaincrowbar",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-15T01:07:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793675",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction I read this year:\nMichael Benson - Space Odyssey - The detailed story of the making of 2001: A Space Odyssey. If you're a fan of the movie, or of Stanley Kubrick and/or Arthur C. Clarke in general, you should read this.\nAtul Gawande - Complications - Fascinating look at life in the medical profession.\nChristina Thompson - Sea People - Detailed, well-researched history of Polynesian-Western contact and relations. As a New Zealander I was interested in this, although American or European readers with no personal connection may be less so.\nPeter Singer - Marx: A Very Short Introduction - What it says on the tin.\nRobert C Allen - Global Economic History: A Very Short Introduction - Also good, but inaccurately titled; it should have said \"Global Economic History Since the Industrial Revolution\".\nFraser A Sherman - Now and Then We Time Travel - A thorough if somewhat superficial survey of time travel in the movies.\nAlec Nevala-Lee - Astounding - A history of the magazine Astounding Stories, and the four men most closely associated with it: John Campbell, Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, and Ron Hubbard. Very thoroughly researched and annotated; it reveals a lot of new information and debunks a lot of old myths. (Whichever version of the \"FBI visits Campbell to complain about A-bomb stories\" you've heard, I can pretty much guarantee it wasn't the real one.)\nElizabeth Sandifer - Tardis Eruditorum 1: William Hartnell - The first volume of a thorough study of Doctor Who, with a combined fannish and scholarly point of view that I enjoyed.\nRandall Munroe - How To - It's by Randall Munroe, what else do you need to know?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Very thoroughly researched and annotated; it reveals a lot of new information and debunks a lot of old myths.",
          "reason": "Praises its research and says it reveals new information and debunks myths.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alec Nevala-Lee"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "science fiction history",
        "science fiction publishing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "astrobiology-a-very-short-introduction-a68407",
      "title": "Astrobiology: A Very Short Introduction",
      "author": "David C. Catling",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14860000,
          "author": "Symmetry",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:30:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14860000",
          "commentText": "The Guns of August - Can't say I really recommend it, read The Sleepwalkers instead.  Barely talks about Austria-Hungary which was a disappointment.\nAstrobiology - A Very Short Introduciton - Good so far but I haven't gotten very far in yet.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Astrobiology - A Very Short Introduciton - Good so far but I haven't gotten very far in yet.",
          "reason": "Says it is good so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read very far.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David C. Catling"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "astrobiology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "asymptopia-910dad",
      "title": "Asymptopia",
      "author": "Joel Spencer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29219693,
          "author": "LAIFscratch",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T19:13:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29219693",
          "commentText": "The best book if you have any programming background is 'Mathematical Modeling and Applied Calculus' by Joel Kilty and Alex M. McAllister reviewed here: https://www.maa.org/press/maa-reviews/mathematical-modeling-... (https://www.maa.org/press/maa-reviews/mathematical-modeling-and-applied-calculus)\nThere's a small workshop for it here: https://learnaifromscratch.github.io/calculus.html throwing in some youtube tutorials. The book presents everything as functions and their parameters, like linear functions, trig, sigmoidal, e and logarithms, you learn all the parameters to these functions and can type into desmos online graph to see what they're doing visually. You don't have to do the whole thing just use it for background material when an algorithm text uses calculus methods like L'Hopital's rule.\nPoh-Shen Loh has a discrete math course open on his youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/DailyChallengewithPoShenLoh/search... (https://www.youtube.com/c/DailyChallengewithPoShenLoh/search?query=discrete%20math) you can use the book he recommends to look up anything that is assumed knowledge in lectures. Discrete Mathematics, by L. Lovász, J. Pelikán, and K. Vesztergombi. A book called Asymptopia by Spencer is well done too, good chapters for learning everything you want about big-O/omega/theta some topics are advanced and some anyone can do.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A book called Asymptopia by Spencer is well done too",
          "reason": "Recommends it for learning about big-O, omega, and theta.",
          "audience": "Readers learning asymptotic notation.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says some topics are advanced while others are accessible to anyone.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joel Spencer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "asymptotic analysis",
        "big o notation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "at-swim-two-birds-ee2dbc",
      "title": "At Swim-Two-Birds",
      "author": "Flann O'Brien",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22095810,
          "author": "Finnucane",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T02:35:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22095810",
          "commentText": "One of my favorites, if you couldn’t guess from my user name. At-Swim-Two-Birds is also wonderful. Flann O’Brien isn’t completely obscure, but not very well known in the US.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "At-Swim-Two-Birds is also wonderful.",
          "reason": "Calls it wonderful while recommending it in a thread about lesser-known books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says Flann O’Brien is not completely obscure, though not well known in the US.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Flann O'Brien"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "irish literature",
        "metafiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "at-the-existentialist-cafe-freedom-being-and-apricot-cocktails-bfdc4a",
      "title": "At the Existentialist Café: Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails",
      "author": "Sarah Bakewell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15960840,
          "author": "adjkant",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T15:31:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15960840",
          "commentText": "At the Existentialist Café: Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails\nIt's an amazing book on philosophy, history, and much more. It felt very relevant to current times. The philosophers in question lived around and through WWII and it examines how their ideas came about before and after as well.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25658482-at-the-existent... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25658482-at-the-existentialist-caf)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's an amazing book on philosophy, history, and much more. It felt very relevant to current times.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it amazing and says its exploration of philosophers' ideas feels relevant to current times.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in existentialism, philosophy, and history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sarah Bakewell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "existentialism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "atheism-a-philosophical-justification-b5edef",
      "title": "Atheism: A Philosophical Justification",
      "author": "Michael Martin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227807,
          "author": "tommorris",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T23:11:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227807",
          "commentText": "I don't agree that the arguments in the God Delusion are too bad. He does take some real liberties with Aquinas, but all the scholarly dressing you apply to Aquinas doesn't really improve the arguments. Dawkins deals with them too hastily, but even if Dawkins was an Aquinas scholar and applied the principle of charity to the arguments, they'd still be unconvincing arguments. The God Delusion is a popular book, not a scholarly refutation of all arguments for the existence of God.\nIf you want to read scholarly refutations of arguments for the existence of God, as well as read some arguments put forward explicitly for the non-existence of God, then you have to turn elsewhere: Michael Martin's \"Atheism: A Philosophical Justification\", Robin Le Podevin's \"Arguing for Atheism\" and Nick Everett's \"The Non-Existence Of God\". Another good book from an agnostic rather than atheist perspective is Anthony Kenny's \"The God of the Philosophers\". A slightly easier read is Julian Baggini's \"Atheism: A Very Short Introduction\" which is okay. I have some reservations with it, but it covers most of the important arguments and has some stuff about ethics and living the good life and all that happy-clappy stuff too.\nAs for stuff that isn't concerned with the philosophical arguments? I found Onfray's \"In Defence of Atheism\" a pretty good read - it is polemical, but is well-written. Nietzsche is always good to read so long as you don't - you know - become a damn goth or whatever after reading it or try and commit genocide or something. Russell's \"Why I Am Not A Christian\" and the much less read compilation \"Russell on Religion\" (not widely available outside academia as far as I'm aware) - Russell is a good writer and says some very refreshing things like:\n<blockquote>Even if the open windows of science at first make us shiver after the cozy indoor warmth of traditional humanizing myths, in the end the fresh air brings vigor, and the great spaces have a splendor of their own.</blockquote>",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Michael Martin's \"Atheism: A Philosophical Justification\"",
          "reason": "Listed as a scholarly refutation of arguments for God's existence and an argument for atheism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Martin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "atheism",
        "philosophy of religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "atheism-a-very-short-introduction-20a2e2",
      "title": "Atheism: A Very Short Introduction",
      "author": "Julian Baggini",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227807,
          "author": "tommorris",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T23:11:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227807",
          "commentText": "I don't agree that the arguments in the God Delusion are too bad. He does take some real liberties with Aquinas, but all the scholarly dressing you apply to Aquinas doesn't really improve the arguments. Dawkins deals with them too hastily, but even if Dawkins was an Aquinas scholar and applied the principle of charity to the arguments, they'd still be unconvincing arguments. The God Delusion is a popular book, not a scholarly refutation of all arguments for the existence of God.\nIf you want to read scholarly refutations of arguments for the existence of God, as well as read some arguments put forward explicitly for the non-existence of God, then you have to turn elsewhere: Michael Martin's \"Atheism: A Philosophical Justification\", Robin Le Podevin's \"Arguing for Atheism\" and Nick Everett's \"The Non-Existence Of God\". Another good book from an agnostic rather than atheist perspective is Anthony Kenny's \"The God of the Philosophers\". A slightly easier read is Julian Baggini's \"Atheism: A Very Short Introduction\" which is okay. I have some reservations with it, but it covers most of the important arguments and has some stuff about ethics and living the good life and all that happy-clappy stuff too.\nAs for stuff that isn't concerned with the philosophical arguments? I found Onfray's \"In Defence of Atheism\" a pretty good read - it is polemical, but is well-written. Nietzsche is always good to read so long as you don't - you know - become a damn goth or whatever after reading it or try and commit genocide or something. Russell's \"Why I Am Not A Christian\" and the much less read compilation \"Russell on Religion\" (not widely available outside academia as far as I'm aware) - Russell is a good writer and says some very refreshing things like:\n<blockquote>Even if the open windows of science at first make us shiver after the cozy indoor warmth of traditional humanizing myths, in the end the fresh air brings vigor, and the great spaces have a splendor of their own.</blockquote>",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A slightly easier read is Julian Baggini's \"Atheism: A Very Short Introduction\" which is okay.",
          "reason": "Described as an easier read that covers important arguments, ethics, and living well.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an easier introduction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has reservations about it.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Julian Baggini"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "atheism",
        "introductory philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "atheism-the-case-against-god-3b9e11",
      "title": "Atheism: The Case Against God",
      "author": "George H. Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25536128,
          "author": "nicharesuk",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-25T12:42:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25536128",
          "commentText": "To respond to this distinction and stay on topic, a book I'd recommend is Atheism: The Case against god by George H Smith.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a book I'd recommend is Atheism: The Case against god by George H Smith.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it in response to a distinction between atheism and agnosticism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George H. Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "atheism",
        "religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "atlas-of-ai-6b519e",
      "title": "Atlas of AI",
      "author": "Kate Crawford",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34161508,
          "author": "wazoox",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T14:54:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161508",
          "commentText": "* The End of the World is just the Beginning, by Peter Zeihan\nHow the globalisation is coming to an end, how the US Navy made Chinese power possible, how the 21st Century will be American after all, and many other counter-intuitive things. A must read IMO.\n* Atlas of AI, by Kate Crawford\nPolitics of AI: power, exploitation, colonialism, global surveillance and control...  Fascinating. Another must read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fascinating. Another must read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it fascinating and a must-read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kate Crawford"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ai ethics",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "surveillance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "atlas-of-perfumed-botany-eaa33a",
      "title": "Atlas of Perfumed Botany",
      "author": "Jean-Claude Ellena",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32936852,
          "author": "jonathanstrange",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T10:06:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936852",
          "commentText": "Just a few non-fiction books from me this time:\n- Lewis Dartnell The Knowledge: This book made me realize the fragility of modern technology and how it is funded on chemical industry, shipping, oil, and the exploitation of natural resources.\n- Peter P. Wakker Prospect Theory: This is not an easy reading but it contains one of the few understandable and detailed explanations of rank-dependent utility theory and why early probability-weighing approaches were incorrect; a must read for anyone interested in rational decision making.\n- Vöcking, Alt, et. al Taschenbuch der Algorithmen: This marvelous Springer book unfortunately only seems to be available in German; it's not at all what the title suggests, but rather a book that brings the fun back to programming, like an 80s hobby programming book; various contributors lay out their favorite algorithms and techniques in short, easy to read chapters. It's like Christmas for programmers.\n- Rosen Handbook of Discrete and Combinatorial Mathematics (Indian Edition): believe it or not, this handbook has helped me a lot with my work in philosophy; it's also the almost ideal handbook style, extremely concise but also very understandable. Of course, I didn't \"read\" this book but using it for reference was definitely worth it.\n- Scott Programming Language Pragmatics: Anybody interested in creating a programming language should read this, preferably the latest edition (I don't know if it's still updated, though); I'm convinced that even though it mostly covers \"generation 4\" languages and earlier, if more language designers read this book, new programming languages would be better; not that anybody needs new programming languages, Common Lisp and Ada are perfectly fine.\n- Jean-Claude Ellena Atlas of Perfumed Botany: Although it sounds a bit pretentious at times like the perfume market is in general (it's 90% marketing of emotions, 10% about the scent), this is a really nice and passionate book about perfumery with beautiful illustrations, written by one of the most renowned contemporary perfumers. It's also surprisingly cheap and by MIT Press.\n- Duff / Gormly First Aid and Wilderness Medicine: This is perhaps the best first aid book out there. Of course, it doesn't replace a practical course but it's a great reference and generally good reading if you're interested in the topic.\nThere was another book I read as a child in German, translated from English. It fascinated me and was the main reason why I got interested in AI and ultimately studied philosophy and linguistics. It was about the Schank/Riesbeck group or some similar symbolic AI research at the time (during the 70s or early 80s) and mentioned meetings where members of the group watched Mork from Ork and analyzed Mork's misunderstandings. If anybody has an idea which book that was, please let me know!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "this is a really nice and passionate book about perfumery with beautiful illustrations",
          "reason": "Praises its passionate treatment of perfumery and illustrations.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in perfumery.",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds parts pretentious and describes the perfume market as heavily focused on marketing emotions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jean-Claude Ellena"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "botany",
        "perfumery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "atlas-of-the-heart-05af99",
      "title": "Atlas of the Heart",
      "author": "Brené Brown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35171605,
          "author": "grepLeigh",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:18:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35171605",
          "commentText": "Most posts offer the obvious suggestions (The Mom Test, High Growth Handbook, The Personal MBA, The Power Law, Hard Thing about Hard Thing, Will It Fly, etc), so I'll focus on some non-obvious suggestions.\nFor tactical advice, I find talks/podcasts and mastermind groups more useful than books.  My favorite podcast (by far) is Rob Walling's Startups for the Rest of Us, which is oriented towards building a capital-efficient bootstrapped business. The archive is full of extremely valuable tactical advice.\nThe books I've found most helpful on my entrepreneurship journey are about mental health, emotional intelligence, and relationships of all kinds. Sharing a few that have had a profound impact, since they helped me metabolize and understand what drove me to become a founder in the first place.\n1. The Self-Compassion Skills Workbook by Tim Desmond\n2. Path of Compassion by Thich Nhat Hanh\n3. The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read, Philippa Perry\n4. Burnout, Emily Nagoski\n5. Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents, Lindsay C. Gibson\n6. Self-Compassion, Dr. Kristin Neff\n7. How to Keep House While Drowning, KC Davis\n8. Deploy Empathy, Michele Hansen\n9. The Body Keeps the Score, Bessel A. Van der Kolk\n10. Atlas of the Heart, Brene Brown\n11. What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atlas of the Heart, Brene Brown",
          "reason": "Listed among books that helped the commenter on their entrepreneurship journey.",
          "audience": "Founders interested in mental health, emotional intelligence, and relationships.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brené Brown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "emotional vocabulary",
        "emotions"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "atomic-accidents-2dcdcb",
      "title": "Atomic Accidents",
      "author": "James Mahaffey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10767516,
          "author": "jrumbut",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T17:00:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10767516",
          "commentText": "Atomic Accidents\nThis is a series of detailed retelling of accidents involving nuclear power, weapons, and radioactive materials generally. It starts with some 19th century hunters wandering into a cave full of radon and ends with Fukushima. The twist here is that the author is a major proponent of nuclear energy and research. It's fascinating to see someone take an in depth look at the flaws of a cause they support, it has just the right amount of technical detail for me, and it really sheds light on how the wildest bugs get into any system.\nDept. of Speculation\nA mostly unflinching look at a difficult modern relationship from a woman's perspective. There are some hard truths in it that are surprisingly easy to swallow.\nMoby Dick\nI read this novel in high school but it didn't have much impact on me then. It is an unbelievably rich experience now, filled with all the wonder, terror, joy, and boredom that comes from trying to find your own meaning.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's fascinating to see someone take an in depth look at the flaws of a cause they support",
          "reason": "Finds its detailed account fascinating and values the scrutiny of nuclear energy's flaws.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The author is a proponent of nuclear energy and research; the commenter likes the amount of technical detail.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Mahaffey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nuclear accidents",
        "nuclear energy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "atopia-chronicles-47c5e2",
      "title": "Atopia Chronicles",
      "author": "Matthew Mather",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7308127,
          "author": "blinkdaddy",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T21:42:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7308127",
          "commentText": "I too just finished Ready Player One. Such a great read. I tend to lean on Good Reads lately for recommendations. But picked up Atopia Chronicles (http://amzn.com/B00DUK1RKY) after browsing popular sci-fi on amazon's best-sellers list. It has great similarities to Ready Player One - virtual presences, future VR challenges, etc. but a very different kind of book (split into multiple story lines, not one continuous story). But that said, if you've not read Snow Crash then drop everything and read that next!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It has great similarities to Ready Player One - virtual presences, future VR challenges, etc. but a very different kind of book",
          "reason": "The commenter describes its similarities and structure without clearly evaluating it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Multiple story lines rather than one continuous story.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthew Mather"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "virtual reality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "attached-f4a5eb",
      "title": "Attached",
      "author": "Amir Levine and Rachel Heller",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15762438,
          "author": "njoubert",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T03:00:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762438",
          "commentText": "I'll jump in and say \"Attached\" by Levine and Heller deeply influenced how I interact with people in my personal life, romantic and otherwise.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Attached\" by Levine and Heller deeply influenced how I interact with people in my personal life, romantic and otherwise.",
          "reason": "The author says it deeply influenced how they interact with people.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Amir Levine and Rachel Heller"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "attachment theory",
        "relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "attack-on-titan-b459fc",
      "title": "Attack on Titan",
      "author": "Hajime Isayama",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42566468,
          "author": "derangedHorse",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-01T15:13:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42566468",
          "commentText": "Attack on Titan is great. I don't think I've heard of Witch Hat Atelier but it sounds interesting. Thanks for the recommendation!\nI've read 20th Century Boys, but the author seems to have been better at crafting the mystery than providing answers for them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Attack on Titan is great.",
          "reason": "Calls the series great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hajime Isayama"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dark fantasy",
        "manga",
        "post apocalyptic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "attention-this-book-will-make-you-money-fce135",
      "title": "Attention! This Book Will Make You Money",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6130324,
          "author": "superconductor",
          "createdAt": "2013-07-30T21:59:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 6130006,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read re marketing for my website?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6130324",
          "commentText": "Weird. I've read almost every book listed so far, and I wouldn't recommend any of them for what you're looking to do.\nMost, if not all of these books are strategic. You want tactical. Get a book like \"Attention! This Book Will Make You Money\" and try out some stuff there.\nAnd good luck on the app!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Get a book like \"Attention! This Book Will Make You Money\"",
          "reason": "Suggested as a tactical marketing book to try ideas from.",
          "audience": "Someone seeking practical marketing tactics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marketing",
        "marketing tactics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "au-coeur-de-l-instant-d312c2",
      "title": "Au coeur de l'instant",
      "author": "Jean Bouchart d'Orval",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9348755,
          "author": "galephico",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:27:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348755",
          "commentText": "Altruism - Mathieu Ricard\nSearch Inside Yourself - Chade-Meng Tan\nBible - several authors\nSiddhartha - Hermann Hesse\nFight Club - Chuck Palahniuk\nEléments de Philosophie Angélique - Denis Marquet (french)\nAu coeur de l'instant - Jean Bouchart d'Orval (french)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Au coeur de l'instant - Jean Bouchart d'Orval (french)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is in French.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jean Bouchart d'Orval"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "contemplative spirituality",
        "french language"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "au-coeur-des-services-speciaux-bd25e7",
      "title": "Au coeur des services spéciaux",
      "author": "Jean Guisnel and Alain Chouet",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37937386,
          "author": "mablopoule",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T02:05:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937386",
          "commentText": "\"The righteous mind\" by Jonathan Haidt. I loved it so much that I gave it to three different peoples.\nIt's about psychological studies of morality, and what tends to influence one sense of morality.\nIt had a huge impact on me because I feel that it helped me grow as a person, and being able to understand other culture/other principle, even if I don't necessarily agree with that.\nLots of stuff that seems plain evil from a western point of view (ergo, centered about the morals of individuality) would look more sensible once understood from a moral coming from a sense of community, and the necessarily conservative need to foster a stable societal structure.\nIt doesn't mean that I agree with things like opposing the rights of woman to drive/open bank account, but it help understanding the motivation better.\nAnother interesting point he brings is the differentiation between a moral judgement (X is good or bad), and the moral reasoning (X is bad because of Y and Z). Notably, the moral judgement come before the moral reasoning, the latter being used not as a way to reach a conclusion, but as a way to defend a moral judgement with our peers.\nJonathan Haidt is mostly known for his works on the political polarization of the USA.\nAnother book I found incredibly enriching (but unfortunately only in French) is \"Au coeur des services spéciaux\", which is an interview by Jean Guisnel (a french investigative journalist) of Alain Chouet, a former director of the DGSE (the french CIA basically).\nAlain Chouet studied Arabic and the arab/muslim world even before joining the DGSE, and what I picked up at the bookstore as a way to understand the french intelligence services turned out to be an extremely interesting (and respectful) exposé of the muslim and arab world, with the prism of political Islam, the history of terrorism as seen by french intelligence service, his opinion on many nuclear programs, and of course a great deal about 9/11.\nThe writing of the book is very fresh thanks to the conversational/interview style used, and while the book show its age more and more (it's from 2013), I still believe it's a worthwhile lecture if one is curious about such subject, especially given the current context.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Au coeur des services spéciaux\"",
          "reason": "The commenter found this interview-based account enriching and worthwhile for understanding intelligence services and its broader subjects.",
          "audience": "Readers curious about French intelligence, political Islam, and the Arab and Muslim world.",
          "caveat": "Available only in French according to the commenter; published in 2013 and showing its age.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jean Guisnel",
        "Alain Chouet"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "french intelligence",
        "political islam",
        "terrorism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "aubrey-maturin-series-master-and-commander-d8618c",
      "title": "Aubrey–Maturin series (Master and Commander)",
      "author": "Patrick O'Brian",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20336250,
          "author": "bookofjoe",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T15:49:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20336250",
          "commentText": "This series was the only thing I could read (just barely) while mired in a 1.75-year-long depression in 2014-15.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "This series was the only thing I could read (just barely) while mired in a 1.75-year-long depression in 2014-15.",
          "reason": "Describes the series as readable company during a difficult period, referring to the parent’s positive recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they could just barely read it at the time.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Patrick O'Brian"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical naval fiction",
        "napoleonic wars"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "augustus-9e9bc2",
      "title": "Augustus",
      "author": "Anthony Everitt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 192384,
          "author": "Prrometheus",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-17T01:09:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=192384",
          "commentText": "I've enjoyed biographies of Augustus and Hannibal on Audio CD. \"Augustus\" is by Anthony Everett, and sadly I can not find the Hannibal set at the moment. Both lived during at an incredible time of change in Roman history. The stories are interesting, each is better \"written\" than many a Hollywood drama.\nAlso, it is just fascinating to listen to accounts from pre-Christian times. The characters share many common human traits with us, but are also deeply different. It will make you question what it means to be human.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Augustus\" is by Anthony Everett",
          "reason": "The commenter says the stories are interesting and better written than many Hollywood dramas.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Roman history and biographies.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anthony Everitt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient biography",
        "roman history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "auschwitz-a-doctor-s-eyewitness-account-266753",
      "title": "Auschwitz: A Doctor's Eyewitness Account",
      "author": "Miklos Nyiszli",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14479964,
          "author": "davidgh",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-04T05:00:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14479964",
          "commentText": "How We Got to Now, Steven Johnson. Walks you through a half dozen foundational inventions and the process through which they came to be. Fascinating to see what the inventors were trying to solve vs. how the world ended up applying their technology.\nUnbroken, Laura Hillenbrand. If you haven't read the book don't judge it by the (awful) movie.\nThe Liberators: My Life in the Soviet Army. Really opens your eyes to the problems and realities of communism. I love the author's dry sense of humor as he witnesses the absurdity of many of the things he encountered.\nSniper on the Eastern Front, Albrecht Wacker. A view of WWII through the eyes of a German sniper.\nAuschwitz: A Doctor's Eyewitness Account, Miklos Nyiszli. A view of the holocaust through the eyes of a Jewish doctor in the Auschwitz concentration camp.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Auschwitz: A Doctor's Eyewitness Account, Miklos Nyiszli. A view of the holocaust through the eyes of a Jewish doctor",
          "reason": "Presents it as an eyewitness account of the Holocaust from a Jewish doctor imprisoned at Auschwitz.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Miklos Nyiszli"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "holocaust",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "authority-8bf8a9",
      "title": "Authority",
      "author": "Nathan Barry",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6976452,
          "author": "davidw",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T20:41:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976452",
          "commentText": "Looking through my list, none jumps out as a 'life changer':\nhttp://davids-book-reviews.blogspot.it/\nAlthough there are several good ones there:\n* Nathan Barry's Authority: http://blog.liberwriter.com/2013/11/21/nathan-barrys-authori... (http://blog.liberwriter.com/2013/11/21/nathan-barrys-authority/)\n* Worthless, Impossible and Stupid: http://davids-book-reviews.blogspot.it/2013/09/worthless-imp... (http://davids-book-reviews.blogspot.it/2013/09/worthless-impossible-and-stupid-how.html) - not one for the ages, but I thought his take on entrepreneurship was interesting.\n* http://davids-book-reviews.blogspot.it/2013/08/pathfinder-jo... (http://davids-book-reviews.blogspot.it/2013/08/pathfinder-john-charles-fremont-and.html) - biography of John Fremont.  Interesting guy in an interesting period of American history.\n* http://davids-book-reviews.blogspot.it/2013/02/innovation-an... (http://davids-book-reviews.blogspot.it/2013/02/innovation-and-entrepreneurship.html) - Innovation and Entrepreneurship by Drucker.  Still a very relevant book in a lot of ways.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nathan Barry's Authority",
          "reason": "Listed among several good books the commenter found while reviewing their reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nathan Barry"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "audience building",
        "self publishing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "authority-build-your-brand-conquer-your-market-0f2b3e",
      "title": "Authority: Build Your Brand, Conquer Your Market",
      "author": "Nathan Barry",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16577453,
          "author": "wjr",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-13T16:38:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16577453",
          "commentText": "ReWork by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson (good reference on good principles)\nTraction by Gino Wickman (how to create SOPs & scale)\nAuthority by Nathan Barry (how to develop an audience)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "(how to develop an audience)",
          "reason": "Listed as a guide to developing an audience in response to the thread’s request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nathan Barry"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "audience building",
        "personal branding"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "auto-mechanics-fundamentals-29ae99",
      "title": "Auto Mechanics Fundamentals",
      "author": "Martin T. Stockel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22301768,
          "author": "whatitdobooboo",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-11T19:29:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22301768",
          "commentText": "Just going by description and the \"red book\" it seems like its Auto Mechanics Fundamentals:\n>>> \"It is the aim of Auto Mechanics Fundamentals to provide a thorough understanding of the design, construction and operation of automotive units. Each unit is approached by starting with basic theory, then parts are added until the unit is complete. By following this procedure, the function of each unit is explained, and its relationship to the complete car is made clear. Hundreds of illustrations were drawn especially for this text. Important areas are featured in these drawings, and many are exaggerated to place emphasis on parts being discussed. Unfamiliar words are defined immediately following the words. In addition, the Dictionary of Terms in the back of the book defines more than 1,100 terms...\"\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Mechanics-Fundamentals-Construction-O... (https://www.amazon.com/Mechanics-Fundamentals-Construction-Operation-Automotive/dp/B000W3O21S)\n(This one is blue but there is another version in red)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it seems like its Auto Mechanics Fundamentals",
          "reason": "Suggests this may be the book being identified from its description.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is uncertain and says another version is red.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin T. Stockel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "automotive mechanics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "auto-mechanics-fundamentals-5e6b62",
      "title": "Auto Mechanics Fundamentals",
      "author": "William H. Crouse and Donald L. Anglin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22336589,
          "author": "mklim",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-15T17:33:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22336589",
          "commentText": "I bought a copy of \"Auto Mechanics Fundamentals\" based on this thread and I think it is definitely the book you're remembering. The exploding can image you describe is on page 9 and the first chapter builds up an engine from first principles like you've talked about. Thank you for recommending this, it's a great resource!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I bought a copy of \"Auto Mechanics Fundamentals\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says they bought it based on the thread and found its first-principles engine chapter useful.",
          "audience": "Readers learning automotive mechanics and engine fundamentals.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William H. Crouse",
        "Donald L. Anglin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "automotive mechanics",
        "engine fundamentals"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "auto-da-fe-867dc4",
      "title": "Auto-da-Fé",
      "author": "Elias Canetti",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17381914,
          "author": "asimpletune",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T16:17:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17381914",
          "commentText": "Foreign:\n* Life: a users manual by George s Perec.\n* Too Loud a Solitude by Bohumil Hrabal\n* Auto-da-fe by Elias Canetti\nDomestic:\nThese are harder because I feel like they’re all pretty well known, but maybe they’re not actually read. Like, known bc people have heard the name, but are not read as much anymore.\n* Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson\n* Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon\n* Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy\nActually unknown (but super good) domestic:\n* Stuff by Larry McMurtry (only famous for lonesome dove)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Auto-da-fe by Elias Canetti",
          "reason": "Offers it as a lesser-known foreign book in response to the request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Elias Canetti"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "austrian literature",
        "modernist fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "autobiographies-7612e1",
      "title": "Autobiographies",
      "author": "W. B. Yeats",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1027668,
          "author": "julius_geezer",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T21:16:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027668",
          "commentText": "Four I had forgotten:\n_Warrenpoint_ by Denis Donoghue. Memoirs of youth, beautifully written.\n_The Great Melody: A Thematic Biography of Edmund Burke_ by Conor Cruise O'Brien.\n_Autobiographies_ by W. B. Yeats. This was I think the first time reading it through, though 25 years ago I read a fair bit in a housemate's copy. There are sentences that you will want to reread to see how he does it. And in the art of payback, Yeats on George Moore makes Hemingway on Fitzgerald/Ford/Stein/etc look amateurish.\n_The Italians_ by Luigi Barzini.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "There are sentences that you will want to reread to see how he does it.",
          "reason": "Praises Yeats's sentences and says they invite rereading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. B. Yeats"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary craft",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "autobiography-ff390f",
      "title": "Autobiography",
      "author": "Henry James",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12070964,
          "author": "cafard",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T13:43:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12070964",
          "commentText": "Solo: An American Dreamer in Europe by Wright Morris, a memoir of spending part of 1932 and 1933 in Austria, Italy, and France. Not on the whole as rewarding as his other memoirs Will's Boy and A Cloak of Light, but interesting enough.\nAdolphe and Le Cahier Rouge by Benjamin Constant. The former a devastating short novel, the latter a memoir, a portrait of the artist as a young twerp. (The things we boomers would say if something comparable had been published by a millenial!)\nFates and Furies by Lauren Groff, a novel read for a book club. The less said, the better.\nAutobiography by Henry James. Very slow going, but rewarding, a mind at work.\nMy Promised Land by Avi Shalets. A history of Israel and the Zionist project by an Israeli journalist. It covers a lot of ground that most Americans (I infer from my book club) don't know. It seemed to me that it could have been maybe 15% shorter, and that David Remnick should have impounded Shalets's thesaurus.\nThree Critics of the Enlightenment: Vico, Hamann, Herder by Isaiah Berlin. Well worth reading, but requiring more time than just its own reading, for now I have to read some Herder. I have already fought my way through some Hamann; the translation is heavily footnoted, as necessary for those of us who aren't handy with Greek, Hebrew, and Latin, and don't have the Bible memorized.\nKulturgeschichte der Neuzeit (vol. ii) by Egon Friedell. Clive James's recommendation in Cultural Amnesia put me onto this one. Most interesting, but slow going because my German is rusty.\n[Edit: got rid of most of the \"most interesting\"s.]",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Very slow going, but rewarding, a mind at work.",
          "reason": "Calls it rewarding despite the slow pace.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Very slow going.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Henry James"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "autobiography",
        "literary life"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "automating-inequality-how-high-tech-tools-profile-police-and-puni-fb232c",
      "title": "Automating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor",
      "author": "Virginia Eubanks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Virginia Eubanks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithmic decision making",
        "poverty",
        "surveillance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "autonomous-7d666e",
      "title": "Autonomous",
      "author": "Annalee Newitz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15428794,
          "author": "tomek_zemla",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:27:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428794",
          "commentText": "Autonomous by Annalee Newitz that just came out is fantastic fun full of good science - she is a science writer. It also got positive reviews from William Gibson and Neal Stephenson.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Autonomous by Annalee Newitz that just came out is fantastic fun full of good science",
          "reason": "Described as fantastic fun and full of good science.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Annalee Newitz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "biotechnology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "autonomous-technology-technics-out-of-control-as-a-theme-in-polit-4567ef",
      "title": "Autonomous Technology: Technics-out-of-Control as a Theme in Political Thought",
      "author": "Langdon Winner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39057930,
          "author": "jdelacueva",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T17:11:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39057930",
          "commentText": "Anything written by Langdon Winner https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Langdon_Winner\nI would begin with \"Do Artifacts Have Politics?\" and continue with \"Autonomous Technology: Technics-out-of-Control as a Theme in Political Thought\", M.I.T. Press, 1977.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "continue with \"Autonomous Technology: Technics-out-of-Control as a Theme in Political Thought\", M.I.T. Press, 1977.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends starting with this author's work and continuing with this book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Langdon Winner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "philosophy of technology",
        "technology and politics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "avesta-4fbd7f",
      "title": "Avesta",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36135179,
          "author": "hello_computer",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-31T06:31:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36135179",
          "commentText": "Start with the originals--Torah, Bible, Koran, Vedas, Buddhist Canons, Greco-Roman Mythologies, Avesta, Enûma Eliš--then work your way out toward commentaries, sects, cults, precursors, apocrypha, heresies, schisms, etc.  The problem with any condensed \"Grand Tour of Religion\" is the inevitable editorial bias (i.e. adopting someone else's understanding instead of developing your own).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Greco-Roman Mythologies, Avesta, Enûma Eliš",
          "reason": "Included among primary religious texts to start with.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter recommends a broad sequence of primary texts before commentaries and other traditions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "scripture",
        "zoroastrianism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "avogadro-25b0c7",
      "title": "Avogadro",
      "author": "William Hertling",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11700009,
          "author": "ohazi",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-15T08:11:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11700009",
          "commentText": "Avogadro Corp: The Singularity is Closer than it Appears by William Hertling, as well as the other three books in the series.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Avogadro-Corp-Singularity-Closer-Appe... (https://www.amazon.com/Avogadro-Corp-Singularity-Closer-Appears-ebook/dp/B006ACIMQQ)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the other three books in the series",
          "reason": "The commenter includes the rest of the series with the named book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Hertling"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "near future fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "avogadro-corp-e52b41",
      "title": "Avogadro Corp",
      "author": "William Hertling",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15432516,
          "author": "BjoernKW",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-09T09:42:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15432516",
          "commentText": "Apart from classics like Neuromancer I'd recommend the fairly new Singularity Series by William Hertling and the first novel \"Avogadro Corp\" in particular.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Apart from classics like Neuromancer I'd recommend the fairly new Singularity Series by William Hertling and the first novel \"Avogadro Corp\" in particular.",
          "reason": "Specifically recommends the first novel in the series.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in AI science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Hertling"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "technological singularity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "avogadro-series-575cc7",
      "title": "Avogadro series",
      "author": "William Hertling",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11700739,
          "author": "BostonEnginerd",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-15T12:58:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11700739",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed this series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed this series.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Hertling"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "near future fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "awaken-the-giant-within-3daafe",
      "title": "Awaken the Giant Within",
      "author": "Anthony Robbins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 798836,
          "author": "awa",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T20:21:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=798836",
          "commentText": "I'm almost half way through it, I love most of the technical details he has described so far. Interesting on the whole, but I somehow lose interest and switch to another book for a couple of days before coming back to it.\nI am also reading \"Awaken the Giant within\" by Anthony Robbins, the first third seemed to be pretty solid, though I am not sure the NAC stuff works as well as he says.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the first third seemed to be pretty solid, though I am not sure the NAC stuff works as well as he says.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the first third seemed solid but questions whether the NAC approach works as claimed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter doubts the NAC material works as well as the author claims.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anthony Robbins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nac",
        "personal development",
        "self help"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "awakening-intelligence-acd2d4",
      "title": "Awakening Intelligence",
      "author": "Jiddu Krishnamurti",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37937282,
          "author": "dmbche",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:50:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937282",
          "commentText": "James Gleick's books in general, Chaos being a favorite.\nSartre's essays on existentialism, Camus's big essays too.\nJiddu Krishnamurti's Awakening intelligence is also very good.\nEdit0:\nHow nonviolence protects the state, Peter Gelderloos.\nVery measured look at the discourse around violence and nonviolence. Fruitful read.\nFree here: https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/peter-gelderloos-how... (https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/peter-gelderloos-how-nonviolence-protects-the-state)\nEdit1: Freud's Totems and taboos, and some Jung, but I forget what exactly.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jiddu Krishnamurti's Awakening intelligence is also very good.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it very good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jiddu Krishnamurti"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consciousness",
        "self inquiry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "awareness-7c34d9",
      "title": "Awareness",
      "author": "Anthony de Mello",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35169262,
          "author": "rglover",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T14:55:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35169262",
          "commentText": "- Awareness by Anthony DeMello\n- The Courage to Be Disliked by Ichiro Kishimi\n- The Virtue of Selfishness by Ayn Rand\n- Only the Paranoid Survive by Andy Grove\n---\nMore stuff here: http://www.ryanglover.net/library/ (not flagged specific to entrepreneurship but all have had an influence in one way or another).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Awareness by Anthony DeMello",
          "reason": "Included among books that have influenced the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Influence is described as general, not specific to entrepreneurship.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anthony de Mello"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ayn-rand-books-91a49e",
      "title": "Ayn Rand books",
      "author": "Ayn Rand",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2330041,
          "author": "shantanubala",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-15T23:57:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 2329700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that change your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2330041",
          "commentText": "If you do a search through HN, you'll find some really good recommendations.\nRead The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb (Fooled By Randomness is also good) if you want to peer into the mind of an investor.\nRead Hesse's Siddhartha if you're thinking along the lines of culture/religion/philosophy.\nRead a few Ayn Rand books if you like libertarianism and don't really care to relate to the characters.\nRead We by Yevgheny Zamyatin if you want an interesting allegory that metaphorically compares heaven to a dystopian dictatorship.\nRead Unweaving the Rainbow by Richard Dawkins if you're very interested in the sciences.\nI remember Sebastian Marshall recommending Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa -- I'd recommend it too. It's pretty good, and I was especially interested since I've been doing marshal arts for over 10 years now.\nAnd read Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! no matter how you think. It's fantastic.\nEDIT: More Books!\nI read these when I was in elementary school, but they still hold their value:\nThe Giver by Lois Lowry if you want more dystopias.\nThe Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery if you're feeling especially playful.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Read a few Ayn Rand books if you like libertarianism and don't really care to relate to the characters.",
          "reason": "Recommended to readers interested in libertarianism, with a caveat about relating to the characters.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in libertarianism.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says readers may not relate to the characters.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ayn Rand"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "libertarianism",
        "objectivism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ayn-rand-s-normative-ethics-the-virtuous-egoist-b537aa",
      "title": "Ayn Rand's Normative Ethics: The Virtuous Egoist",
      "author": "Tara Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5700940,
          "author": "maxharris",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-13T19:41:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5700940",
          "commentText": "The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Those are the two to start with.\nIf you like those, check out some of her nonfiction books: The Virtue of Selfishness: A New Concept of Egoism, Philosophy: Who Needs It, and Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology (these are but a few - Rand wrote a long series of nonfiction books).\nAyn Rand's Normative Ethics: The Virtuous Egoist by Tara Smith (a philosophy professor at UT-Austin) is excellent because it unpacks Ayn Rand's ethical system in an academic style. Finally, Leonard Peikoff's Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand gives a comprehensive view of Rand's entire philosophy.\nLight reading (not by Objectivist authors, and not in any particular order):\nMasters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture by David Kushner\nThe Soul of A New Machine by Tracy Kidder\nThe Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA by James Watson\nWhat Do You Care What Other People Think?: Further Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard Feynman\nSurely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard Feynman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ayn Rand's Normative Ethics: The Virtuous Egoist by Tara Smith (a philosophy professor at UT-Austin) is excellent",
          "reason": "Calls it excellent for explaining Rand's ethical system in an academic style.",
          "audience": "Readers wanting an academic account of Rand's ethics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tara Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "normative ethics",
        "objectivism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ayn-rand-s-works-5af0eb",
      "title": "Ayn Rand's works",
      "author": "Ayn Rand",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2152798,
          "author": "Tim1776",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-28T18:04:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2152798",
          "commentText": "Books that sharpened my thinking: \"An Introduction to Logic\" by H.W.B. Joseph, everything written by Ayn Rand, \"On the Several Senses of Being in Aristotle\" by Franz Brentano, and the works of Aristotle.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "everything written by Ayn Rand",
          "reason": "Says Rand's works sharpened their thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No specific titles named.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ayn Rand"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "objectivism",
        "political philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ayoade-on-ayoade-835d98",
      "title": "Ayoade on Ayoade",
      "author": "Richard Ayoade",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665209,
          "author": "PostPost",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:26:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665209",
          "commentText": "Sorry for the wall of text.\n1. Bourne (The language and world of this novel are extraordinary - everything is falling apart yet brimming with life. Strangely moving)\n2. The Design of Everyday things (Essential for anyone in UI/UX)\n3. All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (Highly engaging, entertaining sci-fi novella series, from an author that can write a very decent robot protagonist)\n4. The Power (Interesting story with sci-fi elements on the dynamics of power, sex, and gender roles. I didn't care for the book, but the first 3/4 of the book are amazing)\n5. Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days\n6. 7 brief Lessons on Physics\n7. The Last Lecture (The energy and positivity coming from a man knowing he's about to die is infectious. Great read)\n8. A wizard of Earthsea (Move over Harry Potter, this is the essential children's story about wizards)\n9. Exploring diabetes with owls (Funny, irreverent)\n10. Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children (Made an effort to read more YA this year - this was the best in this series, but I still hated it. There's a host of better YA series out there.)\n11. A Wizard of Earthsea: The Tombs of Atuan (See 8.)\n12. The Girl in the Dark (Interesting book about a skin condition I had never heard of, and the trials of living with a very rare condition)\n13. The Phantom Tollbooth (Clever children's book)\n14. Black hole blues and songs from outer space (Informative book about the study of space,  the political and economic forces standing in the way of science, and the incredible individuals working in this field)\n15. Welcome to Night Vale (Hugely entertaining, clever and weird)\n16. You need a budget (Basic economics book explaining how to budget in a way that lets you do more with your money)\n17. To fight Against This Age (Incredibly pretentious, \nIvory Tower philosophizing)\n18. Infinity Gauntlet (Half the Universe dying because Thanos wanted to sleep with Lady Death will never not be ridiculous)\n19. The Right and Wrong Stuff (Great read explaining how to anticipate and avoid career pitfalls)\n20. Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children: Hollow City (pretty shitty)\n21. The Farthest Shore (Ursula K. Le Guin was the biggest loss this year)\n22. Miss peregrine's home for Peculiar Children: Library of Souls (I hate this book and all its characters)\n23. Every Good Endevour (Religious book about a Christian worldview and the value of labor - not a bad read)\n24. When to Rob a Bank and 131 warped suggestions… (interesting, funny, from the writers of Freakonomics)\n25. Weapons of Math Destruction (Probably the most useful book on this list, if you're reading this on \"hackernews\")\n26. Holes (Perfect summer paperback read)\n27. Silver Screen Sirens (Essential for film geeks)\n28. A full life: reflections at 90 (I gained a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter: he lived an incredible life and does great things)\n29. Call Me by your name (Very good romance novel to send to your bigoted relatives at Christmas)\n30. Hyperbole and a half (Incredibly entertaining, very distinctive art style)\n31. The Murderbot diaries: Artificial Condition (See 3.)\n32. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Best children's book, fight me)\n33. Less (Exceptionally well-written)\n34. Resilience (Great book, especially for those that have gone through extremely difficult circumstances)\n35. The Strange Bird (Dark, bleak, full of life, see 1.)\n36. The Murderbot diaries: Rogue Protocol (See 3.)\n37. His Dark Materials: The subtle knife (See 32.)\n38. Tap Dancing to Work (Very dry, some stories/articles are fantastic, others very, very boring for people that do not care about finance)\n39. So Good They Can't Ignore You (Pretty good)\n40. His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass (Amazing YA, see 32.)\n41. Uncontainable (Inspirational book about conscious capitalism)\n42. The Emperor of All Maladies (Pretty much everything you'll ever want to know about Cancer, written in a very engaging way)\n43. Blind Spot\n44. Shoe dog (Great story, see madmax108's comment, totally agree)\n45. The Faithful Spy (Beautiful artwork describing a Christian pastor's fight against fascism during WW2)\n46. Zero to One\n47. You'll grow out of it\n48. The Happiness advantage (Really fantastic book about the value of positive psychology)\n49. Dreams from my father (Enlightening look into Obama's \nearly days)\n50. Ayoade on Ayoade (Entertaining, extremely scatter-brained, not as funny as his interviews or tv programs)\n51. The Diabolic (badly written YA Sci-Fi)\n52. The Physics of Everyday Things (surprisingly informative, recommended for non science-people interested in the way things work)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Entertaining, extremely scatter-brained, not as funny as his interviews or tv programs",
          "reason": "The commenter finds it entertaining but scatterbrained and less funny than Ayoade's interviews or television.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds it less funny than his interviews or television programs.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Ayoade"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comedy",
        "film"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ayrton-senna-s-principles-of-race-driving-651a8e",
      "title": "Ayrton Senna's Principles of Race Driving",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17168863,
          "author": "RaceWon",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T20:06:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168863",
          "commentText": "Ayrton Senna's Principles of Race Driving\nHis insight about trying to predict how the car will behave was staggering. Literally, it makes the impossible something that is achievable... terrifying but achievable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ayrton Senna's Principles of Race Driving",
          "reason": "The commenter calls Senna's insight into predicting a car's behavior staggering and says it makes the impossible achievable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "motorsport",
        "race driving"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "astadhyayi-855a44",
      "title": "Aṣṭādhyāyī",
      "author": "Pāṇini",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21312110,
          "author": "brookhaven_dude",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T13:40:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21312110",
          "commentText": "Panini's Ashtadhyayi.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Panini's Ashtadhyayi.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pāṇini"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "formal grammar",
        "sanskrit grammar"
      ],
      "purposes": []
    },
    {
      "id": "babel-17-a0afb5",
      "title": "Babel-17",
      "author": "Samuel R. Delany",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32198213,
          "author": "rektide",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T23:09:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32198213",
          "commentText": "A lot of sci-fi. I keep a couple things in flight all the time, go where I feel moved. Currently: Stand on Zanzibar, (Brunner, 1968) 88% through, 2 months. Babel 17, (Delany, 1966), 66% through / 1 month. Also, Revenant Gun, (Han Lee, 2018) about 15% through / 2 months. Also, Catcher in the Rye (Salinger, 1946), 60% through, 3 months. Gnomon, (Harkaway, 2017) 40% through, 4 months.\nCheating here accounting other recent reads, but I've finished a couple others in the intervening time. Long Way to a Small Angry Planet (Chambers, 2014, reread), Dark Tower (book 7), (King, 2004). Pattern Recognition, (Gibson, 2004, reread). Revolution Business (Book 5 of Merchant Prince, Stross, 2009). Aurora (Stanley-Robinson, 2015).\nI have some other stuff I read at a more leasiurely piece-by-piece pace, mostly materialistic philosophy / nerdery.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Babel 17, (Delany, 1966), 66% through",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140490,
          "author": "nazgulnarsil",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T02:59:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140490",
          "commentText": "depends on the subgenre :)\nSuperhuman:\nSlan by A.E. Van Vogt\nMore Than Human by Theodore STurgeon\nOdd John by Olaf Stapledon\nPost Apocalyptic:\nThe Day of The Triffids by John Whyndham\nEarth Abides by George R. Stewart\nA Canticle for Lebowitz by...don't remember\nSpace Opera/Adventure:\nany of The Culture novels by Iain M. Banks\nThe Reality Dysfunction series by ...don't remember\nHyperion series by Dan Simmons\nTo Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer\nDystopian:\nWe by Yevgeny Zamyatin <---highly overlooked, predates 1984 and Brave New World\nBut the Absolute Best would be anything by:\nStanislaw Lem (Cyberiad, Futurological Congress, Solaris)\nAlfred Bester (The STars my Destination, The Demolished Man)\nor Samuel R. Delany (Babel-17, Dhalgren, Trtion, Nova)\noh and Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light and This Immortal are both great.\nSome of Philip K. Dick's stuff is great, but everyone recommends him. :)\nalmost forgot John Brunner, check out Steel Beach, The Sheep Look Up, and Stand on Zanzibar.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Samuel R. Delany (Babel-17, Dhalgren, Trtion, Nova)",
          "reason": "Says Delany is among the absolute best and lists this title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Samuel R. Delany"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "linguistics",
        "language"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "baby-signs-how-to-talk-with-your-baby-before-your-baby-can-talk-532798",
      "title": "Baby Signs: How to Talk with Your Baby Before Your Baby Can Talk",
      "author": "Linda Acredolo and Susan Goodwyn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 128170,
          "author": "koolmoe",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-03T17:43:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 127711,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Hacker moms & dads, what do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=128170",
          "commentText": "I have a 15 mo girl.\nMy wife read lots of books.  I read a few.  With a few exceptions, the books have been a waste of time and money.  So many of the books in this genre have the feel of the Learn Blub in 21 Days line of programming books.  Accept from the get-go that parenting is hard, there are no silver bullets, and you are going to spend a lot of time and energy if you want to do a good job, and filter anything you read from that perspective.\nNevertheless, we did find some helpful books.  The most useful books we have are a reference book given to us by our pediatrician and a book about baby sign language (The following link is to the revised edition, which is not the one we have, but it's cheaper on amazon http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Signs-Revised-Linda-Acredolo/dp/B... (http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Signs-Revised-Linda-Acredolo/dp/B0012F7UCI/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1204563699&sr=8-1)).\nWe went through a lot of \"the book says\" conversations early on, especially related to getting her to sleep.  The thing to realize here is that it is up to you how to do it.  There's a book out there that will support your position, and many of the books are contradictory.  So, in the end, you'll end up having to decide what you think is right.  The book many parents find useful is merely the one that reinforces their opinion, and they will use that book to appeal to authority in the passive-aggressive conversations that all new parents seem wont to have.\nI had trouble finding what I felt like were unbiased opinions on sleep in particular.  This book: http://www.amazon.com/Healthy-Sleep-Habits-Happy-Child/dp/03... (http://www.amazon.com/Healthy-Sleep-Habits-Happy-Child/dp/0345486455/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1204563964&sr=1-1) was helpful, mostly because it more or less laid out three approaches and passed few, if any, value judgements on going to the baby vs. letting her cry herself to sleep.\nIn the end, I decided I couldn't stand to let her cry, so we settled on developing a very predictable routine at bedtime, and it has worked well.  We have had our bumpy patches, particularly during illnesses, teething, and major milestones, but in general my child looks forward to bedtime and naps.\nThe sign language seems somewhat controversial among our peers, but we are in the less progressive southeastern US.  The common fear is that it will retard speech.  I just wanted to be able to communicate with my child, and it has made for a pleasant experience so far.  She seems to be developing vocbulary at an above normal rate.  I don't necessarily attribute that to signs, but it is at least one counterexample to the fear of significant speech retardation.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "a book about baby sign language",
          "reason": "Described as one of the helpful books they found.",
          "audience": "Parents interested in communicating with babies through signs.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes the linked edition was revised and not the one they own.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Linda Acredolo and Susan Goodwyn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Parenting"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "baby sign language",
        "early communication"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "babylon-babies-ca9571",
      "title": "Babylon Babies",
      "author": "Maurice G. Dantec",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50115941,
          "author": "johncoltrane",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T09:03:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50115941",
          "commentText": "J.R.R. Tolkien: The lord of the Rings (lost count)\nPhilip K. Dick: Ubik, Flow My Tears The Policeman Said, A Scanner Darkly, etc. too many to count (many more than twice)\nWilliam Gibson: everything at least twice\nNeal Stephenson: Snow crash (three times, I think)\nClifford D. Simak: City\nH. P. Lovecraft: everything at least twice. There is a French compilation of The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, The Silver Key, and Through the Gates of the Silver Key that I've read countless times. I've used two editions and I'm at my third.\nMaurice G. Dantec: Babylon Babies (three times)\nPossibly many others.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Maurice G. Dantec: Babylon Babies (three times)",
          "reason": "Listed as a book the commenter read three times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Maurice G. Dantec"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyberpunk",
        "french science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "babylon-mesopotamia-and-the-birth-of-civilization-6973c2",
      "title": "Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization",
      "author": "Paul Kriwaczek",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237156,
          "author": "impostervt",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:37:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237156",
          "commentText": "\"The Autobiography of Malcom X\"\nWhat a crazy life he led.\n\"Napoleon: A Life\" - Andrew Roberts\nA gigantic book that still felt rushed because of how much he did during his life.\n\"Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization\" Kriwaczek, Paul\nInteresting introduction but I was hoping for more of a focus on a specific period of time. Instead if covers several thousand years of history.\n\"Buddhism Without Belief\" - Stephen Bachelor\nMeh.\n\"The Book of Magic: From Antiquity to the Enlightenment\" - Copenhaver, Brian\n\"The Philosophy Book\" - Will Buckingham\nGreat into to the history of Philosophy\n\"The Vindication of Man\" by John C Wright\nGreat, great series.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Interesting introduction but I was hoping for more of a focus on a specific period of time.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it an interesting introduction but wanted a narrower historical focus.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It covers several thousand years instead of focusing on a specific period.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Kriwaczek"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient history",
        "babylon",
        "mesopotamia"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "backyard-ballistics-b25bbd",
      "title": "Backyard Ballistics",
      "author": "William Gurstelle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1724771,
          "author": "SHOwnsYou",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-24T18:29:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1724771",
          "commentText": "If you actually want literature, my favorite book as a child was Where the Red Fern Grows. If they are around 14+ there are some great, captivating Hemmingway books. A Farewell to Arms, Island in the Stream, A Movable Feast, and The Garden of Eden (In that order).\nI keeping editing as I think of new things. This may sound odd, but if they are in the 14+ range, How to Win Friends and Influence People is great. It changed a lot for me.\nWhen I was like 9 I got the book How to be Twice as Smart and it taught me a ton of mental tricks.\nThis book taught me a lot (probably if the boy is like 10 or 12+?)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Backyard-Ballistics-Cannons-Cincinnati... (http://www.amazon.com/Backyard-Ballistics-Cannons-Cincinnati-Dynamite/dp/1556523750/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1285352917&sr=1-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "http://www.amazon.com/Backyard-Ballistics-Cannons-Cincinnati...",
          "reason": "Says the book taught them a lot and suggests it for boys around ages 10 or 12 and older.",
          "audience": "Boys around age 10 or 12 and older.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Gurstelle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "experiments",
        "hands on science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bad-boy-of-music-ba766a",
      "title": "Bad Boy of Music",
      "author": "George Antheil",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22095422,
          "author": "TomWhitwell",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T01:14:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22095422",
          "commentText": "Bad Boy of Music by George Anthiel. You know how Hedy Lamarr invented spread spectrum radio in the 1940s? George Anthiel was the avant-garde composer she did it with. This is an amazing book, full of incredible stories but very hard to find.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Bad Boy of Music by George Anthiel.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the memoir, describing its stories as incredible and noting that it is hard to find.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in avant-garde music and the story behind Hedy Lamarr's spread-spectrum work.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is very hard to find.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Antheil"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "avant garde music",
        "hedy lamarr",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "baghdad-without-a-map-96fd4f",
      "title": "Baghdad Without a Map",
      "author": "Tony Horwitz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14748013,
          "author": "clock_tower",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T20:59:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14748013",
          "commentText": "Rory Stewart, _The Prince of the Marshes_. It's about general dysfunction in the early Iraq War, but it's also about the meaning of life. Perhaps it's just how Stewart writes? (His _The Places In Between_ is also well worth reading, but is much better known.)\nTony Horwitz, all works -- especially _Baghdad Without a Map_ (which will leave you with a much healthier view of the modern Middle East) and _Confederates in the Attic_ (a dress-rehearsal for the Age of Trump?).\nPearl Buck, _Sons_. (Best to read _The Good Earth_ first, but you've probably already read it.) I doubt it's a very accurate depiction of China, and the characters' morality is hair-raising (while the narrator is so far off the deep end that he/she is impossible to take seriously); but it's a memorable adventure story firmly grounded in the plausible, and it dramatizes some important lessons about the dangers that can afflict families and middle age.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "which will leave you with a much healthier view of the modern Middle East",
          "reason": "The commenter says it gives readers a much healthier view of the modern Middle East.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tony Horwitz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "journalism",
        "middle east",
        "travel writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bakewise-the-hows-and-whys-of-successful-baking-4c88c0",
      "title": "BakeWise: The Hows and Whys of Successful Baking",
      "author": "Shirley O. Corriher",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10040689,
          "author": "danesparza",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-11T13:07:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10040689",
          "commentText": "==For electronics:\nThe Art of Electronics 3rd Edition (interview with the one of the authors, if you're unconvinced: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCI3B5eT9NA )\n==For finances:\nThe Millionaire Next Door (filled with a lot of interesting facts and habits from extensive research)\n==For food/cooking:\nAlton Brown's Gear for Your Kitchen\nBakeWise: The Hows and Whys of Successful Baking",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "BakeWise: The Hows and Whys of Successful Baking",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Readers interested in food and cooking.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Shirley O. Corriher"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "baking",
        "food science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "baked-in-f527e9",
      "title": "Baked In",
      "author": "Alex Bogusky and John Winsor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5244463,
          "author": "juanrossi",
          "createdAt": "2013-02-19T14:36:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 5244195,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 'Must read' books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5244463",
          "commentText": "A few I read:\nDesign is Job - Mike Monteiro by A Book Apart (Really basic stuff for people starting with agency/freelance work, but really good).\nLearn Ruby The Hard Way for people starting.\nApplied Cryptography, Second Edition: Protocols, Algorithms, and Source Code in C\nBaked In from Alex Bogusky and John Winsor (About C+P agency)\nI'll try to think of a couple more.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Baked In from Alex Bogusky and John Winsor (About C+P agency)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alex Bogusky and John Winsor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "advertising",
        "innovation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "banish-your-inner-critic-e3a367",
      "title": "Banish Your Inner Critic",
      "author": "Denise Jacobs",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18825518,
          "author": "juddlyon",
          "createdAt": "2019-01-04T16:56:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 18824130,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What article/book do you recommend for my next flight?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18825518",
          "commentText": "Atomic Habits - James Clear\nBanish Your Inner Critic - Denise Jacobs",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Banish Your Inner Critic - Denise Jacobs",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Denise Jacobs"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creative confidence",
        "inner critic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "banker-to-the-poor-855346",
      "title": "Banker to the Poor",
      "author": "Muhammad Yunus",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9677101,
          "author": "bosky101",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-08T02:24:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9677101",
          "commentText": "Banker to the poor - the story of Muhammad Yusuf 's grameen & micro-finance, over-coming odds, and a good read if you are curious about lending.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a good read if you are curious about lending.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a good read for those curious about lending.",
          "audience": "Readers curious about lending and microfinance.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Muhammad Yunus"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "grameen bank",
        "microfinance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "baol-4f2a4d",
      "title": "Baol",
      "author": "Stefano Benni",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50116114,
          "author": "genezeta",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T09:24:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50116114",
          "commentText": "Elizabeth Hand's Winterlong, probably 3-4 times.\nMost of Raymond Chandler and Dashiel Hammet I've read multiple times. I've read Brautigan's Dreaming of Babylon a bunch of times too.\nAll of William Gibson. Miyazaki's Nausicaä of The Valley of Wind, in various languages. Stephen Cosgrove's Muffin Muncher, I couldn't say how many times I must have read that (It appears they've now changed the title to Muffin Dragon).\nI've read The Soul of a New Machine a couple of times too. The Hitchhiker's and Dirk Gently's trilogies a few times.\nStefano Benni's Baol probably half a dozen times. And Acts of The Apostles by John FX Sundman a bunch too. Oh, and a few of Martin Gardner's books. And Smullyan's To Mock a Mockingbird.\nAnd most probably also many others. Most of my books are now in boxes or have been gifted away, though.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stefano Benni's Baol probably half a dozen times.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they read it about six times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The count is approximate.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stefano Benni"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "italian fiction",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "barbarians-led-by-bill-gates-a563be",
      "title": "Barbarians Led by Bill Gates",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17207053,
          "author": "snowwrestler",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T16:33:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17207053",
          "commentText": "I greatly enjoyed \"Barbarians Led by Bill Gates,\" which was written by an early Microsoft employee and contains a bunch of great stories about the tech and business of Microsoft.\nAnother one is \"Dreaming in Code,\" which details the efforts of Mitch Kapor to create a team to build a flexible productivity app he had always dreamed of. It's a cautionary tale since the project ultimately fails.\n\"Crypto\", by Steven Levy, details the invention of public key cryptography and the first round of the \"crypto wars\" about whether the federal government would require a backdoor.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I greatly enjoyed \"Barbarians Led by Bill Gates,\" which was written by an early Microsoft employee and contains a bunch of great stories about the tech and business of Microsoft.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they greatly enjoyed its stories about Microsoft's technology and business.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Microsoft's history and business.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "company history",
        "microsoft"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "barbed-wire-heart-39d13e",
      "title": "Barbed Wire Heart",
      "author": "Tess Sharpe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37168117,
          "author": "tjalfi",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T21:09:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37168117",
          "commentText": "Contemporary:\n° Yellowface by R.F. Kuang\n° Big Swiss by Jen Beagin\nThriller:\n° Barbed Wire Heart by Tess Sharpe",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Barbed Wire Heart by Tess Sharpe",
          "reason": "Lists it as a thriller recommendation in response to a request for books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37167646,
          "author": "tjalfi",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T20:36:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37167646",
          "commentText": "Barbed Wire Heart by Tess Sharpe is an excellent thriller.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Barbed Wire Heart by Tess Sharpe is an excellent thriller.",
          "reason": "Calls the book an excellent thriller.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tess Sharpe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "rural crime",
        "thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bargaining-for-advantage-negotiation-strategies-for-reasonable-pe-802713",
      "title": "Bargaining for Advantage: Negotiation Strategies for Reasonable People",
      "author": "G. Richard Shell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15156271,
          "author": "BeetleB",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T14:58:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156271",
          "commentText": "Bargaining for Advantage : Negotiation Strategies for Reasonable People\nThe Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion\nLies my teacher told me : everything your American history textbook got wrong\nInfluence: The Psychology of Persuasion\nNonviolent Communication: A Language of Life\nThinking, Fast and Slow",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bargaining for Advantage : Negotiation Strategies for Reasonable People",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which books had the biggest impact on mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "G. Richard Shell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "negotiation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "barnyard-dance-78aa3e",
      "title": "Barnyard Dance!",
      "author": "Sandra Boynton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46398631,
          "author": "cpfohl",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T02:53:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46398631",
          "commentText": "If Little Blue Truck isn’t on your regular list you should add it. We also loved Pond by Jim LaMarche (older audience, but beautifully illustrated and told), the Boynton books are fun to read aloud especially Barnyard Dance, and The Going to Bed Book. There are more, but these are the highlights from that age range",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "especially Barnyard Dance",
          "reason": "Highlights this title among the fun Boynton books to read aloud.",
          "audience": "For reading aloud.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sandra Boynton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s books",
        "picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "baroque-cycle-f50913",
      "title": "Baroque Cycle",
      "author": "Neal Stephenson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13567448,
          "author": "tio00",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T16:13:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567448",
          "commentText": "Seveneves by Neal Stephenson https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seveneves\nOne of the few books, that when I'm finished, I just want to turn it over a start again.\nCovers a wide range of important and relevant topics in technology, biology/genetics, ethics. My only problem is it is too short! Could easily have been a triology like the Baroque Cycle (another favorite) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Baroque_Cycle",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Could easily have been a triology like the Baroque Cycle (another favorite)",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly calls this series a favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neal Stephenson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "17th century europe",
        "historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "baroque-science-d57b60",
      "title": "Baroque Science",
      "author": "Ofer Gal",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18662208,
          "author": "earthicus",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T08:09:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18662208",
          "commentText": "Ofer Gal - Baroque Science. A highly academic history of the scientific revolution, not the most readable book. It focused quite a bit on mathematization, especially in optics (and Kepler's optics revolution in particular), and also in observation via instrumentation like telescopes and microscopes.\nPaul Nahin - The Logician and the Engineer. About Boole and Shannon's work; I had already learned the material so i skimmed part of it and returned it to the library.\nIan Mortimer - The time traveler's guide to medieval england. Talks about what daily life was like for different social classes in 14th century England eg towns & cities, food, clothes, housing, employment, travel etc. I got about halfway through and lost interest in the subject matter.\nLucio Russo - The forgotten Revolution. A very readable academic history of the development of science in ptolomaic egypt (eg euclid, archimedes, etc). This was certainly the most surprising book I read all year. This time period has been almost completely deleted from history, which jumps straight from aristotle to the renaissance (with a quick stop in the islamic world if you're being spoiled), and their achievements were incredibly impressive!\nJim al-Khalili - The House of Wisdom. A pop-history book about arabic science that i got from the library. I was wary because it's written by a particle physicist and not a historian, and sure enough it is filled with so much nonsense that I through it down in disgust after a few chapters.\nColin Pask - Magnificent Principia. A brief tour of some of the highlights of Newton's Principia, using both newton's geometric diagrams and modern notation. Following the modern notation of course assumes some basic calculus. Highly recommended - it made me want to learn old fashioned celestial mechanics! Perhaps in 2019...\nRandall Munroe - What if. A fun light read about whimsical scenarios.\nSigmund - Exact thinking in demented times. About the vienna circle, the philosophical group associated with logical positivism.\nNewman [ed] - The world of mathematics vol 1. A varied Collection of mathematical writings, both contemporary and historical.\nRichard J Evans - The Coming of the Third Reich. Evans has recently written a three volume treatment of the third Reich. this is of course the first and starts with the origins of the modern form of antisemitism in the late 19th century. I hope to read the next two in 2019!\nRobert Harper - Practical foundations for programming languages. I've mostly just skimmed it so my understanding is quite superficial, maybe in a year or two I'll go through and do all the exercises. I liked that he avoided 'paradigms' and developed the subject more systematically. The book's table of contents is absolutely irresistible!\nTolkien - the Hobbit. I finally got around to reading it... I didn't care for it. I started the lord of the rings but i don't think i'm going to finish it.\nMichael Chriton - Jurassic Park. The movie was better.\nAgatha Christie - Murder on the Orient Express. I think i just don't like fiction. The few years before this I tried reading more fancy literature and i didn't like that, so this year I tried more popular literature... Recently i heard someone say they thought that history spoiled fiction for them. I think I've suffered the same problem.\nFindlay & O'Rourke - Power and Plenty. (in progress) An economic history of the 2nd millennium, absolutely fascinating so far. The discussion of the black death was particularly memorable. It's become something of a meme to point out how the peasant survivors were economically better off than their parents and grandparents. In fact that effect was limited to western europe. In eastern europe the economics were different and feudalism deepened, and in the arab world the reaction was different still: (if i remember my reading correctly) it was certain sects of military men who came out on top. I'm bringing it up because it is a perfect reminder that reality is more complicated than memes.\nRobert Harper - Programming in Standard ML. (in progress) Online notes about functional programming.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A highly academic history of the scientific revolution, not the most readable book.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Highly academic and not the most readable.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ofer Gal"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of optics",
        "scientific revolution"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "barsk-ab7668",
      "title": "Barsk",
      "author": "Lawrence M. Schoen",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21461088,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T09:54:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21461088",
          "commentText": "Currently:\nThrough a Camel's Eye by Dorothy Johnston although admit I'm having trouble getting into it. Will give it another 50 pages before I decide.\nAnd today started listening to Dune Messiah on audiobook. I loved the first book which I've reread many times, but didn't enjoy the following books at all when I read them years and years ago. Decided to give them another try.\nRecommend:\nThe First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North for beautiful prose, charming writing and an inventive story. Her first and best book under that pseudonym.\nBarsk: The Elephants' Graveyard and The Moons of Barsk by Lawrence M. Schoen for making me care about anthropomorphic elephants.\nChildren of Time and Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky for almost making me care about non-anthropomorphic spiders.\nI Am Not a Serial Killer and sequels by Dan Wells for tricking me into reading a horror novel when I at first thought it was a thriller, but really enjoying it anyway.\nThe Lost Man by Jane Harper for being similar but so far a lot better than Through a Camel's Eye.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Barsk: The Elephants' Graveyard and The Moons of Barsk by Lawrence M. Schoen for making me care about anthropomorphic elephants.",
          "reason": "Recommended for making the commenter care about anthropomorphic elephants.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lawrence M. Schoen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "anthropomorphic animals",
        "elephants"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bartleby-y-compania-8dc09c",
      "title": "Bartleby y compañía",
      "author": "Enrique Vila-Matas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21459507,
          "author": "vo2maxer",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T03:28:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21459507",
          "commentText": "Yes, here are some I’ve read in the last year:\nBartleby y compañía by Enrique Vila-Matas, on why writers give up or why they may be reluctant to write. It’s a mixture of fiction and biography, hard to tell which but fun searching for authors who may not exist.\nLas Constelaciones Oscuras by Pola Oloixarac. I think many in HN would like her work, this novel in particular.\nEl Ejército Iluminado by David Toscana.\nPrimavera con una esquina rota by Mario Benedetti\nLa Casa Verde by Mario Varga Llosa",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It’s a mixture of fiction and biography, hard to tell which but fun searching for authors who may not exist.",
          "reason": "Calls the book fun to read while describing its blend of fiction and biography.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Enrique Vila-Matas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "metafiction",
        "spanish literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "basic-economics-a-citizen-s-guide-to-the-economy-c1c7dc",
      "title": "Basic Economics: A Citizen's Guide to the Economy",
      "author": "Thomas Sowell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12561779,
          "author": "bennesvig",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T01:49:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12561779",
          "commentText": "Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell is the book that got me interested in economics. It's a large but easy to understand read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "is the book that got me interested in economics. It's a large but easy to understand read.",
          "reason": "The commenter credits it with sparking their interest in economics and says it is easy to understand.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It is a large book.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Sowell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic principles",
        "introductory economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "basic-lathework-8c0987",
      "title": "Basic Lathework",
      "author": "Stan Bray",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9348711,
          "author": "GregBuchholz",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:22:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348711",
          "commentText": "\"Metallurgy of Steel for Bladesmiths & Others \nwho Heat Treat and Forge Steel\" by John Verhoeven \nhttp://www.feine-klingen.de/PDFs/verhoeven.pdf\n  An interesting technical introduction to metallurgy, without being overly tedious.  Congratulations to the author, for what sounds like it could be a dry subject.  I am pleasantly surprised by how ignorant I was about such a common everyday material, and about the fascinating changes that take place in the crystal structure of steel with mere temperature changes.  I've got no plans to forge steel, or make blades, but found this book very good so far (although I have been interested in metalworking in general lately).\n\"Basic Lathework\" by Stan Bray.  This is the best of the beginning lathe books that I've been reading recently, covering the parts of the machine and accessories, techniques, and cutting tools.  Very minimal pre-requisites.\n\"Metals in the Service of Man\" by Arthur Street and William Alexander.  A very light read about industrially useful metals, a little history about them, and their uses.\n\"Measurement\" by Paul Lockhart.  I finally got this book after reading his \"A Mathematicians Lament\" from a while back.  https://www.maa.org/external_archive/devlin/LockhartsLament.... (https://www.maa.org/external_archive/devlin/LockhartsLament.pdf)\n\"How Round is Your Circle\" by John Bryant and Chris Sangwin.  Just started this, but it sounds interesting, the pictures are intriguing, and it pushes a lot of my \"interesting\" buttons.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Basic Lathework\" by Stan Bray.  This is the best of the beginning lathe books that I've been reading recently",
          "reason": "Called the best of the beginner lathe books the commenter has read recently.",
          "audience": "Beginners learning lathework.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it has very minimal prerequisites.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stan Bray"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "lathework",
        "machining",
        "metalworking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "basic-training-in-mathematics-a607bb",
      "title": "Basic Training in Mathematics",
      "author": "S. S. Shankar",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34441234,
          "author": "nopeopenope",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T15:22:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34441234",
          "commentText": "Shankar Basic Training in Mathematics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shankar Basic Training in Mathematics",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "S. S. Shankar"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical methods"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "basic-training-in-mathematics-a-fitness-program-for-science-stude-0b29c7",
      "title": "Basic Training in Mathematics: A Fitness Program for Science Students",
      "author": "Ramamurti Shankar",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 665356,
          "author": "jimbokun",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T15:57:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665356",
          "commentText": "I just happened to find this book browsing through my campus library a few days ago:\nBasic Training in Mathematics\nA Fitness Program for Science Students\nShankar, R.\nhttp://www.springer.com/physics/book/978-0-306-45036-5\nMeant as a review/primer for undergraduates in the physical sciences and engineering.  Mainly covers topics in calculus and linear algebra.  Does a fairly good job of covering the connections between ideas and some of the intuition behind ideas, while keeping things pretty concise.  That is my review after finishing the first chapter, which is as far as I've got.\nThe \"Basic Training\" perspective peeks through in comments like:\n\"Trigonometric functions, identities and derivatives, radian measures for angles.  These will not be listed here since you must have already learned them by heart as a child.\"\nSo don't expect to be overly molly-coddled by this book.\nI'm reading it for many of the same reasons you describe.  Taking a machine learning course in the Fall, want to brush up on the underlying mathematics involved.  Statistics, calculus and linear algebra are pervasive in most of the ML books I have looked at.  I note that you did not list linear algebra, but that is the area where I have been spending the most time, mainly because I never took a course in it, where the other topics I have at least some background I can review.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Does a fairly good job of covering the connections between ideas and some of the intuition behind ideas, while keeping things pretty concise.",
          "reason": "The commenter reviews it favorably for clear, concise coverage and intuition.",
          "audience": "Undergraduates in physical sciences and engineering.",
          "caveat": "The commenter had finished only the first chapter and says not to expect much hand-holding.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ramamurti Shankar"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "calculus",
        "linear algebra"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "basics-of-compiler-design-61c493",
      "title": "Basics of Compiler Design",
      "author": "Torben Ægidius Mogensen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 136959,
          "author": "spydez",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-14T17:59:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 136875,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good compiler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=136959",
          "commentText": "Haven't read it yet, so I can't comment on how good of a book it is, but \"Basics of Compiler Design\" is free to download.\nhttp://www.diku.dk/~torbenm/Basics/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Basics of Compiler Design\" is free to download.",
          "reason": "Points out that the book is freely downloadable in response to a compiler-book request.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for compiler books.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it and cannot assess its quality.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Torben Ægidius Mogensen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "compiler design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bathing-the-lion-9373e7",
      "title": "Bathing the Lion",
      "author": "Jonathan Carroll",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10769841,
          "author": "miraj",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-21T06:06:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10769841",
          "commentText": "Some of the books that made me think and look at things differently (from 2015 readings only):\n- In the Light of What We Know\n- The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers\n- Bathing the Lion\n- The Art of Asking; or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help\n- The Tears of Dark Water\n- God Is Dead\n- A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life\n- The Water Knife",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Bathing the Lion",
          "reason": "Listed among books that made the commenter think and look at things differently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Carroll"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "surrealism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "batman-the-killing-joke-61c18f",
      "title": "Batman: The Killing Joke",
      "author": "Alan Moore and Brian Bolland",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237790,
          "author": "zitterbewegung",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T15:23:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237790",
          "commentText": "I would recommend Batman The Killing Joke. A great Batman comic but the best comic that features The Joker.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend Batman The Killing Joke. A great Batman comic but the best comic that features The Joker.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great Batman comic and the best comic featuring the Joker.",
          "audience": "Batman and Joker readers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan Moore and Brian Bolland"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "batman",
        "graphic novel",
        "superheroes"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "battle-cry-of-freedom-62cf38",
      "title": "Battle Cry of Freedom",
      "author": "James M. McPherson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21803978,
          "author": "jriot",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:57:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803978",
          "commentText": "I've curated my 2020 list over the last few months, eventually splitting it in two; 2021 has been started, but below is my 2020 list.\nBrave New World\nCatcher in the Rye (3rd read)\nTom Sawyer\nThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn\nWar and Peace\nCatch-22\nStranger in a Strange Lan\nThe Hobbit (3rd read)\nThe Illiad\nThe Odessey\nWalden\nLeisure, The Basis of Culture\nThe Seven Storey Mountain\nConfessions\nThe City of God\nWays of Life St Augustine\nCatechism of the Catholic Church\nThese Truths\nBattle Cry of Freedom\nThe Complete Guide to Fly Fishing\nThe Lure and Lore of Trout Fishing\nThe Duck Huntingest Gentlemen",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Battle Cry of Freedom",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's curated 2020 reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Part of a planned reading list.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14753714,
          "author": "Powerofmene",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-12T16:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14753714",
          "commentText": "If you like history, I would highly recommend:\nBattle Cry of Freedom by James McPherson.\nProbably one of the best books about the Civil War that has been written.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Probably one of the best books about the Civil War that has been written.",
          "reason": "Highly recommends it as one of the best books about the Civil War.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in history and the Civil War.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James M. McPherson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american civil war",
        "military history",
        "united states history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "battle-royale-7d76af",
      "title": "Battle Royale",
      "author": "Koushun Takami",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9674260,
          "author": "franciscop",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T11:48:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674260",
          "commentText": "Battle Royale. The movie is, from western/hollywood point of view, really bad. But the book is the most shocking book I've ever read. Don't read if you are sensitive though (;",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the book is the most shocking book I've ever read",
          "reason": "Calls it the most shocking book they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Don't read if you are sensitive though.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Koushun Takami"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopian fiction",
        "survival"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bayesian-data-analysis-51edbe",
      "title": "Bayesian Data Analysis",
      "author": "Andrew Gelman, John B. Carlin, Hal S. Stern, David B. Dunson, Aki Vehtari, and Donald B. Rubin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27639272,
          "author": "darawk",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T05:05:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27639272",
          "commentText": "Attempting to self study statistics and econometrics in a serious way. I just finished Casella and Berger's \"Statistical Inference\". I'm about halfway through Shumway and Stoffer's \"Time Series Analysis\", but then next on the list, in the order I tend to read them:\n  - Theory of Point Estimation Casella/Lehmann\n\n  - Bayesian Data Analysis 3rd ed.\n\n  - Convex Optimization - Boyd\n\n  - Econometrics - Hayashi\n\n  - New Introduction to Multiple Time Series Analysis\n\n  - Elements of Statistical Learning\n\n  - Machine Learning: A probabilistic perspective\n\nThere's a fair amount of overlap between these books, so it's not quite as much as it seems. But i'm hoping to make it through at least a chapter a week this year, which should get me most of the way through them. We'll see how it goes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bayesian Data Analysis 3rd ed.",
          "reason": "Lists it next in their planned reading.",
          "audience": "People self-studying statistics and econometrics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew Gelman",
        "John B. Carlin",
        "Hal S. Stern",
        "David B. Dunson",
        "Aki Vehtari",
        "Donald B. Rubin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bayesian statistics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "be-my-guest-8f5f50",
      "title": "Be My Guest",
      "author": "Conrad Hilton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10234196,
          "author": "davemel37",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T16:13:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10234196",
          "commentText": "My runner up sales books are:\nBe My Guest by Conrad Hilton \nThe Success System That Never Fails by W. clement stone\nThe Ultimate Sales Letter by Dan Kennedy\nThe Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin\nWatch all of Brene Browns TED talks about vulnerability. \nSales requires trust and trust is built on connection and connection is built by being vulnerable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Be My Guest by Conrad Hilton",
          "reason": "Lists it among the commenter's runner-up sales books.",
          "audience": "People interested in sales, trust, and connection.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Conrad Hilton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hospitality",
        "sales"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "be-not-content-a-subterranean-journal-a714db",
      "title": "Be Not Content: A Subterranean Journal",
      "author": "William S. Burroughs",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31975550,
          "author": "mif",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-04T10:32:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31975550",
          "commentText": "„Be not content - A subterranean journal“ is pretty eternal for me. So is „On the road“. Or take „Middlesex“. Why, they tell the story about a different life. If you want to spend the rest of your life miserable then „Im Westen nichts Neues“ (All quiet on the western front).\nLove those Ask HN lists, btw!!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "„Be not content - A subterranean journal“ is pretty eternal for me.",
          "reason": "Described as an enduring choice for rereading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William S. Burroughs"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "experimental literature",
        "journals"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "be-quick-but-don-t-hurry-22582a",
      "title": "Be Quick—But Don't Hurry!",
      "author": "Andrew Hill",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5658,
          "author": "blee001",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T11:32:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5658",
          "commentText": "Be Quick - But Don't Hurry by Andrew Hill with John Wooden.  This book reveals the secrets of running a successful organization.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Be Quick - But Don't Hurry by Andrew Hill with John Wooden.",
          "reason": "Describes it as revealing secrets of running a successful organization.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew Hill"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "organizational management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "be-useful-000915",
      "title": "Be Useful",
      "author": "Arnold Schwarzenegger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268905,
          "author": "massung",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:14:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268905",
          "commentText": "My reads this read, which I enjoyed:\n- Dead Mountain by Donnie Eichar (an examination of the Dyatlov Expedition).\n- Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (fantasy).\n- Be Useful by Arnold Schwarzenegger.\n- Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden.\nHopefully the other responses here give me something good to read for Christmas break. :-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Be Useful by Arnold Schwarzenegger.",
          "reason": "Lists it among books they enjoyed this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arnold Schwarzenegger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal development",
        "self help"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "beast-academy-a49705",
      "title": "Beast Academy",
      "author": "Art of Problem Solving",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34447137,
          "author": "mdkl",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T23:30:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34447137",
          "commentText": "The correct answer is, of course, Beast Academy, the lead-in to the Art of Problem Solving.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The correct answer is, of course, Beast Academy, the lead-in to the Art of Problem Solving.",
          "reason": "Presented as the answer to which math books helped the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Art of Problem Solving"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "math enrichment",
        "problem solving"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "beast-feast-d9d3ee",
      "title": "Beast Feast",
      "author": "Emma Yarlett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50038288,
          "author": "sp332",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-10T23:47:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50038288",
          "commentText": "The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins - Dr Seuss\nIf You Give a Mouse a Cookie - the original is by far the best of these.\nRamona Quimby series - Beverly Cleary\nIggy Peck, Architect (+series) - Andrea Beaty\nBeast Feast - Emma Yarlett\nDragons Love Tacos (+ 2) - Adam Rubin\nThe Princess in Black (+series) - Shannon & Dean Hale\nDon't Let a Unicorn Scribble (+series) - Diane Abler\nThe Camping Trip - Jennifer Maan\nMaddie & Mabel (+series) - Kari Allen\nI Love You Stinky Face - Lisa McCourt\nAuthors that were always good: Arnold Lobel, Sandra Boynton, James Stevenson\nAnd don't forget to check https://www.betterworldbooks.com/ , they are affiliated with the Internet Archive and they don't show up in shopping searches.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Beast Feast - Emma Yarlett",
          "reason": "Listed among favorite children's books.",
          "audience": "Children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Emma Yarlett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "beasts-of-new-york-65e5dc",
      "title": "Beasts of New York",
      "author": "Jon Evans",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5834803,
          "author": "varunkho",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T19:57:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5834803",
          "commentText": "I have found books from Jon Evans very delightful and interesting to read:\n1) Beasts of New York – http://www.beastsofnewyork.com/\n2) Invisible Armies (thriller, drama, computer hacking) – http://www.rezendi.com/invisibleArmies.htm\nBoth books have their digital edition freely downloadable as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1) Beasts of New York",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of books by Jon Evans the commenter finds delightful and interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Digital edition is freely downloadable.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jon Evans"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "animal fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "beating-the-street-2e133e",
      "title": "Beating the Street",
      "author": "Peter Lynch",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12144110,
          "author": "phyalow",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:27:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144110",
          "commentText": "1. Beating the Street - Peter Lynch\n2. More Money than God - Sebastian Mallaby\n3. Dark Pools - Scott Patterson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1. Beating the Street - Peter Lynch",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Lynch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "investing",
        "stock market"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "beautiful-architecture-efb5c6",
      "title": "Beautiful Architecture",
      "author": "Diomidis Spinellis and Georgios Gousios, editors",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 766954,
          "author": "vibhavs",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-16T23:25:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=766954",
          "commentText": "I suggest Beautiful Architecture from O'Reilly.\nhttp://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596517984/\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Architecture-Leading-Thinker... (http://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Architecture-Leading-Thinkers-Software/dp/059651798X)\nIt's similar to Beautiful Code (also mentioned here) with various chapters on different, independent topics: e.g. Facebook's data-centric architecture, Xen hypervisor, etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I suggest Beautiful Architecture from O'Reilly.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a vacation read, with chapters on independent architecture topics.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in software architecture.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Diomidis Spinellis and Georgios Gousios, editors"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "case studies",
        "software architecture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "beautiful-code-leading-programmers-explain-how-they-think-39ece3",
      "title": "Beautiful Code: Leading Programmers Explain How They Think",
      "author": "Andy Oram and Greg Wilson, editors",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22710359,
          "author": "PaulAJ",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T10:44:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22710359",
          "commentText": "* Alan Turing: The Enigma of Intelligence by Andrew Hodges. The definitive biography, with lots of detailed explanations of his work.\n* Making Software, edited by Oram & Wilson. A bunch of papers about evidence-based software engineering.\n* Beautiful Code, also edited by Oram & Wilson. A bunch of papers about especially elegant pieces of software.\n* Eiffel, by Bertrand Meyer. What Java should have been.\n* The Devil's DP Dictionary, by Stan Kelly Bootle. A satirical look at the computer industry circa 1980.\n* The Jargon File. (http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/). The language of the Elder Days.\n* Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering by Robert Glass.\n* The Pragmatic Programmer by Hunt & Thomas.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Beautiful Code, also edited by Oram & Wilson. A bunch of papers about especially elegant pieces of software.",
          "reason": "Describes a collection of papers about elegant software.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andy Oram",
        "Greg Wilson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming",
        "software craftsmanship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "beautiful-code-leading-programmers-explain-how-they-think-dbc0dd",
      "title": "Beautiful Code: Leading Programmers Explain How They Think",
      "author": "Andy Oram and Greg Wilson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 766852,
          "author": "josephruscio",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-16T22:06:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=766852",
          "commentText": "Beautiful Code: Leading Programmers Explain How They Think (Theory in Practice) is not an instructional programming book per se, but more along the lines of what I would consider \"vacation reading\". Each of the chapters is a self-contained entity, authored by a different luminary, so you can read them in whatever order suits your fancy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Beautiful Code: Leading Programmers Explain How They Think (Theory in Practice) is not an instructional programming book per se, but more along the lines of what I would consider \"vacation reading\".",
          "reason": "Frames it as suitable vacation reading, with self-contained chapters readable in any order.",
          "audience": "Readers who want programming-related vacation reading in short, self-contained chapters.",
          "caveat": "Not an instructional programming book per se.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andy Oram and Greg Wilson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming essays",
        "software design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "beautiful-country-a-memoir-of-an-undocumented-childhood-5f5590",
      "title": "Beautiful Country: A Memoir of an Undocumented Childhood",
      "author": "Qian Julie Wang",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34164131,
          "author": "burger_moon",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T18:37:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34164131",
          "commentText": "This was a big reading year for myself, I got through 25 books. They are not technical books like most listed here. I focused on reading memoirs, literature, fiction stories, primarily women authors. I didn’t read any bad books in my opinion, I guess I picked well.\nStandouts,\nConvenience Store Woman - Sayaka Murata\nLakota Woman - Mary Crow Dog\nBeautiful Country: A Memoir of An Undocumented Childhood - Qian Julie Wang\nGather Around in My Name - Maya Angelou\nThe entire autobiographical series by Maya is a must read imo, but this one is my favorite. Maybe also my favorite book I read this year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Beautiful Country: A Memoir of An Undocumented Childhood - Qian Julie Wang",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's standout books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Qian Julie Wang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "immigration",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "beautiful-evidence-4f694e",
      "title": "Beautiful Evidence",
      "author": "Edward R. Tufte",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14137439,
          "author": "azeirah",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T09:32:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14137439",
          "commentText": "Godel Escher Bach is fairly bible-ish if you ask me\nAnother set of books I consider to be \"one\" bible are Edward Tufte's (1) The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, (2) Envisioning Information, (3) Visual Explanations and (4) Beautiful Evidence.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Beautiful Evidence",
          "reason": "Included in a set of books the commenter considers one bible.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3338865,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-11T00:10:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3338865",
          "commentText": "Is Beautiful Evidence good?\nVDQA is an all-time favorite of mine, and I've even paid to see him talk live about this stuff, but I've found his books got fuzzier and increasingly subjective over time, so that I really don't even remember what Visual Explanations was trying to say anymore.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Is Beautiful Evidence good?",
          "reason": "Asks whether the book is good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3338248,
          "author": "euroclydon",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T19:30:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3338248",
          "commentText": "The Confusion - Neal Stephenson\n(I'm starting to tire a little of the female hero character who's in all his books, but on the whole, The Baroque Cycle, which this is the second volume of, has been very educational and always entertaining)\nThe Visual Display of Quantative Information, Envisioning Information, Visual Explanations, and Beautiful Evidence\n(I picked up all four books by Edward Tufte at his one day training course.  At the 2011 SVG Open, I was blown away by Mike Bostock's D3 demo, and Niel Fraser told me to read all of Tuftes books to see where these revolutionary ways of displaying information came from)\nESV Bible, actually hoping to find time to get my Python script running so I can download the audio, chapter by chapter, because the audio version I bought is nigh impossible to navigate.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Beautiful Evidence",
          "reason": "Included among Tufte's books the commenter picked up after being told to read them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 296357,
          "author": "3KWA",
          "createdAt": "2008-09-05T22:15:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 295871,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HC: Which books on user interface design do you wish your CEO/Cofounders would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=296357",
          "commentText": "don't make me click\nthe humane interface\nall of tufte books but beautiful evidence which I found disappointing",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "beautiful evidence which I found disappointing",
          "reason": "The commenter says they found it disappointing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Found disappointing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward R. Tufte"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Art"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data visualization",
        "information design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "beautiful-racket-1c9707",
      "title": "Beautiful Racket",
      "author": "Matthew Butterick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29307822,
          "author": "ai_ia",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:01:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29307822",
          "commentText": "When I was learning Racket, I really liked Beautiful Racket[0] by Mathew Butterick. The book is accessible, well structured and the web design & typography is outstanding (IMHO). The author created a Racket Package (Pollen) and used it to write this book. I have special admiration for craftsmanship and this book is certainly one of them.\n[0]:  https://beautifulracket.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "When I was learning Racket, I really liked Beautiful Racket[0] by Mathew Butterick.",
          "reason": "Says they liked it while learning Racket and praises its accessibility, structure, design, and typography.",
          "audience": "People learning Racket.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthew Butterick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "domain specific languages",
        "racket",
        "typography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "beautiful-ruins-ca1acc",
      "title": "Beautiful Ruins",
      "author": "Jess Walter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10218324,
          "author": "cpete",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-15T00:31:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 10211331,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10218324",
          "commentText": "Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter.\nGorgeous, funny writing. The story spans roughly half a century and moves between Europe and the United States.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter.\nGorgeous, funny writing.",
          "reason": "Praised for its gorgeous, funny writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jess Walter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "beauty-4e7f48",
      "title": "Beauty",
      "author": "Stefan Sagmeister and Jessica Walsh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18669500,
          "author": "ArtWomb",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-13T02:46:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18662992,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on modern UI/UX?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18669500",
          "commentText": "Sagmeister & Walsh's Beauty\nhttps://eyeondesign.aiga.org/in-defense-of-beautiful-design/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sagmeister & Walsh's Beauty",
          "reason": "Offered in response to a question asking for books about modern UI/UX.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stefan Sagmeister and Jessica Walsh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "design aesthetics",
        "visual design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "becoming-trader-joe-how-i-did-business-my-way-and-still-beat-the--9ec4b3",
      "title": "Becoming Trader Joe: How I Did Business My Way and Still Beat the Big Guys",
      "author": "Joe Coulombe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33382606,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T10:05:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382606",
          "commentText": "Top 2 so far:\n   * Washington: A life by Ron Chernow\n   * The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won by Victor Davis Hanson\n\nThe Washington book is a very detailed by clear overview of his life. Easy to follow (even for complex situations) and very week written.\nThe WW2 book is amazing. Compares the countries fighting in around 20 different areas (technology, leadership, geography, aircraft) and says who is better and why.\nAlso very good:\n   * FDR by Jean Edward Smith\n   * Master of the Senate by Robert A. Caro\n   * The Penguin History of New Zealand by Michael King\n   * The years of Lyndon Johnson 2 – Means of Ascent by Robert Caro\n   * Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road by Kyle Buchanan\n   * Becoming Trader Joe: How I Did Business My Way and Still Beat the Big Guys by Joe Coulombe\n   * How Innovation Works: And Why It Flourishes in Freedom by Matt Ridley\n   * Yeager: An Autobiography by Chuck Yeager\n   * The years of Lyndon Johnson: The Path to Power by Robert Caro\n   * The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson\n   * Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson\n   * An Economist walks into a Brothel: And Other Unexpected Places to Understand Risk by Allison Schrager\n   * The Devil’s Candy: The Bonfire of the Vanities Goes to Hollywood by Julie Salamon\n   * Sam Walton: Made in America by Sam Walton",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Becoming Trader Joe: How I Did Business My Way and Still Beat the Big Guys by Joe Coulombe",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joe Coulombe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "trader joe s"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "beej-s-guide-to-c-programming-e3c470",
      "title": "Beej's Guide to C Programming",
      "author": "Brian Hall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33131115,
          "author": "mhd",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T10:03:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33131115",
          "commentText": "One can only learn a language one time, so I've got a hard time recommending first books.\nBut I definitely second the recommendation for the second book here ;)\nHanson's style is a bit idiosyncratic, with his somewhat Modula-3-ish naming style and literate programming use, but there are a lot of usable data structures in there, and I especially like that the focus is on the module level, not on the algorithms themselves.\nNow, having said that, if you're in a particularly weird sub-domain of C, books from there might supersede or at least color a lot of what you're doing on a day to day basis. In the days of yore, if you wanted to do Win16/Win32 programming, getting to work with your Petzold early is a good idea, and I would assume the same to be true if you do glib/gobject based Gtk programming.\nTwo free resources that looked good to me and that I forwarded in the past were \"An Introduction to the C Programming Language and Software Design\"[1] by Tim Baily and \"Beej's Guide to C Programming\"[2]. Those are a bit more concise than your average intro to C book, but for some paths (prior experience, quick headway to C++ etc), they might be sufficient.\n[1]: https://www-personal.acfr.usyd.edu.au/tbailey/ctext/ctext.pd... (https://www-personal.acfr.usyd.edu.au/tbailey/ctext/ctext.pdf)\n[2]: https://beej.us/guide/bgc/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Beej's Guide to C Programming",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is concise and may suit readers with prior experience or those moving quickly to C++.",
          "audience": "Readers with prior programming experience.",
          "caveat": "May be sufficient for some paths; described as more concise than the average introductory C book.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Hall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "beethoven-as-i-knew-him-9cd90d",
      "title": "Beethoven As I Knew Him",
      "author": "Anton Felix Schindler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227744,
          "author": "dnsworks",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T22:39:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227744",
          "commentText": "- How To Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/06... (http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0671723650)\n- Beethoven As I Knew Him by Anton Felix Schindler http://www.amazon.com/Beethoven-As-I-Knew-Him/dp/0486292320\n- Soul Of A New Machine (It's about hardware!) and Mountains Beyond Mountains, both by Tracy Kidder\n- Eating Animals by Jonathan Safron Foer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Beethoven As I Knew Him by Anton Felix Schindler",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anton Felix Schindler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "beethoven",
        "music biography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "before-religion-70eb5c",
      "title": "Before Religion",
      "author": "Brent Nongbri",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36105051,
          "author": "angrygoat",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T15:44:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105051",
          "commentText": "I'm an Anglican (Episcopalian) deacon – your question is perhaps slightly problematic, in that \"religion\" is extremely difficult to define. Westerners (confessional Christians or not) tend to have in mind something that looks a bit like protestant Christianity. Faith traditions intersect with culture and history and everything else.\nBrent Nongbri's \"Before Religion\" is good on this; he engages with the whole concept of \"religion\" and pulls it apart; you mention the idea of evolution of religion, which is itself an idea he critiques. You might find it very interesting.\nI can't speak for any other major faith, but if you want a thousand-mile in the sky view of the history of Christianity, Alister McGrath's \"Christian History\" is a decent start. You might find short courses being run at a local university or theological college.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brent Nongbri's \"Before Religion\" is good on this; he engages with the whole concept of \"religion\" and pulls it apart; you mention the idea of evolution of religion, which is itself an idea he critiques.",
          "reason": "Recommended for examining how the concept of religion is constructed and critiquing religious evolution.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in defining religion and its history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brent Nongbri"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "concept of religion",
        "religion studies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "before-religion-a-history-of-a-modern-concept-83826e",
      "title": "Before Religion: A History of a Modern Concept",
      "author": "Brent Nongbri",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36105344,
          "author": "sdsaga12",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T16:14:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105344",
          "commentText": "I second the recommendation for Nongbri's \"Before Religion\". It definitely improved my understanding of what it is we even mean / have meant by \"religion\".\nFor a more evolutionary understanding of religion, I'd recommend Joseph Henrich's \"The WEIRDest People in the World\" and \"The Secret of our Success\".\nFinally though certainly not least importantly, I'd recommend Iain McGilchrist's \"The Master and His Emissary\" and \"The Matter with Things\". Both touch on how it is we see and understand the world and how the current default perspective differs from those of other times and places.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second the recommendation for Nongbri's \"Before Religion\".",
          "reason": "It improved the commenter's understanding of what \"religion\" means.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brent Nongbri"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "concept of religion",
        "religious studies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "before-the-coffee-gets-cold-6d605a",
      "title": "Before the Coffee Gets Cold",
      "author": "Toshikazu Kawaguchi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34161483,
          "author": "Ilasky",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T14:51:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161483",
          "commentText": "I just visited a Getaway [0] and read the founders’ book “How to Get Away”. It is about how to balance technology in our lives, not necessarily remove it, but how to not forget how to be human, in a sense. Interesting read.\nIn a similar vein, I’m reading Walden now after having been to Walden Pond, seeing Thoreau’s cabin spot, and wondering if I could do the same, maybe to a lesser extreme.\nAlso interested in reading Before the Coffee Gets Cold.\n[0] https://getaway.house/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also interested in reading Before the Coffee Gets Cold.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are interested in reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Toshikazu Kawaguchi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "japanese literature",
        "time travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "before-the-dawn-recovering-the-lost-history-of-our-ancestors-f21fa9",
      "title": "Before the Dawn: Recovering the Lost History of Our Ancestors",
      "author": "Nicholas Wade",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10786987,
          "author": "jaylitt",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T03:40:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786987",
          "commentText": "\"Debt: The First 5000 Years\" David Graeber\n\"Kokoro\" Natsume Soseki\n\"The Politics of Dialogical Imagination\" Hirano Katsuya\n\"History and Repetition\" Karatani Kojin\n\"The Structure of World History\" Karatani Kojin\n\"Anti-Oedipus\" Gilles Deleuze & Felix Guattari\n\"Before the Dawn: Recovering the Lost History of Our Ancestors\" Nicholas Wade\n\"Capital, Volume I\" Karl Marx\nThese books have been the most informative and thought-provoking for me this year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Before the Dawn: Recovering the Lost History of Our Ancestors\" Nicholas Wade",
          "reason": "Included among the year's most informative and thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nicholas Wade"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human evolution",
        "prehistory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "beginning-html5-and-css3-for-dummies-a20017",
      "title": "Beginning HTML5 and CSS3 For Dummies",
      "author": "Ed Tittel and Chris Minnick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12171832,
          "author": "theknarf",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-27T11:00:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 12160209,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 12 year old tech savvy girl – books, programs, events, advice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12171832",
          "commentText": "I myself started to program at the age of 11. At that time my father bought a book and learned a little Visual Basic, he then got introduced it to me and I was hooked. After that I borrowed an old book he had on HTML/CSS (creating webpages) and after that I started picking up books in the library.\nI think that you should try to let her learn to create webpages with HTML & CSS, and then later she could try to learn JavaScript. It's an relatively easy place to start, and you're learning real world skills. I tend to disagree with people who want children to learn \"Python Scratch\" or other toys that you'll never get any use for.\nTheres a lot of resources online (ex. http://www.w3schools.com/html/default.asp), and on YouTube. But I will always recommend to start with a good book, the \"For Dummies\" series is usually very good (ex. \"Beginning HTML5 and CSS3 For Dummies\").",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Beginning HTML5 and CSS3 For Dummies\"",
          "reason": "Named as an example of a good book to start with.",
          "audience": "Beginners learning HTML and CSS.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ed Tittel and Chris Minnick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "css",
        "html",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "beginning-java-ee-7-392af4",
      "title": "Beginning Java EE 7",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7757229,
          "author": "antocv",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:53:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7757229",
          "commentText": "Beginning Java EE7 is good, a refresher.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Beginning Java EE7 is good, a refresher.",
          "reason": "Calls it good as a refresher.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a Java EE refresher.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "enterprise java",
        "java ee"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "beginning-python-visualization-f64de0",
      "title": "Beginning Python Visualization",
      "author": "Shai Vaingast",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1265165,
          "author": "ajdecon",
          "createdAt": "2010-04-14T15:36:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 1265091,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good books on graphing/charting/visualization?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1265165",
          "commentText": "To me it sounds like you want to be using a tool like Matlab or matplotlib in python to automatically generate various types of plots from your data.  There are a wide variety of books about Matlab, and I don't really know one better than the rest.  For python, there's \"Beginning Python Visualization\" by Vaingast. It's pretty introductory, but provides good starting points.  The matplotlib web site also provides a gallery of example plots with code.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "there's \"Beginning Python Visualization\" by Vaingast. It's pretty introductory, but provides good starting points.",
          "reason": "Offers it as a Python option and says it provides good starting points.",
          "audience": "Python users beginning data visualization.",
          "caveat": "Introductory.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Shai Vaingast"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data visualization",
        "python"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "beginning-python-from-novice-to-professional-13cfa5",
      "title": "Beginning Python: From Novice to Professional",
      "author": "Magnus Lie Hetland",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 121843,
          "author": "juanpablo",
          "createdAt": "2008-02-23T04:39:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 121779,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What is the best Python book for a beginner?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=121843",
          "commentText": "\"Beginning Python - From Novice to Professional\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Beginning Python - From Novice to Professional\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Magnus Lie Hetland"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming",
        "python"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "beginning-python-from-novice-to-professional-c9c62a",
      "title": "Beginning Python: From Novice to Professional",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 121898,
          "author": "amour",
          "createdAt": "2008-02-23T06:57:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 121779,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What is the best Python book for a beginner?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=121898",
          "commentText": "I found Core Python Programming by Wesley J. Chun is the best python book so far that I requested the university library to get it (among couple other books) for my research.\nI started with Beginning Python: From Novice to Professional. Extremely helpful and easy to follow book, since I already have few languages in my repertoire.\nAfter you are comfortable with python and its syntax then get some python cookbooks.\nGood Luck",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Extremely helpful and easy to follow book",
          "reason": "Describes it as extremely helpful and easy to follow.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "python programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "beginning-ruby-69ca28",
      "title": "Beginning Ruby",
      "author": "Peter Cooper",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14743,
          "author": "rjb",
          "createdAt": "2007-04-19T19:43:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 14675,
          "threadTitle": "What is the best RoR book for beginners? Best online resources?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14743",
          "commentText": "I have to second this. \"Ruby for Rails\", I feel, is a great resource for learning not only the Ruby language, but how to program with it. It really did not need the Rails section. I've only flipped through \"Beginning Ruby\" (apress), but that looks like a good Ruby book too.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've only flipped through \"Beginning Ruby\" (apress), but that looks like a good Ruby book too.",
          "reason": "Says it looks like a good Ruby book after only flipping through it.",
          "audience": "People learning Ruby.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has only skimmed it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Cooper"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ruby"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "behavior-modification-principles-and-procedures-2cfa70",
      "title": "Behavior Modification: Principles and Procedures",
      "author": "Raymond Miltenberger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25556811,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-28T04:59:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 25554464,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books for dealing with workplace politics and dishonesty?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25556811",
          "commentText": "This is a very interesting question since it is a fundamental problem in any group human activity. I have found the following useful;\n* Management: A political activity by Ted Stephenson. For some reason, most people are not aware of this book. Deals with Power, Conflict, Bargaining, Compromise, Participation and Change. The opening line of the preface states \"This book presents the view that management is substantially a political activity, based on power and characterized by conflict\". Since we are dealing with Human organisms this is absolutely the right approach to take.\n* The Empowered Manager: Positive Political Skills at Work by Peter Block is also good but more idealistic. But be aware that trying to be/do good does not guarantee reciprocation.\n* The Complete Upmanship: Including Gamesmanship, Lifemanship, One-upmanship and Supermanship by Stephen Potter. Humourous, but a great deal of life advice in it. Basically, how to put down other people and show yourself in the best light using \"genteel\" psychological means.\n* Behavior Modification: Principles and Procedures by Raymond Miltenberger. ABA psychology course textbook which is a must read.\n* Brainwashing: The science of thought control by Kathleen Taylor. The title is bit sensationalist, but the content is very relevant.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Behavior Modification: Principles and Procedures by Raymond Miltenberger. ABA psychology course textbook which is a must read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls this ABA psychology course textbook a must read.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an ABA psychology course textbook.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Raymond Miltenberger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "applied behavior analysis",
        "behavior modification"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "behavior-trees-in-robotics-and-ai-an-introduction-74ab46",
      "title": "Behavior Trees in Robotics and AI: An Introduction",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33600551,
          "author": "andrewallbright",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-14T20:30:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33600551",
          "commentText": "For me, it was \"Behavior Trees in Robotics and AI: an introduction\"\nWhat conceptually helped me out was the idea that behavior trees (BTs) are hierarchical finite state machines (HFSMs). I read that and thought \"woah!\"\nI've been fascinated by behavior trees ever since I learned that they were a big thing in Halo. It's charming to me to think that video games are able to help out in robotics, as the book pontificates on briefly.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For me, it was \"Behavior Trees in Robotics and AI: an introduction\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book helped them understand behavior trees by connecting them to hierarchical finite state machines.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "behavior trees",
        "robotics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "behind-closed-doors-9affcc",
      "title": "Behind Closed Doors",
      "author": "Johanna Rothman and Esther Derby",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 137953,
          "author": "tonyvt2005",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-16T04:11:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=137953",
          "commentText": "Founders at Work (of course)\n\"Best Practices\"-type books that cover the tools and technology the startup is using, whether its Textmate, Unix, Subversion, whatever.  Becoming more efficient is never a bad thing.\nI'd also add books on management and dealing with people:\n- The Art of Speedreading People - Tieger\n- Behind Closed Doors - Rothman, Derby\n- The Mythical Man Month - Brooks\n- Most if not all the books on Joel Spolsky's \"MBA Curriculum\":\nhttp://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/FogCreekMBACurriculum... (http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/FogCreekMBACurriculum.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Behind Closed Doors - Rothman, Derby",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Johanna Rothman and Esther Derby"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "management",
        "team leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "behind-the-cloud-999187",
      "title": "Behind the Cloud",
      "author": "Marc Benioff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1974979,
          "author": "medianama",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T12:54:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974979",
          "commentText": "Behind the Cloud by Marc Benioff\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Behind-Cloud-Salesforce-com-Billion-Do... (http://www.amazon.com/Behind-Cloud-Salesforce-com-Billion-Dollar-Company-/dp/0470521163/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Behind the Cloud by Marc Benioff",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer in the best-book discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marc Benioff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "salesforce"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "behind-the-wheel-51bccb",
      "title": "Behind the Wheel",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 191824,
          "author": "edw519",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-16T14:49:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=191824",
          "commentText": "I would strongly recommend the \"Behind the Wheel\" series of foreign language courses.  There were specifically designed for use while driving.  Perfect.  N'est pas?\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Behind-French-Revised-Complete-Illustr... (http://www.amazon.com/Behind-French-Revised-Complete-Illustrated/dp/1597680524/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1210949272&sr=8-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would strongly recommend the \"Behind the Wheel\" series of foreign language courses.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends the series for language practice while driving.",
          "audience": "People learning a foreign language while driving.",
          "caveat": "The comment refers to language courses, not conventional books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "audio courses",
        "language learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "being-buddha-at-work-108-ancient-truths-on-change-stress-money-an-62cbc7",
      "title": "Being Buddha at Work: 108 Ancient Truths on Change, Stress, Money, and Success",
      "author": "Franz Metcalf; Bj Gallagher",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25556923,
          "author": "jasonv",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-28T05:22:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 25554464,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books for dealing with workplace politics and dishonesty?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25556923",
          "commentText": "Being Buddha at Work: 108 Ancient Truths on Change, Stress, Money, and Success Paperback\nby Franz Metcalf  (Author), Bj Gallagher (Author)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Being Buddha at Work: 108 Ancient Truths on Change, Stress, Money, and Success Paperback\nby Franz Metcalf  (Author), Bj Gallagher (Author)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Franz Metcalf",
        "Bj Gallagher"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Health",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhism at work",
        "stress management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "being-direct-103d6d",
      "title": "Being Direct",
      "author": "Lester Wunderman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14743559,
          "author": "cm2012",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T12:32:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14743559",
          "commentText": "Being Direct by Lester Wunderman. Best book on direct marketing in the world IMO. I currently do high level marketing consulting, would not have happened without thia book. Way better than Ogilvy on Advertising.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Being Direct by Lester Wunderman. Best book on direct marketing in the world IMO.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best book on direct marketing and credits it with enabling their marketing consulting career.",
          "audience": "People interested in direct marketing.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it was much better than Ogilvy on Advertising.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lester Wunderman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "direct marketing",
        "marketing strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "being-nobody-going-nowhere-ced7e0",
      "title": "Being Nobody, Going Nowhere",
      "author": "Ayya Khema",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10028791,
          "author": "zafka",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T22:10:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10028791",
          "commentText": "If you have not read it yet, I am quite sure you will like:\nBeing nobody, Going Nowhere\" by Ayya Khema",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you have not read it yet, I am quite sure you will like:\nBeing nobody, Going Nowhere\" by Ayya Khema",
          "reason": "Predicts the recipient will like the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ayya Khema"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhism",
        "meditation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "being-wrong-1fa927",
      "title": "Being Wrong",
      "author": "Kathryn Schulz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37945733,
          "author": "rasse",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T17:23:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37945733",
          "commentText": "I'd recommend The Righteous Mind along with Being Wrong by Kathryn Schultz to anyone who's ever argued on the internet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend The Righteous Mind along with Being Wrong by Kathryn Schultz",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommended to people who have argued on the internet.",
          "audience": "People who have argued on the internet.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kathryn Schulz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "belief",
        "fallibility"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "being-wrong-adventures-in-the-margin-of-error-the-meaning-of-erro-e033bc",
      "title": "Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty",
      "author": "Kathryn Schulz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kathryn Schulz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognitive bias",
        "uncertainty"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "being-and-event-28b736",
      "title": "Being and Event",
      "author": "Alain Badiou",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43686220,
          "author": "PaulHoule",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-14T20:55:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 43685856,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What 3 Books Would You Recommend to Anyone?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43686220",
          "commentText": "I think \"life changing\" and \"universal\" are contradictory.\nA person who is ready to pick up the bar,  for instance,  would benefit from Rippetoe's Starting Strength but if you don't pick up the bar it's just another book (you might get something from just plain lifting Schwarzenegger's Modern Weighlifting though, if not the Misner, Thorne and Wheeler book Gravitation.)  Similarly Super System will change your life if you are serious about playing poker,  otherwise it's just a fun read like the D&D Monster Manual  I'd say that Ashcroft and Mermin's Solid State Physics was a great adventure even if I didn't end up doing physics in the end,  but I was a grad student in condensed matter and I took Ashcroft's class.  When I was wanting to explore the edges of applied philosophy and literature I felt Alain Badiou's Being and Event was meaningful to me but a lot of people would say it is obscurantist French trash like Derrida and if you believe that I can't change your mind.\nI'd tend to reject categorically that fiction could be life changing but maybe that's harsh.  So often people nominate books that to me are trash like Atlas Shrugged,  The Illuminati Trilogy or Hitchhiker's Guide.  From time to time though I do discover an author with a large body of work that I'm obsessed with for a few months,  like last year I rediscovered Poul Anderson (want to see Dominic Flandry have a fight with Kimball Kinnison) and got into Pratchett's Discworld.\nI think a lot of books that offer simple answers to things like books by Malcolm Gladwell and Robert Greene are often harmful and also I think Man's Search for Meaning by Frankl is absolute poison for 21st century people.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I felt Alain Badiou's Being and Event was meaningful to me",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was meaningful while exploring applied philosophy and literature.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that many consider it obscurantist.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alain Badiou"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "continental philosophy",
        "ontology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "being-in-the-world-cfbcca",
      "title": "Being in the World",
      "author": "Hubert Dreyfus",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15630924,
          "author": "mbrock",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T18:57:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630924",
          "commentText": "Gödel, Escher, Bach awakened my intellectual curiosity about formal systems and other autistic modes of beauty as a teenager. After \"The Selfish Gene\" it was the first book I bought and read on my own volition, so I have to credit it as a major influence.\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs for showing that you can think rigorously and compose beautiful programs out of simple pieces.\nContingency, Irony, and Solidarity by Richard Rorty for showing that it's possible to think and feel about politics while maintaining a profoundly ironic and groundless mind.\nThe Body in Pain by Elaine Scarry for its beautiful view of civilization as materialized caring and of the inflicting of pain as metaphysically destructive.\nBeing-in-the-world by Dreyfus for introducing me to Heidegger and showing how continental philosophy inspired by Heidegger was a major force in the evolution of AI and how AI researchers tended to be influenced by rationalist philosophy in the vein of Descartes which leads to huge misunderstandings of the nature of being.\nDhammapada translated by Gil Fronsdal because it's a beautiful exposition of early Buddhist poetry and clearly shows the worldview of south east Asian Buddhism.\nDebt by David Graeber for making me interested in money and credit systems from an anthropological point of view.\nA Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace for being hilarious and sad and buzzing with neurotic perceptive overeducated thought in a way that mirrored my own precocious self-consciousness and made me feel less \"marooned in my own skull.\"\nThe Uses of Disorder by Richard Sennett for giving a defense of the anarchy of urban life that views conflict as necessary for growth.\nAfter Virtue by Alisdair MacIntyre for showing the contemporary situation in thought and ethics as profoundly abnormal and difficult, being the aftermath of the Enlightenment project's failure to ground morality in objective reason, and pointing to virtue within traditions as the only way to live coherently.\nThe Teachings of Huang-bo for being a merciless and hilarious attack on sanctimonious and ritualistic Buddhism, displaying the role of sarcasm and wit in spirituality, and generally just shouting \"wake up, lazy pretentious idiot\" on every page.\nFanged Noumena by Nick Land for diving deeply into amphetaminic insanity thus accurately mirroring the schizophrenia of postmodern capitalism.\nThe letters of Van Gogh.\nPhillip Lopate's personal essays.\nHyperobjects by Timothy Morton.\nOn the Origins of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Being-in-the-world by Dreyfus for introducing me to Heidegger and showing how continental philosophy inspired by Heidegger was a major force in the evolution of AI",
          "reason": "Credits it with introducing Heidegger and connecting continental philosophy to AI's development.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401422,
          "author": "steve-benjamins",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:22:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401422",
          "commentText": "-- Read --\nDon Delillo: End Zone\nLuc Ferry: A Brief History of Thought\nBrett Easton Ellis: Less Than Zero\n-- Working on --\nDon Delillo: Libra\nHubert Dreyfuss: Being in the World (it's taking me a long time...)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Hubert Dreyfuss: Being in the World (it's taking me a long time...)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is taking them a long time to read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hubert Dreyfus"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "phenomenology",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "existentialism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "being-the-body-bb3ab2",
      "title": "Being the Body",
      "author": "Charles Colson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39735155,
          "author": "kcartlidge",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-17T15:35:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39735155",
          "commentText": "Quite a few along the way, but in an attempt to minimise:\n- \"Letters from the Desert\" by Carlo Carretto\n- \"Being the Body\" by Charles Colson\n- \"Fire in Our Hearts\" by Mike Farrant\n- \"Total Freedom\" by Jiddu Krishnamurti\n- \"Muhammad - a Prophet for Our Time\" by Karen Armstrong",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Being the Body\" by Charles Colson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Colson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian community"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "being-in-the-world-a-commentary-on-heidegger-s-being-and-time-div-aff698",
      "title": "Being-in-the-World: A Commentary on Heidegger's Being and Time, Division I",
      "author": "Hubert L. Dreyfus",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 143380,
          "author": "_5y6p",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T16:32:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143380",
          "commentText": "Without a doubt, Heidegger's explanation of readiness-to-hand in Being and Time has done more for my usability and process inefficiency evaluating skills than even Don Norman's Design of Everyday Things or any HCI book I've ever read.  While Norman's book comes in a strong second, the benefit of the first few chapters of Being and Time is the incredibly low-level cognitive access it gives you to the work your brain does when engaged in a task.  (If you're interested and don't mind slogging through some tough writing, pick up the hardcover version and Dreyfus' Being-in-the-World and read them together.  Reading a Wikipedia article or some other summary fails to deliver the same degree of low-level access.)\nI'll also mention Ayn Rand as someone who wrote inspiringly about the entrepreneur as a (potentially) heroic figure, but hasten to add that her sociology of looters and movers is way too simplistic to ground some of her views on ethics.\nJohn Stuart Mill's \"Utilitarianism\" was my first assigned reading in a political philosophy class, and remains my favorite.\nNietzsche's On the Genealogy of Morals prompted me to question whether the values I had always held were really all that valuable.\nEleanor Rosch's work on basic categories and prototype theory (without which Lakoff's Women, Fire, and Dangerous Things--not to mention Weinberger's Everything is Miscellaneous--would likely not have been written) is fantastic, debunking empirically the Aristotelian theory of categories as being defined by necessary and sufficient conditions (they can be, where we intentionally define them to be from a top-down point of view, as in geometry, but bottom-up the construction of categories is much looser and based on family resemblances with one or several prototypes serving as the central point of comparison: hence, when I say \"bird\" you're more likely to think of a bluebird-type bird than a penguin or an ostrich).  Knowing this does a lot to help loosen up your understanding of things, which can become rigidified by traditional mathematical, scientific, and analytic philosophical education.\nSeveral others worth mentioning, but I've got to get back to work!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "pick up the hardcover version and Dreyfus' Being-in-the-World and read them together",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends reading it alongside Being and Time for its low-level account of cognition during tasks.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in usability, cognition, and philosophy.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Being and Time is tough writing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hubert L. Dreyfus"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "heidegger",
        "phenomenology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bellwether-66ba77",
      "title": "Bellwether",
      "author": "Connie Willis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 86120,
          "author": "estherschindler",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T22:05:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86120",
          "commentText": "For sheer enjoyment (measured in how many times I've re-read them, at least at various times in my life): Heinlein's _The Door into Summer_. Connie Willis' _Bellwether_ (these can be funny, right?). Ayn Rand's _Atlas Shrugged_ (more in my youth than today, but I can probably still recite passages by heart). \nNon-fiction: Gerry Weinberg's _Secrets of Consulting_. Lynn Truss' _Eats Shoots & Leaves_.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Connie Willis' _Bellwether_ (these can be funny, right?).",
          "reason": "Lists it among books reread for sheer enjoyment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The parenthetical tentatively asks whether these books can be funny.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Connie Willis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comedy",
        "science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "belonging-a-german-reckons-with-history-and-home-a2a8b9",
      "title": "Belonging: A German Reckons with History and Home",
      "author": "Nora Krug",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21001839,
          "author": "Kuzutsukake",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-18T02:01:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21001839",
          "commentText": "Belonging by Nora Krug.\nNice mix of personal narrative and history, and the visuals were wonderful.\nIt's about the authors investigation to uncover her family's role during Nazi rule, to hopefully absolve her sense of inherited guilt and to discover her \"heimat\" - a German word used to describe where you come from.\nThe author presents the story through a mix of handwritten letters, old pictures, and drawings, weaved together into \na very creative scrapbook style.\nSomething I really enjoyed were the cultural and historical sections that started each chapter. I was able to learn something new that was separate from the narrative, yet still keep my mind in the story world.\nOne of those parts I found interesting was on how important bread is to Germans...so much as to file their recipes for recognition by UNESCO! I had no idea.\nNot to say that was the best part. The story itself was very good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Belonging by Nora Krug.\nNice mix of personal narrative and history, and the visuals were wonderful.",
          "reason": "Praises its mix of personal narrative and history, visuals, and story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nora Krug"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "german history",
        "graphic memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "beloved-5aed15",
      "title": "Beloved",
      "author": "Toni Morrison",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10533192,
          "author": "hiperlink",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T14:33:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10533192",
          "commentText": "Beloved by Toni Morisson. Such beautiful prose.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Beloved by Toni Morisson. Such beautiful prose.",
          "reason": "Praises the prose.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1866491,
          "author": "pdelgallego",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T20:58:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1866491",
          "commentText": "Beloved by Toni Morrison.\nLisp in Small Pieces by C. Queinnec",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Beloved by Toni Morrison.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Toni Morrison"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "african american literature",
        "historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bend-sinister-3b0f0d",
      "title": "Bend Sinister",
      "author": "Vladimir Nabokov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10208130,
          "author": "V-2",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T14:15:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10208130",
          "commentText": "Obviously not s-f as such, but - quite a few novels by Nabokov. \"The Luzhin Defence\" (aka \"The Defense\"), \"The Eye\", \"Bend Sinister\", \"Transparent Things\" - all very immersing, and posing the question of what's the true reality, its underpinnings and seams. Challenging reads for sure, every detail matters.\nSome might recommend Pynchon as well, personally I'm not convinced but to each his own.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Luzhin Defence\" (aka \"The Defense\"), \"The Eye\", \"Bend Sinister\", \"Transparent Things\" - all very immersing, and posing the question of what's the true reality, its underpinnings and seams.",
          "reason": "Described as immersive and as questioning the nature and foundations of reality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls these challenging reads and says every detail matters.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vladimir Nabokov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopian fiction",
        "reality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "benjamin-franklin-an-american-life-599cd3",
      "title": "Benjamin Franklin: An American Life",
      "author": "Walter Isaacson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268647,
          "author": "sgt",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T21:30:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268647",
          "commentText": "Benjamin Franklin: An American Life (Walter Isaacson)\nHighly recommend it. Don't waste your time with Franklin's autobiography.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Benjamin Franklin: An American Life (Walter Isaacson)\nHighly recommend it.",
          "reason": "Highly recommends this biography.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says not to spend time with Franklin's autobiography.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32197768,
          "author": "sg47",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:16:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197768",
          "commentText": "2022:\nThe Ministry for the Future, Rise and Fall of Third Reich, Benjamin Franklin's biography by Walter Isaacson, Leonardo Da Vinci's biography, Crafting Interpreters, The Overstory",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Benjamin Franklin's biography by Walter Isaacson",
          "reason": "Listed among books read in 2022.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12474288,
          "author": "machtesh",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T16:59:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12474288",
          "commentText": "Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401378,
          "author": "milhous",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:16:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401378",
          "commentText": "Read: \"Einstein: His Life and Universe\" by Walter Isaacson\nCurrently reading:\n\"Zero to One\" by Peter Thiel\n\"Discover Meteor: Building Real-Time JavaScript Web Apps\" by Tom Coleman & Sacha Greif\nReading next:\n\"Benjamin Franklin: An American Life\" by Walter Isaacson\nOverall, I like Isaacson's writing style, and for someone with a non-scientific background, did a pretty good job at describing physical concepts such as a relativity and space-time.\nIt was exciting to read his bio on Steve Jobs the day it came out, but in retrospect seemed to lack depth. I'm not sure if I learned anything new about him as a person, than just someone following Apple and his career over the years.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Benjamin Franklin: An American Life\" by Walter Isaacson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Walter Isaacson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american history",
        "benjamin franklin"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "beowulf-54b027",
      "title": "Beowulf",
      "author": "Unknown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20916743,
          "author": "MLij",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T10:07:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20916743",
          "commentText": "Since no one has mentioned them I just wanted to add \"The Canterbury Tales\" by Chaucer and \"Beowulf\" to the list. I've both read them in high school and liked them very much.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Canterbury Tales\" by Chaucer and \"Beowulf\" to the list. I've both read them in high school and liked them very much.",
          "reason": "Says they liked it very much.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9613836,
          "author": "tjradcliffe",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T19:45:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9613836",
          "commentText": "In the other direction, I never understood rap until I studied Anglo-Saxon poetry. It has the same muscular rhythms and concern for status and manliness. I'd love to see a rapper do Beowulf!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'd love to see a rapper do Beowulf!",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic poetry",
        "anglo saxon literature",
        "old english literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "berlin-cea5b8",
      "title": "Berlin",
      "author": "Jason Lutes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46400014,
          "author": "mordechai9000",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T07:46:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46400014",
          "commentText": "My favorite fiction book I read this year is Berlin, a graphic novel by Jason Lutes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favorite fiction book I read this year is Berlin, a graphic novel by Jason Lutes.",
          "reason": "Names it as their favorite fiction book read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jason Lutes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "graphic novel",
        "weimar republic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "berlin-stories-59630c",
      "title": "Berlin Stories",
      "author": "Christopher Isherwood",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2526794,
          "author": "m0nastic",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-08T21:51:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 2526568,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2526794",
          "commentText": "I'm not sure about \"essential reading\", but I like most anything besides Science Fiction or Fantasy (probably the opposite of most folks here)\nSome of my top choices would be:\nAnything by Bulgakov (Heart of a Dog and Master and Margerita are both pretty widely available in English)\nBerlin Stories by Christopher Isherwood\nBurmese Days by George Orwell\nCakes and Ale by Somerset Maugham\nColor of Summer by Reinaldo Arenas\nWilliwaw by Gore Vidal\nThe Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Berlin Stories by Christopher Isherwood",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s top choices.",
          "audience": "Readers who like fiction outside science fiction and fantasy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher Isherwood"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "berlin-the-downfall-1945-a79913",
      "title": "Berlin: The Downfall 1945",
      "author": "Antony Beevor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 44574451,
          "author": "chistev",
          "createdAt": "2025-07-15T18:40:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 44568054,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44574451",
          "commentText": "Hard to choose for myself who made the post.\nBut some of my favorites are -\n1. God: The Failed Hypothesis\nBook by Victor J. Stenger\n2. The God Delusion\nBook by Richard Dawkins\n3. Berlin: The Downfall 1945\nBook by Antony Beevor\n4. A Song of Ice and Fire\nNovel series by George R.R. Martin\n5. A Short History of Nearly Everything\nBook by Bill Bryson\n6. Billions and Billions\nBook by Carl Sagan\n7. Flowers for Algernon\nShort story by Daniel Keyes\n8. I'm Glad My Mom Died\nBook by Jennette McCurdy\n9. Manhunt: The Ten-Year Search for Bin Laden--from 9/11 to Abbottabad\nBook by Peter Bergen\n10. Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space\nBook by Carl Sagan\n11. The Metamorphosis\nNovella by Franz Kafka\n12. The Selfish Gene\nBook by Richard Dawkins\nGun to my head, pick one? The God Delusion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Berlin: The Downfall 1945",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Antony Beevor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "berlin",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bernie-gunther-series-de07d6",
      "title": "Bernie Gunther series",
      "author": "Philip Kerr",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15631348,
          "author": "borroka",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T20:20:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15631348",
          "commentText": "Shibumi - yes, it is partly a parody, but I have found many good, inspiring lessons from the characterization of Nicholai Hel. For instance, this paragraph made me deeply reflect on the \"convenient rationalization\" of bad behavior. Basically, there is always a good excuse that is up for grabs. Don't be that guy.\n\"Politeness is more reliable than the moist virtues of compassion, charity, and sincerity; just as fair play is more important than the abstraction of justice. The major virtues tend to disintegrate under the pressures of convenient rationalization. But good form is good form, and it stands immutable in the storm of circumstance.”\nAll Trevanian's books are great.\n- The Bernie Gunther series by Philip Kerr. Flawed badass with a quick wit, I love Bernie Gunther.\n- Hypnotherapy by Dave Elman. Dated, but gives you a clear abstract (oxymoron) path on how to \"bypass the critical filter of the conscious mind\"\n- Coaching the Mental Game by Harvey Dorfman. Erudite, deep, chocked full of lessons that are applicable to your personal, professional, and sports life.\nMany, many others.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bernie Gunther series by Philip Kerr. Flawed badass with a quick wit, I love Bernie Gunther.",
          "reason": "Expresses affection for the series' central character.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip Kerr"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "detective fiction",
        "historical crime"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bernoulli-s-fallacy-b294e0",
      "title": "Bernoulli's Fallacy",
      "author": "Aubrey Clayton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42274691,
          "author": "perrygeo",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T15:56:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42274691",
          "commentText": "Origin - A genetic history of the Americas by Jennifer Raff. Recent evidence of how humans came to the Americas; it's a significantly different story than our conventional wisdom account.\nCows, Pigs, Wars, and Witches by Marvin Harris. How cultural norms establish collective behavior.\nThe Extermination of the American Bison. Written in the late 1800s as the tragedy was unfolding. Lots on great detail on how and why we decimated a keystone species in a matter of a few decades.\nPlato's Revenge by William Ophuls. A concise manifesto on societal change. Lays out a vision for a new post-growth, post-oil, ecological consciousness that incorporates modern science, religion and philosophy.\nFour Thousand Weeks. Far from a self-help time-management book, this is more a philosophy book on human's relationship with time. Delightful read.\nBreath by James Nestor. Modern humans are breathing incorrectly due to factors of modern life. An exploration of the science and art of breathing properly.\nBernoulli's Fallacy by Aubrey Clayton. In the statistical wars, this book takes a strong stance: Bayesian is unequivocally better. He exploses the racist/colonial history of frequentist statistics, as well as the fundamental flaws in their math. Posits that mis-applied frequentist methods are to blame for the reproducibility crisis in science.\nHow the World Really Works by Vaclav Smil. A no-nonsense, factual account of the systems that keep our modern globalized society running.\nElements of Clojure by Zach Tellman. A concise, high-level philosophy about how we build and compose abstractions. One of those books where every sentence is gold. My only wish that the book wasn't tied to Clojure (most of the book is applicable to any language, despite the title).\nTidy First? by Kent Beck. How and when to make structural changes (refactoring, architecture, paying down tech debt) vs behavioral changes (new features, bug fixes). You need both, and you can use economic theory as a guide for when to invest in one or the other. But you need to treat them differently.\nNumerical Linear Algebra for Programmers by Dragan Djuric. A code-centric introduction to common linear algrebra routines, Using Clojure and the neaderthal library - a high-level API for fast math optimized for CPU and GPU hardware.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Bernoulli's Fallacy by Aubrey Clayton. In the statistical wars, this book takes a strong stance: Bayesian is unequivocally better.",
          "reason": "Described as advocating Bayesian statistics and criticizing frequentist methods and their history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter presents the book as taking a strong, unequivocal stance.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40465731,
          "author": "johnwatson11218",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-24T12:55:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40465731",
          "commentText": "Bernoulli's Fallacy hands down.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bernoulli's Fallacy hands down.",
          "reason": "Named as the commenter's top book in response to a thread asking for the best book of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Aubrey Clayton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bayesian statistics",
        "frequentist statistics",
        "probability",
        "statistics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "best-approximation-in-inner-product-spaces-26fb8f",
      "title": "Best Approximation in Inner Product Spaces",
      "author": "Frank Deutsch",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32791934,
          "author": "irchans",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T16:16:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32791934",
          "commentText": "\"Best Approximation in Inner Product Spaces\" by Frank Deutsch.\nThis book is about the following problem,\n\"Given a point P and a set S in a vector space, find the point in S closest to P.\"\n(The most common example of a vector space is the Cartesian Coordinate Plane which is also called R^2 because every point is of the form (x,y) where x and y are real numbers.)\nThis book is very simply written.  All the details of the proofs are provided.  Also, Professor Deutsch covers the history of many of the theorems in the book.  Applications to Linear Regression, Interpolation, and Control Systems are given.  The main prerequisite for reading the book is a course in mathematical analysis (Rudin or Royden) and a course in matrices or linear algebra.  The book is based on the graduate level Approximation Theory course which Dr. Deutsch taught for several years.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Best Approximation in Inner Product Spaces\" by Frank Deutsch.",
          "reason": "Presents the book as a clear, detailed treatment with proof details, theorem history, and applications.",
          "audience": "Readers with mathematical analysis and linear algebra background.",
          "caveat": "Prerequisites include mathematical analysis and matrices or linear algebra.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frank Deutsch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "approximation theory",
        "functional analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "best-practices-for-equity-research-analysts-ccb58e",
      "title": "Best Practices for Equity Research Analysts",
      "author": "Michael J. Valentine",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12584939,
          "author": "megadrive16",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-26T19:44:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12584939",
          "commentText": "Here are my recommendations. This list is optimised to teach you the fundamentals of economics and finance, give you alternative perspectives on status quo economic/financial thinking and then equip with you with tools, ideas, and concepts to come up with original investment ideas and increase the likelihood that they are going to actually make you, your clients, and your firm a lot of money without anybody getting grilled by the House Financial Services Committee, the SEC, or ending up in jail.\n1.) Get a recent copy of the CFA curriculum and do the end of chapter exercises. You can probably skip a lot of the quantitative methods material if you’re doing a degree in stats. The CFA curriculum will give you a solid understanding of all the major sub-categories of economics (micro, macro, corporate finance, security analysis, accounting, financial statement analysis, alternative investments, derivatives, portfolio management, and most importantly ethical standards for financial professionals.\n2.) Read the Economics Anti-Text Book to crush any illusion that the neoclassical economic paradigm, which the CFA curriculum is based on, is the only scholarly interpretation of how economics works in the real world. Then read it again. If you’re really a diehard scholar read some of the alternative economics papers that the book references.\n3.) Find a good book or paper that covers Rational Choice Theory in depth. Then, at least, read Kahneman and Tversky (1979). If you can, read all of Kahneman and Tversky’s papers. This should also help clear any illusion that humans being are rational agents, which is a cornerstone of neoclassical economics, and give you a foundation for thinking about how people in markets really make decisions.\n4.) Read Fooled by Randomness to get more alternative thinking on decision making and how finance and economics works in the real world vs. the textbook stuff that you’re going to learn via the CFA curriculum.\n5.) Read Business Dynamics (Sterman, 2000) to learn how to model systems the “right” way.\n6.) Read Best Practices for Equity Research Analysts (Valentine). Regardless if you want to be an equity analysis or not, this book is the best book around if you want to learn how to organise yourself to succeed working day-today in an investment decision making role. Just think about the equity specific aspects in the context of whatever category of finance you’re interested in.\n7.) The Sleuth Investor (Mandelman). A lot to people complained that some of this book’s suggestions cross an ethical line. I disagree. Again, this books will give you an alternative perspective about how economic agents gather information on the critical factors that will move the variables they’re  interested in (e.g. stock prices, bond ratings, commodity prices,  earnings, etc). It’s basic premise is get out of the building and collect HUMINT (echoing Valentine more aggressively) like a CIA case officer instead of a nerd in a cube reading the same 10K’s, sell-side research, as everybody else.\n8.) Expectations Investing (Mauboussin) is a must read for how to come up with contra-consensus investment ideas and get it right.\n9.) Investing: The Last Great Liberal Art is a must read for learning how to incorporate information from other fields (physics, biology, sociology, etc) into your economic analysis.\n10.) (Optional) Diaminds: Decoding the Mental Habits of Successful Thinkers that challenges you to think about your thinking and assess how great business thinkers think. Not a economics but definitely will help you become a better economic thinker.\nGood luck!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this book is the best book around if you want to learn how to organise yourself to succeed working day-today in an investment decision making role.",
          "reason": "Called the best book for organizing oneself to succeed in an investment decision-making role.",
          "audience": "People working in investment decision-making roles.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says to adapt its equity-specific advice to the reader’s area of finance.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael J. Valentine"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "equity research",
        "investment analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "best-served-cold-23234a",
      "title": "Best Served Cold",
      "author": "Joe Abercrombie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14860091,
          "author": "spapas82",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:38:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14860091",
          "commentText": "Right now: The Poet by Michael Connelly. Very interesting crime novel.\nBefore that: Best served cold by Joe Abercrombie. A great fantasy novel, the fourth after the First Law trilogy. I recommend it to fantasy lovers! It is standalone but I recommend reading The First Law first to have more info about characters and the universe of this novel.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A great fantasy novel, the fourth after the First Law trilogy. I recommend it to fantasy lovers! It is standalone but I recommend reading The First Law first to have more info about characters and the universe of this novel.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great fantasy novel and recommends it to fantasy lovers.",
          "audience": "Fantasy lovers.",
          "caveat": "Standalone, but reading The First Law first gives more context about the characters and world.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joe Abercrombie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "grimdark fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "best-movie-year-ever-how-1999-blew-up-the-big-screen-7b1ddc",
      "title": "Best. Movie. Year. Ever: How 1999 Blew Up the Big Screen",
      "author": "Brian Raftery",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21792874,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T22:44:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21792874",
          "commentText": "The ones I rated highest out of those I read this year (which is what I think the question means).\n* Exactly: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester\n* Atomic Adventures: Secret Islands, Forgotten N-Rays, and Isotopic Murder-A Journey into the Wild World of Nuclear Science by James Magaffey\n* Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande\n* Vulcan 607 by Rowland White\n* Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen\n* Best. Movie. Year. Ever: How 1999 Blew Up the Big Screen by Brian Raftery\n* A Fabulous Creation: How the LP Saved Our Lives by David Hepworth\n* 1983: Reagan, Andropov, and a World on the Brink by Taylor Downing\n* The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes and Why by Amanda Ripley\n* In Your Defence: Stories of Life and Law by Sarah Langford\n* Springfield Confidential: Jokes, Secrets, and Outright Lies from a Lifetime Writing for The Simpsons by Mike Reiss\n* Working Actor: Breaking in, Making a Living, and Making a Life in the Fabulous Trenches of Show Business by David Dean Bottrell\n* Becoming by Michelle Obama\n* Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress by Steven Pinker\n* Rush Hour by Iain Gatel\n* Tamed: Ten Species that Changed our World by Alice Roberts\n* The Next American City: The Big Promise of Our Midsize Metros by Mick Cornett",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The ones I rated highest out of those I read this year",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s highest-rated books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Raftery"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "1990s cinema",
        "film history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "better-8621f8",
      "title": "Better",
      "author": "Atul Gawande",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25319679,
          "author": "randcraw",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-06T00:10:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319679",
          "commentText": "And I'll add Atul Gawande's “Better” and “Complications” on general surgery in particular and medicine in general.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Atul Gawande's “Better”",
          "reason": "Recommended as a book about surgery and medicine.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in surgery and medicine.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Atul Gawande"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "medical practice",
        "surgery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "betty-white-s-miracle-at-carville-ff9406",
      "title": "Betty White's Miracle at Carville",
      "author": "Betty White (as credited in the comment)",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23587706,
          "author": "tjalfi",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-20T21:58:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 23561163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book that nobody you know has heard of?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23587706",
          "commentText": "Most people haven't heard of Betty White's Miracle at Carville.\nIt's the autobiography of a Southern debutante in Louisiana who contracted Hansen's disease. She is sent to a leper colony and spends the next 20 years there.\nCopies of the book are quite expensive on Amazon but I was able to obtain it as an interlibrary loan.\nThe Internet Archive also has it available for lending.\nhttps://archive.org/details/miracleatcarvill0000mart",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Most people haven't heard of Betty White's Miracle at Carville.",
          "reason": "Identifies it as an autobiography about a woman with Hansen's disease who lived in a leper colony for 20 years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Copies are described as expensive; the commenter obtained it through interlibrary loan.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Betty White (as credited in the comment)"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Health",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hansen s disease",
        "leprosy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "between-river-and-sea-02f9a5",
      "title": "Between River and Sea",
      "author": "Dervla Murphy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45970602,
          "author": "racktash",
          "createdAt": "2025-11-18T19:11:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 45947737,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45970602",
          "commentText": "Between River and Sea by Dervla Murphy (her final published book). It (and admittedly a few other things) completely altered my view on the relevant issue, and despite being a very serious topic, the book is enjoyable and heavy considering.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Between River and Sea by Dervla Murphy (her final published book). It (and admittedly a few other things) completely altered my view on the relevant issue, and despite being a very serious topic, the book is enjoyable and heavy considering.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it altered their view on the issue and found it enjoyable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the topic is very serious and the book feels heavy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dervla Murphy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "palestine",
        "travel writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bevis-a6b013",
      "title": "Bevis",
      "author": "Richard Jefferies",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41175841,
          "author": "montgomery_r",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:58:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175841",
          "commentText": "Aargh, Formatting! Try 2 :\nFor the value of ‘best’ that includes\n(a) had a deep and long lasting impact on how I think about the world and\n(b) I consider beautiful pieces of writing in their own right,\nhere are some in no particular order:\nThe Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins\nThinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nNaming and Necessity, Saul Kripke\nTractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein\n(These you might want to approach via a gentle introduction if you did not study Philosophy to degree level)\nThe Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle\nDarkness at Noon, Arthur Koestler\nThe Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse\nA Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh\nDiaries, Samuel Pepys\nFalling Off the Map, Pico Iyer\nA Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor\nThe Lonely Sea and the Sky, Francis Chichester\nThe Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope\nBevis, Richard Jeffries\nThe Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith\nThe Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse\nHitch-22, essays, Christopher Hitchens\nCollected Essays, William Hazlitt\nVenice, Martin Gayford\nThe Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski\nThe Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch\nToo obvious a list, perhaps, but some gems for all that! Happy reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bevis, Richard Jeffries",
          "reason": "Includes the title among books considered impactful and beautifully written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41175718,
          "author": "montgomery_r",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:45:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175718",
          "commentText": "For the value of ‘best’ that includes  (a) had a deep and long lasting impact on how I think about the world and (b) I consider beautiful pieces of writing in their own right, here are some in no particular order: \nThe Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins \nThinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nNaming and Necessity, Saul Kripke\nTractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein\n(These you might want to approach via a gentle introduction if you did not study Philosophy to degree level) \nThe Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle\nDarkness at Noon,\nArthur Koestler\nThe Glass Bead Game,\nHermann Hesse\nA Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh\nDiaries, Samuel Pepys\nFalling Off the Map, Pico Iyer\nA Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor\nThe Lonely Sea and the Sky,\nFrancis Chichester\nThe Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope\nBevis, Richard Jeffries\nThe Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith\nThe Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse\nHitch-22, essaysChristopher Hitchens \nCollected Essays, William Hazlitt\nVenice, Martin Gayford\nThe Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski\nThe Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch\nToo obvious a list, perhaps, but some gems for all that! Happy reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bevis, Richard Jeffries",
          "reason": "Includes it among books with lasting impact on how they think and that they consider beautiful writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Jefferies"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s literature",
        "adventure",
        "rural life"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "beware-of-chicken-28b66e",
      "title": "Beware of Chicken",
      "author": "CasualFarmer",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42270928,
          "author": "asicsp",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T04:53:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42270928",
          "commentText": "I mostly read progression fantasy books these days. Here are some series that I enjoyed a lot:\n* \"Beware of Chicken\" by CasualFarmer\n* \"The Immaculate Collection\" by havlo\n* \"The Runic Artist\" by Ellake\n* \"The Broken Knife\" by SilverSidhe\n* \"Immovable Mage\" by ImmovableMage\n* \"The Gorgon Incident and Other Stories\" by John Bierce\n* \"Quest Academy\" by Brian J. Nordon\n* \"The Weirkey Chronicles\" by Sarah Lin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Beware of Chicken\" by CasualFarmer",
          "reason": "Listed among progression fantasy series the commenter enjoyed a lot.",
          "audience": "Readers of progression fantasy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "CasualFarmer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cultivation fantasy",
        "progression fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bewilderment-10c655",
      "title": "Bewilderment",
      "author": "Richard Powers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36083958,
          "author": "code_Whisperer",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-26T13:38:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36083958",
          "commentText": "Easily these (so far):\nThis is How You Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (actually now one of my all-time favorites, without regard to genre. Just amazing)\nChildren of Time - Adrian Tchaikovsky\nThe Book of Strange New Things - Michael Faber\nTed Chiang's short story collections (Exhalations and Stories of your life and others)\nDaemon - Daniel Suarez\nThe City and the City - China Miéville\nRoadside Picnic - Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (this one still haunts my dreams at times)\nWe Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse Book 1) - Dennis Taylor (just finished this series for book club)\nGalatea 2.2, The Overstory, Bewilderment, The Gold Bug Variations - 4 different books, all by Richard Powers - what can I say, the man is a genius and a treasure\nEifelheim - Michael Flynn - ok, this book can be a slog at times, but it is very rewarding for those who persevere, and has stuck in my brain for many years\nChocky - John Wyndham - A quiet, delightful surprise\nProvidence - Max Barry - This book flows like a movie. It will make a great movie. I found myself LITERALLY out of breath a couple of times\nHench: A Novel - Natalie Zina Walschots - Quirky, memorable\nThe Peacemaker's Code - Deepak Malhotra - Why hasn't this guy written more sci-fi?\nOrange World and Other Stories - Karen Russell - OK, maybe not strictly sci-fi, but this book tickles my brain\nGUILTY PLEASURE SCI-FI FAVORITE: The Vaz series by Laurence Dahners. I think I've read that series 3 times now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bewilderment",
          "reason": "Included among four books by the author.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Powers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "climate change",
        "parent child relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "beyond-doer-and-done-to-recognition-theory-intersubjectivity-and--c516c2",
      "title": "Beyond Doer and Done to: Recognition Theory, Intersubjectivity and the Third",
      "author": "Jessica Benjamin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40046351,
          "author": "reify",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-15T22:19:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40046351",
          "commentText": "Beyond Doer and Done to_ Recognition Theory, Intersubjectivity and the Third - Jessica Benjamin - (2017, Routledge)\nThe Therapeutic Relationship - Petruska Clarkson - (2003, Wiley)\nLove's Executioner & Other Tales of Psychotherapy - Irvin D. Yalom - (2012, Basic Books)\nBeautiful Chaos - Robert M. Drake - (2014, Vintage Wild)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Beyond Doer and Done to_ Recognition Theory, Intersubjectivity and the Third - Jessica Benjamin - (2017, Routledge)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jessica Benjamin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "intersubjectivity",
        "psychoanalysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "beyond-games-and-scripts-e01c62",
      "title": "Beyond Games and Scripts",
      "author": "Eric Berne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17938850,
          "author": "dmccunney",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-08T01:21:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17938850",
          "commentText": "An assortment:\n\"The Silent Language\" by Edward T. Hall.\nHall was an anthropologist attached to the University of New Mexico.  He and his research partner, linguist Norman Trager, were doing research in comparative culture.  Hall realized they would need a comprehensive theory of culture to describe what they were comparing and provide ways to compare them.  Hall's model was \"culture as communication\", and the results were presented in the book above.  His key point was that most of culture was like the iceberg - 90% of it is processed on an unconscious reflex level.  We are no more aware of most of our culture than a fish is of the water it swims in.  We only become aware when we are set down in a culture that does things differently than ours. The Silent Language is about how we use space.  The followup \"The Hidden Dimension looks into how different cultures use time. Many things fell into place when I read Hall.\n\"Games People Play\" by Eric Berne.\nBerne was a psychiatrist and founder of the discipline of Transactional Analysis.  Games People Play was a PopSci bestseller when first published, which was odd because it's a highly technical volume written for other psychiatrists.  His thesis was that most human behavior could be viewed as games, and most of what we did were ways of structuring time.  Follow up with his \"What Do You Say After You've Said Hello?\" and \"Beyond Games and Scripts\".  Hall's work above did much to explain teh behavior of societies.  Berne's work does much to explain the behavior of people in societies.\n\"The Anatomy of Criticism\" by Northrop Frye.\nFrye was a Professor of English at Toronto University.  He had completed a study of William Blake called \"Fearful Symmetry\", and was attempting to do a study of Spencer's Faery Queen.  But he found himself trying to make sense of various terms used in literature, and the result became a work of pure theory, unconnected with any specific works.  He refers to poetry and poetics, but his canvas is broader.  Part of his problem was that there was no general term in English for a work of prose fiction.  It's a set of four essays, covering Historical Criticism, Ethical Criticism, Archetypal Criticism, and Rhetorical Criticism, but makes clear that while each form is valid in its own terms, none fully described literature, and a more synoptic view was required.\n\"The Structure of Scientific Revolutions\" by Thomas S. Kuhn\nKuhn's work challenged the accepted notions of scientific progress, and the notion of steady accumulation.  His thesis was that the real progress came from notions that lay outside accepted theories, and provided new paradigms by which reality might be understood, and faced all the resistance transformative ideas face from entrenched doctrine until they are demonstrated to be correct.\n\"Management: Tasks, Practices, Responsibilities\" by Peter F. Drucker.\nDrucker was our present generation's primary primary theorist and consultant on the practice of management, and just what management was and what mangers did.  This work was probably his magnum opus, where he pulled together the ideas he'd formulated elsewhere into a coherent whole.  It's a liberal education not only in management, but in the nature and structure of market based economies.\n\"The Making of Economic Society\" by Robert F. Heilbroner.\nThis is probably the best single volume overview I'm aware of on economics and economic history, beginning with just what an economy is, and the changing conception of economics through history, with the transition from Traditional through Command to Market economies and the issues involved with each.  Many animated discussions I see online about economics make me say \"Those words don't mean what you think they do.  Please read Heilbroner, and come back when you have.  Then we might at least be talking about the same things.\"\n\"The Problems of Philosophy\" by Bertrand Russell.\nRussell is concerned with knowledge, and how we know what we know.  He asks \"Is there any knowledge in the world so certin that no reasonable man could doubt it?\", and concludes that it's one of the most difficult questions that can be asked.  When we understand the obstacles in the way of a straightforward and confident answer, we are launched on the study of philosophy, which is concerned with precisely such questions.  If philosophy is of interest, this is a superb place to start.\n\"Religion and the Rise of Capitalism\" by R. H. Tawney.\nEconomies don't exist in vacuums.  The are aspects of the societies in which they exist, and reflect the values of those societies. Religion has been a critical part of the value systems of societies for as long as there have been societies, and religious notions on what sort of behavior is acceptable affect the structure of economies by determining what sort of transactions are permissible. Tawney is specifically concerned with religious thought in England affecting social organization and economic issues in the period immediately preceding the Reformation and the two following centuries, but while his focus in England, his description of the way in which Christian religious doctrine changed gradually to make a capitalist economy possible in England, the underlying processes could be applied through Europe in general. Read this as a companion to Max Weber's \"The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism\", originally written in German and concerned with the Netherlands and Germany.\n\"Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy\" by Joseph A. Schumpeter.\nSchumpeter was an Austrian economist, a contemporary of John Maynard Keynes, and (briefly) Austria's Finance Minister in the 1920's.  Like Keynes, he considered himself influenced by Marx.  But unlike many others, he believed Marx \"asked all the right questions, and got all the wrong answers\".  Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy was Schumpeter's (often delightfully snarky) attempt to understand what Marx got wrong and why.  It's a useful brainwash after you've spent any time reading MArx or other folks who consider themselves Marxists, and provides a needed sense of perspective.\nThere's more, but I have to stop somewhere...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and \"Beyond Games and Scripts\"",
          "reason": "Suggested as a follow-up to understand behavior in society.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Berne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "transactional analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "beyond-sing-the-woods-71b145",
      "title": "Beyond Sing the Woods",
      "author": "Trygve Gulbranssen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22095795,
          "author": "scottlocklin",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T02:32:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22095795",
          "commentText": "Beyond Sing the Woods by Trygve Gulbranssen -something that won all kinds of awards once upon a time, but which has been completely forgotten. What it means to be human.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Beyond Sing the Woods by Trygve Gulbranssen",
          "reason": "Presents it as a forgotten, award-winning book exploring what it means to be human.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it has been completely forgotten.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Trygve Gulbranssen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "norwegian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "beyond-software-architecture-af1750",
      "title": "Beyond Software Architecture",
      "author": "Luke Hohmann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Beyond Software Architecture",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Luke Hohmann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software architecture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "beyond-uncertainty-heisenberg-quantum-physics-and-the-bomb-90de07",
      "title": "Beyond Uncertainty: Heisenberg, Quantum Physics, and the Bomb",
      "author": "David C. Cassidy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10787298,
          "author": "yetanotheracc",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T06:03:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787298",
          "commentText": "Absolutely amazing, changed the way I look at the society, will re-read:\n- George Orwell, Keep the Aspidistra Flying\nLoved:\n- Alastair Reynolds, House of Suns\n- Andy Weir, The Martian\n- Neal Stephenson, Seveneves\n- Greg Egan, Teranesia\nLiked:\n- Arthur C. Clarke, 3001: The Final Odyssey\n- Arthur C. Clarke, 2061: Odyssey Three\n- Richard Feynman, The Character of Physical Laws\n- Richard Feynman, The Pleasure of Finding Things Out\n- Jonathan Slack, Stem Cells: A Very Short Introduction\n- John Scalzi, Fuzzy Nation (bought the audiobook for Wil Wheaton's narration)\n- Ray Monk, Robert Oppenheimer: A Life Inside the Center\n- Alastair Reynolds,  Revelation Space\n- David C. Cassidy, Beyond Uncertainty: Heisenberg, Quantum Physics, and the Bomb\nFound full of BS, did not finish:\n- Noam Chomsky, Understanding Power\nTextbooks:\n- order of 10^3 pages of Open University textbooks\n- Klauber, Student Friendly Quantum Field Theory\n- Feynman & Hibbs, Quantum Mechanics and Path Integrals\n- Wald, General Relativity (5 chapters)\n- Peskin & Schroeder, An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory (5 chapters)\nNot as bad as I felt before making the list, but underwhelming in terms of quantity. I intend to read a whole lot more in 2016.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- David C. Cassidy, Beyond Uncertainty: Heisenberg, Quantum Physics, and the Bomb",
          "reason": "Listed under books the commenter says they liked.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David C. Cassidy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "quantum physics",
        "werner heisenberg"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bhagavad-gita-711ce4",
      "title": "Bhagavad Gita",
      "author": "William Quan Judge",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3396245,
          "author": "omarchowdhury",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T16:31:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3396245",
          "commentText": "Rene Guenon's Man and His Becoming according to the Vedanta\nBhagavad Gita - Recension by William Quan Judge",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bhagavad Gita - Recension by William Quan Judge",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Specifically the recension by William Quan Judge.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Quan Judge"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hindu philosophy",
        "vedanta"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bhagavad-gita-205b9a",
      "title": "Bhagavad Gita",
      "author": "Traditionally attributed to Vyasa",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21901741,
          "author": "keyP",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T21:09:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21901741",
          "commentText": "Bhagavad Gita for me, both, personally and professionally\nhttps://www.ancient.eu/Bhagavad_Gita/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bhagavad Gita for me, both, personally and professionally",
          "reason": "Names it as the book that was personally and professionally influential.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Traditionally attributed to Vyasa"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dharma",
        "hindu scripture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bhagavata-purana-5f6327",
      "title": "Bhagavata Purana",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40282222,
          "author": "uptownfunk",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T04:03:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40282222",
          "commentText": "The Rama Charit Manasa\nBhagavatam\nBhagavad Gita\nChaitanya Caritamrta\nMahabharata",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bhagavatam",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hindu scripture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bible-e0f58b",
      "title": "Bible",
      "author": "Various authors",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9348755,
          "author": "galephico",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:27:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348755",
          "commentText": "Altruism - Mathieu Ricard\nSearch Inside Yourself - Chade-Meng Tan\nBible - several authors\nSiddhartha - Hermann Hesse\nFight Club - Chuck Palahniuk\nEléments de Philosophie Angélique - Denis Marquet (french)\nAu coeur de l'instant - Jean Bouchart d'Orval (french)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bible - several authors",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christianity",
        "religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bible-king-james-version-7276c2",
      "title": "Bible (King James Version)",
      "author": "Unknown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34161496,
          "author": "psithurism",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T14:53:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161496",
          "commentText": "Sociology:\n- The Coddling of the American Mind\n- The Tao of Pooh\n- Guns, Germs, and Steel\n- Weapons of the Weak\nReligious:\n- Guru Granth Sahib\n- Bible (King James Version)\n- Q’uran\n- The Book of Mormon \n- Tipitaka\nFantasy:\n- Dawn of Wonder by Jonathan Renshaw\n- The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan \n- The Way of Kings series by Brandon Sanderson\n- Mistborn also by Brandon Sanderson\n- Red Rising by Pierce Brown\n- The Licanius trilogy by James Islington\n- Saga of the Forgotten Warrior series by Larry Correia\nBiography\n- John Adams by David McCullough",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Bible (King James Version)",
          "reason": "Listed under religious books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christianity",
        "religious scripture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bibliographical-history-of-electricity-and-magnetism-e1a7cc",
      "title": "Bibliographical History of Electricity and Magnetism",
      "author": "Silvanus P. Thompson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36666587,
          "author": "HamptonFounders",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-10T14:01:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36666587",
          "commentText": "Not sure if this is helpful, but a friend fed this conversation through ChatGPT and had it summarize for easier reading:\n-The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy -Bigger by Marc Levinson\n-The Machine That Changed the World: The Story of Lean Production-- Toyota's Secret Weapon in the Global Car Wars That Is Now Revolutionizing World Industry by James P. Womack, Daniel T. Jones, and Daniel Roos\n-Empires of the Sky: Zeppelins, Airplanes, and Two Men's Epic Duel to Rule the World by Erik Larson\n-Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America by Richard -White\n-The Arms of Krupp: The Rise and Fall of the Industrial Dynasty that Armed Germany at War by William Manchester\n-Edison by Edmund Morris\n-Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow\n-The People's Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century by Steven Watts\n-Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler\n-The Victorian Internet by Tom Standage\n-The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood by James Gleick\n-Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age by Michael S. Malone\n-The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester\n-The Innovators by Walter Isaacson\n-Medieval Technology and Social Change by Lynn White Jr.\n-The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation by Jon Gertner\n-Electricity in the 17th and 18th Centuries: A Study of Early Modern Physics by Eric H. Chaney\n-Early Electrical Communication by A. F. Marland\n-Bibliographical History of Electricity and Magnetism by Silvanus P. Thompson\n-Electric Science: Its History, Phenomena, and Applications by J. J. Fahie\n-The History and Present State of Electricity by Andrew Ure\n-https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/\n-De Re Metallica by Georgius Agricola",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bibliographical History of Electricity and Magnetism by Silvanus P. Thompson",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books offered in response to the history of technology question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Silvanus P. Thompson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bibliography",
        "history of electricity",
        "history of magnetism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bienvenue-dans-le-nouveau-monde-comment-j-ai-survecu-a-la-coolitu-669507",
      "title": "Bienvenue dans le nouveau monde : comment j'ai survécu à la coolitude des startups",
      "author": "Mathilde Ramadier",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17206275,
          "author": "altharaz",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T15:34:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17206275",
          "commentText": "There is an excellent book about that:\n\"Bienvenue dans le nouveau monde : comment j'ai survécu à la coolitude des startups\" from Mathilde Ramadier.\nIt's an analysis of the startups world, with its downside.\nThis book is not yet in English, but here is a summary: http://www.startup-book.com/2017/05/02/how-i-survived-the-co... (http://www.startup-book.com/2017/05/02/how-i-survived-the-coolitude-of-startups-by-mathilde-ramadier/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "There is an excellent book about that:\n\"Bienvenue dans le nouveau monde : comment j'ai survécu à la coolitude des startups\" from Mathilde Ramadier.",
          "reason": "Describes it as an excellent book about the startup world and its downsides.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in startup culture and its downsides.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it was not yet available in English.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mathilde Ramadier"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "startup culture",
        "work culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "big-data-principles-and-best-practices-of-scalable-realtime-data--15cf26",
      "title": "Big Data: Principles and Best Practices of Scalable Realtime Data Systems",
      "author": "Nathan Marz and James Warren",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783351,
          "author": "lghh",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:17:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783351",
          "commentText": "I just looked over the first chapter or so of \"Big Data\" that's online with the intent of purchasing it yesterday. It seemed decent enough.\nWhat were you general thoughts on it?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I just looked over the first chapter or so of \"Big Data\" that's online with the intent of purchasing it yesterday. It seemed decent enough.",
          "reason": "Says the first chapter seemed decent enough.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Only looked over the first chapter or so.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nathan Marz and James Warren"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "big data",
        "real time data systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "big-magic-ac4639",
      "title": "Big Magic",
      "author": "Elizabeth Gilbert",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12990812,
          "author": "mayreck",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-18T23:05:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12990812",
          "commentText": "Big Magic",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Big Magic",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Elizabeth Gilbert"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creativity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "big-swiss-e31fbe",
      "title": "Big Swiss",
      "author": "Jen Beagin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37168117,
          "author": "tjalfi",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T21:09:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37168117",
          "commentText": "Contemporary:\n° Yellowface by R.F. Kuang\n° Big Swiss by Jen Beagin\nThriller:\n° Barbed Wire Heart by Tess Sharpe",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Big Swiss by Jen Beagin",
          "reason": "Lists it among contemporary fiction recommendations in response to a request for books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jen Beagin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "romantic comedy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bill-dave-how-hewlett-and-packard-built-the-world-s-greatest-comp-6accdc",
      "title": "Bill & Dave: How Hewlett and Packard Built the World's Greatest Company",
      "author": "Michael Malone",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17206959,
          "author": "sizzzzlerz",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T16:25:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17206959",
          "commentText": "Bill & Dave: How Hewlett and Packard Built the World's Greatest Company - Michael Malone : One of the first Silicon Valley start-ups which grew to incomparable heights through the management style of its two founders. Unfortunately, the lessons they taught are being ignored in today's Quick Buck environment.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bill & Dave: How Hewlett and Packard Built the World's Greatest Company - Michael Malone",
          "reason": "The commenter describes Hewlett and Packard's company and management story.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Silicon Valley company histories and founders.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the founders' lessons are being ignored in today's \"Quick Buck environment.\"",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Malone"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "company history",
        "founders",
        "silicon valley"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "billion-dollar-lessons-what-you-can-learn-from-the-most-inexcusab-6143cc",
      "title": "Billion Dollar Lessons: What You Can Learn from the Most Inexcusable Business Failures of the Last 25 Years",
      "author": "Paul B. Carroll and Chunka Mui",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17205246,
          "author": "linuxlizard",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T13:48:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205246",
          "commentText": "_Showstopper_ One of the best tech books, after _Soul of a New Machine_ (recommended in the comments, too). Covers Microsoft's creation of Windows NT.\n_DEC is Dead. Long Live DEC_  about the rise and fall of Digital Equipment Corporation.\n_Skunkworks_ Lockheed-Martin's creation of the SR-71.\n_Moneyball_ using math to build a top flight US baseball team.\nBroadening the category a bit:\n_The Smartest Guys in the Room_ is about Enron's collapse. Not directly related to computer tech but definitely tech and people.\n_Billion Dollar Lessons_ covers several spectacular company failures. Again, not strictly tech related but amazing stories of crash & burn. Includes (IIRC) Iridium, Kodak, IBM.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "_Billion Dollar Lessons_ covers several spectacular company failures.",
          "reason": "Recommended for its stories of major company failures.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in business failures and company history.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not strictly technology-related.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul B. Carroll and Chunka Mui"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business case studies",
        "corporate failure"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "billion-dollar-whale-7ec924",
      "title": "Billion Dollar Whale",
      "author": "Tom Wright and Bradley Hope",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20989471,
          "author": "JimmyAustin",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T23:10:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20989471",
          "commentText": "I'll recommend this as well. Another great book in the \"company exploding in a case of massive fraud\" genre is Billion Dollar Whale by Tom Wright and Bradley Hope, which goes into the 1MDB scandal.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another great book in the \"company exploding in a case of massive fraud\" genre is Billion Dollar Whale by Tom Wright and Bradley Hope, which goes into the 1MDB scandal.",
          "reason": "Calls it another great book about massive corporate fraud.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the 1MDB scandal and corporate fraud.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Wright and Bradley Hope"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "1mdb scandal",
        "corporate fraud",
        "investigative journalism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "billions-and-billions-91afc1",
      "title": "Billions and Billions",
      "author": "Carl Sagan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 44574451,
          "author": "chistev",
          "createdAt": "2025-07-15T18:40:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 44568054,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44574451",
          "commentText": "Hard to choose for myself who made the post.\nBut some of my favorites are -\n1. God: The Failed Hypothesis\nBook by Victor J. Stenger\n2. The God Delusion\nBook by Richard Dawkins\n3. Berlin: The Downfall 1945\nBook by Antony Beevor\n4. A Song of Ice and Fire\nNovel series by George R.R. Martin\n5. A Short History of Nearly Everything\nBook by Bill Bryson\n6. Billions and Billions\nBook by Carl Sagan\n7. Flowers for Algernon\nShort story by Daniel Keyes\n8. I'm Glad My Mom Died\nBook by Jennette McCurdy\n9. Manhunt: The Ten-Year Search for Bin Laden--from 9/11 to Abbottabad\nBook by Peter Bergen\n10. Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space\nBook by Carl Sagan\n11. The Metamorphosis\nNovella by Franz Kafka\n12. The Selfish Gene\nBook by Richard Dawkins\nGun to my head, pick one? The God Delusion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Billions and Billions",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carl Sagan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cosmology",
        "popular science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "biography-of-the-pixel-68b7aa",
      "title": "Biography of the Pixel",
      "author": "Alvy Ray Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33385444,
          "author": "jeffreportmill1",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T16:20:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33385444",
          "commentText": "Can’t believe I’m the first/only one to post these:\n- Upgrade by Blake Crouch\n- Biography of the Pixel by Alvy Ray Smith\nLike Project Hail Mary, Upgrade is the kind of book I really wanted back when I was a michael crichton fan. His last book, Recursion was really my favorite. I love books that secretly teach you a thing or two and celebrate science and engineering.\nBiography of the Pixel was a fascinating history of computer graphics and fundamental graphics concepts.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Biography of the Pixel by Alvy Ray Smith",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a fascinating history of computer graphics and fundamental graphics concepts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alvy Ray Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer graphics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "biology-and-knowledge-756ca5",
      "title": "Biology and Knowledge",
      "author": "Jean Piaget",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10027601,
          "author": "jhedwards",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T15:55:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027601",
          "commentText": "1) Biology and Knowledge by Jean Piaget\n2) Ontogeny and Phylogeny by S.J. Gould\n3) The Logic of Life by Francois Jacob\nThese books have very little fluff and will challenge you to think in new ways about evolution, biology, and the development of human knowledge.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Biology and Knowledge by Jean Piaget",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for high signal to noise books; says the books have little fluff and challenge readers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jean Piaget"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biology",
        "epistemology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bird-by-bird-some-instructions-on-writing-and-life-604170",
      "title": "Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life",
      "author": "Anne Lamott",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33851737,
          "author": "tren",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T08:26:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33851737",
          "commentText": "My two favourite books I read this year were both non-fiction:\n* Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage - If you enjoy books about persistence in the face of adversity, this has it in spades. When I was in my 20's I saw the movie \"Touching the Void\" and remember being in total awe at a human's ability to persevere in seemingly impossible situations. Shackleton and his crew bring this power of determination to another level.\n* On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft - Reading this gave me another level of respect for Stephen King. He also pointed me towards another excellent book \"Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "another excellent book \"Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life\"",
          "reason": "Calls it another excellent book and says On Writing pointed the commenter to it.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in writing",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anne Lamott"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creative process",
        "writing craft"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bist-du-der-fruhling-bf7324",
      "title": "Bist du der Frühling?",
      "author": "Chiaki Okada",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50041786,
          "author": "sandreas",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T10:50:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50041786",
          "commentText": "If you are looking for something non-mainline with exceptional drawings, you could check out Chiaki Okada's work.\nMy kids loved the \"Spring\" book with the ice bear (in germany it is called \"Bist du der Frühling\", but i did not find an english translation)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the \"Spring\" book with the ice bear (in germany it is called \"Bist du der Frühling\", but i did not find an english translation)",
          "reason": "The commenter says their kids loved this book.",
          "audience": "Children",
          "caveat": "The commenter could not find an English translation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chiaki Okada"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bitwise-a-life-in-code-5743a0",
      "title": "Bitwise: A Life in Code",
      "author": "David Auerbach",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28680282,
          "author": "neoncontrails",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-28T07:42:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28680282",
          "commentText": "Bitwise: A Life in Code, by David Auerbach.\nAmong its memorable conceits: debugging as a life-improvement strategy, the weirdly mesmerizing properties of randomness, adversarial cat-and-mouse games that have transpired as a result of dueling software programs. He's a gifted writer and one of the few to consider programming as somewhat spiritually connected to the question of what it means to be a human. (In addition to his literary credentials, the writer is a former technical lead at Microsoft and Google.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bitwise: A Life in Code, by David Auerbach.",
          "reason": "The commenter highlights the book's themes and praises the author's writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Auerbach"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Computing",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming and society",
        "randomness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "black-dog-560ab7",
      "title": "Black Dog",
      "author": "Levi Pinfold",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11700113,
          "author": "DanBC",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-15T09:10:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11700113",
          "commentText": "Still mostly reading childrens books.\nThis is not my hat: https://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Not-Hat-Jon-Klassen/dp/1406353... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Not-Hat-Jon-Klassen/dp/1406353434)\nBlack dog: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Dog-Levi-Pinfold/dp/184877052... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Dog-Levi-Pinfold/dp/1848770529)\nFArTHER: https://www.amazon.co.uk/FArTHER-Grahame-Baker-Smith/dp/1848... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/FArTHER-Grahame-Baker-Smith/dp/1848771339) (Sadly this book uses a stupid font. Other than that it's lovely.)\nPirate Diary: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pirate-Diary-Journal-Jake-Carpenter... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pirate-Diary-Journal-Jake-Carpenter/dp/0744594308)\nI get these from the CILIP Kate Greenaway award. Once you know the name of the writer, or illustrator, or even publisher, you can usually find more good books. http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/greenaway.php\nCILIP is a UK librarian organisation.  The US equivalent award is probably something like the Caldecott Medal: http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/caldecottmeda... (http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/caldecottmedal/caldecottmedal)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Black dog:",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Levi Pinfold"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "black-earth-74fed9",
      "title": "Black Earth",
      "author": "Timothy Snyder",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804093,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:12:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804093",
          "commentText": "Writing a Go Interpreter\nWriting a Go Compiler\nNo One Cares about Crazy People\nI Heard You Paint Houses\nUNIX: A History and a Memoir\nRed Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine\nHow Asia Works\nThe Dream Machine\nBlack Earth\nThe Fabric of Reality\nBehave (tried twice, maybe third times a charm?)\nA Short History of Nearly Everything\nStiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers\nGenius: The Life and Science Richard Feynman\nSuper Thinking\nMan's Search for Meaning\nThe Cooking Gene\nThe Vital Question: Why is Life The Way it Is (re-read)\nThe Case Against Sugar\nThe 15 Decisive Battles of the World\nThe History of the Peloponnesian War\nThe Beginning of Infinity\nThe Book of Why",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Black Earth",
          "reason": "Listed in the commenter's planned reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Timothy Snyder"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "holocaust",
        "nazi germany"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "black-edge-inside-information-dirty-money-and-the-quest-to-bring--2e8e4d",
      "title": "Black Edge: Inside Information, Dirty Money, and the Quest to Bring Down the Most Wanted Man on Wall Street",
      "author": "Sheelah Kolhatkar",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18744608,
          "author": "wp381640",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T05:30:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744608",
          "commentText": "released this year and great reads:\n* Bad Blood - mentioned tons of times\n* Billion Dollar Whale - story of the 1MDB scandal\n* Black Edge - chronicles insider trading on wall street\n* The Billionaire Raj - about India's income inequality and ruling oligarchy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Black Edge - chronicles insider trading on wall street",
          "reason": "Includes the book in a list of recent releases answering a favorite nonfiction books question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sheelah Kolhatkar"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "insider trading",
        "wall street"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "black-hat-go-fe5a8c",
      "title": "Black Hat Go",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22300304,
          "author": "ifoundthetao",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-11T17:24:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22300304",
          "commentText": "Black Hat Go -- Excellent book!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Black Hat Go -- Excellent book!",
          "reason": "Explicitly praises the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "go programming",
        "penetration testing",
        "security"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "black-hawk-down-439ac1",
      "title": "Black Hawk Down",
      "author": "Mark Bowden",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268905,
          "author": "massung",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:14:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268905",
          "commentText": "My reads this read, which I enjoyed:\n- Dead Mountain by Donnie Eichar (an examination of the Dyatlov Expedition).\n- Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (fantasy).\n- Be Useful by Arnold Schwarzenegger.\n- Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden.\nHopefully the other responses here give me something good to read for Christmas break. :-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden.",
          "reason": "Lists it among books they enjoyed this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665467,
          "author": "JabavuAdams",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:55:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665467",
          "commentText": "= Finished =\n* Homo Deus, Yuval Noah Harari\n* Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt\n* The Quants\n* All About ADHD: A Family Resource for Helping Your Child Succeed With ADHD\n* Still Procrastinating? The No Regrets Guide To Getting It Done\n* Why Does He Do That? Inside The Minds of Angry And Controlling Men\n* Killing Pablo\n* Blackhawk Down (re-read)\n* Revelation Space. Banks. (re-read)\n= Finished Chapters Required For A Course =\n* Essential University Physics, Volume 1. Wolfson.\n* Linear Algebra, A First Course. Kutler.\n* A Concise Introduction to Linear Algebra. Schay.\n* Biology I: Cells, Molecular Biology, and Genetics. Custom Text (York University, BIOL 1000).\n* Chemistry, A Molecular Approach. Tro et. al.\n= In Progress =\n* 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, Yuval Noah Harari\n* Time Reborn: From the Crisis In Physics to the Future of the Universe. Smolin.\n* Freemium Mobile Games: Design & Monetization",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "* Blackhawk Down (re-read)",
          "reason": "Listed as reread; no evaluation or recommendation is expressed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Bowden"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military history",
        "battle of mogadishu",
        "somalia"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "black-holes-time-warps-einstein-s-outrageous-legacy-edd96b",
      "title": "Black Holes & Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy",
      "author": "Kip Thorne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41175693,
          "author": "dcminter",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:41:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175693",
          "commentText": "\"Best\" is always too hard - here are a handful that I love.\nPride & Prejudice - Jane Austen\nJonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - Susannah Clarke\nThe Crow Road - Iain Banks\nEqual Rites - Terry Pratchett\nThree Men in a Boat - Jerome K. Jerome\nA Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson\nBlack Holes & Time Warps - Kip Thorne\nThe Inventions of Daedalus - David E H Jones\nThe Cuckoo's Egg - Cliff Stoll\nI hope one or two of those float your boat!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Black Holes & Time Warps - Kip Thorne",
          "reason": "Offers it as one of a handful of books the commenter loves in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says choosing the “best” is too hard.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kip Thorne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "black holes",
        "relativity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "black-holes-and-time-warps-einstein-s-outrageous-legacy-7a42bd",
      "title": "Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy",
      "author": "Kip S. Thorne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17936661,
          "author": "atlas1428",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T18:44:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17936661",
          "commentText": "- The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins\n- Godel Escher Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\n- Language, Truth, and Logic by A. J. Ayer\n- Thinking in Systems: A Primer by Donella Meadows\nBooks that serve as investment philosophy guides for those who've developed a habit of saving money but are looking for the \"next step\" in building more wealth. From the mind of one of the greatest investors of all time:\n- The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham (get the annotated version with an epilogue written by Warren Buffett!)\n- The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America\nA book that discusses what matters most in your life from a resource-allocation, measurable results standpoint (family, etc.):\n- How Will You Measure Your Life by Clayton Christensen\nA book I read 10 years ago that forever changed the way I manage productivity and organization both at work and in my personal life:\n- Getting Things Done by David Allen\nBooks that show that our universe is just as crazy, if not crazier, than science fiction:\n- Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy\n- Quantum Chance: Nonlocality, Teleportation and Other Quantum Marvels\n- ..and so on with intersecting topics!\nNot to mention, I love trying to have as deep an understanding as I can by reading highly technical textbooks on cosmology, gravitation, and quantum physics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy",
          "reason": "Listed among books showing how strange the universe is.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kip S. Thorne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "black holes",
        "cosmology",
        "relativity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "black-oceans-84631e",
      "title": "Black Oceans",
      "author": "Jacek Dukaj",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15445576,
          "author": "test-accout-0",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-10T21:44:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15445576",
          "commentText": "Jacek Dukaj - Black Oceans",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jacek Dukaj - Black Oceans",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jacek Dukaj"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "black-rednecks-and-white-liberals-50df12",
      "title": "Black Rednecks and White Liberals",
      "author": "Thomas Sowell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32796510,
          "author": "giardini",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-11T03:13:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32796510",
          "commentText": "This fits well with Thomas Sowell's book Black Rednecks and White Liberals\nhttps://www.amazon.com/s?k=black+rednecks+and+white+liberals\nwhich discusses how cultural elements and attitudes were transferred from Scotts-Irish southerners to slaves.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This fits well with Thomas Sowell's book Black Rednecks and White Liberals",
          "reason": "Discusses cultural elements and attitudes transferred from Scots-Irish southerners to enslaved people.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Sowell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american cultural history",
        "race relations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "black-scholes-and-beyond-4bc62d",
      "title": "Black-Scholes and Beyond",
      "author": "Neil A. Chriss",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Black-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neil A. Chriss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "options pricing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bleak-house-556731",
      "title": "Bleak House",
      "author": "Charles Dickens",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42275555,
          "author": "_hdki",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T17:46:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42275555",
          "commentText": "A few of this year's highlights for me and my notes on the books, where available.\nFiction -\nNotes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/2ab29d16-0cb1-4ef8-8cde... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/2ab29d16-0cb1-4ef8-8cde-8c9d90db0daf)\nPride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/65214629-29ac-45a6-b474... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/65214629-29ac-45a6-b474-b9fad1285564)\nBleak House by Charles Dickens\nThe Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/bd090cb4-bc9a-41cb-9833... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/bd090cb4-bc9a-41cb-9833-f60834ccd28c)\nNonfiction -\nThe House of Government by Yuri Slezkine (my luckiest find of the year)\nStalin: The Court of The Red Tsar by Simon Sebag Montefiore - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/13ebec0d-0859-4858-864a... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/13ebec0d-0859-4858-864a-8c28bacfed8f)\nVienna by Richard Cockett - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/c0e1d1fb-dea7-456b-a95e... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/c0e1d1fb-dea7-456b-a95e-fcccdd63814a)\nThe House That Madigan Built by Ray Long (an interesting history of a legendary figure in Illinois state politics)\nSay Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bleak House by Charles Dickens",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s highlights of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Dickens"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "social novel",
        "victorian england"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "blender-3d-noob-to-pro-928a33",
      "title": "Blender 3D: Noob to Pro",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14654594,
          "author": "auggierose",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-28T14:49:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 14652936,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on modern computer graphics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14654594",
          "commentText": "I am picking up on computer graphics again now, too, after dabbling a bit in it well over 18 years ago (and for a small iOS game 8 years ago). I am restricting myself to Apples platform currently, this might not be what you want, but maybe others prefer it. They have great SceneKit WWDC videos dating back all the way to 2012. I recommend watching them from 2012 to 2017 in historical order. Also I am learning Blender, a free 3D authoring tool. I can recommend the free wiki book at\nhttps://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Blender_3D:_Noob_to_Pro .",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can recommend the free wiki book at\nhttps://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Blender_3D:_Noob_to_Pro",
          "reason": "Recommended as a free resource for learning Blender.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "3d modeling",
        "blender"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "blind-man-s-bluff-ea9678",
      "title": "Blind Man's Bluff",
      "author": "Sherry Sontag and Christopher Drew",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1725071,
          "author": "invalidOrTaken",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-24T19:38:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1725071",
          "commentText": "My Side of the Mountain---about a kid running away and actually living off the land.\nBook of Virtues---don't give him this, just have it around in your house to read when bored.  Gambling scandals notwithstanding, it's full of good stuff.\nBlind Man's Bluff---for a kid a bit older, but it's about submarine history in the Cold War.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blind Man's Bluff---for a kid a bit older, but it's about submarine history in the Cold War.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a history book for an older child.",
          "audience": "An older child.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sherry Sontag and Christopher Drew"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cold war",
        "submarine history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "blind-man-s-bluff-the-untold-story-of-american-submarine-espionag-c31c29",
      "title": "Blind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage",
      "author": "Sherry Sontag, Christopher Drew, and Annette Lawrence Drew",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 457944,
          "author": "uuilly",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-30T10:15:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=457944",
          "commentText": "I've been waiting years for someone to ask this question :)\nWishlited this last night on amazon:\nCarnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise to Western Power by Victor Davis Hanson\nHave read these and enjoyed these:\nGeneral Warfare theory:\nHistory of Warfare by Keegan\nIntel:\nIntelligence and War by Keegan\nCounterinsurgency:\n\"Ghost Wars\" by Steve Coll.  For a really enjoyable experience read \"The Great Game\"  by Hopkirk first.\nThe Civil War deserves it's own category. Watch the PBS dvds, actually buy them.  If you're hungry for more dig into \"The Civil War\" by Shelby Foote is hefty but it's satisfying.\n1776 is a classic.\n\"Blind mans bluff\" is a great book about submarine warfare.\nFor more current stuff Robert Kagan is probably the most informed pundit on war and military strategy.\nWW-II\n\"The Last Lion\" books 1 and 2 are about Churchill and they involve lots of military strategy.  You should also check out \"The gathering storm + the other six books Churchill wrote on WWII.\nMan I could go on forever.  I have \"Panzer General\" and \"Caesar's Conquest of Gaul\" on my nightstand...\nEnjoy...\nPS:  Once you're well versed you'll hear people referring to Clauswitz a lot.  When you're sick of hearing his name and you want more than the wikipedia entry go read \"On War.\"  Art of War goes w/o saying as well...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Blind mans bluff\" is a great book about submarine warfare.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great book about submarine warfare.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sherry Sontag, Christopher Drew, and Annette Lawrence Drew"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military intelligence",
        "submarine warfare"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "blind-willow-sleeping-woman-7bea90",
      "title": "Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman",
      "author": "Haruki Murakami",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467732,
          "author": "jackschultz",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:55:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467732",
          "commentText": "These threads are posted a lot, but I still like reading the comments for new book recommendations if I see a match. Also, hopefully this can show people how great fiction is. I've seen comments that shun people for liking fiction compared to non.\nFor me:\nLonesome Dove\n100 Years of Solitude\nCatch-22\nThe Sellout (very relevant again)\nEast of Eden\nKafka on the Shore (and all the stories in Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Haruki Murakami"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "magical realism",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bliss-b584c9",
      "title": "Bliss",
      "author": "Peter Carey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45287853,
          "author": "defrost",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-18T10:20:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 45283087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45287853",
          "commentText": "Rereading Bliss by Peter Carey after opening a 45 year old box o' books from a back shelf in the shed.\nIt's a red pill fable for marketing directors (and other threads are pulled).\nLater adapted for film, it saw 400 viewers walk out on it when screened at Cannes... most likely when the fish hit the floor. - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifR7tsVT_-Y",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rereading Bliss by Peter Carey",
          "reason": "Describes it as a fable for marketing directors and mentions its film adaptation.",
          "audience": "Marketing directors",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Carey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marketing",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "blood-song-7ac0cf",
      "title": "Blood Song",
      "author": "Anthony Ryan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8109779,
          "author": "squeee",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T17:40:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109779",
          "commentText": "Just finished Tower Lord, it's the sequel to Blood Song, by Anthony Ryan.  Blood Song stands pretty strong all on its own, I'm not even sure if he ever planned for this to become a series.  But book two (Tower Lord) makes it quite clear that this is now a Game of Thrones esq series.\nJust started Old Mans War last night, haven't gotten far enough into it to form an opinion.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Blood Song stands pretty strong all on its own",
          "reason": "The commenter says it stands strong as a standalone book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the sequel turns the story into a series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anthony Ryan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "blood-work-a-tale-of-medicine-and-murder-in-the-scientific-revolu-c4babc",
      "title": "Blood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution",
      "author": "Holly Tucker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Holly Tucker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "medicine",
        "scientific revolution"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "blood-bones-butter-the-inadvertent-education-of-a-reluctant-chef-75a03a",
      "title": "Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef",
      "author": "Gabrielle Hamilton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20982702,
          "author": "xtiansimon",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T10:34:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20982702",
          "commentText": "Hamilton, Gabrielle. “Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef.” (2011).\nThis is a chef’s journey in the same general category of Anthony Bourdain’s “Kitchen Confidential” (2000) or Bill Buford’s “Heat” (2007).\nBefore I had my current fabulous career, I was an out of work marketing / web designer and needed to make money. The latter two books were my ‘mentors’ for dealing with working in professional kitchens without any experience.\nI recommend all three for their insights into the world of professional chefs and food hospitality. And, of course, they all make you hungry. Haha",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend all three for their insights into the world of professional chefs and food hospitality.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it for insights into professional chefs and food hospitality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gabrielle Hamilton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chef memoir",
        "restaurant kitchens"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "blood-sweat-chrome-the-wild-and-true-story-of-mad-max-fury-road-4b840e",
      "title": "Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road",
      "author": "Kyle Buchanan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33382606,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T10:05:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382606",
          "commentText": "Top 2 so far:\n   * Washington: A life by Ron Chernow\n   * The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won by Victor Davis Hanson\n\nThe Washington book is a very detailed by clear overview of his life. Easy to follow (even for complex situations) and very week written.\nThe WW2 book is amazing. Compares the countries fighting in around 20 different areas (technology, leadership, geography, aircraft) and says who is better and why.\nAlso very good:\n   * FDR by Jean Edward Smith\n   * Master of the Senate by Robert A. Caro\n   * The Penguin History of New Zealand by Michael King\n   * The years of Lyndon Johnson 2 – Means of Ascent by Robert Caro\n   * Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road by Kyle Buchanan\n   * Becoming Trader Joe: How I Did Business My Way and Still Beat the Big Guys by Joe Coulombe\n   * How Innovation Works: And Why It Flourishes in Freedom by Matt Ridley\n   * Yeager: An Autobiography by Chuck Yeager\n   * The years of Lyndon Johnson: The Path to Power by Robert Caro\n   * The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson\n   * Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson\n   * An Economist walks into a Brothel: And Other Unexpected Places to Understand Risk by Allison Schrager\n   * The Devil’s Candy: The Bonfire of the Vanities Goes to Hollywood by Julie Salamon\n   * Sam Walton: Made in America by Sam Walton",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road by Kyle Buchanan",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kyle Buchanan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "film production",
        "mad max fury road"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bloodlands-europe-between-hitler-and-stalin-62dc66",
      "title": "Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin",
      "author": "Timothy Snyder",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26593638,
          "author": "Arrath",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-26T15:59:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26593638",
          "commentText": "Typically both, with a bias towards fiction.\nI need to read some sword n' spells stuff to cleanse my palate after harrowing history books like Bloodlands[1]\n[1]https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6572270-bloodlands",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "after harrowing history books like Bloodlands",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as harrowing and seeks fantasy reading afterward to cleanse their palate.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as harrowing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Timothy Snyder"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "eastern europe",
        "nazi germany",
        "stalinism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bloom-ea4242",
      "title": "Bloom",
      "author": "Wil McCarthy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36020942,
          "author": "dcminter",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:00:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36020942",
          "commentText": "Fair warning, I only liked the first part of Seveneves; I thought the second part was stupid. You'll get a lot of recommendations for Liu Cixin's \"Three Body Problem\" which I personally hate (though the first part of the first book is very well written), but if you like all of Seveneves then it might suit you.\nMy personal favourites that might not already be on everyone else's lists:\nFiasco - Stanisław Lem\nThis is how you lose the time war - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone\nFeersum Endjinn - Iain Banks\nThe Dark Side of the Sun - Terry Pratchett (yes, that one)\nBlindsight - Peter Watts\nBloom - Wil McCarthy\nGood luck!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bloom - Wil McCarthy",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's personal favorites in response to a request for science fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Wil McCarthy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nanotechnology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bloom-county-babylon-eca67d",
      "title": "Bloom County Babylon",
      "author": "Berkeley Breathed",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 86220,
          "author": "diversityhire",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:14:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86220",
          "commentText": "Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's Flow: the Psychology of Optimal Experience\nWilliam Faulkner's As I Lay Dying &amp; The Sound and the Fury\nJulian Jaynes' The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind\nPeter Medawar's The Art of the Soluable\nDesigned by Peter Saville\nNietzsche's Twilight of the Idols\nBloom County Babylon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bloom County Babylon",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the thread’s question about favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Berkeley Breathed"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic strips",
        "humor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "blue-ant-364f23",
      "title": "Blue Ant",
      "author": "William Gibson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17537852,
          "author": "rektide",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T00:15:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537852",
          "commentText": "Central Station by Lavie Tidhar is an amazing charming story of a world deeply steeped old sitting baking world where new things are coming about. It is charm & delight in the purest & simplest.\nSpin by Robert Charles Wilson. \"Robert Charles Wilson is a hell of a storyteller,\" said Stephen King and this wonderful tour through time and space, humanity & people's lives is incredible.\nThe Quantum Thief series by Hannu Rajaniemi is open, scenic, wild, & so so vivid, one of the most beautiful worlds I've ever visited, & it reminds me so much of a joyous wild swashbuckling run. The mystery of the main character is enchanting.\nInfoquake series by David Louis Edelson is a gripping suspenseful rise of a star entrepreneur that redefines and radically expands the world, amid an already boisterous & full & busy beautiful world already overflowing in seamless technology everywhere. Although the plot line whips along with some suspense & tension, the scenery and the voyage is incredible.\nLathe of Heaven by Ursala Le Guin could quite easily, quite simply be the best first contact story story ever. Touching, and sincere, & simple. This world is not bright and shiny but her writing and the bonding of characters is incredible. See also the rest of the Hainish cycle.\nLeft Hand of Darkness also by Ursala Le Guin is a shifting chaotic shizmatic tale, about picking our fates. \"Well, I did it through dreams. Phil would have done it another way. But yeah, homage to Phil [K.] Dick is right.\"\n- https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/a... (https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/all/)\nFallen Dragon is an early & involved Peter Hamilton adventure book. There's leaving home, & space ships, more space ships, bad guys, fighting back the bad guys, bigger ships, and action. There is A LOT going on, all the time, & violence, but damn this book comes together into something incredible, & telling, & powerful & strong, something that easily makes it my top pick for most-underappreciated Peter Hamilton.\nDiamond Age by Neal Stephenson, which I'm providing largely as a counterweight to the Snowcrash & Sevenses recommendations here. Diamond Age is much less dark, and way more a fun tail about an incredible & mysterious primer for a young lady.\nSirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut.\nAll Systems Red series by Martha Wells is a underprivileged barely coping robot dealing with the humans she hates having to talk to & a shitty planet trying to kill them. Simple, fun, some action & violence, but the main character is a total hoot the whole time with more loner/zero/drop-out attitude & spunk than anything I've read & it's unbelievably charming.\nLords of Light by Roger Zelazny has more style, pizzaz, & spirit than I feel like any of us deserve. An interesting, storied tale from the post-singularity, with a remarkable & robust cast.\nIllium/Olympos by Dan Simmons, are, in my mind still the clear winner, far above Hyperion. The cast is charming beyond belief, stumbling through a world they both know all too much about & far far too little. Some really incredible worldbuilding here.\nRainbow's End by Vernor Vinge. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE A Fire Upon the Deep. But Rainbow's End really is our planet, sometime not far out, and Vinge has the most tour of this next place we're headed, with threads, and annotations, and group chat being the defining new technologies of humanity. And the tale of the misfit happenstance adventurers who wind up ensnared in the plot line is a fun, roving hoot of a journey, a wonderful second chance at a coming of age story.\nMedusa Chronicles by two of my favorites, Alastair Reynolds & Stephen Baxter is probably my favorite exploring the solar system book, about a guy/robot a bit apart from humanity that really wants to see what the local area has to offer. A lot of high tension conflicting societal impulses that our somewhat aloof lead stumbles through, on his personal mission of exploration. Lots of interesting robot philosophy & very varied elements of space come together with the characters to make an incredibly fun space epic, set in a delightful & intriguing alternative history\nOther's recommendations I'd +1: Dune (but super heady material), The Stars My Destination (brimming with class & substance), Mote in God's Eye (some of the best Space Colonial Marines style stuff out there), Accelerando (and Iron Sky and ... overflowing playful scifi), Blue Ant series (dripping with style), Foundation series (and much more Asimov!), Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy (simple direct exciting hunt for treasure in Star Wars), Fuzzy Nation (fun tale)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blue Ant series (dripping with style)",
          "reason": "Praises the series' style.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Gibson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "near future",
        "technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "blue-highways-2887e7",
      "title": "Blue Highways",
      "author": "William Least Heat-Moon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17337199,
          "author": "ljw1001",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T10:54:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337199",
          "commentText": "Travels with Charlie, Blue Highways, The Little Prince.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blue Highways",
          "reason": "Listed as a comfort book in response to the thread question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Least Heat-Moon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "travel writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "blue-mars-9abe19",
      "title": "Blue Mars",
      "author": "Kim Stanley Robinson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6387960,
          "author": "veidr",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T02:51:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387960",
          "commentText": "The trilogy of Neuromancer, Burning Chrome, and Mona Lisa Overdrive is still my favorite work of fiction, and also, to my mind, exemplifies the kind of taut, awesome writing that I would want to do if I wrote novels. It the only series of 3 books I have read more than once.\nI caught these books at just the right time in my life (age 13 or 14), leading my high-school fascination with Japan and rekindled interest in computing, and probably played an inordinately large role in me ending up as a programmer who lives in Tokyo, two decades later.\nI like great sci fi best, but I think most of it is crap, including virtually all of the old pulp sci fi and Asimov I grew up reading (which was basically all of it), Star Wars/Trek, etc.\nOther than Gibson's stuff, some of the truly spectacular sci fi I have read is the very-dense-and-not-at-all-thriller-ish Mars trilogy (Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars), and the fast-paced-and-awesome Spin by Robert Charles Wilson. That led me to read all of Wilson's books, many of which are also good. Also Haldeman is an author worth reading, though not all of his books hit their mark.\nGreat sci fi is my favorite fiction, but IMO most of it is broken by being fundamentally implausible. Other fiction I consider great in other genres include Memoirs of a Geisha, Cold Mountain, REAMDE, The Son, The Road, the lighter but still version of that post-apocalyptic concept The Dog Stars, City of Thieves, and All the Pretty Horses and its sequels.\nIt's probably symptomatic of a major flaw in my character that despite also buying dozens of nonfiction works (Lincoln, On China, and so forth) over the past few years, I haven't finished any of them.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Mars trilogy (Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 141827,
          "author": "mkanemoto",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-20T18:43:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=141827",
          "commentText": "Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson, followed by Blue Mars and Green Mars. These to me are the only ones not mentioned already and are set in an inspiring way that celebrates humanity. Also the Rama Series by Clarke and Lee starting with the second in the series \"Rama II\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "followed by Blue Mars and Green Mars. These to me are the only ones not mentioned already and are set in an inspiring way that celebrates humanity.",
          "reason": "Praises the Mars books for their inspiring portrayal of humanity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kim Stanley Robinson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "terraforming",
        "colonization of mars",
        "mars colonization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "blue-nights-c0c27f",
      "title": "Blue Nights",
      "author": "Joan Didion",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41176615,
          "author": "dyauspitr",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T23:29:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41176615",
          "commentText": "I couldn’t relate to a single line in that book even though I’m a father to two daughters. Very directed towards women.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I couldn’t relate to a single line in that book even though I’m a father to two daughters. Very directed towards women.",
          "reason": "Says they could not relate to it and found it directed toward women.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter found it very directed towards women.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41176328,
          "author": "supertofu",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T22:54:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41176328",
          "commentText": "Blue Nights by Joan Didion, in which she grieves the death of her forty-something daughter, just a few years after her abusive husband died suddenly from a heart attack.\nThe contrast between her gorgeous but also coldly precise writing, the grieving mother vs the lauded writer, the tension of watching her muse (very delicately, very distantly) on the nature of being an adoptive mother and wondering as a reader: what sort of wounds did Joan Didion pass on to her daughter and what wounds did her daughter inherit from her biological family, the contrast between the vibrant streets of New York and the cold hospital where her daughter was dying in a coma, knowing as a reader that this writer had just gone through the grief of losing her husband a few years earlier...\nIt was haunting, beautiful, and, naturally, a little voyeuristic by its very nature. I still think about it to this day.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It was haunting, beautiful, and, naturally, a little voyeuristic by its very nature.",
          "reason": "Describes the book as haunting and beautiful while acknowledging a voyeuristic quality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the reading experience felt a little voyeuristic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joan Didion"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Society",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "motherhood",
        "grief",
        "grief memoir",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "blue-ocean-strategy-0506b5",
      "title": "Blue Ocean Strategy",
      "author": "W. Chan Kim, Renée Mauborgne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15159707,
          "author": "edpichler",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T04:31:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15159707",
          "commentText": "- The Lean Startup, by Eric Rives\n- The Long Tail, by Chris Anderson\n- The Blue Ocean Strategy, by W. Chan Kim\n- On the shortness of life, by Seneca\n- 1984, by George Orwell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Blue Ocean Strategy, by W. Chan Kim",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. Chan Kim, Renée Mauborgne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "competitive strategy",
        "market creation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "blue-remembered-earth-a7f52b",
      "title": "Blue Remembered Earth",
      "author": "Alastair Reynolds",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783529,
          "author": "Symmetry",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:46:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783529",
          "commentText": "Here are the ones I'd be willing to recommend, in reverse chronological order of when I read them.  I read 59 total.  Listen to books on tape while working out has maybe doubled my reading rate.\nGenghis Khan: His Conquests, His Empire, His Legacy - Great book on how the Mongol Empire came to be, who Genghis was, and it put the whole thing in perspective for me in a useful way.\nThe Knowledge: How to Rebuild Our World from Scratch - What it says on the tin.  Actually a good overview how some important technologies interrelate.\nSuperforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction - How to be wrong less often.  Based on the Good Judgement Project results.\nThe Three-Body Problem - Decent enough science fiction but extra interesting because it's science fiction from a different culture.\nIgnition!: An informal history of liquid rocket propellants - A history of things that go boom.  Engaging writing and I learned things about chemistry.\nThe Traitor Baru Cormorant - I'm nominating this for a Hugo.  It tells you it's going to stab you in the gut but when it does you don't see it coming.  Plus high quality scheming and speculation on economics, society, and empire.\nThe Sorcerer of the Wildeeps - Excellent use of voice and an overall good book.\nBloom - Made my skin crawl in places and also was good at making you feel a radical change in perspective.\nSeeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed - An interesting perspective on certain aspects of government.  A bit too negative for the topic, the factors outlined are also why commercial economies were able to develop more centralized economies than agrarian ones in the early modern era.\nPolitical Order and Political Decay: From the Industrial Revolution to the Globalization of Democracy - Quite good book on bureaucracy though not as excellent as the previous book on the origins of states.\nLast First Snow - It's always great to read books about the struggles between people with sympathetic motivations.\nThe Unwelcome Warlock - The latest in a series of fantasy books where people use magic in creative and sensible ways.\nAsteroid Mining 101: Wealth for the New Space Economy -Mostly about all the different sorts of asteroids.\nSeveneves - Neal Stephenson's latest.  If you like his books read it but maybe skip the last 1/3 after the timeskip.\nElon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future - Wow he did a lot of cool stuff.\nStories of Your Life and Others - Brilliant and poetic short stories.\nDarwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life - Some interesting perspective on materialism.\nPower, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life - Best science book I've read in a while!  Shows why mitochondria matter, the fundamental limits of prochariotic life, and several important ways mitochondria influence again and evolution.\nBlue Remembered Earth - Awesome near futureish book that does well at imagining a future that isn't just a linear extrapolation but is still believable.\nA Key, an Egg, an Unfortunate Remark - Not enough pacifist badass grandmothers in urban fantasy.\nQuantum Computing since Democritus - I understand QM much better now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Blue Remembered Earth - Awesome near futureish book that does well at imagining a future that isn't just a linear extrapolation but is still believable.",
          "reason": "Calls it awesome and praises its believable, non-linear vision of the future.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alastair Reynolds"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "african setting",
        "near future"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "body-language-9a837e",
      "title": "Body Language",
      "author": "Julius Fast",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 57169,
          "author": "Jd",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-20T02:02:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=57169",
          "commentText": "All excellent suggestions.  Altho I am unfamiliar w/ Body Language I will check it out.  Just working through the Carnegie book now.\nAlso, I believe Code Complete is by Steve McConnnell.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I am unfamiliar w/ Body Language I will check it out.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 56709,
          "author": "ericb",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T04:32:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56709",
          "commentText": "How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.  It is arguably the most useful book I've ever read, albeit with the most embarassing title.\nAs inklesspen mentioned, Elements of Style is a must.\nCode Complete and the Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks.  Timeless coding wisdom.\nFor a laugh, Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, or Hitchhiker's Guide.  \nBody Language, Julius Fast. Kitschy but fascinating insights into body language.\nFabric of the Cosmos, Brian Greene.  Brian is a fluke of nature--a physicist who can explain things realy well!\nAnything by Phillip K. Dick.  Sci-fi stories that make you think.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Kitschy but fascinating insights into body language.",
          "reason": "Describes its insights as fascinating.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in body language.",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it kitschy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Julius Fast"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "body language",
        "nonverbal communication"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bogle-on-mutual-funds-2026e1",
      "title": "Bogle on Mutual Funds",
      "author": "John C. Bogle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 248489,
          "author": "tstegart",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T14:16:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248489",
          "commentText": "For savings, I use FNBO. They have an online presence (FNBO Direct), where everything is done online. https://www.fnbodirect.com\nThe nice part is, they adjust your interest rate as it goes up and down. So when it goes up, you don't need to look around for another bank, they automatically raise it for you. Not all banks are so kind.\nFor books, try Bogle on Mutual Funds. In the end its a let down excitement wise, because his main advice is basically \"put it in an index fund and let it sit for 40 years.\" He makes a good case that you'll do better than most people this way. Of course, most people don't do this because they want the excitement of trading, watching stocks, etc.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "For books, try Bogle on Mutual Funds.",
          "reason": "Suggested to the student asking for books about investing.",
          "audience": "A reader interested in investing.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is a letdown excitement-wise; its main advice is to use an index fund and leave it invested.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John C. Bogle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "index investing",
        "mutual funds"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bold-how-to-go-big-create-wealth-and-impact-the-world-8c76c4",
      "title": "Bold: How to Go Big, Create Wealth and Impact the World",
      "author": "Peter H. Diamandis, Steven Kotler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15159229,
          "author": "johnsimer",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T01:39:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15159229",
          "commentText": "Innovator's dilemma & Innovator's solution- why big companies almost always get beaten by startups and how to overcome this\n10x Rule by Grant Cardone - you must take 10x more action than you think to get success\nAwaken the Giant Within - you can motivate yourself to do anything via the \"Pain Pleasure Principle\"\nBold: How to go big, make wealth, and change the world - some strategies from Musk, Bezos, Diamandis/Singularity U\nThe Art of Profitability - Coca-cola from a 2-Liter costs $.02/oz , Coca-cola from a restaurant costs $.20/oz\nmy full list here: https://goo.gl/9SD8b6",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bold: How to go big, make wealth, and change the world",
          "reason": "Lists strategies associated with Musk, Bezos, Diamandis, and Singularity University.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter H. Diamandis, Steven Kotler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "exponential organizations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bolo-bolo-ae909e",
      "title": "Bolo'bolo",
      "author": "P. M.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10534162,
          "author": "schlagetown",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T17:01:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10534162",
          "commentText": "Watchmen (Alan Moore)\nOrigins of Form (Christopher Williams)\nStarship & The Canoe (Kenneth Brower)\nThe Size of Lumber (Nicholson Baker)\nZen Mind, Beginner's Mind (Shunryu Suzuki)\nDeschooling Society (Ivan Illich)\nMoby Dick (Herman Melville)\nBolo'Bolo (P.M.)\nLe Ton beau de Marot (Douglas Hofstadter)\nGaia: A New Look at Life on Earth (James Lovelock)\nMouse or Rat: Translation as Negotiation (Umberto Eco)\nNeuromancer (William Gibson)\nThe Intelligent Investor (Benjamin Graham)\nDon Quixote (Miguel Cervantes)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bolo'Bolo (P.M.)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about the best books read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Author is given only by initials.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "P. M."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "anarchism",
        "utopian thought"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bomber-command-024239",
      "title": "Bomber Command",
      "author": "Max Hastings",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910437,
          "author": "DanBC",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:46:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910437",
          "commentText": "Bomber Command by Max Hastings. This book explained the change in Allies attitudes around bombing during WWII from \"only barbarians bomb civillians\" to the mass fire bombing of heavily populated cities. It was also eye-opening to read about the massive death rate in bomber command. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bomber-Command-Pan-Military-Classic... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bomber-Command-Pan-Military-Classics/dp/0330513613/)\nThe Art of Electronics, and especially the student manual that accompanies it. I read these a long time ago, and at the time it was a pretty good introductionto electronics, especially if you bought some cheap second hand test equipment and had a few breadboards and components to do the lab work. I'm not sure if it's aged well. There are a bunch of people on HN who still do electronic work who could recommend better newer books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book explained the change in Allies attitudes around bombing during WWII",
          "reason": "The commenter says it explained changing Allied attitudes toward bombing and describes its account of bomber deaths as eye-opening.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes the subject matter as involving mass firebombing and a massive death rate.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Max Hastings"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "strategic bombing",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bonds-that-make-us-free-9a4263",
      "title": "Bonds That Make Us Free",
      "author": "Terry Warner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17050444,
          "author": "pc2g4d",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T20:06:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17050444",
          "commentText": "As a person who's gone through something comparable in recent years, I will first recommend that you seek out a community of people undergoing a similar shift in worldview. There may be podcasts, forums, blogs, etc. where people who previously held your same worldview are processing their transition after finding \"that a lot of the things that [they] used to believe were false\". For me this has been immensely helpful.\nNow some introspective books:\n* The Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson. If you're open to fantasy, this series delves deep into how to respond when one's worldview is shattered. Highly recommended. Elantris also covers some similar territory.\n* The Consolation of Philosophy by Boethius. How do you reconcile the whims of capricious Fortune with your desire for peace in this world?\n* Bonds That Make Us Free by Terry Warner. This book makes you take a brutal look at how you contribute to your own misery in life. It will be agonizing to read, but persevere and I believe you will find it insightful. Try not to be too turned off by the conservative religious viewpoint that occasionally peeks through.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Bonds That Make Us Free by Terry Warner. This book makes you take a brutal look at how you contribute to your own misery in life.",
          "reason": "Recommended for examining how one's own actions contribute to personal misery; the commenter expects it to be insightful.",
          "audience": "Readers willing to examine their role in their own difficulties.",
          "caveat": "It will be agonizing to read; a conservative religious viewpoint occasionally appears.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry Warner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal responsibility",
        "self examination"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bone-99247c",
      "title": "Bone",
      "author": "Jeff Smith",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50041304,
          "author": "watwut",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T09:29:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50041304",
          "commentText": "Hilda comic series, Bone comic series. Also, depending on kids personality comics from Telemaiger.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bone comic series",
          "reason": "Suggested as a comic series for children.",
          "audience": "Children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeff Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s comics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "boo-hoo-a-dot-com-story-from-concept-to-catastrophe-4bb668",
      "title": "Boo Hoo: A Dot.com Story from Concept to Catastrophe",
      "author": "Erin Bell and Brian Holliday",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 191783,
          "author": "PI",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-16T14:12:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=191783",
          "commentText": "If you're talking business books try The Rebel Sell \"How the counter culture became the consumer culture\". and I book I love for it's story telling is Boo Hoo \"$135 million. 18 months... a dot.com story from concept to catastrophe\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I book I love for it's story telling is Boo Hoo \"$135 million. 18 months... a dot.com story from concept to catastrophe\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says they love its storytelling.",
          "audience": "Listeners interested in dot-com business stories.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Erin Bell and Brian Holliday"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dot com bubble",
        "startup failure"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "book-yourself-solid-e7f9c7",
      "title": "Book Yourself Solid",
      "author": "Michael Port",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32197430,
          "author": "HeyLaughingBoy",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T21:39:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197430",
          "commentText": "Book Yourself Solid Started sometime last year, haven't touched it in months.\nWestward Ho been meaning to read it since I was about 10 years old and this spring I remembered I had a 100 year-old copy that's been sitting on a shelf for 20 years so I started it. Again, haven't picked it up in months. Thanks for reminding me.\n\"The Ugly Chickens\" (novella from \"1981 World's best SF\" collection). My 12 year-old still likes it when I read to him at bed time, so we've been reading it for the last two nights. At least this one I know I'll finish soon, or I'll hear about it :-)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Book Yourself Solid Started sometime last year",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not touched it in months.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5402592,
          "author": "toumhi",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-19T18:14:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 5401749,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What interesting books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5402592",
          "commentText": "Book Yourself solid.\nVery interesting if you're a freelancer or building products. I'm 1/3 through the book. Goes a lot into how to create trust and how to adjust your sales and marketing based on the trust you've created.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Book Yourself solid.\nVery interesting if you're a freelancer or building products. I'm 1/3 through the book. Goes a lot into how to create trust and how to adjust your sales and marketing based on the trust you've created.",
          "reason": "Calls it very interesting and describes practical guidance on trust, sales, and marketing.",
          "audience": "Freelancers or people building products.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Port"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marketing",
        "freelancing",
        "sales",
        "small business"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "book-of-isaiah-5aec3a",
      "title": "Book of Isaiah",
      "author": "Isaiah",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1635177,
          "author": "adammichaelc",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-26T05:38:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1635177",
          "commentText": "Business: 7 Habits, 8th Habit, Getting Things Done, 4 Steps to Epiphany, Straight from the Gut\nSpiritual: Book of Mormon, Book of Isaiah, The 4 Gospels in the New Testament\nRelationship: The 5 Love Languages, Men are from Mars Women from Venus\nPhysical: Spark, The Vitamin D Solution",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Spiritual: Book of Mormon, Book of Isaiah, The 4 Gospels in the New Testament",
          "reason": "Included in a list answering the question about books that changed your life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isaiah"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hebrew bible",
        "prophetic literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "book-of-mormon-7f8289",
      "title": "Book of Mormon",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467651,
          "author": "hpoe",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:47:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467651",
          "commentText": "Man's Search  for Meaning - Viktor Frankel, it is his experience of how he managed to survive the concentration camps.\nBook of Mormon\nThe Stormlight Archive series (Way of Kings, Words of Radience, Oathbringer) - Brandon Sanderson, I've heard it compared to the Kingkiller Chronicles in terms of depth, intricacies and overall masterfully executed plot but Sanderson is also one of the best authors at making characters real and captivating that I've ever met.\nMistborn Series (The Final Empire, Well of Ascension, Hero of Ages) by the same author as The Stormlight Archives and for the same reasons.\nThe Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis, even if you aren't religious it has helped me see so much clearly the tactics and obstacles that prevent me from being the person I want to be.\nI've read quite a few more books more often but these are the books that I have reread multiple times because they have changed who I am and helped me recognize that each time I fall I can rise again a better man.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Book of Mormon",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "religious scripture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "book-of-proof-eff5a3",
      "title": "Book of Proof",
      "author": "Richard H. Hammack",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31496932,
          "author": "blindmute",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T20:05:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31496932",
          "commentText": "In order:\n1. Book of Proof\n1a. How to Prove It: A Structured Approach\n2. Elements of Set Theory - Enderton\n2a. Naive Set Theory - Halmos\n3. Foundations of Analysis - Landau\n4. Basic Mathematics - Lang\n5. Principles of Mathematics - Allendoerfer & Oakley\n6. A Transition to Advanced Mathematics\n6a. Concept of Modern Mathematics - Stewart\n7. Calculus - Apostol or Spivak\nDon't skip any",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1. Book of Proof",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard H. Hammack"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "proof writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "book-of-proverbs-d6e329",
      "title": "Book of Proverbs",
      "author": "Traditional, attributed to Solomon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12416371,
          "author": "beginrescueend",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:20:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416371",
          "commentText": "Start with the book of Proverbs, follow its wisdom and advice, if all you're after is career improvements.  Great wisdom.\n(Wisdom about people, situations, attitudes, and actions are all found there).\nBut, move on to John, if you are eager for more.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Start with the book of Proverbs, follow its wisdom and advice, if all you're after is career improvements.",
          "reason": "Recommends Proverbs for wisdom and career improvement.",
          "audience": "Those seeking career improvements.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Traditional, attributed to Solomon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biblical wisdom",
        "proverbs"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "book-of-the-new-sun-1d75b3",
      "title": "Book of the New Sun",
      "author": "Gene Wolfe",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783915,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:06:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783915",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction, best to worst:\nHenry Marsh, Do No Harm. A brilliant memoir by a neurosurgeon about his work, the nature of his profession, successes and mistakes (especially the latter). Frequently touches or verges into the personal. Not morbid, but often sad.\nKeith Johnstone, Impro for Storytellers. \nViola Spolin, Improvisation for the Theater\nTwo very good books about improvisation, although Spolin's is too dry and theory-laden for me (it's meant for teachers more than practitioners). Both, however, pale compared to Keith Johnstone's earlier Impro: Improvisation and the Theater, which is a life-changing book about what improvisation can teach us about spontaneous creativity and relationships between people. I recommend that one first and foremost if you know nothing about improvisation and are curious.\nMartinus J G Veltman, Facts and Mysteries in Elementary Particle Physics. A readable account - necessarily simplified, of course - of the current state of affairs in elementary particles and much of the last 50 years of history, by one of the participants (a Nobel prize winner). Not as organized and methodical as I thought it would be, and half a year later I forgot most of the physical explanations, but it was an interesting read.\nRobert B. Edgerton, Sick Societies. A thorough examination of the hundreds of horrible examples when \"natural\" societies studied by anthropologists have customs that are not only bad from our modern Western point of view, but arguably fail in achieving their own objectives. The whole book exists to counter lazy cultural relativism of the \"maybe we don't like X, but if they do it, it must be for a good reason and it must be a useful adaptation for them\" kind.\nMichael Harris, Mathematics Without Apologies. A very eclectic and idiosyncratic book by a mathematician on the sociology and epistemology of mathematics as a discipline. To be appreciated for its wealth of ideas and references to other interesting books and theories, rather than for any particular argument or thread.\nMilton Rokeach, The Three Christs of Ypsilanti. A story on what happened when a psychologist tried to bring three psychiatric patients, each believing themselves to be Christ, together and to talk it out amongst themselves. Happened in the 1960s. The idea is more interesting than the outcome.\nFiction, best to worst:\nPatrick O'Brian, The Hundred Days. The penultimate book in the series of the best historical novels (the Aubrey-Maturin series) ever written, by a huge margin. The series transcend the genre and I count the Aubrey-Maturin books among the very best books I read in the last decade.\nDodie Smith, I Capture the Castle. A brilliantly written coming-of-age story about a girl growing up in an impoverished family occupying a decaying castle in the English countryside, set in the 1930s. Reminded me in many ways of Rebecca West's The Fountain Overflows, a novel in the similar genre (but with a younger protagonist) that's known much less than it deserves.\nJuan Rulfo, Pedro Paramo. If you read and liked Garcia Marquez's A Hundred Years of Solitude, this one is shorter, darker, involves many more dead people, and you may want to give it a try.\nAlfred Hayes, In Love. A story of a man obsessed by love in a mid-century NYC. Unexpectedly touching, very convincing psychologically.\nIain M. Banks, Against a Dark Background. SF, a grand heist novel set in a advanced civilization living in a star system located unimaginably far away from any other stars and galaxies, and so doomed to a lone struggle with its own long history. A wealth of technological and social ideas you'd expect from Banks. The ending felt a bit forced.\nGene Wolfe, There Are Doors. Gene Wolfe, Nightsite of the Long Sun/Lake of the Long Sun.\nGene Wolfe is the best writer American science fiction produced in the last half-century. \"There are Doors\" is a pretty weird fantasy novel about an alternate world where men die after their first intercourse (as some spiders do in ours), and the hero travels back and forth between that world and ours. It's good, but not as strong as Wolfe's best, which to my taste is the Book of the New Sun tetralogy, the novellas in the Fifth Head of Cerberus collection, and many of his short stories (well-collected in The Best of Gene Wolfe). The other two are the first half of the \"Book of the Long Sun\" series that I'm still reading through.\nUrsula K. Le Guin, The Dispossessed. Superb political SF about an imagined anarchist [anti-]utopia. A serious attempt to describe a human society with no central power structures and no ownership. The hero is a physicist born and raised in that society who escapes to a sibling planet with the more typical modern states. This novel took all the awards in the 1970s when it was published, and deservedly so.\n[cont'd]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "which to my taste is the Book of the New Sun tetralogy",
          "reason": "Names it as Wolfe's best work, in the commenter's view.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gene Wolfe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dying earth",
        "science fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bookkeeping-and-cost-accounting-for-factories-249ee7",
      "title": "Bookkeeping and Cost Accounting for Factories",
      "author": "William Kent",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35219113,
          "author": "tmcdos",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-19T14:14:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35219113",
          "commentText": "I am not an entrepreneur (yet) but I still want to share a few titles with you:\n- \"Maverick or The seven day weekend\" by Ricardo Semler\n- \"Rework\" by Jason Fried and David Hansson\n- \"Startup - an insider's guide to launching and running a business\" by Kevin Ready\n- \"Bookkeeping and Cost Accounting for Factories\" by William Kent (1918)\n- \"Practice what you preach\" by David Maister\n- \"Don't oil the squeaky wheel\" by Wolf Rinke\n- \"Selling The Wheel: Choosing The Best Way To Sell For You Your Company Your Customers\" by Jeff Cox\n- \"The power of stupidity\" by Giancarlo Livraghi\n- \"How to write a good advertisement\" by Victor Schwab\n- \"How to Make Money Out of Thin Air\" by Brian Sher\n- \"Good manners and business etiquette. Illustrated Guide\" by Elena Ber\n- \"Don't just roll the dice: A usefully short guide to software pricing\" by Neil Davidson\n- \"Message to Garcia\" by Elbert Hubbard\n- the TopLeaf course of 36 video lectures on management by dr. Izhak Adizes can be purchased on https://vimeo.com/ondemand/topleaf or found on ru tracker (if you have access)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Bookkeeping and Cost Accounting for Factories\" by William Kent (1918)",
          "reason": "Shares the title among several books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Published in 1918; the commenter says they are not yet an entrepreneur.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Kent"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bookkeeping",
        "cost accounting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "books-by-edward-tufte-3ea92e",
      "title": "Books by Edward Tufte",
      "author": "Edward Tufte",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18669146,
          "author": "sifoobar",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-13T01:17:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 18662992,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on modern UI/UX?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18669146",
          "commentText": "I found The Humane Interface by Jef Raskin illuminating back in the days, if my memory serves most of the content is just as relevant today. Edward Tuftes books also contain plenty of wisdom and examples of good design.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Edward Tuftes books also contain plenty of wisdom and examples of good design.",
          "reason": "Praises Tufte's books for wisdom and examples of good design.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward Tufte"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data visualization",
        "information design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "books-by-james-allen-352158",
      "title": "Books by James Allen",
      "author": "James Allen",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35177741,
          "author": "trinsic2",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-16T03:19:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35177741",
          "commentText": "I found that the biggest barrier to successful entrepreneurship is discipline.\nTherefore I recommend Constructive Living by David K. Renolyds and All the books by James Allen.\nThose books changed the way I thought about the world. IMHO a world view change needs to happen to sustain a business for the long term.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All the books by James Allen",
          "reason": "Recommends the author's books for changing one's worldview.",
          "audience": "People seeking a worldview change to sustain a business long term.",
          "caveat": "No individual titles specified.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Allen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal development",
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "books-by-martin-gardner-03af28",
      "title": "Books by Martin Gardner",
      "author": "Martin Gardner",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1971296,
          "author": "athom",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T09:17:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971296",
          "commentText": "Michael Shermer's Why People Believe Weird Things (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_People_Believe_Weird_Things... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_People_Believe_Weird_Things:_Pseudoscience,_Superstition,_and_Other_Confusions_of_Our_Time))\nOr just about anything by Martin Gardner, along with a note to write him sometime before 2010.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Or just about anything by Martin Gardner",
          "reason": "Recommends virtually any book by Gardner for their younger self.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No specific titles are named.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin Gardner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "recreational mathematics",
        "skepticism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "books-by-p-g-wodehouse-9af3d2",
      "title": "Books by P. G. Wodehouse",
      "author": "P. G. Wodehouse",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17381845,
          "author": "gtycomb",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T16:02:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17381845",
          "commentText": "Books by P. G. Wodehouse. English author, an outstanding humorist.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Books by P. G. Wodehouse. English author, an outstanding humorist.",
          "reason": "Recommends Wodehouse's books and praises his humor.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "P. G. Wodehouse"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "books-by-richard-thaler-54e005",
      "title": "Books by Richard Thaler",
      "author": "Richard Thaler",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17984756,
          "author": "sh87",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-14T04:53:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17984756",
          "commentText": "I'd start with books by Tim Hartford and Richard Thaler and go from there.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and Richard Thaler",
          "reason": "Suggested as a starting point for an economics beginner asking for reading recommendations.",
          "audience": "An economics beginner exploring real-world economics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Thaler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "behavioral economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "books-by-robert-anton-wilson-93b2c6",
      "title": "Books by Robert Anton Wilson",
      "author": "Robert Anton Wilson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27638943,
          "author": "carapace",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T03:52:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27638943",
          "commentText": "\"Book of the Subgenius\" (various authors) but I don't recommend it.  It's not for everyone.\nLearn (self-)hypnosis.  \"TRANCE-formations\" by Bandler and Grinder (and Bandler's other books as well) and \"Monsters and Magical Sticks: There's No Such Thing as Hypnosis?\" by Steven Heller.\nRobert Anton Wilson's books are pretty good too.  Also \"Angel Tech: A Modern Shaman's Guide to Reality Selection\" by Antero Alli.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Robert Anton Wilson's books are pretty good too.",
          "reason": "Says the author's books are pretty good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Anton Wilson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "counterculture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "books-by-tim-harford-fff37d",
      "title": "Books by Tim Harford",
      "author": "Tim Harford",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17984756,
          "author": "sh87",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-14T04:53:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17984756",
          "commentText": "I'd start with books by Tim Hartford and Richard Thaler and go from there.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "books by Tim Hartford",
          "reason": "Suggested as a starting point for an economics beginner asking for reading recommendations.",
          "audience": "An economics beginner exploring real-world economics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tim Harford"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "popular economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "boom-town-the-fantastical-saga-of-oklahoma-city-its-chaotic-found-ef55e2",
      "title": "Boom Town: The Fantastical Saga of Oklahoma City, Its Chaotic Founding, Its Purloined Basketball Team, and the Dream of Becoming a World-Class Metropolis",
      "author": "Sam Anderson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49900322,
          "author": "mattmar96",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-29T20:51:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49900322",
          "commentText": "Boom Town by Sam Anderson. Its an intertwined history of Oklahoma City and its basketball team, the Thunder. I'm about halfway through, and I'm loving it so far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Boom Town by Sam Anderson. Its an intertwined history of Oklahoma City and its basketball team, the Thunder. I'm about halfway through, and I'm loving it so far.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes its intertwined history and says they are loving it so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is about halfway through.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803515,
          "author": "lghh",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:10:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803515",
          "commentText": "Leisure Stuff:\nBoom Town: The Fantastical Saga Of Oklahoma City, It's Chaotic Founding... by Sam Anderson\nMidnight In Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham\nDune by Frank Herbert\nThe Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu (tried it this year and stopped, want to give it another go)\nStories of Your Life and Others - Ted Chiang (just finished Exhalation and I think it's great)\nAn Ursula K. Le Guin novel, have not picked one out yet\nA book related to basketball (possibly Dream Team, but IDK yet)\nLess Leisure Stuff:\nLocked In: The True Causes of Mass Incarceration and How to Achieve Real Reform by John Pfaff\nEvicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond\nThe End Of Policing by Alex S Vitale\nEither Manufacturing Consent or Understanding Power by Chomsky\nThe Annotated Turing by Charles Petzold\nWork:\nCode Complete 2 by Steve McConnell\nThe Web Application Hacker's Handbook: Finding and Exploiting Security Flaws by Dafydd Stuttard,  Marcus Pinto\nFinish Writing An Interpreter In Go by Thorsten Ball\nIf I can get through all of these, I will be very pleased. Throw in a book or two at recommendation from friends and I think I'm full for the year.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Boom Town: The Fantastical Saga Of Oklahoma City, It's Chaotic Founding... by Sam Anderson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sam Anderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "oklahoma city",
        "sports history",
        "urban history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "boomerang-49d679",
      "title": "Boomerang",
      "author": "Michael Lewis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3396148,
          "author": "alexanderberman",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T15:57:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3396148",
          "commentText": "In no particular order:\n* Boomerang by Michael Lewis\n* Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson\n* The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins\n* The Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Boomerang by Michael Lewis",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Lewis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial crisis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bootstrap-939bec",
      "title": "Bootstrap",
      "author": "Kenneth L. Hess",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 137935,
          "author": "gcheong",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-16T03:42:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=137935",
          "commentText": "Bootstrap - Kenneth L. Hess",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bootstrap - Kenneth L. Hess",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kenneth L. Hess"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bootstrap",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "border-trilogy-4f0d92",
      "title": "Border Trilogy",
      "author": "Cormac McCarthy",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45286913,
          "author": "andyjohnson0",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-18T08:08:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 45283087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45286913",
          "commentText": "Cormac McCarthy's Border Trilogy. As with some of his other work, the punctuation can be a challenge and the prose can sometimes border on the ponderous, but I'm enjoying it. Currently about half way through.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Cormac McCarthy's Border Trilogy.",
          "reason": "Says they are enjoying the trilogy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The punctuation can be challenging and the prose can sometimes feel ponderous.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cormac McCarthy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american west",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "borderless-economics-9d7c08",
      "title": "Borderless Economics",
      "author": "Robert Guest",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13805633,
          "author": "baron816",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T20:08:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805633",
          "commentText": "Thinking Strategically. A great primer on game theory. Everything changed colors for me after I read this. Definite required reading for everyone.\nAbundance. Problems of economic scarcity are really about access. Technology can solve those problems, and we're getting close to solving a lot of the biggest ones.\nBorderless Economics. Immigration has a lot of huge benefits. But really, it's the best humanitarian tool advanced countries have.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Borderless Economics. Immigration has a lot of huge benefits. But really, it's the best humanitarian tool advanced countries have.",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about books that changed one’s worldview and summarizes its argument.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Guest"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "immigration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "born-standing-up-1090cb",
      "title": "Born Standing Up",
      "author": "Steve Martin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 203257,
          "author": "trajan",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T13:41:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=203257",
          "commentText": "I second this - I've never really found Steve Martin funny, but I thought his book was very interesting and different from most biographies in that it was about success achieved not through prodigious talent but just years and years of grinding it out and slowly improving.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second this",
          "reason": "Seconding the recommendation; praises the book as interesting and distinct from most biographies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve Martin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comedy",
        "steve martin"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "born-a-crime-stories-from-a-south-african-childhood-d28275",
      "title": "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood",
      "author": "Trevor Noah",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21797785,
          "author": "muffa",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-15T18:12:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21797785",
          "commentText": "Why we sleep - Deep-dive in why we sleep and what to do to sleep better\nBorn a crime - Follow Trevor Noah in his early life in South Africa.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Born a crime - Follow Trevor Noah in his early life in South Africa.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Trevor Noah"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "south africa"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "born-on-a-blue-day-0f3cda",
      "title": "Born on a Blue Day",
      "author": "Daniel Tammet",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Born on a Blue Day",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Tammet"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "autism",
        "savant syndrome"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "born-to-run-9c7f15",
      "title": "Born to Run",
      "author": "Chris McDougall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4967883,
          "author": "murrayb",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T02:18:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967883",
          "commentText": "For the mind: Mindfulness in Plain English - Bhante Henepola Gunaratana\nFor the body: Born To Run - Chris McDougall\nFor fun: REAMDE - Neal Stephenson\nFor business: What The CEO Wants You To Know - Ram Charan",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For the body: Born To Run - Chris McDougall",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris McDougall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "endurance",
        "running"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "born-to-run-cf8edc",
      "title": "Born to Run",
      "author": "Bruce Springsteen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21792874,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T22:44:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21792874",
          "commentText": "The ones I rated highest out of those I read this year (which is what I think the question means).\n* Exactly: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester\n* Atomic Adventures: Secret Islands, Forgotten N-Rays, and Isotopic Murder-A Journey into the Wild World of Nuclear Science by James Magaffey\n* Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande\n* Vulcan 607 by Rowland White\n* Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen\n* Best. Movie. Year. Ever: How 1999 Blew Up the Big Screen by Brian Raftery\n* A Fabulous Creation: How the LP Saved Our Lives by David Hepworth\n* 1983: Reagan, Andropov, and a World on the Brink by Taylor Downing\n* The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes and Why by Amanda Ripley\n* In Your Defence: Stories of Life and Law by Sarah Langford\n* Springfield Confidential: Jokes, Secrets, and Outright Lies from a Lifetime Writing for The Simpsons by Mike Reiss\n* Working Actor: Breaking in, Making a Living, and Making a Life in the Fabulous Trenches of Show Business by David Dean Bottrell\n* Becoming by Michelle Obama\n* Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress by Steven Pinker\n* Rush Hour by Iain Gatel\n* Tamed: Ten Species that Changed our World by Alice Roberts\n* The Next American City: The Big Promise of Our Midsize Metros by Mick Cornett",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The ones I rated highest out of those I read this year",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s highest-rated books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruce Springsteen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "music memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bounce-the-myth-of-talent-and-the-power-of-practice-2ceb2a",
      "title": "Bounce: The Myth of Talent and the Power of Practice",
      "author": "Matthew Syed",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4967327,
          "author": "kooshball",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T22:43:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967327",
          "commentText": "I read quite a few this year and the best one is really hard to define. But my favorite and the one that had the biggest immediate impact is definitely Bounce by Matthrew Syed http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7845157-bounce\nSyed was the top Pingpong player in England, and goes in detail about his trainings and what he thinks are the reasons for his success: lots of circumstantial luck, and thousands of hours of deliberate practice with immediate feedback. Even though it's too late for me to become a national player, the book forced me to refocus my thoughts on the everyday activities that are important to me, and find a way to practice and improve up on them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "my favorite and the one that had the biggest immediate impact is definitely Bounce by Matthrew Syed",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it their favorite and says it had the biggest immediate impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthew Syed"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "deliberate practice",
        "talent"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bourgeois-dignity-why-economics-can-t-explain-the-modern-world-af6249",
      "title": "Bourgeois Dignity: Why Economics Can’t Explain the Modern World",
      "author": "Deirdre N. McCloskey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12562570,
          "author": "TheSpiceIsLife",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T05:43:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12562570",
          "commentText": "Bourgeois Dignity: Why Economics Can’t Explain the Modern World by Deirdre McCloskey, and presumably the other books in the series[1]\n1. Bourgeois Dignity: Why Economics Can’t Explain the Modern World",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bourgeois Dignity: Why Economics Can’t Explain the Modern World by Deirdre McCloskey",
          "reason": "Lists it as a book recommendation in response to the request.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in economics and its history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Deirdre N. McCloskey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic growth",
        "economic history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bourne-81730c",
      "title": "Bourne",
      "author": "Robert Ludlum",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 192170,
          "author": "wumi",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-16T19:48:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=192170",
          "commentText": "Assault on Reason by Al Gore.\nBourne Trilogy by Robert Ludlum (the movie retains only the name and a basic profile of Jason Bourne, almost none of the plot)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bourne Trilogy by Robert Ludlum",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The movie retains only the name and basic profile of Jason Bourne, almost none of the plot.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Ludlum"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "spy thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bouvard-and-pecuchet-041f95",
      "title": "Bouvard and Pécuchet",
      "author": "Gustave Flaubert",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1569209,
          "author": "harscoat",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:46:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569209",
          "commentText": "* Bouvard & Pécuchet - Flaubert\n* The hero with thousands faces - Joseph Campbell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bouvard & Pécuchet - Flaubert",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gustave Flaubert"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "french literature",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bowling-alone-ade17a",
      "title": "Bowling Alone",
      "author": "Robert D. Putnam",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32936258,
          "author": "fullsend",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T08:39:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936258",
          "commentText": "I enjoy content that adds curious new information and different views to topics full of cliches, while still being relatively respectable or well researched.\nComing Apart - this book described the coming separation of the US into two “classes” long before it was widely talked about. Today most talk about it as a political divide. This book tackles it as a divide between knowledge workers and the rest. A controversial take that adds much needed food for thought to the conversation. If you’ve lived poor and you’ve also lived in a place like Palo Alto, you’ll be astounded by how readily you can point and say, “that’s me”. Lots of fascinating statistics.\nBowling Alone - a great book about the collapse of US social life. Dense, lots of statistics, but a clear picture is laid out of increasing isolation and alienation. Read it alongside something like Consumer’s Republic to understand how so much of this stems from the selfishness and individuality encouraged by consumerism in post-war America.\nTriumph of the City - an excellent take that can be used as food for thought when people are talking about how dirty cities are. In truth, the author argues, they are our greenest “invention” ever. Lots of good evidence. Imagine collecting the trash if every human lived on their own acre of land. The sewage, the energy usage. Cities are incredibly efficient and clean.\nThe Man Who Solved The Market - everyone interested in finance needs to read this and it’s precursor More Money Than God. The Bogleheads and their index fund ilk are often correct when they say “money managers all lose to an index after fees”. Beating the market is nigh on impossible for all but a few. Most of those few work at Renaissance Technologies. Their Medallion Fund has made 36% after fees every single year since 1989. The fund does its best in market crash years. Closed to outside investors. A story of mathematicians essentially building models that can predict the future reliably. Utterly fascinating, the most successful money printer ever built. As a bonus, we learn that Jim Simons originally controlled this printer and spent the money helping US math teachers. He then ceded control to Robert Mercer, who used the printer’s output to fund Cambridge Analytica, Steve Bannon, Trump, etc.\nThe Snowball - a biography of Warren Buffet that tells an incredible story. The story is one of total obsession. Of a human who literally started from a few dollars, learned about some principles like compounding at age 6, and applied the exact same principles every day for the rest of his life with very little deviation. The craziest part of this story is how every 10 years, he’s surrounded by people saying “times have changed, you’re missing out”. Then those people get blown up by whatever black swan, and Warren’s snowball just grows and grows. He didn’t become a billionaire till he was in his 50’s but the snowball is still growing and he’s one of the richest people alive.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bowling Alone - a great book about the collapse of US social life.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it describes the collapse of US social life and increasing isolation and alienation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as dense and full of statistics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert D. Putnam"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "social capital",
        "social isolation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "boyd-84bf84",
      "title": "Boyd",
      "author": "Robert Coram",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9348848,
          "author": "mgarfias",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:37:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348848",
          "commentText": "Heinlein: The Moon is a Harsh Mistress\nRobert Coram: Boyd\nMark Donohue (w/Paul Van Valkenburgh): The Unfair Advantage\nCarroll Smith: XXX To Win (its a series of books)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Robert Coram: Boyd",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Coram"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "john boyd",
        "military biography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "boynton-books-0058a3",
      "title": "Boynton books",
      "author": "Sandra Boynton",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46398631,
          "author": "cpfohl",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T02:53:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46398631",
          "commentText": "If Little Blue Truck isn’t on your regular list you should add it. We also loved Pond by Jim LaMarche (older audience, but beautifully illustrated and told), the Boynton books are fun to read aloud especially Barnyard Dance, and The Going to Bed Book. There are more, but these are the highlights from that age range",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Boynton books are fun to read aloud",
          "reason": "Recommends these books as fun to read aloud.",
          "audience": "For reading aloud.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sandra Boynton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s books",
        "picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "boys-second-book-of-electronics-13777d",
      "title": "Boys' Second Book of Electronics",
      "author": "Alfred Morgan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41176989,
          "author": "mikewarot",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T00:25:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41176989",
          "commentText": "1632 by Eric Flint - it became a series. I can read them over and over. - Alternate history, contemplative of everything that makes modern civilization possible and keeps it going.\nThe Art of Electronics  - Horowitz and Hill - All the nitty gritty details you'll need if you're to be a good electronics designer\nThe adolescence of P-1 - Thomas Joseph Ryan - Introduced me to the idea of random walks leading to AI.\nComputer Lib/Dream Machines - Ted Nelson -- Quite a bit of ideas about computers, I read it decades ago.\nDiary of an Early American Boy: Noah Blake 1805 -- By Eric Sloane -- Early Americans really knew their shit, we tend to think of them as simpler people, this book dispelled me of that stupid notion.\nBoys Second Book of Electronics - Alfred Morgan, 1957 -- Introduced me to the idea that I could make my own radio or anything electronic I wanted to make.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Boys Second Book of Electronics - Alfred Morgan, 1957 -- Introduced me to the idea that I could make my own radio or anything electronic I wanted to make.",
          "reason": "Says it introduced them to the possibility of making their own radio and electronics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alfred Morgan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "electronics projects",
        "radio"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "brain-computations-what-and-how-0dd93d",
      "title": "Brain Computations, What and How",
      "author": "Edmund T. Rolls",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27631955,
          "author": "andyxor",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T15:25:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27631955",
          "commentText": "Brain Computations, What and How, by Edmund T. Rolls https://www.amazon.com/Brain-Computations-Edmund-T-Rolls/dp/... (https://www.amazon.com/Brain-Computations-Edmund-T-Rolls/dp/0198871104)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brain Computations, What and How, by Edmund T. Rolls",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edmund T. Rolls"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "brain function",
        "computational neuroscience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "brain-droppings-daf64d",
      "title": "Brain Droppings",
      "author": "George Carlin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 86223,
          "author": "icky",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:37:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86223",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- The Time Machine (still holds up very well, and seems strangely eerie and prescient in places)... (H. G. Wells)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Hobbit (and LotR) (Tolkien)\n- Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n- Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties (I picked up Idoru first, so I haven't yet read Virtual Light) (also Gibson)\n- The Difference Engine (Gibson, Sterling)\n- Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n- Cryptonomicon (\" \")\n- Circuit of Heaven, End of Days (Dennis Danvers)\n- All of the \"Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser\" stories and novels. (Fritz Leiber)\n- The Earthsea trilogy (Ursula K. LeGuin)\n- 'salem's Lot (Stephen King)\n- Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein)\n- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)\n- the Coldfire trilogy (C. S. Friedman)\n- various Cory Doctorow short stories\n- Kamikaze L'Amour (Richard Kadrey)\n- Lightpaths (Howard V. Hendrix)\n- A Canticle For Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)\n- Moonwar, Venus (Ben Bova)\n- the Stainless Steel Rat series (Harry Harrison)\n- Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)\n- Ringworld (Larry Niven)\n- Cthon (Piers Anthony) -- Trippiness level approaching Philip Jose Farmer ;-)\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (Douglas Adams)\n- The Black Company (Glen Cook)\n- there's one particularly good post-cyberpunk series that takes place in a world in which Canada emerged as a major world power, but for the life of me I can't rememeber the title.\n- the 1632 series (Eric Flint)... see also S. M. Stirling's Nantucket series (\"Island in the Sea of Time\", et al.), and H. Beam Piper's novel Kalvan of Otherwhen\nNon-fiction:\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (Hume)\n- the surviving words and works of Epicurus, and Diogenes the Cynic\n- Freakonomics (Levitt, Dubner)\n- The Gay Science (Nietzsche)\n- The Jefferson Bible (Christ, Jefferson (ed.))\n- The Devil's Dictionary (Bierce)\n- Brain Droppings (George Carlin)\n- anything by P. J. O'Rourke\n- anything by Dave Barry",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brain Droppings (George Carlin)",
          "reason": "Listed under nonfiction in response to the thread’s question about favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Carlin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comedy",
        "essays"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "brain-rules-for-baby-how-to-raise-a-smart-and-happy-child-from-ze-16e7a8",
      "title": "Brain Rules for Baby: How to Raise a Smart and Happy Child from Zero to Five",
      "author": "John Medina",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25537039,
          "author": "meowzero",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-25T15:40:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25537039",
          "commentText": "Maybe not A book, but some books that helped me change my behavior just a little bit.\nBrain Rules for Baby: How to Raise a Smart and Happy Child from Zero to Five - if you're thinking of having children or have young children already. This book gives some good insight on possible, data-driven ways to raise a happy and smart kid. I currently have a newborn and have altered some ways I behave around her. It also helps to think about how you were raised, and if that impacted the way you are.\nThe Mind Illuminated: A Complete Meditation Guide Integrating Buddhist Wisdom and Brain Science for Greater Mindfulness - if you're into meditation, I think this is the book to get. I started out with Headspace and this book takes it to the next level.\nHow to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life - This was an entertaining book on how Scott Adams failed and succeeded. He gives some practical tips on what he did to get to where he is. Of course, there is survivorship bias, but I found some of it helpful.\nThe Charisma Myth: How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism - People aren't born Charismatic. You can practice it.\nNever Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It - A book about negotiation. I used to hate negotiating. Heck I still do. While I might not use the exact tactics outlined in the book, it helped me realize that I should try to negotiate more. And it might have helped me to get good deals or better salary just by asking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brain Rules for Baby: How to Raise a Smart and Happy Child from Zero to Five - if you're thinking of having children or have young children already.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it offers data-driven ideas for raising a happy and smart child and describes changing how they behave around their newborn.",
          "audience": "People considering having children or who already have young children.",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls these possible ways to raise a child.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Medina"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Parenting",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "child development",
        "early childhood"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "brain-rules-12-principles-for-surviving-and-thriving-at-work-home-6fe8cf",
      "title": "Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School",
      "author": "John Medina",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12421719,
          "author": "codyZ",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-03T23:10:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12421719",
          "commentText": "Moonwalking with Einstein -Definitely. Also Brain Rules is a good one as well.\nI would be cautious with Cal Newport's books and take it with a box of salt, however. To be fair, I only read one of his books (So Good They Can't Ignore You). His intentions with framing the book and its details are great. But I found it hard to trust that he actually believes in some of the things he writes - as opposed to just writing books that can sell well",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also Brain Rules is a good one as well.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a good book in response to a thread about books that helped professionally or personally.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Medina"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "brain",
        "learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "brainfluence-3895e0",
      "title": "Brainfluence",
      "author": "Roger Dooley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15156236,
          "author": "mikesabat",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T14:51:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156236",
          "commentText": "I'm on a streak of reading Neuromarketing/behavioral economic type books. \n1. Predictably irrational is particularly good. Especially the first half. \n2. The Confidence Game explains the steps of how con trick people to fool themselves. \n3. Buyology is very focused on purchases/retail. \n4. Brainfluence. I'm halfway through it. Mostly bite-sized chapters  and it's similar to Buyology, but I prefer this book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm halfway through it. Mostly bite-sized chapters  and it's similar to Buyology, but I prefer this book.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they prefer it to Buyology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is halfway through.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roger Dooley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consumer behavior",
        "neuromarketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "brainwashing-the-science-of-thought-control-ccb5ac",
      "title": "Brainwashing: The Science of Thought Control",
      "author": "Kathleen Taylor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25556811,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-28T04:59:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 25554464,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books for dealing with workplace politics and dishonesty?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25556811",
          "commentText": "This is a very interesting question since it is a fundamental problem in any group human activity. I have found the following useful;\n* Management: A political activity by Ted Stephenson. For some reason, most people are not aware of this book. Deals with Power, Conflict, Bargaining, Compromise, Participation and Change. The opening line of the preface states \"This book presents the view that management is substantially a political activity, based on power and characterized by conflict\". Since we are dealing with Human organisms this is absolutely the right approach to take.\n* The Empowered Manager: Positive Political Skills at Work by Peter Block is also good but more idealistic. But be aware that trying to be/do good does not guarantee reciprocation.\n* The Complete Upmanship: Including Gamesmanship, Lifemanship, One-upmanship and Supermanship by Stephen Potter. Humourous, but a great deal of life advice in it. Basically, how to put down other people and show yourself in the best light using \"genteel\" psychological means.\n* Behavior Modification: Principles and Procedures by Raymond Miltenberger. ABA psychology course textbook which is a must read.\n* Brainwashing: The science of thought control by Kathleen Taylor. The title is bit sensationalist, but the content is very relevant.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Brainwashing: The science of thought control by Kathleen Taylor. The title is bit sensationalist, but the content is very relevant.",
          "reason": "Recommended as relevant to the discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the title is somewhat sensationalist.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kathleen Taylor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "brainwashing",
        "thought control"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "brambly-hedge-7c615a",
      "title": "Brambly Hedge",
      "author": "Jill Barklem",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34634533,
          "author": "deckiedan",
          "createdAt": "2023-02-02T23:01:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 34634274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books your kids like most",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34634533",
          "commentText": "We've 2 kids, 8 and 5 - both total book worms (and into Minecraft and biking and dude perfect and all sorts... But they love books).\nFind stuff you'll enjoy reading to them. And read to them a lot. You've got the right idea.\nMO Williams books are great for that age.  The elephant and piggie books are fun, Annette's Baguette is brilliant.  The Brambly Hedge books are lovely. Dr Seuss is mostly quite fun.  Peter's railway (if they like trains or engineering at all), the Thomas the Tank engine books, the topsy and Tim books are ok...\nBut get lots of books from the library, charity / thrift stores.  Get lots of books to try out, and have available for them to read. And if they aren't interested, you can always thrift them again. Hanging out at the local library can be good. No time pressure, just let them browse and look at whatever random things they want.\nFor slightly older kids, we've really enjoyed reading Hillary McKay, Terry Pratchett's kids books / short stories, Vivian French's books are great.  and some of the classics are great too - EE Milne, the Paddington books...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Brambly Hedge books are lovely.",
          "reason": "Described as lovely.",
          "audience": "Children around ages 5 and 8.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jill Barklem"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "picture books",
        "woodland animals"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "branded-interactions-creating-the-digital-experience-e0fe5f",
      "title": "Branded Interactions: Creating the Digital Experience",
      "author": "Marco Spies and Katja Wenger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12711221,
          "author": "ryanSrich",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-14T21:28:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12711221",
          "commentText": "Here's a list of all design books that I give to new hires:\nBranded Interactions: Creating the Digital Experience - (https://www.amazon.com/Branded-Interactions-Creating-Digital... (https://www.amazon.com/Branded-Interactions-Creating-Digital-Experience/dp/0500518173))\nThe Visual Display of Quantitative Information - https://www.amazon.com/Visual-Display-Quantitative-Informati... (https://www.amazon.com/Visual-Display-Quantitative-Information/dp/0961392142/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480332&sr=1-1&keywords=Edward+Tufte)\nUniversal Principles of Design - https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Principles-Design-Revised-U... (https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Principles-Design-Revised-Updated/dp/1592535879/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480359&sr=1-1&keywords=universal+principles+of+design)\nThe Interface: IBM and the Transformation of Corporate Design, 1945-1976 - https://www.amazon.com/Interface-Transformation-Corporate-19... (https://www.amazon.com/Interface-Transformation-Corporate-1945-1976-Quadrant/dp/0816670390/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480388&sr=1-1&keywords=the+interface+ibm)\nMultiple Signatures: On Designers, Authors, Readers and Users - https://www.amazon.com/Multiple-Signatures-Designers-Authors... (https://www.amazon.com/Multiple-Signatures-Designers-Authors-Readers/dp/0847839737/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480427&sr=1-1&keywords=Multiple+Signatures)\nChange by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation - https://www.amazon.com/Change-Design-Transforms-Organization... (https://www.amazon.com/Change-Design-Transforms-Organizations-Innovation/dp/0061766089/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480449&sr=1-1&keywords=Change+by+design)\nThoughts on Design - https://www.amazon.com/Thoughts-Design-Paul-Rand/dp/08118754... (https://www.amazon.com/Thoughts-Design-Paul-Rand/dp/081187544X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480478&sr=1-1&keywords=Thoughts+on+design)\nNotes on the Synthesis of Form - https://www.amazon.com/Notes-Synthesis-Form-Harvard-Paperbac... (https://www.amazon.com/Notes-Synthesis-Form-Harvard-Paperbacks/dp/0674627512/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480495&sr=1-1&keywords=notes+on+the+synthesis+of+form)\n..and a list of ones I'm considering adding:\nUnflattening - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0674744438/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0674744438/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\nCreative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All  - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/038534936X/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/038534936X/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\nThe Design Method - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321928849/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321928849/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\nProduct Design for the Web: Principles of Designing and Releasing Web Products- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321929039/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321929039/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Here's a list of all design books that I give to new hires:",
          "reason": "Included in a design book list given to new hires.",
          "audience": "New hires.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marco Spies and Katja Wenger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "brand design",
        "digital experience",
        "interaction design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "brandon-sanderson-novels-bd1044",
      "title": "Brandon Sanderson novels",
      "author": "Brandon Sanderson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13249383,
          "author": "tavish1",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T11:22:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249383",
          "commentText": "I started reading sci-fi(mostly hard-sf) after I read the commonwealth saga, 'Pandora's star' and 'Judas unchained'. It was just really entertaining and unlike anything I've read. Also really recommend 'Snow crash'. Also adding a couple fantasy recommendations: Lies of Locke lamora, and any basically any novel by Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn: the final empire, Warbreaker, The way of kings etc.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and any basically any novel by Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn: the final empire, Warbreaker, The way of kings etc.)",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends basically any of the author's novels and gives examples.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in fantasy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brandon Sanderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "magic systems",
        "world building"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "brasyl-4b8c71",
      "title": "Brasyl",
      "author": "Ian McDonald",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8107043,
          "author": "paublyrne",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:49:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107043",
          "commentText": "Brasyl by Ian McDonald. Quantum physics, lots of colour, and a Cloud Atlas-like mixing of time threads.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brasyl by Ian McDonald.",
          "reason": "Named as a book suggestion in response to the favorite-books question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ian McDonald"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternate history",
        "quantum physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bravetart-iconic-american-desserts-9a2613",
      "title": "Bravetart: Iconic American Desserts",
      "author": "Stella Parks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18664055,
          "author": "cwal37",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T14:20:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664055",
          "commentText": "A few of my faves.\nNon-Fiction\nBy Adam Tooze: Crashed, and Wages of Destruction. Both excellent economic histories, the former covering the recent financial crisis and its aftermath, the latter on the Nazi economy. Tooze does an excellent job coming up with larger trends and global narratives, I'm often amazed at just how much he's able to keep in his head.\nBy Richard Rothstein: The Color of Law. A quick, informative, yet more than thorough enough on the factual, legal prevention that American employed over the majority of the 20th century to prevent black Americans form participating in the housing market, both personal home ownership and public housing (a major institutional driver of household wealth and success tarting in the early 20th century).\nBy Jeffrey Lockwood: Locust: The Devastating Rise and Mysterious Disappearance of the Insect that Shaped the American Frontier. I had no idea the American frontier was home to devastating largest-in-the-world locust plagues that suddenly disappeared near the end of the 19th century.\nBy Peter Brannen: The Ends of the World. A great primer on mass extinctions and their often geologic causes.\nBy Rick Perstein: Nixonland. Still working on this one, but a deep dive into that era of American politics feels quite relevant at the moment, except that everything today feels stupid in comparison.\nFiction\nBy N.K. Jemisin: The Broken Earth trilogy. A really great self-contained story, extremely evocative, and the author actually puts out great books at an amazingly fast pace.\nCooking\nBy Stella Parks: Bravetart: Iconic American Desserts. If you like baking, and the history of iconic American baked goods this is a must have/read. Never thought I'd spend so much time on a carrot cake.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "By Stella Parks: Bravetart: Iconic American Desserts. If you like baking, and the history of iconic American baked goods this is a must have/read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a must have/read for people interested in baking and the history of American desserts.",
          "audience": "People interested in baking and the history of iconic American baked goods.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stella Parks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american desserts",
        "baking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "breakfast-of-champions-d0c83c",
      "title": "Breakfast of Champions",
      "author": "Kurt Vonnegut Jr.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9350063,
          "author": "enedil",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T18:56:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350063",
          "commentText": "Some interesting books by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.:\nBreakfast of Champions\nBluebeard\nDeadeye Dick",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Breakfast of Champions",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143310,
          "author": "jlk",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T14:46:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143310",
          "commentText": "Ulysses by James Joyce\nCode Complete by Steve McConnell\nWalden by Henry David Thoreau\nBreakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.\nWatermelon Sugar by Richard Brautigan\nMurphy by Samuel Beckett\nGravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kurt Vonnegut Jr."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "breaking-ground-899d5f",
      "title": "Breaking Ground",
      "author": "Philip and Freya Mulvey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29687876,
          "author": "Calms",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-25T23:05:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29687876",
          "commentText": "\"Breaking Ground\" by Philip and Freya Mulvey.\nA soil scientist's take on climate change which ties together some pretty compelling points.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Breaking Ground\" by Philip and Freya Mulvey.",
          "reason": "A soil scientist’s take on climate change that connects several compelling points.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip Mulvey",
        "Freya Mulvey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "climate change",
        "soil science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "breaking-news-the-remaking-of-journalism-and-why-it-matters-now-856849",
      "title": "Breaking News: The Remaking of Journalism and Why It Matters Now",
      "author": "Alan Rusbridger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18744518,
          "author": "jen729w",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T04:55:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744518",
          "commentText": "Breaking news : the remaking of journalism and why it matters now – Rusbridger, Alan\nFrom the editor of The Guardian for the last 20 years, a fascinating look at the move from traditional print to online news.\n---\nThe perfect weapon : war, sabotage, and fear in the cyber age – Sanger, David E.\nThe subtitle says it all. From that I’m now reading ‘Click Here to Kill Everybody’ by Schneier. Enjoying it so far.\n---\nThe world as it is : a memoir of the Obama White House\n— Rhodes, Benjamin J.\nAnother obvious one based on the title.\n---\nAs a side note, join your local library, people. None of this cost me a penny. I hope you still have a library wherever you live. Ours (Melbourne City Library Service) is just magnificent.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Breaking news : the remaking of journalism and why it matters now – Rusbridger, Alan\nFrom the editor of The Guardian for the last 20 years, a fascinating look at the move from traditional print to online news.",
          "reason": "Describes the book as a fascinating look at journalism's shift from print to online news.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan Rusbridger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Society",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "digital media",
        "journalism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "breaking-the-mishap-chain-94df60",
      "title": "Breaking the Mishap Chain",
      "author": "NASA",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27330519,
          "author": "daltonlp",
          "createdAt": "2021-05-30T04:09:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 27326937,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good book on companies/individuals failure stories?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27330519",
          "commentText": "You may enjoy Breaking the Mishap Chain, an excellent free book from NASA:\nhttps://www.nasa.gov/connect/ebooks/break_mishap_chain_detai... (https://www.nasa.gov/connect/ebooks/break_mishap_chain_detail.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You may enjoy Breaking the Mishap Chain, an excellent free book from NASA:",
          "reason": "Recommended as a free book the reader may enjoy.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in failures and mishaps.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "NASA"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "accident investigation",
        "nasa"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "breaking-the-social-media-prism-how-to-make-our-platforms-less-po-a3a4ef",
      "title": "Breaking the Social Media Prism: How to Make Our Platforms Less Polarizing",
      "author": "Chris Bail",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29671491,
          "author": "czierleyn",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T08:16:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29671491",
          "commentText": "\"Breaking the Social Media Prism: How to Make Our Platforms Less Polarizing\" by Chris Bail. I have always had a difficult relation with social media. I hated them from the beginning and my discomfort has only grown over the years. This book was an eye opener to me and clearly explains why social media leads to polarizing and it's not what you expect. To me this was one of the most thought provoking books I read this year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Breaking the Social Media Prism: How to Make Our Platforms Less Polarizing\" by Chris Bail.",
          "reason": "Calls the book an eye opener that explains how social media drives polarization and says it was thought provoking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris Bail"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political polarization",
        "social media"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "breaking-the-spell-religion-as-a-natural-phenomenon-89e7fb",
      "title": "Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon",
      "author": "Daniel C. Dennett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32794039,
          "author": "xcambar",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T19:48:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32794039",
          "commentText": "Thanks a lot, I'll read that, looks very promising!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thanks a lot, I'll read that",
          "reason": "Accepts the parent comment's recommendation and says they will read the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel C. Dennett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "naturalism",
        "religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "breaking-the-time-barrier-4127fe",
      "title": "Breaking the Time Barrier",
      "author": "Mike McDerment and Donald Cowper",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10767627,
          "author": "krp",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T17:36:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10767627",
          "commentText": "The 48 Laws of Power - Robert Greene.\nI began reading it with a \"know your enemy\" frame of mind, similar to why I read some Ayn Rand, hoping that I'd better understand why some people behave certain ways.\nAs I got further into the book I began reflecting upon the past, becoming consciously aware of all the faux pas I've made over the years.\nI started identifying with all the honest, outspoken historical figures that would speak their mind and end up without a head.\nI used to pride myself on my honesty above all else way of life, thinking how virtuous it was to be like Socrates or Galileo. Now I realize that more often than not, I'd just seem like a dick, and probably wouldn't have a head if the guillotine were still in use. Now I put more energy into understanding others points of view, and understand others better as a result. Much of my old behavior was childish.\nOthers that changed my way of thinking in some way or another:\nRework, Getting Real, and the recent Reconsider post - DHH & Jason Fried:\nI'd always considered external funding as the best way to grow things I've built in the past, and wrote off the few bad experiences with this approach as being outliers. After also reading others' bad experiences throughout the year, now I'm wondering if my experiences were perhaps representative of the industry as a whole. Confirmation bias? Maybe. I'm sure there are the rare few good angel/VC's somewhere out there (no doubt someone will reply with \"YC\"). However, after watching several things I'd passionately built over significant amounts of time be driven to failure by others, I'd much rather bootstrap future projects. I learned a lot from each failure, but trial and error is a shitty way to spend years of your life. Far better to learn what worked from those who succeeded.\nBusiness Adventures - John Brooks:\nUntil this book, reading about businesses was one of the most boring things I could imagine. Some of it is dated, but there are also many valuable gems that still hold true 50 years later. I now see that with a good storyteller, even seemingly boring subjects can be fascinating.\nFreshbooks: Breaking the Time Barrier - McDerment & Cowper:\nThis tiny book (free from their website) helped me think of new ways to improve my consulting services and emphasize value instead of focusing on hourly rates, which made it easier to make more money.\nVarious online sales & marketing resources: My viewpoint on the importance of sales & marketing has also completely flipped since the beginning of the year. I used to have the mental image of a used car salesman whenever I heard the word sales, and of Mad Men when I heard marketing. Now I understand that if you don't market what you build, nobody will know that it exists. If you don't experiment with different sales tactics, you'll miss out on a huge amount of users who would otherwise love using your product, but who avoid it because it's priced wrong, or you're unable to convince them of why they'd want to use it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This tiny book (free from their website) helped me think of new ways to improve my consulting services and emphasize value instead of focusing on hourly rates",
          "reason": "Says the book helped improve consulting services and shift focus from hourly rates to value.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as a tiny book and notes it is free from the publisher's website.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mike McDerment and Donald Cowper"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consulting",
        "pricing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "breakneck-fcca29",
      "title": "Breakneck",
      "author": "Dan Wang",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46713300,
          "author": "Blackstrat",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-21T23:44:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 46690957,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What non-fiction do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46713300",
          "commentText": "Second Chip War. That and Breakneck by Dan Wang do a good job of broadening one’s perspective on the global situation",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Breakneck by Dan Wang",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helps broaden one's perspective on the global situation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Wang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "china",
        "geopolitics",
        "technology policy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "breakneck-china-s-quest-to-engineer-the-future-5480aa",
      "title": "Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future",
      "author": "Dan Wang",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46416728,
          "author": "jharohit",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-29T02:15:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46416728",
          "commentText": "sharing a few books I recommended in my annual list (recommend reading!)\nhttps://rohitjha.com/blog/reading-highlights-2025/\nNon Fiction:\n- Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future by Dan Wang (2025)\n- How to Live an Extraordinary Life by Anthony Pompliano (2024)\nFiction:\n- The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester (1956)\n- Consider Phlebas (Culture Series #1) by Iain M. Banks (1987)\n- The Way of Kings (2010, Stormlight #1) & Words of Radiance (2014, Stormlight #2) by Brandon Sanderson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future by Dan Wang",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Wang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "china",
        "technology policy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "breakthrough-advertising-be1ab3",
      "title": "Breakthrough Advertising",
      "author": "Eugene Schwartz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 673542,
          "author": "craigbellot",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-25T12:38:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 673487,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there any good Internet marketing books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=673542",
          "commentText": "Breakthrough Advertising - Eugene Shwartz\nAdvertising Secrets of the Written Word - Claude Hopkins\nAnything by Seth Godin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Breakthrough Advertising - Eugene Shwartz",
          "reason": "Listed as a book title in response to a request for marketing books.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking books about internet marketing and advertising.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eugene Schwartz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "advertising",
        "copywriting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "breakthroughs-in-science-753141",
      "title": "Breakthroughs in Science",
      "author": "Isaac Asimov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910941,
          "author": "bartcobain",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T17:30:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910941",
          "commentText": "1. The psychick bible by Genesis Breyer P. Orridge.\n2. Breakthroughs in science by Isaac Asimov",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Breakthroughs in science by Isaac Asimov",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isaac Asimov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "popular science",
        "scientific discoveries"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "breath-ad42d2",
      "title": "Breath",
      "author": "Tim Winton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34161387,
          "author": "yawz",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T14:41:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161387",
          "commentText": "My best nonfiction read was The 1619 Project. It's a heavy read, but I highly recommend it. The runner up would be Christian Livermore's We Are Not OK.\nBest fiction read was Tim Winton's Breath or (there's probably some recency bias at play here) Sebastian de Castel's Traitor's Blade.\nI also read a few comic books. I love the East of West series (at least the first three books).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Best fiction read was Tim Winton's Breath",
          "reason": "Listed as the commenter’s best fiction read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tim Winton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "australian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "breath-the-new-science-of-a-lost-art-0d1e0c",
      "title": "Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art",
      "author": "James Nestor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40968345,
          "author": "sabrina_ramonov",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-15T14:47:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 40962582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most accurate scientific book on human sleep?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40968345",
          "commentText": "reading Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art helped me more than Why We Sleep and other sleep books. I have sleep apnea and have tried many solutions, including mandibular devices. Putting on mouth tape to force myself to breath through my nose did the trick. No sleep doctor or sleep dentist ever mentioned this inexpensive solution to try.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "reading Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art helped me more than Why We Sleep and other sleep books.",
          "reason": "The commenter says reading it helped more than other sleep books.",
          "audience": "People with sleep apnea or looking for ways to address sleep problems.",
          "caveat": "The commenter credits mouth taping with helping their apnea; this is their personal account.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29680611,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-25T05:07:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29680611",
          "commentText": "Maybe i need to give it another go but I couldn't finish this book; found it tiresome due to all the \"personal anecdotes/narratives\" forming the backdrop for the book. It could also be that i am somewhat well-read on this subject due to my interest in traditional Yoga/Pranayama/Martial Arts and hence felt underwhelmed. What i had hoped to find in the book was a catalog of techniques (based on tradition or modern) from \"Western Scientific Research\" showing actual measurable results in terms of Human physiological parameters. But whatever was mentioned was never clearly explained with actionable steps. However the webpage for the book's bibliography is a treasure trove of pointers to papers and reading for further research.\nSince you are also interested in the same subjects as me, do you have any other specific suggestions for what i am looking for?",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Maybe i need to give it another go but I couldn't finish this book; found it tiresome due to all the \"personal anecdotes/narratives\" forming the backdrop for the book.",
          "reason": "Criticizes the book’s reliance on personal anecdotes and says its techniques were not clearly explained with actionable steps.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter did not finish it and may have found it underwhelming because they already knew the subject.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Nestor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "breathing",
        "pranayama",
        "respiratory health",
        "sleep apnea"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "breathing-fire-female-inmate-firefighters-on-the-front-lines-407ce8",
      "title": "Breathing Fire: Female Inmate Firefighters on the Front Lines",
      "author": "Jaime Lowe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34179618,
          "author": "muffinman26",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-29T23:37:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34179618",
          "commentText": "For me it's a mix of:\n1. News sites with book reviews. I read Vox's book critic reviews for a while, as well as my local paper's book review section. Definitely better for fiction or current events than other non-fiction.\n2. Asking the people working at the bookstore. I'm consistently surprised by the breadth of book recommendations bookstore employees can give. Even asking for something incredibly specific (like \"young adult fiction featuring a trans male protagonist\" or \"modern fantasy takes on mythologies other than Greek or Norse\") usually yields a few interesting results. Again, better for fiction than technical non-fiction.\n3. Friends, newsletters, and podcasts.\n4. Wandering around bookstores, especially boutiques, and thumbing through the books on display. This still yields mostly new releases, but stretches me outside my comfort zone. I found both Paddling Your Own Canoe by Nick Offerman (entertaining) and Breathing Fire: Female Inmate Firefighters on the Front Lines by Jaime Lowe (well-researched non-fiction) this way.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Breathing Fire: Female Inmate Firefighters on the Front Lines by Jaime Lowe (well-researched non-fiction)",
          "reason": "Described as well-researched nonfiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jaime Lowe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "prison labor",
        "wildland firefighting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "brevisima-relacion-de-la-destruccion-de-las-indias-e9eb8a",
      "title": "Brevísima relación de la destrucción de las Indias",
      "author": "Bartolomé de las Casas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36109075,
          "author": "sacnoradhq",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-29T00:07:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36109075",
          "commentText": "Focus on history books around events and people, not theological works.\nThe Vedic period.\nThe decline of Rome and rise of Christianity from Judaism.\nScandinavia's gradual conversion from paganism to Christianity.\nCharlemagne, the Great Schism and the Holy Roman Empire.\nLate Vedic period when Romani left N. India.\nDhimmi of the Caliphates and Ottoman Empire.\nMassacre of the Cathars.\nFirst Sichuanese massacre by Kublai Khan.\nThe Mongols' laws regarding faith.\nSpanish Massacre of Jews in 1391.\nMartin Luther nailing his theses.\nMassacre of Han/Sichuanese by Jingxuan.\nHenry VIII.\nBloody Mary.\nBrevísima relación de la destrucción de las Indias (in Spanish, or an English translation).\nDzungar genocide of Tibetans by the Qing.\nArmenian massacre.\nHolocaust.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brevísima relación de la destrucción de las Indias",
          "reason": "Listed as a source to consider when studying historical events and people related to religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is in Spanish or available in an English translation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bartolomé de las Casas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "indigenous history",
        "spanish colonization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "brezhnev-the-making-of-a-statesman-6c8f59",
      "title": "Brezhnev: The Making of a Statesman",
      "author": "Susanne Schattenberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42218969,
          "author": "pinewurst",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T03:18:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42218969",
          "commentText": "Brezhnev: The Making of a Statesman by Susanne Schattenberg",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brezhnev: The Making of a Statesman by Susanne Schattenberg",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Susanne Schattenberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political biography",
        "soviet union"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bridge-trilogy-8fe919",
      "title": "Bridge trilogy",
      "author": "William Gibson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33381977,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T07:56:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33381977",
          "commentText": "Of the books I've read this year, the fiction ones that stand out to me would be:\n1. The entire Sprawl Trilogy by Gibson, and the entire Bridge Trilogy, also by Gibson. The former I'd read before (multiple times) while the latter I had not read all the way through until now. Neuromancer I've read probably 7 or 8 times total in my life by now. I'm not as crazy about Gibson's later stuff, but the Sprawl and Bridge books are great.\n2. The rest of the HHGTTG \"trilogy\" besides the first book. I'd read the first book a couple of years ago but never got around to reading the rest until this year. Note that when I say \"the rest\" I'm excluding that one book that was written by another author after Douglas Adams' passing. I may still read it one day, but I'm not in any hurry to do so.\nIn terms of non-fiction:\nReal-World Reasoning: Toward Scalable, Uncertain Spatiotemporal, Contextual and Causal Inference by Ben Goertzel, Nil Geisweiller, and Lucio Coelho is the stand-out of the lot. How the Mind Works by Steven Pinker and How Can the Human Mind Occur in the Physical Universe? by John R Anderson are also worthy of a mention.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the entire Bridge Trilogy, also by Gibson",
          "reason": "The commenter says it stands out among the fiction they read and calls the books great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter had not read it all the way through until this year.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Gibson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyberpunk"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "brief-answers-to-the-big-questions-9f3b8c",
      "title": "Brief Answers to the Big Questions",
      "author": "Stephen Hawking",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18744639,
          "author": "diehunde",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T05:40:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744639",
          "commentText": "Brief Answers to the Big Questions by Stephen Hawking[1]. Not only about cosmology but also about topics such as the existence of god, finding life in other planets, the future of the humanity and other very intriguing questions.\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/Brief-Answers-Questions-Stephen-Hawki... (https://www.amazon.com/Brief-Answers-Questions-Stephen-Hawking/dp/1984819194)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brief Answers to the Big Questions by Stephen Hawking[1]. Not only about cosmology but also about topics such as the existence of god, finding life in other planets, the future of the humanity and other very intriguing questions.",
          "reason": "Praises its range of intriguing questions, from cosmology to humanity's future.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Hawking"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "big questions",
        "cosmology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "brief-interviews-with-hideous-men-e85099",
      "title": "Brief Interviews with Hideous Men",
      "author": "David Foster Wallace",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46396677,
          "author": "3n4n",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T21:50:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46396677",
          "commentText": "I already forgot what I read for my work (MS in CS), so I'll stick with fiction.\nThis year was slow for me reading-wise.  Not a whole lot:\n- The Blind Owl / Sadegh Hedayat\n- Prince of Annwn (Mabinogion Tetralogy #1)\n- Norse Mythology / Gaiman: read it before accusations came out\n- Brief Interviews with Hideous Men / David F Wallace\n- A Connecticut Yankee ... / Mark Twain (not yet finished)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Brief Interviews with Hideous Men / David F Wallace",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401410,
          "author": "steve-benjamins",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:19:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401410",
          "commentText": "I really, really love David Foster Wallace and I've also never gotten through Infinite Jest.\nIf anyone is interested in reading DWF I'd recommend checking out his shorter fiction (Brief Interviews with Hideous Men) or non-fiction (A Supposedly Fun Thing) if Infinite Jest (rightfully) seems intimidating :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend checking out his shorter fiction (Brief Interviews with Hideous Men)",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends this shorter fiction as an accessible way to read David Foster Wallace.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in David Foster Wallace who find Infinite Jest intimidating.",
          "caveat": "Offered as an alternative for readers intimidated by Infinite Jest.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Foster Wallace"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bringing-up-bebe-4dd4ac",
      "title": "Bringing Up Bébé",
      "author": "Pamela Druckerman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11715435,
          "author": "vkb",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-17T17:23:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11715435",
          "commentText": "The more I read, the more I realize that fiction has a way of teaching the same lessons as nonfiction, only in a better, humane way that is not like someone lecturing at you from a podium, but more like a friend sitting down for a heart-to-heart conversation with you.\nIn this vein, I've started catching up on all the classics I haven't read yet, and there are a lot of them. At first, I was hesitant to dive into classics, because I thought they were hard to read and highbrow. This has mostly not been the case (with the exception of Wuthering Heights, which I found impossible to get through).\nTo wit, the best books I've read this year include:\nA Tale of Two Cities - Impossible to get through the first several chapters, but after that, you're off to the races between France and England in the 18th century. Dickens used historical books as reference, but recreated the mood entirely from imagination. A better primer than anything in the news about Anglo-French relations, learning trust, and sacrifice.\nNo Country for Old Men - Want to understand the current fear of the Mexican border that has so bolstered Trump's popularity, as well as the ramifications of having a country full of veterans who don't have any medical support or care?   Read this book.\nFarenheit 451, A Clockwork Orange, Handmaid's Tale - Much better and scarier than any news clipping today about the possible future path for government interference in thought and action. Takes things to their logical conclusions.\nAnd one non-fiction book that I did enjoy, Bringing Up Bebe, which is about the contrasts between child-rearing in France and America, but on a much larger scale, about the different things that seem culturally obvious to us, but are completely different to other cultures. This book made me really re-examine American food culture in a way Michael Pollan's diatribes have not.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "And one non-fiction book that I did enjoy, Bringing Up Bebe",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed the book and found it prompted reconsideration of American food culture and cultural assumptions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Compares child-rearing in France and America.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pamela Druckerman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Parenting",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cross cultural comparison",
        "french parenting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "broken-angels-bf07d6",
      "title": "Broken Angels",
      "author": "Richard K. Morgan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4353871,
          "author": "e12e",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-08T04:16:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 4353632,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon.  What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4353871",
          "commentText": "If you enjoyed \"Snow Crash\" and \"Diamond Age\", I'd recommend \"Islands in the Net\" (if you can get hold of a copy) and \"Holy Fire\" by Bruce Sterling. Or for something newer, \"the Zenith Angle\" by same.\nI've also enjoyed all of Willam Gibsons books, including the latest trilogy \"Pattern Recognition\", \"Spook Country\" and \"Zero History\".\nIf you bothered to read through \"Cryptonomicon\" you'll either love \"the Code Book\" by Simon Singh more than I did, or hate it :-)\nAssuming you've picket through the classics shelf, you might have missed out on Samuel Delany - \"The Einstein Intersection\" might be a good one to try on for size -- although I actually found \"Neveryóna\" to be maybe his most interesting book (of the ones I've been able to get hold of) [edit: After \"Dhalgren\", that is. But I think \"Dhalgren\" is a bit like Joyce's \"Ulysses\" -- a classic I haven't gotten around to yet. I spent the better part of ten (10!) years reading through \"Dhalgren\", picking it up on odd holidays - never loosing touch with the intricate unreality within, readily satisfied after reading a few pages or a chapter -- like nibbling on a choice ham that didn't spoil. It's rather more complex than any of the other books I've listed here].\nAlso worth mentioning in the \"might be overlooked\" section is Jerry Pournelle's \"Falkenberg's Legion\" (republished as \"the Prince\").\nI'm afraid I've been mostly digging through second hand books lately, so the only other semi-recent book I could recommend would be \"Broken Angels\" by Richard Morgan (technically it's number two in a trilogy -- but I find it stands better on its own).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the only other semi-recent book I could recommend would be \"Broken Angels\"",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as a semi-recent read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It is number two in a trilogy, though the commenter finds it works better on its own.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard K. Morgan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyberpunk",
        "military science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "broken-earth-92dc2d",
      "title": "Broken Earth",
      "author": "N. K. Jemisin",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18666997,
          "author": "asplake",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T19:34:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18666997",
          "commentText": "Read/heard and thoroughly enjoyed all of those except Binti which is new to me. Wishlisted, thanks!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read/heard and thoroughly enjoyed all of those",
          "reason": "The commenter says they thoroughly enjoyed the listed books, including this series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "N. K. Jemisin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "climate fiction",
        "earth magic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "broken-republic-699397",
      "title": "Broken Republic",
      "author": "Arundhati Roy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19090626,
          "author": "vishnugupta",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T22:27:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090626",
          "commentText": "All the books below have shaped my thought process to a significant degree. I started reading late but I'm fortunate enough to have stumbled upon these gems.\n\"Debt: The First 5000 Years\": This is truly a magnum opus. Until I read this I had taken money, economy, market etc., for granted. And I had held onto the widely accepted, but naive, view that economic systems somehow grew out of barter systems. The range of topics discussed, and the way author shows how seemingly independent concepts are intertwined, is truly astonishing. I'm on my 2nd read.\n\"Thinking, Fast and Slow\": This book made me truly appreciate the value of psychology. I didn't even know the existence of a vast domain called behavioral science until I read this book. Now I'm deliberately conscious about the decisions I take and retrace my thought process multiple times just to make sure that I haven't fallen pray to some of the cognitive biases.\n\"The Tell-Tale Brain\": While I did know that human brain is a unique organ this book opened my eyes to its layered complexities. For instance, how \"seeing\" is not a single step but a multi step process. From image formation, to identifying the object, to evoking emotional response.\n\"QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter\": The book with the highest signal to noise ratio. I finally understood what science is about, a way to model nature and to keep refining it to fit the observation. There are no true/false theories/models only those that explain nature's behavior better or worse. Nature is agnostic to all our theories and models. She's just the way she is. For details read about double slit experiment.\n\"How the World Works\": This one along with \"Profit Over People: Neoliberalism & Global Order\" has greatly shaped my mental model about the workings of contemporary world. I now understand why does military gets all the funding, why do powerful governments tend to keep its subject under perpetual fear, why is it that the cost of education has been sky-rocketing.\n\"The Hanging of Afzal Guru and the Strange Case of the Attack on the Indian Parliament\": A glimpse into the working of Indian justice system.\n\"Broken Republic\": This is by far the most accurate description about current affairs in India. How India is being hollowed out and how its most vulnerable section is the one fighting against it.\n\"Grammatical Man: Information, Entropy, Language and Life\": I'm currently reading it (20% through) and it has already made a big impact. The meaning of information is deep and subtle and pervades not just human being but the life itself.\n\"The Order of Time\": The book that well and truly shook the foundation that I had taken for granted for my entire life. That space and time aren't something absolute and are personal has had a profound impact on me.\n\"The Upanisads\": A truly remarkable work of human mind. Just to think about some of the concepts uplifts my mood.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Broken Republic\": This is by far the most accurate description about current affairs in India.",
          "reason": "Calls it the most accurate account of current affairs in India.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arundhati Roy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adivasi communities",
        "indian politics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bronze-age-mindset-432ae7",
      "title": "Bronze Age Mindset",
      "author": "Bronze Age Pervert",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33382007,
          "author": "club_tropical",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T08:01:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382007",
          "commentText": "Bronze Age Mindset\nIf one book from the 21st century will be remembered in 500 years, I am convinced this will be it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bronze Age Mindset\nIf one book from the 21st century will be remembered in 500 years, I am convinced this will be it.",
          "reason": "The commenter predicts it will be remembered for centuries.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bronze Age Pervert"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cultural criticism",
        "political philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "brother-in-the-land-b277ec",
      "title": "Brother in the Land",
      "author": "Danny Swindells",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 876308,
          "author": "ErrantX",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T08:41:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876308",
          "commentText": "Brother in the Land, Danny Swindells\nThat needs explaining. It's a teenagers book I read about when I was 16. Of all the books I've ever read it is the one that sticks with me most strongly - it is about passion, anger, compassion and loss. I always think it captured humanity really well.\nEDIT: for the plot think \"Day of the Triffids\" style end of the world, but bleaker and more realistic.\nI suspect it was just my age and I have given the book more weight than it deserves - but it affected me strongly.\nThe other book is probably 1984, Orwell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it is the one that sticks with me most strongly",
          "reason": "The commenter says it affected them strongly and captures humanity well.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They suspect their age at the time led them to give the book more weight than it deserves.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Danny Swindells"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "post apocalyptic fiction",
        "young adult fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "brotherhood-of-kings-how-international-relations-shaped-the-ancie-40f689",
      "title": "Brotherhood of Kings: How International Relations Shaped the Ancient Near East",
      "author": "Amanda H. Podany",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910816,
          "author": "thaumasiotes",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T17:19:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910816",
          "commentText": "Pre-Industrial Societies: Anatomy of the Pre-Modern World https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1780747411/\nBrotherhood of Kings: How International Relations Shaped the Ancient Near East https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195313984/\nThe Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the Economy Bigger https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0691136408/\nThe Mystery of the Hanging Garden of Babylon: An Elusive World Wonder Traced https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CG3JMD0/\nThe Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature https://www.amazon.com/dp/0670031518/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brotherhood of Kings: How International Relations Shaped the Ancient Near East",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Amanda H. Podany"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient near east",
        "diplomacy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "brownian-motion-and-stochastic-calculus-26db06",
      "title": "Brownian Motion and Stochastic Calculus",
      "author": "Ioannis Karatzas and Steven E. Shreve",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3178313,
          "author": "veyron",
          "createdAt": "2011-10-31T17:55:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 3177815,
          "threadTitle": "Good books for hackers interested in quant finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3178313",
          "commentText": "You need to be a little more specific regarding your interests and background.  If you are interested in theory, there are plenty of books discussing specific models.  However, most practical or buzzword (e.g. HFT) books are rubbish (think about it: if you have a profitable operation, why would you write a book?  Unless, like me, you have a screw loose :P )\nIf you want some practical discussions, \"Trading and Exchanges\" by Larry Harris is a bit dated, but nothing comes close.  Most of the descriptions are still valid today (even if some of the mechanics have changed)\nIf you want something more along the lines of what a financial engineer would know:\n- \"Options, Futures, and other Derivatives\" by John Hull (goes over basic models without delving too deeply into theoretical math aspects)\n- \"Stochastic Calculus for Finance II\" by Steve Shreve (goes over the basic stuff but has enough stats to keep a grad student happy)\n- \"Monte Carlo Methods in Financial Engineering\" by Paul Glasserman (much more practical, and goes over subtleties of monte carlo simulation and other stuff like low discrepancy sampling)\n- \"Modelling Fixed Income Securities and Interest Rate Options\" by Robert Jarrow (walks through how to perform certain simulations, covers lots of little details most theoretical books skip)\nIf you want something more theoretical:\n- \"Introduction to Stochastic Calculus Applied to Finance\" by Lamberton and Lapeyre (Nice little intro)\n- \"Arbitrage Theory in Continuous Time\" by Tomas Bjork (Slower discussion, larger breadth)\n- \"Brownian Motion and Stochastic Calculus\" and \"Methods of Mathematical Finance\" by Karatzas and Shreve (Solid theoretical foundation, for the more mathematically inclined)\nThere was a good non-measure theoretic discussion of financial models but the name escapes me ATM.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Solid theoretical foundation",
          "reason": "Recommended as part of a solid theoretical foundation for mathematically inclined readers.",
          "audience": "Readers comfortable with mathematics.",
          "caveat": "Intended for the more mathematically inclined.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ioannis Karatzas and Steven E. Shreve"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "brownian motion",
        "quantitative finance",
        "stochastic calculus"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bruce-lee-s-fighting-method-9a9d8c",
      "title": "Bruce Lee's Fighting Method",
      "author": "Bruce Lee",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36429831,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T09:42:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36429831",
          "commentText": "In no particular order and off the top of my head;\nThe Sherlock Holmes canonical stories - The importance of logical reasoning and brain over brawn. Instrumental in teaching me to think.\nPhysics for Entertainment (and other books) by Ya. Perelman - Beauty and understanding of Science. Instrumental in giving me a lifelong interest in Science/Technology.\nStructured Computer Organization by Andrew Tanenbaum - Instrumental in teaching me the layering of abstractions by which something complex can arise from more simpler and detailed components.\nRaja Yoga by Swami Vivekananda and The Science of Yoga by Swami Sivananda - Instrumental in introducing me to Hindu philosophy.\nBruce lee's fighting method (3 vols) - Instrumental in introducing me to Martial Arts and physical culture.\nThe above books were the ones which sparked my interest in their respective domains decades ago (late 1980s/early 1990s in India) when books were hard to come by and money wasn't available either. When i look around today, books are so easily available and yet people have stopped reading and even seem to lack curiosity.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bruce lee's fighting method (3 vols)",
          "reason": "The series introduced the commenter to martial arts and physical culture.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruce Lee"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "martial arts",
        "physical training"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "buckminster-fuller-s-universe-42b986",
      "title": "Buckminster Fuller's Universe",
      "author": "Lloyd Steven Sieden",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 135286,
          "author": "danw",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T17:22:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135286",
          "commentText": "Recommended:\n* Everyware: Dawning of the age of ubiquitous computing\n* Never Eat Alone\nA few biographies of people you admire too. My favourite is \"Buckminster Fuller's Universe\".\nHas anyone got a recommendation for a good biography on Walt Disney?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favourite is \"Buckminster Fuller's Universe\".",
          "reason": "The commenter names it as their favorite among biographies of people they admire.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lloyd Steven Sieden"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buckminster fuller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "buddha-s-diet-40583a",
      "title": "Buddha's Diet",
      "author": "Tara Cottrell and Dan Zigmond",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237188,
          "author": "kranner",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:44:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237188",
          "commentText": "- Tetris: The Games People Play by Box Brown\n- Tibet, Tibet by Patrick French\n- Maya: A Novel by CW Huntington, Jr\n- The Science of Enlightenment by Shinzen Young\n- Flask Web Development by Miguel Grinberg\n- Buddha's Diet by Tara Cottrell\n- A Feast of Vultures by Josy Joseph\n- Genghis Khan: Life, Death and Resurrection by John Man\n- Chasing the Scream by Johann Hari\n- Cuckold by Kiran Nagarkar\n- Goliath by Tom Gauld\n- This Will Never Happen Again by David Cain\n- Cure by Jo Marchant\n- If It’s Monday It Must Be Madurai: A Conducted Tour of India by Srinath Perur\n- Deep Work by Cal Newport\n- Enduring Love by Ian McEwan\n- The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery\n- The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt\n- The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion\nand a few others that aren't worth recommending; all the above are.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "all the above are.",
          "reason": "The commenter includes the listed books among those worth recommending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tara Cottrell and Dan Zigmond"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhism",
        "diet",
        "weight loss"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "buddha-s-little-finger-7efa8c",
      "title": "Buddha's Little Finger",
      "author": "Victor Pelevin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1569219,
          "author": "mqmouse",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:49:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569219",
          "commentText": "If you like SciFi, I really recommend Ian M. Banks and his Culture Series.\nHere is a link to the \"first\" in the series:\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consider_Phlebas\nBasically to give you a flavour, imagine a utopian society where energy is basically free and run by super intelligent benevolent AIs. So basically the citizens have nothing to do but live a completely hedonistic life.\nWhenever they encounter \"primitive\" societies, they try to make them more human and civilized. Basically the opposite of the \"prime directive\". The organization responsible for that is called Contact. Unfortunately, in order to make these societies more humane they sometimes have to resort to some dirty tricks (like assassinating evil dictators, instigating civil wars, etc etc). The organization responsible for that is called \"Special Circumstances\".\nAnother author I find great is Sheri Tepper.\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheri_S._Tepper\nSciFi with a feminist bent. Examples are Grass / and the Margarets.\nIf you want something more acid, anything by Victor Pelevin. Buddha's little finger is brilliant.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Buddha's little finger is brilliant.",
          "reason": "Calls the book brilliant while recommending Pelevin for readers seeking something more acid.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for something more acid.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Victor Pelevin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "buddhism-without-beliefs-773233",
      "title": "Buddhism Without Beliefs",
      "author": "Stephen Batchelor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237156,
          "author": "impostervt",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:37:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237156",
          "commentText": "\"The Autobiography of Malcom X\"\nWhat a crazy life he led.\n\"Napoleon: A Life\" - Andrew Roberts\nA gigantic book that still felt rushed because of how much he did during his life.\n\"Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization\" Kriwaczek, Paul\nInteresting introduction but I was hoping for more of a focus on a specific period of time. Instead if covers several thousand years of history.\n\"Buddhism Without Belief\" - Stephen Bachelor\nMeh.\n\"The Book of Magic: From Antiquity to the Enlightenment\" - Copenhaver, Brian\n\"The Philosophy Book\" - Will Buckingham\nGreat into to the history of Philosophy\n\"The Vindication of Man\" by John C Wright\nGreat, great series.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Meh.",
          "reason": "The commenter gives a lukewarm reaction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503228,
          "author": "randxx",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T06:57:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503228",
          "commentText": "since reading \"buddhism without beliefs\", i've kind of lost interest in these things. which is, indeed, a recommendation.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "since reading \"buddhism without beliefs\", i've kind of lost interest in these things. which is, indeed, a recommendation.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly calls the book a recommendation, while saying it reduced their interest in philosophy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it made them lose interest in these subjects.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Batchelor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhism",
        "secular buddhism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "buffett-ad0a93",
      "title": "Buffett",
      "author": "Roger Lowenstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910521,
          "author": "adventured",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:53:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910521",
          "commentText": "In no particular order.\nEmpires of Light, by Jonnes. Titan, by Chernow. The Wright Brothers, by McCullough. His Excellency, by Ellis. The Wizard of Menlo Park, by Stross. I Invented the Modern Age, by Snow. Dealers of Lightning, by Hiltzik. Margin of Safety, by Klarman. Masters of Doom, by Kushner. Andrew Carnegie, by Nasaw. Infidel, by Hirsi Ali. Buffett, by Lowenstein. Where Wizards Stay Up Late, by Hafner. Shoe Dog, by Knight. The Making of the Atomic Bomb, by Rhodes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Buffett, by Lowenstein.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roger Lowenstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "investing",
        "warren buffett"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "build-your-own-angularjs-dbad22",
      "title": "Build Your Own AngularJS",
      "author": "Tero Parviainen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13661008,
          "author": "Hernanpm",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-16T16:09:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13661008",
          "commentText": "Build Your Own AngularJS \nhttps://teropa.info/build-your-own-angular/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Build Your Own AngularJS",
          "reason": "Listed as a title answering the request for books that teach through a project.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9650268,
          "author": "kachhalimbu",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-03T02:46:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 9636361,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9650268",
          "commentText": "Technical: Build your own AngularJS http://teropa.info/build-your-own-angular\nNon-technical: Traction http://tractionbook.com/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Technical: Build your own AngularJS",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as current technical reading; no evaluation given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tero Parviainen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "angularjs",
        "javascript"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "build-your-own-angularjs-005791",
      "title": "Build Your Own AngularJS",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13664589,
          "author": "adamzerner",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-16T23:26:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13664589",
          "commentText": "I loved this book. I only read parts of it, but the section on $scope and the digest cycle gave me such an awesome lightbulb moment.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved this book. I only read parts of it, but the section on $scope and the digest cycle gave me such an awesome lightbulb moment.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book and describes a useful insight from it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They only read parts of it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "angularjs",
        "javascript frameworks"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "build-your-own-database-driven-website-with-php-and-mysql-f38222",
      "title": "Build Your Own Database Driven Website with PHP and MYSQL",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30490348,
          "author": "wrigby",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T17:19:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30490348",
          "commentText": "Build Your Own Database Driven Website with PHP and MYSQL, from Sitepoint.\nI checked it out from a public library around 2004, at age 13 or 14, and can credit my entire career to it (and a lot of incredibly supportive adults that encouraged and grew a passion in me from a young age).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Build Your Own Database Driven Website with PHP and MYSQL, from Sitepoint.",
          "reason": "Credits the book with launching their career in computing.",
          "audience": "Young learners building websites with PHP and MySQL.",
          "caveat": "The commenter also credits supportive adults who encouraged their early interest.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mysql",
        "php",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "build-your-own-redis-f9e987",
      "title": "Build Your Own Redis",
      "author": "Unknown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34414479,
          "author": "weird_user",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-17T16:24:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34412069,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach programming by building a series of small projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34414479",
          "commentText": "For beginners, Daniel Holden's Build Your Own Lisp[1] is excellent material for learning C. It's a very succinct book.\nFor intermediate programmers, Build Your Own Redis[2] is a WIP book I am currently writing.\n[1] https://buildyourownlisp.com/\n[2] https://build-your-own.org/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Build Your Own Redis[2] is a WIP book I am currently writing.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a work in progress they are writing.",
          "audience": "Intermediate programmers.",
          "caveat": "Work in progress.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "databases",
        "redis",
        "systems programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "build-your-own-ruby-on-rails-web-applications-ffcaea",
      "title": "Build Your Own Ruby on Rails Web Applications",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 781189,
          "author": "petercooper",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-23T23:15:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 781079,
          "threadTitle": "Can you recommend some good RoR books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=781189",
          "commentText": "A book with an ocean wave doesn't ring any bells. One edition of AWDwR has a hammock and an ocean, but I don't think that's what you mean.\nThe Well Grounded Rubyist is okay but yeah, you'd definitely need good OO experience first because it doesn't go into OO basics whatsoever. It does cover the dynamic features of Ruby quite well though.\nI also forgot to mention the Sitepoint book - Build Your Own Ruby on Rails Web Applications. An excellent hobbyist book. I suspect pro developers might find some issues with it though (without cracking it open again I can't elaborate on this but I did hear some comments, despite liking it myself).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Build Your Own Ruby on Rails Web Applications. An excellent hobbyist book. I suspect pro developers might find some issues with it though",
          "reason": "Calls it an excellent hobbyist book while noting professionals may find issues.",
          "audience": "Hobbyists.",
          "caveat": "Professional developers may find issues; the commenter cannot elaborate without rereading it.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ruby on rails",
        "web application development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "build-baby-build-727bf5",
      "title": "Build, Baby, Build",
      "author": "Bryan Caplan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268834,
          "author": "sien",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:04:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268834",
          "commentText": "A few of the books that stand out that I've read this year.\nTroubled - Rob Henderson. About how Henderson was in state care and wound up at prestigious universities and his thoughts on the world.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/176444107-troubled\nNot the End of the World - Hannah Ritchie from 'Our World in Data' about the state of the planet.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145624737-not-the-end-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145624737-not-the-end-of-the-world)\nDictatorland - Paul Kenyon - About the dictators who have impoverished Africa.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36260719-dictatorland\nMagic Pill - Johann Hari - About Semaglutide and how people got fat.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/201319612-magic-pill\nOn the Edge - Nate Silver - About how seeing the world in terms of risk and expected value can work.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/204236707-on-the-edge\nOrbital - Samantha Harvey - Booker Prize winner about people on the ISS and the world.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123136728-orbital\nBuild, Baby, Build - Bryan Caplan on why YIMBYism is a good idea. This is a graphic novel. It's really fun.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/181564537-build-baby-bui... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/181564537-build-baby-build)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Build, Baby, Build - Bryan Caplan on why YIMBYism is a good idea. This is a graphic novel. It's really fun.",
          "reason": "Calls it fun and includes it among this year's standouts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as a graphic novel.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bryan Caplan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "graphic novel",
        "housing policy",
        "yimby"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "build-an-unorthodox-guide-to-making-things-worth-making-6269b4",
      "title": "Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making",
      "author": "Tony Fadell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38560202,
          "author": "monkeypicks",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T18:52:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38560202",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\nVictory City- new Salman Rushdie book. Great retelling of the history of one of the great medieval South Indian kingdoms. Not his best, but his writing is still top notch.\nSea of Tranquility- speculative fiction from Emily St. John Mandel (of Station Eleven fame). It's a series of interconnected stories spanning centuries from the near past to the near future. Beautifully written. Read when I was down with COVID earlier this year and it invaded my dreams (in a good way). Short and easy read.\nGiovanni's Room- story of an American expat in Paris caught between his love for a man and his duty to his girlfriend. This is the first James Baldwin book I have read but will definitely check out more of his work in 2024.\nTheory of Bastards- speculative fiction by Audrey Schulmann. Literary sci-fi similar to Station Eleven. It's about a woman researching primate behavior set in the near future where the earth is ravaged by the effects of climate change. Very well researched, beautifully written and nothing like I have ever read before. This won the 2019 Philip K Dick Award.\nInvisible Cities- literary fiction by Italo Calvino. It's less than 200 pages but a very dense and tough read. It's a conversation between Marco Polo and Kublai Khan where MP is describing cities in KK's vast empire. It's a strange, strange book that I think I will return to often. If you liked the world building in Piranesi and want more, this is the book for you. Calvino describes 55 cities in under 200 pages, with each one feeling very different. Again, first Calvino book I have read and will definitely check out more of his works in 2024.\nNon-fiction:\nThinking in Systems: A Primer- by Donella Meadows. Read this based on HN's recommendation. Thank you!\nOn Intelligence- by Jeff Hawkins. This was on my shelf for years and am glad I got to read it this year. The creator of the Palm Pilot presents his theory of intelligence and how the brain works. It's compelling. I hope to read his follow up book in 2024. Would love HN's recommendations of similar books.\nA Primate's Memoir- by Robert M. Sapolsky. Enjoyable read of the author's research on Savannah baboons and his adventures in Africa. His love for primates and humans alike come through clearly.\nBuild: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making- by Tony Fadell. A great business book by the co-founder of Nest. Draws on his experience both as a startup founder and leading innovative teams at large tech companies (Apple, in his case). Just as any business book, this could have been shorter and less repetitive but thankfully, there is enough good material here to be a book rather than a blog post.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A great business book by the co-founder of Nest.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great business book and says it draws on the author’s startup and technology leadership experience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it could be shorter and less repetitive.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tony Fadell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "product development",
        "startups"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "building-evolutionary-architectures-support-constant-change-8afda8",
      "title": "Building Evolutionary Architectures: Support Constant Change",
      "author": "Neal Ford, Rebecca Parsons, Patrick Kua",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21824206,
          "author": "Simmo",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-18T12:40:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21824206",
          "commentText": "I would like to start with:\nHigh Output Management Grove, Andrew S.\n7 Habits Of Highly Effective People Covey, Stephen R\nClean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship,(Robert C. Martin)\nClean Architecture: A Craftsman's Guide to Software Structure and Design (Robert C. Martin Series)\nBuilding Evolutionary Architectures: Support Constant Change by Neal Ford, Rebecca Parsons, Patrick Kua\nIf you have read any of them and you would like to share your thoughts, I will be truly happy to listen!:)\nHappy reading",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Building Evolutionary Architectures: Support Constant Change by Neal Ford, Rebecca Parsons, Patrick Kua",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neal Ford, Rebecca Parsons, Patrick Kua"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolutionary architecture",
        "software architecture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "building-machine-learning-powered-applications-4916e3",
      "title": "Building Machine Learning Powered Applications",
      "author": "Emmanuel Ameisen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22301426,
          "author": "e_ameisen",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-11T18:57:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22301426",
          "commentText": "Disclaimer: This is a book I wrote.\nBuilding Machine Learning Powered Applications walks you through building an ML application end-to-end, from product idea to a (simple) deployed version.\nThe free first chapter is available here https://mlpowered.com/book/\nThe github is at https://github.com/hundredblocks/ml-powered-applications",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Building Machine Learning Powered Applications walks you through building an ML application end-to-end, from product idea to a (simple) deployed version.",
          "reason": "The author says the book guides readers through building an ML application from product idea to deployment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The author discloses that this is a book they wrote; the deployed application is described as simple.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Emmanuel Ameisen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "application development",
        "machine learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "building-microservices-0876af",
      "title": "Building Microservices",
      "author": "Sam Newman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804348,
          "author": "JonathanMerklin",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:41:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804348",
          "commentText": "Great thread. 2019 was the first time in about 7-8 years I made reading for pleasure a tertiary priority ((school+career)work/sleep/exercise+socializing+(NEW!)reading) and I got through about 20 books of varying length and difficulty, so here are the next 20 in my queue:\n- Infinite Jest (already started, will likely finish in early Jan. I love it so far.)\n- Quantum Computing Since Democritus (started in November as my nonfiction read, but took a break; I think I want to finish IJ first. Scott is an excellent writer and I was really enjoying this)\n- Building Microservices\n- The Code Book\n- How Cars Work (I want to turn the projection of a car in my brain from a black box to a gray box this year, and I don't mean by purchasing a Cybertruck)\n- To Kill a Mockingbird\n- The Personal MBA (for years I laughed off caring about the business of business and lived in my fantasy land of being satisfied with just the technical details and being focused on only implementing great software/learning how to do so. With a few years in the workforce under my belt, I realize that such an outlook was of great detriment to me. I'm open to other suggestions on similar \"catch me up to speed on general business education\" material)\n- Designing Data-Intensive Applications\n- Island (I have a copy of this but not Brave New World. Multiple friends of mine demand I try Huxley, so here we are.)\n- The Annotated Turing\n- How to Invent Everything\n- Soonish (SMBC is a daily read for me and I'm excited to get to this.)\n- How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems (ditto XKCD modulo release schedule)\n- Basic Economics\n- Thus Spoke Zarathustra\n- Seveneves\n- The Prince\n- Pacific Rims: Beermen Ballin' in Flip-Flops and the Philippines' Unlikely Love Affair with Basketball\n- Elevator Music: A Surreal History of Muzak, Easy-Listening, and Other Moodsong\n- Fahrenheit 451\nAdditionally, to tickle the part of my brain that fancies mathematics (one of my my majors in undergrad), I try to work through a chapter or two of Evan Chen's \"An Infinitely Long Napkin\" on a quarterly basis. If you don't mind a conversational tone to your math textbooks, I've found this to be an excellent resource for scraping the surface of a wide variety of topics and fields (including, well, topics like fields). I think I'll continue this habit.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Building Microservices",
          "reason": "Listed in the commenter's planned reading queue.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sam Newman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "microservices",
        "software architecture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "building-scalable-web-sites-1f2866",
      "title": "Building Scalable Web Sites",
      "author": "Cal Henderson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5725,
          "author": "nostrademons",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T17:07:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5725",
          "commentText": "My list, categorized:\nBusiness & Management\n1. Innovator's Dilemma and Innovator's Solution by Clayton Christensen\n2. Built to Last and Good to Great by Jim Collins.  Built to Last is more applicable for startups.\n3. Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks.  Anyone who has to manage a team of programmers and hasn't read this will fail utterly, unless they've already failed before (or been on a failing team).  There's a lot that's counterintuitive about software project management.\n4. Peter Drucker's work.  Kinda long and repetitive, but some good insights.\nMarketing\n1. All Marketers are Liars by Seth Godin.  I like this better than Purple Cow, Guerilla Marketer's Handbook, and The Big Red Fez.  Most of those have fairly obvious stuff.\n2. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell\n3. Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore\nTechnical\n1. Building Scalable Websites by Cal Henderson\n2. High Performance MySQL by Jeremy Zawodny\n3. Pragmatic Programmer by...well, it's mentioned elsewhere here.\nThere are lots of other technical books I like, but most of them aren't directly relevant to the startup I'm building",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Building Scalable Websites by Cal Henderson",
          "reason": "Included among technical books the commenter likes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5594,
          "author": "bootload",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T03:08:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5594",
          "commentText": "yeah shows how much I read. Hence why i like short lists. Take the time to also listen to CH on Carson Workshops [0] & this one [1]. Also check out the O'Reilly chapter from the book [2].\n[0] Carson Workshops, 'The Future of Web Apps, carsonworkshops.com/summit, Cal Henderson'\nhttp://media.libsyn.com/media/carsonsystems/Cal_Henderson.mp3 \n[1] Carson Workshops, 'Building Enterprise Web Apps on a Budget – How We Built Flickr, ~ 10Mb, 10 min.'\nhttp://odeo.com/audio/1207043/view\n\n[2] O'Reilly, 'O'Reilly, Building Scalable Web Sites, Cal Henderson. Chapter 5: Data Integrity and Security, ~ 5Mb'.\nhttp://www.oreilly.com/catalog/web2apps/chapter/index.html",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "O'Reilly, Building Scalable Web Sites, Cal Henderson.",
          "reason": "Points readers to a chapter from the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5590,
          "author": "danw",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T02:51:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5590",
          "commentText": "Hackers and Painters is on my list three times :)\nI'm going to have to check out Cal Hendersons book sometime but first I have to make a good site then I can worry about scaling it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Cal Hendersons book",
          "reason": "Plans to check it out sometime, but gives no evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they will read it after making a site.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5588,
          "author": "bootload",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T02:48:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5588",
          "commentText": "great list. I'll take some time to go through this. To this  I'd add the \n - JOS software reading list [0]\n - JOS management reading list [1]\n\nThere are gaps in these lists but pretty much cover the best for both programmers & business - types. But the lists needs updating as I note pg's 'Painters & Hackers' is not listed nor is Cal Hendersons 'Building Scalable Websites' [3].\n\nReference\n[0] Joel On Software 'Book Review, reading list'\nhttp://www.joelonsoftware.com/navLinks/fog0000000262.html\n[1] Joel On Software, 'Management reading list'\nhttp://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/FogCreekMBACurriculum.html\n[3] Cal Henderson, 'Building Scalable Web Sites, 978-0596102357':\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Building-Scalable-Web-Sites-Applications/dp/0596102356",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Cal Hendersons 'Building Scalable Websites'",
          "reason": "Included as a book missing from the cited reading lists.",
          "audience": "Programmers and business readers, as implied by the surrounding description of the lists.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cal Henderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "scalability",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "building-scalable-websites-3450c0",
      "title": "Building Scalable Websites",
      "author": "Cal Henderson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 135291,
          "author": "konsl",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T17:25:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135291",
          "commentText": "Upcoming:\n\"High Performance MySQL\" (O'Reilly) (New Edition)\n\"Advanced PHP Programming: Developing Large-scale Web Applications With PHP 5\" (Developer's Library) by George Schlossnagle\nReleased:\n\"Building Scalable Websites\" (O'Reilly) by Cal Henderson\n\"Scalable Internet Architectures\" (Developer's Library) by Theo Schlossnagle",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Building Scalable Websites\" (O'Reilly) by Cal Henderson",
          "reason": "Listed as a released book in response to a bookshelf recommendation thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cal Henderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "scalability",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "building-secure-and-reliable-systems-642727",
      "title": "Building Secure and Reliable Systems",
      "author": "Heather Adkins et al.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27629689,
          "author": "samuell",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T12:05:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27629689",
          "commentText": "I'm a lot into how to streamline data architectures, especially around ML solutions, so some titles related to that.\nI'm already reading Kleppman's book right now. Tons of very useful knowledge, although quite detailed, and a lot of details around distributed computing, consensus algorithms etc (Part II), which I'm not sure I will need and which make the book rather long. Still, surely worth pressing through.\nSome titles I would like to dive into in the summer:\n- \"The Art of Immutable Architecture\" by Michael Perry.\nPossibly also:\n- \"Machine Learning Design Patterns\" by by Valliappa Lakshmanan et al.\n- \"Building Secure and Reliable Systems\" by by Heather Adkins et al.\nAnd perhaps something lighter, more inspirational for the day to day work:\n- \"Coders at work\" by Peter Seibel",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Building Secure and Reliable Systems\" by by Heather Adkins et al.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they would possibly like to dive into it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Only a possible choice.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Heather Adkins et al."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer security",
        "system reliability"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "building-secure-and-reliable-systems-c6ab6b",
      "title": "Building Secure and Reliable Systems",
      "author": "Heather Adkins, Betsy Beyer, Paul Blankinship, Anna O’Prey, and Piotr Lewandowski",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46391881,
          "author": "Mossy9",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T13:40:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46391881",
          "commentText": "Humble Bundle has spoiled me and my ebook library has grown by around a 100 books this year...\nTech book recommendations: 'Secure by Design', 'Designing Data-Intensive Applications', 'Building Secure and Reliable Systems' and 'Fundamentals of Software Architecture'.\nFor scifi: 'Murderbot Diaries' and 'The Expanse' - both are just great entertainment",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Building Secure and Reliable Systems'",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Heather Adkins",
        "Betsy Beyer",
        "Paul Blankinship",
        "Anna O’Prey",
        "Piotr Lewandowski"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "security engineering",
        "site reliability engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "building-a-debugger-37e770",
      "title": "Building a Debugger",
      "author": "Chris S. Lattner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47755997,
          "author": "xqb64",
          "createdAt": "2026-04-13T18:24:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 47728352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on building a programming language",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47755997",
          "commentText": "There is \"Building a Debugger\"[0].\n[0]: https://nostarch.com/building-a-debugger",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "There is \"Building a Debugger\"",
          "reason": "Suggested as a resource on implementing debuggers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris S. Lattner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "debuggers",
        "systems programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "building-a-storybrand-4f39cb",
      "title": "Building a StoryBrand",
      "author": "Donald Miller",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41547100,
          "author": "bengale",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-15T12:29:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41547100",
          "commentText": "Couple of my favourites: building a story brand, obviously awesome and the saas playbook.\nThere’s good advice in this thread that is cautioning about getting stuck in research mode. There’s only so much you can get from books. You need to try and fail at some point.\nMy recommendation to this point is to not treat the books as a set of “how tos”, instead use them to develop a model of the world to test your instincts against.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "building a story brand",
          "reason": "Lists it among the commenter's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donald Miller"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "brand messaging",
        "marketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "building-an-optimizing-compiler-a025e0",
      "title": "Building an Optimizing Compiler",
      "author": "Bob Morgan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13670422,
          "author": "cestith",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-17T18:20:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13670422",
          "commentText": "I already answered about \"The Art of the Metaobject Protocol\" but then two more language-implementation-centric books came to mind today.\n1. \"Writing Compilers and Interpreters\" by Ronald Mak\n2. \"Building an Optimizing Compiler\" by Bob Morgan\nMorgan's book is well sought after and out of print. It's one of the few books in the field for which the print edition prices keep climbing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Building an Optimizing Compiler\" by Bob Morgan",
          "reason": "Named as one of two language-implementation books in the answer to a request for project-based books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Out of print and sought after; print edition prices keep climbing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bob Morgan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "compiler construction",
        "optimizing compilers"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "built-from-scratch-920cdd",
      "title": "Built from Scratch",
      "author": "Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bernie Marcus",
        "Arthur Blank"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "retail"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "built-to-last-7f08df",
      "title": "Built to Last",
      "author": "Jim Collins; Jerry I. Porras",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5627,
          "author": "vo0do0",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T05:43:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5627",
          "commentText": "- Tipping point (creates a urgency feeling)\n- Built to last (tips and best practices)\n- Blink (helps not to waste ideas, shows how your first impressions/thoughts could be useful)\n- Phylosophy Books (Republic and Politics) - you can understand and have good insights about this social networking and community fever moment.\nAnything you could read regarding usability, interfaces and scalability would help a lot when dealing with low money web2 related startups. \nTo know about extreme programming would be very good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Built to last (tips and best practices)",
          "reason": "Listed for its tips and best practices.",
          "audience": "Startup founders",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jim Collins; Jerry I. Porras"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "company building",
        "organizational management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bulldog-a-compiler-for-vliw-architectures-830eb2",
      "title": "Bulldog: A Compiler for VLIW Architectures",
      "author": "John Ellis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14478503,
          "author": "tjalfi",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T21:08:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478503",
          "commentText": "Autobiography/Memoirs:\n  Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! - Richard Feynman\n  What Do You Care What Other People Think? - Richard Feynman\n  Crime and Guilt: Stories - Ferdinand von Schirach\n\nFiction:\n  The Master and Margarita - Mikhail Bulgakov\n\nTechnical:\n  Bulldog: A Compiler for VLIW Architectures - John Ellis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bulldog: A Compiler for VLIW Architectures - John Ellis",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Ellis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "compilers",
        "vliw architectures"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bullshit-jobs-db224a",
      "title": "Bullshit Jobs",
      "author": "David Graeber",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25621086,
          "author": "BakaKuna",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-03T11:06:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25621086",
          "commentText": "'Bullshit Jobs' by David Graeber. This was very confrontational.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "'Bullshit Jobs' by David Graeber.",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to which book changed the commenter's life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it was very confrontational.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Graeber"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "labor",
        "meaningful work"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "burmese-days-61c7e1",
      "title": "Burmese Days",
      "author": "George Orwell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2526794,
          "author": "m0nastic",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-08T21:51:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 2526568,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2526794",
          "commentText": "I'm not sure about \"essential reading\", but I like most anything besides Science Fiction or Fantasy (probably the opposite of most folks here)\nSome of my top choices would be:\nAnything by Bulgakov (Heart of a Dog and Master and Margerita are both pretty widely available in English)\nBerlin Stories by Christopher Isherwood\nBurmese Days by George Orwell\nCakes and Ale by Somerset Maugham\nColor of Summer by Reinaldo Arenas\nWilliwaw by Gore Vidal\nThe Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Burmese Days by George Orwell",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s top choices.",
          "audience": "Readers who like fiction outside science fiction and fantasy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Orwell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "colonialism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "burn-rate-4dcc46",
      "title": "Burn Rate",
      "author": "Michael Wolff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 602268,
          "author": "zandorg",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-10T17:14:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 601903,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fictional books related to startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=602268",
          "commentText": "Startup: A Silicon Valley Adventure: Jerry Kaplan (Jerry is such a nice guy that he answered my email).\nAnother one, though this guy did NOT reply to my email, is about a publishing (not coding) startup, Burn Rate.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another one, though this guy did NOT reply to my email, is about a publishing (not coding) startup, Burn Rate.",
          "reason": "Listed as another startup-related book in response to the request.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in startup stories, including publishing ventures.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes the author did not reply to their email.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Wolff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "publishing",
        "startup memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "burn-new-research-blows-the-lid-off-how-we-really-burn-calories-l-9832eb",
      "title": "Burn: New Research Blows the Lid Off How We Really Burn Calories, Lose Weight, and Stay Healthy",
      "author": "Herman Pontzer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45325865,
          "author": "buu709",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-21T19:28:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 45312545,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that helped you lose weight?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45325865",
          "commentText": "I recently read Burn[0]. It lined up very well with my weight experiences and explains how the mind/body works with food.\nOne of the things they found that lines up with my experience is the fact that exercise doesn't necessarly burn calories - your body will end up adjusting to any exercise routine (up to a point, but you'd have to go pro athlete levels to really make a difference.) For instance, I walk around 10km daily for my job; when I switched from an office job to this one I started feeling hungrier and thus ate a bit more - I ended up putting on weight even though I was getting much more exercise!\n[0]https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57977402",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recently read Burn[0].",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book aligned with their weight experiences and explains how the mind and body work with food.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33594094,
          "author": "csours",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-14T14:09:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33594094",
          "commentText": "Hungry Brain - Guyenet - You're not bad at 'losing weight', your body is exceptionally good at holding onto energy reserves. Managing hunger is at least as important as managing diet.\nBurn - Pontzer - Similar to above, with more historical evidence\nHaidt - Righteous Mind - What is wrong with the people on the \"other side\" - it's not about sides, it's about human nature. This is a difficult topic, don't expect easy or quick answers.\n---\nNot a book, just a few thoughts from my own life about burnout, anxiety and depression:\nNegative emotions are Ok, they are a part of life, they are not bad by themselves. When your negative emotions pick up friends - when you get angry at yourself for being upset; when you have a negative emotion about a negative emotion, and it becomes a cyclical, persistent or recurring feeling, consider getting professional help.\nI got a lot of joy out of just trying things and seeing what happened. If it succeeded or failed, I learned something. Somewhere along the way, I lost the joy of discovery. If you have lost the joy of discovery, consider changing something about your situation, and possibly getting professional help.\nA lot of the things we say about mentality are descriptions of the human experience, not mechanical or causal elements in the mind. Procrastination is not a cause for delaying tasks, it is just a description of delaying tasks - it is not one thing, the same way plastic or cancer is not one thing. There are many elements and many causes, and you have to address those things, and not the procrastination.\nWillpower is similar - people talk about willpower like it is a substance that is used up to motivate decisions. That is a human experience, but any particular decision has it's own motivations. If you have consistent issues with a type of decision, look into your motivations and deeply held beliefs, look into the elements of that motivation; defer judgement about yourself during this process.\nThese things about mentality can't be conveyed with words, your mind has to come to them on it's own, but hopefully reading this will make the ideas more available to you.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Burn - Pontzer - Similar to above, with more historical evidence",
          "reason": "Lists the book as related to the previous one, with more historical evidence.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Herman Pontzer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "metabolism",
        "evolutionary biology",
        "exercise physiology",
        "weight loss"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "burning-chrome-183a8d",
      "title": "Burning Chrome",
      "author": "William Gibson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41770009,
          "author": "bityard",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T19:32:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41770009",
          "commentText": "> exhausted by all the lingo\nI think that was my problem with Burning Chrome. Every sentence contained a new word or three that the reader is supposed to guess by context or conversation. Combined with something that read like stream-of-consciousness narration. I literally had no idea what was even happening after 30 or 45 minutes of reading.\nBut then I had the same problem with Shakespeare, so maybe I'm just dimmer than most folk.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "my problem with Burning Chrome",
          "reason": "Says the book’s unfamiliar vocabulary and narration made it hard to follow.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They struggled to understand what was happening after 30 or 45 minutes.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6388451,
          "author": "veidr",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T08:13:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6388451",
          "commentText": "Oops, I meant Count Zero, not Burning Chrome. The latter isn't part of the Sprawl trilogy, but rather a collection of short stories (some good, some not so good).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Oops, I meant Count Zero, not Burning Chrome.",
          "reason": "Corrects an earlier claim, noting it is a short story collection and is not part of the Sprawl trilogy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says the collection has some good stories and some not so good.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387960,
          "author": "veidr",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T02:51:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387960",
          "commentText": "The trilogy of Neuromancer, Burning Chrome, and Mona Lisa Overdrive is still my favorite work of fiction, and also, to my mind, exemplifies the kind of taut, awesome writing that I would want to do if I wrote novels. It the only series of 3 books I have read more than once.\nI caught these books at just the right time in my life (age 13 or 14), leading my high-school fascination with Japan and rekindled interest in computing, and probably played an inordinately large role in me ending up as a programmer who lives in Tokyo, two decades later.\nI like great sci fi best, but I think most of it is crap, including virtually all of the old pulp sci fi and Asimov I grew up reading (which was basically all of it), Star Wars/Trek, etc.\nOther than Gibson's stuff, some of the truly spectacular sci fi I have read is the very-dense-and-not-at-all-thriller-ish Mars trilogy (Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars), and the fast-paced-and-awesome Spin by Robert Charles Wilson. That led me to read all of Wilson's books, many of which are also good. Also Haldeman is an author worth reading, though not all of his books hit their mark.\nGreat sci fi is my favorite fiction, but IMO most of it is broken by being fundamentally implausible. Other fiction I consider great in other genres include Memoirs of a Geisha, Cold Mountain, REAMDE, The Son, The Road, the lighter but still version of that post-apocalyptic concept The Dog Stars, City of Thieves, and All the Pretty Horses and its sequels.\nIt's probably symptomatic of a major flaw in my character that despite also buying dozens of nonfiction works (Lincoln, On China, and so forth) over the past few years, I haven't finished any of them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The trilogy of Neuromancer, Burning Chrome, and Mona Lisa Overdrive is still my favorite work of fiction",
          "reason": "Includes it in the author's favorite work of fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Gibson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyberpunk",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "burnout-4cb4ce",
      "title": "Burnout",
      "author": "Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35171605,
          "author": "grepLeigh",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:18:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35171605",
          "commentText": "Most posts offer the obvious suggestions (The Mom Test, High Growth Handbook, The Personal MBA, The Power Law, Hard Thing about Hard Thing, Will It Fly, etc), so I'll focus on some non-obvious suggestions.\nFor tactical advice, I find talks/podcasts and mastermind groups more useful than books.  My favorite podcast (by far) is Rob Walling's Startups for the Rest of Us, which is oriented towards building a capital-efficient bootstrapped business. The archive is full of extremely valuable tactical advice.\nThe books I've found most helpful on my entrepreneurship journey are about mental health, emotional intelligence, and relationships of all kinds. Sharing a few that have had a profound impact, since they helped me metabolize and understand what drove me to become a founder in the first place.\n1. The Self-Compassion Skills Workbook by Tim Desmond\n2. Path of Compassion by Thich Nhat Hanh\n3. The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read, Philippa Perry\n4. Burnout, Emily Nagoski\n5. Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents, Lindsay C. Gibson\n6. Self-Compassion, Dr. Kristin Neff\n7. How to Keep House While Drowning, KC Davis\n8. Deploy Empathy, Michele Hansen\n9. The Body Keeps the Score, Bessel A. Van der Kolk\n10. Atlas of the Heart, Brene Brown\n11. What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Burnout, Emily Nagoski",
          "reason": "Listed among books that helped the commenter on their entrepreneurship journey.",
          "audience": "Founders interested in mental health, emotional intelligence, and relationships.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Emily Nagoski",
        "Amelia Nagoski"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "stress",
        "women s health"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "burr-acc85a",
      "title": "Burr",
      "author": "Gore Vidal",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4969039,
          "author": "theballwatcher",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T12:30:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4969039",
          "commentText": "Shogun is a great read. It got me started on the whole historical fiction genre. The rest of the books in Clavell's Asian Saga are pretty good too except for maybe Gai-jin. I also enjoyed reading Gore Vidal's Lincoln and Burr from his Narratives of the Empire series - very entertaining and definitely not run-of-the-mill biographic portrayals.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also enjoyed reading Gore Vidal's Lincoln and Burr from his Narratives of the Empire series",
          "reason": "Includes it among books the commenter enjoyed reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gore Vidal"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "early american history",
        "historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "bury-my-heart-at-wounded-knee-cec6cd",
      "title": "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee",
      "author": "Dee Brown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910404,
          "author": "briga",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:42:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910404",
          "commentText": "The Beginning of Infinity by David Deutsch. The sheer breadth of the ideas covered in this book is breathtaking, and there are some truly mind-bending ideas explored in this book. If you're looking for a good general science book I highly recommend this one.\nSuperintelligence by Nick Bostrom. Few thinkers have thought about this issue as deeply as Bostrom, and it was fascinating to hear his thoughts on AI.\nBury My Heart at Wounded Knee. Pretty traumatic read but essential if you really want to understand a dark and overlooked chapter of American history",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Pretty traumatic read but essential if you really want to understand a dark and overlooked chapter of American history",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it essential for understanding an overlooked chapter of American history.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking to understand a dark, overlooked chapter of American history.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as a traumatic read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dee Brown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american west",
        "native american history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "business-the-speed-of-thought-054772",
      "title": "Business @ the Speed of Thought",
      "author": "Bill Gates",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2147885,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T14:28:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2147885",
          "commentText": "I can think of a handful of books that have had a major impact on me.  Off the top of my head:\nNineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell\nFahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury\nThe Game - Neil Strauss\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nAtlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand\nFour Steps to the Epiphany - Steve Blank\nBusiness @ The Speed of Thought - Bill Gates\nThe Art of the Start - Guy Kawasaki",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Business @ The Speed of Thought - Bill Gates",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter says had a major impact on them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Gates"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "digital transformation",
        "management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "business-the-speed-of-thought-a828b2",
      "title": "Business @ the Speed of Thought",
      "author": "Bill Gates and Collins Hemingway",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11714199,
          "author": "max_",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-17T14:59:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11714199",
          "commentText": "Its an old book. But has a lot of interesting aspects.\nBusiness @ The Speed Of Thought By  Bill Gates and Collins Hemingway\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_@_the_Speed_of_Though... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_@_the_Speed_of_Thought)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Business @ The Speed Of Thought By  Bill Gates and Collins Hemingway",
          "reason": "Says it has many interesting aspects.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes it as old.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Gates and Collins Hemingway"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "digital business",
        "information technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "business-the-speed-of-thought-using-a-digital-nervous-system-3a2433",
      "title": "Business @ the Speed of Thought: Using a Digital Nervous System",
      "author": "Bill Gates",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17205403,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T14:04:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205403",
          "commentText": "Maybe not perfect matches, but a few titles I'm familiar with that you might like:\nDreaming in Code - covers Mitch Kapor's post Lotus effort to build Chandler.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreaming_in_Code\nEveryone Else Must Fail - all about Larry Ellison and Oracle\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Everyone-Else-Must-Fail-Unvarnished/d... (https://www.amazon.com/Everyone-Else-Must-Fail-Unvarnished/dp/0712621482)\nWinners, Losers & Microsoft - title says it all\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Winners-Losers-Microsoft-Competition-... (https://www.amazon.com/Winners-Losers-Microsoft-Competition-Technology/dp/0945999844)\nTwo books by Bill Gates:\nBusiness At The Speed of Thought\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Business-Speed-Thought-Succeeding-Dig... (https://www.amazon.com/Business-Speed-Thought-Succeeding-Digital/dp/0446525685/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1527861952&sr=1-1&keywords=business+at+the+speed+of+thought)\nand\nThe Road Ahead\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Road-Ahead-Completely-Up-Date/dp/0140... (https://www.amazon.com/Road-Ahead-Completely-Up-Date/dp/0140260404/ref=pd_sbs_14_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0140260404&pd_rd_r=ZRRXQ50NEK3EPWVC9FM9&pd_rd_w=q6Fr8&pd_rd_wg=iFPgv&psc=1&refRID=ZRRXQ50NEK3EPWVC9FM9)\nAlso:\nMCI: Failure Is Not An Option\nhttps://www.amazon.com/MCI-Failure-Invented-Competition-Tele... (https://www.amazon.com/MCI-Failure-Invented-Competition-Telecommunications/dp/1888232412/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1527861809&sr=1-1&keywords=failure+is+not+an+option+mci)\nAlready mentioned, but I feel obligated to add another +1 for these three:\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Kidder\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Levy\nThe Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation - Gertner\nAlso, if you enjoy this kind of stuff, you might enjoy the AMC series Halt and Catch Fire. Yes it's fiction and highly dramatized, but it captures a lot of the spirit of the times from the beginnings of the PC era up through the Dot Com Bubble era.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Two books by Bill Gates:\nBusiness At The Speed of Thought",
          "reason": "Listed as one of Bill Gates’s books in a set of titles the reader might like.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in business and technology.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Gates"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bill gates",
        "digital business"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "business-model-generation-098e32",
      "title": "Business Model Generation",
      "author": "Alexander Osterwalder et al.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16296324,
          "author": "neya",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T05:21:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296324",
          "commentText": "Right off the bat, here you go:\n1. The 7 habits of highly successful people (Stephen Covey)\n2. The Miracle Morning (Hal Elrod)\n3. Business Model Generation (Aelxander Osterwalder)\n4. The Art Of War (Sun Tzu)\n5. The E-myth, why most businesses don't work and what to do about it (Michel Gerber)\n6. Made In Japan (Founder of Sony, Akio Morita)\n7. How to win friends and influence people (Dale Carnegie)\nProbably I missed a few more, but I think these ones are a good start.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Business Model Generation (Aelxander Osterwalder)",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about books one wishes one had read earlier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alexander Osterwalder et al."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business models",
        "entrepreneurship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "business-without-the-bullsh-t-49-secrets-and-shortcuts-you-need-t-b948b3",
      "title": "Business Without the Bullsh*t: 49 Secrets and Shortcuts You Need to Know",
      "author": "Geoff Burch",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25556242,
          "author": "axetheone",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-28T02:47:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 25554464,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books for dealing with workplace politics and dishonesty?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25556242",
          "commentText": "This is a topic that I've been thinking about strongly this year and I strongly relate to what you're feeling as well. As for books on this, apart from the more mainstream ones, an example would be \"Business without the Bullsh*t: 49 Secrets and Shortcuts You Need to Know\", which has some interesting ideas.\nBut the general gist of all this is essentially to \"fight fire with fire\", as awful it may sound. But do note that there are some cultural aspects to this as well, companies with a strongly American culture are way more subject to that \"dishonest harmony\" phenomena compared to companies with a German or Dutch culture for example (other countries with a more honest and direct culture apply as well).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Business without the Bullsh*t: 49 Secrets and Shortcuts You Need to Know",
          "reason": "The commenter offers it as an example of a book on the topic and says it has some interesting ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Geoff Burch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "career strategy",
        "workplace politics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "busy-doing-nothing-d41260",
      "title": "Busy Doing Nothing",
      "author": "Hundred Rabbits",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42274055,
          "author": "codazoda",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T14:21:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42274055",
          "commentText": "Here are a few I enjoyed this year...\nWalts Way, Andrew Lock\nBusy Doing Nothing, Hundred Rabbits\nThe Art and Business of Online Writing, Nocolas Cole\nIf you want to be a writer and publish your own book I've written a short how-to guide. I'm updating it right now, building a site to promote other authors, and I'll release the new version in the coming days. My email address is in my profile if you're interested.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Busy Doing Nothing, Hundred Rabbits",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter enjoyed this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hundred Rabbits"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [],
      "nicheTags": [],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "busybusy-9afca0",
      "title": "BusyBusy",
      "author": "Tony Crabbe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36429145,
          "author": "casarock",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T07:45:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36429145",
          "commentText": "BusyBusy by Tony Crabbe changed my views on what really matters in jobs and in life!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "BusyBusy by Tony Crabbe changed my views on what really matters in jobs and in life!",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed their views on what matters in work and life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tony Crabbe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "productivity",
        "work life balance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "but-how-do-it-know-263e5b",
      "title": "But How Do It Know?",
      "author": "J. Clark Scott",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31178781,
          "author": "pigiou",
          "createdAt": "2022-04-27T11:53:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 31166475,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Top inspiring books on crucial CS ideas?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31178781",
          "commentText": "One book I really enjoyed is \"But How Do It Know?\".\nIt's a fun read and it explains the core concepts of how a computer works really well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One book I really enjoyed is \"But How Do It Know?\".",
          "reason": "Says they really enjoyed the book and that it explains core computer concepts well.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. Clark Scott"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer architecture",
        "how computers work"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "byron-barton-books-a16bf9",
      "title": "Byron Barton books",
      "author": "Byron Barton",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26775082,
          "author": "rmk",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-12T00:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26775082",
          "commentText": "- Good Night, Moon\n- The Runaway Bunny\n- Harold and the Purple Crayon\n- Grandfather Twilight (for slightly older children)\n- Sandra Boynton books\n- Max's Breakfast (and other books)\n- I Read Signs (Tana Hoban; other books by her also quite good)\n- Go! Go! Go! Stop! (Cherise Mericle Harper)\n- Little Pea (Amy Krouse Rosenthal)\n- Trucks, My Car (and other Byron Barton books)\n- The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Eric Carle; some other books by this author are also good)\n- Roadwork (Sally Sutton; also in the same vein by the illustrator Brian Lovelock: Demolition, Flight of the Honey Bee, The Rain Train).\nMany others come to mind, but these are well-loved.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "other Byron Barton books",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Byron Barton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s concept books",
        "vehicles"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "brhadaranyaka-upanisad-995d4f",
      "title": "Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 44568074,
          "author": "adyashakti",
          "createdAt": "2025-07-15T05:26:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 44568054,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44568074",
          "commentText": "Bṛhadāraṇyakopaniṣad, without a doubt. not for the faint of heart or the ignorant.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bṛhadāraṇyakopaniṣad",
          "reason": "Calls it their favorite book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not for the faint of heart or the ignorant.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hindu philosophy",
        "upanishads"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "c-traps-and-pitfalls-7c702b",
      "title": "C Traps and Pitfalls",
      "author": "Andrew Koenig",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1213049,
          "author": "nfnaaron",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-23T15:02:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1212675,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I use and love Python. What's the best book to learn C ?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1213049",
          "commentText": "From my C days, I second and third Harbison & Steele. I learned from K&R, but I learned better from H&S.\nFrom this list (can't say how current they are),\nhttp://www.c-faq.com/resources/sd19.html\nI liked:\n  - K&R and H&S (if you have to choose, H&S)\n  - The Standard C Library, P.J.Plauger.\n  - C Traps and Pitfalls, Andrew Koenig.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "C Traps and Pitfalls, Andrew Koenig.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed among books the commenter liked; no further detail is given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew Koenig"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "c-in-easy-steps-a25051",
      "title": "C in Easy Steps",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9758207,
          "author": "desbest",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T13:41:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758207",
          "commentText": "C in Easy Steps",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "C in Easy Steps",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "c-in-a-nutshell-a07885",
      "title": "C in a Nutshell",
      "author": "Peter Prinz and Tony Crawford",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12160697,
          "author": "satysin",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-25T18:49:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 12160209,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 12 year old tech savvy girl – books, programs, events, advice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12160697",
          "commentText": "Start with Programming in C or C A Modern Approach (although the latter is expensive even second hand) and learn some basic Linux.\nThen K&R just because everyone should read it.\nGrab C in a Nutshell, Understanding and Using C Pointers and C A Reference Manual for reference.\nThen get the Linux Programming Interface book.\nOkay maybe a bit overkill for a 12 year old...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Grab C in a Nutshell",
          "reason": "Suggested as a reference.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Prinz and Tony Crawford"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming",
        "reference"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "c-4-0-in-a-nutshell-81832a",
      "title": "C# 4.0 in a Nutshell",
      "author": "Joseph Albahari and Ben Albahari",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12246413,
          "author": "yumaikas",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T09:21:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12246413",
          "commentText": "Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software was one of the most formative books for my programming self education. I've tried to loan it to several of my friends more than once, and it was a gift to me.\nAlso had a strange case of loaning out C# 4.0 in a Nutshell and never getting it back, but I would do it again (with an updated version). Albahari is good at writing a reference without being too boring, and C# has some legitimately interesting sides in how it does some things, like it's dynamically compiled regexen.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Albahari is good at writing a reference without being too boring",
          "reason": "The commenter praises Albahari's readable reference writing.",
          "audience": "C# programmers seeking a reference.",
          "caveat": "The commenter mentions an older edition and says they would lend an updated version.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph Albahari and Ben Albahari"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c",
        "programming reference"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "c-in-depth-3rd-edition-2c3c70",
      "title": "C# in Depth, 3rd edition",
      "author": "Jon Skeet",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7757050,
          "author": "tonyedgecombe",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:29:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7757050",
          "commentText": "I'm half way through this and slightly disappointed with it. I thought there was too much material on upgrading from early versions that have been obsolete for a long time. Hopefully the second half is better.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I thought there was too much material on upgrading from early versions that have been obsolete for a long time. Hopefully the second half is better.",
          "reason": "The commenter is disappointed by the book's coverage of obsolete early versions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter hopes the second half will be better.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7756814,
          "author": "zwieback",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:02:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7756814",
          "commentText": "\"C# In Depth, 3rd edition\" by Jon Skeet. I had been falling behind on the new stuff added to .NET and C# and this is a good way to get back on the curve.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this is a good way to get back on the curve.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as a way to catch up on newer C# and .NET features.",
          "audience": "Readers catching up on newer C# and .NET features.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jon Skeet"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c",
        "net"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "c-concurrency-in-action-be6295",
      "title": "C++ Concurrency in Action",
      "author": "Anthony Williams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46488074,
          "author": "coolThingsFirst",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-04T14:05:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 46483863,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading list for being a better engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46488074",
          "commentText": "1) C++ concurrency in action\n2) Tannenabum Networking and OSes\n3) Get your domain and build something",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "C++ concurrency in action",
          "reason": "Listed as a suggested book for improving engineering skills.",
          "audience": "Software engineers seeking to improve their skills.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anthony Williams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c",
        "concurrency"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "c-concurrency-in-action-practical-multithreading-09b042",
      "title": "C++ Concurrency in Action: Practical Multithreading",
      "author": "Anthony Williams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7757179,
          "author": "eiji",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:45:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7757179",
          "commentText": "C++ Concurrency in Action, Practical Multithreading, by Anthony Williams\nhttp://www.manning.com/williams/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "C++ Concurrency in Action, Practical Multithreading, by Anthony Williams",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer in a thread asking for recently read programming books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anthony Williams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c",
        "concurrency",
        "multithreading"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "c-design-patterns-and-derivatives-pricing-e7030f",
      "title": "C++ Design Patterns and Derivatives Pricing",
      "author": "Mark Joshi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3178598,
          "author": "shogunmike",
          "createdAt": "2011-10-31T19:16:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 3177815,
          "threadTitle": "Good books for hackers interested in quant finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3178598",
          "commentText": "If by 'quantitative finance' you mean option pricing then check out the books by Mark Joshi:\n- 'The Concepts and Practice of Mathematical Finance'\n- 'C++ Design Patterns and Derivatives Pricing'\nAlso of note is Baxter & Rennie:\n- 'Financial Calculus: An Introduction to Derivative Pricing'\nOnce you've studied those and have a good grasp of Measure Theory, you'll want to tackle Shreve, Vol II.\nAnd a brief plug of my (slightly out of date!) quant finance website, Quantstart.com.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "check out the books by Mark Joshi",
          "reason": "Suggested for readers interested in option pricing.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in quantitative finance and option pricing.",
          "caveat": "The suggestion is conditional on meaning option pricing by quantitative finance.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Joshi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Economics",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c",
        "derivatives pricing",
        "quantitative finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "c4e-communication-for-engineers-d41a2d",
      "title": "C4E - Communication for Engineers",
      "author": "Chris Laffra",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32352618,
          "author": "chris-laffra",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-05T06:50:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32352618",
          "commentText": "C4E - Communication for Engineers. https://chrislaffra.com/c4e\nThe book discusses a variety of \"soft\" skills, including reading and writing. Not specifically focused on technical writing per se, but can still be very useful for engineers to learn how to influence others through written materials. As Urs Hölzle says in the foreword to the book:\n\"At some point in your career, you can no longer communicate effectively just by talking with others. Stand-ups, planning meetings, and peer programming sessions all have their physical limits. This effect applies to you sooner than you think. At that point, you need to switch to asynchronous communication techniques. In short, you need to switch to writing. Those who can write well suddenly have a head start. Through well-written communication, your influence suddenly grows exponentially.\"\n[I am the author]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "C4E - Communication for Engineers.",
          "reason": "The author says the book can help engineers learn to influence others through written materials.",
          "audience": "Engineers.",
          "caveat": "Not specifically focused on technical writing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris Laffra"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "engineering communication",
        "written communication"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "c-a-modern-approach-ca9fb6",
      "title": "C: A Modern Approach",
      "author": "K. N. King",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12160697,
          "author": "satysin",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-25T18:49:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 12160209,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 12 year old tech savvy girl – books, programs, events, advice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12160697",
          "commentText": "Start with Programming in C or C A Modern Approach (although the latter is expensive even second hand) and learn some basic Linux.\nThen K&R just because everyone should read it.\nGrab C in a Nutshell, Understanding and Using C Pointers and C A Reference Manual for reference.\nThen get the Linux Programming Interface book.\nOkay maybe a bit overkill for a 12 year old...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "C A Modern Approach",
          "reason": "Suggested as a starting book for learning C.",
          "audience": "A 12-year-old learning programming.",
          "caveat": "Described as expensive even second hand.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "K. N. King"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "c-a-reference-manual-0ca38f",
      "title": "C: A Reference Manual",
      "author": "Samuel P. Harbison, Guy L. Steele Jr.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1213049,
          "author": "nfnaaron",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-23T15:02:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1212675,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I use and love Python. What's the best book to learn C ?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1213049",
          "commentText": "From my C days, I second and third Harbison & Steele. I learned from K&R, but I learned better from H&S.\nFrom this list (can't say how current they are),\nhttp://www.c-faq.com/resources/sd19.html\nI liked:\n  - K&R and H&S (if you have to choose, H&S)\n  - The Standard C Library, P.J.Plauger.\n  - C Traps and Pitfalls, Andrew Koenig.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second and third Harbison & Steele.",
          "reason": "The commenter favors Harbison and Steele as a C reference and says they would choose it over K&R.",
          "audience": "C programmers seeking a reference manual.",
          "caveat": "The commenter cannot say how current the books in the list are.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Samuel P. Harbison, Guy L. Steele Jr."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming",
        "reference manuals"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cqrs-journey-e18870",
      "title": "CQRS Journey",
      "author": "Microsoft patterns & practices",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9613463,
          "author": "stephanos2k",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T18:40:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9613463",
          "commentText": "CQRS Journey\n\"This guidance is designed to help you get started with the CQRS pattern and event sourcing. It is not intended to be the definitive guide to the CQRS pattern and event sourcing. Instead, it's a journal that describes the experiences of a development team with no prior CQRS proficiency in building, deploying (to Microsoft Azure), and maintaining a sample real-world complex enterprise system as a reference implementation (RI) to showcase various CQRS and ES concepts & techniques.\"\navailable as PDF: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/jj554200.aspx",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "CQRS Journey\n\"This guidance is designed to help you get started with the CQRS pattern and event sourcing. It is not intended to be the definitive guide to the CQRS pattern and event sourcing.",
          "reason": "Presents the guidance as a starting resource for CQRS and event sourcing.",
          "audience": "Readers getting started with CQRS and event sourcing.",
          "caveat": "The commenter quotes its disclaimer that it is not a definitive guide; it describes a team's experience and sample system.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Microsoft patterns & practices"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cqrs",
        "event sourcing",
        "software architecture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "css-cookbook-2e6f38",
      "title": "CSS Cookbook",
      "author": "Christopher Schmitt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16520,
          "author": "kyro",
          "createdAt": "2007-04-25T02:19:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 16518,
          "threadTitle": "What is the best book/resource for CSS? (more than the basics)",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16520",
          "commentText": "O'Reilly's CSS Cookbook is a pretty good book. Again, that's the only CSS book I have, so I don't know how it compares to others. However, this book was recommended to me by almost every person. I'm not sure if the book contains the advanced CSS programming you desire.\nEmail me if you want it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "O'Reilly's CSS Cookbook is a pretty good book.",
          "reason": "Calls it a pretty good CSS book.",
          "audience": "People looking for a CSS book beyond the basics.",
          "caveat": "It is the only CSS book the commenter has; they are unsure it covers advanced CSS.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher Schmitt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "css",
        "web design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "css-mastery-cc1b0f",
      "title": "CSS Mastery",
      "author": "Andy Budd, Cameron Moll, and Simon Collison",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 574524,
          "author": "juliend2",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-22T20:44:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 574468,
          "threadTitle": "What is the best CSS book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=574524",
          "commentText": "CSS Mastery for me is THE book on CSS. Although its old because at the time the book was written, IE7 was not officially in the market yet. It contains a lot of step-by-step solutions for common real-world css problems, along with browser gotchas and hacks when necessary. Particularly useful if you plan to support IE6 for pixel-perfect layouts.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "CSS Mastery for me is THE book on CSS.",
          "reason": "Calls it the definitive CSS book and describes its practical solutions and browser guidance.",
          "audience": "People solving real-world CSS problems, especially those supporting IE6.",
          "caveat": "The book is old; it predates IE7's official release.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andy Budd, Cameron Moll, and Simon Collison"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "browser compatibility",
        "css",
        "web design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "css-secrets-better-solutions-to-everyday-web-design-problems-b2dfd7",
      "title": "CSS Secrets: Better Solutions to Everyday Web Design Problems",
      "author": "Lea Verou",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10541418,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-10T18:49:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10541418",
          "commentText": "The Shepherd's Crown by Terry Pratchett. His last work. \nPhoebe and Her Unicorn by Dana Simpson (I'd recommend this to families with young children)\nCSS Secrets: Better Solutions to Everyday Web Design Problems by Lea Verou. I'm not really a front in person so this was an interesting look into CSS3\nPenetration Testing: A Hands-On Introduction to Hacking\nGeorgia Weidman\nI'm starting next on Rework, as I've heard a lot about it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "CSS Secrets: Better Solutions to Everyday Web Design Problems by Lea Verou. I'm not really a front in person so this was an interesting look into CSS3",
          "reason": "Calls the book an interesting look into CSS3.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are not really a front-end person.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lea Verou"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "css",
        "web design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "css-in-depth-264980",
      "title": "CSS in Depth",
      "author": "Keith J. Grant",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37326037,
          "author": "code_primer",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-30T17:50:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 37325594,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books to learn web development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37326037",
          "commentText": "A textbook which gives a good introduction to Web Development is:\n1) Fundamentals of Web Development (Randy Connolly and Ricardo Hoar).\nI have the 2nd Ed but the 3rd Ed is out and is more contemporary.\nSpecific books for HTML and CSS are:\n1) HTML and CSS - The Comprehensive Guide (decent contemporary introduction)\n2) CSS in Depth\n3) CSS The Definite Guide - 5th Ed - Reference\nSpecific books for JavaScript.\n1) Javascript - The Comprehensive Guide (decent contemporary introduction)\n2) Eloquent JavaScript - 3rd Ed\n3) Javascipt - The Definite Guide - 7th Ed",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "CSS in Depth",
          "reason": "Listed among specific books for CSS.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Keith J. Grant"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "css"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "css-the-definitive-guide-7067af",
      "title": "CSS: The Definitive Guide",
      "author": "Eric A. Meyer and Estelle Weyl",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37326037,
          "author": "code_primer",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-30T17:50:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 37325594,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books to learn web development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37326037",
          "commentText": "A textbook which gives a good introduction to Web Development is:\n1) Fundamentals of Web Development (Randy Connolly and Ricardo Hoar).\nI have the 2nd Ed but the 3rd Ed is out and is more contemporary.\nSpecific books for HTML and CSS are:\n1) HTML and CSS - The Comprehensive Guide (decent contemporary introduction)\n2) CSS in Depth\n3) CSS The Definite Guide - 5th Ed - Reference\nSpecific books for JavaScript.\n1) Javascript - The Comprehensive Guide (decent contemporary introduction)\n2) Eloquent JavaScript - 3rd Ed\n3) Javascipt - The Definite Guide - 7th Ed",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "CSS The Definite Guide - 5th Ed - Reference",
          "reason": "Lists it as a CSS reference.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric A. Meyer",
        "Estelle Weyl"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "css",
        "reference"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "css-the-definitive-guide-bf3290",
      "title": "CSS: The Definitive Guide",
      "author": "Eric A. Meyer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13264594,
          "author": "ud0",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-27T17:43:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13264594",
          "commentText": "CSS Mastery - Andy Budd\nCSS: The definitive guide - Eric Meyer\nHTML & CSS design - Jon Ducket\nZero to One - Peter Theil. (Started reading it early this year, still on it.)\nI've a self-taught developer coding professionally for 4 years now and I'm looking to fill knowledge gaps and understand how things work under the hood.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "CSS: The definitive guide - Eric Meyer",
          "reason": "Lists it among books for filling knowledge gaps and understanding how things work under the hood.",
          "audience": "A self-taught developer seeking to fill knowledge gaps.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric A. Meyer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "css",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "css-the-missing-manual-bc5938",
      "title": "CSS: The Missing Manual",
      "author": "David Sawyer McFarland",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 574655,
          "author": "tonyvt2005",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-22T22:09:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 574468,
          "threadTitle": "What is the best CSS book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=574655",
          "commentText": "CSS: The Missing Manual was a great starting point for me.  I still use it as a reference but I mostly just find things on the web.  Smashing Magazine has some good stuff -- http://www.smashingmagazine.com/category/css/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "CSS: The Missing Manual was a great starting point for me.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great starting point and says they still use it as a reference.",
          "audience": "People starting to learn CSS.",
          "caveat": "The commenter now mostly finds things on the web.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Sawyer McFarland"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "css",
        "reference",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cache-lake-country-73fcf0",
      "title": "Cache Lake Country",
      "author": "John J. Rowlands",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17169369,
          "author": "wrycoder",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T22:10:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17169369",
          "commentText": "Gravitation by Misner, Thorne, and Wheeler\nThe Road to Reality by Penrose\nThe Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli\n\"For a long time, we have tried to understand the world in terms of some primary substance.  Perhaps physics, more than any other discipline, has pursued this primary substance.  But the more we have studied it, the less the world seems comprehensible in terms of something that is.  It seems to be a lot more intelligible in terms of relations between events.\n...\nWe therefore describe the world as it happens, not as it is.  Newton's mechanics, Maxwell's equations, quantum mechanics, and so on, tell us how events happen, not how things are...we understand the world in its becoming, not in its being.  Things in themselves are only events that for a while are monotonous.  But only before returning to dust, everything returns to dust.\nThe absence of time does not mean, therefore, that everything is frozen and unmoving.  It means that the incessant happening that wearies the world is not ordered along a time line, is not measured by a gigantic tick-tocking.  It does not even form a four-dimensional geometry.  It is a boundless and disorderly network of quantum events.  The world is more like Naples than Singapore.\nIf by 'time' we mean nothing more than happening, then everything is time.  There is only that which exists in time.\"\nVery influential in my teens:\nAbsalom, Absalom by Faulkner\nUSA by John Dos Passos\nCache Lake Country by Rowlands",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cache Lake Country by Rowlands",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was very influential in their teens.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John J. Rowlands"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "outdoor living"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cadillac-desert-the-american-west-and-its-disappearing-water-2952d8",
      "title": "Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water",
      "author": "Marc Reisner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35930246,
          "author": "kickout",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T16:58:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35930246",
          "commentText": "Cadalliac desert by Marc Reisner",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cadalliac desert by Marc Reisner",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401347,
          "author": "scottm01",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:10:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401347",
          "commentText": "Reading:\nCadilllac Desert: The American West and it's Disappearing Water - Mark Reisner\nYear Zero: A Novel - Rob Reid",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Cadilllac Desert: The American West and it's Disappearing Water - Mark Reisner",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marc Reisner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Nature",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american west",
        "water policy",
        "environmental history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "caesar-s-last-breath-decoding-the-secrets-of-the-air-around-us-d2188e",
      "title": "Caesar’s Last Breath: Decoding the Secrets of the Air Around Us",
      "author": "Sam Kean",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18744369,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T04:11:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744369",
          "commentText": "* The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCullough\n* Higher: A Historic Race to the Sky and the Making of a City by Neal Bascomb\n* Caesar’s Last Breath: Decoding the Secrets of the Air Around Us by Sam Kean\n* Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari\n* A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts by Andrew Chaikin\n* The Actor’s Life: A survival guide by Jenna Fischer\n* The Interstellar Age: The Story of the NASA Men and Women Who Flew the Forty-Year Voyager Mission by Jim Bell\n* The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance by David Epstein\n* Uncommon People: The Rise and Fall of the Rock Stars 1955-1994 by David Hepworth\n* Chasing Space: An Astronaut's Story of Grit, Grace, & Second Chances by Leland Melvin\n* The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough\n* Jefferson: Architect of American Liberty by John B. Boles",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Caesar’s Last Breath: Decoding the Secrets of the Air Around Us by Sam Kean",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite nonfiction book read in 2018.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sam Kean"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "atmospheric science",
        "chemistry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "caine-black-knife-7f6461",
      "title": "Caine Black Knife",
      "author": "Matthew Stover",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22724133,
          "author": "mirimir",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T00:35:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22724133",
          "commentText": "I'm an old man now, so I'm especially interested in books about getting complete with life. I'm also into amusing and distracting.\nTop on my list are William S. Burroughs' last trilogy (especially Place of Dead Roads and The Western Lands) and Matthew Stover's Caine series (especially Caine Black Knife and Caine's Law). Burroughs published that trilogy when he was about my age, and there's some amazing stuff about how memory shows up. The Caine series is basically a contemplation of \"What if you could undo the worst thing that you've ever done?\".\nI could go on about many other authors whom I've loved, over the years, but there's other stuff that I gotta do now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "especially Caine Black Knife and Caine's Law",
          "reason": "Names it as a standout in the Caine series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthew Stover"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "moral consequences",
        "second chances"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "caine-series-c509fe",
      "title": "Caine series",
      "author": "Matthew Stover",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22724133,
          "author": "mirimir",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T00:35:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22724133",
          "commentText": "I'm an old man now, so I'm especially interested in books about getting complete with life. I'm also into amusing and distracting.\nTop on my list are William S. Burroughs' last trilogy (especially Place of Dead Roads and The Western Lands) and Matthew Stover's Caine series (especially Caine Black Knife and Caine's Law). Burroughs published that trilogy when he was about my age, and there's some amazing stuff about how memory shows up. The Caine series is basically a contemplation of \"What if you could undo the worst thing that you've ever done?\".\nI could go on about many other authors whom I've loved, over the years, but there's other stuff that I gotta do now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Matthew Stover's Caine series",
          "reason": "Recommends the series as a contemplation of whether one could undo one's worst deed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthew Stover"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "moral consequences",
        "second chances"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "caine-s-law-dcd310",
      "title": "Caine's Law",
      "author": "Matthew Stover",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22724133,
          "author": "mirimir",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T00:35:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22724133",
          "commentText": "I'm an old man now, so I'm especially interested in books about getting complete with life. I'm also into amusing and distracting.\nTop on my list are William S. Burroughs' last trilogy (especially Place of Dead Roads and The Western Lands) and Matthew Stover's Caine series (especially Caine Black Knife and Caine's Law). Burroughs published that trilogy when he was about my age, and there's some amazing stuff about how memory shows up. The Caine series is basically a contemplation of \"What if you could undo the worst thing that you've ever done?\".\nI could go on about many other authors whom I've loved, over the years, but there's other stuff that I gotta do now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "especially Caine Black Knife and Caine's Law",
          "reason": "Names it as a standout in the Caine series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthew Stover"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "moral consequences",
        "second chances"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cakes-and-ale-a8f399",
      "title": "Cakes and Ale",
      "author": "W. Somerset Maugham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2526794,
          "author": "m0nastic",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-08T21:51:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 2526568,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2526794",
          "commentText": "I'm not sure about \"essential reading\", but I like most anything besides Science Fiction or Fantasy (probably the opposite of most folks here)\nSome of my top choices would be:\nAnything by Bulgakov (Heart of a Dog and Master and Margerita are both pretty widely available in English)\nBerlin Stories by Christopher Isherwood\nBurmese Days by George Orwell\nCakes and Ale by Somerset Maugham\nColor of Summer by Reinaldo Arenas\nWilliwaw by Gore Vidal\nThe Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cakes and Ale by Somerset Maugham",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s top choices.",
          "audience": "Readers who like fiction outside science fiction and fantasy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. Somerset Maugham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cal-newport-s-books-89ae6e",
      "title": "Cal Newport's books",
      "author": "Cal Newport",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12416637,
          "author": "b_emery",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T22:10:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416637",
          "commentText": "Well, I'm still a work in progress! I'm working on a PhD and passed my oral exams because of these books. I have a weekly schedule that balances reading/doing math, writing and coding and producing toward the dissertation. These books have helped me 'discover' the process for becoming an expert. Cribbed from my notes:\nOne very important idea is the idea of intrinsic motivation: the best motivation is perhaps a really compelling and or interesting problem. Also, time is needed to learn and practice, and this practice comes at the cost of time spent elsewhere (eg producing). So there is a natural division of time into learning (incl. practicing) and producing. A lot of the Talent book is the sort of nuts and bolts of deliberate practice.\nFrom the Habit book: Have a plan for what to do when the pain or other emotional event threatens to derail your action. Such as when this happens, I will do __. Having a plan helps people to get through the event, encouraging will power, and continue on until the will power action becomes a habit (by being incorporated into long term memory I suppose). (Incidentally, this is why having a daily plan help one to be more productive. When you get tired and easily derailed, and are low in will power, you can fall back onto your plan).\n1) Cue, 2) Routine, 3) Reward. That is the habit loop.\nA book called Moonwalking with Einstein, as well as a number of Cal Newport's books have also been helpful with these goals.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A book called Moonwalking with Einstein, as well as a number of Cal Newport's books have also been helpful with these goals.",
          "reason": "Says several books by Newport have been helpful toward the goals discussed.",
          "audience": "People pursuing learning and productivity goals.",
          "caveat": "No specific titles are named.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cal Newport"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "focus",
        "productivity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "calculus-bd27cf",
      "title": "Calculus",
      "author": "Morris Kline",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23727011,
          "author": "Koshkin",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T20:04:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23727011",
          "commentText": "Calculus by M.Kline would be not a bad start. For a broad (yet detailed) overview, Mathematics by Aleksandrov et al. is exceptional.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Calculus by M.Kline would be not a bad start.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a possible starting point.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it would be “not a bad start,” rather than making a strong endorsement.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Morris Kline"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "calculus"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "calculus-75d1bc",
      "title": "Calculus",
      "author": "James Stewart",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23734670,
          "author": "R3G1R",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-04T20:22:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23734670",
          "commentText": "There are many books on that front, particularly the ones related to recreational math or intro higher math (see https://mathvault.ca/books for instance). Spivak's Calculus as an intro would be an interesting start, though Stewart's Calculus is dense but more accessible.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Stewart's Calculus is dense but more accessible.",
          "reason": "Describes it as more accessible.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Dense.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Stewart"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "calculus"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "calculus-and-analytic-geometry-291369",
      "title": "Calculus and Analytic Geometry",
      "author": "Ross L. Finney and George B. Thomas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21347884,
          "author": "hasitseth",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T18:49:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21347884",
          "commentText": "Calculus And Analytic Geometry\nby Ross L. Finney and George B. Thomas \nis a good introduction to basic calculus. I understand you want something covering everything in math. Courant is the best one and others have written about it a lot.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Calculus And Analytic Geometry\nby Ross L. Finney and George B. Thomas \nis a good introduction to basic calculus.",
          "reason": "Called a good introduction to basic calculus.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it does not cover everything in math.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ross L. Finney and George B. Thomas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "analytic geometry",
        "calculus"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "calculus-for-dummies-939e44",
      "title": "Calculus for Dummies",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23727151,
          "author": "Consultant32452",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T20:19:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23727151",
          "commentText": "I passed the AP calc exam with calculus for dummies.  It was great, though I'm not sure that kind of title is received well as a gift.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "calculus for dummies",
          "reason": "Says it helped them pass the AP calculus exam and that it was great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Unsure whether the title would be well received as a gift.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "calculus",
        "exam preparation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "calculus-for-the-ambitious-6209f4",
      "title": "Calculus for the Ambitious",
      "author": "T. W. Körner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23716221,
          "author": "nbernard",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-02T18:11:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23716221",
          "commentText": "The Pleasures of Counting by T. W. Körner. If you want something more oriented towards analysis, I see he also authored a Calculus for the Ambitious but I have no experience with it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If you want something more oriented towards analysis, I see he also authored a Calculus for the Ambitious but I have no experience with it.",
          "reason": "Offers it as a more analysis-oriented option while stating they have no experience with it.",
          "audience": "Readers wanting a book more oriented toward analysis.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has no experience with it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "T. W. Körner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "calculus",
        "mathematical analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "calculus-volume-2-68b6f1",
      "title": "Calculus, Volume 2",
      "author": "Tom M. Apostol",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31491314,
          "author": "laichzeit0",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T12:49:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31491314",
          "commentText": "Supposing you have at least high school mathematics under the belt:\n1. Book of Proof by Hammack [1]\n2. Tom Apostol Calculus Vol 1 (stop at Linear Algebra)\n3. Linear Algebra by Insel, Spence & Friedberg\n4. Understanding Analysis by Stephen Abbott\n5. Tom Apostol Calculus Vol 2\nThese are books with excellent exposition, and solution manuals are available when needed. You are absolutely required to do all the exercises.  To learn mathematics is to do mathematics.\nTwo other excellent books are Spivak - Calculus, the problems in this book are very good, but much more difficult than Apostol.  For more advanced analysis there's Walter Rudin's Principles of Mathematical Analysis (baby Rudin), which on its own is too difficult as a first exposure to analysis, but there's a cool professor that recorded an entire semester of baby Rudin lecture videos [2].  This is as close as it gets without being enrolled in a university.\n[1] https://www.people.vcu.edu/~rhammack/BookOfProof/\n[2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab41LEw9oiI&list=PLun8-Z_lTk... (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab41LEw9oiI&list=PLun8-Z_lTkC6qJF1sVh3_Hx7aL6FPd0IN) (the first video is a bit blurry, it gets better)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tom Apostol Calculus Vol 2",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Readers with at least high-school mathematics",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom M. Apostol"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "calculus"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "calculus-volume-i-and-volume-ii-7a47b5",
      "title": "Calculus, Volume I and Volume II",
      "author": "Tom M. Apostol",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21350454,
          "author": "Mugwort",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-25T00:07:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21350454",
          "commentText": "There are some really good suggestions here.  I would like to add that learning calculus properly is of the utmost importance.  It's no exaggeration when I say that this is unquestionably the single best, most profitable action you can take.  Any one of these books can change your life.\n1. Spivak Calculus\n2. Apostol Calculus vol. I and II\n3.  Courant and Johns, Introduction to Calculus and Analysis vol. I, IIA and IIB\nFor the more casual computer science or physics major, I'd go with choice 3 which resembles the Feynmann lectures the most. All the rigour of the other two is there but in a more digestible form.  It's hard for someone not accustomed to hard maths to digest long proofs, it could give you a bad case of indigestion.  It's more a function of patience.  Courant and Johns get to the point much more quickly while Spivak and Apostol take their time to do everything thoroughly.  Courant and Johns does do everything thoroughly but they are kinder to the reader and delay lengthy rigoourous proofs as long as possible while giving plenty of motivation and intuition.\nAlso I strongly recommend any books by Ray Smullyan particularly his introduction to mathematical logic.\n\"A Beginner's Guide to Mathematical Logic\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2. Apostol Calculus vol. I and II",
          "reason": "Recommends it as one of three calculus options.",
          "audience": "Casual computer science or physics majors are directed to choice 3 instead.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says lengthy proofs can be hard to digest without patience.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom M. Apostol"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "calculus"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "calculus-an-intuitive-and-physical-approach-0dd5e8",
      "title": "Calculus: An Intuitive and Physical Approach",
      "author": "Morris Kline",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21351659,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-25T03:41:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21351659",
          "commentText": "In addition to all the other good suggestions, the following are recommended (have not seen these mentioned so far);\n- Concepts of Modern Mathematics - https://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Modern-Mathematics-Dover-Boo... (https://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Modern-Mathematics-Dover-Books/dp/0486284247/ref=sr_1_1?crid=214QSPLG829VY&keywords=concepts+of+modern+mathematics&qid=1571974129&s=books&sprefix=concepts+of+modern+ma%2Cstripbooks-intl-ship%2C1448&sr=1-1)\n- Methods of Mathematics Applied to Calculus, Probability, and Statistics - https://www.amazon.com/Methods-Mathematics-Calculus-Probabil... (https://www.amazon.com/Methods-Mathematics-Calculus-Probability-Statistics/dp/0486439453/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8) (all books by Richard Hamming are recommended)\n- Calculus: An Intuitive and Physical Approach - https://www.amazon.com/Calculus-Intuitive-Physical-Approach-... (https://www.amazon.com/Calculus-Intuitive-Physical-Approach-Mathematics/dp/0486404536/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8)\nFor a Textbook reference, the following are quite good;\n- Mathematical Techniques: An Introduction for the Engineering, Physical, and Mathematical Sciences - https://www.amazon.com/Mathematical-Techniques-Introduction-... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematical-Techniques-Introduction-Engineering-Physical/dp/0199282013/ref=dp_ob_title_bk) (easy to read and succinct)\n- Mathematics for Physicists: Introductory Concepts and Methods - https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Physicists-Introductory-C... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Physicists-Introductory-Concepts-Methods-ebook/dp/B07N48G4KD/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mathematics+for+physicists&qid=1571974732&s=books&sr=1-1)\nFor General reading (all these authors other books are also worth checking out);\n- Mathematics, Queen and Servant of Science - https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Queen-Servant-Science-Tem... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Queen-Servant-Science-Tempus/dp/155615173X/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mathematics+queen+and+servant&qid=1571977505&s=books&sr=1-1)\n- Mathematics and the Physical World - https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Physical-World-Dover-Book... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Physical-World-Dover-Books/dp/0486241041/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mathematics+and+the+physical+world&qid=1571977524&s=books&sr=1-1)\n- Mathematician's Delight - https://www.amazon.com/Mathematicians-Delight-Dover-Books-Ma... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematicians-Delight-Dover-Books-Mathematics/dp/0486462404/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mathematician%27s+delight&qid=1571977538&s=books&sr=1-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Calculus: An Intuitive and Physical Approach",
          "reason": "Listed among recommended books in response to a request for accessible mathematics reading.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for mathematics books similar to Feynman's lectures.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Morris Kline"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "calculus"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "call-me-by-your-name-7aff3c",
      "title": "Call Me by Your Name",
      "author": "André Aciman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665209,
          "author": "PostPost",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:26:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665209",
          "commentText": "Sorry for the wall of text.\n1. Bourne (The language and world of this novel are extraordinary - everything is falling apart yet brimming with life. Strangely moving)\n2. The Design of Everyday things (Essential for anyone in UI/UX)\n3. All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (Highly engaging, entertaining sci-fi novella series, from an author that can write a very decent robot protagonist)\n4. The Power (Interesting story with sci-fi elements on the dynamics of power, sex, and gender roles. I didn't care for the book, but the first 3/4 of the book are amazing)\n5. Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days\n6. 7 brief Lessons on Physics\n7. The Last Lecture (The energy and positivity coming from a man knowing he's about to die is infectious. Great read)\n8. A wizard of Earthsea (Move over Harry Potter, this is the essential children's story about wizards)\n9. Exploring diabetes with owls (Funny, irreverent)\n10. Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children (Made an effort to read more YA this year - this was the best in this series, but I still hated it. There's a host of better YA series out there.)\n11. A Wizard of Earthsea: The Tombs of Atuan (See 8.)\n12. The Girl in the Dark (Interesting book about a skin condition I had never heard of, and the trials of living with a very rare condition)\n13. The Phantom Tollbooth (Clever children's book)\n14. Black hole blues and songs from outer space (Informative book about the study of space,  the political and economic forces standing in the way of science, and the incredible individuals working in this field)\n15. Welcome to Night Vale (Hugely entertaining, clever and weird)\n16. You need a budget (Basic economics book explaining how to budget in a way that lets you do more with your money)\n17. To fight Against This Age (Incredibly pretentious, \nIvory Tower philosophizing)\n18. Infinity Gauntlet (Half the Universe dying because Thanos wanted to sleep with Lady Death will never not be ridiculous)\n19. The Right and Wrong Stuff (Great read explaining how to anticipate and avoid career pitfalls)\n20. Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children: Hollow City (pretty shitty)\n21. The Farthest Shore (Ursula K. Le Guin was the biggest loss this year)\n22. Miss peregrine's home for Peculiar Children: Library of Souls (I hate this book and all its characters)\n23. Every Good Endevour (Religious book about a Christian worldview and the value of labor - not a bad read)\n24. When to Rob a Bank and 131 warped suggestions… (interesting, funny, from the writers of Freakonomics)\n25. Weapons of Math Destruction (Probably the most useful book on this list, if you're reading this on \"hackernews\")\n26. Holes (Perfect summer paperback read)\n27. Silver Screen Sirens (Essential for film geeks)\n28. A full life: reflections at 90 (I gained a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter: he lived an incredible life and does great things)\n29. Call Me by your name (Very good romance novel to send to your bigoted relatives at Christmas)\n30. Hyperbole and a half (Incredibly entertaining, very distinctive art style)\n31. The Murderbot diaries: Artificial Condition (See 3.)\n32. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Best children's book, fight me)\n33. Less (Exceptionally well-written)\n34. Resilience (Great book, especially for those that have gone through extremely difficult circumstances)\n35. The Strange Bird (Dark, bleak, full of life, see 1.)\n36. The Murderbot diaries: Rogue Protocol (See 3.)\n37. His Dark Materials: The subtle knife (See 32.)\n38. Tap Dancing to Work (Very dry, some stories/articles are fantastic, others very, very boring for people that do not care about finance)\n39. So Good They Can't Ignore You (Pretty good)\n40. His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass (Amazing YA, see 32.)\n41. Uncontainable (Inspirational book about conscious capitalism)\n42. The Emperor of All Maladies (Pretty much everything you'll ever want to know about Cancer, written in a very engaging way)\n43. Blind Spot\n44. Shoe dog (Great story, see madmax108's comment, totally agree)\n45. The Faithful Spy (Beautiful artwork describing a Christian pastor's fight against fascism during WW2)\n46. Zero to One\n47. You'll grow out of it\n48. The Happiness advantage (Really fantastic book about the value of positive psychology)\n49. Dreams from my father (Enlightening look into Obama's \nearly days)\n50. Ayoade on Ayoade (Entertaining, extremely scatter-brained, not as funny as his interviews or tv programs)\n51. The Diabolic (badly written YA Sci-Fi)\n52. The Physics of Everyday Things (surprisingly informative, recommended for non science-people interested in the way things work)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Very good romance novel to send to your bigoted relatives at Christmas",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a very good romance novel.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a romance novel, including as a gift.",
          "caveat": "The suggested recipients are described as bigoted relatives.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "André Aciman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "lgbtq fiction",
        "romance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "call-sign-chaos-learning-to-lead-645e03",
      "title": "Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead",
      "author": "Jim Mattis and Bing West",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21719981,
          "author": "Diesel555",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-06T07:56:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21719981",
          "commentText": "You learn from history and what other people did well and didn't do well. Leadership is a combination of your own innate abilities combined with self-awareness and feedback. From this, you can apply historical knowledge (understand you may not have Washington's height and strength, but may be a better tactical decision maker).\nRead biographies on others:\nWashington: A Life\nHamilton\nGrant\nFighter Pilot (Robin Olds)\nBoyd\nAnyone you admire - read about them - find out what was good and what was bad.\nMattis's new book is good: Call Sign Chaos.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mattis's new book is good: Call Sign Chaos.",
          "reason": "Calls the book good and recommends it as a leadership read.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in leadership and military experience.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jim Mattis and Bing West"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "military"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "call-to-action-b5e7e0",
      "title": "Call to Action",
      "author": "Bryan Eisenberg and Jeffrey Eisenberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 193345,
          "author": "unfoldedorigami",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-18T13:42:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 193308,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What books on marketing do you recomend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=193345",
          "commentText": "Of all the books and research we've read, these are the ones we've found the most useful information from and influenced a large part of our redesign at Wufoo :\nCall to Action \nhttp://www.calltoactionbook.com/\n(how to think about landing pages and navigation)\nLanding Page Optimization\nhttp://landingpageoptimizationbook.com/\n(best technical book on how to measure landing pages, do not buy SEO books, they're all terrible and rehash what you see on most blogs)\nWord of Mouth Marketing\nhttp://wordofmouthbook.com/\n(sometimes great marketing has nothing to do with what you do on the web)\nMade to Stick\nhttp://www.madetostick.com/\n(just a great read on how you should shape your copy and ideas so they have maximum sticking power)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Call to Action",
          "reason": "The commenter says these books provided the most useful information and influenced their redesign.",
          "audience": "Readers working on landing pages, navigation, and web marketing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bryan Eisenberg and Jeffrey Eisenberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "conversion optimization",
        "landing pages"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "call-to-action-secret-formulas-to-improve-online-results-10cc84",
      "title": "Call to Action: Secret Formulas to Improve Online Results",
      "author": "Bryan Eisenberg, Jeffrey Eisenberg, and Lisa T. Davis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 673972,
          "author": "tortilla",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-25T16:40:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 673487,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there any good Internet marketing books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=673972",
          "commentText": "Call To Action: Secret Formulas To Improve Online Results\nhttp://www.calltoactionbook.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Call To Action: Secret Formulas To Improve Online Results",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Readers seeking books about internet marketing and advertising.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bryan Eisenberg, Jeffrey Eisenberg, and Lisa T. Davis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "conversion optimization",
        "online marketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "callahan-s-crosstime-saloon-f73258",
      "title": "Callahan's Crosstime Saloon",
      "author": "Spider Robinson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056835,
          "author": "tartuffe78",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T13:40:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056835",
          "commentText": "Lot's of my favorites already listed\nSome more good ones:\nIlium/Olympos - Dan Simmons\nCenturies - A. A. Attanasio\nCallahan's Crosstime Saloon - Spider Robinson\nSignal to Noise - Eric Nylund",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Callahan's Crosstime Saloon - Spider Robinson",
          "reason": "Lists it among more good books answering the favorites question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Spider Robinson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "humor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "calvin-and-hobbes-there-s-treasure-everywhere-20a7f8",
      "title": "Calvin and Hobbes: There's Treasure Everywhere",
      "author": "Bill Watterson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12244697,
          "author": "probinso",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T00:48:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244697",
          "commentText": "\"Calvin and Hobbes: there is treasure everywhere\"\nThis book was amazing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book was amazing.",
          "reason": "Calls the book amazing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Watterson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic strip collection"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cambridge-advanced-mathematics-8ba894",
      "title": "Cambridge Advanced Mathematics",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7583784,
          "author": "auvrw",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-14T00:12:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7583784",
          "commentText": "perhaps the GTM series has some bad titles; i haven't read them all.  but it has some good titles, and from the description original poster's background, it's probably as far as the person wants to stretch right now.  sure, the cambridge advanced math series might be more \"quality,\" but those also tend to be both very focused (in terms of specificity of the topic) and very dense (in terms of delivering a lot of results with almost zero fluff).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the cambridge advanced math series might be more \"quality,\"",
          "reason": "Presents it as a potentially higher quality series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Titles tend to be narrowly focused and dense.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "advanced mathematics textbooks"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "can-animals-be-moral-e54a56",
      "title": "Can Animals Be Moral?",
      "author": "Mark Rowlands",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42963690,
          "author": "PaulHoule",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-06T16:05:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42963690",
          "commentText": "Can animals be moral? by Rowlands\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Can-Animals-Moral-Mark-Rowlands/dp/01... (https://www.amazon.com/Can-Animals-Moral-Mark-Rowlands/dp/019024030X)\nAlso Analysis of the Self by Kohut\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Analysis-Self-Psychoanalytic-Narcissi... (https://www.amazon.com/Analysis-Self-Psychoanalytic-Narcissistic-Personality/dp/0226450120)\nwhich is difficult going but helps draw a circle around the concept of \"self-centeredness\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Can animals be moral? by Rowlands",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Rowlands"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "animal ethics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "capital-ideas-1c4f7b",
      "title": "Capital Ideas",
      "author": "Peter L. Bernstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 248600,
          "author": "eposts",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T15:59:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248600",
          "commentText": "Here is a good list:\nhttp://www.bogleheads.org/readbooks.htm\nGeneral Investing\n# The Four Pillars of Investing - by William (\"Bill\") Bernstein.\n# Wise Investing Made Simple or The Only Guide to a Winning Investment Strategy You'll Ever Need - by Larry Swedroe\n# The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing - by Taylor Larimore, Mel Lindauer, and Michael LeBoeuf\n# All About Asset Allocation - by Rick Ferri\n# The Informed Investor - by Frank Armstrong\n# The Little Book of Common Sense Investing - by John \"Jack\" Bogle\n# The Coffeehouse Investor - by Bill Schultheis.\nInvestor Behavior\n# Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes And How To Correct Them - by Gary Belsky and Thomas Gilovich\n# Your Money and Your Brain: How the New Science of Neuroeconomics Can Help Make You Rich - by Jason Zweig\n# Rational Investing in Irrational Times: How to Avoid the Costly Mistakes Even Smart People Make Today - by Larry Swedroe\nFinancial History\n# Against the Gods and Capital Ideas - by Peter L. Bernstein\n# Devil Take the Hindmost: A History of Financial Speculation - by Edward Chancellor\n# A Random Walk Down Wall Street - by Burton Malkiel\nLike others here have mentioned, http://www.bogleheads.org/ is a great forum for Vanguard investors.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Against the Gods and Capital Ideas - by Peter L. Bernstein",
          "reason": "Listed under financial history in response to a request for learning resources.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking financial history resources.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter L. Bernstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial history",
        "investment theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "capital-and-ideology-920593",
      "title": "Capital and Ideology",
      "author": "Thomas Piketty",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22864882,
          "author": "themantra514",
          "createdAt": "2020-04-14T12:06:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 22861452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading to make sense of the economy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22864882",
          "commentText": "What were the ideologies that shaped the economic systems in which we live you ask? Welp do I have a book for you, friend:\nCapital and Ideology by by Thomas Piketty\nSpoiler alert\nSince way back inequality was baked-in as a featue.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Capital and Ideology by by Thomas Piketty",
          "reason": "Offered as a book about the ideologies that shaped current economic systems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Piketty"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic inequality",
        "ideology",
        "political economy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "capital-in-the-21st-century-afeb9a",
      "title": "Capital in the 21st Century",
      "author": "Thomas Piketty",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8401385,
          "author": "cwal37",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:16:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401385",
          "commentText": "Currently engaged in:\n-The Bone Clocks - David Mitchell. Just a fun read. Fiction sucks me in pretty easily, and I enjoy the time-hopping.\n-Dirty, Sacred Rivers: Confronting South Asia's Water Crisis - Cheryl Colopy. Not enjoying this as much as I thought I would so far, possibly because I have too much academic experience in the topic area and the writer is a reporter. I'm a bit more pragmatic about large energy projects, not exactly bleeding heart, but I try to focus on the bigger picture. It was a free book on a table at work though from someone cleaning out their office, so not a big deal.\n-Operations Research - Hillier and Lieberman. Also a free book from work. Something I need a stronger foundation in for upcoming projects.\nPerpetual Backburner\n-Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace. I've gotten a couple hundred pages in a few times. If I get distracted at all it's so hard to go back to.\n-Capital in the 21st Century - Piketty. I blazed through the first couple hundred pages around when it came out, then I went on a long vacation. Now I sort of nibble at it when I'm in the mood. One of the most compelling economics books I've ever read.\nRecently finished\n-The Book of Basketball - Bill Simmons. Fun to read about the history of the NBA from a true fanatic. Eyes glazed over in some sections on the Celtics though.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One of the most compelling economics books I've ever read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of the most compelling economics books they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They read only the first couple hundred pages and now read it occasionally.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Piketty"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "capitalism",
        "wealth inequality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "capital-volume-ii-2c9a75",
      "title": "Capital, Volume II",
      "author": "Karl Marx",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25906465,
          "author": "aaron-santos",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T18:04:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25906465",
          "commentText": "I try to alternate fiction and non-fiction when I can. Having recently finished Capital Vol 1, I've started Q by Luther Blissett this week. Q seems to be well regarded, but I'm going in blind. After Q I'll likely go back to Capital Vol 2 which I understand to be on the drier side.\nDuring iso I've set aside Wednesday nights as reading nights. The schedule gives me something to look forward too, but it doesn't preclude reading during the weekends if I'm feeling into it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "After Q I'll likely go back to Capital Vol 2 which I understand to be on the drier side.",
          "reason": "Plans to return to it after Q.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Understood by the commenter to be on the drier side.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Karl Marx"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marxism",
        "political economy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "capital-a-critique-of-political-economy-d568d2",
      "title": "Capital: A Critique of Political Economy",
      "author": "Karl Marx",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20914562,
          "author": "bmmayer1",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T01:45:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914562",
          "commentText": "Economics:\n- The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith\n- Das Kapital, Karl Marx\n- That Which Is Seen, and That Which Is Not Seen, Frederic Bastiat\nPhilosophy / Politics:\n- The Republic, Plato\n- Second Treatise on Government, John Locke\n- The Law, Frederic Bastiat\n- Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes\n- Meditations, Marcus Aurelius\n- Democracy in America, Alexis de Toqueville\n- On Liberty, John Stuart Mill\nFiction:\n- The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, Mark Twain\n- The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin\n- Metamorphoses, Franz Kafka\n- Candide, Voltaire\n- The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Das Kapital, Karl Marx",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Karl Marx"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marxism",
        "political economy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "capital-a-critique-of-political-economy-volume-i-the-production-p-fb584f",
      "title": "Capital: A Critique of Political Economy, Volume I: The Production Process of Capital",
      "author": "Karl Marx",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20917354,
          "author": "claudiawerner",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T12:06:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20917354",
          "commentText": "Karl Marx's Capital: A Critique of Political Economy, Volume I: The Production Process of Capital.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Karl Marx's Capital: A Critique of Political Economy, Volume I: The Production Process of Capital.",
          "reason": "Listed as a book in response to the thread’s question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Karl Marx"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marxism",
        "political economy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "capitalism-in-america-0961d5",
      "title": "Capitalism in America",
      "author": "Alan Greenspan and Adrian Wooldridge",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18744346,
          "author": "sandeepvk",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T04:05:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744346",
          "commentText": "Zero to One\nCapitalism in America\nEnough",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Capitalism in America",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite nonfiction books read in 2018.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan Greenspan and Adrian Wooldridge"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american economic history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "car-hacker-s-handbook-dfb561",
      "title": "Car Hacker's Handbook",
      "author": "Craig Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22303363,
          "author": "DyslexicAtheist",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-11T21:59:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22303363",
          "commentText": "not sure if this fits the bill but Car Hacker's Handbook by OpenGarages http://opengarages.org/handbook/ helped me to understand CAN, the ECU, and mess with my car in ways I never thought possible. The security lesson is an added bonus.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Car Hacker's Handbook by OpenGarages",
          "reason": "Helped the commenter understand CAN and ECUs and experiment with their car.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that the security lesson is an added bonus.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Craig Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "automotive electronics",
        "can bus",
        "vehicle security"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "carbon-silicon-db838a",
      "title": "Carbon & Silicon",
      "author": "Mathieu Bablet",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34162295,
          "author": "nomagicbullet",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T16:01:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34162295",
          "commentText": "Here we go:\n— Flow: The most fitting for the HN crowd. A fantastic read about the state of flow in work and leisure. Great framework for unlocking what drives the mind towards fulfillment and happiness. I liked the ideas around how \"order of thought\" relates to personal satisfaction. I wished it talked about the \"how\" not just the \"what\".\n— Man's Search For Meaning: An absolute classic. A moving but most of all inspiring book about the experience of a man in the Nazi camps. Stoic optimism. It opened my eyes to the relationship between suffering and self-actualization.\n— I Remember: A book by Joe Brainard to be found in the poetry section but written in a unique unconventional style. Accessible, playful and moving. It created a lot of noise with it came out because of its format.\n— Never Say You Can't Survive: How To Get Through Hard Times By Making Up Stories: The book I needed to read to reconnect me to writing to cultivate the spirit.\n— Carbon & Silicon: This last one is a comic book. The story is an intimate (yet grand) robot saga that expands over centuries. A battle between immortality and decay. A joy to read. It hit me hard.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Carbon & Silicon: This last one is a comic book.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the robot saga was a joy to read and hit them hard.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mathieu Bablet"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "graphic novel",
        "robotics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "carbon-zero-imagining-cities-that-can-save-the-planet-6f9e86",
      "title": "Carbon Zero: Imagining Cities That Can Save the Planet",
      "author": "Alex Steffen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4966491,
          "author": "danielharan",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T17:45:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4966491",
          "commentText": "Carbon Zero: http://grist.org/carbon-zero/ (Free online)\nAn important book to understand how we could tackle climate change, as well as how companies like Uber and Twine could be part of the solution.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An important book to understand how we could tackle climate change",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it important for understanding ways to tackle climate change.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alex Steffen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "climate change",
        "urban sustainability"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "card-sorting-designing-usable-categories-3fe06f",
      "title": "Card Sorting: Designing Usable Categories",
      "author": "Donna Spencer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donna Spencer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "card sorting",
        "information architecture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "careless-people-a-cautionary-tale-of-power-greed-and-lost-idealis-9de56f",
      "title": "Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism",
      "author": "Sarah Wynn-Williams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46396899,
          "author": "billwashere",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T22:14:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46396899",
          "commentText": "Completed books:\nProject Hail Marry by Andy Weir\nDungeon Crawler Carl (Books 1-7) by Matt Dinniman\nI'm currently reading:\nCareless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn-Williams",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm currently reading:\nCareless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn-Williams",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is currently reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46393306,
          "author": "metadope",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T16:00:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46393306",
          "commentText": "I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Careless People. The unexpected peek into the author's personal childhood and family ethos was really interesting. The look at Facebook from within was a cautionary tale.\nI also liked I Am Not Your Enemy by Reality Winner.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Careless People.",
          "reason": "Enjoyed its personal and family perspective and its insider look at Facebook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes its view of Facebook as a cautionary tale.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sarah Wynn-Williams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "facebook",
        "memoir",
        "technology industry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "carl-hiaasen-s-books-cb90e7",
      "title": "Carl Hiaasen's books",
      "author": "Carl Hiaasen",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13249015,
          "author": "akoster",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T07:41:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249015",
          "commentText": "Carl Hiassen's books regularly cause me to laugh so hard I have trouble breathing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Carl Hiassen's books regularly cause me to laugh so hard I have trouble breathing.",
          "reason": "The commenter says his books regularly make them laugh hard.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carl Hiaasen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "carnegie-dac134",
      "title": "Carnegie",
      "author": "Peter Krass",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 687161,
          "author": "edw519",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-04T13:57:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 687066,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on getting rich?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=687161",
          "commentText": "Biographies of the very rich and successful who started with nothing are usually very good.  I look for common themes and key points in their lives.   A few of my favorites:\nCarnegie by Peter Krass, http://www.amazon.com/Carnegie-Peter-Krass/dp/0471468835/ref... (http://www.amazon.com/Carnegie-Peter-Krass/dp/0471468835/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246715621&sr=8-7)\n\"Titan, The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.\" by Ron Chernow, http://www.amazon.com/Titan-Life-John-Rockefeller-Sr/dp/1400... (http://www.amazon.com/Titan-Life-John-Rockefeller-Sr/dp/1400077303/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246715706&sr=1-1)\n\"iWoz\", by Steve Wozniak, http://www.amazon.com/iWoz-Computer-Invented-Personal-Co-Fou... (http://www.amazon.com/iWoz-Computer-Invented-Personal-Co-Founded/dp/0393061434/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246715846&sr=1-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A few of my favorites:\nCarnegie by Peter Krass",
          "reason": "Includes it among favorite biographies in response to a request for book suggestions.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in biographies of successful people who started with nothing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Krass"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "andrew carnegie",
        "business biography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "carpe-jugulum-50bb99",
      "title": "Carpe Jugulum",
      "author": "Terry Pratchett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665061,
          "author": "sn41",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:11:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665061",
          "commentText": "Since no one has mentioned it so far, I recommend the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. This year, I finished (numbers in Discworld order, annotated by the series):\n9. Eric [Rincewind]\n10. Moving Pictures [Independent]\n12. Witches Abroad [Witches]\n18. Maskerade [Witches]\n19. Feet of clay [The City Watch]\n23. Carpe Jugulum [Witches]\n32. A Hat Full of Sky [Tiffany Aching]\n37. Unseen Academicals [Wizards]\n38. I Shall Wear Midnight [Tiffany Aching]\nBrilliant series, highly recommended. Whenever I feel down, I re-read one of the Witches series - I spot something I never noticed before - an immediate mood-booster!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "23. Carpe Jugulum [Witches]",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the Discworld books the commenter finished this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry Pratchett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fantasy",
        "witches"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "carrying-the-fire-0a9207",
      "title": "Carrying the Fire",
      "author": "Michael Collins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41770245,
          "author": "marcusverus",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T19:53:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41770245",
          "commentText": "Sounds fantastic, just bought a copy. Thanks!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sounds fantastic, just bought a copy. Thanks!",
          "reason": "Responds positively to the parent’s recommendation and says they bought a copy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Collins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "apollo program",
        "spaceflight"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "carter-beats-the-devil-8cb80a",
      "title": "Carter Beats the Devil",
      "author": "Glen David Gold",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13249285,
          "author": "hiisukun",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T10:30:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249285",
          "commentText": "My favourite book to recommend is 'Carter Beats the Devil' by Glen David Gold. Perhaps the best praise I can give it is that I've recommended it quite a lot, with many varied friends and relatives reporting they found it most enjoyable.\nI find it difficult to describe why I personally love it, but if you get into reading fiction, think about putting it on your shelf.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favourite book to recommend is 'Carter Beats the Devil' by Glen David Gold.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it their favorite book to recommend and reports that friends found it enjoyable.",
          "audience": "Readers beginning to explore fiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is difficult to describe why they personally love it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Glen David Gold"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "1920s america",
        "historical fiction",
        "stage magic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cartoon-history-of-the-universe-dbbe78",
      "title": "Cartoon History of the Universe",
      "author": "Larry Gonick",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36105121,
          "author": "jpm_sd",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T15:51:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105121",
          "commentText": "\"The Source\" by James Michener is fun historical fiction on the subject.\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Source_%28novel%29\nI'm also a big fan of the Cartoon History of the Universe series.\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cartoon_History_of_the_U... (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cartoon_History_of_the_Universe)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm also a big fan of the Cartoon History of the Universe series.",
          "reason": "The commenter expresses enthusiasm for this history series in the discussion of religion books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Larry Gonick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history comics",
        "world history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "case-interview-secrets-69f734",
      "title": "Case Interview Secrets",
      "author": "Victor Cheng",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11252763,
          "author": "kennyfrc",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-09T13:19:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11252763",
          "commentText": "Ha! Just had that binge too...\n... Here's what I like:\nOn the business end:\n- Badass by Kathy Sierra\n- Impossible to Inevitable by Aaron Ross\n- Traction by Gabriel Weinberg\n- Cold Calling Early Customers by Robert Graham\n- Learn or Die by Edward Hess\nOn \"refining your thought process\":\n- Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley\n- Racing Towards Excellence by Jan Sramek\n- Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin\n- Case Interview Secrets by Victor Cheng (helps you think in a nice, structured way)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Case Interview Secrets by Victor Cheng (helps you think in a nice, structured way)",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helps develop structured thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Victor Cheng"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "case interviews",
        "consulting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cash-code-44ea36",
      "title": "Cash Code",
      "author": "Tritsch and Kohlhammer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 138011,
          "author": "jk4930",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-16T05:41:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=138011",
          "commentText": "For the German readership: \"Cash Code\" by Tritsch and Kohlhammer. It has a focus on the legal and administrative stuff around a startup. http://www.cashcodeportal.de/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Cash Code\" by Tritsch and Kohlhammer. It has a focus on the legal and administrative stuff around a startup.",
          "reason": "For German readers seeking legal and administrative guidance for a startup.",
          "audience": "German readers",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tritsch and Kohlhammer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "startup administration",
        "startup law"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cashflow-quadrant-rich-dad-s-guide-to-financial-freedom-fa3994",
      "title": "Cashflow Quadrant: Rich Dad's Guide to Financial Freedom",
      "author": "Robert T. Kiyosaki",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 248542,
          "author": "simplyauser",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T15:09:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248542",
          "commentText": "I have read many of the recommend books. Here are my two pence.\nBooks on Wealth\n    1. \"Rich Dad Poor Dad\"\n     and find out exactly why someone becomes rich.\n    (if you like this one, at some point you may also\n     want to quickly scan through \"Cashflow Quadrant\n     Rich Dad's Guide to Financial Freedom\".)\n\n     2. Also \"chapter 6 - How to make wealth\"\n     from \"Hackers and Painters's chapter 6 - \"\n\n     3. \"The Way to Wealth by Benjamin Franklin\"\n\n\nInvesting books in this order\n    1. Peter Lynch's One Up on wall street\n    2. The Intelligent Investor  (Ben Graham)\n    3. Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits\n    4. Security Analysis (Ben Graham)\n    5. The Warren Buffet Way is a famous business read not exceptional but read it if you have some time left\n    6. A Random Walk Down Wall Street (Read it for a good laugh)\n\n\nDo NOT read\n    1. AA- The Motley Fool Money Guide\n    2. How Gerge Soros Knows What He Knows\n    3. Investing Online For Dummies\n    4. Malkiel Burton - A Random Walk Down Wall Street\n    5. Cracking the millionaire code\n    6. Joel Greenblatt - You Can Be A Stock Market Genius",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Cashflow Quadrant\n     Rich Dad's Guide to Financial Freedom\"",
          "reason": "Suggested for a quick scan if the reader likes Rich Dad Poor Dad.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Only suggested if you like Rich Dad Poor Dad; the commenter says to scan it quickly.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert T. Kiyosaki"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal finance",
        "wealth"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cast-a-yellow-shadow-cd97eb",
      "title": "Cast a Yellow Shadow",
      "author": "Ross Thomas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783919,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:07:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783919",
          "commentText": "[cont'd]\nMichael Frayn, Democracy. A compulsively readable play about an episode in the politics of West Germany in the 1970s, a subject I didn't know could be made so interesting to me. Superb.\nMichael Flynn, Eifelheim. Excellent and profound SF/historical novel about aliens crashing in the Germany of the Middle Ages, and how that would work out. Avoids cheap tricks, very strong on historical research and verisimilitude.\nRoss Thomas, The Cold War Swap, Cast a Yellow Shadow, Chinaman's Chance. Very well-written thrillers, typically stories about spying or political corruption. I'm usually bored by this genre, couldn't put these down. Will read more by this (hitherto unknown to me) author.\nUrsula K. Le Guin, The Wizard of Earthsea. (reread) Still as good as I remembered it to be.\nP.K.Dick, The Man in the High Castle. (reread) Very inventive and weird in a good way, but I wish the characters would be a little different (everyone is the same highly neurotic mouthpiece for the author), and the obsession with I Ching does nothing for me. Still worth reading.\nRobert Ryan, Dead Man's Land. A Sherlock Holmes novel in which 90% of the action is with John Watson rejoining the Army to help in World War I at his late middle age, and Holmes appears only briefly. Works quite well. Very detailed on day-to-day trench warfare and medicine at the front.\nMichael Frayn, Noises Off. A funny short play, very meta, not as good as his \"Democracy\".\nNeil Gaiman, The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Better than his two long novels of the 2000s. A self-contained fairy tale, fun to read and well-written, but not beyond that. Gaiman's unsurpassed masterpiece, to me, is still The Sandman.\nMichael Swansick, Chasing the Phoenix. SF, set on a future Earth where computers and electronic communication are outlawed following problems with runaway AIs, but there's lots of high technology (e.g. genetics) otherwise. Funny and amusing, a light read.\n[edit: deleted about 20 books I didn't like or hated]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ross Thomas, The Cold War Swap, Cast a Yellow Shadow, Chinaman's Chance. Very well-written thrillers, typically stories about spying or political corruption. I'm usually bored by this genre, couldn't put these down.",
          "reason": "Groups it among very well-written thrillers the commenter could not put down.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ross Thomas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political corruption",
        "spy thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cat-kid-comic-club-77953e",
      "title": "Cat Kid Comic Club",
      "author": "Dav Pilkey",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50059327,
          "author": "dyingkneepad",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-12T17:01:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50059327",
          "commentText": "The Dog Man series is probably the one I read the most to my kids, and the one I liked the most. The 10 first books are one whole story, read them in order. The Cat Kid Comic Club is cool as well.\nThe \"Who would win?\" series is also very popular at home.\nThe Owly comics are amazing for kids who are just starting to read. It's also super cute.\nJunie B. Jones stuff is also something I recall reading multiple times.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Cat Kid Comic Club is cool as well.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "The commenter’s children.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dav Pilkey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s graphic novels",
        "humor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "catstronauts-3d927b",
      "title": "CatStronauts",
      "author": "Drew Brockington",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34634458,
          "author": "silverwasthere",
          "createdAt": "2023-02-02T22:54:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 34634274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books your kids like most",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34634458",
          "commentText": "When my son was around that age he liked Daniel Tiger books. Then Pete the Cat. Catstronauts.\nLooking at what I just wrote I should probably get him more cat books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Catstronauts.",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter's son liked.",
          "audience": "Young children.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Drew Brockington"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s graphic novels",
        "space adventure"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "catastrophe-1914-8b5ab7",
      "title": "Catastrophe 1914",
      "author": "Max Hastings",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47317956,
          "author": "h4ch1",
          "createdAt": "2026-03-10T01:07:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 47315415,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47317956",
          "commentText": "Catastrophe 1914 - Max Hastings : Great book about what triggered WW1, the state of the world at that time. Just a great read in general.\nThe Seven Military Classics Of Ancient China : Sun Tzu isn't the only military strategist on the block.\nKaplan and Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry:  I make sure to study at least one university/high school textbook on any subject that I find interesting.\nAlso, not reading but watching Professor Jiang Xueqin's lectures [0] has been pivotal towards helping me find new avenues to research and understand geopolitics .\n[0] https://www.youtube.com/@PredictiveHistory",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Catastrophe 1914 - Max Hastings : Great book about what triggered WW1, the state of the world at that time. Just a great read in general.",
          "reason": "Praised as a good read about the causes of World War I and the world at that time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Max Hastings"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military history",
        "world war i"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "catch-me-if-you-can-624ccf",
      "title": "Catch Me If You Can",
      "author": "Frank W. Abagnale",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9347895,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T14:48:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9347895",
          "commentText": "Here's my usual list of recommendations, the best books I've read in the past 5 years.\nFiction:\n- Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\nIf you know nothing about this book you might naturally hesitate to read \"Harry Potter fanfiction\" and assume that it's dumb/horrbile, but it's not. Just suspend your disbelief and read the first 5-10 chapters. Trust me, it's brilliant, hilarious, and life-changing.\n- Atlas Shrugged\nControversial, I know, a lot of people here hate it for some reason, but it was incredibly influential on me, inspired my passion for entrepreneurship and science and philosophy. Still is one of the best books I am aware of.\nNonfiction:\n- Hackers and Painters by Paul Graham\nAlso a collection of his essays that you can find on github. He is one of the most clever writers I am aware of, but I assume you know that, since you're on HN.\n- \"On Intelligence\" by Jeff Hawkins\nThis book explains in simple terms a very awesome and elegant theory on how mind works. Incredibly fascinating, I've learned a lot from it and it explains a lot of things, and will change the way you think about thinking process.\n- The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins\nEngaging and entertaining explanation of evolution, absolutely fantastic book.\n- The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli.\nDespite the stigma, and people thinking that Machhiavellian = \"evil\", I've found this book extremely clever and wise.\n- Serious Creativity by Edward De Bono\nThe best book on creativity and the process of generating ideas that I'm aware of.\n- Abundance\nThis is a very inspiring and optimistic book about the future of technology.\nEntrepreneurhsip:\n- Start Small, Stay Small\nGuide to creating your first product/business for hackers. It lays out all the basics of entrepreneurship in a very concise and clear ways, my favorite introduction to startups.\n- Rework\nVery wise and intelligent advice about startups, intelligent and witty, must read.\n- Lean Startup\nClassic book on \"lean startup methodology\", very useful.\n- 4-Hour Workweek\nDespite the silly title I think it is a great book and is very much worth reading. Many people here dislike Tim Ferris, but whatever, I think this book is cool.\nAutobiographies:\n- Surely you're joking, Mr. Feynman\n- Ghost In The Wires by Kevin Mitnick\n- Catch me if you can by Abagnale\n- iWoz by Steve Wozniak\n- Losing my Virginity by Richard Branson\nAll these are fantastic and very intelligent autobiographies by the very awesome people.\nNow I'm reading \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" and \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies.\"\n\"Rationality\" is great and I would definitely recommend it to anyone. Can't say much about GEB, I've only started reading it, but everyone is saying that it is so great and the best book ever, so I think it's definitely worth checking out.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All these are fantastic and very intelligent autobiographies by the very awesome people.",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of autobiographies the commenter calls fantastic and intelligent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frank W. Abagnale"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "con artist",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "catch-me-if-you-can-3fad7e",
      "title": "Catch Me If You Can",
      "author": "Frank W. Abagnale with Stan Redding",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910210,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:25:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910210",
          "commentText": "- \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies\" - probably the most influential book I've read in my life, profoundly changed the way I think. It's a collection of LessWrong essays on science and rationality.\n- \"On Intelligence\" and \"I am a Strange Loop\" - how mind works.\n- \"Rework\", \"Zero to One\", \"Start Small, Stay Small\" - insightful startup advice.\n- Fun autobiographies: Ghost in the Wires (Kevin Mitnick), iWoz (Steve Wozniak), Catch me if you can (Frank Abagnale), Just for Fun (Linus Torvalds), Elon Musk, Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\n- How companies work: Creativity Inc (Pixar), In the Plex (Google)\n- On writing: Art of fiction/nonfiction by Ayn Rand, Story by Robert McKee, Save the Cat, Step by Step to Standup Comedy.\n- Other: The Selfish Gene, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Serious Creativity, Hackers & Painters, Hacking Growth, Angel (on angel investing, by Jason Calacanis).\nAlso collections of essays by Paul Graham [1] and Scott Alexander [2]:\n[1] https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%20Complete%20Essays.epub?dl=0)\n[2] https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of%20Scott%20Alexandria%20-%20Scott%20Alexander.epub?dl=0)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Catch me if you can (Frank Abagnale)",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's fun autobiographies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frank W. Abagnale with Stan Redding"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fraud",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "catch-and-kill-ce4c4c",
      "title": "Catch and Kill",
      "author": "Ronan Farrow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21794503,
          "author": "hkyeti",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-15T04:42:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21794503",
          "commentText": "Catch and kill and She said were compelling reads on the scourge of sexual harassment in Hollywood and industry in general.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Catch and kill and She said were compelling reads",
          "reason": "Describes it as a compelling account of sexual harassment in Hollywood and industry more broadly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ronan Farrow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "investigative journalism",
        "sexual harassment"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "catcher-in-the-rye-353889",
      "title": "Catcher in the Rye",
      "author": "J. D. Salinger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6699960,
          "author": "gruseom",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-09T00:07:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6699960",
          "commentText": "I guess it's a failed experiment the way Catcher in the Rye was a successful experiment. But it's kind of interesting despite that. I like how daringly he injects esoteric religious material into conventional 1950s settings. But it was too hard to pull off. None of the characters is captivating and most of them, especially Zooey, are asses in a way that doesn't feel entirely intentional.\nI'm on a Salinger kick, having run across his books for a couple bucks in a used bookstore and never having read him before. He is a singular writer. Catcher was a freak success. Like Kurt Cobain, Salinger would clearly have been happier as an obscure cult artist. But Catcher was the opening bell of the 60s counterculture just as the 50s were getting started. Once it picked up a wave it became a tsunami.\nI was surprised at how good the pieces in Nine Stories are, e.g. \"The Laughing Man\" and \"Love and Squalor\". He paints childhood and adolescence beautifully, as well as charming interactions between children and sensitive young men. But it all gives an impression of, um, arrested development. Did he write any great adult characters? The pervy teacher in Catcher doesn't count. It seems that adults in Salinger's world mostly just get sour, and the one who is clearly his favorite he has blow his brains out in front of his wife.\nMore Salinger books are supposed to be coming out now that he's beyond the reach of his fans and the press, and it will be interesting to see on which side of the divide they end up. One hopes they'll be awesome. But I suspect the odds are better that they'll be weird and turned in on themselves.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Catcher in the Rye was a successful experiment",
          "reason": "Calls it a successful experiment and later a freak success.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. D. Salinger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coming of age novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "catching-fire-4c0050",
      "title": "Catching Fire",
      "author": "Suzanne Collins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3643803,
          "author": "Tcepsa",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-28T16:52:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 3643009,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-technical book you've read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3643803",
          "commentText": "\"The Hunger Games\" and \"Catching Fire\" by Suzanne Collins.  Am now waiting my turn for the library's copy of \"Mockingjay\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Hunger Games\" and \"Catching Fire\" by Suzanne Collins.",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to a question asking for recent non-technical books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Suzanne Collins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopia",
        "young adult"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "catechism-of-the-catholic-church-3c6a96",
      "title": "Catechism of the Catholic Church",
      "author": "Catholic Church",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21803978,
          "author": "jriot",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:57:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803978",
          "commentText": "I've curated my 2020 list over the last few months, eventually splitting it in two; 2021 has been started, but below is my 2020 list.\nBrave New World\nCatcher in the Rye (3rd read)\nTom Sawyer\nThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn\nWar and Peace\nCatch-22\nStranger in a Strange Lan\nThe Hobbit (3rd read)\nThe Illiad\nThe Odessey\nWalden\nLeisure, The Basis of Culture\nThe Seven Storey Mountain\nConfessions\nThe City of God\nWays of Life St Augustine\nCatechism of the Catholic Church\nThese Truths\nBattle Cry of Freedom\nThe Complete Guide to Fly Fishing\nThe Lure and Lore of Trout Fishing\nThe Duck Huntingest Gentlemen",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Catechism of the Catholic Church",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's curated 2020 reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Part of a planned reading list.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19896216,
          "author": "bigred100",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T03:20:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19896216",
          "commentText": "The Catechism of the Catholic Church",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Catechism of the Catholic Church",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Catholic Church"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "catholicism",
        "catechism",
        "doctrine"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "categorically-unequal-6a3035",
      "title": "Categorically Unequal",
      "author": "Douglas S. Massey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6698564,
          "author": "Nicholas_C",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-08T19:35:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6698564",
          "commentText": "Categorically Unequal by Douglas Massey, great book on stratification and inequality in America. \nAlso reading A Farewell to Arms.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Categorically Unequal by Douglas Massey, great book on stratification and inequality in America.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a great book about stratification and inequality in America.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas S. Massey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "inequality",
        "social stratification"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cathedral-6fd526",
      "title": "Cathedral",
      "author": "Raymond Carver",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467573,
          "author": "trts",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:40:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467573",
          "commentText": "For many books that I find myself thinking about for years, or just that I enjoyed very much, I will revisit them later.  They can be very revealing in how my perspective has changed or that I'll identify with completely different characters, or be awed by a passage that my earlier self overlooked.\nSeveral that come to mind are\nHeart of Darkness\nMoby Dick\nRobinson Crusoe\nPretty much any Chekhov story\nCathedral by Raymond Carver",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cathedral by Raymond Carver",
          "reason": "Names it among works revisited over the years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Raymond Carver"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "minimalism",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "catholicism-a-journey-to-the-heart-of-the-faith-afaae9",
      "title": "Catholicism: A Journey to the Heart of the Faith",
      "author": "Robert Barron",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13240800,
          "author": "cicero",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T22:06:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13240800",
          "commentText": "A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter Miller (recommended SF classic)\nThe Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis (an old favorite, recommended)\nThe Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco (some interesting parts, but overall a disappointment)\nTheology and Sanity - Frank Sheed (recommended; a very written description of the Catholic faith; weaknesses are it's long and it's aimed to a mid 20th c. audience)\nChristianity for Modern Pagans: Pascal's Pensees - Peter Kreeft (recommended; a good exposition of Blaise Pascal's thought)\nCatholicism: A journey to the heart of the faith - Robert Barron (recommended; a good explanation of Catholicism for the common person)\nHis Master's Voice - Stanislaw Lem (recommended; very intellectual look at the problem of first contact)\nThe Industries of the Future - Alec Ross (the robotics chapter is best; other parts are more light-weight; easy read)\nClouds of Witnesses - Dorothy Sayers (not my favorite Sayers mystery, but enjoyable)\nA Study in Scarlet - Arthur Conan Doyle (recommended)\nWhy Gender Matters - Leonard Sax (recommended; most of the book is based on good science, but he does go out on a limb a time or two.)\nOld School - Tobias Wolff (recommended; a world before widespread TV where high school boys actually got excited about literature)\nInfinite Space, Infinite God - Karina and Robert Fabian editors (story quality varies; I enjoyed some of them)\nThe Sign of Four - Arthur Conan Doyle (recommended)\nOn Stranger Tides - Tim Powers (recommended; I love Powers, but Anubis Gates and Last Call are better. Still, if you like pirates you should like this)\nThe Art of Worldly Wisdom - Baltasar Gracian (interesting)\nAquinas at Prayer: the Bible, Mysticism, and Poetry - Paul Murray (recommended; this shows a different side of Thomas Aquinas)\nAristotle for Everybody: Difficult Thought Made Easy - Mortimer Adler (recommended; I almost think this should be required reading)\nThe Pilgrim's Regress - C.S. Lewis (I enjoyed it, but the ideas Lewis argues against are somewhat dated.)\nEdit for formatting",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Catholicism: A journey to the heart of the faith - Robert Barron (recommended; a good explanation of Catholicism for the common person)",
          "reason": "Recommended as an accessible explanation of Catholicism.",
          "audience": "General readers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Barron"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "catholicism",
        "religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cats-paws-and-catapults-mechanical-worlds-of-nature-and-people-abd9f3",
      "title": "Cats' Paws and Catapults: Mechanical Worlds of Nature and People",
      "author": "Steven Vogel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10028033,
          "author": "danialtz",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T17:41:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10028033",
          "commentText": "I was lucky that during my research time I got to know Dawkin's work. And the journey started there:\n1. \"Cats' Paws and Catapults: Mechanical Worlds of Nature and People\" by Steven Vogel. If you were fascinated by the wings of birds or little waves behind the plants in water read this. Fascinating book!\n2. \"The meme machine\" by Susan Blackmore. Starting off where Dawkin's book ended.\n3. \"Three steps to yes\" by Gene Bedell, beside Getting to Yes already mentioned here.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you were fascinated by the wings of birds or little waves behind the plants in water read this. Fascinating book!",
          "reason": "Calls it fascinating and recommends it to readers interested in natural mechanics.",
          "audience": "Readers fascinated by bird wings or waves around plants in water.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Vogel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biomechanics",
        "biomimetics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "catwings-809203",
      "title": "Catwings",
      "author": "Ursula K. Le Guin",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50042577,
          "author": "schrectacular",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T12:29:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50042577",
          "commentText": "Here's some stuff for younger kids that haven't been mentioned yet:\nMatthew Cordell is awesome. \"Cornbread and Poppy\" are cute, \"Evergreen\" is fun, but check out his whole catalog. Probably my favorite active author/illustrator.\n\"Nobody Likes a Goblin\" by Ben Hatke\n\"The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess\" by Tom Gauld\n\"The Little Island by Margaret Wise Brown\" under the pseudonym Golden MacDonald\n”The Dark Tales of Lillebror Rabbit“ by Jonna Björnstjerna\n\"Les P'tites Poules\" by Christian Jolibois\nA little older, Ursula LeGuin is amazing, \"A Wizard of Earthsea\", \"Catwings\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Catwings\".",
          "reason": "Listed among books for a little older audience.",
          "audience": "A little older children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ursula K. Le Guin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "center-of-the-cyclone-6d75fc",
      "title": "Center of the Cyclone",
      "author": "John C. Lilly",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6414406,
          "author": "dwarman",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-19T21:20:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6414406",
          "commentText": "Knuth's \"The Art of Computer Programming\" - linked lists, state machines.\nCarlos Castenada's Don Juan series (yes, I know it was fiction) - \"one has no choice but to believe. What matters is what you believe\".\nJohn C. Lilly's \"Center of the Cyclone\".\nThese three, all around early-mid 70's, ended up moving me from the UK to Los Angeles. Strangely, each adds a different understanding to the others. Together, I guess it just makes me a bit strange. But it works.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "John C. Lilly's \"Center of the Cyclone\".",
          "reason": "Says the three named works together ended up moving them from the UK to Los Angeles.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John C. Lilly"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consciousness",
        "psychedelic memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "center-of-the-cyclone-an-autobiography-of-inner-space-0e88f6",
      "title": "Center of the Cyclone: An Autobiography of Inner Space",
      "author": "John C. Lilly",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15762247,
          "author": "delbel",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T01:59:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762247",
          "commentText": "Center of the Cyclone by Dr. John C Lilly",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Center of the Cyclone by Dr. John C Lilly",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John C. Lilly"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "autobiography",
        "consciousness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "central-station-cf35d6",
      "title": "Central Station",
      "author": "Lavie Tidhar",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17537852,
          "author": "rektide",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T00:15:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537852",
          "commentText": "Central Station by Lavie Tidhar is an amazing charming story of a world deeply steeped old sitting baking world where new things are coming about. It is charm & delight in the purest & simplest.\nSpin by Robert Charles Wilson. \"Robert Charles Wilson is a hell of a storyteller,\" said Stephen King and this wonderful tour through time and space, humanity & people's lives is incredible.\nThe Quantum Thief series by Hannu Rajaniemi is open, scenic, wild, & so so vivid, one of the most beautiful worlds I've ever visited, & it reminds me so much of a joyous wild swashbuckling run. The mystery of the main character is enchanting.\nInfoquake series by David Louis Edelson is a gripping suspenseful rise of a star entrepreneur that redefines and radically expands the world, amid an already boisterous & full & busy beautiful world already overflowing in seamless technology everywhere. Although the plot line whips along with some suspense & tension, the scenery and the voyage is incredible.\nLathe of Heaven by Ursala Le Guin could quite easily, quite simply be the best first contact story story ever. Touching, and sincere, & simple. This world is not bright and shiny but her writing and the bonding of characters is incredible. See also the rest of the Hainish cycle.\nLeft Hand of Darkness also by Ursala Le Guin is a shifting chaotic shizmatic tale, about picking our fates. \"Well, I did it through dreams. Phil would have done it another way. But yeah, homage to Phil [K.] Dick is right.\"\n- https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/a... (https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/all/)\nFallen Dragon is an early & involved Peter Hamilton adventure book. There's leaving home, & space ships, more space ships, bad guys, fighting back the bad guys, bigger ships, and action. There is A LOT going on, all the time, & violence, but damn this book comes together into something incredible, & telling, & powerful & strong, something that easily makes it my top pick for most-underappreciated Peter Hamilton.\nDiamond Age by Neal Stephenson, which I'm providing largely as a counterweight to the Snowcrash & Sevenses recommendations here. Diamond Age is much less dark, and way more a fun tail about an incredible & mysterious primer for a young lady.\nSirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut.\nAll Systems Red series by Martha Wells is a underprivileged barely coping robot dealing with the humans she hates having to talk to & a shitty planet trying to kill them. Simple, fun, some action & violence, but the main character is a total hoot the whole time with more loner/zero/drop-out attitude & spunk than anything I've read & it's unbelievably charming.\nLords of Light by Roger Zelazny has more style, pizzaz, & spirit than I feel like any of us deserve. An interesting, storied tale from the post-singularity, with a remarkable & robust cast.\nIllium/Olympos by Dan Simmons, are, in my mind still the clear winner, far above Hyperion. The cast is charming beyond belief, stumbling through a world they both know all too much about & far far too little. Some really incredible worldbuilding here.\nRainbow's End by Vernor Vinge. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE A Fire Upon the Deep. But Rainbow's End really is our planet, sometime not far out, and Vinge has the most tour of this next place we're headed, with threads, and annotations, and group chat being the defining new technologies of humanity. And the tale of the misfit happenstance adventurers who wind up ensnared in the plot line is a fun, roving hoot of a journey, a wonderful second chance at a coming of age story.\nMedusa Chronicles by two of my favorites, Alastair Reynolds & Stephen Baxter is probably my favorite exploring the solar system book, about a guy/robot a bit apart from humanity that really wants to see what the local area has to offer. A lot of high tension conflicting societal impulses that our somewhat aloof lead stumbles through, on his personal mission of exploration. Lots of interesting robot philosophy & very varied elements of space come together with the characters to make an incredibly fun space epic, set in a delightful & intriguing alternative history\nOther's recommendations I'd +1: Dune (but super heady material), The Stars My Destination (brimming with class & substance), Mote in God's Eye (some of the best Space Colonial Marines style stuff out there), Accelerando (and Iron Sky and ... overflowing playful scifi), Blue Ant series (dripping with style), Foundation series (and much more Asimov!), Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy (simple direct exciting hunt for treasure in Star Wars), Fuzzy Nation (fun tale)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Central Station by Lavie Tidhar is an amazing charming story",
          "reason": "Calls it an amazing, charming story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lavie Tidhar"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories",
        "urban science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "centuries-91fbca",
      "title": "Centuries",
      "author": "A. A. Attanasio",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056835,
          "author": "tartuffe78",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T13:40:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056835",
          "commentText": "Lot's of my favorites already listed\nSome more good ones:\nIlium/Olympos - Dan Simmons\nCenturies - A. A. Attanasio\nCallahan's Crosstime Saloon - Spider Robinson\nSignal to Noise - Eric Nylund",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Centuries - A. A. Attanasio",
          "reason": "Lists it among more good books answering the favorites question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "A. A. Attanasio"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "time travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "century-rain-f21721",
      "title": "Century Rain",
      "author": "Alastair Reynolds",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46400582,
          "author": "drunx",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T09:55:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46400582",
          "commentText": "Stealing this recommendation.\nI stared from Revelation Space - full series. Then did done other ones. Didn't get to the Century Rain.\nThank you!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Didn't get to the Century Rain.",
          "reason": "Says they have not yet read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not read by the commenter yet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38557233,
          "author": "tsujamin",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:13:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557233",
          "commentText": "A pair of books I’d recommend for 2024, which I didn’t get the chance to reread this year, would be:\n- The Ocean at the End of the Lane (Gaiman), which is beautiful in a way I can’t quite describe\n- Century Rain (Reynolds), which is best described as a hard boiled 1930’s noir hard science fiction novel.\nBooks I read this year which I really enjoyed:’\n- Exploding The Phone (Lapsley): Super engrossing description of the phone phreak scene almost from its start to its end\n- Hyperion and sequels (Simmons): Probably one of my favourite science fiction series now, and I’ve already felt the need to go back and re-read passages from it. Also really enjoy how each part of the series (Hyperion, then Fall of Hyperion, then the Endymion books) re-invent the style and the story.\n- The Annotated American Gods (Gaiman, Klinger): 1000’s of footnotes is a great way to revisit the story :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Century Rain (Reynolds), which is best described as a hard boiled 1930’s noir hard science fiction novel.",
          "reason": "Recommended as hard-boiled noir and hard science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alastair Reynolds"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternate history",
        "hard science fiction",
        "noir",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "chaitanya-charitamrita-08cfdf",
      "title": "Chaitanya Charitamrita",
      "author": "Krishnadasa Kaviraja",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40282222,
          "author": "uptownfunk",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T04:03:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40282222",
          "commentText": "The Rama Charit Manasa\nBhagavatam\nBhagavad Gita\nChaitanya Caritamrta\nMahabharata",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Chaitanya Caritamrta",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Krishnadasa Kaviraja"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "devotional literature",
        "hindu scripture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "chanakya-niti-4e8913",
      "title": "Chanakya Niti",
      "author": "Chanakya",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40287331,
          "author": "ananya_paw",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T15:56:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40287331",
          "commentText": "\"Chanakya Niti\"- best for Leadership/Business/DecisionMaking/Life overall",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Chanakya Niti\"- best for Leadership/Business/DecisionMaking/Life overall",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it for leadership, business, decision making, and life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chanakya"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "decision making",
        "leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "chance-the-science-and-secrets-of-luck-randomness-and-probability-60b7b9",
      "title": "Chance: The Science and Secrets of Luck, Randomness, and Probability",
      "author": "Brian Clegg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783320,
          "author": "onion2k",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:12:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783320",
          "commentText": "\"Chance: The science and secrets of luck, randomness and probability\" It's a collection of New Scientist essays based around probability. Well worth reading, and because it's just short essays it's easy to pick up for just a few minutes at a time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Chance: The science and secrets of luck, randomness and probability\" It's a collection of New Scientist essays based around probability. Well worth reading, and because it's just short essays it's easy to pick up for just a few minutes at a time.",
          "reason": "Calls it well worth reading and notes its short essays are easy to read in brief sessions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Clegg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "probability",
        "randomness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "change-a0f182",
      "title": "Change",
      "author": "Paul Watzlawick, John H. Weakland, and Richard Fisch",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40432531,
          "author": "dang",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T19:09:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40432531",
          "commentText": "I don't know about \"so far in 2024\" but Pragmatics of Human Communication by Watzlawick et. al. is great: https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393710595.\nIts sequel Change is also great: https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393707069, though in my copy the opening 20 pages or so are printed at the end (as if the printing machine used a ring buffer). That is a pity because the Preface has one of the great openings of all time. I was paging through the entire book looking for it—I'd read it years ago and remembered it being at the beginning, which it is, except the beginning was at the end in this copy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Its sequel Change is also great",
          "reason": "Calls the sequel great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The opening pages in the commenter's copy are printed at the end.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Watzlawick",
        "John H. Weakland",
        "Richard Fisch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "communication",
        "psychotherapy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "change-your-thinking-1d6988",
      "title": "Change Your Thinking",
      "author": "Sarah Edelman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2147371,
          "author": "yycom",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T10:55:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2147371",
          "commentText": "Change your thinking by Sarah Edelman\nhttp://shop.abc.net.au/browse/product.asp?productid=162469\nNo, seriously.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Change your thinking by Sarah Edelman",
          "reason": "The sarcastic “No, seriously” still presents the book as an answer to the question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment’s tone may be joking.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sarah Edelman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognitive behavioral therapy",
        "self help"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "change-your-thoughts-change-your-life-a43ce8",
      "title": "Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life",
      "author": "Wayne W. Dyer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19091008,
          "author": "clay_the_ripper",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T23:05:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19091008",
          "commentText": "Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life by Wayne Dyer\nAlthough it sounds like a self help book, it’s actually a fascinating interpretation and explanation of the Tao de Ching which was written 2500 years ago by Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu.\nIt really helped me understand the wisdom of that text, which without the accompanying interpretation by Dyer is a bit like reading Shakespeare without the notes.\nI think about this book almost every day, and it truly did change my life. highly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life by Wayne Dyer",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them understand the Tao Te Ching and changed their life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The Tao Te Ching is difficult to understand without Dyer's interpretation, according to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Wayne W. Dyer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Learning",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self help",
        "taoism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "change-by-design-a25841",
      "title": "Change by Design",
      "author": "Tim Brown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26837383,
          "author": "Jugurtha",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-16T18:24:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 26833319,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book for software engineers (besides the well-known ones)?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26837383",
          "commentText": "Books, concepts, and mindsets that help build the right thing. Problem solving, design, design thinking, consulting resources.\n\"The Complete Problem Solver\", \"Change by Design\", \"The Design of Everyday Things\", \"Jobs to Be Done\", concepts like non-consumption. Questions that confirm that feature requests are valid and avoid solving Y problem when the actual problem is X. Thought processes to prioritize work and focus on what matters.\nExample: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26814150\nThen books, concepts, and mindsets that help software engineers reap the reward of the software they write. Marketing, sales, prospecting, pricing, communication.\nI believe there is a huge quantity of beautiful, idiomatic, code that solves no real problem, and a huge number of software engineers who have trouble monetizing their skill, or get stuck in unfulfilling roles because they have not found a way to shape an interesting one for themselves.\nA few examples of threads searching for answers one usually answers through piecing together many resources, books, and life experiences:\nhttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26805216\nhttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26650563\nhttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26550896\nhttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26465891\nhttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26446169\nhttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26366426",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Change by Design\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tim Brown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "design thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "change-by-design-how-design-thinking-transforms-organizations-and-4f63a0",
      "title": "Change by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation",
      "author": "Tim Brown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12711221,
          "author": "ryanSrich",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-14T21:28:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12711221",
          "commentText": "Here's a list of all design books that I give to new hires:\nBranded Interactions: Creating the Digital Experience - (https://www.amazon.com/Branded-Interactions-Creating-Digital... (https://www.amazon.com/Branded-Interactions-Creating-Digital-Experience/dp/0500518173))\nThe Visual Display of Quantitative Information - https://www.amazon.com/Visual-Display-Quantitative-Informati... (https://www.amazon.com/Visual-Display-Quantitative-Information/dp/0961392142/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480332&sr=1-1&keywords=Edward+Tufte)\nUniversal Principles of Design - https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Principles-Design-Revised-U... (https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Principles-Design-Revised-Updated/dp/1592535879/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480359&sr=1-1&keywords=universal+principles+of+design)\nThe Interface: IBM and the Transformation of Corporate Design, 1945-1976 - https://www.amazon.com/Interface-Transformation-Corporate-19... (https://www.amazon.com/Interface-Transformation-Corporate-1945-1976-Quadrant/dp/0816670390/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480388&sr=1-1&keywords=the+interface+ibm)\nMultiple Signatures: On Designers, Authors, Readers and Users - https://www.amazon.com/Multiple-Signatures-Designers-Authors... (https://www.amazon.com/Multiple-Signatures-Designers-Authors-Readers/dp/0847839737/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480427&sr=1-1&keywords=Multiple+Signatures)\nChange by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation - https://www.amazon.com/Change-Design-Transforms-Organization... (https://www.amazon.com/Change-Design-Transforms-Organizations-Innovation/dp/0061766089/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480449&sr=1-1&keywords=Change+by+design)\nThoughts on Design - https://www.amazon.com/Thoughts-Design-Paul-Rand/dp/08118754... (https://www.amazon.com/Thoughts-Design-Paul-Rand/dp/081187544X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480478&sr=1-1&keywords=Thoughts+on+design)\nNotes on the Synthesis of Form - https://www.amazon.com/Notes-Synthesis-Form-Harvard-Paperbac... (https://www.amazon.com/Notes-Synthesis-Form-Harvard-Paperbacks/dp/0674627512/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480495&sr=1-1&keywords=notes+on+the+synthesis+of+form)\n..and a list of ones I'm considering adding:\nUnflattening - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0674744438/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0674744438/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\nCreative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All  - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/038534936X/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/038534936X/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\nThe Design Method - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321928849/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321928849/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\nProduct Design for the Web: Principles of Designing and Releasing Web Products- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321929039/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321929039/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Here's a list of all design books that I give to new hires:",
          "reason": "Included in a design book list given to new hires.",
          "audience": "New hires.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tim Brown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "design thinking",
        "organizational innovation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "changeling-bf2357",
      "title": "Changeling",
      "author": "McKenzie Rae",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24183387,
          "author": "mswen",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-17T02:45:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 24176902,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please suggest some good books you have read recently",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24183387",
          "commentText": "Changeling (The Dark Fae Series Book 1)\nFaery Tales (The Dark Fae Series Book 2)\nBy McKenzie Rae\nBook 2 was just released last week. I sat down this morning to read and as of this evening I am about 200 pages in. It really sucked me in.\nDisclaimer. I am the father of the author. But when she was younger I would read something she wrote and if she asked for my reaction I was honest. I would say, it is really good for a 14 year old. That would drive her crazy. But I would tell her I will always give you my honest reaction.\nWhen she was picked up by a publisher in her early 20s, she was kind of bashful about me reading her work. It was so gratifying to be able to walk in about 2/3 of the way through that first published novel and tell her that even though it wasn't my preferred genre I had started to care about the characters and the plot and I had to finish.\nI feel like each book has gotten better. This latest book captured my attention within the first few pages and I spent way more time reading it today than I originally intended.\nSorry if anyone is offended at me promoting my daughter's work.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Changeling (The Dark Fae Series Book 1)",
          "reason": "The commenter says the first published novel got them invested in its characters and plot.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is the author's father and notes the genre is not their preference.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "McKenzie Rae"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fae fantasy",
        "paranormal romance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "chaos-monkeys-obscene-fortune-and-random-failure-in-silicon-valle-e56325",
      "title": "Chaos Monkeys: Obscene Fortune and Random Failure in Silicon Valley",
      "author": "Antonio García Martínez",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17205315,
          "author": "chubot",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T13:55:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205315",
          "commentText": "- Paypal Wars.  I read this twice -- once back in 2006 or so, before I really knew who any of the people were (Thiel, Musk, etc.).  And then once a few years ago.\n- Chaos Monkeys -- about Facebook circa 2010, touches on YC a few years before that.  Somewhat controversial, but a good book.\n- Weaving the Web by Tim Berners-Lee -- talks about the story from CERN to MIT, etc.\nEchoing some other posts:\n- The Idea Factory\n- The Dream Machine (probably the densest and most informative computer history book I've read)\n- Masters of Doom\n- The Supermen (about Seymour Cray) -- I didn't know anything about this side of the industry!  Interesting.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Somewhat controversial, but a good book.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a good book despite its controversial reputation.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Facebook and Silicon Valley.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it is somewhat controversial.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Antonio García Martínez"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "facebook",
        "silicon valley"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "chaos-series-cf6740",
      "title": "Chaos series",
      "author": "John C. Wright",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2055827,
          "author": "ysopex",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-31T17:14:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2055827",
          "commentText": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Golden_Age_%28novel_series%29\nSeriously, I've read these about twice a year since they came out. His Chaos series is very good too. More fantasy than sci-fi tho.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His Chaos series is very good too.",
          "reason": "Calls the series very good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "More fantasy than science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John C. Wright"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "science fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "chapaev-and-the-void-4ae49a",
      "title": "Chapaev and the Void",
      "author": "Viktor Pelevin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17169741,
          "author": "mm321",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T23:27:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17169741",
          "commentText": "Don't know about changing my life, but these books changed the way i look at things:\nThe Tao of Pooh: Benjamin Hoff\nSlaughterhouse-Five, or The Children's Crusade by Kurt Vonnegut\nTI 99/4a basic reference manual\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, by Abelson, Sussman\nObject Oriented Analysis and Design by Grady Booch\nDarkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler\nThieves in the Night by Arthur Koestler\nAll the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren\nThe Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck\nThe Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.\nWar and Peace by L.N.Tolstoy\nChapaev and the void by Pelevin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Chapaev and the void by Pelevin",
          "reason": "Listed among books that changed how the commenter looks at things.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Viktor Pelevin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "russian literature",
        "surrealism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "chapayev-and-void-d85b0d",
      "title": "Chapayev and Void",
      "author": "Viktor Pelevin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50118959,
          "author": "mindwork",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T14:42:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50118959",
          "commentText": "Chapayev and Void by Viktor Pelevin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Chapayev and Void by Viktor Pelevin",
          "reason": "Listed in response to which books the commenter read at least twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Viktor Pelevin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "postmodern fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "character-analysis-1b7db4",
      "title": "Character Analysis",
      "author": "Wilhelm Reich",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13804070,
          "author": "unlmtd",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:09:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804070",
          "commentText": "- Character analysis (W. Reich)\n- Meetings with Remarkable Men (Gurdjieff)\n- Courage to Stand Alone (UG Krishnamurti)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Character analysis (W. Reich)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed how people think.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Wilhelm Reich"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "character analysis",
        "psychoanalysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "character-limit-7ca419",
      "title": "Character Limit",
      "author": "Kate Conger and Ryan Mac",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42508314,
          "author": "sethops1",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T11:39:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42508314",
          "commentText": "Character Limit by Kate Conger and Ryan Mac",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Character Limit by Kate Conger and Ryan Mac",
          "reason": "Names it as a standout read in response to the question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kate Conger",
        "Ryan Mac"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "elon musk",
        "twitter"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "character-strengths-and-virtues-4d0a62",
      "title": "Character Strengths and Virtues",
      "author": "Christopher Peterson and Martin E. P. Seligman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16759553,
          "author": "kybernetikos",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T21:52:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16759553",
          "commentText": "Most recently, I've been keeping Character Strengths and Virtues on my desk.  It's a catalogue of the things that we think are good about human psychology.  It's a good conversation starter, and fun to flip through and read sections.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Most recently, I've been keeping Character Strengths and Virtues on my desk. It's a catalogue of the things that we think are good about human psychology. It's a good conversation starter, and fun to flip through and read sections.",
          "reason": "Calls it a good conversation starter and says it is fun to browse.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in human psychology and character strengths.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher Peterson and Martin E. P. Seligman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "character strengths",
        "positive psychology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "characters-f03c1b",
      "title": "Characters",
      "author": "Jean de La Bruyère",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20926622,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-10T10:05:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20926622",
          "commentText": "All the essays of Emerson, GK Chesterton, Hazlitt, Oscar Wilde, RL Stevenson, William James\nEvery book by Nietzsche (except Zarathustra).\nLa Bruyere - Characters\nCharles Mackay - Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular \nDelusions and the Madness of Crowds\nAmbrose Bierce - The Devil's Dictionary",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "La Bruyere - Characters",
          "reason": "Lists it among favorite older works.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jean de La Bruyère"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "character sketches",
        "french literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "chariots-of-the-gods-b85b55",
      "title": "Chariots of the Gods?",
      "author": "Erich von Däniken",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1725114,
          "author": "kapilkaisare",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-24T19:48:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1725114",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n1. Life of Pi - Yann Martel\n2. The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas : An awesome closeup of revenge\n3. The complete Sherlock Holmes series : 'nuff said.\nNon fiction:\n1. Cosmos - Carl Sagan : I fell in love with science post-reading this book.\n2. October Sky - Homer Hickham : A real life story of how a group of boys in a backwater town build a rocket that changes their lives.\n3. Chariots of the Gods - Erich Von Daniken -  A real mind bender, even if you choose not to agree with his ideas.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Chariots of the Gods - Erich Von Daniken -  A real mind bender, even if you choose not to agree with his ideas.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a mind bender and includes it in a suggested nonfiction list.",
          "audience": "Boys.",
          "caveat": "The commenter explicitly says readers need not agree with its ideas.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Erich von Däniken"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient astronaut claims",
        "pseudohistory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "charisma-ee4c5f",
      "title": "Charisma",
      "author": "Marcia Grad",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17988395,
          "author": "gadders",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-14T16:11:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17988395",
          "commentText": "Charisma by Marcia Grad - helped me become less shy as a teenager\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People\nThe Keill Randor books got me influenced in martial arts.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Charisma by Marcia Grad - helped me become less shy as a teenager",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book helped them become less shy.",
          "audience": "People who want to become less shy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marcia Grad"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "confidence",
        "social skills"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "charlatan-da9cc1",
      "title": "Charlatan",
      "author": "Pope Brock",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15019032,
          "author": "framebit",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T15:20:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15019032",
          "commentText": "I'm about 70% of the way through Charlatan by Pope Brock, a non-fiction book that tells the astonishing story of a dangerous medical quack in the depression era who transcends medical quackery to infiltrate entertainment, politics, and more. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1851568.Charlatan\nI found it through the excellent Reply All episode on the same subject. https://gimletmedia.com/episode/86-man-of-the-people/ The episode is great, but it naturally has to leave out a lot of details and subplots that really come to life in the book. I would gladly read anything else written by Pope Brock. I think his writing is amazing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would gladly read anything else written by Pope Brock. I think his writing is amazing.",
          "reason": "Says Brock's writing is amazing and would gladly read more by him.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is about 70% through the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pope Brock"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "medical history",
        "narrative nonfiction",
        "quackery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "charles-proteus-steinmetz-the-electrical-wizard-of-schenectady-35740f",
      "title": "Charles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady",
      "author": "Robert Bly",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Charles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Bly"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "electrical engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "charlie-wilson-s-war-c5691e",
      "title": "Charlie Wilson's War",
      "author": "George Crile",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467690,
          "author": "cududa",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:51:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467690",
          "commentText": "Triumph And Tragedy of Lyndon B Johnson (his effectiveness to pass legislation fascinated me)\nHarry Potter (comfort series)\nCharlie Wilson’s War (it’s hilarious and informative),\nGame Change (a sobering reminder of the 2008 election and how we got to today),\nLincoln’s Melancholy (on his depression).\nI’ve read lots of books twice, but the above are the only I can find in my library I’ve read 3 or more times. Outside of Harry Potter, I view the figures in those books most responsible for turning points in our nations history.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Charlie Wilson’s War",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it hilarious and informative.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Crile"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "charlie-and-the-chocolate-factory-605363",
      "title": "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory",
      "author": "Roald Dahl",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35724796,
          "author": "eesmith",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-27T08:12:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 35710671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell still a recommended read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35724796",
          "commentText": "I don't think there's much evidence to support your viewpoint.\nMost books don't age well.\nI tried to read Baum's \"The Woggle-Bug Book\" a few years ago, and found its humor, rooted in old ethnic stereotypes, totally un-enjoyable. It did not age well.\nWhile the Hardy Boy books I enjoyed as a kid wouldn't have been so wildly popular had they kept the original text. (\"From 1959 to 1973, the first 38 books were extensively revised, largely to remove depictions of racial stereotypes\" says Wikipedia.)\nOne of the most popular Agatha Christie novels is \"And Then There Were None\". That was \"re-published to align with the political zeitgeist\" so much they even changed the title and the name of the island. Most people have read the re-aligned version, not the original version.\nAnd as I learned recently, \"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory\" was \"re-published to align with the political zeitgeist\" in the 1970s, due to complaints by the NAACP and others that the Oompa-Loompas were African Pygmies. The re-write made them white, and the movie made them orange. The re-aligned version has outsold the original version.\nAlso in the 1970s, Geisel (\"Dr. Seuss\") edited \"And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street\" to change how it describes and portrays a Chinese man. That book continues to be sold.\nCarnegie's \"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" was revised in the 1981 edition to reflect the new feminist zeitgeist. For examples, \"insurance man\" was replaced with \"insurance agent\", and \"leadership gravitates to the man who can talk\" changed to \"leadership gravitates to the person who can talk\". It also dropped the section on marriage. (\"Never get married until you have kissed the Blarney Stone. Praising a woman before marriage is a matter of inclination. But praising one after you marry her is a matter of necessity — and personal safety.\") The preface to the 1981 edition points out how \"Carnegie himself was a tireless reviser of his own work during his lifetime\" and would have made changes because he was \"sensitive to the changing currents of present-day life\".\nWhile not \"tons of books\", the fact that I - with little knowledge of book publishing history - can point to several counter-examples, suggests that there are a lot more popular books out there which were updated to the modern zeitgeist.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "And as I learned recently, \"Charlie and the Chocolate Factory\" was \"re-published to align with the political zeitgeist\" in the 1970s",
          "reason": "Cites revisions made in response to complaints about the Oompa-Loompas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The text was rewritten; the comment says the Oompa-Loompas were changed from African Pygmies to white.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24293845,
          "author": "wallflower",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-27T14:08:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 24286084,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading at the moment and what do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24293845",
          "commentText": "Good luck with reading Spanish! Please be easy on yourself, it took me 4 years of reading off and on to get to the point of reading books like “1491: Una nueva historia de las Américas antes de Colón“. Also, factual based books are much, much easier to understand than novels. The problem with reading Gabriel García Márquez is that reality and un-reality are blended together using sophisticated grammatical constructs that you have no idea what is going on. Remember, language can express things that are abstract. Abstraction in a second language is hard!\nIf I have one piece of advice for you, please try to completely avoid reaching for the dictionary (app or physical) while reading your books. Not only will avoiding the dictionary make the reading faster, your pattern matching will improve because your mind will be forced to “fill in the blanks” where there is insufficient understanding. I know there are polyglots out there that advise the opposite of “don’t go to the next page until you know everything”. Bah humbug, reading should not be a homework assignment.\nFinally, buying the audiobook and reading along with the book will help train your ear for faster pattern recognition and signal/noise differentiation. Be advised though that audio books may not be one to one exact with the printed text.\nI also recommend “Charlie y la fábrica de chocolate”.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also recommend “Charlie y la fábrica de chocolate”.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it as a Spanish reading choice.",
          "audience": "Spanish learners.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roald Dahl"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s literature",
        "fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "chasing-new-horizons-inside-the-epic-first-mission-to-pluto-b55c13",
      "title": "Chasing New Horizons: Inside the Epic First Mission to Pluto",
      "author": "Alan Stern and David Grinspoon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18744408,
          "author": "sizzzzlerz",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T04:20:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744408",
          "commentText": "* Bad Blood  - John Carreyou\nThis has been listed multiple times. Depicts the darkside of the startup phenomena\n* Chasing New Horizons - Alan Stern, David Grinspoon\nDocuments the people and machine that explored Pluto\n* Sunburst and Luminary - Don Eyles\nHistory of the Apollo guidance computer software from the man who wrote it",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Chasing New Horizons - Alan Stern, David Grinspoon\nDocuments the people and machine that explored Pluto",
          "reason": "Documents the people and spacecraft involved in exploring Pluto.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan Stern and David Grinspoon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "pluto",
        "space exploration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "chasing-space-an-astronaut-s-story-of-grit-grace-second-chances-c6afd8",
      "title": "Chasing Space: An Astronaut’s Story of Grit, Grace, & Second Chances",
      "author": "Leland Melvin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18744369,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T04:11:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744369",
          "commentText": "* The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCullough\n* Higher: A Historic Race to the Sky and the Making of a City by Neal Bascomb\n* Caesar’s Last Breath: Decoding the Secrets of the Air Around Us by Sam Kean\n* Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari\n* A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts by Andrew Chaikin\n* The Actor’s Life: A survival guide by Jenna Fischer\n* The Interstellar Age: The Story of the NASA Men and Women Who Flew the Forty-Year Voyager Mission by Jim Bell\n* The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance by David Epstein\n* Uncommon People: The Rise and Fall of the Rock Stars 1955-1994 by David Hepworth\n* Chasing Space: An Astronaut's Story of Grit, Grace, & Second Chances by Leland Melvin\n* The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough\n* Jefferson: Architect of American Liberty by John B. Boles",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Chasing Space: An Astronaut's Story of Grit, Grace, & Second Chances by Leland Melvin",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite nonfiction book read in 2018.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leland Melvin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "astronaut memoir",
        "spaceflight"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "chasing-venus-the-race-to-measure-the-heavens-30e0c9",
      "title": "Chasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens",
      "author": "Andrea Wulf",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrea Wulf"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "astronomy",
        "transits of venus"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "chasing-the-phoenix-d8da8b",
      "title": "Chasing the Phoenix",
      "author": "Michael Swanwick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783919,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:07:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783919",
          "commentText": "[cont'd]\nMichael Frayn, Democracy. A compulsively readable play about an episode in the politics of West Germany in the 1970s, a subject I didn't know could be made so interesting to me. Superb.\nMichael Flynn, Eifelheim. Excellent and profound SF/historical novel about aliens crashing in the Germany of the Middle Ages, and how that would work out. Avoids cheap tricks, very strong on historical research and verisimilitude.\nRoss Thomas, The Cold War Swap, Cast a Yellow Shadow, Chinaman's Chance. Very well-written thrillers, typically stories about spying or political corruption. I'm usually bored by this genre, couldn't put these down. Will read more by this (hitherto unknown to me) author.\nUrsula K. Le Guin, The Wizard of Earthsea. (reread) Still as good as I remembered it to be.\nP.K.Dick, The Man in the High Castle. (reread) Very inventive and weird in a good way, but I wish the characters would be a little different (everyone is the same highly neurotic mouthpiece for the author), and the obsession with I Ching does nothing for me. Still worth reading.\nRobert Ryan, Dead Man's Land. A Sherlock Holmes novel in which 90% of the action is with John Watson rejoining the Army to help in World War I at his late middle age, and Holmes appears only briefly. Works quite well. Very detailed on day-to-day trench warfare and medicine at the front.\nMichael Frayn, Noises Off. A funny short play, very meta, not as good as his \"Democracy\".\nNeil Gaiman, The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Better than his two long novels of the 2000s. A self-contained fairy tale, fun to read and well-written, but not beyond that. Gaiman's unsurpassed masterpiece, to me, is still The Sandman.\nMichael Swansick, Chasing the Phoenix. SF, set on a future Earth where computers and electronic communication are outlawed following problems with runaway AIs, but there's lots of high technology (e.g. genetics) otherwise. Funny and amusing, a light read.\n[edit: deleted about 20 books I didn't like or hated]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Michael Swansick, Chasing the Phoenix. SF, set on a future Earth where computers and electronic communication are outlawed following problems with runaway AIs, but there's lots of high technology (e.g. genetics) otherwise. Funny and amusing, a light read.",
          "reason": "Calls it funny, amusing, and a light read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A light read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Swanwick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "dystopian fiction",
        "genetic engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "chasing-the-rabbit-7aa0ab",
      "title": "Chasing the Rabbit",
      "author": "Steven Spear",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17987324,
          "author": "akeck",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-14T14:16:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17987324",
          "commentText": "\"Chasing the Rabbit\" by Steven Spear. It gave me a much deeper understanding of the Lean/Toyota than other books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It gave me a much deeper understanding of the Lean/Toyota than other books.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it gave them a deeper understanding of Lean and Toyota than other books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Spear"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "lean manufacturing",
        "toyota production system"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "chasing-the-scream-the-first-and-last-days-of-the-war-on-drugs-1a941a",
      "title": "Chasing the Scream: The First and Last Days of the War on Drugs",
      "author": "Johann Hari",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17521727,
          "author": "nindalf",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T10:13:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521727",
          "commentText": "I loved Sapiens. It has a couple of ideas that help explain so much of our world - really powerful ideas. Once you know them they seem so obvious and you feel like you should have thought of that yourself. For example, (spoilers for human history ahead), our civilations are based on agriculture and very few hunter gatherers remain. But that doesn't mean that people consciously chose one over the other. It's just that for various reasons, agriculture is a more \"viral\" idea that spread more efficiently than the alternative. Ditto with monotheistic vs polytheistic religions.\nHomo Deus... less so. It rehashes a lot of Sapiens and I found it a bit of a drag. The introduction is worth reading though. He recounts all the progress we've made as a species, which would surprise people who think our world is growing worse by the day.\nChasing the Scream was amazing. Nothing more to be said.\nThe book I learned the most from was probably The Dictator's Handbook. Again, a very simple idea - how can we predict a politician/leader's behaviour based on a simple assumption - they will try their best to stay employed. The authors manage to explain almost all of how politics works based on this one single idea. If you're one of those people who likes to try-before-they-buy, here's a trailer of the book - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rStL7niR7gs",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Chasing the Scream was amazing.",
          "reason": "Calls it amazing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Johann Hari"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "drug policy",
        "war on drugs"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "chasm-city-6bb23f",
      "title": "Chasm City",
      "author": "Alastair Reynolds",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36021628,
          "author": "kyriakos",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:58:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021628",
          "commentText": "Yeah I read everything written in the Revelation Space Universe. Also Chasm City is really good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Chasm City is really good.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it really good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5692680,
          "author": "maxerickson",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-12T00:41:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5692680",
          "commentText": "Nobody has suggested Umberto Eco yet.I would try The Island of the Day Before or Baudolino before Foucault's Pendulum.\nAlistair Reynolds is space opera done nicely (if you want to look in that direction). Chasm City stands on its own, but there are some similar works there.\nTwain fits in with some of your other comments.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Chasm City stands on its own",
          "reason": "Says it stands on its own while describing Reynolds's space opera.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in space opera.",
          "caveat": "The comment does not explicitly praise the title.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alastair Reynolds"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mystery",
        "space opera",
        "thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cheaper-by-the-dozen-4833ef",
      "title": "Cheaper by the Dozen",
      "author": "Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25319707,
          "author": "DavidPeiffer",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-06T00:15:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319707",
          "commentText": "I'm an industrial engineer.  The book that got me started on that path was Cheaper By the Dozen, which we listened to on cassette tape on most road trips >2 hours growing up.  I was fascinated by the thought of taking a process or procedure and eliminating as much non-value add time as possible, which they did throughout their lives on things like tonsillectomies for their kids.\nSome impactful books on the whole field include Factory Physics (focusing on material flow through a factory) and The Toyota Way (focusing on lean manufacturing).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book that got me started on that path was Cheaper By the Dozen",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped spark their interest in industrial engineering and process improvement.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frank B. Gilbreth Jr.",
        "Ernestine Gilbreth Carey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "industrial engineering",
        "process improvement"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cheaper-by-the-dozen-727b5d",
      "title": "Cheaper by the Dozen",
      "author": "Frank B. Gilbreth Jr.; Ernestine Gilbreth Carey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25322895,
          "author": "dukeme09",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-06T11:44:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25322895",
          "commentText": "I'm in operations and I also loved \"Cheaper by the Dozen\" as a kid. Have you ever read, \"My Forty Years with Ford\" by Charles Sorensen? He was the first COO of Ford and he talks about building the first modern assembly line, dealing with his difficult process engineering problems (for 1910) and creating one of the first continuous improvement programs. I really enjoyed how everything he described is still relevant today for operations and his seemingly intractable problems are now considered simple today.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also loved \"Cheaper by the Dozen\" as a kid.",
          "reason": "The commenter recalls loving it as a child.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frank B. Gilbreth Jr.",
        "Ernestine Gilbreth Carey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "family memoir",
        "industrial engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "chicken-soup-with-rice-9216b4",
      "title": "Chicken Soup with Rice",
      "author": "Maurice Sendak",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50037878,
          "author": "NishanStepak",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-10T22:37:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50037878",
          "commentText": "I have always liked The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter, Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, Chicken Soup With Rice by Maurice Sendak, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss and Yertle The Turtle by Dr. Seuss.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Chicken Soup With Rice by Maurice Sendak",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have always liked it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Maurice Sendak"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "picture books",
        "poetry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "child-44-dabc0b",
      "title": "Child 44",
      "author": "Tom Rob Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8107093,
          "author": "mrcdima",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T09:05:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107093",
          "commentText": "Some titles I've recently read or at least have placed on my reading list.\n--------------------\nPhilosohpy\nLetters from a Stoic: Epistulae Morales Ad Lucilium - Seneca\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius (must read)\nThe Republic - Plato\n--------------------\nHistory\nFive Chimneys - Olga Lengyel\nThe Gulag Archipelago - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (must read)\nThe Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank\n--------------------\nFiction\n(particularly dystopian) 1984, Brave New World, Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451\n(crime/action) Child 44, The Secret Speech, Agent 6 - Tom Rob Smith\n--------------------\nEconomics\nCapital in the Twenty-First Century - Thomas Piketty\nPoor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty - Banerjee, Duflo\nWhy Nations Fail - Robinson\n--------------------\nEconomics/Decision making/Psychology\nUndercover Economist, Freakonomics, Nudge, Thinking Fast and Slow\n--------------------\nRandom titles\nThe Selfish Gene, Self-Reliance, The Elements of Style (about writing), Slaughterhouse-Five\n--------------------\nSome links to inspire your reading (though you may want to checkout the websites first to get an idea of the topics they cover)\nhttp://www.gatesnotes.com/Books\nhttp://bookpickings.brainpickings.org/\nhttp://www.farnamstreetblog.com/reading/\nhttp://www.ryanholiday.net/reading-newsletter\nI’m just a working-class guy trying to take part in the conversation that all the smart people are having. What books should I read? - http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-cl... (http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-class-guy-trying-to-take-part-in-the-conversation-that-all-the-smart-people-are-having-what-books-should-i-read/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Child 44",
          "reason": "Listed as a title in response to the thread's request for book suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Rob Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crime fiction",
        "soviet union"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "child-prodigy-70a16e",
      "title": "Child Prodigy",
      "author": "Norbert Wiener",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48993248,
          "author": "jonjacky",
          "createdAt": "2026-07-21T15:06:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 48981842,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favourite science history book of the 20th century?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48993248",
          "commentText": "John Von Neumann and Norbert Weiner: From Mathematics to the Technologies of Life and Death by Steve Heims (1982)  Out of print but libraries have it.\nDark Hero of the Information Age: In Search of Norbert Weiner, the Father \nof Cybernetics by Flo Conway and Jim Siegelman (2005)\nWeiner himself wrote some autobiographies, including Child Prodigy and I Am A Mathematician.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "including Child Prodigy and I Am A Mathematician.",
          "reason": "Listed as one of Norbert Wiener's autobiographies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Norbert Wiener"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "norbert wiener"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "childe-roland-to-the-dark-tower-came-82c6b6",
      "title": "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came",
      "author": "Robert Browning",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17521408,
          "author": "stochastic_monk",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T08:42:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521408",
          "commentText": "Excellent choice with Blake, and of course, there’s nothing quite like Reading Gaol. The latter is some of the best written word art ever created.\nI would point others to Robert Browning’s Childe Roland To The Dark Tower Came. It’s a late romantic poem about the time after Camelot’s glory has faded and all hopes have been dashed by man’s weakness and the inexorable hunger of time. A fitting poem for those of us who live in an age whose greatest promises lay unfulfilled. These were not the robots we were promised.*\n*Tagline stolen from a truly stellar Op-Ed from last year available here: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/09/opinion/sunday/household-... (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/09/opinion/sunday/household-robots-alexa-homepod.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would point others to Robert Browning’s Childe Roland To The Dark Tower Came.",
          "reason": "Explicitly says they would point others to the poem.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Browning"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dramatic monologue",
        "poetry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "childhood-a2bfc7",
      "title": "Childhood",
      "author": "Maxim Gorky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46397164,
          "author": "otsaloma",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T22:42:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46397164",
          "commentText": "My favorite of the year would be Maxim Gorky's three-part autobiography: I read \"Childhood\" and \"In the World\" (a.k.a. \"Amid Attendants\") and just started the last part \"My Universities\". Gorky drifted as an orphan from house and job to another and describes an interesting array of characters he came across, mostly poor and misfortunate, but many of them good as well.\n\"He took me under the arms, lifted me up, kissed me, and placed me firmly on the jetty. I was sorry for him and for myself. I could hardly keep from crying when I saw him returning to the steamer, pushing aside the porters, looking so large, heavy, solitary. So many times since then I have met people like him, kind, lonely, cut off from the lives of other people.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read \"Childhood\" and \"In the World\" (a.k.a. \"Amid Attendants\") and just started the last part \"My Universities\".",
          "reason": "Part of the three-part autobiography the commenter calls their favorite of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Maxim Gorky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "autobiography",
        "russian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "children-playing-before-a-statue-of-hercules-a04443",
      "title": "Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules",
      "author": "David Sedaris (editor)",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1569162,
          "author": "namin",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:31:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569162",
          "commentText": "Some books I've read this summer, which I can recommend:\n- The Facebook Effect -- well-written insider's account of the history of Facebook and its ambitions.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Facebook-Effect-Inside-Company-Connect... (http://www.amazon.com/Facebook-Effect-Inside-Company-Connecting/dp/1439102112)\n- The Quantum Enigma -- an accessible digest of quantum mechanics and its philosophical consequences.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Enigma-Physics-Encounters-Cons... (http://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Enigma-Physics-Encounters-Consciousness/dp/019534250X/)\n- Flesh & Machines -- a lightweight history of robotics and some wacky speculations by MIT's Rodney Brooks.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Flesh-Machines-Robots-Will-Change/dp/0... (http://www.amazon.com/Flesh-Machines-Robots-Will-Change/dp/0375420797)\n- The Language of Life: DNA and the Revolution of Personalized Medecine -- a well-backed account of what is or will be possible in medicine thanks to a better understanding of the genome and increase use of DNA sequencing for prevention, diagnostic, and treatment.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Language-Life-Revolution-Personalized-... (http://www.amazon.com/Language-Life-Revolution-Personalized-Medicine/dp/0061733180/)\n- ... by David Sedaris -- Funny short stories. Perhaps The Santaland Diaries for something light but really amusing, and When You Are Engulfed in Flames for something darker and more well-known. Also, if you like short stories, I heartily recommend Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules, a varied collection of short stories selected by Sedaris.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/David-Sedaris/e/B000AQ3YUW/\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0349119759\nhttp://www.amazon.com/When-You-Are-Engulfed-Flames/dp/031615... (http://www.amazon.com/When-You-Are-Engulfed-Flames/dp/0316154687/)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Children-Playing-Before-Statue-Hercule... (http://www.amazon.com/Children-Playing-Before-Statue-Hercules/dp/074327394X/)\n- Dreams of My Father -- Barack Obama writes candidly and beautifully about his childhood and early adulthood; it's not a political book, and it's worth reading for the writing alone.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Dreams-My-Father-Story-Inheritance/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Dreams-My-Father-Story-Inheritance/dp/1400082773/)\n- Mathematics: The Loss of Certainty: a chatty history of mathematics, and its perception.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Loss-Certainty-Galaxy-Book... (http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Loss-Certainty-Galaxy-Books/dp/0195030850)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I heartily recommend Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules, a varied collection of short stories selected by Sedaris.",
          "reason": "Heartily recommends this varied short story collection.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Sedaris (editor)"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "anthology",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "children-of-ash-and-elm-a-history-of-the-vikings-3cef56",
      "title": "Children of Ash and Elm: A History of the Vikings",
      "author": "Neil Price",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45983184,
          "author": "pioneer42",
          "createdAt": "2025-11-19T18:34:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 45947737,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45983184",
          "commentText": "On a pop history/nonfiction streak this year:\nAssyria, The Rise and Fall of the World's First Empire by Eckart Frahm\n1177 B.C. The Year Civilization Collapsed by Eric Cline\nChildren of Ash and Elm, a History of the Vikings by Neil Price",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Children of Ash and Elm, a History of the Vikings by Neil Price",
          "reason": "Listed in the commenter’s pop history and nonfiction reading this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neil Price"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "norse history",
        "viking history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "children-of-god-a47722",
      "title": "Children of God",
      "author": "Mary Doria Russell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056570,
          "author": "elorant",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:27:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056570",
          "commentText": "Everything from Asimov.\nThe Mars trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson.\nThe Culture books from Iain Banks.\nThe Rama series from Clarke although it got tiresome after a while.\nThe Sparrow and Children of God from Mary Doria Russell.\nContact by Sagan which by the way is one of the very few sci-fi books that were successfully depicted in movies.\nBrave new world from Huxley. Old one but still highly relevant.\nThe first ones from Gibson.\nThe Enter series by Orson Scott Card.\nBradbury's Farhenheit 451. This one is a classic.\nRevelation Space from Alaistair Reynolds who writes the most hardcore sci-fi I've ever come across.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Sparrow and Children of God from Mary Doria Russell.",
          "reason": "Listed among favorite science fiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mary Doria Russell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "chimpanzee-material-culture-846401",
      "title": "Chimpanzee Material Culture",
      "author": "William C. McGrew",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20333451,
          "author": "tempguy9999",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T09:19:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20333451",
          "commentText": "An odd one here. 'Chimpanzee Material Culture'[0]. It's getting on a bit (pub 1992) so perhaps others can recommend a more updated study, but it's a sophisticated presentation of chimps, their culture, how they compare to human hunter-gatherers (and how difficult it can be to distinguish between crude stone tools used by one or other), how difficult it is to even phrase the right question when it comes to comparing chimps and humans, and a list of open issues. Anyone who wants to talk about limits of nonhuman should read this.\nAnd with a sense of humour too. Not too heavy, and I found it a genuine page-turner (rather unexpected that!)\nAnd as I mention humour I just reminded myself of 'The Innocent Anthropologist'[1] which is kind-of similar in a way but totally hilarious [1]. It's really funny, also very educational, and would make a very good complement to the first.\nI suppose to continue the theme of other cultures (which fascinate me because they teach me so much about my own culture and assumptions when I read how very different other societies can be), 'Aztec'[2]. It tracks the life of a (fictional) aztec and the destruction of his culture and people as the conquistadors arrive. The author does take some historical liberties; allow for that a little.\nI'll call it the best book I ever read, however it is dense so it either works for you or it doesn't. But if it works, it is amazing!\n[0] https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chimpanzee-Material-Culture-Implica... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chimpanzee-Material-Culture-Implications-Evolution/dp/0521423716)\n[1] https://www.amazon.co.uk/Innocent-Anthropologist-Notes-Mud-H... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Innocent-Anthropologist-Notes-Mud-Hut/dp/1906011508)\n[2] https://www.amazon.co.uk/Aztec-Gary-Jennings/dp/0765317508",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Chimpanzee Material Culture'",
          "reason": "Presents chimpanzee culture and compares it with human hunter-gatherers; the commenter says it is a genuine page-turner.",
          "audience": "Anyone interested in the limits of nonhuman culture and comparisons between chimpanzees and humans.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is an older study (published 1992) and suggests a newer study may exist.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William C. McGrew"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chimpanzee culture",
        "human evolution"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "chimpanzee-politics-power-and-sex-among-apes-4add2c",
      "title": "Chimpanzee Politics: Power and Sex Among Apes",
      "author": "Frans de Waal",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15762368,
          "author": "wpietri",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T02:39:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762368",
          "commentText": "Franz de Waal's \"Chimpanzee Politics\". It's nominally about the social relationships of a chimp colony in a Dutch zoo. But it made me see the extent to which humans are just another great ape, and a lot of human dynamics are really primate dynamics, especially around social power.\nJohnstone's \"Impro\". It's about improvisational theater, and mainly meant for people learning improv. But the section on status transactions helped me see a lot about how we express those primate dominance dynamics. There's also great material on the nature of creativity.\n\"Getting to Yes\" is a great book about business negotiation, but is lessons about shifting discussions from zero-sum to positive-sum are things I use a lot.\nBraitenberg's \"Vehicles: Experiments in Synthetic Psychology\" is a way of thinking about psychology (and our inference of mind) by examining imaginary robots.\n\"The Toyota Way\" and other books on Lean Manufacturing are about running extremely effective manufacturing operations. But they have deeply changed how I think about systems of making software and running businesses. Other great books in this category include \"Toyota Kata\" and \"Principles of Product Development Flow\".\n\"Crossing the Chasm\" is about how tech products get adopted. But its mindset around segmenting audiences and building credibility taught me a lot about any sort of social change.\n\"Why Does He Do That? Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men\" is nominally about abuse in romantic relationships. But its insights about power and control have  been useful to me way beyond that. E.g., so much behavior in large corporations is inexplicable if you look at it in business terms, and perfectly sensible if you think about if from the perspective of, \"What would a person with abusive tendencies gain from this situation?\"\nAlso, hearty +1s for books \"Design of Everyday Things\", \"Finite and Infinite Games\", and \"Punished by Rewards\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Franz de Waal's \"Chimpanzee Politics\". It's nominally about the social relationships of a chimp colony in a Dutch zoo. But it made me see the extent to which humans are just another great ape",
          "reason": "Changed the author's view of human social dynamics and power.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frans de Waal"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "primatology",
        "social power"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "china-a-history-dd1e4d",
      "title": "China: A History",
      "author": "John Keay",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29815270,
          "author": "djohnston",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-05T21:34:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29815270",
          "commentText": "Psychology of Money is a light read that might give you some foundation for finances as you enter adulthood.\nChina: A History by Keay is a pretty great overview of the last 5000 years of Chinese history. This was recommended to me on this very site!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "China: A History by Keay is a pretty great overview of the last 5000 years of Chinese history.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as an overview of Chinese history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Keay"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chinese history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "chinaman-s-chance-e0fbd3",
      "title": "Chinaman's Chance",
      "author": "Ross Thomas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783919,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:07:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783919",
          "commentText": "[cont'd]\nMichael Frayn, Democracy. A compulsively readable play about an episode in the politics of West Germany in the 1970s, a subject I didn't know could be made so interesting to me. Superb.\nMichael Flynn, Eifelheim. Excellent and profound SF/historical novel about aliens crashing in the Germany of the Middle Ages, and how that would work out. Avoids cheap tricks, very strong on historical research and verisimilitude.\nRoss Thomas, The Cold War Swap, Cast a Yellow Shadow, Chinaman's Chance. Very well-written thrillers, typically stories about spying or political corruption. I'm usually bored by this genre, couldn't put these down. Will read more by this (hitherto unknown to me) author.\nUrsula K. Le Guin, The Wizard of Earthsea. (reread) Still as good as I remembered it to be.\nP.K.Dick, The Man in the High Castle. (reread) Very inventive and weird in a good way, but I wish the characters would be a little different (everyone is the same highly neurotic mouthpiece for the author), and the obsession with I Ching does nothing for me. Still worth reading.\nRobert Ryan, Dead Man's Land. A Sherlock Holmes novel in which 90% of the action is with John Watson rejoining the Army to help in World War I at his late middle age, and Holmes appears only briefly. Works quite well. Very detailed on day-to-day trench warfare and medicine at the front.\nMichael Frayn, Noises Off. A funny short play, very meta, not as good as his \"Democracy\".\nNeil Gaiman, The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Better than his two long novels of the 2000s. A self-contained fairy tale, fun to read and well-written, but not beyond that. Gaiman's unsurpassed masterpiece, to me, is still The Sandman.\nMichael Swansick, Chasing the Phoenix. SF, set on a future Earth where computers and electronic communication are outlawed following problems with runaway AIs, but there's lots of high technology (e.g. genetics) otherwise. Funny and amusing, a light read.\n[edit: deleted about 20 books I didn't like or hated]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ross Thomas, The Cold War Swap, Cast a Yellow Shadow, Chinaman's Chance. Very well-written thrillers, typically stories about spying or political corruption. I'm usually bored by this genre, couldn't put these down.",
          "reason": "Groups it among very well-written thrillers the commenter could not put down.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ross Thomas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political corruption",
        "spy thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "chobits-02517b",
      "title": "Chobits",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35395528,
          "author": "majou",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-01T00:12:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 35392063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Science Fiction books that predict where ChatGPT might lead us?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35395528",
          "commentText": "Chobits.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Chobits.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "androids",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "manga"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "chocky-54f0a3",
      "title": "Chocky",
      "author": "John Wyndham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36083958,
          "author": "code_Whisperer",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-26T13:38:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36083958",
          "commentText": "Easily these (so far):\nThis is How You Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (actually now one of my all-time favorites, without regard to genre. Just amazing)\nChildren of Time - Adrian Tchaikovsky\nThe Book of Strange New Things - Michael Faber\nTed Chiang's short story collections (Exhalations and Stories of your life and others)\nDaemon - Daniel Suarez\nThe City and the City - China Miéville\nRoadside Picnic - Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (this one still haunts my dreams at times)\nWe Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse Book 1) - Dennis Taylor (just finished this series for book club)\nGalatea 2.2, The Overstory, Bewilderment, The Gold Bug Variations - 4 different books, all by Richard Powers - what can I say, the man is a genius and a treasure\nEifelheim - Michael Flynn - ok, this book can be a slog at times, but it is very rewarding for those who persevere, and has stuck in my brain for many years\nChocky - John Wyndham - A quiet, delightful surprise\nProvidence - Max Barry - This book flows like a movie. It will make a great movie. I found myself LITERALLY out of breath a couple of times\nHench: A Novel - Natalie Zina Walschots - Quirky, memorable\nThe Peacemaker's Code - Deepak Malhotra - Why hasn't this guy written more sci-fi?\nOrange World and Other Stories - Karen Russell - OK, maybe not strictly sci-fi, but this book tickles my brain\nGUILTY PLEASURE SCI-FI FAVORITE: The Vaz series by Laurence Dahners. I think I've read that series 3 times now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Chocky - John Wyndham - A quiet, delightful surprise",
          "reason": "Praises it as a quiet, delightful surprise.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18663451,
          "author": "jger15",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:54:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663451",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction:\n7 Powers: The Foundations of Business Strategy - Hamilton Helmer\nAmerican Wolf - Nate Blakeslee\nAtomic Habits - James Clear\nConspiracy - Ryan Holiday\nCourage To Be Disliked - Ichiro Kishimi\nHow To Change Your Mind - Michael Pollan\nOpen - Andre Agassi\nWhy We Sleep - Matthew Walker\nWorld After Capital - Albert Wenger\nFiction:\nChocky - John Wyndham\nConvenience Store Woman - Sayaka Murata\nThe Eight Mountains - Paolo Cognetti\nThe Invisibility Cloak - Ge Fei\nThe Midnight Fox - Betsy Byars\nSuch Small Hands - Andres Barba\nThe Thief - Fuminori Nakamura\nTies - Domenico Starnone\nTrick - Domenico Starnone",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Chocky - John Wyndham",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Wyndham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "alien intelligence",
        "child protagonists"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "choices-values-and-frames-5652ed",
      "title": "Choices, Values, and Frames",
      "author": "Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3277741,
          "author": "mixu",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T18:11:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3277741",
          "commentText": "How about some books that aren't pop-sci / business books? I am kind of biased, since I love this area of psychology.\n- The Sciences of the Artificial by Simon\n- The Psychology of Problem Solving by Davidson & Sternberg\n- The Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance (Cambridge Handbooks in Psychology) by Ericsson, Charness, Feltovich & Hoffman\n- Minds, Brains and Computers - The Foundations of Cognitive Science: An Anthology (Blackwell Philosophy Anthologies)\n- Choices, Values, and Frames by Kahneman & Tversky\nThe Sciences of the Artificial is a small but deep book by Herbert Simon, who is considered a key figure in founding the study of these areas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Simon ).\nDavidson & Sternberg focuses on problem solving (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Sternberg ).\nThe Cambridge Handbooks (there are many others) in particular are excellent as they contain classic articles in Cognitive Science and Psychology, with introductions and overviews by people who actually research this area. The one on Expertise and Expert performance is edited by K. A. Ericsson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K._Anders_Ericsson )\nMinds, Brains and Computers is another collection of classics, from a more model-based perspective.\nFinally, Kahneman and Tversky offer a more economics-centric viewpoint. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Kahneman & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amos_Tversky )\nIf you read scientific articles in this area, you'll notice that many of these author's names will keep popping up...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Finally, Kahneman and Tversky offer a more economics-centric viewpoint.",
          "reason": "Presented as a relevant book offering an economics-focused viewpoint.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "decision theory",
        "judgment"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "chokepoint-capitalism-how-big-tech-and-big-content-captured-creat-b527ec",
      "title": "Chokepoint Capitalism: How Big Tech and Big Content Captured Creative Labor Markets and How We'll Win Them Back",
      "author": "Rebecca Giblin and Cory Doctorow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40439308,
          "author": "CRConrad",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-22T10:23:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40439308",
          "commentText": "Chokepoint Capitalism: How Big Tech and Big Content Captured Creative Labor Markets and How We'll Win Them Back, by Rebecca Giblin and Cory Doctorow.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chokepoint_Capitalism",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Chokepoint Capitalism: How Big Tech and Big Content Captured Creative Labor Markets and How We'll Win Them Back, by Rebecca Giblin and Cory Doctorow.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rebecca Giblin",
        "Cory Doctorow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creative labor markets",
        "platform power"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cholesterol-clarity-what-the-hdl-is-wrong-with-my-numbers-7cbe74",
      "title": "Cholesterol Clarity: What the HDL Is Wrong with My Numbers?",
      "author": "Jimmy Moore and Eric C. Westman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10028566,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T20:28:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10028566",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps to the Epiphany - Steve Blank\nSteve Jobs - Walter Isaacson\nArtificial Life  - Steven Levy\nOn Writing - Stephen King\nMachine Learning for Hackers - Drew Conway and John Myles White\nHow Doctors Think - Jerome Goopman\nCholesterol Clarity: What The HDL Is Wrong With My Numbers? - Jimmy Moore & Eric C. Westman\nBarbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco - Bryan Burrough & John Helyar",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cholesterol Clarity: What The HDL Is Wrong With My Numbers? - Jimmy Moore & Eric C. Westman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jimmy Moore and Eric C. Westman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cholesterol",
        "nutrition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "choose-yourself-guide-to-wealth-5f5435",
      "title": "Choose Yourself! Guide to Wealth",
      "author": "James Altucher",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11236652,
          "author": "trost",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-07T02:08:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11236652",
          "commentText": "I'm reading James Altucher's Choose Yourself Guide To Wealth right now and I really like it, although it's quite verbosely written (I'm about halfway through). This book is about business and monetizing ideas. I haven't read Choose Yourself, which is more of a self-help book, I think.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm reading James Altucher's Choose Yourself Guide To Wealth right now and I really like it, although it's quite verbosely written",
          "reason": "Expresses liking for the book while noting that it is verbose.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The writing is quite verbose.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Altucher"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "personal finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "christianity-and-the-new-spirit-of-capitalism-dd67e2",
      "title": "Christianity and the New Spirit of Capitalism",
      "author": "Kathryn Tanner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33850142,
          "author": "russnewcomer",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T03:03:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33850142",
          "commentText": "Top three (sorry)\nChristianity and the New Spirit of Capitalism by Kathryn Tanner. A really good look at how capitalism has been expressed in our modern world, and how Christianity should not enable the worst excesses of capitalism.\nThe Power Broker by Robert Caro. This one actually took me about 6 months between reading and Audible, because it is in some ways too detailed, but the naked use of power for maintaining power for a singular vision is illuminating. Even in an antagonistic biography, Moses leaps off the page as a bright, energetic, flawed human.  I enjoyed this a lot.\nRediscovering Scripture’s Vision for Women by Lucy Peppiat. A persuasive, intelligent, and solid look at how Christianity in America has taken many unfortunate turns away from reading Scripture as a document of equality and elevation, and toward a document of hierarchy and repression. I think Peppiat does a good job of discussing all theological avenues of thought and while clearly disfavoring some, not stooping to ridicule, caricature, or personal attack.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A really good look at how capitalism has been expressed in our modern world",
          "reason": "Praises its account of modern capitalism and Christianity's relationship to its excesses.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kathryn Tanner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "capitalism",
        "christian ethics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "christianity-for-modern-pagans-pascal-s-pensees-06bb1f",
      "title": "Christianity for Modern Pagans: Pascal's Pensees",
      "author": "Peter Kreeft",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13240800,
          "author": "cicero",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T22:06:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13240800",
          "commentText": "A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter Miller (recommended SF classic)\nThe Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis (an old favorite, recommended)\nThe Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco (some interesting parts, but overall a disappointment)\nTheology and Sanity - Frank Sheed (recommended; a very written description of the Catholic faith; weaknesses are it's long and it's aimed to a mid 20th c. audience)\nChristianity for Modern Pagans: Pascal's Pensees - Peter Kreeft (recommended; a good exposition of Blaise Pascal's thought)\nCatholicism: A journey to the heart of the faith - Robert Barron (recommended; a good explanation of Catholicism for the common person)\nHis Master's Voice - Stanislaw Lem (recommended; very intellectual look at the problem of first contact)\nThe Industries of the Future - Alec Ross (the robotics chapter is best; other parts are more light-weight; easy read)\nClouds of Witnesses - Dorothy Sayers (not my favorite Sayers mystery, but enjoyable)\nA Study in Scarlet - Arthur Conan Doyle (recommended)\nWhy Gender Matters - Leonard Sax (recommended; most of the book is based on good science, but he does go out on a limb a time or two.)\nOld School - Tobias Wolff (recommended; a world before widespread TV where high school boys actually got excited about literature)\nInfinite Space, Infinite God - Karina and Robert Fabian editors (story quality varies; I enjoyed some of them)\nThe Sign of Four - Arthur Conan Doyle (recommended)\nOn Stranger Tides - Tim Powers (recommended; I love Powers, but Anubis Gates and Last Call are better. Still, if you like pirates you should like this)\nThe Art of Worldly Wisdom - Baltasar Gracian (interesting)\nAquinas at Prayer: the Bible, Mysticism, and Poetry - Paul Murray (recommended; this shows a different side of Thomas Aquinas)\nAristotle for Everybody: Difficult Thought Made Easy - Mortimer Adler (recommended; I almost think this should be required reading)\nThe Pilgrim's Regress - C.S. Lewis (I enjoyed it, but the ideas Lewis argues against are somewhat dated.)\nEdit for formatting",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Christianity for Modern Pagans: Pascal's Pensees - Peter Kreeft (recommended; a good exposition of Blaise Pascal's thought)",
          "reason": "Recommended as a good exposition of Pascal's thought.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Kreeft"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "blaise pascal",
        "christian philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "chronicles-of-amber-b60807",
      "title": "Chronicles of Amber",
      "author": "Roger Zelazny",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30739886,
          "author": "Rylex",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T03:45:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30739886",
          "commentText": "- Most books by Roger Zelazny. The guy code write with a few words, he could paint an amazing picture. Chronicles of Amber, Lord of Light, Isle of the Dead, etc...\n- And a trashy Candyman , https://sciencefictionruminations.com/2020/05/10/book-review... (https://sciencefictionruminations.com/2020/05/10/book-review-candy-man-vincent-king-1971/), not the one everyone is used to, this was so mind boggling to a 13 year old....",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Chronicles of Amber, Lord of Light, Isle of the Dead, etc...",
          "reason": "Included among the author's books the commenter liked.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roger Zelazny"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "multiverse fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "chronicles-volume-one-0ad374",
      "title": "Chronicles: Volume One",
      "author": "Bob Dylan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33801996,
          "author": "ArtWomb",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T15:25:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33801996",
          "commentText": ">>> problem solver\n“Applied Engineering Analysis” by Tai‐Ran Hsu, published by John Wiley & Sons, 2018 (ISBN 9781110071204)\nRecent discovery. Complete reference in a single textbook. Applicable to any scale: from industrial automation to lunchtable experiments ;)\n>>> better thinker\nWolfgang Engel. Decades of books from shaderx to gpuzen. Plus The Forge renderer!\n>>> holiday fun\nFlea | Acid for the Children (if you enjoy Just Kids, Chronicles: Vol 1, etc)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "if you enjoy Just Kids, Chronicles: Vol 1, etc",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy Chronicles: Volume 1.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783726,
          "author": "mjhoy",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T15:28:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783726",
          "commentText": "My reading slowed to a crawl this year. Here were a few:\n- Chronicles Vol 1, Bob Dylan. Inspiring, I felt very open to the world after. I loved his descriptions of Dave Van Ronk: \"No puppet strings on him ever. He was big, sky high, and I looked up to him. He came from the land of giants.\"\n- Peregrine, J.A. Baker. Intense, spiritual, like some sort of modern Moby Dick, but sparse, focused, elemental.\nNext year I hope to read more Roberto Bolaño and start Elena Ferrante.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Chronicles Vol 1, Bob Dylan. Inspiring, I felt very open to the world after.",
          "reason": "Describes it as inspiring and says it left them feeling open to the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bob Dylan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "music"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "churchill-3cc064",
      "title": "Churchill",
      "author": "Andrew Roberts",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34160619,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:11:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160619",
          "commentText": "This year I've put myself to the challenge to read at least one book per week which I primarily could complete by reading in the middle of the night while holding our sleeping baby in my arms. It has been an interesting challenge which gave me a lot of fulfilment and has certainly changed my mind on how I view the world. This comment became quite a long read, apologies for that.\nBooks I highly recommend:\nChurchill by Andrew Roberts (p:1105)\nA biography about one of the most interesting figures in politics and WWII. Roberts gives a very detailed description of the life of Churchill and manages to keep you interested the entire length of the book.\nThe God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (p:374)\nIn The God Delusion Dawkins gives arguments why there is no God, why we do not need a God and why religion is damaging to our society. If you are religious it might not be the book for you unless you are open to hear his arguments and line of reasoning. Dawkins will challenge your worldview.\nThe Bomb by Fred Kaplan (p:384)\nKaplan describes the policy of different US presidents on the atomic bomb and war in general. And primarily on the inability of US presidents and policy-makers to tune down its military. A chilling read which makes you appreciate a nuclear holocaust did not happen (yet)....\nPoor Economics by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo (p:320)\nBanerjee and Duflo give a gripping portrait of how poor people live. They offer an insight in the choices and decisions people make surviving on less than 1 USD a day (corrected for purchasing power). It made me completely rethink my own view on poverty and development aid; stressing even more that in order to help one need to have a complete understanding of the individual's situation and the local boundary conditions.\nProject Hail Mary  by Andy Weir (p:476)\nThis book triggered my science fiction reading. For some reason I never was interested in science fiction. Most likely triggered by reading Foundation by Asimov a few years back which apparently is not a book to my taste. But Andy Weir completely annihilated that wrong perspective on science fiction. Project Hail Mary is interesting, funny and gripping book.\nKindred by Octavia Butler  (p:287)\nThis book.... From page one I was hooked and almost read it in one go. Butler is a wonderful author and Kindred is a must-read. The book is about a woman traveling back in time to end up on a slave plantation. It's a chilling account of slavery.\nOther books I read this year, ask me anything about one of these books. I've added a + if I think its worth a recommendation\nBiography:\nNavalny by Dollbaum, Lallouet and Noble (p:280); The Man from the Future by Ananyo Bhattacharya (p:354) +\nSociology; Politics; Economics; Business:\nOnly the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove (p:224); The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli  (p:140); Winter is Coming by Garry Kasparov (p:290); Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum (p:224) +; Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl (p:164) +; We Are Bellingcat by Eliot Higgins (p:272); De Zeven Vinkjes by Joris Luyendijk (p:200); Waarom vuilnismannen meer verdienen dan bankiers by Rutger Bregman (p:104)\nComedy: The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (p:336)\nHistory:\nBand of Brothers  by Stephen E. Ambrose (p:432); The Nuclear Jihadist by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins (p:413) +; The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre (p:384) +; De Heineken Ontvoering by Peter R. de Vries (p:347); Red Famine by Anne Apllebaum (p:384); Night by Elie Wiesel (p:115) +\nScience, Technology, Mathematics:\nFermat's Enigma by Simon Singh (p:315) +; A Mathematician's Apology by G.H. Hardy (p:153); The Great Influenza by John M. Barry (p:546); The Rise and Fall of the Dinousaurs by Stephen Brusatte (p:404) ++; The Double Helix by James Watson (p:144)\nSport:\nRun or Die by Killian Jornet (p:208); The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton  (p:290) +; The Rise of the Ultra Runners by  (p:304); Tom Dumoulin by Patrick Bernhart (p:203)\nFiction:\nAnthem by Ayn Rand (p:105); Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (p:704); The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (p:566); Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (p:466); Live and Let die by Ian Fleming  (p:229)\nClassics:\nA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (p:104); The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (p:201); The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald (p:180); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (p:139); Animal Farm by George Orwell (p:122) +; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (p:227) +; The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (p:118)\nScience Fiction:\nThe Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (p:399); All Systems Red  by Martha Wells (p:144) +; A Memory Called Empire  by Arkady Martine (p:462) +; A Psalm built for the Wild by Becky Chambers (p:160); Dune by Frank Herbert (p:658); Foundation by Isaac Asimov (p:244); The Martian by Andy Weir (p:384) +;\nThe Forever War by Joe Haldeman (p:278)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Churchill by Andrew Roberts",
          "reason": "Highly recommends this detailed biography and says it holds the reader's interest.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew Roberts"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "winston churchill",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "churchill-7f02a5",
      "title": "Churchill",
      "author": "Paul Johnson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4787426,
          "author": "spuiszis",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:23:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787426",
          "commentText": "Man's Search for Meaning - ViktorFrankl\nEndgame (Biography of Bobby Fischer) - Frank Brady\nWalt Disney - Bob Thomas\nThe Given Day - Dennis Lehane (Fiction)\nShutter Island - Dennis Lehane (Way better than movie)\nMichael Lewis - The Big Short\nChurchill - Paul Johnson (faster read than the others)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Churchill - Paul Johnson (faster read than the others)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is a faster read than the others.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Johnson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "winston churchill"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "churchill-s-bomb-81e9dd",
      "title": "Churchill's Bomb",
      "author": "Graham Farmelo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6899433,
          "author": "h1ccup",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T06:59:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6899433",
          "commentText": "This is my list(Most of these books aren't from 2013):\n1. The Man Who Invented the Computer: The Biography of John Atanasoff by Jane Smiley\n2. Halting State by Charlie Stross\n3. Levels of Life by Julian Barnes\n4. The Particle At The End Of The Universe by Sean Carrol\n5. Churchil Bomb by Graham Farmello\n6. The Science Of Memory by Charles Fernyhough\n7. The Anatomy of Violence: The biological roots of crime by Adrian Raine\n8. The Bet: Paul Ehrlich, Julian Simon, and our gamble over Earth’s future by Paul Sabin\n9. Experiencing Art: In the brain of the beholder by Arthur Shimamura\n10. The Spark: A Mother’s Story of Nurturing Genius by Kristine Barnett",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Churchil Bomb by Graham Farmello",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list answering which books were best.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Graham Farmelo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nuclear physics",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cibola-burn-5fa808",
      "title": "Cibola Burn",
      "author": "James S. A. Corey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9646275,
          "author": "benjaminmikiten",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-02T15:03:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 9636361,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9646275",
          "commentText": "Sprinting through Cibola Burn http://www.amazon.com/Cibola-Burn-Expanse-James-Corey/dp/031... (http://www.amazon.com/Cibola-Burn-Expanse-James-Corey/dp/0316334685) before Nemesis Games gets here http://www.amazon.com/Nemesis-Games-Expanse-James-Corey/dp/0... (http://www.amazon.com/Nemesis-Games-Expanse-James-Corey/dp/0316217581/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1433257392&sr=1-1&keywords=nemesis+games)\nAlso working my way through SICP to see if it makes be a better front end dev. Results pending.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Sprinting through Cibola Burn",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is reading it; no evaluation is given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109224,
          "author": "MattGrommes",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:34:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109224",
          "commentText": "Currently reading Cibola Burn - the 4th in the Expanse series by James SA Corey. Very good hard-ish SF series.\nI also just finished Creativity Inc., Ed Catmull's book about Pixar. Extremely valuable insights about running a creative organization.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Currently reading Cibola Burn - the 4th in the Expanse series by James SA Corey. Very good hard-ish SF series.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the book and series very good.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in hard-ish science fiction.",
          "caveat": "Described as hard-ish SF.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968473,
          "author": "incision",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T00:06:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968473",
          "commentText": "* Computer Organization and Architecture [1]\n* Algorithms [2]\n* The 50th Law [3]\n* Applied Predictive Modeling [4]\nWhen I get a breather from school...\n* Cibola Burn [5]\n1: http://amzn.com/013293633X ; 2: http://amzn.com/032157351X ; 3: http://amzn.com/006177460X ; 4: http://amzn.com/1461468485 ; 5: http://amzn.com/031621762X",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "* Cibola Burn [5]",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James S. A. Corey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "the expanse",
        "hard science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "circuit-of-heaven-64e3f4",
      "title": "Circuit of Heaven",
      "author": "Dennis Danvers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 86223,
          "author": "icky",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:37:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86223",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- The Time Machine (still holds up very well, and seems strangely eerie and prescient in places)... (H. G. Wells)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Hobbit (and LotR) (Tolkien)\n- Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n- Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties (I picked up Idoru first, so I haven't yet read Virtual Light) (also Gibson)\n- The Difference Engine (Gibson, Sterling)\n- Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n- Cryptonomicon (\" \")\n- Circuit of Heaven, End of Days (Dennis Danvers)\n- All of the \"Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser\" stories and novels. (Fritz Leiber)\n- The Earthsea trilogy (Ursula K. LeGuin)\n- 'salem's Lot (Stephen King)\n- Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein)\n- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)\n- the Coldfire trilogy (C. S. Friedman)\n- various Cory Doctorow short stories\n- Kamikaze L'Amour (Richard Kadrey)\n- Lightpaths (Howard V. Hendrix)\n- A Canticle For Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)\n- Moonwar, Venus (Ben Bova)\n- the Stainless Steel Rat series (Harry Harrison)\n- Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)\n- Ringworld (Larry Niven)\n- Cthon (Piers Anthony) -- Trippiness level approaching Philip Jose Farmer ;-)\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (Douglas Adams)\n- The Black Company (Glen Cook)\n- there's one particularly good post-cyberpunk series that takes place in a world in which Canada emerged as a major world power, but for the life of me I can't rememeber the title.\n- the 1632 series (Eric Flint)... see also S. M. Stirling's Nantucket series (\"Island in the Sea of Time\", et al.), and H. Beam Piper's novel Kalvan of Otherwhen\nNon-fiction:\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (Hume)\n- the surviving words and works of Epicurus, and Diogenes the Cynic\n- Freakonomics (Levitt, Dubner)\n- The Gay Science (Nietzsche)\n- The Jefferson Bible (Christ, Jefferson (ed.))\n- The Devil's Dictionary (Bierce)\n- Brain Droppings (George Carlin)\n- anything by P. J. O'Rourke\n- anything by Dave Barry",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Circuit of Heaven, End of Days (Dennis Danvers)",
          "reason": "Listed under fiction in response to the thread’s question about favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dennis Danvers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "afterlife",
        "virtual reality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "city-of-quartz-8e09a2",
      "title": "City of Quartz",
      "author": "Mike Davis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10786010,
          "author": "1812Overture",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T22:18:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786010",
          "commentText": "Dune by Frank Herbert- I'm one of the few people on Earth who enjoys the David Lynch adaptation so I finally had to get around to reading the book. Kind of awkward stylistically and structurally but a lot of fun.\nDevelopment as Freedom by Amartya Sen - It's seemed to me that there are political philosophies that focus on economic needs and those that focus on personal freedom. This is the best I've read at uniting those concepts.\nSurely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! - A blast to read and great insight into the thinking of a great mind.\nThe LA Quartet by James Ellroy (The Black Dahlia, The Big Nowhere, LA Confidential, White Jazz) - Really the pinnacle of dark gritty noir. If you like that I can't recommend highly enough.\nThe Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett - I like a lot of Hammett's other work but this seemed to have a lot of wheel spinning.\nCity of Quartz by Mike Davis - As an Angeleno this gave me so much insight into the city I love. I have no idea if it would be of any interest to an outsider.\nAntifragile by Nassim Taleb - Nassim Taleb is great and I've definitely been influenced a lot by his ideas, but he's getting too in love with the smell of his own farts.\nVarious books/textbooks on programming and databases - Nothing thrilling in this category. Gotta eat your vegetables.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "As an Angeleno this gave me so much insight into the city I love.",
          "reason": "Says it gave them substantial insight into Los Angeles.",
          "audience": "Especially relevant to someone familiar with or interested in Los Angeles",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure it would interest outsiders.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mike Davis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "los angeles",
        "urban studies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "city-urbanism-and-its-end-1bdd7d",
      "title": "City: Urbanism and Its End",
      "author": "Douglas W. Rae",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 240700,
          "author": "bokonist",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T02:44:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240700",
          "commentText": "The Power Broker is awesome.  One of the finest books for understanding the 20th century.  It's also fascinating to note that today we blame car culture on oil companies and selfish consumers.  Turns out that the one of the people most responsible for creating America's car dependent culture was a progressive named Robert Moses ( with a lot of help from the NY Times).\nBTW, another great book on urban themes is City: Urbanism and its End, by Doug Rae.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "another great book on urban themes is City: Urbanism and its End, by Doug Rae.",
          "reason": "Called a great book on urban themes.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in urban themes.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas W. Rae"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "urban history",
        "urbanism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "civil-resistance-what-everyone-needs-to-know-25d2c9",
      "title": "Civil Resistance: What Everyone Needs to Know",
      "author": "Erica Chenoweth",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42220961,
          "author": "throw0101d",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T14:13:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42220961",
          "commentText": "If I had to pick one: The rise and fall of American growth: the U.S. standard of living since the Civil War by Robert Gordon. The gains that we have made in the (early) 20th century are unlikely to ever be repeated, and progress in many metrics has measurably slowed or even stalled since ~1970s (likely being asymptotic). And while the Internet (classified under the Information, Communication, Technology (ICT) chapters) gave a bump in the 1990s, it's mostly been flat since 2004.\nMore economic history with Slouching towards Utopia: an economic history of the twentieth century by J. Bradford Delong. More economic ideas stuff in Value(s): building a better world for all by Mark Carney (ran the Banks of Canada and England). Also Waphsott's Keynes Hayek: the clash that defined modern economics and Samuelson Friedman: the battle over the free market.\nThe currency of politics: the political theory of money from Aristotle to Keynes by Sefan Eich, Money: the true story of a made-up thing by Jacob Goldstein, and The power of gold: the history of an obsession by Peter Bernstein (also his Against the Gods on risk). Show how much of a human construct \"money\" is, how its meaning changes in different times and places/cultures. Should be required reading by all the 'hard money' folks (gold standard, BTC).\nThe good life: lessons from the world's longest scientific study of happiness by Waldinger and Schultz (directors of the Harvard study). If there's one 'magic' thing for health and happiness it seems to be having good relationships (family, friends) in your life.\nReligion: what it is, how it works, and why it matters by Christian Smith and Strange rites: new religions for a godless world by Tara Burton. While many think that religion is in decline, the non-material/supernatural things that people believe in has actually shifted. And having beliefs in a super-human entity seems to be the basis of most societies and civilizations. Related, The warfare between science and religion : the idea that wouldn't die, a series of essays; the conflict thesis bunk, both historically and presently.\nThe origins of Canadian and American political differences by Jason Kaufman, two seemingly-the-same neighbouring countries that have had different development paths when it comes to culture and government. (I'm Canadian.)\nSpeaking of government: Civil resistance: what everyone needs to know by Erica Chenoweth. Seems violence/force is generally a less effective way to affect change in society than non-violence.\nThe week: a history of the unnatural rhythms that made us who we are by David Henkin. Seems that while seven days has been around for a long while, making it a really 'hard' structure/schedule around it is a more recent phenomenon than you'd expect.\nIf you have kids, Karen Le Billon's French kids eat everything (and yours can, too) and Getting to YUM: the 7 secrets of raising eager eaters, her husband is French and she lived there for a year and found many things done better there than US/CA. See also The happiest kids in the world: how Dutch parents help their kids and themselves by doing less by Acosta and Hutchison.\nFlying blind: the 737 MAX tragedy and the fall of Boeing by Peter Robison is an HN favourite. While we get a lot of engineer vs MBA comments, I think the bigger problem (associated with the MBA-types) is financialization, i.e., returns over everything else. Having non-engineers/MBAs can be 'fine' also long as trying to squeeze blood/money from a stone at the cost of everything else.\nSome philosophy with Alasdair C. MacIntyre: After Virtue is a good starting point. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/After_Virtue",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Civil resistance: what everyone needs to know by Erica Chenoweth",
          "reason": "Says nonviolence is generally more effective than force for social change.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in social change and nonviolence.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Erica Chenoweth"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "civil resistance",
        "nonviolent movements"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "civilisation-3735bd",
      "title": "Civilisation",
      "author": "Kenneth Clark",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45293624,
          "author": "omosubi",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-18T19:00:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 45283087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45293624",
          "commentText": "Civilisations by kenneth clark - an art critic tries to understand western civilization through the \"book\" of its art.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Civilisations by kenneth clark - an art critic tries to understand western civilization through the \"book\" of its art.",
          "reason": "Describes the book as an art critic's account of Western civilization through its art.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 142948,
          "author": "pg",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T00:18:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=142948",
          "commentText": "When I was a kid, the documentary series Connections.  It was the\nfirst time I'd ever seen someone follow vectors through history\ninstead of recounting it one period at a time, like most books and\nclasses do.\nDiscovering Lisp was a big one.  This was in 1983, when the default\nprogramming language was Pascal.  Lisp seemed (and in retrospect\nwas) startlingly better.  There was no one single book or quotation,\nbut I remember how excited I was to get my hands on a photocopy\nof the InterLisp manual.\nKenneth Clark's documentary series Civilisation (and the accompanying\nbook) impressed me a lot.  In fact, it was clearly the model for\nConnections.  I've never read anything else better about art.   His ideas\nare extremely subversive, but few get it because he usually speaks\nin code. And he\nhad access to stuff like no one else ever will again.\nI also learned a lot from his book The Nude.\nOne of the biggest influences on my ideas about startups was an\nessay by TJ Rogers, the CEO of Cypress Semiconductor.  I don't\nremember the title, but it cut through the usual corporate bullshit\nlike a knife.  For me the important thing was not just what he said,\nbut that one could even be that candid.\nOf all the books I've read in the last 5 years or so, Hardy's A\nMathematician's Apology is probably the one that stuck most in my\nhead.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kenneth Clark's documentary series Civilisation (and the accompanying\nbook) impressed me a lot.",
          "reason": "Says the accompanying book impressed them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kenneth Clark"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "art history",
        "civilization",
        "western art history",
        "western civilization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "civilisation-a-personal-view-9eac63",
      "title": "Civilisation: A Personal View",
      "author": "Kenneth Clark",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 876060,
          "author": "kirubakaran",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T05:04:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876060",
          "commentText": "'Civilisation ~Kenneth Clark' comes #3 or later?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Civilisation ~Kenneth Clark' comes #3 or later?",
          "reason": "The commenter places it third or later among their favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kenneth Clark"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "art history",
        "civilization",
        "western art"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "civilization-and-capitalism-15th-18th-century-e81a57",
      "title": "Civilization and Capitalism, 15th–18th Century",
      "author": "Fernand Braudel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8108812,
          "author": "Aym_C",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T15:36:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8108812",
          "commentText": "Dive into the classics.\nJohn Cowper Powys may help you to plan a great journey :\nhttp://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/12914/pg12914.html\n(Despite a few bizarre choices. Paul Bourget, seriously ?)\nIf I had to choose myself : Homer (The Iliad and the Odyssey), the Bible (David's psalms and Job's book), Augustine, Dante, Saint Simon, Shakespeare, Rousseau, Dostoievsky, Proust, Céline.\nAparté :\nIf you like ambitious history with economic insights, I would strongly suggest to read Fernand Braudel works. He wrote three fantastic triptychs :\n- The Mediterranean: And the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II (his thesis)\n- Civilization and Capitalism, 15th-18th Century (the best history books I've ever read)\n- The Identity of France",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Civilization and Capitalism, 15th-18th Century (the best history books I've ever read)",
          "reason": "Calls these the best history books they have ever read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fernand Braudel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "early modern history",
        "economic history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "civilization-and-its-discontents-f6f20c",
      "title": "Civilization and Its Discontents",
      "author": "Sigmund Freud",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503252,
          "author": "anonman1",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T07:18:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503252",
          "commentText": "\"History of Sexuality: Volume I\" -Michel Foucault\n\"Discipline and Punish\" -Michel Foucault\n\"Philosophy in the Flesh\" -George Lakoff\n\"Metaphors We Live By\" -George Lakoff\n\"Civilization and its Discontents\" -Sigmund Freud\nThese books allowed me to look at reality in a completely different manner.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Civilization and its Discontents\" -Sigmund Freud",
          "reason": "The list responds to a request for philosophical books; the commenter says these books changed how they see reality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227090,
          "author": "lionhearted",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T17:56:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227090",
          "commentText": "It's amazing how many good historical works are out of copyright and free. I got an Amazon Kindle as a gift, and it's been really wonderful for me.\nIf you like Roman history, you've got to check out Gibbons' History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. It's just a masterpiece. I flip through my copy of Meditations from time to time (actually, now I look at it on my Kindle, but I used to flip through my paper copy) and just pick out random quotes. A great work. \"It is not the thing itself that disturbs a man, but the man's perception of and reaction to the thing. The thing may not be able to be changed, but a man's perception and reaction may be changed.\" I'm butchering that quote, but it's incredibly meaningful to me, and I try to reflect on it when things seem to be going wrong or I get inconvenienced.\nWhile talking about classics, there's a lot of good philosophy out of copyright. Beyond Good and Evil and Thus Spoke Zarathustra aren't perfect works and I disagree with a fair bit of it, but there's some absolute jewels in them too.\nLately I've been looking for a decent electronic copy of Freud's Civilization and Its Discontents and Kierkegaard's Either/Or, but I've been having a hard time finding copies that are decently formatted and readable.\nAlso, got any other recommendations Staunch? I'm going to get Gallic Wars, and it seems like you and I have similar taste if you have other recommendations.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I've been looking for a decent electronic copy of Freud's Civilization and Its Discontents",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is looking for a readable electronic copy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797257,
          "author": "Oompa",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T03:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797257",
          "commentText": "Second Treatise of Government - Locke\nOn Liberty - Mill\nThe Communist Manifesto - Marx & Engels\nEros & Civilization - Marcuse\nCivilization and Its Discontents - Freud\nThe Road To Serfdom - Hayak\nMilestones - Qutb",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Civilization and Its Discontents - Freud",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sigmund Freud"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "psychoanalysis",
        "culture",
        "civilization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "civilized-to-death-016942",
      "title": "Civilized to Death",
      "author": "Christopher Ryan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22095162,
          "author": "justinko",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T00:18:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22095162",
          "commentText": "Sex at Dawn and Civilized to Death by Christopher Ryan",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Civilized to Death",
          "reason": "Listed as a book in response to the thread's request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher Ryan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "civilization",
        "human nature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "clans-of-the-alphane-moon-7e5839",
      "title": "Clans of the Alphane Moon",
      "author": "Philip K. Dick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056600,
          "author": "Jedd",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:34:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056600",
          "commentText": "Doubtless there'll be lots of strong opinions, and (hopefully, usefully) lots of duplicates that you can then tote up to get a bit of a consensus.\nIain M. Banks - all his Culture books are fantastic, but I'll single out 'Excession' since you seek titles.\nNeal Stephenson's 'Anathem'\nStephen Donaldson (most famous for the Thomas Covenant tri-trilogy) wrote a 5-book 'Gap Series'.  I have very fond memories of it, though it's been two decades since I read it.\nPhilip K. Dick wrote a tonne of good stuff (and a bit of meh) but my two favourite are Clans of the Alphane Moon (the first Dick I read), and Valis (a bit more conventional to have on the favourite list)\nUrsula Le Guin also has a huge body of excellent work - Left Hand of Darkness, and The Dispossessed are my favourites.\nI really loved Roger Zelazny's Lord Of Light, though I understand it's not conventionally considered his best work.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "my two favourite are Clans of the Alphane Moon (the first Dick I read)",
          "reason": "Names it as one of the commenter's two favorite Dick books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip K. Dick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "psychological science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "clapton-the-autobiography-2d7243",
      "title": "Clapton: The Autobiography",
      "author": "Eric Clapton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10175603,
          "author": "asib",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:32:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175603",
          "commentText": "Eric Clapton: The Autobiography.\nI'm a huge Clapton fan so I'm finding it a really interesting read. He talks a lot about people who influenced/inspired him so it's also given me a wealth of new listening material.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm finding it a really interesting read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they find the autobiography interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Clapton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "music",
        "rock musicians"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "classic-computer-science-problems-b84069",
      "title": "Classic Computer Science Problems",
      "author": "David Kopec",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34415311,
          "author": "WoodenChair",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-17T17:17:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 34412069,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach programming by building a series of small projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34415311",
          "commentText": "For intermediate programmer, that's what we do in the Classic Computer Science Problems series (https://classicproblems.com). We combine learning programming with learning computer science problem solving techniques.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Classic Computer Science Problems series",
          "reason": "Described as combining programming practice with computer science problem-solving techniques.",
          "audience": "Intermediate programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Kopec"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer science problems",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "classic-computer-science-problems-in-swift-454e2c",
      "title": "Classic Computer Science Problems in Swift",
      "author": "David Kopec",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20731234,
          "author": "WoodenChair",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T16:36:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20731234",
          "commentText": "I wrote two of them specifically for self taught programmers like her: “Classic Computer Science Problems in Python” and “Classic Computer Science Problems in Swift.” Unfortunately we don’t have a JavaScript version yet. Instead of focusing on things like complexity analysis we focus on problem solving techniques in a tutorial like fashion. You can find out more at:\nhttps://classicproblems.com",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Classic Computer Science Problems in Swift.”",
          "reason": "The author says they wrote it specifically for self-taught programmers.",
          "audience": "Self-taught programmers.",
          "caveat": "Focuses on problem-solving techniques rather than complexity analysis.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Kopec"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "problem solving",
        "swift"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "classic-drucker-wisdom-from-peter-drucker-from-the-pages-of-harva-38cfb0",
      "title": "Classic Drucker: Wisdom from Peter Drucker from the Pages of Harvard Business Review",
      "author": "Peter F. Drucker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 948078,
          "author": "timothychung",
          "createdAt": "2009-11-18T10:28:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 947581,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN:  What's the best first business book for a programmer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=948078",
          "commentText": "If you are a philosophy person like me, this one is for you:\nClassic Drucker: Wisdom from Peter Drucker from the Pages of Harvard Business Review.\nIt shows you what and how a pioneer in the field of business thinks of business itself. Learn from his thinking and learning pattern. They are just like common sense for business (like DStruc and Algo in programming).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Classic Drucker: Wisdom from Peter Drucker from the Pages of Harvard Business Review.",
          "reason": "Recommends it to readers interested in philosophy, praising its presentation of Drucker’s thinking about business.",
          "audience": "Readers with an interest in philosophy and business.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter F. Drucker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "management",
        "peter drucker"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "classical-electrodynamics-a1f385",
      "title": "Classical Electrodynamics",
      "author": "John David Jackson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14170964,
          "author": "ice109",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-22T03:25:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14170964",
          "commentText": "gravitation by wheeler misner thorne, qm by sakurai, mechanics by goldstein, e&m by jackson, qft by peskin and shroeder, etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "e&m by jackson",
          "reason": "Named as one of the field's bible-like books in response to the request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John David Jackson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "electromagnetism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "classical-mechanics-2db52e",
      "title": "Classical Mechanics",
      "author": "John R. Taylor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30486279,
          "author": "marethyu",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T07:51:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486279",
          "commentText": "Classical Mechanics by Taylor\nRelearning mechanics from first principles is fun!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Classical Mechanics by Taylor\nRelearning mechanics from first principles is fun!",
          "reason": "The commenter connects the book with enjoying relearning mechanics from first principles.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John R. Taylor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classical mechanics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "classical-mechanics-ac5e81",
      "title": "Classical Mechanics",
      "author": "Herbert Goldstein, Charles Poole, and John Safko",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14170964,
          "author": "ice109",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-22T03:25:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14170964",
          "commentText": "gravitation by wheeler misner thorne, qm by sakurai, mechanics by goldstein, e&m by jackson, qft by peskin and shroeder, etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "mechanics by goldstein",
          "reason": "Named as one of the field's bible-like books in response to the request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Herbert Goldstein, Charles Poole, and John Safko"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classical mechanics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "clause-and-effect-451c51",
      "title": "Clause and Effect",
      "author": "William F. Clocksin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 869192,
          "author": "jonjacky",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-08T15:42:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 868994,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books to learn Prolog?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=869192",
          "commentText": "\"Clause and Effect\" by Clocksin. Also, the worked exercises\nat Ninety-Nine Prolog Problems, https://prof.ti.bfh.ch/hew1/informatik3/prolog/p-99/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Clause and Effect\" by Clocksin.",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to a request for Prolog book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William F. Clocksin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "logic programming",
        "prolog"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "clean-architecture-a7bd39",
      "title": "Clean Architecture",
      "author": "Robert C. Martin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42697763,
          "author": "jjice",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-14T14:42:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 42686034,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read regarding software development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42697763",
          "commentText": "My personal favorites:\n- Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture (Martin Fowler) - early-mid 2000s and it stays valuable to this day. It's nice to have a formalized view of concepts you know in practice.\n- Clean Architecture (Robert Martin) - Great application architecture concepts being formalized\n- Designing Data Intensive Applications (Martin Kleppmann) - Fantastic perspective on your application's data. This is probably the most recommended book I've seen on Hacker News.\n- SQL Performance Explained (Markus Winand) - Just a killer, concise book to make you truly understand basic DB performance, specifically with indexes. I've met so many developers (myself included before this book) who thought any index will work and then they'd just wing it. Your RDBMS has tools for finding the best optimizations in your queries and you should use them. Your indexes are also more picky than you may think, but they're also incredibly fast if you place them correctly. It's a lot easier to see once you understand.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Clean Architecture (Robert Martin) - Great application architecture concepts being formalized",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its formalization of application architecture concepts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16757707,
          "author": "vollmond",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T18:50:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16757707",
          "commentText": "After Clean Code, also check out The Clean Coder. Less technical, more career/project focused.\nThere's also Clean Architecture, but I haven't read that one yet.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "There's also Clean Architecture, but I haven't read that one yet.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have not read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16756711,
          "author": "mmumma",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T17:06:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16756711",
          "commentText": "Clean Code and Clean Architecture",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Clean Architecture",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16351551,
          "author": "BoorishBears",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T06:55:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16351551",
          "commentText": "I wish they hadn’t.\nClean Architecture is a plague on Android development undoubtedly unleashed by some obscure IDE programmer paid by the number of times you use the “Go To Definition” function.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Clean Architecture is a plague on Android development",
          "reason": "The commenter sharply criticizes its effect on Android development.",
          "audience": "Android developers",
          "caveat": "Criticism is specifically about its impact on Android development.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert C. Martin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software architecture",
        "android",
        "software engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "clear-technical-writing-877ab8",
      "title": "Clear Technical Writing",
      "author": "John A. Brogan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32350210,
          "author": "skmurphy",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-05T00:54:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32350210",
          "commentText": "This is an old one but a good one: \nClear Technical Writing\nby John A. Brogan\nISBN: 978-0070079748",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Clear Technical Writing\nby John A. Brogan",
          "reason": "Calls it an old but good book on technical writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as an old book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John A. Brogan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "technical writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "click-here-to-kill-everybody-security-and-survival-in-a-hyper-con-fb7251",
      "title": "Click Here to Kill Everybody: Security and Survival in a Hyper-connected World",
      "author": "Bruce Schneier",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18744518,
          "author": "jen729w",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T04:55:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744518",
          "commentText": "Breaking news : the remaking of journalism and why it matters now – Rusbridger, Alan\nFrom the editor of The Guardian for the last 20 years, a fascinating look at the move from traditional print to online news.\n---\nThe perfect weapon : war, sabotage, and fear in the cyber age – Sanger, David E.\nThe subtitle says it all. From that I’m now reading ‘Click Here to Kill Everybody’ by Schneier. Enjoying it so far.\n---\nThe world as it is : a memoir of the Obama White House\n— Rhodes, Benjamin J.\nAnother obvious one based on the title.\n---\nAs a side note, join your local library, people. None of this cost me a penny. I hope you still have a library wherever you live. Ours (Melbourne City Library Service) is just magnificent.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "From that I’m now reading ‘Click Here to Kill Everybody’ by Schneier. Enjoying it so far.",
          "reason": "Reports enjoying the book while reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The positive evaluation is preliminary.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruce Schneier"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybersecurity",
        "internet of things"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cliffs-study-solver-8509f3",
      "title": "Cliffs Study Solver",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 755134,
          "author": "le_dominator",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T13:25:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755134",
          "commentText": "If you go back and learn Algebra, Trig, Geometry, then I fully recommend the Cliffs Study Solver series of textbooks because they are very cheap and very thorough plus each day you do a chapter, you'll make cumulative progress.\nYou are introduced to a concept, given a set of practice problems to see the concept in action, then given a problem set to solve on your own.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Algebra-I-Cliffs-Study-Solver/dp/07645... (http://www.amazon.com/Algebra-I-Cliffs-Study-Solver/dp/0764537636/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1249996670&sr=1-1)\nEach book is about 350 pages and you'll be up to speed in no time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I fully recommend the Cliffs Study Solver series of textbooks because they are very cheap and very thorough",
          "reason": "Recommends the series for its low cost and thoroughness.",
          "audience": "People relearning algebra, trigonometry, or geometry.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "math textbooks",
        "self study"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "climate-change-trilogy-f0865a",
      "title": "Climate Change trilogy",
      "author": "Kim Stanley Robinson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2043657,
          "author": "Anon84",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T21:05:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043657",
          "commentText": "I've just finished Hamilton's Commonwealth Saga and it's definitely one of the best books I've read in a long time.\nThe first three Dune novels are particularly good. Dune has a tendency to get more philosophical in the later volumes (plans within plans within plans).\nIf I had to choose an all time favorite I would probably go with Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy (Red/Green/Blue Mars). An extremely well researched view of how Mars colonization and terraforming might proceed in a realistic way.\nHe also has a trilogy on the possible/likely consequences of runaway global warming (Forty Signs of Rain, Fifty Degrees Below, Sixty Days and Counting) but RGB Mars is definitely better.\nEdit: \"The content of Green Mars and the cover artwork for Red Mars are included on the Phoenix DVD, carried onboard Phoenix, a NASA lander that successfully touched down on Mars in May 2008. The First Interplanetary Library is intended to be a sort of time capsule for future Mars explorers and colonists.\" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_trilogy#On_Phoenix_spacecr... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_trilogy#On_Phoenix_spacecraft)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "a trilogy on the possible/likely consequences of runaway global warming (Forty Signs of Rain, Fifty Degrees Below, Sixty Days and Counting)",
          "reason": "Mentions the trilogy and its subject, but says the Mars trilogy is better.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Explicitly rated below the Mars trilogy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kim Stanley Robinson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "climate change",
        "near future fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "climate-wars-4c26a6",
      "title": "Climate Wars",
      "author": "Gwynne Dyer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40047166,
          "author": "mooreds",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-16T00:31:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40047166",
          "commentText": "I've given a few:\n* the hard thing about hard things (by Horowitz)\n* climate wars (dwyer)\n* ender's game",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "climate wars (dwyer)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gwynne Dyer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "climate change",
        "geopolitics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "climbing-the-charts-what-radio-airplay-tells-us-about-the-diffusi-6635f3",
      "title": "Climbing the Charts: What Radio Airplay Tells Us about the Diffusion of Innovation",
      "author": "Gabriel Rossman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4968606,
          "author": "davidw",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T08:15:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4968606",
          "commentText": "I recently started a review 'blog':\nhttp://davids-book-reviews.blogspot.com/\nOf that list, \"Information wants to be shared\", and \"The Fractalist: Memoir of a Scientific Maverick\" stick out as being pretty good.  \"Climbing the Charts: What Radio Airplay Tells Us about the Diffusion of Innovation\" was also very interesting, and a clever use of statistics to look at how one specific sector works. I also loved \"The Oregon Desert\", although it's probably not very interesting to most people out there.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Climbing the Charts: What Radio Airplay Tells Us about the Diffusion of Innovation\" was also very interesting, and a clever use of statistics to look at how one specific sector works.",
          "reason": "Calls it interesting and praises its use of statistics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gabriel Rossman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "diffusion of innovation",
        "music industry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "clockwork-rocket-ba3dc3",
      "title": "Clockwork Rocket",
      "author": "Greg Egan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17536627,
          "author": "RBerenguel",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:29:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536627",
          "commentText": "Haven’t read anything more hard-sci-fi than Egan myself (Clockwork Rocket, quite good). From comments from the OP Egan may not suit (but very recommendable nevertheless)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Haven’t read anything more hard-sci-fi than Egan myself (Clockwork Rocket, quite good).",
          "reason": "Describes it as quite good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Greg Egan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hard science fiction",
        "physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "clojure-applied-e70a11",
      "title": "Clojure Applied",
      "author": "Ben Vandergrift and Alex Miller",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14843093,
          "author": "cutler",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-24T21:56:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14843093",
          "commentText": "Clojure Applied by Ben Vandergrift and Alex Miller. That and Rich Hickey's Greatest Hits (https://changelog.com/posts/rich-hickeys-greatest-hits).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Clojure Applied by Ben Vandergrift and Alex Miller.",
          "reason": "Listed as a response to which books influenced code structure.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ben Vandergrift and Alex Miller"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "clojure",
        "functional programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "clojure-from-the-ground-up-e26a5d",
      "title": "Clojure from the Ground Up",
      "author": "Aphyr",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10183375,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-07T22:47:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10183375",
          "commentText": "Halloway's Programming Clojure isn't exactly recent, but it's available used, has a lot of depth like Joy of Clojure, but is targeted at beginners. Clojure from the Ground Up is free and online, it's awesome and so is Aphyr.\nhttps://aphyr.com/tags/Clojure-from-the-ground-up",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Clojure from the Ground Up is free and online, it's awesome",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it awesome and notes it is free online.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Aphyr"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "clojure"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "clojure-in-small-pieces-1688a3",
      "title": "Clojure in Small Pieces",
      "author": "Not stated",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16083905,
          "author": "ghosthamlet",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-06T04:47:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16083905",
          "commentText": "There is: Clojure in Small Pieces，http://daly.axiom-developer.org/clojure.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "There is: Clojure in Small Pieces",
          "reason": "Offered as another book in response to the thread’s request for a best textbook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment names no author.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Not stated"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "clojure",
        "programming language implementation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "close-to-the-machine-technophilia-and-its-discontents-031bba",
      "title": "Close to the Machine: Technophilia and Its Discontents",
      "author": "Ellen Ullman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19558421,
          "author": "earthtoana",
          "createdAt": "2019-04-02T20:47:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 19556208,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on the early history of the Internet and/or Web?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19558421",
          "commentText": "Close to the machine by Ellen Ullman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Close to the machine by Ellen Ullman",
          "reason": "Names a book in response to a request for recommendations on early internet history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ellen Ullman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software culture",
        "technology memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cloud-hidden-whereabouts-unknown-42c349",
      "title": "Cloud-Hidden, Whereabouts Unknown",
      "author": "Alan Watts",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42965389,
          "author": "k310",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-06T19:01:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42965389",
          "commentText": "Walden, by Thoreau\nThe Myth of the Machine, by Lewis Mumford\nCloud Hidden, by Alan Watts\nComputer Lib/Dream Machines, by Ted Nelson (Technology purpose and arrow)\nThe Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, by William L. Shirer\nSmall is Beautiful, by E. F. Schumacher",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cloud Hidden, by Alan Watts",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan Watts"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "zen buddhism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "clouds-of-witnesses-1cd088",
      "title": "Clouds of Witnesses",
      "author": "Dorothy L. Sayers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13240800,
          "author": "cicero",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T22:06:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13240800",
          "commentText": "A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter Miller (recommended SF classic)\nThe Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis (an old favorite, recommended)\nThe Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco (some interesting parts, but overall a disappointment)\nTheology and Sanity - Frank Sheed (recommended; a very written description of the Catholic faith; weaknesses are it's long and it's aimed to a mid 20th c. audience)\nChristianity for Modern Pagans: Pascal's Pensees - Peter Kreeft (recommended; a good exposition of Blaise Pascal's thought)\nCatholicism: A journey to the heart of the faith - Robert Barron (recommended; a good explanation of Catholicism for the common person)\nHis Master's Voice - Stanislaw Lem (recommended; very intellectual look at the problem of first contact)\nThe Industries of the Future - Alec Ross (the robotics chapter is best; other parts are more light-weight; easy read)\nClouds of Witnesses - Dorothy Sayers (not my favorite Sayers mystery, but enjoyable)\nA Study in Scarlet - Arthur Conan Doyle (recommended)\nWhy Gender Matters - Leonard Sax (recommended; most of the book is based on good science, but he does go out on a limb a time or two.)\nOld School - Tobias Wolff (recommended; a world before widespread TV where high school boys actually got excited about literature)\nInfinite Space, Infinite God - Karina and Robert Fabian editors (story quality varies; I enjoyed some of them)\nThe Sign of Four - Arthur Conan Doyle (recommended)\nOn Stranger Tides - Tim Powers (recommended; I love Powers, but Anubis Gates and Last Call are better. Still, if you like pirates you should like this)\nThe Art of Worldly Wisdom - Baltasar Gracian (interesting)\nAquinas at Prayer: the Bible, Mysticism, and Poetry - Paul Murray (recommended; this shows a different side of Thomas Aquinas)\nAristotle for Everybody: Difficult Thought Made Easy - Mortimer Adler (recommended; I almost think this should be required reading)\nThe Pilgrim's Regress - C.S. Lewis (I enjoyed it, but the ideas Lewis argues against are somewhat dated.)\nEdit for formatting",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Clouds of Witnesses - Dorothy Sayers (not my favorite Sayers mystery, but enjoyable)",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was enjoyable, though not their favorite Sayers mystery.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not the commenter's favorite Sayers mystery.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dorothy L. Sayers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "detective fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "coaching-the-mental-game-6d4490",
      "title": "Coaching the Mental Game",
      "author": "Harvey Dorfman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15631348,
          "author": "borroka",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T20:20:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15631348",
          "commentText": "Shibumi - yes, it is partly a parody, but I have found many good, inspiring lessons from the characterization of Nicholai Hel. For instance, this paragraph made me deeply reflect on the \"convenient rationalization\" of bad behavior. Basically, there is always a good excuse that is up for grabs. Don't be that guy.\n\"Politeness is more reliable than the moist virtues of compassion, charity, and sincerity; just as fair play is more important than the abstraction of justice. The major virtues tend to disintegrate under the pressures of convenient rationalization. But good form is good form, and it stands immutable in the storm of circumstance.”\nAll Trevanian's books are great.\n- The Bernie Gunther series by Philip Kerr. Flawed badass with a quick wit, I love Bernie Gunther.\n- Hypnotherapy by Dave Elman. Dated, but gives you a clear abstract (oxymoron) path on how to \"bypass the critical filter of the conscious mind\"\n- Coaching the Mental Game by Harvey Dorfman. Erudite, deep, chocked full of lessons that are applicable to your personal, professional, and sports life.\nMany, many others.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Coaching the Mental Game by Harvey Dorfman. Erudite, deep, chocked full of lessons that are applicable to your personal, professional, and sports life.",
          "reason": "Praises its depth and applicable lessons for personal, professional, and sports life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Harvey Dorfman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coaching",
        "sports psychology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "code-complete-a-practical-handbook-of-software-construction-66f870",
      "title": "Code Complete: A Practical Handbook of Software Construction",
      "author": "Steve McConnell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42690402,
          "author": "onename",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-13T22:31:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 42686034,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read regarding software development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42690402",
          "commentText": "Code Complete by Steve McConnell is a really great book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code Complete by Steve McConnell is a really great book.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a really great book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve McConnell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming practice",
        "software construction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "code-craft-946265",
      "title": "Code Craft",
      "author": "Pete Goodliffe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2529584,
          "author": "ig1",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-09T18:06:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 2524205,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books for soon to be Software Engineers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2529584",
          "commentText": "Code craft is the book I normally recommend for people starting out. Code Complete which several other people recommend is a great book, but it's one of those books that make much more sense after you've been programming for a year or so.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code craft is the book I normally recommend for people starting out.",
          "reason": "The commenter normally recommends it to people starting out.",
          "audience": "People beginning programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pete Goodliffe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming practices",
        "software engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "code-name-ginger-f26149",
      "title": "Code Name Ginger",
      "author": "Steve Kemper",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 621879,
          "author": "ahoyhere",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-22T11:47:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621879",
          "commentText": "Seconded. Cringely is the only one who doesn't make everything seem ooh-ahh-magical-brains! predetermined.\nAltho that tell-all on the Segway (Code Name Ginger) was pretty cool for all the flaws it pointed out.\nWhere the Wizards Stay Up Late was a book I did an interactive presentation on in 7th grade, so it always has a special place in my heart. In retrospect, it's not fun to read, but at the time, I devoured it. It's boring and nothing really happens, which really is a good metaphor for the most exciting technical change.\nOoh, and \"The Dream Machine: J.C.R. Licklider and the Revolution That Made Computing Personal.\" Especially if you're into UI and unsung heroes.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "that tell-all on the Segway (Code Name Ginger) was pretty cool for all the flaws it pointed out.",
          "reason": "Calls the book pretty cool while noting its flaws.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it has flaws.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve Kemper"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "product development",
        "segway"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "code-simplicity-8ad875",
      "title": "Code Simplicity",
      "author": "Max Kanat-Alexander",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6976558,
          "author": "ramgp",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T21:01:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976558",
          "commentText": "Software development related reads with a strong focus on proven practices that enhance software quality in terms of readability and maintainability (and other software ~ilities) to ease the process of changing the software later on.\nThe Art of Readable Code by  Dustin Boswell & Trevor Foucher\nDon't Make Me Think 2ed by Steve Krug\nRemote: Office not Required by Jason Fried & DHH\nThe Art of Unit Testing by Roy Osherove\nCode Complete 2 by Steve McConnell\nRefactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code by Martin Fowler\nThe Practice of Programming by Brian Kernighan & Rob Pike\nJavaScript: The Good Parts by Douglas Crockford\nCode Simplicity by Max Kanat-Alexander\nAn Introduction to Programming in Go by Caleb Doxsey at http://www.golang-book.com/\nAlso read: How To Be Black by Baratunde Thurston",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Code Simplicity by Max Kanat-Alexander",
          "reason": "Listed as a software development read focused on proven practices and software quality.",
          "audience": "Software developers seeking to improve software quality.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Max Kanat-Alexander"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "simplicity",
        "software design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "coder-to-developer-tools-and-strategies-for-delivering-your-softw-2b9751",
      "title": "Coder to Developer: Tools and Strategies for Delivering Your Software",
      "author": "Mike Gunderloy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17032237,
          "author": "Itaxpica",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:06:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032237",
          "commentText": "Back when I was just graduating from college I picked up a book called \"Coder to Developer: Tools and Strategies for Delivering Your Software\". It was basically written for people who knew how to write code, but not all the stuff that comes with it in a professional setting - unit testing, build systems, version control, deployment and monitoring, etc.\nI'd have a hard time recommending it per se, because it relies heavily for examples on specific technologies that were dated even when I was reading it half a decade ago, but I think something like it with that kind of content is a must-read for anyone starting in SE, especially coming from a CS degree that might have been light on those areas. If I could find a version that's more recent I'd recommend it to every new grad I know.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'd have a hard time recommending it per se",
          "reason": "Describes its coverage of professional software delivery topics but hesitates to recommend it.",
          "audience": "People starting in software engineering, especially CS graduates with little exposure to professional practices.",
          "caveat": "Examples rely heavily on technologies the commenter says were dated even when they read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mike Gunderloy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "professional software development",
        "software delivery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "coders-the-making-of-a-new-tribe-and-the-remaking-of-the-world-dc29c8",
      "title": "Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World",
      "author": "Clive Thompson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804899,
          "author": "AGivant",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:29:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804899",
          "commentText": "Here is my list (from https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/912138-alex-givant?rea...):\nMemoirs:\n- Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti..).\n- Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive by Land, Stephanie, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39218350-maid\n- Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40409969-medium-raw\n- Confessions of a Tax Collector: One Man's Tour of Duty Inside the IRS by Yancey, Rick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_..).\n- The Perfect Predator: A Scientist's Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Superbug: A Memoir by Steffanie Strathdee, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-pre... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-predator)\nPolitics:\n- Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Desmond, Matthew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25852784-evicted\n- Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America by Leovy, Jill, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13153693-ghettoside\n- American Prison: A Reporter's Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment by Bauer, Shane, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38561954-american-prison\n- Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Eban, Katherine, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42448266-bottle-of-lies\n- A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America by Miller, T. Christian, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35805861-a-false-report\n- The New Silk Roads by Frankopan, Peter, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro..).\nHistory:\n- Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-1956 by Applebaum, Anne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13531848-iron-curtain\n- The Romanovs: 1613-1918 by Montefiore, Simon Sebag, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26109020-the-romanovs\n- The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Johnson, Steven, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36086.The_Ghost_Map\n- Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations by Bergman, Ronen, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f..).\n- Madame Fourcade's Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against Hitler by Olson, Lynne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade..).\n- Argo: How the CIA & Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History by Méndez, Antonio J., https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13588425-argo\nCrime:\n- Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History by Selby, Scott Andrew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7071759-flawless\n- American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road by Bilton, Nick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi..).\n- Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by Carreyrou, John, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37976541-bad-blood\n- Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World by Wright, Tom, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-..).\n- The Mastermind: Drugs. Empire. Murder. Betrayal. by Ratliff, Evan, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41181600-the-mastermind\nTechnology:\n- Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon by Zetter, Kim, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze..).\n- Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World by Thompson, Clive, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40406806-coders",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World by Thompson, Clive",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list of favorite nonfiction books read in 2019.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21460362,
          "author": "thetrost",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T07:06:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21460362",
          "commentText": "Just finished \"Coders\" (Clive Thompson)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Just finished \"Coders\" (Clive Thompson)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Clive Thompson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software developers",
        "technology culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "codex-alera-93e77e",
      "title": "Codex Alera",
      "author": "Jim Butcher",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13249434,
          "author": "qwertyuiop924",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T11:39:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249434",
          "commentText": "I'll second The Baroque Cycle (or Cryptonomicon: it doesn't matter which). But might I also suggest the works of Terry Pratchett, particularly Discworld? Sir Pterry's work is among the best I've ever read.\nIf you're looking for something a bit fluffier than the above, then I would suggest The Dresden Files. Sure, it's mindless fluff, but man, it's good mindless fluff. The same applies to The Codex Alera (which apparently resulted from a bet that the author couldn't make a good book from an awful idea: the idea given was the lost roman legion crossed with Pokemon).\nI can also suggest Ready Player one in this category. Ready Player One is essentially geek culture (especially gaming culture) furiously... well, you know. Giving itself one. But it's a fun ride (unlike Armada. But that's another story).\nFinally, I can reccomend The Laundry Files. Do you like computing? Do you like lovecraftian nightmares? Go buy these now. The first book is okay, but has a rather nasty problem, sort of: It keeps winking at the audience incessantly. I didn't mind too much, myself, but I know others have been put off by it. Don't worry, the winking lessens to a manageable rate (although never quite fully goes away: after all, this is a series about a CS Student turned Sysadmin turned hunter of unspeakable monstrosities named Bob Oliver Francis Howard. Think about that for a second). And it is one of very few horror series that I have enjoyed. Take that as you will.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The same applies to The Codex Alera",
          "reason": "Said to be good mindless fluff.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter characterizes it as mindless fluff.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jim Butcher"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "codex-seraphinianus-5a1105",
      "title": "Codex Seraphinianus",
      "author": "Luigi Serafini",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 875854,
          "author": "hamilton",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T03:08:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875854",
          "commentText": "Lately I've been staring at the Codex Seriphinianus quite a bit.  Worth finding a copy if you haven't seen it before.\nFrom a technical point of view, The Elements of Statistical Learning, by Tibshirani, Friedman, and Hastie.  Far and away the most illuminating demonstration that so many ML / AI techniques have a long-standing statistical foundation, and, essentially, everything boils down to the linear model.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Worth finding a copy if you haven't seen it before.",
          "reason": "Encourages readers to find a copy and see it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Luigi Serafini"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "surrealism",
        "visual encyclopedia"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "coding-for-visual-learners-8dccd6",
      "title": "Coding for Visual Learners",
      "author": "?",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14463957,
          "author": "predictand",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-01T20:01:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14463957",
          "commentText": "If you are a beginner and looking for an engaging way to learn how to code using JavaScript, I would suggest Coding for Visual Learners (http://www.codingforvisuallearners.com). It makes no assumptions on prior programming knowledge and teaches you the basics of coding using Javascript and p5.js in a very accessible manner.\nDisclaimer: I am the author of the book",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would suggest Coding for Visual Learners",
          "reason": "The author recommends the book as an accessible way for beginners to learn coding with JavaScript.",
          "audience": "Beginners with no prior programming knowledge, especially visual learners.",
          "caveat": "The commenter discloses being the book's author.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "?"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "javascript",
        "visual learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cold-calling-early-customers-5e6691",
      "title": "Cold Calling Early Customers",
      "author": "Robert Graham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11252763,
          "author": "kennyfrc",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-09T13:19:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11252763",
          "commentText": "Ha! Just had that binge too...\n... Here's what I like:\nOn the business end:\n- Badass by Kathy Sierra\n- Impossible to Inevitable by Aaron Ross\n- Traction by Gabriel Weinberg\n- Cold Calling Early Customers by Robert Graham\n- Learn or Die by Edward Hess\nOn \"refining your thought process\":\n- Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley\n- Racing Towards Excellence by Jan Sramek\n- Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin\n- Case Interview Secrets by Victor Cheng (helps you think in a nice, structured way)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Cold Calling Early Customers by Robert Graham",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s liked business books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Graham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cold calling",
        "customer development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cold-mountain-3143c3",
      "title": "Cold Mountain",
      "author": "Charles Frazier",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6387960,
          "author": "veidr",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T02:51:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387960",
          "commentText": "The trilogy of Neuromancer, Burning Chrome, and Mona Lisa Overdrive is still my favorite work of fiction, and also, to my mind, exemplifies the kind of taut, awesome writing that I would want to do if I wrote novels. It the only series of 3 books I have read more than once.\nI caught these books at just the right time in my life (age 13 or 14), leading my high-school fascination with Japan and rekindled interest in computing, and probably played an inordinately large role in me ending up as a programmer who lives in Tokyo, two decades later.\nI like great sci fi best, but I think most of it is crap, including virtually all of the old pulp sci fi and Asimov I grew up reading (which was basically all of it), Star Wars/Trek, etc.\nOther than Gibson's stuff, some of the truly spectacular sci fi I have read is the very-dense-and-not-at-all-thriller-ish Mars trilogy (Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars), and the fast-paced-and-awesome Spin by Robert Charles Wilson. That led me to read all of Wilson's books, many of which are also good. Also Haldeman is an author worth reading, though not all of his books hit their mark.\nGreat sci fi is my favorite fiction, but IMO most of it is broken by being fundamentally implausible. Other fiction I consider great in other genres include Memoirs of a Geisha, Cold Mountain, REAMDE, The Son, The Road, the lighter but still version of that post-apocalyptic concept The Dog Stars, City of Thieves, and All the Pretty Horses and its sequels.\nIt's probably symptomatic of a major flaw in my character that despite also buying dozens of nonfiction works (Lincoln, On China, and so forth) over the past few years, I haven't finished any of them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Other fiction I consider great in other genres include Memoirs of a Geisha, Cold Mountain",
          "reason": "Explicitly considers it great fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Frazier"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american civil war",
        "historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "collected-essays-b352a4",
      "title": "Collected Essays",
      "author": "William Hazlitt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41175841,
          "author": "montgomery_r",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:58:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175841",
          "commentText": "Aargh, Formatting! Try 2 :\nFor the value of ‘best’ that includes\n(a) had a deep and long lasting impact on how I think about the world and\n(b) I consider beautiful pieces of writing in their own right,\nhere are some in no particular order:\nThe Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins\nThinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nNaming and Necessity, Saul Kripke\nTractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein\n(These you might want to approach via a gentle introduction if you did not study Philosophy to degree level)\nThe Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle\nDarkness at Noon, Arthur Koestler\nThe Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse\nA Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh\nDiaries, Samuel Pepys\nFalling Off the Map, Pico Iyer\nA Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor\nThe Lonely Sea and the Sky, Francis Chichester\nThe Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope\nBevis, Richard Jeffries\nThe Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith\nThe Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse\nHitch-22, essays, Christopher Hitchens\nCollected Essays, William Hazlitt\nVenice, Martin Gayford\nThe Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski\nThe Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch\nToo obvious a list, perhaps, but some gems for all that! Happy reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Collected Essays, William Hazlitt",
          "reason": "Includes the collection among books considered impactful and beautifully written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Hazlitt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "essays",
        "literary criticism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "collected-essays-a5f2bb",
      "title": "Collected Essays",
      "author": "Aldous Huxley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13805931,
          "author": "nosuchthing",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T20:48:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805931",
          "commentText": "Codemasters - Game Genie NES Codebook\n  Aldous Huxley - Collected Essays\n  Guy Debord - Society of the Spectacle\n  Antonie de Saint-Exupery - The Little Prince\n\nAlso worth mentioning, is everything by Dr Seuss.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Aldous Huxley - Collected Essays",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Aldous Huxley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "essays"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "collected-works-of-george-bernard-shaw-7cce1d",
      "title": "Collected Works of George Bernard Shaw",
      "author": "George Bernard Shaw",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31968968,
          "author": "kthejoker2",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T16:36:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31968968",
          "commentText": "Tough choices ..\nMoby Dick has so much to offer .. Gulliver's Travels ... Tristam Shandy ... Essays by Montaigne.. Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man ....\nProbably the collected works of Shaw? Things with dialogue feel freah every time you read them.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the collected works of Shaw?",
          "reason": "Considers Shaw's collected works as a reread choice, noting that dialogue rewards rereading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Bernard Shaw"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dialogue",
        "drama"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "collected-works-of-william-shakespeare-ab65e7",
      "title": "Collected Works of William Shakespeare",
      "author": "William Shakespeare",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41768712,
          "author": "mellosouls",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T17:43:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41768712",
          "commentText": "Collected Works of Shakespeare\nThe Tempest was my way in. Hated him as many did at school, but when my path was my own I decided there must be something to the extraordinary reverence in which he was held so I decided to have another go.\nI had to plough through for a while rereading until I finally \"got\" the flow.\nAfter that it was a long journey through some of the most beautiful words and thoughts I'd ever encountered, my life genuinely deepened and enriched.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Collected Works of Shakespeare",
          "reason": "The commenter says reading Shakespeare deeply enriched their life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They initially disliked Shakespeare at school and needed time to get used to the writing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Shakespeare"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Fiction",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "english literature",
        "plays"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "collector-justifier-series-b79922",
      "title": "Collector/Justifier series",
      "author": "Markus Heitz",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056693,
          "author": "exar0815",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:59:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056693",
          "commentText": "I got hooked on SciFi with David Webers Harrington-Series which I found after enjoying the old Hornblower Series. Since then I enjoyed much omthe Kantaki-Cycle of Andreas Eschbach and the Collector/Justifier Series by Markus Heitz, even though they are what I would call typical german SciFi: Humans as nuisance in a peaceful and orderly Galaxy.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the Collector/Justifier Series by Markus Heitz",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter characterizes these works as typical German science fiction, with humans as a nuisance in an orderly galaxy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Markus Heitz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "german science fiction",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "collusion-how-central-bankers-rigged-the-world-db4948",
      "title": "Collusion: How Central Bankers Rigged the World",
      "author": "Nomi Prins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33383028,
          "author": "photochemsyn",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T11:20:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33383028",
          "commentText": "Nomi Prins, All the Presidents Bankers, and also Collusion: How Central Bankers Rigged the World.\nThose two books illustrate the financialization of the US and global economy over time, and although dense, are well worth the effort.  She has a new book out as of Oct, \"Permanent Distortion: How Financial Markets Abandoned the Real Economy Forever.\"\nPeter Anderas, Smuggler Nation: How Illicit Trade Made America\nA very fun historical read, covering everything from textile machinery smuggling from Britain to the American colonies, to rum and whiskey smuggling into Indian Country in the 19th century, to opium smuggling to China, to Prohibition and the modern Drug War, cotton smuggling by the South to Europe to finance the South's Civil War army, and the smuggling of people from slaves to immigrants.  Very eye-opening, a lot of America's 'wealthy families' got their first pool of capital in this manner.\nAlso:\nJunji Ito, Uzumaki and No Longer Human\nWilliam Gibson, The Peripheral and Agency",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Collusion: How Central Bankers Rigged the World.",
          "reason": "Says the books illustrate financialization of the US and global economy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as dense, but well worth the effort.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nomi Prins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "central banking",
        "financialization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "color-and-light-a-guide-for-the-realist-painter-175bfd",
      "title": "Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter",
      "author": "James Gurney",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40284561,
          "author": "JackMorgan",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T12:14:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40284561",
          "commentText": "Wow, this is interesting, very few books I've read more than once! Even fewer are non fiction, but they sure do explain a lot about me:\n- Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving by Pete Walker helped me process a number of assaults that happened to me as a child\n- Designing Data Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann helped me understand intuitively how databases work and how to use eventual consistency to handle workloads\n- The Highly Sensitive Person: How To Thrive when the World Overwhelms You by Elaine Aron this helped me process my and my families neurodivergence.\n- Structure And Interpretation of Computer Programs by Ableson and Sussman. Great book, it's how I learned to love Lisp. I felt like I grew 10x in skill from completing all the homework.\n- Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training by Mark Rippetoe. This is the book that got me into powerlifting  as a regular part of my fitness. I used this to heal my back, neck, and wrist pain. Changed my life.\n- Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter by James Gurney. The GOAT of plein air painting himself teaches so much about how light works on complex forms. I've dog-eared this book.\n- Reinventing Organizations by Frederic Laloux. A great look into how to build and run a self organizing team. Very insightful for when I was leading several teams and needed inspiration for something other than the typical chain of command.\n- The Classroom Management Book by Harry Wong. This book taught me so much about how humans work. I still apply lessons from this book 20 years later.\n- Real World Haskell by O'Sullivan, Goerzen, Stewart. This taught me a lot about Haskell, and got me into all the neat effects needed to make a function pure but still handle IO/async, etc.\n- Peopleware by DeMarco, Lister. My go to book for people management and a philosophy of project management\n- Science of Trust: Emotional Attunement for Couples by Gottman. I love this book for teaching me how to be a better spouse and friend.\n- The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing by Larimore, Lindauer. A great guide to building a permanent portfolio that will return consistent gains with the market. Simple in hindsight, thanks to this book. Best book on investing I've ever read.\n- How to Take Smart Notes by Ahrens. Introduces the zettlekasten system for thinking and creativity. Very inspiring, got me to start a personal file that I keep going to this day, five years later.\n- Twenty Small Sailboats to Take you Anywhere by Vigor. I read this book over and over, dreaming of buying a small boat and sailing around the world. Maybe this year...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter by James Gurney. The GOAT of plein air painting himself teaches so much about how light works on complex forms.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it teaches about light on complex forms and has dog-eared it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Gurney"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "color theory",
        "light",
        "painting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "color-of-summer-11a82c",
      "title": "Color of Summer",
      "author": "Reinaldo Arenas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2526794,
          "author": "m0nastic",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-08T21:51:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 2526568,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2526794",
          "commentText": "I'm not sure about \"essential reading\", but I like most anything besides Science Fiction or Fantasy (probably the opposite of most folks here)\nSome of my top choices would be:\nAnything by Bulgakov (Heart of a Dog and Master and Margerita are both pretty widely available in English)\nBerlin Stories by Christopher Isherwood\nBurmese Days by George Orwell\nCakes and Ale by Somerset Maugham\nColor of Summer by Reinaldo Arenas\nWilliwaw by Gore Vidal\nThe Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Color of Summer by Reinaldo Arenas",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s top choices.",
          "audience": "Readers who like fiction outside science fiction and fantasy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Reinaldo Arenas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cuban literature",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "colorful-27ffec",
      "title": "Colorful",
      "author": "Eto Mori",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40429352,
          "author": "FigurativeVoid",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T15:01:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40429352",
          "commentText": "I start my year by rereading _Colorful_ by Eto Mori.\nThis is the sort of coming of age story that I wish we had in the US.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I start my year by rereading _Colorful_ by Eto Mori.",
          "reason": "The commenter rereads it and says they wish the US had more coming-of-age stories like it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eto Mori"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coming of age"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "colossus-the-secrets-of-bletchley-park-s-codebreaking-computers-0f4619",
      "title": "Colossus: The Secrets of Bletchley Park's Codebreaking Computers",
      "author": "B. Jack Copeland",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22706500,
          "author": "monk_the_dog",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T20:24:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22706500",
          "commentText": "Two lesser known books that I enjoyed: 1) \"Colossus: The secrets of Bletchley Park's code-breaking computers\", and 2) \"The Dream Machine: J.C.R. Licklider and the Revolution That Made Computing Personal\".\nOne thing I learned from the \"Colossus\" book was the contribution of British engineers to early computers (Tommy Flowers in particular). They didn't get the credit they deserved because their work was kept secret for so long.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Two lesser known books that I enjoyed: 1) \"Colossus: The secrets of Bletchley Park's code-breaking computers\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed it and highlights its account of British engineers' contributions to early computers.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computer history, especially early British computing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "B. Jack Copeland"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bletchley park",
        "codebreaking",
        "early computing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "columbus-day-4ca9ba",
      "title": "Columbus Day",
      "author": "Craig Alanson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15966185,
          "author": "kirubakaran",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-20T01:27:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15966185",
          "commentText": "Hi Evan, thanks! :-)\nI use Hugo [1]. Like you, I too track my books on Goodreads. So I wrote a simple Python script to add an org file to Hugo, for each book. It is an easy set up. Please send me an email (in my profile) if you're interested and I'll share the script with you.\nI strongly recommend the audiobook version of Columbus Day, if you can do that.\n[1] https://gohugo.io/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I strongly recommend the audiobook version of Columbus Day",
          "reason": "The commenter strongly recommends its audiobook version.",
          "audience": "Listeners who can listen to audiobooks.",
          "caveat": "The recommendation specifically concerns the audiobook version.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15964433,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T21:23:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15964433",
          "commentText": "Hi Kirubakaran,\nI'm going to give Columbus Day a try.\nWhat software do you use for your bookshelf? It does a good job.\nI've been tracking my reading habits via Goodreads for a few years too, although I just post a summary at the end of the year.\nhttps://www.michevan.id.au/tag/books/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm going to give Columbus Day a try.",
          "reason": "States an intention to try the book after the parent recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Has not read it yet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15961020,
          "author": "kirubakaran",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T15:55:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961020",
          "commentText": "Here is my list: https://kirubakaran.com/bookshelf/\nMy 2017 favorites:\nscifi: https://kirubakaran.com/bookshelf/columbus-day/\nnonfic: https://kirubakaran.com/bookshelf/data-science-from-scratch/\nfiction: https://kirubakaran.com/bookshelf/everyone-burns/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "scifi: https://kirubakaran.com/bookshelf/columbus-day/",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s 2017 favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Craig Alanson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "military science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "coma-a2ebaf",
      "title": "Coma",
      "author": "Alex Garland",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1569442,
          "author": "wpinbacker",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T23:04:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569442",
          "commentText": "Coma, by Alex Garland. Choose a day when you can read it in one sitting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Choose a day when you can read it in one sitting.",
          "reason": "Recommends choosing a day to read it in one sitting.",
          "audience": "Readers able to set aside time for a single sitting.",
          "caveat": "The comment suggests reading it in one sitting.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alex Garland"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "combinatorics-of-finite-sets-20004d",
      "title": "Combinatorics of Finite Sets",
      "author": "Ian Anderson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7602095,
          "author": "zeta8",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-17T05:14:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7602095",
          "commentText": "I'm in a similar position as well - perhaps at just a wee bit higher level (am learning grad-level math by myself). Below is a list of books that I have enjoyed. Some might perhaps be at a slightly higher level than you might need right now though.\n1. Analysis - The Elias Stein, Rami Shakarchi Analysis series, Meassure Theory by Terrence Tao, Lebesgue Integration on Euclidean Spaces by Frank Jones, A radical approach to Lebesgue Integration by Bressoud\n2. Algebra - Can't do much better than the classic texts by Herstein & Artin here. I know Artin doesn't get much love but after a point, you really begin to appreciate it.\n3. Complex Analysis - is there a better math book than Visual Complex Analysis by Needham?\n4. Topology - i'm partial to a Dover book on Topology by Theodore Gamelin. I learnt the basics of point-set topology & homotopy form this book. Great exercises.\n5. Number Theory - check out the 2 problem books on number theory by Ram Murty. Melvyn Nathanson's book is quite good as well.\n6. Combinatorics - Combinatorics of Finite Sets by Ian Anderson. Extremal Combinatorics by Jukna.\n7. Graph Theory - Diestel or Bondy/Murty.\n8. Galois Theory - Rotman is great.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Combinatorics of Finite Sets by Ian Anderson.",
          "reason": "Listed in a response to a request for rigorous undergraduate math books.",
          "audience": "Readers learning undergraduate mathematics rigorously.",
          "caveat": "Some listed books may be at a higher level than needed right now.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ian Anderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "combinatorics",
        "finite sets"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "coming-apart-76ab1b",
      "title": "Coming Apart",
      "author": "Charles Murray",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32936258,
          "author": "fullsend",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T08:39:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936258",
          "commentText": "I enjoy content that adds curious new information and different views to topics full of cliches, while still being relatively respectable or well researched.\nComing Apart - this book described the coming separation of the US into two “classes” long before it was widely talked about. Today most talk about it as a political divide. This book tackles it as a divide between knowledge workers and the rest. A controversial take that adds much needed food for thought to the conversation. If you’ve lived poor and you’ve also lived in a place like Palo Alto, you’ll be astounded by how readily you can point and say, “that’s me”. Lots of fascinating statistics.\nBowling Alone - a great book about the collapse of US social life. Dense, lots of statistics, but a clear picture is laid out of increasing isolation and alienation. Read it alongside something like Consumer’s Republic to understand how so much of this stems from the selfishness and individuality encouraged by consumerism in post-war America.\nTriumph of the City - an excellent take that can be used as food for thought when people are talking about how dirty cities are. In truth, the author argues, they are our greenest “invention” ever. Lots of good evidence. Imagine collecting the trash if every human lived on their own acre of land. The sewage, the energy usage. Cities are incredibly efficient and clean.\nThe Man Who Solved The Market - everyone interested in finance needs to read this and it’s precursor More Money Than God. The Bogleheads and their index fund ilk are often correct when they say “money managers all lose to an index after fees”. Beating the market is nigh on impossible for all but a few. Most of those few work at Renaissance Technologies. Their Medallion Fund has made 36% after fees every single year since 1989. The fund does its best in market crash years. Closed to outside investors. A story of mathematicians essentially building models that can predict the future reliably. Utterly fascinating, the most successful money printer ever built. As a bonus, we learn that Jim Simons originally controlled this printer and spent the money helping US math teachers. He then ceded control to Robert Mercer, who used the printer’s output to fund Cambridge Analytica, Steve Bannon, Trump, etc.\nThe Snowball - a biography of Warren Buffet that tells an incredible story. The story is one of total obsession. Of a human who literally started from a few dollars, learned about some principles like compounding at age 6, and applied the exact same principles every day for the rest of his life with very little deviation. The craziest part of this story is how every 10 years, he’s surrounded by people saying “times have changed, you’re missing out”. Then those people get blown up by whatever black swan, and Warren’s snowball just grows and grows. He didn’t become a billionaire till he was in his 50’s but the snowball is still growing and he’s one of the richest people alive.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Coming Apart - this book described the coming separation of the US into two “classes” long before it was widely talked about.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes its account of social division between knowledge workers and others.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls its interpretation controversial.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12067228,
          "author": "balnaphone",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-10T20:55:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12067228",
          "commentText": "\"The Art of Profitability\" by Adrian Slywotzky\n\"The Myth of the Rational Voter\" by Bryan Caplan\n\"Fanatical Prospecting\" by Jeb Blount\n\"Fooling Some of the People All of the Time\" by David Einhorn\n\"Confidence Game\" by Christine Richard\n\"Mouth Matters; How Your Mouth Ages Your Body and What YOU Can Do About It\" by Carol Vander Stoep\n\"Adventures in Stochastic Processes\" by Sidney & Resnick\n\"The Great Deformation\" by David Stockman\n\"Efficient Electrical Systems Design Handbook\" by Thumann & Franz\n\"The Goal\" by Eliyahu Goldratt\n\"Notes on Discrete Mathematics\" by Miguel Lerma\n\"Stochastic Calculus with Infinitesimals\" by Frederik S. Herzberg\n\"Information Theory, Inference, and Learning Algorithms\" by David Mackay\n\"Coming Apart\" by Charles Murray\n\"The Collapse of Complex Societies\" by Joseph Tainter\n\"In Other Words: The Science And Psychology Of Second-language Acquisition\" by Ellen Bialystok and Kenji Hakuta",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Coming Apart\" by Charles Murray",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Murray"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "social class",
        "united states",
        "us social trends"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "coming-into-the-country-c3e8cc",
      "title": "Coming into the Country",
      "author": "John McPhee",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910124,
          "author": "blakesterz",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:17:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910124",
          "commentText": "I really enjoy anything from John McPhee, especially Coming Into The Country.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "especially Coming Into The Country.",
          "reason": "The commenter singles it out among works they enjoy by John McPhee.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John McPhee"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alaska",
        "narrative nonfiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "comme-un-roman-86ab5e",
      "title": "Comme un roman",
      "author": "Daniel Pennac",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10175649,
          "author": "JoeAcchino",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:43:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175649",
          "commentText": "I'm reading How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life by Scott Adams and I'm about to start The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg.\nI'm also reading again Comme un roman by Danil Pennac, a beautiful essay about the joys of reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm also reading again Comme un roman by Danil Pennac, a beautiful essay about the joys of reading.",
          "reason": "Calls it a beautiful essay about the joys of reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Pennac"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "reading"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "commentaries-on-the-gallic-war-a008ba",
      "title": "Commentaries on the Gallic War",
      "author": "Julius Caesar",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4787829,
          "author": "staunch",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T09:15:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787829",
          "commentText": "I re-read Julius Caesar's Commentaries at least five times a year. I find them some of the most absolutely fascinating texts that exist. Discovered them when I was maybe 15 and they sparked my love of ancient history.\nMarcus Aurelius' \"Meditations\" is interesting in some similar ways.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Julius Caesar's Commentaries",
          "reason": "The commenter rereads them frequently and calls them among the most fascinating texts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 458636,
          "author": "mnemonicsloth",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-30T20:35:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=458636",
          "commentText": "Commentary on The Gallic Wars by Julius Caesar",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Commentary on The Gallic Wars by Julius Caesar",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Julius Caesar"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient rome",
        "gallic wars",
        "military history",
        "roman history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "commentarii-de-bello-gallico-the-gallic-wars-7ef05e",
      "title": "Commentarii de Bello Gallico (The Gallic Wars)",
      "author": "Julius Caesar",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8717020,
          "author": "johnnyg",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T15:50:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8717020",
          "commentText": "Caesar's Commentaries, by Julius Gaius Caesar\nTeaches that while technology will change and political systems will be distinct and nuanced, the human animal is just about the same.\nWhen I see something that people did then that they still do today, I find that I can predict what a group of people is likely to do in a given situation in the future.\nThis both blows my mind as things \"click\" and makes me sad. In either case, I'm better prepared.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Caesar's Commentaries, by Julius Gaius Caesar",
          "reason": "The commenter says it shows that human behavior stays broadly consistent across time, helping them anticipate how groups may act.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Julius Caesar"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient rome",
        "military history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "commercialism-and-journalism-eae2f5",
      "title": "Commercialism and Journalism",
      "author": "Hamilton Holt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22094219,
          "author": "dredmorbius",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T21:27:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22094219",
          "commentText": "In no particular order, and some of these being more \"highly underrated\" as opposed to \"unknown\", with the notable exception of Smith's Wealth of Nations which is disturbingly un- and mis-read:\n1. Grammatical Man, by Jeremy Campbell (1982)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-e... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-entropy-language-and-life/oclc/856698430)\nMy introduction to information theory and its diverse set of interrelated applications and phenomena.\n2. Ecology and the Politics of Scarcity, by William Ophuls (1977)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-s... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-scarcity-revisited-the-unraveling-of-the-american-dream/oclc/872523631)\nDistills the Limits to Growth issue to its essence, and looks at the political implications, with a set of estimates of political developments which have played out closely.\n3. An Inquiry to the Nature and Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith (1776)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/inquiry-into-the-nature-and-c... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/inquiry-into-the-nature-and-causes-of-the-wealth-of-nations/oclc/1083940513)\nThe best-known, but least-read, and most mis-read book on this list.  Smith isn't perfect and has flaws.  But his message is extraordinarily misunderstood and misrepresented.  Even where he is wrong, he is instructive.\n4. Commercialism and Journalism, by Hamilton Holt (1909)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/commercialism-and-journalism/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/commercialism-and-journalism/oclc/639344712)\nA short but extraordinarily illuminating read on the influence of money and advertising on the press, coming near the beginning of the era of mass media.\n5. Unix Power Tools, by Mike Loukides et al (1997)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/2584502... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/258450296)\nThe book that really got me \"over the hump\" in understanding the Unix environment and tools.  Now somewhat dated, though still highly useful.\n6. A Short History of Progress, by Ronald Wright (2004)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/short-history-of-progress/ocl... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/short-history-of-progress/oclc/1089834019)\nAn exploration of the story, question, and future, of progress.\n7. Entropy and the Economic Process, by Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen (1971)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/entropy-law-and-the-economic-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/entropy-law-and-the-economic-process/oclc/299362046)\nA re-thinking of economics taking thermodynamics into account.  Famously difficult to read, but well worth the effort.\n8. On the Damned Human Race, by Mark Twain (1962)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/mark-twain-on-the-damned-huma... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/mark-twain-on-the-damned-human-race/oclc/950982242)\nA darker, angrier, more bitter side of Twain, cracking open the sanitised version those familiar with Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn will know, and giving an insight to the darker side of late 19th and early 20th century America.\n9. Energy and Civilization, by Vaclav Smil (2017)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-and-civilization-a-his... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-and-civilization-a-history/oclc/1032365823)\nA re-casting of history, not according to spiritual or cultural progress, Great Men, or social dynamics, but the access to and utilisation of energy sources.\n10. Resistances to the Adoption of Technological Innovations, by Bernhard J. Stern (1937)\nhttps://archive.org/details/technologicaltre1937unitrich/pag... (https://archive.org/details/technologicaltre1937unitrich/page/39)\nA fascinating exploration of the organised opposition to numerous significant technological innovations through the ages, contrary to the conventional story told by mainstream economic and innovation models and stories.  Stern's research assistant at the time he was working on this topic went on to become known as a science fiction author, and based one of his first works on this notion:  Isaac Asimov.\nOn the question of compiling such lists:  I've recently started keeping a research journal in which I'm trying to capture works of significance that I've read, vaguely inspired by both index-card methods (such as Zettelkasten or POIC) and bullet journals.\nThe organisation is \"BOTI\" -- best of the interval.\nI will start a two-page spread, dated, of a specific class of entries -- works, videos, authors, ideas, etc. -- and when that closes, start another.  Periodically (about every month, for now) I'll select the best of those works for a BOTM list, and at the end of a year, a BOTY list.\nOr at least that's the idea.\nThis may address the question of keeping track of the most significant works (or authors, concepts, ideas, etc.) over time, which otherwise tend to become a bit of a jumble.\nThe BOTI list and periodic aggregations themselves resemble round-robin databases, or ring or circular buffers or files, though without actually rewriting each specific list.  The initial capture levels remain accessible (in the journal) for revisiting, should something prove to have been more significant on subsequent reflection than initially appeared.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Commercialism and Journalism, by Hamilton Holt (1909)",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it illuminating on how money and advertising influence the press.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hamilton Holt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "journalism",
        "media history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "commissaire-adamsberg-series-32888c",
      "title": "Commissaire Adamsberg series",
      "author": "Fred Vargas",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25844205,
          "author": "DanBC",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T09:05:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25844205",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed The Collector Collector and The Thought Gang by Tibor Fischer. They're both short, and funny.\nhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Collector-Tibor-Fischer/dp/00992681... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Collector-Tibor-Fischer/dp/0099268191)\nhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Thought-Gang-Tibor-Fischer/dp/00995... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thought-Gang-Tibor-Fischer/dp/0099516926)\nI enjoyed all the books written by Fred Vargas. Detective stories, but funny. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fred-Vargas/e/B001I9OXT6",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all the books written by Fred Vargas. Detective stories, but funny.",
          "reason": "Recommends the author's books, described as funny detective stories.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fred Vargas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic crime",
        "detective fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "commodore-64-programmer-s-reference-guide-136dfb",
      "title": "Commodore 64 Programmer's Reference Guide",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25531599,
          "author": "rufus_foreman",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T21:28:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25531599",
          "commentText": "Life changing? Commodore 64 Programmers Reference Guide.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Commodore 64 Programmers Reference Guide",
          "reason": "The commenter identifies it as a life-changing book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "commodore 64",
        "programming reference"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "commodore-64-user-s-guide-0865c9",
      "title": "Commodore 64 User's Guide",
      "author": "Commodore Business Machines",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 177043,
          "author": "wozer",
          "createdAt": "2008-04-29T22:02:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 176803,
          "threadTitle": "Which is your favorite 70-80s computer book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=177043",
          "commentText": "Must have been this one: http://www.scribd.com/doc/2710812/c64users-guide00toc-introd... (http://www.scribd.com/doc/2710812/c64users-guide00toc-introduction)\nWhen computers still came with a manual that taught you how to program...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Must have been this one: http://www.scribd.com/doc/2710812/c64users-guide00toc-introd...",
          "reason": "Identifies a manual as a favorite, noting that it taught readers to program.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Commodore Business Machines"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "commodore 64",
        "programming manuals"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "common-sense-on-mutual-funds-0c7702",
      "title": "Common Sense on Mutual Funds",
      "author": "John C. Bogle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17521454,
          "author": "r3n",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T08:56:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521454",
          "commentText": "Not new books, just something I'm currently reading.\n- Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy\nThis book teach you about depression and how you can apply cognitive therapy techniques to help you. I'm in the second part of the book and already learn some valuable information. It seems like HN recommend this book as well [1].\n- Common Sense on Mutual Funds\nOne of the classic investment books from John C. Bogle. In this book he talks about what he think is the better way to invest in mutual funds and why.\nThis is one of the reading assignment form another short book I'm reading called \"If You Can\" [2], which recommended by Bogleheads.\n[1] http://ramiro.org/vis/hn-most-linked-books/\n[2] https://www.etf.com/docs/IfYouCan.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One of the classic investment books from John C. Bogle.",
          "reason": "Calls it a classic and describes its case for investing in mutual funds.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in mutual fund investing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John C. Bogle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "index investing",
        "mutual funds"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "common-stocks-and-uncommon-profits-4f878a",
      "title": "Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits",
      "author": "Philip Fisher",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3395781,
          "author": "vm",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T14:17:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395781",
          "commentText": "* Steve Jobs biography. I couldn't put it down and I'm shocked there aren't more fans on HN\nFor those who liked Malkiel's Random Walk, read:\n* Ben Graham's Intelligent Investor\n* Philip Fisher's Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits\nThey counter Malkiel's thesis (yup, he's wrong) and Warren Buffet credits both men for teaching him how to invest. True classics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Philip Fisher's Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits",
          "reason": "Recommended to readers who liked Malkiel's book; called a true classic.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in investing.",
          "caveat": "Said to counter Malkiel's thesis.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip Fisher"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "investing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "communicating-sequential-processes-2470bf",
      "title": "Communicating Sequential Processes",
      "author": "C. A. R. Hoare",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29307981,
          "author": "thoughtFrame",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:14:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29307981",
          "commentText": "Somewhat varied but I think some of these may fit your criteria.\nProgramming Erlang by Joe Armstrong\nCommunicating Sequential Processes by Hoare\nThe algorithmic beauty of plants by Prusinkiewicz, Lindenmayer\nNetwork Performance Analysis Using the J Programming Language by Alan Holt\nRelational Programming in miniKanren by William Byrd\nExercises in Programming Style by Cristina Videira Lopes\nedit: also \"SAT/SMT by example\" by Dennis Yurichev",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Communicating Sequential Processes by Hoare",
          "reason": "Listed as a suggestion in response to the request for books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "C. A. R. Hoare"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "concurrency",
        "process algebra"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "compared-to-what-an-introduction-to-the-analysis-of-algorithms-76e561",
      "title": "Compared To What?: An Introduction to the Analysis of Algorithms",
      "author": "Gregory J. E. Rawlins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29226108,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-15T11:16:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29226108",
          "commentText": "There are literally hundreds of threads with this topic on the Web. Most of them contain the same standard references which IMO are not always the best for people without much mathematical maturity and wishing to learn from first principles. That said, here are my recommendations for them (pdfs of almost all are available online and they can also be purchased cheaply as used books);\n* 1) Functions and Graphs and 2) The Method of Coordinates by I.M.Gelfand et. al. - These give you the basics on functions and how to visualize them which is crucial for understanding.\n* Introductory Logic and Sets for Computer Scientists by Nimal Nissanke - Nice succinct introduction to various required topics for Comp. Sci.\n*  Compared To What?: Introduction to the Analysis of Algorithms by Gregory Rawlins - This is a classic book which takes you by hand and walks you through Algorithm Analysis and the reqd. mathematics. You will find this more approachable than most other text books and well worth a study.\n* How to Think about Algorithms by Jeff Edmonds - Practical techniques without too much mathematical formalism.\n* Data Structure Techniques by Thomas Standish - A Classic text; good adjunct to more modern texts.\n* Advanced Data Structures by Peter Brass - Nice succinct text but not necessarily \"advanced\".\nOne final point; try to get a Algorithms and Data Structures book with code in the language with which you are most familiar. That way you understand the mapping from \"Abstract Algorithm\" to \"Concrete Language Implementation\" which is not always trivial.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Compared To What?: Introduction to the Analysis of Algorithms",
          "reason": "Recommends it as an approachable guide to algorithm analysis and its underlying mathematics.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking mathematical grounding in algorithm analysis.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gregory J. E. Rawlins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithm analysis",
        "mathematical foundations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "competing-against-luck-baf84c",
      "title": "Competing Against Luck",
      "author": "Clayton M. Christensen, Taddy Hall, Karen Dillon, and David S. Duncan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19895845,
          "author": "sridvijay",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T01:41:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19895845",
          "commentText": "Competing Against Luck (Christensen) - models on how to think about innovation, and the \"jobs to be done\" theory (what job is the customer hiring my product/service for)\nSuch a small shift in perspective, but it makes such a dramatic difference! Really recommend reading if you haven't already.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Really recommend reading if you haven't already.",
          "reason": "Recommends the book for its explanation of innovation models and jobs-to-be-done theory.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Clayton M. Christensen, Taddy Hall, Karen Dillon, and David S. Duncan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "innovation",
        "jobs to be done"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "competitive-programmer-s-handbook-c8a042",
      "title": "Competitive Programmer’s Handbook",
      "author": "Antti Laaksonen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29217968,
          "author": "MyAnonymousAcc",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T16:01:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29217968",
          "commentText": "In case you want to go for something aimed at competitive programming have a look at the \"Competitive Programmer’s Handbook\"\nhttps://cses.fi/book/book.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In case you want to go for something aimed at competitive programming have a look at the \"Competitive Programmer’s Handbook\"",
          "reason": "Suggested as a resource aimed at competitive programming.",
          "audience": "People interested in competitive programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Antti Laaksonen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "competitive programming",
        "data structures"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "competitive-programming-3-42ab47",
      "title": "Competitive Programming 3",
      "author": "Steven Halim and Felix Halim",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21902980,
          "author": "baristaGeek",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T00:46:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902980",
          "commentText": "Best business books:\n-Secrets of Sandhill Road\n-Hackers and Painters\n-The Great CEO within\n-Venture Deals\n-Predictable Revenue\n-Zero to One\n-The Hard Thing About Hard Things\n-Lean customer development\n-Lost and founder\n-Lean B2B\n-From Impossible to Inevitable\n-Traction\nBest computer science books:\n-Competitive programming 3\n-Structure and interpretation of computer programs\nBest for fun (non-fiction):\n-Meditations\n-Sapiens\n-How to win friends and influence people\n-A brief history of time\n-Self-reliance\n-Frente a la estrella polar",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-Competitive programming 3",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s best computer science books in response to a question about influential books.",
          "audience": "Readers practicing competitive programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Halim and Felix Halim"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "competitive programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "competitive-strategy-6bcacc",
      "title": "Competitive Strategy",
      "author": "Michael E. Porter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 138044,
          "author": "falsestprophet",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-16T06:36:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=138044",
          "commentText": "The New New Thing\nFounders at Work\nHackers and Painters\nHow To Get Rich\nCompetitive Strategies\nThe Intelligent Investor (or Security Analysis)\nLiar's Poker",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Competitive Strategies",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael E. Porter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business strategy",
        "competitive analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "compiler-design-in-c-4117ef",
      "title": "Compiler Design in C",
      "author": "Alan C. Holub",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28663173,
          "author": "coder4life",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T18:15:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28663173",
          "commentText": "\"Enough rope to shoot yourself in the foot - rules for C and C++ programmers\" by Alan C Holub.\nAnd \"Compiler design in C\", also by him",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Compiler design in C\", also by him",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan C. Holub"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c",
        "compiler design",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "compiler-design-in-c-f03b5a",
      "title": "Compiler Design in C",
      "author": "Allen I. Holub",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12144305,
          "author": "g051051",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:55:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144305",
          "commentText": "1. Peopleware\n2. The C Programming Language\n3. Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software\nHonorable mention: Compiler Design in C",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Compiler Design in C",
          "reason": "Included as an honorable mention in a list answering the book recommendation question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Allen I. Holub"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming",
        "compiler design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "compilers-principles-techniques-and-tools-be02c6",
      "title": "Compilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools",
      "author": "Alfred V. Aho, Jeffrey D. Ullman, and John E. Hopcroft",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43085048,
          "author": "ggm",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-18T01:19:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 43084739,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction/non-fiction book should everyone read on the topic of CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43085048",
          "commentText": "The Dragon Book: Principles of Compiler Design (Alfred V. Aho, and Jeffrey D. Ullman, 1986)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dragon Book: Principles of Compiler Design (Alfred V. Aho, and Jeffrey D. Ullman, 1986)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alfred V. Aho",
        "Jeffrey D. Ullman",
        "John E. Hopcroft"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "compiler design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "compilers-principles-techniques-and-tools-bb96ca",
      "title": "Compilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools",
      "author": "Alfred V. Aho, Ravi Sethi, and Jeffrey D. Ullman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 135906,
          "author": "fogus",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-13T12:45:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135906",
          "commentText": "Off the top of my head:\n- Soul of a New Machine\n- The Cuckoo's Egg\n- Revolution in the Valley\n- Fire in the Valley\n- Compilers by Sethi, Ullman, Aho\n- Masters of Doom\n- iWoz\n- Steve Jobs & the NeXT Big Thing\n- Crypto\n- Code\n- The Man Who Loved Only Numbers\n- The Man Who Knew Infinity\n- ANSI Common LISP\nMost of the books above are recommended because once reading them you will have an uncontrollable urge to immediately create something brilliant.  You will not be able to stop yourself.\n-m",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Compilers by Sethi, Ullman, Aho",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter recommends for their motivating effect.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computing and creating things.",
          "caveat": "The claimed effect is an uncontrollable urge to create something brilliant.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alfred V. Aho, Ravi Sethi, and Jeffrey D. Ullman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "compiler construction",
        "programming languages"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "complete-turbo-pascal-e00801",
      "title": "Complete Turbo Pascal",
      "author": "Jeff Duntemann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30490393,
          "author": "randcraw",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T17:23:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30490393",
          "commentText": "“Complete Turbo Pascal” by Jeff Duntemann and “The Peter Norton Programmer's Guide to the IBM PC” blazed my trail into professional computing.  Both are near-ideal models of nonfiction writing and teach a practical skill through the joy of discovery.  No CS textbook I've read since can compare, though Allen Downey's “Think” series probably comes closest.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Complete Turbo Pascal” by Jeff Duntemann and “The Peter Norton Programmer's Guide to the IBM PC” blazed my trail into professional computing.",
          "reason": "Says it helped lead them into professional computing and praises its practical teaching through discovery.",
          "audience": "Readers learning Turbo Pascal and practical programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeff Duntemann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming",
        "turbo pascal"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "complex-analysis-b39747",
      "title": "Complex Analysis",
      "author": "Ian Stewart and David Tall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23726943,
          "author": "exmadscientist",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T19:54:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23726943",
          "commentText": "A more traditional complex analysis textbook that's really good is Stewart and Tall's Complex Analysis. It's not necessarily a great complement to VCA; I used them both in my course and didn't find myself referring to VCA much, but then I had good lectures in my course and really got on with Stewart and Tall.\nThe \"standard\" book was Churchill and Brown and, uh, I'd say that one is best avoided. It's awful enough that it may be responsible for a number of those courses being so badly taught....",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A more traditional complex analysis textbook that's really good is Stewart and Tall's Complex Analysis.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as a traditional complex analysis textbook and says they got on well with it.",
          "audience": "Students taking a complex analysis course.",
          "caveat": "The commenter found it was not necessarily a great complement to Visual Complex Analysis and did not refer to that book much.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ian Stewart",
        "David Tall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "complex analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "complex-function-theory-7fe94c",
      "title": "Complex Function Theory",
      "author": "Donald Sarason",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34444033,
          "author": "omershapira",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T18:54:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34444033",
          "commentText": "Donald Sarason's \"Complex Function Theory\".\nThere are bigger more complete books on complex analysis. There are even ones that are more appealing, like \"Visual Complex Functions\" by Elias Wegert.\nSarason's book is only 160 pages long, with legible text and clear examples. It covers the length of an undergraduate university class, and explains Holomorphic functions perfectly. The proofs are crystal clear, and so are the motivations. I haven't seen a better introduction.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Donald Sarason's \"Complex Function Theory\".",
          "reason": "Praised for clear examples, motivations, proofs, and coverage of an undergraduate course in holomorphic functions.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an introduction to complex analysis.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donald Sarason"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "complex analysis",
        "holomorphic functions"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "complex-ptsd-from-surviving-to-thriving-fc918c",
      "title": "Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving",
      "author": "Pete Walker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40284561,
          "author": "JackMorgan",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T12:14:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40284561",
          "commentText": "Wow, this is interesting, very few books I've read more than once! Even fewer are non fiction, but they sure do explain a lot about me:\n- Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving by Pete Walker helped me process a number of assaults that happened to me as a child\n- Designing Data Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann helped me understand intuitively how databases work and how to use eventual consistency to handle workloads\n- The Highly Sensitive Person: How To Thrive when the World Overwhelms You by Elaine Aron this helped me process my and my families neurodivergence.\n- Structure And Interpretation of Computer Programs by Ableson and Sussman. Great book, it's how I learned to love Lisp. I felt like I grew 10x in skill from completing all the homework.\n- Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training by Mark Rippetoe. This is the book that got me into powerlifting  as a regular part of my fitness. I used this to heal my back, neck, and wrist pain. Changed my life.\n- Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter by James Gurney. The GOAT of plein air painting himself teaches so much about how light works on complex forms. I've dog-eared this book.\n- Reinventing Organizations by Frederic Laloux. A great look into how to build and run a self organizing team. Very insightful for when I was leading several teams and needed inspiration for something other than the typical chain of command.\n- The Classroom Management Book by Harry Wong. This book taught me so much about how humans work. I still apply lessons from this book 20 years later.\n- Real World Haskell by O'Sullivan, Goerzen, Stewart. This taught me a lot about Haskell, and got me into all the neat effects needed to make a function pure but still handle IO/async, etc.\n- Peopleware by DeMarco, Lister. My go to book for people management and a philosophy of project management\n- Science of Trust: Emotional Attunement for Couples by Gottman. I love this book for teaching me how to be a better spouse and friend.\n- The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing by Larimore, Lindauer. A great guide to building a permanent portfolio that will return consistent gains with the market. Simple in hindsight, thanks to this book. Best book on investing I've ever read.\n- How to Take Smart Notes by Ahrens. Introduces the zettlekasten system for thinking and creativity. Very inspiring, got me to start a personal file that I keep going to this day, five years later.\n- Twenty Small Sailboats to Take you Anywhere by Vigor. I read this book over and over, dreaming of buying a small boat and sailing around the world. Maybe this year...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving by Pete Walker helped me process a number of assaults that happened to me as a child",
          "reason": "Helped the commenter process childhood assaults.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pete Walker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "complex ptsd",
        "trauma recovery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "complexity-the-emerging-science-at-the-edge-of-order-and-chaos-1e2e5c",
      "title": "Complexity: The Emerging Science at the Edge of Order and Chaos",
      "author": "M. Mitchell Waldrop",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15157546,
          "author": "invalidOrTaken",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T18:44:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15157546",
          "commentText": "Complexity: The Emerging Science At The Edge of Order And Chaos was a good read.  I strongly recommend reading Jurassic Park at the same time, as the two were both influenced by the recognization of complexity as a \"thing\" in the late 80's/early 90's.  The two are really about the same thing, but JP tells it through dinosaurs.\nWhile I have the floor, I've mused lately that Jurassic Park is like the perfect scary morality tale for young researchers.  You hear cautions about endogeneity and omitted variable biases, simultaneity...but the worst that will happen if you mess these up is your paper is wrong.  Crichton described a world where lack of scientific discipline led to getting eaten by dinosaurs.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Complexity: The Emerging Science At The Edge of Order And Chaos was a good read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a good read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "M. Mitchell Waldrop"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "complexity science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "complications-8015b7",
      "title": "Complications",
      "author": "Atul Gawande",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25319679,
          "author": "randcraw",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-06T00:10:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319679",
          "commentText": "And I'll add Atul Gawande's “Better” and “Complications” on general surgery in particular and medicine in general.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and “Complications” on general surgery in particular and medicine in general.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a book about surgery and medicine.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in surgery and medicine.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Atul Gawande"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "medical practice",
        "surgery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "complications-a-surgeon-s-notes-on-an-imperfect-science-1a3c09",
      "title": "Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science",
      "author": "Atul Gawande",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21793675,
          "author": "captaincrowbar",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-15T01:07:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793675",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction I read this year:\nMichael Benson - Space Odyssey - The detailed story of the making of 2001: A Space Odyssey. If you're a fan of the movie, or of Stanley Kubrick and/or Arthur C. Clarke in general, you should read this.\nAtul Gawande - Complications - Fascinating look at life in the medical profession.\nChristina Thompson - Sea People - Detailed, well-researched history of Polynesian-Western contact and relations. As a New Zealander I was interested in this, although American or European readers with no personal connection may be less so.\nPeter Singer - Marx: A Very Short Introduction - What it says on the tin.\nRobert C Allen - Global Economic History: A Very Short Introduction - Also good, but inaccurately titled; it should have said \"Global Economic History Since the Industrial Revolution\".\nFraser A Sherman - Now and Then We Time Travel - A thorough if somewhat superficial survey of time travel in the movies.\nAlec Nevala-Lee - Astounding - A history of the magazine Astounding Stories, and the four men most closely associated with it: John Campbell, Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, and Ron Hubbard. Very thoroughly researched and annotated; it reveals a lot of new information and debunks a lot of old myths. (Whichever version of the \"FBI visits Campbell to complain about A-bomb stories\" you've heard, I can pretty much guarantee it wasn't the real one.)\nElizabeth Sandifer - Tardis Eruditorum 1: William Hartnell - The first volume of a thorough study of Doctor Who, with a combined fannish and scholarly point of view that I enjoyed.\nRandall Munroe - How To - It's by Randall Munroe, what else do you need to know?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fascinating look at life in the medical profession.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a fascinating look at medical life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Atul Gawande"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "medical profession",
        "surgical practice"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "computability-and-complexity-e65229",
      "title": "Computability and Complexity",
      "author": "Neil D. Jones",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16080579,
          "author": "drdrey",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-05T18:42:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16080579",
          "commentText": "Computability and Complexity by Neil Jones: http://www.diku.dk/~neil/comp2book2007/book-whole.pdf\nIt is extremely readable and presents very theoretical concepts in a pragmatic way. Love it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It is extremely readable and presents very theoretical concepts in a pragmatic way. Love it.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its readability and pragmatic presentation of theoretical concepts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neil D. Jones"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "complexity theory",
        "computability"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "computational-complexity-a-modern-approach-674405",
      "title": "Computational Complexity: A Modern Approach",
      "author": "Sanjeev Arora and Boaz Barak",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21325968,
          "author": "sixstringtheory",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-22T16:59:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21325968",
          "commentText": "Ah I see. Well in any case, thanks for the link, it led to several books I'm interested to check out...\n- Computers and Intractability: A Guide to the Theory of Np-Completeness\n- Computational Complexity (your page has the one by Papadimitriou, but putting it on my Goodreads list led to two others of the same name by Goldreich and Arora/Barak I didn't know of)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Arora/Barak I didn't know of",
          "reason": "Lists the Arora/Barak book among works with the same title that the commenter had not known of.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Interest in checking it out is not an endorsement.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20731322,
          "author": "formalsystem",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T16:51:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20731322",
          "commentText": "There's so much more to CS theory than big O notation and you're in for a treat if you check out any of the below - happy to share more if people are interested.\n1. https://www.amazon.com/Computational-Complexity-Approach-San... (https://www.amazon.com/Computational-Complexity-Approach-Sanjeev-Arora/dp/0521424267/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=complexity+theory&qid=1566146955&s=gateway&sr=8-3)\n2. https://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Computing-since-Democritus-Aa... (https://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Computing-since-Democritus-Aaronson/dp/0521199565/ref=sr_1_1?crid=H43HH53HNDKQ&keywords=quantum+computing+since+democritus&qid=1566146985&s=gateway&sprefix=quantum+computing+since+dem%2Caps%2C191&sr=8-1)\n3. https://www.amazon.com/G%C3%B6del-Escher-Bach-Eternal-Golden... (https://www.amazon.com/G%C3%B6del-Escher-Bach-Eternal-Golden/dp/0465026567/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=godel+escher+bach&qid=1566147014&s=gateway&sr=8-1)\n4. https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Theory-Computation-Micha... (https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Theory-Computation-Michael-Sipser/dp/113318779X/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=sipser&qid=1566147058&s=gateway&sr=8-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://www.amazon.com/Computational-Complexity-Approach-San...",
          "reason": "Included in a list of suggested resources for exploring CS theory beyond big O notation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sanjeev Arora and Boaz Barak"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computational complexity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "computational-and-human-experience-8944b1",
      "title": "Computational and Human Experience",
      "author": "Philip E. Agre",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39058027,
          "author": "jonjacky",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T17:17:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39058027",
          "commentText": "Don't overlook books that are critical of engineering as it is often practiced and how it fits into our society:\nComputer Power and Human Reason by Joseph Weizenbaum (1976).  Weizenbaum wrote\nEliza, the first AI chatbot, almost sixty years ago and was appalled at the reception.  This book is still very pertinent, especially the Introduction,\nChapter 1 On Tools, chapter 9, Incomprehensible Programs, and chapter 10,\nAgainst the Imperialism of Instrumental Reason.  Chapter 4, Science and the Compulsive Programmer, is one of the first written accounts of the hacker culture.\nWeizenbaum's original paper on Eliza (1966) [0] is still very pertinent to the present generation of chatbots, especially the introduction and discussion.\nTools for Conviviality, Ivan Illich (1973) [1].  Influenced recent work\nby the computer scientists Steven Kell [2],[3] and Kartik Agaram [4].\nComputation and Human Experience, Phil Agre (1997) (excerpt at [5]).  Agre\ngot a PhD in AI at MIT in the 80s and 90s and became very critical of the field.\nI think his shorter writings [6][7] are a better introduction, especially the personal memoir at [6]:\n\"about how I became (relatively speaking, and in a small way) a better person through philosophy.\"\n0. https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/365153.365168\n1. http://akkartik.name/illich.pdf\n2. https://www.humprog.org/~stephen//research/talks/kell19de-es... (https://www.humprog.org/~stephen//research/talks/kell19de-escalating-intro-script.txt)\n3. https://www.humprog.org/~stephen//research/talks/kell19softw... (https://www.humprog.org/~stephen//research/talks/kell19software-slides.pdf)\n4. http://akkartik.name/akkartik-convivial-20200607.pdf\n5. https://pages.gseis.ucla.edu/faculty/agre/che-intro.html\n6. https://pages.gseis.ucla.edu/faculty/agre/notes/00-7-12.html\n7. https://pages.gseis.ucla.edu/faculty/agre/critical.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Computation and Human Experience, Phil Agre (1997)",
          "reason": "Included among books critical of engineering and computing; the commenter notes the author's critical view of the field.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the author's shorter writings may be a better introduction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip E. Agre"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ai criticism",
        "critical studies of computing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "computer-age-statistical-inference-f29a25",
      "title": "Computer Age Statistical Inference",
      "author": "Trevor Hastie, Robert Tibshirani, and Jerome Friedman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16081975,
          "author": "indescions_2018",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-05T21:45:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16081975",
          "commentText": "Have been recommending CASI to everyone who listens.\nEveryone has their own unique datasets. And anyone can install data science platforms such as Anacondas. But being able to map a particular algorithm to the inference you wish to make. And understanding, from a historical context, precisely what that inferences means at a philosophical level. That is where this text will assist on your path to mastery.\nComputer Age Statistical Inference\nhttps://web.stanford.edu/~hastie/CASI/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Have been recommending CASI to everyone who listens.",
          "reason": "Says they have been recommending the book widely.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Trevor Hastie",
        "Robert Tibshirani",
        "Jerome Friedman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data science",
        "statistical inference"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "computer-graphics-principles-and-practice-7a3d6d",
      "title": "Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice",
      "author": "James D. Foley, Andries van Dam, Steven K. Feiner, and John F. Hughes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35933845,
          "author": "Turing_Machine",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T23:32:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35933845",
          "commentText": "K&R (yes, it's outdated now, but it is still a fine model for how to write a clear and concise textbook).\nSICP.\nComputer Graphics: Principles and Practice by Foley and van Dam (plus a bunch more authors now).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice by Foley and van Dam (plus a bunch more authors now).",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James D. Foley",
        "Andries van Dam",
        "Steven K. Feiner",
        "John F. Hughes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer graphics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "computer-graphics-principles-and-practice-284f52",
      "title": "Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14653343,
          "author": "Jare",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-28T11:58:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 14652936,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on modern computer graphics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14653343",
          "commentText": "I would not advise anyone to try to get into computer graphics directly with the Vulkan or DX12 APIs. Start with DX11, modern OpenGL and/or WebGL, and work through your computer graphics theory (and a lot of practice) using those. Geometry, illumination, shaders, tools and GPU computation will take a lot of time to master. When you decide you want to go into low level APIs, if you are comfortable with Apple systems, Metal will likely be easier than Vulkan/DX12.\nA lot of the theory from classic books is still valid, so even a copy of Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice will look fine on your desk. \"Real Time Rendering\" by Moller/Haines and \"Physically Based Rendering\" by Pharr are excellent. \"Game Engine Architecture\" by Gregory and \"Mathematics for 3D Game Programming and Computer Graphics\" by Lengyel will probably prove very useful and relevant to you as well.\nOnline resources, the free https://learnopengl.com/ and the $10 http://graphicscodex.com/ are both fantastic. Make sure to read https://fgiesen.wordpress.com/2011/07/09/a-trip-through-the-... (https://fgiesen.wordpress.com/2011/07/09/a-trip-through-the-graphics-pipeline-2011-index/), and also study the techniques used for the craziest entries in https://www.shadertoy.com/\nAnd then, lots and lots of papers and presentations from the past 5 or 10 years of Game Developers Cconference and Siggraph.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "even a copy of Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice will look fine on your desk",
          "reason": "The commenter says the classic book’s theory remains valid.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer graphics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "computer-lib-778128",
      "title": "Computer Lib",
      "author": "Ted Nelson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 176891,
          "author": "smoody",
          "createdAt": "2008-04-29T19:23:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 176803,
          "threadTitle": "Which is your favorite 70-80s computer book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=176891",
          "commentText": "Two books if that's permitted:\n1. \"Smalltalk-80 The Languange and its Implementation\" - They eventually dropped the implementation chapters from the book, but you can still get the original edition used on Amazon if you're curious as to how Smalltalk was implemented  (http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0201113716/ref=dp_olp... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0201113716/ref=dp_olp_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1209496624&sr=8-1)). I'm surprised at how cheap they are, as the book is considered a collector's item.\n2. \"Computer Lib\" by Ted Nelson (http://www.digibarn.com/collections/books/computer-lib/)\nAnd, as a bonus, the TRS-80 Model I Users Manual. I still remember the first \"program\" the book taught me:\n10 PRINT \"HEY MA, IT WORKS!\"\n20 END",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Computer Lib\" by Ted Nelson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ted Nelson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer literacy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "computer-lib-dream-machines-d29854",
      "title": "Computer Lib/Dream Machines",
      "author": "Theodor H. Nelson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42965389,
          "author": "k310",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-06T19:01:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42965389",
          "commentText": "Walden, by Thoreau\nThe Myth of the Machine, by Lewis Mumford\nCloud Hidden, by Alan Watts\nComputer Lib/Dream Machines, by Ted Nelson (Technology purpose and arrow)\nThe Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, by William L. Shirer\nSmall is Beautiful, by E. F. Schumacher",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Computer Lib/Dream Machines, by Ted Nelson (Technology purpose and arrow)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Theodor H. Nelson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer culture",
        "hypertext"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "computer-networks-7258e1",
      "title": "Computer Networks",
      "author": "Andrew S. Tanenbaum, David J. Wetherall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9045612,
          "author": "Yadi",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-13T17:38:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 9044833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I have $2k for books, training and confs. What should I spend it on?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9045612",
          "commentText": "I would buy and look into the following books:\n# HTTP: The Definitive Guide - O'Reilly Media\n# Algorithms by Sedgewick\n# Introduction to Algorithms by Cormen.\nCheck out some Machine Learning books:\n# Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning\n# Computer Networks (5th Edition)\nI would look at the following book if you wanted more Q&A and interview questions:\n# Cracking the Coding Interview: 150 Programming Questions ...\nTutorial memberships:\n# I would buy a Tuts+ account, they have been very slow in releasing new content (too bad), however they have lots of great Web Development stuff.\nI would read some other non-technical books:\n# Hackers & Painters: Big Ideas from the Computer Age by Paul Graham\n# The Hard Thing About Hard Things by  Ben Horowitz\n# The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book That Will Change The Way You Do Business by Clayton M. Christenen,\n# Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman\n# How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie\nIf you wanted to understand some Cloud stuff, look into the Whitepapers from Amazon Web Services:\n# https://aws.amazon.com/whitepapers/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Computer Networks (5th Edition)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew S. Tanenbaum, David J. Wetherall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer networking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "computer-organization-and-design-656b48",
      "title": "Computer Organization and Design",
      "author": "David A. Patterson and John L. Hennessy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39249201,
          "author": "temeya",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T10:51:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249201",
          "commentText": "'The Systems Bible, 3rd Edition, by John Gall as a light introduction to Systems Theory as well as 'How Linux Works: What Every Superuser Should Know, 3rd Edition' to brush up on my Linux. \"Computer Organization and Design, 5th Edition\" after those two.\nOn the fiction front, I just finished \"Queen City Jazz\", by Kathleen Ann Goonan, and I've got \"Daemon\" by Daniel Suarez queued up as well.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Computer Organization and Design, 5th Edition\"",
          "reason": "The commenter plans to read it after two other books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8001220,
          "author": "justanotherprof",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T20:32:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8001220",
          "commentText": "Without a doubt it is, for me, \"Pat & Hen\": \"Computer Organization and Design\" by Patterson and Hennessy. I was mesmerised by this book as an undergrad and spent night after night devouring every page. It is a true eye-opener, explaining why computers are the way they are from the compiler down to the CPU design. You even get to design a CPU from scratch, i.e., from basic logic gates (in the older editions, at any rate). Magnificent and enlightening, a must read for anyone who really wants to know \"what's going on under the hood\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Computer Organization and Design\" by Patterson and Hennessy. I was mesmerised by this book as an undergrad",
          "reason": "Called magnificent, enlightening, and a must read for understanding how computers work under the hood.",
          "audience": "Readers who want to understand computer systems from compiler to CPU design.",
          "caveat": "CPU design from scratch is described as applying to older editions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David A. Patterson and John L. Hennessy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer architecture",
        "cpu design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "computer-power-and-human-reason-c088d2",
      "title": "Computer Power and Human Reason",
      "author": "Joseph Weizenbaum",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22713937,
          "author": "jonjacky",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T20:05:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22713937",
          "commentText": "Computer: A History of the Information Machine by Martin Campbell-Kelly and William Aspray.  Good on prehistory: pre-computer data processing in the 19th and early 20th centuries -- there was a lot of it! --- \nthe founding and early history of IBM and the computer industry etc.\nComputer Power and Human Reason by Joseph Weizenbaum.  From 1976.  Not exactly a history, but now of historical interest as the first thorough ethical and humanist critique of computing and AI, by the MIT computer scientist who wrote the original Eliza program.  The chapter on the hacking culture at MIT has been widely quoted and was one of the  first popular accounts of that scene.\nComputer Lib/Dream Machines by Ted Nelson.  From 1974.  Another book now of historical interest.  Self-published, with a DIY look similar to its contemporary Whole Earth Catalog.  Along with advocacy (\"You can and must understand computers now!\") it is also an opinionated survey of the computing world right before the personal computer appeared.\nNelson is now best known as the author of the Xanadu hypertext proposal, which does get a few pages here, but I think this book might be his most influential contribution.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Computer Power and Human Reason by Joseph Weizenbaum. From 1976.",
          "reason": "Describes it as an influential ethical and humanist critique of computing and AI.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the history and ethics of computing and AI.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not exactly a history, though it is now of historical interest.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph Weizenbaum"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ai ethics",
        "hacker culture",
        "humanism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "computer-science-a-very-short-introduction-63c83e",
      "title": "Computer Science: A Very Short Introduction",
      "author": "Subrata Dasgupta",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20730056,
          "author": "gshubert17",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T13:38:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20730056",
          "commentText": "A really good overview of the field of CS is _Great Principles of Computing_ by Peter Denning and Craig Martell, 2015. It's a good book for CS students who want overviews of less familiar areas of computer science, and for anyone (in other areas) who want to know more about computation.\nAnother is Subrata Dasgupta's _Computer Science: A Very Short Introduction_, a 2016 addition to Oxford's Very Short Introduction series. It has over five pages of further references to more detailed and specialized works.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another is Subrata Dasgupta's _Computer Science: A Very Short Introduction_",
          "reason": "Offered as another book about computer science; it includes further references to specialized works.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Subrata Dasgupta"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer science overview"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "computer-science-an-interdisciplinary-approach-a70dee",
      "title": "Computer Science: An Interdisciplinary Approach",
      "author": "Robert Sedgewick and Kevin Wayne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28662704,
          "author": "wly_cdgr",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T17:25:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28662704",
          "commentText": "Bjarne Stroustrup's\nProgramming - Principles and Practice Using C++. Unparalleled combination of real-world pragmatism and rigor. Plus, since you learn C++, this book prepares you better than most for more advanced books/courses on compilers, operating systems, computer architecture\nHon. mentions: HtDP and accompanying Simple Data and Complex Data courses on edX; Part I of Sedgewick & Wayne's Computer Science book and accompanying booksite and free Coursera course",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Part I of Sedgewick & Wayne's Computer Science book",
          "reason": "Lists Part I as an honorable mention, with an accompanying booksite and free Coursera course.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The mention is specifically for Part I.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21458722,
          "author": "vo2maxer",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T01:03:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21458722",
          "commentText": "During the past six months I have been challenged intellectually and aesthetically by these works:\nPaideia: The Ideals of Greek Culture, vol 1-3, by Werner Jaeger\nDiary by Witold Gombrowicz\nComputer Science: An Interdisciplinary Approach by Sedgewick\n2666 by Roberto Bolaño\nThe Linux Programming Interface by Michael Kerrisk\nTomie: No Use Escaping by Junji Ito\nL’homme aux cercles by Fred Vargas\nCryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson\nLab Girl by Hope Jahren\nOperating Systems: Three Easy Pieces by Arpaci-Dusseau\nI Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong.\nThe Weird by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer\nThe Federalist Papers,  ed. by Kesler\nThe Anti-Federalist Papers, ed. by Ketcham\nDoctor Faustus by Thomas Mann, new translation by John Woods\nSearching for Stars on an Island in Maine by Alan Lightman\nLoren Eiseley in the Library of America Edition\nTu rostro mañana by Javier Marías\nThe Complete Essays by Michel De Montaigne, translation by Screech\nEarning The Rockies by Kaplan\nDesperate Remedies by Thomas Hardy\nThe Notebooks of Joseph Joubert\nNature Stories by Jules Renard\nMac y su contratiempo by Enrique Vila-Matas\nOlinger Stories by John Updike\nGreek Science in Antiquity by Marshall Clagett\nAt The Existentialist Cafe by Sarah Bakewell\n100 Diagrams That Changed The World by Scott Christianson\nHeart of Europe: A History of the Holy Roman Empire by Peter Wilson\nAlec \"The Years Have Pants\" by Eddie Campbell\nLandmarks by Robert Macfarlane",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Computer Science: An Interdisciplinary Approach by Sedgewick",
          "reason": "Listed among works that challenged the commenter intellectually and aesthetically.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Sedgewick",
        "Kevin Wayne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer science education",
        "computer science foundations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "computer-security-art-and-science-0672ed",
      "title": "Computer Security: Art and Science",
      "author": "Matt Bishop",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16352825,
          "author": "irundebian",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T14:34:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16352825",
          "commentText": "Ross Anderson: Security Engineering - A Guide to Building\nDependable Distributed Systems\nMatt Bishop: Computer Security: Art and Science",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Matt Bishop: Computer Security: Art and Science",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matt Bishop"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer security"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "computer-solution-of-linear-algebraic-systems-93e4d3",
      "title": "Computer Solution of Linear Algebraic Systems",
      "author": "George E. Forsythe and Cleve B. Moler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23728159,
          "author": "graycat",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T22:24:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23728159",
          "commentText": "Linear algebra, and more than one such book.\nIMHO long and still the best linear algebra book is\nHalmos, Finite Dimensional Vector Spaces (FDVS).\nIt was written in 1942 when Halmos was an \"assistant\" to John von Neumann at the Institute for Advanced Study.  It is intended to be finite dimensional vector spaces but done with the techniques of Hilbert space.  The central result in the book, according to Halmos, is the spectral decomposition.  One result at a time, the quality of von Neumann comes through.  Commonly physicists have been given that book as their introduction to Hilbert space for quantum mechanics.\nBut FDVS is a little too much for a first book on linear algebra, or maybe even a second book, should be maybe a third one.\nAlso high quality is Nering, Linear Algebra and Matrix Theory.  Again, the quality comes through:  Nering was a student of Artin at Princeton.  There Nering does most of linear algebra on just finite fields, not just the real and complex fields; finite fields in linear algebra are important in error correcting codes.  So, that finite field work is a good introduction to abstract algebra.\nFor a first book on linear algebra, I'd recommend something easy.  The one I used was\nMurdoch,\nLinear Algebra for Undergraduates.\nIt's still okay if can find it.\nFor a first book, likely the one by Strang at MIT is good.  Just use it as a first book and don't take it too seriously since are going to cover all of it and more again later.\nI can recommend the beginning sections on vector spaces, convexity, and the inverse and implicit function theorems in\nFleming, Functions of Several Variables\nFleming was long at the Brown University Division of Applied Math. The later chapters are on measure theory, the Lebesgue integral, and the exterior algebra of differential forms, and there are better treatments.\nAlso there is now\nStephen Boyd and Lieven Vandenberghe, Introduction to Applied Linear Algebra – Vectors, Matrices, and Least Squares\nat\nhttp://vmls-book.stanford.edu/vmls.pdf\nSince the book is new, I've only       looked through it -- it looks like a good selection and arrangement of topics.  And Boyd is good, wrote a terrific book, maybe, IMHO likely, the best in the world, on convexity, which is in a sense is half of linearity.\nSome course slides are available at\nhttp://vmls-book.stanford.edu/\nFor reference for more, have a copy of\nRichard Bellman,\nIntroduction to Matrix Analysis:\nSecond Edition.\nBellman was famous for dynamic programming.\nFor computations in linear algebra, consider\nGeorge E. Forsythe and\nCleve B. Moler,\nComputer Solution of Linear Algebraic Systems\nalthough now the Linpack materials might be a better starting point for numerical linear algebra.  Numerical linear algebra is now a well developed specialized field, and the Linpack materials might be a good start on the best of the field.  Such linear algebra is apparently the main yardstick in evaluating the highly parallel supercomputers.\nAfter linear algebra go through\nRudin, Principles of Mathematical Analysis, Third Edition.\nHe does the Riemann integral very carefully, Fourier series, vector analysis via exterior algebra, and has the inverse and implicit function theorems (key to differential geometry, e.g., for relativity theory) as exercises.\nAll of this material is to get to the main goals of measure theory, the Lebesgue integral, Fourier theory, Hilbert space and Banach space as in, say, the first, real (not complex) half of\nRudin, Real and Complex Analysis\nBut for that I would start with\nRoyden, Real Analysis\nsweetheart writing on that math.\nDepending on the math department, those books might be enough to pass the Ph.D. qualifying exam in Analysis.  It was for me:  From those books I did the best in the class on that exam.\nMoreover, from independent study of Halmos, Nering, Fleming, Forsythe, linearity in statistics, and some more, I totally blew away all the students in a challenging second (maybe intentionally flunk out), advanced course in linear algebra and, then, did the best in the class on the corresponding qualifying exam, that is, where that second course was my first formal course in linear algebra.\nLesson:  Just self study of those books can give a really good background in linear algebra and its role in the rest of pure and applied math.\nNo joke, linear algebra, and the associated vector spaces, is one of the most important courses for more work in pure and applied math, engineering, and likely the future of computing.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "George E. Forsythe and\nCleve B. Moler,\nComputer Solution of Linear Algebraic Systems",
          "reason": "Suggested for computation in linear algebra.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computational linear algebra.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Linpack materials might now be a better starting point.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George E. Forsythe",
        "Cleve B. Moler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "numerical linear algebra"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "computer-vision-algorithms-and-applications-0546d7",
      "title": "Computer Vision: Algorithms and Applications",
      "author": "Richard Szeliski",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 859093,
          "author": "aho",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-03T19:57:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 858824,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Image recognition books and resources",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=859093",
          "commentText": "There is a draft of Computer Vision: Algorithms and Applications by Richard Szeliski available for free online http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/people/szeliski/Book/.  It's good overall, but some sections are still incomplete (missing diagrams, for example).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "There is a draft of Computer Vision: Algorithms and Applications by Richard Szeliski available for free online",
          "reason": "Says the book is good overall.",
          "audience": "People learning computer vision.",
          "caveat": "The draft has incomplete sections, including missing diagrams.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Szeliski"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer vision",
        "image processing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "computer-vision-models-learning-and-inference-900413",
      "title": "Computer Vision: Models, Learning, and Inference",
      "author": "Simon J. D. Prince",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8125607,
          "author": "8125375",
          "createdAt": "2014-08-02T18:47:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 8125375,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I save for offline reading during 5 weeks without Internet?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8125607",
          "commentText": "\"Computer Vision: Models, Learning, and Inference\"\nGreat book, and the PDF is available on the author's website: http://computervisionmodels.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great book",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book and notes that its PDF is available online.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Simon J. D. Prince"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer vision",
        "machine learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "computer-wars-5288bb",
      "title": "Computer Wars",
      "author": "Charles H. Ferguson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22730267,
          "author": "blueyes",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T17:45:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22730267",
          "commentText": "Fire in the Valley: The Making of the Personal Computer\nHigh Stakes, No Prisoners - history of the birth of the Internet written by the founder of FrontPage, with a keen critique of Netscape's history - Charles Ferguson\nComputer Wars - a look at the decline of IBM by the early 90s - Charles Ferguson\nValley of Genius: The Uncensored History of Silicon Valley - An oral history of the Valley in the 80s and 90s.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Computer Wars - a look at the decline of IBM by the early 90s",
          "reason": "Listed as a book about IBM's decline by the early 1990s.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles H. Ferguson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer industry",
        "ibm history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "computer-wars-7c3541",
      "title": "Computer Wars",
      "author": "Charles H. Ferguson and Charles R. Morris",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36601394,
          "author": "kristopolous",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:02:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601394",
          "commentText": "Check out Computer Wars by Ferguson for probably a better version of that.\nThe Ferguson book sent me down a lot of historical rabbit holes that didn't have wikipedia pages yet and I had to pull up things on like newspapers.com or archive.org to find out more information.\nNo shade on Cringley though, it's a fine book.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Check out Computer Wars by Ferguson",
          "reason": "Suggested as a better version of the book being discussed; the commenter says it led them into historical research.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The specific referent of \"that\" is outside the target comment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles H. Ferguson",
        "Charles R. Morris"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer industry",
        "technology companies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "computer-and-robot-vision-2d5a60",
      "title": "Computer and Robot Vision",
      "author": "Robert M. Haralick and Linda G. Shapiro",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 858952,
          "author": "monk_the_dog",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-03T17:38:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 858824,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Image recognition books and resources",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=858952",
          "commentText": "Here's my list:\nFor a general introduction:\n* \"Digital Image Processing\" by Gonzalez and Woods\n* \"Image Processing, Analysis, and Machine Vision\" by Sonka, Hlavac, and Boyle\nAfter you learn the basics, some more advanced and specialized books I'd recommend:\n* \"Morphological Image Analysis\" by Soille.\n* \"Insight into Images\" by Yoo (explains many of the algorithms in the ITK library).\nI hesitate to recommend this book because it is so dated (1992), but I refer to \"Computer and Robot Vision\" by Haralick and Shapiro quite often.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I hesitate to recommend this book because it is so dated (1992), but I refer to \"Computer and Robot Vision\" by Haralick and Shapiro quite often.",
          "reason": "The commenter refers to it often but hesitates to recommend it because it is dated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is dated (1992).",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert M. Haralick and Linda G. Shapiro"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer vision",
        "robot vision"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "computer-a-history-of-the-information-machine-6bd166",
      "title": "Computer: A History of the Information Machine",
      "author": "Martin Campbell-Kelly and William Aspray",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22713937,
          "author": "jonjacky",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T20:05:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22713937",
          "commentText": "Computer: A History of the Information Machine by Martin Campbell-Kelly and William Aspray.  Good on prehistory: pre-computer data processing in the 19th and early 20th centuries -- there was a lot of it! --- \nthe founding and early history of IBM and the computer industry etc.\nComputer Power and Human Reason by Joseph Weizenbaum.  From 1976.  Not exactly a history, but now of historical interest as the first thorough ethical and humanist critique of computing and AI, by the MIT computer scientist who wrote the original Eliza program.  The chapter on the hacking culture at MIT has been widely quoted and was one of the  first popular accounts of that scene.\nComputer Lib/Dream Machines by Ted Nelson.  From 1974.  Another book now of historical interest.  Self-published, with a DIY look similar to its contemporary Whole Earth Catalog.  Along with advocacy (\"You can and must understand computers now!\") it is also an opinionated survey of the computing world right before the personal computer appeared.\nNelson is now best known as the author of the Xanadu hypertext proposal, which does get a few pages here, but I think this book might be his most influential contribution.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Computer: A History of the Information Machine by Martin Campbell-Kelly and William Aspray.",
          "reason": "Presents the book as a resource on pre-computer data processing and the early computer industry.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computing history, including its nineteenth- and early twentieth-century prehistory.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin Campbell-Kelly",
        "William Aspray"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer industry",
        "data processing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "computers-typesetting-005a03",
      "title": "Computers & Typesetting",
      "author": "Donald Knuth",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29307891,
          "author": "Jtsummers",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:07:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29307891",
          "commentText": "> I haven't read any of Knuth's stuff because doesn't having 7 volumes kinda imply it can't possibly be well edited?\nThat's a very bad assumption in this case. The contents of TAOCP are very well edited, just massive in scope and it's one man putting it all together. However, those aren't his only books. Concrete Mathematics is a completed text that expands on, in particular, the math in Chapter 1 of TAOCP. Literate Programming is a collection of papers on topics in programming, and is the first of eight such books. If you want interesting but mildly impractical, check out his Computers & Typesetting [0] which includes two books which are actually literate programs.\n[0] https://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/abcde.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "check out his Computers & Typesetting",
          "reason": "Recommended for readers seeking interesting but mildly impractical books.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for interesting, mildly impractical books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donald Knuth"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "tex",
        "typesetting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "computers-and-intractability-a-guide-to-the-theory-of-np-complete-31ec4f",
      "title": "Computers and Intractability: A Guide to the Theory of NP-Completeness",
      "author": "Michael R. Garey and David S. Johnson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21325968,
          "author": "sixstringtheory",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-22T16:59:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21325968",
          "commentText": "Ah I see. Well in any case, thanks for the link, it led to several books I'm interested to check out...\n- Computers and Intractability: A Guide to the Theory of Np-Completeness\n- Computational Complexity (your page has the one by Papadimitriou, but putting it on my Goodreads list led to two others of the same name by Goldreich and Arora/Barak I didn't know of)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Computers and Intractability: A Guide to the Theory of Np-Completeness",
          "reason": "Lists it among books the commenter is interested in checking out.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Interest in checking it out does not establish an endorsement.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20730907,
          "author": "nextos",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T15:49:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20730907",
          "commentText": "A related reference, cited by this book, and a bit shorter and simpler is Garey & Johnson Computers and Intractability.\nIt's a really good classic little textbook.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Garey & Johnson Computers and Intractability.\nIt's a really good classic little textbook.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a really good classic textbook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A bit shorter and simpler than the related reference discussed in the parent context.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael R. Garey and David S. Johnson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computational complexity",
        "np completeness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "computers-and-typesetting-cc8542",
      "title": "Computers and Typesetting",
      "author": "Donald E. Knuth",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29316359,
          "author": "tephra",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-23T10:44:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29316359",
          "commentText": "The whole Computers and Typesetting volume series is worth at least thumbing through at least once in life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The whole Computers and Typesetting volume series",
          "reason": "The commenter says the series is worth thumbing through at least once.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donald E. Knuth"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "tex",
        "typesetting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "computers-patterns-chaos-and-beauty-171e45",
      "title": "Computers, Patterns, Chaos, and Beauty",
      "author": "Clifford A. Pickover",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17914326,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-05T01:12:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17914326",
          "commentText": "All these had a huge impact on me. The descriptions are inadequate, I've just tried to mention the subject matter.\nDeborah Tannen, You Just Don't Understand - how males and females talk different languages.\nLakoff & Johnson, Metaphors We Live By - how our language and thoughts are built from a fabric of conceptual metaphors. Philosophy In The Flesh is about the conceptual metaphors that philosophy is built from.\nJonathan Glover, Humanity: A Moral History of the Twentieth Century - WWI, WWII and other wars, nazism, communism etc\nPlutarch's Lives - biographies and stories from famous ancient Greeks and Romans. Amazing how little's changed.\nLin Yutang, The Importance of Understanding - introduced me to ancient Chinese philosophers. The Importance of Living - introduced me to ancient Chinese writers, poets and the Chinese way of life.\nHofstadter, Gödel, Escher, Bach - read it when I was 14, and I was into music, art and programming, so it blew my mind.\nSusan Faludi, STIFFED - men, work, jobs, masculinity, 20th C\nWalter Lippmann, Public Opinion - media, war, propaganda, democracy\nNoam Chomsky's political books\nE.F. Schumacher, Small is Beautiful - the world, development, government, planning, organization, humanity, sustainability\nJ.R. Saul, Voltaire's Bastards - power, history, democracy, technocracy, reason, rationality, history from late 18th C until today.\nRaymond Williams, Culture and Society 1780-1950 - the anti-industrialist tradition, politics, culture, society and the new language describing these things\nClifford Pickover, Computers, Patterns, Chaos, and Beauty - programming, mathematics, art, fractals, dynamical systems etc\nBen Zander, The Art of Possibility - hard to explain, kind of advanced self-help, the magic of changing attitudes, expectations, habits.\nMy favourite non-fiction books of all time, though, are the essays of Emerson, Hazlitt, RL Stevenson, GK Chesterton, Santayana, Bertrand Russell. And the books of Nietzsche, SARK and Robert Fulghum.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Clifford Pickover, Computers, Patterns, Chaos, and Beauty - programming, mathematics, art, fractals, dynamical systems etc",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books said to have had a huge impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Clifford A. Pickover"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computational art",
        "dynamical systems",
        "fractals"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "computing-in-the-middle-ages-36af3d",
      "title": "Computing in the Middle Ages",
      "author": "Severo Ornstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22711267,
          "author": "pjbk",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T14:19:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22711267",
          "commentText": "Since these have not been mentioned already:\n* Brian Bagnall trilogy on the history of Commodore/Amiga: http://variantpress.com\n* Severo Ornstein's \"Computing in the Middle Ages\", about how it used to be a professional programmer back in the early days. You can find his CHM oral history interview at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q243lfVdQ9E.\n* \"Stan Veit's History of the Personal Computer\". A candid view about how the PC industry unfolded.\n* \"Introduction to Algorithms\" by Udi Manber. IMHO one of the best books about how to approach problems with a programmer's mindset.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Severo Ornstein's \"Computing in the Middle Ages\"",
          "reason": "Recommends a book about early professional programming.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in early computing history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Severo Ornstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computing history",
        "early programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "computing-in-the-middle-ages-04409f",
      "title": "Computing in the Middle Ages",
      "author": "Severin Bordeau",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36601225,
          "author": "jeffreyrogers",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T14:51:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601225",
          "commentText": "Not really about history of technology as a whole but the book Computing in the Middle Ages was really fascinating. Made me realize that lots of the challenges software engineers face are much older than we assume.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Computing-Middle-Ages-Trenches-1955-1... (https://www.amazon.com/Computing-Middle-Ages-Trenches-1955-1983/dp/1403315175)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the book Computing in the Middle Ages",
          "reason": "The commenter found it fascinating and says it shows software engineering challenges have older precedents.",
          "audience": "Software engineers interested in the history of computing.",
          "caveat": "Not a broad history of technology.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Severin Bordeau"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of computing",
        "software engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "concepts-6768f7",
      "title": "Concepts",
      "author": "Jerry Fodor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32791257,
          "author": "wunderlust",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T15:04:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32791257",
          "commentText": "My field of study (what I really like to think and learn about) isn't my field of work, but I like the question so I'll spill some thoughts.\nI spend a lot of time thinking about philosophical-ish stuff, so here are some books that have had the strongest residual effects (whether that's changing how I think, changing what I think about, changing my values, or simply getting the thought ball rolling faster):\nIshmael (Daniel Quinn)\n1984 (George Orwell)\nBrave New World (Aldous Huxley)\nGodel, Escher, Bach (Douglas Hofstadter)\nThe Republic [imp. \"the allegory of the cave\"] (Plato)\nThe Genealogy of Morals (Friedrich Nietzsche)\nThe Social Construction of Reality (Peter L. Berger, Thomas Luckmann)\nTractatus Logico-Philosophicus (L. Wittgenstein)\nDissemination [imp. \"The Pharmakon\"] (Jacques Derrida)\nThe Quest for Reality (Barry Stroud)\nLanguages of Art (Nelson Goodman)\nThe Structure of Scientific Revolutions (Thomas Kuhn)\nConcepts (Jerry Fodor)\nThe Web of Life (Fritjof Capra)\nFoucault's Pendulum (Umberto Eco)\nNaming and Necessity (Saul Kripke)\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Robert Pirsig)\nThere are others, and a lot of essays (by thinkers like Bertrand Russell, Carl Hempel, Hilary Putnam, WVO Quine, Karl Popper, Alfred Tarski, Gottlob Frege, David Chalmers, Daniel Dennett, Michel Foucault, Jean Baudrillard, Mikhail Bakunin, CS Peirce, and David Hume, among many others), but these seem apropos as they most readily came to mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Concepts (Jerry Fodor)",
          "reason": "Listed among books with strong residual effects on the commenter’s thinking and values.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jerry Fodor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "concepts",
        "philosophy of mind"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "concepts-techniques-and-models-of-computer-programming-84f9f5",
      "title": "Concepts, Techniques, and Models of Computer Programming",
      "author": "Peter Van Roy, Seif Haridi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13408302,
          "author": "nextos",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T05:00:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13408302",
          "commentText": "CTM. Could be labelled as SICP's sequel.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "CTM. Could be labelled as SICP's sequel.",
          "reason": "Compares it favorably to SICP by calling it a sequel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Van Roy, Seif Haridi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computational models",
        "programming languages"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "concepts-techniques-and-models-of-computer-programming-3091b7",
      "title": "Concepts, Techniques, and Models of Computer Programming",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13408347,
          "author": "kristianp",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T05:16:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13408347",
          "commentText": "Concepts, Techniques, and Models of Computer Programming\nhttps://mitpress.mit.edu/books/concepts-techniques-and-model... (https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/concepts-techniques-and-models-computer-programming)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Concepts, Techniques, and Models of Computer Programming",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computational models",
        "programming languages"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "conceptual-mathematics-15c55d",
      "title": "Conceptual Mathematics",
      "author": "F. William Lawvere and Stephen H. Schanuel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23735412,
          "author": "bmitc",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-04T22:44:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23735412",
          "commentText": "Since you mention analysis, I recommend Yet Another Introduction to Analysis and Metric Spaces by Victor Bryant. They should be at the right level and a lot of fun.\nAnother analysis suggestion is Creative Mathematics by H.S. Wall. It is a book that walks a high school level student through creating the proofs themselves. The topic covered is a stripped down version of analysis, calculus, and later even differential geometry. It's really brilliant. Going slow and having fun when you're a teen would be much more productive than going fast and burning out.\nThe Spivak book is a good suggestion and might be a little difficult depending on their actual background. The books by Gelfand mentioned by someone else (there's actually a series of them that cover algebra, functions, coordinates, trigonometry, etc.) would help provide the needed background.\nThe book Conceptual Mathematics is claimed to be aimed at high school students. Maybe give it a whirl and see what happens. If they know calculus, then Advanced Calculus: A Differential Forms Approach by Harold Edwards is a gem. The first three chapters should be readable, as they give heuristic discussions of the topic.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The book Conceptual Mathematics is claimed to be aimed at high school students.",
          "reason": "Suggests trying it to see how it suits the reader.",
          "audience": "High-school students.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its target audience is claimed rather than confirmed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "F. William Lawvere",
        "Stephen H. Schanuel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "category theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "concrete-mathematics-1edec4",
      "title": "Concrete Mathematics",
      "author": "Ronald Graham; Donald Knuth; Oren Patashnik",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467655,
          "author": "cecja",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:47:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467655",
          "commentText": "The Art of Electronics\nThe Hitchhiker\nThe Idiot\nThe Wealth of Nations\nand sadly Concrete Mathematics... not because it is a bad book but because I suck at math.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Concrete Mathematics... not because it is a bad book but because I suck at math.",
          "reason": "The commenter repeatedly returns to it despite difficulty with the material.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Rereads it because they struggle with the math, not because they think it is bad.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ronald Graham",
        "Donald Knuth",
        "Oren Patashnik"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "discrete mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "concrete-semantics-with-isabelle-hol-f08291",
      "title": "Concrete Semantics: With Isabelle/HOL",
      "author": "Tobias Nipkow and Gerwin Klein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31176215,
          "author": "nextos",
          "createdAt": "2022-04-27T04:14:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 31166475,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Top inspiring books on crucial CS ideas?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31176215",
          "commentText": "You will get lots of PLT recommendations, so I will get a bit more theoretical but still close to applications.\nFor me CS is all about logic and types in the same way classical math is mostly about algebra and calculus.\nA great text for logic is Huth & Ryan: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AKE1QXQ\nA great text for type theory is TAPL: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08H18R67V\nA superb combination of both is Concrete Semantics: http://concrete-semantics.org/concrete-semantics.pdf\nKnowing the material in these books is sufficient to land a high end verification job.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A superb combination of both is Concrete Semantics:",
          "reason": "Calls it a superb combination of logic and type theory.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tobias Nipkow",
        "Gerwin Klein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "formal methods",
        "isabelle hol",
        "semantics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "concurrency-the-works-of-leslie-lamport-973fd1",
      "title": "Concurrency: The Works of Leslie Lamport",
      "author": "Leslie Lamport",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25989996,
          "author": "gnodar",
          "createdAt": "2021-02-01T16:21:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 25987664,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommended books and papers on distributed systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25989996",
          "commentText": "For more, I recommend reading \"Concurency: The works of Leslie Lamport\".\nhttps://dl.acm.org/doi/book/10.1145/3335772#issue-downloads\nAll of the chapters are freely available (scroll down to \"Book Downloads\").",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For more, I recommend reading \"Concurency: The works of Leslie Lamport\".",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends reading the book for more on Leslie Lamport’s work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leslie Lamport"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "concurrency",
        "distributed systems",
        "leslie lamport"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "confederates-in-the-attic-33e59d",
      "title": "Confederates in the Attic",
      "author": "Tony Horwitz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14748013,
          "author": "clock_tower",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T20:59:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14748013",
          "commentText": "Rory Stewart, _The Prince of the Marshes_. It's about general dysfunction in the early Iraq War, but it's also about the meaning of life. Perhaps it's just how Stewart writes? (His _The Places In Between_ is also well worth reading, but is much better known.)\nTony Horwitz, all works -- especially _Baghdad Without a Map_ (which will leave you with a much healthier view of the modern Middle East) and _Confederates in the Attic_ (a dress-rehearsal for the Age of Trump?).\nPearl Buck, _Sons_. (Best to read _The Good Earth_ first, but you've probably already read it.) I doubt it's a very accurate depiction of China, and the characters' morality is hair-raising (while the narrator is so far off the deep end that he/she is impossible to take seriously); but it's a memorable adventure story firmly grounded in the plausible, and it dramatizes some important lessons about the dangers that can afflict families and middle age.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "a dress-rehearsal for the Age of Trump?",
          "reason": "The commenter presents it as a revealing preview of the political era they call the Age of Trump.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comparison is posed as a question.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tony Horwitz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american civil war",
        "journalism",
        "race in america"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "confessions-of-a-tax-collector-one-man-s-tour-of-duty-inside-the--f63b45",
      "title": "Confessions of a Tax Collector: One Man's Tour of Duty Inside the IRS",
      "author": "Rick Yancey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804899,
          "author": "AGivant",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:29:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804899",
          "commentText": "Here is my list (from https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/912138-alex-givant?rea...):\nMemoirs:\n- Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti..).\n- Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive by Land, Stephanie, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39218350-maid\n- Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40409969-medium-raw\n- Confessions of a Tax Collector: One Man's Tour of Duty Inside the IRS by Yancey, Rick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_..).\n- The Perfect Predator: A Scientist's Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Superbug: A Memoir by Steffanie Strathdee, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-pre... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-predator)\nPolitics:\n- Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Desmond, Matthew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25852784-evicted\n- Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America by Leovy, Jill, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13153693-ghettoside\n- American Prison: A Reporter's Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment by Bauer, Shane, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38561954-american-prison\n- Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Eban, Katherine, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42448266-bottle-of-lies\n- A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America by Miller, T. Christian, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35805861-a-false-report\n- The New Silk Roads by Frankopan, Peter, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro..).\nHistory:\n- Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-1956 by Applebaum, Anne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13531848-iron-curtain\n- The Romanovs: 1613-1918 by Montefiore, Simon Sebag, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26109020-the-romanovs\n- The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Johnson, Steven, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36086.The_Ghost_Map\n- Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations by Bergman, Ronen, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f..).\n- Madame Fourcade's Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against Hitler by Olson, Lynne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade..).\n- Argo: How the CIA & Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History by Méndez, Antonio J., https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13588425-argo\nCrime:\n- Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History by Selby, Scott Andrew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7071759-flawless\n- American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road by Bilton, Nick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi..).\n- Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by Carreyrou, John, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37976541-bad-blood\n- Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World by Wright, Tom, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-..).\n- The Mastermind: Drugs. Empire. Murder. Betrayal. by Ratliff, Evan, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41181600-the-mastermind\nTechnology:\n- Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon by Zetter, Kim, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze..).\n- Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World by Thompson, Clive, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40406806-coders",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Confessions of a Tax Collector: One Man's Tour of Duty Inside the IRS by Yancey, Rick",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list of favorite nonfiction books read in 2019.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rick Yancey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "taxation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "confessions-of-a-yakuza-39ea4d",
      "title": "Confessions of a Yakuza",
      "author": "Junichi Saga",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7968642,
          "author": "ggreer",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T00:57:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968642",
          "commentText": "I just started When the Air Hits Your Brain: Tales from Neurosurgery[1]. The author is a neurosurgeon and an excellent writer.\nThe last book I read was Abdel Haleem's translation of the Qur'an[2]. For an ancient religious text, it's rather short. Total reading time was maybe 16 hours over the course of a week. I'm not religious, but it was interesting to get a better idea of what Muslims believe and why. That said, the whole thing reads like a 7th-century version of Time Cube. I came away with the impression that the author was a schizophrenic who knew of parts of the Bible.\nThe most useful book I've recently read is Steve Blank's Four Steps to the Epiphany[3]. It's a more structured version of a lot of the stuff I learned in YC.\nMy favorite books of the past year are Confessions of a Yakuza[4] and Infidel[5]. The subjects of each book are as different as can be, but their stories are quite captivating. Both survived immense suffering and managed to thrive afterwards. Reading those books reminded me of how lucky I am and how insignificant my problems are.\n1. http://www.amazon.com/When-Air-Hits-Your-Brain-ebook/dp/B006... (http://www.amazon.com/When-Air-Hits-Your-Brain-ebook/dp/B006WOFB5C/)\n2. http://www.amazon.com/Quran-Oxford-Worlds-Classics-ebook/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Quran-Oxford-Worlds-Classics-ebook/dp/B001ODEPPI/)\n3. http://www.amazon.com/Four-Steps-Epiphany-Steve-Blank-ebook/... (http://www.amazon.com/Four-Steps-Epiphany-Steve-Blank-ebook/dp/B00FLZKNUQ/)\n4. http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Yakuza-Junichi-Saga-ebook/... (http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Yakuza-Junichi-Saga-ebook/dp/B003YL3PPY)\n5. http://www.amazon.com/Infidel-Ayaan-Hirsi-Ali-ebook/dp/B000N... (http://www.amazon.com/Infidel-Ayaan-Hirsi-Ali-ebook/dp/B000NY12CI/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favorite books of the past year are Confessions of a Yakuza[4] and Infidel[5].",
          "reason": "Names it as one of their favorite books of the past year and says its story is captivating.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Junichi Saga"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "japanese memoir",
        "yakuza"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "confessions-of-an-advertising-man-079cf8",
      "title": "Confessions of an Advertising Man",
      "author": "David Ogilvy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14138949,
          "author": "garethsprice",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T14:13:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14138949",
          "commentText": "The Art of Computer Programming by Donald Knuth is probably the closest to an actual bible for computer scientists - hardly anybody's read it all the way through, people quote bits of it out of context for their own ends and it mostly sits on shelves looking impressive while gathering dust.\nThe Mythical Man-Month by Fred Brooks for tech management.\nConfessions of an Advertising Man by David Ogilvy for advertising/marketing industry.\nDesign Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software by the \"Gang of Four\" for OOP software engineering.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Confessions of an Advertising Man by David Ogilvy for advertising/marketing industry.",
          "reason": "Named as a candidate bible for advertising and marketing.",
          "audience": "Advertising and marketing readers",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Ogilvy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "advertising",
        "marketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "confessions-of-the-pricing-man-754b2b",
      "title": "Confessions of the Pricing Man",
      "author": "Hermann Simon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hermann Simon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "pricing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "confidence-men-1aa923",
      "title": "Confidence Men",
      "author": "Ron Suskind",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12561975,
          "author": "AndrewKemendo",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T02:47:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12561975",
          "commentText": "The following list will introduce you to Western Economic Philosophy as it relates to modern history specifically. This list is weighted heavily toward neo-classical economics and does not get into computational model based economics - specifically microeconomics, which comprises the bulk of economics education today:\nSchumpeter - History of economic analysis\nAdam Smith - Theory of Moral Sentiments\nKaynes - The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money\nMarx - Capital\nBenjamin Graham - The Intelligent Investor\nGalbraith - The Affluent Society\nGalbraith - The Great Crash\nMilton Friedman - Capitalism and Freedom\nNassim Taleb - Black Swan\nRon Suskind - Confidence Men\nScott Patterson - Dark Pools\nIf you want to delve into heterodox economics afterward, start with the following:\nHayek - Individualism and Economic Order\nMises - Human Action\nRothbard - Man, Economy, State",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ron Suskind - Confidence Men",
          "reason": "Included in a list described as an introduction to Western economic philosophy.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring economic thought in modern history.",
          "caveat": "The list is weighted toward neoclassical economics and excludes computational model based economics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ron Suskind"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial crisis",
        "politics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "confident-ruby-f5a141",
      "title": "Confident Ruby",
      "author": "Avdi Grimm",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14843001,
          "author": "danso",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-24T21:44:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14843001",
          "commentText": "Of lesser-known books, Avdi Grimm's \"Confident Ruby\": http://www.confidentruby.com/\nLearning Ruby itself was a huge influence to me; hadn't considered that a language should be designed to make programmers \"happy\", as Matz said. \"Confident Ruby\" was one of several books that had this human-happiness focus. \"Confident\" is broken down into patterns, many of which can be found in books like Sandi Metz's POODR, but as a semi-experienced programmer, Grimm's way of writing really appealed to me.\nEven the title of the book itself was revelatory to me. The idea that the functions and methods and conventions we create should be rooted in a \"confident\" mentality (such as the old adage of being promiscuous in what a function accepts, and strict in what it returns) really improved the way I designed code. Not just in terms of technical proficiency, but with less cognitive burden, which ultimately leads to the elegant simplicity we desire in our work.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Avdi Grimm's \"Confident Ruby\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says Grimm's writing appealed to them and that the book improved how they designed code.",
          "audience": "Semi-experienced programmers",
          "caveat": "The commenter identifies it as one of several books with a focus on human happiness.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Avdi Grimm"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ruby",
        "software design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "conflict-communications-e4bae9",
      "title": "Conflict Communications",
      "author": "Rory Miller",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8716342,
          "author": "boothead",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T13:46:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8716342",
          "commentText": "The Trauma of Everyday Life - Mark Epstein\nMindsight - Dan Siegel\nConflict Communications - Rory Miller",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Conflict Communications - Rory Miller",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed the commenter's life in 2014.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rory Miller"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "communication",
        "conflict resolution"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "conic-sections-6e1142",
      "title": "Conic Sections",
      "author": "Apollonius of Perga",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 755714,
          "author": "seanstickle",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T17:17:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755714",
          "commentText": "I'd be curious to know what you find difficult about them, and why you think they do not teach well.\nI find Euclid extraordinarily clear in his exposition of geometry. And I have not yet found a better teacher on conics than Appolonius, although Descartes comes very close with his analytic geometry.\nAre there some defective constructions in the Conic Sections or in the Elements that lead you to say that \"you'll know next to nothing about even basic notions of mathematics\"?\nIt's not clear to me why you think that the ancient texts are lacking in pedagogical power, except for perhaps a personal aesthetic preference.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I have not yet found a better teacher on conics than Appolonius",
          "reason": "Praises Apollonius as a teacher of conics while asking whether the work has defective constructions.",
          "audience": "Readers studying conic sections.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Apollonius of Perga"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "conic sections"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "conics-eef915",
      "title": "Conics",
      "author": "Apollonius of Perga",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 755107,
          "author": "seanstickle",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T13:06:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755107",
          "commentText": "I heartily endorse reading the classic works of geometry as a way to both the subject as well as a way of thinking about math, proof, and argumentation.\nStart with Euclid's _Elements_, and then move onto Archimedes' short books on levers and floating bodies, Apollonius's wonderful treatise on conic sections, and Ptolemy's _Almagest_.\nThey are excellent for self-education, providing both geometrical knowledge in itself, as well as extensive training in sound reasoning. Don't be fooled by the antiquity of their origin: they teach more clearly than most modern day texts, and their content is timeless.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Apollonius's wonderful treatise on conic sections",
          "reason": "Recommends it as part of a self-education path in geometry and sound reasoning.",
          "audience": "Readers pursuing self-education in geometry and mathematical reasoning.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Apollonius of Perga"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient mathematics",
        "conic sections"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "connected-the-surprising-power-of-our-social-networks-and-how-the-0dd149",
      "title": "Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives",
      "author": "Nicholas A. Christakis and James H. Fowler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8717380,
          "author": "MrMattWright",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T16:47:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8717380",
          "commentText": "Inspired to do: Connected \nhttp://www.amazon.com/Connected-Surprising-Networks-Friends-... (http://www.amazon.com/Connected-Surprising-Networks-Friends-Everything/dp/0316036137)\nI was utterly amazed by the concept of Social Network Analysis, how emotion travels through a network, how the 6 degrees thing works. Did you know someone you have never met can affect your weight? I was so amazed I started a company building a CRM from the ground up using graph theory. We launch in Q1 2015.\nInspired to be: The seven habits of highly effective people. A great book, which many read and sight. Forcing myself to write about my values and behaviours means you have to live up to them :)\nI read it once and now I am reading it again with my girlfriend actually doing all the exercises. You can read it in a week but to really take it all in you need to work on it over a lifetime. http://www.wikiwand.com/en/The_Seven_Habits_of_Highly_Effect... (http://www.wikiwand.com/en/The_Seven_Habits_of_Highly_Effective_People)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Inspired to do: Connected",
          "reason": "The commenter says its account of social network analysis inspired them to build a graph-based CRM company.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nicholas A. Christakis and James H. Fowler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "graph theory",
        "social network analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "conscious-loving-4c4d1b",
      "title": "Conscious Loving",
      "author": "Gay Hendricks and Kathlyn Hendricks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227291,
          "author": "aantix",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T19:17:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227291",
          "commentText": "I don't get it, am I the only hacker that ever has problems with relationships?\nI've done more than my fair share of stumbling (including one divorce) and at the age of 32 only now do I feel like I am \"getting it\".\nNonetheless, I'd recommend the book _Conscious Loving_ by Gay and Kaithlyn Hendricks.\nInstead of the superficialities preached by the Venus books, etc they get to the heart of the matter by having us examine ourselves for personal projects, secrets that we are hiding and other subconscious developments that lay at the root of our psyche.  We our worlds truly are in our head and our relationships are manifestations of those thoughts.  I finally found a book that helps me peal back those layers and helped me figure out why I had been fucking up over so many years...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend the book _Conscious Loving_ by Gay and Kaithlyn Hendricks.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a book that helps examine personal patterns and understand relationship difficulties.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking to understand recurring difficulties in relationships.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gay Hendricks and Kathlyn Hendricks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "relationships",
        "self help"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "consciousness-053fb9",
      "title": "Consciousness",
      "author": "Annaka Harris",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21793216,
          "author": "emehex",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T23:43:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793216",
          "commentText": "• The Madness of Crowds by Douglas Murray\n• Consciousness by Annaka Harris\n• More From Less by Andrew McAffee\n• The School of Life: An Emotional Education\n• Perfect Sound Whatever by James Acaster\n• Humble Pi by Matt Parker\n• The Last Pirate of New York by Rich Cohen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Consciousness by Annaka Harris",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Annaka Harris"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consciousness studies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "consciousness-explained-78add9",
      "title": "Consciousness Explained",
      "author": "Daniel Dennett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15159375,
          "author": "mrmyers",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T02:26:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15159375",
          "commentText": "Modeling the world generally (as in, why mathematics works and can apply to the real world):\n  =Bertrand Russell=\n  * An Inquiry into Meaning and Truth\n  * A Theory of Knowledge\n  * Logic and Knowledge\n  =W.V. Quine=\n  * Word and Object\n  * Mathematical Logic\n  =Norbert Weiner=\n  * Cybernetics: Or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine\n  =Smullyan=\n  * Diagonalization and Self Reference\n\nSquishy Human Things:\n  Thomas Kuhn      - The Structure of Scientific Revolutions\n  Norbert Weiner   - The Human Use of Human-Beings\n  Bertrand Russell - A History of Western Philosophy\n  Karl Popper      - The Open Society and Its Enemies\n  Daniel Dennet    - Consciousness Explained\n  E. Abbot Abbot   - Flatland",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Consciousness Explained",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Dennett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consciousness",
        "philosophy of mind"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "conspiracy-of-fools-b9eb73",
      "title": "Conspiracy of Fools",
      "author": "Kurt Eichenwald",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1866106,
          "author": "notaddicted",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T19:27:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1866106",
          "commentText": "I probably have bookmarks in 20+ books but these are at the top of the pile:\nThe Art Of Probability , Richard Hamming. I find prob/stat frustratingly hard to master. This book is clearing up my confusion chapter by chapter. As an engineer this book appears to be written for someone with exactly my level of knowledge which helps a lot.\nConspiracy of Fools , Kurt Eichenwald. Very entertaining ... shining examples of what not to do.\nSecurity Analysis, 1934 Edition, Graham and Dodd. They authors are exquisitely clear thinkers. I don't know how useful the financial information is because it is 80 years old.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Conspiracy of Fools , Kurt Eichenwald. Very entertaining ... shining examples of what not to do.",
          "reason": "The author calls it very entertaining.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The examples are presented as models of what not to do.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kurt Eichenwald"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "corporate fraud",
        "enron"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "constellation-games-62bab6",
      "title": "Constellation Games",
      "author": "Leonard Richardson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22094348,
          "author": "scanr",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T21:48:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22094348",
          "commentText": "I thoroughly enjoyed “Constellation Games” by Leonard Richardson who coincidentally also wrote BeautifulSoup, the python HTML parser.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I thoroughly enjoyed “Constellation Games” by Leonard Richardson",
          "reason": "The commenter says they thoroughly enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leonard Richardson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "constructing-the-user-interface-with-statecharts-e0afae",
      "title": "Constructing the User Interface with Statecharts",
      "author": "Ian Horrocks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21796892,
          "author": "henrikeh",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-15T16:11:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21796892",
          "commentText": "I borrowed it from the library here in Denmark.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I borrowed it from the library here in Denmark.",
          "reason": "Reports borrowing the book from a Danish library without expressing an opinion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21796618,
          "author": "mcphage",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-15T15:24:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21796618",
          "commentText": "That book sounds interesting—where did you get a copy?  Amazon lists it starting at over $200.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "That book sounds interesting—where did you get a copy?",
          "reason": "Shows interest in finding a copy but gives no evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21792568,
          "author": "henrikeh",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T21:55:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21792568",
          "commentText": "Not a recent book, but Ian Horrocks’ “Constructing the User Interface with Statecharts” (1999) is one of those technical books which presents an idea so clearly but also so different from my usual work that I’m just itching to try it.\nThe essential thesis of the book is that statecharts (a kind of finite state-machine) is not just a valuable tool for specifying user interface interaction, it is excellent for design and implementation.\nWhat intrigues me about this is how solid the argumentation in the book is and how utterly singular this argument is. There is barely anything else written on this subject. Recently it has gotten popular to talk about state machines again; but this book was released 20 years ago!\nAll in all the book is an easy read and with a laser focus. Definitely recommended just for the sake of expand horizons.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4589003",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Definitely recommended just for the sake of expand horizons.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its clear, focused argument and recommends it to broaden horizons.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in statecharts and user interface design.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes there is little else written on the subject.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ian Horrocks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "statecharts",
        "user interface design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "constructive-living-de7e12",
      "title": "Constructive Living",
      "author": "David K. Reynolds",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35177741,
          "author": "trinsic2",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-16T03:19:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35177741",
          "commentText": "I found that the biggest barrier to successful entrepreneurship is discipline.\nTherefore I recommend Constructive Living by David K. Renolyds and All the books by James Allen.\nThose books changed the way I thought about the world. IMHO a world view change needs to happen to sustain a business for the long term.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend Constructive Living by David K. Renolyds",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a way to build discipline and change one's worldview for sustaining a business.",
          "audience": "People seeking more discipline and a long-term outlook for business.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David K. Reynolds"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "discipline",
        "personal development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "contemplative-science-262041",
      "title": "Contemplative Science",
      "author": "B. Alan Wallace",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 798478,
          "author": "neuralzen",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T17:51:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=798478",
          "commentText": "Contemplative Science by B. Alan Wallace. It's about stripping out the analytical tools of Buddhism for study of the mind and creating a robust and consistent tool set for scientific inquiry into the nature of the subjective mind. Very interesting stuff IMO.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Contemplative Science by B. Alan Wallace.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it “Very interesting stuff.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "B. Alan Wallace"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhist studies",
        "contemplative science",
        "mind and consciousness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "contemporary-english-version-fac52d",
      "title": "Contemporary English Version",
      "author": "American Bible Society",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30745865,
          "author": "kcartlidge",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T19:38:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30745865",
          "commentText": "There are countless opinions/suggestions on how to read the Bible (and the same applies to the Qu'ran for example).\nIf you are totally new to the Bible the important thing is probably to try and get enough from it at the start that you'll be interested enough to continue. I've read it through many times and some/much of it is pretty impenetrable, obscure, and even dull.\nSo from this perspective, and note that this isn't a great sequence theologically, I'd go with the book of Acts, the gospel of John, the books of Proverbs and Psalms, and then the letters of John.\nAs for which versions of the Bible, avoid older ones like the King James (KJV, NKJV) or Revised Standard (RSV, ASV, NRSV); the archaic language and structure will be off-putting.  I'd perhaps go with the Contemporary English Version (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=acts+1&version=... (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=acts+1&version=CEV)) but the linked page will let you see the various translations of the same text using a drop-down.\nThere is no one ideal version of the Bible but personally I'd avoid any translation used by a single denomination or sect such as the NWT - which is produced by the Jehovah's Witnesses, and I'm meaning this not as a judgement regarding the organisation but as an example of a group whose translation has alternative readings at various doctrinal points (eg the trinity) and it is not worth getting sidetracked by theological disagreements at this stage.\nWhatever route you choose be prepared for a hard slog as a casual reader.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'd perhaps go with the Contemporary English Version",
          "reason": "Suggested as an accessible Bible translation for a new reader.",
          "audience": "Readers new to the Bible.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says there is no single ideal version.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "American Bible Society"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bible translation",
        "christianity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "contemporary-english-version-4bfa3d",
      "title": "Contemporary English Version",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34166359,
          "author": "kcartlidge",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T21:41:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34166359",
          "commentText": "Good recommendations, but for other readers I'd strongly avoid the KJV Bible as the language isn't just archaic but on occasion even the meanings of words has changed in the intervening hundreds of years.  At the very least go for the New King James (NKJV) if you like the language style, but otherwise something like the ESV or CEV will read better for the modern mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "or CEV will read better for the modern mind",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a translation that reads better for the modern mind.",
          "audience": "Modern readers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bible translation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "contextual-design-61738f",
      "title": "Contextual Design",
      "author": "Hugh Beyer and Karen Holtzblatt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18663126,
          "author": "tejcirkulate",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T11:54:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 18662992,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on modern UI/UX?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663126",
          "commentText": "1. Contextual design, holzblat\nHow to understand and structure a user's life and environment and what to look for when they are struggling with a problem or using your product.\n2. Lean Customer Development, Cindy Alvarez\nPractical and immediately useful guide to interviewing and talking to users. Read after the Contextual Inquiry book above. If that book teaches what to understand about a user's workflow and environment, this one teaches how to elicit those answers from customers when talking to them.\n3. About Face 3, alan cooper\nIf the previous two are about (a) what to look for when understanding a customer and (b) how to get the info you need to build solutions for those customers, then this book is about translating those learnings into user journeys and experiences.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to understand and structure a user's life and environment and what to look for when they are struggling with a problem or using your product.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helps readers understand users' lives and environments and identify their struggles.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109436,
          "author": "teshima82",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T17:02:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109436",
          "commentText": "In terms of studying, I am half way in Case Study Research, Contextual design and Constructing Grounded Theory.\nIn terms of leisure, I just finished enders games, and fault in our stars, and I will begin physics of the impossible and the future of the mind",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Contextual design",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hugh Beyer and Karen Holtzblatt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "contextual inquiry",
        "interaction design",
        "user centered design",
        "user research"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "contingency-irony-and-solidarity-c2f430",
      "title": "Contingency, Irony, and Solidarity",
      "author": "Richard Rorty",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15630924,
          "author": "mbrock",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T18:57:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630924",
          "commentText": "Gödel, Escher, Bach awakened my intellectual curiosity about formal systems and other autistic modes of beauty as a teenager. After \"The Selfish Gene\" it was the first book I bought and read on my own volition, so I have to credit it as a major influence.\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs for showing that you can think rigorously and compose beautiful programs out of simple pieces.\nContingency, Irony, and Solidarity by Richard Rorty for showing that it's possible to think and feel about politics while maintaining a profoundly ironic and groundless mind.\nThe Body in Pain by Elaine Scarry for its beautiful view of civilization as materialized caring and of the inflicting of pain as metaphysically destructive.\nBeing-in-the-world by Dreyfus for introducing me to Heidegger and showing how continental philosophy inspired by Heidegger was a major force in the evolution of AI and how AI researchers tended to be influenced by rationalist philosophy in the vein of Descartes which leads to huge misunderstandings of the nature of being.\nDhammapada translated by Gil Fronsdal because it's a beautiful exposition of early Buddhist poetry and clearly shows the worldview of south east Asian Buddhism.\nDebt by David Graeber for making me interested in money and credit systems from an anthropological point of view.\nA Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace for being hilarious and sad and buzzing with neurotic perceptive overeducated thought in a way that mirrored my own precocious self-consciousness and made me feel less \"marooned in my own skull.\"\nThe Uses of Disorder by Richard Sennett for giving a defense of the anarchy of urban life that views conflict as necessary for growth.\nAfter Virtue by Alisdair MacIntyre for showing the contemporary situation in thought and ethics as profoundly abnormal and difficult, being the aftermath of the Enlightenment project's failure to ground morality in objective reason, and pointing to virtue within traditions as the only way to live coherently.\nThe Teachings of Huang-bo for being a merciless and hilarious attack on sanctimonious and ritualistic Buddhism, displaying the role of sarcasm and wit in spirituality, and generally just shouting \"wake up, lazy pretentious idiot\" on every page.\nFanged Noumena by Nick Land for diving deeply into amphetaminic insanity thus accurately mirroring the schizophrenia of postmodern capitalism.\nThe letters of Van Gogh.\nPhillip Lopate's personal essays.\nHyperobjects by Timothy Morton.\nOn the Origins of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Contingency, Irony, and Solidarity by Richard Rorty for showing that it's possible to think and feel about politics while maintaining a profoundly ironic and groundless mind.",
          "reason": "Values its account of thinking and feeling about politics with an ironic, groundless outlook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Rorty"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political philosophy",
        "pragmatism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "continuous-delivery-a1908d",
      "title": "Continuous Delivery",
      "author": "Jez Humble and David Farley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12150875,
          "author": "de107549",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-23T20:24:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12150875",
          "commentText": "There were different book that impacted different stages of my career:\nAs a programmer :\n1. The C++ Programming Language by Bjarne Stroustrup.\n2. Operating System Concepts by Silberschatz\n3. Compilers by Aho\nAs an agile software developer:\n1. eXtreme Programming by Kent Beck\n2. Pragmatic Programmer by Hunt and Thomas\n3. Continuous Delivery by Jez Humble\nAs an architect:\n1. Domain Driven Design by Evans\n2. Pattern-Oriented Software Architecture by Buschmann\n3. Envisioning Information by Edward Tufte\nAs a CEO:\n1. Good To Great by Collins\n2. Lean Startup by Eric Ries\n3. Beyond Budgeting by Pfläging",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Continuous Delivery by Jez Humble",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jez Humble and David Farley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software delivery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "continuous-delivery-reliable-software-releases-through-build-test-fde2dc",
      "title": "Continuous Delivery: Reliable Software Releases through Build, Test, and Deployment Automation",
      "author": "Jez Humble and David Farley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10532823,
          "author": "pards",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T13:15:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10532823",
          "commentText": "Continuos Delivery by Jez Humble and Dave Farley\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0321601912",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Continuos Delivery by Jez Humble and Dave Farley",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for the best books read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jez Humble and David Farley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "continuous integration",
        "deployment automation",
        "software delivery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "controlled-thermonuclear-reactions-5e47f9",
      "title": "Controlled Thermonuclear Reactions",
      "author": "Lev Artsimovich",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14747745,
          "author": "FiatLuxDave",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T20:26:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14747745",
          "commentText": "I love the idea of looking for overlooked gems.  Here are a few of mine:\nInfinite in All Directions, Freeman Dyson : just a book of his thoughts, but I really appreciated his perspective on respect between religion/spirituality and science.\nIgnition! An informal history of liquid rocket propellants, J.D. Clark : I picked up a copy of this in a roadside bookstore on a lark. Entertaining tales of people blowing themselves up in the name of science.\nApollo 11 Press kit : My grandmother was a journalist for Florida Today during the space race, and she gave me her copy.  It is amazing to see how much detail was provided.  I don't know if our modern press ever gets press kits like these, but it was not dumbed-down much at all, which was very nice to see.\nThe Adventures of Samurai Cat, Mark Rogers : Silly fun. \n Kind of like if Bored of the Rings had been written by Jerry Bruckheimer and Spider Jerusalem.\nInto the cool, Sagan and Schnieder : about complexity and thermodynamics. Written for a layperson, I still learned a lot from it.\nOrder out of Chaos, Prigogine and Stengers : More thermo, also written for lay audience, also learned a lot from it.\nControlled Thermonuclear Reactions, L. Artsimovich : Of all the plasma physics books I have read (many) this is the one I remember most. Rather out-of-date now, it contains loads of information about the early Soviet fusion program, with pictures and discussion of now-forgotten experiments.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Of all the plasma physics books I have read (many) this is the one I remember most.",
          "reason": "The commenter remembers it most among the many plasma physics books they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Out of date, though it contains extensive information about the early Soviet fusion program and experiments.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lev Artsimovich"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fusion energy",
        "plasma physics",
        "soviet science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "convolutional-neural-networks-for-visual-recognition-f71c59",
      "title": "Convolutional Neural Networks for Visual Recognition",
      "author": "Fei-Fei Li, Justin Johnson, and Serena Yeung",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20675161,
          "author": "stared",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T13:24:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20675161",
          "commentText": "I wrote a piece on that in: https://github.com/stared/thinking-in-tensors-writing-in-pyt... (https://github.com/stared/thinking-in-tensors-writing-in-pytorch#why-not-something-else)\n> If I wanted to learn some particular framework, I would just look up the documentation for that framework.\nWell, if you don't know deep learning, it is not how it works (unless it is a poor book, which only provides an introduction to some API). Still, I recommend \"Deep Learning in Python\" by Francois Chollet as it provides a good overview of practical deep learning. For practical applications, a book WILL use one framework or another or will be useless. If you understand overfitting, L2 or batch processing in Keras, you will be able to use in any other framework (after looking up its API).\nWhen it comes to the mathematical background, Deep Learning Book by Ian Goodfellow et al. is a great starting point, giving a lot of overview. Though, it requires a lot of interest in maths. Convolutional networks start well after page 300.\nI struggled to find something in the middle ground - showing mathematical foundations of deep learning, step by step, at the same time translating it into code. The closest example is CS231n: Convolutional Neural Networks for Visual Recognition (which is, IMHO, a masterpiece). Though, I believe that instead of using NumPy we can use PyTorch, giving a smooth transition between mathematical ideas and a practical, working code.\nNot a book per se, but better than any other.\nI am in the process of writing \"Thinking in Tensors, Writing in PyTorch\" (with an idea of showing maths, code, fundamentals or practical examples) but it is a slow process. It's a collaborative, open-source, repo - so open for collaborators and contributors. :)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The closest example is CS231n: Convolutional Neural Networks for Visual Recognition (which is, IMHO, a masterpiece).",
          "reason": "Calls it a masterpiece and identifies it as the closest match to the desired blend of mathematical foundations and code.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not a book per se.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fei-Fei Li, Justin Johnson, and Serena Yeung"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer vision",
        "convolutional neural networks"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cooked-a-natural-history-of-transformation-5309f4",
      "title": "Cooked: A Natural History of Transformation",
      "author": "Michael Pollan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12246721,
          "author": "remmelt",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T10:52:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12246721",
          "commentText": "Cooked by Michael Pollan.\nGreat history about food, how cooking made us \"human,\" links to religion, feminism, consumerism, and much more. Very insightful and at times heart felt. Not recommended if you don't eat food.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great history about food, how cooking made us \"human,\" links to religion, feminism, consumerism, and much more. Very insightful and at times heart felt. Not recommended if you don't eat food.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its history of food and calls it insightful and heartfelt.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in food, cooking, and their cultural connections.",
          "caveat": "The commenter jokingly says it is not recommended if you do not eat food.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Pollan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Nature",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cooking",
        "food culture",
        "food history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cooking-for-geeks-b8e58d",
      "title": "Cooking for Geeks",
      "author": "Jeff Potter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cooking for Geeks",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeff Potter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "food science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "copies-in-seconds-chester-carlson-and-the-birth-of-the-xerox-mach-9cf69a",
      "title": "Copies in Seconds: Chester Carlson and the Birth of the Xerox Machine",
      "author": "David Owen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42619993,
          "author": "f2000",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-07T06:49:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42619993",
          "commentText": "Copies in Seconds: Chester Carlson and the Birth of the Xerox Machine by David Owen\n\"A history of the photocopier offers a portrait of reserved physics graduate Chester Carlson, who invented the copier to ease his job as a patent clerk and who saw his marketing efforts daunted by numerous rejections, before the head of Xerox research recognized the machine's potential. \"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Copies in Seconds: Chester Carlson and the Birth of the Xerox Machine by David Owen",
          "reason": "Names the book and describes its account of Carlson’s invention and the creation of Xerox.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Owen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "invention history",
        "photocopier",
        "xerox"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "copy-this-6b709e",
      "title": "Copy This!",
      "author": "Paul Orfalea and Ann Marsh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10786160,
          "author": "wushupork",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T22:57:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786160",
          "commentText": "Traction by Justin Mares, Gabriel Weinberg - would probably reread\nGrowth Hacker Marketing by Ryan Holiday\nHow to Fail at Almost Everything by Scott Adams - great read\nScaling Up By Verne Harnish\nGreat By Choice by Jim Collins - love the whole series\nThe Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes - probably worth a reread\nHow to Win at the Sport of Business By Mark Cuban - good read\nElon Mush by Ashlee Vance - need I say more\nThe Hard Thing about Hard Things By Ben Horowitz\nThe Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg - probably need to deeply absorb this - a lot of good stuff\nCopy This! By Paul Orfalea - another good \"small business\" entrepreneur book\nThe E-Myth Revisited By Michael Gerber - 2nd time read. Got more out of it this time.\nThe People's Tycoon (Ford) by Steven Watts - I love reading about businessmen from this age\nScrum by JJ Sutherland Jeff Sutherland - good read for development teams",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Copy This! By Paul Orfalea - another good \"small business\" entrepreneur book",
          "reason": "Described as a good small business and entrepreneurship book.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in small business and entrepreneurship.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Orfalea and Ann Marsh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "small business"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "copywriting-teach-yourself-series-e8dcd6",
      "title": "Copywriting (Teach Yourself series)",
      "author": "J. Jonathan Gabay",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 135270,
          "author": "JayNeely",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T17:10:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135270",
          "commentText": "- Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson\n- Copywriting (Teach Yourself series), by J. Jonathan Gabay\n- The Paradox of Choice, by Barry Schwartz",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Copywriting (Teach Yourself series), by J. Jonathan Gabay",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books for a hacker's bookshelf.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. Jonathan Gabay"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "copywriting",
        "marketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "coraline-8b62a5",
      "title": "Coraline",
      "author": "Neil Gaiman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15963577,
          "author": "wink",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T19:52:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15963577",
          "commentText": "1. Off to Be the Wizard (Scott Meyer) - Very good.\n2. Ready Player One (Ernest Cline) - I liked it although it's kinda ridiculous and one-sided.\n3. The Bloodline Feud (Charles Stross) - Actually part 1&2 of a series. Really need to continue, very good. I'd say this was not \"oh I know what will happen next\" which is kinda rare.\n4. The Graveyard Book (Neil Gaiman) - It's ok, but not as good as I had hoped.\n5. Coraline (Neil Gaiman) - It's a children's book, and very short, but I liked it a lot.\n6. Accelerated C++ (Koening/Moo) - Not finished, I was under the impression it's \"C++ for programmers well-versed in other languages\" and for that it's a bit slow-starting, but not bad I guess\nI really need to read more. :|",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I liked it a lot.",
          "reason": "Says they liked the book a lot in a list answering which books they would recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes it as a very short children's book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neil Gaiman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s fiction",
        "dark fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "core-java-volume-i-8f3313",
      "title": "Core Java, Volume I",
      "author": "Cay S. Horstmann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3575069,
          "author": "pk137",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-10T09:09:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 3570099,
          "threadTitle": "Best book to study Java",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3575069",
          "commentText": "Java Precisely (Sestoft) gives you the crispiest syntax.\nEffective Java (Bloch) gives the best practices.\nCore Java (vol 1, 8th ed) gives you a pro-C++, no-nonsense comprehensive coverage.\nOfficial Java Tutorial is the best intro, save it's not a book!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Core Java (vol 1, 8th ed) gives you a pro-C++, no-nonsense comprehensive coverage.",
          "reason": "Recommended for comprehensive Java coverage, especially for readers with a C++ background.",
          "audience": "C++ programmers learning Java.",
          "caveat": "The comment specifies Volume 1, 8th edition.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cay S. Horstmann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "java",
        "programming reference"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "core-python-7bb09f",
      "title": "Core Python",
      "author": "Wesley J. Chun",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 121859,
          "author": "bharris",
          "createdAt": "2008-02-23T05:04:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 121779,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What is the best Python book for a beginner?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=121859",
          "commentText": "Programming Python or Core Python. Both from the O'Reilly collection.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming Python or Core Python. Both from the O'Reilly collection.",
          "reason": "Offers it as one of two book choices in response to a request for Python book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Presented as one option alongside Programming Python.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Wesley J. Chun"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming",
        "python"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "core-transformation-reaching-the-wellbeing-within-a2871f",
      "title": "Core Transformation: Reaching the Wellbeing Within",
      "author": "Connirae Andreas and Tamara Andreas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4967773,
          "author": "smartial_arts",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T01:23:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967773",
          "commentText": "1. \"59 Seconds\"\nhttp://amzn.to/12DMx27\nA good no-nonsense self-help book. Outlines set of strategies for dealing with challenging situations in everyday life, touching on areas such as Parenting, Career, Dating. Author also looks into common misconceptions about how we function and which mental tricks are efficient and which are not so much.\n2. \"Start Small, Stay Small: - A Developer's Guide to Launching a Startup\"\nhttp://amzn.to/12DMzHt\nI actually have a blog post on it here - http://blog.nimblegecko.com/when-your-drugs-wear-off/ - in short it's a book for developers that focuses on how to start building an online product, with heavy emphasis on market, and marketing. It also addresses some of the common mistakes we, as developers, tend to make when conceiving and carrying out the execution of an idea.\n3. \"The Startup Owner's Manual: The Step-by-Step Guide for Building a Great Company \"\nebook - http://amzn.to/V3BxWq\ndead tree book - http://amzn.to/12DNfwd\nThis is classic, really. What was interesting for me in particular is the types of markets that a startup launches to - new market, resegmenting an existing market (low-end, high-end, specific features), clone market, and all of the limitations/dangers/expectations/growth profiles that choice of marketing strategy entails.\n4. \"Core Transformation: Reaching the wellspring within\"\nhttp://amzn.to/Vw5nAR\nNot that I've only read this book in 2012, but I keep returning to it - that's probably one of not too many truly life changing books for me. It contains very simple, yet very efficient reframing exercise (think NLP) that helps to uncover the true motivations behind behaviours that you don't like in yourself, and change those for good, yet in a completely unexpected and never predictable ways.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Core Transformation: Reaching the wellspring within\"",
          "reason": "The commenter keeps returning to it and calls its reframing exercise efficient and the book life-changing.",
          "audience": "People seeking to change unwanted behaviors and understand their motivations.",
          "caveat": "The commenter frames its method as NLP.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Connirae Andreas and Tamara Andreas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "behavior change",
        "nlp"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "coriolanus-e57d25",
      "title": "Coriolanus",
      "author": "William Shakespeare",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5832481,
          "author": "leephillips",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T14:08:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5832481",
          "commentText": "Some favorites:\nPale Fire by Nabokov\nUlysses by Joyce\nEt Tu, Babe by Leyner\nMetamorphosis by Kafka (more a long story)\nThings Fall Apart by Achebe\nHamlet and Coriolanus by Shakespeare\nThe Code of the Woosters by Wodehouse\nThe Doorbell Rang by Stout",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Coriolanus by Shakespeare",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Shakespeare"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "roman history",
        "tragedy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cork-dork-1fb39c",
      "title": "Cork Dork",
      "author": "Bianca Bosker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17523345,
          "author": "zilchers",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T14:46:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17523345",
          "commentText": "1. Measure What Matters - John Doers book about OKR’s is awesome, best business book since Lean Startup\n2. Bad Blood - Just started it and it reads like John Grisham\n3. The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaur - Narrative about dinosaurs, I’m excited\n4. Cork Dork - Great book about wine and Sommeliers\n5. Waterloo: The History of Four Days - Everyone talks about Napolean’s defeat, but I honestly know nothing about it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great book about wine and Sommeliers",
          "reason": "Described as a great book about wine and sommeliers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bianca Bosker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sommeliers",
        "wine"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cornbread-and-poppy-14bc35",
      "title": "Cornbread and Poppy",
      "author": "Matthew Cordell",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50042577,
          "author": "schrectacular",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T12:29:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50042577",
          "commentText": "Here's some stuff for younger kids that haven't been mentioned yet:\nMatthew Cordell is awesome. \"Cornbread and Poppy\" are cute, \"Evergreen\" is fun, but check out his whole catalog. Probably my favorite active author/illustrator.\n\"Nobody Likes a Goblin\" by Ben Hatke\n\"The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess\" by Tom Gauld\n\"The Little Island by Margaret Wise Brown\" under the pseudonym Golden MacDonald\n”The Dark Tales of Lillebror Rabbit“ by Jonna Björnstjerna\n\"Les P'tites Poules\" by Christian Jolibois\nA little older, Ursula LeGuin is amazing, \"A Wizard of Earthsea\", \"Catwings\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Cornbread and Poppy\" are cute",
          "reason": "Recommended among books for younger children.",
          "audience": "Younger children",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls them cute.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthew Cordell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "corporate-confidential-50-secrets-your-company-doesn-t-want-you-t-cc0201",
      "title": "Corporate Confidential: 50 Secrets Your Company Doesn't Want You to Know—and What to Do About Them",
      "author": "Cynthia Shapiro",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12244963,
          "author": "chiph",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T01:45:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244963",
          "commentText": "I've given out a few copies of Corporate Confidential: 50 Secrets Your Company Doesn't Want You to Know---and What to Do About Them.  So far, the recipients have done well after reading it. It really clued them into the hidden meaning behind common corporate-speak.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Corporate-Confidential-Secrets-Compan... (https://www.amazon.com/Corporate-Confidential-Secrets-Company-Know----ebook/dp/B003K15PC4)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've given out a few copies of Corporate Confidential: 50 Secrets Your Company Doesn't Want You to Know---and What to Do About Them. So far, the recipients have done well after reading it.",
          "reason": "Says recipients have done well after reading it and describes its insight into corporate-speak.",
          "audience": "People navigating corporate workplaces.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cynthia Shapiro"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "corporate communication",
        "workplace culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "corum-65bff1",
      "title": "Corum",
      "author": "Michael Moorcock",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8947475,
          "author": "huxley",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-26T15:29:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8947475",
          "commentText": "For Fantasy I loved the Thieves' World shared universe. The first 4 books were my favourites.\nhttp://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thieves'_World\nWhile some of his work hasn't aged well, I am still quite fond of several of Michael Moorcock's Elric novels and the first Corum trilogy.\nhttp://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elric_of_Melniboné\nhttp://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corum_Jhaelen_Irsei",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the first Corum trilogy",
          "reason": "Names the first trilogy among the works they remain fond of.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some of the author's work has not aged well.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Moorcock"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sword and sorcery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cosmic-justice-the-theory-of-conservative-justice-3cc0eb",
      "title": "Cosmic Justice: The Theory of Conservative Justice",
      "author": "Thomas Sowell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22888540,
          "author": "ekianjo",
          "createdAt": "2020-04-16T12:07:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 22861452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading to make sense of the economy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22888540",
          "commentText": "Thanks for the recommendation of Cosmic Justice, I was not aware of that book of his. Will definitely have a look!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thanks for the recommendation of Cosmic Justice, I was not aware of that book of his. Will definitely have a look!",
          "reason": "The commenter accepts another user's recommendation and says they intend to read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Sowell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "conservatism",
        "political philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cosmic-trigger-i-the-final-secret-of-the-illuminati-9e235b",
      "title": "Cosmic Trigger I: The Final Secret of the Illuminati",
      "author": "Robert Anton Wilson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19088145,
          "author": "jamesakirk",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T18:28:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19088145",
          "commentText": "RAW's Cosmic Trigger and Prometheus Rising for me: I read both when I was 13 and was a recently-converted Southern Baptist. I quickly shifted my entire understanding of epistemology and the nature of reality.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "RAW's Cosmic Trigger and Prometheus Rising for me: I read both when I was 13 and was a recently-converted Southern Baptist. I quickly shifted my entire understanding of epistemology and the nature of reality.",
          "reason": "Names it among books that shifted their understanding of epistemology and reality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Anton Wilson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consciousness",
        "epistemology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cosmographia-0e20cd",
      "title": "Cosmographia",
      "author": "Leo Africanus",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37176598,
          "author": "mikhailfranco",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-18T14:59:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37176598",
          "commentText": "Thank you, I had never heard of Leo Africanus.\nBut I would rather read his original work Cosmographia, rather than a fictionalized biography (same for Ibn Battuta).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I would rather read his original work Cosmographia",
          "reason": "Prefers the original work over the fictionalized biography.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leo Africanus"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical geography",
        "north africa"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cosmopolitan-38609d",
      "title": "Cosmopolitan",
      "author": "Toby Cecchini",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25319088,
          "author": "fluxic",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T22:36:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319088",
          "commentText": "Editing: Editor of Genius by A. Scott Berg\n>>> Max Perkins was the editor of Hemingway, Thomas Wolfe, F Scott Fitzgerald, and other famous 20th century writers. Great, great, book.\nBartending: Cosmopolitan by Toby Cecchini\n>>> Very well-written memoir of a bartender in New York in the late 1980s. He invented the Cosmo in NYC while working at the Odeon — on a lark, without thinking much of it. The drink took off, but I think he's still a working bartender in NYC.\nCooking: Kitchen Confidential by Bourdain\nPainting: Interviews with Francis Bacon by David Sylvester\nMusic: Meet me in the Bathroom by Lizzy Goodman\nTech: Chaos Monkeys by AGM\nAnd seconding swyx's recommendations for all things Michael Lewis, who can spin a good yarn about any profession — whether it's baseball managers, junk bond salesmen, or high frequency traders, etc.\nI've also picked up lots of good recommendations from this thread https://ask.metafilter.com/243036/Recommend-a-nonfiction-aut... (https://ask.metafilter.com/243036/Recommend-a-nonfiction-author-who-has-a-style-like-Anthony-Bourdain) (I, too, like \"insidery\" type business books. I'm currently reading \"The Emperor of Scent\" about the world of perfume and it's pretty good! Also looking forward to reading \"Ninety Percent of Everything\" about the shipping industry.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bartending: Cosmopolitan by Toby Cecchini",
          "reason": "Described as a memoir of a New York bartender who invented the Cosmopolitan cocktail.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Toby Cecchini"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bartending",
        "cocktails"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cosmos-8f517a",
      "title": "Cosmos",
      "author": "John North",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1974667,
          "author": "mg74",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T09:49:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974667",
          "commentText": "Cosmos by John North.\nThis book is just threatening to be a masterpiece. An overview of mans scientific ideas about the stars and the planets and the cosmos in general from before Ptolemy to Einstein and modern times. Absolutely epic in scope. This book is to the history of astronomy like \"The Prize\" is to the history of oil, only bigger.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cosmos by John North. This book is just threatening to be a masterpiece.",
          "reason": "Strongly praises its sweeping history of astronomy and scientific ideas about the cosmos.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is “threatening to be” a masterpiece.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John North"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of astronomy",
        "history of science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cosmos-f3a54f",
      "title": "Cosmos",
      "author": "Witold Gombrowicz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12474808,
          "author": "xaa",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T18:30:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12474808",
          "commentText": "Anything by Charlie Stross, especially Accelerando (great futurism)\nCosmos by Witold Gombrowicz (reading this book WILL make you feel like you're on drugs)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cosmos by Witold Gombrowicz (reading this book WILL make you feel like you're on drugs)",
          "reason": "Describes the reading experience as striking and surreal.",
          "audience": "Readers open to surreal fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Witold Gombrowicz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "polish literature",
        "surrealism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cosmos-the-story-of-cosmic-evolution-science-and-civilisation-468a6a",
      "title": "Cosmos: The Story of Cosmic Evolution, Science and Civilisation",
      "author": "Carl Sagan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10029196,
          "author": "Blahah",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-09T01:28:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10029196",
          "commentText": "A good option is to look for winners of science book prizes.\nThe Royal Society Winton Prize is excellent: http://www.theguardian.com/books/royal-society-science-book-... (http://www.theguardian.com/books/royal-society-science-book-prize).\nSome personal favourites:\nThe Incredible Unlikeliness Of Being by Alice Roberts is a wonderful book that describes how a human being develops from conception to adulthood in minute biological detail.\nThe Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography by Simon Singh is fantastic, if a little out of date by now.\nCosmos: The Story of Cosmic Evolution, Science and Civilisation by Carl Sagan.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cosmos: The Story of Cosmic Evolution, Science and Civilisation by Carl Sagan.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carl Sagan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "astronomy",
        "cosmology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cotton-climate-and-camels-0ce8f0",
      "title": "Cotton, Climate, and Camels",
      "author": "Richard Bulliet",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37937174,
          "author": "philipov",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:36:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937174",
          "commentText": "Although, be careful about that one, because a lot of the claims Diamond makes are to be taken with a grain of salt. I would suggest the works of Richard Bulliet such as \"Cotton, Climate, and Camels\" and \"Hunters, Herders, and Hamburgers\" as counterpoints. Some historians really like the \"A, B, and C\" title format, don't they?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the works of Richard Bulliet such as \"Cotton, Climate, and Camels\"",
          "reason": "Suggested as a counterpoint to Jared Diamond's claims.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Offered as a counterpoint; no further assessment given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Bulliet"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "environmental history",
        "middle east"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "count-zero-9d2d48",
      "title": "Count Zero",
      "author": "William Gibson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49903242,
          "author": "jeanpah",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T01:25:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49903242",
          "commentText": "In the second book, Count Zero, a billonaire named Virek is presented as an omnipresent being and literaly follows one of the protagonist at every step using a surveillance network, i think it's pretty close to what we have today",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "In the second book, Count Zero,",
          "reason": "Discusses the book's portrayal of surveillance technology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17168679,
          "author": "immigrantsheep",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:31:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168679",
          "commentText": "Count Zero by William Gibson. Somehow I ended up reading it before Neuromacer. It was in the early 90s. I was maybe 16 or so and I remember just getting sucked into that world. It was also the time when I was getting more and more into coding and learning about networks and when I managed to connect to the internet from home for the first time.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Count Zero by William Gibson",
          "reason": "The commenter recalls being drawn into its world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8110514,
          "author": "jrjarrett",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T19:49:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8110514",
          "commentText": "Count Zero, by Gibson.\nJust finished Neuromancer (for the first time! Bad geek! No cookie!), and plan to read Mona Lisa Overdrive next.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Count Zero, by Gibson.",
          "reason": "Names the book currently being read without evaluating it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6388451,
          "author": "veidr",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T08:13:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6388451",
          "commentText": "Oops, I meant Count Zero, not Burning Chrome. The latter isn't part of the Sprawl trilogy, but rather a collection of short stories (some good, some not so good).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Oops, I meant Count Zero, not Burning Chrome.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4414562,
          "author": "rrival",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-21T20:15:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 4353632,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon.  What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4414562",
          "commentText": "Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive. The Cukoo's Egg is good as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Gibson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyberpunk",
        "artificial intelligence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "count-to-a-trillion-7c4a65",
      "title": "Count to a Trillion",
      "author": "John C. Wright",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13120144,
          "author": "joeclark77",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-07T03:05:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13120144",
          "commentText": "John C Wright's \"eschaton sequence\":\nCount to a Trillion\nThe Hermetic Millennia\nJudge of Ages\nArchitect of Aeons\nThe Vindication of Man\n(and one more to come)\nIt's a combination of hard sci-fi and space opera, based around one essentially immortal character (and his rival, and his girl) carrying out a mission over tens of thousands of years.  Mind-blowing scale and yet there's a romance to it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Count to a Trillion",
          "reason": "Listed as an installment in the series offered in response to a request for the year's best sci-fi.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John C. Wright"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hard science fiction",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "counter-hack-reloaded-2d08e1",
      "title": "Counter Hack Reloaded",
      "author": "Ed Skoudis and Tom Liston",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9350151,
          "author": "selleck",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T19:07:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350151",
          "commentText": "A.M. Train Ride - Creative Thinkering\n- Just okay\nP.M. Train Ride - Counter Hack Reloaded\n- so far so good. a little dated but a good intro to security.\nAudiobook - 48 Laws of Power\n- I love the history lessons in it. Very engaging. You don't have to be power-hungry to read it.\nDigital Book at work - The Art of Software Security Assessment\n- Just started, I will let you know next month.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "so far so good. a little dated but a good intro to security.",
          "reason": "The commenter likes it so far and describes it as an introductory security book.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an introduction to computer security.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is a little dated.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ed Skoudis and Tom Liston"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybersecurity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "counterexamples-in-analysis-50e60f",
      "title": "Counterexamples in Analysis",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7578513,
          "author": "harshreality",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T17:39:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578513",
          "commentText": "As mentioned in another subthread, Pugh's Real Mathematical Analysis is great, and better motivated than baby Rudin.\nWilf - Generatingfunctionology (CRC 3rd ed.; free 2nd ed. pdf[1])\nLovasz - Combinatorial Problems and Exercises (AMS Chelsea)\nThe classic probability book is Feller (2 vol), but it's absurdly priced.  There's also Sidney Resnick's Probability Path and Adventures in Stochastic Processes.  Grinstead & Snell - Introduction to Probability Theory is free[2], and there's also Chung's A Course in Probability Theory (Academic Press/Elsevier).\nDover publishes at least three good books on counterexamples and pathological cases: Counterexamples in {Analysis, Probability, Topology}\n[1] http://www.math.upenn.edu/~wilf/DownldGF.html\n[2] http://www.dartmouth.edu/~chance/teaching_aids/books_article... (http://www.dartmouth.edu/~chance/teaching_aids/books_articles/probability_book/book.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Counterexamples in {Analysis, Probability, Topology}",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter describes as good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "counterexamples",
        "real analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "counterexamples-in-probability-6d1f31",
      "title": "Counterexamples in Probability",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7578513,
          "author": "harshreality",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T17:39:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578513",
          "commentText": "As mentioned in another subthread, Pugh's Real Mathematical Analysis is great, and better motivated than baby Rudin.\nWilf - Generatingfunctionology (CRC 3rd ed.; free 2nd ed. pdf[1])\nLovasz - Combinatorial Problems and Exercises (AMS Chelsea)\nThe classic probability book is Feller (2 vol), but it's absurdly priced.  There's also Sidney Resnick's Probability Path and Adventures in Stochastic Processes.  Grinstead & Snell - Introduction to Probability Theory is free[2], and there's also Chung's A Course in Probability Theory (Academic Press/Elsevier).\nDover publishes at least three good books on counterexamples and pathological cases: Counterexamples in {Analysis, Probability, Topology}\n[1] http://www.math.upenn.edu/~wilf/DownldGF.html\n[2] http://www.dartmouth.edu/~chance/teaching_aids/books_article... (http://www.dartmouth.edu/~chance/teaching_aids/books_articles/probability_book/book.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Counterexamples in {Analysis, Probability, Topology}",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter describes as good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "counterexamples",
        "probability theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "counterexamples-in-topology-b55cee",
      "title": "Counterexamples in Topology",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7578513,
          "author": "harshreality",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T17:39:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578513",
          "commentText": "As mentioned in another subthread, Pugh's Real Mathematical Analysis is great, and better motivated than baby Rudin.\nWilf - Generatingfunctionology (CRC 3rd ed.; free 2nd ed. pdf[1])\nLovasz - Combinatorial Problems and Exercises (AMS Chelsea)\nThe classic probability book is Feller (2 vol), but it's absurdly priced.  There's also Sidney Resnick's Probability Path and Adventures in Stochastic Processes.  Grinstead & Snell - Introduction to Probability Theory is free[2], and there's also Chung's A Course in Probability Theory (Academic Press/Elsevier).\nDover publishes at least three good books on counterexamples and pathological cases: Counterexamples in {Analysis, Probability, Topology}\n[1] http://www.math.upenn.edu/~wilf/DownldGF.html\n[2] http://www.dartmouth.edu/~chance/teaching_aids/books_article... (http://www.dartmouth.edu/~chance/teaching_aids/books_articles/probability_book/book.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Counterexamples in {Analysis, Probability, Topology}",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter describes as good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "counterexamples",
        "topology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "counterinsurgency-field-manual-e95fe2",
      "title": "Counterinsurgency Field Manual",
      "author": "David Petraeus, James Amos, and John Nagl",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 456378,
          "author": "niels_olson",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T14:40:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456378",
          "commentText": "If you want to understand the context behind all other books on military strategy written since Clausewitz (any book written in the last hundred years), you must read Clausewitz. If you want to understand why the US Army was so dead set on failing to anticipate the next war and continued to train for symmetric war until very recently, you must read Clausewitz. If you want to understand why the new Army and Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual written by General Petraeus, Lt General Amos, and Lt Colonel Nagl is so celebrated, you must read Clausewitz.\nYou should also read Petraeus et al's Counterinsurgency Field Manual. The difference in tone and scope is staggering. If you want to understand military strategy going forward, you must understand Petraeus's book. I assure you, it is on the nightstand of the President and every military officer (and not because it says that on the cover, but because I'm one of them).\nIf you are running a startup, read the Petraeus book as though you are the insurgent. If you are at MSFT or Google, read it as though you are in the US Army.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You should also read Petraeus et al's Counterinsurgency Field Manual.",
          "reason": "Recommended to understand military strategy and the contrast with Clausewitz.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in military strategy; startup founders and people at large tech companies are offered an analogy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Petraeus, James Amos, and John Nagl"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "counterinsurgency",
        "military doctrine"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "counterinsurgency-field-manual-fm-3-24-mcwp-3-33-5-580bdc",
      "title": "Counterinsurgency Field Manual (FM 3-24 / MCWP 3-33.5)",
      "author": "U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 456644,
          "author": "jmatt",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T17:00:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456644",
          "commentText": "FM 3-24\nMCWP 3-33.5\nCOUNTERINSURGENCY\nDAVID H. PETRAEUS\nhttp://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/army/fm3-24.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "FM 3-24\nMCWP 3-33.5\nCOUNTERINSURGENCY\nDAVID H. PETRAEUS",
          "reason": "Provides the manual's designation, title, and credited author in response to a recommendation for the manual.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in military strategy and counterinsurgency.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "counterinsurgency",
        "military doctrine"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "country-driving-a-journey-through-china-from-farm-to-factory-adfdf1",
      "title": "Country Driving: A Journey Through China from Farm to Factory",
      "author": "Peter Hessler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1975086,
          "author": "baddspellar",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T13:44:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1975086",
          "commentText": "Country Driving: A Journey Through China from Farm to Factory - by Peter Hessler\nA fascinating book about everyday life in today's China. It's actually 3 books in one:\n- Book 1 is an account of his driving trip along the route of the great wall from near Beijing to the Western deserts and steppes, the people he meets, and the towns he visits. \n- Book 2 is an account of his experiences in the village of Sancha where he bought a house and came to know a family with dreams of setting up an inn and restaurant. Eventually the village becomes a suburb of Beijing and the family gets wealthier and wealthier, at a price.\n- Book 3 is an account of his experiences in the town of Lishui, a small city on the way to becoming a major manufacturing center. The focus is on a couple of entrepreneurs who set up a factory that makes bra rings.\nBesides the excellent writing style, what I liked about this book is that it focused on ordinary people and their hopes and dreams. It was impossible to avoid mentioning corruption of small time party leaders, but it didn't dwell on them. It was the first book about China I've read that didn't make the country seem like a dark menace or an unstoppable economic dynamo.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Besides the excellent writing style, what I liked about this book is that it focused on ordinary people and their hopes and dreams.",
          "reason": "Praises the writing and its focus on ordinary people's lives.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it mentions corruption but does not dwell on it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Hessler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "china",
        "entrepreneurship",
        "everyday life"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "coup-d-etat-a-practical-handbook-274fc5",
      "title": "Coup d'État: A Practical Handbook",
      "author": "Edward N. Luttwak",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23859012,
          "author": "credit_guy",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:54:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859012",
          "commentText": "I'll second \"The Dictator's Handbook\". And if anyone is thinking, \"I don't need this, I don't have any plans to become a dictator\", you're thinking just like I was thinking a few years ago. When finally I read it, I kicked myself for passing on such a great book because of its silly name. This book does indeed change the way you understand the world (Small caveat: the authors stretch their theory to cover some cases such as corporate governance. That part felt quite weak to me. You can just ignore it. The rest of the book more than makes up for this).\nAnd here's another one that's somewhat similar: \"Coup d'Etat: A Practical Handbook\". The title is not just a joke, unfortunately. Some coups were indeed carried out following the advice in this book (which was obviously not the author's intention, but life sometimes takes unexpected turns). The second edition of this book was published in 2015, just one year before the attempted coup in Turkey. Armed with the knowledge from this book, you can go and analyze what happened in Turkey and it's going to make a lot of sense.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Coup d'Etat: A Practical Handbook\".",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helps analyze coups, including what happened in Turkey.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that some coups followed its advice, though that was not the author's intention.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward N. Luttwak"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coups",
        "political strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "courage-to-stand-alone-1cc477",
      "title": "Courage to Stand Alone",
      "author": "U. G. Krishnamurti",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13804070,
          "author": "unlmtd",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:09:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804070",
          "commentText": "- Character analysis (W. Reich)\n- Meetings with Remarkable Men (Gurdjieff)\n- Courage to Stand Alone (UG Krishnamurti)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Courage to Stand Alone (UG Krishnamurti)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed how people think.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "U. G. Krishnamurti"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "independent thinking",
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "courtship-rite-ce88c2",
      "title": "Courtship Rite",
      "author": "Donald Kingsbury",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23574465,
          "author": "blaser-waffle",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-19T13:46:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 23561163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book that nobody you know has heard of?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23574465",
          "commentText": "Sometime Never: A Fable for Supermen, by Roahl Dahl\nThe Earth Abides, by George Stewart.  Story is set in Berkeley, CA after a disease kills most life on earth, maybe a little too on the nose these days...\nPaolo Bacigalupi's short stories (e.g. Pump Six), some of which he later turned into longer books.\nCourtship Rite, by Don Kingsbury.  Plot is kind of bland but the worldbuilding is fantastic, essentially an attempt to create a world where cannibalism isn't immediately though of as an ultimate evil, which leads to odd implications for society.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Courtship Rite, by Don Kingsbury.  Plot is kind of bland but the worldbuilding is fantastic",
          "reason": "Praises the worldbuilding while calling the plot bland.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds the plot bland.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donald Kingsbury"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "anthropology",
        "worldbuilding"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cousin-bazilio-9cf70e",
      "title": "Cousin Bazilio",
      "author": "Eça de Queirós",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42963832,
          "author": "rbanffy",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-06T16:15:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42963832",
          "commentText": "- The Paul Street Boys (Ferenc Molnár)\n- The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas (Machado de Assis)\n- Cousin Bazilio (Eça de Queirós)\n- Pedagogy of the Oppressed (Paulo Freire)\nAll these as a teen. I don't think my moral compass had much plasticity after that.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cousin Bazilio (Eça de Queirós)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eça de Queirós"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "portuguese literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "covert-persuasion-psychological-tactics-and-tricks-to-win-the-gam-b01cbc",
      "title": "Covert Persuasion: Psychological Tactics and Tricks to Win the Game",
      "author": "Kevin Hogan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3993136,
          "author": "craze3",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-18T18:05:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 3991620,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What PR book should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3993136",
          "commentText": "If you're looking for a marketing book, check out:\n\"Covert Persuasion: Psychological Tactics and Tricks to Win the Game\" by Kevin Hogan\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Covert-Persuasion-Psychological-Tactic... (http://www.amazon.com/Covert-Persuasion-Psychological-Tactics-Tricks/dp/0470051418)\nGreat book about all-around persuasion techniques , marketing, and also copywriting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great book about all-around persuasion techniques , marketing, and also copywriting.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great book on persuasion, marketing, and copywriting.",
          "audience": "Someone looking for a marketing book.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kevin Hogan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "copywriting",
        "marketing",
        "persuasion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "coyote-bd7296",
      "title": "Coyote",
      "author": "Allen Steele",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12244904,
          "author": "peckrob",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T01:31:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244904",
          "commentText": "I read a lot of Science Fiction for fun. These are a few of my favorites that I've given to other people:\n1. Vacuum Diagrams by Stephen Baxter. When I think of epic hard science fiction, the Xeelee Sequence books spring to mind. With a story line that spans millions of years (and a few dozen books), this collection of short stories is a good introduction to one of the best and most underrated sci-fi series out there. Baxter's Manifold trilogy (Manifold: Space, Manifold: Time and Manifold: Origin) are also fantastic.\n2. Foundation by Isaac Asimov. The whole Foundation series is wonderful, but this book is a landmark of sci-fi that should be on any fan's bookcase.\n3. The Martian by Andy Weir. This book is what I've been giving the last couple years to people who don't think they like sci-fi. Everyone I've given it to has loved it.\n4. Rama by Arthur C. Clarke. Another hard sci-fi staple. The rest of the Rama books he \"co-wrote\" with Gentry Lee are decent but become more space opera than hard sci-fi. I enjoyed them but many sci-fi fans find them polarizing.\n5. Silver Tower by Dale Brown. More of a military thriller than sci-fi (Flight of the Old Dog is another favorite of mine by him) and terribly dated by modern standards (it was written when the Soviet Union was still a thing). But it's the first \"adult\" sci-fi book I ever read as a kid, so it'll always have a special place for me.\nEDIT: Another one:\n6. Coyote by Allen Steele. I love stories like this one: primitive, longshot interstellar exploration and primitive, first generation colonization. Especially for  desperate reasons. The first two Coyote books were good, but I just can't get into any of the subsequent ones.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I love stories like this one: primitive, longshot interstellar exploration and primitive, first generation colonization.",
          "reason": "Says they love stories like it, and includes it among their favorite science fiction books given to others.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy interstellar exploration and first generation colonization stories.",
          "caveat": "The writer liked the first two books but could not get into the subsequent ones.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Allen Steele"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "colonization",
        "interstellar exploration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "coyote-series-83e297",
      "title": "Coyote series",
      "author": "Allen Steele",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12244904,
          "author": "peckrob",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T01:31:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244904",
          "commentText": "I read a lot of Science Fiction for fun. These are a few of my favorites that I've given to other people:\n1. Vacuum Diagrams by Stephen Baxter. When I think of epic hard science fiction, the Xeelee Sequence books spring to mind. With a story line that spans millions of years (and a few dozen books), this collection of short stories is a good introduction to one of the best and most underrated sci-fi series out there. Baxter's Manifold trilogy (Manifold: Space, Manifold: Time and Manifold: Origin) are also fantastic.\n2. Foundation by Isaac Asimov. The whole Foundation series is wonderful, but this book is a landmark of sci-fi that should be on any fan's bookcase.\n3. The Martian by Andy Weir. This book is what I've been giving the last couple years to people who don't think they like sci-fi. Everyone I've given it to has loved it.\n4. Rama by Arthur C. Clarke. Another hard sci-fi staple. The rest of the Rama books he \"co-wrote\" with Gentry Lee are decent but become more space opera than hard sci-fi. I enjoyed them but many sci-fi fans find them polarizing.\n5. Silver Tower by Dale Brown. More of a military thriller than sci-fi (Flight of the Old Dog is another favorite of mine by him) and terribly dated by modern standards (it was written when the Soviet Union was still a thing). But it's the first \"adult\" sci-fi book I ever read as a kid, so it'll always have a special place for me.\nEDIT: Another one:\n6. Coyote by Allen Steele. I love stories like this one: primitive, longshot interstellar exploration and primitive, first generation colonization. Especially for  desperate reasons. The first two Coyote books were good, but I just can't get into any of the subsequent ones.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The first two Coyote books were good, but I just can't get into any of the subsequent ones.",
          "reason": "Says the first two books were good, but they could not get into later installments.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy interstellar exploration and colonization stories.",
          "caveat": "The writer could not get into the subsequent books after the first two.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Allen Steele"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "colonization",
        "interstellar exploration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cracking-the-genome-bfce09",
      "title": "Cracking the Genome",
      "author": "Kevin Davies",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1027536,
          "author": "paulgb",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T19:26:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027536",
          "commentText": "Thanks, I've added it to my list. I feel the same way about wishing I had taken biology. At least there's always books.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Thanks, I've added it to my list.",
          "reason": "Says the suggested book has been added to the reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027036,
          "author": "nimrody",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T10:13:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027036",
          "commentText": "If you liked \"The Selfish Gene\" you might also consider reading Kevin Davies' Cracking the Genome. The book describes the race to sequencing the full human genome and the implications of that research. Fascinating.\nMade me wish I had taken biology...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you might also consider reading Kevin Davies' Cracking the Genome. The book describes the race to sequencing the full human genome and the implications of that research. Fascinating.",
          "reason": "Suggests the book and calls its subject fascinating.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in genome sequencing and its implications.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kevin Davies"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "genomics",
        "human genome project"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cradle-8de3b9",
      "title": "Cradle",
      "author": "Will Wight",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37158554,
          "author": "spoiler",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T07:58:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37158554",
          "commentText": "The Cradle series by Will Wight. It's a Wuxia adapted for Western audiences. He has other great series; I liked the parallel Sea/Shadow trilogies a lot. Traveler's Gate series I enjoyed, but not as much as the rest. He recently also started a new series called Last Horizon; it's about space wizards and it's a bit whimsical, but fun.\nThe Expanse series is great, but I reckon people already mentioned it elsewhere in the thread.\nJames Islington's Licanius trilogy is one of my favourite fantasy book series probably. He recently started a new series called Hierarchy, which I also recommend. They're very \"grounded\" fantasy, and the magic systems is very woven into society and its structure. The human relationships in his books are pretty nuanced, which is why I like his works so much.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Cradle series by Will Wight.",
          "reason": "Describes the series as wuxia adapted for Western audiences.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36021694,
          "author": "spoiler",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:02:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021694",
          "commentText": "The Expanse books are great. The TV show is a pretty good adaptation too, but I love the portrayal of the characters in the books.\nA recent thing I started reading (first book release this month) is The Last Horizon series by Will Wight (author of Cradle, and Elder Empire books). This one's more of a sci-fi and fantasy blend, if you're into that sort of thing. In a nutshell, it's magic-as-technology, but with space travel.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "author of Cradle",
          "reason": "Mentioned as another series by the author.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25913977,
          "author": "asicsp",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-26T09:34:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25913977",
          "commentText": "See https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/wiki/lists\nMy recommendations, in no particular order:\n* The Riyria Revelations by Michael Sullivan\n* Memory, Sorrow and Thorn by Tad Williams\n* To Ride Hell's Chasm by Janny Wurts\n* Worm by Wildbow\n* Cradle by Will Wight (think anime like Naruto in book form, but without fillers/fan-service)\n* Farseer by Robin Hobb\n* Powder Mage by Brian McClellan\n* The First Law by Joe Abercrombie\n* The Dagger and the Coin by Daniel Abraham",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Cradle by Will Wight (think anime like Naruto in book form, but without fillers/fan-service)",
          "reason": "Recommended as a fantasy series, compared to anime such as Naruto.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking fantasy novels or epics.",
          "caveat": "Described as anime-like, without fillers or fan service.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Will Wight"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "progression fantasy",
        "martial arts",
        "martial arts fantasy",
        "wuxia"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "create-your-own-economy-77e03d",
      "title": "Create Your Own Economy",
      "author": "Tyler Cowen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 715597,
          "author": "christofd",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-21T02:26:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715597",
          "commentText": "Last: Create your own Economy, by Tyler Cowen\nCurrent: Real World Haskell",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Last: Create your own Economy, by Tyler Cowen",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as the last book read; no evaluation expressed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 715380,
          "author": "sharpn",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-20T22:41:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715380",
          "commentText": "'Create Your Own Economy' by Tyler Cowen - a good read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Create Your Own Economy' by Tyler Cowen - a good read.",
          "reason": "Calls it a good read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tyler Cowen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "information overload",
        "neurodiversity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "creative-confidence-e1fdb5",
      "title": "Creative Confidence",
      "author": "Tom Kelley and David Kelley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Kelley",
        "David Kelley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creativity",
        "innovation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "creative-confidence-unleashing-the-creative-potential-within-us-a-835e06",
      "title": "Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All",
      "author": "Tom Kelley and David Kelley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12711221,
          "author": "ryanSrich",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-14T21:28:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12711221",
          "commentText": "Here's a list of all design books that I give to new hires:\nBranded Interactions: Creating the Digital Experience - (https://www.amazon.com/Branded-Interactions-Creating-Digital... (https://www.amazon.com/Branded-Interactions-Creating-Digital-Experience/dp/0500518173))\nThe Visual Display of Quantitative Information - https://www.amazon.com/Visual-Display-Quantitative-Informati... (https://www.amazon.com/Visual-Display-Quantitative-Information/dp/0961392142/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480332&sr=1-1&keywords=Edward+Tufte)\nUniversal Principles of Design - https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Principles-Design-Revised-U... (https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Principles-Design-Revised-Updated/dp/1592535879/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480359&sr=1-1&keywords=universal+principles+of+design)\nThe Interface: IBM and the Transformation of Corporate Design, 1945-1976 - https://www.amazon.com/Interface-Transformation-Corporate-19... (https://www.amazon.com/Interface-Transformation-Corporate-1945-1976-Quadrant/dp/0816670390/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480388&sr=1-1&keywords=the+interface+ibm)\nMultiple Signatures: On Designers, Authors, Readers and Users - https://www.amazon.com/Multiple-Signatures-Designers-Authors... (https://www.amazon.com/Multiple-Signatures-Designers-Authors-Readers/dp/0847839737/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480427&sr=1-1&keywords=Multiple+Signatures)\nChange by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation - https://www.amazon.com/Change-Design-Transforms-Organization... (https://www.amazon.com/Change-Design-Transforms-Organizations-Innovation/dp/0061766089/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480449&sr=1-1&keywords=Change+by+design)\nThoughts on Design - https://www.amazon.com/Thoughts-Design-Paul-Rand/dp/08118754... (https://www.amazon.com/Thoughts-Design-Paul-Rand/dp/081187544X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480478&sr=1-1&keywords=Thoughts+on+design)\nNotes on the Synthesis of Form - https://www.amazon.com/Notes-Synthesis-Form-Harvard-Paperbac... (https://www.amazon.com/Notes-Synthesis-Form-Harvard-Paperbacks/dp/0674627512/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480495&sr=1-1&keywords=notes+on+the+synthesis+of+form)\n..and a list of ones I'm considering adding:\nUnflattening - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0674744438/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0674744438/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\nCreative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All  - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/038534936X/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/038534936X/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\nThe Design Method - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321928849/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321928849/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\nProduct Design for the Web: Principles of Designing and Releasing Web Products- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321929039/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321929039/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "and a list of ones I'm considering adding:",
          "reason": "The commenter is considering adding it to the design book list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Under consideration for addition to the list.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Kelley",
        "David Kelley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creativity",
        "design thinking",
        "innovation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "creative-mathematics-0a61c8",
      "title": "Creative Mathematics",
      "author": "H. S. Wall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23735412,
          "author": "bmitc",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-04T22:44:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23735412",
          "commentText": "Since you mention analysis, I recommend Yet Another Introduction to Analysis and Metric Spaces by Victor Bryant. They should be at the right level and a lot of fun.\nAnother analysis suggestion is Creative Mathematics by H.S. Wall. It is a book that walks a high school level student through creating the proofs themselves. The topic covered is a stripped down version of analysis, calculus, and later even differential geometry. It's really brilliant. Going slow and having fun when you're a teen would be much more productive than going fast and burning out.\nThe Spivak book is a good suggestion and might be a little difficult depending on their actual background. The books by Gelfand mentioned by someone else (there's actually a series of them that cover algebra, functions, coordinates, trigonometry, etc.) would help provide the needed background.\nThe book Conceptual Mathematics is claimed to be aimed at high school students. Maybe give it a whirl and see what happens. If they know calculus, then Advanced Calculus: A Differential Forms Approach by Harold Edwards is a gem. The first three chapters should be readable, as they give heuristic discussions of the topic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another analysis suggestion is Creative Mathematics by H.S. Wall.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for a high-school student to create proofs.",
          "audience": "High-school students.",
          "caveat": "Covers a stripped-down version of analysis, calculus, and later differential geometry.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "H. S. Wall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "analysis",
        "proof writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "creative-selection-inside-apple-s-design-process-during-the-golde-55f546",
      "title": "Creative Selection: Inside Apple's Design Process During the Golden Age of Steve Jobs",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21856655,
          "author": "shauntrennery",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-22T11:49:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21856655",
          "commentText": "Creative Selection - Inside Apple's Design Process During the Golden Age of Steve Jobs\nhttps://www.audible.com/pd/Creative-Selection-Audiobook/B07D... (https://www.audible.com/pd/Creative-Selection-Audiobook/B07D416JT3?pf_rd_p=6a5ce8e4-798e-4a64-8bc5-71dcf66d673f&pf_rd_r=KH9QDTN523GYRG8TE9NN&ref=a_lib_c4_libItem_B07D416JT3)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Creative Selection - Inside Apple's Design Process During the Golden Age of Steve Jobs",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "apple",
        "product design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "creative-thinkering-58e4ab",
      "title": "Creative Thinkering",
      "author": "Michael Michalko",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9350151,
          "author": "selleck",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T19:07:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350151",
          "commentText": "A.M. Train Ride - Creative Thinkering\n- Just okay\nP.M. Train Ride - Counter Hack Reloaded\n- so far so good. a little dated but a good intro to security.\nAudiobook - 48 Laws of Power\n- I love the history lessons in it. Very engaging. You don't have to be power-hungry to read it.\nDigital Book at work - The Art of Software Security Assessment\n- Just started, I will let you know next month.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Just okay",
          "reason": "The commenter rates it as just okay.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Michalko"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creative thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "creativity-inc-overcoming-the-unseen-forces-that-stand-in-the-way-e8d2c6",
      "title": "Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration",
      "author": "Ed Catmull",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21802665,
          "author": "rakamotog",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T12:56:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21802665",
          "commentText": "Books I bought in 2019\n1) Creativity Inc\n2) Competing Against Luck: The Story of Innovation and Customer Choice\n3) Start With Why\n4) Inspired: How to Create Products Customers Love\n5)  The Hard Thing about Hard Thing: Building a Business When There are No Easy Answers\nI only managed to finish ~50% of my planned reading in 2019",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Creativity Inc",
          "reason": "Included among books bought in 2019; no evaluation stated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Buying the book is not an endorsement.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109224,
          "author": "MattGrommes",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:34:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109224",
          "commentText": "Currently reading Cibola Burn - the 4th in the Expanse series by James SA Corey. Very good hard-ish SF series.\nI also just finished Creativity Inc., Ed Catmull's book about Pixar. Extremely valuable insights about running a creative organization.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Extremely valuable insights about running a creative organization.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it offers extremely valuable insights into running a creative organization.",
          "audience": "People interested in running creative organizations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ed Catmull"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Art",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creative leadership",
        "pixar"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "creativity-flow-and-the-psychology-of-discovery-and-invention-00c4ee",
      "title": "Creativity: Flow and the Psychology of Discovery and Invention",
      "author": "Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227365,
          "author": "Estragon",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T19:48:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227365",
          "commentText": "His other book, Creativity, is far more relevant to HN.  It is a set of interviews with creative people, exploring how their creative capacities developed.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Creativity-Flow-Psychology-Discovery-I... (http://www.amazon.com/Creativity-Flow-Psychology-Discovery-Invention/dp/0060928204)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "His other book, Creativity, is far more relevant to HN. It is a set of interviews with creative people, exploring how their creative capacities developed.",
          "reason": "Says this book is more relevant to HN and describes its interviews about developing creativity.",
          "audience": "Hacker News readers interested in creativity.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creativity",
        "interviews"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "creatures-of-a-day-30ffa5",
      "title": "Creatures of a Day",
      "author": "Irvin D. Yalom",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11229699,
          "author": "nathell",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:23:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229699",
          "commentText": "Just finished \"Love's Executioner\" and \"Creatures of a Day,\" both by Irvin Yalom. A deeply touching glimpse into the world of psychotherapy. Highly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A deeply touching glimpse into the world of psychotherapy. Highly recommended.",
          "reason": "The commenter highly recommends the books as a deeply touching glimpse into psychotherapy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Irvin D. Yalom"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "case studies",
        "psychotherapy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "crime-and-punishment-746938",
      "title": "Crime and Punishment",
      "author": "Fyodor Dostoyevsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17045915,
          "author": "scandox",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T09:19:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17045915",
          "commentText": "Well if you've read Frankl then I think you should read Primo Levi. The Drowned and The Saved and also If This Is A Man. One could say he came to less easily swallowed conclusions, but I think it is essential reading.\nFor me personally however I think Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment more or less informed my world-view from a very young age and continues to do so.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crime and Punishment more or less informed my world-view from a very young age and continues to do so.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it has informed and continues to shape their worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fyodor Dostoyevsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "russian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "crimes-against-logic-exposing-the-bogus-arguments-of-politicians--ac0518",
      "title": "Crimes Against Logic: Exposing the Bogus Arguments of Politicians, Priests, Journalists, and Other Serial Offenders",
      "author": "Jamie Whyte",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1752362,
          "author": "metamemetics",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T08:13:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752362",
          "commentText": "Gravity's Rainbow (Pynchon)\nThe Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge (Rilke)\nThe Age of Extremes: A History of the World, 1914-1991 (Hobsbawm)\nBhagavad Gita\nUpanishads\nCrimes Against Logic: Exposing the Bogus Arguments of Politicians, Priests, Journalists, and Other Serial Offenders (Whyte)\nTractatus Logico-Philosophicus (Wittgenstein)\nedit: added 2 more & author names",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crimes Against Logic: Exposing the Bogus Arguments of Politicians, Priests, Journalists, and Other Serial Offenders (Whyte)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jamie Whyte"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "critical thinking",
        "fallacies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "critique-of-judgment-10b8de",
      "title": "Critique of Judgment",
      "author": "Immanuel Kant",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19090108,
          "author": "nathias",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T21:39:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090108",
          "commentText": "Plato - Meno, Symposium, Parmenides, Gorgias, Protagoras\nPlotinus -Enneads\nMarkus Aurelius - Meditations\nDescartes - On method\nDescartes - Meditations\nSpinoza - On the improvement of Understanding\nLeibniz - Monadology\nLeibniz - Grace\nVoltaire - Candid\nDiderot - D'Alembert's Dream\nKant - How to orient oneself in thinking\nKant - Critique of Pure Reason\nKant - Critique of Judgment\nHegel - Phenomenology of Spirit\nHegel - Logic\nvon Kleist - Marionette Theatre\nKierkegaard - The Sickness Unto Death\nHeidegger - Being and Time\nSartre - Being and Nothingness\nSartre - Flies\nSartre - Nausea\nDeleuze - Difference and Repetition\nKafka - Metamorphosis\nKafka - The Castle\nLem - Magellan Nebula\nLem - His Master's Voice\nCioran - A Short History of Decay\nPessoa - Book Of Despair\nWolfe -  New Sun tetralogy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kant - Critique of Judgment",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Immanuel Kant"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aesthetics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "crossing-the-chasm-8efd4d",
      "title": "Crossing the Chasm",
      "author": "Geoffrey Moore",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Geoffrey Moore"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "product adoption",
        "technology marketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "crossing-the-chasm-marketing-and-selling-high-tech-products-to-ma-2dbe53",
      "title": "Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling High-Tech Products to Mainstream Customers",
      "author": "Geoffrey A. Moore",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14478577,
          "author": "williamstein",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T21:25:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478577",
          "commentText": "\"Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling High-Tech Products to Mainstream Customers\" by Geoffrey A. Moore and also his recent \"Zone to win\".  His books explain some of the \"deeper structure\" to tech business, and is one of the few business-related books I've read  that has any depth.  By \"depth\", I mean in the sense that I'm used to from research mathematics (I'm a number theorist by training), where you learn something about a problem that lets you think about problems in a more detailed way.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling High-Tech Products to Mainstream Customers\" by Geoffrey A. Moore",
          "reason": "Explains deeper structures in technology business, with a depth the commenter compares to research mathematics.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in technology business and detailed frameworks.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Geoffrey A. Moore"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "product adoption",
        "technology marketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "crossing-the-unknown-sea-ade0c4",
      "title": "Crossing the Unknown Sea",
      "author": "David Whyte",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45286269,
          "author": "chairmansteve",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-18T06:40:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 45283087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45286269",
          "commentText": "Post Soviet Britain by Abby Innes. Excellent so far (70 pages in).\nCrossing the Unknown Sea by David Whyte. Also excellent. Nearly finished it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crossing the Unknown Sea by David Whyte. Also excellent.",
          "reason": "Calls it excellent and says they are nearly finished.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785552,
          "author": "benajibayassine",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:50:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785552",
          "commentText": "1- The Emperor's Handbook by Marcus Aurelius. Jan, 10th 2015\n2- The crowd, a study of the popular mind by Gustave Le Bon. Jan, 10th 2015\n3- Remote by Jason Fried. Jan, 11th 2015\n4- The shape of the world to come by Laurent Cohen-Tanugi, Jan, 20th, 2015\n5- Post office by Charles Bukowski. Jan, 23rd 2015\n6- Gang leader for a day by Sudhir Venkatesh. Feb, 6th 2015\n7- Zen mind, beginner's mind by Shunryu Suzuki. Feb, 8th 2015\n8- The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Feb, 23rd 2015\n9- Darkness Visible by William Styron. March, 1st 2015\n10- Zero to One by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters. March, 9th 2015\n11- The Kaizen way: One small step can change your life by Robert Mauter. March, 11th 2015\n12- Time by Alexander Waugh. March, 12th 2015\n13- Max and the cats by Moacyr Scliar. March, 14th 2015\n14- Scattered by Gabor Mate. March, 20th 2015\n15- East of Eden by John Steinbeck. March, 30th 2015\n16- Crossing the unknown sea by David Whyte. April, 7th 2015\n17- Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. April, 13th 2015\n18- The World beyond your Head by Matthew Crawford. April, 22nd 2015\n19- How to Think about Exercise by Damon Young. April, 23rd 2015\n20- Solitude by Anthony Storr. May, 8th 2015\n21- Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. June, 10th 2015\n22- The bastard of Istanbul (in Arabic) by Elif Shafak. June, 21st 2015\n23- L’ordre libertaire: la vie philosophique d’Albert Camus by Michel Onfray. July, 7th 2015\n24- Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse. July, 10th 2015\n25- The arab uprisings by James Gelvin. July, 13th 2015\n26- How to worry less about money by John Armstrong. July, 13th 2015\n27- Self comes to mind by Antonio Damasio. July, 31st2015\n28- Muhammad: The First Muslim by Lesley Hazleton. August, 4th t2015\n29- Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. August, 15th 2015 \n30- Heidegger's Being and Time by William Blattner. August, 18th 2015 \n31- Heidegger and a hippo walk through those pearly gates by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. August, 19th 2015 \n32- Why nations fail by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson. October, 3rd 2015 \n33- Charlie Munger: the complete investor by Tren Griffin October, 9th 2015 \n34- The selfish gene by Richard Dawkins October, 23rd 2015\n35- The philosophical baby by Alison Gopnik October, 28th 2015\n36- The three-body problem by Cixin Liu November, 1st 2015\n37- Open letter to a young man by Andre Maurois November, 13th 2015\n38- Thinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman November, 16th 2015\n39- What do you care what people think by Richard Feynman November, 18th 2015\n40- When the body says No by Gabor Maté November, 29th 2015\n41- The truth will set you free by Alice Miller. December, 5th 2015\n42- The shallows by Nicholar Carr. December, 7th 2015\n43- What matters most byJames Hollis. December, 14th 2015\n44- Finding meaning in the second jalf of life byJames Hollis. December, 20yh2015",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Crossing the unknown sea by David Whyte",
          "reason": "Included in a dated list of books read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Whyte"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Philosophy",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creative work",
        "creativity",
        "vocation",
        "work"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "crucial-conversations-41e841",
      "title": "Crucial Conversations",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17036302,
          "author": "sidcool",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-10T04:09:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17036302",
          "commentText": "I can recommend two books, Crucial Conversations, and Getting to Yes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can recommend two books, Crucial Conversations, and Getting to Yes.",
          "reason": "Named as one of two books the commenter recommends.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "workplace communication"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "crush-it-2d7fb7",
      "title": "Crush It!",
      "author": "Gary Vaynerchuk",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4787418,
          "author": "timmm",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:19:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787418",
          "commentText": "The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho.\nKing, Warrior, Magician, Lover by Moore and Gillette\nThe lean startup\nPaul Graham how to start a startup\nMark Hyman Ultimate Mind Solution\nTribal Leadership\nWheel of Time\nThink and Grow Rich\nSuperior Man David Deida\nThe Fountain Head\nEckhart Tolle New Earth\n50th Law\nGood to Great\nJed Mckenna\nEarl Nightengale\nLong Walk to Freedom\nOutliers\nGood to Great\nPsycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz (Self-image)\nSeven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey(Being awesome)\nWealth of Nations\nWayne Dyer The Tao\nSystem of the World\nOrigin of Species\nBrave new world\nThank you economy\nCrush it\nBuilt to Last\nWho Moved my Cheese\nStillness Speak Eckhert Tolle\nMastery George Leonard\nSteve Jobs Biography\nThe Last Lecture\nSteve Pavlina Books\nIacocca\nStriking Thoughts Bruce Lee\nCarlos Castaneda\nGhost in the Wires\nRichest Man in Babylon\nWay of the Superior Man\nLosing My Virginity\nThink and Grow Rich\nDelivering Happiness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crush it",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gary Vaynerchuk"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marketing",
        "personal branding"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cry-the-beloved-country-815b34",
      "title": "Cry, the Beloved Country",
      "author": "Alan Paton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13567955,
          "author": "malhaar",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T17:46:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567955",
          "commentText": "Cry The Beloved Country by Alan Paton.\nWhenever I feel short of compassion, this books helps me gain some senses and completely change the way I look at the world - literally everytime.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cry The Beloved Country by Alan Paton.\nWhenever I feel short of compassion, this books helps me gain some senses and completely change the way I look at the world - literally everytime.",
          "reason": "Says it restores compassion and changes how they see the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10533303,
          "author": "stevesearer",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T14:53:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10533303",
          "commentText": "The books I've enjoyed reading most this year are ones I ought to have read in high school some 15 years ago, but just never did because I didn't enjoy reading and never made the effort: The Great Gatsby, As I Lay Dying, and am currently reading Cry, The Beloved Country",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "am currently reading Cry, The Beloved Country",
          "reason": "Says they are currently reading it; gives no evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan Paton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "apartheid",
        "south african literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "crypto-caf906",
      "title": "Crypto",
      "author": "Steven Levy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17207053,
          "author": "snowwrestler",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T16:33:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17207053",
          "commentText": "I greatly enjoyed \"Barbarians Led by Bill Gates,\" which was written by an early Microsoft employee and contains a bunch of great stories about the tech and business of Microsoft.\nAnother one is \"Dreaming in Code,\" which details the efforts of Mitch Kapor to create a team to build a flexible productivity app he had always dreamed of. It's a cautionary tale since the project ultimately fails.\n\"Crypto\", by Steven Levy, details the invention of public key cryptography and the first round of the \"crypto wars\" about whether the federal government would require a backdoor.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Crypto\", by Steven Levy, details the invention of public key cryptography and the first round of the \"crypto wars\"",
          "reason": "Listed as a book detailing the invention of public key cryptography and the crypto wars.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in cryptography history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13568769,
          "author": "DCoder",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T20:07:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13568769",
          "commentText": "* Steven Levy – Crypto\n* Stephen King – 11/22/63\n* Michael R Underwood – Geekomancy series\n11/22/63 in particular is hard to put down, King doesn't need the supernatural to create a thrilling story.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "* Steven Levy – Crypto",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Levy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cryptography",
        "public key cryptography",
        "technology history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "crystal-express-c4363c",
      "title": "Crystal Express",
      "author": "Bruce Sterling",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17537359,
          "author": "Automatic_Jack",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T22:10:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537359",
          "commentText": "Martian Chronicles, Crystal Express+Cysmatrix, Neuromancer,Hyperion, Portico...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crystal Express",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruce Sterling"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyberpunk",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "crystal-fire-the-birth-of-the-information-age-cd4bfb",
      "title": "Crystal Fire: The Birth of the Information Age",
      "author": "Michael Riordan and Lillian Hoddeson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10787171,
          "author": "wycx",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T04:55:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787171",
          "commentText": "All consumed as audiobooks.\nAmerican Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America - Colin Woodard;\nI learned much about early US history.\nWhere Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman - Jon Krakauer\nFind Me - Laura van den Berg\nStation Eleven - Emily St. John Mandel\nThe Dog Stars - Peter Heller\nEndurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage - Alfred Lansing;\nI was fortunate enough to read this right before Seveneves, so the references made immediate sense. Endurance looks to be popular on this list/this year. How many were inspired by Seveneves?\nSeveneves - Neal Stephenson\nThe Years of Rice and Salt - Kim Stanley Robinson\nCrystal Fire: The Birth of the Information Age - Michael Riordan, Lillian Hoddeson;\nI highly recommend this book. Like The Making of the Atomic Bomb, but for the transistor. Lots of background on John Bardeen, William Shockley and Walter Brattain. I was unaware of the great legacy of John Bardeen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bardeen\nThe Making of the Atomic Bomb - Richard Rhodes;\nIf you have not read this book, read it, just for the summary of discoveries that lead to the atomic bomb.\nAlas, Babylon - Pat Frank\nThe Man Who Ate His Boots: The Tragic History of the Search for the Northwest Passage - Anthony Brandt\nThe Worst Journey in the World - Apsley Cherry-Garrard\nThe Last Viking: The Life of Roald Amundsen - Stephen R. Bown\nI am looking for other books similar to Crystal Fire and The Making of the Atomic Bomb, that cover the history of scientific and technological discoveries. Any recommendations?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend this book.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly recommends this book, comparing it to The Making of the Atomic Bomb as a history of the transistor.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in scientific and technological discovery.",
          "caveat": "Described as similar to The Making of the Atomic Bomb, but focused on the transistor.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Riordan and Lillian Hoddeson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of technology",
        "transistor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "crystal-fire-the-invention-of-the-transistor-and-the-birth-of-the-48fa67",
      "title": "Crystal Fire: The Invention of the Transistor and the Birth of the Information Age",
      "author": "Michael Riordan and Lillian Hoddeson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17208172,
          "author": "timdellinger",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T18:02:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17208172",
          "commentText": "Crystal Fire: the Invention of the Transistor and the Birth of the Information Age by Michael Riordan and Lillian Hoddeson is a good history of the transistor, mostly focusing on Bardeen, Shockley, and Brittain.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "is a good history of the transistor",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as a good history of the transistor.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Focuses mostly on Bardeen, Shockley, and Brattain.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Riordan and Lillian Hoddeson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "information age",
        "transistor history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "crystal-society-651dbf",
      "title": "Crystal Society",
      "author": "Max Harms",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13118757,
          "author": "afriday11",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-06T22:10:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13118757",
          "commentText": "If you are into AI, Crystal Society was a great 2016 release. You can read it for free online: http://crystal.raelifin.com/society/Prologue",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crystal Society was a great 2016 release.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a sci-fi read for people interested in AI.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in AI.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Max Harms"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "crystal-trilogy-6c0306",
      "title": "Crystal trilogy",
      "author": "Max Harms",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15428719,
          "author": "cakins",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:09:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428719",
          "commentText": "The Crystal Trilogy (Society, Mentality, Eternity) might prove interesting.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Crystal Trilogy (Society, Mentality, Eternity) might prove interesting.",
          "reason": "Suggests the trilogy might interest readers in the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Interest is tentative.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Max Harms"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "posthumanism",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cthon-5426fb",
      "title": "Cthon",
      "author": "Piers Anthony",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 86223,
          "author": "icky",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:37:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86223",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- The Time Machine (still holds up very well, and seems strangely eerie and prescient in places)... (H. G. Wells)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Hobbit (and LotR) (Tolkien)\n- Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n- Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties (I picked up Idoru first, so I haven't yet read Virtual Light) (also Gibson)\n- The Difference Engine (Gibson, Sterling)\n- Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n- Cryptonomicon (\" \")\n- Circuit of Heaven, End of Days (Dennis Danvers)\n- All of the \"Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser\" stories and novels. (Fritz Leiber)\n- The Earthsea trilogy (Ursula K. LeGuin)\n- 'salem's Lot (Stephen King)\n- Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein)\n- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)\n- the Coldfire trilogy (C. S. Friedman)\n- various Cory Doctorow short stories\n- Kamikaze L'Amour (Richard Kadrey)\n- Lightpaths (Howard V. Hendrix)\n- A Canticle For Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)\n- Moonwar, Venus (Ben Bova)\n- the Stainless Steel Rat series (Harry Harrison)\n- Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)\n- Ringworld (Larry Niven)\n- Cthon (Piers Anthony) -- Trippiness level approaching Philip Jose Farmer ;-)\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (Douglas Adams)\n- The Black Company (Glen Cook)\n- there's one particularly good post-cyberpunk series that takes place in a world in which Canada emerged as a major world power, but for the life of me I can't rememeber the title.\n- the 1632 series (Eric Flint)... see also S. M. Stirling's Nantucket series (\"Island in the Sea of Time\", et al.), and H. Beam Piper's novel Kalvan of Otherwhen\nNon-fiction:\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (Hume)\n- the surviving words and works of Epicurus, and Diogenes the Cynic\n- Freakonomics (Levitt, Dubner)\n- The Gay Science (Nietzsche)\n- The Jefferson Bible (Christ, Jefferson (ed.))\n- The Devil's Dictionary (Bierce)\n- Brain Droppings (George Carlin)\n- anything by P. J. O'Rourke\n- anything by Dave Barry",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cthon (Piers Anthony) -- Trippiness level approaching Philip Jose Farmer ;-)",
          "reason": "Listed under fiction and described as highly surreal.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Piers Anthony"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "psychological",
        "surrealism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cuckold-411d39",
      "title": "Cuckold",
      "author": "Kiran Nagarkar",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237188,
          "author": "kranner",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:44:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237188",
          "commentText": "- Tetris: The Games People Play by Box Brown\n- Tibet, Tibet by Patrick French\n- Maya: A Novel by CW Huntington, Jr\n- The Science of Enlightenment by Shinzen Young\n- Flask Web Development by Miguel Grinberg\n- Buddha's Diet by Tara Cottrell\n- A Feast of Vultures by Josy Joseph\n- Genghis Khan: Life, Death and Resurrection by John Man\n- Chasing the Scream by Johann Hari\n- Cuckold by Kiran Nagarkar\n- Goliath by Tom Gauld\n- This Will Never Happen Again by David Cain\n- Cure by Jo Marchant\n- If It’s Monday It Must Be Madurai: A Conducted Tour of India by Srinath Perur\n- Deep Work by Cal Newport\n- Enduring Love by Ian McEwan\n- The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery\n- The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt\n- The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion\nand a few others that aren't worth recommending; all the above are.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "all the above are.",
          "reason": "The commenter includes the listed books among those worth recommending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kiran Nagarkar"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "india"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "culture-ea1484",
      "title": "Culture",
      "author": "Iain Banks",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8261745,
          "author": "brerlapn",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-03T06:23:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8261745",
          "commentText": "Advanced API Security by Prabath Siriwardena\nJust started it, but so far it's a well-written discussion of OAuth, OpenID Connect, UMA, and JSON for API security.\nThe State of the Art by Iain Banks\nI have been forcing myself to ration out the Culture books so I don't run through them too quickly.  Such a great series.\nThe Trauma of Everyday Life by Mark Epstein\nThe fourth book I've read by him, a really good synthesis of Buddhism and psychology.  I was pleasantly surprised to see him appear in Dan Harris's 10% Happier, too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I have been forcing myself to ration out the Culture books so I don't run through them too quickly.  Such a great series.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the series and says they are rationing its books to make them last.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Iain Banks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political science fiction",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "culture-and-society-1780-1950-eaa5d5",
      "title": "Culture and Society 1780–1950",
      "author": "Raymond Williams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17914326,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-05T01:12:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17914326",
          "commentText": "All these had a huge impact on me. The descriptions are inadequate, I've just tried to mention the subject matter.\nDeborah Tannen, You Just Don't Understand - how males and females talk different languages.\nLakoff & Johnson, Metaphors We Live By - how our language and thoughts are built from a fabric of conceptual metaphors. Philosophy In The Flesh is about the conceptual metaphors that philosophy is built from.\nJonathan Glover, Humanity: A Moral History of the Twentieth Century - WWI, WWII and other wars, nazism, communism etc\nPlutarch's Lives - biographies and stories from famous ancient Greeks and Romans. Amazing how little's changed.\nLin Yutang, The Importance of Understanding - introduced me to ancient Chinese philosophers. The Importance of Living - introduced me to ancient Chinese writers, poets and the Chinese way of life.\nHofstadter, Gödel, Escher, Bach - read it when I was 14, and I was into music, art and programming, so it blew my mind.\nSusan Faludi, STIFFED - men, work, jobs, masculinity, 20th C\nWalter Lippmann, Public Opinion - media, war, propaganda, democracy\nNoam Chomsky's political books\nE.F. Schumacher, Small is Beautiful - the world, development, government, planning, organization, humanity, sustainability\nJ.R. Saul, Voltaire's Bastards - power, history, democracy, technocracy, reason, rationality, history from late 18th C until today.\nRaymond Williams, Culture and Society 1780-1950 - the anti-industrialist tradition, politics, culture, society and the new language describing these things\nClifford Pickover, Computers, Patterns, Chaos, and Beauty - programming, mathematics, art, fractals, dynamical systems etc\nBen Zander, The Art of Possibility - hard to explain, kind of advanced self-help, the magic of changing attitudes, expectations, habits.\nMy favourite non-fiction books of all time, though, are the essays of Emerson, Hazlitt, RL Stevenson, GK Chesterton, Santayana, Bertrand Russell. And the books of Nietzsche, SARK and Robert Fulghum.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Raymond Williams, Culture and Society 1780-1950 - the anti-industrialist tradition, politics, culture, society",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books said to have had a huge impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Raymond Williams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cultural history",
        "industrialization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "culture-of-honor-the-psychology-of-violence-in-the-south-ad65e6",
      "title": "Culture of Honor: The Psychology of Violence in the South",
      "author": "Richard E. Nisbett and Dov Cohen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32792716,
          "author": "yboris",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T17:33:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32792716",
          "commentText": "In psychology, I think Culture of Honor is absolutely stellar:\nCulture of Honor: The Psychology of Violence in the South by Richard E. Nisbett  & Dov Cohen\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Culture-Honor-Psychology-Violence-Dir... (https://www.amazon.com/Culture-Honor-Psychology-Violence-Directions/dp/0813319935/)\nThe authors weave together a basically airtight argument for their thesis, drawing on historical, sociological, and experimental evidence to describe and explain the phenomenon called \"culture of honor\". It's a short book and really worth reading to see how well an argument can be made.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In psychology, I think Culture of Honor is absolutely stellar:",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its argument, which draws on historical, sociological, and experimental evidence.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in psychology and the culture of honor.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as short.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard E. Nisbett",
        "Dov Cohen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american south",
        "culture of honor",
        "violence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cupid-s-poisoned-arrow-from-habit-to-harmony-in-sexual-relationsh-8021e2",
      "title": "Cupid's Poisoned Arrow: From Habit to Harmony in Sexual Relationships",
      "author": "Marnia Robinson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8109508,
          "author": "xrange",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T17:11:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109508",
          "commentText": "The Shape of Space: How to Visualize Surfaces and Three-Dimensional Manifolds by Jeffrey R. Weeks\n...this one has been a good read so far, but it is quite mind bending, I only read like a half chapter at a time slowly, and then I have to spend some time contemplating.\nCupid's Poisoned Arrow: From Habit to Harmony in Sexual Relationships by Marnia Robinson\n...I just finished this one, and it has quite the interesting premise, and 300+ footnotes and references to scientific research, but I don't quite know if I'll be trying it out.  The testimonials don't comport with my experiences, but they are somehow compelling.  It is worth a read if you are looking for something different, and it definitely has some challenging thoughts to ponder.  The main theory is that there is mammalian programming in your brain that releases oxytocin to make you feel good when you touch someone or engage in other bonding behavior.  And there is a contrary effect that after orgasm your dopamine levels drop which causes people to get bored with their current partner and seek novel partners (to spread their gene further).  The recommendation is to engage in intercourse, but avoid orgasm.  And that it takes 2-3 weeks of avoiding orgasm to reset the neurochemistry in your brain, so that you get the blissful effects of oxytocin, without the dopamine depletion of orgasm.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It is worth a read if you are looking for something different, and it definitely has some challenging thoughts to ponder.",
          "reason": "Recommended for readers seeking something different and challenging to think about.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for an unusual perspective on sexual relationships.",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds the testimonials at odds with their experience and is unsure about trying the book's approach.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marnia Robinson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "oxytocin",
        "sexual relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cure-ba905e",
      "title": "Cure",
      "author": "Jo Marchant",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237188,
          "author": "kranner",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:44:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237188",
          "commentText": "- Tetris: The Games People Play by Box Brown\n- Tibet, Tibet by Patrick French\n- Maya: A Novel by CW Huntington, Jr\n- The Science of Enlightenment by Shinzen Young\n- Flask Web Development by Miguel Grinberg\n- Buddha's Diet by Tara Cottrell\n- A Feast of Vultures by Josy Joseph\n- Genghis Khan: Life, Death and Resurrection by John Man\n- Chasing the Scream by Johann Hari\n- Cuckold by Kiran Nagarkar\n- Goliath by Tom Gauld\n- This Will Never Happen Again by David Cain\n- Cure by Jo Marchant\n- If It’s Monday It Must Be Madurai: A Conducted Tour of India by Srinath Perur\n- Deep Work by Cal Newport\n- Enduring Love by Ian McEwan\n- The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery\n- The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt\n- The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion\nand a few others that aren't worth recommending; all the above are.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "all the above are.",
          "reason": "The commenter includes the listed books among those worth recommending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jo Marchant"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "healing",
        "medical science",
        "mind body connection"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "customer-centric-selling-95b08f",
      "title": "Customer-Centric Selling",
      "author": "Michael T. Bosworth and John Holland",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 568577,
          "author": "mooders",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-18T18:39:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 568556,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sales book recommendation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=568577",
          "commentText": "Geoffrey Moore's Crossing the Chasm\nBosworth/Holland's Customer-Centric Selling",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bosworth/Holland's Customer-Centric Selling",
          "reason": "Listed as a response to the question asking for sales book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael T. Bosworth and John Holland"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "customer centric selling",
        "sales"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "customercentric-selling-6d1e1c",
      "title": "CustomerCentric Selling",
      "author": "Michael Bosworth",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37815328,
          "author": "grvdrm",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-08T23:21:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37815328",
          "commentText": "CustomerCentric Selling. Not clear to me if it actually helps but it was excitedly recommended to me.\nAnyone else!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "CustomerCentric Selling. Not clear to me if it actually helps but it was excitedly recommended to me.",
          "reason": "Reports that someone recommended it, but the commenter is unsure whether it helps.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether it actually helps.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Bosworth"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "customer centric selling",
        "sales"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "customers-com-how-to-create-a-profitable-business-strategy-for-th-c428b2",
      "title": "Customers.com: How to Create a Profitable Business Strategy for the Internet and Beyond",
      "author": "Patricia B. Seybold",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1573788,
          "author": "iworkforthem",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-04T06:07:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 1567456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I want to start a web company what books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1573788",
          "commentText": "- Customers.com: How to Create a Profitable Business Strategy for the Internet and Beyond by Patricia B. Seybold. \n- Getting Real: The smarter, faster, easier way to build a successful web application by Jason Fried, Heinemeier David Hansson, Matthew Linderman.\nThese books top my list of MUST READ for web startup.\nCustomers.com is very useful if your web company is more service focused. It teaches you how to target the right customers, own the customers total experience, streamline business processes that impact the customer, provide a 360° view of the customer relationship, let customers help themselves, help customers do their jobs, deliver personalized service and foster community.\nGetting Real is more for code monkey making their own stuffs. This one I hope for all my bosses to read it. :P",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Customers.com: How to Create a Profitable Business Strategy for the Internet and Beyond by Patricia B. Seybold.",
          "reason": "Calls it a must read and says it is useful for service focused web companies.",
          "audience": "People building service focused web companies",
          "caveat": "Best suited to companies with a service focus.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Patricia B. Seybold"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "customer experience",
        "internet business"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cutting-for-stone-fa58bd",
      "title": "Cutting for Stone",
      "author": "Abraham Verghese",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2618239,
          "author": "kirpekar",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T22:34:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2618239",
          "commentText": "Cutting for Stone -- Abraham Verghese",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cutting for Stone -- Abraham Verghese",
          "reason": "Listed as a suggested book in response to the thread’s request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Abraham Verghese"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "medicine"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cyberabad-days-d41c79",
      "title": "Cyberabad Days",
      "author": "Ian McDonald",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1865860,
          "author": "freemanindia",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T18:30:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865860",
          "commentText": "Charles Stross and Ian McDonald are my new favorite sci-fi authors. I just finished Accelerando by Stross which had lots of great ideas played out over the next several centuries. Cyberabad by McDonald is a collection of short stories that push at the fantastic edges of where tech could be going.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cyberabad by McDonald is a collection of short stories that push at the fantastic edges of where tech could be going.",
          "reason": "Praises the stories for exploring possible technological futures.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ian McDonald"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories",
        "technological futures"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cybernetic-revolutionaries-technology-and-politics-in-allende-s-c-5e05bf",
      "title": "Cybernetic Revolutionaries: Technology and Politics in Allende's Chile",
      "author": "Eden Medina",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36601648,
          "author": "HillRat",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:20:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601648",
          "commentText": "Lots of options out there. A few from my bookshelf: Bijker's \"Of Bicycles, Bakelites, and Bulbs\" is a case-study-centric work that seeks to build a general theory of STS. Nye's \"Technology Matters\" is less a work of theory than a critique that poses core questions about how society should seek to integrate technical advances. Latour's \"Science in Action,\" \"Reassembling the Social,\" and \"Aramis\" are great examples of his approach to whole-of-system analysis of sociotechnical systems. Rogers' \"Diffusion of Innovation\" is a classic work theorizing how innovation is communicated through social networks.\nMIT Press has a wide variety of books that cover specific topics in history, most of which have great theoretic interest: Agar's \"The Government Machine,\" dealing with the evolution of technology and expertise within the UK government; Medina's \"Cybernetic Revolutionaries,\" about Beer's Cybersyn project; and Ensmenger's \"The Computer Boys Take Over,\" about the cultural development of the \"programmer,\" are all great reads.\nAlso, you can look beyond pure technology for interesting adjacencies: for example, Schatz's \"The Genius of the System\" describes how changes in technology and management production radically upended Hollywood, resulting in the studio system that dominated from the 1930s through the 1950s, while Harris' \"Pictures at a Revolution\" picks up the pieces at the end of that system, discussing the rise of \"New Hollywood,\" driven by cultural and technical (particularly the French use of inexpensive filming technologies to create the New Wave) forces.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Medina's \"Cybernetic Revolutionaries,\" about Beer's Cybersyn project",
          "reason": "Describes it as a book about Beer's Cybersyn project.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eden Medina"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybernetics",
        "project cybersyn"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cybernetics-or-control-and-communication-in-the-animal-and-the-ma-04536f",
      "title": "Cybernetics: Or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine",
      "author": "Norbert Wiener",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15159375,
          "author": "mrmyers",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T02:26:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15159375",
          "commentText": "Modeling the world generally (as in, why mathematics works and can apply to the real world):\n  =Bertrand Russell=\n  * An Inquiry into Meaning and Truth\n  * A Theory of Knowledge\n  * Logic and Knowledge\n  =W.V. Quine=\n  * Word and Object\n  * Mathematical Logic\n  =Norbert Weiner=\n  * Cybernetics: Or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine\n  =Smullyan=\n  * Diagonalization and Self Reference\n\nSquishy Human Things:\n  Thomas Kuhn      - The Structure of Scientific Revolutions\n  Norbert Weiner   - The Human Use of Human-Beings\n  Bertrand Russell - A History of Western Philosophy\n  Karl Popper      - The Open Society and Its Enemies\n  Daniel Dennet    - Consciousness Explained\n  E. Abbot Abbot   - Flatland",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cybernetics: Or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Norbert Wiener"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybernetics",
        "information theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cynefin-weaving-sense-making-into-the-fabric-of-our-world-f72cab",
      "title": "Cynefin: Weaving Sense-making into the Fabric of Our World",
      "author": "Dave Snowden",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27647193,
          "author": "aalhour",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T00:06:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27647193",
          "commentText": "* Thinking Fast and Slow\n* The Selfish Gene\n* Probability: For the Enthusiastic Beginner\n* How to Measure Anything\n* Rationality: From AI to Zombies\n* Cynefin: Weaving Sense-making into the fabric of our world\n* Major works of Friedrich Nietzsche",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cynefin: Weaving Sense-making into the fabric of our world",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dave Snowden"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "complexity",
        "sense making"
      ],
      "purposes": []
    },
    {
      "id": "cynical-theories-b2d992",
      "title": "Cynical Theories",
      "author": "Helen Pluckrose and James Lindsay",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34176258,
          "author": "sershe",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-29T18:48:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34176258",
          "commentText": "1) Chris Moriarty. Spin State - relatively-hard sci-fi with decent non sci-fi elements (i.e. characters and stuff), which I think is rare.\n2) Ralph Ellison. Invisible Man. I really enjoyed the writing, among other things, and how he captures short moments and scenes with sort of a hard-to-describe quality of a visual art, almost.\n3) Ilya Somin. Free To Move. To me most of the book was \"duh\" but I think it would be a good read for people on the fence about immigration and private vs public institutions.\n4) Vaclav Smil. Energy And Civilization; possibly How the World Really Works, still reading that one. Really dense and detailed examination of energy history of mankind for the former, and infrastructure of technological civilization for the latter.\n5) Pluckrose & Lindsday. Cynical Theories. Good 101 on CRT and modern woke movement.\n6) Alexander. New Jim Crow. Good 101 on war on drugs, although some broader social arguments the book makes straightforwardly don't seem to follow, or are contradicted by, its factual base IMHO.\n7) Stephenson. Seveneves - really good hard sci-fi imho, although felt very, very long.\n8) Orwell. Down and Out in Paris and London. A good book about poverty only 70-100 years ago. Also a good perspective for modern complaints about poverty - I have some non-US background for that, so I think many US readers might benefit more.\nOn the fence. \n1) I want to plug Seleukid Royal Economy, just for the hell of it, if you are interested in ancient economy :)\n2) Galef. Scout Mindset - on the fence about this one, but it seemed like it was way too long for what it offers. Maybe I've just read a lot of the same stuff ago.\n3) Okorafor. Binti - not bad as a YA book, but sci-fi aspects are remarkably bad.\nA few more I'm too lazy to type out ;)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Good 101 on CRT and modern woke movement.",
          "reason": "Described as a good introductory account of CRT and the modern woke movement.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Helen Pluckrose",
        "James Lindsay"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "critical theory",
        "social justice debates"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cynical-theories-how-activist-scholarship-made-everything-about-r-94c88c",
      "title": "Cynical Theories: How Activist Scholarship Made Everything about Race, Gender, and Identity—and Why This Harms Everybody",
      "author": "Helen Pluckrose and James Lindsay",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38238214,
          "author": "wolframhempel",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T07:45:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238214",
          "commentText": "Yup. I've been looking for books that explain the underlying structures and dynamics of \"wokeness\" for a while. I feel \"the Coddling\" does a good job for some aspects of it. The best book I found so far in this regard is \"Cynical Theories\" by Helen Pluckrose. You read it and just think: \"yeah, this is it\". Unfortunately it's written like a PhD thesis, so not the lightest read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The best book I found so far in this regard is \"Cynical Theories\" by Helen Pluckrose. You read it and just think: \"yeah, this is it\". Unfortunately it's written like a PhD thesis, so not the lightest read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the best book they found for explaining the topic and says it resonated.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for explanations of the structures and dynamics of “wokeness.”",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it reads like a PhD thesis and is not a light read.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Helen Pluckrose",
        "James Lindsay"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "critical theory",
        "identity politics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cypherpunks-freedom-and-the-future-of-the-internet-722b1a",
      "title": "Cypherpunks: Freedom and the Future of the Internet",
      "author": "Julian Assange, Jacob Appelbaum, Andy Müller-Maguhn, and Jérémie Zimmermann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40046310,
          "author": "sfmz",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-15T22:14:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40046310",
          "commentText": "\"Cypherpunks: Freedom and the Future of the Internet\" Julian Assange.\n\"Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Conquest of Darkess.\"  Warren Carroll",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Cypherpunks: Freedom and the Future of the Internet\" Julian Assange.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Julian Assange",
        "Jacob Appelbaum",
        "Andy Müller-Maguhn",
        "Jérémie Zimmermann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cypherpunks",
        "internet freedom"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cyrano-de-bergerac-709e4b",
      "title": "Cyrano de Bergerac",
      "author": "Edmond Rostand",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15157243,
          "author": "lolive",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T17:39:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15157243",
          "commentText": "Oh, and Cyrano de Bergerac, by Edmond Rostand.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cyrano de Bergerac, by Edmond Rostand.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edmond Rostand"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "verse drama"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cyropaedia-04e909",
      "title": "Cyropaedia",
      "author": "Xenophon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1752555,
          "author": "chegra",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T11:59:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752555",
          "commentText": "These books, although some now I might not endorse some of their teaching but they have help me to see the world in a different light:\nThe Mystery Method -  Erik Von Markovik[Social Engineering at its best]\nRich Dad Poor Dad: Guide to Investing - Robert Kiyoski\nThe Thoughtworks Anthology: Essays on Software Technology and Innovation (Pragmatic Programmers)\nBible - First class book in teaching how to behave towards others, especially proverbs.\nTao Te Ching - For this two verse you should read it:\n\"When people see some things as beautiful,\nother things become ugly.\nWhen people see some things as good,\nother things become bad.\nBeing and non-being create each other.\nDifficult and easy support each other.\nLong and short define each other.\nHigh and low depend on each other.\nBefore and after follow each other\"\nCyropaedia - \"Along with the The prince this book was required reading by all former statesmen.\"",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Cyropaedia - \"Along with the The prince this book was required reading by all former statesmen.\"",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter says helped them see the world differently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they may no longer endorse some of the books' teachings.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Xenophon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient greece",
        "political thought"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "cyteen-1c516b",
      "title": "Cyteen",
      "author": "C. J. Cherryh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36026544,
          "author": "shoo",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-22T01:55:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36026544",
          "commentText": "I'll plug some excellent work that is underrepresented here:\nCJ Cherryh's \"Cyteen\". Won the Hugo for best novel in '89. The backdrop is Cherryh's Alliance-Union universe -- which is arguably one of those classic \"cold war in space\" type space opera settings of science fiction of a certain vintage -- but that conflict isn't the focus of this novel. Cyteen is set in the research organisation that designs, grows and conditions the \"azi\" clone slave caste that generates population of labourers and specialists required to keep the Union society running. I found it initially slow going, but it turned out to be one of the best novels I've read in a long time. The plot is a kind of coming-of-age / political-intrigue / murder mystery tale. Not a space opera - power games, paranoia, abuse. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyteen\nYoon Ha Lee's \"Ninefox Gambit\" (first of a trilogy, each book in the trilogy shortlisted for Hugo best novel 2017/2018/2019). Space opera / military sci-fi. The political stability of the empire depends upon adherence to the empire's standard 'calendar', which is maintained through ritual torture of heretics. Much exotic technology depends upon calendric properties, and fails in regions where populations are following a nonstandard heretical calendar. The outcomes of battles depend not only on how many fleets or waves of infantry can be expended, but each side's mathematical ability to understand the local calendrical properties and adapt their tactics and technology accordingly. The plot follows a military officer's mission to quash a rebellion at a key star fortress -- and her attempt to improve the chances of success by having the mind of a dead undefeated war-criminal general loaded into her head. Space opera / military sci-fi.\nArkady Martine's \"A Memory Called Empire\" (won Hugo best novel in 2020). A tiny independent station sends a replacement diplomat into the heart of a neighboring empire, in an attempt to direct the empire's attention elsewhere and maintain independent station sovereignty, and discover what happened to the previous diplomat. Backdrop is suitable for a space opera, the story is political intrigue. The station society is one where memories and personalities can be artificially recorded and stored, and then re-implanted into future generations to preserve skills and knowledge. The novel explores attraction and intoxication with the culture and language of a dominant foreign power that is threatening to engulf one's own home.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "CJ Cherryh's \"Cyteen\".",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it excellent and describes its plot and setting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Initially slow going, but the commenter found it one of the best novels they had read in a long time.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "C. J. Cherryh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "clone society",
        "political intrigue",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "d-is-for-digital-what-a-well-informed-person-should-know-about-co-bcd4e3",
      "title": "D is for Digital: What a Well-Informed Person Should Know About Computers and Communications",
      "author": "Brian W. Kernighan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13411057,
          "author": "evbacher",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T16:48:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13411057",
          "commentText": "D is for Digital: What a well-informed person should know about computers and communications, by Brian Kernighan.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "D is for Digital: What a well-informed person should know about computers and communications, by Brian Kernighan.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian W. Kernighan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "communications",
        "computer literacy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "d-alembert-s-dream-ae14c8",
      "title": "D'Alembert's Dream",
      "author": "Denis Diderot",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19090108,
          "author": "nathias",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T21:39:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090108",
          "commentText": "Plato - Meno, Symposium, Parmenides, Gorgias, Protagoras\nPlotinus -Enneads\nMarkus Aurelius - Meditations\nDescartes - On method\nDescartes - Meditations\nSpinoza - On the improvement of Understanding\nLeibniz - Monadology\nLeibniz - Grace\nVoltaire - Candid\nDiderot - D'Alembert's Dream\nKant - How to orient oneself in thinking\nKant - Critique of Pure Reason\nKant - Critique of Judgment\nHegel - Phenomenology of Spirit\nHegel - Logic\nvon Kleist - Marionette Theatre\nKierkegaard - The Sickness Unto Death\nHeidegger - Being and Time\nSartre - Being and Nothingness\nSartre - Flies\nSartre - Nausea\nDeleuze - Difference and Repetition\nKafka - Metamorphosis\nKafka - The Castle\nLem - Magellan Nebula\nLem - His Master's Voice\nCioran - A Short History of Decay\nPessoa - Book Of Despair\nWolfe -  New Sun tetralogy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Diderot - D'Alembert's Dream",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Denis Diderot"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "enlightenment"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "d-o-d-o-eafeb9",
      "title": "D.O.D.O.",
      "author": "Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28082751,
          "author": "kleer001",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-06T02:46:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28082751",
          "commentText": "I Thought Dodo was really good. Galland seems to ground Stephenson's tendency to spiral off into deep rabbit holes and leave the story behind.\nFall was good, but looooooong.\nMy trick for reading Stephenson? Audio book.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I Thought Dodo was really good.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises it, saying Galland balances Stephenson's tendency to wander from the story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The praise is qualified by a comparison to Stephenson's tendency to leave the story behind.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neal Stephenson",
        "Nicole Galland"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "time travel",
        "witchcraft"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dec-is-dead-long-live-dec-9cc887",
      "title": "DEC Is Dead, Long Live DEC",
      "author": "O. Scott D. K. McDonald and Richard L. McDonald",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17205246,
          "author": "linuxlizard",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T13:48:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205246",
          "commentText": "_Showstopper_ One of the best tech books, after _Soul of a New Machine_ (recommended in the comments, too). Covers Microsoft's creation of Windows NT.\n_DEC is Dead. Long Live DEC_  about the rise and fall of Digital Equipment Corporation.\n_Skunkworks_ Lockheed-Martin's creation of the SR-71.\n_Moneyball_ using math to build a top flight US baseball team.\nBroadening the category a bit:\n_The Smartest Guys in the Room_ is about Enron's collapse. Not directly related to computer tech but definitely tech and people.\n_Billion Dollar Lessons_ covers several spectacular company failures. Again, not strictly tech related but amazing stories of crash & burn. Includes (IIRC) Iridium, Kodak, IBM.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "_DEC is Dead. Long Live DEC_  about the rise and fall of Digital Equipment Corporation.",
          "reason": "Listed as a book about DEC’s rise and fall.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in technology company histories.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "O. Scott D. K. McDonald and Richard L. McDonald"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "company history",
        "digital equipment corporation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dk-eyewitness-books-money-0dd224",
      "title": "DK Eyewitness Books: Money",
      "author": "DK",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22574198,
          "author": "rootsudo",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T09:41:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22574198",
          "commentText": "Actually - any college level book. There are tons, they're cheap on ebay, look for pearson or mcgraw hill. If you're creative, you can probably find a epub/pdf.\nBut even the DK Eye Witness have a good idea - how business works, how money works.\nFinancial system, economics, monetary policy become very simple with pictures, and even easier on an spreadsheet. Even more so is how many people don't know how much the government does in collecting statistics to analyze and examine the health of the economy - The BLS https://www.bls.gov/ is a great resource and once you have a basic understanding (or know healthy or \"safe\" numbers) you can explore other country economic numbers and see if they make sense (or not!) e.g. https://psa.gov.ph/ for Philippine Statistics.\nContemporary Financial Management is great -\nAccounting Princicpals are also great (can you read a PL sheet? Do you know GAAP? How about Compliance regulations?)\nJust \"money\" is one piece of the puzzle - money is a tool and that tool has been transformed into different pieces that fit what we do finance in life -\nA basic book would be rich dad, poor dad - it's quite cliche but it's a good introduction to \"wealth\" and assets vs liability == net worth.\n---\ntl;dr I ranted, I can go on - the DK Eyewitness books are a good starting point and then you can dig deep - but mostly it really runs quite simple for most things and then gatekeeped by interesting vocabulary.\nHow Money Works: The Facts Visually Explained (How Things Work) Hardcover – March 14, 2017\nby DK  (Author)\n.\nHow Business Works: A Graphic Guide to Business Success Hardcover – 2015\nby Dk (Author)\nThe Economics Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained Paperback – February 6, 2018\nThe Business Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained Paperback – November 20, 2018\nHow Business Works: The Facts Visually Explained (How Things Work) Hardcover – April 14, 2015\nDK Eyewitness Books: Money: Discover the Fascinating Story of Money from Silver Ingots to Smart Cards Paperback – June 14, 2016",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "DK Eyewitness Books: Money: Discover the Fascinating Story of Money from Silver Ingots to Smart Cards Paperback – June 14, 2016",
          "reason": "Included in a list of recommended visual introductions to money and its history.",
          "audience": "Beginners; the commenter favors visual introductions.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "DK"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "money",
        "visual guide"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "do-it-scenarios-of-the-revolution-0e44ac",
      "title": "DO IT!: Scenarios of the Revolution",
      "author": "Jerry Rubin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467715,
          "author": "p4bl0",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:53:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467715",
          "commentText": "The Campus Trilogy (Changing Places, Small World, Nice Work), by David Lodge.\nDO IT!: Scenarios of the Revolution, by Jerry Rubin.\nThe Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking A Spy Through The Maze Of Computer Espionage, by Cliff Stoll.\nThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams.\nLogicomix, by Apóstolos K. Doxiàdis and Christos Papadimitriou.\nOther books that I strongly recommend can be found here (some of them are in French): https://pablo.rauzy.name/miscellaneous.html#books\nUpdate: Pirates de tous les pays, by Marcus Rediker is a translation of Villains of All Nations: Atlantic Pirates in the Golden Age which you can thus read in English :). It really is an awesome read! After I finished it I immidiately ordered 5 more copies to give them to friends.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "DO IT!: Scenarios of the Revolution, by Jerry Rubin.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jerry Rubin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "counterculture",
        "political activism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dom-scripting-4e6873",
      "title": "DOM Scripting",
      "author": "Jeremy Keith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2388342,
          "author": "mindfulbee",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-30T17:54:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 2380810,
          "threadTitle": "Best program and books to learn how to code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2388342",
          "commentText": "I would like to focus on doing Mobile development. \nI was told by a previous post to try doing Eloquent Java, HTML5, and then DOM scripting (In that order)\nMy goal is to build an application similar to TripIt(travel advisor), but tailored towards education.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I was told by a previous post to try doing Eloquent Java, HTML5, and then DOM scripting",
          "reason": "Reports a previous post's suggested learning sequence.",
          "audience": "Someone learning mobile development.",
          "caveat": "Reports someone else's suggestion; does not independently endorse the title.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2381053,
          "author": "malandrew",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-29T02:15:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 2380810,
          "threadTitle": "Best program and books to learn how to code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2381053",
          "commentText": "In addition to what others have said, I would add The Little Schemer to the list. It may not seem like the most practical book, but it will make you a better programmer.\nBeyond that, I would reiterate the following suggestions put forth by others:\n-- How to Design Programs (get version 2. Racket, the IDE for this book, is practically plug-and-play, so you won't waste time prepping your development environment)\n-- Think Python by Allen Downey (i haven't read this one, but it comes very highly recommended. the excerpts I've read show that Allen communicates the concepts very clearly)\n-- Eloquent Javascript (very good introduction, all examples can be done directly in the browser with the specially-made console. This eliminates the time and confusion you will experience trying to set up a development environment with other languages.)\nOn top of those I'd also add:\n-- The C Programming Language by K&R (if you are interested in C)\n-- Dive into HTML5 (if you are interested in web development. HTML is a markup language, but you are going to need it to be able to build web stuff. This book complements Eloquent Javascript nicely)\n-- Land of Lisp\n-- DOM Scripting (Pair this book with Eloquent Javascript. It's the best introduction to the DOM that I've seen and will bridge the gap between HTML and Javascript)\nThe best books on coding are those that place equal emphasis on good prose and good programming practice and that de-emphasize syntax.\nAlso, look for books where the examples are real-world examples. i.e. things that people have actually had to implement at one time or another. Avoid books with completely imaginary examples that use made up names like foo, bar, widget, etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "DOM Scripting (Pair this book with Eloquent Javascript. It's the best introduction to the DOM that I've seen",
          "reason": "Called the best introduction to the DOM the commenter has seen and recommended alongside Eloquent JavaScript.",
          "audience": "People learning DOM scripting and JavaScript for web development.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeremy Keith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dom",
        "javascript",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "daily-rituals-how-artists-work-e9f720",
      "title": "Daily Rituals: How Artists Work",
      "author": "Mason Currey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13258390,
          "author": "alc90",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-26T14:47:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13258390",
          "commentText": "My goal for this year was to read 10 books. Not a huge challenge but I'm happy I managed to complete it. I'm currently at my 16th book - so I might say that's pretty good.\nHere's my 2016 reading list:\n#1. Zero to One - Peter Thiel - 3.5*\n#2. The Alchemis - Paulo Coelho - 3.5*\n#3. Founders at Work - Jessica Livingston - 3*\n#4. Traction - Gabriel Weinberg - 4.5*\n#5. How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie -4*\n#6. Reinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations... - Frederic Laloux, Ken Wilber - 4*\n#7. Daily Rituals: How Artists Work - Mason Currey - 3*\n#8. Rich Dad, Poor Dad - Robert T. Kiyosak - 3*\n#9. The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs... - Eric Ries - 4.5*\n#10. Meaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly - Bernadette Jiwa - 3*\n#11. Elon Musk: Inventing the Future - Ashlee Vance - 4*\n#12. Rework - Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson - 4.5*\n#13. Anything You Want - Derek Sivers - 4.5*\n#14. South of the Border, West of the Sun - Haruki Murakami - 3.5*\n#15. As A Man Thinketh / The Path Of Prosperity - James Allen - 4*\nCurrently I'm reading If This Is a Man / The Truce by Primo Levi - and so far it seems to be one of the top 3 books I've read this year - definitely a 4+* book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "#7. Daily Rituals: How Artists Work - Mason Currey - 3*",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968366,
          "author": "egypturnash",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:39:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968366",
          "commentText": "I just devoured Blindsight by Peter Watts[1]. It's a fascinating bit of SF that explores some really fascinating ideas about how consciousness works.\nI've also been dipping into Daily Rituals: How Artists Work[2]. Lots of brief summaries of how various famous creators have broken up their workday; it both inspires me to get off my ass, and makes me feel better about the days when absolutely nothing happens.\nOh, and I've been slowly picking at Thee Psychick Bible[3], a collection of the majgickal documents of Genesis P-Orridge. Not sure it's really got any ideas I haven't seen in my other mystical readings. But there sure is a lot of it.\n1: http://rifters.com/real/Blindsight.htm\n2: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009Y4I4OM/ref=oh_aui_d_det... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009Y4I4OM/ref=oh_aui_d_detailpage_o02_?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\n3: http://www.amazon.com/THEE-PSYCHICK-BIBLE-Apocryphal-Scriptu... (http://www.amazon.com/THEE-PSYCHICK-BIBLE-Apocryphal-Scriptures/dp/1932595902)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lots of brief summaries of how various famous creators have broken up their workday; it both inspires me to get off my ass, and makes me feel better about the days when absolutely nothing happens.",
          "reason": "Says it is inspiring and reassuring about creative work habits.",
          "audience": "People interested in how artists structure their workdays.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mason Currey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Biography",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creative routines",
        "artists"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dance-dance-dance-1429f3",
      "title": "Dance Dance Dance",
      "author": "Haruki Murakami",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13249790,
          "author": "DeanWormer",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T14:04:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249790",
          "commentText": "I discovered him from the old puzzle site thisisnotporn and loved \"Dance Dance Dance\" and \"Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I discovered him from the old puzzle site thisisnotporn and loved \"Dance Dance Dance\"",
          "reason": "Says they loved the novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Haruki Murakami"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "japanese literature",
        "magical realism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dangerous-liaisons-6e9558",
      "title": "Dangerous Liaisons",
      "author": "Pierre Choderlos de Laclos",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32937273,
          "author": "dotsam",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T11:08:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937273",
          "commentText": "* Philosophy\nArthur Schopenhauer - The World as Will and Representation.\nSurprisingly readable and insightful, even if you don't buy his metaphysics. Einstein had Schopenhauer's portrait on his wall and considered him a genius.\n* Poetry\nJohn Milton - Paradise Lost\nPowerful and beautiful writing.\n* Fiction\nRabelais - Gargantua and Pantagruel. Funny and a real feast of words (the translation is a work of art in itself)\nThomas Mann - The Magic Mountain. Haunting and moving\nPierre Choderlos de Laclos - Dangerous Liaisons. Scandalous, gripping.\nIvan Turgenev - First Love. A masterclass in writing. Short, sensitive and exquisitely told.\nMarcel Proust - In Search of Lost Time. Exceptionally rich and a beautiful study of love. Reading it is like living another life.\nPG Wodehouse - the Jeeves series. Hilarious, perfectly frivolous, light and sunny\n* Non-fiction\nStuart Russell - Human Compatible: AI and the Problem of Control. Potential bad outcomes from AI and what we might be able to do about them\nNoam Chomsky - Necessary Illusions: Thought Control in Democratic Societies. How public discourse is shaped and controlled\nKarl Popper - The Open Society and its Enemies. How to work against totalitarianism",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pierre Choderlos de Laclos - Dangerous Liaisons. Scandalous, gripping.",
          "reason": "Described as scandalous and gripping.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pierre Choderlos de Laclos"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epistolary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "daniel-tiger-books-ebde4d",
      "title": "Daniel Tiger books",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34634458,
          "author": "silverwasthere",
          "createdAt": "2023-02-02T22:54:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 34634274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books your kids like most",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34634458",
          "commentText": "When my son was around that age he liked Daniel Tiger books. Then Pete the Cat. Catstronauts.\nLooking at what I just wrote I should probably get him more cat books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "he liked Daniel Tiger books.",
          "reason": "The commenter says their son liked these books around that age.",
          "audience": "Young children.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "daniel tiger",
        "preschool"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "danny-dunn-and-the-homework-machine-9415bf",
      "title": "Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine",
      "author": "Raymond Abrashkin and Jay Williams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22724626,
          "author": "fdavison",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T02:19:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22724626",
          "commentText": "Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine.  Changed my eight year old life in 1962.  I wanted to work with computers and electronics from that moment.\nOh, and all the Tom Swift Jr series.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Dunn_and_the_Homework_Ma... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Dunn_and_the_Homework_Machine)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine. Changed my eight year old life in 1962. I wanted to work with computers and electronics from that moment.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it inspired their interest in computers and electronics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Raymond Abrashkin",
        "Jay Williams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dao-de-jing-33524d",
      "title": "Dao De Jing",
      "author": "Laozi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19088570,
          "author": "sinkpoint",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T19:04:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19088570",
          "commentText": "\"Debt: The first 5000 years\" completely changed the way I view money, society, and relationships.\n\"The selfish gene\" changed the way I define life, opened my eyes to virtual life, and morality of selfishness vs. altruism.\n\"Into the Cool: Energy Flow, Thermodynamics, and Life\" changed the way I view the life and material existence. Whereas before I viewed them as two separate domains, after I see them as a spectrum.\nChinese classic taoism treaties: \"Dao De Jing\", and \"Zhuan Zi\", offers a via-negativa way of thinking and view of existence, the values are beyond words.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Chinese classic taoism treaties: \"Dao De Jing\", and \"Zhuan Zi\", offers a via-negativa way of thinking and view of existence, the values are beyond words.",
          "reason": "The commenter presents the text as offering a distinctive way to think about existence.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Laozi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chinese classics",
        "daoism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dare-to-lead-ecef6b",
      "title": "Dare to Lead",
      "author": "Brené Brown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21712649,
          "author": "scorpion_farmer",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T14:48:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21712649",
          "commentText": "Brene Brown 'Dare to Lead' is excellent",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brene Brown 'Dare to Lead' is excellent",
          "reason": "Calls the book excellent.",
          "audience": "People interested in leadership.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brené Brown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "courage",
        "leadership",
        "organizational culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dark-angel-d149b7",
      "title": "Dark Angel",
      "author": "David Klass",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12244450,
          "author": "miduil",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-07T23:48:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244450",
          "commentText": "This Saturday as a birthday present for a 14 year old friend of mine, who haven't been reading so much lately:\n* Persepolis, first version\n* Dark Angel, by David Klass\nI've just started reading \"Flowers for Algernon\", I guess this can also be a good birthday present. I think gifting books is something very difficult, in my experience I never wanted to get books for present.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Dark Angel, by David Klass",
          "reason": "Chosen as a birthday gift for a 14-year-old friend.",
          "audience": "A 14-year-old who has not been reading much lately",
          "caveat": "The commenter says gifting books can be difficult and personally never wanted books as presents.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Klass"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "thriller",
        "young adult"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dark-continent-europe-s-twentieth-century-61473f",
      "title": "Dark Continent: Europe's Twentieth Century",
      "author": "Mark Mazower",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17521885,
          "author": "jeanmichelx",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T11:03:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521885",
          "commentText": "I'm currently reading \"Dark Continent - Europe's Twentieth Century\" by Mark Mazower, and I found it thoroughly interesting.\nIt highlights that democracy was absolutely not a clear path for Europe, and why fascism worked.\nI had no idea how much of the welfare state (government housing, children benefits, etc) had fascist and imperialist roots.\nRecommended read, it's thought-provoking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Recommended read, it's thought-provoking.",
          "reason": "Calls it a thought-provoking recommended read about Europe's twentieth century.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Mazower"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "democracy",
        "fascism",
        "modern europe"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dark-emu-40f33a",
      "title": "Dark Emu",
      "author": "Bruce Pascoe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21796311,
          "author": "chewxy",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-15T14:20:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21796311",
          "commentText": "I ploughed through Francis Fukuyama's Political Order series this year. I wouldn't say it's my favourite, but it was in some sense uplifting. He writes as though rule of law is a evolutionary certainty. As much as that's largely BS in my view, it's still nice to read.\nAfter 4 years I also finally finished Capital in the 21st Century. My opinion: worth reading by jumping around, not worth reading in linear fashion.\nBruce Pascoe's Dark Emu is worth a read too. It's well researched, but the author does occasionally blur the line between opinion and facts. I attribute it to writing styles. Similar in nature to another book I quite liked in the past - Wisdom Sits in Places, but less focused.\nNarrative Economics by Robert Shiller would be unfocused to people who are in the tech industry. Nonetheless, the book serves to give context to people who are textmining. Hopefully some changes to economics arise from this. His understanding of genetic algorithms and selection could do with some work.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Dark Emu is worth a read too. It's well researched, but the author does occasionally blur the line between opinion and facts.",
          "reason": "Calls it worth reading and well researched.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says the author occasionally blurs the line between opinion and fact.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruce Pascoe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aboriginal australian history",
        "indigenous agriculture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dark-hero-of-the-information-age-in-search-of-norbert-wiener-the--078a56",
      "title": "Dark Hero of the Information Age: In Search of Norbert Wiener, the Father of Cybernetics",
      "author": "Flo Conway and Jim Siegelman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48993248,
          "author": "jonjacky",
          "createdAt": "2026-07-21T15:06:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 48981842,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favourite science history book of the 20th century?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48993248",
          "commentText": "John Von Neumann and Norbert Weiner: From Mathematics to the Technologies of Life and Death by Steve Heims (1982)  Out of print but libraries have it.\nDark Hero of the Information Age: In Search of Norbert Weiner, the Father \nof Cybernetics by Flo Conway and Jim Siegelman (2005)\nWeiner himself wrote some autobiographies, including Child Prodigy and I Am A Mathematician.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dark Hero of the Information Age: In Search of Norbert Weiner, the Father \nof Cybernetics by Flo Conway and Jim Siegelman (2005)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Flo Conway",
        "Jim Siegelman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybernetics",
        "norbert wiener"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dark-markets-e921f5",
      "title": "Dark Markets",
      "author": "Misha Glenny",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3338997,
          "author": "m0nastic",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-11T01:18:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3338997",
          "commentText": "So far, Dark Market is a little too \"Dateline expose\" for my taste, but I'm only about a third of the way in (maybe it gets better).\nI actually picked up Skiena purely from your recommendation of it on here. I wanted to go back to algo fundamentals, and I was irrationally opposed to buying CLRS for the second time (having bought and then sold it back in college), so I figured I'd give it a try.  I like the presentation of material a lot better, but I've just been a lazy git about plowing through it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "So far, Dark Market is a little too \"Dateline expose\" for my taste, but I'm only about a third of the way in (maybe it gets better).",
          "reason": "So far the book feels too much like a television exposé for their taste.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They are only about a third of the way through and allow that it may improve.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3338870,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-11T00:12:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3338870",
          "commentText": "I read Misha Glenny's _McMafia_ and it kind of left a bad taste, even before they got to the cybercrime stuff where I knew some of his sources were just making things up. How's _Dark Markets_?\nLove that Skiena book.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "How's _Dark Markets_?",
          "reason": "Asks how the book is.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3338494,
          "author": "m0nastic",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T21:02:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3338494",
          "commentText": "Right now I'm reading:\nFiction-\n- Reamde (Bought it when it came out, but had to wait to start until I finished some other stuff on my list)\n- The Big Blowdown by George Pelecanos\nNonfiction-\n- Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopedia (Volume 1) -- primarily for research, but it's fascinating.\n- Dark Markets by Misha Glenny\n- How to Live on Mars by robert Zubrin\n- The Lightness of Being by Frank Wilczek\n- This is Your Brain on Music by Daniel Levitin\n- Towards a New Architecture by Le Corbusier\n- and Strange Things Happen by Stewart Copeland\nTechnical-\n- Tangled Web (I saw someone else mention it, and it's really really good so far)\n- Skiena's Algorithms book (making slower progress than I'd like).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Dark Markets by Misha Glenny",
          "reason": "Lists it among books they are reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Misha Glenny"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybercrime",
        "organized crime"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dark-pools-the-rise-of-the-machine-traders-and-the-rigging-of-the-019ff8",
      "title": "Dark Pools: The Rise of the Machine Traders and the Rigging of the U.S. Stock Market",
      "author": "Scott Patterson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12144110,
          "author": "phyalow",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:27:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144110",
          "commentText": "1. Beating the Street - Peter Lynch\n2. More Money than God - Sebastian Mallaby\n3. Dark Pools - Scott Patterson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "3. Dark Pools - Scott Patterson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Patterson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithmic trading",
        "financial markets"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "darkness-visible-76000c",
      "title": "Darkness Visible",
      "author": "William Styron",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10785552,
          "author": "benajibayassine",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:50:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785552",
          "commentText": "1- The Emperor's Handbook by Marcus Aurelius. Jan, 10th 2015\n2- The crowd, a study of the popular mind by Gustave Le Bon. Jan, 10th 2015\n3- Remote by Jason Fried. Jan, 11th 2015\n4- The shape of the world to come by Laurent Cohen-Tanugi, Jan, 20th, 2015\n5- Post office by Charles Bukowski. Jan, 23rd 2015\n6- Gang leader for a day by Sudhir Venkatesh. Feb, 6th 2015\n7- Zen mind, beginner's mind by Shunryu Suzuki. Feb, 8th 2015\n8- The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Feb, 23rd 2015\n9- Darkness Visible by William Styron. March, 1st 2015\n10- Zero to One by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters. March, 9th 2015\n11- The Kaizen way: One small step can change your life by Robert Mauter. March, 11th 2015\n12- Time by Alexander Waugh. March, 12th 2015\n13- Max and the cats by Moacyr Scliar. March, 14th 2015\n14- Scattered by Gabor Mate. March, 20th 2015\n15- East of Eden by John Steinbeck. March, 30th 2015\n16- Crossing the unknown sea by David Whyte. April, 7th 2015\n17- Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. April, 13th 2015\n18- The World beyond your Head by Matthew Crawford. April, 22nd 2015\n19- How to Think about Exercise by Damon Young. April, 23rd 2015\n20- Solitude by Anthony Storr. May, 8th 2015\n21- Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. June, 10th 2015\n22- The bastard of Istanbul (in Arabic) by Elif Shafak. June, 21st 2015\n23- L’ordre libertaire: la vie philosophique d’Albert Camus by Michel Onfray. July, 7th 2015\n24- Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse. July, 10th 2015\n25- The arab uprisings by James Gelvin. July, 13th 2015\n26- How to worry less about money by John Armstrong. July, 13th 2015\n27- Self comes to mind by Antonio Damasio. July, 31st2015\n28- Muhammad: The First Muslim by Lesley Hazleton. August, 4th t2015\n29- Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. August, 15th 2015 \n30- Heidegger's Being and Time by William Blattner. August, 18th 2015 \n31- Heidegger and a hippo walk through those pearly gates by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. August, 19th 2015 \n32- Why nations fail by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson. October, 3rd 2015 \n33- Charlie Munger: the complete investor by Tren Griffin October, 9th 2015 \n34- The selfish gene by Richard Dawkins October, 23rd 2015\n35- The philosophical baby by Alison Gopnik October, 28th 2015\n36- The three-body problem by Cixin Liu November, 1st 2015\n37- Open letter to a young man by Andre Maurois November, 13th 2015\n38- Thinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman November, 16th 2015\n39- What do you care what people think by Richard Feynman November, 18th 2015\n40- When the body says No by Gabor Maté November, 29th 2015\n41- The truth will set you free by Alice Miller. December, 5th 2015\n42- The shallows by Nicholar Carr. December, 7th 2015\n43- What matters most byJames Hollis. December, 14th 2015\n44- Finding meaning in the second jalf of life byJames Hollis. December, 20yh2015",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Darkness Visible by William Styron",
          "reason": "Included in a dated list of books read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Darkness Visible",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Styron"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "depression",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "darknet-c446c0",
      "title": "Darknet",
      "author": "Matthew Mather",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17750332,
          "author": "Dnguyen",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T14:28:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17750332",
          "commentText": "Darknet by Matthew Mather\nAbout an AI entity taking over the financial market and buying its way into the political system.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Darknet by Matthew Mather\nAbout an AI entity taking over the financial market and buying its way into the political system.",
          "reason": "Provides a title as an answer to the request for similar novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthew Mather"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "cyber thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "darkover-1cc4bd",
      "title": "Darkover",
      "author": "Marion Zimmer Bradley",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38238159,
          "author": "hiddew",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T07:31:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238159",
          "commentText": "The series Darkover from Marion Zimmer Bradley.\nIt's more science fiction than my normal pick of fantasy, but nice reads.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The series Darkover from Marion Zimmer Bradley.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes the series as enjoyable and says it is more science fiction than their usual fantasy choices.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy fantasy and science fiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is more science fiction than their usual fantasy pick.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marion Zimmer Bradley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "planetary romance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "darwin-among-the-machines-a4ee1e",
      "title": "Darwin Among the Machines",
      "author": "George B. Dyson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36606718,
          "author": "kugutsumen",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T20:33:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36606718",
          "commentText": "Interweaving tales of ancient inventors, unsung technological advancements, and future predictions, \"Darwin Among the Machines\" offers an enlightening exploration of the intricate relationship between human evolution and technology.\nWith an engaging narrative and insightful commentary, \"Darwin Among the Machines\" is a must-read for those intrigued by technology, history, and philosophy. The book challenges the boundaries of our understanding of life, evolution, and our technological future.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Darwin Among the Machines\" is a must-read for those intrigued by technology, history, and philosophy.",
          "reason": "Calls it a must-read for readers interested in technology, history, and philosophy.",
          "audience": "Readers intrigued by technology, history, and philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36606711,
          "author": "kugutsumen",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T20:33:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36606711",
          "commentText": "Darwin Among the Machines tells the story of humankind's journey into the digital wilderness. Introducing a cast of familiar and not-so-familiar characters, historian of science George B. Dyson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Darwin Among the Machines tells the story of humankind's journey into the digital wilderness.",
          "reason": "Describes the book's subject and author in the context of a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George B. Dyson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "digital culture",
        "evolution of technology",
        "technology history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "darwin-s-dangerous-idea-fe17e6",
      "title": "Darwin's Dangerous Idea",
      "author": "Daniel Dennett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6333864,
          "author": "PeterWhittaker",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-05T13:05:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 6329955,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which two books were the most influential on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6333864",
          "commentText": "Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman. Should be read by all who wonder how our minds work - and how much happens \"behind the scenes\", \"under the covers\".\nDarwin's Dangerous Idea, by Daniel Dennett. Should be read by all curious to know the full implications of mechanistic evolution (hint: think about what came before life).\nThe Mating Mind, by Geoffrey Miller. Must-read for anyone in marketing, or anyone wondering why the other guy got laid and you didn't.\nGuns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, by Jared Diamond. Why are we rich and they poor? Why so few domesticated African animals? Why one big China and a many-state Europe?\nThe Laughter of Triumph: William Hone and the Fight for the Free Press, by Ben Wilson. Great read about an early 19th C. struggle against unjust laws used to gag journalism. Relevant in today's age of bloggers, etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Should be read by all curious to know the full implications of mechanistic evolution",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it to readers curious about the implications of mechanistic evolution.",
          "audience": "Readers curious about mechanistic evolution.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Dennett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolution",
        "philosophy of biology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "darwin-s-dangerous-idea-626e72",
      "title": "Darwin's Dangerous Idea",
      "author": "Daniel C. Dennett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20339588,
          "author": "PeterWhittaker",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T21:30:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20339588",
          "commentText": "Darwin's Dangerous Idea, by Daniel Dennett, one of the two most important (IMHO, of course) books I've read (Thinking, Fast and Slow is the other, already recommended, below.\nDennett is a practical philosopher of science; the book is a detailed analysis and extension of the idea of \"designer-free design\", evolution by incremental random change. Among other things, he thoroughly presents the implications of Darwinian evolution, discusses the concept of \"design space\" and how some evolutions preclude whole swaths of that space, then speculates carefully on how the idea could pertain to other fields, e.g., the evolution of physical law (assuming that each \"big bang\" resulted in a universe with slightly different physics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "one of the two most important (IMHO, of course) books I've read",
          "reason": "The commenter ranks it among the two most important books they have read and gives an extensive description.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in evolution, philosophy of science, and implications of Darwinian thinking.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel C. Dennett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "design without a designer",
        "evolution",
        "philosophy of biology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "darwin-s-dangerous-idea-evolution-and-the-meanings-of-life-885e42",
      "title": "Darwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life",
      "author": "Daniel C. Dennett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783529,
          "author": "Symmetry",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:46:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783529",
          "commentText": "Here are the ones I'd be willing to recommend, in reverse chronological order of when I read them.  I read 59 total.  Listen to books on tape while working out has maybe doubled my reading rate.\nGenghis Khan: His Conquests, His Empire, His Legacy - Great book on how the Mongol Empire came to be, who Genghis was, and it put the whole thing in perspective for me in a useful way.\nThe Knowledge: How to Rebuild Our World from Scratch - What it says on the tin.  Actually a good overview how some important technologies interrelate.\nSuperforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction - How to be wrong less often.  Based on the Good Judgement Project results.\nThe Three-Body Problem - Decent enough science fiction but extra interesting because it's science fiction from a different culture.\nIgnition!: An informal history of liquid rocket propellants - A history of things that go boom.  Engaging writing and I learned things about chemistry.\nThe Traitor Baru Cormorant - I'm nominating this for a Hugo.  It tells you it's going to stab you in the gut but when it does you don't see it coming.  Plus high quality scheming and speculation on economics, society, and empire.\nThe Sorcerer of the Wildeeps - Excellent use of voice and an overall good book.\nBloom - Made my skin crawl in places and also was good at making you feel a radical change in perspective.\nSeeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed - An interesting perspective on certain aspects of government.  A bit too negative for the topic, the factors outlined are also why commercial economies were able to develop more centralized economies than agrarian ones in the early modern era.\nPolitical Order and Political Decay: From the Industrial Revolution to the Globalization of Democracy - Quite good book on bureaucracy though not as excellent as the previous book on the origins of states.\nLast First Snow - It's always great to read books about the struggles between people with sympathetic motivations.\nThe Unwelcome Warlock - The latest in a series of fantasy books where people use magic in creative and sensible ways.\nAsteroid Mining 101: Wealth for the New Space Economy -Mostly about all the different sorts of asteroids.\nSeveneves - Neal Stephenson's latest.  If you like his books read it but maybe skip the last 1/3 after the timeskip.\nElon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future - Wow he did a lot of cool stuff.\nStories of Your Life and Others - Brilliant and poetic short stories.\nDarwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life - Some interesting perspective on materialism.\nPower, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life - Best science book I've read in a while!  Shows why mitochondria matter, the fundamental limits of prochariotic life, and several important ways mitochondria influence again and evolution.\nBlue Remembered Earth - Awesome near futureish book that does well at imagining a future that isn't just a linear extrapolation but is still believable.\nA Key, an Egg, an Unfortunate Remark - Not enough pacifist badass grandmothers in urban fantasy.\nQuantum Computing since Democritus - I understand QM much better now.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Darwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life - Some interesting perspective on materialism.",
          "reason": "Says it offers an interesting perspective on materialism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel C. Dennett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolution",
        "materialism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "darwin-s-doubt-1d18f4",
      "title": "Darwin's Doubt",
      "author": "Stephen C. Meyer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17982644,
          "author": "camjohnson26",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-13T21:12:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17982644",
          "commentText": "Mere Christianity by CS Lewis. As a teenager it gave me an intellectual basis for my faith and helped me see it could be defensible.\nDarwin's Doubt by Stephen Meyer. If God exists methodological naturalism can't be completely true. This book helped me see that there's still areas science can't fully explain, like the information explosion of the Cambrian Explosion.\nPlease don't burn me at the stake.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Darwin's Doubt by Stephen Meyer. If God exists methodological naturalism can't be completely true. This book helped me see that there's still areas science can't fully explain",
          "reason": "Says it helped them see that science has areas it cannot fully explain.",
          "audience": "People interested in arguments about science, origins, and theism.",
          "caveat": "The commenter presents its argument from a theistic perspective.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen C. Meyer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cambrian explosion",
        "intelligent design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "darwin-s-ghosts-in-search-of-the-first-evolutionists-bbd627",
      "title": "Darwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists",
      "author": "Rebecca Stott",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rebecca Stott"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolution",
        "history of science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "darwin-s-theorem-0c34dd",
      "title": "Darwin's Theorem",
      "author": "T. J. Radcliffe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9613893,
          "author": "tjradcliffe",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T19:55:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9613893",
          "commentText": "My novel \"Darwin's Theorem\", which is about stories, evolution, religion and science, is available for free: http://tjradcliffe.com/darwins_theorem/darwins_theorem.epub\nIt's character-driven pure speculation on big ideas.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My novel \"Darwin's Theorem\", which is about stories, evolution, religion and science, is available for free",
          "reason": "The author offers their novel for free and describes its subject and speculative approach.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in stories about evolution, religion, and science.",
          "caveat": "Character-driven pure speculation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "T. J. Radcliffe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolution",
        "religion",
        "speculative fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "data-reality-16e9d7",
      "title": "Data & Reality",
      "author": "William Kent",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23366575,
          "author": "danielheath",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-31T02:01:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23366575",
          "commentText": "Data & Reality (Kent, 1978)\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19305264-data-and-realit... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19305264-data-and-reality)\n164 pages. This book has had a bigger impact on my professional work than any other.\ntl; dr: Any description of reality is subjective, which means that no data model can be an objectively correct description of reality. The book presents methods for reasoning about data in spite of this.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Data & Reality (Kent, 1978)\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19305264-data-and-realit...\n164 pages. This book has had a bigger impact on my professional work than any other.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it had a major impact on their professional work and summarizes its approach to data modeling.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Kent"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data modeling",
        "information systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "data-driven-truckers-technology-and-the-new-workplace-surveillanc-5de2a3",
      "title": "Data Driven: Truckers, Technology, and the New Workplace Surveillance",
      "author": "Karen Levy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40430584,
          "author": "throw0101b",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T16:29:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40430584",
          "commentText": "In rough order:\nThe Rise and Fall of American Growth: The U.S. Standard of Living since the Civil War:\n> In the century after the Civil War, an economic revolution improved the American standard of living in ways previously unimaginable. Electric lighting, indoor plumbing, motor vehicles, air travel, and television transformed households and workplaces. But has that era of unprecedented growth come to an end? Weaving together a vivid narrative, historical anecdotes, and economic analysis, The Rise and Fall of American Growth challenges the view that economic growth will continue unabated, and demonstrates that the life-altering scale of innovations between 1870 and 1970 cannot be repeated. Gordon contends that the nation's productivity growth will be further held back by the headwinds of rising inequality, stagnating education, an aging population, and the rising debt of college students and the federal government, and that we must find new solutions. A critical voice in the most pressing debates of our time, The Rise and Fall of American Growth is at once a tribute to a century of radical change and a harbinger of tougher times to come.\n* https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/26634594\nData Driven: Truckers, Technology, and the New Workplace Surveillance:\n> Long-haul truckers are the backbone of the American economy, transporting goods under grueling conditions and immense economic pressure. Truckers have long valued the day-to-day independence of their work, sharing a strong occupational identity rooted in a tradition of autonomy. Yet these workers increasingly find themselves under many watchful eyes. Data Driven examines how digital surveillance is upending life and work on the open road, and raises crucial questions about the role of data collection in broader systems of social control.\n* https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/60564512\nWhy We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams:\n> Neuroscientist and sleep expert Matthew Walker provides a revolutionary exploration of sleep, examining how it affects every aspect of our physical and mental well-being. Charting the most cutting-edge scientific breakthroughs, and marshalling his decades of research and clinical practice, Walker explains how we can harness sleep to improve learning, mood and energy levels, regulate hormones, prevent cancer, Alzheimer's and diabetes, slow the effects of aging, and increase longevity. He also provides actionable steps towards getting a better night's sleep every night.\n* https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34466963-why-we-sleep\nChip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology (which goes over the history semiconductors, and not just present day events):\n* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_War:_The_Fight_for_the_Wo... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_War:_The_Fight_for_the_World%27s_Most_Critical_Technology)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Data Driven: Truckers, Technology, and the New Workplace Surveillance:",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Karen Levy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data collection",
        "labor",
        "workplace surveillance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "data-mining-practical-machine-learning-tools-and-techniques-fd61fc",
      "title": "Data Mining: Practical Machine Learning Tools and Techniques",
      "author": "Ian H. Witten, Eibe Frank, and Mark A. Hall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 79467,
          "author": "at",
          "createdAt": "2007-11-13T20:14:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 79359,
          "threadTitle": "Can anyone recommend good books, articles or essays that introduce machine learning?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=79467",
          "commentText": "books about machine learning applications/tools:\n- \"Programming Collective Intelligence\"\n  - http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/9780596529321/\n- \"Data Mining: Practical Machine Learning Tools and Technique\"\n  - http://www.cs.waikato.ac.nz/~ml/weka/book.html\nbooks about machine learning background/theory:\n- \"machine learning\"\n  - http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~tom/mlbook.html\n- \"learning and soft computing\"\n  - http://cognet.mit.edu/library/books/view?isbn=0262112558\nFor a simple-to-use (Python-based) machine learning tool/API check out Orange: http://magix.fri.uni-lj.si/orange/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Data Mining: Practical Machine Learning Tools and Technique\"",
          "reason": "Listed among books on machine learning applications and tools.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking practical machine learning applications and tools.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ian H. Witten, Eibe Frank, and Mark A. Hall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data mining",
        "machine learning",
        "weka"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "data-model-patterns-conventions-of-thought-b5ccf2",
      "title": "Data Model Patterns: Conventions of Thought",
      "author": "David C. Hay",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26836643,
          "author": "dmux",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-16T17:21:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 26833319,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book for software engineers (besides the well-known ones)?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26836643",
          "commentText": "Oddly enough, three of my favorites are all written by Davids.\n1. \"Object Thinking\" by David West (http://davewest.us/product/object-thinking/)\n2. \"Introduction to Computing\" by David Evans (free PDF available: https://computingbook.org/)\n3. \"Data Model Patterns: Conventions of Thought\" by David Hay (https://www.amazon.com/Data-Model-Patterns-David-Hay/dp/0932... (https://www.amazon.com/Data-Model-Patterns-David-Hay/dp/0932633749)). He also gives a great talk about this here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLFXewSpltw",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Data Model Patterns: Conventions of Thought\" by David Hay",
          "reason": "One of the commenter's favorites.",
          "audience": "Software engineers",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David C. Hay"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data modeling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "data-modeling-essentials-32f358",
      "title": "Data Modeling Essentials",
      "author": "Graham Witt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28663628,
          "author": "macando",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T19:07:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28663628",
          "commentText": "Most influential - Clean Code and The Joy of C (the first programming book I've read)\nMost informative - Effective Java\nFunniest - Learn You a Haskell for Great Good!\nBest written - Eloquent Ruby\nMost useful - Data Modeling Essentials",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Most useful - Data Modeling Essentials",
          "reason": "Listed as the most useful book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Graham Witt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data modeling",
        "database design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "data-science-from-scratch-7a4855",
      "title": "Data Science from Scratch",
      "author": "Joel Grus",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15961020,
          "author": "kirubakaran",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T15:55:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961020",
          "commentText": "Here is my list: https://kirubakaran.com/bookshelf/\nMy 2017 favorites:\nscifi: https://kirubakaran.com/bookshelf/columbus-day/\nnonfic: https://kirubakaran.com/bookshelf/data-science-from-scratch/\nfiction: https://kirubakaran.com/bookshelf/everyone-burns/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "nonfic: https://kirubakaran.com/bookshelf/data-science-from-scratch/",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s 2017 favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joel Grus"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data science",
        "machine learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "data-structure-techniques-d5fd37",
      "title": "Data Structure Techniques",
      "author": "Thomas A. Standish",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29226108,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-15T11:16:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29226108",
          "commentText": "There are literally hundreds of threads with this topic on the Web. Most of them contain the same standard references which IMO are not always the best for people without much mathematical maturity and wishing to learn from first principles. That said, here are my recommendations for them (pdfs of almost all are available online and they can also be purchased cheaply as used books);\n* 1) Functions and Graphs and 2) The Method of Coordinates by I.M.Gelfand et. al. - These give you the basics on functions and how to visualize them which is crucial for understanding.\n* Introductory Logic and Sets for Computer Scientists by Nimal Nissanke - Nice succinct introduction to various required topics for Comp. Sci.\n*  Compared To What?: Introduction to the Analysis of Algorithms by Gregory Rawlins - This is a classic book which takes you by hand and walks you through Algorithm Analysis and the reqd. mathematics. You will find this more approachable than most other text books and well worth a study.\n* How to Think about Algorithms by Jeff Edmonds - Practical techniques without too much mathematical formalism.\n* Data Structure Techniques by Thomas Standish - A Classic text; good adjunct to more modern texts.\n* Advanced Data Structures by Peter Brass - Nice succinct text but not necessarily \"advanced\".\nOne final point; try to get a Algorithms and Data Structures book with code in the language with which you are most familiar. That way you understand the mapping from \"Abstract Algorithm\" to \"Concrete Language Implementation\" which is not always trivial.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Data Structure Techniques by Thomas Standish",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a classic companion to more modern texts.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a supplement to modern data structures texts.",
          "caveat": "Described as an adjunct rather than a standalone choice.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas A. Standish"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data structures"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "data-structures-using-c-and-c-b8d050",
      "title": "Data Structures Using C and C++",
      "author": "Yedidyah Langsam, Moshe J. Augenstein, Aaron M. Tenenbaum",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29278645,
          "author": "MalayAgr",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-19T16:09:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29278645",
          "commentText": "For algorithms, I can't think of a book better than CLRS, honestly, unless you want to read The Art of Computer Programming by Knuth. For data structures, a great book with a huge amount of detail is Data Structures Using C and C++ by Langsam and Tanenbaum.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Data Structures Using C and C++ by Langsam and Tanenbaum",
          "reason": "Recommended for a large amount of detail on data structures.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Yedidyah Langsam",
        "Moshe J. Augenstein",
        "Aaron M. Tenenbaum"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c",
        "data structures"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "data-structures-and-programming-design-in-c-bd88c8",
      "title": "Data Structures and Programming Design in C",
      "author": "Robert L. Kruse, Bruce P. Leung, and Clovis L. Tondo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28661269,
          "author": "m3talsmith",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T14:45:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28661269",
          "commentText": "1. Why’s Poignant Guide to Ruby\n2. Practical Common Lisp\n3. A Programmer’s Introduction to Mathematics\n4. Data Structures and Programming Design in C\n5. The Art of Agent Oriented Modeling",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Data Structures and Programming Design in C",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s programming book selections.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert L. Kruse",
        "Bruce P. Leung",
        "Clovis L. Tondo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming",
        "data structures"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "data-visualization-with-d3-js-cookbook-0ace59",
      "title": "Data Visualization with D3.js Cookbook",
      "author": "Nick Qi Zhu",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8795332,
          "author": "autokad",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T03:36:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795332",
          "commentText": "let me know if you guys find better replacements, but this is what I got on my list:\nO'Reilly - Scott Murray - Interactive Data Visualization for the Web\nData Visualization with D3.js Cookbook\nA First Course in Probability\nRails AntiPatterns - Best Practice Ruby on Rails Refactoring\nBayesian Data Analysis Andrew Gelma\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nCode Complete\nBishop - Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning\nO'Reilly Mining The Social Web",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Data Visualization with D3.js Cookbook",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nick Qi Zhu"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "d3 js",
        "data visualization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "data-and-goliath-the-hidden-battles-to-collect-your-data-and-cont-1421c1",
      "title": "Data and Goliath: The Hidden Battles to Collect Your Data and Control Your World",
      "author": "Bruce Schneier",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12476826,
          "author": "marmot777",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-12T02:28:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12476826",
          "commentText": "\"Data and Goliath: The Hidden Battles to Collect Your Data and Control Your World\"\nIt was a bit over the top but I'd recommend reading it anyway.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It was a bit over the top but I'd recommend reading it anyway.",
          "reason": "Recommended despite being considered a bit over the top.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds it a bit over the top.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruce Schneier"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "privacy",
        "surveillance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "data-driven-marketing-fa68e1",
      "title": "Data-Driven Marketing",
      "author": "Mark Jeffery",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Jeffery"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marketing analytics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "data-intensive-text-processing-with-mapreduce-ef1e24",
      "title": "Data-Intensive Text Processing with MapReduce",
      "author": "Jimmy Lin; Chris Dyer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6976326,
          "author": "bcbrown",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T20:22:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976326",
          "commentText": "Data Intensive Text Processing with MapReduce. It was a key reason I got my current job, which is my dream job at this point in my career.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Data Intensive Text Processing with MapReduce. It was a key reason I got my current job",
          "reason": "The commenter credits the book as a key reason for landing a dream job.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jimmy Lin; Chris Dyer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "information retrieval",
        "mapreduce",
        "text processing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "database-design-and-implementation-6c61a9",
      "title": "Database Design and Implementation",
      "author": "Edward Sciore",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32791052,
          "author": "gavinray",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T14:38:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32791052",
          "commentText": "Not a professional database developer but study it in my spare time\nBooks that stand out to me are:\n- Database Internals, Alex Petrov\n- Database Design & Implementation, Edward Sciore\n- How Query Engines Work, Andy Grove\nThese have been much more useful than IE the Cow book or \"DB Systems The Complete Book\" to me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Database Design & Implementation, Edward Sciore",
          "reason": "Listed among the books that stand out to the commenter and have been useful to them.",
          "audience": "People studying database development.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward Sciore"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "database design",
        "database systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "database-system-implementation-f1e14c",
      "title": "Database System Implementation",
      "author": "Hector Garcia-Molina, Jeffrey D. Ullman, and Jennifer Widom",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14487777,
          "author": "DoofusOfDeath",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T14:22:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487777",
          "commentText": "That's a good point; let me clarify.\nIt's definitely a good idea to have prior general knowledge of database internals before reading an \"internals\" book.\nI'm not sure if it's out of date, but my favorite book on the topic was \"Database System Implementation\" by Garcia-Molina et al.  I found it to be super-readable.\nWhat I like about the \"internals\" book is you get to see a real, specific database up close, warts and all.  It gives you a different perspective from an overview book like the one mentioned above.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "my favorite book on the topic was \"Database System Implementation\" by Garcia-Molina et al. I found it to be super-readable.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a favorite and says it is very readable.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an overview of database internals.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether it is out of date.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hector Garcia-Molina, Jeffrey D. Ullman, and Jennifer Widom"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "database internals",
        "database systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "databases-types-and-the-relational-model-2e0306",
      "title": "Databases, Types, and the Relational Model",
      "author": "C. J. Date",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14491019,
          "author": "cestith",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T19:53:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14491019",
          "commentText": "- The Practice of Programming ; Kernighan and Pike\n- The Advent of the Algorithm ; Berlinski\n- Engineering a Compiler ; Torczon and Cooper\n- Advanced Programming in the Unix Environment ; Stevens and Rago\n- Databases, Types, and the Relational Model ; Date\n- Code ; Petzold",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Databases, Types, and the Relational Model ; Date",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for language-agnostic programming books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "C. J. Date"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "database theory",
        "relational databases"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dataclysm-who-we-are-when-we-think-no-one-s-looking-1745d7",
      "title": "Dataclysm: Who We Are (When We Think No One's Looking)",
      "author": "Christian Rudder",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9348873,
          "author": "patricksanders",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:40:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348873",
          "commentText": "Dataclysm: Who We Are (When We Think No One's Looking) by Christian Rudder. An interesting peek into some of the data gathered by OkCupid, as well as an overall assessment of the power of data held by tech companies today.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Dataclysm: Who We Are (When We Think No One's Looking) by Christian Rudder. An interesting peek into some of the data gathered by OkCupid, as well as an overall assessment of the power of data held by tech companies today.",
          "reason": "Calls it an interesting peek at OkCupid data and the power of data held by tech companies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401322,
          "author": "cbovis",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:07:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401322",
          "commentText": "Recently read:\nFluent in 3 Months - Benny Lewis\nCurrently reading:\nThe Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger\nLooking forward to:\nDataclysm: Who We Are (When We Think No One's Looking)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Dataclysm: Who We Are (When We Think No One's Looking)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christian Rudder"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Society",
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "big data",
        "data analytics",
        "online behavior",
        "online dating"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "date-night-on-union-station-a5e0d6",
      "title": "Date Night on Union Station",
      "author": "E. M. Foner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15429938,
          "author": "pdfernhout",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T20:52:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15429938",
          "commentText": "The EarthCent Ambassador Series (12 books so far, all since 2014) feature a few different types of AI, the main one being the Strix. The Strix were created by an alien race to resist another AI created to fight a war but which got out of hand and had been taking over the galaxy. In the series the Strix keep the peace in a big chunk of the galaxy. I enjoy the series as fairly light and humorous reading where you know there will be a happy ending (if maybe \"Deus ex Strix\" sometimes). It indirectly raises some issue about what life would be like under a benevolent but superpowerful AI. The first one is \"Date Night on Union Station (EarthCent Ambassador #1)\" where one of the Strix decides to run a dating service... Humans in this series are the latest group to join \"the tunnel network\" run by the Strix and are essentially the most backward and naive species in the contacted galaxy; a lot of the stories revolve around humans gradually finding their footing on the galactic scene. I'm not sure I agree the market-driven exchange-based economic models in the series are feasible with so much technology and AI around, but I try to suspend disbelief on that for the humor and other enjoyable aspects.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The first one is \"Date Night on Union Station (EarthCent Ambassador #1)\"",
          "reason": "Identifies the first book in the series, which the commenter says they enjoy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has reservations about the series' economic models.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "E. M. Foner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "first contact",
        "humorous science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dawn-of-wonder-ae442e",
      "title": "Dawn of Wonder",
      "author": "Jonathan Renshaw",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34161496,
          "author": "psithurism",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T14:53:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161496",
          "commentText": "Sociology:\n- The Coddling of the American Mind\n- The Tao of Pooh\n- Guns, Germs, and Steel\n- Weapons of the Weak\nReligious:\n- Guru Granth Sahib\n- Bible (King James Version)\n- Q’uran\n- The Book of Mormon \n- Tipitaka\nFantasy:\n- Dawn of Wonder by Jonathan Renshaw\n- The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan \n- The Way of Kings series by Brandon Sanderson\n- Mistborn also by Brandon Sanderson\n- Red Rising by Pierce Brown\n- The Licanius trilogy by James Islington\n- Saga of the Forgotten Warrior series by Larry Correia\nBiography\n- John Adams by David McCullough",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Dawn of Wonder by Jonathan Renshaw",
          "reason": "Listed under fantasy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Renshaw"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dawn-of-the-new-everything-encounters-with-reality-and-virtual-re-2d47ff",
      "title": "Dawn of the New Everything: Encounters with Reality and Virtual Reality",
      "author": "Jaron Lanier",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22707666,
          "author": "didgeoridoo",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T22:59:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22707666",
          "commentText": "Top five, summaries easy enough to find via Amazon:\n- Turings’s Cathedral\n- The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood\n- A Mind at Play\n- The Victorian Internet\n- Dawn of the New Everything\nPlus two that I haven’t read but hear amazing things:\n- Mindstorms\n- Dream Machine",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Dawn of the New Everything",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jaron Lanier"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computing history",
        "virtual reality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "day-ef081d",
      "title": "Day",
      "author": "Kenneth Goldsmith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9356304,
          "author": "pdiddy",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-10T18:42:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9356304",
          "commentText": "Guy Davenport is the writer who resonates with me the most. If I had to choose one work it would be \"Wo es war, soll ich werden.\"\nKenneth Goldsmith's work, probably epitomized in the book Day, is what challenged me the most. It shook my ideas about what it means to be original and create art in the world today.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It shook my ideas about what it means to be original and create art in the world today.",
          "reason": "Says the book challenged their ideas about originality and creating art.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kenneth Goldsmith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "appropriation",
        "conceptual art"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "days-of-life-and-death-and-escape-to-the-moon-08c167",
      "title": "Days of Life and Death and Escape to the Moon",
      "author": "William Saroyan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43613568,
          "author": "josefritzishere",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T17:01:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43613568",
          "commentText": "I am a lifetime avid reader but  there are very few books I come back to and re-read. I guess the books which impact you the most aren't the ones you'd expect. Here are some that come to mind:\n*Novels in Three Lines* - Felix Feneon; like clever sarcastic haiku\n*Riddley Walker* - Russell Hoban; It's written in an imagined language making it completely and utterly immersive\n*Waiting for Nothing* - Tom Kromer; Great depression era destitution, and travel\n*Days of Life and Death and Escape to the Moon* - William Saroyan; In an era of great writers, Saroyan remains wildly under appreciated.\n*Really the Blues* - Mezz Mezzrow; Written in 1920s jive slang, it's emblematic of an era\n*The KLF* - John Higgs; The book is subtitled \"Chaos, Magic and the Band who Burned a Million Pounds\"  All those things are true and Higgs brilliantly tells the tale.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "*Days of Life and Death and Escape to the Moon* - William Saroyan",
          "reason": "The commenter says Saroyan remains widely underappreciated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Saroyan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "de-brevitate-vitae-a28876",
      "title": "De Brevitate Vitae",
      "author": "Seneca",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41239347,
          "author": "fabianholzer",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-13T20:18:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41239347",
          "commentText": "Senecas \"De brevitate vitae\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Senecas \"De brevitate vitae\"",
          "reason": "Named as a favorite classic in response to the request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Seneca"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient philosophy",
        "stoicism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "de-re-atari-fddfc5",
      "title": "De Re Atari",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28451698,
          "author": "karmakaze",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-08T00:59:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 28450555,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that impacted your work that few other people seem to care about?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28451698",
          "commentText": "Not so much unpopular as it was rare at the time: De Re Atari. It was the first really complete reference for the computer I was using in my teen years. There wasn't too much mystery left between the silicon and what I saw on the screen (glossing over how display list processor worked in h/w). That led to my growing as a developer that always wanted to know how things really work and tinker with everything.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "De Re Atari",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was a complete reference for the computer they used as a teenager, shaping their desire to understand and tinker with systems.",
          "audience": "Atari computer users interested in hardware and software internals.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "atari",
        "computer hardware",
        "technical reference"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dead-astronauts-8379e9",
      "title": "Dead Astronauts",
      "author": "Jeff VanderMeer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38573009,
          "author": "unaindz",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T19:21:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38573009",
          "commentText": "Last year Annihilation and the rest of the trilogy rekindled my passion for reading after almost a decade.\nVandemeer really has a way with words but specifically in this novel he manages to describe what I though was indescribable.\nIt was only fair that I tried another one of his trilogies, Borne, The Strange Bird and Dead Astronauts.\nWith Borne being pretty normal (for Vandermeer standards) and the other two reading like pretty ramblings at times if you lack the context. I still loved them but they may not be for everyone.\nYou should read them in the order above so that you have as many pieces of the prose puzzle when you reach Dead Astronauts. But even if you end up not liking the writing of the last two books, Borne can still be enjoyed independently.\nAs for this year. \n\"Blood music\" by Greg Bear.\nBiology scify with a pretty weird concept.\n\"Firefall\" trilogy by Peter Watts\nUsually a scify story revolvs around one core idea, this one does too, but it kept surprising me with new secondary but interesting ones until the end.\nRead The Colonel between the two main books.\n\"Rifters\" trilogy by Peter Watts\nExploring sexual abuse, empathy\n\"Story of Your Life\" by Ted Chiang\nShort story about a linguist learning the recently arrived aliens language. Liked the humor depicting the different perspectives between scientists and military. Pretty emotional.\nI'm not sure what it tells about me but all of these are bittersweet scify with good prose.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Borne, The Strange Bird and Dead Astronauts.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they loved it, while noting that it can read like rambling without context.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "May read like rambling without context; read after Borne and The Strange Bird for context.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeff VanderMeer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biopunk",
        "weird fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dead-man-s-land-e3e5b3",
      "title": "Dead Man's Land",
      "author": "Robert Ryan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783919,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:07:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783919",
          "commentText": "[cont'd]\nMichael Frayn, Democracy. A compulsively readable play about an episode in the politics of West Germany in the 1970s, a subject I didn't know could be made so interesting to me. Superb.\nMichael Flynn, Eifelheim. Excellent and profound SF/historical novel about aliens crashing in the Germany of the Middle Ages, and how that would work out. Avoids cheap tricks, very strong on historical research and verisimilitude.\nRoss Thomas, The Cold War Swap, Cast a Yellow Shadow, Chinaman's Chance. Very well-written thrillers, typically stories about spying or political corruption. I'm usually bored by this genre, couldn't put these down. Will read more by this (hitherto unknown to me) author.\nUrsula K. Le Guin, The Wizard of Earthsea. (reread) Still as good as I remembered it to be.\nP.K.Dick, The Man in the High Castle. (reread) Very inventive and weird in a good way, but I wish the characters would be a little different (everyone is the same highly neurotic mouthpiece for the author), and the obsession with I Ching does nothing for me. Still worth reading.\nRobert Ryan, Dead Man's Land. A Sherlock Holmes novel in which 90% of the action is with John Watson rejoining the Army to help in World War I at his late middle age, and Holmes appears only briefly. Works quite well. Very detailed on day-to-day trench warfare and medicine at the front.\nMichael Frayn, Noises Off. A funny short play, very meta, not as good as his \"Democracy\".\nNeil Gaiman, The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Better than his two long novels of the 2000s. A self-contained fairy tale, fun to read and well-written, but not beyond that. Gaiman's unsurpassed masterpiece, to me, is still The Sandman.\nMichael Swansick, Chasing the Phoenix. SF, set on a future Earth where computers and electronic communication are outlawed following problems with runaway AIs, but there's lots of high technology (e.g. genetics) otherwise. Funny and amusing, a light read.\n[edit: deleted about 20 books I didn't like or hated]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Robert Ryan, Dead Man's Land. A Sherlock Holmes novel in which 90% of the action is with John Watson rejoining the Army to help in World War I at his late middle age, and Holmes appears only briefly. Works quite well. Very detailed on day-to-day trench warfare and medicine at the front.",
          "reason": "Says it works quite well and praises its detailed portrayal of trench warfare and medicine.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Sherlock Holmes appears only briefly.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Ryan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical mystery",
        "sherlock holmes",
        "world war i"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dead-mountain-06a971",
      "title": "Dead Mountain",
      "author": "Donnie Eichar",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268905,
          "author": "massung",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:14:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268905",
          "commentText": "My reads this read, which I enjoyed:\n- Dead Mountain by Donnie Eichar (an examination of the Dyatlov Expedition).\n- Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (fantasy).\n- Be Useful by Arnold Schwarzenegger.\n- Black Hawk Down by Mark Bowden.\nHopefully the other responses here give me something good to read for Christmas break. :-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dead Mountain by Donnie Eichar (an examination of the Dyatlov Expedition).",
          "reason": "Lists it among books they enjoyed this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donnie Eichar"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dyatlov pass incident",
        "investigative nonfiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dead-souls-738a69",
      "title": "Dead Souls",
      "author": "Nikolai Gogol",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15960156,
          "author": "robin_reala",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T13:51:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15960156",
          "commentText": "Fiction? I started contributing to https://standardebooks.org/ and discovered Gogol’s Dead Souls and Strindberg’s The Red Room in the process as new favourite classics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "discovered Gogol’s Dead Souls and Strindberg’s The Red Room in the process as new favourite classics.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a new favorite classic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nikolai Gogol"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "russian literature",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dead-wake-the-last-crossing-of-the-lusitania-7138fd",
      "title": "Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania",
      "author": "Erik Larson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10785428,
          "author": "ycom13__",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:23:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785428",
          "commentText": "Here are all the ones I read this year\n  A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire) by George R. R. Martin\n  A Feast for Crows: A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) by George R.R. Martin\n  The Confident Speaker: Beat Your Nerves and Communicate at Your Best in Any Situation by Harrison Monarth\n  House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewsk\n  To the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War by Jeff Shaara \n  Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson\n  Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader by Brent Schlender\n  George Washington's Secret Six: The Spy Ring That Saved the American Revolution by Brian Kilmeade\n  Think Like a Freak: The Authors of Freakonomics Offer to Retrain Your Brain by Steven D. Levitt\n  Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance\n  Finders Keepers: A Novel by Stephen King\n  The Guns of August: The Pulitzer Prize-Winning Classic About the Outbreak of World War I by Barbara W. Tuchman\n  The Wright Brothers by David McCullough\n  Seveneves: A Novel by Neal Stephenson\n  The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson\n  Hitler's Last Day: Minute by Minute by Emma Craigie\n  The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins\n  Robopocalypse: A Novel (Vintage Contemporaries) by Daniel H. Wilson\n  Robogenesis by Daniel H. Wilson\n  In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick\n\n\n\nMy 5 favorite ones from that list are\n  In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick\n  Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance\n  To the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War by Jeff Shaara \n  Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson\n  The Wright Brothers by David McCullough",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson",
          "reason": "Included in the list and later named among the commenter's five favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Erik Larson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "lusitania",
        "world war i"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "deadly-times-the-1910-bombing-of-the-los-angeles-times-and-americ-2c46c0",
      "title": "Deadly Times: The 1910 Bombing of the Los Angeles Times and America's Forgotten Decade of Terror",
      "author": "Lew Irwin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38556496,
          "author": "CharleFKane",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T14:09:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38556496",
          "commentText": "Deadly Times: The 1910 Bombing of the Los Angeles Times and America's Forgotten Decade of Terror, Lew Irwin\nRiver of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile, Candice Millard\nThe Fleet That Had To Die,  Richard Hough\nTrapped Under the Sea: One Engineering Marvel, Five Men, and a Disaster Ten Miles Into the Darkness, Neil Swidey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Deadly Times: The 1910 Bombing of the Los Angeles Times and America's Forgotten Decade of Terror, Lew Irwin",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lew Irwin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "labor history",
        "los angeles"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "deal-terms-the-finer-points-of-venture-capital-deal-structures-va-d3f48a",
      "title": "Deal Terms: The Finer Points of Venture Capital Deal Structures, Valuations, Term Sheets, Stock Options and Getting VC Deals Done",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 601056,
          "author": "emilam",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-09T16:07:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 600953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on the nuts and bolts of starting up",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=601056",
          "commentText": "\"Term Sheets & Valuations - A Line by Line Look at the Intricacies of Venture Capital Term Sheets & Valuations\"\nand\n\"Deal Terms - The Finer Points of Venture Capital Deal Structures, Valuations, Term Sheets, Stock Options and Getting VC Deals Done (Inside the Minds)\"\nBoth are great books. I would read Term Sheets first, but Deal Terms has a lot of great information when you are getting ready to do VC funding. I guess that is if you do VC funding.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Both are great books. I would read Term Sheets first, but Deal Terms has a lot of great information when you are getting ready to do VC funding. I guess that is if you do VC funding.",
          "reason": "Described as having useful information for preparing to raise venture capital.",
          "audience": "People getting ready to pursue VC funding.",
          "caveat": "Useful if you do VC funding.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "startup finance",
        "term sheets",
        "venture capital"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dealers-of-lightning-1121ca",
      "title": "Dealers of Lightning",
      "author": "Michael Hiltzik",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 192237,
          "author": "asnyder",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-16T21:09:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=192237",
          "commentText": "1.\"The Long Tail\" by Chris Anderson\n2.\"Super Crunchers\" by Ian Ayres\n3.\"Six Great Scientists\" by J.G Crowther\n4.\"The Meaning of It All\" by Richard Feynman\n5.\"Dealers of Lightning\"(The story of XEROX Parc) by Michael Hiltzik \n6.\"What I Believe\" by Betrand Russell\nThe above titles can all be found at audible.com, and probably through itunes too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Dealers of Lightning\"(The story of XEROX Parc) by Michael Hiltzik",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Hiltzik"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "xerox parc"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dealers-of-lightning-xerox-parc-and-the-dawn-of-the-computer-age-f5d3b0",
      "title": "Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 621384,
          "author": "dbrush",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-22T00:43:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621384",
          "commentText": "Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer history",
        "xerox parc"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dear-founder-4bd660",
      "title": "Dear Founder",
      "author": "Maynard Webb",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Maynard Webb"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "founders",
        "leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dear-marcus-a77c7a",
      "title": "Dear Marcus",
      "author": "Jerry McGill",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6918222,
          "author": "o_nate",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-16T22:15:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6918222",
          "commentText": "One of these:\nRobert Bellah - Religion in Human Evolution\nFrank Kogan - Real Punks Don't Wear Black\nJerry McGill - Dear Marcus\nMark Kurlansky - The Big Oyster",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jerry McGill - Dear Marcus",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jerry McGill"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "disability",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "death-b8baa7",
      "title": "Death",
      "author": "Terry Pratchett",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17544903,
          "author": "NeedMoreTea",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T20:42:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17544903",
          "commentText": "Personally I found the witches arc the slowest to get in to. It's too long ago to remember why I found that, but they sat unfinished. I've read them all several times now, and enjoy them, but only after I'd thoroughly got into the rest of Discworld.\nThe City Watch sub-series is my favourite with the Death arc a close second. laurentl already made recommendation on City Watch, if you want to try the Death arc Mort is the first.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "with the Death arc a close second",
          "reason": "The commenter ranks the Death arc a close second to City Watch and suggests starting with Mort.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry Pratchett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "death-comes-for-the-archbishop-43aaae",
      "title": "Death Comes for the Archbishop",
      "author": "Willa Cather",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41240816,
          "author": "bikenaga",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-13T23:14:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41240816",
          "commentText": "Someone else mentioned Thomas Hardy's \"The Mayor of Casterbirdge\". It's the one of his 5 major novels I haven't read. \"Far From the Madding Crowd\" and \"Return of the Native\" are okay, but the two that really are magnificent are:\n\"Jude the Obscure\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/153\n\"Tess of the D'Urbervilles\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/110\nYou can sense his fury at the society he was depicting. You might not want to read either of these, particularly \"Tess\", if you're prone to depression.\nFrederick Jackson Turner, \"The Frontier in American History\" (1921) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/22994\nThis collection leads off with Turner's essay \"The Significance of the Frontier in American History\" (1893). It's considered by some the most influential historical essay about America ever written. Historians went back and forth on his claims for decades, and people pointed out many issues with them. It seems like the critics predominate now. But it's still worth reading, particularly since (right or wrong) his ideas influenced the way we think of ourselves. Turner was a very good writer - he was a noted orator, and his essays have an oratorical quality - and the other essays in the collection are pretty good, too.\nOwen Wister, \"The Virginian\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1298\nZane Grey, \"Riders of the Purple Sage\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1300\nAnd the sequel: \"The Rainbow Trail\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/5067\n\"The Virginian\" (1902) and \"Riders\" (1912) established many of the themes and tropes for the \"standard\" western, and they're still fun to read. But the genre comprises many other kinds of writing - e.g. A. B. Guthrie, Elmer Kelton, and the next writer.\nWilla Cather's novels:\nThe \"plains trilogy\" (the stories are set in Nebraska and Colorado, but otherwise unrelated):\n\"O Pioneers!\" (1913) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/24\n\"The Song of the Lark\" (1915) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/44\n\"My Ántonia\" (1918) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19810\nAnd not quite a hundred years ago, but a wonderful novel:\n\"Death Comes for the Archbishop\" (1927) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/69730\nA few brief mentions: James Joyce's \"Ulysses\", though I had a tough time getting through it; some of Nathaniel Hawthorne's short stories (e.g. \"The Minister's Black Veil\"); \"Njal's Saga\" (I liked the Penguin edition with the translation by Magnusson and Pallson); the great works of classic fantasy (Lord Dunsany, E. R. Eddison, William Morris, Arthur Machen); the essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Death Comes for the Archbishop\" (1927)",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a wonderful novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Willa Cather"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american southwest",
        "historical novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "death-by-meeting-ea42a8",
      "title": "Death by Meeting",
      "author": "Patrick Lencioni",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43952248,
          "author": "varlock",
          "createdAt": "2025-05-11T08:12:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 43949411,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fictional business books like The Goal",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43952248",
          "commentText": "Another one by the same author, which I heartily recommend, is \"The Ideal Team Player\".\nRead it many years ago, and I still use it as a basic framework when I interview candidates (in a nutshell, you want someone humble, hungry, and smart).\nI personally wouldn't recommend \"Death by Meeting\", though.\nMaybe it's just because it didn't resonate much with me, so YMMV.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I personally wouldn't recommend \"Death by Meeting\", though.",
          "reason": "It did not resonate much with the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says your mileage may vary.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10787209,
          "author": "theologic",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T05:16:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787209",
          "commentText": "Got a new job in May so slowed me down, but got through around 8 this year.\nI'm a Lencioni fan:\nDeath by Meeting --  Describes 3 types of meetings\nGetting Naked -- Describes how to consult\nI'm also a Marshall Goldsmith fan:\nWhat Got You Here Won't Get You There -  Once you get beyond a Director level with some mistakes, read this book\nMojo, How to Get It, How To Keep It - Another \"look yourself in the mirror\" book\nAlso:\n21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership  - John Maxwell. A little prod to act more like a leader.\nReady Player One -- Ernest Cline, Great Young Adult Book.  Escapist fantasy.\nEvery Shot Counts -- Mark Broady, Statistical Look At Golf, but has some smell of Kahnemann\nTo Kill A Mockingbird -- Timeless Classic I Never Got To.  Loved Atticus.  I won't read a Watchman if it spoils my view of what Atticus was all about.\nStarted But Not Finished:\nBusiness Dynamics Thinking -- Sterman (out of MIT). I need to take off work to read this 'cause it is so massive.  Basically it is control theory applied to business modelling.  However, I am convinced if somebody can apply these models, it really is the best competitive advantage.  However, too people willing to stick with it.\nHow to Measure Anything -- Douglas Hubbard.  Sort of makes me mad because it is so commonsense, yet most businesses don't apply this commonsense approach.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Death by Meeting --  Describes 3 types of meetings",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5501644,
          "author": "timo614",
          "createdAt": "2013-04-05T23:17:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 5501062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Business Book For a 13-year-old Girl?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5501644",
          "commentText": "It really depends on what facet of business you think she'd be interested in.\nTo be honest I think better than any specific business resource out there would be to just get her on the path to building the core skills she'll use later on in life. She's already got that started with her vending business which is great. I think pushing her towards taking on some school activities may be great too. Things where she can help organize events and fundraisers and really contribute to a group.\nAs for my favorite books on business I would suggest for a 13 year old:\n\"Death by Meeting\" The author describes a fictional company that is terrible at conducting meetings until the main character comes and helps address the issues. I know she's not really running meetings at the moment so this may be of less use to her until she has others working along side her. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0787968056\nI also agree that \"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" is an excellent book. I grew up with social anxiety disorder and it was one of the books that really broke me out of my shell and gave me the confidence to really push past it. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0671723650\nAnother book I found pretty interesting was \"Win the Crowd.\" While not a 'business' book, per se, it goes into how to really grab your audience's attention and hold it.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060742054\nLastly \"Secrets of Powers Negotiating\" is an interesting book I'd suggest she take a look at. There are endless applications to negotiation in business from sales to even negotiating your first salary. \nhttp://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Power-Negotiating-15th-Anniver... (http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Power-Negotiating-15th-Anniversary/dp/1601631391)\nJust some ideas -- hope it helps!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I would suggest for a 13 year old: \"Death by Meeting\"",
          "reason": "Suggested for a 13-year-old, though the commenter says it may be less useful until she works with others.",
          "audience": "A 13-year-old who may later run meetings or work with others.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may be of less use until she has others working alongside her.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Patrick Lencioni"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "meetings",
        "team management",
        "management",
        "teamwork"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "death-on-the-ice-797537",
      "title": "Death on the Ice",
      "author": "Cassie Brown and Harold Horwood",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40878193,
          "author": "hluska",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-04T21:29:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40878193",
          "commentText": "Death on the Ice - Cassie Brown and Harold Horwood.\nGoing in, you know things are going to end badly. The foreshadowing is so deep that it gets painful to turn pages as you watch everyone make mistakes that would condemn all those men to death. But the two days on the ice?? I read a lot and have read some truly painful books, but some of those stories still haunt me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Death on the Ice - Cassie Brown and Harold Horwood.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes its tragic events and says parts of the story still haunt them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is painful to read and that the story is haunting.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cassie Brown",
        "Harold Horwood"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "maritime disaster",
        "newfoundland history",
        "survival"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "death-with-interruptions-e7b1b7",
      "title": "Death with Interruptions",
      "author": "José Saramago",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8125530,
          "author": "mbillie1",
          "createdAt": "2014-08-02T18:23:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 8125375,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I save for offline reading during 5 weeks without Internet?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8125530",
          "commentText": "I've always enjoyed fiction in situations like yours. Iain M. Banks has some accessible but interesting sci-fi (recommendations: Consider Phlebas, Use of Weapons), and it's hard to go wrong with anything Jose Saramago wrote (recommendations: All the Names, Blindness, Death With Interruptions).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "recommendations: All the Names, Blindness, Death With Interruptions",
          "reason": "Recommended as an example of Saramago's work that is hard to go wrong with.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for literary fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "José Saramago"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "death-s-end-a94d93",
      "title": "Death's End",
      "author": "Cixin Liu",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40438122,
          "author": "andrei_says_",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-22T07:04:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40438122",
          "commentText": "Reading Death’s End and loving it (2nd book in the Three Body Problem series).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Reading Death’s End and loving it",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are loving the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cixin Liu"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cosmic science fiction",
        "first contact"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "debug-it-cbe562",
      "title": "Debug It!",
      "author": "Paul Butcher",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9243005,
          "author": "lylejohnson",
          "createdAt": "2015-03-21T15:34:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 9242384,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on debugging?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9243005",
          "commentText": "I have read it, and it's quite good. Was about to post the link myself until I saw that you had.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I have read it, and it's quite good.",
          "reason": "Says the book is quite good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9242975,
          "author": "joefreeman",
          "createdAt": "2015-03-21T15:28:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 9242384,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on debugging?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9242975",
          "commentText": "I haven't read it, but a really smart ex-colleague is the author of 'Debug It': https://pragprog.com/book/pbdp/debug-it",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I haven't read it, but a really smart ex-colleague is the author of 'Debug It'",
          "reason": "Mentions the book because a former colleague wrote it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have not read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Butcher"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software debugging"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "debugging-applications-13fd3b",
      "title": "Debugging Applications",
      "author": "John Robbins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9243023,
          "author": "adolgert",
          "createdAt": "2015-03-21T15:40:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 9242384,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on debugging?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9243023",
          "commentText": "\"Debugging Applications\" by John Robbins is an old MS Press book, now 43 cents on Amazon, that covers everything from high level code structure to a nice primer on reading x86 assembly. I have more recent books, but this is the one that taught me to gird my coding loins for a fight.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Debugging Applications\" by John Robbins is an old MS Press book",
          "reason": "Says this was the book that taught them to prepare for the challenges of coding.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes it as an old book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Robbins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software debugging",
        "x86 assembly"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "debugging-c-884502",
      "title": "Debugging C",
      "author": "Robert Ward",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9243980,
          "author": "MichaelCrawford",
          "createdAt": "2015-03-21T19:51:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 9242384,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on debugging?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9243980",
          "commentText": "Robert Ward, \"Debugging C\".  There is a second edition with a somewhat different title that I have not read, but expect would be good.\nHe emphasizes the use of the scientific method - observe your program's behavior, form a hypothesis as to what the bug could be, design an experiment to test your hypothesis.  Just learning to be methodical rather than thrashing around mindlessly helped me tremendously.\nIt's out of print but I expect you could find it on Alibris.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Robert Ward, \"Debugging C\". There is a second edition with a somewhat different title that I have not read, but expect would be good.",
          "reason": "Says learning its methodical approach to debugging helped them tremendously.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read the second edition and only expects it would be good.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Ward"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming",
        "scientific method",
        "software debugging"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "decalogo-della-complessita-f992e5",
      "title": "Decalogo della complessità",
      "author": "Alberto Felice De Toni",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49766196,
          "author": "romerocarlos",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-19T12:54:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 49724691,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most career altering course or book you have gone through?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49766196",
          "commentText": "For me, a real gem though I don't usually recommend it since it's only in Italian is Decalogo della complessità by Alberto Felice De Toni.\nAnd the other one was Thinking, Fast and Slow by psychologist Daniel Kahneman.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Decalogo della complessità by Alberto Felice De Toni.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a real gem.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter usually does not recommend it because it is only in Italian.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alberto Felice De Toni"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "complexity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "deception-point-3c9ddd",
      "title": "Deception Point",
      "author": "Dan Brown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 85950,
          "author": "jsb",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T15:16:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85950",
          "commentText": "1984 (George Orwell)\nThe Four Hour Work Week (Tim Ferriss)\nGetting Things Done (David Allen)\nDeception Point (Dan Brown)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Deception Point (Dan Brown)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Brown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political intrigue",
        "thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "decline-of-the-west-0e7f44",
      "title": "Decline of the West",
      "author": "Oswald Spengler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40297638,
          "author": "unraveller",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-08T13:02:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40297638",
          "commentText": "Jacques Barzun - From Dawn to Decadence: 500 Years of Western Cultural Life 1500 to the Present (2001)\nThe Ancient City by Numa Denis Fustel de Coulanges (1864)\nIntellectuals By Paul Johnson\nDaniel J. Boorstin - The Discoverers\nThe Great Courses - The Industrial Revolution (audiobook/lectures)\nDecline of the West - Spengler",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Decline of the West - Spengler",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Oswald Spengler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "philosophy of history"
      ],
      "purposes": []
    },
    {
      "id": "decoding-reality-the-universe-as-quantum-information-e3e70f",
      "title": "Decoding Reality: The Universe as Quantum Information",
      "author": "Vlatko Vedral",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6898789,
          "author": "thenerdfiles",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T02:50:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6898789",
          "commentText": "Decoding Reality: The Universe as Quantum Information.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Decoding Reality: The Universe as Quantum Information.",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the question asking for the best book read in 2013.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vlatko Vedral"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "quantum information",
        "reality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "deep-learning-b12d64",
      "title": "Deep Learning",
      "author": "Ian Goodfellow, Yoshua Bengio, Aaron Courville",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13408039,
          "author": "jrbedard",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T03:31:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13408039",
          "commentText": "Deep Learning (Adaptive Computation and Machine Learning series) by Ian Goodfellow, Yoshua Bengio, Aaron Courville\nCame out in November 2016. Split in 3 parts:\nPart I: Applied Math and Machine Learning Basics (Linear Algebra, Probability and Information Theory, Numerical computation)\nPart II: Deep Networks: Modern Practices (Deep Feedforward Networks, Regularization, CNNs, RNNs, Practical Methodology & Applications)\nPart III: Deep Learning Research (Linear Factor Models, Autoencoders, Representation Learning, Structured Probabilistic Models, Monte Carlo Methods, Inference, Partition Function, Deep Generative Models)\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Deep-Learning-Adaptive-Computation-Ma... (https://www.amazon.com/Deep-Learning-Adaptive-Computation-Machine/dp/0262035618)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Deep Learning (Adaptive Computation and Machine Learning series) by Ian Goodfellow, Yoshua Bengio, Aaron Courville",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ian Goodfellow, Yoshua Bengio, Aaron Courville"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "deep learning",
        "machine learning",
        "neural networks"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "deep-learning-and-the-game-of-go-688394",
      "title": "Deep Learning and the Game of Go",
      "author": "Max Pumperla and Kevin Ferguson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22300143,
          "author": "jhbadger",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-11T17:12:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22300143",
          "commentText": "I liked \"Deep Learning and the Game of Go\" (by Max Pumperla and Kevin Ferguson). You actually create an AI Go player, one which may not be quite on the level of AlphaGo, but one that is probably better than any traditional min-max based player that was the state of the art until recently.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Deep Learning and the Game of Go\" (by Max Pumperla and Kevin Ferguson).",
          "reason": "The commenter liked it and says readers build an AI Go player.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The resulting player may not match AlphaGo, though the commenter says it likely surpasses traditional minimax players.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Max Pumperla",
        "Kevin Ferguson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "deep learning",
        "game programming",
        "go ai"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "deep-learning-for-coders-with-fastai-and-pytorch-afbeb8",
      "title": "Deep Learning for Coders with fastai and PyTorch",
      "author": "Jeremy Howard and Sylvain Gugger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27628645,
          "author": "nindalf",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T09:20:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27628645",
          "commentText": "I'm planning to read\n- Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (SICP). A classic.\n- Crafting Interpreters. Intro to compilers for me.\n- Deep Learning for Coders with Fastai and PyTorch.\nThere's some other books in there too, but I'd be really happy if I finished these. I don't have a degree in CS, and most of what I know is self taught. My goal here is to fill in gaps in my knowledge as best I can.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Deep Learning for Coders with Fastai and PyTorch.",
          "reason": "Listed among the books the commenter plans to read.",
          "audience": "A self-taught reader seeking to fill gaps in computer science knowledge.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeremy Howard",
        "Sylvain Gugger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "deep learning",
        "pytorch"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "deep-learning-for-coders-with-fastai-and-pytorch-ai-applications--a87a69",
      "title": "Deep Learning for Coders with fastai and PyTorch: AI Applications Without a PhD",
      "author": "Jeremy Howard and Sylvain Gugger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32793904,
          "author": "ipnon",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T19:33:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32793904",
          "commentText": "“Deep Learning for Coders with Fastai and PyTorch: AI Applications Without a PhD” will allow you to design and implement deep learning models with only good programming skill. Basic maths, no algorithms, no proofs. Howard’s paper on ULMFiT was state of the art 5 years ago, and it was originally just a part of this book. My claim is that this will be considered a classic in due time. It turns deep learning from an academic discipline into programming problems.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Deep Learning for Coders with Fastai and PyTorch: AI Applications Without a PhD”",
          "reason": "Said to teach designing and implementing deep learning models with programming skills and basic math, without algorithms or proofs.",
          "audience": "Programmers with good coding skills and basic math.",
          "caveat": "The commenter predicts it will become a classic; that is a prediction, not an established fact.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeremy Howard",
        "Sylvain Gugger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "deep learning",
        "fastai",
        "pytorch"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "deep-learning-a-visual-approach-7ee5d4",
      "title": "Deep Learning: A Visual Approach",
      "author": "Andrew Glassner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29669795,
          "author": "icosahedron",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T03:27:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29669795",
          "commentText": "I didn't read as much as I normally do, mostly due to school, but I really enjoyed \"The Midnight Library\" and \"Recursion\" for fiction.\nI am mostly done with Antifragile, and it's pulling me between political and philosophical sides.  Don't know which side I'll land on, or how long I'll stay there.\nAs a side note, I've found \"Deep Learning: A Visual Approach\" to be very instructive.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've found \"Deep Learning: A Visual Approach\" to be very instructive.",
          "reason": "Calls it very instructive.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew Glassner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "deep learning",
        "neural networks"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "deep-simplicity-bringing-order-to-chaos-and-complexity-bf0c3a",
      "title": "Deep Simplicity: Bringing Order to Chaos and Complexity",
      "author": "John Gribbin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3277935,
          "author": "maxprogram",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T19:12:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3277935",
          "commentText": "\"Streetlights and Shadows: Searching for the Keys to Adaptive Decision Making\", Gary Klein\n\"Normal Accidents: Living with High-Risk Technologies\", Charles Perrow\n\"Chaos: Making a New Science\", James Gleick\n\"Filters Against Folly\", Garrett James Hardin\n\"Judgment in Managerial Decision Making\", Max Bazerman\n\"Deep Simplicity: Bringing Order to Chaos and Complexity\", John Gribben",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Deep Simplicity: Bringing Order to Chaos and Complexity\", John Gribben",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books about thinking and cognition.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Gribbin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "complexity",
        "emergence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "deep-six-ab10ea",
      "title": "Deep Six",
      "author": "Paolo Bacigalupi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056497,
          "author": "TimSAstro",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:09:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056497",
          "commentText": "'Deep Six' (short story anthology) and 'Wind-up Girl' by Paolo Bacigalupi.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Deep Six' (short story anthology)",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about favorite science fiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter identifies it as a short story anthology.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paolo Bacigalupi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "deep-south-four-seasons-on-back-roads-f680a6",
      "title": "Deep South: Four Seasons on Back Roads",
      "author": "Paul Theroux",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17520386,
          "author": "saryant",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T03:44:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17520386",
          "commentText": "1) Devil Take the Hindmost: A History of Financial Speculation by Edward Chancellor\nEverything from the tulip craze to the dotcom boom.\n2) If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look On My Face? by Alan Alda\nAlan Alda of MASH fame teaches you how to build more empathy and improve your communication skills.\n3) Bad Blood by James Carreyou\nTheranos.  Enough said.\n4) Directorate S: The C.I.A. and America's Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan by Steve Coll\nI think of this as the last book in Coll's unofficial trilogy on Afghanistan.  First up was Ghost Wars, a history of American involvement in Afghanistan from the Soviet invasion up to 2001.  Second is his biography on the Bin Laden family.  Last year he released Directorate S, a chronicle of American and Pakistani involvement post-9/11 primarily told through the lens of the Pakistani intelligence directorate tasked with influencing Afghanistan.\nColl has interviews with everyone from in-country CIA agents and foot soldiers who were on the ground all the way up to defense secretaries and military leaders, from both sides.  An in-depth examination of what went wrong and why we're still stuck there.\n5) Deep South: Four Seasons on Back Roads by Paul Theroux.\nThe greatest travel writer of the last half-century finally turns his attention homeward: the American Deep South.  Four road trips over four seasons.  He published an article in Smithsonian Magazine hitting the highlights: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/soul-south-180951861/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Deep South: Four Seasons on Back Roads by Paul Theroux.\nThe greatest travel writer of the last half-century finally turns his attention homeward: the American Deep South.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises Theroux and presents the book in a recent reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Theroux"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Society",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american south",
        "travel writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "deep-survival-who-lives-who-dies-and-why-83e483",
      "title": "Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why",
      "author": "Laurence Gonzales",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8401532,
          "author": "tustlem",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:34:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401532",
          "commentText": "Read:\nDeep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why by Laurence Gonzales (This was a great read),\nThe Painter by Peter Heller (Interesting novel),\nEssentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown (Good ideas and content, repeats a lot)\nCurrently reading:\nThe Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham,\nA Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William Irvine,\nInto Thin Air by Jon Krakauer\nEdit: reformatted for clarity.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why by Laurence Gonzales (This was a great read)",
          "reason": "Describes it as a great read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Laurence Gonzales"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "survival"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "deep-thinking-a31254",
      "title": "Deep Thinking",
      "author": "Garry Kasparov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14859638,
          "author": "ronald_raygun",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T19:54:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859638",
          "commentText": "I'm reading a few. The Power Broker (really good, but really long). The dictators handbook (good, but repetitive). Deep thinking (easy and enjoyable if you're interested in AI). Investment Science (very good if you're interested in math finance).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Deep thinking (easy and enjoyable if you're interested in AI).",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as easy and enjoyable for readers interested in AI.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in AI.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Garry Kasparov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "chess"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "defensive-design-for-the-web-how-to-improve-error-messages-help-f-72b2dd",
      "title": "Defensive Design for the Web: How to Improve Error Messages, Help, Forms, and Other Crisis Points",
      "author": "37signals",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 296061,
          "author": "radley",
          "createdAt": "2008-09-05T17:20:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 295871,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HC: Which books on user interface design do you wish your CEO/Cofounders would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=296061",
          "commentText": "Often, Interaction Design gets lumped in with Interface Design (or simply overlooked). For this I suggest:\n\"Submit Now: Designing Persuasive Web Sites\" by Andrew Chak (2003)\n• Similar to \"Don't Make me Think\", but focuses more on personal interaction & choices more than layout.\n\"Defensive Design for the Web: How to improve error messages, help, forms, and other crisis points\" by 37 Signals (2004)\n• Error management (not just 404s) is one of the most overlooked UI portions of a web project and are often left up to the developers to \"figure out\".\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Submit-Now-Designing-Persuasive-VOICES... (http://www.amazon.com/Submit-Now-Designing-Persuasive-VOICES/dp/0735711704/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1220633479&sr=8-1)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Defensive-Design-Web-improve-messages/... (http://www.amazon.com/Defensive-Design-Web-improve-messages/dp/073571410X/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1220633462&sr=8-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Defensive Design for the Web: How to improve error messages, help, forms, and other crisis points\" by 37 Signals (2004)\n• Error management (not just 404s) is one of the most overlooked UI portions of a web project",
          "reason": "Suggested for its coverage of often-overlooked error management in web interfaces.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "37signals"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "error handling",
        "forms",
        "web design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "definitely-maybe-e722e4",
      "title": "Definitely Maybe",
      "author": "Arkady and Boris Strugatsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28067824,
          "author": "minnca",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T23:35:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28067824",
          "commentText": "Ken Liu has some excellent short stories. His collection The Paper Menagerie from a few years ago was particularly great. (The titular short story won a Hugo.) He also translated the first and third books in the Three-Body Problem series.\nTed Chiang is another great SF short story writer.\nDefinitely Maybe by the Strugatsky brother is excellent – though it was published in the 70s so maybe not \"modern.\"\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Definitely_Maybe_%28novel%29",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Definitely Maybe by the Strugatsky brother is excellent",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it excellent, while noting it may not count as modern.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Published in the 1970s, so it may not be modern.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arkady Strugatsky",
        "Boris Strugatsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "soviet science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "deitel-programming-books-8b0312",
      "title": "Deitel programming books",
      "author": "Paul Deitel and Harvey Deitel",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34425414,
          "author": "smckk",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-18T11:05:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 34412069,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach programming by building a series of small projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34425414",
          "commentText": "I recommend the Deitel[0] series for Python and C family languages like Java, C# etc.\nWith hundreds of complete examples to follow (not code snippets) and exercises to challenge you, you will do better with these books as a beginner.\nMy strategy is to get to the 10th chapter of the book skipping the exercises, then go back and try them with a better overall understanding of the language and its nuances.\nGreat series.\n[0] https://deitel.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend the Deitel[0] series for Python and C family languages like Java, C# etc.",
          "reason": "Recommends the series for beginners, citing complete examples and exercises.",
          "audience": "Beginners learning Python, Java, C#, or related languages.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Deitel",
        "Harvey Deitel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "java",
        "programming",
        "python"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "delay-don-t-deny-living-an-intermittent-fasting-lifestyle-326cd8",
      "title": "Delay, Don't Deny: Living an Intermittent Fasting Lifestyle",
      "author": "Gin Stephens",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21803513,
          "author": "MonkeyIsNull",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:10:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803513",
          "commentText": "He did write The Complete Guide to Fasting, which is excellent and covers all the science behind it. \nThere is also Delay, Don't Deny: Living an Intermittent Fasting Lifestyle by Gin Stephens which is basically One Meal a Day, however she includes links to all the reports to everything she talks about in the book and yes, she actually read them and encourages others to do the same, not just believe what she says.\nThere's always the fasting subreddit's wiki that has links to other info: https://www.reddit.com/r/fasting/wiki/fasting_in_a_nutshell",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "There is also Delay, Don't Deny: Living an Intermittent Fasting Lifestyle by Gin Stephens",
          "reason": "Presented as another book on intermittent fasting, with supporting reports linked.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter's description says it is basically One Meal a Day.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gin Stephens"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "intermittent fasting",
        "nutrition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "delta-force-f95c34",
      "title": "Delta Force",
      "author": "Charlie Beckwith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12416715,
          "author": "crdb",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T22:27:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416715",
          "commentText": "The first scene in Tolstoy's War and Peace should be required reading for engineering graduates, particularly the hyper-rational Sheldon types. I'm referring specifically to the impact Pierre has on the people at the party, the importance of manners, why small talk, etc. War and Peace is generally a great book because of how much it captures about human nature and power plays and it is still relevant today. It has a reputation for length but I found it much more readable than, say, Lord of the Rings.\nDelta Force by Col. Charlie Beckwith. Think your company has red tape? Try the US Army post-Vietnam. It's a great example of someone moving through bureaucracy to achieve great things and taught me to stop making excuses based on organisational behaviour. The Phantom Major by Virginia Cowles is in the same vein with some phenomenal hustling lessons. I still think of both men whenever I think whatever I'm doing is hard.\nDynamic Hedging by Taleb was written whilst he was a pit trader and is the most intuitive introduction to thinking about options I've read. It informs my thinking about decision making in terms of probability, path dependency and higher order greeks, and helps me take risks in a smart manner. I recommend it to a lot of people but nobody takes it up because (I'm guessing) it's only available as a second hand paper copy, and people think trading options has nothing to do with their life.\nLegionnaire by Simon Murray was recommended to me by my thesis supervisor shortly before graduation. I respected his opinion so I read the thing and it blew my mind in what people were capable of doing when pushed to the edge. Murray went on to have multiple interesting careers and set records as a helicopter pilot.\nThere are two books that were lessons in what they did not teach me.\nClayton Christensen's Innovator's Dilemma/Solution presents a very enticing idea but I think the core explanation for what it covers is much better set forward in Marc Bloch's Strange Defeat. There are regular sub-threads on the book on HN so I won't go into it further.\nI also read a couple of Jack Welch books and thought, wow, this guy knows what he is talking about. This was before 2007. After 2007, I heard from a few people - including very smart investors - who basically put GE's success down to the 30 year bull market and to the growth of GE Capital which became something like 60% of the company and indeed did almost take down GE with it after Lehman. It introduced the possibility that some famous leaders and gurus might not be as competent as they are branded to be and it's important to check for confounding variables.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a great example of someone moving through bureaucracy to achieve great things and taught me to stop making excuses based on organisational behaviour.",
          "reason": "Praises it as an example of achieving results through bureaucracy.",
          "audience": "People dealing with organizational obstacles.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charlie Beckwith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bureaucracy",
        "military leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "delta-v-e9cecf",
      "title": "Delta-v",
      "author": "Daniel Suarez",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36021858,
          "author": "agonmon",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:20:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021858",
          "commentText": "I loved all of Seveneves, and hate Three Body Problem.\nThe biggest difference in theme being, optimism that humanity can overcome any obstacle and flourish. \nIf you want more in that vein, see:\nAurora - Kim Stanley Robinson\nProject Hail Mary - Andy Weir\nDelta-V - Daniel Suarez",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Delta-V - Daniel Suarez",
          "reason": "Suggested as an optimistic story about humanity overcoming obstacles and flourishing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Suarez"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space exploration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "democracy-8b4bb4",
      "title": "Democracy",
      "author": "Michael Frayn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783919,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:07:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783919",
          "commentText": "[cont'd]\nMichael Frayn, Democracy. A compulsively readable play about an episode in the politics of West Germany in the 1970s, a subject I didn't know could be made so interesting to me. Superb.\nMichael Flynn, Eifelheim. Excellent and profound SF/historical novel about aliens crashing in the Germany of the Middle Ages, and how that would work out. Avoids cheap tricks, very strong on historical research and verisimilitude.\nRoss Thomas, The Cold War Swap, Cast a Yellow Shadow, Chinaman's Chance. Very well-written thrillers, typically stories about spying or political corruption. I'm usually bored by this genre, couldn't put these down. Will read more by this (hitherto unknown to me) author.\nUrsula K. Le Guin, The Wizard of Earthsea. (reread) Still as good as I remembered it to be.\nP.K.Dick, The Man in the High Castle. (reread) Very inventive and weird in a good way, but I wish the characters would be a little different (everyone is the same highly neurotic mouthpiece for the author), and the obsession with I Ching does nothing for me. Still worth reading.\nRobert Ryan, Dead Man's Land. A Sherlock Holmes novel in which 90% of the action is with John Watson rejoining the Army to help in World War I at his late middle age, and Holmes appears only briefly. Works quite well. Very detailed on day-to-day trench warfare and medicine at the front.\nMichael Frayn, Noises Off. A funny short play, very meta, not as good as his \"Democracy\".\nNeil Gaiman, The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Better than his two long novels of the 2000s. A self-contained fairy tale, fun to read and well-written, but not beyond that. Gaiman's unsurpassed masterpiece, to me, is still The Sandman.\nMichael Swansick, Chasing the Phoenix. SF, set on a future Earth where computers and electronic communication are outlawed following problems with runaway AIs, but there's lots of high technology (e.g. genetics) otherwise. Funny and amusing, a light read.\n[edit: deleted about 20 books I didn't like or hated]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Michael Frayn, Democracy. A compulsively readable play about an episode in the politics of West Germany in the 1970s, a subject I didn't know could be made so interesting to me. Superb.",
          "reason": "Calls it compulsively readable and superb.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Frayn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political drama",
        "west german history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "democracy-incorporated-managed-democracy-and-the-specter-of-inver-f07135",
      "title": "Democracy Incorporated: Managed Democracy and the Specter of Inverted Totalitarianism",
      "author": "Sheldon S. Wolin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6898810,
          "author": "bmelton",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T02:58:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6898810",
          "commentText": "The Silo Saga, by Hugh Howey.  Originally self-published and released as short Kindle \"Singles\", the first section of the series is collected in \"Wool\".  The Omnibus collects the first five singles, and is $6 on Amazon[1]... but if you want to test it out, the first single he released is still available for free in the Kindle store.  It ranks among the best zero dollars I spent all year.\nBehind that, I really enjoyed \"White Noise\" by Don Delillo, though I did have some problems with characterization (basically, all the characters were the author), and Democracy Incorporated: Managed Democracy and the Specter of Inverted Totalitarianism\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Wool-Part-One-Hugh-Howey-ebook/dp/B005... (http://www.amazon.com/Wool-Part-One-Hugh-Howey-ebook/dp/B005FC52L0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386903043&sr=8-1&keywords=Wool+Part+1)\n[2] http://www.amazon.com/Wool-Omnibus-Silo-Saga-ebook/dp/B0071X... (http://www.amazon.com/Wool-Omnibus-Silo-Saga-ebook/dp/B0071XO8RA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386903023&sr=8-1&keywords=Wool)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and Democracy Incorporated: Managed Democracy and the Specter of Inverted Totalitarianism",
          "reason": "Listed alongside a book the commenter says they really enjoyed, in response to the best book question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sheldon S. Wolin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "democracy",
        "political theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "democracy-for-realists-why-elections-do-not-produce-responsive-go-2cf94a",
      "title": "Democracy for Realists: Why Elections Do Not Produce Responsive Government",
      "author": "Christopher H. Achen and Larry M. Bartels",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23859129,
          "author": "iguanayou",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T14:09:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859129",
          "commentText": "I'm reading Sapiens right now.  I wouldn't say \"mind blown\" as I was at least a little familiar with a lot of it before, but the way that Harari writes really makes you think about things differently.\nHere are a couple of other books that have been pretty influential for me:\nDemocracy for Realists: Why Elections Do Not Produce Responsive Government\n\"Main Street\" by Sinclair Lewis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Democracy for Realists: Why Elections Do Not Produce Responsive Government",
          "reason": "The commenter lists it among books that have been influential for them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher H. Achen",
        "Larry M. Bartels"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "democracy",
        "political behavior"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "democratizing-innovation-e9fa41",
      "title": "Democratizing Innovation",
      "author": "Eric von Hippel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9612744,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T17:01:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9612744",
          "commentText": "The Law - Frédéric Bastiat. http://bastiat.org/en/the_law.html\nCapitalism - A Treatise on Economics - George Reisman.  http://www.capitalism.net/Capitalism/CAPITALISM_Internet.pdf\nThe Works of Lysander Spooner.  http://lysanderspooner.org/node/2\nThe Machinery of Freedom David Friedman. - http://daviddfriedman.com/The_Machinery_of_Freedom_.pdf\nDemocratizing Innovation - Eric Von Hippel. http://web.mit.edu/evhippel/www/democ1.htm\nThe Sources of Innovation - Eric Von Hippel. http://web.mit.edu/evhippel/www/sources.htm\nIntroduction to Information Retrieval - http://nlp.stanford.edu/IR-book/html/htmledition/irbook.html\nInformation Theory, Inference, and Learning Algorithms - David MacKay.  http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/itprnn/book.html\nIntroduction to Cybernetics - William Ross Ashby. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/books/IntroCyb.pdf\n\"Man-Computer Symbiosis\" and \"The Computer As A Communication Device\" - J.C.R. Licklider. http://memex.org/licklider.pdf\nDesign For A Brain - William Ross Ashby. https://archive.org/details/designforbrainor00ashb\nThe Writings of Douglas Engelbart. http://www.dougengelbart.org/library/library.html\nand if you like maths, don't miss this great list of free maths texts by George Cain:  https://people.math.gatech.edu/~cain/textbooks/onlinebooks.h... (https://people.math.gatech.edu/~cain/textbooks/onlinebooks.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Democratizing Innovation - Eric Von Hippel.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric von Hippel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "innovation",
        "user innovation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "demolition-a1d0ac",
      "title": "Demolition",
      "author": "Brian Lovelock",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26775082,
          "author": "rmk",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-12T00:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26775082",
          "commentText": "- Good Night, Moon\n- The Runaway Bunny\n- Harold and the Purple Crayon\n- Grandfather Twilight (for slightly older children)\n- Sandra Boynton books\n- Max's Breakfast (and other books)\n- I Read Signs (Tana Hoban; other books by her also quite good)\n- Go! Go! Go! Stop! (Cherise Mericle Harper)\n- Little Pea (Amy Krouse Rosenthal)\n- Trucks, My Car (and other Byron Barton books)\n- The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Eric Carle; some other books by this author are also good)\n- Roadwork (Sally Sutton; also in the same vein by the illustrator Brian Lovelock: Demolition, Flight of the Honey Bee, The Rain Train).\nMany others come to mind, but these are well-loved.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Demolition",
          "reason": "Recommended as being in the same vein as Roadwork.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Lovelock"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s picture books",
        "construction vehicles"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "demon-princes-b137fd",
      "title": "Demon Princes",
      "author": "Jack Vance",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17596605,
          "author": "kevinofe",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-23T22:39:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17596605",
          "commentText": "Wow, I can’t believe I just found this thread and not one mention of Jack Vance. His \"Planet of Adventure\" series, Alastor series or Demon Princes novels are classics. His command of language and dialogue is unparalleled. Every modern sci-fi author cites him as an influence.\nGateway by Frederik Pohl is another underrated one from the 70s although the sequels are disappointing.\nThe Forever War Joe Haldeman and Robert Heinlein’s Starship Troopers are also indispensable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Demon Princes novels are classics.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the novels classics and praises Vance’s language and dialogue.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jack Vance"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "revenge",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "demons-719f22",
      "title": "Demons",
      "author": "Fyodor Dostoevsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49903615,
          "author": "UncleOxidant",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T02:21:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49903615",
          "commentText": "I started the year reading Demons by Dostoevsky. Seemed prophetic in a lot of ways about what was coming about 40 years later in 1917.\nAt the beginning of the summer I read All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy. I'm not into westerns, but I really liked that one. A modern classic.\nJust finished The Memory of Old Jack by Wendell Berry. Such a gorgeously written book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I started the year reading Demons by Dostoevsky.",
          "reason": "Says the novel seemed prophetic about events in 1917.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17541428,
          "author": "stochastic_monk",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T14:21:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17541428",
          "commentText": "I like a surprising number of them. I’m surprised to see Demons mentioned; that’s been my favorite of his for over 5 years.\nSo I don’t like his platform, but he has some excellent taste in books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I’m surprised to see Demons mentioned; that’s been my favorite of his for over 5 years.",
          "reason": "Calls Demons their favorite of the author's books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fyodor Dostoevsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "russian literature",
        "political novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "demystified-091580",
      "title": "Demystified",
      "author": "McGraw Hill",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31491003,
          "author": "Koshkin",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T12:15:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31491003",
          "commentText": "The Schaum's Outline Series. It has tons of solved problems and exercises, which is exactly what is critical for getting a handle on mathematical concepts and methods. There's also the Demystified series, which is good but has fewer exercises.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "There's also the Demystified series, which is good but has fewer exercises.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it has fewer exercises than Schaum's Outline.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Fewer exercises.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "McGraw Hill"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematics textbooks",
        "self study textbooks"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "deng-xiaoping-and-the-transformation-of-china-440033",
      "title": "Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China",
      "author": "Ezra F. Vogel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804894,
          "author": "knzhou",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:29:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804894",
          "commentText": "I try to only read books that are at least a few years old, so these aren’t timely recommendations.\nOn the list for next year:\nThe Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language\nEssays of Montaign\nWhy Zebras Don't Get Ulcers\nHigher Speculations: Grand Theories and Failed Revolutions in Physics and Cosmology\nThe Enigma of Reason\nSurfing Uncertainty: Prediction, Action, and the Embodied Mind\nImpro\nDeng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China\nInvisible Cities\nCollapse of Complex Societies\n--\nFavorites from this year:\nDeath's End\nOne Man's Meat\nLife Ascending: The Ten Great Inventions of Evolution\nA Primate's Memoir: A Neuroscientist's Unconventional Life Among the Baboons\nDo No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery\nCosmicomics\nWhy Quark Rhymes with Pork\nThe Unfolding of Language\nA Sand County Almanac",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China",
          "reason": "Listed among books planned for next year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ezra F. Vogel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "china",
        "political history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "denner-s-wreck-29f24c",
      "title": "Denner's Wreck",
      "author": "Lawrence Watt-Evans",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1027146,
          "author": "rsaarelm",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T12:44:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027146",
          "commentText": "Fiction, mostly.\nDeclare, by Tim Powers. Cold war espionage with black magic. Entertainingly bleak, and probably did a lot more weirdness with real history than I knew how to appreciate.\nProducing Open Source Software (http://producingoss.com/), by Karl Fogel. A very thorough look into all sorts of practical matters in running a large open source software project.\nThe Engines of Light trilogy by Ken MacLeod. Entertaining, though a bit erratic. Makes a bunch of Forteana fit in a hard SF framework. Also the second MacLeod book I've read that has a weird pixie dust immortality treatment that seems incongruous with the rest of the technology level.\nMatter by Iain M. Banks. Culture again after Algebraist. Still good.\nThe Dark Side of the Sun by Terry Pratchett. Finally got around to reading this one. Was surprisingly fresh. It would have been interesting to see Pratchett write more science fiction after this and Strata around 30 years ago.\nThe City and the Stars by Arthur C. Clarke. Another old SF book. This one wasn't very fresh, seemed like two or three different novels stapled together, with bits and pieces that might work pretty well if it weren't for the other bits and pieces.\nCrooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis. Not a lot of surprises, if you know what Warren Ellis tends to write. Basically a road trip novel through various degeneracies in America. Fun, but tends to go for gross-out warrenellisisms in favor of overall coherence.\nNeuropath by Scott Bakker. A technothriller about all sorts of fun things you can do by directly rewiring peoples' brains with near-future neurosurgery. Bakker's chilly philosophical outlook doesn't pack quite the same punch in an already mostly rationalistic setting as it did in the Prince of Nothing fantasy books. Sticks with a single not particularly unsympathetic viewpoint character and therefore avoids the problem in Prince of Nothing where you'd often end up in the head of someone you really don't want to be anywhere near.\nThe Tao is Silent by Raymond Smullyan. Smullyan writes various essays inspired by Taoism. Quality varies, but Smullyan is generally fun to read.\nOn SF by Thomas Disch. Beautifully acerbic essays by someone who takes science fiction literature seriously and doesn't let it off easy. And just plain likes to insult people. Representative, though noticeably dated sample: http://www.press.umich.edu/pdf/9780472068968-1.pdf\nDenner's Wreck by Lawrence Watt-Evans. Watt-Evans has an specific style of writing from what follows from the setting and premises rather than going for the most dramatically obvious plot. The results are hit-and-miss with his fantasy novels I've read, but work a lot better here, where the legends of a bronze-age civilization end up emerging from a science fiction setting. Watt-Evans' narrative style supports the plot where the traditional stories end up not really being what they seem to be.\nThe Official Book of Ultima by Shay Addams. It tells how Richard Garriott's obsession with programming in high school lead to the Ultima game series, which were one of the most notable computer games in the 80s and became the flagship product of Garriott's Origin Systems company. Also documents how the games grew from Ultima I being programmed by Garriot alone learning as he went along into Ultima VI developed by a large team. There is much detail about Ultima VI, which was being developed as the book was written. Much of it also conflicts with the game that ended up being released, and I ended up wondering whether this was about the game changing during production or just Addams getting his facts wrong.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Denner's Wreck by Lawrence Watt-Evans. Watt-Evans has an specific style of writing from what follows from the setting and premises rather than going for the most dramatically obvious plot. The results are hit-and-miss with his fantasy novels I've read, but work a lot better here",
          "reason": "Says the author’s premise-driven style works better here and praises how the story develops.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy premise-driven science fiction and reinterpretations of legends.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Watt-Evans’s fantasy novels have had mixed results for them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lawrence Watt-Evans"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bronze age",
        "myth and legend"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dependency-injection-9532c4",
      "title": "Dependency Injection",
      "author": "Dhanji R. Prasanna",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7999347,
          "author": "cheez",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T15:32:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7999347",
          "commentText": "Dependency Injection: http://www.amazon.com/Dependency-Injection-Dhanji-R-Prasanna... (http://www.amazon.com/Dependency-Injection-Dhanji-R-Prasanna/dp/193398855X)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dependency Injection:",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dhanji R. Prasanna"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dependency injection",
        "software design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dept-of-speculation-29a429",
      "title": "Dept. of Speculation",
      "author": "Jenny Offill",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10767516,
          "author": "jrumbut",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T17:00:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10767516",
          "commentText": "Atomic Accidents\nThis is a series of detailed retelling of accidents involving nuclear power, weapons, and radioactive materials generally. It starts with some 19th century hunters wandering into a cave full of radon and ends with Fukushima. The twist here is that the author is a major proponent of nuclear energy and research. It's fascinating to see someone take an in depth look at the flaws of a cause they support, it has just the right amount of technical detail for me, and it really sheds light on how the wildest bugs get into any system.\nDept. of Speculation\nA mostly unflinching look at a difficult modern relationship from a woman's perspective. There are some hard truths in it that are surprisingly easy to swallow.\nMoby Dick\nI read this novel in high school but it didn't have much impact on me then. It is an unbelievably rich experience now, filled with all the wonder, terror, joy, and boredom that comes from trying to find your own meaning.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "There are some hard truths in it that are surprisingly easy to swallow.",
          "reason": "Praises the book's unflinching perspective and its treatment of difficult truths.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The book depicts a difficult modern relationship.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jenny Offill"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marriage",
        "relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "derek-holton-s-problem-solving-series-b8e091",
      "title": "Derek Holton's Problem Solving Series",
      "author": "Derek Holton",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30828701,
          "author": "jvvw",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T09:14:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30828701",
          "commentText": "Alice in Numberland by Baylis and Haggarty was one of the books that made me want to become a mathematician when I found it in the school library and read it as a teenager. There was also a little set of booklets called Derek Holton's Problem Solving Series that drew me in but I'm sure they must be impossible to get hold of now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a little set of booklets called Derek Holton's Problem Solving Series that drew me in",
          "reason": "The commenter says the booklets drew them into mathematics.",
          "audience": "Readers curious about mathematics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter thinks they may be impossible to get hold of now.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Derek Holton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "problem solving"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "descartes-error-34c692",
      "title": "Descartes' Error",
      "author": "Antonio Damasio",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10175664,
          "author": "paulojreis",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:46:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175664",
          "commentText": "If you are liking \"Thinking, fast and slow\", you should check \"Descartes' Error\" by António Damásio (USC neurologist).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you are liking \"Thinking, fast and slow\", you should check \"Descartes' Error\" by António Damásio (USC neurologist).",
          "reason": "Directly recommends checking out the book for someone who likes Thinking, Fast and Slow.",
          "audience": "Readers who like Thinking, Fast and Slow.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Antonio Damasio"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "emotion",
        "neuroscience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "design-basics-36a7a1",
      "title": "Design Basics",
      "author": "David A. Lauer and Stephen Pentak",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18667816,
          "author": "kokokokoko",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T21:13:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 18662992,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on modern UI/UX?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18667816",
          "commentText": "In reality design for the web and phone applications ends up being largely about typography. So a good foundations book on typography like \"Designing with Type\" or any other of the usual suspects is a good start. That said, some applications have very little text so this is not always true anymore in UI/UX.\n\"Don't Make Me Think\" is a good read, but the direct info is not really as important as the point it is trying to make. Aggressively reducing friction and decisions for the user at all points. If reading that book helps get that point across then it's worth the read. On how to do that...\nIf you are new to design, just pickup a used intro textbook on design. Something like \"Design Basics\" by Lauer and Pentak. Or really any intro book on design. They all cover the same basic concepts you'll need for UI/UX design. Fundamental stuff like visual hierarchy and composition. Honestly, just go find a used one for $8 and read through it. Most of them are pretty quick reads.\nAfter that, although no one really goes out and tells you this, it involves a lot of following the trends and looking at past work and pulling in ideas and pieces together to create a new design. Another comment in this thread talks about how they don't write books and this is pretty accurate. A designer rarely just sits at a blank screen and starts from nothing. They usually have a list, whether formally or informally, of examples and ideas to start with. Then through iteration, critique and testing they mold something into a complete design/interface. But one typically needs some background learning in the basic fundamentals of design and typography to piece everything together. Remember, part of good UX is doing what the user expects. Which often means using conventions and design elements the user has already seen.\nSo pick up a book on typography and basic design and then find some design blogs that seem well written. For example Airbnb has a fairly nice one https://airbnb.design/. Best of luck!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Something like \"Design Basics\" by Lauer and Pentak",
          "reason": "Suggested as an introductory design textbook covering fundamentals such as visual hierarchy and composition.",
          "audience": "People new to design.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says introductory design books cover the same basic concepts and suggests a used copy.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David A. Lauer and Stephen Pentak"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "composition",
        "visual hierarchy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "design-patterns-in-ruby-b3c336",
      "title": "Design Patterns in Ruby",
      "author": "Russ Olsen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 781101,
          "author": "thedevelopment",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-23T22:08:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 781079,
          "threadTitle": "Can you recommend some good RoR books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=781101",
          "commentText": "The Rails Way is pretty good.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Rails-Way-Addison-Wesley-Professional-... (http://www.amazon.com/Rails-Way-Addison-Wesley-Professional-Ruby/dp/0321445619)\nI've found the peepcode webcasts worth their weight in gold, but that's not a book =)\nAnd I found Design Patterns in Ruby pretty good for Ruby beginners\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Design-Patterns-Ruby-Addison-Wesley-Pr... (http://www.amazon.com/Design-Patterns-Ruby-Addison-Wesley-Professional/dp/0321490452/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251065278&sr=1-1)\nhttp://peepcode.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "And I found Design Patterns in Ruby pretty good for Ruby beginners",
          "reason": "Recommends it as pretty good for Ruby beginners.",
          "audience": "Ruby beginners.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Russ Olsen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ruby",
        "software design patterns"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "design-for-a-brain-f399f7",
      "title": "Design for a Brain",
      "author": "W. Ross Ashby",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20202094,
          "author": "Tomte",
          "createdAt": "2019-06-17T12:12:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 20196671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What to read after “Thinking in Systems”?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20202094",
          "commentText": "Probably not: https://openlibrary.org/books/OL5791995M/Design_for_a_brain",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Probably not: https://openlibrary.org/books/OL5791995M/Design_for_a_brain",
          "reason": "Rejects this book as a likely answer to the discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9612744,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T17:01:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9612744",
          "commentText": "The Law - Frédéric Bastiat. http://bastiat.org/en/the_law.html\nCapitalism - A Treatise on Economics - George Reisman.  http://www.capitalism.net/Capitalism/CAPITALISM_Internet.pdf\nThe Works of Lysander Spooner.  http://lysanderspooner.org/node/2\nThe Machinery of Freedom David Friedman. - http://daviddfriedman.com/The_Machinery_of_Freedom_.pdf\nDemocratizing Innovation - Eric Von Hippel. http://web.mit.edu/evhippel/www/democ1.htm\nThe Sources of Innovation - Eric Von Hippel. http://web.mit.edu/evhippel/www/sources.htm\nIntroduction to Information Retrieval - http://nlp.stanford.edu/IR-book/html/htmledition/irbook.html\nInformation Theory, Inference, and Learning Algorithms - David MacKay.  http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/itprnn/book.html\nIntroduction to Cybernetics - William Ross Ashby. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/books/IntroCyb.pdf\n\"Man-Computer Symbiosis\" and \"The Computer As A Communication Device\" - J.C.R. Licklider. http://memex.org/licklider.pdf\nDesign For A Brain - William Ross Ashby. https://archive.org/details/designforbrainor00ashb\nThe Writings of Douglas Engelbart. http://www.dougengelbart.org/library/library.html\nand if you like maths, don't miss this great list of free maths texts by George Cain:  https://people.math.gatech.edu/~cain/textbooks/onlinebooks.h... (https://people.math.gatech.edu/~cain/textbooks/onlinebooks.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Design For A Brain - William Ross Ashby.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. Ross Ashby"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybernetics",
        "neuroscience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "design-of-crystal-and-other-harmonic-oscillators-eeb740",
      "title": "Design of Crystal and Other Harmonic Oscillators",
      "author": "Eugene A. Parzen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910457,
          "author": "aparks517",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:48:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910457",
          "commentText": "Handbook of Filter Synthesis by Zverev. It’s out of print, but gives a nice tour of the field with good references. Beautiful charts and tables.\nDesign of Crystal and Other Harmonic Oscillators by Parzen  delighted me with its practical depth and detail.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "delighted me with its practical depth and detail.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its practical depth and detail.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eugene A. Parzen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "circuit design",
        "electronic oscillators"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "designed-for-use-0892ff",
      "title": "Designed for Use",
      "author": "Lukas Mathis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12416102,
          "author": "tracker1",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T20:39:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416102",
          "commentText": "I would look at a few design and user experience books... \"Don't make me think\", \"Thinking fast and slow\" and \"Designed for use\" come to mind.\nAs developers, and even PMs we will tend to overload our users with too much... simplification, structure, clarity come to mind.  Another deep issue, and I don't have any books to recommend center around nomenclature...  Too many projects don't take the time to concentrate on naming things from a high level...  From project features to user roles and the language/platform that integrate them, there's often confusion and blurred lines with the same names used in different contexts.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Don't make me think\", \"Thinking fast and slow\" and \"Designed for use\" come to mind.",
          "reason": "Names it among books relevant to design and user experience.",
          "audience": "Developers and product managers working on user experience.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lukas Mathis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "interface design",
        "usability",
        "user experience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "designing-active-server-pages-4d8d2b",
      "title": "Designing Active Server Pages",
      "author": "Scott Mitchell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14843946,
          "author": "e12e",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T00:13:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14843946",
          "commentText": "Probably the book that surprised me the most, was \"Designing Active Server Pages\" by Scott Mitchell[1] - bought for next to nothing in a sale clearing out old titles. I don't really program in VBscript or on the .net platform - but the book demonstrates how much improvement it is possible to get in a server-side template language (eg: like PHP, ColdFusion) with a bit of mindfulness to how code is structured.\nI'm not sure I would recommend it today, but at the time I read it, in the mid 2000s, it did change my view on these \"unmaintainable\" technology stacks. I later came across the fusebox architecture/pattern, originally from ColdFusion - and realized that many PHP programmers had skipped some history, ending up reinventing code structure, sometimes badly.\nNote that fusebox has grown and changed, I'm mostly talking about the fundamental ideas, and I don't think the later \"port\" to using XML was a very elegant or good idea. For those interested, see:\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusebox_(programming)#Fusebox_... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fusebox_%28programming%29#Fusebox_.28version_1.29) and most of the rest of that page.\n[1] http://shop.oreilly.com/product/9780596000448.do",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the book demonstrates how much improvement it is possible to get in a server-side template language",
          "reason": "Describes how the book changed their view of supposedly unmaintainable technology stacks.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in structuring code in server-side template languages.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is not sure they would recommend it today.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Mitchell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "asp",
        "code structure",
        "server side programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "designing-developer-documentation-as-a-product-4edbca",
      "title": "Designing Developer Documentation as a Product",
      "author": "Alejandra Quetzalli",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32344396,
          "author": "beardicus",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-04T15:43:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32344396",
          "commentText": "i am looking forward to this book _Designing Developer Documentation as a Product_ which should come out in 2023:\nhttps://www.alejandraquetzalli.com/book-designing-developer-... (https://www.alejandraquetzalli.com/book-designing-developer-docs-as-a-product)\nit might be a little more on the practical \"nuts and bolts\" side of things vs. \"how do i write well\", but it covers lots of areas that always seem to come up when producing documentation for developers.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "i am looking forward to this book _Designing Developer Documentation as a Product_",
          "reason": "Looks forward to its practical coverage of producing documentation for developers.",
          "audience": "People producing documentation for developers.",
          "caveat": "May focus more on practical nuts and bolts than on how to write well; was expected in 2023.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alejandra Quetzalli"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "developer documentation",
        "documentation strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "designing-elixir-systems-with-otp-e35970",
      "title": "Designing Elixir Systems with OTP",
      "author": "James Edward Gray II and Bruce A. Tate",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28482580,
          "author": "rkangel",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-10T15:04:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 28478751,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach you programming languages via systems projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28482580",
          "commentText": "\"Designing Elixir Systems with OTP\" is a great book.\nIt's not intending to teach you the basics of the language, it is instead teaching you how to architect real world programs, using a particular case study that they work through (a quiz game). It's basically about the 'functional core, OTP boundaries' model that is an excellent approach for building real systems.\nIf you don't know Elixir at all the Getting Started guide is good for teaching the language constructs: https://elixir-lang.org/getting-started/introduction.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Designing Elixir Systems with OTP\" is a great book.",
          "reason": "Teaches how to architect real world programs through a quiz game case study.",
          "audience": "Readers who know Elixir and want to learn system architecture.",
          "caveat": "It does not teach the basics of Elixir.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Edward Gray II",
        "Bruce A. Tate"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "elixir",
        "otp",
        "software architecture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "designing-embedded-hardware-90db58",
      "title": "Designing Embedded Hardware",
      "author": "John Catsoulis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 149818,
          "author": "drbunsen",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-30T02:23:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 149317,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Learning circuit/hardware; lab book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=149818",
          "commentText": "If you've got some basic eletronics knowledge I highly recommend \"Designing Embedded Hardware\":\nhttp://www.oreilly.com/catalog/dbhardware2/index.html",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend \"Designing Embedded Hardware\"",
          "reason": "Recommended as a resource for readers with basic electronics knowledge.",
          "audience": "Readers with some basic electronics knowledge.",
          "caveat": "For readers who already have some basic electronics knowledge.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Catsoulis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "embedded systems",
        "hardware design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "designing-hypermedia-apis-b70339",
      "title": "Designing Hypermedia APIs",
      "author": "称?",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24384716,
          "author": "thomasqbrady",
          "createdAt": "2020-09-05T16:22:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 24383180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Suggestions for books about API design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24384716",
          "commentText": "His book Designing Hypermedia APIs is also quite good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His book Designing Hypermedia APIs is also quite good.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book is quite good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "称?"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "api design",
        "hypermedia"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "designing-machine-learning-systems-350a34",
      "title": "Designing Machine Learning Systems",
      "author": "Chip Huyen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42508432,
          "author": "yu3zhou4",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T12:13:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42508432",
          "commentText": "„Understanding Deep Learning” by Simon Prince\nAmong all ML books, it’s a really good overview of many concepts connected one to another and spelled out in easy to grasp way\nAlso „Designing Machine Learning Systems” by Chip Huyen looks really promising and very hands-on (lessons learned by very committed practitioner). It gives actionable tips and provides real life insights. I haven’t finished reading it yet though",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "„Designing Machine Learning Systems” by Chip Huyen looks really promising and very hands-on",
          "reason": "Recommends it for its hands-on approach and actionable insights.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not finished reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chip Huyen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "machine learning",
        "mlops"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "designing-visual-interfaces-communication-oriented-techniques-2ab7e7",
      "title": "Designing Visual Interfaces: Communication Oriented Techniques",
      "author": "Kevin Mullet and Darrell Sano",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12711329,
          "author": "Nekorosu",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-14T21:46:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12711329",
          "commentText": "This one is good at teaching both fundamental design principles and UI design in particular\nDesigning Visual Interfaces: Communication Oriented Techniques\nThis is an introduction to UX \nThe User Experience Team of One\nIt's from Rosenfeld Media and you should take a look at the rest of their books. They are of a high quality and cover a wide range of topics related to both UI design and UX.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Designing Visual Interfaces: Communication Oriented Techniques",
          "reason": "Presented as good for learning design principles and UI design.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kevin Mullet and Darrell Sano"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "user experience",
        "visual interface design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "designing-web-applications-8c0abb",
      "title": "Designing Web Applications",
      "author": "Nathan Barry",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12713019,
          "author": "danenania",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-15T06:47:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12713019",
          "commentText": "Check out Nathan Barry's book Designing Web Applications: http://nathanbarry.com/webapps/\nIt's accessible, not too long, and yet still packed with good info on the basics of ui design and user experience.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Check out Nathan Barry's book Designing Web Applications:",
          "reason": "Recommends it for accessible, concise coverage of UI design and user experience basics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as accessible and not too long.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nathan Barry"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "interface design",
        "user experience",
        "web application design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "designing-your-life-7be06f",
      "title": "Designing Your Life",
      "author": "Bill Burnett and Dave Evans",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39268200,
          "author": "itake",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-05T22:37:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39268200",
          "commentText": "\"Designing your life\" is also great.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Designing your life\" is also great.",
          "reason": "Calls the book great in response to a comment about a book's insights for major life decisions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Burnett",
        "Dave Evans"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "career planning",
        "life design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "designing-for-emotion-4bc420",
      "title": "Designing for Emotion",
      "author": "Aarron Walter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18684872,
          "author": "trapsta",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-14T21:18:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 18662992,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on modern UI/UX?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18684872",
          "commentText": "I recently read Designing for Emotion by Aarron Walter - Had some great practical advice and examples from Basecamp, Trello , Mailchimp e.t.c Great balance of theory and practical  tidbits",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recently read Designing for Emotion by Aarron Walter - Had some great practical advice and examples from Basecamp, Trello , Mailchimp e.t.c Great balance of theory and practical  tidbits",
          "reason": "Praises its practical advice, examples, and balance of theory and practice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Aarron Walter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "interaction design",
        "ux design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "designing-for-performance-955087",
      "title": "Designing for Performance",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27668787,
          "author": "mobilio",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-28T22:01:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 27650775,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27668787",
          "commentText": "This book is amazing:\nhttps://designingforperformance.com\nbecause covers things that every designer/webdev should knows.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book is amazing: https://designingforperformance.com",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it for coverage of topics relevant to designers and web developers.",
          "audience": "Designers and web developers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "web performance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "designing-for-the-digital-age-33d46e",
      "title": "Designing for the Digital Age",
      "author": "Kim Goodwin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18694396,
          "author": "sampl",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-16T18:38:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 18662992,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on modern UI/UX?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18694396",
          "commentText": "Very late, but Designing for the Digital Age - Kim Goodwin\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Designing-Digital-Age-Human-Centered-... (https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Digital-Age-Human-Centered-Products/dp/0470229101)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Designing for the Digital Age - Kim Goodwin",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kim Goodwin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human centered design",
        "user experience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "designing-the-obvious-54cdbe",
      "title": "Designing the Obvious",
      "author": "Robert Hoekman Jr.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 135284,
          "author": "DarrenStuart",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T17:20:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135284",
          "commentText": "designing the obvious - a common sense approach to web application design by Robert Hoekman Jr\nThe New New Thing\nMasters of Doom (story of id software, great story)\nSmart Start-ups: How Entrepreneurs and Corporations Can Profit by Starting Online Communities\nsteven levy's Hackers and crypto also for the history.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "designing the obvious - a common sense approach to web application design by Robert Hoekman Jr",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books for a hacker's bookshelf.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Hoekman Jr."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "usability",
        "web application design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "designing-the-obvious-a-common-sense-approach-to-web-application--941744",
      "title": "Designing the Obvious: A Common Sense Approach to Web Application Design",
      "author": "Robert Hoekman Jr.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 135458,
          "author": "zenlinux",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T20:26:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135458",
          "commentText": "I love Designing the Obvious - it's a great book on interface design and usability, and focuses on web applications. Very relevant to this community.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I love Designing the Obvious - it's a great book on interface design and usability, and focuses on web applications. Very relevant to this community.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great book on interface design and usability and says it is relevant to the community.",
          "audience": "People interested in web applications and interface design.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Hoekman Jr."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "usability",
        "web application design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "designing-with-web-standards-02c7f2",
      "title": "Designing with Web Standards",
      "author": "Jeffrey Zeldman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 574544,
          "author": "mr_justin",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-22T20:59:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 574468,
          "threadTitle": "What is the best CSS book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=574544",
          "commentText": "The definitive book is Designing with Web Standards. Not all CSS per se, but it is requisite reading if you're just getting into the whole CSS-based design thing.\nThat book goes hand in hand with Eric Meyer on CSS.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The definitive book is Designing with Web Standards.",
          "reason": "Calls it the definitive book and requisite reading for people getting into CSS-based design.",
          "audience": "People getting into CSS-based design.",
          "caveat": "It is not exclusively about CSS.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeffrey Zeldman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "css",
        "web design",
        "web standards"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "designing-with-the-mind-in-mind-simple-guide-to-understanding-use-ce86d8",
      "title": "Designing with the Mind in Mind: Simple Guide to Understanding User Interface Design Rules",
      "author": "Jeff Johnson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12718951,
          "author": "vickychijwani",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-16T15:16:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12718951",
          "commentText": "\"Designing with the Mind in Mind\" (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8564020-designing-with-t... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8564020-designing-with-the-mind-in-mind)) is an excellent book that approaches design from a fundamental psychology perspective.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Designing with the Mind in Mind\" (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8564020-designing-with-t...) is an excellent book",
          "reason": "Called an excellent book linking design to fundamental psychology.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in design fundamentals and psychology.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeff Johnson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human factors",
        "interface design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "deskbound-standing-up-to-a-sitting-world-1de200",
      "title": "Deskbound: Standing Up to a Sitting World",
      "author": "Kelly Starrett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28604125,
          "author": "6r0k",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-21T11:55:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 28450555,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that impacted your work that few other people seem to care about?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28604125",
          "commentText": "Deskbound: Standing Up to a Sitting World [0].\nI've always been fascinated, and driven by, good health; particularly in the context of working at a desk on a computer all day long.\nThis book has helped me to understand the implications and negative impact of typical habits surrounding working at a computer; specifically sitting all day.\nBy considering, and practicing, the advice presented in the book, I've changed the way that I physically work which in turn has significantly impacted my efficiency and performance.\nI now stand a majority of the day and have learned methods for doing so effectively without simply tiring out my legs and causing a different set of problems. I've learned much about posture, particularly in the context of typing, which has helped reduce various aches and pains. And I've also learned various mobility exercises which have reduced stiffness in my arms, shoulders, and neck.\nAll in all, I feel better, which in turn has helped me to gain mental clarity and stay focused.\n[0] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22557522-deskbound",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Deskbound: Standing Up to a Sitting World",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book helped them understand the effects of desk work and change their work habits.",
          "audience": "People who work at a desk and want to address the physical effects of prolonged sitting.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kelly Starrett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "desk ergonomics",
        "mobility",
        "sitting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "desolation-road-916f04",
      "title": "Desolation Road",
      "author": "Ian McDonald",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36021971,
          "author": "wombatpm",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:33:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021971",
          "commentText": "Desolation Road is even better",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Desolation Road is even better",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is even better than the series discussed in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ian McDonald"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mars"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "desperate-characters-c0cda5",
      "title": "Desperate Characters",
      "author": "Paula Fox",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2087423,
          "author": "jgv",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T04:09:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2087423",
          "commentText": "Let The Great World Spin - Colum McCann\nFreedom - Jonathan Franzen\nEating Animals - Jonathan Safran-Foer\nDesperate Characters - Paula Fox",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Desperate Characters - Paula Fox",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paula Fox"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "destination-void-9bb2b9",
      "title": "Destination: Void",
      "author": "Frank Herbert",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15428686,
          "author": "Uhhrrr",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:01:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428686",
          "commentText": "\"When HARLIE Was One\" by David Gerrold had a fair amount of technical detail IIRC. Also \"Destination: Void\" by Frank Herbert.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also \"Destination: Void\" by Frank Herbert.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frank Herbert"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "classic science fiction",
        "space exploration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "destiny-disrupted-a-history-of-the-world-through-islamic-eyes-794dca",
      "title": "Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes",
      "author": "Tamim Ansary",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39731087,
          "author": "debtless4080",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-17T01:30:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39731087",
          "commentText": "Destiny disrupted: A History of the world through Islamic eyes, Tamim Ansary\nEarly Theological Writings, Hegel. Specifically 'The spirit of Christianity and it's Fate'.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Destiny disrupted: A History of the world through Islamic eyes, Tamim Ansary",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tamim Ansary"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "islamic history",
        "world history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "destiny-rising-06eb05",
      "title": "Destiny Rising",
      "author": "M. D. Cooper",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17538451,
          "author": "facorreia",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T02:57:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17538451",
          "commentText": "I heartily recommend Destiny Rising[1] by M. D. Cooper -- free on Kindle Unlimited. It's the first 2 books of the \"Intrepid Saga\", which in turn is part of a growing collection of series in the \"Aeon 14\" universe[2]. It's really fun and also engrossing.\nSome of the related series, like \"Perseus Gate\"[3] are hilarious. All of these stories have a lighthearted tone and have great character development. They are based on \"hard\" sci-fi (i.e. plausible inventions) and touch on deeper topics like the meaning of sentience, and of freedom, but they never get heavy.\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/Destiny-Rising-Military-Space-Intrepi... (https://www.amazon.com/Destiny-Rising-Military-Space-Intrepid-ebook/dp/B06VXRKKNP)\n[2] http://www.aeon14.com\n[3] http://www.aeon14.com/series/perseus-gate-season-1-orion-spa... (http://www.aeon14.com/series/perseus-gate-season-1-orion-space)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I heartily recommend Destiny Rising[1] by M. D. Cooper",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the book and says it is fun and engrossing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "M. D. Cooper"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military science fiction",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "destroyermen-fad11c",
      "title": "Destroyermen",
      "author": "Taylor Anderson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18663538,
          "author": "gadders",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T13:10:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663538",
          "commentText": "I've read a few fiction series of novels this year that I've enjoyed. The Destroyermen novels I would definitely recommend.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Destroyermen novels I would definitely recommend.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly says they would recommend these novels.",
          "audience": "Readers of science fiction series.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Taylor Anderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternate history",
        "naval warfare"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "determined-life-without-free-will-866e01",
      "title": "Determined: Life Without Free Will",
      "author": "Robert Sapolsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38558085,
          "author": "thraxil",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T16:14:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38558085",
          "commentText": "Determined: Life Without Free Will by Robert Sapolsky. He's a Stanford biologist/neuroscientist. You may have come across lectures from his class on Human Behavioral Biology which is on Youtube for free and highly recommended. The book basically lays out his argument that our actions are entirely the result of a deterministic combination of our genes, chemicals during fetal development, epigenetic factors during childhood and adolescence, brain trauma, diet, sleep, recent stress exposure, etc. Much of it motivated by his work as an expert witness in criminal trials, and concluding with his take on the \"now what?\" question on the moral/ethical implications of deciding that we don't really have as much (or any) control over our actions as we like to imagine.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Determined: Life Without Free Will by Robert Sapolsky.",
          "reason": "Describes the book’s argument about determinism and its moral and ethical implications.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Sapolsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "determinism",
        "free will",
        "neuroscience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "detransition-baby-0dd856",
      "title": "Detransition, Baby",
      "author": "Torrey Peters",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42274559,
          "author": "giaour",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T15:38:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42274559",
          "commentText": "Highlights so far this year are:\n- Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesch -- really phenomenal pacing and psychological terror in a sci-fi action novel.\n- The Golem of Brooklyn by Adam Mansbach -- good portrait of different strains of American Judaism in a book structured around a quest\n- Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters -- great characters and structured revelation. This was sitting unread on my shelf for years because I thought it would be preachy, but it wasn't.\n- The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman -- tales from Camelot in the aftermath of Arthur's defeat at Camlann. Excellent mixing of round table legends from different points in history.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters -- great characters and structured revelation.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its characters and structured revelations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter had expected it to be preachy, but found that it was not.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Torrey Peters"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "transgender fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "developer-hegemony-b62c18",
      "title": "Developer Hegemony",
      "author": "Erik Dietrich",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28466988,
          "author": "CRConrad",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-09T06:43:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 28450555,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that impacted your work that few other people seem to care about?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28466988",
          "commentText": "Corrected URL 0: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/35051753-developer-he... (https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/35051753-developer-hegemony)\nDoesn't work with the space before \"developer\". :-)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/35051753-developer-he...",
          "reason": "Corrects the URL for the book discussed in the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25557151,
          "author": "tra3",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-28T06:15:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 25554464,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books for dealing with workplace politics and dishonesty?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25557151",
          "commentText": "“Developer hegemony” expands this very well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Developer hegemony” expands this very well.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803908,
          "author": "andreilys",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:50:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803908",
          "commentText": "Well here are the books I’m currently reading (physical, kindle, and audible). I bounce around a lot. Sometimes it takes me a week to finish a book, other times I take a few months. Sometimes I never finish. But these are the ones I have some progress on so far:\n1. Faust by goethe\n2. I am That\n3. Book of why\n4. The gift by hafiz\n5. Simulacra and simulation\n6. Candide by Voltaire\n7. Meeting the shadow: the hidden power of the dark side of human nature\n8. Nonviolent communication\n9. After the ecstasy, the laundry\n10. Watchmen\n11. Noble heart by Pena chodron\n12. Developer hegemony\n13. Brothers karamazov",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Developer hegemony",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Erik Dietrich"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "career",
        "organizational structure",
        "software careers",
        "software development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "developer-hegemony-7d0439",
      "title": "Developer Hegemony",
      "author": "Derek W. Sivers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41707031,
          "author": "_bramses",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-01T11:32:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 41693844,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good essays/books/advice about software sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41707031",
          "commentText": "Developer Hegemony [1] will help your thinking on how to price software in a world that traditionally rewards business people, as well as being pretty emotionally revealing about the trade we’re involved in.\n[1] - https://books.google.com/books/about/Developer_Hegemony.html... (https://books.google.com/books/about/Developer_Hegemony.html?id=P3xBuAEACAAJ&source=kp_book_description)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Developer Hegemony",
          "reason": "Recommended for thinking about software pricing and the emotional side of the trade.",
          "audience": "Software developers considering pricing and business dynamics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Derek W. Sivers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "developer careers",
        "software pricing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "developing-games-with-ruby-4da228",
      "title": "Developing Games With Ruby",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13663055,
          "author": "ChrisKingWebDev",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-16T19:59:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13663055",
          "commentText": "A bit late to the party, but I've been making by way though \"Developing Games With Ruby\" (https://leanpub.com/developing-games-with-ruby/read)\nIt's really good and the game is actually pretty fun.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've been making by way though \"Developing Games With Ruby\"",
          "reason": "Described as really good, and the game is fun.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "game development",
        "project based learning",
        "ruby"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "developing-quality-technical-information-0a2962",
      "title": "Developing Quality Technical Information",
      "author": "Roberta M. Null and Sara L. Louie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32343767,
          "author": "subpixel",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-04T14:57:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32343767",
          "commentText": "Developing Quality Technical Information is a very good foundation:\nhttps://www.oreilly.com/library/view/developing-quality-tech... (https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/developing-quality-technical/9780133119046/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Developing Quality Technical Information is a very good foundation",
          "reason": "Calls it a very good foundation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roberta M. Null",
        "Sara L. Louie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "documentation",
        "technical writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "developing-trust-online-security-for-developers-502984",
      "title": "Developing Trust: Online Security for Developers",
      "author": "Matt Curtin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8004130,
          "author": "AbelWike",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-08T12:18:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8004130",
          "commentText": "Developing Trust: Online Security for Developers - Written by Matt Curtin\n&\nImplementing SSL/TLS Using Cryptography and PKI - Written by Joshua Davies",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Developing Trust: Online Security for Developers - Written by Matt Curtin",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question asking for the best technical ebook.",
          "audience": "Developers interested in online security.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matt Curtin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "online security",
        "security for developers"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "development-as-freedom-145f4d",
      "title": "Development as Freedom",
      "author": "Amartya Sen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10786010,
          "author": "1812Overture",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T22:18:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786010",
          "commentText": "Dune by Frank Herbert- I'm one of the few people on Earth who enjoys the David Lynch adaptation so I finally had to get around to reading the book. Kind of awkward stylistically and structurally but a lot of fun.\nDevelopment as Freedom by Amartya Sen - It's seemed to me that there are political philosophies that focus on economic needs and those that focus on personal freedom. This is the best I've read at uniting those concepts.\nSurely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! - A blast to read and great insight into the thinking of a great mind.\nThe LA Quartet by James Ellroy (The Black Dahlia, The Big Nowhere, LA Confidential, White Jazz) - Really the pinnacle of dark gritty noir. If you like that I can't recommend highly enough.\nThe Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett - I like a lot of Hammett's other work but this seemed to have a lot of wheel spinning.\nCity of Quartz by Mike Davis - As an Angeleno this gave me so much insight into the city I love. I have no idea if it would be of any interest to an outsider.\nAntifragile by Nassim Taleb - Nassim Taleb is great and I've definitely been influenced a lot by his ideas, but he's getting too in love with the smell of his own farts.\nVarious books/textbooks on programming and databases - Nothing thrilling in this category. Gotta eat your vegetables.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is the best I've read at uniting those concepts.",
          "reason": "Rates it as the best book they have read at uniting economic needs and personal freedom.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Amartya Sen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "development economics",
        "freedom"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "developmental-biology-44e93a",
      "title": "Developmental Biology",
      "author": "Scott F. Gilbert",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16093063,
          "author": "veddox",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-07T22:20:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16093063",
          "commentText": "Gilbert's \"Developmental Biology\" is another great (and really good-looking) textbook. It almost made me want to go into developmental biology, just for the textbook :D",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gilbert's \"Developmental Biology\" is another great (and really good-looking) textbook.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great textbook and praises its appearance.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in developmental biology.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott F. Gilbert"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biology textbook",
        "developmental biology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "devil-take-the-hindmost-e07731",
      "title": "Devil Take the Hindmost",
      "author": "Edward Chancellor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 248600,
          "author": "eposts",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T15:59:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248600",
          "commentText": "Here is a good list:\nhttp://www.bogleheads.org/readbooks.htm\nGeneral Investing\n# The Four Pillars of Investing - by William (\"Bill\") Bernstein.\n# Wise Investing Made Simple or The Only Guide to a Winning Investment Strategy You'll Ever Need - by Larry Swedroe\n# The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing - by Taylor Larimore, Mel Lindauer, and Michael LeBoeuf\n# All About Asset Allocation - by Rick Ferri\n# The Informed Investor - by Frank Armstrong\n# The Little Book of Common Sense Investing - by John \"Jack\" Bogle\n# The Coffeehouse Investor - by Bill Schultheis.\nInvestor Behavior\n# Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes And How To Correct Them - by Gary Belsky and Thomas Gilovich\n# Your Money and Your Brain: How the New Science of Neuroeconomics Can Help Make You Rich - by Jason Zweig\n# Rational Investing in Irrational Times: How to Avoid the Costly Mistakes Even Smart People Make Today - by Larry Swedroe\nFinancial History\n# Against the Gods and Capital Ideas - by Peter L. Bernstein\n# Devil Take the Hindmost: A History of Financial Speculation - by Edward Chancellor\n# A Random Walk Down Wall Street - by Burton Malkiel\nLike others here have mentioned, http://www.bogleheads.org/ is a great forum for Vanguard investors.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Devil Take the Hindmost: A History of Financial Speculation - by Edward Chancellor",
          "reason": "Listed under financial history in response to a request for learning resources.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking financial history resources.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward Chancellor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial history",
        "speculation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "devil-in-the-white-city-cabbfc",
      "title": "Devil in the White City",
      "author": "Erik Larson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15018949,
          "author": "avisser",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T15:12:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15018949",
          "commentText": "Great book. The least \"non-fiction feeling\" work of non-fiction I've ever read. Surprised Hollywood hasn't jumped on it yet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great book. The least \"non-fiction feeling\" work of non-fiction I've ever read. Surprised Hollywood hasn't jumped on it yet.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book and praises its narrative feel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Erik Larson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "narrative history",
        "true crime",
        "world s columbian exposition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "devolution-4c2502",
      "title": "Devolution",
      "author": "Max Brooks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42274699,
          "author": "paulcole",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T15:57:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42274699",
          "commentText": "Audiobooks very rarely. Only if I’ve heard the “performance” of it is good. The last couple I remember were Great Gatsby read by Jake Gyllenhaal and Devolution read by Judy Greer. I live in the Pacific Northwest and listened to that one while trail running.\nI do really like podcasts though and am at 360 hours listened this year, almost exclusively while running, walking, or doing chores around the apartment.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Devolution read by Judy Greer.",
          "reason": "Mentioned as an audiobook the commenter listened to.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32197997,
          "author": "linsomniac",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:45:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197997",
          "commentText": "I just started The Hobbit a couple days ago.  For the last 3-4 months I've been checking out library books on the Kindle and reading as a bedtime ritual to help get me to sleep.  It's been working pretty well, I rarely lay there unable to go to sleep.\nI just finished Devolution by Max Brooks, it was good but not really in my wheelhouse.  I didn't realize when I started reading it, but he also did World War Z, which I felt the same way about, and also recently finished reading\nBefore that I finished Artemis by Andy Weir, good but not great.  Read because I had recently finished The Martian and absolutely loved it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I just finished Devolution by Max Brooks, it was good but not really in my wheelhouse.",
          "reason": "Calls it good, but says it is not really in their wheelhouse.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not really in the commenter's wheelhouse.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Max Brooks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bigfoot",
        "cryptid fiction",
        "survival horror"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dhammapada-3e465a",
      "title": "Dhammapada",
      "author": "Translated by Gil Fronsdal",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15630924,
          "author": "mbrock",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T18:57:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630924",
          "commentText": "Gödel, Escher, Bach awakened my intellectual curiosity about formal systems and other autistic modes of beauty as a teenager. After \"The Selfish Gene\" it was the first book I bought and read on my own volition, so I have to credit it as a major influence.\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs for showing that you can think rigorously and compose beautiful programs out of simple pieces.\nContingency, Irony, and Solidarity by Richard Rorty for showing that it's possible to think and feel about politics while maintaining a profoundly ironic and groundless mind.\nThe Body in Pain by Elaine Scarry for its beautiful view of civilization as materialized caring and of the inflicting of pain as metaphysically destructive.\nBeing-in-the-world by Dreyfus for introducing me to Heidegger and showing how continental philosophy inspired by Heidegger was a major force in the evolution of AI and how AI researchers tended to be influenced by rationalist philosophy in the vein of Descartes which leads to huge misunderstandings of the nature of being.\nDhammapada translated by Gil Fronsdal because it's a beautiful exposition of early Buddhist poetry and clearly shows the worldview of south east Asian Buddhism.\nDebt by David Graeber for making me interested in money and credit systems from an anthropological point of view.\nA Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace for being hilarious and sad and buzzing with neurotic perceptive overeducated thought in a way that mirrored my own precocious self-consciousness and made me feel less \"marooned in my own skull.\"\nThe Uses of Disorder by Richard Sennett for giving a defense of the anarchy of urban life that views conflict as necessary for growth.\nAfter Virtue by Alisdair MacIntyre for showing the contemporary situation in thought and ethics as profoundly abnormal and difficult, being the aftermath of the Enlightenment project's failure to ground morality in objective reason, and pointing to virtue within traditions as the only way to live coherently.\nThe Teachings of Huang-bo for being a merciless and hilarious attack on sanctimonious and ritualistic Buddhism, displaying the role of sarcasm and wit in spirituality, and generally just shouting \"wake up, lazy pretentious idiot\" on every page.\nFanged Noumena by Nick Land for diving deeply into amphetaminic insanity thus accurately mirroring the schizophrenia of postmodern capitalism.\nThe letters of Van Gogh.\nPhillip Lopate's personal essays.\nHyperobjects by Timothy Morton.\nOn the Origins of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dhammapada translated by Gil Fronsdal because it's a beautiful exposition of early Buddhist poetry and clearly shows the worldview of south east Asian Buddhism.",
          "reason": "Praises it as a beautiful exposition that clearly presents a Buddhist worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Translated by Gil Fronsdal"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhism",
        "buddhist poetry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dhammapada-the-sayings-of-the-buddha-e594c2",
      "title": "Dhammapada: The Sayings of the Buddha",
      "author": "Translated and edited by Thomas Byrom",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13241195,
          "author": "Zelmor",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T23:02:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13241195",
          "commentText": "After a quarter of an hour, I keep coming back to two books/audiobooks that have shaped this year. The rest is of no significance in comparison.\nThe Tao Te Ching \nby Lao Tzu\nTranslated by Gia-Fu Feng (1919–1985) and Jane English (1942–)\nHere is the audiobook read by Jacob Needleman, with additional commentary at the end. You can listen to it repeatedly on daily commutes, gives you something to consider:\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACr-EGYv71k\nDhammapada, The Sayings of the Buddha\nTranslated and edited by Thomas Byrom\nWhile Byrom's translation is not generally well received among literary scholars, I enjoy his poetic edits, and believe it is easier to remember the verses in everyday life. I carry it a Shambhala Pocket Classics edition with myself, usually, and read it as a reminder whenever I lose the way.\nAgain, read by Jacob Needleman:\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbtSvgL2fEU",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I enjoy his poetic edits, and believe it is easier to remember the verses in everyday life.",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoys Byrom's poetic edits and finds the verses easy to remember.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a compact reminder for everyday reflection.",
          "caveat": "The translation is not generally well received among literary scholars.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Translated and edited by Thomas Byrom"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhism",
        "buddhist scripture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "diagonalization-and-self-reference-51a7e3",
      "title": "Diagonalization and Self-Reference",
      "author": "Raymond Smullyan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15159375,
          "author": "mrmyers",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T02:26:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15159375",
          "commentText": "Modeling the world generally (as in, why mathematics works and can apply to the real world):\n  =Bertrand Russell=\n  * An Inquiry into Meaning and Truth\n  * A Theory of Knowledge\n  * Logic and Knowledge\n  =W.V. Quine=\n  * Word and Object\n  * Mathematical Logic\n  =Norbert Weiner=\n  * Cybernetics: Or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine\n  =Smullyan=\n  * Diagonalization and Self Reference\n\nSquishy Human Things:\n  Thomas Kuhn      - The Structure of Scientific Revolutions\n  Norbert Weiner   - The Human Use of Human-Beings\n  Bertrand Russell - A History of Western Philosophy\n  Karl Popper      - The Open Society and Its Enemies\n  Daniel Dennet    - Consciousness Explained\n  E. Abbot Abbot   - Flatland",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Diagonalization and Self Reference",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Raymond Smullyan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical logic",
        "self reference"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dialogues-94e083",
      "title": "Dialogues",
      "author": "Plato",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20914439,
          "author": "dantodor",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T01:16:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914439",
          "commentText": "Plato's Dialogues",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Plato's Dialogues",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Plato"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient greek philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "diamond-age-97850b",
      "title": "Diamond Age",
      "author": "Neal Stephenson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4396053,
          "author": "kaipakartik",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-17T12:40:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 4353632,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon.  What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4396053",
          "commentText": "Diamond Age is recommended. You might also like Little Brother by Doctorow.\nI would recommend anything by China Mieville.\nTake a look http://blog.kaipakartik.com you might find something you want to read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Diamond Age is recommended.",
          "reason": "The commenter states that Diamond Age is recommended.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neal Stephenson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nanotechnology",
        "neo victorian"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "diaries-d0a36d",
      "title": "Diaries",
      "author": "Samuel Pepys",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41175841,
          "author": "montgomery_r",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:58:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175841",
          "commentText": "Aargh, Formatting! Try 2 :\nFor the value of ‘best’ that includes\n(a) had a deep and long lasting impact on how I think about the world and\n(b) I consider beautiful pieces of writing in their own right,\nhere are some in no particular order:\nThe Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins\nThinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nNaming and Necessity, Saul Kripke\nTractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein\n(These you might want to approach via a gentle introduction if you did not study Philosophy to degree level)\nThe Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle\nDarkness at Noon, Arthur Koestler\nThe Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse\nA Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh\nDiaries, Samuel Pepys\nFalling Off the Map, Pico Iyer\nA Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor\nThe Lonely Sea and the Sky, Francis Chichester\nThe Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope\nBevis, Richard Jeffries\nThe Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith\nThe Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse\nHitch-22, essays, Christopher Hitchens\nCollected Essays, William Hazlitt\nVenice, Martin Gayford\nThe Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski\nThe Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch\nToo obvious a list, perhaps, but some gems for all that! Happy reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Diaries, Samuel Pepys",
          "reason": "Includes Pepys’s diaries among books considered impactful and beautifully written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Samuel Pepys"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "17th century england",
        "personal diaries"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "diary-a61d18",
      "title": "Diary",
      "author": "Witold Gombrowicz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21458722,
          "author": "vo2maxer",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T01:03:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21458722",
          "commentText": "During the past six months I have been challenged intellectually and aesthetically by these works:\nPaideia: The Ideals of Greek Culture, vol 1-3, by Werner Jaeger\nDiary by Witold Gombrowicz\nComputer Science: An Interdisciplinary Approach by Sedgewick\n2666 by Roberto Bolaño\nThe Linux Programming Interface by Michael Kerrisk\nTomie: No Use Escaping by Junji Ito\nL’homme aux cercles by Fred Vargas\nCryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson\nLab Girl by Hope Jahren\nOperating Systems: Three Easy Pieces by Arpaci-Dusseau\nI Contain Multitudes by Ed Yong.\nThe Weird by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer\nThe Federalist Papers,  ed. by Kesler\nThe Anti-Federalist Papers, ed. by Ketcham\nDoctor Faustus by Thomas Mann, new translation by John Woods\nSearching for Stars on an Island in Maine by Alan Lightman\nLoren Eiseley in the Library of America Edition\nTu rostro mañana by Javier Marías\nThe Complete Essays by Michel De Montaigne, translation by Screech\nEarning The Rockies by Kaplan\nDesperate Remedies by Thomas Hardy\nThe Notebooks of Joseph Joubert\nNature Stories by Jules Renard\nMac y su contratiempo by Enrique Vila-Matas\nOlinger Stories by John Updike\nGreek Science in Antiquity by Marshall Clagett\nAt The Existentialist Cafe by Sarah Bakewell\n100 Diagrams That Changed The World by Scott Christianson\nHeart of Europe: A History of the Holy Roman Empire by Peter Wilson\nAlec \"The Years Have Pants\" by Eddie Campbell\nLandmarks by Robert Macfarlane",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Diary by Witold Gombrowicz",
          "reason": "Listed among works that challenged the commenter intellectually and aesthetically.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 85884,
          "author": "maurycy",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T09:54:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85884",
          "commentText": "Many.\nIn short:\nAll books written by Witold Gombrowicz (Diary if have to pick one),\nAll books written by Slavoj Zizek (Welcome to the Desert of the Real: Five Essays on September 11 and Related Dates if have to pick one)\nRecently read and significant:\nThe Logic of Scientific Discovery, Karl Popper,\nMarket Wizards: Interviews with Top Traders, Jack Schwager",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All books written by Witold Gombrowicz (Diary if have to pick one)",
          "reason": "Names it as the pick from the author's books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Witold Gombrowicz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Philosophy",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary diaries",
        "literary diary",
        "polish literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "diary-1954-41e726",
      "title": "Diary 1954",
      "author": "Leopold Tyrmand",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17168677,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:31:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168677",
          "commentText": "I can't give just one, but here are a few that had a strong influence on me: \n\"12 Rules for Life\" by Jordan Peterson, \"Why Switzerland?\" Jonathan Steinberg, \"Little Book of Common Sense Investing\" by John C. Bogle, \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" by Butron Malkiel, \"Liberalismus\" by Ludwig von Mises, \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann, \"Walden\" by Henry David Thoreau, \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"A Treatise on Political Economy\" by Jean-Baptiste Say, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy\" by Joseph Alois Schumpeter, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"My Correct Views on Everything\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"The Captive Mind\" Czesław Miłosz, \"One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, \"The House of the Dead\" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, \"Conversations with an Executioner\" by Kazimierz Moczarski, \"Diary 1954\" by Leopold Tyrmand, \"The Master and Margarita\" by Mikhail Bulgakov, \"A World Apart: A Memoir of the Gulag\" by Gustaw Herling-Grudziński",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Diary 1954\" by Leopold Tyrmand",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a strong influence on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leopold Tyrmand"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "diary"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "diary-of-a-very-bad-year-3b3ecf",
      "title": "Diary of a Very Bad Year",
      "author": "Anonymous hedge fund manager; edited by Keith Gessen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1569629,
          "author": "throw_away",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T00:25:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569629",
          "commentText": "logicomix - a graphical novel about bertrand russell, logic and the history of computation.\ndiary of a very bad year: interviews with an anonymous hedge fund manager/the big short: inside the doomsday machine - two books about the financial crisis.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "diary of a very bad year: interviews with an anonymous hedge fund manager",
          "reason": "Presented as one of two books about the financial crisis.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anonymous hedge fund manager; edited by Keith Gessen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial crisis",
        "hedge funds"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "diary-of-a-very-bad-year-confessions-of-an-anonymous-hedge-fund-m-10878d",
      "title": "Diary of a Very Bad Year: Confessions of an Anonymous Hedge Fund Manager",
      "author": "Anonymous hedge fund manager",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25318851,
          "author": "potions",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T22:03:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25318851",
          "commentText": "Diary of a Very Bad Year: Confessions of an Anonymous Hedge Fund Manager is really entertaining and lucid if you are interested in a 'casual'(in tone) explanation of the global financial crisis.\nIt's a set of interviews with \"n+1 magazine\" from the course of the year later expanded and collated.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Diary of a Very Bad Year: Confessions of an Anonymous Hedge Fund Manager",
          "reason": "Called entertaining and lucid; offers a casual-toned explanation of the global financial crisis through interviews.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in a casual explanation of the global financial crisis.",
          "caveat": "Expanded and collated from interviews with n+1 magazine conducted over the year.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anonymous hedge fund manager"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "global financial crisis",
        "hedge funds"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dictatorland-61e404",
      "title": "Dictatorland",
      "author": "Paul Kenyon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268834,
          "author": "sien",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:04:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268834",
          "commentText": "A few of the books that stand out that I've read this year.\nTroubled - Rob Henderson. About how Henderson was in state care and wound up at prestigious universities and his thoughts on the world.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/176444107-troubled\nNot the End of the World - Hannah Ritchie from 'Our World in Data' about the state of the planet.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145624737-not-the-end-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145624737-not-the-end-of-the-world)\nDictatorland - Paul Kenyon - About the dictators who have impoverished Africa.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36260719-dictatorland\nMagic Pill - Johann Hari - About Semaglutide and how people got fat.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/201319612-magic-pill\nOn the Edge - Nate Silver - About how seeing the world in terms of risk and expected value can work.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/204236707-on-the-edge\nOrbital - Samantha Harvey - Booker Prize winner about people on the ISS and the world.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123136728-orbital\nBuild, Baby, Build - Bryan Caplan on why YIMBYism is a good idea. This is a graphic novel. It's really fun.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/181564537-build-baby-bui... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/181564537-build-baby-build)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dictatorland - Paul Kenyon - About the dictators who have impoverished Africa.",
          "reason": "Lists it among books that stood out this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Kenyon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "african politics",
        "dictatorship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dictionnaire-philosophique-b9cd97",
      "title": "Dictionnaire philosophique",
      "author": "Voltaire",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41176934,
          "author": "paviva",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T00:13:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41176934",
          "commentText": "Permutation city, Greg Egan\nDictionnaire philosophique, Voltaire\nThe Road to Serfdom, Friedrich Hayek\nThe ICU Book, Paul Marino",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dictionnaire philosophique, Voltaire",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Voltaire"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "enlightenment",
        "philosophical essays"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "did-monetary-forces-cause-the-great-depression-07f0bd",
      "title": "Did Monetary Forces Cause the Great Depression?",
      "author": "Peter Temin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22093129,
          "author": "neplus",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T18:53:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22093129",
          "commentText": "Depends on your definition of practically unknown. With that said, these are the four that immediately spring to mind as being both worth reading and relatively obscure (judging by date of publication in conjunction with being either out of print or with very few star ratings on Amazon).\nDid Monetary Forces Cause the Great Depression? - Peter Termin, 1975\nTermin is still going strong at MIT. His 1975 book was foundational for challenging Friedman on the cause of the Great Depression. Given what was to come in the 1980s this book quickly became overshadowed and destined for obscurity. However, it still provides an appropriate, timely lens to analyze monetary theory without the abstraction that has engrossed economics as of late.\nThe Supreme Court in the American System of Government  - Robert Jackson, 1955\nA series of lectures created for a Harvard lecture series in 1954-55 by Justice Jackson. He suddenly died before being able to deliver them, but they were compiled in a book now out of print. Justice Jackson is widely regarded - across the aisle - as one of the most brilliant legal writers of our time (or perhaps of any time). While this book doesn't set out his entire judicial philosophy, or even do what the title says due to his untimely death, it does lay a valuable conception of the proper role of the SCOTUS within the Republic. Also recommended, to see both his pen and intellect in action, are his opinions in Korematsu v. United States and West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette.\nThe Opium of the Intellectuals - Aron, 1955\nAmazon does a better job of summarizing than I could off the top of my head, so here you go: \"Raymond Aron's 1955 masterpiece The Opium of the Intellectuals, is one of the great works of twentieth- century political reflection. Aron shows how noble ideas can slide into the tyranny of \"secular religion\" and emphasizes how political thought has the profound responsibility of telling the truth about social and political reality-in all its mundane imperfections and tragic complexities.\"\nAn incredibly difficult read that is worth trying to get through. Brimming with ideas and not without its own pitfalls. Tells the story of 20th Century intellectual history and thought as well as any could, although in a rather indirect way.\nThe Protestant Establishment: Aristocracy and Caste in America (Aristocracy & Caste in America) - Baltzell, 1987\nI'll let Amazon summarize again: \"This classic account of the traditional upper class in America traces its origins, lifestyles, and political and social attitudes from the time of Theodore Roosevelt to that of John F. Kennedy. Sociologist E. Digby Baltzell describes the problems of exclusion and prejudice within the community of white Anglo-Saxon Protestants (or WASPs, an acronym he coined) and predicts with amazing accuracy what will happen when this inbred group is forced to share privilege and power with talented members of minority groups.\"\nMy summary would be: what will happen (hypothetically, remember the date of publication) when an ephemeral class (WASPs) suddenly disappear from their previous pedestal of influence? Prescient, widely applicable to other countries with their own quasi-classes, and deeply interesting for those less familiar with the subject.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "these are the four that immediately spring to mind as being both worth reading and relatively obscure",
          "reason": "The commenter includes it among four books they consider worth reading.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in monetary theory and the Great Depression.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is out of print or has few Amazon ratings and is difficult to find.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Temin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "great depression",
        "monetary theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "die-wise-c7b462",
      "title": "Die Wise",
      "author": "Stephen Jenkinson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29689720,
          "author": "n4kana",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-26T04:34:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29689720",
          "commentText": "Die Wise by Stephen Jenkinson is a masterpiece. I thought I had a pretty good relationship with death until I read this book. It starts out slow because that’s the thesis of the book: go slow and pay attention; be curious and feel emotions deeply without hurrying. He gently and convincingly shakes down concepts that seems beyond reproach like “hope”. Seriously he makes a killer argument against hope. Not that it’s all bad, but rather that it must earn it’s place at the table. Hope, he argues, is like a mortgage. You pay today with a goal of owning a piece of happiness in the future. (Eg Today’s bad because I’ve been told that I’m dying but I hope that I’ll get better with experimental therapy. 99% do not, so it’s better not to mortgage your future on a promise that’s unlikely.) I can’t do the book justice here, but I hope someone reads it because of this recommendation!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Die Wise by Stephen Jenkinson is a masterpiece. I thought I had a pretty good relationship with death until I read this book.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book and recommends that someone read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Jenkinson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "death and dying",
        "grief"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dieter-rams-the-complete-works-f2b1f4",
      "title": "Dieter Rams: The Complete Works",
      "author": "Klaus Klemp",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38557717,
          "author": "Brajeshwar",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:51:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557717",
          "commentText": "Most of the books I read are influenced by similar threads on HN. This year has not been good overall and it impacted my reading. I need to finish writing the post https://brajeshwar.com/2023/books/\n“How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question” by Michael Schur is a fun book that opens with a good question, “Should I punch my friend in the face for no reason?”\nI have been meaning to and this year I finally read The Diary of a Young Girl.\nFor 2024, here are some of the ones from my list (sorry for the formatting, copied Markdown from my notes);\n- [Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_War:_The_Fight_for_the_Wo... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_War:_The_Fight_for_the_World%27s_Most_Critical_Technology)) by [Chris Miller](https://www.christophermiller.net)\n- [First Principles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Principles_%28book%29) by [Thomas E. Ricks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_E._Ricks_%28journalist%29)\n- [Greenlights](https://greenlights.com) by [Matthew McConaughey](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_McConaughey)\n- How Asia Works: Success and Failure in the World's Most Dynamic Region by Joe Studwell\n- [Poor Economics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poor_Economics): A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty by [Abhijit V. Banerjee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abhijit_Banerjee),  and [Esther Duflo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther_Duflo)\n- Raising An Emotionally Intelligent Child The Heart of Parenting by [John Gottman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gottman), and Joan DeClaire\n- [The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read](https://www.amazon.com/Book-Wish-Your-Parents-Read/dp/198487... (https://www.amazon.com/Book-Wish-Your-Parents-Read/dp/1984879553)): (and Your Children Will Be Glad That You Did) by [Philippa Perry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippa_Perry)\n- [The End Of The World Is Just The Beginning: Mapping The Collapse Of Globalization](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_End_of_the_World_is_just_t... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_End_of_the_World_is_just_the_Beginning)) by [Peter Zeihan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Zeihan)\n- [The Tatas: How a Family Built a Business and a Nation](https://www.amazon.com/Tatas-Family-Built-Business-Nation/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Tatas-Family-Built-Business-Nation/dp/9352779371)) by [Girish Kuber](https://mr.wikipedia.org/wiki/गिरीश_कुबेर), and English translation by Vikrant Pande.\n- [Windfall: The Booming Business of Global Warming](https://www.amazon.com/Windfall-Booming-Business-Global-Warm... (https://www.amazon.com/Windfall-Booming-Business-Global-Warming/dp/1594204012)) by [McKenzie Funk](https://www.mckenziefunk.com)\n- [Dieter Rams: The Complete Works](https://www.amazon.com/Dieter-Rams-Complete-Klaus-Klemp/dp/1... (https://www.amazon.com/Dieter-Rams-Complete-Klaus-Klemp/dp/1838661530/)) by [Klaus Klemp](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaus_Klemp)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "here are some of the ones from my list",
          "reason": "Included on the commenter's reading list for 2024.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as a planned read, not an evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Klaus Klemp"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "design monograph",
        "industrial design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "difference-and-repetition-ded757",
      "title": "Difference and Repetition",
      "author": "Gilles Deleuze",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19090108,
          "author": "nathias",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T21:39:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090108",
          "commentText": "Plato - Meno, Symposium, Parmenides, Gorgias, Protagoras\nPlotinus -Enneads\nMarkus Aurelius - Meditations\nDescartes - On method\nDescartes - Meditations\nSpinoza - On the improvement of Understanding\nLeibniz - Monadology\nLeibniz - Grace\nVoltaire - Candid\nDiderot - D'Alembert's Dream\nKant - How to orient oneself in thinking\nKant - Critique of Pure Reason\nKant - Critique of Judgment\nHegel - Phenomenology of Spirit\nHegel - Logic\nvon Kleist - Marionette Theatre\nKierkegaard - The Sickness Unto Death\nHeidegger - Being and Time\nSartre - Being and Nothingness\nSartre - Flies\nSartre - Nausea\nDeleuze - Difference and Repetition\nKafka - Metamorphosis\nKafka - The Castle\nLem - Magellan Nebula\nLem - His Master's Voice\nCioran - A Short History of Decay\nPessoa - Book Of Despair\nWolfe -  New Sun tetralogy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Deleuze - Difference and Repetition",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gilles Deleuze"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "continental philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "different-seasons-e713e9",
      "title": "Different Seasons",
      "author": "Stephen King",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14480453,
          "author": "real-hacker",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-04T08:53:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14480453",
          "commentText": "+1 for Different Seasons. I still get goosebumps when thinking about reading this book a few years ago. This man is a master of words.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for Different Seasons. I still get goosebumps when thinking about reading this book a few years ago.",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the recommendation and says it still gives them goosebumps.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen King"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short story collection"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "different-gender-through-the-eyes-of-a-primatologist-365458",
      "title": "Different: Gender Through the Eyes of a Primatologist",
      "author": "Frans de Waal",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38557077,
          "author": "rossdavidh",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T14:59:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557077",
          "commentText": "End Times: Elites, Counter-Elites, and the Path of Political Disintegration by Peter Turchin.  Instead of just bemoaning the current state of politics, Turchin uses a data-informed comparison to previous, similar cycles to see where we're headed.\nWhat if? 2 by Randall Munroe.  The physics, biology, and chemistry textbook we should have had in high school.\nDifferent: Gender Through the Eyes of a Primatologist by Frans de Waal.  Primatologist with half a century of experience analyzes current gender identity debates from the viewpoint of someone who knows about more than one primate species (not just humans).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Primatologist with half a century of experience analyzes current gender identity debates from the viewpoint of someone who knows about more than one primate species (not just humans).",
          "reason": "Presents gender identity debates through the perspective of a primatologist with extensive experience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frans de Waal"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "gender",
        "primatology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "differential-equations-2e3d4c",
      "title": "Differential Equations",
      "author": "Blanchard, Devaney, and Hall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910827,
          "author": "hprotagonist",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T17:20:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910827",
          "commentText": "Blanchard, Devaney and Hall, \"Differential Equations\".    The first math textbook I found that you can actually read.\nOppenheim, Willsky, and Nawab, \"Signals and Systems\".  The foundational modern text for signals processing; Fourier analysis becomes a fundamental way of thinking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Differential Equations\".    The first math textbook I found that you can actually read.",
          "reason": "Calls it the first math textbook they found that is readable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Blanchard, Devaney, and Hall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "differential equations",
        "textbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "differential-forms-d75b9f",
      "title": "Differential Forms",
      "author": "Henri Cartan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2734410,
          "author": "NY_Entrepreneur",
          "createdAt": "2011-07-06T15:46:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 2723436,
          "threadTitle": "Suggest good sites/books on probability",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2734410",
          "commentText": "\"Can you please suggest on-line resource to learn great beginning and advanced probability concepts?\"\nYup!  The subject at the level you ask is a major topic in applied math but is not very popular in US universities.  So, you will not get many good answers.  In particular, the 'computer science' community, with 'machine learning' and 'artificial' this, Bayesian that, likely won't have good answers.\nYour \"on-line\" part is asking a bit much; I can give you references to books but not all on-line.  There may be some PDF files on-line, from TeX, that have such material; try some Google searching with the keywords used here.\nThe intuitive foundations of probability went back to gambling.\n'Probability' is a field of 'applied' math and as such is well defined:\nAbout 100 years ago, E. Borel student H. Lebesgue invented 'measure theory' which essentially 'rewrote' classic calculus, especially the part about integration.  For the simple cases, what Lebesgue did gets the same numerical values as the classic Riemann integral.  The difference is that in theoretical work Lebesgue's integral is much more general and much better 'behaved'.\nBut 'measure theory' has to do with, intuitively, 'length', 'area', 'volume' and various generalizations of these.  Well, in probability, for probability P and event A, the 'probability' of A is P(A) and is a number in [0,1] and acts much like the 'area' of A. The connection is so close that, in the end, we have to accept that the foundations of probability are measure theory.\nThen\nA. N. Kolmogorov, 'Foundations of the Theory of Probability, Second English Edition', Chelsea Publishing Company, New York, 1956.  English translation of the original German '\"Grundbegriffe der Wahrscheinlichkeitrechnung,\"' 'Ergebnisse Der Mathematik', 1933.\napplied Lebesgue's work to make probability a solid field of math.  Since then Kolmogorov's foundations have been nearly the only one taken seriously in any 'modern' or 'advanced' work in probability, stochastic processes, or mathematical statistics.\nA good start on a good text in stochastic processes was:\nJ. L. Doob, 'Stochastic Processes', John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1953.\nDoob was long at University of Illinois.  One of his students was P. Halmos who was later an assistant to von Neumann at the Institute for Advanced Study and in about 1942 wrote the first version of the still standard:\nPaul R. Halmos, 'Finite-Dimensional Vector Spaces, Second Edition', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, New Jersey, 1958.\nLater he wrote:\nPaul R. Halmos, 'Measure Theory', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, NJ, 1950.\nwith at the end a NICE introduction to probability and stochastic processes based on measure theory.\nLikely the first rock solid, quite comprehensive, highly polished presentation of 'modern' probability was the first edition of:\nM. Loeve, 'Probability Theory, I and II, 4th Edition', Springer-Verlag, New York, 1977.\nLoeve was long at Berkeley.  One of his students did:\nJacques Neveu, 'Mathematical Foundations of the Calculus of Probability', Holden-Day, San Francisco, 1965.\nand another did:\nLeo Breiman, 'Probability', ISBN 0-89871-296-3, SIAM, Philadelphia, 1992.\nEither of these two can be regarded as a more succinct presentation of the more important material in Loeve.  Breiman is the more 'practical' and 'accessible'; Neveu is a crown jewel of elegance and succinctness but not always easy to read.\nOther good presentations of much the same material include:\nKai Lai Chung, 'A Course in Probability Theory, Second Edition', ISBN 0-12-174650-X, Academic Press, New York, 1974.\nand\nYuan Shih Chow and Henry Teicher, 'Probability Theory:  Independence, Interchangeability, Martingales', ISBN 0-387-90331-3, Springer-Verlag, New York, 1978.\nIn total, those texts nail down 'probability' at all four corners and make it a rock solid topic in applied math.  Good knowledge of, say, Breiman is a necessary and sufficient condition for knowing 'probability' at a serious level, that is, without being watered down for 'general audiences'.\nFor more, proceed with stochastic processes, stochastic optimal control, mathematical statistics, etc.\nFor learning probability, minimal prerequisites (more would be helpful) would be abstract algebra, linear algebra, 'analysis', measure theory, and functional analysis.\nFor abstract algebra, there are many texts.  Sufficient is\nI. N. Herstein, 'Topics in Algebra', Blaisdell, New York, 1964.\nbut can consider S. Lang, etc.\nFor linear algebra, there are many texts, but the old:\nPaul R. Halmos, 'Finite-Dimensional Vector Spaces, Second Edition', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, New Jersey, 1958.\nremains a good 'second' text.  It is also an introduction to functional analysis.\nThe main text for 'analysis' is just:\nWalter Rudin, 'Principles of Mathematical Analysis', McGraw-Hill, New York.\nin whatever is the latest edition.\nCan skip the material on exterior algebra or just get it from the original source, now in English:\nHenri Cartan, 'Differential Forms', ISBN 0-486-45010-4, Dover, Mineola, NY, 2006.\nFor measure theory and functional analysis, the standards are:\nH. L. Royden, 'Real Analysis:  Second Edition', Macmillan, New York.\nand the first (real) half of:\nWalter Rudin, 'Real and Complex Analysis', ISBN 07-054232-5, McGraw-Hill, New York.\nActually, Loeve also covers much of this material.  Neveu slips in quite a lot.\nThen you will be ready for Breiman, Neveu, Chung, Chow and Teicher, or Loeve.\nYou will discover:\nThe start of probability theory is a 'probability space'.  For that, there are three parts, (1) the 'sample space', (2) the 'events', and (3) the 'probability measure'.\nThe 'sample space' is just a set of points; to support any reasonably serious work in probability, the sample space has to be uncountably infinite.  In all our work, we do some one 'trial', and that corresponds to some one point in the sample space.  The other points in the sample space are what 'might' have been our trial.\nAn 'event' is a set of trials.  We ask that the collection of all events have some 'closure' properties to make that collection a 'sigma algebra'.  So, briefly, the collection of events has as one event the whole sample space and is closed under relative complements and countable unions.\nIn terms of measure theory, the sample space and the sigma algebra of events form a 'measurable space'.  A 'probability measure' is just a positive measure with total 'mass' 1. Thank you Lebesgue and measure theory.\nOn the reals R, we can take the open sets and, then, the Borel sets, that is, the smallest sigma algebra that contains the open sets.  A 'random variable' is a function from the probability space to the reals that is 'measurable', that is, the inverse image of a Borel set is an event.\nAs an alternative, we can ask that the inverse image of the Lebesgue measurable sets of R be events.\nIf X is such a random variable, then its 'expectation' E[X] is just the Lebesgue ('abstract') integral of X over the probability space.  For E[X] to exist, we need only that X be measurable and that the integral of both the positive and the negative parts of X not be infinite (we don't want to subtract one infinity from another).  E.g., Lebesgue integration is very 'general':  All we need is measurability and not subtract one infinity from another.\nBy a change of variable, we can also write the expectation as a Lebesgue integral over the real line with respect to the 'distribution' of X on R. Or, X 'induces' a probability measure on R.\nWe can discuss convergence of random variables -- in distribution, probability, mean square, and almost surely.\nThen we can define independence for events, sigma algebras, and random variables.  E.g., with this approach, if X and Y are independent random variables and f and g are functions, then f(X) and g(Y) are independent random variables.  Don't try to prove this the elementary way!\nWith independent random variables, we can cover the classic limit theorems -- central limit theorem, weak and strong laws of large numbers, and the law of the iterated logarithm.\nUsing the Radon-Nikodym theorem of measure theory, for random variables X and Y we can define their 'conditional expectation' E[Y|X].\nWith such 'conditioning' we can discuss Markov processes, martingales, and the martingale convergence theorem.\nWe can also move on to ergodic theory and, say, Poincare recurrence (keep stirring the coffee and the cream will separate back, close to where it was when it was poured in).\nThose are the previews of coming attractions.\nNote:  This material is not very popular in US universities.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Henri Cartan, 'Differential Forms', ISBN 0-486-45010-4, Dover, Mineola, NY, 2006.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a source for material on exterior algebra.",
          "audience": "Readers preparing for advanced probability.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says this can be skipped or learned from this source.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Henri Cartan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "differential forms",
        "exterior algebra"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "differential-forms-in-algebraic-topology-f2ebeb",
      "title": "Differential Forms in Algebraic Topology",
      "author": "Raoul Bott and Loring W. Tu",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32790697,
          "author": "ABeeSea",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T13:58:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790697",
          "commentText": "Differential Forms in Algebraic Topology might be one of the best math books ever written.\nI’ll add Milnor’s Topology from the Differential Viewpoint and/or \nDifferential Topology by Guillemin and Pollack.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Differential Forms in Algebraic Topology might be one of the best math books ever written.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of the best math books ever written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Raoul Bott",
        "Loring W. Tu"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algebraic topology",
        "differential forms"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "differential-geometry-of-curves-and-surfaces-74bcfe",
      "title": "Differential Geometry of Curves and Surfaces",
      "author": "Manfredo P. do Carmo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237547,
          "author": "pmalynin",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T14:51:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237547",
          "commentText": "One book that I've read recently that really stands out is Differential Geometry of Curves and Surfaces by Manfredo do Carmo. It's a bit outdated, and at times hard to read, but it has a lot gems that aren't well know  (there is a bit at the beginning on estimating the length of a curve by counting the number of intersecting lines).\nI'd recommend it if you're looking for some math reading.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend it if you're looking for some math reading.",
          "reason": "Recommends it to readers looking for mathematics reading.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for mathematics books, especially differential geometry.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is outdated and at times hard to read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Manfredo P. do Carmo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "curves and surfaces",
        "differential geometry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "differential-manifolds-274946",
      "title": "Differential Manifolds",
      "author": "Antoni A. Kosinski",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34441747,
          "author": "kdavis",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T16:02:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34441747",
          "commentText": "* 4-Manifolds and Kirby Calculus by Andras I. Stipsicz and Robert E. Gompf\n* Differential Manifolds by Antoni A. Kosinski\n* Introduction to Smooth Manifolds by John M. Lee",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Differential Manifolds by Antoni A. Kosinski",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about math books valued for their impact on mathematical thinking and skills.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Antoni A. Kosinski"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "differential manifolds"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "differential-topology-109fe9",
      "title": "Differential Topology",
      "author": "Victor Guillemin and Alan Pollack",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32790697,
          "author": "ABeeSea",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T13:58:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790697",
          "commentText": "Differential Forms in Algebraic Topology might be one of the best math books ever written.\nI’ll add Milnor’s Topology from the Differential Viewpoint and/or \nDifferential Topology by Guillemin and Pollack.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Differential Topology by Guillemin and Pollack.",
          "reason": "The commenter adds it as another suggested math book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Victor Guillemin",
        "Alan Pollack"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "differential topology",
        "topology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "differential-and-integral-calculus-abb59c",
      "title": "Differential and Integral Calculus",
      "author": "N. Piskunov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31492203,
          "author": "rq1",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T13:59:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31492203",
          "commentText": "These are MIR books afaik, where would you get them?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "These are MIR books afaik, where would you get them?",
          "reason": "Asks where to obtain the books listed in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The target comment refers to the parent’s list without repeating individual titles.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31489785,
          "author": "Jugurtha",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T09:20:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31489785",
          "commentText": "- \"A Course of Higher Mathematics\", V. I. Smirnov.\n- \"Differential and Integral Calculus\", N. Piskunov.\n- \"Problems in Mathematical Analysis\", B. Demidovich.\nThese are great books. Demidovich's book is a collection of more than 3000 exercises. Smirnov's book is a course that takes you from what a value means, to advanced topics (5 volumes, in 7 books). Piskunov's book is in-between (course and exercises).\nThese are the books we've used and went to during the first two years of Engineering (all engineers civil/mechanical/electrical/etc. and phys/maths/chem students go through the maths/phys/chem heavy common core except CS/SE students).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Differential and Integral Calculus\", N. Piskunov.",
          "reason": "The commenter lists it among the books they used and describes it as combining course material and exercises.",
          "audience": "Engineering, physics, mathematics, and chemistry students in the first two years.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "N. Piskunov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "calculus"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "differential-and-integral-calculus-41785a",
      "title": "Differential and Integral Calculus",
      "author": "Nikolai P. Fichtenholz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7578340,
          "author": "krick",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T16:48:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578340",
          "commentText": "Eh, I was thinking about something else, actually. What you listed are taught in every CS program, aren't they? It isn't what I imagined when I heard \"rigorous\" at all.\nTopology, number theory, abstract algebra (I mean, real one, not CS-course basics), statistics, tensor analysis? Isn't that \"undergrad math\"?\nFor things like Set theory/combinatorics/logic basics I'd recommend Rosen's \"Discrete Math and Applications\"[1]. CS oriented, simple, interesting, broad. Covers all the basic stuff.\nLinear algebra — two books, \"Linear algebra done Right\" and \"Linear algebra done Wrong\". Second one more math-oriented, the first one — pretty simple, pretty clear, fun to read.\nReal analysis (\"calculus\" you mean?) — I personally learned from different sources and probably the most concise book I read is Fichtengolz's \"differential and integral calculus\", but I don't know if it's available in english. I guess, almost any book on topic is fine.\nGeometry & Probability theory — not sure what to recommend, because books on topic vary in depth dramatically, I would appreciate myself if somebody would outline the borders for what to cover first. Anyway, most of what I read and found useful is in russian, unfortunately. But still, what do you mean by geometry and prob. theory? Differential geometry, Riemannian geometry, erlangen program covered or only basic euclidean/analytic geometry stuff? Same goes for probability. If you care only for very basics — Khan's academy (or any random youtube videos) is fine. Any intro book on statistics covers it as well.\n[1] - http://www.amazon.com/Discrete-Mathematics-Applications-Kenn... (http://www.amazon.com/Discrete-Mathematics-Applications-Kenneth-Rosen/dp/0072899050)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the most concise book I read is Fichtengolz's \"differential and integral calculus\"",
          "reason": "The commenter identifies it as the most concise calculus book they read.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a real analysis or calculus text.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether it is available in English.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nikolai P. Fichtenholz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "calculus"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "differentiate-or-die-8064cd",
      "title": "Differentiate or Die",
      "author": "Jack Trout",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 193331,
          "author": "edw519",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-18T12:59:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 193308,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What books on marketing do you recomend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=193331",
          "commentText": "Differentiate or Die\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing\nGetting Everything You Can Out of All You've Got\nThe Irresistable Offer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Differentiate or Die",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jack Trout"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "brand differentiation",
        "marketing strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "differentiate-or-die-survival-in-our-era-of-killer-competition-03aa66",
      "title": "Differentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition",
      "author": "Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6130130,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2013-07-30T21:18:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 6130006,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read re marketing for my website?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6130130",
          "commentText": "I'm not sure if the fact that it's a game changes anything or not as I don't play in that space myself.  But just in terms of marketing in general, some of the essentials include:\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing - Al Ries & Jack Trout\nPositioning - Al Ries & Jack Trout\nRepositioning - Jack Trout (with Steve Rivkin)\nDifferentiate or Die - Jack Trout (with Steve Rivkin)\nThe Ultimate Marketing Plan - Dan S. Kennedy\nThe Ultimate Sales Machine - Chet Holmes\nAll Marketers Are Liars - Seth Godin\nThe Purple Cow - Seth Godin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Differentiate or Die - Jack Trout (with Steve Rivkin)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jack Trout",
        "Steve Rivkin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "differentiation",
        "marketing strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "difficult-conversations-b0ee11",
      "title": "Difficult Conversations",
      "author": "Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16569321,
          "author": "jrs235",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-12T16:36:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16569321",
          "commentText": "Difficult Conversations\nPrimal Leadership\nNecessary Endings",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Difficult Conversations",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that helped professionally.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, and Sheila Heen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "communication",
        "conflict resolution"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "digital-apollo-human-and-machine-in-spaceflight-32e619",
      "title": "Digital Apollo: Human and Machine in Spaceflight",
      "author": "David A. Mindell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21765978,
          "author": "TallGuyShort",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-11T19:41:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 21765528,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fun Tech Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21765978",
          "commentText": "\"Things to Make and Do in the Fourth Dimension\" is really fun, but it's not really tech, it's more just math. But I do a lot of work with scientific / numerical computing so some may group them together. In addition to math, it covers some interesting algorithms and fun ways to use spreadsheets for images, etc.\nI also really enjoy books about the tech used in the early space program. \"Digital Apollo\" is probably the one that makes the best light / easy reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Digital Apollo\" is probably the one that makes the best light / easy reading.",
          "reason": "Recommended as the best light and easy read among the commenter's books about early space program technology.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in technology used in the early space program.",
          "caveat": "The recommendation is for light, easy reading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David A. Mindell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "apollo program",
        "spaceflight technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "digital-computer-electronics-748113",
      "title": "Digital Computer Electronics",
      "author": "Albert Paul Malvino",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27628850,
          "author": "rickdeveloper",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T09:56:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27628850",
          "commentText": "I really liked Digital Computer Electronics by Albert Paul Malvino.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really liked Digital Computer Electronics by Albert Paul Malvino.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really liked it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Albert Paul Malvino"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer architecture",
        "digital electronics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "digital-gold-ce5d81",
      "title": "Digital Gold",
      "author": "Nathaniel Popper",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10787625,
          "author": "aws_ls",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T09:09:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787625",
          "commentText": "1) Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree - Rating 3/5 - Got an idea about the times in receding Muslim powers, at the end of the 15th Century, in Spain -  The author is an historian so positive point is that fiction rooted in history. But some of the fictional narratives could have been better, as he was not a fiction writer when he started out.\n2) Zero to One - Rating 4/5 - Thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. Insights into and anecdotal examples of Paypal mafia, among the numerous over there.\n3) Liar's Poker - Rating 4/5 - The first of several best seller's by Michael Lewis, gives insights into the working of Investment Finance business, and in a very interesting way (lots of humor)\n4) Devotion of Suspect X - Rating 4/5 - Work of fiction by the Japanese best seller author Keigo Higashino. Enjoyable read - contrasts a Physicist and a Mathematician trying to out think each other in a crime context (reference to Maths/Physics are just pop-level so don't expect too much)\n5) 'Digital Gold...' by Nathaniel Popper - Currently reading (very enjoyable at around 41%) - Captures the history of evolution of Bitcoin. Also made me sad for various people for different reasons, e.g. Hal Finney, who was the first adopter of Satoshi Nakamoto's idea. Reading this book made me appreciate why not knowing who is SN is important. I am no longer curious.\n6) Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond - Rating 5/5 - A perspective changing book, if there can be one. Had picked it up from Gates notes' reading list couple years back. After reading this, my entire perspective on religions, politics, culture changed and I view everything from the reference point of when we started to do agriculture some 20,000 years ago, and of course geographical perspective.\nSome others in my to-read list (hope to pick one before the turn of the year):\n1) Emperor of all maladies - book on cancer research\n2) Ashley Vance's book on Elon Musk\n3) 100 years of solitude\n4) The selfish gene\n5) The hard thing about hard things\n6) Or, if I see any other book: either on this page, or on Gates Notes or on HN reading share the other day. Am a big fan of exchanging/sharing reading lists.\nEdit: Formatting. HN post editor needs two new lines ('\\n') to display one\nEdit 2: Had wrongly named book #4 as Salvation of a saint (which is another book, I read earlier by the same author)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Currently reading (very enjoyable at around 41%) - Captures the history of evolution of Bitcoin.",
          "reason": "Finds it very enjoyable and says it captures Bitcoin's history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter was still reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nathaniel Popper"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bitcoin",
        "cryptocurrency"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "digital-image-processing-using-matlab-098aa9",
      "title": "Digital Image Processing Using MATLAB",
      "author": "Rafael C. Gonzalez, Richard E. Woods, and Steven L. Eddins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 859377,
          "author": "yaroslavvb",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-03T23:21:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 858824,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Image recognition books and resources",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=859377",
          "commentText": "I was in your boat several months ago when I had to learn image processing from scratch to implement a requested feature\n\"Digital Image Processing Using MATLAB\" ended up the most useful, along with some basic Matlab tutorials\nhere's what I ended up with \nhttp://yaroslavvb.blogspot.com/2009/08/robust-ocr-in-video.h... (http://yaroslavvb.blogspot.com/2009/08/robust-ocr-in-video.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Digital Image Processing Using MATLAB\" ended up the most useful",
          "reason": "The commenter found it the most useful resource while learning image processing.",
          "audience": "People learning image processing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rafael C. Gonzalez, Richard E. Woods, and Steven L. Eddins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "image processing",
        "matlab"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "digital-minimalism-choosing-a-focused-life-in-a-noisy-world-cfa1bb",
      "title": "Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World",
      "author": "Cal Newport",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21803375,
          "author": "techstrategist",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T14:53:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803375",
          "commentText": "Depending on your current habits, starting with Digital Minimalism will help get through the others in one year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "starting with Digital Minimalism will help get through the others in one year",
          "reason": "Suggested as a starting point to help the reader make progress through the rest of their list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The advice depends on the reader's current habits.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803308,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T14:43:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803308",
          "commentText": "I hilariously overestimate the number of books I can get through when I make these lists, but my current list for 2020 is as follows:\nDigital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World\nThe Man Who Solved the Market: How Jim Simons Launched the Quant Revolution\nBook of Proof\nDesigning Data-Intensive Applications: The Big Ideas Behind Reliable, Scalable, and Maintainable Systems\nSeeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed\nGuns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies\nWe Make the Road by Walking: A Year-Long Quest for Spiritual Formation, Reorientation, and Activation\nSoul Repair: Recovering from Moral Injury after War (for a friend)\nMaster and Commander\nEducated\nWithout Getting Killed or Caught: The Life and Music of Guy Clark\nStretch goal: The Power Broker, as a warm-up for Caro's LBJ series\nThe Bible (perpetual, I don't get through it every year, but I get through much of it, often)\nEDIT: I also hilariously underestimate the number of books I want to read. Here's one more I think is vital for my 2020:\nThe Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cal Newport"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "attention",
        "digital wellbeing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dionysus-christ-and-the-death-of-god-f0f397",
      "title": "Dionysus, Christ, and the Death of God",
      "author": "Giuseppe Fornari",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37943360,
          "author": "zingababba",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T14:26:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37943360",
          "commentText": "Some recent ones I've really enjoyed:   \nThe Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind - Julian Jaynes;   \nAnd: Phenomenology of the End - Franco Berardi;   \nThe True Believer - Eric Hoffer;   \nI See Satan Fall Like Lightning - Rene Girard;   \nSurplus Enjoyment - Slavoy Zizek;   \nDionysus, Christ, and the Death of God - Giuseppe Fornari\nPhenomenology of the End in particular blew my mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dionysus, Christ, and the Death of God - Giuseppe Fornari",
          "reason": "Included among recent books the commenter has enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Giuseppe Fornari"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nietzsche",
        "religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dip-548ead",
      "title": "Dip",
      "author": "Seth Godin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 135297,
          "author": "cbthiess",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T17:29:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135297",
          "commentText": "Getting Things Done, by David Allen\nanything by Edward Tufte\nThe Singularity Is Near, by Ray Kurzweil\nDip, by Seth Godin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dip, by Seth Godin",
          "reason": "Listed as a book for a hacker's bookshelf.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Seth Godin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "career strategy",
        "persistence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "diplomacy-714c66",
      "title": "Diplomacy",
      "author": "Henry Kissinger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25319210,
          "author": "Jugurtha",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T22:52:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319210",
          "commentText": "Here's a reply[0] to a question that asked about directory structure.\nIgnore the programming/technology part.\nMilitary books (such as \"One Bullet Away\" by Nathaniel Fick or \"Generation Kill\" by Evan Wright which was turned into a mini-series on HBO). Field manuals can be interesting and you can learn a lot from them.\nKnot books.\n\"Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War\" by Robert Gates is interesting.\n\"The Art of Intelligence\", by Henry Crumpton.\n\"Diplomacy\" by Henry Kissinger is an interesting read. It starts with the balance of power in Europe, raison d'état, Richelieu, \"U.S. exceptionalism\". It is well written.\n- [0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17593922",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Diplomacy\" by Henry Kissinger is an interesting read.",
          "reason": "Described as an interesting read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1465163,
          "author": "scottjad",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T07:48:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1465163",
          "commentText": "If you're the kind of person who reads Diplomacy by Kissinger for an introduction to geopolitics or the Bible to understand christianity, then I'd highly recommend Human Action by Ludwig von Mises for a very strong understanding of economics. One of the best (and largest) books ever written on economics, you don't have to be of the Austrian school to get a lot out of it. It lays a strong logical and theoretical foundation and then considers issues in a very engaging and even entertaining manner for non-economists.\nAnd it's available as a very high quality audiobook for free!\nhttp://media.mises.org/mp3/audiobooks/mises/HumanAction/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "reads Diplomacy by Kissinger for an introduction to geopolitics",
          "reason": "Used as an analogy for learning about geopolitics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned in passing, not evaluated or recommended here.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Henry Kissinger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "international relations",
        "diplomacy",
        "geopolitics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "directorate-s-the-c-i-a-and-america-s-secret-wars-in-afghanistan--9855b7",
      "title": "Directorate S: The C.I.A. and America's Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan",
      "author": "Steve Coll",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17520386,
          "author": "saryant",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T03:44:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17520386",
          "commentText": "1) Devil Take the Hindmost: A History of Financial Speculation by Edward Chancellor\nEverything from the tulip craze to the dotcom boom.\n2) If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look On My Face? by Alan Alda\nAlan Alda of MASH fame teaches you how to build more empathy and improve your communication skills.\n3) Bad Blood by James Carreyou\nTheranos.  Enough said.\n4) Directorate S: The C.I.A. and America's Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan by Steve Coll\nI think of this as the last book in Coll's unofficial trilogy on Afghanistan.  First up was Ghost Wars, a history of American involvement in Afghanistan from the Soviet invasion up to 2001.  Second is his biography on the Bin Laden family.  Last year he released Directorate S, a chronicle of American and Pakistani involvement post-9/11 primarily told through the lens of the Pakistani intelligence directorate tasked with influencing Afghanistan.\nColl has interviews with everyone from in-country CIA agents and foot soldiers who were on the ground all the way up to defense secretaries and military leaders, from both sides.  An in-depth examination of what went wrong and why we're still stuck there.\n5) Deep South: Four Seasons on Back Roads by Paul Theroux.\nThe greatest travel writer of the last half-century finally turns his attention homeward: the American Deep South.  Four road trips over four seasons.  He published an article in Smithsonian Magazine hitting the highlights: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/soul-south-180951861/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Directorate S: The C.I.A. and America's Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan by Steve Coll",
          "reason": "Recommended in a recent reading list; the commenter describes it as an in-depth examination of U.S. and Pakistani involvement.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve Coll"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "afghanistan war",
        "cia"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dirk-gently-series-8949d1",
      "title": "Dirk Gently series",
      "author": "Douglas Adams",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 141209,
          "author": "SwellJoe",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T22:36:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=141209",
          "commentText": "Asimov's two big universes, found in the Robots series and the Foundation series, (which turned out to be the same when he revisited them in the 70's and 80's) are simply wonderful.  By far my favorite sci-fi, and among the most enduring works in the genre.  I read them both every two or three years, and sometimes grab one off the shelf when I just want something to read.  The early Foundation is sort of a future history version of \"The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire\" (I seem to recall that was intentional, actually).  Asimov's autobiographies and the posthumous book of his correspondence are all fantastic and insightful.  I learned a lot from them, and my admiration for the man increased even more upon reading them.\nDune is also astoundingly good, though after the first three, the quality goes downhill (slowly, but surely).  Definitely lots to think about.\nRendezvous with Rama left me breathless...and I could not put it down until I'd read the last page.  I've returned to it a couple of times, and loved it every single time.  The later Rama books are deeply flawed, and should have never happened (they were not written by Clarke, and it shows), as they make Rama seem...hmmm, I can't really think of the right word that expresses it.  Cheap, dinky, small, something bad.  But Rendezvous is a must read for everyone.\nDouglas Adams, of course.  The whole Hitchhikers' series is a must, while the Dirk Gently stuff is also funny, but not sci-fi and not mandatory.\nI mentioned in another thread my love of dystopias, and one of the best ever is The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.  She's one of the best sci-fi writers alive (she doesn't exclusively write sci-fi, however).  Oryx and Crake is also fascinating.\nCat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut.  I enjoy all of Vonnegut's work, but Cat's Cradle is a magical perfect novel.\nI don't know if everyone would agree that it's sci-fi, but Mark Twain's Letters from the Earth was an eye opener for me when I was a kid (I went on a Mark Twain kick when I was in elementary school...no one ever told me that all of his books weren't kids books, so I read everything I could get my hands on after being hooked by Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn).  Turns out Mark Twain was seditious, heretical, and quite the troublemaker all around.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the Dirk Gently stuff is also funny, but not sci-fi and not mandatory",
          "reason": "Says the books are funny, while describing them as optional.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in funny fiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are not science fiction and are not mandatory.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Adams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic mystery",
        "fantasy detective"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dirt-to-soil-909c74",
      "title": "Dirt to Soil",
      "author": "Gabe Brown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29815224,
          "author": "akeck",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-05T21:31:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29815224",
          "commentText": "If you're into Permaculture and Solarpunk, \"Dirt to Soil\" by Gabe Brown",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you're into Permaculture and Solarpunk, \"Dirt to Soil\" by Gabe Brown",
          "reason": "Suggests the book for readers interested in permaculture and solarpunk.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in permaculture and solarpunk.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gabe Brown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "permaculture",
        "regenerative agriculture",
        "soil health"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dirty-jobs-3c9f28",
      "title": "Dirty Jobs",
      "author": "Christopher Moore",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10216977,
          "author": "Jemaclus",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-14T19:33:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 10211331,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10216977",
          "commentText": "Just recently finished \"Seveneves\" by Neal Stephenson. It's sci-fi, but fantastic.\nFor non-sci-fi, my favorite fantasy book I've read recently was \"The Lies of Locke Lamora\" (and its sequels) by Scott Lynch. Another is \"Dirty Jobs\" by Christopher Moore, a bit on the Pratchett-inspired side of things.\nI also recently finished Felicia Day's memoir, \"You're Never Weird on the Internet,\" which I highly recommend.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another is \"Dirty Jobs\" by Christopher Moore, a bit on the Pratchett-inspired side of things.",
          "reason": "Listed as another recent favorite fantasy book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as somewhat Pratchett-inspired.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher Moore"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comedy",
        "supernatural"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dirty-sacred-rivers-confronting-south-asia-s-water-crisis-b1bb4a",
      "title": "Dirty, Sacred Rivers: Confronting South Asia's Water Crisis",
      "author": "Cheryl Colopy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8401385,
          "author": "cwal37",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:16:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401385",
          "commentText": "Currently engaged in:\n-The Bone Clocks - David Mitchell. Just a fun read. Fiction sucks me in pretty easily, and I enjoy the time-hopping.\n-Dirty, Sacred Rivers: Confronting South Asia's Water Crisis - Cheryl Colopy. Not enjoying this as much as I thought I would so far, possibly because I have too much academic experience in the topic area and the writer is a reporter. I'm a bit more pragmatic about large energy projects, not exactly bleeding heart, but I try to focus on the bigger picture. It was a free book on a table at work though from someone cleaning out their office, so not a big deal.\n-Operations Research - Hillier and Lieberman. Also a free book from work. Something I need a stronger foundation in for upcoming projects.\nPerpetual Backburner\n-Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace. I've gotten a couple hundred pages in a few times. If I get distracted at all it's so hard to go back to.\n-Capital in the 21st Century - Piketty. I blazed through the first couple hundred pages around when it came out, then I went on a long vacation. Now I sort of nibble at it when I'm in the mood. One of the most compelling economics books I've ever read.\nRecently finished\n-The Book of Basketball - Bill Simmons. Fun to read about the history of the NBA from a true fanatic. Eyes glazed over in some sections on the Celtics though.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Not enjoying this as much as I thought I would so far",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are enjoying it less than expected, possibly because of their academic experience with the subject and the reporter's approach.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is early in their reading and the book was free.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cheryl Colopy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "south asian water crisis"
      ],
      "purposes": []
    },
    {
      "id": "disassembly-lines-e35400",
      "title": "Disassembly Lines",
      "author": "Sandy Mossberg",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46781725,
          "author": "wang_li",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-27T15:59:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 46778461,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books to learn 6502 ASM and the Apple II",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46781725",
          "commentText": "If you aren't doing hires graphics, you don't have to mess with the screen memory directly. You can just call the ROM routines which has the nice side effect of working with 40- or 80-columns automatically. If you are doing hires graphics you are going to use a lookup table regardless as doing the multiplication to get the base address of a particular scanline is far too slow. You can, one time, either make a table manually, which you can use forever, or you can write a short routine that counts from 0 to 191, stick 0 in X and the scanline number in A and JSR $F411. It'll leave the base address of the scanline in $36 and $37. Which you can stick in your table.\nAs in other comments, if you are specifically interested in the Apple II line, the Assembly Lines books by Roger Wagner is fantastic.\nAlso, if you can find it Sandy Mossberg's Disassembly Lines articles in Nibble magazine were great too. Start with Assembly Lines, then read the Disassembly Lines and you'll be quite expert.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sandy Mossberg's Disassembly Lines articles in Nibble magazine were great too.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the articles as a follow-up to Assembly Lines.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking to deepen their Apple II expertise.",
          "caveat": "Articles in Nibble magazine, not a book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sandy Mossberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "apple ii",
        "assembly language"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "disciplined-minds-0f2ae9",
      "title": "Disciplined Minds",
      "author": "Jeff Schmidt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9353551,
          "author": "olifante",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-10T11:10:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9353551",
          "commentText": "Recently read:\n* “Disciplined Minds” by Jeff Schmidt. A mind-opening book that shows how both academia and business select for conformity.\n* “Go It Alone: The Streetwise Secrets of Self Employment” by Geoff Burch. Great read, witty and savvy author.\n* “The E-Myth Revisited” by Michael E. Gerber.\n* “Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life” by William Deresiewicz.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Disciplined Minds” by Jeff Schmidt. A mind-opening book that shows how both academia and business select for conformity.",
          "reason": "Calls it mind-opening and says it reveals how academia and business select for conformity.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in conformity in academia and business.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeff Schmidt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "academic conformity",
        "workplace conformity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "discrete-choice-methods-with-simulation-2619e6",
      "title": "Discrete Choice Methods with Simulation",
      "author": "Kenneth E. Train",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35929735,
          "author": "tomrod",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T16:07:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35929735",
          "commentText": "Discrete Choice Methods with Simulation by Ken Train\nhttps://eml.berkeley.edu/books/choice2.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Discrete Choice Methods with Simulation by Ken Train",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kenneth E. Train"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "discrete choice",
        "econometrics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "discrete-math-with-ducks-a9c1d3",
      "title": "Discrete Math with Ducks",
      "author": " sarah-marie belcastro",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23730259,
          "author": "ian-g",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-04T05:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23730259",
          "commentText": "If you want them to look beyond Analysis, would an intro to discrete math maybe be what you're looking at?\nDiscrete Math With Ducks[0] (and the professor that taught from it) is the reason I focused on the discrete side of things. It doesn't take itself too seriously, and it introduces a range of topics in the area. Plus the mindset is different from analysis. It's an interesting shift\n[0] https://www.maa.org/press/maa-reviews/discrete-mathematics-w... (https://www.maa.org/press/maa-reviews/discrete-mathematics-with-ducks-0)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Discrete Math With Ducks[0]",
          "reason": "The commenter says it introduced a range of discrete math topics and motivated them to focus on the subject.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It does not take itself too seriously.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        " sarah-marie belcastro"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "combinatorics",
        "discrete mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "discrete-mathematics-26ff75",
      "title": "Discrete Mathematics",
      "author": "László Lovász, József Pelikán, and Katalin Vesztergombi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29219693,
          "author": "LAIFscratch",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T19:13:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29219693",
          "commentText": "The best book if you have any programming background is 'Mathematical Modeling and Applied Calculus' by Joel Kilty and Alex M. McAllister reviewed here: https://www.maa.org/press/maa-reviews/mathematical-modeling-... (https://www.maa.org/press/maa-reviews/mathematical-modeling-and-applied-calculus)\nThere's a small workshop for it here: https://learnaifromscratch.github.io/calculus.html throwing in some youtube tutorials. The book presents everything as functions and their parameters, like linear functions, trig, sigmoidal, e and logarithms, you learn all the parameters to these functions and can type into desmos online graph to see what they're doing visually. You don't have to do the whole thing just use it for background material when an algorithm text uses calculus methods like L'Hopital's rule.\nPoh-Shen Loh has a discrete math course open on his youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/DailyChallengewithPoShenLoh/search... (https://www.youtube.com/c/DailyChallengewithPoShenLoh/search?query=discrete%20math) you can use the book he recommends to look up anything that is assumed knowledge in lectures. Discrete Mathematics, by L. Lovász, J. Pelikán, and K. Vesztergombi. A book called Asymptopia by Spencer is well done too, good chapters for learning everything you want about big-O/omega/theta some topics are advanced and some anyone can do.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Discrete Mathematics, by L. Lovász, J. Pelikán, and K. Vesztergombi.",
          "reason": "Names it as a book to consult for assumed knowledge in lectures.",
          "audience": "Readers following a discrete math course.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "László Lovász",
        "József Pelikán",
        "Katalin Vesztergombi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "discrete mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "discrete-mathematics-1f84b3",
      "title": "Discrete Mathematics",
      "author": "Susanna S. Epp",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16352336,
          "author": "bor0",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T12:04:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16352336",
          "commentText": "Design patterns get obsolete.\nProgramming languages get obsolete.\nLibraries get obsolete.\nMathematics doesn't. Learn CS foundations, logic, proofs to get better at understanding and gain abstraction experience.\nEdit: books: How to prove it by D.Velleman, Proofs and concepts, Discrete Math by S.Epp",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Discrete Math by S.Epp",
          "reason": "Listed as a book colleagues should read to build foundations in logic and proofs.",
          "audience": "Colleagues learning computer science foundations",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Susanna S. Epp"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "discrete mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "discrete-and-combinatorial-mathematics-an-applied-introduction-37140c",
      "title": "Discrete and Combinatorial Mathematics: An Applied Introduction",
      "author": "Ralph P. Grimaldi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29219039,
          "author": "wheelinsupial",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T18:02:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29219039",
          "commentText": "I'm not sure if this is universally true or not, but the algorithms courses at the universities I'm familiar with require a course in discrete math as a prerequisite.\nYou can find Discrete and Combinatorial Mathematics (an Applied Introduction), 5th Edition, Ralph P. Grimaldi online and an answer key can be found online as well. (This book covers two discrete math courses. Chapters 1-5, 7, 8, 12 is a first course in discrete math. I'm not sure what chapters the second course covers, but that requires linear algebra as a prerequisite.)\nIt's not perfect, but it's a start. I think you need to be familiar with some high school algebra, exponents, and logarithms. You can find some review information in the appendix. If you have troubles with recalling that information, then you can try Khan academy. (It really is an if you don't use it, you lose it situation with much of math.)\nYou're probably aware of this already, but most people don't read the book and come away with the knowledge required to solve the problems. You'll need to work through the examples in the chapter, be able to recall the definitions and theorems, and then work the exercises at the back of the book.\nI think the discussion of proof methods is pretty poor in the book. You can find many intro to proof method type supplemental notes online to help fill in the details.\nThere really is so much information out there that you can pretty much always find an alternative explanation or viewpoint for undergrad level material. Many profs will post their own lecture notes, homework, and solutions. There are some math forums that have explanations. So find a book you're reasonably comfortable with and supplement it with extra material.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "You can find Discrete and Combinatorial Mathematics (an Applied Introduction), 5th Edition, Ralph P. Grimaldi online",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a starting point for discrete math study.",
          "audience": "Readers building math foundations for algorithms and computer science.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the book is not perfect and criticizes its discussion of proof methods.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ralph P. Grimaldi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "combinatorics",
        "discrete mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "discrimination-and-disparities-93eb5c",
      "title": "Discrimination and Disparities",
      "author": "Thomas Sowell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42271014,
          "author": "dantheman",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T05:12:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42271014",
          "commentText": "You might like:\nDiscrimination and Disparities (2019) by Thomas Sowell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You might like:\nDiscrimination and Disparities (2019) by Thomas Sowell",
          "reason": "Suggested to the commenter as a book they might like.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Sowell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "discrimination",
        "social policy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "discussion-of-the-method-8916fa",
      "title": "Discussion of the Method",
      "author": "Billy Vaughn Koen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503729,
          "author": "zb",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T15:01:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503729",
          "commentText": "I don't know if you would strictly call this a philosophy book, but one that is particularly relevant to engineers is Discussion of the Method by Billy Vaughn Koen.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "one that is particularly relevant to engineers is Discussion of the Method by Billy Vaughn Koen.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as particularly relevant to engineers.",
          "audience": "Engineers.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether it strictly counts as a philosophy book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Billy Vaughn Koen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "engineering",
        "engineering methodology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "discworld-city-watch-3638af",
      "title": "Discworld City Watch",
      "author": "Terry Pratchett",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43613486,
          "author": "bloopernova",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T16:54:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43613486",
          "commentText": "The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors by James Hornfischer. The amazing courage shown by the US Navy sailors as their tiny 2,000 ton Destroyers and Destroyer Escorts faced a Japanese fleet of Battleships, Cruisers, and Destroyers at The Battle Off Samar. Inspiring and horrifying, the DDs and DEs of the US navy were protecting \"Escort Carriers\" which were smaller aircraft carriers made from cargo ship hulls. Warning, may inspire you to learn a whole bunch more about world war 2.\nAnd 2 books that sort of go together:\nIncredible Victory: The Battle of Midway by Walter Lord, and Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway by Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully. Read Incredible Victory first, learn about the luck, good and bad, that led to a much-needed victory in the Pacific. Then read Shattered Sword and get a fuller picture of events, especially from the Japanese side. Learn about how hubris and dogma led to the Japanese Navy's defeat. Then learn about how saving face led to history not being accurately told by the witnesses on the Japanese side.\nAll 3 are great books that are well worth your time.\nOthers that I've enjoyed:\nParable of the Sower by Octavia Butler (near future post-apocalyptic sci-fi).\nThe non-fiction Liberation Trilogy by Rick Atkinson (more WW2 non-fiction, nice details about North Africa through Italy, then France to Germany).\nMidnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham.\nMost Secret War by RV Jones (nerdy, funny history of one scientist's world war 2 experience).\nThe Discworld City Guard books, starting with Guards! Guards!, by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy fiction satire, hilarious and comforting. Highly, highly recommended!!\nPeter F Hamilton sci-fi adventure books: Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained are a duo of great space opera stretching across multiple planets and people. Don't spoil yourself by reading any descriptions of Judas Unchained before you read Pandora's Star. Also by the same author, The Night's Dawn Trilogy: The Reality Dysfunction, The Neutronium Alchemist, and The Naked God. Fantastic big canvas space opera with lots of threads, great world-building, and amazing situations. Both sets of books are highly recommended escapes from reality.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Discworld City Guard books, starting with Guards! Guards!, by Terry Pratchett.",
          "reason": "The commenter highly recommends these humorous, comforting fantasy books.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy fantasy satire.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry Pratchett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fantasy",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "discworld-witches-series-74e48e",
      "title": "Discworld Witches series",
      "author": "Terry Pratchett",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32201262,
          "author": "rex-mundi",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-23T07:41:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32201262",
          "commentText": "You've got alot of fun reading lined up.\nAlmost all of the ones I've read were great.\nIf you're stuck with which to go with next maybe try Mort or any of the early series involving the witches.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "any of the early series involving the witches",
          "reason": "Suggests an early series involving the witches as another next read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry Pratchett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "satirical fantasy",
        "witches"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "disgrace-8770ae",
      "title": "Disgrace",
      "author": "J. M. Coetzee",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2639721,
          "author": "gcv",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T03:47:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639721",
          "commentText": "King Lear (Shakespeare).\nDisgrace (Coetzee).\nThe Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky).\nТихий Дон (Sholohov's name is on the cover; there are several translations under various titles as Quiet Don or something like that).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Disgrace (Coetzee).",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about the greatest book ever read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. M. Coetzee"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "south african literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dishwasher-one-man-s-quest-to-wash-dishes-in-all-fifty-states-0ca377",
      "title": "Dishwasher: One Man's Quest to Wash Dishes in All Fifty States",
      "author": "Pete Jordan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25326360,
          "author": "LarryMade2",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-06T20:29:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25326360",
          "commentText": "Dishwasher: One Man's Quest to Wash Dishes in All Fifty States by Pete Jordan.  Definitely a different and entertaining read.\nGig: Americans Talk About Their Jobs - This is a short anthology that covers various professions was collected in the 90s.  Interesting quick views of different people's work etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dishwasher: One Man's Quest to Wash Dishes in All Fifty States by Pete Jordan.",
          "reason": "Presented as a different and entertaining read about dishwashing work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pete Jordan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dishwashing",
        "work memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "disinformation-5b0427",
      "title": "Disinformation",
      "author": "Ion Mihai Pacepa",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33382991,
          "author": "rodolphoarruda",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T11:14:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382991",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction: Disinformation, Lt. Gen. Ion Mihai Pacepa\nFiction: Dune and Asimov's The Last Question.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Non-fiction: Disinformation, Lt. Gen. Ion Mihai Pacepa",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ion Mihai Pacepa"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "intelligence",
        "propaganda"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "disney-coding-adventures-dac497",
      "title": "Disney Coding Adventures",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37386332,
          "author": "jawns",
          "createdAt": "2023-09-04T23:53:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 37386127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best intro to programming book for 2nd graders?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37386332",
          "commentText": "Disney Coding Adventures is a series of physical books that present coding basics like functions and loops, but it sounds like your 8 year old may have progressed beyond that.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Disney Coding Adventures is a series of physical books that present coding basics like functions and loops",
          "reason": "Describes the series as teaching basic coding concepts.",
          "audience": "Young children learning coding basics.",
          "caveat": "May be too basic for the 8-year-old mentioned.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s programming",
        "coding basics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "disparities-and-discrimination-c3795c",
      "title": "Disparities and Discrimination",
      "author": "Thomas Sowell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25532137,
          "author": "jvreagan",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T22:35:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25532137",
          "commentText": "Up From Slavery by Booker T Washington.  Teaches you anything is possible despite your circumstance.  Thankful my kids have read it and taken it to heart.  This should be a must read for anyone IMO.\nMore recently, Disparities and Discrimination by Thomas Sowell was a real eye opener for me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Disparities and Discrimination by Thomas Sowell",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as a recent eye opener.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Sowell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "discrimination",
        "social disparities"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "disquisitiones-arithmeticae-2e72a6",
      "title": "Disquisitiones Arithmeticae",
      "author": "Carl Friedrich Gauss",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31999422,
          "author": "decasteve",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-06T11:33:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31999422",
          "commentText": "That would be a hard one. A book of appetizers without a main course. I read it when I was an undergrad wanting to get a broad sense of different areas in Math I could pursue.\nIf I had to pick one math book it would have to be a classic with some depth to it: Euclid’s Elements, Newton’s Principia, or Gauss’ Disquisitiones.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gauss’ Disquisitiones",
          "reason": "Named as one of the classics the commenter would choose if picking a math book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21315153,
          "author": "playing_colours",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T17:51:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21315153",
          "commentText": "Focusing on mathematics, I think about two kinds of foundational books.\n1. Historically foundational: books that brought important ideas, introduced a new branch, progressed the maths significantly. You can read them these days, but their content, proofs, language, etc. is not up to date. Examples: Elements by Euclid, Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica by Newton, Disquisitiones Arithmeticae by Gauss.\n2. Modern foundational books: The ones that can be used for studying now. Books that are clearly written, popular, cover their subject well. Examples: Visual Complex Analysis, Spivak’s Calculus, Linear Algebra Done Right, Hardy’s \nAn Introduction to the Theory of Numbers.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Disquisitiones Arithmeticae by Gauss",
          "reason": "Listed as a historically foundational mathematics book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says historical works may have outdated content, proofs, and language.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carl Friedrich Gauss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "number theory",
        "classical mathematics",
        "history of mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "disrupted-my-misadventure-in-the-start-up-bubble-d970b0",
      "title": "Disrupted: My Misadventure in the Start-Up Bubble",
      "author": "Dan Lyons",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237860,
          "author": "dejv",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T15:32:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237860",
          "commentText": "Out of 32 books I read this year I recommend:\nSomehow tech/startup related:\n- Spelunky, Derek Yu: book about creating the game of Spelunky + notes on game design\n- Disrupted, Dan Lyons: book about \"old\" guy working in startup\n- Hatching Twitter, Nick Bilton: book about Twitter\nNon-startupy books:\n- A Wild Sheep Chase, Haruki Murakami: modern Japanese novel\n- The Hills of Chianti, Piero Antinori: story about wine company and notes on wine making, wine marketing and other stuff from one of the most notable wine company from Italy (700 years old, owned by one family whole history)\n- The City and the Stars, Arthur C. Clark: scifi classic",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Disrupted, Dan Lyons: book about \"old\" guy working in startup",
          "reason": "Included among the books the commenter recommends.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in startups and startup culture.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Lyons"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "startup culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dissemination-19bf9b",
      "title": "Dissemination",
      "author": "Jacques Derrida",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32791257,
          "author": "wunderlust",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T15:04:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32791257",
          "commentText": "My field of study (what I really like to think and learn about) isn't my field of work, but I like the question so I'll spill some thoughts.\nI spend a lot of time thinking about philosophical-ish stuff, so here are some books that have had the strongest residual effects (whether that's changing how I think, changing what I think about, changing my values, or simply getting the thought ball rolling faster):\nIshmael (Daniel Quinn)\n1984 (George Orwell)\nBrave New World (Aldous Huxley)\nGodel, Escher, Bach (Douglas Hofstadter)\nThe Republic [imp. \"the allegory of the cave\"] (Plato)\nThe Genealogy of Morals (Friedrich Nietzsche)\nThe Social Construction of Reality (Peter L. Berger, Thomas Luckmann)\nTractatus Logico-Philosophicus (L. Wittgenstein)\nDissemination [imp. \"The Pharmakon\"] (Jacques Derrida)\nThe Quest for Reality (Barry Stroud)\nLanguages of Art (Nelson Goodman)\nThe Structure of Scientific Revolutions (Thomas Kuhn)\nConcepts (Jerry Fodor)\nThe Web of Life (Fritjof Capra)\nFoucault's Pendulum (Umberto Eco)\nNaming and Necessity (Saul Kripke)\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Robert Pirsig)\nThere are others, and a lot of essays (by thinkers like Bertrand Russell, Carl Hempel, Hilary Putnam, WVO Quine, Karl Popper, Alfred Tarski, Gottlob Frege, David Chalmers, Daniel Dennett, Michel Foucault, Jean Baudrillard, Mikhail Bakunin, CS Peirce, and David Hume, among many others), but these seem apropos as they most readily came to mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dissemination [imp. \"The Pharmakon\"] (Jacques Derrida)",
          "reason": "Listed among books with strong residual effects on the commenter’s thinking and values.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jacques Derrida"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "deconstruction",
        "literary theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "distributed-operating-systems-4d930a",
      "title": "Distributed Operating Systems",
      "author": "Andrew S. Tanenbaum",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25989305,
          "author": "KingOfCoders",
          "createdAt": "2021-02-01T15:12:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 25987664,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommended books and papers on distributed systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25989305",
          "commentText": "I've learned distributed systems from Andrew S. Tanenbaum books [1]\nDistributed Operating Systems\nDistributed Systems: Principles and Paradigms\n[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_S._Tanenbaum#Books",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've learned distributed systems from Andrew S. Tanenbaum books [1]\nDistributed Operating Systems",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the books the commenter used to learn distributed systems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew S. Tanenbaum"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "distributed operating systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "distributed-services-with-go-fc37f9",
      "title": "Distributed Services with Go",
      "author": "Travis Jeffery",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28481034,
          "author": "paulgb",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-10T13:12:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 28478751,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach you programming languages via systems projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28481034",
          "commentText": "+1 for Rust in Action, great book.\nI'll add Distributed Services with Go as well https://pragprog.com/titles/tjgo/distributed-services-with-g... (https://pragprog.com/titles/tjgo/distributed-services-with-go/)\nIt's pretty dense, mostly a code listing with some commentary between, so it takes some work to get through it, but I learned a ton.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'll add Distributed Services with Go as well",
          "reason": "Adds it as another recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Dense, mostly code listings with commentary; the commenter says it takes work to get through.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Travis Jeffery"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "distributed systems",
        "go"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "distributed-systems-7a0752",
      "title": "Distributed Systems",
      "author": "Maarten van Steen, Andrew S. Tanenbaum",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25988721,
          "author": "yazantapuz",
          "createdAt": "2021-02-01T13:59:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 25987664,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommended books and papers on distributed systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25988721",
          "commentText": "Distributed Systems 3rd edition (2017), you can get it free at: https://www.distributed-systems.net/index.php/books/ds3/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Distributed Systems 3rd edition (2017)",
          "reason": "Identified as a freely available distributed systems book in response to a reading recommendation request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Maarten van Steen",
        "Andrew S. Tanenbaum"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "distributed systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "distributed-systems-for-fun-and-profit-0e140e",
      "title": "Distributed Systems for Fun and Profit",
      "author": "Mikito Takada",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25988848,
          "author": "scyclow",
          "createdAt": "2021-02-01T14:15:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 25987664,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommended books and papers on distributed systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25988848",
          "commentText": "I've always been a fan of Distributed Systems for Fun and Profit: http://book.mixu.net/distsys/single-page.html\nThis was the first article that really made it all click for me",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've always been a fan of Distributed Systems for Fun and Profit",
          "reason": "Says this was the first article that made distributed systems click for them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13237838,
          "author": "satyajitranjeev",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T15:30:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237838",
          "commentText": "Things I completed:\n1. Elon Musk: Inventing the Future\n2. The Code Book - Simon Singh\n3. Fermat's Enigma - Simon Singh\n4. Deep Work - Cal Newport\n5. Smarter Faster Better - Charles Duhigg\n6. 1984\n7. So good they can't ignore you - Cal Newport\n8. Distributed Systems for fun and profit\n9. Classic Shell Scripting\nThings I partially read and hope to complete some time:\n1. The music of Primes\n2. Traction\n3. Founders at work\n4. Your Memory: How it works and how to improve it\nThings I would recommend:\nFermat's Enigma and The Code Book are very interesting reads if you are into Mathematics. They are both written very well and you don't need to know too much of Mathematics to understand it. On the other hand The Music of Primes started of very interesting and then got a bit too heavy for an evening read. If you can chug along I think it would be a good one too.\nOf all the self help books I mentioned I think Duhiggs Smarter, faster better is the one that stands out. It is more of an analysis of various teams and people and how they got to work efficiently.\nFounders at work is a long read but something that you can read a chapter independently and that's why it is under half read but definitely something to look at.\n[EDIT: formatting]",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Distributed Systems for fun and profit",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12068003,
          "author": "motxilo",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T00:25:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12068003",
          "commentText": "Blindsight (Watts)\nBetween the World and Me (Coates)\nEconomics in One Lesson (Hazlitt)\nCorporate Confidential: 50 Secrets Your Company Doesn't Want You to Know---and What to Do About Them (Shapiro)\nLos últimos españoles de Mauthausen (Hernández de Miguel)\nDistributed Systems for Fun and Profit (Takada)\nThe Knowledge: How to Rebuild Civilization in the Aftermath of a Cataclysm (Dartnell)\nHistoria mínima de España (Fusi)\nTurn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders (Marquet)\nWhat I Learned Losing A Million Dollars (Moynihan)\nSite Reliability Engineering: How Google Runs Production Systems (Google)\nAdventures in Human Being: A Grand Tour from the Cranium to the Calcaneum (Francis)\nOperating Systems: Three Easy Pieces (Arpaci-Dusseau)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Distributed Systems for Fun and Profit (Takada)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mikito Takada"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "distributed systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "distributed-systems-for-system-architects-1aecb6",
      "title": "Distributed Systems for System Architects",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13662123,
          "author": "mlashcorp",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-16T18:09:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13662123",
          "commentText": "During my bachelor's we used this all-encompassing book by two of the teachers called Distributed Systems for System Architects (DSSA for friends). It followed a case study of a fictional company that wanted to implement a distributed system, but the level of detail and technical complexity it covers is just mind boggling ( http://www.springer.com/us/book/9780792372660 )\nTo this day it's probably the best CS book I have ever read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "To this day it's probably the best CS book I have ever read.",
          "reason": "Calls it probably the best computer science book they have read.",
          "audience": "Readers studying distributed systems and system architecture.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "distributed systems",
        "system architecture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "distrust-that-particular-flavor-6070ca",
      "title": "Distrust That Particular Flavor",
      "author": "William Gibson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4967179,
          "author": "nichodges",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T21:42:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967179",
          "commentText": "A few highlights for me...\nAbundance - Peter H. Diamandis, Steven Kotler.\nDiamandis has an almost infectiously positive way of looking at the world. And a hope that's not just based on a philosophical belief but is backed up with hard data.\nDistrust That Particular Flavor - William Gibson.\nI never got into Gibson as a fiction writer, but this collection of essays, articles and talks immediately made me appreciate him as an amazing thinker, observer, and truly brilliant writer. This book is worthwhile for the pieces on Japan alone, but every single piece is wonderful.\nFinite and Infinite Games - James Carse.\nAn old book but one I only just discovered. No book has every so subtly had an impact on my life every day. The finite vs. infinite way of looking at the world has changed the way I think and act completely on the inside, yet it's probably hardly noticable on the outside. An amazingly easy book to read, couldn't recommend it highly enough.\nHow Music Works - David Byrne\nA unique and refreshing take on creating music that can be applied to the creation of anything. Byrne leaves the mysterious & ethereal world of 'creativity' for dead, and looks at how he creates music, and how the industry works, in a grounded and logical way. A brilliant book for anyone who creates anything.\nThe Plenitude: Creativity, Innovation, and Making Stuff - Rich Gold\nAnother old(er) book, but one I can't believe I only just found. Rich Gold's outlook on how and why we make things should be required reading for anyone who plans on thrusting their big idea into the world.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking - Susan Cain\nIt's had a lot of press, but I'm going to recommend it anyway. HN undoubtedly has a higher than average number of introverts who truly operate in an extroverted world. This book was absolutely eye opening in how it deconstructs different situations and personalities in a useful and positive way. I wouldn't say it's 'changed my life', but it has made a few relationships with close friends and colleagues a lot better.\nAnd a quick plug - for any avid Kindle readers out there, I've built a web app for viewing/sharing/organising Kindle highlights. If any HN'ers want early access sign up at http://kindred.it/ and I'll ping you a beta login.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book is worthwhile for the pieces on Japan alone, but every single piece is wonderful.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the collection worthwhile and praises its pieces.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Gibson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "essays",
        "japan"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "disunited-nations-3ec71c",
      "title": "Disunited Nations",
      "author": "Peter Zeihan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32198012,
          "author": "decebalus1",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:47:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32198012",
          "commentText": "How do you feel about the writing style? I was barely able to finish it. I can't say I agree with most of the speculative non-fiction he wrote in that book (which is also a rehash of the ideas in the previous book, Disunited Nations) but the writing style with all the clichés and the expressions trying to make it funny were absolutely horrible.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "a rehash of the ideas in the previous book, Disunited Nations",
          "reason": "Says the discussed book rehashes ideas from this earlier book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23858983,
          "author": "jakozaur",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:53:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858983",
          "commentText": "Forward looking:\nDisunited Nations: The Scramble for Power in an Ungoverned World\nDoughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist\nAI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order\nHistorical:\nThe Birth of Plenty: How the Prosperity of the Modern World was Created\nWhy Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty\nGeneral:\nPredictably Irrational, Revised and Expanded Edition: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions\nThe Square and the Tower: Networks and Power, from the Freemasons to Facebook",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Disunited Nations: The Scramble for Power in an Ungoverned World",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Zeihan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "geopolitics",
        "globalization",
        "international relations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "div-grad-curl-and-all-that-an-informal-text-on-vector-calculus-d53b37",
      "title": "Div, Grad, Curl, and All That: An Informal Text on Vector Calculus",
      "author": "H. M. Schey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33593888,
          "author": "dudeinjapan",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-14T13:55:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33593888",
          "commentText": "\"Div, Grad, Curl, And All That: An Informal Text On Vector Calculus\"\nThis was \"optional\" reading in my Undergrad Calculus class at Brown, I probably was the only student who bothered to read it, and it made most of engineering a breeze for the next 3.5 years, whether electromagnetism, fluid dynamics, etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Div, Grad, Curl, And All That: An Informal Text On Vector Calculus\"",
          "reason": "Says the book made engineering topics such as electromagnetism and fluid dynamics easier.",
          "audience": "Undergraduate calculus students and readers encountering vector calculus in engineering.",
          "caveat": "It was optional reading in the commenter's undergraduate calculus class.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "H. M. Schey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "vector calculus"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "divergent-1a64a9",
      "title": "Divergent",
      "author": "Veronica Roth",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7968396,
          "author": "jaymon",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:44:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968396",
          "commentText": "I started The Martian by Andy Weir about 3 days ago and I'm really enjoying it. It's a really entertaining book that I highly recommend!\nLast week I finished The Paradox of Choice and Zero Day. I enjoyed both of them, although I don't think I'll be reading any of the sequels to Zero Day.\nBefore that I went through The Maze Runner trilogy, those were entertaining reads.\nSome other books I've read recently that I can remember off the top of my head are the Divergent series of books (eh), How Will You Measure Your Life by Clayton Christensen (great read), Ready Player One (loved, loved, loved this book), Starters (didn't bother reading any more in the series) and Moon walking With Einstein (I enjoyed it).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the Divergent series of books (eh)",
          "reason": "The aside “eh” signals a lukewarm reaction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Lukewarm evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Veronica Roth"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopian fiction",
        "young adult"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "divided-by-partition-united-by-resilience-9ff9c3",
      "title": "Divided by Partition: United by Resilience",
      "author": "Mallika Ahluwalia",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804066,
          "author": "Delfino",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:09:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804066",
          "commentText": "I read about 25 books this year, here are the top 10 I look forward to reading in 2020, many of them informed by my favorites of 2019:\nHomo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari - I read Sapiens this year and really enjoyed it. I just started this today one so I may finish that before the end of the year.\nThinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman - I like books that make me think and from what I've heard, this will definitely do the trick. I read Factfulness this year and this was a suggested follow-up.\nThe Language Instinct by Steven Pinker - I've gotten really into natural languages since I've lived outside my country of origin for the last 2 and a half years and I've heard good things about this book being an entry point into linguistics.\nSword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski - With the new Witcher show coming out on Netflix I finally went back and beat The Witcher 3 then read the first book, The Last Wish. It was enjoyable enough that I want to keep going with the series.\nEducated by Tara Westover - Was convinced by Bill Gate's blog this is worthwhile. I'm a teacher so it wasn't hard to convince me.\nRobot Builder's Bonanza by Gordon McComb - I've been asked to teach a robotics course next year and this one seems to be The Book everyone recommends to dive into robotics.\nDivided by Partition: United by Resilience by Mallika Ahluwalia - I recently visited the Partition Museum in Amritsar, Punjab, India and purchased this book there to learn about more stories about people impacted by this event.\nThe Elements of Computing Systems by Noam Nisan and Shimon Shocken - I just read Code by Petzold and it was one of my favorite books. Even though I studied Computer Science in University and most of the concepts weren't new to me, it was such a fun experience mentally \"building\" a computer from relays/transistors to logic gates and up to assemblers, compilers, and interpreters. I want to keep going with this and jump into the Nand2Tetris online course.\nThe Annotated Turing by Charles Petzold - Again, I loved Petzold's Code so I looked up other books he wrote and this one looks great. I've never actually read Turing's work so I'm excited to have some background and explanation to help me not just read the words but grasp their significance.\nZACH-LIKE by Zachtronics - I played through several Zachtronics games this year (TIS-100, Shenzhen I/O and Opus Magnum) so I can't wait to dive into some of the thinking behind creating these and similar games.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Divided by Partition: United by Resilience by Mallika Ahluwalia",
          "reason": "Listed as a book to learn more stories about people affected by Partition.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mallika Ahluwalia"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "partition of india"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "divina-commedia-8b3e2f",
      "title": "Divina Commedia",
      "author": "Dante Alighieri",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20915791,
          "author": "void_nill",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T06:52:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20915791",
          "commentText": "Here a short list\n - The Edda\n - Lots of Latvian Dainas[1]\n - Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, Immanuel Kant, (1785) and Critique of Pure Reason (second edition 1787)  \n - Goethe's Faust, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, (1828–29 edition\n - Divina Commedia, Dante Alighieri, (1320)\n[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daina_%28Latvia%29",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Divina Commedia, Dante Alighieri",
          "reason": "Lists the work in response to a request for favorite old books and essays.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dante Alighieri"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian allegory",
        "epic poetry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "django-for-beginners-25eb1e",
      "title": "Django for Beginners",
      "author": "William S. Vincent",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43105795,
          "author": "hiAndrewQuinn",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-19T18:48:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 43084739,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction/non-fiction book should everyone read on the topic of CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43105795",
          "commentText": "Naming only ones I haven't seen mentioned in other comments:\n- Networking for Systems Administrators, by Michael W. Lucas. Its explicit goal is to teach you just enough about networking, from the electron up, that you can talk to an actual network engineer and not make a fool out of yourself. It's a phenomenally high-ROI read if networking isn't your strong suit.\n- The first 3 chapters of Mastering Regular Expressions. Regexes are up there with Vim keybindings in terms of sheer ubiquitous use no matter what stack you find yourself in. The rest of the book is excellent if you want to actually implement a regex engine.\n- The Art of Unix Programming. Less technical. Gives you an idea of why exactly 'nix machines are like that, especially older commands. The 18 rules of design are worth committing to memory.\n- The Linux Programming Interface. More technical. Pairs esp nicely with the above. Lots of practice C code one can run, plenty of short self-contained chapters.\n- Not a book, but an online paper: https://how.complexsystems.fail . I see echoes of this everywhere I work, and it often helps me understand what kinds of \"bad\" things are secretly highly evolved resiliency measures.\n- The Little Schemer. Just for the joy of solving problems.\nMost of the others I can think of are too specialized to be of worth to everyone, but for what it's worth, William S. Vincent's Django for Beginners, APIs, and Professionals are a lovely triptych for anyone wanting to get into backend web dev.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "William S. Vincent's Django for Beginners, APIs, and Professionals are a lovely triptych",
          "reason": "Part of a recommended Django learning series of three books.",
          "audience": "Anyone wanting to get into backend web development.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William S. Vincent"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "backend web development",
        "django"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "django-for-professionals-0003d3",
      "title": "Django for Professionals",
      "author": "William S. Vincent",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43105795,
          "author": "hiAndrewQuinn",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-19T18:48:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 43084739,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction/non-fiction book should everyone read on the topic of CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43105795",
          "commentText": "Naming only ones I haven't seen mentioned in other comments:\n- Networking for Systems Administrators, by Michael W. Lucas. Its explicit goal is to teach you just enough about networking, from the electron up, that you can talk to an actual network engineer and not make a fool out of yourself. It's a phenomenally high-ROI read if networking isn't your strong suit.\n- The first 3 chapters of Mastering Regular Expressions. Regexes are up there with Vim keybindings in terms of sheer ubiquitous use no matter what stack you find yourself in. The rest of the book is excellent if you want to actually implement a regex engine.\n- The Art of Unix Programming. Less technical. Gives you an idea of why exactly 'nix machines are like that, especially older commands. The 18 rules of design are worth committing to memory.\n- The Linux Programming Interface. More technical. Pairs esp nicely with the above. Lots of practice C code one can run, plenty of short self-contained chapters.\n- Not a book, but an online paper: https://how.complexsystems.fail . I see echoes of this everywhere I work, and it often helps me understand what kinds of \"bad\" things are secretly highly evolved resiliency measures.\n- The Little Schemer. Just for the joy of solving problems.\nMost of the others I can think of are too specialized to be of worth to everyone, but for what it's worth, William S. Vincent's Django for Beginners, APIs, and Professionals are a lovely triptych for anyone wanting to get into backend web dev.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "William S. Vincent's Django for Beginners, APIs, and Professionals are a lovely triptych",
          "reason": "Part of a recommended Django learning series of three books.",
          "audience": "Anyone wanting to get into backend web development.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William S. Vincent"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "backend web development",
        "django"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "do-no-harm-ab4c4a",
      "title": "Do No Harm",
      "author": "Henry Marsh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783915,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:06:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783915",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction, best to worst:\nHenry Marsh, Do No Harm. A brilliant memoir by a neurosurgeon about his work, the nature of his profession, successes and mistakes (especially the latter). Frequently touches or verges into the personal. Not morbid, but often sad.\nKeith Johnstone, Impro for Storytellers. \nViola Spolin, Improvisation for the Theater\nTwo very good books about improvisation, although Spolin's is too dry and theory-laden for me (it's meant for teachers more than practitioners). Both, however, pale compared to Keith Johnstone's earlier Impro: Improvisation and the Theater, which is a life-changing book about what improvisation can teach us about spontaneous creativity and relationships between people. I recommend that one first and foremost if you know nothing about improvisation and are curious.\nMartinus J G Veltman, Facts and Mysteries in Elementary Particle Physics. A readable account - necessarily simplified, of course - of the current state of affairs in elementary particles and much of the last 50 years of history, by one of the participants (a Nobel prize winner). Not as organized and methodical as I thought it would be, and half a year later I forgot most of the physical explanations, but it was an interesting read.\nRobert B. Edgerton, Sick Societies. A thorough examination of the hundreds of horrible examples when \"natural\" societies studied by anthropologists have customs that are not only bad from our modern Western point of view, but arguably fail in achieving their own objectives. The whole book exists to counter lazy cultural relativism of the \"maybe we don't like X, but if they do it, it must be for a good reason and it must be a useful adaptation for them\" kind.\nMichael Harris, Mathematics Without Apologies. A very eclectic and idiosyncratic book by a mathematician on the sociology and epistemology of mathematics as a discipline. To be appreciated for its wealth of ideas and references to other interesting books and theories, rather than for any particular argument or thread.\nMilton Rokeach, The Three Christs of Ypsilanti. A story on what happened when a psychologist tried to bring three psychiatric patients, each believing themselves to be Christ, together and to talk it out amongst themselves. Happened in the 1960s. The idea is more interesting than the outcome.\nFiction, best to worst:\nPatrick O'Brian, The Hundred Days. The penultimate book in the series of the best historical novels (the Aubrey-Maturin series) ever written, by a huge margin. The series transcend the genre and I count the Aubrey-Maturin books among the very best books I read in the last decade.\nDodie Smith, I Capture the Castle. A brilliantly written coming-of-age story about a girl growing up in an impoverished family occupying a decaying castle in the English countryside, set in the 1930s. Reminded me in many ways of Rebecca West's The Fountain Overflows, a novel in the similar genre (but with a younger protagonist) that's known much less than it deserves.\nJuan Rulfo, Pedro Paramo. If you read and liked Garcia Marquez's A Hundred Years of Solitude, this one is shorter, darker, involves many more dead people, and you may want to give it a try.\nAlfred Hayes, In Love. A story of a man obsessed by love in a mid-century NYC. Unexpectedly touching, very convincing psychologically.\nIain M. Banks, Against a Dark Background. SF, a grand heist novel set in a advanced civilization living in a star system located unimaginably far away from any other stars and galaxies, and so doomed to a lone struggle with its own long history. A wealth of technological and social ideas you'd expect from Banks. The ending felt a bit forced.\nGene Wolfe, There Are Doors. Gene Wolfe, Nightsite of the Long Sun/Lake of the Long Sun.\nGene Wolfe is the best writer American science fiction produced in the last half-century. \"There are Doors\" is a pretty weird fantasy novel about an alternate world where men die after their first intercourse (as some spiders do in ours), and the hero travels back and forth between that world and ours. It's good, but not as strong as Wolfe's best, which to my taste is the Book of the New Sun tetralogy, the novellas in the Fifth Head of Cerberus collection, and many of his short stories (well-collected in The Best of Gene Wolfe). The other two are the first half of the \"Book of the Long Sun\" series that I'm still reading through.\nUrsula K. Le Guin, The Dispossessed. Superb political SF about an imagined anarchist [anti-]utopia. A serious attempt to describe a human society with no central power structures and no ownership. The hero is a physicist born and raised in that society who escapes to a sibling planet with the more typical modern states. This novel took all the awards in the 1970s when it was published, and deservedly so.\n[cont'd]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Henry Marsh, Do No Harm. A brilliant memoir by a neurosurgeon about his work, the nature of his profession, successes and mistakes (especially the latter). Frequently touches or verges into the personal. Not morbid, but often sad.",
          "reason": "Calls it a brilliant memoir; notes its personal, often sad subject matter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Often sad, though not morbid.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Henry Marsh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "medical memoir",
        "neurosurgery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "do-the-work-1ee678",
      "title": "Do the Work",
      "author": "Steven Pressfield",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15763383,
          "author": "Zanni",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T07:09:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15763383",
          "commentText": "The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. This is the book I've recommended more than any other, and have been thanked by people I've recommended it to disproportionately. He's got a few other books--Do The Work, Turning Pro--that cover similar ground, but The War of Art is the best of them by far.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "He's got a few other books--Do The Work, Turning Pro--that cover similar ground",
          "reason": "Mentioned as covering similar ground to The War of Art.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says The War of Art is better by far.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Pressfield"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creative work",
        "overcoming resistance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "docs-for-developers-ebe1db",
      "title": "Docs for Developers",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32354949,
          "author": "aloci",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-05T12:10:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32354949",
          "commentText": "My top recommendations are \"Docs for Developers\" and \"The Product is Docs\".\nI listed more books about docs and general writing, and TW courses and podcasts in this post: https://lorenaciutacu.com/resources-technical-writers/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My top recommendations are \"Docs for Developers\"",
          "reason": "Names it as a top recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "developer documentation",
        "technical writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "docs-for-developers-an-engineer-s-field-guide-to-technical-writin-5818f5",
      "title": "Docs for Developers: An Engineer’s Field Guide to Technical Writing",
      "author": "Jared Bhatti, Zachary Sarah Corleissen, Jen Lambourne, David Nunez, and Heidi Waterhouse",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30825699,
          "author": "kaycebasques",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T00:41:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30825699",
          "commentText": "Thank you debanjan16 for constructing a well-formulated question that delivered lots of high-quality additions to my \"to read\" list!\nStrangely enough nothing is coming to mind for my field, technical writing. Docs for Developers is great at covering the end-to-end basics of a high-quality documentation process. But I feel like there is some book out there that has inspired me to think more deeply about how to effectively communicate ideas and instructions to other people, which is the true heart and soul of technical writing as an art and science. How We Learn by Benedict Carey is the right direction but I don't remember thinking of it as a masterpiece.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Docs for Developers is great at covering the end-to-end basics of a high-quality documentation process.",
          "reason": "Praised for covering the basics of a high-quality documentation process.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jared Bhatti",
        "Zachary Sarah Corleissen",
        "Jen Lambourne",
        "David Nunez",
        "Heidi Waterhouse"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software documentation",
        "technical writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "docs-for-developers-an-engineer-s-field-guide-to-technical-writin-f7d78a",
      "title": "Docs for Developers: An Engineer’s Field Guide to Technical Writing",
      "author": "Jared Bhatti, Zachary Sarah Corleissen, Jen Lambourne, David N. Blank-Edelman, and Anne Gentle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32342888,
          "author": "jarkz",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-04T13:51:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32342888",
          "commentText": "Docs for Developers: An Engineer’s Field Guide to Technical Writing https://a.co/d/cyI8Y15\nHN thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28948131",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Docs for Developers: An Engineer’s Field Guide to Technical Writing",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jared Bhatti",
        "Zachary Sarah Corleissen",
        "Jen Lambourne",
        "David N. Blank-Edelman",
        "Anne Gentle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "developer documentation",
        "technical writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "docs-for-developers-an-engineer-s-field-guide-to-technical-writin-2a7f21",
      "title": "Docs for Developers: An Engineer’s Field Guide to Technical Writing",
      "author": "Jared Bhatti, Zachary Sarah Corleissen, Jen Lambourne, David N. Henley, and Carolyn Jane Sauer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32351513,
          "author": "teleforce",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-05T04:09:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32351513",
          "commentText": "Please check these two books on technical writing from Springer.\n1) Docs for Developers: An Engineer’s Field Guide to Technical Writing\nhttps://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-1-4842-7217-6\n2) Requirements Writing for System Engineering:\nhttps://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-1-4842-2099-3\nCurrently there are 50% off until 29th August for selected books for back to school discount offering.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Docs for Developers: An Engineer’s Field Guide to Technical Writing",
          "reason": "Suggests checking this book on technical writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jared Bhatti",
        "Zachary Sarah Corleissen",
        "Jen Lambourne",
        "David N. Henley",
        "Carolyn Jane Sauer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "developer documentation",
        "technical writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "doctor-wood-modern-wizard-of-the-laboratory-d73b63",
      "title": "Doctor Wood, Modern Wizard of the Laboratory",
      "author": "William Seabrook",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37937340,
          "author": "fiforpg",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:57:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937340",
          "commentText": "The big impact books tend to be the ones read in youth. One that I re-read many times was the biography of Robert Wood by William Seabrook (both really fascinating characters):\nDoctor Wood, Modern Wizard of the Laboratory\nFor a more recent, although not nearly as formative read:\nThe Coddling of the American Mind",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Doctor Wood, Modern Wizard of the Laboratory",
          "reason": "The commenter says they reread this biography many times and found its subjects fascinating.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Seabrook"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biography",
        "laboratory science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "doctor-zhivago-bad763",
      "title": "Doctor Zhivago",
      "author": "Boris Pasternak",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9350748,
          "author": "humility",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T20:22:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350748",
          "commentText": "Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak, great read!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak, great read!",
          "reason": "Calls it a great read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Boris Pasternak"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "russian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "doing-documentary-work-d6a0ca",
      "title": "Doing Documentary Work",
      "author": "Robert Coles",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8401651,
          "author": "potatolicious",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:54:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401651",
          "commentText": "Started this book way back, but finally getting around to finishing it now:\nThe Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and Decline of America's Man-Made Landscape - James Howard Kunstler\nIt's a bit of a rant, though I think the author is generally on-point. As an armchair urban planner myself, his constant skewering of Le Corbusier work as a total failure makes me very, very happy.\nFor balance I'm also working through:\nDoing Documentary Work - Robert Coles\nThere are some great insights in the book, but the author has a very tedious tone and is very, very verbose. I'm not sure if I will finish it, though I'll try. He also likes using really big words (like, a level of vocabulary that suggests he's deliberately trying to write at a superhuman reading level), which is tedious since his excessive vocabulary ultimately doesn't help him make his point better. I'm pretty sure I can get through Middle English faster than I can get through this book.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "There are some great insights in the book, but the author has a very tedious tone and is very, very verbose.",
          "reason": "It has some great insights, but the commenter finds the tone tedious and verbose.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure they will finish it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Coles"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "documentary studies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "doing-the-impossible-george-e-mueller-the-management-of-nasa-s-hu-d5d588",
      "title": "Doing the Impossible: George E. Mueller & the Management of NASA's Human Spaceflight Program",
      "author": "Robert L. Rosholt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21712780,
          "author": "zt",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T15:00:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21712780",
          "commentText": "I think this is a more complicated question that it first appears. What do you mean by leadership? Getting things done for some strict definition? Managing a team? Managing a huge enterprise? I think reading books across the spectrum of leadership and management is critical, as each gives you some feeling of the underlying “truth” that you’re trying to find.\nI think the best book on the topic as I think you mean it is High Output Management by Andy Grove. It’s a classic. Incredibly well written. Direct.\nFrom there, I’d actually take a pivot and read MCDP 1 Warfighting, which is concise, brilliant, generally applicable, and completely aligned with the thinking of Grove. Along the same lines, I’d consider reading about OODA (I like “Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War” but not strictly necessary to read an entire biography). I think then you start to see that “Management” began to mean something particular in the post-war era for those who could see it, that it’s been lost in most organizations. Agile, lean, blah blah blah is all sort of derived from here.\nThen get some conditioning on how it all goes wrong, for which I would suggest the classic “The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering”, which is generally applicable.\nThen personally, I era toward thinking about organizations that have accomplished great things, so suggest “Creativity, Inc”, “Doing the Impossible: George E. Mueller & the Management of NASA's Human Spaceflight Program”, and books of those type.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "suggest “Creativity, Inc”, “Doing the Impossible: George E. Mueller & the Management of NASA's Human Spaceflight Program”, and books of those type.",
          "reason": "Suggests it as an example of a book about organizations that accomplished great things.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in organizations and management.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert L. Rosholt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nasa history",
        "program management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "domain-driven-design-made-functional-a1a1cb",
      "title": "Domain-Driven Design Made Functional",
      "author": "Scott Wlaschin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28663334,
          "author": "xupybd",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T18:34:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28663334",
          "commentText": "Domain driven design made functional. It takes the weird world of functional programming and shows how it can be applied to building run of the mill business apps. Instead of being an app that only functional programmers can understand these apps, at least some of the domain modeling can be understood by stakeholders.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Domain driven design made functional.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Wlaschin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "domain driven design",
        "functional programming",
        "software modeling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dominion-how-the-christian-revolution-remade-the-world-6c0c45",
      "title": "Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World",
      "author": "Tom Holland",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36105272,
          "author": "fsloth",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T16:07:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105272",
          "commentText": "I can warmly recommend Tom Holland's captivating \"Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World\" for the history of how christianity diverged from judaism and became the dominant religion in the west.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can warmly recommend Tom Holland's captivating \"Dominion: How the Christian Revolution Remade the World\"",
          "reason": "Warmly recommends its account of Christianity’s divergence from Judaism and rise in the West.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Holland"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christianity",
        "western history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dominion-the-making-of-the-western-mind-df73a7",
      "title": "Dominion: The Making of the Western Mind",
      "author": "Tom Holland",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39729362,
          "author": "thinkingemote",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T20:48:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729362",
          "commentText": "Tom Holland: Dominion",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tom Holland: Dominion",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question asking for books that changed perspectives on religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Holland"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christianity",
        "religion",
        "western civilization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "don-juan-series-6730de",
      "title": "Don Juan series",
      "author": "Carlos Castaneda",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6414406,
          "author": "dwarman",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-19T21:20:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6414406",
          "commentText": "Knuth's \"The Art of Computer Programming\" - linked lists, state machines.\nCarlos Castenada's Don Juan series (yes, I know it was fiction) - \"one has no choice but to believe. What matters is what you believe\".\nJohn C. Lilly's \"Center of the Cyclone\".\nThese three, all around early-mid 70's, ended up moving me from the UK to Los Angeles. Strangely, each adds a different understanding to the others. Together, I guess it just makes me a bit strange. But it works.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Carlos Castenada's Don Juan series (yes, I know it was fiction)",
          "reason": "Says the three named works together ended up moving them from the UK to Los Angeles.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it was fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carlos Castaneda"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "anthropology",
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "don-t-be-sad-3412e5",
      "title": "Don't Be Sad",
      "author": "Aaidh al-Qarni",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12250504,
          "author": "chygryn",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T20:04:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12250504",
          "commentText": "The holy Quran number 1\nDon't be sad by dr alqarnee",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Don't be sad by dr alqarnee",
          "reason": "Listed as an impactful book in response to the question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Aaidh al-Qarni"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "islam",
        "spiritual reflection"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "don-t-even-think-about-it-why-our-brains-are-wired-to-ignore-clim-11ce65",
      "title": "Don't Even Think About It: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Ignore Climate Change",
      "author": "George Marshall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10766480,
          "author": "tonyedgecombe",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T08:26:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10766480",
          "commentText": "Climate change does make for difficult reading, I just finished Don't Even Think About It: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Ignore Climate Change by George Marshall. It was a fascinating read but pretty grim.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I just finished Don't Even Think About It: Why Our Brains Are Wired to Ignore Climate Change by George Marshall. It was a fascinating read but pretty grim.",
          "reason": "Calls it a fascinating read while noting its grim subject matter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as pretty grim.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Marshall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "climate change",
        "climate psychology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "don-t-just-roll-the-dice-software-pricing-guide-ba603a",
      "title": "Don't Just Roll the Dice: Software Pricing Guide",
      "author": "Neil Davidson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23365932,
          "author": "haunter",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-30T23:53:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23365932",
          "commentText": "Neil Davidson: Don't just roll the dice – Software pricing guide\nhttps://neildavidson.com/downloads/dont-just-roll-the-dice-2... (https://neildavidson.com/downloads/dont-just-roll-the-dice-2.0.0.pdf)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Don't just roll the dice – Software pricing guide",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neil Davidson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software pricing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "don-t-oil-the-squeaky-wheel-25fef7",
      "title": "Don't Oil the Squeaky Wheel",
      "author": "Wolf Rinke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35219113,
          "author": "tmcdos",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-19T14:14:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35219113",
          "commentText": "I am not an entrepreneur (yet) but I still want to share a few titles with you:\n- \"Maverick or The seven day weekend\" by Ricardo Semler\n- \"Rework\" by Jason Fried and David Hansson\n- \"Startup - an insider's guide to launching and running a business\" by Kevin Ready\n- \"Bookkeeping and Cost Accounting for Factories\" by William Kent (1918)\n- \"Practice what you preach\" by David Maister\n- \"Don't oil the squeaky wheel\" by Wolf Rinke\n- \"Selling The Wheel: Choosing The Best Way To Sell For You Your Company Your Customers\" by Jeff Cox\n- \"The power of stupidity\" by Giancarlo Livraghi\n- \"How to write a good advertisement\" by Victor Schwab\n- \"How to Make Money Out of Thin Air\" by Brian Sher\n- \"Good manners and business etiquette. Illustrated Guide\" by Elena Ber\n- \"Don't just roll the dice: A usefully short guide to software pricing\" by Neil Davidson\n- \"Message to Garcia\" by Elbert Hubbard\n- the TopLeaf course of 36 video lectures on management by dr. Izhak Adizes can be purchased on https://vimeo.com/ondemand/topleaf or found on ru tracker (if you have access)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Don't oil the squeaky wheel\" by Wolf Rinke",
          "reason": "Shares the title among several books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are not yet an entrepreneur.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Wolf Rinke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "management",
        "workplace behavior"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "don-t-tell-mum-i-work-on-the-rigs-she-thinks-i-m-a-piano-player-i-c658e1",
      "title": "Don't Tell Mum I Work on the Rigs: She Thinks I'm a Piano Player in a Whorehouse",
      "author": "Paul Carter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25319338,
          "author": "wmoser",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T23:08:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319338",
          "commentText": "Since you called out working on a container ship, a lot of these have a nautical bent but that’s an area of my personal interest as well.\nLooking for a ship, John McPhee,\nBook about a sailor looking for work and eventually catching a ship.\nBorn A Crime, Trevor Noah, not about another career but Apertheid South Africa, I enjoyed it and wished I would have read it before traveling through S.A. For work.\nDon’t Tell mum I work on the rigs, she thinks I’m a piano player in a whorehouse, by Paul Carter, read this one awhile ago but it’s about an oil well driller.  The industry has changed quite a bit since this book was written but I remember really enjoying it.\nSalvage: a personal odyssey by Ian Tew. I enjoyed this book about a a salvage master out of Singapore\nThe ride of a lifetime by Robert Iger, book about Iger’s journey to being CEO of Walt Disney Company. A bit of insight to what the company executives are doing/ supposed to be doing?\nQuench Your Own Thirst, Jim Koch, the founder of the Boston Beer company. He discusses some of the mistakes he made along the way too.\nGood clean fun, Nick offerman",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Don’t Tell mum I work on the rigs, she thinks I’m a piano player in a whorehouse, by Paul Carter",
          "reason": "Recommended as a book about an oil well driller; the commenter recalls enjoying it.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in oil drilling work.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the industry has changed since it was written.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Carter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "oil drilling",
        "work memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "don-t-sweat-the-small-stuff-03ff9a",
      "title": "Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff",
      "author": "Richard Carlson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31986316,
          "author": "bknight1983",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-05T09:57:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31986316",
          "commentText": "Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff by  Richard Carlson. Very centering and good way to lead life.\nThat or Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff by  Richard Carlson. Very centering and good way to lead life.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as centering and helpful for leading life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Carlson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self help"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "doom-guy-life-in-first-person-0f9c3b",
      "title": "Doom Guy: Life in First Person",
      "author": "John Romero",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47029269,
          "author": "aavci",
          "createdAt": "2026-02-16T00:16:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 47027236,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47029269",
          "commentText": "Doom Guy: Life In First Person?",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Doom Guy: Life In First Person?",
          "reason": "Suggests this may be the book meant by the question about Romero's book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The question mark indicates uncertainty.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40436243,
          "author": "ElCapitanMarkla",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-22T01:05:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40436243",
          "commentText": "I may have read this last year but I really enjoyed John Romero’s Doom Guy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "John Romero’s Doom Guy",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They may have read it last year.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Romero"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "video game development",
        "video game history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "doomed-city-5198f9",
      "title": "Doomed City",
      "author": "Arkady and Boris Strugatsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42508681,
          "author": "herculity275",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T13:28:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42508681",
          "commentText": "Highly recommend Doomed City, probably the most complex novel the Strugackis ever wrote.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Highly recommend Doomed City, probably the most complex novel the Strugackis ever wrote.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends the novel, describing it as perhaps the Strugatskys' most complex.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "“Probably” qualifies the comparison.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arkady Strugatsky",
        "Boris Strugatsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "philosophical science fiction",
        "russian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "doorways-in-the-sand-cddef5",
      "title": "Doorways in the Sand",
      "author": "Roger Zelazny",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22724546,
          "author": "JoeAltmaier",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T02:00:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22724546",
          "commentText": "Snowcrash\nDoorways in the Sand",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Doorways in the Sand",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roger Zelazny"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dopamine-nation-8233dc",
      "title": "Dopamine Nation",
      "author": "Anna Lembke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47028659,
          "author": "HardwareLust",
          "createdAt": "2026-02-15T23:02:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 47027236,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47028659",
          "commentText": "Skinship by James Reich. Really excellent so far!\nAlso reading Dopamine Nation by Anna Lembke.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Also reading Dopamine Nation by Anna Lembke.",
          "reason": "Names it as a current read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 45951152,
          "author": "unionjack22",
          "createdAt": "2025-11-17T05:56:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 45947737,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45951152",
          "commentText": "It’s absolutely insightful for adults as well. Especially when paired with the other horsemen of the attention apocalypse “Dopamine Nation”, “Irresistible”, and “The Shallows”.\nReturned my treatment of the internet from “the thing” to just another tool.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Dopamine Nation”",
          "reason": "Pairs it with the other books as insightful for adults.",
          "audience": "Adults, especially those concerned about attention and internet use.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anna Lembke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "addiction",
        "dopamine"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dorsai-859cc0",
      "title": "Dorsai!",
      "author": "Gordon R. Dickson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056639,
          "author": "Bzomak",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:47:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056639",
          "commentText": "Some which I have re-read recently and still enjoyed:\n  William Gibson's Sprawl trilogy\n\n  Frank Herbert's Dune series\n\n  Isaac Asimov's Foundation series\n\n  Frederik Pohl's \"Gateway\"\n\n  Robert Heinlein's \"The Moon is a harsh Mistress\"\n\nSome which I remember liking when I read them many years ago as a teenager:\n  E.E. Doc Smith's Lensman series\n\n  David Brin's Uplift series\n\n  Peter F. Hamilton's Greg Mandel trilogy and The Night's \nDawn trilogy\n  Orson Scott Card's \"Ender's Game\"\n\n  George R. Dickson's \"Dorsai!\"",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "George R. Dickson's \"Dorsai!\"",
          "reason": "The commenter remembers liking it as a teenager.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Their recollection is from many years ago; the author name in the comment appears to be mistaken.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gordon R. Dickson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dostoyevsky-s-works-ceeb31",
      "title": "Dostoyevsky's works",
      "author": "Fyodor Dostoyevsky",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13249050,
          "author": "ceceron",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T08:01:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249050",
          "commentText": "+1 - Dostoyevsky is a must have.\nThere are many fictional books that tell so much truth about humanity, but I would recommend Karel Capek's novels as those aren't very popular nowadays. Particuraly: The \"Absolute at Large\" and \"War with the Newts\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 - Dostoyevsky is a must have.",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the recommendation and calls Dostoyevsky a must-have.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fyodor Dostoyevsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "russian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dot-con-how-america-lost-its-mind-and-money-in-the-internet-era-120a0e",
      "title": "Dot.Con: How America Lost Its Mind and Money in the Internet Era",
      "author": "John Cassidy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2615853,
          "author": "krat0sprakhar",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T10:56:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2615853",
          "commentText": "Dot.Con by John Cassidy - How America Lost its Mind and Money In the Internet Era.\nHighly recommend.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dot.Con by John Cassidy - How America Lost its Mind and Money In the Internet Era.\nHighly recommend.",
          "reason": "Explicitly highly recommends the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Cassidy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dot com bubble",
        "internet history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dot-con-the-greatest-story-ever-sold-ce0e8f",
      "title": "Dot.con: The Greatest Story Ever Sold",
      "author": "John Cassidy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22708208,
          "author": "loganfrederick",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T00:45:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22708208",
          "commentText": "Dot.con by John Cassidy: https://www.amazon.com/Dot-America-Lost-Money-Internet-ebook... (https://www.amazon.com/Dot-America-Lost-Money-Internet-ebook/dp/B000FC11HE/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=dot+con&qid=1585356330&sr=8-3)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dot.con by John Cassidy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Cassidy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dot com bubble",
        "internet business"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "double-whammy-cd055c",
      "title": "Double Whammy",
      "author": "Carl Hiaasen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20332661,
          "author": "13of40",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T06:27:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20332661",
          "commentText": "When I was a pre-teen/teen, I grew up in a pretty nerdy family with a scientist dad, a brother who eventually became a linguist, and stacks of Byte Magazine, Omni, Particle Physics Digest, etc. as far as the eye could see.  I couldn't stomach the fantasy stuff my brother was into, and I was a bit on the technical side, so I decided my genre was Sci Fi.  I followed this to the point that I felt deeply guilty for reading anything else, until one summer I found myself at a cabin somewhere with nothing to do but lay in a hammock and read Double Whammy by Carl Hiaasen.  Oh my God, it went down so easy compared to the Sci Fi.  It really made me realize a joy in recreational reading that's stuck for 30 years.  Now I'm not saying that Florida Humor Noir is right for you, but don't feel obligated to spend your summer reading something like Nudge or Crucial Conversations.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "one summer I found myself at a cabin somewhere with nothing to do but lay in a hammock and read Double Whammy by Carl Hiaasen. Oh my God, it went down so easy compared to the Sci Fi.",
          "reason": "Says it was easy, enjoyable recreational reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Florida Humor Noir may not be right for the reader.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carl Hiaasen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic crime",
        "florida humor noir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "doughnut-economics-91a657",
      "title": "Doughnut Economics",
      "author": "Kate Raworth",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23858983,
          "author": "jakozaur",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:53:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858983",
          "commentText": "Forward looking:\nDisunited Nations: The Scramble for Power in an Ungoverned World\nDoughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist\nAI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order\nHistorical:\nThe Birth of Plenty: How the Prosperity of the Modern World was Created\nWhy Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty\nGeneral:\nPredictably Irrational, Revised and Expanded Edition: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions\nThe Square and the Tower: Networks and Power, from the Freemasons to Facebook",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kate Raworth"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ecological economics",
        "sustainable development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "down-and-out-in-disneyland-18f729",
      "title": "Down and Out in Disneyland",
      "author": "Cory Doctorow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3395580,
          "author": "MengYuanLong",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T12:31:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395580",
          "commentText": "I am loving this thread. There are so many wonderful suggestions.\nMy personal additions (though I know they are not obscure):\nDown and Out in Disneyland - Cory Doctorow (This was gifted by a friend and really inspired me to make some significant changes in my life. That includes the decision to learn to code and escape the user end of the spectrum.)\nProcrastination- Jane B. Burka , Lenora M. Yuen (This book has fundamentally altered my introspective conclusions. That is to say, I am now more aware of times when I am procrastinating and the impact it has on my life.)\nThis year was a great year for reading and I hope to read even more next year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "really inspired me to make some significant changes in my life.",
          "reason": "Says the book inspired significant life changes, including deciding to learn to code.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It was a gift from a friend.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cory Doctorow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories",
        "technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dragon-blood-3cb3d3",
      "title": "Dragon Blood",
      "author": "Lindsay Buroker",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237020,
          "author": "Jemaclus",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:13:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237020",
          "commentText": "I keep an active list of books I've read, along with my reviews at my book review website, https://books.brianseitel.com. One of the benefits of this is that my favorite books automatically populate on the left. In 2016, I read over 60 books. My top 10 for 2016 (so far) are, in rough order of favorite-ness:\n- \"All the Birds in the Sky\" by Charlie Jane Anders\n- \"The Shards of Heaven\" and its sequel \"The Gates of Hell\" by Michael Livingston (fictional story set in Roman times)\n- \"The Last Breath\" by Charlie Magee\n- \"The Guns of Empire\" by Django Wexler (Book 4 of The Shadow Campaigns series, which I highly recommend)\n- \"The King's Traitor\" by Jeff Wheeler (original take on Arthurian legend)\n- \"Uprooted\" by Naomi Novik\n- \"End Game\" by Lindsay Buroker (Book 8 of her sci-fi series, The Fallen Empire, which is a pretty fun series overall. Short and sweet adventures.)\n- \"Soulblade\" by Lindsay Buroker (Book 8 of her fantasy series, Dragon Blood, which is another great series. All of Buroker's books are good, imo.)\n- \"Ghost Talkers\" by Mary Robinette Kowal (It's WWII, ghosts are real... and they're spies.)\nThis year I also read books 1-3 of The Expanse, and I think they would also be in this list, except I haven't reviewed them yet. I'm currently reading Book 4, with the recently published book, Babylon's Ashes, in the queue. I fully expect these to make it into the top 10.\nObviously, I enjoy sci-fi / fantasy the most, but across a wide range of sub-genres. For non-sci-fi, my top read was \"I Will Teach You To Be Rich\" by Ramit Sethi, which really changed the way I organize my finances.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "which is another great series.",
          "reason": "Called another great series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lindsay Buroker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure",
        "epic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dragon-lady-10f345",
      "title": "Dragon Lady",
      "author": "Sterling Seagrave",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8107064,
          "author": "epynonymous",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:55:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107064",
          "commentText": "ayn rand, the fountainhead\njean jacques rousseau, the confessions\nsterling seagrave, dragon lady\nknights of king arthur's court\nromance of the three kingdoms",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "sterling seagrave, dragon lady",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sterling Seagrave"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chinese history",
        "soong family"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "drawdown-the-most-comprehensive-plan-ever-proposed-to-reverse-glo-bf720e",
      "title": "Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming",
      "author": "Edited by Paul Hawken",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16354684,
          "author": "drawdown",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T20:42:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16354684",
          "commentText": "I would like it if my coworkers and managers read and took to heart the message behind\n   • Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet\n     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Degrees:_Our_Future_on_a_Hotter_Planet\n\n   • Drawdown: The most comprehensive plan ever proposed to reverse global warming \n     http://www.drawdown.org/the-book\n   \nbut sadly most are too focused on their stock options.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would like it if my coworkers and managers read and took to heart the message behind\n   • Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet\n     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Degrees:_Our_Future_on_a_Hotter_Planet\n\n   • Drawdown: The most comprehensive plan ever proposed to reverse global warming",
          "reason": "Wishes coworkers and managers would read and take its message to heart.",
          "audience": "Coworkers and managers; readers interested in climate change.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edited by Paul Hawken"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "climate change",
        "climate solutions"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dream-yoga-and-the-practice-of-natural-light-48edc9",
      "title": "Dream Yoga and the Practice of Natural Light",
      "author": "Chögyal Namkhai Norbu",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17171829,
          "author": "dvfjsdhgfv",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-28T11:19:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17171829",
          "commentText": "Dream Yoga and the Practice of Natural Light by Chogyal Namkhai Norbu. Gives you a completely different perspective on life. Also Awakening Upon Dying by the same author.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dream Yoga and the Practice of Natural Light by Chogyal Namkhai Norbu. Gives you a completely different perspective on life.",
          "reason": "Says it gives a completely different perspective on life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chögyal Namkhai Norbu"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dream yoga",
        "tibetan buddhism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dream-of-the-red-chamber-91963b",
      "title": "Dream of the Red Chamber",
      "author": "Cao Xueqin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22101202,
          "author": "lizzard",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T18:56:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22101202",
          "commentText": "Some other fabulous Chinese novels, not really obscure as they are the most famous novels in China, but not well known to English speaking readers: Dream of Red Mansions/Story of the Stone, an epic about two families and the decline of their fortunes; The Scholars, another 18th century long book of linked stories that's basically political satire; and Outlaws of the Marsh/The Water Margin, a long series of linked tales about bandits that's a little bit Robin-Hoodish as it's really about their political rebellion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dream of Red Mansions/Story of the Stone",
          "reason": "Described as an epic about two families and the decline of their fortunes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not well known to English-speaking readers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cao Xueqin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chinese classic",
        "family saga"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dream-of-the-red-chamber-ce289c",
      "title": "Dream of the Red Chamber",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17381922,
          "author": "zawerf",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T16:18:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17381922",
          "commentText": "The \"Four Great Classic Novels\" from 14th-18th century China: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_Chinese_Novels\nSpecifically:\nWater Margin\nRomance of the Three Kingdoms\nJourney to the West\nDream of the Red Chamber\nThey are referenced in everything in asian media and there a bajillion tv/movie adaptations of them but they are relatively unknown in the west.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dream of the Red Chamber",
          "reason": "Lists it as one of the Four Great Classic Novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chinese literature",
        "classical novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dreaming-in-code-03b099",
      "title": "Dreaming in Code",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17207053,
          "author": "snowwrestler",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T16:33:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17207053",
          "commentText": "I greatly enjoyed \"Barbarians Led by Bill Gates,\" which was written by an early Microsoft employee and contains a bunch of great stories about the tech and business of Microsoft.\nAnother one is \"Dreaming in Code,\" which details the efforts of Mitch Kapor to create a team to build a flexible productivity app he had always dreamed of. It's a cautionary tale since the project ultimately fails.\n\"Crypto\", by Steven Levy, details the invention of public key cryptography and the first round of the \"crypto wars\" about whether the federal government would require a backdoor.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Another one is \"Dreaming in Code,\" which details the efforts of Mitch Kapor to create a team to build a flexible productivity app he had always dreamed of. It's a cautionary tale since the project ultimately fails.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a tech-company story; the project failure is described as a cautionary tale.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in software projects and startup history.",
          "caveat": "The project ultimately fails.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software projects",
        "startup history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dreaming-in-code-two-dozen-programmers-three-years-4-732-bugs-and-7fc3cc",
      "title": "Dreaming in Code: Two Dozen Programmers, Three Years, 4,732 Bugs, and One Quest for Transcendent Software",
      "author": "Scott Rosenberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17205403,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T14:04:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205403",
          "commentText": "Maybe not perfect matches, but a few titles I'm familiar with that you might like:\nDreaming in Code - covers Mitch Kapor's post Lotus effort to build Chandler.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreaming_in_Code\nEveryone Else Must Fail - all about Larry Ellison and Oracle\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Everyone-Else-Must-Fail-Unvarnished/d... (https://www.amazon.com/Everyone-Else-Must-Fail-Unvarnished/dp/0712621482)\nWinners, Losers & Microsoft - title says it all\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Winners-Losers-Microsoft-Competition-... (https://www.amazon.com/Winners-Losers-Microsoft-Competition-Technology/dp/0945999844)\nTwo books by Bill Gates:\nBusiness At The Speed of Thought\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Business-Speed-Thought-Succeeding-Dig... (https://www.amazon.com/Business-Speed-Thought-Succeeding-Digital/dp/0446525685/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1527861952&sr=1-1&keywords=business+at+the+speed+of+thought)\nand\nThe Road Ahead\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Road-Ahead-Completely-Up-Date/dp/0140... (https://www.amazon.com/Road-Ahead-Completely-Up-Date/dp/0140260404/ref=pd_sbs_14_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0140260404&pd_rd_r=ZRRXQ50NEK3EPWVC9FM9&pd_rd_w=q6Fr8&pd_rd_wg=iFPgv&psc=1&refRID=ZRRXQ50NEK3EPWVC9FM9)\nAlso:\nMCI: Failure Is Not An Option\nhttps://www.amazon.com/MCI-Failure-Invented-Competition-Tele... (https://www.amazon.com/MCI-Failure-Invented-Competition-Telecommunications/dp/1888232412/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1527861809&sr=1-1&keywords=failure+is+not+an+option+mci)\nAlready mentioned, but I feel obligated to add another +1 for these three:\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Kidder\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Levy\nThe Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation - Gertner\nAlso, if you enjoy this kind of stuff, you might enjoy the AMC series Halt and Catch Fire. Yes it's fiction and highly dramatized, but it captures a lot of the spirit of the times from the beginnings of the PC era up through the Dot Com Bubble era.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a few titles I'm familiar with that you might like:\nDreaming in Code - covers Mitch Kapor's post Lotus effort to build Chandler.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a title the reader might like; it covers the effort to build Chandler.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in software development and technology company stories.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797174,
          "author": "navshaikh",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T02:25:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797174",
          "commentText": "Dreaming in Code: Two Dozen Programmers, Three Years, 4,732 Bugs, and One Quest for Transcendent Software\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Dreaming-Code-Programmers-Transcendent... (http://www.amazon.com/Dreaming-Code-Programmers-Transcendent-Software/dp/1400082463)\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Design-Everyday-Things-Donald-Norman/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Design-Everyday-Things-Donald-Norman/dp/0465067107/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251771897&sr=1-1)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Dreaming in Code: Two Dozen Programmers, Three Years, 4,732 Bugs, and One Quest for Transcendent Software",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Rosenberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chandler",
        "programming history",
        "software development",
        "software projects"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dreaming-of-babylon-ae84b3",
      "title": "Dreaming of Babylon",
      "author": "Richard Brautigan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50116114,
          "author": "genezeta",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T09:24:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50116114",
          "commentText": "Elizabeth Hand's Winterlong, probably 3-4 times.\nMost of Raymond Chandler and Dashiel Hammet I've read multiple times. I've read Brautigan's Dreaming of Babylon a bunch of times too.\nAll of William Gibson. Miyazaki's Nausicaä of The Valley of Wind, in various languages. Stephen Cosgrove's Muffin Muncher, I couldn't say how many times I must have read that (It appears they've now changed the title to Muffin Dragon).\nI've read The Soul of a New Machine a couple of times too. The Hitchhiker's and Dirk Gently's trilogies a few times.\nStefano Benni's Baol probably half a dozen times. And Acts of The Apostles by John FX Sundman a bunch too. Oh, and a few of Martin Gardner's books. And Smullyan's To Mock a Mockingbird.\nAnd most probably also many others. Most of my books are now in boxes or have been gifted away, though.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've read Brautigan's Dreaming of Babylon a bunch of times too.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have read it many times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Brautigan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fiction",
        "noir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "drift-into-failure-from-hunting-broken-components-to-understandin-10cec1",
      "title": "Drift into Failure: From Hunting Broken Components to Understanding Complex Systems",
      "author": "Sidney Dekker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13238075,
          "author": "beat",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T15:56:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238075",
          "commentText": "Two standouts:\nThe World Beyond Your Head: On Becoming an Individual in an Age of Distraction, by Matthew B. Crawford. This is Crawford's second book, and I recommend his first, Shop Class as Soulcraft, even more highly. This is modern philosophy, intense and grounded in the history and conventions of philosophy, but not unreadable if you're patient. Crawford started working at a Washington think tank, and bailed for a more honest life as a vintage motorcycle mechanic. He walked away from wealth and \"success\" in favor of ethics and peace. His focus is on the intellectual and moral value of working at a craft, using your hands and your mind in concert to create and maintain things of lasting value. When you work with the physical world, you must shape yourself to the physical world, as much as you bend the physical world to your will. In this book, he talks less about the value of work, and more about the structure of society. It has some fairly extensive critique of the Enlightenment philosophy that molded American government and ethics, and pretty brutal takedowns of many of our institutions today, which he considers wrongheaded and actively interfering with a good life. He'll make you think, for sure.\nThe second book is Drift into Failure: From Hunting Broken Components to Understanding Complex Systems, by Sidney Dekker. The subject is how we analyze failures in very complex systems (such as airplane crashes, bridge collapses, etc). Such systems are built extremely carefully and at great cost, with extensive engineering for safety and reliability, and regulatory oversight. Yet sometimes, they fail anyway. Analyzing such failures can take years and is never (honestly) reduceable to some single-sentence cause. Yet that's what we try to do. Dekker argues that the reductionist approach of the scientific method, our entire way of doing rigorous thinking, is inadequate for complex systems, because there are too many interactions. Scientific method depends on reducing variables, and sometimes, variables can't be reduced. Again, this is fascinating stuff that will really change how you think.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The second book is Drift into Failure: From Hunting Broken Components to Understanding Complex Systems, by Sidney Dekker.",
          "reason": "Called fascinating and praised for explaining failures in complex systems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter summarizes Dekker’s argument that scientific reductionism can be inadequate for complex systems.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sidney Dekker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "accident analysis",
        "systems thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "drift-the-unmooring-of-american-military-power-d2a354",
      "title": "Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power",
      "author": "Rachel Maddow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rachel Maddow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "presidential power",
        "us military"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "drive-it-forever-ad48c4",
      "title": "Drive It Forever",
      "author": "Robert Sikorsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 136531,
          "author": "christefano",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-14T03:40:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=136531",
          "commentText": "Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson.\nDrive it Forever by Robert Sikorsky.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Drive it Forever by Robert Sikorsky.",
          "reason": "Listed as a book for the hacker's bookshelf.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Sikorsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "automotive maintenance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dubliners-10412f",
      "title": "Dubliners",
      "author": "James Joyce",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13249502,
          "author": "wink",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T12:10:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249502",
          "commentText": "Wouldn't call it must read, but I found Joyce's Dubliners quite entertaining and at least close to stuff that's recommended for serious reading.\nThe last book I thoroughly enjoyed was Scalzi's Redshirts, but it's probably less funny if you're not familiar with Star Trek at all.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I found Joyce's Dubliners quite entertaining",
          "reason": "Found it entertaining, though not necessarily a must-read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they would not call it a must-read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Joyce"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "modernist literature",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "duino-elegies-0ecfa6",
      "title": "Duino Elegies",
      "author": "Rainer Maria Rilke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40054448,
          "author": "gnatman",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-16T17:02:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40054448",
          "commentText": "Labyrinths - Jorge Borges (I've gifted this many times)\nDuino Elegies - Rainer Rilke, translated by Robert Hunter",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Duino Elegies - Rainer Rilke, translated by Robert Hunter",
          "reason": "Lists the book and translator as a gift recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rainer Maria Rilke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "modernist poetry",
        "poetry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dune-866744",
      "title": "Dune",
      "author": "Frank Herbert and Brian Herbert",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23154350,
          "author": "alibaba_x",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T14:29:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23154350",
          "commentText": "All 6 Dune books? The first one was a masterpiece but the rest are not as widely praised.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "All 6 Dune books?",
          "reason": "The commenter questions whether to read all six books, noting that only the first is a masterpiece.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The rest are not as widely praised.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frank Herbert",
        "Brian Herbert"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ecology",
        "politics",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dune-expanded-universe-5a31c2",
      "title": "Dune expanded universe",
      "author": "Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17353257,
          "author": "adamhepner",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-20T07:15:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17353257",
          "commentText": "Actually, the whole Dune series, and risking to be controversial - the extended universe with the abomination of books by Frank Herbert's son. Yes, they break the rules, yes, they are rushed and yes some explanations plain don't make sense, but ohmygod the additional tens of thousands of years added to the story just put on so much more grandure... But why I like it: I open random page, and I just enjoy falling back to the epic story and remembering small details, discovering new ones, pondering upon the small artificial quotes before the chapters. Those books have so much going on for them, and thanks to the time spans involved you can actually pretty much jump in at any moment.\nOther one is Stainless Steel Rat series by Harry Harrison, those are very funny and don't attempt to take themselves too seriously, and have the same principle - you can jump into the story at any moment and just enjoy rapid pace of events splashed with humorous commentary. Plus the protagonist is a very much self made man in a world where it doesn't come easily, so there's that bit of hope for you.\nThirdly - Discworld. I guess it does not need comment, does it?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the extended universe with the abomination of books by Frank Herbert's son",
          "reason": "Likes the added timespans and expanded story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says these books break rules, are rushed, and include explanations that do not make sense.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "expanded universe",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dungeon-hacks-how-nethack-angband-and-other-roguelikes-changed-th-ee27ef",
      "title": "Dungeon Hacks: How NetHack, Angband, and Other Roguelikes Changed the Course of Video Games",
      "author": "David L. Craddock",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11702738,
          "author": "superflit",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-15T21:01:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11702738",
          "commentText": "I know it is not \"productivity\" but I had a real good time reading was \"Dungeon Hacks: How NetHack, Angband, and Other Roguelikes Changed the Course of Video Games\" [1]\nIt talks about the creation of rogue games (rogue, nethack, adom) and its authors and co-authors.\nWell written made me play nethack again. So your productivity will decrease :)\n[1] - http://amzn.to/1spSott",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Well written made me play nethack again.",
          "reason": "The commenter had a good time reading it and calls it well written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter jokes that it may decrease productivity by making readers play NetHack.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David L. Craddock"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nethack",
        "roguelike games",
        "video game history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dungeon-master-s-guide-a5c81a",
      "title": "Dungeon Master's Guide",
      "author": "Gary Gygax",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30742512,
          "author": "irchans",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T13:39:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30742512",
          "commentText": "Personal Power - Robbins, How to win friends and influence people - Carnegie, Feeling Good - Burns, Godel Esher Bach - Hofstadter,  Fundamentals of Physics - Halliday and Resnick, Jonathan Livingston Seagull - Bach, The Commodore 64 User Manual, \"Stocks for the Long Run\",  The Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide - Gygax, Dune - Herbert",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide - Gygax",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gary Gygax"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dungeons dragons",
        "role playing games"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dungeon-master-s-guide-ab77a1",
      "title": "Dungeon Master's Guide",
      "author": "Gary Gygax and coauthors",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13804180,
          "author": "metaphorm",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:19:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804180",
          "commentText": "- The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin\n- Blindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts\n- The Tao Te Ching\n- The Gateless Gate (Koun Yamada translation/editing)\n- The Baroque Cycle (Quicksilver, The Confusion, The System of the World) by Neal Stephenson\n- The Invisibles by Grant Morrison\n- Incerto (Fooled by Randomness, The Black Swan, Antifragile, The Bed of Procrustes) by Nassim Nicholas Taleb\n- Iron John by Robert Bly\n- Catch 22 by Joseph Heller\n- The Character of Physical Law by Richard P. Feynman\n- Collected Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges\n- 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez\n- Pharmakon by Dale Pendell\n- The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss\n- Greek Mythology by Edith Hamilton\n- The Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual by Gary Gygax et al\n- Introduction to Algorithms by Charles E. Leiserson, Clifford Stein, Ronald Rivest, and Thomas H. Cormen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual by Gary Gygax et al",
          "reason": "Included in a list answering which books changed the commenter’s thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "One of three named Dungeons & Dragons rulebooks.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gary Gygax and coauthors"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dungeons dragons",
        "tabletop role playing games"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dungeons-and-dreamers-61f620",
      "title": "Dungeons and Dreamers",
      "author": "Brad King; John Borland",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 621494,
          "author": "xsmasher",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-22T02:29:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621494",
          "commentText": "If you liked MoD, then you'll probably enjoy \"Dungeons and Dreamers\" too; and the \"Postmortems\" book from Game Developer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you'll probably enjoy \"Dungeons and Dreamers\" too",
          "reason": "Says readers who liked Masters of Doom will probably enjoy it too.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 621491,
          "author": "xsmasher",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-22T02:27:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621491",
          "commentText": "In general, \"Revolution in the Valley\" about the making of the Macintosh. You cen feel the excitement of the team, and it goes into some fun technical details on how they created a GUI while everyone else outside research labs was still text-based.\nFor game programmers, \"Masters of Doom\" and \"Dungeons and Dreamers\". Both have a real human perspective on the people and companies they cover; they made me feel like regular humans, not gods, made games.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Both have a real human perspective on the people and companies they cover; they made me feel like regular humans, not gods, made games.",
          "reason": "Praised for its human perspective on people and companies in gaming.",
          "audience": "Game programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brad King; John Borland"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "game development",
        "video game history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "duty-memoirs-of-a-secretary-at-war-d2d808",
      "title": "Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War",
      "author": "Robert Gates",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25319210,
          "author": "Jugurtha",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T22:52:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319210",
          "commentText": "Here's a reply[0] to a question that asked about directory structure.\nIgnore the programming/technology part.\nMilitary books (such as \"One Bullet Away\" by Nathaniel Fick or \"Generation Kill\" by Evan Wright which was turned into a mini-series on HBO). Field manuals can be interesting and you can learn a lot from them.\nKnot books.\n\"Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War\" by Robert Gates is interesting.\n\"The Art of Intelligence\", by Henry Crumpton.\n\"Diplomacy\" by Henry Kissinger is an interesting read. It starts with the balance of power in Europe, raison d'état, Richelieu, \"U.S. exceptionalism\". It is well written.\n- [0]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17593922",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War\" by Robert Gates is interesting.",
          "reason": "Described as interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Gates"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dying-inside-1dd95b",
      "title": "Dying Inside",
      "author": "Robert Silverberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29677053,
          "author": "randcraw",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T19:43:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29677053",
          "commentText": "My favorite of Silverberg's books.  The writing style grows more distant and cold as the hero involuntarily withdraws from life.  Much overlooked, IMO.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The writing style grows more distant and cold as the hero involuntarily withdraws from life. Much overlooked, IMO.",
          "reason": "Calls it a favorite and praises the way the writing reflects the hero’s withdrawal from life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Silverberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Psychology",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "telepathy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dying-for-a-paycheck-0de6d9",
      "title": "Dying for a Paycheck",
      "author": "Jeffrey Pfeffer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24212085,
          "author": "frompdx",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-19T16:15:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 24176902,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please suggest some good books you have read recently",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24212085",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- The Expanse series.  Long but easy read.  Great science fiction.  I'm on book 5 so far.\nNon-fiction:\n- Bullshit Jobs.  Even if you don't agree with the Author's premise in the end I think this book is thought provoking and worth reading.\n- Dying for a Paycheck.  This book explores how work affects our health.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book explores how work affects our health.",
          "reason": "Explores the effects of work on health.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeffrey Pfeffer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "occupational stress",
        "workplace health"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dynamic-html-the-definitive-reference-7b8a05",
      "title": "Dynamic HTML: The Definitive Reference",
      "author": "Danny Goodman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 135361,
          "author": "ojbyrne",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T18:35:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135361",
          "commentText": "O' Reilly's \"Dynamic HTML\" is probably my most well-used book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "O' Reilly's \"Dynamic HTML\" is probably my most well-used book.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is probably their most-used book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Danny Goodman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "html",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dynamic-hedging-managing-vanilla-and-exotic-options-5a4397",
      "title": "Dynamic Hedging: Managing Vanilla and Exotic Options",
      "author": "Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3179810,
          "author": "joncooper",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-01T00:07:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 3177815,
          "threadTitle": "Good books for hackers interested in quant finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3179810",
          "commentText": "John Hull is canon. Read it, live it, love it, keep it under your pillow. It is truly superb.\nNassim Taleb's \"Dynamic Hedging\" is the finest book I'm aware of on the subject of actually trading/managing vol portfolios. It's REALLY good. And dense.\n\"Paul Wilmott on Quantitative Finance\" vol 1-3 are worth having as a reference, perhaps.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nassim Taleb's \"Dynamic Hedging\" is the finest book I'm aware of on the subject of actually trading/managing vol portfolios. It's REALLY good. And dense.",
          "reason": "Called the finest book the commenter knows on trading and managing volatility portfolios, while noting it is dense.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in trading or managing volatility portfolios.",
          "caveat": "Dense.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nassim Nicholas Taleb"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hedging",
        "options trading",
        "volatility trading"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dynamics-of-software-development-be77e7",
      "title": "Dynamics of Software Development",
      "author": "Jim McCarthy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21713155,
          "author": "mmhsieh",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T15:34:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21713155",
          "commentText": "Dynamics of Software Development, by McCarthy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dynamics of Software Development, by McCarthy.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797953,
          "author": "tetsuo13",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T13:21:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797953",
          "commentText": "* Dynamics of Software Development\n* Wireless Communications & Networks\n* Time Management for System Administrators",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "* Dynamics of Software Development",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jim McCarthy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software development",
        "software project management",
        "software team management",
        "software teams"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "dysfunctional-94e40d",
      "title": "Dysfunctional",
      "author": "McKenzie Rae",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15960884,
          "author": "mswen",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T15:37:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15960884",
          "commentText": "My daughter just had her first novels (a young adult trilogy) published a few weeks ago.  Even though it is not really my genre I read it and enjoyed it. Of course I am biased....\nDysfunctional Series: Books 1-3 (Origins, Dark Imagination, A Mighty Long Fall)\nBy McKenzie Rae\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Dysfunctional-Books-Origins-Imaginati... (https://www.amazon.com/Dysfunctional-Books-Origins-Imagination-Mighty-ebook/dp/B077SSXMSL/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1513697212&sr=8-1&keywords=McKenzie+rae)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Even though it is not really my genre I read it and enjoyed it. Of course I am biased....\nDysfunctional Series: Books 1-3",
          "reason": "The commenter says they read and enjoyed their daughter's trilogy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not really their genre and acknowledges bias as the author's parent.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "McKenzie Rae"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "young adult"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "eniac-the-triumphs-and-tragedies-of-the-world-s-first-computer-1aaf8d",
      "title": "ENIAC: The Triumphs and Tragedies of the World's First Computer",
      "author": "Scott McCartney",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22707184,
          "author": "Rochus",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T21:44:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22707184",
          "commentText": "- ENIAC - The triumphs and tragedies of the world's first computer\n- Grace Hopper and the Invention of the Information Age\n- From airline reservations to Sonic the Hedgehog - a history of the software industry\n- History of programming languages Volumes 1 to 3",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "ENIAC - The triumphs and tragedies of the world's first computer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott McCartney"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "eor-ff-6502-ponderables-and-befuddlements-c455b7",
      "title": "EOR #$FF: 6502 Ponderables and Befuddlements",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46781575,
          "author": "c64cryptoboy",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-27T15:49:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 46778461,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books to learn 6502 ASM and the Apple II",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46781575",
          "commentText": "WRT advanced 6502 programming texts, allow me plug my (free) book \"EOR #$FF: 6502 Ponderables and Befuddlements\".  It's 64 assembly snippets to ponder, with explanations for each in the 2nd-half of the book:  https://archive.org/details/eor6502",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "my (free) book \"EOR #$FF: 6502 Ponderables and Befuddlements\"",
          "reason": "The author presents their free book as an advanced 6502 programming text, with assembly snippets and explanations.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in advanced 6502 programming.",
          "caveat": "Advanced text; consists of 64 assembly snippets to ponder.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "6502 assembly",
        "assembly snippets"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "early-electrical-communication-4ea5c0",
      "title": "Early Electrical Communication",
      "author": "A. F. Marland",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36666587,
          "author": "HamptonFounders",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-10T14:01:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36666587",
          "commentText": "Not sure if this is helpful, but a friend fed this conversation through ChatGPT and had it summarize for easier reading:\n-The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy -Bigger by Marc Levinson\n-The Machine That Changed the World: The Story of Lean Production-- Toyota's Secret Weapon in the Global Car Wars That Is Now Revolutionizing World Industry by James P. Womack, Daniel T. Jones, and Daniel Roos\n-Empires of the Sky: Zeppelins, Airplanes, and Two Men's Epic Duel to Rule the World by Erik Larson\n-Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America by Richard -White\n-The Arms of Krupp: The Rise and Fall of the Industrial Dynasty that Armed Germany at War by William Manchester\n-Edison by Edmund Morris\n-Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow\n-The People's Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century by Steven Watts\n-Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler\n-The Victorian Internet by Tom Standage\n-The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood by James Gleick\n-Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age by Michael S. Malone\n-The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester\n-The Innovators by Walter Isaacson\n-Medieval Technology and Social Change by Lynn White Jr.\n-The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation by Jon Gertner\n-Electricity in the 17th and 18th Centuries: A Study of Early Modern Physics by Eric H. Chaney\n-Early Electrical Communication by A. F. Marland\n-Bibliographical History of Electricity and Magnetism by Silvanus P. Thompson\n-Electric Science: Its History, Phenomena, and Applications by J. J. Fahie\n-The History and Present State of Electricity by Andrew Ure\n-https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/\n-De Re Metallica by Georgius Agricola",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Early Electrical Communication by A. F. Marland",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books offered in response to the history of technology question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "A. F. Marland"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "communications history",
        "electrical communication"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "early-retirement-extreme-6fc475",
      "title": "Early Retirement Extreme",
      "author": "Jacob Lund Fisker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29820163,
          "author": "marttt",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-06T06:31:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29820163",
          "commentText": "\"A Confession\" by Leo Tolstoy [1]. An autobiographical story of Tolstoy's \"search for meaning\" when he was, I believe, around the same age. A masterpiece in around 80 pages.\nFrom a more practical angle, I wish I had had \"Early Retirement Extreme\" by Jacob Lund Fisker [2] in my shelf at that age. Don't get fooled by the title, this is by no means a \"highway to financial independence\" book; rather, it's a really deep book about, well, sensible living strategies, considering the world we're in.\nThe author holds a PhD in theoretical physics, and by living with around $7,000 a year as a scientist and postdoc, he retired in around 5 years in his early 30s.\nIt's a book on thoughtful frugality, if you will.\n1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Confession\n2: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Lund_Fisker",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I wish I had had \"Early Retirement Extreme\" by Jacob Lund Fisker [2] in my shelf at that age.",
          "reason": "Recommended for its thoughtful approach to frugality and sensible living strategies.",
          "audience": "Someone considering how to live and manage money.",
          "caveat": "Despite its title, the commenter says it is not a straightforward financial independence guide.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231162,
          "author": "jronkone",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T17:03:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231162",
          "commentText": "Thinking in Systems - Donella H. Meadows\nEarly Retirement Extreme - Jacob Lund Fisker",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Early Retirement Extreme - Jacob Lund Fisker",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jacob Lund Fisker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "early retirement",
        "financial independence",
        "frugal living",
        "frugality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "early-theological-writings-cb5d7b",
      "title": "Early Theological Writings",
      "author": "G. W. F. Hegel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39731087,
          "author": "debtless4080",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-17T01:30:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39731087",
          "commentText": "Destiny disrupted: A History of the world through Islamic eyes, Tamim Ansary\nEarly Theological Writings, Hegel. Specifically 'The spirit of Christianity and it's Fate'.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Early Theological Writings, Hegel.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "G. W. F. Hegel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian theology",
        "german idealism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "earth-a14412",
      "title": "Earth",
      "author": "David Brin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10786739,
          "author": "hackerbloos",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T02:19:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786739",
          "commentText": "I've just updated my list of books I read this year. Scores are out of 5. If there is a + it means I found it to be extra special for some reason or other.\n= Jan =\nSmarter Than You Think - Clive Thompson 3\nThe positives of tech and the internet.\n= Feb =\nSuper Sad True Love Story - Gary Shteyngart 4\nScience fiction set in the not too distant future. Main themes include life extension and surveillance.\n= Mar =\nThe HitchHiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams 4\nThe Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams 3\nHad never read this series, thought it might be about time.\n= Apr =\nWhat does it all Mean? - Thomas Nagel 2 (though it is kind of meant for people who have never done any Philosophy, ever, so would recommend to someone like that. Will pass it on to someone taking an interest in the subject)\nAn introduction to Philosophy.\nEarth - David Brin 5+\nScience fiction set in the not too distant future, written in the 90s. Really interesting themes / vision of post climate change world.\nSlaughterHouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut 5\nSemi autobiographical account of the bombing of Dresden in WW2. Really funny and clever ideas. Very good.\n= May =\nNick Cohen - What’s Left? 4\nAccount of how the left has degenerated since the collapse of the hard left and the winning of liberal battles e.g. LGBT rights. Basic premise is that those on the left hate the West and the status quo so much they stoop to allying themselves with anyone who also opposes the status quo.\n= June =\nPlato at the Googleplex: Why Philosophy won’t go away - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 5+\nPlato has somehow appeared in the 21st century and is doing a talk at Google! A really enjoyable account of how Plato’s philosophy could be applied to modern issues. Really good. I want to go to Athens.\n= July =\nThe Mind Body Problem - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 4\nNovel about a female philosophy student shagging around and philosophising about it.\nBelieving Bullshit - Stephen Law 4\nBook detailing the various tricks / schemes played by charlatans and how to avoid being taken in by them.\n= August =\n36 Arguments for the Existence of God: a work of fiction - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 3\nNovel about an academic and his mentor. It was ok.\n= September =\nThe Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams 3\nThink I’m done reading these for now, don’t feel the urge to finish the set.\nKafka - The Trial 5\nReally good. Love the surrealism - the nightmarish / dreamish-ness of it. Saw it in the Theatre as well after reading it, thought that was great too.\n= October =\n= November =\nExistence - David Brin 3\nNot as good as Earth. Glad I read that first. Interesting imagining of what form contact from alien life could take though. Also interesting look at existential risks. The main part I didn’t like was how it skipped forward in time 3 decades about 3/4s of the way through, I had thought the characters were a little weak in general up until then anyway, and then they were pretty much gone entirely at that point.\n= December =\nAlone Together - Sherry Turtle 4\nThe negatives of tech, robotics and the internet. Interesting and important read.\nImperium - Robert Harris 5\nFirst in the semi-fictional trilogy accounting the fall of the Roman Republic, told through the eyes of Cicero’s secretary, Tiro. Really good. The politics, the corruption, the ancient city really brought to life. Enhanced by having visited Rome in the Summer.\nAlso currently reading ‘Reclaiming Conversation’ by Sherry Turkle, an account of the negative affect being permanently tethered to the internet has on our conversations, our capacity for empathy and our relationships, and Nietzsche’s 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra'.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Earth - David Brin 5+",
          "reason": "Rated 5+ and described as having really interesting themes and vision.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Brin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "climate fiction",
        "near future"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "earthcent-ambassador-93b6b2",
      "title": "EarthCent Ambassador",
      "author": "E. M. Foner",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15429938,
          "author": "pdfernhout",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T20:52:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15429938",
          "commentText": "The EarthCent Ambassador Series (12 books so far, all since 2014) feature a few different types of AI, the main one being the Strix. The Strix were created by an alien race to resist another AI created to fight a war but which got out of hand and had been taking over the galaxy. In the series the Strix keep the peace in a big chunk of the galaxy. I enjoy the series as fairly light and humorous reading where you know there will be a happy ending (if maybe \"Deus ex Strix\" sometimes). It indirectly raises some issue about what life would be like under a benevolent but superpowerful AI. The first one is \"Date Night on Union Station (EarthCent Ambassador #1)\" where one of the Strix decides to run a dating service... Humans in this series are the latest group to join \"the tunnel network\" run by the Strix and are essentially the most backward and naive species in the contacted galaxy; a lot of the stories revolve around humans gradually finding their footing on the galactic scene. I'm not sure I agree the market-driven exchange-based economic models in the series are feasible with so much technology and AI around, but I try to suspend disbelief on that for the humor and other enjoyable aspects.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The EarthCent Ambassador Series (12 books so far, all since 2014)",
          "reason": "Enjoys the series' light humor and happy endings, despite reservations about its economic models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter suspends disbelief about the market-driven economic models.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "E. M. Foner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "first contact",
        "humorous science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "earthlight-eb015d",
      "title": "Earthlight",
      "author": "Arthur C. Clarke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056450,
          "author": "everyone",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T11:55:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056450",
          "commentText": "I have strong opinions about this. My criteria for a book being science fiction and not fantasy is that is must be based on scientific thinking. The author must have done some work to determine whether whats happening in his book is at least plausible according to real science, and then work out the details of how it would actually function. So I regard most \"science fiction\" books and almost all \"science fiction\" films as really being fantasy. Essentially they are works of fantasy or dramatic fiction re-skinned with lasers and aliens instead of magic and goblins (to a great or lesser extent).\nSo dune is a great book but it is 90% fantasy, there is only a little bit of research done by the author on desert ecosystems.\nMy favourite real science fiction author is Arthur C clarke. some good books by him...\nearthlight\nthe fountains of paradise\nislands in the sky\nthe sands of mars\nrama\nsongs of distant earth\nAlso would recommend accelerando by Charles Stross and the mars series by Kim Stanley Robinson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "earthlight",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s good books by Clarke.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur C. Clarke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "lunar setting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "earthsea-cycle-79ff48",
      "title": "Earthsea Cycle",
      "author": "Ursula K. Le Guin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8795671,
          "author": "asad_ch",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T06:50:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795671",
          "commentText": "Any one book?\nMr. Penumbra's 24 Hour Bookstore, Robin Sloan\nAny one series?\nThe Foundation series, Isaac Asimov\nOther personal favourites include:\nThe Alchemist, Paulo Coelho\nThe Book of Disquet, Fernando Pessoa\nThe Count of Monte Cristo, Alexander Dumas \nExtremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Jonathan Safron Foer Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Richard Bach\nThe Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s personal favourites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ursula K. Le Guin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coming of age",
        "wizardry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "east-of-west-57cf32",
      "title": "East of West",
      "author": "Jonathan Hickman",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34161387,
          "author": "yawz",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T14:41:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161387",
          "commentText": "My best nonfiction read was The 1619 Project. It's a heavy read, but I highly recommend it. The runner up would be Christian Livermore's We Are Not OK.\nBest fiction read was Tim Winton's Breath or (there's probably some recency bias at play here) Sebastian de Castel's Traitor's Blade.\nI also read a few comic books. I love the East of West series (at least the first three books).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I love the East of West series",
          "reason": "The commenter says they love the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Specifically mentions at least the first three books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Hickman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic books",
        "post apocalyptic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "eastern-approaches-f16319",
      "title": "Eastern Approaches",
      "author": "Fitzroy Maclean",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7478844,
          "author": "hallidayjb13",
          "createdAt": "2014-03-27T05:50:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 7450534,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's on your reading list? Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7478844",
          "commentText": "You may have already come across it if you've read a lot of Stoic philosophy, but 'Meditations' by Marcus Aurelius is a good read.\nOther books I've really enjoyed are:\nTalent is overrated, by Geoff Colvin (short version: working hard is more than half the battle)\nDrive, by Daniel Pink (short version: to be motivated, you need to have/be working toward purpose, autonomy, and mastery)\nHow will you measure your life, by Clayton Christensen (short version: just read it - very good)\nFor the win - how game thinking can revolutionize your business, by Kevin Werbach and Dan Hunter (Note: one of the authors offers a Gamification MOOC on Coursera)\nAnd for fun:\nEastern Approaches, by Fitzroy Maclean (short version: a pseudo-biography about a british man who was a diplomat, politician, and special forces operator all in one lifetime. Incredible)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "And for fun:\nEastern Approaches, by Fitzroy Maclean (short version: a pseudo-biography about a british man who was a diplomat, politician, and special forces operator all in one lifetime. Incredible)",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it incredible and recommends it for fun.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for an entertaining account of a diplomat, politician, and special forces operator.",
          "caveat": "Described by the commenter as a pseudo-biography.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fitzroy Maclean"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "diplomacy",
        "special forces"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "eat-that-frog-2c453e",
      "title": "Eat That Frog!",
      "author": "Brian Tracy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3395895,
          "author": "pknerd",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T14:52:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395895",
          "commentText": "Eat That Frog by Brain Tracy. An excellent read to get rid of procrastination.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An excellent read to get rid of procrastination.",
          "reason": "Calls it an excellent read for overcoming procrastination.",
          "audience": "People looking to address procrastination.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Tracy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "procrastination",
        "productivity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "eat-that-frog-21-great-ways-to-stop-procrastinating-and-get-more--e42cf8",
      "title": "Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time",
      "author": "Brian Tracy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12070437,
          "author": "jbms",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T12:07:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12070437",
          "commentText": "Eat That Frog!  (Brian Tracy)- Lots of useful productivity tips. Motivating and practical.\nBleachers (John Grisham) - I learned a lot about the culture behind American Football and school/college sports.\nThe Wide Lens (Ron Adner) - I learned a systematic approach towards evaluating ideas and the environment around them so that I could determine what needs to change (outside of my innovations) that must be encouraged for my ideas to succeed.\nThe Martian (Andy Weir) - I got a \"feel\" for living on Mars being a reality potentially sooner than I appreciated.\nBrownlow North (K Moody Stuart) - A book about a Scottish Evangelist. It was superb to see where he started from in his preaching, how he differed from everyone else, and how that was probably the key to his startling effectiveness.\nSongs of the Spirit: The Place of Psalms in the Worship of God (Ed: Kenneth Stewart) - I learned an appreciation for the book of Psalms, though written long before it, it is clearly (by how it's written, what it discusses in the past tense, and what's only understood now) FOR the New Testament church.\nIn my Father's House (Corrie ten Boom) - a beautiful insight into what a Christian household can look like.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lots of useful productivity tips. Motivating and practical.",
          "reason": "Calls the tips useful, motivating, and practical.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Tracy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "procrastination",
        "productivity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "eat-and-run-674c66",
      "title": "Eat and Run",
      "author": "Scott Jurek",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6978168,
          "author": "hanley",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-29T03:30:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6978168",
          "commentText": "For more running related books you should check out \"Once a Runner\" by John L. Parker Jr. [1], and \"Eat and Run\" by Scott Jurek [2].\n[1] http://www.amazon.com/dp/1441800905\n[2] http://www.amazon.com/dp/0544002318",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and \"Eat and Run\" by Scott Jurek",
          "reason": "Suggested as another running-related book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Jurek"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "running"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "eat-drink-and-be-healthy-090b6e",
      "title": "Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy",
      "author": "Walter C. Willett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4967193,
          "author": "jkuria",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T21:48:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967193",
          "commentText": "Blue Ocean strategy -- Really solid and well researched book on how to create things customers will gladly pay for while minimizing your own costs. Creating uncontested market space for yourself and making the competition irrelevant.\nVisual Communication -- old book currently out of print but timeless principles for effective communication. Visual communication is often more effective than words.\nEat, Drink and Be Healthy -- How to enjoy food but stay in great shape. You do not need to live on steamed  broccoli and granola to do this! Lots of bland foods are unhealthy and lots of healthy foods are actually tasty. You just need to know which ones.\nHow to build a start up community in your city -- Book by Brad Feld with some interesting ideas about 'leaders' and 'feeders'. Read it to to build a community around http://AfriTech.org\nPositioning -- interesting ideas on how to succeed in a crowded market place\nWriting Non Fiction -- another old book that is out of print but lots of good ideas on how to communicate effectively",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy -- How to enjoy food but stay in great shape.",
          "reason": "Presented as advice for eating enjoyably while staying healthy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Walter C. Willett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "healthy eating",
        "nutrition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ecclesiastes-cd6cdb",
      "title": "Ecclesiastes",
      "author": "Traditional; author unknown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17032556,
          "author": "modbait",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:37:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032556",
          "commentText": "If we're going meta, I'd add Ecclesiastes (yes, from the Bible).  Doesn't matter whether you're religious--this was also a favorite of noted atheist Christopher Hitchens, for example.\nThe basic theme is that everything is ephemeral.  This really starts to resonate when you see how fast the results of your labors over a period of decades fade, turn to dust, and are utterly forgotten.  As you yourself will be in short order.  Ultimate medicine for keeping things in perspective.\nHere's a particularly readable paraphrase: https://www.amazon.com/Nothing-New-Under-Sun-Ecclesiastes/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Nothing-New-Under-Sun-Ecclesiastes/dp/1530872804/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd add Ecclesiastes (yes, from the Bible).",
          "reason": "Suggests it for its perspective on the impermanence of achievement and life.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking perspective on their work and life.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says religious belief is not required to appreciate it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Traditional; author unknown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biblical wisdom literature",
        "mortality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ecclesiastes-d38268",
      "title": "Ecclesiastes",
      "author": "Traditional; part of the Bible",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17914478,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-05T01:44:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17914478",
          "commentText": "That's a bit snarky. Most of it was written as non-fiction. Your descendant will be denouncing a 21st C physics book on HN as fiction in 500 years time. I guess you haven't read, for example, Proverbs (just a load of great proverbs) or Ecclesiastes (very dark view of life - nihilistic, sceptical, world-weary) - they're great stuff. (disclosure: total atheist)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "they're great stuff",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it great reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Traditional; part of the Bible"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biblical literature",
        "existentialism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ecology-and-the-politics-of-scarcity-revisited-the-unraveling-of--3ffbcb",
      "title": "Ecology and the Politics of Scarcity Revisited: The Unraveling of the American Dream",
      "author": "William Ophuls",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22094219,
          "author": "dredmorbius",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T21:27:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22094219",
          "commentText": "In no particular order, and some of these being more \"highly underrated\" as opposed to \"unknown\", with the notable exception of Smith's Wealth of Nations which is disturbingly un- and mis-read:\n1. Grammatical Man, by Jeremy Campbell (1982)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-e... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-entropy-language-and-life/oclc/856698430)\nMy introduction to information theory and its diverse set of interrelated applications and phenomena.\n2. Ecology and the Politics of Scarcity, by William Ophuls (1977)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-s... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-scarcity-revisited-the-unraveling-of-the-american-dream/oclc/872523631)\nDistills the Limits to Growth issue to its essence, and looks at the political implications, with a set of estimates of political developments which have played out closely.\n3. An Inquiry to the Nature and Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith (1776)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/inquiry-into-the-nature-and-c... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/inquiry-into-the-nature-and-causes-of-the-wealth-of-nations/oclc/1083940513)\nThe best-known, but least-read, and most mis-read book on this list.  Smith isn't perfect and has flaws.  But his message is extraordinarily misunderstood and misrepresented.  Even where he is wrong, he is instructive.\n4. Commercialism and Journalism, by Hamilton Holt (1909)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/commercialism-and-journalism/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/commercialism-and-journalism/oclc/639344712)\nA short but extraordinarily illuminating read on the influence of money and advertising on the press, coming near the beginning of the era of mass media.\n5. Unix Power Tools, by Mike Loukides et al (1997)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/2584502... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/258450296)\nThe book that really got me \"over the hump\" in understanding the Unix environment and tools.  Now somewhat dated, though still highly useful.\n6. A Short History of Progress, by Ronald Wright (2004)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/short-history-of-progress/ocl... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/short-history-of-progress/oclc/1089834019)\nAn exploration of the story, question, and future, of progress.\n7. Entropy and the Economic Process, by Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen (1971)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/entropy-law-and-the-economic-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/entropy-law-and-the-economic-process/oclc/299362046)\nA re-thinking of economics taking thermodynamics into account.  Famously difficult to read, but well worth the effort.\n8. On the Damned Human Race, by Mark Twain (1962)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/mark-twain-on-the-damned-huma... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/mark-twain-on-the-damned-human-race/oclc/950982242)\nA darker, angrier, more bitter side of Twain, cracking open the sanitised version those familiar with Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn will know, and giving an insight to the darker side of late 19th and early 20th century America.\n9. Energy and Civilization, by Vaclav Smil (2017)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-and-civilization-a-his... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-and-civilization-a-history/oclc/1032365823)\nA re-casting of history, not according to spiritual or cultural progress, Great Men, or social dynamics, but the access to and utilisation of energy sources.\n10. Resistances to the Adoption of Technological Innovations, by Bernhard J. Stern (1937)\nhttps://archive.org/details/technologicaltre1937unitrich/pag... (https://archive.org/details/technologicaltre1937unitrich/page/39)\nA fascinating exploration of the organised opposition to numerous significant technological innovations through the ages, contrary to the conventional story told by mainstream economic and innovation models and stories.  Stern's research assistant at the time he was working on this topic went on to become known as a science fiction author, and based one of his first works on this notion:  Isaac Asimov.\nOn the question of compiling such lists:  I've recently started keeping a research journal in which I'm trying to capture works of significance that I've read, vaguely inspired by both index-card methods (such as Zettelkasten or POIC) and bullet journals.\nThe organisation is \"BOTI\" -- best of the interval.\nI will start a two-page spread, dated, of a specific class of entries -- works, videos, authors, ideas, etc. -- and when that closes, start another.  Periodically (about every month, for now) I'll select the best of those works for a BOTM list, and at the end of a year, a BOTY list.\nOr at least that's the idea.\nThis may address the question of keeping track of the most significant works (or authors, concepts, ideas, etc.) over time, which otherwise tend to become a bit of a jumble.\nThe BOTI list and periodic aggregations themselves resemble round-robin databases, or ring or circular buffers or files, though without actually rewriting each specific list.  The initial capture levels remain accessible (in the journal) for revisiting, should something prove to have been more significant on subsequent reflection than initially appeared.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ecology and the Politics of Scarcity, by William Ophuls (1977)",
          "reason": "The commenter says it distills the Limits to Growth issue and examines its political implications.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Ophuls"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "environmental politics",
        "limits to growth"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ecology-and-the-politics-of-scarcity-prologue-to-a-political-theo-018af2",
      "title": "Ecology and the Politics of Scarcity: Prologue to a Political Theory of the Steady State",
      "author": "William Ophuls",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12494191,
          "author": "dredmorbius",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-14T04:13:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12494191",
          "commentText": "From a recent HN comment,  a list, some authors, and some guidelines, largely based on books which radically changed my thinking.\nCurrently:  Vaclav Smil, Energy in World History (1994), and Manfred Weissenbacher, Sources of Power (2009).  Both detail the role and impact of energy through world history.  The latter draws strongly on the first, both are exceedingly well documented.  TL;DR: coal changed much, oil changed everything.\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/3... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/30398523&referer=brief_results)\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foragin... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foraging-agriculture-and-coal/oclc/837625798&referer=brief_results)\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625970&referer=brief_results)\nJames Burke's books Connections and The Day the Universe Changed, and their accompanying television series, were a profound introduction to the history of technology, science, ideas, and philosophy.  Though 30+ years old, they remain highly current and relevant.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/connections/oclc/4494136\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/day-the-universe-changed/oclc... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/day-the-universe-changed/oclc/12049817)\nJeremy Campbell's Grammatical Man (1984) introduced the concepts of information theory and their deep, deep, deep interconnections to a tremendous number of interconnected systems, many not explored within his book.  Darwin's The Origin of Species, James Gleick's Chaos, and many of the works of Santa Fe Institute members, including John C. Holland, J. Doyne Farmer, Geoffrey West, W. Brian Arthur, David Krakauer, and Sander van der Leeuw, continue these themes.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-e... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-entropy-language-and-life/oclc/8306673)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/chaos-making-a-new-science/oc... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/chaos-making-a-new-science/oclc/15366709)\nWilliam Ophuls' Ecology and the Politics of Scarcity (1977) is perhaps the best, most comprehensive, shortest, and most readable exposition of the fact, reality, dynamics, and interactions of limits on the present phase of fossil-fuel fed economic growth I've found.  This is a book I recommend not only for the message, but the author's clarity of thought and exposition, his meticulous research, exquisite bibliographical notes, and, given the nearly 30 years elapsed, testability numerous of his predictions, some failed, yes, others uncannily accurate.  Rather more the latter.  In a similar vein, William R. Catton's Overshoot looks at the ecological dynamics in more depth, with much wisdom, the writings of Richard Heinberg cover the ground of limits fairly accessibly and more recently.  Vaclav Smil in numerous books addresses technical factors of the profound nature of the past 250 years, and implications for the future.  Meadows, et al, in Limits to Growth set off much of the post-1970 discussion (though they're hardly the first to raise the question -- it dates to Seneca the Elder),\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-s... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-scarcity-prologue-to-a-political-theory-of-the-steady-state/oclc/2524932)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/overshoot-the-ecological-basi... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/overshoot-the-ecological-basis-of-revolutionary-change/oclc/6195764)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Aheinberg%2C+richard&a... (https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Aheinberg%2C+richard&amp;qt=owc_search)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Asmil%2C+vaclav&amp;qt... (https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Asmil%2C+vaclav&amp;qt=results_page)\nThough hardly pessimistic, Daniel Yergin's book The Prize (and TV series) impressed upon me more than any other just how much petroleum specifically changed and transformed the modern world.  Though intended largely as laudetory and championing the oil industry by the author, my read of it was exceptionally cautionary.  The impacts on business, everyday life, politics, wars, industry, and transport, and the rate at which they occurred, are simply staggering.  You can continue this exploration in Vaclav Smil's Energy in World History (1994) (I've recommended Smil independently elsewhere), and a rare but profound two-volume set I'm currently reading, Manfred Weissenbacher's Sources of Power: How energy forges human history (2009).  The shear physicality of this book speaks to the message -- it's divided into five parts:  1) Foraging Age (6 pages), 2) Agricultural Age (156 pp), 3) Coal Age (160 pp),  4) Oil Age (296 pp), and 5) Beyond the Oil Age (142 pp).  That is, the ~2 million years of pre-agricultural existence are little more than a footnote, the 8,000 years of agriculture roughly equal to the 150 years of coal, and the 100 years of petroleum use roughly twice either.  The oil and post-oil ages comprise their own volume.  Yergin followed up with The Quest, continuing the search for oil, though I've been less impressed by it.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/prize-the-epic-quest-for-oil-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/prize-the-epic-quest-for-oil-money-and-power/oclc/22381448)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/30398523)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foragi... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foraging-agriculture-and-coal/oclc/837625798)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/83762... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625970)\nAdam Smith's An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations is among the most-cited (and most incorrectly cited), least-read books of high influence I'm aware of, outside religious texts (and perhaps it is a religious text to some…).  The author's message has been exceptionally shaped and manipulated by a powerful set of forces, quite often utterly misrepresenting Smith's original intent.  Reading him in his own words, yourself, is strongly recommended.  I'd also recommend scholarship particularly by Emma Rothschild and Gavin Kennedy, though also others, on Smith. Contrast with the portrayal by the propaganda disinformation front of the Mont Pelerin Society / Atlas Network / so-called Foundation for Economic Education, and much of the modern American Libertarian movement (von Mises, Hayek, Friedman, Hazlett, Rothbard, and more recently, Norberg).  Contrast The Invisible Hand (1964), a compilation of essays published by Libertarian house Regnery Press in 1966, at the beginning of the rise in public use of Smith's metaphor to indictate mechanism rather than an expression of the unknown.\nThere are numerous editions of Smith, I believe the Glasgow is frequently cited by Smith scholars:  https://www.worldcat.org/title/glasgow-edition-of-the-works-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/glasgow-edition-of-the-works-and-correspondence-of-adam-smith-2-an-inquiry-into-the-nature-and-causes-of-the-wealth-of-nations-vol-1/oclc/832488566)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/economic-sentiments-adam-smit... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/economic-sentiments-adam-smith-condorcet-and-the-enlightenment/oclc/45282974)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smith-and-the-invisible-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smith-and-the-invisible-hand/oclc/820387997)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smiths-lost-legacy/oclc/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smiths-lost-legacy/oclc/56598640)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/invisible-hand-a-collection-o... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/invisible-hand-a-collection-of-essays-on-the-economic-philosophy-of-free-enterprise/oclc/326622)\nI'd like to put in recommendations on technology specifically, but am still searching for a good general text.  The material's covered somewhat in the chaos and complexity recommendations above (Campbell et al), though I'd add Joseph Tainter's The Collapse of Complex Societies.  Charle's Perrow has several excellent books including Normal Accidents and Organizing America.   I'd like to reference something concerning Unix, Linux, and programming, perhaps Kernighan and Pike's The Unix Programming Environment, Linus Torvalds' Just for Fun, Richard Stallman's The GNU Manifesto, and Steve McConnel's Code Complete.  The O'Reilly book Unix Power Tools also encapsulates much the strength of the Unix toolset.  All these are somewhat dated.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/collapse-of-complex-societies... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/collapse-of-complex-societies/oclc/15083222)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/normal-accidents-living-with-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/normal-accidents-living-with-high-risk-technologies/oclc/10229932)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/organizing-america-wealth-pow... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/organizing-america-wealth-power-and-the-origins-of-corporate-capitalism/oclc/939707157)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-programming-environment/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-programming-environment/oclc/10269821)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/5238168... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/52381684)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "is perhaps the best, most comprehensive, shortest, and most readable exposition",
          "reason": "Praised for its clear and comprehensive account of limits on fossil-fuel-driven economic growth; the commenter explicitly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that some of its predictions failed, while others proved accurate.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Ophuls"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Nature",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ecological limits",
        "steady state economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ecology-of-the-planted-aquarium-be302f",
      "title": "Ecology of the Planted Aquarium",
      "author": "Diana Walstad",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32790603,
          "author": "amused2death",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T13:48:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790603",
          "commentText": "ecology of the planted aquarium by diana walstad",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "ecology of the planted aquarium by diana walstad",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Diana Walstad"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aquatic ecology",
        "planted aquariums"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ecology-of-the-planted-aquarium-a-practical-manual-and-scientific-719d8b",
      "title": "Ecology of the Planted Aquarium: A Practical Manual and Scientific Treatise for the Home Aquarist",
      "author": "Diana Walstad",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35932172,
          "author": "ecology",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T20:03:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35932172",
          "commentText": "Ecology of the Planted Aquarium: A Practical Manual and Scientific by Diana Walstad",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Ecology of the Planted Aquarium: A Practical Manual and Scientific by Diana Walstad",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25531640,
          "author": "badhabit",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T21:33:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25531640",
          "commentText": "Ecology of the Planted Aquarium: A Practical Manual and Scientific Treatise for the Home Aquarist\nby Diana Walstad",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ecology of the Planted Aquarium: A Practical Manual and Scientific Treatise for the Home Aquarist\nby Diana Walstad",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Diana Walstad"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "planted aquariums",
        "aquarium ecology",
        "aquascaping"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "econometric-modeling-a-likelihood-approach-8dc395",
      "title": "Econometric Modeling: A Likelihood Approach",
      "author": "David F. Hendry and Bent Nielsen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 180667,
          "author": "mstoehr",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-04T05:37:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 180589,
          "threadTitle": "Good book for economics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=180667",
          "commentText": "These two are my favorite (that are reasonably priced!).  Samuelson is definitely a formidable thinker and lays the groundwork for much later economic thinking.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Worldly-Philosophers-Lives-Economic-Th... (http://www.amazon.com/Worldly-Philosophers-Lives-Economic-Thinkers/dp/068486214X)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Price-Theory-Milton-Friedman/dp/020206... (http://www.amazon.com/Price-Theory-Milton-Friedman/dp/0202060748)\nHowever if you go with the Samuelson, Fridman, and Heilbroner you'll be missing out on some key concepts relating to information and games, which are essential for understanding modern developments in economics.\nSo, I would also look at Myerson's Game Theory\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Game-Theory-Analysis-Roger-Myerson/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Game-Theory-Analysis-Roger-Myerson/dp/0674341163)\nFinally, the empirical side of economics is quite important, and it is essential for investigating whether the theoretical conceptions (say in Samuelson) actually hold up.  There are many bad texts, and the seminal ones (Greene) are quite difficult in the beginning.  So, I recommend a pedagogical text that uses the likelihood approach.  Although, this is, by no means, a comprehensive text, you can certainly gain an understanding of a basic econometric study\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Econometric-Modeling-David-Hendry-Ni... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Econometric-Modeling-David-Hendry-Nielsen/dp/0691130892)\nThat should give you a broad introduction.  Also, checkout http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/DisplayJournalBrowse.cfm, which is an excellent resource with many free papers.\nGood Luck!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "So, I recommend a pedagogical text that uses the likelihood approach.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends this pedagogical text for understanding a basic econometric study.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an introduction to empirical economics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not comprehensive and notes that it follows some difficult seminal texts.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David F. Hendry and Bent Nielsen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "econometrics",
        "likelihood methods"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "econometrics-5ea05b",
      "title": "Econometrics",
      "author": "Fumio Hayashi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27639272,
          "author": "darawk",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T05:05:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27639272",
          "commentText": "Attempting to self study statistics and econometrics in a serious way. I just finished Casella and Berger's \"Statistical Inference\". I'm about halfway through Shumway and Stoffer's \"Time Series Analysis\", but then next on the list, in the order I tend to read them:\n  - Theory of Point Estimation Casella/Lehmann\n\n  - Bayesian Data Analysis 3rd ed.\n\n  - Convex Optimization - Boyd\n\n  - Econometrics - Hayashi\n\n  - New Introduction to Multiple Time Series Analysis\n\n  - Elements of Statistical Learning\n\n  - Machine Learning: A probabilistic perspective\n\nThere's a fair amount of overlap between these books, so it's not quite as much as it seems. But i'm hoping to make it through at least a chapter a week this year, which should get me most of the way through them. We'll see how it goes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Econometrics - Hayashi",
          "reason": "Lists it next in their planned reading.",
          "audience": "People self-studying statistics and econometrics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fumio Hayashi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "econometrics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "economic-explanation-0c494f",
      "title": "Economic Explanation",
      "author": "Steven N. S. Cheung",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12562592,
          "author": "longsangstan",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T05:50:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12562592",
          "commentText": "If you know Chinese, there is a must read:\nEconomic Explanation(經濟解釋） by Steven Cheung.\nIf you don't, you can read:\nEconomic Explanation: Selected Papers of Steven N.s. Cheung. (Same book name but different content - collection of essays vs a book on theories)\nWhy Steven Cheung?\nAs a close friend to Ronald Coase, he too focuses on empirical research (the real world) rather than blackboard economics (the imaginary world); hates the use of math for the sake of it; emphasizes on testable implications (positive economics).\nHis classic paper The Fable of the Bees is a great example of how empirical work destroys blackboard economics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you know Chinese, there is a must read: Economic Explanation(經濟解釋） by Steven Cheung.",
          "reason": "Calls it a must-read for readers who know Chinese.",
          "audience": "Readers who know Chinese.",
          "caveat": "The commenter distinguishes it from the separate selected papers volume.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven N. S. Cheung"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic theory",
        "empirical economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "economic-explanation-selected-papers-of-steven-n-s-cheung-0ac5fb",
      "title": "Economic Explanation: Selected Papers of Steven N. S. Cheung",
      "author": "Steven N. S. Cheung",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12562592,
          "author": "longsangstan",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T05:50:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12562592",
          "commentText": "If you know Chinese, there is a must read:\nEconomic Explanation(經濟解釋） by Steven Cheung.\nIf you don't, you can read:\nEconomic Explanation: Selected Papers of Steven N.s. Cheung. (Same book name but different content - collection of essays vs a book on theories)\nWhy Steven Cheung?\nAs a close friend to Ronald Coase, he too focuses on empirical research (the real world) rather than blackboard economics (the imaginary world); hates the use of math for the sake of it; emphasizes on testable implications (positive economics).\nHis classic paper The Fable of the Bees is a great example of how empirical work destroys blackboard economics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you don't, you can read: Economic Explanation: Selected Papers of Steven N.s. Cheung.",
          "reason": "Offers this volume as the alternative for readers who do not know Chinese.",
          "audience": "Readers who do not know Chinese.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it has different content: a collection of essays rather than a book on theories.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven N. S. Cheung"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic theory",
        "empirical economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "economic-theory-in-retrospect-776878",
      "title": "Economic Theory in Retrospect",
      "author": "Mark Blaug",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12562923,
          "author": "davidivadavid",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T07:30:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12562923",
          "commentText": "One approach is to go to the MIT OpenCourseWare website, look for the economics department, and look at their reading lists.\nOf course, that's going to be mostly academic reading (textbooks, etc.). But if you want to learn the basics, it's probably safer to start there than the pop econ books (and I would dispense with most heterodox reading before you're able to assess them within a larger framework).\nTwo good books that haven't been mentioned here:\nEconomic Theory in Retrospect, by Mark Blaug. Very useful to get a good historical grounding in the main ideas that compose today's orthodox economics.\nThe Applied Theory of Pirce, by McCloskey. Your usual microeconomics textbook, but far more thorough, insisting a lot on grasping the intuition behind the concepts. Available for free from the author's website here: http://www.deirdremccloskey.com/docs/price.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Two good books that haven't been mentioned here: Economic Theory in Retrospect, by Mark Blaug.",
          "reason": "Presents it as a good book for historical grounding in orthodox economics.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking historical grounding in economics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Blaug"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic theory",
        "history of economic thought"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "economics-and-making-decisions-2696c2",
      "title": "Economics and Making Decisions",
      "author": "Kourilsky, Dickneider, Kaplan, and Tabbush",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 180629,
          "author": "Soothsayer",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-04T03:40:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 180589,
          "threadTitle": "Good book for economics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=180629",
          "commentText": "\"Economics and Making Decisions\", by Kourilsky, Dickneider, Kaplan, and Tabbush. It was the first of many economics books that I have read, and I still haven't come across a better primer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I still haven't come across a better primer.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a better primer than other economics books they've read.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an introduction to economics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kourilsky, Dickneider, Kaplan, and Tabbush"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economics primer"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "economics-as-religion-e22bf0",
      "title": "Economics as Religion",
      "author": "Robert H. Nelson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1464990,
          "author": "NeilCJames",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T05:21:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1464990",
          "commentText": "For an overview of mainstream modern econ, if you read nothing else, read Naked Economics by Charles Wheelan. For a good introduction to the major economic schools of thought check out Economics as Religion by Robert Nelson (he has written a new one on the same subject that I haven't yet read). To get into behavioral economics, I'd recommend Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely and The Winner's Curse by Richard Thaler.\nTread carefully, there is a lot of polemic posing as economics on bookstore shelves.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For a good introduction to the major economic schools of thought check out Economics as Religion by Robert Nelson",
          "reason": "Recommended as an introduction to major economic schools of thought.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in different economic schools of thought.",
          "caveat": "The commenter mentions a newer book on the same subject but has not read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert H. Nelson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic schools",
        "economic thought"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "economics-for-dummies-ac7340",
      "title": "Economics for Dummies",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 180682,
          "author": "petercooper",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-04T06:31:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 180589,
          "threadTitle": "Good book for economics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=180682",
          "commentText": "Thirded. I would also recommend Economics for Dummies. Sure, it's a \"For Dummies\" book but it actually goes into quite a bit of detail and gives good visual / graph based explanations for things that Sowell covers more verbally.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would also recommend Economics for Dummies.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it and praises its detail and visual, graph-based explanations.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking accessible explanations of economics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is a “For Dummies” book.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economics primer",
        "visual explanations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "economics-of-good-and-evil-a96045",
      "title": "Economics of Good and Evil",
      "author": "Tomáš Sedláček",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12563043,
          "author": "3151",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T08:04:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12563043",
          "commentText": "Maybe i overread it but The Fable of the Bees is from Bernard Mandeville. \nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fable_of_the_Bees\nMy two takes for a good historic understanding of economics are this Books:\nEconomics of Good and Evil, Tomáš Sedláček\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Economics-Good-Evil-Economic-Gilgames... (https://www.amazon.com/Economics-Good-Evil-Economic-Gilgamesh/dp/019932218X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474617689&sr=8-1&keywords=Tom%C3%A1s+Sedl%C3%A1cek)\nand Schwarzbuch Kapitalismus, Robert Kurz (could't find a English Version)\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Schwarzbuch-Kapitalismus-Ein-Abgesang... (https://www.amazon.com/Schwarzbuch-Kapitalismus-Ein-Abgesang-Marktwirtschaft/dp/3548363083/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474617771&sr=8-1&keywords=robert+kurz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Economics of Good and Evil, Tomáš Sedláček",
          "reason": "Offers it as one of two books for a good historical understanding of economics.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a historical understanding of economics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tomáš Sedláček"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of economic thought",
        "morality and economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "economics-principles-and-policy-df3c15",
      "title": "Economics: Principles and Policy",
      "author": "William J. Baumol and Alan S. Blinder",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 180740,
          "author": "danohuiginn",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-04T10:12:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 180589,
          "threadTitle": "Good book for economics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=180740",
          "commentText": "Get hold of at least two textbooks. In economics even more than elsewhere, each book will give you a different perspective.\nIf you're feeling really adventurous, pick up a second-hand textbook that's a decade or two old, and keep an eye on how the orthodoxy has shifted.\nWhich to buy? The best-sellers are all pretty similar: quite clearly written, but maybe longer than they need to be. Mankiw, Samuelson/Nordhaus and Baumol/Blinder all seemed OK to me; I'm not aware of any truly exceptional econ. textbook.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Mankiw, Samuelson/Nordhaus and Baumol/Blinder all seemed OK to me",
          "reason": "Listed as an acceptable economics textbook, with the caveat that best-sellers are similar and none seem exceptional.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the best-sellers may be longer than needed and does not know of a truly exceptional textbook.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William J. Baumol and Alan S. Blinder"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economics textbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "economix-597c39",
      "title": "Economix",
      "author": "Michael Goodwin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42508395,
          "author": "recursive_plant",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T12:05:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42508395",
          "commentText": "Economix by Michael Goodwin.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Economix by Michael Goodwin.",
          "reason": "Names it as a standout read in response to the question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Goodwin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economics graphic novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ecotopia-56b503",
      "title": "Ecotopia",
      "author": "Ernest Callenbach",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12245675,
          "author": "SeaDude",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T05:33:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12245675",
          "commentText": "\"Ecotopia\" by: Earnest Callenbach\n\"Self Reliance\" by: Ralph Waldo Emerson\n\"The Iron Heel\" by: Jack (fuckin) London!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Ecotopia\" by: Earnest Callenbach",
          "reason": "Named as an answer in a thread asking which books the commenter found amazing enough to give as gifts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ernest Callenbach"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Nature",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ecotopian fiction",
        "environmentalism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ed-mastery-the-standard-unix-text-editor-5f3b3f",
      "title": "Ed Mastery: The Standard Unix Text Editor",
      "author": "Michael W. Lucas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21793480,
          "author": "smkellat",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-15T00:31:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793480",
          "commentText": "Earnestly and seriously:\nEd Mastery: The Standard Unix Text Editor (IT Mastery) (Volume 13) by Michael W Lucas\nhttps://www.librarything.com/work/book/158901150",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ed Mastery: The Standard Unix Text Editor (IT Mastery) (Volume 13) by Michael W Lucas",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael W. Lucas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "text editors",
        "unix"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "editor-of-genius-8c0579",
      "title": "Editor of Genius",
      "author": "A. Scott Berg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25319088,
          "author": "fluxic",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T22:36:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319088",
          "commentText": "Editing: Editor of Genius by A. Scott Berg\n>>> Max Perkins was the editor of Hemingway, Thomas Wolfe, F Scott Fitzgerald, and other famous 20th century writers. Great, great, book.\nBartending: Cosmopolitan by Toby Cecchini\n>>> Very well-written memoir of a bartender in New York in the late 1980s. He invented the Cosmo in NYC while working at the Odeon — on a lark, without thinking much of it. The drink took off, but I think he's still a working bartender in NYC.\nCooking: Kitchen Confidential by Bourdain\nPainting: Interviews with Francis Bacon by David Sylvester\nMusic: Meet me in the Bathroom by Lizzy Goodman\nTech: Chaos Monkeys by AGM\nAnd seconding swyx's recommendations for all things Michael Lewis, who can spin a good yarn about any profession — whether it's baseball managers, junk bond salesmen, or high frequency traders, etc.\nI've also picked up lots of good recommendations from this thread https://ask.metafilter.com/243036/Recommend-a-nonfiction-aut... (https://ask.metafilter.com/243036/Recommend-a-nonfiction-author-who-has-a-style-like-Anthony-Bourdain) (I, too, like \"insidery\" type business books. I'm currently reading \"The Emperor of Scent\" about the world of perfume and it's pretty good! Also looking forward to reading \"Ninety Percent of Everything\" about the shipping industry.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Editing: Editor of Genius by A. Scott Berg",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "A. Scott Berg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "book editing",
        "max perkins"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "educated-a-memoir-4ea463",
      "title": "Educated: A Memoir",
      "author": "Tara Westover",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21460116,
          "author": "ivanmaeder",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T06:08:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21460116",
          "commentText": "Right now: \"Never Enough: The Neuroscience and Experience of Addiction\" (Judith Grisel)\nRecommend. Addict turned neuroscientist who doesn't hold back, so a good mix of gritty details—\n> After I got sober, it took me a little over a year to go a single day without wishing for a drink, but it was more than nine years before my craving to get high abated.\n—and science.\nBefore that: \"Educated: A Memoir\" (Tara Westover)\nRecommend. A good break from typical non-fiction books: easy to read, sometimes thrilling, and emotional.\nBefore that: \"The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America\" (Margaret Pugh O'Mara)\nDon't recommend. I really wanted to like this book, and I believe some of the themes are important and aren't often discussed. E.g., the support the Valley received from politicians, the lobby groups, the size of military spending back in the day…\nIt's possible my expectations were in the wrong place—I wanted to be inspired like with \"The Idea Factory\" (Jon Gertner), \"The Soul of a New Machine\" (Tracy Kidder), \"Dealers of Lightning\" (Michael A Hiltzik), etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Recommend. A good break from typical non-fiction books: easy to read, sometimes thrilling, and emotional.",
          "reason": "Recommended as an easy-to-read, thrilling, emotional change from typical nonfiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tara Westover"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "education-of-a-trader-87c525",
      "title": "Education of a Trader",
      "author": "Victor Niederhoffer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12563459,
          "author": "tiatia",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T10:08:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12563459",
          "commentText": "Niederhoffer did his PhD in statistics. He is nuts but he basically invented quantitative trading. Maybe you read his book \"Education of a trader\" and the \"New Yorker\" article about him (\"The Blow up artist\").",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Maybe you read his book \"Education of a trader\"",
          "reason": "Suggests the book as a possible read about Niederhoffer.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in quantitative trading.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Victor Niederhoffer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "quantitative finance",
        "trading"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "effective-c-series-a27352",
      "title": "Effective C++ series",
      "author": "Scott Meyers",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28663811,
          "author": "qorrect",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T19:26:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28663811",
          "commentText": "Not sure this one counts but it's one of the best books ever:\nCode by Charles Petzold - https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/44882.Code .\nOthers would be:\nNeural Smithing ( its now obsolete but was great at the time ) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1153223.Neural_Smithing\nThe Pragmatic Programmer https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/4099.The_Pragmatic_Pr... (https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/4099.The_Pragmatic_Programmer)\nThe Effective series by Scott Myers https://www.goodreads.com/series/160060-effective-c",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Effective series by Scott Myers",
          "reason": "Listed among other books they consider notable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Meyers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c",
        "programming practices"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "effective-computation-in-physics-b0dc8f",
      "title": "Effective Computation in Physics",
      "author": "Anthony Scopatz and Kathryn D. Huff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13239142,
          "author": "a3n",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T18:16:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13239142",
          "commentText": "(Some of the +below are O'Reilly DRM-free ebooks. Big fan.)\nPython:\n+Effective Computation in Physics. Probably the most practical full-environment treatment of Python I've seen. Write, test, package, distribute. Third party libs.\nEffective Python, Brett Slatkin. Sort of an \"N ways to improve your Python.\" Part of a series edited by Scott Meyers.\nGetting my C mojo back:\nI left C/C++ 15 years ago. C++ will likely stay left, but I miss C.\n+Reading 21st Century C, Ben Klemens. The first half is the development environment, which is great, since there's some new stuff since I left, and lots of stuff I've forgotten or never knew.\nRereading Expert C Programming: Deep C Secrets by Van der Linden. The guy's a riot. It's dated but still relevant. The inside baseball stuff on problems seen while working in Sun's compiler group is fascinating.\nRereading C Interfaces and Implementations, Hanson. Hoping this will serve as my C version of Large Scale C++ Design by Lakos. Honestly though, the literate programming style of presentation is off-putting. Are we still talking about that?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Effective Computation in Physics. Probably the most practical full-environment treatment of Python I've seen.",
          "reason": "Calls it the most practical full-environment treatment of Python they have seen.",
          "audience": "People using Python for scientific computing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anthony Scopatz and Kathryn D. Huff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "python",
        "scientific computing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "effective-objective-c-2-0-c03203",
      "title": "Effective Objective-C 2.0",
      "author": "Matt Galloway",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7757138,
          "author": "myko",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:39:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7757138",
          "commentText": "Effective Objective-C 2.0:\nhttps://play.google.com/store/books/details/Matt_Galloway_Ef... (https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Matt_Galloway_Effective_Objective_C_2_0?id=qp4ZXAmGaoQC)\nIn the style of other \"Effective Foo\" books. Excellent overview of best practices for ObjC, it's the first book I hand new developers on my team.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Excellent overview of best practices for ObjC, it's the first book I hand new developers on my team.",
          "reason": "Praises it as an overview of Objective-C best practices and gives it to new developers.",
          "audience": "New Objective-C developers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matt Galloway"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "objective c",
        "software development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "effective-oracle-by-design-a39b35",
      "title": "Effective Oracle by Design",
      "author": "Thomas Kyte",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12143825,
          "author": "msluyter",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T14:46:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12143825",
          "commentText": "1. Godel, Escher, Bach -- Because it sparked my interest and got me started down the path.\n2. The Pragmatic Programmer -- a classic. Reminds me that I need to re-read it.\n3. Effective Oracle by Design, by Tom Kyte -- Not that I use Oracle any more, thankfully, but really provided a lot of insight about how databases function and how it pays to deeply understand their internals when writing webapps.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "really provided a lot of insight about how databases function and how it pays to deeply understand their internals when writing webapps.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it gave insight into databases and their internals.",
          "audience": "People writing web applications with databases.",
          "caveat": "The commenter no longer uses Oracle.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Kyte"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "database internals",
        "oracle"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "effective-writing-for-engineers-managers-scientists-7667a2",
      "title": "Effective Writing for Engineers, Managers, Scientists",
      "author": "H. J. Tichy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32343317,
          "author": "jnxx",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-04T14:24:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32343317",
          "commentText": "\"Effective Writing for Engineers, Managers, Scientists\" by H.J. Tichy is the best book I have seen on the subject.\n    Publisher:  ‎ Wiley-Interscience, 1988\n\n    ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780471807087\n\n    ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0471807087",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Effective Writing for Engineers, Managers, Scientists\" by H.J. Tichy is the best book I have seen on the subject.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the best book they have seen on the subject.",
          "audience": "Engineers, managers, and scientists.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "H. J. Tichy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "professional communication",
        "technical writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "efficient-linux-at-the-command-line-24f1e5",
      "title": "Efficient Linux at the Command Line",
      "author": "Daniel J. Barrett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45956850,
          "author": "bencornia",
          "createdAt": "2025-11-17T19:08:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 45947737,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45956850",
          "commentText": "- Philosophy of Software Design by John Ousterhout\n- Leviathan Wakes by James Corey\n- UNIX: A History and a Memoir by Brian Kernighan\n- Efficient Linux at the Command Line by Daniel Barrett",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Efficient Linux at the Command Line by Daniel Barrett",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel J. Barrett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "command line",
        "linux"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "effortless-mastery-70f55f",
      "title": "Effortless Mastery",
      "author": "Kenny Werner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32790369,
          "author": "fuzzmuzzy",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T13:21:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790369",
          "commentText": "The Jazz Theory book - Mark Levine\nHigh Performance Browser Networking - edit: Ilya Grigorik\nEffortless Mastery - Kenny werner",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Effortless Mastery - Kenny werner",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kenny Werner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "music practice",
        "performance anxiety"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "egalitarianism-and-inflation-f50f40",
      "title": "Egalitarianism and Inflation",
      "author": "Ayn Rand",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12562566,
          "author": "dmfdmf",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T05:43:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12562566",
          "commentText": "One of the best articles on Economics is Ayn Rand's \"Egalitarianism and Inflation\" in her anthology \"Philosophy: Who Needs it\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One of the best articles on Economics is Ayn Rand's \"Egalitarianism and Inflation\"",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the best articles on economics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ayn Rand"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "inflation",
        "objectivism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "eiger-dreams-0970d7",
      "title": "Eiger Dreams",
      "author": "Jon Krakauer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1971254,
          "author": "waterlesscloud",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T08:48:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971254",
          "commentText": "Eiger Dreams, when I was about 16.  I'd have gone a whole different direction with my life, for better or worse.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Eiger Dreams, when I was about 16.  I'd have gone a whole different direction with my life, for better or worse.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it could have changed their life’s direction.",
          "audience": "Around age 16.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether the change would have been for better or worse.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jon Krakauer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure essays",
        "mountaineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "eight-engineering-stories-fd91ef",
      "title": "Eight Engineering Stories",
      "author": "Bill Hammack",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7968503,
          "author": "imranq",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T00:12:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968503",
          "commentText": "Just finished Six Easy Pieces by Richard Feynman, which I liked a lot and now finishing \"Eight Engineering Stories\" by Bill Hammack...both of which are really good at explaining complex physical / engineering concepts in a simple way",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "now finishing \"Eight Engineering Stories\" by Bill Hammack...both of which are really good at explaining complex physical / engineering concepts in a simple way",
          "reason": "Praised for explaining complex engineering concepts simply.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Hammack"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "engineering",
        "popular science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "eight-theories-of-religion-925bdb",
      "title": "Eight Theories of Religion",
      "author": "Daniel Pals",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36105215,
          "author": "cosentiyes",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T16:00:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105215",
          "commentText": "\"The Sacred and The Profane: The Nature of Religion\" by Mircea Eliade and \"Eight Theories of Religion\" by Daniel Pals aren't focused on a single religion but provide nice overviews on its history and evolution.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Eight Theories of Religion\" by Daniel Pals",
          "reason": "Recommends it as an overview of religion’s history and evolution.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not focused on a single religion.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Pals"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comparative religion",
        "religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "einstein-his-life-and-universe-c3d8f0",
      "title": "Einstein: His Life and Universe",
      "author": "Walter Isaacson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38568276,
          "author": "SnoJohn",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T12:37:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38568276",
          "commentText": "Books in Charlie Munger's Library: \nInfluence by Robert Cialdini,\nEinstein by Walter Isaacson,\nGo East Young Man (memoir of William O. Douglas),\nEugene Meyer bio (Father of Kay Graham, Chair of Fed in 30s),\nMax Planck bio,\nJohn Kenneth Galbraith’s Ambassadors Journal,\nSet of the Harvard Classics,\nCopey of Harvard by James Donald Adams,\nAutobiography of Mark Twain,\nFederalist Papers,\nCapital (history of Capital Group) by Charley Ellis,\nCurrent Value Line Binder,\nSet of Shakespeare at the top,\nPossibly a set of Balzac.\nFrom a photo of his last interview in the WSJ.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Einstein by Walter Isaacson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783443,
          "author": "SuperChihuahua",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:34:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783443",
          "commentText": "I've read 33 books so I'm not going to publish the list here, but i blogged about it: http://blog.habrador.com/2015/12/books-ive-read-in-2015.html\nThe books I liked the most were:\n-  The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes - and Why\n- On Intelligence\n- The Martian\n- The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution\n- Einstein: His Life and Universe\n- Alan Turing: The Enigma\n- Neuroscience for Dummies\n- Thunder Run - (which is about the battle of Baghdad in 2003)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Einstein: His Life and Universe",
          "reason": "Includes it among the books they liked most.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9649016,
          "author": "fuddle",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-02T21:10:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 9636361,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9649016",
          "commentText": "Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson - http://www.amazon.com/Einstein-Life-Universe-Walter-Isaacson... (http://www.amazon.com/Einstein-Life-Universe-Walter-Isaacson/dp/0743264746)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No evaluation given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401378,
          "author": "milhous",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:16:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401378",
          "commentText": "Read: \"Einstein: His Life and Universe\" by Walter Isaacson\nCurrently reading:\n\"Zero to One\" by Peter Thiel\n\"Discover Meteor: Building Real-Time JavaScript Web Apps\" by Tom Coleman & Sacha Greif\nReading next:\n\"Benjamin Franklin: An American Life\" by Walter Isaacson\nOverall, I like Isaacson's writing style, and for someone with a non-scientific background, did a pretty good job at describing physical concepts such as a relativity and space-time.\nIt was exciting to read his bio on Steve Jobs the day it came out, but in retrospect seemed to lack depth. I'm not sure if I learned anything new about him as a person, than just someone following Apple and his career over the years.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Read: \"Einstein: His Life and Universe\" by Walter Isaacson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Walter Isaacson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "albert einstein",
        "physicists",
        "physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "eisenhorn-series-775940",
      "title": "Eisenhorn series",
      "author": "Dan Abnett",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42318439,
          "author": "gadders",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-04T15:34:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42318439",
          "commentText": "Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson\nGlorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon\nAll of the CJ Box series of Joe Pickett books\nThe Dan Abnett Eisenhorn and Ravenor Warhammer novels\nIn case you can't tell, I mostly read for entertainment.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dan Abnett Eisenhorn and Ravenor Warhammer novels",
          "reason": "Lists the Eisenhorn novels among books read for entertainment.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for entertainment.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Abnett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "warhammer 40 000"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "either-or-e74ff4",
      "title": "Either/Or",
      "author": "Søren Kierkegaard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503873,
          "author": "joshuacc",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T16:16:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503873",
          "commentText": "Since it looks like skeptical philosophy is covered pretty well, here are some books from religious philosophy that you'd probably do well to read:\nThe Tao te Ching\nThe Summa Theologica by Thomas Aquinas\nAn Essay in Aid of a Grammar of Assent by John Henry Newman\nEither/Or by Kierkegaard",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Either/Or by Kierkegaard",
          "reason": "Suggested among books on religious philosophy in response to a request for philosophical books.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in religious philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1227090,
          "author": "lionhearted",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T17:56:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227090",
          "commentText": "It's amazing how many good historical works are out of copyright and free. I got an Amazon Kindle as a gift, and it's been really wonderful for me.\nIf you like Roman history, you've got to check out Gibbons' History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. It's just a masterpiece. I flip through my copy of Meditations from time to time (actually, now I look at it on my Kindle, but I used to flip through my paper copy) and just pick out random quotes. A great work. \"It is not the thing itself that disturbs a man, but the man's perception of and reaction to the thing. The thing may not be able to be changed, but a man's perception and reaction may be changed.\" I'm butchering that quote, but it's incredibly meaningful to me, and I try to reflect on it when things seem to be going wrong or I get inconvenienced.\nWhile talking about classics, there's a lot of good philosophy out of copyright. Beyond Good and Evil and Thus Spoke Zarathustra aren't perfect works and I disagree with a fair bit of it, but there's some absolute jewels in them too.\nLately I've been looking for a decent electronic copy of Freud's Civilization and Its Discontents and Kierkegaard's Either/Or, but I've been having a hard time finding copies that are decently formatted and readable.\nAlso, got any other recommendations Staunch? I'm going to get Gallic Wars, and it seems like you and I have similar taste if you have other recommendations.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I've been having a hard time finding copies that are decently formatted and readable.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is looking for a readable electronic copy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Søren Kierkegaard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "existentialism",
        "christian philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "el-ejercito-iluminado-325987",
      "title": "El Ejército Iluminado",
      "author": "David Toscana",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21459507,
          "author": "vo2maxer",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T03:28:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21459507",
          "commentText": "Yes, here are some I’ve read in the last year:\nBartleby y compañía by Enrique Vila-Matas, on why writers give up or why they may be reluctant to write. It’s a mixture of fiction and biography, hard to tell which but fun searching for authors who may not exist.\nLas Constelaciones Oscuras by Pola Oloixarac. I think many in HN would like her work, this novel in particular.\nEl Ejército Iluminado by David Toscana.\nPrimavera con una esquina rota by Mario Benedetti\nLa Casa Verde by Mario Varga Llosa",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "El Ejército Iluminado by David Toscana.",
          "reason": "Lists it among books read in the last year, in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "A reader seeking Spanish-language book recommendations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Toscana"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "mexican literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "electric-science-its-history-phenomena-and-applications-de61aa",
      "title": "Electric Science: Its History, Phenomena, and Applications",
      "author": "J. J. Fahie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36666587,
          "author": "HamptonFounders",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-10T14:01:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36666587",
          "commentText": "Not sure if this is helpful, but a friend fed this conversation through ChatGPT and had it summarize for easier reading:\n-The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy -Bigger by Marc Levinson\n-The Machine That Changed the World: The Story of Lean Production-- Toyota's Secret Weapon in the Global Car Wars That Is Now Revolutionizing World Industry by James P. Womack, Daniel T. Jones, and Daniel Roos\n-Empires of the Sky: Zeppelins, Airplanes, and Two Men's Epic Duel to Rule the World by Erik Larson\n-Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America by Richard -White\n-The Arms of Krupp: The Rise and Fall of the Industrial Dynasty that Armed Germany at War by William Manchester\n-Edison by Edmund Morris\n-Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow\n-The People's Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century by Steven Watts\n-Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler\n-The Victorian Internet by Tom Standage\n-The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood by James Gleick\n-Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age by Michael S. Malone\n-The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester\n-The Innovators by Walter Isaacson\n-Medieval Technology and Social Change by Lynn White Jr.\n-The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation by Jon Gertner\n-Electricity in the 17th and 18th Centuries: A Study of Early Modern Physics by Eric H. Chaney\n-Early Electrical Communication by A. F. Marland\n-Bibliographical History of Electricity and Magnetism by Silvanus P. Thompson\n-Electric Science: Its History, Phenomena, and Applications by J. J. Fahie\n-The History and Present State of Electricity by Andrew Ure\n-https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/\n-De Re Metallica by Georgius Agricola",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Electric Science: Its History, Phenomena, and Applications by J. J. Fahie",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books offered in response to the history of technology question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. J. Fahie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "electrical science",
        "history of electricity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "electromagnetic-compatibility-engineering-50425f",
      "title": "Electromagnetic Compatibility Engineering",
      "author": "Henry W. Ott",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32790333,
          "author": "BMc2020",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T13:17:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790333",
          "commentText": "Electromagnatic Compatibility Engineering, Henry Ott\nThe Elements of Style, Strunk and White\nThe Hardest (working) Man in Showbiz, Ron Jeremy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Electromagnatic Compatibility Engineering, Henry Ott",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Henry W. Ott"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "electromagnetic compatibility",
        "emc engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "electronic-transport-in-mesoscopic-systems-bcda77",
      "title": "Electronic Transport in Mesoscopic Systems",
      "author": "Supriyo Datta",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33594891,
          "author": "perlgeek",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-14T14:59:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33594891",
          "commentText": "\"Electronic Transport in Mesoscopic Systems\" by Datta made me finally understand many of the ways that physicists model solids (particularly electrical transport, but also heat transport, the whole band gap thingy).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Electronic Transport in Mesoscopic Systems\" by Datta made me finally understand many of the ways that physicists model solids",
          "reason": "Says it helped explain how physicists model solids, especially electrical and heat transport.",
          "audience": "Readers studying solid-state physics and transport.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Supriyo Datta"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "electrical transport",
        "mesoscopic physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "electronics-a-self-teaching-guide-06ffcc",
      "title": "Electronics: A Self-Teaching Guide",
      "author": "Harry Kybett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 358534,
          "author": "agarren",
          "createdAt": "2008-11-09T21:42:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 358490,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's a good book to learn electronics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=358534",
          "commentText": "I've wondered about this myself and have found that the most common responses usually reference, \"The Art of Electonics\". Great book, sure, and very heavy on theory.\nThere are a few books out now that touch on the Arduino platform - the Make/O'Reilly site has a few. Additionally, there are a couple of folks using a Sanguino/Arduino for building a rep rap, so it might be a good start.\nI've found \"Electronics - Self Teaching Guide\" by Harry Kybett to be a decent introduction to electronics in general. I also picked up \"Embedded C Programming and the Atmel AVR\" which is regularly recommended for the AVR platform.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've found \"Electronics - Self Teaching Guide\" by Harry Kybett to be a decent introduction",
          "reason": "Described as a decent introduction to electronics.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an introduction to electronics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Harry Kybett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "electronics",
        "self study"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "elementary-algebra-8e4334",
      "title": "Elementary Algebra",
      "author": "Harold R. Jacobs",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32800944,
          "author": "lambdatronics",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-11T16:22:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32800944",
          "commentText": "I loved the grade-school math textbook series by Harold Jacobs:\n- Mathematics: A Human Endeavor \n- Elementary Algebra\nThey are peppered with cartoons (especially B.C.) and have lots of real-world motivation. I definitely recommend them for your kids if you have the choice.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Elementary Algebra",
          "reason": "Included among Jacobs textbooks praised for cartoons and real-world motivation.",
          "audience": "Children learning algebra.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Harold R. Jacobs"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algebra education"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "elementary-calculus-an-infinitesimal-approach-590ffe",
      "title": "Elementary Calculus: An Infinitesimal Approach",
      "author": "H. Jerome Keisler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32794490,
          "author": "Qem",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T20:52:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32794490",
          "commentText": "For the sciences that depend on higher maths, a Calculus book worth mention is \"Elementary Calculus: An Infinitesimal Approach\", by Jerome Keisler. One thing that makes learning Calculus harder than necessary is the clumsy epsilon and delta formalism, that became sort of the COBOL of Calculus teaching. This formalism is not the intuitive approach Newton and Leibniz used to develop Calculus, based on infinitesimals, that was shunned later because it took time until Abraham Robinson made it rigorous in the 1960s. The book by Keisler showcases nicely a way to improve higher math education, if academia had less inertia. The author made the entire book available for free online: https://people.math.wisc.edu/~keisler/calc.html See also: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonstandard_analysis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Elementary Calculus: An Infinitesimal Approach\", by Jerome Keisler.",
          "reason": "Recommended as an intuitive calculus text using infinitesimals; the commenter says it shows how math education could improve.",
          "audience": "Learners of calculus, including people studying sciences that use higher mathematics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "H. Jerome Keisler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "calculus",
        "infinitesimals",
        "nonstandard analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "elementary-classical-analysis-9e6365",
      "title": "Elementary Classical Analysis",
      "author": "Jerrold E. Marsden",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 665142,
          "author": "euroclydon",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T14:14:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665142",
          "commentText": "I really like the book: Elementary Classical Analysis by Jerrold E. Marsden for Multivariate Calculus.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Elementary-Classical-Analysis-Jerrold-... (http://www.amazon.com/Elementary-Classical-Analysis-Jerrold-Marsden/dp/0716721058)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really like the book: Elementary Classical Analysis by Jerrold E. Marsden",
          "reason": "Says they liked the book and identifies it as a multivariate calculus text.",
          "audience": "Readers studying multivariate calculus.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jerrold E. Marsden"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "analysis",
        "multivariable calculus"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "elementary-differential-equations-and-boundary-value-problems-9d4a64",
      "title": "Elementary Differential Equations and Boundary Value Problems",
      "author": "William E. Boyce and Richard C. DiPrima",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34446891,
          "author": "williamscales",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T23:06:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34446891",
          "commentText": "The three for me were:\n- Principles of Mathematical Analysis by Walter Rudin (aka “Little Rudin”)\n- Linear Algebra and its Applications by David Strang\n- Elementary Differential Equations and Boundary Value Problems by Boyce and Diprima",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Elementary Differential Equations and Boundary Value Problems by Boyce and Diprima",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William E. Boyce",
        "Richard C. DiPrima"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "differential equations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "elementary-number-theory-33b83c",
      "title": "Elementary Number Theory",
      "author": "David M. Burton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30487861,
          "author": "lvl100",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T12:43:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30487861",
          "commentText": "Elementary Number Theory by David Burton. I started reading this book in 8th grade to get a bit better at math competitions. Oh boy did it open my eyes.\nAs an adult, it’s Shannon’s The Mathematical Theory of Communication. I read it at least once a year. It’s the most intellectually powerful paper I’ve ever read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Elementary Number Theory by David Burton.",
          "reason": "Read in eighth grade to improve at math competitions; it opened the commenter’s eyes.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in number theory or math competitions.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David M. Burton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "number theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "elementary-probability-theory-with-stochastic-processes-ef07b0",
      "title": "Elementary Probability Theory With Stochastic Processes",
      "author": "Kai Lai Chung",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2723802,
          "author": "olifante",
          "createdAt": "2011-07-03T15:12:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 2723436,
          "threadTitle": "Suggest good sites/books on probability",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2723802",
          "commentText": "I should have linked to the 4th and latest edition of the book:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/1441930620/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I should have linked to the 4th and latest edition of the book",
          "reason": "Provides a link to a newer edition of the book discussed in the target comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2723799,
          "author": "olifante",
          "createdAt": "2011-07-03T15:08:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 2723436,
          "threadTitle": "Suggest good sites/books on probability",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2723799",
          "commentText": "I thoroughly enjoyed Kai Lai Chung's \"Elementary Probability Theory With Stochastic Processes\" when I was in college:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/0387903623/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I thoroughly enjoyed Kai Lai Chung's \"Elementary Probability Theory With Stochastic Processes\" when I was in college",
          "reason": "The commenter says they thoroughly enjoyed the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kai Lai Chung"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "probability",
        "stochastic processes"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "elements-of-algebraic-topology-0faad1",
      "title": "Elements of Algebraic Topology",
      "author": "James R. Munkres",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34441895,
          "author": "nhatcher",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T16:13:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34441895",
          "commentText": "Lot's of good books already here!\nIn the same spirit as Polya's book \"Thinking mathematically\" by J.\nMason, L. Burton and K. Stacey\nI learned a lot in the early days with Demidovich book on 5000 problems on mathematical analysis.\nTom Apostol books on calculus, but for me his book on analytical number theory. Alongside alan baker's thin book on number theory.\nGilbert Strang book(s) on linear algebra.\nRudin book on functional analysis.\nOh Hardy's book on divergent series!\nIan Steward books on transcendental numbers and Galois theory.\nElements of algebraic topology by Munkres is a fantastic book.\nSo many books are invaluable to me in teaching not only math but mathematical thinking.\nI guess if you want to learn thinking but not necessarily math \"thinking mathematically\" above mentioned is your friend.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Elements of algebraic topology by Munkres is a fantastic book.",
          "reason": "Called a fantastic book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James R. Munkres"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algebraic topology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "elements-of-classical-thermodynamics-d0aa21",
      "title": "Elements of Classical Thermodynamics",
      "author": "A. B. Pippard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33596139,
          "author": "2b3a51",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-14T16:10:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33596139",
          "commentText": "Elements of Classical Thermodynamics A. B. Pippard, CUP. [1]\nMade things like adiabatic processes, entropy and the Carnot cycle much more comprehensible as part of a general formalism. The 'classical' in the title means not statistical so we are talking heat engines and such.\n[1] https://www.cambridge.org/gb/academic/subjects/physics/gener... (https://www.cambridge.org/gb/academic/subjects/physics/general-and-classical-physics/elements-classical-thermodynamics-advanced-students-physics?format=PB&isbn=9780521091015)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Elements of Classical Thermodynamics A. B. Pippard, CUP.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it made adiabatic processes, entropy, and the Carnot cycle more comprehensible through a general formalism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "“Classical” means nonstatistical; it focuses on heat engines and related topics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "A. B. Pippard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classical thermodynamics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "elements-of-clojure-b6d137",
      "title": "Elements of Clojure",
      "author": "Alex Kladov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39061052,
          "author": "robto",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T20:57:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39061052",
          "commentText": "They say naming is one of the hard problems of computer science, but there's not much concrete work addressing it.\nI'd recommend Elements of Clojure[0].\nDon't be fooled by the title, it's not really about Clojure, it just uses Clojure as an illustration as it discusses a very subtle general problem. From the website:\n> The first chapter, Names, explains why names define the structure of our software, and how to judge whether a name is any good.\n> The second chapter, Idioms, provides specific, syntactic advice for writing Clojure which is clean and readable.\n> The third chapter, Indirection, looks at how code can be made simpler and more robust through separation.\n> The final chapter, Composition, explores how the constituent pieces of our code can be combined into an effective whole.\nI find it a thoughtful and considerate overview of an area that everybody has some implicit knowledge of, and something that leads to a more abstract concept of quality.\n[0]https://elementsofclojure.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend Elements of Clojure",
          "reason": "Discusses naming, idioms, indirection, and composition as aspects of software quality.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in naming and abstract software quality.",
          "caveat": "Despite the title, it is not really about Clojure; it uses Clojure as an illustration.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alex Kladov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "clojure",
        "code readability",
        "software design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "elements-of-clojure-25b57b",
      "title": "Elements of Clojure",
      "author": "Zach Tellman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42274691,
          "author": "perrygeo",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T15:56:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42274691",
          "commentText": "Origin - A genetic history of the Americas by Jennifer Raff. Recent evidence of how humans came to the Americas; it's a significantly different story than our conventional wisdom account.\nCows, Pigs, Wars, and Witches by Marvin Harris. How cultural norms establish collective behavior.\nThe Extermination of the American Bison. Written in the late 1800s as the tragedy was unfolding. Lots on great detail on how and why we decimated a keystone species in a matter of a few decades.\nPlato's Revenge by William Ophuls. A concise manifesto on societal change. Lays out a vision for a new post-growth, post-oil, ecological consciousness that incorporates modern science, religion and philosophy.\nFour Thousand Weeks. Far from a self-help time-management book, this is more a philosophy book on human's relationship with time. Delightful read.\nBreath by James Nestor. Modern humans are breathing incorrectly due to factors of modern life. An exploration of the science and art of breathing properly.\nBernoulli's Fallacy by Aubrey Clayton. In the statistical wars, this book takes a strong stance: Bayesian is unequivocally better. He exploses the racist/colonial history of frequentist statistics, as well as the fundamental flaws in their math. Posits that mis-applied frequentist methods are to blame for the reproducibility crisis in science.\nHow the World Really Works by Vaclav Smil. A no-nonsense, factual account of the systems that keep our modern globalized society running.\nElements of Clojure by Zach Tellman. A concise, high-level philosophy about how we build and compose abstractions. One of those books where every sentence is gold. My only wish that the book wasn't tied to Clojure (most of the book is applicable to any language, despite the title).\nTidy First? by Kent Beck. How and when to make structural changes (refactoring, architecture, paying down tech debt) vs behavioral changes (new features, bug fixes). You need both, and you can use economic theory as a guide for when to invest in one or the other. But you need to treat them differently.\nNumerical Linear Algebra for Programmers by Dragan Djuric. A code-centric introduction to common linear algrebra routines, Using Clojure and the neaderthal library - a high-level API for fast math optimized for CPU and GPU hardware.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Elements of Clojure by Zach Tellman. A concise, high-level philosophy about how we build and compose abstractions.",
          "reason": "Praised for its concise discussion of building and composing abstractions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter wishes it were not tied to Clojure, since they find most of it applicable to any language.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Zach Tellman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "clojure",
        "software abstraction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "elements-of-computing-systems-75a5f3",
      "title": "Elements of Computing Systems",
      "author": "Noam Nisan and Shimon Schocken",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22306076,
          "author": "signa11",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-12T05:30:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22306076",
          "commentText": "i find that cpu based ray tracing is a good low-to-moderate effort project, specifically if you are getting into a new programming language f.e. lisp/modern-c++/rust/erlang(^^)/...\nthere are plenty of books around which can walk you through the whole thing, however, of late, i have found that this: https://pragprog.com/book/jbtracer/the-ray-tracer-challenge is a pretty comprehensive.\ncheck it out !\napproximately, on the same lines, nand-to-tetris is _very_ good as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "nand-to-tetris is _very_ good as well.",
          "reason": "Recommended as another hands-on project resource.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Noam Nisan",
        "Shimon Schocken"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer architecture",
        "project based learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "elements-of-euclid-541c4a",
      "title": "Elements of Euclid",
      "author": "Euclid",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22302185,
          "author": "acoye",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-11T20:01:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22302185",
          "commentText": "Elements of Euclid ? You build the proofs in your head step by step.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Elements of Euclid ?",
          "reason": "Suggests the book as a step-by-step exercise in constructing proofs.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Euclid"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "euclidean geometry",
        "proofs"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "elements-of-functional-programming-4e11ca",
      "title": "Elements of Functional Programming",
      "author": "Martin Henson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16758589,
          "author": "agumonkey",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T20:15:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16758589",
          "commentText": "- Martin Henson - Elements of Functional Programming (old, and on purpose, I like to have a sense of the pre trend FP mindset) I suggest everyone to try to grab it (library or paid tree), the cover is so pretty https://www.abebooks.com/book-search/title/elements-function... (https://www.abebooks.com/book-search/title/elements-functional-languages/author/martin-henson/)\nHad a bunch of books about electricity/electronics (google for 'best book about ...')\nAlso bitcoin got me to hear about Statistics:\n- http://www-bcf.usc.edu/~gareth/ISL\n- https://web.stanford.edu/~hastie/Papers/ESLII.pdf\nLastly, Queinnec LiSP is never far from reach",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Elements of Functional Programming (old, and on purpose, I like to have a sense of the pre trend FP mindset) I suggest everyone to try to grab it",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a way to get a sense of an earlier functional programming mindset.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in functional programming history or older approaches.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is old.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin Henson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "functional programming",
        "programming language history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "elements-of-information-theory-f2477a",
      "title": "Elements of Information Theory",
      "author": "Thomas M. Cover, Joy A. Thomas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21312313,
          "author": "bo1024",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T14:01:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21312313",
          "commentText": "CS is like math, not philosophy -- the fundamental ideas are gradually refined by a community, and eventually someone puts them into a book. Usually there are many books and people have different favorites.\nSo the closest parallels are original research papers like Turing's and Shannon's; but you're probably better off reading more recent textbooks.\nThat said, to balance out the heavy emphasis on programming and engineering books here, some recommendations:\n- Sipser. Introduction to the Theory of Computation.\n- Russell, Norvig. AI: A Modern Approach.\n- For algorithms I don't have a preference. There is Dasgupta-Papadimitriou-Vazirani; Cormen-Leisersen-Rivest-Stein; Kleinberg-Tardos; and more.\nA bit farther from core CS, I also like:\n- Cover, Thomas. Elements of Information Theory.\n- Li, Vitanyi. An Introduction to Kolmogorov Complexity and Its Applications",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Cover, Thomas. Elements of Information Theory.",
          "reason": "Says this is a book they like, though it is farther from core computer science.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as farther from core computer science.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas M. Cover, Joy A. Thomas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "information theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "elements-of-ml-programming-1a6d21",
      "title": "Elements of ML Programming",
      "author": "Jeffrey D. Ullman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23366257,
          "author": "madhadron",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-31T00:54:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23366257",
          "commentText": "Ullman, 'Elements of ML Programming'. It's where I learned functional programming back in the 1990's, and I still think it's one of the clearest expositions around. Yes, it's the same Ullman who wrote the dragon book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ullman, 'Elements of ML Programming'. It's where I learned functional programming back in the 1990's, and I still think it's one of the clearest expositions around.",
          "reason": "The commenter learned functional programming from it and praises its clarity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeffrey D. Ullman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "functional programming",
        "ml",
        "sml"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "elements-of-poker-8f36c0",
      "title": "Elements of Poker",
      "author": "Tommy Angelo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25320871,
          "author": "rograndom",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-06T03:52:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25320871",
          "commentText": "\"Elements of Poker\" by Tommy Angelo\nHow to be better at Poker (and other parts of life) that has nothing to do with what cards you have.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Elements of Poker\" by Tommy Angelo",
          "reason": "Suggested for becoming better at poker and other parts of life.",
          "audience": "People seeking to improve at poker.",
          "caveat": "The comment says its lessons extend beyond the cards dealt.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tommy Angelo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "decision making",
        "poker"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "elements-of-programming-076b13",
      "title": "Elements of Programming",
      "author": "Alexander Stepanov and Paul McJones",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2416115,
          "author": "saurabhsharan",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T17:53:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2416115",
          "commentText": "Two suggestions:\nElements of Programming (by Alexander Stepanov and Paul McJones) takes a mathematical approach to programming. Since its only prerequisite is a basic understanding of high school algebra, the book is very accessible and easy to follow.\nDigital Design and Computer Architecture (by David Harris and Sarah Harris) is a great book on computer architecture that starts with digital logic design (i.e. gates and transistors) and ends with a subset of the MIPS instruction set. Though, it probably won't help you much in 'daily work'.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Elements of Programming (by Alexander Stepanov and Paul McJones) takes a mathematical approach to programming.",
          "reason": "Praised as accessible and easy to follow, with a mathematical approach to programming.",
          "audience": "Readers with a basic understanding of high school algebra.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its only prerequisite is basic high school algebra.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alexander Stepanov",
        "Paul McJones"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "generic programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "elements-of-programming-interviews-31d7fd",
      "title": "Elements of Programming Interviews",
      "author": "Adnan Aziz, Tsung-Hsien Lee, Amit Prakash",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9045519,
          "author": "cunninghamd",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-13T17:29:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 9044833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I have $2k for books, training and confs. What should I spend it on?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9045519",
          "commentText": "If you want to work for Microsoft or Google, while you likely can't get away with using your employers's $2K, the best books to read are Cracking the Coding Interview and Elements of Programming Interviews. Both books have very solid algorithm questions which you can use to go research the various algorithms and learn them. Although, I'd wait for Elements of Programming Interviews v2 which will include Java samples, as opposed to C++, but that's just me.\nMcDowell's The Google Resume also has some useful tidbits in it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Cracking the Coding Interview and Elements of Programming Interviews",
          "reason": "Recommended for solid algorithm questions to research and learn algorithms.",
          "audience": "People preparing to work for Microsoft or Google.",
          "caveat": "The commenter prefers waiting for v2, which will include Java samples instead of C++.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adnan Aziz, Tsung-Hsien Lee, Amit Prakash"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "coding interviews"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "elements-of-set-theory-1b0258",
      "title": "Elements of Set Theory",
      "author": "Herbert B. Enderton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31496932,
          "author": "blindmute",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T20:05:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31496932",
          "commentText": "In order:\n1. Book of Proof\n1a. How to Prove It: A Structured Approach\n2. Elements of Set Theory - Enderton\n2a. Naive Set Theory - Halmos\n3. Foundations of Analysis - Landau\n4. Basic Mathematics - Lang\n5. Principles of Mathematics - Allendoerfer & Oakley\n6. A Transition to Advanced Mathematics\n6a. Concept of Modern Mathematics - Stewart\n7. Calculus - Apostol or Spivak\nDon't skip any",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2. Elements of Set Theory - Enderton",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Herbert B. Enderton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "set theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "elements-of-standard-ml-programming-1c88ff",
      "title": "Elements of Standard ML Programming",
      "author": "Jeffrey D. Ullman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10183383,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-07T22:50:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10183383",
          "commentText": "I think Ullman's Elements of Standard ML Programming is pretty good. I found a used dead tree copy for about $5 at thriftbooks.com.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think Ullman's Elements of Standard ML Programming is pretty good.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book is pretty good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeffrey D. Ullman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "standard ml"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "elements-of-style-d056c1",
      "title": "Elements of Style",
      "author": "William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35938095,
          "author": "uptownfunk",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-14T14:05:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35938095",
          "commentText": "Chartrand proofs \nElements of Style\nAny generic R programming book \nESLR\nCourse notes on Java / Python (Berkeley 61 series)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Elements of Style",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Strunk Jr.",
        "E. B. White"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "english style"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "elevator-music-a-surreal-history-of-muzak-easy-listening-and-othe-685722",
      "title": "Elevator Music: A Surreal History of Muzak, Easy-Listening, and Other Moodsong",
      "author": "Joseph Lanza",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804348,
          "author": "JonathanMerklin",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:41:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804348",
          "commentText": "Great thread. 2019 was the first time in about 7-8 years I made reading for pleasure a tertiary priority ((school+career)work/sleep/exercise+socializing+(NEW!)reading) and I got through about 20 books of varying length and difficulty, so here are the next 20 in my queue:\n- Infinite Jest (already started, will likely finish in early Jan. I love it so far.)\n- Quantum Computing Since Democritus (started in November as my nonfiction read, but took a break; I think I want to finish IJ first. Scott is an excellent writer and I was really enjoying this)\n- Building Microservices\n- The Code Book\n- How Cars Work (I want to turn the projection of a car in my brain from a black box to a gray box this year, and I don't mean by purchasing a Cybertruck)\n- To Kill a Mockingbird\n- The Personal MBA (for years I laughed off caring about the business of business and lived in my fantasy land of being satisfied with just the technical details and being focused on only implementing great software/learning how to do so. With a few years in the workforce under my belt, I realize that such an outlook was of great detriment to me. I'm open to other suggestions on similar \"catch me up to speed on general business education\" material)\n- Designing Data-Intensive Applications\n- Island (I have a copy of this but not Brave New World. Multiple friends of mine demand I try Huxley, so here we are.)\n- The Annotated Turing\n- How to Invent Everything\n- Soonish (SMBC is a daily read for me and I'm excited to get to this.)\n- How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems (ditto XKCD modulo release schedule)\n- Basic Economics\n- Thus Spoke Zarathustra\n- Seveneves\n- The Prince\n- Pacific Rims: Beermen Ballin' in Flip-Flops and the Philippines' Unlikely Love Affair with Basketball\n- Elevator Music: A Surreal History of Muzak, Easy-Listening, and Other Moodsong\n- Fahrenheit 451\nAdditionally, to tickle the part of my brain that fancies mathematics (one of my my majors in undergrad), I try to work through a chapter or two of Evan Chen's \"An Infinitely Long Napkin\" on a quarterly basis. If you don't mind a conversational tone to your math textbooks, I've found this to be an excellent resource for scraping the surface of a wide variety of topics and fields (including, well, topics like fields). I think I'll continue this habit.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Elevator Music: A Surreal History of Muzak, Easy-Listening, and Other Moodsong",
          "reason": "Listed in the commenter's planned reading queue.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph Lanza"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "music history",
        "muzak"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "eleven-minutes-a64ecb",
      "title": "Eleven Minutes",
      "author": "Paulo Coelho",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25537089,
          "author": "striker_axel",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-25T15:50:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25537089",
          "commentText": "The Alchemist and Eleven Minutes from Paulo Coelho\nThese books taught me to take risk and importance of being different.\n“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.” — Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist\n“Everything tells me that I am about to make a wrong decision, but making mistakes is just part of life. What does the world want of me? Does it want me to take no risks, to go back to where I came from because I didn't have the courage to say \"yes\" to life?”\n― Paulo Coelho, Eleven Minutes",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Eleven Minutes",
          "reason": "The commenter says it taught them to take risks and value being different.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paulo Coelho"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal growth",
        "romance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "elijah-baley-novels-bd06e0",
      "title": "Elijah Baley novels",
      "author": "Isaac Asimov",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17536654,
          "author": "dochtman",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:35:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536654",
          "commentText": "Isaac Asimov is one of the classics, of course. I'm particularly fond of the robot novels (all four of the Elijah Baley ones especially) and the entire Foundation series. Of course, you also can't miss the robot short stories. Oh, and The End of Eternity!\nAt some point I found Charles Stross' Accelerando, which is freely available online (along with a bunch of other short stories), and found everything I've read (which is most of it at this point, I think) enjoyably fast-paced. In particular the Laundry series (of which I've bought every iteration as soon as they came out over the past few years) -- though arguably these maybe cross-over from SF into fantasy a bit -- and the Halting State trilogy.\nIn terms of online available work, Cory Doctorow's work is also great. Like Stross, most of his work is more near-term SF, which I have liked, and a bunch of it is available online under a Creative Commons license. It often moves fast and is also politically interesting; sometimes the activism shines through a little blatantly, but the themes are always make me thing in various ways I appreciate (but maybe will fail your lighthearted criterion even if it is fun). His latest is Walkaway, which I would recommend.\nI got into Neal Stephenson through Cryptonomicon, which is one of the greats. Stephenson has a pretty rambly, wordy style, but at least that also makes his stories last a bit longer. After that, I mostly moved on to Anathem, Reamde and Seveneves all of which are big and interesting and great reads (it took me longer than usual to get up to speed on Anathem, but it was very much worth it in the end). I tried one of the more historic ones (I think it was Quicksilver) at some point but haven't finished it. The 2017 Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. was a bit lighter, but lots of fun, too.\nWilliam Gibson has already been mentioned, which I would also recommend. I read the Sprawl trilogy a very long time ago, and it's made a lasting expression. I've started rereading it recently. I also liked the Blue Ant trilogy and The Peripheral, but have so far missed the more recent work.\nMore in the one-off category: The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell is one of my all-time favorites, and mixes deep SF with psychology and religion in interesting ways. There's a sequel, but it's not as good. I also liked The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, which is also on the softer side. I read Scalzi's Redshirts and liked it (especially if you're familiar with the Star Trek universe), it feels similar to Ready Player One in some ways. Daniel Suarez's (or Leinad Zeraus as he originally published them) Daemon is fun and easy to digest, along with its sequel Freedom. I liked Robert J. Sawyer's The Terminal Experiment, but one person I recommended it too wasn't impressed -- I still think it's fun, if not very deep. I also bought his Factoring Humanity and liked it okay.\nHope that helps. Always interested in more recommendations based on this list!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm particularly fond of the robot novels (all four of the Elijah Baley ones especially)",
          "reason": "Says they are especially fond of these novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isaac Asimov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "detective fiction",
        "robot fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "elixir-in-action-956858",
      "title": "Elixir in Action",
      "author": "Saša Jurić",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38238506,
          "author": "itronitron",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T08:41:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238506",
          "commentText": "\"Elixir in Action\" by Saša Jurić. The first and second chapters are excellent. However the third chapter (on Control Flow and Pattern Matching) isn't as well written, apparently it is important to know that Elixir doesn't assign values to variables but rather 'binds' the values to the variable. It feels a bit like having 11 on a volume knob.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Elixir in Action\" by Saša Jurić. The first and second chapters are excellent. However the third chapter (on Control Flow and Pattern Matching) isn't as well written",
          "reason": "Praises the first two chapters but criticizes the third chapter's writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The third chapter on control flow and pattern matching is less well written.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Saša Jurić"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "elixir programming",
        "programming languages"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "elixir-in-action-3318be",
      "title": "Elixir in Action",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10182909,
          "author": "shadeless",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-07T20:28:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10182909",
          "commentText": "Elixir in Action:\nhttps://www.manning.com/books/elixir-in-action",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Elixir in Action:",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "elixir"
      ],
      "purposes": []
    },
    {
      "id": "elizabeth-i-and-her-circle-e8561a",
      "title": "Elizabeth I and Her Circle",
      "author": "Susan Doran",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15762290,
          "author": "gtycomb",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T02:13:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762290",
          "commentText": "\"Elizabeth I and her Circle\" by Susan Doran from OUP, and related biography. What got me glued to the 1500's reign of Elizabeth I is her art of far reaching strategic management when organizational resources are sketchy, and living in times of great social uncertainty.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Elizabeth I and her Circle\" by Susan Doran from OUP",
          "reason": "The author connects Elizabeth I's reign to strategic management with limited resources and social uncertainty.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Susan Doran"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "elizabethan england",
        "leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "elm-in-action-a0ab76",
      "title": "Elm in Action",
      "author": "Richard Feldman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22302569,
          "author": "rtfeldman",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-11T20:38:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22302569",
          "commentText": "Elm in Action is that way.\nOver the course of the book you build a photo sharing application from scratch. Each chapter uses new \"feature requests\" from a fictional manager as a way to introduce and teach new Elm concepts.\nhttps://www.manning.com/books/elm-in-action?a_aid=elm_in_act... (https://www.manning.com/books/elm-in-action?a_aid=elm_in_action&a_bid=b15edc5c)\n(It's technically in Early Access because the print book hasn't hit the shelves yet, but all the chapters are finished and available in the online version.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Elm in Action is that way.",
          "reason": "Builds a photo-sharing application while teaching Elm concepts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The print book had not yet been released; chapters were available online in Early Access.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Feldman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "elm",
        "functional programming",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "elric-of-melnibone-73ee92",
      "title": "Elric of Melniboné",
      "author": "Michael Moorcock",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8947475,
          "author": "huxley",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-26T15:29:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8947475",
          "commentText": "For Fantasy I loved the Thieves' World shared universe. The first 4 books were my favourites.\nhttp://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thieves'_World\nWhile some of his work hasn't aged well, I am still quite fond of several of Michael Moorcock's Elric novels and the first Corum trilogy.\nhttp://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elric_of_Melniboné\nhttp://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corum_Jhaelen_Irsei",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I am still quite fond of several of Michael Moorcock's Elric novels",
          "reason": "Says they remain fond of several novels in the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some of the author's work has not aged well.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Moorcock"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sword and sorcery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "embedded-c-programming-and-the-atmel-avr-dfaa1c",
      "title": "Embedded C Programming and the Atmel AVR",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 358534,
          "author": "agarren",
          "createdAt": "2008-11-09T21:42:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 358490,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's a good book to learn electronics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=358534",
          "commentText": "I've wondered about this myself and have found that the most common responses usually reference, \"The Art of Electonics\". Great book, sure, and very heavy on theory.\nThere are a few books out now that touch on the Arduino platform - the Make/O'Reilly site has a few. Additionally, there are a couple of folks using a Sanguino/Arduino for building a rep rap, so it might be a good start.\nI've found \"Electronics - Self Teaching Guide\" by Harry Kybett to be a decent introduction to electronics in general. I also picked up \"Embedded C Programming and the Atmel AVR\" which is regularly recommended for the AVR platform.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also picked up \"Embedded C Programming and the Atmel AVR\" which is regularly recommended for the AVR platform.",
          "reason": "Presented as a regularly recommended book for the AVR platform.",
          "audience": "Readers working with the AVR platform.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "atmel avr",
        "embedded c"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "embracing-defeat-japan-in-the-wake-of-world-war-ii-2d7f6e",
      "title": "Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II",
      "author": "John W. Dower",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10175614,
          "author": "scott_s",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:35:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175614",
          "commentText": "\"Drink: A Cultural History of Alcohol\", which I talked about in a thread recently: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10146846\nBefore that, it was \"Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II\". I decided to read it because I saw a kinda not great movie about the period immediately after surrender, and I realized it was something I knew almost nothing about. It's good, but relatively academic; I cared about how the Japanese publishing industry and their literature changed over the time period, but not that much. It is worth it, though, as I knew very little about Japan in this period. Something that drives this home is that for Japan, \"the war\" for the Japanese people essentially lasted from 1931 (when Japan invaded Manchuria) to 1952 (when the US occupation of Japan ended) - I had never thought of it that way before.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's good, but relatively academic; I cared about how the Japanese publishing industry and their literature changed over the time period, but not that much. It is worth it, though, as I knew very little about Japan in this period.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is worthwhile for learning about postwar Japan, despite its academic style and limited interest in some material.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Relatively academic; the commenter cared less about its discussion of publishing and literature.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John W. Dower"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "postwar japan",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "embracing-our-selves-ad5788",
      "title": "Embracing Our Selves",
      "author": "Sidra and Hal Stone",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36429792,
          "author": "gala8y",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T09:34:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36429792",
          "commentText": "Three Pillars of Zen, read when I was 16, it felt like \"This is it. This is how I see it.\"\nFew books by Ken Wilber, gave me a framework, a meta-frame of sorts when I was young.\nIntroduction to NLP (esp. chapter V on Meta Model, took me two years to process it)\nStructure of Magic, vol. II - communication, incongruity\nMind and Nature by Gregory Bateson\nAnd I could go on and on... but the winner is...\n\"Embracing Our Selves\" by Sidra & Hal Stone.\nThis book and perspective changed my life completely. It was like a grenade bursting inside my mind and I've seen many people reacting to it this way (incl. people closest to my heart). It's a perspective shift, an insight. You've been warned. :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Embracing Our Selves\" by Sidra & Hal Stone.",
          "reason": "Calls it the winner and says its perspective changed their life completely.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter warns readers that it can provoke a powerful reaction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sidra Stone",
        "Hal Stone"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "parts work",
        "self awareness",
        "voice dialogue"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "embracing-our-selves-afe0e5",
      "title": "Embracing Our Selves",
      "author": "Sidra Stone and Hal Stone",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19897332,
          "author": "gala8y",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T09:06:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19897332",
          "commentText": "I wouldn't call it a mental model, but Voice Dialogue method has tremendous positive impact on people's well-being and consciousness. Somehow it fits your question, I think. It is a mental model of sorts. \"Embracing Our Selves\", a book by Sidra and Hal Stone, is a beautifully written introduction.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Embracing Our Selves\", a book by Sidra and Hal Stone, is a beautifully written introduction.",
          "reason": "Described as a beautifully written introduction to Voice Dialogue.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Voice Dialogue and its approach to well-being and consciousness.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the connection to the question is not exact.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sidra Stone and Hal Stone"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self awareness",
        "voice dialogue"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "emerald-eyes-1e65ee",
      "title": "Emerald Eyes",
      "author": "Daniel Keys Moran",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36021681,
          "author": "whartung",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:01:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021681",
          "commentText": "Daniel Keys Moran\n  + Emerald Eyes\n  + The Long Run\n  + The Last Dancer\n\nI don’t reread books as a rule, but I’ve reread these, and TLR at least five times.\nI can rattle of an endless list of authors I like, but by organic evidence of “favorites” these stand out.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Emerald Eyes",
          "reason": "Listed among the author's favorites; the commenter says they have reread these books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Keys Moran"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyberpunk"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "emergence-3b51ac",
      "title": "Emergence",
      "author": "David R. Palmer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6553777,
          "author": "fractallyte",
          "createdAt": "2013-10-15T15:25:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 6553238,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the essential books of knowledge for civilization?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6553777",
          "commentText": "As well as definitive books, you need a carefully graded way of proceeding through them - plus a very good index. As David Palmer pointed out in his novel Emergence, one would have to devise a 'system to locate specifics in such huge collection. Useless otherwise; researcher could spend most of life looking for data instead of using.'\nOther critical books should include philosophy and science: it took a long time to build a technological civilization, and the Scientific Method is the cornerstone of this. (And yet even now, much of the world is still mired superstition/religion.)\nMore crucial lessons from John Wyndham's The Day of the Triffids: 'The most valuable part of our flying start is knowledge. That's the short cut to save us starting where our ancestors did. We've got it all there in books if we take the trouble to find out about it...\n'From my reading of history, the thing you have to have to use knowledge is leisure. Where everybody has to work hard just to get a living and there is no leisure to think, knowledge stagnates, and people with it. The thinking has to be done largely by people who are not directly productive - by people who appear to be living almost entirely on the work of others, but are, in fact, a long-term investment. Learning grew up in the cities and in great institutions - it was the labour of the countryside that supported them...\n'A community of our present size cannot hope to do more than exist and decline. If we stay here as we are, just ten of us now, the end is, quite inevitably, a gradual and useless fade-out. If there are children we shall be able to spare only enough time from our labour to give them just a rudimentary education; on generation further, and we shall have savages or clods. To hold our own, to make any use of all the knowledge in the libraries we must have the teacher, the doctor, and the leader, and we must be able to support them while they help us.'",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "As David Palmer pointed out in his novel Emergence",
          "reason": "Cited for its advice on organizing a large collection of knowledge.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David R. Palmer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "post apocalyptic fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "emotional-design-why-we-love-or-hate-everyday-things-7703a8",
      "title": "Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things",
      "author": "Don Norman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12711677,
          "author": "joneil",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-14T22:51:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12711677",
          "commentText": "I also loved his follow up book, \"Emotional Design: Why We Love (Or Hate) Everyday Things\".\nOne of the best design books I've ever read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also loved his follow up book, \"Emotional Design: Why We Love (Or Hate) Everyday Things\".\nOne of the best design books I've ever read.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the best design books they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Don Norman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "emotional design",
        "user experience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "emotional-intelligence-2-0-96bf29",
      "title": "Emotional Intelligence 2.0",
      "author": "Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10765999,
          "author": "Bar_Code",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T03:56:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10765999",
          "commentText": "Positive Intelligence. I was able to \"label\" my personality and all of those of my teams and reports. I know how I need to change, and know what drives the people I work with. I never thought of the over achiever as a problem, but they \"prevent\" others from stepping up.\nEmotional Intelligence 2.0. Much easier read than the original. We are humans, driven by emotion, we need to be smart about it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Emotional Intelligence 2.0. Much easier read than the original. We are humans, driven by emotion, we need to be smart about it.",
          "reason": "Calls it an easier read and endorses its focus on understanding emotion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The easier-reading comparison is to the original book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "emotional intelligence",
        "self awareness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "emotions-revealed-bdc599",
      "title": "Emotions Revealed",
      "author": "Paul Ekman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23153802,
          "author": "mitchelldeacon9",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T13:35:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23153802",
          "commentText": "In addition to the classics of cognitive psychology (Kahneman, Taleb, et al.), I would also recommend books on psychological manipulation, religious cults, and con men. The following books offer a multi-disciplinary perspective on psychological techniques to improve awareness and exploit other people, both of which are essential to enhance your perception and protect yourself against fraud and manipulation.\nCialdini, Robert (2006) Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion\nGuinn, Jeff (2017) Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple\nEkman, Paul (2007) Emotions Revealed: Recognizing Faces and Feelings to Improve Communication and Emotional Life\nKahneman, Daniel (2011) Thinking, Fast and Slow\nMitnick, Kevin and William Simon (2002) Art of Deception\nNavarro and Karlins (2008) What Every Body is Saying: Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Speed-Reading People\nNietzsche, Friedrich (1887) On the Genealogy of Morals\nRhodes, Richard (1986) Making of the Atomic Bomb\nSun Tzu (c. 400 BCE) Art of War\nTaleb, Nassim Nicholas (2005) Fooled by Randomness\nWright, Lawrence (2013) Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ekman, Paul (2007) Emotions Revealed: Recognizing Faces and Feelings to Improve Communication and Emotional Life",
          "reason": "Listed among books offering perspectives on psychological techniques and communication.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in understanding emotions and communication.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Ekman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "emotions",
        "facial expressions"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "empire-express-c13470",
      "title": "Empire Express",
      "author": "David Bain",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2087413,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T04:03:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2087413",
          "commentText": "Jose Saramago - The Cave because it the language was so beautiful even in translation that it made me want to learn Portuguese.\nRoberto Bolano - The Savage Detectives because what's not to love about tough guy poets?\nDavid Bain - Empire Express because it put startups and business in a new light.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "David Bain - Empire Express because it put startups and business in a new light.",
          "reason": "Says it put startups and business in a new light.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Bain"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "railroad history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "empire-of-cotton-a-global-history-d6600e",
      "title": "Empire of Cotton: A Global History",
      "author": "Sven Beckert",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14859797,
          "author": "kevmo",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:10:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859797",
          "commentText": "Empire of Cotton.  It's a story about the development of the international cotton trade, which was the specific environment within which many of the state and capitalist institutions we now live with were originally developed.  It's a whirlwind of history about international relations, domestic relations, labor, and the development of the wage system. Slightly pedantic, but an eye-opening read.\nThe Name Of The Wind.  I bought this because it was the #1 selling book in Borderlands Books last month (I always swing by that bookstore when I'm in San Francisco).  Entertaining read, good world-building.\nLinux: What Every Superuser Should Know.  A No Starch Press book about Linux.  It weaves a rich tapestry out of disparate knowledge I already had.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Slightly pedantic, but an eye-opening read.",
          "reason": "Calls it eye-opening, while noting that it is slightly pedantic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Slightly pedantic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sven Beckert"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "capitalism",
        "global cotton trade",
        "labor history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "empire-of-the-ants-a057af",
      "title": "Empire of the Ants",
      "author": "Bernard Werber",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33813683,
          "author": "buriburi",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-01T08:19:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33813683",
          "commentText": "I was young when I read this book and it changes my mind about how to see all sides of a problem.\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_of_the_Ants_%28novel%29",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this book",
          "reason": "It changed how the commenter sees all sides of a problem.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bernard Werber"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "perspective taking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "empire-of-the-summer-moon-10d121",
      "title": "Empire of the Summer Moon",
      "author": "S. C. Gwynne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49903352,
          "author": "tastyfreeze",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T01:42:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49903352",
          "commentText": "Dungeon Crawler Carl book 7.  Started the series in January. Most books I've read in a year since I read the Expanse series.\nHistorical books that are great... Empire of the Summer Moon, Undaunted Courage, Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Empire of the Summer Moon",
          "reason": "Lists it among historical books they consider great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37156956,
          "author": "WalterBright",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T03:49:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37156956",
          "commentText": "\"Empire of the Summer Moon\"\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Empire-Summer-Moon-Comanches-Powerful... (https://www.amazon.com/Empire-Summer-Moon-Comanches-Powerful/dp/1416591060)\nThis would make an epic miniseries!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Empire of the Summer Moon\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says it would make an epic miniseries.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "S. C. Gwynne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american west",
        "comanche history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "empire-of-the-sun-41c623",
      "title": "Empire of the Sun",
      "author": "J. G. Ballard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41788400,
          "author": "mikhailfranco",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-09T14:39:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41788400",
          "commentText": "Agree with both.\nIf you like Vonnegut, perhaps try the fiction of J.G.Ballard.\nEmpire of the Sun is rightly famous, it is autobiography - but read that too. If you are American, you might not know that other things happened at the same time as the attack on Pearl Harbor [Yes, it was 8 December 1941 in Hong Kong, but across the dateline, so contemporaneous. IIRC 8am Honolulu to 6am HK is +4 hours].",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Empire of the Sun is rightly famous, it is autobiography - but read that too.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is rightly famous and encourages the reader to read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as autobiography.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. G. Ballard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "empire-series-8c6fe2",
      "title": "Empire series",
      "author": "Isaac Asimov",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056451,
          "author": "pelario",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T11:56:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056451",
          "commentText": "Most of Asimov's books, specially:\n* Foundation Series / Robot Series / Empire Series\n* The Gods Themselves",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Foundation Series / Robot Series / Empire Series",
          "reason": "Provided as an answer to the request for favourite sci-fi books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isaac Asimov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "galactic empire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "empires-of-light-7704f8",
      "title": "Empires of Light",
      "author": "Jill Jonnes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910521,
          "author": "adventured",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:53:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910521",
          "commentText": "In no particular order.\nEmpires of Light, by Jonnes. Titan, by Chernow. The Wright Brothers, by McCullough. His Excellency, by Ellis. The Wizard of Menlo Park, by Stross. I Invented the Modern Age, by Snow. Dealers of Lightning, by Hiltzik. Margin of Safety, by Klarman. Masters of Doom, by Kushner. Andrew Carnegie, by Nasaw. Infidel, by Hirsi Ali. Buffett, by Lowenstein. Where Wizards Stay Up Late, by Hafner. Shoe Dog, by Knight. The Making of the Atomic Bomb, by Rhodes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Empires of Light, by Jonnes.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 621547,
          "author": "jf",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-22T03:22:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621547",
          "commentText": "Does this book cover the business relationship that Tesla had with Westinghouse?\nThe impression that I got from Empires of Light is that Tesla's \"research\" needed a lot of \"design\" by Westinghouse's engineers before they could be turned into practical, working designs.\nThat makes sense at some level, but I'd love to read other perspectives.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The impression that I got from Empires of Light is that Tesla's \"research\" needed a lot of \"design\" by Westinghouse's engineers",
          "reason": "Uses the book as a source for an impression and asks for other perspectives.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jill Jonnes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nikola tesla",
        "electricity",
        "electricity history",
        "george westinghouse"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "empires-of-the-sky-e6fcb9",
      "title": "Empires of the Sky",
      "author": "Alexander Rose",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36601373,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:00:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601373",
          "commentText": "Here are some histories of specific industries I've read recently and supremely enjoyed:\n- The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger\n- The Machine That Changed the World: The Story of Lean Production-- Toyota's Secret Weapon in the Global Car Wars That Is Now Revolutionizing World Industry\n- Empires of the Sky: Zeppelins, Airplanes, and Two Men's Epic Duel to Rule the World\n- Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America (of all of these not the most amazing but still interesting)\n- The Arms of Krupp: The Rise and Fall of the Industrial Dynasty that Armed Germany at War\nAnd then you can learn a lot by reading about the people who built the industries too. Here are a few I've been reading about recently that I recommend:\n- Edison by Edmund Morris (Just read it backwards, you'll see.)\n- Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow\n- The People's Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century by Steven Watts\n- Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler\nI also got some interesting suggestions asking a similar question on Twitter a bit ago.\nhttps://twitter.com/eatonphil/status/1668625835350454273",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Empires of the Sky: Zeppelins, Airplanes, and Two Men's Epic Duel to Rule the World",
          "reason": "Listed among industry histories the commenter recently read and greatly enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alexander Rose"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "airships",
        "aviation history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "empires-the-logic-of-world-domination-from-ancient-rome-to-the-un-81dc79",
      "title": "Empires: The Logic of World Domination from Ancient Rome to the United States",
      "author": "Herfried Münkler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13803959,
          "author": "yesbabyyes",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T16:59:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13803959",
          "commentText": "Fundamentally changed are so big words but these were pretty cool:\n- Douglas Hofstadter's GEB: An Eternal Golden Braid\n- Debt: The First 5,000 Years by David Graeber\n- Ursula K. LeGuin's The Word for World is Forest\n- Propaganda by Edward Bernays\n- Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond\n-  Empires: The Logic of World Domination from Ancient Rome to the United States by Herfried Münkler\n- Smedley D. Butler's War is a Racket (more of an exposé)\n- In Praise of Idleness by Bertrand Russell (ditto)\n- Neuromancer by William Gibson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Empires: The Logic of World Domination from Ancient Rome to the United States by Herfried Münkler",
          "reason": "Listed among books that changed the way the commenter thinks about the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Herfried Münkler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "empires",
        "geopolitics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "empireworld-how-british-imperialism-has-shaped-the-globe-c24ae6",
      "title": "Empireworld: How British Imperialism Has Shaped the Globe",
      "author": "Sathnam Sanghera",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268762,
          "author": "royka118",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T21:51:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268762",
          "commentText": "Empire World \nAn amazing read that really opened my eye to the legacy of empire\nhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Empireworld-British-Imperialism-Sha... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Empireworld-British-Imperialism-Shaped-Globe-ebook/dp/B0C8CGFGMG)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Empire World \nAn amazing read that really opened my eye to the legacy of empire",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an amazing read that opened their eyes to empire's legacy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sathnam Sanghera"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "british empire",
        "imperialism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "empress-of-forever-2936e3",
      "title": "Empress of Forever",
      "author": "Max Gladstone",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37160454,
          "author": "harshreality",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T12:18:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37160454",
          "commentText": "I read that after reading Gladstone's scifi book[1]. I liked the poetic and emotional nature of it, but I thought it tried too hard to be both that and a science fiction story.  When I tried to grasp at the scifi aspect, it felt like I was grasping at air.\n[1] _Empress of Forever_, while not poetic, I thought had interesting ideas that were more fleshed out.  A lack of focus kept it out of top-tier scifi like Simmons' Hyperion for me, but it's worth a read if you like high-concept scifi like that.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "_Empress of Forever_, while not poetic, I thought had interesting ideas that were more fleshed out.",
          "reason": "The commenter thought it had interesting, developed ideas, while noting it was not poetic.",
          "audience": "Readers who like high-concept science fiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes a lack of focus kept it out of top-tier science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Max Gladstone"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "high concept science fiction",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "empty-planet-the-shock-of-global-population-decline-c4735e",
      "title": "Empty Planet: The Shock of Global Population Decline",
      "author": "Darrell Bricker and John Ibbitson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37937329,
          "author": "raminf",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:56:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937329",
          "commentText": "- Gödel, Escher, Bach (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gödel,_Escher,_Bach)\n- Empty Planet: The Shock of Global Population Decline.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Empty Planet: The Shock of Global Population Decline.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Darrell Bricker",
        "John Ibbitson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "demographics",
        "population decline"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "enchantment-77a866",
      "title": "Enchantment",
      "author": "Orson Scott Card",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2639788,
          "author": "pitdesi",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T04:20:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639788",
          "commentText": "Enchantment, by Orson Scott Card",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Enchantment, by Orson Scott Card",
          "reason": "Named in response to a question about the greatest book ever read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Orson Scott Card"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fairy tale retelling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "encyclopaedia-britannica-13a09e",
      "title": "Encyclopaedia Britannica",
      "author": "Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36440186,
          "author": "mturmon",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T22:42:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36440186",
          "commentText": "Similar thing here. Years later I purchased a used Encyclopedia Brittanica to see if it could bring some of that magic back. It didn't work, I didn't really engage with the articles in the same way.\nI think the World Book editors encouraged some kind of writing that was more engaging to grade school/teenage me. The set is still in my parents' house, but I'm scared that the spell might break if I open it again now.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I purchased a used Encyclopedia Brittanica to see if it could bring some of that magic back.",
          "reason": "The commenter bought it hoping to recapture the appeal of reading the World Book Encyclopedia, but did not engage with its articles in the same way.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it did not bring back the same magic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "encyclopedia",
        "reference"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "encyclopedia-of-mathematical-sciences-09e0e0",
      "title": "Encyclopedia of Mathematical Sciences",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21352760,
          "author": "rsj_hn",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-25T07:46:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21352760",
          "commentText": "I can second this. An amazing volume. If you want more details, I'd stick with the Soviet math school, which was amazing in it's pedagogical soundness and user friendly texts. Anything from the EMS -- Encyclopedia of Mathematical Sciences -- is worth picking up.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anything from the EMS -- Encyclopedia of Mathematical Sciences -- is worth picking up.",
          "reason": "Recommends titles in the series for their pedagogical soundness and user-friendly texts.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Soviet mathematics and well-taught mathematical texts.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematics reference",
        "soviet mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "end-game-a1190d",
      "title": "End Game",
      "author": "Leigh Louey-Gung",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25548338,
          "author": "ajot",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-27T02:33:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25548338",
          "commentText": "I don't know if I would recommend it liberally to anyone nowadays. But it influenced me a lot in how I perceive the world, myself and my relationships with other people.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I don't know if I would recommend it liberally to anyone nowadays.",
          "reason": "Says the book influenced how they perceive the world, themselves, and relationships.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter would not recommend it liberally to anyone nowadays.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25539705,
          "author": "rakwoelq",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-25T22:52:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25539705",
          "commentText": "The author is Leigh Louey-Gung (LoGun) and I would not recommend reading it.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22663642-end-game",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The author is Leigh Louey-Gung (LoGun) and I would not recommend reading it.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly says they would not recommend reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter discourages reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leigh Louey-Gung"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "end-game-04064a",
      "title": "End Game",
      "author": "Lindsay Buroker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237020,
          "author": "Jemaclus",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:13:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237020",
          "commentText": "I keep an active list of books I've read, along with my reviews at my book review website, https://books.brianseitel.com. One of the benefits of this is that my favorite books automatically populate on the left. In 2016, I read over 60 books. My top 10 for 2016 (so far) are, in rough order of favorite-ness:\n- \"All the Birds in the Sky\" by Charlie Jane Anders\n- \"The Shards of Heaven\" and its sequel \"The Gates of Hell\" by Michael Livingston (fictional story set in Roman times)\n- \"The Last Breath\" by Charlie Magee\n- \"The Guns of Empire\" by Django Wexler (Book 4 of The Shadow Campaigns series, which I highly recommend)\n- \"The King's Traitor\" by Jeff Wheeler (original take on Arthurian legend)\n- \"Uprooted\" by Naomi Novik\n- \"End Game\" by Lindsay Buroker (Book 8 of her sci-fi series, The Fallen Empire, which is a pretty fun series overall. Short and sweet adventures.)\n- \"Soulblade\" by Lindsay Buroker (Book 8 of her fantasy series, Dragon Blood, which is another great series. All of Buroker's books are good, imo.)\n- \"Ghost Talkers\" by Mary Robinette Kowal (It's WWII, ghosts are real... and they're spies.)\nThis year I also read books 1-3 of The Expanse, and I think they would also be in this list, except I haven't reviewed them yet. I'm currently reading Book 4, with the recently published book, Babylon's Ashes, in the queue. I fully expect these to make it into the top 10.\nObviously, I enjoy sci-fi / fantasy the most, but across a wide range of sub-genres. For non-sci-fi, my top read was \"I Will Teach You To Be Rich\" by Ramit Sethi, which really changed the way I organize my finances.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My top 10 for 2016 (so far) are, in rough order of favorite-ness:",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's top books of the year, ranked by preference.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Book 8 of The Fallen Empire series; the series is described as pretty fun, with short adventures.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lindsay Buroker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "end-times-elites-counter-elites-and-the-path-of-political-disinte-26f9c3",
      "title": "End Times: Elites, Counter-Elites, and the Path of Political Disintegration",
      "author": "Peter Turchin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38557077,
          "author": "rossdavidh",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T14:59:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557077",
          "commentText": "End Times: Elites, Counter-Elites, and the Path of Political Disintegration by Peter Turchin.  Instead of just bemoaning the current state of politics, Turchin uses a data-informed comparison to previous, similar cycles to see where we're headed.\nWhat if? 2 by Randall Munroe.  The physics, biology, and chemistry textbook we should have had in high school.\nDifferent: Gender Through the Eyes of a Primatologist by Frans de Waal.  Primatologist with half a century of experience analyzes current gender identity debates from the viewpoint of someone who knows about more than one primate species (not just humans).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Instead of just bemoaning the current state of politics, Turchin uses a data-informed comparison to previous, similar cycles to see where we're headed.",
          "reason": "Describes a data-informed comparison with past political cycles to assess where current politics may be headed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Turchin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical cycles",
        "political disintegration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "end-of-days-4a621c",
      "title": "End of Days",
      "author": "Dennis Danvers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 86223,
          "author": "icky",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:37:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86223",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- The Time Machine (still holds up very well, and seems strangely eerie and prescient in places)... (H. G. Wells)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Hobbit (and LotR) (Tolkien)\n- Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n- Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties (I picked up Idoru first, so I haven't yet read Virtual Light) (also Gibson)\n- The Difference Engine (Gibson, Sterling)\n- Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n- Cryptonomicon (\" \")\n- Circuit of Heaven, End of Days (Dennis Danvers)\n- All of the \"Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser\" stories and novels. (Fritz Leiber)\n- The Earthsea trilogy (Ursula K. LeGuin)\n- 'salem's Lot (Stephen King)\n- Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein)\n- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)\n- the Coldfire trilogy (C. S. Friedman)\n- various Cory Doctorow short stories\n- Kamikaze L'Amour (Richard Kadrey)\n- Lightpaths (Howard V. Hendrix)\n- A Canticle For Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)\n- Moonwar, Venus (Ben Bova)\n- the Stainless Steel Rat series (Harry Harrison)\n- Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)\n- Ringworld (Larry Niven)\n- Cthon (Piers Anthony) -- Trippiness level approaching Philip Jose Farmer ;-)\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (Douglas Adams)\n- The Black Company (Glen Cook)\n- there's one particularly good post-cyberpunk series that takes place in a world in which Canada emerged as a major world power, but for the life of me I can't rememeber the title.\n- the 1632 series (Eric Flint)... see also S. M. Stirling's Nantucket series (\"Island in the Sea of Time\", et al.), and H. Beam Piper's novel Kalvan of Otherwhen\nNon-fiction:\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (Hume)\n- the surviving words and works of Epicurus, and Diogenes the Cynic\n- Freakonomics (Levitt, Dubner)\n- The Gay Science (Nietzsche)\n- The Jefferson Bible (Christ, Jefferson (ed.))\n- The Devil's Dictionary (Bierce)\n- Brain Droppings (George Carlin)\n- anything by P. J. O'Rourke\n- anything by Dave Barry",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Circuit of Heaven, End of Days (Dennis Danvers)",
          "reason": "Listed under fiction in response to the thread’s question about favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dennis Danvers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "afterlife",
        "virtual reality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ender-s-shadow-series-40c2f7",
      "title": "Ender's Shadow series",
      "author": "Orson Scott Card",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15671440,
          "author": "gravidor",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-10T17:33:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15671440",
          "commentText": "The Name of the Wind - For all the reasons mentioned above, is one of my absolute favorite fiction books.  Its not just the characters, its Rothfuss' use of language.  I've never kept track of so many quotable phrases in a book.\nEnders Shadow Series by Orson Scott Card - I loved the majority of the Ender's Game series was disappointed when it was over.  Throughout those books, Bean was always my favorite character and it was a great day when I discovered the Ender's Shadow series which chronicles Bean's life over several books. The thing I loved most about Bean were his powers of analysis and he taught me to think more about scenario outcomes and think about multiple ways of achieving my goals.\nDune - A pattern is emerging here.  I love the books where the hero CHOOSES to ascend and works to get there.  Paul Atredies starts out a boy against harsh conditions and rises to the challenge.\nThe Stand by Stephen King - I read this book when I was 14 or 15 on summer break in a week.  I fell in from the start and read for entire days until it was done and when it was over I was in awe at the size (1000+ pages) and scope of what King accomplished.\nThe Alpha Strategy by John Pugsley - Its an interesting book and look at economics and wealth preservation in layman's terms.  Its funny because this book was written in the 80s and when I read it, it was immediately applicable.  I grew up in a pretty liberal household and this book made me start to pay attention to what liberals and conservatives were saying and form my own opinions.\nAtlas Shrugged - I read this right after the book above and the two in combination really caused a mindeset shift for me. It wasn't so much that everyone is out to get me or against me, but more I am responsible for my outcomes and I need to invest in myself.\nE-Myth Revisited By Michael Gerber - Piqued my interest in systems and where I started to learn the value of systems and making success repeatable.\nWorking the System By Sam Carpenter - More of the \"how-to\" book E-Myth Revisited should have been.\nDaemon Series - This one has been mentioned and while it didn't have the impact on my that the other books did, I did enjoy the world the author created.\nThieves Emporium by Max Hernandez - This was a quick read and appealed to my love of technical fiction.  Similar to Daemon, its use of technology in the story is interesting and not that far off from the real world at this point.  [WARNING: GRAPHIC SCENES]\nI was unambitious and coasted through life until after college, and it wasn't until I was in my late 20s that I started really reading books like these.  Over the past few years, I've become almost a completely different person.  I read a tremendous amount and can say its had a huge impact on my \"mental models\" and how I approach life.\nBooks I'm interested in reading next include: \n- Meditations\n- Works on mental models\n- Elon Musk biography (the amount he's able to accomplish quickly is staggering)\nI don't read as much fiction as I used to, instead choosing to focus on technical books, but fiction has definitely had an impact on my development as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it was a great day when I discovered the Ender's Shadow series",
          "reason": "Says they loved discovering the series and praises Bean's analytical thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Orson Scott Card"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military science fiction",
        "strategic thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "enderverse-6e4e4b",
      "title": "Enderverse",
      "author": "Orson Scott Card",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9348757,
          "author": "blumkvist",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:27:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348757",
          "commentText": "Good suggestions already ITT, so I'm not gonna repeat.\nAll of Enderverse by Orson Scot Card is simply excellent. Ender's game is a nice peak into what goes on in the whole series. A mash between true strategy, relationships, personal development, philosophy and is very engaging.\nHowever the rest of the Ender series deal mainly with philosophy. Plenty of nuggets there. Additionally Shadow's saga is situated on Earth and is about strategy and competing. Highly recommended too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All of Enderverse by Orson Scot Card is simply excellent.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the series excellent and recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Orson Scott Card"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military science fiction",
        "philosophical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "endgame-919d6f",
      "title": "Endgame",
      "author": "Leigh Louey Gung",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15766338,
          "author": "tomjen3",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T17:02:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15766338",
          "commentText": "There is a place where you can (supposedly) buy it, but it is pricy: http://www.lulu.com/shop/leigh-louey-gung/endgame/ebook/prod... (http://www.lulu.com/shop/leigh-louey-gung/endgame/ebook/product-18498961.html)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "There is a place where you can (supposedly) buy it, but it is pricy:",
          "reason": "The commenter provides a place to buy the previously discussed book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it is pricey.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15764542,
          "author": "CodeKommissar",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T12:18:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15764542",
          "commentText": "Not OP, but the book he is referring is probably Endgame by Leigh Louey Gung aka \"Logun\", and he was an Australian \"pick-up artist\" (I don't think he called himself a pick-up artist, but whatever). He wrote some books, did video courses and writed articles in this site:  http://attractioninstitute.com/, but I don't think he is active anymore (altough his site is still online).\nI would recommend the book. It wasn't just a bit about how to pickup random women on the streets, it was more about why and how to improve yourself so you could get in a state were doing anything that before could cause you pain or anxiety (like approaching a random women in the street just to ask her what time is it), more easy, but that was just a consequence of improving yourself.\nKeep in mind that I read the book 3 or 4 years ago, so I wouldn't be capable to say if is still as good as I remember it, but I'd still recommend anyone to read it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I would recommend the book.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it for personal development and describes the remembered value as helping readers face anxiety-provoking situations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter read it three or four years earlier and cannot say whether it is still as good as they remember.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leigh Louey Gung"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal development",
        "pickup community"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "endgame-bobby-fischer-s-remarkable-rise-and-fall-26e27e",
      "title": "Endgame: Bobby Fischer's Remarkable Rise and Fall",
      "author": "Frank Brady",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4787426,
          "author": "spuiszis",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:23:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787426",
          "commentText": "Man's Search for Meaning - ViktorFrankl\nEndgame (Biography of Bobby Fischer) - Frank Brady\nWalt Disney - Bob Thomas\nThe Given Day - Dennis Lehane (Fiction)\nShutter Island - Dennis Lehane (Way better than movie)\nMichael Lewis - The Big Short\nChurchill - Paul Johnson (faster read than the others)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Endgame (Biography of Bobby Fischer) - Frank Brady",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frank Brady"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bobby fischer",
        "chess"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "enduring-love-d41e35",
      "title": "Enduring Love",
      "author": "Ian McEwan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237188,
          "author": "kranner",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:44:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237188",
          "commentText": "- Tetris: The Games People Play by Box Brown\n- Tibet, Tibet by Patrick French\n- Maya: A Novel by CW Huntington, Jr\n- The Science of Enlightenment by Shinzen Young\n- Flask Web Development by Miguel Grinberg\n- Buddha's Diet by Tara Cottrell\n- A Feast of Vultures by Josy Joseph\n- Genghis Khan: Life, Death and Resurrection by John Man\n- Chasing the Scream by Johann Hari\n- Cuckold by Kiran Nagarkar\n- Goliath by Tom Gauld\n- This Will Never Happen Again by David Cain\n- Cure by Jo Marchant\n- If It’s Monday It Must Be Madurai: A Conducted Tour of India by Srinath Perur\n- Deep Work by Cal Newport\n- Enduring Love by Ian McEwan\n- The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery\n- The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt\n- The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion\nand a few others that aren't worth recommending; all the above are.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "all the above are.",
          "reason": "The commenter includes the listed books among those worth recommending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ian McEwan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "psychological drama"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "energy-systems-a-very-short-introduction-b950c5",
      "title": "Energy Systems: A Very Short Introduction",
      "author": "Nick Jenkins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40293267,
          "author": "sandwichukulele",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-08T00:56:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40293267",
          "commentText": "Energy Systems: A Very Short Introduction by Nick Jenkins (2019) Oxford University Press.\nI am very interested in figuring out how to reduce the cost of energy and given my background is only in CS and Economics, I frequently have to reference texts like this until I have a better understanding to move beyond",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Energy Systems: A Very Short Introduction by Nick Jenkins (2019)",
          "reason": "Uses it as a reference while building understanding of energy systems beyond computer science and economics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nick Jenkins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "energy systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "energy-and-civilization-e18d63",
      "title": "Energy and Civilization",
      "author": "Vaclav Smil",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34176258,
          "author": "sershe",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-29T18:48:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34176258",
          "commentText": "1) Chris Moriarty. Spin State - relatively-hard sci-fi with decent non sci-fi elements (i.e. characters and stuff), which I think is rare.\n2) Ralph Ellison. Invisible Man. I really enjoyed the writing, among other things, and how he captures short moments and scenes with sort of a hard-to-describe quality of a visual art, almost.\n3) Ilya Somin. Free To Move. To me most of the book was \"duh\" but I think it would be a good read for people on the fence about immigration and private vs public institutions.\n4) Vaclav Smil. Energy And Civilization; possibly How the World Really Works, still reading that one. Really dense and detailed examination of energy history of mankind for the former, and infrastructure of technological civilization for the latter.\n5) Pluckrose & Lindsday. Cynical Theories. Good 101 on CRT and modern woke movement.\n6) Alexander. New Jim Crow. Good 101 on war on drugs, although some broader social arguments the book makes straightforwardly don't seem to follow, or are contradicted by, its factual base IMHO.\n7) Stephenson. Seveneves - really good hard sci-fi imho, although felt very, very long.\n8) Orwell. Down and Out in Paris and London. A good book about poverty only 70-100 years ago. Also a good perspective for modern complaints about poverty - I have some non-US background for that, so I think many US readers might benefit more.\nOn the fence. \n1) I want to plug Seleukid Royal Economy, just for the hell of it, if you are interested in ancient economy :)\n2) Galef. Scout Mindset - on the fence about this one, but it seemed like it was way too long for what it offers. Maybe I've just read a lot of the same stuff ago.\n3) Okorafor. Binti - not bad as a YA book, but sci-fi aspects are remarkably bad.\nA few more I'm too lazy to type out ;)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Really dense and detailed examination of energy history of mankind for the former",
          "reason": "Described as a dense, detailed examination of humanity's energy history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Very dense and detailed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vaclav Smil"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "energy history",
        "energy systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "engineering-general-intelligence-part-1-fe00a6",
      "title": "Engineering General Intelligence, Part 1",
      "author": "Ben Goertzel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Engineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ben Goertzel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial general intelligence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "engineering-general-intelligence-part-2-2f57bd",
      "title": "Engineering General Intelligence, Part 2",
      "author": "Ben Goertzel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Engineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ben Goertzel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial general intelligence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "engineering-principles-of-combat-modeling-and-distributed-simulat-33ffa1",
      "title": "Engineering Principles of Combat Modeling and Distributed Simulation",
      "author": "Andreas Tolk",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16758142,
          "author": "engi_nerd",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T19:34:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16758142",
          "commentText": "I keep a wide variety of references around this desk. Some of my favorites:\nManuel Lima's \"Visual Complexity\", \"The Book of Circles\", and \"The Book of Trees\". These are useful as references and as visualization inspiration.\nJacques Bertin's \"Semiology of Graphics\". Gorgeous and immensely useful.\nDesmond and Nicholas Higham's \"MATLAB Guide, 3rd Edition\", and Yair Altman's \"Accelerating MATLAB Performance\". Both are invaluable for serious MATLAB work.\nTitus A. Beu's book on Numerical Programming is very good as a reference.\nFor anyone needing to work on military simulations, \"Engineering Principles of Combat Modeling and Distributed Simulation\" by Tolk is the best reference I have found on the subject.\nAnd TAOCP and CLRS are here for reference purposes as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Engineering Principles of Combat Modeling and Distributed Simulation\" by Tolk is the best reference I have found on the subject.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the best reference they have found on military simulations.",
          "audience": "People working on military simulations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andreas Tolk"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "combat modeling",
        "distributed simulation",
        "military simulation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "engineering-your-startup-2c4aab",
      "title": "Engineering Your Startup",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 601113,
          "author": "ScottWhigham",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-09T17:05:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 600953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on the nuts and bolts of starting up",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=601113",
          "commentText": "I got this as a gift a while back and it's okay.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I got this as a gift a while back and it's okay.",
          "reason": "Gives the book a mild, qualified evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes it as only okay.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "startup operations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "engineering-a-safer-world-systems-thinking-applied-to-safety-29d77e",
      "title": "Engineering a Safer World: Systems Thinking Applied to Safety",
      "author": "Nancy Leveson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33802275,
          "author": "wnzl",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T15:43:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33802275",
          "commentText": "Engineering a Safer World: Systems Thinking Applied to Safety\nby Nancy Leveson\nDefinitely one of better books that makes you think outside the box.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Definitely one of better books that makes you think outside the box.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it encourages thinking outside the box.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nancy Leveson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "safety engineering",
        "systems thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "engines-of-creation-the-coming-era-of-nanotechnology-5fa707",
      "title": "Engines of Creation: The Coming Era of Nanotechnology",
      "author": "K. Eric Drexler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 177057,
          "author": "softbuilder",
          "createdAt": "2008-04-29T22:18:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 176803,
          "threadTitle": "Which is your favorite 70-80s computer book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=177057",
          "commentText": "It's kind of an out-lier but Engines of Creation. Not strictly about computers, but it had the first description of hypertext that I had seen.\nIf we really have to go 8-bit then the TI-BASIC manual I had for my 99/4A. I had no secondary storage, so I'd type in 100 lines of code and run it. Then retype it all and make some changes and run it again. And then have to turn the damned thing off (losing everything) because my parents wanted to use the TV. Bastards.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Engines of Creation. Not strictly about computers, but it had the first description of hypertext that I had seen.",
          "reason": "Names a favorite and recalls its description of hypertext.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not strictly about computers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "K. Eric Drexler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hypertext",
        "nanotechnology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "english-country-life-1780-1830-b2a188",
      "title": "English Country Life 1780–1830",
      "author": "E. W. Bovill",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 240684,
          "author": "pg",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T02:30:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240684",
          "commentText": "The best thing I've been reading lately is E. W. Bovill's English Country Life 1780-1830.  Boring title, but a great book.  His Golden Trade of the Moors is fabulous.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Boring title, but a great book.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great book despite finding its title boring.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The title is described as boring.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "E. W. Bovill"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "english social history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "english-society-in-the-early-middle-ages-bbdf37",
      "title": "English Society in the Early Middle Ages",
      "author": "Doris Mary Stenton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4026598,
          "author": "pg",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-26T05:35:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4026598",
          "commentText": "Doris Stenton's English Society in the Early Middle Ages",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Doris Stenton's English Society in the Early Middle Ages",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for a great book read recently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Doris Mary Stenton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "early medieval england",
        "social history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "english-standard-version-ca0da1",
      "title": "English Standard Version",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34166359,
          "author": "kcartlidge",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T21:41:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34166359",
          "commentText": "Good recommendations, but for other readers I'd strongly avoid the KJV Bible as the language isn't just archaic but on occasion even the meanings of words has changed in the intervening hundreds of years.  At the very least go for the New King James (NKJV) if you like the language style, but otherwise something like the ESV or CEV will read better for the modern mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "something like the ESV",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a translation that reads better for the modern mind.",
          "audience": "Modern readers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bible translation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "enlightenment-now-265020",
      "title": "Enlightenment Now",
      "author": "Steven Pinker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18752250,
          "author": "joshuahedlund",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-24T14:27:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18752250",
          "commentText": "Enlightenment Now by Steven Pinker (stunning global progress in the last two centuries)\nThe Newcomers by Helen Thorpe (refugee students learning English and American culture)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Enlightenment Now by Steven Pinker (stunning global progress in the last two centuries)",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite nonfiction book; the description calls its account of global progress stunning.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Pinker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human progress"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "enneads-7fe14b",
      "title": "Enneads",
      "author": "Plotinus",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19090108,
          "author": "nathias",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T21:39:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090108",
          "commentText": "Plato - Meno, Symposium, Parmenides, Gorgias, Protagoras\nPlotinus -Enneads\nMarkus Aurelius - Meditations\nDescartes - On method\nDescartes - Meditations\nSpinoza - On the improvement of Understanding\nLeibniz - Monadology\nLeibniz - Grace\nVoltaire - Candid\nDiderot - D'Alembert's Dream\nKant - How to orient oneself in thinking\nKant - Critique of Pure Reason\nKant - Critique of Judgment\nHegel - Phenomenology of Spirit\nHegel - Logic\nvon Kleist - Marionette Theatre\nKierkegaard - The Sickness Unto Death\nHeidegger - Being and Time\nSartre - Being and Nothingness\nSartre - Flies\nSartre - Nausea\nDeleuze - Difference and Repetition\nKafka - Metamorphosis\nKafka - The Castle\nLem - Magellan Nebula\nLem - His Master's Voice\nCioran - A Short History of Decay\nPessoa - Book Of Despair\nWolfe -  New Sun tetralogy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Plotinus -Enneads",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Plotinus"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "neoplatonism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "enough-inigo-enough-9f085a",
      "title": "Enough Inigo Enough",
      "author": "Nina Laden",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26779567,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-12T14:03:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26779567",
          "commentText": "My daughter loved all types of books when she was younger.\nMy son, who will be 3 in July, seems to only like books that rhythm or have some type of pattern.\nHere are some he likes:\nEnough Inigo Enough https://www.amazon.com/Enough-Inigo-Gentle-Revolution/dp/075... (https://www.amazon.com/Enough-Inigo-Gentle-Revolution/dp/0757001939)\nGood Night Moon https://www.amazon.com/Goodnight-Moon-Margaret-Wise-Brown/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Goodnight-Moon-Margaret-Wise-Brown/dp/0694003611)\nLittle Blue Truck https://www.amazon.com/Little-Blue-Truck-board-book/dp/05445... (https://www.amazon.com/Little-Blue-Truck-board-book/dp/0544568036)\nGreen Eggs and Ham https://www.amazon.com/Green-Eggs-Ham-Dr-Seuss/dp/0394800168",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Enough Inigo Enough",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "A child who likes books with rhythm or a pattern.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nina Laden"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s picture books",
        "rhyming books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "enough-rope-to-shoot-yourself-in-the-foot-rules-for-c-and-c-progr-5a4d75",
      "title": "Enough Rope to Shoot Yourself in the Foot: Rules for C and C++ Programmers",
      "author": "Alan C. Holub",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28663173,
          "author": "coder4life",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T18:15:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28663173",
          "commentText": "\"Enough rope to shoot yourself in the foot - rules for C and C++ programmers\" by Alan C Holub.\nAnd \"Compiler design in C\", also by him",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Enough rope to shoot yourself in the foot - rules for C and C++ programmers\" by Alan C Holub.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan C. Holub"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "enough-rope-to-shoot-yourself-in-the-foot-rules-for-c-and-c-progr-016e00",
      "title": "Enough Rope to Shoot Yourself in the Foot: Rules for C and C++ Programming",
      "author": "Allen I. Holub",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16358031,
          "author": "xstartup",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-12T11:40:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16358031",
          "commentText": "McConnell, Steve. Code Complete. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Press, 1993.\nMcConnell, Steve. Software Project Survival Guide. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Press, 1998.\nMaguire, Steve. Writing Solid Code. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Press, 1993.\nRanade and Nash. The Elements of C Programming Style. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1992.\nKernighan and Plauger. The Elements of Programming Style. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1982.\nCaner, Cem, et al. Testing Computer Software, Second Edition. New York: Wiley Computer Publishing, 1999.\nHunt, Andrew, et al. The Pragmatic Programmer. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 2000.\nHolub, Allen. Enough Rope to Shoot Yourself in the Foot: Rules for C and C++ Programming. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1995.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Holub, Allen. Enough Rope to Shoot Yourself in the Foot: Rules for C and C++ Programming.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the question about books colleagues should have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Allen I. Holub"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "entangled-life-how-fungi-make-our-worlds-change-our-minds-shape-o-cca52f",
      "title": "Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures",
      "author": "Merlin Sheldrake",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34161717,
          "author": "jsenn",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T15:13:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161717",
          "commentText": "You might also like Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake. It's focused on fungi rather than trees, but has a similar outlook. Overall it's a bit more down to earth and factual (or at least it seems that way to me, having no special knowledge of the subject matter), but no less eye-opening or fun to read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You might also like Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a related book, with a focus on fungi and an outlook similar to the parent-mentioned tree book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it seems more down to earth and factual, while noting they lack special knowledge of the subject.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Merlin Sheldrake"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fungi",
        "mycology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "entering-startupland-d56d32",
      "title": "Entering StartupLand",
      "author": "Jeffrey Bussgang",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeffrey Bussgang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "startup careers",
        "startups"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "enterprise-rails-aa4ac5",
      "title": "Enterprise Rails",
      "author": "Dan Chak",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 781123,
          "author": "100k",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-23T22:22:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 781079,
          "threadTitle": "Can you recommend some good RoR books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=781123",
          "commentText": "I like \"Enterprise Rails\". It's a rather contrarian Rails book in that it doesn't hew to the Rails anti-DB orthodoxy. It's clearly written and has a good example that evolves over the course of the book. It's meant to be a 2nd Rails book, after you're familiar with the framework.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Enterprise-Rails-Dan-Chak/dp/059651520... (http://www.amazon.com/Enterprise-Rails-Dan-Chak/dp/0596515200)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I like \"Enterprise Rails\". It's a rather contrarian Rails book in that it doesn't hew to the Rails anti-DB orthodoxy. It's clearly written and has a good example that evolves over the course of the book. It's meant to be a 2nd Rails book, after you're familiar with the framework.",
          "reason": "Calls it clearly written and praises its evolving example.",
          "audience": "Readers already familiar with Rails; intended as a second Rails book.",
          "caveat": "Takes a contrarian position on Rails' anti-database orthodoxy.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Chak"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "enterprise web development",
        "ruby on rails"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "entrepreneurship-negotiation-0fd469",
      "title": "Entrepreneurship Negotiation",
      "author": "Dinnar and Susskind",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35170084,
          "author": "Mizoguchi",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T15:44:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35170084",
          "commentText": "Entrepreneurship Negotiation by Dinnar and Susskind covers some of the most fundamental topics anyone wanting to become an entrepreneur must know.\nI also find Richard Thaler work (Nudge, Misbehaving) very helpful particularly if you are in the B2C domain.\nThe Black Swan by Taleb is another book I find myself going back to often; it's been of great help for decision making under lots of uncertainty.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Entrepreneurship Negotiation by Dinnar and Susskind covers some of the most fundamental topics anyone wanting to become an entrepreneur must know.",
          "reason": "Covers fundamental topics for aspiring entrepreneurs.",
          "audience": "Anyone wanting to become an entrepreneur.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dinnar",
        "Susskind"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "negotiation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "enuma-elis-d65fd5",
      "title": "Enûma Eliš",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36135179,
          "author": "hello_computer",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-31T06:31:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36135179",
          "commentText": "Start with the originals--Torah, Bible, Koran, Vedas, Buddhist Canons, Greco-Roman Mythologies, Avesta, Enûma Eliš--then work your way out toward commentaries, sects, cults, precursors, apocrypha, heresies, schisms, etc.  The problem with any condensed \"Grand Tour of Religion\" is the inevitable editorial bias (i.e. adopting someone else's understanding instead of developing your own).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Avesta, Enûma Eliš",
          "reason": "Included among primary religious texts to start with.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter recommends a broad sequence of primary texts before commentaries and other traditions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creation epic",
        "mesopotamian mythology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "epistemic-justification-8746cc",
      "title": "Epistemic Justification",
      "author": "William Alston",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503671,
          "author": "zppx",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T14:26:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503671",
          "commentText": "My list:\n- Pirkei Avot, it's a section of the Mishnah (a part of the Talmud), it summarizes the jewish moral thought (well, not for the Karaites Jews, they did not believe in the Talmud), I was born in a Orthodox Jewish family so it was important on my beliefs, even though I am an Atheist now.\n- Organon, it's a compilation of Aristotle's logic works, they are the basis for the logical thought of the Western civilization, I think it's easier to read the originals than compendiums.\n- Philosophical Investigations, the second book of Wittgenstein, it's dense, and obscure to some extent, but it's really eye-opener, some ideas that influenced the last century are introduced there.\n- Proofs and Refutations, a posthumous work by Imre Lakatos, it defied much of my established view on how Mathematics works.\n- Thus Spoke Zarathustra, a powerful book, it's dense and you can only drag many conclusions from it when you read other works from Nietzsche, which lead to my next book.\n- On the Genealogy of Morality, this is for me the most important of the 5 books that I have read from Nietzsche, in the first essay of the book the concept of master morality and slave morality is introduced, some people think that Nietzsche favors the first, I disagree, for me he describes and criticizes both.\n- Truth and Method, the classic of Gadamer, some people call it a \"postmodern\" work, this only serves to show how \"modern\" some of the \"postmodern\" were, the book basically addresses how our current beliefs and customs, which he calls traditions, plays an important part in our hermeneutics and how we always are biased to interpret something.\n- Epistemic Justification, this book of William Alston is a good refinement if you already know some epistemology, although I disagree with the \"justified true belief\" definition of knowledge, that is the main theme of the book and its essays, it introduced some questions about the nature and limitations of knowledge.\n- Inquiry into the Human Mind, by Thomas Reid is a good read and also a staunch defense of the common sense.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "this book of William Alston is a good refinement if you already know some epistemology",
          "reason": "Calls it a useful refinement for readers who already know epistemology.",
          "audience": "Readers with prior knowledge of epistemology.",
          "caveat": "The commenter disagrees with its justified true belief definition of knowledge.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Alston"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epistemology",
        "justification"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "epistle-to-the-romans-3e8703",
      "title": "Epistle to the Romans",
      "author": "Paul the Apostle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23858967,
          "author": "ARandomerDude",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:51:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858967",
          "commentText": "The Epistle to the Romans and Proverbs were game-changers for how I understand the world around me, and why people do what they do.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Epistle to the Romans and Proverbs were game-changers for how I understand the world around me",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed how they understand the world and people's actions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul the Apostle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian theology",
        "new testament"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "equal-rites-509914",
      "title": "Equal Rites",
      "author": "Terry Pratchett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41175693,
          "author": "dcminter",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:41:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175693",
          "commentText": "\"Best\" is always too hard - here are a handful that I love.\nPride & Prejudice - Jane Austen\nJonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - Susannah Clarke\nThe Crow Road - Iain Banks\nEqual Rites - Terry Pratchett\nThree Men in a Boat - Jerome K. Jerome\nA Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson\nBlack Holes & Time Warps - Kip Thorne\nThe Inventions of Daedalus - David E H Jones\nThe Cuckoo's Egg - Cliff Stoll\nI hope one or two of those float your boat!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Equal Rites - Terry Pratchett",
          "reason": "Offers it as one of a handful of books the commenter loves in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says choosing the “best” is too hard.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry Pratchett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "erast-fandorin-b0b3b7",
      "title": "Erast Fandorin",
      "author": "Boris Akunin",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17390241,
          "author": "piecu",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-25T06:12:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17390241",
          "commentText": "I would recommend Boris Akunin (I suggest to start with Erast Fandorin series), I don't know whether he is known in the US.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boris_Akunin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend Boris Akunin (I suggest to start with Erast Fandorin series)",
          "reason": "Recommends starting with the Erast Fandorin series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Boris Akunin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical detective fiction",
        "russian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "eric-d97e6a",
      "title": "Eric",
      "author": "Terry Pratchett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41175880,
          "author": "nop_slide",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T22:03:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175880",
          "commentText": "Can second this! Read Monte Cristo last year and still think about it.\nI’m also working my way through discworld chronologically, just read “Eric”. Highly recommend this series :)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "just read “Eric”",
          "reason": "Mentions the specific book as the latest one they read in the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665061,
          "author": "sn41",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:11:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665061",
          "commentText": "Since no one has mentioned it so far, I recommend the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. This year, I finished (numbers in Discworld order, annotated by the series):\n9. Eric [Rincewind]\n10. Moving Pictures [Independent]\n12. Witches Abroad [Witches]\n18. Maskerade [Witches]\n19. Feet of clay [The City Watch]\n23. Carpe Jugulum [Witches]\n32. A Hat Full of Sky [Tiffany Aching]\n37. Unseen Academicals [Wizards]\n38. I Shall Wear Midnight [Tiffany Aching]\nBrilliant series, highly recommended. Whenever I feel down, I re-read one of the Witches series - I spot something I never noticed before - an immediate mood-booster!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "9. Eric [Rincewind]",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the Discworld books the commenter finished this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry Pratchett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fantasy",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "eric-carle-books-532c02",
      "title": "Eric Carle books",
      "author": "Eric Carle",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26775082,
          "author": "rmk",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-12T00:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26775082",
          "commentText": "- Good Night, Moon\n- The Runaway Bunny\n- Harold and the Purple Crayon\n- Grandfather Twilight (for slightly older children)\n- Sandra Boynton books\n- Max's Breakfast (and other books)\n- I Read Signs (Tana Hoban; other books by her also quite good)\n- Go! Go! Go! Stop! (Cherise Mericle Harper)\n- Little Pea (Amy Krouse Rosenthal)\n- Trucks, My Car (and other Byron Barton books)\n- The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Eric Carle; some other books by this author are also good)\n- Roadwork (Sally Sutton; also in the same vein by the illustrator Brian Lovelock: Demolition, Flight of the Honey Bee, The Rain Train).\nMany others come to mind, but these are well-loved.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "some other books by this author are also good",
          "reason": "The commenter says other books by Eric Carle are also good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Carle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "eric-carle-s-books-51d275",
      "title": "Eric Carle’s books",
      "author": "Eric Carle",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50039807,
          "author": "jkestner",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T04:31:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50039807",
          "commentText": "In that case, anything you can stand to read over and over again with feeling (Little Blue Truck was it for me), and the Eric Carle and Sandra Boynton books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Eric Carle and Sandra Boynton books",
          "reason": "Suggested as books to read repeatedly to young children.",
          "audience": "Young children read to by a caregiver.",
          "caveat": "No individual titles are specified.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Carle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "board books",
        "children s picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "erlang-programming-6b8a60",
      "title": "Erlang Programming",
      "author": "Francesco Cesarini",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1865933,
          "author": "rlander",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T18:45:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865933",
          "commentText": "* The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (audiobook)\n* Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay (kindle)\n* Erlang Programming by Francesco Cesarini (rereading mostly because of the excellent exercises)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Erlang Programming by Francesco Cesarini",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Francesco Cesarini"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "erlang",
        "programming exercises"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "erlang-software-for-a-concurrent-world-ffbd90",
      "title": "Erlang: Software for a Concurrent World",
      "author": "Joe Armstrong",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25991607,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2021-02-01T18:26:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 25987664,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommended books and papers on distributed systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25991607",
          "commentText": "Joe Armstrong, Erlang, software for a concurrent world. It passes the first criterion: time tested. Not so much the second of having been previously impossible, because Erlang could and does run on yesterday's hardware.\nErlang isn't theoretical. It's practical engineering. It works because message passing is what distributed systems have to do and at scale portions of a distributed system will become unavailable.\nThere are very specific problems that require more detailed engineering like Lamport Clocks and Raft Consensus Protocol. But not the general case. The general case is \"being good enough\" as is the nature of engineering.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Joe Armstrong, Erlang, software for a concurrent world.",
          "reason": "Offered as a time-tested practical engineering resource about Erlang and distributed systems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it does not fit the criterion of previously impossible ideas.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joe Armstrong"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "concurrent programming",
        "distributed systems",
        "erlang"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ernest-bevin-1ddc51",
      "title": "Ernest Bevin",
      "author": "Andrew Adonis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42993084,
          "author": "fiftyacorn",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-09T19:37:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42993084",
          "commentText": "Ernest Bevin by Andrew Adonis is a biography of Bevin from his poor roots to being in charge of the TUC during labour. It's interesting to note that when Churchill had to decide between backing Beaverbrook or Bevin he chose Bevin, and why you see Bevin next to Churchill in the famous VE day photos. Bevin approach of working with business to achieve collective bargaining outcomes that worked for both sides, and demonstrates how hard fought this battle was. He wasn't perfect, but an interesting man",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ernest Bevin by Andrew Adonis is a biography of Bevin",
          "reason": "Describes the biography as interesting and discusses Bevin's political work and approach to collective bargaining.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Bevin “wasn't perfect.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew Adonis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "british politics",
        "labor history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ernest-hemingway-on-writing-b5f2a0",
      "title": "Ernest Hemingway on Writing",
      "author": "Ernest Hemingway",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15762394,
          "author": "sukhadatkeereo",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T02:46:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762394",
          "commentText": "1.Rice, Noodle, Fish: Deep Travels Through Japan's Food Culture by Matt Goulding\n2.Oaxaca Journal by Oliver Sacks\n3.A History of the World in 100 Objects by Neil MacGregor\n4.Ernest Hemingway on Writing by Ernest Hemingway\n5.Seven Elements That Have Changed the World: An Adventure of Ingenuity and Discovery by John Browne.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ernest Hemingway on Writing by Ernest Hemingway",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ernest Hemingway"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "writing craft"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "escape-velocity-1a8d5d",
      "title": "Escape Velocity",
      "author": "Mark Dery",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13238592,
          "author": "apocalypstyx",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T17:07:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238592",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\nInherent Vice  ---  Thomas Pynchon\nThe Great and Secret Show  ---  Clive Barker\nJurassic Park  ---  Michael Crichton\nThe Mothman Prophecies  ---  John A. Keel (1)\nThe Wind in the Willows  ---  Kenneth Grahame\nEnder's Game  ---  Orson Scott Card\nAll Quiet on the Western Front  ---   Erich Maria Remarque\nThe Drought  ---  J. G. Ballard\nThe Dead Father's Club  ---  Matt Harris\nChildren of Men  ---  P. D. James\nThe Islanders  ---  Pascal Garnier\nSilence of the Lambs  ---  Thomas Harris\nInherit the Wind  ---  Jerome Lawrence & Robert E. Lee\nThe Butt  ---  Will Self\nInside Outside  ---  Philip Jose Farmer\nThe Panda Theory  ---  Pascal Garnier\nFanshaw  ---  Nathaniel Hawthorne\nThe Scarlet Letter  ---  Nathaniel Hawthorne\nThis Census-Taker  ---  China Mieville\nThe House of the Seven Gables  ---  Nathaniel Hawthorne\nThe A26  ---  Pascal Garnier\nThe Blithedale Romance  ---  Nathaniel Hawthorne\nThe Weird  ---  Edited by Jeff VanderMeer & Ann VanderMeer (2)\nFront Seat Passenger  ---  Pascal Garnier\nNon-Fiction:\nThe Wealth of Networks  ---  Yochai Benkler\nField Notes from A Catastrophe  ---  Elizabeth Kolbert\nWhat Ever Happened to Modernism?  ---  Gabriel Josipovici\nEscape Velocity  ---  Mark Dery\nWhat We See When We Read  ---  Peter Mendelsund\n(1) Author described as non-fiction, publisher hedged bets and labelled in as such, supposedly.\n(2) If only this book could be picked by Subterranean or Centipede press so it'd be a better printed and bound book than Tor ever seems to want to do.\nI always recommend Ballard, even when not wanted.  Relevant quote:\n   A story by J. G. Ballard, as you know, calls for people who don't\n   think. One begins with characters who regard the physical universe\n   as a mysterious and arbitrary place, and who would not dream of\n   trying to understand its actual laws. Furthermore, in order to be\n   the protagonist of a J.G. Ballard novel, or anything more than a\n   very minor character therein, you must have cut yourself off from\n   the entire body of scientific education. In this way, when the world\n   disaster — be it wind or water — comes upon you, you are under\n   absolutely no obligation to do anything about it but sit and worship\n   it. Even more further, some force has acted to remove from the face\n   of the world all people who might impose good sense or rational\n   behavior on you, so that the disaster proceeds unchecked and unopposed\n   except by the almost inevitable thumb-rule engineer type who for\n   his individual comfort builds a huge pyramid (without huge footings)\n   to resist high winds, or trains a herd of alligators and renegade\n   divers to help him out in dealing with deep water.  Algis Budrys,\n   Galaxy magazine (December 1966)\n\n\nI'd recommend Pascal Garnier for anyone who likes sickly dark humor + surrealism + noir + a kind of Ballardian-air.  Also Pynchon.  Hawthorne might be the stand-out this year, in the sense of his works' subtle, implicit ability to question the authorial mode, the nature of the text itself, and the instability of it.\nIn non-fiction I'd recommend Dery's Escape Velocity; It's from the 90s but still deals too presciently with many of the issues around the near-religification of modern electronic technology.  And Josipovici if you lean toward depressive jolts of existential anxiety (it deals mostly with the arts, but I think there's a broader life applicability).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend Dery's Escape Velocity",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it for its prescient treatment of issues around near-religious devotion to electronic technology.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in technology and its cultural meaning.",
          "caveat": "From the 1990s.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Dery"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "digital culture",
        "technology criticism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "escape-from-camp-14-d535f5",
      "title": "Escape from Camp 14",
      "author": "Blaine Harden",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4787936,
          "author": "SuperChihuahua",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T10:10:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787936",
          "commentText": "Coders at work\nThe numbers behind Numb3rs\nStatistical methods in counterterrorism\nTotal recall (the biography by Schwarzenegger)\nFrom dictatorship to democracy (available for free here: http://www.aeinstein.org/organizations98ce.html)\nThe miracle of mindfulness\nThe design of everyday things\nEscape from camp 14",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Escape from camp 14",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Blaine Harden"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "north korea"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "escape-from-earth-a-secret-history-of-the-space-rocket-e286f4",
      "title": "Escape from Earth: A Secret History of the Space Rocket",
      "author": "Frances MacDonald",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38243868,
          "author": "hermitcrab",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T20:38:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38243868",
          "commentText": "\"Escape from earth: A secret history of the space rocket\" by F Macdonald. Well written but focussed mostly on the people and politics of American rocketry after WWII (including the mad occult antics of Jack Parsons). I would have prefered something that focussed more on the tech.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Escape from earth: A secret history of the space rocket\" by F Macdonald. Well written but focussed mostly on the people and politics of American rocketry after WWII",
          "reason": "Focuses mostly on the people and politics of American rocketry after WWII.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter would have preferred more focus on the technology.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frances MacDonald"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "rocketry",
        "spaceflight history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "escape-from-reason-cf2c4e",
      "title": "Escape from Reason",
      "author": "Francis A. Schaeffer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8109294,
          "author": "AnimalMuppet",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:45:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109294",
          "commentText": "Currently re-reading \"Escape From Reason\" by Francis Schaeffer.  Interesting as a history of western thought, even if you don't buy his conclusions.  It's concise to the point of terseness, though - you're going to have to fill in some blanks that he doesn't.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Interesting as a history of western thought, even if you don't buy his conclusions. It's concise to the point of terseness",
          "reason": "Praised as a concise history of Western thought, with a caveat about its conclusions and terseness.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the history of Western thought.",
          "caveat": "The reader may need to fill in gaps; the conclusions may not persuade.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Francis A. Schaeffer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian philosophy",
        "western thought"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "escape-from-reason-b1f83a",
      "title": "Escape from Reason",
      "author": "Francis Schaeffer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9348639,
          "author": "AnimalMuppet",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:16:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348639",
          "commentText": "I second \"The Abolition of Man\".  Also \"The God Who Is There\" or \"Escape From Reason\" by Francis Schaeffer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Escape From Reason\" by Francis Schaeffer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Francis Schaeffer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian apologetics",
        "theology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "escape-from-rome-7983bd",
      "title": "Escape from Rome",
      "author": "Walter Scheidel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38564038,
          "author": "rufus_foreman",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T00:57:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38564038",
          "commentText": "Recommended:\nStanley: The Impossible Life of Africa's Greatest Explorer. Fiction? Non-fiction?\nHad to be made up. A guy born in England to poor circumstances ships out to New Orleans, jumps ship, fights in the Civil War on the confederate side, gets captured, fights in the Civil War on the union side, gets wounded, ends up fighting in the union navy. After the war, becomes a journalist in the American west. Then organizes an expedition to the Ottoman empire...OK he's 26 years old at this point. Sure there's some stuff later but...that's a pretty good resume for a 26 year old. Unbelievable.\nLou Reed: The King of New York Same thing. Just completely real but also unbelievable. The songs he had written by 1965.\nHitler: A Biography, by Ian Kershaw. Completely real, also unbelievable. The German people voting against democracy. Unbelievable.\nEscape From Rome, Walter Scheidel, \"The gripping story of how the end of the Roman Empire was the beginning of the modern world\". I think about the Roman Empire a lot, so basically it was a military slave state and it fell and that's bad?\nThe Great Depression: A Diary, I thought I would hate this, let's read a diary, right? Reading a diary of the Great Depression happening in front of you, it's amazing. The dread, and the bargaining. He's like bargaining against reality that the depression will end.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Escape From Rome, Walter Scheidel",
          "reason": "Lists it under “Recommended” and reflects on the Roman Empire's fall.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment questions whether the book's account reduces the empire to a military slave state.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Walter Scheidel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "roman empire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "eschaton-sequence-d11ccb",
      "title": "Eschaton Sequence",
      "author": "John C. Wright",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13123171,
          "author": "joeclark77",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-07T15:27:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13123171",
          "commentText": "It was a long wait, without the benefit of a cryo-chamber, but worth it.  Vindication is far and away the best of the series for me.  I suppose it'll be another year or so before the next is out.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the best of the series for me.",
          "reason": "Praises the series through its strongest installment, though this comment does not evaluate the other books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The next installment may take another year or so to appear.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13122261,
          "author": "rajacombinator",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-07T13:15:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13122261",
          "commentText": "Sweet so glad to hear this is continuing. When I finished Architect it seemed it could have been an end to the series.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "it seemed it could have been an end to the series.",
          "reason": "Discusses whether the series was continuing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13120144,
          "author": "joeclark77",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-07T03:05:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13120144",
          "commentText": "John C Wright's \"eschaton sequence\":\nCount to a Trillion\nThe Hermetic Millennia\nJudge of Ages\nArchitect of Aeons\nThe Vindication of Man\n(and one more to come)\nIt's a combination of hard sci-fi and space opera, based around one essentially immortal character (and his rival, and his girl) carrying out a mission over tens of thousands of years.  Mind-blowing scale and yet there's a romance to it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "John C Wright's \"eschaton sequence\":",
          "reason": "Lists the series and describes its premise and scale.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John C. Wright"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "deep time",
        "hard science fiction",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "essays-0b557b",
      "title": "Essays",
      "author": "Francis Bacon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1971239,
          "author": "celoyd",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T08:31:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971239",
          "commentText": "An obvious technical one: The Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs. That might have saved me a lot of time to read in early adolescence. (Or maybe it was better to have to figure things out in my own half-assed way. Time travel is tricky.)\nBut something like Francis Bacon’s Essays might be more important. Seeing that lively and methodical a mind right at the horizon of easy readability would have been a powerful clue about how people think and how far afield it’s useful to look for interesting things.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Francis Bacon’s Essays might be more important.",
          "reason": "Says reading it young might have offered a powerful clue about how people think and where to look for interesting ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Offered tentatively as potentially more important than the technical book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Francis Bacon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "essays",
        "intellectual history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "essays-and-letters-5a149a",
      "title": "Essays and Letters",
      "author": "Seneca",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46693299,
          "author": "0xmattf",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-20T16:01:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 46690957,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What non-fiction do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46693299",
          "commentText": "I only read non-fiction; mostly philosophy. Here are some books off the top of my head:\n* The Inner Citadel/Philosophy as a Way of Life by Pierre Hadot\n* Plato's dialogues (someone already mentioned a few of them, but the Republic was missing from their list).\n* Epictetus (Discourses and Enchiridion)\n* The various essays/letters of Seneca\n* Matter and Consciousness by Churchland (older, but fascinating)\n* The Mediations of Marcus Aurelius\n* (mostly) any Buddhist texts\n* What a Plant Knows\n* Moonwalking with Einstein\nThere are tons of fascinating books, way too many to list.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The various essays/letters of Seneca",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Seneca"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "roman philosophy",
        "stoicism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "essays-in-love-b2721d",
      "title": "Essays in Love",
      "author": "Alain de Botton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1632710,
          "author": "timruffles",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T13:06:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1632710",
          "commentText": "Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, R Pirsig\nRecently each of Alain de Botton's books (Status Anxiety, Pleasures and Sorrows of Work and Essays on Love) had a valuable lesson to teach.\nAlexander Pope's 'Essay on Criticism' (poem, not a book) was one the first poems that I gleaned something from, and that opened up a whole new library of potential reads.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Essays on Love",
          "reason": "Says it had a valuable lesson to teach.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alain de Botton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "philosophical fiction",
        "romantic relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "essays-in-the-art-of-writing-3b1b90",
      "title": "Essays in the Art of Writing",
      "author": "Robert Louis Stevenson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8062426,
          "author": "brickcap",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-21T03:53:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 8025870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8062426",
          "commentText": "I just finished Right ho Jeeves by PG wodehouse[1].\nI am reading essays in the art of writing by RL stevenson.[2]\nI want to read an adventure story next. Moby dick[3] seems to be one of the most popular ones on gutenberg so it will probably be my next choice.\n[1]http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10554\n[2]http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/492\n[3]http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2701",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I am reading essays in the art of writing by RL stevenson.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8000014,
          "author": "brickcap",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T17:28:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8000014",
          "commentText": "Two books\n1. Learn you some erlang (http://learnyousomeerlang.com/)\nWhy?\nBecause it is written in a style in which technical books are rarely written. It has cartoons, jokes, references to pop culture but still it conveys the core subject exceedingly well. I understand that this is written in style of learn you some haskell so I am going to read that as well at some point. The best part  is you can read the book second or third time and still have fun.\n2. Joe Armstrong's thesis(http://www.erlang.org/download/armstrong_thesis_2003.pdf)\nYes it is another erlang book but it is written so well!  I don't read thesis (or to be perfectly honest I try reading them but I can't understand most of them and lose interest after some time) but somehow I Joe's thesis made sense to me. It might be because of his clear writing style I can't say. But every time I read this book I find a certain phrase that sticks with me while I am writing programmes. Joe is a quote machine :)\n3. Essays in the art of writing by R.L stevenson (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/492/492-h/492-h.htm)\nJust read the opening paragraph and see for yourself if you don't want to read any more :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Essays in the art of writing by R.L stevenson",
          "reason": "Invites readers to judge it from the opening paragraph.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Only the opening paragraph is cited as evidence.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Louis Stevenson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "essay writing",
        "essays",
        "writing craft"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "essays-of-montaigne-5c95ee",
      "title": "Essays of Montaigne",
      "author": "Michel de Montaigne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804894,
          "author": "knzhou",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:29:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804894",
          "commentText": "I try to only read books that are at least a few years old, so these aren’t timely recommendations.\nOn the list for next year:\nThe Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language\nEssays of Montaign\nWhy Zebras Don't Get Ulcers\nHigher Speculations: Grand Theories and Failed Revolutions in Physics and Cosmology\nThe Enigma of Reason\nSurfing Uncertainty: Prediction, Action, and the Embodied Mind\nImpro\nDeng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China\nInvisible Cities\nCollapse of Complex Societies\n--\nFavorites from this year:\nDeath's End\nOne Man's Meat\nLife Ascending: The Ten Great Inventions of Evolution\nA Primate's Memoir: A Neuroscientist's Unconventional Life Among the Baboons\nDo No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery\nCosmicomics\nWhy Quark Rhymes with Pork\nThe Unfolding of Language\nA Sand County Almanac",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Essays of Montaign",
          "reason": "Listed among books planned for next year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michel de Montaigne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "essays",
        "renaissance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "essays-of-ralph-waldo-emerson-c38ccf",
      "title": "Essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson",
      "author": "Ralph Waldo Emerson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9348932,
          "author": "wankel",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:47:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348932",
          "commentText": "The only reason anyone needs to never read anything by Dan Brown is Dan Brown's writing.\nI'm terrible at random-access, on-demand list building like this, but I strongly agree about a few of the other things mentioned here:\nMeditations by Marcus Aurelius\nGodel, Escher, Bach by Hofstadter\nOrthodoxy by GK Chesterton\nThe Abolition of Man by CS Lewis\nWalden by Thoreau\nA few of the better and more philosophical bits out of the bible (especially in a good modern translation), including Ecclesiastes and 1 Corinthians 13\nTo this list, I would also add Ralph Waldo Emerson's classic essays, including Self-Reliance and Experience",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ralph Waldo Emerson's classic essays, including Self-Reliance and Experience",
          "reason": "Recommends adding Emerson's classic essays to the list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ralph Waldo Emerson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "essays",
        "transcendentalism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "essence-of-decision-explaining-the-cuban-missile-crisis-7cc20e",
      "title": "Essence of Decision: Explaining the Cuban Missile Crisis",
      "author": "Graham T. Allison",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33803235,
          "author": "abruzzi",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T16:35:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33803235",
          "commentText": "To me, the most influential book is Allisons’s Essence of Decision. Most people seem to treat it as a book about the Cuban middle crisis, which of course it is, but the event is analyses through the lens of several analytical techniques. That’s the part that is fascinating to me, especially the organizational process model.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "To me, the most influential book is Allisons’s Essence of Decision.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds its use of analytical techniques, especially the organizational process model, fascinating.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Graham T. Allison"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cuban missile crisis",
        "organizational decision making",
        "policy analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "essence-of-discrete-mathematics-f1f19a",
      "title": "Essence of Discrete Mathematics",
      "author": "Neville Dean",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2616400,
          "author": "webgambit",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T14:18:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2616400",
          "commentText": "Audiobook:\nI just finished Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson. I highly recommend it if you're into fantasy type novels. It has a unique magic system and is very well written. I've been off and on with War and Peace for a while. Kind of dry so far.\nKindle:\nThe Law by Frederic Bastiat, extremely good book describing the fundamental purpose of law and government.\nDead Tree:\nEssence of Discrete Mathematics by Neville Dean, seems to be pretty good book, just haven't devoted enough time to reading it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Essence of Discrete Mathematics by Neville Dean, seems to be pretty good book, just haven't devoted enough time to reading it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it seems to be a pretty good book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not devoted enough time to reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neville Dean"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "discrete mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "essential-mathematics-for-games-and-interactive-applications-62896c",
      "title": "Essential Mathematics for Games and Interactive Applications",
      "author": "James M. Van Verth and Lars M. Bishop",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34442159,
          "author": "legends2k",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T16:32:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34442159",
          "commentText": "Not strictly math books but these three books turned me to live mathematics and appreciate for what it is:\n[1]: 3D Math Prime for Games for Graphics and Game Development; https://www.gamemath.com/ (free to read online)\n[2]: Essential Mathematics for Games and Interactive Applications; https://www.essentialmath.com/book.htm\n[3]: Mathematics for 3D Game Programming and Computer Graphics; https://www.mathfor3dgameprogramming.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "[2]: Essential Mathematics for Games and Interactive Applications; https://www.essentialmath.com/book.htm",
          "reason": "The commenter says these books turned them toward and helped them appreciate mathematics.",
          "audience": "People interested in games and interactive applications.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are not strictly math books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James M. Van Verth",
        "Lars M. Bishop"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "game development",
        "interactive applications"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "essential-python-reference-7c51cc",
      "title": "Essential Python Reference",
      "author": "David Beazley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 122337,
          "author": "krishna2",
          "createdAt": "2008-02-24T02:51:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 121779,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What is the best Python book for a beginner?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=122337",
          "commentText": "If you already know any other (good) programming language, then \"Essential Python Reference\" by David Beazley is the way to go. For starters, if you are wondering, this is how I would do it in X, I wonder how to do this in Python - this book would get you the answer the fastest. There is also a detailed introduction (about 70 pages or so, IIRC) that will get you started as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Essential Python Reference\" by David Beazley is the way to go.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as the best fit for readers who already know another programming language.",
          "audience": "Readers who already know another programming language.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Beazley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "language reference",
        "python programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "essentials-of-business-research-methods-b3c824",
      "title": "Essentials of Business Research Methods",
      "author": "Joe Hair Jr. et al.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43724651,
          "author": "skydhash",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-18T03:14:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 43723077,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on talking to users?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43724651",
          "commentText": "There are three main subproblems to your questions:\n1. Find out what users wants. The answer to that is research and the only book I have is Just Enough Research by Erika Hall. I also found Essentials of Business Research Methods by Joe Hair Jr. et al.\n2. Build the thing that the user wants. That's mostly the real of Software Requirements and I have two candidates for you:\n- Mastering the Requirements Process: Getting Requirements Right by Suzanne and James Robertson\n- Software Requirements by Karl Wiegers and Joy Beatty.\n3. Build something that the user likes and that he can use. That's UX and I have three candidates this time:\n- Observing the User Experience, 2nd Edition by E. Goodman and M. Kunlavsky\n- Understanding Your Users, 2nd Edition by K. Baxter et al.\n- The UX Book by R. Hartson and P. S. Pyla\nAll of those just emphasize having an objective view of what you want to bring to the users and a rational execution strategy. I haven't read all so I can't judge them, but I believe they will give you enough starting points for you to devise your own method.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also found Essentials of Business Research Methods by Joe Hair Jr. et al.",
          "reason": "Listed as another book the commenter found on research.",
          "audience": "People researching what users want.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joe Hair Jr. et al."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business research",
        "research methods"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "essentials-of-programming-languages-e603a1",
      "title": "Essentials of Programming Languages",
      "author": "Daniel P. Friedman, Mitchell Wand, and Christopher T. Haynes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14842736,
          "author": "abecedarius",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-24T21:13:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14842736",
          "commentText": "Thinking Forth; Software Tools; SICP; Abstraction and Specification in Program Development; Essentials of Programming Languages; Paradigms of AI Programming; I'd like to list something about OO too, but no book I know really measures up to learning from other programmers. But there's Mark S. Miller's thesis Robust Composition.\n(in roughly chronological order. As you can see from the chronology, it took me a long time to start to like OOP.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Essentials of Programming Languages",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which books shaped the commenter's approach to code structure.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel P. Friedman, Mitchell Wand, and Christopher T. Haynes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "interpreters",
        "programming language theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "et-tu-babe-ee44f4",
      "title": "Et Tu, Babe",
      "author": "Mark Leyner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5832481,
          "author": "leephillips",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T14:08:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5832481",
          "commentText": "Some favorites:\nPale Fire by Nabokov\nUlysses by Joyce\nEt Tu, Babe by Leyner\nMetamorphosis by Kafka (more a long story)\nThings Fall Apart by Achebe\nHamlet and Coriolanus by Shakespeare\nThe Code of the Woosters by Wodehouse\nThe Doorbell Rang by Stout",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Et Tu, Babe by Leyner",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Leyner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "postmodern fiction",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "eternity-451a05",
      "title": "Eternity",
      "author": "Greg Bear",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1026868,
          "author": "Xichekolas",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T06:13:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026868",
          "commentText": "Programming in Haskell by Graham Hutton\nA.I. A Modern Approach (ch 13-16) by Russell and Norvig\nA Tunnel In The Sky by Robert Heinlein\nThe Revelation Space series (3 of the 5 books) by Alistair Reynolds\nEon/Eternity (both by Greg Bear)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Eon/Eternity (both by Greg Bear)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Greg Bear"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "far future fiction",
        "time travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ethan-allen-51db3b",
      "title": "Ethan Allen",
      "author": "Charles Albert Jellison",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 203171,
          "author": "herdrick",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T10:26:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=203171",
          "commentText": "http://www.biographicon.com\nhttp://www.biographicon.com/view/lypys/Democritus\nhttp://www.biographicon.com/view/r8r22/Hypatia_of_Alexandria\nhttp://www.biographicon.com/view/4yf4i/Ethan_Allen  - a good start on the New England rebel.  One of my favorite books is this entertaining work on the amazing life of Allen: http://www.amazon.com/Ethan-Allen-Charles-Albert-Jellison/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/Ethan-Allen-Charles-Albert-Jellison/dp/0815601891)\nhttp://www.biographicon.com/view/hhnvz/Johnny_Ramone",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this entertaining work on the amazing life of Allen",
          "reason": "Described as entertaining and about Allen's life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Albert Jellison"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american revolution",
        "new england"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ethics-5e547f",
      "title": "Ethics",
      "author": "Baruch Spinoza",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20914679,
          "author": "glial",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T02:14:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914679",
          "commentText": "Spinoza's Ethics\nEuclid's Elements\nAristotle's Nicomachean Ethics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Spinoza's Ethics",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite old books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Baruch Spinoza"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "early modern philosophy",
        "metaphysics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ethics-and-the-limits-of-philosophy-08e784",
      "title": "Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy",
      "author": "Bernard Williams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503692,
          "author": "telemachos",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T14:39:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503692",
          "commentText": "Some from the canon:\n\nPlato: Defence of Socrates, Euthyphro, Crito (translated by David Gallop)\nThe Modes of Scepticism by Julia Annas and Jonathan Barnes (a beautiful collection of texts from Pyrrhonian scepticism and analysis of their arguments; the best way I know to meet ancient scepticism)\nDescartes: Meditations on First Philosophy (The Cambridge University Press edition is very good; it's probably worth buying their Selected Philosophical Writings for a good basic Descartes text)\nDavid Hume: An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding and An Enquiry concerning the Principles of Morals (I recommend the Oxford Philosophical Texts editions)\nWittgenstein: Philosophical Investigations (terribly, terribly difficult, but very rewarding)\n  A few contemporary things:\n\nGilbert Ryle: The Concept of Mind\nWillard Van Orman Quine: From a Logical Point of View\nJ. L. Mackie: Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong\nThomas Nagel: Mortal Questions (short essays, well-written, very accessible)\nBernard Williams: Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy\nMichael Smith: The Moral Problem\n  Specialist, technical, odd:\n\nThe Frege Reader by Michael Beaney (for modern logic and the beginnings of contemporary philosophy in the analytic style)\nJ. L. Mackie: The Cement of the Universe: A Study of Causation\nWilliam Kingdon Clifford: The Ethics of Belief (he argues, oddly but powerfully, that it's immoral to believe things on insufficient evidence or irrationally - an offense to morality, not just reason)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bernard Williams: Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of contemporary philosophy recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bernard Williams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ethics",
        "moral philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ethics-for-the-new-millennium-325b95",
      "title": "Ethics for the New Millennium",
      "author": "Dalai Lama",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2897581,
          "author": "joelhaus",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-18T01:15:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 2897515,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on overcoming shyness",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2897581",
          "commentText": "How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie\nWhen I read this book, the timing was perfect and I credit it with refocusing my mind when it comes to relationships. Critics usually say that it's all just common sense, and I would agree -- however, these critics miss the fact that common sense is rarely common practice.\nI recall my first few interactions after reading the first half of the book, and the stuff works, plain and simple. I wanted to kick myself for being so oblivious.\nIt sounds like you are already aware of the importance of relationships, so I would say, give it a shot and don't get discouraged. With practice, it will become easier (almost second nature when you see how positive the results are). You can also find some great summaries of this book online. Due to an overwhelmingly positive experience with this book, I later searched for further reading on the topic and ended up with \"Ethics for the New Millennium\" by the Dalai Lama -- this book helped to bring into focus the underlying \"truth\" of \"How to Win Friends & Influence People\" and is a nice follow up... good luck!\nhttp://www.westegg.com/unmaintained/carnegie/win-friends.htm... (http://www.westegg.com/unmaintained/carnegie/win-friends.html) (Summary)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/06... (http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0671723650)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Ethics-New-Millennium-Dalai-Lama/dp/15... (http://www.amazon.com/Ethics-New-Millennium-Dalai-Lama/dp/1573220256)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "this book helped to bring into focus the underlying \"truth\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped clarify the ideas behind Carnegie's book and calls it a nice follow-up.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in ethics and relationships.",
          "caveat": "Presented as further reading after How to Win Friends and Influence People.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dalai Lama"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhist perspectives",
        "ethics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ethics-in-the-real-world-ef05d1",
      "title": "Ethics in the Real World",
      "author": "Peter Singer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30735764,
          "author": "jwood27",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:37:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735764",
          "commentText": "The following have all had a significant effect on my worldview. You can find more information at [1].\n- The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow\n- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\n- Crime and Punishment\n- The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York\n- Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies\n- The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity\n- Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead\n- Franny and Zooey\n- Master of the Senate\n- Atlas Shrugged\n- Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed\n- Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap?\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\n- The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics\n- The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don't\n- Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans\n- Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\n- Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World\n- Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones\n- Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow\n- Ethics in the Real World: 86 Brief Essays on Things that Matter\n- A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life\n- Humankind: A Hopeful History\n- The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think\n[1] https://jacobw.xyz/books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ethics in the Real World: 86 Brief Essays on Things that Matter",
          "reason": "Listed among books that significantly affected the commenter’s worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Singer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "applied ethics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ethics-inventing-right-and-wrong-3255d2",
      "title": "Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong",
      "author": "J. L. Mackie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503692,
          "author": "telemachos",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T14:39:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503692",
          "commentText": "Some from the canon:\n\nPlato: Defence of Socrates, Euthyphro, Crito (translated by David Gallop)\nThe Modes of Scepticism by Julia Annas and Jonathan Barnes (a beautiful collection of texts from Pyrrhonian scepticism and analysis of their arguments; the best way I know to meet ancient scepticism)\nDescartes: Meditations on First Philosophy (The Cambridge University Press edition is very good; it's probably worth buying their Selected Philosophical Writings for a good basic Descartes text)\nDavid Hume: An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding and An Enquiry concerning the Principles of Morals (I recommend the Oxford Philosophical Texts editions)\nWittgenstein: Philosophical Investigations (terribly, terribly difficult, but very rewarding)\n  A few contemporary things:\n\nGilbert Ryle: The Concept of Mind\nWillard Van Orman Quine: From a Logical Point of View\nJ. L. Mackie: Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong\nThomas Nagel: Mortal Questions (short essays, well-written, very accessible)\nBernard Williams: Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy\nMichael Smith: The Moral Problem\n  Specialist, technical, odd:\n\nThe Frege Reader by Michael Beaney (for modern logic and the beginnings of contemporary philosophy in the analytic style)\nJ. L. Mackie: The Cement of the Universe: A Study of Causation\nWilliam Kingdon Clifford: The Ethics of Belief (he argues, oddly but powerfully, that it's immoral to believe things on insufficient evidence or irrationally - an offense to morality, not just reason)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "J. L. Mackie: Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of contemporary philosophy recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. L. Mackie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ethics",
        "moral philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "euclid-s-elements-7b1a66",
      "title": "Euclid's Elements",
      "author": "Euclid",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35930000,
          "author": "a_techwriter_00",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T16:34:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35930000",
          "commentText": "Euclid's Elements. I was gifted at most everything language-related in school, but I was complete dogshit at math. Studying Euclid changed my entire perspective. I don't think I'd have had the self-belief to do programming without having read it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Euclid's Elements. I was gifted at most everything language-related in school, but I was complete dogshit at math. Studying Euclid changed my entire perspective.",
          "reason": "The commenter says studying it changed their perspective and gave them confidence to program.",
          "audience": "Readers who want to build confidence in mathematics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Euclid"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "euclidean geometry",
        "mathematical proofs"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "eugenie-grandet-4589b3",
      "title": "Eugénie Grandet",
      "author": "Honoré de Balzac",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1570890,
          "author": "c1sc0",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T12:33:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1570890",
          "commentText": "I'll see your Flaubert and raise you an \"Eugénie Grandet\" by Balzac. Classical storytelling genius.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'll see your Flaubert and raise you an \"Eugénie Grandet\" by Balzac. Classical storytelling genius.",
          "reason": "Praises it as an example of classical storytelling genius.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Honoré de Balzac"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classic fiction",
        "french literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "europe-and-the-europeans-9297df",
      "title": "Europe and the Europeans",
      "author": "Luigi Barzini",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10028258,
          "author": "hammeringtime",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T18:45:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10028258",
          "commentText": "* Influence by Cialdini - great overview of the psychology of human motivation and influence. You'll get the inside dirt on a lot of sales and marketing tricks.\n* Seeing like a State by James Scott - a good political history with lots of insight into many conventions in our modern society, such as even last names, were created to make society manageable by a central government.\n* Europe and the Europeans by Barzini - the closest thing I have found to being a time traveler, skipping between different places and times in Europe from 1920 to the 1970's.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Europe and the Europeans by Barzini - the closest thing I have found to being a time traveler, skipping between different places and times in Europe from 1920 to the 1970's.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as an immersive way to travel across European places and times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Covers Europe from 1920 to the 1970s.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Luigi Barzini"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "20th century",
        "european history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "europe-a-history-741d7b",
      "title": "Europe: A History",
      "author": "Norman Davies",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13236372,
          "author": "n3on_net",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T10:47:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13236372",
          "commentText": "Here is my list of 2016:\n- The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory\n- The 48 Laws Of Power\n- Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything\n- Crossing the Chasm\n- The Richest Man in Babylon\n- Confessions of an Economic Hit Man\n- Europe: A History\n- The Penguin History of Europe\n- The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon\n- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\nEvery of the books was awesome. The only thing is that I haven't finished Europe: A History from Norman and read The Penguin History of Europe instead because the Norman book was just too long for me. But It has way more details.\nI switch between business-related books and non-business related (it can be everything from philosophy to language history to hardcore science) but I don't read fiction (The Richest Man in Babylon is fictional, but still the focus is on self-development).\nHope you could see some titles that might interest you.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Every of the books was awesome.",
          "reason": "The commenter says every listed book was awesome.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter did not finish it because it was too long.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Norman Davies"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "european history",
        "world history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "even-faster-web-sites-231b54",
      "title": "Even Faster Web Sites",
      "author": "Steve Souders",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37327035,
          "author": "tracker1",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-30T18:50:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 37325594,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books to learn web development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37327035",
          "commentText": "I'd probably followup with one of Souder's books, \"High Performand Websites\" and \"Even Faster Websites\" both will cover issues of some common issues you may experience and the importance of metrics and measuring for actual performance issues.\nAlthough today, a dependency graph is more invaluable for modern web apps... Odds are your project is bringing in some massive/slow dependencies.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Even Faster Websites\"",
          "reason": "Covers common performance issues and the importance of measuring them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve Souders"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "web performance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "evening-s-empire-a-history-of-the-night-in-early-modern-europe-6c7297",
      "title": "Evening's Empire: A History of the Night in Early Modern Europe",
      "author": "Craig Koslofsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3643068,
          "author": "jcarden",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-28T13:32:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 3643009,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-technical book you've read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3643068",
          "commentText": "The Theory That Would Not Die (http://amzn.to/w0N2Q6%29is a non-technical and nice historical overview of Bayes theorem and its applications. Another one I've enjoyed recently is Evening's Empire: A History of the Night in Early Modern Europe(http://amzn.to/zywusB). I started the Big Short too, but just couldn't really get into it. If you like things along that line then you should check out The Poker Face of Wall Street (http://amzn.to/zcbYHy)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Evening's Empire: A History of the Night in Early Modern Europe",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed it recently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Craig Koslofsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "early modern europe",
        "history of everyday life"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "evergreen-7932f1",
      "title": "Evergreen",
      "author": "Matthew Cordell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50042577,
          "author": "schrectacular",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T12:29:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50042577",
          "commentText": "Here's some stuff for younger kids that haven't been mentioned yet:\nMatthew Cordell is awesome. \"Cornbread and Poppy\" are cute, \"Evergreen\" is fun, but check out his whole catalog. Probably my favorite active author/illustrator.\n\"Nobody Likes a Goblin\" by Ben Hatke\n\"The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess\" by Tom Gauld\n\"The Little Island by Margaret Wise Brown\" under the pseudonym Golden MacDonald\n”The Dark Tales of Lillebror Rabbit“ by Jonna Björnstjerna\n\"Les P'tites Poules\" by Christian Jolibois\nA little older, Ursula LeGuin is amazing, \"A Wizard of Earthsea\", \"Catwings\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Evergreen\" is fun",
          "reason": "Recommended among books for younger children.",
          "audience": "Younger children",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as fun.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthew Cordell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "every-good-endeavor-ddc882",
      "title": "Every Good Endeavor",
      "author": "Timothy Keller",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665209,
          "author": "PostPost",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:26:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665209",
          "commentText": "Sorry for the wall of text.\n1. Bourne (The language and world of this novel are extraordinary - everything is falling apart yet brimming with life. Strangely moving)\n2. The Design of Everyday things (Essential for anyone in UI/UX)\n3. All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (Highly engaging, entertaining sci-fi novella series, from an author that can write a very decent robot protagonist)\n4. The Power (Interesting story with sci-fi elements on the dynamics of power, sex, and gender roles. I didn't care for the book, but the first 3/4 of the book are amazing)\n5. Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days\n6. 7 brief Lessons on Physics\n7. The Last Lecture (The energy and positivity coming from a man knowing he's about to die is infectious. Great read)\n8. A wizard of Earthsea (Move over Harry Potter, this is the essential children's story about wizards)\n9. Exploring diabetes with owls (Funny, irreverent)\n10. Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children (Made an effort to read more YA this year - this was the best in this series, but I still hated it. There's a host of better YA series out there.)\n11. A Wizard of Earthsea: The Tombs of Atuan (See 8.)\n12. The Girl in the Dark (Interesting book about a skin condition I had never heard of, and the trials of living with a very rare condition)\n13. The Phantom Tollbooth (Clever children's book)\n14. Black hole blues and songs from outer space (Informative book about the study of space,  the political and economic forces standing in the way of science, and the incredible individuals working in this field)\n15. Welcome to Night Vale (Hugely entertaining, clever and weird)\n16. You need a budget (Basic economics book explaining how to budget in a way that lets you do more with your money)\n17. To fight Against This Age (Incredibly pretentious, \nIvory Tower philosophizing)\n18. Infinity Gauntlet (Half the Universe dying because Thanos wanted to sleep with Lady Death will never not be ridiculous)\n19. The Right and Wrong Stuff (Great read explaining how to anticipate and avoid career pitfalls)\n20. Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children: Hollow City (pretty shitty)\n21. The Farthest Shore (Ursula K. Le Guin was the biggest loss this year)\n22. Miss peregrine's home for Peculiar Children: Library of Souls (I hate this book and all its characters)\n23. Every Good Endevour (Religious book about a Christian worldview and the value of labor - not a bad read)\n24. When to Rob a Bank and 131 warped suggestions… (interesting, funny, from the writers of Freakonomics)\n25. Weapons of Math Destruction (Probably the most useful book on this list, if you're reading this on \"hackernews\")\n26. Holes (Perfect summer paperback read)\n27. Silver Screen Sirens (Essential for film geeks)\n28. A full life: reflections at 90 (I gained a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter: he lived an incredible life and does great things)\n29. Call Me by your name (Very good romance novel to send to your bigoted relatives at Christmas)\n30. Hyperbole and a half (Incredibly entertaining, very distinctive art style)\n31. The Murderbot diaries: Artificial Condition (See 3.)\n32. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Best children's book, fight me)\n33. Less (Exceptionally well-written)\n34. Resilience (Great book, especially for those that have gone through extremely difficult circumstances)\n35. The Strange Bird (Dark, bleak, full of life, see 1.)\n36. The Murderbot diaries: Rogue Protocol (See 3.)\n37. His Dark Materials: The subtle knife (See 32.)\n38. Tap Dancing to Work (Very dry, some stories/articles are fantastic, others very, very boring for people that do not care about finance)\n39. So Good They Can't Ignore You (Pretty good)\n40. His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass (Amazing YA, see 32.)\n41. Uncontainable (Inspirational book about conscious capitalism)\n42. The Emperor of All Maladies (Pretty much everything you'll ever want to know about Cancer, written in a very engaging way)\n43. Blind Spot\n44. Shoe dog (Great story, see madmax108's comment, totally agree)\n45. The Faithful Spy (Beautiful artwork describing a Christian pastor's fight against fascism during WW2)\n46. Zero to One\n47. You'll grow out of it\n48. The Happiness advantage (Really fantastic book about the value of positive psychology)\n49. Dreams from my father (Enlightening look into Obama's \nearly days)\n50. Ayoade on Ayoade (Entertaining, extremely scatter-brained, not as funny as his interviews or tv programs)\n51. The Diabolic (badly written YA Sci-Fi)\n52. The Physics of Everyday Things (surprisingly informative, recommended for non science-people interested in the way things work)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "not a bad read",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was not a bad read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a religious book presenting a Christian worldview.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Timothy Keller"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christianity",
        "work and vocation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "every-grain-of-rice-simple-chinese-home-cooking-952322",
      "title": "Every Grain of Rice: Simple Chinese Home Cooking",
      "author": "Fuchsia Dunlop",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12985151,
          "author": "davidgould",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-18T08:07:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12985151",
          "commentText": "In programming there is the concept of \"technical taste\".It applies to cookbooks too:\nEvery Grain of Rice by Fuchsia Dunlop.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Every-Grain-Rice-Chinese-Cooking/dp/0... (https://www.amazon.com/Every-Grain-Rice-Chinese-Cooking/dp/0393089045)\nThis is a fantastic cookbook if you are interested in cooking Chinese food and a great reason to become interested if you are not. The author is a fine thoughtful writer and has really good taste and recipe judgement. The result is an intriguing collection of simple but good to amazing recipes with almost no duds. I've made over 60 of the recipes this year and almost all were a success. I love food and cooking and have over 70 cookbooks but this one has given me the most pleasure.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Every Grain of Rice by Fuchsia Dunlop.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a fantastic cookbook with thoughtful writing, good recipes, and few duds.",
          "audience": "People interested in cooking Chinese food; the commenter says it may also spark that interest.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fuchsia Dunlop"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chinese cooking",
        "cookbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "every-little-step-my-story-8dfb47",
      "title": "Every Little Step: My Story",
      "author": "Bobby Brown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18666320,
          "author": "getsomeboi",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T18:24:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18666320",
          "commentText": "Extreme Ownership - Jocko/Babin\nDichotomy of Leadership - Jocko/Babin\nEvery Little Step: My Story - Bobby Brown\nThe Art and Science of Respect - J. Prince",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Every Little Step: My Story - Bobby Brown",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bobby Brown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "music"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "every-love-story-is-a-ghost-story-4a228d",
      "title": "Every Love Story Is a Ghost Story",
      "author": "D. T. Max",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13239780,
          "author": "jdpigeon",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T19:47:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13239780",
          "commentText": "It was the second year of my \"read books like an adult\" effort and there were some great ones:\nInfinite Jest (David Foster Wallace)*\nI was blown away by how completely delightful it was to read. I went in to it with a lot of trepidation about its length and esoteric fixation, but found myself completely immersed in the book in a way that I hadn't been since I was kid. I didn't pick up any hard and fast lessons from the book (indeed, its thesis is mostly that life is hard and the easy answers that are out there are toxic), but I definitely came away from it feeling like it was a bit more acceptable to share what I really thought and felt with others. Reading the book is like entering an intimate communion with DFW's mind and it reinforced in me the importance of inter-human connection in that way.\nEvery Love Story is a Ghost Story (D.T. Max)\nDFW's biography, which I read after Infinite Jest. I highly recommend reading after IJ to get more background on where the books idea's came from. Two things I learned: 1. IJ basically took him ten years to write, 2: An incredible amount of it is drawn from personal issues and experiences, his struggles with addiction and loneliness were very real and he greatly downplayed them in his interviews.\nThe Invention of Nature (Andrea Wulf)\nThe best historical book I've ever read. Von Humbolt was one of the greatest scientists to ever live and I can't believe I'd ever heard of him before. The book itself does a great job of tying together the ideas of many great thinkers: Humboldt, Darwin, Thoreau, Muir, Goethe.\nThe Conquest of Happiness (Bertrand Russel)\nGreat little 'self-help' book from Russel. Perhaps a bit quaint in its datedness and Englishness, but a lot of the ideas still hold true. His thoughts on boredom were the high point of the book IMO.\nThe Hard Thing About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\nThe most 'make an adult of you'-feeling book I read this year. After attending an 'MBA bootcamp' style course, this book was the gritty, personal account that helped me tie all those lessons together. I got a job with a startup shortly afterwards and because I've never studied business (or worked in a real company before), I refer to the lessons in this book a lot.\nMy Struggle, first  volume (Karl Ove Knausgaard)\nStill reading this one and not entirely sure what to think. It's entertaining, heartfelt, and provides that sense of communion that good fiction needs. The book's purpose seems totally up in the air, however.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend reading after IJ to get more background on where the books idea's came from.",
          "reason": "Highly recommends it after Infinite Jest for background on the book's origins.",
          "audience": "Readers who have read Infinite Jest.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "D. T. Max"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "david foster wallace",
        "literary biography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "every-man-dies-alone-264364",
      "title": "Every Man Dies Alone",
      "author": "Hans Fallada",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49902719,
          "author": "kaypro",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T00:19:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49902719",
          "commentText": "Just finished “Every Man Dies Alone” by Hans Fallada and now half way through “The Lady and the Monk” by Pico Iyer. Both recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Every Man Dies Alone” by Hans Fallada",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have just finished it and recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hans Fallada"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nazi germany",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "every-page-is-page-one-690bf2",
      "title": "Every Page Is Page One",
      "author": "Mark Baker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37937558,
          "author": "kaycebasques",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T02:27:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937558",
          "commentText": "Six Pillars Of Self-Esteem. Biggest effect on me of any book, by far. The only book that immediately jumped to mind without me needing to check my \"read\" list.\nI vaguely recall The Soul Of Sex giving me a healthier foundation for my own sexuality.\nThe Power Of Myth and The Varieties Of Religious Experience for general spiritual goodness.\nThe Selfish Gene has probably had a deep lingering effect on my thoughts about my life as a biological creature.\nEvery Page Is Page One is very helpful for realizing (what I believe to be) the higher purpose of technical documentation, which is knowledge sharing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Every Page Is Page One is very helpful for realizing (what I believe to be) the higher purpose of technical documentation, which is knowledge sharing.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds it helpful for understanding technical documentation as knowledge sharing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Baker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "technical documentation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "every-patient-tells-a-story-ebc3c5",
      "title": "Every Patient Tells a Story",
      "author": "Lisa Sanders",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8125672,
          "author": "lancewiggs",
          "createdAt": "2014-08-02T19:10:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 8125375,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I save for offline reading during 5 weeks without Internet?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8125672",
          "commentText": "Great question, and one that I asked just before going to Mozambique for 10 weeks a few years back. I'd just bought a kindle, which were not available outside the USA back then, and asked a few interesting folks I was chatting to at Foo. Here are my resulting first few kindle purchases:\nThe Match King\nHeros Die (I bought the rest of them)\nThe city and the city\nEvery patient tells a story\nBlindsight\nBorn to Run\nHot, Flat & Crowded\nThe Autobiography of Ben Franklin\nThe Hunger Games (!)\nAnd on it went - asking for recommendations was a fantastic thing to do.  I'd asked for fiction as I was going there to work and would be too exhausted at first to do much else.\nSo I do encourage everyone to give some names of books. And yes - do take a good camera, do take binoculars - Leica if you can afford them, and embrace the experience.\nA few years later I went to Antarctica on a boat for 30 days offline. By then I had hundreds of books on kindle, and several devices to read them. This is basically a solved problem now. I did take Wikipedia in offline state, which was useful.\nIn decades previous when traveling I cared about weight and price per word and focused on \"good\" books - books that you know you should read but which need a bit of effort. When you are off the grid and in countries where there are few English books then it was a great way to read great books. \nBut now the Internet is everywhere. It might be flaky, and it might be painful to access, but you'll be able to find access to buy and download books relatively easily.\nThree recommendations, aside from the above which I enjoyed a lot.\nBill Aulet: Disciplined Entrepreneurship, covers the topic very well and generously references everything else.\nThe Circle by Dave Eggers paints a picture that's creepily familiar already.\nLeague of Denial will have you shake your head gently and sadly at NFL and other contact sports.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Every patient tells a story",
          "reason": "Listed among the books the commenter bought for offline reading, later described as books they enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lisa Sanders"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "diagnosis",
        "medical case stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "every-second-counts-e46031",
      "title": "Every Second Counts",
      "author": "Lance Armstrong and Sally Jenkins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 203173,
          "author": "sohamdas",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T10:28:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=203173",
          "commentText": "\"Surely you are joking Mr. Feynman\" [absolutely rockstar of a autobiography]\n\"Every Second Counts\" Lance Armstrong [poignant]\n\"A beautiful mind\" John Forbes Nash [moving, and heart wrenching]\nMy personal favourite:\n\"Icon\" Steve Jobs",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Every Second Counts\" Lance Armstrong [poignant]",
          "reason": "Described as poignant.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lance Armstrong and Sally Jenkins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cycling",
        "lance armstrong"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "everybody-writes-00af44",
      "title": "Everybody Writes",
      "author": "Ann Handley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35711199,
          "author": "_0xik",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-26T09:14:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 35710671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell still a recommended read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35711199",
          "commentText": "What? Tons of books get new editions. It happens constantly. For example, Strunk & White [0] has been updated in 1918, 1959, 1999, and 2009. Authors release different versions of their own books. I just wrote a review of a book [1] that had a 2nd edition released in 2022 after the first edition was released in 2014. J.R.R. Tolkein retconned The Hobbit after publication of Lord of the Rings. [2] (I realize this isn't really the same thing but I wanted to give an example in fiction)\nAnyway, point is, tons of books are changed after publication. I don't see why The Mythical Man Month shouldn't be; the technology is out of date and the gender issues are out of date.\n[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Elements_of_Style\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/Everybody-Writes-Improved-Go-Ridiculo... (https://www.amazon.com/Everybody-Writes-Improved-Go-Ridiculously/dp/1119854164)\n[2] https://birthmoviesdeath.com/2012/12/13/how-jrr-tolkien-pull... (https://birthmoviesdeath.com/2012/12/13/how-jrr-tolkien-pulled-a-george-lucas-on-the-hobbit)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I just wrote a review of a book [1] that had a 2nd edition released in 2022",
          "reason": "Mentions reviewing its second edition as an example of a book being updated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12476851,
          "author": "marmot777",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-12T02:38:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12476851",
          "commentText": "\"Everybody Writes\"\nNot that I follow all the great advice yet but I aspire to get there someday. I have it on my shelf next to \"Elements of Style.\"",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Everybody Writes\"\nNot that I follow all the great advice yet but I aspire to get there someday.",
          "reason": "The commenter aspires to follow the book's advice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not yet follow all of its advice.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ann Handley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business writing",
        "content marketing",
        "writing advice"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "everybody-s-right-5eb612",
      "title": "Everybody's Right",
      "author": "Paolo Sorrentino",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17383003,
          "author": "marvelous",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T19:39:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17383003",
          "commentText": "Everybody's Right by Paolo Sorrentino. He's better known for directing movies.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Everybody's Right by Paolo Sorrentino.",
          "reason": "Offered as a book in response to a thread asking for lesser-known books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paolo Sorrentino"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "italian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "everyday-calculus-6f9e55",
      "title": "Everyday Calculus",
      "author": "Oscar E. Fernandez",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23727968,
          "author": "jostylr",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T21:53:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23727968",
          "commentText": "I remember Pi in the Sky by John Barrows very fondly. It has more of a focus on geometry and logic.\nA Programmer's Introduction to Mathematics by Jeremy Kun is wide ranging and appropriate if there is also interest in programming.\nNature and Growth of Modern Mathematics by Edna Kramer is a wonderful book if history is a passion as well.\nElements of Mathematics by John Stillwell is a broad overview of subjects. It has a crisp mathematical feel to it.\nVector Calculus, Linear Algebra, and Differential Forms by John & Barbara Hubbard is a beautiful introduction to the multi-dimensional aspects, but it is a book that should happen after knowing one dimensional calculus. .\nIf your child hasn't been exposed to Guesstimation, then a book on that is highly recommended. The book with that title by Weinstein and Adams is a nice guide to investigating that realm.\nIf the child does arithmetic from right to left, as is sadly too common, the book Speed Mathematics Simplified by Edward Stoddard is a great remedy for that.\nEveryday Calculus by Oscar Fernandez could also be worth a look.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Everyday Calculus by Oscar Fernandez could also be worth a look.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Oscar E. Fernandez"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "calculus"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "everyday-utopia-d0dae5",
      "title": "Everyday Utopia",
      "author": "Kristen Ghodsee",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38558868,
          "author": "pauljonas",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T17:06:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38558868",
          "commentText": "1. Doppleganger: A Trip into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein — have read other titles by this author & they were mostly meh, but this is an incredible book, hard to describe, better to experience. Ostensibly is about how the author is often confused with Naomi Wolf who went down conspiracy rabbit holes but it is so much more than that.\n2. The Myth of Christian Beginnings by Robert Wilkin — an older title (1971), short well written book on how Christians mythologize early Christians, & frame it as some static model of heavenly perfection that they're always trying to get back to, or maintain\n3. Everyday Utopia by Kristen Ghodsee — on the surface, a book about utopian community experiments but is so much more, imaginative conjuring on thinking outside the box, how we blindly just accept things the way they are, so dismissive of nonorthodox ideas\n4. Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World by Malcolm Harris — just as the title advertises, have read a lot of history but the 19C on California presented here was so interesting",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "imaginative conjuring on thinking outside the box, how we blindly just accept things the way they are",
          "reason": "Presents utopian experiments as a way to imagine alternatives to accepted norms.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kristen Ghodsee"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "social experiments",
        "utopian communities"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "everyday-zen-fd56f7",
      "title": "Everyday Zen",
      "author": "Charlotte Joko Beck",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30738371,
          "author": "sk1pper",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T23:06:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30738371",
          "commentText": "A great counterpart to this book might be Everyday Zen by Charlotte Joko Beck. The Mind Illuminated is a technical manual for meditation practice; Everyday Zen is more about how to think of the rest of your life while you’re not meditating as practice. (It’s not much about Zen specifically either; it’s author just happened to be a practitioner of Zen.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A great counterpart to this book might be Everyday Zen by Charlotte Joko Beck.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a counterpart focused on treating the rest of life as meditation practice.",
          "audience": "People interested in applying meditation practice to everyday life.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not much about Zen specifically.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charlotte Joko Beck"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "everyday practice",
        "meditation",
        "zen buddhism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "everyone-burns-99f99a",
      "title": "Everyone Burns",
      "author": "John Barnes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15961020,
          "author": "kirubakaran",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T15:55:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961020",
          "commentText": "Here is my list: https://kirubakaran.com/bookshelf/\nMy 2017 favorites:\nscifi: https://kirubakaran.com/bookshelf/columbus-day/\nnonfic: https://kirubakaran.com/bookshelf/data-science-from-scratch/\nfiction: https://kirubakaran.com/bookshelf/everyone-burns/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "fiction: https://kirubakaran.com/bookshelf/everyone-burns/",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s 2017 favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Barnes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "everyone-else-must-fail-the-unvarnished-story-of-oracle-and-its-f-55006d",
      "title": "Everyone Else Must Fail: The Unvarnished Story of Oracle and Its Founder Larry Ellison",
      "author": "Karen Southwick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17205403,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T14:04:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205403",
          "commentText": "Maybe not perfect matches, but a few titles I'm familiar with that you might like:\nDreaming in Code - covers Mitch Kapor's post Lotus effort to build Chandler.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreaming_in_Code\nEveryone Else Must Fail - all about Larry Ellison and Oracle\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Everyone-Else-Must-Fail-Unvarnished/d... (https://www.amazon.com/Everyone-Else-Must-Fail-Unvarnished/dp/0712621482)\nWinners, Losers & Microsoft - title says it all\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Winners-Losers-Microsoft-Competition-... (https://www.amazon.com/Winners-Losers-Microsoft-Competition-Technology/dp/0945999844)\nTwo books by Bill Gates:\nBusiness At The Speed of Thought\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Business-Speed-Thought-Succeeding-Dig... (https://www.amazon.com/Business-Speed-Thought-Succeeding-Digital/dp/0446525685/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1527861952&sr=1-1&keywords=business+at+the+speed+of+thought)\nand\nThe Road Ahead\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Road-Ahead-Completely-Up-Date/dp/0140... (https://www.amazon.com/Road-Ahead-Completely-Up-Date/dp/0140260404/ref=pd_sbs_14_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0140260404&pd_rd_r=ZRRXQ50NEK3EPWVC9FM9&pd_rd_w=q6Fr8&pd_rd_wg=iFPgv&psc=1&refRID=ZRRXQ50NEK3EPWVC9FM9)\nAlso:\nMCI: Failure Is Not An Option\nhttps://www.amazon.com/MCI-Failure-Invented-Competition-Tele... (https://www.amazon.com/MCI-Failure-Invented-Competition-Telecommunications/dp/1888232412/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1527861809&sr=1-1&keywords=failure+is+not+an+option+mci)\nAlready mentioned, but I feel obligated to add another +1 for these three:\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Kidder\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Levy\nThe Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation - Gertner\nAlso, if you enjoy this kind of stuff, you might enjoy the AMC series Halt and Catch Fire. Yes it's fiction and highly dramatized, but it captures a lot of the spirit of the times from the beginnings of the PC era up through the Dot Com Bubble era.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Everyone Else Must Fail - all about Larry Ellison and Oracle",
          "reason": "Suggested as a title the reader might like, about Larry Ellison and Oracle.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Oracle and its founder.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Karen Southwick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "larry ellison",
        "oracle"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "everyone-needs-a-mentor-8fb216",
      "title": "Everyone Needs a Mentor",
      "author": "David Clutterbuck",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11297109,
          "author": "SixSigma",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T13:33:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297109",
          "commentText": "Everyone Needs a Mentor -  David Clutterbuck [1]\nFlat Army - Dan Pontefract [2]\n[1] http://www.amazon.com/Everyone-Needs-Mentor-David-Clutterbuc... (http://www.amazon.com/Everyone-Needs-Mentor-David-Clutterbuck/dp/1843983664/)\n[2] http://www.danpontefract.com/the-book/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Everyone Needs a Mentor -  David Clutterbuck",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Clutterbuck"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "mentoring"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "everyone-poops-33034a",
      "title": "Everyone Poops",
      "author": "Taro Gomi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26324397,
          "author": "naebother",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-03T03:31:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 26321793,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books made you the most money?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26324397",
          "commentText": "Everyone Poops",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Everyone Poops",
          "reason": "Named as a response to the thread’s question about books that helped make money.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Taro Gomi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Parenting"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s picture book",
        "toilet training"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "everyone-who-is-gone-is-here-c2976b",
      "title": "Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here",
      "author": "Jonathan Blitzer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42218888,
          "author": "habosa",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T03:00:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42218888",
          "commentText": "I don’t read much non-fiction but for this year my pick is “Everyone Who is Gone is Here” by Jonathan Blitzer.\nIt’s a well-researched and original account of immigration at the US Southern border. It tells the story of many individuals and also whole Central/South American countries. The news media will tell you about caravans and people sneaking through Mexico but it’s hard to get a spin-free version of who is actually coming here and why.\nIt was enlightening and infuriating. Both political parties have lied to us for their benefit, and it made me realize I understood almost nothing about immigration before reading this. Highly recommend. Those of us who were born in the US are very lucky to not have to fight our way in.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Everyone Who is Gone is Here” by Jonathan Blitzer",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it enlightening and highly recommends it for its account of immigration at the US southern border.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking to understand immigration and the US southern border.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it was infuriating as well as enlightening.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Blitzer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "immigration",
        "us southern border"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "everything-flows-25b5a1",
      "title": "Everything Flows",
      "author": "Vasily Grossman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40880256,
          "author": "leobg",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-05T06:31:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40880256",
          "commentText": "Because I didn't know, I asked ChatGPT. For the benefit of those in a similar situation, I'm posting the output I got below.\n---\n\"Everything Flows\" by Vasily Grossman is a novel that explores the devastating impact of Soviet policies on the lives of individuals. Although the book does not focus exclusively on the Ukrainian Holodomor, it addresses the broader tragedies inflicted by the Soviet regime, including the forced famines in Ukraine. The Holodomor, specifically, was a man-made famine in Soviet Ukraine from 1932 to 1933 that caused the deaths of millions of Ukrainians due to starvation.\nIn the context of the novel, Grossman discusses the repercussions of such events on the human spirit and the moral compromises of those who survived. The narrative sometimes touches on how the Soviet authorities repopulated areas depopulated by famine and repression with new settlers, often people from other parts of the USSR, to consolidate control and continue the Sovietization process. The novel provides a deep reflection on guilt, suffering, and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of oppressive political systems.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Everything Flows\" by Vasily Grossman is a novel",
          "reason": "Describes the novel’s treatment of Soviet policies, famine, guilt, and suffering.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Does not focus exclusively on the Ukrainian Holodomor.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40878751,
          "author": "AGivant",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-04T23:06:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40878751",
          "commentText": "\"Everything Flows ' by Vasily Grossman,  about Ukrainian Holodomor and people they brought to live in these empty villages.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Everything Flows ' by Vasily Grossman,  about Ukrainian Holodomor and people they brought to live in these empty villages.",
          "reason": "Names it as a book that had a deep impact in response to the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vasily Grossman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "holodomor",
        "soviet history",
        "historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "everything-i-know-36dd29",
      "title": "Everything I Know",
      "author": "Paul Jarvis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12416113,
          "author": "SyneRyder",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T20:41:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416113",
          "commentText": "The Scott Adams book \"How To Fail At Almost Everything And Still Win Big\" is surprisingly good.  It's too early for me to tell if it's made an improvement, but I have a ton of highlights and I've been reviewing them every couple of weeks.  [I've had a similar reaction recently to \"Everything I Know\" by Paul Jarvis as well.]",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've had a similar reaction recently to \"Everything I Know\" by Paul Jarvis as well.",
          "reason": "Says they recently had a similar reaction to the other book they found surprisingly good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Jarvis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "freelancing",
        "independent business"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "everything-is-tuberculosis-c86705",
      "title": "Everything Is Tuberculosis",
      "author": "John Green",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46396841,
          "author": "phtrivier",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T22:08:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46396841",
          "commentText": "I started the year with \"Right thing, right now\", and I'm ending it with \"wisdom takes work\" (R.Holiday), but I'm happy to say that I'm now a bit \"tired\" of re-reading the same rehashing of other people's book, and I want to read the original ones. Which, actually, is the pont.\nI wanted to read classics, and devoured \"The portrait of Dorian Gray\" (O.Wilde), where maybe 50% of all the \"as O.Wilde said...\" quotes seem to come from (uttered by a single, incredibly obnoxious character.)\nI challenged myself to read \"Les Miserables\" (V.Hugo), and actually managed to get two tomes out of five down. Eminently quotable, heavily skippable - why on earth spend half a time on describing the ins and out of Waterloo, except to show off ? - and, surprisingly, at times, _funny_.\nThe bio of Pierre Mendès France (J.Lacouture) was very much topical, given the mess in Franch politics. We had more PMs in one year than in a few chapters of the book. It's very weird to read that, at some point, some politicians were \"liked\" by the people - but lost power anyway.\nA small Edouard Phillipe book called \"Men who read\" almost made me like the guy - his next book is more serious and expected. It pains me to think that our next election is going to be about \"well read people who disappointed everyone\" vs \"popular jocks with no education who will end up disappointing everyone\".\n\"Abundance\" (E.Klein / D.Thompson) is an attempt from \"well read people\" to at least try and understand why everyone is disappointed and prefer the jocks. I don't think they included any solution in their book, though - maybe they save it for the sequel, or for E.Klein's presidential bid.\nI want to read all Stripe press - if only, because the covers rock, and they're optimistic. Started with \"Poor Charlie's Almanach\" (C.Munger), which a disappointing rehash of the same funny speech seven times. (Tldr : be multidisciplinary, study cognitive biases, don't trade). In the middle of \"The Origins of Efficiency \" (Potter)\n\"The Wave\" (Souleymane) was not optimistic. And not practical at all - sure, AI enabled drones carrying bioweapons will suck. \"The Age of predators\" (G. Da Empoli) reminds us that the AI enabled bioweapons carrying drones will come from an illiberal state enabled by billionaires from Silicon Valley, and Russian trolls. I wish someone told me where to go to avoid being targeted too early.\n\"Everything is tuberculosis\" (J. Greene) reminded me of a time when scientists were trying to solve problems as opposed to creating brand new ones - but at least the next generations won't die of boredom.\n\"We, programmers\" is a rehash of Uncle Bob's pre talks \"history of programming\". I loved the long and detailed parts about G.Hopper. He ends with a (failed) attempt to convince that programmers will still be needed in the age of AI.\nSteve Yegge's \"Vibe coding\" goes full \"resistance is futile\" about programming with agents, and, interestingly, ends up talking more about TDD than Uncle Bob - but the words \"electricity consumption\" and \"climate impact\" are not utured, because, why spoil the fun.\n\"The Common LISP cookbook\" tried to explain me the difference between ASDF, quicklisp and whatnot - 2025 was the closest year I ever go to actually writing something in LISP instead of reading books about it.\nAnd also, \"The baby is a mammal\" (M.Odent) and \"Becoming a dad for dummies\", because this year was probably the last one we're I'll get so much time to read :)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Everything is tuberculosis\" (J. Greene) reminded me of a time when scientists were trying to solve problems",
          "reason": "Reminded the commenter of scientists working to solve problems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter contrasts this with current problem creation and jokes about future generations dying of boredom.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Green"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "medical history",
        "public health",
        "tuberculosis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "everyware-dawning-of-the-age-of-ubiquitous-computing-32a098",
      "title": "Everyware: Dawning of the Age of Ubiquitous Computing",
      "author": "Adam Greenfield",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 135286,
          "author": "danw",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T17:22:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135286",
          "commentText": "Recommended:\n* Everyware: Dawning of the age of ubiquitous computing\n* Never Eat Alone\nA few biographies of people you admire too. My favourite is \"Buckminster Fuller's Universe\".\nHas anyone got a recommendation for a good biography on Walt Disney?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Recommended:\n* Everyware: Dawning of the age of ubiquitous computing",
          "reason": "Listed as recommended reading for a hacker's bookshelf.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adam Greenfield"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ubiquitous computing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "evidence-7826d5",
      "title": "Evidence",
      "author": "Mary Oliver",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15156533,
          "author": "jeffersonheard",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:44:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156533",
          "commentText": "Getting More - Stuart Diamond. I still think this is the best book on the art of negotiation.\nGetting Things Done - David Allen. If you have adult ADHD like me, and you haven't read this, it's the first system that's really worked for productivity for me.\nMan's Search for Meaning - Victor Frankl.\nLiving Buddha, Living Christ - Thich Nhat Hanh.\nCosmos - Carl Sagan.\nThe Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. LeGuin.\nThe One who Walks Away from Omelas - U.K. LeGuin.\nWild Seed - Octavia Butler.\nThe Heike Monogatari - (tr. Helen Craig McCullough) “The sound of the Gion Shoja temple bells echoes the impermanence of all things; the color of the sala flowers reveals the truth that to flourish is to fall. The proud do not endure, like a passing dream on a night in spring; the mighty fall at last, to be no more than dust before the wind.” If you need a comparison. this is the Japanese historical equivalent of Game of Thrones combined with a bit of MacBeth. The rise and fall of two shogunate families, and an analysis of the tragic flaws of character that brought their fall about.\nLes Miserables - Victor Hugo.\nSmall Gods - Terry Pratchett.\nHeart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad.\nThe Guide - R. K. Narayan.\nEvidence - Mary Oliver.\nAll of Us - The Collected Poetry of Raymond Carver.\nSilence - Shusaku Endo.\nThe Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald.\nThe Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Murakami Haruki. This and the next four are odd choices, perhaps, since it's a surrealist book, but IMO books that force your imagination to work hard do as much for creativity and fresh ideas as any of the more popular methods.\nThe Well-Built City (The Physiognomy / Memoranda / The Beyond) Jeffery Ford - Surrealist novellas best described as about the protagonist living and achieving agency within the constructs, dreams, and nightmares of a \"Great Man's\" mind.\nSnow Crash - Neal Stephenson.\nGravity's Rainbow - Thomas Pynchon.\nDhalgren - Samuel L. \"Chip\" Delany.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Evidence - Mary Oliver.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mary Oliver"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nature",
        "poetry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "evil-under-the-sun-b83f48",
      "title": "Evil Under the Sun",
      "author": "Agatha Christie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39249377,
          "author": "jascination",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T11:19:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249377",
          "commentText": "For whatever reason I've suddenly gotten deep into murder mystery books. In the last 3 weeks I've read a bunch of Agatha Christie classics:\n- The Murder of Roger Ackroyd\n- And then there were none\n- Evil under the sun\nAll brilliant in their own right but the first is a masterpiece. Don't google any of these because spoilers come up, but I've had a lot more fun and been a lot more active reading than I have in years.\nLast year I read two books, this year I've read 3 books in January and have thoroughly enjoyed it way more than my usual nights of watching Netflix.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All brilliant in their own right",
          "reason": "The commenter praises it as brilliant.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter warns that online searches may reveal spoilers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Agatha Christie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "detective fiction",
        "mystery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "evolution-809389",
      "title": "Evolution",
      "author": "Douglas J. Futuyma",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16093044,
          "author": "veddox",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-07T22:15:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16093044",
          "commentText": "Yep, that's the one I was going to say :-)\n\"It goes really deep\" is, unfortunately, a relative description. Half-way through my undergraduate studies, I had pretty much outgrown it and needed more specialized books.\nNonetheless, it is a superb entry-level college textbook that covers the entire breadth of modern biology. The text is very understandable and gives more background information than is needed for a typical introductory lecture to any given topic (while still emphasizing the salient points so you don't get confused). Apart from the above-mentionend interviews, it also includes sections on current methods in biology, which are pretty handy when you're new to the field. Plus, the illustrations are simply excellent: pretty to look at and a huge help for understanding. On the whole, I find it to be one of the most aesthetically pleasing textbooks I know. (Beaten only by Futuyma's \"Evolution\".)\nMy best investment in university so far!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Beaten only by Futuyma's \"Evolution\".",
          "reason": "Says this is the only textbook they find more aesthetically pleasing than Campbell's.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas J. Futuyma"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biology textbook",
        "evolution"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "evolution-the-first-four-billion-years-4c7db0",
      "title": "Evolution: The First Four Billion Years",
      "author": "Edited by Michael Ruse and Joseph Travis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1026351,
          "author": "tokenadult",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T22:22:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026351",
          "commentText": "My favorite read in early 2009 was What Intelligence Tests Miss: The Psychology of Rational Thought by Keith Stanovich\nhttp://www.amazon.com/What-Intelligence-Tests-Miss-Psycholog... (http://www.amazon.com/What-Intelligence-Tests-Miss-Psychology/dp/030012385X/)\nwhich is full of helpful information on developing the kind of cognition missed by IQ tests that constitutes rationality, very important information for parents, educators, and business leaders.\n2009, the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his book On the Origin of Species, has been a banner year for new books on evolutionary biology. Some of my favorites include\nWhy Evolution is True by Jerry Coyne\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Why-Evolution-True-Jerry-Coyne/dp/0670... (http://www.amazon.com/Why-Evolution-True-Jerry-Coyne/dp/0670020532/)\nThe Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution by Richard Dawkins\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Show-Earth-Evidence-Evolution... (http://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Show-Earth-Evidence-Evolution/dp/1416594787/)\nand\nEvolution: The First Four Billion Years edited by Michael Ruse and Joseph Travis.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Evolution-First-Four-Billion-Years/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Evolution-First-Four-Billion-Years/dp/067403175X/)\nAll are full of up to date information about biology, which, as Thedosius Dobzhansky said, only makes sense in the light of evolution.\nSuperFreakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner\nhttp://www.amazon.com/SuperFreakonomics-Cooling-Patriotic-Pr... (http://www.amazon.com/SuperFreakonomics-Cooling-Patriotic-Prostitutes-Insurance/dp/0060889578)\nis enjoyable and thought-provoking, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, for all the usual reasons applying to collaborations by those two authors.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Evolution: The First Four Billion Years edited by Michael Ruse and Joseph Travis.",
          "reason": "Includes it among the commenter's favorite books on evolutionary biology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edited by Michael Ruse and Joseph Travis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolution",
        "evolutionary biology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "evolutionary-game-theory-145aa0",
      "title": "Evolutionary Game Theory",
      "author": "Jörgen W. Weibull",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 456347,
          "author": "pskomoroch",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T14:15:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456347",
          "commentText": "I used to have a lot more time for non CS reading and actually made an Amazon list on this topic back in 2005:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/2INJSM38... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/2INJSM38IDMDZ/ref=cm_sw_r_de_lm)\n1.  On War (Everyman's Library (Cloth)) by Carl Von Clausewitz\n2.  Leadership: The Warrior's Art by Barry R. McCaffrey\n3.  Small Unit Leadership: A Commonsense Approach by Dandridge M. Malone\n4.  The Defense of Hill 781: An Allegory of Modern Mechanized Combat by James R. McDonough\n5.  The Art of Maneuver: Maneuver-Warfare Theory and AirLand Battle by Robert Leonhard\n6.  Strategy: Second Revised Edition (Meridian) by B. H. Liddell Hart\n7.  The Art of War by Niccolò Machiavelli\n8.  Hagakure: The Book of the Samauri by Tsunetomo Yamamoto\n9.  The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius\n10.  The Art of War (Shambhala classics) by Sun Tzu\n11.  The Prince (Bantam Classics) by Niccolo Machiavelli\n12.  Evolutionary Game Theory by Jörgen W. Weibull\n13.  On Guerrilla Warfare by Mao Tse-tung\n14.  The History of the Peloponnesian War: Revised Edition (Penguin Classics) by Thucydides\n15.  The Histories (Penguin Classics) by Herodotus\n16.  The Persian Expedition (Penguin Classics) by Xenophon\n17.  Plutarch: Lives of Noble Grecians and Romans (Modern Library Series, Vol. 1) by Plutarch\n18.  Plutarch's Lives, Volume 2 (Modern Library Classics) by Plutarch\n19.  Livy: The Early History of Rome, Books I-V (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 1-5) by Titus Livy\n20.  The History of Rome from Its Foundation, Books XXI-XXX: The War with Hannibal (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 21-30) by Titus Livius Livy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "12.  Evolutionary Game Theory by Jörgen W. Weibull",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books in the comment's military strategy list.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking books about military strategy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jörgen W. Weibull"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolutionary game theory",
        "game theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "exactly-what-to-say-the-magic-words-for-influence-and-impact-386638",
      "title": "Exactly What to Say: The Magic Words for Influence and Impact",
      "author": "Phil M. Jones",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21902182,
          "author": "dustingetz",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T22:15:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902182",
          "commentText": "For founders: #1 is Oren Klaff Pitch Anything. Then: Crossing the Chasm, Zero to One, Blitzscaling, Never Split the Difference, Oversubscribed: A Founders Guide to Seed Fundraising, Exactly What To Say: The Magic Words for Influence and Impact, Miracle Morning, 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Exactly What To Say: The Magic Words for Influence and Impact",
          "reason": "Listed as a book for founders.",
          "audience": "Founders",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Phil M. Jones"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "communication",
        "persuasion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "exchange-place-ec8d79",
      "title": "Exchange Place",
      "author": "Ciaran Carson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25846182,
          "author": "AlecSchueler",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T13:31:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25846182",
          "commentText": "Contemporary fiction that would get the creative minds working I think would be Exchange Place by Ciaran Carson.\nIt's a bit like a labyrinthine search for identity and self identity, and for knowing the other.\nSet in Belfast and in Paris, the former is which it is also interesting to learn a bit of the actually life feeling of.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Contemporary fiction that would get the creative minds working I think would be Exchange Place by Ciaran Carson.",
          "reason": "Suggested as contemporary fiction to engage creative thinking.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for contemporary fiction that engages creative minds.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ciaran Carson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "identity",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "excursions-in-modern-mathematics-a4543c",
      "title": "Excursions in Modern Mathematics",
      "author": "Peter Tannenbaum",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34448348,
          "author": "zmgsabst",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-20T02:09:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34448348",
          "commentText": "I really liked “Excursions in Modern Mathematics” and “The Shape of Space”.\nNot the most technical — but really influenced how I thought about mathematics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really liked “Excursions in Modern Mathematics”",
          "reason": "The commenter says it influenced how they thought about mathematics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not the most technical.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Tannenbaum"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "popular mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "excuse-me-sir-would-you-like-to-buy-a-kilo-of-isopropyl-bromide-80d1c0",
      "title": "Excuse Me, Sir, Would You Like to Buy a Kilo of Isopropyl Bromide?",
      "author": "Max Gergel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10028484,
          "author": "ridgeguy",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T19:57:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10028484",
          "commentText": "I'll second these picks as having lots of information wrapped up inside engaging writing.\nIgnition:  http://web.gccaz.edu/~wkehowsk/ignition.pdf\n\"Excuse me, sir...\":  ftp://www.fourmilab.ch/pub/etexts/www/gergel/isopropyl_bromide.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'll second these picks as having lots of information wrapped up inside engaging writing.",
          "reason": "Seconds the book as information-rich and engaging.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Max Gergel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chemical research",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "exercises-in-programming-style-b91ba1",
      "title": "Exercises in Programming Style",
      "author": "Cristina Videira Lopes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29307981,
          "author": "thoughtFrame",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:14:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29307981",
          "commentText": "Somewhat varied but I think some of these may fit your criteria.\nProgramming Erlang by Joe Armstrong\nCommunicating Sequential Processes by Hoare\nThe algorithmic beauty of plants by Prusinkiewicz, Lindenmayer\nNetwork Performance Analysis Using the J Programming Language by Alan Holt\nRelational Programming in miniKanren by William Byrd\nExercises in Programming Style by Cristina Videira Lopes\nedit: also \"SAT/SMT by example\" by Dennis Yurichev",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Exercises in Programming Style by Cristina Videira Lopes",
          "reason": "Listed as a suggestion in response to the request for books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12474433,
          "author": "xwvvvvwx",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T17:25:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12474433",
          "commentText": "Exercises in Programming Style - Cristina Videira Lopes\nThe same simple programming problem (term frequency) solved using 33 different programming styles.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L2EAVAW/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?... (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L2EAVAW/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Exercises in Programming Style - Cristina Videira Lopes",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cristina Videira Lopes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "code examples",
        "code style",
        "programming paradigms",
        "programming styles"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "exhalation-stories-53ba8c",
      "title": "Exhalation: Stories",
      "author": "Ted Chiang",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49899920,
          "author": "jppope",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-29T20:26:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49899920",
          "commentText": "\"Exhalation\" was very good. Not every story was great, but as a whole is was lovely",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Exhalation\" was very good. Not every story was great, but as a whole is was lovely",
          "reason": "The commenter says the collection was very good overall, while noting that not every story worked for them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not every story was great to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ted Chiang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories",
        "speculative fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "existential-psychotherapy-a23906",
      "title": "Existential Psychotherapy",
      "author": "Irvin D. Yalom",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32938354,
          "author": "mstdokumaci",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T13:14:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938354",
          "commentText": "Existential Psychotherapy by Irvin D. Yalom\nThis book originally was for therapists, but later it got very popular and simplified for the common reader. I think it helps better than anything if you want to grow your soft skills. Because it does not have some generic advice on common life scenarios. It dives deep into the root cause of many issues any conscious living being will have. I find the mirror it holds to your face very healing for a lot of issues.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Existential Psychotherapy by Irvin D. Yalom",
          "reason": "Recommends it for developing soft skills and exploring the roots of common human struggles.",
          "audience": "Therapists originally; later simplified for general readers.",
          "caveat": "Originally written for therapists.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Irvin D. Yalom"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "existential therapy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "exodus-the-archimedes-engine-dff27e",
      "title": "Exodus: The Archimedes Engine",
      "author": "Peter F. Hamilton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43613265,
          "author": "SomeHacker44",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T16:34:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43613265",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed Peter F Hamilton's Exodus: The Archimedes Engine, which I expect is the first of a trilogy per his pattern. Not a short book!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed Peter F Hamilton's Exodus: The Archimedes Engine",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They expect it to be the first of a trilogy and note that it is not a short book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter F. Hamilton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "expanded-universe-3dd21e",
      "title": "Expanded Universe",
      "author": "Robert A. Heinlein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7302886,
          "author": "thatusertwo",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T04:26:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7302886",
          "commentText": "A Scanner Darkly - Philip K Dick\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nExpanded Universe - Robert A. Heinlein",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Expanded Universe - Robert A. Heinlein",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for science-fiction suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert A. Heinlein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "essays",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "expectations-investing-364aee",
      "title": "Expectations Investing",
      "author": "Michael J. Mauboussin and Alfred Rappaport",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12584939,
          "author": "megadrive16",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-26T19:44:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12584939",
          "commentText": "Here are my recommendations. This list is optimised to teach you the fundamentals of economics and finance, give you alternative perspectives on status quo economic/financial thinking and then equip with you with tools, ideas, and concepts to come up with original investment ideas and increase the likelihood that they are going to actually make you, your clients, and your firm a lot of money without anybody getting grilled by the House Financial Services Committee, the SEC, or ending up in jail.\n1.) Get a recent copy of the CFA curriculum and do the end of chapter exercises. You can probably skip a lot of the quantitative methods material if you’re doing a degree in stats. The CFA curriculum will give you a solid understanding of all the major sub-categories of economics (micro, macro, corporate finance, security analysis, accounting, financial statement analysis, alternative investments, derivatives, portfolio management, and most importantly ethical standards for financial professionals.\n2.) Read the Economics Anti-Text Book to crush any illusion that the neoclassical economic paradigm, which the CFA curriculum is based on, is the only scholarly interpretation of how economics works in the real world. Then read it again. If you’re really a diehard scholar read some of the alternative economics papers that the book references.\n3.) Find a good book or paper that covers Rational Choice Theory in depth. Then, at least, read Kahneman and Tversky (1979). If you can, read all of Kahneman and Tversky’s papers. This should also help clear any illusion that humans being are rational agents, which is a cornerstone of neoclassical economics, and give you a foundation for thinking about how people in markets really make decisions.\n4.) Read Fooled by Randomness to get more alternative thinking on decision making and how finance and economics works in the real world vs. the textbook stuff that you’re going to learn via the CFA curriculum.\n5.) Read Business Dynamics (Sterman, 2000) to learn how to model systems the “right” way.\n6.) Read Best Practices for Equity Research Analysts (Valentine). Regardless if you want to be an equity analysis or not, this book is the best book around if you want to learn how to organise yourself to succeed working day-today in an investment decision making role. Just think about the equity specific aspects in the context of whatever category of finance you’re interested in.\n7.) The Sleuth Investor (Mandelman). A lot to people complained that some of this book’s suggestions cross an ethical line. I disagree. Again, this books will give you an alternative perspective about how economic agents gather information on the critical factors that will move the variables they’re  interested in (e.g. stock prices, bond ratings, commodity prices,  earnings, etc). It’s basic premise is get out of the building and collect HUMINT (echoing Valentine more aggressively) like a CIA case officer instead of a nerd in a cube reading the same 10K’s, sell-side research, as everybody else.\n8.) Expectations Investing (Mauboussin) is a must read for how to come up with contra-consensus investment ideas and get it right.\n9.) Investing: The Last Great Liberal Art is a must read for learning how to incorporate information from other fields (physics, biology, sociology, etc) into your economic analysis.\n10.) (Optional) Diaminds: Decoding the Mental Habits of Successful Thinkers that challenges you to think about your thinking and assess how great business thinkers think. Not a economics but definitely will help you become a better economic thinker.\nGood luck!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Expectations Investing (Mauboussin) is a must read for how to come up with contra-consensus investment ideas and get it right.",
          "reason": "Called a must-read for developing contrarian investment ideas.",
          "audience": "Readers learning economics and finance.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael J. Mauboussin and Alfred Rappaport"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "equity valuation",
        "investment analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "experience-and-nature-c57c2a",
      "title": "Experience and Nature",
      "author": "John Dewey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1504493,
          "author": "mindviews",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T22:54:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1504493",
          "commentText": "I've read both \"Experience and Nature\" and \"How We Think\" and can recommend both.  \"How We Think\" was published first and is shorter - would make for a good introduction to Dewey.  \"Experience and Nature\" is longer and has more weight but is also more work to read.  I haven't read more than excerpts from his other works so I can't add much.  Otherwise, I intend to read \"The Public and its Problems\" which is supposed to be a good work on democracy.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've read both \"Experience and Nature\" and \"How We Think\" and can recommend both.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends both titles.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in John Dewey's philosophy.",
          "caveat": "Longer and more demanding to read than How We Think.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Dewey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "john dewey",
        "pragmatism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "experiencing-art-in-the-brain-of-the-beholder-77fb8a",
      "title": "Experiencing Art: In the Brain of the Beholder",
      "author": "Arthur Shimamura",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6899433,
          "author": "h1ccup",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T06:59:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6899433",
          "commentText": "This is my list(Most of these books aren't from 2013):\n1. The Man Who Invented the Computer: The Biography of John Atanasoff by Jane Smiley\n2. Halting State by Charlie Stross\n3. Levels of Life by Julian Barnes\n4. The Particle At The End Of The Universe by Sean Carrol\n5. Churchil Bomb by Graham Farmello\n6. The Science Of Memory by Charles Fernyhough\n7. The Anatomy of Violence: The biological roots of crime by Adrian Raine\n8. The Bet: Paul Ehrlich, Julian Simon, and our gamble over Earth’s future by Paul Sabin\n9. Experiencing Art: In the brain of the beholder by Arthur Shimamura\n10. The Spark: A Mother’s Story of Nurturing Genius by Kristine Barnett",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Experiencing Art: In the brain of the beholder by Arthur Shimamura",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list answering which books were best.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur Shimamura"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "art perception",
        "neuroaesthetics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "expert-c-programming-deep-c-secrets-a76a89",
      "title": "Expert C Programming: Deep C Secrets",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9758102,
          "author": "macintux",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T13:26:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758102",
          "commentText": "For both entertainment value and incisive exploration of dark corners in the language, \"Expert C Programming: Deep C Secrets\" is a fantastic book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Expert C Programming: Deep C Secrets\" is a fantastic book.",
          "reason": "Praised for entertainment value and incisive exploration of the language's dark corners.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "expert-c-business-objects-799183",
      "title": "Expert C# Business Objects",
      "author": "Rockford Lhotka",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41416724,
          "author": "BrannonKing",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-01T13:09:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41416724",
          "commentText": "This book has software engineering concepts that I never did see or hear anywhere else: \"Expert C# Business Objects\". Its concepts are language agnostic, even though it has C# examples. You might try some videos by the author of that book too.\nRelated to this book is what we call \"vertical feature slicing\". (I'd be curious to know what other books cover this topic.) There are some Youtube videos on the topic. There was a great 2-hour video from 20 years ago that influenced me. Unfortunately, I don't remember the title and cannot find it today.\nThe video \"Simple Made Easy\" had a profound influence on my programming: https://www.infoq.com/presentations/Simple-Made-Easy/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Expert C# Business Objects\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says it covers software engineering concepts they had not encountered elsewhere and that its concepts are language agnostic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Examples use C#.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rockford Lhotka"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business objects",
        "c",
        "software engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "explaining-culture-a-naturalistic-approach-dd9620",
      "title": "Explaining Culture: A Naturalistic Approach",
      "author": "Dan Sperber",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503745,
          "author": "harscoat",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T15:09:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503745",
          "commentText": "It depends if you want to be knowledgeable \"about\" philosophy and knowledge or if you want to apply it to you life.\n* K.Popper (in both cases;): _Open society and its ennemies_ http://www.archive.org/stream/opensocietyandit033120mbp#page... (http://www.archive.org/stream/opensocietyandit033120mbp#page/n7/mode/2up)\nfor \"Ars Vitae\" (applicable to one's life)\n* Plato: _Gorgias_\n* Marc Aurélius: _Meditations_\n* Friedrich Nietzsche: _Beyond good & evil_\nI agree with others on Hume, Russell, Husserl.\nAnother great thinker while he does not pretend to be a philosopher is Dan Sperber, I think of 2 books\n* Dan Sperber (with Deirdre Wilson) _Relevance. Communication and Cognition_ (Blackwell, 1986)\n* Sperber, Dan (1996) Explaining culture: _A naturalistic approach._ (Oxford: Blackwell)\nFinally philosophical literature: \n* Doistoievski: _The Brothers Karamazov_ (question of God is asked)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sperber, Dan (1996) Explaining culture: _A naturalistic approach._",
          "reason": "Included as one of two books by Dan Sperber that the commenter has in mind as worthwhile philosophical works.",
          "audience": "People interested in philosophy and culture.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Sperber"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cultural anthropology",
        "naturalism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "exploding-the-phone-the-untold-story-of-the-teenagers-and-outlaws-242303",
      "title": "Exploding the Phone: The Untold Story of the Teenagers and Outlaws Who Hacked Ma Bell",
      "author": "Phil Lapsley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9351241,
          "author": "DawkinsGawd",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T21:42:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9351241",
          "commentText": "Currently reading Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand and Exploding the Phone By Phil Lapsley.  Atlas Shrugged is an amazing account ofIndustry and government. Lapsleys book is a bit dry but it's a quick read and very informative",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Lapsleys book is a bit dry but it's a quick read and very informative",
          "reason": "Finds it informative and quick to read, while noting that it is a bit dry.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is a bit dry.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Phil Lapsley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "telecommunications",
        "telephone phreaking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "explore-it-reduce-risk-and-increase-confidence-with-exploratory-t-89f9b0",
      "title": "Explore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing",
      "author": "Elizabeth Hendrickson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Elizabeth Hendrickson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "exploratory testing",
        "software testing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "exploring-diabetes-with-owls-d19162",
      "title": "Exploring Diabetes with Owls",
      "author": "David Sedaris",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665209,
          "author": "PostPost",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:26:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665209",
          "commentText": "Sorry for the wall of text.\n1. Bourne (The language and world of this novel are extraordinary - everything is falling apart yet brimming with life. Strangely moving)\n2. The Design of Everyday things (Essential for anyone in UI/UX)\n3. All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (Highly engaging, entertaining sci-fi novella series, from an author that can write a very decent robot protagonist)\n4. The Power (Interesting story with sci-fi elements on the dynamics of power, sex, and gender roles. I didn't care for the book, but the first 3/4 of the book are amazing)\n5. Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days\n6. 7 brief Lessons on Physics\n7. The Last Lecture (The energy and positivity coming from a man knowing he's about to die is infectious. Great read)\n8. A wizard of Earthsea (Move over Harry Potter, this is the essential children's story about wizards)\n9. Exploring diabetes with owls (Funny, irreverent)\n10. Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children (Made an effort to read more YA this year - this was the best in this series, but I still hated it. There's a host of better YA series out there.)\n11. A Wizard of Earthsea: The Tombs of Atuan (See 8.)\n12. The Girl in the Dark (Interesting book about a skin condition I had never heard of, and the trials of living with a very rare condition)\n13. The Phantom Tollbooth (Clever children's book)\n14. Black hole blues and songs from outer space (Informative book about the study of space,  the political and economic forces standing in the way of science, and the incredible individuals working in this field)\n15. Welcome to Night Vale (Hugely entertaining, clever and weird)\n16. You need a budget (Basic economics book explaining how to budget in a way that lets you do more with your money)\n17. To fight Against This Age (Incredibly pretentious, \nIvory Tower philosophizing)\n18. Infinity Gauntlet (Half the Universe dying because Thanos wanted to sleep with Lady Death will never not be ridiculous)\n19. The Right and Wrong Stuff (Great read explaining how to anticipate and avoid career pitfalls)\n20. Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children: Hollow City (pretty shitty)\n21. The Farthest Shore (Ursula K. Le Guin was the biggest loss this year)\n22. Miss peregrine's home for Peculiar Children: Library of Souls (I hate this book and all its characters)\n23. Every Good Endevour (Religious book about a Christian worldview and the value of labor - not a bad read)\n24. When to Rob a Bank and 131 warped suggestions… (interesting, funny, from the writers of Freakonomics)\n25. Weapons of Math Destruction (Probably the most useful book on this list, if you're reading this on \"hackernews\")\n26. Holes (Perfect summer paperback read)\n27. Silver Screen Sirens (Essential for film geeks)\n28. A full life: reflections at 90 (I gained a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter: he lived an incredible life and does great things)\n29. Call Me by your name (Very good romance novel to send to your bigoted relatives at Christmas)\n30. Hyperbole and a half (Incredibly entertaining, very distinctive art style)\n31. The Murderbot diaries: Artificial Condition (See 3.)\n32. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Best children's book, fight me)\n33. Less (Exceptionally well-written)\n34. Resilience (Great book, especially for those that have gone through extremely difficult circumstances)\n35. The Strange Bird (Dark, bleak, full of life, see 1.)\n36. The Murderbot diaries: Rogue Protocol (See 3.)\n37. His Dark Materials: The subtle knife (See 32.)\n38. Tap Dancing to Work (Very dry, some stories/articles are fantastic, others very, very boring for people that do not care about finance)\n39. So Good They Can't Ignore You (Pretty good)\n40. His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass (Amazing YA, see 32.)\n41. Uncontainable (Inspirational book about conscious capitalism)\n42. The Emperor of All Maladies (Pretty much everything you'll ever want to know about Cancer, written in a very engaging way)\n43. Blind Spot\n44. Shoe dog (Great story, see madmax108's comment, totally agree)\n45. The Faithful Spy (Beautiful artwork describing a Christian pastor's fight against fascism during WW2)\n46. Zero to One\n47. You'll grow out of it\n48. The Happiness advantage (Really fantastic book about the value of positive psychology)\n49. Dreams from my father (Enlightening look into Obama's \nearly days)\n50. Ayoade on Ayoade (Entertaining, extremely scatter-brained, not as funny as his interviews or tv programs)\n51. The Diabolic (badly written YA Sci-Fi)\n52. The Physics of Everyday Things (surprisingly informative, recommended for non science-people interested in the way things work)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Funny, irreverent",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as funny and irreverent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Sedaris"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "essays",
        "humor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "exploring-es2016-2a282c",
      "title": "Exploring ES2016",
      "author": "Axel Rauschmayer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14462440,
          "author": "johnhenry",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-01T17:31:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14462440",
          "commentText": "I've only read parts, but Dr. Axel Rauschmayer has a few good books; Speaking JavaScript, Exploring ES2016, and more available free online here: http://exploringjs.com/. He also has an insightful blog here: http://2ality.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a few good books; Speaking JavaScript, Exploring ES2016",
          "reason": "Includes it among the author's good books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Axel Rauschmayer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ecmascript",
        "javascript"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "exploring-requirements-869bd6",
      "title": "Exploring Requirements",
      "author": "Gerald M. Weinberg and Donald C. Gause",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43738732,
          "author": "xcubic",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-19T19:20:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43738732",
          "commentText": "Can you elaborate?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Can you elaborate?",
          "reason": "Asks for more detail about the book mentioned in the conversation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43614466,
          "author": "readthenotes1",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T18:31:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43614466",
          "commentText": "I made a lot of money understanding and applying _Exploring Requirements_ by Gauss and Weinberg",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "understanding and applying _Exploring Requirements_ by Gauss and Weinberg",
          "reason": "The commenter says understanding and applying it helped them make a lot of money.",
          "audience": "People working with requirements and software projects.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gerald M. Weinberg",
        "Donald C. Gause"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "requirements engineering",
        "software development",
        "software requirements"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "exploring-requirements-quality-before-design-148468",
      "title": "Exploring Requirements: Quality Before Design",
      "author": "Gerald M. Weinberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19897329,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T09:04:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19897329",
          "commentText": "+1 for this. Arguably all of Weinberg's works teach mental models. 'Are Your Lights On?' is an easy introduction to his writing and thinking, and 'Exploring Requirements: Quality Before Design' is directly applicable to any software project involving collection of requirements (I thin that's all of them.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Exploring Requirements: Quality Before Design' is directly applicable to any software project involving collection of requirements",
          "reason": "Presented as directly applicable to software projects involving requirements collection.",
          "audience": "People working on software requirements.",
          "caveat": "The commenter jokes that requirements collection applies to all software projects.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gerald M. Weinberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "requirements engineering",
        "software design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "extraordinary-popular-delusions-and-the-madness-of-crowds-13f13f",
      "title": "Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds",
      "author": "Charles Mackay",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12416833,
          "author": "cs702",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T22:54:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416833",
          "commentText": "I agree with others on the \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius.\nOff the top of my head, I would add:\n* \"The Way to Wealth,\" by Benjamin Franklin: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0918222885 (also available online for free; it's in the public domain) -- no-nonsense practical advice from a super-successful individual\n* Warren Buffett's Letters to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders: http://www.berkshirehathaway.com/letters/letters.html (also available organized by topic, in a bound book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1611637589 which some will find much easier to read)\n* \"The Intelligent Investor,\" by Benjamin Graham (specifically the chapters titled \"The Investor and Market Fluctuations\" and \"Margin of Safety\"): https://www.amazon.com/dp/0060555661\n* \"Influence: the Psychology of Persuasion,\" by Robert Cialdini: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0688128165\nAlso:\n* \"Devil Take the Hindmost,\" by Edward Chancellor: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0452281806\n* \"A Short History of Financial Euphoria,\" by John Kenneth Galbraith: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0140238565\n* \"Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds,\" by Charles Mackay: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1586635581",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds,\" by Charles Mackay",
          "reason": "Includes it in the recommended reading list.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in crowd behavior and speculative manias.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Mackay"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crowd psychology",
        "financial speculation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "extreme-c-taking-you-to-the-limit-in-concurrency-oop-and-the-most-72b3e1",
      "title": "Extreme C: Taking You to the Limit in Concurrency, OOP, and the Most Advanced Capabilities of C",
      "author": "Kamran Amini",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33132787,
          "author": "synergy20",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T14:54:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33132787",
          "commentText": "\"Extreme C: Taking you to the limit in Concurrency, OOP, and the most advanced capabilities of C\" at https://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Taking-Concurrency-advanced-c... (https://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Taking-Concurrency-advanced-capabilities/dp/1789343623). Especially if you want to do OOP in C instead of playing with C++.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Extreme C: Taking you to the limit in Concurrency, OOP, and the most advanced capabilities of C\"",
          "reason": "Suggested for learning C, especially object-oriented programming in C.",
          "audience": "People interested in doing OOP in C.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kamran Amini"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming",
        "concurrency"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "extreme-programming-explained-980fa3",
      "title": "Extreme Programming Explained",
      "author": "Kent Beck",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33856481,
          "author": "summertime42",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T18:55:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33856481",
          "commentText": "I have all of these on my shelf. Fantastic reads.\n* Extreme Programming Explained by Kent Beck\n* Clean Code and The Clean Coder by Robert C. Martin\n* Soft Skills by John Sonmez (1st edition)\n* Pragmatic Programmer by Andrew Hunt and David Thomas\n* Working Effectively with Legacy Code by Michael Feathers\n* The Mythical Man-Month by Frederick Brooks\n(Selfish plug) Additionally, I wrote my own book concerning the entire industry, from just starting out to becoming a self employed consultant when you get sick of fulltime work - all soft skills from my decade or so of the industry, as well - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B43V1JJW",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Extreme Programming Explained by Kent Beck",
          "reason": "Includes it among books they describe as fantastic reads.",
          "audience": "Software engineers interested in development practices.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kent Beck"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "agile software development",
        "extreme programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "extremely-hardcore-inside-elon-musk-s-twitter-5ae06f",
      "title": "Extremely Hardcore: Inside Elon Musk's Twitter",
      "author": "Zoe Schiffer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42219433,
          "author": "lovestory",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T05:56:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42219433",
          "commentText": "I only have time to listen to audiobooks so I hope this list is not too basic.\nOn the Edge: The Art of Risking Everything by Nate Silver\nThe End of Reality: How Four Billionaires Are Selling a Fantasy Future of the Metaverse, Mars, and Crypto by Jonathan Taplin\nThe Value of Others by Orion Taraban\nRinsed: From Cartels to Crypto: How the Tech Industry Washes Money for the World's Deadliest Crooks by Geoff White\nWhy We Die: The New Science of Aging and the Quest for Immortality by Venki Ramakrishnan\nExtremely Hardcore: Inside Elon Musk's Twitter by Zoe Schiffer\nBottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Katherine Eban\nAI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference by Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor\nHijacking Bitcoin: The Hidden History of BTC by Roger Ver\nGo Woke, Go Broke: The Inside Story of the Radicalization of Corporate America by Charles Gasparino\nThe Catalyst: RNA and the Quest to Unlock Life's Deepest Secrets by Thomas R Cech\nand my book of the year\nGood Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health by Casey Means M D",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Extremely Hardcore: Inside Elon Musk's Twitter by Zoe Schiffer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Zoe Schiffer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "elon musk",
        "social media",
        "twitter"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "extremely-loud-and-incredibly-close-38d0bf",
      "title": "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close",
      "author": "Jonathan Safran Foer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1569228,
          "author": "anuleczka",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:52:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569228",
          "commentText": "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, by Jonathan Safran Foer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, by Jonathan Safran Foer.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Safran Foer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "eyewitness-9608f4",
      "title": "Eyewitness",
      "author": "Dorling Kindersley",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1725558,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-24T21:51:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1725558",
          "commentText": "Little Boys:\nAnything by Sendak, Donald Crews, Byron Barton.\nDorling Kindersly Eyewitness series.\nBigger Boys:\nPhantom Tollbooth,Avi,anything with swords\nOlder:\nJack London, \nShakespere",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dorling Kindersly Eyewitness series.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a series for little boys.",
          "audience": "Little boys.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dorling Kindersley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "illustrated reference"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "f-applied-0be321",
      "title": "F# Applied",
      "author": "Tomasz Jaskuła",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13660799,
          "author": "justanotheratom",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-16T15:47:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13660799",
          "commentText": "F# Applied\nhttp://products.tamizhvendan.in/fsharp-applied/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "F# Applied",
          "reason": "Listed as a title answering the request for books that teach through a project.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tomasz Jaskuła"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "f",
        "functional programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "f-for-c-developers-9494f7",
      "title": "F# for C# Developers",
      "author": "Robert Pickering",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7759002,
          "author": "sytelus",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-17T02:11:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7759002",
          "commentText": "Doing Bayesian Data Analysis\nInteresting topics: MCMC, Gibbs Sampling\nF# for C# Developers\nThis book seems to leave lot out in order to simplify but good starting book nonetheless\nTCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 1: The Protocols, Second Edition\nI wanted to know what really \"connection\" means. This book has answer.\nAn Introduction to R\nI guess everyone dealing with data should know R, right?\nHere's my Amazon list with quite a few very interesting books collected over time: http://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/wishlist/RXLC4WK1ZOJR",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "This book seems to leave lot out in order to simplify but good starting book nonetheless",
          "reason": "Described as a good starting book for learning F# from a C# background.",
          "audience": "C# developers starting with F#",
          "caveat": "Leaves out a lot to simplify.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Pickering"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c",
        "f",
        "functional programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "farther-9564e5",
      "title": "FArTHER",
      "author": "Grahame Baker-Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11700113,
          "author": "DanBC",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-15T09:10:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11700113",
          "commentText": "Still mostly reading childrens books.\nThis is not my hat: https://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Not-Hat-Jon-Klassen/dp/1406353... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Not-Hat-Jon-Klassen/dp/1406353434)\nBlack dog: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Dog-Levi-Pinfold/dp/184877052... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Dog-Levi-Pinfold/dp/1848770529)\nFArTHER: https://www.amazon.co.uk/FArTHER-Grahame-Baker-Smith/dp/1848... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/FArTHER-Grahame-Baker-Smith/dp/1848771339) (Sadly this book uses a stupid font. Other than that it's lovely.)\nPirate Diary: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pirate-Diary-Journal-Jake-Carpenter... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pirate-Diary-Journal-Jake-Carpenter/dp/0744594308)\nI get these from the CILIP Kate Greenaway award. Once you know the name of the writer, or illustrator, or even publisher, you can usually find more good books. http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/greenaway.php\nCILIP is a UK librarian organisation.  The US equivalent award is probably something like the Caldecott Medal: http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/caldecottmeda... (http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/caldecottmedal/caldecottmedal)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "FArTHER:",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is lovely, with a reservation about its font.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The book uses what the commenter calls a stupid font.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Grahame Baker-Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fdr-97cb1b",
      "title": "FDR",
      "author": "Jean Edward Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33382606,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T10:05:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382606",
          "commentText": "Top 2 so far:\n   * Washington: A life by Ron Chernow\n   * The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won by Victor Davis Hanson\n\nThe Washington book is a very detailed by clear overview of his life. Easy to follow (even for complex situations) and very week written.\nThe WW2 book is amazing. Compares the countries fighting in around 20 different areas (technology, leadership, geography, aircraft) and says who is better and why.\nAlso very good:\n   * FDR by Jean Edward Smith\n   * Master of the Senate by Robert A. Caro\n   * The Penguin History of New Zealand by Michael King\n   * The years of Lyndon Johnson 2 – Means of Ascent by Robert Caro\n   * Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road by Kyle Buchanan\n   * Becoming Trader Joe: How I Did Business My Way and Still Beat the Big Guys by Joe Coulombe\n   * How Innovation Works: And Why It Flourishes in Freedom by Matt Ridley\n   * Yeager: An Autobiography by Chuck Yeager\n   * The years of Lyndon Johnson: The Path to Power by Robert Caro\n   * The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson\n   * Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson\n   * An Economist walks into a Brothel: And Other Unexpected Places to Understand Risk by Allison Schrager\n   * The Devil’s Candy: The Bonfire of the Vanities Goes to Hollywood by Julie Salamon\n   * Sam Walton: Made in America by Sam Walton",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* FDR by Jean Edward Smith",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jean Edward Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "franklin d roosevelt"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fpga-prototyping-by-vhdl-examples-xilinx-spartan-3-version-129b0b",
      "title": "FPGA Prototyping by VHDL Examples: Xilinx Spartan-3 Version",
      "author": "Pong P. Chu",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 358914,
          "author": "jsyedidia",
          "createdAt": "2008-11-10T05:26:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 358490,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's a good book to learn electronics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=358914",
          "commentText": "I would recommend considering being more ambitious and learning how to design and prototype digital circuits on an FPGA development board. Pong Chu's book \"FPGA Prototyping by VHDL Examples--Xilinx Spartan-3 Version\" is really excellent, with lots of well-explained projects.\nYou can get really nice Xilinx starter kits compatible with this book for cheap. To be absolutely compatible, you can get the old Spartan-3 starter board from digilentinc.com for $99, but be aware that you need a PC with a parallel port. If you prefer like me to connect your FPGA board to your computer using USB, I recommend either the Nexys-2 board for $99 or the Spartan-3E starter board for $149, available at digilentinc.com, or the more up-to-date Spartan-3A starter board for $189, which you can buy at nuhorizons.com or avnet.com. These boards are mostly compatible with the book, and you can get lots of peripheral modules like seven-segment LED's for them from Digilent.\nThe software necessary to program these starter boards is available for free from Xilinx. The only slight problem is that you need to use Windows or Linux--no Mac OS X.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pong Chu's book \"FPGA Prototyping by VHDL Examples--Xilinx Spartan-3 Version\" is really excellent, with lots of well-explained projects.",
          "reason": "Calls it excellent and highlights its well-explained projects.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes compatibility details and says the older Spartan-3 board requires a PC with a parallel port.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pong P. Chu"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "digital circuits",
        "fpga",
        "vhdl"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fyi-for-your-improvement-b3b999",
      "title": "FYI: For Your Improvement",
      "author": "Michael M. Lombardo and Robert W. Eichinger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12416056,
          "author": "dv35z",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T20:31:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416056",
          "commentText": "FYI: For Your Improvement, A Guide for Development and Coaching (4th edition)\nSeveral close colleagues & mentors recommended this book as their \"career bible\". I finally listened to them (took me 10 years, but finally did it). And glad I did.\nIn my opinion, it is the most infornation-dense, non-BS, completely actionable advice I have found in a business book. Strongly recommend. From my understanding, the 4th Ed is the one you want.\nThis is the way you take your professional & career life to the next level.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/FYI-Improvement-Guide-Development-Coa... (https://www.amazon.com/FYI-Improvement-Guide-Development-Coaching/dp/0974589233)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In my opinion, it is the most infornation-dense, non-BS, completely actionable advice I have found in a business book. Strongly recommend. From my understanding, the 4th Ed is the one you want.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends its actionable career advice and specifies the fourth edition.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking professional and career development.",
          "caveat": "The commenter recommends the fourth edition.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael M. Lombardo and Robert W. Eichinger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "career development",
        "coaching",
        "professional skills"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fablehaven-2b367d",
      "title": "Fablehaven",
      "author": "Brandon Mull",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50039832,
          "author": "quickpost",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T04:35:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50039832",
          "commentText": "The Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull is really quite good and fun to read (longer series).  Been reading it to 8 / 9yr old boy and we've loved them all.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull",
          "reason": "The commenter says the series is good and fun to read and enjoyed it with an 8- or 9-year-old.",
          "audience": "An 8- or 9-year-old, reading with an adult.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is a longer series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brandon Mull"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure",
        "children s fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fables-cccf52",
      "title": "Fables",
      "author": "Bill Willingham",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4788155,
          "author": "kaipakartik",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T12:03:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4788155",
          "commentText": "I quite liked the following\n1) Angelmaker\n2) Gone away world\n3) The Hobbit\n4) Fables the comic seriers\nNon fiction\n1) Steve Jobs\n2) Thinking fast and slow\nHave a look http://blog.kaipakartik.com for the books I enjoyed reading",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "4) Fables the comic seriers",
          "reason": "Listed after the commenter says they quite liked the following books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Willingham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic series",
        "fairy tales"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fables-for-robots-953e2a",
      "title": "Fables for Robots",
      "author": "Stanisław Lem",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9350231,
          "author": "ArekDymalski",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T19:15:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350231",
          "commentText": "In order of appearance:\n\"Fables for Robots\" by Stanislaw Lem - it shaped my love for SF for the rest of my life\n\"Mindwatching: Why We Behave the Way We Do\" by Hans and Michael Eysenck - it influenced my choice of studies\n\"The social animal\" by Elliot Aronson - it helped me to understand people a bit better :)\n\"Rich dad, poor dad\" by Robert Kiyosaki - it really helped me in the transition from the corporate world to own business",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it shaped my love for SF for the rest of my life",
          "reason": "Says it shaped their lifelong love of science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stanisław Lem"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "factory-physics-fd45a4",
      "title": "Factory Physics",
      "author": "Wallace J. Hopp and Mark L. Spearman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25319707,
          "author": "DavidPeiffer",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-06T00:15:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319707",
          "commentText": "I'm an industrial engineer.  The book that got me started on that path was Cheaper By the Dozen, which we listened to on cassette tape on most road trips >2 hours growing up.  I was fascinated by the thought of taking a process or procedure and eliminating as much non-value add time as possible, which they did throughout their lives on things like tonsillectomies for their kids.\nSome impactful books on the whole field include Factory Physics (focusing on material flow through a factory) and The Toyota Way (focusing on lean manufacturing).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Some impactful books on the whole field include Factory Physics",
          "reason": "Called an impactful book on industrial engineering, focused on material flow through a factory.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in industrial engineering and manufacturing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Wallace J. Hopp",
        "Mark L. Spearman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "factory operations",
        "manufacturing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "facts-and-mysteries-in-elementary-particle-physics-92b9d0",
      "title": "Facts and Mysteries in Elementary Particle Physics",
      "author": "Martinus J. G. Veltman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783915,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:06:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783915",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction, best to worst:\nHenry Marsh, Do No Harm. A brilliant memoir by a neurosurgeon about his work, the nature of his profession, successes and mistakes (especially the latter). Frequently touches or verges into the personal. Not morbid, but often sad.\nKeith Johnstone, Impro for Storytellers. \nViola Spolin, Improvisation for the Theater\nTwo very good books about improvisation, although Spolin's is too dry and theory-laden for me (it's meant for teachers more than practitioners). Both, however, pale compared to Keith Johnstone's earlier Impro: Improvisation and the Theater, which is a life-changing book about what improvisation can teach us about spontaneous creativity and relationships between people. I recommend that one first and foremost if you know nothing about improvisation and are curious.\nMartinus J G Veltman, Facts and Mysteries in Elementary Particle Physics. A readable account - necessarily simplified, of course - of the current state of affairs in elementary particles and much of the last 50 years of history, by one of the participants (a Nobel prize winner). Not as organized and methodical as I thought it would be, and half a year later I forgot most of the physical explanations, but it was an interesting read.\nRobert B. Edgerton, Sick Societies. A thorough examination of the hundreds of horrible examples when \"natural\" societies studied by anthropologists have customs that are not only bad from our modern Western point of view, but arguably fail in achieving their own objectives. The whole book exists to counter lazy cultural relativism of the \"maybe we don't like X, but if they do it, it must be for a good reason and it must be a useful adaptation for them\" kind.\nMichael Harris, Mathematics Without Apologies. A very eclectic and idiosyncratic book by a mathematician on the sociology and epistemology of mathematics as a discipline. To be appreciated for its wealth of ideas and references to other interesting books and theories, rather than for any particular argument or thread.\nMilton Rokeach, The Three Christs of Ypsilanti. A story on what happened when a psychologist tried to bring three psychiatric patients, each believing themselves to be Christ, together and to talk it out amongst themselves. Happened in the 1960s. The idea is more interesting than the outcome.\nFiction, best to worst:\nPatrick O'Brian, The Hundred Days. The penultimate book in the series of the best historical novels (the Aubrey-Maturin series) ever written, by a huge margin. The series transcend the genre and I count the Aubrey-Maturin books among the very best books I read in the last decade.\nDodie Smith, I Capture the Castle. A brilliantly written coming-of-age story about a girl growing up in an impoverished family occupying a decaying castle in the English countryside, set in the 1930s. Reminded me in many ways of Rebecca West's The Fountain Overflows, a novel in the similar genre (but with a younger protagonist) that's known much less than it deserves.\nJuan Rulfo, Pedro Paramo. If you read and liked Garcia Marquez's A Hundred Years of Solitude, this one is shorter, darker, involves many more dead people, and you may want to give it a try.\nAlfred Hayes, In Love. A story of a man obsessed by love in a mid-century NYC. Unexpectedly touching, very convincing psychologically.\nIain M. Banks, Against a Dark Background. SF, a grand heist novel set in a advanced civilization living in a star system located unimaginably far away from any other stars and galaxies, and so doomed to a lone struggle with its own long history. A wealth of technological and social ideas you'd expect from Banks. The ending felt a bit forced.\nGene Wolfe, There Are Doors. Gene Wolfe, Nightsite of the Long Sun/Lake of the Long Sun.\nGene Wolfe is the best writer American science fiction produced in the last half-century. \"There are Doors\" is a pretty weird fantasy novel about an alternate world where men die after their first intercourse (as some spiders do in ours), and the hero travels back and forth between that world and ours. It's good, but not as strong as Wolfe's best, which to my taste is the Book of the New Sun tetralogy, the novellas in the Fifth Head of Cerberus collection, and many of his short stories (well-collected in The Best of Gene Wolfe). The other two are the first half of the \"Book of the Long Sun\" series that I'm still reading through.\nUrsula K. Le Guin, The Dispossessed. Superb political SF about an imagined anarchist [anti-]utopia. A serious attempt to describe a human society with no central power structures and no ownership. The hero is a physicist born and raised in that society who escapes to a sibling planet with the more typical modern states. This novel took all the awards in the 1970s when it was published, and deservedly so.\n[cont'd]",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Martinus J G Veltman, Facts and Mysteries in Elementary Particle Physics. A readable account - necessarily simplified, of course - of the current state of affairs in elementary particles and much of the last 50 years of history, by one of the participants (a Nobel prize winner). Not as organized and methodical as I thought it would be, and half a year later I forgot most of the physical explanations, but it was an interesting read.",
          "reason": "An interesting, readable account, though less organized and methodical than expected.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter later forgot most explanations and found it less organized than expected.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martinus J. G. Veltman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "particle physics",
        "physics history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "facts-values-and-norms-61f3a4",
      "title": "Facts, Values, and Norms",
      "author": "Peter Railton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8401598,
          "author": "eli_gottlieb",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:45:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401598",
          "commentText": "Recently finished:\nDown and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow -- frankly, I found it kind of boring, and also found the narrator unsympathetic.  I'm not sure if the author intended him to be an Unreliable Narrator or not.\nFacts, Values, and Norms by Peter Railton --  Gains three stars for combining serious consideration of ethical and meta-ethical issues with a completely naturalistic worldview and a genuine grappling with history and ideology. Loses two stars for being far, far too long-winded and using vague, colloquial terminology and appeals to intuition where a methodoological naturalist can and should appeal to the fruits of science. (Copy-pasta'd from my Amazon review)\nRapture of the Nerds by Charles Stross -- pretty funny, even if it made a transhuman superintelligent supercivilization look kind of... dumb.\nCurrently re-reading for fun:\nThe Wee Free Men and I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett -- It's Discworld.  Go read them.  NOW.  And read A Hat Full of Sky in the middle.\nThen there's been a lot of textbooks I've been reading, which I won't list.  Though...\nLogical Labyrinths by Raymond Smullyan -- dense, and fun, a graduate-level intro textbook to first-order logic disguised as a logic textbook.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Gains three stars for combining serious consideration of ethical and meta-ethical issues with a completely naturalistic worldview and a genuine grappling with history and ideology. Loses two stars for being far, far too long-winded",
          "reason": "Praises its treatment of ethics and naturalism, but criticizes its length and terminology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Far too long-winded; uses vague, colloquial terminology and appeals to intuition.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Railton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "metaethics",
        "naturalism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "faery-tales-7983ca",
      "title": "Faery Tales",
      "author": "McKenzie Rae",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24183387,
          "author": "mswen",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-17T02:45:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 24176902,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please suggest some good books you have read recently",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24183387",
          "commentText": "Changeling (The Dark Fae Series Book 1)\nFaery Tales (The Dark Fae Series Book 2)\nBy McKenzie Rae\nBook 2 was just released last week. I sat down this morning to read and as of this evening I am about 200 pages in. It really sucked me in.\nDisclaimer. I am the father of the author. But when she was younger I would read something she wrote and if she asked for my reaction I was honest. I would say, it is really good for a 14 year old. That would drive her crazy. But I would tell her I will always give you my honest reaction.\nWhen she was picked up by a publisher in her early 20s, she was kind of bashful about me reading her work. It was so gratifying to be able to walk in about 2/3 of the way through that first published novel and tell her that even though it wasn't my preferred genre I had started to care about the characters and the plot and I had to finish.\nI feel like each book has gotten better. This latest book captured my attention within the first few pages and I spent way more time reading it today than I originally intended.\nSorry if anyone is offended at me promoting my daughter's work.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Faery Tales (The Dark Fae Series Book 2)",
          "reason": "Says this latest book captured their attention quickly and led them to read more than planned.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is the author's father and notes the genre is not their preference.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "McKenzie Rae"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fae fantasy",
        "paranormal romance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fafhrd-and-the-gray-mouser-5ec73b",
      "title": "Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser",
      "author": "Fritz Leiber",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24289321,
          "author": "Jtsummers",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-27T01:35:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 24286084,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading at the moment and what do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24289321",
          "commentText": "Fiction, English\n\nListening: Swords in the Mist, Fritz Leiber. Third in the Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser collections.\nReading: The Dispossessed, Ursula Le Guin.\n  Fiction, Spanish\n\nI’m trying to learn Spanish. I’ve picked up a few Spanish language fiction books, presently starting on Harry Potter y la piedra filosofal. I’ve tried reading other books, like Jorge Luis Borges’ Ficciones, but I’ve found it to be above my present level. I’ve restarted four or five times and made it further each time, but always stalled out.\n  Non-fiction\n\nThe Design of Everyday Things, Don Norman.\nI have other books started lying around the house, but these are the ones I’ve been actively engaged with in the last couple weeks. When I can type properly again (two to three weeks) I’ll resume Lisp in Small Pieces, Christian Queinnec. And at the office I have The Pragmatic Programmer, I’ll be back there next week and bring it home so I can continue with it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Third in the Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser collections.",
          "reason": "Identifies the series that includes Swords in the Mist.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86223,
          "author": "icky",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:37:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86223",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- The Time Machine (still holds up very well, and seems strangely eerie and prescient in places)... (H. G. Wells)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Hobbit (and LotR) (Tolkien)\n- Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n- Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties (I picked up Idoru first, so I haven't yet read Virtual Light) (also Gibson)\n- The Difference Engine (Gibson, Sterling)\n- Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n- Cryptonomicon (\" \")\n- Circuit of Heaven, End of Days (Dennis Danvers)\n- All of the \"Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser\" stories and novels. (Fritz Leiber)\n- The Earthsea trilogy (Ursula K. LeGuin)\n- 'salem's Lot (Stephen King)\n- Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein)\n- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)\n- the Coldfire trilogy (C. S. Friedman)\n- various Cory Doctorow short stories\n- Kamikaze L'Amour (Richard Kadrey)\n- Lightpaths (Howard V. Hendrix)\n- A Canticle For Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)\n- Moonwar, Venus (Ben Bova)\n- the Stainless Steel Rat series (Harry Harrison)\n- Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)\n- Ringworld (Larry Niven)\n- Cthon (Piers Anthony) -- Trippiness level approaching Philip Jose Farmer ;-)\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (Douglas Adams)\n- The Black Company (Glen Cook)\n- there's one particularly good post-cyberpunk series that takes place in a world in which Canada emerged as a major world power, but for the life of me I can't rememeber the title.\n- the 1632 series (Eric Flint)... see also S. M. Stirling's Nantucket series (\"Island in the Sea of Time\", et al.), and H. Beam Piper's novel Kalvan of Otherwhen\nNon-fiction:\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (Hume)\n- the surviving words and works of Epicurus, and Diogenes the Cynic\n- Freakonomics (Levitt, Dubner)\n- The Gay Science (Nietzsche)\n- The Jefferson Bible (Christ, Jefferson (ed.))\n- The Devil's Dictionary (Bierce)\n- Brain Droppings (George Carlin)\n- anything by P. J. O'Rourke\n- anything by Dave Barry",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All of the \"Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser\" stories and novels.",
          "reason": "Recommends all the stories and novels in the named series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fritz Leiber"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sword and sorcery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fail-safe-investing-a139db",
      "title": "Fail-Safe Investing",
      "author": "Harry Browne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12564401,
          "author": "kingmanaz",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T13:28:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12564401",
          "commentText": "\"Fail Safe Investing\" by Harry Browne and \"The Intelligent Investor\" by Benjamin Graham.\nDiscussion of the former here:\nhttp://www.gyroscopicinvesting.com/forum",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Fail Safe Investing\" by Harry Browne",
          "reason": "Listed as a book in response to a request for must-read economics and finance books.",
          "audience": "Someone new to economics and finance, per the question.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Harry Browne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "investing",
        "personal finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "failure-is-not-an-option-183c28",
      "title": "Failure Is Not an Option",
      "author": "Gene Kranz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42653216,
          "author": "tuetnsuppe",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T06:38:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42653216",
          "commentText": "Failure is not an Option by Gene Kranz, Flight Director of Apollo 11 and Apollo 13 among other missions give a lot of insight into the preparation and focus of safety critical operations.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Failure is not an Option by Gene Kranz, Flight Director of Apollo 11 and Apollo 13 among other missions",
          "reason": "Offers insight into preparation and focus in safety-critical operations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gene Kranz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "apollo program",
        "safety critical operations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "faith-of-a-heretic-6c4421",
      "title": "Faith of a Heretic",
      "author": "Walter Kaufmann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503296,
          "author": "dtby",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T07:40:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503296",
          "commentText": "_Faith of a Heretic_ - Walter Kaufmann",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "_Faith of a Heretic_ - Walter Kaufmann",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to a request for philosophical book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Walter Kaufmann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "atheism",
        "religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "faith-of-the-fallen-d17eb7",
      "title": "Faith of the Fallen",
      "author": "Terry Goodkind",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23471522,
          "author": "me_smith",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T22:10:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23471522",
          "commentText": "The Hobbit - Tolkien\nWizard's First Rule (Sword of Truth Book 1) - Goodkind\nFaith of the Fallen (Sword of Truth Book 6) - Goodkind\nEnder's Game - Card\n1984 - Orwell\nI'm looking to read Asimov's Foundation series again. Maybe spend more time with Hyperion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Faith of the Fallen (Sword of Truth Book 6) - Goodkind",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry Goodkind"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "falkenberg-s-legion-9a5e2f",
      "title": "Falkenberg's Legion",
      "author": "Jerry Pournelle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4353871,
          "author": "e12e",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-08T04:16:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 4353632,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon.  What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4353871",
          "commentText": "If you enjoyed \"Snow Crash\" and \"Diamond Age\", I'd recommend \"Islands in the Net\" (if you can get hold of a copy) and \"Holy Fire\" by Bruce Sterling. Or for something newer, \"the Zenith Angle\" by same.\nI've also enjoyed all of Willam Gibsons books, including the latest trilogy \"Pattern Recognition\", \"Spook Country\" and \"Zero History\".\nIf you bothered to read through \"Cryptonomicon\" you'll either love \"the Code Book\" by Simon Singh more than I did, or hate it :-)\nAssuming you've picket through the classics shelf, you might have missed out on Samuel Delany - \"The Einstein Intersection\" might be a good one to try on for size -- although I actually found \"Neveryóna\" to be maybe his most interesting book (of the ones I've been able to get hold of) [edit: After \"Dhalgren\", that is. But I think \"Dhalgren\" is a bit like Joyce's \"Ulysses\" -- a classic I haven't gotten around to yet. I spent the better part of ten (10!) years reading through \"Dhalgren\", picking it up on odd holidays - never loosing touch with the intricate unreality within, readily satisfied after reading a few pages or a chapter -- like nibbling on a choice ham that didn't spoil. It's rather more complex than any of the other books I've listed here].\nAlso worth mentioning in the \"might be overlooked\" section is Jerry Pournelle's \"Falkenberg's Legion\" (republished as \"the Prince\").\nI'm afraid I've been mostly digging through second hand books lately, so the only other semi-recent book I could recommend would be \"Broken Angels\" by Richard Morgan (technically it's number two in a trilogy -- but I find it stands better on its own).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also worth mentioning in the \"might be overlooked\" section is Jerry Pournelle's \"Falkenberg's Legion\"",
          "reason": "Highlighted as a potentially overlooked book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Republished as The Prince.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jerry Pournelle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military science fiction",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "falling-off-the-map-74be74",
      "title": "Falling Off the Map",
      "author": "Pico Iyer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41175841,
          "author": "montgomery_r",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:58:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175841",
          "commentText": "Aargh, Formatting! Try 2 :\nFor the value of ‘best’ that includes\n(a) had a deep and long lasting impact on how I think about the world and\n(b) I consider beautiful pieces of writing in their own right,\nhere are some in no particular order:\nThe Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins\nThinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nNaming and Necessity, Saul Kripke\nTractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein\n(These you might want to approach via a gentle introduction if you did not study Philosophy to degree level)\nThe Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle\nDarkness at Noon, Arthur Koestler\nThe Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse\nA Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh\nDiaries, Samuel Pepys\nFalling Off the Map, Pico Iyer\nA Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor\nThe Lonely Sea and the Sky, Francis Chichester\nThe Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope\nBevis, Richard Jeffries\nThe Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith\nThe Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse\nHitch-22, essays, Christopher Hitchens\nCollected Essays, William Hazlitt\nVenice, Martin Gayford\nThe Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski\nThe Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch\nToo obvious a list, perhaps, but some gems for all that! Happy reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Falling Off the Map, Pico Iyer",
          "reason": "Includes the title among books considered impactful and beautifully written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41175718,
          "author": "montgomery_r",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:45:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175718",
          "commentText": "For the value of ‘best’ that includes  (a) had a deep and long lasting impact on how I think about the world and (b) I consider beautiful pieces of writing in their own right, here are some in no particular order: \nThe Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins \nThinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nNaming and Necessity, Saul Kripke\nTractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein\n(These you might want to approach via a gentle introduction if you did not study Philosophy to degree level) \nThe Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle\nDarkness at Noon,\nArthur Koestler\nThe Glass Bead Game,\nHermann Hesse\nA Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh\nDiaries, Samuel Pepys\nFalling Off the Map, Pico Iyer\nA Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor\nThe Lonely Sea and the Sky,\nFrancis Chichester\nThe Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope\nBevis, Richard Jeffries\nThe Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith\nThe Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse\nHitch-22, essaysChristopher Hitchens \nCollected Essays, William Hazlitt\nVenice, Martin Gayford\nThe Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski\nThe Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch\nToo obvious a list, perhaps, but some gems for all that! Happy reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Falling Off the Map, Pico Iyer",
          "reason": "Includes it among books with lasting impact on how they think and that they consider beautiful writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pico Iyer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Society",
        "Nature",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "travel writing",
        "remote places"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "familia-romana-7c6cab",
      "title": "Familia Romana",
      "author": "Hans H. Ørberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30826008,
          "author": "cercatrova",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T01:22:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30826008",
          "commentText": "LLPSI Pars I, Familia Romana\nLLPSI Pars II, Roma Aeterna\nThese are the two main books. Each has companion books such as exercise books and teachers' guides. After these two, you should be able to read Caesar's Commentarii de Bello Gallico, but Ørberg also has other books.\nAs for whether the workbooks are worth it, I never used them, but then again I only read the main book for leisure, not in an academic setting or for serious study. If you're in the latter, then I'm sure the workbooks would help.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "LLPSI Pars I, Familia Romana",
          "reason": "Named as one of the two main books; the commenter reads it for leisure and says it suits serious study too.",
          "audience": "Latin learners; leisure readers or academic students.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not used the workbooks.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hans H. Ørberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "latin language learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "famous-financial-fiascos-2f3fa9",
      "title": "Famous Financial Fiascos",
      "author": "John Train",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22866692,
          "author": "ratsbane",
          "createdAt": "2020-04-14T14:50:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 22861452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading to make sense of the economy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22866692",
          "commentText": "Famous Financial Fiascos by John Train.  It's short and entertaining.  There are only a few chapters that deal with sovereign debt, but he gets the essence of the thing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Famous Financial Fiascos by John Train.",
          "reason": "A short, entertaining overview; a few chapters cover sovereign debt.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Only a few chapters deal with sovereign debt.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Train"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial crises",
        "financial history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fancy-bear-goes-phishing-the-dark-history-of-the-information-age--27ba99",
      "title": "Fancy Bear Goes Phishing: The Dark History of the Information Age, in Five Extraordinary Hacks",
      "author": "Scott J. Shapiro",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268894,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:13:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268894",
          "commentText": "Seeing this reminds me of something I'm not proud of. I've done effectively no reading this year. At least not by my normal standards.\nI generally read between 30-50 books a year (mix of fiction and non-fiction). But this year I knew my focus was going to be more on research, reading papers, writing code, etc. so I set my reading goal lower than normal (I usually set it to like 75, knowing that that's a bit aspirational). This year? I set it to like, 30. And I won't come close to hitting that. Right now I'm at 7 books for the year. So I don't have a big sample set to choose from. :-(\nThat said...\nOf what I did read, a couple were pretty good:\nNon-fiction:\nFancy Bear Goes Phishing: The Dark History of the Information Age, in Five Extraordinary Hacks- Scott J. Shapiro\nReadings in Agents - Huhns, Singh (eds)\nProgramming Multi-Agent Systems in AgentSpeak using Jason - Bordini, Hubner, & Wooldridge\nFiction:\nIn Too Deep (Jack Reacher, #29) - Lee Child",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fancy Bear Goes Phishing: The Dark History of the Information Age, in Five Extraordinary Hacks- Scott J. Shapiro",
          "reason": "Lists it among the few books they read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott J. Shapiro"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer hacking",
        "cybersecurity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fanged-noumena-5890ee",
      "title": "Fanged Noumena",
      "author": "Nick Land",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15630924,
          "author": "mbrock",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T18:57:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630924",
          "commentText": "Gödel, Escher, Bach awakened my intellectual curiosity about formal systems and other autistic modes of beauty as a teenager. After \"The Selfish Gene\" it was the first book I bought and read on my own volition, so I have to credit it as a major influence.\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs for showing that you can think rigorously and compose beautiful programs out of simple pieces.\nContingency, Irony, and Solidarity by Richard Rorty for showing that it's possible to think and feel about politics while maintaining a profoundly ironic and groundless mind.\nThe Body in Pain by Elaine Scarry for its beautiful view of civilization as materialized caring and of the inflicting of pain as metaphysically destructive.\nBeing-in-the-world by Dreyfus for introducing me to Heidegger and showing how continental philosophy inspired by Heidegger was a major force in the evolution of AI and how AI researchers tended to be influenced by rationalist philosophy in the vein of Descartes which leads to huge misunderstandings of the nature of being.\nDhammapada translated by Gil Fronsdal because it's a beautiful exposition of early Buddhist poetry and clearly shows the worldview of south east Asian Buddhism.\nDebt by David Graeber for making me interested in money and credit systems from an anthropological point of view.\nA Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace for being hilarious and sad and buzzing with neurotic perceptive overeducated thought in a way that mirrored my own precocious self-consciousness and made me feel less \"marooned in my own skull.\"\nThe Uses of Disorder by Richard Sennett for giving a defense of the anarchy of urban life that views conflict as necessary for growth.\nAfter Virtue by Alisdair MacIntyre for showing the contemporary situation in thought and ethics as profoundly abnormal and difficult, being the aftermath of the Enlightenment project's failure to ground morality in objective reason, and pointing to virtue within traditions as the only way to live coherently.\nThe Teachings of Huang-bo for being a merciless and hilarious attack on sanctimonious and ritualistic Buddhism, displaying the role of sarcasm and wit in spirituality, and generally just shouting \"wake up, lazy pretentious idiot\" on every page.\nFanged Noumena by Nick Land for diving deeply into amphetaminic insanity thus accurately mirroring the schizophrenia of postmodern capitalism.\nThe letters of Van Gogh.\nPhillip Lopate's personal essays.\nHyperobjects by Timothy Morton.\nOn the Origins of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fanged Noumena by Nick Land for diving deeply into amphetaminic insanity thus accurately mirroring the schizophrenia of postmodern capitalism.",
          "reason": "Values its portrayal of amphetaminic insanity as a mirror of postmodern capitalism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nick Land"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "accelerationism",
        "continental philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fantastic-four-5c24b5",
      "title": "Fantastic Four",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42569167,
          "author": "weakfish",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-01T20:48:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42569167",
          "commentText": "Man, I love the Fantastic 4 and by extension the whole secret wars arc. Glad to see another fan eager for how it’s handled on the screen.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I love the Fantastic 4",
          "reason": "Expresses enthusiasm for the comics and related Secret Wars storyline.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marvel",
        "superhero comics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fantastic-mr-fox-ce35ff",
      "title": "Fantastic Mr. Fox",
      "author": "Roald Dahl",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1731343,
          "author": "squidsoup",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-27T11:38:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1731343",
          "commentText": "I'm reading the Harry Potter series to my 5 year old at a somwhat slow pace; slow, as we typically only have time for half a chapter per night and he seems to ask questions every odd sentence! I think he's managing to follow the story though - he just requires a bit of processing time and the odd query to keep it in order.\nYou can never go wrong with Roald Dahl of course - my son loved the BFG and Fantastic Mr. Fox.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and Fantastic Mr. Fox",
          "reason": "The commenter says their son loved the book.",
          "audience": "Children.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roald Dahl"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "animals",
        "children s literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "far-from-the-light-of-heaven-4e8fd1",
      "title": "Far from the Light of Heaven",
      "author": "Tade Thompson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42269201,
          "author": "sandy_coyote",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:59:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42269201",
          "commentText": "I caught up with some science fiction this year.\nThe Murderbot diaries books by Martha Wells - 6/10. Mixed on these. They're fun to read. The setting is cool and the worldbuilding is shallow but effective (i.e., don't read it if you want game of thrones in space). Each novella takes an afternoon to read. I think \"snarky violent droid\" is overcooked these days and lost interest after book 5.\nLight by M. John Harrison - 7/10 excellent prose; great multiple-storyline plot; the journey was better than the destination, but it kept me thinking\nFar from the Light of Heaven by Tade Thompson - 7/10 Fun. If \"near future Nigerian/British post-colonial frontier action with guns, robots, and psychic aliens\" sounds cool to you, check it out. I liked his Rosewater Trilogy just as much.\nBlindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts - tough to rate these. brilliant ideas, VERY challenging plots. I wish I didn't get so confused by the end of each book.\nProject Hail Mary by Andy Weir - 6/10 - this and the Martian read like blog posts pasted together. The grand dilemma is spelled out on page one and never gets any deeper. Pro: the plot is in your face on every page and you will never be confused when reading; Con - there is zero internal character development. Read if you like stories driven by applied science, not comparative moral decision-making.\nThe City and the City by China Miéville - 9/10 - you will invariably see something like \"Kafka meets [some affected crime novelist] to describe this book, and that ain't wrong. Kind of SF, kind of fantasy.\nRailsea by China Miéville - 8/10 - great good vs evil YA SF about, well, imagine if trains were like boats. Good character writing, tight plot.\nThe Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi - 8/10 - loved this. More \"realist\" near-future fabulism than Gibson, but if you love cyberpunk, read this.\nThe Shipbreaker Triology by Paolo Bacigalupi - 6/10 - near-future YA science fiction with a lot of blood and guns. Pretty good stories.\nRoadside Picnic by the Strugatsky brothers - 9/10 - reread. I had to go back. This gets a near perfect score because of its style, setting, and plot.\nThe Sprawl Trilogy (Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive) by William Gibson - 9/10 - I had read Neuromancer 3 times but never the next two. I was pleasantly surprised to find the second and third novel easier to read* but just as enjoyable as Neuromancer.\nThe Bridge trilogy by William Gibson - 8/10 so far. I am in the second book. Can't believe I slept on these for the last couple decades.\nnon-SF:\nOur Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981-1991 by Michael Azerrad - 9/10 - if you like punk/hardcore from the 80s, this is a great read.\n* Every time I read Neuromancer, Gibson's literary footguns --holograms, false memories, hallucinations, and drug-addled unreality--make me feel crazy for not being able to follow the plot at times. I'm okay with believing that was the intended effect.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Far from the Light of Heaven by Tade Thompson - 7/10 Fun.",
          "reason": "Calls it fun and recommends checking it out if its premise appeals.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in near-future Nigerian/British post-colonial frontier action with guns, robots, and psychic aliens.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tade Thompson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "postcolonial science fiction",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "far-from-the-madding-crowd-ad3798",
      "title": "Far from the Madding Crowd",
      "author": "Thomas Hardy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41240816,
          "author": "bikenaga",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-13T23:14:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41240816",
          "commentText": "Someone else mentioned Thomas Hardy's \"The Mayor of Casterbirdge\". It's the one of his 5 major novels I haven't read. \"Far From the Madding Crowd\" and \"Return of the Native\" are okay, but the two that really are magnificent are:\n\"Jude the Obscure\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/153\n\"Tess of the D'Urbervilles\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/110\nYou can sense his fury at the society he was depicting. You might not want to read either of these, particularly \"Tess\", if you're prone to depression.\nFrederick Jackson Turner, \"The Frontier in American History\" (1921) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/22994\nThis collection leads off with Turner's essay \"The Significance of the Frontier in American History\" (1893). It's considered by some the most influential historical essay about America ever written. Historians went back and forth on his claims for decades, and people pointed out many issues with them. It seems like the critics predominate now. But it's still worth reading, particularly since (right or wrong) his ideas influenced the way we think of ourselves. Turner was a very good writer - he was a noted orator, and his essays have an oratorical quality - and the other essays in the collection are pretty good, too.\nOwen Wister, \"The Virginian\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1298\nZane Grey, \"Riders of the Purple Sage\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1300\nAnd the sequel: \"The Rainbow Trail\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/5067\n\"The Virginian\" (1902) and \"Riders\" (1912) established many of the themes and tropes for the \"standard\" western, and they're still fun to read. But the genre comprises many other kinds of writing - e.g. A. B. Guthrie, Elmer Kelton, and the next writer.\nWilla Cather's novels:\nThe \"plains trilogy\" (the stories are set in Nebraska and Colorado, but otherwise unrelated):\n\"O Pioneers!\" (1913) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/24\n\"The Song of the Lark\" (1915) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/44\n\"My Ántonia\" (1918) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19810\nAnd not quite a hundred years ago, but a wonderful novel:\n\"Death Comes for the Archbishop\" (1927) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/69730\nA few brief mentions: James Joyce's \"Ulysses\", though I had a tough time getting through it; some of Nathaniel Hawthorne's short stories (e.g. \"The Minister's Black Veil\"); \"Njal's Saga\" (I liked the Penguin edition with the translation by Magnusson and Pallson); the great works of classic fantasy (Lord Dunsany, E. R. Eddison, William Morris, Arthur Machen); the essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Far From the Madding Crowd\" and \"Return of the Native\" are okay",
          "reason": "The commenter considers it okay, but less magnificent than Hardy's other novels named here.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it okay rather than magnificent.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Hardy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "victorian novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "faraday-maxwell-and-the-electromagnetic-field-03e1b9",
      "title": "Faraday, Maxwell, and The Electromagnetic Field",
      "author": "Nancy Forbes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42509046,
          "author": "jasdi",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T14:52:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42509046",
          "commentText": "You might like Infinite Powers (Steven Strogatz) and Faraday, Maxwell, and The Electromagnetic Field (Nancy Forbes)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Faraday, Maxwell, and The Electromagnetic Field (Nancy Forbes)",
          "reason": "Suggested as a book the reader might like.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nancy Forbes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "electromagnetism",
        "history of physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "farnham-s-freehold-3661db",
      "title": "Farnham's Freehold",
      "author": "Robert A. Heinlein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11557755,
          "author": "fatimafouda",
          "createdAt": "2016-04-23T22:51:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 11556470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your favorite dystopian novel and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11557755",
          "commentText": "SPOILER ALERT: \"But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother.\" - 1984\nHaunting last line. All struggle is futile; acceptance is inevitable. So yeah, pretty bleak, but favorite book nonetheless.\nI also love Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse 5, which while not classically dystopian, still manages to elicit dystopian stoic despair against the backdrop of a seemingly normal world (our very own time and age). It automatically coaxs readers to draw parallels..maybe dystopia is not something imagined. Maybe it's more familiar than we think.\nLastly, Robert A. Heinlein needs to be mentioned at least once in this thread; Farnham's Freehold and a Stranger in a Strange Land.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Farnham's Freehold",
          "reason": "Named as a book worth mentioning in response to a favorite dystopian novel question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert A. Heinlein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopian fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "farseer-27c70c",
      "title": "Farseer",
      "author": "Robin Hobb",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25913977,
          "author": "asicsp",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-26T09:34:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25913977",
          "commentText": "See https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/wiki/lists\nMy recommendations, in no particular order:\n* The Riyria Revelations by Michael Sullivan\n* Memory, Sorrow and Thorn by Tad Williams\n* To Ride Hell's Chasm by Janny Wurts\n* Worm by Wildbow\n* Cradle by Will Wight (think anime like Naruto in book form, but without fillers/fan-service)\n* Farseer by Robin Hobb\n* Powder Mage by Brian McClellan\n* The First Law by Joe Abercrombie\n* The Dagger and the Coin by Daniel Abraham",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Farseer by Robin Hobb",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's fantasy recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking fantasy novels or epics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robin Hobb"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coming of age",
        "epic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "farthest-north-the-incredible-three-year-voyage-to-the-frozen-lat-a1347b",
      "title": "Farthest North: The Incredible Three-Year Voyage to the Frozen Latitudes of the North",
      "author": "Fridtjof Nansen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42655411,
          "author": "20wenty",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T13:27:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42655411",
          "commentText": "Similar in nature is Farthest North: The Incredible Three-Year Voyage to the Frozen Latitudes of the North. Fridjtof Nansen (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fridtjof_Nansen) led the expedition.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Similar in nature is Farthest North: The Incredible Three-Year Voyage to the Frozen Latitudes of the North. Fridjtof Nansen",
          "reason": "Presented as similar in nature to the parent comment's expedition book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fridtjof Nansen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "arctic exploration",
        "expeditions"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "faster-than-thought-a-symposium-on-digital-computing-machines-1e69e3",
      "title": "Faster Than Thought: A Symposium on Digital Computing Machines",
      "author": "B. V. Bowden",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17911376,
          "author": "sonabinu",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T18:09:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17911376",
          "commentText": "Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk\nby Peter L. Bernstein \nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/128429.Against_the_Gods\nThe Physics of Wall Street: A Brief History of Predicting the Unpredictable\nby James Owen Weatherall https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13356644-the-physics-of-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13356644-the-physics-of-wall-street)\nFaster Than Thought: A Symposium on Digital Computing Machines\n(1953) by B. V. Bowden. http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/10719/Faster-Than-Tho... (http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/10719/Faster-Than-Thought-A-Symposium-on-Digital-Computing-Machines-1953/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Faster Than Thought: A Symposium on Digital Computing Machines\n(1953) by B. V. Bowden.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "B. V. Bowden"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "digital computers",
        "history of computing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fatal-system-error-3a2356",
      "title": "Fatal System Error",
      "author": "Joseph Menn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17749450,
          "author": "malaya_zemlya",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T12:10:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17749450",
          "commentText": "\"Fatal System Error\" by Joseph Menn",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Fatal System Error\" by Joseph Menn",
          "reason": "Offered as a book suggestion in response to a request for similar cybercrime novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment does not identify whether it is fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph Menn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer security",
        "cybercrime"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fate-is-the-hunter-d875ee",
      "title": "Fate Is the Hunter",
      "author": "Ernest K. Gann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25321375,
          "author": "AceyMan",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-06T05:38:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25321375",
          "commentText": "While it's about the origins of a now much changed industry, Earnest Gann's Fate is the Hunter is an astounding collection of experiences as a professional pilot during the early years of commercial flight. I ran an airline for years and my jaw hit the floor in several parts in this amazing book. Three thumbs up.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Earnest Gann's Fate is the Hunter is an astounding collection of experiences as a professional pilot during the early years of commercial flight.",
          "reason": "Praised as a collection of experiences from a professional pilot in early commercial aviation.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in professional piloting and early commercial flight.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it covers an industry that has since changed substantially.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ernest K. Gann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "commercial aviation",
        "pilot memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fathers-and-sons-d446b7",
      "title": "Fathers and Sons",
      "author": "Ivan Turgenev",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5693444,
          "author": "gruseom",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-12T07:08:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5693444",
          "commentText": "It depends on what you like. Flannery O'Connor's fiction is extraordinary. I bet you'd like Nabokov based on what you've said so far; I like his earlier Russian novels best (which have excellent English translations), like The Defense, for example. If you want to go whole hog into postmodernism then try Pynchon or Gaddis.\nThe 19th century Russians from Gogol to Chekhov are pretty much can't-lose. Turgenev's Fathers and Sons is beautiful and captures the spirit of youth.\nFord Madox Ford's The Good Soldier is a short masterpiece. The Great Gatsby is as good as its reputation says. Read Dickens if you want the essence of the English language and character. Read Kafka for the strangest articulation of modernity. Bruno Schulz is more whimsical. Borges is another whom your list suggests you should try.\nIf you really want to go down a rabbit hole, find Martin Seymour-Smith's Guide to Modern World Literature and browse through it to blow your mind. It covers everything and seems impossible, except it exists so it can't be.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Turgenev's Fathers and Sons is beautiful and captures the spirit of youth.",
          "reason": "Calls it beautiful and says it captures the spirit of youth.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ivan Turgenev"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coming of age",
        "russian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fatu-hiva-back-to-nature-447243",
      "title": "Fatu-Hiva: Back to Nature",
      "author": "Thor Heyerdahl",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38562494,
          "author": "rmk",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T22:08:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38562494",
          "commentText": "A few books I read this year (or perhaps late last year), and wholeheartedly recommend:\n- Typee: A peep at Polynesian Life by Herman Melville\n- Fatu-Hiva, Back to Nature by Thor Heyerdahl\n- The lost world: being an account of the recent amazing adventures of Professor E. Challenger, Lord John Roxton, Professor Summerlee and Mr Ed. Malone of the 'Daily Gazette'",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fatu-Hiva, Back to Nature by Thor Heyerdahl",
          "reason": "Includes it among books read and wholeheartedly recommended.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thor Heyerdahl"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "polynesia",
        "survival"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fear-943365",
      "title": "Fear",
      "author": "Thich Nhat Hanh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17981705,
          "author": "thorin",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-13T19:37:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17981705",
          "commentText": "Travels - Michael Crichton, got me into travelling, the outdoors and an interest in inner travel\nThe hobbit - came with the adventure game that my aunty had on her c64 got me into computers and reading aged about 7\nFear - Thich nhat hahn, read repeatably during recent hard times. Might need to re-read again soon...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fear - Thich nhat hahn, read repeatably during recent hard times.",
          "reason": "The commenter returns to it during hard times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they may need to reread it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thich Nhat Hanh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coping with fear",
        "mindfulness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fear-and-loathing-in-las-vegas-7168b1",
      "title": "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas",
      "author": "Hunter S. Thompson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22869308,
          "author": "owenversteeg",
          "createdAt": "2020-04-14T18:04:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 22861452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading to make sense of the economy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22869308",
          "commentText": "So there are a number of pretty funny responses in this thread, I decided to make a list:\nMarx\nthe Bible\nBogleheads\nNewspaper titles (you read that right, not the content, titles)\n\"nothing, I just bought a piece of land to grow potatoes and beans\"\nComparative study of the black death\nRaw St. Louis Fed data\nFear and Loathing in Las Vegas",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20982973,
          "author": "adamraye",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T11:22:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20982973",
          "commentText": "The Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch by Henry Miller and Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter Thompson. There's something I really enjoy about these two almost magical realisim type books that never tires and I re-read them both at least once every few years.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter Thompson",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoy both books and reread them periodically.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17344607,
          "author": "G0NZO3",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-19T08:06:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17344607",
          "commentText": "1.\nBurn down the night\nBy\nCraig kee strete\nA fictional drug trip with Jim Morrison\n2.\nBudding Prospects\nBy\nT.C. Boyle\nA group of friends leave San Francisco in 1983 to start their own marijuana enterprise out in the country\n3. Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas \nBy\nHunter S. Thompson\n\"when the going gets weird, the weird turn pro\"",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas \nBy\nHunter S. Thompson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hunter S. Thompson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "counterculture",
        "gonzo journalism",
        "magical realism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fear-and-loathing-in-las-vegas-a-savage-journey-to-the-heart-of-t-26f661",
      "title": "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream",
      "author": "Hunter S. Thompson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22865204,
          "author": "dudeinjapan",
          "createdAt": "2020-04-14T12:52:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 22861452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading to make sense of the economy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22865204",
          "commentText": "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream by Hunter S. Thompson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream by Hunter S. Thompson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hunter S. Thompson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american counterculture",
        "gonzo journalism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fear-and-loathing-on-the-campaign-trail-72-0c8355",
      "title": "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72",
      "author": "Hunter S. Thompson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40284603,
          "author": "NoGravitas",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T12:20:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40284603",
          "commentText": "The Conspiracy Against the Human Race by Thomas Ligotti: a good introduction to radical pessimism. If you get into it, it's a good idea to move on to Eugene Thacker, whose writing is deeper and less polemical.\nFear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail 1972 by Hunter S. Thompson: gives a better understanding of the political contexts that led to our current politics. Somehow, we keep re-living this election over and over again.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail 1972 by Hunter S. Thompson: gives a better understanding of the political contexts that led to our current politics.",
          "reason": "Recommended for understanding political contexts behind contemporary politics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hunter S. Thompson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "1972 election",
        "american politics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fearless-genius-the-digital-revolution-in-silicon-valley-1985-200-d2dd07",
      "title": "Fearless Genius: The Digital Revolution in Silicon Valley 1985-2000",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17207323,
          "author": "nimeshneema",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T16:54:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17207323",
          "commentText": "Fearless Genius: The Digital Revolution in Silicon Valley 1985-2000 - A stunning visual history of the Silicon Valley technology boom, which highlights key moments in the careers of Steve Jobs and more than seventy other leading innovators as they created today’s digital world.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fearless Genius: The Digital Revolution in Silicon Valley 1985-2000 - A stunning visual history of the Silicon Valley technology boom",
          "reason": "Listed with a description of its visual history of the Silicon Valley technology boom.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Silicon Valley and technology history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "silicon valley",
        "technology history",
        "visual history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fearless-salary-negotiation-d5764b",
      "title": "Fearless Salary Negotiation",
      "author": "Josh Doody",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26341394,
          "author": "CritterM72800",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-04T12:12:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 26321793,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books made you the most money?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26341394",
          "commentText": "Fearless Salary Negotiation by Josh Doody.\nNegotiate your salary, people!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fearless Salary Negotiation by Josh Doody.",
          "reason": "Urges readers to negotiate their salary.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Josh Doody"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "salary negotiation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "feed-64ead3",
      "title": "Feed",
      "author": "M. T. Anderson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22720301,
          "author": "thebetrayer",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T16:35:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22720301",
          "commentText": "the feed: A Novel had a big impact on me as a teen, it's a relatively short read\nAmazon has turned it into a Prime Video Original, which I have yet to watch since Episode 1 didn't strike me as great.\nEdit: I think the best sci-fi fiction book I have ever read is Red Rising, it is a newer book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the feed: A Novel had a big impact on me as a teen, it's a relatively short read",
          "reason": "Says it had a big impact on them as a teenager and is relatively short.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is a relatively short read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "M. T. Anderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopian fiction",
        "young adult"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "feed-79c6cf",
      "title": "Feed",
      "author": "Mira Grant",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056628,
          "author": "akkartik",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:44:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056628",
          "commentText": "Several people including myself mentioned Ursula Le Guin, who should be #1 on any list of women authors.\nAlso, mentioning Mira Grant and Hunger Games on this thread strikes me as blasphemous.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "mentioning Mira Grant and Hunger Games on this thread strikes me as blasphemous",
          "reason": "The commenter objects to its inclusion in the recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056623,
          "author": "moomin",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:42:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056623",
          "commentText": "You realize not a single person has mentioned a female author? Let's fix that:\nThe Long Tomorrow by Leigh Brackett\nThe Doomsday Book by Connie Willis\nAmong Others by Jo Walton\nFeed by Mira Grant\nThe Hunger Games!\nThe Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin\nGrass by Sheri S Tepper\nGate of Ivrael and Downbelow Station by CJ Cherryh\nAnd the fabulous space opera:\nAncillary Justice by Ann Leckie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Feed by Mira Grant",
          "reason": "Listed as a sci-fi book in response to a favorites question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mira Grant"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political thriller",
        "zombie fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "feeling-great-the-revolutionary-new-treatment-for-depression-and--2bd651",
      "title": "Feeling Great: The Revolutionary New Treatment for Depression and Anxiety",
      "author": "David D. Burns",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33383787,
          "author": "_iyhy",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T13:17:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33383787",
          "commentText": "Feeling Great The New Mood Therapy. Fantastic book for therapy. It has helped me significantly. Even though the situations, and dialogues described by the author might come as edgy sometimes but they are helpful nonetheless. I haven’t finished reading the book but I am looking forward to what else the book provides.\nThe concept of distortions is bang on.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Feeling Great The New Mood Therapy.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book has helped significantly and praises its concept of distortions.",
          "audience": "People seeking therapy or help with mood.",
          "caveat": "Some situations and dialogues may feel edgy; the commenter has not finished reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David D. Burns"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognitive behavioral therapy",
        "mood"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "feet-of-clay-2d3868",
      "title": "Feet of Clay",
      "author": "Terry Pratchett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665061,
          "author": "sn41",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:11:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665061",
          "commentText": "Since no one has mentioned it so far, I recommend the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. This year, I finished (numbers in Discworld order, annotated by the series):\n9. Eric [Rincewind]\n10. Moving Pictures [Independent]\n12. Witches Abroad [Witches]\n18. Maskerade [Witches]\n19. Feet of clay [The City Watch]\n23. Carpe Jugulum [Witches]\n32. A Hat Full of Sky [Tiffany Aching]\n37. Unseen Academicals [Wizards]\n38. I Shall Wear Midnight [Tiffany Aching]\nBrilliant series, highly recommended. Whenever I feel down, I re-read one of the Witches series - I spot something I never noticed before - an immediate mood-booster!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "19. Feet of clay [The City Watch]",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the Discworld books the commenter finished this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry Pratchett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fantasy",
        "detective fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "feynman-63bac6",
      "title": "Feynman",
      "author": "Jim Ottaviani and Leland Myrick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21793424,
          "author": "wyldfire",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-15T00:21:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793424",
          "commentText": "\"Feynman\" [1].  It's a biography, but it's illustrated (like a graphic novel).  It was just perfect for my short attention span, I'd never have sat down to read a normal biography.\n[1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9844623-feynman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Feynman\" [1]. It's a biography, but it's illustrated (like a graphic novel). It was just perfect for my short attention span, I'd never have sat down to read a normal biography.",
          "reason": "Says its illustrated format suited their short attention span.",
          "audience": "Readers who prefer illustrated books or find conventional biographies hard to sit down with.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jim Ottaviani and Leland Myrick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "graphic biography",
        "physicists"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "feynman-lectures-on-computation-f14957",
      "title": "Feynman Lectures on Computation",
      "author": "Richard P. Feynman et al.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 358757,
          "author": "aaronsw",
          "createdAt": "2008-11-10T02:09:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 358490,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's a good book to learn electronics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=358757",
          "commentText": "For the hardcore Feynman fans, there's the Feynman Lectures on Computation: http://books.theinfo.org/go/0738202967",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "there's the Feynman Lectures on Computation",
          "reason": "Named as a book for hardcore Feynman fans.",
          "audience": "Hardcore Feynman fans.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard P. Feynman et al."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computation",
        "feynman"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "feynman-s-lectures-on-physics-ed1642",
      "title": "Feynman's Lectures on Physics",
      "author": "Richard P. Feynman, Robert B. Leighton, and Matthew Sands",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21347401,
          "author": "tacon",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T18:10:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21347401",
          "commentText": "Exactly, Feynman is a seductive writer, and it is a shock how little you can immediately apply after \"understanding\" a section.  Long ago, they used Feynman's books for my introduction to physics, and it was only after struggling with a problem set that we \"knew\" the material.\nhttp://www.feynmanlectures.caltech.edu/info/exercises.html\nSome references to good collections of mathematics problems and solutions would be great for self-study.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "they used Feynman's books for my introduction to physics",
          "reason": "The commenter says the books made it hard to apply what was understood, describing the experience as seductive but insufficient for problem solving.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says problem sets were needed to know the material.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21347345,
          "author": "sarah180",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T18:04:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21347345",
          "commentText": "Very much this. I'd recommend using these books as adjunct material. I found them indispensable as an undergrad when I was struggling to shift from a mathematician's rigor-and-proof perspective to a physicist's intuition-and-approximation perspective. However, I don't think I could have come close to passing my QM or E&M courses, even with a mathematical background that was stronger than most of my peers, if I'd only used Feynman to learn the physics.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "even with a mathematical background that was stronger than most of my peers, if I'd only used Feynman to learn the physics.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends using the books as adjunct material.",
          "audience": "Physics undergraduates taking quantum mechanics or electromagnetism.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Feynman alone is insufficient for passing QM or E&M courses.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7578319,
          "author": "cottonseed",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T16:40:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578319",
          "commentText": "You might be interested in this math.SE question I asked:\nhttps://math.stackexchange.com/questions/62190/mathematical-... (https://math.stackexchange.com/questions/62190/mathematical-equivalent-of-feynmans-lectures-on-physics)\n(comparing to Feynman's Lectures on Physics rather than SICP.)\nHowever, I agree with zodiac: Math is a much broader field and I think very few living people have the kind knowledge you're talking about: consistent and broad knowledge in all areas.\nI have the same background as you and I started doing exactly this about 8 years ago.  I'm just finishing my PhD in math.  I'll give you some advice.  First, studying math for its own sake by yourself is extremely hard.  That's one reason I ended up back in academia.  If you can't go back to school, still find some kind of community.  Second, rather than studying generally, try to identify a goal to work towards.  What are you trying to understand or figure out?  Third, try to model your plan on a rigorous undergrad program, e.g., MIT.  Then, in each main undergrad area (algebra, analysis, topology, geometry, etc.) try to find the \"SICP\" and study that.  For general book recommendations, I like Fowler's A Mathematics Autodidact's Aid:\nhttp://www.ams.org/notices/200510/comm-fowler.pdf",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Feynman's Lectures on Physics rather than SICP.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard P. Feynman",
        "Robert B. Leighton",
        "Matthew Sands"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "physics education",
        "mathematical physics",
        "physics",
        "problem solving"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "field-of-prey-48a177",
      "title": "Field of Prey",
      "author": "John Sandford",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8025906,
          "author": "tomcam",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-12T21:59:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 8025870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8025906",
          "commentText": "\"Start Small, Stay Small\" by Rob Walling. Discusses how to get a one-person business going for the least possible cost & time. http://goo.gl/ztkc3t\n\"web2py Complete Reference Manual, 6th Edition Prerelease\", by far my favorite Python framework and being used for my new startup--see above! http://goo.gl/2kdl6O\n\"Field of Prey\", John Sandford, a well-written thriller. http://goo.gl/F8QCoe",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a well-written thriller",
          "reason": "Described as a well-written thriller.",
          "audience": "Readers of thrillers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Sandford"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crime thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fifth-business-34e72c",
      "title": "Fifth Business",
      "author": "Robertson Davies",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46267894,
          "author": "idoubtit",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-14T22:41:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 46226571,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46267894",
          "commentText": "1. Die Wand (1963, Germany). The Wall. Marlen Haushofer.\nAn excellent novel, simple, yet moving. Why do we live and what is our connection to nature?\n2. Fifth Business (1970, Canada). Robertson Davies.\nI've read thousands of novels, so I'm always glad to read something new and unpredictable, but still based on the best premise: interesting characters.\n3. Sostiene Pereira (1994, Italy). Pereira Maintains. Antonio Tabucchi.\nMy favorite book this year. A deep and smart and tense plunge into the Portuguese life of a few decades ago. Italian literature has so many gems.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fifth Business (1970, Canada). Robertson Davies.\nI've read thousands of novels, so I'm always glad to read something new and unpredictable, but still based on the best premise: interesting characters.",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s book recommendations; values its interesting characters and unpredictability.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robertson Davies"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fifty-degrees-below-882488",
      "title": "Fifty Degrees Below",
      "author": "Kim Stanley Robinson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2043657,
          "author": "Anon84",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T21:05:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043657",
          "commentText": "I've just finished Hamilton's Commonwealth Saga and it's definitely one of the best books I've read in a long time.\nThe first three Dune novels are particularly good. Dune has a tendency to get more philosophical in the later volumes (plans within plans within plans).\nIf I had to choose an all time favorite I would probably go with Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy (Red/Green/Blue Mars). An extremely well researched view of how Mars colonization and terraforming might proceed in a realistic way.\nHe also has a trilogy on the possible/likely consequences of runaway global warming (Forty Signs of Rain, Fifty Degrees Below, Sixty Days and Counting) but RGB Mars is definitely better.\nEdit: \"The content of Green Mars and the cover artwork for Red Mars are included on the Phoenix DVD, carried onboard Phoenix, a NASA lander that successfully touched down on Mars in May 2008. The First Interplanetary Library is intended to be a sort of time capsule for future Mars explorers and colonists.\" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_trilogy#On_Phoenix_spacecr... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_trilogy#On_Phoenix_spacecraft)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Forty Signs of Rain, Fifty Degrees Below, Sixty Days and Counting",
          "reason": "Named as part of a trilogy about consequences of runaway global warming; the commenter prefers the Mars trilogy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Explicitly rated below the Mars trilogy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kim Stanley Robinson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "climate change",
        "near future fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fifty-nine-story-crisis-a4f9e2",
      "title": "Fifty-Nine Story Crisis",
      "author": "Joe Morgenstern",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6982308,
          "author": "lovemath",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-30T00:21:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 6981802,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good general technical books for teenagers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6982308",
          "commentText": "Physics for Future Presidents is a great book - my wife gave  her a copy last spring.  I don't know if my daughter finished it but I know she said she found it interesting.\nWe have the the math books you mentioned but I haven't heard about the others before.  Animals in Translation and Fifty-Nine Story Crisis look really good.  Thanks for the reference!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Animals in Translation and Fifty-Nine Story Crisis look really good.",
          "reason": "Says the titles look really good in response to book suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The parent identifies this as a New Yorker article, not a book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joe Morgenstern"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "structural engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fighter-pilot-aa0afd",
      "title": "Fighter Pilot",
      "author": "Robin Olds",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21719981,
          "author": "Diesel555",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-06T07:56:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21719981",
          "commentText": "You learn from history and what other people did well and didn't do well. Leadership is a combination of your own innate abilities combined with self-awareness and feedback. From this, you can apply historical knowledge (understand you may not have Washington's height and strength, but may be a better tactical decision maker).\nRead biographies on others:\nWashington: A Life\nHamilton\nGrant\nFighter Pilot (Robin Olds)\nBoyd\nAnyone you admire - read about them - find out what was good and what was bad.\nMattis's new book is good: Call Sign Chaos.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fighter Pilot (Robin Olds)",
          "reason": "Listed among biographies to read for leadership lessons from history.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking leadership lessons from biographies.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robin Olds"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "military aviation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fighting-the-plague-in-seventeenth-century-italy-9f5034",
      "title": "Fighting the Plague in Seventeenth-Century Italy",
      "author": "Carlo M. Cipolla",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21793091,
          "author": "JJseiko",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T23:21:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793091",
          "commentText": "\"Fighting the Plague in Seventeenth Century Italy\" by Carlo Cipolla",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Fighting the Plague in Seventeenth Century Italy\" by Carlo Cipolla",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carlo M. Cipolla"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "17th century italy",
        "plague history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "filters-against-folly-32795a",
      "title": "Filters Against Folly",
      "author": "Garrett Hardin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3277935,
          "author": "maxprogram",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T19:12:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3277935",
          "commentText": "\"Streetlights and Shadows: Searching for the Keys to Adaptive Decision Making\", Gary Klein\n\"Normal Accidents: Living with High-Risk Technologies\", Charles Perrow\n\"Chaos: Making a New Science\", James Gleick\n\"Filters Against Folly\", Garrett James Hardin\n\"Judgment in Managerial Decision Making\", Max Bazerman\n\"Deep Simplicity: Bringing Order to Chaos and Complexity\", John Gribben",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Filters Against Folly\", Garrett James Hardin",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books about thinking and cognition.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Garrett Hardin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "critical thinking",
        "systems thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "final-orbit-6e14fa",
      "title": "Final Orbit",
      "author": "Chris Hadfield",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45951939,
          "author": "scrapheap",
          "createdAt": "2025-11-17T08:55:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 45947737,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45951939",
          "commentText": "Stand out books for me that I've read this year:\n* The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler (Short, but a great read)\n* The Incandescent by Emily Tesh\n* The Armchair Universe by A.K.Dewdney (First read this one many years ago, but I've been reading it again)\n* Final Orbit by Chris Hadfield (third book in a series, so you'd want to start at the begining with The Apollo Murders)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Final Orbit by Chris Hadfield",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s standout books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Third book in a series; the commenter suggests starting with The Apollo Murders.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris Hadfield"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "financial-calculus-an-introduction-to-derivative-pricing-6c54fd",
      "title": "Financial Calculus: An Introduction to Derivative Pricing",
      "author": "Martin Baxter and Andrew Rennie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3178598,
          "author": "shogunmike",
          "createdAt": "2011-10-31T19:16:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 3177815,
          "threadTitle": "Good books for hackers interested in quant finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3178598",
          "commentText": "If by 'quantitative finance' you mean option pricing then check out the books by Mark Joshi:\n- 'The Concepts and Practice of Mathematical Finance'\n- 'C++ Design Patterns and Derivatives Pricing'\nAlso of note is Baxter & Rennie:\n- 'Financial Calculus: An Introduction to Derivative Pricing'\nOnce you've studied those and have a good grasp of Measure Theory, you'll want to tackle Shreve, Vol II.\nAnd a brief plug of my (slightly out of date!) quant finance website, Quantstart.com.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Once you've studied those and have a good grasp of Measure Theory, you'll want to tackle Shreve, Vol II.",
          "reason": "Named as another book of note for derivative pricing; the commenter then gives a suggested study progression toward Shreve.",
          "audience": "Readers studying derivative pricing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin Baxter and Andrew Rennie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "derivative pricing",
        "financial calculus",
        "quantitative finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "financial-market-rates-and-flows-6cfdc5",
      "title": "Financial Market Rates and Flows",
      "author": "James C. Van Horne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22577196,
          "author": "codekilla",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T18:00:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22577196",
          "commentText": "I’ll also add ‘Financial Market Rates and Flows’ by James C. Van Horne’.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "‘Financial Market Rates and Flows’ by James C. Van Horne",
          "reason": "Adds the book as a recommendation in a book-recommendation thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James C. Van Horne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial markets",
        "interest rates"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "financial-statements-3e67f7",
      "title": "Financial Statements",
      "author": "Thomas Ittelson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22575420,
          "author": "jonahbenton",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T14:16:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22575420",
          "commentText": "Huge, huge topic. You will have to pick a path through the enormous jungle.\nThe starting point I would recommend is bottom up, through accounting and financial statements. Core knowledge, of both practical and intellectual value. Tons of books here, I particularly like\nThomas Ittelson - Financial Statements\nAccessible, straightforward, friendly.\nAfter that, any of the collections of\nWarren Buffett's Letters to Shareholders\nare both entertaining and intellectually valuable, and provide great insight. Read forward, eg, from his first letters in the 1960s, to now.\nOne of the realizations in the journey is that there are, and have been, a lot of different kinds of money- credit money and exchange money and asset money and so forth. A relatively abstract/intellectual but immensely useful survey is\nThe Nature of Money - Geoffrey Ingham\nThe concept of an asset is critical to the functioning of the financial system. New kinds of assets are created all the time. One of the best written books I have read recently goes into venture capital and debt asset creation:\nThe Code Of Capital - Katharina Pistor\nThe role of different kinds of money in history, especially US history, is absolutely fascinating. I am in the middle of\nAmerican Bonds - Sarah Quinn\nand can recommend.\nI do not especially recommend the Dalio books or Graeber's Debt or Ferguson's books. They are fine but I did not find them helping me build understanding. Not quite junk food, but definitely not protein.\nI unfortunately have not found any of the books I have seen about the Federal Reserve to be worthy of recommending. My wife works there and so I have perhaps a unique perspective. But nothing conveys the challenge and the mechanics of what they do. Still looking. The papers the various Fed banks publish, as well as the papers published by the Bank of England, are uniformly outstanding.\nFinally, some of the bitcoin people have written about money. Tho I am a believer in bitcoin I absolutely recommend against most of them, especially Saifedean Ammous's book. Do not read.\nGood luck!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thomas Ittelson - Financial Statements",
          "reason": "Suggested as a starting point for learning accounting and financial statements.",
          "audience": "Readers beginning to learn about financial systems.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Ittelson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "accounting",
        "financial statements"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "find-the-bug-a-book-of-incorrect-programs-759921",
      "title": "Find the Bug: A Book of Incorrect Programs",
      "author": "Adam Barr",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9242742,
          "author": "serve_yay",
          "createdAt": "2015-03-21T14:00:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 9242384,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on debugging?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9242742",
          "commentText": "\"Find the Bug: a Book of Incorrect Programs\" by Adam Barr: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0321223918/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0321223918/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1426946354&sr=8-1&keywords=find+the+bug&pi=AC_SY200_QL40&dpPl=1&dpID=51n%2B4Yc628L&ref=plSrch)\nIt has a bunch of examples of bugs, classified by type of bug, and gives you tools for diagnosing and fixing them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Find the Bug: a Book of Incorrect Programs\" by Adam Barr",
          "reason": "Describes examples of bugs and tools for diagnosing and fixing them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adam Barr"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bug diagnosis",
        "software debugging"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "finding-flow-4ccdf2",
      "title": "Finding Flow",
      "author": "Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13240946,
          "author": "johnwheeler",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T22:26:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13240946",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed it. Doesn't go in-depth about the flow state as the original book. More 'purpose of life' material. The author is a philosopher as much as a psychologist. I sensed that in the original, and this drove it home.\nNice thing is its compactness. You can burn through it in 2-3 days easy.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Doesn't go in-depth about the flow state as the original book.",
          "reason": "Compared with the original, it gives less depth on flow and more material on life's purpose.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The discussion is based on comparison with the original book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "flow state"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "finding-moonshine-41e6c0",
      "title": "Finding Moonshine",
      "author": "Marcus du Sautoy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 44271145,
          "author": "calstad",
          "createdAt": "2025-06-13T18:50:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 44269143,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Casual Math Book Suggestions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44271145",
          "commentText": "These fall more in the \"pop-sci\" realm, but I think are really good at trying to convey what kinds of things working mathematicians actually think about:\n- Colossal Book of Mathematics by Martin Gardner: Uses games and recreational math to introduce areas like group theory and topology.\n- Finding Moonshine by Marcus Du Sautoy: Tells the story of the unexpected connection between two areas of math that, on the surface, seem to be completely unrelated.\n- The Great Mathematical Problems by Ian Stewart: Does a good job explaining several of the major open problems in math today.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Finding Moonshine by Marcus Du Sautoy: Tells the story of the unexpected connection between two areas of math that, on the surface, seem to be completely unrelated.",
          "reason": "Explains the unexpected connection between two areas of mathematics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marcus du Sautoy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical connections",
        "moonshine theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "finding-ultra-d1e50b",
      "title": "Finding Ultra",
      "author": "Rich Roll",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45325879,
          "author": "xu3u32",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-21T19:29:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 45312545,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that helped you lose weight?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45325879",
          "commentText": "Outlive by Peter Attia, Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter, Finding Ultra by Rich Roll. Lost 60 lbs and kept it off for 5 years now. Doing my first half ironman in 5 weeks.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Finding Ultra by Rich Roll",
          "reason": "Listed among books associated with the commenter’s weight loss.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rich Roll"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "endurance sports",
        "weight loss"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fine-just-the-way-it-is-70495f",
      "title": "Fine Just the Way It Is",
      "author": "Annie Proulx",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1026940,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T07:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026940",
          "commentText": "I got myself a Sony Reader mid-2009 and started reading about twice more than I had been before. 2009 was also the first year in which I wasn't too lazy to document which books I read (I'm really glad I wasn't). Here're some of the favourites this year:\nClassics:\nKafka's The Process and America - both stunning novels that deserve to be read as much as his most famous, The Castle.\nJan Potocki, The Manuscript Found in Saragossa - a trippy collection of tales organised in multiple nested frames.\nScott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby.\nLeo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina. Still as breathtaking as I'd remembered it from the previous reading five years ago.\nScience Fiction:\nGene Wolfe, The Book of the New Sun. Wolfe, whom I hadn't read before, turns out to be in a class of his own. It's literary SF, overwhelmingly masterful and beautiful in its prose and characters, yet it could give any hardcore SF novel a run in terms of its ideas. It demands and richly rewards a close reading. I'll be reading more Wolfe in 2010.\nTed Chiang, collected stories. Chiang writes only stories, and has written just a few of them, but nearly every one is a gem. Read Understand on the web (http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/stories/under.htm) to see if you like his style - I do.\nVernor Vinge, A Deepness in the Sky, The Peace War, Marooned in Realtime. All great novels, but start from A Fire Upon the Deep (I read that in 2008) if you haven't read Vinge before, it's the best introduction.\nGreg Egan, Diaspora, Quarantine, Distress. Egan is the best hardcore SF author out there. _Diaspora_ is a fascinating take on shared simulated reality that's very different from the usual fare. Quarantine will appeal to your inner quantum mechanical geek.\nContemporary fiction:\nPynchon, V. Pynchon is the best novelist we've got. I recommend The Crying of the Lot 49 as the best Pynchon to start from; V is more difficult and much longer, but rewards the patience. I still can't get over the fact that Pynchon wrote and published this novel when he was 26.\nOrhan Pamuk, The Black Book.\nAnnie Proulx, Fine Just The Way It Is. A new collection of stories from the best writer about rural America out there. Three are extraordinary, two so-so, the rest very good.\nNon-fiction:\nW. Sidney Allen, Vox Graeca and Vox Latina. If you want to know how ancient Greek and Latin sounded, these are the books to read.\nElizabeth Lloyd. The Case Of The Female Orgasm. An interesting study into how available evolutionary explanations of female orgasm fail in various ways. This is a book about evolutionary biology and its methodological soundness as much as it is about explaining female orgasm.\nComputer-related:\nPeter Seibel, Coders at Work. A fantastic collection of interview with great programmers. The one 2009 book no hacker should be without.\nSqueak by Example. Does a great job of explaining Smalltalk in general and Squeak in particular.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A new collection of stories from the best writer about rural America out there.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises Proulx as the best writer about rural America and calls the collection’s stories very good overall.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They say three stories are extraordinary, two are so-so, and the rest very good.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Annie Proulx"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "rural america",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "finite-and-infinite-games-a-vision-of-life-as-play-and-possibilit-35ad57",
      "title": "Finite and Infinite Games: A Vision of Life as Play and Possibility",
      "author": "James P. Carse",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503621,
          "author": "grendel",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T13:39:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503621",
          "commentText": "+ Finite and Infinite Games: A Vision of Life as Play and Possibility  James P. Carse\n+ Thus Spoke Zarathrusta  Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+ Finite and Infinite Games: A Vision of Life as Play and Possibility  James P. Carse",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for eye-opening or interesting philosophy books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James P. Carse"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "game theory",
        "meaning of life"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "finnegans-wake-3187c5",
      "title": "Finnegans Wake",
      "author": "James Joyce",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38253918,
          "author": "beezlebroxxxxxx",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-13T19:10:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38253918",
          "commentText": "> Would I be at a disadvantage of not knowing anything about Malazan world or its tabletop RPG?\nNo. My understanding is the RPG world was entirely private and there is no published campaign or book about the specific RPG world at all. It was just what Erikson made before he started the Malazan series. It's not required at all.\nMalazan is decidedly more demanding as a reader though than Stormlight. I would say if you find Stormlight complicated or demanding then you might not enjoy Malazan, which is operating on a fundamentally more complex (on sheer number of characters, for an example) and mature level than Stormlight on almost every level. There is a reason Malazan is often brought up when discussing the greatest fantasy series of all time.\n(I still would put neither Malazan or Stormlight as really complex books though. They're fairly straightforward compared to more creative and formally interesting books like Ulysses or Finnegan's Wake, for instance. In general people who read fantasy tend to be rather hyperbolic when it comes to how complex the books are.)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "more creative and formally interesting books like Ulysses or Finnegan's Wake",
          "reason": "Cited as an example of more formally interesting and complex books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22727526,
          "author": "Cro_on",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T12:40:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22727526",
          "commentText": "Ulysses.\nSurprised I haven't seen it mentioned yet, as it normally is in book threads on HN.\nThe reason that it had, and still has, such a positive influence on my life is the plethora of literary tools which it possesses. It allows for infinite play and imagination, while still being the apparent product of extreme dedication and earned mastery.\nIn fact, I prefer Portrait of The Artist as a Young Man as a novel, and I'm sure that the Wake is a perfect encyclopedia of language, cryptography, history, et al. But Ulysses takes it as an (humerous, profound, tricky, psychoanalytic, poetic, radical) example of the process of artistic experiment, the practically infinite range of the possible, and the unforgiving merit of deep study and eclectic knowledge.\nI go back every so often to bounce my own ideas and troubling sentences off of it, more often than not just to get a little bit of validation.\nNext would be Hesiod - Theogany, a 900 line 'epic' poem from the dawn of written literature. He is considered to be the first economist, though at that point of course it is simply philosophy. It explained for me the concept of emergent consciousness in a very biblical way, and let me realise the notion that religious works are just misunderstood metaphors; products of an imperfect language. It's unsurprising I suppose that something so short, that was written almost 3000 years ago, has such incredible lessons and timeless human value.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'm sure that the Wake is a perfect encyclopedia of language, cryptography, history, et al.",
          "reason": "The commenter characterizes it as an encyclopedia of language, cryptography, and history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14751015,
          "author": "solipsism",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-12T08:36:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14751015",
          "commentText": "I've already read the first chapter, actually, and most of the second. The thing I'm worried about isn't reading the first chapter, it's reading all the chapters and later wishing I hadn't wasted the time.\nGood that it's not Lost. What I'm worried is more that it'll be House of Leaves though. Or Finnegan's Wake. But I'm already invested enough to keep going so we'll see how it goes. :)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Or Finnegan's Wake.",
          "reason": "Raised as a comparison for a book the commenter is reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 876017,
          "author": "jeremyw",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T04:39:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876017",
          "commentText": "Unalone's enjoyment of Finnegans Wake notwithstanding, deciphering the footnotes and expository ultimately doesn't have the upside that learning the English of Shakespeare and Chaucer do.\nI'd suggest readers try Joyce's wonderful short stories, then making an assault on Ulysses.  Nabokov, a Joyce admirer, called Wake, \"that petrified superpun.\"",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "deciphering the footnotes and expository ultimately doesn't have the upside",
          "reason": "The commenter argues that deciphering it offers less payoff than learning Shakespeare and Chaucer.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment discusses its footnotes and exposition as effortful, with limited payoff.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Joyce"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "experimental fiction",
        "modernist literature",
        "literary modernism",
        "wordplay"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fire-blood-4adb82",
      "title": "Fire & Blood",
      "author": "George R. R. Martin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33382222,
          "author": "cercatrova",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T08:48:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382222",
          "commentText": "I finished the quadrilogy Terra Ignota, also known by its first book title, Too Like the Lightning. It is one of the most unique set of books I've read, taking place in the 2400s but referencing events 300 years in our past, so it is as if our current time is right in the middle of both ends. It is quite long and flowing in its writing, something that not everyone may like. It has a very high amount of allusion to other Western works, particularly ancient Greek works, so if you're not familiar with those, read them before reading these books.\nI am also reading Fire and Blood, which is on the opposite spectrum, much terser but somehow still enjoyable as its blunt style makes imagining the scenarios that play out in the story much easier than the flowery prose of Terra Ignota.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I am also reading Fire and Blood, which is on the opposite spectrum, much terser but somehow still enjoyable",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are reading it and find its terse style enjoyable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter contrasts its blunt style with Terra Ignota's flowery prose.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George R. R. Martin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "targaryen history",
        "westeros"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fire-weather-a-true-story-from-a-hotter-world-d4f21c",
      "title": "Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World",
      "author": "John Vaillant",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38558823,
          "author": "voisin",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T17:02:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38558823",
          "commentText": "Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World by John Vaillant.\nIt is ostensibly about the 2016 Fort McMurray, Alberta wildfires, but the background is broadly interesting as context for this last summer’s historic wildfire season and the ones sure to come.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World by John Vaillant.",
          "reason": "Connects the book’s account of the Fort McMurray wildfires to recent and future wildfire seasons.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Vaillant"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "climate change",
        "fort mcmurray",
        "wildfires"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fire-from-heaven-841353",
      "title": "Fire from Heaven",
      "author": "Mary Renault",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46402290,
          "author": "sevensor",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T14:56:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46402290",
          "commentText": "Mary Renault. Fire From Heaven. I think she was ahead of the curve in recognizing that Alexander had monstrous qualities at a time when he was still seen as a kind of superhero.\nTolkein. The Silmarillion. I’ve bounced off this book a dozen times over decades, despite deeply enjoying The Hobbit and LoTR. This time I discovered that the best way to read it is backwards, tracing connections to characters you already know.\nStephenson. Anathem. I think I’ll skip the end next time. The first time I read it, I was confused; this time I understood exactly what was happening but I thought it was a bit pointless. Still worth it for the first 3/4 of the novel.\nLots of short stories. I was expecting to like Mark Twain better, but ours is a much more earnest era, and no match for his Gilded Age cynicism. What passes for cynicism today is Twain in his sunniest mood. At any rate, I appreciate Twain, but I enjoy EM Forster, Henry James, JG Ballard, William Gibson, and lots of others I’m forgetting at the moment.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mary Renault. Fire From Heaven. I think she was ahead of the curve in recognizing that Alexander had monstrous qualities",
          "reason": "Praises the novel’s recognition of Alexander’s monstrous qualities.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mary Renault"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alexander the great",
        "historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fire-in-the-valley-the-making-of-the-personal-computer-9b82a7",
      "title": "Fire in the Valley: The Making of the Personal Computer",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17207391,
          "author": "nimeshneema",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T16:58:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17207391",
          "commentText": "Fire in the Valley: The Making of the Personal Computer - This is the story of the computer pioneers and the industry they founded. It reveals the visions they shared, the sacrifices they made, and the rewards they reaped.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fire in the Valley: The Making of the Personal Computer - This is the story of the computer pioneers and the industry they founded.",
          "reason": "Listed as a history of computer pioneers and the industry they founded.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in personal computing history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer pioneers",
        "personal computers",
        "technology history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "firefighter-zen-4d69cc",
      "title": "Firefighter Zen",
      "author": "Hersch Wilson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268755,
          "author": "anandpdoshi",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T21:50:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268755",
          "commentText": "Firefighter Zen by Hersch Wilson\nNine lies about work by Marcus Buckingham\nHow to know a person by David Brooks",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Firefighter Zen by Hersch Wilson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hersch Wilson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "firefighting",
        "leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "first-in-how-seven-cia-officers-opened-the-war-on-terror-in-afgha-1b54d8",
      "title": "First In: How Seven CIA Officers Opened the War on Terror in Afghanistan",
      "author": "Gary Schroen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1974839,
          "author": "rdl",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T11:36:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974839",
          "commentText": "SSI Open Water Diver.  Not because the book is particularly (or at all) well written, but because it was my entry into an amazing hobby -- SCUBA diving.  It's an enjoyable activity on its own, and the training model for SCUBA is actually a good way to teach a lot of things to consumers (a VC friend who just picked up diving too believes this as well).\nFor actual book as book, probably \"First In; How Seven CIA Officers Opened the War on Terror in Afghanistan\" by Gary Schroen.  They basically went in with $30mm or so and an old helicopter, 2 SF ODAs, and accomplished most of the good accomplished to date in Afghanistan within 2 months.\nFor fiction, I'd love to say Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle, but it's just too fucking long.  He needs an editor; I'm on book 3.  For unexpectedly awesome, Suarez's Daemon and Freedom.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For actual book as book, probably \"First In; How Seven CIA Officers Opened the War on Terror in Afghanistan\" by Gary Schroen. They basically went in with $30mm or so and an old helicopter, 2 SF ODAs, and accomplished most of the good accomplished to date in Afghanistan within 2 months.",
          "reason": "Offers it as their likely choice for best actual book of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gary Schroen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "afghanistan war",
        "cia"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "first-love-66ee65",
      "title": "First Love",
      "author": "Ivan Turgenev",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32937273,
          "author": "dotsam",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T11:08:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937273",
          "commentText": "* Philosophy\nArthur Schopenhauer - The World as Will and Representation.\nSurprisingly readable and insightful, even if you don't buy his metaphysics. Einstein had Schopenhauer's portrait on his wall and considered him a genius.\n* Poetry\nJohn Milton - Paradise Lost\nPowerful and beautiful writing.\n* Fiction\nRabelais - Gargantua and Pantagruel. Funny and a real feast of words (the translation is a work of art in itself)\nThomas Mann - The Magic Mountain. Haunting and moving\nPierre Choderlos de Laclos - Dangerous Liaisons. Scandalous, gripping.\nIvan Turgenev - First Love. A masterclass in writing. Short, sensitive and exquisitely told.\nMarcel Proust - In Search of Lost Time. Exceptionally rich and a beautiful study of love. Reading it is like living another life.\nPG Wodehouse - the Jeeves series. Hilarious, perfectly frivolous, light and sunny\n* Non-fiction\nStuart Russell - Human Compatible: AI and the Problem of Control. Potential bad outcomes from AI and what we might be able to do about them\nNoam Chomsky - Necessary Illusions: Thought Control in Democratic Societies. How public discourse is shaped and controlled\nKarl Popper - The Open Society and its Enemies. How to work against totalitarianism",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ivan Turgenev - First Love. A masterclass in writing.",
          "reason": "Praised as a masterclass in writing and described as short, sensitive, and exquisitely told.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ivan Turgenev"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "russian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "first-principles-acb9a7",
      "title": "First Principles",
      "author": "Thomas E. Ricks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38557717,
          "author": "Brajeshwar",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:51:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557717",
          "commentText": "Most of the books I read are influenced by similar threads on HN. This year has not been good overall and it impacted my reading. I need to finish writing the post https://brajeshwar.com/2023/books/\n“How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question” by Michael Schur is a fun book that opens with a good question, “Should I punch my friend in the face for no reason?”\nI have been meaning to and this year I finally read The Diary of a Young Girl.\nFor 2024, here are some of the ones from my list (sorry for the formatting, copied Markdown from my notes);\n- [Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_War:_The_Fight_for_the_Wo... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_War:_The_Fight_for_the_World%27s_Most_Critical_Technology)) by [Chris Miller](https://www.christophermiller.net)\n- [First Principles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Principles_%28book%29) by [Thomas E. Ricks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_E._Ricks_%28journalist%29)\n- [Greenlights](https://greenlights.com) by [Matthew McConaughey](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_McConaughey)\n- How Asia Works: Success and Failure in the World's Most Dynamic Region by Joe Studwell\n- [Poor Economics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poor_Economics): A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty by [Abhijit V. Banerjee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abhijit_Banerjee),  and [Esther Duflo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther_Duflo)\n- Raising An Emotionally Intelligent Child The Heart of Parenting by [John Gottman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gottman), and Joan DeClaire\n- [The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read](https://www.amazon.com/Book-Wish-Your-Parents-Read/dp/198487... (https://www.amazon.com/Book-Wish-Your-Parents-Read/dp/1984879553)): (and Your Children Will Be Glad That You Did) by [Philippa Perry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippa_Perry)\n- [The End Of The World Is Just The Beginning: Mapping The Collapse Of Globalization](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_End_of_the_World_is_just_t... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_End_of_the_World_is_just_the_Beginning)) by [Peter Zeihan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Zeihan)\n- [The Tatas: How a Family Built a Business and a Nation](https://www.amazon.com/Tatas-Family-Built-Business-Nation/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Tatas-Family-Built-Business-Nation/dp/9352779371)) by [Girish Kuber](https://mr.wikipedia.org/wiki/गिरीश_कुबेर), and English translation by Vikrant Pande.\n- [Windfall: The Booming Business of Global Warming](https://www.amazon.com/Windfall-Booming-Business-Global-Warm... (https://www.amazon.com/Windfall-Booming-Business-Global-Warming/dp/1594204012)) by [McKenzie Funk](https://www.mckenziefunk.com)\n- [Dieter Rams: The Complete Works](https://www.amazon.com/Dieter-Rams-Complete-Klaus-Klemp/dp/1... (https://www.amazon.com/Dieter-Rams-Complete-Klaus-Klemp/dp/1838661530/)) by [Klaus Klemp](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaus_Klemp)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "here are some of the ones from my list",
          "reason": "Included on the commenter's reading list for 2024.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as a planned read, not an evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas E. Ricks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american history",
        "founding fathers"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "first-break-all-the-rules-what-the-world-s-greatest-managers-do-d-527b05",
      "title": "First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently",
      "author": "Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 135876,
          "author": "jsmcgd",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-13T10:58:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135876",
          "commentText": "\"First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently\". I know it has a cheap title but it there is plenty of merit in it. The Gallup organization carried out a massive survey of various business units in an attempt to discover commonalities between the successful units. The results showed that there are essentially 12 things that must be true about a unit in order for it to be successful.\nIts a fun read if nothing else.  It contains a lot of counter convention logic that would be right at home in one of PG's essays.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Its a fun read if nothing else. It contains a lot of counter convention logic that would be right at home in one of PG's essays.",
          "reason": "Calls it a fun read and says it contains worthwhile unconventional ideas.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in management and successful business units.",
          "caveat": "The commenter acknowledges the title sounds cheap and frames the recommendation as worthwhile even if only as a fun read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marcus Buckingham",
        "Curt Coffman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "employee engagement",
        "management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fish-that-ate-the-whale-7fb86e",
      "title": "Fish That Ate the Whale",
      "author": "Rich Cohen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6414260,
          "author": "hvass",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-19T20:59:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6414260",
          "commentText": "The Black Swan (anything by Taleb really), Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Letters from a Stoic by Seneca, Epictetus' Discourses, Fish that ate the whale by Rich Cohen, Man's Search for Meaning,  Titan, Principles by Ray Dalio (not really a book, but really worth reading, plus it's free), 4HW by Tim Ferris, The Strategy Paradox.\nAlso Teddy Roosevelt's biography has been very influential.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fish that ate the whale by Rich Cohen",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed one's life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rich Cohen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business biography",
        "samuel zemurray"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fishbowl-a2348b",
      "title": "Fishbowl",
      "author": "Bradley Somer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21458234,
          "author": "v0tary",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-05T23:52:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21458234",
          "commentText": "Fishbowl by Bradley Somer. Clever book imo.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Clever book imo.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes the book as clever.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bradley Somer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fitz-and-the-fool-da5bab",
      "title": "Fitz and the Fool",
      "author": "Robin Hobb",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17514539,
          "author": "timwaagh",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-12T13:53:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17514539",
          "commentText": "War and Peace by Tolstoy. it is far from 'recent' but i read it only this year. it is particularly interesting because it is not overly intellectual in nature yet still written around the time it portrays.\nRobin Hobbs latest Fitz and the Fool trilogy are also great books i read this year. as are all her works really.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Robin Hobbs latest Fitz and the Fool trilogy are also great books i read this year.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the trilogy great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robin Hobb"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "five-chimneys-8332cd",
      "title": "Five Chimneys",
      "author": "Olga Lengyel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8107093,
          "author": "mrcdima",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T09:05:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107093",
          "commentText": "Some titles I've recently read or at least have placed on my reading list.\n--------------------\nPhilosohpy\nLetters from a Stoic: Epistulae Morales Ad Lucilium - Seneca\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius (must read)\nThe Republic - Plato\n--------------------\nHistory\nFive Chimneys - Olga Lengyel\nThe Gulag Archipelago - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (must read)\nThe Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank\n--------------------\nFiction\n(particularly dystopian) 1984, Brave New World, Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451\n(crime/action) Child 44, The Secret Speech, Agent 6 - Tom Rob Smith\n--------------------\nEconomics\nCapital in the Twenty-First Century - Thomas Piketty\nPoor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty - Banerjee, Duflo\nWhy Nations Fail - Robinson\n--------------------\nEconomics/Decision making/Psychology\nUndercover Economist, Freakonomics, Nudge, Thinking Fast and Slow\n--------------------\nRandom titles\nThe Selfish Gene, Self-Reliance, The Elements of Style (about writing), Slaughterhouse-Five\n--------------------\nSome links to inspire your reading (though you may want to checkout the websites first to get an idea of the topics they cover)\nhttp://www.gatesnotes.com/Books\nhttp://bookpickings.brainpickings.org/\nhttp://www.farnamstreetblog.com/reading/\nhttp://www.ryanholiday.net/reading-newsletter\nI’m just a working-class guy trying to take part in the conversation that all the smart people are having. What books should I read? - http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-cl... (http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-class-guy-trying-to-take-part-in-the-conversation-that-all-the-smart-people-are-having-what-books-should-i-read/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Five Chimneys - Olga Lengyel",
          "reason": "Listed as a title in response to the thread's request for book suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Olga Lengyel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "holocaust",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "five-weeks-in-a-balloon-3ad193",
      "title": "Five Weeks in a Balloon",
      "author": "Jules Verne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20918199,
          "author": "idoubtit",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T13:58:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20918199",
          "commentText": "When I was a child, I loved Jules Vernes' novels. My favorite were \"L'île mystérieuse\" et \"Michel Strogoff\". I've read them again after a few decades, and I enjoyed them both.\n\"L'île mystérieuse\" is the survival adventure of a small and disparate group, but the main theme is how science can dominate nature. The mystery part is better enjoyed if the reader knows a bit of Jules Verne' other books.\n\"Michel Strogoff\" is a pure and romantic adventure in Russia, at the time of the Tatar invasions. It was sometimes brutal for a child reader, but I could still remember many scenes thirty years later.\nOther good novels are \"Voyage au centre de la terre\", \"Vingt-mille lieues sous les mers\", \"Cinq semaines en ballon\", \"Le tour du monde en 80 jours\", \"Les indes noires\". I've a few others which I enjoyed at a lesser point.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Cinq semaines en ballon\"",
          "reason": "Includes it among other good novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jules Verne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure",
        "exploration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fixed-income-securities-fb2773",
      "title": "Fixed Income Securities",
      "author": "Bruce Tuckman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22575003,
          "author": "soVeryTired",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T13:08:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22575003",
          "commentText": "I recommend against Mankiw, and to be honest, macroeconomics as a whole. But particularly undergrad macroeconomics.\nUndergrad macro textbooks are more or less designed to teach you how to work a model, and how to prove theorems about a model. But when all is said and done, macro tends not to go the distance and demonstrate how the model relates to the real world. They also get important details wrong. Most of the west doesn’t work on a fractional reserve system anymore, and the main constraint for money creation is not the reserve ratio.\nHonestly you’d be better off learning very basic accounting, then learning about bank balance sheets, then learning about basic financial plumbing like the repo market, money market funds, and the fed’s operations.\nI like Bruce Tuckman’s book ‘fixed income securities’ for the latter. It’s very practical, without any of the theoretical nonsense you sometimes encounter in advanced texts.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I like Bruce Tuckman’s book ‘fixed income securities’ for the latter.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a practical resource on financial plumbing.",
          "audience": "Readers learning about repo markets, money market funds, and Federal Reserve operations.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is practical and contrasts it with theoretical advanced texts.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruce Tuckman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial markets",
        "fixed income"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fixing-my-gaze-a-scientist-s-journey-into-seeing-in-three-dimensi-aa487e",
      "title": "Fixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions",
      "author": "Susan R. Barry",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Susan R. Barry"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "neuroscience",
        "stereoscopic vision"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "flask-web-development-3c21b6",
      "title": "Flask Web Development",
      "author": "Miguel Grinberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237188,
          "author": "kranner",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:44:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237188",
          "commentText": "- Tetris: The Games People Play by Box Brown\n- Tibet, Tibet by Patrick French\n- Maya: A Novel by CW Huntington, Jr\n- The Science of Enlightenment by Shinzen Young\n- Flask Web Development by Miguel Grinberg\n- Buddha's Diet by Tara Cottrell\n- A Feast of Vultures by Josy Joseph\n- Genghis Khan: Life, Death and Resurrection by John Man\n- Chasing the Scream by Johann Hari\n- Cuckold by Kiran Nagarkar\n- Goliath by Tom Gauld\n- This Will Never Happen Again by David Cain\n- Cure by Jo Marchant\n- If It’s Monday It Must Be Madurai: A Conducted Tour of India by Srinath Perur\n- Deep Work by Cal Newport\n- Enduring Love by Ian McEwan\n- The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery\n- The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt\n- The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion\nand a few others that aren't worth recommending; all the above are.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "all the above are.",
          "reason": "The commenter includes the listed books among those worth recommending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Miguel Grinberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "flask",
        "python",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "flat-army-creating-a-connected-and-engaged-organization-f00925",
      "title": "Flat Army: Creating a Connected and Engaged Organization",
      "author": "Dan Pontefract",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11297348,
          "author": "Ysx",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:03:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297348",
          "commentText": "Flat Army summary: https://www.ebscohost.com/uploads/corpLearn/pdf/Flat-Army.pd... (https://www.ebscohost.com/uploads/corpLearn/pdf/Flat-Army.pdf)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Flat Army summary:",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment points to a summary.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11297109,
          "author": "SixSigma",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T13:33:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297109",
          "commentText": "Everyone Needs a Mentor -  David Clutterbuck [1]\nFlat Army - Dan Pontefract [2]\n[1] http://www.amazon.com/Everyone-Needs-Mentor-David-Clutterbuc... (http://www.amazon.com/Everyone-Needs-Mentor-David-Clutterbuck/dp/1843983664/)\n[2] http://www.danpontefract.com/the-book/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Flat Army - Dan Pontefract",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Pontefract"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "employee engagement",
        "leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "flawless-inside-the-largest-diamond-heist-in-history-fcb108",
      "title": "Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History",
      "author": "Scott Andrew Selby and Greg Campbell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804899,
          "author": "AGivant",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:29:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804899",
          "commentText": "Here is my list (from https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/912138-alex-givant?rea...):\nMemoirs:\n- Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti..).\n- Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive by Land, Stephanie, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39218350-maid\n- Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40409969-medium-raw\n- Confessions of a Tax Collector: One Man's Tour of Duty Inside the IRS by Yancey, Rick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_..).\n- The Perfect Predator: A Scientist's Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Superbug: A Memoir by Steffanie Strathdee, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-pre... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-predator)\nPolitics:\n- Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Desmond, Matthew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25852784-evicted\n- Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America by Leovy, Jill, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13153693-ghettoside\n- American Prison: A Reporter's Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment by Bauer, Shane, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38561954-american-prison\n- Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Eban, Katherine, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42448266-bottle-of-lies\n- A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America by Miller, T. Christian, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35805861-a-false-report\n- The New Silk Roads by Frankopan, Peter, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro..).\nHistory:\n- Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-1956 by Applebaum, Anne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13531848-iron-curtain\n- The Romanovs: 1613-1918 by Montefiore, Simon Sebag, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26109020-the-romanovs\n- The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Johnson, Steven, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36086.The_Ghost_Map\n- Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations by Bergman, Ronen, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f..).\n- Madame Fourcade's Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against Hitler by Olson, Lynne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade..).\n- Argo: How the CIA & Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History by Méndez, Antonio J., https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13588425-argo\nCrime:\n- Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History by Selby, Scott Andrew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7071759-flawless\n- American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road by Bilton, Nick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi..).\n- Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by Carreyrou, John, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37976541-bad-blood\n- Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World by Wright, Tom, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-..).\n- The Mastermind: Drugs. Empire. Murder. Betrayal. by Ratliff, Evan, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41181600-the-mastermind\nTechnology:\n- Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon by Zetter, Kim, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze..).\n- Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World by Thompson, Clive, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40406806-coders",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History by Selby, Scott Andrew",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list of favorite nonfiction books read in 2019.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Andrew Selby and Greg Campbell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crime",
        "diamond heist"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "flesh-and-machines-how-robots-will-change-us-e73f4f",
      "title": "Flesh and Machines: How Robots Will Change Us",
      "author": "Rodney A. Brooks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1569162,
          "author": "namin",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:31:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569162",
          "commentText": "Some books I've read this summer, which I can recommend:\n- The Facebook Effect -- well-written insider's account of the history of Facebook and its ambitions.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Facebook-Effect-Inside-Company-Connect... (http://www.amazon.com/Facebook-Effect-Inside-Company-Connecting/dp/1439102112)\n- The Quantum Enigma -- an accessible digest of quantum mechanics and its philosophical consequences.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Enigma-Physics-Encounters-Cons... (http://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Enigma-Physics-Encounters-Consciousness/dp/019534250X/)\n- Flesh & Machines -- a lightweight history of robotics and some wacky speculations by MIT's Rodney Brooks.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Flesh-Machines-Robots-Will-Change/dp/0... (http://www.amazon.com/Flesh-Machines-Robots-Will-Change/dp/0375420797)\n- The Language of Life: DNA and the Revolution of Personalized Medecine -- a well-backed account of what is or will be possible in medicine thanks to a better understanding of the genome and increase use of DNA sequencing for prevention, diagnostic, and treatment.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Language-Life-Revolution-Personalized-... (http://www.amazon.com/Language-Life-Revolution-Personalized-Medicine/dp/0061733180/)\n- ... by David Sedaris -- Funny short stories. Perhaps The Santaland Diaries for something light but really amusing, and When You Are Engulfed in Flames for something darker and more well-known. Also, if you like short stories, I heartily recommend Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules, a varied collection of short stories selected by Sedaris.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/David-Sedaris/e/B000AQ3YUW/\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0349119759\nhttp://www.amazon.com/When-You-Are-Engulfed-Flames/dp/031615... (http://www.amazon.com/When-You-Are-Engulfed-Flames/dp/0316154687/)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Children-Playing-Before-Statue-Hercule... (http://www.amazon.com/Children-Playing-Before-Statue-Hercules/dp/074327394X/)\n- Dreams of My Father -- Barack Obama writes candidly and beautifully about his childhood and early adulthood; it's not a political book, and it's worth reading for the writing alone.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Dreams-My-Father-Story-Inheritance/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Dreams-My-Father-Story-Inheritance/dp/1400082773/)\n- Mathematics: The Loss of Certainty: a chatty history of mathematics, and its perception.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Loss-Certainty-Galaxy-Book... (http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Loss-Certainty-Galaxy-Books/dp/0195030850)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Flesh & Machines -- a lightweight history of robotics and some wacky speculations by MIT's Rodney Brooks.",
          "reason": "Presents it as a lightweight history of robotics with speculative ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls some of its speculations wacky.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rodney A. Brooks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "robotics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fletch-4d35bc",
      "title": "Fletch",
      "author": "Gregory Mcdonald",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2526851,
          "author": "jeffool",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-08T22:24:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 2526568,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2526851",
          "commentText": "Hey good luck with your project.\nPersonally I'd love a good place to get recommendations on contemporary fiction. Good Reads just has a \"ask for recommendations\" section which I can do myself with friends, y'know?\nThat said, I recommend Arthur Nersesian. And I've been re-reading the old Fletch series lately. Man those were fun.\nAlso, I'm squarely in the aforementioned \"nerd\" demo.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the old Fletch series lately. Man those were fun.",
          "reason": "Says the books were fun while rereading the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gregory Mcdonald"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic crime fiction",
        "mystery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "flexible-pattern-matching-in-strings-9af7eb",
      "title": "Flexible Pattern Matching in Strings",
      "author": "Gonzalo Navarro and Mathieu Raffinot",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32790937,
          "author": "MattPalmer1086",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T14:24:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790937",
          "commentText": "Since I'm into online search algorithms:\n\"Flexible pattern matching in strings\" by Gonzalo Navarro and Mathieu Raffinot.\nA rare book that marries the theoretical and practical.  It has good worked examples.\nhttps://www.cambridge.org/core/books/flexible-pattern-matchi... (https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/flexible-pattern-matching-in-strings/D610D1F9C4744A864D73904B24EF602B)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Flexible pattern matching in strings\" by Gonzalo Navarro and Mathieu Raffinot. A rare book that marries the theoretical and practical. It has good worked examples.",
          "reason": "Combines theory and practice with worked examples.",
          "audience": "People interested in online search algorithms.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gonzalo Navarro",
        "Mathieu Raffinot"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "information retrieval",
        "string matching"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "flight-of-the-buffalo-e9bcf7",
      "title": "Flight of the Buffalo",
      "author": "James Belasco and Ralph Stayer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15629990,
          "author": "rsoto",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:08:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15629990",
          "commentText": "The art of game design: Even if you're not aspiring to be a game dev, this book teaches you a lot about project scope, management, psychology, mechanics, balance and user experience.\nFlight of the buffalo: An excellent book about leadership.\nMoneyball: I'm not into novels, so this might be the closest thing to it. It's a fantastic book about thinking creatively and working with what you have. It's about baseball, but even if you don't like it, it's quite entertaining and insightful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An excellent book about leadership.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an excellent book about leadership.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Belasco and Ralph Stayer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "organizational change"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "flight-of-the-honey-bee-884143",
      "title": "Flight of the Honey Bee",
      "author": "Brian Lovelock",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26775082,
          "author": "rmk",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-12T00:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26775082",
          "commentText": "- Good Night, Moon\n- The Runaway Bunny\n- Harold and the Purple Crayon\n- Grandfather Twilight (for slightly older children)\n- Sandra Boynton books\n- Max's Breakfast (and other books)\n- I Read Signs (Tana Hoban; other books by her also quite good)\n- Go! Go! Go! Stop! (Cherise Mericle Harper)\n- Little Pea (Amy Krouse Rosenthal)\n- Trucks, My Car (and other Byron Barton books)\n- The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Eric Carle; some other books by this author are also good)\n- Roadwork (Sally Sutton; also in the same vein by the illustrator Brian Lovelock: Demolition, Flight of the Honey Bee, The Rain Train).\nMany others come to mind, but these are well-loved.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Flight of the Honey Bee",
          "reason": "Recommended as being in the same vein as Roadwork.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Lovelock"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bees",
        "children s picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "flight-of-the-old-dog-3beb0d",
      "title": "Flight of the Old Dog",
      "author": "Dale Brown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12244904,
          "author": "peckrob",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T01:31:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244904",
          "commentText": "I read a lot of Science Fiction for fun. These are a few of my favorites that I've given to other people:\n1. Vacuum Diagrams by Stephen Baxter. When I think of epic hard science fiction, the Xeelee Sequence books spring to mind. With a story line that spans millions of years (and a few dozen books), this collection of short stories is a good introduction to one of the best and most underrated sci-fi series out there. Baxter's Manifold trilogy (Manifold: Space, Manifold: Time and Manifold: Origin) are also fantastic.\n2. Foundation by Isaac Asimov. The whole Foundation series is wonderful, but this book is a landmark of sci-fi that should be on any fan's bookcase.\n3. The Martian by Andy Weir. This book is what I've been giving the last couple years to people who don't think they like sci-fi. Everyone I've given it to has loved it.\n4. Rama by Arthur C. Clarke. Another hard sci-fi staple. The rest of the Rama books he \"co-wrote\" with Gentry Lee are decent but become more space opera than hard sci-fi. I enjoyed them but many sci-fi fans find them polarizing.\n5. Silver Tower by Dale Brown. More of a military thriller than sci-fi (Flight of the Old Dog is another favorite of mine by him) and terribly dated by modern standards (it was written when the Soviet Union was still a thing). But it's the first \"adult\" sci-fi book I ever read as a kid, so it'll always have a special place for me.\nEDIT: Another one:\n6. Coyote by Allen Steele. I love stories like this one: primitive, longshot interstellar exploration and primitive, first generation colonization. Especially for  desperate reasons. The first two Coyote books were good, but I just can't get into any of the subsequent ones.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Flight of the Old Dog is another favorite of mine by him",
          "reason": "Calls it another favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dale Brown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aviation",
        "military thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "flight-my-life-in-mission-control-6b8d9c",
      "title": "Flight: My Life in Mission Control",
      "author": "Chris Kraft",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17206712,
          "author": "sizzzzlerz",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T16:07:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17206712",
          "commentText": "\"Kelly: More than My Share of it All\" - Clarence \"Kelly\" Johnson : A personal narrative of the world's greatest aircraft designer\n\"The Mythical Man-Month\" - Fred Brooks : A classic book of software engineering but it is so much more. If you have aspirations of becoming an effective manager, you need this book.\n\"Flight: My Life in Mission Control\" - Chris Kraft : A book about the early space program written by the man who literally wrote the book on how spaces missions were to be conducted.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Flight: My Life in Mission Control\" - Chris Kraft : A book about the early space program written by the man who literally wrote the book on how spaces missions were to be conducted.",
          "reason": "Listed as a book recommendation about the early space program.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in spaceflight and mission control history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris Kraft"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mission control",
        "space program"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "flights-of-fantasy-a-programming-guide-to-the-amiga-b208d4",
      "title": "Flights of Fantasy: A Programming Guide to the Amiga",
      "author": "Christopher Lampton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30500645,
          "author": "Nihilartikel",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-28T15:12:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30500645",
          "commentText": "When I was a teenager who wanted very much to make videogames and demoscene productions (in the pre-ubiquitous-internet era of Wolfenstein), I had worked up through basic, and pascal, and finally arrived at c++ for speed. The C++ books dealing with graphics were all using really cheesy and slow libraries, totally inappropriate for games.\nThe one book that really made everything come together was \"Flights of Fantasy\" https://www.amazon.com/Flights-Fantasy-Programming-Video-Gam... (https://www.amazon.com/Flights-Fantasy-Programming-Video-Games/dp/1878739182)\nThis covered how to write a simple flight simulator in C++ on the hardware of the time. It also gave a really good practical primer on the linear algebra needed for 3d graphics. Inline assembly and a bunch of fun algorithms for quick and dirty approximate math were there too.\nThat book, along with the free time and obsession that a 14 year old can muster, was probably what started me on my (in my opinion) successful hacking and optimization trajectory.\nIt's a bit dated now that most CPU's have amenities like built in floating point math but not too long ago I was doing embedded audio synthesis on an 8bit AVR micro and Bresenham's line drawing algorithm was just what I needed to efficiently generate saw waves.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The one book that really made everything come together was \"Flights of Fantasy\"",
          "reason": "Credited with bringing game programming concepts together and teaching practical 3D graphics math.",
          "audience": "A teenager learning C++ and making videogames.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is dated given modern CPUs' built-in floating-point math.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher Lampton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "3d graphics",
        "c",
        "game programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "flow-45c9a5",
      "title": "Flow",
      "author": "Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13804457,
          "author": "rwieruch",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:50:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804457",
          "commentText": "Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi\nMaybe not fundamentally changed the way I think about the world, but the way I think about myself and others regarding my and their fulfillment in life.\nIt inspired me on many levels, that I had to write down my personal notes and lessons learned. [0]\n- [0] https://www.robinwieruch.de/lessons-learned-deep-work-flow/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi\nMaybe not fundamentally changed the way I think about the world, but the way I think about myself and others regarding my and their fulfillment in life.\nIt inspired me on many levels",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed how they think about fulfillment and inspired them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may not have fundamentally changed their view of the world.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "flow state",
        "fulfillment"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "flow-based-programming-7d4f59",
      "title": "Flow-Based Programming",
      "author": "J. Paul Morrison",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29313934,
          "author": "megameter",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-23T02:19:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29313934",
          "commentText": "J Paul Morrison \"Flow-based Programming\", while not really about documenting historical methods, got my head thinking about programming in terms of the pre-CPU paradigms of data processing with unit record machines, since that is what this style draws on most strongly.\nAlong the same lines, while not a book, videos and documents about debugging electromechanical pinballs and modular analog synthesizers provide great reference points for what digital systems could look like or strive to emulate, and physical engineering, woodworking and construction decenter the computer as the whole of the process while still being very logical and systematic. At the top level it's usually finding the right structural metaphor that dogs practical programming and gets it into a loop of endless data collection and reprocessing, so it helps to have other things in mind and try to discern ultimate aims.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "J Paul Morrison \"Flow-based Programming\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says it got them thinking about programming through earlier data-processing paradigms.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not really about documenting historical methods.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. Paul Morrison"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data processing",
        "flow based programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "flow-the-psychology-of-happiness-006929",
      "title": "Flow: The Psychology of Happiness",
      "author": "Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13236830,
          "author": "danohu",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T12:35:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13236830",
          "commentText": "not the GP, but start with Flow. Flow is the famous, classic one. Finding Flow is a later expansion/restatement -- it's good enough in its own right, but Flow is the lodestone",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Flow is the famous, classic one.",
          "reason": "Recommended as the famous classic starting point.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The other title, Finding Flow, is described as a later expansion/restatement and good in its own right.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "flow state",
        "positive psychology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fluent-forever-9e01de",
      "title": "Fluent Forever",
      "author": "Gabriel Wyner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13240503,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T21:23:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13240503",
          "commentText": "i loved it, the chapter on space repetition systems alone made the book worth it - i had no clue what they were, but now i used them for everything.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "i loved it, the chapter on space repetition systems alone made the book worth it",
          "reason": "The commenter says they loved it and that one chapter alone made the book worthwhile.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238029,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T15:50:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238029",
          "commentText": "I read 47 books so far:\n* Oxygen (Lane)\n* The Vital Question (Lane)\n* Mitochondria and the meaning of life (Lane)\n* Life Ascending (Lane)\n* Shoe Dog (Knight)\n* Heat (Buford)\n* Thinking Fast And Slow (Daniel K, 3rd time reading it)\n* Fluent Forever (Wyner)\n* Dark Money (Mayer)\n* Elon Musk (Vance)\n* The Black Swan (Taleb, 5th time reading it)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Fluent Forever (Wyner)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gabriel Wyner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "language learning",
        "spaced repetition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fluke-82784d",
      "title": "Fluke",
      "author": "Christopher Moore",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1569111,
          "author": "m0th87",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:14:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569111",
          "commentText": "I'm reading The Joy of Clojure right now. I've never been able to get myself into lisp, but this book is doing a pretty damn good job.\nI think technical books are best combined with fiction, because it's pleasant to keep switching between the two as you get bored. I just finished and highly recommend Fluke by Christopher Moore. Its synopsis does not do it justice: once you start reading it, it's impossible to put down.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I just finished and highly recommend Fluke by Christopher Moore. Its synopsis does not do it justice: once you start reading it, it's impossible to put down.",
          "reason": "Highly recommends the novel as hard to put down.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher Moore"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic novel",
        "marine biology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "flying-blind-44cf6a",
      "title": "Flying Blind",
      "author": "Peter Robison",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42509643,
          "author": "balancesoggy",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T16:47:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42509643",
          "commentText": "Mostly non fiction\nThe Vortex by carney and miklian\nFlying Blind by Peter Robison \nThe Maniac by Benjamin Labatut",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Flying Blind by Peter Robison",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Robison"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "boeing",
        "corporate culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "flying-blind-the-737-max-tragedy-and-the-fall-of-boeing-597ea6",
      "title": "Flying Blind: The 737 MAX Tragedy and the Fall of Boeing",
      "author": "Peter Robison",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42220961,
          "author": "throw0101d",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T14:13:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42220961",
          "commentText": "If I had to pick one: The rise and fall of American growth: the U.S. standard of living since the Civil War by Robert Gordon. The gains that we have made in the (early) 20th century are unlikely to ever be repeated, and progress in many metrics has measurably slowed or even stalled since ~1970s (likely being asymptotic). And while the Internet (classified under the Information, Communication, Technology (ICT) chapters) gave a bump in the 1990s, it's mostly been flat since 2004.\nMore economic history with Slouching towards Utopia: an economic history of the twentieth century by J. Bradford Delong. More economic ideas stuff in Value(s): building a better world for all by Mark Carney (ran the Banks of Canada and England). Also Waphsott's Keynes Hayek: the clash that defined modern economics and Samuelson Friedman: the battle over the free market.\nThe currency of politics: the political theory of money from Aristotle to Keynes by Sefan Eich, Money: the true story of a made-up thing by Jacob Goldstein, and The power of gold: the history of an obsession by Peter Bernstein (also his Against the Gods on risk). Show how much of a human construct \"money\" is, how its meaning changes in different times and places/cultures. Should be required reading by all the 'hard money' folks (gold standard, BTC).\nThe good life: lessons from the world's longest scientific study of happiness by Waldinger and Schultz (directors of the Harvard study). If there's one 'magic' thing for health and happiness it seems to be having good relationships (family, friends) in your life.\nReligion: what it is, how it works, and why it matters by Christian Smith and Strange rites: new religions for a godless world by Tara Burton. While many think that religion is in decline, the non-material/supernatural things that people believe in has actually shifted. And having beliefs in a super-human entity seems to be the basis of most societies and civilizations. Related, The warfare between science and religion : the idea that wouldn't die, a series of essays; the conflict thesis bunk, both historically and presently.\nThe origins of Canadian and American political differences by Jason Kaufman, two seemingly-the-same neighbouring countries that have had different development paths when it comes to culture and government. (I'm Canadian.)\nSpeaking of government: Civil resistance: what everyone needs to know by Erica Chenoweth. Seems violence/force is generally a less effective way to affect change in society than non-violence.\nThe week: a history of the unnatural rhythms that made us who we are by David Henkin. Seems that while seven days has been around for a long while, making it a really 'hard' structure/schedule around it is a more recent phenomenon than you'd expect.\nIf you have kids, Karen Le Billon's French kids eat everything (and yours can, too) and Getting to YUM: the 7 secrets of raising eager eaters, her husband is French and she lived there for a year and found many things done better there than US/CA. See also The happiest kids in the world: how Dutch parents help their kids and themselves by doing less by Acosta and Hutchison.\nFlying blind: the 737 MAX tragedy and the fall of Boeing by Peter Robison is an HN favourite. While we get a lot of engineer vs MBA comments, I think the bigger problem (associated with the MBA-types) is financialization, i.e., returns over everything else. Having non-engineers/MBAs can be 'fine' also long as trying to squeeze blood/money from a stone at the cost of everything else.\nSome philosophy with Alasdair C. MacIntyre: After Virtue is a good starting point. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/After_Virtue",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Flying blind: the 737 MAX tragedy and the fall of Boeing by Peter Robison is an HN favourite.",
          "reason": "Calls it an HN favorite and discusses its account of Boeing and financialization.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Boeing and corporate decision-making.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Robison"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "737 max",
        "boeing",
        "corporate governance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "focusing-aaae61",
      "title": "Focusing",
      "author": "Eugene T. Gendlin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27638265,
          "author": "SirensOfTitan",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T01:39:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27638265",
          "commentText": "Most books by Bob Wilson, particularly Prometheus Rising, which set off a world of self-discovery when I picked it up first in high school.\nNowadays, on weird books or ideas, I’d say:\n* The technique of Focusing by Eugene Gendlin\n* Shinzen Young’s writing on his See-Hear-Feel noting meditation technique\n* Or, similar to focusing but much, much weirder: Jack Willis’s Reichian Therapy for Home Use (available free on the internet)\nEvery single book here has its own issues, but they all elaborate on listening to the body, and the subtle ways we hold stress in our bodies. They’ve helped me understand too that there’s a difference between being emotionally fat and emotionally expressive: the former is like a McDonald’s meal, the latter like a fine dining meal.\nI’ve struggled with generalized anxiety all my life, and this stuff has really helped me deal with it without pushing it away. On the actual real reduction-of anxiety I still feel fairly clueless.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The technique of Focusing by Eugene Gendlin",
          "reason": "Listed among books that helped the commenter understand bodily stress and emotions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says every book listed has its own issues.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eugene T. Gendlin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "body awareness",
        "experiential therapy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "folks-this-ain-t-normal-9e3cd5",
      "title": "Folks, This Ain't Normal",
      "author": "Joel Salatin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25531768,
          "author": "moneytide1",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T21:51:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25531768",
          "commentText": "\"Folks, This Ain't Normal\" by Joel Salatin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Folks, This Ain't Normal\" by Joel Salatin",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joel Salatin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "food systems",
        "sustainable agriculture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "food-of-the-gods-82775d",
      "title": "Food of the Gods",
      "author": "H. G. Wells",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1866155,
          "author": "ljf",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T19:36:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1866155",
          "commentText": "check out anything by j g ballard, or some of h g wells early short stories.\njust finished 'food of the gods' and loved it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "just finished 'food of the gods' and loved it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they loved it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "H. G. Wells"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "speculative evolution"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fool-on-the-hill-621ba3",
      "title": "Fool on the Hill",
      "author": "Matt Ruff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5691809,
          "author": "cju",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T19:28:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5691809",
          "commentText": "If you liked DFW and Borges, you may like Matt Ruff (especialy \"Set this House in Order\", \"The Mirage\" and \"Fool on the Hill\"). It's not as complex but the style is similar and really enjoyable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you liked DFW and Borges, you may like Matt Ruff (especialy \"Set this House in Order\", \"The Mirage\" and \"Fool on the Hill\"). It's not as complex but the style is similar and really enjoyable.",
          "reason": "Recommended to readers who like DFW and Borges; the commenter says the style is similar and really enjoyable.",
          "audience": "Readers who like David Foster Wallace and Jorge Luis Borges.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not as complex as those authors' work.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matt Ruff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fantasy",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "footfall-d07343",
      "title": "Footfall",
      "author": "Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056605,
          "author": "antimagic",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:36:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056605",
          "commentText": "You might try https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legacy_of_Heorot - unlike most of the books down by Niven and Purnell, this one tries to keep the science realistic (possibly due to them having a third author for this book - Barnes), and has one of the better descriptions of an alien ecology that I have read.  Another Liven and Purnell novel, Footfall, does probably the best job of describing a realistic militaristic exploitation of space that I have read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Another Liven and Purnell novel, Footfall, does probably the best job of describing a realistic militaristic exploitation of space that I have read.",
          "reason": "Praises its description of militaristic exploitation of space as probably the best the commenter has read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter qualifies the praise with “probably.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Larry Niven",
        "Jerry Pournelle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alien invasion",
        "military science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "for-harmony-and-strength-japanese-white-collar-organization-in-an-10079e",
      "title": "For Harmony and Strength: Japanese White-Collar Organization in Anthropological Perspective",
      "author": "Thomas P. Rohlen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7001525,
          "author": "bensw",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-02T19:13:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 7001282,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7001525",
          "commentText": "Moral Mazes by Robert Jackall\nFor Harmony And Strength by Thomas Rohlen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For Harmony And Strength by Thomas Rohlen",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that inspired readers or changed their worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas P. Rohlen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "anthropology",
        "japanese organizations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "for-us-the-living-a-comedy-of-customs-8742e2",
      "title": "For Us, the Living: A Comedy of Customs",
      "author": "Robert A. Heinlein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12983366,
          "author": "Alexqw85",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-18T00:57:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12983366",
          "commentText": "Neither are new books, but this year I both read and subsequently gifted\n* 1491 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1491:_New_Revelations_of_the_A... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1491:_New_Revelations_of_the_Americas_Before_Columbus)\n* Stranger in a Strange Land (the \"Original, Uncut version\") https://www.amazon.com/Stranger-Strange-Land-Robert-Heinlein... (https://www.amazon.com/Stranger-Strange-Land-Robert-Heinlein/dp/1442005831)\n1491 is about the societies in the Americas prior to European contact. And if anyone knows of any books on the topic that have been written since then (and thus are even more up-to-date with the current state of the field), I'm very, very interested.\nStranger in a Strange Land is just... excellent. I really appreciate Heinlein and I like his world view. Though I've never read the traditional \"cut\" version, I've talked with people who have read both and I'm sold on the unabridged version. As an aside, if you enjoy Heinlein, then I also recommend reading \"For Us, The Living: A Comedy of Customs.\" It was Heinlein's first book, but was never published (until recently, of course). It's not polished, but it is very interesting to see how he had already formed in the 1930s a lot of the ideas that would dominate his writing for the rest of his career. A good and enjoyable read.\n---Alex",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also recommend reading \"For Us, The Living: A Comedy of Customs.\"",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it to readers who enjoy Heinlein.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy Heinlein.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not polished.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert A. Heinlein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "early heinlein",
        "political science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "for-a-new-liberty-52d5bd",
      "title": "For a New Liberty",
      "author": "Murray Rothbard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17982569,
          "author": "Entangled",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-13T21:04:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17982569",
          "commentText": "\"For a New Liberty\" by Murray Rothbard, not only solidified my understanding of power, politics and the state already explained in \"Anatomy of the State\" by the same Rothbard,  but also opened my mind about the eternal struggle between power and liberty, aggression and defense, the essential traits of life in the whole universe.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"For a New Liberty\" by Murray Rothbard",
          "reason": "Says it solidified the author's understanding of power, politics, and the state, and opened their mind to related ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Murray Rothbard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "libertarianism",
        "political theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "for-a-new-liberty-the-libertarian-manifesto-8af569",
      "title": "For a New Liberty: The Libertarian Manifesto",
      "author": "Murray N. Rothbard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9612954,
          "author": "porsager",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T17:32:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9612954",
          "commentText": "If you're already at Mises.org you should read\nEthics of liberty\nhttp://anarcho-capitalist.org/wp-content/pdfs/Rothbard%20%28... (http://anarcho-capitalist.org/wp-content/pdfs/Rothbard%20%28Murray%29%20-%20The%20Ethics%20of%20Liberty.pdf)\nFor a new liberty\nhttps://mises.org/sites/default/files/For%20a%20New%20Libert... (https://mises.org/sites/default/files/For%20a%20New%20Liberty%20The%20Libertarian%20Manifesto_3.pdf)\nIf those are to your liking they contain some great reading lists. A lot of the books in those lists are also available for free at mises.org",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For a new liberty",
          "reason": "Recommends reading it if the reader is already at Mises.org.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the Mises.org material.",
          "caveat": "Conditional: “If those are to your liking.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Murray N. Rothbard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "libertarianism",
        "political philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "for-a-new-liberty-the-libertarian-manifesto-79cfaa",
      "title": "For a New Liberty: The Libertarian Manifesto",
      "author": "Murray Rothbard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13845165,
          "author": "sergioschuler",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-11T11:53:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13845165",
          "commentText": "For a New Liberty: The Libertarian Manifesto by Murray Rothbard\nIt presents a clear vision of a society without government",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For a New Liberty: The Libertarian Manifesto by Murray Rothbard\nIt presents a clear vision of a society without government",
          "reason": "The commenter describes the book as presenting a clear vision of a society without government.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Murray Rothbard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "libertarianism",
        "political philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "for-the-good-of-the-cause-0cdca1",
      "title": "For the Good of the Cause",
      "author": "Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1027121,
          "author": "vira",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T11:51:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027121",
          "commentText": "American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin.\n- Captivating and well researched. This book not only captures the life of a genius, but also exposes the politics and propaganda of WWII, the Cold War and nuclear proliferation (which were conveniently omitted from my government-set high school curriculum), as well as raising issue of morality and the ethical responsibilities of scientists. Interested in start-ups? They don't come bigger than the Manhattan Project. Most of the guys in Los Alamos at the time were in their 20s.\nTwo books by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich and For The Good of the Cause.\n- Both are brilliant. Solzenitsyn's language is powerful and descriptive yet simple and concise. Since reading his books, I consciously look at the entropy of other writers.\nAmbedkar and Buddhism by Sangarakshita\n- An interesting account of the life of a great man, who's philosophy should be read by anyone who hails from the Indian sub-continent.\nA Fraction of The Whole by Steve Toltz.\n- A book lover's book, Toltz's novel made me laugh out loud at numerous times. A fun read, made better by the fact that he's Aussie.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Two books by Alexander Solzhenitsyn, A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich and For The Good of the Cause.\n- Both are brilliant.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls both named works brilliant and praises Solzhenitsyn’s language.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Solzhenitsyn’s writing and Soviet-era experience.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short novel",
        "soviet literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "for-the-love-of-physics-5ab99a",
      "title": "For the Love of Physics",
      "author": "Walter Lewin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2615882,
          "author": "dogriffiths",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T11:05:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2615882",
          "commentText": "For The Love of Physics - Walter Lewin.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For The Love of Physics - Walter Lewin.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the reading recommendation question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Walter Lewin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "physics",
        "popular science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "for-the-win-3ed77e",
      "title": "For the Win",
      "author": "Cory Doctorow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1752374,
          "author": "rick_2047",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T08:24:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752374",
          "commentText": "If you want to read some eye opening fiction then I would recommend cory doctorows three books, Little Brother, Makers and For The Win. I know it is stacked in the young adult fiction section but it still is good read for anybody.\n<something irrelevant> I am shocked that in 26 comments till now nobody has mentioned Godel Escher Bach by Douglas Hofstater. Apart from everything else it has accomplished it is always the best seller in the \"Nobody reads but everybody recommends\" category, or at least the close second or draw to Art Of Programming by Knuth. </something irrelevant>",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend cory doctorows three books, Little Brother, Makers and For The Win.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommended as eye-opening fiction and described as a good read for anybody.",
          "audience": "Readers of any age, including adults despite its young adult shelf placement.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is shelved as young adult fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cory Doctorow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economics",
        "young adult fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "for-the-win-how-game-thinking-can-revolutionize-your-business-87f17f",
      "title": "For the Win: How Game Thinking Can Revolutionize Your Business",
      "author": "Kevin Werbach and Dan Hunter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7478844,
          "author": "hallidayjb13",
          "createdAt": "2014-03-27T05:50:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 7450534,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's on your reading list? Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7478844",
          "commentText": "You may have already come across it if you've read a lot of Stoic philosophy, but 'Meditations' by Marcus Aurelius is a good read.\nOther books I've really enjoyed are:\nTalent is overrated, by Geoff Colvin (short version: working hard is more than half the battle)\nDrive, by Daniel Pink (short version: to be motivated, you need to have/be working toward purpose, autonomy, and mastery)\nHow will you measure your life, by Clayton Christensen (short version: just read it - very good)\nFor the win - how game thinking can revolutionize your business, by Kevin Werbach and Dan Hunter (Note: one of the authors offers a Gamification MOOC on Coursera)\nAnd for fun:\nEastern Approaches, by Fitzroy Maclean (short version: a pseudo-biography about a british man who was a diplomat, politician, and special forces operator all in one lifetime. Incredible)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For the win - how game thinking can revolutionize your business, by Kevin Werbach and Dan Hunter",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that one author offers a gamification MOOC on Coursera.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kevin Werbach and Dan Hunter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "game thinking",
        "gamification"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "forest-of-the-gods-c02a9b",
      "title": "Forest of the Gods",
      "author": "Balys Sruoga",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35930666,
          "author": "lnsru",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T17:37:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35930666",
          "commentText": "Forest of the Gods from Lithuanian writer Balys Sruoga. It’s cruel book how bandits treat intellectuals in concentration camp. Written in funny style hiding really bad details from reader. It is very eye-opening what one could expect from fellow human being under unfortunate circumstances.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Forest of the Gods from Lithuanian writer Balys Sruoga.",
          "reason": "Calls it eye-opening for its account of how people treat one another under terrible circumstances.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes cruel treatment in a concentration camp and a funny style that masks disturbing details.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Balys Sruoga"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "concentration camps",
        "human behavior"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "forever-free-the-story-of-emancipation-and-reconstruction-b76f73",
      "title": "Forever Free: The Story of Emancipation and Reconstruction",
      "author": "Eric Foner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32794498,
          "author": "greenie_beans",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T20:53:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32794498",
          "commentText": "forever free by eric foner, history of reconstruction after the civil war in america",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "forever free by eric foner",
          "reason": "Recommended as a history of Reconstruction after the American Civil War.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in US Reconstruction history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Foner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american civil war",
        "reconstruction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "forever-undecided-b54b6c",
      "title": "Forever Undecided",
      "author": "Raymond Smullyan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23730377,
          "author": "pjungwir",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-04T05:36:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23730377",
          "commentText": "I second this! Gardner would be something more recreational and fun than a lot else out there. The Colossal Book of Mathematics is a good way to get a lot in one place. The Night is Large is also great but less math-focused.\nI don't see any recommendations for Smullyan yet. The Lady or the Tiger is the classic I think, but I really loved Forever Undecided.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really loved Forever Undecided.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they particularly loved this book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Raymond Smullyan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "logic puzzles",
        "self reference"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "forgery-and-counterforgery-the-use-of-literary-deceit-in-early-ch-be1cab",
      "title": "Forgery and Counterforgery: The Use of Literary Deceit in Early Christian Polemics",
      "author": "Bart D. Ehrman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36105359,
          "author": "sillystuff",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T16:15:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105359",
          "commentText": "Bart D. Ehrman has written a lot of interesting books on Christianity (some of his work might be considered controversial to some practitioners).  E.g.,\n\"Jesus Before the Gospels: How the Earliest Christians Remembered, Changed, and Invented Their Stories of the Savior\"\n\"Forgery and Counterforgery: The Use of Literary Deceit in Early Christian Polemics\"\n\"Lost Christianities: The Battles for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew\"\nAnd, many more.  I don't know of a commercial book site where I can just link to a search by author:\nhttps://libgen.rs/search.php?req=Bart+D.+Ehrman&lg_topic=lib... (https://libgen.rs/search.php?req=Bart+D.+Ehrman&lg_topic=libgen&open=0&view=simple&res=25&phrase=1&column=author)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Forgery and Counterforgery: The Use of Literary Deceit in Early Christian Polemics\"",
          "reason": "Listed as an example of Ehrman's interesting books on Christianity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that some of Ehrman's work may be controversial to some practitioners.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bart D. Ehrman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian polemics",
        "early christianity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "forgotten-realms-2a871e",
      "title": "Forgotten Realms",
      "author": "R. A. Salvatore",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22735123,
          "author": "noddingham",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-31T05:23:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22735123",
          "commentText": "I started reading R.A Salvatore's Forgotten Realms books when I was around 12 or 13, starting with the Crystal Shard and eventually working my way through the next dozen or so as they came out.\nGrowing up in rural Texas, I perceived themes related to stoicism, equality, and racism, that, while probably not intended by the author, still made me think about the way I'd seen people treated, and how I wanted to treat people in the future.\nIn addition, there were a few quotes in some of the chapter titles that stuck with me for whatever reason: \"Joy multiplies when it is shared among friends, but grief diminishes with every division. That is life.”\nI doubt I would see the same things in those books if I read them now, but perhaps for the right audience at the right time there might be something there.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I started reading R.A Salvatore's Forgotten Realms books when I was around 12 or 13",
          "reason": "The commenter describes the books as prompting reflections on stoicism, equality, and racism.",
          "audience": "The commenter suggests they may resonate with the right audience at the right time.",
          "caveat": "The commenter doubts they would see the same things in the books now and says the themes may not have been intended.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "R. A. Salvatore"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "high fantasy",
        "moral growth"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "forms-that-work-designing-web-forms-for-usability-dbb5d2",
      "title": "Forms That Work: Designing Web Forms for Usability",
      "author": "Caroline Jarrett and Gerry Gaffney",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6231363,
          "author": "hcarvalhoalves",
          "createdAt": "2013-08-18T02:27:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 6231052,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is a good book for learning front end design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6231363",
          "commentText": "Try to learn and understand design as a discipline before going into the specifics of user interfaces and interaction design. For that I recommend:\n- Universal Principles of Design - William Lidwell\n- The Design of Everyday Things - Donald A. Norman\nThen for more practical knowledge:\n- Forms that Work: Designing Web Forms for Usability - Caroline Jarrett\n- Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability - Steve Krug\n- Designing the Obvious: A Common Sense Approach to Web & Mobile Application Design - Robert Hoekman Jr.\n- Sketching User Experiences: Getting the Design Right and the Right Design - Bill Buxton",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Forms that Work: Designing Web Forms for Usability - Caroline Jarrett",
          "reason": "Listed as practical knowledge for user interfaces and interaction design.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking practical UI and interaction design knowledge.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Caroline Jarrett and Gerry Gaffney"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "usability",
        "web forms"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fortune-s-children-5c4f96",
      "title": "Fortune's Children",
      "author": "Arthur T. Vanderbilt II",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22575820,
          "author": "JacobDotVI",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T15:10:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22575820",
          "commentText": "House of Morgan - biography of JO Morgan and kin\nSnowball - biography of Warren Buffet\nThe Good Earth - novel about Chinese farmer\nFortune’s Children - the rise and fall of the Vanderbilts",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fortune’s Children - the rise and fall of the Vanderbilts",
          "reason": "Listed as a book about the rise and fall of the Vanderbilt family.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur T. Vanderbilt II"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "vanderbilt family",
        "wealth"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "forty-signs-of-rain-3a0853",
      "title": "Forty Signs of Rain",
      "author": "Kim Stanley Robinson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2043657,
          "author": "Anon84",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T21:05:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043657",
          "commentText": "I've just finished Hamilton's Commonwealth Saga and it's definitely one of the best books I've read in a long time.\nThe first three Dune novels are particularly good. Dune has a tendency to get more philosophical in the later volumes (plans within plans within plans).\nIf I had to choose an all time favorite I would probably go with Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy (Red/Green/Blue Mars). An extremely well researched view of how Mars colonization and terraforming might proceed in a realistic way.\nHe also has a trilogy on the possible/likely consequences of runaway global warming (Forty Signs of Rain, Fifty Degrees Below, Sixty Days and Counting) but RGB Mars is definitely better.\nEdit: \"The content of Green Mars and the cover artwork for Red Mars are included on the Phoenix DVD, carried onboard Phoenix, a NASA lander that successfully touched down on Mars in May 2008. The First Interplanetary Library is intended to be a sort of time capsule for future Mars explorers and colonists.\" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_trilogy#On_Phoenix_spacecr... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_trilogy#On_Phoenix_spacecraft)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Forty Signs of Rain, Fifty Degrees Below, Sixty Days and Counting",
          "reason": "Named as part of a trilogy about consequences of runaway global warming; the commenter prefers the Mars trilogy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Explicitly rated below the Mars trilogy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kim Stanley Robinson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "climate change",
        "near future fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "foundations-of-analysis-4fb462",
      "title": "Foundations of Analysis",
      "author": "Edmund Landau",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31496932,
          "author": "blindmute",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T20:05:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31496932",
          "commentText": "In order:\n1. Book of Proof\n1a. How to Prove It: A Structured Approach\n2. Elements of Set Theory - Enderton\n2a. Naive Set Theory - Halmos\n3. Foundations of Analysis - Landau\n4. Basic Mathematics - Lang\n5. Principles of Mathematics - Allendoerfer & Oakley\n6. A Transition to Advanced Mathematics\n6a. Concept of Modern Mathematics - Stewart\n7. Calculus - Apostol or Spivak\nDon't skip any",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "3. Foundations of Analysis - Landau",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edmund Landau"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "real analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "foundations-of-calligraphy-a8e3af",
      "title": "Foundations of Calligraphy",
      "author": "Sheila Waters",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15826016,
          "author": "noufalibrahim",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-01T18:31:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15826016",
          "commentText": "1. Foundations of Calligraphy by Sheila Waters. I'm reading this book for instructions on doing calligraphy. However, the authoress attention to detail and didactic style has really influenced the way I teach my own students and approach learning new topics. It also anticipates problems that students might face and prepares them to face it before they actually do. I'm still not done reading the book. The chapters are organised by hand and I've only reached the second.\n2. Lone Wolf and Cub (the Manga). I read this just because I liked the drawing style and the dramatic presentation. It rekindled my interest in the martial arts like no other book has and gave me enough fuel to start studying again and get my first dan.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the authoress attention to detail and didactic style has really influenced the way I teach my own students and approach learning new topics.",
          "reason": "The commenter says its teaching style influenced their approach to teaching and learning.",
          "audience": "Calligraphy learners, teachers, and readers interested in instructional style.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is still reading it and has reached only the second chapter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sheila Waters"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "calligraphy",
        "teaching methods"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "foundations-of-computer-science-918ea0",
      "title": "Foundations of Computer Science",
      "author": "Alfred V. Aho, Jeffrey D. Ullman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20729430,
          "author": "MadameX",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T10:40:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20729430",
          "commentText": "Aho/Ullman \nFoundations of CS\nhttp://infolab.stanford.edu/~ullman/focs.html\nO'Halloran/Bryant\nCSPP\nhttps://csapp.cs.cmu.edu/\nDavid Money Harris \nDigital Design...\nhttps://booksite.elsevier.com/9780128000564/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Foundations of CS",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alfred V. Aho, Jeffrey D. Ullman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "foundations-of-geopolitics-afe372",
      "title": "Foundations of Geopolitics",
      "author": "Alexander Dugin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37839878,
          "author": "clubm8",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-11T01:21:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37839878",
          "commentText": "foundations of geopolitics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "foundations of geopolitics",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alexander Dugin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "geopolitics",
        "russian political thought"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "foundations-of-statistical-natural-language-processing-60b11c",
      "title": "Foundations of Statistical Natural Language Processing",
      "author": "Christopher D. Manning and Hinrich Schütze",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 665070,
          "author": "ananthrk",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T13:34:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665070",
          "commentText": "(Given that you are also interested in NLP) \"Foundations of Statistical Natural Language Processing\" is a good bet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Foundations of Statistical Natural Language Processing\" is a good bet.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for someone interested in NLP.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in natural language processing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher D. Manning and Hinrich Schütze"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "natural language processing",
        "statistical learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "foundations-of-the-theory-of-probability-48a761",
      "title": "Foundations of the Theory of Probability",
      "author": "Andrey N. Kolmogorov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2734410,
          "author": "NY_Entrepreneur",
          "createdAt": "2011-07-06T15:46:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 2723436,
          "threadTitle": "Suggest good sites/books on probability",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2734410",
          "commentText": "\"Can you please suggest on-line resource to learn great beginning and advanced probability concepts?\"\nYup!  The subject at the level you ask is a major topic in applied math but is not very popular in US universities.  So, you will not get many good answers.  In particular, the 'computer science' community, with 'machine learning' and 'artificial' this, Bayesian that, likely won't have good answers.\nYour \"on-line\" part is asking a bit much; I can give you references to books but not all on-line.  There may be some PDF files on-line, from TeX, that have such material; try some Google searching with the keywords used here.\nThe intuitive foundations of probability went back to gambling.\n'Probability' is a field of 'applied' math and as such is well defined:\nAbout 100 years ago, E. Borel student H. Lebesgue invented 'measure theory' which essentially 'rewrote' classic calculus, especially the part about integration.  For the simple cases, what Lebesgue did gets the same numerical values as the classic Riemann integral.  The difference is that in theoretical work Lebesgue's integral is much more general and much better 'behaved'.\nBut 'measure theory' has to do with, intuitively, 'length', 'area', 'volume' and various generalizations of these.  Well, in probability, for probability P and event A, the 'probability' of A is P(A) and is a number in [0,1] and acts much like the 'area' of A. The connection is so close that, in the end, we have to accept that the foundations of probability are measure theory.\nThen\nA. N. Kolmogorov, 'Foundations of the Theory of Probability, Second English Edition', Chelsea Publishing Company, New York, 1956.  English translation of the original German '\"Grundbegriffe der Wahrscheinlichkeitrechnung,\"' 'Ergebnisse Der Mathematik', 1933.\napplied Lebesgue's work to make probability a solid field of math.  Since then Kolmogorov's foundations have been nearly the only one taken seriously in any 'modern' or 'advanced' work in probability, stochastic processes, or mathematical statistics.\nA good start on a good text in stochastic processes was:\nJ. L. Doob, 'Stochastic Processes', John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1953.\nDoob was long at University of Illinois.  One of his students was P. Halmos who was later an assistant to von Neumann at the Institute for Advanced Study and in about 1942 wrote the first version of the still standard:\nPaul R. Halmos, 'Finite-Dimensional Vector Spaces, Second Edition', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, New Jersey, 1958.\nLater he wrote:\nPaul R. Halmos, 'Measure Theory', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, NJ, 1950.\nwith at the end a NICE introduction to probability and stochastic processes based on measure theory.\nLikely the first rock solid, quite comprehensive, highly polished presentation of 'modern' probability was the first edition of:\nM. Loeve, 'Probability Theory, I and II, 4th Edition', Springer-Verlag, New York, 1977.\nLoeve was long at Berkeley.  One of his students did:\nJacques Neveu, 'Mathematical Foundations of the Calculus of Probability', Holden-Day, San Francisco, 1965.\nand another did:\nLeo Breiman, 'Probability', ISBN 0-89871-296-3, SIAM, Philadelphia, 1992.\nEither of these two can be regarded as a more succinct presentation of the more important material in Loeve.  Breiman is the more 'practical' and 'accessible'; Neveu is a crown jewel of elegance and succinctness but not always easy to read.\nOther good presentations of much the same material include:\nKai Lai Chung, 'A Course in Probability Theory, Second Edition', ISBN 0-12-174650-X, Academic Press, New York, 1974.\nand\nYuan Shih Chow and Henry Teicher, 'Probability Theory:  Independence, Interchangeability, Martingales', ISBN 0-387-90331-3, Springer-Verlag, New York, 1978.\nIn total, those texts nail down 'probability' at all four corners and make it a rock solid topic in applied math.  Good knowledge of, say, Breiman is a necessary and sufficient condition for knowing 'probability' at a serious level, that is, without being watered down for 'general audiences'.\nFor more, proceed with stochastic processes, stochastic optimal control, mathematical statistics, etc.\nFor learning probability, minimal prerequisites (more would be helpful) would be abstract algebra, linear algebra, 'analysis', measure theory, and functional analysis.\nFor abstract algebra, there are many texts.  Sufficient is\nI. N. Herstein, 'Topics in Algebra', Blaisdell, New York, 1964.\nbut can consider S. Lang, etc.\nFor linear algebra, there are many texts, but the old:\nPaul R. Halmos, 'Finite-Dimensional Vector Spaces, Second Edition', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, New Jersey, 1958.\nremains a good 'second' text.  It is also an introduction to functional analysis.\nThe main text for 'analysis' is just:\nWalter Rudin, 'Principles of Mathematical Analysis', McGraw-Hill, New York.\nin whatever is the latest edition.\nCan skip the material on exterior algebra or just get it from the original source, now in English:\nHenri Cartan, 'Differential Forms', ISBN 0-486-45010-4, Dover, Mineola, NY, 2006.\nFor measure theory and functional analysis, the standards are:\nH. L. Royden, 'Real Analysis:  Second Edition', Macmillan, New York.\nand the first (real) half of:\nWalter Rudin, 'Real and Complex Analysis', ISBN 07-054232-5, McGraw-Hill, New York.\nActually, Loeve also covers much of this material.  Neveu slips in quite a lot.\nThen you will be ready for Breiman, Neveu, Chung, Chow and Teicher, or Loeve.\nYou will discover:\nThe start of probability theory is a 'probability space'.  For that, there are three parts, (1) the 'sample space', (2) the 'events', and (3) the 'probability measure'.\nThe 'sample space' is just a set of points; to support any reasonably serious work in probability, the sample space has to be uncountably infinite.  In all our work, we do some one 'trial', and that corresponds to some one point in the sample space.  The other points in the sample space are what 'might' have been our trial.\nAn 'event' is a set of trials.  We ask that the collection of all events have some 'closure' properties to make that collection a 'sigma algebra'.  So, briefly, the collection of events has as one event the whole sample space and is closed under relative complements and countable unions.\nIn terms of measure theory, the sample space and the sigma algebra of events form a 'measurable space'.  A 'probability measure' is just a positive measure with total 'mass' 1. Thank you Lebesgue and measure theory.\nOn the reals R, we can take the open sets and, then, the Borel sets, that is, the smallest sigma algebra that contains the open sets.  A 'random variable' is a function from the probability space to the reals that is 'measurable', that is, the inverse image of a Borel set is an event.\nAs an alternative, we can ask that the inverse image of the Lebesgue measurable sets of R be events.\nIf X is such a random variable, then its 'expectation' E[X] is just the Lebesgue ('abstract') integral of X over the probability space.  For E[X] to exist, we need only that X be measurable and that the integral of both the positive and the negative parts of X not be infinite (we don't want to subtract one infinity from another).  E.g., Lebesgue integration is very 'general':  All we need is measurability and not subtract one infinity from another.\nBy a change of variable, we can also write the expectation as a Lebesgue integral over the real line with respect to the 'distribution' of X on R. Or, X 'induces' a probability measure on R.\nWe can discuss convergence of random variables -- in distribution, probability, mean square, and almost surely.\nThen we can define independence for events, sigma algebras, and random variables.  E.g., with this approach, if X and Y are independent random variables and f and g are functions, then f(X) and g(Y) are independent random variables.  Don't try to prove this the elementary way!\nWith independent random variables, we can cover the classic limit theorems -- central limit theorem, weak and strong laws of large numbers, and the law of the iterated logarithm.\nUsing the Radon-Nikodym theorem of measure theory, for random variables X and Y we can define their 'conditional expectation' E[Y|X].\nWith such 'conditioning' we can discuss Markov processes, martingales, and the martingale convergence theorem.\nWe can also move on to ergodic theory and, say, Poincare recurrence (keep stirring the coffee and the cream will separate back, close to where it was when it was poured in).\nThose are the previews of coming attractions.\nNote:  This material is not very popular in US universities.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A. N. Kolmogorov, 'Foundations of the Theory of Probability, Second English Edition', Chelsea Publishing Company, New York, 1956.",
          "reason": "Presented as the foundational work that made probability a solid field of mathematics.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a serious mathematical treatment of probability.",
          "caveat": "Advanced prerequisites include analysis and measure theory.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrey N. Kolmogorov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "measure theory",
        "probability"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "founding-sales-224be1",
      "title": "Founding Sales",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41702485,
          "author": "igorzij",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-30T21:42:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 41693844,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good essays/books/advice about software sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41702485",
          "commentText": "Founding Sales\nAlso while not exactly about sales, \"Softwar\" (a bio of Larry Ellison) has a ton of great insights on enterprise sales",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Founding Sales",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "startup sales"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "four-days-with-dr-deming-373251",
      "title": "Four Days With Dr. Deming",
      "author": "William W. Scherkenbach",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11297577,
          "author": "hencq",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:29:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297577",
          "commentText": "I actually left a copy of Four Days With Dr Deming [1] lying around in our office, which is not by him, but follows one of his seminars quite closely. I hoped it would inspire my manager to take a peek, but so far I don't think it's happened.\n[1] http://www.amazon.com/Four-Days-Dr-Deming-Management/dp/0201... (http://www.amazon.com/Four-Days-Dr-Deming-Management/dp/0201633663)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I actually left a copy of Four Days With Dr Deming [1] lying around in our office",
          "reason": "The commenter hoped the book would inspire their manager to read it.",
          "audience": "The commenter's manager.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not by Deming and doubts the manager has read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William W. Scherkenbach"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "management",
        "quality management",
        "w edwards deming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "four-great-classical-novels-of-china-a62f7e",
      "title": "Four Great Classical Novels of China",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17381922,
          "author": "zawerf",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T16:18:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17381922",
          "commentText": "The \"Four Great Classic Novels\" from 14th-18th century China: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_Chinese_Novels\nSpecifically:\nWater Margin\nRomance of the Three Kingdoms\nJourney to the West\nDream of the Red Chamber\nThey are referenced in everything in asian media and there a bajillion tv/movie adaptations of them but they are relatively unknown in the west.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The \"Four Great Classic Novels\" from 14th-18th century China:",
          "reason": "Identifies the set as relatively unknown in the West in response to the book request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chinese literature",
        "classical novels"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fox-8-9d30c0",
      "title": "Fox 8",
      "author": "George Saunders",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50117823,
          "author": "drakonka",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T12:57:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50117823",
          "commentText": "A few:\n- Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (thrice)\n- The Color of Distance by Amy Thomson (twice)\n- Fox 8 by George Saunders (twice)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fox 8 by George Saunders (twice)",
          "reason": "The commenter reports reading it twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Saunders"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "foxtales-dba914",
      "title": "FoxTales",
      "author": "David M. Bock",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15630498,
          "author": "dedalus",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:35:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630498",
          "commentText": "Three Scientists and their Gods: This book foreshadows the meaning and purpose of science+tech https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214570.Three_Scientists_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214570.Three_Scientists_and_Their_Gods)\nScifi: The Three Body problem (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)) for its whole encompassing narrative about human future and some of it will be real (fusion instead of chemical fuel, pulse propulsion and other social consequences)\nArdor: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20931250-ardor if you ever wanted to understand ancient indian philosophy. Heavy read, not recommended for fun but more as quest\nFoxTales: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/412167.Foxtales about how software was developed in the midwest free of all the fashion/hipsterism currently in vogue and building a community of users for your software\nThe elements of networking style: If you ever wanted to know the politics of how networking RFCs are made: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2298785.The_Elements_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2298785.The_Elements_of_Networking_Style) and design choices made to build modern day internet\nUnwritten Laws of Engineering: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13122143-unwritten-laws-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13122143-unwritten-laws-of-engineering) is an old and timeless way detailing what it means to engineer\nHigh Performance Browser Networking: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17985198-high-performanc... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17985198-high-performance-browser-networking) if you ever wanted to know what happens inside a browser\nThe Computer and the Brain: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/358880.The_Computer_and_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/358880.The_Computer_and_the_Brain) where the master compares the machine with our brain\nThe Grammatical Man: If you ever wanted to know the importance of structure and constraint in everything: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/722028.Grammatical_Man",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "FoxTales: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/412167.Foxtales about how software was developed in the midwest free of all the fashion/hipsterism currently in vogue and building a community of users for your software",
          "reason": "Describes the book's account of software development and building a user community.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David M. Bock"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software development",
        "user communities"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "foxtrot-3c10eb",
      "title": "Foxtrot",
      "author": "Bill Amend",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6388137,
          "author": "b3b0p",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T04:43:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6388137",
          "commentText": "My favorite fiction book is Shadows of the Empire by Steve Perry. I am not a fan of the Star Wars books nor am I a hardcore Star Wars fan, but this book captures me every time.\nOther favorites, not including those mentioned by others already are Jurassic Park and the Harry Potter series. I like to go back and read these often.\nFor fun, my favorite, far and away is Foxtrot by Bill Amend.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For fun, my favorite, far and away is Foxtrot by Bill Amend.",
          "reason": "Names it as their favorite for fun.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Amend"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic strip"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fractured-europe-sequence-5f4008",
      "title": "Fractured Europe Sequence",
      "author": "Dave Hutchinson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28059110,
          "author": "thanatos519",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T09:48:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28059110",
          "commentText": "I loved https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Hutchinson#Fractured_Euro... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Hutchinson#Fractured_Europe_Sequence)\nfor the unexplained but totally compelling technology. Full of thrilling intrigue.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Hutchinson#Fractured_Euro...",
          "reason": "Says they loved the series for its compelling unexplained technology and thrilling intrigue.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dave Hutchinson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternate history",
        "political intrigue"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fragments-of-an-anarchist-anthropology-673aed",
      "title": "Fragments of an Anarchist Anthropology",
      "author": "David Graeber",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29815560,
          "author": "splittingTimes",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-05T21:54:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29815560",
          "commentText": "At that age I can only recommend to you to read fiction as well. Classic literature and philosophy will enrich your mind.\nInstead of tech/science books, let me throw something else at you:\nJacque Fresco \"The Best That Money Can't Buy\" [1].\nRobert Steele \"Open-Source Everything Manifesto\" [2]. Do not be mislead by the title. Open-source here is all-encompassing, software is only a tiny fraction of the spectrum.\nDavid Graeber \"Fragments of an Anarchist Anthropology\" [3]\n===\n[1] https://www.amazon.de/Best-That-Money-Cant-Buy-ebook/dp/B077... (https://www.amazon.de/Best-That-Money-Cant-Buy-ebook/dp/B0773TB3GX)\n[2] https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Robert-David-Steele/dp/1583944435\n[3] https://www.amazon.de/-/en/David-Graeber-ebook/dp/B00MAPBIYA",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "David Graeber \"Fragments of an Anarchist Anthropology\" [3]",
          "reason": "Lists the book among suggestions for the reader.",
          "audience": "Someone interested in fiction, classic literature, and philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Graeber"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "anarchism",
        "anthropology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "framework-design-guidelines-d7621c",
      "title": "Framework Design Guidelines",
      "author": "Krzysztof Cwalina, Brad Abrams, and Charlie Calvert",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24387340,
          "author": "tjalfi",
          "createdAt": "2020-09-05T22:26:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 24383180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Suggestions for books about API design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24387340",
          "commentText": "I like Framework Design Guidelines by Cwalina, Barton, and Abrams. The 3rd edition was recently released.\nIt's targeted at developing .NET frameworks with a broad audience so some of the guidelines aren't appropriate for internal APIs or applications.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I like Framework Design Guidelines by Cwalina, Barton, and Abrams.",
          "reason": "Recommends this API design book.",
          "audience": "Targets .NET framework development; has a broad audience.",
          "caveat": "Some guidelines may not suit internal APIs or applications.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Krzysztof Cwalina",
        "Brad Abrams",
        "Charlie Calvert"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "api design",
        "net"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "framework-design-guidelines-feda3b",
      "title": "Framework Design Guidelines",
      "author": "Unknown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12263721,
          "author": "mandeepj",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-10T18:11:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 12262586,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are good reads for designing APIs?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12263721",
          "commentText": "API could be in any form - be it a dll lib, wcf or rest so I am pasting a resource for each.\n1. Restful API with WCF - https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd203052.aspx\n2. Restful API using WebAPI - https://github.com/Microsoft/api-guidelines/blob/master/Guid... (https://github.com/Microsoft/api-guidelines/blob/master/Guidelines.md)\n3. API via dll - https://www.amazon.com/Framework-Design-Guidelines-Conventio... (https://www.amazon.com/Framework-Design-Guidelines-Conventions-Libraries/dp/0321545613/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1470852593&sr=1-1&keywords=framework+design+guidelines)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "3. API via dll - https://www.amazon.com/Framework-Design-Guidelines-Conventio...",
          "reason": "Lists the book as a resource for designing DLL APIs in response to a request for good reads.",
          "audience": "People designing DLL APIs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "api design",
        "framework design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "framework-design-guidelines-73034a",
      "title": "Framework Design Guidelines",
      "author": "Brad Abrams and Krzysztof Cwalina",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12264136,
          "author": "idan",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-10T19:14:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 12262586,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are good reads for designing APIs?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12264136",
          "commentText": "Though it's somewhat dated and C# oriented, the really, really fantastic Framework Design Guidelines by Brad Abrams and Krzysztof Cwalina is a thoughtful treatise on designing usable APIs. A lot of the things I read in there still resonate with me almost a decade later.\nhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Framework-Design-Guidelines-Convent... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Framework-Design-Guidelines-Conventions-Development/dp/0321545613)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the really, really fantastic Framework Design Guidelines by Brad Abrams and Krzysztof Cwalina",
          "reason": "Calls it fantastic and says its guidance on designing usable APIs still resonates years later.",
          "audience": "People designing usable APIs.",
          "caveat": "Somewhat dated and C# oriented.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brad Abrams and Krzysztof Cwalina"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "api design",
        "c"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "framework-design-guidelines-conventions-idioms-and-patterns-for-r-122fa5",
      "title": "Framework Design Guidelines: Conventions, Idioms, and Patterns for Reusable .NET Libraries",
      "author": "Krzysztof Cwalina and Brad Abrams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24389468,
          "author": "idan",
          "createdAt": "2020-09-06T06:39:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 24383180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Suggestions for books about API design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24389468",
          "commentText": "Ignore the fact that this is a book about .NET, it's an excellent source of wisdom about the design of APIs:\nhttps://www.amazon.com/dp/0321545613/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_wn... (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0321545613/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_wnivFbAXFCB24)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's an excellent source of wisdom about the design of APIs",
          "reason": "Recommended as a source of API design guidance.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It focuses on .NET.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Krzysztof Cwalina",
        "Brad Abrams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "api design",
        "net"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "freakonomics-a-rogue-economist-explores-the-hidden-side-of-everyt-1def53",
      "title": "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything",
      "author": "Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13236372,
          "author": "n3on_net",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T10:47:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13236372",
          "commentText": "Here is my list of 2016:\n- The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory\n- The 48 Laws Of Power\n- Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything\n- Crossing the Chasm\n- The Richest Man in Babylon\n- Confessions of an Economic Hit Man\n- Europe: A History\n- The Penguin History of Europe\n- The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon\n- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\nEvery of the books was awesome. The only thing is that I haven't finished Europe: A History from Norman and read The Penguin History of Europe instead because the Norman book was just too long for me. But It has way more details.\nI switch between business-related books and non-business related (it can be everything from philosophy to language history to hardcore science) but I don't read fiction (The Richest Man in Babylon is fictional, but still the focus is on self-development).\nHope you could see some titles that might interest you.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Every of the books was awesome.",
          "reason": "The commenter says every listed book was awesome.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven D. Levitt",
        "Stephen J. Dubner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "behavioral economics",
        "popular economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "frederick-d552f9",
      "title": "Frederick",
      "author": "Leo Lionni",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50038526,
          "author": "semiquaver",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T00:31:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50038526",
          "commentText": "It Might be an Apple (Shinsuke Yoshitake)\nThe Skull (Jon Klassen)\nThe Way Things Work\n(David Macaulay)\nAnimalia (Graeme Base)\nNanette’s Baguette (Mo Willlems)\nThe princess and the Pony (Kate Beaton)\nFrederick (Leo Leoni)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Frederick (Leo Leoni)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite children's books.",
          "audience": "Children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leo Lionni"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fables",
        "picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "free-5b692b",
      "title": "Free",
      "author": "Chris Anderson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1568243,
          "author": "javery",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T17:19:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 1567456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I want to start a web company what books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1568243",
          "commentText": "Agree on Four Steps and Getting Real, also check out:\nPurple Cow and The Dip by Seth Godin\nThe Long Tail and Free by Anderson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Long Tail and Free by Anderson",
          "reason": "Listed as a book to check out in response to the request for books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris Anderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "digital business",
        "free economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "free-culture-d775d0",
      "title": "Free Culture",
      "author": "Lawrence Lessig",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17170856,
          "author": "drummyfish",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-28T06:24:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17170856",
          "commentText": "Free Culture by Lawrence Lessig\nI read it only recently but it changed the way I look at everything now. I am now seeing how our creative culture is being hurt without most people noticing. I have become an advocate for free culture and contribute all my art to public domain. The book itself is freely available, you can google it and download it right now if you want to read it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Free Culture by Lawrence Lessig\nI read it only recently but it changed the way I look at everything now.",
          "reason": "Says it changed their perspective on creative culture and motivated advocacy for free culture.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lawrence Lessig"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "copyright",
        "creative commons"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "free-software-free-society-76d00f",
      "title": "Free Software, Free Society",
      "author": "Richard M. Stallman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1971205,
          "author": "Mithrandir",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T07:48:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971205",
          "commentText": "If I could travel back in time (and felt justified in changing the past/future) I would give myself The Hacker Ethic ( https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/The_Hacker_Et... (https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/The_Hacker_Ethic) ), Python by Chris Fehily ( http://www.amazon.com/Python-Chris-Fehily/dp/0201748843 ), and Free Software Free Society ( http://shop.fsf.org/product/free-software-free-society/ ). If I could only give one book, I'd choose FSFS\nAge doesn't matter. :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Free Software Free Society",
          "reason": "Chosen as one of the books to give the commenter's younger self; says they would choose FSFS if limited to one.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard M. Stallman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "free software",
        "software freedom"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "free-software-free-society-97ed00",
      "title": "Free Software, Free Society",
      "author": "Richard Stallman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5244919,
          "author": "a3camero",
          "createdAt": "2013-02-19T15:58:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 5244195,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 'Must read' books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5244919",
          "commentText": "-Stumbling on Happiness\n-Free Software, Free Society\n-Masters of Doom (not finished, just started reading it, great so far)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-Free Software, Free Society",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Stallman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "free software",
        "software freedom"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "free-as-in-freedom-874d27",
      "title": "Free as in Freedom",
      "author": "Sam Williams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 621660,
          "author": "phugoid",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-22T06:12:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621660",
          "commentText": "Free as in Freedom, a story about Stallman.  I liked the unusual story of rms driving a car and freaking out as he had to follow someone taking the \"scenic route\".\nMy least favorite was The Google Story - I couldn't stomach more than a chapter or two of it.  It read like the sort of ass-kissing \"He's a hero\" crap that I encounter from living in an oil dictatorship.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I liked the unusual story of rms driving a car and freaking out as he had to follow someone taking the \"scenic route\".",
          "reason": "Likes a specific unusual story from the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sam Williams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "free software",
        "richard stallman"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "free-to-choose-13a3b5",
      "title": "Free to Choose",
      "author": "Milton and Rose Friedman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 180618,
          "author": "ivankirigin",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-04T03:24:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 180589,
          "threadTitle": "Good book for economics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=180618",
          "commentText": "Milton Friedman is an excellent writer. Try \"Capitalism and Freedom\" or \"Free To Choose\". Not so much academic discussions about partial derivatives applied to indifference curves, but very informative.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "or \"Free To Choose\".",
          "reason": "Suggests it in response to a request for an economics introduction.",
          "audience": "Someone seeking an introduction to economics.",
          "caveat": "Not an academic treatment of partial derivatives applied to indifference curves.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Milton and Rose Friedman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "free markets",
        "political economy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "free-to-choose-eada12",
      "title": "Free to Choose",
      "author": "Milton Friedman and Rose D. Friedman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13805487,
          "author": "mike128",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T19:50:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805487",
          "commentText": "Free to Choose - Milton Friedman\nEmotional Intelligence - Daniel Goleman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Free to Choose - Milton Friedman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Milton Friedman and Rose D. Friedman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic policy",
        "free markets"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "free-to-choose-a-personal-statement-bb8ef0",
      "title": "Free to Choose: A Personal Statement",
      "author": "Milton Friedman and Rose Friedman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 56703,
          "author": "axiom",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T04:20:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56703",
          "commentText": "It's pretty tragic how little most people understand about basic economics. Not just with respect to how societies function, but basic concepts like incentives and the law of supply and demand. Oh, and of course No Free Lunch. \nSo in that spirit, here are a couple of economics books that I quite seriously believe everyone should be forced to read.\nEconomics in One Lesson, by Hazlitt \nFree to Choose: A Personal Statement, by Milton and Rose Friedman\nFreakonomics, by Levitt and Dubner (this book is just so damn fun to read)\n\nand for the hackers:\nThe God of the Machine, by Paterson\n(Think engineering principles as applied to economics, history and politics. Probably one of the most interesting books I've read in my entire life, even if I don't entirely agree with the thesis.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Free to Choose: A Personal Statement, by Milton and Rose Friedman",
          "reason": "Included in a list of economics books the commenter believes everyone should read.",
          "audience": "The commenter advocates that everyone read it.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Milton Friedman and Rose Friedman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic policy",
        "personal freedom"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "free-to-move-0c4ab4",
      "title": "Free to Move",
      "author": "Ilya Somin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34176258,
          "author": "sershe",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-29T18:48:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34176258",
          "commentText": "1) Chris Moriarty. Spin State - relatively-hard sci-fi with decent non sci-fi elements (i.e. characters and stuff), which I think is rare.\n2) Ralph Ellison. Invisible Man. I really enjoyed the writing, among other things, and how he captures short moments and scenes with sort of a hard-to-describe quality of a visual art, almost.\n3) Ilya Somin. Free To Move. To me most of the book was \"duh\" but I think it would be a good read for people on the fence about immigration and private vs public institutions.\n4) Vaclav Smil. Energy And Civilization; possibly How the World Really Works, still reading that one. Really dense and detailed examination of energy history of mankind for the former, and infrastructure of technological civilization for the latter.\n5) Pluckrose & Lindsday. Cynical Theories. Good 101 on CRT and modern woke movement.\n6) Alexander. New Jim Crow. Good 101 on war on drugs, although some broader social arguments the book makes straightforwardly don't seem to follow, or are contradicted by, its factual base IMHO.\n7) Stephenson. Seveneves - really good hard sci-fi imho, although felt very, very long.\n8) Orwell. Down and Out in Paris and London. A good book about poverty only 70-100 years ago. Also a good perspective for modern complaints about poverty - I have some non-US background for that, so I think many US readers might benefit more.\nOn the fence. \n1) I want to plug Seleukid Royal Economy, just for the hell of it, if you are interested in ancient economy :)\n2) Galef. Scout Mindset - on the fence about this one, but it seemed like it was way too long for what it offers. Maybe I've just read a lot of the same stuff ago.\n3) Okorafor. Binti - not bad as a YA book, but sci-fi aspects are remarkably bad.\nA few more I'm too lazy to type out ;)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I think it would be a good read for people on the fence about immigration and private vs public institutions.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a good read for readers undecided about immigration and private versus public institutions.",
          "audience": "People on the fence about immigration and private versus public institutions.",
          "caveat": "The commenter found most of the book obvious.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ilya Somin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "immigration",
        "limited government"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "free-the-future-of-a-radical-price-a8bae8",
      "title": "Free: The Future of a Radical Price",
      "author": "Chris Anderson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1568941,
          "author": "kjbekkelund",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T20:30:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1568941",
          "commentText": "My favourite books read lately are Here Comes Everybody by Clay Shirky and Perrotta's Metaprogramming Ruby. If you haven't read Free by Chris Anderson, it's also highly recommended. It's just an article, but Anarconomy by the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies was a very interesting read (http://www.cifs.dk/doc/medlemsrapporter/MR0309UK.pdf).\nIf you are willing to check out an audiobook, World War Z is truly an amazing book. Absolutely the best audiobook I have heard so far.\nEnjoy your weeks off!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you haven't read Free by Chris Anderson, it's also highly recommended.",
          "reason": "Explicitly says it is highly recommended.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris Anderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "digital economics",
        "pricing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "freedom-8607bb",
      "title": "Freedom",
      "author": "Daniel Suarez",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4353749,
          "author": "yaksha",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-08T03:32:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 4353632,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon.  What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4353749",
          "commentText": "The sequel to Daemon(by Daniel Suarez I'm assuming), Freedom, was good. I also enjoyed Rainbow's End by Vernor Vinge.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Freedom, was good",
          "reason": "The commenter says the sequel was good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Suarez"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "technothriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "freedom-daniel-suarez-novel-b73bf3",
      "title": "Freedom (Daniel Suarez novel)",
      "author": "Daniel Suarez",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1974839,
          "author": "rdl",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T11:36:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974839",
          "commentText": "SSI Open Water Diver.  Not because the book is particularly (or at all) well written, but because it was my entry into an amazing hobby -- SCUBA diving.  It's an enjoyable activity on its own, and the training model for SCUBA is actually a good way to teach a lot of things to consumers (a VC friend who just picked up diving too believes this as well).\nFor actual book as book, probably \"First In; How Seven CIA Officers Opened the War on Terror in Afghanistan\" by Gary Schroen.  They basically went in with $30mm or so and an old helicopter, 2 SF ODAs, and accomplished most of the good accomplished to date in Afghanistan within 2 months.\nFor fiction, I'd love to say Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle, but it's just too fucking long.  He needs an editor; I'm on book 3.  For unexpectedly awesome, Suarez's Daemon and Freedom.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For unexpectedly awesome, Suarez's Daemon and Freedom.",
          "reason": "Describes the books as unexpectedly awesome.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Suarez"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "freedom-tm-a78290",
      "title": "Freedom (TM)",
      "author": "Daniel Suarez",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5832761,
          "author": "makerops",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T14:55:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5832761",
          "commentText": "Reamde by Neal Stephenson,\nDaniel Surez freedom (tm), deamon, and kill decision.\nready player one\nanything by mark twain",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Daniel Surez freedom (tm)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Suarez"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "surveillance",
        "technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "freedom-to-live-f8e47f",
      "title": "Freedom to Live",
      "author": "Robert S. Hartman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42969740,
          "author": "axiologist",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-07T05:32:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42969740",
          "commentText": "Robert S. Hartman: Freedom to live\nhttps://archive.org/details/freedomtoliverob0000hart",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Robert S. Hartman: Freedom to live",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert S. Hartman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ethics",
        "value theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "freedom-s-forge-a0ebd0",
      "title": "Freedom's Forge",
      "author": "Arthur Herman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42617263,
          "author": "willmarch",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-06T23:19:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42617263",
          "commentText": "Freedom's Forge",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Freedom's Forge",
          "reason": "Provides the title as a response to a request for book recommendations about how difficult things got done.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur Herman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american industrial production",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "french-kids-eat-everything-and-yours-can-too-36c1f9",
      "title": "French Kids Eat Everything (And Yours Can, Too)",
      "author": "Karen Le Billon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42220961,
          "author": "throw0101d",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T14:13:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42220961",
          "commentText": "If I had to pick one: The rise and fall of American growth: the U.S. standard of living since the Civil War by Robert Gordon. The gains that we have made in the (early) 20th century are unlikely to ever be repeated, and progress in many metrics has measurably slowed or even stalled since ~1970s (likely being asymptotic). And while the Internet (classified under the Information, Communication, Technology (ICT) chapters) gave a bump in the 1990s, it's mostly been flat since 2004.\nMore economic history with Slouching towards Utopia: an economic history of the twentieth century by J. Bradford Delong. More economic ideas stuff in Value(s): building a better world for all by Mark Carney (ran the Banks of Canada and England). Also Waphsott's Keynes Hayek: the clash that defined modern economics and Samuelson Friedman: the battle over the free market.\nThe currency of politics: the political theory of money from Aristotle to Keynes by Sefan Eich, Money: the true story of a made-up thing by Jacob Goldstein, and The power of gold: the history of an obsession by Peter Bernstein (also his Against the Gods on risk). Show how much of a human construct \"money\" is, how its meaning changes in different times and places/cultures. Should be required reading by all the 'hard money' folks (gold standard, BTC).\nThe good life: lessons from the world's longest scientific study of happiness by Waldinger and Schultz (directors of the Harvard study). If there's one 'magic' thing for health and happiness it seems to be having good relationships (family, friends) in your life.\nReligion: what it is, how it works, and why it matters by Christian Smith and Strange rites: new religions for a godless world by Tara Burton. While many think that religion is in decline, the non-material/supernatural things that people believe in has actually shifted. And having beliefs in a super-human entity seems to be the basis of most societies and civilizations. Related, The warfare between science and religion : the idea that wouldn't die, a series of essays; the conflict thesis bunk, both historically and presently.\nThe origins of Canadian and American political differences by Jason Kaufman, two seemingly-the-same neighbouring countries that have had different development paths when it comes to culture and government. (I'm Canadian.)\nSpeaking of government: Civil resistance: what everyone needs to know by Erica Chenoweth. Seems violence/force is generally a less effective way to affect change in society than non-violence.\nThe week: a history of the unnatural rhythms that made us who we are by David Henkin. Seems that while seven days has been around for a long while, making it a really 'hard' structure/schedule around it is a more recent phenomenon than you'd expect.\nIf you have kids, Karen Le Billon's French kids eat everything (and yours can, too) and Getting to YUM: the 7 secrets of raising eager eaters, her husband is French and she lived there for a year and found many things done better there than US/CA. See also The happiest kids in the world: how Dutch parents help their kids and themselves by doing less by Acosta and Hutchison.\nFlying blind: the 737 MAX tragedy and the fall of Boeing by Peter Robison is an HN favourite. While we get a lot of engineer vs MBA comments, I think the bigger problem (associated with the MBA-types) is financialization, i.e., returns over everything else. Having non-engineers/MBAs can be 'fine' also long as trying to squeeze blood/money from a stone at the cost of everything else.\nSome philosophy with Alasdair C. MacIntyre: After Virtue is a good starting point. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/After_Virtue",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Karen Le Billon's French kids eat everything (and yours can, too)",
          "reason": "Says it describes practices the author found worked better in France than in the U.S. and Canada.",
          "audience": "Parents interested in children's eating habits.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Karen Le Billon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Parenting"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s eating",
        "french parenting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fresh-off-the-boat-a-memoir-967fab",
      "title": "Fresh Off the Boat: A Memoir",
      "author": "Eddie Huang",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783776,
          "author": "noxToken",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T15:40:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783776",
          "commentText": "Was light year for me:\nConfessions of a D-List Supervillain - Jim Bernheimer\nOrigins of a D-List Supervillain - Jim Bernheimer\nThe second is a prequel of the first. I haven't read the third in the series. Light reading about a guy's descent into villainy.\nYes Please - Amy Poehler: I love memoirs. I just didn't love this one. It read a lot like Leslie Knope was the author, but there was an obscene amount of name dropping that kept interrupting the flow of the book for me.\nFresh Off the Boat: A Memoir - Eddie Huang: Like I said, I'm a sucker for these things. Picked it up, because the series reminded me of a 90s Asian version of Everybody Hates Chris. The absurdity and random profanity was a little off-putting at first. Remembering how I felt as a black boy doing some of the same dumb things in the 90s really put it into perspective though.\nThe Serpent of Venice: A Novel - Christopher Moore: The follow up to Fool. It's a different take on Shakespearian story-telling. I can't recommend his novels enough.\nQuantum Lens - Douglas E. Richards: I read this solely because I liked Wired and Amped. No-frills action with a sci-fi element. You probably won't get engrossed, but you will be entertained.\nSpell or High Water & An Unwelcome Quest - Scott Meyer: Books 2 & 3 in a series about a group of guys who can manipulate reality through writing scripts. Good, but not my favorite.\nArmada: A Novel - Ernest Cline: Ah yes. The long awaited sophomore effort from the author of Ready Player One. This book fell harder than it deserved to, because people where expecting it to be analogous to Ready Player One. Spoiler: it's not. The novel does have its short-comings. Repetitive dialogue, shoe-horned classic pop-culture references and shallow writing plague this book. If you've got time for a short novel, give it a whirl, but don't expect anything amazing.\nWords of Radiance - Brandon Sanderson: Book 2 of the Stormlight Archives. If it's an epic by Sanderson, do yourself a favor and board the hype train. You won't be disappointed. It's everything you want in a long fantasy novel without being bogged down with side-plots and details.\nWarbreaker - Brandon Sanderson: This is a standalone novel with a tie-on to Words of Radiance. I'm only halfway through it. Would recommend so far, especially since it's free from the author.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Fresh Off the Boat: A Memoir - Eddie Huang: Like I said, I'm a sucker for these things. Picked it up, because the series reminded me of a 90s Asian version of Everybody Hates Chris. The absurdity and random profanity was a little off-putting at first. Remembering how I felt as a black boy doing some of the same dumb things in the 90s really put it into perspective though.",
          "reason": "Initially found its absurdity and profanity off-putting, but personal memories put it into perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The absurdity and profanity were off-putting at first.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eddie Huang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "food",
        "immigration",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "friday-f567c7",
      "title": "Friday",
      "author": "Robert A. Heinlein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7337383,
          "author": "rainmaking",
          "createdAt": "2014-03-03T23:34:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7337383",
          "commentText": "Friday, if you want a stunning cross of tech Sci-Fi with a Bond Girl in the lead role.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "if you want a stunning cross of tech Sci-Fi with a Bond Girl in the lead role.",
          "reason": "Describes the book as a stunning mix of technology-focused science fiction and a Bond-like heroine.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking science fiction with a Bond-like lead character.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert A. Heinlein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "espionage"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "frigate-pallada-9e22e0",
      "title": "Frigate Pallada",
      "author": "Ivan Goncharov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13249116,
          "author": "slilo",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T08:40:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249116",
          "commentText": "Since the theme of procrastination and self-discipline is quite popular on HN, I would recommend OP and everyone here \"Oblomov\" and \"Frigate Pallada\" by I.A.Goncharov.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and \"Frigate Pallada\" by I.A.Goncharov.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommended in response to a request for fiction reads.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in procrastination and self-discipline.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ivan Goncharov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "19th century russia",
        "maritime",
        "travel writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "frog-and-toad-914c6b",
      "title": "Frog and Toad",
      "author": "Arnold Lobel",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50068902,
          "author": "jamesforestwest",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-13T09:20:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50068902",
          "commentText": "Anything by Arnold Lobel, but especially Frog and Toad",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anything by Arnold Lobel, but especially Frog and Toad",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends Arnold Lobel’s books, especially the Frog and Toad series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arnold Lobel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s stories",
        "early readers"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "from-airline-reservations-to-sonic-the-hedgehog-a-history-of-the--3d8cbb",
      "title": "From Airline Reservations to Sonic the Hedgehog: A History of the Software Industry",
      "author": "Martin Campbell-Kelly",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22707184,
          "author": "Rochus",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T21:44:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22707184",
          "commentText": "- ENIAC - The triumphs and tragedies of the world's first computer\n- Grace Hopper and the Invention of the Information Age\n- From airline reservations to Sonic the Hedgehog - a history of the software industry\n- History of programming languages Volumes 1 to 3",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "From airline reservations to Sonic the Hedgehog - a history of the software industry",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin Campbell-Kelly"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software industry history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "from-beirut-to-jerusalem-feb551",
      "title": "From Beirut to Jerusalem",
      "author": "Thomas L. Friedman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 875833,
          "author": "rokhayakebe",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T02:56:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875833",
          "commentText": "The world is flat..\nFrom Beirut to Jerusalem (not done yet).\nBoth from Thomas Friedman.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "From Beirut to Jerusalem (not done yet).",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite candidate while noting it has not been finished.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not finished reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797213,
          "author": "rokhayakebe",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T02:44:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797213",
          "commentText": "From Beirut to Jerussalem. Thomas Friedman.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "From Beirut to Jerussalem. Thomas Friedman.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas L. Friedman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "journalism",
        "middle east"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "from-counterculture-to-cyberculture-3e341b",
      "title": "From Counterculture to Cyberculture",
      "author": "Fred Turner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11229675,
          "author": "uxp100",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:11:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229675",
          "commentText": "I'm not sure this is the \"best stuff,\" but I'm currently reading From Counterculture to Cyberculture, and moderately enjoying it.\nIt's about Stewart Brand, but really more about the scenes he was involved in, it's not a biography. Covers the Whole Earth Catalog and the WELL, but also talks about the influence of systems theory and Bucky Fuller, and clarified, for me at least, the difference between the New Communalists and the New Left, which were somewhat conflated in my mind. It also puts Stewart Brand as a character, if not an essential one, at some key events. The mother of all demos and the founding of the Homebrew Computer Club are what I'm referring to here.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'm not sure this is the \"best stuff,\" but I'm currently reading From Counterculture to Cyberculture, and moderately enjoying it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are moderately enjoying it and describes its subject matter.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Stewart Brand, counterculture, and early computing communities.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure it fits the thread's request for the “best stuff” and says they are only moderately enjoying it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fred Turner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "counterculture",
        "early computing",
        "stewart brand"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "from-dawn-to-decadence-500-years-of-western-cultural-life-1500-to-b368df",
      "title": "From Dawn to Decadence: 500 Years of Western Cultural Life 1500 to the Present",
      "author": "Jacques Barzun",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40297638,
          "author": "unraveller",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-08T13:02:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40297638",
          "commentText": "Jacques Barzun - From Dawn to Decadence: 500 Years of Western Cultural Life 1500 to the Present (2001)\nThe Ancient City by Numa Denis Fustel de Coulanges (1864)\nIntellectuals By Paul Johnson\nDaniel J. Boorstin - The Discoverers\nThe Great Courses - The Industrial Revolution (audiobook/lectures)\nDecline of the West - Spengler",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jacques Barzun - From Dawn to Decadence: 500 Years of Western Cultural Life 1500 to the Present (2001)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jacques Barzun"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "western cultural history"
      ],
      "purposes": []
    },
    {
      "id": "from-dictatorship-to-democracy-ce0a90",
      "title": "From Dictatorship to Democracy",
      "author": "Gene Sharp",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4787936,
          "author": "SuperChihuahua",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T10:10:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787936",
          "commentText": "Coders at work\nThe numbers behind Numb3rs\nStatistical methods in counterterrorism\nTotal recall (the biography by Schwarzenegger)\nFrom dictatorship to democracy (available for free here: http://www.aeinstein.org/organizations98ce.html)\nThe miracle of mindfulness\nThe design of everyday things\nEscape from camp 14",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "From dictatorship to democracy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gene Sharp"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "democracy",
        "nonviolent resistance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "from-good-to-great-a204c5",
      "title": "From Good to Great",
      "author": "Jim Collins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 56807,
          "author": "jamongkad",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T10:24:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56807",
          "commentText": "Non hacker books: \nFrom Good to Great and\nBuilt to Last",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "From Good to Great",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jim Collins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "from-mathematics-to-generic-programming-0764f2",
      "title": "From Mathematics to Generic Programming",
      "author": "Alexander Stepanov and Daniel E. Rose",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28663626,
          "author": "dunefox",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T19:07:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28663626",
          "commentText": "Sounds interesting. I know no C++, can I still enjoy the book? I have no interest in learning it.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Sounds interesting. I know no C++, can I still enjoy the book? I have no interest in learning it.",
          "reason": "Asks whether the book is enjoyable without knowing C++ or wanting to learn it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has no interest in learning C++.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28662242,
          "author": "dilippkumar",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T16:32:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28662242",
          "commentText": "I’m currently enjoying “From Mathematics to Generic Programming” by Alexander Stepanov and Daniel E. Rose.\nOne thing about the book is that it’s a lot more interesting than what a cursory scan of the table of contents would suggest. An O(log n) algorithm for multiplication doesn’t seem interesting at first. But the authors do an amazing job of starting from familiar ideas and building up to surprisingly beautiful and elegant ideas.\nI think I’m finally able to grok c++ templates half way through this book.\nOne unfortunate downside to this book is that the authors wrote this before concepts were introduced in c++20. I would love to see an updated edition of this book that use the real c++20 concepts. However, this doesn’t diminish my recommendation for this book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I’m currently enjoying “From Mathematics to Generic Programming” by Alexander Stepanov and Daniel E. Rose.",
          "reason": "Says the book builds from familiar ideas to elegant ideas and helped them understand C++ templates.",
          "audience": "Readers learning generic programming and C++ templates.",
          "caveat": "Written before C++20 concepts; the commenter would like an updated edition.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alexander Stepanov",
        "Daniel E. Rose"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "generic programming",
        "algorithms",
        "c",
        "c templates"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "from-mathematics-to-generic-programming-44ca59",
      "title": "From Mathematics to Generic Programming",
      "author": "Alexander Stepanov and Paul McJones",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39061225,
          "author": "troupe",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T21:11:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39061225",
          "commentText": "Two books that did for me what I think you are looking for:\n- From Mathematics to Generic Programming by Stepanov & Rose\n- Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid by Hofstadter\n- The Little Schemer / The Seasoned Schemer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "From Mathematics to Generic Programming by Stepanov & Rose",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the books that did for the commenter what the requester is looking for.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking books that inspire an engineering outlook.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alexander Stepanov",
        "Paul McJones"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "generic programming",
        "mathematical foundations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "from-mathematics-to-generic-programming-3521d2",
      "title": "From Mathematics to Generic Programming",
      "author": "Alexander Stepanov and Daniel Rose",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14487722,
          "author": "pjmlp",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T14:15:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487722",
          "commentText": "A few ones:\n\"Algorithms and Data Structures\" from Niklaus Wirth.\n\"Introduction to Algorithms, 3rd Edition\" from Thomas H. Cormen, Charles E. Leiserson, Ronald L. Rivest, Clifford Stein.\n\"The Garbage Collection Handbook: The Art of Automatic Memory Management\" from Richard Jones and Antony Hosking\n\"Code Complete\" from Steve McConnell\n\"From Mathematics to Generic Programming\" from Alexander Stepanov and Daniel Rose",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"From Mathematics to Generic Programming\" from Alexander Stepanov and Daniel Rose",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books to add to a programming library.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alexander Stepanov and Daniel Rose"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "generic programming",
        "mathematical foundations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "from-sex-to-superconsciousness-c3955b",
      "title": "From Sex to Superconsciousness",
      "author": "Osho",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9348738,
          "author": "pramalin",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:25:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348738",
          "commentText": "From Sex to Superconsciousness - Osho\nA great stress reliever for an Indian who was feeling guilty all the time waking or sleeping.\nMany articles by rationalist and reformer Periyar E.V.Ramasamy  http://Periyar.org",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "From Sex to Superconsciousness - Osho\nA great stress reliever for an Indian who was feeling guilty all the time waking or sleeping.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as a great stress reliever.",
          "audience": "An Indian feeling guilty frequently, in the commenter's framing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Osho"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "meditation",
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "from-whitewashed-stairs-to-heaven-78611e",
      "title": "From Whitewashed Stairs to Heaven",
      "author": "Maureen McKenna",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25320639,
          "author": "jkepler",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-06T03:00:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25320639",
          "commentText": "For perspective on a veterinary surgeon's work and world, James Herriot wrote eight books , starting with, \"If Only They Could Talk\" in 1970. [0]\nTo learn what its like to start a non-profit/NGO working to help homeless people, prostitutes and addicts in the streets of Glasgow, Scotland, read \"From Whitewashed Stairs to Heaven.\" The book tells the story of Maureen McKenna, cofounder of Open Door Trust Glasgow.[1]\nWendell Berry's written much about farming (among other things).\n[0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Herriot\n[1] https://www.christianfocus.com/products/855/from-whitewashed... (https://www.christianfocus.com/products/855/from-whitewashed-stairs-to-heaven)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "read \"From Whitewashed Stairs to Heaven.\"",
          "reason": "Tells the story of starting a Glasgow nonprofit serving homeless people, prostitutes, and addicts.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in nonprofit and street outreach work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Maureen McKenna"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "glasgow",
        "homelessness",
        "nonprofit"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "from-a-logical-point-of-view-129fae",
      "title": "From a Logical Point of View",
      "author": "Willard Van Orman Quine",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503692,
          "author": "telemachos",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T14:39:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503692",
          "commentText": "Some from the canon:\n\nPlato: Defence of Socrates, Euthyphro, Crito (translated by David Gallop)\nThe Modes of Scepticism by Julia Annas and Jonathan Barnes (a beautiful collection of texts from Pyrrhonian scepticism and analysis of their arguments; the best way I know to meet ancient scepticism)\nDescartes: Meditations on First Philosophy (The Cambridge University Press edition is very good; it's probably worth buying their Selected Philosophical Writings for a good basic Descartes text)\nDavid Hume: An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding and An Enquiry concerning the Principles of Morals (I recommend the Oxford Philosophical Texts editions)\nWittgenstein: Philosophical Investigations (terribly, terribly difficult, but very rewarding)\n  A few contemporary things:\n\nGilbert Ryle: The Concept of Mind\nWillard Van Orman Quine: From a Logical Point of View\nJ. L. Mackie: Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong\nThomas Nagel: Mortal Questions (short essays, well-written, very accessible)\nBernard Williams: Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy\nMichael Smith: The Moral Problem\n  Specialist, technical, odd:\n\nThe Frege Reader by Michael Beaney (for modern logic and the beginnings of contemporary philosophy in the analytic style)\nJ. L. Mackie: The Cement of the Universe: A Study of Causation\nWilliam Kingdon Clifford: The Ethics of Belief (he argues, oddly but powerfully, that it's immoral to believe things on insufficient evidence or irrationally - an offense to morality, not just reason)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Willard Van Orman Quine: From a Logical Point of View",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of contemporary philosophy recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Willard Van Orman Quine"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "analytic philosophy",
        "logic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "frontier-blood-13fafd",
      "title": "Frontier Blood",
      "author": "Jo Ella Powell Exley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37161852,
          "author": "doodlebugging",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T14:10:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37161852",
          "commentText": "I agree that it would make a fantastic miniseries.\nIf you read books about Native American history, Texas tribes and their interactions with Anglo settlers, northern plains tribes I can recommend a few titles.\nFrontier Blood - Jo Ella Powell Exley : Tells the history of the Parker family clan. Their small fort in central Texas was raided by Comanches in 1836 and one of the children kidnapped was Cynthia Ann Parker who gave birth to Quanah Parker, the last great Comanche war chief. The book covers Parkers who helped shape the doctrine of the Baptist church too. It's a good read.\nNine Years Among the Indians, 1870-1879 - Herman Lehmann : This book was written by a man who was kidnapped by Apaches in 1870 and raised as Apache. He later left that tribe for the Comanches after he killed an Apache medicine man. In 1879 he was repatriated with his family in central Texas on the advice of Quanah Parker. He, like many others who spent time living with Native American tribes, preferred their way of life to that of his blood family. He talks about the challenge of reintegrating. He had to relearn to speak English and German and to adapt to all the technology and lifestyle changes encountered. It's a great book.\nThe Heart of Everything That Is - Bob Drury/Tom Clavin : This is Red Cloud's story told using his autobiography. Red Cloud was probably the greatest Native American war chief. It's an epic story.\nI just finished reading a book that according to a NY Times book review is \"The single best book I have ever read on Native American history\". You may have heard of it.\nIndigenous Continent - The Epic Contest for North America -- Pekka Hamalainen/Evin Rias\nI almost want to say don't bother. This is a classic case of an attempt to condense a complex subject into a book that can be digested in a few days of casual reading. The book must leave out so much in order to cover so many things that it ends up almost unreadable.\nThere are formatting problems that should've been corrected by the publisher. Several maps that should fit on one page have parts of the map cut off and printed at the top of the next page. That is ridiculous.\nAnother thing that contributes to unreadability and leads to confusion in telling this epic tale is that the narrative jumps from one time period to another with no subheadings to warn that you are stepping back in time for context. Consecutive paragraphs describe events in different regions with no effort to tie them together or to make them fit. There is so much information that it feels that things the authors thought important are just worked in whether they fit or not so that interesting tidbits are told. Unfortunately this ends up creating a stew of a story where the author stirs the pot a little and instead of the beefy broth in the spoon you end up with potato chunks and a random bay leaf. The bay leaf flavoring their story is the history that they couldn't fit somewhere else so they just tossed it in there.\nThere is a lot of slavery in the book. This was a real thing historically so it is a very interesting treatment of that subject and for those who are under the impression that Anglo colonists started the institution of slavery in North America it will be enlightening for them to read about Native American treatment of captives.\nAll in all, there is so much history to cover that many events and characters have their own stories feel like Reader's Digest footnotes.\nThe best way to treat this book is to use it as a springboard for deeper study because it feels shallow. The physical book also could be improved by cleaning up the typesetting, adding headings, moving paragraphs around into more coherent narratives, and fixing the maps.\nAnyway, this got long and I know you probably read some of these. Have fun.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Frontier Blood - Jo Ella Powell Exley",
          "reason": "Tells the Parker family’s history, including Cynthia Ann Parker’s kidnapping; the commenter calls it a good read.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Texas tribes and their interactions with Anglo settlers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jo Ella Powell Exley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comanche history",
        "texas history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fryderyk-chopin-a-life-and-times-892fec",
      "title": "Fryderyk Chopin: A Life and Times",
      "author": "Alan Walker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46396713,
          "author": "kashyapc",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T21:53:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46396713",
          "commentText": "My top book of the year:\nFryderyk Chopin: A Life and Times, Alan Walker\nA riveting read by a legendary musicologist and biographer.  Walker spent about ten years researching this.  It is 700 pages, which seems daunting but he makes this authoritative bio absolutely enjoyable.  It's also a \"corrective biography\", it dispels a lot of myths.  This book is one of the best examples of accessible writing with flair.  What a writer!\nThroughout the book, Walker tastefully quotes musical phrases (in notation) from Chopin's works to situate them in context.  I often paused reading and put on the track on a given page (nocturnes, mazurkas, preludes, etc).  It made the reading experience incredibly rich and fun.  Other things I enjoyed: Chopin's letters to his friends and family, life in aristocratic salons of Paris, London, Warsaw, and more—Chopin had unparalleled access.  Of course, there's also a lot of gut-wrenching stuff.  As the book's blurb says, it really is for both the casual music lover and the professional pianist.\nIf you haven't discovered them yet, give a listen to Chopin's nocturnes.  But please, give them an attentive listen and play them on a high-quality audio system.  Here[1] is one of his finest nocturnes (it is less famous than the \"happier\" nocturne that follows it, Op. 9 No. 2).\n[1] Nocturne in B-flat minor, Op. 9 No. 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThMGf07UBHQ",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My top book of the year:\nFryderyk Chopin: A Life and Times, Alan Walker\nA riveting read by a legendary musicologist and biographer.",
          "reason": "Calls it a riveting, enjoyable, authoritative biography and their top book of the year.",
          "audience": "Casual music lovers and professional pianists.",
          "caveat": "At 700 pages, it may seem daunting.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan Walker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classical music",
        "frederic chopin",
        "music biography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "full-assault-mode-83191d",
      "title": "Full Assault Mode",
      "author": "Dalton Fury",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7970518,
          "author": "gadders",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T13:37:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7970518",
          "commentText": "In other words \"please tell us the names of books that you're not ashamed for people to know that you are reading\".\nIs anyone here reading some absolute trash like Dan Brown, or do we only read \"good\" books?\nI'll start. I've just read \"Full Assault Mode\" by Dalton Fury. The action is good, but the account of hacking a nuclear power station using iPhones is completely risible.\nI'm now reading I, Claudius which is a lot better.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The action is good, but the account of hacking a nuclear power station using iPhones is completely risible.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the action but finds the hacking account risible.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The hacking account is described as completely risible.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dalton Fury"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "full-catastrophe-living-890e3c",
      "title": "Full Catastrophe Living",
      "author": "Jon Kabat-Zinn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14860183,
          "author": "webosdude",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:47:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14860183",
          "commentText": "Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn http://amzn.com/0345536932.\n2 weeks into the book and 8-week course of MBSR on my own with it's companion meditation and yoga app, https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/jkz-series1/id700402554. So far liking the book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "So far liking the book.",
          "reason": "Says they are liking the book while taking an eight-week MBSR course on their own.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The reader is only two weeks into the book and course.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jon Kabat-Zinn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mbsr",
        "mindfulness",
        "stress reduction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "full-house-the-spread-of-excellence-from-plato-to-darwin-2c72c8",
      "title": "Full House: The Spread of Excellence from Plato to Darwin",
      "author": "Stephen Jay Gould",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21792837,
          "author": "bsmitty5000",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T22:38:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21792837",
          "commentText": "Pretty old but I read them for the first time in 2019: Microcosmos by Lynn Margulis and Full House by Stephen Jay Gould. Both of them really blew me away and changed my worldview.\nI also started on The Vital Question by Nick Lane but haven't finished it yet. But I would recommend anyways based on what I've read so far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Both of them really blew me away and changed my worldview.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it and Microcosmos were astonishing and changed their worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter first read it in 2019, though it is older.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Jay Gould"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolution",
        "statistics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "full-throttle-the-life-fast-times-of-racing-legend-curtis-turner-edad59",
      "title": "Full Throttle: The Life & Fast Times of Racing Legend Curtis Turner",
      "author": "William J. Edelstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1569505,
          "author": "rudyfink",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T23:29:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569505",
          "commentText": "Here are some nonfiction books that I've enjoyed.\nHow We Know What Isn't So: The Fallibility of Human Reason in Everyday Life - Gilovich - a good book on the inability of the human mind to accept things as random.\nCrucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High - Patterson, et all - fluffy but nice short and solid book for better skills at listening and responding in conversation\nFull Throttle: The Life & Fast Times of Racing Legend Curtis Turner - Edlestein - Curtis Turner was an influential figure in the development of what became NASCAR.  I enjoyed the book for his character and as insight into a pass time that I had not really understood.\nPeter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day - Reinhart - His latest book on quality home baking.  This is definitely a do along with the book kind of read, but I found it to be easy to follow, appealing to detail, and satisfying in producing delicious bread.\nVintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails: From the Alamagoozlum to the Zombie 100 Rediscovered Recipes and the Stories Behind Them - Haigh - If you're of age, this is an interesting background in cocktails and their evolution in America.\nI forget whether it was on HN or not, but I've been enjoying this list of great magazine articles http://www.kk.org/cooltools/the-best-magazi.php .",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed the book for his character and as insight into a pass time that I had not really understood.",
          "reason": "Enjoyed it for its portrait of Curtis Turner and insight into racing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William J. Edelstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "auto racing",
        "nascar"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "functional-analysis-3d6c8c",
      "title": "Functional Analysis",
      "author": "Walter Rudin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31492387,
          "author": "eyphka",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T14:14:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31492387",
          "commentText": "Books that are given nicknames by grad students. :) For a foundational understanding of Calculus, and just becoming a better mathematician, a good start would be ->\nBaby Rudin (Principles of Mathematical Analysis, Walter Rudin)\nPapa Rudin (Real and Complex Analysis, Walter Rudin)\nGrandpa Rudin (Functional Analysis, Walter Rudin)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Grandpa Rudin (Functional Analysis, Walter Rudin)",
          "reason": "Included in a suggested Rudin sequence for building mathematical understanding.",
          "audience": "People pursuing further mathematics study.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Walter Rudin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "functional analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "functional-javascript-introducing-functional-programming-with-und-f42c75",
      "title": "Functional JavaScript: Introducing Functional Programming with Underscore.js",
      "author": "Michael Fogus",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10184162,
          "author": "clark-kent",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-08T04:49:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10184162",
          "commentText": "\"Eloquent JavaScript: A Modern Introduction to Programming\"\n\"Functional JavaScript: Introducing Functional Programming with Underscore.js\"\n\"Professional JavaScript for Web Developers\"\n[edited to add more books]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Functional JavaScript: Introducing Functional Programming with Underscore.js\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Fogus"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "functional programming",
        "javascript"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "functional-programming-in-scala-8492d8",
      "title": "Functional Programming in Scala",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10182724,
          "author": "playing_colours",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-07T19:39:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10182724",
          "commentText": "Functional Programming in Scala\nhttps://www.manning.com/books/functional-programming-in-scal... (https://www.manning.com/books/functional-programming-in-scala)\nNot for Scala beginners, more for people who want to learn functional programming paradigm and how to apply its ideas in Scala. Very clear explanations of immutability, laziness, monads, etc. There are also a lot of interesting programming problems in the book to train yourself.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Functional Programming in Scala",
          "reason": "Explains functional programming concepts and how to apply them in Scala; includes programming problems for practice.",
          "audience": "Readers beyond Scala beginners who want to learn functional programming.",
          "caveat": "Not for Scala beginners.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "functional programming",
        "scala"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "functional-web-development-with-elixir-otp-and-phoenix-rethink-th-2ee4fb",
      "title": "Functional Web Development with Elixir, OTP, and Phoenix: Rethink the Modern Web App",
      "author": "Lance Halvorsen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27639215,
          "author": "itbeho",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T04:52:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27639215",
          "commentText": "How to Win Friends and Influence People by Carnegie. Old but  great for an introvert on the spectrum like me. Human nature doesn't change, but I still don't understand it.\nFunctional Web Development with Elixir, OTP, and Phoenix: Rethink the Modern Web App by Lance Halvorsen\nElixir and Phoenix have been fantastic for my productivity. I had a fairly short, but steep learning curve in the early days, but LiveView is amazing and replaces quite a bit of \nclient side javascript that previously felt redundant to me. I've been getting a quicker time to completion, and correspondingly being paid faster than when I was working with more traditional stacks like Django or Rails.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Functional Web Development with Elixir, OTP, and Phoenix: Rethink the Modern Web App by Lance Halvorsen",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lance Halvorsen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "elixir",
        "phoenix",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fundamental-algorithms-d369cc",
      "title": "Fundamental Algorithms",
      "author": "Donald Knuth",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20729804,
          "author": "denton-scratch",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T12:30:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20729804",
          "commentText": "Most of these answers seem to be books about algorithms.\nComputer science is much broader than that; it includes databases, AI (not the same as algorithms!), computer architecture, topics such as hardware interfacing, history of computing, and some overlap with areas in philosophy.\nI didn't ever formally study CS, but I did read several books on algorithms. Especially notable is the seven-volume work \"The Art of Computer Programming\" by Donald Knuth; in particular the volumes \"Fundamental Algorithms\", \"Sorting and Searching\", and \"Seminumerical Algorithms\" are timeless masterpieces, entertaining and witty, and they totally nail their subject-matter. If you think CS is equivalent to \"algorithms\", then read these books.\nN.B. I understand that some of these books have been re-written to use a revised version of Knuth's MIX machine language, to allow the examples to embody modern developments such as pipelines, caches, and parallelism. I haven't read these updated editions; no doubt they are even better than the originals.\nBut I think CS is a much broader field than algorithms.\n[edit] Harrumph. Wikipedia says that only three-and-a-bit volumes have yet been published. Seven volumes was the original plan. Smacks a little of George R. R. Martin?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the volumes \"Fundamental Algorithms\", \"Sorting and Searching\", and \"Seminumerical Algorithms\"",
          "reason": "Named as one of the praised volumes of The Art of Computer Programming.",
          "audience": "Readers focused on algorithms.",
          "caveat": "The comment says computer science is broader than algorithms.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donald Knuth"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fundamentals-of-applied-probability-theory-6d10b9",
      "title": "Fundamentals of Applied Probability Theory",
      "author": "Alvin Drake",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 665304,
          "author": "menloparkbum",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T15:40:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665304",
          "commentText": "I want some recommendations on good math books on: calculus, discrete math, probabilities, statistics\nCalculus Made Easy by Silvanius P. Thompson  (Feynman taught himself calc with this book)\nConcrete Mathematics by Knuth, Graham, Patashnik\nFundamentals of Applied Probability Theory by Alvin Drake\nYou probably want to learn Linear Algebra - get Gilbert Strang's book.\nThe Schuam's outlines in each topic are good for review. I like the ancient ones, usually there are dozens of them for next to nothing at any good used bookstore.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fundamentals of Applied Probability Theory by Alvin Drake",
          "reason": "Listed in response to an explicit request for math book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alvin Drake"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "probability theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fundamentals-of-deep-learning-37e4d5",
      "title": "Fundamentals of Deep Learning",
      "author": "Nikhil Buduma and Nicholas Locascio",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13238121,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:01:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238121",
          "commentText": "Last year I gave myself a Zuckerberg-style goal to read a book every two weeks. It started well, but some months were harder than others (usually when the book wasn't very good, so I would switch to podcasts for a few weeks, before getting back on track).\nHere's an unordered list of the best:\n[BUSINESS / SELF-IMPROVEMENT]\n- \"Work Rules!\" - about Google's culture and values\n- \"Search Inside Yourself\" - about mindfulness, meditation, and the impact on your life.\n- \"What got you here won't get you there\" - Liked a lot more than I expected.\n- \"Re-read Innovator's Dilemma\" - a great classic; never gets old.\n- \"How will you measure your life\" - from the same author. Also excellent.\n- \"The Best Service is No Service\" - good overview on why Amazon's customer service is so good\n- \"Crucial Conversations\" - half is common sense; half is good tips to practice everyday.\n[PROGRAMMING]\n- \"Fluent Python\" - was afraid it'd be too basic, but not really. Enjoyed it a lot.\n- \"Think Complexity\" - about algorithm complexity, data structures, etc. Great read.\n- \"Python Data Science Handbook\" - meh.\n- \"Fundamentals of Deep Learning\" - good intro. Helped me solidify some concepts from Andrew Ng's ML course\n- \"Deep Learning\" - by Goodfellow and Bengio. Just started, but really liking it.\n[STARTUPS] (all excellent; in order)\n- \"The Hard Things about Hard Things\"\n- \"Zero to One\"\n- \"The Founder's Dilemmas\"\n- \"The Launch Pad\"\n[FICTION]\n- Trilogy: \"Off to be a wizard / An Unwelcome Quest / Spell or High Water\"\n- \"Infinite Jest\" - tried but failed to finish. May try again later.\n- \"Ready Player One\" - nice, but repetitive after a while. Good read before the movie comes out.\n[NON-FICTION]\n- \"What If?\" - xkcd FTW\n- \"How to Read a Book\" - good concepts, but should be a 10 pages blog post, not a book\n- \"Spark\" - Science of the Exercise and the Brain - Long, but good\n- \"Sugar Shock\" - still reading; hopefully will help me cut my sweet cravings\n[BIOGRAPHIES]\n- \"The New New Thing\" - about Jim Clark's life, one of the very first entrepreneurs\n- \"Machines of Loving Grace\" - about the research and the rise of AI\n- \"Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution\"\n- \"The Second Coming of Steve Jobs\" - About Pixar's story. Liked more than Isaacson's biography\n- \"The Innovators\" - great summary of computer industry, from the 1800's till today\n- \"Ghost in the Wires\" - Kevin Mitnick's story. Had started years ago, but finally finished it\n- \"Idea Man\" - about Paul Allen's story. Quite an impressive man.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Fundamentals of Deep Learning\" - good intro. Helped me solidify some concepts from Andrew Ng's ML course",
          "reason": "Called a good introduction that helped solidify concepts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nikhil Buduma and Nicholas Locascio"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "deep learning",
        "neural networks"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fundamentals-of-physics-0ce4fc",
      "title": "Fundamentals of Physics",
      "author": "David Halliday and Robert Resnick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30742512,
          "author": "irchans",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T13:39:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30742512",
          "commentText": "Personal Power - Robbins, How to win friends and influence people - Carnegie, Feeling Good - Burns, Godel Esher Bach - Hofstadter,  Fundamentals of Physics - Halliday and Resnick, Jonathan Livingston Seagull - Bach, The Commodore 64 User Manual, \"Stocks for the Long Run\",  The Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide - Gygax, Dune - Herbert",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fundamentals of Physics - Halliday and Resnick",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Halliday",
        "Robert Resnick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fundamentals-of-software-architecture-40965f",
      "title": "Fundamentals of Software Architecture",
      "author": "Mark Richards and Neal Ford",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46391881,
          "author": "Mossy9",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T13:40:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46391881",
          "commentText": "Humble Bundle has spoiled me and my ebook library has grown by around a 100 books this year...\nTech book recommendations: 'Secure by Design', 'Designing Data-Intensive Applications', 'Building Secure and Reliable Systems' and 'Fundamentals of Software Architecture'.\nFor scifi: 'Murderbot Diaries' and 'The Expanse' - both are just great entertainment",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Fundamentals of Software Architecture'",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Richards",
        "Neal Ford"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software architecture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fundamentals-of-web-development-04761e",
      "title": "Fundamentals of Web Development",
      "author": "Randy Connolly and Ricardo Hoar",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37326037,
          "author": "code_primer",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-30T17:50:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 37325594,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books to learn web development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37326037",
          "commentText": "A textbook which gives a good introduction to Web Development is:\n1) Fundamentals of Web Development (Randy Connolly and Ricardo Hoar).\nI have the 2nd Ed but the 3rd Ed is out and is more contemporary.\nSpecific books for HTML and CSS are:\n1) HTML and CSS - The Comprehensive Guide (decent contemporary introduction)\n2) CSS in Depth\n3) CSS The Definite Guide - 5th Ed - Reference\nSpecific books for JavaScript.\n1) Javascript - The Comprehensive Guide (decent contemporary introduction)\n2) Eloquent JavaScript - 3rd Ed\n3) Javascipt - The Definite Guide - 7th Ed",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fundamentals of Web Development (Randy Connolly and Ricardo Hoar).",
          "reason": "Lists it as an introductory textbook on web development.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an introduction to web development.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the third edition is more contemporary than the second.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Randy Connolly",
        "Ricardo Hoar"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "fundamentals-ten-keys-to-reality-ab1031",
      "title": "Fundamentals: Ten Keys to Reality",
      "author": "Frank Wilczek",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42219271,
          "author": "kaycebasques",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T04:53:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42219271",
          "commentText": "Fundamentals: Ten Keys To Reality by Frank Wilczek (winner of 2004 Nobel in Physics)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fundamentals: Ten Keys To Reality by Frank Wilczek",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frank Wilczek"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cosmology",
        "physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "funny-farm-1332f8",
      "title": "Funny Farm",
      "author": "Charles Stross",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056662,
          "author": "aaronem",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:53:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056662",
          "commentText": "Peter Watts's Blindsight - easily the best SF novel I've read in the last decade. I haven't got round to Echopraxia yet, but I doubt it'll fail to live up to its predecessor.\nAlso, while I have no use whatsoever for Stross's \"Singularity\" stuff, his Laundry Files series excels, especially for an inveterate old Lovecraft fan such as myself. If you want a taste, there are some shorts available online -- \"Overtime\" and \"Funny Farm\" are good places to start; \"Equoid\" is the most recent, but it's not representative, and it's also the weakest entry in the series as a whole due to its poor characterization and reliance on shock and gruesomeness rather than the more insidious sort of horror in which the rest of the series specializes.\nI'm sort of surprised to see that no one has yet mentioned Heinlein; I know he's a politically divisive figure in the fandom, to say the least, but he's also the great granddaddy of the modern field, and such prominence deserves recognition. (Hell, he was pushing the Rapture of the Nerds before any of its modern adherents was even born!) Granted that his later works tend to bog down in self-referentiality and author tracts on the evils of Communism and the benefits of casual nudism; in his prime, though, he was an author and storyteller practically beyond compare.\nIn particular, his The Moon is a Harsh Mistress remains a classic among classics; The Puppet Masters even more so, to the extent of spawning practically a whole subgenre of second-rate imitations; and, for a lighter entry, his oft-overlooked The Door into Summer is a sweet story in which all's well that ends well and the importance of feline companionship in a well-rounded life is not overlooked.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Overtime\" and \"Funny Farm\" are good places to start",
          "reason": "Recommended as a starting point for sampling the series.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for an entry point to the series.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Stross"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "lovecraftian horror",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "funny-once-781b28",
      "title": "Funny Once",
      "author": "Antonya Nelson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9354661,
          "author": "definity",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-10T14:47:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9354661",
          "commentText": "Some I've recently finished...\nEpidemiology-focused\n- Virus Hunter - C.J. Peters with Mark Olshaker\n- Panic in Level 4: Cannibals, Killer Viruses and Other Journeys to the Edge of Science - Richard Preston\n- Asleep: The Forgotten Epidemic That Remains One of Medicine's Greatest Mysteries - Molly Caldwell Crosby\n- The Woman With a Worm in Her Head and Other True Stories of Infectious Disease - Pamela Nagami\nGeneral good nonfiction\n- Voluntary Madness: My Year Lost and Found in the Loony Bin - Norah Vincent\n- Trinity: A Graphic History of the First Atomic Bomb - Jonathan Fetter-Vorm\n- Life, Animated: A Story of Sidekicks, Heroes and Autism - Ron Suskind\nFiction\n- Funny Once - short story collection by Antonya Nelson (sad, weird, but very good)\n- It's Kind of a Funny Story - Ned Vizzini\n- Backward Compatible - Sarah Daltry\nAlso definitely recommend the Magic 2.0 trilogy by Scott Meyer (starting with Off to Be the Wizard).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Funny Once - short story collection by Antonya Nelson (sad, weird, but very good)",
          "reason": "Describes the stories as sad and weird, but very good.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy unusual short fiction.",
          "caveat": "The stories are described as sad and weird.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Antonya Nelson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "future-crimes-7806d5",
      "title": "Future Crimes",
      "author": "Marc Goodman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17749840,
          "author": "serhadiletir",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T13:25:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17749840",
          "commentText": "Future Crimes by Marc Goodman\na good book from Goodman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Future Crimes by Marc Goodman",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for similar novels; calls it a good book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marc Goodman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybercrime",
        "technology risks"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "future-crimes-19b452",
      "title": "Future Crimes",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17751561,
          "author": "jnsaff2",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T16:59:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17751561",
          "commentText": "Future Crimes a non-fiction about cybercrime of past and future http://www.futurecrimesbook.com",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Future Crimes a non-fiction about cybercrime of past and future",
          "reason": "Identifies it as nonfiction about cybercrime in response to a request for similar books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybercrime",
        "cybersecurity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "future-crimes-everything-is-connected-everyone-is-vulnerable-and--e23d34",
      "title": "Future Crimes: Everything Is Connected, Everyone Is Vulnerable and What We Can Do About It",
      "author": "Marc Goodman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237380,
          "author": "rdeboo",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T14:22:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237380",
          "commentText": "I set myself a goal to read 20 books; I succeeded.\nHere's the ones I recommend most:\nKim Zetter - Countdown to Zero (on Stuxnet virus and how it was smuggled into the nuclear facility; very interesting)\nGary Kasparov - Winter is Coming (we should consider Russia a dictatorship by now; though until recently, western politicians treated it as a democratic partner country)\nMark Goodman - Future crimes (wide spanning book on crime in the age of the internet)\nPhilip E. Tetlock - Superforecasting (how amateurs can consistently beat domain professionals in forecasting all kind of stuff)\nVenkat Subramaniam - Programming Concurrency on the JVM (good overview of your options (diy with locking / akka / clojure & STM))",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mark Goodman - Future crimes (wide spanning book on crime in the age of the internet)",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a broad account of crime in the internet age.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in online crime and security.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marc Goodman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybercrime",
        "internet security"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "future-noir-the-making-of-blade-runner-b5cf2b",
      "title": "Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner",
      "author": "Paul M. Sammon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46691683,
          "author": "HardwareLust",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-20T13:36:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 46690957,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What non-fiction do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46691683",
          "commentText": "\"Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner\" by Paul Sammon\nA deep history of the making of the movie \"Blade Runner\". Very enjoyable if you liked the movie.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner\" by Paul Sammon",
          "reason": "A history of the making of Blade Runner; the commenter says it is enjoyable if you liked the movie.",
          "audience": "People who liked Blade Runner.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul M. Sammon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "blade runner",
        "film production"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gnu-c-language-manual-6ba729",
      "title": "GNU C Language Manual",
      "author": "Richard Stallman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33132012,
          "author": "bjourne",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T13:13:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33132012",
          "commentText": "Richard Stallman's free C book is pretty good: https://www.cyberciti.biz/files/GNU-C-Language-Manual/GNU%20... (https://www.cyberciti.biz/files/GNU-C-Language-Manual/GNU%20C%20Language%20Manual.pdf)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Richard Stallman's free C book is pretty good",
          "reason": "Recommends Stallman's free C book.",
          "audience": "Readers learning C.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Stallman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming",
        "gnu"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gnu-linux-application-programming-884d9e",
      "title": "GNU/Linux Application Programming",
      "author": "Michael Tim Jones",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1213369,
          "author": "gte910h",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-23T16:47:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 1212675,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I use and love Python. What's the best book to learn C ?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1213369",
          "commentText": "This post only contains non-aff links\nWhile I'm certainly good at C, and have been the guy people asked the C and C toolchain questions at a couple places I've worked, I'd say you're in for more than 1 book to grok the topics you've expressed interest in, and haven't met the single book that does all you want.\n1: If you're a python programmer, I do suggest staying with pure C and AWAY from C++. You have little use case for it if you can mix python and C and it is literally pain incarnate while you do not know every little bit of it and/or work with people who do not know every little bit of it.\n2: Secondly, a single book on C will not get you where you're going. You will need several.\n3: I'd stick with K&R for reference, but then go to the following two books for threading and all the other stuff like networking:\nYou need these two books to get down C and it's ecosystem (make, autotools, etc):\nAdvanced Unix Programming by Rochkind (Really good explanation of signals especially): http://www.amazon.com/Advanced-UNIX-Programming-Marc-Rochkin... (http://www.amazon.com/Advanced-UNIX-Programming-Marc-Rochkind/dp/0131411543/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269362485&sr=8-1)\nGnu/Linux Application Programming by M. Tim Jones (Recovers some of the same stuff as AUP, but does better with the toolchain): \nhttp://www.amazon.com/GNU-Linux-Application-Programming/dp/1... (http://www.amazon.com/GNU-Linux-Application-Programming/dp/1584505680/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269362580&sr=8-1)\nIf you want to go more advanced, this is likely the correct book:\nAdvanced Programming in the Unix Environment:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Programming-UNIX-Environment-... (http://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Programming-UNIX-Environment-2nd/dp/0201433079/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269362485&sr=8-2)\nAlthough if you're diving deep into networking, this is likely the correct book:\nUnix Networking Programming: Vol I by Stevens:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Unix-Network-Programming-Sockets-Netwo... (http://www.amazon.com/Unix-Network-Programming-Sockets-Networking/dp/0131411551/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269362819&sr=1-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gnu/Linux Application Programming by M. Tim Jones",
          "reason": "Recommended for learning C and its ecosystem, with stronger coverage of the toolchain than the preceding book.",
          "audience": "C learners seeking coverage of Linux programming and tooling.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it recovers some material from Advanced Unix Programming.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Tim Jones"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming",
        "linux programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gaia-a-new-look-at-life-on-earth-47c358",
      "title": "Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth",
      "author": "James Lovelock",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10534162,
          "author": "schlagetown",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T17:01:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10534162",
          "commentText": "Watchmen (Alan Moore)\nOrigins of Form (Christopher Williams)\nStarship & The Canoe (Kenneth Brower)\nThe Size of Lumber (Nicholson Baker)\nZen Mind, Beginner's Mind (Shunryu Suzuki)\nDeschooling Society (Ivan Illich)\nMoby Dick (Herman Melville)\nBolo'Bolo (P.M.)\nLe Ton beau de Marot (Douglas Hofstadter)\nGaia: A New Look at Life on Earth (James Lovelock)\nMouse or Rat: Translation as Negotiation (Umberto Eco)\nNeuromancer (William Gibson)\nThe Intelligent Investor (Benjamin Graham)\nDon Quixote (Miguel Cervantes)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth (James Lovelock)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about the best books read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Lovelock"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "earth systems",
        "gaia hypothesis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "galactic-north-c2141f",
      "title": "Galactic North",
      "author": "Alastair Reynolds",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36026772,
          "author": "andrei_says_",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-22T02:30:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36026772",
          "commentText": "Galactic North - Alastair Reynolds\nHouse of Suns  - Alastair Reynolds\nLilith’s Brood - Octavia Butler\nThe Expanse",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Galactic North - Alastair Reynolds",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alastair Reynolds"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "galileo-s-defence-a6b0e6",
      "title": "Galileo's Defence",
      "author": "Octavian Paler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30740697,
          "author": "marius-nicoara",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T06:49:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30740697",
          "commentText": "Galileo's Defence, by Octavian Paler\nImagines Galileo Galilei dealing with the fact that he recanted his theory that the Earth moved around the Sun.\nA wonderful meditation on truth and love.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Galileos-Defence-Octavian-Paler/dp/97... (https://www.amazon.com/Galileos-Defence-Octavian-Paler/dp/9731991964/ref=sr_1_1?crid=9OVOF35K52JY&keywords=galileo%27s+defence+octavian+paler&qid=1647758864&rnid=2941120011&s=digital-text&sprefix=galileo%27s+defence+octavian+paler%2Caps%2C140&sr=1-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Galileo's Defence, by Octavian Paler",
          "reason": "Calls it a wonderful meditation on truth and love.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Octavian Paler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "galileo galilei",
        "historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "game-coding-complete-6937cf",
      "title": "Game Coding Complete",
      "author": "Mike McShaffry and David Graham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12244800,
          "author": "theaustinseven",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T01:08:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244800",
          "commentText": "For programming, \"Game Coding Complete\" by Mike McShaffry and David Graham. The book gave a very nice intro to a number of design considerations and given that McShaffry did a decent amount of game programming in the early days of programming, there are discussions of how they dealt with incredible design constraints. The book served as a good introduction to thinking about performance and size of the software that I build today. The book introduced me to concepts like how hardware could introduce unexpected performance changes. I honestly don't do much game programming at all, but it was a very nice introduction to some otherwise difficult topics. I think that even some experienced developers could get something out of that book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think that even some experienced developers could get something out of that book.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a useful introduction to difficult topics and says experienced developers could also benefit.",
          "audience": "People learning game programming, performance, and software design; potentially experienced developers too.",
          "caveat": "The commenter does little game programming now.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mike McShaffry and David Graham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "game programming",
        "software design",
        "software performance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "game-engine-black-book-doom-6e2b9a",
      "title": "Game Engine Black Book: Doom",
      "author": "Fabien Sanglard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21769647,
          "author": "bexsella",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-12T06:09:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 21765528,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fun Tech Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21769647",
          "commentText": "Game Engine Black Book: Doom - http://fabiensanglard.net/gebbdoom/\nGame Engine Black Book: Wolfenstein 3D - http://fabiensanglard.net/gebbwolf3d/\nFabien Sanglard\nBoth are a fascinating read about hardware of the early 90's and how id Software took advantage of it to produce the results they did.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Game Engine Black Book: Doom",
          "reason": "Described as a fascinating read about early 1990s hardware and how id Software used it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fabien Sanglard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "doom",
        "game engines",
        "hardware"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "game-engine-black-book-wolfenstein-3d-d43c53",
      "title": "Game Engine Black Book: Wolfenstein 3D",
      "author": "Fabien Sanglard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21769647,
          "author": "bexsella",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-12T06:09:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 21765528,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fun Tech Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21769647",
          "commentText": "Game Engine Black Book: Doom - http://fabiensanglard.net/gebbdoom/\nGame Engine Black Book: Wolfenstein 3D - http://fabiensanglard.net/gebbwolf3d/\nFabien Sanglard\nBoth are a fascinating read about hardware of the early 90's and how id Software took advantage of it to produce the results they did.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Game Engine Black Book: Wolfenstein 3D",
          "reason": "Described as a fascinating read about early 1990s hardware and how id Software used it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fabien Sanglard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "game engines",
        "hardware",
        "wolfenstein 3d"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "game-genie-nes-codebook-355415",
      "title": "Game Genie NES Codebook",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13805931,
          "author": "nosuchthing",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T20:48:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805931",
          "commentText": "Codemasters - Game Genie NES Codebook\n  Aldous Huxley - Collected Essays\n  Guy Debord - Society of the Spectacle\n  Antonie de Saint-Exupery - The Little Prince\n\nAlso worth mentioning, is everything by Dr Seuss.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Codemasters - Game Genie NES Codebook",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nes cheat codes"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "game-over-from-pick-up-artist-to-social-heartist-7d576a",
      "title": "Game Over: From Pick-Up Artist to Social Heartist",
      "author": "Mark Manson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12418715,
          "author": "Eido95",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-03T11:00:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12418715",
          "commentText": "This is a very different book, it definitely impacted  my personal life.\nHe literally helped me go out of an infinit loop in life when it came to interactions with women and humen connections:\nGame Over: From Pick-Up Artist to Social Heartist\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Game-Over-Pick-Up-Artist-Heartist/dp/... (https://www.amazon.com/Game-Over-Pick-Up-Artist-Heartist/dp/1522918493)\nGOOD LUCK!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is a very different book, it definitely impacted  my personal life.\nHe literally helped me go out of an infinit loop in life when it came to interactions with women and humen connections:\nGame Over: From Pick-Up Artist to Social Heartist",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book had a definite positive impact on their personal life and relationships.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking help with social connections and relationships.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Manson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "relationships",
        "social skills"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "game-theory-analysis-of-conflict-859720",
      "title": "Game Theory: Analysis of Conflict",
      "author": "Roger B. Myerson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 180667,
          "author": "mstoehr",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-04T05:37:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 180589,
          "threadTitle": "Good book for economics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=180667",
          "commentText": "These two are my favorite (that are reasonably priced!).  Samuelson is definitely a formidable thinker and lays the groundwork for much later economic thinking.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Worldly-Philosophers-Lives-Economic-Th... (http://www.amazon.com/Worldly-Philosophers-Lives-Economic-Thinkers/dp/068486214X)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Price-Theory-Milton-Friedman/dp/020206... (http://www.amazon.com/Price-Theory-Milton-Friedman/dp/0202060748)\nHowever if you go with the Samuelson, Fridman, and Heilbroner you'll be missing out on some key concepts relating to information and games, which are essential for understanding modern developments in economics.\nSo, I would also look at Myerson's Game Theory\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Game-Theory-Analysis-Roger-Myerson/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Game-Theory-Analysis-Roger-Myerson/dp/0674341163)\nFinally, the empirical side of economics is quite important, and it is essential for investigating whether the theoretical conceptions (say in Samuelson) actually hold up.  There are many bad texts, and the seminal ones (Greene) are quite difficult in the beginning.  So, I recommend a pedagogical text that uses the likelihood approach.  Although, this is, by no means, a comprehensive text, you can certainly gain an understanding of a basic econometric study\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Econometric-Modeling-David-Hendry-Ni... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Econometric-Modeling-David-Hendry-Nielsen/dp/0691130892)\nThat should give you a broad introduction.  Also, checkout http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/DisplayJournalBrowse.cfm, which is an excellent resource with many free papers.\nGood Luck!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "So, I would also look at Myerson's Game Theory",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it for concepts about information and games that they say are essential to modern economics.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a broad introduction to economics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roger B. Myerson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "game theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "garbage-collection-b07065",
      "title": "Garbage Collection",
      "author": "Richard Jones and Rafael Lins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33803547,
          "author": "jasone",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T16:56:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33803547",
          "commentText": "These are books that I've reread major portions of repeatedly because they consistently trigger broader thinking about their subject matter.\nPurely Functional Data Structures by Chris Okasaki broadened how I think about algorithmic complexity analysis, after decades of mostly imperative programming. Other books on lambda calculus, type theory, OCaml, Haskell, etc. preceded this in my reading list, but this book clinched my love of functional programming.\nThe Garbage Collection Handbook by Richard Jones, Antony Hosking, and Eliot Moss provides broad, yet sufficiently detailed, coverage of automatic memory management that most techniques can be understood and implemented without digging into the primary literature. That said, this book (actually its predecessor, Garbage Collection by Jones and Lins) inspired me to dig deep into memory management, and jemalloc is one of the incidental results.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this book (actually its predecessor, Garbage Collection by Jones and Lins) inspired me to dig deep into memory management",
          "reason": "The predecessor inspired the commenter to study memory management in depth.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Identified as the predecessor to The Garbage Collection Handbook.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Jones",
        "Rafael Lins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "garbage collection",
        "memory management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gargantua-and-pantagruel-26d942",
      "title": "Gargantua and Pantagruel",
      "author": "François Rabelais",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32937273,
          "author": "dotsam",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T11:08:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937273",
          "commentText": "* Philosophy\nArthur Schopenhauer - The World as Will and Representation.\nSurprisingly readable and insightful, even if you don't buy his metaphysics. Einstein had Schopenhauer's portrait on his wall and considered him a genius.\n* Poetry\nJohn Milton - Paradise Lost\nPowerful and beautiful writing.\n* Fiction\nRabelais - Gargantua and Pantagruel. Funny and a real feast of words (the translation is a work of art in itself)\nThomas Mann - The Magic Mountain. Haunting and moving\nPierre Choderlos de Laclos - Dangerous Liaisons. Scandalous, gripping.\nIvan Turgenev - First Love. A masterclass in writing. Short, sensitive and exquisitely told.\nMarcel Proust - In Search of Lost Time. Exceptionally rich and a beautiful study of love. Reading it is like living another life.\nPG Wodehouse - the Jeeves series. Hilarious, perfectly frivolous, light and sunny\n* Non-fiction\nStuart Russell - Human Compatible: AI and the Problem of Control. Potential bad outcomes from AI and what we might be able to do about them\nNoam Chomsky - Necessary Illusions: Thought Control in Democratic Societies. How public discourse is shaped and controlled\nKarl Popper - The Open Society and its Enemies. How to work against totalitarianism",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rabelais - Gargantua and Pantagruel. Funny and a real feast of words",
          "reason": "Described as funny and a feast of words.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that the translation is a work of art in itself.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "François Rabelais"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "renaissance literature",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "garner-s-modern-american-usage-d0aeda",
      "title": "Garner's Modern American Usage",
      "author": "Bryan A. Garner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40282842,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T06:08:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40282842",
          "commentText": "Garner's Modern American Usage.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Garner's Modern American Usage.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16757384,
          "author": "matthewwiese",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T18:15:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16757384",
          "commentText": "A few immediately come to mind:\n- Garner's Modern American Usage\n- The Hardware Hacker (I am a huge fan of bunnie)\n- The Art of Electronics (Horowitz and Hill)\nI don't really have \"reference\" books on my desk. Most rotate out quite frequently depending on what I'm researching and writing about. These can range from Raizman's History of Modern Design to Lewis Carroll's Symbolic Logic.\nIn addition I make plenty use of thesauruses. I have a few old ratty copies but mostly do a quick flit over my keyboard to pull up synonyms. When a word is on the tip of your tongue, looking up another that you know is related to it in a thesaurus is the best way to efficiently jog your memory.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Garner's Modern American Usage",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bryan A. Garner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american english",
        "usage",
        "usage guide"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "garner-s-modern-english-usage-a622b3",
      "title": "Garner's Modern English Usage",
      "author": "Bryan A. Garner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16758898,
          "author": "auxbuss",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T20:48:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16758898",
          "commentText": "+1 for an English usage guide.\nI prefer the updated Garner's Modern English Usage because it caters for the broad church of English not only the USican dialect.\nAlso, +1 for a thesaurus.\nI keep a dead tree Roget's handy – he's buried just down the road – and macOS provides the Oxford gratis. I also have Chambers on iPad/iPhone for pennies – a completely different slant.\nEffective, concise communication is a huge part of tech. Get better at it day by day by surrounding yourself with the best tools. It costs next to nothing, and it improves the rest of your life to boot.\nAside: I keep a bookcase next to my desk with ~50 novels in three languages. One chapter rewires my brain to think different and has solved innumerable problems. Your HR dept may not approve. Challenge them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I prefer the updated Garner's Modern English Usage because it caters for the broad church of English not only the USican dialect.",
          "reason": "Prefers this usage guide for its broad coverage of English varieties.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an English usage guide that covers varieties beyond US English.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14879479,
          "author": "spicylad",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-29T04:29:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14879479",
          "commentText": "1. Infinite Jest\n2. The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Mathematics and Logic\n3. Garner's Modern English Usage",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "3. Garner's Modern English Usage",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bryan A. Garner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Writing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "english usage",
        "style guide",
        "style guides"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gate-of-ivrel-527372",
      "title": "Gate of Ivrel",
      "author": "C. J. Cherryh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056623,
          "author": "moomin",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:42:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056623",
          "commentText": "You realize not a single person has mentioned a female author? Let's fix that:\nThe Long Tomorrow by Leigh Brackett\nThe Doomsday Book by Connie Willis\nAmong Others by Jo Walton\nFeed by Mira Grant\nThe Hunger Games!\nThe Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin\nGrass by Sheri S Tepper\nGate of Ivrael and Downbelow Station by CJ Cherryh\nAnd the fabulous space opera:\nAncillary Justice by Ann Leckie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gate of Ivrael",
          "reason": "Listed as a sci-fi book in response to a favorites question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Title spelling in the comment differs from the canonical title.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "C. J. Cherryh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gates-21de6f",
      "title": "Gates",
      "author": "Stephen Manes and Paul Andrews",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13567535,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T16:31:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567535",
          "commentText": "I've not read 'Hard Drive', but I've re-read 'Gates' by Manes and Andrews, and can recommend it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've re-read 'Gates' by Manes and Andrews, and can recommend it.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly recommends the biography.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Manes and Paul Andrews"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bill gates",
        "microsoft",
        "technology history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gates-59cff1",
      "title": "Gates",
      "author": "Stephen Manes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17204868,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T13:03:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17204868",
          "commentText": "'Gates', Stephen Manes. It's a biography of Bill Gates, but you see a good deal of how Microsoft came to be.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Gates', Stephen Manes. It's a biography of Bill Gates, but you see a good deal of how Microsoft came to be.",
          "reason": "Recommends a biography that also covers Microsoft's origins.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Bill Gates and Microsoft's history.",
          "caveat": "Primarily a biography of Bill Gates.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Manes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bill gates",
        "microsoft history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gather-together-in-my-name-4fa409",
      "title": "Gather Together in My Name",
      "author": "Maya Angelou",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34164131,
          "author": "burger_moon",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T18:37:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34164131",
          "commentText": "This was a big reading year for myself, I got through 25 books. They are not technical books like most listed here. I focused on reading memoirs, literature, fiction stories, primarily women authors. I didn’t read any bad books in my opinion, I guess I picked well.\nStandouts,\nConvenience Store Woman - Sayaka Murata\nLakota Woman - Mary Crow Dog\nBeautiful Country: A Memoir of An Undocumented Childhood - Qian Julie Wang\nGather Around in My Name - Maya Angelou\nThe entire autobiographical series by Maya is a must read imo, but this one is my favorite. Maybe also my favorite book I read this year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gather Around in My Name - Maya Angelou",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it their favorite book of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Maya Angelou"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "african american literature",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "geek-mafia-540e71",
      "title": "Geek Mafia",
      "author": "Rick Dakan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17750872,
          "author": "dwyerm",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T15:36:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17750872",
          "commentText": "It feels wrong to recommend a book I haven't read yet, but Chuck Wendig's \"Zeroes\" might be a good book to pair with Scalzi. I expect from his other books and the reviews that this is going to be more of an adventure book than any hard-computer-science...  But, again, that might be what you're looking for.\nOn a similar note, its been a while since I've read them, but I rather enjoyed James Strickland's books, Looking Glass and Irreconcilable Differences. Part of that might be because there's a part where he explains IPV4 addressing, and the example he uses happens to be the Class-B where I grew up. It was a little like seeing your house in the background of a movie.\nI also sort of enjoyed Rick Dakan's \"Geek Mafia\", but that appears to have fallen off the planet; only the sequels are on Amazon right now...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I also sort of enjoyed Rick Dakan's \"Geek Mafia\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says they sort of enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it appears to have fallen off the planet; only the sequels are currently on Amazon.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rick Dakan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybercrime",
        "hacking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gemba-kaizen-a-commonsense-approach-to-a-continuous-improvement-s-177cd4",
      "title": "Gemba Kaizen: A Commonsense Approach to a Continuous Improvement Strategy",
      "author": "Masaaki Imai",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11297504,
          "author": "lisivka",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:22:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297504",
          "commentText": "Gemba Kaizen: A Commonsense Approach to a Continuous Improvement Strategy\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Gemba-Kaizen-Commonsense-Continuous-Im... (http://www.amazon.com/Gemba-Kaizen-Commonsense-Continuous-Improvement/dp/0071790357)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gemba Kaizen: A Commonsense Approach to a Continuous Improvement Strategy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Masaaki Imai"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "continuous improvement",
        "kaizen",
        "management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "general-chemistry-8a26d6",
      "title": "General Chemistry",
      "author": "Linus Pauling",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21348810,
          "author": "m31415",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T20:28:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21348810",
          "commentText": "For mathematics, I would recommend:\n1. \"What Is Mathematics? An Elementary Approach to Ideas and Methods\" by Courant and Robbins -- a general book on mathematics in the spirit of Feynman lectures.\n2. Strogatz's \"Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos\" -- it's a bit narrow in scope (mostly dynamical systems with a little bit of chaos/fractals thrown in) but very good nonetheless.\n3. Tristan Needham, \"Visual Complex Analysis\", beautiful introduction to complex analysis.\n4. Cornelius Lanczos, \"The Variational Principles of Mechanics\" -- this is a physics book, but one of the classics in the subject, and as Gerald Sussman once remarked, you glean new insights each time you read it.\n5. Cornelius Lanczos, \"Linear Differential Operators\" -- an excellent treatment of differential operators, Green's functions, and other things that one encounters in infinite-dimensional vector spaces.  This book has some very intuitive explanations, e.g., why d/dx is not self-adjoint (i.e., Hermitian), whereas d^2/dx^2 is.\nFor chemistry, I would recommend \"General Chemistry\" by Linus Pauling, even though it's a bit outdated.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I would recommend \"General Chemistry\" by Linus Pauling, even though it's a bit outdated.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommended, with a caveat that it is somewhat outdated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A bit outdated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Linus Pauling"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chemistry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "general-relativity-fe8ef0",
      "title": "General Relativity",
      "author": "Robert M. Wald",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10787298,
          "author": "yetanotheracc",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T06:03:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787298",
          "commentText": "Absolutely amazing, changed the way I look at the society, will re-read:\n- George Orwell, Keep the Aspidistra Flying\nLoved:\n- Alastair Reynolds, House of Suns\n- Andy Weir, The Martian\n- Neal Stephenson, Seveneves\n- Greg Egan, Teranesia\nLiked:\n- Arthur C. Clarke, 3001: The Final Odyssey\n- Arthur C. Clarke, 2061: Odyssey Three\n- Richard Feynman, The Character of Physical Laws\n- Richard Feynman, The Pleasure of Finding Things Out\n- Jonathan Slack, Stem Cells: A Very Short Introduction\n- John Scalzi, Fuzzy Nation (bought the audiobook for Wil Wheaton's narration)\n- Ray Monk, Robert Oppenheimer: A Life Inside the Center\n- Alastair Reynolds,  Revelation Space\n- David C. Cassidy, Beyond Uncertainty: Heisenberg, Quantum Physics, and the Bomb\nFound full of BS, did not finish:\n- Noam Chomsky, Understanding Power\nTextbooks:\n- order of 10^3 pages of Open University textbooks\n- Klauber, Student Friendly Quantum Field Theory\n- Feynman & Hibbs, Quantum Mechanics and Path Integrals\n- Wald, General Relativity (5 chapters)\n- Peskin & Schroeder, An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory (5 chapters)\nNot as bad as I felt before making the list, but underwhelming in terms of quantity. I intend to read a whole lot more in 2016.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "- Wald, General Relativity (5 chapters)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter read five chapters.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10027828,
          "author": "auntienomen",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T16:45:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027828",
          "commentText": "A few books at various levels with very high signal-to-noise ratio:\nFeynman's little popular science book _QED:  The Strange Theory of Light & Matter_ is a gem.  It's very short and non-mathematical, but still manages to get remarkably close to the truth.\nIf you're more mathematically inclined (e.g., fluent in multivariate calculus) and know a little classical physics, the first 5 chapters of Wald's _General Relativity_ are an essentially complete introduction to the subject.\nAnother classic is Shannon's _A Mathematical Theory of Communication_, which introduces the subject of information theory, and then solves basically all the subject's main problems.\nIn economics, I think the record for signal to noise is probably held by Keynes _The Econonic Consequences of the Peace_, 118 pages, in which he basically forecasts the disastrous course of events from 1918 to 1939.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the first 5 chapters of Wald's _General Relativity_ are an essentially complete introduction to the subject.",
          "reason": "Recommends the first five chapters as an essentially complete introduction.",
          "audience": "Readers fluent in multivariate calculus with some classical physics background.",
          "caveat": "Recommendation is specifically for the first five chapters and assumes substantial prerequisites.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert M. Wald"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "general relativity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "genesis-cd470f",
      "title": "Genesis",
      "author": "Unknown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32938515,
          "author": "memling",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T13:30:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938515",
          "commentText": "> There are much less obscure texts, roughly contemporary with the Bible, which discuss humanistic values such as might be associated with 'Western Civilization'. Some of these have been treated as holy by various religious groups including Early Christians, or as of a quasi-religious importance in the organization of society and its institutions. Many of these were widely read throughout the Christian era and are much easier to see as having influenced 'Enlightenment' and 'Modern Secular' values. For example, Plato's Republic. Any suggestion that the Bible is more important than that or similar works to gain \"an understanding of the process of how Western Civilization is formed as it is today\" just seems to me to be a hangover from Christian apologetics and bigotry.\nHave an upvote!\nCan you draw some broader pictures here for the relatively uninformed how you would get a broadly humanistic view from, e.g., The Republic?  If that's too broad an ask, could you draw a line from Plato (and others) to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "from, e.g., The Republic?",
          "reason": "The target refers to the prior comment's discussion of Genesis while asking about Plato and humanistic values.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32938264,
          "author": "alfor",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T13:05:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938264",
          "commentText": "Hardcore zen\nMan in search of meaning\nAtlas shrugged: too long winded, but popped my progressive reality buble.\nReturn to religion: made me see how most of our \nproblems(depression, anxiety, meaninglessness) are caused by our lack of transcendental\nRecently the bible, Marc, Genesis. But I saw the Peterson biblical lecture before, without that I would have not appreciated for sure.\nI see all around me that the progressives are captured by ideologies, most cannot see clearly because their religious shaped hole almost always get filled with the ideology du jour.\nThey tend to live meaningless lives, don’t have kids or very few, their couples are brittle, they run after money, travel, pleasures and then find out that it doesn’t give sustainable happiness.\nMy take is that our mind is religious even if you don’t want it to be, kind of our operating system. Better put something tested and reliable (with a few updates) than rewrite from scratch and fall in the same traps than everyone before.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Recently the bible, Marc, Genesis.",
          "reason": "Mentions Genesis as a recent read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86251,
          "author": "mgummelt",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T08:01:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86251",
          "commentText": "John and Genesis.\nGenesis is a necessary read for anyone, regardless of religious affiliation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Genesis is a necessary read for anyone, regardless of religious affiliation.",
          "reason": "Calls it a necessary read for anyone.",
          "audience": "Anyone, regardless of religious affiliation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biblical studies",
        "bible",
        "creation narrative"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "genetic-algorithms-in-search-optimization-and-machine-learning-8863b2",
      "title": "Genetic Algorithms in Search, Optimization, and Machine Learning",
      "author": "David E. Goldberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48711438,
          "author": "andyjohnson0",
          "createdAt": "2026-06-28T20:42:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 48711408,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about Genetic Algorithms",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48711438",
          "commentText": "I've seen recommendations for Genetic Algorithms in Search, Optimization, and Machine Learning  by David E Goldberg as a classic/foundation text. However its 35+ years old. Is it still worth reading?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Genetic Algorithms in Search, Optimization, and Machine Learning by David E Goldberg",
          "reason": "Asks whether the classic foundational text is still worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is over 35 years old and asks whether it remains worth reading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David E. Goldberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "genetic algorithms",
        "machine learning",
        "optimization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "genghis-khan-and-the-making-of-the-modern-world-e7cd5a",
      "title": "Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World",
      "author": "Jack Weatherford",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46396965,
          "author": "lawgimenez",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T22:22:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46396965",
          "commentText": "Almost done with Genghis Khan and the making of the modern world by Jack Weatherford, I really enjoyed it. If someone can recommend other updated, history reads about empires, world history etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Almost done with Genghis Khan and the making of the modern world by Jack Weatherford, I really enjoyed it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed this history book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jack Weatherford"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "genghis khan",
        "mongol empire",
        "world history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "genghis-khan-emperor-of-all-men-bc094b",
      "title": "Genghis Khan: Emperor of All Men",
      "author": "Harold Lamb",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 203703,
          "author": "msg",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T20:57:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=203703",
          "commentText": "I forgot another all-time favorite. I must've read this one when I was about 10 and a couple of times since. Genghis Khan: Emperor of All Men, by Harold Lamb.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Genghis Khan: Emperor of All Men, by Harold Lamb.",
          "reason": "Names it as an all-time favorite and says they have reread it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Harold Lamb"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "genghis khan",
        "mongol empire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "genghis-khan-his-conquests-his-empire-his-legacy-f6fc2b",
      "title": "Genghis Khan: His Conquests, His Empire, His Legacy",
      "author": "Frank McLynn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783529,
          "author": "Symmetry",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:46:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783529",
          "commentText": "Here are the ones I'd be willing to recommend, in reverse chronological order of when I read them.  I read 59 total.  Listen to books on tape while working out has maybe doubled my reading rate.\nGenghis Khan: His Conquests, His Empire, His Legacy - Great book on how the Mongol Empire came to be, who Genghis was, and it put the whole thing in perspective for me in a useful way.\nThe Knowledge: How to Rebuild Our World from Scratch - What it says on the tin.  Actually a good overview how some important technologies interrelate.\nSuperforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction - How to be wrong less often.  Based on the Good Judgement Project results.\nThe Three-Body Problem - Decent enough science fiction but extra interesting because it's science fiction from a different culture.\nIgnition!: An informal history of liquid rocket propellants - A history of things that go boom.  Engaging writing and I learned things about chemistry.\nThe Traitor Baru Cormorant - I'm nominating this for a Hugo.  It tells you it's going to stab you in the gut but when it does you don't see it coming.  Plus high quality scheming and speculation on economics, society, and empire.\nThe Sorcerer of the Wildeeps - Excellent use of voice and an overall good book.\nBloom - Made my skin crawl in places and also was good at making you feel a radical change in perspective.\nSeeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed - An interesting perspective on certain aspects of government.  A bit too negative for the topic, the factors outlined are also why commercial economies were able to develop more centralized economies than agrarian ones in the early modern era.\nPolitical Order and Political Decay: From the Industrial Revolution to the Globalization of Democracy - Quite good book on bureaucracy though not as excellent as the previous book on the origins of states.\nLast First Snow - It's always great to read books about the struggles between people with sympathetic motivations.\nThe Unwelcome Warlock - The latest in a series of fantasy books where people use magic in creative and sensible ways.\nAsteroid Mining 101: Wealth for the New Space Economy -Mostly about all the different sorts of asteroids.\nSeveneves - Neal Stephenson's latest.  If you like his books read it but maybe skip the last 1/3 after the timeskip.\nElon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future - Wow he did a lot of cool stuff.\nStories of Your Life and Others - Brilliant and poetic short stories.\nDarwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life - Some interesting perspective on materialism.\nPower, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life - Best science book I've read in a while!  Shows why mitochondria matter, the fundamental limits of prochariotic life, and several important ways mitochondria influence again and evolution.\nBlue Remembered Earth - Awesome near futureish book that does well at imagining a future that isn't just a linear extrapolation but is still believable.\nA Key, an Egg, an Unfortunate Remark - Not enough pacifist badass grandmothers in urban fantasy.\nQuantum Computing since Democritus - I understand QM much better now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Genghis Khan: His Conquests, His Empire, His Legacy - Great book on how the Mongol Empire came to be, who Genghis was, and it put the whole thing in perspective for me in a useful way.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great and useful account that puts the Mongol Empire in perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frank McLynn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "genghis khan",
        "mongol empire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "genghis-khan-life-death-and-resurrection-f4c019",
      "title": "Genghis Khan: Life, Death and Resurrection",
      "author": "John Man",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237188,
          "author": "kranner",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:44:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237188",
          "commentText": "- Tetris: The Games People Play by Box Brown\n- Tibet, Tibet by Patrick French\n- Maya: A Novel by CW Huntington, Jr\n- The Science of Enlightenment by Shinzen Young\n- Flask Web Development by Miguel Grinberg\n- Buddha's Diet by Tara Cottrell\n- A Feast of Vultures by Josy Joseph\n- Genghis Khan: Life, Death and Resurrection by John Man\n- Chasing the Scream by Johann Hari\n- Cuckold by Kiran Nagarkar\n- Goliath by Tom Gauld\n- This Will Never Happen Again by David Cain\n- Cure by Jo Marchant\n- If It’s Monday It Must Be Madurai: A Conducted Tour of India by Srinath Perur\n- Deep Work by Cal Newport\n- Enduring Love by Ian McEwan\n- The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery\n- The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt\n- The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion\nand a few others that aren't worth recommending; all the above are.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "all the above are.",
          "reason": "The commenter includes the listed books among those worth recommending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Man"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "genghis khan",
        "military history",
        "mongol empire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gentlemen-bastard-sequence-4b1730",
      "title": "Gentlemen Bastard Sequence",
      "author": "Scott Lynch",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10216977,
          "author": "Jemaclus",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-14T19:33:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 10211331,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10216977",
          "commentText": "Just recently finished \"Seveneves\" by Neal Stephenson. It's sci-fi, but fantastic.\nFor non-sci-fi, my favorite fantasy book I've read recently was \"The Lies of Locke Lamora\" (and its sequels) by Scott Lynch. Another is \"Dirty Jobs\" by Christopher Moore, a bit on the Pratchett-inspired side of things.\nI also recently finished Felicia Day's memoir, \"You're Never Weird on the Internet,\" which I highly recommend.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "(and its sequels) by Scott Lynch.",
          "reason": "The commenter refers to the sequels of their favorite recent fantasy book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Lynch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "heist",
        "swashbuckling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "geographic-databases-and-information-systems-ed1257",
      "title": "Geographic Databases and Information Systems",
      "author": "Stefanakis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17032459,
          "author": "napsterbr",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-09T18:28:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17032459",
          "commentText": "This will be an unusual suggestion, but I highly recommend Geographic Databases and Information Systems by Stefanakis. The book is split into three parts, and the last one is specific to GIS. The other two, however, are a great introduction for databases, indices, data structures and even some graph theory. I've revisited several concepts I'd seen before at college.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend Geographic Databases and Information Systems by Stefanakis.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a broad introduction to databases, indices, data structures, and graph theory.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an introduction to databases, indices, data structures, or graph theory.",
          "caveat": "Only the last of its three parts is specific to GIS.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stefanakis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data structures",
        "databases",
        "geographic information systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "geometric-transformations-e34396",
      "title": "Geometric Transformations",
      "author": "Isaak Yaglom",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23728148,
          "author": "jacobolus",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T22:23:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23728148",
          "commentText": "If the kid likes plane geometry and is interested in further math, I’d highly recommend Yaglom’s books Geometric Transformations. They are a series of (hard) problem-focused books which teach the ideas of transformation geometry in service of solving various construction problems.\nIn general transformation geometry is drastically underemphasized in American (and possibly other countries’) secondary and early undergraduate math education.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I’d highly recommend Yaglom’s books Geometric Transformations.",
          "reason": "Problem-focused books teach transformation geometry through construction problems.",
          "audience": "Readers who like plane geometry and want to study further mathematics.",
          "caveat": "The books are hard.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isaak Yaglom"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "construction problems",
        "transformation geometry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "geometry-topology-and-physics-38f168",
      "title": "Geometry, Topology, and Physics",
      "author": "Mikio Nakahara",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46478252,
          "author": "senorcrab",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-03T16:09:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 46473352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Expository/Succinct Books on Modern Physics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46478252",
          "commentText": "Freshman university textbooks have what you need. Two of the most popular are:\n- University Physics by Young and Freedman\n- Fundamentals of Physics by Halliday, Resnick, Walker\n- Modern Physics by Krane\nYou might guess that real physics is not actually in freshman textbooks, and you are right. Modern physics requires rigorous mathematics.\nFor a nonrigorous introduction/overview:\n- The Road to Reality by Roger Penrose\nIf you want to actually learn almost all of physics at a high level:\n- Course of Theoretical Physics by Landau\nNote that Landau is extremely difficult.\nIf you want to learn the math needed for modern physics (topology) in the context of physics, nonrigorously:\n- Geometry, Topology, and Physics by Nakahara",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Geometry, Topology, and Physics by Nakahara",
          "reason": "Suggested for learning topology needed for modern physics in a physics context.",
          "audience": "Readers studying the mathematics needed for modern physics.",
          "caveat": "The introduction is described as nonrigorous.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mikio Nakahara"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical physics",
        "topology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "german-a-structural-approach-adeb31",
      "title": "German: A Structural Approach",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16085839,
          "author": "fiftyacorn",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-06T16:11:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16085839",
          "commentText": "Not tech - but \"German - A Structural Approach\".\nIts the only book i still have from uni. It breaks the language down, and made it easy for a techie like me to learn german. Can still speak a fair bit",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Its the only book i still have from uni.",
          "reason": "Says the book made it easy to learn German and that they can still speak some.",
          "audience": "Readers learning German, including technically minded learners.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "german language learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "germany-1866-1945-2297ef",
      "title": "Germany 1866–1945",
      "author": "Gordon A. Craig",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1027538,
          "author": "julius_geezer",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T19:28:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027538",
          "commentText": "Some on this list are great, some just good:\n_The Critique of Pure Reason_--got about halfway through 30 years ago, set it aside, picked it up again. Probably shorter than <i>The Fountainhead</i> but takes a long time to read.\n_The Vindication of Tradition_, Jaroslav Pelikan, theology, very short quick read.\n_Netherland_ by Joseph O'Neill, via the neighborhood book club. Interesting picture of New York, thin characterization.\n_The Library at Night_, Alberto Manguel, actually a gift to my wife from a friend of hers. Good browsing book.\n_Untimely Thoughts_ by Nietzche. Probably not a great place to start Nietzche, but at least the first essay is interesting.\n_The Spectator Bird_, Wallace Stegner. Good novel, though maybe not my favorite Stegner.\n_Germany 1866-1945_ by Gordon Craig. Long, very readable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Long, very readable.",
          "reason": "Calls it very readable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes it as long.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 716712,
          "author": "balding_n_tired",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-21T19:22:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=716712",
          "commentText": "Finished: _Germany 1866-1945_ by Gordon Craig. Various others in parallel.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "_Germany 1866-1945_ by Gordon Craig.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gordon A. Craig"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "german history",
        "germany",
        "modern history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "germinal-bf278d",
      "title": "Germinal",
      "author": "Émile Zola",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25532522,
          "author": "LordNight",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T23:24:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25532522",
          "commentText": "Although I am an avid reader and have been reading on average 1 or 2 books each week for the past 15 years, I don't think I've ever read a book than \"changed my life\". Looking back, I think the most impactfull book for me was The Art of Loving (1956) by Erich Fromm because it opened up  a world of psychology and psychoanalysis and significantly altered my view on how humans think.\nAmong the classic fiction the best so far were: T. Dreiser - The Bulwark, S. Maugham - Of Human Bondage, L. Tolstoy - The Kreutzer Sonata and E. Zola - l'Oeuvre & Germinal.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Germinal",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorite classic fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Émile Zola"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "french literature",
        "labor history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gesprache-mit-goethe-c8bd1a",
      "title": "Gespräche mit Goethe",
      "author": "Johann Peter Eckermann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17168677,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:31:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168677",
          "commentText": "I can't give just one, but here are a few that had a strong influence on me: \n\"12 Rules for Life\" by Jordan Peterson, \"Why Switzerland?\" Jonathan Steinberg, \"Little Book of Common Sense Investing\" by John C. Bogle, \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" by Butron Malkiel, \"Liberalismus\" by Ludwig von Mises, \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann, \"Walden\" by Henry David Thoreau, \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"A Treatise on Political Economy\" by Jean-Baptiste Say, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy\" by Joseph Alois Schumpeter, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"My Correct Views on Everything\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"The Captive Mind\" Czesław Miłosz, \"One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, \"The House of the Dead\" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, \"Conversations with an Executioner\" by Kazimierz Moczarski, \"Diary 1954\" by Leopold Tyrmand, \"The Master and Margarita\" by Mikhail Bulgakov, \"A World Apart: A Memoir of the Gulag\" by Gustaw Herling-Grudziński",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a strong influence on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Johann Peter Eckermann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary conversations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gesprache-mit-goethe-in-den-letzten-jahren-seines-lebens-485162",
      "title": "Gespräche mit Goethe in den letzten Jahren seines Lebens",
      "author": "Johann Peter Eckermann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12416563,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:55:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416563",
          "commentText": "\"I'm wondering which other books have you read that have had the most impact on you professionally or even personally?\"\nProfessionally: Peter F. Drucker's books.\nPersonally: \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann,  \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"Metaphysical Horror\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"Rationality in Economics\" by Vernon L. Smith, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about books with personal impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Johann Peter Eckermann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "goethe",
        "literary conversations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "get-back-in-the-box-e0d7b2",
      "title": "Get Back in the Box",
      "author": "Doug Rushkoff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 86161,
          "author": "david",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T23:36:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86161",
          "commentText": "- What the Dormouse Said, John Markoff\n- Alongside Night, J Neil Schulman,\n- Prometheus Rising, Robert Anton Wilson\n- Anything by Doug Rushkoff, Get Back in the Box is a good one for business/entrepreneurship\n- The Dubliners, James Joyce\n- The Elements of Typographic Style, by Robert Bringhurst",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Get Back in the Box is a good one for business/entrepreneurship",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a good book for business and entrepreneurship.",
          "audience": "People interested in business or entrepreneurship.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Doug Rushkoff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "get-it-together-organize-your-records-so-your-family-won-t-have-t-90fbc6",
      "title": "Get It Together: Organize Your Records So Your Family Won't Have To",
      "author": "Melanie Cullen and Shae Irving",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40046285,
          "author": "Doctor-R",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-15T22:11:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40046285",
          "commentText": "1. Winnie the Pooh to kids on their third or fourth or fifth birthday.\n2. The Mythical Man Month to non-tech bosses.\n3. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress to girlfriends (it's a test).\n4. \"Get It Together: Organize Your Records So Your Family Won't Have To\" to 70+ old friend (single) and 70+ old sister (single).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Get It Together: Organize Your Records So Your Family Won't Have To\" to 70+ old friend (single) and 70+ old sister (single).",
          "reason": "Given to older friends and family to help organize their records.",
          "audience": "Older adults organizing records for their families.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Melanie Cullen",
        "Shae Irving"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "estate planning",
        "record keeping"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "get-out-of-your-mind-and-into-your-life-the-new-acceptance-and-co-9487f1",
      "title": "Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life: The New Acceptance and Commitment Therapy",
      "author": "Steven C. Hayes, Spencer Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30735786,
          "author": "geocrasher",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:38:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735786",
          "commentText": "First and foremost: The Bible. Not the watered down \"everybody goes to heaven\" theology that most people subscribe to, but rather an evidence based approach that uses the Bible to interpret itself as it was designed to do.\nSecondarily, this book saved my life in the sense that it helped me understand my depression, a clinical depression so deep that my psychologist had never seen such a thing previously:\nGet Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life: The New Acceptance and Commitment Therapy - Stephen C. Hayes https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0054M063A/\nIts scientific approach to understanding our own thought patterns gave me control- coping mechanisms- for dealing with my own feelings instead of ignoring (\"Burying\") them and letting them slowly destroy me from the inside out.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Get Out of Your Mind and Into Your Life: The New Acceptance and Commitment Therapy - Stephen C. Hayes",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them understand depression and develop coping mechanisms.",
          "audience": "People seeking to understand thought patterns and cope with depression, as described by the commenter.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven C. Hayes",
        "Spencer Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "acceptance and commitment therapy",
        "depression"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "get-out-of-your-own-way-overcoming-self-defeating-behavior-a5eda3",
      "title": "Get Out of Your Own Way: Overcoming Self-Defeating Behavior",
      "author": "Mark Goulston and Philip Goldberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5333012,
          "author": "o4tuna",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-06T18:54:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 5323956,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: which are some good self-help books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5333012",
          "commentText": "How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World\nby Harry Browne\nThe Power of TED (The Empowerment Dynamic)\nby David Emerald\nLoving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life\nby Byron Katie\nGet Out of Your Own Way: Overcoming Self-Defeating Behavior\nby Mark Goulston and Philip Goldberg\nFeeling Good: The New Mood Therapy\nby David Burns\nMojo: How to Get It, How to Keep It, How to Get It Back if you Lose It\nby Marshall Goldsmith\nThe New Manual 2.0\nby Tripp Lanier\nthenewmanual.com",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Get Out of Your Own Way: Overcoming Self-Defeating Behavior\nby Mark Goulston and Philip Goldberg",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Goulston and Philip Goldberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal development",
        "self defeating behavior"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "get-programming-with-f-ccde52",
      "title": "Get Programming with F#",
      "author": "Isaac Abraham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28479327,
          "author": "xupybd",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-10T09:23:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 28478751,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach you programming languages via systems projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28479327",
          "commentText": "Get programming with F# is not one big project but it's got fun little ones to play with.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Get programming with F# is not one big project but it's got fun little ones to play with.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for its small projects, while noting it is not one large project.",
          "audience": "Readers learning F# through hands-on exercises.",
          "caveat": "It is not structured around one big project.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isaac Abraham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "f",
        "project based learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "get-a-financial-life-1d4cb0",
      "title": "Get a Financial Life",
      "author": "Beth Kobliner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20988074,
          "author": "diehunde",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T20:08:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20988074",
          "commentText": "Just finished \"Get a financial Life\". Pretty good stuff if you want to improve your financial skills and learn about investments, real state and tips on many things related to money.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just finished \"Get a financial Life\". Pretty good stuff if you want to improve your financial skills",
          "reason": "Described as pretty good and useful for improving financial skills and learning about money.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking practical guidance on personal finance and investments.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Beth Kobliner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "investing",
        "personal finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "getting-mean-with-mongo-express-angular-and-node-72777c",
      "title": "Getting MEAN with Mongo, Express, Angular, and Node",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22305136,
          "author": "kagajr",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-12T02:13:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22305136",
          "commentText": "Manning - Getting MEAN with Mongo, Express, Angular, and Node https://www.amazon.com/Getting-MEAN-Mongo-Express-Angular/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Getting-MEAN-Mongo-Express-Angular/dp/1617294756/ref=pd_sbs_14_t_0/135-4836281-8148542?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1617294756&pd_rd_r=731aeb7a-f573-4c74-8b44-42a82466f47b&pd_rd_w=7Wdek&pd_rd_wg=atWWk&pf_rd_p=5cfcfe89-300f-47d2-b1ad-a4e27203a02a&pf_rd_r=KVEYMG98V3H2N9MCD3VZ&psc=1&refRID=KVEYMG98V3H2N9MCD3VZ)\nThis one is really good if you want to do a fullstack application using MEAN stack.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Manning - Getting MEAN with Mongo, Express, Angular, and Node",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it for building a full-stack application with the MEAN stack.",
          "audience": "Readers who want to build a full-stack MEAN application.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "full stack development",
        "mean stack"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "getting-more-360671",
      "title": "Getting More",
      "author": "Stuart Diamond",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15156533,
          "author": "jeffersonheard",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:44:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156533",
          "commentText": "Getting More - Stuart Diamond. I still think this is the best book on the art of negotiation.\nGetting Things Done - David Allen. If you have adult ADHD like me, and you haven't read this, it's the first system that's really worked for productivity for me.\nMan's Search for Meaning - Victor Frankl.\nLiving Buddha, Living Christ - Thich Nhat Hanh.\nCosmos - Carl Sagan.\nThe Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. LeGuin.\nThe One who Walks Away from Omelas - U.K. LeGuin.\nWild Seed - Octavia Butler.\nThe Heike Monogatari - (tr. Helen Craig McCullough) “The sound of the Gion Shoja temple bells echoes the impermanence of all things; the color of the sala flowers reveals the truth that to flourish is to fall. The proud do not endure, like a passing dream on a night in spring; the mighty fall at last, to be no more than dust before the wind.” If you need a comparison. this is the Japanese historical equivalent of Game of Thrones combined with a bit of MacBeth. The rise and fall of two shogunate families, and an analysis of the tragic flaws of character that brought their fall about.\nLes Miserables - Victor Hugo.\nSmall Gods - Terry Pratchett.\nHeart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad.\nThe Guide - R. K. Narayan.\nEvidence - Mary Oliver.\nAll of Us - The Collected Poetry of Raymond Carver.\nSilence - Shusaku Endo.\nThe Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald.\nThe Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Murakami Haruki. This and the next four are odd choices, perhaps, since it's a surrealist book, but IMO books that force your imagination to work hard do as much for creativity and fresh ideas as any of the more popular methods.\nThe Well-Built City (The Physiognomy / Memoranda / The Beyond) Jeffery Ford - Surrealist novellas best described as about the protagonist living and achieving agency within the constructs, dreams, and nightmares of a \"Great Man's\" mind.\nSnow Crash - Neal Stephenson.\nGravity's Rainbow - Thomas Pynchon.\nDhalgren - Samuel L. \"Chip\" Delany.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I still think this is the best book on the art of negotiation.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the best book on negotiation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stuart Diamond"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "negotiation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "getting-past-no-fd8a6e",
      "title": "Getting Past No",
      "author": "William Ury",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5613,
          "author": "dropbox",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T04:36:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5613",
          "commentText": "some that haven't been mentioned:\n- the innovator's dilemma by clayton christensen\n- blue ocean strategy (kim and mauborgne) -- these two books give you a little bit more of a framework to evaluate where your idea adds value and give you examples of how/why some successful companies have been successful\n- high tech startup by nesheim -- a little dated, but lots of info\n- negotiation/people books: getting to yes (fisher, ury) and getting past no (ury), influence by cialdini\n (useful for more than just startups)\n- maybe some management books: peopleware (demarco and lister), the art of project management (berkun), first, break all the rules (buckingham)\n- founders at work (livingston) to get inspired\n+1 to crossing the chasm, and the godin & gladwell books, art of the start\nblogs: onstartups.com, fred wilson, brad feld, seth godin, etc., guy kawasaki\n-drew",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "getting past no (ury)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the thread asking which books founders found most helpful.",
          "audience": "Useful for more than startups, according to the commenter.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Ury"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "conflict resolution",
        "negotiation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "getting-published-in-international-journals-writing-strategies-fo-6dde53",
      "title": "Getting Published in International Journals: Writing Strategies for European Social Scientists",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32345458,
          "author": "anjc",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-04T17:01:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32345458",
          "commentText": "Not technical writing, but the best book I've ever read on writing (including Elements of Style etc.) is \"Getting Published in International Journals: Writing Strategies for European Social Scientists\".\nOn the surface it's aimed at academics who are non-native speakers of English, but in my experience most people could do with reading it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the best book I've ever read on writing (including Elements of Style etc.) is \"Getting Published in International Journals: Writing Strategies for European Social Scientists\"",
          "reason": "Recommended as the commenter's best book on writing; says most people could benefit from reading it.",
          "audience": "Academics who are non-native English speakers; the commenter says most people could benefit.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not about technical writing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "academic writing",
        "journal publishing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "getting-real-d214f1",
      "title": "Getting Real",
      "author": "Jason Fried; David Heinemeier Hansson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5704,
          "author": "bhb",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T16:03:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5704",
          "commentText": "Some of these have been mentioned, but these stand out for me\nProgramming:\nGetting Real\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nHackers and Painters\nBusiness:\nGood to Great\nStart Your Own Business (I knew basically nothing about \nsmall business before I started, and it's a good intro)\nCrossing the Chasm (good so far, haven't finished)\nTechnology/Culture:\nThe Long Tail\nThe World is Flat\nProductivity/People:\nGetting Things Done\nGetting to Yes\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Getting Real",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jason Fried; David Heinemeier Hansson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "product development",
        "web startups"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "getting-real-80a451",
      "title": "Getting Real",
      "author": "Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson, and others",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 135339,
          "author": "jraines",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T18:09:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135339",
          "commentText": "Getting Real (37 Signals)\nProgramming Ruby (Pragmatic Programmers)\nAgile Web Development with Rails (Pragmatic Programmers)\nJavascript: The Definitive Guide (O'Reilly)\na good text on database design & normalization, performance issues, and SQL\nsomething to teach *nix basics, which I don't have but could have used",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Getting Real (37 Signals)",
          "reason": "Listed as a book for a hacker's bookshelf.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson, and others"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "startups",
        "web product development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "getting-real-6537bd",
      "title": "Getting Real",
      "author": "Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10767627,
          "author": "krp",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T17:36:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10767627",
          "commentText": "The 48 Laws of Power - Robert Greene.\nI began reading it with a \"know your enemy\" frame of mind, similar to why I read some Ayn Rand, hoping that I'd better understand why some people behave certain ways.\nAs I got further into the book I began reflecting upon the past, becoming consciously aware of all the faux pas I've made over the years.\nI started identifying with all the honest, outspoken historical figures that would speak their mind and end up without a head.\nI used to pride myself on my honesty above all else way of life, thinking how virtuous it was to be like Socrates or Galileo. Now I realize that more often than not, I'd just seem like a dick, and probably wouldn't have a head if the guillotine were still in use. Now I put more energy into understanding others points of view, and understand others better as a result. Much of my old behavior was childish.\nOthers that changed my way of thinking in some way or another:\nRework, Getting Real, and the recent Reconsider post - DHH & Jason Fried:\nI'd always considered external funding as the best way to grow things I've built in the past, and wrote off the few bad experiences with this approach as being outliers. After also reading others' bad experiences throughout the year, now I'm wondering if my experiences were perhaps representative of the industry as a whole. Confirmation bias? Maybe. I'm sure there are the rare few good angel/VC's somewhere out there (no doubt someone will reply with \"YC\"). However, after watching several things I'd passionately built over significant amounts of time be driven to failure by others, I'd much rather bootstrap future projects. I learned a lot from each failure, but trial and error is a shitty way to spend years of your life. Far better to learn what worked from those who succeeded.\nBusiness Adventures - John Brooks:\nUntil this book, reading about businesses was one of the most boring things I could imagine. Some of it is dated, but there are also many valuable gems that still hold true 50 years later. I now see that with a good storyteller, even seemingly boring subjects can be fascinating.\nFreshbooks: Breaking the Time Barrier - McDerment & Cowper:\nThis tiny book (free from their website) helped me think of new ways to improve my consulting services and emphasize value instead of focusing on hourly rates, which made it easier to make more money.\nVarious online sales & marketing resources: My viewpoint on the importance of sales & marketing has also completely flipped since the beginning of the year. I used to have the mental image of a used car salesman whenever I heard the word sales, and of Mad Men when I heard marketing. Now I understand that if you don't market what you build, nobody will know that it exists. If you don't experiment with different sales tactics, you'll miss out on a huge amount of users who would otherwise love using your product, but who avoid it because it's priced wrong, or you're unable to convince them of why they'd want to use it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rework, Getting Real, and the recent Reconsider post - DHH & Jason Fried:",
          "reason": "Included among works that changed the commenter's thinking about business funding and bootstrapping.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jason Fried",
        "David Heinemeier Hansson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "product development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "getting-real-the-smarter-faster-easier-way-to-build-a-successful--25eabd",
      "title": "Getting Real: The smarter, faster, easier way to build a successful web application",
      "author": "Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson, Matthew Linderman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1573788,
          "author": "iworkforthem",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-04T06:07:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 1567456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I want to start a web company what books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1573788",
          "commentText": "- Customers.com: How to Create a Profitable Business Strategy for the Internet and Beyond by Patricia B. Seybold. \n- Getting Real: The smarter, faster, easier way to build a successful web application by Jason Fried, Heinemeier David Hansson, Matthew Linderman.\nThese books top my list of MUST READ for web startup.\nCustomers.com is very useful if your web company is more service focused. It teaches you how to target the right customers, own the customers total experience, streamline business processes that impact the customer, provide a 360° view of the customer relationship, let customers help themselves, help customers do their jobs, deliver personalized service and foster community.\nGetting Real is more for code monkey making their own stuffs. This one I hope for all my bosses to read it. :P",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Getting Real: The smarter, faster, easier way to build a successful web application by Jason Fried, Heinemeier David Hansson, Matthew Linderman.",
          "reason": "Calls it a must read and hopes their bosses read it.",
          "audience": "People building web applications",
          "caveat": "Described as more relevant to developers making their own products.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson, Matthew Linderman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "web application development",
        "web startups"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "getting-started-with-llvm-core-libraries-get-to-grips-with-llvm-e-d99d62",
      "title": "Getting Started with LLVM Core Libraries: Get to Grips With LLVM Essentials and Use the Core Libraries to Build Advanced Tools",
      "author": "Bruno Lopes and Rafael Auler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40106499,
          "author": "sargstuff",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-21T15:28:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 40104823,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books/resources to understand modern Assembler?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40106499",
          "commentText": "'Computer Architeture: A Quantitative Apporach\" and/or more specific design types (mips, arm, etc) can be found under the Morgan Kaufmann Series in Computer Architeture and Design.\n\"Getting Started with LLVM Core Libraries: Get to Grips With Llvm Essentials and Use the Core Libraries to Build Advanced Tools \"\n\"The Architecture of Open Source Applications (Volume 1) : LLVM\" https://aosabook.org/en/v1/llvm.html\n\"Tourist Guide to LLVM source code\" : https://blog.regehr.org/archives/1453\nllvm home page : https://llvm.org/\nllvm tutorial : https://llvm.org/docs/tutorial/\nllvm reference : https://llvm.org/docs/LangRef.html\nlearn by examples :  C source code to 'llvm' bitcode : https://stackoverflow.com/questions/9148890/how-to-make-clan... (https://stackoverflow.com/questions/9148890/how-to-make-clang-compile-to-llvm-ir#9149406)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Getting Started with LLVM Core Libraries: Get to Grips With Llvm Essentials and Use the Core Libraries to Build Advanced Tools \"",
          "reason": "Listed among resources for learning about LLVM and assembly.",
          "audience": "Someone learning assembly, LLVM, and low-level programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruno Lopes",
        "Rafael Auler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "compiler development",
        "llvm"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "getting-to-yum-the-7-secrets-of-raising-eager-eaters-541283",
      "title": "Getting to YUM: The 7 Secrets of Raising Eager Eaters",
      "author": "Karen Le Billon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42220961,
          "author": "throw0101d",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T14:13:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42220961",
          "commentText": "If I had to pick one: The rise and fall of American growth: the U.S. standard of living since the Civil War by Robert Gordon. The gains that we have made in the (early) 20th century are unlikely to ever be repeated, and progress in many metrics has measurably slowed or even stalled since ~1970s (likely being asymptotic). And while the Internet (classified under the Information, Communication, Technology (ICT) chapters) gave a bump in the 1990s, it's mostly been flat since 2004.\nMore economic history with Slouching towards Utopia: an economic history of the twentieth century by J. Bradford Delong. More economic ideas stuff in Value(s): building a better world for all by Mark Carney (ran the Banks of Canada and England). Also Waphsott's Keynes Hayek: the clash that defined modern economics and Samuelson Friedman: the battle over the free market.\nThe currency of politics: the political theory of money from Aristotle to Keynes by Sefan Eich, Money: the true story of a made-up thing by Jacob Goldstein, and The power of gold: the history of an obsession by Peter Bernstein (also his Against the Gods on risk). Show how much of a human construct \"money\" is, how its meaning changes in different times and places/cultures. Should be required reading by all the 'hard money' folks (gold standard, BTC).\nThe good life: lessons from the world's longest scientific study of happiness by Waldinger and Schultz (directors of the Harvard study). If there's one 'magic' thing for health and happiness it seems to be having good relationships (family, friends) in your life.\nReligion: what it is, how it works, and why it matters by Christian Smith and Strange rites: new religions for a godless world by Tara Burton. While many think that religion is in decline, the non-material/supernatural things that people believe in has actually shifted. And having beliefs in a super-human entity seems to be the basis of most societies and civilizations. Related, The warfare between science and religion : the idea that wouldn't die, a series of essays; the conflict thesis bunk, both historically and presently.\nThe origins of Canadian and American political differences by Jason Kaufman, two seemingly-the-same neighbouring countries that have had different development paths when it comes to culture and government. (I'm Canadian.)\nSpeaking of government: Civil resistance: what everyone needs to know by Erica Chenoweth. Seems violence/force is generally a less effective way to affect change in society than non-violence.\nThe week: a history of the unnatural rhythms that made us who we are by David Henkin. Seems that while seven days has been around for a long while, making it a really 'hard' structure/schedule around it is a more recent phenomenon than you'd expect.\nIf you have kids, Karen Le Billon's French kids eat everything (and yours can, too) and Getting to YUM: the 7 secrets of raising eager eaters, her husband is French and she lived there for a year and found many things done better there than US/CA. See also The happiest kids in the world: how Dutch parents help their kids and themselves by doing less by Acosta and Hutchison.\nFlying blind: the 737 MAX tragedy and the fall of Boeing by Peter Robison is an HN favourite. While we get a lot of engineer vs MBA comments, I think the bigger problem (associated with the MBA-types) is financialization, i.e., returns over everything else. Having non-engineers/MBAs can be 'fine' also long as trying to squeeze blood/money from a stone at the cost of everything else.\nSome philosophy with Alasdair C. MacIntyre: After Virtue is a good starting point. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/After_Virtue",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Getting to YUM: the 7 secrets of raising eager eaters",
          "reason": "Lists it alongside a book on children's eating habits.",
          "audience": "Parents interested in children's eating habits.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Karen Le Billon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Parenting"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s eating",
        "picky eating"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "getting-to-yes-b95b95",
      "title": "Getting to Yes",
      "author": "Roger Fisher; William Ury",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5704,
          "author": "bhb",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T16:03:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5704",
          "commentText": "Some of these have been mentioned, but these stand out for me\nProgramming:\nGetting Real\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nHackers and Painters\nBusiness:\nGood to Great\nStart Your Own Business (I knew basically nothing about \nsmall business before I started, and it's a good intro)\nCrossing the Chasm (good so far, haven't finished)\nTechnology/Culture:\nThe Long Tail\nThe World is Flat\nProductivity/People:\nGetting Things Done\nGetting to Yes\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Getting to Yes",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roger Fisher; William Ury"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "negotiation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "getting-to-yes-04f99f",
      "title": "Getting to Yes",
      "author": "Roger Fisher and William L. Ury",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 86007,
          "author": "shayan",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T18:13:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86007",
          "commentText": "Unfortunately I can't read fiction too much, I feel like what I read must directly help me with what I do, so I feel a lot better reading either technical stuff or business related (I love business).  Since we are excluding technical, most of the following are business related, or helps you in dealing with people and solving problems)\nNetscape Time - Jim Clark (very educational for those interested in startups, good piece of Internet history, interesting insights to the culture of the first Internet companies)\nHow To Win Friends And Influence People - Dale Carnegie (found it through YC recommendations, THANK YOU.  one of the best educational books I have ever read, it will teach you how to make friends, be a good leader, get along at home, encourage people, make them follow you and so much more...)\nFounders at Work -  Jessica Livingston (I found it relevant to what I am doing, good lessons, and interesting insights)\nGetting to Yes - Roger Fisher, William L. Ury (teaches you how to negotiate and how to get the best out of each situation for yourself and the other part, will be useful both at work and personal life, a bit dry)\nWinning - Jack Welch (great advices on leadership, might be more useful to someone that is running a big company)\nLeadership Is an Art - Max Depree (great leadership advices, it will give you the right mindset of how to be a great leader) \n-----------\nAnimal Farm (George Orwell), Alchemist (Paulo Coelho), Interpreting Your Dreams(Freud)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "will be useful both at work and personal life, a bit dry",
          "reason": "Recommends its negotiation lessons for work and personal life.",
          "audience": "People who want to improve their negotiating.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is a bit dry.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roger Fisher and William L. Ury"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "negotiation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gettysburg-the-final-fury-f9bcc3",
      "title": "Gettysburg: The Final Fury",
      "author": "Bruce Catton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11703006,
          "author": "massung",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-15T22:10:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11703006",
          "commentText": "Gettysburg The Final Fury by Bruce Catton.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Gettysburg-Final-Vintage-Civil-Librar... (https://www.amazon.com/Gettysburg-Final-Vintage-Civil-Library-ebook/dp/B00AUSCOWO?ie=UTF8&ref_=dp_kinw_strp_1)\nI'm not much of a reader. I like short, concise, non-fiction, and this was perfect! Highly recommended.\nIf anyone can recommend similar books for me, please do.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this was perfect! Highly recommended.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was perfect for their preference for short, concise nonfiction and highly recommends it.",
          "audience": "Readers who prefer short, concise nonfiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruce Catton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american civil war",
        "gettysburg"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ghettoside-a-true-story-of-murder-in-america-34b779",
      "title": "Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America",
      "author": "Jill Leovy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804899,
          "author": "AGivant",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:29:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804899",
          "commentText": "Here is my list (from https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/912138-alex-givant?rea...):\nMemoirs:\n- Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti..).\n- Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive by Land, Stephanie, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39218350-maid\n- Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40409969-medium-raw\n- Confessions of a Tax Collector: One Man's Tour of Duty Inside the IRS by Yancey, Rick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_..).\n- The Perfect Predator: A Scientist's Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Superbug: A Memoir by Steffanie Strathdee, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-pre... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-predator)\nPolitics:\n- Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Desmond, Matthew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25852784-evicted\n- Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America by Leovy, Jill, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13153693-ghettoside\n- American Prison: A Reporter's Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment by Bauer, Shane, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38561954-american-prison\n- Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Eban, Katherine, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42448266-bottle-of-lies\n- A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America by Miller, T. Christian, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35805861-a-false-report\n- The New Silk Roads by Frankopan, Peter, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro..).\nHistory:\n- Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-1956 by Applebaum, Anne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13531848-iron-curtain\n- The Romanovs: 1613-1918 by Montefiore, Simon Sebag, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26109020-the-romanovs\n- The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Johnson, Steven, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36086.The_Ghost_Map\n- Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations by Bergman, Ronen, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f..).\n- Madame Fourcade's Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against Hitler by Olson, Lynne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade..).\n- Argo: How the CIA & Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History by Méndez, Antonio J., https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13588425-argo\nCrime:\n- Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History by Selby, Scott Andrew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7071759-flawless\n- American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road by Bilton, Nick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi..).\n- Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by Carreyrou, John, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37976541-bad-blood\n- Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World by Wright, Tom, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-..).\n- The Mastermind: Drugs. Empire. Murder. Betrayal. by Ratliff, Evan, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41181600-the-mastermind\nTechnology:\n- Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon by Zetter, Kim, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze..).\n- Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World by Thompson, Clive, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40406806-coders",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America by Leovy, Jill",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list of favorite nonfiction books read in 2019.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jill Leovy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crime",
        "policing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ghost-spin-f241a5",
      "title": "Ghost Spin",
      "author": "Chris Moriarty",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6900556,
          "author": "jrjarrett",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T14:19:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6900556",
          "commentText": "1. The Ocean at the End Of The Lane - Neil Gaiman\n2. Ancillary Justice - Ann Leckie\n3. The January Dancer/Up Jim River/In The Lion's Mouth/On The Razor's Edge - Michael Flynn\n4. Ghost Spin - Chris Moriarity",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ghost Spin - Chris Moriarity",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list answering which books were best.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris Moriarty"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mystery",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ghost-talkers-6fdf58",
      "title": "Ghost Talkers",
      "author": "Mary Robinette Kowal",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237020,
          "author": "Jemaclus",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:13:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237020",
          "commentText": "I keep an active list of books I've read, along with my reviews at my book review website, https://books.brianseitel.com. One of the benefits of this is that my favorite books automatically populate on the left. In 2016, I read over 60 books. My top 10 for 2016 (so far) are, in rough order of favorite-ness:\n- \"All the Birds in the Sky\" by Charlie Jane Anders\n- \"The Shards of Heaven\" and its sequel \"The Gates of Hell\" by Michael Livingston (fictional story set in Roman times)\n- \"The Last Breath\" by Charlie Magee\n- \"The Guns of Empire\" by Django Wexler (Book 4 of The Shadow Campaigns series, which I highly recommend)\n- \"The King's Traitor\" by Jeff Wheeler (original take on Arthurian legend)\n- \"Uprooted\" by Naomi Novik\n- \"End Game\" by Lindsay Buroker (Book 8 of her sci-fi series, The Fallen Empire, which is a pretty fun series overall. Short and sweet adventures.)\n- \"Soulblade\" by Lindsay Buroker (Book 8 of her fantasy series, Dragon Blood, which is another great series. All of Buroker's books are good, imo.)\n- \"Ghost Talkers\" by Mary Robinette Kowal (It's WWII, ghosts are real... and they're spies.)\nThis year I also read books 1-3 of The Expanse, and I think they would also be in this list, except I haven't reviewed them yet. I'm currently reading Book 4, with the recently published book, Babylon's Ashes, in the queue. I fully expect these to make it into the top 10.\nObviously, I enjoy sci-fi / fantasy the most, but across a wide range of sub-genres. For non-sci-fi, my top read was \"I Will Teach You To Be Rich\" by Ramit Sethi, which really changed the way I organize my finances.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My top 10 for 2016 (so far) are, in rough order of favorite-ness:",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's top books of the year, ranked by preference.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Set during WWII, where ghosts are real and act as spies.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mary Robinette Kowal"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ghosts",
        "historical fantasy",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ghost-wars-d3a6ab",
      "title": "Ghost Wars",
      "author": "Steve Coll",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 457944,
          "author": "uuilly",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-30T10:15:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=457944",
          "commentText": "I've been waiting years for someone to ask this question :)\nWishlited this last night on amazon:\nCarnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise to Western Power by Victor Davis Hanson\nHave read these and enjoyed these:\nGeneral Warfare theory:\nHistory of Warfare by Keegan\nIntel:\nIntelligence and War by Keegan\nCounterinsurgency:\n\"Ghost Wars\" by Steve Coll.  For a really enjoyable experience read \"The Great Game\"  by Hopkirk first.\nThe Civil War deserves it's own category. Watch the PBS dvds, actually buy them.  If you're hungry for more dig into \"The Civil War\" by Shelby Foote is hefty but it's satisfying.\n1776 is a classic.\n\"Blind mans bluff\" is a great book about submarine warfare.\nFor more current stuff Robert Kagan is probably the most informed pundit on war and military strategy.\nWW-II\n\"The Last Lion\" books 1 and 2 are about Churchill and they involve lots of military strategy.  You should also check out \"The gathering storm + the other six books Churchill wrote on WWII.\nMan I could go on forever.  I have \"Panzer General\" and \"Caesar's Conquest of Gaul\" on my nightstand...\nEnjoy...\nPS:  Once you're well versed you'll hear people referring to Clauswitz a lot.  When you're sick of hearing his name and you want more than the wikipedia entry go read \"On War.\"  Art of War goes w/o saying as well...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Ghost Wars\" by Steve Coll.",
          "reason": "Included under books the commenter says they read and enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve Coll"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "afghanistan",
        "intelligence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ghost-wars-the-secret-history-of-the-cia-afghanistan-and-bin-lade-bc6d0f",
      "title": "Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001",
      "author": "Steve Coll",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17520386,
          "author": "saryant",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T03:44:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17520386",
          "commentText": "1) Devil Take the Hindmost: A History of Financial Speculation by Edward Chancellor\nEverything from the tulip craze to the dotcom boom.\n2) If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look On My Face? by Alan Alda\nAlan Alda of MASH fame teaches you how to build more empathy and improve your communication skills.\n3) Bad Blood by James Carreyou\nTheranos.  Enough said.\n4) Directorate S: The C.I.A. and America's Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan by Steve Coll\nI think of this as the last book in Coll's unofficial trilogy on Afghanistan.  First up was Ghost Wars, a history of American involvement in Afghanistan from the Soviet invasion up to 2001.  Second is his biography on the Bin Laden family.  Last year he released Directorate S, a chronicle of American and Pakistani involvement post-9/11 primarily told through the lens of the Pakistani intelligence directorate tasked with influencing Afghanistan.\nColl has interviews with everyone from in-country CIA agents and foot soldiers who were on the ground all the way up to defense secretaries and military leaders, from both sides.  An in-depth examination of what went wrong and why we're still stuck there.\n5) Deep South: Four Seasons on Back Roads by Paul Theroux.\nThe greatest travel writer of the last half-century finally turns his attention homeward: the American Deep South.  Four road trips over four seasons.  He published an article in Smithsonian Magazine hitting the highlights: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/soul-south-180951861/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "First up was Ghost Wars, a history of American involvement in Afghanistan from the Soviet invasion up to 2001.",
          "reason": "Included as the first book in the author’s unofficial trilogy, with a brief description of its subject.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve Coll"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "afghanistan",
        "cia"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ghost-in-the-shell-624eb4",
      "title": "Ghost in the Shell",
      "author": "Masamune Shirow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46206202,
          "author": "topologie",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-09T15:47:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46206202",
          "commentText": "I have a couple I would highly recommend:\nThe first is Stanislaw Lem's \"Imaginary Magnitude.\"\nMost stories there are written as sort of prefaces to non-existent technical/scientific books, papers, articles, etc. The last one, Golem XIV, goes a bit beyond and includes an entire lecture.\nThe content is incredibly detailed and technical, Lem knew his Technology and Science for sure, so sometimes it's incredibly accurate and prophetic. Even though it was written in the 1970's, Lem was already describing things that look uncannily like neural networks, emergent communication systems, and machine-generated literature, decades before they existed.\nAnd... most of them are also really really funny.\nHere are small summaries that ChatGPT helped me write for some of the stories there:\n---- Eruntics ----\nA faux-scientific introduction to a field studying “erunts”: biological (or semi-biological) agents, think bacteria/neural colonies, that can learn to read, write, and communicate.\nThese bacterial colonies learn to communicate through several learning iterations across many mutations and generations, much like, say, Neural Networks, and they even develop their own proto-language as they evolve.\nEruntics is a sort of \"meditation\" on emergent intelligence and how writing or meaning might arise in nonhuman systems.\n---- A History of Bitic Literature ----\nPurports to be a critical history of literature produced not by humans, but by machines or other non-human authors, the fictional discipline of bitistics.\nIt treats computer-generated texts as a full literary tradition, with schools, tropes, and structural analysis.\nIt also goes into detail on how at a certain point Bitic Literature required models to read what other models had generated and \"validate\" what they had written, since the complexity they reach in terms of things like neologisms, subtext, and interconnectedness to other texts and ideas, becomes so absurdly high that no human being can even attempt to read them or make sense of them.\n---- Golem XIV ----\nThis is like half of the book, and oh boy...\nIt presents itself first as a report/lecture series from a U.S.-military supercomputer, framed with forewords, editorial notes, “instructions,” etc, but it quickly shifts into the machine’s own philosophical monologues about humanity, evolution, intelligence gradients, and existential insignificance/significance.\nIt contains some really iconic phrases, in particular during Golem's \"Lecture\":\n\" 'The meaning of the transmitter is the transmission' [...] To be sure, the corollary holds: 'The meaning of the transmission is the transmitter.' But the two members are not symmetrical.\"\n\" 'The construction is less perfect than what constructs' [...] Let us give it more substance: 'In evolution, a negative gradient operates in the perfecting of structural solutions'\"\nGolem XIV becomes a genuine “book within a book,” a hard, speculative essay on what a post-human intellect might think.\nThe second set of \"books\" that I would recommend are kinda related, even in tone:\nMasamune Shirow's \"Ghost in The Shell\" and its sequel \"Ghost in the Shell: Man-Machine Interface.\"\nChatGPT summaries:\n--- Ghost in the Shell ---\nAt its core, the original Ghost in the Shell manga is a cyberpunk procedural about identity in a hyper-connected world.\nIt follows Major Motoko Kusanagi, a fully cybernetic government operative working for Public Security Section 9, a counter-cyberterrorism and intelligence unit. The cases involve:\n- cyberbrains and identity hacking\n- political corruption\n- AI autonomy\n- blurred boundaries between human and machine\n- networks where memories, skills, and consciousness can be stolen or overwritten\nThe central philosophical arc centers on Project 2501, the “Puppet Master,” an emergent artificial consciousness born from networked information systems rather than human intention. It challenges the legal, biological, and metaphysical definitions of “life.”\nThe manga’s key concern:\nWhen minds become software, what counts as a person?\nWhat counts as being alive?\nIt’s high-speed political action wrapped around deep questions about autonomy, embodiment, and consciousness.\n--- Ghost in the Shell 2: Man-Machine Interface ---\nMan-Machine Interface is not a continuation in the conventional sense, but more of a \"post-human\" sequel.\nHere, Motoko Kusanagi, the main character from Ghost in The Shell, no longer exists as a single embodied entity. After merging with the Puppet Master at the end of the original story, Motoko becomes something new: a distributed, multi-bodied, evolving posthuman intelligence often referred to as Motoko Aramaki or Motoko 2.0.\nThe sequel follows her as:\n- a partially decoupled consciousness running across networks\n- an entity capable of switching avatars, bodies, and instantiations\n- a mind that operates above nation-states, legal frameworks, and even human-scale cognition\nPlot-wise, it deals with:\n- AI-industrial warfare\n- megacorporations fighting over distributed intelligences\n- metaphysics of identity in a world of multiple selves\n- data-ecologies and collective minds\n- the emergence of “post-persons”\nBut the real shift is tone and philosophy.\nWhere the first manga explores the crisis of identity, the sequel explores post-identity.\nIts main question:\nWhat does “self” mean when consciousness is fluid, redundant, multi-threaded, and no longer tied to one body or one narrative?\nMan-Machine Interface is dense, maximalist, metaphysical, and sometimes abstract , much closer to Lem’s Golem XIV in its treatment of posthuman consciousness than the first part.\nThird, another set, Peter Watts’ Blindsight and its sequel Echopraxia.\n--- Blindsight ---\nHard sci-fi first-contact novel about a crew sent to investigate an alien signal. The aliens they encounter demonstrate astonishing intelligence and adaptability, but seemingly zero consciousness. The book’s central question is brutal:\nDoes consciousness provide any evolutionary advantage at all?\nOr is it an expensive, unnecessary hack?\nIt’s one of the most rigorous modern explorations of intelligence without awareness, cognition without qualia, and post-biological life. Also features resurrected vampires as humanity’s most efficient problem-solvers.\n--- Echopraxia ---\nA follow-up set in the same universe, focusing more on Earth, zombies, hive-minds, military religious cults, and what Watts calls baseline humans becoming obsolete. It complements Blindsight by following the implications of a world where non-conscious “intelligence engines” outperform conscious humans.\nFinally...\n--- Greg Egan's Permutation City ---\nAt its core:\nA group of people upload themselves as software (“Copies”) into a virtual environment where consciousness is implemented as a computational process. But Egan pushes the idea far past “mind uploading” into deep mathematical and philosophical territory.\nThe central premise:\nIf consciousness depends only on logical consistency, not computation performed in real time, then a simulated mind does not require a universe running on stable physics or an external computer at all.\nEgan calls this the Dust Theory.\nWhat the novel explores:\n1. Copies — software persons\n- Human consciousness is scanned and instantiated as a digital mind. These Copies struggle with:\n- psychological trauma from being disposable\n- questions about their moral status\n- fears of erasure\n- pressure to perform labor for “real” biological humans\nThey are conscious, but economically and ontologically precarious.\n2. The “Autoverse”\nA lifelike world governed by artificial chemistry and evolution. It explores how complexity and life can arise from arbitrary rules, not carbon-based biology.\n3. Dust Theory\nA mind is simply a pattern, not a process.\nIf any arrangement of matter in the multiverse instantiates that pattern, even for a moment, consciousness exists.\nThis implies that a mind could “run” without a computer — as long as the pattern exists somewhere, even scattered across physical chaos (“dust”).\nPermutation City becomes a sandbox for minds that no longer require a substrate.\n4. “Permutation City” itself\nThe ultimate simulation, constructed to be self-sustaining in a way that breaks free from dependence on any external reality. Inside it, Copies evolve new forms of existence beyond human constraints.\nWhy it’s important:\nIt’s one of the most serious, mathematically grounded attempts in fiction to grapple with:\n- the ontology of simulated minds\n- the meaning (or irrelevance) of physical reality\n- identity as a computational equivalence class\n- consciousness divorced from biology or substrate\n- universes that exist because their patterns are self-consistent\nIt anticipates debates around:\n- substrate independence\n- functionalism\n- consciousness as pattern-matching\n- AI personhood\n- anthropic reasoning\n- simulation theory\nBefore most of those ideas entered mainstream discussion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Masamune Shirow's \"Ghost in The Shell\"",
          "reason": "Recommends it as part of a related set of books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Masamune Shirow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "cyberpunk",
        "manga"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ghost-in-the-shell-2-man-machine-interface-90caa3",
      "title": "Ghost in the Shell 2: Man-Machine Interface",
      "author": "Masamune Shirow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46206202,
          "author": "topologie",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-09T15:47:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46206202",
          "commentText": "I have a couple I would highly recommend:\nThe first is Stanislaw Lem's \"Imaginary Magnitude.\"\nMost stories there are written as sort of prefaces to non-existent technical/scientific books, papers, articles, etc. The last one, Golem XIV, goes a bit beyond and includes an entire lecture.\nThe content is incredibly detailed and technical, Lem knew his Technology and Science for sure, so sometimes it's incredibly accurate and prophetic. Even though it was written in the 1970's, Lem was already describing things that look uncannily like neural networks, emergent communication systems, and machine-generated literature, decades before they existed.\nAnd... most of them are also really really funny.\nHere are small summaries that ChatGPT helped me write for some of the stories there:\n---- Eruntics ----\nA faux-scientific introduction to a field studying “erunts”: biological (or semi-biological) agents, think bacteria/neural colonies, that can learn to read, write, and communicate.\nThese bacterial colonies learn to communicate through several learning iterations across many mutations and generations, much like, say, Neural Networks, and they even develop their own proto-language as they evolve.\nEruntics is a sort of \"meditation\" on emergent intelligence and how writing or meaning might arise in nonhuman systems.\n---- A History of Bitic Literature ----\nPurports to be a critical history of literature produced not by humans, but by machines or other non-human authors, the fictional discipline of bitistics.\nIt treats computer-generated texts as a full literary tradition, with schools, tropes, and structural analysis.\nIt also goes into detail on how at a certain point Bitic Literature required models to read what other models had generated and \"validate\" what they had written, since the complexity they reach in terms of things like neologisms, subtext, and interconnectedness to other texts and ideas, becomes so absurdly high that no human being can even attempt to read them or make sense of them.\n---- Golem XIV ----\nThis is like half of the book, and oh boy...\nIt presents itself first as a report/lecture series from a U.S.-military supercomputer, framed with forewords, editorial notes, “instructions,” etc, but it quickly shifts into the machine’s own philosophical monologues about humanity, evolution, intelligence gradients, and existential insignificance/significance.\nIt contains some really iconic phrases, in particular during Golem's \"Lecture\":\n\" 'The meaning of the transmitter is the transmission' [...] To be sure, the corollary holds: 'The meaning of the transmission is the transmitter.' But the two members are not symmetrical.\"\n\" 'The construction is less perfect than what constructs' [...] Let us give it more substance: 'In evolution, a negative gradient operates in the perfecting of structural solutions'\"\nGolem XIV becomes a genuine “book within a book,” a hard, speculative essay on what a post-human intellect might think.\nThe second set of \"books\" that I would recommend are kinda related, even in tone:\nMasamune Shirow's \"Ghost in The Shell\" and its sequel \"Ghost in the Shell: Man-Machine Interface.\"\nChatGPT summaries:\n--- Ghost in the Shell ---\nAt its core, the original Ghost in the Shell manga is a cyberpunk procedural about identity in a hyper-connected world.\nIt follows Major Motoko Kusanagi, a fully cybernetic government operative working for Public Security Section 9, a counter-cyberterrorism and intelligence unit. The cases involve:\n- cyberbrains and identity hacking\n- political corruption\n- AI autonomy\n- blurred boundaries between human and machine\n- networks where memories, skills, and consciousness can be stolen or overwritten\nThe central philosophical arc centers on Project 2501, the “Puppet Master,” an emergent artificial consciousness born from networked information systems rather than human intention. It challenges the legal, biological, and metaphysical definitions of “life.”\nThe manga’s key concern:\nWhen minds become software, what counts as a person?\nWhat counts as being alive?\nIt’s high-speed political action wrapped around deep questions about autonomy, embodiment, and consciousness.\n--- Ghost in the Shell 2: Man-Machine Interface ---\nMan-Machine Interface is not a continuation in the conventional sense, but more of a \"post-human\" sequel.\nHere, Motoko Kusanagi, the main character from Ghost in The Shell, no longer exists as a single embodied entity. After merging with the Puppet Master at the end of the original story, Motoko becomes something new: a distributed, multi-bodied, evolving posthuman intelligence often referred to as Motoko Aramaki or Motoko 2.0.\nThe sequel follows her as:\n- a partially decoupled consciousness running across networks\n- an entity capable of switching avatars, bodies, and instantiations\n- a mind that operates above nation-states, legal frameworks, and even human-scale cognition\nPlot-wise, it deals with:\n- AI-industrial warfare\n- megacorporations fighting over distributed intelligences\n- metaphysics of identity in a world of multiple selves\n- data-ecologies and collective minds\n- the emergence of “post-persons”\nBut the real shift is tone and philosophy.\nWhere the first manga explores the crisis of identity, the sequel explores post-identity.\nIts main question:\nWhat does “self” mean when consciousness is fluid, redundant, multi-threaded, and no longer tied to one body or one narrative?\nMan-Machine Interface is dense, maximalist, metaphysical, and sometimes abstract , much closer to Lem’s Golem XIV in its treatment of posthuman consciousness than the first part.\nThird, another set, Peter Watts’ Blindsight and its sequel Echopraxia.\n--- Blindsight ---\nHard sci-fi first-contact novel about a crew sent to investigate an alien signal. The aliens they encounter demonstrate astonishing intelligence and adaptability, but seemingly zero consciousness. The book’s central question is brutal:\nDoes consciousness provide any evolutionary advantage at all?\nOr is it an expensive, unnecessary hack?\nIt’s one of the most rigorous modern explorations of intelligence without awareness, cognition without qualia, and post-biological life. Also features resurrected vampires as humanity’s most efficient problem-solvers.\n--- Echopraxia ---\nA follow-up set in the same universe, focusing more on Earth, zombies, hive-minds, military religious cults, and what Watts calls baseline humans becoming obsolete. It complements Blindsight by following the implications of a world where non-conscious “intelligence engines” outperform conscious humans.\nFinally...\n--- Greg Egan's Permutation City ---\nAt its core:\nA group of people upload themselves as software (“Copies”) into a virtual environment where consciousness is implemented as a computational process. But Egan pushes the idea far past “mind uploading” into deep mathematical and philosophical territory.\nThe central premise:\nIf consciousness depends only on logical consistency, not computation performed in real time, then a simulated mind does not require a universe running on stable physics or an external computer at all.\nEgan calls this the Dust Theory.\nWhat the novel explores:\n1. Copies — software persons\n- Human consciousness is scanned and instantiated as a digital mind. These Copies struggle with:\n- psychological trauma from being disposable\n- questions about their moral status\n- fears of erasure\n- pressure to perform labor for “real” biological humans\nThey are conscious, but economically and ontologically precarious.\n2. The “Autoverse”\nA lifelike world governed by artificial chemistry and evolution. It explores how complexity and life can arise from arbitrary rules, not carbon-based biology.\n3. Dust Theory\nA mind is simply a pattern, not a process.\nIf any arrangement of matter in the multiverse instantiates that pattern, even for a moment, consciousness exists.\nThis implies that a mind could “run” without a computer — as long as the pattern exists somewhere, even scattered across physical chaos (“dust”).\nPermutation City becomes a sandbox for minds that no longer require a substrate.\n4. “Permutation City” itself\nThe ultimate simulation, constructed to be self-sustaining in a way that breaks free from dependence on any external reality. Inside it, Copies evolve new forms of existence beyond human constraints.\nWhy it’s important:\nIt’s one of the most serious, mathematically grounded attempts in fiction to grapple with:\n- the ontology of simulated minds\n- the meaning (or irrelevance) of physical reality\n- identity as a computational equivalence class\n- consciousness divorced from biology or substrate\n- universes that exist because their patterns are self-consistent\nIt anticipates debates around:\n- substrate independence\n- functionalism\n- consciousness as pattern-matching\n- AI personhood\n- anthropic reasoning\n- simulation theory\nBefore most of those ideas entered mainstream discussion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and its sequel \"Ghost in the Shell: Man-Machine Interface.\"",
          "reason": "Recommends it as part of a related set of books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Masamune Shirow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyberpunk",
        "manga",
        "posthumanism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ghost-in-the-wires-my-adventures-as-the-world-s-most-wanted-hacke-83a8b7",
      "title": "Ghost in the Wires: My Adventures as the World's Most Wanted Hacker",
      "author": "Kevin Mitnick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17750682,
          "author": "pavanred",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T15:10:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17750682",
          "commentText": "Ghost in the wires by Kevin Mitnick.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ghost in the wires by Kevin Mitnick.",
          "reason": "Offers the book as an answer to the request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kevin Mitnick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybercrime",
        "hacking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "giant-steps-the-remarkable-story-of-the-goliath-expedition-from-p-fda267",
      "title": "Giant Steps: The Remarkable Story of the Goliath Expedition From Punta Arenas to Russia",
      "author": "Karl Bushby",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6387589,
          "author": "wallflower",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T23:55:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387589",
          "commentText": "I love biographies/auto-biographies of people not in technology (directly) who live an interesting life.\n\"Giant Steps: The Remarkable Story of the Goliath Expedition From Punta Arenas to Russia\" by Karl Bushby\nUnbelievable what it feels like to just take off...\nhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/0751536954\n\"Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination\"\nThe first third of the book is remarkable in that Walt Disney constantly struggles with failure.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/0679757473\n\"Swimming to Antarctica: Tales of a Long-Distance Swimmer\" by Lynne Cox\nHer story is all about single focus on doing what you want to do.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/B0013L8AQQ\n\"Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life\" by Steve Martin\nhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/1416553657",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Giant Steps: The Remarkable Story of the Goliath Expedition From Punta Arenas to Russia\" by Karl Bushby",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book's account of setting off is unbelievable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Karl Bushby"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "long distance walking",
        "travel memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gig-americans-talk-about-their-jobs-67f4c3",
      "title": "Gig: Americans Talk About Their Jobs",
      "author": "John Bowe, Marisa Bowe, and Sabin Streeter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11229745,
          "author": "a3n",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:40:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229745",
          "commentText": "Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Working:_People_Talk_About_Wha... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Working:_People_Talk_About_What_They_Do_All_Day_and_How_They_Feel_About_What_They_Do)\nGig: Americans Talk About Their Jobs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bowe_%28author%29#Gig:_Am... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bowe_%28author%29#Gig:_Americans_Talk_About_Their_Jobs)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gig: Americans Talk About Their Jobs",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Bowe, Marisa Bowe, and Sabin Streeter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "oral history",
        "work"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gingery-book-series-694451",
      "title": "Gingery book series",
      "author": "David J. Gingery",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22302217,
          "author": "THansenite",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-11T20:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22302217",
          "commentText": "This series popped into my head as soon as I read what the original poster was looking for.  As someone who loves building things, I've read through many Gingery books in the series with aspirations of building many of the machines.  That said, the refractory sand for the foundry in the first book is still sitting in a bag in my garage.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "many Gingery books in the series",
          "reason": "Recommends the series and describes aspiring to build its machines.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not built the foundry; its refractory sand remains in their garage.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David J. Gingery"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "foundry",
        "machine tools",
        "metalworking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "giovanni-s-room-0d044f",
      "title": "Giovanni's Room",
      "author": "James Baldwin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38560202,
          "author": "monkeypicks",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T18:52:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38560202",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\nVictory City- new Salman Rushdie book. Great retelling of the history of one of the great medieval South Indian kingdoms. Not his best, but his writing is still top notch.\nSea of Tranquility- speculative fiction from Emily St. John Mandel (of Station Eleven fame). It's a series of interconnected stories spanning centuries from the near past to the near future. Beautifully written. Read when I was down with COVID earlier this year and it invaded my dreams (in a good way). Short and easy read.\nGiovanni's Room- story of an American expat in Paris caught between his love for a man and his duty to his girlfriend. This is the first James Baldwin book I have read but will definitely check out more of his work in 2024.\nTheory of Bastards- speculative fiction by Audrey Schulmann. Literary sci-fi similar to Station Eleven. It's about a woman researching primate behavior set in the near future where the earth is ravaged by the effects of climate change. Very well researched, beautifully written and nothing like I have ever read before. This won the 2019 Philip K Dick Award.\nInvisible Cities- literary fiction by Italo Calvino. It's less than 200 pages but a very dense and tough read. It's a conversation between Marco Polo and Kublai Khan where MP is describing cities in KK's vast empire. It's a strange, strange book that I think I will return to often. If you liked the world building in Piranesi and want more, this is the book for you. Calvino describes 55 cities in under 200 pages, with each one feeling very different. Again, first Calvino book I have read and will definitely check out more of his works in 2024.\nNon-fiction:\nThinking in Systems: A Primer- by Donella Meadows. Read this based on HN's recommendation. Thank you!\nOn Intelligence- by Jeff Hawkins. This was on my shelf for years and am glad I got to read it this year. The creator of the Palm Pilot presents his theory of intelligence and how the brain works. It's compelling. I hope to read his follow up book in 2024. Would love HN's recommendations of similar books.\nA Primate's Memoir- by Robert M. Sapolsky. Enjoyable read of the author's research on Savannah baboons and his adventures in Africa. His love for primates and humans alike come through clearly.\nBuild: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making- by Tony Fadell. A great business book by the co-founder of Nest. Draws on his experience both as a startup founder and leading innovative teams at large tech companies (Apple, in his case). Just as any business book, this could have been shorter and less repetitive but thankfully, there is enough good material here to be a book rather than a blog post.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is the first James Baldwin book I have read but will definitely check out more of his work in 2024.",
          "reason": "Describes the story and says they plan to read more of Baldwin’s work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Baldwin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "lgbtq themes",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "girls-think-of-everything-stories-of-ingenious-inventions-by-wome-07ee6a",
      "title": "Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5502679,
          "author": "annaNwonderland",
          "createdAt": "2013-04-06T04:58:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 5501062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Business Book For a 13-year-old Girl?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5502679",
          "commentText": "A lot of the books mentioned sound fabulous, but are mostly geared towards adults. Here are a couple of suggestions that I used with my 13 year old.  We homeschooled him for a year so that he could develop his game app business.\n1.  Show Me The Money by Alvin D. Hall:  This book is by DK books.  It is colorful and a GREAT intro to the basics of finance, business and economics.  \n2.  The Young Entrepreneur's Guide to Starting and Running a Business (Completely Revised and Updated) by Steve Mariotti is another awesome book. He was a teacher in a rough inner-city school when he noticed that he could keep the kids attention when he taught math in the context of running a business.  He then developed a course around that idea.  Your daughter may not want to read the entire book.  It's one of those books where you can read different chapters based on interest.  \n3.  One of the homeschool writing classes my son took was How to Write a Business Plan.  The teachers used the book The One Page Business Plan for the Creative Entrepreneur by Jim Horan.  Great way for kids to learn the aspects of a business. The book is VERY EASY to follow.\nInspirational book for your daughter (I got this for my daughter):  \n-Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women\nWRITING MAGAZINE: New Moon Girls (newmoon.com)\nMy daughter has a subscription. This magazine and web site is written and edited by the girls.\nVIDEOS: Khan Academy\n- Economics of a Cupcake Factory\n- Raising Money for a Startup (shows the whole process)\n- The Business Cycle\nVIDEOS: When my daughter was in 5th grade, I used some Schlessinger Media videos on economics to introduce her to the basics of business.  I was able to check these out of the library (we are in the Silicon Valley).  These videos are:\n- Economics for Children: Starting a Business\n- Economics for Children: What is Economics\n- Economics for Children: Saving, spending, and investing money\nINSPIRATION: Resources for your daughter:\n- Woman Innovate Mobile (wim.co) - focuses on startups by female founders in the area of mobile products/services.\n- Hackbright Academy (www.hackbrightacademy.com) - programming fellowship for women\n- JumpThru Women's Business Accelerator (http://jumpthru.net)\n- GeekGirl (http://geekgirlcamp.com)\nMOVIE: Inspirational movie for your daughter:\n- Temple Grandin:  shows how Temple Grandin overcame the disabilities of autism and revolutionized cattle slaughter houses so that they would be more humane.  Her invention is now used by most slaughter houses.  The gore of the slaughter is kept at a minimum in the movie.  It is mostly focused on the challenges she faced and overcame.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Inspirational book for your daughter (I got this for my daughter):\n-Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women",
          "reason": "Identified as an inspirational book for the daughter.",
          "audience": "A young girl interested in women inventors and innovation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "invention",
        "women inventors"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "git-internals-aff16c",
      "title": "Git Internals",
      "author": "Scott Chacon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7999515,
          "author": "turnip1979",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T16:06:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7999515",
          "commentText": "Scott Chacon used to have a peepcode ebook on Git Internals. That was pretty awesome. Not sure if there is a legal way to get that anymore after peepcode got acquired :(",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Scott Chacon used to have a peepcode ebook on Git Internals.",
          "reason": "Says the ebook was “pretty awesome.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether there is still a legal way to get it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Chacon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "git",
        "version control"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gitanjali-bfc9a0",
      "title": "Gitanjali",
      "author": "Rabindranath Tagore",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 875941,
          "author": "justlearning",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T03:52:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875941",
          "commentText": "among my favorites. Every time you pick a page to read, it's just like watching a sunset; it's never the same.\nHackers and painters\nGitanjali",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gitanjali",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rabindranath Tagore"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bengali literature",
        "poetry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "giving-good-weight-4a35eb",
      "title": "Giving Good Weight",
      "author": "John McPhee",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18744060,
          "author": "EamonnMR",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T02:38:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744060",
          "commentText": "Exploding the Phone (Phil Lapsley): A history of the Phone Phreak phenomenon. If you've browsed around ancient hacker lore or read textfiles.com, you'll enjoy it.\nGiving Good Weight (John McPhee): Some John McPhee articles. They're very good, as usual, the title article being about farmers markets and told in an experimental style.\nRust: The Longest War (Jonathan Waldman): Explores several different stories tied together by the theme of metal corrosion and the people who contend with it.\nHallucinations (Oliver Sacks): Mostly about what malfunctions of the brains of a few can tell us about how all of our brains are structured.\nDesigners & Dragons: A History of the Roleplaying Game Industry (Parts 1 and 2 so far) (Shannon Appelcline)\nThe history of a bunch of start-ups.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "They're very good, as usual, the title article being about farmers markets and told in an experimental style.",
          "reason": "Praises the articles in the book as very good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John McPhee"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Society",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "farmers markets",
        "new yorker essays"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "glamorama-a7997f",
      "title": "Glamorama",
      "author": "Bret Easton Ellis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 876067,
          "author": "sjs382",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T05:08:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876067",
          "commentText": "The Last of the Savages by Jay McInerney\nGlamorama by Bret Easton Ellis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Glamorama by Bret Easton Ellis",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bret Easton Ellis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "celebrity culture",
        "literary fiction",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "glimpses-of-the-moon-45250b",
      "title": "Glimpses of the Moon",
      "author": "Edith Wharton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5833109,
          "author": "nicwolff",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T15:45:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5833109",
          "commentText": "Top three:\nMockingbird, by Walter Tevis;\nRiddley Walker, by Russell Hoban;\nGlimpses of the Moon, by Edith Wharton\nSome other favorites:\nThe Dog Stars, by Peter Heller;\nTo Reign In Hell, by Steven Brust;\nMachine Man, by Max Barry;\nThe Dawn Patrol, by Don Winslow;\nThe Woman, by Hank Ketchum",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Glimpses of the Moon, by Edith Wharton",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's top three fiction picks.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edith Wharton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american literature",
        "social satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "global-brain-the-evolution-of-mass-mind-from-the-big-bang-to-the--d4396f",
      "title": "Global Brain: The Evolution of Mass Mind from the Big Bang to the 21st Century",
      "author": "Howard Bloom",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14747119,
          "author": "briga",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T19:17:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14747119",
          "commentText": "I felt like Homo Deus was largely a retread of Sapiens. Some of his speculations about the various forms of humanism that have arisen in the 20th century were interesting, but for most of the book it felt like he was treading very familiar ground. It seemed like Harari was in a rush to release another book after the runaway success of Sapiens, and because of that he didn't take his time writing it. Sapiens was very concise and felt like the product of years of careful thought. Homo Deus felt like it was rushed in comparison. Still a good read, don't get me wrong.\nFor a similar type of book I would recommend Howard Bloom's Lucifer Principle and Global Brain. They both take a similarly  broad scientific perspective on human history and behavior, and both are fun reads.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For a similar type of book I would recommend Howard Bloom's Lucifer Principle and Global Brain.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it as a similar kind of book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Howard Bloom"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "collective intelligence",
        "evolution"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "global-economic-history-a-very-short-introduction-94f08b",
      "title": "Global Economic History: A Very Short Introduction",
      "author": "Robert C. Allen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21793675,
          "author": "captaincrowbar",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-15T01:07:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793675",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction I read this year:\nMichael Benson - Space Odyssey - The detailed story of the making of 2001: A Space Odyssey. If you're a fan of the movie, or of Stanley Kubrick and/or Arthur C. Clarke in general, you should read this.\nAtul Gawande - Complications - Fascinating look at life in the medical profession.\nChristina Thompson - Sea People - Detailed, well-researched history of Polynesian-Western contact and relations. As a New Zealander I was interested in this, although American or European readers with no personal connection may be less so.\nPeter Singer - Marx: A Very Short Introduction - What it says on the tin.\nRobert C Allen - Global Economic History: A Very Short Introduction - Also good, but inaccurately titled; it should have said \"Global Economic History Since the Industrial Revolution\".\nFraser A Sherman - Now and Then We Time Travel - A thorough if somewhat superficial survey of time travel in the movies.\nAlec Nevala-Lee - Astounding - A history of the magazine Astounding Stories, and the four men most closely associated with it: John Campbell, Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, and Ron Hubbard. Very thoroughly researched and annotated; it reveals a lot of new information and debunks a lot of old myths. (Whichever version of the \"FBI visits Campbell to complain about A-bomb stories\" you've heard, I can pretty much guarantee it wasn't the real one.)\nElizabeth Sandifer - Tardis Eruditorum 1: William Hartnell - The first volume of a thorough study of Doctor Who, with a combined fannish and scholarly point of view that I enjoyed.\nRandall Munroe - How To - It's by Randall Munroe, what else do you need to know?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Also good, but inaccurately titled; it should have said \"Global Economic History Since the Industrial Revolution\".",
          "reason": "Calls it good while criticizing the title as inaccurate.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it covers economic history since the Industrial Revolution, despite its broader title.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert C. Allen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic history",
        "industrial revolution"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "glorious-exploits-1a21c5",
      "title": "Glorious Exploits",
      "author": "Ferdia Lennon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42318439,
          "author": "gadders",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-04T15:34:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42318439",
          "commentText": "Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson\nGlorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon\nAll of the CJ Box series of Joe Pickett books\nThe Dan Abnett Eisenhorn and Ravenor Warhammer novels\nIn case you can't tell, I mostly read for entertainment.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon",
          "reason": "Lists it among books read for entertainment.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for entertainment.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ferdia Lennon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "go-ahead-in-the-rain-e1a632",
      "title": "Go Ahead in the Rain",
      "author": "Hanif Abdurraqib",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42221824,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T16:51:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42221824",
          "commentText": "I'm liking High and Rising more than Go Ahead In The Rain (which I liked too). Note that De La does not like High and Rising. :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "more than Go Ahead In The Rain (which I liked too)",
          "reason": "Says they liked it too, though they prefer High and Rising.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hanif Abdurraqib"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hip hop",
        "music essays"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "go-ahead-in-the-rain-notes-to-a-tribe-called-quest-0ebb1b",
      "title": "Go Ahead in the Rain: Notes to A Tribe Called Quest",
      "author": "Hanif Abdurraqib",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42220574,
          "author": "kasey_junk",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T12:37:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42220574",
          "commentText": "Completely, 100%, off topic and not within the parameters of the question.\nBut if you are the type of person who thinks a De La book is for you, read “Go Ahead In The Rain” by Hanif Abdurraqib\nAnd if you like that, definitely check out “They Can’t Kill Us, Until They Kill Us”.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "read “Go Ahead In The Rain” by Hanif Abdurraqib",
          "reason": "Recommends it for people who think a De La book would suit them.",
          "audience": "People interested in De La Soul and hip-hop.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says this is off topic and outside the question’s parameters.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hanif Abdurraqib"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "a tribe called quest",
        "hip hop",
        "music criticism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "go-it-alone-the-streetwise-secrets-of-self-employment-2ca5b1",
      "title": "Go It Alone: The Streetwise Secrets of Self Employment",
      "author": "Geoff Burch",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9353551,
          "author": "olifante",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-10T11:10:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9353551",
          "commentText": "Recently read:\n* “Disciplined Minds” by Jeff Schmidt. A mind-opening book that shows how both academia and business select for conformity.\n* “Go It Alone: The Streetwise Secrets of Self Employment” by Geoff Burch. Great read, witty and savvy author.\n* “The E-Myth Revisited” by Michael E. Gerber.\n* “Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life” by William Deresiewicz.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Go It Alone: The Streetwise Secrets of Self Employment” by Geoff Burch. Great read, witty and savvy author.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great read and describes the author as witty and savvy.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in self-employment.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Geoff Burch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "self employment"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "go-set-a-watchman-b69d07",
      "title": "Go Set a Watchman",
      "author": "Harper Lee",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10787209,
          "author": "theologic",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T05:16:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787209",
          "commentText": "Got a new job in May so slowed me down, but got through around 8 this year.\nI'm a Lencioni fan:\nDeath by Meeting --  Describes 3 types of meetings\nGetting Naked -- Describes how to consult\nI'm also a Marshall Goldsmith fan:\nWhat Got You Here Won't Get You There -  Once you get beyond a Director level with some mistakes, read this book\nMojo, How to Get It, How To Keep It - Another \"look yourself in the mirror\" book\nAlso:\n21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership  - John Maxwell. A little prod to act more like a leader.\nReady Player One -- Ernest Cline, Great Young Adult Book.  Escapist fantasy.\nEvery Shot Counts -- Mark Broady, Statistical Look At Golf, but has some smell of Kahnemann\nTo Kill A Mockingbird -- Timeless Classic I Never Got To.  Loved Atticus.  I won't read a Watchman if it spoils my view of what Atticus was all about.\nStarted But Not Finished:\nBusiness Dynamics Thinking -- Sterman (out of MIT). I need to take off work to read this 'cause it is so massive.  Basically it is control theory applied to business modelling.  However, I am convinced if somebody can apply these models, it really is the best competitive advantage.  However, too people willing to stick with it.\nHow to Measure Anything -- Douglas Hubbard.  Sort of makes me mad because it is so commonsense, yet most businesses don't apply this commonsense approach.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I won't read a Watchman if it spoils my view of what Atticus was all about.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they will avoid it if it spoils their view of Atticus.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Harper Lee"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "go-woke-go-broke-the-inside-story-of-the-radicalization-of-corpor-7c4da3",
      "title": "Go Woke, Go Broke: The Inside Story of the Radicalization of Corporate America",
      "author": "Charles Gasparino",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42219433,
          "author": "lovestory",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T05:56:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42219433",
          "commentText": "I only have time to listen to audiobooks so I hope this list is not too basic.\nOn the Edge: The Art of Risking Everything by Nate Silver\nThe End of Reality: How Four Billionaires Are Selling a Fantasy Future of the Metaverse, Mars, and Crypto by Jonathan Taplin\nThe Value of Others by Orion Taraban\nRinsed: From Cartels to Crypto: How the Tech Industry Washes Money for the World's Deadliest Crooks by Geoff White\nWhy We Die: The New Science of Aging and the Quest for Immortality by Venki Ramakrishnan\nExtremely Hardcore: Inside Elon Musk's Twitter by Zoe Schiffer\nBottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Katherine Eban\nAI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference by Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor\nHijacking Bitcoin: The Hidden History of BTC by Roger Ver\nGo Woke, Go Broke: The Inside Story of the Radicalization of Corporate America by Charles Gasparino\nThe Catalyst: RNA and the Quest to Unlock Life's Deepest Secrets by Thomas R Cech\nand my book of the year\nGood Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health by Casey Means M D",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Go Woke, Go Broke: The Inside Story of the Radicalization of Corporate America by Charles Gasparino",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Gasparino"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "corporate politics",
        "culture war"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "go-for-no-4e8c70",
      "title": "Go for No!",
      "author": "Richard Fenton and Andrea Waltz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 568652,
          "author": "wallflower",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-18T19:38:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 568556,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sales book recommendation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=568652",
          "commentText": "\"Go for No\"\nIncorrect model: Success <--- Me ---> Failure\nCorrect model: Me ---> Failure ---> Success\nMore about the book:\nhttp://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=415531",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Go for No\"",
          "reason": "Names a book in response to a request for sales books and provides a model of success through failure.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Fenton and Andrea Waltz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "resilience",
        "sales"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "go-in-action-f26eff",
      "title": "Go in Action",
      "author": "William Kennedy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10785234,
          "author": "lmcnish14",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T19:52:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785234",
          "commentText": "A few books I read for fun this year:\n- Armada: Ernest Cline - Very disappointing and predictable\n- Library of Souls: Ransom Riggs - Easy but engrossing book\n- Ruby Under a Microscope: Pat Shaughnessy - I find his style of explaining things very accessible\n- Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End: Atul Gawande - It's a hard subject to think about but helped me to understand that prolonging life and continuing treatment shouldn't necessarily be the end goal for every case.\n- Go in Action: William Kennedy - A must if you're learning Go lang",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A must if you're learning Go lang",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a must for people learning Go.",
          "audience": "People learning Go.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Kennedy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "go programming",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "go-the-f-k-to-sleep-bbe5de",
      "title": "Go the F**k to Sleep",
      "author": "Adam Mansbach",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3395232,
          "author": "xn--ls8h",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T09:14:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395232",
          "commentText": "\"Go the F--k to Sleep\", by Adam Mansbach. It's a great book that's helped me much in my personal life. I used to have trouble falling asleep at night, often finding myself worrying about issues that had come up during the day, and being unable to put work away when I needed to sleep. Since reading it, I've found that I can put away these fears and problems far better than I could before. I highly recommend it to anyone who has trouble sleeping from time to time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Go the F--k to Sleep\", by Adam Mansbach. It's a great book that's helped me much in my personal life.",
          "reason": "Called a great book and highly recommended to people who sometimes have trouble sleeping.",
          "audience": "People who sometimes struggle to sleep because of worries.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adam Mansbach"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Parenting"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bedtime",
        "sleep"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "go-go-go-stop-f9178d",
      "title": "Go! Go! Go! Stop!",
      "author": "Cherise Mericle Harper",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26775082,
          "author": "rmk",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-12T00:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26775082",
          "commentText": "- Good Night, Moon\n- The Runaway Bunny\n- Harold and the Purple Crayon\n- Grandfather Twilight (for slightly older children)\n- Sandra Boynton books\n- Max's Breakfast (and other books)\n- I Read Signs (Tana Hoban; other books by her also quite good)\n- Go! Go! Go! Stop! (Cherise Mericle Harper)\n- Little Pea (Amy Krouse Rosenthal)\n- Trucks, My Car (and other Byron Barton books)\n- The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Eric Carle; some other books by this author are also good)\n- Roadwork (Sally Sutton; also in the same vein by the illustrator Brian Lovelock: Demolition, Flight of the Honey Bee, The Rain Train).\nMany others come to mind, but these are well-loved.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Go! Go! Go! Stop! (Cherise Mericle Harper)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cherise Mericle Harper"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "go-dog-go-ef1b1b",
      "title": "Go, Dog. Go!",
      "author": "P. D. Eastman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34634916,
          "author": "sloaken",
          "createdAt": "2023-02-02T23:37:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 34634274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books your kids like most",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34634916",
          "commentText": "We raised out kids on mostly Dr Seuss.  In particular I remember Go Dogs Go and Green Eggs and ham being their favorites... or was it my favorite?\nThe part they liked the most was my being next to them reading the books, each day.  I would just ask them to choose a book, and off we went.\nFunny thing is one day my son started to read the book himself without opening the book.  I was shocked he had pretty much memorized the first half.  Turns out that is normal and a good thing.\nAs they got older, before getting a device, they would always bring a book into the car when we drove anywhere.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I remember Go Dogs Go",
          "reason": "Named among the children's favorites.",
          "audience": "Young children.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether it was the children's or their own favorite.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "P. D. Eastman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "early readers",
        "picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "goatwalking-922fa7",
      "title": "Goatwalking",
      "author": "Jim Corbett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39730711,
          "author": "hprotagonist",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-17T00:26:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39730711",
          "commentText": "Brueggemann is amazing.\nI would also add, in no particular order:\n- wisdom of the desert (merton's translation of the sayings of the desert fathers)\n- pilgrim at tinker creek; annie dillard\n- goatwalking, jim corbett\n- Impostors of God: Inquiries into our favorite Idols, william stringfellow\n- the new testament, trans. by david bentley hart\n- the sabbath, Abraham Joshua Heschel\n- zen flesh, zen bones\n- moral man, immoral society -- neibuhr\n- principia discordia\n- the poetry and sermons of john donne\n- many other poets.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "goatwalking, jim corbett",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jim Corbett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "conservation",
        "indian history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "god-bless-you-mr-rosewater-146726",
      "title": "God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater",
      "author": "Kurt Vonnegut",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41761496,
          "author": "mcphage",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T00:06:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41761496",
          "commentText": "For another take on Vonnegut, my favorite of his were Bluebeard and God Bless You Mr. Rosewater.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "God Bless You Mr. Rosewater.",
          "reason": "Names it among the commenter’s favorite Vonnegut books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kurt Vonnegut"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "god-created-the-integers-520758",
      "title": "God Created the Integers",
      "author": "Stephen Hawking (editor)",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23728079,
          "author": "javajosh",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T22:08:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23728079",
          "commentText": "I would give God Created The Integers as a reference to read up to where you are in math, not as something to get through. So, you could get a feel for what Euclid wrote, or what Descartes wrote, either after or during learning those lessons. As you move through your education, you can keep moving through the book, Cauchy, Galois, Riemann, etc. Anyway, that's the context in which I would give it. BTW Cantor's original diagonal proof is in GCTI. :)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I would give God Created The Integers as a reference to read up to where you are in math, not as something to get through.",
          "reason": "Use it as a reference alongside your progress in mathematics, reading the selections related to current studies.",
          "audience": "Readers learning mathematics over time.",
          "caveat": "Intended for reference, not to read straight through.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Hawking (editor)"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of mathematics",
        "primary sources"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "god-created-the-integers-the-mathematical-breakthroughs-that-chan-856168",
      "title": "God Created the Integers: The Mathematical Breakthroughs That Changed History",
      "author": "Stephen Hawking",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23726931,
          "author": "javajosh",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T19:52:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23726931",
          "commentText": "God Created the Integers: The Mathematical Breakthroughs That Changed History. Stephen Hawking. I bought mine for cheap on alibris (https://www.alibris.com/God-Created-the-Integers-The-Mathema...)\nFrom the blurb:\n\"...includes landmark discoveries spanning 2500 years and representing the work of mathematicians such as Euclid, Georg Cantor, Kurt Godel, Augustin Cauchy, Bernard Riemann and Alan Turing. Each chapter begins with a biography of the featured mathematician, clearly explaining the significance of the result, followed by the full proof of the work, reproduced from the original publication, many in new translations.\"\nWhat's great about this book for a teenager is that they get to read original sources for the stuff they've already learned! And indeed, as they learn more they can keep coming back for more original sources. Personally, reading Descartes original words in Geometry was awe-inspiring, not because every word was so perfect, but because he comes across as just so damn human, the ideas he presents are subtle and profound, and yet presented with an interesting combination of humility and pride that is instantly recognizable. I truly wish I'd had something like that book before embarking on my own journey through math - we stand on the shoulders of giants, but we so rarely look down to see their faces.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "God Created the Integers: The Mathematical Breakthroughs That Changed History. Stephen Hawking.",
          "reason": "Recommended for giving teenagers access to original mathematical sources and biographies of mathematicians.",
          "audience": "Teenagers interested in mathematics and its history.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it includes full proofs and original publications.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Hawking"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of mathematics",
        "original sources"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "god-knows-030f94",
      "title": "God Knows",
      "author": "Joseph Heller",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22093141,
          "author": "Rerarom",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T18:54:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22093141",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\nMordecai Roshwald, Level 7\nAlexander Dewdney, The Planiverse\nJoseph Heller, God Knows\nAlan Lightman, Einstein's Dreams\nNon-fiction:\nJane Goodall, In the Shadow of Man\nGian-Carlo Rota, Indiscrete Thoughts\nC. S. Lewis, The Discarded Image\nMichael E. Brown, How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming\nRobert Kegan, In Over Our Heads\nMichael Harris, The Atomic Times\nI may add guilty pleasures like the Legacy of the Force series, but I don't think this is what people here are looking for.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Joseph Heller, God Knows",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's fiction picks in response to a request for unknown books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph Heller"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biblical retelling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "god-talks-with-arjuna-the-bhagavad-gita-92454b",
      "title": "God Talks with Arjuna: The Bhagavad Gita",
      "author": "Paramahansa Yogananda",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39730104,
          "author": "sambhu",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T22:38:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39730104",
          "commentText": "\"God Talks With Arjuna: The Bhagavad Gita\" transliteration by Swami Paramhamsa Yogananda had surpassed all the interpretations of Gita for me and implanted a different perspective on Body, Mind, and Intellect from the Bhagwat Perspective.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"God Talks With Arjuna: The Bhagavad Gita\" transliteration by Swami Paramhamsa Yogananda",
          "reason": "The commenter says it surpassed other interpretations of the Gita and gave them a different perspective on body, mind, and intellect.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paramahansa Yogananda"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bhagavad gita",
        "hinduism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "god-or-nothing-a-conversation-on-faith-8e6404",
      "title": "God or Nothing: A Conversation on Faith",
      "author": "Robert Sarah",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910335,
          "author": "scop",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:36:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910335",
          "commentText": "It may be interesting at the end of this thread to take an inventory of the publishing dates of listed books. Will most be modern? Will many come from learned past of our elders?\nIt is hard for me to select a favorite. However as a voracious reader there is only one author for whom I have found myself re-reading his books multiple times: Robert Sarah.\nHe has published two books:\nThe Power of Silence (extended reflection on silence and the human condition)\nGod or Nothing (autobiography + reflections on current affairs)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "God or Nothing (autobiography + reflections on current affairs)",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have reread Robert Sarah's books multiple times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Sarah"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "autobiography",
        "faith"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "god-the-failed-hypothesis-5ffa46",
      "title": "God: The Failed Hypothesis",
      "author": "Victor J. Stenger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 44574451,
          "author": "chistev",
          "createdAt": "2025-07-15T18:40:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 44568054,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44574451",
          "commentText": "Hard to choose for myself who made the post.\nBut some of my favorites are -\n1. God: The Failed Hypothesis\nBook by Victor J. Stenger\n2. The God Delusion\nBook by Richard Dawkins\n3. Berlin: The Downfall 1945\nBook by Antony Beevor\n4. A Song of Ice and Fire\nNovel series by George R.R. Martin\n5. A Short History of Nearly Everything\nBook by Bill Bryson\n6. Billions and Billions\nBook by Carl Sagan\n7. Flowers for Algernon\nShort story by Daniel Keyes\n8. I'm Glad My Mom Died\nBook by Jennette McCurdy\n9. Manhunt: The Ten-Year Search for Bin Laden--from 9/11 to Abbottabad\nBook by Peter Bergen\n10. Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space\nBook by Carl Sagan\n11. The Metamorphosis\nNovella by Franz Kafka\n12. The Selfish Gene\nBook by Richard Dawkins\nGun to my head, pick one? The God Delusion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "God: The Failed Hypothesis",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Victor J. Stenger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "atheism",
        "religion and science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "godforsaken-sea-be68a3",
      "title": "Godforsaken Sea",
      "author": "Derek Lundy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10833346,
          "author": "fis",
          "createdAt": "2016-01-04T00:27:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 10833032,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book you've recently read and enjoyed?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10833346",
          "commentText": "Godforsaken Sea - Lundy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Godforsaken Sea - Lundy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Derek Lundy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sailing",
        "vendee globe"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gog-5cb97d",
      "title": "Gog",
      "author": "Giovanni Papini",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22095726,
          "author": "perdid0",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T02:18:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22095726",
          "commentText": "Gog by Giovanni Papini.\nI read it in Spanish, and apparently it's not the easiest book to find in English, but if you do, it's definitely different.\nhttps://neglectedbooks.com/?p=2493",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Gog by Giovanni Papini.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is distinctive and recommends seeking it out.",
          "audience": "Readers willing to seek out a hard-to-find book in English.",
          "caveat": "The commenter found it difficult to find in English.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Giovanni Papini"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "italian literature",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "going-infinite-the-rise-and-fall-of-a-new-tycoon-e95bcc",
      "title": "Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon",
      "author": "Michael Lewis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38238205,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T07:44:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238205",
          "commentText": "- \"Going Infinite\", by Michael Lewis\n- \"Speed & Scale\", John Doerr\n- \"Superintelligence\", by Nick Bostrom\nAll great reads, strongly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- \"Going Infinite\", by Michael Lewis",
          "reason": "The commenter includes it among books they strongly recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Lewis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cryptocurrency",
        "sam bankman fried"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gold-5963f8",
      "title": "Gold",
      "author": "Isaac Asimov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10218318,
          "author": "browseatwork",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-15T00:29:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 10211331,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10218318",
          "commentText": "Of Human Bondage by Somerset Maugham\nGold by Isaac Asimov",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gold by Isaac Asimov",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isaac Asimov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "golden-witchbreed-5bd88f",
      "title": "Golden Witchbreed",
      "author": "Mary Gentle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9058666,
          "author": "mdpm",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T19:23:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9058666",
          "commentText": "Hard/strong arguments are always strange. Some of my childhood aesthetic favourites bridge the gap (Golden Witchbreed and the like). Some try to be hard sf, and concentrate hugely on one aspect but miss others (Niven, the integral trees). Clarke has his own hand-wavy moments (Cradle?). I'm not sure it's a dichotomy that yields that much value. Le Guin, Pohl, others - often venture into very fantasy settings, and still tell such wonderful tales, that tell us something about the very real, very unscientific  and utterly irreducible human nature. Which I think is the true point of SF at all. Fresh landscapes, same paint. New stories.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Some of my childhood aesthetic favourites bridge the gap (Golden Witchbreed and the like).",
          "reason": "Describes it as one of their childhood aesthetic favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mary Gentle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "golem-xiv-e59ed1",
      "title": "Golem XIV",
      "author": "Stanislaw Lem",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15157275,
          "author": "DonHopkins",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T17:45:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15157275",
          "commentText": "Stanislaw Lem, Golem XIV.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golem_XIV\nhttp://english.lem.pl/works/apocryphs/golem-xiv\n„Golem XIV” is one of Lem's most far-fetched intellectual adventures:  for the purpose of this book Lem constructs the character of a supercomputer of the future that infinitely overshadows human intelligence.  Golem, whose history we follow from its birth until his inexplicable departure from the human world, not only mercilessly criticizes humanity, claims of our culture and delusions about allegedly refining mechanisms of evolution, but also creates a breathtaking vision of further development of artificial intelligence – beyond our cosmos and cognition available within its limits.\nhttp://english.lem.pl/works/apocryphs/golem-xiv/67-lems-opin... (http://english.lem.pl/works/apocryphs/golem-xiv/67-lems-opinion)\n\"Mine is also the thesis regarding the relationship between genetic code and various species in which individuals serve only as code's amplifiers - however Golem's opinion is somewhat exaggerated.  This concept - that Richard Dawkins called \"the selfishness of genes\" - I published three years before him.\"\nhttp://english.lem.pl/works/apocryphs/golem-xiv/69-a-look-in... (http://english.lem.pl/works/apocryphs/golem-xiv/69-a-look-inside-golem-xiv)\nInstructions (for persons participating for the first time in conversations with GOLEM)\n1. Remember that GOLEM is not a human being: it has neither personality nor character in any sense intuitively comprehensible to us. It may behave as if it has both, but that is the result of its intentions (disposition), which are largely unknown to us.\n[...]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stanislaw Lem, Golem XIV.",
          "reason": "Presents it as the commenter's choice in response to the thread's question about books that shaped mental models.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in intelligence, evolution, and speculative futures of AI.",
          "caveat": "The quoted passage says Golem's view of the selfishness of genes is somewhat exaggerated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stanislaw Lem"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Philosophy",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "evolution"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "goliath-e137bd",
      "title": "Goliath",
      "author": "Tom Gauld",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237188,
          "author": "kranner",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:44:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237188",
          "commentText": "- Tetris: The Games People Play by Box Brown\n- Tibet, Tibet by Patrick French\n- Maya: A Novel by CW Huntington, Jr\n- The Science of Enlightenment by Shinzen Young\n- Flask Web Development by Miguel Grinberg\n- Buddha's Diet by Tara Cottrell\n- A Feast of Vultures by Josy Joseph\n- Genghis Khan: Life, Death and Resurrection by John Man\n- Chasing the Scream by Johann Hari\n- Cuckold by Kiran Nagarkar\n- Goliath by Tom Gauld\n- This Will Never Happen Again by David Cain\n- Cure by Jo Marchant\n- If It’s Monday It Must Be Madurai: A Conducted Tour of India by Srinath Perur\n- Deep Work by Cal Newport\n- Enduring Love by Ian McEwan\n- The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery\n- The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt\n- The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion\nand a few others that aren't worth recommending; all the above are.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "all the above are.",
          "reason": "The commenter includes the listed books among those worth recommending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Gauld"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "graphic novel",
        "literary satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gone-girl-8d04d6",
      "title": "Gone Girl",
      "author": "Gillian Flynn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783528,
          "author": "mlent",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:46:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783528",
          "commentText": "\"The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared\"\nby Jonas Jonasson\n(Love it -- hilarious, witty, a pleasure to read)\n\"Kafka on the Shore\" \nby Haruki Murakami\n(Strange good -- but I'm not sure if I liked it as much as liked \"The Wild Sheep Chase\")\n\"One hundred years of solitude\"\nby Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez\n(Very slow, had a hard time honestly)\n\"Gone Girl\"\nby Gillian Flynn\n(A fast, exciting read but found the ending unsatisfying. But would recommend)\n\"Still Life with Woodpecker\"\nby Tom Robbins\n(Fantastic prose, fantastical characters and situations. Will read more from him)\nAnd for technical books, I read \"The Art of Agile Development\". Was alright.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "(A fast, exciting read but found the ending unsatisfying. But would recommend)",
          "reason": "Says it is a fast, exciting read and recommends it despite an unsatisfying ending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Found the ending unsatisfying.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gillian Flynn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mystery",
        "psychological thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "good-energy-the-surprising-connection-between-metabolism-and-limi-15ee3c",
      "title": "Good Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health",
      "author": "Casey Means",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42219433,
          "author": "lovestory",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T05:56:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42219433",
          "commentText": "I only have time to listen to audiobooks so I hope this list is not too basic.\nOn the Edge: The Art of Risking Everything by Nate Silver\nThe End of Reality: How Four Billionaires Are Selling a Fantasy Future of the Metaverse, Mars, and Crypto by Jonathan Taplin\nThe Value of Others by Orion Taraban\nRinsed: From Cartels to Crypto: How the Tech Industry Washes Money for the World's Deadliest Crooks by Geoff White\nWhy We Die: The New Science of Aging and the Quest for Immortality by Venki Ramakrishnan\nExtremely Hardcore: Inside Elon Musk's Twitter by Zoe Schiffer\nBottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Katherine Eban\nAI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference by Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor\nHijacking Bitcoin: The Hidden History of BTC by Roger Ver\nGo Woke, Go Broke: The Inside Story of the Radicalization of Corporate America by Charles Gasparino\nThe Catalyst: RNA and the Quest to Unlock Life's Deepest Secrets by Thomas R Cech\nand my book of the year\nGood Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health by Casey Means M D",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and my book of the year\nGood Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health by Casey Means M D",
          "reason": "Names this as their book of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Casey Means"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "health",
        "metabolism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "good-manners-and-business-etiquette-illustrated-guide-1f77f3",
      "title": "Good Manners and Business Etiquette: Illustrated Guide",
      "author": "Elena Ber",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35219113,
          "author": "tmcdos",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-19T14:14:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35219113",
          "commentText": "I am not an entrepreneur (yet) but I still want to share a few titles with you:\n- \"Maverick or The seven day weekend\" by Ricardo Semler\n- \"Rework\" by Jason Fried and David Hansson\n- \"Startup - an insider's guide to launching and running a business\" by Kevin Ready\n- \"Bookkeeping and Cost Accounting for Factories\" by William Kent (1918)\n- \"Practice what you preach\" by David Maister\n- \"Don't oil the squeaky wheel\" by Wolf Rinke\n- \"Selling The Wheel: Choosing The Best Way To Sell For You Your Company Your Customers\" by Jeff Cox\n- \"The power of stupidity\" by Giancarlo Livraghi\n- \"How to write a good advertisement\" by Victor Schwab\n- \"How to Make Money Out of Thin Air\" by Brian Sher\n- \"Good manners and business etiquette. Illustrated Guide\" by Elena Ber\n- \"Don't just roll the dice: A usefully short guide to software pricing\" by Neil Davidson\n- \"Message to Garcia\" by Elbert Hubbard\n- the TopLeaf course of 36 video lectures on management by dr. Izhak Adizes can be purchased on https://vimeo.com/ondemand/topleaf or found on ru tracker (if you have access)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Good manners and business etiquette. Illustrated Guide\" by Elena Ber",
          "reason": "Shares the title among several books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are not yet an entrepreneur.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Elena Ber"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business etiquette",
        "professional conduct"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "good-math-44cb55",
      "title": "Good Math",
      "author": "Mark C. Chu-Carroll",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30486599,
          "author": "cenny",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T09:09:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486599",
          "commentText": "The three books that I have appreciated the most when it comes to computer science must be:\n- Code The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software (https://www.programmingbooks.dev/#code)\n- Grokking Algorithms (https://www.programmingbooks.dev/#grokking-algorithms)\n- The Little Schemer (https://www.programmingbooks.dev/#the-little-schemer)\nThese two books I really found interesting as well:\n- Nine Algorithms That Changed the Future (https://www.programmingbooks.dev/extra/#nine-algorithms-that... (https://www.programmingbooks.dev/extra/#nine-algorithms-that-changed-the-future))\n- Good Math (https://www.programmingbooks.dev/extra/#good-math)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Good Math",
          "reason": "The commenter says they found it interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark C. Chu-Carroll"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical reasoning",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "good-night-moon-e1326e",
      "title": "Good Night, Moon",
      "author": "Margaret Wise Brown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26775082,
          "author": "rmk",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-12T00:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26775082",
          "commentText": "- Good Night, Moon\n- The Runaway Bunny\n- Harold and the Purple Crayon\n- Grandfather Twilight (for slightly older children)\n- Sandra Boynton books\n- Max's Breakfast (and other books)\n- I Read Signs (Tana Hoban; other books by her also quite good)\n- Go! Go! Go! Stop! (Cherise Mericle Harper)\n- Little Pea (Amy Krouse Rosenthal)\n- Trucks, My Car (and other Byron Barton books)\n- The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Eric Carle; some other books by this author are also good)\n- Roadwork (Sally Sutton; also in the same vein by the illustrator Brian Lovelock: Demolition, Flight of the Honey Bee, The Rain Train).\nMany others come to mind, but these are well-loved.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Good Night, Moon",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Margaret Wise Brown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "good-poems-de5171",
      "title": "Good Poems",
      "author": "Garrison Keillor (editor)",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13567953,
          "author": "madhadron",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T17:46:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567953",
          "commentText": "I separate my books into levels. Level 0 are the books that I reread steadily over the years (also the ones that I pack in my suitcase when I'm moving as opposed to shipping), so I'll just post that list here, in no particular order: 'Good Poems' edited by Garrison Keiller; 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen; 'Persuasion' by Jane Austen; Fitzgerald's translation of 'The Rubaiyat'; Ford Madox Ford's 'Parade's End'; Hafiz, 'The Gift'; Modesitt, 'Gravity Dreams'; Heinlein, 'Time Enough for Love'; Bulgakov, 'Master and Margarita'; 'Ovid in Love' (Guy Lee's translation of the Amores).\nI've been revisiting a lot of Le Guin's novellas ('The Found and the Lost' is a great collection) and Borges's stories since the election. They have been a source of great comfort.\nI find that I don't reread nonfiction. I'll reference something I remember in it, but I can't think of a work of nonfiction I've reread in the past few years.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Good Poems' edited by Garrison Keiller",
          "reason": "Lists it among books reread steadily over the years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Garrison Keillor (editor)"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "poetry anthology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "good-and-real-3d8aa6",
      "title": "Good and Real",
      "author": "Gary Drescher",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503580,
          "author": "gjm11",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T13:10:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503580",
          "commentText": "Obviously anyone's recommendations are going to tell you as much about that person's philosophical preferences as about the actual books. We might be able to do better if you told us more about your own interests and prejudices. Anyway, here are a few recommendations:\nEthics and (technical questions about) personal identity: \"Reasons and persons\", by Derek Parfit. Quite heavy going, but Parfit's an outstandingly clear thinker and there are some very good ideas here.\nApplied ethics: \"Living high and letting die\", by Peter Unger. Argues for the counterintuitive conclusion that basically all of us in the affluent West have an obligation to do (not just somewhat more but) vastly more for the least well-off.\nPhilosophy of religion (from a definitely atheist perspective): \"The miracle of theism\", by John Mackie. Quite dense, but well written, clear and mostly fair. Much much more seriously intellectually than any of the recent \"New Atheist\" books.\nPhilosophy of mind, epistemology, ethics, decision theory, philosophy of physics, many other things: \"Good and Real\", by Gary Drescher. \"A breathtakingly original assault on all the Big Issues!\", says Daniel Dennett, and he's right.\nRecommended on just about any topic: the \"Oxford Readings in Philosophy\" series of anthologies. Each volume consists of a lengthy introduction followed by somewhere on the order of 10 important articles from the primary literature. Generally very approachable and well selected.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Good and Real\", by Gary Drescher. \"A breathtakingly original assault on all the Big Issues!\", says Daniel Dennett, and he's right.",
          "reason": "Recommends it across philosophy of mind, epistemology, ethics, decision theory, and more.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in a range of philosophical subjects.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gary Drescher"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "decision theory",
        "philosophy of mind",
        "philosophy of physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "good-to-great-why-some-companies-make-the-leap-and-others-don-t-3e1ff8",
      "title": "Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't",
      "author": "Jim Collins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21735589,
          "author": "tikiman163",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-08T12:37:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21735589",
          "commentText": "I strongly recommend the following:\nGood to Great: Why some companies make the leap and Others Don't \nThe Goal: A process of Continuous Improvement \nTeam of Teams\nStrategy that Works: Bridging the Stategy to Execution Gap\nThere isn't a single book that will teach you everything you need to know, but these 5 books taken together will cover nearly everything. The points I suggest paying the most attention to are level 5 leadership, the hedgehog concept, the flywheel concept, Kaizen style continuous improvement, how to organize groups of teams to avoid micromanaging, and how to work with a company culture to make decisions supported by real data that tells you what the most effective decisions would be and how to achieve this by choosing concepts to promote to employees in order to guide their decision making.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I strongly recommend the following:\nGood to Great: Why some companies make the leap and Others Don't",
          "reason": "Recommended as one of five books that together cover leadership and management.",
          "audience": "People learning leadership, especially for tech teams.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says no single book covers everything.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jim Collins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "organizational management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "good-with-words-writing-and-editing-8029fd",
      "title": "Good with Words: Writing and Editing",
      "author": "Patrick Barry",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32344268,
          "author": "kvch_",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-04T15:34:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32344268",
          "commentText": "I suggest reading Good With Words. The book good for any professionals who depend on effective communation. It is originally for created for lawyers, but it helped me tremendously at work as a software engineer.\nURL: https://www.fulcrum.org/concern/monographs/1v53jz538",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I suggest reading Good With Words.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for professionals who rely on effective communication; says it was created for lawyers and helped a software engineer at work.",
          "audience": "Professionals who depend on effective communication, including software engineers.",
          "caveat": "Originally created for lawyers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Patrick Barry"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "editing",
        "professional writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "google-sre-books-840b61",
      "title": "Google SRE Books",
      "author": "Google",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32792054,
          "author": "torvald",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T16:26:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32792054",
          "commentText": "Working mostly with IT operations, I'd say the Google SRE books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Google SRE books",
          "reason": "Recommended as gems for someone working mostly in IT operations.",
          "audience": "People working in IT operations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Google"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "it operations",
        "site reliability engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gormenghast-trilogy-72b387",
      "title": "Gormenghast trilogy",
      "author": "Mervyn Peake",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25848254,
          "author": "zebraflask",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T16:21:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25848254",
          "commentText": "For a fantasy classic, you could try John Crowley's Little, Big, which was reputedly the late lit critic Harold Bloom's favorite novel. Bloom notoriously hated most fantasy novels - the Harry Potter series in particular - so that's a noticeable endorsement.\nFor an older fantasy series, you could also try Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast trilogy (starts with Titus Groan), which actually predates the Lord of the Rings and has a crowd that thinks it's better written. I think Neil Gaiman has worked on a TV series adaptation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you could also try Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast trilogy",
          "reason": "Suggests the fantasy series and notes some consider it better written than The Lord of the Rings.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in older fantasy series.",
          "caveat": "The comparison is attributed to some readers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mervyn Peake"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classic fantasy",
        "gothic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gospel-of-john-2033a9",
      "title": "Gospel of John",
      "author": "John the Evangelist",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12416371,
          "author": "beginrescueend",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:20:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416371",
          "commentText": "Start with the book of Proverbs, follow its wisdom and advice, if all you're after is career improvements.  Great wisdom.\n(Wisdom about people, situations, attitudes, and actions are all found there).\nBut, move on to John, if you are eager for more.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "But, move on to John, if you are eager for more.",
          "reason": "Suggests moving on to John for more wisdom.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John the Evangelist"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian scripture",
        "gospel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gospel-of-luke-ee1868",
      "title": "Gospel of Luke",
      "author": "Traditionally attributed to Luke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37939772,
          "author": "UtopiaPunk",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T07:49:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37939772",
          "commentText": "Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell largely the same story, with several important differences. If you only read one, my favorite is Luke. It has The Magnificat (aka Mary's Song of Praise), and it's awesome.\nJohn, meanwhile, is very different vibe on the story of Jesus and is cool in its own way.\nI'd also recommend Acts, personally. It is a history of the very early church and written by the same author as the Gospel of Luke. Very proto-communist/anarchist in places, imo.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you only read one, my favorite is Luke.",
          "reason": "The commenter names Luke as their favorite Gospel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Traditionally attributed to Luke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christianity",
        "new testament"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "grace-hopper-and-the-invention-of-the-information-age-c0fcb6",
      "title": "Grace Hopper and the Invention of the Information Age",
      "author": "Kurt W. Beyer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22707184,
          "author": "Rochus",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T21:44:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22707184",
          "commentText": "- ENIAC - The triumphs and tragedies of the world's first computer\n- Grace Hopper and the Invention of the Information Age\n- From airline reservations to Sonic the Hedgehog - a history of the software industry\n- History of programming languages Volumes 1 to 3",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Grace Hopper and the Invention of the Information Age",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kurt W. Beyer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer history",
        "women in computing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "graceling-47fbcc",
      "title": "Graceling",
      "author": "Kristin Cashore",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15976224,
          "author": "nkzednan",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-21T03:38:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15976224",
          "commentText": "Top books that I read this past year:\n- Hillbilly Elegy By JD Vance\n- Golden Son by Pierce Brown (second book in a trilogy) liked the whole trilogy\n- Rosie Project/Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion\n- Graceling by Kristin Cashore\n- Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Graceling by Kristin Cashore",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's top books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kristin Cashore"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "young adult fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "graduate-texts-in-mathematics-4d57cd",
      "title": "Graduate Texts in Mathematics",
      "author": "Springer",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7580383,
          "author": "pervycreeper",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-13T05:46:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7580383",
          "commentText": "But that's not a Springer book, it appears to be published by Dover, and the covers look totally different. The GTM series is also highly variable in quality.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The GTM series is also highly variable in quality.",
          "reason": "The commenter says quality varies widely across the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Highly variable in quality.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7580104,
          "author": "auvrw",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-13T03:36:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7580104",
          "commentText": "> \"that yellow mathematics book\"\nreplace \"that\" with \"those\" ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graduate_Texts_in_Mathematics ).\nthe dover books are also a good series, and pretty much anything by Artin is good.  i also looked at the Halmos book a couple of people have mentioned.\nperhaps one thing to be aware of, though, is that you're not always going to learn things in the linear way they're layed out on the page.  moreover, it might be helpful to have more than one book for any given subject.  Lang's Algebra, for example, is a really good reference, but a tome if you read it like a text.  so you might pick up something small and subject-oriented with a lot of exercises like Artin's Galois Theory or Atiyah's Commutative Algebra, and supplement it with a reference like Dummit and Foote or Lang's texts on Algebra as a whole.\noh, right:  whatever book you choose, do the exercises.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "replace \"that\" with \"those\" ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graduate_Texts_in_Mathematics ).",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Springer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "graduate mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "graduate-texts-in-mathematics-fef4e7",
      "title": "Graduate Texts in Mathematics",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7583784,
          "author": "auvrw",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-14T00:12:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7583784",
          "commentText": "perhaps the GTM series has some bad titles; i haven't read them all.  but it has some good titles, and from the description original poster's background, it's probably as far as the person wants to stretch right now.  sure, the cambridge advanced math series might be more \"quality,\" but those also tend to be both very focused (in terms of specificity of the topic) and very dense (in terms of delivering a lot of results with almost zero fluff).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "perhaps the GTM series has some bad titles; i haven't read them all.",
          "reason": "Says the series includes some good titles while acknowledging variation in quality.",
          "audience": "The original poster, based on their background.",
          "caveat": "The series has some bad titles and varies in quality.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "graduate mathematics textbooks"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "grammatical-man-775117",
      "title": "Grammatical Man",
      "author": "Jeremy Campbell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15159040,
          "author": "RockyMcNuts",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T00:36:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15159040",
          "commentText": "Well Pirsig's Zen and the other ones related to eastern religions and science, are around the idea that there is no locus of reality or meaning, the reality is how everything interrelates. It's kind of like word2vec, the context of other words and real-world situations in which each word is used tells you everything about what it means. Take away a particle's charge and mass and the other numbers we associate with it, and is it still a particle? Those numbers describe how it interacts and all we can really say about it is how it interacts. Plato was off the mark when he talked about the ideal form of different objects. There is no ideal form of a chair, except that chairness is an abstract idea about how things (asses and furniture) interact.\nThen I think that Grammatical Man and Penrose are around the nature of information, and what can be communicated and understood. And I sort of think that question is at the top of the tree of abstraction about what we think about. Then comes computer science and math which are about any symbolic systems or formal systems that can be computed and reasoned about. Then most everything else is applying those systems to various problems.\nThen I think The Naked Ape and Hayek and Flow are around the notion that humans are their own thing. They are tribal and hierarchical and territorial and violent and not nearly as self-aware or even aware of our surroundings as we think we are. You get a lot more mileage out of just observing what they do than about listening to the rationalizations of why they say did it, things like God and blood and soil, i.e. superstitions and us-and-them-ing arbitrary physical features of a pack of mongrels and arbitrary lines on maps. Invitation to Sociology by Berger was another big one on those lines.\nAnd the Heilbroner and Durant are basically inventories of major mental models that people have come up with in philosophy and economics.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Grammatical Man",
          "reason": "Places it among books about the nature of information and communication.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156316,
          "author": "RockyMcNuts",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:05:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156316",
          "commentText": "The Emperor's New Mind, by Roger Penrose\nThe Tao of Physics, by Fritjof Capra\nDancing Wu Li Masters, by Gary Zukav\nThe Naked Ape, by Desmond Morris\nThe Road to Serfdom, by Friedrich Hayek\nThe Worldly Philosophers, by Robert Heilbroner\nThe Story of Philosophy, by Will Durant\nGrammatical Man, by Jeremy Campbell\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert M. Pirsig\nFlow, by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Grammatical Man, by Jeremy Campbell",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which books had the biggest impact on mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeremy Campbell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "information theory",
        "language"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "grand-ambition-an-extraordinary-yacht-the-people-who-built-it-and-f1d074",
      "title": "Grand Ambition: An Extraordinary Yacht, the People Who Built It, and the Millionaire Who Can't Really Afford It",
      "author": "G. Bruce Knecht",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6898852,
          "author": "brotchie",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T03:11:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6898852",
          "commentText": "I make note of the books I read in 1-2 sittings because I can't put them down. This year these were:\n    Five Billion Years of Solitude - Lee Billings\n    Ready Player One - Ernest Cline\n    Grand Ambition: An Extraordinary Yacht, the People Who Built It, and the Millionaire Who Can't Really Afford It - G. Bruce Knecht",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Grand Ambition: An Extraordinary Yacht, the People Who Built It, and the Millionaire Who Can't Really Afford It - G. Bruce Knecht",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter read in one or two sittings because they could not put them down.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "G. Bruce Knecht"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "wealth",
        "yachting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "grand-tour-series-15c11f",
      "title": "Grand Tour series",
      "author": "Ben Bova",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15428815,
          "author": "megaman22",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:33:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428815",
          "commentText": "I always liked the Ben Bova grand tour series. Some are better than others, but they're pretty entertaining and pretty plausible near-future.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the Ben Bova grand tour series",
          "reason": "Says they have always liked the series and that it is entertaining and plausible.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some books are better than others.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ben Bova"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "near future",
        "space exploration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "grandfather-twilight-315ff0",
      "title": "Grandfather Twilight",
      "author": "Barbara Berger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26775082,
          "author": "rmk",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-12T00:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26775082",
          "commentText": "- Good Night, Moon\n- The Runaway Bunny\n- Harold and the Purple Crayon\n- Grandfather Twilight (for slightly older children)\n- Sandra Boynton books\n- Max's Breakfast (and other books)\n- I Read Signs (Tana Hoban; other books by her also quite good)\n- Go! Go! Go! Stop! (Cherise Mericle Harper)\n- Little Pea (Amy Krouse Rosenthal)\n- Trucks, My Car (and other Byron Barton books)\n- The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Eric Carle; some other books by this author are also good)\n- Roadwork (Sally Sutton; also in the same vein by the illustrator Brian Lovelock: Demolition, Flight of the Honey Bee, The Rain Train).\nMany others come to mind, but these are well-loved.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Grandfather Twilight (for slightly older children)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Slightly older children.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Barbara Berger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "graph-theory-eb956a",
      "title": "Graph Theory",
      "author": "Reinhard Diestel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21313374,
          "author": "guiraldelli",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T15:27:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21313374",
          "commentText": "I don't think there is a definitive answer for your question because computer science is a relative new area of knowledge and “fundamental books” are still being published.\nIf I had to say one text that is the fundamental one, I would go with a paper: “On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem” [1], by Alan Turing.\n---\nBut if you just started your course in Computer Science, then I will give you some “bookshelf advice\" based on my experience. I had the pleasure to study all the books I am going to recommend you, and most of them I was able to read cover-to-cover during the university years. And they are also in my bookshelf for reference.\nThe book order does not represent rank of importance.\n* “Introduction to the Theory of Computation”, by Michael Sipser.\n    * I also recommend the “Elements of the Theory of Computation”, by Christos Papadimitriou.\n\n    * Another good complement is “Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages and Computation”, by Hopcroft and Ullman. (Thanks, @reacweb, for the reminder.)\n\n* “Graph Theory”, by Reinhard Diestel.\n    * If you feel you want to go deeper, and like a book which you cannot skip a single word, I strongly recommend “Modern Graph Theory”, by Béla Bollobás: it is one of my favorite textbooks ever!\n\n* “The Algorithm Design Manual”, by Steven Skiena.\n    * While a lot of people seems to praise either the Cormen et al. or the Sedgewick books, I have the feeling that “Algorithms” by Dasgupta, Papadimitriou  and Vazirani is my choice for “fundamental” book. But I decided to\n\n* “Computer Architecture: a Quantitative Approach”, by Hennessy and Patterson.\n* “Modern Operating Systems”, by Andrew Tanenbaum.\n* “Artificial Intelligence: a Modern Approach”, by Russel and Norvig.\n* “Modern Compiler Implementation (in ML)”, by Andrew Appel.\nI would like to also recommend “Concrete Mathematics”, by Graham, Knuth and Patashnik, but I remember to not feel it the most pedagogical book on the subject.\nGood luck!\n---\n[1]: https://www.cs.virginia.edu/~robins/Turing_Paper_1936.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Graph Theory”, by Reinhard Diestel",
          "reason": "Includes it among the books recommended for a CS bookshelf.",
          "audience": "People starting a computer science course.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Reinhard Diestel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "graph theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "graphical-models-exponential-families-and-variational-inference-53b22f",
      "title": "Graphical Models: Exponential Families, and Variational Inference",
      "author": "Martin J. Wainwright and Michael I. Jordan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13901290,
          "author": "akssri",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T14:05:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13901290",
          "commentText": "Graphical models might also be something folks might want to consider. Ideas from PGMs are often behind many advances in ML.\nThe canonical text is by Daphne Koller; a course I took used Martin Wainwright's monograph though - the book is briefer and dives into the math quicker.\nhttps://people.eecs.berkeley.edu/~wainwrig/Papers/WaiJor08_F... (https://people.eecs.berkeley.edu/~wainwrig/Papers/WaiJor08_FTML.pdf)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the book is briefer and dives into the math quicker",
          "reason": "A course used this monograph; the commenter notes it is briefer and gets to the math faster.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Dives into the math quicker.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin J. Wainwright and Michael I. Jordan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "machine learning",
        "probabilistic graphical models"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gravitation-eae8c1",
      "title": "Gravitation",
      "author": "Charles W. Misner, Kip S. Thorne, John Archibald Wheeler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17169369,
          "author": "wrycoder",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T22:10:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17169369",
          "commentText": "Gravitation by Misner, Thorne, and Wheeler\nThe Road to Reality by Penrose\nThe Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli\n\"For a long time, we have tried to understand the world in terms of some primary substance.  Perhaps physics, more than any other discipline, has pursued this primary substance.  But the more we have studied it, the less the world seems comprehensible in terms of something that is.  It seems to be a lot more intelligible in terms of relations between events.\n...\nWe therefore describe the world as it happens, not as it is.  Newton's mechanics, Maxwell's equations, quantum mechanics, and so on, tell us how events happen, not how things are...we understand the world in its becoming, not in its being.  Things in themselves are only events that for a while are monotonous.  But only before returning to dust, everything returns to dust.\nThe absence of time does not mean, therefore, that everything is frozen and unmoving.  It means that the incessant happening that wearies the world is not ordered along a time line, is not measured by a gigantic tick-tocking.  It does not even form a four-dimensional geometry.  It is a boundless and disorderly network of quantum events.  The world is more like Naples than Singapore.\nIf by 'time' we mean nothing more than happening, then everything is time.  There is only that which exists in time.\"\nVery influential in my teens:\nAbsalom, Absalom by Faulkner\nUSA by John Dos Passos\nCache Lake Country by Rowlands",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gravitation by Misner, Thorne, and Wheeler",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which book changed the commenter’s life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles W. Misner, Kip S. Thorne, John Archibald Wheeler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "general relativity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gravity-dreams-74d5b3",
      "title": "Gravity Dreams",
      "author": "L. E. Modesitt Jr.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13567953,
          "author": "madhadron",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T17:46:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567953",
          "commentText": "I separate my books into levels. Level 0 are the books that I reread steadily over the years (also the ones that I pack in my suitcase when I'm moving as opposed to shipping), so I'll just post that list here, in no particular order: 'Good Poems' edited by Garrison Keiller; 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen; 'Persuasion' by Jane Austen; Fitzgerald's translation of 'The Rubaiyat'; Ford Madox Ford's 'Parade's End'; Hafiz, 'The Gift'; Modesitt, 'Gravity Dreams'; Heinlein, 'Time Enough for Love'; Bulgakov, 'Master and Margarita'; 'Ovid in Love' (Guy Lee's translation of the Amores).\nI've been revisiting a lot of Le Guin's novellas ('The Found and the Lost' is a great collection) and Borges's stories since the election. They have been a source of great comfort.\nI find that I don't reread nonfiction. I'll reference something I remember in it, but I can't think of a work of nonfiction I've reread in the past few years.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Modesitt, 'Gravity Dreams'",
          "reason": "Lists it among books reread steadily over the years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "L. E. Modesitt Jr."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "colonization",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gravity-how-the-weakest-force-in-the-universe-shaped-our-lives-0a7bab",
      "title": "Gravity: How the Weakest Force in the Universe Shaped Our Lives",
      "author": "Brian Clegg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4515360,
          "author": "rynes",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-13T09:29:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 4513324,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading currently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4515360",
          "commentText": "\"GRAVITY\", by Brian Clegg\nHow the weakest force in the universe shaped our lives.\nIt has some very interesting tidbits from the old days.\nAuthor of \"THE GOD EFFECT\"\nand \"BEFORE THE BIG BANG\"",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It has some very interesting tidbits from the old days.",
          "reason": "Says the book has very interesting historical tidbits.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Clegg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "gravity",
        "history of science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gray-s-anatomy-b7735c",
      "title": "Gray's Anatomy",
      "author": "Spalding Gray",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21901753,
          "author": "pmoriarty",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T21:10:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21901753",
          "commentText": "If you like David Sedaris you might enjoy Spalding Gray's monologues.  Swimming to Cambodia and Gray's Anatomy are my favorites.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Swimming to Cambodia and Gray's Anatomy are my favorites.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of their favorite monologues and suggests it to people who like David Sedaris.",
          "audience": "Readers who like David Sedaris",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Spalding Gray"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "monologue"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gray-s-sports-almanac-9b971b",
      "title": "Gray's Sports Almanac",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1971222,
          "author": "antipaganda",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T08:12:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971222",
          "commentText": "Gray's Sports Almanac.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gray's Sports Almanac.",
          "reason": "Named as the book they would give their younger self.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sports almanac",
        "time travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "great-apes-ff226a",
      "title": "Great Apes",
      "author": "Will Self",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12248666,
          "author": "danvesma",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T15:48:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12248666",
          "commentText": "Will Self – Great Apes. To remind people that sometimes we're just fucking monkeys.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Will Self – Great Apes. To remind people that sometimes we're just fucking monkeys.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a reminder of humanity’s animal nature.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Will Self"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "animal nature",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "great-books-of-the-western-world-8f7969",
      "title": "Great Books of the Western World",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8717294,
          "author": "rokhayakebe",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T16:34:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8717294",
          "commentText": "Not 2014, but the Great Books of the Western World.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Great Books of the Western World",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it was not a 2014 selection.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752361,
          "author": "nandemo",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T08:13:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752361",
          "commentText": "The Great Books of the Western World:\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Books_of_the_Western_Worl... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Books_of_the_Western_World)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Great Books of the Western World:",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "western canon",
        "classical texts",
        "classical works"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "great-minds-52fba3",
      "title": "Great Minds",
      "author": "The Teaching Company",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 191902,
          "author": "rudyfink",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-16T16:10:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=191902",
          "commentText": "Fredric Bastiat - \"The Law\" - http://www.freeaudio.org/fbastiat/thelaw.html (audio book)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Law-Frederick-Bastiat/dp/1933550147/ (5 stars with 83 reviews so it's not just me)\nIt'll only take about forty minutes to finish.\nIf you go with a Teaching Company course I highly recommend their \"Great Minds\" series (though without a library it is a bit spendy):\nhttp://www.teach12.com/ttcx/coursedesclong2.aspx?cid=470&;",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend their \"Great Minds\" series (though without a library it is a bit spendy)",
          "reason": "Highly recommends the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A bit expensive without access to a library.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "The Teaching Company"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "lecture courses"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "great-people-decisions-10651e",
      "title": "Great People Decisions",
      "author": "Claudio Fernández-Aráoz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Claudio Fernández-Aráoz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hiring",
        "talent management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "great-principles-of-computing-56df99",
      "title": "Great Principles of Computing",
      "author": "Peter Denning and Craig Martell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20730056,
          "author": "gshubert17",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T13:38:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20730056",
          "commentText": "A really good overview of the field of CS is _Great Principles of Computing_ by Peter Denning and Craig Martell, 2015. It's a good book for CS students who want overviews of less familiar areas of computer science, and for anyone (in other areas) who want to know more about computation.\nAnother is Subrata Dasgupta's _Computer Science: A Very Short Introduction_, a 2016 addition to Oxford's Very Short Introduction series. It has over five pages of further references to more detailed and specialized works.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A really good overview of the field of CS is _Great Principles of Computing_ by Peter Denning and Craig Martell, 2015.",
          "reason": "Recommended as an overview of computer science for students and readers from other fields.",
          "audience": "CS students seeking overviews of unfamiliar areas, and readers from other fields curious about computation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Denning and Craig Martell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer science overview"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "great-by-choice-729b7b",
      "title": "Great by Choice",
      "author": "Jim Collins and Morten T. Hansen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10786160,
          "author": "wushupork",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T22:57:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786160",
          "commentText": "Traction by Justin Mares, Gabriel Weinberg - would probably reread\nGrowth Hacker Marketing by Ryan Holiday\nHow to Fail at Almost Everything by Scott Adams - great read\nScaling Up By Verne Harnish\nGreat By Choice by Jim Collins - love the whole series\nThe Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes - probably worth a reread\nHow to Win at the Sport of Business By Mark Cuban - good read\nElon Mush by Ashlee Vance - need I say more\nThe Hard Thing about Hard Things By Ben Horowitz\nThe Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg - probably need to deeply absorb this - a lot of good stuff\nCopy This! By Paul Orfalea - another good \"small business\" entrepreneur book\nThe E-Myth Revisited By Michael Gerber - 2nd time read. Got more out of it this time.\nThe People's Tycoon (Ford) by Steven Watts - I love reading about businessmen from this age\nScrum by JJ Sutherland Jeff Sutherland - good read for development teams",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great By Choice by Jim Collins - love the whole series",
          "reason": "The commenter says they love the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jim Collins and Morten T. Hansen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "greed-is-good-2bebe3",
      "title": "Greed Is Good",
      "author": "Jonathan Hoenig",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 248572,
          "author": "jobeirne",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T15:38:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248572",
          "commentText": "Jonathan Hoenig's Greed is Good is pretty excellent. http://www.capitalistpig.com/merchandise.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jonathan Hoenig's Greed is Good is pretty excellent.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the book pretty excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Hoenig"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "capitalism",
        "investing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "greek-mythology-1a9094",
      "title": "Greek Mythology",
      "author": "Edith Hamilton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13804180,
          "author": "metaphorm",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:19:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804180",
          "commentText": "- The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin\n- Blindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts\n- The Tao Te Ching\n- The Gateless Gate (Koun Yamada translation/editing)\n- The Baroque Cycle (Quicksilver, The Confusion, The System of the World) by Neal Stephenson\n- The Invisibles by Grant Morrison\n- Incerto (Fooled by Randomness, The Black Swan, Antifragile, The Bed of Procrustes) by Nassim Nicholas Taleb\n- Iron John by Robert Bly\n- Catch 22 by Joseph Heller\n- The Character of Physical Law by Richard P. Feynman\n- Collected Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges\n- 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez\n- Pharmakon by Dale Pendell\n- The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss\n- Greek Mythology by Edith Hamilton\n- The Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual by Gary Gygax et al\n- Introduction to Algorithms by Charles E. Leiserson, Clifford Stein, Ronald Rivest, and Thomas H. Cormen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Greek Mythology by Edith Hamilton",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed how people think.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edith Hamilton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classical mythology",
        "greek mythology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "green-mars-7755f3",
      "title": "Green Mars",
      "author": "Kim Stanley Robinson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6387960,
          "author": "veidr",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T02:51:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387960",
          "commentText": "The trilogy of Neuromancer, Burning Chrome, and Mona Lisa Overdrive is still my favorite work of fiction, and also, to my mind, exemplifies the kind of taut, awesome writing that I would want to do if I wrote novels. It the only series of 3 books I have read more than once.\nI caught these books at just the right time in my life (age 13 or 14), leading my high-school fascination with Japan and rekindled interest in computing, and probably played an inordinately large role in me ending up as a programmer who lives in Tokyo, two decades later.\nI like great sci fi best, but I think most of it is crap, including virtually all of the old pulp sci fi and Asimov I grew up reading (which was basically all of it), Star Wars/Trek, etc.\nOther than Gibson's stuff, some of the truly spectacular sci fi I have read is the very-dense-and-not-at-all-thriller-ish Mars trilogy (Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars), and the fast-paced-and-awesome Spin by Robert Charles Wilson. That led me to read all of Wilson's books, many of which are also good. Also Haldeman is an author worth reading, though not all of his books hit their mark.\nGreat sci fi is my favorite fiction, but IMO most of it is broken by being fundamentally implausible. Other fiction I consider great in other genres include Memoirs of a Geisha, Cold Mountain, REAMDE, The Son, The Road, the lighter but still version of that post-apocalyptic concept The Dog Stars, City of Thieves, and All the Pretty Horses and its sequels.\nIt's probably symptomatic of a major flaw in my character that despite also buying dozens of nonfiction works (Lincoln, On China, and so forth) over the past few years, I haven't finished any of them.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Mars trilogy (Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 141827,
          "author": "mkanemoto",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-20T18:43:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=141827",
          "commentText": "Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson, followed by Blue Mars and Green Mars. These to me are the only ones not mentioned already and are set in an inspiring way that celebrates humanity. Also the Rama Series by Clarke and Lee starting with the second in the series \"Rama II\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "followed by Blue Mars and Green Mars. These to me are the only ones not mentioned already and are set in an inspiring way that celebrates humanity.",
          "reason": "Praises the Mars books for their inspiring portrayal of humanity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kim Stanley Robinson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "terraforming",
        "colonization of mars",
        "mars colonization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "greenlights-008fb7",
      "title": "Greenlights",
      "author": "Matthew McConaughey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38557717,
          "author": "Brajeshwar",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:51:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557717",
          "commentText": "Most of the books I read are influenced by similar threads on HN. This year has not been good overall and it impacted my reading. I need to finish writing the post https://brajeshwar.com/2023/books/\n“How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question” by Michael Schur is a fun book that opens with a good question, “Should I punch my friend in the face for no reason?”\nI have been meaning to and this year I finally read The Diary of a Young Girl.\nFor 2024, here are some of the ones from my list (sorry for the formatting, copied Markdown from my notes);\n- [Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_War:_The_Fight_for_the_Wo... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_War:_The_Fight_for_the_World%27s_Most_Critical_Technology)) by [Chris Miller](https://www.christophermiller.net)\n- [First Principles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Principles_%28book%29) by [Thomas E. Ricks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_E._Ricks_%28journalist%29)\n- [Greenlights](https://greenlights.com) by [Matthew McConaughey](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_McConaughey)\n- How Asia Works: Success and Failure in the World's Most Dynamic Region by Joe Studwell\n- [Poor Economics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poor_Economics): A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty by [Abhijit V. Banerjee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abhijit_Banerjee),  and [Esther Duflo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther_Duflo)\n- Raising An Emotionally Intelligent Child The Heart of Parenting by [John Gottman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gottman), and Joan DeClaire\n- [The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read](https://www.amazon.com/Book-Wish-Your-Parents-Read/dp/198487... (https://www.amazon.com/Book-Wish-Your-Parents-Read/dp/1984879553)): (and Your Children Will Be Glad That You Did) by [Philippa Perry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippa_Perry)\n- [The End Of The World Is Just The Beginning: Mapping The Collapse Of Globalization](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_End_of_the_World_is_just_t... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_End_of_the_World_is_just_the_Beginning)) by [Peter Zeihan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Zeihan)\n- [The Tatas: How a Family Built a Business and a Nation](https://www.amazon.com/Tatas-Family-Built-Business-Nation/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Tatas-Family-Built-Business-Nation/dp/9352779371)) by [Girish Kuber](https://mr.wikipedia.org/wiki/गिरीश_कुबेर), and English translation by Vikrant Pande.\n- [Windfall: The Booming Business of Global Warming](https://www.amazon.com/Windfall-Booming-Business-Global-Warm... (https://www.amazon.com/Windfall-Booming-Business-Global-Warming/dp/1594204012)) by [McKenzie Funk](https://www.mckenziefunk.com)\n- [Dieter Rams: The Complete Works](https://www.amazon.com/Dieter-Rams-Complete-Klaus-Klemp/dp/1... (https://www.amazon.com/Dieter-Rams-Complete-Klaus-Klemp/dp/1838661530/)) by [Klaus Klemp](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaus_Klemp)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "here are some of the ones from my list",
          "reason": "Included on the commenter's reading list for 2024.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as a planned read, not an evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthew McConaughey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "greg-mandel-trilogy-464f8f",
      "title": "Greg Mandel trilogy",
      "author": "Peter F. Hamilton",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056639,
          "author": "Bzomak",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:47:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056639",
          "commentText": "Some which I have re-read recently and still enjoyed:\n  William Gibson's Sprawl trilogy\n\n  Frank Herbert's Dune series\n\n  Isaac Asimov's Foundation series\n\n  Frederik Pohl's \"Gateway\"\n\n  Robert Heinlein's \"The Moon is a harsh Mistress\"\n\nSome which I remember liking when I read them many years ago as a teenager:\n  E.E. Doc Smith's Lensman series\n\n  David Brin's Uplift series\n\n  Peter F. Hamilton's Greg Mandel trilogy and The Night's \nDawn trilogy\n  Orson Scott Card's \"Ender's Game\"\n\n  George R. Dickson's \"Dorsai!\"",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Peter F. Hamilton's Greg Mandel trilogy",
          "reason": "The commenter remembers liking it as a teenager.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Their recollection is from many years ago.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter F. Hamilton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "climate fiction",
        "thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "grey-lensman-85a903",
      "title": "Grey Lensman",
      "author": "E. E. 'Doc' Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 140850,
          "author": "sammyo",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T15:28:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140850",
          "commentText": "Grey Lensman by E.E. 'Doc' Smith\nI still believe that a radical (slightly mad) scientist tucked away in his garage lab will come up with the Inertialess Drive and we will all be off the planet at will.\nMore pragmatically I doubt I could get through this book now and it would be just old hat to anyone post Star Wars.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Grey Lensman by E.E. 'Doc' Smith",
          "reason": "Fondly imagines its Inertialess Drive becoming real, while doubting the book holds up today.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in classic science fiction and space travel.",
          "caveat": "The commenter doubts they could get through it now and says it may feel dated to readers after Star Wars.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "E. E. 'Doc' Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classic science fiction",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gridlinked-series-0e3a31",
      "title": "Gridlinked series",
      "author": "Neal Asher",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15428727,
          "author": "revicon",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:11:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428727",
          "commentText": "The entire Gridlinked series by Neal Asher is set in a universe where AIs run government and are generally interacting with humans in a space opera / secret agent series of books, quite good IMO",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The entire Gridlinked series by Neal Asher is set in a universe where AIs run government and are generally interacting with humans in a space opera / secret agent series of books, quite good IMO",
          "reason": "Calls the series quite good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A space opera and secret agent series; the comment does not claim it is hard science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neal Asher"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "secret agents",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "grimms-fairy-tales-d0a429",
      "title": "Grimms' Fairy Tales",
      "author": "Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50154733,
          "author": "RobKohr",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-19T16:52:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50154733",
          "commentText": "Grimms' Fairy Tales (Leather-bound Classics edition)\nI have been a dad for 18 years and am about to have my 7th kid. I read lots of different kids books to them, but usually when they are about 5 they start to love it when I read Grimms's Fairy Tales (before that they are bored when they hear them).\nThey nick name them the Death stories, and kinda laugh about how it is crazy they are stories for kids (so much disappointment when they make . But, damn if they don't always want to hear them all the time.\nWhat is nice is there is nothing sugary sweet about them, and there are great lessons to untangle from the stories. Sometimes the lesson though is that sometimes bad stuff just happens, and you have to deal with it.\nIt also has a sliver of a view of how people long ago saw things and what was important then, and what still is important today.\nWe are almost through our second lap through the book, and I could see another lap or two through it as our next child comes into listening to it, then maybe I'll be reading it to my grandchildren.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read lots of different kids books to them, but usually when they are about 5 they start to love it when I read Grimms's Fairy Tales",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoys reading the tales aloud to their children and values their lessons and historical perspective.",
          "audience": "Children around age five and older, read aloud by a parent.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says younger children are bored by them and notes the stories can be dark.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jacob Grimm",
        "Wilhelm Grimm"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Parenting"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fairy tales",
        "folklore",
        "read aloud"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "grimus-1631a6",
      "title": "Grimus",
      "author": "Salman Rushdie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1026661,
          "author": "CamperBob",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T02:55:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026661",
          "commentText": "Both Grimus and Midnight's Children are great.  The Satanic Verses is worth a read but not before the first two IMO.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Both Grimus and Midnight's Children are great.",
          "reason": "Calls the book great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Salman Rushdie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "grokking-algorithms-an-illustrated-guide-2ac4db",
      "title": "Grokking Algorithms: An Illustrated Guide",
      "author": "Aditya Y. Bhargava",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33613142,
          "author": "ushercakes",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-15T18:39:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33613142",
          "commentText": "Grokking Algorithms: An Illustrated Guide\nReally helped me out when studying for interviews at first. As a visual learner, this was just great. The examples are very basic but pretty foundational and give you a good base to expand on in further preparation.\nI work at the rainforest company. I credit that book majorly for helping me pass the algorithm rounds.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Grokking Algorithms: An Illustrated Guide\nReally helped me out when studying for interviews at first.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped with interview preparation and provided foundational examples.",
          "audience": "People studying algorithms for interviews; visual learners.",
          "caveat": "The examples are very basic.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Aditya Y. Bhargava"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "interview preparation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "grokking-simplicity-taming-complex-software-with-functional-think-20b880",
      "title": "Grokking Simplicity: Taming Complex Software with Functional Thinking",
      "author": "Eric Normand",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23366469,
          "author": "adamkl",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-31T01:37:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23366469",
          "commentText": "Grokking Simplicity: Taming complex software with functional thinking\nI’m cheating a bit because this is only under 200 pages because it’s a work in progress.\nIt’s such an easy read, but does a great job at explaining the value of functional programming for building real-world applications without getting bogged down in monads, currying, and complex type systems.\nOnce it’s complete, I’d make it required reading for any new junior/intermediate devs on my team (or anyone unfamiliar with functional programming).\n[0] https://www.manning.com/books/grokking-simplicity",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Grokking Simplicity: Taming complex software with functional thinking\nI’m cheating a bit because this is only under 200 pages because it’s a work in progress.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the book for explaining functional programming in practical applications.",
          "audience": "New junior or intermediate developers and people unfamiliar with functional programming.",
          "caveat": "The cited length is under 200 pages because the book is a work in progress.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Normand"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "functional programming",
        "software design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "groundswell-9c17e5",
      "title": "Groundswell",
      "author": "Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1569317,
          "author": "msuprovici1",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T22:19:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 1567456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I want to start a web company what books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569317",
          "commentText": "Free - Chris Anderson;\n4 Steps to Epiphany;\nFounders at Work;\nCrossing the Chasm;\nViral Loop;\nGroundswell;\nLoosing My Virginity - Richard Brandson;\nGood to Great - Collins;\nEntrepreneurs guide to Business Law;",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Groundswell;",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marketing",
        "social media"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "grouped-how-small-groups-of-friends-are-the-key-to-influence-on-t-a7761e",
      "title": "Grouped: How Small Groups of Friends Are the Key to Influence on the Social Web",
      "author": "Paul Adams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4966558,
          "author": "emrekzd",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T18:07:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4966558",
          "commentText": "\"Grouped: How small groups of friends are the key to influence on the social web (Voices That Matter)\" by Paul Adams.\nI think this is an amazing book for entrepreneurs.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Grouped: How small groups of friends are the key to influence on the social web (Voices That Matter)\" by Paul Adams.\nI think this is an amazing book for entrepreneurs.",
          "reason": "Calls it an amazing book for entrepreneurs.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Adams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "influence",
        "social networks"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "growing-object-oriented-software-guided-by-tests-236b48",
      "title": "Growing Object-Oriented Software, Guided by Tests",
      "author": "Steve Freeman and Nat Pryce",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41473787,
          "author": "tejinderss",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-07T13:18:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41473787",
          "commentText": "> That being said, I wish there was a single consistent resource[1] that summarizes truly modern software design philosophy in the sense that it leaves the object orientation inspired ideas behind that did not turn out to be useful and focusses on typed functional programming. Maybe with examples in Typescript and Rust.\nNot Rust or TS, but i found Java to Kotlin a decent book which provides refactoring of java OOP to more functional patterns. One of the authors Nat Pryce was big into OOP design and was also a co-author of famous book Growing Object Oriented Software by Tests.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "famous book Growing Object Oriented Software by Tests",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a book co-authored by Nat Pryce.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28663802,
          "author": "chris_j",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T19:25:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28663802",
          "commentText": "Growing Object Oriented Software, Guided by Tests by Steve Freeman and Natt Pryce. It taught me an awful lot of lessons about object oriented design and London-school TDD. It was published back in 2009 and things have moved on a bit since then but it's still worth reading if you want to understand that style of development. Reading this book changed the way that I write software, very much for the better.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Growing Object Oriented Software, Guided by Tests by Steve Freeman and Natt Pryce.",
          "reason": "Says it taught them many lessons and changed how they write software for the better.",
          "audience": "Readers who want to understand London-school TDD.",
          "caveat": "Published in 2009; the commenter says things have moved on since then.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve Freeman",
        "Nat Pryce"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "object oriented design",
        "test driven development",
        "london school tdd"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "growing-object-oriented-software-guided-by-tests-24209b",
      "title": "Growing Object-Oriented Software, Guided by Tests",
      "author": "Steve Freeman, Nat Pryce",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21312299,
          "author": "un_montagnard",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T13:59:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21312299",
          "commentText": "Refactoring by Martin Fowler and Kent Beck.\nPatterns of Enterprise Application Architecture by Martin Fowler.\nDomain Driven Design by Eric Evans.\nGrowing Object-Oriented Software, guided by tests by Steve Freeman and Nat Pryce.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Growing Object-Oriented Software, guided by tests by Steve Freeman and Nat Pryce.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve Freeman, Nat Pryce"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "object oriented programming",
        "test driven development"
      ],
      "purposes": []
    },
    {
      "id": "growth-470dfe",
      "title": "Growth",
      "author": "Vaclav Smil",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21793520,
          "author": "Dowwie",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-15T00:38:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793520",
          "commentText": "Growth, by Vaclav Smil.  It's not easy reading but it is rewarding.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Growth, by Vaclav Smil. It's not easy reading but it is rewarding.",
          "reason": "Says the challenging read is rewarding.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not easy reading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vaclav Smil"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "energy and resources",
        "growth"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "grumby-7cf6bc",
      "title": "Grumby",
      "author": "Andy Kessler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1571581,
          "author": "ojbyrne",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T15:51:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1571581",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed \"Grumby\" by Andy Kessler. It's about a fictional (very fictional) Silicon Valley startup. Light read and people here would probably enjoy it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed \"Grumby\" by Andy Kessler.",
          "reason": "Says they really enjoyed the book and thinks HN readers would probably enjoy it.",
          "audience": "Hacker News readers",
          "caveat": "Described as very fictional and a light read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andy Kessler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "silicon valley startup"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gruts-7e0729",
      "title": "Gruts",
      "author": "Ivor Cutler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17168821,
          "author": "DanBC",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:58:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168821",
          "commentText": "Gruts by Ivor Cutler.\nMilk, Sulphate, and Albie Starvation by Martin Millar.\nI was introduced to Martin Millar by a very close friend who stole very many books. She was good at it, and she stole hundreds of books.\nIn turn I introduced her to Ivor Cutler. We'd sit in her room drinking tea, eating pikelets and jam, listening to Ivor Cutler.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gruts by Ivor Cutler.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ivor Cutler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "absurdist literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "guantanamo-diary-fc5ceb",
      "title": "Guantánamo Diary",
      "author": "Mohamedou Ould Slahi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10785453,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:27:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785453",
          "commentText": "I'll skip some mentioned already by others. Books I really enjoyed this year:\nThe Wright Brothers, David McCullough - wonderful book on the Wright Brothers, easy to read, shows that persistence and logic thinking pays out. 5/5\nThe autobiography of Malcom X, Malcolm X - Nice bio, a bit repetitive sometimes. 3/5\nAtlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand - Although the book has more than 1200 pages it really kept me going. I read this book to get a better understanding of the ideology of some republicans. Fun read. 4.5/5\nFreakonomics, Steven D. Levitt - Levitt studies all kind of different everyday questions using economics. 4/5, short, easy to read\nGuantanamo Diary, Mohamedou Ould Slahi - Diary of a Guantanamo prisoner who has been imprisoned since 2002. The US has never charged him with a crime. Profound and disturbing. 5/5\nNo place to hide, Glenn Greenwald - Story on Edward Snowden, probably read by most of HN. Enjoyed it, that's it. 4/5\nHow to lie with statistics, Darrel Huff - Short book on statistics, easy to read and fun. 4/5",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Profound and disturbing. 5/5",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it profound and disturbing and rates it 5/5.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The account is disturbing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mohamedou Ould Slahi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "guantanamo",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "guerrilla-marketing-090973",
      "title": "Guerrilla Marketing",
      "author": "Jay Conrad Levinson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6130025,
          "author": "cdvonstinkpot",
          "createdAt": "2013-07-30T21:03:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 6130006,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read re marketing for my website?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6130025",
          "commentText": "The Guerilla Marketing series are all good- by Jay Levinson.\nAs is the oldie but goodie 'Permission Marketing' by Seth Godin.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Guerilla Marketing series are all good- by Jay Levinson.",
          "reason": "Recommends the series as good for practical marketing advice.",
          "audience": "People seeking marketing guidance for a website.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jay Conrad Levinson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marketing",
        "small business"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "guerrilla-warfare-b965b9",
      "title": "Guerrilla Warfare",
      "author": "Che Guevara",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 457870,
          "author": "jamesbritt",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-30T08:15:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=457870",
          "commentText": "Che Guevara's book, Guerrilla Warfare, is quite good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Che Guevara's book, Guerrilla Warfare, is quite good.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes the book as quite good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Che Guevara"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "guerrilla warfare",
        "military strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "guesstimation-c35f79",
      "title": "Guesstimation",
      "author": "Lawrence Weinstein and John Adam",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23727968,
          "author": "jostylr",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T21:53:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23727968",
          "commentText": "I remember Pi in the Sky by John Barrows very fondly. It has more of a focus on geometry and logic.\nA Programmer's Introduction to Mathematics by Jeremy Kun is wide ranging and appropriate if there is also interest in programming.\nNature and Growth of Modern Mathematics by Edna Kramer is a wonderful book if history is a passion as well.\nElements of Mathematics by John Stillwell is a broad overview of subjects. It has a crisp mathematical feel to it.\nVector Calculus, Linear Algebra, and Differential Forms by John & Barbara Hubbard is a beautiful introduction to the multi-dimensional aspects, but it is a book that should happen after knowing one dimensional calculus. .\nIf your child hasn't been exposed to Guesstimation, then a book on that is highly recommended. The book with that title by Weinstein and Adams is a nice guide to investigating that realm.\nIf the child does arithmetic from right to left, as is sadly too common, the book Speed Mathematics Simplified by Edward Stoddard is a great remedy for that.\nEveryday Calculus by Oscar Fernandez could also be worth a look.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book with that title by Weinstein and Adams is a nice guide to investigating that realm.",
          "reason": "A guide to estimation problems.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in guesstimation.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is recommended if the child has not already been exposed to guesstimation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lawrence Weinstein",
        "John Adam"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "estimation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "guide-to-modern-world-literature-5d23e8",
      "title": "Guide to Modern World Literature",
      "author": "Martin Seymour-Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5693444,
          "author": "gruseom",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-12T07:08:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5693444",
          "commentText": "It depends on what you like. Flannery O'Connor's fiction is extraordinary. I bet you'd like Nabokov based on what you've said so far; I like his earlier Russian novels best (which have excellent English translations), like The Defense, for example. If you want to go whole hog into postmodernism then try Pynchon or Gaddis.\nThe 19th century Russians from Gogol to Chekhov are pretty much can't-lose. Turgenev's Fathers and Sons is beautiful and captures the spirit of youth.\nFord Madox Ford's The Good Soldier is a short masterpiece. The Great Gatsby is as good as its reputation says. Read Dickens if you want the essence of the English language and character. Read Kafka for the strangest articulation of modernity. Bruno Schulz is more whimsical. Borges is another whom your list suggests you should try.\nIf you really want to go down a rabbit hole, find Martin Seymour-Smith's Guide to Modern World Literature and browse through it to blow your mind. It covers everything and seems impossible, except it exists so it can't be.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "find Martin Seymour-Smith's Guide to Modern World Literature and browse through it to blow your mind.",
          "reason": "Recommends browsing it, saying it covers everything and will blow your mind.",
          "audience": "Readers wanting to explore modern world literature.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as seemingly impossible in scope.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin Seymour-Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary reference",
        "world literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gulp-adventures-on-the-alimentary-canal-28c751",
      "title": "Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal",
      "author": "Mary Roach",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7968294,
          "author": "neoterics",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:25:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968294",
          "commentText": "Just started Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal by Mary Roach.  Pretty entertaining so far.\nApparently when you're eating, your experience of flavor is about 80 percent olfactory!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just started Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal by Mary Roach. Pretty entertaining so far.",
          "reason": "Calls it pretty entertaining so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mary Roach"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human digestion",
        "popular science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "guru-granth-sahib-ac1e39",
      "title": "Guru Granth Sahib",
      "author": "Unknown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34161496,
          "author": "psithurism",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T14:53:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161496",
          "commentText": "Sociology:\n- The Coddling of the American Mind\n- The Tao of Pooh\n- Guns, Germs, and Steel\n- Weapons of the Weak\nReligious:\n- Guru Granth Sahib\n- Bible (King James Version)\n- Q’uran\n- The Book of Mormon \n- Tipitaka\nFantasy:\n- Dawn of Wonder by Jonathan Renshaw\n- The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan \n- The Way of Kings series by Brandon Sanderson\n- Mistborn also by Brandon Sanderson\n- Red Rising by Pierce Brown\n- The Licanius trilogy by James Islington\n- Saga of the Forgotten Warrior series by Larry Correia\nBiography\n- John Adams by David McCullough",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Guru Granth Sahib",
          "reason": "Listed under religious books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "religious scripture",
        "sikhism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gut-ed3c7f",
      "title": "Gut",
      "author": "Giulia Enders",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20981726,
          "author": "tunnuz",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T07:09:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20981726",
          "commentText": "Gut by Julia Enders, a pop-sci book on our digestive system.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gut by Julia Enders, a pop-sci book on our digestive system.",
          "reason": "Offered as a book in response to a request for good books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Giulia Enders"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "digestive system",
        "popular science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gut-feelings-16932f",
      "title": "Gut Feelings",
      "author": "Gerd Gigerenzer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33800669,
          "author": "stiiv",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T13:48:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33800669",
          "commentText": "_Proofs and Refutations_ tops the list.\nDialog and progressive discovery are crucial to solving problems, and these things happen even after (mostly after?) you arrive at a good solution. _P&R_ provides a working example of how this might go, and how a diligent and magnanimous mind might approach the process. I think it's a really fun and engaging book, too.\nWorks on pragmatism by CS Peirce were really impactful, though I can't recommend a specific book. In a very focused way, Peirce advocates for evaluating ideas in terms of their real-world effects, often by employing a measured skepticism.\nOn the psych/behavioral side, _Gut Feelings_ shows how to be an efficient thinker. Largely contrary to Kahneman's work, it vindicates intuition, but does so in a qualified way. It explains when and how to trust your instincts, and emphasizes the importance of cultivating them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "_Gut Feelings_ shows how to be an efficient thinker.",
          "reason": "Explains when and how to trust instincts and emphasizes cultivating them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it largely runs contrary to Kahneman's work and vindicates intuition in a qualified way.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gerd Gigerenzer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "decision making",
        "intuition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gut-feelings-the-intelligence-of-the-unconscious-696cd5",
      "title": "Gut Feelings: The Intelligence of the Unconscious",
      "author": "Gerd Gigerenzer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1752678,
          "author": "GHFigs",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T13:29:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752678",
          "commentText": "Gut Feelings: The Intelligence of the Unconscious by Gerd Gigerenzer. Ignore the breezy Gladwellesque title, it's much better than that and touches on philosophy, human behavior and economics. He presents an alternative view of the same sorts of phenomena that Kahneman & Tversky's work in behavioral economics, about which I might say more but my nephew is tugging at my sleeve.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's much better than that and touches on philosophy, human behavior and economics.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is much better than its breezy title suggests and praises its subject matter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The title may give a misleadingly breezy impression.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gerd Gigerenzer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "decision making",
        "intuition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gyn-ecology-the-metaethics-of-radical-feminism-401f7e",
      "title": "Gyn/Ecology: The Metaethics of Radical Feminism",
      "author": "Mary Daly",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36440209,
          "author": "mturmon",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T22:44:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36440209",
          "commentText": "Similar experience for me reading Gyn/ecology, the meta-ethics of radical feminism by Mary Daly. She is coming from a very different perspective from mine. It helped me a lot.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "reading Gyn/ecology, the meta-ethics of radical feminism by Mary Daly.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book offered a helpful perspective different from their own.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mary Daly"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "feminist philosophy",
        "radical feminism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "godel-s-proof-47a591",
      "title": "Gödel's Proof",
      "author": "Ernest Nagel and James R. Newman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 240740,
          "author": "andr",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T03:39:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240740",
          "commentText": "I've been coding for quite a few years, but it was Godel's Proof that got me into the theoretical parts of computer science (even though it's a logic book). Strongly recommended. Godel, Escher, and Bach is the usual book to read after Godel's Proof.\nUniversal Principles of Design - great when you need some UI inspiration.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it was Godel's Proof that got me into the theoretical parts of computer science",
          "reason": "Credited with drawing the commenter into theoretical computer science and strongly recommended.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in theoretical computer science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ernest Nagel and James R. Newman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "incompleteness theorems",
        "mathematical logic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "gosta-berling-s-saga-ea623c",
      "title": "Gösta Berling's Saga",
      "author": "Selma Lagerlöf",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17169118,
          "author": "bjoli",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T21:08:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17169118",
          "commentText": "I read practical ethics by Peter Singer in a time of my life when I was struggling to justify my way of life. It pushed me down a path that I still follow today.\nGösta Berling's tale by  Selma Lagerlöf was also very defining. It kept me away from the niilism that often strikes teenagers. Truly wonderful writing (Although I can't vouch for any translations).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Truly wonderful writing (Although I can't vouch for any translations).",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was defining and praises its writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter cannot vouch for any translations.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Selma Lagerlöf"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical novel",
        "swedish literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "h-is-for-hawk-eff688",
      "title": "H Is for Hawk",
      "author": "Helen Macdonald",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10533578,
          "author": "OopsCriticality",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T15:38:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10533578",
          "commentText": "I'm cheating a little on the date, but The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin stands out.  It was translated into english late last year, and received the Hugo this year for best story.  It's wonderful sci-fi written on a grand scale, and made all the more interesting and refreshing to me by coming from outside the Western perspective.  It's one of a trilogy: The Dark Forest english translation is out, and Death's End is coming beginning of next year.\nAlso enjoyed Seveneves by Stephenson, and H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald.  The former is likely known to the HN crowd; the latter draws comparisons to T.H. White's classic The Goshawk.\nAmong non-fiction books, I enjoyed The Little Prover by Friedman and Eastlund.  It was exactly what I expected, a gentle introduction into inductive proofs in the idiom established by The Little Schemer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also enjoyed Seveneves by Stephenson, and H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald.",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Helen Macdonald"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "falconry",
        "grief"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hms-ulysses-2a85ed",
      "title": "HMS Ulysses",
      "author": "Alistair MacLean",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30739622,
          "author": "HeyLaughingBoy",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T02:53:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30739622",
          "commentText": "Alistair McLean's HMS Ulysses was probably the main reason I ended up in nautical school and getting an engineering degree while being trained to be a merchant ship's navigation officer. Although it was a WWII story, his description of life on ships crossing the North Sea in winter for some insane reason made me want to do it. The people I met, the places I went and the things I did during that period set the stage for the rest of my life in ways I really can't explain.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Alistair McLean's HMS Ulysses was probably the main reason I ended up in nautical school and getting an engineering degree while being trained to be a merchant ship's navigation officer.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book helped lead them to nautical school and a maritime career.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alistair MacLean"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "naval fiction",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "html-css-design-and-build-websites-ffe93c",
      "title": "HTML & CSS: Design and Build Websites",
      "author": "Jon Duckett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13264594,
          "author": "ud0",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-27T17:43:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13264594",
          "commentText": "CSS Mastery - Andy Budd\nCSS: The definitive guide - Eric Meyer\nHTML & CSS design - Jon Ducket\nZero to One - Peter Theil. (Started reading it early this year, still on it.)\nI've a self-taught developer coding professionally for 4 years now and I'm looking to fill knowledge gaps and understand how things work under the hood.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "HTML & CSS design - Jon Ducket",
          "reason": "Lists it among books for filling knowledge gaps and understanding how things work under the hood.",
          "audience": "A self-taught developer seeking to fill knowledge gaps.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jon Duckett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "css",
        "html",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "html-and-css-the-comprehensive-guide-60d707",
      "title": "HTML and CSS: The Comprehensive Guide",
      "author": "Jürgen Wolf",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37326037,
          "author": "code_primer",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-30T17:50:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 37325594,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books to learn web development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37326037",
          "commentText": "A textbook which gives a good introduction to Web Development is:\n1) Fundamentals of Web Development (Randy Connolly and Ricardo Hoar).\nI have the 2nd Ed but the 3rd Ed is out and is more contemporary.\nSpecific books for HTML and CSS are:\n1) HTML and CSS - The Comprehensive Guide (decent contemporary introduction)\n2) CSS in Depth\n3) CSS The Definite Guide - 5th Ed - Reference\nSpecific books for JavaScript.\n1) Javascript - The Comprehensive Guide (decent contemporary introduction)\n2) Eloquent JavaScript - 3rd Ed\n3) Javascipt - The Definite Guide - 7th Ed",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "HTML and CSS - The Comprehensive Guide (decent contemporary introduction)",
          "reason": "Lists it as a contemporary introduction to HTML and CSS.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jürgen Wolf"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "css",
        "html"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "html-with-css-and-xhtml-6e42a7",
      "title": "HTML with CSS and XHTML",
      "author": "Elizabeth Freeman and Eric Freeman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 574826,
          "author": "thatguycheese",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-23T00:03:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 574468,
          "threadTitle": "What is the best CSS book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=574826",
          "commentText": "HTML with CSS and XHTML by Elisabeth Freeman & Eric Freeman seemed like a breeze to get through, and very easy to understand. I recommend starting here. But who am I!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "HTML with CSS and XHTML by Elisabeth Freeman & Eric Freeman seemed like a breeze to get through, and very easy to understand. I recommend starting here.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as an easy-to-understand starting point.",
          "audience": "People looking for a clear introduction to HTML and CSS.",
          "caveat": "The commenter adds, “But who am I!”",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Elizabeth Freeman and Eric Freeman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "css",
        "html",
        "xhtml"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "http-the-definitive-guide-3a5277",
      "title": "HTTP: The Definitive Guide",
      "author": "David Gourley, Brian Totty, Marjorie Sayer, Anshu Aggarwal, Sailu Reddy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9045612,
          "author": "Yadi",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-13T17:38:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 9044833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I have $2k for books, training and confs. What should I spend it on?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9045612",
          "commentText": "I would buy and look into the following books:\n# HTTP: The Definitive Guide - O'Reilly Media\n# Algorithms by Sedgewick\n# Introduction to Algorithms by Cormen.\nCheck out some Machine Learning books:\n# Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning\n# Computer Networks (5th Edition)\nI would look at the following book if you wanted more Q&A and interview questions:\n# Cracking the Coding Interview: 150 Programming Questions ...\nTutorial memberships:\n# I would buy a Tuts+ account, they have been very slow in releasing new content (too bad), however they have lots of great Web Development stuff.\nI would read some other non-technical books:\n# Hackers & Painters: Big Ideas from the Computer Age by Paul Graham\n# The Hard Thing About Hard Things by  Ben Horowitz\n# The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book That Will Change The Way You Do Business by Clayton M. Christenen,\n# Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman\n# How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie\nIf you wanted to understand some Cloud stuff, look into the Whitepapers from Amazon Web Services:\n# https://aws.amazon.com/whitepapers/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "HTTP: The Definitive Guide - O'Reilly Media",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Gourley, Brian Totty, Marjorie Sayer, Anshu Aggarwal, Sailu Reddy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "http",
        "web protocols"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hacker-s-delight-699688",
      "title": "Hacker's Delight",
      "author": "Henry S. Warren Jr.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16757541,
          "author": "CodeArtisan",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T18:31:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16757541",
          "commentText": "- Structure and interpretation of computer programs\nMore by nostalgia than by need\n- The art of computer programmming\n- Hacker's delight\nThese two are of great help when doing programming challenges. Hacker's delight is about bitwise tricks.\n- Open Data Structures\nUseful for a quick refresh on data structures.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hacker's delight is about bitwise tricks.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is of great help for programming challenges and covers bitwise tricks.",
          "audience": "People doing programming challenges.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Henry S. Warren Jr."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bit manipulation",
        "programming challenges"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hackers-and-painters-big-ideas-from-the-computer-age-6713fe",
      "title": "Hackers and Painters: Big Ideas from the Computer Age",
      "author": "Paul Graham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12144059,
          "author": "xiaoma",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:19:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144059",
          "commentText": "1) Hackers and Painters, by Paul Graham—This book had a huge influence on me and is why I left a successful and growing low tech business in Asia to move to California and become a software engineer.\n2) Zero to One, by Peter Thiel—Zero to one opened my eyes to several angles of business that I hadn't been thinking about. It made me think much harder about making long-term plans towards a concrete goal, even if changes must be made along the way. It also clarified my thoughts about the nature of competition and non-conformity. Courage is in even shorter supply than genius.\n3. The Hero with a Thousand Faces, by Joseph Campbell—While it's not a business book, this book is a deep look at mythology and psychology. I find it helpful both for understanding people and for understanding myself.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book had a huge influence on me and is why I left a successful and growing low tech business in Asia to move to California and become a software engineer.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it strongly influenced a major career change.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Graham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming",
        "software culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hacking-secret-ciphers-with-python-3d63c3",
      "title": "Hacking Secret Ciphers with Python",
      "author": "Al Sweigart",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9612334,
          "author": "avinassh",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T16:06:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9612334",
          "commentText": "This repo maintains list of free programming books [0].\nMany of the books at Green Tea Press[1] are available for free:\n- Think Python: How To Think Like a Computer Scientist\n- Think Bayes: Bayesian Statistics in Python\n- Think Complexity: Exploring Complexity Science with Python\n- Think Stats: Probability and Statistics for Programmers\n- The Little Book of Semaphores\n- Physical Modeling in MATLAB\n- Learning Perl the Hard Way\nfew others. Do check the site.\nSecondly, books by Al Sweigart[2] are also freely available. They include:\n- Automate the Boring Stuff with Python[3]\n- Hacking Secret Ciphers with Python\n- Invent Your Own Computer Games with Python\n- Making Games with Python & Pygame\n[0] - https://github.com/vhf/free-programming-books\n[1] - http://www.greenteapress.com/\n[2] - https://inventwithpython.com/\n[3] - https://automatetheboringstuff.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hacking Secret Ciphers with Python",
          "reason": "Listed among freely available books by Al Sweigart in response to a request for free reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Al Sweigart"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cryptography",
        "python"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hacking-wireless-access-points-cracking-tracking-and-signal-jacki-7aace4",
      "title": "Hacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking",
      "author": "Johnny Cache, Vincent Liu, and Aaron Eckenrode",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Johnny Cache, Vincent Liu, and Aaron Eckenrode"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "penetration testing",
        "wireless security"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hacking-the-art-of-exploitation-1c54d0",
      "title": "Hacking: The Art of Exploitation",
      "author": "Jon Erickson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13406742,
          "author": "grillisalaatti",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-15T22:27:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13406742",
          "commentText": "Not new, but \"Hacking - The Art of Exploitation\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Hacking - The Art of Exploitation\"",
          "reason": "Submitted as an answer to a question asking for a great computer science book.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a computer science book.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not new.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jon Erickson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer security",
        "exploitation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hacking-the-art-of-exploration-f1fb30",
      "title": "Hacking: The Art of Exploration",
      "author": "Jon Erickson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33160343,
          "author": "baydonFlyer",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-11T07:17:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33160343",
          "commentText": "As someone who teaches C to professional engineers, I'd recommend \"Hacking: The Art of Exploration\" by Jon Erickson. The first 100+ pages are the most succinct coverage of C I've ever come across (if you can already program in other languages).\nAlso, by following many of the exploits covered in the book, you get a real grasp of what is happening at the machine level - which is one of the major reasons you'd choose C over something more modern.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend \"Hacking: The Art of Exploration\" by Jon Erickson.",
          "reason": "Recommended for learning C, with coverage of C and machine level concepts.",
          "audience": "Readers who can already program in other languages.",
          "caveat": "The first 100+ pages are the part highlighted for C coverage.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jon Erickson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming",
        "computer architecture",
        "exploitation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hadith-fe1b6d",
      "title": "Hadith",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15160659,
          "author": "pbhjpbhj",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T10:16:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15160659",
          "commentText": "The synoptic gospels and NT, but to choose one book from the NT, ...\nThe Epistle of James - as it has some strong counterpoints to other parts of the NT particularly the contrast of Pauline notions of grace with charity/works.\nEmperor's New Mind, Penrose - probably my biggest take away from it was to consider how human perception works alongside, and co-mingles with, physics.\nWeb of Life, Capra - considering holistic nature of life, one's connection to the World at large; emergent patterns, complex structure birthing from simplicity (goes well with what I recall of Gleick's Chaos).\nZen and the Art ... - what is value, what is valuable to me, whither/whence/wherefore value; how should I relate to my children (long before i had any) and how to challenge them philosophically.\nRepublic, Plato - the first book that really set me thinking about the structure of society, about inequalities. And of course about stepping out of The Cave.\nKoran & Hadith (partial readings, ie whole sections; couple of major hadith only) - [redacted]; but greater understanding of Islam and of religion in general; taught me to watchfully avoid being tainted by the labels people give themselves and look instead to their actions.\nMein Kampf (partial reading) - ideas have intrinsic moral value, that we should judge ideas on their merits and not by who has them; we should be careful about tarring people by simple association.\nArt of War - preparedness, looking to supply lines, avoiding conflicts, not entering \"battles\" you know you'll lose (which I'd take as 'learn nothing from').\nChristianarchy - what it means to be a Christian, who is and isn't \"in\".\nAgrarian Justice, Paine - what is my place politically and economically in the world, whence do I derive the 'rights' to own what I do, whether such ownership is good.\nWorth noting here that the ideas and impressions I got are unlikely to be what you will get, we react to books based on who we are, our frame of mind, moods, etc.. Most of these books I read as a late teenager, that at least in part boosts their impact. The impact is not necessarily the purpose of the book, quite the opposite in some cases.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Koran & Hadith (partial readings, ie whole sections; couple of major hadith only)",
          "reason": "The commenter says the reading led to greater understanding of Islam and religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Partial readings.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "islam",
        "religious texts"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hagakure-3dcd69",
      "title": "Hagakure",
      "author": "Yamamoto Tsunetomo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15630101,
          "author": "martin_a",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:31:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630101",
          "commentText": "Hagakure - Yamamoto Tsunetomo\nKind of the ethical codex for samurai warriors. Little stories about what to do and not to do which you can translate to a modern daily life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Little stories about what to do and not to do which you can translate to a modern daily life.",
          "reason": "Described as practical ethical guidance that can be applied to modern daily life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Yamamoto Tsunetomo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "japanese history",
        "samurai ethics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hagakure-the-book-of-the-samurai-fc0704",
      "title": "Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai",
      "author": "Yamamoto Tsunetomo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 456347,
          "author": "pskomoroch",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T14:15:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456347",
          "commentText": "I used to have a lot more time for non CS reading and actually made an Amazon list on this topic back in 2005:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/2INJSM38... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/2INJSM38IDMDZ/ref=cm_sw_r_de_lm)\n1.  On War (Everyman's Library (Cloth)) by Carl Von Clausewitz\n2.  Leadership: The Warrior's Art by Barry R. McCaffrey\n3.  Small Unit Leadership: A Commonsense Approach by Dandridge M. Malone\n4.  The Defense of Hill 781: An Allegory of Modern Mechanized Combat by James R. McDonough\n5.  The Art of Maneuver: Maneuver-Warfare Theory and AirLand Battle by Robert Leonhard\n6.  Strategy: Second Revised Edition (Meridian) by B. H. Liddell Hart\n7.  The Art of War by Niccolò Machiavelli\n8.  Hagakure: The Book of the Samauri by Tsunetomo Yamamoto\n9.  The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius\n10.  The Art of War (Shambhala classics) by Sun Tzu\n11.  The Prince (Bantam Classics) by Niccolo Machiavelli\n12.  Evolutionary Game Theory by Jörgen W. Weibull\n13.  On Guerrilla Warfare by Mao Tse-tung\n14.  The History of the Peloponnesian War: Revised Edition (Penguin Classics) by Thucydides\n15.  The Histories (Penguin Classics) by Herodotus\n16.  The Persian Expedition (Penguin Classics) by Xenophon\n17.  Plutarch: Lives of Noble Grecians and Romans (Modern Library Series, Vol. 1) by Plutarch\n18.  Plutarch's Lives, Volume 2 (Modern Library Classics) by Plutarch\n19.  Livy: The Early History of Rome, Books I-V (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 1-5) by Titus Livy\n20.  The History of Rome from Its Foundation, Books XXI-XXX: The War with Hannibal (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 21-30) by Titus Livius Livy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "8.  Hagakure: The Book of the Samauri by Tsunetomo Yamamoto",
          "reason": "Included in a list of military strategy books answering the thread's request.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking books about military strategy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Yamamoto Tsunetomo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bushido",
        "samurai"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hairy-maclary-ce80b9",
      "title": "Hairy Maclary",
      "author": "Lynley Dodd",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50079372,
          "author": "pjacotg",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-13T21:50:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50079372",
          "commentText": "To get started board books and we also had a book with pictures of a 1000 everyday objects which both my kids loved.\nThen for older than the first few months, my kids loved Maisy books, Spot books, various Julia Donaldsons, Percy the Park Keeper and Hairy Maclarey to name a few.\nGood luck with all of it!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hairy Maclarey to name a few.",
          "reason": "The commenter lists it among books their children loved.",
          "audience": "Young children; offered as reading advice for a baby.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lynley Dodd"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "animals",
        "picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "halcyon-drift-f3fb18",
      "title": "Halcyon Drift",
      "author": "Brian Stableford",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36023446,
          "author": "kcartlidge",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T18:20:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36023446",
          "commentText": "Multiple re-reads:\n- Saga of the Exiles by Julian May, which merges science fiction with folklore/fantasy in Pliocene Earth\n- Hyperion by Dan Simmons, excellent SF with a feel of the Canterbury Tales about it\n- Neuromancer by William Gibson, plus the follow-ups (all the Sprawl) are very good too\n- The Sheep Look Up by John Brunner, about the eco collapse of the US in the 1980s (10 years after it was written) and which William Gibson called a \"brilliant novel\"\nAnd a couple of guilty pleasures:\n- Venus Equilateral by George O Smith, 1940s stories based around a three mile long space station at the L4 point in space, a bit like Babylon 5 meets DS9 in the era of vacuum tubes\n- Necrotech by KC Alexander, a brutal and obscene body-mod cyberpunk dystopia (the sequel of which, Nanoshock, has a superbly offensive opening sentence)\n- Halcyon Drift by Brian Stableford, about a corporate dystopia and a pilot who hooks up his body to merge with his ship (a bit blase now but less so then, especially as I had read far less at the time)\n- Bio of a Space Tyrant by Piers Anthony, a 6 book series following the rise of a refugee to becoming the Tyrant of Jupiter",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Halcyon Drift by Brian Stableford, about a corporate dystopia and a pilot who hooks up his body to merge with his ship",
          "reason": "Describes its corporate dystopia and a pilot merging physically with his ship.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it seems a bit blasé now, though it felt less so when they first read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Stableford"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "corporate dystopia",
        "human machine merging"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "half-the-sky-turning-oppression-into-opportunity-for-women-worldw-35acb5",
      "title": "Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide",
      "author": "Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37937235,
          "author": "jazzyjackson",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:45:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937235",
          "commentText": "women hold up half the sky. i was ignorant to a lot of suffering in the world before I read this book. very emotional read.\nspell of the sensuous. mind bending history of the alphabet, the effect of being literate on your ways of thinking and an introduction to phenomenology and our original sin of considering \"nature\" to be an \"other\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "women hold up half the sky. i was ignorant to a lot of suffering in the world before I read this book. very emotional read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it made them aware of suffering they had not known about and describes it as emotional.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a very emotional read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nicholas D. Kristof",
        "Sheryl WuDunn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "global poverty",
        "women s rights"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "halfway-home-902f81",
      "title": "Halfway Home",
      "author": "Hugh Howey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8257711,
          "author": "laurenbee",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T14:23:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257711",
          "commentText": "I'm enjoying my free month of KU and reading Hugh Howey's works at the moment. Halfway Home is pretty good, as are his short stories.\nFrom what I have seen, there aren't a ton of amazing books in KU, but being able to borrow lots of foreign-language books might compel me to stick with it. I'm brushing up on my Spanish, and it helps to read children's books and short stories I probably wouldn't buy otherwise.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Halfway Home is pretty good",
          "reason": "Explicitly says the book is pretty good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hugh Howey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "colonization",
        "science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hallucinations-a96252",
      "title": "Hallucinations",
      "author": "Oliver Sacks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37937328,
          "author": "jrace",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:56:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937328",
          "commentText": "This Is Your Brain on Music\n-by Daniel Levitin\n--helped me understand why listening to music has such a varied and profound effect on me.\nHallucinations \n-by Oliver Sack\n--piqued my interest in the brain and the notion that it is running the show behind the scenes and what we perceive to be reality is merely a construct of our neural activity.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hallucinations \n-by Oliver Sack",
          "reason": "It piqued the commenter's interest in the brain and perception.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18744060,
          "author": "EamonnMR",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T02:38:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744060",
          "commentText": "Exploding the Phone (Phil Lapsley): A history of the Phone Phreak phenomenon. If you've browsed around ancient hacker lore or read textfiles.com, you'll enjoy it.\nGiving Good Weight (John McPhee): Some John McPhee articles. They're very good, as usual, the title article being about farmers markets and told in an experimental style.\nRust: The Longest War (Jonathan Waldman): Explores several different stories tied together by the theme of metal corrosion and the people who contend with it.\nHallucinations (Oliver Sacks): Mostly about what malfunctions of the brains of a few can tell us about how all of our brains are structured.\nDesigners & Dragons: A History of the Roleplaying Game Industry (Parts 1 and 2 so far) (Shannon Appelcline)\nThe history of a bunch of start-ups.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Mostly about what malfunctions of the brains of a few can tell us about how all of our brains are structured.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Oliver Sacks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "neuroscience",
        "perception"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "halo-novels-69f441",
      "title": "Halo novels",
      "author": "Various authors",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25846874,
          "author": "giantg2",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T14:36:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25846874",
          "commentText": "I don't read much fiction either. I did read more when I was younger.\nI enjoyed many of the Halo books (there are a couple duds in there too), which lead me to other books authored by Eric Nylund. I like his writing style, even though he has more fantasy elements to his stories than I would typically like but it somehow works. A Game of Universe and Mortal Coils are some that I have read.\nI also read some of the Splinter Cell books. They were ok from what I remember, but probably only good if you liked the games. Tom Clancy has some good books (the Splinter Cell game books are ghost written). I remember Rainbow Six was a good one.\nYou could also try non-fiction adventure books. Since they are set in areas you are not familiar with, your brain still has to build the environment and imagery. Something like One Man's Wilderness. I enjoyed that book. I used to read and listen to books like Hatchet and this was along the same lines but non-fiction. I'd also say to be careful about these. For me, it makes me want to quit and live on a farm.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed many of the Halo books",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed many of the books in the franchise.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says there are a couple of duds.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military science fiction",
        "video game tie in"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "halting-state-trilogy-1475e8",
      "title": "Halting State trilogy",
      "author": "Charles Stross",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17536654,
          "author": "dochtman",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:35:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536654",
          "commentText": "Isaac Asimov is one of the classics, of course. I'm particularly fond of the robot novels (all four of the Elijah Baley ones especially) and the entire Foundation series. Of course, you also can't miss the robot short stories. Oh, and The End of Eternity!\nAt some point I found Charles Stross' Accelerando, which is freely available online (along with a bunch of other short stories), and found everything I've read (which is most of it at this point, I think) enjoyably fast-paced. In particular the Laundry series (of which I've bought every iteration as soon as they came out over the past few years) -- though arguably these maybe cross-over from SF into fantasy a bit -- and the Halting State trilogy.\nIn terms of online available work, Cory Doctorow's work is also great. Like Stross, most of his work is more near-term SF, which I have liked, and a bunch of it is available online under a Creative Commons license. It often moves fast and is also politically interesting; sometimes the activism shines through a little blatantly, but the themes are always make me thing in various ways I appreciate (but maybe will fail your lighthearted criterion even if it is fun). His latest is Walkaway, which I would recommend.\nI got into Neal Stephenson through Cryptonomicon, which is one of the greats. Stephenson has a pretty rambly, wordy style, but at least that also makes his stories last a bit longer. After that, I mostly moved on to Anathem, Reamde and Seveneves all of which are big and interesting and great reads (it took me longer than usual to get up to speed on Anathem, but it was very much worth it in the end). I tried one of the more historic ones (I think it was Quicksilver) at some point but haven't finished it. The 2017 Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. was a bit lighter, but lots of fun, too.\nWilliam Gibson has already been mentioned, which I would also recommend. I read the Sprawl trilogy a very long time ago, and it's made a lasting expression. I've started rereading it recently. I also liked the Blue Ant trilogy and The Peripheral, but have so far missed the more recent work.\nMore in the one-off category: The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell is one of my all-time favorites, and mixes deep SF with psychology and religion in interesting ways. There's a sequel, but it's not as good. I also liked The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, which is also on the softer side. I read Scalzi's Redshirts and liked it (especially if you're familiar with the Star Trek universe), it feels similar to Ready Player One in some ways. Daniel Suarez's (or Leinad Zeraus as he originally published them) Daemon is fun and easy to digest, along with its sequel Freedom. I liked Robert J. Sawyer's The Terminal Experiment, but one person I recommended it too wasn't impressed -- I still think it's fun, if not very deep. I also bought his Factoring Humanity and liked it okay.\nHope that helps. Always interested in more recommendations based on this list!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and the Halting State trilogy.",
          "reason": "Included among the works the commenter has found enjoyable and fast-paced.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Stross"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyberpunk",
        "near future fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hamilton-the-revolution-954037",
      "title": "Hamilton: The Revolution",
      "author": "Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13568411,
          "author": "krishna2",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T19:01:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13568411",
          "commentText": "\"Hamilton\" by Lin Manuel Miranda. This is the story of how the play came to be after his first white house performance.\nHere is a short post I wrote a few days back:\nHamilton is an absolutely fantastic musical. An amazing history : probably the most interesting story of a founding-father. It has got everything : rags-to-riches, heroism, fighting, betrayal, sex scandal, .. you name it. The musical is based off of Ron Chernow's door-stop sized biography. Lin Manuel Miranda adapted it to a Broadway play. And if you are like most, you will end up becoming a huge fan of Miranda. The musical won a Pulitzer as well as a lot of Tony's including the best musical. What a beautiful way to tell the story of a founding father with Rap, Hip-Hop, R&B and a bunch of other genres. Mind blown!\nIf you can get a ticket to the musical, consider yourself lucky and go watch it. I haven't. So ended up doing all the other reading / listening before the musical finale. :)\nI got so interested in this that I have now listened to the musical (many times), read all the coverage of it in NY Times (published as a book) and also the book that Miranda himself wrote about the genesis of the show and watched a dozen videos of Lin on youtube.\nHere's Lin's first presentation of this idea in a poetry recital at the White House:\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNFf7nMIGnE\nThe entire musical is available on many streaming services and on youtube too.\nThe book by Lin Manuel Miranda : Hamilton : \nhttps://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Revolution-Lin-Manuel-Mirand... (https://www.amazon.com/Hamilton-Revolution-Lin-Manuel-Miranda-ebook/dp/B015X056G4/)\nThis is the book that covers all articles on NY Times: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FWP73AM/\nA few cool Lin videos:\nSNL Monologue:\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsupmN90wBk\nFreestyle rapping in the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon:\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w31jboLYcH4\nFreestyle with Ellen:\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqhKeIr6Zbc&t=201s\nRon Chernow's book: \nhttps://www.amazon.com/Alexander-Hamilton-Ron-Chernow-ebook/... (https://www.amazon.com/Alexander-Hamilton-Ron-Chernow-ebook/dp/B000QJLQZI/)\n[yet to read this massive tome -> saving it up as the finale].",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book by Lin Manuel Miranda : Hamilton :",
          "reason": "Describes the book about the genesis of the show and says the musical is fantastic.",
          "audience": "People interested in the Hamilton musical and its creation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy McCarter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creative process",
        "musical theater"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hamlet-7a1bca",
      "title": "Hamlet",
      "author": "William Shakespeare",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38239813,
          "author": "astromd",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T13:19:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38239813",
          "commentText": "Right now I’m reading Snow Crash by Neil Stephenson and Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Hamlet, Prince of Denmark by William Shakespeare",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5832481,
          "author": "leephillips",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T14:08:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5832481",
          "commentText": "Some favorites:\nPale Fire by Nabokov\nUlysses by Joyce\nEt Tu, Babe by Leyner\nMetamorphosis by Kafka (more a long story)\nThings Fall Apart by Achebe\nHamlet and Coriolanus by Shakespeare\nThe Code of the Woosters by Wodehouse\nThe Doorbell Rang by Stout",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hamlet",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Shakespeare"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "shakespeare",
        "tragedy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "handbook-of-basic-third-edition-50db09",
      "title": "Handbook of BASIC, Third Edition",
      "author": "David I. Schneider",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30740450,
          "author": "codazoda",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T05:44:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30740450",
          "commentText": "Handbook of BASIC, Third Edition by David I. Schneider published in 1988\nThis book probably launched my career in programming. When the book wore out, I carefully cut off the spine, hole punched it, and moved it into a 3-ring binder. I still have it.\nIt’s a complete reference to the language I cut my teeth on as a teenager. The appendix was particularly useful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Handbook of BASIC, Third Edition by David I. Schneider published in 1988",
          "reason": "Credits this language reference with helping launch their programming career.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David I. Schneider"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "basic programming",
        "language reference"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "handbook-of-discrete-and-combinatorial-mathematics-f4194a",
      "title": "Handbook of Discrete and Combinatorial Mathematics",
      "author": "Kenneth H. Rosen and others",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32936852,
          "author": "jonathanstrange",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T10:06:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936852",
          "commentText": "Just a few non-fiction books from me this time:\n- Lewis Dartnell The Knowledge: This book made me realize the fragility of modern technology and how it is funded on chemical industry, shipping, oil, and the exploitation of natural resources.\n- Peter P. Wakker Prospect Theory: This is not an easy reading but it contains one of the few understandable and detailed explanations of rank-dependent utility theory and why early probability-weighing approaches were incorrect; a must read for anyone interested in rational decision making.\n- Vöcking, Alt, et. al Taschenbuch der Algorithmen: This marvelous Springer book unfortunately only seems to be available in German; it's not at all what the title suggests, but rather a book that brings the fun back to programming, like an 80s hobby programming book; various contributors lay out their favorite algorithms and techniques in short, easy to read chapters. It's like Christmas for programmers.\n- Rosen Handbook of Discrete and Combinatorial Mathematics (Indian Edition): believe it or not, this handbook has helped me a lot with my work in philosophy; it's also the almost ideal handbook style, extremely concise but also very understandable. Of course, I didn't \"read\" this book but using it for reference was definitely worth it.\n- Scott Programming Language Pragmatics: Anybody interested in creating a programming language should read this, preferably the latest edition (I don't know if it's still updated, though); I'm convinced that even though it mostly covers \"generation 4\" languages and earlier, if more language designers read this book, new programming languages would be better; not that anybody needs new programming languages, Common Lisp and Ada are perfectly fine.\n- Jean-Claude Ellena Atlas of Perfumed Botany: Although it sounds a bit pretentious at times like the perfume market is in general (it's 90% marketing of emotions, 10% about the scent), this is a really nice and passionate book about perfumery with beautiful illustrations, written by one of the most renowned contemporary perfumers. It's also surprisingly cheap and by MIT Press.\n- Duff / Gormly First Aid and Wilderness Medicine: This is perhaps the best first aid book out there. Of course, it doesn't replace a practical course but it's a great reference and generally good reading if you're interested in the topic.\nThere was another book I read as a child in German, translated from English. It fascinated me and was the main reason why I got interested in AI and ultimately studied philosophy and linguistics. It was about the Schank/Riesbeck group or some similar symbolic AI research at the time (during the 70s or early 80s) and mentioned meetings where members of the group watched Mork from Ork and analyzed Mork's misunderstandings. If anybody has an idea which book that was, please let me know!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this handbook has helped me a lot with my work in philosophy",
          "reason": "Says it has been helpful for their philosophy work and praises its concise, understandable reference format.",
          "audience": "Readers needing a reference for discrete and combinatorial mathematics.",
          "caveat": "Used as a reference rather than read cover to cover.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kenneth H. Rosen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "combinatorics",
        "discrete mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "handbook-of-filter-synthesis-6d0ccd",
      "title": "Handbook of Filter Synthesis",
      "author": "Anatol I. Zverev",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910457,
          "author": "aparks517",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:48:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910457",
          "commentText": "Handbook of Filter Synthesis by Zverev. It’s out of print, but gives a nice tour of the field with good references. Beautiful charts and tables.\nDesign of Crystal and Other Harmonic Oscillators by Parzen  delighted me with its practical depth and detail.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "gives a nice tour of the field with good references. Beautiful charts and tables.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its introduction to the field, references, charts, and tables.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It is out of print.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anatol I. Zverev"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "circuit design",
        "electrical filters"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "handbook-of-mathematical-functions-a74130",
      "title": "Handbook of Mathematical Functions",
      "author": "Milton Abramowitz and Irene A. Stegun",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21352341,
          "author": "weinzierl",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-25T06:10:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21352341",
          "commentText": "I absolutely agree about the quality of Russian math books.\n\"Bronshtein and Semendyayev\" and \"Abramowitz and Stegun\" come to my mind.\nI doubt that a publishing company bringing back those titles  into print would be very successful. One thing is that many of these titles are mostly of historical value. Who needs a book with mathematical tables nowadays? Many of the books are still available as used books too.\nThe most compelling argument though is that they are easily available on libgen (like this very post proves). So in a sense the publisher you wish for already exists, just not in a the form you probably thought of.\nEDIT: Oops, I just learned that Milton Abramowitz and Irene Stegun are actually Americans.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Abramowitz and Stegun\" come to my mind.",
          "reason": "Named as an example of mathematics books being discussed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment says many such titles are mostly of historical value and questions the current need for mathematical tables.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Milton Abramowitz and Irene A. Stegun"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical tables",
        "reference"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "handbook-of-model-rocketry-2a8ba1",
      "title": "Handbook of Model Rocketry",
      "author": "G. Harry Stine",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14137515,
          "author": "dTal",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T09:59:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14137515",
          "commentText": "For work:\nPrinciples of Digital Audio, by Ken Pohlmann\nFor play:\nHandbook of Model Rocketry, by G. Harry Stine.\n(p.s. if anyone has any suggestions for the field of imaging, I'd love to hear them as I don't know of a good imaging \"bible\".)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Handbook of Model Rocketry, by G. Harry Stine",
          "reason": "Named as the commenter’s hobby-related bible.",
          "audience": "Model rocketry hobbyists",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "G. Harry Stine"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "model rocketry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "handmade-hero-93a9c3",
      "title": "Handmade Hero",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13661043,
          "author": "nkassis",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-16T16:12:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13661043",
          "commentText": "Not a book but Casey Muratori's Handmade Hero series is really interesting. It's a from scratch tutorial on building game in C on windows but delves into many interesting programming topic that would be useful outside game development.\nhttps://handmadehero.org/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Casey Muratori's Handmade Hero series is really interesting.",
          "reason": "Describes the tutorial series as interesting and explains that it teaches game development from scratch.",
          "audience": "People interested in learning game development and broader programming topics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is not a book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming",
        "game development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hands-on-machine-learning-with-scikit-learn-keras-and-tensorflow-d237f1",
      "title": "Hands-On Machine Learning with Scikit-Learn, Keras, and TensorFlow",
      "author": "Aurélien Géron",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20674920,
          "author": "RocketSyntax",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T12:49:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20674920",
          "commentText": "I'm reading \"Hands-On Machine Learning with Scikit-Learn & Tensorflow.\" It's really good at explaining the theory of how it works and providing examples of what choices to make when using tf.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm reading \"Hands-On Machine Learning with Scikit-Learn & Tensorflow.\" It's really good at explaining the theory",
          "reason": "Praises its explanations of the theory and choices when using TensorFlow.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Aurélien Géron"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "deep learning",
        "machine learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hands-on-rust-2945a3",
      "title": "Hands-On Rust",
      "author": "Herbert Wolverson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34422262,
          "author": "azemetre",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-18T01:33:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 34412069,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach programming by building a series of small projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34422262",
          "commentText": "Definitely pointers, but IIRC it does go over the concepts. I don't recall if it ever touches lifetimes tho.\nThe book basically uses the crate clap to create all the CLTs, along with specific crates for regex and creating ascii tables for the cal clone.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The book basically uses the crate clap to create all the CLTs",
          "reason": "Describes the book's project examples and mentions pointers and lifetimes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not recall whether it covers lifetimes.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34420654,
          "author": "azemetre",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-17T22:51:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 34412069,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach programming by building a series of small projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34420654",
          "commentText": "I may sound like a shill but I think paying for O'Reilly is worth it. You get access to many books and videos outside the O'Reilly publisher. Definitely worth it, I tend to read a tech book a month (maybe 2 if it's \"light.\")\nMany of the books being suggested in the other comments are available as well (will definitely start Hands-On Rust because it seems very cool, and Practical Common Lisp shortly afterwards).\nOut of all the \"tutorial\" offerings I only pay for three services:\nO'Reilly (four years so far)\nEducative.io (two years)\nFrontendmasters (eight years)\nEvery year I test out other services (pluralsight, lynda/linkedin learning, egghead, etc) but outside of one or three core offerings they don't seem to be a good value for what I want.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "will definitely start Hands-On Rust because it seems very cool",
          "reason": "Says they plan to start reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34412617,
          "author": "kriro",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-17T14:18:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 34412069,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach programming by building a series of small projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34412617",
          "commentText": "\"Hands on Rust\" teaches Rust by building a rogue like game step by step. Before that there's a chapter where you rebuild Flappy Bird from scratch that teaches the \"basics\" before diving into more advanced concepts in the rogue like. I liked the approach and recommend the book but it's fast paced and expects quite a bit from the reader (it's excellent if you have some programming experience already but probably daunting as a true first book imo).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Hands on Rust\" teaches Rust by building a rogue like game step by step.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it for learning Rust through a step-by-step game project.",
          "audience": "Readers with some programming experience.",
          "caveat": "Fast-paced and expects quite a bit from the reader; likely daunting as a first book.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32198251,
          "author": "y56366346767",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T23:14:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32198251",
          "commentText": "Just finished 'Subtle is the Lord - The Science and Life of Albert Einstein' by Abraham Pais. Easily the best biography of Einstein.\nCurrently reading: 'Inhibitor Phase' by Alastair Reynolds (60% read), 'Wayward' by Hannah Mathewson (50%), '10,000 Light Years from Home' by James Tiptree Jnr (50%), 'Rust for Rustaceans' by Jon Gjengset (20%), and 'Hands-on Rust' by Herbert Wolverson (10%).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "'Hands-on Rust' by Herbert Wolverson (10%).",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Herbert Wolverson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "project based learning",
        "rust",
        "game development",
        "rust programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hands-on-scala-programming-1f46a3",
      "title": "Hands-on Scala Programming",
      "author": "Li Haoyi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28479697,
          "author": "jodersky",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-10T10:34:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 28478751,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach you programming languages via systems projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28479697",
          "commentText": "Hands-on Scala Programming (https://www.handsonscala.com/) is a great way to learn Scala. It's down-to-earth, project-based and focuses on the practical side of the language.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hands-on Scala Programming (https://www.handsonscala.com/) is a great way to learn Scala.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a practical, project-based way to learn Scala.",
          "audience": "Readers learning Scala.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Li Haoyi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "project based learning",
        "scala"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "happiness-b51785",
      "title": "Happiness",
      "author": "Derren Brown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30749180,
          "author": "insaider",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-21T01:57:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30749180",
          "commentText": "Ah yes, the Stoic 'considered life', exactly. I recommended Derren Brown's book 'Happiness' if anyone is interested in that.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommended Derren Brown's book 'Happiness'",
          "reason": "The commenter says they recommended it in relation to Stoic ideas about living well.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Derren Brown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "happiness",
        "stoicism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "happiness-a-guide-to-developing-life-s-most-important-skill-57d03c",
      "title": "Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life’s Most Important Skill",
      "author": "Matthieu Ricard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21458947,
          "author": "davidjnelson",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T01:45:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21458947",
          "commentText": "“Happiness: A Guide to Developing Life's Most Important Skill” by Matthieu Ricard\nPhenomenal book by a molecular biologist turned monk who talks about happiness being a skill that can be developed through practice. Powerful, well grounded in science, one of those books that can shift your worldview in a supremely positive way.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Happiness-Guide-Developing-Lifes-Impo... (https://www.amazon.com/Happiness-Guide-Developing-Lifes-Important/dp/0316167258)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Phenomenal book by a molecular biologist turned monk who talks about happiness being a skill that can be developed through practice. Powerful, well grounded in science, one of those books that can shift your worldview in a supremely positive way.",
          "reason": "Calls it phenomenal, powerful, science-grounded, and says it can shift one's worldview positively.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthieu Ricard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "happiness",
        "meditation",
        "well being"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "happy-0dd471",
      "title": "Happy",
      "author": "Derren Brown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37945974,
          "author": "stranded22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T17:41:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37945974",
          "commentText": "Ok:\n1) Happy by Derren Brown - a stoic interpretation for the modern world (how to live, and die, happy)\n2) The Daily Stoic - 366 pages of stoic philosophy for each day\n3) how to control drinking / this naked mind- second book is a reinterpretation of the first, made the biggest impact on my life, helping me stop drinking\n4) Atomic Habits - helped me appreciate it is a little nudge that makes the biggest long term difference",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Happy by Derren Brown - a stoic interpretation for the modern world",
          "reason": "Described as a modern Stoic interpretation of how to live and die happily.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Derren Brown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "happiness",
        "stoicism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "harassment-architecture-091cfe",
      "title": "Harassment Architecture",
      "author": "Mike Ma",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33406830,
          "author": "chadoverfl0w",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-31T15:07:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33406830",
          "commentText": "Guide to Reliable Distributed Systems by Kenneth P. Birman: gave me the same effect that the people who read DDIA/Designing Data Intensive Applications claimed it gave them.\nI first tried reading DDIA before it since it was newer and it had more hype. But DDIA is so dense that most of the things went over my head. Then I came across Ken Birman's book and I found it easier to follow. Although it had a hundred pages more than DDIA, it doesnt cover as much ground such as it didnt mention object storages. The niche topics were also better in DDIA, such as error correction schemes was only mentioned once in Birman's book. DDIA seems to be more complete. So I'll re-read DDIA again next year.\nHarassment Architecture: saw it on Amazon and I could never understand the humor behind the reviews for the book. So I tried a few pages, and something about it was gripping. All I could say is that I've never read anything like it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "something about it was gripping. All I could say is that I've never read anything like it.",
          "reason": "Says they tried a few pages and found the book gripping and unlike anything they had read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mike Ma"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "transgressive fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hard-drive-0a8aa3",
      "title": "Hard Drive",
      "author": "James Wallace and Jim Erickson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13573659,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-05T18:24:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13573659",
          "commentText": "I don't think you'd be surprised in the large by anything in 'Gates', though there may be a story here or there that 'Hard Drive' didn't present, and vice versa. I'll make a point to read 'Hard Drive' as well, I find the perspective helpful.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'll make a point to read 'Hard Drive' as well, I find the perspective helpful.",
          "reason": "Plans to read it and finds the perspective helpful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "This is an intention to read, not an explicit recommendation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13569065,
          "author": "johansch",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T21:07:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13569065",
          "commentText": "Well, ditto. I can recommend 'Hard Drive' just by its sheer writing/research quality. Apparently the book came out of a series of articles in \"The Seattle Times\", back when newspapers employed quality writers/researchers.\nIt gave me\na) a whole new understanding of the computer hardware/ecosystem I grew up with\nb) a re-newed insight into why Gates was a horrible, horrible monopolist who held back software development for the world quite a bit. My best guess is by about 5 years. (And that estimate is actually quite generous towards Mr. Gates.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can recommend 'Hard Drive' just by its sheer writing/research quality.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for its writing and research quality and says it gave them a new understanding of computer hardware and Microsoft's history.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computing and technology history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Wallace",
        "Jim Erickson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Computing",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bill gates",
        "microsoft",
        "microsoft history",
        "technology biography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hard-landing-the-epic-contest-for-power-and-profits-that-plunged--2c40ef",
      "title": "Hard Landing: The Epic Contest for Power and Profits That Plunged the Airlines into Chaos",
      "author": "Thomas Petzinger Jr.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21792957,
          "author": "sl8r",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T22:59:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21792957",
          "commentText": "* \"the dream machine\" is an fascinating, joyful account of jr licklider's work in interactive computing\n* \"hard landing\" makes the airline industry seem tumultuous and exciting\n* \"a man for all markets\" is the autobiography of ed thorpe, father of card counting and quant hedge funds\n* \"unix: a history and a memoir\" is a mischievous first hand account from brian kernighan (of unix / c / awk fame)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"hard landing\" makes the airline industry seem tumultuous and exciting",
          "reason": "Praised for making the airline industry seem tumultuous and exciting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Petzinger Jr."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "airline industry",
        "aviation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hardball-cc4368",
      "title": "Hardball",
      "author": "Chris Matthews",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 240850,
          "author": "trotzke",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T06:28:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240850",
          "commentText": "On my desk:\nGetting Real (37Signals),\nHardball (Chris Mathews),\nPrioritizing Web Usability (Jakob Nielsen)\nNearby shelf:\nThe Design of Everyday Things,\nMaverick,\nFounders at work,\nA Brief History of Time,\nA Pattern Language,\nPeopleware,\nMade to stick,\nWeb Standards Solutions,\nDesigning Interactions,\nThe Pragmatic Programmer,\nThe Mythical Man-Month,\nOh, the Places You'll Go!\nOther good reads:\nBlink,\nTipping Point,\nLong Tail,\nFreakonomics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hardball (Chris Mathews),",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for recommended books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris Matthews"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "politics",
        "power"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hardcore-java-827774",
      "title": "Hardcore Java",
      "author": "Robert Simmons",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 221375,
          "author": "jm4",
          "createdAt": "2008-06-19T00:17:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 221097,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Best book for Java",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=221375",
          "commentText": "While slightly off topic, albertcardona may have a point here. This deserves some clarification. It may be that they specifically need Java if they're going to have some in house programmers maintain the application later, but if all they're really interested in is the JVM then you've got some options you may want to consider. I don't want to stray too far here, but one thing I've noticed about many Java people is that they have very narrow views of what's good. (Don't flame me. I'm a Java developer myself.) Maybe they're just playing it safe. It seems to be a common theme with Java. Basically, for several years now the prevailing attitude has been that Struts is the only game in town, but there is a world of other good options for the JVM.\nAnyway, back on topic... If you must go the Struts route do yourself a favor and use Struts 2. It's been a little while since I've been in the Java web development world, but when I was keeping up with it a lot of developers still hadn't moved on yet. It's light years ahead of Struts 1 and really not so bad to work with as far as Java web development is concerned.\nSome others have mentioned 'Thinking in Java'. It's a great book for those new to Java and especially object oriented programming. A seasoned programmer may find it a little verbose. Either way it's free to read online so it's probably worth checking out. If you're looking for something a little smaller to digest you might want to check out Sun's tutorials, and the Java API docs are invaluable. The language itself is simple; it's knowledge of the standard libraries that separates a good Java developer from a mediocre one.\n'Effective Java' and 'Hardcore Java' (specifically the chapter on the Collections API) should be mandatory reading for Java developers as well so you may want to check those out once you get up to speed with the language.\nFor learning Struts, I'd check out the online docs first. Last time I checked they were pretty good. If you still want a book, I've found the 'In Action' series from Manning Press to be good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Hardcore Java' (specifically the chapter on the Collections API)",
          "reason": "Says Java developers should read it, especially its Collections API chapter.",
          "audience": "Java developers interested in the Collections API.",
          "caveat": "The comment singles out the chapter on the Collections API.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Simmons"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "collections api",
        "java"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hardcore-zen-punk-rock-monster-movies-and-the-truth-about-reality-96565d",
      "title": "Hardcore Zen: Punk Rock, Monster Movies and the Truth About Reality",
      "author": "Brad Warner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36105327,
          "author": "account-5",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T16:12:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105327",
          "commentText": "Hardcore Zen.\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardcore_Zen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hardcore Zen.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brad Warner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "spirituality",
        "zen buddhism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "harold-and-the-purple-crayon-2eefaa",
      "title": "Harold and the Purple Crayon",
      "author": "Crockett Johnson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26775082,
          "author": "rmk",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-12T00:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26775082",
          "commentText": "- Good Night, Moon\n- The Runaway Bunny\n- Harold and the Purple Crayon\n- Grandfather Twilight (for slightly older children)\n- Sandra Boynton books\n- Max's Breakfast (and other books)\n- I Read Signs (Tana Hoban; other books by her also quite good)\n- Go! Go! Go! Stop! (Cherise Mericle Harper)\n- Little Pea (Amy Krouse Rosenthal)\n- Trucks, My Car (and other Byron Barton books)\n- The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Eric Carle; some other books by this author are also good)\n- Roadwork (Sally Sutton; also in the same vein by the illustrator Brian Lovelock: Demolition, Flight of the Honey Bee, The Rain Train).\nMany others come to mind, but these are well-loved.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Harold and the Purple Crayon",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Crockett Johnson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "harrington-on-hold-em-b88600",
      "title": "Harrington on Hold'em",
      "author": "Dan Harrington and Bill Robertie",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26323313,
          "author": "ngokevin",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-03T00:47:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 26321793,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books made you the most money?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26323313",
          "commentText": "For profit at the poker table...I crushed the live club tourneys, my favorite series was Harrington on Hold'em series. I do have Kill Everyone, but forgot it (I remember it had ICM and push-shove tables?)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "my favorite series was Harrington on Hold'em series",
          "reason": "The commenter names it as their favorite poker book series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Harrington",
        "Bill Robertie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "poker strategy",
        "texas hold em"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "harry-potter-and-the-order-of-the-phoenix-37edbe",
      "title": "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix",
      "author": "J. K. Rowling",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22719366,
          "author": "dreamer7",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T14:42:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22719366",
          "commentText": "Harry Potter!! The writing is simple but the wisdom is profound. Everytime I have reread one of the books in the series, I discovered something new.\nOne particular scene made such a strong impression on me about being calm in difficult situations. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, when Harry is flinging Dumbledore's precious instruments around, Dumbledore remains monk-like still.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, when Harry is flinging Dumbledore's precious instruments around, Dumbledore remains monk-like still.",
          "reason": "Cites Dumbledore's calm in a difficult scene as making a strong impression.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. K. Rowling"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coming of age",
        "wizarding world"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "haskell-in-depth-44d010",
      "title": "Haskell in Depth",
      "author": "Vitaly Bragilevsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34420202,
          "author": "hurril",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-17T22:14:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 34412069,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach programming by building a series of small projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34420202",
          "commentText": "This one is nothing short of brilliant:\nhttps://www.manning.com/books/haskell-in-depth",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This one is nothing short of brilliant:",
          "reason": "Calls the linked book brilliant.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vitaly Bragilevsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "haskell",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hate-crimes-in-cyberspace-27186d",
      "title": "Hate Crimes in Cyberspace",
      "author": "Danielle Keats Citron",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Danielle Keats Citron"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyberlaw",
        "online harassment"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hayek-s-challenge-an-intellectual-biography-of-f-a-hayek-f27946",
      "title": "Hayek's Challenge: An Intellectual Biography of F. A. Hayek",
      "author": "Bruce Caldwell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227113,
          "author": "andrewcooke",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T18:01:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227113",
          "commentText": "Hayek's Challenge by Caldwell - http://www.amazon.com/Hayeks-Challenge-Intellectual-Biograph... (http://www.amazon.com/Hayeks-Challenge-Intellectual-Biography-F/dp/0226091937)\nI wrote a review on Amazon that you can read there for more details, but in short: this book describes the themes that interested Hayek, their historical context, and how attitudes to them evolved.\nI consider myself \"left wing\" and Hayek is no great hero of mine (when I read the book I was barely aware of him - I think he is more famous in the USA than Europe), but that doesn't stop this being one of my favourite books.  The range covered is huge, the historical background of the times is fascinating, and Hayek is a much more complex thinker than you might imagine from the way he is treated in current popular culture.\nVaguely related, \"Machine Dreams\" by Mirowski is another absorbing, thought-provoking book on the history of Economics (simplifying hugely - the influence of the cold war on the rise of \"free market economics\").  The style can be a little frustrating, but it's worth the effort.  http://www.amazon.com/Machine-Dreams-Economics-Becomes-Scien... (http://www.amazon.com/Machine-Dreams-Economics-Becomes-Science/dp/0521775264)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this being one of my favourite books. The range covered is huge, the historical background of the times is fascinating, and Hayek is a much more complex thinker than you might imagine",
          "reason": "A favorite book praised for its broad historical scope and nuanced account of Hayek.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Hayek is no great hero of theirs.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruce Caldwell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of economic thought",
        "intellectual biography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "he-is-there-and-he-is-not-silent-4166cb",
      "title": "He Is There and He Is Not Silent",
      "author": "Francis Schaeffer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14745104,
          "author": "AnimalMuppet",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T15:43:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14745104",
          "commentText": "He Is There And He Is Not Silent, by Francis Schaeffer.  A very deep philosophical argument for the existence of God.  (By \"deep\", I don't mean a bunch of mumbo-jumbo.  I mean connecting first principles to concrete conclusions in a very direct way.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A very deep philosophical argument for the existence of God.",
          "reason": "Described as a deep argument connecting first principles to concrete conclusions about God's existence.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter clarifies that “deep” means direct connections from first principles to concrete conclusions, not mumbo-jumbo.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Francis Schaeffer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "arguments for god s existence",
        "philosophy of religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "head-crash-078e1c",
      "title": "Head Crash",
      "author": "Bruce Bethke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46129065,
          "author": "GrumpyYoungMan",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T01:06:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46129065",
          "commentText": "Terry Pratchett's Going Postal seems particularly apropos these days as we have Reacher Gilts aplenty in tech news headlines.\nObscure and a bit dated but Bruce Betkhe's Head Crash is hilarious if you've been deeply immersed in the software industry.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Obscure and a bit dated but Bruce Betkhe's Head Crash is hilarious if you've been deeply immersed in the software industry.",
          "reason": "Described as hilarious for readers deeply immersed in the software industry.",
          "audience": "Readers deeply immersed in the software industry.",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it obscure and a bit dated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruce Bethke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "satire",
        "software industry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "head-first-design-patterns-beb85c",
      "title": "Head First Design Patterns",
      "author": "Eric Freeman; Elisabeth Robson; Bert Bates; Kathy Sierra",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2524297,
          "author": "sage_joch",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-07T18:56:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 2524205,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books for soon to be Software Engineers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2524297",
          "commentText": "If you will be programming in Java, these books will serve you incredibly well:\n  * Effective Java\n  * Java Concurrency in Practice\n  * Head First Design Patterns",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Head First Design Patterns",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Software engineers programming in Java.",
          "caveat": "Recommendation is conditional on programming in Java.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Freeman; Elisabeth Robson; Bert Bates; Kathy Sierra"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "design patterns",
        "java"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "head-first-design-patterns-a278d7",
      "title": "Head First Design Patterns",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9758068,
          "author": "sayems",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T13:21:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758068",
          "commentText": "Thinking in Java,  \nJava Generics and Collection,   \nHead First Design Patterns",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Head First Design Patterns",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "design patterns"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "head-first-design-patterns-a-brain-friendly-guide-43b578",
      "title": "Head First Design Patterns: A Brain-Friendly Guide",
      "author": "Eric Freeman, Elisabeth Robson, Bert Bates, and Kathy Sierra",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14487294,
          "author": "vblord",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T13:06:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487294",
          "commentText": "Best design pattern book i've read is \"Head First Design Patterns: A Brain-Friendly Guide\".  It's fun and very informative.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Best design pattern book i've read is \"Head First Design Patterns: A Brain-Friendly Guide\". It's fun and very informative.",
          "reason": "Called the best design pattern book the commenter has read, and described as fun and informative.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Freeman",
        "Elisabeth Robson",
        "Bert Bates",
        "Kathy Sierra"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "design patterns",
        "software design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "head-first-java-396a2b",
      "title": "Head First Java",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 221355,
          "author": "hello_moto",
          "createdAt": "2008-06-18T23:52:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 221097,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Best book for Java",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=221355",
          "commentText": "Kashif:\n1) Head First Java 5\n1) Effective Java\nThe strategy here is to study both interchange; once you learned a topic from HF Java 5, check the best practice in Effective Java.\n2) Head First JSP/Servlet\n2) Any Struts 2 book\nYou can start with the basic few chapters from HF JSP/Servlet and move on to Struts 2. If you found alien concepts in Struts 2, check back HF JSP/Servlet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Head First Java 5",
          "reason": "Listed as a Java learning book in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "Java learners, including existing programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "java",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "head-first-programming-7abca5",
      "title": "Head First Programming",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3382143,
          "author": "sheff",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-22T16:43:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 3380141,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Intro Programming Book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3382143",
          "commentText": "This is a good suggestion , as the Chris Pine book is a very easy, quick read.\nAlso, the O'Reilly Head First books are usually good - with a fairly light-hearted, humorous approach for starters - and their \"Head First Programming\" book is Python based. ( http://shop.oreilly.com/product/9780596802387.do?sortby=publ... (http://shop.oreilly.com/product/9780596802387.do?sortby=publicationDate#PowerReview) )\nDoes it have to be a book ? Maybe a subscription to something like Code School ( http://www.codeschool.com ) would also be quite cool, as they have courses like \"Try Ruby\" and \"Rails for Zombies\" .",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "their \"Head First Programming\" book is Python based",
          "reason": "Named as a Python-based book in the recommended Head First line.",
          "audience": "Starters, in the context of the prior recommendation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming education",
        "python"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "head-first-servlets-and-jsp-ee5baa",
      "title": "Head First Servlets and JSP",
      "author": "Bryan Basham, Kathy Sierra, Bert Bates",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 221355,
          "author": "hello_moto",
          "createdAt": "2008-06-18T23:52:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 221097,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Best book for Java",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=221355",
          "commentText": "Kashif:\n1) Head First Java 5\n1) Effective Java\nThe strategy here is to study both interchange; once you learned a topic from HF Java 5, check the best practice in Effective Java.\n2) Head First JSP/Servlet\n2) Any Struts 2 book\nYou can start with the basic few chapters from HF JSP/Servlet and move on to Struts 2. If you found alien concepts in Struts 2, check back HF JSP/Servlet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Head First JSP/Servlet",
          "reason": "Suggested as a starting point for learning JSP and servlets.",
          "audience": "Learners of JSP and servlets.",
          "caveat": "The comment says to move on to Struts 2 after the first few chapters.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bryan Basham, Kathy Sierra, Bert Bates"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "java",
        "jsp",
        "servlets"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "headcrash-2e934d",
      "title": "Headcrash",
      "author": "Bruce Bethke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46161500,
          "author": "ashtavakra",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-05T14:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46161500",
          "commentText": "I consolidated the comments for my reference later. Someone else might also find it useful:\n# Fiction Books Recommended for Programmers (HN Thread 46128404)\n## Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- *Children of Time* — Science Fiction (Evolution, Space Opera)  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)\n## Rick Cook — Wizardry Series\n- *Wizard’s Bane* — Fantasy, Programming/Magic Mashup  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112616.Wizard_s_Bane\n- *Wizardry Series (overview)*  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\n## James P. Hogan\n- *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/743568.Inherit_the_Stars\n- *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifem... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifemaker)\n- *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_Tomorrow)\n## D. F. Jones — Colossus Trilogy\n- *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806105.Colossus\n- *The Fall of Colossus* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colos... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colossus)\n- *Colossus and the Crab* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_Crab)\n## Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner)\n- *A Logic Named Joe* — Golden-Age Sci-Fi, AI Precursor  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-j... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-joe)\n## David Gerrold\n- *When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One* — AI, Classic Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_Was_One)\n## William Gibson / Bruce Sterling\n- *Neuromancer* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer\n- *The Difference Engine* — Steampunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Eng... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Engine)\n## Neal Stephenson\n- *Snow Crash* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash\n- *Cryptonomicon* — Techno-thriller, Cyber-history  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/816.Cryptonomicon\n- *Anathem* — Philosophical Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2845024-anathem\n- *The Diamond Age* — Nanopunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827.The_Diamond_Age\n## Fred Saberhagen\n- *Octagon* — AI, Techno-thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1891958.Octagon\n## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga\n- *Series Overview* — Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/40946-vorkosigan-saga\n## Richard Powers\n- *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45104.Galatea_2_2\n## Scott Meyer\n- *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-wizard)\n## Daniel Suarez\n- *Daemon* — Cyber-thriller, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665844-daemon\n## Thomas J. Ryan\n- *The Adolescence of P-1* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_o... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_of_P_1)\n## Ernest Cline\n- *Ready Player One* — Sci-Fi, Gaming, Pop-Culture Adventure  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one\n## Dennis E. Taylor\n- *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)* — Humorous Sci-Fi, AI, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-we-are-bob)\n## Ted Chiang\n- *Stories of Your Life and Others* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\n- *Exhalation* — Speculative Fiction, Philosophy, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation\n- *The Lifecycle of Software Objects* — AI, Digital Consciousness  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of-software-objects)\n## Charles Stross\n- *Laundry Files Series* — Math-based Magic, Techno-Fantasy  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files\n## Ken Liu\n- *The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menag... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories)\n- *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, AI, VR  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl-and-other-stories)\n## Ellen Ullman\n- *The Bug* — Tech Industry Literary Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/703.The_Bug\n## Cory Doctorow\n- *Radicalized* — Techno-sociopolitical Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40604122-radicalized\n## qntm (Sam Hughes)\n- *Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans-in-transit-and-other-stories)\n## Roger Williams\n- *The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect* — AI, Post-Singularity SF  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)\n## Greg Bear\n- *Eon* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/924843.Eon\n## Vernor Vinge\n- *A Deepness in the Sky* — Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the_Sky)\n## Terry Pratchett\n- *Going Postal* — Comic Fantasy, Satire of Bureaucracy & Tech  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64222.Going_Postal\n## Bruce Bethke\n- *Headcrash* — Cyber-satire  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213465.Headcrash\n## Mary Shelley\n- *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* — Classic Gothic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein\n## Douglas Adams\n- *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* — Comic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guid... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)\n## Jorge Luis Borges\n- *The Library of Babel* — Metaphysical Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-babel)\n## Greg Egan\n- *Permutation City* — Simulation Theory, Hard Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156784.Permutation_City\n## Cixin Liu\n- *The Three-Body Problem* — Hard Sci-Fi, First Contact  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- *Headcrash* — Cyber-satire",
          "reason": "Lists the title in a compilation of fiction books recommended for programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruce Bethke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyber satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "healthy-slow-how-i-lost-30kg-in-5-years-91a687",
      "title": "Healthy, Slow: How I Lost 30kg in 5 Years",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45314468,
          "author": "BrunoBernardino",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-20T16:01:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 45312545,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that helped you lose weight?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45314468",
          "commentText": "I've struggled with this a lot and wrote about being able to overcome it with \"Healthy, slow.: How I lost 30kg in 5 years\", back in 2020. It's a short pamphlet/eBook available at https://healthy-slow.onbrn.com\nIf you can't afford it, I'd be happy to give you the PDF for free.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Healthy, slow.: How I lost 30kg in 5 years\"",
          "reason": "The commenter wrote this account of overcoming their weight struggles.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal experience",
        "weight loss"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hear-the-wind-sing-18e40d",
      "title": "Hear the Wind Sing",
      "author": "Haruki Murakami",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9348299,
          "author": "humanarity",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:37:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348299",
          "commentText": "Meditations (Marcus Aurelius) - incredibly clear ideas probably clear-up 80% of issues you have with everyday life\nThe Bible (& The Gnostic Gospels) - I love the idea that Jesus was a real guy who (literally) petrified his childhood playmates because they \"vexed\" him by dispersing his anti-gravity water :)\nAtlas Shrugged - no excuses\nSelf and Others - personal pyschology\nSeth Speaks - a lady channels an interdimensional being\nThe Road Less Travelled - a psychoanalyst's memoirs\nLetters to a Young Artist - encouragement for going your own way, a series of letters\nThe Alchemist - help you read the signs from the heart of the World for your own path\nAn Introduction to Zen Buddhism, et al (T. Suzuki) - really interesting, non-duality, higher third unification of opposites\nHear the Wind Sing (Murakami) - really bizarre and pure, his first one written late nights at kitchen table after working in a bar, before he became famous\nRich Dad Poor Dad - solid advice\nDiscrete Maths (Rosen) - interesting and very learnable, a great reference\nAn Imaginary Life (Malouf) - great clarity of writing\nThe Solid Mandala (Patrick White) - amazing observation of people",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hear the Wind Sing (Murakami) - really bizarre and pure",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as really bizarre and pure.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Haruki Murakami"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "japanese literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "heart-of-a-dog-679625",
      "title": "Heart of a Dog",
      "author": "Mikhail Bulgakov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2526794,
          "author": "m0nastic",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-08T21:51:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 2526568,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2526794",
          "commentText": "I'm not sure about \"essential reading\", but I like most anything besides Science Fiction or Fantasy (probably the opposite of most folks here)\nSome of my top choices would be:\nAnything by Bulgakov (Heart of a Dog and Master and Margerita are both pretty widely available in English)\nBerlin Stories by Christopher Isherwood\nBurmese Days by George Orwell\nCakes and Ale by Somerset Maugham\nColor of Summer by Reinaldo Arenas\nWilliwaw by Gore Vidal\nThe Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Heart of a Dog",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s top choices.",
          "audience": "Readers who like fiction outside science fiction and fantasy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mikhail Bulgakov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "russian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "heat-c84f34",
      "title": "Heat",
      "author": "Bill Buford",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20982702,
          "author": "xtiansimon",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T10:34:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20982702",
          "commentText": "Hamilton, Gabrielle. “Blood, Bones & Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef.” (2011).\nThis is a chef’s journey in the same general category of Anthony Bourdain’s “Kitchen Confidential” (2000) or Bill Buford’s “Heat” (2007).\nBefore I had my current fabulous career, I was an out of work marketing / web designer and needed to make money. The latter two books were my ‘mentors’ for dealing with working in professional kitchens without any experience.\nI recommend all three for their insights into the world of professional chefs and food hospitality. And, of course, they all make you hungry. Haha",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend all three for their insights into the world of professional chefs and food hospitality.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it for insights into professional chefs and food hospitality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238029,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T15:50:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238029",
          "commentText": "I read 47 books so far:\n* Oxygen (Lane)\n* The Vital Question (Lane)\n* Mitochondria and the meaning of life (Lane)\n* Life Ascending (Lane)\n* Shoe Dog (Knight)\n* Heat (Buford)\n* Thinking Fast And Slow (Daniel K, 3rd time reading it)\n* Fluent Forever (Wyner)\n* Dark Money (Mayer)\n* Elon Musk (Vance)\n* The Black Swan (Taleb, 5th time reading it)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Heat (Buford)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Buford"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "restaurant kitchens",
        "chef memoir",
        "food writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "heat-how-we-can-stop-the-planet-burning-5d04ea",
      "title": "Heat: How We Can Stop the Planet Burning",
      "author": "George Monbiot",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13809246,
          "author": "simonturvey",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-07T09:27:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13809246",
          "commentText": "- Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand\n- V for Vendetta - Alan Moore/David Lloyd\n- Heat: How we can stop the planet burning - George Monbiot\nThese are the books that quite literally changed my world view and interpretation of our place/purpose in it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "These are the books that quite literally changed my world view and interpretation of our place/purpose in it.",
          "reason": "Listed as a book that changed the commenter's worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Monbiot"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "climate change"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "heaven-is-real-but-so-is-hell-19dabe",
      "title": "Heaven Is Real but So Is Hell",
      "author": "Vassula Ryden",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5715795,
          "author": "cadalac",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-15T23:23:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5715795",
          "commentText": "Heaven is real but so is Hell by Vassula Ryden",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Heaven is real but so is Hell by Vassula Ryden",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vassula Ryden"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "religion",
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "heavy-weather-832b97",
      "title": "Heavy Weather",
      "author": "Bruce Sterling",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8620639,
          "author": "thenomad",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-17T21:16:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8620639",
          "commentText": "+1 for Distraction, and indeed most of BruceS's works. Incredible, visionary stuff.\n\"Heavy Weather\" is probably the book of his that's most similar to Distraction - also very very good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Heavy Weather\" is probably the book of his that's most similar to Distraction - also very very good.",
          "reason": "Calls it very good and compares it to Distraction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruce Sterling"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "climate fiction",
        "near future fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "heechee-saga-bb57dc",
      "title": "Heechee Saga",
      "author": "Frederik Pohl",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36022420,
          "author": "Maelcum",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T16:18:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36022420",
          "commentText": "Many of Philip K. Dick books and short stories, but Ubik and A Maze of Death are my favorites.\nWilliam Gibson's Sprawl trilogy (Neuromancer, Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive)\nDouglas N. Adams - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\nFrank Herbert's Dune books\nTheodore Sturgeon's More Than Human\nRobert A. Heinlein - Citizen of the Galaxy\nRobert Charles Wilson's Spin trilogy\nFrederik Pohl's Heechee books",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Frederik Pohl's Heechee books",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frederik Pohl"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient aliens",
        "space exploration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "heinlein-juveniles-acaad9",
      "title": "Heinlein juveniles",
      "author": "Robert A. Heinlein",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15630190,
          "author": "curtis",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:47:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630190",
          "commentText": "I love just about every one of Robert A. Heinlein's juvenile science fiction novels [1] and still love them as an adult.  When I was a teenager, Time for the Stars [2] was probably my favorite, but as an adult, I've come to appreciate Citizen of the Galaxy [3] more.\n[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinlein_juveniles\n[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_for_the_Stars\n[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_of_the_Galaxy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I love just about every one of Robert A. Heinlein's juvenile science fiction novels",
          "reason": "Says they love nearly all of Heinlein's juvenile science fiction novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter especially loved Time for the Stars as a teenager and now appreciates Citizen of the Galaxy more.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert A. Heinlein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "juvenile science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "heinlein-s-works-f0061d",
      "title": "Heinlein's works",
      "author": "Robert A. Heinlein",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2149583,
          "author": "pasbesoin",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T21:32:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2149583",
          "commentText": "Heinlein:  He presents a characterization (or characterizations), but some of his core points soak in over time, as one gains one's own life experience.\nPirsig's \"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\":  For letting me know I was/am not alone (even in my alone-ness).\nUpon reflection, I guess these books haven't changed my way of thinking.  But they've influenced them.  Perhaps Heinlein helped me to change from approaching the world as it was presented to me to approaching it as I actually saw and see it.  Pirsig helped me recognize and... formalize[1], at least for myself, some of my thoughts on quality.\nEmily Dickinson:  Less really can be more.  So much more.\n--\nEDIT:  Re [1], perhaps \"explore\" would be a better word.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Heinlein: He presents a characterization (or characterizations), but some of his core points soak in over time, as one gains one's own life experience.",
          "reason": "Says Heinlein's ideas influenced their perspective over time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No specific Heinlein title is named.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert A. Heinlein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "characterization",
        "life experience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hell-is-the-absence-of-god-2c2865",
      "title": "Hell Is the Absence of God",
      "author": "Ted Chiang",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49903261,
          "author": "upupupandaway",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T01:26:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49903261",
          "commentText": "Another great story from Ted Chiang is \"Hell is the absence of God\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another great story from Ted Chiang is \"Hell is the absence of God\"",
          "reason": "Calls the short story great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ted Chiang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hello-python-4b3273",
      "title": "Hello Python!",
      "author": "Warren S. Briggs",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3380227,
          "author": "anthonyb",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-22T03:29:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 3380141,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Intro Programming Book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3380227",
          "commentText": "It might help to have a bit more background on your nephew and his interests.\nIf he's generally geeky, then Learn Python the Hard Way is excellent - but you need to already be very motivated to sit down and work through the exercises.\nSimilarly, Hello World! is a good book for the complete beginner, but a 17 year old might find it a bit easy.\nAnd based on the reviewers who've looked at it so far, Hello Python! tends to do well with relative beginners, but complete novices find it a bit hard, and it annoys the hell out of some experienced programmers - not sure why, I think it's because I don't explain everything in detail and gloss over to the interesting bits :)\nHave you considered something along the lines of an Arduino + book? Some people seem to get a kick out of making things actually happen, rather than just appear on a screen...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Hello Python! tends to do well with relative beginners, but complete novices find it a bit hard",
          "reason": "Describes favorable reviewer reception among relative beginners.",
          "audience": "Relative beginners.",
          "caveat": "Complete novices may find it hard; some experienced programmers dislike its level of explanation.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3380160,
          "author": "anthonyb",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-22T03:00:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 3380141,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Intro Programming Book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3380160",
          "commentText": "I'm just putting the finishing touches on Hello Python (http://manning.com/briggs). It's not out in print yet, so I don't know whether it's what you're looking for, but you can get it on Manning's MEAP program.\nThe basic theme of the book is that I replicate the path that most programmers follow when they learn how to program - start with something small and build up. I cover games and a couple of Python's more important tools, like Twisted, Pyglet and Django.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'm just putting the finishing touches on Hello Python",
          "reason": "Presents the book as a Python programming book for beginners, while noting it may not suit the request.",
          "audience": "Relative beginners; complete novices may find it hard.",
          "caveat": "Not yet available in print; author is unsure whether it fits the request.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Warren S. Briggs"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming education",
        "python"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hello-ruby-ea1360",
      "title": "Hello Ruby",
      "author": "Linda Liukas",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35567205,
          "author": "theshrike79",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-14T09:09:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 35566416,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technology/creative books and games for my daughter (7 years)",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35567205",
          "commentText": "The Hello Ruby books are _amazing_. They won actual design awards: http://www.helloruby.com\nThe girl in the books is just named Ruby, the books really don't have a connection to Ruby the Programming Language.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hello Ruby books are _amazing_.",
          "reason": "Recommended the Hello Ruby books for a child.",
          "audience": "Children",
          "caveat": "The books' character Ruby is unrelated to the Ruby programming language.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Linda Liukas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s coding",
        "creative computing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hello-sleep-7dd899",
      "title": "Hello Sleep",
      "author": "Jade Wu",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40965437,
          "author": "ciwchris",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-15T05:14:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 40962582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most accurate scientific book on human sleep?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40965437",
          "commentText": "I also looked into this topic for several years due to my insomnia issues. Ultimately it took forming a new relationship with sleep for me. To let go. Easier said than done. An online CBT-I class helped me make this shift. I later read the book Hello Sleep [1]. It shared information similar to what I learned on my journey. I recommend the book.\n1: https://drjadewu.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I later read the book Hello Sleep [1].",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it, saying it shared information similar to what they learned through their experience.",
          "audience": "People dealing with insomnia or seeking information about sleep.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jade Wu"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cbt i",
        "insomnia",
        "sleep"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hello-world-e934f3",
      "title": "Hello World!",
      "author": "Warren Sande and Carter Sande",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37396951,
          "author": "ketanmaheshwari",
          "createdAt": "2023-09-05T19:57:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 37386127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best intro to programming book for 2nd graders?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37396951",
          "commentText": "Perhaps this: https://www.manning.com/books/hello-world-third-edition?expe... (https://www.manning.com/books/hello-world-third-edition?experiment=C)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://www.manning.com/books/hello-world-third-edition?expe...",
          "reason": "Offered as a possible book for the thread’s programming introduction question.",
          "audience": "Children learning programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Warren Sande",
        "Carter Sande"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming for children"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hen-s-teeth-and-horse-s-toes-further-reflections-in-natural-histo-c31ba1",
      "title": "Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes: Further Reflections in Natural History",
      "author": "Stephen Jay Gould",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6983854,
          "author": "Snail_Commando",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-30T09:39:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 6981802,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good general technical books for teenagers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6983854",
          "commentText": "There are already suggestions in this thread that are better than mine, but I'll still throw my hat in the ring.\nThat's great that she's interested in biology. I'd like to gently suggest that if she \"isn't very enthusiastic about computers or technology\", you should instead try to nurture her demonstrated interest in art, biology, and other science.\nI know absolutely nothing about art, except that I apparently have no taste. So I'll refrain from making any suggestions on art books.\nTL;DR: Skip down to the third section for the \"technical book\" suggestion.\n--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n(1)\nHere are some suggestions of books on general science, biology, and chemistry (in no particular order, these are some of the first ones that come to my mind):\n\"The Structure of Scientific Revolutions\" By Thomas S. Kuhn\n\"The Diversity of Life\" By Edward O. Wilson\n\"The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time\"  by Jonathan Weiner\n\"Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes: Further Reflections in Natural History\"  by Stephen Jay Gould\n\"Life on a Young Planet\" By Andrew H. Knoll\n\"Galápagos\" By Kurt Vonnegut (Fiction, but related) (I loved this book, but it's not for everyone I suppose. A couple of my friends didn't like it.)\n\"Napoleon's Buttons\" By Penny Le Couteur and Jay Burreson\n\"The Lives of a Cell: Notes of a Biology Watcher\" By Lewis Thomas\n---------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n(2)\nIf she's interested in learning a lot about cellular biology in beautifully exhaustive detail, buy her this textbook:\n\"Molecular Biology of the Cell\" By Bruce Alberts, Paul Walter, Alexander Johnson, Julian Lewis, Martin Raff, Keith Roberts\nThis book is huge. And it is wonderful.\n---------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n---Read this suggestion if my other suggestions aren't good---\n(3)\nSo you want a technical book? And she's interested in biology?\nBuy her a copy of:\n\"The Principles of Biomedical Informatics\" By Ira J. Kalet\nThis textbook is incredible. It teaches you some fundamentals of many different flavors of bioinformatics. (Different flavors, because, as the author acknowledges, bioinformatics can mean many things.) You can learn how to work with amino acid sequences, protein modeling, medical imaging, probabilistic biomedical models, and more!\nSince you have SICP and LoL on your bookshelf already, you might love the next part. The entire textbook is a cleverly accessible primer on how to build applications with Common Lisp. Whether you're a greybeard Lisp hacker or a repl-noob, you'll like this book if you are interested in learning about bioinformatics.\nI've had the first edition for quite some time. Recently, I think in the past few months, a second edition was released. Someone gifted me the 2nd ed, :) but I haven't really compared the two.\n----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\nI was going to suggest Gödel, Escher, Bach when you mentioned she was interested in art, and were hoping to find a technical book for her. Then I saw that you already had tried that one. I'm going to leave the suggestion anyway because these types of threads are wonderful for finding great books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes: Further Reflections in Natural History\"  by Stephen Jay Gould",
          "reason": "Listed among suggestions for general science, biology, and chemistry.",
          "audience": "A teenager interested in biology and science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Jay Gould"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolution",
        "natural history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hench-a-novel-8d0e32",
      "title": "Hench: A Novel",
      "author": "Natalie Zina Walschots",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36083958,
          "author": "code_Whisperer",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-26T13:38:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36083958",
          "commentText": "Easily these (so far):\nThis is How You Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (actually now one of my all-time favorites, without regard to genre. Just amazing)\nChildren of Time - Adrian Tchaikovsky\nThe Book of Strange New Things - Michael Faber\nTed Chiang's short story collections (Exhalations and Stories of your life and others)\nDaemon - Daniel Suarez\nThe City and the City - China Miéville\nRoadside Picnic - Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (this one still haunts my dreams at times)\nWe Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse Book 1) - Dennis Taylor (just finished this series for book club)\nGalatea 2.2, The Overstory, Bewilderment, The Gold Bug Variations - 4 different books, all by Richard Powers - what can I say, the man is a genius and a treasure\nEifelheim - Michael Flynn - ok, this book can be a slog at times, but it is very rewarding for those who persevere, and has stuck in my brain for many years\nChocky - John Wyndham - A quiet, delightful surprise\nProvidence - Max Barry - This book flows like a movie. It will make a great movie. I found myself LITERALLY out of breath a couple of times\nHench: A Novel - Natalie Zina Walschots - Quirky, memorable\nThe Peacemaker's Code - Deepak Malhotra - Why hasn't this guy written more sci-fi?\nOrange World and Other Stories - Karen Russell - OK, maybe not strictly sci-fi, but this book tickles my brain\nGUILTY PLEASURE SCI-FI FAVORITE: The Vaz series by Laurence Dahners. I think I've read that series 3 times now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hench: A Novel - Natalie Zina Walschots - Quirky, memorable",
          "reason": "Describes it as quirky and memorable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Natalie Zina Walschots"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "satire",
        "superheroes"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "here-comes-everybody-c65b6f",
      "title": "Here Comes Everybody",
      "author": "Clay Shirky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1026346,
          "author": "nopassrecover",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T22:20:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026346",
          "commentText": "Some books that stood out this year (many not for their intended reasons)\nThe 4 Hour Work Week (Tim Ferriss)\n- In parts entertaining, interesting, self-promoting, educational, inspirational, attractive and undesirable. Definitely worth the read and a great call to action. Will make you consider what you want and how you can achieve it.\nThe Game (Neil Strauss)\n- Truly interesting story and an interesting view on human dynamics and hacking one of the more important systems (dating). A great view on what is most important - ends or means. Will make you consider how people work, what motivates them and whether success cures emptiness.\nLosing my Virginity (Richard Branson)\n- The awesome and entertaining story of Virgin with lots of great advice and startup David vs Goliath inspiration. Will make you consider what determination and the little guy can achieve.\nBusiness Stripped Bare (Richard Branson)\n- Branson's more focused take on business advice and patches on bits of the Virgin story since the first book. Will make you consider the power of being genuine and growing a company with people treated as smart humans.\nOn Writing (Stephen King)\n- Most inspirational and compelling book on writing I've read. Half writing advice half King biography all awesome. Will make you consider becoming a novelist.\nCoders at Work (Peter Siebel)\n- Haven't finished yet but great interviews of leading coders. I didn't enjoy Founders at Work (personally found it a bit indirect/not deep enough) but in Coders at Work you really feel the connection between interviewer and interviewee while at the same time getting a lot of incidental startup advice as these coders have all had decent roles to play in Silicon Valley etc. history. Will make you consider if you're actually a better coder than you thought.\nThink and Grow Rich (Napoleon Hill)\n- Reads a bit like a bad Internet ad at times but that's because they stole that technique from here. This book summarizes the techniques that lead to success based on numerous interviews of most of the greatest leaders of the early 20th century. Pretty good bits in here and again inspiration fuel. Will make you consider how you can take charge of your self and your life.\nLetters From a Stoic (Seneca)\n- Decent musings on living life and mastering oneself. As relevant today as 2 thousand years ago. Will make you consider how you can master your self and what you will let affect you.\nHere Comes Everybody (Clay Shirky)\n- The best book on online community I've read. Shirky makes you want to make a difference and communicates his enthusiasm for the power of the masses with ease. Will make you consider how to enable communities to achieve unthought of goals.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The best book on online community I've read.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best book on online community the commenter has read and praises its enthusiasm.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Clay Shirky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "online communities",
        "social media"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "here-comes-everybody-the-power-of-organizing-without-organization-db937b",
      "title": "Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations",
      "author": "Clay Shirky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1568941,
          "author": "kjbekkelund",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T20:30:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1568941",
          "commentText": "My favourite books read lately are Here Comes Everybody by Clay Shirky and Perrotta's Metaprogramming Ruby. If you haven't read Free by Chris Anderson, it's also highly recommended. It's just an article, but Anarconomy by the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies was a very interesting read (http://www.cifs.dk/doc/medlemsrapporter/MR0309UK.pdf).\nIf you are willing to check out an audiobook, World War Z is truly an amazing book. Absolutely the best audiobook I have heard so far.\nEnjoy your weeks off!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favourite books read lately are Here Comes Everybody by Clay Shirky",
          "reason": "Names it among their favorite books read lately.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Clay Shirky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "networked organizing",
        "social media"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "here-i-am-ed7607",
      "title": "Here I Am",
      "author": "Jonathan Safran Foer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12475387,
          "author": "fitzwatermellow",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T20:07:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12475387",
          "commentText": "There is some remarkable fiction coming out this season by some of the best:\nJonathan Safran Foer's Here I Am\nZadie Smith's Swing Time\nIan McEwan's Nutshell\nColson Whitehead's The Underground Railroad\nCarl Hiassan's Razor Girl\nAlan Moore's Jerusalem\nJonathan Lethem's A Gamber's Anatomy\nHa Jin's The Boat Rocker\nT.C. Boyle's The Terranauts\nMichael Chabon's Moonglow\nCormac McCarthy's The Passenger\nI've got plenty of friends who never touch fiction because \"it's not real\". Preferring science, history, economics, biography and virtually anything else. But I think its obligatory at times. The soul requires it's own nourishment, if not more so than the body and the mind. Indulge yourself. If only because great writing will make your writing greater, as if by osmosis. But ultimately, because only fiction can uncover the truths that can't be revealed any other way ;)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jonathan Safran Foer's Here I Am",
          "reason": "Included in a list of remarkable fiction; the comment urges readers to indulge in fiction.",
          "audience": "Readers who tend to avoid fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Safran Foer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "contemporary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "heretics-dbb3e1",
      "title": "Heretics",
      "author": "G. K. Chesterton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15793462,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-28T01:24:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15793462",
          "commentText": "Metaphors We Live By - Lakoff/Johnson\nPhilosophy in the Flesh - L/J\nRationalism in Politics - Oakeshott\nErving Goffman – Presentation of Self in Everyday Life\nWalter Lippmann – Public Opinion\nArt as Experience - John Dewey\nPlutarch's Lives\nG.K. Chesterton – Heretics\n(essay) William James - On A Certain Blindness in Human Beings (and its sequel)\n(essay) R.L. Stevenson - The Lantern-Bearers",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "G.K. Chesterton – Heretics",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "G. K. Chesterton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian apologetics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "heroes-die-36e985",
      "title": "Heroes Die",
      "author": "Matthew Stover",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8125672,
          "author": "lancewiggs",
          "createdAt": "2014-08-02T19:10:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 8125375,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I save for offline reading during 5 weeks without Internet?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8125672",
          "commentText": "Great question, and one that I asked just before going to Mozambique for 10 weeks a few years back. I'd just bought a kindle, which were not available outside the USA back then, and asked a few interesting folks I was chatting to at Foo. Here are my resulting first few kindle purchases:\nThe Match King\nHeros Die (I bought the rest of them)\nThe city and the city\nEvery patient tells a story\nBlindsight\nBorn to Run\nHot, Flat & Crowded\nThe Autobiography of Ben Franklin\nThe Hunger Games (!)\nAnd on it went - asking for recommendations was a fantastic thing to do.  I'd asked for fiction as I was going there to work and would be too exhausted at first to do much else.\nSo I do encourage everyone to give some names of books. And yes - do take a good camera, do take binoculars - Leica if you can afford them, and embrace the experience.\nA few years later I went to Antarctica on a boat for 30 days offline. By then I had hundreds of books on kindle, and several devices to read them. This is basically a solved problem now. I did take Wikipedia in offline state, which was useful.\nIn decades previous when traveling I cared about weight and price per word and focused on \"good\" books - books that you know you should read but which need a bit of effort. When you are off the grid and in countries where there are few English books then it was a great way to read great books. \nBut now the Internet is everywhere. It might be flaky, and it might be painful to access, but you'll be able to find access to buy and download books relatively easily.\nThree recommendations, aside from the above which I enjoyed a lot.\nBill Aulet: Disciplined Entrepreneurship, covers the topic very well and generously references everything else.\nThe Circle by Dave Eggers paints a picture that's creepily familiar already.\nLeague of Denial will have you shake your head gently and sadly at NFL and other contact sports.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Heros Die (I bought the rest of them)",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter bought and enjoyed; buying the rest suggests interest in continuing the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthew Stover"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "action",
        "science fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "heuristics-and-the-law-0bd391",
      "title": "Heuristics and the Law",
      "author": "Gerd Gigerenzer, Christoph Engel, and others",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3278494,
          "author": "jamesbkel",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T23:03:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3278494",
          "commentText": "Sources of Power: How People Make Decisions - Gary Klein\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Sources-Power-People-Make-Decisions/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/Sources-Power-People-Make-Decisions/dp/0262611465/)\nAlso, Gerd Gigerenzer is a good name to look into. My degree is in Decision Science, so I'm slightly biased against some of the pop-sci authors. However Gigerenzer has a number of books that range from highly accessible to the academic. Also, he has served as an editor on volumes that relate the study of mental models/cognition to other fields.\nOne example is: Heuristics and the Law\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Heuristics-Law-Dahlem-Workshop-Reports... (http://www.amazon.com/Heuristics-Law-Dahlem-Workshop-Reports/dp/0262072750/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One example is: Heuristics and the Law",
          "reason": "Named as an example of Gigerenzer's edited volumes relating mental models and cognition to other fields.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gerd Gigerenzer, Christoph Engel, and others"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "heuristics",
        "law"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hidden-empire-ff3229",
      "title": "Hidden Empire",
      "author": "Kevin J. Anderson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3799583,
          "author": "ninjaweasel",
          "createdAt": "2012-04-04T20:07:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 3781486,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi Books for Hackers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3799583",
          "commentText": "Space Operas:\n- The Reality Dysfunction (Peter Hamilton)\n- Gridlinked (Neal Asher)\n- Hidden Empire (Kevin J Anderson)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hidden Empire (Kevin J Anderson)",
          "reason": "Listed as a space opera in response to a request for science fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in space opera.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kevin J. Anderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hidden-figures-2bfa51",
      "title": "Hidden Figures",
      "author": "Margot Lee Shetterly",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Margot Lee Shetterly"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "black women mathematicians",
        "nasa"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hidden-order-how-adaptation-builds-complexity-f8dc53",
      "title": "Hidden Order: How Adaptation Builds Complexity",
      "author": "John H. Holland",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11229709,
          "author": "talkingtab",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:29:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229709",
          "commentText": "John Holland, \"Hidden Order\". Really. What is money? A message bus in a complex adaptive system. Lots of other stuff out there on complexity but this has a unique perspective. If you really want to go crazy find \"Signs of Life, How complexity pervades biology\" after you read \"Hidden Order\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "John Holland, \"Hidden Order\". Really.",
          "reason": "Recommended for its unique perspective on complexity and complex adaptive systems.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in complexity and how money functions in a complex adaptive system.",
          "caveat": "The commenter suggests reading it before Signs of Life.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John H. Holland"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "complex adaptive systems",
        "complexity science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hidden-order-the-economics-of-everyday-life-ee29ee",
      "title": "Hidden Order: The Economics of Everyday Life",
      "author": "David Friedman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1465307,
          "author": "billswift",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T10:13:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1465307",
          "commentText": "Sowell's Basic Economics is the easiest to read one I have seen, and for the math phobic it has no equations.\nAnother really good, if idiosyncratic, book is David Friedman's Hidden Order: The Economics of Everyday Life.\nAlso Thomas Sowell's Knowledge and Decisions covers roughly the same ground as Hayek's Use of Knowledge in Society, but is newer and more readable.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Another really good, if idiosyncratic, book is David Friedman's Hidden Order: The Economics of Everyday Life.",
          "reason": "Called a really good book, with an idiosyncratic approach.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Idiosyncratic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Friedman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "everyday economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "higgs-the-invention-and-discovery-of-the-god-particle-a5d249",
      "title": "Higgs: The Invention and Discovery of the 'God Particle'",
      "author": "Jim Baggott",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Higgs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jim Baggott"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "higgs boson"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "high-growth-handbook-198963",
      "title": "High Growth Handbook",
      "author": "Elad Gil",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41562390,
          "author": "muzani",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-16T23:38:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41562390",
          "commentText": "The startup playbook. All the basics: https://playbook.samaltman.com/\nThe Startup Owner's Manual: https://www.amazon.com/Startup-Owners-Manual-Step-Step/dp/09... (https://www.amazon.com/Startup-Owners-Manual-Step-Step/dp/0984999302)\nNobody seems to recommend this because nobody has finished reading it, but it's meant to be acted on, not finished. There are literally checklists. It's also hard to get a soft copy, but th soft copies are useful for printing out the checklists. Paul Graham has changed the definition of a startup, but I still love the one from here - the goal of a startup is to have a scalable and repeatable business model.\nStartup=Growth, by Paul Graham https://paulgraham.com/growth.html\nI'd recommend the whole site, and many do. But start here. Many don't understand that startups are about growing assets, not revenue. And exponential is a funny word for \"very slow\". If you wanted to grow to a million dollars, do anything but a startup and don't raise VC money. But this shows how the math works.\nHigh Growth Handbook: https://growth.eladgil.com/\nAnd this is what you read after you get past 10 employees. Who to hire next, how to manage. There are tons of people who talk about how to get Product Market Fit, but few who talk about how to build an engine to turn PMF to money. There's tons of podcasts but consider this book a collection of the best ones.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "High Growth Handbook: https://growth.eladgil.com/\nAnd this is what you read after you get past 10 employees.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for learning about hiring and management after a company passes ten employees.",
          "audience": "Companies with more than 10 employees.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26670656,
          "author": "cx42net",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-02T11:50:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26670656",
          "commentText": "I try to read every night before going to bed, and I'm trying to alternate between a technical book, and a pleasure book.\nI recently finished the whole lot of Foundation from Asimov, Zero to sold from Arvid Kahl and I'm currently reading \"The wealth of Nations\" from Adam Smith (Gotta admit, it hurts).\nThe motivation behind alternating between pleasure and technical is to try to increase my knowledge (even though I feel like I retain 1% of what I read), and to enjoy reading too (with the pleasure book)\nOn my to read next list, I have:\n- High growth Handbook (Elad Gil) (Pleaure book)\n - Utopia - Thomas More (Technical)\n - Beyond the rift - Peter Watts (Pleasure)\n - Manufacturing consent (Noam Chomsky) (Technical)\n - Children of time - Adrian Tchaikovsky",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "High growth Handbook (Elad Gil)",
          "reason": "Listed on the commenter's to-read list as a pleasure book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Elad Gil"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "startup scaling",
        "company growth",
        "hiring",
        "management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "high-noon-the-inside-story-of-scott-mcnealy-and-the-rise-of-sun-m-29ef4f",
      "title": "High Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems",
      "author": "Karen Southwick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Karen Southwick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "silicon valley",
        "sun microsystems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "high-performance-javascript-2cd8e8",
      "title": "High Performance JavaScript",
      "author": "Nicholas C. Zakas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1463998,
          "author": "mk",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-26T18:01:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 1463717,
          "threadTitle": "Need best Javascript books suggestion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1463998",
          "commentText": "Crockford's Javascript: The Good Parts, Stoyan Stefanov's books, and Zakas's High Performance Javascript. Also don't forget about http://developer.yahoo.com/yui/theater/. There are a ton of good video lectures to learn from.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zakas's High Performance Javascript",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nicholas C. Zakas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "javascript",
        "performance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "high-performance-mysql-084899",
      "title": "High Performance MySQL",
      "author": "Jeremy D. Zawodny and Derek J. Balling",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5725,
          "author": "nostrademons",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T17:07:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5725",
          "commentText": "My list, categorized:\nBusiness & Management\n1. Innovator's Dilemma and Innovator's Solution by Clayton Christensen\n2. Built to Last and Good to Great by Jim Collins.  Built to Last is more applicable for startups.\n3. Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks.  Anyone who has to manage a team of programmers and hasn't read this will fail utterly, unless they've already failed before (or been on a failing team).  There's a lot that's counterintuitive about software project management.\n4. Peter Drucker's work.  Kinda long and repetitive, but some good insights.\nMarketing\n1. All Marketers are Liars by Seth Godin.  I like this better than Purple Cow, Guerilla Marketer's Handbook, and The Big Red Fez.  Most of those have fairly obvious stuff.\n2. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell\n3. Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore\nTechnical\n1. Building Scalable Websites by Cal Henderson\n2. High Performance MySQL by Jeremy Zawodny\n3. Pragmatic Programmer by...well, it's mentioned elsewhere here.\nThere are lots of other technical books I like, but most of them aren't directly relevant to the startup I'm building",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "High Performance MySQL by Jeremy Zawodny",
          "reason": "Included among technical books the commenter likes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeremy D. Zawodny and Derek J. Balling"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "database performance",
        "mysql"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "high-performance-mysql-11a529",
      "title": "High Performance MySQL",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 135291,
          "author": "konsl",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T17:25:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135291",
          "commentText": "Upcoming:\n\"High Performance MySQL\" (O'Reilly) (New Edition)\n\"Advanced PHP Programming: Developing Large-scale Web Applications With PHP 5\" (Developer's Library) by George Schlossnagle\nReleased:\n\"Building Scalable Websites\" (O'Reilly) by Cal Henderson\n\"Scalable Internet Architectures\" (Developer's Library) by Theo Schlossnagle",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"High Performance MySQL\" (O'Reilly) (New Edition)",
          "reason": "Listed as an upcoming book in response to a bookshelf recommendation thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is upcoming.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "database performance",
        "mysql"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "high-performance-websites-d7ee83",
      "title": "High Performance Websites",
      "author": "Steve Souders",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37327035,
          "author": "tracker1",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-30T18:50:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 37325594,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books to learn web development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37327035",
          "commentText": "I'd probably followup with one of Souder's books, \"High Performand Websites\" and \"Even Faster Websites\" both will cover issues of some common issues you may experience and the importance of metrics and measuring for actual performance issues.\nAlthough today, a dependency graph is more invaluable for modern web apps... Odds are your project is bringing in some massive/slow dependencies.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"High Performand Websites\"",
          "reason": "Covers common performance issues and the importance of measuring them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve Souders"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "web performance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "high-stakes-no-prisoners-140e14",
      "title": "High Stakes, No Prisoners",
      "author": "Charles H. Ferguson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22730267,
          "author": "blueyes",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T17:45:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22730267",
          "commentText": "Fire in the Valley: The Making of the Personal Computer\nHigh Stakes, No Prisoners - history of the birth of the Internet written by the founder of FrontPage, with a keen critique of Netscape's history - Charles Ferguson\nComputer Wars - a look at the decline of IBM by the early 90s - Charles Ferguson\nValley of Genius: The Uncensored History of Silicon Valley - An oral history of the Valley in the 80s and 90s.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "High Stakes, No Prisoners - history of the birth of the Internet written by the founder of FrontPage",
          "reason": "Listed as a history of the Internet's beginnings with a critique of Netscape's history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles H. Ferguson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "internet history",
        "netscape"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "high-stakes-no-prisoners-1a7319",
      "title": "High Stakes, No Prisoners",
      "author": "Charles Ferguson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172660,
          "author": "shrubble",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:31:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172660",
          "commentText": "High Stakes, No Prisoners by Charles Ferguson:\n\"Charles Ferguson started Vermeer Technologies and turned his very cool, very big idea into FrontPage, the first software product for creating and managing a website. A mere twenty months after starting the company, he sold it to Microsoft for $133 million, making a fortune for himself and his associates. FrontPage now has millions of users and is bundled with Microsoft Office. But getting there wasn't always fun.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "High Stakes, No Prisoners by Charles Ferguson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Ferguson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "technology companies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "high-stakes-no-prisoners-a-winner-s-tale-of-greed-and-glory-in-th-f06b99",
      "title": "High Stakes, No Prisoners: A Winner's Tale of Greed and Glory in the Internet Wars",
      "author": "Charles H. Ferguson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 621601,
          "author": "earl",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-22T04:35:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621601",
          "commentText": "I can't recommend \"High Stakes, No Prisoners: A Winner's Tale of Greed and Glory in the Internet Wars\" by Charles Ferguson highly enough.  He basically had the idea for the internet then, after Netscape launched just as he was creating a startup, morphed into making the first set of dev tools for the web -- Frontpage.  Microsoft ended up buying them.  He writes an utterly fascinating look at Microsoft, Gates, Netscape, Clarksdale, and the people who built the internet.  He illustrates the strategies you use to build a platform and begs Netscape to follow them in the face of Microsoft \"getting\" the internet.  In any case, it's well worth your time if you like startups; he also writes at length about the problems with non technical CEOs, etc.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/High-Stakes-No-Prisoners-Internet/dp/1... (http://www.amazon.com/High-Stakes-No-Prisoners-Internet/dp/1587990652/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1242966747&sr=8-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can't recommend \"High Stakes, No Prisoners: A Winner's Tale of Greed and Glory in the Internet Wars\" by Charles Ferguson highly enough.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends it and calls it a fascinating account.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in startups, platforms, and technology business history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles H. Ferguson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "internet history",
        "microsoft and netscape",
        "startup strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "high-tech-start-up-b65d60",
      "title": "High Tech Start Up",
      "author": "John L. Nesheim",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 137920,
          "author": "Flemlord",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-16T03:18:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=137920",
          "commentText": "High Tech Start Up - John L. Nesheim\nCrossing the Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nOne Minute Manager (but only if you've never had management experience)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "High Tech Start Up - John L. Nesheim",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John L. Nesheim"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "technology startups"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "high-tech-startup-91dfde",
      "title": "High Tech Startup",
      "author": "John L. Nesheim",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5613,
          "author": "dropbox",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T04:36:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5613",
          "commentText": "some that haven't been mentioned:\n- the innovator's dilemma by clayton christensen\n- blue ocean strategy (kim and mauborgne) -- these two books give you a little bit more of a framework to evaluate where your idea adds value and give you examples of how/why some successful companies have been successful\n- high tech startup by nesheim -- a little dated, but lots of info\n- negotiation/people books: getting to yes (fisher, ury) and getting past no (ury), influence by cialdini\n (useful for more than just startups)\n- maybe some management books: peopleware (demarco and lister), the art of project management (berkun), first, break all the rules (buckingham)\n- founders at work (livingston) to get inspired\n+1 to crossing the chasm, and the godin & gladwell books, art of the start\nblogs: onstartups.com, fred wilson, brad feld, seth godin, etc., guy kawasaki\n-drew",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "high tech startup by nesheim -- a little dated, but lots of info",
          "reason": "Says it contains lots of information.",
          "audience": "People starting high tech companies.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is a little dated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John L. Nesheim"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "high tech startups"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "high-and-rising-5b61f6",
      "title": "High and Rising",
      "author": "Marcus J. Moore",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42221824,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T16:51:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42221824",
          "commentText": "I'm liking High and Rising more than Go Ahead In The Rain (which I liked too). Note that De La does not like High and Rising. :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm liking High and Rising more than Go Ahead In The Rain",
          "reason": "Likes it more than the other named book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says De La does not like it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marcus J. Moore"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hip hop",
        "music history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "higher-algebra-9ee60f",
      "title": "Higher Algebra",
      "author": "Henry Sinclair Hall and Samuel Ratcliffe Knight",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23733136,
          "author": "genghizkhan",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-04T15:59:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23733136",
          "commentText": "This might be a silly recommendation, but \"Higher Algebra\" by Hall and Knight was brilliant for me when I was around 15 or so.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Higher Algebra\" by Hall and Knight was brilliant for me when I was around 15 or so.",
          "reason": "Says it was brilliant for them at about age 15.",
          "audience": "Readers around age 15.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Henry Sinclair Hall",
        "Samuel Ratcliffe Knight"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algebra"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "higher-speculations-grand-theories-and-failed-revolutions-in-phys-b9de32",
      "title": "Higher Speculations: Grand Theories and Failed Revolutions in Physics and Cosmology",
      "author": "Helge Kragh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804894,
          "author": "knzhou",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:29:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804894",
          "commentText": "I try to only read books that are at least a few years old, so these aren’t timely recommendations.\nOn the list for next year:\nThe Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language\nEssays of Montaign\nWhy Zebras Don't Get Ulcers\nHigher Speculations: Grand Theories and Failed Revolutions in Physics and Cosmology\nThe Enigma of Reason\nSurfing Uncertainty: Prediction, Action, and the Embodied Mind\nImpro\nDeng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China\nInvisible Cities\nCollapse of Complex Societies\n--\nFavorites from this year:\nDeath's End\nOne Man's Meat\nLife Ascending: The Ten Great Inventions of Evolution\nA Primate's Memoir: A Neuroscientist's Unconventional Life Among the Baboons\nDo No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery\nCosmicomics\nWhy Quark Rhymes with Pork\nThe Unfolding of Language\nA Sand County Almanac",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Higher Speculations: Grand Theories and Failed Revolutions in Physics and Cosmology",
          "reason": "Listed among books planned for next year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Helge Kragh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cosmology",
        "history of physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "higher-a-historic-race-to-the-sky-and-the-making-of-a-city-6c794b",
      "title": "Higher: A Historic Race to the Sky and the Making of a City",
      "author": "Neal Bascomb",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18744369,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T04:11:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744369",
          "commentText": "* The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCullough\n* Higher: A Historic Race to the Sky and the Making of a City by Neal Bascomb\n* Caesar’s Last Breath: Decoding the Secrets of the Air Around Us by Sam Kean\n* Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari\n* A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts by Andrew Chaikin\n* The Actor’s Life: A survival guide by Jenna Fischer\n* The Interstellar Age: The Story of the NASA Men and Women Who Flew the Forty-Year Voyager Mission by Jim Bell\n* The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance by David Epstein\n* Uncommon People: The Rise and Fall of the Rock Stars 1955-1994 by David Hepworth\n* Chasing Space: An Astronaut's Story of Grit, Grace, & Second Chances by Leland Melvin\n* The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough\n* Jefferson: Architect of American Liberty by John B. Boles",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Higher: A Historic Race to the Sky and the Making of a City by Neal Bascomb",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite nonfiction book read in 2018.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neal Bascomb"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "skyscrapers",
        "urban history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "highlights-a8a467",
      "title": "Highlights",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35567976,
          "author": "rebelshrug",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-14T10:57:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 35566416,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technology/creative books and games for my daughter (7 years)",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35567976",
          "commentText": "Snap Circuits are great:\nhttps://www.elenco.com/snapcircuits/\nAlso a big fan of Legos (and so are my kids).\nHighlights magazine is great for that age and can fill up some time.\nStep-by-step drawing books can also be fun, and can usually be found at libraries: https://www.charlotteobserver.com/reviews/drawing-book-for-k... (https://www.charlotteobserver.com/reviews/drawing-book-for-kid/)\nCan also take her stargazing and teach her about constellations. There are mobile apps to help you find them, but books and searching for them yourselves is also fun.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Highlights magazine is great for that age",
          "reason": "Recommended as an age-appropriate magazine.",
          "audience": "Children around that age.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s magazine"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hijacking-bitcoin-the-hidden-history-of-btc-f4c02a",
      "title": "Hijacking Bitcoin: The Hidden History of BTC",
      "author": "Roger Ver",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42219433,
          "author": "lovestory",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T05:56:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42219433",
          "commentText": "I only have time to listen to audiobooks so I hope this list is not too basic.\nOn the Edge: The Art of Risking Everything by Nate Silver\nThe End of Reality: How Four Billionaires Are Selling a Fantasy Future of the Metaverse, Mars, and Crypto by Jonathan Taplin\nThe Value of Others by Orion Taraban\nRinsed: From Cartels to Crypto: How the Tech Industry Washes Money for the World's Deadliest Crooks by Geoff White\nWhy We Die: The New Science of Aging and the Quest for Immortality by Venki Ramakrishnan\nExtremely Hardcore: Inside Elon Musk's Twitter by Zoe Schiffer\nBottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Katherine Eban\nAI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference by Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor\nHijacking Bitcoin: The Hidden History of BTC by Roger Ver\nGo Woke, Go Broke: The Inside Story of the Radicalization of Corporate America by Charles Gasparino\nThe Catalyst: RNA and the Quest to Unlock Life's Deepest Secrets by Thomas R Cech\nand my book of the year\nGood Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health by Casey Means M D",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hijacking Bitcoin: The Hidden History of BTC by Roger Ver",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roger Ver"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bitcoin",
        "cryptocurrency"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hillbilly-elegy-8c2d1c",
      "title": "Hillbilly Elegy",
      "author": "J. D. Vance",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15976224,
          "author": "nkzednan",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-21T03:38:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15976224",
          "commentText": "Top books that I read this past year:\n- Hillbilly Elegy By JD Vance\n- Golden Son by Pierce Brown (second book in a trilogy) liked the whole trilogy\n- Rosie Project/Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion\n- Graceling by Kristin Cashore\n- Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Top books that I read this past year:\n- Hillbilly Elegy By JD Vance",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's top books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. D. Vance"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "appalachia",
        "working class"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "his-dark-materials-the-amber-spyglass-81ac93",
      "title": "His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass",
      "author": "Philip Pullman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665209,
          "author": "PostPost",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:26:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665209",
          "commentText": "Sorry for the wall of text.\n1. Bourne (The language and world of this novel are extraordinary - everything is falling apart yet brimming with life. Strangely moving)\n2. The Design of Everyday things (Essential for anyone in UI/UX)\n3. All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (Highly engaging, entertaining sci-fi novella series, from an author that can write a very decent robot protagonist)\n4. The Power (Interesting story with sci-fi elements on the dynamics of power, sex, and gender roles. I didn't care for the book, but the first 3/4 of the book are amazing)\n5. Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days\n6. 7 brief Lessons on Physics\n7. The Last Lecture (The energy and positivity coming from a man knowing he's about to die is infectious. Great read)\n8. A wizard of Earthsea (Move over Harry Potter, this is the essential children's story about wizards)\n9. Exploring diabetes with owls (Funny, irreverent)\n10. Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children (Made an effort to read more YA this year - this was the best in this series, but I still hated it. There's a host of better YA series out there.)\n11. A Wizard of Earthsea: The Tombs of Atuan (See 8.)\n12. The Girl in the Dark (Interesting book about a skin condition I had never heard of, and the trials of living with a very rare condition)\n13. The Phantom Tollbooth (Clever children's book)\n14. Black hole blues and songs from outer space (Informative book about the study of space,  the political and economic forces standing in the way of science, and the incredible individuals working in this field)\n15. Welcome to Night Vale (Hugely entertaining, clever and weird)\n16. You need a budget (Basic economics book explaining how to budget in a way that lets you do more with your money)\n17. To fight Against This Age (Incredibly pretentious, \nIvory Tower philosophizing)\n18. Infinity Gauntlet (Half the Universe dying because Thanos wanted to sleep with Lady Death will never not be ridiculous)\n19. The Right and Wrong Stuff (Great read explaining how to anticipate and avoid career pitfalls)\n20. Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children: Hollow City (pretty shitty)\n21. The Farthest Shore (Ursula K. Le Guin was the biggest loss this year)\n22. Miss peregrine's home for Peculiar Children: Library of Souls (I hate this book and all its characters)\n23. Every Good Endevour (Religious book about a Christian worldview and the value of labor - not a bad read)\n24. When to Rob a Bank and 131 warped suggestions… (interesting, funny, from the writers of Freakonomics)\n25. Weapons of Math Destruction (Probably the most useful book on this list, if you're reading this on \"hackernews\")\n26. Holes (Perfect summer paperback read)\n27. Silver Screen Sirens (Essential for film geeks)\n28. A full life: reflections at 90 (I gained a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter: he lived an incredible life and does great things)\n29. Call Me by your name (Very good romance novel to send to your bigoted relatives at Christmas)\n30. Hyperbole and a half (Incredibly entertaining, very distinctive art style)\n31. The Murderbot diaries: Artificial Condition (See 3.)\n32. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Best children's book, fight me)\n33. Less (Exceptionally well-written)\n34. Resilience (Great book, especially for those that have gone through extremely difficult circumstances)\n35. The Strange Bird (Dark, bleak, full of life, see 1.)\n36. The Murderbot diaries: Rogue Protocol (See 3.)\n37. His Dark Materials: The subtle knife (See 32.)\n38. Tap Dancing to Work (Very dry, some stories/articles are fantastic, others very, very boring for people that do not care about finance)\n39. So Good They Can't Ignore You (Pretty good)\n40. His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass (Amazing YA, see 32.)\n41. Uncontainable (Inspirational book about conscious capitalism)\n42. The Emperor of All Maladies (Pretty much everything you'll ever want to know about Cancer, written in a very engaging way)\n43. Blind Spot\n44. Shoe dog (Great story, see madmax108's comment, totally agree)\n45. The Faithful Spy (Beautiful artwork describing a Christian pastor's fight against fascism during WW2)\n46. Zero to One\n47. You'll grow out of it\n48. The Happiness advantage (Really fantastic book about the value of positive psychology)\n49. Dreams from my father (Enlightening look into Obama's \nearly days)\n50. Ayoade on Ayoade (Entertaining, extremely scatter-brained, not as funny as his interviews or tv programs)\n51. The Diabolic (badly written YA Sci-Fi)\n52. The Physics of Everyday Things (surprisingly informative, recommended for non science-people interested in the way things work)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Amazing YA, see 32.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it amazing young adult fiction and points to their praise of the series' first book.",
          "audience": "Young adult readers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip Pullman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "parallel worlds",
        "young adult"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "his-dark-materials-the-golden-compass-8f3725",
      "title": "His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass",
      "author": "Philip Pullman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665209,
          "author": "PostPost",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:26:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665209",
          "commentText": "Sorry for the wall of text.\n1. Bourne (The language and world of this novel are extraordinary - everything is falling apart yet brimming with life. Strangely moving)\n2. The Design of Everyday things (Essential for anyone in UI/UX)\n3. All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (Highly engaging, entertaining sci-fi novella series, from an author that can write a very decent robot protagonist)\n4. The Power (Interesting story with sci-fi elements on the dynamics of power, sex, and gender roles. I didn't care for the book, but the first 3/4 of the book are amazing)\n5. Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days\n6. 7 brief Lessons on Physics\n7. The Last Lecture (The energy and positivity coming from a man knowing he's about to die is infectious. Great read)\n8. A wizard of Earthsea (Move over Harry Potter, this is the essential children's story about wizards)\n9. Exploring diabetes with owls (Funny, irreverent)\n10. Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children (Made an effort to read more YA this year - this was the best in this series, but I still hated it. There's a host of better YA series out there.)\n11. A Wizard of Earthsea: The Tombs of Atuan (See 8.)\n12. The Girl in the Dark (Interesting book about a skin condition I had never heard of, and the trials of living with a very rare condition)\n13. The Phantom Tollbooth (Clever children's book)\n14. Black hole blues and songs from outer space (Informative book about the study of space,  the political and economic forces standing in the way of science, and the incredible individuals working in this field)\n15. Welcome to Night Vale (Hugely entertaining, clever and weird)\n16. You need a budget (Basic economics book explaining how to budget in a way that lets you do more with your money)\n17. To fight Against This Age (Incredibly pretentious, \nIvory Tower philosophizing)\n18. Infinity Gauntlet (Half the Universe dying because Thanos wanted to sleep with Lady Death will never not be ridiculous)\n19. The Right and Wrong Stuff (Great read explaining how to anticipate and avoid career pitfalls)\n20. Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children: Hollow City (pretty shitty)\n21. The Farthest Shore (Ursula K. Le Guin was the biggest loss this year)\n22. Miss peregrine's home for Peculiar Children: Library of Souls (I hate this book and all its characters)\n23. Every Good Endevour (Religious book about a Christian worldview and the value of labor - not a bad read)\n24. When to Rob a Bank and 131 warped suggestions… (interesting, funny, from the writers of Freakonomics)\n25. Weapons of Math Destruction (Probably the most useful book on this list, if you're reading this on \"hackernews\")\n26. Holes (Perfect summer paperback read)\n27. Silver Screen Sirens (Essential for film geeks)\n28. A full life: reflections at 90 (I gained a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter: he lived an incredible life and does great things)\n29. Call Me by your name (Very good romance novel to send to your bigoted relatives at Christmas)\n30. Hyperbole and a half (Incredibly entertaining, very distinctive art style)\n31. The Murderbot diaries: Artificial Condition (See 3.)\n32. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Best children's book, fight me)\n33. Less (Exceptionally well-written)\n34. Resilience (Great book, especially for those that have gone through extremely difficult circumstances)\n35. The Strange Bird (Dark, bleak, full of life, see 1.)\n36. The Murderbot diaries: Rogue Protocol (See 3.)\n37. His Dark Materials: The subtle knife (See 32.)\n38. Tap Dancing to Work (Very dry, some stories/articles are fantastic, others very, very boring for people that do not care about finance)\n39. So Good They Can't Ignore You (Pretty good)\n40. His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass (Amazing YA, see 32.)\n41. Uncontainable (Inspirational book about conscious capitalism)\n42. The Emperor of All Maladies (Pretty much everything you'll ever want to know about Cancer, written in a very engaging way)\n43. Blind Spot\n44. Shoe dog (Great story, see madmax108's comment, totally agree)\n45. The Faithful Spy (Beautiful artwork describing a Christian pastor's fight against fascism during WW2)\n46. Zero to One\n47. You'll grow out of it\n48. The Happiness advantage (Really fantastic book about the value of positive psychology)\n49. Dreams from my father (Enlightening look into Obama's \nearly days)\n50. Ayoade on Ayoade (Entertaining, extremely scatter-brained, not as funny as his interviews or tv programs)\n51. The Diabolic (badly written YA Sci-Fi)\n52. The Physics of Everyday Things (surprisingly informative, recommended for non science-people interested in the way things work)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Best children's book, fight me",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the best children's book.",
          "audience": "Children and readers of children's fantasy.",
          "caveat": "The claim is emphatic and subjective.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip Pullman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "parallel worlds",
        "young adult"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "his-dark-materials-the-subtle-knife-a4bdfa",
      "title": "His Dark Materials: The Subtle Knife",
      "author": "Philip Pullman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665209,
          "author": "PostPost",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:26:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665209",
          "commentText": "Sorry for the wall of text.\n1. Bourne (The language and world of this novel are extraordinary - everything is falling apart yet brimming with life. Strangely moving)\n2. The Design of Everyday things (Essential for anyone in UI/UX)\n3. All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (Highly engaging, entertaining sci-fi novella series, from an author that can write a very decent robot protagonist)\n4. The Power (Interesting story with sci-fi elements on the dynamics of power, sex, and gender roles. I didn't care for the book, but the first 3/4 of the book are amazing)\n5. Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days\n6. 7 brief Lessons on Physics\n7. The Last Lecture (The energy and positivity coming from a man knowing he's about to die is infectious. Great read)\n8. A wizard of Earthsea (Move over Harry Potter, this is the essential children's story about wizards)\n9. Exploring diabetes with owls (Funny, irreverent)\n10. Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children (Made an effort to read more YA this year - this was the best in this series, but I still hated it. There's a host of better YA series out there.)\n11. A Wizard of Earthsea: The Tombs of Atuan (See 8.)\n12. The Girl in the Dark (Interesting book about a skin condition I had never heard of, and the trials of living with a very rare condition)\n13. The Phantom Tollbooth (Clever children's book)\n14. Black hole blues and songs from outer space (Informative book about the study of space,  the political and economic forces standing in the way of science, and the incredible individuals working in this field)\n15. Welcome to Night Vale (Hugely entertaining, clever and weird)\n16. You need a budget (Basic economics book explaining how to budget in a way that lets you do more with your money)\n17. To fight Against This Age (Incredibly pretentious, \nIvory Tower philosophizing)\n18. Infinity Gauntlet (Half the Universe dying because Thanos wanted to sleep with Lady Death will never not be ridiculous)\n19. The Right and Wrong Stuff (Great read explaining how to anticipate and avoid career pitfalls)\n20. Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children: Hollow City (pretty shitty)\n21. The Farthest Shore (Ursula K. Le Guin was the biggest loss this year)\n22. Miss peregrine's home for Peculiar Children: Library of Souls (I hate this book and all its characters)\n23. Every Good Endevour (Religious book about a Christian worldview and the value of labor - not a bad read)\n24. When to Rob a Bank and 131 warped suggestions… (interesting, funny, from the writers of Freakonomics)\n25. Weapons of Math Destruction (Probably the most useful book on this list, if you're reading this on \"hackernews\")\n26. Holes (Perfect summer paperback read)\n27. Silver Screen Sirens (Essential for film geeks)\n28. A full life: reflections at 90 (I gained a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter: he lived an incredible life and does great things)\n29. Call Me by your name (Very good romance novel to send to your bigoted relatives at Christmas)\n30. Hyperbole and a half (Incredibly entertaining, very distinctive art style)\n31. The Murderbot diaries: Artificial Condition (See 3.)\n32. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Best children's book, fight me)\n33. Less (Exceptionally well-written)\n34. Resilience (Great book, especially for those that have gone through extremely difficult circumstances)\n35. The Strange Bird (Dark, bleak, full of life, see 1.)\n36. The Murderbot diaries: Rogue Protocol (See 3.)\n37. His Dark Materials: The subtle knife (See 32.)\n38. Tap Dancing to Work (Very dry, some stories/articles are fantastic, others very, very boring for people that do not care about finance)\n39. So Good They Can't Ignore You (Pretty good)\n40. His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass (Amazing YA, see 32.)\n41. Uncontainable (Inspirational book about conscious capitalism)\n42. The Emperor of All Maladies (Pretty much everything you'll ever want to know about Cancer, written in a very engaging way)\n43. Blind Spot\n44. Shoe dog (Great story, see madmax108's comment, totally agree)\n45. The Faithful Spy (Beautiful artwork describing a Christian pastor's fight against fascism during WW2)\n46. Zero to One\n47. You'll grow out of it\n48. The Happiness advantage (Really fantastic book about the value of positive psychology)\n49. Dreams from my father (Enlightening look into Obama's \nearly days)\n50. Ayoade on Ayoade (Entertaining, extremely scatter-brained, not as funny as his interviews or tv programs)\n51. The Diabolic (badly written YA Sci-Fi)\n52. The Physics of Everyday Things (surprisingly informative, recommended for non science-people interested in the way things work)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His Dark Materials: The subtle knife (See 32.)",
          "reason": "The parenthetical points to the comment's praise of the series' first book.",
          "audience": "Readers of children's fantasy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip Pullman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "parallel worlds",
        "young adult"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "his-excellency-c4861f",
      "title": "His Excellency",
      "author": "Joseph J. Ellis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910521,
          "author": "adventured",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:53:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910521",
          "commentText": "In no particular order.\nEmpires of Light, by Jonnes. Titan, by Chernow. The Wright Brothers, by McCullough. His Excellency, by Ellis. The Wizard of Menlo Park, by Stross. I Invented the Modern Age, by Snow. Dealers of Lightning, by Hiltzik. Margin of Safety, by Klarman. Masters of Doom, by Kushner. Andrew Carnegie, by Nasaw. Infidel, by Hirsi Ali. Buffett, by Lowenstein. Where Wizards Stay Up Late, by Hafner. Shoe Dog, by Knight. The Making of the Atomic Bomb, by Rhodes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His Excellency, by Ellis.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph J. Ellis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american history",
        "george washington"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "historical-capitalism-5fac8b",
      "title": "Historical Capitalism",
      "author": "Immanuel Wallerstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2922102,
          "author": "noahth",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-24T19:11:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 2919368,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have changed the way you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2922102",
          "commentText": "Lots of books have influenced me over time, but these are some of the books that have a lot of influence over my current mindset:\nGodel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid - Douglas Hofstadter\nImagined Communities - Benedict Anderson\nHistorical Capitalism - Immanuel Wallerstein\nYoung Man Luther - Erik Erikson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Historical Capitalism - Immanuel Wallerstein",
          "reason": "Listed among books that influenced the commenter's current mindset.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Immanuel Wallerstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "capitalism",
        "world systems theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "histories-fb2301",
      "title": "Histories",
      "author": "Herodotus",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227650,
          "author": "balding_n_tired",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T21:44:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227650",
          "commentText": "Along these lines, Herodotus is a blast, and Polybius very much worth reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Herodotus is a blast",
          "reason": "Recommends Herodotus's work as enjoyable to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Herodotus"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient greece",
        "classical history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "histories-03d3a5",
      "title": "Histories",
      "author": "Polybius",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227650,
          "author": "balding_n_tired",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T21:44:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227650",
          "commentText": "Along these lines, Herodotus is a blast, and Polybius very much worth reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Polybius very much worth reading.",
          "reason": "Says Polybius is very much worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Polybius"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient rome",
        "classical history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "histories-of-alexander-the-great-36a9c9",
      "title": "Histories of Alexander the Great",
      "author": "Quintus Curtius Rufus",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17521978,
          "author": "wazoox",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T11:26:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521978",
          "commentText": "Here is a quick list of the last great books I've read which are available in English (some 'Ive read in other languages):\n- History of Western Philosophy, by Bertrand Russell :\n   This is a wonderful book. Read it.\n- Why the West rules -- for now, Ian Morris :\n   How geography drives history. really deep and thought-provoking.\n- the Strange Defeat, Marc Bloch :\n   A gripping, living narration of the French armies collapse in 1940, from the inside (Marc Bloch was an officer). With a very deep analysis of the long maturing reasons for this defeat.\n- Histories of Alexander the Great, Quintus Curtius Rufus :\n   The title says it all. Very elegant Latin prose.\n- The Golden Ass, Apuleius :\n   A funny story and an immortal classic.\n- The Blitzkrieg Legend: The 1940 Campaign in the West, Karl-Heinz Frieser :\n   For true military history geeks :)\nI notice that these are either classics, or history. Well, so be it :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Very elegant Latin prose.",
          "reason": "Praises the elegance of its prose.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Quintus Curtius Rufus"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alexander the great",
        "ancient history",
        "latin literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "history-and-repetition-2bd1fd",
      "title": "History and Repetition",
      "author": "Kōjin Karatani",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10786987,
          "author": "jaylitt",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T03:40:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786987",
          "commentText": "\"Debt: The First 5000 Years\" David Graeber\n\"Kokoro\" Natsume Soseki\n\"The Politics of Dialogical Imagination\" Hirano Katsuya\n\"History and Repetition\" Karatani Kojin\n\"The Structure of World History\" Karatani Kojin\n\"Anti-Oedipus\" Gilles Deleuze & Felix Guattari\n\"Before the Dawn: Recovering the Lost History of Our Ancestors\" Nicholas Wade\n\"Capital, Volume I\" Karl Marx\nThese books have been the most informative and thought-provoking for me this year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"History and Repetition\" Karatani Kojin",
          "reason": "Included among the year's most informative and thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kōjin Karatani"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "history-of-economic-analysis-72f20f",
      "title": "History of Economic Analysis",
      "author": "Joseph A. Schumpeter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12561975,
          "author": "AndrewKemendo",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T02:47:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12561975",
          "commentText": "The following list will introduce you to Western Economic Philosophy as it relates to modern history specifically. This list is weighted heavily toward neo-classical economics and does not get into computational model based economics - specifically microeconomics, which comprises the bulk of economics education today:\nSchumpeter - History of economic analysis\nAdam Smith - Theory of Moral Sentiments\nKaynes - The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money\nMarx - Capital\nBenjamin Graham - The Intelligent Investor\nGalbraith - The Affluent Society\nGalbraith - The Great Crash\nMilton Friedman - Capitalism and Freedom\nNassim Taleb - Black Swan\nRon Suskind - Confidence Men\nScott Patterson - Dark Pools\nIf you want to delve into heterodox economics afterward, start with the following:\nHayek - Individualism and Economic Order\nMises - Human Action\nRothbard - Man, Economy, State",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Schumpeter - History of economic analysis",
          "reason": "Included in a list described as an introduction to Western economic philosophy.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring economic thought in modern history.",
          "caveat": "The list is weighted toward neoclassical economics and excludes computational model based economics.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph A. Schumpeter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of economic thought"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hit-makers-the-science-of-popularity-in-an-age-of-distraction-3b8d06",
      "title": "Hit Makers: The Science of Popularity in an Age of Distraction",
      "author": "Derek Thompson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15020138,
          "author": "bobosha",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T17:11:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15020138",
          "commentText": "Hitmakers by Derek Thompson. an easy breezy read choc-a-bloc with anecdotes of what makes something click.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hitmakers by Derek Thompson. an easy breezy read choc-a-bloc with anecdotes of what makes something click.",
          "reason": "Describes it as an easy, anecdote-filled read about why things become popular.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Derek Thompson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hit making",
        "popularity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hit-refresh-the-quest-to-rediscover-microsoft-s-soul-and-imagine--70d924",
      "title": "Hit Refresh: The Quest to Rediscover Microsoft's Soul and Imagine a Better Future",
      "author": "Satya Nadella, Greg Shaw, and Jill Tracie Nichols",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18475041,
          "author": "___cs____",
          "createdAt": "2018-11-17T11:26:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 18473561,
          "threadTitle": "Best book/paper you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18475041",
          "commentText": "- Hit Refresh: The Quest to Rediscover Microsoft's Soul and Imagine a Better\n- Whiplash: How to Survive Our Faster Future",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hit Refresh: The Quest to Rediscover Microsoft's Soul and Imagine a Better",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the thread's question about the best book read in 2018.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The title is cut off after “Better.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Satya Nadella, Greg Shaw, and Jill Tracie Nichols"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "corporate leadership",
        "microsoft"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hitch-22-77d917",
      "title": "Hitch-22",
      "author": "Christopher Hitchens",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41175841,
          "author": "montgomery_r",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:58:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175841",
          "commentText": "Aargh, Formatting! Try 2 :\nFor the value of ‘best’ that includes\n(a) had a deep and long lasting impact on how I think about the world and\n(b) I consider beautiful pieces of writing in their own right,\nhere are some in no particular order:\nThe Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins\nThinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nNaming and Necessity, Saul Kripke\nTractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein\n(These you might want to approach via a gentle introduction if you did not study Philosophy to degree level)\nThe Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle\nDarkness at Noon, Arthur Koestler\nThe Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse\nA Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh\nDiaries, Samuel Pepys\nFalling Off the Map, Pico Iyer\nA Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor\nThe Lonely Sea and the Sky, Francis Chichester\nThe Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope\nBevis, Richard Jeffries\nThe Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith\nThe Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse\nHitch-22, essays, Christopher Hitchens\nCollected Essays, William Hazlitt\nVenice, Martin Gayford\nThe Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski\nThe Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch\nToo obvious a list, perhaps, but some gems for all that! Happy reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hitch-22, essays, Christopher Hitchens",
          "reason": "Includes the title among books considered impactful and beautifully written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41175718,
          "author": "montgomery_r",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:45:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175718",
          "commentText": "For the value of ‘best’ that includes  (a) had a deep and long lasting impact on how I think about the world and (b) I consider beautiful pieces of writing in their own right, here are some in no particular order: \nThe Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins \nThinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nNaming and Necessity, Saul Kripke\nTractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein\n(These you might want to approach via a gentle introduction if you did not study Philosophy to degree level) \nThe Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle\nDarkness at Noon,\nArthur Koestler\nThe Glass Bead Game,\nHermann Hesse\nA Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh\nDiaries, Samuel Pepys\nFalling Off the Map, Pico Iyer\nA Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor\nThe Lonely Sea and the Sky,\nFrancis Chichester\nThe Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope\nBevis, Richard Jeffries\nThe Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith\nThe Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse\nHitch-22, essaysChristopher Hitchens \nCollected Essays, William Hazlitt\nVenice, Martin Gayford\nThe Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski\nThe Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch\nToo obvious a list, perhaps, but some gems for all that! Happy reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hitch-22, essaysChristopher Hitchens",
          "reason": "Includes it among books with lasting impact on how they think and that they consider beautiful writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher Hitchens"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "essay",
        "essays"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hitler-a-biography-59aec7",
      "title": "Hitler: A Biography",
      "author": "Ian Kershaw",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38564038,
          "author": "rufus_foreman",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T00:57:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38564038",
          "commentText": "Recommended:\nStanley: The Impossible Life of Africa's Greatest Explorer. Fiction? Non-fiction?\nHad to be made up. A guy born in England to poor circumstances ships out to New Orleans, jumps ship, fights in the Civil War on the confederate side, gets captured, fights in the Civil War on the union side, gets wounded, ends up fighting in the union navy. After the war, becomes a journalist in the American west. Then organizes an expedition to the Ottoman empire...OK he's 26 years old at this point. Sure there's some stuff later but...that's a pretty good resume for a 26 year old. Unbelievable.\nLou Reed: The King of New York Same thing. Just completely real but also unbelievable. The songs he had written by 1965.\nHitler: A Biography, by Ian Kershaw. Completely real, also unbelievable. The German people voting against democracy. Unbelievable.\nEscape From Rome, Walter Scheidel, \"The gripping story of how the end of the Roman Empire was the beginning of the modern world\". I think about the Roman Empire a lot, so basically it was a military slave state and it fell and that's bad?\nThe Great Depression: A Diary, I thought I would hate this, let's read a diary, right? Reading a diary of the Great Depression happening in front of you, it's amazing. The dread, and the bargaining. He's like bargaining against reality that the depression will end.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hitler: A Biography, by Ian Kershaw.",
          "reason": "Lists it under “Recommended” and comments on the German public's vote against democracy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ian Kershaw"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nazi germany"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hocus-pocus-56b3bc",
      "title": "Hocus Pocus",
      "author": "Kurt Vonnegut",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8110135,
          "author": "XaspR8d",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T18:38:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8110135",
          "commentText": "3D Shape: Its Unique Place in Visual Perception by Zygmunt Pizlo. (I studied human gesture briefly in college so it caught my eye at a used book store. Pretty good cognitive science survey so far. Haven't gotten to the CS part yet, but I'm not knowledgeable in computer vision anyway so I couldn't really review it from that perspective.)\nQuantum Computing and Quantum Information by Michael Nielsen and Isaac Chuang. (Beastly book. I actually find it to be a pretty well-written introduction so far, but I just barely have the background to plod through it.)\nHocus Pocus by Kurt Vonnegut. (S.O. loves Vonnegut, so I'm working my way through his collection. Great so far, though I don't always have the patience for goofy midwestern people humor, despite being a midwesterner myself.)\nAlif the Unseen by G Willow Wilson. (Only a few pages in, but I have a weakness for fantasy-in-modern-day-setting novels and it came on a recommendation from a friend outside of the genre. On a similar note, I strongly recommend both of Nick Harkaway's novels, Angelmaker and Gone-Away World, which I recently reread.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Great so far, though I don't always have the patience for goofy midwestern people humor",
          "reason": "Enjoys it so far, with reservations about its humor.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not always have patience for its goofy Midwestern humor.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kurt Vonnegut"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hold-me-tight-your-guide-to-the-most-successful-approach-to-build-5de129",
      "title": "Hold Me Tight: Your Guide to the Most Successful Approach to Building Loving Relationships",
      "author": "Sue Johnson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6976182,
          "author": "Nekorosu",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T20:00:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976182",
          "commentText": "The book is Hold Me Tight: Your Guide to the Most Successful Approach to Building Loving Relationships. It's a book from the creator of emotionally focused therapy which is based on the insights brought by the attachment theory.\nThe attachment theory was completely new to me and it let me have a new look on the way I act in the close relationships. It cut a lot of shame I had about the way I act when the relationships didn't go the right way.\nThe rest of the book related to the therapy itself was good too. It shifted my focus from solving relationship problems the rational way (it didn't work out) to something more aware of the emotional reality of the process.\nIn the end I feel like I perceive all the interhuman relations a little bit different then I did before.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It cut a lot of shame I had about the way I act when the relationships didn't go the right way.",
          "reason": "Says the book reduced shame and changed how the commenter understands close relationships.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sue Johnson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "attachment theory",
        "emotionally focused therapy",
        "relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hold-on-to-your-kids-b0d697",
      "title": "Hold On to Your Kids",
      "author": "Gordon Neufeld and Gabor Maté",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 44570119,
          "author": "HenryBemis",
          "createdAt": "2025-07-15T11:41:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 44568054,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44570119",
          "commentText": "Books:\n  Siddartha: to think about myself and my changes/voyage through life.\n  Half-time: to think what-the-hell-comes-next (only if you are 40+)(it won't resonate with a 20yo)\n\n  Systemantics, Nexus: if you work in mega-big-corpos this will save your life\n\n  Hold on to your kids, The anxious generation: if you got kids\n\n  Strong Fathers Strong Daughters: (and mothers/sons) if you got kids (too Christian-y for my taste but an amazing 'manual' to manage the relationship with your kid(s))\n\n  1984, Animal Farm, Gulag Archipelago: ...\n\n  Light on Yoga: (also do practice yoga, it's good for most-if-not-all)\n\n\nYou asked for \"one book\"... but.. life.. is not 'one' thing. Systemantics (and Dilbert) have helped me stay afloat at work. Siddartha gave me a perspective in live about myself, the different 'people' I have been throughout my life.\nAll the listed ones are books I read and read again every few years. They shaped me the first time I read them, keep me 'grounded'/taking stock/thinking the 'change' in me and my life. I see them as a 'check-diff' and how I have changed/evolved/devolved since the last time I read it/them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hold on to your kids, The anxious generation: if you got kids",
          "reason": "Recommends it to readers who have children.",
          "audience": "Parents.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gordon Neufeld",
        "Gabor Maté"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Parenting",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "attachment",
        "parent child relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "holes-0452a1",
      "title": "Holes",
      "author": "Louis Sachar",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665209,
          "author": "PostPost",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:26:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665209",
          "commentText": "Sorry for the wall of text.\n1. Bourne (The language and world of this novel are extraordinary - everything is falling apart yet brimming with life. Strangely moving)\n2. The Design of Everyday things (Essential for anyone in UI/UX)\n3. All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (Highly engaging, entertaining sci-fi novella series, from an author that can write a very decent robot protagonist)\n4. The Power (Interesting story with sci-fi elements on the dynamics of power, sex, and gender roles. I didn't care for the book, but the first 3/4 of the book are amazing)\n5. Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days\n6. 7 brief Lessons on Physics\n7. The Last Lecture (The energy and positivity coming from a man knowing he's about to die is infectious. Great read)\n8. A wizard of Earthsea (Move over Harry Potter, this is the essential children's story about wizards)\n9. Exploring diabetes with owls (Funny, irreverent)\n10. Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children (Made an effort to read more YA this year - this was the best in this series, but I still hated it. There's a host of better YA series out there.)\n11. A Wizard of Earthsea: The Tombs of Atuan (See 8.)\n12. The Girl in the Dark (Interesting book about a skin condition I had never heard of, and the trials of living with a very rare condition)\n13. The Phantom Tollbooth (Clever children's book)\n14. Black hole blues and songs from outer space (Informative book about the study of space,  the political and economic forces standing in the way of science, and the incredible individuals working in this field)\n15. Welcome to Night Vale (Hugely entertaining, clever and weird)\n16. You need a budget (Basic economics book explaining how to budget in a way that lets you do more with your money)\n17. To fight Against This Age (Incredibly pretentious, \nIvory Tower philosophizing)\n18. Infinity Gauntlet (Half the Universe dying because Thanos wanted to sleep with Lady Death will never not be ridiculous)\n19. The Right and Wrong Stuff (Great read explaining how to anticipate and avoid career pitfalls)\n20. Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children: Hollow City (pretty shitty)\n21. The Farthest Shore (Ursula K. Le Guin was the biggest loss this year)\n22. Miss peregrine's home for Peculiar Children: Library of Souls (I hate this book and all its characters)\n23. Every Good Endevour (Religious book about a Christian worldview and the value of labor - not a bad read)\n24. When to Rob a Bank and 131 warped suggestions… (interesting, funny, from the writers of Freakonomics)\n25. Weapons of Math Destruction (Probably the most useful book on this list, if you're reading this on \"hackernews\")\n26. Holes (Perfect summer paperback read)\n27. Silver Screen Sirens (Essential for film geeks)\n28. A full life: reflections at 90 (I gained a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter: he lived an incredible life and does great things)\n29. Call Me by your name (Very good romance novel to send to your bigoted relatives at Christmas)\n30. Hyperbole and a half (Incredibly entertaining, very distinctive art style)\n31. The Murderbot diaries: Artificial Condition (See 3.)\n32. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Best children's book, fight me)\n33. Less (Exceptionally well-written)\n34. Resilience (Great book, especially for those that have gone through extremely difficult circumstances)\n35. The Strange Bird (Dark, bleak, full of life, see 1.)\n36. The Murderbot diaries: Rogue Protocol (See 3.)\n37. His Dark Materials: The subtle knife (See 32.)\n38. Tap Dancing to Work (Very dry, some stories/articles are fantastic, others very, very boring for people that do not care about finance)\n39. So Good They Can't Ignore You (Pretty good)\n40. His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass (Amazing YA, see 32.)\n41. Uncontainable (Inspirational book about conscious capitalism)\n42. The Emperor of All Maladies (Pretty much everything you'll ever want to know about Cancer, written in a very engaging way)\n43. Blind Spot\n44. Shoe dog (Great story, see madmax108's comment, totally agree)\n45. The Faithful Spy (Beautiful artwork describing a Christian pastor's fight against fascism during WW2)\n46. Zero to One\n47. You'll grow out of it\n48. The Happiness advantage (Really fantastic book about the value of positive psychology)\n49. Dreams from my father (Enlightening look into Obama's \nearly days)\n50. Ayoade on Ayoade (Entertaining, extremely scatter-brained, not as funny as his interviews or tv programs)\n51. The Diabolic (badly written YA Sci-Fi)\n52. The Physics of Everyday Things (surprisingly informative, recommended for non science-people interested in the way things work)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Perfect summer paperback read",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a perfect summer paperback read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Louis Sachar"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coming of age",
        "young adult"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hollow-de94af",
      "title": "Hollow",
      "author": "Brian Catling",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40429361,
          "author": "portaouflop",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T15:01:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40429361",
          "commentText": "Hollow by Brian Catling\nWild ride of a book, highly entertaining\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56212878-hollow",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hollow by Brian Catling\nWild ride of a book, highly entertaining",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a highly entertaining wild ride.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Catling"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dark fantasy",
        "weird fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hollow-city-d71034",
      "title": "Hollow City",
      "author": "Rebecca Solnit",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17521023,
          "author": "elvinyung",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T07:03:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521023",
          "commentText": "Lots of entrepreneurial suggestions here already, so I'm going do something different by suggesting more humanities-focused books/papers that could help round out our understanding of the state of things:\n* Status Update by Alice Marwick - an ethnography of the SF tech scene in the mid-late 2000s, a very detailed examination of the status structures in Silicon Valley and how we were changed by the rise of social media.\n* Postscript on the Societies of Control by Deleuze - short, insightful, somewhat prescient paper on the evolution of \"control\" mechanisms in postindustrial, capitalist societies.\n* Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative? by Mark Fisher - a very compelling analysis of the neoliberal postmodern condition, and how the cultural milieu has changed since the fall of the Soviet Union, and free-market capitalism became the only extant economic system in the world.\n* Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs - this probably needs no introduction; it was an extremely transformative treatise on urban form, vitality, diversity, and completely overturned the urban planning field when it was originally published. I think everyone who plans on living in a city should read this book.\n* Hollow City by Rebecca Solnit - an ethnography of the gentrification and bohemian displacement in San Francisco during the dot-com boom of the 1990s. She doesn't just blame \"the techies\" for the gentrification, but rather uses the gentrification as a lens to examine the culture around urbanism has changed in the recent decades.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "an ethnography of the gentrification and bohemian displacement in San Francisco during the dot-com boom of the 1990s.",
          "reason": "Suggested to help round out understanding of the state of things; examines gentrification and changing urban culture.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in San Francisco, gentrification, or urbanism.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it does not simply blame tech workers for gentrification.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rebecca Solnit"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "gentrification",
        "san francisco",
        "urbanism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "holy-fire-93f5e5",
      "title": "Holy Fire",
      "author": "Bruce Sterling",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4353871,
          "author": "e12e",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-08T04:16:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 4353632,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon.  What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4353871",
          "commentText": "If you enjoyed \"Snow Crash\" and \"Diamond Age\", I'd recommend \"Islands in the Net\" (if you can get hold of a copy) and \"Holy Fire\" by Bruce Sterling. Or for something newer, \"the Zenith Angle\" by same.\nI've also enjoyed all of Willam Gibsons books, including the latest trilogy \"Pattern Recognition\", \"Spook Country\" and \"Zero History\".\nIf you bothered to read through \"Cryptonomicon\" you'll either love \"the Code Book\" by Simon Singh more than I did, or hate it :-)\nAssuming you've picket through the classics shelf, you might have missed out on Samuel Delany - \"The Einstein Intersection\" might be a good one to try on for size -- although I actually found \"Neveryóna\" to be maybe his most interesting book (of the ones I've been able to get hold of) [edit: After \"Dhalgren\", that is. But I think \"Dhalgren\" is a bit like Joyce's \"Ulysses\" -- a classic I haven't gotten around to yet. I spent the better part of ten (10!) years reading through \"Dhalgren\", picking it up on odd holidays - never loosing touch with the intricate unreality within, readily satisfied after reading a few pages or a chapter -- like nibbling on a choice ham that didn't spoil. It's rather more complex than any of the other books I've listed here].\nAlso worth mentioning in the \"might be overlooked\" section is Jerry Pournelle's \"Falkenberg's Legion\" (republished as \"the Prince\").\nI'm afraid I've been mostly digging through second hand books lately, so the only other semi-recent book I could recommend would be \"Broken Angels\" by Richard Morgan (technically it's number two in a trilogy -- but I find it stands better on its own).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and \"Holy Fire\" by Bruce Sterling",
          "reason": "Recommended alongside Islands in the Net.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoyed Snow Crash and Diamond Age",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruce Sterling"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyberpunk",
        "life extension"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "holy-sh-t-a-brief-history-of-swearing-da8e4d",
      "title": "Holy Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing",
      "author": "Melissa Mohr",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Melissa Mohr"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "language history",
        "swearing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "home-comforts-the-art-and-science-of-keeping-house-9f619c",
      "title": "Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House",
      "author": "Cheryl Mendelson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15021002,
          "author": "observation",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T18:34:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15021002",
          "commentText": "I'm enjoying \"Home Comforts\".\nIt's a scientific look at cleaning your house, it's great :-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm enjoying \"Home Comforts\".\nIt's a scientific look at cleaning your house, it's great :-)",
          "reason": "Enjoys its scientific approach to cleaning and calls it great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cheryl Mendelson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cleaning",
        "housekeeping"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hominids-1c1274",
      "title": "Hominids",
      "author": "Robert J. Sawyer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13121930,
          "author": "pavel_lishin",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-07T11:56:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13121930",
          "commentText": "Seconding Barsk, and just about anything by Robert Sawyer; I would recommend his Neanderthal Parallax series, which begins with Hominids: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/264946.Hominids",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "which begins with Hominids",
          "reason": "Identifies the first book in the recommended series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert J. Sawyer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human evolution",
        "parallel worlds"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hong-lou-meng-ef7794",
      "title": "Hong Lou Meng",
      "author": "Cao Xueqin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50119582,
          "author": "pmpmpmpm",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T15:25:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50119582",
          "commentText": "I can’t resist an invocation:)\nMost of these are old since I’ve been reading more articles these days but here are a few good books or series I’ve read more than twice: The Hobbit, LOTR, the Silmarillion, Neuromancer, the Chronicles of Narnia, Hong Lou Meng, The Heart Sutra, The Bhagavad Gita, The Tao De Ching, The Wheel of Time series, No country for old men, Persuasion, Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice, The Way of Kings, The Talisman, the Dark Tower Series, and The Prophet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hong Lou Meng",
          "reason": "Included among good books read more than twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cao Xueqin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chinese literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hooked-how-to-build-habit-forming-products-2f11bb",
      "title": "Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products",
      "author": "Nir Eyal",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11297559,
          "author": "cybette",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:28:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297559",
          "commentText": "\"Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products\" by Nir Eyal - I'm reading it myself. I think it's really useful for those doing product development/management and building user engagement.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Hooked-How-Build-Habit-Forming-Product... (http://www.amazon.com/Hooked-How-Build-Habit-Forming-Products-ebook/dp/B00LMGLXTS/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think it's really useful for those doing product development/management and building user engagement.",
          "reason": "Says it is really useful for product development, management, and building user engagement.",
          "audience": "People doing product development or management and building user engagement.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is reading it themself.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nir Eyal"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "habit formation",
        "product design",
        "user engagement"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hooking-up-a97995",
      "title": "Hooking Up",
      "author": "Tom Wolfe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 621525,
          "author": "ojbyrne",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-22T03:02:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621525",
          "commentText": "Not quite a book, but I recently read and enjoyed the first essay from Tom Wolfe's Hooking Up - the essay is called \"Two Young Men Who Went West\" and is about Robert Noyce and William Shockley and the founding of Fairchild Semiconductor.\nTossing it out there because most people wouldn't buy that book looking for a true story tech book, but a little of it is.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I recently read and enjoyed the first essay from Tom Wolfe's Hooking Up",
          "reason": "Enjoyed the first essay in the collection.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment says it is not quite a book and recommends only one essay.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Wolfe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fairchild semiconductor",
        "technology history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hope-is-not-a-strategy-the-6-keys-to-winning-the-complex-sale-3cbac0",
      "title": "Hope Is Not a Strategy: The 6 Keys to Winning the Complex Sale",
      "author": "Rick Page",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41702783,
          "author": "globalise83",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-30T22:26:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 41693844,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good essays/books/advice about software sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41702783",
          "commentText": "This is old but good. https://www.amazon.com/Hope-Not-Strategy-Winning-Complex/dp/... (https://www.amazon.com/Hope-Not-Strategy-Winning-Complex/dp/0071418717)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Hope-Not-Strategy-Winning-Complex",
          "reason": "The linked title is offered as an old but good book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is old.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rick Page"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "complex sales",
        "sales strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hopscotch-2230af",
      "title": "Hopscotch",
      "author": "Julio Cortázar",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15017164,
          "author": "urahara",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T11:23:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15017164",
          "commentText": "\"Hopscotch\" by Julio Cortázar. It's a novel published in 60s. Fantastic language and atmosphere, strongly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Hopscotch\" by Julio Cortázar. It's a novel published in 60s. Fantastic language and atmosphere, strongly recommended.",
          "reason": "Praises its language and atmosphere and strongly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Julio Cortázar"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "experimental novel",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "horrid-henry-3c2c5f",
      "title": "Horrid Henry",
      "author": "Francesca Simon",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50040156,
          "author": "mehar_pro",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T05:49:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50040156",
          "commentText": "Horrid Henry for sure!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Horrid Henry for sure!",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to the thread asking for favorite children’s books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Francesca Simon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s fiction",
        "humor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "horton-hears-a-who-9bed97",
      "title": "Horton Hears a Who!",
      "author": "Dr. Seuss",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12244902,
          "author": "flubert",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T01:30:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244902",
          "commentText": "Get a couple of the collections of Dr. Seuss.\nCan't help but think that in addition to \"Yertle\", that \"Sneetches\", \"Horton Hears a Who\", and \"The Grinch who Stole Christmas\" are all timeless masterpieces.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Six-Seuss-Treasury-Dr-Classics/dp/067... (https://www.amazon.com/Six-Seuss-Treasury-Dr-Classics/dp/0679821481/)\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Hatful-Seuss-Favorite-Sneetches-Barth... (https://www.amazon.com/Hatful-Seuss-Favorite-Sneetches-Bartholomew/dp/0679883886/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Can't help but think that in addition to \"Yertle\", that \"Sneetches\", \"Horton Hears a Who\", and \"The Grinch who Stole Christmas\" are all timeless masterpieces.",
          "reason": "Calls the named stories timeless masterpieces.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dr. Seuss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hot-button-marketing-a5c41c",
      "title": "Hot Button Marketing",
      "author": "Barry Feig",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1081396,
          "author": "JangoSteve",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-27T19:36:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1080708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Marketing Books for Developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1081396",
          "commentText": "Not a marketing book per se, but probably the book that has had the most profound effect on my marketing efforts (and the way I communicate in general) is Made to Stick by Chip and Dan Heath.\nAnother good book I'd recommend is Hot Button Marketing by Barry Feig.\nI've read quite a few others, but none that really jump out that would be a great read for someone who's not a marketing person.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another good book I'd recommend is Hot Button Marketing by Barry Feig.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a good book and explicitly recommends it.",
          "audience": "People seeking marketing books, including readers outside marketing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Barry Feig"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consumer behavior",
        "marketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hot-spots-why-some-companies-buzz-with-energy-and-innovation-and--b22ee1",
      "title": "Hot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation—and Others Don't",
      "author": "Lynda Gratton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lynda Gratton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "innovation",
        "organizational behavior"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hot-flat-and-crowded-688e0f",
      "title": "Hot, Flat, and Crowded",
      "author": "Thomas L. Friedman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8125672,
          "author": "lancewiggs",
          "createdAt": "2014-08-02T19:10:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 8125375,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I save for offline reading during 5 weeks without Internet?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8125672",
          "commentText": "Great question, and one that I asked just before going to Mozambique for 10 weeks a few years back. I'd just bought a kindle, which were not available outside the USA back then, and asked a few interesting folks I was chatting to at Foo. Here are my resulting first few kindle purchases:\nThe Match King\nHeros Die (I bought the rest of them)\nThe city and the city\nEvery patient tells a story\nBlindsight\nBorn to Run\nHot, Flat & Crowded\nThe Autobiography of Ben Franklin\nThe Hunger Games (!)\nAnd on it went - asking for recommendations was a fantastic thing to do.  I'd asked for fiction as I was going there to work and would be too exhausted at first to do much else.\nSo I do encourage everyone to give some names of books. And yes - do take a good camera, do take binoculars - Leica if you can afford them, and embrace the experience.\nA few years later I went to Antarctica on a boat for 30 days offline. By then I had hundreds of books on kindle, and several devices to read them. This is basically a solved problem now. I did take Wikipedia in offline state, which was useful.\nIn decades previous when traveling I cared about weight and price per word and focused on \"good\" books - books that you know you should read but which need a bit of effort. When you are off the grid and in countries where there are few English books then it was a great way to read great books. \nBut now the Internet is everywhere. It might be flaky, and it might be painful to access, but you'll be able to find access to buy and download books relatively easily.\nThree recommendations, aside from the above which I enjoyed a lot.\nBill Aulet: Disciplined Entrepreneurship, covers the topic very well and generously references everything else.\nThe Circle by Dave Eggers paints a picture that's creepily familiar already.\nLeague of Denial will have you shake your head gently and sadly at NFL and other contact sports.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hot, Flat & Crowded",
          "reason": "Listed among the books the commenter bought for offline reading, later described as books they enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas L. Friedman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "climate change",
        "energy policy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hourly-billing-is-nuts-5c9e87",
      "title": "Hourly Billing Is Nuts",
      "author": "Jonathan Stark",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35170900,
          "author": "pawurb",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T16:37:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35170900",
          "commentText": "Hourly Billing Is Nuts by Jonathan Stark\nFrom all the \"business\" books I've read this one is just packed with actionable advice instead of motivational gibberrish. I've built my productivized consulting offer based on these tips, and it helped me quit full-time job over 3 years ago. So far no plans to go back.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hourly Billing Is Nuts by Jonathan Stark",
          "reason": "Offers actionable advice that the commenter used to build a productized consulting offer.",
          "audience": "Consultants considering productized services.",
          "caveat": "The commenter contrasts it with motivational business books, which they call gibberish.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Stark"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consulting",
        "value based pricing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "house-to-house-5b419a",
      "title": "House to House",
      "author": "David Bellavia with John R. Bruning",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20984559,
          "author": "gadders",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T14:46:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20984559",
          "commentText": "House to House by David Bellavia. It's an account of his part in the 2nd Battle for Fallujah and how he won his Medal of Honour. Really well written.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "House to House by David Bellavia. It's an account of his part in the 2nd Battle for Fallujah and how he won his Medal of Honour. Really well written.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as really well written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Bellavia with John R. Bruning"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "battle of fallujah",
        "iraq war"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-asia-works-8f8d14",
      "title": "How Asia Works",
      "author": "Joe Studwell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32202795,
          "author": "woldemariam",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-23T12:46:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32202795",
          "commentText": "How Asia Works. Started reading it last week after a recommendation in HN",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "How Asia Works.",
          "reason": "Says they started reading it after a Hacker News recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804093,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:12:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804093",
          "commentText": "Writing a Go Interpreter\nWriting a Go Compiler\nNo One Cares about Crazy People\nI Heard You Paint Houses\nUNIX: A History and a Memoir\nRed Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine\nHow Asia Works\nThe Dream Machine\nBlack Earth\nThe Fabric of Reality\nBehave (tried twice, maybe third times a charm?)\nA Short History of Nearly Everything\nStiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers\nGenius: The Life and Science Richard Feynman\nSuper Thinking\nMan's Search for Meaning\nThe Cooking Gene\nThe Vital Question: Why is Life The Way it Is (re-read)\nThe Case Against Sugar\nThe 15 Decisive Battles of the World\nThe History of the Peloponnesian War\nThe Beginning of Infinity\nThe Book of Why",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How Asia Works",
          "reason": "Listed in the commenter's planned reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joe Studwell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "asian economies",
        "development",
        "economic development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-asia-works-success-and-failure-in-the-world-s-most-dynamic-re-833838",
      "title": "How Asia Works: Success and Failure in the World's Most Dynamic Region",
      "author": "Joe Studwell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38557717,
          "author": "Brajeshwar",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:51:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557717",
          "commentText": "Most of the books I read are influenced by similar threads on HN. This year has not been good overall and it impacted my reading. I need to finish writing the post https://brajeshwar.com/2023/books/\n“How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question” by Michael Schur is a fun book that opens with a good question, “Should I punch my friend in the face for no reason?”\nI have been meaning to and this year I finally read The Diary of a Young Girl.\nFor 2024, here are some of the ones from my list (sorry for the formatting, copied Markdown from my notes);\n- [Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_War:_The_Fight_for_the_Wo... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_War:_The_Fight_for_the_World%27s_Most_Critical_Technology)) by [Chris Miller](https://www.christophermiller.net)\n- [First Principles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Principles_%28book%29) by [Thomas E. Ricks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_E._Ricks_%28journalist%29)\n- [Greenlights](https://greenlights.com) by [Matthew McConaughey](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_McConaughey)\n- How Asia Works: Success and Failure in the World's Most Dynamic Region by Joe Studwell\n- [Poor Economics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poor_Economics): A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty by [Abhijit V. Banerjee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abhijit_Banerjee),  and [Esther Duflo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther_Duflo)\n- Raising An Emotionally Intelligent Child The Heart of Parenting by [John Gottman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gottman), and Joan DeClaire\n- [The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read](https://www.amazon.com/Book-Wish-Your-Parents-Read/dp/198487... (https://www.amazon.com/Book-Wish-Your-Parents-Read/dp/1984879553)): (and Your Children Will Be Glad That You Did) by [Philippa Perry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippa_Perry)\n- [The End Of The World Is Just The Beginning: Mapping The Collapse Of Globalization](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_End_of_the_World_is_just_t... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_End_of_the_World_is_just_the_Beginning)) by [Peter Zeihan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Zeihan)\n- [The Tatas: How a Family Built a Business and a Nation](https://www.amazon.com/Tatas-Family-Built-Business-Nation/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Tatas-Family-Built-Business-Nation/dp/9352779371)) by [Girish Kuber](https://mr.wikipedia.org/wiki/गिरीश_कुबेर), and English translation by Vikrant Pande.\n- [Windfall: The Booming Business of Global Warming](https://www.amazon.com/Windfall-Booming-Business-Global-Warm... (https://www.amazon.com/Windfall-Booming-Business-Global-Warming/dp/1594204012)) by [McKenzie Funk](https://www.mckenziefunk.com)\n- [Dieter Rams: The Complete Works](https://www.amazon.com/Dieter-Rams-Complete-Klaus-Klemp/dp/1... (https://www.amazon.com/Dieter-Rams-Complete-Klaus-Klemp/dp/1838661530/)) by [Klaus Klemp](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaus_Klemp)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "here are some of the ones from my list",
          "reason": "Included on the commenter's reading list for 2024.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as a planned read, not an evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joe Studwell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "asian economies",
        "development economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-business-works-a-graphic-guide-to-business-success-56e256",
      "title": "How Business Works: A Graphic Guide to Business Success",
      "author": "DK",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22574198,
          "author": "rootsudo",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T09:41:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22574198",
          "commentText": "Actually - any college level book. There are tons, they're cheap on ebay, look for pearson or mcgraw hill. If you're creative, you can probably find a epub/pdf.\nBut even the DK Eye Witness have a good idea - how business works, how money works.\nFinancial system, economics, monetary policy become very simple with pictures, and even easier on an spreadsheet. Even more so is how many people don't know how much the government does in collecting statistics to analyze and examine the health of the economy - The BLS https://www.bls.gov/ is a great resource and once you have a basic understanding (or know healthy or \"safe\" numbers) you can explore other country economic numbers and see if they make sense (or not!) e.g. https://psa.gov.ph/ for Philippine Statistics.\nContemporary Financial Management is great -\nAccounting Princicpals are also great (can you read a PL sheet? Do you know GAAP? How about Compliance regulations?)\nJust \"money\" is one piece of the puzzle - money is a tool and that tool has been transformed into different pieces that fit what we do finance in life -\nA basic book would be rich dad, poor dad - it's quite cliche but it's a good introduction to \"wealth\" and assets vs liability == net worth.\n---\ntl;dr I ranted, I can go on - the DK Eyewitness books are a good starting point and then you can dig deep - but mostly it really runs quite simple for most things and then gatekeeped by interesting vocabulary.\nHow Money Works: The Facts Visually Explained (How Things Work) Hardcover – March 14, 2017\nby DK  (Author)\n.\nHow Business Works: A Graphic Guide to Business Success Hardcover – 2015\nby Dk (Author)\nThe Economics Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained Paperback – February 6, 2018\nThe Business Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained Paperback – November 20, 2018\nHow Business Works: The Facts Visually Explained (How Things Work) Hardcover – April 14, 2015\nDK Eyewitness Books: Money: Discover the Fascinating Story of Money from Silver Ingots to Smart Cards Paperback – June 14, 2016",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How Business Works: A Graphic Guide to Business Success Hardcover – 2015",
          "reason": "Included in the recommended DK books on business and money.",
          "audience": "Beginners; the commenter favors visual introductions.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "DK"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business",
        "visual guide"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-business-works-the-facts-visually-explained-222fbb",
      "title": "How Business Works: The Facts Visually Explained",
      "author": "DK",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22574198,
          "author": "rootsudo",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T09:41:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22574198",
          "commentText": "Actually - any college level book. There are tons, they're cheap on ebay, look for pearson or mcgraw hill. If you're creative, you can probably find a epub/pdf.\nBut even the DK Eye Witness have a good idea - how business works, how money works.\nFinancial system, economics, monetary policy become very simple with pictures, and even easier on an spreadsheet. Even more so is how many people don't know how much the government does in collecting statistics to analyze and examine the health of the economy - The BLS https://www.bls.gov/ is a great resource and once you have a basic understanding (or know healthy or \"safe\" numbers) you can explore other country economic numbers and see if they make sense (or not!) e.g. https://psa.gov.ph/ for Philippine Statistics.\nContemporary Financial Management is great -\nAccounting Princicpals are also great (can you read a PL sheet? Do you know GAAP? How about Compliance regulations?)\nJust \"money\" is one piece of the puzzle - money is a tool and that tool has been transformed into different pieces that fit what we do finance in life -\nA basic book would be rich dad, poor dad - it's quite cliche but it's a good introduction to \"wealth\" and assets vs liability == net worth.\n---\ntl;dr I ranted, I can go on - the DK Eyewitness books are a good starting point and then you can dig deep - but mostly it really runs quite simple for most things and then gatekeeped by interesting vocabulary.\nHow Money Works: The Facts Visually Explained (How Things Work) Hardcover – March 14, 2017\nby DK  (Author)\n.\nHow Business Works: A Graphic Guide to Business Success Hardcover – 2015\nby Dk (Author)\nThe Economics Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained Paperback – February 6, 2018\nThe Business Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained Paperback – November 20, 2018\nHow Business Works: The Facts Visually Explained (How Things Work) Hardcover – April 14, 2015\nDK Eyewitness Books: Money: Discover the Fascinating Story of Money from Silver Ingots to Smart Cards Paperback – June 14, 2016",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How Business Works: The Facts Visually Explained (How Things Work) Hardcover – April 14, 2015",
          "reason": "Included in a list of recommended visual introductions to business.",
          "audience": "Beginners; the commenter favors visual introductions.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "DK"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business",
        "visual guide"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-can-i-help-cd4522",
      "title": "How Can I Help",
      "author": "Linda Hand",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45284318,
          "author": "jus3sixty",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-18T02:19:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 45283087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45284318",
          "commentText": "“How Can I Help” by Linda Hand",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“How Can I Help” by Linda Hand",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Linda Hand"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-can-the-human-mind-occur-in-the-physical-universe-9f8435",
      "title": "How Can the Human Mind Occur in the Physical Universe?",
      "author": "John R. Anderson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33381977,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T07:56:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33381977",
          "commentText": "Of the books I've read this year, the fiction ones that stand out to me would be:\n1. The entire Sprawl Trilogy by Gibson, and the entire Bridge Trilogy, also by Gibson. The former I'd read before (multiple times) while the latter I had not read all the way through until now. Neuromancer I've read probably 7 or 8 times total in my life by now. I'm not as crazy about Gibson's later stuff, but the Sprawl and Bridge books are great.\n2. The rest of the HHGTTG \"trilogy\" besides the first book. I'd read the first book a couple of years ago but never got around to reading the rest until this year. Note that when I say \"the rest\" I'm excluding that one book that was written by another author after Douglas Adams' passing. I may still read it one day, but I'm not in any hurry to do so.\nIn terms of non-fiction:\nReal-World Reasoning: Toward Scalable, Uncertain Spatiotemporal, Contextual and Causal Inference by Ben Goertzel, Nil Geisweiller, and Lucio Coelho is the stand-out of the lot. How the Mind Works by Steven Pinker and How Can the Human Mind Occur in the Physical Universe? by John R Anderson are also worthy of a mention.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How Can the Human Mind Occur in the Physical Universe? by John R Anderson",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is worthy of a mention among their nonfiction reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John R. Anderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognitive science",
        "philosophy of mind"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-cars-work-e37471",
      "title": "How Cars Work",
      "author": "Tom Newton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804348,
          "author": "JonathanMerklin",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:41:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804348",
          "commentText": "Great thread. 2019 was the first time in about 7-8 years I made reading for pleasure a tertiary priority ((school+career)work/sleep/exercise+socializing+(NEW!)reading) and I got through about 20 books of varying length and difficulty, so here are the next 20 in my queue:\n- Infinite Jest (already started, will likely finish in early Jan. I love it so far.)\n- Quantum Computing Since Democritus (started in November as my nonfiction read, but took a break; I think I want to finish IJ first. Scott is an excellent writer and I was really enjoying this)\n- Building Microservices\n- The Code Book\n- How Cars Work (I want to turn the projection of a car in my brain from a black box to a gray box this year, and I don't mean by purchasing a Cybertruck)\n- To Kill a Mockingbird\n- The Personal MBA (for years I laughed off caring about the business of business and lived in my fantasy land of being satisfied with just the technical details and being focused on only implementing great software/learning how to do so. With a few years in the workforce under my belt, I realize that such an outlook was of great detriment to me. I'm open to other suggestions on similar \"catch me up to speed on general business education\" material)\n- Designing Data-Intensive Applications\n- Island (I have a copy of this but not Brave New World. Multiple friends of mine demand I try Huxley, so here we are.)\n- The Annotated Turing\n- How to Invent Everything\n- Soonish (SMBC is a daily read for me and I'm excited to get to this.)\n- How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems (ditto XKCD modulo release schedule)\n- Basic Economics\n- Thus Spoke Zarathustra\n- Seveneves\n- The Prince\n- Pacific Rims: Beermen Ballin' in Flip-Flops and the Philippines' Unlikely Love Affair with Basketball\n- Elevator Music: A Surreal History of Muzak, Easy-Listening, and Other Moodsong\n- Fahrenheit 451\nAdditionally, to tickle the part of my brain that fancies mathematics (one of my my majors in undergrad), I try to work through a chapter or two of Evan Chen's \"An Infinitely Long Napkin\" on a quarterly basis. If you don't mind a conversational tone to your math textbooks, I've found this to be an excellent resource for scraping the surface of a wide variety of topics and fields (including, well, topics like fields). I think I'll continue this habit.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How Cars Work",
          "reason": "The commenter wants a better mental model of how cars work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Newton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "automotive engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-charts-lie-49789a",
      "title": "How Charts Lie",
      "author": "Alberto Cairo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23387445,
          "author": "neurocline",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-02T04:26:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23387445",
          "commentText": "I went through my recent-books shelves and found a few shorter books that are well worth reading. Short books for developers are rare these days.\nAlgorithms Unlocked, Thomas Cormen, 212 pages\nThe Art of Readable Code, Dustin Boswell & Trevor Foucher, 180 pages\nHow To Take Smart Notes, Sonke Ahrens, 151 pages\nHow to Write a Thesis, Umberto Eco, 223 pages\nHow Charts Lie, Alberto Cairo, 193 pages",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How Charts Lie, Alberto Cairo, 193 pages",
          "reason": "Includes it among shorter books the commenter says are well worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alberto Cairo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "charts",
        "data visualization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-children-fail-cbc4d9",
      "title": "How Children Fail",
      "author": "John Holt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6976504,
          "author": "Glench",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T20:50:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976504",
          "commentText": "Mindstorms by Seymour Papert\nHow Children Fail by John Holt\nThese books literally changed what I was doing with my life. Both are about how children (and thus people) learn.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "These books literally changed what I was doing with my life.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the books changed their life and explains both concern how people learn.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Holt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Parenting"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "child development",
        "education"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-doctors-think-c5c360",
      "title": "How Doctors Think",
      "author": "Jerome Groopman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10028566,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T20:28:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10028566",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps to the Epiphany - Steve Blank\nSteve Jobs - Walter Isaacson\nArtificial Life  - Steven Levy\nOn Writing - Stephen King\nMachine Learning for Hackers - Drew Conway and John Myles White\nHow Doctors Think - Jerome Goopman\nCholesterol Clarity: What The HDL Is Wrong With My Numbers? - Jimmy Moore & Eric C. Westman\nBarbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco - Bryan Burrough & John Helyar",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How Doctors Think - Jerome Goopman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jerome Groopman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "clinical reasoning",
        "diagnosis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-finance-works-125156",
      "title": "How Finance Works",
      "author": "Mihir Desai",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mihir Desai"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "finance",
        "financial literacy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-google-works-89cd52",
      "title": "How Google Works",
      "author": "Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9045684,
          "author": "fandawg195",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-13T17:45:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 9044833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I have $2k for books, training and confs. What should I spend it on?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9045684",
          "commentText": "> # The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz\nthis is an excellent book! also i would have to recommend How Google Works. its fairly new.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "i would have to recommend How Google Works. its fairly new.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it and notes it is fairly new.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it is fairly new.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "management",
        "technology companies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-great-science-fiction-works-6dc331",
      "title": "How Great Science Fiction Works",
      "author": "The Great Courses",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13118289,
          "author": "autotune",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-06T20:59:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13118289",
          "commentText": "How Great Science Fiction Works: The Great Courses. I'd say while not quite scifi itself, it's one of best audiobooks/lectures about scifi that teaches the history and techniques of science fiction.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How Great Science Fiction Works: The Great Courses.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as one of the best audiobooks or lectures about science fiction, praising its teaching of the genre's history and techniques.",
          "audience": "Listeners interested in science fiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not quite science fiction itself.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "The Great Courses"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science fiction",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary technique",
        "science fiction history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-hollywood-tells-it-story-and-style-in-modern-movies-e96857",
      "title": "How Hollywood Tells It: Story and Style in Modern Movies",
      "author": "David Bordwell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30825598,
          "author": "bananamerica",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T00:24:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30825598",
          "commentText": "How Hollywood Tells It, by David Bordwell.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How Hollywood Tells It, by David Bordwell.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Bordwell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cinema",
        "film studies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-i-killed-pluto-and-why-it-had-it-coming-b2eebd",
      "title": "How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming",
      "author": "Michael E. Brown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22093141,
          "author": "Rerarom",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T18:54:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22093141",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\nMordecai Roshwald, Level 7\nAlexander Dewdney, The Planiverse\nJoseph Heller, God Knows\nAlan Lightman, Einstein's Dreams\nNon-fiction:\nJane Goodall, In the Shadow of Man\nGian-Carlo Rota, Indiscrete Thoughts\nC. S. Lewis, The Discarded Image\nMichael E. Brown, How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming\nRobert Kegan, In Over Our Heads\nMichael Harris, The Atomic Times\nI may add guilty pleasures like the Legacy of the Force series, but I don't think this is what people here are looking for.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Michael E. Brown, How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's nonfiction picks in response to a request for unknown books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael E. Brown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "planetary science",
        "pluto"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-i-wish-i-had-taught-maths-84d2b7",
      "title": "How I Wish I Had Taught Maths",
      "author": "Craig Barton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45949962,
          "author": "BOOSTERHIDROGEN",
          "createdAt": "2025-11-17T00:58:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 45947737,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45949962",
          "commentText": "How I Wish I Had Taught Maths by Craig Barton. it really is how i wish.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How I Wish I Had Taught Maths by Craig Barton. it really is how i wish.",
          "reason": "Listed as a book they recommend from their reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Craig Barton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "education",
        "maths teaching"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-innovation-works-9f8dfd",
      "title": "How Innovation Works",
      "author": "Matt Ridley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33858797,
          "author": "jshen",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T22:43:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33858797",
          "commentText": "Become a better story teller and persuader, and learn how to make better decisions and manage risk. A few books that helped me in no particular order …\nThe Science of Storytelling - Will Storr\nInfluence - Robert Cialdini\nThinking Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman\nAntifragile - Nassim Taleb\nHow Innovation Works - Natt Ridley\nThe One Thing You Need to Know - Marcus Buckingham\nTeam of Teams - General Stanley McChrystal",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How Innovation Works - Natt Ridley",
          "reason": "Listed among books that helped the commenter.",
          "audience": "People seeking to make better decisions and manage risk.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matt Ridley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "innovation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-judges-think-11e3a5",
      "title": "How Judges Think",
      "author": "Richard A. Posner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1974965,
          "author": "anigbrowl",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T12:48:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974965",
          "commentText": "How Judges Think by (judge) Richard Posner. Could also have been titled 'How things work.'",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How Judges Think by (judge) Richard Posner. Could also have been titled 'How things work.'",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer in the best-book discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard A. Posner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "judicial decision making",
        "law"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-money-works-the-facts-visually-explained-018900",
      "title": "How Money Works: The Facts Visually Explained",
      "author": "DK",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22574198,
          "author": "rootsudo",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T09:41:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22574198",
          "commentText": "Actually - any college level book. There are tons, they're cheap on ebay, look for pearson or mcgraw hill. If you're creative, you can probably find a epub/pdf.\nBut even the DK Eye Witness have a good idea - how business works, how money works.\nFinancial system, economics, monetary policy become very simple with pictures, and even easier on an spreadsheet. Even more so is how many people don't know how much the government does in collecting statistics to analyze and examine the health of the economy - The BLS https://www.bls.gov/ is a great resource and once you have a basic understanding (or know healthy or \"safe\" numbers) you can explore other country economic numbers and see if they make sense (or not!) e.g. https://psa.gov.ph/ for Philippine Statistics.\nContemporary Financial Management is great -\nAccounting Princicpals are also great (can you read a PL sheet? Do you know GAAP? How about Compliance regulations?)\nJust \"money\" is one piece of the puzzle - money is a tool and that tool has been transformed into different pieces that fit what we do finance in life -\nA basic book would be rich dad, poor dad - it's quite cliche but it's a good introduction to \"wealth\" and assets vs liability == net worth.\n---\ntl;dr I ranted, I can go on - the DK Eyewitness books are a good starting point and then you can dig deep - but mostly it really runs quite simple for most things and then gatekeeped by interesting vocabulary.\nHow Money Works: The Facts Visually Explained (How Things Work) Hardcover – March 14, 2017\nby DK  (Author)\n.\nHow Business Works: A Graphic Guide to Business Success Hardcover – 2015\nby Dk (Author)\nThe Economics Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained Paperback – February 6, 2018\nThe Business Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained Paperback – November 20, 2018\nHow Business Works: The Facts Visually Explained (How Things Work) Hardcover – April 14, 2015\nDK Eyewitness Books: Money: Discover the Fascinating Story of Money from Silver Ingots to Smart Cards Paperback – June 14, 2016",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How Money Works: The Facts Visually Explained (How Things Work) Hardcover – March 14, 2017",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books recommended as a visual starting point for money and finance.",
          "audience": "Beginners; the commenter favors visual introductions.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "DK"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal finance",
        "visual guide"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-nonviolence-protects-the-state-4350ab",
      "title": "How Nonviolence Protects the State",
      "author": "Peter Gelderloos",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37937282,
          "author": "dmbche",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:50:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937282",
          "commentText": "James Gleick's books in general, Chaos being a favorite.\nSartre's essays on existentialism, Camus's big essays too.\nJiddu Krishnamurti's Awakening intelligence is also very good.\nEdit0:\nHow nonviolence protects the state, Peter Gelderloos.\nVery measured look at the discourse around violence and nonviolence. Fruitful read.\nFree here: https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/peter-gelderloos-how... (https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/peter-gelderloos-how-nonviolence-protects-the-state)\nEdit1: Freud's Totems and taboos, and some Jung, but I forget what exactly.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How nonviolence protects the state, Peter Gelderloos.\nVery measured look at the discourse around violence and nonviolence. Fruitful read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a measured look at discourse on violence and nonviolence, and a fruitful read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Gelderloos"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "anarchism",
        "nonviolence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-not-to-be-wrong-a9368a",
      "title": "How Not to Be Wrong",
      "author": "Jordan Ellenberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33812618,
          "author": "bbstats",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-01T05:15:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33812618",
          "commentText": "How Not To Be Wrong by Jordan Ellenburg",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How Not To Be Wrong by Jordan Ellenburg",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jordan Ellenberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical thinking",
        "statistics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-not-to-die-560227",
      "title": "How Not to Die",
      "author": "Michael Greger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18664739,
          "author": "nop_slide",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T15:35:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664739",
          "commentText": "- A Random Walk Down Wall Street: I got much more interested in personal finance this year, and definitely recommend this book as a stepping stone for learning about investing.\n- Frankenstein: Highly recommend! It is nothing like it is portrayed to be in pop culture and I thoroughly enjoyed it.\n- Unbelievable: My Front-Row Seat to the Craziest Campaign in America: It is literally unbelievable. It follows Katy Tur, a reporter tasked with following Trump leading up to the election. If you aren't already fed up with Trump, then give this a whirl.\n- Dune: 5/5 sci-fi\n- The Society of the Spectacle: I had trouble with this one. I think some things get lost in translation, and the philosophical arguments are so abstract it was a bit hard to follow along. I had a few key take-aways but to be honest it was kind of a chore to read.\n- How Not to Die: Argues for prioritizing a plant-based diet, and definitely changed my relationship with food.\n- East of Eden: My wife's favorite book and is now one of my favorites.\n- Sapiens: Very enjoyable, but some of it can feel pseudo-sciency and gets a bit nihilistic in the end.\n- Man's Search for Meaning: Also very enjoyable, a good reminder to appreciate the people and things around you.\n- A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy: Very accessible intro to Stoicism\n- Red Notice: A True Story of Finance, Murder, and One Man's Fight for Justice: Very interesting and reads like a fiction thriller. TLDR Russia doesn't fuck around",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "definitely changed my relationship with food.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed how they relate to food and summarizes its dietary argument.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Argues for prioritizing a plant-based diet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Greger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nutrition",
        "plant based diet"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-query-engines-work-c06686",
      "title": "How Query Engines Work",
      "author": "Andy Grove",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32791052,
          "author": "gavinray",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T14:38:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32791052",
          "commentText": "Not a professional database developer but study it in my spare time\nBooks that stand out to me are:\n- Database Internals, Alex Petrov\n- Database Design & Implementation, Edward Sciore\n- How Query Engines Work, Andy Grove\nThese have been much more useful than IE the Cow book or \"DB Systems The Complete Book\" to me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How Query Engines Work, Andy Grove",
          "reason": "Listed among the books that stand out to the commenter and have been useful to them.",
          "audience": "People studying database development.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andy Grove"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "database systems",
        "query engines"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-rights-went-wrong-why-our-obsession-with-rights-is-tearing-am-406b40",
      "title": "How Rights Went Wrong: Why Our Obsession with Rights Is Tearing America Apart",
      "author": "Jamila Michener",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34162020,
          "author": "jsenn",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T15:37:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34162020",
          "commentText": "* Three Body Problem. I've heard of it many times, but never read it. Picked it up a month or two ago, read the whole thing in a few sessions, one of my favourite sci-fi books ever. Will read the next book in the series.\n* Immune: A Journey into the Mysterious System that Keeps You Alive. Best pop-sci book I've read in a while. Strikes the right balance between including pertinent information without being overwhelming, explaining things in a digestible way without dumbing down, etc. Inspired me to read a proper immunology primer (How the Immune System Works), which was also very good.\n* How Rights Went Wrong. An excellent, level-headed take on the U.S. conception of rights, and how it leads to zero-sum thinking in supreme court cases. The author is so relentlessly reasonable that it's hard not to buy into his argument. Even though this book is about the U.S., it has lots of case studies where it contrasts with various other countries, which helped me understand my country's (Canada's) court system and system of rights better.\nLet-downs:\n* Seeing Like a State. The first few chapters are interesting, and do a good job of explaining the world-view of the author. Worth buying just for this. However, the last half or two-thirds of the book is a tedious re-hashing of the same ideas through various examples.\n* The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity. Many interesting factoids in here (killer asteroids: solved problem). However, the book's central argument failed to convince me. Many of the analyses and probability estimates were disappointingly shallow and hand-wavy, especially for the #1 risk cited in the book--unaligned AI--which he thinks has a 10% chance of ending civilization this century.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How Rights Went Wrong. An excellent, level-headed take on the U.S. conception of rights",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it excellent and says it helped them understand Canada's court system and system of rights.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jamila Michener"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "constitutional rights",
        "u s supreme court"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-round-is-your-circle-601dd6",
      "title": "How Round Is Your Circle?",
      "author": "John Bryant and Chris Sangwin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9348711,
          "author": "GregBuchholz",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:22:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348711",
          "commentText": "\"Metallurgy of Steel for Bladesmiths & Others \nwho Heat Treat and Forge Steel\" by John Verhoeven \nhttp://www.feine-klingen.de/PDFs/verhoeven.pdf\n  An interesting technical introduction to metallurgy, without being overly tedious.  Congratulations to the author, for what sounds like it could be a dry subject.  I am pleasantly surprised by how ignorant I was about such a common everyday material, and about the fascinating changes that take place in the crystal structure of steel with mere temperature changes.  I've got no plans to forge steel, or make blades, but found this book very good so far (although I have been interested in metalworking in general lately).\n\"Basic Lathework\" by Stan Bray.  This is the best of the beginning lathe books that I've been reading recently, covering the parts of the machine and accessories, techniques, and cutting tools.  Very minimal pre-requisites.\n\"Metals in the Service of Man\" by Arthur Street and William Alexander.  A very light read about industrially useful metals, a little history about them, and their uses.\n\"Measurement\" by Paul Lockhart.  I finally got this book after reading his \"A Mathematicians Lament\" from a while back.  https://www.maa.org/external_archive/devlin/LockhartsLament.... (https://www.maa.org/external_archive/devlin/LockhartsLament.pdf)\n\"How Round is Your Circle\" by John Bryant and Chris Sangwin.  Just started this, but it sounds interesting, the pictures are intriguing, and it pushes a lot of my \"interesting\" buttons.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"How Round is Your Circle\" by John Bryant and Chris Sangwin.  Just started this, but it sounds interesting, the pictures are intriguing, and it pushes a lot of my \"interesting\" buttons.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it sounds interesting and praises its intriguing pictures.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has just started it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Bryant and Chris Sangwin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "geometry",
        "mathematical visualization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-things-work-the-universal-encyclopedia-of-machines-a17384",
      "title": "How Things Work: The Universal Encyclopedia of Machines",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15630232,
          "author": "rwnspace",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:54:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630232",
          "commentText": "Out of the Silent Planet, by C.S. Lewis. Wonderfully written, though not as completely fleshed-out as a modern sci-fi reader may be used to. Still stands on its own two feet, worth a try. My first sci-fi.\nThe Golden Bough, Frazer. Sublime, frustrating and intriguing. Changes your dreams, whether you immediately realise it or not.\nHow Things Work: The Universal Encyclopedia of Machines. My grandfather gave me this when I was 8, I still regularly leaf through the tea-coloured pages and detailed black-and-red drawings two decades later. It's a charming book, the kind of thing we have websites for nowadays.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a charming book, the kind of thing we have websites for nowadays.",
          "reason": "Fondly describes a book they still leaf through regularly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "illustrated reference",
        "machines"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-940c6c",
      "title": "How To",
      "author": "Randall Munroe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21793675,
          "author": "captaincrowbar",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-15T01:07:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793675",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction I read this year:\nMichael Benson - Space Odyssey - The detailed story of the making of 2001: A Space Odyssey. If you're a fan of the movie, or of Stanley Kubrick and/or Arthur C. Clarke in general, you should read this.\nAtul Gawande - Complications - Fascinating look at life in the medical profession.\nChristina Thompson - Sea People - Detailed, well-researched history of Polynesian-Western contact and relations. As a New Zealander I was interested in this, although American or European readers with no personal connection may be less so.\nPeter Singer - Marx: A Very Short Introduction - What it says on the tin.\nRobert C Allen - Global Economic History: A Very Short Introduction - Also good, but inaccurately titled; it should have said \"Global Economic History Since the Industrial Revolution\".\nFraser A Sherman - Now and Then We Time Travel - A thorough if somewhat superficial survey of time travel in the movies.\nAlec Nevala-Lee - Astounding - A history of the magazine Astounding Stories, and the four men most closely associated with it: John Campbell, Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, and Ron Hubbard. Very thoroughly researched and annotated; it reveals a lot of new information and debunks a lot of old myths. (Whichever version of the \"FBI visits Campbell to complain about A-bomb stories\" you've heard, I can pretty much guarantee it wasn't the real one.)\nElizabeth Sandifer - Tardis Eruditorum 1: William Hartnell - The first volume of a thorough study of Doctor Who, with a combined fannish and scholarly point of view that I enjoyed.\nRandall Munroe - How To - It's by Randall Munroe, what else do you need to know?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's by Randall Munroe, what else do you need to know?",
          "reason": "Enthusiastically recommends it on the strength of its author.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Randall Munroe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "humor",
        "science communication"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-absurd-scientific-advice-for-common-real-world-problems-07e200",
      "title": "How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems",
      "author": "Randall Munroe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804348,
          "author": "JonathanMerklin",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:41:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804348",
          "commentText": "Great thread. 2019 was the first time in about 7-8 years I made reading for pleasure a tertiary priority ((school+career)work/sleep/exercise+socializing+(NEW!)reading) and I got through about 20 books of varying length and difficulty, so here are the next 20 in my queue:\n- Infinite Jest (already started, will likely finish in early Jan. I love it so far.)\n- Quantum Computing Since Democritus (started in November as my nonfiction read, but took a break; I think I want to finish IJ first. Scott is an excellent writer and I was really enjoying this)\n- Building Microservices\n- The Code Book\n- How Cars Work (I want to turn the projection of a car in my brain from a black box to a gray box this year, and I don't mean by purchasing a Cybertruck)\n- To Kill a Mockingbird\n- The Personal MBA (for years I laughed off caring about the business of business and lived in my fantasy land of being satisfied with just the technical details and being focused on only implementing great software/learning how to do so. With a few years in the workforce under my belt, I realize that such an outlook was of great detriment to me. I'm open to other suggestions on similar \"catch me up to speed on general business education\" material)\n- Designing Data-Intensive Applications\n- Island (I have a copy of this but not Brave New World. Multiple friends of mine demand I try Huxley, so here we are.)\n- The Annotated Turing\n- How to Invent Everything\n- Soonish (SMBC is a daily read for me and I'm excited to get to this.)\n- How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems (ditto XKCD modulo release schedule)\n- Basic Economics\n- Thus Spoke Zarathustra\n- Seveneves\n- The Prince\n- Pacific Rims: Beermen Ballin' in Flip-Flops and the Philippines' Unlikely Love Affair with Basketball\n- Elevator Music: A Surreal History of Muzak, Easy-Listening, and Other Moodsong\n- Fahrenheit 451\nAdditionally, to tickle the part of my brain that fancies mathematics (one of my my majors in undergrad), I try to work through a chapter or two of Evan Chen's \"An Infinitely Long Napkin\" on a quarterly basis. If you don't mind a conversational tone to your math textbooks, I've found this to be an excellent resource for scraping the surface of a wide variety of topics and fields (including, well, topics like fields). I think I'll continue this habit.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems",
          "reason": "Named in the commenter's planned queue, with a comparison to XKCD.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Randall Munroe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "everyday science",
        "humor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-we-decide-e34ad7",
      "title": "How We Decide",
      "author": "Jonah Lehrer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1026494,
          "author": "sivers",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T00:12:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026494",
          "commentText": "(The links here bring you to my notes from each book, and the ISBN number for each so you can find it easily at your favorite library/store/whatever.)\nHow We Decide - by Jonah Lehrer:\nBrilliant book with one clear message: our emotional brain is faster and usually smarter than our logical brain. Our emotions are trained by years of logic and experience, retaining it all for real wisdom. Many decisions are better made by going with the gut feeling. Gets a little too technical with deep brain/neuro/cortex talk, but brings it back to usable points.\nhttp://sivers.org/book/HowWeDecide\nThe Investor's Manifesto - by William J. Bernstein:\nAbsolutely my favorite author and advisor on the subject of investing. Anyone with any money to invest (or already invested) please read this book. Such clear thinking, using only facts, and using numbers not guesses. Modern portfolio theory: use passive indexes of the entire market, no speculation, no stock picking, and avoid the entire fee-sucking financial industry.\nhttp://sivers.org/book/InvestorsManifesto\nSum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives - by David Eagleman:\nFiction. Awesomely creative think-piece of 40 different short stories of what happens when you die. To be clear: the author is not pretending this is fact! The framework is inspiring for anyone: coming up with 40 different answers to any one question.\nhttp://sivers.org/book/Sum\nThe Talent Code - by Daniel Coyle:\nA great book showing that deep practice - (struggling in certain targeted ways - operating at the edges of your ability, where you make mistakes - experiences where you're forced to slow down, make errors, and correct them) - is what really makes you improve at anything.\nhttp://sivers.org/book/TalentCode\nInfluence - by Robert Cialdini:\nClassic book on the psychology of persuasion. I read it 15 years ago, thought about it ever since, and re-read it now. How to get a 700% improvement in volunteers. How to sell more by doubling your prices. How to make people feel they made a choice, when really you made it for them.\nhttp://sivers.org/book/Influence\nThe Time Paradox - by Philip Zimbardo and John Boyd:\nSee my in-depth article about this book at http://sivers.org/time\nhttp://sivers.org/book/TimeParadox",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Brilliant book with one clear message: our emotional brain is faster and usually smarter than our logical brain.",
          "reason": "Calls it brilliant and explains its central claim.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Gets a little too technical with deep brain/neuro/cortex talk.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonah Lehrer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "decision making",
        "neuroscience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-we-got-here-2efed4",
      "title": "How We Got Here",
      "author": "Andy Kessler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22093707,
          "author": "brownbat",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T20:14:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22093707",
          "commentText": "Andy Kessler's How We Got Here.\nOnly a few hundred people have rated it on GoodReads, but if you wanted to trace a march of technological progress from swords to the Internet, it does a good job. There are definitely other stories you could tell about this accelerating sweep of technological change, but this one was a solid rapid overview and really stuck some ideas with me about how changes compound (or completely swerve to a new goal) over time.\nThe original tweet is more about how domain experts would rely on books nobody outside that domain has heard of, so maybe I should be thinking more about textbooks that stuck with me. Sources of Chinese Tradition, the Tractatus, and A Mathematical Theory of Computation all left pretty lasting influences in one way or another.\nSources of Japanese Tradition discusses the origins of Tendai Zen Buddhism, with some bits on Dogen, who once wrote something like, \"If you want to achieve a certain thing, you must first become a certain person. After becoming a certain person, you no longer want that certain thing.\"\nThat's a pretty good tie in to Kessler's view of the last several hundred years of human progress. We were repeatedly solving some other problem, which once we had the tools to solve that, it became nearly irrelevant compared to what else we could do now.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "if you wanted to trace a march of technological progress from swords to the Internet, it does a good job.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it gives a solid rapid overview of technological progress and how changes compound.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the history of technological progress.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes other accounts of this history could be told.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andy Kessler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of technology",
        "technological change"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-we-got-to-now-3611dc",
      "title": "How We Got to Now",
      "author": "Steven Johnson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14479964,
          "author": "davidgh",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-04T05:00:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14479964",
          "commentText": "How We Got to Now, Steven Johnson. Walks you through a half dozen foundational inventions and the process through which they came to be. Fascinating to see what the inventors were trying to solve vs. how the world ended up applying their technology.\nUnbroken, Laura Hillenbrand. If you haven't read the book don't judge it by the (awful) movie.\nThe Liberators: My Life in the Soviet Army. Really opens your eyes to the problems and realities of communism. I love the author's dry sense of humor as he witnesses the absurdity of many of the things he encountered.\nSniper on the Eastern Front, Albrecht Wacker. A view of WWII through the eyes of a German sniper.\nAuschwitz: A Doctor's Eyewitness Account, Miklos Nyiszli. A view of the holocaust through the eyes of a Jewish doctor in the Auschwitz concentration camp.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How We Got to Now, Steven Johnson. Walks you through a half dozen foundational inventions",
          "reason": "Calls it fascinating for showing how inventions developed and how their uses changed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Johnson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of invention"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-we-got-to-now-six-innovations-that-made-the-modern-world-beed8f",
      "title": "How We Got to Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World",
      "author": "Steven Johnson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42219077,
          "author": "Brajeshwar",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T03:54:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42219077",
          "commentText": "This year, I decided to read more fiction, and I like it.[1] Here are some of the interesting non-fiction books I liked;\n- Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology by Chris Miller\n- How We Got to Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World by Steven Johnson\n- The Accidental Masterpiece: On the Art of Life and Vice Versa by Michael Kimmelman\n- The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin\n- The TATAS: How a Family Built a Business and a Nation by Girish Kuber\n1. https://brajeshwar.com/2024/books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How We Got to Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World by Steven Johnson",
          "reason": "Included among the non-fiction books the commenter liked.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Johnson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of innovation",
        "technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-we-know-what-isn-t-so-the-fallibility-of-human-reason-in-ever-95f8cb",
      "title": "How We Know What Isn't So: The Fallibility of Human Reason in Everyday Life",
      "author": "Thomas Gilovich",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1569505,
          "author": "rudyfink",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T23:29:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569505",
          "commentText": "Here are some nonfiction books that I've enjoyed.\nHow We Know What Isn't So: The Fallibility of Human Reason in Everyday Life - Gilovich - a good book on the inability of the human mind to accept things as random.\nCrucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High - Patterson, et all - fluffy but nice short and solid book for better skills at listening and responding in conversation\nFull Throttle: The Life & Fast Times of Racing Legend Curtis Turner - Edlestein - Curtis Turner was an influential figure in the development of what became NASCAR.  I enjoyed the book for his character and as insight into a pass time that I had not really understood.\nPeter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day - Reinhart - His latest book on quality home baking.  This is definitely a do along with the book kind of read, but I found it to be easy to follow, appealing to detail, and satisfying in producing delicious bread.\nVintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails: From the Alamagoozlum to the Zombie 100 Rediscovered Recipes and the Stories Behind Them - Haigh - If you're of age, this is an interesting background in cocktails and their evolution in America.\nI forget whether it was on HN or not, but I've been enjoying this list of great magazine articles http://www.kk.org/cooltools/the-best-magazi.php .",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How We Know What Isn't So: The Fallibility of Human Reason in Everyday Life - Gilovich - a good book on the inability of the human mind to accept things as random.",
          "reason": "Called a good book about the mind's difficulty accepting randomness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Gilovich"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chance",
        "cognitive biases"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-we-learn-5aad3e",
      "title": "How We Learn",
      "author": "Benedict Carey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30825699,
          "author": "kaycebasques",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T00:41:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30825699",
          "commentText": "Thank you debanjan16 for constructing a well-formulated question that delivered lots of high-quality additions to my \"to read\" list!\nStrangely enough nothing is coming to mind for my field, technical writing. Docs for Developers is great at covering the end-to-end basics of a high-quality documentation process. But I feel like there is some book out there that has inspired me to think more deeply about how to effectively communicate ideas and instructions to other people, which is the true heart and soul of technical writing as an art and science. How We Learn by Benedict Carey is the right direction but I don't remember thinking of it as a masterpiece.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "How We Learn by Benedict Carey is the right direction but I don't remember thinking of it as a masterpiece.",
          "reason": "Described as relevant to thinking deeply about communicating ideas and instructions, though not remembered as a masterpiece.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not remember thinking of it as a masterpiece.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18662508,
          "author": "amuresan",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T09:26:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18662508",
          "commentText": "1. La peste (Albert Camus) - entertaining if you're into French existentialism\n2. Linked (Barabasi) - insightful and useful to understand that most phenomenon we see in real life follow a power law and what that means\n3. Leonardo da Vinci (Walter Isaacson) - surprising how little of da Vinci's real personality is reflected in his modern image\n4. Matrix computations – third edition (Gene Golub, Charles van Loan) - good read if you're into linear algebra\n5. Giving effective feedback (Harvard business review) - useful for getting an understanding on how to handle human interaction\n6. The old man and the sea (Ernest Hemingway) - enjoyed it a lot, a reflection of Hemingway's romantic spirit. Also, a quick read.\n7. Screwjack (Hunter S. Thompson) - didn't resonate with me although I am a fan of existentialism\n8. Sun and steel (Yukio Mishima) - raw and intimate. before reading this book I'd recommend reading up on Mishima's life\n9. Stranger than fiction (Chuck Palahniuck) - somewhat entertaining, more so because it served as a glimpse into Palahniuck's creative process\n10. Thinking in Systems: A Primer (Dana Meadows) - useful for understanding that in modern life we have complex systems at work with emergent behavior that we didn't expect. Trying to isolate / model a single component of one of these systems is a flawed approach.\n11. Chaos monkeys (Antonio Garcia Martinez) - entertaining, but quite long\n12. Weapons of math destruction (Cathy O'Neil) - in a way, similar to Thinking in systems, but at an applied level. Shows how rules in modern society can have unintended negative consequences when hidden negative feedback loops emerge from the complex system they are embedded in.\n13. Lolita (Nabokov) - a brilliant novel from many points of view. Although the topic is controversial, it is a book that had to be written.\n14. The prince (Machiavelli) - an interesting read. It was intended as a guide to the young price Cesare Borgia from his teacher Machiavelli. The secret to enjoying it is not to judge it by modern morality.\n15. Give and take (Adam Grant) - psychology research about giving / taking / matching personality types presented in a book for the masses. I would not read it again; watching a presentation online should be enough to get the point across.\n16. Mécanique (Landau, Lifchitz) - refresh of mechanics\n17. Do androids dream of electric sheep (Philip K. Dick) - enjoyable and entertaining! I'm surprised how different the feel of the book is compared to the Blade runner films. In the book androids are purely rational beings, whereas the film wraps them in an aura of romanticism.\n18. How we learn (Benedict Carey) - decades of learning research condensed in a book\n19. Advanced Calculus: A Differential Forms Approach (Harold M. Edwards) - the best math book I've read so far! For me it was eye-opening in a fundamental way. Edwards is truly a gifted teacher.\n20. Three men in a boat (Jerome K. Jerome) - enjoyable and amusing\n21. Getting to yes (Roger Fisher, William Ury) - negotiation book, nicely written and structured\n22. Without a word (Zhang Jie) - historical novel by one of China's most acclaimed modern writers. I don't have a good reference to compare against since this was my first Chinese novel, but overall I did enjoy it. It felt real and raw.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "decades of learning research condensed in a book",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Benedict Carey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memory",
        "learning research",
        "learning science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-we-think-af37f6",
      "title": "How We Think",
      "author": "John Dewey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1504493,
          "author": "mindviews",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T22:54:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1504493",
          "commentText": "I've read both \"Experience and Nature\" and \"How We Think\" and can recommend both.  \"How We Think\" was published first and is shorter - would make for a good introduction to Dewey.  \"Experience and Nature\" is longer and has more weight but is also more work to read.  I haven't read more than excerpts from his other works so I can't add much.  Otherwise, I intend to read \"The Public and its Problems\" which is supposed to be a good work on democracy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How We Think\" was published first and is shorter - would make for a good introduction to Dewey.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a good introduction to Dewey.",
          "audience": "Readers new to John Dewey.",
          "caveat": "Shorter than Experience and Nature.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Dewey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "john dewey",
        "pragmatism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-an-economy-grows-and-why-it-doesn-t-d4df76",
      "title": "How an Economy Grows and Why It Doesn't",
      "author": "Irwin Schiff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1465044,
          "author": "Shmulkey",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T05:54:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1465044",
          "commentText": "The author is currently doing time for refusing to pay income taxes.  A crank, IMHO.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The author is currently doing time for refusing to pay income taxes.  A crank, IMHO.",
          "reason": "Dismisses the book's author as a crank, citing his imprisonment for refusing to pay income taxes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The criticism targets the author; the comment does not assess the book's contents.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1464918,
          "author": "Towle_",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T04:29:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1464918",
          "commentText": "\"How an Economy Grows and Why It Doesn't\" by Irwin Schiff.\nhttp://www.scribd.com/doc/8009736/Irwin-Schiff-How-an-Econom... (http://www.scribd.com/doc/8009736/Irwin-Schiff-How-an-Economy-Grows-and-Why-It-Doesnt)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How an Economy Grows and Why It Doesn't\" by Irwin Schiff.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Irwin Schiff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic concepts",
        "economic satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-the-immune-system-works-8ab4de",
      "title": "How the Immune System Works",
      "author": "Lauren Sompayrac",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34162020,
          "author": "jsenn",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T15:37:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34162020",
          "commentText": "* Three Body Problem. I've heard of it many times, but never read it. Picked it up a month or two ago, read the whole thing in a few sessions, one of my favourite sci-fi books ever. Will read the next book in the series.\n* Immune: A Journey into the Mysterious System that Keeps You Alive. Best pop-sci book I've read in a while. Strikes the right balance between including pertinent information without being overwhelming, explaining things in a digestible way without dumbing down, etc. Inspired me to read a proper immunology primer (How the Immune System Works), which was also very good.\n* How Rights Went Wrong. An excellent, level-headed take on the U.S. conception of rights, and how it leads to zero-sum thinking in supreme court cases. The author is so relentlessly reasonable that it's hard not to buy into his argument. Even though this book is about the U.S., it has lots of case studies where it contrasts with various other countries, which helped me understand my country's (Canada's) court system and system of rights better.\nLet-downs:\n* Seeing Like a State. The first few chapters are interesting, and do a good job of explaining the world-view of the author. Worth buying just for this. However, the last half or two-thirds of the book is a tedious re-hashing of the same ideas through various examples.\n* The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity. Many interesting factoids in here (killer asteroids: solved problem). However, the book's central argument failed to convince me. Many of the analyses and probability estimates were disappointingly shallow and hand-wavy, especially for the #1 risk cited in the book--unaligned AI--which he thinks has a 10% chance of ending civilization this century.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How the Immune System Works), which was also very good.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was also very good after reading it as an immunology primer.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lauren Sompayrac"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "immunology",
        "textbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-the-internet-happened-from-netscape-to-the-iphone-840b6c",
      "title": "How the Internet Happened: From Netscape to the iPhone",
      "author": "Brian McCullough",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22706830,
          "author": "sien",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T20:59:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22706830",
          "commentText": "The Friendly Orange Glow : The Untold Story of the PLATO system and the dawn of cyberculture (2017) is a really interesting book about a system few people here would probably have heard of.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34373814-the-friendly-or... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34373814-the-friendly-orange-glow)\nHow the Internet Happened is very good. The podcast that was created while writing the book is also worth a listen.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38212134-how-the-interne... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38212134-how-the-internet-happened)\nAccidental Empires is also very good\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27652.Accidental_Empires",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How the Internet Happened is very good.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book is very good.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in internet history.",
          "caveat": "The commenter separately says the accompanying podcast is worth a listen.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian McCullough"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "internet history",
        "web history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-the-mighty-fall-6e05e4",
      "title": "How the Mighty Fall",
      "author": "Jim Collins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1027868,
          "author": "wushupork",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T23:49:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027868",
          "commentText": "I got a Kindle as a gift too and I love it as well. I highly recommend you play with it or at least borrow someone's (if they'll let you) if you doubt you'll like it.\n\"Inside Steve's Brain\" - Great book on the history of Apple, and the inner workings of the company and the philosophy.\n\"Never Eat Alone\" by Keith Ferrazzi on the importance of networking and building relationships.\n\"Trade-Off, Why Some Things Catch On, and Others Don't\"\n\"The Pixar Touch\" Great history of Pixar and how they came about.\n\"Call me Ted\" - Ted Turner's autobiography\n\"How the Mighty Fall\" Jim Collins",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How the Mighty Fall\" Jim Collins",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books enjoyed and recommended.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jim Collins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "management",
        "organizational decline"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-the-world-really-works-5b173a",
      "title": "How the World Really Works",
      "author": "Vaclav Smil",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49471824,
          "author": "wanderingpixel",
          "createdAt": "2026-08-27T21:55:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 49464764,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: If I am 16 what should I learn? Which books should read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49471824",
          "commentText": "How the world really works - Vaclav Smil",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How the world really works - Vaclav Smil",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42274691,
          "author": "perrygeo",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T15:56:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42274691",
          "commentText": "Origin - A genetic history of the Americas by Jennifer Raff. Recent evidence of how humans came to the Americas; it's a significantly different story than our conventional wisdom account.\nCows, Pigs, Wars, and Witches by Marvin Harris. How cultural norms establish collective behavior.\nThe Extermination of the American Bison. Written in the late 1800s as the tragedy was unfolding. Lots on great detail on how and why we decimated a keystone species in a matter of a few decades.\nPlato's Revenge by William Ophuls. A concise manifesto on societal change. Lays out a vision for a new post-growth, post-oil, ecological consciousness that incorporates modern science, religion and philosophy.\nFour Thousand Weeks. Far from a self-help time-management book, this is more a philosophy book on human's relationship with time. Delightful read.\nBreath by James Nestor. Modern humans are breathing incorrectly due to factors of modern life. An exploration of the science and art of breathing properly.\nBernoulli's Fallacy by Aubrey Clayton. In the statistical wars, this book takes a strong stance: Bayesian is unequivocally better. He exploses the racist/colonial history of frequentist statistics, as well as the fundamental flaws in their math. Posits that mis-applied frequentist methods are to blame for the reproducibility crisis in science.\nHow the World Really Works by Vaclav Smil. A no-nonsense, factual account of the systems that keep our modern globalized society running.\nElements of Clojure by Zach Tellman. A concise, high-level philosophy about how we build and compose abstractions. One of those books where every sentence is gold. My only wish that the book wasn't tied to Clojure (most of the book is applicable to any language, despite the title).\nTidy First? by Kent Beck. How and when to make structural changes (refactoring, architecture, paying down tech debt) vs behavioral changes (new features, bug fixes). You need both, and you can use economic theory as a guide for when to invest in one or the other. But you need to treat them differently.\nNumerical Linear Algebra for Programmers by Dragan Djuric. A code-centric introduction to common linear algrebra routines, Using Clojure and the neaderthal library - a high-level API for fast math optimized for CPU and GPU hardware.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "How the World Really Works by Vaclav Smil. A no-nonsense, factual account of the systems that keep our modern globalized society running.",
          "reason": "Described as an account of systems supporting modern global society.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34176258,
          "author": "sershe",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-29T18:48:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34176258",
          "commentText": "1) Chris Moriarty. Spin State - relatively-hard sci-fi with decent non sci-fi elements (i.e. characters and stuff), which I think is rare.\n2) Ralph Ellison. Invisible Man. I really enjoyed the writing, among other things, and how he captures short moments and scenes with sort of a hard-to-describe quality of a visual art, almost.\n3) Ilya Somin. Free To Move. To me most of the book was \"duh\" but I think it would be a good read for people on the fence about immigration and private vs public institutions.\n4) Vaclav Smil. Energy And Civilization; possibly How the World Really Works, still reading that one. Really dense and detailed examination of energy history of mankind for the former, and infrastructure of technological civilization for the latter.\n5) Pluckrose & Lindsday. Cynical Theories. Good 101 on CRT and modern woke movement.\n6) Alexander. New Jim Crow. Good 101 on war on drugs, although some broader social arguments the book makes straightforwardly don't seem to follow, or are contradicted by, its factual base IMHO.\n7) Stephenson. Seveneves - really good hard sci-fi imho, although felt very, very long.\n8) Orwell. Down and Out in Paris and London. A good book about poverty only 70-100 years ago. Also a good perspective for modern complaints about poverty - I have some non-US background for that, so I think many US readers might benefit more.\nOn the fence. \n1) I want to plug Seleukid Royal Economy, just for the hell of it, if you are interested in ancient economy :)\n2) Galef. Scout Mindset - on the fence about this one, but it seemed like it was way too long for what it offers. Maybe I've just read a lot of the same stuff ago.\n3) Okorafor. Binti - not bad as a YA book, but sci-fi aspects are remarkably bad.\nA few more I'm too lazy to type out ;)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "possibly How the World Really Works, still reading that one.",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a book the commenter is still reading, without an evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is still reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33382930,
          "author": "cousin_it",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T11:02:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382930",
          "commentText": "The book Infrastructure, by Brian Hayes, seems similar to your description of Vaclav Smil's book. It's a big book filled with photos and explanations of various infrastructure (mines, factories, railroads, the electrical grid, waterworks and so on) that we keep seeing but don't quite understand what we see. It shows how much it really takes to keep the modern world functioning.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Vaclav Smil's book",
          "reason": "Compares Infrastructure to the book described in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vaclav Smil"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Economics",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "energy",
        "energy systems",
        "global systems",
        "globalization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-the-world-really-works-the-science-behind-how-we-got-here-and-7f3a8f",
      "title": "How the World Really Works: The Science Behind How We Got Here and Where We're Going",
      "author": "Vaclav Smil",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42536847,
          "author": "Techtsunami",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-29T02:20:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42536847",
          "commentText": "I have yet to read Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization however I paired his \"How the world really works\" with Material World. That was an excellent read in itself.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I paired his \"How the world really works\" with Material World. That was an excellent read in itself.",
          "reason": "Describes the book as an excellent read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vaclav Smil"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "energy",
        "modern civilization",
        "resources"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-avoid-a-climate-disaster-da0892",
      "title": "How to Avoid a Climate Disaster",
      "author": "Bill Gates",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32938290,
          "author": "greatbuckleroo",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T13:08:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938290",
          "commentText": "* The Alchemist - Paulo Coehlo\n* East of Eden - John Steinbeck\n* How to Avoid a Climate Disaster - Bill Gates",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Avoid a Climate Disaster - Bill Gates",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Gates"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "climate change"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-be-alone-b947a4",
      "title": "How to Be Alone",
      "author": "Jonathan Franzen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46431336,
          "author": "ILoveHorses",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-30T09:38:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46431336",
          "commentText": "I wanted to challenge myself in 2025 and alternate between fiction and non-fiction, so here are my highlights\n- Crime and Punishment\n - Homo Deus\n - Catch 22\n - Flash Boys\n - The Art of Strategy\n - Moby Dick (could only get halfway through though :()\n - The Great Gatsby\n - How to be Alone (couldn't get past 2 chapters)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "How to be Alone (couldn't get past 2 chapters)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Couldn't get past two chapters.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Franzen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Society",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "essays"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-be-idle-a-loafer-s-manifesto-7829e9",
      "title": "How to Be Idle: A Loafer's Manifesto",
      "author": "Tom Hodgkinson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9348291,
          "author": "serve_yay",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:36:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348291",
          "commentText": "\"How to Win Friends and Influence People\", Dale Carnegie\n\"The Black Swan\", Taleb\n\"How To Be Idle: A Loafer's Manifesto\", Tom Hodgkinson\n\"The Tao Is Not Silent\", Raymond Smullyan\nIn that order.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How To Be Idle: A Loafer's Manifesto\", Tom Hodgkinson",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about books that changed one's perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Hodgkinson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leisure",
        "work culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-be-rich-029d3c",
      "title": "How to Be Rich",
      "author": "J. Paul Getty",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 138135,
          "author": "projectileboy",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-16T12:32:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=138135",
          "commentText": "This might be only tangentially related, but I dig \"How To Be Rich\" by J. Paul Getty. He talks a lot about how he built Getty Oil, and about what's important in business and in life.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I dig \"How To Be Rich\" by J. Paul Getty.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoy it and describes its coverage of Getty Oil, business, and life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is only tangentially related.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. Paul Getty"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business philosophy",
        "wealth"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-be-twice-as-smart-4478b5",
      "title": "How to Be Twice as Smart",
      "author": "Scott Witt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1724771,
          "author": "SHOwnsYou",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-24T18:29:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1724771",
          "commentText": "If you actually want literature, my favorite book as a child was Where the Red Fern Grows. If they are around 14+ there are some great, captivating Hemmingway books. A Farewell to Arms, Island in the Stream, A Movable Feast, and The Garden of Eden (In that order).\nI keeping editing as I think of new things. This may sound odd, but if they are in the 14+ range, How to Win Friends and Influence People is great. It changed a lot for me.\nWhen I was like 9 I got the book How to be Twice as Smart and it taught me a ton of mental tricks.\nThis book taught me a lot (probably if the boy is like 10 or 12+?)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Backyard-Ballistics-Cannons-Cincinnati... (http://www.amazon.com/Backyard-Ballistics-Cannons-Cincinnati-Dynamite/dp/1556523750/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1285352917&sr=1-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "When I was like 9 I got the book How to be Twice as Smart and it taught me a ton of mental tricks.",
          "reason": "Recommends it based on the mental tricks it taught them.",
          "audience": "Children around age 9 and older.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Witt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memory techniques",
        "mental skills"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-be-a-3-man-bea52b",
      "title": "How to Be a 3% Man",
      "author": "Corey Wayne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14478604,
          "author": "vecter",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T21:31:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478604",
          "commentText": "How To Be A 3% Man by Corey Wayne [0]\nI'm 30 now. I wish I had read this when I was 20. It would've made dating in my 20s so much easier. I came across it last year and it's probably the single most important book I'll ever read in my entire life, for the sole reason that understanding women will allow me to have a successful marriage one day. I cannot recommend this enough.\n[0] Free online: https://www.scribd.com/doc/33421576/How-To-Be-A-3-Man",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's probably the single most important book I'll ever read in my entire life, for the sole reason that understanding women will allow me to have a successful marriage one day. I cannot recommend this enough.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it would have made dating easier and calls it the most important book in their life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment makes broad claims about understanding women but gives no evidence for them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Corey Wayne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dating",
        "relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-be-a-stoic-9c54b1",
      "title": "How to Be a Stoic",
      "author": "Massimo Pigliucci",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14859808,
          "author": "_lbaq",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:12:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859808",
          "commentText": "\"How to Be a Stoic\" by Massimo Pigliucci.\nSo far it's really good.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "So far it's really good.",
          "reason": "Says it is really good so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Massimo Pigliucci"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "stoicism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-be-an-alien-7879e6",
      "title": "How to Be an Alien",
      "author": "George Mikes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17383172,
          "author": "vram22",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T20:10:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17383172",
          "commentText": "Some books by George Mikes.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Mikes\n[ George Mikes ['mikeʃ] (15 February 1912 – 30 August 1987) was a Hungarian-born British journalist, humourist and writer, best known for his humorous commentaries on various countries. ]\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/How_to_be_an_Alien - his most famous one.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "his most famous one.",
          "reason": "Named as one of George Mikes's books in response to a thread asking for lesser-known books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as his most famous book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Mikes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "british culture",
        "humor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-become-a-rainmaker-100fa6",
      "title": "How to Become a Rainmaker",
      "author": "Jeffrey J. Fox",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10240701,
          "author": "tsattersten",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-18T17:39:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10240701",
          "commentText": "Our selections from The 100 Best Business Books of All Time were:\n-Selling The Invisible by Harry Beckwith (great look at selling services)\n-Secrets of Closing The Sale by Zig Ziglar (gets you prepared for objections)\n-How to Become A Rainmaker by Jeffrey Fox (shortcuts to better sales techniques)\n-The Little Red Book of Selling by Jeffrey Gitomer (best first book for first time salespeople)\nAs mentioned in other posts, I would also add SPIN Selling, Mastering the Complex Sale and The Referral Engine.\n\"Smart\" books in the sales space include Influence, Made To Stick, To Sell Is Human.\nFor motivation, read more Zig, Tony Robbins, and Dale Carnegie.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Become A Rainmaker by Jeffrey Fox (shortcuts to better sales techniques)",
          "reason": "Recommended for sales techniques.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeffrey J. Fox"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sales",
        "sales techniques"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-build-a-billion-dollar-app-discover-the-secrets-of-the-mos-7ca2c7",
      "title": "How to Build a Billion Dollar App: Discover the Secrets of the Most Successful Entrepreneurs of Our Time",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10329205,
          "author": "Chefkoochooloo",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-04T23:20:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10329205",
          "commentText": "I really liked reading \"How to Build a Billion Dollar App: Discover the secrets of the most successful entrepreneurs of our time\" and we followed all of the suggestions while building our app.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really liked reading \"How to Build a Billion Dollar App: Discover the secrets of the most successful entrepreneurs of our time\" and we followed all of the suggestions while building our app.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really liked it and followed its suggestions while building an app.",
          "audience": "People building an app or starting a company.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "app startups",
        "entrepreneurship",
        "product development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-build-a-car-1f381a",
      "title": "How to Build a Car",
      "author": "Adrian Newey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37937266,
          "author": "lasermatts",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:48:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937266",
          "commentText": "Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\nlots of great recommendations already, but this is a relatively quick read and a great story.\nHow To Build A Car\nIf you're into F1 -- or precision engineering -- it's a cool book that gives you insight into a fantastic designer and his approach to producing machines\nI could go on but those are two books I thought about while going about my day today",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How To Build A Car\nIf you're into F1 -- or precision engineering -- it's a cool book that gives you insight into a fantastic designer and his approach to producing machines",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as a cool book offering insight into a designer and his approach to engineering.",
          "audience": "People interested in F1 or precision engineering.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adrian Newey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "automotive engineering",
        "formula one"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-change-your-mind-what-the-new-science-of-psychedelics-teac-fce92f",
      "title": "How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us about Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence",
      "author": "Michael Pollan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18664037,
          "author": "yboris",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T14:17:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664037",
          "commentText": "The top 4 this year for me:\nHow Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking\nAlgorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions\nHow to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us about Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence\nMoral Tribes: Emotion, Reason, and the Gap Between Us and Them\nPhenomenal books. I have a longer list of recommendations I've collected over the decades: http://yboris.com/reading/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us about Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's top four books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Pollan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consciousness",
        "psychedelics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-create-a-mind-bca693",
      "title": "How to Create a Mind",
      "author": "Ray Kurzweil",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8716640,
          "author": "mertnesvat",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T14:46:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8716640",
          "commentText": "ray kurzweil how to create a mind (it helped me to change my point of view to my behaviors for example I stopped to watch reality show started to take a design session for 1 hour everyday etc)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "ray kurzweil how to create a mind (it helped me to change my point of view to my behaviors",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped change their perspective and behavior.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5859187,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-11T02:22:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 5859004,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5859187",
          "commentText": ">> 1. What books are you currently reading?\nWell, I'm one of those people who has a bookmark in about 15 different books that I'm \"currently reading\" but some are higher priorities than others, and some will never be finished (probably) and others I'll have to start over since I've forgotten what was happening when I sat it aside, etc.  But offhand, I can think of:\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore - re-reading this one\nThe Prime Solution - Jeff Thull - 3rd Jeff Thull book on selling that I've read lately, and I'll probably reread the entire series when I finish this one\nThe New Solution Selling  - re-reading this - can you tell I'm starting to try and move into sales?\nSelling to VITO - more sales stuff.\nHow to Create A Mind - Ray Kurzweil\nGodel, Escher, Bach - Douglas Hofstadter - set this aside over a year ago; about halfway through, will probably finish it, but FSM only knows when\nA New Kind of Science - Stephen Wolfram (see above about GEB)\nMadame Bovary - Meh. May finish one day, may not.  Would have to start it over at this point.\nREAMDE - Neal Stephenson - set this aside a while back, but intend to finish it eventually.  Will probably restart from the beginning.\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Stephen Gary Blank - I'm kinda in a perpetual state of reading and re-reading sections of this book.\nThe Dispossessed - Ursula K. LeGuin - sat this aside quite some time ago, will have to start over at some point.\nThe Man In The Moss - Phil Rickman - another one that I sat aside for a while, and may or may not ever bother finishing.  Weird, because I usually really enjoy Rickman's work and just tear through his books, but I got stalled out on this one for some reason.\n>> 2. Which book has helped you the most?\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Stephen Gary Blank.\nAlso, The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki and Crossing the Chasm by Moore.\nOf all these sales books I've read lately, I'm really starting to buy into this \"Diagnostic Selling\" stuff by Jeff Thull, so I'd endorse Mastering The Complex Sale, Exceptional Selling and The Prime Solution by Thull. Also, The New Solution Selling.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "How to Create A Mind - Ray Kurzweil",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ray Kurzweil"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "cognitive science",
        "neuroscience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-design-programs-an-introduction-to-programming-and-computi-f764e9",
      "title": "How to Design Programs: An Introduction to Programming and Computing",
      "author": "Matthias Felleisen, Robert Bruce Findler, Matthew Flatt, and Shriram Krishnamurthi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9758316,
          "author": "sanoli",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T13:57:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758316",
          "commentText": "This gem is too often left out:\nHow to Design Programs - An Introduction to Programming and Computing\nhttp://www.htdp.org/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This gem is too often left out:\nHow to Design Programs - An Introduction to Programming and Computing",
          "reason": "Called a gem and highlighted as often overlooked.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthias Felleisen",
        "Robert Bruce Findler",
        "Matthew Flatt",
        "Shriram Krishnamurthi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "functional programming",
        "programming education"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-do-nothing-resisting-the-attention-economy-5ede6a",
      "title": "How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy",
      "author": "Jenny Odell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28453971,
          "author": "nicbou",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-08T06:59:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 28450555,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that impacted your work that few other people seem to care about?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28453971",
          "commentText": "How To Do Nothing [0]. The article, though the book is on my list.\nThis is not a straightforward article, so I can see how people could struggle with it, but I love every bit of it.\nThe author taught me to slow down, work less, and pay more attention to the other things.\n[0] https://medium.com/@the_jennitaur/how-to-do-nothing-57e100f5... (https://medium.com/@the_jennitaur/how-to-do-nothing-57e100f59bbb)\n---\nThe Life-Changing Magic Of Not Giving A F*ck, or at least the first chapter or two. This book should have been a blog article, so you don't need to read the whole thing.\nLong story short, it's minimalism for obligations. If it doesn't bring joy or serve a purpose, chuck it.\nIt's not a clever book, but I suppose it hit at the right time. It made me realise how most work obligations are negotiable. It emboldened me to cancel meetings, cut their headcount, and send people back to their desks once they played their part in them.\nWhen I went freelance, I applied the same energy to maintenance tasks like accounting, comment moderation and the dreaded introductory phone calls.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "How To Do Nothing [0]. The article, though the book is on my list.",
          "reason": "The commenter has the book on their list and praises the related article’s message.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The praise is for an article; the commenter has not yet read the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jenny Odell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "attention economy",
        "digital minimalism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-edit-technical-documents-be4841",
      "title": "How to Edit Technical Documents",
      "author": "Donald W. Bush and Charles P. Campbell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32344750,
          "author": "Minor49er",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-04T16:09:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32344750",
          "commentText": "\"How to Edit Technical Documents\" by Donald W. Bush and Charles P. Campbell is a pretty easy read that explains how to approach writing and structuring technical documents.\nEdit: Some places have it priced pretty highly, but Amazon has it here for about $3:\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Edit-Technical-Documents-Donald-Bush/... (https://www.amazon.com/Edit-Technical-Documents-Donald-Bush/dp/0897748700)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How to Edit Technical Documents\" by Donald W. Bush and Charles P. Campbell is a pretty easy read",
          "reason": "Explains how to approach writing and structuring technical documents.",
          "audience": "Readers looking to improve technical document writing.",
          "caveat": "Some places price it highly; the commenter says Amazon has it for about $3.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donald W. Bush",
        "Charles P. Campbell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "document structure",
        "technical writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-fail-at-almost-everything-and-still-win-big-kind-of-the-st-cd9600",
      "title": "How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life",
      "author": "Scott Adams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25537039,
          "author": "meowzero",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-25T15:40:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25537039",
          "commentText": "Maybe not A book, but some books that helped me change my behavior just a little bit.\nBrain Rules for Baby: How to Raise a Smart and Happy Child from Zero to Five - if you're thinking of having children or have young children already. This book gives some good insight on possible, data-driven ways to raise a happy and smart kid. I currently have a newborn and have altered some ways I behave around her. It also helps to think about how you were raised, and if that impacted the way you are.\nThe Mind Illuminated: A Complete Meditation Guide Integrating Buddhist Wisdom and Brain Science for Greater Mindfulness - if you're into meditation, I think this is the book to get. I started out with Headspace and this book takes it to the next level.\nHow to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life - This was an entertaining book on how Scott Adams failed and succeeded. He gives some practical tips on what he did to get to where he is. Of course, there is survivorship bias, but I found some of it helpful.\nThe Charisma Myth: How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism - People aren't born Charismatic. You can practice it.\nNever Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It - A book about negotiation. I used to hate negotiating. Heck I still do. While I might not use the exact tactics outlined in the book, it helped me realize that I should try to negotiate more. And it might have helped me to get good deals or better salary just by asking.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life - This was an entertaining book on how Scott Adams failed and succeeded.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it entertaining and says it offers practical tips based on the author's experiences.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes survivorship bias and says only some of the tips were helpful.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175649,
          "author": "JoeAcchino",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:43:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175649",
          "commentText": "I'm reading How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life by Scott Adams and I'm about to start The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg.\nI'm also reading again Comme un roman by Danil Pennac, a beautiful essay about the joys of reading.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm reading How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life by Scott Adams",
          "reason": "Says they are reading it, without evaluating or recommending it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Adams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal development",
        "success"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-get-rich-one-of-the-world-s-greatest-entrepreneurs-shares--4a7ead",
      "title": "How to Get Rich: One of the World's Greatest Entrepreneurs Shares His Secrets",
      "author": "Felix Dennis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4966900,
          "author": "Reltair",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T19:45:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4966900",
          "commentText": "How to Get Rich: One of the World's Greatest Entrepreneurs Shares His Secrets - Felix Dennis. The most life-changing book that I read this year. http://www.amazon.com/How-Get-Rich-Greatest-Entrepreneurs/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/How-Get-Rich-Greatest-Entrepreneurs/dp/1591842719/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The most life-changing book that I read this year.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the most life-changing book they read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Felix Dennis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "wealth"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-get-what-you-want-f25b3c",
      "title": "How to Get What You Want",
      "author": "Raymond Hull",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17046599,
          "author": "novalis78",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T12:02:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17046599",
          "commentText": "“How to get what you want”, by Raymond Hull. (Most effective self help book)\n“A moral animal”, by Robert Wright. (Evolutionary Psychology overview - will change your view on life)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“How to get what you want”, by Raymond Hull.",
          "reason": "Listed as an effective self-help book in response to a request for introspective recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Raymond Hull"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self help"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-grow-old-8da216",
      "title": "How to Grow Old",
      "author": "Cicero",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40280220,
          "author": "black6",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-06T22:25:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40280220",
          "commentText": "Eric Hoffer's \"The True Believer\"\nCicero's \"How to Grow Old\"\nJohn Derbyshire's \"Prime Obsession\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cicero's \"How to Grow Old\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cicero"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aging"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-hide-an-empire-33afed",
      "title": "How to Hide an Empire",
      "author": "Daniel Immerwahr",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21458637,
          "author": "jkepler",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T00:48:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21458637",
          "commentText": "How to Hide an Empire: a short history of the greater United States. It includes an excellent discussion of how technological advancements in the 20th century (such as synthetic rubber, airplanes, and radio) changed the physical structure of empires, with the result of the US empire existing primarily in bases scattered around the world rather than the large swaths of conquered territories that had traditionally characterized empires.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Hide an Empire: a short history of the greater United States. It includes an excellent discussion",
          "reason": "Praises its discussion of how technology reshaped the physical structure of empires.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Immerwahr"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american empire",
        "military bases",
        "technology and empire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-invent-everything-3570dc",
      "title": "How to Invent Everything",
      "author": "Ryan North",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804348,
          "author": "JonathanMerklin",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:41:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804348",
          "commentText": "Great thread. 2019 was the first time in about 7-8 years I made reading for pleasure a tertiary priority ((school+career)work/sleep/exercise+socializing+(NEW!)reading) and I got through about 20 books of varying length and difficulty, so here are the next 20 in my queue:\n- Infinite Jest (already started, will likely finish in early Jan. I love it so far.)\n- Quantum Computing Since Democritus (started in November as my nonfiction read, but took a break; I think I want to finish IJ first. Scott is an excellent writer and I was really enjoying this)\n- Building Microservices\n- The Code Book\n- How Cars Work (I want to turn the projection of a car in my brain from a black box to a gray box this year, and I don't mean by purchasing a Cybertruck)\n- To Kill a Mockingbird\n- The Personal MBA (for years I laughed off caring about the business of business and lived in my fantasy land of being satisfied with just the technical details and being focused on only implementing great software/learning how to do so. With a few years in the workforce under my belt, I realize that such an outlook was of great detriment to me. I'm open to other suggestions on similar \"catch me up to speed on general business education\" material)\n- Designing Data-Intensive Applications\n- Island (I have a copy of this but not Brave New World. Multiple friends of mine demand I try Huxley, so here we are.)\n- The Annotated Turing\n- How to Invent Everything\n- Soonish (SMBC is a daily read for me and I'm excited to get to this.)\n- How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems (ditto XKCD modulo release schedule)\n- Basic Economics\n- Thus Spoke Zarathustra\n- Seveneves\n- The Prince\n- Pacific Rims: Beermen Ballin' in Flip-Flops and the Philippines' Unlikely Love Affair with Basketball\n- Elevator Music: A Surreal History of Muzak, Easy-Listening, and Other Moodsong\n- Fahrenheit 451\nAdditionally, to tickle the part of my brain that fancies mathematics (one of my my majors in undergrad), I try to work through a chapter or two of Evan Chen's \"An Infinitely Long Napkin\" on a quarterly basis. If you don't mind a conversational tone to your math textbooks, I've found this to be an excellent resource for scraping the surface of a wide variety of topics and fields (including, well, topics like fields). I think I'll continue this habit.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Invent Everything",
          "reason": "Listed in the commenter's planned reading queue.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ryan North"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "survival",
        "technology history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-keep-house-while-drowning-057a10",
      "title": "How to Keep House While Drowning",
      "author": "KC Davis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35171605,
          "author": "grepLeigh",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:18:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35171605",
          "commentText": "Most posts offer the obvious suggestions (The Mom Test, High Growth Handbook, The Personal MBA, The Power Law, Hard Thing about Hard Thing, Will It Fly, etc), so I'll focus on some non-obvious suggestions.\nFor tactical advice, I find talks/podcasts and mastermind groups more useful than books.  My favorite podcast (by far) is Rob Walling's Startups for the Rest of Us, which is oriented towards building a capital-efficient bootstrapped business. The archive is full of extremely valuable tactical advice.\nThe books I've found most helpful on my entrepreneurship journey are about mental health, emotional intelligence, and relationships of all kinds. Sharing a few that have had a profound impact, since they helped me metabolize and understand what drove me to become a founder in the first place.\n1. The Self-Compassion Skills Workbook by Tim Desmond\n2. Path of Compassion by Thich Nhat Hanh\n3. The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read, Philippa Perry\n4. Burnout, Emily Nagoski\n5. Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents, Lindsay C. Gibson\n6. Self-Compassion, Dr. Kristin Neff\n7. How to Keep House While Drowning, KC Davis\n8. Deploy Empathy, Michele Hansen\n9. The Body Keeps the Score, Bessel A. Van der Kolk\n10. Atlas of the Heart, Brene Brown\n11. What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Keep House While Drowning, KC Davis",
          "reason": "Listed among books that helped the commenter on their entrepreneurship journey.",
          "audience": "Founders interested in mental health, emotional intelligence, and relationships.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "KC Davis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "household management",
        "mental health"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-keep-your-honda-alive-a-manual-of-step-by-step-procedures--8e7512",
      "title": "How to Keep Your Honda Alive: A Manual of Step-by-Step Procedures for the Compleat Idiot",
      "author": "Richard A. Gunter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35934263,
          "author": "sema4hacker",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-14T00:40:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35934263",
          "commentText": "You're right!  It was https://www.abebooks.com/9780912528250/Keep-Honda-Alive-Manu... (https://www.abebooks.com/9780912528250/Keep-Honda-Alive-Manual-Step-0912528257/plp)\nMy wife and I actually managed a DIY clutch job thanks to that book, which was far better than any other service manual I ever saw.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My wife and I actually managed a DIY clutch job thanks to that book",
          "reason": "The commenter credits the book with helping them complete a DIY clutch repair.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard A. Gunter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "automotive repair",
        "honda maintenance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-keep-your-volkswagen-alive-a-manual-of-step-by-step-proced-d1f632",
      "title": "How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive: A Manual of Step-by-Step Procedures for the Compleat Idiot",
      "author": "John Muir",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35929763,
          "author": "bch",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T16:10:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35929763",
          "commentText": "> cartoon-illustrated DIY Honda Civic repair book from the 80's I no longer remember the name of.\nSounds like the Honda version of “How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive […] For the Compleat Idiot”.[0]\n[0] https://www.ssaircooled.com/vw-how-to-keep-your-vw-alive-com... (https://www.ssaircooled.com/vw-how-to-keep-your-vw-alive-complete-idiots-guide-ac000900)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Sounds like the Honda version of “How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive […] For the Compleat Idiot”.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a possible counterpart to a remembered Honda repair book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter only suggests it as a possible match.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Muir"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "diy auto repair",
        "volkswagen repair"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-know-a-person-c584e6",
      "title": "How to Know a Person",
      "author": "David Brooks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268755,
          "author": "anandpdoshi",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T21:50:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268755",
          "commentText": "Firefighter Zen by Hersch Wilson\nNine lies about work by Marcus Buckingham\nHow to know a person by David Brooks",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to know a person by David Brooks",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Brooks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "communication",
        "empathy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-lie-with-maps-f1b2f0",
      "title": "How to Lie with Maps",
      "author": "Mark Monmonier",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30826269,
          "author": "Jill_the_Pill",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T02:01:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30826269",
          "commentText": "Came here to say this.  It's maybe starting to feel a bit out-of-date, but it's still got the hook.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it's still got the hook",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the parent recommendation and says the book remains engaging.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "May be starting to feel out of date.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Monmonier"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cartography",
        "map literacy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-live-an-extraordinary-life-558915",
      "title": "How to Live an Extraordinary Life",
      "author": "Anthony Pompliano",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46416728,
          "author": "jharohit",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-29T02:15:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46416728",
          "commentText": "sharing a few books I recommended in my annual list (recommend reading!)\nhttps://rohitjha.com/blog/reading-highlights-2025/\nNon Fiction:\n- Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future by Dan Wang (2025)\n- How to Live an Extraordinary Life by Anthony Pompliano (2024)\nFiction:\n- The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester (1956)\n- Consider Phlebas (Culture Series #1) by Iain M. Banks (1987)\n- The Way of Kings (2010, Stormlight #1) & Words of Radiance (2014, Stormlight #2) by Brandon Sanderson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Live an Extraordinary Life by Anthony Pompliano",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anthony Pompliano"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self improvement"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-live-on-24-hours-a-day-99e800",
      "title": "How to Live on 24 Hours a Day",
      "author": "Arnold Bennett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20915621,
          "author": "senjindarashiva",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T06:18:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20915621",
          "commentText": "It's been mentioned before but meditations is great, but I would also like to add \n\"How to live on 24 hours a day\" by Arnold Bennett https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2274\nIn fiction Sherlock Holmes and the Three Musketeers is some of my favorites.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would also like to add \n\"How to live on 24 hours a day\" by Arnold Bennett",
          "reason": "Adds the title to a thread asking for favorite old books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arnold Bennett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "time management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-love-c203fe",
      "title": "How to Love",
      "author": "Thich Nhat Hanh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10218325,
          "author": "olivierntk",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-15T00:32:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10218325",
          "commentText": "Any books from Thich Nhat Hanh.\nThe miracle of mindfulness, No mud/No Lotus, How to Love ...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Love",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thich Nhat Hanh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhism",
        "mindfulness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-make-money-out-of-thin-air-f27929",
      "title": "How to Make Money Out of Thin Air",
      "author": "Brian Sher",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35219113,
          "author": "tmcdos",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-19T14:14:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35219113",
          "commentText": "I am not an entrepreneur (yet) but I still want to share a few titles with you:\n- \"Maverick or The seven day weekend\" by Ricardo Semler\n- \"Rework\" by Jason Fried and David Hansson\n- \"Startup - an insider's guide to launching and running a business\" by Kevin Ready\n- \"Bookkeeping and Cost Accounting for Factories\" by William Kent (1918)\n- \"Practice what you preach\" by David Maister\n- \"Don't oil the squeaky wheel\" by Wolf Rinke\n- \"Selling The Wheel: Choosing The Best Way To Sell For You Your Company Your Customers\" by Jeff Cox\n- \"The power of stupidity\" by Giancarlo Livraghi\n- \"How to write a good advertisement\" by Victor Schwab\n- \"How to Make Money Out of Thin Air\" by Brian Sher\n- \"Good manners and business etiquette. Illustrated Guide\" by Elena Ber\n- \"Don't just roll the dice: A usefully short guide to software pricing\" by Neil Davidson\n- \"Message to Garcia\" by Elbert Hubbard\n- the TopLeaf course of 36 video lectures on management by dr. Izhak Adizes can be purchased on https://vimeo.com/ondemand/topleaf or found on ru tracker (if you have access)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How to Make Money Out of Thin Air\" by Brian Sher",
          "reason": "Shares the title among several books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are not yet an entrepreneur.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Sher"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business ideas",
        "entrepreneurship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-make-monstrous-huge-unbelievably-big-bubbles-acdaf0",
      "title": "How to Make Monstrous, Huge, Unbelievably Big Bubbles",
      "author": "David Stein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35567130,
          "author": "ZeroGravitas",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-14T08:54:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 35566416,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technology/creative books and games for my daughter (7 years)",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35567130",
          "commentText": "How to Make Monstrous, Huge, Unbelievably Big Bubbles\nBook by David Stein\n> How to blow soap bubbles 20-feet long and more, by architect David Stein, inventor of the Bubble Thing (which comes attached to the book)\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/558727",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Make Monstrous, Huge, Unbelievably Big Bubbles\nBook by David Stein",
          "reason": "Suggested as a book about making enormous soap bubbles.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Stein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hands on activities",
        "soap bubbles"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-make-sense-of-any-mess-information-architecture-for-everyb-22300e",
      "title": "How to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody",
      "author": "Abby Covert",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Abby Covert"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "content design",
        "information architecture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-make-war-aee597",
      "title": "How to Make War",
      "author": "James F. Dunnigan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 456839,
          "author": "RobGR",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T18:29:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456839",
          "commentText": "A lot of the suggestions here seem to follow the philosophical advice from generals meme, like the people who read Sun Tzu to learn how to better manage their sales team and etc.\nThe best book I know of in the \"detailed stuff, like how to use tanks, planes and so on\" area is James F. Dunigan's \"How to Make War\".  It's a little cold-war oriented but still pretty applicable, and the first chapter is helpfully titled \"How to Become an Effective Armchair General\".   Given that wars are usually massive economic and logistical operations, it has a lot of charts and tables to that effect, showing the number of shots per soldier killed over the centuries, tonnage of explosives per plane, etc.\nJust by glancing over the charts you can see the basic history of military activity -- the Civil War being the first \"modern\" war in terms of slaughter, economic mobolization, and etc; then a period of regression to small wars, before WWI and so on.\nAs far as \"how to use tanks\" and so on, that is often considered tactics not strategy.  There are books written on that stuff, however; how many people should be in a small platoon and how they should move, leapfrogging each other so one moves while the other keeps the enemy ducking; how two tanks can use their light machine guns to clear each other's close-in areas that they can't see or shoot at themselves; the strategy of having a tank attached to a platoon of infantry so they work together; etc.\nBut I don't know of one single book that collects all that.  If I had to find them I would probably look at the some of the publications of the Army War College, and I would go to a gun show and find that guy who is always there with a lot of field manual publications, and ask him.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The best book I know of in the \"detailed stuff, like how to use tanks, planes and so on\" area is James F. Dunigan's \"How to Make War\".",
          "reason": "Recommends it as the best book they know for detailed military topics such as using tanks and planes.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking detailed explanations of military tactics and operations.",
          "caveat": "A little cold-war oriented, though the commenter says it remains pretty applicable.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James F. Dunnigan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military operations",
        "military strategy",
        "tactics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-mark-a-book-36ae09",
      "title": "How to Mark a Book",
      "author": "Mortimer J. Adler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21810939,
          "author": "0kl",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-17T05:32:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21810939",
          "commentText": "It is a very good summary; matches a lot of my own notes on it. One thing to note though...\n> Adler’s main point in the first section of his work about how to read a book is that it’s best to gain knowledge straight from the source. Instead of going through a teacher sharing the main points of a book, he considered it better to read the book yourself. He called this concept “original communication”—the idea that information coming directly from those who first discovered an idea is the best way of gaining an understanding.\nAlso worth checking out is Adler's \"How to Mark a Book\" : http://chuma.cas.usf.edu/~pinsky/mark_a_book.htm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also worth checking out is Adler's \"How to Mark a Book\"",
          "reason": "Suggests checking out Adler's work on marking books.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in active reading and annotation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mortimer J. Adler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "active reading",
        "annotation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-not-write-bad-b2cf88",
      "title": "How to Not Write Bad",
      "author": "Ben Yagoda",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16352409,
          "author": "jawns",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T12:30:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16352409",
          "commentText": "\"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" by Dale Carnegie.\nI'm not saying my coworkers are a bunch of jerks, but it's got a lot of great advice for working alongside others and resolving differences.\n---\n\"How to Not Write Bad\" by Ben Yagoda.\nI'm not saying my coworkers are all terrible writers, but for many of them, writing just isn't their thing.  But learning how to avoid the most common writing problems is important for programmers, because everybody ends up writing some degree of documentation.\n--\n\"Experimenting With Babies: 50 Amazing Science Projects You Can Perform on Your Kid.\"\nI'm not saying my coworkers are a bunch of babies, but I wrote the book, so I want _everybody_, not just my colleagues, to read it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How to Not Write Bad\" by Ben Yagoda. I'm not saying my coworkers are all terrible writers, but for many of them, writing just isn't their thing.",
          "reason": "Recommended because programmers often need to write documentation and can learn to avoid common writing problems.",
          "audience": "Programmers who write documentation",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ben Yagoda"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "editing",
        "writing skills"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-orient-oneself-in-thinking-008e1c",
      "title": "How to Orient Oneself in Thinking",
      "author": "Immanuel Kant",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19090108,
          "author": "nathias",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T21:39:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090108",
          "commentText": "Plato - Meno, Symposium, Parmenides, Gorgias, Protagoras\nPlotinus -Enneads\nMarkus Aurelius - Meditations\nDescartes - On method\nDescartes - Meditations\nSpinoza - On the improvement of Understanding\nLeibniz - Monadology\nLeibniz - Grace\nVoltaire - Candid\nDiderot - D'Alembert's Dream\nKant - How to orient oneself in thinking\nKant - Critique of Pure Reason\nKant - Critique of Judgment\nHegel - Phenomenology of Spirit\nHegel - Logic\nvon Kleist - Marionette Theatre\nKierkegaard - The Sickness Unto Death\nHeidegger - Being and Time\nSartre - Being and Nothingness\nSartre - Flies\nSartre - Nausea\nDeleuze - Difference and Repetition\nKafka - Metamorphosis\nKafka - The Castle\nLem - Magellan Nebula\nLem - His Master's Voice\nCioran - A Short History of Decay\nPessoa - Book Of Despair\nWolfe -  New Sun tetralogy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kant - How to orient oneself in thinking",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Immanuel Kant"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epistemology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-read-buildings-a-crash-course-in-architecture-073977",
      "title": "How to Read Buildings: A Crash Course in Architecture",
      "author": "Carol Davidson Cragoe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14860310,
          "author": "staz",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T21:00:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14860310",
          "commentText": "- How to Read Buildings: A Crash Course in Architecture ~~ Carol Davidson Cragoe\nIt's a quick crash course to historical architecture, teaching how to recognize the different parts from different time periods and why they where made this way.\n- The Three Musketeers ~~ Alexandre Dumas\nAn old classic, funny and give an interesting overview of France in the XVIIe",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a quick crash course to historical architecture, teaching how to recognize the different parts from different time periods and why they where made this way.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a quick introduction to recognizing historical architectural styles and understanding their features.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carol Davidson Cragoe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Design",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "architectural history",
        "architecture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-read-proofs-an-introduction-to-mathematical-thought-3b377a",
      "title": "How to Read Proofs: An Introduction to Mathematical Thought",
      "author": "Daniel Solow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31490479,
          "author": "mikevm",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T11:06:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31490479",
          "commentText": "I couldn't disagree more. I studied Analysis in the Uni, and even in that environment Rudin is pretty bad. For a total newcomer that book will leave you completely helpless. Also, solutions are a must have, without them you are almsot totally lost. In their absence, it is OK to ask on StackExchange or #math on EFnet.\nFirst let's start with a few books to prep you for college-level maths:\n* https://www.amazon.com/How-Study-as-Mathematics-Major-ebook/... (https://www.amazon.com/How-Study-as-Mathematics-Major-ebook/dp/B00B9CIORY)\n* https://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Proofs-Introduction-Mathemat... (https://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Proofs-Introduction-Mathematical-ebook-dp-B00I8XF6TQ/dp/B00I8XF6TQ) ; or\n* https://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Proofs-Modular-Mathematics-Al... (https://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Proofs-Modular-Mathematics-Allenby/dp/0340676531) ; or\n* https://www.amazon.com/How-Prove-Structured-Daniel-Velleman-... (https://www.amazon.com/How-Prove-Structured-Daniel-Velleman-dp-1108439535/dp/1108439535) (I believe you can find solutions to the 2nd edition online)\nFor Single-Variable Analysis\n* https://www.amazon.com/Think-About-Analysis-Lara-Alcock/dp/0... (https://www.amazon.com/Think-About-Analysis-Lara-Alcock/dp/0198723539)\n* https://www.amazon.com/How-Why-One-Variable-Calculus/dp/1119... (https://www.amazon.com/How-Why-One-Variable-Calculus/dp/1119043387)\n* https://www.amazon.com/Mathematical-Analysis-Straightforward... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematical-Analysis-Straightforward-Approach-2nd/dp/0521288827) (contains solutions to exercises)\n* https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Analysis-Undergraduate-... (https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Analysis-Undergraduate-Texts-Mathematics-ebook/dp/B00XWDQUH4) (there are solutions online for the 2nd edition)\n* https://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Functions-Steps-into-Analysis... (https://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Functions-Steps-into-Analysis/dp/0521788366) (this book is a brilliant exercise-guided approach that helps you build up your knowledge step by step + solutions are provided).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Proofs-Introduction-Mathemat...",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Solow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical proofs"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-read-slowly-3d3bd3",
      "title": "How to Read Slowly",
      "author": "James W. Sire",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16301863,
          "author": "akulbe",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-04T07:57:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16301863",
          "commentText": "My five year old is a voracious reader. I feel like this is one of the most important educational tools you can give anyone. We stress to her that if you can read, and comprehend, there's nothing you cannot learn. That's why I included the first two on this list.\nHow to Read a Book - Mortimer Adler\nHow to Read Slowly - James Sire\nThe Personal MBA - Josh Kaufman\nThe Intelligent Investor - Benjamin Graham\nThink and Grow Rich - Napoleon Hill\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Read Slowly - James Sire",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the question about books to read earlier in life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James W. Sire"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comprehension",
        "reading skills"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-read-a-book-the-classic-guide-to-intelligent-reading-02aa7d",
      "title": "How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading",
      "author": "Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21803504,
          "author": "cryoshon",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:09:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803504",
          "commentText": "here to second \"how to read a book\". few books have changed the way that i interact with written information as profoundly.\nit's not just about reading books, of course. it's about reading any long-form content.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "few books have changed the way that i interact with written information as profoundly.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it profoundly changed how they interact with written information.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They note it applies to long-form content beyond books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mortimer J. Adler",
        "Charles Van Doren"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "active reading",
        "reading skills"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-read-the-bible-c26b4a",
      "title": "How to Read the Bible",
      "author": "James L. Kugel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36105023,
          "author": "verbify",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T15:41:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105023",
          "commentText": "'How To Read The Bible' by James Kugel (of Harvard University) is great for Judaism and Christianity. It goes through the history of how the text was interpreted - both critically/historically and how religious people interpret it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'How To Read The Bible' by James Kugel (of Harvard University) is great for Judaism and Christianity.",
          "reason": "Recommended for learning about Jewish and Christian scriptural interpretation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James L. Kugel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biblical interpretation",
        "christianity",
        "judaism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-run-a-thriving-business-0f996e",
      "title": "How to Run a Thriving Business",
      "author": "Ralph Warner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1570073,
          "author": "sr3d",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T03:59:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1570073",
          "commentText": "Not in any particular order, but I'd highly recommend these interesting books:\nHow to run a Thriving Business - Ralph Warner (the founder of Nolo book)\nThe Death of Ivan Ilyich - Leo Tolstoy (I read this based on a recommendation by a fellow HNer)\nPredictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions - Dan Ariely.\nThe Winner-Take-All Society - Robert H. Frank, et all.\nGun, Germs, and Steel - Jared Diamond.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to run a Thriving Business - Ralph Warner (the founder of Nolo book)",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the commenter’s highly recommended books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ralph Warner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "small business"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-sell-a-lobster-66dad0",
      "title": "How to Sell a Lobster",
      "author": "Bill Bishop",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10236446,
          "author": "dedalus",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T22:21:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10236446",
          "commentText": "One of the best reads on this : http://www.amazon.com/How-Sell-Lobster-Bill-Bishop/dp/097310... (http://www.amazon.com/How-Sell-Lobster-Bill-Bishop/dp/0973107316)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One of the best reads on this",
          "reason": "Recommended as one of the best reads for improving at sales.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Bishop"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sales",
        "selling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-shoot-video-that-doesn-t-suck-98e451",
      "title": "How to Shoot Video That Doesn't Suck",
      "author": "Steve Stockman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21914539,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-30T16:38:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21914539",
          "commentText": "Getting Things Done - the 2001 version I read two years ago, I use the general idea and it helps to have a clear head when your fighting fires daily.\nNever Split the Difference - some very practical negotiation strategies.\nMini Habits by Stephen Guise - short book but awesome method.  I am still doing the one pushup habit since last March.\nHow to Shoot Video That Doesn't Suck by Steve Stockman - I wanted to improve my video production for my programming course for kids.  I am still learning but this book has been a huge help.\nThe Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing and Thinking by Barbara Minto - huge help with improving my written communication at my job.\nThe Coaching Habit by Michael Stanier - short book but huge help when your transitioning to managing people.\nMade to Stick by Dan Heath - was a huge help in planning how I would teach elementary students last month about programming.\nThe 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch - aside from application of Pareto principle, I took away the idea that books provide the best bang for your buck for knowledge density.\nThe 4 Hour Work Week - great inspiration to start your own thing.\nThe $100 Startup - like the 4HWW but with more details.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I am still learning but this book has been a huge help.",
          "reason": "The book has been a huge help with video production for a programming course.",
          "audience": "People learning video production, including for teaching.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is still learning.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve Stockman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "teaching",
        "video production"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-solve-it-by-computer-db693c",
      "title": "How to Solve It by Computer",
      "author": "R. G. Dromey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35954262,
          "author": "vram22",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-15T20:46:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35954262",
          "commentText": "Not all of the ones below may be textbooks, sorry, but IMO they are all very good. I cut my programming teeth on some of them, and read others at different times later in my career.\nHow to Solve It, by Georg Polya. \nA famous Hungarian mathematician. \nA text on general problem solving principles or techniques. A classic.\nHow to Solve It by Computer, by Dromey, an AU CS professor. In the same spirit as the Polya book, but applied to iteratively working out algorithms and pseudocode for common important programming problems.\nThe K&R C book. What to say.\nThe Unix Programming Environment, by Kernighan and Pike. Ditto.\nProgramming Pearls, and More Programming Pearls, by Jon Bentley.\nAmong many other things, some clever / advanced uses of awk.\nWriting Efficient Programs, also by Bentley. I had mentioned it on HN earlier, and someone replied saying they had used it in real life, and it was gold.\nSQL for Professionals, by authors whose names I forget.\nThe Object Primer, by can't remember who, but good.\nA Unix book by Kochan, IIRC.\nObject-Oriented Software Construction, by Bertrand Meyer, creator of the Eiffel programming language.\nA book on object-oriented analysis / design, can't remember the name, by Rebecca Wirfs-Brock (?) and others. Learned about CRC  cards from it. Very cool concept and technique.\nA book on Object-Oriented Design, by Grady Booch, from a time before he co-invented UML. Forget the exact name.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Solve It by Computer, by Dromey",
          "reason": "Presented as a book about working out algorithms and pseudocode for programming problems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "R. G. Dromey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "problem solving"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-solve-it-modern-heuristics-a0c3d9",
      "title": "How to Solve It: Modern Heuristics",
      "author": "Zbigniew Michalewicz and David B. Fogel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13415265,
          "author": "pcvarmint",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-17T04:45:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13415265",
          "commentText": "Not new, but How To Solve It: Modern Heuristics by Michalewicz & Fogel, is a classic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How To Solve It: Modern Heuristics by Michalewicz & Fogel, is a classic.",
          "reason": "Recommends the book as a classic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is not new.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Zbigniew Michalewicz and David B. Fogel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "heuristic search",
        "optimization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-stop-time-2a8965",
      "title": "How to Stop Time",
      "author": "Matt Haig",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36021948,
          "author": "jillesvangurp",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:30:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021948",
          "commentText": "Anything Neal Stephenson. I've read them all. Multiple times.\nBut some other stuff that people haven't yet mentioned that I enjoyed:\n- Matt Haig: The Humans, How to Stop Time\n- Richard Morgan: Altered Carbon trilogy\n- Ramez Naam: Nexus Trilogy\n- Hugh Howie: Silo series\n- Ann Leckie: Ancillary Justice\n- Ernest Cline: Ready Player 1",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Stop Time",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matt Haig"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "time travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-study-as-a-mathematics-major-516f97",
      "title": "How to Study as a Mathematics Major",
      "author": "Lara Alcock",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31490479,
          "author": "mikevm",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T11:06:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31490479",
          "commentText": "I couldn't disagree more. I studied Analysis in the Uni, and even in that environment Rudin is pretty bad. For a total newcomer that book will leave you completely helpless. Also, solutions are a must have, without them you are almsot totally lost. In their absence, it is OK to ask on StackExchange or #math on EFnet.\nFirst let's start with a few books to prep you for college-level maths:\n* https://www.amazon.com/How-Study-as-Mathematics-Major-ebook/... (https://www.amazon.com/How-Study-as-Mathematics-Major-ebook/dp/B00B9CIORY)\n* https://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Proofs-Introduction-Mathemat... (https://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Proofs-Introduction-Mathematical-ebook-dp-B00I8XF6TQ/dp/B00I8XF6TQ) ; or\n* https://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Proofs-Modular-Mathematics-Al... (https://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Proofs-Modular-Mathematics-Allenby/dp/0340676531) ; or\n* https://www.amazon.com/How-Prove-Structured-Daniel-Velleman-... (https://www.amazon.com/How-Prove-Structured-Daniel-Velleman-dp-1108439535/dp/1108439535) (I believe you can find solutions to the 2nd edition online)\nFor Single-Variable Analysis\n* https://www.amazon.com/Think-About-Analysis-Lara-Alcock/dp/0... (https://www.amazon.com/Think-About-Analysis-Lara-Alcock/dp/0198723539)\n* https://www.amazon.com/How-Why-One-Variable-Calculus/dp/1119... (https://www.amazon.com/How-Why-One-Variable-Calculus/dp/1119043387)\n* https://www.amazon.com/Mathematical-Analysis-Straightforward... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematical-Analysis-Straightforward-Approach-2nd/dp/0521288827) (contains solutions to exercises)\n* https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Analysis-Undergraduate-... (https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Analysis-Undergraduate-Texts-Mathematics-ebook/dp/B00XWDQUH4) (there are solutions online for the 2nd edition)\n* https://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Functions-Steps-into-Analysis... (https://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Functions-Steps-into-Analysis/dp/0521788366) (this book is a brilliant exercise-guided approach that helps you build up your knowledge step by step + solutions are provided).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://www.amazon.com/How-Study-as-Mathematics-Major-ebook/...",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lara Alcock"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematics study skills"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-survive-without-a-salary-a998e3",
      "title": "How to Survive Without a Salary",
      "author": "Charles Long",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12244523,
          "author": "Mz",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T00:08:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244523",
          "commentText": "If I have to pick just one, it would be \"How to survive without a salary\" by Charles Long. In short, it helped me escape the American Rat Race. Most of my life, I was middle class, but I side stepped the typical thing of running faster to stay in place. The poverty I have suffered in recent years would have been worse without the mental models it provides me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it helped me escape the American Rat Race.",
          "reason": "Says the book helped the commenter escape the American rat race and provided useful mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says poverty in recent years would have been worse without the mental models it provides.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Long"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial independence",
        "frugal living"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-talk-so-kids-will-listen-listen-so-kids-will-talk-448685",
      "title": "How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk",
      "author": "Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33851156,
          "author": "alibova",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T06:24:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33851156",
          "commentText": "Loved How to talk so kids will listen\nAlso a fan of\nOur babies ourselves - https://www.amazon.com/Our-Babies-Ourselves-Biology-Culture/... (https://www.amazon.com/Our-Babies-Ourselves-Biology-Culture/dp/0385483627)\nHunt, Gather, Parent - https://www.amazon.com/Our-Babies-Ourselves-Biology-Culture/... (https://www.amazon.com/Our-Babies-Ourselves-Biology-Culture/dp/0385483627)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Loved How to talk so kids will listen",
          "reason": "Says they loved the book.",
          "audience": "Parents",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adele Faber",
        "Elaine Mazlish"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Parenting",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "communication with children",
        "parent child relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-talk-so-little-kids-will-listen-bef17b",
      "title": "How to Talk So Little Kids Will Listen",
      "author": "Joanna Faber and Julie King",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33896509,
          "author": "Breza",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-07T16:39:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33896509",
          "commentText": "I'm currently potty training my toddler and I completely agree with you! I also suggest How to Talk so Little Kids will Listen. That book improved my ability to empathize with both little and big people.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also suggest How to Talk so Little Kids will Listen.",
          "reason": "Suggests the book and says it improved their ability to empathize with people.",
          "audience": "Parents and caregivers of young children.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joanna Faber",
        "Julie King"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Parenting",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "empathy",
        "parent child communication"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-talk-to-anyone-92-little-tricks-for-big-success-in-relatio-9799ee",
      "title": "How to Talk to Anyone: 92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships",
      "author": "Leil Lowndes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15965699,
          "author": "tranvu",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T23:56:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15965699",
          "commentText": "- The Road to Character (David Brooks)\n- Code (Charles Petzold)\n- Soft Skills: The Software Developer's Life Manual (John Z. Sonmez)\n- Zero Bugs and Program Faster (Kate Thompson)\n- Daemon (Daniel Suarez)\n- Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions (Brian Christian)\n- How to Talk to Anyone: 92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships (Leil Lowndes)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Talk to Anyone: 92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships (Leil Lowndes)",
          "reason": "Listed as a book read in response to a question asking which books the commenter would recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leil Lowndes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "conversation skills",
        "social skills"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-think-about-analysis-5520a7",
      "title": "How to Think About Analysis",
      "author": "Lara Alcock",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29218866,
          "author": "mathhh",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T17:44:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29218866",
          "commentText": "> You can work through the concepts and delude yourself into thinking you understand something when really you're just hand waving it\nI keep seeing this and I don't quite understand how this one works.\nIf I were studying math on my own (which I've done and still do), I'd do the following:\n1. Pick a book. Say, Rudin's Principles of Mathematical Analysis[0]. Read a section, then attempt problems. Pick a problem. Say, \"prove {1/n: n is natural} U{0} is compact directly from the definition(not using Heine-Borel)\". It's guaranteed your \"proof\" is not a proof.\n2. Compare your solution to existing solution manuals or ask a question on MSE[1]. Since the given book by Rudin is super-massively famous, each question has probably been asked/answered about a bagillion times each on MSE, so just searching MSE alone would likely to spit out many answers to your questions. People on MSE will tell you exactly why your \"solution\" is wrong and where you tripped up. Sometimes even the clarifying answers are hard to understand. But then you can ask new questions, think more, correct your misconceptions until it all finally clicks. Do that with all  the rest of the problems[2].\nI don't see how the process above is delusional.\n[0] This book is not a realistic fit for a novice, though. Instead, one would start with books like [3], [4], [5], [6] to learn how to prove things and think like a mathematician would.\n[1] https://math.stackexchange.com/\n[2] In reality, the more math you see and do, the more mathematically mature and less dependent on others(to check your work) you become. In fact, if you can solve any problem in \"B@by Rudin\" and some famous abstract algebra textbook (say, Dummit & Foote's \"Abstract Algebra\") cold, you're way ahead of most any undergrad math major in the world! Because standards on undergrad math majors are not that high, nor that brutal the world over no matter what they say. If, additionally, you can solve any given problem in a book like, say, Hatcher's \"Algebraic Topology\" or any other famous grad level textbooks on, say, differential geometry or, uhh, functional analysis, you're officially in the big leagues. Again, if you're worried about being delusional about your proofs, you can always present them on MSE.\n[3] \"Book of Proof\" by Richard Hammach. It's online free.\nhttps://www.people.vcu.edu/~rhammack/BookOfProof/\n[4] \"Discrete Math\" by Susanna Epp\nhttps://www.google.com/books/edition/Discrete_Mathematics_wi... (https://www.google.com/books/edition/Discrete_Mathematics_with_Applications/_341EAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover)\n[5] \"How to Think About Analysis\" by Lara Alcock\nhttps://www.google.com/books/edition/How_to_Think_about_Anal... (https://www.google.com/books/edition/How_to_Think_about_Analysis/n0tuBAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover)\n[6] \"Linear Algebra\" by Kuldeep Singh\nhttps://www.google.com/books/edition/Linear_Algebra/BJNoAgAA... (https://www.google.com/books/edition/Linear_Algebra/BJNoAgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How to Think About Analysis\" by Lara Alcock",
          "reason": "Listed as a book for learning how to prove things and think like a mathematician.",
          "audience": "Readers learning mathematical proof and reasoning.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lara Alcock"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "proof writing",
        "real analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-think-like-a-computer-scientist-learning-with-python-ee71d5",
      "title": "How to Think Like a Computer Scientist: Learning with Python",
      "author": "Allen B. Downey, Jeffrey Elkner, and Chris Meyers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2380886,
          "author": "ccarpenterg",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-29T01:08:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 2380810,
          "threadTitle": "Best program and books to learn how to code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2380886",
          "commentText": "How to Think Like a Computer Scientist (Python) http://greenteapress.com/thinkpython/thinkpython.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Think Like a Computer Scientist (Python)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Allen B. Downey, Jeffrey Elkner, and Chris Meyers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming education",
        "python"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-think-like-a-great-graphic-designer-d6ddf6",
      "title": "How to Think Like a Great Graphic Designer",
      "author": "Debbie Millman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9349919,
          "author": "javamonn",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T18:40:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9349919",
          "commentText": "I read three books at a time, and only pick up/start/buy a new one once I finish one. Helps acquiring a large back log of unread literature around the apartment. :)\n  * Labyrinths - Jorge Louis Borges [0]\nI believe HN was the reason I picked this up, if I remember correctly. It's a collection of short stories, each of which can be finished in a night, which is satisfying. I really dig his writing style and fantastical nature of the stories. I've done a bit of philosophical reading but a lot of the references he makes go over my head, leaving me to do a bit of research after each story.\n  * The Design of Everyday Things - Don Norman [1]\nPicked this up after finishing Debbie Millman's How to Think Like a Great Graphic Designer [2] (Misleading title, I would 100% recommend this book to anyone). I'm not sure what I expected, but so far this hasn't been satisfying. The first couple of chapters have been laying out a framework and defining terms. Considering swapping this out for Jon Kolko's Well Designed - How to Use Empathy To Create Products People Love [3], which seemed much more actionable after picking it up at Barnes and Noble.\n  * Real World OCaml - Yaron Minsky, Anil Madhavapeddy, Jason Hickey [4]\n\nSecond time picking this up, originally read up to chapter on Functors over the summer. I started over this time and I'm about finished with the first section, \"Language Concepts\", now. It's worth noting that the entire text is available online for free on the book's website. [5] I did some Scheme in high school and read through the fist half of SICP and dabble in functional js, but this is my first experience with a semi pure functional language and I'm loving it. I'm going through the functional challenges on Hackerrank in OCaml at the same time to solidify some of the language concepts. Decided to go with OCaml over Haskell or Clojure because I'm super interested in using/contributing to Mirage OS [6]\n[0] http://www.amazon.com/Labyrinths-Directions-Paperbook-Jorge-... (http://www.amazon.com/Labyrinths-Directions-Paperbook-Jorge-Borges/dp/0811216993)\n[1] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0465050654\n[2] http://www.amazon.com/Think-Like-Great-Graphic-Designer/dp/1... (http://www.amazon.com/Think-Like-Great-Graphic-Designer/dp/1581154968)\n[3] http://www.amazon.com/Well-Designed-Empathy-Create-Products-... (http://www.amazon.com/Well-Designed-Empathy-Create-Products-People/dp/1625274793)\n[4] http://www.amazon.com/Real-World-OCaml-Functional-programmin... (http://www.amazon.com/Real-World-OCaml-Functional-programming/dp/144932391X)\n[5] https://realworldocaml.org/v1/en/html/index.html\n[6] http://openmirage.org/\nedit: formatting",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would 100% recommend this book to anyone",
          "reason": "The commenter strongly recommends it.",
          "audience": "Anyone interested in graphic design.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Debbie Millman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "graphic design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-think-like-a-mathematician-f239af",
      "title": "How to Think Like a Mathematician",
      "author": "Kevin Houston",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23727807,
          "author": "ColinWright",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T21:27:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23727807",
          "commentText": "A list:\nhttps://www.topicsinmaths.co.uk/cgi-bin/sews.py?SuggestedRea... (https://www.topicsinmaths.co.uk/cgi-bin/sews.py?SuggestedReading)\nFor a single suggestion, \"How to Think Like a Mathematician\" by Kevin Houston.\nA second suggestion: \"A Companion to Analysis\" by Tom Körner.\nBut it depends a lot on whether you want books about math, or books of math.  It sounds like you want the latter ... at some point I'll get around to putting annotations on the choices in the list that would help distinguish.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For a single suggestion, \"How to Think Like a Mathematician\" by Kevin Houston.",
          "reason": "Offers it as a single book suggestion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kevin Houston"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical thinking",
        "proofs"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-think-about-algorithms-11851a",
      "title": "How to Think about Algorithms",
      "author": "Jeff Edmonds",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29226108,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-15T11:16:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29226108",
          "commentText": "There are literally hundreds of threads with this topic on the Web. Most of them contain the same standard references which IMO are not always the best for people without much mathematical maturity and wishing to learn from first principles. That said, here are my recommendations for them (pdfs of almost all are available online and they can also be purchased cheaply as used books);\n* 1) Functions and Graphs and 2) The Method of Coordinates by I.M.Gelfand et. al. - These give you the basics on functions and how to visualize them which is crucial for understanding.\n* Introductory Logic and Sets for Computer Scientists by Nimal Nissanke - Nice succinct introduction to various required topics for Comp. Sci.\n*  Compared To What?: Introduction to the Analysis of Algorithms by Gregory Rawlins - This is a classic book which takes you by hand and walks you through Algorithm Analysis and the reqd. mathematics. You will find this more approachable than most other text books and well worth a study.\n* How to Think about Algorithms by Jeff Edmonds - Practical techniques without too much mathematical formalism.\n* Data Structure Techniques by Thomas Standish - A Classic text; good adjunct to more modern texts.\n* Advanced Data Structures by Peter Brass - Nice succinct text but not necessarily \"advanced\".\nOne final point; try to get a Algorithms and Data Structures book with code in the language with which you are most familiar. That way you understand the mapping from \"Abstract Algorithm\" to \"Concrete Language Implementation\" which is not always trivial.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to Think about Algorithms by Jeff Edmonds",
          "reason": "Recommends it for practical algorithm techniques with limited mathematical formalism.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking practical techniques without much mathematical formalism.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeff Edmonds"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithm design",
        "algorithms"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-win-friends-and-influence-people-for-teen-girls-56ff9a",
      "title": "How to Win Friends and Influence People for Teen Girls",
      "author": "Donna Dale Carnegie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5504244,
          "author": "annaNwonderland",
          "createdAt": "2013-04-06T17:25:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 5501062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Business Book For a 13-year-old Girl?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5504244",
          "commentText": "orangethirty mentioned the book How To Win Friends ...\nDale Carnegie's daughter wrote a version of that book specifically for teen girls. It is excellent!  Same principles in Dale's original book, but in the context of a teen girl's world.\nThe book is entitled: How to Win Friends and Influence People for Teen Girls by Donna Dale Carnegie.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It is excellent! Same principles in Dale's original book, but in the context of a teen girl's world.",
          "reason": "Called excellent and described as adapting the original's principles for teen girls.",
          "audience": "Teen girls.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donna Dale Carnegie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "communication",
        "social skills",
        "teen girls"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "how-to-write-a-good-advertisement-21452b",
      "title": "How to Write a Good Advertisement",
      "author": "Victor O. Schwab",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35219113,
          "author": "tmcdos",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-19T14:14:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35219113",
          "commentText": "I am not an entrepreneur (yet) but I still want to share a few titles with you:\n- \"Maverick or The seven day weekend\" by Ricardo Semler\n- \"Rework\" by Jason Fried and David Hansson\n- \"Startup - an insider's guide to launching and running a business\" by Kevin Ready\n- \"Bookkeeping and Cost Accounting for Factories\" by William Kent (1918)\n- \"Practice what you preach\" by David Maister\n- \"Don't oil the squeaky wheel\" by Wolf Rinke\n- \"Selling The Wheel: Choosing The Best Way To Sell For You Your Company Your Customers\" by Jeff Cox\n- \"The power of stupidity\" by Giancarlo Livraghi\n- \"How to write a good advertisement\" by Victor Schwab\n- \"How to Make Money Out of Thin Air\" by Brian Sher\n- \"Good manners and business etiquette. Illustrated Guide\" by Elena Ber\n- \"Don't just roll the dice: A usefully short guide to software pricing\" by Neil Davidson\n- \"Message to Garcia\" by Elbert Hubbard\n- the TopLeaf course of 36 video lectures on management by dr. Izhak Adizes can be purchased on https://vimeo.com/ondemand/topleaf or found on ru tracker (if you have access)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"How to write a good advertisement\" by Victor Schwab",
          "reason": "Shares the title among several books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are not yet an entrepreneur.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Victor O. Schwab"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "advertising",
        "copywriting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hugo-award-for-best-novel-17488a",
      "title": "Hugo Award for Best Novel",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46402678,
          "author": "hyperman1",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T15:53:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46402678",
          "commentText": "I started reading books with a Hugo Award, most recent first.    I would recommend it.  They're very readable but still slightly non-standard enough to be interesting.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Award_for_Best_Novel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I started reading books with a Hugo Award, most recent first. I would recommend it.",
          "reason": "Recommends reading novels that have won the Hugo Award.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes the winners as slightly non-standard.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "award winning novels"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "human-compatible-ai-and-the-problem-of-control-c7ab44",
      "title": "Human Compatible: AI and the Problem of Control",
      "author": "Stuart Russell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32937273,
          "author": "dotsam",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T11:08:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937273",
          "commentText": "* Philosophy\nArthur Schopenhauer - The World as Will and Representation.\nSurprisingly readable and insightful, even if you don't buy his metaphysics. Einstein had Schopenhauer's portrait on his wall and considered him a genius.\n* Poetry\nJohn Milton - Paradise Lost\nPowerful and beautiful writing.\n* Fiction\nRabelais - Gargantua and Pantagruel. Funny and a real feast of words (the translation is a work of art in itself)\nThomas Mann - The Magic Mountain. Haunting and moving\nPierre Choderlos de Laclos - Dangerous Liaisons. Scandalous, gripping.\nIvan Turgenev - First Love. A masterclass in writing. Short, sensitive and exquisitely told.\nMarcel Proust - In Search of Lost Time. Exceptionally rich and a beautiful study of love. Reading it is like living another life.\nPG Wodehouse - the Jeeves series. Hilarious, perfectly frivolous, light and sunny\n* Non-fiction\nStuart Russell - Human Compatible: AI and the Problem of Control. Potential bad outcomes from AI and what we might be able to do about them\nNoam Chomsky - Necessary Illusions: Thought Control in Democratic Societies. How public discourse is shaped and controlled\nKarl Popper - The Open Society and its Enemies. How to work against totalitarianism",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stuart Russell - Human Compatible: AI and the Problem of Control.",
          "reason": "Explores potential bad outcomes from AI and what might be done about them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stuart Russell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ai safety",
        "artificial intelligence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "human-computer-interaction-593e79",
      "title": "Human-Computer Interaction",
      "author": "Alan Dix, Janet Finlay, Gregory Abowd, and Russell Beale",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 296136,
          "author": "jsmcgd",
          "createdAt": "2008-09-05T18:22:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 295871,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HC: Which books on user interface design do you wish your CEO/Cofounders would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=296136",
          "commentText": "I did a course at University called Human Computer Interaction. Essentially it was the science of user interfaces. The course book of the same name by Dix, Finlay, Abowd and Beale (3rd edition) was really good. It contained a lot of accessible theory and plenty of heuristics too that you can implement straight away. Highly recommended.\nhttp://www.hcibook.com/\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Human-Computer-Interaction-3rd-Alan-Di... (http://www.amazon.com/Human-Computer-Interaction-3rd-Alan-Dix/dp/0130461091)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The course book of the same name by Dix, Finlay, Abowd and Beale (3rd edition) was really good.",
          "reason": "Praised for accessible theory and practical heuristics.",
          "audience": "Readers learning user interface design.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan Dix, Janet Finlay, Gregory Abowd, and Russell Beale"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human computer interaction",
        "usability heuristics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "humanity-a-moral-history-of-the-twentieth-century-1a247c",
      "title": "Humanity: A Moral History of the Twentieth Century",
      "author": "Jonathan Glover",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17914326,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-05T01:12:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17914326",
          "commentText": "All these had a huge impact on me. The descriptions are inadequate, I've just tried to mention the subject matter.\nDeborah Tannen, You Just Don't Understand - how males and females talk different languages.\nLakoff & Johnson, Metaphors We Live By - how our language and thoughts are built from a fabric of conceptual metaphors. Philosophy In The Flesh is about the conceptual metaphors that philosophy is built from.\nJonathan Glover, Humanity: A Moral History of the Twentieth Century - WWI, WWII and other wars, nazism, communism etc\nPlutarch's Lives - biographies and stories from famous ancient Greeks and Romans. Amazing how little's changed.\nLin Yutang, The Importance of Understanding - introduced me to ancient Chinese philosophers. The Importance of Living - introduced me to ancient Chinese writers, poets and the Chinese way of life.\nHofstadter, Gödel, Escher, Bach - read it when I was 14, and I was into music, art and programming, so it blew my mind.\nSusan Faludi, STIFFED - men, work, jobs, masculinity, 20th C\nWalter Lippmann, Public Opinion - media, war, propaganda, democracy\nNoam Chomsky's political books\nE.F. Schumacher, Small is Beautiful - the world, development, government, planning, organization, humanity, sustainability\nJ.R. Saul, Voltaire's Bastards - power, history, democracy, technocracy, reason, rationality, history from late 18th C until today.\nRaymond Williams, Culture and Society 1780-1950 - the anti-industrialist tradition, politics, culture, society and the new language describing these things\nClifford Pickover, Computers, Patterns, Chaos, and Beauty - programming, mathematics, art, fractals, dynamical systems etc\nBen Zander, The Art of Possibility - hard to explain, kind of advanced self-help, the magic of changing attitudes, expectations, habits.\nMy favourite non-fiction books of all time, though, are the essays of Emerson, Hazlitt, RL Stevenson, GK Chesterton, Santayana, Bertrand Russell. And the books of Nietzsche, SARK and Robert Fulghum.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jonathan Glover, Humanity: A Moral History of the Twentieth Century",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books said to have had a huge impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Glover"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "20th century history",
        "moral history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "humankind-c00b57",
      "title": "Humankind",
      "author": "Rutger Bregman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30735764,
          "author": "jwood27",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:37:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735764",
          "commentText": "The following have all had a significant effect on my worldview. You can find more information at [1].\n- The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow\n- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\n- Crime and Punishment\n- The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York\n- Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies\n- The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity\n- Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead\n- Franny and Zooey\n- Master of the Senate\n- Atlas Shrugged\n- Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed\n- Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap?\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\n- The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics\n- The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don't\n- Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans\n- Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\n- Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World\n- Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones\n- Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow\n- Ethics in the Real World: 86 Brief Essays on Things that Matter\n- A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life\n- Humankind: A Hopeful History\n- The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think\n[1] https://jacobw.xyz/books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Humankind: A Hopeful History",
          "reason": "Listed among books that significantly affected the commenter’s worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rutger Bregman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human nature",
        "social cooperation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "humble-pi-af7a0c",
      "title": "Humble Pi",
      "author": "Matt Parker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23728332,
          "author": "Tempest1981",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T22:55:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23728332",
          "commentText": "For broadening his view, and sparking some fun and joy of maths, try \"Humble Pi\" by Matt Parker:\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39074550-humble-pi",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For broadening his view, and sparking some fun and joy of maths, try \"Humble Pi\" by Matt Parker",
          "reason": "Suggested to broaden the reader’s view and spark enjoyment of mathematics.",
          "audience": "A young person interested in mathematics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matt Parker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical errors"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "humble-pi-a-comedy-of-maths-errors-662311",
      "title": "Humble Pi: A Comedy of Maths Errors",
      "author": "Matt Parker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21793216,
          "author": "emehex",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T23:43:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793216",
          "commentText": "• The Madness of Crowds by Douglas Murray\n• Consciousness by Annaka Harris\n• More From Less by Andrew McAffee\n• The School of Life: An Emotional Education\n• Perfect Sound Whatever by James Acaster\n• Humble Pi by Matt Parker\n• The Last Pirate of New York by Rich Cohen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Humble Pi by Matt Parker",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matt Parker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical errors",
        "popular mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hunt-gather-parent-5adbec",
      "title": "Hunt, Gather, Parent",
      "author": "Michaeleen Doucleff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33851156,
          "author": "alibova",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T06:24:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33851156",
          "commentText": "Loved How to talk so kids will listen\nAlso a fan of\nOur babies ourselves - https://www.amazon.com/Our-Babies-Ourselves-Biology-Culture/... (https://www.amazon.com/Our-Babies-Ourselves-Biology-Culture/dp/0385483627)\nHunt, Gather, Parent - https://www.amazon.com/Our-Babies-Ourselves-Biology-Culture/... (https://www.amazon.com/Our-Babies-Ourselves-Biology-Culture/dp/0385483627)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hunt, Gather, Parent",
          "reason": "Lists it alongside books they are a fan of.",
          "audience": "Parents",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michaeleen Doucleff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Parenting",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "child rearing",
        "cross cultural parenting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hunters-of-dune-e9a6bf",
      "title": "Hunters of Dune",
      "author": "Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1027000,
          "author": "blahblahblah",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T09:17:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027000",
          "commentText": "Revelation Space, by Alastair Reynolds - Quirky sci-fi novel with a xenoarchaeology angle\nHunters of Dune, by Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson - I'm not recommending this one on the basis of the writing.  I'd recommend it only to those who read all of Frank Herbert's original Dune series and have been hanging in suspense ever since because the cliffhanger ending of Chapterhouse Dune was never resolved due to Frank's untimely death.  They based the book on Frank's outline, but it clearly would have been a better book if it had been written by Frank.  Nonetheless, it is satisfying to resolve the unanswered questions:  Who the heck are these Honored Matres and what were they running away from?\nLabyrinths:  Selected Stories & Other Writings, by Jorges Luis Borges - This is kind of a quirky collection of short stories that are all mindbenders of one variety or another.  The best description I can give of Borges is that reading him is kind of like solving puzzles.\nAcross the Nightingale Floor:  Tales of the Otori, by Lain Hearn - Historical fiction set in feudal Japan with lords and their retainers, assassins, etc.\nThe Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown - If you liked The Da Vinci Code or Angels & Demons, you'll probably like this one as well.  While Dan Brown will probably never write anything that matches the utter genius of Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum, he is entertaining in his own way and worth a read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'm not recommending this one on the basis of the writing. I'd recommend it only to those who read all of Frank Herbert's original Dune series and have been hanging in suspense ever since",
          "reason": "Recommends it specifically to readers seeking resolution of the original series’ cliffhanger.",
          "audience": "Readers who finished Frank Herbert’s original Dune series and want its unresolved questions answered.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the writing is weaker than Frank Herbert’s and limits the recommendation to existing fans.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dune",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hunters-herders-and-hamburgers-4de492",
      "title": "Hunters, Herders, and Hamburgers",
      "author": "Richard Bulliet",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37937174,
          "author": "philipov",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:36:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937174",
          "commentText": "Although, be careful about that one, because a lot of the claims Diamond makes are to be taken with a grain of salt. I would suggest the works of Richard Bulliet such as \"Cotton, Climate, and Camels\" and \"Hunters, Herders, and Hamburgers\" as counterpoints. Some historians really like the \"A, B, and C\" title format, don't they?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Hunters, Herders, and Hamburgers\" as counterpoints",
          "reason": "Suggested as a counterpoint to Jared Diamond's claims.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Offered as a counterpoint; no further assessment given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Bulliet"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "agriculture",
        "animal history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hurry-down-sunshine-215d5a",
      "title": "Hurry Down Sunshine",
      "author": "Michael Greenberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1026884,
          "author": "Daniel_Newby",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T06:33:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026884",
          "commentText": "Redliners by David Drake. Burned out soldiers are sent to baby-sit a planetary colonization. Fortunately for the story it turns out to be a planet full of monsters. Baen Free Library.\nAccelerando, Iron Sunrise, and Singularity Sky by Charles Stross.  Singularity stories.\nHouse of Leaves by Mark Danielewski.  Supernatural meta-fiction with half the story in the footnotes.  Reminiscent of the movie Donnie Darko.\nCrooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis.  Private eye gets retained by the White House to track down the other U.S. Constitution.  To quote William Gibson, \"Stop It. You're frightening me.\"\nHurry Down Sunshine by Michael Greenberg.  Story of his teenage daughter's descent into manic psychosis.\nA Hat Full of Sky and Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett.  Kids' stories, so they have wall-to-wall story, unlike some of his more situational adult books.\nJames H. Schmitz science fiction stories. Available from the Baen Free Library of digital books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hurry Down Sunshine by Michael Greenberg. Story of his teenage daughter's descent into manic psychosis.",
          "reason": "The commenter summarizes its account of the author’s teenage daughter experiencing manic psychosis.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Greenberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "mental health"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "huygens-and-barrow-newton-and-hooke-19adba",
      "title": "Huygens and Barrow, Newton and Hooke",
      "author": "V. I. Arnol'd",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12245230,
          "author": "sflicht",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T03:03:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12245230",
          "commentText": "Huygens and Barrow, Newton and Hooke [1] by mathematician V. I. Arnol'd.\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/Huygens-Barrow-Newton-Hooke-quasicrys... (https://www.amazon.com/Huygens-Barrow-Newton-Hooke-quasicrystals/dp/3764323833)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Huygens and Barrow, Newton and Hooke [1] by mathematician V. I. Arnol'd.",
          "reason": "Named as an answer in a thread asking which book the commenter found amazing enough to give as a gift.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "V. I. Arnol'd"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hydrogen-sonata-4569f4",
      "title": "Hydrogen Sonata",
      "author": "Iain M. Banks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28059409,
          "author": "f0e4c2f7",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T10:33:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28059409",
          "commentText": "Hydrogen Sonota came out in the last 10 years. There are also 9 books that came before it that I really enjoyed too. You don't really need to read them in order though.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hydrogen Sonota came out in the last 10 years.",
          "reason": "Notes it as a recent book and says they enjoyed the nine preceding books too.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for science fiction.",
          "caveat": "The nine earlier books are not named; the commenter says the books need not be read in order.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Iain M. Banks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "post scarcity",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hylozoic-7d9ef8",
      "title": "Hylozoic",
      "author": "Rudy Rucker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6388456,
          "author": "Nekorosu",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T08:16:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6388456",
          "commentText": "Everything from Vernor Vinge is top notch. Start with A Fire Upon the Deep. If you like it read the other two books of the trilogy. It's a space opera by degree of events but it never gets cheesy. The amount of ideas put into these books never cease to amaze me.\nRudy Rucker's Postsingular followed by Hylozoic are great books. It's a rather humorous view on postsingular way of life. It's hard to describe his books and Rucker's writing style is not everyone's cup of tea but William Gibson likes it.\nAlso if you haven't read anything from Michael Swanwick you should give his books a try. It's not strictly science fiction because he likes to slide into more psychedelic and surreal areas of fiction. But I consider that his charm. Start with The Iron Dragon's Daughter.\nI also have to mention Cory Doctorow's Down and Out In the Magic Kingdom. I actually don't really like Doctorow's works. Some of them are boring. But this particular book is an exception and absolutely worth reading. A lot of interesting ideas are in play there including reputation based currency, eternal life (through ability to backup/restore body and memories) and extreme transhumanism.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Postsingular followed by Hylozoic are great books.",
          "reason": "Calls both books great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rudy Rucker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "post singularity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hyperbole-and-a-half-c2bdd1",
      "title": "Hyperbole and a Half",
      "author": "Allie Brosh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665209,
          "author": "PostPost",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:26:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665209",
          "commentText": "Sorry for the wall of text.\n1. Bourne (The language and world of this novel are extraordinary - everything is falling apart yet brimming with life. Strangely moving)\n2. The Design of Everyday things (Essential for anyone in UI/UX)\n3. All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (Highly engaging, entertaining sci-fi novella series, from an author that can write a very decent robot protagonist)\n4. The Power (Interesting story with sci-fi elements on the dynamics of power, sex, and gender roles. I didn't care for the book, but the first 3/4 of the book are amazing)\n5. Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days\n6. 7 brief Lessons on Physics\n7. The Last Lecture (The energy and positivity coming from a man knowing he's about to die is infectious. Great read)\n8. A wizard of Earthsea (Move over Harry Potter, this is the essential children's story about wizards)\n9. Exploring diabetes with owls (Funny, irreverent)\n10. Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children (Made an effort to read more YA this year - this was the best in this series, but I still hated it. There's a host of better YA series out there.)\n11. A Wizard of Earthsea: The Tombs of Atuan (See 8.)\n12. The Girl in the Dark (Interesting book about a skin condition I had never heard of, and the trials of living with a very rare condition)\n13. The Phantom Tollbooth (Clever children's book)\n14. Black hole blues and songs from outer space (Informative book about the study of space,  the political and economic forces standing in the way of science, and the incredible individuals working in this field)\n15. Welcome to Night Vale (Hugely entertaining, clever and weird)\n16. You need a budget (Basic economics book explaining how to budget in a way that lets you do more with your money)\n17. To fight Against This Age (Incredibly pretentious, \nIvory Tower philosophizing)\n18. Infinity Gauntlet (Half the Universe dying because Thanos wanted to sleep with Lady Death will never not be ridiculous)\n19. The Right and Wrong Stuff (Great read explaining how to anticipate and avoid career pitfalls)\n20. Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children: Hollow City (pretty shitty)\n21. The Farthest Shore (Ursula K. Le Guin was the biggest loss this year)\n22. Miss peregrine's home for Peculiar Children: Library of Souls (I hate this book and all its characters)\n23. Every Good Endevour (Religious book about a Christian worldview and the value of labor - not a bad read)\n24. When to Rob a Bank and 131 warped suggestions… (interesting, funny, from the writers of Freakonomics)\n25. Weapons of Math Destruction (Probably the most useful book on this list, if you're reading this on \"hackernews\")\n26. Holes (Perfect summer paperback read)\n27. Silver Screen Sirens (Essential for film geeks)\n28. A full life: reflections at 90 (I gained a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter: he lived an incredible life and does great things)\n29. Call Me by your name (Very good romance novel to send to your bigoted relatives at Christmas)\n30. Hyperbole and a half (Incredibly entertaining, very distinctive art style)\n31. The Murderbot diaries: Artificial Condition (See 3.)\n32. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Best children's book, fight me)\n33. Less (Exceptionally well-written)\n34. Resilience (Great book, especially for those that have gone through extremely difficult circumstances)\n35. The Strange Bird (Dark, bleak, full of life, see 1.)\n36. The Murderbot diaries: Rogue Protocol (See 3.)\n37. His Dark Materials: The subtle knife (See 32.)\n38. Tap Dancing to Work (Very dry, some stories/articles are fantastic, others very, very boring for people that do not care about finance)\n39. So Good They Can't Ignore You (Pretty good)\n40. His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass (Amazing YA, see 32.)\n41. Uncontainable (Inspirational book about conscious capitalism)\n42. The Emperor of All Maladies (Pretty much everything you'll ever want to know about Cancer, written in a very engaging way)\n43. Blind Spot\n44. Shoe dog (Great story, see madmax108's comment, totally agree)\n45. The Faithful Spy (Beautiful artwork describing a Christian pastor's fight against fascism during WW2)\n46. Zero to One\n47. You'll grow out of it\n48. The Happiness advantage (Really fantastic book about the value of positive psychology)\n49. Dreams from my father (Enlightening look into Obama's \nearly days)\n50. Ayoade on Ayoade (Entertaining, extremely scatter-brained, not as funny as his interviews or tv programs)\n51. The Diabolic (badly written YA Sci-Fi)\n52. The Physics of Everyday Things (surprisingly informative, recommended for non science-people interested in the way things work)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Incredibly entertaining, very distinctive art style",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as incredibly entertaining and praises its distinctive art style.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Allie Brosh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "humor",
        "illustrated memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hypermedia-systems-9e7fbd",
      "title": "Hypermedia Systems",
      "author": "Carson Gross, Adam Stepinski, and Deniz Akşimşek",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40872514,
          "author": "bpiroman",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-04T05:26:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 40840658,
          "threadTitle": "Books to Dive in into Fullstack Development",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40872514",
          "commentText": "Some advice here as a self taught web developer noob. This has been my journey in a nutshell so I hope it is helpful.\n1. HTML / CSS (1-2 Months)\nas already mentioned here, the Responsive Web Design course on the https://www.freecodecamp.org/ is really good. https://netninja.dev/ also has some really good free content on youtube. Don't rush this step. Make some cool static websites and share with your friends. Learn git and become a Github Pro member so you can serve private repo's on the web for free (via github pages).\n2. Javascript (3-6 Months)\nI highly recommend \"Javascript & Jquery\" by Jon Duckett. In the web development world it is by no means the latest book but I do believe learning how javascript was used 10 years ago relevant to how javascript became what it is today. I'd be happy to give you my copy! Spend the time learning javascript, make something cool and share it with your friends. Get to a stage where you can think about how you could make something in javascript. If you're dreaming in Javascript then you've taken this step too far.\n3. Backend (Eternity)\nAt this point it really depends which way you want to go as a developer. Do you prefer Python as a language? Look into Django. Are you a DHH fan boy? Ruby on Rails. Are you too scared to take on another language (like me) then use expressJs. I highly recommend reading Hypermedia Systems https://hypermedia.systems/ to give you a high level background and understanding how a web 1.0 style application is built.\nEnjoy!!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend reading Hypermedia Systems",
          "reason": "Recommended for high-level background on how web 1.0 style applications are built.",
          "audience": "Learners exploring backend web development.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carson Gross",
        "Adam Stepinski",
        "Deniz Akşimşek"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hypermedia",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hypnotherapy-e9b4c4",
      "title": "Hypnotherapy",
      "author": "Dave Elman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15631348,
          "author": "borroka",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T20:20:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15631348",
          "commentText": "Shibumi - yes, it is partly a parody, but I have found many good, inspiring lessons from the characterization of Nicholai Hel. For instance, this paragraph made me deeply reflect on the \"convenient rationalization\" of bad behavior. Basically, there is always a good excuse that is up for grabs. Don't be that guy.\n\"Politeness is more reliable than the moist virtues of compassion, charity, and sincerity; just as fair play is more important than the abstraction of justice. The major virtues tend to disintegrate under the pressures of convenient rationalization. But good form is good form, and it stands immutable in the storm of circumstance.”\nAll Trevanian's books are great.\n- The Bernie Gunther series by Philip Kerr. Flawed badass with a quick wit, I love Bernie Gunther.\n- Hypnotherapy by Dave Elman. Dated, but gives you a clear abstract (oxymoron) path on how to \"bypass the critical filter of the conscious mind\"\n- Coaching the Mental Game by Harvey Dorfman. Erudite, deep, chocked full of lessons that are applicable to your personal, professional, and sports life.\nMany, many others.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Hypnotherapy by Dave Elman. Dated, but gives you a clear abstract (oxymoron) path on how to \"bypass the critical filter of the conscious mind\"",
          "reason": "Says it provides a clear path for bypassing the conscious mind's critical filter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it dated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dave Elman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hypnosis",
        "hypnotherapy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hypnotic-writing-9e46d3",
      "title": "Hypnotic Writing",
      "author": "Joe Vitale",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1081276,
          "author": "redsymbol",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-27T19:11:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 1080708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Marketing Books for Developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1081276",
          "commentText": "In early 2009, I got sick and tired of my incompetence with sales and marketing, and decided to learn.  So I set out to learn, even if it meant sacrificing coding for a while.\nMarketing (and its cousin, sales) has many facets, perhaps surprisingly many, with significant differences among them.  Just like compiler implementation requires skills and knowledge different from 3D graphics coding, or secure web development, for example.  At the \"high end\" of the marketing food chain, there are things like public relations.  I personally don't know much about that yet.\nInstead, I chose to focus on copywriting. Basically, the art and science of creating powerfully effective ads using only the written word.  Often this means writing sales letters, i.e. several-page-long texts that sell something.\nThis focus has proven to be a good choice.  It gives a very strong foundation that applies to other kinds of marketing and sales.  For example, Adwords ads can be viewed as extremely short sales letters.\nYou asked specifically about books.  Over the course of 2009, I worked through (not just read!) about half a dozen marketing tomes that people had recommended to me.  In descending priority, my favorite three:\n  * Hypnotic Writing by Joe Vitale\n  * The Adweek Copywriting Handbook by Joseph Sugerman\n  * Cashvertising by Drew Whitman\n\nIf you can read only three books, I'd suggest these, in the order listed.  But if you can only read one, Cashvertising might actually be the best for you.\nCAVEAT: Make sure you work through all the exercises the book has - and if it doesn't, invent them!  Sugarman's book, for example, has few explicit reader exercises.  So after each section or chapter, close the book and write an ad for your product, and/or some other product (real or imaginary), applying and exercising the principles you just learned.  Use pen and paper, or better yet, a dedicated notebook.  You'll miss out on at least 80% of the value of these books if you fail to do this!!\nAnother very good thing to do is to HAND COPY a good sales letter.  Do it in long hand, on sheets of paper, with a pen or pencil.  Why in the world, you ask?  Because it's a powerful, powerful way to drill some of the more subtle advertising patterns into your subconscious.\nSeveral important marketers - Dan Kennedy is one - famously recommend doing this with 100 long sales letters if you really want to manifest great skill in marketing.  I've done about six of them myself, so far.  Doing just the first one produced a difference in my skill that was too great to ignore.\nAlmost no one will do this, because it's so much work.  A good solid sales letter may be ten pages, which takes me about three hours to hand copy.  Let me just suggest that it's worth it, and you may want to try it out once to evaluate for yourself.  Just make sure you use a GOOD (meaning, highly financially successful) sales letter - you want to make sure you ingrain good habits, not bad ones!\nP.S. Cialdini and Collier are often recommended.  Personally, I found less value in them.  Cialdini's is good, but very, very mental and intellectual.  That can be great for a typical advertising person.  But most people reading this (programmers) need to be LESS mental, to grok marketing, not more.  Reading even a few pages of Cialdini makes me feel \"stuck in my head\".\nFor Collier, I'm personally glad I took the time to read it, but for most people in your shoes it is probably not the first priority, and IMO not even a \"must-read\" at all.\nEDIT: fixed formatting and a typo",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hypnotic Writing by Joe Vitale",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s three favorite marketing books and recommended as one to work through.",
          "audience": "Programmers learning marketing and copywriting.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joe Vitale"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "advertising",
        "copywriting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "i-am-error-the-nintendo-family-computer-entertainment-system-plat-be33b6",
      "title": "I Am Error: The Nintendo Family Computer / Entertainment System Platform",
      "author": "Nathan Altice",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22707775,
          "author": "pinewurst",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T23:20:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22707775",
          "commentText": "Also \"I Am Error\" (from the same series) on the Nintendo NES - a really great book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also \"I Am Error\" (from the same series) on the Nintendo NES - a really great book.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book about the Nintendo NES.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nathan Altice"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nintendo entertainment system",
        "video game history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "i-am-legend-5dd310",
      "title": "I Am Legend",
      "author": "Richard Matheson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17543621,
          "author": "runjake",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T18:20:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17543621",
          "commentText": "I am not your traditional sci-fi fan, so while the books below may not be considered masterpieces or even \"true\" sci-fi, they may be a good \"gateway drug\" for others like me:\n- The Postman by David Brin\n- The Dog Stars by Peter Heller\n- I am Legend by Richard Matheson",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I am Legend by Richard Matheson",
          "reason": "Presents it among books that may serve as gateway fiction for nontraditional science fiction fans.",
          "audience": "Readers new to science fiction or not traditionally sci-fi readers.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these may not be masterpieces or even true sci-fi.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Matheson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "post apocalyptic",
        "vampires"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "i-am-not-your-enemy-1f30dc",
      "title": "I Am Not Your Enemy",
      "author": "Reality Winner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46393306,
          "author": "metadope",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T16:00:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46393306",
          "commentText": "I was surprised by how much I enjoyed Careless People. The unexpected peek into the author's personal childhood and family ethos was really interesting. The look at Facebook from within was a cautionary tale.\nI also liked I Am Not Your Enemy by Reality Winner.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also liked I Am Not Your Enemy by Reality Winner.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they liked it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Reality Winner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "national security",
        "whistleblowing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "i-am-a-mathematician-3fdedb",
      "title": "I Am a Mathematician",
      "author": "Norbert Wiener",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48993248,
          "author": "jonjacky",
          "createdAt": "2026-07-21T15:06:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 48981842,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favourite science history book of the 20th century?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48993248",
          "commentText": "John Von Neumann and Norbert Weiner: From Mathematics to the Technologies of Life and Death by Steve Heims (1982)  Out of print but libraries have it.\nDark Hero of the Information Age: In Search of Norbert Weiner, the Father \nof Cybernetics by Flo Conway and Jim Siegelman (2005)\nWeiner himself wrote some autobiographies, including Child Prodigy and I Am A Mathematician.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "including Child Prodigy and I Am A Mathematician.",
          "reason": "Listed as one of Norbert Wiener's autobiographies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Norbert Wiener"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "norbert wiener"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "i-can-read-with-my-eyes-shut-d45b34",
      "title": "I Can Read with My Eyes Shut!",
      "author": "Dr. Seuss",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26800750,
          "author": "lnwlebjel",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-13T23:16:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26800750",
          "commentText": "Mo Willems is awesome (Pigeon series, Elephant and Piggy). Some of the Dr. Suess books are still great and fun to read (I can read with my eyes shut, One fish two fish). The book with no pictures, the day the crayons quit, dragons love tacos, and the princess and the dragon by Audrey Wood are all books that I've probably read 100 times and still enjoy.\nAs my kids got a bit older the Box Car children series was compelling, and the girls loved the Rainbow Magic books. Capt. Underpants and Dog man are hilarious and just subversive enough that a 7-9 yr old feel like they are getting away with something. Then on to Mysterious Benedict Society, Harry Potter, Rick Riordan, and Keeper of the Lost Cities.\nOur M.O. was to max out our Library card on a regular basis with just about everything possible and then iterate from there on the authors the kids enjoyed. I feel like reading is one of the things we've gotten right so far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can read with my eyes shut",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Young children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dr. Seuss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "i-capture-the-castle-dc7107",
      "title": "I Capture the Castle",
      "author": "Dodie Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783915,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:06:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783915",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction, best to worst:\nHenry Marsh, Do No Harm. A brilliant memoir by a neurosurgeon about his work, the nature of his profession, successes and mistakes (especially the latter). Frequently touches or verges into the personal. Not morbid, but often sad.\nKeith Johnstone, Impro for Storytellers. \nViola Spolin, Improvisation for the Theater\nTwo very good books about improvisation, although Spolin's is too dry and theory-laden for me (it's meant for teachers more than practitioners). Both, however, pale compared to Keith Johnstone's earlier Impro: Improvisation and the Theater, which is a life-changing book about what improvisation can teach us about spontaneous creativity and relationships between people. I recommend that one first and foremost if you know nothing about improvisation and are curious.\nMartinus J G Veltman, Facts and Mysteries in Elementary Particle Physics. A readable account - necessarily simplified, of course - of the current state of affairs in elementary particles and much of the last 50 years of history, by one of the participants (a Nobel prize winner). Not as organized and methodical as I thought it would be, and half a year later I forgot most of the physical explanations, but it was an interesting read.\nRobert B. Edgerton, Sick Societies. A thorough examination of the hundreds of horrible examples when \"natural\" societies studied by anthropologists have customs that are not only bad from our modern Western point of view, but arguably fail in achieving their own objectives. The whole book exists to counter lazy cultural relativism of the \"maybe we don't like X, but if they do it, it must be for a good reason and it must be a useful adaptation for them\" kind.\nMichael Harris, Mathematics Without Apologies. A very eclectic and idiosyncratic book by a mathematician on the sociology and epistemology of mathematics as a discipline. To be appreciated for its wealth of ideas and references to other interesting books and theories, rather than for any particular argument or thread.\nMilton Rokeach, The Three Christs of Ypsilanti. A story on what happened when a psychologist tried to bring three psychiatric patients, each believing themselves to be Christ, together and to talk it out amongst themselves. Happened in the 1960s. The idea is more interesting than the outcome.\nFiction, best to worst:\nPatrick O'Brian, The Hundred Days. The penultimate book in the series of the best historical novels (the Aubrey-Maturin series) ever written, by a huge margin. The series transcend the genre and I count the Aubrey-Maturin books among the very best books I read in the last decade.\nDodie Smith, I Capture the Castle. A brilliantly written coming-of-age story about a girl growing up in an impoverished family occupying a decaying castle in the English countryside, set in the 1930s. Reminded me in many ways of Rebecca West's The Fountain Overflows, a novel in the similar genre (but with a younger protagonist) that's known much less than it deserves.\nJuan Rulfo, Pedro Paramo. If you read and liked Garcia Marquez's A Hundred Years of Solitude, this one is shorter, darker, involves many more dead people, and you may want to give it a try.\nAlfred Hayes, In Love. A story of a man obsessed by love in a mid-century NYC. Unexpectedly touching, very convincing psychologically.\nIain M. Banks, Against a Dark Background. SF, a grand heist novel set in a advanced civilization living in a star system located unimaginably far away from any other stars and galaxies, and so doomed to a lone struggle with its own long history. A wealth of technological and social ideas you'd expect from Banks. The ending felt a bit forced.\nGene Wolfe, There Are Doors. Gene Wolfe, Nightsite of the Long Sun/Lake of the Long Sun.\nGene Wolfe is the best writer American science fiction produced in the last half-century. \"There are Doors\" is a pretty weird fantasy novel about an alternate world where men die after their first intercourse (as some spiders do in ours), and the hero travels back and forth between that world and ours. It's good, but not as strong as Wolfe's best, which to my taste is the Book of the New Sun tetralogy, the novellas in the Fifth Head of Cerberus collection, and many of his short stories (well-collected in The Best of Gene Wolfe). The other two are the first half of the \"Book of the Long Sun\" series that I'm still reading through.\nUrsula K. Le Guin, The Dispossessed. Superb political SF about an imagined anarchist [anti-]utopia. A serious attempt to describe a human society with no central power structures and no ownership. The hero is a physicist born and raised in that society who escapes to a sibling planet with the more typical modern states. This novel took all the awards in the 1970s when it was published, and deservedly so.\n[cont'd]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dodie Smith, I Capture the Castle. A brilliantly written coming-of-age story about a girl growing up in an impoverished family occupying a decaying castle in the English countryside, set in the 1930s.",
          "reason": "Calls it brilliantly written and describes its coming-of-age story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 400633,
          "author": "garnerwoods",
          "createdAt": "2008-12-17T06:24:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=400633",
          "commentText": "Usually I will find out what book famous people has read, what are their favorite books, hope that any book which bring influence on them, will bring good influence on me too.. also, as famous n successful people combined with their experience, I'm sure they have better taste on their choice too.\nStephen King's Favorite:\nThis Book Will Save Your Life by A. M. Homes\nSaturday by Ian McEwan\nThe Mad Cook of Pymatuning: A Novel by Christopher Lehmann-Haupt\nThe Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson\nThe Tenderness of Wolves: A Novel by Stef Penney\nWhen Will There Be Good News?: A Novel by Kate Atkinson\nJ.K. Rowling's Favorite:\nThe Five Red Herrings by Dorothy L. Sayers\nI Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith\nSkellig by David Almond\nThe Woman Who Walked into Doors by Roddy Doyle\nJeffrey Eugenides, author, Pulitzer prize winner\n\"Herzog,\" by Saul Bellow\n\"Love in a Fallen City,\" by Eileen Chang\n\"The Lay of the Land,\" by Richard Ford\nOprah Winfrey's Favorite:\nWhite Oleander by Janet Fitch\nThe Color Purple by Alice Walker\nA Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith\nThe Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz\nTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee\nThe Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison\nThe Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck\nFor complete list visit http://www.famouspal.com",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith",
          "reason": "Listed as one of J.K. Rowling's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment reports it as someone else's favorite; it does not state the author's own endorsement.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dodie Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coming of age",
        "british literature",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "i-choose-elena-aced3d",
      "title": "I Choose Elena",
      "author": "Lucia Osborne-Crowley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33382162,
          "author": "AlecSchueler",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T08:34:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382162",
          "commentText": "I Choose Elena and My Body Keeps Your Secrets by Lucia Osbourne Crowley.\nCan highly recommend these to any man who is wanting to better understand issues of sexual assault against women, in terms of how normalised it is, the challenges women face in being believed by other men and the long term health effects that manifest themselves after such attacks and after hiding the truth.\nWanted to mention it here because I become more aware each passing week of the blindspots in the HN community regarding the struggles and perspectives of women.\nIf you want to get a bit out of the male dominated tech bubble and learn about some drastically different experiences from your own these are highly recommend.\nEdit to differentiate the two books: The first is basically a memoir of the author in terms of her own experiences with assault and chronic illness, where the latter is a sort of collaged memoir from multiple people.\nThe latter is definitely the more powerful book and the breath of experience juxtaposed with the commonality of those experiences is very effective. If you're only going to read one I go for My Body Keeps Your Secrets. However there is enough that builds upon the first book, I Chose Elena, that I think it's definitely worth checking them out. The vulnerability shown by the author when she reflects on ICE in MBKYS is breath taking",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I Choose Elena and My Body Keeps Your Secrets by Lucia Osbourne Crowley.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a memoir about the author's experiences with assault and chronic illness.",
          "audience": "Men seeking to understand women's experiences of sexual assault.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says My Body Keeps Your Secrets is more powerful and recommends it if reading only one.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lucia Osborne-Crowley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Health",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chronic illness",
        "memoir",
        "sexual assault"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "i-contain-multitudes-the-microbes-within-us-and-a-grander-view-of-a8402f",
      "title": "I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life",
      "author": "Ed Yong",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910192,
          "author": "itpragmatik",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:24:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910192",
          "commentText": "1. Sapiens - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23692271-sapiens\n2. The Gene: An Intimate History - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27276428-the-gene\n3. I Contain Multitudes - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29083367-i-contain-multi... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29083367-i-contain-multitudes)\n4. Stuff Matters - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19553030-stuff-matters\n5. Rework - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6732019-rework",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "3. I Contain Multitudes",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for favorite nonfiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ed Yong"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "microbiology",
        "microbiome"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "i-do-not-come-to-you-by-chance-cdd5fe",
      "title": "I Do Not Come to You by Chance",
      "author": "Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1570338,
          "author": "kranner",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T06:36:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1570338",
          "commentText": "For anyone interested in the human side of Nigerian \"419\" spam email, I recommend the funny novel \"I Do Not Come to You by Chance\" by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Do-Not-Come-You-Chance/dp/B002KHMZOA",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend the funny novel \"I Do Not Come to You by Chance\" by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani.",
          "reason": "Recommends this funny novel for its portrayal of the human side of Nigerian 419 spam email.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the human side of Nigerian 419 spam email.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "email scams",
        "nigerian fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "i-don-t-want-to-talk-about-it-f5a71d",
      "title": "I Don't Want to Talk About It",
      "author": "Terrence Real",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268867,
          "author": "fredoliveira",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:08:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268867",
          "commentText": "Read a lot this year — a lot more than most years. A few highlights:\nThe making of the atomic bomb by Richard Rhodes was probably the best of the bunch. I read it because I see some parallels between the discovery of atomic power and the search for AGI, and wanted an insight on the ethics and decision making of the time. It didn't disappoint.\nThe dawn of everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow was a solid read and retelling of how civilization began and evolved.\nThe message by Ta-Nehisi Coates, I read in two sittings — it was that impactful. A reminder of how the oppressed becomes the oppressor again and again. \"As it happens, you can See the world but never see the people in it\"\nOther highlights: The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt; re-read Thinking in Systems by Daniella Meadows; re-read Wherever You Go There You Are by Jon Kabat Zinn; The light eaters by Zoe Schlanger; I don't want to talk about it, by Terrence Real.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I don't want to talk about it, by Terrence Real.",
          "reason": "Includes it among the year's highlights.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terrence Real"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "male depression",
        "therapy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "i-had-trouble-in-getting-to-solla-sollew-d630ae",
      "title": "I Had Trouble in Getting to Solla Sollew",
      "author": "Dr. Seuss",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50038641,
          "author": "electroweak",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T00:47:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50038641",
          "commentText": "Of all the Dr Seuss read to my kids the one that stands out is hard to find now: \"I Had Trouble Getting to Solla Sollew\".\nProbably rare because the young protagonist who over-judges the severity of his minor problem, gulliblly starts on a quest where he increasingly suffers worse, finally concludes the actual solution is to confront his problems with swift and blinding violence. I read it so many times I can still recall a good portion from memory.\nMy personal favourite was \"Stig of the Dump\", which still holds up today, unlike many from my childhood.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"I Had Trouble Getting to Solla Sollew\"",
          "reason": "A favorite to read to the commenter’s children, despite its unusual ending.",
          "audience": "Children; read aloud by a parent.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes the story ends with the protagonist solving problems through violence.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dr. Seuss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s picture book",
        "rhyming story"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "i-heard-you-paint-houses-b8ad44",
      "title": "I Heard You Paint Houses",
      "author": "Charles Brandt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804093,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:12:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804093",
          "commentText": "Writing a Go Interpreter\nWriting a Go Compiler\nNo One Cares about Crazy People\nI Heard You Paint Houses\nUNIX: A History and a Memoir\nRed Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine\nHow Asia Works\nThe Dream Machine\nBlack Earth\nThe Fabric of Reality\nBehave (tried twice, maybe third times a charm?)\nA Short History of Nearly Everything\nStiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers\nGenius: The Life and Science Richard Feynman\nSuper Thinking\nMan's Search for Meaning\nThe Cooking Gene\nThe Vital Question: Why is Life The Way it Is (re-read)\nThe Case Against Sugar\nThe 15 Decisive Battles of the World\nThe History of the Peloponnesian War\nThe Beginning of Infinity\nThe Book of Why",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I Heard You Paint Houses",
          "reason": "Listed in the commenter's planned reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Brandt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "jimmy hoffa",
        "organized crime"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "i-hope-they-serve-beer-in-hell-fe814d",
      "title": "I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell",
      "author": "Tucker Max",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tucker Max"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "humor memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "i-let-you-go-2eca54",
      "title": "I Let You Go",
      "author": "Clare Mackintosh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15642103,
          "author": "tcx",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-07T10:00:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15642103",
          "commentText": "Jared Diamond - \"Collapse: how societies choose to fail or succeed\" (non-fiction)\nIván Repila - \"The Boy Who Stole Attila’s Horse\": short intense novel about 2 boys who are trapped in a well\nMargaret Atwood - \"The handmaid's tale\"\nKhaled Hosseini - \"The kite runner\"\nAgatha Christie - \"The murder of Roger Ackroyd\" (very surprising plot)\nAndy Weir - \"The Martian\"\nCharles Dickens - \"David Copperfield\"\nClare Mackintosh - \"I let you go\"\nCarlos Ruiz Zafón - \"The Shadow of the Wind\"\nM.R. Carey - \"The girl with all the gifts\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Clare Mackintosh - \"I let you go\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Clare Mackintosh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crime",
        "psychological thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "i-love-you-stinky-face-eace38",
      "title": "I Love You, Stinky Face",
      "author": "Lisa McCourt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50038288,
          "author": "sp332",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-10T23:47:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50038288",
          "commentText": "The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins - Dr Seuss\nIf You Give a Mouse a Cookie - the original is by far the best of these.\nRamona Quimby series - Beverly Cleary\nIggy Peck, Architect (+series) - Andrea Beaty\nBeast Feast - Emma Yarlett\nDragons Love Tacos (+ 2) - Adam Rubin\nThe Princess in Black (+series) - Shannon & Dean Hale\nDon't Let a Unicorn Scribble (+series) - Diane Abler\nThe Camping Trip - Jennifer Maan\nMaddie & Mabel (+series) - Kari Allen\nI Love You Stinky Face - Lisa McCourt\nAuthors that were always good: Arnold Lobel, Sandra Boynton, James Stevenson\nAnd don't forget to check https://www.betterworldbooks.com/ , they are affiliated with the Internet Archive and they don't show up in shopping searches.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I Love You Stinky Face - Lisa McCourt",
          "reason": "Listed among favorite children's books.",
          "audience": "Children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lisa McCourt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "i-malavoglia-2fc0b6",
      "title": "I Malavoglia",
      "author": "Giovanni Verga",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17047834,
          "author": "IloveHN84",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T15:11:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17047834",
          "commentText": "\"i Malavoglia\" from Giovanni Verga",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"i Malavoglia\" from Giovanni Verga",
          "reason": "Offered as a book in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Giovanni Verga"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "italian literature",
        "verismo"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "i-read-signs-9119c9",
      "title": "I Read Signs",
      "author": "Tana Hoban",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26775082,
          "author": "rmk",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-12T00:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26775082",
          "commentText": "- Good Night, Moon\n- The Runaway Bunny\n- Harold and the Purple Crayon\n- Grandfather Twilight (for slightly older children)\n- Sandra Boynton books\n- Max's Breakfast (and other books)\n- I Read Signs (Tana Hoban; other books by her also quite good)\n- Go! Go! Go! Stop! (Cherise Mericle Harper)\n- Little Pea (Amy Krouse Rosenthal)\n- Trucks, My Car (and other Byron Barton books)\n- The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Eric Carle; some other books by this author are also good)\n- Roadwork (Sally Sutton; also in the same vein by the illustrator Brian Lovelock: Demolition, Flight of the Honey Bee, The Rain Train).\nMany others come to mind, but these are well-loved.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I Read Signs (Tana Hoban; other books by her also quite good)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tana Hoban"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "concept books",
        "early literacy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "i-remember-1d470d",
      "title": "I Remember",
      "author": "Joe Brainard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34162295,
          "author": "nomagicbullet",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T16:01:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34162295",
          "commentText": "Here we go:\n— Flow: The most fitting for the HN crowd. A fantastic read about the state of flow in work and leisure. Great framework for unlocking what drives the mind towards fulfillment and happiness. I liked the ideas around how \"order of thought\" relates to personal satisfaction. I wished it talked about the \"how\" not just the \"what\".\n— Man's Search For Meaning: An absolute classic. A moving but most of all inspiring book about the experience of a man in the Nazi camps. Stoic optimism. It opened my eyes to the relationship between suffering and self-actualization.\n— I Remember: A book by Joe Brainard to be found in the poetry section but written in a unique unconventional style. Accessible, playful and moving. It created a lot of noise with it came out because of its format.\n— Never Say You Can't Survive: How To Get Through Hard Times By Making Up Stories: The book I needed to read to reconnect me to writing to cultivate the spirit.\n— Carbon & Silicon: This last one is a comic book. The story is an intimate (yet grand) robot saga that expands over centuries. A battle between immortality and decay. A joy to read. It hit me hard.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I Remember: A book by Joe Brainard to be found in the poetry section",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as accessible, playful, and moving, with an unconventional style.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joe Brainard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "experimental writing",
        "poetry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "i-see-satan-fall-like-lightning-daad22",
      "title": "I See Satan Fall Like Lightning",
      "author": "René Girard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37943360,
          "author": "zingababba",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T14:26:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37943360",
          "commentText": "Some recent ones I've really enjoyed:   \nThe Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind - Julian Jaynes;   \nAnd: Phenomenology of the End - Franco Berardi;   \nThe True Believer - Eric Hoffer;   \nI See Satan Fall Like Lightning - Rene Girard;   \nSurplus Enjoyment - Slavoy Zizek;   \nDionysus, Christ, and the Death of God - Giuseppe Fornari\nPhenomenology of the End in particular blew my mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I See Satan Fall Like Lightning - Rene Girard",
          "reason": "Included among recent books the commenter has enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "René Girard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mimetic theory",
        "religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "i-shall-wear-midnight-db20bd",
      "title": "I Shall Wear Midnight",
      "author": "Terry Pratchett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665061,
          "author": "sn41",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:11:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665061",
          "commentText": "Since no one has mentioned it so far, I recommend the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. This year, I finished (numbers in Discworld order, annotated by the series):\n9. Eric [Rincewind]\n10. Moving Pictures [Independent]\n12. Witches Abroad [Witches]\n18. Maskerade [Witches]\n19. Feet of clay [The City Watch]\n23. Carpe Jugulum [Witches]\n32. A Hat Full of Sky [Tiffany Aching]\n37. Unseen Academicals [Wizards]\n38. I Shall Wear Midnight [Tiffany Aching]\nBrilliant series, highly recommended. Whenever I feel down, I re-read one of the Witches series - I spot something I never noticed before - an immediate mood-booster!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "38. I Shall Wear Midnight [Tiffany Aching]",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the Discworld books the commenter finished this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401598,
          "author": "eli_gottlieb",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:45:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401598",
          "commentText": "Recently finished:\nDown and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow -- frankly, I found it kind of boring, and also found the narrator unsympathetic.  I'm not sure if the author intended him to be an Unreliable Narrator or not.\nFacts, Values, and Norms by Peter Railton --  Gains three stars for combining serious consideration of ethical and meta-ethical issues with a completely naturalistic worldview and a genuine grappling with history and ideology. Loses two stars for being far, far too long-winded and using vague, colloquial terminology and appeals to intuition where a methodoological naturalist can and should appeal to the fruits of science. (Copy-pasta'd from my Amazon review)\nRapture of the Nerds by Charles Stross -- pretty funny, even if it made a transhuman superintelligent supercivilization look kind of... dumb.\nCurrently re-reading for fun:\nThe Wee Free Men and I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett -- It's Discworld.  Go read them.  NOW.  And read A Hat Full of Sky in the middle.\nThen there's been a lot of textbooks I've been reading, which I won't list.  Though...\nLogical Labyrinths by Raymond Smullyan -- dense, and fun, a graduate-level intro textbook to first-order logic disguised as a logic textbook.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Wee Free Men and I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry Pratchett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "young adult fantasy",
        "comic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "i-sing-the-body-electronic-a-year-with-microsoft-on-the-multimedi-09f739",
      "title": "I Sing the Body Electronic: A Year with Microsoft on the Multimedia Frontier",
      "author": "Fred Moody",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17205079,
          "author": "krylon",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T13:31:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205079",
          "commentText": "I can recommend \"I Sing the Body Electronic: A Year with Microsoft on the Multimedia Frontier\" by Fred Moody. It is pretty old, and I think it's been out of print for a while, but if you can get your hands on a copy, it is well worth the effort.\nIt details the work of a team working on a children's encyclopedia, but it also gives some very interesting insights into Microsoft's corporate culture (of the early 1990s at least) and social dynamics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can recommend \"I Sing the Body Electronic: A Year with Microsoft on the Multimedia Frontier\" by Fred Moody.",
          "reason": "Recommended for its account of a team building a children's encyclopedia and its insights into Microsoft's early-1990s culture.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The book is old and may be out of print; the commenter says it is worth finding a copy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fred Moody"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "corporate culture",
        "microsoft"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "i-want-to-be-a-mathematician-an-automathography-537b10",
      "title": "I Want to Be a Mathematician: An Automathography",
      "author": "Paul R. Halmos",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268771,
          "author": "gtsnexp",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T21:53:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268771",
          "commentText": "I Want to be a Mathematician: An Automathography\nPaul Richard Halmos",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I Want to be a Mathematician: An Automathography\nPaul Richard Halmos",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul R. Halmos"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematician memoir",
        "mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "i-was-blind-but-now-i-see-8a7a5c",
      "title": "I Was Blind but Now I See",
      "author": "James Altucher",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6976686,
          "author": "handzhiev",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T21:26:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976686",
          "commentText": "Thumbs up for James Altucher's book. I liked a lot \"I was blind but now I see\" by him. I don't think a book can be a life changer at my age (who knows), but it was a great read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I liked a lot \"I was blind but now I see\" by him.",
          "reason": "Says they liked the book and calls it a great read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Doesn't think a book can be life changing for them at their age.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Altucher"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "i-was-told-to-come-alone-my-journey-behind-the-lines-of-jihad-b1a36e",
      "title": "I Was Told to Come Alone: My Journey Behind the Lines of Jihad",
      "author": "Souad Mekhennet",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15961256,
          "author": "strictnein",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:22:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961256",
          "commentText": "Sorry, this got a little longer than I meant it to be\n- Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed - It's over 20 years old now but still really good, especially if you're into planes like the U-2, F-117, and SR-71\nIf you're wanting a deeper understanding of the other side of the war on terror, I'd recommend the following:\n- I Was Told to Come Alone: My Journey Behind the Lines of Jihad\n- Salafi-Jihadism: The History of an Idea\n- The Way of the Strangers: Encounters with the Islamic State\n- After the Prophet: The Epic Story of the Shia-Sunni Split in Islam\n- The Black Banners: The Inside Story of 9/11 and the War Against al-Qaeda\nIf you're wanting a dive into Russia:\n- The Invention of Russia: From Gorbachev's Freedom to Putin's War\n- The Red Web: The Struggle Between Russia's Digital Dictators and the New Online Revolutionaries\n- Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible: The Surreal Heart of the New Russia\nIf you're wanting true Spy stuff:\n- The Billion Dollar Spy: A True Story of Cold War Espionage and Betrayal\n- The Spy's Son: The True Story of the Highest-Ranking CIA Officer Ever Convicted of Espionage and the Son He Trained to Spy for Russia\n- Left of Boom: How a Young CIA Case Officer Penetrated the Taliban and Al-Qaeda (the author is a little full of himself, but still, it's interesting)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I Was Told to Come Alone: My Journey Behind the Lines of Jihad",
          "reason": "Recommended for a deeper understanding of the other side of the war on terror.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a deeper understanding of the other side of the war on terror.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Souad Mekhennet"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "jihadism",
        "journalism",
        "war on terror"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "i-wish-you-more-050254",
      "title": "I Wish You More",
      "author": "Amy Krouse Rosenthal",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33855036,
          "author": "chiefalchemist",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T16:27:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33855036",
          "commentText": "A slight pivot but worth mentioning, I've collected a number of \"children's\" books that (for me) are just as good - better? - for adults. For example:\n- \"What do you do with a problem?\"\nhttps://www.amazon.com/What-Do-You-Problem/dp/1943200009\n- \"What do you do with an idea?\"\nhttps://www.amazon.com/What-Do-You-Idea/dp/1938298071/\n- \"What do you do with a chance?\"\nhttps://www.amazon.com/What-Do-You-Chance/dp/1943200734/\n- \"I wish you more\"\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Encouragement-Gifts-Uplifting-Books-G... (https://www.amazon.com/Encouragement-Gifts-Uplifting-Books-Graduation/dp/1452126992/)\nOf course, there are others. These are just the ones that come to mind ATM.\nI've given the \"What do...?\" books as gifts to plenty of adult and young adults.   My point is, a book doesn't have to be 200+ pages to have an impact.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"I wish you more\"",
          "reason": "Includes it among children's books they consider just as good or better for adults.",
          "audience": "Adults and young adults; also suggested as a gift.",
          "caveat": "The commenter frames it as a children's book that can appeal to adults.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Amy Krouse Rosenthal"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "encouragement",
        "picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "i-m-ok-you-re-ok-40a7b4",
      "title": "I'm OK—You're OK",
      "author": "Thomas A. Harris",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2147222,
          "author": "subhashp",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T09:20:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2147222",
          "commentText": "Few of them are:\n- I am OK you are OK, Thomas Harris (not sure)\n- Fountain Head, Ayn Rand\n- How to win friends ..\n- Lateral Thinking, Bono",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I am OK you are OK, Thomas Harris",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the books that changed the commenter’s way of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Author is given as “Thomas Harris (not sure).”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas A. Harris"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self help",
        "transactional analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ibm-and-the-holocaust-f54f90",
      "title": "IBM and the Holocaust",
      "author": "Edwin Black",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34165826,
          "author": "TurkishPoptart",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T20:55:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34165826",
          "commentText": "IBM and the Holocaust by Edwin Black. Incredible product of research and history.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "IBM and the Holocaust by Edwin Black. Incredible product of research and history.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an incredible work of research and history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edwin Black"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "holocaust history",
        "ibm",
        "technology history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ibm-s-360-and-early-370-systems-b0a233",
      "title": "IBM's 360 and Early 370 Systems",
      "author": "Emerson W. Pugh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22707561,
          "author": "johnb",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T22:41:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22707561",
          "commentText": "A few good ones that haven't been mentioned yet:\n* \"IBM's 360 and Early 370 Systems\n\" https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/ibms-360-and-early-370-system... (https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/ibms-360-and-early-370-systems)\n* \"Broad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet\" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35953464-broad-band\n* \"Fire in the Valley: The Making of the Personal Computer\" https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1427580.Fire_in_the_Vall... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1427580.Fire_in_the_Valley)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"IBM's 360 and Early 370 Systems",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Emerson W. Pugh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer history",
        "ibm mainframes"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ibm-the-fall-and-reinvention-of-a-global-icon-29a61a",
      "title": "IBM: The Fall and Reinvention of a Global Icon",
      "author": "James W. Cortada",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21792453,
          "author": "pavelmark",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T21:38:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21792453",
          "commentText": "IBM: The Fall and Reinvention of a Global Icon by James W. Cortada",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "IBM: The Fall and Reinvention of a Global Icon by James W. Cortada",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James W. Cortada"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "corporate history",
        "ibm"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "inspired-how-to-create-tech-products-customers-love-4531c3",
      "title": "INSPIRED: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love",
      "author": "Marty Cagan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30824799,
          "author": "scyzoryk_xyz",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-27T22:28:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30824799",
          "commentText": "This book both introduced me to what a PM is and showed me that I already am one in my role at my company. And it opened my eyes to a few new directions and inspired some ideas.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book both introduced me to what a PM is and showed me that I already am one in my role at my company.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book introduced them to product management and inspired new directions and ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marty Cagan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "product management",
        "technology products"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "iacocca-an-autobiography-180495",
      "title": "Iacocca: An Autobiography",
      "author": "Lee Iacocca with William Novak",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 203091,
          "author": "aniketh",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T07:07:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=203091",
          "commentText": "Iacocca: An Autobiography \nHe was responsible for the ford mustang, and later went on the revive Chrysler.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Iacocca: An Autobiography",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lee Iacocca with William Novak"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "automotive industry",
        "entrepreneurship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "iacocca-an-autobiography-3af146",
      "title": "Iacocca: An Autobiography",
      "author": "Lee Iacocca",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1971251,
          "author": "loganfrederick",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T08:41:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971251",
          "commentText": "+ Hacker Ethic by Steven Levy\n+ Masters of Doom by David Kushner\n+ The Millionaire Mind by Dr. Thomas Stanley\n+ The Intelligent Investor by Ben Graham\n+ The Essays of Warren Buffet by Lawrence Cunningham\n+ Buffet by Roger Lowenstein\n+ The Knack by Norm Brodsky\n+ Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar by Thomas Cathcart, Daniel Klein\n+ The Return of the Great Depression by Vox Day\n+ Capitalism and Freedom by Milton Friedman\n+ Road to Serfdom by Hayek\n+ Iacocca:An Autobiography by Lee Iacocca",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Iacocca:An Autobiography by Lee Iacocca",
          "reason": "Listed as a book to give the commenter's younger self.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lee Iacocca"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "automotive industry",
        "leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ice-1e78d6",
      "title": "Ice",
      "author": "Jacek Dukaj",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8613929,
          "author": "kele",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-16T10:56:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8613929",
          "commentText": "\"Ice\" by Jacek Dukaj\nEvery time I read a novel written by Dukaj I start feeling smarter. The ideas presented by characters are always worth considering and eye-opening.\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ice_%28Dukaj_novel%29",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Ice\" by Jacek Dukaj\nEvery time I read a novel written by Dukaj I start feeling smarter. The ideas presented by characters are always worth considering and eye-opening.",
          "reason": "Says Dukaj's novels make them feel smarter and that the ideas in this one are eye-opening.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jacek Dukaj"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternate history",
        "philosophical ideas"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "icon-the-life-and-times-of-steve-jobs-b26972",
      "title": "Icon: The Life and Times of Steve Jobs",
      "author": "Jeffrey S. Young and William L. Simon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 203173,
          "author": "sohamdas",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T10:28:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=203173",
          "commentText": "\"Surely you are joking Mr. Feynman\" [absolutely rockstar of a autobiography]\n\"Every Second Counts\" Lance Armstrong [poignant]\n\"A beautiful mind\" John Forbes Nash [moving, and heart wrenching]\nMy personal favourite:\n\"Icon\" Steve Jobs",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Icon\" Steve Jobs",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeffrey S. Young and William L. Simon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "steve jobs",
        "technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "idea-man-a-memoir-by-the-co-founder-of-microsoft-02c2fd",
      "title": "Idea Man: A Memoir by the Co-Founder of Microsoft",
      "author": "Paul Allen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4789990,
          "author": "pitchups",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T18:35:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4789990",
          "commentText": "Everything Is Obvious: *Once You Know the Answer by Duncan J. Watts\nWhere Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation by Steven Johnson\nThe Upside of Irrationality by Dan Ariely\nThe Hidden Brain: How Our Unconscious Minds Elect Presidents, Control Markets, Wage Wars by Shankar Vedantam\nThe Googlization of Everything: (And Why We Should Worry) by Siva Vaidhyanathan\nIn The Plex: How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives by Steven Levy\nIdea Man: A Memoir by Paul Allen\nThe Art of Choosing by Sheena Iyengar",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Idea Man: A Memoir by Paul Allen",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Allen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "microsoft",
        "technology memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ideaflow-the-only-business-metric-that-matters-392a78",
      "title": "Ideaflow: The Only Business Metric That Matters",
      "author": "Jeremy Utley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45283850,
          "author": "SMAAART",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-18T01:32:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 45283087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45283850",
          "commentText": "Ideaflow: The Only Business Metric That Matters,  by Jeremy Utley",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ideaflow: The Only Business Metric That Matters,  by Jeremy Utley",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeremy Utley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business metrics",
        "innovation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ideas-that-created-the-future-classic-papers-of-computer-science-1328aa",
      "title": "Ideas That Created the Future: Classic Papers of Computer Science",
      "author": "Harry R. Lewis, editor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31178955,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2022-04-27T12:15:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 31166475,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Top inspiring books on crucial CS ideas?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31178955",
          "commentText": "* Understanding Computation: From Simple Machines to Impossible Programs by Tom Stuart.\n* Out of their Minds: The Lives and Discoveries of 15 Great Computer Scientists by Dennis Shasha et al.\n* Ideas That Created the Future: Classic Papers of Computer Science edited by Harry Lewis - Came across this book in another HN thread but i don't have it yet.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Ideas That Created the Future: Classic Papers of Computer Science edited by Harry Lewis",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they came across it in another HN thread but do not have it yet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Harry R. Lewis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classic papers",
        "computer science history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ideas-that-created-the-future-classic-papers-of-computer-science-689357",
      "title": "Ideas That Created the Future: Classic Papers of Computer Science",
      "author": "Harry R. Lewis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36602033,
          "author": "sork_hn",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:44:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36602033",
          "commentText": "Ideas That Created the Future: Classic Papers of Computer Science\nEach paper is often over my head. There is an introduction to each that helps explain the paper and its context. A great journey through time.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Ideas-That-Created-Future-Computer/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Ideas-That-Created-Future-Computer/dp/0262045303)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ideas That Created the Future: Classic Papers of Computer Science",
          "reason": "The introductions explain each paper and its context; the commenter calls it a great journey through time.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in classic computer science papers and their historical context.",
          "caveat": "The papers are often over the commenter's head.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Harry R. Lewis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classic papers",
        "history of computer science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ideas-in-food-14c249",
      "title": "Ideas in Food",
      "author": "Aki Kamozawa and H. Alexander Talbot",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3338061,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T18:15:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3338061",
          "commentText": "Just bought a (physical) Kindle; it has:\n_Wolf Hall_ (http://www.amazon.com/Wolf-Hall-Novel-Booker-Prize/dp/080508... (http://www.amazon.com/Wolf-Hall-Novel-Booker-Prize/dp/0805080686))\n_Tree of Smoke_ (http://www.amazon.com/Tree-Smoke-Novel-Denis-Johnson/dp/0374... (http://www.amazon.com/Tree-Smoke-Novel-Denis-Johnson/dp/0374279128))\n(I'm about halfway through both; I'm trying to get better about reading fiction).\n_The Lean Startup_ (http://www.amazon.com/Lean-Startup-Entrepreneurs-Continuous-... (http://www.amazon.com/Lean-Startup-Entrepreneurs-Continuous-Innovation/dp/0307887898/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323540517&sr=1-1))\n(Having trouble getting myself propelled into this one)\n_Imbibe!_ (http://www.amazon.com/Imbibe-Absinthe-Cocktail-Professor-Fea... (http://www.amazon.com/Imbibe-Absinthe-Cocktail-Professor-Featuringthe/dp/0399532870/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323540560&sr=1-1))\n(Probably the best book on booze ever written, my favorite thing I've read all year)\n_Bitters_ (http://www.amazon.com/Bitters-Spirited-Cure-All-Cocktails-Fo... (http://www.amazon.com/Bitters-Spirited-Cure-All-Cocktails-Formulas/dp/1580083595/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323540592&sr=1-1))\n(The Atlantic liked this book, but I found it slight --- although we're going to make bitters from this book in our office, so maybe I'll appreciate it more later)\nFinally, I didn't read this \"recently\", but I'll take the opportunity to STRONGLY RECOMMEND IT TO EVERYONE:\n_Ideas in Food_ (http://www.amazon.com/Ideas-Food-Great-Recipes-They/dp/03077... (http://www.amazon.com/Ideas-Food-Great-Recipes-They/dp/0307717402/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323540682&sr=1-1))\nThis book blew my freaking head off. The authors are modernist (\"molecular\", gag) consultant/chefs with a very popular blog; the book adapts the stuff on their blog to home and professional cooking.\nWhat's amazing about it is that they did such a great job translating modernist techniques not just to home kitchens but to home cooking, so that the same concepts that give you wanking spherification and foam dishes in restaurants give you hands-free bulletproof risotto at home. I could go on and on about this thing. It is simultaneously the geekiest and most useful food book I've ever bought. Own it immediately.\n(Do audiobooks count? If so, add to the list _Thinking Fast And Slow_ by Daniel Kahneman, _Blood, Bones & Butter_ by Gabrielle Hamilton, and Caro's _Power Broker_).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "STRONGLY RECOMMEND IT TO EVERYONE",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends it; praises its useful adaptation of modernist cooking techniques for home kitchens.",
          "audience": "Home cooks and professional cooks.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Aki Kamozawa and H. Alexander Talbot"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "culinary techniques",
        "modernist cooking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "idoru-4b252f",
      "title": "Idoru",
      "author": "William Gibson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 86223,
          "author": "icky",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:37:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86223",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- The Time Machine (still holds up very well, and seems strangely eerie and prescient in places)... (H. G. Wells)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Hobbit (and LotR) (Tolkien)\n- Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n- Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties (I picked up Idoru first, so I haven't yet read Virtual Light) (also Gibson)\n- The Difference Engine (Gibson, Sterling)\n- Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n- Cryptonomicon (\" \")\n- Circuit of Heaven, End of Days (Dennis Danvers)\n- All of the \"Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser\" stories and novels. (Fritz Leiber)\n- The Earthsea trilogy (Ursula K. LeGuin)\n- 'salem's Lot (Stephen King)\n- Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein)\n- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)\n- the Coldfire trilogy (C. S. Friedman)\n- various Cory Doctorow short stories\n- Kamikaze L'Amour (Richard Kadrey)\n- Lightpaths (Howard V. Hendrix)\n- A Canticle For Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)\n- Moonwar, Venus (Ben Bova)\n- the Stainless Steel Rat series (Harry Harrison)\n- Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)\n- Ringworld (Larry Niven)\n- Cthon (Piers Anthony) -- Trippiness level approaching Philip Jose Farmer ;-)\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (Douglas Adams)\n- The Black Company (Glen Cook)\n- there's one particularly good post-cyberpunk series that takes place in a world in which Canada emerged as a major world power, but for the life of me I can't rememeber the title.\n- the 1632 series (Eric Flint)... see also S. M. Stirling's Nantucket series (\"Island in the Sea of Time\", et al.), and H. Beam Piper's novel Kalvan of Otherwhen\nNon-fiction:\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (Hume)\n- the surviving words and works of Epicurus, and Diogenes the Cynic\n- Freakonomics (Levitt, Dubner)\n- The Gay Science (Nietzsche)\n- The Jefferson Bible (Christ, Jefferson (ed.))\n- The Devil's Dictionary (Bierce)\n- Brain Droppings (George Carlin)\n- anything by P. J. O'Rourke\n- anything by Dave Barry",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties (I picked up Idoru first, so I haven't yet read Virtual Light) (also Gibson)",
          "reason": "Included in the fiction list; the commenter says they picked it up first.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have not yet read Virtual Light.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Gibson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "cyberpunk"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "if-hemingway-wrote-javascript-0c71cb",
      "title": "If Hemingway Wrote JavaScript",
      "author": "Rachel T. G. and Joe Zimmerman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29308179,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:27:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29308179",
          "commentText": "Wow I love both Hemingway and JavaScript. I look forward to this book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I look forward to this book.",
          "reason": "Expresses anticipation for the suggested book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rachel T. G.",
        "Joe Zimmerman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "javascript",
        "literary parody"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "if-i-built-a-car-a55dcd",
      "title": "If I Built a Car",
      "author": "Chris Van Dusen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1725397,
          "author": "gokhan",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-24T20:57:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1725397",
          "commentText": "My son is 3.5 years old. Here are some of the books he loves.\nThe Magic School Bus series. For example:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Magic-School-Bus-Ocean-Floor/dp/059041... (http://www.amazon.com/Magic-School-Bus-Ocean-Floor/dp/0590414313/ref=sr_1_4?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1285361104&sr=8-4)\nIf I Built a Car (a great book on design)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0142408255/ref=oss_product\nManfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0811860639/ref=oss_product",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If I Built a Car (a great book on design)",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book about design and says their son loves it.",
          "audience": "Young children.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris Van Dusen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "picture book",
        "vehicles"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "if-i-understood-you-would-i-have-this-look-on-my-face-aafd97",
      "title": "If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look on My Face?",
      "author": "Alan Alda",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17520386,
          "author": "saryant",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T03:44:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17520386",
          "commentText": "1) Devil Take the Hindmost: A History of Financial Speculation by Edward Chancellor\nEverything from the tulip craze to the dotcom boom.\n2) If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look On My Face? by Alan Alda\nAlan Alda of MASH fame teaches you how to build more empathy and improve your communication skills.\n3) Bad Blood by James Carreyou\nTheranos.  Enough said.\n4) Directorate S: The C.I.A. and America's Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan by Steve Coll\nI think of this as the last book in Coll's unofficial trilogy on Afghanistan.  First up was Ghost Wars, a history of American involvement in Afghanistan from the Soviet invasion up to 2001.  Second is his biography on the Bin Laden family.  Last year he released Directorate S, a chronicle of American and Pakistani involvement post-9/11 primarily told through the lens of the Pakistani intelligence directorate tasked with influencing Afghanistan.\nColl has interviews with everyone from in-country CIA agents and foot soldiers who were on the ground all the way up to defense secretaries and military leaders, from both sides.  An in-depth examination of what went wrong and why we're still stuck there.\n5) Deep South: Four Seasons on Back Roads by Paul Theroux.\nThe greatest travel writer of the last half-century finally turns his attention homeward: the American Deep South.  Four road trips over four seasons.  He published an article in Smithsonian Magazine hitting the highlights: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/soul-south-180951861/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If I Understood You, Would I Have This Look On My Face? by Alan Alda\nAlan Alda of MASH fame teaches you how to build more empathy and improve your communication skills.",
          "reason": "Presented as a book about building empathy and improving communication skills.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan Alda"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "communication skills",
        "empathy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "if-it-s-monday-it-must-be-madurai-a-conducted-tour-of-india-5567c3",
      "title": "If It's Monday It Must Be Madurai: A Conducted Tour of India",
      "author": "Srinath Perur",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237188,
          "author": "kranner",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:44:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237188",
          "commentText": "- Tetris: The Games People Play by Box Brown\n- Tibet, Tibet by Patrick French\n- Maya: A Novel by CW Huntington, Jr\n- The Science of Enlightenment by Shinzen Young\n- Flask Web Development by Miguel Grinberg\n- Buddha's Diet by Tara Cottrell\n- A Feast of Vultures by Josy Joseph\n- Genghis Khan: Life, Death and Resurrection by John Man\n- Chasing the Scream by Johann Hari\n- Cuckold by Kiran Nagarkar\n- Goliath by Tom Gauld\n- This Will Never Happen Again by David Cain\n- Cure by Jo Marchant\n- If It’s Monday It Must Be Madurai: A Conducted Tour of India by Srinath Perur\n- Deep Work by Cal Newport\n- Enduring Love by Ian McEwan\n- The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery\n- The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt\n- The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion\nand a few others that aren't worth recommending; all the above are.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "all the above are.",
          "reason": "The commenter includes the listed books among those worth recommending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Srinath Perur"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "humor",
        "india",
        "travel writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "if-nobody-speaks-of-remarkable-things-705efc",
      "title": "If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things",
      "author": "Jon McGregor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1569283,
          "author": "lemming",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T22:08:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569283",
          "commentText": "On a \"what makes us tick\" non-fiction bent:\n1. Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (http://tinyurl.com/33kv6te) - fascinating look at the author's theory of Flow, the state of total absorption that accompanies total concentration - so called \"optimal experience\". Anyone who programs knows this feeling. Really excellent book.\n2. Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert (http://tinyurl.com/38lvdzc) - not the self-help book it sounds like, but an interesting look at why we're so bad at working out what will make us happy.\n3. The Tiger that isn't by Andrew Dilnot (http://tinyurl.com/38hntqx) - interesting guide to our instinctive interpretation of statistics and how the media manipulates it.\n4. Bad Science by Ben Goldacre (http://tinyurl.com/3yk8woz) - at once amusing and horrifying look at various aspects of pseudoscience, especially as applied to healthcare.\nFiction:\n1. Anything by Iain Banks, especially the sci-fi.\n2. If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things by Jon McGregor (http://tinyurl.com/3496d34) - worth reading just for the language he uses.\n3. American Gods by Neil Gaiman (http://tinyurl.com/3xyr65w) - great fantasy with a darkly humorous side.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "worth reading just for the language he uses.",
          "reason": "Says it is worth reading for its language.",
          "audience": "Readers who appreciate literary style.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jon McGregor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "if-only-they-could-talk-6ad1dc",
      "title": "If Only They Could Talk",
      "author": "James Herriot",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25320639,
          "author": "jkepler",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-06T03:00:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25320639",
          "commentText": "For perspective on a veterinary surgeon's work and world, James Herriot wrote eight books , starting with, \"If Only They Could Talk\" in 1970. [0]\nTo learn what its like to start a non-profit/NGO working to help homeless people, prostitutes and addicts in the streets of Glasgow, Scotland, read \"From Whitewashed Stairs to Heaven.\" The book tells the story of Maureen McKenna, cofounder of Open Door Trust Glasgow.[1]\nWendell Berry's written much about farming (among other things).\n[0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Herriot\n[1] https://www.christianfocus.com/products/855/from-whitewashed... (https://www.christianfocus.com/products/855/from-whitewashed-stairs-to-heaven)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "starting with, \"If Only They Could Talk\" in 1970.",
          "reason": "Named as the first book in Herriot's series about veterinary work.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in veterinary work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Herriot"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "rural life",
        "veterinary medicine"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "if-our-bodies-could-talk-51054b",
      "title": "If Our Bodies Could Talk",
      "author": "James Hamblin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14859651,
          "author": "Robelius",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T19:55:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859651",
          "commentText": "If Our Bodies Could Talk by James Hamblin. There was a passage from his book hosted on The Atlantic that got to the front page of HN. It went over a crash course on sleep.\nThe book only has a small passage on the topic. Instead, the book goes over random topics from STDs to popping zits with the same depth that his sleep article followed. I started reading it, but gave the audiobook version a try. The author makes the book even better and would recommend that form instead.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The author makes the book even better and would recommend that form instead.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the audiobook version, praising the author's narration.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The book covers a range of topics; the commenter says its sleep coverage is only a small passage.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Hamblin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "health myths",
        "human body"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "if-they-say-no-just-say-next-500c7a",
      "title": "If They Say No, Just Say Next",
      "author": "John Fuhrman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 138020,
          "author": "sonink",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-16T05:55:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=138020",
          "commentText": "If They Say No Just Say Next by John Fuhrma",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If They Say No Just Say Next by John Fuhrma",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Fuhrman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "negotiation",
        "sales"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "if-you-give-a-mouse-a-cookie-36ac0f",
      "title": "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie",
      "author": "Laura Numeroff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50038288,
          "author": "sp332",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-10T23:47:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50038288",
          "commentText": "The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins - Dr Seuss\nIf You Give a Mouse a Cookie - the original is by far the best of these.\nRamona Quimby series - Beverly Cleary\nIggy Peck, Architect (+series) - Andrea Beaty\nBeast Feast - Emma Yarlett\nDragons Love Tacos (+ 2) - Adam Rubin\nThe Princess in Black (+series) - Shannon & Dean Hale\nDon't Let a Unicorn Scribble (+series) - Diane Abler\nThe Camping Trip - Jennifer Maan\nMaddie & Mabel (+series) - Kari Allen\nI Love You Stinky Face - Lisa McCourt\nAuthors that were always good: Arnold Lobel, Sandra Boynton, James Stevenson\nAnd don't forget to check https://www.betterworldbooks.com/ , they are affiliated with the Internet Archive and they don't show up in shopping searches.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie - the original is by far the best of these.",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite children's book; the commenter prefers the original.",
          "audience": "Children",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the original is best among the versions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Laura Numeroff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cumulative stories",
        "picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "if-you-give-a-pig-a-pancake-720fd2",
      "title": "If You Give a Pig a Pancake",
      "author": "Laura Numeroff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1971299,
          "author": "Mithrandir",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T09:19:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971299",
          "commentText": "Don't forget \"If You Give Pig a Pancake\"!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Don't forget \"If You Give Pig a Pancake\"!",
          "reason": "Adds the book to the thread’s list of choices.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Laura Numeroff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s picture book"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "iggy-peck-architect-853adc",
      "title": "Iggy Peck, Architect",
      "author": "Andrea Beaty",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50038501,
          "author": "stackghost",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T00:27:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50038501",
          "commentText": "I really wanted to like Iggy Peck, Ada Twist, and Rosie Revere, because they promote really positive messages. But man, the verse is really clumsy and poor in some areas.  Not stellar writing.\nTo add to your list: anything by Julia Donaldson. The Gruffalo, Super Worm, Room on the Broom, the Whale and the Snail.\nPerennial favs when my kids were 3-5",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I really wanted to like Iggy Peck, Ada Twist, and Rosie Revere, because they promote really positive messages.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they wanted to like it but criticizes the writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls the verse clumsy and the writing not stellar.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 50038288,
          "author": "sp332",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-10T23:47:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50038288",
          "commentText": "The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins - Dr Seuss\nIf You Give a Mouse a Cookie - the original is by far the best of these.\nRamona Quimby series - Beverly Cleary\nIggy Peck, Architect (+series) - Andrea Beaty\nBeast Feast - Emma Yarlett\nDragons Love Tacos (+ 2) - Adam Rubin\nThe Princess in Black (+series) - Shannon & Dean Hale\nDon't Let a Unicorn Scribble (+series) - Diane Abler\nThe Camping Trip - Jennifer Maan\nMaddie & Mabel (+series) - Kari Allen\nI Love You Stinky Face - Lisa McCourt\nAuthors that were always good: Arnold Lobel, Sandra Boynton, James Stevenson\nAnd don't forget to check https://www.betterworldbooks.com/ , they are affiliated with the Internet Archive and they don't show up in shopping searches.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Iggy Peck, Architect (+series) - Andrea Beaty",
          "reason": "Listed among favorite children's books.",
          "audience": "Children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrea Beaty"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "picture books",
        "stem"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ignition-an-informal-history-of-liquid-rocket-propellants-dd05f9",
      "title": "Ignition!: An Informal History of Liquid Rocket Propellants",
      "author": "John Drury Clark",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783529,
          "author": "Symmetry",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:46:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783529",
          "commentText": "Here are the ones I'd be willing to recommend, in reverse chronological order of when I read them.  I read 59 total.  Listen to books on tape while working out has maybe doubled my reading rate.\nGenghis Khan: His Conquests, His Empire, His Legacy - Great book on how the Mongol Empire came to be, who Genghis was, and it put the whole thing in perspective for me in a useful way.\nThe Knowledge: How to Rebuild Our World from Scratch - What it says on the tin.  Actually a good overview how some important technologies interrelate.\nSuperforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction - How to be wrong less often.  Based on the Good Judgement Project results.\nThe Three-Body Problem - Decent enough science fiction but extra interesting because it's science fiction from a different culture.\nIgnition!: An informal history of liquid rocket propellants - A history of things that go boom.  Engaging writing and I learned things about chemistry.\nThe Traitor Baru Cormorant - I'm nominating this for a Hugo.  It tells you it's going to stab you in the gut but when it does you don't see it coming.  Plus high quality scheming and speculation on economics, society, and empire.\nThe Sorcerer of the Wildeeps - Excellent use of voice and an overall good book.\nBloom - Made my skin crawl in places and also was good at making you feel a radical change in perspective.\nSeeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed - An interesting perspective on certain aspects of government.  A bit too negative for the topic, the factors outlined are also why commercial economies were able to develop more centralized economies than agrarian ones in the early modern era.\nPolitical Order and Political Decay: From the Industrial Revolution to the Globalization of Democracy - Quite good book on bureaucracy though not as excellent as the previous book on the origins of states.\nLast First Snow - It's always great to read books about the struggles between people with sympathetic motivations.\nThe Unwelcome Warlock - The latest in a series of fantasy books where people use magic in creative and sensible ways.\nAsteroid Mining 101: Wealth for the New Space Economy -Mostly about all the different sorts of asteroids.\nSeveneves - Neal Stephenson's latest.  If you like his books read it but maybe skip the last 1/3 after the timeskip.\nElon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future - Wow he did a lot of cool stuff.\nStories of Your Life and Others - Brilliant and poetic short stories.\nDarwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life - Some interesting perspective on materialism.\nPower, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life - Best science book I've read in a while!  Shows why mitochondria matter, the fundamental limits of prochariotic life, and several important ways mitochondria influence again and evolution.\nBlue Remembered Earth - Awesome near futureish book that does well at imagining a future that isn't just a linear extrapolation but is still believable.\nA Key, an Egg, an Unfortunate Remark - Not enough pacifist badass grandmothers in urban fantasy.\nQuantum Computing since Democritus - I understand QM much better now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ignition!: An informal history of liquid rocket propellants - A history of things that go boom. Engaging writing and I learned things about chemistry.",
          "reason": "Praises its engaging writing and says they learned chemistry from it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Drury Clark"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chemistry",
        "rocket propulsion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "illuminatus-trilogy-c738a4",
      "title": "Illuminatus! Trilogy",
      "author": "Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4968158,
          "author": "jamesmcn",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T04:36:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4968158",
          "commentText": "Walter Jon Williams' The Green Leopard Plague, which is also part of an anthology of the same name. The anthology includes several other stories that build up the world that GLP takes place in. Some interesting ideas about identity and consciousness in a society with extremely advanced bioengineering.\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Green_Leopard_Plague\nUmberto Eco's Prague Cemetery which expands greatly on a tiny section of Foucault's Pendulum. Eco's writing is extremely dense. Similar to Neal Stephenson, but with more of a literary flavor than a technogeek flavor. A nice way to balance out your reading if you find you are a bit too focused on modern technology.\nI finally read Robert Anton Wilson's Illuminatus! trilogy. Early Internet and web culture was so deeply infused with RAW's ideas that the trilogy felt like one long déjà vu session. Lots of fun. RAW + Eco are a great antidote to taking conspiracy theories seriously, while having a ton of fun at the same time.\nGibson's Sprawl trilogy. Wow. Since the release of the Blue Ant books, I've been telling people that Blue Ant is the place to start, as it updates a lot of the underlying themes of Sprawl for this decade. But Sprawl is still very current and relevant. If you read Sprawl during or before the dot-com bubble like I did, you probably focused on the prophetic internet stuff. If you read it again, you will find out that there is plenty more interesting stuff to feed your brain in Gibson's early novels.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Robert Anton Wilson's Illuminatus! trilogy",
          "reason": "The commenter says it made early internet and web culture feel familiar and that reading it was a lot of fun.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in early internet culture and conspiracy themes.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "conspiracy fiction",
        "counterculture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "illusions-007664",
      "title": "Illusions",
      "author": "Richard Bach",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17984596,
          "author": "newscracker",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-14T04:03:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17984596",
          "commentText": "One book is too restrictive to decide. People change, surroundings change, situations change...so would it be with books that have changed us or influenced us.\nI'll leave you here not with a book, but with one tiny piece of one tiny book:\nThe first chapter of \"Illusions\" by Richard Bach. As with other fantastic works that others have listed here, a distinguishing factor about these impactful or \"life changing\" works is that you can re-read them countless times and benefit from them anew on every read. This first chapter is one such work for me.\nI'm not implying that the rest of \"Illusions\" is worse than this first chapter (on the contrary, it's great), but this chapter is short, yet so powerful, and best of all, it stands by itself.\nBonus, if you like to read brief but powerful pieces, pick up \"The Prophet\" by Kahlil Gibran and read the chapters that interest you. I'd suggest the \"On Giving\" chapter as a great start.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The first chapter of \"Illusions\" by Richard Bach.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the chapter powerful and says it can be reread and benefit them anew.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The praise is specifically for the first chapter; the commenter says the rest is great too.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Bach"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "spiritual fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "image-processing-analysis-and-machine-vision-5ef2a8",
      "title": "Image Processing, Analysis, and Machine Vision",
      "author": "Milan Sonka, Václav Hlaváč, and Roger Boyle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 858952,
          "author": "monk_the_dog",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-03T17:38:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 858824,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Image recognition books and resources",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=858952",
          "commentText": "Here's my list:\nFor a general introduction:\n* \"Digital Image Processing\" by Gonzalez and Woods\n* \"Image Processing, Analysis, and Machine Vision\" by Sonka, Hlavac, and Boyle\nAfter you learn the basics, some more advanced and specialized books I'd recommend:\n* \"Morphological Image Analysis\" by Soille.\n* \"Insight into Images\" by Yoo (explains many of the algorithms in the ITK library).\nI hesitate to recommend this book because it is so dated (1992), but I refer to \"Computer and Robot Vision\" by Haralick and Shapiro quite often.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Image Processing, Analysis, and Machine Vision\" by Sonka, Hlavac, and Boyle",
          "reason": "Listed under “For a general introduction” in response to a request for resources.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a general introduction to image processing and machine vision.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Milan Sonka, Václav Hlaváč, and Roger Boyle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer vision",
        "image processing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "images-of-organization-36b64c",
      "title": "Images of Organization",
      "author": "Gareth Morgan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 658055,
          "author": "mkuhn",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-15T06:58:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 657892,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite management books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=658055",
          "commentText": "Images of Organizations by Gareth Morgan. (http://www.amazon.com/Images-Organization-Gareth-Morgan/dp/1... (http://www.amazon.com/Images-Organization-Gareth-Morgan/dp/1412939798/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245049030&sr=8-2))\nIt looks at organizations with the help of different perspectives. Definitely an enlightening experience to read it and very helpful later on.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Definitely an enlightening experience to read it and very helpful later on.",
          "reason": "Calls it enlightening and says it was helpful to them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gareth Morgan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "management",
        "organizational theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "imaginary-magnitude-3b8126",
      "title": "Imaginary Magnitude",
      "author": "Stanisław Lem",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46206202,
          "author": "topologie",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-09T15:47:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46206202",
          "commentText": "I have a couple I would highly recommend:\nThe first is Stanislaw Lem's \"Imaginary Magnitude.\"\nMost stories there are written as sort of prefaces to non-existent technical/scientific books, papers, articles, etc. The last one, Golem XIV, goes a bit beyond and includes an entire lecture.\nThe content is incredibly detailed and technical, Lem knew his Technology and Science for sure, so sometimes it's incredibly accurate and prophetic. Even though it was written in the 1970's, Lem was already describing things that look uncannily like neural networks, emergent communication systems, and machine-generated literature, decades before they existed.\nAnd... most of them are also really really funny.\nHere are small summaries that ChatGPT helped me write for some of the stories there:\n---- Eruntics ----\nA faux-scientific introduction to a field studying “erunts”: biological (or semi-biological) agents, think bacteria/neural colonies, that can learn to read, write, and communicate.\nThese bacterial colonies learn to communicate through several learning iterations across many mutations and generations, much like, say, Neural Networks, and they even develop their own proto-language as they evolve.\nEruntics is a sort of \"meditation\" on emergent intelligence and how writing or meaning might arise in nonhuman systems.\n---- A History of Bitic Literature ----\nPurports to be a critical history of literature produced not by humans, but by machines or other non-human authors, the fictional discipline of bitistics.\nIt treats computer-generated texts as a full literary tradition, with schools, tropes, and structural analysis.\nIt also goes into detail on how at a certain point Bitic Literature required models to read what other models had generated and \"validate\" what they had written, since the complexity they reach in terms of things like neologisms, subtext, and interconnectedness to other texts and ideas, becomes so absurdly high that no human being can even attempt to read them or make sense of them.\n---- Golem XIV ----\nThis is like half of the book, and oh boy...\nIt presents itself first as a report/lecture series from a U.S.-military supercomputer, framed with forewords, editorial notes, “instructions,” etc, but it quickly shifts into the machine’s own philosophical monologues about humanity, evolution, intelligence gradients, and existential insignificance/significance.\nIt contains some really iconic phrases, in particular during Golem's \"Lecture\":\n\" 'The meaning of the transmitter is the transmission' [...] To be sure, the corollary holds: 'The meaning of the transmission is the transmitter.' But the two members are not symmetrical.\"\n\" 'The construction is less perfect than what constructs' [...] Let us give it more substance: 'In evolution, a negative gradient operates in the perfecting of structural solutions'\"\nGolem XIV becomes a genuine “book within a book,” a hard, speculative essay on what a post-human intellect might think.\nThe second set of \"books\" that I would recommend are kinda related, even in tone:\nMasamune Shirow's \"Ghost in The Shell\" and its sequel \"Ghost in the Shell: Man-Machine Interface.\"\nChatGPT summaries:\n--- Ghost in the Shell ---\nAt its core, the original Ghost in the Shell manga is a cyberpunk procedural about identity in a hyper-connected world.\nIt follows Major Motoko Kusanagi, a fully cybernetic government operative working for Public Security Section 9, a counter-cyberterrorism and intelligence unit. The cases involve:\n- cyberbrains and identity hacking\n- political corruption\n- AI autonomy\n- blurred boundaries between human and machine\n- networks where memories, skills, and consciousness can be stolen or overwritten\nThe central philosophical arc centers on Project 2501, the “Puppet Master,” an emergent artificial consciousness born from networked information systems rather than human intention. It challenges the legal, biological, and metaphysical definitions of “life.”\nThe manga’s key concern:\nWhen minds become software, what counts as a person?\nWhat counts as being alive?\nIt’s high-speed political action wrapped around deep questions about autonomy, embodiment, and consciousness.\n--- Ghost in the Shell 2: Man-Machine Interface ---\nMan-Machine Interface is not a continuation in the conventional sense, but more of a \"post-human\" sequel.\nHere, Motoko Kusanagi, the main character from Ghost in The Shell, no longer exists as a single embodied entity. After merging with the Puppet Master at the end of the original story, Motoko becomes something new: a distributed, multi-bodied, evolving posthuman intelligence often referred to as Motoko Aramaki or Motoko 2.0.\nThe sequel follows her as:\n- a partially decoupled consciousness running across networks\n- an entity capable of switching avatars, bodies, and instantiations\n- a mind that operates above nation-states, legal frameworks, and even human-scale cognition\nPlot-wise, it deals with:\n- AI-industrial warfare\n- megacorporations fighting over distributed intelligences\n- metaphysics of identity in a world of multiple selves\n- data-ecologies and collective minds\n- the emergence of “post-persons”\nBut the real shift is tone and philosophy.\nWhere the first manga explores the crisis of identity, the sequel explores post-identity.\nIts main question:\nWhat does “self” mean when consciousness is fluid, redundant, multi-threaded, and no longer tied to one body or one narrative?\nMan-Machine Interface is dense, maximalist, metaphysical, and sometimes abstract , much closer to Lem’s Golem XIV in its treatment of posthuman consciousness than the first part.\nThird, another set, Peter Watts’ Blindsight and its sequel Echopraxia.\n--- Blindsight ---\nHard sci-fi first-contact novel about a crew sent to investigate an alien signal. The aliens they encounter demonstrate astonishing intelligence and adaptability, but seemingly zero consciousness. The book’s central question is brutal:\nDoes consciousness provide any evolutionary advantage at all?\nOr is it an expensive, unnecessary hack?\nIt’s one of the most rigorous modern explorations of intelligence without awareness, cognition without qualia, and post-biological life. Also features resurrected vampires as humanity’s most efficient problem-solvers.\n--- Echopraxia ---\nA follow-up set in the same universe, focusing more on Earth, zombies, hive-minds, military religious cults, and what Watts calls baseline humans becoming obsolete. It complements Blindsight by following the implications of a world where non-conscious “intelligence engines” outperform conscious humans.\nFinally...\n--- Greg Egan's Permutation City ---\nAt its core:\nA group of people upload themselves as software (“Copies”) into a virtual environment where consciousness is implemented as a computational process. But Egan pushes the idea far past “mind uploading” into deep mathematical and philosophical territory.\nThe central premise:\nIf consciousness depends only on logical consistency, not computation performed in real time, then a simulated mind does not require a universe running on stable physics or an external computer at all.\nEgan calls this the Dust Theory.\nWhat the novel explores:\n1. Copies — software persons\n- Human consciousness is scanned and instantiated as a digital mind. These Copies struggle with:\n- psychological trauma from being disposable\n- questions about their moral status\n- fears of erasure\n- pressure to perform labor for “real” biological humans\nThey are conscious, but economically and ontologically precarious.\n2. The “Autoverse”\nA lifelike world governed by artificial chemistry and evolution. It explores how complexity and life can arise from arbitrary rules, not carbon-based biology.\n3. Dust Theory\nA mind is simply a pattern, not a process.\nIf any arrangement of matter in the multiverse instantiates that pattern, even for a moment, consciousness exists.\nThis implies that a mind could “run” without a computer — as long as the pattern exists somewhere, even scattered across physical chaos (“dust”).\nPermutation City becomes a sandbox for minds that no longer require a substrate.\n4. “Permutation City” itself\nThe ultimate simulation, constructed to be self-sustaining in a way that breaks free from dependence on any external reality. Inside it, Copies evolve new forms of existence beyond human constraints.\nWhy it’s important:\nIt’s one of the most serious, mathematically grounded attempts in fiction to grapple with:\n- the ontology of simulated minds\n- the meaning (or irrelevance) of physical reality\n- identity as a computational equivalence class\n- consciousness divorced from biology or substrate\n- universes that exist because their patterns are self-consistent\nIt anticipates debates around:\n- substrate independence\n- functionalism\n- consciousness as pattern-matching\n- AI personhood\n- anthropic reasoning\n- simulation theory\nBefore most of those ideas entered mainstream discussion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The first is Stanislaw Lem's \"Imaginary Magnitude.\"",
          "reason": "Recommends the book and describes its technically detailed, funny stories and speculative ideas.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in technical and scientific ideas, AI, and speculative fiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says some stories are written as mock prefaces and one includes a lecture.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15428861,
          "author": "nabla9",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:40:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428861",
          "commentText": "Stanislav Lem's Golem XIV published in his book Imaginary Magnitude https://www.amazon.com/Imaginary-Magnitude-Stanislaw-Lem/dp/... (https://www.amazon.com/Imaginary-Magnitude-Stanislaw-Lem/dp/0156441802)\nIt might be more philosophy of AI than science fiction. It takes form of series of lectures that superintelligent (singularity level AI) gives to humanity before it goes away.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "published in his book Imaginary Magnitude",
          "reason": "Identified as the book containing Golem XIV.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stanisław Lem"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science fiction",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "philosophical fiction",
        "speculative fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "imaginary-numbers-are-real-3238c3",
      "title": "Imaginary Numbers Are Real",
      "author": "より Welch Labs",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 44273216,
          "author": "bpmedley",
          "createdAt": "2025-06-13T23:43:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 44269143,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Casual Math Book Suggestions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44273216",
          "commentText": "I’ve read about 15% - 20% of Imaginary Numbers are Real. It’s a great book, so far.\nhttps://www.welchlabs.com/resources/imaginary-numbers-are-re... (https://www.welchlabs.com/resources/imaginary-numbers-are-real-book-digital-download?srsltid=AfmBOooJFmaEljiQXG4T2w9FBJuoewscxWE-AeaMeW-Y9DTBVxu9VFlQ)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I’ve read about 15% - 20% of Imaginary Numbers are Real. It’s a great book, so far.",
          "reason": "The commenter has read about 15–20% and says they have enjoyed it so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The positive impression is based on an incomplete read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "より Welch Labs"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "complex numbers"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "imaginary-weapons-a-journey-through-the-pentagon-s-scientific-und-7bbdf3",
      "title": "Imaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld",
      "author": "Sharon Weinberger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sharon Weinberger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military research",
        "pentagon"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "imbibe-960b8a",
      "title": "Imbibe!",
      "author": "David Wondrich",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3338061,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T18:15:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3338061",
          "commentText": "Just bought a (physical) Kindle; it has:\n_Wolf Hall_ (http://www.amazon.com/Wolf-Hall-Novel-Booker-Prize/dp/080508... (http://www.amazon.com/Wolf-Hall-Novel-Booker-Prize/dp/0805080686))\n_Tree of Smoke_ (http://www.amazon.com/Tree-Smoke-Novel-Denis-Johnson/dp/0374... (http://www.amazon.com/Tree-Smoke-Novel-Denis-Johnson/dp/0374279128))\n(I'm about halfway through both; I'm trying to get better about reading fiction).\n_The Lean Startup_ (http://www.amazon.com/Lean-Startup-Entrepreneurs-Continuous-... (http://www.amazon.com/Lean-Startup-Entrepreneurs-Continuous-Innovation/dp/0307887898/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323540517&sr=1-1))\n(Having trouble getting myself propelled into this one)\n_Imbibe!_ (http://www.amazon.com/Imbibe-Absinthe-Cocktail-Professor-Fea... (http://www.amazon.com/Imbibe-Absinthe-Cocktail-Professor-Featuringthe/dp/0399532870/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323540560&sr=1-1))\n(Probably the best book on booze ever written, my favorite thing I've read all year)\n_Bitters_ (http://www.amazon.com/Bitters-Spirited-Cure-All-Cocktails-Fo... (http://www.amazon.com/Bitters-Spirited-Cure-All-Cocktails-Formulas/dp/1580083595/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323540592&sr=1-1))\n(The Atlantic liked this book, but I found it slight --- although we're going to make bitters from this book in our office, so maybe I'll appreciate it more later)\nFinally, I didn't read this \"recently\", but I'll take the opportunity to STRONGLY RECOMMEND IT TO EVERYONE:\n_Ideas in Food_ (http://www.amazon.com/Ideas-Food-Great-Recipes-They/dp/03077... (http://www.amazon.com/Ideas-Food-Great-Recipes-They/dp/0307717402/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323540682&sr=1-1))\nThis book blew my freaking head off. The authors are modernist (\"molecular\", gag) consultant/chefs with a very popular blog; the book adapts the stuff on their blog to home and professional cooking.\nWhat's amazing about it is that they did such a great job translating modernist techniques not just to home kitchens but to home cooking, so that the same concepts that give you wanking spherification and foam dishes in restaurants give you hands-free bulletproof risotto at home. I could go on and on about this thing. It is simultaneously the geekiest and most useful food book I've ever bought. Own it immediately.\n(Do audiobooks count? If so, add to the list _Thinking Fast And Slow_ by Daniel Kahneman, _Blood, Bones & Butter_ by Gabrielle Hamilton, and Caro's _Power Broker_).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Probably the best book on booze ever written, my favorite thing I've read all year",
          "reason": "Calls it probably the best book on booze and their favorite read of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says \"probably\" the best.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Wondrich"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cocktail history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "immovable-mage-2c032a",
      "title": "Immovable Mage",
      "author": "ImmovableMage",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42270928,
          "author": "asicsp",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T04:53:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42270928",
          "commentText": "I mostly read progression fantasy books these days. Here are some series that I enjoyed a lot:\n* \"Beware of Chicken\" by CasualFarmer\n* \"The Immaculate Collection\" by havlo\n* \"The Runic Artist\" by Ellake\n* \"The Broken Knife\" by SilverSidhe\n* \"Immovable Mage\" by ImmovableMage\n* \"The Gorgon Incident and Other Stories\" by John Bierce\n* \"Quest Academy\" by Brian J. Nordon\n* \"The Weirkey Chronicles\" by Sarah Lin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Immovable Mage\" by ImmovableMage",
          "reason": "Listed among progression fantasy series the commenter enjoyed a lot.",
          "audience": "Readers of progression fantasy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "ImmovableMage"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "magic",
        "progression fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "imperium-52c3ca",
      "title": "Imperium",
      "author": "Robert Harris",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10786739,
          "author": "hackerbloos",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T02:19:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786739",
          "commentText": "I've just updated my list of books I read this year. Scores are out of 5. If there is a + it means I found it to be extra special for some reason or other.\n= Jan =\nSmarter Than You Think - Clive Thompson 3\nThe positives of tech and the internet.\n= Feb =\nSuper Sad True Love Story - Gary Shteyngart 4\nScience fiction set in the not too distant future. Main themes include life extension and surveillance.\n= Mar =\nThe HitchHiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams 4\nThe Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams 3\nHad never read this series, thought it might be about time.\n= Apr =\nWhat does it all Mean? - Thomas Nagel 2 (though it is kind of meant for people who have never done any Philosophy, ever, so would recommend to someone like that. Will pass it on to someone taking an interest in the subject)\nAn introduction to Philosophy.\nEarth - David Brin 5+\nScience fiction set in the not too distant future, written in the 90s. Really interesting themes / vision of post climate change world.\nSlaughterHouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut 5\nSemi autobiographical account of the bombing of Dresden in WW2. Really funny and clever ideas. Very good.\n= May =\nNick Cohen - What’s Left? 4\nAccount of how the left has degenerated since the collapse of the hard left and the winning of liberal battles e.g. LGBT rights. Basic premise is that those on the left hate the West and the status quo so much they stoop to allying themselves with anyone who also opposes the status quo.\n= June =\nPlato at the Googleplex: Why Philosophy won’t go away - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 5+\nPlato has somehow appeared in the 21st century and is doing a talk at Google! A really enjoyable account of how Plato’s philosophy could be applied to modern issues. Really good. I want to go to Athens.\n= July =\nThe Mind Body Problem - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 4\nNovel about a female philosophy student shagging around and philosophising about it.\nBelieving Bullshit - Stephen Law 4\nBook detailing the various tricks / schemes played by charlatans and how to avoid being taken in by them.\n= August =\n36 Arguments for the Existence of God: a work of fiction - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 3\nNovel about an academic and his mentor. It was ok.\n= September =\nThe Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams 3\nThink I’m done reading these for now, don’t feel the urge to finish the set.\nKafka - The Trial 5\nReally good. Love the surrealism - the nightmarish / dreamish-ness of it. Saw it in the Theatre as well after reading it, thought that was great too.\n= October =\n= November =\nExistence - David Brin 3\nNot as good as Earth. Glad I read that first. Interesting imagining of what form contact from alien life could take though. Also interesting look at existential risks. The main part I didn’t like was how it skipped forward in time 3 decades about 3/4s of the way through, I had thought the characters were a little weak in general up until then anyway, and then they were pretty much gone entirely at that point.\n= December =\nAlone Together - Sherry Turtle 4\nThe negatives of tech, robotics and the internet. Interesting and important read.\nImperium - Robert Harris 5\nFirst in the semi-fictional trilogy accounting the fall of the Roman Republic, told through the eyes of Cicero’s secretary, Tiro. Really good. The politics, the corruption, the ancient city really brought to life. Enhanced by having visited Rome in the Summer.\nAlso currently reading ‘Reclaiming Conversation’ by Sherry Turkle, an account of the negative affect being permanently tethered to the internet has on our conversations, our capacity for empathy and our relationships, and Nietzsche’s 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra'.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Imperium - Robert Harris 5",
          "reason": "Rated 5 and praised for bringing ancient politics and the city to life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Harris"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient rome",
        "political fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "implementation-patterns-46383c",
      "title": "Implementation Patterns",
      "author": "Kent Beck",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14487431,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T13:30:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487431",
          "commentText": "'Implementation Patterns', Kent Beck. A semi-language-agnostic extension of his 'Smalltalk Patterns'for how to clearly and consistently express what you're saying when you code.\n'Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering', Robert Glass.  Glass presents a list of things everybody knows, or ought to know, and gives both academic and opinionated support and/or critique for why they are and aren't so.\n'Making Software', Oram and Wilson. An edited collection of papers on evidence-based software engineering.\n'The Deadline', Tom DeMarco. A thinly disguised commercial for his advice on how to organize software development teams and organizations, packaged as light, light novel.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Implementation Patterns', Kent Beck. A semi-language-agnostic extension",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for programming books to add to a library.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a semi-language-agnostic extension of Smalltalk Patterns.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kent Beck"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming practices",
        "software design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "implementing-domain-driven-design-8e1e8b",
      "title": "Implementing Domain-Driven Design",
      "author": "Vaughn Vernon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14486936,
          "author": "timclark",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T11:52:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14486936",
          "commentText": "Domain Driven Design by Eric Evans\nImplementing Domain Driven Design by Vaughn Vernon\nClean Code by Robert Martin\nI think you will find some code in all of the books but the ideas are applicable almost everywhere.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Implementing Domain Driven Design by Vaughn Vernon",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books to add to the library.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vaughn Vernon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "domain modeling",
        "software architecture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "implementing-ssl-tls-using-cryptography-and-pki-7bd9d7",
      "title": "Implementing SSL/TLS Using Cryptography and PKI",
      "author": "Joshua Davies",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8004130,
          "author": "AbelWike",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-08T12:18:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8004130",
          "commentText": "Developing Trust: Online Security for Developers - Written by Matt Curtin\n&\nImplementing SSL/TLS Using Cryptography and PKI - Written by Joshua Davies",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Implementing SSL/TLS Using Cryptography and PKI - Written by Joshua Davies",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question asking for the best technical ebook.",
          "audience": "Readers working with SSL/TLS, cryptography, and PKI.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joshua Davies"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cryptography",
        "pki",
        "ssl tls"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "impossible-creatures-a873bb",
      "title": "Impossible Creatures",
      "author": "Katherine Rundell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39250782,
          "author": "p0d",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T15:13:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39250782",
          "commentText": "Impossible Creatures, Katherine Rundell. I am 52 and haven't had as much fun since reading The Hobbit, 40 years ago.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Impossible Creatures, Katherine Rundell. I am 52 and haven't had as much fun since reading The Hobbit, 40 years ago.",
          "reason": "Says it has been as much fun as The Hobbit was decades earlier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Katherine Rundell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "middle grade fantasy",
        "mythical creatures"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "impostors-of-god-inquiries-into-our-favorite-idols-acfd40",
      "title": "Impostors of God: Inquiries into Our Favorite Idols",
      "author": "William Stringfellow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39730711,
          "author": "hprotagonist",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-17T00:26:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39730711",
          "commentText": "Brueggemann is amazing.\nI would also add, in no particular order:\n- wisdom of the desert (merton's translation of the sayings of the desert fathers)\n- pilgrim at tinker creek; annie dillard\n- goatwalking, jim corbett\n- Impostors of God: Inquiries into our favorite Idols, william stringfellow\n- the new testament, trans. by david bentley hart\n- the sabbath, Abraham Joshua Heschel\n- zen flesh, zen bones\n- moral man, immoral society -- neibuhr\n- principia discordia\n- the poetry and sermons of john donne\n- many other poets.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Impostors of God: Inquiries into our favorite Idols, william stringfellow",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Stringfellow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian theology",
        "idolatry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "impro-for-storytellers-ca3612",
      "title": "Impro for Storytellers",
      "author": "Keith Johnstone",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15762369,
          "author": "shanusmagnus",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T02:39:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762369",
          "commentText": "\"Impro for Storytellers\" by Keith Johnstone is so relevant to pretty much everything about life and communication that I'm reading it the way people used to read the bible -- every night or two I take it off the nightstand and read a random passage, and think about it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Impro for Storytellers\" by Keith Johnstone is so relevant to pretty much everything about life and communication",
          "reason": "The author says it is relevant to life and communication and returns to it regularly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783915,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:06:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783915",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction, best to worst:\nHenry Marsh, Do No Harm. A brilliant memoir by a neurosurgeon about his work, the nature of his profession, successes and mistakes (especially the latter). Frequently touches or verges into the personal. Not morbid, but often sad.\nKeith Johnstone, Impro for Storytellers. \nViola Spolin, Improvisation for the Theater\nTwo very good books about improvisation, although Spolin's is too dry and theory-laden for me (it's meant for teachers more than practitioners). Both, however, pale compared to Keith Johnstone's earlier Impro: Improvisation and the Theater, which is a life-changing book about what improvisation can teach us about spontaneous creativity and relationships between people. I recommend that one first and foremost if you know nothing about improvisation and are curious.\nMartinus J G Veltman, Facts and Mysteries in Elementary Particle Physics. A readable account - necessarily simplified, of course - of the current state of affairs in elementary particles and much of the last 50 years of history, by one of the participants (a Nobel prize winner). Not as organized and methodical as I thought it would be, and half a year later I forgot most of the physical explanations, but it was an interesting read.\nRobert B. Edgerton, Sick Societies. A thorough examination of the hundreds of horrible examples when \"natural\" societies studied by anthropologists have customs that are not only bad from our modern Western point of view, but arguably fail in achieving their own objectives. The whole book exists to counter lazy cultural relativism of the \"maybe we don't like X, but if they do it, it must be for a good reason and it must be a useful adaptation for them\" kind.\nMichael Harris, Mathematics Without Apologies. A very eclectic and idiosyncratic book by a mathematician on the sociology and epistemology of mathematics as a discipline. To be appreciated for its wealth of ideas and references to other interesting books and theories, rather than for any particular argument or thread.\nMilton Rokeach, The Three Christs of Ypsilanti. A story on what happened when a psychologist tried to bring three psychiatric patients, each believing themselves to be Christ, together and to talk it out amongst themselves. Happened in the 1960s. The idea is more interesting than the outcome.\nFiction, best to worst:\nPatrick O'Brian, The Hundred Days. The penultimate book in the series of the best historical novels (the Aubrey-Maturin series) ever written, by a huge margin. The series transcend the genre and I count the Aubrey-Maturin books among the very best books I read in the last decade.\nDodie Smith, I Capture the Castle. A brilliantly written coming-of-age story about a girl growing up in an impoverished family occupying a decaying castle in the English countryside, set in the 1930s. Reminded me in many ways of Rebecca West's The Fountain Overflows, a novel in the similar genre (but with a younger protagonist) that's known much less than it deserves.\nJuan Rulfo, Pedro Paramo. If you read and liked Garcia Marquez's A Hundred Years of Solitude, this one is shorter, darker, involves many more dead people, and you may want to give it a try.\nAlfred Hayes, In Love. A story of a man obsessed by love in a mid-century NYC. Unexpectedly touching, very convincing psychologically.\nIain M. Banks, Against a Dark Background. SF, a grand heist novel set in a advanced civilization living in a star system located unimaginably far away from any other stars and galaxies, and so doomed to a lone struggle with its own long history. A wealth of technological and social ideas you'd expect from Banks. The ending felt a bit forced.\nGene Wolfe, There Are Doors. Gene Wolfe, Nightsite of the Long Sun/Lake of the Long Sun.\nGene Wolfe is the best writer American science fiction produced in the last half-century. \"There are Doors\" is a pretty weird fantasy novel about an alternate world where men die after their first intercourse (as some spiders do in ours), and the hero travels back and forth between that world and ours. It's good, but not as strong as Wolfe's best, which to my taste is the Book of the New Sun tetralogy, the novellas in the Fifth Head of Cerberus collection, and many of his short stories (well-collected in The Best of Gene Wolfe). The other two are the first half of the \"Book of the Long Sun\" series that I'm still reading through.\nUrsula K. Le Guin, The Dispossessed. Superb political SF about an imagined anarchist [anti-]utopia. A serious attempt to describe a human society with no central power structures and no ownership. The hero is a physicist born and raised in that society who escapes to a sibling planet with the more typical modern states. This novel took all the awards in the 1970s when it was published, and deservedly so.\n[cont'd]",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Keith Johnstone, Impro for Storytellers.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Keith Johnstone"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "improvisation",
        "storytelling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "impro-improvisation-and-the-theater-d93944",
      "title": "Impro: Improvisation and the Theater",
      "author": "Keith Johnstone",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783915,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:06:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783915",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction, best to worst:\nHenry Marsh, Do No Harm. A brilliant memoir by a neurosurgeon about his work, the nature of his profession, successes and mistakes (especially the latter). Frequently touches or verges into the personal. Not morbid, but often sad.\nKeith Johnstone, Impro for Storytellers. \nViola Spolin, Improvisation for the Theater\nTwo very good books about improvisation, although Spolin's is too dry and theory-laden for me (it's meant for teachers more than practitioners). Both, however, pale compared to Keith Johnstone's earlier Impro: Improvisation and the Theater, which is a life-changing book about what improvisation can teach us about spontaneous creativity and relationships between people. I recommend that one first and foremost if you know nothing about improvisation and are curious.\nMartinus J G Veltman, Facts and Mysteries in Elementary Particle Physics. A readable account - necessarily simplified, of course - of the current state of affairs in elementary particles and much of the last 50 years of history, by one of the participants (a Nobel prize winner). Not as organized and methodical as I thought it would be, and half a year later I forgot most of the physical explanations, but it was an interesting read.\nRobert B. Edgerton, Sick Societies. A thorough examination of the hundreds of horrible examples when \"natural\" societies studied by anthropologists have customs that are not only bad from our modern Western point of view, but arguably fail in achieving their own objectives. The whole book exists to counter lazy cultural relativism of the \"maybe we don't like X, but if they do it, it must be for a good reason and it must be a useful adaptation for them\" kind.\nMichael Harris, Mathematics Without Apologies. A very eclectic and idiosyncratic book by a mathematician on the sociology and epistemology of mathematics as a discipline. To be appreciated for its wealth of ideas and references to other interesting books and theories, rather than for any particular argument or thread.\nMilton Rokeach, The Three Christs of Ypsilanti. A story on what happened when a psychologist tried to bring three psychiatric patients, each believing themselves to be Christ, together and to talk it out amongst themselves. Happened in the 1960s. The idea is more interesting than the outcome.\nFiction, best to worst:\nPatrick O'Brian, The Hundred Days. The penultimate book in the series of the best historical novels (the Aubrey-Maturin series) ever written, by a huge margin. The series transcend the genre and I count the Aubrey-Maturin books among the very best books I read in the last decade.\nDodie Smith, I Capture the Castle. A brilliantly written coming-of-age story about a girl growing up in an impoverished family occupying a decaying castle in the English countryside, set in the 1930s. Reminded me in many ways of Rebecca West's The Fountain Overflows, a novel in the similar genre (but with a younger protagonist) that's known much less than it deserves.\nJuan Rulfo, Pedro Paramo. If you read and liked Garcia Marquez's A Hundred Years of Solitude, this one is shorter, darker, involves many more dead people, and you may want to give it a try.\nAlfred Hayes, In Love. A story of a man obsessed by love in a mid-century NYC. Unexpectedly touching, very convincing psychologically.\nIain M. Banks, Against a Dark Background. SF, a grand heist novel set in a advanced civilization living in a star system located unimaginably far away from any other stars and galaxies, and so doomed to a lone struggle with its own long history. A wealth of technological and social ideas you'd expect from Banks. The ending felt a bit forced.\nGene Wolfe, There Are Doors. Gene Wolfe, Nightsite of the Long Sun/Lake of the Long Sun.\nGene Wolfe is the best writer American science fiction produced in the last half-century. \"There are Doors\" is a pretty weird fantasy novel about an alternate world where men die after their first intercourse (as some spiders do in ours), and the hero travels back and forth between that world and ours. It's good, but not as strong as Wolfe's best, which to my taste is the Book of the New Sun tetralogy, the novellas in the Fifth Head of Cerberus collection, and many of his short stories (well-collected in The Best of Gene Wolfe). The other two are the first half of the \"Book of the Long Sun\" series that I'm still reading through.\nUrsula K. Le Guin, The Dispossessed. Superb political SF about an imagined anarchist [anti-]utopia. A serious attempt to describe a human society with no central power structures and no ownership. The hero is a physicist born and raised in that society who escapes to a sibling planet with the more typical modern states. This novel took all the awards in the 1970s when it was published, and deservedly so.\n[cont'd]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend that one first and foremost if you know nothing about improvisation and are curious.",
          "reason": "Calls it life-changing and recommends it first to curious beginners.",
          "audience": "People who know nothing about improvisation and are curious.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Keith Johnstone"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Psychology",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creativity",
        "improvisation",
        "theater"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "improvisation-for-the-theater-7e3b32",
      "title": "Improvisation for the Theater",
      "author": "Viola Spolin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783915,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:06:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783915",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction, best to worst:\nHenry Marsh, Do No Harm. A brilliant memoir by a neurosurgeon about his work, the nature of his profession, successes and mistakes (especially the latter). Frequently touches or verges into the personal. Not morbid, but often sad.\nKeith Johnstone, Impro for Storytellers. \nViola Spolin, Improvisation for the Theater\nTwo very good books about improvisation, although Spolin's is too dry and theory-laden for me (it's meant for teachers more than practitioners). Both, however, pale compared to Keith Johnstone's earlier Impro: Improvisation and the Theater, which is a life-changing book about what improvisation can teach us about spontaneous creativity and relationships between people. I recommend that one first and foremost if you know nothing about improvisation and are curious.\nMartinus J G Veltman, Facts and Mysteries in Elementary Particle Physics. A readable account - necessarily simplified, of course - of the current state of affairs in elementary particles and much of the last 50 years of history, by one of the participants (a Nobel prize winner). Not as organized and methodical as I thought it would be, and half a year later I forgot most of the physical explanations, but it was an interesting read.\nRobert B. Edgerton, Sick Societies. A thorough examination of the hundreds of horrible examples when \"natural\" societies studied by anthropologists have customs that are not only bad from our modern Western point of view, but arguably fail in achieving their own objectives. The whole book exists to counter lazy cultural relativism of the \"maybe we don't like X, but if they do it, it must be for a good reason and it must be a useful adaptation for them\" kind.\nMichael Harris, Mathematics Without Apologies. A very eclectic and idiosyncratic book by a mathematician on the sociology and epistemology of mathematics as a discipline. To be appreciated for its wealth of ideas and references to other interesting books and theories, rather than for any particular argument or thread.\nMilton Rokeach, The Three Christs of Ypsilanti. A story on what happened when a psychologist tried to bring three psychiatric patients, each believing themselves to be Christ, together and to talk it out amongst themselves. Happened in the 1960s. The idea is more interesting than the outcome.\nFiction, best to worst:\nPatrick O'Brian, The Hundred Days. The penultimate book in the series of the best historical novels (the Aubrey-Maturin series) ever written, by a huge margin. The series transcend the genre and I count the Aubrey-Maturin books among the very best books I read in the last decade.\nDodie Smith, I Capture the Castle. A brilliantly written coming-of-age story about a girl growing up in an impoverished family occupying a decaying castle in the English countryside, set in the 1930s. Reminded me in many ways of Rebecca West's The Fountain Overflows, a novel in the similar genre (but with a younger protagonist) that's known much less than it deserves.\nJuan Rulfo, Pedro Paramo. If you read and liked Garcia Marquez's A Hundred Years of Solitude, this one is shorter, darker, involves many more dead people, and you may want to give it a try.\nAlfred Hayes, In Love. A story of a man obsessed by love in a mid-century NYC. Unexpectedly touching, very convincing psychologically.\nIain M. Banks, Against a Dark Background. SF, a grand heist novel set in a advanced civilization living in a star system located unimaginably far away from any other stars and galaxies, and so doomed to a lone struggle with its own long history. A wealth of technological and social ideas you'd expect from Banks. The ending felt a bit forced.\nGene Wolfe, There Are Doors. Gene Wolfe, Nightsite of the Long Sun/Lake of the Long Sun.\nGene Wolfe is the best writer American science fiction produced in the last half-century. \"There are Doors\" is a pretty weird fantasy novel about an alternate world where men die after their first intercourse (as some spiders do in ours), and the hero travels back and forth between that world and ours. It's good, but not as strong as Wolfe's best, which to my taste is the Book of the New Sun tetralogy, the novellas in the Fifth Head of Cerberus collection, and many of his short stories (well-collected in The Best of Gene Wolfe). The other two are the first half of the \"Book of the Long Sun\" series that I'm still reading through.\nUrsula K. Le Guin, The Dispossessed. Superb political SF about an imagined anarchist [anti-]utopia. A serious attempt to describe a human society with no central power structures and no ownership. The hero is a physicist born and raised in that society who escapes to a sibling planet with the more typical modern states. This novel took all the awards in the 1970s when it was published, and deservedly so.\n[cont'd]",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Viola Spolin, Improvisation for the Theater\nTwo very good books about improvisation, although Spolin's is too dry and theory-laden for me (it's meant for teachers more than practitioners).",
          "reason": "Calls it one of two very good improvisation books, while finding it too dry and theory-heavy.",
          "audience": "Teachers more than practitioners, according to the commenter.",
          "caveat": "Too dry and theory-laden for the commenter; intended more for teachers than practitioners.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Viola Spolin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "improvisation",
        "theater"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "in-defence-of-aristocracy-a2feab",
      "title": "In Defence of Aristocracy",
      "author": "Peregrine Worsthorne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 875828,
          "author": "cperciva",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T02:52:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875828",
          "commentText": "Peregrine Worsthorne: In Defence of Aristocracy <-- an examination of the role of aristocracy (both de jure and de facto) in the modern democracies of Britain and America.\nMichael Ondaajte: In the Skin of a Lion <-- a modern retelling of the Epic of Gilgamesh via immigrant settlers in early 20th century Toronto.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Peregrine Worsthorne: In Defence of Aristocracy <-- an examination of the role of aristocracy (both de jure and de facto) in the modern democracies of Britain and America.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peregrine Worsthorne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aristocracy",
        "democracy",
        "political thought"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "in-defence-of-atheism-5bf68c",
      "title": "In Defence of Atheism",
      "author": "Michel Onfray",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227807,
          "author": "tommorris",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T23:11:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227807",
          "commentText": "I don't agree that the arguments in the God Delusion are too bad. He does take some real liberties with Aquinas, but all the scholarly dressing you apply to Aquinas doesn't really improve the arguments. Dawkins deals with them too hastily, but even if Dawkins was an Aquinas scholar and applied the principle of charity to the arguments, they'd still be unconvincing arguments. The God Delusion is a popular book, not a scholarly refutation of all arguments for the existence of God.\nIf you want to read scholarly refutations of arguments for the existence of God, as well as read some arguments put forward explicitly for the non-existence of God, then you have to turn elsewhere: Michael Martin's \"Atheism: A Philosophical Justification\", Robin Le Podevin's \"Arguing for Atheism\" and Nick Everett's \"The Non-Existence Of God\". Another good book from an agnostic rather than atheist perspective is Anthony Kenny's \"The God of the Philosophers\". A slightly easier read is Julian Baggini's \"Atheism: A Very Short Introduction\" which is okay. I have some reservations with it, but it covers most of the important arguments and has some stuff about ethics and living the good life and all that happy-clappy stuff too.\nAs for stuff that isn't concerned with the philosophical arguments? I found Onfray's \"In Defence of Atheism\" a pretty good read - it is polemical, but is well-written. Nietzsche is always good to read so long as you don't - you know - become a damn goth or whatever after reading it or try and commit genocide or something. Russell's \"Why I Am Not A Christian\" and the much less read compilation \"Russell on Religion\" (not widely available outside academia as far as I'm aware) - Russell is a good writer and says some very refreshing things like:\n<blockquote>Even if the open windows of science at first make us shiver after the cozy indoor warmth of traditional humanizing myths, in the end the fresh air brings vigor, and the great spaces have a splendor of their own.</blockquote>",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I found Onfray's \"In Defence of Atheism\" a pretty good read - it is polemical, but is well-written.",
          "reason": "Called a pretty good, well-written read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Polemical.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michel Onfray"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "atheism",
        "philosophy of religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "in-dreams-begin-responsibilities-and-other-stories-cd2bb8",
      "title": "In Dreams Begin Responsibilities and Other Stories",
      "author": "Delmore Schwartz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18663308,
          "author": "ivanmaeder",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:27:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663308",
          "commentText": "My highlights from this year:\n1. \"How to Measure Anything\" (Douglas Hubbard)\nPresents a few simple techniques (confidence intervals, Monte Carlo simulations, regression analysis, Bayes, etc) to help with decision-making. E.g., should we build this feature or spend the same money on marketing?\nI put it alongside \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" (Daniel Kahneman), \"Superforecasting\" (Philip Tetlock), \"The Art of Thinking Clearly\" (Rolf Dobelli), etc. These books explain how our thinking is often flawed; \"How to Measure Anything\" gives you some tools to avoid flawed thinking.\nNote: if you already know the math (a lot of people on HN would), you might not get that much out of it.\n2. \"Why We Sleep\" (Matthew Walker)\nAs I read this book I kept thinking about all the people I knew who would benefit from it: family and friends whom I want to have healthy happy lives, managers who believe that they'll get more out of people by pushing them to work crazy hours… and lots of people who think they’ll get more out of themselves if they sleep less.\nWith references to studies, the book explains the different factors that influence sleep, what your body does during sleep and the different phases of sleep, how your body—mostly the brain—benefits, etc.\nFor days after reading it I kept telling friends about things I'd learnt from it. One of my favourite was how certain types of bird are able to sleep: they line themselves up in a row, with the birds on each end putting only half their brain to sleep. This way they can keep one of their eyes open—the one furthest to the end—so they can keep watch. Then after a while the birds on the end will turn around and sleep the other side of their brain.\nFascinating!\nMy only complaint is that it very rarely mentions the actual numbers behind studies. E.g., there might be a mention of a lack of sleep and an increased risk of diabetes or depression or heart attacks, but there's no reference to the amount the risks increase by.\n3. \"Shoe Dog\" (Phil Knight)\nThe story of Nike, told by the founder. I honestly don't care about Nike but that's not the takeaway—it's not about shoes or T-shirts or Michael Jordan. It's about a guy trying to keep a business alive: almost from day one there no let-up, the company is continually under threat.\nAlso the early employees are a really fun bunch.\n4. \"The Master and Margarita\" (Mikhail Bulgakov)\nFiction. It took me a while to warm up to this but I'm glad I stuck it out. I think the charm is in the language and the crazy mix of characters, the way religion is dealt with in a very human way; the tension, the fun…\nI really struggle to describe this book.\n5. \"Shantaram\" (David Gregory Roberts)\nFiction. I was looking for a book about India. I've never been, and I thought I might learn something and get a feeling of what it's like to be there.\nI didn't. Not in the same way that I could feel the heat in \"Heart of Darkness\" (Joseph Conrad) or the sun and the trees in \"From the Holy Mountain\" (William Dalrymple) or the weight of the world in \"Suttree\" (Cormac McCarthy).\nBut it's a good ride of a story.\n6. \"In Dreams Begin Responsibilities and Other Stories\" (Delmore Schwartz)\nI knew this book from university. And then a few weeks ago: I needed a break from the world of tech and productivity and work, and this did the trick. It is so far away from that. Think: creative types working on books and poems and plays during the depression, struggling, self-conscious, observant, talkative…",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I needed a break from the world of tech and productivity and work, and this did the trick.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it provided a needed break from tech, productivity, and work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Delmore Schwartz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american literature",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "in-good-company-17768e",
      "title": "In Good Company",
      "author": "Stanley Hauerwas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31968871,
          "author": "bmj",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T16:25:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31968871",
          "commentText": "This has been a year of re-reading for me, so this is a timely question.  I can't pick just one at the moment, but I'll split a couple of top choices via genre.  (Also worth noting that in the end, my final choice would probably be the Bible.)\nFiction:\nThe Heart Is a Lonely Hunter - Carson McCullers\nAngle of Repose - Wallace Stegner\nNon-fiction:\nIn Good Company - Stanley Hauerwas\nInto the Silent Land - Martin Laird",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In Good Company - Stanley Hauerwas",
          "reason": "Listed as a nonfiction choice for rereading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter cannot pick just one at the moment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stanley Hauerwas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian ethics",
        "theology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "in-joy-still-felt-bd4ab7",
      "title": "In Joy Still Felt",
      "author": "Isaac Asimov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2147198,
          "author": "atgm",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T09:06:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2147198",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand), In Memory Yet Green/In Joy Still Felt (Isaac Asimov), The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (Robert Heinlein).\nThose books are probably what made me into a self-sufficient human being who wants to stand on his own and keep living the best he can.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In Memory Yet Green/In Joy Still Felt (Isaac Asimov)",
          "reason": "Listed among the books the commenter credits with shaping their self-sufficiency.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isaac Asimov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "science writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "in-love-5c5378",
      "title": "In Love",
      "author": "Alfred Hayes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783915,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:06:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783915",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction, best to worst:\nHenry Marsh, Do No Harm. A brilliant memoir by a neurosurgeon about his work, the nature of his profession, successes and mistakes (especially the latter). Frequently touches or verges into the personal. Not morbid, but often sad.\nKeith Johnstone, Impro for Storytellers. \nViola Spolin, Improvisation for the Theater\nTwo very good books about improvisation, although Spolin's is too dry and theory-laden for me (it's meant for teachers more than practitioners). Both, however, pale compared to Keith Johnstone's earlier Impro: Improvisation and the Theater, which is a life-changing book about what improvisation can teach us about spontaneous creativity and relationships between people. I recommend that one first and foremost if you know nothing about improvisation and are curious.\nMartinus J G Veltman, Facts and Mysteries in Elementary Particle Physics. A readable account - necessarily simplified, of course - of the current state of affairs in elementary particles and much of the last 50 years of history, by one of the participants (a Nobel prize winner). Not as organized and methodical as I thought it would be, and half a year later I forgot most of the physical explanations, but it was an interesting read.\nRobert B. Edgerton, Sick Societies. A thorough examination of the hundreds of horrible examples when \"natural\" societies studied by anthropologists have customs that are not only bad from our modern Western point of view, but arguably fail in achieving their own objectives. The whole book exists to counter lazy cultural relativism of the \"maybe we don't like X, but if they do it, it must be for a good reason and it must be a useful adaptation for them\" kind.\nMichael Harris, Mathematics Without Apologies. A very eclectic and idiosyncratic book by a mathematician on the sociology and epistemology of mathematics as a discipline. To be appreciated for its wealth of ideas and references to other interesting books and theories, rather than for any particular argument or thread.\nMilton Rokeach, The Three Christs of Ypsilanti. A story on what happened when a psychologist tried to bring three psychiatric patients, each believing themselves to be Christ, together and to talk it out amongst themselves. Happened in the 1960s. The idea is more interesting than the outcome.\nFiction, best to worst:\nPatrick O'Brian, The Hundred Days. The penultimate book in the series of the best historical novels (the Aubrey-Maturin series) ever written, by a huge margin. The series transcend the genre and I count the Aubrey-Maturin books among the very best books I read in the last decade.\nDodie Smith, I Capture the Castle. A brilliantly written coming-of-age story about a girl growing up in an impoverished family occupying a decaying castle in the English countryside, set in the 1930s. Reminded me in many ways of Rebecca West's The Fountain Overflows, a novel in the similar genre (but with a younger protagonist) that's known much less than it deserves.\nJuan Rulfo, Pedro Paramo. If you read and liked Garcia Marquez's A Hundred Years of Solitude, this one is shorter, darker, involves many more dead people, and you may want to give it a try.\nAlfred Hayes, In Love. A story of a man obsessed by love in a mid-century NYC. Unexpectedly touching, very convincing psychologically.\nIain M. Banks, Against a Dark Background. SF, a grand heist novel set in a advanced civilization living in a star system located unimaginably far away from any other stars and galaxies, and so doomed to a lone struggle with its own long history. A wealth of technological and social ideas you'd expect from Banks. The ending felt a bit forced.\nGene Wolfe, There Are Doors. Gene Wolfe, Nightsite of the Long Sun/Lake of the Long Sun.\nGene Wolfe is the best writer American science fiction produced in the last half-century. \"There are Doors\" is a pretty weird fantasy novel about an alternate world where men die after their first intercourse (as some spiders do in ours), and the hero travels back and forth between that world and ours. It's good, but not as strong as Wolfe's best, which to my taste is the Book of the New Sun tetralogy, the novellas in the Fifth Head of Cerberus collection, and many of his short stories (well-collected in The Best of Gene Wolfe). The other two are the first half of the \"Book of the Long Sun\" series that I'm still reading through.\nUrsula K. Le Guin, The Dispossessed. Superb political SF about an imagined anarchist [anti-]utopia. A serious attempt to describe a human society with no central power structures and no ownership. The hero is a physicist born and raised in that society who escapes to a sibling planet with the more typical modern states. This novel took all the awards in the 1970s when it was published, and deservedly so.\n[cont'd]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Alfred Hayes, In Love. A story of a man obsessed by love in a mid-century NYC. Unexpectedly touching, very convincing psychologically.",
          "reason": "Calls it unexpectedly touching and psychologically convincing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alfred Hayes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "romance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "in-memory-yet-green-1f9760",
      "title": "In Memory Yet Green",
      "author": "Isaac Asimov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2147198,
          "author": "atgm",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T09:06:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2147198",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged (Ayn Rand), In Memory Yet Green/In Joy Still Felt (Isaac Asimov), The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (Robert Heinlein).\nThose books are probably what made me into a self-sufficient human being who wants to stand on his own and keep living the best he can.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In Memory Yet Green/In Joy Still Felt (Isaac Asimov)",
          "reason": "Listed among the books the commenter credits with shaping their self-sufficiency.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isaac Asimov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "science writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "in-my-father-s-house-9f61e8",
      "title": "In My Father's House",
      "author": "Corrie ten Boom",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12070437,
          "author": "jbms",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T12:07:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12070437",
          "commentText": "Eat That Frog!  (Brian Tracy)- Lots of useful productivity tips. Motivating and practical.\nBleachers (John Grisham) - I learned a lot about the culture behind American Football and school/college sports.\nThe Wide Lens (Ron Adner) - I learned a systematic approach towards evaluating ideas and the environment around them so that I could determine what needs to change (outside of my innovations) that must be encouraged for my ideas to succeed.\nThe Martian (Andy Weir) - I got a \"feel\" for living on Mars being a reality potentially sooner than I appreciated.\nBrownlow North (K Moody Stuart) - A book about a Scottish Evangelist. It was superb to see where he started from in his preaching, how he differed from everyone else, and how that was probably the key to his startling effectiveness.\nSongs of the Spirit: The Place of Psalms in the Worship of God (Ed: Kenneth Stewart) - I learned an appreciation for the book of Psalms, though written long before it, it is clearly (by how it's written, what it discusses in the past tense, and what's only understood now) FOR the New Testament church.\nIn my Father's House (Corrie ten Boom) - a beautiful insight into what a Christian household can look like.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a beautiful insight into what a Christian household can look like",
          "reason": "Calls it a beautiful insight into Christian family life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Corrie ten Boom"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Parenting"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian family life"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "in-our-time-fd84e4",
      "title": "In Our Time",
      "author": "Ernest Hemingway",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6387610,
          "author": "macrael",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T00:02:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387610",
          "commentText": "East of Eden is my favorite book I've read in the last several years. Beautiful end to end and very moral. If you've read it it's totally worth reading Journal of a Novel: a collection of letters Steinbeck wrote to his editor every day as he was writing East of Eden. It's a fascinating window into the mind of a master deliberately creating a masterpiece.\nOther favorites: Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner, In Our Time by Hemingway, The Magus by John Fowles, 100 years of solitude, Moby Dick (perhaps a precursor to all modern fantasy?) Stranger in a Strange Land, and Infinite Jest. I've also loved both of DFW's big essay collections: Consider the Lobster and A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll never Do Again.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In Our Time by Hemingway",
          "reason": "Includes it among other favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ernest Hemingway"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american literature",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "in-over-our-heads-3f75df",
      "title": "In Over Our Heads",
      "author": "Robert Kegan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22093141,
          "author": "Rerarom",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T18:54:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22093141",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\nMordecai Roshwald, Level 7\nAlexander Dewdney, The Planiverse\nJoseph Heller, God Knows\nAlan Lightman, Einstein's Dreams\nNon-fiction:\nJane Goodall, In the Shadow of Man\nGian-Carlo Rota, Indiscrete Thoughts\nC. S. Lewis, The Discarded Image\nMichael E. Brown, How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming\nRobert Kegan, In Over Our Heads\nMichael Harris, The Atomic Times\nI may add guilty pleasures like the Legacy of the Force series, but I don't think this is what people here are looking for.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Robert Kegan, In Over Our Heads",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's nonfiction picks in response to a request for unknown books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Kegan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adult development",
        "mental complexity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "in-plato-s-cave-608af2",
      "title": "In Plato's Cave",
      "author": "Alvin Kernan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25319676,
          "author": "cafard",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-06T00:10:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319676",
          "commentText": "Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana is about a way of life long gone, but it is well worth reading. As for the more recent merchant marine, Christopher Buckley's Steaming to Bamboola is very funny, and I suppose fairly accurate. For forest rangers, Norman Maclean's novella \"USFS 1919\", collected in A River Runs Through It, gives a picture of how it was then.\nAugust Fruge, longtime director of the University of California Press, wrote an excellent memoir, A Skeptic Among Scholars. There are many academic novels and memoirs, but I think very well of Alvin Kernan's In Plato's Cave. Also there is Herbert Simon's Models of My Life, which touches on academia and computing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think very well of Alvin Kernan's In Plato's Cave.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they think very well of the book, in a list about academic novels and memoirs.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in academia.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alvin Kernan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "academic life",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "in-praise-of-idleness-685d0b",
      "title": "In Praise of Idleness",
      "author": "Bertrand Russell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13803959,
          "author": "yesbabyyes",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T16:59:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13803959",
          "commentText": "Fundamentally changed are so big words but these were pretty cool:\n- Douglas Hofstadter's GEB: An Eternal Golden Braid\n- Debt: The First 5,000 Years by David Graeber\n- Ursula K. LeGuin's The Word for World is Forest\n- Propaganda by Edward Bernays\n- Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond\n-  Empires: The Logic of World Domination from Ancient Rome to the United States by Herfried Münkler\n- Smedley D. Butler's War is a Racket (more of an exposé)\n- In Praise of Idleness by Bertrand Russell (ditto)\n- Neuromancer by William Gibson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In Praise of Idleness by Bertrand Russell",
          "reason": "Listed among books that changed the way the commenter thinks about the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as more of an exposé.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bertrand Russell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leisure",
        "work"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "in-praise-of-mastery-80914a",
      "title": "In Praise of Mastery",
      "author": "Jun'ichirō Tanizaki",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40290219,
          "author": "patal",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T19:11:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40290219",
          "commentText": "\"Last Chance to See\" by Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine. About Adams and Carwardine travelling the world to document several animals on the brink of extinction (by then 1988). Very entertaining and raising questions about the responsibility of human globalization. An all-time favourite.\n\"Never In Anger\" by Jean Briggs. About her living 17 months among Inuit in the 1970ies, documenting how the Inuit see emotions and raise their children without any shouting or violence.\n\"Shots in the Dark - Japan, Zen, and the West\" by Shōji Yamada. About the culture exchange between Japan and the West in the early 20th century and how several perceptions of Zen got constructed in the process.\n\"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" by Douglas Hofstaedter. About core ideas in logic, music and art, and their connections. I always find something new there.\n\"In Praise of Mastery\" / \"芸談\" by Tanizaki Jun’ichirō. An essay about the japanese pursuit of mastery. It's a fascinating window into the arts perception in late 19th century Japan.\nWebster's Dictionary of 1913. A great resource for looking up original meanings of words. I find it very useful for naming stuff in programming.\n\"Woe Is I\" by Patricia O'Conner. A witty grammar book. O'Conner's entertaining style makes it easy to grasp the grammar topics and come back for more.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"In Praise of Mastery\" / \"芸談\" by Tanizaki Jun’ichirō.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a fascinating window into the arts in late 19th-century Japan.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jun'ichirō Tanizaki"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "japanese arts",
        "mastery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "in-pursuit-of-the-traveling-salesman-mathematics-at-the-limits-of-3cf594",
      "title": "In Pursuit of the Traveling Salesman: Mathematics at the Limits of Computation",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33603510,
          "author": "bluejay2387",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-15T00:28:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33603510",
          "commentText": "In Pursuit of the Traveling Salesman: Mathematics at the Limits of Computation\nISBN-13: 978-0691152707, ISBN-10: 0691152705\nI've worked in optimization for over a decade but this book gave me an intuitive sense of many concepts that I had only been applying mechanically before.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In Pursuit of the Traveling Salesman: Mathematics at the Limits of Computation",
          "reason": "Says the book gave them an intuitive grasp of concepts they had previously applied mechanically.",
          "audience": "People interested in optimization and the traveling salesman problem.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "combinatorial optimization",
        "traveling salesman problem"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "in-pursuit-of-the-traveling-salesman-mathematics-at-the-limits-of-84d3d6",
      "title": "In Pursuit of the Traveling Salesman: Mathematics at the Limits of Computation",
      "author": "William J. Cook",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10027530,
          "author": "yomritoyj",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T15:36:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027530",
          "commentText": "In Pursuit of the Traveling Salesman: Mathematics at the Limits of Computation\n\nby William J. Cook.\nCombinatorial optimization is very important for many practical problems and increase in computational power and improvement in algorithms has lead to an immense increase in the scale of problems which can be tackled. This book describes these developments through the lens of the travelling salesman problem",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In Pursuit of the Traveling Salesman: Mathematics at the Limits of Computation\n\nby William J. Cook.",
          "reason": "Describes the book's subject and approach in a response to a request for high signal-to-noise books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William J. Cook"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "combinatorial optimization",
        "traveling salesman problem"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "in-search-of-excellence-cba7b0",
      "title": "In Search of Excellence",
      "author": "Tom Peters and Robert H. Waterman Jr.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2172878,
          "author": "xstaticdev",
          "createdAt": "2011-02-03T00:13:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 2172825,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: If you could recommend only three management books...",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2172878",
          "commentText": "Let's see.. heres a few I'd recommend....\nGood to Great by Jim Collins\nOne Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard\nFirst, Break All The Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman\n7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey\nIn Search of Excellence by Tom Peters",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In Search of Excellence by Tom Peters",
          "reason": "Lists it among books they would recommend to new managers.",
          "audience": "New managers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Peters and Robert H. Waterman Jr."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "management",
        "organizational excellence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "in-search-of-stupidity-71915b",
      "title": "In Search of Stupidity",
      "author": "Merril R. Chapman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13238518,
          "author": "jszymborski",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:57:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238518",
          "commentText": "One of my favorites this year, particularly in non-fiction, is In Search of Stupidity by Merril R. Chapman [0]. It's an amazing look at the history of microcomputers and the ensuing software market with a particular eye on what made certain companies fail.\nChapman worked for sometime in sales and later product management at MicroPro (WordStar), Ashton-Tate, Novell, etc... so it has quite an \"inside-look\" feel and the subject matter sounds like it's treated fairly.\nThe narrative is quite the page-turner for a non-fiction book, but my only qualm with it is that Chapman can be pretty sophomoric and unnecessarily gratuitous in his lampooning and shaming of business leaders or strategies which flirts with undermining the otherwise really insightful analysis.\nIt's a little dated (Microsoft is still king and Apple the scrappy underdog), but I think it's an important context for anyone following tech today.\n[0] https://www.amazon.com/Search-Stupidity-Twenty-Marketing-Dis... (https://www.amazon.com/Search-Stupidity-Twenty-Marketing-Disasters/dp/1590597214)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One of my favorites this year, particularly in non-fiction, is In Search of Stupidity by Merril R. Chapman",
          "reason": "Calls it a favorite and praises its history of microcomputers and software markets, while noting the author's lampooning can undermine the analysis.",
          "audience": "People following tech today.",
          "caveat": "A little dated; the author can be sophomoric and gratuitous in his criticism of business leaders and strategies.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Merril R. Chapman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software industry",
        "technology business history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "in-search-of-stupidity-over-twenty-years-of-high-tech-marketing-d-2ffc74",
      "title": "In Search of Stupidity: Over Twenty Years of High Tech Marketing Disasters",
      "author": "Merrill R. Chapman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27328442,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2021-05-29T21:41:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 27326937,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good book on companies/individuals failure stories?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27328442",
          "commentText": "In Search of Stupidity: Over Twenty Years of High Tech Marketing Disasters is a history of computing told by its terrible business decisions. Reading this book, it seems the whole history of computing is made of astoundingly terrible business decisions. Maybe that's almost true.  Very entertaining and informative. I learnt a lot, extremely highly recommended. Chapters on IBM, Digital Research, Apple, Microsoft, OS/2, Borland, Intel, Motorola, Google, Novell, Netscape, etc. Second edition 2006.\nGeneral history books would be great written like that too, focusing on the stupidity and errors. Much more educational, and funnier.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "extremely highly recommended.",
          "reason": "The commenter highly recommends this entertaining and informative history of computing's business decisions.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computing history and business failures.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Merrill R. Chapman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marketing disasters",
        "technology business failures"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "in-search-of-stupidity-over-twenty-years-of-high-tech-marketing-d-c52e16",
      "title": "In Search of Stupidity: Over Twenty Years of High Tech Marketing Disasters",
      "author": "Merrill R. (Rick) Chapman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10176396,
          "author": "5555624",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T23:52:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10176396",
          "commentText": "I just finished \"In Search of Stupidity: Over Twenty Years of High Tech Marketing Disasters\" by Merrill R. (Rick) Chapman. An interesting look at the marketing mistakes of the early hardware and software companies.\nI just started \"Slipping The Cable\" by Bill Schweigart, a novel about a Coast Guard junior office running afoul of his CO. The author's up coming book is set in the neighborhood where I grew up, so I thought I'd read his first novel.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An interesting look at the marketing mistakes of the early hardware and software companies.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an interesting look at technology marketing failures.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Merrill R. (Rick) Chapman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "technology marketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "in-search-of-the-miraculous-b1989b",
      "title": "In Search of the Miraculous",
      "author": "P. D. Ouspensky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 876087,
          "author": "keefe",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T05:22:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876087",
          "commentText": "lord of light and in search of the miraculous",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "in search of the miraculous",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "P. D. Ouspensky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fourth way",
        "self development",
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "in-too-deep-146948",
      "title": "In Too Deep",
      "author": "Lee Child",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268894,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:13:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268894",
          "commentText": "Seeing this reminds me of something I'm not proud of. I've done effectively no reading this year. At least not by my normal standards.\nI generally read between 30-50 books a year (mix of fiction and non-fiction). But this year I knew my focus was going to be more on research, reading papers, writing code, etc. so I set my reading goal lower than normal (I usually set it to like 75, knowing that that's a bit aspirational). This year? I set it to like, 30. And I won't come close to hitting that. Right now I'm at 7 books for the year. So I don't have a big sample set to choose from. :-(\nThat said...\nOf what I did read, a couple were pretty good:\nNon-fiction:\nFancy Bear Goes Phishing: The Dark History of the Information Age, in Five Extraordinary Hacks- Scott J. Shapiro\nReadings in Agents - Huhns, Singh (eds)\nProgramming Multi-Agent Systems in AgentSpeak using Jason - Bordini, Hubner, & Wooldridge\nFiction:\nIn Too Deep (Jack Reacher, #29) - Lee Child",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In Too Deep (Jack Reacher, #29) - Lee Child",
          "reason": "Lists it among the few books they read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lee Child"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "jack reacher",
        "thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "in-watermelon-sugar-7ed02c",
      "title": "In Watermelon Sugar",
      "author": "Richard Brautigan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 143310,
          "author": "jlk",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T14:46:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143310",
          "commentText": "Ulysses by James Joyce\nCode Complete by Steve McConnell\nWalden by Henry David Thoreau\nBreakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.\nWatermelon Sugar by Richard Brautigan\nMurphy by Samuel Beckett\nGravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Watermelon Sugar by Richard Brautigan",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Brautigan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "experimental fiction",
        "post apocalyptic fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "in-your-defence-stories-of-life-and-law-50b913",
      "title": "In Your Defence: Stories of Life and Law",
      "author": "Sarah Langford",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21792874,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T22:44:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21792874",
          "commentText": "The ones I rated highest out of those I read this year (which is what I think the question means).\n* Exactly: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester\n* Atomic Adventures: Secret Islands, Forgotten N-Rays, and Isotopic Murder-A Journey into the Wild World of Nuclear Science by James Magaffey\n* Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande\n* Vulcan 607 by Rowland White\n* Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen\n* Best. Movie. Year. Ever: How 1999 Blew Up the Big Screen by Brian Raftery\n* A Fabulous Creation: How the LP Saved Our Lives by David Hepworth\n* 1983: Reagan, Andropov, and a World on the Brink by Taylor Downing\n* The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes and Why by Amanda Ripley\n* In Your Defence: Stories of Life and Law by Sarah Langford\n* Springfield Confidential: Jokes, Secrets, and Outright Lies from a Lifetime Writing for The Simpsons by Mike Reiss\n* Working Actor: Breaking in, Making a Living, and Making a Life in the Fabulous Trenches of Show Business by David Dean Bottrell\n* Becoming by Michelle Obama\n* Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress by Steven Pinker\n* Rush Hour by Iain Gatel\n* Tamed: Ten Species that Changed our World by Alice Roberts\n* The Next American City: The Big Promise of Our Midsize Metros by Mick Cornett",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The ones I rated highest out of those I read this year",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s highest-rated books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sarah Langford"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "law",
        "legal stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "in-a-sunburned-country-73955a",
      "title": "In a Sunburned Country",
      "author": "Bill Bryson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38685840,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-18T17:53:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38685840",
          "commentText": "'The Path To Power', Caro, first volume of his LBJ biography. Elsewhere ('Working'), Caro has explained that his career in writing is to make clear how power is acquired and used. I think he achieves this goal here and am looking forward to the remaining volumes.\n'Spiritual Formation', Henri Nouwen. A deep, Catholic, thinker with much to offer those who are looking in this direction.\n'In A Sunburned Country', Bryson. Bryson is an ideal travel companion.\n'The Information', Gleick. A tour of the ideas and technologies underneath how we became so dependent on bits.\n'Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons'... the most worthwhile part was how my son and I bonded over working through the lessons.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'In A Sunburned Country', Bryson. Bryson is an ideal travel companion.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls Bryson an ideal travel companion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17337488,
          "author": "lorenzo20002",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:49:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337488",
          "commentText": "In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238537,
          "author": "kirubakaran",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:59:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238537",
          "commentText": "Here is my full bookshelf: http://www.kirubakaran.com/books-read.html\nBooks Read in 2016:\n1. The Recursive Universe: Cosmic Complexity and the Limits of Scientific Knowledge\n- Poundstone, William\n2. My Brain is Open: The Mathematical Journeys of Paul Erdos\n- Schechter, Bruce\n3. One Summer: America, 1927\n- Bryson, Bill\n4. The Three-Body Problem (Remembrance of Earth’s Past, #1)\n- Liu, Cixin\n5. The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit\n- Godin, Seth\n6. At Home: A Short History of Private Life\n- Bryson, Bill\n7. Kings of Kings (Hardcore History, #56-58)\n- Carlin, Dan\n8. Blueprint for Armageddon (Hardcore History #50-55)\n- Carlin, Dan\n9. Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal\n- Klaff, Oren\n10. William Shakespeare: The World as Stage\n- Bryson, Bill\n11. So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love\n- Newport, Cal\n12. The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles\n- Pressfield, Steven\n13. In a Sunburned Country\n- Bryson, Bill\n14. Cannery Row\n- Steinbeck, John\n15. Traction: A Startup Guide to Getting Customers\n- Weinberg, Gabriel\n16. Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World\n- Newport, Cal\n17. Starship Troopers\n- Heinlein, Robert A.\n18. No Touch Monkey!: And Other Travel Lessons Learned Too Late\n- Halliday, Ayun",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "In a Sunburned Country",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Bryson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Nature",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "australia",
        "travel writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "in-the-balance-dc7b2a",
      "title": "In the Balance",
      "author": "Harry Turtledove",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36022493,
          "author": "beckingz",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T16:26:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36022493",
          "commentText": "Turtledove's alternative history books are quite good. In The Balance was especially fun.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In The Balance was especially fun.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they found it especially fun.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Harry Turtledove"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alien invasion",
        "alternate history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "in-the-blink-of-an-eye-734070",
      "title": "In the Blink of an Eye",
      "author": "Walter Murch",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15762038,
          "author": "fescue",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T01:04:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762038",
          "commentText": "\"In the Blink of an Eye\" by Walter Murch (sound and editing on Apocalypse Now, Godfather, the Conversation, and so many more). The book is about film editing but actually about how humans absorb information.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book is about film editing but actually about how humans absorb information.",
          "reason": "Presents a film editing book as broadly relevant to how people absorb information.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Walter Murch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "film editing",
        "perception"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "in-the-devil-s-garden-a-sinful-history-of-forbidden-food-c43611",
      "title": "In the Devil's Garden: A Sinful History of Forbidden Food",
      "author": "Stewart Lee Allen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8109219,
          "author": "11001",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:34:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109219",
          "commentText": "\"The Devil's Cup\" is great! He also has \"In the Devil's garden\", which is quite good as well. It presents the history of food in terms of the seven deadly sins.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "which is quite good as well. It presents the history of food in terms of the seven deadly sins.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is quite good and describes its approach to food history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stewart Lee Allen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "culinary history",
        "food history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "in-the-garden-of-beasts-a6e538",
      "title": "In the Garden of Beasts",
      "author": "Erik Larson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12990331,
          "author": "RUG3Y",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-18T21:43:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12990331",
          "commentText": "Books I've give away this year:\n- \"In the Garden of Beasts\", Erik Larson: An excellent history of diplomatic relations between the US and Germany leading up to WWII.\n- \"Dune\", Frank Herbert: Most of you are probably familiar with this book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"In the Garden of Beasts\", Erik Larson: An excellent history of diplomatic relations between the US and Germany leading up to WWII.",
          "reason": "An excellent history of US-German diplomatic relations leading up to WWII.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Erik Larson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "diplomatic history",
        "nazi germany"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "in-the-gravest-extreme-the-role-of-the-firearm-in-personal-protec-6e67d8",
      "title": "In the Gravest Extreme: The Role of the Firearm in Personal Protection",
      "author": "Massad Ayoob",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10027904,
          "author": "hga",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T17:06:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027904",
          "commentText": "The Selfish Gene is wonderfully tight, indeed very little noise and a whole lot of signal.\nHere's two books if you want to learn about math you might want to learn about: The Facts on File Dictionary on Mathematics by Gibson, and Foundations and Fundamental Concepts of Mathematics by Howard Eves, which takes a historical approach, but is not a history per se.  More like \"this is what the Greeks did, in this period the use of calculus was pretty loose and look at this equation that  Euler thought was right, these are the steps that brought rigor to it\" etc.\nSusan Wise Bauer has been writing a series of history books solely focused on \"politics\", i.e. no coverage of the arts besides occasional mentions; that can be a very useful framework to then hang study of things like the arts off of.  Also no wild speculation like Guns, Germs and Steel is filled with, if it wasn't written down and passed down to us, it gets only brief mention.  Here's the first one: http://www.susanwisebauer.com/books/history-of-the-ancient-w... (http://www.susanwisebauer.com/books/history-of-the-ancient-world/)\nSamuel Eliot Morison wrote a series of book on the History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, they're focused on what happened in detail, with charts of the movement of the ships in various battles and so on.  The TV series Victory at Sea was based on them, and they're a good framework to then hang more detailed study of the war off of: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_United_States_Naval... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_United_States_Naval_Operations_in_World_War_II)\nAs Wikipedians put it, This History of U.S. Naval Operations also intentionally avoided a certain amount of analysis, for instance deferring to other works for the causes of the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor. The intended audience for the work, to quote from the preface, was \"the general reader rather than the professional sailor.\"\nThere are two very tight and short books on self-defense, Jeff Cooper Principles of Personal Defense and Massad Ayoob's In the Gravest Extreme, The Role of the Firearm in Personal Protection, \"Just the facts, ma'am\", firearm centric but wonderfully focused.\nADDED: Sun Tzu's The Art of War is itself very focused (the media on which it was written strongly encourages that!), although the commentary, traditional and what modern translators add, can wander into fluff.  A lot of it is relevant to modern non-violent life, and don't forget that \"You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you\".  I recommend  Samuel B. Griffith's translation, he was a professional military officer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Massad Ayoob's In the Gravest Extreme, The Role of the Firearm in Personal Protection",
          "reason": "Lists it as one of two focused, short books on self-defense.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking focused self-defense information.",
          "caveat": "Firearm-centric, as the commenter notes.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Massad Ayoob"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "firearm safety",
        "self defense"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "in-the-light-of-what-we-know-37fc01",
      "title": "In the Light of What We Know",
      "author": "Zia Haider Rahman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10769841,
          "author": "miraj",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-21T06:06:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10769841",
          "commentText": "Some of the books that made me think and look at things differently (from 2015 readings only):\n- In the Light of What We Know\n- The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers\n- Bathing the Lion\n- The Art of Asking; or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help\n- The Tears of Dark Water\n- God Is Dead\n- A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life\n- The Water Knife",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Some of the books that made me think and look at things differently (from 2015 readings only):\n- In the Light of What We Know",
          "reason": "Listed among books that made the commenter think and look at things differently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Zia Haider Rahman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "in-the-lion-s-mouth-bfac8f",
      "title": "In the Lion's Mouth",
      "author": "Michael Flynn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6900556,
          "author": "jrjarrett",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T14:19:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6900556",
          "commentText": "1. The Ocean at the End Of The Lane - Neil Gaiman\n2. Ancillary Justice - Ann Leckie\n3. The January Dancer/Up Jim River/In The Lion's Mouth/On The Razor's Edge - Michael Flynn\n4. Ghost Spin - Chris Moriarity",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In The Lion's Mouth",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list answering which books were best.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Flynn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "in-the-plex-e4741d",
      "title": "In the Plex",
      "author": "Steven Levy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910210,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:25:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910210",
          "commentText": "- \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies\" - probably the most influential book I've read in my life, profoundly changed the way I think. It's a collection of LessWrong essays on science and rationality.\n- \"On Intelligence\" and \"I am a Strange Loop\" - how mind works.\n- \"Rework\", \"Zero to One\", \"Start Small, Stay Small\" - insightful startup advice.\n- Fun autobiographies: Ghost in the Wires (Kevin Mitnick), iWoz (Steve Wozniak), Catch me if you can (Frank Abagnale), Just for Fun (Linus Torvalds), Elon Musk, Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\n- How companies work: Creativity Inc (Pixar), In the Plex (Google)\n- On writing: Art of fiction/nonfiction by Ayn Rand, Story by Robert McKee, Save the Cat, Step by Step to Standup Comedy.\n- Other: The Selfish Gene, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Serious Creativity, Hackers & Painters, Hacking Growth, Angel (on angel investing, by Jason Calacanis).\nAlso collections of essays by Paul Graham [1] and Scott Alexander [2]:\n[1] https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%20Complete%20Essays.epub?dl=0)\n[2] https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of%20Scott%20Alexandria%20-%20Scott%20Alexander.epub?dl=0)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In the Plex (Google)",
          "reason": "Listed among the books about how companies work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2617616,
          "author": "Toddward",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T19:14:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2617616",
          "commentText": "Crazy - I was just about to ask this same question.\nMy New Years resolution for this year was to read two books a month. I just finished reading \"In the Plex\" by Steven Levy and I'm starting Stephen Hawking's \"A Briefer History of Time.\" It should take me no time to blow through the latter, so I'm looking for suggestions as for what to read next.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I just finished reading \"In the Plex\" by Steven Levy",
          "reason": "Offered as a book recently read in response to the thread’s request for suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Levy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "google",
        "technology companies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "in-the-plex-how-google-thinks-works-and-shapes-our-lives-d53f88",
      "title": "In the Plex: How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives",
      "author": "Steven Levy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22708939,
          "author": "gonehome",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T03:23:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22708939",
          "commentText": "I also think it's a great book, but partly because it is technical.\nCharles is great at explaining how computers actually work with circuit diagrams from the ground up in a way that's articulate, clear, and engaging. I think I learned more from this book than I did in my CS architecture class.\nThe historical context he puts it in helps with clarity since it's easier to understand when you know how each successive step built on the previous one.\nIn addition to the Dream Machine, I'd also mention Steven Levy's Hackers as an obvious one to read.\nSome others I've read:\n- What the dormouse said (this one was just okay, but interesting to see some of the cultural context at the time).\n- Crypto (about the history of cryptography). I really liked this one, but people I've recommended it to found it dry.\n- In the Plex (history of Google)\n- Masters of Doom (John Carmack, John Romero and Id Software)\nRelated Fiction:\n- Microserfs\n- The Soul of a New Machine\n- The Phoenix Project (fiction paired with the Dev Ops Handbook)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "In the Plex (history of Google)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4789990,
          "author": "pitchups",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T18:35:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4789990",
          "commentText": "Everything Is Obvious: *Once You Know the Answer by Duncan J. Watts\nWhere Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation by Steven Johnson\nThe Upside of Irrationality by Dan Ariely\nThe Hidden Brain: How Our Unconscious Minds Elect Presidents, Control Markets, Wage Wars by Shankar Vedantam\nThe Googlization of Everything: (And Why We Should Worry) by Siva Vaidhyanathan\nIn The Plex: How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives by Steven Levy\nIdea Man: A Memoir by Paul Allen\nThe Art of Choosing by Sheena Iyengar",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In The Plex: How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives by Steven Levy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2616285,
          "author": "OoTheNigerian",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T13:43:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2616285",
          "commentText": "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies by\nJared M. Diamond (courtesy of a HN recommendation on this kind of thread)\nIn The Plex: How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives by Steven Levy (courtesy PG's tweet and retweets of that tweet).\nI am now loving my kindle because I can switch between books easily without the accompanying load",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "In The Plex: How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives by Steven Levy (courtesy PG's tweet and retweets of that tweet).",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Levy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "technology companies",
        "google",
        "google history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "in-the-shadow-of-man-f0e45a",
      "title": "In the Shadow of Man",
      "author": "Jane Goodall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22093141,
          "author": "Rerarom",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T18:54:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22093141",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\nMordecai Roshwald, Level 7\nAlexander Dewdney, The Planiverse\nJoseph Heller, God Knows\nAlan Lightman, Einstein's Dreams\nNon-fiction:\nJane Goodall, In the Shadow of Man\nGian-Carlo Rota, Indiscrete Thoughts\nC. S. Lewis, The Discarded Image\nMichael E. Brown, How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming\nRobert Kegan, In Over Our Heads\nMichael Harris, The Atomic Times\nI may add guilty pleasures like the Legacy of the Force series, but I don't think this is what people here are looking for.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jane Goodall, In the Shadow of Man",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's nonfiction picks in response to a request for unknown books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jane Goodall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chimpanzees",
        "primatology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "in-the-skin-of-a-lion-0ddffd",
      "title": "In the Skin of a Lion",
      "author": "Michael Ondaatje",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 875828,
          "author": "cperciva",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T02:52:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875828",
          "commentText": "Peregrine Worsthorne: In Defence of Aristocracy <-- an examination of the role of aristocracy (both de jure and de facto) in the modern democracies of Britain and America.\nMichael Ondaajte: In the Skin of a Lion <-- a modern retelling of the Epic of Gilgamesh via immigrant settlers in early 20th century Toronto.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Michael Ondaajte: In the Skin of a Lion <-- a modern retelling of the Epic of Gilgamesh via immigrant settlers in early 20th century Toronto.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Ondaatje"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "immigration",
        "toronto"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "in-the-world-7007e1",
      "title": "In the World",
      "author": "Maxim Gorky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46397164,
          "author": "otsaloma",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T22:42:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46397164",
          "commentText": "My favorite of the year would be Maxim Gorky's three-part autobiography: I read \"Childhood\" and \"In the World\" (a.k.a. \"Amid Attendants\") and just started the last part \"My Universities\". Gorky drifted as an orphan from house and job to another and describes an interesting array of characters he came across, mostly poor and misfortunate, but many of them good as well.\n\"He took me under the arms, lifted me up, kissed me, and placed me firmly on the jetty. I was sorry for him and for myself. I could hardly keep from crying when I saw him returning to the steamer, pushing aside the porters, looking so large, heavy, solitary. So many times since then I have met people like him, kind, lonely, cut off from the lives of other people.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Childhood\" and \"In the World\" (a.k.a. \"Amid Attendants\")",
          "reason": "Part of the three-part autobiography the commenter calls their favorite of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Also known as “Amid Attendants.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Maxim Gorky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "autobiography",
        "russian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "inadequate-equilibria-where-and-how-civilizations-get-stuck-a8ffeb",
      "title": "Inadequate Equilibria: Where and How Civilizations Get Stuck",
      "author": "Eliezer Yudkowsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18476627,
          "author": "thenaturalist",
          "createdAt": "2018-11-17T18:15:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 18473561,
          "threadTitle": "Best book/paper you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18476627",
          "commentText": "Inadequate Equilibria - Where and How civilizations get stuck\nBy Eliezer Yudkowsky\nFirst book in a long time which really made me see the world differently and taught better thinking.\n[0] https://equilibriabook.com",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "First book in a long time which really made me see the world differently and taught better thinking.",
          "reason": "Says it changed how they see the world and taught them better thinking.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in social systems and improving their thinking.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eliezer Yudkowsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "institutional failure",
        "rationality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "inbound-marketing-1ffcf0",
      "title": "Inbound Marketing",
      "author": "Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1080759,
          "author": "javery",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-27T16:05:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 1080708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Marketing Books for Developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1080759",
          "commentText": "I would start with the Purple Cow and Free Prize Inside by Godin, they are high level but they talk about that fact that you need to make your product exceptional instead of pouring money into marketing.\nI would also check out Inbound Marketing by Halligan and Shah, I just got it and started it but so far it looks good.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I would also check out Inbound Marketing by Halligan and Shah, I just got it and started it but so far it looks good.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it looks good so far and suggests checking it out.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has only just started reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "content marketing",
        "inbound marketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "inbound-marketing-get-found-using-google-social-media-and-blogs-701cc9",
      "title": "Inbound Marketing: Get Found Using Google, Social Media, and Blogs",
      "author": "Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1568132,
          "author": "j5eb6ach",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T16:48:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 1567456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I want to start a web company what books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1568132",
          "commentText": "\"Inbound Marketing, Get Found Using Google, Social Media, and Blogs\" by Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah takes you step by step through exactly what its title says.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Inbound Marketing, Get Found Using Google, Social Media, and Blogs\" by Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah takes you step by step through exactly what its title says.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book provides step-by-step guidance on inbound marketing.",
          "audience": "People learning inbound marketing through search, social media, and blogs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "digital marketing",
        "inbound marketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "incredible-history-of-india-s-geography-77b57b",
      "title": "Incredible History of India’s Geography",
      "author": "Sanjeev Sanyal",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33850247,
          "author": "rubayeet",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T03:19:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33850247",
          "commentText": "Quantum By Manjit Kumar: Traces the scientific discoveries leading to quantum theory, relationships among renowned scientists of 20th century, with a focus on Bohr-Einstein debate.\nIncredible History of India’s Geography by Sanjeev Sanyal: Abbreviated history of the Indian subcontinent, starting with the Indus Valley civilization, ending with the conflicts between India - Pakistan.\nSea Stories by William McRaven - An autobiography of a decorated Navy SEAL officer, who was involved in planning and execution of historically significant special operations (rescuing Captain Philip, and killing Bin Laden).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Abbreviated history of the Indian subcontinent, starting with the Indus Valley civilization",
          "reason": "Describes it as a history of the Indian subcontinent from the Indus Valley civilization to India-Pakistan conflicts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as abbreviated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sanjeev Sanyal"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical geography",
        "indian subcontinent"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "incredible-victory-the-battle-of-midway-dc9632",
      "title": "Incredible Victory: The Battle of Midway",
      "author": "Walter Lord",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43613486,
          "author": "bloopernova",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T16:54:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43613486",
          "commentText": "The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors by James Hornfischer. The amazing courage shown by the US Navy sailors as their tiny 2,000 ton Destroyers and Destroyer Escorts faced a Japanese fleet of Battleships, Cruisers, and Destroyers at The Battle Off Samar. Inspiring and horrifying, the DDs and DEs of the US navy were protecting \"Escort Carriers\" which were smaller aircraft carriers made from cargo ship hulls. Warning, may inspire you to learn a whole bunch more about world war 2.\nAnd 2 books that sort of go together:\nIncredible Victory: The Battle of Midway by Walter Lord, and Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway by Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully. Read Incredible Victory first, learn about the luck, good and bad, that led to a much-needed victory in the Pacific. Then read Shattered Sword and get a fuller picture of events, especially from the Japanese side. Learn about how hubris and dogma led to the Japanese Navy's defeat. Then learn about how saving face led to history not being accurately told by the witnesses on the Japanese side.\nAll 3 are great books that are well worth your time.\nOthers that I've enjoyed:\nParable of the Sower by Octavia Butler (near future post-apocalyptic sci-fi).\nThe non-fiction Liberation Trilogy by Rick Atkinson (more WW2 non-fiction, nice details about North Africa through Italy, then France to Germany).\nMidnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham.\nMost Secret War by RV Jones (nerdy, funny history of one scientist's world war 2 experience).\nThe Discworld City Guard books, starting with Guards! Guards!, by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy fiction satire, hilarious and comforting. Highly, highly recommended!!\nPeter F Hamilton sci-fi adventure books: Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained are a duo of great space opera stretching across multiple planets and people. Don't spoil yourself by reading any descriptions of Judas Unchained before you read Pandora's Star. Also by the same author, The Night's Dawn Trilogy: The Reality Dysfunction, The Neutronium Alchemist, and The Naked God. Fantastic big canvas space opera with lots of threads, great world-building, and amazing situations. Both sets of books are highly recommended escapes from reality.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read Incredible Victory first, learn about the luck, good and bad, that led to a much-needed victory in the Pacific.",
          "reason": "Recommended as the first of two complementary accounts of Midway.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the Battle of Midway.",
          "caveat": "Read it before Shattered Sword.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Walter Lord"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "battle of midway",
        "naval history",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "independent-people-3bc9c9",
      "title": "Independent People",
      "author": "Halldór Laxness",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33850507,
          "author": "richk449",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T04:09:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33850507",
          "commentText": "Or Independent People if you want a slightly more modern version.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Or Independent People if you want a slightly more modern version.",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a more modern alternative to the book in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes it as slightly more modern.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Halldór Laxness"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "icelandic literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "india-unbound-9b11d1",
      "title": "India Unbound",
      "author": "Gurcharan Das",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4967207,
          "author": "mridulk",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T21:51:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967207",
          "commentText": "India specific : India after Gandhi, India Unbound \nComputer Science : GEB( still reading), Mahout in Action \nGeneral : Cryptonomicon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "India Unbound",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gurcharan Das"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic liberalization",
        "indian economy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "india-a-history-a4cfc5",
      "title": "India: A History",
      "author": "John Keay",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8107032,
          "author": "shankysingh",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:45:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107032",
          "commentText": "India: A History. Revised and Updated  by John Keay\nUrl : http://www.amazon.com/India-A-History-Revised-Updated/dp/080... (http://www.amazon.com/India-A-History-Revised-Updated/dp/0802145582)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "India: A History. Revised and Updated  by John Keay",
          "reason": "Named as a book suggestion in response to the favorite-books question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Keay"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "indian history",
        "south asia"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "india-a-wounded-civilization-6b1f21",
      "title": "India: A Wounded Civilization",
      "author": "V. S. Naipaul",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15961477,
          "author": "atulatul",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:45:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961477",
          "commentText": "Yes. It is a good one.\nFor me India: A Wounded Civilization by Naipaul was even better.\nIt is also from his India trilogy. I have read it a couple of times and even today I read a few pages. Highly recommended if you are open minded. A few people to whom I recommended it were quite offended. I guess that is because Naipaul  has sharp eyes and blunt way of putting his observations.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Highly recommended if you are open minded.",
          "reason": "Calls it highly recommended and says they have reread it.",
          "audience": "Readers who are open minded.",
          "caveat": "Some readers they recommended it to were offended by Naipaul’s blunt observations.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "V. S. Naipaul"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cultural criticism",
        "india"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "indigenous-continent-the-epic-contest-for-north-america-572fdd",
      "title": "Indigenous Continent: The Epic Contest for North America",
      "author": "Pekka Hämäläinen and Evin Rias",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37161852,
          "author": "doodlebugging",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T14:10:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37161852",
          "commentText": "I agree that it would make a fantastic miniseries.\nIf you read books about Native American history, Texas tribes and their interactions with Anglo settlers, northern plains tribes I can recommend a few titles.\nFrontier Blood - Jo Ella Powell Exley : Tells the history of the Parker family clan. Their small fort in central Texas was raided by Comanches in 1836 and one of the children kidnapped was Cynthia Ann Parker who gave birth to Quanah Parker, the last great Comanche war chief. The book covers Parkers who helped shape the doctrine of the Baptist church too. It's a good read.\nNine Years Among the Indians, 1870-1879 - Herman Lehmann : This book was written by a man who was kidnapped by Apaches in 1870 and raised as Apache. He later left that tribe for the Comanches after he killed an Apache medicine man. In 1879 he was repatriated with his family in central Texas on the advice of Quanah Parker. He, like many others who spent time living with Native American tribes, preferred their way of life to that of his blood family. He talks about the challenge of reintegrating. He had to relearn to speak English and German and to adapt to all the technology and lifestyle changes encountered. It's a great book.\nThe Heart of Everything That Is - Bob Drury/Tom Clavin : This is Red Cloud's story told using his autobiography. Red Cloud was probably the greatest Native American war chief. It's an epic story.\nI just finished reading a book that according to a NY Times book review is \"The single best book I have ever read on Native American history\". You may have heard of it.\nIndigenous Continent - The Epic Contest for North America -- Pekka Hamalainen/Evin Rias\nI almost want to say don't bother. This is a classic case of an attempt to condense a complex subject into a book that can be digested in a few days of casual reading. The book must leave out so much in order to cover so many things that it ends up almost unreadable.\nThere are formatting problems that should've been corrected by the publisher. Several maps that should fit on one page have parts of the map cut off and printed at the top of the next page. That is ridiculous.\nAnother thing that contributes to unreadability and leads to confusion in telling this epic tale is that the narrative jumps from one time period to another with no subheadings to warn that you are stepping back in time for context. Consecutive paragraphs describe events in different regions with no effort to tie them together or to make them fit. There is so much information that it feels that things the authors thought important are just worked in whether they fit or not so that interesting tidbits are told. Unfortunately this ends up creating a stew of a story where the author stirs the pot a little and instead of the beefy broth in the spoon you end up with potato chunks and a random bay leaf. The bay leaf flavoring their story is the history that they couldn't fit somewhere else so they just tossed it in there.\nThere is a lot of slavery in the book. This was a real thing historically so it is a very interesting treatment of that subject and for those who are under the impression that Anglo colonists started the institution of slavery in North America it will be enlightening for them to read about Native American treatment of captives.\nAll in all, there is so much history to cover that many events and characters have their own stories feel like Reader's Digest footnotes.\nThe best way to treat this book is to use it as a springboard for deeper study because it feels shallow. The physical book also could be improved by cleaning up the typesetting, adding headings, moving paragraphs around into more coherent narratives, and fixing the maps.\nAnyway, this got long and I know you probably read some of these. Have fun.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Indigenous Continent - The Epic Contest for North America -- Pekka Hamalainen/Evin Rias",
          "reason": "The commenter presents it as a major Native American history book, but ultimately recommends using it as a springboard for deeper study.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an overview of Native American history.",
          "caveat": "Called shallow and almost unreadable, with confusing structure, omitted detail, and formatting problems.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pekka Hämäläinen",
        "Evin Rias"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "indigenous history",
        "north american history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "indignation-0575bc",
      "title": "Indignation",
      "author": "Philip Roth",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3336150,
          "author": "gforces",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-09T23:27:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3336150",
          "commentText": "Philip Roth's 'Indignation. Julian Barnes 'The sense of an ending'. And a few other novels. Plus I'm reading 'The Price of Civilization: Reawakening American Virtue and Prosperity by Jeffrey Sachs. I would recommend one and all.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend one and all.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the listed books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip Roth"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "individualism-and-economic-order-78146c",
      "title": "Individualism and Economic Order",
      "author": "F. A. Hayek",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12561975,
          "author": "AndrewKemendo",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T02:47:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12561975",
          "commentText": "The following list will introduce you to Western Economic Philosophy as it relates to modern history specifically. This list is weighted heavily toward neo-classical economics and does not get into computational model based economics - specifically microeconomics, which comprises the bulk of economics education today:\nSchumpeter - History of economic analysis\nAdam Smith - Theory of Moral Sentiments\nKaynes - The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money\nMarx - Capital\nBenjamin Graham - The Intelligent Investor\nGalbraith - The Affluent Society\nGalbraith - The Great Crash\nMilton Friedman - Capitalism and Freedom\nNassim Taleb - Black Swan\nRon Suskind - Confidence Men\nScott Patterson - Dark Pools\nIf you want to delve into heterodox economics afterward, start with the following:\nHayek - Individualism and Economic Order\nMises - Human Action\nRothbard - Man, Economy, State",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hayek - Individualism and Economic Order",
          "reason": "Listed as a starting point for exploring heterodox economics.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring heterodox economic thought.",
          "caveat": "The list is weighted toward neoclassical economics and excludes computational model based economics.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "F. A. Hayek"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "austrian economics",
        "economic theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "industrial-applications-of-high-performance-computing-best-global-e03add",
      "title": "Industrial Applications of High-Performance Computing: Best Global Practices",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10785413,
          "author": "DrNuke",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:20:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785413",
          "commentText": "My favourite has been \"Industrial Applications of High-Performance Computing: Best Global Practices\", CRC Press, April 2015.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Industrial Applications of High-Performance Computing: Best Global Practices\"",
          "reason": "The commenter names it as their favorite book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "high performance computing",
        "industrial computing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "infantry-attacks-cb219d",
      "title": "Infantry Attacks",
      "author": "Erwin Rommel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 456408,
          "author": "bjelkeman-again",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T15:06:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456408",
          "commentText": "My absolute favourite in this class of books is:\nInfantry attacks, Erwin Rommel: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infantry_Attacks\nDon't let the word \"Infantry\" in the title fool you. It is an engrossing account on how to use armed forces to your advantage. He supposedly was working on \"The Tank in Attack\", but never made it that far. A good substitute is The Rommel Papers, which was published posthumously by his family.\nThe Rommel Papers\nhttp://books.google.com/books?id=JE8VFsdxNGgC",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My absolute favourite in this class of books is:\nInfantry attacks, Erwin Rommel",
          "reason": "Calls it their absolute favorite and says it is an engrossing account of using armed forces.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in military strategy and using armed forces.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Erwin Rommel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military history",
        "military strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "infinite-space-infinite-god-1b27cb",
      "title": "Infinite Space, Infinite God",
      "author": "Karina and Robert Fabian (eds.)",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13240800,
          "author": "cicero",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T22:06:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13240800",
          "commentText": "A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter Miller (recommended SF classic)\nThe Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis (an old favorite, recommended)\nThe Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco (some interesting parts, but overall a disappointment)\nTheology and Sanity - Frank Sheed (recommended; a very written description of the Catholic faith; weaknesses are it's long and it's aimed to a mid 20th c. audience)\nChristianity for Modern Pagans: Pascal's Pensees - Peter Kreeft (recommended; a good exposition of Blaise Pascal's thought)\nCatholicism: A journey to the heart of the faith - Robert Barron (recommended; a good explanation of Catholicism for the common person)\nHis Master's Voice - Stanislaw Lem (recommended; very intellectual look at the problem of first contact)\nThe Industries of the Future - Alec Ross (the robotics chapter is best; other parts are more light-weight; easy read)\nClouds of Witnesses - Dorothy Sayers (not my favorite Sayers mystery, but enjoyable)\nA Study in Scarlet - Arthur Conan Doyle (recommended)\nWhy Gender Matters - Leonard Sax (recommended; most of the book is based on good science, but he does go out on a limb a time or two.)\nOld School - Tobias Wolff (recommended; a world before widespread TV where high school boys actually got excited about literature)\nInfinite Space, Infinite God - Karina and Robert Fabian editors (story quality varies; I enjoyed some of them)\nThe Sign of Four - Arthur Conan Doyle (recommended)\nOn Stranger Tides - Tim Powers (recommended; I love Powers, but Anubis Gates and Last Call are better. Still, if you like pirates you should like this)\nThe Art of Worldly Wisdom - Baltasar Gracian (interesting)\nAquinas at Prayer: the Bible, Mysticism, and Poetry - Paul Murray (recommended; this shows a different side of Thomas Aquinas)\nAristotle for Everybody: Difficult Thought Made Easy - Mortimer Adler (recommended; I almost think this should be required reading)\nThe Pilgrim's Regress - C.S. Lewis (I enjoyed it, but the ideas Lewis argues against are somewhat dated.)\nEdit for formatting",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Infinite Space, Infinite God - Karina and Robert Fabian editors (story quality varies; I enjoyed some of them)",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed some stories, while noting that story quality varies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Story quality varies; the commenter enjoyed only some stories.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Karina and Robert Fabian (eds.)"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "religious science fiction",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "infinite-in-all-directions-21c254",
      "title": "Infinite in All Directions",
      "author": "Freeman Dyson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14747745,
          "author": "FiatLuxDave",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T20:26:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14747745",
          "commentText": "I love the idea of looking for overlooked gems.  Here are a few of mine:\nInfinite in All Directions, Freeman Dyson : just a book of his thoughts, but I really appreciated his perspective on respect between religion/spirituality and science.\nIgnition! An informal history of liquid rocket propellants, J.D. Clark : I picked up a copy of this in a roadside bookstore on a lark. Entertaining tales of people blowing themselves up in the name of science.\nApollo 11 Press kit : My grandmother was a journalist for Florida Today during the space race, and she gave me her copy.  It is amazing to see how much detail was provided.  I don't know if our modern press ever gets press kits like these, but it was not dumbed-down much at all, which was very nice to see.\nThe Adventures of Samurai Cat, Mark Rogers : Silly fun. \n Kind of like if Bored of the Rings had been written by Jerry Bruckheimer and Spider Jerusalem.\nInto the cool, Sagan and Schnieder : about complexity and thermodynamics. Written for a layperson, I still learned a lot from it.\nOrder out of Chaos, Prigogine and Stengers : More thermo, also written for lay audience, also learned a lot from it.\nControlled Thermonuclear Reactions, L. Artsimovich : Of all the plasma physics books I have read (many) this is the one I remember most. Rather out-of-date now, it contains loads of information about the early Soviet fusion program, with pictures and discussion of now-forgotten experiments.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really appreciated his perspective on respect between religion/spirituality and science.",
          "reason": "The commenter appreciated its perspective on respect between spirituality and science.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a book of the author's thoughts.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Freeman Dyson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "essays",
        "science and religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "influence-14f895",
      "title": "Influence",
      "author": "Robert Cialdini",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38568276,
          "author": "SnoJohn",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T12:37:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38568276",
          "commentText": "Books in Charlie Munger's Library: \nInfluence by Robert Cialdini,\nEinstein by Walter Isaacson,\nGo East Young Man (memoir of William O. Douglas),\nEugene Meyer bio (Father of Kay Graham, Chair of Fed in 30s),\nMax Planck bio,\nJohn Kenneth Galbraith’s Ambassadors Journal,\nSet of the Harvard Classics,\nCopey of Harvard by James Donald Adams,\nAutobiography of Mark Twain,\nFederalist Papers,\nCapital (history of Capital Group) by Charley Ellis,\nCurrent Value Line Binder,\nSet of Shakespeare at the top,\nPossibly a set of Balzac.\nFrom a photo of his last interview in the WSJ.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Influence by Robert Cialdini",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33858797,
          "author": "jshen",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T22:43:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33858797",
          "commentText": "Become a better story teller and persuader, and learn how to make better decisions and manage risk. A few books that helped me in no particular order …\nThe Science of Storytelling - Will Storr\nInfluence - Robert Cialdini\nThinking Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman\nAntifragile - Nassim Taleb\nHow Innovation Works - Natt Ridley\nThe One Thing You Need to Know - Marcus Buckingham\nTeam of Teams - General Stanley McChrystal",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Influence - Robert Cialdini",
          "reason": "Listed among books that helped the commenter.",
          "audience": "People seeking to become more persuasive.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Cialdini"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "persuasion",
        "social influence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "influence-science-and-practice-b4c083",
      "title": "Influence: Science and Practice",
      "author": "Robert B. Cialdini",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8109141,
          "author": "jh3",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:24:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109141",
          "commentText": "> Influence: Science and Practice, a great horrifying psychology book.\nWhat do you mean by horrifying?",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Influence: Science and Practice, a great horrifying psychology book.",
          "reason": "Calls the book horrifying and asks what that means.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3337263,
          "author": "gruseom",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T08:33:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3337263",
          "commentText": "Cialdini is classic. It's the only science book I've stayed up all night to finish, it's such a page turner. Plus I remember astonishingly more of it than I do of most books. His anecdotes really help with that.\n(It was a different edition though.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's the only science book I've stayed up all night to finish, it's such a page turner.",
          "reason": "Praises the book as a page-turner and says its anecdotes helped the material stick.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter read a different edition.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3336945,
          "author": "unignorant",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T04:46:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3336945",
          "commentText": "Reading or recently finished:\nThe Book of the New Sun: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_the_New_Sun\nInfluence: Science and Practice: http://www.amazon.com/Influence-Practice-Robert-B-Cialdini/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Influence-Practice-Robert-B-Cialdini/dp/0205609996)\nSelf-Editing for Fiction Writers: http://www.amazon.com/Self-Editing-Fiction-Writers-Second-Yo... (http://www.amazon.com/Self-Editing-Fiction-Writers-Second-Yourself/dp/0060545690/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323492182&sr=1-1)\nHarry Potter and the Methods of Rationality: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5782108/1/Harry_Potter_and_the_M... (http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5782108/1/Harry_Potter_and_the_Methods_of_Rationality)\nWraeththu: http://www.amazon.com/Wraeththu-Storm-Constantine/dp/0312890... (http://www.amazon.com/Wraeththu-Storm-Constantine/dp/0312890001)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Influence: Science and Practice",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert B. Cialdini"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "persuasion",
        "social influence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "influencer-the-power-to-change-anything-60eafe",
      "title": "Influencer: The Power to Change Anything",
      "author": "Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, David Maxfield, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3278822,
          "author": "aik",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-26T01:45:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3278822",
          "commentText": "There are a lot of really good ones here.  Three more:\nOn overcoming cognitive bias (and understanding how mindsets influence motivation, personality, and behavior):\nSelf-Theories by Carol S. Dweck\nMental peformance:\nThe Inner Game of Tennis - The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance\nMental Models on influence:\nInfluencer: The Power to Change Anything",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Influencer: The Power to Change Anything",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, David Maxfield, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "behavior change",
        "influence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "infomocracy-bf36c3",
      "title": "Infomocracy",
      "author": "Malka Older",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15455122,
          "author": "nikdaheratik",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-12T01:58:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15455122",
          "commentText": "Alot of good recommendations even if they may not meet strict personal definitions of either \"hard\" sci-fi, or \"AI\" sci-fi.\nIf you haven't read the Culture books, by Iain M. Banks, I'd recommend them (as others already have). I'd also add, the \"Murderbot Diaries\" (2017), \"Infomocracy\" (2016) and Lightless (2015).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Infomocracy\" (2016)",
          "reason": "Adds the title to a list of recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "May not meet strict definitions of hard or AI science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Malka Older"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political fiction",
        "surveillance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "informal-logic-a-pragmatic-approach-7ea6af",
      "title": "Informal Logic: A Pragmatic Approach",
      "author": "Douglas N. Walton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33818802,
          "author": "anthony_romeo",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-01T16:43:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33818802",
          "commentText": "For another logic text, I really enjoyed Walton’s Informal Logic: A Pragmatic Approach.\nIt describes arguments as existing within different types of dialectic contexts (e.g. debate, deliberation, negotiation). Arguments that are fallacious in one context (e.g. threatening your opponent in a debate) are not in other contexts (e.g. threatening your opponent in a negotiation). From this, informal fallacies are defined not as inherently bad arguments that must always be avoided, but rather they emerge when one inappropriately shifts the dialectic from one type of argument to another.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Walton’s Informal Logic: A Pragmatic Approach.",
          "reason": "Explains how arguments and fallacies depend on the type of dialectic context.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas N. Walton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "argumentation",
        "informal logic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "information-architecture-for-the-world-wide-web-89970e",
      "title": "Information Architecture for the World Wide Web",
      "author": "Louis Rosenfeld and Peter Morville",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1080802,
          "author": "mos1",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-27T16:19:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 1080708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Marketing Books for Developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1080802",
          "commentText": "Influence - The Psychology of Persuasion by Cialdini.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Busine... (http://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Business-Essentials/dp/006124189X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216856193&sr=8-1)\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing - Violate Them at Your Own Risk!\nhttp://www.amazon.com/22-Immutable-Laws-Marketing-Violate/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/22-Immutable-Laws-Marketing-Violate/dp/0887306667/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216858700&sr=1-1)\nDon't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to We Usability, by Steve Krug:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Me-Think-Usability/dp/032134... (http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Me-Think-Usability/dp/0321344758/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216860599&sr=1-1)\nInformation Architecture for the World Wide Web: Designing Large Scale Web Sites, by Paul Rosenfeld and Peter Morville:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Information-Architecture-World-Wide-We... (http://www.amazon.com/Information-Architecture-World-Wide-Web/dp/0596527349/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216860826&sr=1-1)\nWhy We Buy: The Science of Shopping, by Paco Underhill\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Buy-Shopping-Updated-Internet/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Buy-Shopping-Updated-Internet/dp/1416595244/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1264609112&sr=1-1)\nAnd at least one Jakob Nielsen Usability book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Information Architecture for the World Wide Web: Designing Large Scale Web Sites, by Paul Rosenfeld and Peter Morville:",
          "reason": "Listed as a suggestion in response to a request for marketing books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Louis Rosenfeld and Peter Morville"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "information architecture",
        "web design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "information-retrieval-fea5ef",
      "title": "Information Retrieval",
      "author": "Christopher D. Manning, Prabhakar Raghavan, and Hinrich Schütze",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 665504,
          "author": "hamilton",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T17:13:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665504",
          "commentText": "Everyone has given really great recommendations.  I second caffeine's PROCESS.  The way I learned most mathematics is from working through problems on a white board I bought.  From there I got a great grasp of probability theory and linear algebra, which gave me the legs to study statistical learning.\nWhile I have nothing to add on the math front, on the intuition / implementation front you should definitely check out Chris Manning's (currently) free textbook on Information Retrieval.  He delves into the history, technical details, and state of the art of IR.  Let's hope he opens up his NLP book as well (great CS prof at Stanford).\nIf humanly possible, I'd recommend making a friend who can help you solve confusion or quandary about certain problems.  This is probably less likely for most people, but if you DO know someone with domain knowledge, I'd buy them dinner and pick their brain.  I've fully traversed the learning curve from both wrestling with problems and talking to people much smarter than me.\nhttp://www-csli.stanford.edu/~hinrich/information-retrieval-... (http://www-csli.stanford.edu/~hinrich/information-retrieval-book.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you should definitely check out Chris Manning's (currently) free textbook on Information Retrieval.",
          "reason": "Directly recommends the free textbook for its history, technical details, and state of the art coverage.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher D. Manning, Prabhakar Raghavan, and Hinrich Schütze"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "information retrieval",
        "natural language processing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "infrastructure-d4dc90",
      "title": "Infrastructure",
      "author": "Brian Hayes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33382930,
          "author": "cousin_it",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T11:02:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382930",
          "commentText": "The book Infrastructure, by Brian Hayes, seems similar to your description of Vaclav Smil's book. It's a big book filled with photos and explanations of various infrastructure (mines, factories, railroads, the electrical grid, waterworks and so on) that we keep seeing but don't quite understand what we see. It shows how much it really takes to keep the modern world functioning.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book Infrastructure, by Brian Hayes, seems similar to your description of Vaclav Smil's book.",
          "reason": "Describes it as an illustrated explanation of infrastructure and how it keeps the modern world functioning.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Hayes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "engineering",
        "infrastructure"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "infrastructure-a-field-guide-to-the-industrial-landscape-895086",
      "title": "Infrastructure: A Field Guide to the Industrial Landscape",
      "author": "Brian Hayes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227078,
          "author": "davi",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T17:50:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227078",
          "commentText": "Infrastructure: A Field Guide to the Industrial Landscape\nBrian Hayes\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393329593/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0393329593/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0393059979&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=01V6WSCHFX2V6N5CR1XX)\nThis book is a \"how it works\" guide to the infrastructure of modernity: the power grid, mining, steel production, etc. Great photographs & readable text. I read it cover to cover and was enriched thereby.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great photographs & readable text. I read it cover to cover and was enriched thereby.",
          "reason": "Praises its readable text and photographs and says reading it enriched them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Hayes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "engineering",
        "industrial systems",
        "infrastructure"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "inner-engineering-a-yogi-s-guide-to-joy-78cf93",
      "title": "Inner Engineering: A Yogi's Guide to Joy",
      "author": "Sadhguru (Jaggi Vasudev)",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20333838,
          "author": "gbuk2013",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T10:48:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20333838",
          "commentText": "Inner Engineering by Sadhguru. For me it was an unexpectedly transformational when I read it 6 months ago.\nUnlike the stoicism books that teach you to condition yourself to be unaffected by external events, this is a method for taking charge of what goes on inside the body and (in my case) in the mind and emotions.\nAs an aside, if you haven’t tried audiobooks, I would recommend trying. I find that after a while day of staring at the screen I really don’t want to stare at anything else, so my book consumption dropped considerably. With audiobooks I was able to restore it somewhat (and it’s great for filling in lost time during driving).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Inner Engineering by Sadhguru. For me it was an unexpectedly transformational",
          "reason": "The commenter describes the book as unexpectedly transformational and explains how it differs from Stoicism books.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in taking charge of their inner life, mind, and emotions.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sadhguru (Jaggi Vasudev)"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self transformation",
        "yoga"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "innovation-and-entrepreneurship-1a8b57",
      "title": "Innovation and Entrepreneurship",
      "author": "Peter Drucker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 947723,
          "author": "amishandroid",
          "createdAt": "2009-11-18T03:23:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 947581,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN:  What's the best first business book for a programmer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=947723",
          "commentText": "I haven't read all of it yet, but so far Peter Drucker's \"Innovation and Entrepreneurship\" is an excellent read.\nIt talks about how to think differently, to turn situations to your advantage -- beneficially refactoring your views.\nIt's not really a starter kit, but I don't think I'd want to operate a business without having read it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "so far Peter Drucker's \"Innovation and Entrepreneurship\" is an excellent read.",
          "reason": "Calls it an excellent read and says they would not want to operate a business without having read it.",
          "audience": "People starting or operating a business.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not finished reading it and says it is not a starter kit.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Drucker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "innovation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "innumeracy-a345cd",
      "title": "Innumeracy",
      "author": "John Allen Paulos",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7968397,
          "author": "akg_67",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:45:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968397",
          "commentText": "Coincidently, I just finished reading The Signal and the Noise by Nate Silver too. I found it interesting and not too technical. It covered lot of ground.\nNow, I am reading Innumeracy by John Allen Paulos. It is more in depth and technical than Nate's.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "It is more in depth and technical than Nate's.",
          "reason": "Compares its depth and technicality with the previous book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as more in-depth and technical than Nate Silver's book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6982220,
          "author": "dmlorenzetti",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-30T00:01:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 6981802,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good general technical books for teenagers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6982220",
          "commentText": "Check out \"Physics for Future Presidents\" by Richard Muller.  It gives an overview of physics, emphasizing why the concepts are important in the modern world, rather than the math details.\nIf she's interested in biology, you might consider \"Animals in Translation\" by Temple Grandin.  It's more about animals than about technology, but it touches on how understanding animals affects the low-tech systems that you use to handle them.\nFor interesting/easy intros to why some math skills are important, look at Darrell Huff's \"How to Lie With Statistics\" or John Allen Paulos' \"Innumeracy\" (or \"A Mathematician Reads the Newspaper\").\nI haven't read any of them, but I hear Petroski's books recommended.\nFor a great short read that touches on architectural engineering, law, and ethics, look for Joe Morgenstern's \"Fifty-Nine Story Crisis\" which appeared in the New Yorker in May 1995.  It's about how the structural engineer for the Citicorp tower realized its design was flawed, after the tower had been built and occupied.  You can find it on the web.\nSome of these are not overtly about \"learn this technology\", but to me they all sell the idea of technology and science as both central to our lives and interesting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "or John Allen Paulos' \"Innumeracy\"",
          "reason": "Suggested as an easy introduction to why math skills matter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Allen Paulos"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "numeracy",
        "mathematical literacy",
        "statistical literacy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "innumeracy-mathematical-illiteracy-and-its-consequences-995f7a",
      "title": "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences",
      "author": "John Allen Paulos",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7968609,
          "author": "rustyfe",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T00:41:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968609",
          "commentText": "I will take a look at Innumerancy. A more technical exploration of the same topic sounds right up my alley. Thanks!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I will take a look at Innumerancy. A more technical exploration of the same topic sounds right up my alley. Thanks!",
          "reason": "Expresses interest in reading it because a more technical treatment of the topic appeals to them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Allen Paulos"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "numeracy",
        "statistical reasoning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "insanely-great-729162",
      "title": "Insanely Great",
      "author": "Steven Levy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 138906,
          "author": "maryrosecook",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-17T14:02:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=138906",
          "commentText": "Insanely Great - Steven Levy.  About the building of the original Macintosh.  Extremely inspiring and interesting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Insanely Great - Steven Levy. About the building of the original Macintosh. Extremely inspiring and interesting.",
          "reason": "Calls the book extremely inspiring and interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Levy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "apple macintosh",
        "technology history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "insanely-simple-the-obsession-that-drives-apple-s-success-6e4787",
      "title": "Insanely Simple: The Obsession That Drives Apple's Success",
      "author": "Ken Segall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8106972,
          "author": "johnlim5847",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:26:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106972",
          "commentText": "Insanely Simple The Obsession That Drives Apple's Success by Ken Segall is quite good",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Insanely Simple The Obsession That Drives Apple's Success by Ken Segall is quite good",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book is quite good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ken Segall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "apple",
        "marketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "inside-boss-5fe88b",
      "title": "Inside BOSS",
      "author": "Gordon Winter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22094408,
          "author": "ttctciyf",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T21:58:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22094408",
          "commentText": "Nice!\nMy \"best unknown\" in the espionage topic would be Gordon Winter's Inside BOSS[1] which tells of the author's stint in the employ of South African intelligence during the apartheid era.\nSample passage:\n> I asked [Intel chief] H. J. van den Bergh how on earth British intelligence could obtain all the names of people who voted Communist in British elections. Surely the vote was secret. H J laughed and said any voter attending a polling station automatically had his name checked on the voters’ roll, which naturally gave his residential address. And when he voted he was given a numbered counterfoil. His voters’ roll number was written on the counterfoil stub which bore the same number.\n> ‘It is therefore possible for the voting slip to be related to the counterfoil stub, which then gives the man’s number on the voters’ roll,’ explained Van Den Bergh.\n> ‘But all the voting slips are locked in big black metal \nboxes and locked away after the elections, so how do British \nintelligence get to them?’\n> H. J. van den Bergh shook his head sadly as if he was \nsorry I was such a simpleton.\n> ‘That’s the answer the British authorities will always give if anyone claims that ballot papers are secretly scrutinized. But let me ask you some very simple questions. First, you agree that the voting slips are placed in boxes and then filed away in some official building somewhere?’\n> ‘Yes,’ I answered.\n> ‘And presumably those boxes are placed in a room?’\n> ‘Yes.’\n> ‘Does that room have a door?’\n> ‘Yes, I suppose so.’\n> ‘Does the door have a lock?’\n> ‘I should imagine so.’\n> ‘Is there a key to that lock?’\n> ‘Yes, there must be.’\n> ‘Then,’ said H. J. van den Bergh triumphantly, ‘somebody must look after the key.’\n> Only then did I realize what he was getting at.\n1: https://archive.org/details/INSIDEBOSS/page/n5",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My \"best unknown\" in the espionage topic would be Gordon Winter's Inside BOSS",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as an unknown book about espionage and South African intelligence.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gordon Winter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "espionage",
        "south african intelligence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "inside-job-e97913",
      "title": "Inside Job",
      "author": "Connie Willis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783459,
          "author": "Sherlock",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:37:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783459",
          "commentText": "\"The Magicians\", \"The Magician King\", \"The Magician's Land\" - Lev Grossman. 4/5\n\"Inside Job\" - Connie Willis. 4/5\n\"Norwegian Wood (Tokio Blues)\" - Haruki Murakami. 4/5\n\"Old Man's War\" - John Scalzi. 5/5\n\"Persepolis\" - Marjane Satrapi. 5/5\nNon fiction:\n\"The 10,000 year explosion\" about recent evolution. 3/5 ton of evidence for their thesis, but lacks predictions.\n\"What if\" well known by HN. 5/5\n\"The nurture assumption\" about education, 2/5. Maybe a 4/5 when it was published, but now their ideas are in the water supply.\n\"The man who mistook his wife for a hat\", by Oliver Sacks 4/5. Several stories about neurological deficits.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Inside Job\" - Connie Willis. 4/5",
          "reason": "Rated 4/5.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Connie Willis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "paranormal",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "inside-jokes-6f34b7",
      "title": "Inside Jokes",
      "author": "Matthew M. Hurley, Daniel C. Dennett, and Reginald B. Adams Jr.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8107038,
          "author": "khc",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:47:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107038",
          "commentText": "Poor Economics - Abhijit Banerjee & Esther Duflo\nThinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman\nThe Signal and The Noise - Nate Silver\nPredictably Irrational - Dan Ariely\nThis Time is Different - Carmen Reinhart & Kenneth Rogoff\nSubliminal - Leonard Mlodinow\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Taleb\nFor something more lighthearted, I also enjoyed:\nAn Economist Gets Lunch - Tyler Cowen\nInside Jokes - Matthew Hurley & others\n(mostly skipped the dense parts)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Inside Jokes - Matthew Hurley & others",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter says they enjoyed in the lighter section.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter mostly skipped the dense parts.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthew M. Hurley, Daniel C. Dennett, and Reginald B. Adams Jr."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognitive science",
        "humor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "inside-scientology-the-story-of-america-s-most-secretive-religion-ec268a",
      "title": "Inside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion",
      "author": "Janet Reitman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Janet Reitman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "religion",
        "scientology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "inside-soviet-military-intelligence-3da2a8",
      "title": "Inside Soviet Military Intelligence",
      "author": "Viktor Suvorov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22096185,
          "author": "kevinkeller",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T03:58:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22096185",
          "commentText": "Great find, thanks!\nSome of his other works are also worth reading:\n'Inside the Soviet Army': http://militera.lib.ru/research/suvorov12/index.html\nOne excerpt:\n> The winter of 1969 was an exceptionally bitter one in the Soviet Far East. When the first clashes with the Chinese took place on the river Ussuri, and before combat divisions reached the area, the pressure exerted by the enemy was borne by the KGB frontier troops. After the clash was over, the General Staff held a careful investigation into all the mistakes and oversights which had occurred. It was quickly discovered that several KGB soldiers had frozen to death in the snow, simply because they had never received elementary instruction in sleeping out in temperatures below zero.\n> This was alarming news. A commission from the General Staff immediately carried out experiments with three divisions, chosen at random, and came to a depressing conclusion. Wartime experience had been irrevocably lost and the modern Soviet soldier had not been taught how he could sleep in the snow. Naturally he was not allowed a sleeping bag and of course he was forbidden to light a fire. Normally a soldier would spend nights when the temperature was below freezing-point in his vehicle. But what was he to do if the vehicle was put out of action?\n> The chiefs of staff of all divisions were immediately summoned to Moscow. They were given a day's instruction in the technique of sleeping out in snow at freezing temperatures, using only a greatcoat. Then each of them was required to convince himself that this was possible, by sleeping in the snow for three nights. (It should be remembered that March in Solnechnogorsk, near Moscow, is a hard month, with snow on the ground and temperatures below zero.) Then the chiefs of staff returned to their divisions and immediately the entire Soviet Army was put to a very hard test-that of spending a night in the open in numbing cold and without any extra clothing. It seemed as if those who were stationed in deserts in the south were in luck. But no-they were sent by turns to either Siberia or the north to be put through the same tough training. Thereafter, spending a night in the snow became a part of all military training programmes.\n'Inside Soviet Military Intelligence': http://militera.lib.ru/research/suvorov8/index.html\nAbout the GRU.\n'Spetsnaz. The Story Behind the Soviet SAS': http://militera.lib.ru/research/suvorov6/index.html\nExcerpt talking about the importance of a spade:\n> Every infantryman in the Soviet Army carries with him a small spade. When he is given the order to halt he immediately lies flat and starts to dig a hole in the ground beside him. In three minutes he will have dug a little trench 15 centimetres deep, in which he can lie stretched out flat, so that bullets can whistle harmlessly over his head. The earth he has dug out forms a breastwork in front and at the side to act as an additional cover. If a tank drives over such a trench the soldier has a 50% chance that it will do him no harm. At any moment the soldier may be ordered to advance again and, shouting at the top of his voice, will rush ahead. If he is not ordered to advance, he digs in deeper and deeper. At first his trench can be used for firing in the lying position. Later it becomes a trench from which to fire in the kneeling position, and later still, when it is 110 centimetres deep, it can be used for firing in the standing position. The earth that has been dug out protects the soldier from bullets and fragments. He makes an embrasure in this breastwork into which he positions the barrel of his gun. In the absence of any further commands he continues to work on his trench. He camouflages it. He starts to dig a trench to connect with his comrades to the left of him. He always digs from right to left, and in a few hours the unit has a trench linking all the riflemen's trenches together. The unit's trenches are linked with the trenches of other units. Dug-outs are built and communication trenches are added at the rear. The trenches are made deeper, covered over, camouflaged and reinforced. Then, suddenly, the order to advance comes again. The soldier emerges, shouting and swearing as loudly as he can.\n> The infantryman uses the same spade for digging graves for his fallen comrades. If he doesn't have an axe to hand he uses the spade to chop his bread when it is frozen hard as granite. He uses it as a paddle as he floats across wide rivers on a telegraph pole under enemy fire. And when he gets the order to halt, he again builds his impregnable fortress around himself. He knows how to dig the earth efficiently. He builds his fortress exactly as it should be. The spade is not just an instrument for digging: it can also be used for measuring. It is 50 centimetres long. Two spade lengths are a metre. The blade is 15 centimetres wide and 18 centimetres long. With these measurements in mind the soldier can measure anything he wishes.\n> The infantry spade does not have a folding handle, and this is a very important feature. It has to be a single monolithic object. All three of its edges are as sharp as a knife. It is painted with a green matt paint so as not to reflect the strong sunlight.\n> The spade is not only a tool and a measure. It is also a guarantee of the steadfastness of the infantry in the most difficult situations. If the infantry have a few hours to dig themselves in, it could take years to get them out of their holes and trenches, whatever modern weapons are used against them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Inside Soviet Military Intelligence':",
          "reason": "Says the author’s other works are worth reading and names this book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Viktor Suvorov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military history",
        "soviet intelligence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "inside-the-house-of-money-515b2e",
      "title": "Inside the House of Money",
      "author": "Steven Drobny",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Inside the House of Money",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Drobny"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hedge funds"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "inside-the-machine-c64f8b",
      "title": "Inside the Machine",
      "author": "Jon Stokes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41387801,
          "author": "optymizer",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T06:00:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387801",
          "commentText": "I would split the books into two categories: those that improve the way you structure your code and deliver a software solution, and those that improve your technical understanding of the software platform and the computer you're using.\nThe first are books like Pragmatic Programmer, Mythical Man Month, Code Complete, Design Patterns, talks by Alan Kay on software systems and OOP, even Game Engine Architecture etc. A lot of the content there is distilled experience which is much faster to learn from a book than gain the hard way on the job.\nThe other books are practical deep dives. Here I would recommend a variety of books like Inside the Machine by Stokes, Computer Architecture by Hennessy, 21st Century C by Klemens, Crafting Interpreters by Nystrom, Compilers by Aho, Effective Java, Nature of Code by Shiffman, Ray Tracing Challenge by Buck, Hands on Hacking by Hickey, and others, depending on your interest and area of focus.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Inside the Machine by Stokes",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a practical deep dive into software platforms and computers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jon Stokes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer architecture",
        "processor design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "inside-the-machine-an-illustrated-introduction-to-microprocessors-13c792",
      "title": "Inside the Machine: An Illustrated Introduction to Microprocessors and Computer Architecture",
      "author": "Jon Stokes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29308058,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:19:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29308058",
          "commentText": "> Hardware and Support Support for Virtualization\nThis whole series is truly awesome.\n> Inside the Machine: An Illustrated Introduction to Microprocessors and Computer Architecture\nI'm always looking for more like nand2tetris or Harris and Harris' book on comp arch to suggest. Thank you!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm always looking for more like nand2tetris or Harris and Harris' book on comp arch to suggest.",
          "reason": "Mentions it as an example of the kind of computer architecture book they seek.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29308037,
          "author": "DashAnimal",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:18:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29308037",
          "commentText": "Here are the few I've really enjoyed.\nInside the Machine: An Illustrated Introduction to Microprocessors and Computer Architecture\nExplains how Microprocessors operate, going from operands and building up a lot of the execution tricks used, all whilst going through popular examples of CPUs (thee pentium chips, PowerPCs, etc), discussing their history, their specs, their capabilities, etc.\nHardware and Support Support for Virtualization\nThis one corners on useful, but it's short and it's free and unless you work in virtualization it probably won't be much use but I found it helpful in getting a grasp on what is actually happening.\n------\nEdit: Removed history books but, for anyone interested, the ones I listed previously were The Idea Factory, Valley of Genius, and Android: The Team that Built the Android OS",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Inside the Machine: An Illustrated Introduction to Microprocessors and Computer Architecture",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed it and describes its coverage of microprocessors and architecture.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jon Stokes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer architecture",
        "microprocessors"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "inside-the-soviet-army-bc6c0a",
      "title": "Inside the Soviet Army",
      "author": "Viktor Suvorov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22096185,
          "author": "kevinkeller",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T03:58:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22096185",
          "commentText": "Great find, thanks!\nSome of his other works are also worth reading:\n'Inside the Soviet Army': http://militera.lib.ru/research/suvorov12/index.html\nOne excerpt:\n> The winter of 1969 was an exceptionally bitter one in the Soviet Far East. When the first clashes with the Chinese took place on the river Ussuri, and before combat divisions reached the area, the pressure exerted by the enemy was borne by the KGB frontier troops. After the clash was over, the General Staff held a careful investigation into all the mistakes and oversights which had occurred. It was quickly discovered that several KGB soldiers had frozen to death in the snow, simply because they had never received elementary instruction in sleeping out in temperatures below zero.\n> This was alarming news. A commission from the General Staff immediately carried out experiments with three divisions, chosen at random, and came to a depressing conclusion. Wartime experience had been irrevocably lost and the modern Soviet soldier had not been taught how he could sleep in the snow. Naturally he was not allowed a sleeping bag and of course he was forbidden to light a fire. Normally a soldier would spend nights when the temperature was below freezing-point in his vehicle. But what was he to do if the vehicle was put out of action?\n> The chiefs of staff of all divisions were immediately summoned to Moscow. They were given a day's instruction in the technique of sleeping out in snow at freezing temperatures, using only a greatcoat. Then each of them was required to convince himself that this was possible, by sleeping in the snow for three nights. (It should be remembered that March in Solnechnogorsk, near Moscow, is a hard month, with snow on the ground and temperatures below zero.) Then the chiefs of staff returned to their divisions and immediately the entire Soviet Army was put to a very hard test-that of spending a night in the open in numbing cold and without any extra clothing. It seemed as if those who were stationed in deserts in the south were in luck. But no-they were sent by turns to either Siberia or the north to be put through the same tough training. Thereafter, spending a night in the snow became a part of all military training programmes.\n'Inside Soviet Military Intelligence': http://militera.lib.ru/research/suvorov8/index.html\nAbout the GRU.\n'Spetsnaz. The Story Behind the Soviet SAS': http://militera.lib.ru/research/suvorov6/index.html\nExcerpt talking about the importance of a spade:\n> Every infantryman in the Soviet Army carries with him a small spade. When he is given the order to halt he immediately lies flat and starts to dig a hole in the ground beside him. In three minutes he will have dug a little trench 15 centimetres deep, in which he can lie stretched out flat, so that bullets can whistle harmlessly over his head. The earth he has dug out forms a breastwork in front and at the side to act as an additional cover. If a tank drives over such a trench the soldier has a 50% chance that it will do him no harm. At any moment the soldier may be ordered to advance again and, shouting at the top of his voice, will rush ahead. If he is not ordered to advance, he digs in deeper and deeper. At first his trench can be used for firing in the lying position. Later it becomes a trench from which to fire in the kneeling position, and later still, when it is 110 centimetres deep, it can be used for firing in the standing position. The earth that has been dug out protects the soldier from bullets and fragments. He makes an embrasure in this breastwork into which he positions the barrel of his gun. In the absence of any further commands he continues to work on his trench. He camouflages it. He starts to dig a trench to connect with his comrades to the left of him. He always digs from right to left, and in a few hours the unit has a trench linking all the riflemen's trenches together. The unit's trenches are linked with the trenches of other units. Dug-outs are built and communication trenches are added at the rear. The trenches are made deeper, covered over, camouflaged and reinforced. Then, suddenly, the order to advance comes again. The soldier emerges, shouting and swearing as loudly as he can.\n> The infantryman uses the same spade for digging graves for his fallen comrades. If he doesn't have an axe to hand he uses the spade to chop his bread when it is frozen hard as granite. He uses it as a paddle as he floats across wide rivers on a telegraph pole under enemy fire. And when he gets the order to halt, he again builds his impregnable fortress around himself. He knows how to dig the earth efficiently. He builds his fortress exactly as it should be. The spade is not just an instrument for digging: it can also be used for measuring. It is 50 centimetres long. Two spade lengths are a metre. The blade is 15 centimetres wide and 18 centimetres long. With these measurements in mind the soldier can measure anything he wishes.\n> The infantry spade does not have a folding handle, and this is a very important feature. It has to be a single monolithic object. All three of its edges are as sharp as a knife. It is painted with a green matt paint so as not to reflect the strong sunlight.\n> The spade is not only a tool and a measure. It is also a guarantee of the steadfastness of the infantry in the most difficult situations. If the infantry have a few hours to dig themselves in, it could take years to get them out of their holes and trenches, whatever modern weapons are used against them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Inside the Soviet Army':",
          "reason": "Says the author’s other works are worth reading and names this book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Viktor Suvorov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military history",
        "soviet military"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "inside-the-tornado-dbb9bf",
      "title": "Inside the Tornado",
      "author": "Geoffrey A. Moore",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 674923,
          "author": "skmurphy",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-26T03:58:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 673487,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there any good Internet marketing books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=674923",
          "commentText": "I would recommend these books for a good grounding in marketing and fostering innovation:\n   The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen\n   Crossing the Chasm and Inside the Tornado by Geoffrey Moore\n   Innovation and Entrepreneurship by Peter Drucker\n   Marketing High Technology by William Davidow\n   Four Steps to the Epiphany by Steve Blank\n   Jumpstart Your Business Brain by Doug Hall\n   E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber\n   Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim & R. Mauborgne\n   Influence The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini\n   The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries and Jack Trout\n   Secrets of Consulting by Gerald Weinberg\n\nFor an article that summarizes key concepts see http://skmurphy.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/Crucial%20Mar... (http://skmurphy.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/Crucial%20Marketing%20Concepts.pdf)\nThere is a companion slide deck here http://www.skmurphy.com/f/SDForum061211.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Crossing the Chasm and Inside the Tornado by Geoffrey Moore",
          "reason": "Recommended for grounding in marketing and fostering innovation.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a grounding in marketing and innovation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143070,
          "author": "skmurphy",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T03:34:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143070",
          "commentText": "in no particular order:\nMyers-Brigs Model for Personality\n\"Four Steps to the Epiphany\" by Steve Blank\nJohn Boyd's OODA Loop as a model for competitive decision making\nDecision Analysis techniques: in particular decision trees, expected value of perfect information, and good decision bad outcome\nBATNA (best alternative to a negotiated agreement) concept for negotiation planning\n\"Secrets of Consulting\" by Gerald M. Weinberg\n\"Bionomics\" by Michael Rothschild\nSimCity computer game\nAnalysis of Competing Hypotheses methodology\nwiki (social process) model for small team collaborative document development\ncommunity of practice model for knowledge management\n\"The Moon is a Harsh Mistress\" by Robert Heinlein (in particular TANSTAAFL)\nactivation energy, catalyst, and phase change concepts from physics/chemistry\nAmplify Positive Deviance model from Jerry Sternin (Save the Children)\n\"The Empowered Manager\" by Peter Block, in particular his trust vs. agreement matrix\n\"Crossing the Chasm\" & \"Inside the Tornado\" by Geoffrey Moore\n\"Maneuver Warfare Handbook\" by William Lind\n\"Change Your Brain, Change Your Life\" by Daniel Amen\n\"Micromotives and Macrobehavior\" by Thomas Schelling\nAppreciative Inquiry Techniques",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Crossing the Chasm\" & \"Inside the Tornado\" by Geoffrey Moore",
          "reason": "Listed among the ideas and concepts that influenced the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Geoffrey A. Moore"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "technology marketing",
        "market adoption",
        "product adoption"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "insight-into-images-7f1da6",
      "title": "Insight into Images",
      "author": "T. S. Yoo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 858952,
          "author": "monk_the_dog",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-03T17:38:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 858824,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Image recognition books and resources",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=858952",
          "commentText": "Here's my list:\nFor a general introduction:\n* \"Digital Image Processing\" by Gonzalez and Woods\n* \"Image Processing, Analysis, and Machine Vision\" by Sonka, Hlavac, and Boyle\nAfter you learn the basics, some more advanced and specialized books I'd recommend:\n* \"Morphological Image Analysis\" by Soille.\n* \"Insight into Images\" by Yoo (explains many of the algorithms in the ITK library).\nI hesitate to recommend this book because it is so dated (1992), but I refer to \"Computer and Robot Vision\" by Haralick and Shapiro quite often.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Insight into Images\" by Yoo",
          "reason": "The commenter says it explains many algorithms in the ITK library and lists it among advanced, specialized books.",
          "audience": "Readers who have learned the basics and want a specialized resource.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "T. S. Yoo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer vision",
        "itk",
        "medical image processing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "insistence-of-vision-3db931",
      "title": "Insistence of Vision",
      "author": "David Brin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13240161,
          "author": "Freak_NL",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T20:35:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13240161",
          "commentText": "I've read all six novels of David Brin's Uplift trilogies this past year. If you enjoy sci-fi written with a sound grasp of ecological issues and an intriguing take on galactic society, have a look at these books.\nAlso, dolphins in space.\nIf you are unfamiliar with this author, you may remember him from his essay on a particular persistent trope in sci-fi writing linked on HN:\nhttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13040930\nI enjoyed the Uplift series (written in the eighties and nineties) a lot, and was pleasantly surprised to learn of a short story bundle that came out just this year. It includes a novelette that takes place in the Uplift universe, wrapping up some loose ends.\nThe story bundle is named Insistence of Vision, named for the opening story. The name is indubitably a nod to John Varley's (sublime!) short story The Persistence of Vision (also the name of the story bundle it is collected in, recommended for any sci-fi fan). I always find short sci-fi stories refreshing in that they provide a chance to explore more radical ideas and settings that would be hard to facilitate in longer works. Brin is one of those authors who succeeds in titillating the reader's imagination with interesting what-ifs and extrapolations without feeling contrived. Recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The story bundle is named Insistence of Vision, named for the opening story.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls Brin's writing successful at sparking the imagination and concludes “Recommended.”",
          "audience": "Science fiction readers interested in short stories and speculative ideas.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Brin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories",
        "speculative ideas"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "inspired-how-to-create-products-customers-love-18205e",
      "title": "Inspired: How To Create Products Customers Love",
      "author": "Marty Cagan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21802665,
          "author": "rakamotog",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T12:56:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21802665",
          "commentText": "Books I bought in 2019\n1) Creativity Inc\n2) Competing Against Luck: The Story of Innovation and Customer Choice\n3) Start With Why\n4) Inspired: How to Create Products Customers Love\n5)  The Hard Thing about Hard Thing: Building a Business When There are No Easy Answers\nI only managed to finish ~50% of my planned reading in 2019",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Inspired: How to Create Products Customers Love",
          "reason": "Included among books bought in 2019; no evaluation stated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Buying the book is not an endorsement.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229635,
          "author": "toumhi",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T14:51:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229635",
          "commentText": "Self-help/personal development/philosophy:\n- The obstacle is the way (Ryan Holiday)\n- Meditations (Marcus Aurelius)\n- Level up your life: how to unlock adventure and happiness by becoming the hero of your own story\n- the six pillars of self-esteem\n- so good they can’t ignore you\n- the power of habit\n- how to fail at almost everything and still win big\nBusiness:\n- soft sell: the new art of selling\n- essentialism: the disciplined pursuit of less\n- the magic of thinking big\n- everything is negotiable\n- making things happen\n- lean customer development\n- what customers want\n- inspired: how to create products customers love\n- delivering happiness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "inspired: how to create products customers love",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968252,
          "author": "hemaljshah",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:12:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968252",
          "commentText": "Just finished \"Contagious: Why Things Catch On\" which is great for understanding the triggers you can build into your product to build an inbound gravitational pull for potential and current customers.\nNow I'm about to tackle \"Inspired: How To Create Products Customers Love\"",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Now I'm about to tackle \"Inspired: How To Create Products Customers Love\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marty Cagan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "product management",
        "product design",
        "software products"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "institutes-of-the-christian-religion-952a2d",
      "title": "Institutes of the Christian Religion",
      "author": "John Calvin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41236680,
          "author": "warrenm",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-13T15:58:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41236680",
          "commentText": "Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin\nRegardless of whether you are Protestant or not (or religious or not) - understanding the theological philosophy of one of the great thinkers of the Protestant Reformation is a wonderful addition to your own mental maps fo the world at large",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Institutes of the Christian Religion by John Calvin",
          "reason": "Recommended for understanding the theological philosophy of a major Protestant Reformation thinker.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in understanding Protestant theology, regardless of their own beliefs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Calvin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian theology",
        "protestant reformation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "integral-life-practice-77b45f",
      "title": "Integral Life Practice",
      "author": "Ken Wilber, Terry Patten, Adam Leonard, and Marco Morelli",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36432000,
          "author": "sublatio",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T13:39:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36432000",
          "commentText": "Integral Life Practice by Wilber, Patten, et al. I’ve gone on to read more of Wilber, but this was the one that made Wilber’s approach finally click for me. AQAL provided a framework for understanding how various practices, disciplines, and interests I have can be mutually supportive. Career, family life, physical exercise, spiritual practice .. nothing need be left out. Similarly, the idea of the Three Faces of God/Spirit helped me see the same about the various spiritual traditions I’ve benefited from.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Integral Life Practice by Wilber, Patten, et al.",
          "reason": "It made Wilber's approach click and offered a framework for seeing how the commenter's practices and interests support one another.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ken Wilber",
        "Terry Patten",
        "Adam Leonard",
        "Marco Morelli"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "integral theory",
        "personal development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "intel-threading-building-blocks-outfitting-c-for-multi-core-proce-73467d",
      "title": "Intel Threading Building Blocks: Outfitting C++ for Multi-Core Processor Parallelism",
      "author": "James Reinders",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7765865,
          "author": "dkersten",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-19T05:40:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7765865",
          "commentText": "The only ones I can think of off-hand are these two. The second one isn't really about parallel/concurrent/distributed programming per se, but rather about using Intels Threading Building Blocks - good book if that's what you want to do, but not very useful if not. The first book is interesting and covers a lot of ground (covering general techniques and algorithms as well as specific implementations with OpenMP, MPI and Java's facilities), but I liked Art of multiprocessor programming more, probably because it has a more beginner friendly teach everything from the very beginning approach.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Patterns-Parallel-Programming-Timothy-... (http://www.amazon.com/Patterns-Parallel-Programming-Timothy-Mattson/dp/0321228111/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1400477708&sr=8-1&keywords=patterns+of+parallel+programming)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Intel-Threading-Building-Blocks-Parall... (http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Threading-Building-Blocks-Parallelism/dp/0596514808/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1400477796&sr=1-1&keywords=intel+threading+building+blocks)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "good book if that's what you want to do, but not very useful if not.",
          "reason": "Useful for readers who want to work with Intel Threading Building Blocks.",
          "audience": "Readers who want to use Intel Threading Building Blocks",
          "caveat": "Not very useful if that is not your goal.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Reinders"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c",
        "intel tbb",
        "parallel programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "intellectuals-409f50",
      "title": "Intellectuals",
      "author": "Paul Johnson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40297638,
          "author": "unraveller",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-08T13:02:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40297638",
          "commentText": "Jacques Barzun - From Dawn to Decadence: 500 Years of Western Cultural Life 1500 to the Present (2001)\nThe Ancient City by Numa Denis Fustel de Coulanges (1864)\nIntellectuals By Paul Johnson\nDaniel J. Boorstin - The Discoverers\nThe Great Courses - The Industrial Revolution (audiobook/lectures)\nDecline of the West - Spengler",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Intellectuals By Paul Johnson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968377,
          "author": "swah",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:41:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968377",
          "commentText": "The Art of Thinking Clearly, Write Portable Code by Brian Hook, Thomas Mann's The magic mountain, The mythical man month, Intellectuals by Paul Johnson and Hegemony and Socialist Strategy, by Ernesto Laclau are on my table right now.\nBut I don't think reading many books in parallel is a good strategy...",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Intellectuals by Paul Johnson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Johnson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "intellectual biography",
        "intellectual history"
      ],
      "purposes": []
    },
    {
      "id": "intelligence-and-war-d68e92",
      "title": "Intelligence and War",
      "author": "John Keegan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 457944,
          "author": "uuilly",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-30T10:15:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=457944",
          "commentText": "I've been waiting years for someone to ask this question :)\nWishlited this last night on amazon:\nCarnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise to Western Power by Victor Davis Hanson\nHave read these and enjoyed these:\nGeneral Warfare theory:\nHistory of Warfare by Keegan\nIntel:\nIntelligence and War by Keegan\nCounterinsurgency:\n\"Ghost Wars\" by Steve Coll.  For a really enjoyable experience read \"The Great Game\"  by Hopkirk first.\nThe Civil War deserves it's own category. Watch the PBS dvds, actually buy them.  If you're hungry for more dig into \"The Civil War\" by Shelby Foote is hefty but it's satisfying.\n1776 is a classic.\n\"Blind mans bluff\" is a great book about submarine warfare.\nFor more current stuff Robert Kagan is probably the most informed pundit on war and military strategy.\nWW-II\n\"The Last Lion\" books 1 and 2 are about Churchill and they involve lots of military strategy.  You should also check out \"The gathering storm + the other six books Churchill wrote on WWII.\nMan I could go on forever.  I have \"Panzer General\" and \"Caesar's Conquest of Gaul\" on my nightstand...\nEnjoy...\nPS:  Once you're well versed you'll hear people referring to Clauswitz a lot.  When you're sick of hearing his name and you want more than the wikipedia entry go read \"On War.\"  Art of War goes w/o saying as well...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Intel:\nIntelligence and War by Keegan",
          "reason": "Included under books the commenter says they read and enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Keegan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military intelligence",
        "warfare"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "intel-64-and-ia-32-architectures-optimization-reference-manual-7416db",
      "title": "Intel® 64 and IA-32 Architectures Optimization Reference Manual",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40113591,
          "author": "dragontamer",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-22T12:12:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 40104823,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books/resources to understand modern Assembler?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40113591",
          "commentText": "> as well as to write high performance low-level code\nThis is different. I would suggest \"Intel® 64 and IA-32 Architectures Optimization Reference Manual\", as well as https://www.agner.org/optimize/ .",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Intel® 64 and IA-32 Architectures Optimization Reference Manual\"",
          "reason": "Suggested for learning high performance low-level code.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "intel architecture",
        "x86 optimization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "intensive-science-virtual-philosophy-aee1f9",
      "title": "Intensive Science & Virtual Philosophy",
      "author": "Manuel DeLanda",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2920747,
          "author": "tedkimble",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-24T14:16:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 2919368,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have changed the way you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2920747",
          "commentText": "Manuel DeLanda - Intensive Science & Virtual Philosophy\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Intensive-Science-Virtual-Philosophy-C... (http://www.amazon.com/Intensive-Science-Virtual-Philosophy-Continuum/dp/0826479324)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Manuel DeLanda - Intensive Science & Virtual Philosophy",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed how people think.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Manuel DeLanda"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "philosophy of science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "interaction-ritual-2f1c3f",
      "title": "Interaction Ritual",
      "author": "Erving Goffman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10785476,
          "author": "ThrustVectoring",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:31:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785476",
          "commentText": "Books I'm glad I've read:\nThe Inner Game of Tennis\nImpro by Keith Johnstone\nSeeing Like a State\nThe Timeless Way of Building\nLinear and Geometric Algebra by Alan Macdonald\nMeditations by Marcus Aurelius (read this one thrice)\nThe Tao of Pooh\nScience, Strategy and War: The Strategic Theory of John Boyd\nThe Drama of the Gifted Child\nInteraction Ritual\nWhat Do You Say After You Say Hello?\nOf niche use:\nMathematics: its Content, Methods and Meaning - mostly useful for figuring out what math you don't know. I recommend reading it at a fairly decent pace, and noting what subjects don't sound like an overview of something you've already learned.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Interaction Ritual",
          "reason": "Included under “Books I'm glad I've read.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Erving Goffman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "microsociology",
        "social interaction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "interactive-data-visualization-for-the-web-c2dec5",
      "title": "Interactive Data Visualization for the Web",
      "author": "Scott Murray",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8795332,
          "author": "autokad",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T03:36:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795332",
          "commentText": "let me know if you guys find better replacements, but this is what I got on my list:\nO'Reilly - Scott Murray - Interactive Data Visualization for the Web\nData Visualization with D3.js Cookbook\nA First Course in Probability\nRails AntiPatterns - Best Practice Ruby on Rails Refactoring\nBayesian Data Analysis Andrew Gelma\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nCode Complete\nBishop - Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning\nO'Reilly Mining The Social Web",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "O'Reilly - Scott Murray - Interactive Data Visualization for the Web",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Murray"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "d3 js",
        "data visualization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "intercom-on-sales-a5f9dd",
      "title": "Intercom on Sales",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41702324,
          "author": "petalmind",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-30T21:26:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 41693844,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good essays/books/advice about software sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41702324",
          "commentText": "Intercom on Sales: https://www.intercom.com/resources/books/b2b-sales\n+The Sales Handbook: https://www.intercom.com/resources/books/sales-handbook",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Intercom on Sales",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "b2b sales"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "intercom-on-sales-5dfc6c",
      "title": "Intercom on Sales",
      "author": "Intercom",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41704924,
          "author": "nikasakana",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-01T05:43:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 41693844,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good essays/books/advice about software sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41704924",
          "commentText": "Great resources!\nThanks so much for sharing!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great resources! Thanks so much for sharing!",
          "reason": "Calls the shared resources great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Intercom"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "b2b sales",
        "software sales"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "interconnections-39604e",
      "title": "Interconnections",
      "author": "Radia Perlman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26005359,
          "author": "kvhdude",
          "createdAt": "2021-02-02T19:24:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 25987664,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommended books and papers on distributed systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26005359",
          "commentText": "In addition, learning how various internet protocols (esp routing) are designed and historically evolved would be a good idea. Interconnections by radia perlman interconnections would be a start.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Interconnections by radia perlman interconnections would be a start.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a starting point for learning about internet protocols and their history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Radia Perlman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "internet protocols",
        "network routing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "interconnections-bridges-routers-switches-and-internetworking-pro-480986",
      "title": "Interconnections: Bridges, Routers, Switches, and Internetworking Protocols",
      "author": "Radia Perlman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2415325,
          "author": "cmeiklejohn",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T15:00:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2415325",
          "commentText": "For networks, I would recommend Interconnections - Perlman.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For networks, I would recommend Interconnections - Perlman.",
          "reason": "Recommends the book for learning about networks.",
          "audience": "People studying computer networks.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Radia Perlman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer networks",
        "network protocols"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "interneting-is-hard-7da2e3",
      "title": "Interneting Is Hard",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37329305,
          "author": "lastofus",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-30T21:19:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 37325594,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books to learn web development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37329305",
          "commentText": "One of my favorite free online books is https://internetingishard.netlify.app/\nIt does a great job at explaining intermediate/advanced caveats and gotchas along the way.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One of my favorite free online books is https://internetingishard.netlify.app/",
          "reason": "Calls it a favorite free online book and says it explains intermediate and advanced caveats and gotchas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "interviews-with-francis-bacon-6e714c",
      "title": "Interviews with Francis Bacon",
      "author": "David Sylvester",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25319088,
          "author": "fluxic",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T22:36:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319088",
          "commentText": "Editing: Editor of Genius by A. Scott Berg\n>>> Max Perkins was the editor of Hemingway, Thomas Wolfe, F Scott Fitzgerald, and other famous 20th century writers. Great, great, book.\nBartending: Cosmopolitan by Toby Cecchini\n>>> Very well-written memoir of a bartender in New York in the late 1980s. He invented the Cosmo in NYC while working at the Odeon — on a lark, without thinking much of it. The drink took off, but I think he's still a working bartender in NYC.\nCooking: Kitchen Confidential by Bourdain\nPainting: Interviews with Francis Bacon by David Sylvester\nMusic: Meet me in the Bathroom by Lizzy Goodman\nTech: Chaos Monkeys by AGM\nAnd seconding swyx's recommendations for all things Michael Lewis, who can spin a good yarn about any profession — whether it's baseball managers, junk bond salesmen, or high frequency traders, etc.\nI've also picked up lots of good recommendations from this thread https://ask.metafilter.com/243036/Recommend-a-nonfiction-aut... (https://ask.metafilter.com/243036/Recommend-a-nonfiction-author-who-has-a-style-like-Anthony-Bourdain) (I, too, like \"insidery\" type business books. I'm currently reading \"The Emperor of Scent\" about the world of perfume and it's pretty good! Also looking forward to reading \"Ninety Percent of Everything\" about the shipping industry.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Painting: Interviews with Francis Bacon by David Sylvester",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Sylvester"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "interviews",
        "painting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "into-the-cool-b57e6b",
      "title": "Into the Cool",
      "author": "Eric D. Schneider and Dorion Sagan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14747745,
          "author": "FiatLuxDave",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T20:26:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14747745",
          "commentText": "I love the idea of looking for overlooked gems.  Here are a few of mine:\nInfinite in All Directions, Freeman Dyson : just a book of his thoughts, but I really appreciated his perspective on respect between religion/spirituality and science.\nIgnition! An informal history of liquid rocket propellants, J.D. Clark : I picked up a copy of this in a roadside bookstore on a lark. Entertaining tales of people blowing themselves up in the name of science.\nApollo 11 Press kit : My grandmother was a journalist for Florida Today during the space race, and she gave me her copy.  It is amazing to see how much detail was provided.  I don't know if our modern press ever gets press kits like these, but it was not dumbed-down much at all, which was very nice to see.\nThe Adventures of Samurai Cat, Mark Rogers : Silly fun. \n Kind of like if Bored of the Rings had been written by Jerry Bruckheimer and Spider Jerusalem.\nInto the cool, Sagan and Schnieder : about complexity and thermodynamics. Written for a layperson, I still learned a lot from it.\nOrder out of Chaos, Prigogine and Stengers : More thermo, also written for lay audience, also learned a lot from it.\nControlled Thermonuclear Reactions, L. Artsimovich : Of all the plasma physics books I have read (many) this is the one I remember most. Rather out-of-date now, it contains loads of information about the early Soviet fusion program, with pictures and discussion of now-forgotten experiments.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Written for a layperson, I still learned a lot from it.",
          "reason": "The commenter learned a lot from this layperson-oriented book about complexity and thermodynamics.",
          "audience": "Lay readers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric D. Schneider and Dorion Sagan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "complexity science",
        "thermodynamics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "into-the-cool-energy-flow-thermodynamics-and-life-a4e64b",
      "title": "Into the Cool: Energy Flow, Thermodynamics, and Life",
      "author": "Eric D. Schneider and Dorion Sagan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19088570,
          "author": "sinkpoint",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T19:04:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19088570",
          "commentText": "\"Debt: The first 5000 years\" completely changed the way I view money, society, and relationships.\n\"The selfish gene\" changed the way I define life, opened my eyes to virtual life, and morality of selfishness vs. altruism.\n\"Into the Cool: Energy Flow, Thermodynamics, and Life\" changed the way I view the life and material existence. Whereas before I viewed them as two separate domains, after I see them as a spectrum.\nChinese classic taoism treaties: \"Dao De Jing\", and \"Zhuan Zi\", offers a via-negativa way of thinking and view of existence, the values are beyond words.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Into the Cool: Energy Flow, Thermodynamics, and Life\" changed the way I view the life and material existence.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book changed how they view life and material existence.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric D. Schneider and Dorion Sagan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "energy flow",
        "origin of life",
        "thermodynamics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "into-the-silent-land-7496ee",
      "title": "Into the Silent Land",
      "author": "Martin Laird",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31968871,
          "author": "bmj",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T16:25:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31968871",
          "commentText": "This has been a year of re-reading for me, so this is a timely question.  I can't pick just one at the moment, but I'll split a couple of top choices via genre.  (Also worth noting that in the end, my final choice would probably be the Bible.)\nFiction:\nThe Heart Is a Lonely Hunter - Carson McCullers\nAngle of Repose - Wallace Stegner\nNon-fiction:\nIn Good Company - Stanley Hauerwas\nInto the Silent Land - Martin Laird",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Into the Silent Land - Martin Laird",
          "reason": "Listed as a nonfiction choice for rereading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter cannot pick just one at the moment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin Laird"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian spirituality",
        "contemplative prayer"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "intrepid-saga-851213",
      "title": "Intrepid Saga",
      "author": "M. D. Cooper",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17538451,
          "author": "facorreia",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T02:57:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17538451",
          "commentText": "I heartily recommend Destiny Rising[1] by M. D. Cooper -- free on Kindle Unlimited. It's the first 2 books of the \"Intrepid Saga\", which in turn is part of a growing collection of series in the \"Aeon 14\" universe[2]. It's really fun and also engrossing.\nSome of the related series, like \"Perseus Gate\"[3] are hilarious. All of these stories have a lighthearted tone and have great character development. They are based on \"hard\" sci-fi (i.e. plausible inventions) and touch on deeper topics like the meaning of sentience, and of freedom, but they never get heavy.\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/Destiny-Rising-Military-Space-Intrepi... (https://www.amazon.com/Destiny-Rising-Military-Space-Intrepid-ebook/dp/B06VXRKKNP)\n[2] http://www.aeon14.com\n[3] http://www.aeon14.com/series/perseus-gate-season-1-orion-spa... (http://www.aeon14.com/series/perseus-gate-season-1-orion-space)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's the first 2 books of the \"Intrepid Saga\"",
          "reason": "Identifies the book as the beginning of this saga.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "M. D. Cooper"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military science fiction",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-algorithms-23e227",
      "title": "Introduction to Algorithms",
      "author": "Udi Manber",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22711267,
          "author": "pjbk",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T14:19:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22711267",
          "commentText": "Since these have not been mentioned already:\n* Brian Bagnall trilogy on the history of Commodore/Amiga: http://variantpress.com\n* Severo Ornstein's \"Computing in the Middle Ages\", about how it used to be a professional programmer back in the early days. You can find his CHM oral history interview at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q243lfVdQ9E.\n* \"Stan Veit's History of the Personal Computer\". A candid view about how the PC industry unfolded.\n* \"Introduction to Algorithms\" by Udi Manber. IMHO one of the best books about how to approach problems with a programmer's mindset.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Introduction to Algorithms\" by Udi Manber. IMHO one of the best books about how to approach problems with a programmer's mindset.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for learning to approach problems with a programmer's mindset.",
          "audience": "Programmers interested in algorithms and problem solving.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Udi Manber"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "problem solving"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-algorithms-d4b10a",
      "title": "Introduction to Algorithms",
      "author": "Sanjeev Arora; Boaz Barak; Vijay Vazirani",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2414494,
          "author": "kamechan",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T09:50:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414494",
          "commentText": "i'd probably put some kind of ordering on these.\nstart with algorithm analysis and basic data structures etc in CLRS. (ch 3,4,10,11,12) and then go back and fill in the more advanced concepts. dasgupta, papadimitriou, vazirani is good too http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~vazirani/algorithms.html\nfor the compilers book, it's necessary to go through the assembly, and some of sipser (need DFA/NFA/context free grammars), as well as structure and interpretation of computer programs.\nOS could come after the algorithms and preferably after assembly but before the compilers book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "dasgupta, papadimitriou, vazirani is good too",
          "reason": "Calls the Dasgupta, Papadimitriou, and Vazirani algorithms book good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sanjeev Arora; Boaz Barak; Vijay Vazirani"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithm analysis",
        "algorithms"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-algorithms-1ad818",
      "title": "Introduction to Algorithms",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20752285,
          "author": "resouer",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-20T21:19:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20752285",
          "commentText": "ditto, it's an awesome book but kinda theoretical, I'd suggest to read and digest it slowly after you got a great job, not before.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it's an awesome book but kinda theoretical",
          "reason": "Calls the book awesome while advising the reader to digest it slowly after getting a great job.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Kinda theoretical; suggests reading it slowly after getting a great job.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20752282,
          "author": "resouer",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-20T21:18:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20752282",
          "commentText": "It's an awesome book but kinda theoretical, I'd suggest to read and digest it slowly after you got a great job, not before.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's an awesome book but kinda theoretical",
          "reason": "Calls the book awesome while advising the reader to digest it slowly after getting a great job.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Kinda theoretical; suggests reading it slowly after getting a great job.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20736146,
          "author": "sbmthakur",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-19T09:09:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20736146",
          "commentText": "Why not \"Introduction to Algorithms\"?",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Why not \"Introduction to Algorithms\"?",
          "reason": "Raises the book as a possible alternative in response to the previous comment's warning.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithm analysis",
        "algorithms"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-analysis-a8cb63",
      "title": "Introduction to Analysis",
      "author": "William R. Wade",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7582391,
          "author": "caraboga",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-13T18:46:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7582391",
          "commentText": "Wade's an easier book that has more undergraduate aids.  \nhttp://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Analysis-Edition-William-... (http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Analysis-Edition-William-Wade/dp/0132296381)\nI also like Strang for Linear Algebra for undergrads.  Beyond that it's Hoffman and Kunze.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wade's an easier book that has more undergraduate aids.",
          "reason": "Describes it as easier and more supportive for undergraduates.",
          "audience": "Undergraduate students.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William R. Wade"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "real analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-calculus-and-analysis-f17d36",
      "title": "Introduction to Calculus and Analysis",
      "author": "Richard Courant and Fritz John",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30489200,
          "author": "sunny3",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T15:20:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30489200",
          "commentText": "Introduction to Calculus and Analysis, by Richard Courant and Fritz John. This book clearly explained many of the motivating examples of the concepts in Calculus, which was important to me as a beginning student. Too many times I read math textbooks that simply present a list of definitions, theorems, corollaries, and whatnot, failing to guide readers from one point to another. I agree that for advanced level of math, there're probably no good motivations or 'storyline' that weave these constructs together (they're purely symbolic); however, for a layman level, I feel it's crucial to at least make the readers understand why and how these concepts come to be, so that they can grasp at least a little bit of the 'logic' of math.\nSimilarly, Analysis I by Terence Tao has a 'Why do analysis' that has made me actually enjoy analysis.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Introduction to Calculus and Analysis, by Richard Courant and Fritz John. This book clearly explained many of the motivating examples of the concepts in Calculus",
          "reason": "Values its explanations of the motivation behind calculus concepts for beginning learners.",
          "audience": "Beginning calculus students.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Courant",
        "Fritz John"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "calculus",
        "mathematical analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-calculus-and-analysis-volumes-i-iia-and-iib-0efd51",
      "title": "Introduction to Calculus and Analysis, Volumes I, IIA, and IIB",
      "author": "Richard Courant and Fritz John",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21350454,
          "author": "Mugwort",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-25T00:07:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21350454",
          "commentText": "There are some really good suggestions here.  I would like to add that learning calculus properly is of the utmost importance.  It's no exaggeration when I say that this is unquestionably the single best, most profitable action you can take.  Any one of these books can change your life.\n1. Spivak Calculus\n2. Apostol Calculus vol. I and II\n3.  Courant and Johns, Introduction to Calculus and Analysis vol. I, IIA and IIB\nFor the more casual computer science or physics major, I'd go with choice 3 which resembles the Feynmann lectures the most. All the rigour of the other two is there but in a more digestible form.  It's hard for someone not accustomed to hard maths to digest long proofs, it could give you a bad case of indigestion.  It's more a function of patience.  Courant and Johns get to the point much more quickly while Spivak and Apostol take their time to do everything thoroughly.  Courant and Johns does do everything thoroughly but they are kinder to the reader and delay lengthy rigoourous proofs as long as possible while giving plenty of motivation and intuition.\nAlso I strongly recommend any books by Ray Smullyan particularly his introduction to mathematical logic.\n\"A Beginner's Guide to Mathematical Logic\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "3. Courant and Johns, Introduction to Calculus and Analysis vol. I, IIA and IIB",
          "reason": "Recommends this choice for casual computer science or physics majors, calling it more digestible and closer to the Feynman lectures.",
          "audience": "Casual computer science or physics majors.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the other options take their time and are more rigorous.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Courant",
        "Fritz John"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "calculus",
        "mathematical analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-computing-d38421",
      "title": "Introduction to Computing",
      "author": "David Evans",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26836643,
          "author": "dmux",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-16T17:21:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 26833319,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book for software engineers (besides the well-known ones)?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26836643",
          "commentText": "Oddly enough, three of my favorites are all written by Davids.\n1. \"Object Thinking\" by David West (http://davewest.us/product/object-thinking/)\n2. \"Introduction to Computing\" by David Evans (free PDF available: https://computingbook.org/)\n3. \"Data Model Patterns: Conventions of Thought\" by David Hay (https://www.amazon.com/Data-Model-Patterns-David-Hay/dp/0932... (https://www.amazon.com/Data-Model-Patterns-David-Hay/dp/0932633749)). He also gives a great talk about this here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLFXewSpltw",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Introduction to Computing\" by David Evans",
          "reason": "One of the commenter's favorites.",
          "audience": "Software engineers",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Evans"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer science education"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-counting-and-probability-682344",
      "title": "Introduction to Counting and Probability",
      "author": "David Patrick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23727502,
          "author": "montalbano",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T20:51:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23727502",
          "commentText": "Spivak is an excellent choice but may be too advanced depending on his level. I would also strongly recommend any of the books in the Art of Problem Solving series:\nhttps://artofproblemsolving.com/store/list/aops-curriculum\nI've got a PhD in bioengineering but I'm currently going through Introduction to Counting and Probability and I'm really enjoying it.\nSome others (not AOPS series):\nNelsen - Proofs Without Words\nPolya - How to Solve it\nStrogatz - Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm currently going through Introduction to Counting and Probability and I'm really enjoying it.",
          "reason": "Says they are currently reading and enjoying this title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Patrick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "combinatorics",
        "probability"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-data-mining-3f2b8f",
      "title": "Introduction to Data Mining",
      "author": "Pang-Ning Tan, Michael Steinbach, and Vipin Kumar",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 79627,
          "author": "mriley",
          "createdAt": "2007-11-14T02:45:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 79359,
          "threadTitle": "Can anyone recommend good books, articles or essays that introduce machine learning?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=79627",
          "commentText": "I didn't particularly like the WEKA book, but Bishop's book is excellent. \nIf you're interested in introductory data mining stuff, I would recommend Tan's Introduction to Data Mining: http://www-users.cs.umn.edu/~kumar/dmbook/index.php",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend Tan's Introduction to Data Mining",
          "reason": "Recommended for introductory data mining material.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in introductory data mining.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pang-Ning Tan, Michael Steinbach, and Vipin Kumar"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data mining",
        "machine learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-formal-languages-and-automata-40d0dd",
      "title": "Introduction to Formal Languages and Automata",
      "author": "Peter Linz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20732314,
          "author": "seagullz",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T19:35:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20732314",
          "commentText": "Jeff Erickson's Algorithms text is a great resource: http://jeffe.cs.illinois.edu/teaching/algorithms/\nThe entire book -- including the portions labeled Models of Computation, Director's cut, and Extended Dance Remix -- presents accessible introduction to much of the CS theory landscape.\nSomeone already praised the shorter book titled \"Algorithms\" by Dasgupta et al, and I second it. Tim Roughgarden's \"Algorithms Illuminated\" series is in this genre too.\nI'd also recommend the MIT lecture notes on Mathematics for CS: https://courses.csail.mit.edu/6.042/spring18/mcs.pdf  \nThis is distinctive for its intuitive explanations with essential, approachable formalism. The exercises are fine too, if you are really mean it.\nSipser's book on the Theory of Computation is great and the one by Hopcroft et al is also very good (as suggested by others). But the most beginner-friendly (or, light on math) coverage of this area is apparently in Peter Linz's book \"Introduction to Formal Languages and Automata\".\nAn alternative flavor in the treatment of much of the same topics is in this free book: http://cs.brown.edu/people/jsavage/book/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Peter Linz's book \"Introduction to Formal Languages and Automata\".",
          "reason": "Described as the most beginner-friendly and light on math among the options discussed.",
          "audience": "Beginners seeking a lighter introduction to formal languages and automata.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says this assessment is apparently so.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Linz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "automata theory",
        "formal languages"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-functional-programming-d7e363",
      "title": "Introduction to Functional Programming",
      "author": "Richard Bird and Philip Wadler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7767502,
          "author": "fredyr",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-19T14:16:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7767502",
          "commentText": "Richard Bird, Philip Wadler - Introduction to Functional Programming\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Functional-Programming-In... (http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Functional-Programming-International-Computing/dp/0134841891)\nRichard Bird - Pearls of Functional Algorithm Design\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Pearls-Functional-Algorithm-Design-Ric... (http://www.amazon.com/Pearls-Functional-Algorithm-Design-Richard/dp/0521513383)\nChristian Queinnec - Lisp in Small Pieces\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Lisp-Small-Pieces-Christian-Queinnec/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Lisp-Small-Pieces-Christian-Queinnec/dp/0521545668)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Richard Bird, Philip Wadler - Introduction to Functional Programming",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Bird and Philip Wadler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "functional programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-functional-programming-5b01bf",
      "title": "Introduction to Functional Programming",
      "author": "Richard Bird",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14491946,
          "author": "leozhang",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T20:57:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14491946",
          "commentText": "Introduction to functional programming 1st edition by Richard Bird",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Introduction to functional programming 1st edition by Richard Bird",
          "reason": "Named in response to a request for language-agnostic programming books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Bird"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "functional programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-geometry-00bcdb",
      "title": "Introduction to Geometry",
      "author": "H. S. M. Coxeter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21352608,
          "author": "enriquto",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-25T07:05:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21352608",
          "commentText": "All the books cited here by Arnold, Spivak, and Lanczos are extraordinarily good.\nNobody has mentioned yet \"Geometry and the Imagination\" by Hilbert and Cohn-Vossen.  If there is a Feynman equivalent in math it is certainly this book.\nFor elementary geometry, the Feynman equivalent is probably \"Introduction to Geometry\", by H.S.M.Coxeter.  Beautifully written, figures on every page, covers all geometric topics (affine, projective, ordered, differential, ...)\nFor differential geometry, nothing beats \"A Panoramic view of Differential Geometry\" by Berger.  It is a stunning comprehensive overview of the whole field, focused on the meaning and the applications of each part and, strangely for a math book, with no formal proofs.  Only the main ideas of the proof and the relationships between them are given, but this allows to fit the whole subject into a single, manageable whole.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Introduction to Geometry\", by H.S.M.Coxeter. Beautifully written, figures on every page",
          "reason": "Praised for its writing and illustrations, and recommended as a Feynman equivalent for elementary geometry.",
          "audience": "Readers studying elementary geometry.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "H. S. M. Coxeter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "elementary geometry",
        "geometry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-graph-theory-25ba12",
      "title": "Introduction to Graph Theory",
      "author": "Richard J. Trudeau",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21346474,
          "author": "bgutierrez",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T16:55:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21346474",
          "commentText": "Prelude to Mathematics by W.W. Sawyer was written to give students an overview of modern math concepts beyond algebra. Topics include non-euclidian geometry, linear algebra, projective geometry and group theory. Again, for someone with an understanding of algebra. I enjoyed it and think it's in the spirit of what you're looking for.\nEdit: Introduction to Graph Theory by Trudeau is another that I really liked. Very little was applicable to graphs as programmers think of them. Pure math that is easy to grasp and enjoy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Introduction to Graph Theory by Trudeau is another that I really liked.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really liked it and found it easy to grasp and enjoy.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in approachable pure mathematics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says little applies to graphs as programmers think of them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard J. Trudeau"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "graph theory",
        "pure mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-graph-theory-17b79f",
      "title": "Introduction to Graph Theory",
      "author": "C. T. (Robin) J. Trudeau",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21346908,
          "author": "agentultra",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T17:26:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21346908",
          "commentText": "I came to add add Introduction to Graph Theory and found it here. I second it! A nice book and I appreciate it's funny introduction as a book designed for liberal arts majors injured by the pedagogy of institutional mathematics (paraphrasing).\nIf you have a grasp of algebra and sets this book is an easy read for the curious or mathematically immature.\nEdit WhatIsDukkha is correct and their suggestion better reflects what I intended to say.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I second it! A nice book",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly seconds the book recommendation and calls it nice.",
          "audience": "Readers with a grasp of algebra and sets; curious readers.",
          "caveat": "Described as an easy read for the mathematically immature.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "C. T. (Robin) J. Trudeau"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "graph theory",
        "mathematics for liberal arts"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-information-retrieval-2a9584",
      "title": "Introduction to Information Retrieval",
      "author": "Christopher D. Manning, Prabhakar Raghavan, and Hinrich Schütze",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8257643,
          "author": "tyleregeto",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T14:11:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257643",
          "commentText": "Code: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software http://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/B008PGKDOO\nThis is one of the most enjoyable reads I have had in a long time, definitely recommended.\nIntroduction to Information Retrieval http://nlp.stanford.edu/IR-book/\nThis is a free digital book, very good so far.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "This is a free digital book, very good so far.",
          "reason": "Says the book is very good so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The evaluation is based on reading it so far.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher D. Manning, Prabhakar Raghavan, and Hinrich Schütze"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "information retrieval",
        "search engines"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-information-retrieval-36ef07",
      "title": "Introduction to Information Retrieval",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9612744,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T17:01:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9612744",
          "commentText": "The Law - Frédéric Bastiat. http://bastiat.org/en/the_law.html\nCapitalism - A Treatise on Economics - George Reisman.  http://www.capitalism.net/Capitalism/CAPITALISM_Internet.pdf\nThe Works of Lysander Spooner.  http://lysanderspooner.org/node/2\nThe Machinery of Freedom David Friedman. - http://daviddfriedman.com/The_Machinery_of_Freedom_.pdf\nDemocratizing Innovation - Eric Von Hippel. http://web.mit.edu/evhippel/www/democ1.htm\nThe Sources of Innovation - Eric Von Hippel. http://web.mit.edu/evhippel/www/sources.htm\nIntroduction to Information Retrieval - http://nlp.stanford.edu/IR-book/html/htmledition/irbook.html\nInformation Theory, Inference, and Learning Algorithms - David MacKay.  http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/itprnn/book.html\nIntroduction to Cybernetics - William Ross Ashby. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/books/IntroCyb.pdf\n\"Man-Computer Symbiosis\" and \"The Computer As A Communication Device\" - J.C.R. Licklider. http://memex.org/licklider.pdf\nDesign For A Brain - William Ross Ashby. https://archive.org/details/designforbrainor00ashb\nThe Writings of Douglas Engelbart. http://www.dougengelbart.org/library/library.html\nand if you like maths, don't miss this great list of free maths texts by George Cain:  https://people.math.gatech.edu/~cain/textbooks/onlinebooks.h... (https://people.math.gatech.edu/~cain/textbooks/onlinebooks.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Introduction to Information Retrieval -",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "information retrieval",
        "search engines"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-logic-14e70f",
      "title": "Introduction to Logic",
      "author": "Irving M. Copi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30828547,
          "author": "billfruit",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T08:45:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30828547",
          "commentText": "Some books from a few different domains which may be of the type OP is asking for:\n1. The Trivium: The Liberal Arts of Logic, Grammar, and Rhetoric : Understanding the Nature and Function of Language by Sister Miriam Joseph.\n2. Introduction to Logic by Irving Copi.\n3. Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective by Randall Bryant and others.\n5. Prolog Programming by Ivan Bratko.\n6. Information Theory, Inference and Learning Algorithms by David MacKay\n7. Geometry by Brennan.\n8. Understanding Poetry by Robert Penn Warren and Cleanth Brookes",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Introduction to Logic by Irving Copi.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Irving M. Copi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "formal logic",
        "reasoning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-logic-a8cbbe",
      "title": "Introduction to Logic",
      "author": "H. W. B. Joseph",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 143268,
          "author": "gibsonf1",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T12:42:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143268",
          "commentText": "_Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology_, Ayn Rand\nThe \"Organon\" books by Aristotle\n_Introduction to Logic_, H. W. B. Joseph\n_An Invitation to Formal Reasoning_, Fred Sommers & George Englebretsen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "_Introduction to Logic_, H. W. B. Joseph",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "H. W. B. Joseph"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "formal logic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-logic-and-to-the-methodology-of-deductive-science-0246b0",
      "title": "Introduction to Logic: And to the Methodology of Deductive Sciences",
      "author": "Alfred Tarski",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23729290,
          "author": "scott_russell",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-04T01:44:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23729290",
          "commentText": "Introduction to Logic: And to the Methodology of Deductive Sciences, by Alfred Tarski. One of my favorite math books, which convinced to pursue an undergrad in math. Being an intro logic book it's completeley self-contained and may not not even feel like a math book, but yet a great intro into foundational stuff.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Introduction to Logic: And to the Methodology of Deductive Sciences, by Alfred Tarski.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it inspired them to pursue an undergraduate math degree and introduces foundational logic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Self-contained and may not feel like a math book.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alfred Tarski"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "deductive logic",
        "mathematical foundations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-mathematical-philosophy-2d47d3",
      "title": "Introduction to Mathematical Philosophy",
      "author": "Bertrand Russell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21902992,
          "author": "anaphor",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T00:48:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902992",
          "commentText": "Most of mine are going to be books by philosophers or scientists (about philosophy or other things).\n- The Conquest of Happiness by Bertrand Russell was a pretty good one. He has a lot of ideas that were ahead of their time (positive psychology, etc). You can see a lot of parallels between his ideas and modern Stoicism (although Russell criticized it elsewhere, I think he came to some of the same conclusions).\n- Introduction To Mathematical Philosophy by Bertrand Russell. Another Russell one. I think this is probably the clearest and easiest to understand explanation I've ever read of the underpinnings of mathematical foundations. It's written in a style that should be accessible to almost anyone with a high school education. He wrote it while he was in prison (for refusing to be drafted) during WW1. Apparently he left a copy of it to the prison warden.\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding by David Hume. This is worth reading because it is the motivation for basically all of modern philosophy of science (at least in the west). It's also pretty easy to read and if you read it you'll be able to more easily understand other books and papers that are responses to it.\n- Turing's Cathedral by George Dyson. This book should be required reading for every programmer or aspiring programmer IMO. I learned so much about the history of computing that I didn't know before reading this. You will not regret buying this one.\n- I Am A Strange Loop by Douglas Hofstadter. Obviously everyone knows about GEB, but he also wrote a shorter follow up that in my opinion expresses his ideas much more clearly. I think that even if you disagree with him, it's worth reading because there are so many things you can take away from this book. For example, he talks about his wife's death, and ties that into his theory of mind and explains the unstated purposes of why we have funerals/wakes for people.\n- An Introduction to Information Theory by John R. Pierce. For someone like me who doesn't really have a very strong math background, this was a very clear intro to the ideas behind information theory, and why they're important historically. I would recommend this to anyone who feels like they need a gentle intro to the ideas and motivation for them. Dover mathematics books in general are great.\n- Borrow: The American Way of Debt by Louis Hyman. This is a fantastic historical overview of personal credit in the US that covers the past 120 years or so. I learned a ton from reading this that I had no clue about. Recommended to anyone who wants to understand the origins of credit cards / loans, and how society came to embrace being in debt.\nhttps://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.222834/page/n7\nhttps://people.umass.edu/klement/imp/imp-ebk.pdf\nhttps://archive.org/details/humeenquiry00humerich/page/n7\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Turings-Cathedral-Origins-Digital-Uni... (https://www.amazon.com/Turings-Cathedral-Origins-Digital-Universe/dp/1400075998)\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Am-Strange-Loop-Douglas-Hofstadter/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Am-Strange-Loop-Douglas-Hofstadter/dp/0465030793)\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Information-Theory-Symbo... (https://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Information-Theory-Symbols-Mathematics/dp/0486240614)\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Borrow-American-Debt-Louis-Hyman/dp/0... (https://www.amazon.com/Borrow-American-Debt-Louis-Hyman/dp/0307741680)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think this is probably the clearest and easiest to understand explanation I've ever read of the underpinnings of mathematical foundations.",
          "reason": "Praised as a clear, accessible explanation of mathematical foundations.",
          "audience": "Readers with a high school education interested in mathematical foundations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bertrand Russell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "logic",
        "mathematical foundations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-mathematical-thinking-b42618",
      "title": "Introduction to Mathematical Thinking",
      "author": "Keith Devlin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34441306,
          "author": "adamsmith143",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T15:27:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34441306",
          "commentText": "A lot of comments about textbooks that helped in specific topics but I don't think that answers the spirit of OP's question. Sure working through ANY Linear Algebra textbook is going to improve your Linear Algebra skills.\nIn the spirit of OP's question:\nHow to Solve it by G. Polya\nSolving Mathematical Problems by Terrence Tao\nIntroduction to Mathematical Thinking by Keith Devlin\nAre all amazing, How to Solve it in particular is an all time classic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Introduction to Mathematical Thinking by Keith Devlin",
          "reason": "The commenter lists it among books they find amazing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Keith Devlin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical reasoning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-matrix-analysis-e0c83c",
      "title": "Introduction to Matrix Analysis",
      "author": "Richard Bellman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23728159,
          "author": "graycat",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T22:24:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23728159",
          "commentText": "Linear algebra, and more than one such book.\nIMHO long and still the best linear algebra book is\nHalmos, Finite Dimensional Vector Spaces (FDVS).\nIt was written in 1942 when Halmos was an \"assistant\" to John von Neumann at the Institute for Advanced Study.  It is intended to be finite dimensional vector spaces but done with the techniques of Hilbert space.  The central result in the book, according to Halmos, is the spectral decomposition.  One result at a time, the quality of von Neumann comes through.  Commonly physicists have been given that book as their introduction to Hilbert space for quantum mechanics.\nBut FDVS is a little too much for a first book on linear algebra, or maybe even a second book, should be maybe a third one.\nAlso high quality is Nering, Linear Algebra and Matrix Theory.  Again, the quality comes through:  Nering was a student of Artin at Princeton.  There Nering does most of linear algebra on just finite fields, not just the real and complex fields; finite fields in linear algebra are important in error correcting codes.  So, that finite field work is a good introduction to abstract algebra.\nFor a first book on linear algebra, I'd recommend something easy.  The one I used was\nMurdoch,\nLinear Algebra for Undergraduates.\nIt's still okay if can find it.\nFor a first book, likely the one by Strang at MIT is good.  Just use it as a first book and don't take it too seriously since are going to cover all of it and more again later.\nI can recommend the beginning sections on vector spaces, convexity, and the inverse and implicit function theorems in\nFleming, Functions of Several Variables\nFleming was long at the Brown University Division of Applied Math. The later chapters are on measure theory, the Lebesgue integral, and the exterior algebra of differential forms, and there are better treatments.\nAlso there is now\nStephen Boyd and Lieven Vandenberghe, Introduction to Applied Linear Algebra – Vectors, Matrices, and Least Squares\nat\nhttp://vmls-book.stanford.edu/vmls.pdf\nSince the book is new, I've only       looked through it -- it looks like a good selection and arrangement of topics.  And Boyd is good, wrote a terrific book, maybe, IMHO likely, the best in the world, on convexity, which is in a sense is half of linearity.\nSome course slides are available at\nhttp://vmls-book.stanford.edu/\nFor reference for more, have a copy of\nRichard Bellman,\nIntroduction to Matrix Analysis:\nSecond Edition.\nBellman was famous for dynamic programming.\nFor computations in linear algebra, consider\nGeorge E. Forsythe and\nCleve B. Moler,\nComputer Solution of Linear Algebraic Systems\nalthough now the Linpack materials might be a better starting point for numerical linear algebra.  Numerical linear algebra is now a well developed specialized field, and the Linpack materials might be a good start on the best of the field.  Such linear algebra is apparently the main yardstick in evaluating the highly parallel supercomputers.\nAfter linear algebra go through\nRudin, Principles of Mathematical Analysis, Third Edition.\nHe does the Riemann integral very carefully, Fourier series, vector analysis via exterior algebra, and has the inverse and implicit function theorems (key to differential geometry, e.g., for relativity theory) as exercises.\nAll of this material is to get to the main goals of measure theory, the Lebesgue integral, Fourier theory, Hilbert space and Banach space as in, say, the first, real (not complex) half of\nRudin, Real and Complex Analysis\nBut for that I would start with\nRoyden, Real Analysis\nsweetheart writing on that math.\nDepending on the math department, those books might be enough to pass the Ph.D. qualifying exam in Analysis.  It was for me:  From those books I did the best in the class on that exam.\nMoreover, from independent study of Halmos, Nering, Fleming, Forsythe, linearity in statistics, and some more, I totally blew away all the students in a challenging second (maybe intentionally flunk out), advanced course in linear algebra and, then, did the best in the class on the corresponding qualifying exam, that is, where that second course was my first formal course in linear algebra.\nLesson:  Just self study of those books can give a really good background in linear algebra and its role in the rest of pure and applied math.\nNo joke, linear algebra, and the associated vector spaces, is one of the most important courses for more work in pure and applied math, engineering, and likely the future of computing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Richard Bellman,\nIntroduction to Matrix Analysis:\nSecond Edition.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a reference for further study.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking additional linear algebra resources.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Bellman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "matrix analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-metamathematics-32d7eb",
      "title": "Introduction to Metamathematics",
      "author": "Stephen Cole Kleene",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27638150,
          "author": "lanstin",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T01:19:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27638150",
          "commentText": "Metamathematics by Kleene. On Lisp by Graham. The Visual Display of Quantitative Information by Tufte.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Metamathematics by Kleene.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Cole Kleene"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical logic",
        "metamathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-microcomputers-831117",
      "title": "Introduction to Microcomputers",
      "author": "Adam Osborne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 176841,
          "author": "michael_dorfman",
          "createdAt": "2008-04-29T18:49:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 176803,
          "threadTitle": "Which is your favorite 70-80s computer book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=176841",
          "commentText": "The Ahl was a classic-- I had the DEC edition-- but I also have fond memories of Adam Osborne's \"Introduction to Microcomputers\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Introduction to Microcomputers",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adam Osborne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "microcomputers"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-probability-dba041",
      "title": "Introduction to Probability",
      "author": "Joseph K. Blitzstein and Jessica Hwang",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16087352,
          "author": "repsak",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-06T20:46:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16087352",
          "commentText": "Haven't read the book but the lectures are good!\n https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2SOU6wwxB0uwwH80KTQ6ht66... (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2SOU6wwxB0uwwH80KTQ6ht66KWxbzTIo)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Haven't read the book but the lectures are good!",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the related lectures but says they have not read the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The praise is for the lectures, not an evaluation of the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16081013,
          "author": "npr11",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-05T19:37:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16081013",
          "commentText": "Introduction to Probability, by Blitzstein and Hwang.  Builds your intuition for the most unintuitive subject.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Introduction to Probability, by Blitzstein and Hwang. Builds your intuition for the most unintuitive subject.",
          "reason": "Praises it for building intuition about probability.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph K. Blitzstein and Jessica Hwang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "probability"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-quantitative-finance-697a23",
      "title": "Introduction to Quantitative Finance",
      "author": "Paul Wilmott",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3178028,
          "author": "SkyMarshal",
          "createdAt": "2011-10-31T16:47:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 3177815,
          "threadTitle": "Good books for hackers interested in quant finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3178028",
          "commentText": "Any of Paul Wilmott's books.  Either his single Introduction to Quantitative Finance, or his three volume set.  His focus is on knowing where models work and where they break down, and how to avoid using them naively.  http://wilmott.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Either his single Introduction to Quantitative Finance",
          "reason": "Suggested as one of Paul Wilmott's books for learning quantitative finance.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Wilmott"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial modeling",
        "quantitative finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-quantitative-genetics-a826b9",
      "title": "Introduction to Quantitative Genetics",
      "author": "Douglas S. Falconer and Trudy F. C. Mackay",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30827495,
          "author": "borroka",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T05:45:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30827495",
          "commentText": "For my previous career as mathematical biologist: \"The Ecological Detective\" by Hilborn and Mangel, and \"Introduction to Quantitative Genetics\" by Falconer and Mackay. \nThe first is a fascinating, exciting, and readable journey into biology, statistics, and thinking like a detective (data, models, theory, and how much weight one should assign to each component of the investigation), which is how people doing biological research should think.\nThe second is a very readable introduction to Quantitative Genetics, which comprises the mathematical and statistical tools we should use when we talk about selection, drift, and heritability of traits.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Introduction to Quantitative Genetics\" by Falconer and Mackay",
          "reason": "Recommended as a readable introduction to quantitative genetics and its mathematical and statistical tools.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in quantitative genetics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas S. Falconer",
        "Trudy F. C. Mackay"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolutionary biology",
        "heritability",
        "quantitative genetics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-reliable-and-secure-distributed-programming-1cfd0b",
      "title": "Introduction to Reliable and Secure Distributed Programming",
      "author": "Christian Cachin, Rachid Guerraoui, Luís Rodrigues",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25988405,
          "author": "morazow",
          "createdAt": "2021-02-01T13:21:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 25987664,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommended books and papers on distributed systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25988405",
          "commentText": "Books:\nIntroduction to Reliable and Secure Distributed Programming (https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Christian-Cachin/dp/3642152597).\nI took a class with Luis Rodrigues (one of the authors), the book introduces the fundamentals of distributed systems. For example, you would build leader election from first principles.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Introduction to Reliable and Secure Distributed Programming",
          "reason": "Introduces distributed systems fundamentals, including building leader election from first principles.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christian Cachin",
        "Rachid Guerraoui",
        "Luís Rodrigues"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "distributed systems",
        "leader election"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-smooth-manifolds-0548d9",
      "title": "Introduction to Smooth Manifolds",
      "author": "John M. Lee",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34441747,
          "author": "kdavis",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T16:02:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34441747",
          "commentText": "* 4-Manifolds and Kirby Calculus by Andras I. Stipsicz and Robert E. Gompf\n* Differential Manifolds by Antoni A. Kosinski\n* Introduction to Smooth Manifolds by John M. Lee",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Introduction to Smooth Manifolds by John M. Lee",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about math books valued for their impact on mathematical thinking and skills.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John M. Lee"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "differential geometry",
        "smooth manifolds"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-statistical-learning-0ef140",
      "title": "Introduction to Statistical Learning",
      "author": "Gareth James, Daniela Witten, Trevor Hastie, and Robert Tibshirani",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27637608,
          "author": "wenc",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T23:46:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27637608",
          "commentText": "* Fooled By Randomness (NN Taleb): Taleb is a complicated personality, but this book gave me a heuristic for thinking about long-tails and uncertain events that I could never have derived myself from a probability textbook.\n* Designing Data Intensive Applications (M Kleppmann): Provided a first-principles approach for thinking about the design of modern large-scale data infrastructure. It's not just about assembling different technologies -- there are principles behind how data moves and transforms that transcend current technology, and DDIA is an articulation of those principles. After reading this, I began to notice general patterns in data infrastructure, which helped me quickly grasp how new technologies worked. (most are variations on the same principles)\n* Introduction to Statistical Learning (James et al) and Applied Predictive Modeling (Kuhn et al). These two books gave me a grand sweep of predictive modeling methods pre-deep learning, methods which continue to be useful and applicable to a wider variety of problem contexts than AI/Deep Learning. (neural networks aren't appropriate for huge classes of problems)\n* High Output Management (A Grove): oft-recommended book by former Intel CEO Andy Grove on how middle management in large corporations actually works, from promotions to meetings (as a unit of work). This was my guide to interpreting my experiences when I joined a large corporation and boy was it accurate. It gave me a language and a framework for thinking about what was happening around me. I heard this was 1 of 2 books Tobi Luetke read to understand management when he went from being a technical person to CEO of Shopify. (the other book being Cialdini's Influence). Hard Things about Hard Things (B Horowitz) is a different take that is also worth a read to understand the hidden--but intentional--managerial design of a modern tech company. These some of the very few books written by practitioners--rather than management gurus--that I've found to track pretty closely with my own real life experiences.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Introduction to Statistical Learning (James et al)",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped provide a broad understanding of predictive modeling methods that remain useful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The methods discussed are pre-deep learning.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16758589,
          "author": "agumonkey",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T20:15:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16758589",
          "commentText": "- Martin Henson - Elements of Functional Programming (old, and on purpose, I like to have a sense of the pre trend FP mindset) I suggest everyone to try to grab it (library or paid tree), the cover is so pretty https://www.abebooks.com/book-search/title/elements-function... (https://www.abebooks.com/book-search/title/elements-functional-languages/author/martin-henson/)\nHad a bunch of books about electricity/electronics (google for 'best book about ...')\nAlso bitcoin got me to hear about Statistics:\n- http://www-bcf.usc.edu/~gareth/ISL\n- https://web.stanford.edu/~hastie/Papers/ESLII.pdf\nLastly, Queinnec LiSP is never far from reach",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Also bitcoin got me to hear about Statistics:\n- http://www-bcf.usc.edu/~gareth/ISL",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gareth James",
        "Daniela Witten",
        "Trevor Hastie",
        "Robert Tibshirani"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "statistics",
        "machine learning",
        "predictive modeling",
        "statistical learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-stochastic-calculus-applied-to-finance-a889c5",
      "title": "Introduction to Stochastic Calculus Applied to Finance",
      "author": "Damien Lamberton and Bernard Lapeyre",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3178313,
          "author": "veyron",
          "createdAt": "2011-10-31T17:55:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 3177815,
          "threadTitle": "Good books for hackers interested in quant finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3178313",
          "commentText": "You need to be a little more specific regarding your interests and background.  If you are interested in theory, there are plenty of books discussing specific models.  However, most practical or buzzword (e.g. HFT) books are rubbish (think about it: if you have a profitable operation, why would you write a book?  Unless, like me, you have a screw loose :P )\nIf you want some practical discussions, \"Trading and Exchanges\" by Larry Harris is a bit dated, but nothing comes close.  Most of the descriptions are still valid today (even if some of the mechanics have changed)\nIf you want something more along the lines of what a financial engineer would know:\n- \"Options, Futures, and other Derivatives\" by John Hull (goes over basic models without delving too deeply into theoretical math aspects)\n- \"Stochastic Calculus for Finance II\" by Steve Shreve (goes over the basic stuff but has enough stats to keep a grad student happy)\n- \"Monte Carlo Methods in Financial Engineering\" by Paul Glasserman (much more practical, and goes over subtleties of monte carlo simulation and other stuff like low discrepancy sampling)\n- \"Modelling Fixed Income Securities and Interest Rate Options\" by Robert Jarrow (walks through how to perform certain simulations, covers lots of little details most theoretical books skip)\nIf you want something more theoretical:\n- \"Introduction to Stochastic Calculus Applied to Finance\" by Lamberton and Lapeyre (Nice little intro)\n- \"Arbitrage Theory in Continuous Time\" by Tomas Bjork (Slower discussion, larger breadth)\n- \"Brownian Motion and Stochastic Calculus\" and \"Methods of Mathematical Finance\" by Karatzas and Shreve (Solid theoretical foundation, for the more mathematically inclined)\nThere was a good non-measure theoretic discussion of financial models but the name escapes me ATM.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nice little intro",
          "reason": "Recommended as a short introduction in the theoretical section.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an introduction to stochastic calculus in finance.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Damien Lamberton and Bernard Lapeyre"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "quantitative finance",
        "stochastic calculus"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-support-vector-machines-014431",
      "title": "Introduction to Support Vector Machines",
      "author": "Nello Cristianini and John Shawe-Taylor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7578280,
          "author": "j2kun",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T16:30:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578280",
          "commentText": "I have essentially taught myself everything I know about analysis to suit my needs (and I'm probably worse off for it). I really wish there were a book like \"Analysis from a computational perspective,\" which I suppose is just numerical analysis but I have yet to find any books that suit me in that topic either. That being said, something like Christianini's \"Introduction to Support Vector Machines\" has doubled as a synthesizing text on basic functional analysis for me. My recommendation, if you're comfortable with proofs that you would see in abstract algebra, is to jump right into baby Rudin or any other undergrad-level analysis text. I view them all pretty much the same.\nLikewise I essentially learned all the probability theory and combinatorics I know from people and scraps, so I can't recommend a synthesizing text.\nUndergraduate geometry can be a mess, so you should know what you're looking for. There are three kinds of undergraduate geometry classes: 1. Euclid's Elements (ugh), 2. The hyperbolic version of Euclid's Elements (meh), and 3. The \"Erlangen Programme\" style, which involves studying geometry via group theory and linear algebra. As you can probably tell, my recommendation is to study the last, because you already know group theory and with the other two you'll spend a lot of time wondering whether you can apply some basic obvious fact to prove some other basic obvious fact. The Erlangen style also allows you to describe projective and hyperbolic geometry via linear algebra (as well as the Euclid way), which is far more useful. See, for example, my post on projective geometry for elliptic curves [1]. I went through all three styles, but the last unfortunately had no textbook.\nI'm not a huge fan of logic/set theory, but again the best treatment I can see for basic logic is to view it as algebra. In that vein, Halmos's \"Logic as Algebra\" was all I needed, and the prose is superb. This book does not contain any real set theory (say, about higher cardinals), but it's nice and short.\n[1]: http://jeremykun.com/2014/02/16/elliptic-curves-as-algebraic... (http://jeremykun.com/2014/02/16/elliptic-curves-as-algebraic-structures/)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "something like Christianini's \"Introduction to Support Vector Machines\" has doubled as a synthesizing text on basic functional analysis for me",
          "reason": "The commenter says it served as a synthesizing text on basic functional analysis.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nello Cristianini and John Shawe-Taylor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "functional analysis",
        "support vector machines"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introduction-to-topological-manifolds-eadef3",
      "title": "Introduction to Topological Manifolds",
      "author": "John M. Lee",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30486265,
          "author": "orlandpm",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T07:48:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486265",
          "commentText": "_Algebraic Topology_ by Allen Hatcher.  This is quite an advanced book, but it was the first topology book I picked up and it blew my mind.  Without a serious math background you may only be able to read the first parts (some of chapters 0 and chapter 1), but even so it may amaze you.  It was insane to see how much mathematical machinery can be built up to understand concepts as simple as “space” and “continuity.”  Then these tools can be used to quickly prove facts about mind-boggling higher dimensional objects.\n_Introduction to Quantum Mechanics_ by David Griffiths.  Not CS or Math, but an amazing book because if you sit down and work through it it gives you a manageable intro to a completely non-intuitive and mysterious scientific field.  Prerequisites are “only” multivariable calc and linear algebra.\n_Algebra_ by Michael Artin.  This was the book I decided to grind through at the right time to learn abstract algebra and get better at rigorous proofs, and it was worth it.  Part of why I loved this book and subject is because it feels dry and mechanical at first, but if you work on it long enough you can see the beautiful bigger picture come together.\n_Introduction to Topological Manifolds_ by John M. Lee.  This was another “right book at the right time” for me.  The title is a bit jargony, but it is a rigorous introduction to the foundational objects of modern geometry (namely topological spaces and manifolds in particular).  Great warm-up for the first book on my list.\n_Algebra: Chapter 0_ by Paulo Aluffi.  Weird title, but the first few chapters are the best perspective on abstract algebra I’ve seen.  He focuses early on categories in a useful and philosophically interesting way, which is unique.\n_Gravitation_ by Misner, Thorne, and Wheeler.  Didn’t read the whole thing, but this book taught me a tensor is just a higher-order linear function.  Who knew?  Most physicists give really crappy explanations of tensors.  Also I love that this book, affectionately known as the “phone book”, is so heavy that one imagines spacetime curving around it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it is a rigorous introduction to the foundational objects of modern geometry (namely topological spaces and manifolds in particular).",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as a rigorous introduction and a warm-up for Hatcher's book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the title is a bit jargony.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John M. Lee"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "geometry",
        "manifolds",
        "topology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introductory-econometrics-a-modern-approach-709bd0",
      "title": "Introductory Econometrics: A Modern Approach",
      "author": "Jeffrey M. Wooldridge",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33798730,
          "author": "remarkEon",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T09:42:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33798730",
          "commentText": "Wooldridge's Introductory Econometrics.\nI don't do statistics in my day job, but having a solid foundation in the math and the theory and the proofs really had a profound impact on how I approach problem solving generally and root cause analysis specifically (just thinking about e.g. model specification and how you do it is a good exercise). It's still on my bookshelf and I'll pull it out and do a problem set from time to time just to stay sharp - even though, again, I don't do this for my job. Maybe, one day, I'll get a job with a baseball team or something. Understanding heteroskedasticity for example is one of those things where once you \"get it\", it really opens your eyes to a lot of things and you can't \"unsee\" it.\nPS there are packages in R nowadays but back in the day we used STATA.\nPPS if people don't like Wooldridge, what else would you recommend?\nEdit: I know you said \"Your choices needn't be only math books\" but this is a statistics textbook, so it probably doesn't count as \"math\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wooldridge's Introductory Econometrics.",
          "reason": "The commenter says its math, theory, and proofs influenced their problem solving and root cause analysis.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeffrey M. Wooldridge"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "econometrics",
        "statistics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "introductory-logic-and-sets-for-computer-scientists-a87601",
      "title": "Introductory Logic and Sets for Computer Scientists",
      "author": "Nimal Nissanke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29226108,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-15T11:16:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29226108",
          "commentText": "There are literally hundreds of threads with this topic on the Web. Most of them contain the same standard references which IMO are not always the best for people without much mathematical maturity and wishing to learn from first principles. That said, here are my recommendations for them (pdfs of almost all are available online and they can also be purchased cheaply as used books);\n* 1) Functions and Graphs and 2) The Method of Coordinates by I.M.Gelfand et. al. - These give you the basics on functions and how to visualize them which is crucial for understanding.\n* Introductory Logic and Sets for Computer Scientists by Nimal Nissanke - Nice succinct introduction to various required topics for Comp. Sci.\n*  Compared To What?: Introduction to the Analysis of Algorithms by Gregory Rawlins - This is a classic book which takes you by hand and walks you through Algorithm Analysis and the reqd. mathematics. You will find this more approachable than most other text books and well worth a study.\n* How to Think about Algorithms by Jeff Edmonds - Practical techniques without too much mathematical formalism.\n* Data Structure Techniques by Thomas Standish - A Classic text; good adjunct to more modern texts.\n* Advanced Data Structures by Peter Brass - Nice succinct text but not necessarily \"advanced\".\nOne final point; try to get a Algorithms and Data Structures book with code in the language with which you are most familiar. That way you understand the mapping from \"Abstract Algorithm\" to \"Concrete Language Implementation\" which is not always trivial.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Introductory Logic and Sets for Computer Scientists",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a succinct introduction to required computer science topics.",
          "audience": "Computer science learners building foundational knowledge.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nimal Nissanke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "logic",
        "set theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "invariances-the-structure-of-the-objective-world-edc137",
      "title": "Invariances: The Structure of the Objective World",
      "author": "Robert Nozick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8109118,
          "author": "nooron",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:21:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109118",
          "commentText": "William Vollmann's Rising Up & Rising Down is worth your time. If you're inclined towards philosophy of science or epistemology, I'd also recommend R Nozick's Invariances: The Structure of the Objective World.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you're inclined towards philosophy of science or epistemology, I'd also recommend R Nozick's Invariances: The Structure of the Objective World.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it to readers interested in philosophy of science or epistemology.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in philosophy of science or epistemology.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Nozick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epistemology",
        "philosophy of science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "invasion-of-the-body-snatchers-f04c47",
      "title": "Invasion of the Body Snatchers",
      "author": "Jack Finney",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8947112,
          "author": "user_235711",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-26T14:25:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8947112",
          "commentText": "Invasion of the Body Snatchers by Jack Finney\n2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke\nBrave New World by Aldous Huxley\nMission of Gravity by Hal Clement\nThe Song and the Pendant by Magnus Von Black",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Invasion of the Body Snatchers by Jack Finney",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jack Finney"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alien invasion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "invent-and-wonder-fd06b4",
      "title": "Invent and Wonder",
      "author": "Jeff Bezos and Walter Isaacson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26378690,
          "author": "mav137",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-07T19:05:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 26321793,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books made you the most money?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26378690",
          "commentText": "Good book I'm reading now is \"Invent & Wonder\" -The collected writings of Jeff Bezos.\nA whole lot of the ventures or projects explored by Amazon were complete failures and lost money. Says to embrace it. The winners more than make up for the losers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Good book I'm reading now is \"Invent & Wonder\" -The collected writings of Jeff Bezos.",
          "reason": "Calls it a good book and describes its collected writings about Jeff Bezos.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeff Bezos",
        "Walter Isaacson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "amazon",
        "jeff bezos"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "invention-and-innovation-db258b",
      "title": "Invention and Innovation",
      "author": "Vaclav Smil",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38557406,
          "author": "TwoCent",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:29:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557406",
          "commentText": "Smil's recent \"Invention and Innovation\" is well worth reading, too.  Anything by Smil, really, is excellent food for thought and deeply informative.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Smil's recent \"Invention and Innovation\" is well worth reading, too.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is well worth reading and calls Smil's work informative.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vaclav Smil"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "innovation",
        "technology history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "inversions-d1afeb",
      "title": "Inversions",
      "author": "Iain M. Banks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36023045,
          "author": "nicwolff",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T17:28:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36023045",
          "commentText": "\"Mockingbird\", by Walter Tevis. 40 years old but startlingly timely: centuries after humanity ceded all authority and responsibility to AI, the last superintelligent robot is ready to die of boredom – and one human has learned to read.\n\"Elder Race\", by Adrian Tchaikovsky. This short novel is a bit reminiscent of Iain Bank's \"Inversions\" in that it combines sci-fi and fantasy through the perspectives of an anthropologist from an advanced space-faring culture and a second protagonist from the medieval world they are secretly observing.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Iain Bank's \"Inversions\"",
          "reason": "Cites it as a point of comparison for Elder Race's blend of science fiction and fantasy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803389,
          "author": "cryoshon",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T14:55:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803389",
          "commentText": "agreed re: consider phlebas. i'd agree with your choice of starting points -- player of games is probably the best way to understand what the culture is in contrast with other cultures in one book. definitely leave inversions for after you've read three other books, imo, as it's quite subtle.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "definitely leave inversions for after you've read three other books",
          "reason": "Recommends reading it only after three other books in the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Suggested reading order is the commenter's opinion.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Iain M. Banks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "far future",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "investigations-7ffc66",
      "title": "Investigations",
      "author": "Stuart Kauffman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 86268,
          "author": "rugoso",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T11:51:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86268",
          "commentText": "Yes that kind of mental-masturbation excites me too ;)\nfrom reading other posts (comments) I've remembered another good book, sort of on the same flavor as the \"biological\" parts in GEB:\n-\"Investigations\", by Stuart Kauffman\nexciting lecture too",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-\"Investigations\", by Stuart Kauffman",
          "reason": "Calls it a good book with a similar flavor to the biological parts of GEB.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stuart Kauffman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biology",
        "complexity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "investing-the-last-great-liberal-art-8bc126",
      "title": "Investing: The Last Great Liberal Art",
      "author": "Robert G. Hagstrom",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12584939,
          "author": "megadrive16",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-26T19:44:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12584939",
          "commentText": "Here are my recommendations. This list is optimised to teach you the fundamentals of economics and finance, give you alternative perspectives on status quo economic/financial thinking and then equip with you with tools, ideas, and concepts to come up with original investment ideas and increase the likelihood that they are going to actually make you, your clients, and your firm a lot of money without anybody getting grilled by the House Financial Services Committee, the SEC, or ending up in jail.\n1.) Get a recent copy of the CFA curriculum and do the end of chapter exercises. You can probably skip a lot of the quantitative methods material if you’re doing a degree in stats. The CFA curriculum will give you a solid understanding of all the major sub-categories of economics (micro, macro, corporate finance, security analysis, accounting, financial statement analysis, alternative investments, derivatives, portfolio management, and most importantly ethical standards for financial professionals.\n2.) Read the Economics Anti-Text Book to crush any illusion that the neoclassical economic paradigm, which the CFA curriculum is based on, is the only scholarly interpretation of how economics works in the real world. Then read it again. If you’re really a diehard scholar read some of the alternative economics papers that the book references.\n3.) Find a good book or paper that covers Rational Choice Theory in depth. Then, at least, read Kahneman and Tversky (1979). If you can, read all of Kahneman and Tversky’s papers. This should also help clear any illusion that humans being are rational agents, which is a cornerstone of neoclassical economics, and give you a foundation for thinking about how people in markets really make decisions.\n4.) Read Fooled by Randomness to get more alternative thinking on decision making and how finance and economics works in the real world vs. the textbook stuff that you’re going to learn via the CFA curriculum.\n5.) Read Business Dynamics (Sterman, 2000) to learn how to model systems the “right” way.\n6.) Read Best Practices for Equity Research Analysts (Valentine). Regardless if you want to be an equity analysis or not, this book is the best book around if you want to learn how to organise yourself to succeed working day-today in an investment decision making role. Just think about the equity specific aspects in the context of whatever category of finance you’re interested in.\n7.) The Sleuth Investor (Mandelman). A lot to people complained that some of this book’s suggestions cross an ethical line. I disagree. Again, this books will give you an alternative perspective about how economic agents gather information on the critical factors that will move the variables they’re  interested in (e.g. stock prices, bond ratings, commodity prices,  earnings, etc). It’s basic premise is get out of the building and collect HUMINT (echoing Valentine more aggressively) like a CIA case officer instead of a nerd in a cube reading the same 10K’s, sell-side research, as everybody else.\n8.) Expectations Investing (Mauboussin) is a must read for how to come up with contra-consensus investment ideas and get it right.\n9.) Investing: The Last Great Liberal Art is a must read for learning how to incorporate information from other fields (physics, biology, sociology, etc) into your economic analysis.\n10.) (Optional) Diaminds: Decoding the Mental Habits of Successful Thinkers that challenges you to think about your thinking and assess how great business thinkers think. Not a economics but definitely will help you become a better economic thinker.\nGood luck!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Investing: The Last Great Liberal Art is a must read for learning how to incorporate information from other fields",
          "reason": "Called a must-read for applying insights from other fields to economic analysis.",
          "audience": "Readers learning economics and finance.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert G. Hagstrom"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "multidisciplinary investing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "investment-science-60019b",
      "title": "Investment Science",
      "author": "David G. Luenberger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14859638,
          "author": "ronald_raygun",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T19:54:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859638",
          "commentText": "I'm reading a few. The Power Broker (really good, but really long). The dictators handbook (good, but repetitive). Deep thinking (easy and enjoyable if you're interested in AI). Investment Science (very good if you're interested in math finance).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Investment Science (very good if you're interested in math finance).",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it very good for readers interested in mathematical finance.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in mathematical finance.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David G. Luenberger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "investment",
        "quantitative finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "invisible-fdae7a",
      "title": "Invisible",
      "author": "Paul Auster",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3395293,
          "author": "rhizome31",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T09:46:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395293",
          "commentText": "Tech: Code by Charles Petzold\nNovel: Invisible by Paul Auster\nEssay: Après la démocratie (French) by Emmanuel Todd",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Novel: Invisible by Paul Auster",
          "reason": "Listed as the commenter’s novel choice in response to the best book question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Auster"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "invisible-armies-2f0f0d",
      "title": "Invisible Armies",
      "author": "Jon Evans",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5834803,
          "author": "varunkho",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T19:57:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5834803",
          "commentText": "I have found books from Jon Evans very delightful and interesting to read:\n1) Beasts of New York – http://www.beastsofnewyork.com/\n2) Invisible Armies (thriller, drama, computer hacking) – http://www.rezendi.com/invisibleArmies.htm\nBoth books have their digital edition freely downloadable as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2) Invisible Armies (thriller, drama, computer hacking)",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of books by Jon Evans the commenter finds delightful and interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Digital edition is freely downloadable.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jon Evans"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer hacking",
        "thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "invisible-planets-contemporary-chinese-science-fiction-in-transla-bdd08d",
      "title": "Invisible Planets: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation",
      "author": "Ken Liu",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28060242,
          "author": "ArtWomb",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T12:33:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28060242",
          "commentText": "Terminal Boredom, Izumi Suzuki\nInvisible Planets: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation, Ken Liu",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Invisible Planets: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation, Ken Liu",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ken Liu"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chinese science fiction",
        "short stories",
        "translated fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "invisible-women-data-bias-in-a-world-designed-for-men-b5f60b",
      "title": "Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men",
      "author": "Caroline Criado Perez",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47325335,
          "author": "nicbou",
          "createdAt": "2026-03-10T16:21:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 47315415,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47325335",
          "commentText": "Invisible Women\nIf you liked Freakonomics, you will like this. It's not a rant, just one example after another of how we fail to account for half of the population.\nI just finished The God of Small Things. The writing is phenomenal, but it was not quite my kind of book, so it took me a bit of effort to finish.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you liked Freakonomics, you will like this.",
          "reason": "Recommended for readers who liked Freakonomics; describes how data and design often fail to account for women.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Caroline Criado Perez"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data bias",
        "gender data gap"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "invitation-to-classical-analysis-625bd1",
      "title": "Invitation to Classical Analysis",
      "author": "Franklin P. Duren",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34443270,
          "author": "blahblahblah10",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T17:51:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34443270",
          "commentText": "Out of this list, the books I am familiar with, are great (Hilbert-Courant, Spivak, Korner's books). At the same time, even with extensive mathematical training, I haven't read them from start to finish. I wouldn't even like to say \"read\". For someone who's not used to mathematical reading, some of these books require careful study. That means generating examples to understand results (theorems), trying your own conjectures, proving things yourself etc. Over time, one becomes familiar with most/all the material in a book but the knowledge might have been acquired through various books (and courses) over time.\nAlso, mathematics is a massive field. The first question would be what kinds of mathematics would you like to get better at. There are great books in analysis. If you are starting out with a solid calculus knowledge, try Abbott's Understanding Analysis [1] or Duren's Invitation to Classical Analysis [2]. For asymptotic methods in PDEs, try Bender and Orszag  [3] which is a wonderful book. But again, this might not be your cup of tea at all and there are more abstract or formal books like Rudin's.\nIf you want to approach fields without a lot of machinery, graph theory books by Bollobas are great (but difficult). See his Modern Graph Theory book [4] as an example.\nFor linear algebra, one of my favorites (but it was after I already learned the subject) is Trefethen's Numerical Linear Algebra book [5]. Another beautiful topic is at the intersection of linear algebra and combinatorics. See Babai and Frankl's lectures freely available online.\nThen there are wonderful topics in geometry. A massive mountain to climb would be algebraic geometry. For one starting point, see [6]. Differential geometry (Spivak's multi-volume work or Needham's differential forms book) is another wonderful area. I would recommend Crane's discrete differential geometry course at Carnegie Mellon [7] if you want a concrete introduction.\nYou might want to demystify a topic you have heard about. E.g. Galois theory and the unsolvability of quintic equations. You could look at [8] which guides your way through wonderful problems.\nWe haven't even touched huge swathes of mathematics including anything topological or number theory. Even within the topics mentioned above, once you start, your journey will take a life of its own and you'll encounter multiple books and papers opening up new sub-fields.\nThe only approach that worked well for me in the past was to get completely consumed by what one topic one was studying. This meant not getting distracted by multiple topics. Once one enters the workforce, this is very hard (or at least has been for me). Without knowing someone, it's hard to recommend anything but the advantage with topics like graph theory and combinatorics is that one needs less machinery (as opposed to something like algebraic geometry). These fields lead you to interesting problems very rapidly and one can wrestle with them part-time.\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Analysis-Undergraduate-... (https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Analysis-Undergraduate-Texts-Mathematics/dp/1493927116)\n[2] https://www.amazon.com/Invitation-Classical-Analysis-Applied... (https://www.amazon.com/Invitation-Classical-Analysis-Applied-Undergraduate/dp/0821869329)\n[3] https://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Mathematical-Methods-Scienti... (https://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Mathematical-Methods-Scientists-Engineers/dp/0387989315)\n[4] https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Graph-Theory-Graduate-Mathemat... (https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Graph-Theory-Graduate-Mathematics/dp/0387984887/)\n[5] https://www.amazon.com/Numerical-Linear-Algebra-Lloyd-Trefet... (https://www.amazon.com/Numerical-Linear-Algebra-Lloyd-Trefethen/dp/0898713617/)\n[6] https://www.amazon.com/Algebraic-Geometry-Approach-Mathemati... (https://www.amazon.com/Algebraic-Geometry-Approach-Mathematical-Subseries/dp/0821893963)\n[7] https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~kmcrane/Projects/DDG/\n[8] https://www.amazon.com/Through-Exercises-Springer-Undergradu... (https://www.amazon.com/Through-Exercises-Springer-Undergraduate-Mathematics/dp/3319723251)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Duren's Invitation to Classical Analysis",
          "reason": "Suggested as a book on analysis.",
          "audience": "Readers starting out with solid calculus knowledge.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Franklin P. Duren"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classical analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "iron-curtain-the-crushing-of-eastern-europe-1944-1956-e7587a",
      "title": "Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944–1956",
      "author": "Anne Applebaum",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804899,
          "author": "AGivant",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:29:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804899",
          "commentText": "Here is my list (from https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/912138-alex-givant?rea...):\nMemoirs:\n- Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti..).\n- Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive by Land, Stephanie, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39218350-maid\n- Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40409969-medium-raw\n- Confessions of a Tax Collector: One Man's Tour of Duty Inside the IRS by Yancey, Rick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_..).\n- The Perfect Predator: A Scientist's Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Superbug: A Memoir by Steffanie Strathdee, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-pre... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-predator)\nPolitics:\n- Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Desmond, Matthew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25852784-evicted\n- Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America by Leovy, Jill, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13153693-ghettoside\n- American Prison: A Reporter's Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment by Bauer, Shane, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38561954-american-prison\n- Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Eban, Katherine, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42448266-bottle-of-lies\n- A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America by Miller, T. Christian, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35805861-a-false-report\n- The New Silk Roads by Frankopan, Peter, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro..).\nHistory:\n- Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-1956 by Applebaum, Anne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13531848-iron-curtain\n- The Romanovs: 1613-1918 by Montefiore, Simon Sebag, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26109020-the-romanovs\n- The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Johnson, Steven, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36086.The_Ghost_Map\n- Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations by Bergman, Ronen, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f..).\n- Madame Fourcade's Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against Hitler by Olson, Lynne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade..).\n- Argo: How the CIA & Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History by Méndez, Antonio J., https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13588425-argo\nCrime:\n- Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History by Selby, Scott Andrew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7071759-flawless\n- American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road by Bilton, Nick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi..).\n- Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by Carreyrou, John, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37976541-bad-blood\n- Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World by Wright, Tom, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-..).\n- The Mastermind: Drugs. Empire. Murder. Betrayal. by Ratliff, Evan, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41181600-the-mastermind\nTechnology:\n- Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon by Zetter, Kim, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze..).\n- Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World by Thompson, Clive, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40406806-coders",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-1956 by Applebaum, Anne",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list of favorite nonfiction books read in 2019.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anne Applebaum"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cold war",
        "eastern europe"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "iron-druid-chronicles-d2b722",
      "title": "Iron Druid Chronicles",
      "author": "Kevin Hearne",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8944472,
          "author": "relaunched",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-25T22:16:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944472",
          "commentText": "Kevin Hearne - Iron Druid Chronicles",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kevin Hearne - Iron Druid Chronicles",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7970718,
          "author": "relaunched",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T14:07:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7970718",
          "commentText": "Iron Druid Chronicles - Shattered\nSurely You're Joking, Mr Feynman!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Iron Druid Chronicles - Shattered",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kevin Hearne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "urban fantasy",
        "mythology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "iron-empires-robber-barons-railroads-and-the-making-of-modern-ame-3fcce5",
      "title": "Iron Empires: Robber Barons, Railroads, and the Making of Modern America",
      "author": "Michael Hiltzik",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36602976,
          "author": "costco",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T16:42:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36602976",
          "commentText": "To add some that haven't already been listed here:\n- The Billion Dollar Molecule: story of Vertex pharmaceuticals and their new approach to drug design\n- The Double Helix: story of the discovery of the structure of DNA by one of the principal scientists involved (Watson)\nMore of a business/economic history but if you liked Titan by Chernow you would probably also like \"Iron Empires: Robber Barons, Railroads, and the Making of Modern America\" which is the about the history of the railroad industry in America.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you would probably also like \"Iron Empires: Robber Barons, Railroads, and the Making of Modern America\"",
          "reason": "Suggested for readers who liked Titan by Ron Chernow.",
          "audience": "Readers who liked Titan by Ron Chernow.",
          "caveat": "More of a business and economic history.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Hiltzik"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american industrialists",
        "railroad history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "iron-john-01c42f",
      "title": "Iron John",
      "author": "Robert Bly",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13804180,
          "author": "metaphorm",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:19:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804180",
          "commentText": "- The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin\n- Blindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts\n- The Tao Te Ching\n- The Gateless Gate (Koun Yamada translation/editing)\n- The Baroque Cycle (Quicksilver, The Confusion, The System of the World) by Neal Stephenson\n- The Invisibles by Grant Morrison\n- Incerto (Fooled by Randomness, The Black Swan, Antifragile, The Bed of Procrustes) by Nassim Nicholas Taleb\n- Iron John by Robert Bly\n- Catch 22 by Joseph Heller\n- The Character of Physical Law by Richard P. Feynman\n- Collected Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges\n- 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez\n- Pharmakon by Dale Pendell\n- The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss\n- Greek Mythology by Edith Hamilton\n- The Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual by Gary Gygax et al\n- Introduction to Algorithms by Charles E. Leiserson, Clifford Stein, Ronald Rivest, and Thomas H. Cormen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Iron John by Robert Bly",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed how people think.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Bly"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "folklore",
        "mythopoetic men s movement"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "irreconcilable-differences-9b7fa7",
      "title": "Irreconcilable Differences",
      "author": "James Strickland",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17750872,
          "author": "dwyerm",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T15:36:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17750872",
          "commentText": "It feels wrong to recommend a book I haven't read yet, but Chuck Wendig's \"Zeroes\" might be a good book to pair with Scalzi. I expect from his other books and the reviews that this is going to be more of an adventure book than any hard-computer-science...  But, again, that might be what you're looking for.\nOn a similar note, its been a while since I've read them, but I rather enjoyed James Strickland's books, Looking Glass and Irreconcilable Differences. Part of that might be because there's a part where he explains IPV4 addressing, and the example he uses happens to be the Class-B where I grew up. It was a little like seeing your house in the background of a movie.\nI also sort of enjoyed Rick Dakan's \"Geek Mafia\", but that appears to have fallen off the planet; only the sequels are on Amazon right now...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I rather enjoyed James Strickland's books, Looking Glass and Irreconcilable Differences.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they rather enjoyed Strickland's books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some of the enjoyment may come from recognizing a familiar location in an example.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Strickland"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer science",
        "hacking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "irresistible-6538f7",
      "title": "Irresistible",
      "author": "Adam Alter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45951152,
          "author": "unionjack22",
          "createdAt": "2025-11-17T05:56:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 45947737,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45951152",
          "commentText": "It’s absolutely insightful for adults as well. Especially when paired with the other horsemen of the attention apocalypse “Dopamine Nation”, “Irresistible”, and “The Shallows”.\nReturned my treatment of the internet from “the thing” to just another tool.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Irresistible”",
          "reason": "Pairs it with the other books as insightful for adults.",
          "audience": "Adults, especially those concerned about attention and internet use.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adam Alter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "behavioral addiction",
        "technology use"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "is-god-a-mathematician-1dec52",
      "title": "Is God a Mathematician?",
      "author": "Mario Livio",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12244636,
          "author": "agentgt",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T00:33:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244636",
          "commentText": "Many of the books I would have been covered already but one that hasn't (ie not found via option-f) is:\n\"Is God a Mathematician?\" by Mario Livio\nIt is a wonderful exploration and history of math, science and light theology (mostly historic though. the book is written by a mathematician).\nI still wonder frequently if math is human made up thing or is it innate. Is the universe inherently mathematical? Can we prove it?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It is a wonderful exploration and history of math, science and light theology",
          "reason": "Calls it a wonderful exploration of mathematics, science, and theology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Theology is mostly historical, and the author is a mathematician.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mario Livio"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematics and the universe"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "is-god-a-vegetarian-christianity-vegetarianism-and-animal-rights-b2e232",
      "title": "Is God a Vegetarian? Christianity, Vegetarianism, and Animal Rights",
      "author": "Richard Young",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7968346,
          "author": "contextual",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:35:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968346",
          "commentText": "Is God a Vegetarian? Christianity, Vegetarianism, and Animal Rights by Richard Young[1].\nBehold, it was very good[2].\n[1] http://www.amazon.com/Is-God-Vegetarian-Christianity-Vegetar... (http://www.amazon.com/Is-God-Vegetarian-Christianity-Vegetarianism/dp/0812693930)\n[2] Gen 1:31",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Behold, it was very good",
          "reason": "Offers a positive reaction to the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Young"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "animal rights",
        "christianity",
        "vegetarianism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "isaac-asimov-s-guide-to-earth-and-space-51dfa4",
      "title": "Isaac Asimov's Guide to Earth and Space",
      "author": "Isaac Asimov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30829671,
          "author": "nomadiccoder",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T12:18:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30829671",
          "commentText": "Isaac Asimov's Guide to Earth and Space",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Isaac Asimov's Guide to Earth and Space",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isaac Asimov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "earth science",
        "space science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "isaac-newton-08b897",
      "title": "Isaac Newton",
      "author": "James Gleick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42650524,
          "author": "snowwrestler",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-09T22:31:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42650524",
          "commentText": "I greatly enjoyed The Leadership Moment by Michael Useem, which covers 9 stories of crises and how leaders approached them.\nThe Man Who Discovered Quality by Andrea Gabor is an interesting story of W. Edwards Deming, the American who revolutionized post-WWII Japanese manufacturing with statistical approaches to reducing variance.\nIssac Newton by James Gleick conveys what it was like for Newton to essentially invent modern physical science in a pre-scientific world.\nDreaming In Code by Scott Rosenberg is a good counterpoint to inspiring tech origin stories: legendary coders coming together to build an amazing product and… basically failing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Issac Newton by James Gleick conveys what it was like for Newton to essentially invent modern physical science",
          "reason": "Conveys Newton's role in the creation of modern physical science.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Gleick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of science",
        "isaac newton"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ishmael-an-adventure-of-the-mind-and-spirit-033f68",
      "title": "Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit",
      "author": "Daniel Quinn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12245046,
          "author": "alcuadrado",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T02:09:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12245046",
          "commentText": "This has been my most recommended book lately.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This has been my most recommended book lately.",
          "reason": "Says this has been their most recommended book lately, referring to the title in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Quinn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "civilization",
        "environmental philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "island-in-the-sea-of-time-715db4",
      "title": "Island in the Sea of Time",
      "author": "S. M. Stirling",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 86223,
          "author": "icky",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:37:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86223",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- The Time Machine (still holds up very well, and seems strangely eerie and prescient in places)... (H. G. Wells)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Hobbit (and LotR) (Tolkien)\n- Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n- Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties (I picked up Idoru first, so I haven't yet read Virtual Light) (also Gibson)\n- The Difference Engine (Gibson, Sterling)\n- Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n- Cryptonomicon (\" \")\n- Circuit of Heaven, End of Days (Dennis Danvers)\n- All of the \"Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser\" stories and novels. (Fritz Leiber)\n- The Earthsea trilogy (Ursula K. LeGuin)\n- 'salem's Lot (Stephen King)\n- Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein)\n- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)\n- the Coldfire trilogy (C. S. Friedman)\n- various Cory Doctorow short stories\n- Kamikaze L'Amour (Richard Kadrey)\n- Lightpaths (Howard V. Hendrix)\n- A Canticle For Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)\n- Moonwar, Venus (Ben Bova)\n- the Stainless Steel Rat series (Harry Harrison)\n- Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)\n- Ringworld (Larry Niven)\n- Cthon (Piers Anthony) -- Trippiness level approaching Philip Jose Farmer ;-)\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (Douglas Adams)\n- The Black Company (Glen Cook)\n- there's one particularly good post-cyberpunk series that takes place in a world in which Canada emerged as a major world power, but for the life of me I can't rememeber the title.\n- the 1632 series (Eric Flint)... see also S. M. Stirling's Nantucket series (\"Island in the Sea of Time\", et al.), and H. Beam Piper's novel Kalvan of Otherwhen\nNon-fiction:\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (Hume)\n- the surviving words and works of Epicurus, and Diogenes the Cynic\n- Freakonomics (Levitt, Dubner)\n- The Gay Science (Nietzsche)\n- The Jefferson Bible (Christ, Jefferson (ed.))\n- The Devil's Dictionary (Bierce)\n- Brain Droppings (George Carlin)\n- anything by P. J. O'Rourke\n- anything by Dave Barry",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Island in the Sea of Time\", et al.",
          "reason": "Named as part of the Nantucket series recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment groups this title as part of the series recommendation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "S. M. Stirling"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternate history",
        "time travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "island-of-the-lost-9df9d3",
      "title": "Island of the Lost",
      "author": "Joan Druett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15961346,
          "author": "billbrown",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:31:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961346",
          "commentText": "Here's quite a few, but they might be of interest to others.\n1. You Have the Right to Remain Innocent: great advice that I had never seen anywhere else (except his video that started the whole thing).\n2. The Vital Question: good overview of origin of life research.\n3. Fragment: hard science fiction (is that the term?) that delved into evolution and dovetailed with some of the reading I had been doing around that subject.\n4. The Science of Navigation: delved into the wonder of current navigational technology and how we got to here.\n5. The Lost City of the Monkey God: bought on a lark, made me realize that archaeology can still find new things nowadays.\n6. Island of the Lost: historical account of two shipwrecks on the same island at the same time that knew nothing of each other.\n7. Protecting the Gift: another eye-opener about being more aware of the ways people _can_ prey on children.\n8. Wondrous Contrivances: how people reacted to new techologies in the past.\n9. Rig Ship for Ultra Quiet: submariner's account of life during a Cold War operation.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Island of the Lost: historical account of two shipwrecks on the same island at the same time that knew nothing of each other.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes its subject, without stating an evaluation.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in maritime history and shipwrecks.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12988672,
          "author": "simoch",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-18T18:03:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12988672",
          "commentText": "Several:\n* \"The Elements Of Computing Systems\", by Nisan and Schocken\nAccompanies www.nand2tetris.org and leads you through implementing logic gates, a CPU, Assembler, right up to a functional computer, with the help of simulator software on a PC. Fascinating, but requires 100-200 hours to complete all the exercises.\n* \"The Rosie Project\", by Graeme Simsion\nEasy to read novel about a man searching for a wife, as recommended on Bill Gates' blog\n* \"Island Of The Lost\", by Joan Druett\nA true story of survival after being shipwrecked on a remote island\n* \"River Town\", by Peter Hessler\nThe experiences of an English teacher who spent two years working in China",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Island Of The Lost\", by Joan Druett",
          "reason": "A true story of survival after shipwreck on a remote island.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joan Druett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "maritime history",
        "shipwrecks",
        "survival"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "islands-in-the-net-dbc0b5",
      "title": "Islands in the Net",
      "author": "Bruce Sterling",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4353871,
          "author": "e12e",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-08T04:16:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 4353632,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon.  What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4353871",
          "commentText": "If you enjoyed \"Snow Crash\" and \"Diamond Age\", I'd recommend \"Islands in the Net\" (if you can get hold of a copy) and \"Holy Fire\" by Bruce Sterling. Or for something newer, \"the Zenith Angle\" by same.\nI've also enjoyed all of Willam Gibsons books, including the latest trilogy \"Pattern Recognition\", \"Spook Country\" and \"Zero History\".\nIf you bothered to read through \"Cryptonomicon\" you'll either love \"the Code Book\" by Simon Singh more than I did, or hate it :-)\nAssuming you've picket through the classics shelf, you might have missed out on Samuel Delany - \"The Einstein Intersection\" might be a good one to try on for size -- although I actually found \"Neveryóna\" to be maybe his most interesting book (of the ones I've been able to get hold of) [edit: After \"Dhalgren\", that is. But I think \"Dhalgren\" is a bit like Joyce's \"Ulysses\" -- a classic I haven't gotten around to yet. I spent the better part of ten (10!) years reading through \"Dhalgren\", picking it up on odd holidays - never loosing touch with the intricate unreality within, readily satisfied after reading a few pages or a chapter -- like nibbling on a choice ham that didn't spoil. It's rather more complex than any of the other books I've listed here].\nAlso worth mentioning in the \"might be overlooked\" section is Jerry Pournelle's \"Falkenberg's Legion\" (republished as \"the Prince\").\nI'm afraid I've been mostly digging through second hand books lately, so the only other semi-recent book I could recommend would be \"Broken Angels\" by Richard Morgan (technically it's number two in a trilogy -- but I find it stands better on its own).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend \"Islands in the Net\"",
          "reason": "Recommended for readers who enjoyed Snow Crash and Diamond Age.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoyed Snow Crash and Diamond Age",
          "caveat": "May be difficult to find a copy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruce Sterling"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyberpunk",
        "globalization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "islands-in-the-sky-2a101d",
      "title": "Islands in the Sky",
      "author": "Arthur C. Clarke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056450,
          "author": "everyone",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T11:55:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056450",
          "commentText": "I have strong opinions about this. My criteria for a book being science fiction and not fantasy is that is must be based on scientific thinking. The author must have done some work to determine whether whats happening in his book is at least plausible according to real science, and then work out the details of how it would actually function. So I regard most \"science fiction\" books and almost all \"science fiction\" films as really being fantasy. Essentially they are works of fantasy or dramatic fiction re-skinned with lasers and aliens instead of magic and goblins (to a great or lesser extent).\nSo dune is a great book but it is 90% fantasy, there is only a little bit of research done by the author on desert ecosystems.\nMy favourite real science fiction author is Arthur C clarke. some good books by him...\nearthlight\nthe fountains of paradise\nislands in the sky\nthe sands of mars\nrama\nsongs of distant earth\nAlso would recommend accelerando by Charles Stross and the mars series by Kim Stanley Robinson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "islands in the sky",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s good books by Clarke.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur C. Clarke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space exploration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "islands-in-the-stream-3253e4",
      "title": "Islands in the Stream",
      "author": "Ernest Hemingway",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1724771,
          "author": "SHOwnsYou",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-24T18:29:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1724771",
          "commentText": "If you actually want literature, my favorite book as a child was Where the Red Fern Grows. If they are around 14+ there are some great, captivating Hemmingway books. A Farewell to Arms, Island in the Stream, A Movable Feast, and The Garden of Eden (In that order).\nI keeping editing as I think of new things. This may sound odd, but if they are in the 14+ range, How to Win Friends and Influence People is great. It changed a lot for me.\nWhen I was like 9 I got the book How to be Twice as Smart and it taught me a ton of mental tricks.\nThis book taught me a lot (probably if the boy is like 10 or 12+?)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Backyard-Ballistics-Cannons-Cincinnati... (http://www.amazon.com/Backyard-Ballistics-Cannons-Cincinnati-Dynamite/dp/1556523750/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1285352917&sr=1-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Farewell to Arms, Island in the Stream, A Movable Feast, and The Garden of Eden (In that order).",
          "reason": "Included among captivating Hemingway books suggested for older boys.",
          "audience": "Readers around age 14 and older.",
          "caveat": "Part of a suggested reading order.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ernest Hemingway"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "isle-of-the-dead-a07cec",
      "title": "Isle of the Dead",
      "author": "Roger Zelazny",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30739886,
          "author": "Rylex",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T03:45:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30739886",
          "commentText": "- Most books by Roger Zelazny. The guy code write with a few words, he could paint an amazing picture. Chronicles of Amber, Lord of Light, Isle of the Dead, etc...\n- And a trashy Candyman , https://sciencefictionruminations.com/2020/05/10/book-review... (https://sciencefictionruminations.com/2020/05/10/book-review-candy-man-vincent-king-1971/), not the one everyone is used to, this was so mind boggling to a 13 year old....",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Chronicles of Amber, Lord of Light, Isle of the Dead, etc...",
          "reason": "Included among the author's books the commenter liked.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roger Zelazny"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "far future"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "isn-t-it-obvious-f3e823",
      "title": "Isn't it Obvious",
      "author": "Eliyahu M. Goldratt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19899526,
          "author": "kesor",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T14:25:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19899526",
          "commentText": "\"The Goal\" by Eliyahu Goldratt, and other of his books are great books to learn how to think.\nIt is a more concrete example of Systems Thinking that is applied to various environments, manufacturing in \"The Goal\", marketing and strategy in \"It's Not Luck\", projects in \"Critical Chain\", retail in \"Isn't it Obvious\", and personal improvement in \"The Choice\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "retail in \"Isn't it Obvious\"",
          "reason": "Listed as an application of systems thinking to retail among Goldratt's books.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in systems thinking applied to retail.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eliyahu M. Goldratt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "retail",
        "systems thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "it-doesn-t-have-to-be-crazy-at-work-d77074",
      "title": "It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work",
      "author": "Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jason Fried",
        "David Heinemeier Hansson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "management",
        "workplace culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "it-might-be-an-apple-261cb6",
      "title": "It Might Be an Apple",
      "author": "Shinsuke Yoshitake",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50038526,
          "author": "semiquaver",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T00:31:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50038526",
          "commentText": "It Might be an Apple (Shinsuke Yoshitake)\nThe Skull (Jon Klassen)\nThe Way Things Work\n(David Macaulay)\nAnimalia (Graeme Base)\nNanette’s Baguette (Mo Willlems)\nThe princess and the Pony (Kate Beaton)\nFrederick (Leo Leoni)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It Might be an Apple (Shinsuke Yoshitake)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite children's books.",
          "audience": "Children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Shinsuke Yoshitake"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "imagination",
        "picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "it-starts-with-food-1708e6",
      "title": "It Starts with Food",
      "author": "Dallas Hartwig and Melissa Hartwig",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4967419,
          "author": "jlees",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T23:17:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967419",
          "commentText": "It Starts With Food was the book that has had the most significant impact on my life this year. Power, Speed, Endurance, which I recently got, has a shot at being the next most impactful.\nAmong Others was one of the most enjoyable fiction reads. Beautiful. Prep was also surprisingly good, and not something I would usually have read.\nLeading So People Will Follow surprisingly insightful and clearly actionable.\nThe Big Nerd Ranch's guide to iOS development carried me through last Christmas and the new year admirably. I haven't really read many programming books this year but it stands out as being well crafted.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It Starts With Food was the book that has had the most significant impact on my life this year.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it had the most significant impact on their life that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dallas Hartwig and Melissa Hartwig"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nutrition",
        "whole food diet"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "it-s-behind-you-e16748",
      "title": "It's Behind You",
      "author": "Bob Pape",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22707882,
          "author": "mysterydip",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T23:38:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22707882",
          "commentText": "\"It's Behind You\" by Bob Pape chronicles the porting of the arcade game R-Type to the ZX Spectrum. He never published it and instead created a website where it can be downloaded freely: http://bizzley.com/ It's a great short (136pg) read on the development processes necessary back in the day to squeeze performance out of limited hardware.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"It's Behind You\" by Bob Pape",
          "reason": "Chronicles the port of the arcade game R-Type to the ZX Spectrum and the techniques used to work within limited hardware.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computer and game development history.",
          "caveat": "The author never published it; it is available as a free download.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bob Pape"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "arcade game development",
        "hardware optimization",
        "zx spectrum"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "it-s-me-eddie-eee0a4",
      "title": "It's Me, Eddie",
      "author": "Eduard Limonov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17383739,
          "author": "resource0x",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T22:13:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17383739",
          "commentText": "If someone asked me to recommend a single XX century novel in Russian, I would certainly point to this one:\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1060818.It_s_Me_Eddie\nProvokes very strong emotions (both positive and negative :). I cannot vouch for the quality of English translation though.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "recommend a single XX century novel in Russian, I would certainly point to this one",
          "reason": "Directly recommends it as a single twentieth-century Russian novel.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a twentieth-century Russian novel.",
          "caveat": "The commenter cannot vouch for the quality of the English translation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eduard Limonov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "russian literature",
        "satirical novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "it-s-not-about-the-bike-1208f9",
      "title": "It's Not About the Bike",
      "author": "Lance Armstrong",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lance Armstrong"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cycling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "it-s-not-about-the-bike-d6b991",
      "title": "It's Not About the Bike",
      "author": "Lance Armstrong and Sally Jenkins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's Not About the Bike",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lance Armstrong and Sally Jenkins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cycling memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "it-s-not-about-the-bike-my-journey-back-to-life-4079b0",
      "title": "It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life",
      "author": "Lance Armstrong with Sally Jenkins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 202973,
          "author": "markm",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T04:23:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=202973",
          "commentText": "These might not be biographies but they are good non fiction.\nIt's not about the bike, my journey back to life. - Lance Armstrong\nSurely you're joking Mr. Feynman! - R. Feynman\nInto thin air - J. Krakauer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's not about the bike, my journey back to life. - Lance Armstrong",
          "reason": "Included in a list of recommended nonfiction books responding to the request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes these may not be biographies.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lance Armstrong with Sally Jenkins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cycling",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "it-s-not-how-good-you-are-it-s-how-good-you-want-to-be-b83f35",
      "title": "It's Not How Good You Are, It's How Good You Want to Be",
      "author": "Paul Arden",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 57106,
          "author": "rkabir",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T22:53:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=57106",
          "commentText": "Hubbard's \"A Message to Garcia\" (written in 1899) is a must-read. It's available online here: http://www.birdsnest.com/garcia.htm\nMy AI professor made us read it for his class - no one else in the class seemed to like it, so you might not either.\nMy other two staples are\nPaul Arden's books. (\"It's Not How Good You Are, Its How Good You Want to Be: The World's Best Selling Book\", and \"Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite\")\nThey're short reads, with huge print. Very simple, and to the point. They don't really say anything new / earth shaking - but it's a nicely packaged dose of one part inspiration, one part ambition, and one part a kick in the pants to do stuff. Anytime I'm in a lull, I re-read them both. They're also handy to give to nay-saying family, \"friends\" and colleagues.\nIf I haven't gifted you with this personal tri-force, you're probably not my friend.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"It's Not How Good You Are, Its How Good You Want to Be: The World's Best Selling Book\"",
          "reason": "Describes the book as an inspiring, ambitious nudge to take action and says they reread it.",
          "audience": "People looking for a short dose of inspiration and ambition.",
          "caveat": "Says it does not offer anything new or earth-shaking.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Arden"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creativity",
        "motivation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "it-s-not-the-big-that-eat-the-small-it-s-the-fast-that-eat-the-sl-39df8f",
      "title": "It's Not the Big That Eat the Small, It's the Fast That Eat the Slow",
      "author": "Jason Jennings",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11699849,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-15T07:08:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11699849",
          "commentText": "Reading The Meaning of Science by Tim Lewens right now.  It's an introductory \"Philosophy of Science\" book, and I'm enjoying it so far.  Up to where I'm at now, the author has covered Karl Popper and his falsification oriented framework, and Thomas Kuhn and the \"scientific revolution / paradigm shift\" model.\nA couple of other ones from this year that stand out to me:\nDisrupted by Dan \"Fake Steve Jobs\" Lyons\nIt's Not The Big That Eat The Small, It's The Fast That Eat The Slow by Jason Jennings\nIn terms of fiction, this years haul includes:\nThe Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King\nThe Last Mile by David Baldacci",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's Not The Big That Eat The Small, It's The Fast That Eat The Slow by Jason Jennings",
          "reason": "Included among the year's books that stand out to the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jason Jennings"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business strategy",
        "organizational change"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "it-s-not-the-big-that-eat-the-small-it-s-the-fast-that-eat-the-sl-5f5616",
      "title": "It's Not the Big that Eat the Small...It's the Fast that Eat the Slow",
      "author": "Jason Jennings and Laurence Haughton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35169519,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T15:10:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35169519",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps to the Epiphany - Steve Blank\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Fred Wiersema and Michael Treacy\nIt's Not the Big that Eat the Small...It's the Fast that Eat the Slow - Jason Jennings\nMastering The Complex Sale - Jeff Thull\nHow To Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's Not the Big that Eat the Small...It's the Fast that Eat the Slow - Jason Jennings",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jason Jennings",
        "Laurence Haughton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "organizational agility"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "i-ll-make-you-well-said-the-bear-22e76d",
      "title": "I’ll Make You Well, Said the Bear",
      "author": "Janosch",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50041263,
          "author": "cpach",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T09:21:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50041263",
          "commentText": "As a small child I liked Janosch’s books about the tiger and the bear. For example Ich mach dich gesund, sagte der Bär (I’ll Make You Well, Tiger, Said the Bear).\nWhen I got a bit older I really enjoyed the Narnia books by CS Lewis. And The Belgariad by David Eddings.\nI read a lot, but many titles are probably not available in English.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ich mach dich gesund, sagte der Bär (I’ll Make You Well, Tiger, Said the Bear).",
          "reason": "The commenter says they liked Janosch’s tiger and bear books as a small child.",
          "audience": "Young children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Janosch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "jr-1e1017",
      "title": "JR",
      "author": "William Gaddis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5692079,
          "author": "JackGibbs",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T20:57:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5692079",
          "commentText": "Some authors and a rec or two for each.\nDFW - Infinite Jest\nPynchon - Really anything, but in particular Against the Day, V, and Gravity's Rainbow.\nRushdie - Shame and Satanic Verses, a lot of good other ones.\nNeal Stephenson - Cryptonomicon\nGaddis - JR, hence my name.\nHeller - Catch-22",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gaddis - JR, hence my name.",
          "reason": "Listed as a recommendation in response to a request for good books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Gaddis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "postmodern fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "jacobs-ladder-07902c",
      "title": "Jacobs Ladder",
      "author": "Elizabeth Bear",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056610,
          "author": "mattkevan",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:38:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056610",
          "commentText": "Anything by Alastair Reynolds - his Revelation Space series is great, and House of Suns is a fantastic one-off. He's probably the  closest to Ian Banks in creating galaxy-spanning civilisations across eons of time.\nIan MacDonald is another good one. My favourite of his is The Dervish House, but his others are definitely worth reading.\nCharles Stross is good. Didn't get on with Accelerando, but his Laundry books are a fun mix of HP Lovecraft/Len Deighton/IT Crowd. Halting State and Rule 34 are good explorations of pervasive augmented reality and intelligent algorithms. Also Glasshouse as an exploration of post-singularity society. Never managed to finish a Cory Doctorow book though.\nI found William Gibson's Bigend trilogy a slog, but I really enjoyed The Peripheral - it's a fun read.\nEnders Game and Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card are fantastic, but the remaining books suffer from diminishing returns (with the possible exception of Ender's Shadow). There are a lot of books in the series, but basically, the series finishes wherever you get bored reading it.\nAnything by China Mieville is well worth your time.\nOh, I also really enjoyed Elizabeth Bear's Jacobs Ladder trilogy, set on a generation ship where the inhabitants have forgotten who they are and where they're going.\nFor some older stuff:\nThe Stars my Destination by Alfred Bester – I was surprised at how good it is and how well it stands up. I couldn't believe it was written nearly 50 years ago.\nThe Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein - possibly my favourite of his. I want to start a lunar revolution with a sentient mainframe...\nI'm currently working my way through all the Hugo Award winners, from 1953 up, and there's some real gems there.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also really enjoyed Elizabeth Bear's Jacobs Ladder trilogy",
          "reason": "Says they really enjoyed the trilogy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Elizabeth Bear"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "amnesia",
        "generation ship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "jacob-s-room-d7f61d",
      "title": "Jacob’s Room",
      "author": "Virginia Woolf",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30735602,
          "author": "thatjoeoverthr",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:20:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735602",
          "commentText": "Jacob’s Room, Virginia Woolf\nBefore this book I generally did not read, unless it was a Star Trek branded airport novel. I had just got an iPad and was rummaging around the Project Gutenberg texts they’d dumped into iBooks. I chose it impulsively.\nThis book set my brain and heart on fire and opened the world of literature for me. It’s very specific, though, and I can’t -recommend- it to anyone.\nThere is little spackle in this book, as if every sentence and scene is cropped a bit beyond the point of readability. But reading aloud it flows well. There is effectively no plot and a great deal of its merit is at the sentence level. Furthermore, this book in particular resonated with me emotionally.\nI was thirsty for more and read other classics. My favorites; To the Lighthouse, Picture of Dorian Grey and Thus Spake Zarathustra (the translation they have on Gutenberg).\nThis hobby dominated my attention for years. What displaced it was I had to learn Polish. At first I tried to combine these; I read Charlotte’s Web, the Little Prince and Pulp (bukowski) in Polish. But it really wasn’t an effective way to continue and Polish was the priority. All other hobbies had to go.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "This book set my brain and heart on fire and opened the world of literature for me.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it opened the world of literature for them and resonated emotionally.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is very specific and cannot recommend it to anyone; they describe little plot and challenging prose.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Virginia Woolf"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "modernist literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "jacquard-s-web-how-a-hand-loom-led-to-the-birth-of-the-informatio-f132bf",
      "title": "Jacquard's Web: How a Hand-Loom Led to the Birth of the Information Age",
      "author": "James Essinger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22710285,
          "author": "op03",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T10:18:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22710285",
          "commentText": "Jacquard's Web: How a Hand-Loom Led to the Birth of the Information Age.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jacquard's Web: How a Hand-Loom Led to the Birth of the Information Age.",
          "reason": "Lists the book in response to a request for computing and computer history recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Essinger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of computing",
        "jacquard loom"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "james-herriot-books-0fd74e",
      "title": "James Herriot books",
      "author": "James Herriot",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30826246,
          "author": "didntknowya",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T01:58:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30826246",
          "commentText": "the James Herriot series is a good, light-hearted (if not outdated) intro to the veterinary industry.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the James Herriot series",
          "reason": "Recommended as a light-hearted introduction to veterinary work.",
          "audience": "People curious about the veterinary industry.",
          "caveat": "May feel outdated.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Herriot"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "veterinary medicine"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "james-and-the-giant-peach-1f5f70",
      "title": "James and the Giant Peach",
      "author": "Roald Dahl",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 876534,
          "author": "ilitirit",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T12:02:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876534",
          "commentText": "Franz Kafka - Metamorposis\nRoald Dahl - James and the giant peach",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Roald Dahl - James and the giant peach",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roald Dahl"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure",
        "children s fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "jane-austen-s-novels-e19357",
      "title": "Jane Austen's novels",
      "author": "Jane Austen",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 192397,
          "author": "pg",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-17T01:23:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=192397",
          "commentText": "Jane Austen novels are pretty good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jane Austen novels are pretty good.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the novels are pretty good.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy classic novels.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jane Austen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classic literature",
        "social novels"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "janeway-s-immunobiology-d782c5",
      "title": "Janeway’s Immunobiology",
      "author": "Kenneth Murphy et al.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32790567,
          "author": "docdocgoose",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T13:43:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790567",
          "commentText": "Principles of Neural Science by Kandel et al\nMolecular Biology of The Cell by Alberts et al\nJaneway’s Immunobiology\nRobbin’s Pathologic Basis of Disease\nAll of these books are extraordinary in their sheer ability to organize thousands of small details into thematic narratives of how life operates.\nThey also reveal how hard  we humans try to narrate life into tidy, comprehensible themes.\nThese books are all of an era (2005-2015), and there are probably newer ones. That said, they are a great guide for non biologists into how experts think things work.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Janeway’s Immunobiology",
          "reason": "The commenter praises these books for organizing details into thematic narratives about how life operates.",
          "audience": "Non-biologists seeking insight into how experts think about how life works.",
          "caveat": "These books are from 2005–2015; the commenter notes newer books may exist.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kenneth Murphy et al."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "immunobiology",
        "immunology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "japji-sahib-eeacdd",
      "title": "Japji Sahib",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9348573,
          "author": "vowelless",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:10:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348573",
          "commentText": "I have a similar answer but wasn't sure how well it would be received on HN.\nI come from a diverse background and generally found myself between extreme ideologies all around. From the hardline Islamic beliefs I encountered in the Middle East, Christian Evangelicals in America and the New Atheist movement in Europe and America.\nI found solace in the Jap Ji Sahib [1], viewing it from a deist perspective. It helped me develop a regular meditation practice.\n[1] Jap Ji Sahib is the first 40 verses of the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh holy text. Here is a version: https://granth.co/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found solace in the Jap Ji Sahib [1], viewing it from a deist perspective. It helped me develop a regular meditation practice.",
          "reason": "Says it provided solace and helped develop a regular meditation practice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Approached from a deist perspective; identified as the first 40 verses of the Guru Granth Sahib.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "meditation",
        "sikh scripture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "java-8-in-action-cd07aa",
      "title": "Java 8 in Action",
      "author": "Raoul-Gabriel Urma, Mario Fusco, and Alan Mycroft",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10182219,
          "author": "sanderjd",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-07T17:26:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10182219",
          "commentText": "I'm going through that right now, and finding it incredibly good, but still fairly outdated. It was written for Java 6, while Java 7 and (especially) 8 have more or less re-written the language. All of the advice is still really great, but some of the items are workarounds for weaknesses in the language that have since been strengthened. I'm working through Java 8 in Action[0] in parallel, and it's been a good experience.\nI've also been enjoying this Modern Java blog series, which is book-ish[1].\nIn a similar vein, I really enjoyed Effective Modern C++[2].\nI think The Ruby Way[3] is still the best ruby book, and a new edition just came out earlier this year.\nI'm looking for a good book about modern javascript if anyone has any suggestions.\n[0]: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20534354-java-8-in-actio... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20534354-java-8-in-action)\n[1]: http://blog.paralleluniverse.co/2014/05/01/modern-java/\n[2]: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22800553-effective-moder... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22800553-effective-modern-c)\n[3]: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4514.The_Ruby_Way",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm working through Java 8 in Action[0] in parallel, and it's been a good experience.",
          "reason": "The commenter says working through it has been a good experience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Raoul-Gabriel Urma, Mario Fusco, and Alan Mycroft"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "functional programming",
        "java"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "java-concurrency-in-practice-ea453f",
      "title": "Java Concurrency in Practice",
      "author": "Brian Goetz; Tim Peierls; Joshua Bloch; Joseph Bowbeer; David Holmes; Doug Lea",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2524297,
          "author": "sage_joch",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-07T18:56:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 2524205,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books for soon to be Software Engineers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2524297",
          "commentText": "If you will be programming in Java, these books will serve you incredibly well:\n  * Effective Java\n  * Java Concurrency in Practice\n  * Head First Design Patterns",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Java Concurrency in Practice",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Software engineers programming in Java.",
          "caveat": "Recommendation is conditional on programming in Java.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Goetz; Tim Peierls; Joshua Bloch; Joseph Bowbeer; David Holmes; Doug Lea"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "concurrency",
        "java"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "java-concurrency-in-practice-50375e",
      "title": "Java Concurrency in Practice",
      "author": "Brian Goetz, with contributors",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9758519,
          "author": "cfeduke",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T14:27:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758519",
          "commentText": "Any book written by Charles Petzold is an enjoyable read, though particularly the non-MS specific titles Code and The Annotated Turing.\nJava Concurrency in Practice (2006) is older but relevant and clearly describes concurrency on the JVM. A must read for any Java, Scala, Clojure, etc. software engineer; well-written, enjoyable, concise.\nPractical Object Oriented Design in Ruby by Sandi Metz is a fun read packed with good principles for working in Ruby that are applicable in general to object oriented programming.\nSmalltalk Best Practice Patterns by Kent Beck is worth a read because the general principles are applicable to any OOP language.\nClean Code by Robert Martin is excellent but a time commitment. (If you had to pick between SICP and Clean Code because time is at a premium I'd err on the side of Clean Code for practicality. Writing maintainable code is paramount.)\nThe Joy of Clojure (Fogus/Houser) is excellent and mentally digestable even if you have no Lisp or Clojure background.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "well-written, enjoyable, concise.",
          "reason": "Calls it well-written, enjoyable, and concise, and says it is a must read for several JVM language developers.",
          "audience": "Java, Scala, Clojure, and other JVM software engineers.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that the 2006 book is older, though still relevant.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Goetz, with contributors"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "concurrency",
        "java"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "java-concurrency-in-practice-7a7e2b",
      "title": "Java Concurrency in Practice",
      "author": "Brian Goetz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20981741,
          "author": "srijanshetty",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T07:14:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20981741",
          "commentText": "\"JCIP - Java Concurreny in Practice\", finally was able to complete this monster and now I see the world differently. I had a aha moment, just like Neo in the Matrix.\n\"The Sandman: Kindly Ones\" and \"The Sandman: Wake\", masterpieces from the master writer Neil Gaimann.\nReading \"Never Split the Difference\" which is about the art of negotiation and has been an enlightening read as of now. It argues negotiation isn't rational but is an affective exercise and I couldn't agree more.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"JCIP - Java Concurreny in Practice\", finally was able to complete this monster and now I see the world differently.",
          "reason": "Says completing it changed how they see the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Calls it a monster to complete.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Goetz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "concurrency",
        "java"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "java-generics-and-collection-2e2f15",
      "title": "Java Generics and Collection",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9758068,
          "author": "sayems",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T13:21:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758068",
          "commentText": "Thinking in Java,  \nJava Generics and Collection,   \nHead First Design Patterns",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Java Generics and Collection",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "collections",
        "generics",
        "java"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "java-precisely-abaafd",
      "title": "Java Precisely",
      "author": "Peter Sestoft",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3575069,
          "author": "pk137",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-10T09:09:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 3570099,
          "threadTitle": "Best book to study Java",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3575069",
          "commentText": "Java Precisely (Sestoft) gives you the crispiest syntax.\nEffective Java (Bloch) gives the best practices.\nCore Java (vol 1, 8th ed) gives you a pro-C++, no-nonsense comprehensive coverage.\nOfficial Java Tutorial is the best intro, save it's not a book!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Java Precisely (Sestoft) gives you the crispiest syntax.",
          "reason": "Recommended for its concise coverage of Java syntax.",
          "audience": "Java learners seeking a concise syntax reference.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Sestoft"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "java",
        "programming reference"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "java-puzzlers-traps-pitfalls-and-corner-cases-97e520",
      "title": "Java Puzzlers: Traps, Pitfalls, and Corner Cases",
      "author": "Joshua Bloch and Neal Gafter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14746157,
          "author": "nayuki",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T17:38:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14746157",
          "commentText": "Understanding good idioms in Java, instead of learning from scattered pieces of folk knowledge:\n* http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/effectivejava-136174.... (http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/effectivejava-136174.html)\n* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1vQf4qyMXg (a talk by the author)\nCorner cases in the Java programming language:\n* http://www.javapuzzlers.com/\n* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbp-3BJWsU8 (a talk by the author)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Corner cases in the Java programming language:",
          "reason": "Linked as a resource about Java language corner cases.",
          "audience": "Java programmers",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joshua Bloch and Neal Gafter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "java programming",
        "programming language puzzles"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "java-for-dummies-3c2db2",
      "title": "Java for Dummies",
      "author": "Barry Burd",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32937350,
          "author": "angryGhost",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T11:17:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937350",
          "commentText": "Java for dummies.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Java for dummies.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Barry Burd"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "java",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "java-in-a-nutshell-f18b5e",
      "title": "Java in a Nutshell",
      "author": "David Flanagan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3570221,
          "author": "6ren",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-09T08:03:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 3570099,
          "threadTitle": "Best book to study Java",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3570221",
          "commentText": "It's getting old, but the early editions of O'Reilly's \"Java in a nutshell\" (by David Flanagan) books were targeted specifically at C/C++ programmers learning Java.\nIn my opinion, it's extremely well-written, being correct, clear, concise and engaging.\nFrom the 4th edition (which was for Java 1.4), it bulked up from 1 inch thick to 2 inches, and stopped specifically targeting C programmers. It's still good, just not as good.\nAlso, since then, Java has added generics, annotation and several other things. Some of these (esp. generics) have a widespread impact on coding. Also, it doesn't cover the ecosystem.  But if you want to start with the basics, it has them.\nFor an introduction to the basics of the language, in terms of C, the earlier editions can't be beat. (your local university library will have several copies - chapters 2 How Java differs from C and 3 Classes and Objects are what you need)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the early editions of O'Reilly's \"Java in a nutshell\" (by David Flanagan) books",
          "reason": "Praised for clearly and concisely introducing Java basics to C/C++ programmers.",
          "audience": "C or C++ programmers learning Java.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says later editions grew, stopped targeting C programmers, and lack ecosystem coverage; earlier editions are preferred.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Flanagan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "java",
        "programming reference"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "javascript-jquery-3e24cc",
      "title": "JavaScript & jQuery",
      "author": "Jon Duckett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40872514,
          "author": "bpiroman",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-04T05:26:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 40840658,
          "threadTitle": "Books to Dive in into Fullstack Development",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40872514",
          "commentText": "Some advice here as a self taught web developer noob. This has been my journey in a nutshell so I hope it is helpful.\n1. HTML / CSS (1-2 Months)\nas already mentioned here, the Responsive Web Design course on the https://www.freecodecamp.org/ is really good. https://netninja.dev/ also has some really good free content on youtube. Don't rush this step. Make some cool static websites and share with your friends. Learn git and become a Github Pro member so you can serve private repo's on the web for free (via github pages).\n2. Javascript (3-6 Months)\nI highly recommend \"Javascript & Jquery\" by Jon Duckett. In the web development world it is by no means the latest book but I do believe learning how javascript was used 10 years ago relevant to how javascript became what it is today. I'd be happy to give you my copy! Spend the time learning javascript, make something cool and share it with your friends. Get to a stage where you can think about how you could make something in javascript. If you're dreaming in Javascript then you've taken this step too far.\n3. Backend (Eternity)\nAt this point it really depends which way you want to go as a developer. Do you prefer Python as a language? Look into Django. Are you a DHH fan boy? Ruby on Rails. Are you too scared to take on another language (like me) then use expressJs. I highly recommend reading Hypermedia Systems https://hypermedia.systems/ to give you a high level background and understanding how a web 1.0 style application is built.\nEnjoy!!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend \"Javascript & Jquery\" by Jon Duckett.",
          "reason": "Highly recommended for learning JavaScript.",
          "audience": "Self-taught learners studying JavaScript.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not the latest book.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jon Duckett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "javascript",
        "jquery",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "javascript-allonge-the-six-edition-641431",
      "title": "JavaScript Allongé, the \"Six\" Edition",
      "author": "Reginald Braithwaite",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14489223,
          "author": "aaronmu",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T17:06:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14489223",
          "commentText": "A couple fun ones that weren't mentioned yet:\nJavaScript Allongé, the \"Six\" Edition by Reginald Braithwaite\nAre Your Lights On? by Gerald M. Weinberg",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "JavaScript Allongé, the \"Six\" Edition by Reginald Braithwaite",
          "reason": "Listed as a fun book in response to a request for programming book suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Reginald Braithwaite"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "functional programming",
        "javascript"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "javascript-enlightenment-404b7f",
      "title": "JavaScript Enlightenment",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10182773,
          "author": "lolive",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-07T19:54:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10182773",
          "commentText": "\"Javascript Enlightenment\" is the book that made me understand the pitfalls you might encounter when you come from another language and you are learning Javascript.\nI liked it very much.\nhttp://www.javascriptenlightenment.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I liked it very much.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them understand pitfalls when learning JavaScript from another language and liked it very much.",
          "audience": "People learning JavaScript after using another language.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "javascript"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "javascript-patterns-build-better-applications-with-coding-and-des-48dedd",
      "title": "JavaScript Patterns: Build Better Applications with Coding and Design Patterns",
      "author": "Stoyan Stefanov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14462671,
          "author": "dijkstra123",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-01T17:54:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14462671",
          "commentText": "If you need to read and understand the source code powering popular frameworks then following is the best book.\nJavaScript Patterns / \nBuild Better Applications with Coding and Design Patterns /\nBy Stoyan Stefanov",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "following is the best book.\nJavaScript Patterns / \nBuild Better Applications with Coding and Design Patterns /\nBy Stoyan Stefanov",
          "reason": "Recommended as the best book for understanding source code powering popular frameworks.",
          "audience": "Readers who want to understand popular JavaScript frameworks' source code.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stoyan Stefanov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "javascript",
        "software design patterns",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "javascript-and-jquery-interactive-front-end-web-development-025568",
      "title": "JavaScript and JQuery: Interactive Front-End Web Development",
      "author": "Jon Duckett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40864439,
          "author": "Steffajos",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-03T09:59:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 40840658,
          "threadTitle": "Books to Dive in into Fullstack Development",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40864439",
          "commentText": "\"JavaScript and JQuery: Interactive Front-End Web Development\" by Jon Duckett takes a visual approach, making it easier to understand.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"JavaScript and JQuery: Interactive Front-End Web Development\" by Jon Duckett",
          "reason": "Recommended for its visual approach and ease of understanding.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jon Duckett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "front end development",
        "javascript",
        "jquery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "javascript-and-jquery-687036",
      "title": "JavaScript and jQuery",
      "author": "Jon Duckett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14461232,
          "author": "petercooper",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-01T15:41:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14461232",
          "commentText": "Depends on what your level is going in.\nFor an absolute beginner, JavaScript and jQuery by Jon Duckett is extremely accessible. Sure, it covers jQuery but it's so well aimed at total beginners it's not a bad path.\nAt the lower intermediate level, Eloquent JavaScript (mentioned elsewhere) is fantastic.\nAt higher levels/if you know other languages and are comfortable learning new ones: Effective JavaScript, YDKJS, and Speaking JavaScript all fantastic and complement each other in various ways.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "JavaScript and jQuery by Jon Duckett is extremely accessible.",
          "reason": "Recommended as an especially accessible path for absolute beginners.",
          "audience": "Absolute beginners.",
          "caveat": "Includes jQuery.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jon Duckett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "javascript",
        "jquery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "javascript-and-jquery-0ae65f",
      "title": "JavaScript and jQuery",
      "author": "Murach",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14462655,
          "author": "sivanesanms",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-01T17:52:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14462655",
          "commentText": "JavaScript and JQuery - Murach. It's a two paged book. Left side you have text and right side you have code. So it is easy to get what they are explaining. Also they have good exercises to solve and learn.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "JavaScript and JQuery - Murach. It's a two paged book. Left side you have text and right side you have code. So it is easy to get what they are explaining. Also they have good exercises to solve and learn.",
          "reason": "Praises the clear text-and-code layout and exercises for learning.",
          "audience": "JavaScript learners who benefit from paired explanations, code examples, and exercises.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Murach"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "javascript",
        "jquery",
        "programming exercises"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "javascript-the-hard-way-2b3fd7",
      "title": "JavaScript the Hard Way",
      "author": "Zed A. Shaw",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14466842,
          "author": "wand3r",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-02T01:51:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14466842",
          "commentText": "Do learn JavaScript the hard way on Zed's website. Once you know syntax read addy osmanis book on design patterns; Google engineer gives great examples.\nAlso; JavaScript the good parts",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Do learn JavaScript the hard way",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Zed A. Shaw"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "javascript",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "javascript-the-comprehensive-guide-51cc7e",
      "title": "JavaScript: The Comprehensive Guide",
      "author": "Philip Ackermann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37326037,
          "author": "code_primer",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-30T17:50:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 37325594,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books to learn web development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37326037",
          "commentText": "A textbook which gives a good introduction to Web Development is:\n1) Fundamentals of Web Development (Randy Connolly and Ricardo Hoar).\nI have the 2nd Ed but the 3rd Ed is out and is more contemporary.\nSpecific books for HTML and CSS are:\n1) HTML and CSS - The Comprehensive Guide (decent contemporary introduction)\n2) CSS in Depth\n3) CSS The Definite Guide - 5th Ed - Reference\nSpecific books for JavaScript.\n1) Javascript - The Comprehensive Guide (decent contemporary introduction)\n2) Eloquent JavaScript - 3rd Ed\n3) Javascipt - The Definite Guide - 7th Ed",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Javascript - The Comprehensive Guide (decent contemporary introduction)",
          "reason": "Lists it as a contemporary introduction to JavaScript.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip Ackermann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "javascript"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "javascript-the-definitive-guide-5th-edition-0f5732",
      "title": "JavaScript: The Definitive Guide, 5th Edition",
      "author": "David Flanagan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 71757,
          "author": "muriithi",
          "createdAt": "2007-10-23T19:13:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 71741,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Recommend me *the* best Javascript book/reference",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=71757",
          "commentText": "O'Reilly's \"Javascript: The Definitive Guide 5th Edition\" by David Flanagan teaches Javascript really well including Ajax and DOM.\nThe first half of the book is a Javascript tutorial while the rest is a language reference. Good book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Good book.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it teaches JavaScript well and includes Ajax and DOM, with tutorial and reference sections.",
          "audience": "People learning JavaScript or seeking a language reference.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Flanagan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "javascript",
        "language reference",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "javascript-the-definitive-guide-6th-edition-738515",
      "title": "JavaScript: The Definitive Guide, 6th Edition",
      "author": "David Flanagan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14531424,
          "author": "koshelew",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-11T10:14:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14531424",
          "commentText": "Having conducted over 100 interviews for JS positions, here is my advice.\n- You have to start with ECMA5. 95% of new features in later versions can be transpiled back to it, and examining resulting code is usually the easiest way to comprehend them. Oh, how many candidates I've seen that talk about 'modern classes' with a flare and then can't explain prototypical inheritance at all. So, the best start is \"JavaScript: The Definitive Guide, 6th Edition\".\n- Be very careful about what you read online. Blog platforms are full of script kiddies trying to feed you their misconceptions without a second thought. I generally only 'trust' two sources - Mozilla Developer Network and http://2ality.com/ by Axel Rauschmayer (I believe his books are mentioned in other answers too).\n- Whenever you are faced with a particular library/technology - look from books/posts from their creators or someone associated with them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the best start is \"JavaScript: The Definitive Guide, 6th Edition\".",
          "reason": "Recommends it as the best starting point for learning JavaScript.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Flanagan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "javascript",
        "programming reference"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "jaws-the-story-of-a-hidden-epidemic-3a0b09",
      "title": "Jaws: The Story of a Hidden Epidemic",
      "author": "Sandra Kahn and Paul R. Ehrlich",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46691122,
          "author": "gushogg-blake",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-20T12:29:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 46690957,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What non-fiction do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46691122",
          "commentText": "Jaws: The Story of a Hidden Epidemic\nModern environments and lifestyles have changed our jaw development dramatically, contributing to the high prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing (snoring through to obstructive sleep apnea), chronic tension, jaw joint problems, and orthodontic need.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jaws: The Story of a Hidden Epidemic",
          "reason": "Describes changes in jaw development and their links to sleep-disordered breathing, tension, jaw problems, and orthodontic need.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sandra Kahn",
        "Paul R. Ehrlich"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "jaw development",
        "sleep disordered breathing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "jean-le-flambeur-trilogy-fdb0f4",
      "title": "Jean le Flambeur trilogy",
      "author": "Hannu Rajaniemi",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23469566,
          "author": "geoah",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T18:56:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23469566",
          "commentText": "The sprawl (neuromancer etc) and the Jean le Flambeur (quantum thief) trilogies. Both are packed with very interesting concepts and characters.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Jean le Flambeur (quantum thief) trilogies",
          "reason": "Says the trilogy is packed with interesting concepts and characters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hannu Rajaniemi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "heist",
        "posthumanism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "jeeves-and-wooster-novels-ce1e84",
      "title": "Jeeves and Wooster novels",
      "author": "P. G. Wodehouse",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6387654,
          "author": "waterhouse",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T00:15:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387654",
          "commentText": "Isaac Asimov's robot series (start with \"I, Robot\" and \"The Caves of Steel\") is good, as is his Foundation series.  Ender's Game is also good; I've heard other people complain about the other novels in that universe (Speaker for the Dead and sequels, Ender's Shadow and sequels), but I liked them fine.  Cryptonomicon is rich, fascinating, and entertaining.  Dune is rich and pretty fascinating.  Heinlein's \"Stranger in a Strange Land\" and \"Time Enough for Love\" are somewhat scandalous, but I thoroughly enjoyed them.\nOutside science fiction: P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster novels, as well as what of his other books I've read, are hilarious and brilliant; I would suggest \"Right Ho, Jeeves\" as a starting point.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "P.G. Wodehouse's Jeeves and Wooster novels, as well as what of his other books I've read, are hilarious and brilliant",
          "reason": "Praises the novels as hilarious and brilliant.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "P. G. Wodehouse"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "british humor",
        "comic fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "jeeves-novels-1bef4a",
      "title": "Jeeves novels",
      "author": "P. G. Wodehouse",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17345576,
          "author": "veddox",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-19T11:26:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17345576",
          "commentText": "PG Wodehouse is great. I first saw the \"Jeeves & Wooster\" TV series (with Fry and Laurie) and already loved that. Then I read the books, and discovered a whole new layer of humour in Wodehouse's prose language :D I remember literally weeping with laughter at some of the scenes...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Then I read the books, and discovered a whole new layer of humour in Wodehouse's prose language",
          "reason": "Praises the humor and prose of Wodehouse's books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "P. G. Wodehouse"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "british humor",
        "comic novels"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "jefferson-and-the-tripoli-pirates-a6a981",
      "title": "Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates",
      "author": "Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49903352,
          "author": "tastyfreeze",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T01:42:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49903352",
          "commentText": "Dungeon Crawler Carl book 7.  Started the series in January. Most books I've read in a year since I read the Expanse series.\nHistorical books that are great... Empire of the Summer Moon, Undaunted Courage, Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates",
          "reason": "Lists it among historical books they consider great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Kilmeade",
        "Don Yaeger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "barbary wars"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "jefferson-architect-of-american-liberty-8013a5",
      "title": "Jefferson: Architect of American Liberty",
      "author": "John B. Boles",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18744369,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T04:11:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744369",
          "commentText": "* The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCullough\n* Higher: A Historic Race to the Sky and the Making of a City by Neal Bascomb\n* Caesar’s Last Breath: Decoding the Secrets of the Air Around Us by Sam Kean\n* Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari\n* A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts by Andrew Chaikin\n* The Actor’s Life: A survival guide by Jenna Fischer\n* The Interstellar Age: The Story of the NASA Men and Women Who Flew the Forty-Year Voyager Mission by Jim Bell\n* The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance by David Epstein\n* Uncommon People: The Rise and Fall of the Rock Stars 1955-1994 by David Hepworth\n* Chasing Space: An Astronaut's Story of Grit, Grace, & Second Chances by Leland Melvin\n* The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough\n* Jefferson: Architect of American Liberty by John B. Boles",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jefferson: Architect of American Liberty by John B. Boles",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite nonfiction book read in 2018.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John B. Boles"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american history",
        "thomas jefferson"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "jennifer-government-3bfdb3",
      "title": "Jennifer Government",
      "author": "Max Barry",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7314339,
          "author": "dllthomas",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-27T19:26:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7314339",
          "commentText": "Oh, never noticed there was new Max Barry since \"Jennifer Government\"!  That was good times, though - I should pick up some more...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "That was good times",
          "reason": "Looks back positively on the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Max Barry"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "jerusalem-ffa625",
      "title": "Jerusalem",
      "author": "Alan Moore",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12475387,
          "author": "fitzwatermellow",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T20:07:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12475387",
          "commentText": "There is some remarkable fiction coming out this season by some of the best:\nJonathan Safran Foer's Here I Am\nZadie Smith's Swing Time\nIan McEwan's Nutshell\nColson Whitehead's The Underground Railroad\nCarl Hiassan's Razor Girl\nAlan Moore's Jerusalem\nJonathan Lethem's A Gamber's Anatomy\nHa Jin's The Boat Rocker\nT.C. Boyle's The Terranauts\nMichael Chabon's Moonglow\nCormac McCarthy's The Passenger\nI've got plenty of friends who never touch fiction because \"it's not real\". Preferring science, history, economics, biography and virtually anything else. But I think its obligatory at times. The soul requires it's own nourishment, if not more so than the body and the mind. Indulge yourself. If only because great writing will make your writing greater, as if by osmosis. But ultimately, because only fiction can uncover the truths that can't be revealed any other way ;)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Alan Moore's Jerusalem",
          "reason": "Included in a list of remarkable fiction; the comment urges readers to indulge in fiction.",
          "audience": "Readers who tend to avoid fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan Moore"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fantasy",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "jesus-before-the-gospels-how-the-earliest-christians-remembered-c-79add2",
      "title": "Jesus Before the Gospels: How the Earliest Christians Remembered, Changed, and Invented Their Stories of the Savior",
      "author": "Bart D. Ehrman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36105359,
          "author": "sillystuff",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T16:15:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105359",
          "commentText": "Bart D. Ehrman has written a lot of interesting books on Christianity (some of his work might be considered controversial to some practitioners).  E.g.,\n\"Jesus Before the Gospels: How the Earliest Christians Remembered, Changed, and Invented Their Stories of the Savior\"\n\"Forgery and Counterforgery: The Use of Literary Deceit in Early Christian Polemics\"\n\"Lost Christianities: The Battles for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew\"\nAnd, many more.  I don't know of a commercial book site where I can just link to a search by author:\nhttps://libgen.rs/search.php?req=Bart+D.+Ehrman&lg_topic=lib... (https://libgen.rs/search.php?req=Bart+D.+Ehrman&lg_topic=libgen&open=0&view=simple&res=25&phrase=1&column=author)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Jesus Before the Gospels: How the Earliest Christians Remembered, Changed, and Invented Their Stories of the Savior\"",
          "reason": "Listed as an example of Ehrman's interesting books on Christianity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that some of Ehrman's work may be controversial to some practitioners.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bart D. Ehrman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "early christianity",
        "gospels"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "jesus-principle-lazarus-effect-ascension-factor-64c871",
      "title": "Jesus Principle / Lazarus Effect / Ascension Factor",
      "author": "Frank Herbert",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30745728,
          "author": "rsync",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T19:23:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30745728",
          "commentText": "Herbert only wrote six Dune books - but he wrote many other books…\nJesus Principle / Lazarus Effect / Ascension Factor (trilogy) are very good and very thought provoking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jesus Principle / Lazarus Effect / Ascension Factor (trilogy) are very good and very thought provoking.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the trilogy very good and thought provoking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frank Herbert"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "science fiction trilogy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "jesus-on-mars-75b6b5",
      "title": "Jesus on Mars",
      "author": "Philip José Farmer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39729464,
          "author": "bookofjoe",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T21:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729464",
          "commentText": "\"A Canticle For Leibowitz\"\n\"The Sparrow\"\n\"Lord of Light\"\n\"The Immortal\"\n\"Hyperion\"\n\"The Last Question\"\n\"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?\"\n\"Stranger in a Strange Land\"\n\"The City and the Stars\"\n\"Childhood's End\"\n\"Anathem\"\n\"Eifelheim\"\n\"A Case of Conscience\"\n\"VALIS\" trilogy\n\"The Book of Strange New Things\"\n\"Behold The Man\"\n\"The God Engines\"\n\"Book of the New Sun\"\n\"The Parable of the Sower\"\n\"The Dosadi Experiment\"\n\"Grass\"\n\"Project Pope\"\n\"Calculating God\"\n\"Factoring Humanity\"\n\"Jesus on Mars\"\n\"Surface Detail",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Jesus on Mars\"",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about books that changed perspectives on religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip José Farmer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christianity",
        "mars"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "jesus-son-0f0f07",
      "title": "Jesus' Son",
      "author": "Denis Johnson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665060,
          "author": "billybatson",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:11:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665060",
          "commentText": "A Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley: Decent. I think this book would best be read in conjunction while working through a textbook. I will admit that it did do quite a bit to help relieve math anxiety, but the nature of the book is practicality.\nBrave New World by Aldous Huxley: A reread. A bit depressing considering the state of the world today. I found myself wondering which reality would be preferable.\nLetters to a Young Mathematician by Ian Stewart: Easy, but fruitful read. I've struggled a lot with math confidence, and this helped alleviate a lot of that.\nHow to Speak, How to Listen by Mortimer J. Adler: A lot of practical advice. My biggest takeaway was this: if it's worth talking about, even if the conversation sucks or the other person doesn't understand, any bit of advancement and understanding is worth the effort. Really helped me increase my patience when talking to people.\nQuack This Way by David Foster Wallace and Bryan Garner: Super useful and practical discussion between two lovers of language. I keep a copy with me at all times.\nThe Autobiography of Gucci Mane: Just a fun read while on vacation. \"If Gucci can do it, you can do it\".\nJesus' Son by Denis Johnson: A nice if brutal read. It was my first foray in DJ. I felt Cormac McCarthyish vibes.\nBlood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy: A classic. The Judge.\nThinking About Mathematics by Stuart Shapiro: Highly recommended for anyone interested in the philosophical questions of mathematics. Shapiro writes clearly, concisely, and in a manner that is easy to read.\nThe Liars' Club by Mary Karr: Pretty great but brutal.\nThe Broom of the System by David Foster Wallace: I really enjoyed it. It's ode to Wittgenstein and it helped me cope with a lot of questions that I felt after studying LW.\nThe Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: I think we've all been in Werther's shoes. Though I hope that nobody comes to the same conclusion he came to.\nManage Your Day-To-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, & Sharpen Your Creative Mind: A pretty great book. I find myself writing a book report on it to make sure I internalize a lot of the lessons. If you're having trouble doing creative work while working, read this.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A nice if brutal read. It was my first foray in DJ. I felt Cormac McCarthyish vibes.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a nice, though brutal, read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as brutal.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Denis Johnson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "jew-suss-89997b",
      "title": "Jew Süss",
      "author": "Lion Feuchtwanger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43614148,
          "author": "zingababba",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T17:59:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43614148",
          "commentText": "The book I consistently reread is Notes from the Underground. Anything by Balzac is highly rereadable also. I don't read much fiction anymore but fiction has left the deepest imprints on me. I did just read Jew Sus by Feuchtwanger, I'd recommend it. All of Kafka's works are up there too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I did just read Jew Sus by Feuchtwanger, I'd recommend it.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly recommends the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lion Feuchtwanger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "german literature",
        "historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "jim-thompson-s-crime-fiction-5bd6ee",
      "title": "Jim Thompson's crime fiction",
      "author": "Jim Thompson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6387513,
          "author": "bsenftner",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T23:35:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387513",
          "commentText": "Herman Hesse \"The Glass Bead Game\" is incredible. For great mind fucks, check out the crime fiction of Jim Thompson: 1st person, you're a petty crook, dumb & scared, people trying to kill you are right behind you, and most the books end with you being caught and killed in the last sentence. It takes a day or two to shake off his books' reality.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For great mind fucks, check out the crime fiction of Jim Thompson",
          "reason": "Recommends Thompson's crime fiction for readers seeking disorienting stories.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for unsettling crime fiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the books can take a day or two to shake off.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jim Thompson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crime fiction",
        "psychological noir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "job-ffbf40",
      "title": "Job",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8107077,
          "author": "kilo_man",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T09:00:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107077",
          "commentText": "Just listing books that have had a big impact on me:\n* The Now Habit - http://www.amazon.com/dp/1585425524\n* Getting Things Done - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0142000280\n* Simply Christian - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061920622\n* Surprised by Hope - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061551821\n* The Great Divorce - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060652950\n* Mere Christianity - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060652926\n* The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - http://www.amazon.com/dp/048629823X\n* Tao Te Ching - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060812451\nBooks from the Bible that I like:\n* Genesis\n* Judges\n* Ruth\n* Tobit\n* Job\n* Psalms\n* Ecclesiastes\n* Sirach/Ecclesiasticus\n* Everything written by John",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Job",
          "reason": "Listed among biblical books the commenter says they like.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bible",
        "wisdom literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "job-a-comedy-of-justice-cbfc65",
      "title": "Job: A Comedy of Justice",
      "author": "Robert A. Heinlein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9674493,
          "author": "hugodahl",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T13:04:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674493",
          "commentText": "\"JOB: A Comedy of Justice\" by Robert Heinlein\n\"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\" by Robert M. Pirsing",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"JOB: A Comedy of Justice\" by Robert Heinlein",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the request for a mind-blowing book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert A. Heinlein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "joe-pickett-series-33ae91",
      "title": "Joe Pickett series",
      "author": "C. J. Box",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42318439,
          "author": "gadders",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-04T15:34:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42318439",
          "commentText": "Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson\nGlorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon\nAll of the CJ Box series of Joe Pickett books\nThe Dan Abnett Eisenhorn and Ravenor Warhammer novels\nIn case you can't tell, I mostly read for entertainment.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All of the CJ Box series of Joe Pickett books",
          "reason": "Lists the series among books read for entertainment.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for entertainment.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "C. J. Box"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crime fiction",
        "western"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "john-barleycorn-19afa5",
      "title": "John Barleycorn",
      "author": "Jack London",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17382793,
          "author": "gtycomb",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T19:00:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17382793",
          "commentText": "His autobiography \"John Barleycorn\". Even exploring a lifetime drinking alcohol, it ends up as a book to cherish.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Even exploring a lifetime drinking alcohol, it ends up as a book to cherish.",
          "reason": "Calls the autobiography a book to cherish.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Explores a lifetime of drinking alcohol.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jack London"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alcohol",
        "autobiography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "john-carter-of-mars-dfee93",
      "title": "John Carter of Mars",
      "author": "Edgar Rice Burroughs",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20916317,
          "author": "shrinathna",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T08:49:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20916317",
          "commentText": "The John Carter of Mars books have traveled remarkably well through time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The John Carter of Mars books have traveled remarkably well through time.",
          "reason": "Says the books have held up well over time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edgar Rice Burroughs"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "planetary romance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "john-dies-at-the-end-eb3528",
      "title": "John Dies at the End",
      "author": "David Wong",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9347824,
          "author": "monk_e_boy",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T14:38:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9347824",
          "commentText": "\"Off to be the wizard\" is pretty light and fun. \"John dies at the end\" was fun, not really sci-fi, more buffy the vampire slayer esque. \"Existence\" by David Brin made me want to puke it had so many good ideas. A tiny bit dated, but very smart. \"The Martian\" I expect you've read it. Good romp, easy to read. Reminded me of a Michael Crichton. \"World War Z\" was good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"John dies at the end\" was fun, not really sci-fi, more buffy the vampire slayer esque.",
          "reason": "Calls it fun.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it is not really science fiction and compares it to Buffy the Vampire Slayer.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Wong"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "horror comedy",
        "supernatural"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "john-dirk-walecka-s-books-11c81e",
      "title": "John Dirk Walecka's books",
      "author": "John Dirk Walecka",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46474593,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-03T09:34:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 46473352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Expository/Succinct Books on Modern Physics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46474593",
          "commentText": "Yeah, Walecka's books seem to be more mathematically rigorous than most others. Because of that it also seems to be more succinct. That is something i am looking for so maybe i need to get that while boning up on the requisite mathematics.\nHave you looked at the Sproull/Patil books?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Walecka's books seem to be more mathematically rigorous than most others.",
          "reason": "The commenter is interested in their rigor and concise treatment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Requires brushing up on the requisite mathematics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46474048,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-03T08:24:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 46473352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Expository/Succinct Books on Modern Physics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46474048",
          "commentText": "I have heard good things about this book but it seems its coverage of Modern Physics might be a bit too short? What do you think?\nHave you looked at Walecka's books? They seem to have sufficient detail/depth but am not sure as to their mathematical rigour. Maybe too much for undergrad level?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Have you looked at Walecka's books?",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Questions whether the mathematical rigor may be too much for undergraduate level.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Dirk Walecka"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "modern physics",
        "physics textbooks"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "john-von-neumann-and-norbert-wiener-from-mathematics-to-the-techn-1f4e55",
      "title": "John von Neumann and Norbert Wiener: From Mathematics to the Technologies of Life and Death",
      "author": "Steve J. Heims",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48993248,
          "author": "jonjacky",
          "createdAt": "2026-07-21T15:06:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 48981842,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favourite science history book of the 20th century?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48993248",
          "commentText": "John Von Neumann and Norbert Weiner: From Mathematics to the Technologies of Life and Death by Steve Heims (1982)  Out of print but libraries have it.\nDark Hero of the Information Age: In Search of Norbert Weiner, the Father \nof Cybernetics by Flo Conway and Jim Siegelman (2005)\nWeiner himself wrote some autobiographies, including Child Prodigy and I Am A Mathematician.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "John Von Neumann and Norbert Weiner: From Mathematics to the Technologies of Life and Death by Steve Heims (1982)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Out of print, but libraries have it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve J. Heims"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "john von neumann",
        "norbert wiener"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "johnny-got-his-gun-970362",
      "title": "Johnny Got His Gun",
      "author": "Dalton Trumbo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15630223,
          "author": "Panino",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:53:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630223",
          "commentText": "* Johnny Got His Gun, by Dalton Trumbo. Powerful anti-war story.\n  * Vagabonding, by Rolf Potts. Shaped my views on hard work and travel.\n  * 1984, by George Orwell. Brilliant and terrifying.\n  * The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle. Overcoming mental pain through consciousness. \n  * Planetwalker, by John Francis. Inspired me to walk and put myself into things more.\n  * Pure enjoyment: Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson), Ready Player One (Ernest Cline), Watchmen (Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons), Red Rising trilogy (Pierce Brown).\n\nHonorable mention: The Water Knife (Paolo Bacigalupi).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Johnny Got His Gun, by Dalton Trumbo. Powerful anti-war story.",
          "reason": "Calls it a powerful anti-war story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dalton Trumbo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "anti war"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "joseph-balsamo-f1a8fc",
      "title": "Joseph Balsamo",
      "author": "Alexandre Dumas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20918348,
          "author": "idoubtit",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T14:13:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20918348",
          "commentText": "Monte Cristo is also my favorite novel by Alexandre Dumas, but I enjoyed many other books he wrote — he used to have assistants that wrote part of his books, and, IIRC, one of them claimed that he was the main author of some novels.\nI'd recommend reading \"Les 3 mousquetaires\", where the Lady is one of the most interesting characters I've ever met. The book was a huge success, and is still famous in France nowadays, like its main character, D'Artagnan. The two sequences are okay, \"Vingt ans après\" and \"Le vicomte de Bragelonne\".\nOther good historical novels by Dumas are \"La reine Margot\", \"Joseph Balsamo\", \"Le collier de la reine\". For the fans, there are dozens of lesser novels, like \"La tulipe noire\" (which I know I've read, but can't remember at all).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Other good historical novels by Dumas are \"La reine Margot\", \"Joseph Balsamo\"",
          "reason": "Includes it among other good historical novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alexandre Dumas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "18th century france",
        "historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "joseph-fouche-75a6f3",
      "title": "Joseph Fouché",
      "author": "Stefan Zweig",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21805638,
          "author": "rihegher",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T18:33:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21805638",
          "commentText": "In your case I can't recommend enough joseph fouché by stefan zweig",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can't recommend enough joseph fouché by stefan zweig",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends the biography for the person interested in the French Revolution.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the French Revolution.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stefan Zweig"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "french revolution",
        "political biography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "journal-of-a-novel-the-east-of-eden-letters-b8e74d",
      "title": "Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters",
      "author": "John Steinbeck",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6387610,
          "author": "macrael",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T00:02:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387610",
          "commentText": "East of Eden is my favorite book I've read in the last several years. Beautiful end to end and very moral. If you've read it it's totally worth reading Journal of a Novel: a collection of letters Steinbeck wrote to his editor every day as he was writing East of Eden. It's a fascinating window into the mind of a master deliberately creating a masterpiece.\nOther favorites: Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner, In Our Time by Hemingway, The Magus by John Fowles, 100 years of solitude, Moby Dick (perhaps a precursor to all modern fantasy?) Stranger in a Strange Land, and Infinite Jest. I've also loved both of DFW's big essay collections: Consider the Lobster and A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll never Do Again.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's totally worth reading Journal of a Novel: a collection of letters Steinbeck wrote to his editor every day as he was writing East of Eden.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a fascinating view of Steinbeck's creative process.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in how a novel is written.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Steinbeck"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creative process",
        "writers letters"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "journalism-in-tennessee-7e5557",
      "title": "Journalism in Tennessee",
      "author": "Mark Twain",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467918,
          "author": "5letters",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T16:17:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467918",
          "commentText": "When I've needed to laugh I've read and reread:\nMark Twain's  \"Life on the Mississippi\"  and \"Roughing It\" as well as many short stories, esp. \"My Watch\", \"Political Economy\", \"Journalism in Tennessee\"\nAlso short stories from others:\nJ.S. Perelman's \"Strictly From Hunger\",\nAlex Atkinson's \"The Eyes of Texas are Upon You\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"My Watch\", \"Political Economy\", \"Journalism in Tennessee\"",
          "reason": "Named among the short stories the commenter rereads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Twain"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "journalism satire",
        "short story"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "journey-by-moonlight-f01237",
      "title": "Journey by Moonlight",
      "author": "Antal Szerb",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8257716,
          "author": "smcl",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T14:24:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257716",
          "commentText": "Ha actually my friend bought Journey By Moonlight - I'll try to borrow it off him once he's done. I'm guessing you're Hungarian based, do you know of any HN-related goings on in Budapest? I'm only a few hours by train away and I'd love an excuse to go back :)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "my friend bought Journey By Moonlight - I'll try to borrow it off him once he's done.",
          "reason": "Plans to borrow it, without evaluating or recommending it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8257635,
          "author": "sz4kerto",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T14:09:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257635",
          "commentText": "Depending on what kind of novels/etc. you're looking for, I could give you some recommendations -- or even send something by post :) (although not that much of the Hungarian literature is available in English). There's some stuff available online (on Amazon, like this gem: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Journey-Moonlight-Antal-Szerb/dp/190... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Journey-Moonlight-Antal-Szerb/dp/1901285502)) or in digital form.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "http://www.amazon.co.uk/Journey-Moonlight-Antal-Szerb/dp/190...",
          "reason": "Calls it a gem.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Antal Szerb"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hungarian literature",
        "travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "journey-into-mathematics-b5bfac",
      "title": "Journey into Mathematics",
      "author": "Joseph J. Rotman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31501336,
          "author": "newsoul",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-25T06:45:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31501336",
          "commentText": "After reading all the comments I am sharing my choices\n1. The foundations of mathematics by Stewart and Tall\n2. Problem Solving Strategies by Arthur Engels\n3. Journey into Mathematics by Rotman\n4. Concrete Mathematics by Knuth et al.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "3. Journey into Mathematics by Rotman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph J. Rotman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "journey-into-space-61c317",
      "title": "Journey into Space",
      "author": "Charles Chilton",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 191734,
          "author": "PI",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-16T13:05:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=191734",
          "commentText": "Okay, if you enjoy history try The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire (Volume 1) - each volume is around 48hrs each, it  might sound like a lot of hours listening but it's a great book and taught me a lot about Roman history.\nIf you're into sci-fi try the old BBC radio series Journey into Space, Operation Luna (the first in the series).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "try the old BBC radio series Journey into Space, Operation Luna (the first in the series)",
          "reason": "Recommended for listeners who enjoy science fiction.",
          "audience": "Listeners into science fiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter identifies this as an old BBC radio series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Chilton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "radio drama",
        "space adventure"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "journey-to-ixtlan-c2d604",
      "title": "Journey to Ixtlan",
      "author": "Carlos Castaneda",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23862856,
          "author": "poletopole",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T19:28:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23862856",
          "commentText": "Journey to Ixtlan.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Journey to Ixtlan.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carlos Castaneda"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "shamanism",
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "journey-to-the-abyss-the-diaries-of-count-harry-kessler-1880-1918-7429a9",
      "title": "Journey to the Abyss: The Diaries of Count Harry Kessler 1880–1918",
      "author": "Harry Kessler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34161354,
          "author": "keiferski",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T14:38:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161354",
          "commentText": "I am about halfway through Journey to the Abyss: The Diaries of Count Harry Kessler 1880-1918. Kessler was an extremely well-traveled and well-connected person and his diaries follow him through ±1900-era Mexico, Japan, India, and then back in Europe amongst figures like Rodin, Nietzsche, Verlain, and others. It's a super interesting read if you're interested in turn of the century art and culture, and also for a behind-the-scenes look at the German upper class perspective of World War I.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I am about halfway through Journey to the Abyss: The Diaries of Count Harry Kessler 1880-1918.",
          "reason": "Calls it a super interesting read.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in turn-of-the-century art and culture or the German upper-class perspective on World War I.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is only about halfway through.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Harry Kessler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "diaries",
        "german history",
        "turn of the century culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "journey-to-the-ants-e7dbcb",
      "title": "Journey to the Ants",
      "author": "Bert Hölldobler and Edward O. Wilson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30823031,
          "author": "aerovistae",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-27T19:04:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30823031",
          "commentText": "It's not my field, but feels like an appropriate answer.\nAfter the recent death of the myrmecologist EO Wilson, I decided to order a couple of his books and have spent the last few nights reading \"Journey to the ants\". It has been completely fascinating, I can't put it down.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "reading \"Journey to the ants\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book was completely fascinating and hard to put down.",
          "audience": "Readers curious about ants and myrmecology.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it was an appropriate answer despite not being their field.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bert Hölldobler",
        "Edward O. Wilson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ants",
        "myrmecology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "journey-to-the-east-783851",
      "title": "Journey to the East",
      "author": "Hermann Hesse",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1753448,
          "author": "hendler",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T19:52:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753448",
          "commentText": "I read many of Hesse's books. I liked his \"Journey to the East\" - a really interesting statement on leadership through service.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I liked his \"Journey to the East\" - a really interesting statement on leadership through service.",
          "reason": "The commenter liked it and calls its treatment of leadership through service interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hermann Hesse"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "spiritual journey"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "journey-to-the-edge-of-reason-the-life-of-kurt-godel-571beb",
      "title": "Journey to the Edge of Reason: The Life of Kurt Gödel",
      "author": "Stephen Budiansky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38237982,
          "author": "smokel",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T06:55:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38237982",
          "commentText": "\"Journey to the Edge of Reason, The Life of Kurt Gödel\", by Stephen Budiansky.\nEven though it contains an introduction to his proof of the Incompleteness Theorems, you won't learn all too much about logic or mathematics, but it sure paints an interesting picture of the people involved at the start of the 20th century.\n\"Silas Marner\" by George Eliot.  Has redefined humor for me.\n\"Reinforcement Learning and Stochastic Optimization\" by Warren B. Powell.  I'm still not entirely sure what to think of his claims about unifying many scientific disciplines, but it sure is packed with a lot of information and theory.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "you won't learn all too much about logic or mathematics, but it sure paints an interesting picture",
          "reason": "Interesting portrait of the people involved in early 20th-century logic and mathematics, though it teaches little about the subjects.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Kurt Gödel and the people around early 20th-century mathematics.",
          "caveat": "The author says it offers little instruction in logic or mathematics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Budiansky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "early 20th century",
        "kurt godel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "journey-to-the-west-5eeccf",
      "title": "Journey to the West",
      "author": "Wu Cheng'en",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22095719,
          "author": "dwd",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T02:17:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22095719",
          "commentText": "The Journey to the West - Wu Cheng'en\nAbridged English translation:\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/100237.Monkey\nIn its book form this story is basically unknown in the English-speaking world despite being considered one of four literary classics in Asia. And the 70s TV show that was based on this story was very faithful to the source material, particularly the humour.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Journey to the West - Wu Cheng'en",
          "reason": "The commenter presents it as an overlooked literary classic in the English-speaking world and praises the faithful adaptation's humor.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Asian literary classics and humorous adventure.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Wu Cheng'en"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chinese literature",
        "classical literature",
        "mythic adventure"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "journey-to-the-west-9904c3",
      "title": "Journey to the West",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17381922,
          "author": "zawerf",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T16:18:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17381922",
          "commentText": "The \"Four Great Classic Novels\" from 14th-18th century China: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_Chinese_Novels\nSpecifically:\nWater Margin\nRomance of the Three Kingdoms\nJourney to the West\nDream of the Red Chamber\nThey are referenced in everything in asian media and there a bajillion tv/movie adaptations of them but they are relatively unknown in the west.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Journey to the West",
          "reason": "Lists it as one of the Four Great Classic Novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chinese literature",
        "mythological adventure"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "journeys-of-the-mind-631f41",
      "title": "Journeys of the Mind",
      "author": "Peter Brown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46293001,
          "author": "cafard",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-16T19:15:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 46226571,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46293001",
          "commentText": "Journeys of the Mind by Peter Brown, a memoir of his life, chiefly as a historian of late antiquity. It is very long, the sole reason that I won't be giving it as a Christmas present.\nThe Story of a Life by Konstantin Paukofsky, also very long.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Journeys of the Mind by Peter Brown, a memoir of his life, chiefly as a historian of late antiquity. It is very long, the sole reason that I won't be giving it as a Christmas present.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as a memoir and says its length kept them from giving it as a present.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Very long.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Brown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historian memoir",
        "late antiquity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "joy-at-work-2ba466",
      "title": "Joy at Work",
      "author": "Dennis W. Bakke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11297707,
          "author": "bkirkby",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:44:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297707",
          "commentText": "- Leaders Eat Last, Simon Sinek\n- Creativity Inc., Ed Catmull\n- Reinventing Organizations, Frederic Laloux\n- Joy at Work, Dennis W Bakke\n- Valve Employee Handbook, Valve Software\nThis list is heavily skewed toward self-organization because I work for a company (Zappos) that is currently transitioning to a self-organization model. I thought I'd answer the question about what books I wish my \"manager\" would read even though I don't have a manager because in a self-org environment, you do have leaders that emerge organically. The main difference between \"manager\" and \"leader\" is that managers influence their charges with coersion (even if subtle and unintentional) while a leaders ability to influence comes from the bottom-up and is more meritocratic based on perceived experience and ability by those being led.\nMost companies hope to promote the leaders so their manager structure is reflective of the actual effective social leadership structure, but all companies get it wrong often.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Joy at Work, Dennis W Bakke",
          "reason": "Included in a list answering which books the commenter wishes managers would read.",
          "audience": "Managers and emerging leaders.",
          "caveat": "The list is heavily skewed toward self-organization.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dennis W. Bakke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "employee autonomy",
        "workplace culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "judge-of-ages-5befc0",
      "title": "Judge of Ages",
      "author": "John C. Wright",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13120144,
          "author": "joeclark77",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-07T03:05:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13120144",
          "commentText": "John C Wright's \"eschaton sequence\":\nCount to a Trillion\nThe Hermetic Millennia\nJudge of Ages\nArchitect of Aeons\nThe Vindication of Man\n(and one more to come)\nIt's a combination of hard sci-fi and space opera, based around one essentially immortal character (and his rival, and his girl) carrying out a mission over tens of thousands of years.  Mind-blowing scale and yet there's a romance to it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Judge of Ages",
          "reason": "Listed as an installment in the series offered in response to a request for the year's best sci-fi.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John C. Wright"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hard science fiction",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "judges-f53e87",
      "title": "Judges",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8107077,
          "author": "kilo_man",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T09:00:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107077",
          "commentText": "Just listing books that have had a big impact on me:\n* The Now Habit - http://www.amazon.com/dp/1585425524\n* Getting Things Done - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0142000280\n* Simply Christian - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061920622\n* Surprised by Hope - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061551821\n* The Great Divorce - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060652950\n* Mere Christianity - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060652926\n* The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - http://www.amazon.com/dp/048629823X\n* Tao Te Ching - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060812451\nBooks from the Bible that I like:\n* Genesis\n* Judges\n* Ruth\n* Tobit\n* Job\n* Psalms\n* Ecclesiastes\n* Sirach/Ecclesiasticus\n* Everything written by John",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Judges",
          "reason": "Listed among biblical books the commenter says they like.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bible",
        "hebrew scripture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "judgment-in-managerial-decision-making-e50416",
      "title": "Judgment in Managerial Decision Making",
      "author": "Max H. Bazerman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3277935,
          "author": "maxprogram",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T19:12:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3277935",
          "commentText": "\"Streetlights and Shadows: Searching for the Keys to Adaptive Decision Making\", Gary Klein\n\"Normal Accidents: Living with High-Risk Technologies\", Charles Perrow\n\"Chaos: Making a New Science\", James Gleick\n\"Filters Against Folly\", Garrett James Hardin\n\"Judgment in Managerial Decision Making\", Max Bazerman\n\"Deep Simplicity: Bringing Order to Chaos and Complexity\", John Gribben",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Judgment in Managerial Decision Making\", Max Bazerman",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books about thinking and cognition.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Max H. Bazerman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "decision making",
        "managerial judgment"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "jugari-cross-89d8d3",
      "title": "Jugari Cross",
      "author": "Poornachandra Tejaswi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4968440,
          "author": "swatkat",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T06:43:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4968440",
          "commentText": "'The Joy of X: A Guided Tour of Mathematics, from One to Infinity' by Steven Strogatz. http://www.flipkart.com/joy-x-1848878443/p/itmdekzuwjwwngfz?... (http://www.flipkart.com/joy-x-1848878443/p/itmdekzuwjwwngfz?pid=9781848878440)\n'Anything You Want: 40 Lessons For A New Kind Of Entrepreneur' by Derek Sivers. http://www.flipkart.com/anything-you-want-1936719118/p/itmdy... (http://www.flipkart.com/anything-you-want-1936719118/p/itmdynfvqes6fdbd?pid=9781936719112)\n'Jugari Cross' by Poornachandra Tejaswi; an amazing thriller novel that takes place in real-time. http://www.flipkart.com/jugari-cross/p/itmd7gdp6xvushkd?pid=... (http://www.flipkart.com/jugari-cross/p/itmd7gdp6xvushkd?pid=RBKD7GDPGERXMG4T)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Jugari Cross' by Poornachandra Tejaswi; an amazing thriller novel that takes place in real-time.",
          "reason": "Calls it an amazing thriller novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Poornachandra Tejaswi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "real time narrative",
        "thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "julia-donaldson-books-5ab8a8",
      "title": "Julia Donaldson books",
      "author": "Julia Donaldson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50079372,
          "author": "pjacotg",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-13T21:50:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50079372",
          "commentText": "To get started board books and we also had a book with pictures of a 1000 everyday objects which both my kids loved.\nThen for older than the first few months, my kids loved Maisy books, Spot books, various Julia Donaldsons, Percy the Park Keeper and Hairy Maclarey to name a few.\nGood luck with all of it!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "various Julia Donaldsons",
          "reason": "The commenter lists these among books their children loved.",
          "audience": "Young children; offered as reading advice for a baby.",
          "caveat": "No particular title is specified.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Julia Donaldson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "picture books",
        "rhyming stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "julian-2e93f8",
      "title": "Julian",
      "author": "Gore Vidal",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4966978,
          "author": "jacoblyles",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T20:15:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4966978",
          "commentText": "The best book I read this year was \"Julian\" by Gore Vidal. This is a thoroughly-researched historical fiction book about the Roman emperor Julian, the last pagan emperor of Rome. Thirty years before Julian rose to the throne, his grandfather Constantine the Great transformed Christianity from a persecuted sect practiced by a significant minority into the official religion of the state. In those thirty years, the ancient cults had mostly withered and died, their temples turned into churches or abandoned in disrepair.\nJulian set out to revive the old religions and convert Rome away from Christianity. He was a bookish boy, a bit of a philosophy nerd. When he unexpectedly rose to a position of prominence, it turned out that he had a knack for military command which helped him gain popularity with the people and seize the emperorship.\nI enjoyed this book because it gets you inside the head of people in a different time and place, with different thoughts and concerns than modern westerners. It also shows you how quickly the world can change. Julian lived in a time when thousands of years of tradition were changing quickly, in a blink of an eye by historical terms. These are great lessons to have in mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed this book because it gets you inside the head of people in a different time and place, with different thoughts and concerns than modern westerners.",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed its historical perspective and lessons about rapid change.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gore Vidal"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "emperor julian",
        "historical fiction",
        "roman empire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "jump-225-trilogy-ee2417",
      "title": "Jump 225 Trilogy",
      "author": "David Louis Edelman",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1226850,
          "author": "keyist",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:36:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226850",
          "commentText": "Don't miss sivers's great list: http://sivers.org/book\nAs for mine,\nScience Fiction (I like these authors so I'd recommend most of their books -- listing which ones I think are a good 'starter novel' for them):\n  Charles Stross: Halting State\n  Vernor Vinge: A Fire Upon The Deep\n  Iain M. Banks: Culture novels, start with Player of Games\n  David Louis Edelman: Jump 225 Trilogy\n  Daniel Suarez: Daemon and Freedom(tm)\n  John Scalzi: Old Man's War series\n  Dan Simmons: Hyperion\n\nSelf-improvement:\n  The Talent Code\n  Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger\n  Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion\n\nNon-fiction:\n  Amusing Ourselves To Death (highly recommended)\n  The Science of Fear\n  The Black Swan\n  Tokyo Vice\n  Racing The Beam (Atari history, very cool)\n  books by Daniel Pink\n  Guns, Germs, and Steel\n  The Prize by Daniel Yergin\n\nFantasy:\nAnything by Gaiman or China Mieville, pretty much.\nEDIT: links to previews (legally) available online\nCharles Stross's Accelerando (entire book): http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelera... (http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelerando/accelerando-intro.html)\nDavid Louis Edelman's Infoquake (1st 7 chapters): http://www.davidlouisedelman.com/jump225/infoquake/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "David Louis Edelman: Jump 225 Trilogy",
          "reason": "Listed as a good starter novel for the author.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Louis Edelman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "corporate intrigue",
        "cyberpunk"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "jumpstart-your-business-brain-40bcbf",
      "title": "Jumpstart Your Business Brain",
      "author": "Doug Hall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 674923,
          "author": "skmurphy",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-26T03:58:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 673487,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there any good Internet marketing books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=674923",
          "commentText": "I would recommend these books for a good grounding in marketing and fostering innovation:\n   The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen\n   Crossing the Chasm and Inside the Tornado by Geoffrey Moore\n   Innovation and Entrepreneurship by Peter Drucker\n   Marketing High Technology by William Davidow\n   Four Steps to the Epiphany by Steve Blank\n   Jumpstart Your Business Brain by Doug Hall\n   E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber\n   Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim & R. Mauborgne\n   Influence The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini\n   The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries and Jack Trout\n   Secrets of Consulting by Gerald Weinberg\n\nFor an article that summarizes key concepts see http://skmurphy.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/Crucial%20Mar... (http://skmurphy.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/Crucial%20Marketing%20Concepts.pdf)\nThere is a companion slide deck here http://www.skmurphy.com/f/SDForum061211.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jumpstart Your Business Brain by Doug Hall",
          "reason": "Recommended for grounding in marketing and fostering innovation.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a grounding in marketing and innovation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Doug Hall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business strategy",
        "marketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "junie-b-jones-2a795c",
      "title": "Junie B. Jones",
      "author": "Barbara Park",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50059327,
          "author": "dyingkneepad",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-12T17:01:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50059327",
          "commentText": "The Dog Man series is probably the one I read the most to my kids, and the one I liked the most. The 10 first books are one whole story, read them in order. The Cat Kid Comic Club is cool as well.\nThe \"Who would win?\" series is also very popular at home.\nThe Owly comics are amazing for kids who are just starting to read. It's also super cute.\nJunie B. Jones stuff is also something I recall reading multiple times.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Junie B. Jones stuff is also something I recall reading multiple times.",
          "reason": "The commenter recalls reading the books multiple times.",
          "audience": "The commenter’s children.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Barbara Park"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s chapter books",
        "school stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "just-enough-research-2e668b",
      "title": "Just Enough Research",
      "author": "Erika Hall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43724651,
          "author": "skydhash",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-18T03:14:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 43723077,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on talking to users?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43724651",
          "commentText": "There are three main subproblems to your questions:\n1. Find out what users wants. The answer to that is research and the only book I have is Just Enough Research by Erika Hall. I also found Essentials of Business Research Methods by Joe Hair Jr. et al.\n2. Build the thing that the user wants. That's mostly the real of Software Requirements and I have two candidates for you:\n- Mastering the Requirements Process: Getting Requirements Right by Suzanne and James Robertson\n- Software Requirements by Karl Wiegers and Joy Beatty.\n3. Build something that the user likes and that he can use. That's UX and I have three candidates this time:\n- Observing the User Experience, 2nd Edition by E. Goodman and M. Kunlavsky\n- Understanding Your Users, 2nd Edition by K. Baxter et al.\n- The UX Book by R. Hartson and P. S. Pyla\nAll of those just emphasize having an objective view of what you want to bring to the users and a rational execution strategy. I haven't read all so I can't judge them, but I believe they will give you enough starting points for you to devise your own method.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the only book I have is Just Enough Research by Erika Hall.",
          "reason": "Named as the commenter's book on user research.",
          "audience": "People researching what users want.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is the only book they have on the subject.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Erika Hall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "design research",
        "user research"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "just-java-c9d7c1",
      "title": "Just Java",
      "author": "Peter van der Linden",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 221530,
          "author": "dedalus",
          "createdAt": "2008-06-19T04:41:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 221097,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Best book for Java",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=221530",
          "commentText": "Just Java by Peter Van der Linden is an exceptional introduction thats comprehensive and well thought out (may be not just for complete newbiee)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0131482114",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just Java by Peter Van der Linden is an exceptional introduction thats comprehensive and well thought out",
          "reason": "Describes it as an exceptional, comprehensive, and well thought out introduction.",
          "audience": "Java learners, possibly beyond complete beginners.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it may not be just for complete beginners.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter van der Linden"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "java",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "just-mercy-7d743e",
      "title": "Just Mercy",
      "author": "Bryan Stevenson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18743855,
          "author": "trashcan_",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T01:50:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18743855",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed Just Mercy as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed Just Mercy as well.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bryan Stevenson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "criminal justice",
        "wrongful convictions"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "just-one-more-thing-stories-from-my-life-230749",
      "title": "Just One More Thing: Stories from My Life",
      "author": "Peter Falk",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2152775,
          "author": "Tim1776",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-28T17:59:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2152775",
          "commentText": "A few great biographies: \"The Man Behind The Microchip\" by Leslie Berlin, \"iWoz: Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-Founded Apple, and Had Fun Doing It\" by Steve Wozniak and Gina Smith, and \"Just One More Thing\" by Peter Falk.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Just One More Thing\" by Peter Falk.",
          "reason": "Lists it among a few great biographies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Falk"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "acting",
        "autobiography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "just-revenge-25e304",
      "title": "Just Revenge",
      "author": "Alan Dershowitz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40889108,
          "author": "leobg",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-06T08:56:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40889108",
          "commentText": "Just Revenge by Alan Dershowitz. It’s a short read. But I’ll never forget it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just Revenge by Alan Dershowitz. It’s a short read. But I’ll never forget it.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan Dershowitz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "legal thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "just-so-stories-e24ba3",
      "title": "Just So Stories",
      "author": "Rudyard Kipling",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20915799,
          "author": "NeedMoreTea",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T06:53:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20915799",
          "commentText": "The Phantom Rickshaw and other Eerie Tales, Rudyard Kipling. This is the one that includes \"The Man Who Would be King\" that's a fairly well known film with Sean Connery and Michael Caine.\nHis other short story books, such as The Jungle Book and Just So Stories - so much better than the Disney.\nThe Time Machine and other Stories, H G Wells.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His other short story books, such as The Jungle Book and Just So Stories - so much better than the Disney.",
          "reason": "Praises Kipling's books in comparison with Disney adaptations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comparison is specifically with Disney adaptations.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rudyard Kipling"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s literature",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "just-william-9baece",
      "title": "Just William",
      "author": "Richmal Crompton",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17382739,
          "author": "gtycomb",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T18:49:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17382739",
          "commentText": "The children's books:- Just William series by Richmal Cromption. Fun of boyhood days immortalized.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The children's books:- Just William series by Richmal Cromption. Fun of boyhood days immortalized.",
          "reason": "Describes the series as fun, capturing boyhood days.",
          "audience": "Children's book readers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richmal Crompton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "british humor",
        "children s literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "just-for-fun-b4885c",
      "title": "Just for Fun",
      "author": "Linus Torvalds and David Diamond",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910210,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:25:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910210",
          "commentText": "- \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies\" - probably the most influential book I've read in my life, profoundly changed the way I think. It's a collection of LessWrong essays on science and rationality.\n- \"On Intelligence\" and \"I am a Strange Loop\" - how mind works.\n- \"Rework\", \"Zero to One\", \"Start Small, Stay Small\" - insightful startup advice.\n- Fun autobiographies: Ghost in the Wires (Kevin Mitnick), iWoz (Steve Wozniak), Catch me if you can (Frank Abagnale), Just for Fun (Linus Torvalds), Elon Musk, Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\n- How companies work: Creativity Inc (Pixar), In the Plex (Google)\n- On writing: Art of fiction/nonfiction by Ayn Rand, Story by Robert McKee, Save the Cat, Step by Step to Standup Comedy.\n- Other: The Selfish Gene, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Serious Creativity, Hackers & Painters, Hacking Growth, Angel (on angel investing, by Jason Calacanis).\nAlso collections of essays by Paul Graham [1] and Scott Alexander [2]:\n[1] https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%20Complete%20Essays.epub?dl=0)\n[2] https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of%20Scott%20Alexandria%20-%20Scott%20Alexander.epub?dl=0)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just for Fun (Linus Torvalds)",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's fun autobiographies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Linus Torvalds",
        "David Diamond"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "linux",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "just-for-fun-the-story-of-an-accidental-revolutionary-bfe8d7",
      "title": "Just for Fun: The Story of an Accidental Revolutionary",
      "author": "Linus Torvalds with David Diamond",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12494191,
          "author": "dredmorbius",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-14T04:13:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12494191",
          "commentText": "From a recent HN comment,  a list, some authors, and some guidelines, largely based on books which radically changed my thinking.\nCurrently:  Vaclav Smil, Energy in World History (1994), and Manfred Weissenbacher, Sources of Power (2009).  Both detail the role and impact of energy through world history.  The latter draws strongly on the first, both are exceedingly well documented.  TL;DR: coal changed much, oil changed everything.\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/3... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/30398523&referer=brief_results)\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foragin... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foraging-agriculture-and-coal/oclc/837625798&referer=brief_results)\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625970&referer=brief_results)\nJames Burke's books Connections and The Day the Universe Changed, and their accompanying television series, were a profound introduction to the history of technology, science, ideas, and philosophy.  Though 30+ years old, they remain highly current and relevant.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/connections/oclc/4494136\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/day-the-universe-changed/oclc... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/day-the-universe-changed/oclc/12049817)\nJeremy Campbell's Grammatical Man (1984) introduced the concepts of information theory and their deep, deep, deep interconnections to a tremendous number of interconnected systems, many not explored within his book.  Darwin's The Origin of Species, James Gleick's Chaos, and many of the works of Santa Fe Institute members, including John C. Holland, J. Doyne Farmer, Geoffrey West, W. Brian Arthur, David Krakauer, and Sander van der Leeuw, continue these themes.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-e... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-entropy-language-and-life/oclc/8306673)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/chaos-making-a-new-science/oc... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/chaos-making-a-new-science/oclc/15366709)\nWilliam Ophuls' Ecology and the Politics of Scarcity (1977) is perhaps the best, most comprehensive, shortest, and most readable exposition of the fact, reality, dynamics, and interactions of limits on the present phase of fossil-fuel fed economic growth I've found.  This is a book I recommend not only for the message, but the author's clarity of thought and exposition, his meticulous research, exquisite bibliographical notes, and, given the nearly 30 years elapsed, testability numerous of his predictions, some failed, yes, others uncannily accurate.  Rather more the latter.  In a similar vein, William R. Catton's Overshoot looks at the ecological dynamics in more depth, with much wisdom, the writings of Richard Heinberg cover the ground of limits fairly accessibly and more recently.  Vaclav Smil in numerous books addresses technical factors of the profound nature of the past 250 years, and implications for the future.  Meadows, et al, in Limits to Growth set off much of the post-1970 discussion (though they're hardly the first to raise the question -- it dates to Seneca the Elder),\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-s... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-scarcity-prologue-to-a-political-theory-of-the-steady-state/oclc/2524932)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/overshoot-the-ecological-basi... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/overshoot-the-ecological-basis-of-revolutionary-change/oclc/6195764)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Aheinberg%2C+richard&a... (https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Aheinberg%2C+richard&amp;qt=owc_search)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Asmil%2C+vaclav&amp;qt... (https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Asmil%2C+vaclav&amp;qt=results_page)\nThough hardly pessimistic, Daniel Yergin's book The Prize (and TV series) impressed upon me more than any other just how much petroleum specifically changed and transformed the modern world.  Though intended largely as laudetory and championing the oil industry by the author, my read of it was exceptionally cautionary.  The impacts on business, everyday life, politics, wars, industry, and transport, and the rate at which they occurred, are simply staggering.  You can continue this exploration in Vaclav Smil's Energy in World History (1994) (I've recommended Smil independently elsewhere), and a rare but profound two-volume set I'm currently reading, Manfred Weissenbacher's Sources of Power: How energy forges human history (2009).  The shear physicality of this book speaks to the message -- it's divided into five parts:  1) Foraging Age (6 pages), 2) Agricultural Age (156 pp), 3) Coal Age (160 pp),  4) Oil Age (296 pp), and 5) Beyond the Oil Age (142 pp).  That is, the ~2 million years of pre-agricultural existence are little more than a footnote, the 8,000 years of agriculture roughly equal to the 150 years of coal, and the 100 years of petroleum use roughly twice either.  The oil and post-oil ages comprise their own volume.  Yergin followed up with The Quest, continuing the search for oil, though I've been less impressed by it.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/prize-the-epic-quest-for-oil-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/prize-the-epic-quest-for-oil-money-and-power/oclc/22381448)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/30398523)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foragi... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foraging-agriculture-and-coal/oclc/837625798)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/83762... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625970)\nAdam Smith's An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations is among the most-cited (and most incorrectly cited), least-read books of high influence I'm aware of, outside religious texts (and perhaps it is a religious text to some…).  The author's message has been exceptionally shaped and manipulated by a powerful set of forces, quite often utterly misrepresenting Smith's original intent.  Reading him in his own words, yourself, is strongly recommended.  I'd also recommend scholarship particularly by Emma Rothschild and Gavin Kennedy, though also others, on Smith. Contrast with the portrayal by the propaganda disinformation front of the Mont Pelerin Society / Atlas Network / so-called Foundation for Economic Education, and much of the modern American Libertarian movement (von Mises, Hayek, Friedman, Hazlett, Rothbard, and more recently, Norberg).  Contrast The Invisible Hand (1964), a compilation of essays published by Libertarian house Regnery Press in 1966, at the beginning of the rise in public use of Smith's metaphor to indictate mechanism rather than an expression of the unknown.\nThere are numerous editions of Smith, I believe the Glasgow is frequently cited by Smith scholars:  https://www.worldcat.org/title/glasgow-edition-of-the-works-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/glasgow-edition-of-the-works-and-correspondence-of-adam-smith-2-an-inquiry-into-the-nature-and-causes-of-the-wealth-of-nations-vol-1/oclc/832488566)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/economic-sentiments-adam-smit... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/economic-sentiments-adam-smith-condorcet-and-the-enlightenment/oclc/45282974)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smith-and-the-invisible-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smith-and-the-invisible-hand/oclc/820387997)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smiths-lost-legacy/oclc/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smiths-lost-legacy/oclc/56598640)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/invisible-hand-a-collection-o... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/invisible-hand-a-collection-of-essays-on-the-economic-philosophy-of-free-enterprise/oclc/326622)\nI'd like to put in recommendations on technology specifically, but am still searching for a good general text.  The material's covered somewhat in the chaos and complexity recommendations above (Campbell et al), though I'd add Joseph Tainter's The Collapse of Complex Societies.  Charle's Perrow has several excellent books including Normal Accidents and Organizing America.   I'd like to reference something concerning Unix, Linux, and programming, perhaps Kernighan and Pike's The Unix Programming Environment, Linus Torvalds' Just for Fun, Richard Stallman's The GNU Manifesto, and Steve McConnel's Code Complete.  The O'Reilly book Unix Power Tools also encapsulates much the strength of the Unix toolset.  All these are somewhat dated.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/collapse-of-complex-societies... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/collapse-of-complex-societies/oclc/15083222)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/normal-accidents-living-with-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/normal-accidents-living-with-high-risk-technologies/oclc/10229932)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/organizing-america-wealth-pow... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/organizing-america-wealth-power-and-the-origins-of-corporate-capitalism/oclc/939707157)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-programming-environment/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-programming-environment/oclc/10269821)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/5238168... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/52381684)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Linus Torvalds' Just for Fun",
          "reason": "Suggested as a possible reference on Unix, Linux, and programming.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these technology books are somewhat dated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Linus Torvalds with David Diamond"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "linux",
        "software history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ka-8259f9",
      "title": "Ka",
      "author": "Roberto Calasso",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 143408,
          "author": "maheshcr",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T17:03:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143408",
          "commentText": "A worn out, moth eaten copy of Lord Byron's complete works. It took me almost a decade to outgrow the influence. Especially the poem Manfred, and the soliloquay at the beginning!\nThe Sanyasin - Satprem. I walked the streets of Chennai not knowing what the hell was happening, while reading this. Magical, mystic..anyone who has ever held any spiritual notions should read this...\nLast Temptation by Nikos Kazantikakis, what can I say..every word has drilled through me!\nKa by Roberto Calasso, this made me confront my own culture and religion like no other.\nSiddhartha by Herman Hesse.\nGodel, Escher & Bach - Douglas Hofstadter. Barely made it to 4th chapter but that alone has shattered opinions I held about my style of thinking.\nAnd Sri Aurobindo...almost everything that he has written touches me like no other. It was like coming home after being in exile. Not that I understand anything but...\nAnd of course Don Box's talk on DDJ about the origins of .NET!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ka by Roberto Calasso, this made me confront my own culture and religion like no other.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it made them confront their culture and religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roberto Calasso"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comparative religion",
        "hindu mythology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "kaikeyi-41b1de",
      "title": "Kaikeyi",
      "author": "Vaishnavi Patel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38557198,
          "author": "velavar",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:09:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557198",
          "commentText": "This was the year I got my attention under enough control to be able to read voraciously again like I used to in my childhood :)\n* I'll always bring up The Three-body problem because I re-read it every year\n* Piranesi because of it's fantastical story-telling\n* The Covenant of Water - because it's a fantastic medical drama and a sweeping story spanning generations\n* Victory City - Salamn Rushdie's latest novel which is surprisingly readable\n* The Enchanted Forest/Kaikeyi/Palace of Illusions - because they cover the major Indian epics from the lens of the women characters (think Circe with an Indian background)\n* Trust - The same story told from different viewpoints with a setting in the early NY financial world, which makes it extra interesting\nI notice that I do tend to favour books with an Indian background because of my nostalgia for it as  I live in a foreign land. Maybe I'll branch out more next year!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Enchanted Forest/Kaikeyi/Palace of Illusions - because they cover the major Indian epics from the lens of the women characters",
          "reason": "Listed among books reimagining Indian epics through women characters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vaishnavi Patel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "indian mythology",
        "women centered retellings"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "kalevipoeg-75b256",
      "title": "Kalevipoeg",
      "author": "Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33383009,
          "author": "morelisp",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T11:17:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33383009",
          "commentText": "If you're interested in national epics, try the Kalevipoeg next.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "try the Kalevipoeg next.",
          "reason": "Suggests it to someone interested in national epics.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in national epics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "estonian national epic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "kallocain-ca3202",
      "title": "Kallocain",
      "author": "Karin Boye",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43615275,
          "author": "Gud",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T19:56:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43615275",
          "commentText": "Kallocain by Karin Boye.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kallocain by Karin Boye.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Karin Boye"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopian fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "kalvan-of-otherwhen-933f38",
      "title": "Kalvan of Otherwhen",
      "author": "H. Beam Piper",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 86223,
          "author": "icky",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:37:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86223",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- The Time Machine (still holds up very well, and seems strangely eerie and prescient in places)... (H. G. Wells)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Hobbit (and LotR) (Tolkien)\n- Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n- Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties (I picked up Idoru first, so I haven't yet read Virtual Light) (also Gibson)\n- The Difference Engine (Gibson, Sterling)\n- Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n- Cryptonomicon (\" \")\n- Circuit of Heaven, End of Days (Dennis Danvers)\n- All of the \"Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser\" stories and novels. (Fritz Leiber)\n- The Earthsea trilogy (Ursula K. LeGuin)\n- 'salem's Lot (Stephen King)\n- Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein)\n- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)\n- the Coldfire trilogy (C. S. Friedman)\n- various Cory Doctorow short stories\n- Kamikaze L'Amour (Richard Kadrey)\n- Lightpaths (Howard V. Hendrix)\n- A Canticle For Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)\n- Moonwar, Venus (Ben Bova)\n- the Stainless Steel Rat series (Harry Harrison)\n- Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)\n- Ringworld (Larry Niven)\n- Cthon (Piers Anthony) -- Trippiness level approaching Philip Jose Farmer ;-)\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (Douglas Adams)\n- The Black Company (Glen Cook)\n- there's one particularly good post-cyberpunk series that takes place in a world in which Canada emerged as a major world power, but for the life of me I can't rememeber the title.\n- the 1632 series (Eric Flint)... see also S. M. Stirling's Nantucket series (\"Island in the Sea of Time\", et al.), and H. Beam Piper's novel Kalvan of Otherwhen\nNon-fiction:\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (Hume)\n- the surviving words and works of Epicurus, and Diogenes the Cynic\n- Freakonomics (Levitt, Dubner)\n- The Gay Science (Nietzsche)\n- The Jefferson Bible (Christ, Jefferson (ed.))\n- The Devil's Dictionary (Bierce)\n- Brain Droppings (George Carlin)\n- anything by P. J. O'Rourke\n- anything by Dave Barry",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "H. Beam Piper's novel Kalvan of Otherwhen",
          "reason": "Recommended alongside the Nantucket series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "H. Beam Piper"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternate history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "kamikaze-l-amour-2e243f",
      "title": "Kamikaze L'Amour",
      "author": "Richard Kadrey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 86223,
          "author": "icky",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:37:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86223",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- The Time Machine (still holds up very well, and seems strangely eerie and prescient in places)... (H. G. Wells)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Hobbit (and LotR) (Tolkien)\n- Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n- Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties (I picked up Idoru first, so I haven't yet read Virtual Light) (also Gibson)\n- The Difference Engine (Gibson, Sterling)\n- Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n- Cryptonomicon (\" \")\n- Circuit of Heaven, End of Days (Dennis Danvers)\n- All of the \"Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser\" stories and novels. (Fritz Leiber)\n- The Earthsea trilogy (Ursula K. LeGuin)\n- 'salem's Lot (Stephen King)\n- Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein)\n- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)\n- the Coldfire trilogy (C. S. Friedman)\n- various Cory Doctorow short stories\n- Kamikaze L'Amour (Richard Kadrey)\n- Lightpaths (Howard V. Hendrix)\n- A Canticle For Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)\n- Moonwar, Venus (Ben Bova)\n- the Stainless Steel Rat series (Harry Harrison)\n- Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)\n- Ringworld (Larry Niven)\n- Cthon (Piers Anthony) -- Trippiness level approaching Philip Jose Farmer ;-)\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (Douglas Adams)\n- The Black Company (Glen Cook)\n- there's one particularly good post-cyberpunk series that takes place in a world in which Canada emerged as a major world power, but for the life of me I can't rememeber the title.\n- the 1632 series (Eric Flint)... see also S. M. Stirling's Nantucket series (\"Island in the Sea of Time\", et al.), and H. Beam Piper's novel Kalvan of Otherwhen\nNon-fiction:\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (Hume)\n- the surviving words and works of Epicurus, and Diogenes the Cynic\n- Freakonomics (Levitt, Dubner)\n- The Gay Science (Nietzsche)\n- The Jefferson Bible (Christ, Jefferson (ed.))\n- The Devil's Dictionary (Bierce)\n- Brain Droppings (George Carlin)\n- anything by P. J. O'Rourke\n- anything by Dave Barry",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kamikaze L'Amour (Richard Kadrey)",
          "reason": "Listed under fiction in response to the thread’s question about favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Kadrey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dark fantasy",
        "surrealism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "kane-and-abel-e8a83a",
      "title": "Kane and Abel",
      "author": "Jeffrey Archer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2639710,
          "author": "richardw",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T03:41:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639710",
          "commentText": "Kane and Abel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kane and Abel",
          "reason": "Named as the commenter's answer to the greatest book question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeffrey Archer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "family saga",
        "rivalry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "kantaki-cycle-0c422c",
      "title": "Kantaki Cycle",
      "author": "Andreas Eschbach",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056693,
          "author": "exar0815",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:59:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056693",
          "commentText": "I got hooked on SciFi with David Webers Harrington-Series which I found after enjoying the old Hornblower Series. Since then I enjoyed much omthe Kantaki-Cycle of Andreas Eschbach and the Collector/Justifier Series by Markus Heitz, even though they are what I would call typical german SciFi: Humans as nuisance in a peaceful and orderly Galaxy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Kantaki-Cycle of Andreas Eschbach",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andreas Eschbach"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "kaplan-and-sadock-s-synopsis-of-psychiatry-3893be",
      "title": "Kaplan and Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry",
      "author": "Benjamin J. Sadock; Virginia A. Sadock",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47317956,
          "author": "h4ch1",
          "createdAt": "2026-03-10T01:07:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 47315415,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47317956",
          "commentText": "Catastrophe 1914 - Max Hastings : Great book about what triggered WW1, the state of the world at that time. Just a great read in general.\nThe Seven Military Classics Of Ancient China : Sun Tzu isn't the only military strategist on the block.\nKaplan and Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry:  I make sure to study at least one university/high school textbook on any subject that I find interesting.\nAlso, not reading but watching Professor Jiang Xueqin's lectures [0] has been pivotal towards helping me find new avenues to research and understand geopolitics .\n[0] https://www.youtube.com/@PredictiveHistory",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kaplan and Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry: I make sure to study at least one university/high school textbook on any subject that I find interesting.",
          "reason": "The commenter studies a textbook on subjects they find interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Benjamin J. Sadock",
        "Virginia A. Sadock"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "psychiatry",
        "textbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "kar-80f5f9",
      "title": "Kar",
      "author": "Orhan Pamuk",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27629753,
          "author": "etherio",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T12:13:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27629753",
          "commentText": "- \"The Theoretical Minimum: What You Need to Know to Start Doing Physics\" by Leonard Susskind. I'm reading the entire series and it's very clear and interesting, definitely recommend if you want to get into physics.\n- \"Speech and Language Processing (3rd ed. draft)\" - Really good intro to natural language processing.\n- Kar by Orhan Pamuk - not a technical book just an intriguing fiction book in turkish I want to read to work on my Turkish;.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Kar by Orhan Pamuk - not a technical book just an intriguing fiction book in turkish I want to read to work on my Turkish",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as intriguing and wants to read it to work on their Turkish.",
          "audience": "Readers practicing Turkish.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is not a technical book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Orhan Pamuk"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "language learning",
        "turkish literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "karel-capek-s-novels-9f11ba",
      "title": "Karel Čapek's novels",
      "author": "Karel Čapek",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13249050,
          "author": "ceceron",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T08:01:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249050",
          "commentText": "+1 - Dostoyevsky is a must have.\nThere are many fictional books that tell so much truth about humanity, but I would recommend Karel Capek's novels as those aren't very popular nowadays. Particuraly: The \"Absolute at Large\" and \"War with the Newts\".",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I would recommend Karel Capek's novels",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends Čapek's novels for their insights about humanity.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in fiction that explores human nature.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these novels are not very popular nowadays.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Karel Čapek"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "czech literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "karma-yoga-ccf89d",
      "title": "Karma Yoga",
      "author": "Swami Vivekananda",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10785719,
          "author": "martythemaniak",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T21:18:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785719",
          "commentText": "Leave it to Psmith - 10/10\nAnna Karenina - 8/10\nThe Code of the Woosters 8/10\nFooled by Randomness 7/10\nFinding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life 8/10\nHow to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia 9/10\nReluctant Fundamentalist 9/10\nThe Sense of an Ending - Julian Barnes 8/10\nThe Last Question - Asimov - 9/10\nThe Magic of Thinking Big - 6/10\nThe catcher in the Rye 8/10\nModels 7/10\nHigh Fidelity - Nick Hornby 8/10\nThe Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman 7/10\nThe Surrender Experiment - 10/10\nUntethered Soul - 9/10\nThe Autobiography of a Yogi - 7/10\nRaja Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 7/10\nSomething Fresh, something new - 7/10\nKarma Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 8/10\nThinking, Fast and Slow - 9/10\nFierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates 10/10\nThe Pearl by John Steinbeck 7/10",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Karma Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 8/10",
          "reason": "Rates the book 8/10.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Swami Vivekananda"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "vedanta",
        "yoga"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "keeper-of-the-lost-cities-a61a7f",
      "title": "Keeper of the Lost Cities",
      "author": "Shannon Messenger",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26800750,
          "author": "lnwlebjel",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-13T23:16:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26800750",
          "commentText": "Mo Willems is awesome (Pigeon series, Elephant and Piggy). Some of the Dr. Suess books are still great and fun to read (I can read with my eyes shut, One fish two fish). The book with no pictures, the day the crayons quit, dragons love tacos, and the princess and the dragon by Audrey Wood are all books that I've probably read 100 times and still enjoy.\nAs my kids got a bit older the Box Car children series was compelling, and the girls loved the Rainbow Magic books. Capt. Underpants and Dog man are hilarious and just subversive enough that a 7-9 yr old feel like they are getting away with something. Then on to Mysterious Benedict Society, Harry Potter, Rick Riordan, and Keeper of the Lost Cities.\nOur M.O. was to max out our Library card on a regular basis with just about everything possible and then iterate from there on the authors the kids enjoyed. I feel like reading is one of the things we've gotten right so far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Keeper of the Lost Cities",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Older children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Shannon Messenger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "kelly-more-than-my-share-of-it-all-3c9b1d",
      "title": "Kelly: More than My Share of it All",
      "author": "Clarence \"Kelly\" Johnson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17206712,
          "author": "sizzzzlerz",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T16:07:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17206712",
          "commentText": "\"Kelly: More than My Share of it All\" - Clarence \"Kelly\" Johnson : A personal narrative of the world's greatest aircraft designer\n\"The Mythical Man-Month\" - Fred Brooks : A classic book of software engineering but it is so much more. If you have aspirations of becoming an effective manager, you need this book.\n\"Flight: My Life in Mission Control\" - Chris Kraft : A book about the early space program written by the man who literally wrote the book on how spaces missions were to be conducted.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Kelly: More than My Share of it All\" - Clarence \"Kelly\" Johnson : A personal narrative of the world's greatest aircraft designer",
          "reason": "Listed as a book recommendation in response to a request for technology history.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in aircraft design and engineering history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Clarence \"Kelly\" Johnson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aircraft design",
        "engineering history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "khana-mihirer-dhipi-55a237",
      "title": "Khana Mihirer Dhipi",
      "author": "Bani Basu",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38565904,
          "author": "__rito__",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T06:03:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38565904",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- \"The Dark Forest\" by Liu Cixin and the whole Three Body Problem/Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy. Truly massive, grand SciFi. Would recommend 10/10. [HN]\n- \"Anna Karenina\" by Tolstoy. Made me face deeper parts of my mind. Attempted to answer some questions I had. Great story. Huge book. Historical fiction is something I like across languages.\n- \"Candide\" by Voltaire. Genuinely fun and entertaining, besides it being- you know- Voltaire.\n- \"The Diamond Age\" by Neal Stephenson. Very good story, world buulding, nice technology. Great thinking by the author.\nNon Fiction:\n- \"Fermat's Last Theorem\" by Simon Singh. Was very happy to see a Popular Math book where there are so many Popular Science books. Great book. Goes over FMT's solving history, with many many fun anecdotes, short biographies, etc. Truly enjoyable to read.\n- \"Code Book\" by Simon Singh. Genuinely fun and learned a lot. Cryptography's history, progress, and so much more. [HN]\nSelf-Help:\n- \"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\" by Robert Pirsig. Truly marvelous book and nice to read. This book requires the reader to be of certain kind attaining a certain level. Without that, this book will seem a fluff and overrated hugely. Fundamentally changed my thinking. [HN]\n- \"Four Thousand Weeks\" by Oliver Bourkeman. Thought this was about saner time management with some wisdom. But was much deeper than that. Will recommend.\nBengali:\n- \"Abhajaner Mahabharat\" by Mahbub Lilen. A fun and serious retelling of the Mahabharata. Goes deep, too. Really fun to read.\n- \"Khana Mihirer Dhipi\" by Bani Basu. An account of feminism in the light of female-dominated inner part of Bengali elite households- and that in the light of female dominated, fully maternalistic hunter-gatherers of early human history. Very thought provoking and unique.\n[HN]- chose primarily because recommendation in some past HN threads.\nRead 23 so far. Target is 25. Currently reading Snow Crash and Exhalation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Khana Mihirer Dhipi\" by Bani Basu.",
          "reason": "Calls it thought-provoking and unique, discussing feminism and matriarchal societies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bani Basu"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bengali literature",
        "feminism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "kicking-away-the-ladder-4bc887",
      "title": "Kicking Away the Ladder",
      "author": "Ha-Joon Chang",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30822700,
          "author": "CyanBird",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-27T18:29:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30822700",
          "commentText": "Kicking away the ladder by Ha-Joon Chang\nIndustrial development and political economy, it really is a must read for anyone even mildly interested on the field, then you could go to Joan Robinson's criticism of Ricardian economics, but these are slightly more in depth topics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kicking away the ladder by Ha-Joon Chang",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a must-read for people interested in industrial development and political economy.",
          "audience": "Anyone even mildly interested in industrial development and political economy.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the suggested follow-up topics are more in depth.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ha-Joon Chang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "industrial development",
        "political economy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "kidnapped-3a29b9",
      "title": "Kidnapped",
      "author": "Robert Louis Stevenson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42318439,
          "author": "gadders",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-04T15:34:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42318439",
          "commentText": "Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson\nGlorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon\nAll of the CJ Box series of Joe Pickett books\nThe Dan Abnett Eisenhorn and Ravenor Warhammer novels\nIn case you can't tell, I mostly read for entertainment.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson",
          "reason": "Lists it among books read for entertainment.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for entertainment.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Louis Stevenson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "kids-these-days-human-capital-and-the-making-of-millennials-1d93e6",
      "title": "Kids These Days: Human Capital and the Making of Millennials",
      "author": "Malcolm Harris",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17521303,
          "author": "jboynyc",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T08:16:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521303",
          "commentText": "I recently read The Dispossessed and The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin, and will continue reading her stuff over the summer for sure. It's really great. (HN discussion about her obituary: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16218439)\nThe other day I started Pictures of a Gone City, a book about the Bay Area by critical geographer Richard Walker. It was recently discussed here (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17473141). I'm only about fifty pages in, but I can tell this is going to be worthwhile.\nI'm also still finishing Kids These Days: Human Capital and the Making of Millennials by Malcolm Harris. It's a very compelling account of the crises and pressures confronting today's young adults (among which I can still, just barely, count myself).\nOther books I've got lined up for the summer:\n• The Boy Kings: A Journey Into the Heart of the Social Network, by Kate Losse. This memoir by an early Facebook employee came out a few years ago, and I finally want to read it.\n• Social Creature, by Tara Isabella Burton. Recently published novel that's been getting rave reviews. It's been described as \"a literary novel about social media.\"\n• Surveys, by Natasha Stagg. A novel about microcelebrity/instafame that came out in 2016.\nPS: LitHub runs a \"Rotten Tomatoes for Book Reviews\" site at https://bookmarks.reviews/ that I'm finding to be a useful resource to discover new books coming out. That's how I found out about the Burton and Stagg books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a very compelling account of the crises and pressures confronting today's young adults",
          "reason": "Calls it a very compelling account of pressures facing young adults.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the pressures confronting young adults.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Malcolm Harris"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human capital",
        "millennials"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "kill-everyone-advanced-strategies-for-no-limit-hold-em-poker-0a273e",
      "title": "Kill Everyone: Advanced Strategies for No-Limit Hold 'em Poker",
      "author": "Lee Nelson, Tysen Streib, and Kim Lee",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26323313,
          "author": "ngokevin",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-03T00:47:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 26321793,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books made you the most money?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26323313",
          "commentText": "For profit at the poker table...I crushed the live club tourneys, my favorite series was Harrington on Hold'em series. I do have Kill Everyone, but forgot it (I remember it had ICM and push-shove tables?)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I do have Kill Everyone, but forgot it (I remember it had ICM and push-shove tables?)",
          "reason": "The commenter mentions owning the book but having forgotten it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26323032,
          "author": "jomkr",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-03T00:06:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 26321793,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books made you the most money?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26323032",
          "commentText": "Kill Everyone: Advanced Strategies for No-Limit Hold Em Poker.\nNever turned much of profit at the poker table, but the life-lessons in that book have been invaluable.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Kill Everyone: Advanced Strategies for No-Limit Hold Em Poker.\nNever turned much of profit at the poker table, but the life-lessons in that book have been invaluable.",
          "reason": "The commenter says its life lessons were invaluable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it did not make them much profit at the poker table.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lee Nelson",
        "Tysen Streib",
        "Kim Lee"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "no limit hold em",
        "poker strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "kill-it-with-fire-managing-aging-computer-systems-and-future-proo-d24c25",
      "title": "Kill It with Fire: Managing Aging Computer Systems (and Future Proofing Modern Ones)",
      "author": "Marianne Bellotti",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39057488,
          "author": "dankco",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T16:43:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39057488",
          "commentText": "I like to recommend \"Kill It With Fire\" by Marianne Bellotti. It is full of insights far beyond managing legacy systems (as the subtitle would have you believe) and does a great job of analyzing the technology and the people/organizations who build it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I like to recommend \"Kill It With Fire\" by Marianne Bellotti.",
          "reason": "Recommended for insights about technology and the people and organizations that build it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its insights go beyond legacy system management.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marianne Bellotti"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "legacy systems",
        "technology organizations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "killer-in-the-kremlin-e87388",
      "title": "Killer in the Kremlin",
      "author": "John Sweeney",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37160631,
          "author": "fodmap",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T12:37:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37160631",
          "commentText": "Killer in the Kremlin by John Sweeney.\n'Drawing on eyewitness accounts and compelling testimony from those who have suffered at Putin's hand, we see the heroism of the Russian opposition, the bravery of the Ukrainian resistance, and the brutality with which the Kremlin responds to such acts of defiance, assassinating or locking away its critics, and stopping at nothing to achieve its imperialist aims.'",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Killer in the Kremlin by John Sweeney.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Sweeney"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "russian politics",
        "ukraine",
        "vladimir putin"
      ],
      "purposes": []
    },
    {
      "id": "killing-commendatore-2f0639",
      "title": "Killing Commendatore",
      "author": "Haruki Murakami",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23570554,
          "author": "satvikpendem",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-19T03:05:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 23561163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book that nobody you know has heard of?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23570554",
          "commentText": "Murakami is great. Have you read his other books? The latest one, Killing Commendatore, was a good read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The latest one, Killing Commendatore, was a good read.",
          "reason": "Says this recent Murakami book was a good read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Haruki Murakami"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "surrealism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "killing-pablo-41b5a9",
      "title": "Killing Pablo",
      "author": "Mark Bowden",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665467,
          "author": "JabavuAdams",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:55:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665467",
          "commentText": "= Finished =\n* Homo Deus, Yuval Noah Harari\n* Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt\n* The Quants\n* All About ADHD: A Family Resource for Helping Your Child Succeed With ADHD\n* Still Procrastinating? The No Regrets Guide To Getting It Done\n* Why Does He Do That? Inside The Minds of Angry And Controlling Men\n* Killing Pablo\n* Blackhawk Down (re-read)\n* Revelation Space. Banks. (re-read)\n= Finished Chapters Required For A Course =\n* Essential University Physics, Volume 1. Wolfson.\n* Linear Algebra, A First Course. Kutler.\n* A Concise Introduction to Linear Algebra. Schay.\n* Biology I: Cells, Molecular Biology, and Genetics. Custom Text (York University, BIOL 1000).\n* Chemistry, A Molecular Approach. Tro et. al.\n= In Progress =\n* 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, Yuval Noah Harari\n* Time Reborn: From the Crisis In Physics to the Future of the Universe. Smolin.\n* Freemium Mobile Games: Design & Monetization",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "* Killing Pablo",
          "reason": "Listed as finished; no evaluation or recommendation is expressed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Killing Pablo",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Bowden"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "pablo escobar",
        "drug cartels"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "killing-time-69ab4d",
      "title": "Killing Time",
      "author": "Paul Feyerabend",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503373,
          "author": "carid",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T08:44:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503373",
          "commentText": "A couple by Stanley Cavell:\nMust We Mean What We Say? (1969)\nThe Claim of Reason: Wittgenstein, Skepticism, Morality, and Tragedy (1979) New York: Oxford University Press.\nI would also second Russell's A Brief History of Western Philosophy.  It's biased and weirdly shallow in some places, but written by a philosopher, so not a toothless compilation.\nObscure but made an impression on me: Ways of Worldmaking by Nelson Goodman.\nIf you can get through it: John Rawls's A Theory of Justice...an important book with a few very important ideas.\nStuff by Amartya Sen.\nOn philosophy of science, the historical narratives do the job I think, like The Sleepwalkers by Arthur Koestler (a great read once you get through the Greeks).  You could read Thomas Kuhn, Feyerabend's autobiography \"Killing Time\" which is great, and if you're really serious read Peter Galison's stuff.\nFinally, again, more history that pure philosophy but I really liked Wittgenstein's Vienna by Toulmin.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Feyerabend's autobiography \"Killing Time\" which is great",
          "reason": "Called a great autobiography and suggested among philosophy of science reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Feyerabend"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "philosophy of science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "kindly-inquisitors-the-new-attacks-on-free-thought-2fd1fd",
      "title": "Kindly Inquisitors: The New Attacks on Free Thought",
      "author": "Jonathan Rauch",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8719879,
          "author": "dubfan",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T23:16:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8719879",
          "commentText": "Kindly Inquisitors: The New Attacks on Free Thought, by Jonathan Rauch (http://www.amazon.com/Kindly-Inquisitors-Attacks-Thought-Exp... (http://www.amazon.com/Kindly-Inquisitors-Attacks-Thought-Expanded/dp/022614593X))\nI picked this book up shortly after the Brendan Eich incident earlier this year. This book was written over 20 years ago but it could very well have been written yesterday. It lays out an excellent argument about why all free speech, even hateful speech, much be unrestricted. It's also very good at rebutting what Rauch calls the \"humanitarian\" attack on free speech, which seems to be the preferred method of attack in the last few years (in Western countries anyway). Perhaps saying that it \"changed my life\" is an overstatement as I've always held the belief that unrestricted free speech is the ultimate freedom, but it's allowed me to express exactly why I believe that way.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It lays out an excellent argument about why all free speech, even hateful speech, much be unrestricted.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its argument for unrestricted free speech and says it helped them express their own beliefs.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in arguments about free speech.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it did not change their underlying belief.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Rauch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "free speech",
        "political philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "king-icahn-35d5f8",
      "title": "King Icahn",
      "author": "Mark Stevens",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 203314,
          "author": "rrival",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T14:43:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=203314",
          "commentText": "J Paul Getty - As I See It.\nCarl Icahn (unofficial, out of print) - King Icahn",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Carl Icahn (unofficial, out of print) - King Icahn",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Unofficial and out of print.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Stevens"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "carl icahn",
        "corporate finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "king-lear-e3d263",
      "title": "King Lear",
      "author": "William Shakespeare",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2639721,
          "author": "gcv",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T03:47:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639721",
          "commentText": "King Lear (Shakespeare).\nDisgrace (Coetzee).\nThe Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky).\nТихий Дон (Sholohov's name is on the cover; there are several translations under various titles as Quiet Don or something like that).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "King Lear (Shakespeare).",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about the greatest book ever read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Shakespeare"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "shakespeare",
        "tragedy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "king-of-infinite-space-donald-coxeter-the-man-who-saved-geometry-de4453",
      "title": "King of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry",
      "author": "Siobhan Roberts",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Siobhan Roberts"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "geometry",
        "h s m coxeter"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "kingdom-of-grit-65e1e4",
      "title": "Kingdom of Grit",
      "author": "Tyler Whitesides",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33983936,
          "author": "padfootprong",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-14T14:31:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33983936",
          "commentText": "Kingdom of Grit, a completed trilogy. I couldn't read the books quickly enough and then never wanted it to end at the same time. Brilliant world, fantastic story telling, very likeable characters, intriguing plot... this book has it all. It's the Ocean's 11 meets Dragons meets Gentlemen's Bastards. Go read it now!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kingdom of Grit, a completed trilogy.",
          "reason": "Recommends the completed trilogy, praising its story, world, characters, and plot.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they both couldn't read the books quickly enough and didn't want the story to end.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tyler Whitesides"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "heist fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "kingmaker-dd0149",
      "title": "Kingmaker",
      "author": "Christian Cantrell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13567539,
          "author": "Mtinie",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T16:31:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567539",
          "commentText": "\"Kingmaker\", by Christian Cantrell[0]. I needed a dose of anti-plutocrat in my daily brain food and his novel was a fun near-future fix.\n[0] http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17687575-kingmaker",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I needed a dose of anti-plutocrat in my daily brain food and his novel was a fun near-future fix.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the novel a fun near-future read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christian Cantrell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "near future fiction",
        "plutocracy",
        "political fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "kingpin-602fbf",
      "title": "Kingpin",
      "author": "Kevin Poulsen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17750118,
          "author": "iamben",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T14:01:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17750118",
          "commentText": "Seconded. Loved this.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seconded. Loved this.",
          "reason": "Enthusiastically endorses the book being recommended in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249530,
          "author": "Fnoord",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T12:22:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249530",
          "commentText": "The correct answer really depends on what you're into, and what kind of person you are. There are a lot of subcategories in fiction (just like there are in non-fiction).\nLord of the Rings is much more than mere fiction. It is possibly interesting from a linguistic PoV as it contains an entirely new language called Quenya developed by Tolkien. It also contains a lot of subjects which are relevant IRL.\nWithout getting further into LOTR I agreed with another poster on Dune and attempted to explain the subjects it touches in another reply to your post.\nProblem with both of these (as well as say GoT) is there are movies made of them.\nYou might also be interested in stories which are based on non-fiction, but are written in a story telling kind of way, greatly adding to suspense. In that category I read the books Ghost in the Wires by Kevin Mitnick and Kingpin by Kevin Poulsen [1]. If you're interested in following a suspenseful hacker story I can recommend them both.\n[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13240924",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "and Kingpin by Kevin Poulsen",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter read, without an evaluation or recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kevin Poulsen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybercrime",
        "hacker culture",
        "hacker memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "kitab-al-hikam-edb9d6",
      "title": "Kitab Al-Hikam",
      "author": "Ibn Ata Allah al-Iskandari",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4787298,
          "author": "cup",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T05:42:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787298",
          "commentText": "I've slowly been working my way through Kitab Al-Hikam by Al Iskandari. It's pretty interesting, reminds me of eastern philosophies, zen koans and the inter connected nature of religions or philosophies which don't seem to share any apparant connection.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Kitab Al-Hikam by Al Iskandari. It's pretty interesting",
          "reason": "The commenter finds it pretty interesting and discusses its connections to religious and philosophical traditions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ibn Ata Allah al-Iskandari"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "islamic spirituality",
        "wisdom literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "kiteworld-8afbb0",
      "title": "Kiteworld",
      "author": "Keith Roberts",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36021892,
          "author": "doo_daa",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:23:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021892",
          "commentText": "Rendezvous with Rama. Arthur C Clarke\nConsider Phlebas. Iain M Banks\nDune. Frank Herbert\nKiteworld. Keith Roberts\nThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.\n Douglas Adams",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kiteworld. Keith Roberts",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Keith Roberts"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopian fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "kitten-clone-3d386a",
      "title": "Kitten Clone",
      "author": "Douglas Coupland",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15963721,
          "author": "rlease",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T20:06:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15963721",
          "commentText": "Interesting, thanks for the recommendation!",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "thanks for the recommendation!",
          "reason": "Thanks for the suggestion of Kitten Clone in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15962873,
          "author": "demygale",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T18:52:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15962873",
          "commentText": "If you liked The Idea Factory, you should read Kitten Clone. Kind of a dark sequel.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you should read Kitten Clone. Kind of a dark sequel.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a follow-up to The Idea Factory.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a dark sequel.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Coupland"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bell labs",
        "technology history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "knockemstiff-833f46",
      "title": "Knockemstiff",
      "author": "Donald Ray Pollock",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10176329,
          "author": "dbwest",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T23:08:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10176329",
          "commentText": "David Mitchell's first book. Was also reading 'Knockemstiff' but I decided 3/4 of the way through that I should read something less bleak.+1 for everything @sshine mentioned.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Was also reading 'Knockemstiff' but I decided 3/4 of the way through that I should read something less bleak.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter stopped reading because it felt too bleak.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donald Ray Pollock"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dark fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "knocking-on-heaven-s-door-how-physics-and-scientific-thinking-ill-276a3d",
      "title": "Knocking on Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate Our Universe",
      "author": "Lisa Randall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lisa Randall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cosmology",
        "physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "knowing-how-to-know-ad59e7",
      "title": "Knowing How to Know",
      "author": "Idries Shah",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30263391,
          "author": "timka",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-08T19:35:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30263391",
          "commentText": "Idries Shah, Knowing How to Know",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Idries Shah, Knowing How to Know",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Idries Shah"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "known-space-679554",
      "title": "Known Space",
      "author": "Larry Niven",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1864835,
          "author": "CWuestefeld",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T14:16:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1864835",
          "commentText": "RiderOfGiraffes also suggested Snow Crash; both would be excellent choices. I'd add to this Cryptonomicon, which is an interesting story, interesting thematic matter (relevant to software folks, and presented intelligently), and just full of different ways of looking at things (the scene that describes the Hindenburg disaster, or eating Captain Crunch cereal, were both perfectly clear, yet told in ways that took me some time to sync with what they were actually referring to.\nAlso consider most anything from Vernor Vinge. Some of my favorites from him are A Deepness in the Sky, Rainbows End, and A Fire Upon the Deep. Since he's a Comp Sci professor, he handles technology issues (and especially computer-related stuff) very realistically.\nAnd if you're looking back into the classics, consider Larry Niven's \"Known Space\" books, particularly Ringworld.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "consider Larry Niven's \"Known Space\" books",
          "reason": "Recommends considering the series, particularly Ringworld.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Ringworld is singled out as a particular recommendation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Larry Niven"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "shared universe",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "krishna-basudev-563e4f",
      "title": "Krishna Basudev",
      "author": "Bani Basu",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42556739,
          "author": "__rito__",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-31T05:53:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42556739",
          "commentText": "For me, some of the best books I read this year, are:\n- Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, I have seen many narratives on the fault at the core of current values and goals of human civilization, but never saw a laid out alternative. Whatever it might be, I like the book for attempting at presenting one.\n- Solaris by Stanislaw Lem, I like this book for extremely original thoughts. This books was so thin (~200 pages), yet it was grand. I also wrote a review [0].\n- The Happiness Trap by Russ Hariss, was very helpful to me in sorting through some things. Very practical book.\n- Anathem by Neal Stephenson, one of the most original book, and probably the best one by Stephenson. Very original ideas, mind expanding.\n- Permutation City by Greg Egan, this book raised the standard for possibly all SciFi book that I will read in the future. Extremely original and grand ideas.\n- The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt, another book that lays out alternatives to what is now considered mainstream.\n- Sotyi Rupkatha by Parimal Bhattacharya (Bengali), a book without any ideological or emotional baggage explaining the plight and pain of a tribal community for Aluminium mining. The way colonialism lives in mining was eye-opening. Aluminium mining, separating, etc. are done in lesser fortunate countries where huge amounts of water is wasted and the environment polluted. The West still imports that refined raw material in cheap and produces final products with lesser environmental impact and peofits by selling the finished products to the same countries in large profits. It was refreshing to see that this book did not have a Communist undertone.\n- Krishna Basudev by Bani Basu (Bengali), life of God Krishna in form of a novel in crisp prose, written maintaining authenticity of core books like Bhagavat Purana and Harivansha.\n- I am currently listening to \"The Hobbit\" audiobook narrated by Andy Serkis. This is peak audiobook for me.\n[0]: https://ritogh.substack.com/p/not-merely-a-story-of-a-man-fa... (https://ritogh.substack.com/p/not-merely-a-story-of-a-man-facing)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "life of God Krishna in form of a novel in crisp prose, written maintaining authenticity of core books like Bhagavat Purana and Harivansha.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a crisply written novel about Krishna, based on traditional sources.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bani Basu"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bengali literature",
        "hindu mythology",
        "krishna"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "kristin-lavransdatter-2a4a25",
      "title": "Kristin Lavransdatter",
      "author": "Sigrid Undset",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41240763,
          "author": "benpbenp",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-13T23:04:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41240763",
          "commentText": "I just finished the sublime Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy by Sigrid Undset, in the Tiina Nunnally translation. If you have any interest in the medieval period or specifically medieval rural Norway, it really brings that setting to life and this is reason enough to give it a try. Much more than that though, it deals with so many profound themes -- mostly related to family and faith -- in a very natural and poignant way. I feel like reading it gave me one big long meditation running parallel to my life, to which my mind would dip in and out throughout all sorts of other goings on (it took me almost a year to finish). I would say the cumulative effect was transformative.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy",
          "reason": "The reader describes it as bringing medieval rural Norway to life and as a profound meditation on family and faith.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the medieval period or medieval rural Norway.",
          "caveat": "It took the commenter almost a year to finish.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sigrid Undset"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "family and faith",
        "medieval norway"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "kulturgeschichte-der-neuzeit-299265",
      "title": "Kulturgeschichte der Neuzeit",
      "author": "Egon Friedell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12070964,
          "author": "cafard",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T13:43:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12070964",
          "commentText": "Solo: An American Dreamer in Europe by Wright Morris, a memoir of spending part of 1932 and 1933 in Austria, Italy, and France. Not on the whole as rewarding as his other memoirs Will's Boy and A Cloak of Light, but interesting enough.\nAdolphe and Le Cahier Rouge by Benjamin Constant. The former a devastating short novel, the latter a memoir, a portrait of the artist as a young twerp. (The things we boomers would say if something comparable had been published by a millenial!)\nFates and Furies by Lauren Groff, a novel read for a book club. The less said, the better.\nAutobiography by Henry James. Very slow going, but rewarding, a mind at work.\nMy Promised Land by Avi Shalets. A history of Israel and the Zionist project by an Israeli journalist. It covers a lot of ground that most Americans (I infer from my book club) don't know. It seemed to me that it could have been maybe 15% shorter, and that David Remnick should have impounded Shalets's thesaurus.\nThree Critics of the Enlightenment: Vico, Hamann, Herder by Isaiah Berlin. Well worth reading, but requiring more time than just its own reading, for now I have to read some Herder. I have already fought my way through some Hamann; the translation is heavily footnoted, as necessary for those of us who aren't handy with Greek, Hebrew, and Latin, and don't have the Bible memorized.\nKulturgeschichte der Neuzeit (vol. ii) by Egon Friedell. Clive James's recommendation in Cultural Amnesia put me onto this one. Most interesting, but slow going because my German is rusty.\n[Edit: got rid of most of the \"most interesting\"s.]",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Most interesting, but slow going because my German is rusty.",
          "reason": "Calls it most interesting, with reading slowed by the commenter's rusty German.",
          "audience": "Readers able to read German.",
          "caveat": "Slow going for the commenter because their German is rusty.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Egon Friedell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "european history",
        "german language"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "kushiel-s-legacy-303407",
      "title": "Kushiel's Legacy",
      "author": "Jacqueline Carey",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15630283,
          "author": "perlgeek",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:04:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630283",
          "commentText": "Let me recommend an author instead: Jacqueline Carey.\nShe writes in a beautiful language, writes gripping stories, sometimes includes erotic scenes which don't appear cheap, and the characters are well thought out. There's often some politics going on in the foreground or background, sometimes quite intricate.\nCheckout the Kushiel series for classical fantasy, or \"Santa Olivia\" for young adult urban fantasy.\nOther fantasy authors I'e read recently and enjoyed: Patrick Rothfuss, Peter v. Brett, Brandon Sanderson, Brent Weeks.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Checkout the Kushiel series for classical fantasy",
          "reason": "Recommends the series as classical fantasy.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in classical fantasy.",
          "caveat": "The author says her books sometimes include erotic scenes.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jacqueline Carey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "erotic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "kvachi-kvachantiradze-fb3b13",
      "title": "Kvachi Kvachantiradze",
      "author": "Mikheil Javakhishvili",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6333831,
          "author": "zura",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-05T12:59:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 6329955,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which two books were the most influential on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6333831",
          "commentText": "0) The C++ Programming Language by Bjarne Stroustrup\n1) Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs by Abelson and Sussman\n2) Kvachi Kvachantiradze by Mikheil Javakhishvili",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kvachi Kvachantiradze by Mikheil Javakhishvili",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mikheil Javakhishvili"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "georgian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "l-uvre-cd7375",
      "title": "L'Œuvre",
      "author": "Émile Zola",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25532522,
          "author": "LordNight",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T23:24:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25532522",
          "commentText": "Although I am an avid reader and have been reading on average 1 or 2 books each week for the past 15 years, I don't think I've ever read a book than \"changed my life\". Looking back, I think the most impactfull book for me was The Art of Loving (1956) by Erich Fromm because it opened up  a world of psychology and psychoanalysis and significantly altered my view on how humans think.\nAmong the classic fiction the best so far were: T. Dreiser - The Bulwark, S. Maugham - Of Human Bondage, L. Tolstoy - The Kreutzer Sonata and E. Zola - l'Oeuvre & Germinal.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "E. Zola - l'Oeuvre",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorite classic fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Émile Zola"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "french literature",
        "naturalism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lisp-system-implementation-994651",
      "title": "LISP System Implementation",
      "author": "Nils M. Holm",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29310233,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T18:55:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29310233",
          "commentText": "Yeah! I loved LISP System Implementation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Yeah! I loved LISP System Implementation.",
          "reason": "Expresses strong approval of the book in response to a recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nils M. Holm"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "lisp",
        "programming languages",
        "system implementation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lsd-my-problem-child-c72dde",
      "title": "LSD: My Problem Child",
      "author": "Albert Hofmann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37960159,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:07:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960159",
          "commentText": "* \"Amusing Ourselves to Death\" by Neil Postman (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Postman contrasts the dystopian visions of George Orwell's \"1984\" and Aldous Huxley's \"Brave New World\" to argue that western society is becoming a shallow, entertainment-driven culture shaped by television and other media. He discusses the profound effects of television on politics, education, and other aspects of society.\n* \"Howard Zinn: A People's History of the US\" by Howard Zinn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers an alternative exploration of American history from the perspective of ordinary people and marginalized groups rather than from political leaders, emphasizing class struggles and systemic injustices.\n* \"The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science\" by Isaac Asimov (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive outline of scientific knowledge, covering fields like physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, and earth science. It communicates complex scientific concepts in a way that is accessible to non-specialist readers.\n* \"Das Kapital\" by Karl Marx (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive critique of capitalism highlighting its inherent contradictions and imbalances. Marx diagnoses the capitalist system as one in which the rich get richer at the expense of the working class. The book has been influential in shaping socialist and communist thought.\n* \"Handbook of Electronic Circuits\" (1 mention, authors not specified)\n    * Summary: An extensive reference guide that provides information on basic electronic circuits and components. It delves into the world of electronics with detailed illustrations and designs, making it a valuable resource for both beginners and professionals in the field.\n* \"Simulacra and Simulation\" by Jean Baudrillard (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This philosophical work explores the nature and cultural implications of signs and images in contemporary society. Baudrillard posits that symbols and signs have replaced reality and meaning, creating a hyperreal world where simulations of reality have become more real than reality itself.\n* \"LSD: My Problem Child\" by Albert Hofmann (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This autobiographical work by Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who first synthesized LSD, discusses his discovery and personal experiences with the drug, exploring both the positive and negative effects of LSD, its influence on society, and its potential therapeutic uses.\n* \"Requiem for the American Dream: The 10 Principles of Concentration of Wealth & Power\" by Noam Chomsky (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Chomsky provides an extensive critique of inequality in America, arguing that the concentration of wealth and power among a small elite is undermining democracy. He lays out 10 principles of concentration of wealth and power that have led to this situation.\n* \"Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\" by Alfred Lansing (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This true account of Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton's 1914-1916 expedition turned survival story. When his ship, the Endurance, was crushed by ice and left Shackleton and his crew stranded, they embarked on a harrowing and miraculous voyage to safety.\n* \"Hacker's Handbook\" by Hugo Cornwall (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A guidebook for computer enthusiasts that provides a look at the world of hacking. It covers a range of topics, including telephone and computer hacking, as well as legal implications.\n* \"Cosmos\" by Carl Sagan (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This widely-admired book introduces the universe beyond the Earth. Sagan explores our place in the universe, the history of scientific discovery, and the crucial role of critical thinking in grasping our world and the vast cosmos we are part of.\n* \"Six Pillars of Self-Esteem\" by Nathaniel Branden (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book provides a comprehensive exploration of self-esteem, its importance, its sources, and how to cultivate it. It offers concrete strategies to enhance self-esteem, which Branden argues is a key component of psychological health and personal fulfillment.\n* \"Future Shock\" by Alvin Toffler (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Future Shock examines the psychological and sociological impact of accelerating technological and social change. Toffler introduces the concept of \"future shock\" as a form of psychological disorientation caused by a rapid change in society and advocates for a more measured and conscious approach to future planning.\n* \"The Metropolis and Mental Life\" by Georg Simmel (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This seminal essay analyzes the effects of the urban environment on the individual's mind and social relationships. Simmel argues that the impersonality and money-centered economy of the metropolis lead to individuals feeling more alienated and adopting a defensive, blase attitude towards life.\n* \"The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power\" by Shoshana Zuboff (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book provides an extensive critique of the commodification of personal data by corporations in the digital age. Zuboff explores the rise of surveillance capitalism, where businesses harvest and analyze customer data to predict and influence behaviors.\n* \"Permanent Record\" by Edward Snowden (1 mention)\n    * Summary: In this powerful memoir, whistle-blower Edward Snowden tells his story on why he decided to expose the mass surveillance practices of the U.S. government. Permanent Record opens a broader conversation about free societies, privacy, surveillance, and what makes a country strong.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"LSD: My Problem Child\" by Albert Hofmann (1 mention)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37960149,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960149",
          "commentText": "* \"On Writing\" by Stephen King (1 mention)\n    * Summary: In his guide to the craft of writing, King masterfully conveys his views on how good writing is cultivated. The book provides personal insights into the author's life while serving as a guide for aspiring writers.\n* \"The Dictionary\" (1 mention, multiple authors)\n    * Summary: A reference book containing an alphabetical list of words in a specific language, providing definitions, pronunciations, etymology, and other details. It is a valuable resource for understanding and accurately using language.\n* \"Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book chronicles Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 1914-1916 survival journey across the Antarctic. Faced with treacherous weather conditions and a lack of provisions, the men battle to stay alive, highlighting the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.\n* \"The Experience of God\" by David Bentley Hart (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A philosophical exploration of the concept of God that goes beyond specific religious doctrines. Hart articulates a vision of ultimate reality that transcends religious, philosophical, and cultural boundaries.\n* \"A Mind for Numbers\" by Barbara Oakley (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book provides practical advice on how to learn effectively in math and science areas, but the techniques are applicable across disciplines. Oakley shares techniques to overcome learning obstacles and improve comprehension and retention.\n* \"A People's History of the US\" by Howard Zinn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers an alternative exploration of American history from the perspective of ordinary people and marginalized groups rather than political leaders, emphasizing class struggles and systemic injustices.\n* \"The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science\" by Isaac Asimov (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive outline of scientific knowledge, covering fields like physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, and earth science. It communicates complex scientific concepts in a way that is accessible to non-specialist readers.\n* \"Das Kapital\" by Karl Marx (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive critique of capitalism highlighting its inherent contradictions and imbalances. Marx diagnoses the capitalist system as one in which the rich get richer at the expense of the working class. The book has been influential in shaping socialist and communist thought.\n* \"You are Not So Smart\" by David McRaney (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book explores various cognitive biases, logical fallacies, and memory missteps that humans commonly succumb to. The author uses humor and personal anecdotes to make neuroscience and psychology accessible, challenging readers to question their perceptions of the world and themselves.\n* \"Blink\" by Malcolm Gladwell (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Gladwell explores the process of quick decision-making, also known as \"thin-slicing.\" The book delves into both the potential accuracy and the pitfalls of making snap judgments. It demonstrates how our subconscious biases often override our better instincts.\n* \"How To Sell at Margins Higher Than Your Competitors\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book offers detailed advice on how to avoid price competition by creating differentiators and adding value, thereby allowing readers to compete on things other than price.\n*  \"The Surrender Experiment\" by Michael Singer (1 mention)\n    * Summary: The book chronicles the author’s journey from solitude into the business world. It explores the idea of surrendering personal preferences to allow life to guide the way, challenging conventional views about control and outcomes.\n* \"How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World\" by Harry Browne (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This self-help book offers a blueprint for finding personal freedom. It encourages readers to embrace their individual sovereignty and to not be inhibited by societal conventions, effectively teaching how to live on one's own terms.\n* \"Happy by Derren Brown\" and \"The Daily Stoic\" (1 mention, authors not specified)\n    * Summary: \"Happy\" provides a perspective on happiness using the principles of stoic philosophy, challenging modern conceptions of happiness. \"The Daily Stoic\" provides a year's worth of philosophical wisdom from ancient stoics, aimed at allowing people to better respond to life's challenges.\n* \"Guns, Germs, and Steel\" by Jared Diamond (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Diamond investigates the geographical and environmental factors that have shaped the modern world. He argues that civilizations have developed differently across the globe due to variances in geography, climate, vegetation, and animal populations, more so than due to traits inherent to different racial or ethnic groups.\n* \"The Gulag Archipelago\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Solzhenitsyn unveils the brutal reality of the Soviet Union’s forced labor camp system. It's an exploration of the human capability for evil when unchecked by moral constraints, shedding light on the mechanisms of a totalitarian regime.\n* \"Ecclesiastes\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A book from the Bible that delves into the purpose of life and the vain pursuit of earthly things. It debates the merits of wisdom, wealth, and pleasure, underscoring the transience and ultimate futility of human endeavors, and urging readers to fear God and keep his commandments.\n* \"Women hold up half the sky\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A collection of personal stories illuminating the oppression and resistance of women in developing countries. The book confronts issues like gender inequality, sexual violence, maternal mortality and economic disparity while highlighting the resilience and strength of ordinary women in overcoming them.\n* \"Spell of the Sensuous\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book offers a radical reinterpretation of our relationship with the natural world. It critiques Western civilization’s estrangement from nature, exploring indigenous cultures and offering a philosophical enquiry into human perception and its relation to the environment.\n* \"Kids and the Amiga\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A guide to using the Amiga computer, aimed at children and early-tweens. It provides a hands-on approach to learning basic computer skills by creating practical programs.\n* \"Hackers\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: The book provides a comprehensive history of hackers, tracing the evolution of hacking culture from the 1950s to the present day. It details the personalities, philosophies, and technical exploits that have defined this diverse and innovative subculture.\n* \"LSD my problem child\" by Albert Hoffmann (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book is the autobiography of Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who first synthesized LSD. It chronicles his discovery, the subsequent fallout, and his personal experiences with the drug.\n* \"Electric cool aid acid test\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book tells the story of novelist Ken Kesey and his band of Merry Pranksters. They embarked on a cross-country bus journey, experimenting with LSD and challenging societal norms, becoming pivotal figures in the psychedelic movement and the counterculture of the 1960s.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"LSD my problem child\" by Albert Hoffmann (1 mention)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37938832,
          "author": "laserstrahl",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T05:26:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37938832",
          "commentText": "LSD my problem child by Albert Hoffmann",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "LSD my problem child by Albert Hoffmann",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Albert Hofmann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "psychedelics",
        "chemistry",
        "lsd"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "la-nuit-des-temps-the-ice-people-90ca65",
      "title": "La Nuit des Temps (The Ice People)",
      "author": "René Barjavel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056573,
          "author": "jfoucher",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:28:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056573",
          "commentText": "Really surprised to see no mention of H. G. Wells here, so I'm just going to add it :\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Time_Machine\nYou can get it at project Gutemberg, so no excuse not to read it.\nAny book by French author Barjavel are also worth reading in my opinion, especially \"La Nuit des Temps\" / \"The Ice People\" ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ice_People_%28Barjavel_nov... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ice_People_%28Barjavel_novel%29) ) and \"Ravage\" / \"Ashes, Ashes\" ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravage_%28novel%29 )",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "especially \"La Nuit des Temps\" / \"The Ice People\"",
          "reason": "Specifically highlights it among books by Barjavel that are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "René Barjavel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "french science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "la-peste-a5dded",
      "title": "La Peste",
      "author": "Albert Camus",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18662508,
          "author": "amuresan",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T09:26:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18662508",
          "commentText": "1. La peste (Albert Camus) - entertaining if you're into French existentialism\n2. Linked (Barabasi) - insightful and useful to understand that most phenomenon we see in real life follow a power law and what that means\n3. Leonardo da Vinci (Walter Isaacson) - surprising how little of da Vinci's real personality is reflected in his modern image\n4. Matrix computations – third edition (Gene Golub, Charles van Loan) - good read if you're into linear algebra\n5. Giving effective feedback (Harvard business review) - useful for getting an understanding on how to handle human interaction\n6. The old man and the sea (Ernest Hemingway) - enjoyed it a lot, a reflection of Hemingway's romantic spirit. Also, a quick read.\n7. Screwjack (Hunter S. Thompson) - didn't resonate with me although I am a fan of existentialism\n8. Sun and steel (Yukio Mishima) - raw and intimate. before reading this book I'd recommend reading up on Mishima's life\n9. Stranger than fiction (Chuck Palahniuck) - somewhat entertaining, more so because it served as a glimpse into Palahniuck's creative process\n10. Thinking in Systems: A Primer (Dana Meadows) - useful for understanding that in modern life we have complex systems at work with emergent behavior that we didn't expect. Trying to isolate / model a single component of one of these systems is a flawed approach.\n11. Chaos monkeys (Antonio Garcia Martinez) - entertaining, but quite long\n12. Weapons of math destruction (Cathy O'Neil) - in a way, similar to Thinking in systems, but at an applied level. Shows how rules in modern society can have unintended negative consequences when hidden negative feedback loops emerge from the complex system they are embedded in.\n13. Lolita (Nabokov) - a brilliant novel from many points of view. Although the topic is controversial, it is a book that had to be written.\n14. The prince (Machiavelli) - an interesting read. It was intended as a guide to the young price Cesare Borgia from his teacher Machiavelli. The secret to enjoying it is not to judge it by modern morality.\n15. Give and take (Adam Grant) - psychology research about giving / taking / matching personality types presented in a book for the masses. I would not read it again; watching a presentation online should be enough to get the point across.\n16. Mécanique (Landau, Lifchitz) - refresh of mechanics\n17. Do androids dream of electric sheep (Philip K. Dick) - enjoyable and entertaining! I'm surprised how different the feel of the book is compared to the Blade runner films. In the book androids are purely rational beings, whereas the film wraps them in an aura of romanticism.\n18. How we learn (Benedict Carey) - decades of learning research condensed in a book\n19. Advanced Calculus: A Differential Forms Approach (Harold M. Edwards) - the best math book I've read so far! For me it was eye-opening in a fundamental way. Edwards is truly a gifted teacher.\n20. Three men in a boat (Jerome K. Jerome) - enjoyable and amusing\n21. Getting to yes (Roger Fisher, William Ury) - negotiation book, nicely written and structured\n22. Without a word (Zhang Jie) - historical novel by one of China's most acclaimed modern writers. I don't have a good reference to compare against since this was my first Chinese novel, but overall I did enjoy it. It felt real and raw.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "entertaining if you're into French existentialism",
          "reason": "The commenter found it entertaining for readers interested in French existentialism.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in French existentialism.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Albert Camus"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "french existentialism",
        "plague"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "la-zone-du-dehors-01e92e",
      "title": "La Zone du Dehors",
      "author": "Alain Damasio",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783485,
          "author": "louisrochal",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:40:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783485",
          "commentText": "\"Thus Spoke Zarathustra\" - Nietzsche (French Translation) - 5/5 An absolute Must read.\n\"1984\" - Orwell - 5/5 French law on surveillance made me want to read it again\n\"Fahrenheit 451\" - Ray Bradbury - 4/5\n\"La zone du dehors\" - Alain Damasio - 4/5\n\"The name of the wind\" - Patrick Rothfuss - 4/5 A great fantasy story. It's a big book, there is a lot of details, but very well written.\n\"Stranger in a Strange Land\" - Robert A. Heinlein - 3/5 Awesome concept, but very slow\n\"The Inverted World\" - Christopher Priest - 4/5 Great short book",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"La zone du dehors\" - Alain Damasio - 4/5",
          "reason": "Rated 4/5.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alain Damasio"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopia",
        "french science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "la-casa-verde-e30427",
      "title": "La casa verde",
      "author": "Mario Vargas Llosa",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21459507,
          "author": "vo2maxer",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T03:28:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21459507",
          "commentText": "Yes, here are some I’ve read in the last year:\nBartleby y compañía by Enrique Vila-Matas, on why writers give up or why they may be reluctant to write. It’s a mixture of fiction and biography, hard to tell which but fun searching for authors who may not exist.\nLas Constelaciones Oscuras by Pola Oloixarac. I think many in HN would like her work, this novel in particular.\nEl Ejército Iluminado by David Toscana.\nPrimavera con una esquina rota by Mario Benedetti\nLa Casa Verde by Mario Varga Llosa",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "La Casa Verde by Mario Varga Llosa",
          "reason": "Lists it among books read in the last year, in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "A reader seeking Spanish-language book recommendations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mario Vargas Llosa"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "latin american literature",
        "peruvian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "laboratory-life-b2bf35",
      "title": "Laboratory Life",
      "author": "Bruno Latour and Steve Woolgar",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32790499,
          "author": "iansowinski",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T13:37:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790499",
          "commentText": "\"Laboratory life\" by Bruno Latour and Steve Woolgar",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Laboratory life\" by Bruno Latour and Steve Woolgar",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruno Latour",
        "Steve Woolgar"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ethnography of science",
        "science studies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "laboratory-manual-for-the-art-of-electronics-53315c",
      "title": "Laboratory Manual for The Art of Electronics",
      "author": "unknown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 149622,
          "author": "kurtosis",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-29T20:01:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 149317,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Learning circuit/hardware; lab book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=149622",
          "commentText": "Someone else mentioned this but I want to give another boost for the lab manual for the horowitz and hill's art of electronics - it's a little dated but still a great resource.  For example I remember doing the project where you build a simple analog to digital converter. I had read the theory behind these devices many times without comprehension, but building the project illuminated it.\nI've also found the ARRL handbooks to be extremely helpful for getting RF and microwave projects to work without sinking huge amounts of cash on expensive equipment like vector network analyzers.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "another boost for the lab manual for the horowitz and hill's art of electronics",
          "reason": "Calls it a great resource and describes a hands-on project that helped clarify theory.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it is a little dated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 149386,
          "author": "mhb",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-29T12:49:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 149317,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Learning circuit/hardware; lab book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=149386",
          "commentText": "I couldn't find it online - maybe it is out of print, but are you also aware of the Laboratory Manual for the Art of Electronics?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the Laboratory Manual for the Art of Electronics",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter could not find it online and wonders whether it is out of print.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "unknown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "electronics",
        "laboratory manual"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "labyrinths-of-reason-paradox-puzzles-and-the-frailty-of-knowledge-c93179",
      "title": "Labyrinths of Reason: Paradox, Puzzles, and the Frailty of Knowledge",
      "author": "William Poundstone",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8107082,
          "author": "outrightfree",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T09:01:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107082",
          "commentText": "I bought Labyrinths of Reason many years ago, and I still love dipping into it every now and then. I always seem to find something new in it (one benefit of a failing memory)\nLabyrinths of Reason: Paradox, Puzzles, and the Frailty of Knowledge\nby William Poundstone",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I bought Labyrinths of Reason many years ago, and I still love dipping into it every now and then. I always seem to find something new in it",
          "reason": "The commenter says they still love revisiting it and find something new each time.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in paradoxes, puzzles, and knowledge.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Poundstone"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epistemology",
        "logic puzzles",
        "paradoxes"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "labyrinths-selected-stories-other-writings-4ad8d4",
      "title": "Labyrinths: Selected Stories & Other Writings",
      "author": "Jorge Luis Borges",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1027000,
          "author": "blahblahblah",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T09:17:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027000",
          "commentText": "Revelation Space, by Alastair Reynolds - Quirky sci-fi novel with a xenoarchaeology angle\nHunters of Dune, by Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson - I'm not recommending this one on the basis of the writing.  I'd recommend it only to those who read all of Frank Herbert's original Dune series and have been hanging in suspense ever since because the cliffhanger ending of Chapterhouse Dune was never resolved due to Frank's untimely death.  They based the book on Frank's outline, but it clearly would have been a better book if it had been written by Frank.  Nonetheless, it is satisfying to resolve the unanswered questions:  Who the heck are these Honored Matres and what were they running away from?\nLabyrinths:  Selected Stories & Other Writings, by Jorges Luis Borges - This is kind of a quirky collection of short stories that are all mindbenders of one variety or another.  The best description I can give of Borges is that reading him is kind of like solving puzzles.\nAcross the Nightingale Floor:  Tales of the Otori, by Lain Hearn - Historical fiction set in feudal Japan with lords and their retainers, assassins, etc.\nThe Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown - If you liked The Da Vinci Code or Angels & Demons, you'll probably like this one as well.  While Dan Brown will probably never write anything that matches the utter genius of Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum, he is entertaining in his own way and worth a read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Labyrinths: Selected Stories & Other Writings, by Jorges Luis Borges - This is kind of a quirky collection of short stories that are all mindbenders of one variety or another.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books others enjoyed and recommend.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy puzzle-like, thought-provoking short stories.",
          "caveat": "Described as quirky.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jorge Luis Borges"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary puzzles",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lady-astronaut-c7fb03",
      "title": "Lady Astronaut",
      "author": "Mary Robinette Kowal",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36021237,
          "author": "dcminter",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:30:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021237",
          "commentText": "I haven't read any of the Bobiverse books, but I recall reading a review that stated something like \"I realise this isn't going into what's so bad about it, but I honestly don't know where to start. It would be like explaining why murder was bad.\" :D\nAnnoyingly I can't find the original any more, but I do note that most of the 1 star reviewers are angry about anti-religious tone, so perhaps that was the bee in their bonnet?\nI've read and enjoyed the other two as amusing romps (albeit of otherwise quite different tone). So you might possibly enjoy the Lady Astronaut Universe Series by Mary Robinette Kowal. Just a thought.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "you might possibly enjoy the Lady Astronaut Universe Series by Mary Robinette Kowal.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a possible fit based on the reader enjoying the other two series mentioned.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoyed the other two series described as amusing romps.",
          "caveat": "Tentative suggestion: “might possibly enjoy.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mary Robinette Kowal"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternate history",
        "space exploration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lady-astronaut-series-02c5d1",
      "title": "Lady Astronaut series",
      "author": "Mary Robinette Kowal",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28060693,
          "author": "dcminter",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T13:21:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28060693",
          "commentText": "The one really first rate recent SF novel I can recall is: \"This is how you lose the time war\" [0] by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. It's far from being Hard SF if you like that (I do) but the humour and poetry of it won me over very fast. I bought it purely on the basis of the delicious title!\nThe \"Lady Astronaut\" series [1] by Mary Robinette Kowal is not first rate, but it is reliably entertaining and a fairly Hard SF alternate history with some interesting choices.\nI'm going to take a liberty and also recommend a much older SF book that I rarely see mentioned; \"Fiasco\" by Stanisław Lem. This one's all about the characterization and the big picture of humanity's fatal flaws. Not hard SF as such, but he tells a good tall tale when he needs to mess with space and time.\n[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Is_How_You_Lose_the_Time_... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Is_How_You_Lose_the_Time_War)\n[1] https://www.goodreads.com/series/193730-lady-astronaut-unive... (https://www.goodreads.com/series/193730-lady-astronaut-universe)\n[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiasco_%28novel%29",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The \"Lady Astronaut\" series",
          "reason": "Describes it as reliably entertaining and notes its alternate-history choices.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not first rate.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mary Robinette Kowal"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternate history",
        "space exploration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lady-chatterley-s-lover-88ab94",
      "title": "Lady Chatterley's Lover",
      "author": "D. H. Lawrence",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13971531,
          "author": "xherberta",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T20:37:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13971531",
          "commentText": "Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence\nThe takeaway that's quickest to explain is that the best things in life are priceless. You might be surprised how few $ you can happily live on.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence\nThe takeaway that's quickest to explain is that the best things in life are priceless.",
          "reason": "Connects the book with the lesson that the best things in life are priceless.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "D. H. Lawrence"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "english literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lake-success-068509",
      "title": "Lake Success",
      "author": "Gary Shteyngart",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21459415,
          "author": "gerpsh",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T03:10:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21459415",
          "commentText": "I’m getting into Gary Shteyngart. Just read Lake Success and now reading Super Sad True Love Story. Both sort of dark and really funny.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Just read Lake Success and now reading Super Sad True Love Story. Both sort of dark and really funny.",
          "reason": "Describes it as dark and really funny.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is still getting into the author.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gary Shteyngart"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "contemporary fiction",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lakota-woman-e1a623",
      "title": "Lakota Woman",
      "author": "Mary Crow Dog",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34164131,
          "author": "burger_moon",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T18:37:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34164131",
          "commentText": "This was a big reading year for myself, I got through 25 books. They are not technical books like most listed here. I focused on reading memoirs, literature, fiction stories, primarily women authors. I didn’t read any bad books in my opinion, I guess I picked well.\nStandouts,\nConvenience Store Woman - Sayaka Murata\nLakota Woman - Mary Crow Dog\nBeautiful Country: A Memoir of An Undocumented Childhood - Qian Julie Wang\nGather Around in My Name - Maya Angelou\nThe entire autobiographical series by Maya is a must read imo, but this one is my favorite. Maybe also my favorite book I read this year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lakota Woman - Mary Crow Dog",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's standout books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mary Crow Dog"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "indigenous history",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "landing-page-optimization-1af01d",
      "title": "Landing Page Optimization",
      "author": "Tim Ash",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 193345,
          "author": "unfoldedorigami",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-18T13:42:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 193308,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What books on marketing do you recomend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=193345",
          "commentText": "Of all the books and research we've read, these are the ones we've found the most useful information from and influenced a large part of our redesign at Wufoo :\nCall to Action \nhttp://www.calltoactionbook.com/\n(how to think about landing pages and navigation)\nLanding Page Optimization\nhttp://landingpageoptimizationbook.com/\n(best technical book on how to measure landing pages, do not buy SEO books, they're all terrible and rehash what you see on most blogs)\nWord of Mouth Marketing\nhttp://wordofmouthbook.com/\n(sometimes great marketing has nothing to do with what you do on the web)\nMade to Stick\nhttp://www.madetostick.com/\n(just a great read on how you should shape your copy and ideas so they have maximum sticking power)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Landing Page Optimization",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the best technical book on measuring landing pages.",
          "audience": "Readers working on landing pages and web marketing.",
          "caveat": "The commenter advises against SEO books, saying they are terrible and rehash material found on blogs.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tim Ash"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "conversion optimization",
        "landing pages"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "landline-df7f0d",
      "title": "Landline",
      "author": "Rainbow Rowell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467709,
          "author": "alanfalcon",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:53:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467709",
          "commentText": "I find myself re-listening to large portions of my audible library fairly often. I pick up so much more on additional read/listen-throughs.\nI listen to or read Snow Crash at least once a year. I just enjoy most everything about it. Anathem required a couple listens, and a third listen was just for comfort food.\nThe Altered Carbon trilogy has depth and sublime world-building that I have now enjoyed at least a half dozen times.\nI second mentions of Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency (and will mention The Long, Dark Tea Time of the Soul as well).\nEnder’s Game is also comfort food for me.\nBreaking from the speculative fiction reco’s above...\nThe Power of Vulnerability (Brené Brown) is more lecture series than audiobook, but as for non fiction I’ve recently given multiple listens to, that tops the list.\nI borrowed “Landline” from the local library, read it twice and then bought it so I could continue to read it when I want to. I think I was in just the right age group and life situation for this novel to hit home for me. Your mileage may vary, but IMO read it without knowing anything about it in advance if you’re going to read it. That means don’t read the back cover etc.\n(Blind borrowing of books from the library is fun and can be eye opening, try it sometime! Most places, you can borrow eBooks and even digital audiobooks without even leaving your home as long as you have a library card.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I borrowed “Landline” from the local library, read it twice and then bought it so I could continue to read it when I want to.",
          "reason": "The commenter reread it and bought a copy; they say it resonated with their age and life situation.",
          "audience": "Readers whose age and life situation match the commenter's at the time.",
          "caveat": "The commenter advises reading it without learning about it in advance and says it may not resonate with everyone.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rainbow Rowell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "contemporary romance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "language-in-action-9a4cb8",
      "title": "Language in Action",
      "author": "S. I. Hayakawa",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12247529,
          "author": "323454",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T13:30:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12247529",
          "commentText": "Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance. As a scientist, it helped me to realise that the quest for truth is only a tool: I have to choose my own goal.\nEdit: I also want to mention \"Language in Action\" by S.I. Hayakawa. I read it too recently to say that it has had the most impact on my life of any book, but it opened my eyes to orders of magnitude more cases of imprecision in our language than I had ever noticed before.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I also want to mention \"Language in Action\" by S.I. Hayakawa. I read it too recently to say that it has had the most impact on my life of any book, but it opened my eyes to orders of magnitude more cases of imprecision in our language than I had ever noticed before.",
          "reason": "It opened the commenter’s eyes to imprecision in language.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is too soon to judge its overall impact on their life.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "S. I. Hayakawa"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Philosophy",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "language and thought",
        "semantics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "language-thought-and-reality-5f195b",
      "title": "Language, Thought, and Reality",
      "author": "Benjamin Lee Whorf",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15629985,
          "author": "Sone7",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:07:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15629985",
          "commentText": "Benjamin Lee Whorf - Language, Thought, and Reality\nhttps://mitpress.mit.edu/books/language-thought-and-reality-... (https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/language-thought-and-reality-0)\nThis little collection of essays from the 20s by a chemical engineer is astounding. For anyone interested in cognition, engineering, language, there are mind-blowing insights packed throughout.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This little collection of essays from the 20s by a chemical engineer is astounding.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it astounding and says it is packed with insights.",
          "audience": "Anyone interested in cognition, engineering, or language.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Benjamin Lee Whorf"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "language and cognition",
        "linguistic relativity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "language-truth-and-logic-9c40eb",
      "title": "Language, Truth, and Logic",
      "author": "A. J. Ayer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17936661,
          "author": "atlas1428",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T18:44:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17936661",
          "commentText": "- The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins\n- Godel Escher Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\n- Language, Truth, and Logic by A. J. Ayer\n- Thinking in Systems: A Primer by Donella Meadows\nBooks that serve as investment philosophy guides for those who've developed a habit of saving money but are looking for the \"next step\" in building more wealth. From the mind of one of the greatest investors of all time:\n- The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham (get the annotated version with an epilogue written by Warren Buffett!)\n- The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America\nA book that discusses what matters most in your life from a resource-allocation, measurable results standpoint (family, etc.):\n- How Will You Measure Your Life by Clayton Christensen\nA book I read 10 years ago that forever changed the way I manage productivity and organization both at work and in my personal life:\n- Getting Things Done by David Allen\nBooks that show that our universe is just as crazy, if not crazier, than science fiction:\n- Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy\n- Quantum Chance: Nonlocality, Teleportation and Other Quantum Marvels\n- ..and so on with intersecting topics!\nNot to mention, I love trying to have as deep an understanding as I can by reading highly technical textbooks on cosmology, gravitation, and quantum physics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Language, Truth, and Logic by A. J. Ayer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "A. J. Ayer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "analytic philosophy",
        "logical positivism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "languages-of-art-b9e501",
      "title": "Languages of Art",
      "author": "Nelson Goodman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32791257,
          "author": "wunderlust",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T15:04:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32791257",
          "commentText": "My field of study (what I really like to think and learn about) isn't my field of work, but I like the question so I'll spill some thoughts.\nI spend a lot of time thinking about philosophical-ish stuff, so here are some books that have had the strongest residual effects (whether that's changing how I think, changing what I think about, changing my values, or simply getting the thought ball rolling faster):\nIshmael (Daniel Quinn)\n1984 (George Orwell)\nBrave New World (Aldous Huxley)\nGodel, Escher, Bach (Douglas Hofstadter)\nThe Republic [imp. \"the allegory of the cave\"] (Plato)\nThe Genealogy of Morals (Friedrich Nietzsche)\nThe Social Construction of Reality (Peter L. Berger, Thomas Luckmann)\nTractatus Logico-Philosophicus (L. Wittgenstein)\nDissemination [imp. \"The Pharmakon\"] (Jacques Derrida)\nThe Quest for Reality (Barry Stroud)\nLanguages of Art (Nelson Goodman)\nThe Structure of Scientific Revolutions (Thomas Kuhn)\nConcepts (Jerry Fodor)\nThe Web of Life (Fritjof Capra)\nFoucault's Pendulum (Umberto Eco)\nNaming and Necessity (Saul Kripke)\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Robert Pirsig)\nThere are others, and a lot of essays (by thinkers like Bertrand Russell, Carl Hempel, Hilary Putnam, WVO Quine, Karl Popper, Alfred Tarski, Gottlob Frege, David Chalmers, Daniel Dennett, Michel Foucault, Jean Baudrillard, Mikhail Bakunin, CS Peirce, and David Hume, among many others), but these seem apropos as they most readily came to mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Languages of Art (Nelson Goodman)",
          "reason": "Listed among books with strong residual effects on the commenter’s thinking and values.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nelson Goodman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aesthetics",
        "symbol systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lapham-s-quarterly-fbb676",
      "title": "Lapham's Quarterly",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26594125,
          "author": "Jtsummers",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-26T16:39:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26594125",
          "commentText": "> I think my favorite author remains GK Chesterton, he has a couple books I try to re-read every so often. It's fascinating how he was writing around 100 years ago, and how around 25% is super old-timey cultural references or things that no one would think today, but how much of it is still pretty relevant. Also, I haven't read anyone better at turning a phrase.\nYears ago, on a whim, I picked up a copy of Lapham's Quarterly in a Barnes & Noble. After that I started picking them up less-than-quarterly (two or three times a year, typically) and finally subscribed last year. It's fantastic to read the themed content (Scandal, Democracy, Trade, etc.) drawn from cultures around the world and throughout history. There's a surprising amount of content (\"surprising\", not to me I got over my shock regarding this a long time ago through a \"world literature\" course in college that drew from, mostly, BCE writings and a later Old English course) that, with small modifications, would easily read as contemporary (to us) writing.\nLong way to say, if you enjoy Chesterton and have an interest in reading more broadly through history and cultures, but don't know what to read, pick up a copy. You'll probably enjoy it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "picked up a copy of Lapham's Quarterly in a Barnes & Noble.",
          "reason": "Recommends the publication to readers interested in Chesterton and exploring history and cultures.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy Chesterton and want to read more broadly through history and cultures.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "themed historical writing",
        "world literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "larry-s-party-4ae885",
      "title": "Larry's Party",
      "author": "Carol Shields",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15761791,
          "author": "troydavis",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T00:11:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15761791",
          "commentText": "You’ll get enough non-fiction recommendations. Something fictional (barely) and a lot more relaxed: The Remains of the Day, Ishiguro. It’s a chance to think about work/life split, life accomplishments, and professional vs personal identity.\nIf you like that, check out Larry’s Party by Carol Shields.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you like that, check out Larry’s Party by Carol Shields.",
          "reason": "Recommends it to readers who like The Remains of the Day.",
          "audience": "Readers who like The Remains of the Day.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carol Shields"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "identity",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "las-constelaciones-oscuras-4f8ff9",
      "title": "Las constelaciones oscuras",
      "author": "Pola Oloixarac",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21459507,
          "author": "vo2maxer",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T03:28:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21459507",
          "commentText": "Yes, here are some I’ve read in the last year:\nBartleby y compañía by Enrique Vila-Matas, on why writers give up or why they may be reluctant to write. It’s a mixture of fiction and biography, hard to tell which but fun searching for authors who may not exist.\nLas Constelaciones Oscuras by Pola Oloixarac. I think many in HN would like her work, this novel in particular.\nEl Ejército Iluminado by David Toscana.\nPrimavera con una esquina rota by Mario Benedetti\nLa Casa Verde by Mario Varga Llosa",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think many in HN would like her work, this novel in particular.",
          "reason": "Suggests many Hacker News readers would like this novel.",
          "audience": "Hacker News readers, in the commenter’s view.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pola Oloixarac"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "argentine literature",
        "speculative fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "last-first-snow-e11e70",
      "title": "Last First Snow",
      "author": "Max Gladstone",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783529,
          "author": "Symmetry",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:46:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783529",
          "commentText": "Here are the ones I'd be willing to recommend, in reverse chronological order of when I read them.  I read 59 total.  Listen to books on tape while working out has maybe doubled my reading rate.\nGenghis Khan: His Conquests, His Empire, His Legacy - Great book on how the Mongol Empire came to be, who Genghis was, and it put the whole thing in perspective for me in a useful way.\nThe Knowledge: How to Rebuild Our World from Scratch - What it says on the tin.  Actually a good overview how some important technologies interrelate.\nSuperforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction - How to be wrong less often.  Based on the Good Judgement Project results.\nThe Three-Body Problem - Decent enough science fiction but extra interesting because it's science fiction from a different culture.\nIgnition!: An informal history of liquid rocket propellants - A history of things that go boom.  Engaging writing and I learned things about chemistry.\nThe Traitor Baru Cormorant - I'm nominating this for a Hugo.  It tells you it's going to stab you in the gut but when it does you don't see it coming.  Plus high quality scheming and speculation on economics, society, and empire.\nThe Sorcerer of the Wildeeps - Excellent use of voice and an overall good book.\nBloom - Made my skin crawl in places and also was good at making you feel a radical change in perspective.\nSeeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed - An interesting perspective on certain aspects of government.  A bit too negative for the topic, the factors outlined are also why commercial economies were able to develop more centralized economies than agrarian ones in the early modern era.\nPolitical Order and Political Decay: From the Industrial Revolution to the Globalization of Democracy - Quite good book on bureaucracy though not as excellent as the previous book on the origins of states.\nLast First Snow - It's always great to read books about the struggles between people with sympathetic motivations.\nThe Unwelcome Warlock - The latest in a series of fantasy books where people use magic in creative and sensible ways.\nAsteroid Mining 101: Wealth for the New Space Economy -Mostly about all the different sorts of asteroids.\nSeveneves - Neal Stephenson's latest.  If you like his books read it but maybe skip the last 1/3 after the timeskip.\nElon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future - Wow he did a lot of cool stuff.\nStories of Your Life and Others - Brilliant and poetic short stories.\nDarwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life - Some interesting perspective on materialism.\nPower, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life - Best science book I've read in a while!  Shows why mitochondria matter, the fundamental limits of prochariotic life, and several important ways mitochondria influence again and evolution.\nBlue Remembered Earth - Awesome near futureish book that does well at imagining a future that isn't just a linear extrapolation but is still believable.\nA Key, an Egg, an Unfortunate Remark - Not enough pacifist badass grandmothers in urban fantasy.\nQuantum Computing since Democritus - I understand QM much better now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Last First Snow - It's always great to read books about the struggles between people with sympathetic motivations.",
          "reason": "Says it is great to read books about struggles between people with sympathetic motivations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Max Gladstone"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political conflict",
        "urban fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "last-horizon-e87cc4",
      "title": "Last Horizon",
      "author": "Will Wight",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37158554,
          "author": "spoiler",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T07:58:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37158554",
          "commentText": "The Cradle series by Will Wight. It's a Wuxia adapted for Western audiences. He has other great series; I liked the parallel Sea/Shadow trilogies a lot. Traveler's Gate series I enjoyed, but not as much as the rest. He recently also started a new series called Last Horizon; it's about space wizards and it's a bit whimsical, but fun.\nThe Expanse series is great, but I reckon people already mentioned it elsewhere in the thread.\nJames Islington's Licanius trilogy is one of my favourite fantasy book series probably. He recently started a new series called Hierarchy, which I also recommend. They're very \"grounded\" fantasy, and the magic systems is very woven into society and its structure. The human relationships in his books are pretty nuanced, which is why I like his works so much.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "He recently also started a new series called Last Horizon; it's about space wizards and it's a bit whimsical, but fun.",
          "reason": "Calls the series fun and describes it as whimsical, about space wizards.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A bit whimsical.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Will Wight"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "last-light-0f3e2f",
      "title": "Last Light",
      "author": "Andy McNab",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 715161,
          "author": "TallGuyShort",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-20T20:50:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715161",
          "commentText": "Last: Hacker's Handbook 3.0 by Dr. K (waste of time)\nCurrent: Last Light by Andy McNab (awesome)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Last Light by Andy McNab (awesome)",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it awesome.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andy McNab"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military fiction",
        "thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "last-plane-to-heaven-426d59",
      "title": "Last Plane to Heaven",
      "author": "Jay Lake",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36021193,
          "author": "beckingz",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:26:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021193",
          "commentText": "Revelation Space - Alastair Reynolds\nWireless - Charles Stross\nStories of your life and others - Ted Chiang\nMoonrise - Ben Bova\nLast Plane to Heaven - Jay Lake\nBest of Greg Egan - Greg Egan",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Last Plane to Heaven - Jay Lake",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for science fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jay Lake"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lateral-thinking-for-management-d1c92f",
      "title": "Lateral Thinking for Management",
      "author": "Edward de Bono",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19897295,
          "author": "plinkplonk",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T08:55:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19897295",
          "commentText": "+ 100.\nthe idea that sustained practice till you become fluent in the use of specific mental models is missing in much of the literature.\nJust like learning any other skillset, using mental models effectively takes a lot of work.\nThis is often the missing key to effective use. It is one thing to read about a mental model (say Donella Meadows's systems thinking), and be able to recall the material from memory and quote it and so on. It is quite another to be able to apply that model (here systems thinking) to real life  situations and get useful results.\nI know many people who can quote chapter and verse of literature about mental models, but their thinking remains confused and ad hoc when it comes to dealing with real life problems.\nTo practice, one can also apply mental models to case studies/situations from the past  and compare to the outcome predicted by the model and the actual outcome.(To be fair, there is a risk of making mental models fit the known outcome here, so one has to be aware of that)\nEDIT: (not the same as mental models, but since someone mentioned ARIZ/TRIZ above) Edward De Bono's \"Serious Creativity\" and \"Lateral Thinking for Management\" (yes terrible title) are full of thinking tools that can be practiced systematically. Most of his books are repetitive and have varying ratios of fluff to  core material, but these two together have most of his useful ideas.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Lateral Thinking for Management\" (yes terrible title)",
          "reason": "Includes thinking tools that can be practiced systematically.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The author calls the title terrible and says his books can be repetitive, with varying amounts of fluff.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward de Bono"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "lateral thinking",
        "thinking tools"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lateral-thinking-creativity-step-by-step-6cbb00",
      "title": "Lateral Thinking: Creativity Step by Step",
      "author": "Edward de Bono",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2615850,
          "author": "givan",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T10:56:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2615850",
          "commentText": "http://www.amazon.com/Lateral-Thinking-Creativity-Perennial-... (http://www.amazon.com/Lateral-Thinking-Creativity-Perennial-Library/dp/0060903252)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "http://www.amazon.com/Lateral-Thinking-Creativity-Perennial-...",
          "reason": "Shares a link whose URL identifies the book, in response to a request for book suggestions.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for non-technical books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward de Bono"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creative thinking",
        "problem solving"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "latitude-the-true-story-of-the-world-s-first-great-scientific-exp-9f70f4",
      "title": "Latitude: The True Story of the World's First Great Scientific Expedition",
      "author": "Nicholas Crane",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42664069,
          "author": "ForOldHack",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-11T07:32:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42664069",
          "commentText": "Latitude | Book by Nicholas Crane",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Latitude | Book by Nicholas Crane",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nicholas Crane"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "exploration",
        "geodesy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "laughable-loves-3d2deb",
      "title": "Laughable Loves",
      "author": "Milan Kundera",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18663336,
          "author": "0db532a0",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:32:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663336",
          "commentText": "Personal summaries and opinions on some books I’ve read this year:\nThe First Man - Camus: A semi-autobiographical novel about his childhood growing up in Algeria in a poor family, his friendships, his educational successes and becoming a man.\nThe Unbearable Lightness of Being - Kundera: A realistic, unromantic look at the ideals involved in love, sexual and romantic relationships.\nLaughable Loves - Kundera: More of the same in the form of a collection of short stories. Thoroughly enjoyed.\nThe Only Way to Stop Smoking Permanently - Alan Carr: I’m not particularly into self-help books, but this has actually worked so far. It focusses on removing the desire to smoke, rather than increasing willpower not to smoke.\nMetamorphosis - Kafka: Looks at duty to family, social alienation and the equation of a man’s worth with his career and earning ability.\nWhat we cannot Know - du Sautoy: A not too poppy pop-science look into the limits of human knowledge and consciousness. Delves into maths, astronomy, philosophy, existence of a god, quantum physics. Still interesting as a graduate of mathematics, and answers a few questions I had about quantum physics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thoroughly enjoyed.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they thoroughly enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Milan Kundera"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "relationships",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lauren-ipsum-d7ea0d",
      "title": "Lauren Ipsum",
      "author": "Carlos Bueno",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34635878,
          "author": "ssttoo",
          "createdAt": "2023-02-03T01:19:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 34634274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books your kids like most",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34635878",
          "commentText": "Since this is HN, Lauren Ipsum by Carlos Bueno. I read it to my kid and we both loved it. Don’t remember how old was she though.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lauren Ipsum by Carlos Bueno. I read it to my kid and we both loved it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they and their child loved reading it together.",
          "audience": "Children and parents",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not remember the child's age.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carlos Bueno"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s books",
        "computer science",
        "logic puzzles"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lavinia-3f3782",
      "title": "Lavinia",
      "author": "Ursula K. Le Guin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13249504,
          "author": "kijin",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T12:11:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249504",
          "commentText": "If you're into social issues, Ursula Le Guin wrote several novels that combine sci-fi with social and political philosophy in a package that feels somewhat non-fiction-y. My favorite are The Left Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed. Meanwhile, a more recent novel of hers, Lavinia, is a fascinating reinterpretation of ancient Roman epic fantasy.\nMargaret Atwood is another author who doesn't get mentioned a lot around here but whose works of SF(she prefers \"speculative fiction\" to \"sci-fi\") I've enjoyed a lot. Her MaddAddam trilogy is weird but entertaining. You'll probably either love it or hate it. Many of her other works focus on issues of sex and gender in various past and future settings, some fictional, some historical.\nOf course, I as well as a lot of other commenters in this thread are assuming that you'll be into sci-fi and fantasy, because that's what most computer geeks like. But even if you aren't a sci-fi fan, Le Guin and Atwood aren't typical sci-fi, so you might find them interesting anyhow.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lavinia, is a fascinating reinterpretation of ancient Roman epic fantasy.",
          "reason": "Described as a fascinating reinterpretation of ancient Roman epic.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in classical and Roman themes.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ursula K. Le Guin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classical retelling",
        "historical fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lawrence-of-arabia-6cdd43",
      "title": "Lawrence of Arabia",
      "author": "Scott Anderson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8110158,
          "author": "jaguar86",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T18:43:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8110158",
          "commentText": "Reading Lawrence of Arabia by Scott Anderson - So far I have got a vivid picture of the events leading up to World War I and how opportunistic the Standard Oil Company were. This is a long book. So, I plan to interleave my reading with either \"The Map Thief\" by Michael Blanding or \"Diary of a nobody\" by George Grossmith.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "So far I have got a vivid picture of the events leading up to World War I and how opportunistic the Standard Oil Company were.",
          "reason": "Says the book has given them a vivid picture of events before World War I.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it is a long book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Anderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "t e lawrence",
        "world war i"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "laws-088e9a",
      "title": "Laws",
      "author": "Cicero",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32936103,
          "author": "Ligma123",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T08:14:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936103",
          "commentText": "Meditations - Marcus Aurelius\nRepublic - Plato\nLaws - Cicero\nNational System of Political Economy - Friedrich List\nMan and Technics - Oswald Spengler\nThe Bible",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Laws - Cicero",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cicero"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "roman political philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "laws-of-form-ca0fa1",
      "title": "Laws of Form",
      "author": "George Spencer-Brown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23153310,
          "author": "9214",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T12:43:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23153310",
          "commentText": "• \"Laws of Form\" by George Spencer-Brown, a little book that describes how to bootstrap the Universe from nothing. Louis Kauffman [1] has a lot of papers/writeups on it, from knot theory to quantum physics. If you ever wanted to make a pancake truly from scratch, this is a place to start.\n• \"The Unconscious as Infinite Sets\" by Ignacio Matte Blanco. Reformulates Freud in logico-mathematical terms and establishes a formal system (bi-logic) to describe unconsciousness phenomena: in case you ever wanted to apply category theory to study yourself.\n• \"The Protracted Game\" by Scott Boorman. Interprets Maoist's revolutionary strategies during 1927 - 1949 period as a game of Go. Interesting both from historical, military, and game-theoretical perspective; raised an appreciation of Eastern wisdom and 'board games as a tool of thought' [2] for me.\n• \"The Unwritten Laws of Engineering\" by W. J. King. Written in 1944, but the advice is still relevant, more so to the software engineering field. Should be at least skimmed at any part of your career.\n• \"The Myth of Sisyphus\" by Alber Camus. Unequivocally answers the most important question there is — does life have meaning, and if not, should you kill yourself over it? I read it in my teens while wrestling with existential dread, and lived a somewhat happy and interesting life ever after.\n[1]: http://homepages.math.uic.edu/~kauffman/Form.html\n[2]: There's also \"Laws of the Game\" by Eigen & Winkler that describes natural phenomena as glass-bead games with various rules.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Laws of Form\" by George Spencer-Brown, a little book that describes how to bootstrap the Universe from nothing.",
          "reason": "Presented as a place to start exploring how to make a pancake from scratch.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Spencer-Brown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybernetics",
        "formal systems",
        "logic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "laws-of-the-game-a03aba",
      "title": "Laws of the Game",
      "author": "Manfred Eigen and Ruthild Winkler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23153310,
          "author": "9214",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T12:43:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23153310",
          "commentText": "• \"Laws of Form\" by George Spencer-Brown, a little book that describes how to bootstrap the Universe from nothing. Louis Kauffman [1] has a lot of papers/writeups on it, from knot theory to quantum physics. If you ever wanted to make a pancake truly from scratch, this is a place to start.\n• \"The Unconscious as Infinite Sets\" by Ignacio Matte Blanco. Reformulates Freud in logico-mathematical terms and establishes a formal system (bi-logic) to describe unconsciousness phenomena: in case you ever wanted to apply category theory to study yourself.\n• \"The Protracted Game\" by Scott Boorman. Interprets Maoist's revolutionary strategies during 1927 - 1949 period as a game of Go. Interesting both from historical, military, and game-theoretical perspective; raised an appreciation of Eastern wisdom and 'board games as a tool of thought' [2] for me.\n• \"The Unwritten Laws of Engineering\" by W. J. King. Written in 1944, but the advice is still relevant, more so to the software engineering field. Should be at least skimmed at any part of your career.\n• \"The Myth of Sisyphus\" by Alber Camus. Unequivocally answers the most important question there is — does life have meaning, and if not, should you kill yourself over it? I read it in my teens while wrestling with existential dread, and lived a somewhat happy and interesting life ever after.\n[1]: http://homepages.math.uic.edu/~kauffman/Form.html\n[2]: There's also \"Laws of the Game\" by Eigen & Winkler that describes natural phenomena as glass-bead games with various rules.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "There's also \"Laws of the Game\" by Eigen & Winkler that describes natural phenomena as glass-bead games with various rules.",
          "reason": "Mentioned as another book describing natural phenomena through games.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Manfred Eigen",
        "Ruthild Winkler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "game theory",
        "natural phenomena",
        "systems thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "le-cahier-rouge-f8bf7d",
      "title": "Le Cahier Rouge",
      "author": "Benjamin Constant",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12070964,
          "author": "cafard",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T13:43:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12070964",
          "commentText": "Solo: An American Dreamer in Europe by Wright Morris, a memoir of spending part of 1932 and 1933 in Austria, Italy, and France. Not on the whole as rewarding as his other memoirs Will's Boy and A Cloak of Light, but interesting enough.\nAdolphe and Le Cahier Rouge by Benjamin Constant. The former a devastating short novel, the latter a memoir, a portrait of the artist as a young twerp. (The things we boomers would say if something comparable had been published by a millenial!)\nFates and Furies by Lauren Groff, a novel read for a book club. The less said, the better.\nAutobiography by Henry James. Very slow going, but rewarding, a mind at work.\nMy Promised Land by Avi Shalets. A history of Israel and the Zionist project by an Israeli journalist. It covers a lot of ground that most Americans (I infer from my book club) don't know. It seemed to me that it could have been maybe 15% shorter, and that David Remnick should have impounded Shalets's thesaurus.\nThree Critics of the Enlightenment: Vico, Hamann, Herder by Isaiah Berlin. Well worth reading, but requiring more time than just its own reading, for now I have to read some Herder. I have already fought my way through some Hamann; the translation is heavily footnoted, as necessary for those of us who aren't handy with Greek, Hebrew, and Latin, and don't have the Bible memorized.\nKulturgeschichte der Neuzeit (vol. ii) by Egon Friedell. Clive James's recommendation in Cultural Amnesia put me onto this one. Most interesting, but slow going because my German is rusty.\n[Edit: got rid of most of the \"most interesting\"s.]",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "a memoir, a portrait of the artist as a young twerp",
          "reason": "Describes it as a memoir with a comic, dismissive characterization.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The portrait is described dismissively as that of a young twerp.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Benjamin Constant"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "french literature",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "le-cerveau-intime-4b9448",
      "title": "Le cerveau intime",
      "author": "Marc Jeannerod",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8106989,
          "author": "cellover",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:32:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106989",
          "commentText": "I like understanding where I am located in space and time, that is why I love reading about science & science fiction ; it is indirectly related to religion in the sense that it makes you think about your world, about yourself.\nBuddhism / Religion / ... :\n- Siddartha - Hermann Hesse\n- The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho\nScience:\n- A brief history of time - Stephen Hawking (space, time)\n- The Blind Watchmaker - Richard Dawkins (evolution)\n- Le cerveau intime - Marc Jeannerod (in french only)\nScience-fiction:\n- The Road - Cormack Mc Carthy\n- City - Clifford D. Simack\n- Time is the simplest thing - Clifford D. Simack\n- Ringworld - Larry Niven",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Le cerveau intime - Marc Jeannerod (in french only)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "In French only.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marc Jeannerod"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "brain",
        "neuroscience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lead-generation-for-the-complex-sale-390dc0",
      "title": "Lead Generation for the Complex Sale",
      "author": "Brian Carroll",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 568573,
          "author": "melvinram",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-18T18:35:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 568556,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sales book recommendation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=568573",
          "commentText": "* SPIN Selling by Rackman\n* The Sales Bible by Gitomer\n* Selling to VITO by Parinello\n* Lead Generation for the Complex Sale by Brian Carroll\n* http://www.marketingsherpa.com/\n* http://blog.startwithalead.com/weblog/\n* http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=35771&trk=a... (http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=35771&trk=anet_ug_hm) This one is a linekdin group that sends out a good email news letter",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Lead Generation for the Complex Sale by Brian Carroll",
          "reason": "Listed as a response to the question asking for sales book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Carroll"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "b2b sales",
        "lead generation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "leadership-bs-fixing-workplaces-and-careers-one-truth-at-a-time-db1959",
      "title": "Leadership BS: Fixing Workplaces and Careers One Truth at a Time",
      "author": "Jeffrey Pfeffer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25566596,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-29T04:03:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 25554464,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books for dealing with workplace politics and dishonesty?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25566596",
          "commentText": "+1; Very good suggestion. I came to Jeffrey Pfeffer through his other book Leadership BS: Fixing Workplaces and Careers One Truth at a Time which is a must read too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "his other book Leadership BS: Fixing Workplaces and Careers One Truth at a Time which is a must read too.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a must read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeffrey Pfeffer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "workplace culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "leadership-is-an-art-137a51",
      "title": "Leadership Is an Art",
      "author": "Max De Pree",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 86007,
          "author": "shayan",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T18:13:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86007",
          "commentText": "Unfortunately I can't read fiction too much, I feel like what I read must directly help me with what I do, so I feel a lot better reading either technical stuff or business related (I love business).  Since we are excluding technical, most of the following are business related, or helps you in dealing with people and solving problems)\nNetscape Time - Jim Clark (very educational for those interested in startups, good piece of Internet history, interesting insights to the culture of the first Internet companies)\nHow To Win Friends And Influence People - Dale Carnegie (found it through YC recommendations, THANK YOU.  one of the best educational books I have ever read, it will teach you how to make friends, be a good leader, get along at home, encourage people, make them follow you and so much more...)\nFounders at Work -  Jessica Livingston (I found it relevant to what I am doing, good lessons, and interesting insights)\nGetting to Yes - Roger Fisher, William L. Ury (teaches you how to negotiate and how to get the best out of each situation for yourself and the other part, will be useful both at work and personal life, a bit dry)\nWinning - Jack Welch (great advices on leadership, might be more useful to someone that is running a big company)\nLeadership Is an Art - Max Depree (great leadership advices, it will give you the right mindset of how to be a great leader) \n-----------\nAnimal Farm (George Orwell), Alchemist (Paulo Coelho), Interpreting Your Dreams(Freud)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "great leadership advices, it will give you the right mindset of how to be a great leader",
          "reason": "Praises its leadership advice and mindset guidance.",
          "audience": "People who want to become better leaders.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Max De Pree"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "leadership-and-self-deception-a562b3",
      "title": "Leadership and Self-Deception",
      "author": "The Arbinger Institute",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16352005,
          "author": "andersthue",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T09:50:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16352005",
          "commentText": "Leaders and Self Deception\nCrucial Conversation\nThese two books will teach you and your colleagues how to communicate and maintain an open and centered dialouge while removing bad intentions and bad mindsets from your being.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Leaders and Self Deception",
          "reason": "Listed as a book that will help colleagues communicate and maintain open dialogue.",
          "audience": "Colleagues seeking better communication.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "The Arbinger Institute"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "communication",
        "self awareness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "leadership-and-self-deception-getting-out-of-the-box-d54610",
      "title": "Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box",
      "author": "The Arbinger Institute",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16380716,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-14T23:48:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16380716",
          "commentText": "Actual titles: Leadership and Self-Deception and Crucial Conversations.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Actual titles: Leadership and Self-Deception and Crucial Conversations.",
          "reason": "Confirms these titles as the intended books in the recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "The Arbinger Institute"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "self deception"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "leadership-the-warrior-s-art-15ef63",
      "title": "Leadership: The Warrior's Art",
      "author": "Barry R. McCaffrey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 456347,
          "author": "pskomoroch",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T14:15:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456347",
          "commentText": "I used to have a lot more time for non CS reading and actually made an Amazon list on this topic back in 2005:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/2INJSM38... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/2INJSM38IDMDZ/ref=cm_sw_r_de_lm)\n1.  On War (Everyman's Library (Cloth)) by Carl Von Clausewitz\n2.  Leadership: The Warrior's Art by Barry R. McCaffrey\n3.  Small Unit Leadership: A Commonsense Approach by Dandridge M. Malone\n4.  The Defense of Hill 781: An Allegory of Modern Mechanized Combat by James R. McDonough\n5.  The Art of Maneuver: Maneuver-Warfare Theory and AirLand Battle by Robert Leonhard\n6.  Strategy: Second Revised Edition (Meridian) by B. H. Liddell Hart\n7.  The Art of War by Niccolò Machiavelli\n8.  Hagakure: The Book of the Samauri by Tsunetomo Yamamoto\n9.  The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius\n10.  The Art of War (Shambhala classics) by Sun Tzu\n11.  The Prince (Bantam Classics) by Niccolo Machiavelli\n12.  Evolutionary Game Theory by Jörgen W. Weibull\n13.  On Guerrilla Warfare by Mao Tse-tung\n14.  The History of the Peloponnesian War: Revised Edition (Penguin Classics) by Thucydides\n15.  The Histories (Penguin Classics) by Herodotus\n16.  The Persian Expedition (Penguin Classics) by Xenophon\n17.  Plutarch: Lives of Noble Grecians and Romans (Modern Library Series, Vol. 1) by Plutarch\n18.  Plutarch's Lives, Volume 2 (Modern Library Classics) by Plutarch\n19.  Livy: The Early History of Rome, Books I-V (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 1-5) by Titus Livy\n20.  The History of Rome from Its Foundation, Books XXI-XXX: The War with Hannibal (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 21-30) by Titus Livius Livy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2.  Leadership: The Warrior's Art by Barry R. McCaffrey",
          "reason": "Included in a list of military strategy books answering the thread's request.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking books about military strategy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Barry R. McCaffrey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "leading-3459a8",
      "title": "Leading",
      "author": "Alex Ferguson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21719355,
          "author": "aprdm",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-06T04:52:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21719355",
          "commentText": "I've been a team lead for close to four years now in two different companies, both times my teams spanned multiple time zones!\nI really enjoy this subject and read a lot about it. My favorite books so far are:\n- Radical Candor\n-- Gives a great framework for candid conversations and empathy which IMO are the most important thing! Clear #1 in my list.\n- Leading by Alex Ferguson\n-- A great successful leader in another area - Soccer - that had many years building effective teams. It's incredible how many concepts can be mapped over, he talks for example on how having \"rockstars\" in a team that aren't team players isn't worth it.\n- Ride of a lifetime by Bob Iger\n-- It's mostly a biography of Disney's most successful CEO, I thought it was very authentic and gave good advices on how to deal with creative people, empathy, setting goals and navigating hard situations (compartmentalizing)\n- Creativity Inc Amy / Ed\n-- Pixar's president biography on how to manage creative teams, it is a bit repetitive but it is golden! Lots of good ideas and insightful chapters that make you think about how to build a successful culture.\n- The Manager's Path: A Guide for Tech Leaders\n-- IMO a bit shallow compared to the other books I mentioned but it was a pleasant read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A great successful leader in another area - Soccer - that had many years building effective teams.",
          "reason": "Includes it among favorite books and praises its lessons from building effective teams.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in leadership and team building.",
          "caveat": "Draws leadership lessons from soccer.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alex Ferguson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "soccer",
        "team building"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "leading-lean-software-development-results-are-not-the-point-213115",
      "title": "Leading Lean Software Development: Results Are Not the Point",
      "author": "Mary Poppendieck and Tom Poppendieck",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1569722,
          "author": "viraptor",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T01:07:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569722",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- Someone already mentioned Neil Gaiman's \"American Gods\", but it's so good, I'll mention it again :) Very well constructed and has its specific atmosphere...\n- Anything by Iain Banks - \"Walking on glass\", \"Wasp factory\", \"A song of stone\" are definitely not light reading, but worth spending some time on them. His science-fiction is much simpler, but... didn't get me as excited as \"Walking on glass\".\nNon-fiction:\n- \"Leading Lean Software Development - Results are not the point\" (http://www.amazon.com/Leading-Lean-Software-Development-Resu... (http://www.amazon.com/Leading-Lean-Software-Development-Results/dp/0321620704)) is the best team / organisation / project leading book I've seen. I hate most of books like that with passion, but this one is different. I can't wait for the next story they introduce in every chapter. It touches many topics useful for anyone working with even one other person and you can read it like a good adventure book - it's got clear examples, interesting quotes and in-depth but not boring analysis.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "is the best team / organisation / project leading book I've seen.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the best leadership book they have seen and praises its examples and analysis.",
          "audience": "People working with even one other person.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they dislike most books like it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mary Poppendieck and Tom Poppendieck"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "lean software development",
        "team leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "leading-matters-f5ee61",
      "title": "Leading Matters",
      "author": "John L. Hennessy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Comment notes that the coda contains a fantastic book list.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John L. Hennessy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "leading-snowflakes-0451a4",
      "title": "Leading Snowflakes",
      "author": "Oren Ellenbogen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21714033,
          "author": "brandonb",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T17:10:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21714033",
          "commentText": "Leading Snowflakes is written specifically for new engineering managers. In my opinion, it nails it:\n  https://leadingsnowflakes.com/\nUnlike many books on leadership, this one is specific about the challenges of leading a technical team:\n  * Carving out maker vs manager time\n\n  * \"Code reviewing\" your management decisions with your teammates\n\n  * How to delegate without losing visibility or quality",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Leading Snowflakes is written specifically for new engineering managers. In my opinion, it nails it:",
          "reason": "The commenter says it nails the subject and highlights its coverage of technical team leadership.",
          "audience": "New engineering managers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Oren Ellenbogen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "engineering management",
        "technical leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "leading-so-people-will-follow-2b4d5c",
      "title": "Leading So People Will Follow",
      "author": "Erika Andersen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4967419,
          "author": "jlees",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T23:17:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967419",
          "commentText": "It Starts With Food was the book that has had the most significant impact on my life this year. Power, Speed, Endurance, which I recently got, has a shot at being the next most impactful.\nAmong Others was one of the most enjoyable fiction reads. Beautiful. Prep was also surprisingly good, and not something I would usually have read.\nLeading So People Will Follow surprisingly insightful and clearly actionable.\nThe Big Nerd Ranch's guide to iOS development carried me through last Christmas and the new year admirably. I haven't really read many programming books this year but it stands out as being well crafted.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Leading So People Will Follow surprisingly insightful and clearly actionable.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it insightful and actionable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Erika Andersen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "league-of-denial-6c1d8f",
      "title": "League of Denial",
      "author": "Mark Fainaru-Wada and Steve Fainaru",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8125672,
          "author": "lancewiggs",
          "createdAt": "2014-08-02T19:10:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 8125375,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I save for offline reading during 5 weeks without Internet?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8125672",
          "commentText": "Great question, and one that I asked just before going to Mozambique for 10 weeks a few years back. I'd just bought a kindle, which were not available outside the USA back then, and asked a few interesting folks I was chatting to at Foo. Here are my resulting first few kindle purchases:\nThe Match King\nHeros Die (I bought the rest of them)\nThe city and the city\nEvery patient tells a story\nBlindsight\nBorn to Run\nHot, Flat & Crowded\nThe Autobiography of Ben Franklin\nThe Hunger Games (!)\nAnd on it went - asking for recommendations was a fantastic thing to do.  I'd asked for fiction as I was going there to work and would be too exhausted at first to do much else.\nSo I do encourage everyone to give some names of books. And yes - do take a good camera, do take binoculars - Leica if you can afford them, and embrace the experience.\nA few years later I went to Antarctica on a boat for 30 days offline. By then I had hundreds of books on kindle, and several devices to read them. This is basically a solved problem now. I did take Wikipedia in offline state, which was useful.\nIn decades previous when traveling I cared about weight and price per word and focused on \"good\" books - books that you know you should read but which need a bit of effort. When you are off the grid and in countries where there are few English books then it was a great way to read great books. \nBut now the Internet is everywhere. It might be flaky, and it might be painful to access, but you'll be able to find access to buy and download books relatively easily.\nThree recommendations, aside from the above which I enjoyed a lot.\nBill Aulet: Disciplined Entrepreneurship, covers the topic very well and generously references everything else.\nThe Circle by Dave Eggers paints a picture that's creepily familiar already.\nLeague of Denial will have you shake your head gently and sadly at NFL and other contact sports.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "will have you shake your head gently and sadly at NFL and other contact sports",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a sobering account of the NFL and contact sports.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Fainaru-Wada and Steve Fainaru"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american football",
        "concussions"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lean-analytics-aef1c4",
      "title": "Lean Analytics",
      "author": "Alistair Croll, Benjamin Yoskovitz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25216443,
          "author": "webmaven",
          "createdAt": "2020-11-26T02:56:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 25207732,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Suggest good books on bootstrapping a startup",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25216443",
          "commentText": "> - The Four Steps to the Epiphany\nGood (even great) book, but has some flaws and focuses mostly on enterprise costumers. The revised version  The Startup Owner's Manual is more polished and covers a wider range of business models.\n> - The Lean Startup\nAn excellent recommendation. The other books in the series (especially IMO Running Lean and Lean Analytics) are also worth a look:\nhttps://www.amazon.com/stores/page/7509FE4F-9888-4384-ACBC-D... (https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/7509FE4F-9888-4384-ACBC-D5B12AA08563)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The other books in the series (especially IMO Running Lean and Lean Analytics) are also worth a look:",
          "reason": "Named as one of the other books in the series worth a look.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alistair Croll",
        "Benjamin Yoskovitz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business analytics",
        "lean startup"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lean-b2b-5ff1cc",
      "title": "Lean B2B",
      "author": "Étienne Garbugli",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21902980,
          "author": "baristaGeek",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T00:46:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902980",
          "commentText": "Best business books:\n-Secrets of Sandhill Road\n-Hackers and Painters\n-The Great CEO within\n-Venture Deals\n-Predictable Revenue\n-Zero to One\n-The Hard Thing About Hard Things\n-Lean customer development\n-Lost and founder\n-Lean B2B\n-From Impossible to Inevitable\n-Traction\nBest computer science books:\n-Competitive programming 3\n-Structure and interpretation of computer programs\nBest for fun (non-fiction):\n-Meditations\n-Sapiens\n-How to win friends and influence people\n-A brief history of time\n-Self-reliance\n-Frente a la estrella polar",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-Lean B2B",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s best business books in response to a question about influential books.",
          "audience": "People building and selling products to businesses.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Étienne Garbugli"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "b2b startups",
        "customer discovery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lean-logic-a-dictionary-for-the-future-and-how-to-survive-it-9b8b68",
      "title": "Lean Logic: A Dictionary for the Future and How to Survive It",
      "author": "David Fleming",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30827625,
          "author": "marttt",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T06:15:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30827625",
          "commentText": "Maybe try \"Lean Logic: A Dictionary for the Future and How to Survive It\" by David Fleming. Really interesting structure; basically it's, indeed, a \"dictionary\". Took the author more than 30 years to write (sadly, he passed away before finishing it entirely). Amazing effort, really.\nAbout David Fleming and the book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Fleming_%28writer%29\nApparently there's also an online version of the whole work: https://leanlogic.online/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Lean Logic: A Dictionary for the Future and How to Survive It\" by David Fleming",
          "reason": "Suggested as an interesting work with a dictionary structure about the future and how to survive it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The author died before finishing it entirely.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Fleming"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dictionary format",
        "sustainability",
        "systems thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lean-product-playbook-b088df",
      "title": "Lean Product Playbook",
      "author": "Dan Olsen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35169107,
          "author": "collin128",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T14:47:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35169107",
          "commentText": "Steve Blank's blog (not a book, I know) + The Startup Owners Manual also by Steve Blank.\nLean Product Playbook by Dan Olsen.\nThe two helped me understand what it meant to 'get out of the building'.\n7 Powers + Good Strategy Bad Strategy helped me think long term about the business model and evolution of the company.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lean Product Playbook by Dan Olsen.",
          "reason": "The commenter says this book helped them understand what it means to get out of the building.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs and product teams",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Olsen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "customer development",
        "lean startup",
        "product management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lean-thinking-1bb688",
      "title": "Lean Thinking",
      "author": "James P. Womack and Daniel T. Jones",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3277849,
          "author": "technology",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T18:47:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3277849",
          "commentText": "The Minto Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing, Thinking, & Problem Solving by Barbara Minto (http://www.amazon.com/Pyramid-Principle-Writing-Thinking-Pro... (http://www.amazon.com/Pyramid-Principle-Writing-Thinking-Problem/dp/0960191046))\nSome Mental Models are available here for free :\nhttp://www.focusinvestor.com/FocusSeriesPart3.pdf\nhttp://www.focusinvestor.com/MungerModels.pdf\nFor systems :\nLean Thinking by James Womack\n--------------\nSome thought provoking personal effectiveness titles :\nThe Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz (http://www.amazon.com/Four-Agreements-Practical-Personal-Fre... (http://www.amazon.com/Four-Agreements-Practical-Personal-Freedom/dp/1878424319))\nThe Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less by Barry Schwartz (http://www.amazon.com/Paradox-Choice-Why-More-Less/dp/006000... (http://www.amazon.com/Paradox-Choice-Why-More-Less/dp/0060005696/))\nThe Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lean Thinking by James Womack",
          "reason": "Listed under systems in response to a request for reading suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James P. Womack and Daniel T. Jones"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "lean management",
        "systems thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "learn-c-and-build-your-own-lisp-ea7747",
      "title": "Learn C and Build Your Own Lisp",
      "author": "Daniel Holden",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9612705,
          "author": "joeclef",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T16:56:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9612705",
          "commentText": "Learn C and build your own Lisp\nhttp://www.buildyourownlisp.com",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Learn C and build your own Lisp",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Holden"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming",
        "compiler construction",
        "lisp"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "learn-c-the-hard-way-4daf46",
      "title": "Learn C the Hard Way",
      "author": "Zed A. Shaw",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33131798,
          "author": "rubyskills",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T12:37:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33131798",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed \"Learn C The Hard Way\" by Zed Shaw. His style of learning resonates with me.\nhttps://learncodethehardway.org/c/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed \"Learn C The Hard Way\" by Zed Shaw.",
          "reason": "Recommends the book based on enjoying its learning style.",
          "audience": "Readers learning C who like Zed Shaw's teaching style.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Zed A. Shaw"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming",
        "hands on learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "learn-code-the-hard-way-c54c57",
      "title": "Learn Code the Hard Way",
      "author": "Zed A. Shaw",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9612614,
          "author": "napperjabber",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T16:45:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9612614",
          "commentText": "http://learncodethehardway.org/\nGreat books not just about the language, but the tools that help make utilizing the language that much easier.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great books not just about the language, but the tools that help make utilizing the language that much easier.",
          "reason": "Calls the books great and praises their coverage of languages and supporting tools.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Zed A. Shaw"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "developer tools",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "learn-python-3-the-hard-way-0fd14b",
      "title": "Learn Python 3 the Hard Way",
      "author": "Zed A. Shaw",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34412546,
          "author": "cameron_b",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-17T14:12:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 34412069,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach programming by building a series of small projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34412546",
          "commentText": "I found his Learn Python3 The Hard Way to be a great series of exercises if you're starting out or starting again. You won't find -everything- on any topic, but the exercises are complete enough to get you rolling and seed the sort of patterns that will make you successful in looking for more material.\nI had a little bit of Python(2) under my belt from general curiosity, and I've done some C++ in high school so I have some \"CS Theory\"\nThere is a \"more\" python version out now \nhttps://learncodethehardway.org/more-python-book/\nAmazon ( the \"newer\" version proposed is not, it's his python2 book )\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Learn-More-Python-Hard-Way/dp/0134123... (https://www.amazon.com/Learn-More-Python-Hard-Way/dp/0134123484)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I found his Learn Python3 The Hard Way to be a great series of exercises if you're starting out or starting again.",
          "reason": "Praised for its exercises and for helping learners get started.",
          "audience": "People starting or restarting Python.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says no single topic is covered completely; the exercises provide enough to get started and find more material.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Zed A. Shaw"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming exercises",
        "python"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "learn-ruby-the-hard-way-34f4f1",
      "title": "Learn Ruby the Hard Way",
      "author": "Zed Shaw",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34414564,
          "author": "jypepin",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-17T16:30:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 34412069,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach programming by building a series of small projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34414564",
          "commentText": "I learnt ruby with Zed Shaw’s Learn Ruby the Hard Way. Was a really great experience!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I learnt ruby with Zed Shaw’s Learn Ruby the Hard Way.",
          "reason": "Names it as the book they used to learn Ruby and describes the experience positively.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Zed Shaw"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming exercises",
        "ruby"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "learn-ruby-the-hard-way-9d7636",
      "title": "Learn Ruby the Hard Way",
      "author": "Zed A. Shaw",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5244463,
          "author": "juanrossi",
          "createdAt": "2013-02-19T14:36:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 5244195,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 'Must read' books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5244463",
          "commentText": "A few I read:\nDesign is Job - Mike Monteiro by A Book Apart (Really basic stuff for people starting with agency/freelance work, but really good).\nLearn Ruby The Hard Way for people starting.\nApplied Cryptography, Second Edition: Protocols, Algorithms, and Source Code in C\nBaked In from Alex Bogusky and John Winsor (About C+P agency)\nI'll try to think of a couple more.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Learn Ruby The Hard Way for people starting.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "People starting out with Ruby.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Zed A. Shaw"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ruby programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "learn-turbo-c-in-24-hours-305351",
      "title": "Learn Turbo C++ in 24 Hours",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33601080,
          "author": "geocrasher",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-14T21:08:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33601080",
          "commentText": "I tried learning Borland Turbo C++ in the early 90's on my 286. I had the SAMS book \"Learn Turbo C++ in 24 Hours\". 15 year old me dutifully worked through it until I got to Pointers.\n20 years later, a dev I worked with: \"Oh, pointers are just a reference to a memory address\".\nGAH.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I had the SAMS book \"Learn Turbo C++ in 24 Hours\".",
          "reason": "The commenter recalls working through it while learning Turbo C++.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it did not explain pointers in a way that clicked for them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c",
        "pointers"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "learn-cocos2d-2-game-development-for-ios-a4c1b2",
      "title": "Learn cocos2d 2: Game Development for iOS",
      "author": "Steffen Itterheim and Andreas Löw",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4966890,
          "author": "dgallagher",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T19:43:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4966890",
          "commentText": "\"Learn cocos2d 2 - Game Development for iOS\" by Steffen Itterheim and Andreas L\u000fow\nhttp://www.apress.com/9781430244165\nStill reading it (up to Chap 11 of 15).\nCovers creating 2D games for iOS using the cocos2d 2.x framework, and Kobold2d 2.x framework. All code is in Objective-C, and it's expected you know Obj-C to understand the content. If you've done any OS X or iOS development already you'll have no problems following along. The frameworks are really simple to learn and use.\nIt does promote some inexpensive pay-for tools to aid in development, but always offers a free alternative if available. TexturePacker, Tiled (qt) (free), GlyphDesigner, and ParticleDesigner.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Learn cocos2d 2 - Game Development for iOS\" by Steffen Itterheim and Andreas L\u000fow",
          "reason": "Covers making 2D iOS games with cocos2d and Kobold2d; the commenter says the frameworks are simple to learn and use.",
          "audience": "Readers who already know Objective-C; prior OS X or iOS development helps.",
          "caveat": "Still reading it; some paid development tools are promoted, with free alternatives offered when available.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steffen Itterheim and Andreas Löw"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cocos2d",
        "ios game development",
        "objective c"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "learn-or-die-2164c0",
      "title": "Learn or Die",
      "author": "Edward D. Hess",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11252763,
          "author": "kennyfrc",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-09T13:19:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11252763",
          "commentText": "Ha! Just had that binge too...\n... Here's what I like:\nOn the business end:\n- Badass by Kathy Sierra\n- Impossible to Inevitable by Aaron Ross\n- Traction by Gabriel Weinberg\n- Cold Calling Early Customers by Robert Graham\n- Learn or Die by Edward Hess\nOn \"refining your thought process\":\n- Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley\n- Racing Towards Excellence by Jan Sramek\n- Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin\n- Case Interview Secrets by Victor Cheng (helps you think in a nice, structured way)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Learn or Die by Edward Hess",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s liked business books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward D. Hess"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "continuous improvement",
        "organizational learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "learn-to-play-go-a-master-s-guide-to-the-ultimate-game-volume-i-cac2fe",
      "title": "Learn to Play Go: A Master's Guide to the Ultimate Game, Volume I",
      "author": "Janice Kim and Jeong Soo-hyun",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783601,
          "author": "Jach",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T15:00:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783601",
          "commentText": "Meditations - Marcus Aurelius -- A fine classic I enjoyed.\nMight count, might not, since it finished in March but was going on before. I loved Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality - Eliezer Yudkowsky - http://hpmor.com/\nLoved Masters of Doom - David Kushner\nI liked Worm - Wildbow - https://parahumans.wordpress.com/table-of-contents/ -- but it falls short of overall greatness and I don't think it's worth its 22-average-books length if I were to go back in time and decide on rereading...\nLearn to Play Go: A Master's Guide to the Ultimate Game (Volume I) - Janice Kim -- I've been learning Go and thought this book was particularly excellent for beginners.\nThere are at least 4 other books I'm close to finishing and I might get one done before the end of the month... Volume 2 of the above Go series, Mythical Man-Month, A handbook of traditional living, or The Waking Dream.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Learn to Play Go: A Master's Guide to the Ultimate Game (Volume I) - Janice Kim -- I've been learning Go and thought this book was particularly excellent for beginners.",
          "reason": "Calls it particularly excellent for beginners.",
          "audience": "Beginners learning Go.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Janice Kim and Jeong Soo-hyun"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "board games",
        "go"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "learn-to-program-with-small-basic-bb5333",
      "title": "Learn to Program with Small Basic",
      "author": "Philip Conrod",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37388122,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2023-09-05T05:14:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 37386127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best intro to programming book for 2nd graders?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37388122",
          "commentText": "If you want to go old school... have you thought about Basic? :)  No, seriously, hear me out.\nMicrosoft once created Small Basic [1][2], which is essentially the vintage Basic but targeting kids and education. It was updated to include a graphics interface, new modern language semantics, light OOP, and Logo-style commands. Not to be confused with Visual Basic.\nWhen my son was 7, we went through the book \"Learn to Program with Small Basic\" [3] over several weeks, and he really enjoyed it. It taught him the basic concepts of variables, for-loops, control flow, etc. The language was intuitive for him to follow, and the Small Basic IDE and syntax are user-friendly and non-intrusive (especially when compared to VSCode, or services like Repl.it).\nA couple of caveats to keep in mind:\n1) Microsoft hasn't updated SB since 2015, so it's (was) showing its age. It appears it has been open sourced in 2019, and there are now community efforts to modernize it. This sounds great, but I haven't looked at it.\n2) SB runs only on Mac and Windows. To make matters worse, the version for Mac is (was) terrible, so I ended up loading a Windows VM on a Mac host, and running SB inside it.\nAfter that he did some more dabbling with PICO-8 and Lua (we built a Pong game together), then played with Minecraft, and eventually he moved on to other interests (music, etc).\nMore recently his curiosity sparked again, and now he just started learning Python using P5.js (basically Processing for Python, which offers a very visual experience out of the box).\nWe just started 1:1 tutoring classes using a service called Strive Math [4], and he's loving it. I found Strive Math exactly because I wanted someone who used P5 and offered a more visual learning experience, and that's exactly what these folks do. Still early, but early results are very promising.\n[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Small_Basic\n[2] https://smallbasic-publicwebsite.azurewebsites.net/\n[3] https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1593277024/\n[4] https://www.strivemath.com/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "we went through the book \"Learn to Program with Small Basic\" [3] over several weeks, and he really enjoyed it.",
          "reason": "Says his son enjoyed the book and learned basic programming concepts from it.",
          "audience": "Children learning programming; the commenter used it with his 7-year-old son.",
          "caveat": "Small Basic is dated, and the commenter describes platform limitations and a poor Mac version.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip Conrod"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s programming",
        "small basic",
        "visual programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "learned-helplessness-faf11c",
      "title": "Learned Helplessness",
      "author": "Martin E. P. Seligman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43612391,
          "author": "daft_pink",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T15:07:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43612391",
          "commentText": "Learned Helplessness - Martin Seligman\nA Random Walk Down Wall Street - Malkiel\nThe Millionaire Next Door - Stanley\nAtlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand\nSecond the Incerto series by Nassim Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Learned Helplessness - Martin Seligman",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books worth the time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin E. P. Seligman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "learned helplessness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "learning-computer-architecture-with-the-raspberry-pi-33a52d",
      "title": "Learning Computer Architecture with the Raspberry Pi",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14486913,
          "author": "throwaway7645",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T11:47:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14486913",
          "commentText": "Very good. A good book to go with it is: Learning Computer Architecture with the Raspberry Pi.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A good book to go with it is: Learning Computer Architecture with the Raspberry Pi.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a companion book to the one discussed in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer architecture",
        "raspberry pi"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "learning-domain-driven-design-698424",
      "title": "Learning Domain-Driven Design",
      "author": "Vlad Khononov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42734677,
          "author": "skydhash",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-17T06:29:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 42686034,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read regarding software development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42734677",
          "commentText": "The C programming language (ansi edition) - I had it before even leaning how to program properly. The explanations was so clear you could work out the examples with pencil and papers\nMystical man-month and the pragmatic programmer. The former gave insight about managing a team, the other about managing yourself.\nCurrently I’m reading:\nUnit Testing: Principles, Practices, and Patterns by Vladimir Khorikok\nDesigning Data Intensive Application by Martin Kleppman\nAnd very recently completed Learning Domain-Driven Design by Vlad Khononov\nI think the three are quite good too",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "And very recently completed Learning Domain-Driven Design by Vlad Khononov\nI think the three are quite good too",
          "reason": "Recommends it as one of three books they think are quite good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vlad Khononov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "domain driven design",
        "software architecture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "learning-gnu-emacs-5ac440",
      "title": "Learning GNU Emacs",
      "author": "Debra Cameron, James Elliott, Marc Loy, Eric Raymond, and Bill Rosenblatt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 135262,
          "author": "klocksib",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T16:59:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135262",
          "commentText": "Hmmm, here's a list of books I really like:\nMemory as a Programming Concept in C and C++ by Frenck\nThe Design and Implementation of the FreeBSD Operating System by McKusick/Neville-Neil\nLearning GNU Emacs by Cameron, et al.\nPractical Common Lisp by Seibel\nThe C Programming Language by K&R\nThe C++ Programming Language Stroustrup\nThe Design and Analysis of Algorithms by Leviten\nAssembly Language Programming for the IBM PC Family by Jones\nEssays/Collections:\nHackers & Painters by PG\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman by Feynman\nWhat Do You Care What Other People Think by Feynman\nThe Cathedral & The Bazaar by Raymond\nNovels:\nThe Soul of a New Machine by Kidder\nWhere Wizards Stay up Late by Hafner",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Learning GNU Emacs by Cameron, et al.",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books the commenter really likes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Debra Cameron, James Elliott, Marc Loy, Eric Raymond, and Bill Rosenblatt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "gnu emacs",
        "text editors"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "learning-javascript-design-patterns-b0a6b4",
      "title": "Learning JavaScript Design Patterns",
      "author": "Addy Osmani",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14466842,
          "author": "wand3r",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-02T01:51:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14466842",
          "commentText": "Do learn JavaScript the hard way on Zed's website. Once you know syntax read addy osmanis book on design patterns; Google engineer gives great examples.\nAlso; JavaScript the good parts",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "read addy osmanis book on design patterns",
          "reason": "Recommended for examples of JavaScript design patterns.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14464985,
          "author": "CodeTheInternet",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-01T21:30:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14464985",
          "commentText": "https://addyosmani.com/resources/essentialjsdesignpatterns/b... (https://addyosmani.com/resources/essentialjsdesignpatterns/book/)",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "https://addyosmani.com/resources/essentialjsdesignpatterns/b...",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Addy Osmani"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "javascript",
        "design patterns",
        "software design patterns"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "learning-javascript-3rd-edition-a484de",
      "title": "Learning JavaScript, 3rd Edition",
      "author": "Ethan Brown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14543830,
          "author": "aalhad",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-13T10:12:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14543830",
          "commentText": "Learning Javascript 3rd Edition by Ethan Browne published by O'Reilly - is one of the few books for learning Javascript that have been published recently - that start you off with ES6. I have found it very useful. Highly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Learning Javascript 3rd Edition by Ethan Browne published by O'Reilly",
          "reason": "Calls it very useful and highly recommends it for learning JavaScript.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as one of the few recent JavaScript books that starts with ES6.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ethan Brown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "es6",
        "javascript"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "learning-opencv-0cb2dd",
      "title": "Learning OpenCV",
      "author": "Gary Bradski and Adrian Kaehler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17985727,
          "author": "IloveHN84",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-14T08:59:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17985727",
          "commentText": "Learning OpenCV from O'Reilly\nHelped me a lot getting to know computer vision from a practical aspect and became one of the best professional in my department and got to work on so much futuristic projects that would have be seen only in some film.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Learning OpenCV from O'Reilly",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them learn practical computer vision and advance professionally.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a practical introduction to computer vision.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gary Bradski and Adrian Kaehler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer vision",
        "opencv"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "learning-perl-e1e9ae",
      "title": "Learning Perl",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9758036,
          "author": "latenightcoding",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T13:14:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758036",
          "commentText": "Great book, my first general purpose programming language was going to be Python but the book I was reading was so poorly written that I picked up Learning Perl and have been doing Perl all my career.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the book I was reading was so poorly written that I picked up Learning Perl and have been doing Perl all my career",
          "reason": "The commenter picked it up after finding another book poorly written, then continued with Perl throughout their career.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "perl",
        "programming language learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "learning-perl-6-3649d0",
      "title": "Learning Perl 6",
      "author": "brian d. foy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16085585,
          "author": "Tepix",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-06T15:15:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16085585",
          "commentText": "The Camel book¹ is pretty fantastic.\nI hope the \"Learning Perl 6\" book by brian d. foy will be as good.\n-- \n¹ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programming_Perl",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I hope the \"Learning Perl 6\" book by brian d. foy will be as good.",
          "reason": "Expresses hope that it will match the praised quality of Programming Perl.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not yet evaluated the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "brian d. foy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "perl",
        "programming languages"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "learning-processing-835588",
      "title": "Learning Processing",
      "author": "Daniel Shiffman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12160520,
          "author": "nrjames",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-25T18:24:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 12160209,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 12 year old tech savvy girl – books, programs, events, advice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12160520",
          "commentText": "I'm a big fan of Processing or p5.js for teaching kids that age how to write code. The immediate visual feedback from a line or two of code creates a positive feedback loop that encourages learning. Shiffman's book Learning Processing is a great gentle introduction: https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Processing-Second-Programmin... (https://www.amazon.com/Learning-Processing-Second-Programming-Interaction/dp/0123944430/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1469470998&sr=1-3&keywords=nature+of+code)\nHis Nature of Code work -- simulating nature through code -- also is really interesting but requires a little background in coding.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shiffman's book Learning Processing is a great gentle introduction",
          "reason": "Described as a gentle introduction to coding with Processing.",
          "audience": "People learning to code, including children around age 12.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Shiffman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creative coding",
        "processing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "learning-sql-3e9794",
      "title": "Learning SQL",
      "author": "Alan Beaulieu",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40874951,
          "author": "iainctduncan",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-04T13:51:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 40840658,
          "threadTitle": "Books to Dive in into Fullstack Development",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40874951",
          "commentText": "Couple of Recos:\nO'Reilly's \"Learning SQL\" is probably the best intro to relational databases I've seen.\nWhile old, Reissig's \"Secrets of the Database Ninja\" is fantastic for understanding what the heck's going in that weird franken-language.\nRe the comments on books vs courses and videos.... buying a good library is IMHO a much better investment. You learn where things are in your shelf and can find further info in seconds. This becomes even more valuable as searching for technical stuff gets worse every year. Also, good books teach you what you don't know you need to know, rather than what everyone knows they are looking for.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "O'Reilly's \"Learning SQL\" is probably the best intro to relational databases I've seen.",
          "reason": "Described as a strong introduction to relational databases.",
          "audience": "People learning relational databases.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan Beaulieu"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "relational databases",
        "sql"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "learning-spark-f4ddce",
      "title": "Learning Spark",
      "author": "Holden Karau, Andy Konwinski, Patrick Wendell, and Matei Zaharia",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783549,
          "author": "mziel",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:51:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783549",
          "commentText": "Not-technical\n\"The World's Toughest Endurance Challenges\" - Very nicely illustrated\n\"Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words\" - Extremely enjoyable. People here certainly are aware of xkcd and it's type of humor.\nTechnical\n\"Functional programming in Scala\" - good read for Scala beginners, especially after \"Scala for the Impatient\"\n\"Learning Spark\" - the best book on Spark so far\n\"Assessing and Improving Prediction and Classification\" - couple of interesting ideas for ML and Data Science\n\"Neural Network Design\" - Quite basic, but I like the flow and introducing mathematical concepts just before they're needed.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Learning Spark\" - the best book on Spark so far",
          "reason": "Calls it the best book on Spark so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Holden Karau, Andy Konwinski, Patrick Wendell, and Matei Zaharia"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "apache spark",
        "big data"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "learning-swift-42d5ea",
      "title": "Learning Swift",
      "author": "Jon Hoffman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13664737,
          "author": "parisidau",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-16T23:52:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13664737",
          "commentText": "My book \"Learning Swift\" does this.\nSwift 2 version: http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920045946.do\nSwift 3 version: http://shop.oreilly.com/product/0636920053989.do\nWe build a note-taking app for iOS, macOS, and watchOS.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My book \"Learning Swift\" does this.",
          "reason": "The author offers the book as an example of learning through a project.",
          "audience": "Readers learning Swift and app development.",
          "caveat": "The books build a note-taking app for Apple platforms.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jon Hoffman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ios development",
        "swift"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "learning-by-heart-742ab3",
      "title": "Learning by Heart",
      "author": "Corita Kent and Jan Steward",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3277985,
          "author": "locopati",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T19:35:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3277985",
          "commentText": "In the vein of shaking up your ways of approaching things\nThe Zen of Creativity (http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Creativity-Cultivating-Your-Artist... (http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Creativity-Cultivating-Your-Artistic/dp/0345466330))\nThe Zen of Seeing (http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Seeing-Drawing-Meditation/dp/03947... (http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Seeing-Drawing-Meditation/dp/0394719689))\nLearning by Heart (http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Heart-Teachings-Creative-Spir... (http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Heart-Teachings-Creative-Spirit/dp/B0058M6HD4))",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Learning by Heart",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Corita Kent and Jan Steward"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "art education",
        "creative practice"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "learning-the-art-of-electronics-a-hands-on-lab-course-39f9cb",
      "title": "Learning the Art of Electronics: A Hands-On Lab Course",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14139220,
          "author": "itamarst",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T14:47:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14139220",
          "commentText": "Haven't read it, but: the class was amazing and difficult. There was an older lab notes companion book we used, but mostly it was \"Professor draws a circuit, explains it via a metaphor, along with a rule of thumb or two... now go build a thing\". Like learning a foreign language through total immersion.\nSo I can't speak to this particular book, but I can say that there's a (a) decent chance it's quite good and (b) expect to do a lot of work if you want to really understand this stuff.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "So I can't speak to this particular book",
          "reason": "The commenter cannot assess the book itself, though their class experience suggests it may be good and demanding.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They have not read it and cannot speak to this particular book.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "electronics",
        "hands on laboratory course"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "learning-the-unix-operating-system-757658",
      "title": "Learning the UNIX Operating System",
      "author": "Jerry Peek, Grace Todino, and John Strang",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2415365,
          "author": "nikcub",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T15:08:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2415365",
          "commentText": "The best way to learn the UNIX tools is in the context of shell scripting and using the combination of tools to achieve a purpose (such as parsing log files, setting up shortcuts as part of your dev toolchain)\n1. Understand the philosophy behind UNIX. ie. everything is a file and it is small apps that are very good at a single task that can be combined through pipes etc. to process larger tasks (this has lost its way somewhat in Linux, but still holds true)\n2. Look at your computer usage through development, sysadmin, etc. and find parts that you want to automate, and then set out to write scripts to complete these tasks. for eg. in each one of my projects I have a script called start.sh which has a bunch of tasks implemented (eg. backup, serve, dns (to update dyndns for callbacks), push, diff, deploy, stage (run remote commands) etc.). Remember that git is itself a set of shell scripts, as are most server management commands. Take a peak inside each of these to learn how they are implemented.\n3. Once you have a good understanding of what you want to implement, just go for it. Learn along the way by using Bash scripting, regular expressions, an understanding of UNIX/Linux, sed, awk, yacc/bison (to analyze code and extract info). You will end up building your own collection of shell scripts, environment variables, .vimrc, ssh, curl (you can do almost any API request and auth with curl and a shell script - automate tweets, RSS feeds) etc. (I have been meaning to publish my own, the most recent one I wrote greps my code for TODO's and pushes them to a simple webapp where I can view them, sort them, etc. along side my 'personal' todo list)\n4. You need two sets of resources, one is for learning, the other is for reference which you keep handy. Here are my own recommendations:\nLearning:\nThe learning style book comes down a lot to personal preference. You can go wrong, so get a feel for each topic by reading online tutorials and then scan the TOC and sample chapters of books that look good. A subscription to O'Reilly Safari comes in handy. There are now also a lot of screencasts online, try searching YouTube for the topic with 'screencast' or 'tutorial', once you find a good screencast publisher look at the rest of his/her videos.\nYou can also get the O'Reilly books on special in bundles sometimes, check their website\nThere is no book that really introduces UNIX and then covers most of these topics as I described. ie. 'UNIX for Developers'.\n* UNIX:\n- FreeBSD handbook: http://www.freebsd.org/doc/handbook/\n- Linux Documentation Project: http://tldp.org/LDP/\n- Linux Command Line and Shell Scripting Bible: http://www.amazon.com/Linux-Command-Shell-Scripting-Bible/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/Linux-Command-Shell-Scripting-Bible/dp/047025128X/)\n- UNIX In a Nutshell (I haven't read this in a while but it is on my shelf): http://oreilly.com/catalog/9781565924277\n- Learning UNIX (also O'Reilly): http://www.amazon.com/Learning-UNIX-Operating-System-Fifth/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Learning-UNIX-Operating-System-Fifth/dp/0596002610)\n* Bash:\n- http://linuxcommand.org/\n- http://bash.cyberciti.biz/guide/Main_Page (better, and v good)\n- Learning the Bash shell: http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596009656/\n- Advanced Bash Scripting (online): http://tldp.org/LDP/abs/html/\n- YouTube playlist: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=2284887FAE36E6D8\n* Regular Expressions:\n- Mastering Regular Expressions (this is such a great book. I didn't like regexp until I picked this up eons ago): http://oreilly.com/catalog/9781565922570\n* sed/awk/grep etc.\n- sed & awk (O'Reilly): http://oreilly.com/catalog/9781565922259\n* Vim/Vi:\n- vimcasts (screencasts): http://vimcasts.org\n- more screencasts (these are great): http://vimeo.com/user1690209/videos\n- learning vi: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1565924266\nReference:\nOn my browser toolbar, I have a folder called '_ref', it has around 70+ bookmarks (online documentation, cheatsheats) in it each titled what the link is a reference for (ie. 'vi', 'bash' etc.). I will publish it online, and will post the links here. I have collected the links over years.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Learning UNIX (also O'Reilly)",
          "reason": "Listed as a UNIX learning resource.",
          "audience": "Readers learning UNIX.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jerry Peek, Grace Todino, and John Strang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "command line",
        "unix"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "learning-the-bash-shell-79e4b6",
      "title": "Learning the bash Shell",
      "author": "Cameron Newham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2415365,
          "author": "nikcub",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T15:08:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2415365",
          "commentText": "The best way to learn the UNIX tools is in the context of shell scripting and using the combination of tools to achieve a purpose (such as parsing log files, setting up shortcuts as part of your dev toolchain)\n1. Understand the philosophy behind UNIX. ie. everything is a file and it is small apps that are very good at a single task that can be combined through pipes etc. to process larger tasks (this has lost its way somewhat in Linux, but still holds true)\n2. Look at your computer usage through development, sysadmin, etc. and find parts that you want to automate, and then set out to write scripts to complete these tasks. for eg. in each one of my projects I have a script called start.sh which has a bunch of tasks implemented (eg. backup, serve, dns (to update dyndns for callbacks), push, diff, deploy, stage (run remote commands) etc.). Remember that git is itself a set of shell scripts, as are most server management commands. Take a peak inside each of these to learn how they are implemented.\n3. Once you have a good understanding of what you want to implement, just go for it. Learn along the way by using Bash scripting, regular expressions, an understanding of UNIX/Linux, sed, awk, yacc/bison (to analyze code and extract info). You will end up building your own collection of shell scripts, environment variables, .vimrc, ssh, curl (you can do almost any API request and auth with curl and a shell script - automate tweets, RSS feeds) etc. (I have been meaning to publish my own, the most recent one I wrote greps my code for TODO's and pushes them to a simple webapp where I can view them, sort them, etc. along side my 'personal' todo list)\n4. You need two sets of resources, one is for learning, the other is for reference which you keep handy. Here are my own recommendations:\nLearning:\nThe learning style book comes down a lot to personal preference. You can go wrong, so get a feel for each topic by reading online tutorials and then scan the TOC and sample chapters of books that look good. A subscription to O'Reilly Safari comes in handy. There are now also a lot of screencasts online, try searching YouTube for the topic with 'screencast' or 'tutorial', once you find a good screencast publisher look at the rest of his/her videos.\nYou can also get the O'Reilly books on special in bundles sometimes, check their website\nThere is no book that really introduces UNIX and then covers most of these topics as I described. ie. 'UNIX for Developers'.\n* UNIX:\n- FreeBSD handbook: http://www.freebsd.org/doc/handbook/\n- Linux Documentation Project: http://tldp.org/LDP/\n- Linux Command Line and Shell Scripting Bible: http://www.amazon.com/Linux-Command-Shell-Scripting-Bible/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/Linux-Command-Shell-Scripting-Bible/dp/047025128X/)\n- UNIX In a Nutshell (I haven't read this in a while but it is on my shelf): http://oreilly.com/catalog/9781565924277\n- Learning UNIX (also O'Reilly): http://www.amazon.com/Learning-UNIX-Operating-System-Fifth/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Learning-UNIX-Operating-System-Fifth/dp/0596002610)\n* Bash:\n- http://linuxcommand.org/\n- http://bash.cyberciti.biz/guide/Main_Page (better, and v good)\n- Learning the Bash shell: http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596009656/\n- Advanced Bash Scripting (online): http://tldp.org/LDP/abs/html/\n- YouTube playlist: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=2284887FAE36E6D8\n* Regular Expressions:\n- Mastering Regular Expressions (this is such a great book. I didn't like regexp until I picked this up eons ago): http://oreilly.com/catalog/9781565922570\n* sed/awk/grep etc.\n- sed & awk (O'Reilly): http://oreilly.com/catalog/9781565922259\n* Vim/Vi:\n- vimcasts (screencasts): http://vimcasts.org\n- more screencasts (these are great): http://vimeo.com/user1690209/videos\n- learning vi: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1565924266\nReference:\nOn my browser toolbar, I have a folder called '_ref', it has around 70+ bookmarks (online documentation, cheatsheats) in it each titled what the link is a reference for (ie. 'vi', 'bash' etc.). I will publish it online, and will post the links here. I have collected the links over years.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Learning the Bash shell: http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596009656/",
          "reason": "Listed under Bash learning resources.",
          "audience": "Readers learning Bash.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cameron Newham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bash",
        "command line",
        "shell scripting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "learning-to-eat-soup-with-a-knife-791490",
      "title": "Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife",
      "author": "John A. Nagl",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 457538,
          "author": "yters",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-30T01:57:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=457538",
          "commentText": "You might also want to read Nagl's book: \"How to Eat Soup with a Knife.\" (who knows how that period/quotation thing works...)\nAnyways, he covers insurgencies fought unsuccessfully by Americans and successfully by the British, and why they succeeded and failed.  Nagl doesn't come out and say the reasons are X, Y, Z.  It's more here are important events A, B, C and here are important structural and cultural facts about the militaries that can help explain them.\nAnother book to read is \"A Savage War of Peace.\"  It describes the Algerian insurgency during French rule.  While Petraeus based his strategy in Iraq on the French's strategy, it is also relevant due to the strong similarity between what happened with the French populace and what is happening with our own.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You might also want to read Nagl's book: \"How to Eat Soup with a Knife.\"",
          "reason": "The commenter suggests reading the book for its account of insurgencies and why campaigns succeeded or failed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John A. Nagl"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "counterinsurgency",
        "insurgency"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "leave-it-to-psmith-82304f",
      "title": "Leave It to Psmith",
      "author": "P. G. Wodehouse",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10785719,
          "author": "martythemaniak",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T21:18:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785719",
          "commentText": "Leave it to Psmith - 10/10\nAnna Karenina - 8/10\nThe Code of the Woosters 8/10\nFooled by Randomness 7/10\nFinding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life 8/10\nHow to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia 9/10\nReluctant Fundamentalist 9/10\nThe Sense of an Ending - Julian Barnes 8/10\nThe Last Question - Asimov - 9/10\nThe Magic of Thinking Big - 6/10\nThe catcher in the Rye 8/10\nModels 7/10\nHigh Fidelity - Nick Hornby 8/10\nThe Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman 7/10\nThe Surrender Experiment - 10/10\nUntethered Soul - 9/10\nThe Autobiography of a Yogi - 7/10\nRaja Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 7/10\nSomething Fresh, something new - 7/10\nKarma Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 8/10\nThinking, Fast and Slow - 9/10\nFierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates 10/10\nThe Pearl by John Steinbeck 7/10",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Leave it to Psmith - 10/10",
          "reason": "Rates the book 10/10.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "P. G. Wodehouse"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "british humor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "leaves-of-grass-b8f88a",
      "title": "Leaves of Grass",
      "author": "Walt Whitman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16756539,
          "author": "cosinetau",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T16:52:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16756539",
          "commentText": "Leaves of grass by Walt Whitman is something that I feel calls to me at times, and my bibleworn copy often sits on my workbench. I even have some sections memorized.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Leaves of grass by Walt Whitman is something that I feel calls to me at times",
          "reason": "The commenter describes a personal connection to the book and says they have memorized sections.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12068574,
          "author": "mjklin",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T02:49:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12068574",
          "commentText": "Where I'm Reading From, by Tim Parks\nThe Inevitable, by Kevin Kelly\nIdeas that Changed the World, by Felipe Fernandez-Armesto\nA Reader's Manifesto, by B.R. Myers\nFramed!, by Hari Singh\nLeaves of Grass, by Walt Whitman\nWhy Education is Useless, by Daniel Cottom\nThe New Diary, by Tristine Rainer\nRaising a Happy, Unspoiled Child, by Burton White\nDo way, way more in WorkFlowy, by Frank Degenaar\nUnlearning the Basics, by R. Sativihari\nThe Devil's Pleasure Palace, by Michael Walsh\nThe Truth about Everything, by Matthew Stewart\nThe Big Questions, by Steven Landsburg\nThe Seven Mysteries of Life, by Guy Murchie\nThe Optimistic Child, by Martin Seligman\nSystemantics, by John Gall\nThe Scientists A Family Romance, by Marco Roth\nThe Logic Of Failure, by Dietrich Dorner\nOrganizing Creativity, by Daniel Wessel\nA Curious Mind, by Brian Grazer\nAppointment In Samarra, by John O'Hara",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Leaves of Grass, by Walt Whitman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Walt Whitman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "poetry",
        "american literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "leaving-orbit-notes-from-the-last-days-of-american-spaceflight-b7b4fd",
      "title": "Leaving Orbit: Notes from the Last Days of American Spaceflight",
      "author": "Margarita Engle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783319,
          "author": "musgravepeter",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:12:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783319",
          "commentText": "\"Leaving Orbit - Notes from the last days of American spaceflight\" - pleasantly sentimental view of the wind down of the shuttle program.\n\"The Dark Forest\" 2nd installment in Three Body Problem series. Quite clever.\n\"This Changes Everything\" - triggered by a quote from the doc on the radio about trying not to think about climate change and whether it's possible to be bored by the end of the world. Lots of good info (including a visit to a climate deniers conference), bit long winded.\n\"The Princeton Companion to Applied Mathematics\". If I read only 10% still worth it. Lots of things to dip into.\n\"The Astronomer and the Witch\" Kepler fights to save his mother from persecution.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Leaving Orbit - Notes from the last days of American spaceflight\" - pleasantly sentimental view of the wind down of the shuttle program.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a pleasantly sentimental view of the shuttle program's end.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Margarita Engle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space shuttle",
        "spaceflight"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lebesgue-integration-in-euclidean-spaces-9b1a56",
      "title": "Lebesgue Integration in Euclidean Spaces",
      "author": "Frank Jones",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7602095,
          "author": "zeta8",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-17T05:14:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7602095",
          "commentText": "I'm in a similar position as well - perhaps at just a wee bit higher level (am learning grad-level math by myself). Below is a list of books that I have enjoyed. Some might perhaps be at a slightly higher level than you might need right now though.\n1. Analysis - The Elias Stein, Rami Shakarchi Analysis series, Meassure Theory by Terrence Tao, Lebesgue Integration on Euclidean Spaces by Frank Jones, A radical approach to Lebesgue Integration by Bressoud\n2. Algebra - Can't do much better than the classic texts by Herstein & Artin here. I know Artin doesn't get much love but after a point, you really begin to appreciate it.\n3. Complex Analysis - is there a better math book than Visual Complex Analysis by Needham?\n4. Topology - i'm partial to a Dover book on Topology by Theodore Gamelin. I learnt the basics of point-set topology & homotopy form this book. Great exercises.\n5. Number Theory - check out the 2 problem books on number theory by Ram Murty. Melvyn Nathanson's book is quite good as well.\n6. Combinatorics - Combinatorics of Finite Sets by Ian Anderson. Extremal Combinatorics by Jukna.\n7. Graph Theory - Diestel or Bondy/Murty.\n8. Galois Theory - Rotman is great.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lebesgue Integration on Euclidean Spaces by Frank Jones",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter has enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some recommendations may be at a higher level than needed right now.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7602080,
          "author": "zeta8",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-17T05:07:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7602080",
          "commentText": "I'd agree with your assessment of Royden. Another fantastic book on Lebesgue Integration/Measure theory is Lebesgue Integration in Euclidean Spaces by Frank Jones. Fantastic textbook.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another fantastic book on Lebesgue Integration/Measure theory is Lebesgue Integration in Euclidean Spaces by Frank Jones. Fantastic textbook.",
          "reason": "Calls it a fantastic textbook on Lebesgue integration and measure theory.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frank Jones"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "lebesgue integration",
        "measure theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lectures-on-scientific-method-1aeebb",
      "title": "Lectures on Scientific Method",
      "author": "Imre Lakatos",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30828022,
          "author": "mdp2021",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T07:24:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30828022",
          "commentText": "> Proofs and Refutations - The Logic of Mathematical Discovery\nDo not, do not miss the transcripts of the lessons held by Imre Lakatos at the London School of Economics (LSE), \"Lectures on Scientific Method\" - available in\n-- Motterlini, Matteo (ed.), For and Against Method, including Lakatos’s Lectures on Scientific Method and the Lakatos-Feyerabend Correspondence (1999), Chicago: University of Chicago Press",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Lectures on Scientific Method\"",
          "reason": "The commenter urges readers not to miss these transcripts of Lakatos's lessons.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Included in For and Against Method, edited by Matteo Motterlini.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Imre Lakatos"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "lectures",
        "philosophy of science",
        "scientific method"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lee-s-lieutenants-b083aa",
      "title": "Lee's Lieutenants",
      "author": "Douglas Southall Freeman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15762357,
          "author": "megaman22",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T02:36:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762357",
          "commentText": "Lee's Lieutenants by Douglass Southall Freeman\nAndersonville by MacKinlay Kantor\nThe Magic Mountain Thomas Mann",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lee's Lieutenants by Douglass Southall Freeman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Southall Freeman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american civil war"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "legacy-of-ashes-838a98",
      "title": "Legacy of Ashes",
      "author": "Tim Weiner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13805485,
          "author": "alabamamike",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T19:50:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805485",
          "commentText": "Legacy of Ashes - Tim Weiner.  Pulled the wool from my eyes as to what my country is capable of performing in my name.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pulled the wool from my eyes as to what my country is capable of performing in my name.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book changed their understanding of what their country does in their name.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tim Weiner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cia",
        "intelligence history",
        "united states foreign policy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "legacy-of-the-force-1992a2",
      "title": "Legacy of the Force",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22093141,
          "author": "Rerarom",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T18:54:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22093141",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\nMordecai Roshwald, Level 7\nAlexander Dewdney, The Planiverse\nJoseph Heller, God Knows\nAlan Lightman, Einstein's Dreams\nNon-fiction:\nJane Goodall, In the Shadow of Man\nGian-Carlo Rota, Indiscrete Thoughts\nC. S. Lewis, The Discarded Image\nMichael E. Brown, How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming\nRobert Kegan, In Over Our Heads\nMichael Harris, The Atomic Times\nI may add guilty pleasures like the Legacy of the Force series, but I don't think this is what people here are looking for.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the Legacy of the Force series",
          "reason": "The commenter mentions it as a possible guilty pleasure, while doubting it suits the question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may not be what people are looking for.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "star wars"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lend-me-your-ears-deeb9b",
      "title": "Lend Me Your Ears",
      "author": "William Safire",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38574950,
          "author": "lavixu123",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T21:46:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38574950",
          "commentText": "2023 has been a good year with regard to reading. This has been year of History, Memoirs and Mythology. Some books I liked and would recommend are:\n1) Nothing To Fear - This book is about the Great Depression in the USA and how president JFK took steps to bring the economy back.\n2) Digital Minimalism - This is one book I would like to revisit every two years. About digital distractions and how to minimize it.\n3) The Odyssey By Emily Wilson- This was a surprising easy read with author's notes on the backdrop. Helps you understand Greek mythology and some unraveling of human emotions. Pretty deep. Highly recommend.\n4) Long Walk to Freedom - Autobiography of Nelson Mandela plus a good history of events in South Africa during his time.\n5) Lies My Teacher Told me - This is about lies that usually are represented in US high school history and the author debunks some myths. This is also a USA history primer, but all the tones associated are negative.\n6) India After Gandhi - Sneak peak into some Indian History and political environment after Independence, events leading to formation of states etc.\n7) Lend Me Your ears: Great Speeches in History - This is a great collection of speeches grouped by events. Highly recommend. Nice way to learn some history through speeches.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lend Me Your ears: Great Speeches in History",
          "reason": "Highly recommended collection of speeches grouped by historical events.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Safire"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical rhetoric",
        "speeches"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lenin-e31dfa",
      "title": "Lenin",
      "author": "Victor Sebestyen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21793155,
          "author": "SirensOfTitan",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T23:32:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793155",
          "commentText": "Mutual Causality in Buddhism and General Systems Theory by Joanna Macy\nMastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha by Daniel Ingram.\nLenin by Victor Sebestyen.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lenin by Victor Sebestyen.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Victor Sebestyen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "russian revolution",
        "vladimir lenin"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lensman-856495",
      "title": "Lensman",
      "author": "E. E. Smith",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30487837,
          "author": "chadcmulligan",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T12:40:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30487837",
          "commentText": "The lensman series for me - wanted to know how inertialess drives worked :-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The lensman series for me",
          "reason": "Says the series sparked curiosity about inertialess drives.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "E. E. Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lensman-series-caba0c",
      "title": "Lensman series",
      "author": "E. E. Smith",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056639,
          "author": "Bzomak",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:47:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056639",
          "commentText": "Some which I have re-read recently and still enjoyed:\n  William Gibson's Sprawl trilogy\n\n  Frank Herbert's Dune series\n\n  Isaac Asimov's Foundation series\n\n  Frederik Pohl's \"Gateway\"\n\n  Robert Heinlein's \"The Moon is a harsh Mistress\"\n\nSome which I remember liking when I read them many years ago as a teenager:\n  E.E. Doc Smith's Lensman series\n\n  David Brin's Uplift series\n\n  Peter F. Hamilton's Greg Mandel trilogy and The Night's \nDawn trilogy\n  Orson Scott Card's \"Ender's Game\"\n\n  George R. Dickson's \"Dorsai!\"",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "E.E. Doc Smith's Lensman series",
          "reason": "The commenter remembers liking it as a teenager.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Their recollection is from many years ago.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "E. E. Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "les-liaisons-dangereuses-03397d",
      "title": "Les Liaisons dangereuses",
      "author": "Pierre Choderlos de Laclos",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5833505,
          "author": "stevekemp",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T16:44:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5833505",
          "commentText": "Since you're going with \"classics\" I'd add:\n* Les Liaisons dangereuses\n* The Count of Monte Cristo\nPlus my personal picks; Taltos the assassin, Chronicles of Amber, Dune & LoTR.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Les Liaisons dangereuses",
          "reason": "Adds it to the fiction recommendations in response to the discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pierre Choderlos de Laclos"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epistolary novel",
        "french literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "les-p-tites-poules-24754d",
      "title": "Les P'tites Poules",
      "author": "Christian Jolibois",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50042577,
          "author": "schrectacular",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T12:29:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50042577",
          "commentText": "Here's some stuff for younger kids that haven't been mentioned yet:\nMatthew Cordell is awesome. \"Cornbread and Poppy\" are cute, \"Evergreen\" is fun, but check out his whole catalog. Probably my favorite active author/illustrator.\n\"Nobody Likes a Goblin\" by Ben Hatke\n\"The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess\" by Tom Gauld\n\"The Little Island by Margaret Wise Brown\" under the pseudonym Golden MacDonald\n”The Dark Tales of Lillebror Rabbit“ by Jonna Björnstjerna\n\"Les P'tites Poules\" by Christian Jolibois\nA little older, Ursula LeGuin is amazing, \"A Wizard of Earthsea\", \"Catwings\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Les P'tites Poules\" by Christian Jolibois",
          "reason": "Listed as a book for younger children.",
          "audience": "Younger children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christian Jolibois"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "les-chemins-noirs-36437e",
      "title": "Les chemins noirs",
      "author": "Sylvain Tesson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15961553,
          "author": "baud147258",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:54:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961553",
          "commentText": "The archipelago of another life from Andreï Makine. I don't think it's already translated in English, but since his other books has been translated, I think this one will be too.\nLes chemin noirs by Sylvain Tesson. I don't think it will be translated in English but I enjoyed it a lot (and half of my family too). Sylvain Tesson is a traveller, he has walked across a lot of countries (mostly Russia and Asia). After a bad fall (multiple broken bones, head trauma) he decided to walk across France along the so-called 'empty diagonal'  from South-East to North-East, recounting a solitary walk on forgotten/rarely-used trails (the so-called 'chemins noirs' or black trails), talking about places mostly abandoned by the current society. He'll also talk about the people he's meeting along the way and the friends that accompanied him along the way.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Les chemin noirs by Sylvain Tesson.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed it a lot.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not think it will be translated into English.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sylvain Tesson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "france",
        "travel writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lessons-in-chemistry-800e60",
      "title": "Lessons in Chemistry",
      "author": "Bonnie Garmus",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34164218,
          "author": "robsun",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T18:44:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34164218",
          "commentText": "Out of 36 books I read this year, these 4 positions have the biggest impact on my life:\nThe gene: an intimate history by Siddhartha Mukherjee - fascinating book about genes and medicine. Author explains ~150 years of experiments and findings in genetic science without going into technical details.\nThe child in you by Stefanie Stahl - it is one of the most important books I  ever read. This book helped me understand myself, discover and overcome some of my traumas.\nNonviolent communication: a language of life by Marshall Rosenberg - very good handbook for improving your communication skills.\nLessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus - when I think of this book word \"charming\" comes to my mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus - when I think of this book word \"charming\" comes to my mind.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes the book as charming.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bonnie Garmus"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "women s fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lesswrong-sequences-c8ad40",
      "title": "Lesswrong Sequences",
      "author": "Various authors",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9613961,
          "author": "karinqe",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T20:07:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9613961",
          "commentText": "'Rationality: From AI to Zombies' is available on a pay-what-you-want basis. It talks about cognitive science, ethics, human (ir)rationality and how to improve it, among other things. It stems from the Lesswrong Sequences [2], which have a lot more content, but are a bit messy.\n[1] https://intelligence.org/rationality-ai-zombies/\n[2] http://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Rationality_materials",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It stems from the Lesswrong Sequences [2], which have a lot more content, but are a bit messy.",
          "reason": "Mentions the larger body of writing as related material with more content.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the material is a bit messy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognitive science",
        "rationality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "let-dogs-be-dogs-afa9de",
      "title": "Let Dogs Be Dogs",
      "author": "Monks of New Skete",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46397856,
          "author": "emehex",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T00:21:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46397856",
          "commentText": "Favourite books of the year:\n\"When the Moon Hits Your Eye\" - John Scalzi\n\"Making History\" - K.J. Parker\n\"Let Dogs be Dogs\" - Monks of New Skete\n\"The First Gentleman\" - Bill Clinton (it's actually fun!)\n\"The Thinking Machine\" - Stephen Witt",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Let Dogs be Dogs\" - Monks of New Skete",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favourite books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Monks of New Skete"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dog behavior",
        "dog training"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "let-it-go-the-story-of-the-shirley-foundation-and-the-remarkable--edcb0e",
      "title": "Let It Go: The Story of the Shirley Foundation and the Remarkable Woman Behind It",
      "author": "Dame Stephanie Shirley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22707377,
          "author": "elviejo",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T22:09:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22707377",
          "commentText": "\"Let it go\" \nby Madame Stephanie \"Steve\" Shirley\nCreating a software company\n100% remote \n99% women\nIn the 1960s!!!!\nHow was it possible?? \nEasy \"programmers\" programmed flawless programs in their homes with pencil.\nWhich would later be typed in Punch cards in the \"office\".\nShe also struggled family life raising a heavily autistic son, when the condition wasn't well understood. And then became a philantophist.\nI think every woman in tech should read that book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Let it go\" \nby Madame Stephanie \"Steve\" Shirley",
          "reason": "Recommends Shirley's account of creating a software company and her life.",
          "audience": "Every woman in tech.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dame Stephanie Shirley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software entrepreneurship",
        "women in computing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "let-the-great-world-spin-ff620f",
      "title": "Let the Great World Spin",
      "author": "Colum McCann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2087423,
          "author": "jgv",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T04:09:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2087423",
          "commentText": "Let The Great World Spin - Colum McCann\nFreedom - Jonathan Franzen\nEating Animals - Jonathan Safran-Foer\nDesperate Characters - Paula Fox",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Let The Great World Spin - Colum McCann",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Colum McCann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "let-s-build-a-compiler-35cd63",
      "title": "Let's Build a Compiler",
      "author": "Jack Crenshaw",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13666713,
          "author": "yati",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-17T08:04:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13666713",
          "commentText": "\"Let's Build a Compiler\"[1] by Jack Crenshaw is fantastic. It uses Pascal as the implementation language, but I used Rust, and while the book targets 68000 assembly, I compiled things to x86_64 assembly.\n[1]: http://compilers.iecc.com/crenshaw/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Let's Build a Compiler\"[1] by Jack Crenshaw is fantastic.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it fantastic and describes adapting its compiler project to Rust and x86_64.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The book uses Pascal and targets 68000 assembly.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jack Crenshaw"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "assembly language",
        "compiler construction",
        "pascal"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "let-s-explore-diabetes-with-owls-cdfd33",
      "title": "Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls",
      "author": "David Sedaris",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17047094,
          "author": "parallel_item",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T13:21:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17047094",
          "commentText": "They aren't all self help. Some just shook my world view so much that I couldn't help but introspect, reviewing everything I believe from a new angle. I find the experience I had with each fairly intimate. I hope others may have the same experience with any book, but think that these may do it.\n1. This Is What I Talk About When I Talk About Running - Haruki Murakami\nMurakami talking about his decision to become an author and also his lifelong hobby of running.\n2. Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls - David Sedaris\nMade me laugh for the first time in awhile.\n3. The Myth of Sisyphus - Albert Camus\nAbsurdity.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls - David Sedaris\nMade me laugh for the first time in awhile.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it made them laugh for the first time in a while.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13237407,
          "author": "huuuuza",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T14:27:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237407",
          "commentText": "Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls - David Sedaris, My Life as a Quant - Emmanuel Derman, Plato at the Googleplex - Rebecca Goldstein, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running - Haruki Murakami",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls - David Sedaris",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8257656,
          "author": "fintler",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T14:13:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257656",
          "commentText": "Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Sedaris"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "essays",
        "humor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "let-s-go-370c50",
      "title": "Let's Go",
      "author": "Alex Edwards",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34419037,
          "author": "mgomez",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-17T21:01:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 34412069,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach programming by building a series of small projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34419037",
          "commentText": "Sure thing:\nhttps://lets-go-further.alexedwards.net\nThat book is a follow-up to an easier book [1] that I also bought, but ended up skipping since I was only interested in writing JSON APIs.\n[1] https://lets-go.alexedwards.net",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "That book is a follow-up to an easier book [1] that I also bought",
          "reason": "The commenter says they bought this earlier, easier book but skipped it because they only wanted to write JSON APIs.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter bought it but skipped it.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alex Edwards"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "go",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "letter-to-a-christian-nation-b96f7b",
      "title": "Letter to a Christian Nation",
      "author": "Sam Harris",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50119288,
          "author": "chistev",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T15:05:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50119288",
          "commentText": "1. Animal Farm by George Orwell\n2. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes [1]\n3. Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley\n4. I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette Mccurdy\n5. Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris\n6. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe [2]\n7. Cosmos by Carl Sagan\n8. The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution by Richard Dawkins [3]\n9. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson\n10. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander [4]\n11. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka\n12. Billions and Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium by Carl Sagan [5][6][7]\n13. Outgrowing God: A Beginner’s Guide to Atheism by Richard Dawkins\n[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50076596\n[2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47452253\n[3] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48326741\n[4] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49539535\n[5] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49751771\n[6] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49740712\n[7] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49739256",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris",
          "reason": "Listed among books read repeatedly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sam Harris"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "letter-to-a-teacher-daa58e",
      "title": "Letter to a Teacher",
      "author": "Schoolboys of Barbiana",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12245091,
          "author": "kingkawn",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T02:26:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12245091",
          "commentText": "Letter to a Teacher by the Schoolboys of Barbiana. Beautifully written call for better education for the poor by the children who need it.\nAvailable in PDF now too:  http://www.swaraj.org/shikshantar/LTAT_Final.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Letter to a Teacher by the Schoolboys of Barbiana. Beautifully written call for better education for the poor by the children who need it.",
          "reason": "Calls it beautifully written and identifies it as a call for better education for poor children.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in education and educational inequality.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Schoolboys of Barbiana"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "education reform",
        "educational inequality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "letters-2741c4",
      "title": "Letters",
      "author": "Seneca",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32943913,
          "author": "kashyapc",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T20:00:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32943913",
          "commentText": "I'll mention two of mine. NB: they demand sustained reading and require nontrivial time investment.  The patient reader will be handsomely rewarded.\n- Behave, by Robert Sapolsky. Here's[1] my mini review from the past. I've also picked up various other fascinating books from Behave.\n- Seneca's all of 124 letters. A good English translation is key here. Get the edition published Chicago University; translated by Anthony Long and Margaret Graver. (Related: I wrote about high quality translations by top scholars of Stoic works here[2].)\n[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25559890\n[2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22990579",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seneca's all of 124 letters.",
          "reason": "Recommends reading Seneca’s 124 letters in a strong English translation.",
          "audience": "Patient readers prepared for sustained reading.",
          "caveat": "A good English translation is key; specifies the Chicago edition translated by Anthony Long and Margaret Graver.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Seneca"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classical letters",
        "stoicism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "letters-from-an-american-farmer-596b62",
      "title": "Letters from an American Farmer",
      "author": "J. Hector St. John de Crèvecœur",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9675759,
          "author": "werber",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T18:20:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9675759",
          "commentText": "Letters from an American farmer, it radically shifted my understanding of early American identity and the rationalization of exploitation that still exist.\nhttp://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letters_from_an_American_Farm... (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letters_from_an_American_Farmer)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Letters from an American farmer, it radically shifted my understanding of early American identity and the rationalization of exploitation that still exist.",
          "reason": "Says it radically changed their understanding of early American identity and the rationalization of exploitation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. Hector St. John de Crèvecœur"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american identity",
        "colonialism",
        "early american history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "letters-from-the-earth-6f5955",
      "title": "Letters from the Earth",
      "author": "Mark Twain",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 141209,
          "author": "SwellJoe",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T22:36:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=141209",
          "commentText": "Asimov's two big universes, found in the Robots series and the Foundation series, (which turned out to be the same when he revisited them in the 70's and 80's) are simply wonderful.  By far my favorite sci-fi, and among the most enduring works in the genre.  I read them both every two or three years, and sometimes grab one off the shelf when I just want something to read.  The early Foundation is sort of a future history version of \"The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire\" (I seem to recall that was intentional, actually).  Asimov's autobiographies and the posthumous book of his correspondence are all fantastic and insightful.  I learned a lot from them, and my admiration for the man increased even more upon reading them.\nDune is also astoundingly good, though after the first three, the quality goes downhill (slowly, but surely).  Definitely lots to think about.\nRendezvous with Rama left me breathless...and I could not put it down until I'd read the last page.  I've returned to it a couple of times, and loved it every single time.  The later Rama books are deeply flawed, and should have never happened (they were not written by Clarke, and it shows), as they make Rama seem...hmmm, I can't really think of the right word that expresses it.  Cheap, dinky, small, something bad.  But Rendezvous is a must read for everyone.\nDouglas Adams, of course.  The whole Hitchhikers' series is a must, while the Dirk Gently stuff is also funny, but not sci-fi and not mandatory.\nI mentioned in another thread my love of dystopias, and one of the best ever is The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.  She's one of the best sci-fi writers alive (she doesn't exclusively write sci-fi, however).  Oryx and Crake is also fascinating.\nCat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut.  I enjoy all of Vonnegut's work, but Cat's Cradle is a magical perfect novel.\nI don't know if everyone would agree that it's sci-fi, but Mark Twain's Letters from the Earth was an eye opener for me when I was a kid (I went on a Mark Twain kick when I was in elementary school...no one ever told me that all of his books weren't kids books, so I read everything I could get my hands on after being hooked by Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn).  Turns out Mark Twain was seditious, heretical, and quite the troublemaker all around.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mark Twain's Letters from the Earth was an eye opener for me when I was a kid",
          "reason": "Says the book was an eye opener in childhood.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in provocative satire and essays.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether it counts as science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Twain"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "religion",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "letters-to-his-son-8442bd",
      "title": "Letters to His Son",
      "author": "Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20915499,
          "author": "rsync",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T05:46:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20915499",
          "commentText": "I second the votes for War and Peace, Anna Karenina and Brothers Karamazov ... but I think I can add a unique (and very special to me) entry with:\nChesterfield's Letters to His Son:\n\"Begun in the 1737 and continued until the death of his son in 1768, Chesterfield wrote mostly instructive communications about geography, history, and classical literature, – with later letters focusing on politics and diplomacy – and the letters themselves were written in French, English, and Latin, in order to refine his son's grasp of the languages.\"[1]\n[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Stanhope,_4th_Earl_of_C... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_Stanhope,_4th_Earl_of_Chesterfield#Letters_to_His_Son)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Chesterfield's Letters to His Son:",
          "reason": "Adds it as a special entry in response to a request for favorite old books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "education",
        "letters"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "letters-to-a-new-developer-4f153b",
      "title": "Letters to a New Developer",
      "author": "Dane Hillard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33858182,
          "author": "mooreds",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T21:37:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33858182",
          "commentText": "Hiya,\nI'd consider these books/articles/podcasts:\n* Secrets of Consulting by Gerald Weinberg: http://geraldmweinberg.com/Site/Consulting_Secrets.html Every problem is a people problem.\n* Refactoring by Martin Fowler et. al: https://martinfowler.com/books/refactoring.html talks about how and why to refactor, as well as providing a nomenclature for the process.\n* Code Complete by Steve McConnell. https://stevemcconnell.com/books/ A bit dated (the last version I could find was from 2004) but a great overview of the entire software process, from requirements to maintenance.\n* The Mythical Man-Month by Fred Brookes: https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/mythical-man-month-the/... (https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/mythical-man-month-the/0201835959/) best practices about software development, written about a project from the 1960 and 1970s.\n* The Joel On Software Strategy Letters: https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/05/12/strategy-letter-i-... (https://www.joelonsoftware.com/2000/05/12/strategy-letter-i-ben-and-jerrys-vs-amazon/) is the first one. All of them (I think there are five) are great.\n* Letters to a New Developer: https://letterstoanewdeveloper.com/the-book/ Please note I wrote this, but I still think it does a good job of discussing the \"soft skills\" in an easily digestible format.\n* Pragmatic Programmer by Dave Thomas and Andy Hunt: https://pragprog.com/titles/tpp20/the-pragmatic-programmer-2... (https://pragprog.com/titles/tpp20/the-pragmatic-programmer-20th-anniversary-edition/) Haven't read the revised 20th anniversary edition, but the first one opened my eyes to the craft of software.\n* High Output Management by Andy Grove: https://bookshop.org/p/books/high-output-management-andrew-s... (https://bookshop.org/p/books/high-output-management-andrew-s-grove/6730629) a great way to think about throughput\n* The Phoenix Project by Gene Kim et. al: https://itrevolution.com/product/the-phoenix-project/ Fun novel(!) about applying lean management principles to software engineering.\n* Radical Candor (haven't read, but it's been recommended): https://www.radicalcandor.com/ About communication.\n* Good to Great by Jim Collins: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Good_to_Great Focuses on what great companies bring to the table. Helps me evaluate where to work.\n* Mastery Autonomy and Purpose: A great video about what people really want in work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzXXC4MZZnY\n* https://www.manager-tools.com/podcasts a podcast about managing people. You didn't say you wanted to be a people manager, but knowing what managers think about will make you more effective in any org.\n* Managing Humans by Michael Lopp: https://managinghumans.com/ The whole Rands site is work reading, but I enjoyed this book about how to manage teams and build software. See above.\n* Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug: https://sensible.com/dont-make-me-think/ Easy ways to think about usability, focusing on webapps. Short and easy.\n* Badass: Making Users Awesome, by Kathy Sierra: http://seriouspony.com/badass-users-the-book Will help you put yourself in the shoes of your users and think about how to build software they will love. Short and easy.\nHope this helps.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Letters to a New Developer",
          "reason": "The commenter says it discusses soft skills in an easily digestible format.",
          "audience": "New developers.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that they wrote the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dane Hillard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "developer career",
        "soft skills"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "letters-to-a-young-artist-a19d00",
      "title": "Letters to a Young Artist",
      "author": "Anna Deavere Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9348299,
          "author": "humanarity",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:37:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348299",
          "commentText": "Meditations (Marcus Aurelius) - incredibly clear ideas probably clear-up 80% of issues you have with everyday life\nThe Bible (& The Gnostic Gospels) - I love the idea that Jesus was a real guy who (literally) petrified his childhood playmates because they \"vexed\" him by dispersing his anti-gravity water :)\nAtlas Shrugged - no excuses\nSelf and Others - personal pyschology\nSeth Speaks - a lady channels an interdimensional being\nThe Road Less Travelled - a psychoanalyst's memoirs\nLetters to a Young Artist - encouragement for going your own way, a series of letters\nThe Alchemist - help you read the signs from the heart of the World for your own path\nAn Introduction to Zen Buddhism, et al (T. Suzuki) - really interesting, non-duality, higher third unification of opposites\nHear the Wind Sing (Murakami) - really bizarre and pure, his first one written late nights at kitchen table after working in a bar, before he became famous\nRich Dad Poor Dad - solid advice\nDiscrete Maths (Rosen) - interesting and very learnable, a great reference\nAn Imaginary Life (Malouf) - great clarity of writing\nThe Solid Mandala (Patrick White) - amazing observation of people",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Letters to a Young Artist - encouragement for going your own way, a series of letters",
          "reason": "Described as encouragement for going your own way.",
          "audience": "Artists.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anna Deavere Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artist development",
        "letters"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "letters-to-a-young-mathematician-5abe45",
      "title": "Letters to a Young Mathematician",
      "author": "Ian Stewart",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665060,
          "author": "billybatson",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:11:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665060",
          "commentText": "A Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley: Decent. I think this book would best be read in conjunction while working through a textbook. I will admit that it did do quite a bit to help relieve math anxiety, but the nature of the book is practicality.\nBrave New World by Aldous Huxley: A reread. A bit depressing considering the state of the world today. I found myself wondering which reality would be preferable.\nLetters to a Young Mathematician by Ian Stewart: Easy, but fruitful read. I've struggled a lot with math confidence, and this helped alleviate a lot of that.\nHow to Speak, How to Listen by Mortimer J. Adler: A lot of practical advice. My biggest takeaway was this: if it's worth talking about, even if the conversation sucks or the other person doesn't understand, any bit of advancement and understanding is worth the effort. Really helped me increase my patience when talking to people.\nQuack This Way by David Foster Wallace and Bryan Garner: Super useful and practical discussion between two lovers of language. I keep a copy with me at all times.\nThe Autobiography of Gucci Mane: Just a fun read while on vacation. \"If Gucci can do it, you can do it\".\nJesus' Son by Denis Johnson: A nice if brutal read. It was my first foray in DJ. I felt Cormac McCarthyish vibes.\nBlood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy: A classic. The Judge.\nThinking About Mathematics by Stuart Shapiro: Highly recommended for anyone interested in the philosophical questions of mathematics. Shapiro writes clearly, concisely, and in a manner that is easy to read.\nThe Liars' Club by Mary Karr: Pretty great but brutal.\nThe Broom of the System by David Foster Wallace: I really enjoyed it. It's ode to Wittgenstein and it helped me cope with a lot of questions that I felt after studying LW.\nThe Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: I think we've all been in Werther's shoes. Though I hope that nobody comes to the same conclusion he came to.\nManage Your Day-To-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, & Sharpen Your Creative Mind: A pretty great book. I find myself writing a book report on it to make sure I internalize a lot of the lessons. If you're having trouble doing creative work while working, read this.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Easy, but fruitful read. I've struggled a lot with math confidence, and this helped alleviate a lot of that.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it fruitful and says it helped with math confidence.",
          "audience": "Readers struggling with confidence in mathematics.",
          "caveat": "Described as an easy read.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ian Stewart"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "math confidence",
        "mathematics education"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "letters-to-a-young-poet-1e4790",
      "title": "Letters to a Young Poet",
      "author": "Rainer Maria Rilke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49909596,
          "author": "benleejamin",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T14:34:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49909596",
          "commentText": "I really loved Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet! Very succinct. Currently working through The Tale of Genji (slowly) and Play It as It Lays (because I will read anything by Joan Didion).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really loved Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet! Very succinct.",
          "reason": "Loved the book and found it succinct.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rainer Maria Rilke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "letters",
        "poetry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "letters-to-a-young-scientist-89a271",
      "title": "Letters to a Young Scientist",
      "author": "Edward O. Wilson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18755056,
          "author": "madrafi",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-25T00:21:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18755056",
          "commentText": "- Rationality From AI to Zombies (huge collection of essays about (rationality,intelligence,quantum physics,bayesian probability,philosophy...) that can be read on lesswrong.com)\n-Intuition Pumps and other Thinking Tools\n-Sapiens\n-Edward.O Wilson Letters to a young scientist\n-Cédric Villani Birth of a Theorem\n-Emanuel Derman Models Behaving Badly\n-Letters From A Stoic by Seneca\n-Mathematics it's contents methods 3 Volumes (Aleksandrov et al.)\n-Nick Bostrom Superinteligence\n-The Moral Animal by Robert Wright",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Edward.O Wilson Letters to a young scientist",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite nonfiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward O. Wilson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "scientific careers"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "letting-go-d61566",
      "title": "Letting Go",
      "author": "David R. Hawkins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40280984,
          "author": "interbased",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T00:21:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40280984",
          "commentText": "The Power of Now - Eckhart Tolle\nLetting Go - David R Hawkins\nBoth books provide amazing reminders for the best ways to approach life and handle stress.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Letting Go - David R Hawkins",
          "reason": "Provides reminders for approaching life and handling stress.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David R. Hawkins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "emotional well being"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "letting-go-of-the-words-writing-web-content-that-works-da6e0d",
      "title": "Letting Go of the Words: Writing Web Content that Works",
      "author": "Janice (Ginny) Redish",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 199779,
          "author": "bigtoga",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-25T22:37:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 199722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=199779",
          "commentText": "How about these:\nLetting Go of the Words: Writing Web Content that Works: http://tinyurl.com/3ftxva\nFounders at Work:http://tinyurl.com/4cytwa\n(links are to amazon.com)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Letting Go of the Words: Writing Web Content that Works",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Janice (Ginny) Redish"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "content design",
        "web writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "level-7-ff03a8",
      "title": "Level 7",
      "author": "Mordecai Roshwald",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22093141,
          "author": "Rerarom",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T18:54:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22093141",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\nMordecai Roshwald, Level 7\nAlexander Dewdney, The Planiverse\nJoseph Heller, God Knows\nAlan Lightman, Einstein's Dreams\nNon-fiction:\nJane Goodall, In the Shadow of Man\nGian-Carlo Rota, Indiscrete Thoughts\nC. S. Lewis, The Discarded Image\nMichael E. Brown, How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming\nRobert Kegan, In Over Our Heads\nMichael Harris, The Atomic Times\nI may add guilty pleasures like the Legacy of the Force series, but I don't think this is what people here are looking for.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mordecai Roshwald, Level 7",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's fiction picks in response to a request for unknown books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mordecai Roshwald"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopia",
        "nuclear war"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "level-up-your-life-b8bc5b",
      "title": "Level Up Your Life",
      "author": "Steve Kamb",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11229635,
          "author": "toumhi",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T14:51:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229635",
          "commentText": "Self-help/personal development/philosophy:\n- The obstacle is the way (Ryan Holiday)\n- Meditations (Marcus Aurelius)\n- Level up your life: how to unlock adventure and happiness by becoming the hero of your own story\n- the six pillars of self-esteem\n- so good they can’t ignore you\n- the power of habit\n- how to fail at almost everything and still win big\nBusiness:\n- soft sell: the new art of selling\n- essentialism: the disciplined pursuit of less\n- the magic of thinking big\n- everything is negotiable\n- making things happen\n- lean customer development\n- what customers want\n- inspired: how to create products customers love\n- delivering happiness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Level up your life: how to unlock adventure and happiness by becoming the hero of your own story",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve Kamb"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "gamification",
        "personal development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "levels-of-life-3f0dc5",
      "title": "Levels of Life",
      "author": "Julian Barnes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6899433,
          "author": "h1ccup",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T06:59:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6899433",
          "commentText": "This is my list(Most of these books aren't from 2013):\n1. The Man Who Invented the Computer: The Biography of John Atanasoff by Jane Smiley\n2. Halting State by Charlie Stross\n3. Levels of Life by Julian Barnes\n4. The Particle At The End Of The Universe by Sean Carrol\n5. Churchil Bomb by Graham Farmello\n6. The Science Of Memory by Charles Fernyhough\n7. The Anatomy of Violence: The biological roots of crime by Adrian Raine\n8. The Bet: Paul Ehrlich, Julian Simon, and our gamble over Earth’s future by Paul Sabin\n9. Experiencing Art: In the brain of the beholder by Arthur Shimamura\n10. The Spark: A Mother’s Story of Nurturing Genius by Kristine Barnett",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Levels of Life by Julian Barnes",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list answering which books were best.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Julian Barnes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "grief",
        "love"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "liberalismus-ae76f2",
      "title": "Liberalismus",
      "author": "Ludwig von Mises",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17168677,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:31:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168677",
          "commentText": "I can't give just one, but here are a few that had a strong influence on me: \n\"12 Rules for Life\" by Jordan Peterson, \"Why Switzerland?\" Jonathan Steinberg, \"Little Book of Common Sense Investing\" by John C. Bogle, \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" by Butron Malkiel, \"Liberalismus\" by Ludwig von Mises, \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann, \"Walden\" by Henry David Thoreau, \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"A Treatise on Political Economy\" by Jean-Baptiste Say, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy\" by Joseph Alois Schumpeter, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"My Correct Views on Everything\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"The Captive Mind\" Czesław Miłosz, \"One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, \"The House of the Dead\" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, \"Conversations with an Executioner\" by Kazimierz Moczarski, \"Diary 1954\" by Leopold Tyrmand, \"The Master and Margarita\" by Mikhail Bulgakov, \"A World Apart: A Memoir of the Gulag\" by Gustaw Herling-Grudziński",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Liberalismus\" by Ludwig von Mises",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a strong influence on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ludwig von Mises"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classical liberalism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "liberation-trilogy-799a4e",
      "title": "Liberation Trilogy",
      "author": "Rick Atkinson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43613486,
          "author": "bloopernova",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T16:54:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43613486",
          "commentText": "The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors by James Hornfischer. The amazing courage shown by the US Navy sailors as their tiny 2,000 ton Destroyers and Destroyer Escorts faced a Japanese fleet of Battleships, Cruisers, and Destroyers at The Battle Off Samar. Inspiring and horrifying, the DDs and DEs of the US navy were protecting \"Escort Carriers\" which were smaller aircraft carriers made from cargo ship hulls. Warning, may inspire you to learn a whole bunch more about world war 2.\nAnd 2 books that sort of go together:\nIncredible Victory: The Battle of Midway by Walter Lord, and Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway by Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully. Read Incredible Victory first, learn about the luck, good and bad, that led to a much-needed victory in the Pacific. Then read Shattered Sword and get a fuller picture of events, especially from the Japanese side. Learn about how hubris and dogma led to the Japanese Navy's defeat. Then learn about how saving face led to history not being accurately told by the witnesses on the Japanese side.\nAll 3 are great books that are well worth your time.\nOthers that I've enjoyed:\nParable of the Sower by Octavia Butler (near future post-apocalyptic sci-fi).\nThe non-fiction Liberation Trilogy by Rick Atkinson (more WW2 non-fiction, nice details about North Africa through Italy, then France to Germany).\nMidnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham.\nMost Secret War by RV Jones (nerdy, funny history of one scientist's world war 2 experience).\nThe Discworld City Guard books, starting with Guards! Guards!, by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy fiction satire, hilarious and comforting. Highly, highly recommended!!\nPeter F Hamilton sci-fi adventure books: Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained are a duo of great space opera stretching across multiple planets and people. Don't spoil yourself by reading any descriptions of Judas Unchained before you read Pandora's Star. Also by the same author, The Night's Dawn Trilogy: The Reality Dysfunction, The Neutronium Alchemist, and The Naked God. Fantastic big canvas space opera with lots of threads, great world-building, and amazing situations. Both sets of books are highly recommended escapes from reality.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The non-fiction Liberation Trilogy by Rick Atkinson",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter enjoyed.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in World War II history.",
          "caveat": "Covers the war from North Africa through Italy, France, and Germany.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rick Atkinson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military history",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "library-of-souls-e927aa",
      "title": "Library of Souls",
      "author": "Ransom Riggs",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665209,
          "author": "PostPost",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:26:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665209",
          "commentText": "Sorry for the wall of text.\n1. Bourne (The language and world of this novel are extraordinary - everything is falling apart yet brimming with life. Strangely moving)\n2. The Design of Everyday things (Essential for anyone in UI/UX)\n3. All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (Highly engaging, entertaining sci-fi novella series, from an author that can write a very decent robot protagonist)\n4. The Power (Interesting story with sci-fi elements on the dynamics of power, sex, and gender roles. I didn't care for the book, but the first 3/4 of the book are amazing)\n5. Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days\n6. 7 brief Lessons on Physics\n7. The Last Lecture (The energy and positivity coming from a man knowing he's about to die is infectious. Great read)\n8. A wizard of Earthsea (Move over Harry Potter, this is the essential children's story about wizards)\n9. Exploring diabetes with owls (Funny, irreverent)\n10. Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children (Made an effort to read more YA this year - this was the best in this series, but I still hated it. There's a host of better YA series out there.)\n11. A Wizard of Earthsea: The Tombs of Atuan (See 8.)\n12. The Girl in the Dark (Interesting book about a skin condition I had never heard of, and the trials of living with a very rare condition)\n13. The Phantom Tollbooth (Clever children's book)\n14. Black hole blues and songs from outer space (Informative book about the study of space,  the political and economic forces standing in the way of science, and the incredible individuals working in this field)\n15. Welcome to Night Vale (Hugely entertaining, clever and weird)\n16. You need a budget (Basic economics book explaining how to budget in a way that lets you do more with your money)\n17. To fight Against This Age (Incredibly pretentious, \nIvory Tower philosophizing)\n18. Infinity Gauntlet (Half the Universe dying because Thanos wanted to sleep with Lady Death will never not be ridiculous)\n19. The Right and Wrong Stuff (Great read explaining how to anticipate and avoid career pitfalls)\n20. Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children: Hollow City (pretty shitty)\n21. The Farthest Shore (Ursula K. Le Guin was the biggest loss this year)\n22. Miss peregrine's home for Peculiar Children: Library of Souls (I hate this book and all its characters)\n23. Every Good Endevour (Religious book about a Christian worldview and the value of labor - not a bad read)\n24. When to Rob a Bank and 131 warped suggestions… (interesting, funny, from the writers of Freakonomics)\n25. Weapons of Math Destruction (Probably the most useful book on this list, if you're reading this on \"hackernews\")\n26. Holes (Perfect summer paperback read)\n27. Silver Screen Sirens (Essential for film geeks)\n28. A full life: reflections at 90 (I gained a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter: he lived an incredible life and does great things)\n29. Call Me by your name (Very good romance novel to send to your bigoted relatives at Christmas)\n30. Hyperbole and a half (Incredibly entertaining, very distinctive art style)\n31. The Murderbot diaries: Artificial Condition (See 3.)\n32. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Best children's book, fight me)\n33. Less (Exceptionally well-written)\n34. Resilience (Great book, especially for those that have gone through extremely difficult circumstances)\n35. The Strange Bird (Dark, bleak, full of life, see 1.)\n36. The Murderbot diaries: Rogue Protocol (See 3.)\n37. His Dark Materials: The subtle knife (See 32.)\n38. Tap Dancing to Work (Very dry, some stories/articles are fantastic, others very, very boring for people that do not care about finance)\n39. So Good They Can't Ignore You (Pretty good)\n40. His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass (Amazing YA, see 32.)\n41. Uncontainable (Inspirational book about conscious capitalism)\n42. The Emperor of All Maladies (Pretty much everything you'll ever want to know about Cancer, written in a very engaging way)\n43. Blind Spot\n44. Shoe dog (Great story, see madmax108's comment, totally agree)\n45. The Faithful Spy (Beautiful artwork describing a Christian pastor's fight against fascism during WW2)\n46. Zero to One\n47. You'll grow out of it\n48. The Happiness advantage (Really fantastic book about the value of positive psychology)\n49. Dreams from my father (Enlightening look into Obama's \nearly days)\n50. Ayoade on Ayoade (Entertaining, extremely scatter-brained, not as funny as his interviews or tv programs)\n51. The Diabolic (badly written YA Sci-Fi)\n52. The Physics of Everyday Things (surprisingly informative, recommended for non science-people interested in the way things work)",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I hate this book and all its characters",
          "reason": "The commenter says they hate the book and its characters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785234,
          "author": "lmcnish14",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T19:52:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785234",
          "commentText": "A few books I read for fun this year:\n- Armada: Ernest Cline - Very disappointing and predictable\n- Library of Souls: Ransom Riggs - Easy but engrossing book\n- Ruby Under a Microscope: Pat Shaughnessy - I find his style of explaining things very accessible\n- Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End: Atul Gawande - It's a hard subject to think about but helped me to understand that prolonging life and continuing treatment shouldn't necessarily be the end goal for every case.\n- Go in Action: William Kennedy - A must if you're learning Go lang",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Library of Souls: Ransom Riggs - Easy but engrossing book",
          "reason": "The commenter found it engrossing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as easy reading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ransom Riggs"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dark fantasy",
        "peculiar children",
        "young adult"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "library-an-unquiet-history-79c121",
      "title": "Library: An Unquiet History",
      "author": "Matthew Battles",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21458608,
          "author": "skytreader",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T00:42:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21458608",
          "commentText": "Lately, I've had this fascination/idea of reading about world history (or at least major events in world history) through the history of seemingly-mundane, everyday objects. The search for literature in this vein has been predictably difficult but I've been fortunate to come across two great books of this theme.\nThe first is A History of the World in 12 Maps by Jerry Brotton. The main idea of the book is somewhat like a visual variant of the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis: that our maps shape our perception of the world and, in turn, our place in it. I actually tried going into this book with a skeptical mind. I first took on the premise that you can't say much about world history by just looking at maps; maybe the crudeness of various Mappaemundi make them unsuitable for educated speculation. I am pleased to say that, by the end of the book, my premise has been completely obliterated.\nHN Readers might find the final chapter particularly interesting. It reads on Google Maps and demonstrates that even today in an age of satellite imagery, a map can't claim complete objectivity.\n(I'd like to note that in a couple of instances, Brotton gets some technical details wrong. There is an especially glaring one in the Google Maps chapter the hunt for which is left as an exercise to the reader. It does not really affect his main arguments and I really enjoyed the book despite these errors that bite at my attention to detail.)\nThe next one is Library: An Unquiet History by Matthew Battles. This is lighter in content than 12 Maps and deals mostly with obscure figures (in world history) and yet has emerged influential to the modern-day library. The big thing that piqued my interest in this book is the part about Nazi Germany. I know, I know, any discussion can be maneuvered towards Hitler and especially one about censorship. But Battles shows how libraries are, more than anything, social institutions; how even in a bleak time and place such as Nazi-occupied Europe, make-do libraries can support a community.\nHe also touches on the other side of the coin. We are used to thinking of libraries as benevolent institutions of knowledge but we rarely think of them as ideological apparatuses to curtail knowledge. Highly recommended even for non-bibliophiles. At least, enjoy entertaining stories behind libraries even if you don't get a grand takeaway lesson from it all.\n(Edited for formatting.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Highly recommended even for non-bibliophiles.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it even to readers who are not especially interested in libraries.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in libraries, censorship, and social institutions; also non-bibliophiles.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says readers can enjoy the stories even without taking away a grand lesson.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthew Battles"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "censorship",
        "libraries"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "licence-to-be-bad-how-economics-corrupted-us-d4264e",
      "title": "Licence to be Bad: How Economics Corrupted Us",
      "author": "Jonathan Aldred",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20333034,
          "author": "vixen99",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T07:43:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20333034",
          "commentText": "'Licence to be Bad - How Economics Corrupted Us' by Jonathan Alred, a Cambridge economist, engagingly tells how a group of economic theorists changed our world' in terms of how wealth maximization became the new morality. Unputdownable!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Licence to be Bad - How Economics Corrupted Us' by Jonathan Alred, a Cambridge economist, engagingly tells how a group of economic theorists changed our world' in terms of how wealth maximization became the new morality. Unputdownable!",
          "reason": "Calls the book engaging and “Unputdownable!”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Aldred"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic ethics",
        "wealth maximization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lies-my-teacher-told-me-everything-your-american-history-textbook-fadf89",
      "title": "Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong",
      "author": "James W. Loewen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15156271,
          "author": "BeetleB",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T14:58:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156271",
          "commentText": "Bargaining for Advantage : Negotiation Strategies for Reasonable People\nThe Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion\nLies my teacher told me : everything your American history textbook got wrong\nInfluence: The Psychology of Persuasion\nNonviolent Communication: A Language of Life\nThinking, Fast and Slow",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lies my teacher told me : everything your American history textbook got wrong",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which books had the biggest impact on mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4597662,
          "author": "bgrohman",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-01T15:53:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 4596721,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4597662",
          "commentText": "1. Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong, by James W. Loewen\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Lies-My-Teacher-Told-Everything/dp/074... (http://www.amazon.com/Lies-My-Teacher-Told-Everything/dp/0743296281)\n2. Clojure Programming, by Chas Emerick\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Clojure-Programming-Chas-Emerick/dp/14... (http://www.amazon.com/Clojure-Programming-Chas-Emerick/dp/1449394701/)\n3. Zorba the Greek, by Nikos Kazantzakis\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Zorba-Greek-Nikos-Kazantzakis/dp/06848... (http://www.amazon.com/Zorba-Greek-Nikos-Kazantzakis/dp/0684825546)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong, by James W. Loewen",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James W. Loewen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american history",
        "history education"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lieutenant-hornblower-f4d326",
      "title": "Lieutenant Hornblower",
      "author": "C. S. Forester",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4968216,
          "author": "dminor",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T05:07:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4968216",
          "commentText": "> Lieutenant Hornblower - C.S. Forrester. Shogun taught me that reading historical fiction made regular history much more interesting, which made me seek out more historical fiction. This is a series of 12 books covering the career of a British navel man during the Napoleonic Wars. Gene Roddenberry based the character of Jean Luc Picard on its protagonist. My recommendation won't be as strong as these gentlemen though: \"I find Hornblower admirable.\" -Winston Churchill, and \"I recommend Forester to everyone literate I know,\" -Ernest Hemingway\nIf you liked this, check out Patrick O'Brian's \"Master and Commmander\" series - it's the cream of the crop for this sort of historical fiction (or any sort, really).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Lieutenant Hornblower - C.S. Forrester.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the series for readers who enjoyed historical fiction, while noting their recommendation is less emphatic than Churchill's and Hemingway's.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in historical fiction about the Napoleonic Wars.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says their recommendation is less strong than the quoted endorsements.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "C. S. Forester"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "napoleonic wars",
        "naval historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "life-3-0-being-human-in-the-age-of-artificial-intelligence-046af3",
      "title": "Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence",
      "author": "Max Tegmark",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20332807,
          "author": "milansm",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T06:57:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20332807",
          "commentText": "Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence [by Max Tegmark]\n> When they launched, Prometheus was slightly worse than them at programming AI systems, but made up for this by being vastly faster, spending the equivalent of thousands of person-years chugging away at the problem while they chugged a Red Bull. By 10 a.m., it had completed the first redesign of itself, v2.0, which was slightly better but still subhuman. By the time Prometheus 5.0 launched at 2 p.m., however, the Omegas were awestruck: it had blown their performance benchmarks out of the water, and the rate of progress seemed to be accelerating. By nightfall, they decided to deploy Prometheus 10.0 to start phase 2 of their plan: making money.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence [by Max Tegmark]",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Max Tegmark"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "future of ai"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "life-saving-sleep-d3f5d7",
      "title": "Life Saving Sleep",
      "author": "Barry Krakow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40987919,
          "author": "kva",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-17T17:01:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 40962582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most accurate scientific book on human sleep?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40987919",
          "commentText": "A somewhat niche but good book on sleep-disordered breathing is \"Life Saving Sleep\" by Barry Krakow [1].\nIf you have a ton of sleep problems, you should probably catalog them, and try seeing a somnologist or getting an in-lab sleep study.\n[1](https://www.amazon.com/Life-Saving-Sleep-Horizons-Treatment/... (https://www.amazon.com/Life-Saving-Sleep-Horizons-Treatment/dp/0971586926))",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A somewhat niche but good book on sleep-disordered breathing is \"Life Saving Sleep\" by Barry Krakow",
          "reason": "Describes it as a good book on sleep-disordered breathing.",
          "audience": "People interested in sleep-disordered breathing.",
          "caveat": "The book is characterized as somewhat niche.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Barry Krakow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sleep disordered breathing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "life-time-bcec8b",
      "title": "Life Time",
      "author": "Russell Foster",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40965716,
          "author": "ides_dev",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-15T06:36:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 40962582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most accurate scientific book on human sleep?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40965716",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed reading Life Time by Russell Foster [1]. Professor Foster is the Head of Oxford’s Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology and the founder and Director of the Sleep and Circadian Research Institute. In it he covers lots of aspects of sleep and ways to try and improve it.\n[1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58417761-life-time",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed reading Life Time by Russell Foster [1].",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed it and says it covers aspects of sleep and ways to improve it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Russell Foster"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "circadian rhythms",
        "sleep"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "life-and-fate-185306",
      "title": "Life and Fate",
      "author": "Vasily Grossman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25906555,
          "author": "jriot",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T18:11:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25906555",
          "commentText": "Completed this year:\nDo Andriods Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick\nProvidence: God's Loving Care for Men and the Need for Confidence in Almighty God by Reginald Garrigou-Lagrange\nPython 3 Object-Oriented Programming by Dusty Phillips\nCurrently reading:\nStalingrad by Vasily Grossman\nThe Bitcoin Standard: The Decentralized Alternative to Central Banking by Saifedean Ammous\nFinancial Shenanigans by Howard M. Schilit\nUp next:\nLife and Fate by Vasily Grossman\nThese Truths by Jill Lepore\nUnderstanding Machine Learning: From Theory to Algorithms by Shalev Shwartz and Ben David",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Life and Fate by Vasily Grossman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8717119,
          "author": "jimduk",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T16:07:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8717119",
          "commentText": "Life and Fate - Vasily Grossman\nRussian epic following multiple characters through WW2.\nIt shows how serious, good people can have very different and legitimate views on life; It characterises some eternal types of criminal or charlatan. It reminds you about fate and about how lucky we are now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Life and Fate - Vasily Grossman",
          "reason": "The commenter describes its reflections on differing views, human character, fate, and present-day good fortune.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vasily Grossman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "world war ii",
        "historical fiction",
        "russian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "life-in-code-a-personal-history-of-technology-74d702",
      "title": "Life in Code: A Personal History of Technology",
      "author": "Ellen Ullman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21855397,
          "author": "olvy0",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-22T05:33:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21855397",
          "commentText": "Life in Code: A Personal History of Technology, by Ellen Ullman\nAn autobiography of a developer, and an author, looking back at her life. Narrated by the author. Might not be for everyone, but I really liked it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Might not be for everyone, but I really liked it.",
          "reason": "The commenter liked this autobiography of a developer and author.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in a developer's personal history of technology.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it might not be for everyone.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ellen Ullman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software development",
        "technology memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "life-of-the-stoics-26c6d0",
      "title": "Life of the Stoics",
      "author": "Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30736772,
          "author": "cfcosta",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T19:17:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30736772",
          "commentText": "If you haven't gone too far into the stoicism rabbit hole yet, I really recommend \"Life of the Stoics\", by Ryan Holiday. It's a compilation of the history (and probably myths from their time) of all of the biggest minds of stoicism.\nShows that they weren't always perfect, some of them were assholes, but others (notably Marcus Aurelius and Catho) lived the live they preached, and fought many battles (including literal ones) in ways that were different from their time.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I really recommend \"Life of the Stoics\", by Ryan Holiday.",
          "reason": "A compilation covering major Stoic thinkers and their lives.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring Stoicism.",
          "caveat": "Some accounts may include myths from their time.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ryan Holiday",
        "Stephen Hanselman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient philosophers",
        "stoicism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "life-on-a-young-planet-d28a78",
      "title": "Life on a Young Planet",
      "author": "Andrew H. Knoll",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6983854,
          "author": "Snail_Commando",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-30T09:39:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 6981802,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good general technical books for teenagers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6983854",
          "commentText": "There are already suggestions in this thread that are better than mine, but I'll still throw my hat in the ring.\nThat's great that she's interested in biology. I'd like to gently suggest that if she \"isn't very enthusiastic about computers or technology\", you should instead try to nurture her demonstrated interest in art, biology, and other science.\nI know absolutely nothing about art, except that I apparently have no taste. So I'll refrain from making any suggestions on art books.\nTL;DR: Skip down to the third section for the \"technical book\" suggestion.\n--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n(1)\nHere are some suggestions of books on general science, biology, and chemistry (in no particular order, these are some of the first ones that come to my mind):\n\"The Structure of Scientific Revolutions\" By Thomas S. Kuhn\n\"The Diversity of Life\" By Edward O. Wilson\n\"The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time\"  by Jonathan Weiner\n\"Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes: Further Reflections in Natural History\"  by Stephen Jay Gould\n\"Life on a Young Planet\" By Andrew H. Knoll\n\"Galápagos\" By Kurt Vonnegut (Fiction, but related) (I loved this book, but it's not for everyone I suppose. A couple of my friends didn't like it.)\n\"Napoleon's Buttons\" By Penny Le Couteur and Jay Burreson\n\"The Lives of a Cell: Notes of a Biology Watcher\" By Lewis Thomas\n---------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n(2)\nIf she's interested in learning a lot about cellular biology in beautifully exhaustive detail, buy her this textbook:\n\"Molecular Biology of the Cell\" By Bruce Alberts, Paul Walter, Alexander Johnson, Julian Lewis, Martin Raff, Keith Roberts\nThis book is huge. And it is wonderful.\n---------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n---Read this suggestion if my other suggestions aren't good---\n(3)\nSo you want a technical book? And she's interested in biology?\nBuy her a copy of:\n\"The Principles of Biomedical Informatics\" By Ira J. Kalet\nThis textbook is incredible. It teaches you some fundamentals of many different flavors of bioinformatics. (Different flavors, because, as the author acknowledges, bioinformatics can mean many things.) You can learn how to work with amino acid sequences, protein modeling, medical imaging, probabilistic biomedical models, and more!\nSince you have SICP and LoL on your bookshelf already, you might love the next part. The entire textbook is a cleverly accessible primer on how to build applications with Common Lisp. Whether you're a greybeard Lisp hacker or a repl-noob, you'll like this book if you are interested in learning about bioinformatics.\nI've had the first edition for quite some time. Recently, I think in the past few months, a second edition was released. Someone gifted me the 2nd ed, :) but I haven't really compared the two.\n----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\nI was going to suggest Gödel, Escher, Bach when you mentioned she was interested in art, and were hoping to find a technical book for her. Then I saw that you already had tried that one. I'm going to leave the suggestion anyway because these types of threads are wonderful for finding great books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Life on a Young Planet\" By Andrew H. Knoll",
          "reason": "Listed among suggestions for general science, biology, and chemistry.",
          "audience": "A teenager interested in biology and science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew H. Knoll"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "early life",
        "evolution"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "life-on-the-mississippi-07ae57",
      "title": "Life on the Mississippi",
      "author": "Mark Twain",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467918,
          "author": "5letters",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T16:17:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467918",
          "commentText": "When I've needed to laugh I've read and reread:\nMark Twain's  \"Life on the Mississippi\"  and \"Roughing It\" as well as many short stories, esp. \"My Watch\", \"Political Economy\", \"Journalism in Tennessee\"\nAlso short stories from others:\nJ.S. Perelman's \"Strictly From Hunger\",\nAlex Atkinson's \"The Eyes of Texas are Upon You\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mark Twain's  \"Life on the Mississippi\"",
          "reason": "The commenter has reread it when needing a laugh.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797635,
          "author": "arethuza",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T08:22:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797635",
          "commentText": "Just finished:\n\"The Great War for Civilisation\" - Robert Fisk\n\"Life on the Mississippi\" - Mark Twain\n\"3 Commando Brigade\" - Ewen Southby-Tailyour\n\"Anathem\" - Neal Stephenson",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Life on the Mississippi\" - Mark Twain",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Twain"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mississippi river",
        "memoir",
        "travel writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "life-s-ratchet-how-molecular-machines-extract-order-from-chaos-bdda1f",
      "title": "Life's Ratchet: How Molecular Machines Extract Order from Chaos",
      "author": "Peter M. Hoffmann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6992692,
          "author": "toddh",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-31T20:35:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6992692",
          "commentText": "Life's Ratchet: How Molecular Machines Extract Order from Chaos by Peter M. Hoffmann\nJust an amazing book giving what seems like the secret details how of the world works at a physical level.\n\"Thus, the nanoscale is truly special. Only at the nanoscale is the thermal energy of the right magnitude to allow the formation of complex molecular structures and assist the spontaneous transformation of different energy forms (mechanical, electrical, chemical) into one another. Moreover, the conjunction of energy scales allows for the self-assembly, adaptability, and spontaneous motion needed to make a living being. The nanoscale is the only scale at which machines can work completely autonomously. To jump into action, nanoscale machines just need a little push. And this push is provided by thermal energy of the molecular storm.\"\n\"At the nanoscale, nothing can escape the molecular storm. As Astumian and Hänggi point out, every molecular machine in our bodies is hit by a fast-moving water molecule about every 10−13 seconds. Each collision delivers on average 4.3 × 10−21 joules of energy (the energy is determined by the product of Boltzmann’s constant and body temperature measured in degree Kelvin). This translates into an average power input of more than 10−8 watts. Remember that a molecular machine generates only about 10−16 watts in power.\"\n\"Where do molecules obtain the needed activation energy? From the molecular storm! The impetus needed to make it across the transition state is provided by small, fast molecules (typically water molecules) fortuitously colliding with the reacting molecules to give them the right push. If lucky, the push causes the molecules to snap into their new shapes. Of course, not every colliding water molecule will have enough energy or hit the reacting molecules in the right way. Chemical reactions take time— we have to wait for the right push to come along, and the higher the activation energy needed, the more time it takes, as higher-energy collisions are much less frequent than low-energy collisions.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just an amazing book giving what seems like the secret details how of the world works at a physical level.",
          "reason": "Calls it amazing and says it explains how the world works at a physical level.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter M. Hoffmann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biophysics",
        "molecular machines"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "life-the-universe-and-everything-bdfb1b",
      "title": "Life, the Universe and Everything",
      "author": "Douglas Adams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22719492,
          "author": "eyegor",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T14:56:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22719492",
          "commentText": "So hitchhikers guide I can certainly agree with, but the rest of the series is pretty inconsistent. Restaurant was pretty terrible in my opinion, but then Life is almost as good as the original. I'd say the quality of the series is downhill from there. The follow up books didn't introduce many interesting situations or ideas that weren't already presented and so it just felt like it was dragging on.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Life is almost as good as the original.",
          "reason": "Says it is almost as good as the original book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is almost, rather than fully, as good as the original.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20981738,
          "author": "rohitbhats",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T07:13:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20981738",
          "commentText": "'The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy' can't stop recommending it. I am currently reading the 3rd book 'Life, the Universe and Everything'",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I am currently reading the 3rd book 'Life, the Universe and Everything'",
          "reason": "Mentions it as the third book while reading the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Adams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic science fiction",
        "satire",
        "space adventure"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "life-a-user-s-manual-d274fe",
      "title": "Life: A User's Manual",
      "author": "Georges Perec",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17381914,
          "author": "asimpletune",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T16:17:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17381914",
          "commentText": "Foreign:\n* Life: a users manual by George s Perec.\n* Too Loud a Solitude by Bohumil Hrabal\n* Auto-da-fe by Elias Canetti\nDomestic:\nThese are harder because I feel like they’re all pretty well known, but maybe they’re not actually read. Like, known bc people have heard the name, but are not read as much anymore.\n* Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson\n* Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon\n* Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy\nActually unknown (but super good) domestic:\n* Stuff by Larry McMurtry (only famous for lonesome dove)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Life: a users manual by George s Perec.",
          "reason": "Offers it as a lesser-known foreign book in response to the request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Georges Perec"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "experimental fiction",
        "french literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "light-56c281",
      "title": "Light",
      "author": "M. John Harrison",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42269201,
          "author": "sandy_coyote",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:59:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42269201",
          "commentText": "I caught up with some science fiction this year.\nThe Murderbot diaries books by Martha Wells - 6/10. Mixed on these. They're fun to read. The setting is cool and the worldbuilding is shallow but effective (i.e., don't read it if you want game of thrones in space). Each novella takes an afternoon to read. I think \"snarky violent droid\" is overcooked these days and lost interest after book 5.\nLight by M. John Harrison - 7/10 excellent prose; great multiple-storyline plot; the journey was better than the destination, but it kept me thinking\nFar from the Light of Heaven by Tade Thompson - 7/10 Fun. If \"near future Nigerian/British post-colonial frontier action with guns, robots, and psychic aliens\" sounds cool to you, check it out. I liked his Rosewater Trilogy just as much.\nBlindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts - tough to rate these. brilliant ideas, VERY challenging plots. I wish I didn't get so confused by the end of each book.\nProject Hail Mary by Andy Weir - 6/10 - this and the Martian read like blog posts pasted together. The grand dilemma is spelled out on page one and never gets any deeper. Pro: the plot is in your face on every page and you will never be confused when reading; Con - there is zero internal character development. Read if you like stories driven by applied science, not comparative moral decision-making.\nThe City and the City by China Miéville - 9/10 - you will invariably see something like \"Kafka meets [some affected crime novelist] to describe this book, and that ain't wrong. Kind of SF, kind of fantasy.\nRailsea by China Miéville - 8/10 - great good vs evil YA SF about, well, imagine if trains were like boats. Good character writing, tight plot.\nThe Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi - 8/10 - loved this. More \"realist\" near-future fabulism than Gibson, but if you love cyberpunk, read this.\nThe Shipbreaker Triology by Paolo Bacigalupi - 6/10 - near-future YA science fiction with a lot of blood and guns. Pretty good stories.\nRoadside Picnic by the Strugatsky brothers - 9/10 - reread. I had to go back. This gets a near perfect score because of its style, setting, and plot.\nThe Sprawl Trilogy (Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive) by William Gibson - 9/10 - I had read Neuromancer 3 times but never the next two. I was pleasantly surprised to find the second and third novel easier to read* but just as enjoyable as Neuromancer.\nThe Bridge trilogy by William Gibson - 8/10 so far. I am in the second book. Can't believe I slept on these for the last couple decades.\nnon-SF:\nOur Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981-1991 by Michael Azerrad - 9/10 - if you like punk/hardcore from the 80s, this is a great read.\n* Every time I read Neuromancer, Gibson's literary footguns --holograms, false memories, hallucinations, and drug-addled unreality--make me feel crazy for not being able to follow the plot at times. I'm okay with believing that was the intended effect.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Light by M. John Harrison - 7/10 excellent prose; great multiple-storyline plot; the journey was better than the destination, but it kept me thinking",
          "reason": "Praised for its prose and plot, though the destination was less satisfying than the journey.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The journey was better than the destination.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2615694,
          "author": "latch",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T09:30:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2615694",
          "commentText": "Just started Light by M. John Harrison\nThe Takeshi Kovacs novels, by Richard Morgan, are next on my list.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Just started Light by M. John Harrison",
          "reason": "Says they have just started reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "M. John Harrison"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary science fiction",
        "multiple storylines",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "light-on-yoga-a485f6",
      "title": "Light on Yoga",
      "author": "B. K. S. Iyengar",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 44570119,
          "author": "HenryBemis",
          "createdAt": "2025-07-15T11:41:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 44568054,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44570119",
          "commentText": "Books:\n  Siddartha: to think about myself and my changes/voyage through life.\n  Half-time: to think what-the-hell-comes-next (only if you are 40+)(it won't resonate with a 20yo)\n\n  Systemantics, Nexus: if you work in mega-big-corpos this will save your life\n\n  Hold on to your kids, The anxious generation: if you got kids\n\n  Strong Fathers Strong Daughters: (and mothers/sons) if you got kids (too Christian-y for my taste but an amazing 'manual' to manage the relationship with your kid(s))\n\n  1984, Animal Farm, Gulag Archipelago: ...\n\n  Light on Yoga: (also do practice yoga, it's good for most-if-not-all)\n\n\nYou asked for \"one book\"... but.. life.. is not 'one' thing. Systemantics (and Dilbert) have helped me stay afloat at work. Siddartha gave me a perspective in live about myself, the different 'people' I have been throughout my life.\nAll the listed ones are books I read and read again every few years. They shaped me the first time I read them, keep me 'grounded'/taking stock/thinking the 'change' in me and my life. I see them as a 'check-diff' and how I have changed/evolved/devolved since the last time I read it/them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Light on Yoga: (also do practice yoga, it's good for most-if-not-all)",
          "reason": "Recommends it alongside practicing yoga.",
          "audience": "Most people, according to the commenter.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "B. K. S. Iyengar"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "yoga",
        "yoga practice"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lightless-d44675",
      "title": "Lightless",
      "author": "C. A. Higgins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15455122,
          "author": "nikdaheratik",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-12T01:58:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15455122",
          "commentText": "Alot of good recommendations even if they may not meet strict personal definitions of either \"hard\" sci-fi, or \"AI\" sci-fi.\nIf you haven't read the Culture books, by Iain M. Banks, I'd recommend them (as others already have). I'd also add, the \"Murderbot Diaries\" (2017), \"Infomocracy\" (2016) and Lightless (2015).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Lightless (2015).",
          "reason": "Adds the title to a list of recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "May not meet strict definitions of hard or AI science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "C. A. Higgins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lightning-rods-f5c16d",
      "title": "Lightning Rods",
      "author": "Helen DeWitt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42270048,
          "author": "hexis",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T01:37:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42270048",
          "commentText": "Helen DeWitt wrote another novel after The Last Samurai, Lightning Rods. It's a very different book, but definitely worth a try! Good luck!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lightning Rods. It's a very different book, but definitely worth a try!",
          "reason": "Recommends trying the novel, noting it is very different from The Last Samurai.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It is a very different book from The Last Samurai.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Helen DeWitt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "contemporary fiction",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lightpaths-a9f90a",
      "title": "Lightpaths",
      "author": "Howard V. Hendrix",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 86223,
          "author": "icky",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:37:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86223",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- The Time Machine (still holds up very well, and seems strangely eerie and prescient in places)... (H. G. Wells)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Hobbit (and LotR) (Tolkien)\n- Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n- Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties (I picked up Idoru first, so I haven't yet read Virtual Light) (also Gibson)\n- The Difference Engine (Gibson, Sterling)\n- Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n- Cryptonomicon (\" \")\n- Circuit of Heaven, End of Days (Dennis Danvers)\n- All of the \"Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser\" stories and novels. (Fritz Leiber)\n- The Earthsea trilogy (Ursula K. LeGuin)\n- 'salem's Lot (Stephen King)\n- Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein)\n- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)\n- the Coldfire trilogy (C. S. Friedman)\n- various Cory Doctorow short stories\n- Kamikaze L'Amour (Richard Kadrey)\n- Lightpaths (Howard V. Hendrix)\n- A Canticle For Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)\n- Moonwar, Venus (Ben Bova)\n- the Stainless Steel Rat series (Harry Harrison)\n- Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)\n- Ringworld (Larry Niven)\n- Cthon (Piers Anthony) -- Trippiness level approaching Philip Jose Farmer ;-)\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (Douglas Adams)\n- The Black Company (Glen Cook)\n- there's one particularly good post-cyberpunk series that takes place in a world in which Canada emerged as a major world power, but for the life of me I can't rememeber the title.\n- the 1632 series (Eric Flint)... see also S. M. Stirling's Nantucket series (\"Island in the Sea of Time\", et al.), and H. Beam Piper's novel Kalvan of Otherwhen\nNon-fiction:\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (Hume)\n- the surviving words and works of Epicurus, and Diogenes the Cynic\n- Freakonomics (Levitt, Dubner)\n- The Gay Science (Nietzsche)\n- The Jefferson Bible (Christ, Jefferson (ed.))\n- The Devil's Dictionary (Bierce)\n- Brain Droppings (George Carlin)\n- anything by P. J. O'Rourke\n- anything by Dave Barry",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lightpaths (Howard V. Hendrix)",
          "reason": "Listed under fiction in response to the thread’s question about favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Howard V. Hendrix"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space exploration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lights-out-in-wonderland-1aa671",
      "title": "Lights Out in Wonderland",
      "author": "D. B. C. Pierre",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4966962,
          "author": "jlangenauer",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T20:09:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4966962",
          "commentText": "Gödel, Escher, Bach by Douglas Hofsteder. Barely needs any introduction here, but the depth of thought is just staggering.\nLights Out in Wonderland by D.B.C. Pierre. A wonderful story with a few incidental observations about modern society.\nThe Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. Sure, you can read about people who've made everything, but what about people who lose everything. Absolutely everything. Shattering, tragic fiction.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A wonderful story with a few incidental observations about modern society.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a wonderful story and notes its observations about modern society.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Observations about society are described as incidental.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "D. B. C. Pierre"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lights-out-pride-delusion-and-the-fall-of-general-electric-7d8455",
      "title": "Lights Out: Pride, Delusion, and the Fall of General Electric",
      "author": "Thomas Gryta and Ted Mann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34161946,
          "author": "jmoak3",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T15:31:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161946",
          "commentText": "2022 was a great year for my reading (in order of my favorites):\nThe Great Demographic Reversal by Charles Goodhart - this book changed my life, but now that inflation and the retirements are in full swing it might be harder to make early moves on the knowledge. The graphs are also beginning to become outdated since the book was written in the end of 2019/early 2020? Either way, it inspired my decision to move closer to family.\nThe End of the World is Just the Beginning by Peter Zeihan - this book is well worth the read. Peter is a very educated and factual guy, and it's hard to disagree with the normalized vectors of change he is describing. The magnitude of these vectors however are up for much debate. Lots to think on, agree with, and disagree with.\nAmerican Icon by Bryce G. Hoffman - a book on Ford's handling of the 2008 crisis. It's got some flowery parts that idolize these men too much IMO but a great book on leadership and problem solving.\nLights Out - a book on how GE failed. If hypothetically American Icon was paid for to make Ford look good, Lights Out would have been paid for by disgruntled investors to burn that company's reputation to the ground. By some Wall Street Journal employees, this book is bonkers and a really frigid lesson about how incentives play out and a sober view of work in the real world.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Lights Out - a book on how GE failed.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as a lesson about incentives and a sober view of work in the real world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter portrays it as a harsh account of GE and says it may have been paid for by disgruntled investors.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Gryta",
        "Ted Mann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "corporate failure",
        "general electric"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lights-of-bohemia-6a3403",
      "title": "Lights of Bohemia",
      "author": "Ramón del Valle-Inclán",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17381911,
          "author": "jxub",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T16:17:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17381911",
          "commentText": "From where I stand, Hispanic and Slavic literature is fairly unknown and underrated on the other side of the pond.\nRamón del Valle Inclán's \"Lights of Bohemia\": A great portrait of Madrid and the dirty guts of the Spain from 100 years ago, written in a gorgeously precise, dark and multifaceted range of vocabulary.\nOrtega y Gasset's \"Rebellion of the Masses\". It is centered in the individual \"I am me and my circumstances\" and its evolution since the enlightenment.\nSapkowski's \"Witcher\". Look for a good translation, lots of Slavic mythology tidbits and wonderfully juicy curse words.\nStanislaw Lem's \"The Star Diaries\". Nice if you like to fantasize about buying pieces for your spaceship in a shopping centre or think about chair-like aliens with 11 different sexes (in the book).\nGabriel Garcia Marquez's \"A hundred years of solitude\". The book is all about \"realismo fantástico\", joining the real and imaginary words in an unforgettable blend.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Lights of Bohemia\": A great portrait of Madrid and the dirty guts of the Spain from 100 years ago, written in a gorgeously precise, dark and multifaceted range of vocabulary.",
          "reason": "Praises its portrait of Madrid and its language.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ramón del Valle-Inclán"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical drama",
        "spanish literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "like-a-virgin-0fdf73",
      "title": "Like a Virgin",
      "author": "Richard Branson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4530441,
          "author": "alid",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-16T21:31:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 4530022,
          "threadTitle": "What to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4530441",
          "commentText": "Richard Branson's books (e.g. 'Business Stripped Bare' & 'Like a Virgin') are brilliant for the themes of branding, big picture thinking and leadership. Have a great holiday!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Like a Virgin'",
          "reason": "Calls Branson's books brilliant for branding, big-picture thinking, and leadership.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Branson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "branding",
        "entrepreneurship",
        "leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "liminal-thinking-a-guide-to-bridging-the-belief-divide-e0af2a",
      "title": "Liminal Thinking: A Guide to Bridging the Belief Divide",
      "author": "Dave Gray",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12980942,
          "author": "3stripe",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-17T20:05:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12980942",
          "commentText": "Liminal Thinking by Dave Gray",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Liminal Thinking by Dave Gray",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dave Gray"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "belief change",
        "perspective taking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lincoln-046716",
      "title": "Lincoln",
      "author": "Gore Vidal",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4969039,
          "author": "theballwatcher",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T12:30:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4969039",
          "commentText": "Shogun is a great read. It got me started on the whole historical fiction genre. The rest of the books in Clavell's Asian Saga are pretty good too except for maybe Gai-jin. I also enjoyed reading Gore Vidal's Lincoln and Burr from his Narratives of the Empire series - very entertaining and definitely not run-of-the-mill biographic portrayals.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also enjoyed reading Gore Vidal's Lincoln and Burr from his Narratives of the Empire series",
          "reason": "Includes it among books the commenter enjoyed reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gore Vidal"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american civil war",
        "historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lincoln-the-unknown-3fce8c",
      "title": "Lincoln the Unknown",
      "author": "Dale Carnegie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 202956,
          "author": "rglovejoy",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T03:50:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=202956",
          "commentText": "John Forbes Nash: \"A Beautiful Mind\" by Sylvia Nasir\nRichard Feynman: \"Genius\" by James Gleick\n\"The Passion of Ayn Rand\" by Barbara Brandon\n\"John Adams\" and \"Truman\" by David McCullough\n\"Lincoln the Unknown\" by Dale Carnegie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Lincoln the Unknown\" by Dale Carnegie",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dale Carnegie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "abraham lincoln",
        "american presidents"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lincoln-s-melancholy-bb95c1",
      "title": "Lincoln's Melancholy",
      "author": "Joshua Wolf Shenk",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467690,
          "author": "cududa",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:51:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467690",
          "commentText": "Triumph And Tragedy of Lyndon B Johnson (his effectiveness to pass legislation fascinated me)\nHarry Potter (comfort series)\nCharlie Wilson’s War (it’s hilarious and informative),\nGame Change (a sobering reminder of the 2008 election and how we got to today),\nLincoln’s Melancholy (on his depression).\nI’ve read lots of books twice, but the above are the only I can find in my library I’ve read 3 or more times. Outside of Harry Potter, I view the figures in those books most responsible for turning points in our nations history.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lincoln’s Melancholy (on his depression)",
          "reason": "The book is about Lincoln's depression, one of the subjects that draws the commenter to these histories.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joshua Wolf Shenk"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mental health biography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lincoln-s-war-cabinet-b3a3df",
      "title": "Lincoln's War Cabinet",
      "author": "Hendrick Burton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 202993,
          "author": "mattdennewitz",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T04:48:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=202993",
          "commentText": "Lincoln's War Cabinet by Hendrick Burton - learn to surround yourself with ideas you don't necessarily agree with and be influenced by the most unlikely minds",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lincoln's War Cabinet by Hendrick Burton",
          "reason": "Suggested for its lesson about surrounding yourself with people whose ideas differ from yours.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hendrick Burton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "abraham lincoln",
        "leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "linear-algebra-22da0f",
      "title": "Linear Algebra",
      "author": "Kuldeep Singh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29218866,
          "author": "mathhh",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T17:44:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29218866",
          "commentText": "> You can work through the concepts and delude yourself into thinking you understand something when really you're just hand waving it\nI keep seeing this and I don't quite understand how this one works.\nIf I were studying math on my own (which I've done and still do), I'd do the following:\n1. Pick a book. Say, Rudin's Principles of Mathematical Analysis[0]. Read a section, then attempt problems. Pick a problem. Say, \"prove {1/n: n is natural} U{0} is compact directly from the definition(not using Heine-Borel)\". It's guaranteed your \"proof\" is not a proof.\n2. Compare your solution to existing solution manuals or ask a question on MSE[1]. Since the given book by Rudin is super-massively famous, each question has probably been asked/answered about a bagillion times each on MSE, so just searching MSE alone would likely to spit out many answers to your questions. People on MSE will tell you exactly why your \"solution\" is wrong and where you tripped up. Sometimes even the clarifying answers are hard to understand. But then you can ask new questions, think more, correct your misconceptions until it all finally clicks. Do that with all  the rest of the problems[2].\nI don't see how the process above is delusional.\n[0] This book is not a realistic fit for a novice, though. Instead, one would start with books like [3], [4], [5], [6] to learn how to prove things and think like a mathematician would.\n[1] https://math.stackexchange.com/\n[2] In reality, the more math you see and do, the more mathematically mature and less dependent on others(to check your work) you become. In fact, if you can solve any problem in \"B@by Rudin\" and some famous abstract algebra textbook (say, Dummit & Foote's \"Abstract Algebra\") cold, you're way ahead of most any undergrad math major in the world! Because standards on undergrad math majors are not that high, nor that brutal the world over no matter what they say. If, additionally, you can solve any given problem in a book like, say, Hatcher's \"Algebraic Topology\" or any other famous grad level textbooks on, say, differential geometry or, uhh, functional analysis, you're officially in the big leagues. Again, if you're worried about being delusional about your proofs, you can always present them on MSE.\n[3] \"Book of Proof\" by Richard Hammach. It's online free.\nhttps://www.people.vcu.edu/~rhammack/BookOfProof/\n[4] \"Discrete Math\" by Susanna Epp\nhttps://www.google.com/books/edition/Discrete_Mathematics_wi... (https://www.google.com/books/edition/Discrete_Mathematics_with_Applications/_341EAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover)\n[5] \"How to Think About Analysis\" by Lara Alcock\nhttps://www.google.com/books/edition/How_to_Think_about_Anal... (https://www.google.com/books/edition/How_to_Think_about_Analysis/n0tuBAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover)\n[6] \"Linear Algebra\" by Kuldeep Singh\nhttps://www.google.com/books/edition/Linear_Algebra/BJNoAgAA... (https://www.google.com/books/edition/Linear_Algebra/BJNoAgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Linear Algebra\" by Kuldeep Singh",
          "reason": "Listed as a book for learning how to prove things and think like a mathematician.",
          "audience": "Readers learning mathematical proof and reasoning.",
          "caveat": "The title is broad; the author and link identify the referenced book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kuldeep Singh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "linear algebra"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "linear-algebra-aa82a3",
      "title": "Linear Algebra",
      "author": "Jim Hefferon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31707559,
          "author": "jimhefferon",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-11T19:40:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31707559",
          "commentText": "I have a text at https://hefferon.net/linearalgebra/index.html.  It is aimed at beginners.  It comes with perhaps two dozen exercises per lecture along with complete worked answers to every question, with videos of the lectures, a lab manual using Sage, and some other ancillaries.\nLike others here I recommend 3B1B, which may be what you are looking for visually, but whatever you end up with it is absolutely crucial that you do exercises.  Do many of them.  It is the only way to get better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I have a text at https://hefferon.net/linearalgebra/index.html.",
          "reason": "Describes the text as beginner-oriented and accompanied by exercises, worked answers, lecture videos, and Sage labs.",
          "audience": "Beginners",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jim Hefferon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "linear algebra"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "linear-algebra-cfe503",
      "title": "Linear Algebra",
      "author": "Harold Edwards",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31711584,
          "author": "bmitc",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-12T05:00:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31711584",
          "commentText": "There's a lot of great responses, but I really like Linear Algebra by Harold Edwards. He's an excellent writer and takes an algorithmic approach in his approach. It's pretty short and designed for one-semester, and you could learn a lot from coding the various algorithms.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really like Linear Algebra by Harold Edwards. He's an excellent writer and takes an algorithmic approach",
          "reason": "The commenter likes the book’s writing and algorithmic approach, and says readers could learn by coding its algorithms.",
          "audience": "One-semester study; readers interested in coding the algorithms.",
          "caveat": "Pretty short.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Harold Edwards"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "linear algebra"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "linear-algebra-61db1f",
      "title": "Linear Algebra",
      "author": "Gilbert Strang",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 665079,
          "author": "lkozma",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T13:38:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665079",
          "commentText": "You could read Gilbert Strang's Linear Algebra books, there are also video lectures available...\nGelman's Bayesian Data Analysis is a good statistical intro with a Bayesian bend,\nmaybe Freedman's Statistical models,\nread some general machine learning intro book, such as Alpaydin or Bishop for a more probabilistic view.\nFor NLP especially, you'll need some information theory. Maybe start with MacKay's Information Theory, Inference, etc. (it is freely available online), very entertaining and accessible book and you can follow the pointers there for more details.\nFor general data mining and machine learning you need some basics of optimization, pick up any standard book on convex optimization to get an idea of the basic problems and methods.\nthat's it at a first try :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You could read Gilbert Strang's Linear Algebra books",
          "reason": "Suggested as reading for the math topics requested.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gilbert Strang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "linear algebra"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "linear-algebra-b49aa8",
      "title": "Linear Algebra",
      "author": "Stephen H. Friedberg, Arnold J. Insel, Lawrence E. Spence",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 756950,
          "author": "travisjeffery",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-12T00:45:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=756950",
          "commentText": "I'm pretty at Mathematics and doing that takes a lot of work. And the Mathematics books for noobs are no good.\nThe better approach is to get a theoretical book, something like Spivak's Calculus or Linear Algebra by Friedberg, Insel and Spence. And then from there whenever you have difficulty with the material spread out laterally and you really start to gradually grow an understanding of mathematics.\nAnd then perhaps, one day you'll be up for Spivak's Calculus on Manifolds!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "or Linear Algebra by Friedberg, Insel and Spence.",
          "reason": "Offered as an example of a theoretical book in the suggested learning approach.",
          "audience": "Learners ready for a theoretical approach to mathematics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says mathematics books for beginners are no good and this approach takes work.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen H. Friedberg, Arnold J. Insel, Lawrence E. Spence"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "linear algebra"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "linear-algebra-and-learning-from-data-8dee06",
      "title": "Linear Algebra and Learning from Data",
      "author": "Gilbert Strang",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20675049,
          "author": "mxyzptlk",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T13:11:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20675049",
          "commentText": "Check out \"Linear Algebra and Learning from Data\" by Gilbert Strang. It includes a nice introduction to Linear Algebra, touches on relevant statistics and optimization, then puts them all together in chapters on neural networks. It's a textbook, so exercises are included.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Check out \"Linear Algebra and Learning from Data\" by Gilbert Strang.",
          "reason": "Recommends it, noting its linear algebra, statistics, optimization, neural networks, and exercises.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It's a textbook.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gilbert Strang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "linear algebra",
        "machine learning",
        "neural networks"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "linear-algebra-and-matrix-theory-88e66b",
      "title": "Linear Algebra and Matrix Theory",
      "author": "Peter Nering",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23728159,
          "author": "graycat",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T22:24:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23728159",
          "commentText": "Linear algebra, and more than one such book.\nIMHO long and still the best linear algebra book is\nHalmos, Finite Dimensional Vector Spaces (FDVS).\nIt was written in 1942 when Halmos was an \"assistant\" to John von Neumann at the Institute for Advanced Study.  It is intended to be finite dimensional vector spaces but done with the techniques of Hilbert space.  The central result in the book, according to Halmos, is the spectral decomposition.  One result at a time, the quality of von Neumann comes through.  Commonly physicists have been given that book as their introduction to Hilbert space for quantum mechanics.\nBut FDVS is a little too much for a first book on linear algebra, or maybe even a second book, should be maybe a third one.\nAlso high quality is Nering, Linear Algebra and Matrix Theory.  Again, the quality comes through:  Nering was a student of Artin at Princeton.  There Nering does most of linear algebra on just finite fields, not just the real and complex fields; finite fields in linear algebra are important in error correcting codes.  So, that finite field work is a good introduction to abstract algebra.\nFor a first book on linear algebra, I'd recommend something easy.  The one I used was\nMurdoch,\nLinear Algebra for Undergraduates.\nIt's still okay if can find it.\nFor a first book, likely the one by Strang at MIT is good.  Just use it as a first book and don't take it too seriously since are going to cover all of it and more again later.\nI can recommend the beginning sections on vector spaces, convexity, and the inverse and implicit function theorems in\nFleming, Functions of Several Variables\nFleming was long at the Brown University Division of Applied Math. The later chapters are on measure theory, the Lebesgue integral, and the exterior algebra of differential forms, and there are better treatments.\nAlso there is now\nStephen Boyd and Lieven Vandenberghe, Introduction to Applied Linear Algebra – Vectors, Matrices, and Least Squares\nat\nhttp://vmls-book.stanford.edu/vmls.pdf\nSince the book is new, I've only       looked through it -- it looks like a good selection and arrangement of topics.  And Boyd is good, wrote a terrific book, maybe, IMHO likely, the best in the world, on convexity, which is in a sense is half of linearity.\nSome course slides are available at\nhttp://vmls-book.stanford.edu/\nFor reference for more, have a copy of\nRichard Bellman,\nIntroduction to Matrix Analysis:\nSecond Edition.\nBellman was famous for dynamic programming.\nFor computations in linear algebra, consider\nGeorge E. Forsythe and\nCleve B. Moler,\nComputer Solution of Linear Algebraic Systems\nalthough now the Linpack materials might be a better starting point for numerical linear algebra.  Numerical linear algebra is now a well developed specialized field, and the Linpack materials might be a good start on the best of the field.  Such linear algebra is apparently the main yardstick in evaluating the highly parallel supercomputers.\nAfter linear algebra go through\nRudin, Principles of Mathematical Analysis, Third Edition.\nHe does the Riemann integral very carefully, Fourier series, vector analysis via exterior algebra, and has the inverse and implicit function theorems (key to differential geometry, e.g., for relativity theory) as exercises.\nAll of this material is to get to the main goals of measure theory, the Lebesgue integral, Fourier theory, Hilbert space and Banach space as in, say, the first, real (not complex) half of\nRudin, Real and Complex Analysis\nBut for that I would start with\nRoyden, Real Analysis\nsweetheart writing on that math.\nDepending on the math department, those books might be enough to pass the Ph.D. qualifying exam in Analysis.  It was for me:  From those books I did the best in the class on that exam.\nMoreover, from independent study of Halmos, Nering, Fleming, Forsythe, linearity in statistics, and some more, I totally blew away all the students in a challenging second (maybe intentionally flunk out), advanced course in linear algebra and, then, did the best in the class on the corresponding qualifying exam, that is, where that second course was my first formal course in linear algebra.\nLesson:  Just self study of those books can give a really good background in linear algebra and its role in the rest of pure and applied math.\nNo joke, linear algebra, and the associated vector spaces, is one of the most important courses for more work in pure and applied math, engineering, and likely the future of computing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nering, Linear Algebra and Matrix Theory.",
          "reason": "Covers linear algebra over finite fields as well as the real and complex fields.",
          "audience": "Readers learning linear algebra and abstract algebra.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Nering"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "abstract algebra",
        "finite fields",
        "linear algebra"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "linear-algebra-for-dummies-ea6506",
      "title": "Linear Algebra for Dummies",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31707606,
          "author": "lamename",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-11T19:44:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31707606",
          "commentText": "I've found the \"_ for Dummies\" series to be quite clear for math. I used Linear Algebra for Dummies to brush up on some concepts recently to solve a problem at work.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I used Linear Algebra for Dummies to brush up on some concepts recently to solve a problem at work.",
          "reason": "Used it to review concepts for a work problem.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "linear algebra"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "linear-algebra-for-everyone-fb41b3",
      "title": "Linear Algebra for Everyone",
      "author": "Gilbert Strang",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31708955,
          "author": "krosaen",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-11T22:10:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31708955",
          "commentText": "Strang has a newer book aimed at being more approachable and tying in a preview of deep learning and other modern topics. I like it a lot.\n“Linear Algebra for Everyone”\nhttps://math.mit.edu/~gs/everyone/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Linear Algebra for Everyone”",
          "reason": "Recommends Strang’s newer, more approachable book, which previews deep learning and modern topics.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a more approachable linear algebra book.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gilbert Strang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "linear algebra"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "linear-algebra-for-undergraduates-a2df7f",
      "title": "Linear Algebra for Undergraduates",
      "author": "D. C. Murdoch",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23728159,
          "author": "graycat",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T22:24:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23728159",
          "commentText": "Linear algebra, and more than one such book.\nIMHO long and still the best linear algebra book is\nHalmos, Finite Dimensional Vector Spaces (FDVS).\nIt was written in 1942 when Halmos was an \"assistant\" to John von Neumann at the Institute for Advanced Study.  It is intended to be finite dimensional vector spaces but done with the techniques of Hilbert space.  The central result in the book, according to Halmos, is the spectral decomposition.  One result at a time, the quality of von Neumann comes through.  Commonly physicists have been given that book as their introduction to Hilbert space for quantum mechanics.\nBut FDVS is a little too much for a first book on linear algebra, or maybe even a second book, should be maybe a third one.\nAlso high quality is Nering, Linear Algebra and Matrix Theory.  Again, the quality comes through:  Nering was a student of Artin at Princeton.  There Nering does most of linear algebra on just finite fields, not just the real and complex fields; finite fields in linear algebra are important in error correcting codes.  So, that finite field work is a good introduction to abstract algebra.\nFor a first book on linear algebra, I'd recommend something easy.  The one I used was\nMurdoch,\nLinear Algebra for Undergraduates.\nIt's still okay if can find it.\nFor a first book, likely the one by Strang at MIT is good.  Just use it as a first book and don't take it too seriously since are going to cover all of it and more again later.\nI can recommend the beginning sections on vector spaces, convexity, and the inverse and implicit function theorems in\nFleming, Functions of Several Variables\nFleming was long at the Brown University Division of Applied Math. The later chapters are on measure theory, the Lebesgue integral, and the exterior algebra of differential forms, and there are better treatments.\nAlso there is now\nStephen Boyd and Lieven Vandenberghe, Introduction to Applied Linear Algebra – Vectors, Matrices, and Least Squares\nat\nhttp://vmls-book.stanford.edu/vmls.pdf\nSince the book is new, I've only       looked through it -- it looks like a good selection and arrangement of topics.  And Boyd is good, wrote a terrific book, maybe, IMHO likely, the best in the world, on convexity, which is in a sense is half of linearity.\nSome course slides are available at\nhttp://vmls-book.stanford.edu/\nFor reference for more, have a copy of\nRichard Bellman,\nIntroduction to Matrix Analysis:\nSecond Edition.\nBellman was famous for dynamic programming.\nFor computations in linear algebra, consider\nGeorge E. Forsythe and\nCleve B. Moler,\nComputer Solution of Linear Algebraic Systems\nalthough now the Linpack materials might be a better starting point for numerical linear algebra.  Numerical linear algebra is now a well developed specialized field, and the Linpack materials might be a good start on the best of the field.  Such linear algebra is apparently the main yardstick in evaluating the highly parallel supercomputers.\nAfter linear algebra go through\nRudin, Principles of Mathematical Analysis, Third Edition.\nHe does the Riemann integral very carefully, Fourier series, vector analysis via exterior algebra, and has the inverse and implicit function theorems (key to differential geometry, e.g., for relativity theory) as exercises.\nAll of this material is to get to the main goals of measure theory, the Lebesgue integral, Fourier theory, Hilbert space and Banach space as in, say, the first, real (not complex) half of\nRudin, Real and Complex Analysis\nBut for that I would start with\nRoyden, Real Analysis\nsweetheart writing on that math.\nDepending on the math department, those books might be enough to pass the Ph.D. qualifying exam in Analysis.  It was for me:  From those books I did the best in the class on that exam.\nMoreover, from independent study of Halmos, Nering, Fleming, Forsythe, linearity in statistics, and some more, I totally blew away all the students in a challenging second (maybe intentionally flunk out), advanced course in linear algebra and, then, did the best in the class on the corresponding qualifying exam, that is, where that second course was my first formal course in linear algebra.\nLesson:  Just self study of those books can give a really good background in linear algebra and its role in the rest of pure and applied math.\nNo joke, linear algebra, and the associated vector spaces, is one of the most important courses for more work in pure and applied math, engineering, and likely the future of computing.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Murdoch,\nLinear Algebra for Undergraduates.",
          "reason": "Suggested as an easy first book on linear algebra.",
          "audience": "Beginners studying linear algebra.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may be hard to find.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "D. C. Murdoch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "linear algebra"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "linear-algebra-a-modern-introduction-ef03e3",
      "title": "Linear Algebra: A Modern Introduction",
      "author": "David Poole",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31708012,
          "author": "photochemsyn",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-11T20:26:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31708012",
          "commentText": "I'll recommend Linear Algebra: A Modern Introduction by David Poole (which I picked up rather randomly in a library clearance sale for $2).  It tackles most subjects from both algebraic and geometric perspectives, so from the visual aspect it might fit.  What's particularly useful about it relative to HN is it leans into computational applications pretty heavily.\nFor example, if some particular method is computationally efficient relative to others, the text makes a note of it, and has lots of computational examples.  Most of the examples could be set up fairly straightforwardly with something like a Python notebook and Numpy for matrices.  It also covers things like computational errors wrt floating-point operations when doing vector and matrix calculations, efficient algorithms for approximating eigenvalues of a matrix, etc.\nAnd!, the full text is available on archive.org with a free account:\nhttps://archive.org/details/linearalgebramod0000pool",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'll recommend Linear Algebra: A Modern Introduction by David Poole",
          "reason": "Recommends it for its algebraic and geometric approaches and emphasis on computational applications and examples.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes finding it in a library clearance sale; no other limitation given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Poole"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computational mathematics",
        "linear algebra"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "linear-algebra-step-by-step-b444a9",
      "title": "Linear Algebra: Step by Step",
      "author": "Kuldeep Singh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31707425,
          "author": "harshreality",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-11T19:25:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31707425",
          "commentText": "Try Singh's _Linear Algebra: Step by Step_, along with youtube.\nHigher math tends to be abstract; you can't visualize higher-dimensional linear algebra concepts directly.  The standard resources (Strang, Axler, etc) are worth the effort.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Try Singh's _Linear Algebra: Step by Step_, along with youtube.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a linear algebra learning resource.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter also says higher-dimensional concepts cannot be visualized directly and names Strang and Axler as standard resources.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kuldeep Singh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "linear algebra"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "linked-how-everything-is-connected-to-everything-else-and-what-it-c477ef",
      "title": "Linked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means for Business, Science, and Everyday Life",
      "author": "Albert-László Barabási",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10325237,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T20:31:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325237",
          "commentText": "I'm sure there are many, but a few that jump to mind, in no particular order, and spanning both fiction and non-fiction:\nThe Selfish Gene - Dawkins\nA New Kind of Science - Wolfram\nThe Singularity is Near - Kurzweil\nGödel, Escher, Bach - Hofstadter\nFluid Concepts and Creative Analogies - Hofstadter\nAtlas Shrugged - Rand\nThe Fountainhead - Rand\nNineteen Eighty-Four - Orwell\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nAmbient Findability - Peter Morville\nEmergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software - Steven Johnson\nSix Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age - Duncan Watts\nLinked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means for Business, Science, and Everyday Life - Albert-laszlo Barabasi\nArtificial Life - Steven Levy\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nThe World is Flat - Thomas Friedman\nnot a book, but the various writings of Douglas Engelbart - http://www.dougengelbart.org/library/library.html\nGlasshouse - Charles Stross\nPermutation City - Greg Egan\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nThe Shockwave Rider - John Brunner\nThe Society of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nThe Origin of Wealth: The Radical Remaking of Economics and What it Means for Business and Society - Eric Beinhocker\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nFooled By Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Linked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means for Business, Science, and Everyday Life - Albert-laszlo Barabasi",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Albert-László Barabási"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "complex networks",
        "network science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "linked-the-new-science-of-networks-8ae1be",
      "title": "Linked: The New Science of Networks",
      "author": "Albert-László Barabási",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18662508,
          "author": "amuresan",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T09:26:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18662508",
          "commentText": "1. La peste (Albert Camus) - entertaining if you're into French existentialism\n2. Linked (Barabasi) - insightful and useful to understand that most phenomenon we see in real life follow a power law and what that means\n3. Leonardo da Vinci (Walter Isaacson) - surprising how little of da Vinci's real personality is reflected in his modern image\n4. Matrix computations – third edition (Gene Golub, Charles van Loan) - good read if you're into linear algebra\n5. Giving effective feedback (Harvard business review) - useful for getting an understanding on how to handle human interaction\n6. The old man and the sea (Ernest Hemingway) - enjoyed it a lot, a reflection of Hemingway's romantic spirit. Also, a quick read.\n7. Screwjack (Hunter S. Thompson) - didn't resonate with me although I am a fan of existentialism\n8. Sun and steel (Yukio Mishima) - raw and intimate. before reading this book I'd recommend reading up on Mishima's life\n9. Stranger than fiction (Chuck Palahniuck) - somewhat entertaining, more so because it served as a glimpse into Palahniuck's creative process\n10. Thinking in Systems: A Primer (Dana Meadows) - useful for understanding that in modern life we have complex systems at work with emergent behavior that we didn't expect. Trying to isolate / model a single component of one of these systems is a flawed approach.\n11. Chaos monkeys (Antonio Garcia Martinez) - entertaining, but quite long\n12. Weapons of math destruction (Cathy O'Neil) - in a way, similar to Thinking in systems, but at an applied level. Shows how rules in modern society can have unintended negative consequences when hidden negative feedback loops emerge from the complex system they are embedded in.\n13. Lolita (Nabokov) - a brilliant novel from many points of view. Although the topic is controversial, it is a book that had to be written.\n14. The prince (Machiavelli) - an interesting read. It was intended as a guide to the young price Cesare Borgia from his teacher Machiavelli. The secret to enjoying it is not to judge it by modern morality.\n15. Give and take (Adam Grant) - psychology research about giving / taking / matching personality types presented in a book for the masses. I would not read it again; watching a presentation online should be enough to get the point across.\n16. Mécanique (Landau, Lifchitz) - refresh of mechanics\n17. Do androids dream of electric sheep (Philip K. Dick) - enjoyable and entertaining! I'm surprised how different the feel of the book is compared to the Blade runner films. In the book androids are purely rational beings, whereas the film wraps them in an aura of romanticism.\n18. How we learn (Benedict Carey) - decades of learning research condensed in a book\n19. Advanced Calculus: A Differential Forms Approach (Harold M. Edwards) - the best math book I've read so far! For me it was eye-opening in a fundamental way. Edwards is truly a gifted teacher.\n20. Three men in a boat (Jerome K. Jerome) - enjoyable and amusing\n21. Getting to yes (Roger Fisher, William Ury) - negotiation book, nicely written and structured\n22. Without a word (Zhang Jie) - historical novel by one of China's most acclaimed modern writers. I don't have a good reference to compare against since this was my first Chinese novel, but overall I did enjoy it. It felt real and raw.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "insightful and useful to understand that most phenomenon we see in real life follow a power law",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is insightful and useful for understanding power laws in real life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Albert-László Barabási"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "network science",
        "power laws"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "linkers-and-loaders-4db683",
      "title": "Linkers and Loaders",
      "author": "John R. Levine",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 136952,
          "author": "dedalus",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-14T17:53:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 136875,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good compiler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=136952",
          "commentText": "The fundamental book to read would be \"Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation\" (\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Automata-Theory-Languages... (http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Automata-Theory-Languages-Computation/dp/0321462254/))\nThen proceed to Dragonbook.\nAfter finishing Dragonbook, you might like this Linkers and loaders (http://www.amazon.com/Linkers-Kaufmann-Software-Engineering-... (http://www.amazon.com/Linkers-Kaufmann-Software-Engineering-Programming/dp/1558604960))\nIn general follow this guy Jeff Ullman and you would be good(http://infolab.stanford.edu/~ullman/)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "After finishing Dragonbook, you might like this Linkers and loaders",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a possible follow-up after the Dragon Book.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in linkers and loaders.",
          "caveat": "Presented as an optional follow-up.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John R. Levine"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "linkers",
        "loaders"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "linux-command-line-and-shell-scripting-bible-54508b",
      "title": "Linux Command Line and Shell Scripting Bible",
      "author": "Richard Blum and Christine Bresnahan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2415365,
          "author": "nikcub",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T15:08:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2415365",
          "commentText": "The best way to learn the UNIX tools is in the context of shell scripting and using the combination of tools to achieve a purpose (such as parsing log files, setting up shortcuts as part of your dev toolchain)\n1. Understand the philosophy behind UNIX. ie. everything is a file and it is small apps that are very good at a single task that can be combined through pipes etc. to process larger tasks (this has lost its way somewhat in Linux, but still holds true)\n2. Look at your computer usage through development, sysadmin, etc. and find parts that you want to automate, and then set out to write scripts to complete these tasks. for eg. in each one of my projects I have a script called start.sh which has a bunch of tasks implemented (eg. backup, serve, dns (to update dyndns for callbacks), push, diff, deploy, stage (run remote commands) etc.). Remember that git is itself a set of shell scripts, as are most server management commands. Take a peak inside each of these to learn how they are implemented.\n3. Once you have a good understanding of what you want to implement, just go for it. Learn along the way by using Bash scripting, regular expressions, an understanding of UNIX/Linux, sed, awk, yacc/bison (to analyze code and extract info). You will end up building your own collection of shell scripts, environment variables, .vimrc, ssh, curl (you can do almost any API request and auth with curl and a shell script - automate tweets, RSS feeds) etc. (I have been meaning to publish my own, the most recent one I wrote greps my code for TODO's and pushes them to a simple webapp where I can view them, sort them, etc. along side my 'personal' todo list)\n4. You need two sets of resources, one is for learning, the other is for reference which you keep handy. Here are my own recommendations:\nLearning:\nThe learning style book comes down a lot to personal preference. You can go wrong, so get a feel for each topic by reading online tutorials and then scan the TOC and sample chapters of books that look good. A subscription to O'Reilly Safari comes in handy. There are now also a lot of screencasts online, try searching YouTube for the topic with 'screencast' or 'tutorial', once you find a good screencast publisher look at the rest of his/her videos.\nYou can also get the O'Reilly books on special in bundles sometimes, check their website\nThere is no book that really introduces UNIX and then covers most of these topics as I described. ie. 'UNIX for Developers'.\n* UNIX:\n- FreeBSD handbook: http://www.freebsd.org/doc/handbook/\n- Linux Documentation Project: http://tldp.org/LDP/\n- Linux Command Line and Shell Scripting Bible: http://www.amazon.com/Linux-Command-Shell-Scripting-Bible/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/Linux-Command-Shell-Scripting-Bible/dp/047025128X/)\n- UNIX In a Nutshell (I haven't read this in a while but it is on my shelf): http://oreilly.com/catalog/9781565924277\n- Learning UNIX (also O'Reilly): http://www.amazon.com/Learning-UNIX-Operating-System-Fifth/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Learning-UNIX-Operating-System-Fifth/dp/0596002610)\n* Bash:\n- http://linuxcommand.org/\n- http://bash.cyberciti.biz/guide/Main_Page (better, and v good)\n- Learning the Bash shell: http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596009656/\n- Advanced Bash Scripting (online): http://tldp.org/LDP/abs/html/\n- YouTube playlist: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=2284887FAE36E6D8\n* Regular Expressions:\n- Mastering Regular Expressions (this is such a great book. I didn't like regexp until I picked this up eons ago): http://oreilly.com/catalog/9781565922570\n* sed/awk/grep etc.\n- sed & awk (O'Reilly): http://oreilly.com/catalog/9781565922259\n* Vim/Vi:\n- vimcasts (screencasts): http://vimcasts.org\n- more screencasts (these are great): http://vimeo.com/user1690209/videos\n- learning vi: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1565924266\nReference:\nOn my browser toolbar, I have a folder called '_ref', it has around 70+ bookmarks (online documentation, cheatsheats) in it each titled what the link is a reference for (ie. 'vi', 'bash' etc.). I will publish it online, and will post the links here. I have collected the links over years.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Linux Command Line and Shell Scripting Bible: http://www.amazon.com/Linux-Command-Shell-Scripting-Bible/dp...",
          "reason": "Listed under UNIX learning resources.",
          "audience": "Readers learning Linux command-line use and shell scripting.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Blum and Christine Bresnahan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "command line",
        "linux",
        "shell scripting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "linux-device-drivers-cf8fca",
      "title": "Linux Device Drivers",
      "author": "Jonathan Corbet, Alessandro Rubini, and Greg Kroah-Hartman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8000466,
          "author": "wbsun",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T18:30:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8000466",
          "commentText": "Linux Device Drivers: http://lwn.net/Kernel/LDD3/\nThe best and free kernel book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Linux Device Drivers: http://lwn.net/Kernel/LDD3/\nThe best and free kernel book.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best kernel book and notes that it is free.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Corbet, Alessandro Rubini, and Greg Kroah-Hartman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "device drivers",
        "linux kernel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "linux-device-drivers-3rd-edition-4e549d",
      "title": "Linux Device Drivers, 3rd Edition",
      "author": "Jonathan Corbet, Alessandro Rubini, and Greg Kroah-Hartman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7757126,
          "author": "sunny1304",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:37:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7757126",
          "commentText": "Linux Device Drivers, 3rd Edition\nstill not finished, but this is best book i have encountered for linux driver programming.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "this is best book i have encountered for linux driver programming.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the best book they have encountered for Linux driver programming.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not finished reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Corbet, Alessandro Rubini, and Greg Kroah-Hartman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "device drivers",
        "kernel programming",
        "linux"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "linux-networking-internals-ed9332",
      "title": "Linux Networking Internals",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8003812,
          "author": "nezo",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-08T10:29:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8003812",
          "commentText": "I haven't finished it yet, but Linux Networking Internals was really amazing. It is a bit low-level, but even though I never really wanted to code low-level Linux, it taught me a lot about Linux's ways to handle incoming data and forward data, etc.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I haven't finished it yet, but Linux Networking Internals was really amazing.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it amazing and says it taught them about Linux data handling and forwarding.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Linux networking internals.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not finished it and notes that it is low-level.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "linux networking",
        "network internals"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lions-commentary-on-unix-6th-edition-with-source-code-42f2cf",
      "title": "Lions' Commentary on UNIX 6th Edition, with Source Code",
      "author": "John Lions",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33133632,
          "author": "fargle",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T16:28:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33133632",
          "commentText": "Here's another vote for K&R. If you want to understand why C and UNIX were so successful, it comes down to simply excellent communication. And remember - no web, no internet, no WYSIWYG word processors, etc. at the time.\nTo appreciate C properly, I think at some point you need to become a bit of a historian. Look at BCPL. Look at what assembly listings looked like or old Fortran. Read some of the very early papers from C and UNIX history. Check out Lions' commentary on UNIX. When you see a little of the problem C was invented to solve, it becomes a lot easier to understand why it is what it is. There's a lot of angst about why C allows Bad-Thing-X or doesn't have New-Fancy-Thing-Y. Nobody seems to remember what a change it brought to writing systems code.\nThen you can compare it to things written in modern C (C99+) and see that yes it has evolved quite nicely and can, if used correctly, be a nice application language too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Check out Lions' commentary on UNIX.",
          "reason": "Suggests it as part of studying early C and UNIX history.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring the history of C and UNIX.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Lions"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "operating systems history",
        "unix"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "liquid-intelligence-e96773",
      "title": "Liquid Intelligence",
      "author": "Dave Arnold",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910443,
          "author": "kevinmchugh",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:47:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910443",
          "commentText": "Command And Control, by Eric Schlosser. A history of America's nuclear weapons program and it's many near-disasters.\nRaven, by Tim Reiterman. Biography of Jim Jones by one of the journalists who'd reported the story the longest.\nLiquid Intelligence, by Dave Arnold. Everything you need to know to understand cocktails and make good ones.\nOn Food and Cooking, by Harold McGee. An exhaustive reference on the history and science of food and ingredients. Every page has something surprising and useful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Everything you need to know to understand cocktails and make good ones.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dave Arnold"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cocktails",
        "mixology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "listen-liberal-c071a7",
      "title": "Listen, Liberal!",
      "author": "Thomas Frank",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11699713,
          "author": "Futurebot",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-15T06:08:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11699713",
          "commentText": "\"Listen, Liberal!\" by Thomas Frank. A must-read if you care about politics in America",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Listen, Liberal!\" by Thomas Frank. A must-read if you care about politics in America",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a must-read for people who care about American politics.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in politics in America.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Frank"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american politics",
        "liberalism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "listen-little-man-4fa3bc",
      "title": "Listen, Little Man!",
      "author": "Wilhelm Reich",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9674847,
          "author": "fakturk",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T14:54:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674847",
          "commentText": "The Third Wave - Alvin Toffler\nListen Little Man - Wilhelm Reich\nPraise to Hell - Gunduz Vassaf (actully I read this book in turkish and I don't know is it translated to english but I still want to recommend this one)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Listen Little Man - Wilhelm Reich",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the request for a mind-blowing book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Wilhelm Reich"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "social criticism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "literate-programming-e4eb4d",
      "title": "Literate Programming",
      "author": "Donald E. Knuth",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29307722,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T15:53:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29307722",
          "commentText": "> I thought Knuts Literate Programming book (https://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/lp.html) was extremely interesting, the paper \"the errors of TeX\" which is a part of it is one of the more interesting papers I've read.\nI haven't read any of Knuth's stuff because doesn't having 7 volumes kinda imply it can't possibly be well edited? Or maybe I really do just need to suck it up and read these books. I know it's not the same exact book but I took his style to be to generate encyclopedic tomes rather than interesting reading.\n> Algorithms + Data structures = Programs\nOo a Wirth book. Those are always good.\n> I know you said no to the little schemer but you technically didn't mention The Reasoned Schemer\nMan you're cutting it close there!",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I haven't read any of Knuth's stuff because doesn't having 7 volumes kinda imply it can't possibly be well edited?",
          "reason": "Questions whether Knuth's work is well edited and describes its style as encyclopedic rather than engaging.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read Knuth's work.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14842476,
          "author": "Jtsummers",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-24T20:41:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14842476",
          "commentText": "Literate Programming, Knuth. My methods have evolved since I first read and started toying with the ideas here, but this is where it started.\nhttp://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~uno/lp.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Literate Programming, Knuth.",
          "reason": "Says this is where their methods for structuring code started.",
          "audience": "Programmers interested in structuring code and projects.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says their methods have evolved since reading it.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donald E. Knuth"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literate programming",
        "software documentation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "little-heroes-01ae24",
      "title": "Little Heroes",
      "author": "Norman Spinrad",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3235074,
          "author": "waterlesscloud",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-14T18:33:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3235074",
          "commentText": "The Road To Reality - Roger Penrose.  Slowly, step by step.\nNeuromancer - William Gibson.  6th or 7th time through. Coming to it now after having read Delany's Nova, and the influence is clear.\nLittle Heroes - Norman Spinrad.  All that's good about Spinrad and all that's bad.  He does write well about Hollywood.\nHistory Of Film- David Parkinson.  A short survey text, sort of a review for me.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Little Heroes - Norman Spinrad. All that's good about Spinrad and all that's bad.",
          "reason": "Says it contains both what is good and what is bad about Spinrad.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter also says Spinrad writes well about Hollywood.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Norman Spinrad"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "music industry",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": []
    },
    {
      "id": "little-mole-a451f9",
      "title": "Little Mole",
      "author": "Zdeněk Miler",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50117208,
          "author": "ultrasandwich",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T11:43:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50117208",
          "commentText": "I have some English translations of Janosch books for my 1 year old. She loves them. Would also recommend any English translations of Der kleine Maulwurf.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Der kleine Maulwurf",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends English translations.",
          "audience": "Young children; English translations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Zdeněk Miler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "little-owl-lost-5b0f89",
      "title": "Little Owl Lost",
      "author": "Chris Haughton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34634686,
          "author": "mixmastamyk",
          "createdAt": "2023-02-02T23:16:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 34634274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books your kids like most",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34634686",
          "commentText": "> rival the TV and YT junk\nCan't compete with these, nope.  Only way is to limit them a few hours a day or less.  The ability to relax and be bored is essential to support the desire to read.\nWe did it an hour before bed every night under warm lighting.  Loved Dr. Seuss' Cat in the Hat, The Lorax, Grinch, Oh, the Places You'll Go!\nEngelbreit's Mother Goose, Nursery Rhymes set.\nLoved The Police Cloud by Chris Neimann, and Little Owl Lost by Chris Haughton.\nWe liked The Giving Tree, but be prepared as it shows a dysfunctional relationship.  We took it as a \"teachable moment.\"\nAgree with those who say to go to the library for variety.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Little Owl Lost by Chris Haughton.",
          "reason": "Named among books loved during nightly reading.",
          "audience": "Young children.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris Haughton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "owls",
        "picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "little-pea-a88038",
      "title": "Little Pea",
      "author": "Amy Krouse Rosenthal",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26775082,
          "author": "rmk",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-12T00:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26775082",
          "commentText": "- Good Night, Moon\n- The Runaway Bunny\n- Harold and the Purple Crayon\n- Grandfather Twilight (for slightly older children)\n- Sandra Boynton books\n- Max's Breakfast (and other books)\n- I Read Signs (Tana Hoban; other books by her also quite good)\n- Go! Go! Go! Stop! (Cherise Mericle Harper)\n- Little Pea (Amy Krouse Rosenthal)\n- Trucks, My Car (and other Byron Barton books)\n- The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Eric Carle; some other books by this author are also good)\n- Roadwork (Sally Sutton; also in the same vein by the illustrator Brian Lovelock: Demolition, Flight of the Honey Bee, The Rain Train).\nMany others come to mind, but these are well-loved.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Little Pea (Amy Krouse Rosenthal)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Amy Krouse Rosenthal"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "little-people-big-dreams-ae9a58",
      "title": "Little People, BIG DREAMS",
      "author": "Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26788545,
          "author": "fiftyacorn",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-13T05:56:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26788545",
          "commentText": "Little people big ideas books might interest them. Its a range about people who changed the world in some way. So scientists, artist's, ...\nI always found just reading fact books was better than stories",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Little people big ideas books might interest them.",
          "reason": "A series of books about people who changed the world.",
          "audience": "Young children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Maria Isabel Sánchez Vegara"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s biographies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "little-big-adca9b",
      "title": "Little, Big",
      "author": "John Crowley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25848254,
          "author": "zebraflask",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T16:21:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25848254",
          "commentText": "For a fantasy classic, you could try John Crowley's Little, Big, which was reputedly the late lit critic Harold Bloom's favorite novel. Bloom notoriously hated most fantasy novels - the Harry Potter series in particular - so that's a noticeable endorsement.\nFor an older fantasy series, you could also try Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast trilogy (starts with Titus Groan), which actually predates the Lord of the Rings and has a crowd that thinks it's better written. I think Neil Gaiman has worked on a TV series adaptation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you could try John Crowley's Little, Big",
          "reason": "Suggests the novel as a fantasy classic.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in fantasy classics.",
          "caveat": "The endorsement cited is Harold Bloom's reported preference.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Crowley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lives-f9eac0",
      "title": "Lives",
      "author": "Hendrik Willem van Loon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 876246,
          "author": "iang",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T07:25:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876246",
          "commentText": "Sophie's World - Jostein Gaarder\nLives - Hendrik van Loon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lives - Hendrik van Loon",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hendrik Willem van Loon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biographical sketches"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lives-of-the-noble-grecians-and-romans-717bda",
      "title": "Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans",
      "author": "Plutarch",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 456347,
          "author": "pskomoroch",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T14:15:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456347",
          "commentText": "I used to have a lot more time for non CS reading and actually made an Amazon list on this topic back in 2005:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/2INJSM38... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/2INJSM38IDMDZ/ref=cm_sw_r_de_lm)\n1.  On War (Everyman's Library (Cloth)) by Carl Von Clausewitz\n2.  Leadership: The Warrior's Art by Barry R. McCaffrey\n3.  Small Unit Leadership: A Commonsense Approach by Dandridge M. Malone\n4.  The Defense of Hill 781: An Allegory of Modern Mechanized Combat by James R. McDonough\n5.  The Art of Maneuver: Maneuver-Warfare Theory and AirLand Battle by Robert Leonhard\n6.  Strategy: Second Revised Edition (Meridian) by B. H. Liddell Hart\n7.  The Art of War by Niccolò Machiavelli\n8.  Hagakure: The Book of the Samauri by Tsunetomo Yamamoto\n9.  The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius\n10.  The Art of War (Shambhala classics) by Sun Tzu\n11.  The Prince (Bantam Classics) by Niccolo Machiavelli\n12.  Evolutionary Game Theory by Jörgen W. Weibull\n13.  On Guerrilla Warfare by Mao Tse-tung\n14.  The History of the Peloponnesian War: Revised Edition (Penguin Classics) by Thucydides\n15.  The Histories (Penguin Classics) by Herodotus\n16.  The Persian Expedition (Penguin Classics) by Xenophon\n17.  Plutarch: Lives of Noble Grecians and Romans (Modern Library Series, Vol. 1) by Plutarch\n18.  Plutarch's Lives, Volume 2 (Modern Library Classics) by Plutarch\n19.  Livy: The Early History of Rome, Books I-V (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 1-5) by Titus Livy\n20.  The History of Rome from Its Foundation, Books XXI-XXX: The War with Hannibal (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 21-30) by Titus Livius Livy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "17.  Plutarch: Lives of Noble Grecians and Romans (Modern Library Series, Vol. 1) by Plutarch",
          "reason": "Included in a list of military strategy books answering the thread's request.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking books about military strategy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Plutarch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient rome",
        "classical biography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "living-buddha-living-christ-4e3e2b",
      "title": "Living Buddha, Living Christ",
      "author": "Thich Nhat Hanh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15156533,
          "author": "jeffersonheard",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:44:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156533",
          "commentText": "Getting More - Stuart Diamond. I still think this is the best book on the art of negotiation.\nGetting Things Done - David Allen. If you have adult ADHD like me, and you haven't read this, it's the first system that's really worked for productivity for me.\nMan's Search for Meaning - Victor Frankl.\nLiving Buddha, Living Christ - Thich Nhat Hanh.\nCosmos - Carl Sagan.\nThe Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. LeGuin.\nThe One who Walks Away from Omelas - U.K. LeGuin.\nWild Seed - Octavia Butler.\nThe Heike Monogatari - (tr. Helen Craig McCullough) “The sound of the Gion Shoja temple bells echoes the impermanence of all things; the color of the sala flowers reveals the truth that to flourish is to fall. The proud do not endure, like a passing dream on a night in spring; the mighty fall at last, to be no more than dust before the wind.” If you need a comparison. this is the Japanese historical equivalent of Game of Thrones combined with a bit of MacBeth. The rise and fall of two shogunate families, and an analysis of the tragic flaws of character that brought their fall about.\nLes Miserables - Victor Hugo.\nSmall Gods - Terry Pratchett.\nHeart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad.\nThe Guide - R. K. Narayan.\nEvidence - Mary Oliver.\nAll of Us - The Collected Poetry of Raymond Carver.\nSilence - Shusaku Endo.\nThe Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald.\nThe Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Murakami Haruki. This and the next four are odd choices, perhaps, since it's a surrealist book, but IMO books that force your imagination to work hard do as much for creativity and fresh ideas as any of the more popular methods.\nThe Well-Built City (The Physiognomy / Memoranda / The Beyond) Jeffery Ford - Surrealist novellas best described as about the protagonist living and achieving agency within the constructs, dreams, and nightmares of a \"Great Man's\" mind.\nSnow Crash - Neal Stephenson.\nGravity's Rainbow - Thomas Pynchon.\nDhalgren - Samuel L. \"Chip\" Delany.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Living Buddha, Living Christ - Thich Nhat Hanh.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thich Nhat Hanh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhism",
        "christianity",
        "interfaith"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "living-documentation-continuous-knowledge-sharing-by-design-217fb9",
      "title": "Living Documentation: Continuous Knowledge Sharing by Design",
      "author": "Cyrille Martraire",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32342948,
          "author": "unexist",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-04T13:56:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32342948",
          "commentText": "There are probably dozen of possible books, but I think this one matches your description perfectly:\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34927405-living-document... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34927405-living-documentation)\nJust for reference, here is a classic about writing in general:\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/53343.On_Writing_Well",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this one matches your description perfectly",
          "reason": "The linked book is described as a strong match for the request.",
          "audience": "People seeking help with technical writing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cyrille Martraire"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "living documentation",
        "technical writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "living-high-and-letting-die-5889f6",
      "title": "Living High and Letting Die",
      "author": "Peter Unger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503580,
          "author": "gjm11",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T13:10:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503580",
          "commentText": "Obviously anyone's recommendations are going to tell you as much about that person's philosophical preferences as about the actual books. We might be able to do better if you told us more about your own interests and prejudices. Anyway, here are a few recommendations:\nEthics and (technical questions about) personal identity: \"Reasons and persons\", by Derek Parfit. Quite heavy going, but Parfit's an outstandingly clear thinker and there are some very good ideas here.\nApplied ethics: \"Living high and letting die\", by Peter Unger. Argues for the counterintuitive conclusion that basically all of us in the affluent West have an obligation to do (not just somewhat more but) vastly more for the least well-off.\nPhilosophy of religion (from a definitely atheist perspective): \"The miracle of theism\", by John Mackie. Quite dense, but well written, clear and mostly fair. Much much more seriously intellectually than any of the recent \"New Atheist\" books.\nPhilosophy of mind, epistemology, ethics, decision theory, philosophy of physics, many other things: \"Good and Real\", by Gary Drescher. \"A breathtakingly original assault on all the Big Issues!\", says Daniel Dennett, and he's right.\nRecommended on just about any topic: the \"Oxford Readings in Philosophy\" series of anthologies. Each volume consists of a lengthy introduction followed by somewhere on the order of 10 important articles from the primary literature. Generally very approachable and well selected.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Living high and letting die\", by Peter Unger. Argues for the counterintuitive conclusion that basically all of us in the affluent West have an obligation to do (not just somewhat more but) vastly more for the least well-off.",
          "reason": "Recommends it under applied ethics and summarizes its argument.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in applied ethics.",
          "caveat": "Its conclusion is described as counterintuitive.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Unger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "applied ethics",
        "global poverty"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lobbying-for-zionism-on-both-sides-of-the-atlantic-b83908",
      "title": "Lobbying for Zionism on Both Sides of the Atlantic",
      "author": "Ilan Pappé",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47318670,
          "author": "nodra",
          "createdAt": "2026-03-10T03:03:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 47315415,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47318670",
          "commentText": "Reading Lobbying for Zionism on Both Sides of the Atlantic by Ilan Pappe.  Learning quite a bit on a subject I didn’t know much about.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Reading Lobbying for Zionism on Both Sides of the Atlantic by Ilan Pappe. Learning quite a bit on a subject I didn’t know much about.",
          "reason": "The commenter is learning about a subject they previously knew little about.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ilan Pappé"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "lobbying",
        "zionism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "locust-the-devastating-rise-and-mysterious-disappearance-of-the-i-1761ba",
      "title": "Locust: The Devastating Rise and Mysterious Disappearance of the Insect that Shaped the American Frontier",
      "author": "Jeffrey A. Lockwood",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18664055,
          "author": "cwal37",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T14:20:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664055",
          "commentText": "A few of my faves.\nNon-Fiction\nBy Adam Tooze: Crashed, and Wages of Destruction. Both excellent economic histories, the former covering the recent financial crisis and its aftermath, the latter on the Nazi economy. Tooze does an excellent job coming up with larger trends and global narratives, I'm often amazed at just how much he's able to keep in his head.\nBy Richard Rothstein: The Color of Law. A quick, informative, yet more than thorough enough on the factual, legal prevention that American employed over the majority of the 20th century to prevent black Americans form participating in the housing market, both personal home ownership and public housing (a major institutional driver of household wealth and success tarting in the early 20th century).\nBy Jeffrey Lockwood: Locust: The Devastating Rise and Mysterious Disappearance of the Insect that Shaped the American Frontier. I had no idea the American frontier was home to devastating largest-in-the-world locust plagues that suddenly disappeared near the end of the 19th century.\nBy Peter Brannen: The Ends of the World. A great primer on mass extinctions and their often geologic causes.\nBy Rick Perstein: Nixonland. Still working on this one, but a deep dive into that era of American politics feels quite relevant at the moment, except that everything today feels stupid in comparison.\nFiction\nBy N.K. Jemisin: The Broken Earth trilogy. A really great self-contained story, extremely evocative, and the author actually puts out great books at an amazingly fast pace.\nCooking\nBy Stella Parks: Bravetart: Iconic American Desserts. If you like baking, and the history of iconic American baked goods this is a must have/read. Never thought I'd spend so much time on a carrot cake.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "By Jeffrey Lockwood: Locust: The Devastating Rise and Mysterious Disappearance of the Insect that Shaped the American Frontier.",
          "reason": "The commenter shares a surprising history of massive locust plagues and their disappearance.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeffrey A. Lockwood"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american frontier",
        "locusts"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "logic-and-knowledge-33f4a1",
      "title": "Logic and Knowledge",
      "author": "Bertrand Russell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15159375,
          "author": "mrmyers",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T02:26:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15159375",
          "commentText": "Modeling the world generally (as in, why mathematics works and can apply to the real world):\n  =Bertrand Russell=\n  * An Inquiry into Meaning and Truth\n  * A Theory of Knowledge\n  * Logic and Knowledge\n  =W.V. Quine=\n  * Word and Object\n  * Mathematical Logic\n  =Norbert Weiner=\n  * Cybernetics: Or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine\n  =Smullyan=\n  * Diagonalization and Self Reference\n\nSquishy Human Things:\n  Thomas Kuhn      - The Structure of Scientific Revolutions\n  Norbert Weiner   - The Human Use of Human-Beings\n  Bertrand Russell - A History of Western Philosophy\n  Karl Popper      - The Open Society and Its Enemies\n  Daniel Dennet    - Consciousness Explained\n  E. Abbot Abbot   - Flatland",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Logic and Knowledge",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bertrand Russell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epistemology",
        "logic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "logic-as-algebra-29c040",
      "title": "Logic as Algebra",
      "author": "Paul Halmos",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7578280,
          "author": "j2kun",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T16:30:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578280",
          "commentText": "I have essentially taught myself everything I know about analysis to suit my needs (and I'm probably worse off for it). I really wish there were a book like \"Analysis from a computational perspective,\" which I suppose is just numerical analysis but I have yet to find any books that suit me in that topic either. That being said, something like Christianini's \"Introduction to Support Vector Machines\" has doubled as a synthesizing text on basic functional analysis for me. My recommendation, if you're comfortable with proofs that you would see in abstract algebra, is to jump right into baby Rudin or any other undergrad-level analysis text. I view them all pretty much the same.\nLikewise I essentially learned all the probability theory and combinatorics I know from people and scraps, so I can't recommend a synthesizing text.\nUndergraduate geometry can be a mess, so you should know what you're looking for. There are three kinds of undergraduate geometry classes: 1. Euclid's Elements (ugh), 2. The hyperbolic version of Euclid's Elements (meh), and 3. The \"Erlangen Programme\" style, which involves studying geometry via group theory and linear algebra. As you can probably tell, my recommendation is to study the last, because you already know group theory and with the other two you'll spend a lot of time wondering whether you can apply some basic obvious fact to prove some other basic obvious fact. The Erlangen style also allows you to describe projective and hyperbolic geometry via linear algebra (as well as the Euclid way), which is far more useful. See, for example, my post on projective geometry for elliptic curves [1]. I went through all three styles, but the last unfortunately had no textbook.\nI'm not a huge fan of logic/set theory, but again the best treatment I can see for basic logic is to view it as algebra. In that vein, Halmos's \"Logic as Algebra\" was all I needed, and the prose is superb. This book does not contain any real set theory (say, about higher cardinals), but it's nice and short.\n[1]: http://jeremykun.com/2014/02/16/elliptic-curves-as-algebraic... (http://jeremykun.com/2014/02/16/elliptic-curves-as-algebraic-structures/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Halmos's \"Logic as Algebra\" was all I needed, and the prose is superb",
          "reason": "Recommended for basic logic, with praise for its prose and brevity.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a basic treatment of logic.",
          "caveat": "It does not cover set theory such as higher cardinals.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Halmos"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algebra",
        "logic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "logic-in-computer-science-modelling-and-reasoning-about-systems-f5ca9b",
      "title": "Logic in Computer Science: Modelling and Reasoning about Systems",
      "author": "Michael Huth and Mark Ryan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31176215,
          "author": "nextos",
          "createdAt": "2022-04-27T04:14:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 31166475,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Top inspiring books on crucial CS ideas?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31176215",
          "commentText": "You will get lots of PLT recommendations, so I will get a bit more theoretical but still close to applications.\nFor me CS is all about logic and types in the same way classical math is mostly about algebra and calculus.\nA great text for logic is Huth & Ryan: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AKE1QXQ\nA great text for type theory is TAPL: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08H18R67V\nA superb combination of both is Concrete Semantics: http://concrete-semantics.org/concrete-semantics.pdf\nKnowing the material in these books is sufficient to land a high end verification job.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A great text for logic is Huth & Ryan:",
          "reason": "Recommends Huth and Ryan's text for logic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Huth",
        "Mark Ryan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "formal logic",
        "formal methods"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "logical-investigations-44755c",
      "title": "Logical Investigations",
      "author": "Edmund Husserl",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503488,
          "author": "michael_dorfman",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T11:16:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503488",
          "commentText": "I think the quality of advice you're getting on this thread is very mixed.\nSome of the books mentioned are absolutely great-- like \"Being and Time\", or Husserl's \"Logical Investigations\"-- but incredibly difficult to read unprepared.  If you were ready to be reading them, you wouldn't be asking the question here.\nThe two books you mention in the question (Common Sense and \"On the Fourfold Root\") are both quite readable, as are a few of the primary texts mentioned in the responses (\"Existentialism is a Humanism\", \"Thus Spoke Zarathustra\") but in general, I'd have to suggest you stay away from primary texts at first.\nIn other words, begin by reading works about philosophy, rather than works of philosophy.\nA single-volume work on the history of philosophy will give you the broad scope (for example, Durant, or Russell, or \"Sophie's World\" if you prefer fiction), but will tend to turn the philosophers discussed into caricatures of themselves.\nYou mention that you are in school; I'd suggest you take a philosophy course or two, if you are interested in the field.  Having an experienced guide will definitely help.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Husserl's \"Logical Investigations\"-- but incredibly difficult to read unprepared.",
          "reason": "Described as incredibly difficult to read without preparation.",
          "audience": "Readers approaching primary philosophy texts.",
          "caveat": "The comment says it is difficult to read unprepared.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edmund Husserl"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "logic",
        "phenomenology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "logical-labyrinths-eb7086",
      "title": "Logical Labyrinths",
      "author": "Raymond Smullyan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8401598,
          "author": "eli_gottlieb",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:45:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401598",
          "commentText": "Recently finished:\nDown and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow -- frankly, I found it kind of boring, and also found the narrator unsympathetic.  I'm not sure if the author intended him to be an Unreliable Narrator or not.\nFacts, Values, and Norms by Peter Railton --  Gains three stars for combining serious consideration of ethical and meta-ethical issues with a completely naturalistic worldview and a genuine grappling with history and ideology. Loses two stars for being far, far too long-winded and using vague, colloquial terminology and appeals to intuition where a methodoological naturalist can and should appeal to the fruits of science. (Copy-pasta'd from my Amazon review)\nRapture of the Nerds by Charles Stross -- pretty funny, even if it made a transhuman superintelligent supercivilization look kind of... dumb.\nCurrently re-reading for fun:\nThe Wee Free Men and I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett -- It's Discworld.  Go read them.  NOW.  And read A Hat Full of Sky in the middle.\nThen there's been a lot of textbooks I've been reading, which I won't list.  Though...\nLogical Labyrinths by Raymond Smullyan -- dense, and fun, a graduate-level intro textbook to first-order logic disguised as a logic textbook.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "dense, and fun, a graduate-level intro textbook to first-order logic disguised as a logic textbook.",
          "reason": "Describes it as dense and fun, and a graduate-level introduction to first-order logic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Dense; graduate-level introduction.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Raymond Smullyan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first order logic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "logicomix-87df39",
      "title": "Logicomix",
      "author": "Apóstolos K. Doxiádis and Christos H. Papadimitriou",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467715,
          "author": "p4bl0",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:53:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467715",
          "commentText": "The Campus Trilogy (Changing Places, Small World, Nice Work), by David Lodge.\nDO IT!: Scenarios of the Revolution, by Jerry Rubin.\nThe Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking A Spy Through The Maze Of Computer Espionage, by Cliff Stoll.\nThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams.\nLogicomix, by Apóstolos K. Doxiàdis and Christos Papadimitriou.\nOther books that I strongly recommend can be found here (some of them are in French): https://pablo.rauzy.name/miscellaneous.html#books\nUpdate: Pirates de tous les pays, by Marcus Rediker is a translation of Villains of All Nations: Atlantic Pirates in the Golden Age which you can thus read in English :). It really is an awesome read! After I finished it I immidiately ordered 5 more copies to give them to friends.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Logicomix, by Apóstolos K. Doxiàdis and Christos Papadimitriou.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Apóstolos K. Doxiádis",
        "Christos H. Papadimitriou"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "graphic novel",
        "history of mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "logicomix-734316",
      "title": "Logicomix",
      "author": "Apostolos Doxiadis and Christos Papadimitriou",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3396264,
          "author": "babebridou",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T16:35:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3396264",
          "commentText": "I just finished Logicomix (got it as a Christmas gift), in French though. It's a great read for anyone looking for a refreshing take on the history of mathematics in the early 20th century.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a great read for anyone looking for a refreshing take on the history of mathematics in the early 20th century.",
          "reason": "Praised as a refreshing account of early 20th-century mathematics.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the history of mathematics.",
          "caveat": "Read in French.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Apostolos Doxiadis and Christos Papadimitriou"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "graphic novel",
        "history of mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "logicomix-an-epic-search-for-truth-9c5026",
      "title": "Logicomix: An Epic Search for Truth",
      "author": "Apostolos Doxiadis and Christos Papadimitriou",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783256,
          "author": "dbalan",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T13:59:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783256",
          "commentText": "I finished \"Thinking Fast and Slow\" by Kahneman - A slow read, but a good one. He talks about the intricacies and surprising observations about how me take decisions.\n\"Logicomix\" - A brief \"history\" of logic, its not always historically accurate. Did I tell you its a graphic novel?\n\"Show Your work\" - Aston Kleon - A short motivating read about sharing ones work, he makes some good arguments for sharing the process as well, not just the product.\nPicked up \"Coders at work\" - read two chapters, a great read so far (I know its pretty popular one amoung HN)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Logicomix\" - A brief \"history\" of logic, its not always historically accurate. Did I tell you its a graphic novel?",
          "reason": "Describes it as a brief history of logic and notes that it is a graphic novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not always historically accurate.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569629,
          "author": "throw_away",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T00:25:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569629",
          "commentText": "logicomix - a graphical novel about bertrand russell, logic and the history of computation.\ndiary of a very bad year: interviews with an anonymous hedge fund manager/the big short: inside the doomsday machine - two books about the financial crisis.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "logicomix - a graphical novel about bertrand russell, logic and the history of computation.",
          "reason": "Listed as a graphical novel about Bertrand Russell, logic, and computing history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Apostolos Doxiadis and Christos Papadimitriou"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Mathematics",
        "Art"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "graphic novel",
        "bertrand russell",
        "logic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lone-survivor-62595b",
      "title": "Lone Survivor",
      "author": "Marcus Luttrell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lone Survivor",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marcus Luttrell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lone-wolf-and-cub-f827bf",
      "title": "Lone Wolf and Cub",
      "author": "Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15826016,
          "author": "noufalibrahim",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-01T18:31:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15826016",
          "commentText": "1. Foundations of Calligraphy by Sheila Waters. I'm reading this book for instructions on doing calligraphy. However, the authoress attention to detail and didactic style has really influenced the way I teach my own students and approach learning new topics. It also anticipates problems that students might face and prepares them to face it before they actually do. I'm still not done reading the book. The chapters are organised by hand and I've only reached the second.\n2. Lone Wolf and Cub (the Manga). I read this just because I liked the drawing style and the dramatic presentation. It rekindled my interest in the martial arts like no other book has and gave me enough fuel to start studying again and get my first dan.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It rekindled my interest in the martial arts like no other book has",
          "reason": "The commenter says it reignited their interest in martial arts and inspired them to resume studying.",
          "audience": "Readers drawn to manga, dramatic storytelling, or martial arts.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "manga",
        "samurai"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "long-war-53d6c3",
      "title": "Long War",
      "author": "Christian Cameron",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36429084,
          "author": "bwb",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T07:35:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36429084",
          "commentText": "Most meaningful is a hard measure, as there are a bunch within that grouping...\nI'll share one from when I was in my 30s, Killer Of Men by Christian Cameron; the entire series is fantastic and came around just at the right time I needed it. It is the story of an older man telling the story of his life and looking back through those eyes (I really like that perspective and it helped me see some things). The entire series takes place in Ancient Greece and the Greco-Persian wars.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the entire series is fantastic",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the series and says it came at a personally meaningful time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christian Cameron"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient greece",
        "greco persian wars",
        "historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "long-way-to-a-small-angry-planet-51bb64",
      "title": "Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet",
      "author": "Becky Chambers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40432237,
          "author": "mcphage",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T18:45:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40432237",
          "commentText": "I haven't read Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, but I did enjoy The Martian and Gödel, Escher, Bach, so maybe I should read it.  What kind of writing do you like?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I haven't read Long Way to a Small Angry Planet, but I did enjoy The Martian and Gödel, Escher, Bach, so maybe I should read it.",
          "reason": "Considers reading the book based on enjoying other titles.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it and is only tentatively considering it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40430638,
          "author": "tetris11",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T16:34:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40430638",
          "commentText": "I recently tried reading Long Way to a Small Angry Planet since a few people on HN recommended it.\nIts pretty terrible. The first few chapters involve the main character literally walking onto a ship, and then tons of exposition about how her alien teamates are all alien in their own individualistic ways that in no way contribute to an over arching story.\nYou learn nothing about the world, no intrigue, characters are superficially interesting, and to top it all off, the writing is teen fiction bad. (The book screams of Mary Sue.)\nI've been burned by HN book recommendations before. If you enjoyed the level of giddy writing shown in The Martian, Gödel, Escher, Bach, then you will probably like the giddy writing of this book.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I recently tried reading Long Way to a Small Angry Planet",
          "reason": "Criticizes its exposition, worldbuilding, characters, and writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says readers who enjoy the giddy writing of The Martian or Gödel, Escher, Bach may like it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Becky Chambers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "character driven science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "longitude-ae4505",
      "title": "Longitude",
      "author": "Dava Sobel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18745554,
          "author": "jimhefferon",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T11:29:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18745554",
          "commentText": "I followed your link but it did not lead to a discussion of Longitude.  It lead to a discussion that mentioned Longitude and had a link to a longer discussion, which however was dead for me.  If you could fix that, I for one would be interested in more.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I followed your link but it did not lead to a discussion of Longitude.",
          "reason": "Clarifies that the linked discussion only mentioned the book and points to another discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2095421,
          "author": "fakelvis",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-12T08:10:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2095421",
          "commentText": "Of the twenty-three books I read in 2010, these seven really stand out:\n- Predictably Irrational. Everyone here knows this book, right? It had been on my reading list for too long, and I'm glad I eventually managed to read it. Much more enjoyable that I expected it to be, even given the fact that much of the material is well-known already. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predictably_Irrational\n- Longitude follows John Harrison's fascinating, painful and lengthy quest to win the Longitude Prize by creating a clock that was accurate enough to determine longitude at sea. Dava Sobel is a great writer and makes this topic totally engaging (aside: Sobel started her writing career as a technical writer at IBM). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longitude_%28book%29\n- Bad Science is Ben Goldacre's essential and extensive criticism of the media's health care reportage and of various health-related issues (vaccinations, placebos, etc.). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Science_%28book%29\n- Sum has had a fair bit of press over the last few months. It's a collection of forty stories on the afterlife, by David Eagleman. It's a novel exercise in philosophy, and I thoroughly enjoyed five or six of the stories. It's a very creative and original book (and short, too) and is a good lesson in constrained thinking.\n- The PayPal Wars is the story of PayPal's early years from the viewpoint of former PayPal marketing executive, Eric Jackson. I found it a riveting read on the trials and tribulations of a startup in a difficult market. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_PayPal_Wars\n- Made to Stick is interesting in many ways (such as marketing, psychology and rhetoric, to name a few) and is extremely well-written. Chip and Dan Heath really know their subject and explain how to make ideas or concepts memorable in this captivating book. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Made_to_Stick Tip: Read the extensive excerpts on the official website — http://www.madetostick.com/excerpts/ — and, if you enjoy them, read the full book.\n- Lolita is one of those books everyone knows about, even if they haven't read it. I decided to sit down with this beast of a book and am glad I did. It's a great story and will really get your moral cogs ticking over. As well as that, Nabokov has an amazing way with the English language, and from very near the beginning I become a lifelong fan of his style. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lolita",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dava Sobel is a great writer and makes this topic totally engaging",
          "reason": "The commenter praises Sobel's writing and says the topic is engaging.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dava Sobel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "navigation",
        "history of science",
        "longitude"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "look-to-windward-b122ab",
      "title": "Look to Windward",
      "author": "Iain M. Banks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38238646,
          "author": "globular-toast",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T09:07:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238646",
          "commentText": "The Culture series by Iain M. Banks. I actually randomly read Look to Windward years ago after being lent a copy. It stuck with me and recently started the series from the start. I'm up to Excession now. It's possibly the most \"colourful\" thing I've ever read. Often amazing, sometimes disturbing. The writing is second to none.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I actually randomly read Look to Windward years ago after being lent a copy.",
          "reason": "Names a previously read novel as the entry point to the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2087883,
          "author": "bkudria",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T08:27:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2087883",
          "commentText": "Reposted from my site: (http://ben.kudria.net/post/2548785108/my-favorite-books-of-2... (http://ben.kudria.net/post/2548785108/my-favorite-books-of-2010)). Affiliate links there, for those inclined.\n===\nIn 2010, every single book I read, I read on my Kindle. Buying a Kindle has been the best thing I have ever done for my reading addiction. I recently upgraded to a Kindle 3, and I wholeheartedly recommended you get one as well, even if you currently have a Kindle 2.\nHere are the top books I enjoyed in 2010, and you will enjoy also.\n- The His Dark Materials Trilogy. Start with The Golden Compass.\n- The City & The City by China Miéville. Quite the post-modern detective story. (Read also his novel Perdido Street Station)\n- Surface Detail, the new novel by Iain M. Banks, who has quickly catapulted to the very top of my “Favorite Sci-Fi Authors” list. Surface Detail may not be the best novel for a Banks-unfamiliar reader, however — you may wish to start with something like Consider Phlebas or Look To Windward.\n- I re-read Robert M. Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Read this book carefully and it will change your life. (N.B. It’s not really about Zen, although it kinda is.)\n- The true story Zeitoun, by Dave Eggers, about Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a Syrian-born painting contractor in New Orleans. What Zeitoun does for the people of New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina is heartwarming and truly American, and what the US Government does to him and his family is terrifying and utterly infuriating.\n- The Wind-up Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi is a fun Thai cyber/gene-punk yarn. Bacigalupi is a new author, and I look forward to reading more of his stuff.\n- Dan Simmons’ Song Of Kali has an invasive and palpable stench of suspense. This horror novel set in Calcutta is an excruciating, brutal, and brilliant read.\n- Kafka On the Shore by Haruki Murakami. I’ve always been a fan of Murakami’s works, but this novel from 2002 is, in my opinion, one of his greatest. It’s beautiful, haunting, and superbly thought-provoking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "or Look To Windward",
          "reason": "Suggested as a starting point for readers unfamiliar with Banks.",
          "audience": "Readers new to Iain M. Banks.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Iain M. Banks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "culture universe",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "looking-glass-4ef457",
      "title": "Looking Glass",
      "author": "James Strickland",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17750872,
          "author": "dwyerm",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T15:36:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17750872",
          "commentText": "It feels wrong to recommend a book I haven't read yet, but Chuck Wendig's \"Zeroes\" might be a good book to pair with Scalzi. I expect from his other books and the reviews that this is going to be more of an adventure book than any hard-computer-science...  But, again, that might be what you're looking for.\nOn a similar note, its been a while since I've read them, but I rather enjoyed James Strickland's books, Looking Glass and Irreconcilable Differences. Part of that might be because there's a part where he explains IPV4 addressing, and the example he uses happens to be the Class-B where I grew up. It was a little like seeing your house in the background of a movie.\nI also sort of enjoyed Rick Dakan's \"Geek Mafia\", but that appears to have fallen off the planet; only the sequels are on Amazon right now...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I rather enjoyed James Strickland's books, Looking Glass and Irreconcilable Differences.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they rather enjoyed Strickland's books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some of the enjoyment may come from recognizing a familiar location in an example.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Strickland"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer science",
        "hacking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "looking-for-alaska-bc8dc1",
      "title": "Looking for Alaska",
      "author": "John Green",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21911927,
          "author": "cordaciu",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-30T09:04:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21911927",
          "commentText": "1.The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time\n2.Looking for Alaska\n3.Blindness\n4.Touching the Void: The True Story of One Man's Miraculous Survival\n5.The Martian\n6.Never Let Me Go",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2.Looking for Alaska",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorites in response to the decade's best-books discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Green"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coming of age",
        "young adult"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "looking-for-a-ship-a4d425",
      "title": "Looking for a Ship",
      "author": "John McPhee",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25319338,
          "author": "wmoser",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T23:08:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319338",
          "commentText": "Since you called out working on a container ship, a lot of these have a nautical bent but that’s an area of my personal interest as well.\nLooking for a ship, John McPhee,\nBook about a sailor looking for work and eventually catching a ship.\nBorn A Crime, Trevor Noah, not about another career but Apertheid South Africa, I enjoyed it and wished I would have read it before traveling through S.A. For work.\nDon’t Tell mum I work on the rigs, she thinks I’m a piano player in a whorehouse, by Paul Carter, read this one awhile ago but it’s about an oil well driller.  The industry has changed quite a bit since this book was written but I remember really enjoying it.\nSalvage: a personal odyssey by Ian Tew. I enjoyed this book about a a salvage master out of Singapore\nThe ride of a lifetime by Robert Iger, book about Iger’s journey to being CEO of Walt Disney Company. A bit of insight to what the company executives are doing/ supposed to be doing?\nQuench Your Own Thirst, Jim Koch, the founder of the Boston Beer company. He discusses some of the mistakes he made along the way too.\nGood clean fun, Nick offerman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Looking for a ship, John McPhee,",
          "reason": "Listed as a recommendation about a sailor seeking work and joining a ship.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in maritime work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John McPhee"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "maritime work",
        "merchant marine"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "loonshots-0415fc",
      "title": "Loonshots",
      "author": "Safi Bahcall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19895854,
          "author": "wintercarver",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T01:43:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19895854",
          "commentText": "Has been on my list for a while! Thanks for the nudge. BTW, as a fan of Christensen's classic The Innovator's Dilemma, I thought Loonshots was quite good as an alternative perspective where Product-type and Strategy-type innovations are discussed in comparison to Christensen's sustaining vs disruptive innovations.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I thought Loonshots was quite good as an alternative perspective",
          "reason": "Says it was quite good and presents it as an alternative perspective on innovation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes it as an alternative perspective alongside Christensen's framework.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Safi Bahcall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "innovation",
        "organizational design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lord-of-the-flies-42e7fa",
      "title": "Lord of the Flies",
      "author": "William Golding",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5691391,
          "author": "bloodorange",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T17:53:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5691391",
          "commentText": "\"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland\" - Lewis Carroll\n\"Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There\" - Lewis Carroll\n\"Dracula\" - Bram Stoker\n\"Frankenstein\" - Mary Shelly\n\"On Education\" - Bertrand Russell\n\"The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy\" - Douglas Adams\n\"Animal Farm\" - George Orwell\n\"1984\" - George Orwell\n\"Lord of The Flies\" - William Golding\n\"Brave New World\" - Aldous Huxley\n\"Gulliver's Travels\" - Jonathan Swift\n\"The Selfish Gene\" - Richard Dawkins",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Lord of The Flies\" - William Golding",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for good book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Golding"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classic literature",
        "survival"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lords-of-finance-the-bankers-who-broke-the-world-ae0a8a",
      "title": "Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World",
      "author": "Liaquat Ahamed",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22595288,
          "author": "jmonger",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-16T17:52:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22595288",
          "commentText": "Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Lords-Finance-Bankers-Broke-World/dp/... (https://www.amazon.com/Lords-Finance-Bankers-Broke-World/dp/0143116800)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lords of Finance: The Bankers Who Broke the World",
          "reason": "Offered as a book recommendation in a thread asking for books about financial systems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Liaquat Ahamed"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "central banking",
        "financial history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lords-of-the-desert-bd83a7",
      "title": "Lords of the Desert",
      "author": "James Barr",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21792926,
          "author": "arespredator",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T22:53:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21792926",
          "commentText": "\"Lords of the desert\" by James Barr. It's an eye-opening 20th century history of the Middle East.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36592392-lords-of-the-de... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36592392-lords-of-the-desert)\n(technically published in 2018, but I only read it this year)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's an eye-opening 20th century history of the Middle East.",
          "reason": "Described as an eye-opening history of the Middle East.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it was published in 2018, but read in 2019.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Barr"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "20th century",
        "middle east"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "loserthink-a10f99",
      "title": "Loserthink",
      "author": "Scott Adams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27637694,
          "author": "6f8986c3",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T23:59:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27637694",
          "commentText": "\"How To Fail At Almost Everything And Still Win Big\" and \"Loserthink\" by Scott Adams.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Loserthink\" by Scott Adams.",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which book gave the commenter an unfair advantage.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Adams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognitive biases",
        "critical thinking",
        "decision making"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lost-christianities-the-battles-for-scripture-and-the-faiths-we-n-0a1a1f",
      "title": "Lost Christianities: The Battles for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew",
      "author": "Bart D. Ehrman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36105359,
          "author": "sillystuff",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T16:15:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105359",
          "commentText": "Bart D. Ehrman has written a lot of interesting books on Christianity (some of his work might be considered controversial to some practitioners).  E.g.,\n\"Jesus Before the Gospels: How the Earliest Christians Remembered, Changed, and Invented Their Stories of the Savior\"\n\"Forgery and Counterforgery: The Use of Literary Deceit in Early Christian Polemics\"\n\"Lost Christianities: The Battles for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew\"\nAnd, many more.  I don't know of a commercial book site where I can just link to a search by author:\nhttps://libgen.rs/search.php?req=Bart+D.+Ehrman&lg_topic=lib... (https://libgen.rs/search.php?req=Bart+D.+Ehrman&lg_topic=libgen&open=0&view=simple&res=25&phrase=1&column=author)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Lost Christianities: The Battles for Scripture and the Faiths We Never Knew\"",
          "reason": "Listed as an example of Ehrman's interesting books on Christianity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that some of Ehrman's work may be controversial to some practitioners.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bart D. Ehrman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian diversity",
        "early christianity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lost-connections-8ac9e0",
      "title": "Lost Connections",
      "author": "Johann Hari",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 44569673,
          "author": "ratracer2025",
          "createdAt": "2025-07-15T10:17:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 44568054,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44569673",
          "commentText": "- Lost Connections by Johann Hari (Life, Overcome depression)\n- 1946: The Making of the Modern World : Sebestyen, Victor (History, WWII)\n- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lost Connections by Johann Hari",
          "reason": "Lists it among favorite books, with the note “Life, Overcome depression.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Johann Hari"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "depression",
        "mental health"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lost-horizon-6f5c5d",
      "title": "Lost Horizon",
      "author": "James Hilton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lost Horizon",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Hilton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "utopian fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lost-moon-c78fa1",
      "title": "Lost Moon",
      "author": "Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3990338,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-18T04:17:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3990338",
          "commentText": "I recently reread Cormac McCarthy's All the Pretty Horses.\nI was prompted to do so by another book discussion. Not his best book - I think Blood Meridian and The Road are better - but McCarthy is a great writer.\nFor nerd non-fiction, I just read Jim Lovell's Lost Moon which though not a great book, is a good solid book about greatness.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "though not a great book, is a good solid book about greatness.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as a solid book about greatness, though not a great book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter explicitly says it is not a great book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jim Lovell and Jeffrey Kluger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "apollo 13",
        "spaceflight memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lost-worlds-a-history-of-humanity-s-lost-civilizations-946497",
      "title": "Lost Worlds: A History of Humanity's Lost Civilizations",
      "author": "Patrick Wyman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49899789,
          "author": "jeffnv",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-29T20:19:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49899789",
          "commentText": "\"Lost Worlds\" - by Patrick Wyman, fascinating prehistory about meso and neolithic 'civilizations', their lives, their rises and downfalls. Really amazing stuff",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Lost Worlds\" - by Patrick Wyman, fascinating prehistory about meso and neolithic 'civilizations', their lives, their rises and downfalls. Really amazing stuff",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the book fascinating and says its account of prehistoric civilizations is amazing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Patrick Wyman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "neolithic",
        "prehistory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lost-in-math-f1e67e",
      "title": "Lost in Math",
      "author": "Sabine Hossenfelder",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sabine Hossenfelder"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "theoretical physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lost-in-maths-how-beauty-leads-physics-astray-e462f8",
      "title": "Lost in Maths: How Beauty Leads Physics Astray",
      "author": "Sabine Hossenfelder",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268760,
          "author": "mongol",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T21:51:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268760",
          "commentText": "I only read two books. Lost in Maths by Sabine Hossenfelder, and Nuclear War A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen. Both were worthwhile. I want to read more.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lost in Maths by Sabine Hossenfelder",
          "reason": "The commenter says both books they read were worthwhile.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sabine Hossenfelder"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "philosophy of science",
        "physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lotharingia-56c92e",
      "title": "Lotharingia",
      "author": "Simon Winder",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21797938,
          "author": "HuShifang",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-15T18:37:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21797938",
          "commentText": "Seconded -- read this earlier this year, and thoroughly enjoyed it. It also rather radically altered my perception of the \"usual\" German historical narrative about Prussian militarism etc. Winder's a very humane writer, in addition to a hilarious one.\nHis two follow-ups, Danubia and Lotharingia (the latter of which just got a write-up in the New York Review of Books) are on my to-read list for the new year.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Lotharingia (the latter of which just got a write-up in the New York Review of Books) are on my to-read list",
          "reason": "The commenter says this follow-up is on their to-read list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "To-read list; no evaluation of the book itself.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21795753,
          "author": "Jedd",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-15T11:42:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21795753",
          "commentText": "Goodness yes.  The introduction to Lotharingia (haven't started that one yet, of course) is insanely compelling:\n\"In AD 843, the three surviving grandsons of the great Emperor Charlemagne met at Verdun. After years of bitter squabbles over who would inherit the family land, they finally decided to divide the territory and go their separate ways. In a moment of staggering significance, one grandson inherited what became France, another Germany and the third Lotharingia, the chunk that initially divided the other two chunks: ‘the lands of Lothar’. The dynamic between these three great zones has dictated much of our subsequent fate.\"\nI'm Australian, though lived in the UK for a while, so I appreciate that most of the (rest of the) world has a complex, varied, mostly ugly and impenetrably complicated history that can, if you have a lifetime to consider things, explain why any particular thing is the way that it is ... but similar to your position, it's breathtaking trying to comprehend all the moving pieces over the past couple of thousand years.\nStephen Clarke is now on my e-stack of books to read, thank you.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The introduction to Lotharingia (haven't started that one yet, of course) is insanely compelling",
          "reason": "Says the introduction is compelling, while noting they have not started the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment praises the introduction only; the commenter has not started the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Simon Winder"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "european history",
        "lorraine",
        "lotharingia"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lou-reed-the-king-of-new-york-c51ebf",
      "title": "Lou Reed: The King of New York",
      "author": "Will Hermes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38564038,
          "author": "rufus_foreman",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T00:57:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38564038",
          "commentText": "Recommended:\nStanley: The Impossible Life of Africa's Greatest Explorer. Fiction? Non-fiction?\nHad to be made up. A guy born in England to poor circumstances ships out to New Orleans, jumps ship, fights in the Civil War on the confederate side, gets captured, fights in the Civil War on the union side, gets wounded, ends up fighting in the union navy. After the war, becomes a journalist in the American west. Then organizes an expedition to the Ottoman empire...OK he's 26 years old at this point. Sure there's some stuff later but...that's a pretty good resume for a 26 year old. Unbelievable.\nLou Reed: The King of New York Same thing. Just completely real but also unbelievable. The songs he had written by 1965.\nHitler: A Biography, by Ian Kershaw. Completely real, also unbelievable. The German people voting against democracy. Unbelievable.\nEscape From Rome, Walter Scheidel, \"The gripping story of how the end of the Roman Empire was the beginning of the modern world\". I think about the Roman Empire a lot, so basically it was a military slave state and it fell and that's bad?\nThe Great Depression: A Diary, I thought I would hate this, let's read a diary, right? Reading a diary of the Great Depression happening in front of you, it's amazing. The dread, and the bargaining. He's like bargaining against reality that the depression will end.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lou Reed: The King of New York",
          "reason": "Lists it under “Recommended” and calls the story unbelievable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Will Hermes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "music biography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "louder-than-words-3dcc29",
      "title": "Louder Than Words",
      "author": "Benjamin K. Bergen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15157485,
          "author": "subsubsub",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T18:33:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15157485",
          "commentText": "All the books, without the affiliate links:\n- Philosophy In The Flesh [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001FSJAWK]\n- The Political Mind [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0017T0B2U]\n- The Way We Think [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AAL62RO]\n- Louder Than Words [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00918JOBI]",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Louder Than Words",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15157316,
          "author": "ignacio_gcaa",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T17:55:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15157316",
          "commentText": "This cognitive science/cognitive linguistics books were a hinge point for me:\nGeorge Lakoff:\n- Philosophy In The Flesh http://amzn.to/2xFTKU7\n- The Political Mind http://amzn.to/2vU9rF1\nGilles Fauconnier, Mark Turner:\n- The Way We Think http://amzn.to/2xFv4ep\nBenjamin K. Bergen:\n- Louder Than Words http://amzn.to/2wwsMhv",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Louder Than Words http://amzn.to/2wwsMhv",
          "reason": "The commenter says these books were a hinge point for them.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in cognitive science and cognitive linguistics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Benjamin K. Bergen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognitive linguistics",
        "embodied language"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "love-among-the-chickens-493394",
      "title": "Love Among the Chickens",
      "author": "P. G. Wodehouse",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42508327,
          "author": "SubGenius",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T11:42:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42508327",
          "commentText": "Ukridge by PG Wodehouse. I hadn't really ventured out the Blandings/Jeeves/Psmith collections that much. Ukridge may be the funniest book I've ever read. He's also featured in another book 'Love Among the Chickens' - absolutely hilarious.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Love Among the Chickens' - absolutely hilarious.",
          "reason": "Describes the book as absolutely hilarious.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "P. G. Wodehouse"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "love-you-forever-249954",
      "title": "Love You Forever",
      "author": "Robert Munsch",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34635728,
          "author": "fRCRXVMWzG7YFux",
          "createdAt": "2023-02-03T01:00:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34634274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books your kids like most",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34635728",
          "commentText": "Something that has stuck with me for my entire life is my mother reading me poetry as a child, in particular\n- The Cremation Of Sam McGee by Robert W. Service\n- The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes\n- Forgiven and King John's Christmas by A. A. Milne\n- Called Up by Dudley Clarke (not sure how good that one is to everyone, I'm just incredibly nostalgic for it.)\nIt gave me a lifelong love of rhyming and word games, one I've always been happy to have. Yours might still be a bit young for that, but other more age-appropriate stuff would work just as well. Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light In The Attic by Shell Silverstein are fantastic.\nOh man, wait, also Robert Munsch. Equally wonderful memories with some of those (Love You Forever is in my opinion, really great from the lens of a kid, and it's silly to read it through the eyes of an adult. The intended message is very obviously that your parental love will always be with your child. It also introduced me to the idea of caring for my parents someday as something I would have to consider, and something I would want to do).\nAs for screen time itself, I would really recommend just putting a hard limit on it, it did nothing but good for me as a kid to be limited to 4 hours of recreational screen time per week, and when I was introduced to computers, the limitations they place on me vis-a-vis social networks saved me from myself in so many ways.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Love You Forever is in my opinion, really great from the lens of a kid",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book is great from a child's perspective and describes its message about parental love.",
          "audience": "Children and parents",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is silly to read it through an adult's eyes.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Munsch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Parenting"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "parental love",
        "picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "love-and-math-the-heart-of-hidden-reality-6dc063",
      "title": "Love and Math: The Heart of Hidden Reality",
      "author": "Edward Frenkel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8026695,
          "author": "ccvannorman",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-13T04:53:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 8025870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8026695",
          "commentText": "Love and Math - Edward Frenkel\nA very powerful book, both for its insights into incredible symmetries across all fields of mathematics (touching on QM and fields), and for the appeal to a positive and engaging attitude towards an incredibly rich fabric of math everywhere in the world\n========================================\nGodel Escher Bach - Douglas Hoffstadter\nUsing isomorphisms between genetics, programming, and math to understand why it doesn't make sense to fully formalize a system, and that logic itself always breaks when you attempt to be rigid, by the very nature of its logical contsruction. Also a VERY readable book, complete with anecdotal fantasy stories about animals.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Love and Math - Edward Frenkel\nA very powerful book, both for its insights into incredible symmetries across all fields of mathematics",
          "reason": "Describes it as powerful and praises its insights into mathematical symmetries.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward Frenkel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical symmetry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "love-s-executioner-242d61",
      "title": "Love's Executioner",
      "author": "Irvin D. Yalom",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11229699,
          "author": "nathell",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:23:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229699",
          "commentText": "Just finished \"Love's Executioner\" and \"Creatures of a Day,\" both by Irvin Yalom. A deeply touching glimpse into the world of psychotherapy. Highly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A deeply touching glimpse into the world of psychotherapy. Highly recommended.",
          "reason": "The commenter highly recommends the books as a deeply touching glimpse into psychotherapy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Irvin D. Yalom"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "case studies",
        "psychotherapy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "love-s-executioner-and-other-tales-of-psychotherapy-92cf7c",
      "title": "Love's Executioner and Other Tales of Psychotherapy",
      "author": "Irvin D. Yalom",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40046351,
          "author": "reify",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-15T22:19:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40046351",
          "commentText": "Beyond Doer and Done to_ Recognition Theory, Intersubjectivity and the Third - Jessica Benjamin - (2017, Routledge)\nThe Therapeutic Relationship - Petruska Clarkson - (2003, Wiley)\nLove's Executioner & Other Tales of Psychotherapy - Irvin D. Yalom - (2012, Basic Books)\nBeautiful Chaos - Robert M. Drake - (2014, Vintage Wild)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Love's Executioner & Other Tales of Psychotherapy - Irvin D. Yalom - (2012, Basic Books)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Irvin D. Yalom"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "case studies",
        "psychotherapy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lovecraft-country-0326b1",
      "title": "Lovecraft Country",
      "author": "Matt Ruff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237663,
          "author": "wpietri",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T15:08:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237663",
          "commentText": "Matt Ruff's Lovecraft Country, which led me to the non-fiction book Sundown Towns by James W. Loewen. I'm reading the latter right now and blowing my mind.\nMy understanding of the American history of racism was basically that it was generally getting better over time. Slavery, Civil War, Jim Crow, and then the civil rights era. What this leaves out was that things got rapidly better after the civil war for a few decades, and then got substantially worse. And that it didn't get worse in the south; all over America white people drove out non-whites from their towns. They created \"sundown towns\", places where African-Americans weren't allowed after dark.\nThis is an era that goes unmentioned in most official local histories, and I never heard about it growing up white. That was the case even though it was happening all around the area I grew up. E.g., not far from where my family lived was a major vacation area built by and for well-off African-Americans because they were kept out of the white ones:\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idlewild,_Michigan\nI had literally never heard of the place, let alone known its history, even though I know the name of almost every town an village nearby.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Matt Ruff's Lovecraft Country, which led me to the non-fiction book Sundown Towns by James W. Loewen.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment gives no assessment of this novel.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13117398,
          "author": "pavel_lishin",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-06T19:16:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13117398",
          "commentText": "This is a little more Lovecraftian Horror than science fiction, but I loved Matt Ruff's \"Lovecraft Country\". Equal parts what you'd expect, with an exploration of how shitty America was for black people in the 1950s.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25109947-lovecraft-count... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25109947-lovecraft-country)\nTed Chiang's \"Stories of your Life\" have been recommended here a bunch, since Arrival was based on one of the stories in the collection.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\nPeter Watts' Blindsight and Echopraxia are both excellent explorations of the human mind and consciousness.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48484.Blindsight and https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18490708-echopraxia\nBonus: Echopraxia comes with an optional audiovisual component that stands alone quite well: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL30ED0756E00786E2\nAnd don't let the mention of Vampires scare you off; this isn't a Twilight wannabe, and it's very likely not a take on Vampires you've seen before.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I loved Matt Ruff's \"Lovecraft Country\".",
          "reason": "The commenter says they loved it and describes its setting and themes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as more Lovecraftian horror than science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matt Ruff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Fantasy",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "race",
        "historical horror",
        "jim crow era",
        "lovecraftian horror"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "loving-what-is-four-questions-that-can-change-your-life-b8fdc7",
      "title": "Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life",
      "author": "Byron Katie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5333012,
          "author": "o4tuna",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-06T18:54:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 5323956,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: which are some good self-help books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5333012",
          "commentText": "How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World\nby Harry Browne\nThe Power of TED (The Empowerment Dynamic)\nby David Emerald\nLoving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life\nby Byron Katie\nGet Out of Your Own Way: Overcoming Self-Defeating Behavior\nby Mark Goulston and Philip Goldberg\nFeeling Good: The New Mood Therapy\nby David Burns\nMojo: How to Get It, How to Keep It, How to Get It Back if you Lose It\nby Marshall Goldsmith\nThe New Manual 2.0\nby Tripp Lanier\nthenewmanual.com",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Loving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life\nby Byron Katie",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Byron Katie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mindfulness",
        "self inquiry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "low-level-programming-6d9903",
      "title": "Low Level Programming",
      "author": "Igor Zhirkov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40113858,
          "author": "sim7c00",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-22T12:49:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 40104823,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books/resources to understand modern Assembler?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40113858",
          "commentText": "Low Level Programming by igor zhirkov\neven though its not really about assembler specifically. it has a good chapter on it and teaches good to apply knowledge of machine-code/assembly to an architecture/system (amd64 in this case), and then spends a lot of time to teach how to translate that upwards to higher languages rather than downward. teaches u to find out and research stuff yourself too. he's a good teacher.\nknow its not about llvm and jit etc. - but imho the basics is first this, and then moving up. otherwise it's confusing.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Low Level Programming by igor zhirkov",
          "reason": "Recommended as a foundation for learning assembly and applying machine code concepts.",
          "audience": "People starting with assembly who want to build toward higher level languages.",
          "caveat": "Not specifically about assembly; it does not cover LLVM or JIT, and the commenter says to learn the basics first.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Igor Zhirkov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "amd64 assembly",
        "low level programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lucifer-a7440e",
      "title": "Lucifer",
      "author": "Mike Carey",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13249886,
          "author": "falcolas",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T14:30:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249886",
          "commentText": "I'm going to a very different route than my colleagues: Sandman by Neil Gaiman. It's a series of graphic novels which delves deeply into theology, philosophy, and the human condition.\nSince it's in the form of a graphic novel, it's much more like \"reading\" a TV miniseries, and makes for a great introduction to Neil Gaiman's writing style (which will take you straight off the deep end into the fantasy genre). They're also easier to pick up and set down as the whim strikes.\nIf you really enjoy the setting, the Lucifer series of graphic novels takes one of the most interesting characters from the setting and expands upon it. It was adapted to a TV show as well, much to the chagrin of anybody who actually enjoyed the graphic novels.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If you really enjoy the setting, the Lucifer series of graphic novels takes one of the most interesting characters from the setting and expands upon it.",
          "reason": "Suggested if the reader enjoys The Sandman's setting; the character is called interesting.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy The Sandman setting.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the TV adaptation disappointed graphic novel fans.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mike Carey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "graphic novels",
        "mythology",
        "spin off"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lucky-or-smart-a794a9",
      "title": "Lucky or Smart",
      "author": "Bo Peabody",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 57108,
          "author": "rkabir",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T22:54:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=57108",
          "commentText": "Forgot the bonus round book: \"Lucky or Smart\" by Bo Peabody - another VERY short reflection on his founding of Tripod during the tech boom.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Lucky or Smart\" by Bo Peabody - another VERY short reflection on his founding of Tripod during the tech boom.",
          "reason": "Includes it as a bonus book recommendation and describes it as a short reflection on founding Tripod.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes it as very short.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bo Peabody"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "startup founding"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ludwig-wittgenstein-duty-of-genius-b33959",
      "title": "Ludwig Wittgenstein: Duty of Genius",
      "author": "Ray Monk",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15156326,
          "author": "RodericDay",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:08:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156326",
          "commentText": "Ludwig Wittgenstein: Duty of Genius was a great ride, as well as a fantastic introduction to powerful ideas about communication and non-scientific disciplines' wish to imitate science.\nThe Autobiography of Malcolm X makes a brilliant case for angry speech, making the mainstream portrayal of figures like Gandhi and MLK Jr. seem like straight-up whitewashed propaganda.\nDelusions of Gender is a fierce analysis of the nature/nurture discussion that rears its head over and over, explaining various mistakes people when interpreting results, both at the research level and at the journalistic level.\nMarx's Inferno reinvents Marx in a super clever way.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "was a great ride, as well as a fantastic introduction to powerful ideas",
          "reason": "The commenter praises it as an engaging introduction to ideas about communication and disciplines imitating science.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ray Monk"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "philosophy of science",
        "wittgenstein"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ludwig-wittgenstein-the-duty-of-genius-990372",
      "title": "Ludwig Wittgenstein: The Duty of Genius",
      "author": "Ray Monk",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 202968,
          "author": "gruseom",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T04:19:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=202968",
          "commentText": "Ray Monk's biography of Wittgenstein is superb if you have the slightest interest in him.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ray Monk's biography of Wittgenstein is superb if you have the slightest interest in him.",
          "reason": "Calls the biography superb.",
          "audience": "Anyone with an interest in Wittgenstein.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ray Monk"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ludwig wittgenstein",
        "philosophers"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lullabies-for-little-criminals-2d8566",
      "title": "Lullabies for Little Criminals",
      "author": "Heather O'Neill",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17048096,
          "author": "fluxic",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T15:36:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17048096",
          "commentText": "Lullabies for little criminals is an INCREDIBLE book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lullabies for little criminals is an INCREDIBLE book.",
          "reason": "Strongly praises the novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Heather O'Neill"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "addiction",
        "childhood",
        "coming of age"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "luna-trilogy-ac3709",
      "title": "Luna Trilogy",
      "author": "Ian McDonald",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36021808,
          "author": "xemoka",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:15:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021808",
          "commentText": "So many listed here are already in my top list, what I haven’t seen is the Luna Trilogy by Ian McDonald. Neat ideas from corporate run future moon colony.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Luna Trilogy by Ian McDonald",
          "reason": "The commenter likes its ideas about a corporate-run future moon colony.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ian McDonald"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "corporate power",
        "lunar colony"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lunar-park-3fdff2",
      "title": "Lunar Park",
      "author": "Bret Easton Ellis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1760315,
          "author": "bmelton",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-05T16:22:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1760315",
          "commentText": "That is a splendid list.\nI'll add:\n\"Sandman\" by Neil Gaiman.  Also a graphic novel, but this series literally reinvented comics to me, and to many other readers.\n\"Lunar Park\" by Bret Easton Ellis.  Probably the safest introduction to Ellis if you aren't looking for a rampant gore-fest.  Spooky, creepy, chilling, but also insightful, confounding and enlightening.\n\"Catcher in the Rye\" by JD Salinger.  Mostly recommending as it fits into the above list, but I feel like it was missing.  I personally felt it was overhyped, but I'm the odd man out, as everybody I've ever talked to considers it profound.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Lunar Park\" by Bret Easton Ellis. Probably the safest introduction to Ellis if you aren't looking for a rampant gore-fest. Spooky, creepy, chilling, but also insightful, confounding and enlightening.",
          "reason": "Presents it as an accessible introduction to Ellis and praises its atmosphere and insight.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for an introduction to Ellis.",
          "caveat": "May not suit readers seeking a gore-heavy book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bret Easton Ellis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "horror",
        "metafiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "lying-42c635",
      "title": "Lying",
      "author": "Sam Harris",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25554681,
          "author": "heymartinadams",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-27T22:07:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 25554464,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books for dealing with workplace politics and dishonesty?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25554681",
          "commentText": "From the summary:\n“In Lying, bestselling author and neuroscientist Sam Harris argues that we can radically simplify our lives and improve society by merely telling the truth in situations where others often lie. He focuses on “white” lies—those lies we tell for the purpose of sparing people discomfort—for these are the lies that most often tempt us. And they tend to be the only lies that good people tell while imagining that they are being good in the process.”",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "In Lying, bestselling author and neuroscientist Sam Harris argues that we can radically simplify our lives and improve society by merely telling the truth",
          "reason": "Summarizes Harris’s argument for telling the truth, especially instead of white lies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25554673,
          "author": "heymartinadams",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-27T22:06:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 25554464,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books for dealing with workplace politics and dishonesty?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25554673",
          "commentText": "“Lying” by Sam Harris. Changed my world. Audiobook might be even better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Lying” by Sam Harris. Changed my world.",
          "reason": "Says the book changed their world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment does not specify how it relates to workplace politics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sam Harris"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ethics",
        "honesty"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "m208-dbdbfa",
      "title": "M208",
      "author": "The Open University",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31491843,
          "author": "injb",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T13:31:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31491843",
          "commentText": "I post this a lot when people ask similar questions: get the Open University books (such as MST124, MST125, M208). They're not cheap but they are designed to teach undergraduate level mathematics without a teacher and they work!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "MST124, MST125, M208",
          "reason": "Recommends Open University course books for learning undergraduate mathematics independently.",
          "audience": "People learning undergraduate mathematics without a teacher.",
          "caveat": "They're not cheap.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "The Open University"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self study",
        "undergraduate mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "matlab-guide-d97bc3",
      "title": "MATLAB Guide",
      "author": "Desmond J. Higham and Nicholas J. Higham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16758142,
          "author": "engi_nerd",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T19:34:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16758142",
          "commentText": "I keep a wide variety of references around this desk. Some of my favorites:\nManuel Lima's \"Visual Complexity\", \"The Book of Circles\", and \"The Book of Trees\". These are useful as references and as visualization inspiration.\nJacques Bertin's \"Semiology of Graphics\". Gorgeous and immensely useful.\nDesmond and Nicholas Higham's \"MATLAB Guide, 3rd Edition\", and Yair Altman's \"Accelerating MATLAB Performance\". Both are invaluable for serious MATLAB work.\nTitus A. Beu's book on Numerical Programming is very good as a reference.\nFor anyone needing to work on military simulations, \"Engineering Principles of Combat Modeling and Distributed Simulation\" by Tolk is the best reference I have found on the subject.\nAnd TAOCP and CLRS are here for reference purposes as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"MATLAB Guide, 3rd Edition\"",
          "reason": "Described as invaluable for serious MATLAB work.",
          "audience": "People doing serious MATLAB work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Desmond J. Higham and Nicholas J. Higham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "matlab",
        "numerical computing",
        "programming reference"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mcdp-1-warfighting-cfea0d",
      "title": "MCDP 1: Warfighting",
      "author": "United States Marine Corps",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21712780,
          "author": "zt",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T15:00:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21712780",
          "commentText": "I think this is a more complicated question that it first appears. What do you mean by leadership? Getting things done for some strict definition? Managing a team? Managing a huge enterprise? I think reading books across the spectrum of leadership and management is critical, as each gives you some feeling of the underlying “truth” that you’re trying to find.\nI think the best book on the topic as I think you mean it is High Output Management by Andy Grove. It’s a classic. Incredibly well written. Direct.\nFrom there, I’d actually take a pivot and read MCDP 1 Warfighting, which is concise, brilliant, generally applicable, and completely aligned with the thinking of Grove. Along the same lines, I’d consider reading about OODA (I like “Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War” but not strictly necessary to read an entire biography). I think then you start to see that “Management” began to mean something particular in the post-war era for those who could see it, that it’s been lost in most organizations. Agile, lean, blah blah blah is all sort of derived from here.\nThen get some conditioning on how it all goes wrong, for which I would suggest the classic “The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering”, which is generally applicable.\nThen personally, I era toward thinking about organizations that have accomplished great things, so suggest “Creativity, Inc”, “Doing the Impossible: George E. Mueller & the Management of NASA's Human Spaceflight Program”, and books of those type.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "which is concise, brilliant, generally applicable, and completely aligned with the thinking of Grove",
          "reason": "Praises it as concise, brilliant, generally applicable, and aligned with Grove's management thinking.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring leadership and management across fields.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "United States Marine Corps"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military doctrine",
        "strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mcdp-series-c1fa41",
      "title": "MCDP series",
      "author": "U.S. Marine Corps",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23863242,
          "author": "blaser-waffle",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T20:03:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23863242",
          "commentText": "There were 6 MCDP handbooks -- I helped edit a re-release of #6 as a policy intern/college student after getting out of the USMC.\nSee also:  https://grc-usmcu.libguides.com/research-topics/main/usmc-do... (https://grc-usmcu.libguides.com/research-topics/main/usmc-doctrine)\nBut I agree with parent's point -- MDCP #1 Warfighting is pretty good.  If you're a military nerd all 6 are great, but if you're just going read one of them then definitely stick to Warfighting.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "There were 6 MCDP handbooks",
          "reason": "Says all six handbooks are great for military enthusiasts.",
          "audience": "Military enthusiasts.",
          "caveat": "If reading only one, recommends Warfighting instead.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "U.S. Marine Corps"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military doctrine"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mci-failure-is-not-an-option-d70ed9",
      "title": "MCI: Failure Is Not an Option",
      "author": "Leslie Cauley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17205403,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T14:04:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205403",
          "commentText": "Maybe not perfect matches, but a few titles I'm familiar with that you might like:\nDreaming in Code - covers Mitch Kapor's post Lotus effort to build Chandler.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreaming_in_Code\nEveryone Else Must Fail - all about Larry Ellison and Oracle\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Everyone-Else-Must-Fail-Unvarnished/d... (https://www.amazon.com/Everyone-Else-Must-Fail-Unvarnished/dp/0712621482)\nWinners, Losers & Microsoft - title says it all\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Winners-Losers-Microsoft-Competition-... (https://www.amazon.com/Winners-Losers-Microsoft-Competition-Technology/dp/0945999844)\nTwo books by Bill Gates:\nBusiness At The Speed of Thought\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Business-Speed-Thought-Succeeding-Dig... (https://www.amazon.com/Business-Speed-Thought-Succeeding-Digital/dp/0446525685/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1527861952&sr=1-1&keywords=business+at+the+speed+of+thought)\nand\nThe Road Ahead\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Road-Ahead-Completely-Up-Date/dp/0140... (https://www.amazon.com/Road-Ahead-Completely-Up-Date/dp/0140260404/ref=pd_sbs_14_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0140260404&pd_rd_r=ZRRXQ50NEK3EPWVC9FM9&pd_rd_w=q6Fr8&pd_rd_wg=iFPgv&psc=1&refRID=ZRRXQ50NEK3EPWVC9FM9)\nAlso:\nMCI: Failure Is Not An Option\nhttps://www.amazon.com/MCI-Failure-Invented-Competition-Tele... (https://www.amazon.com/MCI-Failure-Invented-Competition-Telecommunications/dp/1888232412/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1527861809&sr=1-1&keywords=failure+is+not+an+option+mci)\nAlready mentioned, but I feel obligated to add another +1 for these three:\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Kidder\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Levy\nThe Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation - Gertner\nAlso, if you enjoy this kind of stuff, you might enjoy the AMC series Halt and Catch Fire. Yes it's fiction and highly dramatized, but it captures a lot of the spirit of the times from the beginnings of the PC era up through the Dot Com Bubble era.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "MCI: Failure Is Not An Option",
          "reason": "Included in the list of titles suggested for the reader.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in telecommunications and company history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leslie Cauley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mci",
        "telecommunications"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mit-guide-to-lock-picking-86f211",
      "title": "MIT Guide to Lock Picking",
      "author": "Deviant Ollam",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3395676,
          "author": "lvillani",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T13:25:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395676",
          "commentText": "- \"Clean Code: A Handbook of Agile Software Craftsmanship\" by Robert C. Martin\n- \"Physics for Future Presidents\" by Richard Muller\nNot really a book but I found the \"MIT Guide to Lock Picking\" an interesting read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I found the \"MIT Guide to Lock Picking\" an interesting read.",
          "reason": "Calls it an interesting read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not really a book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Deviant Ollam"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "lock picking",
        "physical security"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ml-for-the-working-programmer-d997b6",
      "title": "ML for the Working Programmer",
      "author": "Lawrence C. Paulson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23366735,
          "author": "undecidabot",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-31T02:46:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23366735",
          "commentText": "Ullman's book is really accessible and what introduced me to SML as well,\nbut for those looking for something that goes a little deeper,\ndo read \"ML for the Working Programmer\" by Lawrence Paulson (author of Isabelle).\nIt has one of the best introductions to ML's module system\nand even covers building a (toy) tactical theorem prover.\nOh, and it's now available online for free as well [1].\nAnother great book on FP is \"The Functional Approach to Programming\" [2],\nwhich is a bit like SICP but using Caml (OCaml without the O) instead of Scheme.\n[1] https://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~lp15/MLbook/pub-details.html\n[2] http://pauillac.inria.fr/cousineau-mauny/main.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "do read \"ML for the Working Programmer\" by Lawrence Paulson (author of Isabelle).",
          "reason": "Recommended for readers seeking a deeper treatment; the commenter highlights its introduction to ML modules and a toy theorem prover.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a deeper treatment of ML and functional programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lawrence C. Paulson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ml",
        "sml",
        "theorem proving"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ml-for-the-working-programmer-d007e0",
      "title": "ML for the Working Programmer",
      "author": "Larry C. Paulson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10184539,
          "author": "cannam",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-08T08:14:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10184539",
          "commentText": "Not that many options I think.\nA classic is Larry C Paulson's \"ML for the Working Programmer\", although it's (a) apparently a bit divisive (see e.g. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9667264) and (b) out of print. It's a thoughtful treatment of functional programming that happens to use ML, and a book I enjoy reading rather than just referring to. I appreciate the fact that the second edition introduces modules very early on, and that it's relatively un-mathematical in the way it presents things like module semantics.\nRobert Harper's \"Programming in Standard ML\" (online only I think, at http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~rwh/smlbook/book.pdf) is more thorough. It's modern enough to present the Basis library as part of the language, so you do get a handful of useful existing data structures rather than feeling you're expected to build everything yourself. A pity the Basis library is so slight though.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "a book I enjoy reading rather than just referring to",
          "reason": "Calls it a thoughtful treatment and says they enjoy reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as divisive and out of print.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Larry C. Paulson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "functional programming",
        "standard ml"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mmurtl-v1-0-91c52b",
      "title": "MMURTL V1.0",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28479273,
          "author": "alfiedotwtf",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-10T09:13:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 28478751,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach you programming languages via systems projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28479273",
          "commentText": "You might enjoy Andy Tanenbaum's MINIX book, or (even though it's really old now), the MMURTL V1.0 book",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the MMURTL V1.0 book",
          "reason": "Suggests the book as a possible systems-programming resource.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in systems programming.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is really old now.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "operating systems",
        "systems programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mmurtl-v1-0-3382ac",
      "title": "MMURTL V1.0",
      "author": "Richard Burgess",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28480194,
          "author": "blahdeblah123",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-10T11:47:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 28478751,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach you programming languages via systems projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28480194",
          "commentText": "MMURTL - now there's a blast from the past!! I learned a lot from that book (by Richard Burgess IIRC) and playing around with the code was fun. Mostly 386 assembler and some C from what I remember. Yes, the Minix book is also good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I learned a lot from that book (by Richard Burgess IIRC) and playing around with the code was fun.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they learned a lot from the book and enjoyed working through its code.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Burgess"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "assembly language",
        "systems programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mos-microcomputers-programming-manual-997177",
      "title": "MOS Microcomputers Programming Manual",
      "author": "MOS Technology",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46783107,
          "author": "ajross",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-27T17:22:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 46778461,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books to learn 6502 ASM and the Apple II",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46783107",
          "commentText": "Honestly if you want to learn retro stuff for retro reasons... maybe consider using the retro materials?  Here's the MOS programming manual for the original parts, it's what Woz would have used when hand-assembling Integer BASIC:\nhttps://archive.org/details/mos_microcomputers_programming_m... (https://archive.org/details/mos_microcomputers_programming_manual/page/n23/mode/2up)\nAnd it's really not so complicated!  The chip is simple, so the docs are simple.  There's more to read about the history to come later, but there's also something to be said for understanding it in the context its designers presented it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Here's the MOS programming manual for the original parts",
          "reason": "Recommends the original-chip manual as retro learning material and a way to understand the designers' context.",
          "audience": "Readers learning 6502 assembly in its historical context.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "MOS Technology"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "6502 assembly",
        "mos 6502",
        "technical manuals"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mpls-enabled-applications-emerging-developments-and-new-technolog-7d3808",
      "title": "MPLS-Enabled Applications: Emerging Developments and New Technologies",
      "author": "Ina Minei and Julian Lucek",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16090266,
          "author": "dfex",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-07T10:33:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16090266",
          "commentText": "MPLS-Enabled Applications: Emerging Developments and New Technologies by Ina Minei and Julian Lucek.\nThere are a lot of books out there on MPLS services, but this one stands out for me because of the way it is written: the subject matter is clearly explains some very complex topics in a way that even a beginner network engineer could grasp, while not being a wordy tome that you never get around to finishing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the subject matter is clearly explains some very complex topics in a way that even a beginner network engineer could grasp",
          "reason": "Praises its clear explanation of complex MPLS topics in a readable format.",
          "audience": "Network engineers, including beginners.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ina Minei and Julian Lucek"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer networking",
        "mpls"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mst124-a1bbcd",
      "title": "MST124",
      "author": "The Open University",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31491843,
          "author": "injb",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T13:31:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31491843",
          "commentText": "I post this a lot when people ask similar questions: get the Open University books (such as MST124, MST125, M208). They're not cheap but they are designed to teach undergraduate level mathematics without a teacher and they work!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "get the Open University books (such as MST124",
          "reason": "Recommends Open University course books for learning undergraduate mathematics independently.",
          "audience": "People learning undergraduate mathematics without a teacher.",
          "caveat": "They're not cheap.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "The Open University"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self study",
        "undergraduate mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mst125-697f1d",
      "title": "MST125",
      "author": "The Open University",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31491843,
          "author": "injb",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T13:31:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31491843",
          "commentText": "I post this a lot when people ask similar questions: get the Open University books (such as MST124, MST125, M208). They're not cheap but they are designed to teach undergraduate level mathematics without a teacher and they work!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "MST124, MST125, M208",
          "reason": "Recommends Open University course books for learning undergraduate mathematics independently.",
          "audience": "People learning undergraduate mathematics without a teacher.",
          "caveat": "They're not cheap.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "The Open University"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self study",
        "undergraduate mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mud-game-programming-4fcbad",
      "title": "MUD Game Programming",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34412747,
          "author": "tjpnz",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-17T14:29:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 34412069,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach programming by building a series of small projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34412747",
          "commentText": "MUD Game Programming. Not sure how easy obtaining a copy would be in 2023 but it has two projects which I recall being a lot of fun. I never did build a successful MUD but did learn a fair amount about network programming.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/927128.Mud_Game_Progr... (https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/927128.Mud_Game_Programming_With_CDROM_)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "MUD Game Programming.",
          "reason": "The author recalls enjoying its two projects and learning about network programming.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure how easy it is to obtain a copy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mud programming",
        "network programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "machine-dreams-economics-becomes-a-cyborg-science-23bd9f",
      "title": "Machine Dreams: Economics Becomes a Cyborg Science",
      "author": "Philip Mirowski",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227113,
          "author": "andrewcooke",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T18:01:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227113",
          "commentText": "Hayek's Challenge by Caldwell - http://www.amazon.com/Hayeks-Challenge-Intellectual-Biograph... (http://www.amazon.com/Hayeks-Challenge-Intellectual-Biography-F/dp/0226091937)\nI wrote a review on Amazon that you can read there for more details, but in short: this book describes the themes that interested Hayek, their historical context, and how attitudes to them evolved.\nI consider myself \"left wing\" and Hayek is no great hero of mine (when I read the book I was barely aware of him - I think he is more famous in the USA than Europe), but that doesn't stop this being one of my favourite books.  The range covered is huge, the historical background of the times is fascinating, and Hayek is a much more complex thinker than you might imagine from the way he is treated in current popular culture.\nVaguely related, \"Machine Dreams\" by Mirowski is another absorbing, thought-provoking book on the history of Economics (simplifying hugely - the influence of the cold war on the rise of \"free market economics\").  The style can be a little frustrating, but it's worth the effort.  http://www.amazon.com/Machine-Dreams-Economics-Becomes-Scien... (http://www.amazon.com/Machine-Dreams-Economics-Becomes-Science/dp/0521775264)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "another absorbing, thought-provoking book on the history of Economics",
          "reason": "Recommended as absorbing and thought-provoking history of economics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The style can be a little frustrating, but the commenter says it is worth the effort.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip Mirowski"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cold war",
        "history of economic thought"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "machine-language-for-the-commodore-64-1709c7",
      "title": "Machine Language for the Commodore 64",
      "author": "Jim Butterfield",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 176895,
          "author": "dpapathanasiou",
          "createdAt": "2008-04-29T19:26:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 176803,
          "threadTitle": "Which is your favorite 70-80s computer book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=176895",
          "commentText": "\"Machine language for the Commodore 64\" by Jim Butterfield",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Machine language for the Commodore 64\" by Jim Butterfield",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jim Butterfield"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "commodore 64",
        "machine language"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "machine-learning-design-patterns-f7d63c",
      "title": "Machine Learning Design Patterns",
      "author": "Valliappa Lakshmanan et al.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27629689,
          "author": "samuell",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T12:05:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27629689",
          "commentText": "I'm a lot into how to streamline data architectures, especially around ML solutions, so some titles related to that.\nI'm already reading Kleppman's book right now. Tons of very useful knowledge, although quite detailed, and a lot of details around distributed computing, consensus algorithms etc (Part II), which I'm not sure I will need and which make the book rather long. Still, surely worth pressing through.\nSome titles I would like to dive into in the summer:\n- \"The Art of Immutable Architecture\" by Michael Perry.\nPossibly also:\n- \"Machine Learning Design Patterns\" by by Valliappa Lakshmanan et al.\n- \"Building Secure and Reliable Systems\" by by Heather Adkins et al.\nAnd perhaps something lighter, more inspirational for the day to day work:\n- \"Coders at work\" by Peter Seibel",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Machine Learning Design Patterns\" by by Valliappa Lakshmanan et al.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they would possibly like to dive into it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Only a possible choice.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Valliappa Lakshmanan et al."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "design patterns",
        "machine learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "machine-learning-for-hackers-09dbbb",
      "title": "Machine Learning for Hackers",
      "author": "Drew Conway and John Myles White",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13410038,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T14:12:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13410038",
          "commentText": "Recently?  And actually finished as opposed to skimming or working through parts of?\nCode by Charles Petzold.\nOf the ones that I haven't finished, but have at least looked at, I think I'd say:\nMachine Learning for Hackers by Drew Conway and John Myles White\nand\nThe Master Algorithm by Pedro Domingos",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Of the ones that I haven't finished, but have at least looked at, I think I'd say:\nMachine Learning for Hackers by Drew Conway and John Myles White",
          "reason": "Names it among books the commenter has looked at but not finished.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter had not finished it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10028566,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T20:28:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10028566",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps to the Epiphany - Steve Blank\nSteve Jobs - Walter Isaacson\nArtificial Life  - Steven Levy\nOn Writing - Stephen King\nMachine Learning for Hackers - Drew Conway and John Myles White\nHow Doctors Think - Jerome Goopman\nCholesterol Clarity: What The HDL Is Wrong With My Numbers? - Jimmy Moore & Eric C. Westman\nBarbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco - Bryan Burrough & John Helyar",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Machine Learning for Hackers - Drew Conway and John Myles White",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Drew Conway and John Myles White"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "machine learning",
        "data analysis",
        "r programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "machine-trading-deploying-computer-algorithms-to-conquer-the-mark-0ece88",
      "title": "Machine Trading: Deploying Computer Algorithms to Conquer the Markets",
      "author": "Ernest P. Chan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16769837,
          "author": "meifun",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-05T23:51:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16769837",
          "commentText": "Here are the books on my desk:\nC++:\n\"The C++ Programming Language\", Stroustrup\n\"Programming: Principles and Practice Using C++\", Stroustrup\nQuant:\n\"Quantitative Trading\", Dr. Ernest Chan\n\"Algorithmic Trading\", Dr. Ernest Chan\n\"Machine Trading: Deploying Computer Algorithms to Conquer the Markets\", Dr. Ernest Chan\n\"Advances in Financial Machine Learning\", Marcos Lopez de Prado\n\"Options, Futures and Other Derivatives (10th edition)\", John C. Hull\nBuddhism:\n\"Open Heart, Clear Mind\", Thubten Chodron\n\"Buddhism For Beginners\", Thubten Chodron\n\"Working with Anger\", Thubten Chodron\nReading For Pleasure:\n\"Naked Statistics\", Charles Wheelan\n\"Algorithms to Live By\", Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths\n\"Dark Pools\"\n\"The Quants\", Scott Patterson\n\"The Physics Of Wall Street\", James Owen Weatherall\nPlus some Chinese books, I wont bore with the details, unless anyone wants to know. Fun Fact, while I was in China for 8 weeks in late 2017 I bought 60 Chinese books and stuffed them in a suitcase. It cost me $4,000RMB (~$604 USD) to check all of my stuff and purchases home :-)\nThe Math books are:\n\"Discrete math\", Susan Epp\n\"Discrete with Ducks\"\nvarious Calc books. If you want to learn math, find books that work for you. We all learn differently here.\nMy opinion: The Chan books are just amazing. Thought provoking and motivational. I am still reading the Prado book.\nMy opinion 2: If you ever want to slow down in life and learn what you are about, read about Buddhism. I'm not trying to start a flame war. It just works for me. It isn't being told what to believe because that is the way it is. I feel Buddhism lets me explore myself to find the right answers that work for me. Since studying my anger levels are in check. I am a better Husband. My wife comes first always.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Machine Trading: Deploying Computer Algorithms to Conquer the Markets\", Dr. Ernest Chan",
          "reason": "The commenter lists this as a desk book and later calls the Chan books amazing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ernest P. Chan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithmic trading",
        "quantitative finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "machinery-s-handbook-d83077",
      "title": "Machinery's Handbook",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16757106,
          "author": "ddingus",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T17:46:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16757106",
          "commentText": "Machinists handbook from the 60's era.  I value it for the pre computer ways of thinking.  Lots of gold in that one.\nMOS 6502 series data book.\nMoto 6809 Programmers Reference.\nI actually had someone take me to the local Motorola office to get the 6809 book.  Docs were free for the asking, and a kid asking was quite the event.  Aspects of that conversation were important to my life.\nI still have occasion to do paid work, and enjoy fun projects with both chips, and or variants seen today.  These are few and far between, but very enjoyable.  Mostly perspective and nostalgia in these.  It's my roots.\nThe One Minute Manager parable has served me well mentoring and leading.\nOn Writing by Stephen King.  Being able to tell a story with clarity has far more utility than one would expect.  Besides, I want to write a novel one day.\nThe Art of Electronics, second edition.  Probably need to update that one.\nA Tektronix \"How to use an Oscilloscope\" book, well matched to my old, analog 400Mhz, 4 channel scope.\nANSI / ASME  geometric dimensioning, tolerancing, standards books.  2D technical communication remains significant in my life.\nRecent addition:  Mold making Handbook.\nI need a good primer and a good polymer tech reference.  Any suggestions?\n\"Pirates of the Asteroids\", childhood sci-fi.  Again, perspective.  Was the first one I really read through and got as a kid.  Kept it, because asshole reminder.  'Nuff said.  It's just a personal totem.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Machinists handbook from the 60's era.",
          "reason": "The commenter values it for its pre-computer ways of thinking and says it contains useful insights.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The copy mentioned is from the 1960s.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16756787,
          "author": "lyk",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T17:13:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16756787",
          "commentText": "Machinery's Handbook and some GD&T reference books.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Machinery's Handbook",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "machining",
        "mechanical engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "machines-like-me-649cde",
      "title": "Machines Like Me",
      "author": "Ian McEwan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21459544,
          "author": "banjo_milkman",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T03:39:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21459544",
          "commentText": "My struggle book 6 by Karl Ove Knausgaard. Good, though I think I preferred the earlier books. It's still very compelling, but a little too much Hitler in this one\nUnderland: A Deep Time Journey by Robert Macfarlane. Poetic landscape history, reminiscent of Sebald. Good stuff.\nClick here to kill everybody by Bruce Schneier. Scary.\nMachines like me by Ian McEwan. First McEwan I read for a while but I liked it more than I expected. I thought the AI bits were quite good.\nThe deep history of ourselves : the four-billion-year story of how we got conscious brains by Joseph LeDoux. Bit disappointed in this one, it seemed like there should have been a better story here.\nThe Tangled Tree: A Radical New History of Life:  David Quammen.\nThe Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power by Shoshana Zuboff. Makes CS careers look less appealing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I liked it more than I expected. I thought the AI bits were quite good.",
          "reason": "Says they liked it more than expected and thought the AI elements were quite good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ian McEwan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "macintosh-user-interface-guidelines-609a80",
      "title": "Macintosh User Interface Guidelines",
      "author": "Apple Computer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12713078,
          "author": "Animats",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-15T07:16:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12713078",
          "commentText": "The original Macintosh User Interface Guidelines are still worth a read.  Some of them have been forgotten.  A good one is \"You should never have to tell the computer something it already knows\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The original Macintosh User Interface Guidelines are still worth a read.",
          "reason": "Says the original guidelines are still worth reading and notes that some guidance has been forgotten.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Apple Computer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "design guidelines",
        "interface design",
        "macintosh"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "macroeconomics-b99129",
      "title": "Macroeconomics",
      "author": "N. Gregory Mankiw",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36429601,
          "author": "gizmo",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T08:59:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36429601",
          "commentText": "Read the micro 101 and macro 101 textbooks used by good universities. Principles of Economics by Taylor is one of the common textbooks. Macroeconomics by Mankiw is another one. Intro courses on any subject tend to be very accessible to laypeople.\nSowell is unserious because he misrepresents the other side. He basically argues that when you leave everything for the market to figure out it will automatically turn out alright, and if it doesn’t then clearly it means you need to deregulate more. You can look up what the arguments against complete free market solutions in healthcare, housing, education, and manufacturing are and you’ll see that the “obvious common sense market based” solutions don’t produce good outcomes for society.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Macroeconomics by Mankiw is another one.",
          "reason": "Listed as a common university introductory economics textbook.",
          "audience": "Laypeople taking an introductory economics course.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "N. Gregory Mankiw"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "macroeconomics",
        "textbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "macroeconomics-611c5b",
      "title": "Macroeconomics",
      "author": "Olivier Blanchard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12565079,
          "author": "baristaGeek",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T14:58:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12565079",
          "commentText": "Mankiw's books is the best option if you want an inferential and qualitative understanding of the subject. If you want something with more mathematical rigor I suggest Blanchard's Macroeconomics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you want something with more mathematical rigor I suggest Blanchard's Macroeconomics.",
          "reason": "Suggested for a more mathematically rigorous treatment.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking greater mathematical rigor.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Olivier Blanchard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economics textbooks",
        "macroeconomics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "macroeconomics-and-the-financial-system-87f1a1",
      "title": "Macroeconomics and the Financial System",
      "author": "N. Gregory Mankiw and Laurence Ball",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22575714,
          "author": "nabla9",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T14:56:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22575714",
          "commentText": "I think Mankiw covers pretty well how banking system works in real life. Open market operations etc.\nI'm referring to the book: 'N. Gregory Mankiw, Laurence Ball - Macroeconomics and the Financial System-Worth Publishers (2010)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "N. Gregory Mankiw, Laurence Ball - Macroeconomics and the Financial System-Worth Publishers (2010)",
          "reason": "The commenter says it covers how the banking system works in practice, including open market operations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "N. Gregory Mankiw",
        "Laurence Ball"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "banking",
        "financial systems",
        "macroeconomics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mad-magazine-super-special-fall-1981-fb141a",
      "title": "Mad Magazine Super Special, Fall 1981",
      "author": "MAD Magazine",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13807037,
          "author": "corny",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T23:25:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13807037",
          "commentText": "Mad Magazine Super Special, Fall 1981\nWas quite young when I read this and it was maybe my first (or at least strongest) exposure to satire.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mad Magazine Super Special, Fall 1981",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was an early, strong exposure to satire.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "MAD Magazine"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "magazine special",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "madame-fourcade-s-secret-war-13b9e0",
      "title": "Madame Fourcade's Secret War",
      "author": "Lynne Olson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804899,
          "author": "AGivant",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:29:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804899",
          "commentText": "Here is my list (from https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/912138-alex-givant?rea...):\nMemoirs:\n- Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti..).\n- Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive by Land, Stephanie, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39218350-maid\n- Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40409969-medium-raw\n- Confessions of a Tax Collector: One Man's Tour of Duty Inside the IRS by Yancey, Rick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_..).\n- The Perfect Predator: A Scientist's Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Superbug: A Memoir by Steffanie Strathdee, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-pre... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-predator)\nPolitics:\n- Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Desmond, Matthew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25852784-evicted\n- Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America by Leovy, Jill, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13153693-ghettoside\n- American Prison: A Reporter's Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment by Bauer, Shane, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38561954-american-prison\n- Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Eban, Katherine, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42448266-bottle-of-lies\n- A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America by Miller, T. Christian, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35805861-a-false-report\n- The New Silk Roads by Frankopan, Peter, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro..).\nHistory:\n- Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-1956 by Applebaum, Anne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13531848-iron-curtain\n- The Romanovs: 1613-1918 by Montefiore, Simon Sebag, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26109020-the-romanovs\n- The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Johnson, Steven, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36086.The_Ghost_Map\n- Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations by Bergman, Ronen, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f..).\n- Madame Fourcade's Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against Hitler by Olson, Lynne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade..).\n- Argo: How the CIA & Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History by Méndez, Antonio J., https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13588425-argo\nCrime:\n- Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History by Selby, Scott Andrew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7071759-flawless\n- American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road by Bilton, Nick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi..).\n- Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by Carreyrou, John, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37976541-bad-blood\n- Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World by Wright, Tom, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-..).\n- The Mastermind: Drugs. Empire. Murder. Betrayal. by Ratliff, Evan, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41181600-the-mastermind\nTechnology:\n- Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon by Zetter, Kim, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze..).\n- Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World by Thompson, Clive, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40406806-coders",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Madame Fourcade's Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against Hitler by Olson, Lynne",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list of favorite nonfiction books read in 2019.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lynne Olson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "french resistance",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "maddie-mabel-db0c0d",
      "title": "Maddie & Mabel",
      "author": "Kari Allen",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50038288,
          "author": "sp332",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-10T23:47:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50038288",
          "commentText": "The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins - Dr Seuss\nIf You Give a Mouse a Cookie - the original is by far the best of these.\nRamona Quimby series - Beverly Cleary\nIggy Peck, Architect (+series) - Andrea Beaty\nBeast Feast - Emma Yarlett\nDragons Love Tacos (+ 2) - Adam Rubin\nThe Princess in Black (+series) - Shannon & Dean Hale\nDon't Let a Unicorn Scribble (+series) - Diane Abler\nThe Camping Trip - Jennifer Maan\nMaddie & Mabel (+series) - Kari Allen\nI Love You Stinky Face - Lisa McCourt\nAuthors that were always good: Arnold Lobel, Sandra Boynton, James Stevenson\nAnd don't forget to check https://www.betterworldbooks.com/ , they are affiliated with the Internet Archive and they don't show up in shopping searches.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Maddie & Mabel (+series) - Kari Allen",
          "reason": "Listed among favorite children's books.",
          "audience": "Children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kari Allen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "made-in-america-an-informal-history-of-the-english-language-in-th-d2674f",
      "title": "Made in America: An Informal History of the English Language in the United States",
      "author": "Bill Bryson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21797508,
          "author": "randcraw",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-15T17:37:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21797508",
          "commentText": "All of these are by Bill Bryson but none are about travel:\nShakespeare: the World as Stage\nOne Summer: America, 1927\nThe Mother Tongue: English and How it Got that Way\nMade in America: an Informal History of the English Language in the US\nAt Home: A Short History of Private Life",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Made in America: an Informal History of the English Language in the US",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Bryson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american english",
        "linguistics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "made-in-japan-49eb70",
      "title": "Made in Japan",
      "author": "Akio Morita with Edwin M. Reingold and Mitsuko Shimomura",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12416912,
          "author": "samblr",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T23:19:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416912",
          "commentText": "Made in Japan had a profound impact on me - how two engineers disgruntled by their nation's defeat in world war 2 went on to become leading company in electronics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Made in Japan had a profound impact on me - how two engineers disgruntled by their nation's defeat in world war 2 went on to become leading company in electronics.",
          "reason": "Says it had a profound impact and describes the business story it tells.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in company building and postwar Japanese business.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12144524,
          "author": "samblr",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T16:23:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144524",
          "commentText": "If I were to go back and be young - I would dedicate myself to read plenty of books and probably find three genres which would appeal. A measure of a good book is how likely will it lead you to read another great book or how likely is that it changes the perception of another book/knowledge or makes you question-argue fundamental value systems. Wish there was kind of backlink algorithm to measure a book like that. I've found below genre-and-author that appeal more over time and you keep going back to them.\n> Tech : C - Kernighan & Ritchie (may be a good python/nodejs book today).\n> About tech people : Made in Japan - The Google Speaks - The Everything store - Hatching Twitter - Steve Jobs - Zero to One - Hard things about hard things.\n> About non-tech people : Founding fathers - Obama - Einstein - Darwin - Feyman - Teresa - Montessori - Gandhi - Mandela - Che Guevera - Churchill.\n> Last but important: Tolstoy - Plato - Enlightenment-Era-Books - Religions(all) - Military fitness.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Made in Japan",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books about technology people that appeal to the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment gives no specific evaluation of this title.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Akio Morita with Edwin M. Reingold and Mitsuko Shimomura"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "japanese business",
        "sony"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "made-in-japan-akio-morita-and-sony-56bf4b",
      "title": "Made in Japan: Akio Morita and Sony",
      "author": "Akio Morita, Edwin M. Reingold, Mitsuko Shimomura",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40280027,
          "author": "sedawk",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-06T22:02:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40280027",
          "commentText": "In no particular order...\n0. Made in Japan: Akio Morita and Sony, by Akio Morita, Edwin M. Reingold, Mitsuko Shimomura\n1. The Practice of Programming (TPOP) , by Brian W. Kernighan, Rob Pike\n2. Wings of Fire, by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Arun Tiwari",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Made in Japan: Akio Morita and Sony, by Akio Morita, Edwin M. Reingold, Mitsuko Shimomura",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Akio Morita",
        "Edwin M. Reingold",
        "Mitsuko Shimomura"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "madness-explained-d143cf",
      "title": "Madness Explained",
      "author": "Richard P. Bentall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16297231,
          "author": "timellis-smith",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T11:41:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16297231",
          "commentText": "Fiction\nWar and Peace\nCrime and Punishment\nCount of Monte Christo\n1984\nGod of Small Things\nParadise lost\nDivine comedy\nNon fiction\nSelfish gene\nMeditations\nMadness explained (the best book I've encountered for explaining how the mind works)\nThe Red Queen\nTao te Ching",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Madness explained (the best book I've encountered for explaining how the mind works)",
          "reason": "Calls it the best book they've encountered for explaining how the mind works.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard P. Bentall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mental health",
        "psychosis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "madness-made-me-289980",
      "title": "Madness Made Me",
      "author": "Mary O’Hagan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46461871,
          "author": "Quinzel",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-02T05:58:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46461871",
          "commentText": "I read:\n- The Courage to be Disliked.\n- Moral Tribes\n- Crazy like us\n- Careless People\n- Madness Made Me\n- The righteous mind: Why good people are divided by politics and religion.\nAnd a few that were on my 2025 list that I didn’t make it through, and are on my list for 2026 include: \n- Team of Rivals\n- Behave\n- Why Greatness cannot be planned.\nHopefully I’ll get through those three books before the end of Feb when I go back to Uni, and won’t have time to read for leisure for about 7 months.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Madness Made Me",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42538450,
          "author": "Quinzel",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-29T08:07:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42538450",
          "commentText": "I just started reading Madness Made Me by Mary O’Hagen, and I’ll finish it before the end of tomorrow. \nIt’s a good read. It offers good insight into someone’s journey through madness and dealing with the mental health system.\nMy personal favourite part of the book: \n“After a few sessions Dr L’Estrange tells me I need anti-depressants. ‘You’re very slowed down and physically depressed,’ he says. He doesn’t know I am recovering from a night of smoking Buddha sticks laced with horse tranquilliser”.\nI just loved that particular part of the book because it just really highlights the absurdity that so many mental health professionals, and general doctors, think they have the authority to assign these really rather powerfully debilitating labels based on all their years of learning and knowledge, yet have so little insight into the lives of their own patients when they assign these labels, as if to say they know you and your life better than you do.\nAnd I study psychology, but there are still aspects of the discipline, particularly when it comes to diagnosing and treating mental health problems that I think are inherently flawed and problematic. Reading of other people’s experiences offers more insight than the DSM-5. That’s for sure!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I just started reading Madness Made Me by Mary O’Hagen, and I’ll finish it before the end of tomorrow. \nIt’s a good read.",
          "reason": "Calls it a good read and values its insight into a person's experience of mental illness and the mental health system.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in personal experiences of mental illness and mental health care.",
          "caveat": "Criticizes mental health diagnosis and treatment as flawed, drawing on the author's experience.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mary O’Hagan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mental health memoir",
        "patient experience",
        "psychiatric diagnosis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "madness-and-civilization-4d7232",
      "title": "Madness and Civilization",
      "author": "Michel Foucault",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9348419,
          "author": "grey-area",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:53:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348419",
          "commentText": "Meditations by Marcus Aurelius - a wonderfully simple explanation of what is truly important in life.\nThe Order of Things or Madness and Civilisation by Michel Foucault - a look at how our culture and time limit the horizons of our world view.\nAnna Karenina by Tolstoy - a complicated set of love stories set in 19C Russia - brilliantly observed.\nGodel, Escher, Bach by Hofstadter - an exhilarating skip through the wonderland of western maths, art, music and philosophy.\nFounders at Work by Jessica Livingston - a great insight into the first computer revolution - interviews with a lot of very interesting people.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Order of Things or Madness and Civilisation by Michel Foucault - a look at how our culture and time limit the horizons of our world view.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it examines how culture and time limit our worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michel Foucault"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of psychiatry",
        "social theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "madonna-in-a-fur-coat-bc6985",
      "title": "Madonna in a Fur Coat",
      "author": "Sabahattin Ali",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33383086,
          "author": "cousin_it",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T11:28:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33383086",
          "commentText": "Madonna in a Fur Coat, by Sahabattin Ali - a short Turkish novel published in 1943, sad and charming, reminds me of Somerset Maugham.\nThe Blood Oranges, by John Hawkes - he's a postmodern writer, but this short novel is pretty straightforward. The narrator is the best-written hedonist Casanova I've ever read, and the novel explores both the perks and the fallout of this outlook on life. Maybe read alongside The Girl in a Swing by Richard Adams, which explores similar issues and is also extremely good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Madonna in a Fur Coat, by Sahabattin Ali",
          "reason": "Described as a short Turkish novel that is sad and charming, and compared to Somerset Maugham.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sabahattin Ali"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "turkish literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "magic-2-0-series-f4bfa8",
      "title": "Magic 2.0 series",
      "author": "Scott Meyer",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783776,
          "author": "noxToken",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T15:40:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783776",
          "commentText": "Was light year for me:\nConfessions of a D-List Supervillain - Jim Bernheimer\nOrigins of a D-List Supervillain - Jim Bernheimer\nThe second is a prequel of the first. I haven't read the third in the series. Light reading about a guy's descent into villainy.\nYes Please - Amy Poehler: I love memoirs. I just didn't love this one. It read a lot like Leslie Knope was the author, but there was an obscene amount of name dropping that kept interrupting the flow of the book for me.\nFresh Off the Boat: A Memoir - Eddie Huang: Like I said, I'm a sucker for these things. Picked it up, because the series reminded me of a 90s Asian version of Everybody Hates Chris. The absurdity and random profanity was a little off-putting at first. Remembering how I felt as a black boy doing some of the same dumb things in the 90s really put it into perspective though.\nThe Serpent of Venice: A Novel - Christopher Moore: The follow up to Fool. It's a different take on Shakespearian story-telling. I can't recommend his novels enough.\nQuantum Lens - Douglas E. Richards: I read this solely because I liked Wired and Amped. No-frills action with a sci-fi element. You probably won't get engrossed, but you will be entertained.\nSpell or High Water & An Unwelcome Quest - Scott Meyer: Books 2 & 3 in a series about a group of guys who can manipulate reality through writing scripts. Good, but not my favorite.\nArmada: A Novel - Ernest Cline: Ah yes. The long awaited sophomore effort from the author of Ready Player One. This book fell harder than it deserved to, because people where expecting it to be analogous to Ready Player One. Spoiler: it's not. The novel does have its short-comings. Repetitive dialogue, shoe-horned classic pop-culture references and shallow writing plague this book. If you've got time for a short novel, give it a whirl, but don't expect anything amazing.\nWords of Radiance - Brandon Sanderson: Book 2 of the Stormlight Archives. If it's an epic by Sanderson, do yourself a favor and board the hype train. You won't be disappointed. It's everything you want in a long fantasy novel without being bogged down with side-plots and details.\nWarbreaker - Brandon Sanderson: This is a standalone novel with a tie-on to Words of Radiance. I'm only halfway through it. Would recommend so far, especially since it's free from the author.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Books 2 & 3 in a series about a group of guys who can manipulate reality through writing scripts. Good, but not my favorite.",
          "reason": "Calls the series' books good, though not their favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Good but not their favorite; only books 2 and 3 are identified by specific titles.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Meyer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fantasy",
        "programming",
        "reality manipulation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "magic-pill-2b5e10",
      "title": "Magic Pill",
      "author": "Johann Hari",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268834,
          "author": "sien",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:04:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268834",
          "commentText": "A few of the books that stand out that I've read this year.\nTroubled - Rob Henderson. About how Henderson was in state care and wound up at prestigious universities and his thoughts on the world.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/176444107-troubled\nNot the End of the World - Hannah Ritchie from 'Our World in Data' about the state of the planet.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145624737-not-the-end-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145624737-not-the-end-of-the-world)\nDictatorland - Paul Kenyon - About the dictators who have impoverished Africa.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36260719-dictatorland\nMagic Pill - Johann Hari - About Semaglutide and how people got fat.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/201319612-magic-pill\nOn the Edge - Nate Silver - About how seeing the world in terms of risk and expected value can work.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/204236707-on-the-edge\nOrbital - Samantha Harvey - Booker Prize winner about people on the ISS and the world.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123136728-orbital\nBuild, Baby, Build - Bryan Caplan on why YIMBYism is a good idea. This is a graphic novel. It's really fun.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/181564537-build-baby-bui... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/181564537-build-baby-build)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Magic Pill - Johann Hari - About Semaglutide and how people got fat.",
          "reason": "Lists it among books that stood out this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Johann Hari"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "obesity",
        "semaglutide"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "magical-mathematics-the-mathematical-ideas-that-animate-great-mag-d141fe",
      "title": "Magical Mathematics: The Mathematical Ideas That Animate Great Magic Tricks",
      "author": "Persi Diaconis and Ron Graham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23733530,
          "author": "lazyant",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-04T17:06:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23733530",
          "commentText": "This is a beautiful book, especially if he or she is into magic: Magical Mathematics: The Mathematical Ideas That Animate Great Magic Tricks by Persi Diaconis, Ron Graham",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is a beautiful book, especially if he or she is into magic: Magical Mathematics: The Mathematical Ideas That Animate Great Magic Tricks by Persi Diaconis, Ron Graham",
          "reason": "Recommends it, especially for someone interested in magic.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in magic.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Persi Diaconis",
        "Ron Graham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "magic tricks",
        "mathematical magic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "magnificent-principia-8fbe30",
      "title": "Magnificent Principia",
      "author": "Colin Pask",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18662208,
          "author": "earthicus",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T08:09:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18662208",
          "commentText": "Ofer Gal - Baroque Science. A highly academic history of the scientific revolution, not the most readable book. It focused quite a bit on mathematization, especially in optics (and Kepler's optics revolution in particular), and also in observation via instrumentation like telescopes and microscopes.\nPaul Nahin - The Logician and the Engineer. About Boole and Shannon's work; I had already learned the material so i skimmed part of it and returned it to the library.\nIan Mortimer - The time traveler's guide to medieval england. Talks about what daily life was like for different social classes in 14th century England eg towns & cities, food, clothes, housing, employment, travel etc. I got about halfway through and lost interest in the subject matter.\nLucio Russo - The forgotten Revolution. A very readable academic history of the development of science in ptolomaic egypt (eg euclid, archimedes, etc). This was certainly the most surprising book I read all year. This time period has been almost completely deleted from history, which jumps straight from aristotle to the renaissance (with a quick stop in the islamic world if you're being spoiled), and their achievements were incredibly impressive!\nJim al-Khalili - The House of Wisdom. A pop-history book about arabic science that i got from the library. I was wary because it's written by a particle physicist and not a historian, and sure enough it is filled with so much nonsense that I through it down in disgust after a few chapters.\nColin Pask - Magnificent Principia. A brief tour of some of the highlights of Newton's Principia, using both newton's geometric diagrams and modern notation. Following the modern notation of course assumes some basic calculus. Highly recommended - it made me want to learn old fashioned celestial mechanics! Perhaps in 2019...\nRandall Munroe - What if. A fun light read about whimsical scenarios.\nSigmund - Exact thinking in demented times. About the vienna circle, the philosophical group associated with logical positivism.\nNewman [ed] - The world of mathematics vol 1. A varied Collection of mathematical writings, both contemporary and historical.\nRichard J Evans - The Coming of the Third Reich. Evans has recently written a three volume treatment of the third Reich. this is of course the first and starts with the origins of the modern form of antisemitism in the late 19th century. I hope to read the next two in 2019!\nRobert Harper - Practical foundations for programming languages. I've mostly just skimmed it so my understanding is quite superficial, maybe in a year or two I'll go through and do all the exercises. I liked that he avoided 'paradigms' and developed the subject more systematically. The book's table of contents is absolutely irresistible!\nTolkien - the Hobbit. I finally got around to reading it... I didn't care for it. I started the lord of the rings but i don't think i'm going to finish it.\nMichael Chriton - Jurassic Park. The movie was better.\nAgatha Christie - Murder on the Orient Express. I think i just don't like fiction. The few years before this I tried reading more fancy literature and i didn't like that, so this year I tried more popular literature... Recently i heard someone say they thought that history spoiled fiction for them. I think I've suffered the same problem.\nFindlay & O'Rourke - Power and Plenty. (in progress) An economic history of the 2nd millennium, absolutely fascinating so far. The discussion of the black death was particularly memorable. It's become something of a meme to point out how the peasant survivors were economically better off than their parents and grandparents. In fact that effect was limited to western europe. In eastern europe the economics were different and feudalism deepened, and in the arab world the reaction was different still: (if i remember my reading correctly) it was certain sects of military men who came out on top. I'm bringing it up because it is a perfect reminder that reality is more complicated than memes.\nRobert Harper - Programming in Standard ML. (in progress) Online notes about functional programming.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Highly recommended - it made me want to learn old fashioned celestial mechanics!",
          "reason": "The commenter highly recommends it and says it sparked interest in celestial mechanics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Following its modern notation assumes some basic calculus.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Colin Pask"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "celestial mechanics",
        "newton s principia"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mahabharata-a2320f",
      "title": "Mahabharata",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40282222,
          "author": "uptownfunk",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T04:03:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40282222",
          "commentText": "The Rama Charit Manasa\nBhagavatam\nBhagavad Gita\nChaitanya Caritamrta\nMahabharata",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mahabharata",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20918907,
          "author": "totaldude87",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T15:12:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20918907",
          "commentText": "Does \"Mahabharata\" count?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Does \"Mahabharata\" count?",
          "reason": "Asks whether it qualifies for the thread's time period.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hindu epic",
        "hindu tradition",
        "indian epic",
        "sanskrit literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mahabharata-1be594",
      "title": "Mahabharata",
      "author": "Traditional; authorship unknown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41238584,
          "author": "__rito__",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-13T19:10:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41238584",
          "commentText": "Does it have to be old to be a \"classic\"?\nIf not, by far, One Hundred Years of Solitude by Marquez is my favorite novel by a Nobel winner. It's great, epic, and lovely to read.\nIf you include epics, Mahabharata is actually a grand, epic book with war, friendship, love, sex, politics, realpolitik, strategy, and has a reach story line with scores of great side-stories.\nI also genuinely enjoyed Iliad and Aenied.\nI was also surprised at how good Candide by Voltaire was to read. Had a ton of fun reading it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mahabharata is actually a grand, epic book with war, friendship, love, sex, politics, realpolitik, strategy, and has a reach story line with scores of great side-stories.",
          "reason": "Presented as a grand epic with a wide-ranging story and many side stories.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "indian epic",
        "sanskrit literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mahout-in-action-e9b1ca",
      "title": "Mahout in Action",
      "author": "Sean Owen, Robin Anil, Ted Dunning, and Ellen Friedman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4967207,
          "author": "mridulk",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T21:51:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967207",
          "commentText": "India specific : India after Gandhi, India Unbound \nComputer Science : GEB( still reading), Mahout in Action \nGeneral : Cryptonomicon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mahout in Action",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sean Owen, Robin Anil, Ted Dunning, and Ellen Friedman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "apache mahout",
        "machine learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "maid-hard-work-low-pay-and-a-mother-s-will-to-survive-08e937",
      "title": "Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive",
      "author": "Stephanie Land",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804899,
          "author": "AGivant",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:29:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804899",
          "commentText": "Here is my list (from https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/912138-alex-givant?rea...):\nMemoirs:\n- Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti..).\n- Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive by Land, Stephanie, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39218350-maid\n- Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40409969-medium-raw\n- Confessions of a Tax Collector: One Man's Tour of Duty Inside the IRS by Yancey, Rick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_..).\n- The Perfect Predator: A Scientist's Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Superbug: A Memoir by Steffanie Strathdee, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-pre... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-predator)\nPolitics:\n- Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Desmond, Matthew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25852784-evicted\n- Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America by Leovy, Jill, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13153693-ghettoside\n- American Prison: A Reporter's Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment by Bauer, Shane, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38561954-american-prison\n- Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Eban, Katherine, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42448266-bottle-of-lies\n- A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America by Miller, T. Christian, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35805861-a-false-report\n- The New Silk Roads by Frankopan, Peter, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro..).\nHistory:\n- Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-1956 by Applebaum, Anne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13531848-iron-curtain\n- The Romanovs: 1613-1918 by Montefiore, Simon Sebag, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26109020-the-romanovs\n- The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Johnson, Steven, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36086.The_Ghost_Map\n- Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations by Bergman, Ronen, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f..).\n- Madame Fourcade's Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against Hitler by Olson, Lynne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade..).\n- Argo: How the CIA & Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History by Méndez, Antonio J., https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13588425-argo\nCrime:\n- Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History by Selby, Scott Andrew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7071759-flawless\n- American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road by Bilton, Nick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi..).\n- Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by Carreyrou, John, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37976541-bad-blood\n- Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World by Wright, Tom, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-..).\n- The Mastermind: Drugs. Empire. Murder. Betrayal. by Ratliff, Evan, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41181600-the-mastermind\nTechnology:\n- Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon by Zetter, Kim, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze..).\n- Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World by Thompson, Clive, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40406806-coders",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive by Land, Stephanie",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list of favorite nonfiction books read in 2019.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephanie Land"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "poverty"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "main-street-bb4d75",
      "title": "Main Street",
      "author": "Sinclair Lewis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23859129,
          "author": "iguanayou",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T14:09:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859129",
          "commentText": "I'm reading Sapiens right now.  I wouldn't say \"mind blown\" as I was at least a little familiar with a lot of it before, but the way that Harari writes really makes you think about things differently.\nHere are a couple of other books that have been pretty influential for me:\nDemocracy for Realists: Why Elections Do Not Produce Responsive Government\n\"Main Street\" by Sinclair Lewis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Main Street\" by Sinclair Lewis",
          "reason": "The commenter lists it among books that have been influential for them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sinclair Lewis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american literature",
        "small town life"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "maisy-b5af3b",
      "title": "Maisy",
      "author": "Lucy Cousins",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50079372,
          "author": "pjacotg",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-13T21:50:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50079372",
          "commentText": "To get started board books and we also had a book with pictures of a 1000 everyday objects which both my kids loved.\nThen for older than the first few months, my kids loved Maisy books, Spot books, various Julia Donaldsons, Percy the Park Keeper and Hairy Maclarey to name a few.\nGood luck with all of it!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "my kids loved Maisy books",
          "reason": "The commenter says their children loved the books.",
          "audience": "Young children; offered as reading advice for a baby.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lucy Cousins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "early childhood",
        "picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "maisy-makes-gingerbread-69dd02",
      "title": "Maisy Makes Gingerbread",
      "author": "Lucy Cousins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11297255,
          "author": "askyourmother",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T13:52:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297255",
          "commentText": "The childrens book \"Maisy makes gingerbread\", it might help the aspiring manager understand that often there is a simple, well understood series of steps to follow, and if we do follow them, we deliver something of value.\nIf we choose to bog down the process, add unnecessary steps, or shortcut some steps, the end result is perhaps less rewarding.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The childrens book \"Maisy makes gingerbread\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says it illustrates following simple steps to deliver something of value.",
          "audience": "Aspiring managers.",
          "caveat": "The lesson is presented as an analogy about process.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lucy Cousins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Parenting"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "picture book",
        "process"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "make-ac2687",
      "title": "Make",
      "author": "Pieter Levels",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41545895,
          "author": "anssip",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-15T07:35:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41545895",
          "commentText": "I would recommend The Lean Startup by Eric Ries. It’s a classic that introduced the MVP concept to the world.\nAnd for a bit of different approach, Make by Pieter Levels. This also recommends trying a lot of ideas and seeking what sticks, but perhaps with a more straightforward approach.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Make by Pieter Levels",
          "reason": "Recommended for its approach of trying many ideas and seeing what works.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes its approach as more straightforward.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pieter Levels"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "experimentation",
        "indie hacking",
        "startups"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "make-it-clear-944505",
      "title": "Make It Clear",
      "author": "Patrick Henry Winston",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32352430,
          "author": "gharman",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-05T06:18:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32352430",
          "commentText": "Make It Clear by Patrick Henry Winston has a permanent place on my bookshelf. He breaks communication down into a structured system and applies it to a variety of forms including (beyond standard prose documents) things like decks, pitches, and lectures.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Make It Clear by Patrick Henry Winston has a permanent place on my bookshelf.",
          "reason": "Endorses it as a structured guide to communication across formats such as documents, pitches, and lectures.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Patrick Henry Winston"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "communication",
        "presentations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "make-it-stick-the-science-of-successful-learning-6730ab",
      "title": "Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning",
      "author": "Peter C. Brown, Henry L. Roediger III, and Mark A. McDaniel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33802502,
          "author": "28304283409234",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T15:54:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33802502",
          "commentText": "\"Make it stick\", by Brown, Roediger and McDaniel. And any talk by Dave Snowden on Cynefin.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Make it stick\", by Brown, Roediger and McDaniel.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter C. Brown",
        "Henry L. Roediger III",
        "Mark A. McDaniel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "learning science",
        "memory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "make-your-contacts-count-02f42b",
      "title": "Make Your Contacts Count",
      "author": "Anne Baber and Lynne Waymon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10233489,
          "author": "elorant",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T14:23:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10233489",
          "commentText": "A couple ones I've read and found quite useful:\nMake your contacts count\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Make-Your-Contacts-Count-Networking/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/Make-Your-Contacts-Count-Networking/dp/0814474020/)\nThe science of influence\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Science-Influence-Anyone-Minutes-Less-... (http://www.amazon.com/Science-Influence-Anyone-Minutes-Less-ebook/dp/B000VIIE9A/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A couple ones I've read and found quite useful:\nMake your contacts count",
          "reason": "Says they found it quite useful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anne Baber and Lynne Waymon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "networking",
        "professional relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "make-electronics-338b5e",
      "title": "Make: Electronics",
      "author": "Charles Platt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Make: Electronics",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Platt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "electronics",
        "hands on projects"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "make-getting-started-with-raspberry-pi-954bff",
      "title": "Make: Getting Started with Raspberry Pi",
      "author": "Matt Richardson and Shawn Wallace",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12160720,
          "author": "more_corn",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-25T18:53:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 12160209,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 12 year old tech savvy girl – books, programs, events, advice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12160720",
          "commentText": "I'm of two minds about co-ed. It's really important to find a safe place to learn and it can be hard to do that as a girl in a boy dominated field. She's going to have to do it some day, but it's probably best to build up some confidence in a safe environment. I'd spend some time finding girl only or mixed successfully mixed groups and programs.\nAs for the technical side:\nMake's Getting Started with Raspberry Pi book is one of the best introductions to computing I've ever seen. It starts at the beginning, uses simple language, goes deep and provides hands-on experience.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1457186128/ref=oh_aui_sear... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1457186128/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage)\nGet her that book and a Raspberry Pi, a nice case, encourage her, support her, help her connect with like-minded peers and then stand back.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ME5XUAG/ref=oh_aui_sear... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ME5XUAG/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Make's Getting Started with Raspberry Pi book is one of the best introductions to computing I've ever seen.",
          "reason": "Praised as an excellent introduction to computing with hands-on experience.",
          "audience": "A 12-year-old interested in computing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matt Richardson and Shawn Wallace"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hands on projects",
        "raspberry pi"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "makers-and-takers-the-rise-of-finance-and-the-fall-of-american-bu-adb891",
      "title": "Makers and Takers: The Rise of Finance and the Fall of American Business",
      "author": "Rana Foroohar",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12474909,
          "author": "neom",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T18:44:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12474909",
          "commentText": "Last three great books I've read are:\n$2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America\nThe Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism\nMakers and Takers: The Rise of Finance and the Fall of American Business",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Makers and Takers: The Rise of Finance and the Fall of American Business",
          "reason": "Included among the writer's three great recent reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rana Foroohar"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american business",
        "financialization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "making-certain-it-goes-on-c23344",
      "title": "Making Certain It Goes On",
      "author": "Richard Hugo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1632993,
          "author": "luffy",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T15:00:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1632993",
          "commentText": "Yes!  My mind was blown when I read this.  Here are some others:\n\"A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again\" by David Foster Wallace, pretty sure this book has changed how a generation writes.  At least it convinced a generation they'll never be as good as DFW.\n\"Norwegian Wood\" by Haruki Murakami, which I like to think of as a Japanese C.i.t.R.\nG.E.B. - power through it, soldier!\n\"Making Certain it Goes On\", by Richard Hugo. An instructional book on how to write poetry, or to basically do just about anything.  I highly recommend it to all programmers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An instructional book on how to write poetry, or to basically do just about anything. I highly recommend it to all programmers.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends this instructional book to programmers.",
          "audience": "Programmers interested in writing poetry or learning through instruction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Hugo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "instruction",
        "poetry writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "making-color-sing-7e1b31",
      "title": "Making Color Sing",
      "author": "Jeanne Dobie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18667342,
          "author": "pragmacoders",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T20:13:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 18662992,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on modern UI/UX?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18667342",
          "commentText": "I just started out in UI, too!\nIt's based on watercolor painting but I have to say that Making Color Sing by Jeanne Dobie has dramatically improved the UI of my applications through better use of color!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Making Color Sing by Jeanne Dobie has dramatically improved the UI of my applications through better use of color!",
          "reason": "The commenter credits the book with dramatically improving their use of color in UI.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Based on watercolor painting, according to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeanne Dobie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "color theory",
        "watercolor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "making-games-with-python-pygame-68f8c8",
      "title": "Making Games with Python & Pygame",
      "author": "Al Sweigart",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9612334,
          "author": "avinassh",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T16:06:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9612334",
          "commentText": "This repo maintains list of free programming books [0].\nMany of the books at Green Tea Press[1] are available for free:\n- Think Python: How To Think Like a Computer Scientist\n- Think Bayes: Bayesian Statistics in Python\n- Think Complexity: Exploring Complexity Science with Python\n- Think Stats: Probability and Statistics for Programmers\n- The Little Book of Semaphores\n- Physical Modeling in MATLAB\n- Learning Perl the Hard Way\nfew others. Do check the site.\nSecondly, books by Al Sweigart[2] are also freely available. They include:\n- Automate the Boring Stuff with Python[3]\n- Hacking Secret Ciphers with Python\n- Invent Your Own Computer Games with Python\n- Making Games with Python & Pygame\n[0] - https://github.com/vhf/free-programming-books\n[1] - http://www.greenteapress.com/\n[2] - https://inventwithpython.com/\n[3] - https://automatetheboringstuff.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Making Games with Python & Pygame",
          "reason": "Listed among freely available books by Al Sweigart in response to a request for free reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Al Sweigart"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "game development",
        "pygame",
        "python"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "making-pcr-3223c7",
      "title": "Making PCR",
      "author": "Paul Rabinow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36601190,
          "author": "ossicones",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T14:48:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601190",
          "commentText": "Probably the most personally influential history of technology book I've read is Paul Rabinow's \"Making PCR.\" It deals with issues around the path dependence of technology and how new technologies often arise from repurposing existing technologies.\nhttps://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/M/bo361492... (https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/M/bo3614928.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Paul Rabinow's \"Making PCR.\"",
          "reason": "Discusses technology path dependence and how new technologies can arise by repurposing existing technologies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Rabinow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biotechnology",
        "pcr",
        "technology development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "making-software-de2b7f",
      "title": "Making Software",
      "author": "Andy Oram and Greg Wilson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14487431,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T13:30:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487431",
          "commentText": "'Implementation Patterns', Kent Beck. A semi-language-agnostic extension of his 'Smalltalk Patterns'for how to clearly and consistently express what you're saying when you code.\n'Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering', Robert Glass.  Glass presents a list of things everybody knows, or ought to know, and gives both academic and opinionated support and/or critique for why they are and aren't so.\n'Making Software', Oram and Wilson. An edited collection of papers on evidence-based software engineering.\n'The Deadline', Tom DeMarco. A thinly disguised commercial for his advice on how to organize software development teams and organizations, packaged as light, light novel.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Making Software', Oram and Wilson.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for programming books to add to a library.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "An edited collection of papers on evidence-based software engineering.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andy Oram and Greg Wilson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evidence based software engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "making-software-what-really-works-and-why-we-believe-it-25ae46",
      "title": "Making Software: What Really Works, and Why We Believe It",
      "author": "Andy Oram and Greg Wilson, editors",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22710359,
          "author": "PaulAJ",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T10:44:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22710359",
          "commentText": "* Alan Turing: The Enigma of Intelligence by Andrew Hodges. The definitive biography, with lots of detailed explanations of his work.\n* Making Software, edited by Oram & Wilson. A bunch of papers about evidence-based software engineering.\n* Beautiful Code, also edited by Oram & Wilson. A bunch of papers about especially elegant pieces of software.\n* Eiffel, by Bertrand Meyer. What Java should have been.\n* The Devil's DP Dictionary, by Stan Kelly Bootle. A satirical look at the computer industry circa 1980.\n* The Jargon File. (http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/). The language of the Elder Days.\n* Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering by Robert Glass.\n* The Pragmatic Programmer by Hunt & Thomas.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Making Software, edited by Oram & Wilson. A bunch of papers about evidence-based software engineering.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a collection of papers about evidence-based software engineering.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andy Oram",
        "Greg Wilson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evidence based software engineering",
        "software research"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "making-things-talk-f60a1b",
      "title": "Making Things Talk",
      "author": "Tom Igoe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 358570,
          "author": "ra",
          "createdAt": "2008-11-09T22:32:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 358490,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's a good book to learn electronics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=358570",
          "commentText": "Art of Electronics is a very good book, but if you want to learn from a fun / programming point of view I highly recommend \"Making Things Talk\", by Tom Igoe.\nhttp://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596510510/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend \"Making Things Talk\", by Tom Igoe.",
          "reason": "Highly recommended for learning from a fun, programming-oriented point of view.",
          "audience": "Readers who prefer a fun, programming-oriented approach.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Igoe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "arduino",
        "physical computing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "making-users-awesome-8b6b04",
      "title": "Making Users Awesome",
      "author": "Kathy Sierra",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43732510,
          "author": "terrellbm",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-18T22:43:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 43723077,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on talking to users?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43732510",
          "commentText": "Great, super helpful hearing your takeaways from each book\nThank you",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Great, super helpful hearing your takeaways from each book",
          "reason": "Thanks the commenter for sharing takeaways about the books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43729985,
          "author": "rozenmd",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-18T17:14:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 43723077,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on talking to users?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43729985",
          "commentText": "I think The Mom Test stands out as a favorite just because it really made me realize I had no idea what I was doing.\nMaking Users Awesome guided me towards the mindset shift needed to build product better, and Deploy Empathy gave me the exact questions to ask in customer interviews when I was stuck.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Making Users Awesome guided me towards the mindset shift needed to build product better",
          "reason": "Says it helped shift their mindset toward building better products.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kathy Sierra"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "customer experience",
        "product design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "making-the-modern-world-materials-and-dematerialization-a40512",
      "title": "Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization",
      "author": "Vaclav Smil",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42536847,
          "author": "Techtsunami",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-29T02:20:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42536847",
          "commentText": "I have yet to read Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization however I paired his \"How the world really works\" with Material World. That was an excellent read in itself.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I have yet to read Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization",
          "reason": "Says they have not read it yet; no evaluation is given.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Has not read the book yet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42514510,
          "author": "BenGosub",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-26T11:09:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42514510",
          "commentText": "In this vein I would also recommend: \"Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization\" (2014) by Vackav Smil. In this work, Smil explores how these materials have shaped industrial civilization and examines trends in material use, efficiency, and potential future challenges.\nVaclav Smil discusses the main materials used in building the modern world, such as oil, steel, cement, plastics, and ammonia",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would also recommend: \"Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization\" (2014) by Vackav Smil.",
          "reason": "Recommended for its exploration of materials’ role in industrial civilization and trends in material use and efficiency.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vaclav Smil"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "materials",
        "dematerialization",
        "industrial civilization",
        "industrialization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "man-and-his-becoming-according-to-the-vedanta-4f745d",
      "title": "Man and His Becoming according to the Vedanta",
      "author": "René Guénon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3396245,
          "author": "omarchowdhury",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T16:31:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3396245",
          "commentText": "Rene Guenon's Man and His Becoming according to the Vedanta\nBhagavad Gita - Recension by William Quan Judge",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rene Guenon's Man and His Becoming according to the Vedanta",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "René Guénon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "metaphysics",
        "vedanta"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "man-and-technics-8b3cc1",
      "title": "Man and Technics",
      "author": "Oswald Spengler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32936103,
          "author": "Ligma123",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T08:14:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936103",
          "commentText": "Meditations - Marcus Aurelius\nRepublic - Plato\nLaws - Cicero\nNational System of Political Economy - Friedrich List\nMan and Technics - Oswald Spengler\nThe Bible",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Man and Technics - Oswald Spengler",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Oswald Spengler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "technology and civilization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "man-economy-and-state-865f50",
      "title": "Man, Economy, and State",
      "author": "Murray N. Rothbard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12561975,
          "author": "AndrewKemendo",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T02:47:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12561975",
          "commentText": "The following list will introduce you to Western Economic Philosophy as it relates to modern history specifically. This list is weighted heavily toward neo-classical economics and does not get into computational model based economics - specifically microeconomics, which comprises the bulk of economics education today:\nSchumpeter - History of economic analysis\nAdam Smith - Theory of Moral Sentiments\nKaynes - The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money\nMarx - Capital\nBenjamin Graham - The Intelligent Investor\nGalbraith - The Affluent Society\nGalbraith - The Great Crash\nMilton Friedman - Capitalism and Freedom\nNassim Taleb - Black Swan\nRon Suskind - Confidence Men\nScott Patterson - Dark Pools\nIf you want to delve into heterodox economics afterward, start with the following:\nHayek - Individualism and Economic Order\nMises - Human Action\nRothbard - Man, Economy, State",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rothbard - Man, Economy, State",
          "reason": "Listed as a starting point for exploring heterodox economics.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring heterodox economic thought.",
          "caveat": "The list is weighted toward neoclassical economics and excludes computational model based economics.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Murray N. Rothbard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "austrian economics",
        "economic theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "man-computer-symbiosis-c9e974",
      "title": "Man-Computer Symbiosis",
      "author": "J. C. R. Licklider",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9612744,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T17:01:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9612744",
          "commentText": "The Law - Frédéric Bastiat. http://bastiat.org/en/the_law.html\nCapitalism - A Treatise on Economics - George Reisman.  http://www.capitalism.net/Capitalism/CAPITALISM_Internet.pdf\nThe Works of Lysander Spooner.  http://lysanderspooner.org/node/2\nThe Machinery of Freedom David Friedman. - http://daviddfriedman.com/The_Machinery_of_Freedom_.pdf\nDemocratizing Innovation - Eric Von Hippel. http://web.mit.edu/evhippel/www/democ1.htm\nThe Sources of Innovation - Eric Von Hippel. http://web.mit.edu/evhippel/www/sources.htm\nIntroduction to Information Retrieval - http://nlp.stanford.edu/IR-book/html/htmledition/irbook.html\nInformation Theory, Inference, and Learning Algorithms - David MacKay.  http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/itprnn/book.html\nIntroduction to Cybernetics - William Ross Ashby. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/books/IntroCyb.pdf\n\"Man-Computer Symbiosis\" and \"The Computer As A Communication Device\" - J.C.R. Licklider. http://memex.org/licklider.pdf\nDesign For A Brain - William Ross Ashby. https://archive.org/details/designforbrainor00ashb\nThe Writings of Douglas Engelbart. http://www.dougengelbart.org/library/library.html\nand if you like maths, don't miss this great list of free maths texts by George Cain:  https://people.math.gatech.edu/~cain/textbooks/onlinebooks.h... (https://people.math.gatech.edu/~cain/textbooks/onlinebooks.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Man-Computer Symbiosis\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. C. R. Licklider"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computing history",
        "human computer interaction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "manage-your-day-to-day-build-your-routine-find-your-focus-sharpen-9d4968",
      "title": "Manage Your Day-To-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, & Sharpen Your Creative Mind",
      "author": "Jocelyn K. Glei, editor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665060,
          "author": "billybatson",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:11:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665060",
          "commentText": "A Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley: Decent. I think this book would best be read in conjunction while working through a textbook. I will admit that it did do quite a bit to help relieve math anxiety, but the nature of the book is practicality.\nBrave New World by Aldous Huxley: A reread. A bit depressing considering the state of the world today. I found myself wondering which reality would be preferable.\nLetters to a Young Mathematician by Ian Stewart: Easy, but fruitful read. I've struggled a lot with math confidence, and this helped alleviate a lot of that.\nHow to Speak, How to Listen by Mortimer J. Adler: A lot of practical advice. My biggest takeaway was this: if it's worth talking about, even if the conversation sucks or the other person doesn't understand, any bit of advancement and understanding is worth the effort. Really helped me increase my patience when talking to people.\nQuack This Way by David Foster Wallace and Bryan Garner: Super useful and practical discussion between two lovers of language. I keep a copy with me at all times.\nThe Autobiography of Gucci Mane: Just a fun read while on vacation. \"If Gucci can do it, you can do it\".\nJesus' Son by Denis Johnson: A nice if brutal read. It was my first foray in DJ. I felt Cormac McCarthyish vibes.\nBlood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy: A classic. The Judge.\nThinking About Mathematics by Stuart Shapiro: Highly recommended for anyone interested in the philosophical questions of mathematics. Shapiro writes clearly, concisely, and in a manner that is easy to read.\nThe Liars' Club by Mary Karr: Pretty great but brutal.\nThe Broom of the System by David Foster Wallace: I really enjoyed it. It's ode to Wittgenstein and it helped me cope with a lot of questions that I felt after studying LW.\nThe Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: I think we've all been in Werther's shoes. Though I hope that nobody comes to the same conclusion he came to.\nManage Your Day-To-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, & Sharpen Your Creative Mind: A pretty great book. I find myself writing a book report on it to make sure I internalize a lot of the lessons. If you're having trouble doing creative work while working, read this.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A pretty great book. I find myself writing a book report on it to make sure I internalize a lot of the lessons. If you're having trouble doing creative work while working, read this.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it great and recommends it to people struggling to do creative work alongside a job.",
          "audience": "People having trouble doing creative work while working.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jocelyn K. Glei, editor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Learning",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creative work",
        "productivity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "management-a-political-activity-21b55e",
      "title": "Management: A Political Activity",
      "author": "Ted Stephenson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25556811,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-28T04:59:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 25554464,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books for dealing with workplace politics and dishonesty?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25556811",
          "commentText": "This is a very interesting question since it is a fundamental problem in any group human activity. I have found the following useful;\n* Management: A political activity by Ted Stephenson. For some reason, most people are not aware of this book. Deals with Power, Conflict, Bargaining, Compromise, Participation and Change. The opening line of the preface states \"This book presents the view that management is substantially a political activity, based on power and characterized by conflict\". Since we are dealing with Human organisms this is absolutely the right approach to take.\n* The Empowered Manager: Positive Political Skills at Work by Peter Block is also good but more idealistic. But be aware that trying to be/do good does not guarantee reciprocation.\n* The Complete Upmanship: Including Gamesmanship, Lifemanship, One-upmanship and Supermanship by Stephen Potter. Humourous, but a great deal of life advice in it. Basically, how to put down other people and show yourself in the best light using \"genteel\" psychological means.\n* Behavior Modification: Principles and Procedures by Raymond Miltenberger. ABA psychology course textbook which is a must read.\n* Brainwashing: The science of thought control by Kathleen Taylor. The title is bit sensationalist, but the content is very relevant.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Management: A political activity by Ted Stephenson",
          "reason": "Described as useful for understanding management through power, conflict, bargaining, compromise, participation, and change.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ted Stephenson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "management",
        "workplace politics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "management-tasks-responsibilities-practices-46032e",
      "title": "Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices",
      "author": "Peter Drucker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1080753,
          "author": "tyohn",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-27T16:03:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 1080708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Marketing Books for Developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1080753",
          "commentText": "I recommend: \"Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices\" by Peter Drucker, \"Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind\", by Al Ries, Jack Trout and \"Re-imagine! Business Excellence in a Disruptive Age\" by Tom Peters. They aren't all strictly marketing books but they are awesome as well as informative.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I recommend: \"Management: Tasks, Responsibilities, Practices\" by Peter Drucker",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it in response to a request for marketing books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not strictly a marketing book, per the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Drucker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "management",
        "organizational leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "managing-gigabytes-4837d7",
      "title": "Managing Gigabytes",
      "author": "Ian H. Witten, Alistair Moffat, and Timothy C. Bell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 135348,
          "author": "slackerIII",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T18:15:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135348",
          "commentText": "Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War  (for thoughts on competition)\nManaging Gigabytes (if you are doing anything related to search)\nWriting Solid Code (especially if you are using C/C++)\nMost of the research papers that come out of OSDI/SOSP:  Dynamo, BigTable, Sawzall, GFS, Chubby, etc",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Managing Gigabytes (if you are doing anything related to search)",
          "reason": "Recommended for readers doing work related to search.",
          "audience": "People working on search.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ian H. Witten",
        "Alistair Moffat",
        "Timothy C. Bell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "information retrieval",
        "search engines"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "managing-gigabytes-compressing-and-indexing-documents-and-images-ab8ded",
      "title": "Managing Gigabytes: Compressing and Indexing Documents and Images",
      "author": "Ian H. Witten, Alistair Moffat, and Timothy C. Bell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29308142,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:25:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29308142",
          "commentText": "Maybe Clever Algorithms: Nature-Inspired Programming Recipes[1]. These techniques might not be useful to everybody, all the time, but they can be very handy in places.\nEdit:\nA couple of other suggestions.\nManaging Gigabytes: Compressing and Indexing Documents and Images[2]\nMining of Massive Datasets[3]\nAlgorithm Design Manual[4]\nNetwork Algorithmics[5]\nNeural Network Design[6]\nI think all of these fall into the category of \"Won't be applicable to everyone, but can be good for those who need this kind of stuff.\"\n[1]: https://github.com/clever-algorithms/CleverAlgorithms\n[2]: https://people.eng.unimelb.edu.au/ammoffat/mg/\n[3]: http://www.mmds.org/\n[4]: https://www.amazon.com/Algorithm-Design-Manual-Steven-Skiena... (https://www.amazon.com/Algorithm-Design-Manual-Steven-Skiena/dp/1849967202)\n[5]: https://www.amazon.com/Network-Algorithmics-Interdisciplinar... (https://www.amazon.com/Network-Algorithmics-Interdisciplinary-Designing-Networking/dp/0120884771)\n[6]: https://hagan.okstate.edu/NNDesign.pdf",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Managing Gigabytes: Compressing and Indexing Documents and Images",
          "reason": "Listed as one of several suggested books for readers who need this subject matter.",
          "audience": "Readers who need this kind of material.",
          "caveat": "May not apply to everyone.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ian H. Witten",
        "Alistair Moffat",
        "Timothy C. Bell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data compression",
        "information retrieval"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "managing-humans-biting-and-humorous-tales-of-a-software-engineeri-57a56b",
      "title": "Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager",
      "author": "Michael Lopp",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21802630,
          "author": "peacemaker",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T12:49:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21802630",
          "commentText": "I'm moving back into a team leadership role after working for myself a while so probably The Managers Path and Managing Humans. Would love to hear other suggestions for software development managers too!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Managing Humans",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter expects to read while moving into a team leadership role.",
          "audience": "Software development managers",
          "caveat": "Planned reading; no evaluation stated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21726564,
          "author": "samk3nny",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-06T22:18:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21726564",
          "commentText": "I concur! Just finished MH and really enjoyed it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just finished MH and really enjoyed it.",
          "reason": "Agrees with the suggestion and says they really enjoyed the book.",
          "audience": "Software engineering managers and tech leaders.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Lopp"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "engineering management",
        "management stories",
        "software teams",
        "tech leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "managing-oneself-c9e761",
      "title": "Managing Oneself",
      "author": "Peter F. Drucker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter F. Drucker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "self management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "managing-social-anxiety-a-cognitive-behavioral-therapy-approach-a4f269",
      "title": "Managing Social Anxiety: A Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Approach",
      "author": "Debra A. Hope, Richard G. Heimberg, and Cynthia L. Turk",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2897624,
          "author": "naner",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-18T01:35:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 2897515,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on overcoming shyness",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2897624",
          "commentText": "Sure, there are workbooks you can buy if you don't have access to a psychologist or therapy group. The only catch is that there is nobody to push you to go through the exercises and you won't have the benefit of external feedback from a counselor or a peer group. You'll have to force yourself to do the exercises properly and it will take longer than if you had professional help.\nAnyway, here's a few workbooks I found with minimal effort. Go over the reviews to decide which to try:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Shyness-Social-Anxiety-Workbook-Step-/... (http://www.amazon.com/Shyness-Social-Anxiety-Workbook-Step-/dp/1572245530/)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Managing-Social-Anxiety-Workbook-Cogni... (http://www.amazon.com/Managing-Social-Anxiety-Workbook-Cognitive-Behavioral/dp/0195336690/)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Shyness-Social-Anxiety-Workbook-Techni... (http://www.amazon.com/Shyness-Social-Anxiety-Workbook-Techniques/dp/B002FL5I68/)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Overcoming-Social-Anxiety-Shyness-Beha... (http://www.amazon.com/Overcoming-Social-Anxiety-Shyness-Behavioral/dp/0465005454/)\nI also posted this awhile ago: http://news.ycombinator.org/item?id=2614140\nThat is an example of a therapy group program.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Managing-Social-Anxiety-Workbook-Cogni",
          "reason": "Included in a list of workbooks to consider after checking reviews.",
          "audience": "People seeking help with shyness or social anxiety.",
          "caveat": "The commenter found the links with minimal effort and suggests checking reviews to decide which to try.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Debra A. Hope, Richard G. Heimberg, and Cynthia L. Turk"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognitive behavioral therapy",
        "self help workbook",
        "social anxiety"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "managing-the-design-factory-5e6a53",
      "title": "Managing the Design Factory",
      "author": "Donald G. Reinertsen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46484347,
          "author": "aristofun",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-04T02:55:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 46483863,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading list for being a better engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46484347",
          "commentText": "> I'm missing out on utilizing these tools fully.\nmastering a tool doesn’t make you a better engineer, only better expert in a particular tool. And it is not the “next level”.\nNext level is about getting a wider perspective and bigger picture view on your craft and your job.\nOn a conceptual/phylosophical level any decent book about building, engineering or designing any complex thing (preferably based on real events, not some made up boring fluff like “deadline” by Tom Demarco) would contain some gems.\nI don’t know any single book that is full of gems.\nTo make this comment useful this is one of many examples, of a book that have couple of good ideas (about feedback system for example) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1501427.Managing_The_Des... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1501427.Managing_The_Design_Factory)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "of a book that have couple of good ideas (about feedback system for example)",
          "reason": "Offered as an example of a book with a couple of useful ideas, including about feedback systems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it has only a couple of good ideas.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donald G. Reinertsen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "feedback systems",
        "product development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "managing-the-unmanageable-5cfdb6",
      "title": "Managing the Unmanageable",
      "author": "Mickey W. Mantle and Ron Lichty",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21712529,
          "author": "ahnooie",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T14:35:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21712529",
          "commentText": "Managing the Unmanageable, a second vote for Peopleware, The Mythical Man-Month, and The Conviction to Lead\nhttps://b3n.org/programming-management-leadership-books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Managing the Unmanageable",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a request for leadership and management books.",
          "audience": "People interested in managing software teams.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mickey W. Mantle and Ron Lichty"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software management",
        "technical leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "manalive-70779a",
      "title": "Manalive",
      "author": "G. K. Chesterton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30740271,
          "author": "lostcolony",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T05:00:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30740271",
          "commentText": "Would recommend Manalive amongst his fiction works. Better if you go into it blind than if you read a synopsis.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Would recommend Manalive amongst his fiction works. Better if you go into it blind than if you read a synopsis.",
          "reason": "Recommends the novel, advising readers to begin without a synopsis.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Better approached without reading a synopsis first.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "G. K. Chesterton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "manfish-a-story-of-jacques-cousteau-54a8d3",
      "title": "Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau",
      "author": "Jennifer Berne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1725397,
          "author": "gokhan",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-24T20:57:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1725397",
          "commentText": "My son is 3.5 years old. Here are some of the books he loves.\nThe Magic School Bus series. For example:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Magic-School-Bus-Ocean-Floor/dp/059041... (http://www.amazon.com/Magic-School-Bus-Ocean-Floor/dp/0590414313/ref=sr_1_4?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1285361104&sr=8-4)\nIf I Built a Car (a great book on design)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0142408255/ref=oss_product\nManfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0811860639/ref=oss_product",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau",
          "reason": "Names it among books their young son loves.",
          "audience": "Young children.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jennifer Berne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ocean exploration",
        "picture book"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "manhunt-the-ten-year-search-for-bin-laden-from-9-11-to-abbottabad-7205c4",
      "title": "Manhunt: The Ten-Year Search for Bin Laden—from 9/11 to Abbottabad",
      "author": "Peter Bergen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 44574451,
          "author": "chistev",
          "createdAt": "2025-07-15T18:40:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 44568054,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44574451",
          "commentText": "Hard to choose for myself who made the post.\nBut some of my favorites are -\n1. God: The Failed Hypothesis\nBook by Victor J. Stenger\n2. The God Delusion\nBook by Richard Dawkins\n3. Berlin: The Downfall 1945\nBook by Antony Beevor\n4. A Song of Ice and Fire\nNovel series by George R.R. Martin\n5. A Short History of Nearly Everything\nBook by Bill Bryson\n6. Billions and Billions\nBook by Carl Sagan\n7. Flowers for Algernon\nShort story by Daniel Keyes\n8. I'm Glad My Mom Died\nBook by Jennette McCurdy\n9. Manhunt: The Ten-Year Search for Bin Laden--from 9/11 to Abbottabad\nBook by Peter Bergen\n10. Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space\nBook by Carl Sagan\n11. The Metamorphosis\nNovella by Franz Kafka\n12. The Selfish Gene\nBook by Richard Dawkins\nGun to my head, pick one? The God Delusion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Manhunt: The Ten-Year Search for Bin Laden--from 9/11 to Abbottabad",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Bergen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "counterterrorism",
        "osama bin laden"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "maniac-2fdeab",
      "title": "Maniac",
      "author": "Benjamín Labatut",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43093529,
          "author": "a_tartaruga",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-18T18:48:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 43084739,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction/non-fiction book should everyone read on the topic of CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43093529",
          "commentText": "MANIAC & Turing's Cathedral",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "MANIAC",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Benjamín Labatut"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "manifest-destiny-d3b5f1",
      "title": "Manifest Destiny",
      "author": "Anders Stephanson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18745435,
          "author": "Emma_Goldman",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T10:45:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18745435",
          "commentText": "My idiosyncratic picks, all of them history:\nCivil War, David Armitage\nMeaning in History, Karl Lowith\nManifest Destiny, Anders Stephanson\nThe Deluge, Adam Tooze\nThe Moral Economists, Tim Rogan\nThe Guardians, Susan Pederson\nI also enjoyed properly getting to grips with Keynes, Du Bois, Schmitt and Freud for the first time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Manifest Destiny, Anders Stephanson",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s history picks in response to a favorite-books question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as an idiosyncratic pick.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anders Stephanson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "us history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "manifold-series-6c64c3",
      "title": "Manifold series",
      "author": "Stephen Baxter",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15428704,
          "author": "berbec",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:05:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428704",
          "commentText": "The Manifold Series by Stephen Baxter are some of the hardest SciFi books I've ever read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Manifold Series by Stephen Baxter are some of the hardest SciFi books I've ever read.",
          "reason": "Calls the series some of the hardest science fiction books they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Baxter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cosmology",
        "hard science fiction",
        "space exploration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "manifold-time-00669c",
      "title": "Manifold: Time",
      "author": "Stephen Baxter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 875691,
          "author": "jacquesm",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T01:31:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875691",
          "commentText": "only two ? tough!\nThe diamond age\nManifold: time\nedit: this thread is going to seriously mess with my productivity in the next couple of weeks.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Manifold: time",
          "reason": "Named in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Baxter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cosmology",
        "time travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mankind-s-search-for-god-3ae37b",
      "title": "Mankind's Search for God",
      "author": "Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36105179,
          "author": "bibelo",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T15:56:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105179",
          "commentText": "https://www.jw.org/en/library/books/Mankinds-Search-for-God/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://www.jw.org/en/library/books/Mankinds-Search-for-God/",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comparative religion",
        "religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "manning-in-action-books-c57ed5",
      "title": "Manning \"In Action\" books",
      "author": "Various authors",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13661208,
          "author": "jonaldomo",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-16T16:32:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13661208",
          "commentText": "Anything by Manning that ends with \"In Action\".  I volunteer to be a technical reviewer if there is a new technology I want to learn (and get a free physical book!)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anything by Manning that ends with \"In Action\".",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mansfield-park-d41f33",
      "title": "Mansfield Park",
      "author": "Jane Austen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49910464,
          "author": "npilk",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T15:43:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49910464",
          "commentText": "Just finished Mansfield Park. Sort of a strange way to end the book, though I enjoyed it overall and was pretty well sucked in from the “play” onward.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Just finished Mansfield Park. Sort of a strange way to end the book, though I enjoyed it overall",
          "reason": "Enjoyed the novel overall despite finding its ending strange.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The ending felt strange to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jane Austen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classic literature",
        "romance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "maps-of-meaning-the-architecture-of-belief-83e3e4",
      "title": "Maps of Meaning: The Architecture of Belief",
      "author": "Jordan B. Peterson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25534382,
          "author": "mosiuerbarso",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-25T05:16:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25534382",
          "commentText": "God to agree with the parent, his audio books are excellent. If you like Petersons work and lectures get Maps of Meaning on audio books, it's excellent.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "get Maps of Meaning on audio books, it's excellent.",
          "reason": "Suggested for readers who like Peterson's work and lectures.",
          "audience": "People who like Peterson's work and lectures.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jordan B. Peterson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "belief",
        "meaning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "maps-of-time-an-introduction-to-big-history-1cdf0e",
      "title": "Maps of Time: An Introduction to Big History",
      "author": "David Christian",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19115660,
          "author": "mcraenich",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-08T16:20:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19115660",
          "commentText": "I've been studying history privately for about 8 years now, and 'Maps of Time' by David Christian has fundamentally changed the way I look at the progression of mankind. Essentially, he's described from the highest possible level how modernity has come to be. There is too much detail in the book to go into depth, but it's a fascinating, and more than worthwhile read for the knowledge-seeker.\nAnother I'd add is 'The Selfish Gene' by Richard Dawkins. I have a Bachelor degree in science and never thought I'd be able to add to my understanding of evolution, but this book accomplished it. Almost everything I've studied can be broken into two periods - that I studied before reading the Selfish Gene, and what I studied after.\nLastly, I'd add Hume's 'Treatise on Human Nature', specifically his theory of substances. The basic idea was that as you learn more information about a substance, how you define that substance changes. First you see an orange ball, and you think it's just an orange colored ball. Later someone tells you it's a fruit, and your understanding of it changes.\nHow this is relevant is that I realized this can be applied to the world at large. Our understanding of any given phenomena is intrinsically linked to what we know about it. So there is no such thing as 'enlightenment' 'self-awareness' etc, there is only ever increasing awareness as we move through life, and we can also make a point to be intentional about increasing our own awareness.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Maps of Time' by David Christian has fundamentally changed the way I look at the progression of mankind.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed how they view human history and calls it a fascinating, worthwhile read.",
          "audience": "Knowledge-seekers interested in the history of humanity.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Christian"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "big history",
        "human history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "margin-of-safety-108b97",
      "title": "Margin of Safety",
      "author": "Seth A. Klarman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910521,
          "author": "adventured",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:53:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910521",
          "commentText": "In no particular order.\nEmpires of Light, by Jonnes. Titan, by Chernow. The Wright Brothers, by McCullough. His Excellency, by Ellis. The Wizard of Menlo Park, by Stross. I Invented the Modern Age, by Snow. Dealers of Lightning, by Hiltzik. Margin of Safety, by Klarman. Masters of Doom, by Kushner. Andrew Carnegie, by Nasaw. Infidel, by Hirsi Ali. Buffett, by Lowenstein. Where Wizards Stay Up Late, by Hafner. Shoe Dog, by Knight. The Making of the Atomic Bomb, by Rhodes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Margin of Safety, by Klarman.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Seth A. Klarman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "investment",
        "value investing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "marie-antoinette-the-journey-bef240",
      "title": "Marie Antoinette: The Journey",
      "author": "Antonia Fraser",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40468047,
          "author": "gcj",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-24T16:54:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40468047",
          "commentText": "Marie Antoinette's biography by Antonia Fraser.\nMasterfully written, a tidbit of how sexism played a role on making her a historical villain while all the men around her, even the beheaded king, passed on as much less dangerous people.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Marie Antoinette's biography by Antonia Fraser.",
          "reason": "Recommends Fraser's biography for its writing and account of how sexism shaped Marie Antoinette's historical image.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Antonia Fraser"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "french monarchy",
        "gender and history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "marine-corps-counterinsurgency-field-manual-ba4ba1",
      "title": "Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual",
      "author": "U.S. Marine Corps",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 457271,
          "author": "niels_olson",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T22:35:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=457271",
          "commentText": "I think you will find the Chicago Press version a bit more readable:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Marine-Corps-Counterinsurgency-Field-M... (http://www.amazon.com/Marine-Corps-Counterinsurgency-Field-Manual/dp/0226841510)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think you will find the Chicago Press version a bit more readable:",
          "reason": "Recommends a more readable edition of the counterinsurgency manual linked in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The specific edition is identified by the linked URL.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "U.S. Marine Corps"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "counterinsurgency",
        "military doctrine"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "marine-corps-doctrinal-publications-mcdp-38839a",
      "title": "Marine Corps Doctrinal Publications (MCDP)",
      "author": "United States Marine Corps",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23860686,
          "author": "blaser-waffle",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T16:37:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23860686",
          "commentText": "> Marine Corps Reference Publication (MCRP) 3 Rifle Marksmanship\nNot nearly as sobering, but I found the MCDP series on USMC doctrine fairly enlightening.  Friction, Centers of Gravity, and a heavy importance on Logistics have been concepts that served me well in IT and project mgmt.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found the MCDP series on USMC doctrine fairly enlightening.",
          "reason": "The commenter found the doctrine series enlightening and says its concepts served them well in IT and project management.",
          "audience": "People interested in applying military doctrine concepts to IT or project management.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "United States Marine Corps"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "logistics",
        "military doctrine"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "market-forces-2c9998",
      "title": "Market Forces",
      "author": "Richard Morgan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1226945,
          "author": "berntb",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T17:06:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226945",
          "commentText": "I also liked most of those. I'm just reading Blindsight, wonderful.\nThe only one I hated was \"Market forces\" by Morgan. It felt like reading \"The Pilgrim's Progress\", but with Chomsky as Jesus -- a little bit too heavy handed in political propaganda. For that kind of stuff done in a fascinating way, check Ken MacLeod's \"The Stone Canal\" and following.\n(Asher got a little too much of Space Opera for me, in the end.)\nFor sf, I'd add Greg Egan (Stross has been mentioned multiple times).\nI'd also like to recommend the worst author I used to buy books in hardcover from -- Robert L Forward. The guy couldn't have written a believable character to save his life, but he had some cool physics ideas. RIP.\nFor fantasy, which I didn't see mentioned, I'd add Scott Lynch, most stuff by Jack Vance, the black company series (Glen Cook), Joe Abercrombie and Vlad Taltos (Brust).\nDawkins' Selfish Gene has been mentioned. Steven Pinker was interesting.\nEdit: Re Schoeder, I've heard good things but not read anything yet. Thanks for advice and kick to start.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The only one I hated was \"Market forces\" by Morgan.",
          "reason": "Says it was hated for heavy-handed political propaganda.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Criticism is based on perceived political propaganda and tone.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1226847,
          "author": "aarongough",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:34:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226847",
          "commentText": "I'm a big fan of Sci-Fi because I feel it makes people think about what they want the future to be, as well as avoiding the re-hashing of historical and current events that many fiction books set in the present do. With that in mind a list of great books to read:\n  The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson\n  Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson\n  Gridlinked - Neal Asher\n  Neuromancer - William Gibson\n  The Reality Dysfunction - Peter F. Hamilton\n  The Dreaming Void - Peter F. Hamilton\n  Fallen Dragon - Peter F. Hamilton\n  Altered Carbon - Richard Morgan\n  Market Forces - Richard Morgan\n  Blindsight - Peter Watts\n  The Electric Church - Jeff Somers\n  Tunnel in the Sky - Robert A. Heinlein\n  The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Robert A. Heinlein\n  1984 - George Orwell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Market Forces - Richard Morgan",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Morgan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "corporate dystopia"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "marketing-warfare-bad462",
      "title": "Marketing Warfare",
      "author": "Al Ries",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Marketing Warfare - Al Ries",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Al Ries"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marketing strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "marketing-warfare-3ead79",
      "title": "Marketing Warfare",
      "author": "Al Ries and Jack Trout",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5574,
          "author": "python_kiss",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T02:11:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5574",
          "commentText": "About 14 months ago, I had little knowledge of how to execute a startup. In particular, I wasn't familiar with any online marketing tactics. The following books helped me a lot in that respective, and more:\n\n1. Positioning, 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing/Branding, Focus, Marketing Warfare\n2. Purple Cow, All Marketers are Liars, Permission Marketing (I didn't like \"The Big Moo\", \"Free prize inside\" or \"Small is the new Big\").\n3. Founters At Work\n4. Wikinomics, Wisdom of Crowds, The Tipping Point (Blink! was alright). I am looking forward to reading \"The Long Tail\" and \"The starfish and the spider\"...has anyone read them yet?\n6. Why We Buy\n7. Hackers and Painters\n8. The E-Myth revisited\n9. The Art of the Start\n10. On War, The Art of War by Machiavelli and Sun Tzu (not exactly for startups, but definitely useful)\n11. Crossing the Chasm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Marketing Warfare",
          "reason": "Listed among books that helped the commenter learn startup execution and online marketing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Al Ries",
        "Jack Trout"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "competitive strategy",
        "marketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "marry-him-the-case-for-settling-for-mr-good-enough-f9aa30",
      "title": "Marry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough",
      "author": "Lori Gottlieb",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1974498,
          "author": "lancewiggs",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T08:30:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974498",
          "commentText": "Work\nWhere wizards stayed up late - Matthew Lyon, Katie Hafner: The beginning of the internet. Plenty of history and lessons\nFun\nThe Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins. Young adult fiction that reads fast but makes you think.\nLife\nMarry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough - Lori Gottlieb: Amusing book, easy read and aimed at women, but has some good insights on why we fail to get married before it's too late.\nI love that I was able to scroll through pages on Amazon to check (most of) the books I read this year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Amusing book, easy read and aimed at women, but has some good insights on why we fail to get married before it's too late.",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite year's read and praised for its insights.",
          "audience": "Women, as described by the commenter.",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it an easy read and says it has some good insights.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lori Gottlieb"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dating",
        "marriage",
        "relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "martin-the-warrior-2ac073",
      "title": "Martin the Warrior",
      "author": "Brian Jacques",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20982274,
          "author": "lmiller1990",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T09:10:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20982274",
          "commentText": "I read the Redwall books in high school! Great fun, maybe I’ll revisit. My favorites were Mossflower and Martin the Warrior.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favorites were Mossflower and Martin the Warrior.",
          "reason": "Names it as one of their favorite Redwall books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Jacques"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s fantasy",
        "talking animals"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "marx-s-capital-illustrated-80b47a",
      "title": "Marx's Capital Illustrated",
      "author": "David Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13238226,
          "author": "skadamou",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:19:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238226",
          "commentText": "For my birthday this year some friends got me The Dictator’s Handbook by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Marx’s Capital Illustrated by David Smith. I’ve always been at least tangentially interested in political/economic theory and these two books offered an easily accessible new perspective on their respective subjects I hadn’t gotten before. The Dictator’s Handbook I found to be particularly insightful.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Dictator’s Handbook by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Marx’s Capital Illustrated by David Smith.",
          "reason": "It offered an accessible perspective on political and economic theory.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment describes the two books collectively as accessible introductions to perspectives on their subjects.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marxism",
        "political economy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "marx-s-inferno-e83f7a",
      "title": "Marx's Inferno",
      "author": "William Clare Roberts",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15156326,
          "author": "RodericDay",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:08:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156326",
          "commentText": "Ludwig Wittgenstein: Duty of Genius was a great ride, as well as a fantastic introduction to powerful ideas about communication and non-scientific disciplines' wish to imitate science.\nThe Autobiography of Malcolm X makes a brilliant case for angry speech, making the mainstream portrayal of figures like Gandhi and MLK Jr. seem like straight-up whitewashed propaganda.\nDelusions of Gender is a fierce analysis of the nature/nurture discussion that rears its head over and over, explaining various mistakes people when interpreting results, both at the research level and at the journalistic level.\nMarx's Inferno reinvents Marx in a super clever way.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "reinvents Marx in a super clever way",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as a clever reinterpretation of Marx.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Clare Roberts"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "karl marx",
        "political theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mary-poppins-e125c8",
      "title": "Mary Poppins",
      "author": "P. L. Travers",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22720383,
          "author": "stevekemp",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T16:44:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22720383",
          "commentText": "Agreed.  No specific book has every \"changed my life\", or specifically been the source of positive impacts.\nBut reading stories is fun, and something I do constantly.  Currently I'm re-reading Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive.  Every year or two I re-read Dune, Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Amber, and Steven Brust's Taltos series.  Always a pleasure.\nMy recommendations would probably echo those already posted, with the addition of small random stories that I remember fondly because they were just fun, interesting, or surprising  (e.g. H. G. Wells: The Door in the Wall, or the original Mary Poppins books recently completed after finishing the Dresden Files for the first time.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the original Mary Poppins books recently completed",
          "reason": "Mentions recently finishing the original books as enjoyable reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Refers to the original books collectively.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "P. L. Travers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s literature",
        "magical nanny"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "maskerade-689b46",
      "title": "Maskerade",
      "author": "Terry Pratchett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665061,
          "author": "sn41",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:11:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665061",
          "commentText": "Since no one has mentioned it so far, I recommend the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. This year, I finished (numbers in Discworld order, annotated by the series):\n9. Eric [Rincewind]\n10. Moving Pictures [Independent]\n12. Witches Abroad [Witches]\n18. Maskerade [Witches]\n19. Feet of clay [The City Watch]\n23. Carpe Jugulum [Witches]\n32. A Hat Full of Sky [Tiffany Aching]\n37. Unseen Academicals [Wizards]\n38. I Shall Wear Midnight [Tiffany Aching]\nBrilliant series, highly recommended. Whenever I feel down, I re-read one of the Witches series - I spot something I never noticed before - an immediate mood-booster!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "18. Maskerade [Witches]",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the Discworld books the commenter finished this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry Pratchett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fantasy",
        "witches"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mason-dixon-cf0d6b",
      "title": "Mason & Dixon",
      "author": "Thomas Pynchon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17383079,
          "author": "howenterprisey",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T19:51:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17383079",
          "commentText": "Mason & Dixon by Pynchon is also very, very good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mason & Dixon by Pynchon is also very, very good.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes the novel as very, very good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Pynchon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "postmodern fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "master-of-djinn-cc8544",
      "title": "Master of Djinn",
      "author": "P. Djèlí Clark",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42508597,
          "author": "chapliboy",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T13:02:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42508597",
          "commentText": "I finally read Count of Monte Cristo (unabridged) Fully worth the hype.\nAlso read a lot of Arabian fantasy (?). Fantasy with djinn etc.\nFavourites were Master of Djinn and the City of Brass series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Favourites were Master of Djinn",
          "reason": "Names it among their favorites in a discussion of fantasy featuring djinn.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "P. Djèlí Clark"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "djinn",
        "historical fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mastering-algorithms-with-perl-337982",
      "title": "Mastering Algorithms with Perl",
      "author": "Jon Orwant, Jarkko Hietaniemi, and John Macdonald",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16569826,
          "author": "slipwalker",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-12T17:39:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16569826",
          "commentText": "early in my career, those two books were on my desk continuously:\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Network-Programming-Perl-Lincoln-Stei... (https://www.amazon.com/Network-Programming-Perl-Lincoln-Stein/dp/0201615711/)\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Algorithms-Perl-Practical-P... (https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Algorithms-Perl-Practical-Programming/dp/1565923987/)\nlater, it was time for https://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0... (https://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0671027034)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Algorithms-Perl-Practical-P...",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was continuously on their desk early in their career.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jon Orwant, Jarkko Hietaniemi, and John Macdonald"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "perl"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mastering-mountain-bike-skills-d898e9",
      "title": "Mastering Mountain Bike Skills",
      "author": "Brian Lopes and Lee McCormack",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15762515,
          "author": "sasaf5",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T03:27:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762515",
          "commentText": "Brian Lopes - Mastering Mountain Bike Skills. Taught me that the sound of my tires rolling on gravel is more rewarding than a place in the podium.\nPatrick King - The Art of Witty Banter. Taught me how to be entertaining among non-engineers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brian Lopes - Mastering Mountain Bike Skills. Taught me that the sound of my tires rolling on gravel is more rewarding than a place in the podium.",
          "reason": "The author says it changed what they find rewarding about mountain biking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Lopes and Lee McCormack"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cycling skills",
        "mountain biking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mastering-technical-sales-2b8ba2",
      "title": "Mastering Technical Sales",
      "author": "John Care and Aron Bohlig",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41703840,
          "author": "marcus0x62",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-01T01:29:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 41693844,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good essays/books/advice about software sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41703840",
          "commentText": "> I lost my old book, but this one looks good: mastering technical sales.\nMastering Technical Sales is a book about and for sales engineers.  It isn't going to help someone who doesn't know how to prospect, close a deal, etc. do those things.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Mastering Technical Sales is a book about and for sales engineers.",
          "reason": "Describes it as focused on sales engineers and says it will not teach prospecting or closing to someone who lacks those skills.",
          "audience": "Sales engineers.",
          "caveat": "Not suited to someone who needs to learn prospecting or closing.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Care",
        "Aron Bohlig"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sales engineering",
        "technical sales"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mastering-the-core-teachings-of-the-buddha-7c5308",
      "title": "Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha",
      "author": "Daniel Ingram",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41802421,
          "author": "xkcd-sucks",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-10T19:18:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41802421",
          "commentText": "Moby Dick, Herman Melville\nVALIS, Philip K Dick\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance + also Lila, Robert Pirsig\nNaked Lunch, William Burroughs\nImmortality, Milan Kundera\nCatch-22, Joseph Heller (pair with The Deserters, Charles Glass -- In fact a lot of the stuff in Catch-22 is actually toned down from reality)\nMastering the Core Teachings of Buddha, Daniel Ingram (but ignore 80% of it)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Mastering the Core Teachings of Buddha, Daniel Ingram",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says to ignore 80% of it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30741674,
          "author": "emptysongglass",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T11:06:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30741674",
          "commentText": "I would say TMI is much more technical because it's written for the \"Hardcore Dharma\" community which is far more technique-oriented than Goenka. Goenka doesn't approach the stages of insight adaptively, which can easily frustrate practitioners of mindfulness whose first intro to meditation is body-scanning. I would rank body-scanning as one of the least efficacious techniques with very poor results when applied to the physical pain that often results from long sits.\nGood meditation teaching is equipping the practitioner with a toolset with the right tool applied for the appropriate stage of practice.\nTMI and Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha are necessarily complex because they are treating the entire path toward nibbana as a segmented map of attainment. I can think of virtually no technique which can be applied from the beginning to the end except for very difficult-to-approach techniques such as shikantaza (\"just sitting\") or the ekayana (\"one vehicle\") techniques of the Quanzhen (\"complete reality\") Chinese Buddhism schools. If you think TMI is obtuse try and approach the Shurangama Sutra which is really a mindfuck. But here's the thing: unconditioned existence is a mindfuck so we often need \"lesser\" graduated techniques to approach the paradoxical nature of reality.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha",
          "reason": "Describes it as a complex map of the path toward nibbana.",
          "audience": "Meditation practitioners pursuing insight and attainment.",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it complex.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Ingram"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhism",
        "buddhist meditation",
        "contemplative practice",
        "meditation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mastering-the-core-teachings-of-the-buddha-d8e2b0",
      "title": "Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha",
      "author": "Daniel M. Ingram",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21793155,
          "author": "SirensOfTitan",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T23:32:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793155",
          "commentText": "Mutual Causality in Buddhism and General Systems Theory by Joanna Macy\nMastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha by Daniel Ingram.\nLenin by Victor Sebestyen.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha by Daniel Ingram.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel M. Ingram"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhist meditation",
        "theravada buddhism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mastering-the-requirements-process-getting-requirements-right-2693e4",
      "title": "Mastering the Requirements Process: Getting Requirements Right",
      "author": "Suzanne Robertson and James Robertson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43724651,
          "author": "skydhash",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-18T03:14:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 43723077,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on talking to users?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43724651",
          "commentText": "There are three main subproblems to your questions:\n1. Find out what users wants. The answer to that is research and the only book I have is Just Enough Research by Erika Hall. I also found Essentials of Business Research Methods by Joe Hair Jr. et al.\n2. Build the thing that the user wants. That's mostly the real of Software Requirements and I have two candidates for you:\n- Mastering the Requirements Process: Getting Requirements Right by Suzanne and James Robertson\n- Software Requirements by Karl Wiegers and Joy Beatty.\n3. Build something that the user likes and that he can use. That's UX and I have three candidates this time:\n- Observing the User Experience, 2nd Edition by E. Goodman and M. Kunlavsky\n- Understanding Your Users, 2nd Edition by K. Baxter et al.\n- The UX Book by R. Hartson and P. S. Pyla\nAll of those just emphasize having an objective view of what you want to bring to the users and a rational execution strategy. I haven't read all so I can't judge them, but I believe they will give you enough starting points for you to devise your own method.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Mastering the Requirements Process: Getting Requirements Right by Suzanne and James Robertson",
          "reason": "Listed as a candidate for building what users want.",
          "audience": "People working on software requirements.",
          "caveat": "One of two candidates; commenter says they have not read all the listed books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Suzanne Robertson",
        "James Robertson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "requirements engineering",
        "software requirements"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "masterminds-of-programming-e65923",
      "title": "Masterminds of Programming",
      "author": "Federico Biancuzzi and Shane Warden",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12417966,
          "author": "p333347",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-03T05:57:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12417966",
          "commentText": "YMMV but I found Masterminds of Programming quite a worthy read. It is an interview based book and talks to the creators of a variety programming languages, including such 'obscure' ones as Forth, APL and Eiffel. I am interested in programming languages in a meta way, and even dabble around designing a couple, so it was inspirational to me, also quite an eye opener.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found Masterminds of Programming quite a worthy read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a worthy, inspirational, and eye-opening read about programming language creators.",
          "audience": "People interested in programming languages and their design.",
          "caveat": "YMMV; the commenter says it appealed to their particular interest in programming languages.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Federico Biancuzzi",
        "Shane Warden"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "interviews",
        "programming language design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "masterminds-of-programming-conversations-with-the-creators-of-maj-33e7fb",
      "title": "Masterminds of Programming: Conversations with the Creators of Major Programming Languages",
      "author": "Federico Biancuzzi and Shane Warden",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22708602,
          "author": "odie88",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T02:06:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22708602",
          "commentText": "A lot of great books are already mentioned.\nI also enjoyed \"Masterminds of Programming: Conversations With The Creators Of Major Programming Languages\" [0]\nIt's a collection of interviews with creators of languages (FORTH, C++, Python, Haskell, and many more) You learn a lot about language design decisions and their pitfalls.\nAnd a shameless plug: I shared MapFilterFold as a Show HN earlier, a project that collects recommendations from Ask HN threads. Browsing the books tagged computer science might yield some interesting results[1]\n[0] https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0596515170/\n[1] https://mapfilterfold.com/books/?genre=computer%20science",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also enjoyed \"Masterminds of Programming: Conversations With The Creators Of Major Programming Languages\"",
          "reason": "A collection of interviews with language creators that discusses language design decisions and pitfalls.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in programming language design.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Federico Biancuzzi",
        "Shane Warden"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "language design",
        "programming languages"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "masterminds-of-programming-conversations-with-the-creators-of-maj-be4bf6",
      "title": "Masterminds of Programming: Conversations with the Creators of Major Programming Languages",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17207450,
          "author": "nimeshneema",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T17:03:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17207450",
          "commentText": "Masterminds of Programming: Conversations with the Creators of Major Programming Languages - features exclusive interviews with the creators of several historic and highly influential programming languages. In this unique collection, you'll learn about the processes that led to specific design decisions, including the goals they had in mind, the trade-offs they had to make, and how their experiences have left an impact on programming today.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Masterminds of Programming: Conversations with the Creators of Major Programming Languages - features exclusive interviews with the creators of several historic and highly influential programming languages.",
          "reason": "Listed as a collection of interviews about language design decisions and their impact.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in programming language creators and design history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "interviews",
        "language design",
        "programming languages"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "masters-of-deception-61617d",
      "title": "Masters of Deception",
      "author": "Michelle Slatalla and Joshua Quintner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17750154,
          "author": "severine",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T14:06:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17750154",
          "commentText": "This? http://gen.lib.rus.ec/book/index.php?md5=5A8FE70517FD734D720... (http://gen.lib.rus.ec/book/index.php?md5=5A8FE70517FD734D720A183A24ABBF9D)\nTitle: \tUnderground: Tales of Hacking, Madness, and Obsession on the Electronic Frontier\nAuthor(s):\tSuelette Dreyfuss\nPublisher:\tMandarin Australia\nYear:\t1997\nISBN:\t9781863305952, 1863305955\n>> This book provides a great overview of a number of computer intrusion incidents and links them throught not only the technical nature of the activity but the persons behind them. UNDERGROUND provides an excellent overview of intrustion activities focusing on the UK, Australia, and the United States. It covers the late 80's to the early nineties with stories on incidents such as the WANK Worm outbreak and 8lgm's activities. The stand out attribute of this book is that it examines what happened to the intruders after their activity rather than focusing on the activity itself. It also examines the interrelationships between intruders worldwide giving some insight into how the culture allows for several key persons to be involved in or have siginficant knowledge of many different activities. A must have to include in your library along with other staples such as Cuckoo's Egg, Masters of Deception, Fugitive Game, and Hacker Crackdown. However, like the other books noted, there are apt to be a few points that persons will take exception too with regard to accuracy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "staples such as Cuckoo's Egg, Masters of Deception, Fugitive Game, and Hacker Crackdown",
          "reason": "Lists it as a staple alongside other books on hacking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The blurb says there may be points readers take exception to regarding accuracy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michelle Slatalla and Joshua Quintner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer crime",
        "hacker culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mastery-the-keys-to-success-and-long-term-fulfillment-b91b04",
      "title": "Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment",
      "author": "George Leonard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7968368,
          "author": "eliben",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:40:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968368",
          "commentText": "I just finished \"Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment\" by George Leonard.\nIt approaches the topic of attaining mastery from the angle of Aikido, but I found it strongly resembling my feelings in the programming domain. I'm still pondering it, and will likely re-read it soon (it's a very short book).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It approaches the topic of attaining mastery from the angle of Aikido, but I found it strongly resembling my feelings in the programming domain.",
          "reason": "Connects its treatment of mastery through Aikido with the commenter's experience in programming.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in mastery or applying its ideas to programming.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is still pondering it and plans to reread.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Leonard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aikido",
        "mastery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "material-world-the-six-raw-materials-that-shape-modern-civilizati-5e6fbd",
      "title": "Material World: The Six Raw Materials That Shape Modern Civilization",
      "author": "Ed Conway",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42219064,
          "author": "rugyoga",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T03:48:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42219064",
          "commentText": "Material World: The Six Raw Materials That Shape Modern Civilization\nI guessed about four but i was completely blown away by some\nof the details. Absolutely fascinating.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Material World: The Six Raw Materials That Shape Modern Civilization",
          "reason": "The commenter says several details were surprising and fascinating.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ed Conway"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "industrial history",
        "raw materials"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mathematical-analysis-a-modern-approach-to-advanced-calculus-612f9f",
      "title": "Mathematical Analysis: A Modern Approach to Advanced Calculus",
      "author": "Tom M. Apostol",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31491923,
          "author": "graycat",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T13:38:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31491923",
          "commentText": "Bluntly, with only occasional exceptions, have to learn from the books.  Period.  No biggie:  Once are in grad school or a prof, have to learn from papers, and the good books are typically MUCH easier to read than the papers!\nFor first calculus, read one of the well respected books.  In my experience and opinion, don't need high school advanced placement calculus -- regard it as a waste of time.  Also the last time I looked at Khan Academy, I concluded that it was a waste or worse and by people who didn't have a good background in calculus.  Generally the Internet sources are too elementary.  Solution:  Just use some good books.  Protter and Morrey is good (I taught from it), but it is a bit elementary.  I learned from Johnson and Kiokmeister; I like it.  At the time it was also being used at Harvard.  The exercises are especially good.  It's old, but calculus hasn't changed much since 1950 or so about when it gave up on teaching infinitesimals.\nBut might check out the Maxima software for symbolic indefinite integration -- as I recall, its algorithms are so good they do any indefinite integration that can be done in closed form.\nFor linear algebra, sure, Nering (a student of E. Artin at Princeton) and then Halmos (a finite dimensional introduction to Hilbert space and written when Halmos was an assistant to von Neumann, office not far from Einstein), etc.  For still more, R. Bellman has a good book -- he went all over active and put in everything including the kitchen sink.  Then for numerical work, old but a start, Forsythe and\nMoler and/or the documentation of LINPAK.\nFor multivariate calculus through the divergence theorem and as needed, e.g., for Maxwell's equations, start with the most elementary treatments of vector analysis and f'get about the lack of proofs.  Actually notice, can see via a Google search, that the divergence theorem on a box is just a dirt simple application of the fundamental theorem of freshman calculus.  Then the difficulty is proving the thing on other shapes.  Then do multivariate calculus again via, say, Apostol, Mathematical Analysis: A Modern Approach to Advanced Calculus.  That he uses the Jordan curve theorem is a bit much but just go with the flow.  Fleming's Functions of Several Variables does it with both measure theory and exterior algebra.  Or W. Rudin's, as I recall, third edition, Principles of Mathematical Analysis.  For calculus done via Lebesgue's measure theory, Royden's Real Analysis and/or the first half of Rudin's Real and Complex Analysis.\nMy favorite author on ordinary differential equations is Coddington, and his elementary An Introduction to Ordinary\nDifferential Equations is nicely done and likely enough for nearly any applications might encounter.  Will want some of this if do A/C circuit theory or deterministic optimal control.\nFor basic abstract algebra Herstein, Topics in Algebra should usually be enough and is well written.  With that will be well prepared for, say, algebraic coding theory which actually has some important applications.\nOnce have a background in measure theory, for probability, of course, Loeve or either of his students Breiman or Neveu.  Breiman is really nice to read. Neveu is a good candidate for  the most polished and elegantly done math book or writing of any kind in all of civilization.   Be sure to get to the good stuff on the Radon-Nikodym theorem, conditional expectation, martingales, and ergodic processes.\nFor relatively good results, better than hardly any students get just from courses, study the theorems and proofs until can do them yourself and can also explain them to any common man in the street and also explain where they fit in more generally.  Also be able to do the exercises.  E.g., Rudin's Principles has the inverse and implicit function theorems as exercises!  Fleming applies them to Lagrange multipliers. These two theorems are the main prerequisites of differential geometry -- some parts of physics, now popular, touch on this math!\nIn my Ph.D. program I led the class in 4 of the five qualifying exams, and for the analysis and linear algebra exams, the books above were the secret.  After I did that, the department tried to have the students do better by offering a course from Rudin's Principles; the course didn't work; that book is too hard for a course and needs weeks of quiet time where a student can chew on the text slowly line by line. Rudin has some of the most precise presentations on Fourier theory.  So when physics uses Fourier theory or engineers use the fast Fourier transform, you will likely know Fourier theory quite a lot better than they do.  Right, the uncertainty principle in quantum mechanics is just a basic result in Fourier theory.  With Fourier theory and linearity, Schroedinger's equation starts to make sense.  A good exercise in early measure theory is differentiation under the integral sign, Leibniz's rule -- be sure to cover that with a good proof.\nWith the background from the books above will be well prepared for a wide range of more narrow topics in pure and applied math.\nNearly all these books are available used in nearly new condition for low prices.  In a move I lost some of my library and rebuilt with used copies.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "via, say, Apostol, Mathematical Analysis: A Modern Approach to Advanced Calculus.",
          "reason": "Suggested for a rigorous second pass through multivariate calculus.",
          "audience": "People studying multivariate calculus.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its use of the Jordan curve theorem is a bit much.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom M. Apostol"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical analysis",
        "multivariate calculus"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mathematical-analysis-a-straightforward-approach-c64105",
      "title": "Mathematical Analysis: A Straightforward Approach",
      "author": "Edward D. Gaughan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31490479,
          "author": "mikevm",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T11:06:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31490479",
          "commentText": "I couldn't disagree more. I studied Analysis in the Uni, and even in that environment Rudin is pretty bad. For a total newcomer that book will leave you completely helpless. Also, solutions are a must have, without them you are almsot totally lost. In their absence, it is OK to ask on StackExchange or #math on EFnet.\nFirst let's start with a few books to prep you for college-level maths:\n* https://www.amazon.com/How-Study-as-Mathematics-Major-ebook/... (https://www.amazon.com/How-Study-as-Mathematics-Major-ebook/dp/B00B9CIORY)\n* https://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Proofs-Introduction-Mathemat... (https://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Proofs-Introduction-Mathematical-ebook-dp-B00I8XF6TQ/dp/B00I8XF6TQ) ; or\n* https://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Proofs-Modular-Mathematics-Al... (https://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Proofs-Modular-Mathematics-Allenby/dp/0340676531) ; or\n* https://www.amazon.com/How-Prove-Structured-Daniel-Velleman-... (https://www.amazon.com/How-Prove-Structured-Daniel-Velleman-dp-1108439535/dp/1108439535) (I believe you can find solutions to the 2nd edition online)\nFor Single-Variable Analysis\n* https://www.amazon.com/Think-About-Analysis-Lara-Alcock/dp/0... (https://www.amazon.com/Think-About-Analysis-Lara-Alcock/dp/0198723539)\n* https://www.amazon.com/How-Why-One-Variable-Calculus/dp/1119... (https://www.amazon.com/How-Why-One-Variable-Calculus/dp/1119043387)\n* https://www.amazon.com/Mathematical-Analysis-Straightforward... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematical-Analysis-Straightforward-Approach-2nd/dp/0521288827) (contains solutions to exercises)\n* https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Analysis-Undergraduate-... (https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Analysis-Undergraduate-Texts-Mathematics-ebook/dp/B00XWDQUH4) (there are solutions online for the 2nd edition)\n* https://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Functions-Steps-into-Analysis... (https://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Functions-Steps-into-Analysis/dp/0521788366) (this book is a brilliant exercise-guided approach that helps you build up your knowledge step by step + solutions are provided).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://www.amazon.com/Mathematical-Analysis-Straightforward...",
          "reason": "Listed under single-variable analysis; the comment notes it contains exercise solutions.",
          "audience": "Readers studying single-variable analysis",
          "caveat": "Contains solutions to exercises.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward D. Gaughan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "real analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mathematical-discovery-4772b6",
      "title": "Mathematical Discovery",
      "author": "George Pólya",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23727569,
          "author": "jacobolus",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T20:57:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23727569",
          "commentText": "Instead of How To Solve It, which is organized dictionary–style with short sections on particular named problem solving topics, and is somewhat hard to interpret for novices without guidance, let me recommend Polya’s other two books (each 2 volumes), Mathematical Discovery and Mathematics and Plausible Reasoning.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "let me recommend Polya’s other two books (each 2 volumes), Mathematical Discovery",
          "reason": "Recommends this as one of Pólya’s other two books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Each is two volumes.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Pólya"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "discovery",
        "mathematical problem solving"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mathematical-discovery-on-understanding-learning-and-teaching-pro-5bb987",
      "title": "Mathematical Discovery: On Understanding, Learning and Teaching Problem Solving",
      "author": "George Pólya",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4967140,
          "author": "sb",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T21:26:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967140",
          "commentText": "This year I either read, or started to read the following interesting books:\nMathematics: Form and Function by Saunders Mac Lane. This is one of my favorite books concerning the \"build-up\" of mathematics (it also contains nice diagrams of \"relatedness\" of subjects). On HN somebody once recommended Mathematics: Its contents, methods, and meaning (from Russian mathematicians in the 50s) which is similar but without the cross references.\nProofs and Refutations by Imre Lakatos. I have started reading this only recently and have to say that I find the approach and idea excellent. It would be great if we had something comparable for CS theory as well.\nNotes on Introductory Combinatorics by Polya, Tarjan, and Woods. Have not read this exhaustively, but the introduction with Pascal's triangle and some of Polya' legendary problem solving insights (paraphrased from my memory: \"you are on to something once you find a pattern\") are definitely highlights in this book.\nMathematical Discovery: On Understanding, Learning and Teaching Problem Solving by George Polya. Based on the previous book and my fond memories of reading \"How to Solve it\", I got this one from the library. Again I can't attest for all of the contents, but AFAICT now it's another gem from Polya.\nFrom HN advice in previous years I read The Tibetan Book on Living and Dying, which I can heartily recommend, too. It is an anti-thesis to Christian theology and I find it to contain many insightful comments and different views on leading a good, meaningful life. I disagree with some of the church-y comments on that it really is important to have a master and that only the master can do certain things, but that's probably just me being an atheist all along.\nI actually read some other books, but the list is already kind of long and might hold interesting pointers for other mathematically inclined readers, too. I for one am always fascinated on how much advice on problem solving in mathematics translates to CS.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "AFAICT now it's another gem from Polya.",
          "reason": "The commenter tentatively calls it another gem from Pólya.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They cannot attest to all of its contents.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Pólya"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematics education",
        "problem solving"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mathematical-logic-3b8884",
      "title": "Mathematical Logic",
      "author": "W. V. Quine",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15159375,
          "author": "mrmyers",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T02:26:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15159375",
          "commentText": "Modeling the world generally (as in, why mathematics works and can apply to the real world):\n  =Bertrand Russell=\n  * An Inquiry into Meaning and Truth\n  * A Theory of Knowledge\n  * Logic and Knowledge\n  =W.V. Quine=\n  * Word and Object\n  * Mathematical Logic\n  =Norbert Weiner=\n  * Cybernetics: Or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine\n  =Smullyan=\n  * Diagonalization and Self Reference\n\nSquishy Human Things:\n  Thomas Kuhn      - The Structure of Scientific Revolutions\n  Norbert Weiner   - The Human Use of Human-Beings\n  Bertrand Russell - A History of Western Philosophy\n  Karl Popper      - The Open Society and Its Enemies\n  Daniel Dennet    - Consciousness Explained\n  E. Abbot Abbot   - Flatland",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mathematical Logic",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. V. Quine"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "formal logic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mathematical-modeling-and-applied-calculus-f41b1e",
      "title": "Mathematical Modeling and Applied Calculus",
      "author": "Joel Kilty and Alex M. McAllister",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29219693,
          "author": "LAIFscratch",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T19:13:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29219693",
          "commentText": "The best book if you have any programming background is 'Mathematical Modeling and Applied Calculus' by Joel Kilty and Alex M. McAllister reviewed here: https://www.maa.org/press/maa-reviews/mathematical-modeling-... (https://www.maa.org/press/maa-reviews/mathematical-modeling-and-applied-calculus)\nThere's a small workshop for it here: https://learnaifromscratch.github.io/calculus.html throwing in some youtube tutorials. The book presents everything as functions and their parameters, like linear functions, trig, sigmoidal, e and logarithms, you learn all the parameters to these functions and can type into desmos online graph to see what they're doing visually. You don't have to do the whole thing just use it for background material when an algorithm text uses calculus methods like L'Hopital's rule.\nPoh-Shen Loh has a discrete math course open on his youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/c/DailyChallengewithPoShenLoh/search... (https://www.youtube.com/c/DailyChallengewithPoShenLoh/search?query=discrete%20math) you can use the book he recommends to look up anything that is assumed knowledge in lectures. Discrete Mathematics, by L. Lovász, J. Pelikán, and K. Vesztergombi. A book called Asymptopia by Spencer is well done too, good chapters for learning everything you want about big-O/omega/theta some topics are advanced and some anyone can do.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The best book if you have any programming background is 'Mathematical Modeling and Applied Calculus' by Joel Kilty and Alex M. McAllister",
          "reason": "Recommends it for building calculus background relevant to algorithm texts.",
          "audience": "Readers with some programming background who need calculus foundations.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it can be used selectively for background material.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joel Kilty",
        "Alex M. McAllister"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "applied calculus",
        "mathematical modeling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mathematical-physics-1e2dc7",
      "title": "Mathematical Physics",
      "author": "Richard Geroch",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7579548,
          "author": "Grothendieck",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T23:11:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7579548",
          "commentText": "SICP doesn't really cover very much in the grand scheme of CS, so \"like SICP\" might mean ...\n... something covering \"how to do math\".  This might be an introductory real analysis or linear algebra book, or (alas, I haven't read much in this area) you could do no wrong looking for books on problem solving, contests, and inequalities, say by Polya or Andreescu.\n... a higher-level view of day-to-day mathematical practice.  There probably isn't one book for this, but I'd recommend Loomis and Sternberg's Advanced Calculus as a summation of linear algebra and calculus on manifolds; you'd also need to read on complex and functional analysis, algebra (Lang and the unofficial companion volume?), topology ...\n... a broad but shallow introduction to several fields and applications unified but a common underlying approach (abstraction and programming language design).  I'd recommend Geroch's Mathematical physics, which, as the name implies, studies algebra, algebraic topology, and functional analysis through the common lens of category theory.\n... a somewhat quirky book on foundations?  You could look for a book on naive or axiomatic set theory, categories, or type theory.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend Geroch's Mathematical physics",
          "reason": "Recommended for studying algebra, algebraic topology, and functional analysis through category theory.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Geroch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "category theory",
        "mathematical physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mathematical-proofs-160a96",
      "title": "Mathematical Proofs",
      "author": "Gary Chartrand, Albert D. Polimeni, and Ping Zhang",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33604411,
          "author": "luuuzeta",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-15T02:12:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33604411",
          "commentText": "Mathematical proofs didn't click for me, so much so that I ended up failing my Discrete Math class because of it. Before I retook the DM course again, I took a Proof Workshop but I doubt I would've done good without the following books:\n* Richard Hammack's The Book of Proof [1]\n* Mathematical Proofs by Chartrand, Polimeni, and Zhang\n[1]: \nhttps://www.people.vcu.edu/~rhammack/BookOfProof/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mathematical Proofs by Chartrand, Polimeni, and Zhang",
          "reason": "Says the book helped them prepare to retake discrete mathematics.",
          "audience": "Readers learning mathematical proofs or discrete mathematics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter doubts they would have done well without it, alongside a Proof Workshop.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gary Chartrand",
        "Albert D. Polimeni",
        "Ping Zhang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical proofs"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mathematical-proofs-a-transition-to-advanced-mathematics-c85b7f",
      "title": "Mathematical Proofs: A Transition to Advanced Mathematics",
      "author": "Gary Chartrand, Albert D. Polimeni, and Ping Zhang",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23721207,
          "author": "uptownfunk",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T05:12:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23721207",
          "commentText": "First read https://artofproblemsolving.com/news/articles/avoid-the-calc... (https://artofproblemsolving.com/news/articles/avoid-the-calculus-trap)\nBy one of my early mathematics tutors in San Diego math circle\nThen buy something like:\nMathematical Proofs: A Transition to Advanced Mathematics (3rd Edition) (Featured Titles for Transition to Advanced Mathematics) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0321797094/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_K4... (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0321797094/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_K4R.Eb1SBS1F6)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mathematical Proofs: A Transition to Advanced Mathematics (3rd Edition)",
          "reason": "Recommends buying it after first reading a linked article.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gary Chartrand",
        "Albert D. Polimeni",
        "Ping Zhang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical proofs",
        "transition to advanced mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mathematical-puzzles-and-diversions-bd4fd1",
      "title": "Mathematical Puzzles and Diversions",
      "author": "Martin Gardner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36429108,
          "author": "beardyw",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T07:40:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36429108",
          "commentText": "Martin Gardner's Mathematical Puzzles and Diversions et al. I devoured them as a boy and made me want to be a mathematician, at which I failed. That failure turned into a 43 year career of puzzles with computers. Even now every day has a puzzle to be solved.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Martin Gardner's Mathematical Puzzles and Diversions",
          "reason": "The commenter says the books made them want to become a mathematician and led to a long career solving puzzles with computers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they failed to become a mathematician.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin Gardner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "puzzles",
        "recreational mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mathematical-techniques-an-introduction-for-the-engineering-physi-8ec773",
      "title": "Mathematical Techniques: An Introduction for the Engineering, Physical, and Mathematical Sciences",
      "author": "Dominic W. Jordan and Peter Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21351659,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-25T03:41:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21351659",
          "commentText": "In addition to all the other good suggestions, the following are recommended (have not seen these mentioned so far);\n- Concepts of Modern Mathematics - https://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Modern-Mathematics-Dover-Boo... (https://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Modern-Mathematics-Dover-Books/dp/0486284247/ref=sr_1_1?crid=214QSPLG829VY&keywords=concepts+of+modern+mathematics&qid=1571974129&s=books&sprefix=concepts+of+modern+ma%2Cstripbooks-intl-ship%2C1448&sr=1-1)\n- Methods of Mathematics Applied to Calculus, Probability, and Statistics - https://www.amazon.com/Methods-Mathematics-Calculus-Probabil... (https://www.amazon.com/Methods-Mathematics-Calculus-Probability-Statistics/dp/0486439453/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8) (all books by Richard Hamming are recommended)\n- Calculus: An Intuitive and Physical Approach - https://www.amazon.com/Calculus-Intuitive-Physical-Approach-... (https://www.amazon.com/Calculus-Intuitive-Physical-Approach-Mathematics/dp/0486404536/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8)\nFor a Textbook reference, the following are quite good;\n- Mathematical Techniques: An Introduction for the Engineering, Physical, and Mathematical Sciences - https://www.amazon.com/Mathematical-Techniques-Introduction-... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematical-Techniques-Introduction-Engineering-Physical/dp/0199282013/ref=dp_ob_title_bk) (easy to read and succinct)\n- Mathematics for Physicists: Introductory Concepts and Methods - https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Physicists-Introductory-C... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Physicists-Introductory-Concepts-Methods-ebook/dp/B07N48G4KD/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mathematics+for+physicists&qid=1571974732&s=books&sr=1-1)\nFor General reading (all these authors other books are also worth checking out);\n- Mathematics, Queen and Servant of Science - https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Queen-Servant-Science-Tem... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Queen-Servant-Science-Tempus/dp/155615173X/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mathematics+queen+and+servant&qid=1571977505&s=books&sr=1-1)\n- Mathematics and the Physical World - https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Physical-World-Dover-Book... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Physical-World-Dover-Books/dp/0486241041/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mathematics+and+the+physical+world&qid=1571977524&s=books&sr=1-1)\n- Mathematician's Delight - https://www.amazon.com/Mathematicians-Delight-Dover-Books-Ma... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematicians-Delight-Dover-Books-Mathematics/dp/0486462404/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mathematician%27s+delight&qid=1571977538&s=books&sr=1-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Mathematical Techniques: An Introduction for the Engineering, Physical, and Mathematical Sciences",
          "reason": "Called quite good and described as easy to read and succinct.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a mathematics textbook reference.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dominic W. Jordan and Peter Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "engineering",
        "mathematical methods"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mathematical-tools-for-physics-1e894b",
      "title": "Mathematical Tools for Physics",
      "author": "James Nearing",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 665435,
          "author": "AlleyRow",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T16:37:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665435",
          "commentText": "Check Out \"Mathematical Tools for Physics\" by James Nearing (available as a free download at http://www.physics.miami.edu/~nearing/mathmethods/). It covers a lot of great results and is one of the most easy to follow comprehensive summaries of an undergraduate math education that I've come across.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Check Out \"Mathematical Tools for Physics\" by James Nearing",
          "reason": "Calls it easy to follow and a comprehensive summary of undergraduate mathematics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Nearing"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical methods",
        "physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mathematics-e73f6b",
      "title": "Mathematics",
      "author": "A. D. Aleksandrov, A. N. Kolmogorov, and M. A. Lavrent'ev, editors",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23727011,
          "author": "Koshkin",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T20:04:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23727011",
          "commentText": "Calculus by M.Kline would be not a bad start. For a broad (yet detailed) overview, Mathematics by Aleksandrov et al. is exceptional.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For a broad (yet detailed) overview, Mathematics by Aleksandrov et al. is exceptional.",
          "reason": "Recommended as an exceptional broad yet detailed overview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "A. D. Aleksandrov",
        "A. N. Kolmogorov",
        "M. A. Lavrent'ev"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematics overview"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mathematics-without-apologies-f8dc5b",
      "title": "Mathematics Without Apologies",
      "author": "Michael Harris",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783915,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:06:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783915",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction, best to worst:\nHenry Marsh, Do No Harm. A brilliant memoir by a neurosurgeon about his work, the nature of his profession, successes and mistakes (especially the latter). Frequently touches or verges into the personal. Not morbid, but often sad.\nKeith Johnstone, Impro for Storytellers. \nViola Spolin, Improvisation for the Theater\nTwo very good books about improvisation, although Spolin's is too dry and theory-laden for me (it's meant for teachers more than practitioners). Both, however, pale compared to Keith Johnstone's earlier Impro: Improvisation and the Theater, which is a life-changing book about what improvisation can teach us about spontaneous creativity and relationships between people. I recommend that one first and foremost if you know nothing about improvisation and are curious.\nMartinus J G Veltman, Facts and Mysteries in Elementary Particle Physics. A readable account - necessarily simplified, of course - of the current state of affairs in elementary particles and much of the last 50 years of history, by one of the participants (a Nobel prize winner). Not as organized and methodical as I thought it would be, and half a year later I forgot most of the physical explanations, but it was an interesting read.\nRobert B. Edgerton, Sick Societies. A thorough examination of the hundreds of horrible examples when \"natural\" societies studied by anthropologists have customs that are not only bad from our modern Western point of view, but arguably fail in achieving their own objectives. The whole book exists to counter lazy cultural relativism of the \"maybe we don't like X, but if they do it, it must be for a good reason and it must be a useful adaptation for them\" kind.\nMichael Harris, Mathematics Without Apologies. A very eclectic and idiosyncratic book by a mathematician on the sociology and epistemology of mathematics as a discipline. To be appreciated for its wealth of ideas and references to other interesting books and theories, rather than for any particular argument or thread.\nMilton Rokeach, The Three Christs of Ypsilanti. A story on what happened when a psychologist tried to bring three psychiatric patients, each believing themselves to be Christ, together and to talk it out amongst themselves. Happened in the 1960s. The idea is more interesting than the outcome.\nFiction, best to worst:\nPatrick O'Brian, The Hundred Days. The penultimate book in the series of the best historical novels (the Aubrey-Maturin series) ever written, by a huge margin. The series transcend the genre and I count the Aubrey-Maturin books among the very best books I read in the last decade.\nDodie Smith, I Capture the Castle. A brilliantly written coming-of-age story about a girl growing up in an impoverished family occupying a decaying castle in the English countryside, set in the 1930s. Reminded me in many ways of Rebecca West's The Fountain Overflows, a novel in the similar genre (but with a younger protagonist) that's known much less than it deserves.\nJuan Rulfo, Pedro Paramo. If you read and liked Garcia Marquez's A Hundred Years of Solitude, this one is shorter, darker, involves many more dead people, and you may want to give it a try.\nAlfred Hayes, In Love. A story of a man obsessed by love in a mid-century NYC. Unexpectedly touching, very convincing psychologically.\nIain M. Banks, Against a Dark Background. SF, a grand heist novel set in a advanced civilization living in a star system located unimaginably far away from any other stars and galaxies, and so doomed to a lone struggle with its own long history. A wealth of technological and social ideas you'd expect from Banks. The ending felt a bit forced.\nGene Wolfe, There Are Doors. Gene Wolfe, Nightsite of the Long Sun/Lake of the Long Sun.\nGene Wolfe is the best writer American science fiction produced in the last half-century. \"There are Doors\" is a pretty weird fantasy novel about an alternate world where men die after their first intercourse (as some spiders do in ours), and the hero travels back and forth between that world and ours. It's good, but not as strong as Wolfe's best, which to my taste is the Book of the New Sun tetralogy, the novellas in the Fifth Head of Cerberus collection, and many of his short stories (well-collected in The Best of Gene Wolfe). The other two are the first half of the \"Book of the Long Sun\" series that I'm still reading through.\nUrsula K. Le Guin, The Dispossessed. Superb political SF about an imagined anarchist [anti-]utopia. A serious attempt to describe a human society with no central power structures and no ownership. The hero is a physicist born and raised in that society who escapes to a sibling planet with the more typical modern states. This novel took all the awards in the 1970s when it was published, and deservedly so.\n[cont'd]",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Michael Harris, Mathematics Without Apologies. A very eclectic and idiosyncratic book by a mathematician on the sociology and epistemology of mathematics as a discipline. To be appreciated for its wealth of ideas and references to other interesting books and theories, rather than for any particular argument or thread.",
          "reason": "Values its wealth of ideas and references, more than any particular argument.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Eclectic and idiosyncratic; not organized around a particular argument or thread.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Harris"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epistemology",
        "sociology of mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mathematics-and-the-physical-world-e8d870",
      "title": "Mathematics and the Physical World",
      "author": "Morris Kline",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21351659,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-25T03:41:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21351659",
          "commentText": "In addition to all the other good suggestions, the following are recommended (have not seen these mentioned so far);\n- Concepts of Modern Mathematics - https://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Modern-Mathematics-Dover-Boo... (https://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Modern-Mathematics-Dover-Books/dp/0486284247/ref=sr_1_1?crid=214QSPLG829VY&keywords=concepts+of+modern+mathematics&qid=1571974129&s=books&sprefix=concepts+of+modern+ma%2Cstripbooks-intl-ship%2C1448&sr=1-1)\n- Methods of Mathematics Applied to Calculus, Probability, and Statistics - https://www.amazon.com/Methods-Mathematics-Calculus-Probabil... (https://www.amazon.com/Methods-Mathematics-Calculus-Probability-Statistics/dp/0486439453/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8) (all books by Richard Hamming are recommended)\n- Calculus: An Intuitive and Physical Approach - https://www.amazon.com/Calculus-Intuitive-Physical-Approach-... (https://www.amazon.com/Calculus-Intuitive-Physical-Approach-Mathematics/dp/0486404536/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8)\nFor a Textbook reference, the following are quite good;\n- Mathematical Techniques: An Introduction for the Engineering, Physical, and Mathematical Sciences - https://www.amazon.com/Mathematical-Techniques-Introduction-... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematical-Techniques-Introduction-Engineering-Physical/dp/0199282013/ref=dp_ob_title_bk) (easy to read and succinct)\n- Mathematics for Physicists: Introductory Concepts and Methods - https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Physicists-Introductory-C... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Physicists-Introductory-Concepts-Methods-ebook/dp/B07N48G4KD/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mathematics+for+physicists&qid=1571974732&s=books&sr=1-1)\nFor General reading (all these authors other books are also worth checking out);\n- Mathematics, Queen and Servant of Science - https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Queen-Servant-Science-Tem... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Queen-Servant-Science-Tempus/dp/155615173X/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mathematics+queen+and+servant&qid=1571977505&s=books&sr=1-1)\n- Mathematics and the Physical World - https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Physical-World-Dover-Book... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Physical-World-Dover-Books/dp/0486241041/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mathematics+and+the+physical+world&qid=1571977524&s=books&sr=1-1)\n- Mathematician's Delight - https://www.amazon.com/Mathematicians-Delight-Dover-Books-Ma... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematicians-Delight-Dover-Books-Mathematics/dp/0486462404/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mathematician%27s+delight&qid=1571977538&s=books&sr=1-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Mathematics and the Physical World",
          "reason": "Listed as general reading in response to a request for mathematics books.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking general mathematics reading.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Morris Kline"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematics and physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mathematics-for-computer-science-03d426",
      "title": "Mathematics for Computer Science",
      "author": "Eric Lehman, F. Thomson Leighton, and Albert R. Meyer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16759330,
          "author": "nicklaf",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T21:30:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16759330",
          "commentText": "Love all those books. Hadn't heard of the last one though. Looks like it's available online [1].\nAnd actually, it has a few cool links on its homepage to similar books. In particular, there is a link to this gem [2], which, for example, has a chapter [3] on what appears to be a very interesting generalization [4] of the \"master theorem\" of CLRS. Another good resource that pages links to seems to be [5], which was recently mentioned on HN.\nOf course, for an even deeper treatment of asymptotic analysis check out Flajolet and Sedgewick [6]!\n[1] http://opendatastructures.org/\n[2] http://jeffe.cs.illinois.edu/teaching/algorithms/\n[3] http://jeffe.cs.illinois.edu/teaching/algorithms/notes/99-re... (http://jeffe.cs.illinois.edu/teaching/algorithms/notes/99-recurrences.pdf)\n[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akra%E2%80%93Bazzi_method\n[5] (PDF warning) http://opendatastructures.org/mcs.pdf\n[6] http://ac.cs.princeton.edu/home/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another good resource that pages links to seems to be [5], which was recently mentioned on HN.",
          "reason": "Calls the linked resource good.",
          "audience": "Readers studying computer science mathematics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Lehman, F. Thomson Leighton, and Albert R. Meyer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer science",
        "discrete mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mathematics-for-physicists-introductory-concepts-and-methods-74943e",
      "title": "Mathematics for Physicists: Introductory Concepts and Methods",
      "author": "Alexander Altland and Jan von Delft",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21351659,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-25T03:41:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21351659",
          "commentText": "In addition to all the other good suggestions, the following are recommended (have not seen these mentioned so far);\n- Concepts of Modern Mathematics - https://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Modern-Mathematics-Dover-Boo... (https://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Modern-Mathematics-Dover-Books/dp/0486284247/ref=sr_1_1?crid=214QSPLG829VY&keywords=concepts+of+modern+mathematics&qid=1571974129&s=books&sprefix=concepts+of+modern+ma%2Cstripbooks-intl-ship%2C1448&sr=1-1)\n- Methods of Mathematics Applied to Calculus, Probability, and Statistics - https://www.amazon.com/Methods-Mathematics-Calculus-Probabil... (https://www.amazon.com/Methods-Mathematics-Calculus-Probability-Statistics/dp/0486439453/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8) (all books by Richard Hamming are recommended)\n- Calculus: An Intuitive and Physical Approach - https://www.amazon.com/Calculus-Intuitive-Physical-Approach-... (https://www.amazon.com/Calculus-Intuitive-Physical-Approach-Mathematics/dp/0486404536/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8)\nFor a Textbook reference, the following are quite good;\n- Mathematical Techniques: An Introduction for the Engineering, Physical, and Mathematical Sciences - https://www.amazon.com/Mathematical-Techniques-Introduction-... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematical-Techniques-Introduction-Engineering-Physical/dp/0199282013/ref=dp_ob_title_bk) (easy to read and succinct)\n- Mathematics for Physicists: Introductory Concepts and Methods - https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Physicists-Introductory-C... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Physicists-Introductory-Concepts-Methods-ebook/dp/B07N48G4KD/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mathematics+for+physicists&qid=1571974732&s=books&sr=1-1)\nFor General reading (all these authors other books are also worth checking out);\n- Mathematics, Queen and Servant of Science - https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Queen-Servant-Science-Tem... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Queen-Servant-Science-Tempus/dp/155615173X/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mathematics+queen+and+servant&qid=1571977505&s=books&sr=1-1)\n- Mathematics and the Physical World - https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Physical-World-Dover-Book... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Physical-World-Dover-Books/dp/0486241041/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mathematics+and+the+physical+world&qid=1571977524&s=books&sr=1-1)\n- Mathematician's Delight - https://www.amazon.com/Mathematicians-Delight-Dover-Books-Ma... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematicians-Delight-Dover-Books-Mathematics/dp/0486462404/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=mathematician%27s+delight&qid=1571977538&s=books&sr=1-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Mathematics for Physicists: Introductory Concepts and Methods",
          "reason": "Called a good textbook reference in response to a request for approachable mathematics books.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a mathematics textbook reference, especially for physics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alexander Altland and Jan von Delft"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical methods",
        "physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mathematics-for-the-nonmathematician-f354b1",
      "title": "Mathematics for the Nonmathematician",
      "author": "Morris Kline",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21349751,
          "author": "meieo0",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T22:16:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21349751",
          "commentText": "Mathematics for the Nonmathematician https://www.amazon.com/dp/0486248232",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mathematics for the Nonmathematician",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Morris Kline"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "popular mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mathematics-a-human-endeavor-a-book-for-those-who-think-they-don--aed509",
      "title": "Mathematics, a Human Endeavor: A Book for Those Who Think They Don't Like the Subject",
      "author": "Harold R. Jacobs",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34444890,
          "author": "thanatos519",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T20:02:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34444890",
          "commentText": "Mathematics, a Human Endeavor:\nA Book for Those Who Think They Don't Like the Subject\nby Harold R. Jacobs",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mathematics, a Human Endeavor:\nA Book for Those Who Think They Don't Like the Subject\nby Harold R. Jacobs",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Harold R. Jacobs"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "math education"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mathematics-a-discrete-introduction-04f0b2",
      "title": "Mathematics: A Discrete Introduction",
      "author": "Edward R. Scheinerman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23727750,
          "author": "pera",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T21:17:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23727750",
          "commentText": "Mathematics: A Discrete Introduction by Edward R. Scheinerman:\nhttps://books.google.com/books/about/Mathematics_A_Discrete_... (https://books.google.com/books/about/Mathematics_A_Discrete_Introduction.html?id=DZBHGD2sEYwC)\nI bought this book when I was ~16 because I wanted to learn some discrete maths, but it actually touches many different interesting topics that you don't see in secondary school (including some cryptography!).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mathematics: A Discrete Introduction by Edward R. Scheinerman:",
          "reason": "Recommends it for its coverage of interesting topics beyond secondary school, including cryptography.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward R. Scheinerman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cryptography",
        "discrete mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mathematics-a-short-introduction-10a161",
      "title": "Mathematics: A Short Introduction",
      "author": "Timothy Gowers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 755416,
          "author": "tokenadult",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T15:27:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755416",
          "commentText": "That thread recommends many very few good books, but probably mostly books too hard at first for the participant who has posted this new thread.\nI'll recommend a couple of books from that thread:\nhttp://www.springer.com/physics/book/978-0-306-45036-5\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Short-Introduction-Timothy... (http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Short-Introduction-Timothy-Gowers/dp/0192853619/)\nI agree with the recommendation of An Introduction to Mathematical Reasoning in this thread.\nAnother participant has already recommended my favorite for background reading, Concepts of Modern Mathematics by Ian Stewart.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Modern-Mathematics-Ian-Stewar... (http://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Modern-Mathematics-Ian-Stewart/dp/0486284247/)\nGet that right away.\nSawyer's A Mathematician's Delight is surely also good (I've read other books by Sawyer).\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0486462404/\nRead those for background as you get my favorite overviews of mathematics: Basic Mathematics by Serge Lang and Numbers and Geometry by Joseph Stillwell.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Basic-Mathematics-Serge-Lang/dp/038796... (http://www.amazon.com/Basic-Mathematics-Serge-Lang/dp/0387967877/)\n(Basic Mathematics is mostly high school level math, with a minimum of fuss and bother, and good exercises.)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Geometry-John-Stillwell/dp/038... (http://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Geometry-John-Stillwell/dp/0387982892/)\n(Numbers and Geometry is mostly undergraduate level math, with very good explanations and excellent exercises.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Short-Introduction-Timothy...",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books the commenter recommends for background reading.",
          "audience": "A beginner looking for background on mathematics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these books may be too hard at first for the person who started the thread.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Timothy Gowers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematics overview"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mathematics-a-very-short-introduction-db018a",
      "title": "Mathematics: A Very Short Introduction",
      "author": "Timothy Gowers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 665551,
          "author": "grosales",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T17:34:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665551",
          "commentText": "You could start with Mathematics: A very short introduction by Timothy Gowers. It's a quick read, and the way Gowers writes about important Mathematical topics is interesting and, for the most part, easy to understand. http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Short-Introduction-Timothy... (http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Short-Introduction-Timothy-Gowers/dp/0192853619/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You could start with Mathematics: A very short introduction by Timothy Gowers.",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a starting point and praises its interesting, accessible writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a quick read.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Timothy Gowers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematics overview"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mathematics-its-content-methods-and-meaning-4eda6b",
      "title": "Mathematics: Its Content, Methods and Meaning",
      "author": "M. A. Lavrent’ev, A. D. Aleksandrov, and A. N. Kolmogorov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7578582,
          "author": "oskarth",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T18:03:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578582",
          "commentText": "Not the same type of book, but you could do a lot worse than reading through Mathematics: Its Content, Methods and Meaning, by M. A. Lavrent’ev, A. D. Aleksandrov, A. N. Kolmogorov. It's an amazing book which gives a mathematical (but not rigorous in the sense of proofs etc.) overview of most of mathematics.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Content-Methods-Meaning-Do... (http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Content-Methods-Meaning-Dover/dp/0486409163/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's an amazing book which gives a mathematical (but not rigorous in the sense of proofs etc.) overview of most of mathematics.",
          "reason": "Calls it amazing and says it gives a broad overview of mathematics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not rigorous in the sense of proofs.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "M. A. Lavrent’ev, A. D. Aleksandrov, and A. N. Kolmogorov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematics overview"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mathematics-the-loss-of-certainty-b42566",
      "title": "Mathematics: The Loss of Certainty",
      "author": "Morris Kline",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1569162,
          "author": "namin",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:31:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569162",
          "commentText": "Some books I've read this summer, which I can recommend:\n- The Facebook Effect -- well-written insider's account of the history of Facebook and its ambitions.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Facebook-Effect-Inside-Company-Connect... (http://www.amazon.com/Facebook-Effect-Inside-Company-Connecting/dp/1439102112)\n- The Quantum Enigma -- an accessible digest of quantum mechanics and its philosophical consequences.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Enigma-Physics-Encounters-Cons... (http://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Enigma-Physics-Encounters-Consciousness/dp/019534250X/)\n- Flesh & Machines -- a lightweight history of robotics and some wacky speculations by MIT's Rodney Brooks.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Flesh-Machines-Robots-Will-Change/dp/0... (http://www.amazon.com/Flesh-Machines-Robots-Will-Change/dp/0375420797)\n- The Language of Life: DNA and the Revolution of Personalized Medecine -- a well-backed account of what is or will be possible in medicine thanks to a better understanding of the genome and increase use of DNA sequencing for prevention, diagnostic, and treatment.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Language-Life-Revolution-Personalized-... (http://www.amazon.com/Language-Life-Revolution-Personalized-Medicine/dp/0061733180/)\n- ... by David Sedaris -- Funny short stories. Perhaps The Santaland Diaries for something light but really amusing, and When You Are Engulfed in Flames for something darker and more well-known. Also, if you like short stories, I heartily recommend Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules, a varied collection of short stories selected by Sedaris.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/David-Sedaris/e/B000AQ3YUW/\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0349119759\nhttp://www.amazon.com/When-You-Are-Engulfed-Flames/dp/031615... (http://www.amazon.com/When-You-Are-Engulfed-Flames/dp/0316154687/)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Children-Playing-Before-Statue-Hercule... (http://www.amazon.com/Children-Playing-Before-Statue-Hercules/dp/074327394X/)\n- Dreams of My Father -- Barack Obama writes candidly and beautifully about his childhood and early adulthood; it's not a political book, and it's worth reading for the writing alone.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Dreams-My-Father-Story-Inheritance/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Dreams-My-Father-Story-Inheritance/dp/1400082773/)\n- Mathematics: The Loss of Certainty: a chatty history of mathematics, and its perception.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Loss-Certainty-Galaxy-Book... (http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Loss-Certainty-Galaxy-Books/dp/0195030850)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Mathematics: The Loss of Certainty: a chatty history of mathematics, and its perception.",
          "reason": "Characterizes it as a conversational history of mathematics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Morris Kline"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of mathematics",
        "mathematical ideas"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mathematik-fur-ingenieure-und-wissenschaftler-i-ii-und-iii-1c1ffb",
      "title": "Mathematik für Ingenieure und Wissenschaftler I, II und III",
      "author": "Lothar Papula",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34441273,
          "author": "Kaizeras",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T15:25:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34441273",
          "commentText": "Mathematik für Ingenieure und Wissenschaftler I, II and III from Lothar Papula (in German). The solutions are detailed, making it perfect for self-studying.\nBook of Proof by Richard Hammack. A great introduction to proofs in mathematics. The book is available free online [0], but also I bought the physical version because I really enjoyed it.\n[0]https://jdhsmith.math.iastate.edu/class/BookOfProof.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mathematik für Ingenieure und Wissenschaftler I, II and III from Lothar Papula (in German).",
          "reason": "The commenter says the detailed solutions make the books ideal for self-study.",
          "audience": "German-reading learners studying mathematics for engineering and science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lothar Papula"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "engineering mathematics",
        "self study"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "matilda-b355eb",
      "title": "Matilda",
      "author": "Roald Dahl",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13567316,
          "author": "rmchugh",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T15:44:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567316",
          "commentText": "Matilda by Roald Dahl.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Matilda by Roald Dahl.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roald Dahl"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "matrix-analysis-97bfda",
      "title": "Matrix Analysis",
      "author": "Roger A. Horn and Charles R. Johnson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34441383,
          "author": "homerowilson",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T15:33:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34441383",
          "commentText": "I'm coming from an applied math perspective. A few of my favorites (and ones I find myself regularly referring to) are:\nMatrix Analysis by Horn and Johnson  (perhaps the best end-of-chapter problem sets of any math book I've encountered!)\nMatrix Computations by Golub and Van Loan\nElements of Statistical Learning by Hastie, Friedman, Tibshirani\nFunctional Analysis by Reed and Simon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Matrix Analysis by Horn and Johnson",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its end-of-chapter problem sets.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roger A. Horn",
        "Charles R. Johnson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "matrix analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "matsushita-leadership-33891c",
      "title": "Matsushita Leadership",
      "author": "John P. Kotter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1635685,
          "author": "phoenix24",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-26T12:02:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1635685",
          "commentText": "Matsushita Leadership\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Matsushita-Leadership-John-P-Kotter/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/Matsushita-Leadership-John-P-Kotter/dp/068483460X)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Matsushita Leadership\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Matsushita-Leadership-John-P-Kotter/dp...",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed your life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John P. Kotter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "corporate history",
        "leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "matter-and-consciousness-f75c07",
      "title": "Matter and Consciousness",
      "author": "Paul M. Churchland",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46693299,
          "author": "0xmattf",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-20T16:01:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 46690957,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What non-fiction do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46693299",
          "commentText": "I only read non-fiction; mostly philosophy. Here are some books off the top of my head:\n* The Inner Citadel/Philosophy as a Way of Life by Pierre Hadot\n* Plato's dialogues (someone already mentioned a few of them, but the Republic was missing from their list).\n* Epictetus (Discourses and Enchiridion)\n* The various essays/letters of Seneca\n* Matter and Consciousness by Churchland (older, but fascinating)\n* The Mediations of Marcus Aurelius\n* (mostly) any Buddhist texts\n* What a Plant Knows\n* Moonwalking with Einstein\nThere are tons of fascinating books, way too many to list.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Matter and Consciousness by Churchland",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as fascinating and notes that it is older.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it is older.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul M. Churchland"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consciousness",
        "philosophy of mind"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "matter-and-motion-b1a942",
      "title": "Matter and Motion",
      "author": "James Clerk Maxwell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20919179,
          "author": "earthicus",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T15:42:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20919179",
          "commentText": "Also by Maxwell, his semi-pop science lectures on Newtonian physics, 'Matter and Motion'.\nhttps://store.doverpublications.com/0486668959.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also by Maxwell, his semi-pop science lectures on Newtonian physics, 'Matter and Motion'.",
          "reason": "Adds it as another Maxwell book and describes its subject and style.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as semi-popular science lectures.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Clerk Maxwell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classical mechanics",
        "newtonian physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "matter-space-radiation-56ca85",
      "title": "Matter, Space, Radiation",
      "author": "Menahem Simhony",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22094130,
          "author": "FranciscusG",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T21:15:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22094130",
          "commentText": "\"Matter, Space, Radiation\" by Menahem Simhony.\nIt explains the Ether (EPOLA, Electron-Positron Lattice) and states the many proofs for that, as well as explains many hitherto unexplained physics phenomena such as Mass Inertia, the speed of light c, Gravity and the Pauli Exclusion Principle.\nYou'd think the concept of \"Ether\" is debunked but after reading the book you'll be convinced it is real.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Matter, Space, Radiation\" by Menahem Simhony.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it argues for the reality of the ether and explains several physics phenomena.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter presents claims about ether and physics as convincing; no caveat is given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Menahem Simhony"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternative physics",
        "ether theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "matterhorn-fd5c7a",
      "title": "Matterhorn",
      "author": "Karl Marlantes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17524198,
          "author": "peacetreefrog",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T16:13:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17524198",
          "commentText": "For anyone reading this: Matterhorn is really good.  It's a novel that takes place during the Vietnam war written by a former vet.  I feel like it was good insight into what war is like.  Also some good lessons to take away on nature of centralized command structures and their drawbacks.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Matterhorn is really good.",
          "reason": "Calls the novel really good and says it offers insight into war and centralized command structures.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in war and command structures.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17520639,
          "author": "ryanSrich",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T05:04:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17520639",
          "commentText": "Books finished in June:\n\"How to Change Your Mind\" by Michael Pollan. A fascinating look into the world and science of psychedelic drugs.\n\"Rendezvous with Rama\" by Arthur C. Clarke. One of, if not Clarke's best. It's short for a sci-fi book and almost impossible not to like.\n\"The Hydrogen Sonata\" By Iain M. Banks. It certainly wasn't my favorite culture entry, but it's worth a read none the less. If you haven't read the others in the series I wouldn't suggest starting with it.\n\"Children of Time\" by Adrian Tchaikovsky. It took me a bit to get into this book, but once I did, I really enjoyed it. If you're into long timelines and human existential crisis this is your book.\nAs far as July goes, I'm digging into \"Matterhorn\" by Karl Marlantes and \"The Origins of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind\" by Julian Jaynes.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm digging into \"Matterhorn\" by Karl Marlantes",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Karl Marlantes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "vietnam war",
        "military fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mattimeo-7bce09",
      "title": "Mattimeo",
      "author": "Brian Jacques",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20982248,
          "author": "quirkafleeg3",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T09:05:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20982248",
          "commentText": "Mattimeo, the third of the Redwall books by Brian Jacques. Charming, funny and surprisingly action-packed.\nCurrently reading Northern Lights, the first of the His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman. My first time reading it, great so far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mattimeo, the third of the Redwall books by Brian Jacques. Charming, funny and surprisingly action-packed.",
          "reason": "Praises it as charming, funny, and action-packed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Jacques"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s fantasy",
        "talking animals"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "maverick-the-success-story-behind-the-world-s-most-unusual-workpl-c1e2d3",
      "title": "Maverick: The Success Story Behind the World's Most Unusual Workplace",
      "author": "Ricardo Semler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9348824,
          "author": "delibes",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:34:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348824",
          "commentText": "Maverick: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maverick_%28book%29\nRead it when I was 17 and it shaped what I expected from work in the future.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Maverick: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maverick_%28book%29\nRead it when I was 17 and it shaped what I expected from work in the future.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it shaped their expectations about work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ricardo Semler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "management",
        "workplace culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "max-s-breakfast-c63086",
      "title": "Max's Breakfast",
      "author": "Rosemary Wells",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26775082,
          "author": "rmk",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-12T00:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26775082",
          "commentText": "- Good Night, Moon\n- The Runaway Bunny\n- Harold and the Purple Crayon\n- Grandfather Twilight (for slightly older children)\n- Sandra Boynton books\n- Max's Breakfast (and other books)\n- I Read Signs (Tana Hoban; other books by her also quite good)\n- Go! Go! Go! Stop! (Cherise Mericle Harper)\n- Little Pea (Amy Krouse Rosenthal)\n- Trucks, My Car (and other Byron Barton books)\n- The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Eric Carle; some other books by this author are also good)\n- Roadwork (Sally Sutton; also in the same vein by the illustrator Brian Lovelock: Demolition, Flight of the Honey Bee, The Rain Train).\nMany others come to mind, but these are well-loved.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Max's Breakfast",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rosemary Wells"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "maxims-and-reflections-ricordi-51afe9",
      "title": "Maxims and Reflections (Ricordi)",
      "author": "Francesco Guicciardini",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22096179,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T03:57:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22096179",
          "commentText": "This is a thread after my own heart! I love finding out and reading old, less well-known and thought provoking books on a variety of subject matters. I have come to the conclusion that \"popular\" almost always equals \"lowest common denominator\" and \"fad of the month\" particularly given today's media hype cycles. Moreover one has to guard against having ones mental models bounded within a box. By actively seeking out lesser known and out of the way viewpoints one truly grows. Some books from my collection which i have not seen mentioned here (in no particular order or categorization);\n* The Natural History of Nonsense by Bergan Evans\n* Programming on Purpose, Essays on Software Design by P. J. Plauger\n* Management: A Political Activity by Ted Stephenson\n* The Energy of Life: The Science of What Makes Our Minds and Bodies Work by Guy Brown\n* Patterns for Time-Triggered Embedded Systems: Building Reliable Applications with the 8051 Family of Microcontrollers by Michael Pont.\n* UNIX Systems for Modern Architectures: Symmetric Multiprocessing and Caching for Kernel Programmers by Curt Schimmel.\n* Maxims and Reflections (Ricordi) by Francesco Guicciardini\nThere are a bunch more i have to root around for :-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Maxims and Reflections (Ricordi) by Francesco Guicciardini",
          "reason": "Lists it among books from their collection that they have not seen mentioned in the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Francesco Guicciardini"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political thought",
        "renaissance italy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "maya-a-novel-adf3fa",
      "title": "Maya: A Novel",
      "author": "C. W. Huntington Jr.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237188,
          "author": "kranner",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:44:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237188",
          "commentText": "- Tetris: The Games People Play by Box Brown\n- Tibet, Tibet by Patrick French\n- Maya: A Novel by CW Huntington, Jr\n- The Science of Enlightenment by Shinzen Young\n- Flask Web Development by Miguel Grinberg\n- Buddha's Diet by Tara Cottrell\n- A Feast of Vultures by Josy Joseph\n- Genghis Khan: Life, Death and Resurrection by John Man\n- Chasing the Scream by Johann Hari\n- Cuckold by Kiran Nagarkar\n- Goliath by Tom Gauld\n- This Will Never Happen Again by David Cain\n- Cure by Jo Marchant\n- If It’s Monday It Must Be Madurai: A Conducted Tour of India by Srinath Perur\n- Deep Work by Cal Newport\n- Enduring Love by Ian McEwan\n- The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery\n- The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt\n- The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion\nand a few others that aren't worth recommending; all the above are.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "all the above are.",
          "reason": "The commenter includes the listed books among those worth recommending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "C. W. Huntington Jr."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mazes-for-programmers-code-your-own-twisty-little-passages-5e1359",
      "title": "Mazes for Programmers: Code Your Own Twisty Little Passages",
      "author": "Jamis Buck",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22302132,
          "author": "thrower123",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-11T19:57:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22302132",
          "commentText": "Some good ones I don't see yet, which I like because they very much follow the organic path you might follow doing things incrementally, rather than presenting everything full-blown.\nHow to Make an RPG - Build a retro-style JRPG from scratch\nhttps://howtomakeanrpg.com/\nMazes for Programmers: Code Your Own Twisty Little Passages by Jamis Buck - covers a whole gamut of different maze generation algorithms.  This author also has a great book on doing a raytracer step by step.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Mazes-Programmers-Twisty-Little-Passa... (https://www.amazon.com/Mazes-Programmers-Twisty-Little-Passages/dp/1680500554)\nRough Cut--Woodworking with Tommy Mac: 12 Step-by-Step Projects - very nice beginning woodworking book.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Rough-Cut-Woodworking-Tommy-Step-Step... (https://www.amazon.com/Rough-Cut-Woodworking-Tommy-Step-Step/dp/1600854168)\nThe Inform (6) Beginner's Guide - introduces the Inform 6 interactive fiction language through three successive text adventure games\nhttps://www.inform-fiction.org/manual/IBG.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mazes for Programmers: Code Your Own Twisty Little Passages by Jamis Buck",
          "reason": "Recommends a book about maze-generation algorithms.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jamis Buck"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "maze generation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mcmafia-a-journey-through-the-global-criminal-underworld-06e40e",
      "title": "McMafia: A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld",
      "author": "Misha Glenny",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18745659,
          "author": "DyslexicAtheist",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T12:06:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18745659",
          "commentText": "my reading has taken a dark turn this year. I blame it on Thomas Ligotti (first book on my list)  ;)\n- The Conspiracy Against the Human Race (Thomas Ligotti) ... fun fact: S01 of 'True Detectives' has ripped part of the dialogue straight from this book without giving credit\n- The Trouble with being born (Emil Cioran)\n- The Industrial Society and its Future (Ted Kaczynski)\n- The Technological Society (Jaques Ellul)\n- Propaganda (Jaques Ellul)\n- McMafia - A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld (Misha Glenny)\n- The Doors Of Perception (Aldous Huxley)\n- The Manipulation of Human Behavior (Albert D. Biderman)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "McMafia - A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld (Misha Glenny)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Included in the commenter’s reading list.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797173,
          "author": "bigwill",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T02:25:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797173",
          "commentText": "McMafia by Misha Glenny. Interesting read on globalization and organized crime as circumstances have materialized since the end of the Cold War.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "McMafia by Misha Glenny. Interesting read on globalization and organized crime",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an interesting read about globalization and organized crime.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Misha Glenny"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "globalization",
        "organized crime",
        "post cold war"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mcteague-8e4b44",
      "title": "McTeague",
      "author": "Frank Norris",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25320138,
          "author": "billfruit",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-06T01:34:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25320138",
          "commentText": "The Right Stuff - Test Pilots\nArrowsmith - Sinclair Lewis - Medical Profession\nMcTeague - Frank Norris - Dentistry\nTwo Years Behind the Mast - Dana - Sailor in thr Merchant Marine\nThe Red and the Black - Stendahl - Catholic Clergy\nThe Centurions - Jean Larteguy  - Infantry/Special Ops\nI always suggest reading fiction, it is a good source for lot of incidental knowledge about various aspects of life.\nCan anyone recommend books/novels on the English legal profession? Thanks.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "McTeague - Frank Norris - Dentistry",
          "reason": "Listed as fiction offering insight into dentistry.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in dentistry.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frank Norris"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dentistry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "meaning-in-history-44ff83",
      "title": "Meaning in History",
      "author": "Karl Löwith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18745435,
          "author": "Emma_Goldman",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T10:45:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18745435",
          "commentText": "My idiosyncratic picks, all of them history:\nCivil War, David Armitage\nMeaning in History, Karl Lowith\nManifest Destiny, Anders Stephanson\nThe Deluge, Adam Tooze\nThe Moral Economists, Tim Rogan\nThe Guardians, Susan Pederson\nI also enjoyed properly getting to grips with Keynes, Du Bois, Schmitt and Freud for the first time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Meaning in History, Karl Lowith",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s history picks in response to a favorite-books question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as an idiosyncratic pick.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Karl Löwith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "philosophy of history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "meaningful-the-story-of-ideas-that-fly-c02fec",
      "title": "Meaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly",
      "author": "Bernadette Jiwa",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13258390,
          "author": "alc90",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-26T14:47:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13258390",
          "commentText": "My goal for this year was to read 10 books. Not a huge challenge but I'm happy I managed to complete it. I'm currently at my 16th book - so I might say that's pretty good.\nHere's my 2016 reading list:\n#1. Zero to One - Peter Thiel - 3.5*\n#2. The Alchemis - Paulo Coelho - 3.5*\n#3. Founders at Work - Jessica Livingston - 3*\n#4. Traction - Gabriel Weinberg - 4.5*\n#5. How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie -4*\n#6. Reinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations... - Frederic Laloux, Ken Wilber - 4*\n#7. Daily Rituals: How Artists Work - Mason Currey - 3*\n#8. Rich Dad, Poor Dad - Robert T. Kiyosak - 3*\n#9. The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs... - Eric Ries - 4.5*\n#10. Meaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly - Bernadette Jiwa - 3*\n#11. Elon Musk: Inventing the Future - Ashlee Vance - 4*\n#12. Rework - Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson - 4.5*\n#13. Anything You Want - Derek Sivers - 4.5*\n#14. South of the Border, West of the Sun - Haruki Murakami - 3.5*\n#15. As A Man Thinketh / The Path Of Prosperity - James Allen - 4*\nCurrently I'm reading If This Is a Man / The Truce by Primo Levi - and so far it seems to be one of the top 3 books I've read this year - definitely a 4+* book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "#10. Meaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly - Bernadette Jiwa - 3*",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bernadette Jiwa"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "branding",
        "innovation",
        "marketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "measure-theory-b766dc",
      "title": "Measure Theory",
      "author": "Paul R. Halmos",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2734410,
          "author": "NY_Entrepreneur",
          "createdAt": "2011-07-06T15:46:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 2723436,
          "threadTitle": "Suggest good sites/books on probability",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2734410",
          "commentText": "\"Can you please suggest on-line resource to learn great beginning and advanced probability concepts?\"\nYup!  The subject at the level you ask is a major topic in applied math but is not very popular in US universities.  So, you will not get many good answers.  In particular, the 'computer science' community, with 'machine learning' and 'artificial' this, Bayesian that, likely won't have good answers.\nYour \"on-line\" part is asking a bit much; I can give you references to books but not all on-line.  There may be some PDF files on-line, from TeX, that have such material; try some Google searching with the keywords used here.\nThe intuitive foundations of probability went back to gambling.\n'Probability' is a field of 'applied' math and as such is well defined:\nAbout 100 years ago, E. Borel student H. Lebesgue invented 'measure theory' which essentially 'rewrote' classic calculus, especially the part about integration.  For the simple cases, what Lebesgue did gets the same numerical values as the classic Riemann integral.  The difference is that in theoretical work Lebesgue's integral is much more general and much better 'behaved'.\nBut 'measure theory' has to do with, intuitively, 'length', 'area', 'volume' and various generalizations of these.  Well, in probability, for probability P and event A, the 'probability' of A is P(A) and is a number in [0,1] and acts much like the 'area' of A. The connection is so close that, in the end, we have to accept that the foundations of probability are measure theory.\nThen\nA. N. Kolmogorov, 'Foundations of the Theory of Probability, Second English Edition', Chelsea Publishing Company, New York, 1956.  English translation of the original German '\"Grundbegriffe der Wahrscheinlichkeitrechnung,\"' 'Ergebnisse Der Mathematik', 1933.\napplied Lebesgue's work to make probability a solid field of math.  Since then Kolmogorov's foundations have been nearly the only one taken seriously in any 'modern' or 'advanced' work in probability, stochastic processes, or mathematical statistics.\nA good start on a good text in stochastic processes was:\nJ. L. Doob, 'Stochastic Processes', John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1953.\nDoob was long at University of Illinois.  One of his students was P. Halmos who was later an assistant to von Neumann at the Institute for Advanced Study and in about 1942 wrote the first version of the still standard:\nPaul R. Halmos, 'Finite-Dimensional Vector Spaces, Second Edition', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, New Jersey, 1958.\nLater he wrote:\nPaul R. Halmos, 'Measure Theory', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, NJ, 1950.\nwith at the end a NICE introduction to probability and stochastic processes based on measure theory.\nLikely the first rock solid, quite comprehensive, highly polished presentation of 'modern' probability was the first edition of:\nM. Loeve, 'Probability Theory, I and II, 4th Edition', Springer-Verlag, New York, 1977.\nLoeve was long at Berkeley.  One of his students did:\nJacques Neveu, 'Mathematical Foundations of the Calculus of Probability', Holden-Day, San Francisco, 1965.\nand another did:\nLeo Breiman, 'Probability', ISBN 0-89871-296-3, SIAM, Philadelphia, 1992.\nEither of these two can be regarded as a more succinct presentation of the more important material in Loeve.  Breiman is the more 'practical' and 'accessible'; Neveu is a crown jewel of elegance and succinctness but not always easy to read.\nOther good presentations of much the same material include:\nKai Lai Chung, 'A Course in Probability Theory, Second Edition', ISBN 0-12-174650-X, Academic Press, New York, 1974.\nand\nYuan Shih Chow and Henry Teicher, 'Probability Theory:  Independence, Interchangeability, Martingales', ISBN 0-387-90331-3, Springer-Verlag, New York, 1978.\nIn total, those texts nail down 'probability' at all four corners and make it a rock solid topic in applied math.  Good knowledge of, say, Breiman is a necessary and sufficient condition for knowing 'probability' at a serious level, that is, without being watered down for 'general audiences'.\nFor more, proceed with stochastic processes, stochastic optimal control, mathematical statistics, etc.\nFor learning probability, minimal prerequisites (more would be helpful) would be abstract algebra, linear algebra, 'analysis', measure theory, and functional analysis.\nFor abstract algebra, there are many texts.  Sufficient is\nI. N. Herstein, 'Topics in Algebra', Blaisdell, New York, 1964.\nbut can consider S. Lang, etc.\nFor linear algebra, there are many texts, but the old:\nPaul R. Halmos, 'Finite-Dimensional Vector Spaces, Second Edition', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, New Jersey, 1958.\nremains a good 'second' text.  It is also an introduction to functional analysis.\nThe main text for 'analysis' is just:\nWalter Rudin, 'Principles of Mathematical Analysis', McGraw-Hill, New York.\nin whatever is the latest edition.\nCan skip the material on exterior algebra or just get it from the original source, now in English:\nHenri Cartan, 'Differential Forms', ISBN 0-486-45010-4, Dover, Mineola, NY, 2006.\nFor measure theory and functional analysis, the standards are:\nH. L. Royden, 'Real Analysis:  Second Edition', Macmillan, New York.\nand the first (real) half of:\nWalter Rudin, 'Real and Complex Analysis', ISBN 07-054232-5, McGraw-Hill, New York.\nActually, Loeve also covers much of this material.  Neveu slips in quite a lot.\nThen you will be ready for Breiman, Neveu, Chung, Chow and Teicher, or Loeve.\nYou will discover:\nThe start of probability theory is a 'probability space'.  For that, there are three parts, (1) the 'sample space', (2) the 'events', and (3) the 'probability measure'.\nThe 'sample space' is just a set of points; to support any reasonably serious work in probability, the sample space has to be uncountably infinite.  In all our work, we do some one 'trial', and that corresponds to some one point in the sample space.  The other points in the sample space are what 'might' have been our trial.\nAn 'event' is a set of trials.  We ask that the collection of all events have some 'closure' properties to make that collection a 'sigma algebra'.  So, briefly, the collection of events has as one event the whole sample space and is closed under relative complements and countable unions.\nIn terms of measure theory, the sample space and the sigma algebra of events form a 'measurable space'.  A 'probability measure' is just a positive measure with total 'mass' 1. Thank you Lebesgue and measure theory.\nOn the reals R, we can take the open sets and, then, the Borel sets, that is, the smallest sigma algebra that contains the open sets.  A 'random variable' is a function from the probability space to the reals that is 'measurable', that is, the inverse image of a Borel set is an event.\nAs an alternative, we can ask that the inverse image of the Lebesgue measurable sets of R be events.\nIf X is such a random variable, then its 'expectation' E[X] is just the Lebesgue ('abstract') integral of X over the probability space.  For E[X] to exist, we need only that X be measurable and that the integral of both the positive and the negative parts of X not be infinite (we don't want to subtract one infinity from another).  E.g., Lebesgue integration is very 'general':  All we need is measurability and not subtract one infinity from another.\nBy a change of variable, we can also write the expectation as a Lebesgue integral over the real line with respect to the 'distribution' of X on R. Or, X 'induces' a probability measure on R.\nWe can discuss convergence of random variables -- in distribution, probability, mean square, and almost surely.\nThen we can define independence for events, sigma algebras, and random variables.  E.g., with this approach, if X and Y are independent random variables and f and g are functions, then f(X) and g(Y) are independent random variables.  Don't try to prove this the elementary way!\nWith independent random variables, we can cover the classic limit theorems -- central limit theorem, weak and strong laws of large numbers, and the law of the iterated logarithm.\nUsing the Radon-Nikodym theorem of measure theory, for random variables X and Y we can define their 'conditional expectation' E[Y|X].\nWith such 'conditioning' we can discuss Markov processes, martingales, and the martingale convergence theorem.\nWe can also move on to ergodic theory and, say, Poincare recurrence (keep stirring the coffee and the cream will separate back, close to where it was when it was poured in).\nThose are the previews of coming attractions.\nNote:  This material is not very popular in US universities.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Paul R. Halmos, 'Measure Theory', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, NJ, 1950.",
          "reason": "Listed among works useful for learning probability and its measure-theoretic foundations.",
          "audience": "Readers preparing for advanced probability.",
          "caveat": "The commenter specifically praises its introduction to probability and stochastic processes at the end.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul R. Halmos"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "measure theory",
        "probability"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "measuring-the-mind-2ff4b4",
      "title": "Measuring the Mind",
      "author": "Denny Borsboom",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37947886,
          "author": "jakubmazanec",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T19:56:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37947886",
          "commentText": "Denny Borsboom: Measuring the Mind - about measuring psychological attributes, its philosophical foundations and how that translates to actual mathematical models; short, focused book written with great information density, but very readable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Denny Borsboom: Measuring the Mind - about measuring psychological attributes",
          "reason": "Described as focused, information-dense, readable, and about measuring psychological attributes and modeling them mathematically.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Denny Borsboom"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "measurement theory",
        "psychometrics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "measuring-the-world-ae21fd",
      "title": "Measuring the World",
      "author": "Daniel Kehlmann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15631099,
          "author": "btschaegg",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T19:28:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15631099",
          "commentText": "Hard to pinpoint. In terms of entertainment books, it'll probably come down to a tie between Douglas Adams' Last Chance to See and Walter Moers' The City of Dreaming Books, or maybe something by Terry Pratchett (although I couldn't single out a book there, either).\nThe reason for those is just that I can't imagine ever being bored reading them.\nMaybe also Flowers for Algernon (Daniel Keyes) for being a really creative concept (the way the story is told) and for being a wonderful example on how interesting modest sci-fi can be without resorting to \"LAZERZ!!!\".\nEdit: Another contestant: Friedrich Dürrenmatt's The Physicists. Grim yet humorful. I generally really like Dürrenmatt's dark endings.\nEdit 2: And another one: Measuring the World by Daniel Kehlmann, specifically for how well he got me to understand Gauss' weird reactions and motives without going into his work at all. Before I've read it, I would have sworn that a book that tries to present one of the greatest mathematicians would need loads of math in it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Measuring the World by Daniel Kehlmann, specifically for how well he got me to understand Gauss' weird reactions and motives",
          "reason": "Praises how it conveyed Gauss's reactions and motives without focusing on his mathematical work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Kehlmann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "mathematicians"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "meatball-sundae-ac36da",
      "title": "Meatball Sundae",
      "author": "Seth Godin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2615739,
          "author": "krmmalik",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T09:54:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2615739",
          "commentText": "I'm currently reading Meatball Sundae by Seth Godin. It talks about how, just like the industrial revolution did away with the local blacksmith, the new marketing revolution is going to do away with the need to interrupt people through Tv/Radio/Advertising etc.\nHe also says that as the way to market a business has and is changing, this also means the way companies organise themselves and run has to fundamentally change too. Its a very interesting read.\nThe second book i am reading is called \"Too nice for your own good\" by Duke Robinson. It's for people who are either passive/aggressive or not very assertive. I have yet to make a judgment on this one, but it seems ok so far.\nApologies if you were looking for some interesting reading in terms of fiction. I havent read fiction in years.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Its a very interesting read.",
          "reason": "Calls the book a very interesting read after describing its ideas about marketing and organizations.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in marketing and business organization.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Seth Godin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business strategy",
        "marketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "meditation-02a219",
      "title": "Meditation",
      "author": "Eknath Easwaran",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40452298,
          "author": "vram22",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-23T09:01:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40452298",
          "commentText": "Try \"Meditation\" by Eknath Easwaran.\nI read it some years ago, so don't remember for sure about the dogma bit, but it likely does not have much of that.\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passage_Meditation\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eknath_Easwaran",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Try \"Meditation\" by Eknath Easwaran.",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to a request for spirituality and meditation books without much religious dogma.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking meditation or spirituality with little religious dogma.",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not remember for sure how much dogma it contains, but thinks there is likely not much.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eknath Easwaran"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "meditation",
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "meet-me-in-the-bathroom-a9d96a",
      "title": "Meet Me in the Bathroom",
      "author": "Lizzy Goodman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25319088,
          "author": "fluxic",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T22:36:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319088",
          "commentText": "Editing: Editor of Genius by A. Scott Berg\n>>> Max Perkins was the editor of Hemingway, Thomas Wolfe, F Scott Fitzgerald, and other famous 20th century writers. Great, great, book.\nBartending: Cosmopolitan by Toby Cecchini\n>>> Very well-written memoir of a bartender in New York in the late 1980s. He invented the Cosmo in NYC while working at the Odeon — on a lark, without thinking much of it. The drink took off, but I think he's still a working bartender in NYC.\nCooking: Kitchen Confidential by Bourdain\nPainting: Interviews with Francis Bacon by David Sylvester\nMusic: Meet me in the Bathroom by Lizzy Goodman\nTech: Chaos Monkeys by AGM\nAnd seconding swyx's recommendations for all things Michael Lewis, who can spin a good yarn about any profession — whether it's baseball managers, junk bond salesmen, or high frequency traders, etc.\nI've also picked up lots of good recommendations from this thread https://ask.metafilter.com/243036/Recommend-a-nonfiction-aut... (https://ask.metafilter.com/243036/Recommend-a-nonfiction-author-who-has-a-style-like-Anthony-Bourdain) (I, too, like \"insidery\" type business books. I'm currently reading \"The Emperor of Scent\" about the world of perfume and it's pretty good! Also looking forward to reading \"Ninety Percent of Everything\" about the shipping industry.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Music: Meet me in the Bathroom by Lizzy Goodman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lizzy Goodman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "music",
        "new york rock scene"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "meet-me-in-the-bathroom-rebirth-and-rock-and-roll-in-new-york-cit-052e98",
      "title": "Meet Me in the Bathroom: Rebirth and Rock and Roll in New York City 2001–2011",
      "author": "Lizzy Goodman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24286324,
          "author": "sbuccini",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-26T19:34:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 24286084,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading at the moment and what do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24286324",
          "commentText": "Currently reading: Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. A fun, quick read about something I knew nothing about.\nI'm sure you'll get all the classic HN recommendations so I'll pick two that are a little different:\n* Nobody's Perfect: Writings From the New Yorker, by Anthony Lane. Lane was responsible for writing reviews of many prominent movies from the 90s. We now know which of those movies hold up (Forrest Gump, Pulp Fiction) and faded away into cultural oblivion despite insane amounts of hype (Godzilla from 2000, Pearl Harbor), and I enjoyed reading contemporary treatments of both. Why spend the time to read such reviews? Because Lane is a master of his craft. The blend of dry British humor, insightful critiques, and his surprising accessibility makes for really enjoyable prose. Also, the pieces are quite short, so I can read two or three before bed and have natural points.\n* Meet Me in the Bathroom -- an oral history of the NYC music scene from 2001 to 2011. You can make the argument that the Strokes are directly responsible for the money-soaked Manhattan we have today. The Strokes, LCD Soundsystem, and TV On The Radio were hugely inspirational to me growing up so it was really neat to watch them look back on this crazy time in their own words. But really, it's a story about transitions. New York transitioning after 9/11 to what it is today; the transition of the music industry (the author makes a compelling point that although the Strokes and Vampire Weekend were both NYC-based bands that blew up 5 years apart, their trajectories couldn't have been more different); the influence of blogs and the kids who ran them had on this global industry. It's a fascinating to reflect on what is really just the not-so-distant past and see how much has changed.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Meet Me in the Bathroom -- an oral history of the NYC music scene from 2001 to 2011.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a fascinating oral history of New York music and cultural change.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lizzy Goodman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "new york music scene",
        "oral history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "meet-your-happy-chemicals-dopamine-endorphin-oxytocin-serotonin-3c7f05",
      "title": "Meet Your Happy Chemicals: Dopamine, Endorphin, Oxytocin, Serotonin",
      "author": "Loretta Graziano Breuning",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10213189,
          "author": "vincentbarr",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-14T00:08:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 10211331,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10213189",
          "commentText": "\"Meet Your Happy Chemicals: Dopamine, Endorphin, Oxytocin, Serotonin\" by Loretta Graziano Breuning\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Meet-Your-Happy-Chemicals-Endorphin/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/Meet-Your-Happy-Chemicals-Endorphin/dp/1463790929)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Meet Your Happy Chemicals: Dopamine, Endorphin, Oxytocin, Serotonin\" by Loretta Graziano Breuning",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Loretta Graziano Breuning"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "happiness",
        "neurochemistry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "meetings-with-remarkable-men-b7a495",
      "title": "Meetings with Remarkable Men",
      "author": "George Gurdjieff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13804070,
          "author": "unlmtd",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:09:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804070",
          "commentText": "- Character analysis (W. Reich)\n- Meetings with Remarkable Men (Gurdjieff)\n- Courage to Stand Alone (UG Krishnamurti)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Meetings with Remarkable Men (Gurdjieff)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed how people think.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Gurdjieff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "spiritual memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mein-kampf-d37ebe",
      "title": "Mein Kampf",
      "author": "Adolf Hitler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41823165,
          "author": "gcj",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-12T22:12:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41823165",
          "commentText": "Go ahead and say Mein Kampf then. If people react in \"bla bla bla\" way you can go ahead and judge them for not taking the time to think you might actually be playing mind games and not being a total idiot. :D",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Go ahead and say Mein Kampf then.",
          "reason": "Raised as a provocative example of what someone might name as a favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment does not endorse the book; it frames the title as a test of others' reactions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40885555,
          "author": "aristofun",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-05T20:06:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40885555",
          "commentText": "Yes, but do you need to read every page of mein kampf to know that it’s bullshit?\ni say let psychiatrists and cult researchers do the job of  figuring out why those ideas take off, and let’s hide those silly books from mass access",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "do you need to read every page of mein kampf to know that it’s bullshit?",
          "reason": "Calls the book bullshit and argues against making such books widely accessible.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter favors restricting mass access to the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38575079,
          "author": "prepend",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T21:55:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38575079",
          "commentText": "I remember my literature teacher describing it as a romantic fantasy and that helped quite a bit.\nIt’s not meant to be realistic as it’s Rand’s belief system. It’s like complaining that Plato’s Cave isn’t realistic or something.\nIt’s nowhere near Mein Kampf and it’s a bit offensive to equate this with Hitler (or Ready Player Two).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "nowhere near Mein Kampf",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a book the commenter rejects as a comparison.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15160659,
          "author": "pbhjpbhj",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T10:16:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15160659",
          "commentText": "The synoptic gospels and NT, but to choose one book from the NT, ...\nThe Epistle of James - as it has some strong counterpoints to other parts of the NT particularly the contrast of Pauline notions of grace with charity/works.\nEmperor's New Mind, Penrose - probably my biggest take away from it was to consider how human perception works alongside, and co-mingles with, physics.\nWeb of Life, Capra - considering holistic nature of life, one's connection to the World at large; emergent patterns, complex structure birthing from simplicity (goes well with what I recall of Gleick's Chaos).\nZen and the Art ... - what is value, what is valuable to me, whither/whence/wherefore value; how should I relate to my children (long before i had any) and how to challenge them philosophically.\nRepublic, Plato - the first book that really set me thinking about the structure of society, about inequalities. And of course about stepping out of The Cave.\nKoran & Hadith (partial readings, ie whole sections; couple of major hadith only) - [redacted]; but greater understanding of Islam and of religion in general; taught me to watchfully avoid being tainted by the labels people give themselves and look instead to their actions.\nMein Kampf (partial reading) - ideas have intrinsic moral value, that we should judge ideas on their merits and not by who has them; we should be careful about tarring people by simple association.\nArt of War - preparedness, looking to supply lines, avoiding conflicts, not entering \"battles\" you know you'll lose (which I'd take as 'learn nothing from').\nChristianarchy - what it means to be a Christian, who is and isn't \"in\".\nAgrarian Justice, Paine - what is my place politically and economically in the world, whence do I derive the 'rights' to own what I do, whether such ownership is good.\nWorth noting here that the ideas and impressions I got are unlikely to be what you will get, we react to books based on who we are, our frame of mind, moods, etc.. Most of these books I read as a late teenager, that at least in part boosts their impact. The impact is not necessarily the purpose of the book, quite the opposite in some cases.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mein Kampf (partial reading) - ideas have intrinsic moral value",
          "reason": "Named for provoking reflection on judging ideas by their merits and avoiding guilt by association.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Partial reading; the commenter notes its impact may differ from its purpose.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adolf Hitler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political ideology",
        "political manifesto",
        "autobiography",
        "fascism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "memoirs-found-in-a-bathtub-bc52f4",
      "title": "Memoirs Found in a Bathtub",
      "author": "Stanisław Lem",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36022706,
          "author": "baruchel",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T16:52:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36022706",
          "commentText": "Many great books are already enumerated here.\nIf I am not wrong, nobody mentioned Roadside picnic yet.\nAlso liked Memoirs Found in a Bathtub by S. Lem.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also liked Memoirs Found in a Bathtub by S. Lem.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they liked it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22098007,
          "author": "baruchel",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T11:04:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22098007",
          "commentText": "Looking at the \"Best Sellers Rank\" of some famous website in order to figure out if some of my ideas are actually forgotten or not... This helped discarding some books (like \"Roadside Picnic\" or \"Memoirs Found in a Bathtub\"). While not absolutely unknown, I would still suggest: \"The Rediscovery of Man\" by Cordwainer Smith.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "or \"Memoirs Found in a Bathtub\"",
          "reason": "Named as a book the commenter considered but discarded while judging whether books were forgotten.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they discarded it from consideration.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stanisław Lem"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "absurdism",
        "bureaucracy",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "memoirs-of-extraordinary-popular-delusions-and-the-madness-of-cro-18d9e4",
      "title": "Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds",
      "author": "Charles Mackay",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20926622,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-10T10:05:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20926622",
          "commentText": "All the essays of Emerson, GK Chesterton, Hazlitt, Oscar Wilde, RL Stevenson, William James\nEvery book by Nietzsche (except Zarathustra).\nLa Bruyere - Characters\nCharles Mackay - Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular \nDelusions and the Madness of Crowds\nAmbrose Bierce - The Devil's Dictionary",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Charles Mackay - Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular \nDelusions and the Madness of Crowds",
          "reason": "Lists it among favorite older works.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Mackay"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crowd psychology",
        "financial manias"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "memoirs-of-a-geisha-b0836f",
      "title": "Memoirs of a Geisha",
      "author": "Arthur Golden",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6387960,
          "author": "veidr",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T02:51:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387960",
          "commentText": "The trilogy of Neuromancer, Burning Chrome, and Mona Lisa Overdrive is still my favorite work of fiction, and also, to my mind, exemplifies the kind of taut, awesome writing that I would want to do if I wrote novels. It the only series of 3 books I have read more than once.\nI caught these books at just the right time in my life (age 13 or 14), leading my high-school fascination with Japan and rekindled interest in computing, and probably played an inordinately large role in me ending up as a programmer who lives in Tokyo, two decades later.\nI like great sci fi best, but I think most of it is crap, including virtually all of the old pulp sci fi and Asimov I grew up reading (which was basically all of it), Star Wars/Trek, etc.\nOther than Gibson's stuff, some of the truly spectacular sci fi I have read is the very-dense-and-not-at-all-thriller-ish Mars trilogy (Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars), and the fast-paced-and-awesome Spin by Robert Charles Wilson. That led me to read all of Wilson's books, many of which are also good. Also Haldeman is an author worth reading, though not all of his books hit their mark.\nGreat sci fi is my favorite fiction, but IMO most of it is broken by being fundamentally implausible. Other fiction I consider great in other genres include Memoirs of a Geisha, Cold Mountain, REAMDE, The Son, The Road, the lighter but still version of that post-apocalyptic concept The Dog Stars, City of Thieves, and All the Pretty Horses and its sequels.\nIt's probably symptomatic of a major flaw in my character that despite also buying dozens of nonfiction works (Lincoln, On China, and so forth) over the past few years, I haven't finished any of them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Other fiction I consider great in other genres include Memoirs of a Geisha",
          "reason": "Explicitly considers it great fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur Golden"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "japan"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "memories-of-my-melancholy-whores-adddae",
      "title": "Memories of My Melancholy Whores",
      "author": "Gabriel García Márquez",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 57193,
          "author": "viergroupie",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-20T02:36:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=57193",
          "commentText": "It depends on your age and level of education. Goedel, Escher, Bach was mind-blowing when I was 19. Four years (and some college) later it's a tedious bore. \nGabriel Garcia Marquez's \"Memories of My Melancholy Whores\" is pretty great. \nOliver Sacks' \"The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat\" is full of amazing case studies that will help you construct a personal theory of mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gabriel Garcia Marquez's \"Memories of My Melancholy Whores\" is pretty great.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it pretty great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gabriel García Márquez"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "latin american literature",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "memories-of-a-theoretical-physicist-afba34",
      "title": "Memories of a Theoretical Physicist",
      "author": "Joseph Polchinski",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17520567,
          "author": "aeroplane",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T04:46:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17520567",
          "commentText": "\"Memories of a Theoretical Physicist\", by Joseph Polchinski: 2017\nHaving only two bodies of knowledge, myself and physics, I decided to write an autobiography about my development as a theoretical physicist... But it is somewhat unique, a blow-by-blow history of where I started and where I got to.\nhttps://arxiv.org/abs/1708.09093\nA parting gift of sorts from a leader in modern physics who passed away prematurely due to cancer. A true Summer Read as the author takes you on a ride from a smart kid in California, to Caltech, to working within an academic environment that allowed him to contribute in fundamental ways to understanding physical reality. My takeaways: [1] calculus is actually useful, [2] telling the truth and being transparent are invaluable assets, [3] discoveries are hard won.\nClearly written towards advanced physics types but meant for a wider audience to give a backstage peek into the working life of scientists who push the boundaries of physics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A true Summer Read as the author takes you on a ride",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its account of a physicist's life and work.",
          "audience": "Readers curious about how scientists work, including those outside advanced physics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is clearly written toward advanced physics types.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph Polchinski"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "scientist memoir",
        "theoretical physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "memories-of-the-space-age-cc5c70",
      "title": "Memories of the Space Age",
      "author": "J. G. Ballard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17538730,
          "author": "itronitron",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T04:14:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17538730",
          "commentText": "Memories of the Space Age by J G Ballard.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Memories of the Space Age by J G Ballard.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. G. Ballard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "memories-dreams-reflections-fcacc2",
      "title": "Memories, Dreams, Reflections",
      "author": "Carl Jung",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32936207,
          "author": "rvieira",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T08:30:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936207",
          "commentText": "Disclaimer: These books changed the way I think primarily because I've read them quite young (early/mid teens) and as such, were formative.\n1. The Morning of the Magicians (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Morning_of_the_Magicians)\nThis book, although many (most?) of its claims are disproved really had an impact on me since it showed me that there could be _a lot_ more in the world than meets the eye. Everything around us and in history is filled with mysteries, unanswered questions. You could find interesting things everywhere. I would say the content is not the important part, but it instills the curiosity to dig deeper.\n2. Memories, Dreams, Reflections (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memories,_Dreams,_Reflections)\nA semi-autobiography of Carl Jung. It made me realise how \"meta-programmable\" humans are. How much of how we think can be though upon, itself. How we can introspect on our thoughs ... with our thoughts. Basically, made me in awe of conscious beings.\n3. Ficciones (Fictions, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficciones)\nThis is classic from Jorge Luis Borges. It showed me at the time \"experimental\" literature. How can one can push story-telling to another level, like many other art forms have done.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Memories, Dreams, Reflections",
          "reason": "The commenter says this semi-autobiography prompted reflection on how humans think and introspect.",
          "audience": "The commenter read it in their early to mid teens.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as a semi-autobiography.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carl Jung"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "analytical psychology",
        "autobiography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "memory-sorrow-and-thorn-541dd7",
      "title": "Memory, Sorrow and Thorn",
      "author": "Tad Williams",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25913977,
          "author": "asicsp",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-26T09:34:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25913977",
          "commentText": "See https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/wiki/lists\nMy recommendations, in no particular order:\n* The Riyria Revelations by Michael Sullivan\n* Memory, Sorrow and Thorn by Tad Williams\n* To Ride Hell's Chasm by Janny Wurts\n* Worm by Wildbow\n* Cradle by Will Wight (think anime like Naruto in book form, but without fillers/fan-service)\n* Farseer by Robin Hobb\n* Powder Mage by Brian McClellan\n* The First Law by Joe Abercrombie\n* The Dagger and the Coin by Daniel Abraham",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Memory, Sorrow and Thorn by Tad Williams",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's fantasy recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking fantasy novels or epics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tad Williams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "high fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "men-are-from-mars-women-are-from-venus-8a08f1",
      "title": "Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus",
      "author": "John Gray",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1635177,
          "author": "adammichaelc",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-26T05:38:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1635177",
          "commentText": "Business: 7 Habits, 8th Habit, Getting Things Done, 4 Steps to Epiphany, Straight from the Gut\nSpiritual: Book of Mormon, Book of Isaiah, The 4 Gospels in the New Testament\nRelationship: The 5 Love Languages, Men are from Mars Women from Venus\nPhysical: Spark, The Vitamin D Solution",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Relationship: The 5 Love Languages, Men are from Mars Women from Venus",
          "reason": "Included in a list answering the question about books that changed your life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Gray"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "men-of-mathematics-5514fd",
      "title": "Men of Mathematics",
      "author": "Eric Temple Bell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1465421,
          "author": "amh",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T12:45:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1465421",
          "commentText": "Along with the excellent recommendations here, I would add \"The Worldly Philosophers\" by Heilbroner (http://www.amazon.com/Worldly-Philosophers-Lives-Economic-Th... (http://www.amazon.com/Worldly-Philosophers-Lives-Economic-Thinkers/dp/068486214X)) for a slightly different angle.  It covers a wide range of famous economists and describes the high points of their theories along with some biographical detail, in a very engaging style.  It's the economics version of \"Men Of Mathematics\", which is also a fascinating book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's the economics version of \"Men Of Mathematics\", which is also a fascinating book.",
          "reason": "Described as a fascinating book and used as a favorable comparison.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Temple Bell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematicians"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "meno-5cac29",
      "title": "Meno",
      "author": "Plato",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33802859,
          "author": "svieira",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T16:14:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33802859",
          "commentText": "There is no necessity of a gap between \"is\" and \"ought\" - the assumption that there is presumes that either things are not ordered towards an end or that we cannot known that end. But that's clearly wrong. See Socrates' discourse with the slave boy in Meno and the universal desire for justice and happiness that all human beings posses.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "See Socrates' discourse with the slave boy in Meno",
          "reason": "Cites Socrates' discussion in Meno as support for the claim about justice and happiness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19090108,
          "author": "nathias",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T21:39:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090108",
          "commentText": "Plato - Meno, Symposium, Parmenides, Gorgias, Protagoras\nPlotinus -Enneads\nMarkus Aurelius - Meditations\nDescartes - On method\nDescartes - Meditations\nSpinoza - On the improvement of Understanding\nLeibniz - Monadology\nLeibniz - Grace\nVoltaire - Candid\nDiderot - D'Alembert's Dream\nKant - How to orient oneself in thinking\nKant - Critique of Pure Reason\nKant - Critique of Judgment\nHegel - Phenomenology of Spirit\nHegel - Logic\nvon Kleist - Marionette Theatre\nKierkegaard - The Sickness Unto Death\nHeidegger - Being and Time\nSartre - Being and Nothingness\nSartre - Flies\nSartre - Nausea\nDeleuze - Difference and Repetition\nKafka - Metamorphosis\nKafka - The Castle\nLem - Magellan Nebula\nLem - His Master's Voice\nCioran - A Short History of Decay\nPessoa - Book Of Despair\nWolfe -  New Sun tetralogy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Plato - Meno, Symposium, Parmenides, Gorgias, Protagoras",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Plato"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient greek philosophy",
        "ethics",
        "socratic dialogue"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mental-models-901bec",
      "title": "Mental Models",
      "author": "Indi Young",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18668153,
          "author": "mathewsanders",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T22:05:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 18662992,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on modern UI/UX?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18668153",
          "commentText": "Every couple years I’ll go read Magic Inc by Bret Viktor (not a book, just online: http://worrydream.com/MagicInk/) and I always find it refreshing reminder to think about how we can design technology to help us rather than just create a CRUD interface.\n‘Sketching User Experiences’ by Bill Buxton https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/980280.Sketching_User_Ex... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/980280.Sketching_User_Experiences) and ‘Mental Models’ by Indi Young: https://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/mental-models/ we’re both very influential to me as a young designer thinking about process and I believe they are still both relevant.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "‘Mental Models’ by Indi Young",
          "reason": "Says it was influential to them as a young designer and that it remains relevant.",
          "audience": "Designers thinking about process",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Indi Young"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mental models",
        "user experience",
        "user research"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "merchanter-4abf14",
      "title": "Merchanter",
      "author": "C. J. Cherryh",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1864890,
          "author": "spacemanaki",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T14:34:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1864890",
          "commentText": "You might like CJ Cherryh's science fiction. Her Merchanter books are really good, and although there is some weird alien stuff, in general the space travel and combat, as well as economic issues in space, are handled quite well. I'd start with Downbelow Station.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Her Merchanter books are really good",
          "reason": "Recommends Cherryh’s Merchanter books and praises them.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in space travel, combat, and economics in space.",
          "caveat": "Some weird alien stuff.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "C. J. Cherryh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "interstellar trade",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "messiah-0d8319",
      "title": "Messiah",
      "author": "Boris Starling",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30241415,
          "author": "docdeek",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T07:28:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241415",
          "commentText": "Messiah by Boris Starling",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Messiah by Boris Starling",
          "reason": "Offers it as an answer to the request for a book recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Boris Starling"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crime fiction",
        "thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "metagame-8d7d92",
      "title": "MetaGame",
      "author": "Sam Landstrom",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4353804,
          "author": "SinFulNard",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-08T03:53:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 4353632,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon.  What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4353804",
          "commentText": "Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan - highly. highly. Recommend. Ready Player One... meh. Much preferred MetaGame (only $2!). Otherwise - The Quantum Thief was a great mind blower. Haven't heard of Daemon, loved Snow Crash. Will look into.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Much preferred MetaGame",
          "reason": "The commenter prefers it to Ready Player One.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sam Landstrom"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "game theory",
        "near future"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "metallurgy-of-steel-for-bladesmiths-others-who-heat-treat-and-for-84acb2",
      "title": "Metallurgy of Steel for Bladesmiths & Others Who Heat Treat and Forge Steel",
      "author": "John D. Verhoeven",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9348711,
          "author": "GregBuchholz",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:22:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348711",
          "commentText": "\"Metallurgy of Steel for Bladesmiths & Others \nwho Heat Treat and Forge Steel\" by John Verhoeven \nhttp://www.feine-klingen.de/PDFs/verhoeven.pdf\n  An interesting technical introduction to metallurgy, without being overly tedious.  Congratulations to the author, for what sounds like it could be a dry subject.  I am pleasantly surprised by how ignorant I was about such a common everyday material, and about the fascinating changes that take place in the crystal structure of steel with mere temperature changes.  I've got no plans to forge steel, or make blades, but found this book very good so far (although I have been interested in metalworking in general lately).\n\"Basic Lathework\" by Stan Bray.  This is the best of the beginning lathe books that I've been reading recently, covering the parts of the machine and accessories, techniques, and cutting tools.  Very minimal pre-requisites.\n\"Metals in the Service of Man\" by Arthur Street and William Alexander.  A very light read about industrially useful metals, a little history about them, and their uses.\n\"Measurement\" by Paul Lockhart.  I finally got this book after reading his \"A Mathematicians Lament\" from a while back.  https://www.maa.org/external_archive/devlin/LockhartsLament.... (https://www.maa.org/external_archive/devlin/LockhartsLament.pdf)\n\"How Round is Your Circle\" by John Bryant and Chris Sangwin.  Just started this, but it sounds interesting, the pictures are intriguing, and it pushes a lot of my \"interesting\" buttons.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Metallurgy of Steel for Bladesmiths & Others \nwho Heat Treat and Forge Steel\" by John Verhoeven",
          "reason": "Praised as an interesting, accessible technical introduction to metallurgy.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in metallurgy or metalworking.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has no plans to forge steel or make blades.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John D. Verhoeven"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bladesmithing",
        "metallurgy",
        "steel heat treatment"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "metamagical-themas-questing-for-the-essence-of-mind-and-pattern-4ef32d",
      "title": "Metamagical Themas: Questing for the Essence of Mind and Pattern",
      "author": "Douglas R. Hofstadter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 767138,
          "author": "dandrews",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-17T01:16:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=767138",
          "commentText": "Also consider Hofstadter's \"Metamagical Themas\", a collection of his Scientific American essays.  A broad range of topics, lots of stuff to think about, and something on my shelf that I return to just for the pleasure.  Good stuff.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also consider Hofstadter's \"Metamagical Themas\", a collection of his Scientific American essays.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for its broad range of topics and the pleasure of returning to it.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy a broad range of thought-provoking topics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas R. Hofstadter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognition",
        "scientific american essays"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "metaprogramming-ruby-5b7cc5",
      "title": "Metaprogramming Ruby",
      "author": "Paolo Perrotta",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33594475,
          "author": "semiquaver",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-14T14:35:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33594475",
          "commentText": "For ruby in particular, Metaprogramming Ruby helped me understand the deeper semantics of the language in a way that has been very helpful over the years.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Metaprogramming Ruby helped me understand the deeper semantics of the language",
          "reason": "Says it clarified Ruby’s deeper semantics and remained helpful over the years.",
          "audience": "Ruby learners seeking a deeper understanding of the language.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paolo Perrotta"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "metaprogramming",
        "ruby"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "metaprogramming-ruby-program-like-the-ruby-pros-c16969",
      "title": "Metaprogramming Ruby: Program Like the Ruby Pros",
      "author": "Paolo Perrotta",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1568941,
          "author": "kjbekkelund",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T20:30:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1568941",
          "commentText": "My favourite books read lately are Here Comes Everybody by Clay Shirky and Perrotta's Metaprogramming Ruby. If you haven't read Free by Chris Anderson, it's also highly recommended. It's just an article, but Anarconomy by the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies was a very interesting read (http://www.cifs.dk/doc/medlemsrapporter/MR0309UK.pdf).\nIf you are willing to check out an audiobook, World War Z is truly an amazing book. Absolutely the best audiobook I have heard so far.\nEnjoy your weeks off!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favourite books read lately are Here Comes Everybody by Clay Shirky and Perrotta's Metaprogramming Ruby.",
          "reason": "Names it among their favorite books read lately.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paolo Perrotta"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "metaprogramming",
        "ruby"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "methods-of-mathematical-finance-ca7ac9",
      "title": "Methods of Mathematical Finance",
      "author": "Ioannis Karatzas and Steven E. Shreve",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3178313,
          "author": "veyron",
          "createdAt": "2011-10-31T17:55:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 3177815,
          "threadTitle": "Good books for hackers interested in quant finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3178313",
          "commentText": "You need to be a little more specific regarding your interests and background.  If you are interested in theory, there are plenty of books discussing specific models.  However, most practical or buzzword (e.g. HFT) books are rubbish (think about it: if you have a profitable operation, why would you write a book?  Unless, like me, you have a screw loose :P )\nIf you want some practical discussions, \"Trading and Exchanges\" by Larry Harris is a bit dated, but nothing comes close.  Most of the descriptions are still valid today (even if some of the mechanics have changed)\nIf you want something more along the lines of what a financial engineer would know:\n- \"Options, Futures, and other Derivatives\" by John Hull (goes over basic models without delving too deeply into theoretical math aspects)\n- \"Stochastic Calculus for Finance II\" by Steve Shreve (goes over the basic stuff but has enough stats to keep a grad student happy)\n- \"Monte Carlo Methods in Financial Engineering\" by Paul Glasserman (much more practical, and goes over subtleties of monte carlo simulation and other stuff like low discrepancy sampling)\n- \"Modelling Fixed Income Securities and Interest Rate Options\" by Robert Jarrow (walks through how to perform certain simulations, covers lots of little details most theoretical books skip)\nIf you want something more theoretical:\n- \"Introduction to Stochastic Calculus Applied to Finance\" by Lamberton and Lapeyre (Nice little intro)\n- \"Arbitrage Theory in Continuous Time\" by Tomas Bjork (Slower discussion, larger breadth)\n- \"Brownian Motion and Stochastic Calculus\" and \"Methods of Mathematical Finance\" by Karatzas and Shreve (Solid theoretical foundation, for the more mathematically inclined)\nThere was a good non-measure theoretic discussion of financial models but the name escapes me ATM.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Solid theoretical foundation",
          "reason": "Recommended as part of a solid theoretical foundation for mathematically inclined readers.",
          "audience": "Readers comfortable with mathematics.",
          "caveat": "Intended for the more mathematically inclined.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ioannis Karatzas and Steven E. Shreve"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical finance",
        "quantitative finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "methods-of-modern-mathematical-physics-volume-i-functional-analys-0a5313",
      "title": "Methods of Modern Mathematical Physics, Volume I: Functional Analysis",
      "author": "Michael Reed and Barry Simon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34441383,
          "author": "homerowilson",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T15:33:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34441383",
          "commentText": "I'm coming from an applied math perspective. A few of my favorites (and ones I find myself regularly referring to) are:\nMatrix Analysis by Horn and Johnson  (perhaps the best end-of-chapter problem sets of any math book I've encountered!)\nMatrix Computations by Golub and Van Loan\nElements of Statistical Learning by Hastie, Friedman, Tibshirani\nFunctional Analysis by Reed and Simon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Functional Analysis by Reed and Simon",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorites and regular references.",
          "audience": "Readers approaching mathematics from applied math.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Reed",
        "Barry Simon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "functional analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "metro-2033-31378a",
      "title": "Metro 2033",
      "author": "Dmitry Glukhovsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38237856,
          "author": "HideousKojima",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T06:28:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38237856",
          "commentText": "Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky. There's a series of games based on the books but I'm enjoying the storytelling in the book far more. Basic premise is after nuclear war survivors have built a new society inside of the tunnels and stations of the Moscow metro system. There's mutants and other threats, but I don't want to spoil too much.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoy the book's storytelling more than that of the games based on it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dmitry Glukhovsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "post apocalyptic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "metrozone-b0bee0",
      "title": "Metrozone",
      "author": "Simon Morden",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4383437,
          "author": "mock",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-14T22:37:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 4353632,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon.  What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4383437",
          "commentText": "I quite enjoyed Simon Morden's Metrozone trilogy - which has a lot of similarities to Snow Crash and Daemon (main character is essentially a hacker, run-amok AI, cyberpunkish dystopian future...)\nhttp://www.simonmorden.com/books/equations-of-life/ includes an excerpt from the first book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Simon Morden's Metrozone trilogy",
          "reason": "The commenter says they quite enjoyed the trilogy and describes similarities to Snow Crash and Daemon.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Simon Morden"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyberpunk",
        "dystopian fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "michael-collins-e45382",
      "title": "Michael Collins",
      "author": "Tim Pat Coogan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 202939,
          "author": "tgdavies",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T03:39:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=202939",
          "commentText": "Tim Pat Coogan's \"Michael Collins\" is good -- it's as much a condensed history of Ireland from 1916 to the mid 1920s as about Michael Collins.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tim Pat Coogan's \"Michael Collins\" is good",
          "reason": "Calls the book good and notes its wider historical coverage.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It is as much a condensed history of Ireland from 1916 to the mid-1920s as a biography of Collins.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tim Pat Coogan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "irish history",
        "irish independence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "michael-strogoff-45b3a0",
      "title": "Michael Strogoff",
      "author": "Jules Verne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20918199,
          "author": "idoubtit",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T13:58:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20918199",
          "commentText": "When I was a child, I loved Jules Vernes' novels. My favorite were \"L'île mystérieuse\" et \"Michel Strogoff\". I've read them again after a few decades, and I enjoyed them both.\n\"L'île mystérieuse\" is the survival adventure of a small and disparate group, but the main theme is how science can dominate nature. The mystery part is better enjoyed if the reader knows a bit of Jules Verne' other books.\n\"Michel Strogoff\" is a pure and romantic adventure in Russia, at the time of the Tatar invasions. It was sometimes brutal for a child reader, but I could still remember many scenes thirty years later.\nOther good novels are \"Voyage au centre de la terre\", \"Vingt-mille lieues sous les mers\", \"Cinq semaines en ballon\", \"Le tour du monde en 80 jours\", \"Les indes noires\". I've a few others which I enjoyed at a lesser point.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've read them again after a few decades, and I enjoyed them both.",
          "reason": "Says they reread and enjoyed this novel, a romantic adventure set in Russia.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The story was sometimes brutal for the commenter as a child.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jules Verne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "19th century fiction",
        "adventure"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "microcosm-e-coli-and-the-new-science-of-life-328a71",
      "title": "Microcosm: E. coli and the New Science of Life",
      "author": "Carl Zimmer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2087818,
          "author": "rosejn",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T07:30:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2087818",
          "commentText": "Microcosm: E. coli and the New Science of Life \n- Carl Zimmer\n* This was one of the best science books I've ever read.  Zimmer uses e-coli as the primary actor a tour of genomics and history of the big breakthroughs in micro-biology.  I'm a developer, but this book was a page turner that really opened my eyes to to how cells operate, perform logic-like functions, and communicate.\nThe Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves\n- Matt Ridley\n* Ridley's basic thesis is that specialization and trade are the primary means of the betterment of the human condition, and he has a lot of thought provoking ways of looking at the world that will forever change the way I think about technology and business.  A wide ranging and enjoyable read",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This was one of the best science books I've ever read.",
          "reason": "Called one of the best science books the commenter has read; praised for its engaging explanation of genomics, microbiology, and cell behavior.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carl Zimmer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "e coli",
        "genomics",
        "microbiology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "microcosmos-14efd0",
      "title": "Microcosmos",
      "author": "Lynn Margulis and Dorion Sagan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21792837,
          "author": "bsmitty5000",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T22:38:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21792837",
          "commentText": "Pretty old but I read them for the first time in 2019: Microcosmos by Lynn Margulis and Full House by Stephen Jay Gould. Both of them really blew me away and changed my worldview.\nI also started on The Vital Question by Nick Lane but haven't finished it yet. But I would recommend anyways based on what I've read so far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Both of them really blew me away and changed my worldview.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it and Full House were astonishing and changed their worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter first read it in 2019, though it is older.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lynn Margulis and Dorion Sagan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolution",
        "microbiology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "microeconomics-behavior-institutions-and-evolution-09c265",
      "title": "Microeconomics: Behavior, Institutions, and Evolution",
      "author": "Samuel Bowles",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11230833,
          "author": "ThrustVectoring",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T20:09:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11230833",
          "commentText": "Impro by Keith Johnstone\nThe Inner Game of Tennis\nA Guide to Better Movement: The Science and Practice of Moving with More Skill and Less Pain\nPunished by Rewards\nMicroeconomics: Behavior, Institutions, and Evolution by Bowles",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Microeconomics: Behavior, Institutions, and Evolution by Bowles",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Samuel Bowles"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "behavioral economics",
        "institutional economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "microelectronic-circuits-249e44",
      "title": "Microelectronic Circuits",
      "author": "Adel S. Sedra and Kenneth C. Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32790844,
          "author": "surfpel",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T14:15:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790844",
          "commentText": "Microelectronic Circuits by Adel S. Sedra and Kenneth C. Smith\nSignals and Systems by Alan V. Oppenheim and Alan S. Willsky",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Microelectronic Circuits by Adel S. Sedra and Kenneth C. Smith",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adel S. Sedra",
        "Kenneth C. Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "circuit design",
        "electronics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "microinteractions-809516",
      "title": "Microinteractions",
      "author": "Dan Saffer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12711473,
          "author": "ritchiea",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-14T22:04:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12711473",
          "commentText": "My favorites are the classic \"The Design of Everyday Things\" and \"Microinteractions\" (http://microinteractions.com/about-the-book/).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and \"Microinteractions\"",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's favorite books in response to a request for books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Saffer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "interaction design",
        "microinteractions"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "middlegame-8896b6",
      "title": "Middlegame",
      "author": "Seanan McGuire",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42270216,
          "author": "Yawrehto",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T02:15:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42270216",
          "commentText": "Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott. If you're into Jewish history/legend, Baba Yaga, intergenerational trauma, or just good books, I would find it difficult to recommend it more. It's well-told and well-paced (note: do not read at night if you have something to do in the early morning the next day). As you would expect from a book drawing heavily on Jewish history, it can be difficult to read.\nMiddlegame by Seanan McGuire. Excellent book that handles time travel and its implications reasonablly well. She also wrote a shorter, \"children's\" book series under a pen name; quotes from it appeared in Middlegame. It's called the Up-and-under series. I've only made it through book one so far, as I lost book two, but so far it's been good!\nSilent Spring by Rachel Carson. It's been on my list of books to read for ages and it is in fact excellent, if difficult. I'm planning on reading some of her--allegedly much less dark--books about the sea next, because I've heard she can be very poetic and in Silent Spring it shines through sometimes, but not often.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Middlegame by Seanan McGuire. Excellent book that handles time travel and its implications reasonablly well.",
          "reason": "Praises how it handles time travel and its implications.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in time travel.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Seanan McGuire"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alchemy",
        "time travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "midnight-riot-5ae512",
      "title": "Midnight Riot",
      "author": "Ben Aaronovitch",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32198070,
          "author": "fm2606",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:52:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32198070",
          "commentText": "_Ask Your Developer_ by Jeff Lawson (CEO and co-founder of Twilio) since last weekend, 3/4 way through.  Very good read even for just a developer like myself who has no aspiration of going into management.\n_Midnight Riot_ by Ben Aaronovitch A fun read set in London about a new cop who sees ghosts and finds out he has ability to do magic .  He becomes an apprentice to a master magician who also happens to be an inspector for the the police department.  Started about 2 weeks ago maybe and just past half way.  _Ask Your Developer_ took precedence for a while but now give each equal attention.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "_Midnight Riot_ by Ben Aaronovitch A fun read set in London",
          "reason": "Describes it as a fun read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ben Aaronovitch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "police procedural",
        "urban fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "midnight-at-the-well-of-souls-d4b48a",
      "title": "Midnight at the Well of Souls",
      "author": "Jack L. Chalker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8946127,
          "author": "dwarman",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-26T09:13:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8946127",
          "commentText": "Stand on Zanzibar, Snow Crash, Cryptonomicon, Childhood's End, A Cantilce for St Leibowitz, The Stars My Destination, Midnight At The Well of Souls, Nine Princes in Amber, Halting State, Strnger In A Strange Land, The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Midnight At The Well of Souls",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jack L. Chalker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "milan-kundera-s-books-b711e8",
      "title": "Milan Kundera's books",
      "author": "Milan Kundera",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1753293,
          "author": "mp_cnb",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:41:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753293",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction\n- 'The Selfish Gene' - Richard Dawkins\nGrokking the concept changed the way I thought about life forever.\n- 'Quantum Reality' - Nick Herbert\nOne of the best introductory level books on quantum physics mysteries. No nonsense.\n- Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert Pirsig\nThe book that introduced me to Kant, Hume and philosophy of science. Just for that, I'm forever indebted to it.\nSome favorite fiction books -\n- Cryptonomicon - Neal Stephenson\nLoved 'Snowcrash' too.\n- 'The Moon is a Harsh Mistress' - Robert Heinlein\n- Anything by Kurt Vonnegut, Milan Kundera, Somerset Maugham",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Milan Kundera",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Milan Kundera"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "milk-sulphate-and-albie-starvation-f03245",
      "title": "Milk, Sulphate, and Albie Starvation",
      "author": "Martin Millar",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17168821,
          "author": "DanBC",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:58:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168821",
          "commentText": "Gruts by Ivor Cutler.\nMilk, Sulphate, and Albie Starvation by Martin Millar.\nI was introduced to Martin Millar by a very close friend who stole very many books. She was good at it, and she stole hundreds of books.\nIn turn I introduced her to Ivor Cutler. We'd sit in her room drinking tea, eating pikelets and jam, listening to Ivor Cutler.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Milk, Sulphate, and Albie Starvation by Martin Millar.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin Millar"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "british fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "millennium-19e062",
      "title": "Millennium",
      "author": "Stieg Larsson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1026904,
          "author": "boundlessdreamz",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T06:58:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026904",
          "commentText": "1. Shantaram (Gregory David Roberts): So good that mom stayed up until 3AM to finish it.\n2. Mistborn trilogy (brandon sanderson): Gripping storytelling and by far one of the best fantasy books i've ever read.\n3. Millennium trilogy (steig larsson): Hard to slot this book. On its face it is a thriller but the book is merely the medium through which the author lashes out against crimes toward women and corruption.In 2008, he was the second-best selling author in the world\n4. American Shaolin (Matthew Polly): An exciting read but still do not know what is fact and what is fiction. .",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "On its face it is a thriller but the book is merely the medium through which the author lashes out against crimes toward women and corruption.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as a thriller used to address crimes against women and corruption.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes its difficult-to-classify form and emphasizes the author’s social critique.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stieg Larsson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "corruption",
        "crime thriller",
        "violence against women"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "millennium-series-0661c8",
      "title": "Millennium series",
      "author": "Stieg Larsson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8106927,
          "author": "lawn",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:13:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106927",
          "commentText": "A Song of Ice and Fire and I don't even like fantasy.\nThe Millenium series by Stieg Larsson are very good as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Millenium series by Stieg Larsson are very good as well.",
          "reason": "Calls the series very good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stieg Larsson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crime fiction",
        "nordic noir",
        "thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "millennium-trilogy-eca9c7",
      "title": "Millennium trilogy",
      "author": "Stieg Larsson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12249888,
          "author": "mombul",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T18:34:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12249888",
          "commentText": "Care to develop? I was a computer guy before I read them and they didn't struck me as incredibly tech driven. So I'd like to understand :)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Care to develop? I was a computer guy before I read them and they didn't struck me as incredibly tech driven.",
          "reason": "The commenter asks how the books influenced someone toward computing and notes they did not seem tech driven.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the books did not seem especially tech driven.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12248557,
          "author": "babayega2",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T15:33:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12248557",
          "commentText": "Millennium trilogy. I was a math guy, those books convinced me to be a computer dude.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Millennium trilogy. I was a math guy, those books convinced me to be a computer dude.",
          "reason": "The commenter credits the trilogy with moving them from mathematics toward computing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stieg Larsson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crime fiction",
        "nordic noir",
        "technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "million-dollar-weekend-6eaca7",
      "title": "Million Dollar Weekend",
      "author": "Noah Kagan and Tahl Raz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45954201,
          "author": "bicepjai",
          "createdAt": "2025-11-17T15:03:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 45947737,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45954201",
          "commentText": "1. Talking to My Daughter About the Economy: or, How Capitalism Works--and How It Fails\n2. Writing to learn. People who are scared of writing like me must listen to this every year :)\n3. Made to stick\n4. Million dollar weekend\n5. Surrounded by idiots",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Million dollar weekend",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Noah Kagan",
        "Tahl Raz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "starting a business"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "millionaire-teacher-124f76",
      "title": "Millionaire Teacher",
      "author": "Andrew Hallam",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43404947,
          "author": "buu709",
          "createdAt": "2025-03-18T20:52:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 43402403,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book/course/resource for personal finance or financial literacy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43404947",
          "commentText": "I would imagine it would depend on where you're from? I'm from Canada and the book that helped me more than anything else is 'The Wealthy Barber Returns'.\n'Millionaire Teacher' is also fantastic, and I believe is U.S. based (been a few years).\nBoth books teach the fundamentals of how to save/invest in a safe manner in a way that is easily digestible. Barber especially is an engrossing read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Millionaire Teacher' is also fantastic",
          "reason": "Praised for teaching fundamentals of safe saving and investing in an easily digestible way.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter believes it is U.S.-based and notes it has been a few years since they read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32197850,
          "author": "DougMellon",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:27:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197850",
          "commentText": "Just finished Millionaire Teacher by Andrew Hallam and now a few pages into Zen Golf by Joseph Parent.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Just finished Millionaire Teacher by Andrew Hallam",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew Hallam"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "investing",
        "personal finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mimsy-were-the-borogoves-12bc75",
      "title": "Mimsy Were the Borogoves",
      "author": "Lewis Padgett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22722761,
          "author": "avip",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T21:09:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22722761",
          "commentText": "Who has time for books nowadays? Some lovely tales so short u can read'em over coffee:\n- Asimov's Profession, his best short story IMHO\n- Mimsy Were the Borogoves - just reread it, it's as great as it was when I was a teen!\n- Flowers to Algernon is sad, but a must\n- Everything from Lem's Cyberiad\n- Everything from Borjes` Fictions",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mimsy Were the Borogoves - just reread it, it's as great as it was when I was a teen!",
          "reason": "Says it remains great and mentions rereading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lewis Padgett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short story"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mimsy-were-the-borogroves-0a9afa",
      "title": "Mimsy Were the Borogroves",
      "author": "Lewis Padgett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36022214,
          "author": "roninhacker",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:55:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36022214",
          "commentText": "\"Mimsy Were the Borogroves,\" by Lewis Padgett, is short and excellent.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Mimsy Were the Borogroves,\" by Lewis Padgett, is short and excellent.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it short and excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lewis Padgett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short story",
        "time travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mind-hacks-tips-tools-for-using-your-brain-92a27a",
      "title": "Mind Hacks: Tips & Tools for Using Your Brain",
      "author": "Tom Stafford and Matt Webb",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5337382,
          "author": "ianox",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-07T13:12:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 5323956,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: which are some good self-help books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5337382",
          "commentText": "The Now Habit - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Now-Habit-Overcoming-Procrastination... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Now-Habit-Overcoming-Procrastination-Guilt-free/dp/1585425524/)\nMind Hacks: Tips and Tricks for Using Your Brain - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mind-Hacks-Tricks-Using-Brain/dp/059... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mind-Hacks-Tricks-Using-Brain/dp/0596007795/)\nMind Performance Hacks: Tips & Tools for Overclocking Your Brain - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mind-Performance-Hacks-Tools-Overclo... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mind-Performance-Hacks-Tools-Overclocking/dp/0596101538/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mind Hacks: Tips and Tricks for Using Your Brain",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Stafford and Matt Webb"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "brain",
        "cognitive science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mind-inside-matter-47e0a5",
      "title": "Mind Inside Matter",
      "author": "Bertram Raphael",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36431532,
          "author": "mark_l_watson",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T13:05:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36431532",
          "commentText": "Bertram Raphael’s book “Mind Inside Matter” in the 1970s, a precursor AI book that really fired my imagination. I didn’t start getting paid for AI related work until 1982, but that was the book that changed my professional life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bertram Raphael’s book “Mind Inside Matter” in the 1970s",
          "reason": "The book fired the commenter's imagination and changed their professional life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bertram Raphael"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "early ai"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mind-is-a-myth-521ae1",
      "title": "Mind Is a Myth",
      "author": "U. G. Krishnamurti",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15156189,
          "author": "arc_of_descent",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T14:44:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156189",
          "commentText": "Mind is a myth - UG Krishnamurti\nGodel, Escher, Bach - Douglas Hofstadter\nUnweaving the rainbow - Richard Dawkins",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mind is a myth - UG Krishnamurti",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which books had the biggest impact on mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "U. G. Krishnamurti"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consciousness",
        "mind"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mind-magic-cc35fc",
      "title": "Mind Magic",
      "author": "William E. Harvey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30735970,
          "author": "kseistrup",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:56:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735970",
          "commentText": "Mind Magic by Bill Harvey: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3573948-mind-magic",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mind Magic by Bill Harvey",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William E. Harvey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [],
      "purposes": []
    },
    {
      "id": "mind-magic-doorways-into-higher-consciousness-82b2a5",
      "title": "Mind Magic: Doorways Into Higher Consciousness",
      "author": "Bill Harvey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9675156,
          "author": "kseistrup",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T16:01:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9675156",
          "commentText": "“Mind Magic: Doorways Into Higher Consciousness” by Bill Harvey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Mind Magic: Doorways Into Higher Consciousness” by Bill Harvey",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Harvey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consciousness",
        "self help"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mind-performance-hacks-899afe",
      "title": "Mind Performance Hacks",
      "author": "Ron Hale-Evans",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3277688,
          "author": "Corvus",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T17:56:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3277688",
          "commentText": "Mind Performance hacks (http://my.safaribooksonline.com/book/personal-productivity/0... (http://my.safaribooksonline.com/book/personal-productivity/0596101538)) by Ron Hale-Evans, and his web site (http://www.ludism.org/mentat).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mind Performance hacks (http://my.safaribooksonline.com/book/personal-productivity/0...) by Ron Hale-Evans",
          "reason": "Names a book in response to a request for books about thinking and cognition.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ron Hale-Evans"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognitive skills",
        "mental performance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mind-performance-hacks-tips-tools-for-overclocking-your-brain-9a5486",
      "title": "Mind Performance Hacks: Tips & Tools for Overclocking Your Brain",
      "author": "Ron Hale-Evans",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5337382,
          "author": "ianox",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-07T13:12:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 5323956,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: which are some good self-help books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5337382",
          "commentText": "The Now Habit - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Now-Habit-Overcoming-Procrastination... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Now-Habit-Overcoming-Procrastination-Guilt-free/dp/1585425524/)\nMind Hacks: Tips and Tricks for Using Your Brain - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mind-Hacks-Tricks-Using-Brain/dp/059... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mind-Hacks-Tricks-Using-Brain/dp/0596007795/)\nMind Performance Hacks: Tips & Tools for Overclocking Your Brain - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mind-Performance-Hacks-Tools-Overclo... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mind-Performance-Hacks-Tools-Overclocking/dp/0596101538/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mind Performance Hacks: Tips & Tools for Overclocking Your Brain",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ron Hale-Evans"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memory",
        "mental performance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mind-and-nature-a-necessary-unity-1391bd",
      "title": "Mind and Nature: A Necessary Unity",
      "author": "Gregory Bateson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36429792,
          "author": "gala8y",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T09:34:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36429792",
          "commentText": "Three Pillars of Zen, read when I was 16, it felt like \"This is it. This is how I see it.\"\nFew books by Ken Wilber, gave me a framework, a meta-frame of sorts when I was young.\nIntroduction to NLP (esp. chapter V on Meta Model, took me two years to process it)\nStructure of Magic, vol. II - communication, incongruity\nMind and Nature by Gregory Bateson\nAnd I could go on and on... but the winner is...\n\"Embracing Our Selves\" by Sidra & Hal Stone.\nThis book and perspective changed my life completely. It was like a grenade bursting inside my mind and I've seen many people reacting to it this way (incl. people closest to my heart). It's a perspective shift, an insight. You've been warned. :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mind and Nature by Gregory Bateson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gregory Bateson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ecology of mind",
        "systems theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mindhacker-841f9d",
      "title": "Mindhacker",
      "author": "Ron Hale-Evans",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3278300,
          "author": "pataprogramming",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T21:33:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3278300",
          "commentText": "There's also the sequel, Mindhacker, which was published by Wiley earlier this year.  Ron's stuff is great, and absolutely worth checking out.  Info on the new book is at http://http://www.ludism.org/mentat/Mindhacker\n(Disclaimer: I contributed two hacks to Mindhacker.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "There's also the sequel, Mindhacker, which was published by Wiley earlier this year.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the author's work is great and absolutely worth checking out.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter contributed two hacks to the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ron Hale-Evans"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "brain training",
        "mental performance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mindhunter-inside-the-fbi-s-elite-serial-crime-unit-1e59af",
      "title": "Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit",
      "author": "John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45951150,
          "author": "chistev",
          "createdAt": "2025-11-17T05:55:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 45947737,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45951150",
          "commentText": "Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker\nNuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen\nAnimal Farm by George Orwell (a reread)\nNight by Elie Wiesel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker",
          "reason": "Listed as a book read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John E. Douglas",
        "Mark Olshaker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "criminal profiling",
        "true crime"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "minds-brains-and-computers-the-foundations-of-cognitive-science-a-ce2506",
      "title": "Minds, Brains and Computers: The Foundations of Cognitive Science—An Anthology",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3277741,
          "author": "mixu",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T18:11:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3277741",
          "commentText": "How about some books that aren't pop-sci / business books? I am kind of biased, since I love this area of psychology.\n- The Sciences of the Artificial by Simon\n- The Psychology of Problem Solving by Davidson & Sternberg\n- The Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance (Cambridge Handbooks in Psychology) by Ericsson, Charness, Feltovich & Hoffman\n- Minds, Brains and Computers - The Foundations of Cognitive Science: An Anthology (Blackwell Philosophy Anthologies)\n- Choices, Values, and Frames by Kahneman & Tversky\nThe Sciences of the Artificial is a small but deep book by Herbert Simon, who is considered a key figure in founding the study of these areas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Simon ).\nDavidson & Sternberg focuses on problem solving (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Sternberg ).\nThe Cambridge Handbooks (there are many others) in particular are excellent as they contain classic articles in Cognitive Science and Psychology, with introductions and overviews by people who actually research this area. The one on Expertise and Expert performance is edited by K. A. Ericsson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K._Anders_Ericsson )\nMinds, Brains and Computers is another collection of classics, from a more model-based perspective.\nFinally, Kahneman and Tversky offer a more economics-centric viewpoint. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Kahneman & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amos_Tversky )\nIf you read scientific articles in this area, you'll notice that many of these author's names will keep popping up...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Minds, Brains and Computers is another collection of classics",
          "reason": "Presented as a relevant collection in response to a request for reading suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "anthology",
        "cognitive science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mindsight-49db5f",
      "title": "Mindsight",
      "author": "Daniel J. Siegel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8716342,
          "author": "boothead",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T13:46:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8716342",
          "commentText": "The Trauma of Everyday Life - Mark Epstein\nMindsight - Dan Siegel\nConflict Communications - Rory Miller",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mindsight - Dan Siegel",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed the commenter's life in 2014.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel J. Siegel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "interpersonal neurobiology",
        "mindfulness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mindware-tools-for-smart-thinking-bd9947",
      "title": "Mindware: Tools for Smart Thinking",
      "author": "Richard E. Nisbett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33801890,
          "author": "yboris",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T15:18:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33801890",
          "commentText": "I read many books in field of psychology focusing on rationality / irrationality. I think some of the best are:\nMindware by Richard Nisbett - a researcher focusing on this for decades distills his best insight in a recent book.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Mindware-Tools-Thinking-Richard-Nisbe... (https://www.amazon.com/Mindware-Tools-Thinking-Richard-Nisbett-ebook/dp/B00SSAXRCW)\nPredictably Irrational by Dan Ariely - a classic book in the field.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Predictably-Irrational-Revised-Expand... (https://www.amazon.com/Predictably-Irrational-Revised-Expanded-Decisions/dp/0061353248)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mindware by Richard Nisbett - a researcher focusing on this for decades distills his best insight in a recent book.",
          "reason": "Presents insights distilled by a researcher with decades of experience in the field.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard E. Nisbett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "critical thinking",
        "reasoning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mindwatching-why-we-behave-the-way-we-do-3dbef5",
      "title": "Mindwatching: Why We Behave the Way We Do",
      "author": "Hans Eysenck and Michael Eysenck",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9350231,
          "author": "ArekDymalski",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T19:15:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350231",
          "commentText": "In order of appearance:\n\"Fables for Robots\" by Stanislaw Lem - it shaped my love for SF for the rest of my life\n\"Mindwatching: Why We Behave the Way We Do\" by Hans and Michael Eysenck - it influenced my choice of studies\n\"The social animal\" by Elliot Aronson - it helped me to understand people a bit better :)\n\"Rich dad, poor dad\" by Robert Kiyosaki - it really helped me in the transition from the corporate world to own business",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it influenced my choice of studies",
          "reason": "Says it influenced their choice of studies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hans Eysenck and Michael Eysenck"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "behavior"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mindwise-00ddcd",
      "title": "Mindwise",
      "author": "Nicholas Epley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21902042,
          "author": "sivers",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T21:56:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902042",
          "commentText": "Since 2007, I've taken detailed notes on every book I've read, then posted them on my site with my top recommendations up top:\nhttps://sivers.org/book\nMy top recommendations here for the Hacker News crowd - with a nudge for the under-rated, are:\nThe Time Paradox - by Philip Zimbardo and John Boyd\nhttps://sivers.org/book/TimeParadox\nProfound idea that everyone has a primary time focus: either Future-focused, Present-focused, or Past-focused. Fascinating implications of each. Because I'm so future-focused, reading this book helped me understand people who are very present-focused. Also great advice on shifting your focus when needed. I read it 7 years ago, but still think about it almost every day.\n--\nMindwise: How We Understand What Others Think, Believe, Feel, and Want - by Nicholas Epley\nhttps://sivers.org/book/Mindwise\nMany new brilliant insights, especially about over-estimating the differences between you and others, thereby separating into us-vs-them tribalism. Scan to the end of my notes, to see. If you know more books like this, please recommend them to me. I adore this subject.\n--\nThe War of Art - by Steven Pressfield\nhttps://sivers.org/book/WarOfArt\nHave you experienced a vision of the person you might become, the work you could accomplish, the realized being you were meant to be? Are you a writer who doesn’t write, a painter who doesn’t paint, an entrepreneur who never starts a venture? Then you know what “Resistance” is. This book is about that. Read it.\n--\nE-Myth Revisited - by Michael Gerber\nhttps://sivers.org/book/EMythRevisited\nAbsolutely everyone who is an entrepreneur or wants to be one needs to read this book. I first read it after 10 years of successfully running my company, and was still blown away and totally humbled by its wisdom. Re-reading it today, I'm amazed how my view of business was completely changed by this one little book. See my notes for examples, but definitely read the book itself to get the real impact.\n--\nThe Courage to Be Disliked - by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga\nhttps://sivers.org/book/Disliked\nWow. A profound little philosophy book from Japan, communicating the psychology of Alfred Adler - a rival of Freud. Told as a conversation between an angry student and a patient teacher. A little book so good that I rushed home from other activites to keep reading it, and finished in a day. A surprisingly fresh perspective on how to live. (The “disliked” part is not the point, so don’t let the title distract you.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mindwise: How We Understand What Others Think, Believe, Feel, and Want - by Nicholas Epley",
          "reason": "Includes it among their top recommendations and praises its insights about how people understand one another.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nicholas Epley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "empathy",
        "social cognition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "minecraft-the-island-14ae54",
      "title": "Minecraft: The Island",
      "author": "Max Brooks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34636319,
          "author": "lancefisher",
          "createdAt": "2023-02-03T02:14:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 34634274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books your kids like most",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34636319",
          "commentText": "My kids really enjoyed Minecraft: The Island by Max Brooks. They already liked Minecraft, and the book was a fun read. For a 4yo, I think anything that you read with him is great. Also, when my kids were about that age, they really liked the Roald Dahl books. Just get the boxed set, because they are all good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My kids really enjoyed Minecraft: The Island by Max Brooks.",
          "reason": "The commenter says their kids enjoyed the book and found it fun to read.",
          "audience": "Children who like Minecraft",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that their kids already liked Minecraft.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Max Brooks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s adventure",
        "minecraft",
        "video game fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mining-the-social-web-24777b",
      "title": "Mining the Social Web",
      "author": "Matthew A. Russell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8795332,
          "author": "autokad",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T03:36:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795332",
          "commentText": "let me know if you guys find better replacements, but this is what I got on my list:\nO'Reilly - Scott Murray - Interactive Data Visualization for the Web\nData Visualization with D3.js Cookbook\nA First Course in Probability\nRails AntiPatterns - Best Practice Ruby on Rails Refactoring\nBayesian Data Analysis Andrew Gelma\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nCode Complete\nBishop - Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning\nO'Reilly Mining The Social Web",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "O'Reilly Mining The Social Web",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthew A. Russell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "social media data",
        "web mining"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "misbehaving-ffae22",
      "title": "Misbehaving",
      "author": "Richard H. Thaler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35170084,
          "author": "Mizoguchi",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T15:44:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35170084",
          "commentText": "Entrepreneurship Negotiation by Dinnar and Susskind covers some of the most fundamental topics anyone wanting to become an entrepreneur must know.\nI also find Richard Thaler work (Nudge, Misbehaving) very helpful particularly if you are in the B2C domain.\nThe Black Swan by Taleb is another book I find myself going back to often; it's been of great help for decision making under lots of uncertainty.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nudge, Misbehaving) very helpful particularly if you are in the B2C domain.",
          "reason": "Found helpful, particularly in a B2C domain.",
          "audience": "People working in B2C.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard H. Thaler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "behavioral economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "misbehaving-the-making-of-behavioral-economics-e6c43a",
      "title": "Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics",
      "author": "Richard H. Thaler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12243867,
          "author": "drited",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-07T21:50:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12243867",
          "commentText": "Misbehaving by Richard Thaler. It's like Thinking, Fast and Slow except more hilarious.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Misbehaving by Richard Thaler. It's like Thinking, Fast and Slow except more hilarious.",
          "reason": "Compared favorably with Thinking, Fast and Slow for its humor.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard H. Thaler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "behavioral economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "misquoting-jesus-363e67",
      "title": "Misquoting Jesus",
      "author": "Bart D. Ehrman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19092022,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-06T01:57:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19092022",
          "commentText": "1. All of Nassim Taleb's Books - They changed the way I thought about tail probabilities and risk taking + bar bell strategies in general\n2. Thinking Fast and Slow - made me think about all of the biases that my mind has that I dont even realize\n3. The organized mind - This book gave me a lot of ideas about how I can change my life to live with less distractions and maybe do thinks more efficently\n4. The Vital Question - Made me realize how lucky we as humans and complex cellular beings are to even exist.\n5. Misquoting Jesus (and all of Ehrman's other books) - Gave me talking points I use against any/all overzealous Christians in my life. The stories of the bible are not remotely close to the stories that where handed down by the people that were with Jesus when he died. Over 100s of years and many errors (and a lot of luck), people decided Jesus was the son of God. Unfortunately for them, the chances of that being true are very very close to zero.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gave me talking points I use against any/all overzealous Christians in my life.",
          "reason": "The commenter uses it for arguments about how biblical stories were transmitted.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Recommended as a source of arguments against overzealous Christians.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bart D. Ehrman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biblical textual criticism",
        "early christianity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "missile-gap-655d1a",
      "title": "Missile Gap",
      "author": "Charlie Stross",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1865977,
          "author": "ctkrohn",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T18:57:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865977",
          "commentText": "Awesome.  I'm a huge fan of Stross.  \"Missile Gap\" was my favorite story in that collection.\n\"Accelerando\" is his best novel by far, IMO.  Check it out if you haven't already.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Missile Gap\" was my favorite story in that collection.",
          "reason": "Calls it their favorite story in the collection.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charlie Stross"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short story"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mistborn-the-final-empire-5f102d",
      "title": "Mistborn: The Final Empire",
      "author": "Brandon Sanderson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39249066,
          "author": "vidyesh",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T10:26:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249066",
          "commentText": "The Remembrance of Earth's Past has been on my list for some time now. Will you be finishing that trilogy?\nActively reading:\n- Mistborn : Final Empire (~90% finished ding)\n- 3rd novella in The Murderbot Diaries\n- Dive into Design Patterns\n- Fullstack D3 and Data Viz\nPassively reading:\n- The Design of everyday things (I don't think I will ever finish this book)\n- Bhagavad-Gita as it is\n- LOTR (mostly a re-read)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Mistborn : Final Empire (~90% finished ding)",
          "reason": "Listed as actively being read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13249383,
          "author": "tavish1",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T11:22:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249383",
          "commentText": "I started reading sci-fi(mostly hard-sf) after I read the commonwealth saga, 'Pandora's star' and 'Judas unchained'. It was just really entertaining and unlike anything I've read. Also really recommend 'Snow crash'. Also adding a couple fantasy recommendations: Lies of Locke lamora, and any basically any novel by Brandon Sanderson (Mistborn: the final empire, Warbreaker, The way of kings etc.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mistborn: the final empire",
          "reason": "Named as an example within the author's recommended novels.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in fantasy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brandon Sanderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "heist fantasy",
        "magic systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mister-god-this-is-anna-28969d",
      "title": "Mister God, This Is Anna",
      "author": "Fynn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 199805,
          "author": "JacobAldridge",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-25T23:37:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 199722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=199805",
          "commentText": "Mister God, This is Anna\nA short book that shows the awesome power in looking at things in a new light (in this case, through the eyes of a child). Not directly religious as the title may seem. Warning: I can't get to the end of Page 1 without crying.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mister God, This is Anna\nA short book that shows the awesome power in looking at things in a new light",
          "reason": "Presents the book as powerful and perspective-shifting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they cannot reach the end of page one without crying; title may seem religious, but they say it is not directly religious.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fynn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "child s perspective"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mitch-rapp-906ecb",
      "title": "Mitch Rapp",
      "author": "Vince Flynn",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49903575,
          "author": "chadd",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T02:15:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49903575",
          "commentText": "I do a lot more reading now while i wait for AI bots, it's much better than scrolling social media, i get a few minutes at a time all day long and it's been a mental game changer.\n* Fun - Vince Fynn's \"Mitch Rapp\" Series - a bit dated, but if you like Tom Clancy it's got a similar vibe.\n* Beautiful/Thought Provoking - Things In Nature Merely Grow, by Yiyun Li",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Vince Fynn's \"Mitch Rapp\" Series",
          "reason": "Recommends the series for fun and compares its feel to Tom Clancy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is a bit dated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vince Flynn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mitch-rapp-series-b31ef9",
      "title": "Mitch Rapp series",
      "author": "Vince Flynn",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10838081,
          "author": "eibrahim",
          "createdAt": "2016-01-04T20:00:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10838081",
          "commentText": "I broke all my records for reading in 2015.  I set off to read 12 books and ended up reading 49.  You can see them at https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/15981902-emad-ibrahim\nThere were some helpful books but a ton of fiction.  I got hooked on Mitch Rapp and Jack Reacher series and couldn't stop :)  Not educational but lots of fun.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I got hooked on Mitch Rapp and Jack Reacher series and couldn't stop :)",
          "reason": "The commenter says they got hooked on the series and couldn't stop.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not educational, but lots of fun.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vince Flynn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political thriller",
        "spy thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "moby-dick-or-the-whale-beed35",
      "title": "Moby-Dick; or, The Whale",
      "author": "Herman Melville",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36432117,
          "author": "telesilla",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T13:47:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36432117",
          "commentText": "I listened to 40 hours of Moby Dick on a series of long road trips and couldn't wait to start each one, just me and Melville for a few hours every day.\nOn a business level, Critical Chain (Goldratt) and the Phoenix Project (Kim, Spafford, Behr) were necessary eye-openers once I got into top management.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I listened to 40 hours of Moby Dick on a series of long road trips",
          "reason": "The commenter looked forward to listening to it during long road trips.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238048,
          "author": "thisisforyou",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T15:53:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238048",
          "commentText": "The Complete Fiction -Lovecraft, H.P.\nPilgrim at Tinker Creek -Dillard, Annie\nThe Fractalist: Memoir of a Scientific Maverick -Mandelbrot, Benoît B.\nAncient Sorceries and Other Weird Stories -Blackwood, Algernon\nFlow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience -Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly\nDeath in Venice -Mann, Thomas\nWhites -Rush, Norman\nThe Room -Selby Jr., Hubert\nBook of Numbers -Cohen, Joshua\nMaggot: Poems -Muldoon, Paul\nThe Peasant in Nineteenth-Century Russia -Vucinich, Wayne S.\nThe Mezzanine -Baker, Nicholson\nThe Museum of Unconditional Surrender -Ugrešić, Dubravka\nWhat Is Life? with Mind and Matter and Autobiographical Sketches -Schrödinger, Erwin\nDictionary of the Khazars -Pavić, Milorad\nHonored Guest -Williams, Joy\nMartyrs and Miracles -Trickey-Bapty, Carolyn\nNoa Noa -Gauguin, Paul\nTheir Eyes Were Watching God -Hurston, Zora Neale\nOrdeal by Hunger: The Story of the Donner Party -Stewart, George R.\nMoby-Dick; or, The Whale -Melville, Herman\nEileen -Moshfegh, Ottessa\nHaute Surveillance -Göransson, Johannes\nMazes and Labyrinths: Their History and Development -Matthews, W.H.\nA Higher Form of Killing: The Secret History of Chemical and Biological Warfare -Harris, Robert\nOur Lady of the Flowers -Genet, Jean\n*The House of the Dead -Dostoyevsky, Fyodor\nCurrent: \nBlack Swan, Nassim Taleb",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Moby-Dick; or, The Whale -Melville, Herman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109182,
          "author": "ExceptionRaised",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:29:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109182",
          "commentText": "Moby Dick. It's great so far, with wonderfully diverse, dense writing. For some reason I have trouble reading anything but the so-called \"literary classics\". Perhaps it's the fact that there are so many I could quite literally never read them all in my lifetime, so why waste time with anything else? I understand that's a somewhat flawed argument (\"classics\" are somewhat subjective), but I cannot bring myself to read much else.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's great so far, with wonderfully diverse, dense writing.",
          "reason": "Enjoys the book so far, especially its diverse, dense writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have trouble reading anything but literary classics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Herman Melville"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american literature",
        "literary classic",
        "maritime fiction",
        "sea adventure"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "moby-duck-the-true-story-of-28-800-bath-toys-lost-at-sea-fb3484",
      "title": "Moby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 Bath Toys Lost at Sea",
      "author": "Donovan Hohn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donovan Hohn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ocean currents",
        "plastic pollution"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mockingjay-e2ccac",
      "title": "Mockingjay",
      "author": "Suzanne Collins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3643803,
          "author": "Tcepsa",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-28T16:52:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 3643009,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-technical book you've read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3643803",
          "commentText": "\"The Hunger Games\" and \"Catching Fire\" by Suzanne Collins.  Am now waiting my turn for the library's copy of \"Mockingjay\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "waiting my turn for the library's copy of \"Mockingjay\"",
          "reason": "Mentions waiting for the next book after naming the first two in response to a book request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is waiting to borrow it from the library.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1866506,
          "author": "lylejohnson",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T21:01:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1866506",
          "commentText": "My wife and I are reading Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins.\nI am also reading The Brothers Karamazov on my Kindle. I kept seeing so many references to it in other things I was reading and I took that as a sign.\nAlso just started reading Being Geek by Michael Lopp (of the \"Rands in Repose\" blog). O'Reilly had the ebook on sale the other day and I couldn't pass it up!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "My wife and I are reading Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Suzanne Collins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopia",
        "dystopian fiction",
        "young adult"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "modelling-fixed-income-securities-and-interest-rate-options-ad1720",
      "title": "Modelling Fixed Income Securities and Interest Rate Options",
      "author": "Robert Jarrow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3178313,
          "author": "veyron",
          "createdAt": "2011-10-31T17:55:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 3177815,
          "threadTitle": "Good books for hackers interested in quant finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3178313",
          "commentText": "You need to be a little more specific regarding your interests and background.  If you are interested in theory, there are plenty of books discussing specific models.  However, most practical or buzzword (e.g. HFT) books are rubbish (think about it: if you have a profitable operation, why would you write a book?  Unless, like me, you have a screw loose :P )\nIf you want some practical discussions, \"Trading and Exchanges\" by Larry Harris is a bit dated, but nothing comes close.  Most of the descriptions are still valid today (even if some of the mechanics have changed)\nIf you want something more along the lines of what a financial engineer would know:\n- \"Options, Futures, and other Derivatives\" by John Hull (goes over basic models without delving too deeply into theoretical math aspects)\n- \"Stochastic Calculus for Finance II\" by Steve Shreve (goes over the basic stuff but has enough stats to keep a grad student happy)\n- \"Monte Carlo Methods in Financial Engineering\" by Paul Glasserman (much more practical, and goes over subtleties of monte carlo simulation and other stuff like low discrepancy sampling)\n- \"Modelling Fixed Income Securities and Interest Rate Options\" by Robert Jarrow (walks through how to perform certain simulations, covers lots of little details most theoretical books skip)\nIf you want something more theoretical:\n- \"Introduction to Stochastic Calculus Applied to Finance\" by Lamberton and Lapeyre (Nice little intro)\n- \"Arbitrage Theory in Continuous Time\" by Tomas Bjork (Slower discussion, larger breadth)\n- \"Brownian Motion and Stochastic Calculus\" and \"Methods of Mathematical Finance\" by Karatzas and Shreve (Solid theoretical foundation, for the more mathematically inclined)\nThere was a good non-measure theoretic discussion of financial models but the name escapes me ATM.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "covers lots of little details most theoretical books skip",
          "reason": "Listed for financial engineering, with practical simulation guidance and details often omitted by theoretical books.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in financial engineering and simulation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Jarrow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fixed income",
        "interest rate options",
        "quantitative finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "models-52bb95",
      "title": "Models",
      "author": "Mark Manson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14478905,
          "author": "smaddox",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T22:46:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478905",
          "commentText": "Non-Fiction:\n\"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" by Dale Carnegie, because it changed my understanding of people for the better.\n\"Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\" by Richard Feynman, because it gave me a model for how to enjoy life.\n\"Models\" by Mark Manson, because it helped shape my understanding of heterosexual relationships.\n\"An Introduction to General Systems Thinking\" by Gerald Weinberg, because it illuminates the general laws underlying all systems.\nFiction:\n\"Stranger in a Strange Land\" by Robert A Heinlein, because it showed me a philosophy and \"spirituality\", for lack of a better word, that I could agree with.\n\"The Fountainhead\" and \"Atlas Shrugged\" by Ayn Rand, because they showed me how human systems break, and they provided human models for how to see and live in, through, and past those broken systems.\n\"Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\" by Eliezer Yudkowsky, because it set the bar (high) for all future fiction, especially when it comes to the insightful portrayal of the struggle between good and evil.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Models\" by Mark Manson, because it helped shape my understanding of heterosexual relationships.",
          "reason": "It helped shape the commenter's understanding of heterosexual relationships.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Manson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dating",
        "relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "models-behaving-badly-f02cba",
      "title": "Models Behaving Badly",
      "author": "Emanuel Derman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18755056,
          "author": "madrafi",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-25T00:21:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18755056",
          "commentText": "- Rationality From AI to Zombies (huge collection of essays about (rationality,intelligence,quantum physics,bayesian probability,philosophy...) that can be read on lesswrong.com)\n-Intuition Pumps and other Thinking Tools\n-Sapiens\n-Edward.O Wilson Letters to a young scientist\n-Cédric Villani Birth of a Theorem\n-Emanuel Derman Models Behaving Badly\n-Letters From A Stoic by Seneca\n-Mathematics it's contents methods 3 Volumes (Aleksandrov et al.)\n-Nick Bostrom Superinteligence\n-The Moral Animal by Robert Wright",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Emanuel Derman Models Behaving Badly",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite nonfiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Emanuel Derman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial models"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "models-of-my-life-0dc04d",
      "title": "Models of My Life",
      "author": "Herbert A. Simon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25319676,
          "author": "cafard",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-06T00:10:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319676",
          "commentText": "Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana is about a way of life long gone, but it is well worth reading. As for the more recent merchant marine, Christopher Buckley's Steaming to Bamboola is very funny, and I suppose fairly accurate. For forest rangers, Norman Maclean's novella \"USFS 1919\", collected in A River Runs Through It, gives a picture of how it was then.\nAugust Fruge, longtime director of the University of California Press, wrote an excellent memoir, A Skeptic Among Scholars. There are many academic novels and memoirs, but I think very well of Alvin Kernan's In Plato's Cave. Also there is Herbert Simon's Models of My Life, which touches on academia and computing.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Herbert Simon's Models of My Life, which touches on academia and computing.",
          "reason": "Named as a memoir touching on academia and computing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3277713,
          "author": "sayemm",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T18:04:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3277713",
          "commentText": "- \"Models of My Life\" by Herbert A. Simon\n- \"Poor Charlie's Almanack\" by Charlie Munger",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- \"Models of My Life\" by Herbert A. Simon",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books about mental models and cognition.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Herbert A. Simon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Computing",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "academic life",
        "cognitive science",
        "computing history",
        "decision making"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "modern-c-for-absolute-beginners-405f6d",
      "title": "Modern C for Absolute Beginners",
      "author": "Slobodan Dmitrović",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33148316,
          "author": "cyrc",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-10T06:10:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33148316",
          "commentText": "Have a look at Modern C for Absolute Beginners by Slobodan Dmitrović\nhttps://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-1-4842-6643-4",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Have a look at Modern C for Absolute Beginners by Slobodan Dmitrović",
          "reason": "Suggested as a book to learn C.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Slobodan Dmitrović"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "modern-c-programming-with-test-driven-development-041b2e",
      "title": "Modern C++ Programming with Test-Driven Development",
      "author": "Jeff Langr",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13409677,
          "author": "elcct",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T12:55:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13409677",
          "commentText": "Modern C++ Programming with Test-Driven Development\nhttps://pragprog.com/book/lotdd/modern-c-programming-with-te... (https://pragprog.com/book/lotdd/modern-c-programming-with-test-driven-development)\nAwesome even if you don't want to do any C++",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Modern C++ Programming with Test-Driven Development\nhttps://pragprog.com/book/lotdd/modern-c-programming-with-te...\nAwesome even if you don't want to do any C++",
          "reason": "Called awesome, including for readers who do not want to program in C++.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in test-driven development, even if they do not use C++.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeff Langr"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c",
        "test driven development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "modern-compiler-implementation-in-standard-ml-0ee900",
      "title": "Modern Compiler Implementation in Standard ML",
      "author": "Andrew W. Appel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2414701,
          "author": "Tinned_Tuna",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T11:41:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414701",
          "commentText": "I can't remember who said it, but\n\"If you can write a compiler, you can write any program.\"\nHence, I'd get compiler books. Modern Compiler Implementation in Standard ML, SICP has a couple of sections on compilation, there's a computational theory book that I don't have on hand which would be useful to this end too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hence, I'd get compiler books. Modern Compiler Implementation in Standard ML",
          "reason": "Suggests getting compiler books and names this title as an example.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew W. Appel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "compiler construction",
        "standard ml"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "modern-compiler-implementation-using-ml-f77cb3",
      "title": "Modern Compiler Implementation using ML",
      "author": "Andrew Appel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22304004,
          "author": "truncate",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-11T23:14:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22304004",
          "commentText": "On similar topic, back in school we followed \"Modern Compiler Implementation using ML\" by Andrew Appel. Pretty good book, which teaches good amount of theory, but also has a project where you implement pieces of compiler as you progress through the book. Its fairly challenging, as you will generate assembly (MIPS) instead of just interpreting and apply various optimizations (and register allocation) in the end.\nIts not exactly from scratch as there is some boilerplate code to keep you focused on concepts. It was quite fun, except I didn't really like working with SML (OCaml would have been nicer IMO, and I think you can choose to use that by finding the ported boilerplate on Github). Also has C and Java versions of this book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "back in school we followed \"Modern Compiler Implementation using ML\" by Andrew Appel.",
          "reason": "A compiler implementation project accompanies the theory.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Fairly challenging; the commenter found working with SML unpleasant and mentions OCaml as a possible alternative.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew Appel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "compiler construction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "modern-operating-systems-af6bb0",
      "title": "Modern Operating Systems",
      "author": "Andrew S. Tanenbaum and Herbert Bos",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21316467,
          "author": "webreac",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T19:48:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21316467",
          "commentText": "I agree with you, but Tanenbaum's is more fundamental in the sense that it inspired Linus to create Linux.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tanenbaum's is more fundamental in the sense that it inspired Linus to create Linux.",
          "reason": "Argues that Tanenbaum's book is fundamental, citing its influence on Linux.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew S. Tanenbaum and Herbert Bos"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "operating systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "modern-painters-c63923",
      "title": "Modern Painters",
      "author": "John Ruskin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20917271,
          "author": "RobertKerans",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T11:53:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20917271",
          "commentText": "Traffic by Ruskin I reread quite a lot. For background, it's a lecture he gave when invited to speak, as the eminent architectural critic of the day, to dignitaries on the opening of a new exchange building. Was expected to talk about the architecture, but he talked about capitalism instead\n> You shall have thousands of gold pieces; - thousands of thousands - millions - mountains of gold: where will you keep them?\nMore technical, but I constantly use Ruskin's Modern Painters as art reference. Each volume has detailed chapelters on natural forms (trees, mountains, etc). The attempts at geometric drawings of the structures of cloud patterns are particularly beautiful imo. He's a phenomenal writer, anyway.\nMentioned by others elsewhere in the comments, but Candide and The Count of Monte Cristo are possibly my two favourite books. The first one feels incredibly modern, which is quite impressive given that it's basically the first European novel. Second one I've always thought is like an exceptionally good airport novel (and the sci-fi version is also one of my favourite books, and one of the best sci-fi novels ever written). Very difficult to put down.\nAlso, anything by Swift, Hazlitt, Twain I can read and reread endlessly. I read a lot of opder stuff, but I've noticed I'm often quite quick to discard it if it doesn't scan as contemporary writing -- those three I find in particular have quite modern styles",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I constantly use Ruskin's Modern Painters as art reference.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they regularly use it as an art reference and praises its detailed descriptions.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an art reference, especially on natural forms.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as more technical.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Ruskin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "art criticism",
        "landscape painting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "modern-perl-3df70e",
      "title": "Modern Perl",
      "author": " chromatic",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8125575,
          "author": "txutxu",
          "createdAt": "2014-08-02T18:37:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 8125375,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I save for offline reading during 5 weeks without Internet?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8125575",
          "commentText": "Why read/watch?\nI mean... maybe you can enjoy coding offline ?\nYou can git clone many things... the linux kernel, the openbsd source tree, the bootstrap project, whatever you love. And then hack on it !\nOn my external HDD, I use to bring with me a Debian mirror and a CPAN mirror, so I can hack offline (building system scripts, etc).\nOn the other side, if you want to take a rest of coding, there are free publications and podcasts for many knowledge topics, I think a search engine will drive you to some ebooks in the areas of your personal interest. Just two suggestions if you want to explore them:\n\"modern perl\" (http://onyxneon.com/books/modern_perl/)\n\"Higher-Order Perl\" (http://hop.perl.plover.com)\nFirst one is refreshing if you think \"perl is perl4 of 1990\", second one is an enlightening experience whatever programming language you like (even if not Perl).\nBut don't discard to make a git clone of your favourite project, tool, etc and pass the time \"reading\" source code (and even touching it!!). Enjoy in Africa!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"modern perl\"",
          "reason": "Offered as a suggestion for exploring programming topics offline; called refreshing for readers with an outdated view of Perl.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Perl or updating their understanding of it.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        " chromatic"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "perl",
        "programming languages"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "modern-perl-0e2042",
      "title": "Modern Perl",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10183463,
          "author": "bwigfield",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-07T23:26:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10183463",
          "commentText": "Modern Perl - http://modernperlbooks.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Modern Perl",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "perl"
      ],
      "purposes": []
    },
    {
      "id": "modern-physics-5a68ed",
      "title": "Modern Physics",
      "author": "Kenneth S. Krane",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46478252,
          "author": "senorcrab",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-03T16:09:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 46473352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Expository/Succinct Books on Modern Physics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46478252",
          "commentText": "Freshman university textbooks have what you need. Two of the most popular are:\n- University Physics by Young and Freedman\n- Fundamentals of Physics by Halliday, Resnick, Walker\n- Modern Physics by Krane\nYou might guess that real physics is not actually in freshman textbooks, and you are right. Modern physics requires rigorous mathematics.\nFor a nonrigorous introduction/overview:\n- The Road to Reality by Roger Penrose\nIf you want to actually learn almost all of physics at a high level:\n- Course of Theoretical Physics by Landau\nNote that Landau is extremely difficult.\nIf you want to learn the math needed for modern physics (topology) in the context of physics, nonrigorously:\n- Geometry, Topology, and Physics by Nakahara",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Modern Physics by Krane",
          "reason": "Listed among popular freshman university textbooks relevant to the request.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking introductory physics textbooks.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kenneth S. Krane"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "physics textbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "modern-physics-d69ea8",
      "title": "Modern Physics",
      "author": "Paul A. Tipler and Ralph A. Llewellyn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46478958,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-03T17:05:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 46473352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Expository/Succinct Books on Modern Physics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46478958",
          "commentText": "The Felder & Felder book looks really good and doesn't seem as mathematical as Walecka i.e. more expository. Looking at the ToC/Sample the chapters have a good progression and are nicely setup.\nThe print copy however seems prohibitively expensive :-(",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Felder & Felder book looks really good and doesn't seem as mathematical as Walecka i.e. more expository.",
          "reason": "The commenter favors its expository style and progression.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The print copy seems prohibitively expensive.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul A. Tipler",
        "Ralph A. Llewellyn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "modern physics",
        "physics textbooks"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "modern-physics-3731fb",
      "title": "Modern Physics",
      "author": "Paul Tipler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14138596,
          "author": "wikiwatchme",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T13:26:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14138596",
          "commentText": "Modern Physics by Paul Tipler and the Feynman lectures by Richard Feynman.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Modern Physics by Paul Tipler",
          "reason": "Named as a candidate for the field’s bible.",
          "audience": "Readers studying modern physics",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Tipler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "modern physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "modern-quantum-mechanics-d581b3",
      "title": "Modern Quantum Mechanics",
      "author": "J. J. Sakurai",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14170964,
          "author": "ice109",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-22T03:25:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14170964",
          "commentText": "gravitation by wheeler misner thorne, qm by sakurai, mechanics by goldstein, e&m by jackson, qft by peskin and shroeder, etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "qm by sakurai",
          "reason": "Named as one of the field's bible-like books in response to the request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. J. Sakurai"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "quantum mechanics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "modern-romance-c77a8f",
      "title": "Modern Romance",
      "author": "Aziz Ansari and Eric Klinenberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10175587,
          "author": "jmduke",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:28:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175587",
          "commentText": "I just finished up Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari -- which, while not groundbreaking, was supremely interesting and readable.  If you like Aziz's standup, it's basically him playing sociologist for 200 pages.\nRight now I'm going back and forth between Black Hat Python (because I owe it to myself to at least learn a little bit of this stuff) and What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Carver.  Two totally separate ends of the spectrum, but they're both great.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "while not groundbreaking, was supremely interesting and readable",
          "reason": "The commenter found it very interesting and readable, while noting it was not groundbreaking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not groundbreaking, according to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Aziz Ansari and Eric Klinenberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dating",
        "relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "modern-times-the-world-from-the-twenties-to-the-nineties-b56c97",
      "title": "Modern Times: The World from the Twenties to the Nineties",
      "author": "Paul Johnson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14747047,
          "author": "jboggan",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T19:08:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14747047",
          "commentText": "\"Modern Times\" and \"The Birth of the Modern\" by Paul Johnson which cover world history from 1919-1989 and 1815-1830 respectively. Amazing histories written in a breadth and exploratory depth that illuminate so much of the past and make the present more understandable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Modern Times\" and \"The Birth of the Modern\" by Paul Johnson",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of histories praised for illuminating the past and making the present more understandable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Johnson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "20th century history",
        "modern history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "modern-warfare-a-french-view-of-counterinsurgency-b0039a",
      "title": "Modern Warfare: A French View of Counterinsurgency",
      "author": "Roger Trinquier",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 457208,
          "author": "newt0311",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T21:59:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=457208",
          "commentText": "To those, I would add this:\nMODERN WARFARE\nA French View of Counterinsurgency\nby\nRoger Trinquier",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "MODERN WARFARE\nA French View of Counterinsurgency\nby\nRoger Trinquier",
          "reason": "Adds the title to the books being recommended in the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roger Trinquier"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "counterinsurgency",
        "military strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mojo-how-to-get-it-how-to-keep-it-how-to-get-it-back-if-you-lose--788e8f",
      "title": "Mojo: How to Get It, How to Keep It, How to Get It Back If You Lose It",
      "author": "Marshall Goldsmith and Mark Reiter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10787209,
          "author": "theologic",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T05:16:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787209",
          "commentText": "Got a new job in May so slowed me down, but got through around 8 this year.\nI'm a Lencioni fan:\nDeath by Meeting --  Describes 3 types of meetings\nGetting Naked -- Describes how to consult\nI'm also a Marshall Goldsmith fan:\nWhat Got You Here Won't Get You There -  Once you get beyond a Director level with some mistakes, read this book\nMojo, How to Get It, How To Keep It - Another \"look yourself in the mirror\" book\nAlso:\n21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership  - John Maxwell. A little prod to act more like a leader.\nReady Player One -- Ernest Cline, Great Young Adult Book.  Escapist fantasy.\nEvery Shot Counts -- Mark Broady, Statistical Look At Golf, but has some smell of Kahnemann\nTo Kill A Mockingbird -- Timeless Classic I Never Got To.  Loved Atticus.  I won't read a Watchman if it spoils my view of what Atticus was all about.\nStarted But Not Finished:\nBusiness Dynamics Thinking -- Sterman (out of MIT). I need to take off work to read this 'cause it is so massive.  Basically it is control theory applied to business modelling.  However, I am convinced if somebody can apply these models, it really is the best competitive advantage.  However, too people willing to stick with it.\nHow to Measure Anything -- Douglas Hubbard.  Sort of makes me mad because it is so commonsense, yet most businesses don't apply this commonsense approach.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Mojo, How to Get It, How To Keep It - Another \"look yourself in the mirror\" book",
          "reason": "Characterized as a book that prompts self-reflection.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marshall Goldsmith and Mark Reiter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "motivation",
        "self reflection"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mojo-how-to-get-it-how-to-keep-it-how-to-get-it-back-if-you-lose--65d8b0",
      "title": "Mojo: How to Get It, How to Keep It, How to Get It Back if You Lose It",
      "author": "Marshall Goldsmith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5333012,
          "author": "o4tuna",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-06T18:54:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 5323956,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: which are some good self-help books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5333012",
          "commentText": "How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World\nby Harry Browne\nThe Power of TED (The Empowerment Dynamic)\nby David Emerald\nLoving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life\nby Byron Katie\nGet Out of Your Own Way: Overcoming Self-Defeating Behavior\nby Mark Goulston and Philip Goldberg\nFeeling Good: The New Mood Therapy\nby David Burns\nMojo: How to Get It, How to Keep It, How to Get It Back if you Lose It\nby Marshall Goldsmith\nThe New Manual 2.0\nby Tripp Lanier\nthenewmanual.com",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mojo: How to Get It, How to Keep It, How to Get It Back if you Lose It\nby Marshall Goldsmith",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marshall Goldsmith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "motivation",
        "personal effectiveness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "molly-fyde-series-0bd89a",
      "title": "Molly Fyde series",
      "author": "Hugh Howey",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4597567,
          "author": "joelhooks",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-01T15:36:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 4596721,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4597567",
          "commentText": "Molly Fyde series from Hugh Howey. Loved his WOOL books, so giving this series a go. Like it a lot.\nMindstorms: Children, Computers, And Powerful Ideas - just started this, and enjoying it so far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Molly Fyde series from Hugh Howey. Loved his WOOL books, so giving this series a go. Like it a lot.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they like the series a lot.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hugh Howey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "molly-s-game-4484bc",
      "title": "Molly's Game",
      "author": "Molly Bloom",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15630284,
          "author": "stevenj",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:04:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630284",
          "commentText": "SURELY YOU'RE JOKING MR. FEYNMAN BY RICHARD FEYNMAN\n-I loved this book for its humor, everyday practicality, how relatable it felt even without having a background in physics or knowledge about the pranks and experiments he conducted. As well as the book being well-written in the sense that it reads as if you're sitting on the couch with him as he's telling you stories about his life, all with a child-like sense of wonder and enthusiasm about the world.\nTHE $12 MILLION STUFFED SHARK BY DON THOMPSON\n-I'm interested in the high-finance and fine-art worlds and this book discussed how they both go together - money and art - in an informative, quick-paced way.\nTHE BUY SIDE BY TURNEY DUFF\n-For its humor, honesty, and how well written it was in terms of it being a page turner while also providing you with an insightful account about the high-finance industry.\nMOLLY'S GAME BY MOLLY BLOOM\n-It was an entertaining, quick-paced read about the private, high-stakes poker industry with an assortment of participants.\nMONEYBALL, LIAR'S POKER & THE BIG SHORT BY MICHAEL LEWIS\n-I thought they were all entertaining reads, while also being insightful about their respective subjects.\nSTEVE JOBS BY WALTER ISAACSON\n-It was an illuminating read to me.\n- - -\nSeparately, these books are on my list to read if anyone has opinions about them:\n-Ghost in the Wires by Kevin \nMitnick\n-Principles by Ray Dalio\n-A Man For All Markets by Edward Thorp",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It was an entertaining, quick-paced read about the private, high-stakes poker industry",
          "reason": "Calls it entertaining and quick-paced, with insight into high-stakes poker.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in poker and high-stakes private games.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Molly Bloom"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "poker"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "momo-961db2",
      "title": "Momo",
      "author": "Michael Ende",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8110192,
          "author": "sogen",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T18:49:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8110192",
          "commentText": "* Anything by Cortázar.\n* Trainspotting,\n* Fight Club\n* Anything by Carl Sagan, specially Contact\n* Lord of the Rings\n* The Hobbit\n* And finally:\nAnything by Michael Ende:\nThe Neverending Story,\nMomo (one of my faves).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Momo (one of my faves).",
          "reason": "Calls it one of their favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Ende"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "german literature",
        "time fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "monadology-0373db",
      "title": "Monadology",
      "author": "Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19090108,
          "author": "nathias",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T21:39:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090108",
          "commentText": "Plato - Meno, Symposium, Parmenides, Gorgias, Protagoras\nPlotinus -Enneads\nMarkus Aurelius - Meditations\nDescartes - On method\nDescartes - Meditations\nSpinoza - On the improvement of Understanding\nLeibniz - Monadology\nLeibniz - Grace\nVoltaire - Candid\nDiderot - D'Alembert's Dream\nKant - How to orient oneself in thinking\nKant - Critique of Pure Reason\nKant - Critique of Judgment\nHegel - Phenomenology of Spirit\nHegel - Logic\nvon Kleist - Marionette Theatre\nKierkegaard - The Sickness Unto Death\nHeidegger - Being and Time\nSartre - Being and Nothingness\nSartre - Flies\nSartre - Nausea\nDeleuze - Difference and Repetition\nKafka - Metamorphosis\nKafka - The Castle\nLem - Magellan Nebula\nLem - His Master's Voice\nCioran - A Short History of Decay\nPessoa - Book Of Despair\nWolfe -  New Sun tetralogy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Leibniz - Monadology",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "metaphysics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "monash-the-outsider-who-won-a-war-8f00b2",
      "title": "Monash: The Outsider Who Won a War",
      "author": "Roland Perry",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 203021,
          "author": "astrec",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T05:26:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=203021",
          "commentText": "Monash: The outsider who won a war. - Roland Perry.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Monash: The outsider who won a war. - Roland Perry.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roland Perry"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "john monash",
        "military history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "monday-begins-on-saturday-812965",
      "title": "Monday Begins on Saturday",
      "author": "Arkady and Boris Strugatsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17383165,
          "author": "Thersites",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T20:08:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17383165",
          "commentText": "Agreed. Monday Begins on Saturday is amazing - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monday_Begins_on_Saturday",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Agreed. Monday Begins on Saturday is amazing",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the novel amazing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arkady Strugatsky",
        "Boris Strugatsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "satire",
        "soviet science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "monday-starts-on-saturday-f6934c",
      "title": "Monday Starts on Saturday",
      "author": "Arkady and Boris Strugatsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 140402,
          "author": "seregine",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T01:07:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140402",
          "commentText": "Monday Starts on Saturday (by the Strugatskii brothers)\nA programmer on a road trip through Siberia picks up two hitchhikers, who recruit him for the ideal job: to take over the computation center at the research institute of enchantment and applied magic. Fantasy sets the mood, but the book is really about people who love what they do because it's challenging and meaningful and fun.\nOne of my unfinished projects is translating it to English.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the book is really about people who love what they do because it's challenging and meaningful and fun.",
          "reason": "Presents the book as an engaging story about finding meaning and enjoyment in challenging work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have an unfinished project translating it into English.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arkady Strugatsky",
        "Boris Strugatsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "meaningful work",
        "research institute",
        "soviet science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "monetizing-innovation-b286f9",
      "title": "Monetizing Innovation",
      "author": "Madhavan Ramanujam, Georg Tacke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25210873,
          "author": "r_singh",
          "createdAt": "2020-11-25T16:23:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 25207732,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Suggest good books on bootstrapping a startup",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25210873",
          "commentText": "This is Marketing, Traction, Monetising Innovation, check this small but great post out too: https://www.indiehackers.com/post/selling-before-you-build-f... (https://www.indiehackers.com/post/selling-before-you-build-from-a-sales-professional-cd9432a176)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Monetising Innovation",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Madhavan Ramanujam",
        "Georg Tacke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "monetization",
        "product strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "monetizing-innovation-ee907b",
      "title": "Monetizing Innovation",
      "author": "Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujam",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Georg Tacke",
        "Madhavan Ramanujam"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "pricing",
        "product development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "money-in-the-modern-economy-an-introduction-e3b2c5",
      "title": "Money in the Modern Economy: An Introduction",
      "author": "Bank of England",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22864766,
          "author": "mempko",
          "createdAt": "2020-04-14T11:44:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 22861452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading to make sense of the economy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22864766",
          "commentText": "This website from Ray Dalio is excellent. https://economicprinciples.org/\nRead Debt the first 5000 years from David Graeber.\nRead Money in the Modern Economy from the Bank of England. https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.bankofengland.co.uk... (https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/quarterly-bulletin/2014/q1/money-in-the-modern-economy-an-introduction&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwjd46nn6ufoAhUHvJ4KHSo-BjMQFjAAegQIChAB&usg=AOvVaw3dYvxxGs_C7rcXWYBjP3Cp)\nWhy these? You have to understand money and credit. Economics ignores money and credit which would be like physics ignoring atoms and gravity.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read Money in the Modern Economy from the Bank of England.",
          "reason": "Recommended for understanding money and credit.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bank of England"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "monetary economics",
        "money and credit"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "money-the-true-story-of-a-made-up-thing-2628bf",
      "title": "Money: The True Story of a Made-Up Thing",
      "author": "Jacob Goldstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42220961,
          "author": "throw0101d",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T14:13:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42220961",
          "commentText": "If I had to pick one: The rise and fall of American growth: the U.S. standard of living since the Civil War by Robert Gordon. The gains that we have made in the (early) 20th century are unlikely to ever be repeated, and progress in many metrics has measurably slowed or even stalled since ~1970s (likely being asymptotic). And while the Internet (classified under the Information, Communication, Technology (ICT) chapters) gave a bump in the 1990s, it's mostly been flat since 2004.\nMore economic history with Slouching towards Utopia: an economic history of the twentieth century by J. Bradford Delong. More economic ideas stuff in Value(s): building a better world for all by Mark Carney (ran the Banks of Canada and England). Also Waphsott's Keynes Hayek: the clash that defined modern economics and Samuelson Friedman: the battle over the free market.\nThe currency of politics: the political theory of money from Aristotle to Keynes by Sefan Eich, Money: the true story of a made-up thing by Jacob Goldstein, and The power of gold: the history of an obsession by Peter Bernstein (also his Against the Gods on risk). Show how much of a human construct \"money\" is, how its meaning changes in different times and places/cultures. Should be required reading by all the 'hard money' folks (gold standard, BTC).\nThe good life: lessons from the world's longest scientific study of happiness by Waldinger and Schultz (directors of the Harvard study). If there's one 'magic' thing for health and happiness it seems to be having good relationships (family, friends) in your life.\nReligion: what it is, how it works, and why it matters by Christian Smith and Strange rites: new religions for a godless world by Tara Burton. While many think that religion is in decline, the non-material/supernatural things that people believe in has actually shifted. And having beliefs in a super-human entity seems to be the basis of most societies and civilizations. Related, The warfare between science and religion : the idea that wouldn't die, a series of essays; the conflict thesis bunk, both historically and presently.\nThe origins of Canadian and American political differences by Jason Kaufman, two seemingly-the-same neighbouring countries that have had different development paths when it comes to culture and government. (I'm Canadian.)\nSpeaking of government: Civil resistance: what everyone needs to know by Erica Chenoweth. Seems violence/force is generally a less effective way to affect change in society than non-violence.\nThe week: a history of the unnatural rhythms that made us who we are by David Henkin. Seems that while seven days has been around for a long while, making it a really 'hard' structure/schedule around it is a more recent phenomenon than you'd expect.\nIf you have kids, Karen Le Billon's French kids eat everything (and yours can, too) and Getting to YUM: the 7 secrets of raising eager eaters, her husband is French and she lived there for a year and found many things done better there than US/CA. See also The happiest kids in the world: how Dutch parents help their kids and themselves by doing less by Acosta and Hutchison.\nFlying blind: the 737 MAX tragedy and the fall of Boeing by Peter Robison is an HN favourite. While we get a lot of engineer vs MBA comments, I think the bigger problem (associated with the MBA-types) is financialization, i.e., returns over everything else. Having non-engineers/MBAs can be 'fine' also long as trying to squeeze blood/money from a stone at the cost of everything else.\nSome philosophy with Alasdair C. MacIntyre: After Virtue is a good starting point. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/After_Virtue",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Money: the true story of a made-up thing by Jacob Goldstein",
          "reason": "Groups it with books explaining how money's meaning changes across times and cultures.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in money and its history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jacob Goldstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "monetary history",
        "money"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "money-whence-it-came-where-it-went-489be9",
      "title": "Money: Whence it Came, Where it Went",
      "author": "John Kenneth Galbraith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1465197,
          "author": "rwl",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T08:13:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1465197",
          "commentText": "I learned a heck of a lot from reading John Kenneth Galbraith's books.  In particular, The Affluent Society,\nThe New Industrial State, and Money: Whence it Came, Where it Went",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Money: Whence it Came, Where it Went",
          "reason": "Included among the Galbraith books the commenter says taught them a lot.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Kenneth Galbraith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of money",
        "monetary history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "monster-c6f401",
      "title": "Monster",
      "author": "Naoki Urasawa",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22722798,
          "author": "Cyph0n",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T21:14:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22722798",
          "commentText": "Monster is magnificent. It’s a psychological thriller set in pre-unification Germany that tells the story of how a talented Japanese neurosurgeon deals with the repercussions of saving one human life over another. It’s a study of morality, human nature, and the origin of evil.\nThe anime is a bit dated now, but still holds up. Planning to rewatch it soon!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Monster is magnificent.",
          "reason": "Calls the story magnificent and describes its plot and themes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says the anime is a bit dated, while still holding up.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Naoki Urasawa"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "manga",
        "morality",
        "psychological thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "monster-manual-16d85b",
      "title": "Monster Manual",
      "author": "Gary Gygax and coauthors",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13804180,
          "author": "metaphorm",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:19:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804180",
          "commentText": "- The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin\n- Blindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts\n- The Tao Te Ching\n- The Gateless Gate (Koun Yamada translation/editing)\n- The Baroque Cycle (Quicksilver, The Confusion, The System of the World) by Neal Stephenson\n- The Invisibles by Grant Morrison\n- Incerto (Fooled by Randomness, The Black Swan, Antifragile, The Bed of Procrustes) by Nassim Nicholas Taleb\n- Iron John by Robert Bly\n- Catch 22 by Joseph Heller\n- The Character of Physical Law by Richard P. Feynman\n- Collected Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges\n- 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez\n- Pharmakon by Dale Pendell\n- The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss\n- Greek Mythology by Edith Hamilton\n- The Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual by Gary Gygax et al\n- Introduction to Algorithms by Charles E. Leiserson, Clifford Stein, Ronald Rivest, and Thomas H. Cormen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual by Gary Gygax et al",
          "reason": "Included in a list answering which books changed the commenter’s thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "One of three named Dungeons & Dragons rulebooks.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gary Gygax and coauthors"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dungeons dragons",
        "tabletop role playing games"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "monsters-and-magical-sticks-there-s-no-such-thing-as-hypnosis-aaf0cc",
      "title": "Monsters and Magical Sticks: There's No Such Thing as Hypnosis?",
      "author": "Steven Heller",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27638943,
          "author": "carapace",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T03:52:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27638943",
          "commentText": "\"Book of the Subgenius\" (various authors) but I don't recommend it.  It's not for everyone.\nLearn (self-)hypnosis.  \"TRANCE-formations\" by Bandler and Grinder (and Bandler's other books as well) and \"Monsters and Magical Sticks: There's No Such Thing as Hypnosis?\" by Steven Heller.\nRobert Anton Wilson's books are pretty good too.  Also \"Angel Tech: A Modern Shaman's Guide to Reality Selection\" by Antero Alli.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Monsters and Magical Sticks: There's No Such Thing as Hypnosis?\" by Steven Heller",
          "reason": "Listed in support of learning self-hypnosis.",
          "audience": "People interested in learning self-hypnosis.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Heller"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hypnosis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "monstrous-regiment-421e52",
      "title": "Monstrous Regiment",
      "author": "Terry Pratchett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18675016,
          "author": "fdw",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-13T19:02:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18675016",
          "commentText": "> The Color of Magic - Terry Pratchett (Kinda interesting, but rather odd)\nThis is the first book on Pratchett's Discworld. It definitely has a different tone than his later works. If you've not totally annoyed by it, or if you'd like to read fantasy which strongly mirrors our world, with a dry and playful humour, I'd recommend reading some later ones. They are quite independent of one another, so that you don't have to read them in order (although there's several sets with the same protagonists).\nPersonally, I'd always recommend Going Postal, maybe Night Watch (a bit of back story could help but is not necessary), or Monstrous Regiment.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "or Monstrous Regiment.",
          "reason": "Included in the list of books the commenter would always recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry Pratchett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fantasy",
        "discworld"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "monte-carlo-methods-in-financial-engineering-db609f",
      "title": "Monte Carlo Methods in Financial Engineering",
      "author": "Paul Glasserman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3178313,
          "author": "veyron",
          "createdAt": "2011-10-31T17:55:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 3177815,
          "threadTitle": "Good books for hackers interested in quant finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3178313",
          "commentText": "You need to be a little more specific regarding your interests and background.  If you are interested in theory, there are plenty of books discussing specific models.  However, most practical or buzzword (e.g. HFT) books are rubbish (think about it: if you have a profitable operation, why would you write a book?  Unless, like me, you have a screw loose :P )\nIf you want some practical discussions, \"Trading and Exchanges\" by Larry Harris is a bit dated, but nothing comes close.  Most of the descriptions are still valid today (even if some of the mechanics have changed)\nIf you want something more along the lines of what a financial engineer would know:\n- \"Options, Futures, and other Derivatives\" by John Hull (goes over basic models without delving too deeply into theoretical math aspects)\n- \"Stochastic Calculus for Finance II\" by Steve Shreve (goes over the basic stuff but has enough stats to keep a grad student happy)\n- \"Monte Carlo Methods in Financial Engineering\" by Paul Glasserman (much more practical, and goes over subtleties of monte carlo simulation and other stuff like low discrepancy sampling)\n- \"Modelling Fixed Income Securities and Interest Rate Options\" by Robert Jarrow (walks through how to perform certain simulations, covers lots of little details most theoretical books skip)\nIf you want something more theoretical:\n- \"Introduction to Stochastic Calculus Applied to Finance\" by Lamberton and Lapeyre (Nice little intro)\n- \"Arbitrage Theory in Continuous Time\" by Tomas Bjork (Slower discussion, larger breadth)\n- \"Brownian Motion and Stochastic Calculus\" and \"Methods of Mathematical Finance\" by Karatzas and Shreve (Solid theoretical foundation, for the more mathematically inclined)\nThere was a good non-measure theoretic discussion of financial models but the name escapes me ATM.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "much more practical, and goes over subtleties of monte carlo simulation",
          "reason": "Recommended as a practical financial engineering book covering simulation details.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in practical financial engineering.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Glasserman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Economics",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "monte carlo methods",
        "quantitative finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "moomins-a8fb27",
      "title": "Moomins",
      "author": "Tove Jansson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17382476,
          "author": "neom",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T18:04:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17382476",
          "commentText": "Americans don't have moomins. Moomins are awesome. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moomins / https://www.moomin.com/en/blog/friendship-love-central-messa... (https://www.moomin.com/en/blog/friendship-love-central-message-tove-janssons-work/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Moomins are awesome.",
          "reason": "Calls the Moomins awesome.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tove Jansson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s literature",
        "finnish literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "moonglow-6e2029",
      "title": "Moonglow",
      "author": "Michael Chabon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12475387,
          "author": "fitzwatermellow",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T20:07:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12475387",
          "commentText": "There is some remarkable fiction coming out this season by some of the best:\nJonathan Safran Foer's Here I Am\nZadie Smith's Swing Time\nIan McEwan's Nutshell\nColson Whitehead's The Underground Railroad\nCarl Hiassan's Razor Girl\nAlan Moore's Jerusalem\nJonathan Lethem's A Gamber's Anatomy\nHa Jin's The Boat Rocker\nT.C. Boyle's The Terranauts\nMichael Chabon's Moonglow\nCormac McCarthy's The Passenger\nI've got plenty of friends who never touch fiction because \"it's not real\". Preferring science, history, economics, biography and virtually anything else. But I think its obligatory at times. The soul requires it's own nourishment, if not more so than the body and the mind. Indulge yourself. If only because great writing will make your writing greater, as if by osmosis. But ultimately, because only fiction can uncover the truths that can't be revealed any other way ;)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Michael Chabon's Moonglow",
          "reason": "Included in a list of remarkable fiction; the comment urges readers to indulge in fiction.",
          "audience": "Readers who tend to avoid fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Chabon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "family history",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "moonrise-48bb1b",
      "title": "Moonrise",
      "author": "Ben Bova",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36021193,
          "author": "beckingz",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:26:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021193",
          "commentText": "Revelation Space - Alastair Reynolds\nWireless - Charles Stross\nStories of your life and others - Ted Chiang\nMoonrise - Ben Bova\nLast Plane to Heaven - Jay Lake\nBest of Greg Egan - Greg Egan",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Moonrise - Ben Bova",
          "reason": "Listed in response for science fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ben Bova"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "lunar colonization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "moonwar-773488",
      "title": "Moonwar",
      "author": "Ben Bova",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 86223,
          "author": "icky",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:37:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86223",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- The Time Machine (still holds up very well, and seems strangely eerie and prescient in places)... (H. G. Wells)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Hobbit (and LotR) (Tolkien)\n- Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n- Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties (I picked up Idoru first, so I haven't yet read Virtual Light) (also Gibson)\n- The Difference Engine (Gibson, Sterling)\n- Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n- Cryptonomicon (\" \")\n- Circuit of Heaven, End of Days (Dennis Danvers)\n- All of the \"Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser\" stories and novels. (Fritz Leiber)\n- The Earthsea trilogy (Ursula K. LeGuin)\n- 'salem's Lot (Stephen King)\n- Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein)\n- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)\n- the Coldfire trilogy (C. S. Friedman)\n- various Cory Doctorow short stories\n- Kamikaze L'Amour (Richard Kadrey)\n- Lightpaths (Howard V. Hendrix)\n- A Canticle For Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)\n- Moonwar, Venus (Ben Bova)\n- the Stainless Steel Rat series (Harry Harrison)\n- Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)\n- Ringworld (Larry Niven)\n- Cthon (Piers Anthony) -- Trippiness level approaching Philip Jose Farmer ;-)\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (Douglas Adams)\n- The Black Company (Glen Cook)\n- there's one particularly good post-cyberpunk series that takes place in a world in which Canada emerged as a major world power, but for the life of me I can't rememeber the title.\n- the 1632 series (Eric Flint)... see also S. M. Stirling's Nantucket series (\"Island in the Sea of Time\", et al.), and H. Beam Piper's novel Kalvan of Otherwhen\nNon-fiction:\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (Hume)\n- the surviving words and works of Epicurus, and Diogenes the Cynic\n- Freakonomics (Levitt, Dubner)\n- The Gay Science (Nietzsche)\n- The Jefferson Bible (Christ, Jefferson (ed.))\n- The Devil's Dictionary (Bierce)\n- Brain Droppings (George Carlin)\n- anything by P. J. O'Rourke\n- anything by Dave Barry",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Moonwar, Venus (Ben Bova)",
          "reason": "Listed under fiction in response to the thread’s question about favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ben Bova"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space exploration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "moral-luck-17e03f",
      "title": "Moral Luck",
      "author": "Thomas Nagel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503278,
          "author": "Bishizel",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T07:28:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503278",
          "commentText": "Asking for \"Best Philosophical Books\" is pretty much like asking for an opinion, everyone will have a very different view.  That being said, here's my view!\nJohn Stuart Mill - \"Utilitarianism\" (Kant be damned.)\nThomas Nagel - \"Moral Luck\"\nDavid Lewis - \"On the Plurality of Worlds\"\nPlato - \"The Republic\"\nAristotle - \"The Metaphysics\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thomas Nagel - \"Moral Luck\"",
          "reason": "Offered as part of the commenter's own view of the best philosophical books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Nagel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ethics",
        "moral responsibility"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "moral-man-and-immoral-society-ed3e2d",
      "title": "Moral Man and Immoral Society",
      "author": "Reinhold Niebuhr",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39730711,
          "author": "hprotagonist",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-17T00:26:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39730711",
          "commentText": "Brueggemann is amazing.\nI would also add, in no particular order:\n- wisdom of the desert (merton's translation of the sayings of the desert fathers)\n- pilgrim at tinker creek; annie dillard\n- goatwalking, jim corbett\n- Impostors of God: Inquiries into our favorite Idols, william stringfellow\n- the new testament, trans. by david bentley hart\n- the sabbath, Abraham Joshua Heschel\n- zen flesh, zen bones\n- moral man, immoral society -- neibuhr\n- principia discordia\n- the poetry and sermons of john donne\n- many other poets.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "moral man, immoral society -- neibuhr",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Reinhold Niebuhr"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian ethics",
        "political philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "moral-mazes-the-world-of-corporate-managers-ed39b8",
      "title": "Moral Mazes: The World of Corporate Managers",
      "author": "Robert Jackall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7001525,
          "author": "bensw",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-02T19:13:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 7001282,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7001525",
          "commentText": "Moral Mazes by Robert Jackall\nFor Harmony And Strength by Thomas Rohlen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Moral Mazes by Robert Jackall",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that inspired readers or changed their worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Jackall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "corporate culture",
        "organizational sociology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "moral-tribes-emotion-reason-and-the-gap-between-us-and-them-030816",
      "title": "Moral Tribes: Emotion, Reason, and the Gap Between Us and Them",
      "author": "Joshua Greene",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18664037,
          "author": "yboris",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T14:17:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664037",
          "commentText": "The top 4 this year for me:\nHow Not to Be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking\nAlgorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions\nHow to Change Your Mind: What the New Science of Psychedelics Teaches Us about Consciousness, Dying, Addiction, Depression, and Transcendence\nMoral Tribes: Emotion, Reason, and the Gap Between Us and Them\nPhenomenal books. I have a longer list of recommendations I've collected over the decades: http://yboris.com/reading/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Moral Tribes: Emotion, Reason, and the Gap Between Us and Them",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's top four books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joshua Greene"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cooperation",
        "moral psychology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mordant-s-need-9b48e5",
      "title": "Mordant's Need",
      "author": "Stephen R. Donaldson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056572,
          "author": "antimagic",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:27:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056572",
          "commentText": "You might try Mordant's Need by Stephen Donaldson for a fantasy-skinned, scifi-like approach.  The magic in the books is based around mirrors, and a large part of the book is spent researching how the mirrors actually are working, what are their limitations and possibilities.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "You might try Mordant's Need by Stephen Donaldson for a fantasy-skinned, scifi-like approach.",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a fantasy-skinned, science-fiction-like approach.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter characterizes it as fantasy-skinned and science-fiction-like.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen R. Donaldson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mirror magic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mordew-64cece",
      "title": "Mordew",
      "author": "Alex Pheby",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45652209,
          "author": "blb2",
          "createdAt": "2025-10-21T03:36:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 45651938,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45652209",
          "commentText": "I've been reading Mordew by Alex Pheby. It's an interesting story, but I don't think I'll continue to the sequel.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's an interesting story, but I don't think I'll continue to the sequel.",
          "reason": "Finds the story interesting but does not plan to continue the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not plan to read the sequel.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alex Pheby"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "city fantasy",
        "dark fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "more-brilliant-than-the-sun-adventures-in-sonic-fiction-657ce1",
      "title": "More Brilliant Than the Sun: Adventures in Sonic Fiction",
      "author": "Kodwo Eshun",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22094425,
          "author": "futurecat",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T22:01:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22094425",
          "commentText": "More Brilliant Than the Sun: Adventures in Sonic Fiction, by Kodwo Eshun. Maybe the best take on Music and Afrofuturism.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "More Brilliant Than the Sun: Adventures in Sonic Fiction, by Kodwo Eshun.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it perhaps the best take on music and Afrofuturism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter qualifies this as “Maybe the best.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kodwo Eshun"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "afrofuturism",
        "music criticism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "more-effective-c-5143a0",
      "title": "More Effective C++",
      "author": "Scott Meyers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7757689,
          "author": "dusandusan",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T20:20:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7757689",
          "commentText": "\"More Effective C++\" by Scott Meyers\nWhile directed at the C++ crowd, I would recommend this book to any programmer, as it explains many interesting concepts and idioms that are not C++ specific.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"More Effective C++\" by Scott Meyers",
          "reason": "Recommends it to any programmer for its explanations of broadly useful concepts and idioms.",
          "audience": "Any programmer, including those outside the C++ community.",
          "caveat": "Directed at C++ programmers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3336069,
          "author": "pettinato",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-09T23:04:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3336069",
          "commentText": "The System of the World by Neal Stephenson - for pleasure\nHadoop: The Definitive Guide - for fun\nDesign Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software - for work\nEffective C++ by Scott Meyers - for work\nMore Effective C++ by Scott Meyers - for work",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "More Effective C++ by Scott Meyers - for work",
          "reason": "Listed as currently read for work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Meyers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c",
        "programming",
        "programming idioms"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "more-everything-forever-72dd24",
      "title": "More Everything Forever",
      "author": "Adam Becker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46391806,
          "author": "elcapithanos",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T13:31:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46391806",
          "commentText": "My favourite by far was Adam Becker's More Everything Forever.\nSpecial mention also goes to Taming Silicon Valley by Gary Marcus.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favourite by far was Adam Becker's More Everything Forever.",
          "reason": "Names it as the commenter’s favorite read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adam Becker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "longtermism",
        "techno optimism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "more-fearless-change-strategies-for-making-your-ideas-happen-737c19",
      "title": "More Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen",
      "author": "Mary Lynn Manns and Linda Rising",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mary Lynn Manns and Linda Rising"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "change management",
        "organizational change"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "more-than-a-carpenter-75af23",
      "title": "More Than a Carpenter",
      "author": "Josh McDowell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39729856,
          "author": "joemazerino",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T22:00:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729856",
          "commentText": "More Than A Carpenter",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "More Than A Carpenter",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Josh McDowell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian apologetics",
        "religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "more-from-less-5f7286",
      "title": "More from Less",
      "author": "Andrew McAfee",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21793216,
          "author": "emehex",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T23:43:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793216",
          "commentText": "• The Madness of Crowds by Douglas Murray\n• Consciousness by Annaka Harris\n• More From Less by Andrew McAffee\n• The School of Life: An Emotional Education\n• Perfect Sound Whatever by James Acaster\n• Humble Pi by Matt Parker\n• The Last Pirate of New York by Rich Cohen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "More From Less by Andrew McAffee",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew McAfee"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dematerialization",
        "resource use"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "more-with-less-paul-maccready-and-the-dream-of-efficient-flight-02aef2",
      "title": "More with Less: Paul MacCready and the Dream of Efficient Flight",
      "author": "Paul Ciotti",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1026506,
          "author": "paulgb",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T00:30:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026506",
          "commentText": "The best book I read in 2009 was The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. It's surprisingly accessible (I've never taken a biology class), and talks a lot about evolutionary game theory which I found fascinating.\nSome other books I read last year:\nHow the Mind Works by Steven Pinker. It was a great book, Pinker's writing is accessible and entertaining. Much more so than On Intelligence by Jeff Hawkins.\nMore with Less: Paul MacCready and the Dream of Efficient Flight by Paul Ciotti. I really enjoyed this one, it was the story of the first team to cross the English channel with human-powered flight.\nWhat the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell. I liked this one better than Gladwell's other books. There is less theorizing and arguing a point and more telling stories, which is what Gladwell excels at.\nThe Mind's I by Douglas Hofstadter and Daniel Dennett. If you are patient with what is sometimes (in my humble opinion) pointlessly arguing semantics, some of the sections are interesting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed this one, it was the story of the first team to cross the English channel with human-powered flight.",
          "reason": "Says they really enjoyed this account of human-powered flight.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Ciotti"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "engineering",
        "human powered flight"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "morning-star-3abe71",
      "title": "Morning Star",
      "author": "Pierce Brown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13239927,
          "author": "JamesLeonis",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T20:04:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13239927",
          "commentText": "I ripped through Red Rising and Golden Sun last month based on a buddy's recommendation. Morning Star is my early Christmas gift. It's an absolute page-turner of a series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Morning Star is my early Christmas gift. It's an absolute page-turner of a series.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the series an absolute page-turner.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pierce Brown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopian fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "morphological-image-analysis-25b5a8",
      "title": "Morphological Image Analysis",
      "author": "Pierre Soille",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 858952,
          "author": "monk_the_dog",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-03T17:38:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 858824,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Image recognition books and resources",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=858952",
          "commentText": "Here's my list:\nFor a general introduction:\n* \"Digital Image Processing\" by Gonzalez and Woods\n* \"Image Processing, Analysis, and Machine Vision\" by Sonka, Hlavac, and Boyle\nAfter you learn the basics, some more advanced and specialized books I'd recommend:\n* \"Morphological Image Analysis\" by Soille.\n* \"Insight into Images\" by Yoo (explains many of the algorithms in the ITK library).\nI hesitate to recommend this book because it is so dated (1992), but I refer to \"Computer and Robot Vision\" by Haralick and Shapiro quite often.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Morphological Image Analysis\" by Soille.",
          "reason": "Listed among advanced and specialized books in response to a request for resources.",
          "audience": "Readers who have learned the basics and want a specialized reference.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pierre Soille"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer vision",
        "morphological image processing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mortal-questions-82ac80",
      "title": "Mortal Questions",
      "author": "Thomas Nagel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503692,
          "author": "telemachos",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T14:39:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503692",
          "commentText": "Some from the canon:\n\nPlato: Defence of Socrates, Euthyphro, Crito (translated by David Gallop)\nThe Modes of Scepticism by Julia Annas and Jonathan Barnes (a beautiful collection of texts from Pyrrhonian scepticism and analysis of their arguments; the best way I know to meet ancient scepticism)\nDescartes: Meditations on First Philosophy (The Cambridge University Press edition is very good; it's probably worth buying their Selected Philosophical Writings for a good basic Descartes text)\nDavid Hume: An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding and An Enquiry concerning the Principles of Morals (I recommend the Oxford Philosophical Texts editions)\nWittgenstein: Philosophical Investigations (terribly, terribly difficult, but very rewarding)\n  A few contemporary things:\n\nGilbert Ryle: The Concept of Mind\nWillard Van Orman Quine: From a Logical Point of View\nJ. L. Mackie: Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong\nThomas Nagel: Mortal Questions (short essays, well-written, very accessible)\nBernard Williams: Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy\nMichael Smith: The Moral Problem\n  Specialist, technical, odd:\n\nThe Frege Reader by Michael Beaney (for modern logic and the beginnings of contemporary philosophy in the analytic style)\nJ. L. Mackie: The Cement of the Universe: A Study of Causation\nWilliam Kingdon Clifford: The Ethics of Belief (he argues, oddly but powerfully, that it's immoral to believe things on insufficient evidence or irrationally - an offense to morality, not just reason)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "short essays, well-written, very accessible",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a collection of accessible, well-written short essays.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking accessible philosophical essays.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Nagel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "philosophical essays"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "moscow-calling-956a2e",
      "title": "Moscow Calling",
      "author": "Angus Roxburgh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34160861,
          "author": "themodelplumber",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:44:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160861",
          "commentText": "I realized I can't really recommend books to audiences much anymore, because I don't read those types of audience-books as much as I used to.\nBut still, here are some I probably bought for $0.99 and enjoyed:\nLost Restaurants of Seattle\nThis Outcast Generation by Taijun Takeda\nThe Royal Navy Lynx: An Operational History\nA Doctor's War by Aidan MacCarthy\nSniping in France by Hesketh-Prichard\nThe Art of Whittling by Faurot\nMoscow Calling by Angus Roxburgh\nFeynman's Rainbow by Leonard Mlodinow\nIcelandic Folk Tales by Stefansson\nIf you like any of those topics then you have my random recommendation, and possibly the indulgent vanity of once more having avoided consumer risk, or maybe consumer regret.\nThese were fun in 2022, in addition to 1) web browsing, which I find is definitely reading, despite all its numbered-pagelessness, and 2) dipping back into lots of classics and favorites, from Blacksad to Darwin to Scaramouche and Tom Sawyer.\n(Possibly throwing in a volume on the adventures of Groo, a Weird Tales, a Comics Cavalcade, some TTRPGs, and a Scooby-Doo Team-Up...)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Moscow Calling by Angus Roxburgh",
          "reason": "Included among books enjoyed in 2022 and offered as a recommendation to readers interested in the topics.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the book's topic.",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls the recommendations random.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Angus Roxburgh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "journalism",
        "russia"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mossflower-da0e6a",
      "title": "Mossflower",
      "author": "Brian Jacques",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20982274,
          "author": "lmiller1990",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T09:10:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20982274",
          "commentText": "I read the Redwall books in high school! Great fun, maybe I’ll revisit. My favorites were Mossflower and Martin the Warrior.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favorites were Mossflower and Martin the Warrior.",
          "reason": "Names it as one of their favorite Redwall books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Jacques"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s fantasy",
        "talking animals"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mostly-adequate-guide-to-functional-programming-a76327",
      "title": "Mostly Adequate Guide to Functional Programming",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21779281,
          "author": "iillexial",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-13T05:12:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 21765528,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fun Tech Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21779281",
          "commentText": "\"Mostly adequate guide to FP (in javascript)\"\nI really enjoyed this one.\nhttps://github.com/MostlyAdequate/mostly-adequate-guide",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Mostly adequate guide to FP (in javascript)\"\nI really enjoyed this one.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed the guide.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in functional programming in JavaScript.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "functional programming",
        "javascript"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mother-of-learning-2e9a9d",
      "title": "Mother of Learning",
      "author": "nobody103",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46400128,
          "author": "tstrimple",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T08:12:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46400128",
          "commentText": "You've got some great ones on here. I'm curious how you found some of them to be.\nJim Butcher \"Brief Cases\": I'm a huge fan of the Dresden series. I find it to be very enlightening as we watch an author grow with his primary character. The early books were particularly weak, but they grow and get better and better. However, I'm unfairly biased against short stories, so I avoid all the X.5 releases. Are these worth exploring as I'm waiting for the followup to Battleground?\nMother of Learning: I generally don't like litrpg or progression fantasy, but I'm a sucker for time loops. I enjoyed this series and craved more like it. Anything else you'd recommend in this genre?\nI read the Fitz books... fuck... decades ago at this point. Is it worth revisiting in audiobook? I've been burned so many times by nostalgia that I'm reluctant to revisit old favorites.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Mother of Learning: I generally don't like litrpg or progression fantasy, but I'm a sucker for time loops. I enjoyed this series and craved more like it.",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed the series and wanted more stories like it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter generally dislikes LitRPG and progression fantasy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "nobody103"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "progression fantasy",
        "time loop"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "motion-mountain-264be2",
      "title": "Motion Mountain",
      "author": "Christoph Schiller",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9612194,
          "author": "samsaga2",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T15:49:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9612194",
          "commentText": "One about physics http://motionmountain.net/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One about physics http://motionmountain.net/",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christoph Schiller"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "motivating-the-middle-77d983",
      "title": "Motivating the Middle",
      "author": "T.J. Sullivan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12244665,
          "author": "joshstrange",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T00:40:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244665",
          "commentText": "Motivating the Middle [0] by T.J. Sullivan\nIt's a relatively short book and it's focus is on college fraternities (which is what I was in when I first read it). I bought about 20 copies and handed them out after reading it. While it has nothing to do with software development I have found it's core message to be applicable to working on a team. The core message is you can normally divide your organization up into 3 categories, these will not necessarily be equal in size. These categories are the highly motivated \"top\" go-getters who will do everything they can to help further the org, the \"middle\" who with the right motivation can work just as hard and be just as driven as the first group, and the \"bottom\" who rarely make more than minimum effort if that and are extremely unlikely to go out of their way for the greater good of the org. The book suggests to more or less ignore the bottom and spend your energy on \"motivating the middle\" to use them to their greatest potential. It says that spending your time on the bottom is a fruitless endeavor and will only result in alienating the middle people who are somewhat on the fence.\nNow this applies much more to a community-run (in this case student-run) organization where letting someone go is often off the table (in greek life removing a brother/sister can be a much bigger challenge than one might assume). I do not bring any of this up to debate the pros and cons of greek like of which there are many (you can talk to me privately if you wish to do that), but just to bring some clarity to what I'm trying to say.\nOften as an employee not in a managerial role you are in a similar situation and while I'd be a lier if I said I always applied this logic but I do try to always remember that being annoyed/angry with under-performers is, in all honesty, a zero-sum game. It's best to focus on what I can do to make the place I work better and work to bring the \"middle\" to want the same.\nIt's probably not the best book to bring up here but it's really the only book I'd ever bought for more than 1 person (and the only one that I didn't by for purely entertainment/enjoyment reasons, I've gifted fiction books on a number of occasions).\n[0] https://smile.amazon.com/Motivating-Middle-Fighting-College-... (https://smile.amazon.com/Motivating-Middle-Fighting-College-Organizations/dp/1604946903?sa-no-redirect=1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I bought about 20 copies and handed them out after reading it.",
          "reason": "Bought and distributed many copies; says its core message applies to working on a team.",
          "audience": "People involved in organizations or teams, especially community-run groups.",
          "caveat": "The advice is especially suited to community-run organizations where removing members is difficult.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "T.J. Sullivan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "organizational leadership",
        "team motivation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mount-analogue-f1b1b4",
      "title": "Mount Analogue",
      "author": "René Daumal",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22094852,
          "author": "dilyevsky",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T23:21:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22094852",
          "commentText": "Mount Analogue by Rene Daumal is pretty cool and supposedly was an inspiration for The Holy Mountain and Lost tv series",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mount Analogue by Rene Daumal is pretty cool",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as “pretty cool.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "René Daumal"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "philosophical fiction",
        "surrealism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mouse-or-rat-translation-as-negotiation-53eaf0",
      "title": "Mouse or Rat? Translation as Negotiation",
      "author": "Umberto Eco",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10534162,
          "author": "schlagetown",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T17:01:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10534162",
          "commentText": "Watchmen (Alan Moore)\nOrigins of Form (Christopher Williams)\nStarship & The Canoe (Kenneth Brower)\nThe Size of Lumber (Nicholson Baker)\nZen Mind, Beginner's Mind (Shunryu Suzuki)\nDeschooling Society (Ivan Illich)\nMoby Dick (Herman Melville)\nBolo'Bolo (P.M.)\nLe Ton beau de Marot (Douglas Hofstadter)\nGaia: A New Look at Life on Earth (James Lovelock)\nMouse or Rat: Translation as Negotiation (Umberto Eco)\nNeuromancer (William Gibson)\nThe Intelligent Investor (Benjamin Graham)\nDon Quixote (Miguel Cervantes)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mouse or Rat: Translation as Negotiation (Umberto Eco)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about the best books read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Umberto Eco"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "translation studies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "moving-pictures-388bca",
      "title": "Moving Pictures",
      "author": "Terry Pratchett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665061,
          "author": "sn41",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:11:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665061",
          "commentText": "Since no one has mentioned it so far, I recommend the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. This year, I finished (numbers in Discworld order, annotated by the series):\n9. Eric [Rincewind]\n10. Moving Pictures [Independent]\n12. Witches Abroad [Witches]\n18. Maskerade [Witches]\n19. Feet of clay [The City Watch]\n23. Carpe Jugulum [Witches]\n32. A Hat Full of Sky [Tiffany Aching]\n37. Unseen Academicals [Wizards]\n38. I Shall Wear Midnight [Tiffany Aching]\nBrilliant series, highly recommended. Whenever I feel down, I re-read one of the Witches series - I spot something I never noticed before - an immediate mood-booster!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "10. Moving Pictures [Independent]",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the Discworld books the commenter finished this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry Pratchett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fantasy",
        "film satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mr-nice-5764a4",
      "title": "Mr Nice",
      "author": "Howard Marks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35169233,
          "author": "franze",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T14:53:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35169233",
          "commentText": "Mr Nice by Howard Marks\nYes, he was a criminal, with great entrepreneur spirit.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Mr Nice by Howard Marks\nYes, he was a criminal, with great entrepreneur spirit.",
          "reason": "Presented as relevant to entrepreneurial spirit.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The author was a criminal.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Howard Marks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crime",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mr-wilman-s-motoring-adventure-e99112",
      "title": "Mr Wilman’s Motoring Adventure",
      "author": "Andy Wilman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46407296,
          "author": "jason2323",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-28T01:01:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46407296",
          "commentText": "As a huge fan of Top Gear and The Grand Tour, I read Mr Wilman’s Motoring Adventure. Really fun book giving an inside view of what it took to produce these shows",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read Mr Wilman’s Motoring Adventure. Really fun book giving an inside view of what it took to produce these shows",
          "reason": "Calls it a fun behind-the-scenes account of producing Top Gear and The Grand Tour.",
          "audience": "Top Gear and The Grand Tour fans.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andy Wilman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "motorsport",
        "television production"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mr-palomar-96423d",
      "title": "Mr. Palomar",
      "author": "Italo Calvino",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17393653,
          "author": "paolgiacometti",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-25T16:28:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17393653",
          "commentText": "I suggest \"The Tartar Steppe by Dino Buzzati\". A great book about the meaningless of everyman planning about leaving a successful life. Mr. Paolomar by Italo Calvino is another last century Italian masterpiece with the reflection of a math teacher about the world and life in general.\nwikipedia \nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tartar_Steppe",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mr. Paolomar by Italo Calvino is another last century Italian masterpiece with the reflection of a math teacher about the world and life in general.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as an Italian masterpiece reflecting on the world and life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Italo Calvino"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "italian literature",
        "philosophical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mrityunjay-6c9560",
      "title": "Mrityunjay",
      "author": "Shivaji Sawant",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503212,
          "author": "sdave",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T06:45:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503212",
          "commentText": "\"Siddhartha\", \n\"Steppenwolf\" - by Herman Hesse.\n\"Atlas Shrugged\" - by Ayn Rand.\n\"Mrityunjay\" - by Sivaji savant (originally in marathi/hindi language.. based on the character of Karna from Mahabharata.Not very sure how good the english translation is though.The title means - he who has conquered Death.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Mrityunjay\" - by Sivaji savant",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for eye-opening or interesting books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure how good the English translation is.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Shivaji Sawant"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "karna",
        "mahabharata"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mrs-gandhi-s-last-battle-8fd126",
      "title": "Mrs. Gandhi's Last Battle",
      "author": "Satish Jacob and Mark Tully",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38239414,
          "author": "unsungNovelty",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T11:55:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38239414",
          "commentText": "Mrs. Gandhi's last battle by Satish Jacob & Mark Tully.\nBBC journalists who reported the blue star operation after which lead to India's former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's assassination.\nIf you wanna know about the history behind the current Canada vs India row, this is a good place to start.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you wanna know about the history behind the current Canada vs India row, this is a good place to start.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a starting point for understanding historical context behind current India-Canada tensions.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking background on the India-Canada dispute.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Satish Jacob",
        "Mark Tully"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "india",
        "indira gandhi",
        "operation blue star"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mrs-perkins-s-electric-quilt-b185c8",
      "title": "Mrs. Perkins's Electric Quilt",
      "author": "Judy Johnson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1026444,
          "author": "xorphy",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T23:29:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026444",
          "commentText": "I basically discovered Vernor Vinge.\nA Fire Upon the Deep, by Vernor Vinge\nA Deepness in the Sky, by Vernor Vinge\nThe Peace War, by Vernor Vinge\nMarooned in Realtime, by Vernor Vinge\nHyperion, by Dan Simmons\nMrs. Perkins's Electric Quilt, a fun book about some math and physics problems",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mrs. Perkins's Electric Quilt, a fun book about some math and physics problems",
          "reason": "Describes it as a fun book about mathematics and physics problems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Judy Johnson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical puzzles",
        "physics puzzles"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mrs-perkins-s-electric-quilt-and-other-intriguing-stories-of-math-bf133c",
      "title": "Mrs. Perkins's Electric Quilt: And Other Intriguing Stories of Mathematical Physics",
      "author": "Paul J. Nahin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23718963,
          "author": "SamReidHughes",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-02T22:43:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23718963",
          "commentText": "I bought it, but I only read a chapter of it, after seeing it in a bookstore.  Nonetheless:\nMrs. Perkins's Electric Quilt: And Other Intriguing Stories of Mathematical Physics by Paul J. Nahin\nIt sounds like it's at about the right difficulty/knowledge level, and it has interesting stuff, isn't a boring textbook.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Mrs. Perkins's Electric Quilt: And Other Intriguing Stories of Mathematical Physics by Paul J. Nahin",
          "reason": "Suggests it as an engaging book at about the right difficulty and knowledge level.",
          "audience": "A teenager interested in mathematics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter bought it but has only read one chapter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul J. Nahin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical physics",
        "science stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "muffin-muncher-533a4b",
      "title": "Muffin Muncher",
      "author": "Stephen Cosgrove",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50116114,
          "author": "genezeta",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T09:24:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50116114",
          "commentText": "Elizabeth Hand's Winterlong, probably 3-4 times.\nMost of Raymond Chandler and Dashiel Hammet I've read multiple times. I've read Brautigan's Dreaming of Babylon a bunch of times too.\nAll of William Gibson. Miyazaki's Nausicaä of The Valley of Wind, in various languages. Stephen Cosgrove's Muffin Muncher, I couldn't say how many times I must have read that (It appears they've now changed the title to Muffin Dragon).\nI've read The Soul of a New Machine a couple of times too. The Hitchhiker's and Dirk Gently's trilogies a few times.\nStefano Benni's Baol probably half a dozen times. And Acts of The Apostles by John FX Sundman a bunch too. Oh, and a few of Martin Gardner's books. And Smullyan's To Mock a Mockingbird.\nAnd most probably also many others. Most of my books are now in boxes or have been gifted away, though.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stephen Cosgrove's Muffin Muncher",
          "reason": "The commenter says they cannot count how many times they read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the title has since changed to Muffin Dragon.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Cosgrove"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s picture books",
        "fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "muhammad-a-biography-of-the-prophet-65bd79",
      "title": "Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet",
      "author": "Karen Armstrong",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30746251,
          "author": "kcartlidge",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T20:24:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30746251",
          "commentText": "- Total Freedom by Jiddu Krishnamurti.\nInitially this came across as shallow truths masquerading as profundity, especially with his unwillingness/inability to explain himself during discussions. Finally I read enough that some things just 'clicked' into place and my perspectives shifted along with my outlook on life.\n- Letters from the Desert by Carlo Carretto (first half).\nI was brought up a protestant so was never really exposed to catholic thought in my formative years. When I finally started exploring the classics for myself I found them often overly wordy and mystical, so I moved on to more modern (relatively speaking) works like this and the Way of the Pilgrim too. The simplicity of the writing and the clarity of the thoughts in the first few chapters of Letters from the Desert hit me hard.\n- The Quran\nA wonderfully phrased book that captures its times very well. Ideally to be read alongside something like Islam: A Short History or Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet, both by Karen Armstrong, to provide the context.\nAs an aside the Qu'ran is available for free online in audio format both as interlinear English/Arabic but also as Arabic only, and as a non-speaker of Arabic I often find listening to it being chanted a very calming and uplifting experience despite having no clue what is being said.\n- Getting Real by 37 Signals.\nAs a programmer/developer/engineer since the late 1980s this was a revelation, bringing a clarity to my own thoughts and feelings about much of the world of enterprise software development. Very obvious points in retrospect that nobody ever (including me) seemed to have realised during my entire career before then.\n- Web Copy that Sells by Maria Veloso.\nA strange choice, given that there is nothing 'profound' in here. What it is, though, is a very well written book on persuasion which finally got me to see that I'd spent years avoiding 'sales' as something that wasn't for me whereas in reality it's for everyone and we do it all the time.\n- The Body by Charles Colson.\nColson was jailed for his part in the Nixon stuff, then became a Christian. It's an incredibly moving book which is not his autobiography but an analysis of what is going wrong with the church. The impact comes from the stories he relates at the start of the chapters (especially the opening ones about 9/11). Those tales gave me an understanding of the potential 'greatness' in people.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet",
          "reason": "Recommended as context to read alongside the Quran.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Karen Armstrong"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "islam",
        "religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "muhammad-a-prophet-for-our-time-144ff8",
      "title": "Muhammad: A Prophet for Our Time",
      "author": "Karen Armstrong",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39735155,
          "author": "kcartlidge",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-17T15:35:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39735155",
          "commentText": "Quite a few along the way, but in an attempt to minimise:\n- \"Letters from the Desert\" by Carlo Carretto\n- \"Being the Body\" by Charles Colson\n- \"Fire in Our Hearts\" by Mike Farrant\n- \"Total Freedom\" by Jiddu Krishnamurti\n- \"Muhammad - a Prophet for Our Time\" by Karen Armstrong",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Muhammad - a Prophet for Our Time\" by Karen Armstrong",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Karen Armstrong"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "islam",
        "religious biography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mulla-nasrudin-books-76899e",
      "title": "Mulla Nasrudin books",
      "author": "Idries Shah",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23155228,
          "author": "breakattn",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T15:44:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23155228",
          "commentText": "The Mulla Nasrudin books by Idries Shah. These tales, some of them very old, represent patterns that repeat again and again, in different guises in life. As you absorb them you start to recognize your own behavior patterns in response to analogous situations, which gives you the option of changing your response over time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mulla Nasrudin books by Idries Shah.",
          "reason": "Says the tales reveal recurring patterns in life and can help readers recognize their own behavior.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in self-reflection through traditional tales.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Idries Shah"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nasreddin tales",
        "teaching stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mulliner-stories-19e40a",
      "title": "Mulliner stories",
      "author": "P. G. Wodehouse",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9615699,
          "author": "brickcap",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-28T02:08:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9615699",
          "commentText": "Good to see a fan of Wodehouse :) I like his longer works better. I read ukridge and mulliner nights a while back. They were good but not as good as jeeves and the others.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I read ukridge and mulliner nights a while back. They were good but not as good as jeeves and the others.",
          "reason": "Says the works were good, while ranking them below Jeeves stories.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Less favorable than Jeeves and the others.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "P. G. Wodehouse"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "multiple-signatures-on-designers-authors-readers-and-users-6662ec",
      "title": "Multiple Signatures: On Designers, Authors, Readers and Users",
      "author": "Gunnar Swanson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12711221,
          "author": "ryanSrich",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-14T21:28:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12711221",
          "commentText": "Here's a list of all design books that I give to new hires:\nBranded Interactions: Creating the Digital Experience - (https://www.amazon.com/Branded-Interactions-Creating-Digital... (https://www.amazon.com/Branded-Interactions-Creating-Digital-Experience/dp/0500518173))\nThe Visual Display of Quantitative Information - https://www.amazon.com/Visual-Display-Quantitative-Informati... (https://www.amazon.com/Visual-Display-Quantitative-Information/dp/0961392142/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480332&sr=1-1&keywords=Edward+Tufte)\nUniversal Principles of Design - https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Principles-Design-Revised-U... (https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Principles-Design-Revised-Updated/dp/1592535879/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480359&sr=1-1&keywords=universal+principles+of+design)\nThe Interface: IBM and the Transformation of Corporate Design, 1945-1976 - https://www.amazon.com/Interface-Transformation-Corporate-19... (https://www.amazon.com/Interface-Transformation-Corporate-1945-1976-Quadrant/dp/0816670390/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480388&sr=1-1&keywords=the+interface+ibm)\nMultiple Signatures: On Designers, Authors, Readers and Users - https://www.amazon.com/Multiple-Signatures-Designers-Authors... (https://www.amazon.com/Multiple-Signatures-Designers-Authors-Readers/dp/0847839737/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480427&sr=1-1&keywords=Multiple+Signatures)\nChange by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation - https://www.amazon.com/Change-Design-Transforms-Organization... (https://www.amazon.com/Change-Design-Transforms-Organizations-Innovation/dp/0061766089/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480449&sr=1-1&keywords=Change+by+design)\nThoughts on Design - https://www.amazon.com/Thoughts-Design-Paul-Rand/dp/08118754... (https://www.amazon.com/Thoughts-Design-Paul-Rand/dp/081187544X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480478&sr=1-1&keywords=Thoughts+on+design)\nNotes on the Synthesis of Form - https://www.amazon.com/Notes-Synthesis-Form-Harvard-Paperbac... (https://www.amazon.com/Notes-Synthesis-Form-Harvard-Paperbacks/dp/0674627512/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480495&sr=1-1&keywords=notes+on+the+synthesis+of+form)\n..and a list of ones I'm considering adding:\nUnflattening - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0674744438/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0674744438/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\nCreative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All  - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/038534936X/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/038534936X/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\nThe Design Method - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321928849/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321928849/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\nProduct Design for the Web: Principles of Designing and Releasing Web Products- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321929039/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321929039/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Here's a list of all design books that I give to new hires:",
          "reason": "Included in a design book list given to new hires.",
          "audience": "New hires.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gunnar Swanson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "design authorship",
        "design theory",
        "user experience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "multipliers-how-the-best-leaders-make-everyone-smarter-dae613",
      "title": "Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter",
      "author": "Liz Wiseman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40057522,
          "author": "billylo",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-16T21:37:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40057522",
          "commentText": "Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter by Liz Wiseman\nGreat stories on how to amplify the teams' collective impact.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter by Liz Wiseman\nGreat stories on how to amplify the teams' collective impact.",
          "reason": "Praises its stories about amplifying a team's collective impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Liz Wiseman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "team management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "murder-in-the-cathedral-8f4327",
      "title": "Murder in the Cathedral",
      "author": "T. S. Eliot",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30739383,
          "author": "every",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T02:08:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30739383",
          "commentText": "Dandelion Wine - Ray Bradbury\nMurder in the Cathedral - T. S. Eliot\nOur Town - Thornton Wilder",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Murder in the Cathedral - T. S. Eliot",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "T. S. Eliot"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical drama",
        "verse drama"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "murder-on-the-orient-express-4f652e",
      "title": "Murder on the Orient Express",
      "author": "Agatha Christie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18662208,
          "author": "earthicus",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T08:09:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18662208",
          "commentText": "Ofer Gal - Baroque Science. A highly academic history of the scientific revolution, not the most readable book. It focused quite a bit on mathematization, especially in optics (and Kepler's optics revolution in particular), and also in observation via instrumentation like telescopes and microscopes.\nPaul Nahin - The Logician and the Engineer. About Boole and Shannon's work; I had already learned the material so i skimmed part of it and returned it to the library.\nIan Mortimer - The time traveler's guide to medieval england. Talks about what daily life was like for different social classes in 14th century England eg towns & cities, food, clothes, housing, employment, travel etc. I got about halfway through and lost interest in the subject matter.\nLucio Russo - The forgotten Revolution. A very readable academic history of the development of science in ptolomaic egypt (eg euclid, archimedes, etc). This was certainly the most surprising book I read all year. This time period has been almost completely deleted from history, which jumps straight from aristotle to the renaissance (with a quick stop in the islamic world if you're being spoiled), and their achievements were incredibly impressive!\nJim al-Khalili - The House of Wisdom. A pop-history book about arabic science that i got from the library. I was wary because it's written by a particle physicist and not a historian, and sure enough it is filled with so much nonsense that I through it down in disgust after a few chapters.\nColin Pask - Magnificent Principia. A brief tour of some of the highlights of Newton's Principia, using both newton's geometric diagrams and modern notation. Following the modern notation of course assumes some basic calculus. Highly recommended - it made me want to learn old fashioned celestial mechanics! Perhaps in 2019...\nRandall Munroe - What if. A fun light read about whimsical scenarios.\nSigmund - Exact thinking in demented times. About the vienna circle, the philosophical group associated with logical positivism.\nNewman [ed] - The world of mathematics vol 1. A varied Collection of mathematical writings, both contemporary and historical.\nRichard J Evans - The Coming of the Third Reich. Evans has recently written a three volume treatment of the third Reich. this is of course the first and starts with the origins of the modern form of antisemitism in the late 19th century. I hope to read the next two in 2019!\nRobert Harper - Practical foundations for programming languages. I've mostly just skimmed it so my understanding is quite superficial, maybe in a year or two I'll go through and do all the exercises. I liked that he avoided 'paradigms' and developed the subject more systematically. The book's table of contents is absolutely irresistible!\nTolkien - the Hobbit. I finally got around to reading it... I didn't care for it. I started the lord of the rings but i don't think i'm going to finish it.\nMichael Chriton - Jurassic Park. The movie was better.\nAgatha Christie - Murder on the Orient Express. I think i just don't like fiction. The few years before this I tried reading more fancy literature and i didn't like that, so this year I tried more popular literature... Recently i heard someone say they thought that history spoiled fiction for them. I think I've suffered the same problem.\nFindlay & O'Rourke - Power and Plenty. (in progress) An economic history of the 2nd millennium, absolutely fascinating so far. The discussion of the black death was particularly memorable. It's become something of a meme to point out how the peasant survivors were economically better off than their parents and grandparents. In fact that effect was limited to western europe. In eastern europe the economics were different and feudalism deepened, and in the arab world the reaction was different still: (if i remember my reading correctly) it was certain sects of military men who came out on top. I'm bringing it up because it is a perfect reminder that reality is more complicated than memes.\nRobert Harper - Programming in Standard ML. (in progress) Online notes about functional programming.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I think i just don't like fiction.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they may not like fiction and mentions not enjoying this book in that context.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Agatha Christie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "detective fiction",
        "mystery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "murphy-1f47c6",
      "title": "Murphy",
      "author": "Samuel Beckett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 143310,
          "author": "jlk",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T14:46:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143310",
          "commentText": "Ulysses by James Joyce\nCode Complete by Steve McConnell\nWalden by Henry David Thoreau\nBreakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.\nWatermelon Sugar by Richard Brautigan\nMurphy by Samuel Beckett\nGravity's Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Murphy by Samuel Beckett",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Samuel Beckett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "modernist literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "music-science-and-natural-magic-in-seventeenth-century-england-bee5ec",
      "title": "Music, Science and Natural Magic in Seventeenth-Century England",
      "author": "Penelope Gouk",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23859045,
          "author": "dr_dshiv",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:59:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859045",
          "commentText": "#1: \"Western Esotericism: a guide for the perplexed\"\nYou just wouldn't believe it. \nExtremely good scholarship.\nIn the same vein, \n\"Music, science and natural magic in 17th century England\" (about the birth of the Royal Society)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Music, science and natural magic in 17th century England\"",
          "reason": "Recommended as a book in the same vein as the preceding title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Penelope Gouk"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of science",
        "music history",
        "natural magic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "must-we-mean-what-we-say-63e758",
      "title": "Must We Mean What We Say?",
      "author": "Stanley Cavell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503373,
          "author": "carid",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T08:44:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503373",
          "commentText": "A couple by Stanley Cavell:\nMust We Mean What We Say? (1969)\nThe Claim of Reason: Wittgenstein, Skepticism, Morality, and Tragedy (1979) New York: Oxford University Press.\nI would also second Russell's A Brief History of Western Philosophy.  It's biased and weirdly shallow in some places, but written by a philosopher, so not a toothless compilation.\nObscure but made an impression on me: Ways of Worldmaking by Nelson Goodman.\nIf you can get through it: John Rawls's A Theory of Justice...an important book with a few very important ideas.\nStuff by Amartya Sen.\nOn philosophy of science, the historical narratives do the job I think, like The Sleepwalkers by Arthur Koestler (a great read once you get through the Greeks).  You could read Thomas Kuhn, Feyerabend's autobiography \"Killing Time\" which is great, and if you're really serious read Peter Galison's stuff.\nFinally, again, more history that pure philosophy but I really liked Wittgenstein's Vienna by Toulmin.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Must We Mean What We Say? (1969)",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stanley Cavell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ordinary language philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mutation-driven-evolution-3753d6",
      "title": "Mutation-Driven Evolution",
      "author": "Masatoshi Nei",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9674957,
          "author": "jonathansizz",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T15:18:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674957",
          "commentText": "Mind-blowing for those who've read 'The Selfish Gene' and thought it explained everything about evolution:\n'The Spandrels of San Marco and the Panglossian Paradigm: A Critique of the Adaptationist Programme', SJ Gould and RC Lewontin\n'The Origins of Genome Architecture', M Lynch\n'Mutation-Driven Evolution', M Nei",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Mutation-Driven Evolution', M Nei",
          "reason": "Listed as a mind-blowing book for readers who think The Selfish Gene explains everything about evolution.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in evolution and biology.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Masatoshi Nei"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolutionary biology",
        "mutation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mutual-causality-in-buddhism-and-general-systems-theory-4d02af",
      "title": "Mutual Causality in Buddhism and General Systems Theory",
      "author": "Joanna Macy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21793155,
          "author": "SirensOfTitan",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T23:32:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793155",
          "commentText": "Mutual Causality in Buddhism and General Systems Theory by Joanna Macy\nMastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha by Daniel Ingram.\nLenin by Victor Sebestyen.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mutual Causality in Buddhism and General Systems Theory by Joanna Macy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joanna Macy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhism",
        "systems theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "my-adorable-apotheosis-don-t-look-back-pussycat-kill-kill-bf3438",
      "title": "My Adorable Apotheosis: Don't Look Back, Pussycat. Kill! Kill!",
      "author": "Kirsten Hacker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23153606,
          "author": "nixtaken",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T13:15:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23153606",
          "commentText": "My Adorable Apotheosis: Don't Look Back, Pussycat. Kill! Kill! by Kirsten Hacker.\nIn keeping with the preposterous title, it uses sci-fi tropes to illuminate the ways in which the modern scientific community is heading in a preposterous direction.\nIt is sort of like the Princess Bride of sci-fi.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My Adorable Apotheosis: Don't Look Back, Pussycat. Kill! Kill! by Kirsten Hacker.",
          "reason": "Presented as a book that uses science-fiction tropes to examine the scientific community.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as preposterous and compared to The Princess Bride of science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kirsten Hacker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "science satire",
        "scientific community"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "my-airships-8b9de7",
      "title": "My Airships",
      "author": "Alberto Santos-Dumont",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20914307,
          "author": "perilunar",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T00:43:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914307",
          "commentText": "My Airships, by Alberto Santos-Dumont, 1904",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My Airships, by Alberto Santos-Dumont, 1904",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alberto Santos-Dumont"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aviation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "my-body-keeps-your-secrets-364f15",
      "title": "My Body Keeps Your Secrets",
      "author": "Lucia Osborne-Crowley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33382162,
          "author": "AlecSchueler",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T08:34:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382162",
          "commentText": "I Choose Elena and My Body Keeps Your Secrets by Lucia Osbourne Crowley.\nCan highly recommend these to any man who is wanting to better understand issues of sexual assault against women, in terms of how normalised it is, the challenges women face in being believed by other men and the long term health effects that manifest themselves after such attacks and after hiding the truth.\nWanted to mention it here because I become more aware each passing week of the blindspots in the HN community regarding the struggles and perspectives of women.\nIf you want to get a bit out of the male dominated tech bubble and learn about some drastically different experiences from your own these are highly recommend.\nEdit to differentiate the two books: The first is basically a memoir of the author in terms of her own experiences with assault and chronic illness, where the latter is a sort of collaged memoir from multiple people.\nThe latter is definitely the more powerful book and the breath of experience juxtaposed with the commonality of those experiences is very effective. If you're only going to read one I go for My Body Keeps Your Secrets. However there is enough that builds upon the first book, I Chose Elena, that I think it's definitely worth checking them out. The vulnerability shown by the author when she reflects on ICE in MBKYS is breath taking",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I Choose Elena and My Body Keeps Your Secrets by Lucia Osbourne Crowley.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a collaged memoir about sexual assault and its long-term effects.",
          "audience": "Men seeking to understand women's experiences of sexual assault.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says this is the more powerful book and recommends it if reading only one; I Choose Elena provides background.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lucia Osborne-Crowley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Health",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "sexual assault",
        "women s health"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "my-car-a5e1af",
      "title": "My Car",
      "author": "Byron Barton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26775082,
          "author": "rmk",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-12T00:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26775082",
          "commentText": "- Good Night, Moon\n- The Runaway Bunny\n- Harold and the Purple Crayon\n- Grandfather Twilight (for slightly older children)\n- Sandra Boynton books\n- Max's Breakfast (and other books)\n- I Read Signs (Tana Hoban; other books by her also quite good)\n- Go! Go! Go! Stop! (Cherise Mericle Harper)\n- Little Pea (Amy Krouse Rosenthal)\n- Trucks, My Car (and other Byron Barton books)\n- The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Eric Carle; some other books by this author are also good)\n- Roadwork (Sally Sutton; also in the same vein by the illustrator Brian Lovelock: Demolition, Flight of the Honey Bee, The Rain Train).\nMany others come to mind, but these are well-loved.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My Car",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Byron Barton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s concept books",
        "vehicles"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "my-correct-views-on-everything-23a6db",
      "title": "My Correct Views on Everything",
      "author": "Leszek Kołakowski",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17168677,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:31:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168677",
          "commentText": "I can't give just one, but here are a few that had a strong influence on me: \n\"12 Rules for Life\" by Jordan Peterson, \"Why Switzerland?\" Jonathan Steinberg, \"Little Book of Common Sense Investing\" by John C. Bogle, \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" by Butron Malkiel, \"Liberalismus\" by Ludwig von Mises, \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann, \"Walden\" by Henry David Thoreau, \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"A Treatise on Political Economy\" by Jean-Baptiste Say, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy\" by Joseph Alois Schumpeter, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"My Correct Views on Everything\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"The Captive Mind\" Czesław Miłosz, \"One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, \"The House of the Dead\" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, \"Conversations with an Executioner\" by Kazimierz Moczarski, \"Diary 1954\" by Leopold Tyrmand, \"The Master and Margarita\" by Mikhail Bulgakov, \"A World Apart: A Memoir of the Gulag\" by Gustaw Herling-Grudziński",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"My Correct Views on Everything\" by Leszek Kolakowski",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a strong influence on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leszek Kołakowski"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "philosophical essays"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "my-early-life-5ac5dc",
      "title": "My Early Life",
      "author": "Winston S. Churchill",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42971496,
          "author": "maxbrt",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-07T11:35:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42971496",
          "commentText": "1984, George Orwell\nPermanent Record, Edward Snowden\nMy Early Life, Winston S. Churchill\nFlowers for Algernon, Daniel Keyes\nAtlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand\nEdit: To some extent probably also:\nThe Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas\nDon Quijote, Miguel de Cervantes",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My Early Life, Winston S. Churchill",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Winston S. Churchill"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "politics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "my-father-marconi-e60f79",
      "title": "My Father Marconi",
      "author": "Degna Marconi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35170376,
          "author": "breck",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T16:02:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35170376",
          "commentText": "I love autobiographies. Made in Japan (Sony), Made in America (Walmart), My Father Marconi (not quite an autobiography, but by his daughter).\nMy Father Marconi especially. The story of when he sent the first radio transmission across the air in his attic as a boy is wild.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My Father Marconi (not quite an autobiography, but by his daughter).",
          "reason": "Especially enjoyed this account of Marconi's early radio transmission.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not quite an autobiography.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Degna Marconi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "guglielmo marconi",
        "radio history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "my-forty-years-with-ford-99665a",
      "title": "My Forty Years with Ford",
      "author": "Charles Sorensen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25322895,
          "author": "dukeme09",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-06T11:44:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25322895",
          "commentText": "I'm in operations and I also loved \"Cheaper by the Dozen\" as a kid. Have you ever read, \"My Forty Years with Ford\" by Charles Sorensen? He was the first COO of Ford and he talks about building the first modern assembly line, dealing with his difficult process engineering problems (for 1910) and creating one of the first continuous improvement programs. I really enjoyed how everything he described is still relevant today for operations and his seemingly intractable problems are now considered simple today.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Have you ever read, \"My Forty Years with Ford\" by Charles Sorensen?",
          "reason": "Describes building Ford's assembly line and early continuous improvement work.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in operations and manufacturing history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Sorensen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "automotive industry",
        "manufacturing",
        "operations management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "my-inventions-d782fb",
      "title": "My Inventions",
      "author": "Nikola Tesla",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9613336,
          "author": "joeyspn",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T18:24:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9613336",
          "commentText": "Tesla's \"My Inventions\" autobiography\nhttp://www.teslinavizijainterneta.rs/wp-content/uploads/Nkol... (http://www.teslinavizijainterneta.rs/wp-content/uploads/Nkola_Tesla_My_Inventions.pdf)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tesla's \"My Inventions\" autobiography",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nikola Tesla"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "inventor memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "my-inventions-the-autobiography-of-nikola-tesla-65c34f",
      "title": "My Inventions: The Autobiography of Nikola Tesla",
      "author": "Nikola Tesla",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8719700,
          "author": "harshbhasin",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T22:39:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8719700",
          "commentText": "These three works have influenced me. These  are writings of very creative people and I read them to understand their creative process.\n1. Nikola Tesla's autobiography:\nhttp://www.mystacki.com/#!/binder/35/nikola-tesla%27s-autobi... (http://www.mystacki.com/#!/binder/35/nikola-tesla%27s-autobiography)\n2. Swami Vivekananda's complete works: \nhttp://www.mystacki.com/#!/binder/45/swami-vivakananda\n3. David Bohm on creativity: http://www.amazon.com/Creativity-Routledge-Classics-David-Bo... (http://www.amazon.com/Creativity-Routledge-Classics-David-Bohm/dp/0415336406)\nI have been reading these three authors for many years, over and over again. In his autobiography, Tesla brings forth many exciting things about his creative process. He could prototype complete machines in his mind before building them. In his mind he could run tests, even see scars and blemishes on his machines. In my coding, I (feebly) try to emulate his method by trying to visualize my coding prototype in my mind. His short autobiography  reads like that of a mystic. In there he describes how the idea of AC current came to him, while taking a walk and looking into the Sun. Philosophically, everything in life alternates: the pairs of opposites, ebb and flow-- its seems to be the code of life; and AC current does the same, it alternates. His writings on Electricity are against the established grain: for him electricity (his only love) is the current of life. There cannot be two electricities(positive and negative,) he says, these are only terms for the state of having more or less of the same thing.\nDavid Bohm has important things to say about the creative process. He talks about completeness (wholeness) of thought. He talks about \"mental models\" that we create to understand reality and how we keep growing out of older models... newtonian physics gives way to relativity etc.\nSwami Vivekananda was a contemporary of Tesla and they did actually meet. He was a scholar of the Indian philosophy system called Advaita and Sankhya. As Jung has said about archetypes -- same thoughts occur to people of all ages, the Sankhya philosophy system believed in the equivalence of matter and energy. Vivekananda introduced  these ideas to Tesla and expected him to prove them. But the proof came ten years later with Einstein. I have written about this here:\nhttp://www.mystacki.com/#!/post/132/vivakanand's-meeting-wit... (http://www.mystacki.com/#!/post/132/vivakanand's-meeting-with-tesla)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1. Nikola Tesla's autobiography:",
          "reason": "The commenter says they read it to understand Tesla's creative process and describes it as influential.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in creative process and Tesla's life.",
          "caveat": "Describes the autobiography as reading like that of a mystic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nikola Tesla"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creativity",
        "invention"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "my-ishmael-44b4e6",
      "title": "My Ishmael",
      "author": "Daniel Quinn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2330490,
          "author": "andrewce",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-16T02:45:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 2329700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that change your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2330490",
          "commentText": "\"Ishmael\" by Daniel Quinn (as well as \"My Ishmael\") changed how I view the world and how I characterize contemporary issues. The Takers/Leavers dichotomy, while a tad simplistic, was jaw-dropping at the time.\n\"Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance\" had a similar effect, though with the Classicist/Romanticist split more than any other part of the book. Also: \"Itty-bitty rules for itty-bitty people\" made quite a few things make sense.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Ishmael\" by Daniel Quinn (as well as \"My Ishmael\") changed how I view the world and how I characterize contemporary issues.",
          "reason": "Grouped with Ishmael as changing the commenter's view of the world and contemporary issues.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The Takers/Leavers dichotomy is described as somewhat simplistic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Quinn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "civilization",
        "environmental philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "my-life-and-work-fc1902",
      "title": "My Life and Work",
      "author": "Henry Ford",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4967165,
          "author": "emehrkay",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T21:38:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967165",
          "commentText": "Off of the top of my head: Heny Ford -- My Life and Work. The Shape of Design. Ken Segal -- Insanely Simple.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Heny Ford -- My Life and Work",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Henry Ford"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "autobiography",
        "industrial history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "my-life-as-a-quant-df6b3a",
      "title": "My Life as a Quant",
      "author": "Emanuel Derman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18827386,
          "author": "parallel_item",
          "createdAt": "2019-01-04T20:38:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 18824130,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What article/book do you recommend for my next flight?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18827386",
          "commentText": "Some finance books I love (and reread frequently). These books are more about characters and stories, more than traditional non-fiction.\nMy Life as a Quant by Emanuel Derman\nThe Quants by Scott Patterson\nA Man for All Markets by Edward O. Thorp\nReminiscences of a Stock Operator by Edwin Lefevre\nFlash Boys by Michael Lewis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My Life as a Quant by Emanuel Derman",
          "reason": "Includes it among finance books the commenter loves and rereads frequently.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in finance books focused on characters and stories.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these books are more about characters and stories than traditional nonfiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13237407,
          "author": "huuuuza",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T14:27:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237407",
          "commentText": "Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls - David Sedaris, My Life as a Quant - Emmanuel Derman, Plato at the Googleplex - Rebecca Goldstein, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running - Haruki Murakami",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "My Life as a Quant - Emmanuel Derman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Emanuel Derman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "quantitative finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "my-life-in-art-bffe4b",
      "title": "My Life in Art",
      "author": "Constantin Stanislavski",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1865529,
          "author": "pavlov",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T17:15:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865529",
          "commentText": "Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami\nHistoire d'O by Pauline Réage\nMy Life in Art by Constantin Stanislavski (This one seems to be taking me forever, even though it's entertaining. Biographies are not really my thing.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "My Life in Art by Constantin Stanislavski (This one seems to be taking me forever, even though it's entertaining. Biographies are not really my thing.)",
          "reason": "Says it is entertaining.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Taking a long time to read; biographies are not really the commenter's thing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Constantin Stanislavski"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "theater"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "my-life-in-the-appalachian-woods-2df5e6",
      "title": "My Life in the Appalachian Woods",
      "author": "Zoro's Field",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40284222,
          "author": "OnACoffeeBreak",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T11:09:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40284222",
          "commentText": "You may also enjoy a modern-ish take on this from Zoro's Field: My Life in the Appalachian Woods.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a modern-ish take on this from Zoro's Field: My Life in the Appalachian Woods",
          "reason": "Suggested as a modern take on the book discussed in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Zoro's Field"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "simple living",
        "woods living"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "my-name-is-asher-lev-070a71",
      "title": "My Name Is Asher Lev",
      "author": "Chaim Potok",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49912923,
          "author": "__rito__",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T19:01:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49912923",
          "commentText": "Will highly recommend.\nExtremely fluid writing, and you encounter a whole new world.\nIt is definitely good. You see the world from a very young person's eyes, but the nuances, complexities, etc. of adult life and wider worls still touches you unaltered. That's rare.\nI will check out the ones that you mention.\nPick up the Penguin paperback (mine is from the \"Modern Classics\" series). It's cheap and great to read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pick up the Penguin paperback",
          "reason": "Recommends a Penguin paperback edition as cheap and enjoyable to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chaim Potok"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bildungsroman",
        "jewish literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "my-promised-land-the-triumph-and-tragedy-of-israel-8047fa",
      "title": "My Promised Land: The Triumph and Tragedy of Israel",
      "author": "Ari Shavit",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12070964,
          "author": "cafard",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T13:43:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12070964",
          "commentText": "Solo: An American Dreamer in Europe by Wright Morris, a memoir of spending part of 1932 and 1933 in Austria, Italy, and France. Not on the whole as rewarding as his other memoirs Will's Boy and A Cloak of Light, but interesting enough.\nAdolphe and Le Cahier Rouge by Benjamin Constant. The former a devastating short novel, the latter a memoir, a portrait of the artist as a young twerp. (The things we boomers would say if something comparable had been published by a millenial!)\nFates and Furies by Lauren Groff, a novel read for a book club. The less said, the better.\nAutobiography by Henry James. Very slow going, but rewarding, a mind at work.\nMy Promised Land by Avi Shalets. A history of Israel and the Zionist project by an Israeli journalist. It covers a lot of ground that most Americans (I infer from my book club) don't know. It seemed to me that it could have been maybe 15% shorter, and that David Remnick should have impounded Shalets's thesaurus.\nThree Critics of the Enlightenment: Vico, Hamann, Herder by Isaiah Berlin. Well worth reading, but requiring more time than just its own reading, for now I have to read some Herder. I have already fought my way through some Hamann; the translation is heavily footnoted, as necessary for those of us who aren't handy with Greek, Hebrew, and Latin, and don't have the Bible memorized.\nKulturgeschichte der Neuzeit (vol. ii) by Egon Friedell. Clive James's recommendation in Cultural Amnesia put me onto this one. Most interesting, but slow going because my German is rusty.\n[Edit: got rid of most of the \"most interesting\"s.]",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It seemed to me that it could have been maybe 15% shorter",
          "reason": "Says it covers ground most Americans may not know, but feels it could be shorter.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking background on Israel and the Zionist project.",
          "caveat": "The commenter thinks it could be about 15% shorter and criticizes its thesaurus use.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ari Shavit"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "israel",
        "zionism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "my-side-of-the-mountain-64760e",
      "title": "My Side of the Mountain",
      "author": "Jean Craighead George",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1725071,
          "author": "invalidOrTaken",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-24T19:38:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1725071",
          "commentText": "My Side of the Mountain---about a kid running away and actually living off the land.\nBook of Virtues---don't give him this, just have it around in your house to read when bored.  Gambling scandals notwithstanding, it's full of good stuff.\nBlind Man's Bluff---for a kid a bit older, but it's about submarine history in the Cold War.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My Side of the Mountain---about a kid running away and actually living off the land.",
          "reason": "Suggests it for a boy and summarizes its wilderness survival story.",
          "audience": "Children.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jean Craighead George"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coming of age",
        "wilderness survival"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "my-startup-life-76f1c2",
      "title": "My Startup Life",
      "author": "Ben Casnocha",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 203462,
          "author": "calvin",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T17:43:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=203462",
          "commentText": "I just finished reading \"My Startup Life\" by Ben Casnocha.  It's a good introduction to the entrepreneurial world for people just starting the journey, and it has some good insights that can benefit anybody.  (Book site: http://mystartuplife.com/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a good introduction to the entrepreneurial world for people just starting the journey, and it has some good insights that can benefit anybody.",
          "reason": "Calls it a good introduction with useful insights for anyone.",
          "audience": "People starting out in entrepreneurship.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ben Casnocha"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "startup founders"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "my-struggle-cfbde2",
      "title": "My Struggle",
      "author": "Karl Ove Knausgård",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13239780,
          "author": "jdpigeon",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T19:47:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13239780",
          "commentText": "It was the second year of my \"read books like an adult\" effort and there were some great ones:\nInfinite Jest (David Foster Wallace)*\nI was blown away by how completely delightful it was to read. I went in to it with a lot of trepidation about its length and esoteric fixation, but found myself completely immersed in the book in a way that I hadn't been since I was kid. I didn't pick up any hard and fast lessons from the book (indeed, its thesis is mostly that life is hard and the easy answers that are out there are toxic), but I definitely came away from it feeling like it was a bit more acceptable to share what I really thought and felt with others. Reading the book is like entering an intimate communion with DFW's mind and it reinforced in me the importance of inter-human connection in that way.\nEvery Love Story is a Ghost Story (D.T. Max)\nDFW's biography, which I read after Infinite Jest. I highly recommend reading after IJ to get more background on where the books idea's came from. Two things I learned: 1. IJ basically took him ten years to write, 2: An incredible amount of it is drawn from personal issues and experiences, his struggles with addiction and loneliness were very real and he greatly downplayed them in his interviews.\nThe Invention of Nature (Andrea Wulf)\nThe best historical book I've ever read. Von Humbolt was one of the greatest scientists to ever live and I can't believe I'd ever heard of him before. The book itself does a great job of tying together the ideas of many great thinkers: Humboldt, Darwin, Thoreau, Muir, Goethe.\nThe Conquest of Happiness (Bertrand Russel)\nGreat little 'self-help' book from Russel. Perhaps a bit quaint in its datedness and Englishness, but a lot of the ideas still hold true. His thoughts on boredom were the high point of the book IMO.\nThe Hard Thing About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\nThe most 'make an adult of you'-feeling book I read this year. After attending an 'MBA bootcamp' style course, this book was the gritty, personal account that helped me tie all those lessons together. I got a job with a startup shortly afterwards and because I've never studied business (or worked in a real company before), I refer to the lessons in this book a lot.\nMy Struggle, first  volume (Karl Ove Knausgaard)\nStill reading this one and not entirely sure what to think. It's entertaining, heartfelt, and provides that sense of communion that good fiction needs. The book's purpose seems totally up in the air, however.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's entertaining, heartfelt, and provides that sense of communion that good fiction needs.",
          "reason": "Finds it entertaining and heartfelt, while still being unsure what to think of it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its purpose seems totally up in the air.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Karl Ove Knausgård"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "autofiction",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "my-struggle-628d56",
      "title": "My Struggle",
      "author": "Karl Ove Knausgaard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21459544,
          "author": "banjo_milkman",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T03:39:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21459544",
          "commentText": "My struggle book 6 by Karl Ove Knausgaard. Good, though I think I preferred the earlier books. It's still very compelling, but a little too much Hitler in this one\nUnderland: A Deep Time Journey by Robert Macfarlane. Poetic landscape history, reminiscent of Sebald. Good stuff.\nClick here to kill everybody by Bruce Schneier. Scary.\nMachines like me by Ian McEwan. First McEwan I read for a while but I liked it more than I expected. I thought the AI bits were quite good.\nThe deep history of ourselves : the four-billion-year story of how we got conscious brains by Joseph LeDoux. Bit disappointed in this one, it seemed like there should have been a better story here.\nThe Tangled Tree: A Radical New History of Life:  David Quammen.\nThe Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power by Shoshana Zuboff. Makes CS careers look less appealing.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Good, though I think I preferred the earlier books. It's still very compelling, but a little too much Hitler in this one",
          "reason": "Calls it good and compelling, while preferring earlier volumes and finding this one has too much Hitler.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter prefers the earlier books and finds this volume too focused on Hitler.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Karl Ove Knausgaard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "autofiction",
        "literary memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "my-struggle-book-1-6e45cc",
      "title": "My Struggle: Book 1",
      "author": "Karl Ove Knausgård",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29673092,
          "author": "samglover97",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T12:32:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29673092",
          "commentText": "A few books I enjoyed:\n- The Case against Education by Bryan Caplan, discussing the merits of signalling theory (the point of education is to signal your intelligence and conscientiousness) as opposed to human capital theory (education genuinely makes you a better worker with more skills). Didn't find it totally convincing but it was a fun and interesting read.\n- The Genetic Lottery: Why DNA Matters for Social Equality by Kathryn Harden, a wonderful book on how hereditary IQ is, and why that is a good case for redistribution, given that IQ is so predictive of wealth/income\n- The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson, a biography of Jennifer Doudna, the woman who founded CRISPR and won the Nobel prize. Great read, thrilling.\n- My Struggle book 1, by Karl Ove Knausgård. Haven't finished this yet, just started it a few days ago - about 300 pages in. Great, great novel, one of the best I've read in a while.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Great, great novel, one of the best I've read in a while.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the novel as one of the best they have read recently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter had only read about 300 pages and had not finished it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401346,
          "author": "himanshuy",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:10:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401346",
          "commentText": "Read:\nA short history of nearly everything. - Bill Bryson\nBought, but yet not read :\nMy Struggle: Book 1 - Karl Ove Knausgaard",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "My Struggle: Book 1 - Karl Ove Knausgaard",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Karl Ove Knausgård"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "autofiction",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "my-uncle-oswald-5aaca7",
      "title": "My Uncle Oswald",
      "author": "Roald Dahl",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My Uncle Oswald",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roald Dahl"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "my-universities-7f7247",
      "title": "My Universities",
      "author": "Maxim Gorky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46397164,
          "author": "otsaloma",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T22:42:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46397164",
          "commentText": "My favorite of the year would be Maxim Gorky's three-part autobiography: I read \"Childhood\" and \"In the World\" (a.k.a. \"Amid Attendants\") and just started the last part \"My Universities\". Gorky drifted as an orphan from house and job to another and describes an interesting array of characters he came across, mostly poor and misfortunate, but many of them good as well.\n\"He took me under the arms, lifted me up, kissed me, and placed me firmly on the jetty. I was sorry for him and for myself. I could hardly keep from crying when I saw him returning to the steamer, pushing aside the porters, looking so large, heavy, solitary. So many times since then I have met people like him, kind, lonely, cut off from the lives of other people.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "just started the last part \"My Universities\"",
          "reason": "The commenter has just started the final part of the autobiography they call their favorite of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has only just started it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Maxim Gorky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "autobiography",
        "russian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "my-watch-d03425",
      "title": "My Watch",
      "author": "Mark Twain",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467918,
          "author": "5letters",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T16:17:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467918",
          "commentText": "When I've needed to laugh I've read and reread:\nMark Twain's  \"Life on the Mississippi\"  and \"Roughing It\" as well as many short stories, esp. \"My Watch\", \"Political Economy\", \"Journalism in Tennessee\"\nAlso short stories from others:\nJ.S. Perelman's \"Strictly From Hunger\",\nAlex Atkinson's \"The Eyes of Texas are Upon You\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"My Watch\", \"Political Economy\", \"Journalism in Tennessee\"",
          "reason": "Named among the short stories the commenter rereads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Twain"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "humor",
        "short story"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "my-years-with-general-motors-5b17fb",
      "title": "My Years with General Motors",
      "author": "Alfred P. Sloan Jr.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8401336,
          "author": "zbravo",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:09:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401336",
          "commentText": "Currently Reading:\nAnnals of the Former World - John McPhee\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/78.Annals_of_the_Former_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/78.Annals_of_the_Former_World)\nMy Years with GM - Alfred P. Sloan Jr.\nhttp://www.goodreads.com/book/show/275912.My_Years_with_Gene... (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/275912.My_Years_with_General_Motors)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "My Years with GM - Alfred P. Sloan Jr.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 657981,
          "author": "khandekars",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-15T05:18:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 657892,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite management books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=657981",
          "commentText": "\"Founders at Work\" by Jessica Livingston. Full of good stories.\n\"My years with General Motors\" by Alfred P. Sloan, Jr. How he built the organization is quite an interesting read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How he built the organization is quite an interesting read.",
          "reason": "Calls the account of building the organization an interesting read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alfred P. Sloan Jr."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "management",
        "automotive industry",
        "general motors"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mycophilia-d0ebf7",
      "title": "Mycophilia",
      "author": "Eugenia Bone",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eugenia Bone"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mushrooms",
        "mycology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "mythical-man-month-312501",
      "title": "Mythical Man Month",
      "author": "Frederick P. Brooks Jr.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14487571,
          "author": "eckza",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T13:53:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487571",
          "commentText": "MMM is a must-read, for anyone that wants to effectively engage in the software development lifecycle, IMO. Developer, project manager, doesn't matter.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "MMM is a must-read, for anyone that wants to effectively engage in the software development lifecycle, IMO.",
          "reason": "Calls it a must-read for people involved in the software development lifecycle.",
          "audience": "Developers and project managers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frederick P. Brooks Jr."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software project management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nato-s-secret-armies-operation-gladio-and-terrorism-in-western-eu-97f3f5",
      "title": "NATO's Secret Armies: Operation GLADIO and Terrorism in Western Europe",
      "author": "Daniele Ganser",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24287037,
          "author": "markus_zhang",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-26T20:42:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 24286084,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading at the moment and what do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24287037",
          "commentText": "NATO's secret armies: Operation Gladio and Terrorism in Western Europe.\nIf you want to see the other face of Cold War and have some fun, here you go.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "NATO's secret armies: Operation Gladio and Terrorism in Western Europe.\nIf you want to see the other face of Cold War and have some fun, here you go.",
          "reason": "Suggested for a look at a different side of the Cold War.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniele Ganser"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cold war",
        "operation gladio"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nos4a2-0a3daa",
      "title": "NOS4A2",
      "author": "Joe Hill",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8795694,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T07:00:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795694",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nPredictable Revenue - Aaron Ross, Marylou Tyler\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nThe Ultimate Question 2.0 - Fred Reichheld‎\nThe Singularity is Near - Ray Kurzweil\nMoonshot! - John Sculley\nZero To One - Peter Thiel\nRepublic - Plato\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius\nNineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell\nFahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury\nThe Mysterious Island - Jules Verne\nDiscipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy, Fred Wiersema\nFalse Memory - Dean Koontz\nNOS4A2- Joe Hill\nRevival - Stephen King\nBarbarians At The Gate - John Helyar and Bryan Burrough\nInto Thin Air - John Krakauer\nHow To Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nand any collection of the works of H.P. Lovecraft.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "NOS4A2- Joe Hill",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for impactful or liked books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joe Hill"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "horror",
        "supernatural thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nail-it-then-scale-it-331de4",
      "title": "Nail It Then Scale It",
      "author": "Nathan Furr and Paul Ahlstrom",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35169292,
          "author": "sotu",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T14:57:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35169292",
          "commentText": "Atlas shrugged, Minto Pyramid Principle, Nail it then Scale it",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nail it then Scale it",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nathan Furr",
        "Paul Ahlstrom"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "customer development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nail-it-then-scale-it-the-entrepreneur-s-guide-to-creating-and-ma-09d2f5",
      "title": "Nail It Then Scale It: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Creating and Managing Breakthrough Innovation",
      "author": "Nathan Furr and Paul Ahlstrom",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33383925,
          "author": "golfinho23",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T13:36:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33383925",
          "commentText": "Nail It Then Scale It: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Creating and Managing Breakthrough Innovation\nBook by Nathan Furr and Paul Ahlstrom",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nail It Then Scale It: The Entrepreneur's Guide to Creating and Managing Breakthrough Innovation",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nathan Furr",
        "Paul Ahlstrom"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "innovation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "naked-economics-undressing-the-dismal-science-51ddeb",
      "title": "Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science",
      "author": "Charles Wheelan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6335887,
          "author": "nsp",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-05T18:23:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 6329955,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which two books were the most influential on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6335887",
          "commentText": "1. Naked economics. This is essentially a primer on Econ, I read it when I was 17 or so and it taught me 90% of what I was taught getting ivy Econ degree. Short, easy, intuitive read, can't recommend it enough. \n2. Innovators dilemma. This is where the now-meaningless-buzzword 'disrupt' comes from.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Short, easy, intuitive read, can't recommend it enough.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its accessible explanation of economics and explicitly recommends it.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an accessible economics primer.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Wheelan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economics primer"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "naming-nature-the-clash-between-instinct-and-science-10c325",
      "title": "Naming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science",
      "author": "Carol Kaesuk Yoon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carol Kaesuk Yoon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biodiversity",
        "taxonomy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "naming-and-necessity-e1fab2",
      "title": "Naming and Necessity",
      "author": "Saul A. Kripke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32791257,
          "author": "wunderlust",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T15:04:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32791257",
          "commentText": "My field of study (what I really like to think and learn about) isn't my field of work, but I like the question so I'll spill some thoughts.\nI spend a lot of time thinking about philosophical-ish stuff, so here are some books that have had the strongest residual effects (whether that's changing how I think, changing what I think about, changing my values, or simply getting the thought ball rolling faster):\nIshmael (Daniel Quinn)\n1984 (George Orwell)\nBrave New World (Aldous Huxley)\nGodel, Escher, Bach (Douglas Hofstadter)\nThe Republic [imp. \"the allegory of the cave\"] (Plato)\nThe Genealogy of Morals (Friedrich Nietzsche)\nThe Social Construction of Reality (Peter L. Berger, Thomas Luckmann)\nTractatus Logico-Philosophicus (L. Wittgenstein)\nDissemination [imp. \"The Pharmakon\"] (Jacques Derrida)\nThe Quest for Reality (Barry Stroud)\nLanguages of Art (Nelson Goodman)\nThe Structure of Scientific Revolutions (Thomas Kuhn)\nConcepts (Jerry Fodor)\nThe Web of Life (Fritjof Capra)\nFoucault's Pendulum (Umberto Eco)\nNaming and Necessity (Saul Kripke)\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Robert Pirsig)\nThere are others, and a lot of essays (by thinkers like Bertrand Russell, Carl Hempel, Hilary Putnam, WVO Quine, Karl Popper, Alfred Tarski, Gottlob Frege, David Chalmers, Daniel Dennett, Michel Foucault, Jean Baudrillard, Mikhail Bakunin, CS Peirce, and David Hume, among many others), but these seem apropos as they most readily came to mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Naming and Necessity (Saul Kripke)",
          "reason": "Listed among books with strong residual effects on the commenter’s thinking and values.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Saul A. Kripke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "metaphysics",
        "philosophy of language"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nand-to-tetris-3eb888",
      "title": "Nand to Tetris",
      "author": "Noam Nisan and Shimon Schocken",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35929876,
          "author": "ChatGTP",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T16:22:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35929876",
          "commentText": "Second that, is amazing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Second that, is amazing.",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the parent’s praise of the NAND to Tetris class.",
          "audience": "People learning how computers and operating systems work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Noam Nisan",
        "Shimon Schocken"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer architecture",
        "operating systems",
        "programming education"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nanette-s-baguette-193bc1",
      "title": "Nanette's Baguette",
      "author": "Mo Willems",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50038526,
          "author": "semiquaver",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T00:31:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50038526",
          "commentText": "It Might be an Apple (Shinsuke Yoshitake)\nThe Skull (Jon Klassen)\nThe Way Things Work\n(David Macaulay)\nAnimalia (Graeme Base)\nNanette’s Baguette (Mo Willlems)\nThe princess and the Pony (Kate Beaton)\nFrederick (Leo Leoni)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nanette’s Baguette (Mo Willlems)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite children's books.",
          "audience": "Children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mo Willems"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "picture books",
        "rhyming books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "napoleon-bonaparte-be4d32",
      "title": "Napoleon Bonaparte",
      "author": "Alan Schom",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4966795,
          "author": "napoleond",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T19:15:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4966795",
          "commentText": "These are the ones I remember, but not necessarily for being the best.\nSteve Jobs - Walter Isaacson. I thought it was interesting; an honest attempt at cataloguing the life of a fascinating and complex person.\nHow To Win Friends And Influence People - Dale Carnegie. I'd skimmed through it in high school, and decided it was full of obvious/cheesy platitudes, but was somehow convinced to take another look this year and I'm very glad I did. It is mostly full of very basic \"don't be an ass\" advice, but I needed it.\nNever Eat Alone - Keith Ferrazzi. I'm not sure what to think of this one. It's pretty low on actionable advice, but it did help me (together with HTWFAIF, above) reframe the way I approach interpersonal relationships.\nThe Cat's Table - Michael Ondaatje. I haven't finished this one yet, but it's part of a recent concerted effort to read more fiction. I've always loved Ondaatje's work, and this latest novel is no different.\nFreakonomics - Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner. I just started reading this last night, and I'm already 100 pages in. It's an addicting read, and is already causing me to re-evaluate the incentive systems that are everywhere.\nNapoleon Bonaparte - Alan Schom. I've been reading this one slowly for a while (it's a hefty book). It's a very well written account of Napoleon's entire life story--highly recommended.\nCrossing the Chasm - Geoffrey Moore. Just started this one last night as well (Christmas presents!) and so far it seems like it will live up to the hype.\nThe Education of Millionaires - Michael Ellsberg. This one, I can't recommend. As always, though, YMMV :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Napoleon Bonaparte - Alan Schom. I've been reading this one slowly for a while (it's a hefty book). It's a very well written account of Napoleon's entire life story--highly recommended.",
          "reason": "Calls it a very well written account and highly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes it as a hefty book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan Schom"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "napoleon"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "narrative-economics-9feb1b",
      "title": "Narrative Economics",
      "author": "Robert J. Shiller",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21796311,
          "author": "chewxy",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-15T14:20:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21796311",
          "commentText": "I ploughed through Francis Fukuyama's Political Order series this year. I wouldn't say it's my favourite, but it was in some sense uplifting. He writes as though rule of law is a evolutionary certainty. As much as that's largely BS in my view, it's still nice to read.\nAfter 4 years I also finally finished Capital in the 21st Century. My opinion: worth reading by jumping around, not worth reading in linear fashion.\nBruce Pascoe's Dark Emu is worth a read too. It's well researched, but the author does occasionally blur the line between opinion and facts. I attribute it to writing styles. Similar in nature to another book I quite liked in the past - Wisdom Sits in Places, but less focused.\nNarrative Economics by Robert Shiller would be unfocused to people who are in the tech industry. Nonetheless, the book serves to give context to people who are textmining. Hopefully some changes to economics arise from this. His understanding of genetic algorithms and selection could do with some work.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Nonetheless, the book serves to give context to people who are textmining.",
          "reason": "Says it can provide context for people who are text mining.",
          "audience": "People who are text mining.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may seem unfocused to people in tech; they also note the author's treatment of genetic algorithms and selection could improve.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert J. Shiller"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic narratives",
        "text mining"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "narrative-of-the-life-of-frederick-douglass-c4c3e3",
      "title": "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass",
      "author": "Frederick Douglass",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1633658,
          "author": "dwwoelfel",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T18:13:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1633658",
          "commentText": "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0300087012\nI read this after listening to the following lecture: http://arc-tv.com/inspiring-heroes-great-leaders%E2%80%94fre... (http://arc-tv.com/inspiring-heroes-great-leaders%E2%80%94frederick-douglass/). His strength of character allowed him to escape slavery and abolish the practice in the United States.\nAtlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0452011876/\nDon't buy the mass-market paperback, the writing and margins are so small that it is a pain to read. Spend a little extra for the larger version I linked to.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/0300087012\nI read this after listening to the following lecture:",
          "reason": "Included in an answer to a question about books that changed lives; the comment discusses Douglass's character and abolition.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frederick Douglass"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "abolition",
        "enslavement",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "narratives-of-empire-69d45e",
      "title": "Narratives of Empire",
      "author": "Gore Vidal",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4969039,
          "author": "theballwatcher",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T12:30:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4969039",
          "commentText": "Shogun is a great read. It got me started on the whole historical fiction genre. The rest of the books in Clavell's Asian Saga are pretty good too except for maybe Gai-jin. I also enjoyed reading Gore Vidal's Lincoln and Burr from his Narratives of the Empire series - very entertaining and definitely not run-of-the-mill biographic portrayals.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "from his Narratives of the Empire series",
          "reason": "Identifies Lincoln and Burr as entries in this series and praises their portrayals as entertaining.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gore Vidal"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american history",
        "historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "narziss-and-goldmund-bd0aed",
      "title": "Narziss and Goldmund",
      "author": "Hermann Hesse",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 407426,
          "author": "swombat",
          "createdAt": "2008-12-23T09:31:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 407067,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Let's start a Hacker News book club",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=407426",
          "commentText": "EDIT3: If we're going to go with fiction, this looks like a good list to pick from:\nhttp://www.goodreads.com/list/show/6.Best_Books_of_the_20th_... (http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/6.Best_Books_of_the_20th_Century)\nPersonally, I've read almost none of these!\n1) How can you have read none of these? Get started already! And don't wait for others to tell you which books to read!\n2) That list is very suspect... I don't know how they compiled it, but it's a bit strange that it does contain some good books but then simultaneously allocates several positions to enjoyable but trashy books such as Harry Potter. Also gives several position to LotR (one is warranted, no more!), including one for the Silmarillion (wtf? I enjoyed it, but \"best book of the 20th century\"? no way!) Memoirs of a Geisha is also nice but hardly a thought leader. And it seems to be completely missing immortal masterpieces such as Narziss & Goldmund (Herman Hesse), Joseph and his Brothers (Thomas Mann), The Trial (Kafka), and many others.\nAn \"OK\" starting point, but not even the shadow of a definitive list.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "immortal masterpieces such as Narziss & Goldmund (Herman Hesse)",
          "reason": "Presents it as an immortal masterpiece and a stronger choice for the list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hermann Hesse"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coming of age",
        "spiritual quest"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "national-system-of-political-economy-9649ce",
      "title": "National System of Political Economy",
      "author": "Friedrich List",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32936103,
          "author": "Ligma123",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T08:14:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936103",
          "commentText": "Meditations - Marcus Aurelius\nRepublic - Plato\nLaws - Cicero\nNational System of Political Economy - Friedrich List\nMan and Technics - Oswald Spengler\nThe Bible",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "National System of Political Economy - Friedrich List",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Friedrich List"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic nationalism",
        "political economy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nations-the-long-history-and-deep-roots-of-political-ethnicity-3789a5",
      "title": "Nations: The Long History and Deep Roots of Political Ethnicity",
      "author": "Azar Gat",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19092472,
          "author": "barry-cotter",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-06T03:31:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19092472",
          "commentText": "> Imagined Communities - the notion of a \"nation\" is only 300 years old and has no objective basis, only the fact that a group of people agree that it is a thing.\nThe Lombards, Saxons, Franks, Magyars, Mongols and many, many others would disagree. And the Khmer, Mon, Viet and Tai.\nhttps://www.gnxp.com/WordPress/2018/03/26/communities-only-e... (https://www.gnxp.com/WordPress/2018/03/26/communities-only-exist-only-in-the-minds-of-europeans/)\n> Overall it is worth reading Imagined Communities because of its purported cultural significance. But much of it is so garbled and unclear I’m not sure what people are taking from it, aside from the proposition that the modern nation-state was invented in the last few centuries due to modernity. In the end the book is kind of a long tautology.\nAzar Gat’s Nations is a far superior book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Azar Gat’s Nations is a far superior book.",
          "reason": "The commenter considers it superior to Imagined Communities.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Azar Gat"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nationalism",
        "political ethnicity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "native-american-anarchism-1c8561",
      "title": "Native American Anarchism",
      "author": "Eunice Minette Schuster",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43686747,
          "author": "bradac56",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-14T21:55:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 43685856,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What 3 Books Would You Recommend to Anyone?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43686747",
          "commentText": "1.) The Tao Jones Averages by Bennett W. Goodspeed 1984 (this is the primer before reading Jack Bogle's books).\n2.) The Democratic Party: A History by Frank R. Kent 1928 (an important read of where both modern USA political parties came from).\n3.) Native American Anarchism by Eunice Minette Schuster..1970 (bias is a funny thing).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Native American Anarchism by Eunice Minette Schuster..1970",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter adds “bias is a funny thing.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eunice Minette Schuster"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "anarchism",
        "native american history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "natural-born-heroes-1c6c2f",
      "title": "Natural Born Heroes",
      "author": "Christopher McDougall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10766433,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T08:01:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10766433",
          "commentText": "Not sure about \"significantly affected how I think\", but here are a couple of the standouts from 2015 that come to mind:\nThe First World War: A Complete History\nPredictable Revenue\nSuperforecasting\nThe Master Algorithm\nNatural Born Heroes",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Natural Born Heroes",
          "reason": "Listed as a standout read in response to a question about books that affected the reader's thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether it significantly affected their thinking.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher McDougall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human performance",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "natural-language-processing-with-python-10ea0c",
      "title": "Natural Language Processing with Python",
      "author": "Steven Bird, Ewan Klein, and Edward Loper",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9758549,
          "author": "akbar_R",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T14:30:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758549",
          "commentText": "Taming text http://www.amazon.com/Taming-Text-Find-Organize-Manipulate/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Taming-Text-Find-Organize-Manipulate/dp/193398838X)\nNatural Language Processing with Python http://www.nltk.org/book/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Natural Language Processing with Python",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Bird, Ewan Klein, and Edward Loper"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "natural language processing",
        "python"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "naturalist-21a53d",
      "title": "Naturalist",
      "author": "Edward O. Wilson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10028377,
          "author": "clebio",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T19:24:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10028377",
          "commentText": "Not sure really what you consider signal versus noise, as it depends a lot of what your interest or experience with a particular subject is. But at any rate:\nNaturalist, Edward O. Wilson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Naturalist, Edward O. Wilson",
          "reason": "The commenter lists it as a suggested book in response to the request for high signal-to-noise books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward O. Wilson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "natural history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nature-in-code-229433",
      "title": "Nature in Code",
      "author": "Stefano Nichele",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13409339,
          "author": "swalta",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T11:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13409339",
          "commentText": "I recommend the MOOC and book for Nature in Code - evolutionary dynamics in Javascript\nhttps://www.edx.org/course/nature-code-biology-javascript-ep... (https://www.edx.org/course/nature-code-biology-javascript-epflx-nic1-0x)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend the MOOC and book for Nature in Code - evolutionary dynamics in Javascript",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the book alongside its MOOC.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stefano Nichele"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computational biology",
        "evolutionary dynamics",
        "javascript"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "neal-stephenson-s-books-bf7195",
      "title": "Neal Stephenson's books",
      "author": "Neal Stephenson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46399761,
          "author": "EvanAnderson",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T06:57:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46399761",
          "commentText": "I'll throw out a recommendation for Neal Stephenson, if you're not already familiar. I like all of his stuff, personally, but the books \"Zodiac\"[0], \"Interface\"[1], and \"The Cobweb\"[2] (the latter two co-authored with his uncle) I think would be a slam-dunk for you, based on your list.\n[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zodiac_%28novel%29\n[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interface_%28novel%29\n[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cobweb_%28novel%29",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'll throw out a recommendation for Neal Stephenson, if you're not already familiar.",
          "reason": "Recommends the author's books generally, then names three titles.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neal Stephenson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "speculative fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "neanderthal-parallax-781eb4",
      "title": "Neanderthal Parallax",
      "author": "Robert J. Sawyer",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13121930,
          "author": "pavel_lishin",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-07T11:56:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13121930",
          "commentText": "Seconding Barsk, and just about anything by Robert Sawyer; I would recommend his Neanderthal Parallax series, which begins with Hominids: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/264946.Hominids",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend his Neanderthal Parallax series",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert J. Sawyer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human evolution",
        "parallel worlds"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "necessary-endings-d49013",
      "title": "Necessary Endings",
      "author": "Henry Cloud",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16569321,
          "author": "jrs235",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-12T16:36:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16569321",
          "commentText": "Difficult Conversations\nPrimal Leadership\nNecessary Endings",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Necessary Endings",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that helped professionally.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Henry Cloud"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "decision making",
        "personal growth"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "necessary-illusions-thought-control-in-democratic-societies-9be1d9",
      "title": "Necessary Illusions: Thought Control in Democratic Societies",
      "author": "Noam Chomsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32937273,
          "author": "dotsam",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T11:08:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937273",
          "commentText": "* Philosophy\nArthur Schopenhauer - The World as Will and Representation.\nSurprisingly readable and insightful, even if you don't buy his metaphysics. Einstein had Schopenhauer's portrait on his wall and considered him a genius.\n* Poetry\nJohn Milton - Paradise Lost\nPowerful and beautiful writing.\n* Fiction\nRabelais - Gargantua and Pantagruel. Funny and a real feast of words (the translation is a work of art in itself)\nThomas Mann - The Magic Mountain. Haunting and moving\nPierre Choderlos de Laclos - Dangerous Liaisons. Scandalous, gripping.\nIvan Turgenev - First Love. A masterclass in writing. Short, sensitive and exquisitely told.\nMarcel Proust - In Search of Lost Time. Exceptionally rich and a beautiful study of love. Reading it is like living another life.\nPG Wodehouse - the Jeeves series. Hilarious, perfectly frivolous, light and sunny\n* Non-fiction\nStuart Russell - Human Compatible: AI and the Problem of Control. Potential bad outcomes from AI and what we might be able to do about them\nNoam Chomsky - Necessary Illusions: Thought Control in Democratic Societies. How public discourse is shaped and controlled\nKarl Popper - The Open Society and its Enemies. How to work against totalitarianism",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Noam Chomsky - Necessary Illusions: Thought Control in Democratic Societies.",
          "reason": "Described as about how public discourse is shaped and controlled.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Noam Chomsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "media and propaganda"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "necronomicon-the-best-weird-tales-of-h-p-lovecraft-8d532a",
      "title": "Necronomicon: The Best Weird Tales of H. P. Lovecraft",
      "author": "H. P. Lovecraft",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14859910,
          "author": "korijn",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:22:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859910",
          "commentText": "Necronomicon: The Best Weird Tales of H. P. Lovecraft\nScience fiction and thrilling horror. Unique style. I recommend At The Mountains Of Madness. This man knows how to keep up suspense.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Necronomicon: The Best Weird Tales of H. P. Lovecraft\nScience fiction and thrilling horror. Unique style.",
          "reason": "Describes the stories as thrilling horror with a unique style.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "H. P. Lovecraft"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cosmic horror",
        "weird fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nelson-s-trafalgar-the-battle-that-changed-the-world-614867",
      "title": "Nelson's Trafalgar: The Battle That Changed the World",
      "author": "Roy A. Adkins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32198247,
          "author": "Bellend",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T23:13:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32198247",
          "commentText": "\"Nelson's Trafalgar: The Battle That Changed the World\" by Roy A. Adkins.\nI had recently went on the boat the \"RRS Discovery\" and on the same day \"HMS Unicorn\" both in Dundee and it got me amazed by the Age of Sail.\nThe people of those days were made of strong stuff!\nI hope to go and see \"HMS Victory\" of Lord Nelson fame at the end of the year because of that book.\nAlways looking out for new reading material so love these threads.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it got me amazed by the Age of Sail.",
          "reason": "Says the book sparked their interest in the Age of Sail and Nelson's ships.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roy A. Adkins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "age of sail",
        "battle of trafalgar",
        "naval history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "neptune-s-brood-b866b8",
      "title": "Neptune's Brood",
      "author": "Charles Stross",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056624,
          "author": "JoachimS",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:42:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056624",
          "commentText": "Your opinion is very good. The \"and then something magic happens\" solution in fantasy is what really turns me off.\nBut in SF it is sometimes hard to distinct magic from plausible albeit far fetched science. Is FTL possible given the science of tomorrow, or magic?\nIf you want to have (imho) really, really good SF, chec out Ted Chiang. Very low production, but he takes science in SF very seriosly. His collection of short stories is some of the best I've ever read:\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others\nSomebody else mentioned Anathem. And if one want deep mathematics mixed with wild ideas, language theory I strongly recommend it. It is hard to get going (at least it was for me). But very rewarding. Probably the best read the last year.\nFinally, if one really wants to go the \"no magic\" route. I strongly recommend Netptunes Brood by Charles stross. The book is based on the idea that FTL is not possible, and as a consequence how the economics behind interstellar migration and stable exchange currencies works. Bitcoing and slow money. Just that somebody actually has been considering the finance structure behind generation ships makes it worth reading.\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neptune%27s_Brood",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I strongly recommend Netptunes Brood by Charles stross.",
          "reason": "Recommended for its exploration of economics and interstellar migration under the assumption that FTL is impossible.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in economics and generation ships.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Stross"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "interstellar economics",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "net-smart-2d2037",
      "title": "Net Smart",
      "author": "Howard Rheingold",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4530118,
          "author": "Roelven",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-16T19:44:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 4530022,
          "threadTitle": "What to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4530118",
          "commentText": "Here are some of the top of my head, assuming you already read some:\n- The New Capitalist Manifesto - Umar Haque\n- Net Smart - Howard Rheingold\n- Delivering Happiness - Tony Hsieh\n- Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert M. Pirsig",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Net Smart - Howard Rheingold",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to a request for nonfiction books to bring on holiday.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Howard Rheingold"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "digital literacy",
        "online communities"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "network-performance-analysis-using-the-j-programming-language-f4bb47",
      "title": "Network Performance Analysis Using the J Programming Language",
      "author": "Alan Holt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29307981,
          "author": "thoughtFrame",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:14:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29307981",
          "commentText": "Somewhat varied but I think some of these may fit your criteria.\nProgramming Erlang by Joe Armstrong\nCommunicating Sequential Processes by Hoare\nThe algorithmic beauty of plants by Prusinkiewicz, Lindenmayer\nNetwork Performance Analysis Using the J Programming Language by Alan Holt\nRelational Programming in miniKanren by William Byrd\nExercises in Programming Style by Cristina Videira Lopes\nedit: also \"SAT/SMT by example\" by Dennis Yurichev",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Network Performance Analysis Using the J Programming Language by Alan Holt",
          "reason": "Listed as a suggestion in response to the request for books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan Holt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "j programming language",
        "network performance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "network-programming-with-perl-c94b30",
      "title": "Network Programming with Perl",
      "author": "Lincoln D. Stein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16569826,
          "author": "slipwalker",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-12T17:39:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16569826",
          "commentText": "early in my career, those two books were on my desk continuously:\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Network-Programming-Perl-Lincoln-Stei... (https://www.amazon.com/Network-Programming-Perl-Lincoln-Stein/dp/0201615711/)\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Algorithms-Perl-Practical-P... (https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Algorithms-Perl-Practical-Programming/dp/1565923987/)\nlater, it was time for https://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0... (https://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0671027034)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://www.amazon.com/Network-Programming-Perl-Lincoln-Stei...",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was continuously on their desk early in their career.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lincoln D. Stein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "network programming",
        "perl"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "networking-for-systems-administrators-762411",
      "title": "Networking for Systems Administrators",
      "author": "Michael W. Lucas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43105795,
          "author": "hiAndrewQuinn",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-19T18:48:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 43084739,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction/non-fiction book should everyone read on the topic of CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43105795",
          "commentText": "Naming only ones I haven't seen mentioned in other comments:\n- Networking for Systems Administrators, by Michael W. Lucas. Its explicit goal is to teach you just enough about networking, from the electron up, that you can talk to an actual network engineer and not make a fool out of yourself. It's a phenomenally high-ROI read if networking isn't your strong suit.\n- The first 3 chapters of Mastering Regular Expressions. Regexes are up there with Vim keybindings in terms of sheer ubiquitous use no matter what stack you find yourself in. The rest of the book is excellent if you want to actually implement a regex engine.\n- The Art of Unix Programming. Less technical. Gives you an idea of why exactly 'nix machines are like that, especially older commands. The 18 rules of design are worth committing to memory.\n- The Linux Programming Interface. More technical. Pairs esp nicely with the above. Lots of practice C code one can run, plenty of short self-contained chapters.\n- Not a book, but an online paper: https://how.complexsystems.fail . I see echoes of this everywhere I work, and it often helps me understand what kinds of \"bad\" things are secretly highly evolved resiliency measures.\n- The Little Schemer. Just for the joy of solving problems.\nMost of the others I can think of are too specialized to be of worth to everyone, but for what it's worth, William S. Vincent's Django for Beginners, APIs, and Professionals are a lovely triptych for anyone wanting to get into backend web dev.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Networking for Systems Administrators, by Michael W. Lucas.",
          "reason": "Teaches enough networking to speak with a network engineer.",
          "audience": "Readers whose networking skills are not strong.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael W. Lucas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "networking",
        "systems administration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "neural-network-design-611831",
      "title": "Neural Network Design",
      "author": "Martin T. Hagan, Howard B. Demuth, and Mark H. Beale",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29308142,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:25:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29308142",
          "commentText": "Maybe Clever Algorithms: Nature-Inspired Programming Recipes[1]. These techniques might not be useful to everybody, all the time, but they can be very handy in places.\nEdit:\nA couple of other suggestions.\nManaging Gigabytes: Compressing and Indexing Documents and Images[2]\nMining of Massive Datasets[3]\nAlgorithm Design Manual[4]\nNetwork Algorithmics[5]\nNeural Network Design[6]\nI think all of these fall into the category of \"Won't be applicable to everyone, but can be good for those who need this kind of stuff.\"\n[1]: https://github.com/clever-algorithms/CleverAlgorithms\n[2]: https://people.eng.unimelb.edu.au/ammoffat/mg/\n[3]: http://www.mmds.org/\n[4]: https://www.amazon.com/Algorithm-Design-Manual-Steven-Skiena... (https://www.amazon.com/Algorithm-Design-Manual-Steven-Skiena/dp/1849967202)\n[5]: https://www.amazon.com/Network-Algorithmics-Interdisciplinar... (https://www.amazon.com/Network-Algorithmics-Interdisciplinary-Designing-Networking/dp/0120884771)\n[6]: https://hagan.okstate.edu/NNDesign.pdf",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Neural Network Design",
          "reason": "Listed as one of several suggested books for readers who need this subject matter.",
          "audience": "Readers who need this kind of material.",
          "caveat": "May not apply to everyone.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin T. Hagan",
        "Howard B. Demuth",
        "Mark H. Beale"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "machine learning",
        "neural networks"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "neural-network-design-0c7670",
      "title": "Neural Network Design",
      "author": "Martin T. Hagan, Howard B. Demuth, Mark H. Beale, and Orlando De Jesús",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783549,
          "author": "mziel",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:51:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783549",
          "commentText": "Not-technical\n\"The World's Toughest Endurance Challenges\" - Very nicely illustrated\n\"Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words\" - Extremely enjoyable. People here certainly are aware of xkcd and it's type of humor.\nTechnical\n\"Functional programming in Scala\" - good read for Scala beginners, especially after \"Scala for the Impatient\"\n\"Learning Spark\" - the best book on Spark so far\n\"Assessing and Improving Prediction and Classification\" - couple of interesting ideas for ML and Data Science\n\"Neural Network Design\" - Quite basic, but I like the flow and introducing mathematical concepts just before they're needed.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Neural Network Design\" - Quite basic, but I like the flow and introducing mathematical concepts just before they're needed.",
          "reason": "Likes its flow and how it introduces mathematical concepts as needed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as quite basic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin T. Hagan, Howard B. Demuth, Mark H. Beale, and Orlando De Jesús"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "machine learning",
        "neural networks"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "neural-networks-and-deep-learning-c35ffc",
      "title": "Neural Networks and Deep Learning",
      "author": "Michael Nielsen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20677199,
          "author": "billconan",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T16:46:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20677199",
          "commentText": "there is only one book I like:\nhttp://neuralnetworksanddeeplearning.com/\nit explains the basics, intuitions well with step by step implementation.\nthe issue is that it lacks coverage on the latest topics.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "there is only one book I like:",
          "reason": "The commenter says this is the only book they like and praises its explanations and step-by-step implementation.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an introduction to neural networks with implementation examples.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it lacks coverage of the latest topics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Nielsen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "deep learning",
        "neural networks"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "neural-networks-and-deep-learning-a-textbook-3f2a87",
      "title": "Neural Networks and Deep Learning: A Textbook",
      "author": "Charu C. Aggarwal",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20675242,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T13:35:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20675242",
          "commentText": "I am not a fan of your category (1) books before getting the intuition about the underlying concepts. However while searching for such a book i came across the following which might be to your taste (note that i have not read it);\n* Neural Networks and Deep Learning: A Textbook by Charu Aggarwal - https://www.amazon.com/Neural-Networks-Deep-Learning-Textboo... (https://www.amazon.com/Neural-Networks-Deep-Learning-Textbook/dp/3030068560/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=neural+networks+charu&qid=1565616070&s=books&sr=1-1) The author (from IBM Watson Research center) also has written several other books on related domains.\nUnder your category (2) though not a pop-science book, i found the following old book (hence no DL) very good to really understand the intuition behind ANNs.\n* Neural Networks for Applied Sciences and Engineering: From Fundamentals to Complex Pattern Recognition by Sandhya Samarasinghe - https://www.amazon.com/Neural-Networks-Applied-Sciences-Engi... (https://www.amazon.com/Neural-Networks-Applied-Sciences-Engineering-dp-084933375X/dp/084933375X/ref=mt_hardcover?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=1565616264)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "* Neural Networks and Deep Learning: A Textbook by Charu Aggarwal",
          "reason": "Suggested as a possible fit for the questioner's technical category (1).",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a technical introduction to neural networks and deep learning.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charu C. Aggarwal"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "deep learning",
        "neural networks"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "neural-networks-for-applied-sciences-and-engineering-from-fundame-5ab7e6",
      "title": "Neural Networks for Applied Sciences and Engineering: From Fundamentals to Complex Pattern Recognition",
      "author": "Sandhya Samarasinghe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20675242,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T13:35:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20675242",
          "commentText": "I am not a fan of your category (1) books before getting the intuition about the underlying concepts. However while searching for such a book i came across the following which might be to your taste (note that i have not read it);\n* Neural Networks and Deep Learning: A Textbook by Charu Aggarwal - https://www.amazon.com/Neural-Networks-Deep-Learning-Textboo... (https://www.amazon.com/Neural-Networks-Deep-Learning-Textbook/dp/3030068560/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=neural+networks+charu&qid=1565616070&s=books&sr=1-1) The author (from IBM Watson Research center) also has written several other books on related domains.\nUnder your category (2) though not a pop-science book, i found the following old book (hence no DL) very good to really understand the intuition behind ANNs.\n* Neural Networks for Applied Sciences and Engineering: From Fundamentals to Complex Pattern Recognition by Sandhya Samarasinghe - https://www.amazon.com/Neural-Networks-Applied-Sciences-Engi... (https://www.amazon.com/Neural-Networks-Applied-Sciences-Engineering-dp-084933375X/dp/084933375X/ref=mt_hardcover?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=1565616264)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Neural Networks for Applied Sciences and Engineering: From Fundamentals to Complex Pattern Recognition by Sandhya Samarasinghe",
          "reason": "Described as very good for understanding the intuition behind artificial neural networks.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking intuition about neural networks.",
          "caveat": "An older book; it predates deep learning.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sandhya Samarasinghe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "applied science",
        "neural networks"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "neural-smithing-supervised-learning-in-feedforward-artificial-neu-a5174f",
      "title": "Neural Smithing: Supervised Learning in Feedforward Artificial Neural Networks",
      "author": "Russell D. Reed and Robert J. Marks II",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28663811,
          "author": "qorrect",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T19:26:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28663811",
          "commentText": "Not sure this one counts but it's one of the best books ever:\nCode by Charles Petzold - https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/44882.Code .\nOthers would be:\nNeural Smithing ( its now obsolete but was great at the time ) https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1153223.Neural_Smithing\nThe Pragmatic Programmer https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/4099.The_Pragmatic_Pr... (https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/4099.The_Pragmatic_Programmer)\nThe Effective series by Scott Myers https://www.goodreads.com/series/160060-effective-c",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Neural Smithing ( its now obsolete but was great at the time )",
          "reason": "Says it was great at the time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is now obsolete.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Russell D. Reed",
        "Robert J. Marks II"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "machine learning",
        "neural networks"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "neurovont-c5fad6",
      "title": "NeuroVont",
      "author": "Gil A. Waters",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7304266,
          "author": "opionion-matter",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T11:42:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7304266",
          "commentText": "Neurovont was a nice surprise: http://www.amazon.com/NeuroVont-Incorporated-Gil-A-Waters/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/NeuroVont-Incorporated-Gil-A-Waters/dp/0982280920)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neurovont was a nice surprise",
          "reason": "Described as a pleasant surprise.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gil A. Waters"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "neuropath-d394f2",
      "title": "Neuropath",
      "author": "R. Scott Bakker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3395722,
          "author": "forkrulassail",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T13:50:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395722",
          "commentText": "Neuropath - R Scott Bakker.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neuropath - R Scott Bakker.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "R. Scott Bakker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "neuroscience-for-dummies-1dc7d7",
      "title": "Neuroscience for Dummies",
      "author": "Frank Amthor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783443,
          "author": "SuperChihuahua",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:34:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783443",
          "commentText": "I've read 33 books so I'm not going to publish the list here, but i blogged about it: http://blog.habrador.com/2015/12/books-ive-read-in-2015.html\nThe books I liked the most were:\n-  The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes - and Why\n- On Intelligence\n- The Martian\n- The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution\n- Einstein: His Life and Universe\n- Alan Turing: The Enigma\n- Neuroscience for Dummies\n- Thunder Run - (which is about the battle of Baghdad in 2003)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Neuroscience for Dummies",
          "reason": "Includes it among the books they liked most.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frank Amthor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "introductory reference",
        "neuroscience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "never-eat-alone-a95726",
      "title": "Never Eat Alone",
      "author": "Keith Ferrazzi and Tahl Raz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 240688,
          "author": "breck",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T02:34:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240688",
          "commentText": "-Black Swan & Fooled by Randomness\n-The C Programming Language\n-The Non-Designers Design Book\n-How to Read a Book\n-Never Eat Alone\n-Art of War\n-Bill Bryson's a History of Everything(~)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-Never Eat Alone",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Keith Ferrazzi and Tahl Raz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "networking"
      ],
      "purposes": []
    },
    {
      "id": "never-enough-the-neuroscience-and-experience-of-addiction-9a79f3",
      "title": "Never Enough: The Neuroscience and Experience of Addiction",
      "author": "Judith Grisel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21460116,
          "author": "ivanmaeder",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T06:08:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21460116",
          "commentText": "Right now: \"Never Enough: The Neuroscience and Experience of Addiction\" (Judith Grisel)\nRecommend. Addict turned neuroscientist who doesn't hold back, so a good mix of gritty details—\n> After I got sober, it took me a little over a year to go a single day without wishing for a drink, but it was more than nine years before my craving to get high abated.\n—and science.\nBefore that: \"Educated: A Memoir\" (Tara Westover)\nRecommend. A good break from typical non-fiction books: easy to read, sometimes thrilling, and emotional.\nBefore that: \"The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America\" (Margaret Pugh O'Mara)\nDon't recommend. I really wanted to like this book, and I believe some of the themes are important and aren't often discussed. E.g., the support the Valley received from politicians, the lobby groups, the size of military spending back in the day…\nIt's possible my expectations were in the wrong place—I wanted to be inspired like with \"The Idea Factory\" (Jon Gertner), \"The Soul of a New Machine\" (Tracy Kidder), \"Dealers of Lightning\" (Michael A Hiltzik), etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Recommend. Addict turned neuroscientist who doesn't hold back, so a good mix of gritty details—",
          "reason": "Recommended for its mix of gritty personal details and science.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Judith Grisel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "addiction",
        "neuroscience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "never-finished-unshackle-your-mind-and-win-the-war-within-924878",
      "title": "Never Finished: Unshackle Your Mind and Win the War Within",
      "author": "David Goggins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46397360,
          "author": "azuanrb",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T23:06:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46397360",
          "commentText": "The Comfort Crisis: Embrace Discomfort To Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self by Michael Easter.\nNever Finished: Unshackle Your Mind and Win the War Within by David Goggins.\nThese two books stuck with me. We are often too comfortable with being comfortable. There is nothing wrong with that, but real growth happens when we step outside our comfort zone. We are far more capable than we think.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Never Finished: Unshackle Your Mind and Win the War Within by David Goggins.",
          "reason": "The commenter says both books stuck with them and describes their theme as growth through leaving comfort zones.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Goggins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "resilience",
        "self discipline"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "never-lost-again-the-google-mapping-revolution-that-sparked-new-i-f5ca2d",
      "title": "Never Lost Again: The Google Mapping Revolution That Sparked New Industries and Augmented Our Reality",
      "author": "Bill Kilday",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27886571,
          "author": "thomasthomas",
          "createdAt": "2021-07-19T19:46:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 27879593,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27886571",
          "commentText": "Never Lost Again: The Google Mapping Revolution That Sparked New Industries and Augmented Our Reality",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Never Lost Again: The Google Mapping Revolution That Sparked New Industries and Augmented Our Reality",
          "reason": "Listed as an audiobook recommendation in response to the request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Kilday"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "google maps",
        "technology history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "never-say-you-can-t-survive-how-to-get-through-hard-times-by-maki-ad3f18",
      "title": "Never Say You Can't Survive: How to Get Through Hard Times by Making Up Stories",
      "author": "Charlie Jane Anders",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34162295,
          "author": "nomagicbullet",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T16:01:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34162295",
          "commentText": "Here we go:\n— Flow: The most fitting for the HN crowd. A fantastic read about the state of flow in work and leisure. Great framework for unlocking what drives the mind towards fulfillment and happiness. I liked the ideas around how \"order of thought\" relates to personal satisfaction. I wished it talked about the \"how\" not just the \"what\".\n— Man's Search For Meaning: An absolute classic. A moving but most of all inspiring book about the experience of a man in the Nazi camps. Stoic optimism. It opened my eyes to the relationship between suffering and self-actualization.\n— I Remember: A book by Joe Brainard to be found in the poetry section but written in a unique unconventional style. Accessible, playful and moving. It created a lot of noise with it came out because of its format.\n— Never Say You Can't Survive: How To Get Through Hard Times By Making Up Stories: The book I needed to read to reconnect me to writing to cultivate the spirit.\n— Carbon & Silicon: This last one is a comic book. The story is an intimate (yet grand) robot saga that expands over centuries. A battle between immortality and decay. A joy to read. It hit me hard.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Never Say You Can't Survive: How To Get Through Hard Times By Making Up Stories: The book I needed to read to reconnect me to writing to cultivate the spirit.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them reconnect with writing and cultivate the spirit.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charlie Jane Anders"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creative writing",
        "resilience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "never-split-the-difference-f52183",
      "title": "Never Split the Difference",
      "author": "Chris Voss with Tahl Raz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27638325,
          "author": "muzani",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T01:50:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27638325",
          "commentText": "There are so many books that have given me an unfair advantage. I could easily list a dozen but the question asks for one.\nI'd say we live in an age of overinformation. There are books that give you an edge, like Never Split the Difference, and then everyone reads it, and then everyone reads the summary of it, then everyone criticizes the summary (which the original book itself has addressed), then everyone reads the criticism and concludes that the book is bad.\nYou can ask people what a startup is, or what a MVP is, or TDD, and I assure you most would not have the original definitions or purposes from the books. A lot of people think TDD is 100% test coverage or that a startup is a business, but these are all wrong by definition.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "There are books that give you an edge, like Never Split the Difference",
          "reason": "The commenter gives it as an example of a book that can provide an edge, then describes how discussion of books can distort their reception.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it becomes widely read and summarized, then criticized.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20984234,
          "author": "MattLeBlanc001",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T14:18:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20984234",
          "commentText": "Just finished the \"four steps to epiphany\". A must read for any startup founder. 10/10\nCurrently reading \"never split the difference\".",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Currently reading \"never split the difference\".",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris Voss",
        "Tahl Raz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "negotiation",
        "communication"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "never-split-the-difference-negotiating-as-if-your-life-depended-o-9fbe1f",
      "title": "Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It",
      "author": "Chris Voss with Tahl Raz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20333754,
          "author": "meigwilym",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T10:26:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20333754",
          "commentText": "Someone recommended Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss here recently. I read it and found it invaluable.\nPacked full of quality advice and techniques that you can use out of the box. The real-life stories he had from his FBI negotiating days make it an easy read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "found it invaluable",
          "reason": "The commenter found it invaluable and praises its practical advice, ready-to-use techniques, and real-life stories.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in negotiation advice and techniques they can use immediately.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris Voss",
        "Tahl Raz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fbi",
        "negotiation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "never-in-anger-9ed6ea",
      "title": "Never in Anger",
      "author": "Jean L. Briggs",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40290219,
          "author": "patal",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T19:11:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40290219",
          "commentText": "\"Last Chance to See\" by Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine. About Adams and Carwardine travelling the world to document several animals on the brink of extinction (by then 1988). Very entertaining and raising questions about the responsibility of human globalization. An all-time favourite.\n\"Never In Anger\" by Jean Briggs. About her living 17 months among Inuit in the 1970ies, documenting how the Inuit see emotions and raise their children without any shouting or violence.\n\"Shots in the Dark - Japan, Zen, and the West\" by Shōji Yamada. About the culture exchange between Japan and the West in the early 20th century and how several perceptions of Zen got constructed in the process.\n\"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" by Douglas Hofstaedter. About core ideas in logic, music and art, and their connections. I always find something new there.\n\"In Praise of Mastery\" / \"芸談\" by Tanizaki Jun’ichirō. An essay about the japanese pursuit of mastery. It's a fascinating window into the arts perception in late 19th century Japan.\nWebster's Dictionary of 1913. A great resource for looking up original meanings of words. I find it very useful for naming stuff in programming.\n\"Woe Is I\" by Patricia O'Conner. A witty grammar book. O'Conner's entertaining style makes it easy to grasp the grammar topics and come back for more.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Never In Anger\" by Jean Briggs.",
          "reason": "Describes Briggs's account of living among Inuit and documenting their views on emotions and child-rearing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jean L. Briggs"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Parenting",
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "child rearing",
        "inuit culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "neveryona-58f9aa",
      "title": "Neveryóna",
      "author": "Samuel R. Delany",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4353871,
          "author": "e12e",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-08T04:16:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 4353632,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I loved Snow Crash and Daemon.  What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4353871",
          "commentText": "If you enjoyed \"Snow Crash\" and \"Diamond Age\", I'd recommend \"Islands in the Net\" (if you can get hold of a copy) and \"Holy Fire\" by Bruce Sterling. Or for something newer, \"the Zenith Angle\" by same.\nI've also enjoyed all of Willam Gibsons books, including the latest trilogy \"Pattern Recognition\", \"Spook Country\" and \"Zero History\".\nIf you bothered to read through \"Cryptonomicon\" you'll either love \"the Code Book\" by Simon Singh more than I did, or hate it :-)\nAssuming you've picket through the classics shelf, you might have missed out on Samuel Delany - \"The Einstein Intersection\" might be a good one to try on for size -- although I actually found \"Neveryóna\" to be maybe his most interesting book (of the ones I've been able to get hold of) [edit: After \"Dhalgren\", that is. But I think \"Dhalgren\" is a bit like Joyce's \"Ulysses\" -- a classic I haven't gotten around to yet. I spent the better part of ten (10!) years reading through \"Dhalgren\", picking it up on odd holidays - never loosing touch with the intricate unreality within, readily satisfied after reading a few pages or a chapter -- like nibbling on a choice ham that didn't spoil. It's rather more complex than any of the other books I've listed here].\nAlso worth mentioning in the \"might be overlooked\" section is Jerry Pournelle's \"Falkenberg's Legion\" (republished as \"the Prince\").\nI'm afraid I've been mostly digging through second hand books lately, so the only other semi-recent book I could recommend would be \"Broken Angels\" by Richard Morgan (technically it's number two in a trilogy -- but I find it stands better on its own).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I actually found \"Neveryóna\" to be maybe his most interesting book",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it possibly Delany's most interesting book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Based on the books the commenter has been able to get hold of.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Samuel R. Delany"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "postmodern fiction",
        "sword and sorcery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "new-directions-in-the-philosophy-of-mathematics-7a7627",
      "title": "New Directions in the Philosophy of Mathematics",
      "author": "Thomas Tymoczko (editor)",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35174683,
          "author": "wslh",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T21:03:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35174683",
          "commentText": "I start with five:\n1. \"Only the Paranoid Survive: How to Exploit the Crisis Points That Challenge Every Company\" by Andrew Grove. It is a real CEO experiencing critical moments in a top company.\n2. \"How Life Imitates Chess\" by Garry Kasparov (don't pay attention to the title...). Kasparov talks about different players with different styles and in different moments.\n3. \"New Directions in the Philosophy of Mathematics\" edited by Thomas Tymoczko. Embed epistemological questions that at a higher level could be applied to business. In a way (2) is epistemological regarding chess and it ends when Deep Blue beats Kasparov and Kasparov start thinking in a new kind of chess called advanced chess (even if it was not successful).\n4. Fred Wilson's blog, including MBA Mondays. Answers many questions from the perspective of a VC who can watch multiple companies execution at the same time and tell many humble stories.\n5. \"Idea Man: A Memoir by the Cofounder of Microsoft\" by Paul Allen. It shows you the deep story before Microsoft, seems like a unique technological and advanced experience at that time by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. Spoiler: the lucky IBM/DOS event is not why Microsoft is successful, the book gives you some deep roots before the company foundation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"New Directions in the Philosophy of Mathematics\" edited by Thomas Tymoczko. Embed epistemological questions that at a higher level could be applied to business.",
          "reason": "Suggests its epistemological questions can be applied to business.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Tymoczko (editor)"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epistemology",
        "philosophy of mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "new-foundations-for-classical-mechanics-def005",
      "title": "New Foundations for Classical Mechanics",
      "author": "David Hestenes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34450747,
          "author": "jordibc",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-20T09:30:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34450747",
          "commentText": "In case it helps:\nIn addition to \"Geometric Algebra for Physicists\" (whose first two chapters I'd recommend to get a nice overview), I found Hestenes' \"New Foundations for Classical Mechanics\" to be very good and readable.\nAlso, there are many good resources in https://bivector.net/ , including videos, papers, presentations and programs.\nFinally, an interesting paper (that got me kickstarted) is \"Imaginary Numbers Are Not Real—The Geometric Algebra of Spacetime\" by Gull, Lasenby and Doran.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found Hestenes' \"New Foundations for Classical Mechanics\" to be very good and readable.",
          "reason": "Described as very good and readable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Hestenes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classical mechanics",
        "geometric algebra"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "new-ideas-from-dead-economists-f8635b",
      "title": "New Ideas from Dead Economists",
      "author": "Todd G. Buchholz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1466127,
          "author": "Ratufa",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T20:09:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1466127",
          "commentText": "Bookwise, some places to start for general overviews of economics are:\n\"New Ideas from Dead Economists\" by Todd Buchholtz\n\"Naked Economics\" by Charles Wheelan\nBlogwise:\nhttp://www.marginalrevolution.com/  is entertaining and filled with good insights from a libertarian point of view.\nhttp://economistsview.typepad.com/  has more centrist/liberal views on a variety of economic issues and has a good set of links to daily economic-related blog posts from various points of view.\nThe above blogs have enough links to other blogs to get you started, and they will give you different points of view on current topics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"New Ideas from Dead Economists\" by Todd Buchholtz",
          "reason": "Listed as a place to start with a general overview of economics.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a general overview of economics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Todd G. Buchholz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic ideas",
        "history of economic thought"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "new-introduction-to-multiple-time-series-analysis-ea40c2",
      "title": "New Introduction to Multiple Time Series Analysis",
      "author": "Helmut Lütkepohl",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27639272,
          "author": "darawk",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T05:05:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27639272",
          "commentText": "Attempting to self study statistics and econometrics in a serious way. I just finished Casella and Berger's \"Statistical Inference\". I'm about halfway through Shumway and Stoffer's \"Time Series Analysis\", but then next on the list, in the order I tend to read them:\n  - Theory of Point Estimation Casella/Lehmann\n\n  - Bayesian Data Analysis 3rd ed.\n\n  - Convex Optimization - Boyd\n\n  - Econometrics - Hayashi\n\n  - New Introduction to Multiple Time Series Analysis\n\n  - Elements of Statistical Learning\n\n  - Machine Learning: A probabilistic perspective\n\nThere's a fair amount of overlap between these books, so it's not quite as much as it seems. But i'm hoping to make it through at least a chapter a week this year, which should get me most of the way through them. We'll see how it goes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "New Introduction to Multiple Time Series Analysis",
          "reason": "Lists it next in their planned reading.",
          "audience": "People self-studying statistics and econometrics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Helmut Lütkepohl"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "econometrics",
        "time series"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "new-king-james-version-c44cb2",
      "title": "New King James Version",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34166359,
          "author": "kcartlidge",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T21:41:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34166359",
          "commentText": "Good recommendations, but for other readers I'd strongly avoid the KJV Bible as the language isn't just archaic but on occasion even the meanings of words has changed in the intervening hundreds of years.  At the very least go for the New King James (NKJV) if you like the language style, but otherwise something like the ESV or CEV will read better for the modern mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "go for the New King James (NKJV)",
          "reason": "Offers it as an alternative for readers who like the KJV's language style.",
          "audience": "Readers who like the KJV language style.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bible translation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "new-seeds-of-contemplation-1e49cb",
      "title": "New Seeds of Contemplation",
      "author": "Thomas Merton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39729951,
          "author": "leethomas",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T22:13:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729951",
          "commentText": "Thomas Merton's _New Seeds of Contemplation_",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thomas Merton's _New Seeds of Contemplation_",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Merton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian spirituality",
        "contemplation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "new-thinking-36fa59",
      "title": "New Thinking",
      "author": "Dagogo Altraide",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36601339,
          "author": "hk51712",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T14:58:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601339",
          "commentText": "New Thinking, it written by a youtuber, Dagogo Altraide, he has an amazing YouTube channel named Coldfusion. \nhttps://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/39283582",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "New Thinking, it written by a youtuber, Dagogo Altraide",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dagogo Altraide"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "innovation",
        "technology history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "new-world-translation-of-the-holy-scriptures-021773",
      "title": "New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30737683,
          "author": "geocrasher",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T21:21:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30737683",
          "commentText": "I enjoy the NWT translation, it's in modern English but also very true to the original text.\nhttps://www.jw.org/en/library/bible/study-bible/books/\nIt's also available in the JW Library app. Both are 100% free, no signups or membership, and makes reading so much easier and more enjoyable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoy the NWT translation, it's in modern English but also very true to the original text.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends this Bible translation for its modern English and fidelity to the original text.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bible translation",
        "christian scripture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "next-of-kin-my-conversations-with-chimpanzees-031eaf",
      "title": "Next of Kin: My Conversations with Chimpanzees",
      "author": "Roger Fouts",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9674326,
          "author": "curiousfab",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T12:10:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674326",
          "commentText": "\"Next of Kin: My Conversations with Chimpanzees\" by Roger Fouts.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Next of Kin: My Conversations with Chimpanzees\" by Roger Fouts.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roger Fouts"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "animal communication",
        "chimpanzees"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nexus-0c1e9a",
      "title": "Nexus",
      "author": "Yuval Noah Harari",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42270968,
          "author": "more_corn",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T05:02:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42270968",
          "commentText": "I’m reading Nexus, also pretty great.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I’m reading Nexus, also pretty great.",
          "reason": "Calls it pretty great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Yuval Noah Harari"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of information",
        "technology and society"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nexus-71d7b8",
      "title": "Nexus",
      "author": "Mark Buchanan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 56777,
          "author": "Kaizyn",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T07:44:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56777",
          "commentText": "1) Musashi's Book of Five Rings\n2) Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People\n3) Machaivelli's The Prince\n4) Sun-Tzu's The Art of War\n5) Hayakawa's Language in Thought and Action\n6) Steven Johnson's Emergence\n7) Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel\n8) Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything\n9) Mark Buchanan's Nexus\n10) C. S. Lewis's The Problem of Pain\nTaken together, these books cover just about everything there is to know about the sciences, about human history, human nature and how to understand and communicate effectively with other people.  Only one other book besides these needs to be studied/read: The Bible.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mark Buchanan's Nexus",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of books said to collectively cover a broad range of subjects.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in networks and complex systems.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Buchanan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "complex systems",
        "network science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nexus-a-brief-history-of-information-networks-from-the-stone-age--d53017",
      "title": "Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI",
      "author": "Yuval Noah Harari",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46396204,
          "author": "toddwprice",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T21:00:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46396204",
          "commentText": "Nexus by Yuval Harari is one of the most influential books I’ve read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nexus by Yuval Harari is one of the most influential books I’ve read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of the most influential books they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Yuval Noah Harari"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "history of communication",
        "information networks"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "night-train-to-lisbon-30b483",
      "title": "Night Train to Lisbon",
      "author": "Pascal Mercier",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3395447,
          "author": "mickeyben",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T11:24:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395447",
          "commentText": "Night train to lisbon - Pascal Mercier\nIt's about a professor who quits his job and his country to explore the life of an author he just discovered.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's about a professor who quits his job and his country to explore the life of an author he just discovered.",
          "reason": "Provides a brief plot description in response to the best book question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pascal Mercier"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "philosophical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "night-of-the-cooters-028df1",
      "title": "Night of the Cooters",
      "author": "Howard Waldrop",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17540123,
          "author": "prawnosaurus",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T10:25:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17540123",
          "commentText": "More or less anything by Howard Waldrop.  Night of The Cooters and A Dozen Tough Jobs are great.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Night of The Cooters and A Dozen Tough Jobs are great.",
          "reason": "Calls it great as part of a list of works by Waldrop.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Howard Waldrop"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aliens",
        "short fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nights-dawn-trilogy-18f14e",
      "title": "Nights Dawn Trilogy",
      "author": "Peter F. Hamilton",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41770957,
          "author": "MrDresden",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T20:56:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41770957",
          "commentText": "In the fictional corner I must place the Nights Dawn Trilogy and Dune.\nOther corners don't really have a best book, for me. Recently read 'Emperor of all maladies' and found it a fascinating journey through cancer, both as an illness and as a research subject.\nAlso recently read 'The Grand Chessboard' which was also fascinating for a completely different reason.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Nights Dawn Trilogy",
          "reason": "Named as a favorite in the fictional category.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter F. Hamilton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nightwings-1d328b",
      "title": "Nightwings",
      "author": "Robert Silverberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12247192,
          "author": "RegW",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T12:34:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12247192",
          "commentText": "I gave this to one son when he was about 18, along with a pretty much complete set of Discworld: http://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/discworld-reading-order/.  These were collected over many years, so a bit of a wrench.  The best of which might be: \"Wyrd Sisters\" (Shakespeare), or \"The Truth\" (Newspapers).  He can make fun of pretty much anything, while still showing it great affection.\nNeil Gaiman's \"The Graveyard Book\" is a great book for reading to younger kids. Weird, creepy, but strangely uplifting, even if it does begin with a triple murder.  I can't remember which kid took that.\nI bought Robert Silverberg's \"Nightwings\" in the 80s and read it several times.  I was going to give away but couldn't find it, so I had to buy a new copy and read it again first.  This seems to anticipate a lot that followed, from genetic modification to drastic climate change, but it is essentially about a character trying to cope in a mad world.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I bought Robert Silverberg's \"Nightwings\" in the 80s and read it several times.",
          "reason": "The commenter reread it several times and describes its themes as anticipating later developments.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The story follows a character coping in a mad world.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Silverberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "climate change",
        "genetic modification"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nim-in-action-b20105",
      "title": "Nim in Action",
      "author": "Dominik Picheta",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32935638,
          "author": "monetus",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T07:10:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32935638",
          "commentText": "Nim in Action - a language book with syntax and the like of course, useful, but also one that tries to teach concepts from first principles.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nim in Action - a language book with syntax and the like of course, useful, but also one that tries to teach concepts from first principles.",
          "reason": "Teaches Nim and related concepts from first principles.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dominik Picheta"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nim",
        "programming languages"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nine-kinds-of-naked-475546",
      "title": "Nine Kinds of Naked",
      "author": "Tony Vigorito",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8716563,
          "author": "yogiHacks",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T14:32:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8716563",
          "commentText": "Oh jeez, this'll be tough.  I'll start by saying that Tom Robbins \"Still Life with Woodpecker\" inspired me in the post-undergraduate world greatly.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Still-Life-Woodpecker-Tom-Robbins/dp/0... (http://www.amazon.com/Still-Life-Woodpecker-Tom-Robbins/dp/0553348973)\nLeaving college with such powerful to convictions of social evolution, scientific pragmatism, and the power of Art as a mental practice left me with some hard facets of reality to contend with.  This is the struggle of one of the the main characters, Leigh-Cheri.  She is a wide eyed idealist who is thoroughly disenfranchised with the way the systems in the world abuse and exploit people.\nShe meets a mad-bomber outlaw named Woodpecker, a revolutionary with bordering mythical aspirations.  Their affair is a wild journey of growth as characters and citizens, not of a royal bloodline or America, but of Earth and the ideas, and actions, which make this world a vibrantly beautiful place.\nMost important book of the year for me, with close runners up:\n\"The Nature of Code\" by Daniel Shiffman.  Excellent book on simulation of the natural, chaotic world in the Processing programming language.\nhttp://natureofcode.com/book/\n\"Nine Kinds of Naked\" by Tony Vigorito, which deals with the primacy of synchronicity and numeric harmony in the lives of twirling, interrelated characters.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Nine-Kinds-Naked-Tony-Vigorito/dp/0156... (http://www.amazon.com/Nine-Kinds-Naked-Tony-Vigorito/dp/015603123X)\nGood reads everyone!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Nine Kinds of Naked\" by Tony Vigorito, which deals with the primacy of synchronicity and numeric harmony in the lives of twirling, interrelated characters.",
          "reason": "Listed among the close runners-up to the most important book of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tony Vigorito"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "magical realism",
        "synchronicity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nine-lies-about-work-bbf35f",
      "title": "Nine Lies About Work",
      "author": "Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268755,
          "author": "anandpdoshi",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T21:50:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268755",
          "commentText": "Firefighter Zen by Hersch Wilson\nNine lies about work by Marcus Buckingham\nHow to know a person by David Brooks",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nine lies about work by Marcus Buckingham",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marcus Buckingham",
        "Ashley Goodall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "management",
        "workplace"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nine-pints-693ee5",
      "title": "Nine Pints",
      "author": "Rose George",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25318888,
          "author": "shortandsweet",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T22:09:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25318888",
          "commentText": "Nine pints by Rose George. While not entirely about leechers, a chapter is dedicated to the raising and using of leeches in modern medicine. Very fascinating.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nine pints by Rose George.",
          "reason": "Recommended for its account of leeches in modern medicine.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not entirely about leeches.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rose George"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leeches",
        "medicine"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nine-tomorrows-42d6b4",
      "title": "Nine Tomorrows",
      "author": "Isaac Asimov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8944618,
          "author": "jdmoreira",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-25T23:03:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944618",
          "commentText": "If you like short stories I recommend Nine Tomorrows by Issac Asimov & The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend Nine Tomorrows by Issac Asimov",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it to readers who like short stories.",
          "audience": "Readers who like short stories.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isaac Asimov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nine-years-among-the-indians-1870-1879-905d94",
      "title": "Nine Years Among the Indians, 1870–1879",
      "author": "Herman Lehmann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37161852,
          "author": "doodlebugging",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T14:10:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37161852",
          "commentText": "I agree that it would make a fantastic miniseries.\nIf you read books about Native American history, Texas tribes and their interactions with Anglo settlers, northern plains tribes I can recommend a few titles.\nFrontier Blood - Jo Ella Powell Exley : Tells the history of the Parker family clan. Their small fort in central Texas was raided by Comanches in 1836 and one of the children kidnapped was Cynthia Ann Parker who gave birth to Quanah Parker, the last great Comanche war chief. The book covers Parkers who helped shape the doctrine of the Baptist church too. It's a good read.\nNine Years Among the Indians, 1870-1879 - Herman Lehmann : This book was written by a man who was kidnapped by Apaches in 1870 and raised as Apache. He later left that tribe for the Comanches after he killed an Apache medicine man. In 1879 he was repatriated with his family in central Texas on the advice of Quanah Parker. He, like many others who spent time living with Native American tribes, preferred their way of life to that of his blood family. He talks about the challenge of reintegrating. He had to relearn to speak English and German and to adapt to all the technology and lifestyle changes encountered. It's a great book.\nThe Heart of Everything That Is - Bob Drury/Tom Clavin : This is Red Cloud's story told using his autobiography. Red Cloud was probably the greatest Native American war chief. It's an epic story.\nI just finished reading a book that according to a NY Times book review is \"The single best book I have ever read on Native American history\". You may have heard of it.\nIndigenous Continent - The Epic Contest for North America -- Pekka Hamalainen/Evin Rias\nI almost want to say don't bother. This is a classic case of an attempt to condense a complex subject into a book that can be digested in a few days of casual reading. The book must leave out so much in order to cover so many things that it ends up almost unreadable.\nThere are formatting problems that should've been corrected by the publisher. Several maps that should fit on one page have parts of the map cut off and printed at the top of the next page. That is ridiculous.\nAnother thing that contributes to unreadability and leads to confusion in telling this epic tale is that the narrative jumps from one time period to another with no subheadings to warn that you are stepping back in time for context. Consecutive paragraphs describe events in different regions with no effort to tie them together or to make them fit. There is so much information that it feels that things the authors thought important are just worked in whether they fit or not so that interesting tidbits are told. Unfortunately this ends up creating a stew of a story where the author stirs the pot a little and instead of the beefy broth in the spoon you end up with potato chunks and a random bay leaf. The bay leaf flavoring their story is the history that they couldn't fit somewhere else so they just tossed it in there.\nThere is a lot of slavery in the book. This was a real thing historically so it is a very interesting treatment of that subject and for those who are under the impression that Anglo colonists started the institution of slavery in North America it will be enlightening for them to read about Native American treatment of captives.\nAll in all, there is so much history to cover that many events and characters have their own stories feel like Reader's Digest footnotes.\nThe best way to treat this book is to use it as a springboard for deeper study because it feels shallow. The physical book also could be improved by cleaning up the typesetting, adding headings, moving paragraphs around into more coherent narratives, and fixing the maps.\nAnyway, this got long and I know you probably read some of these. Have fun.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nine Years Among the Indians, 1870-1879 - Herman Lehmann",
          "reason": "Recounts Lehmann’s experience of being raised by Apache and Comanche people and readjusting to his family.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Native American history and Texas tribes.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Herman Lehmann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "apache history",
        "comanche history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ninefox-gambit-f20583",
      "title": "Ninefox Gambit",
      "author": "Yoon Ha Lee",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36026544,
          "author": "shoo",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-22T01:55:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36026544",
          "commentText": "I'll plug some excellent work that is underrepresented here:\nCJ Cherryh's \"Cyteen\". Won the Hugo for best novel in '89. The backdrop is Cherryh's Alliance-Union universe -- which is arguably one of those classic \"cold war in space\" type space opera settings of science fiction of a certain vintage -- but that conflict isn't the focus of this novel. Cyteen is set in the research organisation that designs, grows and conditions the \"azi\" clone slave caste that generates population of labourers and specialists required to keep the Union society running. I found it initially slow going, but it turned out to be one of the best novels I've read in a long time. The plot is a kind of coming-of-age / political-intrigue / murder mystery tale. Not a space opera - power games, paranoia, abuse. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyteen\nYoon Ha Lee's \"Ninefox Gambit\" (first of a trilogy, each book in the trilogy shortlisted for Hugo best novel 2017/2018/2019). Space opera / military sci-fi. The political stability of the empire depends upon adherence to the empire's standard 'calendar', which is maintained through ritual torture of heretics. Much exotic technology depends upon calendric properties, and fails in regions where populations are following a nonstandard heretical calendar. The outcomes of battles depend not only on how many fleets or waves of infantry can be expended, but each side's mathematical ability to understand the local calendrical properties and adapt their tactics and technology accordingly. The plot follows a military officer's mission to quash a rebellion at a key star fortress -- and her attempt to improve the chances of success by having the mind of a dead undefeated war-criminal general loaded into her head. Space opera / military sci-fi.\nArkady Martine's \"A Memory Called Empire\" (won Hugo best novel in 2020). A tiny independent station sends a replacement diplomat into the heart of a neighboring empire, in an attempt to direct the empire's attention elsewhere and maintain independent station sovereignty, and discover what happened to the previous diplomat. Backdrop is suitable for a space opera, the story is political intrigue. The station society is one where memories and personalities can be artificially recorded and stored, and then re-implanted into future generations to preserve skills and knowledge. The novel explores attraction and intoxication with the culture and language of a dominant foreign power that is threatening to engulf one's own home.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Yoon Ha Lee's \"Ninefox Gambit\"",
          "reason": "The first novel in a trilogy, described as space opera and military science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17540303,
          "author": "thisone",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T11:06:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17540303",
          "commentText": "I'm going to stick to recent stuff that was like no sci-fi I'd ever read before:\nNinefox Gambit - Yoon Ha Lee\nA Long Way to a Small Angry Planet - Becky Chambers\nThe Broken Earth series - N.K. Jemisin",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Ninefox Gambit - Yoon Ha Lee",
          "reason": "Lists it among recent works the commenter had not encountered before.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No explicit evaluation or recommendation beyond the list framing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Yoon Ha Lee"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military science fiction",
        "space opera",
        "alternate mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nixon-agonistes-the-crisis-of-the-self-made-man-f7839e",
      "title": "Nixon Agonistes: The Crisis of the Self-Made Man",
      "author": "Garry Wills",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40279382,
          "author": "xhevahir",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-06T20:52:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40279382",
          "commentText": "I'm about to reread Nixon Agonistes. It's always relevant, but in a year that has come eerily to resemble 1968, it's especially so.\nMore about the book here: https://delong.typepad.com/sdj/2005/11/gary_willss_nix.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm about to reread Nixon Agonistes.",
          "reason": "The commenter is about to reread it and says it is always relevant, especially in a year resembling 1968.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Garry Wills"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "richard nixon",
        "us politics"
      ],
      "purposes": []
    },
    {
      "id": "nixonland-0da358",
      "title": "Nixonland",
      "author": "Rick Perlstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18664055,
          "author": "cwal37",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T14:20:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664055",
          "commentText": "A few of my faves.\nNon-Fiction\nBy Adam Tooze: Crashed, and Wages of Destruction. Both excellent economic histories, the former covering the recent financial crisis and its aftermath, the latter on the Nazi economy. Tooze does an excellent job coming up with larger trends and global narratives, I'm often amazed at just how much he's able to keep in his head.\nBy Richard Rothstein: The Color of Law. A quick, informative, yet more than thorough enough on the factual, legal prevention that American employed over the majority of the 20th century to prevent black Americans form participating in the housing market, both personal home ownership and public housing (a major institutional driver of household wealth and success tarting in the early 20th century).\nBy Jeffrey Lockwood: Locust: The Devastating Rise and Mysterious Disappearance of the Insect that Shaped the American Frontier. I had no idea the American frontier was home to devastating largest-in-the-world locust plagues that suddenly disappeared near the end of the 19th century.\nBy Peter Brannen: The Ends of the World. A great primer on mass extinctions and their often geologic causes.\nBy Rick Perstein: Nixonland. Still working on this one, but a deep dive into that era of American politics feels quite relevant at the moment, except that everything today feels stupid in comparison.\nFiction\nBy N.K. Jemisin: The Broken Earth trilogy. A really great self-contained story, extremely evocative, and the author actually puts out great books at an amazingly fast pace.\nCooking\nBy Stella Parks: Bravetart: Iconic American Desserts. If you like baking, and the history of iconic American baked goods this is a must have/read. Never thought I'd spend so much time on a carrot cake.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "By Rick Perstein: Nixonland. Still working on this one, but a deep dive into that era of American politics feels quite relevant at the moment",
          "reason": "The commenter says its deep dive into the era's politics feels relevant.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They are still reading it and say that everything today feels stupid in comparison.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rick Perlstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american politics",
        "richard nixon"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "njals-saga-fe5f2f",
      "title": "Njáls saga",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41240816,
          "author": "bikenaga",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-13T23:14:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41240816",
          "commentText": "Someone else mentioned Thomas Hardy's \"The Mayor of Casterbirdge\". It's the one of his 5 major novels I haven't read. \"Far From the Madding Crowd\" and \"Return of the Native\" are okay, but the two that really are magnificent are:\n\"Jude the Obscure\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/153\n\"Tess of the D'Urbervilles\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/110\nYou can sense his fury at the society he was depicting. You might not want to read either of these, particularly \"Tess\", if you're prone to depression.\nFrederick Jackson Turner, \"The Frontier in American History\" (1921) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/22994\nThis collection leads off with Turner's essay \"The Significance of the Frontier in American History\" (1893). It's considered by some the most influential historical essay about America ever written. Historians went back and forth on his claims for decades, and people pointed out many issues with them. It seems like the critics predominate now. But it's still worth reading, particularly since (right or wrong) his ideas influenced the way we think of ourselves. Turner was a very good writer - he was a noted orator, and his essays have an oratorical quality - and the other essays in the collection are pretty good, too.\nOwen Wister, \"The Virginian\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1298\nZane Grey, \"Riders of the Purple Sage\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1300\nAnd the sequel: \"The Rainbow Trail\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/5067\n\"The Virginian\" (1902) and \"Riders\" (1912) established many of the themes and tropes for the \"standard\" western, and they're still fun to read. But the genre comprises many other kinds of writing - e.g. A. B. Guthrie, Elmer Kelton, and the next writer.\nWilla Cather's novels:\nThe \"plains trilogy\" (the stories are set in Nebraska and Colorado, but otherwise unrelated):\n\"O Pioneers!\" (1913) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/24\n\"The Song of the Lark\" (1915) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/44\n\"My Ántonia\" (1918) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19810\nAnd not quite a hundred years ago, but a wonderful novel:\n\"Death Comes for the Archbishop\" (1927) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/69730\nA few brief mentions: James Joyce's \"Ulysses\", though I had a tough time getting through it; some of Nathaniel Hawthorne's short stories (e.g. \"The Minister's Black Veil\"); \"Njal's Saga\" (I liked the Penguin edition with the translation by Magnusson and Pallson); the great works of classic fantasy (Lord Dunsany, E. R. Eddison, William Morris, Arthur Machen); the essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Njal's Saga\" (I liked the Penguin edition with the translation by Magnusson and Pallson)",
          "reason": "The commenter says they liked the Penguin edition and its translation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "icelandic saga",
        "medieval literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "no-b-s-wealth-attraction-in-the-new-economy-8e9752",
      "title": "No B.S. Wealth Attraction in the New Economy",
      "author": "Dan Kennedy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26325186,
          "author": "mkbkn",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-03T05:41:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 26321793,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books made you the most money?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26325186",
          "commentText": "No BS Wealth Attraction In The New Economy by Dan Kennedy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "No BS Wealth Attraction In The New Economy by Dan Kennedy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Kennedy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marketing",
        "wealth building"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "no-bullshit-guide-to-math-and-physics-e5b93a",
      "title": "No Bullshit Guide to Math and Physics",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8795407,
          "author": "ivan_ah",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T04:28:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795407",
          "commentText": "NO BULLSHIT guide to MATH and PHYSICS --- a calculus and mechanics textbook for adults; also covers high school math.\ndisclaimer: I'm the author",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "NO BULLSHIT guide to MATH and PHYSICS",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter discloses they are the author.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "calculus",
        "classical mechanics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "no-logo-4e5e0d",
      "title": "No Logo",
      "author": "Naomi Klein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Naomi Klein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "branding",
        "consumer culture",
        "globalization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "no-ma-am-that-s-not-history-3bcce7",
      "title": "No Ma'am, That's Not History",
      "author": "Hugh Nibley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39736188,
          "author": "lcall",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-17T17:32:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39736188",
          "commentText": "\"No Ma'am That's Not History\", Hugh Nibley\nhttps://www.amazon.com/History-Brodies-Reluctant-Vindication... (https://www.amazon.com/History-Brodies-Reluctant-Vindication-Prophet/dp/B001LAYSEW/ref=sr_1_1)\n_A Case for the Book of Mormon_, Callister\nhttps://www.amazon.com/s?k=a+case+for+the+book+of+mormon&cri... (https://www.amazon.com/s?k=a+case+for+the+book+of+mormon&crid=ZIJDJHQ8NTA3&sprefix=A+case+for+the+book%2Caps%2C268&ref=nb_sb_ss_ts-doa-p_1_19)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"No Ma'am That's Not History\", Hugh Nibley",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hugh Nibley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical apologetics",
        "mormon history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "no-mud-no-lotus-c3d0ab",
      "title": "No Mud, No Lotus",
      "author": "Thich Nhat Hanh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10218325,
          "author": "olivierntk",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-15T00:32:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10218325",
          "commentText": "Any books from Thich Nhat Hanh.\nThe miracle of mindfulness, No mud/No Lotus, How to Love ...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "No mud/No Lotus",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thich Nhat Hanh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhism",
        "mindfulness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "no-one-cares-about-crazy-people-8e78c7",
      "title": "No One Cares about Crazy People",
      "author": "Ron Powers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804093,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:12:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804093",
          "commentText": "Writing a Go Interpreter\nWriting a Go Compiler\nNo One Cares about Crazy People\nI Heard You Paint Houses\nUNIX: A History and a Memoir\nRed Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine\nHow Asia Works\nThe Dream Machine\nBlack Earth\nThe Fabric of Reality\nBehave (tried twice, maybe third times a charm?)\nA Short History of Nearly Everything\nStiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers\nGenius: The Life and Science Richard Feynman\nSuper Thinking\nMan's Search for Meaning\nThe Cooking Gene\nThe Vital Question: Why is Life The Way it Is (re-read)\nThe Case Against Sugar\nThe 15 Decisive Battles of the World\nThe History of the Peloponnesian War\nThe Beginning of Infinity\nThe Book of Why",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "No One Cares about Crazy People",
          "reason": "Listed in the commenter's planned reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ron Powers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mental health",
        "psychiatry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "no-one-would-listen-4b95cd",
      "title": "No One Would Listen",
      "author": "Harry Markopolos",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30824406,
          "author": "AlexCoventry",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-27T21:39:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30824406",
          "commentText": "Harry Markopolos's No One Would Listen. A bit over the top in places, but entertaining.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Harry Markopolos's No One Would Listen. A bit over the top in places, but entertaining.",
          "reason": "Described as entertaining, with some parts considered over the top.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A bit over the top in places.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Harry Markopolos"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial fraud",
        "forensic accounting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "no-rules-rules-7908e9",
      "title": "No Rules Rules",
      "author": "Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Reed Hastings",
        "Erin Meyer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "company culture",
        "management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "no-time-to-lose-a-timely-guide-to-the-way-of-the-bodhisattva-daa534",
      "title": "No Time to Lose: A Timely Guide to the Way of the Bodhisattva",
      "author": "Pema Chödrön",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38238603,
          "author": "SunlightEdge",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T08:59:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238603",
          "commentText": "\"No time to lose\" a book by Pema Chodron. Its a translation and commentary of a Buddhist manuscript on basically how to become enlightened. I found the sections on how humans all suffer from past emotional memories (kleshnas) really interesting. As was the discussion on rage and forgiving people cruel to oneself. I followed it up with another of her books \"when things fall apart\". Again very good.\nI'm now reading a Witcher fantasy novel. Blood of elves.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"No time to lose\" a book by Pema Chodron.",
          "reason": "Finds its discussion of emotional memories, rage, and forgiveness interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It is a translation and commentary on a Buddhist manuscript.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pema Chödrön"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhism",
        "emotional suffering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "no-god-but-god-1371fb",
      "title": "No god but God",
      "author": "Reza Aslan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36105086,
          "author": "nemosaltat",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T15:47:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105086",
          "commentText": "After the Bible & The Quran, Reza Aslan’s “Zealot” (Christianity) & No god but God (Islam) provide some great historical context.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "No god but God (Islam) provide some great historical context.",
          "reason": "Offered as historical context on Islam.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Reza Aslan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "islam",
        "religious history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "noble-strategy-4ca4e2",
      "title": "Noble Strategy",
      "author": "Thanissaro Bhikkhu",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9612553,
          "author": "dbpokorny",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T16:37:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9612553",
          "commentText": "noble strategy - thanissaro bhikkhu\nhttp://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/nobles... (http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/noblestrategy.pdf)\nVery readable introduction to the dhamma.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Very readable introduction to the dhamma.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a very readable introduction to the dhamma.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an introduction to the dhamma.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thanissaro Bhikkhu"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhism",
        "dhamma"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nobody-likes-a-goblin-a44983",
      "title": "Nobody Likes a Goblin",
      "author": "Ben Hatke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50042577,
          "author": "schrectacular",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T12:29:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50042577",
          "commentText": "Here's some stuff for younger kids that haven't been mentioned yet:\nMatthew Cordell is awesome. \"Cornbread and Poppy\" are cute, \"Evergreen\" is fun, but check out his whole catalog. Probably my favorite active author/illustrator.\n\"Nobody Likes a Goblin\" by Ben Hatke\n\"The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess\" by Tom Gauld\n\"The Little Island by Margaret Wise Brown\" under the pseudonym Golden MacDonald\n”The Dark Tales of Lillebror Rabbit“ by Jonna Björnstjerna\n\"Les P'tites Poules\" by Christian Jolibois\nA little older, Ursula LeGuin is amazing, \"A Wizard of Earthsea\", \"Catwings\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Nobody Likes a Goblin\" by Ben Hatke",
          "reason": "Listed as a book for younger children.",
          "audience": "Younger children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ben Hatke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nobody-s-boy-65f296",
      "title": "Nobody's Boy",
      "author": "Hector Malot",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20982226,
          "author": "jerome-jh",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T08:59:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20982226",
          "commentText": "\"Nobody's boy\" (Orig title \"Sans famille\") by Hector Malot. A huge classic in Vietnam, I have been said, but a little bit forgotten in France. Bar a couple of unlikely events, pretty enjoyable. Absolutely very much superior to the anim. Emphasize on education throughout the book.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Nobody's boy\" (Orig title \"Sans famille\") by Hector Malot.",
          "reason": "Says it is pretty enjoyable and superior to the animation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes a couple of unlikely events and says the book is little remembered in France.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hector Malot"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classic literature",
        "coming of age"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nocturnes-b510f0",
      "title": "Nocturnes",
      "author": "Kazuo Ishiguro",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15961533,
          "author": "atulatul",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:52:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961533",
          "commentText": "Short stories from Nocturnes are good as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Short stories from Nocturnes are good as well.",
          "reason": "Says the stories are good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kazuo Ishiguro"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "noir-168210",
      "title": "Noir",
      "author": "K. W. Jeter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14744174,
          "author": "noir_lord",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T13:56:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14744174",
          "commentText": "Noir by KW Jeter\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noir_%28novel%29\nMy username isn't a co-incidence.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Noir by KW Jeter",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "K. W. Jeter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyberpunk",
        "dystopia"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "noises-off-def828",
      "title": "Noises Off",
      "author": "Michael Frayn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783919,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:07:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783919",
          "commentText": "[cont'd]\nMichael Frayn, Democracy. A compulsively readable play about an episode in the politics of West Germany in the 1970s, a subject I didn't know could be made so interesting to me. Superb.\nMichael Flynn, Eifelheim. Excellent and profound SF/historical novel about aliens crashing in the Germany of the Middle Ages, and how that would work out. Avoids cheap tricks, very strong on historical research and verisimilitude.\nRoss Thomas, The Cold War Swap, Cast a Yellow Shadow, Chinaman's Chance. Very well-written thrillers, typically stories about spying or political corruption. I'm usually bored by this genre, couldn't put these down. Will read more by this (hitherto unknown to me) author.\nUrsula K. Le Guin, The Wizard of Earthsea. (reread) Still as good as I remembered it to be.\nP.K.Dick, The Man in the High Castle. (reread) Very inventive and weird in a good way, but I wish the characters would be a little different (everyone is the same highly neurotic mouthpiece for the author), and the obsession with I Ching does nothing for me. Still worth reading.\nRobert Ryan, Dead Man's Land. A Sherlock Holmes novel in which 90% of the action is with John Watson rejoining the Army to help in World War I at his late middle age, and Holmes appears only briefly. Works quite well. Very detailed on day-to-day trench warfare and medicine at the front.\nMichael Frayn, Noises Off. A funny short play, very meta, not as good as his \"Democracy\".\nNeil Gaiman, The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Better than his two long novels of the 2000s. A self-contained fairy tale, fun to read and well-written, but not beyond that. Gaiman's unsurpassed masterpiece, to me, is still The Sandman.\nMichael Swansick, Chasing the Phoenix. SF, set on a future Earth where computers and electronic communication are outlawed following problems with runaway AIs, but there's lots of high technology (e.g. genetics) otherwise. Funny and amusing, a light read.\n[edit: deleted about 20 books I didn't like or hated]",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Michael Frayn, Noises Off. A funny short play, very meta, not as good as his \"Democracy\".",
          "reason": "Calls it funny and meta, though not as good as Democracy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not as good as Democracy, in the commenter's view.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Frayn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comedy",
        "theater"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "non-manipulative-selling-90ac8f",
      "title": "Non-Manipulative Selling",
      "author": "Tony Alessandra",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 568758,
          "author": "antiform",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-18T21:27:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 568556,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sales book recommendation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=568758",
          "commentText": "If I could choose one book on sales, it would be\nNon-Manipulative Selling by Tony Alessandra.\nThis is a diamond in the rough among sales books. Many other books on sales, at least in the few that I've read and others I've skimmed, seem to be full of subtle and not-so-subtle psychological manipulation that always gave me an uneasy feeling in my gut once the conversation ended. This book is different. However, even if you believe in the \"hard sell\" philosophy, you should read this, since at the very least, you learn many tips to prevent negotiations from getting hostile.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If I could choose one book on sales, it would be\nNon-Manipulative Selling by Tony Alessandra.\nThis is a diamond in the rough among sales books.",
          "reason": "The commenter picks it as their one sales book and calls it a diamond in the rough.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a sales approach that avoids psychological manipulation.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is useful even to people who favor hard selling, at least for preventing hostile negotiations.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tony Alessandra"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ethical persuasion",
        "negotiation",
        "sales"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "non-stop-d7ff5a",
      "title": "Non-Stop",
      "author": "Brian Aldiss",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14750118,
          "author": "Bakary",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-12T04:26:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14750118",
          "commentText": "Roma Æterna - Robert Silverberg\nThe Happiness Hypothesis - Jonathan Haidt\nAlamut - Vladimir Bartol\nNon Stop - Brian Aldiss\nA fortune teller told me - Tiziano Terzani",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Non Stop - Brian Aldiss",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Aldiss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classic science fiction",
        "generation ship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nona-the-ninth-1d12b9",
      "title": "Nona the Ninth",
      "author": "Tamsyn Muir",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38572036,
          "author": "sverona",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T18:02:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38572036",
          "commentText": "If anyone else is going to read Nona, I strongly recommend you read it immediately after Harrow and immediately before Alecto. And keep a Pynchon-style notebook. Neither I nor a friend could make heads or tails of what was going on without drawing a diagram.\nGideon is amazing. Harrow is amazing. Both are good casual reads. Nona is far more demanding of the reader.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If anyone else is going to read Nona",
          "reason": "Recommends reading this installment between Harrow and Alecto; says it is demanding and confusing without a diagram.",
          "audience": "readers of the Locked Tomb books",
          "caveat": "Read after Harrow and before Alecto; the commenter found it demanding and hard to follow without a diagram.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tamsyn Muir"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "necromancy",
        "space fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nonlinear-dynamics-and-chaos-5a850d",
      "title": "Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos",
      "author": "Steven Strogatz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23727502,
          "author": "montalbano",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T20:51:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23727502",
          "commentText": "Spivak is an excellent choice but may be too advanced depending on his level. I would also strongly recommend any of the books in the Art of Problem Solving series:\nhttps://artofproblemsolving.com/store/list/aops-curriculum\nI've got a PhD in bioengineering but I'm currently going through Introduction to Counting and Probability and I'm really enjoying it.\nSome others (not AOPS series):\nNelsen - Proofs Without Words\nPolya - How to Solve it\nStrogatz - Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Strogatz - Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos",
          "reason": "Lists it among additional book suggestions in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Strogatz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chaos theory",
        "dynamical systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nonviolent-communication-cdab7b",
      "title": "Nonviolent Communication",
      "author": "Marshall Rosenberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25558237,
          "author": "abhayb",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-28T10:57:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 25554464,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books for dealing with workplace politics and dishonesty?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25558237",
          "commentText": "First, I understand what you are saying and understand the constraints keeping you at a job you have issues with. I've certainly seen organizations go too far on consensus even when each person individually (especially the ones at the top) would like more decisiveness. This is a hard and draining place. And all moves out require even more energy that you may not have and should not (in a just world) have to expend.\nSomeone recommended \"Moral Mazes\" and I heartily second it. Though mostly because it was so profoundly cynical that it pushed me to defend the systems I was so annoyed by.\nIf you want to learn the language of design by committee, \"Nonviolent Communication\" by Marshall Rosenberg is the book that the rest of the committee is playing from. It has genuinely useful pieces. But I also find it fundamentally dishonest in that it frames all other forms of communication as \"violent\" in a rank misuse of the word. Additionally, the techniques it recommends require that you put in all the effort of framing a situation as no-blame or shared-blame when it very much is not. You do not need to agree with your opponents' tactics manual to find value in its study.\n\"Radical Candor\" by Kim Scott is an attempt to bring directness in to otherwise passive aggressive situations. It's a valiant attempt but it's unclear to me how viable its recommendations are.\nHowever it's not clear to me that any amount of high or low level reading is going to help with your feelings of dissatisfaction here. It sounds like you're looking for a \"win\" instead of an \"out\". And despite the deeply cynical feelings it can generate, you cannot succeed at office politics through cynicism. Or irony. Or cynical, ironic, distance. The successful are either completely earnest, or sociopathic enough to fake complete earnestness. And from the outside those are indistinguishable.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Nonviolent Communication\" by Marshall Rosenberg is the book that the rest of the committee is playing from.",
          "reason": "Suggested for learning the language used in consensus driven committee settings.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds its framing dishonest and its recommended techniques effortful, while acknowledging useful parts.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marshall Rosenberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "communication skills",
        "conflict resolution"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "norton-s-guide-to-8086-assembly-language-bf6fff",
      "title": "Norton's Guide to 8086 Assembly Language",
      "author": "Peter Norton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 176916,
          "author": "comatose_kid",
          "createdAt": "2008-04-29T19:49:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 176803,
          "threadTitle": "Which is your favorite 70-80s computer book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=176916",
          "commentText": "Amiga hardware reference manual (Addison Wesley), BYTE magazines,\nNorton's guide to 8086 assembly language",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Norton's guide to 8086 assembly language",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Norton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "8086",
        "assembly language"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "norwegian-wood-tokio-blues-62600d",
      "title": "Norwegian Wood (Tokio Blues)",
      "author": "Haruki Murakami",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783459,
          "author": "Sherlock",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:37:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783459",
          "commentText": "\"The Magicians\", \"The Magician King\", \"The Magician's Land\" - Lev Grossman. 4/5\n\"Inside Job\" - Connie Willis. 4/5\n\"Norwegian Wood (Tokio Blues)\" - Haruki Murakami. 4/5\n\"Old Man's War\" - John Scalzi. 5/5\n\"Persepolis\" - Marjane Satrapi. 5/5\nNon fiction:\n\"The 10,000 year explosion\" about recent evolution. 3/5 ton of evidence for their thesis, but lacks predictions.\n\"What if\" well known by HN. 5/5\n\"The nurture assumption\" about education, 2/5. Maybe a 4/5 when it was published, but now their ideas are in the water supply.\n\"The man who mistook his wife for a hat\", by Oliver Sacks 4/5. Several stories about neurological deficits.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Norwegian Wood (Tokio Blues)\" - Haruki Murakami. 4/5",
          "reason": "Rated 4/5.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Haruki Murakami"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coming of age",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "not-even-wrong-c1898c",
      "title": "Not Even Wrong",
      "author": "Peter Woit",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Not Even Wrong - Peter Woit",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Woit"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "string theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "not-the-end-of-the-world-2a3eec",
      "title": "Not the End of the World",
      "author": "Hannah Ritchie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268834,
          "author": "sien",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:04:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268834",
          "commentText": "A few of the books that stand out that I've read this year.\nTroubled - Rob Henderson. About how Henderson was in state care and wound up at prestigious universities and his thoughts on the world.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/176444107-troubled\nNot the End of the World - Hannah Ritchie from 'Our World in Data' about the state of the planet.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145624737-not-the-end-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145624737-not-the-end-of-the-world)\nDictatorland - Paul Kenyon - About the dictators who have impoverished Africa.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36260719-dictatorland\nMagic Pill - Johann Hari - About Semaglutide and how people got fat.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/201319612-magic-pill\nOn the Edge - Nate Silver - About how seeing the world in terms of risk and expected value can work.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/204236707-on-the-edge\nOrbital - Samantha Harvey - Booker Prize winner about people on the ISS and the world.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123136728-orbital\nBuild, Baby, Build - Bryan Caplan on why YIMBYism is a good idea. This is a graphic novel. It's really fun.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/181564537-build-baby-bui... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/181564537-build-baby-build)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Not the End of the World - Hannah Ritchie from 'Our World in Data' about the state of the planet.",
          "reason": "Lists it among books that stood out this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hannah Ritchie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "climate change",
        "environmental optimism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "notation-as-a-tool-of-thought-f63b70",
      "title": "Notation as a Tool of Thought",
      "author": "Kenneth E. Iverson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30496736,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-28T05:27:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30496736",
          "commentText": "Math for the Layman(it uses the J programming language to teach Maths) and more are available at : https://code.jsoftware.com/wiki/Books\nPS: You might also find Ken Iverson's Turing Award Lecture Notation as a Tool of Thought relevant.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Ken Iverson's Turing Award Lecture Notation as a Tool of Thought relevant.",
          "reason": "Said to be relevant to the discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kenneth E. Iverson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "apl",
        "mathematical notation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "notes-from-the-underground-184903",
      "title": "Notes from the Underground",
      "author": "Fyodor Dostoyevsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9650008,
          "author": "burger_moon",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-03T01:03:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 9636361,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9650008",
          "commentText": "Currently reading: Notes from the Underground, Fyodor Dostoyevsky. \nUsually don't read fiction, but this is good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Usually don't read fiction, but this is good.",
          "reason": "Calls the book good despite usually not reading fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fyodor Dostoyevsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "existentialism",
        "russian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "notes-on-data-structures-and-programming-techniques-2c8764",
      "title": "Notes on Data Structures and Programming Techniques",
      "author": "James Aspnes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33131238,
          "author": "tmtvl",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T10:43:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33131238",
          "commentText": "I personally quite like James Aspnes' Notes on Data Structures and Programming Techniques, it teaches you enough C to be dangerous and proceeds on a whirlwind tour through most of the data structures you'll encounter in the wild.\nYou can find it here: https://cs.yale.edu/homes/aspnes/classes/223/notes.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I personally quite like James Aspnes' Notes on Data Structures and Programming Techniques",
          "reason": "Teaches enough C to get started and surveys common data structures.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Aspnes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming",
        "data structures"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "notes-on-introductory-combinatorics-2c0163",
      "title": "Notes on Introductory Combinatorics",
      "author": "George Pólya, Robert E. Tarjan, and Donald R. Woods",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4967140,
          "author": "sb",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T21:26:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967140",
          "commentText": "This year I either read, or started to read the following interesting books:\nMathematics: Form and Function by Saunders Mac Lane. This is one of my favorite books concerning the \"build-up\" of mathematics (it also contains nice diagrams of \"relatedness\" of subjects). On HN somebody once recommended Mathematics: Its contents, methods, and meaning (from Russian mathematicians in the 50s) which is similar but without the cross references.\nProofs and Refutations by Imre Lakatos. I have started reading this only recently and have to say that I find the approach and idea excellent. It would be great if we had something comparable for CS theory as well.\nNotes on Introductory Combinatorics by Polya, Tarjan, and Woods. Have not read this exhaustively, but the introduction with Pascal's triangle and some of Polya' legendary problem solving insights (paraphrased from my memory: \"you are on to something once you find a pattern\") are definitely highlights in this book.\nMathematical Discovery: On Understanding, Learning and Teaching Problem Solving by George Polya. Based on the previous book and my fond memories of reading \"How to Solve it\", I got this one from the library. Again I can't attest for all of the contents, but AFAICT now it's another gem from Polya.\nFrom HN advice in previous years I read The Tibetan Book on Living and Dying, which I can heartily recommend, too. It is an anti-thesis to Christian theology and I find it to contain many insightful comments and different views on leading a good, meaningful life. I disagree with some of the church-y comments on that it really is important to have a master and that only the master can do certain things, but that's probably just me being an atheist all along.\nI actually read some other books, but the list is already kind of long and might hold interesting pointers for other mathematically inclined readers, too. I for one am always fascinated on how much advice on problem solving in mathematics translates to CS.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the introduction with Pascal's triangle and some of Polya' legendary problem solving insights (paraphrased from my memory: \"you are on to something once you find a pattern\") are definitely highlights in this book.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the introduction and its problem-solving insights.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They have not read it exhaustively.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Pólya, Robert E. Tarjan, and Donald R. Woods"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "combinatorics",
        "problem solving"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "notes-to-myself-a865fe",
      "title": "Notes to Myself",
      "author": "Hugh Prather",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4787443,
          "author": "fsethi",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:27:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787443",
          "commentText": "Some old that I have re-read, some new, all worth your time:\nOld Man And The Sea - Ernest Hemingway\nIQ84 - Haruki Murakami\nThe Last Lecture - Randy Pausch\nOn Writing - Stephen King\nWhen Bad Things Happen To Good People - Harold Kushner\nCatcher In The Rye - J.D. Salinger\nNotes To Myself - Hugh Prather",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Notes To Myself - Hugh Prather",
          "reason": "Included among books described as worth the reader's time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hugh Prather"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self reflection"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nova-6b4c99",
      "title": "Nova",
      "author": "Samuel R. Delany",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3235074,
          "author": "waterlesscloud",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-14T18:33:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3235074",
          "commentText": "The Road To Reality - Roger Penrose.  Slowly, step by step.\nNeuromancer - William Gibson.  6th or 7th time through. Coming to it now after having read Delany's Nova, and the influence is clear.\nLittle Heroes - Norman Spinrad.  All that's good about Spinrad and all that's bad.  He does write well about Hollywood.\nHistory Of Film- David Parkinson.  A short survey text, sort of a review for me.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "having read Delany's Nova",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140490,
          "author": "nazgulnarsil",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T02:59:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140490",
          "commentText": "depends on the subgenre :)\nSuperhuman:\nSlan by A.E. Van Vogt\nMore Than Human by Theodore STurgeon\nOdd John by Olaf Stapledon\nPost Apocalyptic:\nThe Day of The Triffids by John Whyndham\nEarth Abides by George R. Stewart\nA Canticle for Lebowitz by...don't remember\nSpace Opera/Adventure:\nany of The Culture novels by Iain M. Banks\nThe Reality Dysfunction series by ...don't remember\nHyperion series by Dan Simmons\nTo Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer\nDystopian:\nWe by Yevgeny Zamyatin <---highly overlooked, predates 1984 and Brave New World\nBut the Absolute Best would be anything by:\nStanislaw Lem (Cyberiad, Futurological Congress, Solaris)\nAlfred Bester (The STars my Destination, The Demolished Man)\nor Samuel R. Delany (Babel-17, Dhalgren, Trtion, Nova)\noh and Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light and This Immortal are both great.\nSome of Philip K. Dick's stuff is great, but everyone recommends him. :)\nalmost forgot John Brunner, check out Steel Beach, The Sheep Look Up, and Stand on Zanzibar.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Samuel R. Delany (Babel-17, Dhalgren, Trtion, Nova)",
          "reason": "Says Delany is among the absolute best and lists this title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Samuel R. Delany"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "novelist-as-a-vocation-ff3ad1",
      "title": "Novelist as a Vocation",
      "author": "Haruki Murakami",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38556997,
          "author": "browningstreet",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T14:53:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38556997",
          "commentText": "The Future is Degrowth: A Guide to a World Beyond Capitalism\nNovelist as a Vocation by Murakami\nThe Milky Way: An Autobiography of Our Galaxy by Moiya McTier",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Novelist as a Vocation by Murakami",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Haruki Murakami"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "writing craft"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "novels-by-r-a-lafferty-e92696",
      "title": "Novels by R. A. Lafferty",
      "author": "R. A. Lafferty",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9674268,
          "author": "walterbell",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T11:49:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674268",
          "commentText": "Any of the novels by sci-fi and fantasy author R.A. Lafferty, http://en.m.wikiquote.org/wiki/R._A._Lafferty, because they contain allusions to centuries worth of mind-blowing books, in addition to being unlike any other author.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Any of the novels by sci-fi and fantasy author R.A. Lafferty",
          "reason": "Recommends Lafferty's novels as unlike any other author and rich with allusions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "R. A. Lafferty"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary allusions",
        "speculative fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "novels-in-three-lines-1c1b9e",
      "title": "Novels in Three Lines",
      "author": "Félix Fénéon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43613568,
          "author": "josefritzishere",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T17:01:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43613568",
          "commentText": "I am a lifetime avid reader but  there are very few books I come back to and re-read. I guess the books which impact you the most aren't the ones you'd expect. Here are some that come to mind:\n*Novels in Three Lines* - Felix Feneon; like clever sarcastic haiku\n*Riddley Walker* - Russell Hoban; It's written in an imagined language making it completely and utterly immersive\n*Waiting for Nothing* - Tom Kromer; Great depression era destitution, and travel\n*Days of Life and Death and Escape to the Moon* - William Saroyan; In an era of great writers, Saroyan remains wildly under appreciated.\n*Really the Blues* - Mezz Mezzrow; Written in 1920s jive slang, it's emblematic of an era\n*The KLF* - John Higgs; The book is subtitled \"Chaos, Magic and the Band who Burned a Million Pounds\"  All those things are true and Higgs brilliantly tells the tale.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "*Novels in Three Lines* - Felix Feneon; like clever sarcastic haiku",
          "reason": "The commenter includes it among books that come to mind and compares it to clever, sarcastic haiku.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Félix Fénéon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aphorisms",
        "microfiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "novum-organum-18ea85",
      "title": "Novum Organum",
      "author": "Francis Bacon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36608127,
          "author": "TechnologyPast",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T22:32:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36608127",
          "commentText": "What do you recommend for the history of how technology was first invented?\nWhat do you think of the Novum Organum by Sir Francis Bacon, who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England under King James I?\nhttps://libquotes.com/francis-bacon/quote/lbz2z1a",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "What do you think of the Novum Organum by Sir Francis Bacon",
          "reason": "Asks what others think of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9708848,
          "author": "timtas",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-12T22:04:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9708848",
          "commentText": "\"The Road to Serfdom\" by Friedrich Hayek [1]\n\"Novum Organum\" by Francis Bacon [2]\n[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Road_to_Serfdom\n[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novum_Organum",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Novum Organum\" by Francis Bacon",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Francis Bacon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "early modern philosophy",
        "scientific method",
        "philosophy of science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "now-and-then-we-time-travel-visiting-pasts-and-futures-in-film-an-b23a3f",
      "title": "Now and Then We Time Travel: Visiting Pasts and Futures in Film and Television",
      "author": "Alec Nevala-Lee",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21793675,
          "author": "captaincrowbar",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-15T01:07:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793675",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction I read this year:\nMichael Benson - Space Odyssey - The detailed story of the making of 2001: A Space Odyssey. If you're a fan of the movie, or of Stanley Kubrick and/or Arthur C. Clarke in general, you should read this.\nAtul Gawande - Complications - Fascinating look at life in the medical profession.\nChristina Thompson - Sea People - Detailed, well-researched history of Polynesian-Western contact and relations. As a New Zealander I was interested in this, although American or European readers with no personal connection may be less so.\nPeter Singer - Marx: A Very Short Introduction - What it says on the tin.\nRobert C Allen - Global Economic History: A Very Short Introduction - Also good, but inaccurately titled; it should have said \"Global Economic History Since the Industrial Revolution\".\nFraser A Sherman - Now and Then We Time Travel - A thorough if somewhat superficial survey of time travel in the movies.\nAlec Nevala-Lee - Astounding - A history of the magazine Astounding Stories, and the four men most closely associated with it: John Campbell, Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, and Ron Hubbard. Very thoroughly researched and annotated; it reveals a lot of new information and debunks a lot of old myths. (Whichever version of the \"FBI visits Campbell to complain about A-bomb stories\" you've heard, I can pretty much guarantee it wasn't the real one.)\nElizabeth Sandifer - Tardis Eruditorum 1: William Hartnell - The first volume of a thorough study of Doctor Who, with a combined fannish and scholarly point of view that I enjoyed.\nRandall Munroe - How To - It's by Randall Munroe, what else do you need to know?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A thorough if somewhat superficial survey of time travel in the movies.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a thorough survey, with some superficiality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Somewhat superficial.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alec Nevala-Lee"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "science fiction cinema",
        "time travel in film"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "number-systems-and-the-foundations-of-analysis-6cb004",
      "title": "Number Systems and the Foundations of Analysis",
      "author": "Elliott Mendelson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21347254,
          "author": "vector_spaces",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T17:55:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21347254",
          "commentText": "The closest I'm aware of is What Is Mathematics? by Courant, Robbins, and Stewart -- starts off developing the natural numbers, goes onto number theory, analysis, complex numbers, set theory, projective geometry, non-euclidean geometry, topology, calculus, optimization, and some chapters on recent developments (as of its republishing in 1996, book was originally published in 1941).\nA lesser known one that isn't quite as comprehensive is a little Dover tome by Mendelson: Number Systems and the Foundations of Analysis. It starts off with the (abstract) natural numbers, and from there develops (parts of) real and complex analysis, using a categorical point of view throughout.\nOne of my favorite parts in the latter:\n“What is our intuitive understanding of the natural numbers? Surely this being the firmest of all our mathematical ideas, should have a definite, transparent meaning. Let us examine a few attempts to make this meaning clear:\n(1) The natural numbers may be thought of as symbolic expressions:\n1 is |, 2 is ||, 3 is |||, 4 is ||||, etc. Thus, we start with a vertical stroke | and obtain new expressions by appending additional vertical strokes. There are some obvious objections with this approach. First, we cannot be talking about particular physical marks on paper, since a vertical stroke for the number 1 may be repeated in different physical locations. The number 1 cannot be a class of all congruent strokes, since the length of the stroke may vary; we would even acknowledge as a 1 a somewhat wiggly stroke written by a very nervous person. Even if we should succeed in giving a sufficiently general geometric characterization of the curves which would be recognized as 1’s, there is still another objection. Different people and different civilizations may use different symbols for the basic unit, for example, a circle or a square instead of a stroke. Yet, we could not give priority to one symbolism over any of the others. Nevertheless, in all cases, we would have to admit that, regardless of the difference in symbols, we are all talking about the same things.\n(2) The natural numbers may be conceived to be set-theoretic objects. In one very appealing version of this approach, the number 1 is defined as the set of all singletons {x}; the number 2 is the set of all unordered pairs {x, y}, where x =/= y; the number 3 is the set of all sets {x, y, z} where x =/= y, x =/= z, y =/= z; and so on. Within a suitable axiomatic presentation of set theory, clear rigorous definitions can be given along these lines for the general notion of natural number and for familiar operations and relations involving natural numbers. Indeed, the axioms for a Peano system are easy consequences of the definitions and simple theorems of set theory. Nevertheless, there are strong deficiencies in this approach as well.\nFirst, there are many competing forms of axiomatic set theory. In some of them, the approach sketched above cannot be carried through, and a completely different definition is necessary. For example, one can define the natural numbers as follows: 1 = {∅}, 2 = {∅, 1}, 3 = {∅, 1, 2}, etc. Alternatively, one could use: 1 = {∅}, 2 = {1}, 3 = {2}, etc. Thus, even in set theory, there is no single way to handle the natural numbers. However, even if a set-theoretic definition is agreed upon,it can be argued that the clear mathematical idea of the natural numbers should not be defined in set-theoretic terms. The paradoxes (that is, arguments leading to a contradiction) arising in set theory have cast doubt upon the clarity and meaningfulness of the general notions of set theory. It would be inadvisable then to define our basic mathematical concepts in terms of set theoretic ideas.\nThis discussion leads us to the conjecture that the natural numbers are not particular mathematical objects. Different people, different languages, and different set theories may have different systems of natural numbers. However, they all satisfy the axioms for Peano systems and therefore are isomorphic. There is no one system which has priority in any sense over all the others. For Peano systems, as for all mathematical systems, it is the form (or structure) which is important, not the “content”. Since the natural numbers are necessary in the further development of mathematics, we shall make one simple assumption:Basic Axiom There exists a Peano system.“\nElliott Mendelson, Number Systems and the Foundations of Analysis",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A lesser known one that isn't quite as comprehensive is a little Dover tome by Mendelson: Number Systems and the Foundations of Analysis.",
          "reason": "Offered as a less comprehensive alternative and followed by an approving quotation from the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not as comprehensive as What Is Mathematics?.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Elliott Mendelson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "foundations of analysis",
        "mathematical logic",
        "number systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "number-theory-100530",
      "title": "Number Theory",
      "author": "George E. Andrews",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34441116,
          "author": "steppi",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T15:11:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34441116",
          "commentText": "Some favorites below. Books 0-3 are accessible. The remaining books are more difficult but I'd highly recommend them to math students.\n0. Jan Gullberg, Mathematics, From the Birth of Numbers. A highly accessible popular survey on different branches of higher mathematics. I read this over the Summer between high school and starting my undergraduate degree. It's what made me want to study math. Previously I'd wanted to be a guitar player, but had to find a new ambition after an injury left me unable to play.\n1. The high school mathematics series by Israel Gelfand. Algebra, Trigonometry, The Method of Coordinates, and Functions and Graphs. I\ndidn't have much mathematics background in high school, but working through these really solidified my grasp on the basics.\n2. George Polya. How to Solve it. A short book giving excellent high level advice on mathematical problem solving.\n3. George E. Andrews, Number Theory. I worked through this freshman year contemporaneously with my first proof based class on simple logic and set theory. A very beautiful and accessible introduction to basic number theory. The combinatorial/geometric proofs of Fermat's Little Theorem and Wilson's Theorem are lovely. It also includes a very nice proof of Chebyshev's theorem on the asymptotic density of primes and even the Rogers-Ramanujan identities for integer partitions.\n4. Vladimir Arnold, Ordinary Differential Equations: Undergrad ODE classes are often taught in a cookbook fashion and if so, don't offer much enlightenment. This book explains what's going on at geometrical level. I didn't appreciate ODEs until I read this. See https://www.uni-muenster.de/Physik.TP/~munsteg/arnold.html for Arnold's views on teaching mathematics.\n5. E.C. Titchmarsh The Theory of Functions: Recommended by my undergraduate advisor because he noticed that I liked reading older books. It contains sections on complex analysis and real analysis with measure theory, but I've only read the complex analysis sections. It's not for everyone, if I recall correctly, there is not a single picture, but it is very lively and has a lot of material you won't find in a standard complex analysis book, including Dirichlet series. Excellent as a supplement to a standard complex analysis book.\n6. George Polya. Mathematics and Plausible Reasoning. An excellent expansion on Polya's ideas on How to Solve it. While the goal is to seek rigorous proofs, to get there it's powerful to be able to think based on intuition, heuristics, and plausible reasoning. A lot of math exposition is theorem/proof based and doesn't help develop these skills. In a similar vein, see also Terence Tao's classic post There's more to mathematics than rigour and proofs https://terrytao.wordpress.com/career-advice/theres-more-to-... (https://terrytao.wordpress.com/career-advice/theres-more-to-mathematics-than-rigour-and-proofs/).\n7. H.S.M Coxeter, An Introduction to Geometry. A book of very beautiful classical geometry. Something typically not touched on at all in a typical mathematics curriculum.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "George E. Andrews, Number Theory.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a beautiful, accessible introduction to basic number theory.",
          "audience": "Readers beginning number theory.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George E. Andrews"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "number theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "number-theory-and-its-history-f30ce9",
      "title": "Number Theory and Its History",
      "author": "Øystein Ore",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21350894,
          "author": "mike00632",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-25T01:18:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21350894",
          "commentText": "\"Number Theory and its History\" (1948) by Øystein Ore is considered a classic.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Number-Theory-History-Dover-Mathemati... (https://www.amazon.com/Number-Theory-History-Dover-Mathematics/dp/0486656209/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Number Theory and its History\" (1948) by Øystein Ore is considered a classic.",
          "reason": "Identifies it as a classic in response to a request for mathematics books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Øystein Ore"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of mathematics",
        "number theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "numbers-and-geometry-91ef1e",
      "title": "Numbers and Geometry",
      "author": "John Stillwell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 755416,
          "author": "tokenadult",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T15:27:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755416",
          "commentText": "That thread recommends many very few good books, but probably mostly books too hard at first for the participant who has posted this new thread.\nI'll recommend a couple of books from that thread:\nhttp://www.springer.com/physics/book/978-0-306-45036-5\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Short-Introduction-Timothy... (http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Short-Introduction-Timothy-Gowers/dp/0192853619/)\nI agree with the recommendation of An Introduction to Mathematical Reasoning in this thread.\nAnother participant has already recommended my favorite for background reading, Concepts of Modern Mathematics by Ian Stewart.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Modern-Mathematics-Ian-Stewar... (http://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Modern-Mathematics-Ian-Stewart/dp/0486284247/)\nGet that right away.\nSawyer's A Mathematician's Delight is surely also good (I've read other books by Sawyer).\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0486462404/\nRead those for background as you get my favorite overviews of mathematics: Basic Mathematics by Serge Lang and Numbers and Geometry by Joseph Stillwell.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Basic-Mathematics-Serge-Lang/dp/038796... (http://www.amazon.com/Basic-Mathematics-Serge-Lang/dp/0387967877/)\n(Basic Mathematics is mostly high school level math, with a minimum of fuss and bother, and good exercises.)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Geometry-John-Stillwell/dp/038... (http://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Geometry-John-Stillwell/dp/0387982892/)\n(Numbers and Geometry is mostly undergraduate level math, with very good explanations and excellent exercises.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Numbers and Geometry by Joseph Stillwell",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's favorite overviews of mathematics, with praise for its explanations and exercises.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a background overview; mostly undergraduate level math.",
          "caveat": "The linked set of books may be too hard at first for the original poster.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Stillwell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "undergraduate mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "numbers-and-proofs-00d8cc",
      "title": "Numbers and Proofs",
      "author": "J. P. Allenby",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31490479,
          "author": "mikevm",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T11:06:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31490479",
          "commentText": "I couldn't disagree more. I studied Analysis in the Uni, and even in that environment Rudin is pretty bad. For a total newcomer that book will leave you completely helpless. Also, solutions are a must have, without them you are almsot totally lost. In their absence, it is OK to ask on StackExchange or #math on EFnet.\nFirst let's start with a few books to prep you for college-level maths:\n* https://www.amazon.com/How-Study-as-Mathematics-Major-ebook/... (https://www.amazon.com/How-Study-as-Mathematics-Major-ebook/dp/B00B9CIORY)\n* https://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Proofs-Introduction-Mathemat... (https://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Proofs-Introduction-Mathematical-ebook-dp-B00I8XF6TQ/dp/B00I8XF6TQ) ; or\n* https://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Proofs-Modular-Mathematics-Al... (https://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Proofs-Modular-Mathematics-Allenby/dp/0340676531) ; or\n* https://www.amazon.com/How-Prove-Structured-Daniel-Velleman-... (https://www.amazon.com/How-Prove-Structured-Daniel-Velleman-dp-1108439535/dp/1108439535) (I believe you can find solutions to the 2nd edition online)\nFor Single-Variable Analysis\n* https://www.amazon.com/Think-About-Analysis-Lara-Alcock/dp/0... (https://www.amazon.com/Think-About-Analysis-Lara-Alcock/dp/0198723539)\n* https://www.amazon.com/How-Why-One-Variable-Calculus/dp/1119... (https://www.amazon.com/How-Why-One-Variable-Calculus/dp/1119043387)\n* https://www.amazon.com/Mathematical-Analysis-Straightforward... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematical-Analysis-Straightforward-Approach-2nd/dp/0521288827) (contains solutions to exercises)\n* https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Analysis-Undergraduate-... (https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Analysis-Undergraduate-Texts-Mathematics-ebook/dp/B00XWDQUH4) (there are solutions online for the 2nd edition)\n* https://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Functions-Steps-into-Analysis... (https://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Functions-Steps-into-Analysis/dp/0521788366) (this book is a brilliant exercise-guided approach that helps you build up your knowledge step by step + solutions are provided).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Proofs-Modular-Mathematics-Al...",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. P. Allenby"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical proofs"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "numerical-linear-algebra-e67c6a",
      "title": "Numerical Linear Algebra",
      "author": "Lloyd N. Trefethen; David Bau III",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34443270,
          "author": "blahblahblah10",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T17:51:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34443270",
          "commentText": "Out of this list, the books I am familiar with, are great (Hilbert-Courant, Spivak, Korner's books). At the same time, even with extensive mathematical training, I haven't read them from start to finish. I wouldn't even like to say \"read\". For someone who's not used to mathematical reading, some of these books require careful study. That means generating examples to understand results (theorems), trying your own conjectures, proving things yourself etc. Over time, one becomes familiar with most/all the material in a book but the knowledge might have been acquired through various books (and courses) over time.\nAlso, mathematics is a massive field. The first question would be what kinds of mathematics would you like to get better at. There are great books in analysis. If you are starting out with a solid calculus knowledge, try Abbott's Understanding Analysis [1] or Duren's Invitation to Classical Analysis [2]. For asymptotic methods in PDEs, try Bender and Orszag  [3] which is a wonderful book. But again, this might not be your cup of tea at all and there are more abstract or formal books like Rudin's.\nIf you want to approach fields without a lot of machinery, graph theory books by Bollobas are great (but difficult). See his Modern Graph Theory book [4] as an example.\nFor linear algebra, one of my favorites (but it was after I already learned the subject) is Trefethen's Numerical Linear Algebra book [5]. Another beautiful topic is at the intersection of linear algebra and combinatorics. See Babai and Frankl's lectures freely available online.\nThen there are wonderful topics in geometry. A massive mountain to climb would be algebraic geometry. For one starting point, see [6]. Differential geometry (Spivak's multi-volume work or Needham's differential forms book) is another wonderful area. I would recommend Crane's discrete differential geometry course at Carnegie Mellon [7] if you want a concrete introduction.\nYou might want to demystify a topic you have heard about. E.g. Galois theory and the unsolvability of quintic equations. You could look at [8] which guides your way through wonderful problems.\nWe haven't even touched huge swathes of mathematics including anything topological or number theory. Even within the topics mentioned above, once you start, your journey will take a life of its own and you'll encounter multiple books and papers opening up new sub-fields.\nThe only approach that worked well for me in the past was to get completely consumed by what one topic one was studying. This meant not getting distracted by multiple topics. Once one enters the workforce, this is very hard (or at least has been for me). Without knowing someone, it's hard to recommend anything but the advantage with topics like graph theory and combinatorics is that one needs less machinery (as opposed to something like algebraic geometry). These fields lead you to interesting problems very rapidly and one can wrestle with them part-time.\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Analysis-Undergraduate-... (https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Analysis-Undergraduate-Texts-Mathematics/dp/1493927116)\n[2] https://www.amazon.com/Invitation-Classical-Analysis-Applied... (https://www.amazon.com/Invitation-Classical-Analysis-Applied-Undergraduate/dp/0821869329)\n[3] https://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Mathematical-Methods-Scienti... (https://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Mathematical-Methods-Scientists-Engineers/dp/0387989315)\n[4] https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Graph-Theory-Graduate-Mathemat... (https://www.amazon.com/Modern-Graph-Theory-Graduate-Mathematics/dp/0387984887/)\n[5] https://www.amazon.com/Numerical-Linear-Algebra-Lloyd-Trefet... (https://www.amazon.com/Numerical-Linear-Algebra-Lloyd-Trefethen/dp/0898713617/)\n[6] https://www.amazon.com/Algebraic-Geometry-Approach-Mathemati... (https://www.amazon.com/Algebraic-Geometry-Approach-Mathematical-Subseries/dp/0821893963)\n[7] https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~kmcrane/Projects/DDG/\n[8] https://www.amazon.com/Through-Exercises-Springer-Undergradu... (https://www.amazon.com/Through-Exercises-Springer-Undergraduate-Mathematics/dp/3319723251)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Trefethen's Numerical Linear Algebra book",
          "reason": "Named as one of the commenter's favorite books on linear algebra.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter read it after already learning the subject.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lloyd N. Trefethen",
        "David Bau III"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "linear algebra",
        "numerical methods"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "numerical-methods-for-scientists-and-engineers-b953a3",
      "title": "Numerical Methods for Scientists and Engineers",
      "author": "Richard W. Hamming",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35976550,
          "author": "pcvarmint",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-17T15:18:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35976550",
          "commentText": "Numerical Methods for Scientists and Engineers by R.W. Hamming",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Numerical Methods for Scientists and Engineers by R.W. Hamming",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard W. Hamming"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "numerical analysis",
        "scientific computing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "numerical-methods-in-finance-c3f278",
      "title": "Numerical Methods in Finance",
      "author": "Carmine Brandimarte",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3179355,
          "author": "dxbydt",
          "createdAt": "2011-10-31T22:10:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 3177815,
          "threadTitle": "Good books for hackers interested in quant finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3179355",
          "commentText": "I am a quant. I work at a bank. We do a fair amount of portfolio optimization & price-analytics, in Scala, Matlab,C++, CPLEX. Its not hard to get your feet wet with financial modeling, though reasoning about the models does take an MFE or comparable education.\nFor example, here's a tiny scala pricer I coded up in 5 minutes to spit out the price of a google at-the-money call expiring 47 days from now, on Dec 17 using a 10k Monte-Carlo simulation.\n--\nval risk = 0.28 // google has a 28% implied vol\nval T = 47.0/365 // 47 days annualized\nprintln((1 to 10000).toList.map(_=>Random.nextGaussian).map(x=>595 * exp((-risk * risk/2) * T + risk * sqrt(T) * x)).map(x=>max(0,(x-595))).sum/10000)\n--\nOutput: $23 & change ( its selling at about $23 right now )\nTo veyron's excellent list, I'd add Brandimarte's \"Numerical Methods in Finance\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd add Brandimarte's \"Numerical Methods in Finance\".",
          "reason": "Adds the book to a list of recommendations responding to a request for books to read about quantitative finance.",
          "audience": "Readers with a solid math and computer science background interested in quantitative finance.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carmine Brandimarte"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computational finance",
        "numerical methods"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "numerical-programming-ac0cd1",
      "title": "Numerical Programming",
      "author": "Titus A. Beu",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16758142,
          "author": "engi_nerd",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T19:34:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16758142",
          "commentText": "I keep a wide variety of references around this desk. Some of my favorites:\nManuel Lima's \"Visual Complexity\", \"The Book of Circles\", and \"The Book of Trees\". These are useful as references and as visualization inspiration.\nJacques Bertin's \"Semiology of Graphics\". Gorgeous and immensely useful.\nDesmond and Nicholas Higham's \"MATLAB Guide, 3rd Edition\", and Yair Altman's \"Accelerating MATLAB Performance\". Both are invaluable for serious MATLAB work.\nTitus A. Beu's book on Numerical Programming is very good as a reference.\nFor anyone needing to work on military simulations, \"Engineering Principles of Combat Modeling and Distributed Simulation\" by Tolk is the best reference I have found on the subject.\nAnd TAOCP and CLRS are here for reference purposes as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Titus A. Beu's book on Numerical Programming is very good as a reference.",
          "reason": "Described as very good for reference.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Titus A. Beu"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "numerical methods",
        "programming reference",
        "scientific computing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "numerical-recipes-the-art-of-scientific-computing-b3befc",
      "title": "Numerical Recipes: The Art of Scientific Computing",
      "author": "William H. Press, Saul A. Teukolsky, William T. Vetterling, and Brian P. Flannery",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21318394,
          "author": "todd8",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T22:45:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21318394",
          "commentText": "Over the years I find myself often referring back to Numerical Recipes, The Art of Scientific Computation now in it's third edition by Press, et. al.\nI realize that for practically any topic covered by this book that there are more heavily optimized solutions available in the best numerical libraries, but this book nicely rounds out my reference books with clear and easy to understand coverage of subjects I don't know. (e.g. Savitzky-Golay Smoothing Filters).\nI enjoy reading this book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this book nicely rounds out my reference books with clear and easy to understand coverage",
          "reason": "Values it as an accessible reference for topics the commenter does not know and says they enjoy reading it.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking clear coverage of numerical computing topics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that optimized solutions are available in numerical libraries.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William H. Press, Saul A. Teukolsky, William T. Vetterling, and Brian P. Flannery"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "numerical computing",
        "numerical methods"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nurtureshock-8af4ee",
      "title": "NurtureShock",
      "author": "Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23858869,
          "author": "tootie",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:43:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858869",
          "commentText": "Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut. Also NurtureShock taught me a lot about parenting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "NurtureShock taught me a lot about parenting.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it taught them a lot about parenting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Po Bronson",
        "Ashley Merryman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Parenting",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "child development",
        "parenting research"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "nutshell-40346f",
      "title": "Nutshell",
      "author": "Ian McEwan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12475387,
          "author": "fitzwatermellow",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T20:07:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12475387",
          "commentText": "There is some remarkable fiction coming out this season by some of the best:\nJonathan Safran Foer's Here I Am\nZadie Smith's Swing Time\nIan McEwan's Nutshell\nColson Whitehead's The Underground Railroad\nCarl Hiassan's Razor Girl\nAlan Moore's Jerusalem\nJonathan Lethem's A Gamber's Anatomy\nHa Jin's The Boat Rocker\nT.C. Boyle's The Terranauts\nMichael Chabon's Moonglow\nCormac McCarthy's The Passenger\nI've got plenty of friends who never touch fiction because \"it's not real\". Preferring science, history, economics, biography and virtually anything else. But I think its obligatory at times. The soul requires it's own nourishment, if not more so than the body and the mind. Indulge yourself. If only because great writing will make your writing greater, as if by osmosis. But ultimately, because only fiction can uncover the truths that can't be revealed any other way ;)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ian McEwan's Nutshell",
          "reason": "Included in a list of remarkable fiction; the comment urges readers to indulge in fiction.",
          "audience": "Readers who tend to avoid fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ian McEwan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "o-pioneers-639eba",
      "title": "O Pioneers!",
      "author": "Willa Cather",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41240816,
          "author": "bikenaga",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-13T23:14:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41240816",
          "commentText": "Someone else mentioned Thomas Hardy's \"The Mayor of Casterbirdge\". It's the one of his 5 major novels I haven't read. \"Far From the Madding Crowd\" and \"Return of the Native\" are okay, but the two that really are magnificent are:\n\"Jude the Obscure\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/153\n\"Tess of the D'Urbervilles\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/110\nYou can sense his fury at the society he was depicting. You might not want to read either of these, particularly \"Tess\", if you're prone to depression.\nFrederick Jackson Turner, \"The Frontier in American History\" (1921) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/22994\nThis collection leads off with Turner's essay \"The Significance of the Frontier in American History\" (1893). It's considered by some the most influential historical essay about America ever written. Historians went back and forth on his claims for decades, and people pointed out many issues with them. It seems like the critics predominate now. But it's still worth reading, particularly since (right or wrong) his ideas influenced the way we think of ourselves. Turner was a very good writer - he was a noted orator, and his essays have an oratorical quality - and the other essays in the collection are pretty good, too.\nOwen Wister, \"The Virginian\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1298\nZane Grey, \"Riders of the Purple Sage\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1300\nAnd the sequel: \"The Rainbow Trail\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/5067\n\"The Virginian\" (1902) and \"Riders\" (1912) established many of the themes and tropes for the \"standard\" western, and they're still fun to read. But the genre comprises many other kinds of writing - e.g. A. B. Guthrie, Elmer Kelton, and the next writer.\nWilla Cather's novels:\nThe \"plains trilogy\" (the stories are set in Nebraska and Colorado, but otherwise unrelated):\n\"O Pioneers!\" (1913) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/24\n\"The Song of the Lark\" (1915) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/44\n\"My Ántonia\" (1918) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19810\nAnd not quite a hundred years ago, but a wonderful novel:\n\"Death Comes for the Archbishop\" (1927) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/69730\nA few brief mentions: James Joyce's \"Ulysses\", though I had a tough time getting through it; some of Nathaniel Hawthorne's short stories (e.g. \"The Minister's Black Veil\"); \"Njal's Saga\" (I liked the Penguin edition with the translation by Magnusson and Pallson); the great works of classic fantasy (Lord Dunsany, E. R. Eddison, William Morris, Arthur Machen); the essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"O Pioneers!\" (1913)",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list of Cather novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Willa Cather"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american midwest"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "oathbringer-ce139c",
      "title": "Oathbringer",
      "author": "Brandon Sanderson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26594795,
          "author": "fish45",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-26T17:37:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26594795",
          "commentText": "I might try to take that approach in the future. Usually when I get bored of whatever book I'm reading I just queue up a video game though.\nOathbringer is really great.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Oathbringer is really great.",
          "reason": "Calls the book really great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 26593847,
          "author": "Cyph0n",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-26T16:16:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26593847",
          "commentText": "I try to read two books in parallel: one fiction (sci-fi or fantasy, usually) and one non-fiction (history, philosophy, economics, or psychology).\nI’ve found that this approach keeps things fresh, and allows me “cooldown” and let my imagination flow periodically. I used to read even more books in parallel (3-5), but 2 books has been the sweet spot for me.\nRight now, I’m switching between “Oathbringer” (Stormlight Archive series) and “Capital in the 21st Century”.\nI also used to listen to a lot of audiobooks and I’m trying to get back into that.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "switching between “Oathbringer” (Stormlight Archive series)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brandon Sanderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "stormlight archive"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "oaxaca-journal-3dad6f",
      "title": "Oaxaca Journal",
      "author": "Oliver Sacks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15762394,
          "author": "sukhadatkeereo",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T02:46:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762394",
          "commentText": "1.Rice, Noodle, Fish: Deep Travels Through Japan's Food Culture by Matt Goulding\n2.Oaxaca Journal by Oliver Sacks\n3.A History of the World in 100 Objects by Neil MacGregor\n4.Ernest Hemingway on Writing by Ernest Hemingway\n5.Seven Elements That Have Changed the World: An Adventure of Ingenuity and Discovery by John Browne.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Oaxaca Journal by Oliver Sacks",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Oliver Sacks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "botanical travel",
        "oaxaca"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "object-oriented-javascript-a6e41c",
      "title": "Object Oriented JavaScript",
      "author": "Stoyan Stefanov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1463893,
          "author": "wookiehangover",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-26T16:41:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 1463717,
          "threadTitle": "Need best Javascript books suggestion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1463893",
          "commentText": "Object Oriented Javascript by Stoyan Stefanov is worth a read, especially if you've already slogged thru Poppa Crockford's tomes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Object Oriented Javascript by Stoyan Stefanov is worth a read",
          "reason": "Calls the book worth reading.",
          "audience": "Readers who have already read Crockford's books.",
          "caveat": "Especially worth reading after Crockford's books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stoyan Stefanov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "javascript",
        "object oriented programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "object-pascal-handbook-4b1795",
      "title": "Object Pascal Handbook",
      "author": "Marco Cantù",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28661231,
          "author": "gompertz",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T14:40:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28661231",
          "commentText": "If that's what your looking for, I find books that are adopted as university textbooks are best. i.e. C Programming Modern Approach by KN King, Object Pascal Handbook by Marco Cantu. Generally I'm staying away from O'Reilly, No Starch Press  etc.. They all feel like books created by pasting a bunch of blog posts together. University texts are usually twice the price, but IMHO worth it - they are made for teaching knowledge, not just sharing it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Object Pascal Handbook by Marco Cantu",
          "reason": "Recommended as a university textbook for teaching programming knowledge.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a programming book with a teaching focus.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says university textbooks are usually twice the price.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marco Cantù"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "object pascal",
        "textbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "object-oriented-design-heuristics-2876cf",
      "title": "Object-Oriented Design Heuristics",
      "author": "Arthur J. Riel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19897773,
          "author": "keithnoizu",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T10:24:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19897773",
          "commentText": "Possibly more abstract than what you are looking for but Object-Oriented Design Heuristics is a decent text.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Object-Oriented-Design-Heuristics-Art... (https://www.amazon.com/Object-Oriented-Design-Heuristics-Arthur-Riel/dp/020163385X/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=design+heuristics&qid=1557742988&s=gateway&sr=8-4)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Possibly more abstract than what you are looking for but Object-Oriented Design Heuristics is a decent text.",
          "reason": "Called a decent text for object-oriented design heuristics.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in object-oriented design.",
          "caveat": "Possibly more abstract than the asker is looking for.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur J. Riel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "object oriented design",
        "software heuristics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "object-oriented-javascript-create-scalable-reusable-high-quality--22685c",
      "title": "Object-Oriented JavaScript: Create Scalable, Reusable High-Quality JavaScript Applications and Libraries",
      "author": "Stoyan Stefanov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1463747,
          "author": "kls",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-26T14:56:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 1463717,
          "threadTitle": "Need best Javascript books suggestion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1463747",
          "commentText": "JavaScript: The Good Parts\nAbsolutely, it is really the 101 of JavaScript and helps you avoid a lot of the pitfalls that gave the language a bad name for so many years.\nJavaScript: the definitive guide, is also a good book.\nObject-Oriented JavaScript: Create scalable, reusable high-quality JavaScript applications and libraries.\nAs well most all of John Resig books are good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Object-Oriented JavaScript: Create scalable, reusable high-quality JavaScript applications and libraries.",
          "reason": "Listed as a suggested JavaScript book in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "JavaScript learners.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stoyan Stefanov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "javascript",
        "object oriented programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "oblivion-616c25",
      "title": "Oblivion",
      "author": "David Foster Wallace",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227214,
          "author": "mattdennewitz",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T18:44:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227214",
          "commentText": "david foster wallace: oblivion",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "david foster wallace: oblivion",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Foster Wallace"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "october-light-d4e3bf",
      "title": "October Light",
      "author": "John Gardner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12099199,
          "author": "rolancaster01",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T06:01:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12099199",
          "commentText": "Melville \"Bartlby the Scrivener\" & Ramsey \"When We Are No More: how Digital Memory Is Shaping Our Future\"\nDown \"Brilliant Beacons: a History of the American Lighthouse\"\nKoestler \"Darkness Before Noon\" & \"The Invisible Writing\" & \"The Ghost in the Machine\"\nJohn Gardner - anything really but October light and the sunlight dialogs in particular.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "John Gardner - anything really but October light",
          "reason": "The commenter says they particularly like it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Gardner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "october-sky-04650c",
      "title": "October Sky",
      "author": "Homer H. Hickam Jr.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1725114,
          "author": "kapilkaisare",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-24T19:48:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1725114",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n1. Life of Pi - Yann Martel\n2. The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas : An awesome closeup of revenge\n3. The complete Sherlock Holmes series : 'nuff said.\nNon fiction:\n1. Cosmos - Carl Sagan : I fell in love with science post-reading this book.\n2. October Sky - Homer Hickham : A real life story of how a group of boys in a backwater town build a rocket that changes their lives.\n3. Chariots of the Gods - Erich Von Daniken -  A real mind bender, even if you choose not to agree with his ideas.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "October Sky - Homer Hickham : A real life story of how a group of boys in a backwater town build a rocket that changes their lives.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a compelling real life story in a list of suggested nonfiction.",
          "audience": "Boys.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Homer H. Hickam Jr."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "rocketry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "october-the-first-is-too-late-36904a",
      "title": "October the First Is Too Late",
      "author": "Fred Hoyle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 140507,
          "author": "bstadil",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T03:31:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140507",
          "commentText": "excellent choice.\nFor many years I always looked at the animation when I was defragging my windows disk and thinking about the end of Black Cloud.  (Hint. The janitor looking at the screen)\n\"October the first is too late\" is another Hoyle classic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"October the first is too late\" is another Hoyle classic.",
          "reason": "Calls it a classic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fred Hoyle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "time travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "octonauts-316715",
      "title": "Octonauts",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34636280,
          "author": "mike1o1",
          "createdAt": "2023-02-03T02:09:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 34634274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books your kids like most",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34636280",
          "commentText": "Everything Octonauts - though I actually find the tv series better than the books.\nJulia Donaldson books are great, such as The Gruffalo. Great art style and easy rhymes.\nWe’ve also had a lot of success with the various 5-minute collection books, such as 5-minute Winnie the Pooh stories. They love going from story to story.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Everything Octonauts - though I actually find the tv series better than the books.",
          "reason": "The commenter mentions the books but prefers the TV series.",
          "audience": "Children",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds the TV series better than the books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s books",
        "underwater adventure"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "odd-john-2b5a8f",
      "title": "Odd John",
      "author": "Olaf Stapledon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 140490,
          "author": "nazgulnarsil",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T02:59:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140490",
          "commentText": "depends on the subgenre :)\nSuperhuman:\nSlan by A.E. Van Vogt\nMore Than Human by Theodore STurgeon\nOdd John by Olaf Stapledon\nPost Apocalyptic:\nThe Day of The Triffids by John Whyndham\nEarth Abides by George R. Stewart\nA Canticle for Lebowitz by...don't remember\nSpace Opera/Adventure:\nany of The Culture novels by Iain M. Banks\nThe Reality Dysfunction series by ...don't remember\nHyperion series by Dan Simmons\nTo Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer\nDystopian:\nWe by Yevgeny Zamyatin <---highly overlooked, predates 1984 and Brave New World\nBut the Absolute Best would be anything by:\nStanislaw Lem (Cyberiad, Futurological Congress, Solaris)\nAlfred Bester (The STars my Destination, The Demolished Man)\nor Samuel R. Delany (Babel-17, Dhalgren, Trtion, Nova)\noh and Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light and This Immortal are both great.\nSome of Philip K. Dick's stuff is great, but everyone recommends him. :)\nalmost forgot John Brunner, check out Steel Beach, The Sheep Look Up, and Stand on Zanzibar.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Odd John by Olaf Stapledon",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Olaf Stapledon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolutionary mutants"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "of-bicycles-bakelites-and-bulbs-toward-a-theory-of-sociotechnical-33fed0",
      "title": "Of Bicycles, Bakelites, and Bulbs: Toward a Theory of Sociotechnical Change",
      "author": "Wiebe E. Bijker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36601648,
          "author": "HillRat",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:20:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601648",
          "commentText": "Lots of options out there. A few from my bookshelf: Bijker's \"Of Bicycles, Bakelites, and Bulbs\" is a case-study-centric work that seeks to build a general theory of STS. Nye's \"Technology Matters\" is less a work of theory than a critique that poses core questions about how society should seek to integrate technical advances. Latour's \"Science in Action,\" \"Reassembling the Social,\" and \"Aramis\" are great examples of his approach to whole-of-system analysis of sociotechnical systems. Rogers' \"Diffusion of Innovation\" is a classic work theorizing how innovation is communicated through social networks.\nMIT Press has a wide variety of books that cover specific topics in history, most of which have great theoretic interest: Agar's \"The Government Machine,\" dealing with the evolution of technology and expertise within the UK government; Medina's \"Cybernetic Revolutionaries,\" about Beer's Cybersyn project; and Ensmenger's \"The Computer Boys Take Over,\" about the cultural development of the \"programmer,\" are all great reads.\nAlso, you can look beyond pure technology for interesting adjacencies: for example, Schatz's \"The Genius of the System\" describes how changes in technology and management production radically upended Hollywood, resulting in the studio system that dominated from the 1930s through the 1950s, while Harris' \"Pictures at a Revolution\" picks up the pieces at the end of that system, discussing the rise of \"New Hollywood,\" driven by cultural and technical (particularly the French use of inexpensive filming technologies to create the New Wave) forces.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bijker's \"Of Bicycles, Bakelites, and Bulbs\" is a case-study-centric work that seeks to build a general theory of STS.",
          "reason": "Describes it as case study centered and aimed at building a general theory of science and technology studies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Wiebe E. Bijker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "science and technology studies",
        "sociotechnical change"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "oil-101-651169",
      "title": "Oil 101",
      "author": "Morgan Downey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22574180,
          "author": "totalZero",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T09:35:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22574180",
          "commentText": "Oil 101 by Morgan Downey is one of the worst-edited books I've ever read, yet the amount of knowledge contained in that book is astonishing. The petroleum markets are vital to the financial system, as we saw on Monday when oil over-supply catalyzed a downward move in global equity markets.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Oil 101 by Morgan Downey is one of the worst-edited books I've ever read, yet the amount of knowledge contained in that book is astonishing.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it contains a great deal of knowledge about petroleum markets.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it one of the worst-edited books they've read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Morgan Downey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "energy",
        "petroleum markets"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "old-man-s-war-series-c1feb1",
      "title": "Old Man's War series",
      "author": "John Scalzi",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25846738,
          "author": "Zanni",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T14:23:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25846738",
          "commentText": "Ted Chiang's Stories of Your Life and Others is the best, single-author collection of short stories I've ever read. If you like that, you might also enjoy The Lifecycle of Software Objects, an absolutely heartbreaking novella about simulated children, and his follow-up collection Exhalation.\nOrson Scott Card's Ender's Game is fantastic, and it's follow-up, Speaker for the Dead is even better, and my favorite science fiction novel of all time. They won back to back Hugo and Nebula awards. Card is a polarizing figure for his outspoken political opinions, but if ever the art should be separated from the artist, it's Speaker, which is an incredible exploration of empathy and responsibility, in addition to being a gripping, action-packed, science-literate read. Many more in this series, if you get into it.\nJohn Scalzi's Old Man's War series is fantastic, if you're into military science-fiction, or even if you're not. Smart, funny, engaging and accessible, and reminiscent of Heinlein at his prime, minus the weird incest fetish. Redshirts, a Star Trek parody, rivals Galaxy Quest and only falls short because Galaxy Quest is so goddamn brilliant. Agent to the Stars is less appreciated, but in my opinion his finest novel, rising way above its goofy premise by taking it seriously, exploring the consequences and treating the characters with empathy and respect. Also hilarious.\nSeconding Dune, which is a classic for a reason, and Stranger in a Strange Land (though I think The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is a better place to start with Heinlein). Also Neal Stephenson, though I'd suggest Cryptonomicon over Diamond Age.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "John Scalzi's Old Man's War series is fantastic",
          "reason": "Calls the series fantastic and says it is smart, funny, engaging, and accessible.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in military science fiction, or even those who are not.",
          "caveat": "Compared favorably to Heinlein, with an explicit caveat about incest themes in Heinlein.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Scalzi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "old-possum-s-book-of-practical-cats-561171",
      "title": "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats",
      "author": "T. S. Eliot",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37937200,
          "author": "tiffanyg",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:40:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937200",
          "commentText": "Ah, a literalist.\nI see your literality, and raise:\nenabled a pivotal moment in my life\nLike that time you beat Archimedes to the punch and moved the world with a cantilever?\nTo not just 'standup philosopher'-post: Gödel, Escher, Bach (already mentioned by another I see); Euclid's Elements; Polya's How To Solve It; The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich; Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats - clearly non-fiction, if you know cats. :)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats",
          "reason": "Jokingly included in a list of books with a pivotal impact, with a cat-related caveat.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter jokingly calls it non-fiction if you know cats.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "T. S. Eliot"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cats",
        "poetry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "old-school-3a5840",
      "title": "Old School",
      "author": "Tobias Wolff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13240800,
          "author": "cicero",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T22:06:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13240800",
          "commentText": "A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter Miller (recommended SF classic)\nThe Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis (an old favorite, recommended)\nThe Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco (some interesting parts, but overall a disappointment)\nTheology and Sanity - Frank Sheed (recommended; a very written description of the Catholic faith; weaknesses are it's long and it's aimed to a mid 20th c. audience)\nChristianity for Modern Pagans: Pascal's Pensees - Peter Kreeft (recommended; a good exposition of Blaise Pascal's thought)\nCatholicism: A journey to the heart of the faith - Robert Barron (recommended; a good explanation of Catholicism for the common person)\nHis Master's Voice - Stanislaw Lem (recommended; very intellectual look at the problem of first contact)\nThe Industries of the Future - Alec Ross (the robotics chapter is best; other parts are more light-weight; easy read)\nClouds of Witnesses - Dorothy Sayers (not my favorite Sayers mystery, but enjoyable)\nA Study in Scarlet - Arthur Conan Doyle (recommended)\nWhy Gender Matters - Leonard Sax (recommended; most of the book is based on good science, but he does go out on a limb a time or two.)\nOld School - Tobias Wolff (recommended; a world before widespread TV where high school boys actually got excited about literature)\nInfinite Space, Infinite God - Karina and Robert Fabian editors (story quality varies; I enjoyed some of them)\nThe Sign of Four - Arthur Conan Doyle (recommended)\nOn Stranger Tides - Tim Powers (recommended; I love Powers, but Anubis Gates and Last Call are better. Still, if you like pirates you should like this)\nThe Art of Worldly Wisdom - Baltasar Gracian (interesting)\nAquinas at Prayer: the Bible, Mysticism, and Poetry - Paul Murray (recommended; this shows a different side of Thomas Aquinas)\nAristotle for Everybody: Difficult Thought Made Easy - Mortimer Adler (recommended; I almost think this should be required reading)\nThe Pilgrim's Regress - C.S. Lewis (I enjoyed it, but the ideas Lewis argues against are somewhat dated.)\nEdit for formatting",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Old School - Tobias Wolff (recommended; a world before widespread TV where high school boys actually got excited about literature)",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommended; the commenter describes its setting and literary enthusiasm.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tobias Wolff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "boarding school",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "old-testament-9c2131",
      "title": "Old Testament",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5860596,
          "author": "jlengrand",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-11T09:13:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 5859004,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5860596",
          "commentText": "I read lots of old greak and roman records too (among others, Sun Tzu was chinese :)). \nI am amazed every night how much the old testament can be different from what I was taught back in school.\nLike the \"eye for an eye\" saying for example. Never taught it would be cited in the book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "how much the old testament can be different from what I was taught back in school.",
          "reason": "Reflects on how its content differs from what the commenter learned in school.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5860573,
          "author": "gadders",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-11T09:02:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 5859004,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5860573",
          "commentText": "I've read some Plutarch, Seutonius, Tacitus (in translation) and always wondered how the Old Testament measured up as a work of ancient literature.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "how the Old Testament measured up as a work of ancient literature.",
          "reason": "Discusses it as ancient literature, without expressing a recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5860044,
          "author": "jlengrand",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-11T06:09:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 5859004,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5860044",
          "commentText": "Currently, the old testament.\nI am not church-goer or anything, and still I find it quite impressive the amount of surprising stuff (good and bad) you can find in there. \nIt's actually as cool as the Iliad, and you may even find some good advice in there :).\nHey, who said everything had to be around software/startups.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Currently, the old testament.",
          "reason": "Calls it impressive and says it contains surprising material and good advice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is not a church-goer.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient literature",
        "religious texts"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "oliver-twist-2075f4",
      "title": "Oliver Twist",
      "author": "Charles Dickens",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20914527,
          "author": "iBelieve",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T01:36:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914527",
          "commentText": "The Bible.\nMysterious Island (1874), Around the World in Eighty Days (1873), and other books by Jules Verne.\nBooks by James Fenimore Cooper.\nThe Sea-Wolf (1904) by Jack London.\nThe Count of Monte Cristo (1844) by Alexandre Dumas.\nOliver Twist (1839) by Charles Dickens.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Oliver Twist (1839) by Charles Dickens.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1724786,
          "author": "tokenadult",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-24T18:32:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1724786",
          "commentText": "My children like the George R. R. Martin books, the Philip Pullman books, the Harry Potter series, and other books much in that genre category. They also read \"classic\" literature as they get older, for example Oliver Twist or Tom Sawyer. Two of my sons have really liked A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (which I have never read) and I really liked The Chosen by Chaim Potok (which I reread a few years ago, and still thought was very good).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "for example Oliver Twist or Tom Sawyer.",
          "reason": "Gives it as an example of classic literature their children read as they get older.",
          "audience": "Children as they get older.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Dickens"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "victorian literature",
        "social novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "omega-force-b40c71",
      "title": "Omega Force",
      "author": "Joshua Dalzelle",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13116594,
          "author": "Zekio",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-06T17:47:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13116594",
          "commentText": "A book series called \"Omega Force\", currently re-reading it",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "A book series called \"Omega Force\", currently re-reading it",
          "reason": "Named as a series the commenter is rereading in response to a question about the best sci-fi read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8944389,
          "author": "Zekio",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-25T21:45:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944389",
          "commentText": "http://www.amazon.com/Omega-Rising-Force-Book-ebook/dp/B00B7... (http://www.amazon.com/Omega-Rising-Force-Book-ebook/dp/B00B795UUS/ref=sr_1_7?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1422222164&sr=1-7&keywords=Joshua+Dalzelle)\nOmega force book series is my favorites, and the new series the same author is making \nhttp://www.amazon.com/Warship-Black-Fleet-Trilogy-Book-ebook... (http://www.amazon.com/Warship-Black-Fleet-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B00RS8FT2G/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1422222164&sr=1-3&keywords=Joshua+Dalzelle)\nboth book series are great, second series only have 1 book, and both are sci-fi. :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Omega force book series is my favorites",
          "reason": "Names it among the commenter’s favorite series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joshua Dalzelle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military science fiction",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-becoming-baby-wise-f324c2",
      "title": "On Becoming Baby Wise",
      "author": "Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 128387,
          "author": "aggieben",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-03T22:48:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 127711,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Hacker moms & dads, what do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=128387",
          "commentText": "Baby Wise.  I'd swear by 95% of it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Baby Wise. I'd swear by 95% of it.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books and strongly endorsed with a qualification.",
          "audience": "New parents.",
          "caveat": "The commenter endorses 95% of it, leaving 5% unspecified.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gary Ezzo and Robert Bucknam"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Parenting"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "infant routines",
        "sleep training"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-becoming-a-leader-7a300b",
      "title": "On Becoming a Leader",
      "author": "Warren Bennis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21712983,
          "author": "vertigolimbo",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T15:19:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21712983",
          "commentText": "\"On Becoming a Leader\" by Warren Bennis\nThis book is not very big but is exceptionally dense and easy to read. I found a lot of useful information that I apply to my daily life - reflection, being authentic, allowing oneself to make mistakes and much more.\nI reread it three times already and I always found new ideas.\n(As a technical guy) I developed a great passion for philosophy and arts in general thanks to his book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book is not very big but is exceptionally dense and easy to read.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds it exceptionally dense, readable, and useful, and says they have reread it three times.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in leadership, philosophy, and personal development.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Warren Bennis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "personal development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-becoming-a-person-80f95d",
      "title": "On Becoming a Person",
      "author": "Carl R. Rogers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9348196,
          "author": "cessor",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:26:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348196",
          "commentText": "\"On becoming a person\" by Carl R. Rogers.\nHe defines Psychotherapy as merely a special case of any relationship, where the relationship will help you grow by allowing you to overcome built up incongruence. Many technical books made me change my perspective, but few were as valuable as this. Although it is easy to read, it can be quite hard to understand. It comes along as non-scientific, but many of his ideas and findings have been substantiated by empirical studies in the past.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "few were as valuable as this. Although it is easy to read, it can be quite hard to understand.",
          "reason": "Calls the book valuable and describes its accessible style alongside challenging ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Easy to read, but can be hard to understand; may come across as non-scientific.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carl R. Rogers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "humanistic psychology",
        "psychotherapy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-being-free-5dd022",
      "title": "On Being Free",
      "author": "Frithjof Bergmann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6413722,
          "author": "ahsanhilal",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-19T19:33:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6413722",
          "commentText": "On Being Free by Frithjof Bergmann changed my perspective on what work should be for an individual in a society. It's not very analytically heavy and is definitely a great read. I also met him and what he is doing around the world is pretty amazing.\nI still remember how he told me in 2005-06 that 3d printing is going to usher in a whole new idea of what work should actually be. I was a engineering student at the time, quite obsessed with the room-sized 3d printer and could not fathom exactly how that would happen. Well I guess it is starting to at least.\nhttp://undpress.nd.edu/book/P00304",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On Being Free by Frithjof Bergmann changed my perspective on what work should be for an individual in a society. It's not very analytically heavy and is definitely a great read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed their perspective and calls it a great read.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in work and its role in society.",
          "caveat": "Not very analytically heavy.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frithjof Bergmann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "meaning of work",
        "work"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-creativity-84792e",
      "title": "On Creativity",
      "author": "David Bohm",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8719700,
          "author": "harshbhasin",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T22:39:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8719700",
          "commentText": "These three works have influenced me. These  are writings of very creative people and I read them to understand their creative process.\n1. Nikola Tesla's autobiography:\nhttp://www.mystacki.com/#!/binder/35/nikola-tesla%27s-autobi... (http://www.mystacki.com/#!/binder/35/nikola-tesla%27s-autobiography)\n2. Swami Vivekananda's complete works: \nhttp://www.mystacki.com/#!/binder/45/swami-vivakananda\n3. David Bohm on creativity: http://www.amazon.com/Creativity-Routledge-Classics-David-Bo... (http://www.amazon.com/Creativity-Routledge-Classics-David-Bohm/dp/0415336406)\nI have been reading these three authors for many years, over and over again. In his autobiography, Tesla brings forth many exciting things about his creative process. He could prototype complete machines in his mind before building them. In his mind he could run tests, even see scars and blemishes on his machines. In my coding, I (feebly) try to emulate his method by trying to visualize my coding prototype in my mind. His short autobiography  reads like that of a mystic. In there he describes how the idea of AC current came to him, while taking a walk and looking into the Sun. Philosophically, everything in life alternates: the pairs of opposites, ebb and flow-- its seems to be the code of life; and AC current does the same, it alternates. His writings on Electricity are against the established grain: for him electricity (his only love) is the current of life. There cannot be two electricities(positive and negative,) he says, these are only terms for the state of having more or less of the same thing.\nDavid Bohm has important things to say about the creative process. He talks about completeness (wholeness) of thought. He talks about \"mental models\" that we create to understand reality and how we keep growing out of older models... newtonian physics gives way to relativity etc.\nSwami Vivekananda was a contemporary of Tesla and they did actually meet. He was a scholar of the Indian philosophy system called Advaita and Sankhya. As Jung has said about archetypes -- same thoughts occur to people of all ages, the Sankhya philosophy system believed in the equivalence of matter and energy. Vivekananda introduced  these ideas to Tesla and expected him to prove them. But the proof came ten years later with Einstein. I have written about this here:\nhttp://www.mystacki.com/#!/post/132/vivakanand's-meeting-wit... (http://www.mystacki.com/#!/post/132/vivakanand's-meeting-with-tesla)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "3. David Bohm on creativity:",
          "reason": "Included among works the commenter says have influenced them and reads to understand creative process.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in creativity and mental models.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Bohm"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creative process",
        "mental models"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-education-dd5740",
      "title": "On Education",
      "author": "Bertrand Russell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5691391,
          "author": "bloodorange",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T17:53:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5691391",
          "commentText": "\"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland\" - Lewis Carroll\n\"Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There\" - Lewis Carroll\n\"Dracula\" - Bram Stoker\n\"Frankenstein\" - Mary Shelly\n\"On Education\" - Bertrand Russell\n\"The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy\" - Douglas Adams\n\"Animal Farm\" - George Orwell\n\"1984\" - George Orwell\n\"Lord of The Flies\" - William Golding\n\"Brave New World\" - Aldous Huxley\n\"Gulliver's Travels\" - Jonathan Swift\n\"The Selfish Gene\" - Richard Dawkins",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"On Education\" - Bertrand Russell",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for good book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bertrand Russell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "education"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-food-and-cooking-633f69",
      "title": "On Food and Cooking",
      "author": "Harold McGee",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910443,
          "author": "kevinmchugh",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:47:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910443",
          "commentText": "Command And Control, by Eric Schlosser. A history of America's nuclear weapons program and it's many near-disasters.\nRaven, by Tim Reiterman. Biography of Jim Jones by one of the journalists who'd reported the story the longest.\nLiquid Intelligence, by Dave Arnold. Everything you need to know to understand cocktails and make good ones.\nOn Food and Cooking, by Harold McGee. An exhaustive reference on the history and science of food and ingredients. Every page has something surprising and useful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An exhaustive reference on the history and science of food and ingredients. Every page has something surprising and useful.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as an exhaustive, useful reference with surprising information on food.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Harold McGee"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "culinary reference",
        "food science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-guerrilla-warfare-ecb374",
      "title": "On Guerrilla Warfare",
      "author": "Mao Tse-tung",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 456347,
          "author": "pskomoroch",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T14:15:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456347",
          "commentText": "I used to have a lot more time for non CS reading and actually made an Amazon list on this topic back in 2005:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/2INJSM38... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/2INJSM38IDMDZ/ref=cm_sw_r_de_lm)\n1.  On War (Everyman's Library (Cloth)) by Carl Von Clausewitz\n2.  Leadership: The Warrior's Art by Barry R. McCaffrey\n3.  Small Unit Leadership: A Commonsense Approach by Dandridge M. Malone\n4.  The Defense of Hill 781: An Allegory of Modern Mechanized Combat by James R. McDonough\n5.  The Art of Maneuver: Maneuver-Warfare Theory and AirLand Battle by Robert Leonhard\n6.  Strategy: Second Revised Edition (Meridian) by B. H. Liddell Hart\n7.  The Art of War by Niccolò Machiavelli\n8.  Hagakure: The Book of the Samauri by Tsunetomo Yamamoto\n9.  The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius\n10.  The Art of War (Shambhala classics) by Sun Tzu\n11.  The Prince (Bantam Classics) by Niccolo Machiavelli\n12.  Evolutionary Game Theory by Jörgen W. Weibull\n13.  On Guerrilla Warfare by Mao Tse-tung\n14.  The History of the Peloponnesian War: Revised Edition (Penguin Classics) by Thucydides\n15.  The Histories (Penguin Classics) by Herodotus\n16.  The Persian Expedition (Penguin Classics) by Xenophon\n17.  Plutarch: Lives of Noble Grecians and Romans (Modern Library Series, Vol. 1) by Plutarch\n18.  Plutarch's Lives, Volume 2 (Modern Library Classics) by Plutarch\n19.  Livy: The Early History of Rome, Books I-V (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 1-5) by Titus Livy\n20.  The History of Rome from Its Foundation, Books XXI-XXX: The War with Hannibal (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 21-30) by Titus Livius Livy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "13.  On Guerrilla Warfare by Mao Tse-tung",
          "reason": "Included in a list of military strategy books answering the thread's request.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking books about military strategy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mao Tse-tung"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "guerrilla warfare",
        "military strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-having-no-head-8c088e",
      "title": "On Having No Head",
      "author": "Douglas E. Harding",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23468786,
          "author": "booknobook",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T17:35:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23468786",
          "commentText": "I and Thou by Martin Buber\nFinite and Infinite Games by James P. Carse\nOn Having No Head by Douglas E. Harding",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On Having No Head by Douglas E. Harding",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas E. Harding"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first person experience",
        "nondualism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-intelligence-0548a9",
      "title": "On Intelligence",
      "author": "Jeff Hawkins and Sandra Blakeslee",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910210,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:25:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910210",
          "commentText": "- \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies\" - probably the most influential book I've read in my life, profoundly changed the way I think. It's a collection of LessWrong essays on science and rationality.\n- \"On Intelligence\" and \"I am a Strange Loop\" - how mind works.\n- \"Rework\", \"Zero to One\", \"Start Small, Stay Small\" - insightful startup advice.\n- Fun autobiographies: Ghost in the Wires (Kevin Mitnick), iWoz (Steve Wozniak), Catch me if you can (Frank Abagnale), Just for Fun (Linus Torvalds), Elon Musk, Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\n- How companies work: Creativity Inc (Pixar), In the Plex (Google)\n- On writing: Art of fiction/nonfiction by Ayn Rand, Story by Robert McKee, Save the Cat, Step by Step to Standup Comedy.\n- Other: The Selfish Gene, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Serious Creativity, Hackers & Painters, Hacking Growth, Angel (on angel investing, by Jason Calacanis).\nAlso collections of essays by Paul Graham [1] and Scott Alexander [2]:\n[1] https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%20Complete%20Essays.epub?dl=0)\n[2] https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of%20Scott%20Alexandria%20-%20Scott%20Alexander.epub?dl=0)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"On Intelligence\" and \"I am a Strange Loop\" - how mind works.",
          "reason": "Listed as a book about how the mind works in response to a favorite-books question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeff Hawkins and Sandra Blakeslee"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "neuroscience",
        "theory of intelligence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-numbers-and-games-820480",
      "title": "On Numbers and Games",
      "author": "John Horton Conway",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4966865,
          "author": "madamepsychosis",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T19:34:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4966865",
          "commentText": "\"Infinite Jest\" by David Foster Wallace, if you have 90 hours or so to kill\n\"On Numbers & Games\" is a fun maths book",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"On Numbers & Games\" is a fun maths book",
          "reason": "Calls it a fun mathematics book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Horton Conway"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "combinatorial game theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-numbers-and-games-954460",
      "title": "On Numbers and Games",
      "author": "John H. Conway",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237695,
          "author": "agentultra",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T15:11:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237695",
          "commentText": "The Hidden Keys by André Alexis\nThe Nightmare Stacks by Charles Stross\nThe Jungle Books by Rudyard Kipling\nThe Prince by Machiavelli\nWilliam S Borroughs: A Life by Barry Miles\nProgramming in the 1990s by Edward Cohen\nOn Numbers and Games (again) by John H. Conway",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "On Numbers and Games (again) by John H. Conway",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they read it again, without expressing an evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8717188,
          "author": "agentultra",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T16:18:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8717188",
          "commentText": "Permutation City by Greg Egan takes the cake this year in fiction. Although a very close second would be the Hardcover Penguin Classic's edition of Frankenstein by Mary Shelley mainly for it's deftly abridged version and preface which gave a new dimension to the story for me.\nNon-fiction would either be Mortality by the late Christopher Hitchens or \"On Numbers and Games\" by John H. Conway.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"On Numbers and Games\" by John H. Conway",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's non-fiction choices in response to the book question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John H. Conway"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "combinatorial game theory",
        "number theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-palestine-4e1e8b",
      "title": "On Palestine",
      "author": "Noam Chomsky and Ilan Pappé",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37960142,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:06:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960142",
          "commentText": "I ran this thread through GPT-4 to extract mentions and summarize them in markdown. Sharing if it's helpful for others too.\n* \"Manufacturing Consent\" by Chomsky and Herman (2 mentions)\n    * Summary: This book investigates and criticizes the media's role in promoting and sustaining powerful interests. Chomsky frames the media as a system that safeguards the power of the elite by shaping public opinion.\n* \"On Palestine\" by Chomsky (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers an insightful view of one of the most enduring and intractable conflicts of our time. Chomsky explores the historical origins, developments, and politics surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict.\n* \"Requiem for the American Dream\" by Noam Chomsky (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book discusses the concentration of wealth in the hands of the few and its effects on democracy in America. It highlights the decline of the middle class and the widening wealth gap.\n* \"The Design of Everyday Things\" by Don Norman (2 mentions)\n    * Summary: The book details the science behind our interaction with everyday items. It scrutinizes the design process and explores the relationship between users and the products they use, urging designers to think deeply about how their designs influence user behavior.\n* \"The Better Angels of Our Nature\" by Steven Pinker (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book challenges the belief that society is becoming increasingly violent, arguing instead that violence has declined over historical time periods. It explores the psychological and societal mechanisms that have led to this decrease.\n* \"Factfulness\" by Hans Rosling (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Factfulness emphasizes a more optimistic view of global human progress. It challenges the notion that the world is worse off today than it was in the past by providing facts and statistics that argue the contrary.\n* \"Phenomenology of Spirit\" by Hegel (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This is a central work of German philosophy in which Hegel explores the concept of 'spirit'. He examines the relationship between consciousness and its objects, eventually leading to a discussion about the nature of freedom and the unfolding of history.\n* \"The Righteous Mind\" by Jonathan Haidt (2 mentions)\n    * Summary: The book delves into the world of moral psychology and its impact on politics and religion. Haidt proposes that morality is not a product of rational thought but is driven by intuitive reactions, challenging conventional understandings of morality.\n* \"How To Build A Car\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: The book offers a captivating analysis of Formula 1 car design and the precision engineering involved in creating these high-performance vehicles. It provides insights into the processes followed by a renowned designer.\n* \"Factfulness\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: Factfulness emphasizes a more optimistic view of global human progress. It challenges notions that the world is getting worse by presenting an array of facts that argue the contrary.\n* \"Strunk and White The Elements of Style\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A guide to English language usage and writing style that covers topics such as conciseness, clarity, and simplicity of expression. It is considered a seminal work on English composition and is widely used in American English writing.\n* \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book explores the concept of how symbols, patterns and loops manifest in the fields of mathematics, art and music. It also discusses aspects of cognition and consciousness and how our minds perceive and understand the world.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"On Palestine\" by Chomsky (1 mention)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937102,
          "author": "reallymental",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:27:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937102",
          "commentText": "If you're not a person who tends to get sucked into a book, and has every waking thought resonate with what you've read, then read some Chomsky.\nYou may not agree with his views (it's so far to the left, that it makes your head spin) but rather read it for how he writes. His terse words are a window into his psyche.\nEverything is presented in a very \"matter-of-fact\" way. I've read most of his books and it's surprising how very little he thinks of his own opinions. For him, it's not a revelation that the world is corrupt and full of structures that incentivise the destruction of the middle class etc., it's just a matter of fact. \"That's how the world is and this is where I think it's going, good luck with changing that.\", that's what it feels like.\nI was pretty young when I started reading them, around 16. It temporarily changed me for the worse, the books are so pessimistic, that it tends to put that person I described above (getting sucked into books) into a depressive state.\nIf you want to start somewhere, try \"Manufacturing Consent\" (by Chomsky and Herman).\nIf you've already read that, then try \"On Palestine\" by Chomsky as well, I don't recall reading it but it does seem timely now.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "try \"On Palestine\" by Chomsky as well",
          "reason": "Suggested as another Chomsky book, described as timely by the commenter.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Chomsky's writing and political views.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they do not recall reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Noam Chomsky",
        "Ilan Pappé"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "politics",
        "israel palestine",
        "palestine"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-peace-of-mind-cbc103",
      "title": "On Peace of Mind",
      "author": "Seneca",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40307289,
          "author": "agent008t",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-09T12:01:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40307289",
          "commentText": "Look up other writings by Seneca, e.g. On Peace of Mind. They are great too!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Look up other writings by Seneca, e.g. On Peace of Mind. They are great too!",
          "reason": "Suggested as another Seneca work and called great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Seneca"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "stoicism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-sf-5efaa6",
      "title": "On SF",
      "author": "Thomas M. Disch",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1027146,
          "author": "rsaarelm",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T12:44:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027146",
          "commentText": "Fiction, mostly.\nDeclare, by Tim Powers. Cold war espionage with black magic. Entertainingly bleak, and probably did a lot more weirdness with real history than I knew how to appreciate.\nProducing Open Source Software (http://producingoss.com/), by Karl Fogel. A very thorough look into all sorts of practical matters in running a large open source software project.\nThe Engines of Light trilogy by Ken MacLeod. Entertaining, though a bit erratic. Makes a bunch of Forteana fit in a hard SF framework. Also the second MacLeod book I've read that has a weird pixie dust immortality treatment that seems incongruous with the rest of the technology level.\nMatter by Iain M. Banks. Culture again after Algebraist. Still good.\nThe Dark Side of the Sun by Terry Pratchett. Finally got around to reading this one. Was surprisingly fresh. It would have been interesting to see Pratchett write more science fiction after this and Strata around 30 years ago.\nThe City and the Stars by Arthur C. Clarke. Another old SF book. This one wasn't very fresh, seemed like two or three different novels stapled together, with bits and pieces that might work pretty well if it weren't for the other bits and pieces.\nCrooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis. Not a lot of surprises, if you know what Warren Ellis tends to write. Basically a road trip novel through various degeneracies in America. Fun, but tends to go for gross-out warrenellisisms in favor of overall coherence.\nNeuropath by Scott Bakker. A technothriller about all sorts of fun things you can do by directly rewiring peoples' brains with near-future neurosurgery. Bakker's chilly philosophical outlook doesn't pack quite the same punch in an already mostly rationalistic setting as it did in the Prince of Nothing fantasy books. Sticks with a single not particularly unsympathetic viewpoint character and therefore avoids the problem in Prince of Nothing where you'd often end up in the head of someone you really don't want to be anywhere near.\nThe Tao is Silent by Raymond Smullyan. Smullyan writes various essays inspired by Taoism. Quality varies, but Smullyan is generally fun to read.\nOn SF by Thomas Disch. Beautifully acerbic essays by someone who takes science fiction literature seriously and doesn't let it off easy. And just plain likes to insult people. Representative, though noticeably dated sample: http://www.press.umich.edu/pdf/9780472068968-1.pdf\nDenner's Wreck by Lawrence Watt-Evans. Watt-Evans has an specific style of writing from what follows from the setting and premises rather than going for the most dramatically obvious plot. The results are hit-and-miss with his fantasy novels I've read, but work a lot better here, where the legends of a bronze-age civilization end up emerging from a science fiction setting. Watt-Evans' narrative style supports the plot where the traditional stories end up not really being what they seem to be.\nThe Official Book of Ultima by Shay Addams. It tells how Richard Garriott's obsession with programming in high school lead to the Ultima game series, which were one of the most notable computer games in the 80s and became the flagship product of Garriott's Origin Systems company. Also documents how the games grew from Ultima I being programmed by Garriot alone learning as he went along into Ultima VI developed by a large team. There is much detail about Ultima VI, which was being developed as the book was written. Much of it also conflicts with the game that ended up being released, and I ended up wondering whether this was about the game changing during production or just Addams getting his facts wrong.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On SF by Thomas Disch. Beautifully acerbic essays by someone who takes science fiction literature seriously and doesn't let it off easy.",
          "reason": "Praises the essays as acerbic and says they take science fiction seriously.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in critical essays about science fiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the sample is noticeably dated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas M. Disch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "essays",
        "literary criticism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-stranger-tides-f588d7",
      "title": "On Stranger Tides",
      "author": "Tim Powers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13240800,
          "author": "cicero",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T22:06:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13240800",
          "commentText": "A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter Miller (recommended SF classic)\nThe Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis (an old favorite, recommended)\nThe Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco (some interesting parts, but overall a disappointment)\nTheology and Sanity - Frank Sheed (recommended; a very written description of the Catholic faith; weaknesses are it's long and it's aimed to a mid 20th c. audience)\nChristianity for Modern Pagans: Pascal's Pensees - Peter Kreeft (recommended; a good exposition of Blaise Pascal's thought)\nCatholicism: A journey to the heart of the faith - Robert Barron (recommended; a good explanation of Catholicism for the common person)\nHis Master's Voice - Stanislaw Lem (recommended; very intellectual look at the problem of first contact)\nThe Industries of the Future - Alec Ross (the robotics chapter is best; other parts are more light-weight; easy read)\nClouds of Witnesses - Dorothy Sayers (not my favorite Sayers mystery, but enjoyable)\nA Study in Scarlet - Arthur Conan Doyle (recommended)\nWhy Gender Matters - Leonard Sax (recommended; most of the book is based on good science, but he does go out on a limb a time or two.)\nOld School - Tobias Wolff (recommended; a world before widespread TV where high school boys actually got excited about literature)\nInfinite Space, Infinite God - Karina and Robert Fabian editors (story quality varies; I enjoyed some of them)\nThe Sign of Four - Arthur Conan Doyle (recommended)\nOn Stranger Tides - Tim Powers (recommended; I love Powers, but Anubis Gates and Last Call are better. Still, if you like pirates you should like this)\nThe Art of Worldly Wisdom - Baltasar Gracian (interesting)\nAquinas at Prayer: the Bible, Mysticism, and Poetry - Paul Murray (recommended; this shows a different side of Thomas Aquinas)\nAristotle for Everybody: Difficult Thought Made Easy - Mortimer Adler (recommended; I almost think this should be required reading)\nThe Pilgrim's Regress - C.S. Lewis (I enjoyed it, but the ideas Lewis argues against are somewhat dated.)\nEdit for formatting",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "On Stranger Tides - Tim Powers (recommended; I love Powers, but Anubis Gates and Last Call are better. Still, if you like pirates you should like this)",
          "reason": "Recommended for readers who like pirates, though the commenter prefers two other Powers books.",
          "audience": "Readers who like pirates.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Anubis Gates and Last Call are better.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tim Powers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fantasy",
        "pirates"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-tyranny-twenty-lessons-from-the-twentieth-century-06ba4f",
      "title": "On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century",
      "author": "Timothy D. Snyder",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45285833,
          "author": "chistev",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-18T05:35:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 45283087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45285833",
          "commentText": "On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy D. Snyder",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy D. Snyder",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Timothy D. Snyder"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "authoritarianism",
        "democracy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-western-terrorism-e92a09",
      "title": "On Western Terrorism",
      "author": "Noam Chomsky and André Vltchek",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11229814,
          "author": "rhizome31",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:56:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229814",
          "commentText": "On Western Terrorism by Chomsky and Vltchek. A lucid and refreshing take on global geopolitics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On Western Terrorism by Chomsky and Vltchek. A lucid and refreshing take on global geopolitics.",
          "reason": "Calls the book a lucid and refreshing take on global geopolitics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Noam Chomsky and André Vltchek"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "geopolitics",
        "political critique",
        "western foreign policy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-wings-of-eagles-3f88ee",
      "title": "On Wings of Eagles",
      "author": "Ken Follett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13249540,
          "author": "captn3m0",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T12:26:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249540",
          "commentText": "+1 on Ghost in the Wires. You could also try On wings of Eagles, a narrative of a rescue of EDS employees during the Iranian Revolution.\nWikipedia tells me that the genre is called Non-fiction novels.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You could also try On wings of Eagles, a narrative of a rescue of EDS employees during the Iranian Revolution.",
          "reason": "Suggested as another narrative nonfiction read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ken Follett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "iranian revolution",
        "rescue"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-writing-2a17cd",
      "title": "On Writing",
      "author": "Sol Stein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1965837,
          "author": "tsynfeng",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-03T14:16:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 1965039,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books for English writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1965837",
          "commentText": "\"On Writing\"\nAdded to my to-read list, thanks :)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"On Writing\"",
          "reason": "The commenter adds the recommended title to their to-read list and thanks the suggester; this does not express an evaluation of the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1965408,
          "author": "Shihan",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-03T11:03:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 1965039,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books for English writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1965408",
          "commentText": "General advice: read as much (english) literature as you can. As someone already pointed out, this will help you to improve but will of course take some time and is a process that has no end.\nPersonally I can recommmend also books like \"on writing\" (by Sol Stein) which gives you advices on general writing (fiction and non-fiction).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"on writing\" (by Sol Stein) which gives you advices on general writing",
          "reason": "Recommended for advice on fiction and nonfiction writing.",
          "audience": "Writers seeking general writing advice.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sol Stein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "writing craft"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-writing-well-00e678",
      "title": "On Writing Well",
      "author": "William K. Zinsser",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1965165,
          "author": "fierarul",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-03T08:14:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 1965039,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books for English writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1965165",
          "commentText": "Do you also have some another suggestion that might be on Kindle store? \"On Writing Well\" only seems to have a CD audio collection.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"On Writing Well\" only seems to have a CD audio collection.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Asks for another Kindle-available suggestion; does not endorse the mentioned title.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1965142,
          "author": "sikakkar",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-03T07:54:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 1965039,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books for English writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1965142",
          "commentText": "The best book I have ever read (and continue to re-read) on writing is \"On Writing Well\" by William K. Zinsser. Mostly the first half of the book - it's incredibly valuable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The best book I have ever read (and continue to re-read) on writing is \"On Writing Well\" by William K. Zinsser. Mostly the first half of the book - it's incredibly valuable.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best book on writing they have read and says it is incredibly valuable.",
          "audience": "People seeking to improve their writing.",
          "caveat": "The commenter especially values the first half.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William K. Zinsser"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "writing craft"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-a-clear-day-you-can-see-general-motors-79c16b",
      "title": "On a Clear Day You Can See General Motors",
      "author": "John Z. DeLorean",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 621450,
          "author": "dan_the_welder",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-22T01:40:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621450",
          "commentText": "The Car That Could: The Inside Story of GM's Revolutionary Electric Vehicle by Michael Shnayerson.\nIf that gives you a taste for how crazy General Motors is, follow up with On a Clear Day You Can See General Motors by John Z. Delorian. Less about tech, more about management anti patterns!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "follow up with On a Clear Day You Can See General Motors by John Z. Delorian.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a follow-up for readers interested in GM.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Less about technology and more about management antipatterns.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Z. DeLorean"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "general motors",
        "management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-the-damned-human-race-9bb328",
      "title": "On the Damned Human Race",
      "author": "Mark Twain",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22094219,
          "author": "dredmorbius",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T21:27:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22094219",
          "commentText": "In no particular order, and some of these being more \"highly underrated\" as opposed to \"unknown\", with the notable exception of Smith's Wealth of Nations which is disturbingly un- and mis-read:\n1. Grammatical Man, by Jeremy Campbell (1982)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-e... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-entropy-language-and-life/oclc/856698430)\nMy introduction to information theory and its diverse set of interrelated applications and phenomena.\n2. Ecology and the Politics of Scarcity, by William Ophuls (1977)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-s... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-scarcity-revisited-the-unraveling-of-the-american-dream/oclc/872523631)\nDistills the Limits to Growth issue to its essence, and looks at the political implications, with a set of estimates of political developments which have played out closely.\n3. An Inquiry to the Nature and Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith (1776)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/inquiry-into-the-nature-and-c... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/inquiry-into-the-nature-and-causes-of-the-wealth-of-nations/oclc/1083940513)\nThe best-known, but least-read, and most mis-read book on this list.  Smith isn't perfect and has flaws.  But his message is extraordinarily misunderstood and misrepresented.  Even where he is wrong, he is instructive.\n4. Commercialism and Journalism, by Hamilton Holt (1909)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/commercialism-and-journalism/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/commercialism-and-journalism/oclc/639344712)\nA short but extraordinarily illuminating read on the influence of money and advertising on the press, coming near the beginning of the era of mass media.\n5. Unix Power Tools, by Mike Loukides et al (1997)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/2584502... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/258450296)\nThe book that really got me \"over the hump\" in understanding the Unix environment and tools.  Now somewhat dated, though still highly useful.\n6. A Short History of Progress, by Ronald Wright (2004)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/short-history-of-progress/ocl... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/short-history-of-progress/oclc/1089834019)\nAn exploration of the story, question, and future, of progress.\n7. Entropy and the Economic Process, by Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen (1971)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/entropy-law-and-the-economic-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/entropy-law-and-the-economic-process/oclc/299362046)\nA re-thinking of economics taking thermodynamics into account.  Famously difficult to read, but well worth the effort.\n8. On the Damned Human Race, by Mark Twain (1962)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/mark-twain-on-the-damned-huma... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/mark-twain-on-the-damned-human-race/oclc/950982242)\nA darker, angrier, more bitter side of Twain, cracking open the sanitised version those familiar with Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn will know, and giving an insight to the darker side of late 19th and early 20th century America.\n9. Energy and Civilization, by Vaclav Smil (2017)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-and-civilization-a-his... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-and-civilization-a-history/oclc/1032365823)\nA re-casting of history, not according to spiritual or cultural progress, Great Men, or social dynamics, but the access to and utilisation of energy sources.\n10. Resistances to the Adoption of Technological Innovations, by Bernhard J. Stern (1937)\nhttps://archive.org/details/technologicaltre1937unitrich/pag... (https://archive.org/details/technologicaltre1937unitrich/page/39)\nA fascinating exploration of the organised opposition to numerous significant technological innovations through the ages, contrary to the conventional story told by mainstream economic and innovation models and stories.  Stern's research assistant at the time he was working on this topic went on to become known as a science fiction author, and based one of his first works on this notion:  Isaac Asimov.\nOn the question of compiling such lists:  I've recently started keeping a research journal in which I'm trying to capture works of significance that I've read, vaguely inspired by both index-card methods (such as Zettelkasten or POIC) and bullet journals.\nThe organisation is \"BOTI\" -- best of the interval.\nI will start a two-page spread, dated, of a specific class of entries -- works, videos, authors, ideas, etc. -- and when that closes, start another.  Periodically (about every month, for now) I'll select the best of those works for a BOTM list, and at the end of a year, a BOTY list.\nOr at least that's the idea.\nThis may address the question of keeping track of the most significant works (or authors, concepts, ideas, etc.) over time, which otherwise tend to become a bit of a jumble.\nThe BOTI list and periodic aggregations themselves resemble round-robin databases, or ring or circular buffers or files, though without actually rewriting each specific list.  The initial capture levels remain accessible (in the journal) for revisiting, should something prove to have been more significant on subsequent reflection than initially appeared.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On the Damned Human Race, by Mark Twain (1962)",
          "reason": "The commenter says it shows a darker side of Twain and late 19th- and early 20th-century America.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes its perspective as darker, angrier, and more bitter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Twain"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american culture",
        "essays"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-the-edge-578157",
      "title": "On the Edge",
      "author": "Nate Silver",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268834,
          "author": "sien",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:04:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268834",
          "commentText": "A few of the books that stand out that I've read this year.\nTroubled - Rob Henderson. About how Henderson was in state care and wound up at prestigious universities and his thoughts on the world.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/176444107-troubled\nNot the End of the World - Hannah Ritchie from 'Our World in Data' about the state of the planet.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145624737-not-the-end-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145624737-not-the-end-of-the-world)\nDictatorland - Paul Kenyon - About the dictators who have impoverished Africa.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36260719-dictatorland\nMagic Pill - Johann Hari - About Semaglutide and how people got fat.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/201319612-magic-pill\nOn the Edge - Nate Silver - About how seeing the world in terms of risk and expected value can work.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/204236707-on-the-edge\nOrbital - Samantha Harvey - Booker Prize winner about people on the ISS and the world.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123136728-orbital\nBuild, Baby, Build - Bryan Caplan on why YIMBYism is a good idea. This is a graphic novel. It's really fun.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/181564537-build-baby-bui... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/181564537-build-baby-build)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On the Edge - Nate Silver - About how seeing the world in terms of risk and expected value can work.",
          "reason": "Lists it among books that stood out this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nate Silver"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "decision theory",
        "risk"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-the-edge-the-art-of-risking-everything-7ab17f",
      "title": "On the Edge: The Art of Risking Everything",
      "author": "Nate Silver",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42219433,
          "author": "lovestory",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T05:56:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42219433",
          "commentText": "I only have time to listen to audiobooks so I hope this list is not too basic.\nOn the Edge: The Art of Risking Everything by Nate Silver\nThe End of Reality: How Four Billionaires Are Selling a Fantasy Future of the Metaverse, Mars, and Crypto by Jonathan Taplin\nThe Value of Others by Orion Taraban\nRinsed: From Cartels to Crypto: How the Tech Industry Washes Money for the World's Deadliest Crooks by Geoff White\nWhy We Die: The New Science of Aging and the Quest for Immortality by Venki Ramakrishnan\nExtremely Hardcore: Inside Elon Musk's Twitter by Zoe Schiffer\nBottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Katherine Eban\nAI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference by Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor\nHijacking Bitcoin: The Hidden History of BTC by Roger Ver\nGo Woke, Go Broke: The Inside Story of the Radicalization of Corporate America by Charles Gasparino\nThe Catalyst: RNA and the Quest to Unlock Life's Deepest Secrets by Thomas R Cech\nand my book of the year\nGood Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health by Casey Means M D",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On the Edge: The Art of Risking Everything by Nate Silver",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nate Silver"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "decision making",
        "risk"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-the-essence-of-chassidus-2c9376",
      "title": "On the Essence of Chassidus",
      "author": "Menachem Mendel Schneersohn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25531528,
          "author": "haivri",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T21:19:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25531528",
          "commentText": "The Torah and it's related works, most notably:\nThe Guide for the Perplexed by Maimonides\nOn the Essence of Chassidus by Menachem Mendel Schneersohn",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On the Essence of Chassidus by Menachem Mendel Schneersohn",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Menachem Mendel Schneersohn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hasidic philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-the-fourfold-root-of-the-principle-of-sufficient-reason-161095",
      "title": "On the Fourfold Root of the Principle of Sufficient Reason",
      "author": "Arthur Schopenhauer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503488,
          "author": "michael_dorfman",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T11:16:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503488",
          "commentText": "I think the quality of advice you're getting on this thread is very mixed.\nSome of the books mentioned are absolutely great-- like \"Being and Time\", or Husserl's \"Logical Investigations\"-- but incredibly difficult to read unprepared.  If you were ready to be reading them, you wouldn't be asking the question here.\nThe two books you mention in the question (Common Sense and \"On the Fourfold Root\") are both quite readable, as are a few of the primary texts mentioned in the responses (\"Existentialism is a Humanism\", \"Thus Spoke Zarathustra\") but in general, I'd have to suggest you stay away from primary texts at first.\nIn other words, begin by reading works about philosophy, rather than works of philosophy.\nA single-volume work on the history of philosophy will give you the broad scope (for example, Durant, or Russell, or \"Sophie's World\" if you prefer fiction), but will tend to turn the philosophers discussed into caricatures of themselves.\nYou mention that you are in school; I'd suggest you take a philosophy course or two, if you are interested in the field.  Having an experienced guide will definitely help.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"On the Fourfold Root\") are both quite readable",
          "reason": "Says the book is quite readable.",
          "audience": "Readers beginning to explore philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur Schopenhauer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "metaphysics",
        "sufficient reason"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-the-genealogy-of-morals-e43b1e",
      "title": "On the Genealogy of Morals",
      "author": "Friedrich Nietzsche",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 143380,
          "author": "_5y6p",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T16:32:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143380",
          "commentText": "Without a doubt, Heidegger's explanation of readiness-to-hand in Being and Time has done more for my usability and process inefficiency evaluating skills than even Don Norman's Design of Everyday Things or any HCI book I've ever read.  While Norman's book comes in a strong second, the benefit of the first few chapters of Being and Time is the incredibly low-level cognitive access it gives you to the work your brain does when engaged in a task.  (If you're interested and don't mind slogging through some tough writing, pick up the hardcover version and Dreyfus' Being-in-the-World and read them together.  Reading a Wikipedia article or some other summary fails to deliver the same degree of low-level access.)\nI'll also mention Ayn Rand as someone who wrote inspiringly about the entrepreneur as a (potentially) heroic figure, but hasten to add that her sociology of looters and movers is way too simplistic to ground some of her views on ethics.\nJohn Stuart Mill's \"Utilitarianism\" was my first assigned reading in a political philosophy class, and remains my favorite.\nNietzsche's On the Genealogy of Morals prompted me to question whether the values I had always held were really all that valuable.\nEleanor Rosch's work on basic categories and prototype theory (without which Lakoff's Women, Fire, and Dangerous Things--not to mention Weinberger's Everything is Miscellaneous--would likely not have been written) is fantastic, debunking empirically the Aristotelian theory of categories as being defined by necessary and sufficient conditions (they can be, where we intentionally define them to be from a top-down point of view, as in geometry, but bottom-up the construction of categories is much looser and based on family resemblances with one or several prototypes serving as the central point of comparison: hence, when I say \"bird\" you're more likely to think of a bluebird-type bird than a penguin or an ostrich).  Knowing this does a lot to help loosen up your understanding of things, which can become rigidified by traditional mathematical, scientific, and analytic philosophical education.\nSeveral others worth mentioning, but I've got to get back to work!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nietzsche's On the Genealogy of Morals prompted me to question whether the values I had always held were really all that valuable.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book prompted them to question their values.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in examining moral values.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Friedrich Nietzsche"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ethics",
        "genealogy of morals"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-the-iliad-310b9f",
      "title": "On the Iliad",
      "author": "Rachel Bespaloff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41241541,
          "author": "cafard",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-14T01:02:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41241541",
          "commentText": "NYRB had the wonderful idea of taking the first and last few chapters of Henry Adams's history of the US 1801-1817, and printing them in a form you can slide into a windbreaker's pocket. Look for The Jeffersonian Transformation. For that matter NYRB's War and the Iliad is excellent brief reading, though I say less for Simone Weil's famous essay that for Rachel Bespaloff's \"On the Iliad\" and Herman Broch's \"The Style of the Mythical Age\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rachel Bespaloff's \"On the Iliad\"",
          "reason": "The commenter favors this essay over Simone Weil's famous essay in the same volume.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rachel Bespaloff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "homer",
        "war"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-the-improvement-of-the-understanding-ced398",
      "title": "On the Improvement of the Understanding",
      "author": "Baruch Spinoza",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19090108,
          "author": "nathias",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T21:39:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090108",
          "commentText": "Plato - Meno, Symposium, Parmenides, Gorgias, Protagoras\nPlotinus -Enneads\nMarkus Aurelius - Meditations\nDescartes - On method\nDescartes - Meditations\nSpinoza - On the improvement of Understanding\nLeibniz - Monadology\nLeibniz - Grace\nVoltaire - Candid\nDiderot - D'Alembert's Dream\nKant - How to orient oneself in thinking\nKant - Critique of Pure Reason\nKant - Critique of Judgment\nHegel - Phenomenology of Spirit\nHegel - Logic\nvon Kleist - Marionette Theatre\nKierkegaard - The Sickness Unto Death\nHeidegger - Being and Time\nSartre - Being and Nothingness\nSartre - Flies\nSartre - Nausea\nDeleuze - Difference and Repetition\nKafka - Metamorphosis\nKafka - The Castle\nLem - Magellan Nebula\nLem - His Master's Voice\nCioran - A Short History of Decay\nPessoa - Book Of Despair\nWolfe -  New Sun tetralogy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Spinoza - On the improvement of Understanding",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Baruch Spinoza"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "rationalism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-the-marionette-theatre-f963d2",
      "title": "On the Marionette Theatre",
      "author": "Heinrich von Kleist",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19090108,
          "author": "nathias",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T21:39:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090108",
          "commentText": "Plato - Meno, Symposium, Parmenides, Gorgias, Protagoras\nPlotinus -Enneads\nMarkus Aurelius - Meditations\nDescartes - On method\nDescartes - Meditations\nSpinoza - On the improvement of Understanding\nLeibniz - Monadology\nLeibniz - Grace\nVoltaire - Candid\nDiderot - D'Alembert's Dream\nKant - How to orient oneself in thinking\nKant - Critique of Pure Reason\nKant - Critique of Judgment\nHegel - Phenomenology of Spirit\nHegel - Logic\nvon Kleist - Marionette Theatre\nKierkegaard - The Sickness Unto Death\nHeidegger - Being and Time\nSartre - Being and Nothingness\nSartre - Flies\nSartre - Nausea\nDeleuze - Difference and Repetition\nKafka - Metamorphosis\nKafka - The Castle\nLem - Magellan Nebula\nLem - His Master's Voice\nCioran - A Short History of Decay\nPessoa - Book Of Despair\nWolfe -  New Sun tetralogy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "von Kleist - Marionette Theatre",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Heinrich von Kleist"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aesthetics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-the-plurality-of-worlds-743506",
      "title": "On the Plurality of Worlds",
      "author": "David Lewis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503278,
          "author": "Bishizel",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T07:28:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503278",
          "commentText": "Asking for \"Best Philosophical Books\" is pretty much like asking for an opinion, everyone will have a very different view.  That being said, here's my view!\nJohn Stuart Mill - \"Utilitarianism\" (Kant be damned.)\nThomas Nagel - \"Moral Luck\"\nDavid Lewis - \"On the Plurality of Worlds\"\nPlato - \"The Republic\"\nAristotle - \"The Metaphysics\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "David Lewis - \"On the Plurality of Worlds\"",
          "reason": "Offered as part of the commenter's own view of the best philosophical books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Lewis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "metaphysics",
        "modal realism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-the-razor-s-edge-993d3a",
      "title": "On the Razor's Edge",
      "author": "Michael Flynn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6900556,
          "author": "jrjarrett",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T14:19:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6900556",
          "commentText": "1. The Ocean at the End Of The Lane - Neil Gaiman\n2. Ancillary Justice - Ann Leckie\n3. The January Dancer/Up Jim River/In The Lion's Mouth/On The Razor's Edge - Michael Flynn\n4. Ghost Spin - Chris Moriarity",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On The Razor's Edge - Michael Flynn",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list answering which books were best.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Flynn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-the-several-senses-of-being-in-aristotle-9d7f75",
      "title": "On the Several Senses of Being in Aristotle",
      "author": "Franz Brentano",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2152798,
          "author": "Tim1776",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-28T18:04:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2152798",
          "commentText": "Books that sharpened my thinking: \"An Introduction to Logic\" by H.W.B. Joseph, everything written by Ayn Rand, \"On the Several Senses of Being in Aristotle\" by Franz Brentano, and the works of Aristotle.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"On the Several Senses of Being in Aristotle\" by Franz Brentano",
          "reason": "Lists it among works that sharpened their thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Franz Brentano"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aristotle",
        "metaphysics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "on-the-wealth-of-nations-bd5f0f",
      "title": "On the Wealth of Nations",
      "author": "P. J. O'Rourke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1465313,
          "author": "billswift",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T10:25:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1465313",
          "commentText": "P J O'Rourke On the Wealth of Nations does an entertaining and fairly accurate job of \"condensing\" it. ISBN 0-8021-4342-3",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "P J O'Rourke On the Wealth of Nations does an entertaining and fairly accurate job of \"condensing\" it.",
          "reason": "Praised as an entertaining, fairly accurate condensation of Smith's work.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a condensed version of The Wealth of Nations.",
          "caveat": "It is a condensation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "P. J. O'Rourke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "abridged commentary",
        "economic classics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "once-a-runner-91a776",
      "title": "Once a Runner",
      "author": "John L. Parker Jr.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6978168,
          "author": "hanley",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-29T03:30:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6978168",
          "commentText": "For more running related books you should check out \"Once a Runner\" by John L. Parker Jr. [1], and \"Eat and Run\" by Scott Jurek [2].\n[1] http://www.amazon.com/dp/1441800905\n[2] http://www.amazon.com/dp/0544002318",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you should check out \"Once a Runner\" by John L. Parker Jr.",
          "reason": "Suggested for readers interested in running-related books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John L. Parker Jr."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "running"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "one-click-jeff-bezos-and-the-rise-of-amazon-com-ccdbf7",
      "title": "One Click: Jeff Bezos and the Rise of Amazon.com",
      "author": "Richard Brandt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6898913,
          "author": "contextual",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T03:26:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6898913",
          "commentText": "A book I actually finished? I'd say One Click: Jeff Bezos and the Rise of Amazon.com by Richard Brandt. It's not the whole story though. Bezos is portrayed in a favorable light throughout.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "One Click: Jeff Bezos and the Rise of Amazon.com by Richard Brandt. It's not the whole story though. Bezos is portrayed in a favorable light throughout.",
          "reason": "Names it as the book they finished and flags its favorable portrayal of Bezos as a limitation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The story is incomplete, and Bezos is portrayed favorably throughout.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Brandt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "amazon",
        "jeff bezos"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "one-giant-leap-the-impossible-mission-that-flew-us-to-the-moon-48abd4",
      "title": "One Giant Leap: The Impossible Mission That Flew Us to the Moon",
      "author": "Charles Fishman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39249036,
          "author": "hubraumhugo",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T10:21:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249036",
          "commentText": "- Firepower: How Weapons Shaped Warfare\nExcellent history of firearms and war tactics from around 1300 to the present day\n- One Giant Leap: The Impossible Mission That Flew Us to the Moon\nHow can 400k people collaborate to achieve something so big? Fascinating read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One Giant Leap: The Impossible Mission That Flew Us to the Moon",
          "reason": "Described as a fascinating account of how 400,000 people collaborated to achieve the Moon mission.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Fishman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "apollo program",
        "large scale collaboration",
        "moon landing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "one-jump-ahead-computer-perfection-at-checkers-8c284b",
      "title": "One Jump Ahead: Computer Perfection at Checkers",
      "author": "Jonathan Schaeffer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8401529,
          "author": "jonbaer",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:34:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401529",
          "commentText": "One Jump Ahead: Computer Perfection at Checkers - Jonathan Schaeffer\nThe Number Mysteries - Marcus Du Sautoy",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "One Jump Ahead: Computer Perfection at Checkers - Jonathan Schaeffer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 621409,
          "author": "plinkplonk",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-22T01:14:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621409",
          "commentText": "\"One Jump Ahead: Computer Perfection at Checkers\" - How Dr. Schaeffer's team came up with Chinook, the program that became world champion at checkers. Later the team went on to solve checkers (like tic tac toe is a \"solved\" game).\nSome of the book is about researching new algorithms etc, but a large chunk is about programming, debugging etc. Very enjoyable read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Very enjoyable read.",
          "reason": "Calls it a very enjoyable read and describes its account of Chinook's development.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Schaeffer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "checkers",
        "ai history",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "game programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "one-man-s-wilderness-23d54b",
      "title": "One Man's Wilderness",
      "author": "Sam Keith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25846874,
          "author": "giantg2",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T14:36:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25846874",
          "commentText": "I don't read much fiction either. I did read more when I was younger.\nI enjoyed many of the Halo books (there are a couple duds in there too), which lead me to other books authored by Eric Nylund. I like his writing style, even though he has more fantasy elements to his stories than I would typically like but it somehow works. A Game of Universe and Mortal Coils are some that I have read.\nI also read some of the Splinter Cell books. They were ok from what I remember, but probably only good if you liked the games. Tom Clancy has some good books (the Splinter Cell game books are ghost written). I remember Rainbow Six was a good one.\nYou could also try non-fiction adventure books. Since they are set in areas you are not familiar with, your brain still has to build the environment and imagery. Something like One Man's Wilderness. I enjoyed that book. I used to read and listen to books like Hatchet and this was along the same lines but non-fiction. I'd also say to be careful about these. For me, it makes me want to quit and live on a farm.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Something like One Man's Wilderness. I enjoyed that book.",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed the book.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in nonfiction adventure.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sam Keith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alaska",
        "wilderness memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "one-man-s-wilderness-an-alaskan-odyssey-1a6f34",
      "title": "One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey",
      "author": "Sam Keith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42653648,
          "author": "purple-leafy",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T08:05:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42653648",
          "commentText": "https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/124718.One_Man_s_Wildern... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/124718.One_Man_s_Wilderness)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/124718.One_Man_s_Wildern...",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sam Keith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alaska",
        "wilderness living"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "one-million-followers-e332ef",
      "title": "One Million Followers",
      "author": "Brendan Kane",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25209272,
          "author": "mindhash",
          "createdAt": "2020-11-25T14:01:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 25207732,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Suggest good books on bootstrapping a startup",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25209272",
          "commentText": "I was in similar state a few of years back. Read these, and used them to a good extent.\nLean analytics. (must read)\nProduct-Led growth. (must read)\n22 Laws of marketing (must)\nOne million followers\nIf you like scientific approach:\nInfluence by Robert Cialdini\nContagious (Jonah Berger)\nThis resource is also gold: https://brianbalfour.com/essays/customer-acquisition\nI am also documenting my learnings in a book [1].\n[1] https://book.amols.blog/59decisions",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One million followers",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of books read and used.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brendan Kane"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "audience growth",
        "social media marketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "one-piece-eb9eb5",
      "title": "One Piece",
      "author": "Eiichiro Oda",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3395583,
          "author": "teja1990",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T12:32:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395583",
          "commentText": "Mine are :\nAtlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, I just love this book!\nGreatest Trade Ever by Gregory Zuckerman.\nAnd I read manga , so include One Piece as well :D",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "And I read manga , so include One Piece as well :D",
          "reason": "Includes it among their favorite books in the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Manga series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eiichiro Oda"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure",
        "manga"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "one-summer-america-1927-0696c4",
      "title": "One Summer: America, 1927",
      "author": "Bill Bryson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21797508,
          "author": "randcraw",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-15T17:37:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21797508",
          "commentText": "All of these are by Bill Bryson but none are about travel:\nShakespeare: the World as Stage\nOne Summer: America, 1927\nThe Mother Tongue: English and How it Got that Way\nMade in America: an Informal History of the English Language in the US\nAt Home: A Short History of Private Life",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One Summer: America, 1927",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238537,
          "author": "kirubakaran",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:59:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238537",
          "commentText": "Here is my full bookshelf: http://www.kirubakaran.com/books-read.html\nBooks Read in 2016:\n1. The Recursive Universe: Cosmic Complexity and the Limits of Scientific Knowledge\n- Poundstone, William\n2. My Brain is Open: The Mathematical Journeys of Paul Erdos\n- Schechter, Bruce\n3. One Summer: America, 1927\n- Bryson, Bill\n4. The Three-Body Problem (Remembrance of Earth’s Past, #1)\n- Liu, Cixin\n5. The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit\n- Godin, Seth\n6. At Home: A Short History of Private Life\n- Bryson, Bill\n7. Kings of Kings (Hardcore History, #56-58)\n- Carlin, Dan\n8. Blueprint for Armageddon (Hardcore History #50-55)\n- Carlin, Dan\n9. Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal\n- Klaff, Oren\n10. William Shakespeare: The World as Stage\n- Bryson, Bill\n11. So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love\n- Newport, Cal\n12. The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles\n- Pressfield, Steven\n13. In a Sunburned Country\n- Bryson, Bill\n14. Cannery Row\n- Steinbeck, John\n15. Traction: A Startup Guide to Getting Customers\n- Weinberg, Gabriel\n16. Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World\n- Newport, Cal\n17. Starship Troopers\n- Heinlein, Robert A.\n18. No Touch Monkey!: And Other Travel Lessons Learned Too Late\n- Halliday, Ayun",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "One Summer: America, 1927",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Bryson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "1920s",
        "united states history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "one-thousand-and-one-nights-e5c2d6",
      "title": "One Thousand and One Nights",
      "author": "Unknown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9350753,
          "author": "nutmeg",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T20:23:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350753",
          "commentText": "- Mort, Terry Pratchett\nThe first Pratchett book I've read, and I can't believe I've waited so long to read his work. Humorous in a Douglas Adams sort of way.\n- Arabian Nights, Haddawy translation\nThis is a great read. The translation is modern and clear, and the stories are exciting. I can understand why these stories have been around for centuries.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is a great read. The translation is modern and clear, and the stories are exciting.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great read and praises the translation and stories.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Specifies the Haddawy translation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "frame narrative",
        "middle eastern literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "one-yellow-eye-e9ee47",
      "title": "One Yellow Eye",
      "author": "Leigh Radford",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45950124,
          "author": "qkeast",
          "createdAt": "2025-11-17T01:35:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 45947737,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45950124",
          "commentText": "- One Yellow Eye by Leigh Radford\n- Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera\nI keep a reading list at quinnkeast.com/reading. Would love to see others’ if any has one to share!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One Yellow Eye by Leigh Radford",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s standout books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leigh Radford"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "one-from-many-visa-and-the-rise-of-chaordic-organization-7f30f3",
      "title": "One from Many: VISA and the Rise of Chaordic Organization",
      "author": "Dee Hock",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 657989,
          "author": "dantheman",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-15T05:24:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 657892,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite management books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=657989",
          "commentText": "I'll throw this one out there, it's a little less well known, but I found it fascinating. \"One From From Many,  VISA and the Rise of Chaordic Organization\" by Dee Hock.  I can't recommend it more highly.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/One-Many-VISA-Chaordic-Organization/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/One-Many-VISA-Chaordic-Organization/dp/1576753328/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245043220&sr=8-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can't recommend it more highly.",
          "reason": "Calls it fascinating and says they cannot recommend it more highly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a little less well known.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dee Hock"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "organizational design",
        "visa"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "one-of-us-1a6ba4",
      "title": "One of Us",
      "author": "Michael Marshall Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17382220,
          "author": "oldcynic",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T17:16:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17382220",
          "commentText": "Is Michael Marshall Smith well known in the US?\nIntruders was made into a BBC America series, but his earlier works are much more interesting.\nOnly Forward, One of Us, What You Make It, or Spares from the nineties are all well written, and all beat any of the suspense he's written as Michael Marshall. He simply seems much better writing near future dystopian sci-fi.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Only Forward, One of Us, What You Make It, or Spares from the nineties are all well written",
          "reason": "Grouped among the author's better written earlier works; the commenter prefers his near-future dystopian science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Marshall Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "british science fiction",
        "near future dystopia"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "one-two-three-infinity-312b32",
      "title": "One, Two, Three... Infinity",
      "author": "George Gamow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 760095,
          "author": "MaysonL",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-13T05:45:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=760095",
          "commentText": "The World of Mathematics edited by James Newman (a four-volume anthology) may give you a feel for and an interest in exploring math further. It's a great collection ranging from mathematical curiousities and puzzles to memoirs of mathematicians to a very moving short story by Aldous Huxley.\nAlso, One, Two, Three, Infinity by George Gamow (a great physicist) is a great intro.\nSecond the How To Solve It recommendations.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also, One, Two, Three, Infinity by George Gamow (a great physicist) is a great intro.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great introduction in response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers beginning to explore mathematics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Gamow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "popular mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "one-two-three-absolutely-elementary-mathematics-dd5254",
      "title": "One, Two, Three: Absolutely Elementary Mathematics",
      "author": "David Berlinski",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17912273,
          "author": "mpax",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T19:57:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17912273",
          "commentText": "One, Two, Three: Absolutely Elementary Mathematics by David Berlinski\nOften gets low ratings because people mistake it for an educational book. It’s a mix of history, biographies and verbal exposition on the development of mathematical theorems, with a good poetic slant.\nReminds me I really need to look into his other books, his writing is scarily good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One, Two, Three: Absolutely Elementary Mathematics by David Berlinski",
          "reason": "Describes its blend of mathematical history and biographies, and praises its poetic exposition.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is often mistaken for an educational book and gets low ratings.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Berlinski"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biography of mathematicians",
        "mathematical history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "one-dimensional-man-studies-in-the-ideology-of-advanced-industria-cd53d9",
      "title": "One-Dimensional Man: Studies in the Ideology of Advanced Industrial Society",
      "author": "Herbert Marcuse",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16352164,
          "author": "DyslexicAtheist",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T10:58:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16352164",
          "commentText": "- Nassim N. Taleb: Black Swan and Antifragile[0]\n  - Robert Cialdini: Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion[1]\n  - Franklin Foer: World Without Mind: The Existential Threat of Big Tech[2]\n  - Herbert Marcuse: One-Dimensional Man: Studies in the Ideology of Advanced Industrial Society[3]\n\n[0] https://www.amazon.com/Black-Swan-Improbable-Robustness-Frag... (https://www.amazon.com/Black-Swan-Improbable-Robustness-Fragility/dp/081297381X)\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Rober... (https://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Robert-Cialdini/dp/006124189X)\n[2] https://www.amazon.com/World-Without-Mind-Existential-Threat... (https://www.amazon.com/World-Without-Mind-Existential-Threat/dp/1101981113)\n[3] https://www.amazon.com/One-Dimensional-Man-Ideology-Industri... (https://www.amazon.com/One-Dimensional-Man-Ideology-Industrial-Routledge/dp/0415289777)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Herbert Marcuse: One-Dimensional Man: Studies in the Ideology of Advanced Industrial Society",
          "reason": "Listed among books for colleagues to read.",
          "audience": "Colleagues in the thread's book recommendations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Herbert Marcuse"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consumer society",
        "critical theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "one-variable-calculus-with-an-introduction-to-linear-algebra-dabdb9",
      "title": "One-Variable Calculus with an Introduction to Linear Algebra",
      "author": "Tom M. Apostol",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7578265,
          "author": "adem",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T16:25:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578265",
          "commentText": "My recommendation is \"One-Variable-Calculus with and introduction to Linear Algebra\" by Tom M. Apostol, followed by \"Mathematical Analysis\". Both books form a great combination!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My recommendation is \"One-Variable-Calculus with and introduction to Linear Algebra\" by Tom M. Apostol",
          "reason": "Recommended as part of a two-book combination.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom M. Apostol"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "calculus",
        "linear algebra"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "only-forward-21ce57",
      "title": "Only Forward",
      "author": "Michael Marshall Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17382220,
          "author": "oldcynic",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T17:16:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17382220",
          "commentText": "Is Michael Marshall Smith well known in the US?\nIntruders was made into a BBC America series, but his earlier works are much more interesting.\nOnly Forward, One of Us, What You Make It, or Spares from the nineties are all well written, and all beat any of the suspense he's written as Michael Marshall. He simply seems much better writing near future dystopian sci-fi.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Only Forward, One of Us, What You Make It, or Spares from the nineties are all well written",
          "reason": "Grouped among the author's better written earlier works; the commenter prefers his near-future dystopian science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Marshall Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "british science fiction",
        "near future dystopia"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "only-the-paranoid-survive-how-to-exploit-the-crisis-points-that-c-100933",
      "title": "Only the Paranoid Survive: How to Exploit the Crisis Points That Challenge Every Company",
      "author": "Andrew S. Grove",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35174683,
          "author": "wslh",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T21:03:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35174683",
          "commentText": "I start with five:\n1. \"Only the Paranoid Survive: How to Exploit the Crisis Points That Challenge Every Company\" by Andrew Grove. It is a real CEO experiencing critical moments in a top company.\n2. \"How Life Imitates Chess\" by Garry Kasparov (don't pay attention to the title...). Kasparov talks about different players with different styles and in different moments.\n3. \"New Directions in the Philosophy of Mathematics\" edited by Thomas Tymoczko. Embed epistemological questions that at a higher level could be applied to business. In a way (2) is epistemological regarding chess and it ends when Deep Blue beats Kasparov and Kasparov start thinking in a new kind of chess called advanced chess (even if it was not successful).\n4. Fred Wilson's blog, including MBA Mondays. Answers many questions from the perspective of a VC who can watch multiple companies execution at the same time and tell many humble stories.\n5. \"Idea Man: A Memoir by the Cofounder of Microsoft\" by Paul Allen. It shows you the deep story before Microsoft, seems like a unique technological and advanced experience at that time by Bill Gates and Paul Allen. Spoiler: the lucky IBM/DOS event is not why Microsoft is successful, the book gives you some deep roots before the company foundation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Only the Paranoid Survive: How to Exploit the Crisis Points That Challenge Every Company\" by Andrew Grove. It is a real CEO experiencing critical moments in a top company.",
          "reason": "Recommends Grove's account of a CEO facing critical moments at a major company.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew S. Grove"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "strategic inflection points"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ontogeny-and-phylogeny-705293",
      "title": "Ontogeny and Phylogeny",
      "author": "Stephen Jay Gould",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10027601,
          "author": "jhedwards",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T15:55:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027601",
          "commentText": "1) Biology and Knowledge by Jean Piaget\n2) Ontogeny and Phylogeny by S.J. Gould\n3) The Logic of Life by Francois Jacob\nThese books have very little fluff and will challenge you to think in new ways about evolution, biology, and the development of human knowledge.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ontogeny and Phylogeny by S.J. Gould",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for high signal to noise books; says the books have little fluff and challenge readers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Jay Gould"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "developmental biology",
        "evolution"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "open-circuits-6710ce",
      "title": "Open Circuits",
      "author": "Windell H. Oskay and Eric Schlaepfer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36602055,
          "author": "csours",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:44:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36602055",
          "commentText": "Not exactly \"History\" of technology, but there are sometimes various generations of components. Also the book is just amazing\nhttps://nostarch.com/open-circuits",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Not exactly \"History\" of technology, but there are sometimes various generations of components. Also the book is just amazing",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the book amazing and notes it shows generations of components.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not exactly a history of technology.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Windell H. Oskay",
        "Eric Schlaepfer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "electronic components"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "open-source-software-licensing-7dc43c",
      "title": "Open Source Software Licensing",
      "author": "Lawrence Rosen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19896264,
          "author": "apo",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T03:33:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19896264",
          "commentText": "Design Patterns by Gamma et al. would be an example from software architecture. It catalogs a couple of dozen patterns that recur in projects regardless of their specific domains.\nOpen Source Software Licensing by Rosen is another. It identifies two broad categories of open source licenses and shows how various licenses fit into each.\nThese two books gave me a framework for thinking about large areas that had until I read them been quite confusing. They turn a chaotic jumble of special cases into a simple framework for forming hypotheses and making predictions.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Open Source Software Licensing by Rosen is another.",
          "reason": "Maps open source licenses into two broad categories to clarify how they fit together.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a framework for understanding open source licenses.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lawrence Rosen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "open source",
        "software licensing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "open-sources-voices-from-the-open-source-revolution-029103",
      "title": "Open Sources: Voices from the Open Source Revolution",
      "author": "Chris DiBona, Sam Ockman, and Mark Stone, editors",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13413723,
          "author": "vram22",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T22:48:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13413723",
          "commentText": ">The Cathedral and the Bazaar by Eric S. Raymond\nHad reddit :)\nThat reminds me about the book:\nOpen Sources: Voices from the Open Source Revolution:\nhttp://www.oreilly.com/openbook/opensources/book/\nIt is free to read at the above link. I had read many of the chapters some years ago. Pretty interesting stuff.\nIt consists of multiple chapters, each written by different well-known people associated with prominent projects from the open source movement, at a time when it was relatively new (1999).\nThe paragraphs that I remember the most from it are from this chapter:\nFuture of Cygnus Solutions\nAn Entrepreneur's Account\nMichael Tiemann\n(Cygnus Solutions was a company which initially ported and improved GCC and its toolchain to multiple Unix platforms, and made a business out of it, before open source was a gleam in many people's eyes. They did well and were acquired by Red Hat some years later.)\nHere are the paragraphs:\n[\nAgain, a quote from the GNU Manifesto:\nThere is nothing wrong with wanting pay for work, or seeking to maximize one's income, as long as one does not use means that are destructive. But the means customary in the field of software today are based on destruction.\nExtracting money from users of a program by restricting their use of it is destructive because the restrictions reduce the amount and the ways that the program can be used. This reduces the amount of wealth that humanity derives from the program. When there is a deliberate choice to restrict, the harmful consequences are deliberate destruction.\nThe reason a good citizen does not use such destructive means to become wealthier is that, if everyone did so, we would all become poorer from the mutual destructiveness.\nHeavy stuff, but the GNU Manifesto is ultimately a rational document. It dissects the nature of software, the nature of programming, the great tradition of academic learning, and concludes that regardless of the monetary consequences, there are ethical and moral imperatives to freely share information that was freely shared with you. I reached a different conclusion, one which Stallman and I have often argued, which was that the freedom to use, distribute, and modify software will prevail against any model that attempts to limit that freedom. It will prevail not for ethical reasons, but for competitive, market-driven reasons.\nAt first I tried to make my argument the way that Stallman made his: on the merits. I would explain how freedom to share would lead to greater innovation at lower cost, greater economies of scale through more open standards, etc., and people would universally respond \"It's a great idea, but it will never work, because nobody is going to pay money for free software.\" After two years of polishing my rhetoric, refining my arguments, and delivering my messages to people who paid for me to fly all over the world, I never got farther than \"It's a great idea, but . . .,\" when I had my second insight: if everybody thinks it's a great idea, it probably is, and if nobody thinks it will work, I'll have no competition!\n-F = -ma\nIsaac Newton\nYou'll never see a physics textbook introduce Newton's law in this way, but mathematically speaking, it is just as valid as \"F = ma\". The point of this observation is that if you are careful about what assumptions you turn upside down, you can maintain the validity of your equations, though your result may look surprising. I believed that the model of providing commercial support for open-source software was something that looked impossible because people were so excited about the minus signs that they forgot to count and cancel them.\nAn invasion of armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come.\nVictor Hugo\nThere was one final (and deeply hypothetical) question I had to answer before I was ready to drop out of the Ph.D. program at Stanford and start a company. Suppose that instead of being nearly broke, I had enough money to buy out any proprietary technology for the purposes of creating a business around that technology. I thought about Sun's technology. I thought about Digital's technology. I thought about other technology that I knew about. How long did I think I could make that business successful before somebody else who built their business around GNU would wipe me out? Would I even be able to recover my initial investment? When I realized how unattractive the position to compete with open-source software was, I knew it was an idea whose time had come.\nThe difference between theory and practice tends to be very small in theory, but in practice it is very large indeed. \nAnonymous\nIn this section, I will detail the theory behind the Open Source business model, and ways in which we attempted to make this theory practical.\nWe begin with a few famous observations: ]\nAnd here is the full chapter by Tiemann:\nhttp://www.oreilly.com/openbook/opensources/book/tiemans.htm... (http://www.oreilly.com/openbook/opensources/book/tiemans.html)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Pretty interesting stuff.",
          "reason": "Says the book's chapters on the early open source movement were interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter had read many chapters, not necessarily the whole book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris DiBona, Sam Ockman, and Mark Stone, editors"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "open source",
        "software history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "open-veins-of-latin-america-five-centuries-of-the-pillage-of-a-co-c0bc88",
      "title": "Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent",
      "author": "Eduardo Galeano",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23859898,
          "author": "famuvie",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T15:22:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859898",
          "commentText": "The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism, by Naomi Klein (2007)\nOpen Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent, Eudardo Galeano (1971)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent, Eudardo Galeano (1971)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eduardo Galeano"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "colonialism",
        "latin american history",
        "political economy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "open-source-everything-manifesto-ac7288",
      "title": "Open-Source Everything Manifesto",
      "author": "Robert Steele",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29815560,
          "author": "splittingTimes",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-05T21:54:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29815560",
          "commentText": "At that age I can only recommend to you to read fiction as well. Classic literature and philosophy will enrich your mind.\nInstead of tech/science books, let me throw something else at you:\nJacque Fresco \"The Best That Money Can't Buy\" [1].\nRobert Steele \"Open-Source Everything Manifesto\" [2]. Do not be mislead by the title. Open-source here is all-encompassing, software is only a tiny fraction of the spectrum.\nDavid Graeber \"Fragments of an Anarchist Anthropology\" [3]\n===\n[1] https://www.amazon.de/Best-That-Money-Cant-Buy-ebook/dp/B077... (https://www.amazon.de/Best-That-Money-Cant-Buy-ebook/dp/B0773TB3GX)\n[2] https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Robert-David-Steele/dp/1583944435\n[3] https://www.amazon.de/-/en/David-Graeber-ebook/dp/B00MAPBIYA",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Robert Steele \"Open-Source Everything Manifesto\" [2]. Do not be mislead by the title. Open-source here is all-encompassing, software is only a tiny fraction of the spectrum.",
          "reason": "Lists the book among suggestions and clarifies its broad use of open source.",
          "audience": "Someone interested in fiction, classic literature, and philosophy.",
          "caveat": "Open source refers to a broad spectrum; software is only a small part.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Steele"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "governance",
        "open source",
        "transparency"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "openstax-series-of-free-textbooks-044ebf",
      "title": "OpenStax series of free textbooks",
      "author": "OpenStax",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46473690,
          "author": "OgsyedIE",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-03T07:43:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 46473352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Expository/Succinct Books on Modern Physics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46473690",
          "commentText": "Most topics develop into advanced rabbitholes that takes years of learning in just that one topic to assume proficiency, but for somebody looking to get a detailed overview Young and Freedman's University Physics with Modern Physics is the best introduction to a little bit of everything.\nThe mathematical prerequisites are essentially algebra, precalculus and basic calculus, all of which are excellently covered by the OpenStax series of free textbooks published by Rice University.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "OpenStax series of free textbooks published by Rice University",
          "reason": "Said to cover algebra, precalculus, and basic calculus prerequisites excellently.",
          "audience": "Learners needing math prerequisites for physics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "OpenStax"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "calculus",
        "open textbooks"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "opening-skinner-s-box-e4ab1c",
      "title": "Opening Skinner's Box",
      "author": "Lauren Slater",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1226975,
          "author": "pyronicide",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T17:14:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226975",
          "commentText": "Here are some books that are a mix of psychology and economics that I think are especially suited for HN:\nBehavioral Economics:\n  Predictably Irrational - Dan Ariely\n  Nudge - Richard Thaler\n  Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard - Chip and Dan Heath\n\nEconomics:\n  The Black Swan: Impact of the Highly Improbable - Nassim Taleb\n  Fooled by Randomness - Nassim Taleb\n  Drunkard's Walk - Leonard Mlodinow\n\nPsychology:\n  Opening Skinner's Box - Lauren Slater\n\nManagement:\n  The Education of a Coach - David Halberstam",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Opening Skinner's Box - Lauren Slater",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lauren Slater"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of psychology",
        "psychological experiments"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "opening-the-door-of-your-heart-152a9c",
      "title": "Opening the Door of Your Heart",
      "author": "Ajahn Brahm",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19092633,
          "author": "metta2uall",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-06T04:09:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19092633",
          "commentText": "\"Opening the Door of Your Heart\" by Ajahn Brahm\nhttps://books.google.com.au/books?id=R0sMB9qk890C\nThis book consists of over 100 very short stories that are inspired by Buddhist teachings. It's contributed quite a bit to making me wiser, happier, less anxious and having better interpersonal skills.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's contributed quite a bit to making me wiser, happier, less anxious and having better interpersonal skills.",
          "reason": "The stories have helped the commenter feel wiser and happier, be less anxious, and improve interpersonal skills.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ajahn Brahm"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhist teachings",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "operating-system-concepts-4a7a45",
      "title": "Operating System Concepts",
      "author": "Abraham Silberschatz, Peter B. Galvin, Greg Gagne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2414545,
          "author": "dragonquest",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T10:26:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414545",
          "commentText": "Over the years I've found the following CS books helpful, but only a minority in my day-to-day work. Your mileage may vary, as would the utility of these to you.\nAlgorithms -> Algorithms + Data Structures = Programs by Wirth (worth its weight in gold if you can get past the Pascal syntax)\nOS -> Operating System Concepts by Silberschatz et al (The dinosaur book)\nCS Theory -> Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation by Hopcroft, Ullman\nProgramming Languages Theory -> Programming languages: design and implementation by Pratt et al\nDatabase Theory -> Database Design by Wiederhold\nArchitecture -> Structured Computer Organization by Andrew S Tanenbaum",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "OS -> Operating System Concepts by Silberschatz et al (The dinosaur book)",
          "reason": "Lists it among CS books they found helpful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Abraham Silberschatz, Peter B. Galvin, Greg Gagne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "operating systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "operating-system-design-the-xinu-approach-second-edition-5a537f",
      "title": "Operating System Design: The Xinu Approach, Second Edition",
      "author": "Douglas Comer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32802060,
          "author": "abdul-bahajaj",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-11T18:32:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32802060",
          "commentText": "Essentials of Compilation book and lecture series by IU\nA big portion of most compiler books focus on parsing. This book instead focuses on implementing a lisp to assembly compiler. Lisp being easy to parse the parsing topic is skipped, instead it focuses on more interesting topics, like register allocation, garbage collection, closure conversion, dynamic typing and so on!\nAt the end of the book you will have a lisp to assembly compiler and be able to imagine how complicated high level constructs actually run on the machine which is exciting to say the least.\nThe book is accompanied with optional lectures.\nhttps://iucompilercourse.github.io/IU-P423-P523-E313-E513-Fa... (https://iucompilercourse.github.io/IU-P423-P523-E313-E513-Fall-2020/)\n------\nOperating System Design: The Xinu Approach, Second Edition\nUnlike most operating system books, this one goes over the implementation of a simple embedded operating system ( Xinu ) and explains its mechanics by going over its code and internal data structures. It also has interesting exercises like extending the OS to support virtual memory.\nIf you are planning to read this book you should buy one of the supported hardware boards so that you can actually run the OS on it, modify it and load it again to see your changes in action.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Operating System Design: The Xinu Approach, Second Edition",
          "reason": "Explains a simple embedded operating system through its code and data structures, with practical exercises.",
          "audience": "Readers who can use a supported hardware board to run and modify Xinu.",
          "caveat": "The commenter advises buying supported hardware to run the OS and try changes.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Comer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "operating systems",
        "systems programming",
        "xinu"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "operating-systems-design-and-implementation-f75b55",
      "title": "Operating Systems: Design and Implementation",
      "author": "Andrew S. Tanenbaum and Albert S. Woodhull",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28479273,
          "author": "alfiedotwtf",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-10T09:13:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 28478751,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach you programming languages via systems projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28479273",
          "commentText": "You might enjoy Andy Tanenbaum's MINIX book, or (even though it's really old now), the MMURTL V1.0 book",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Andy Tanenbaum's MINIX book",
          "reason": "Suggests the MINIX book in response to a request for project-based systems learning.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in operating systems and systems programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew S. Tanenbaum",
        "Albert S. Woodhull"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "minix",
        "operating systems",
        "systems programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "operating-systems-design-and-implementation-38efbb",
      "title": "Operating Systems: Design and Implementation",
      "author": "Andrew S. Tanenbaum; Albert S. Woodhull",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13663628,
          "author": "qz_",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-16T21:13:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13663628",
          "commentText": "I loved the MINIX book: https://www.amazon.com/Operating-Systems-Design-Implementati... (https://www.amazon.com/Operating-Systems-Design-Implementation-3rd/dp/0131429388)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved the MINIX book",
          "reason": "The commenter says they loved this book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew S. Tanenbaum; Albert S. Woodhull"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "minix",
        "operating systems",
        "systems programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "operating-systems-three-easy-pieces-963be1",
      "title": "Operating Systems: Three Easy Pieces",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33384218,
          "author": "agomez314",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T14:17:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33384218",
          "commentText": "A New History of Modern Computing gave me a huge perspective on computers that I felt I lacked vs others who are older.\nCrafting Interpreters (Nystrom) makes compilers/interpreters not spooky and fun.\nOperating Systems: 3 Easy pieces and the xv6 OS manual are also great introductory books that got me interested in OS dev.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Operating Systems: 3 Easy pieces",
          "reason": "Listed among books that got the commenter interested in OS development.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "operating systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "operation-luna-cabe07",
      "title": "Operation Luna",
      "author": "Charles Chilton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 191734,
          "author": "PI",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-16T13:05:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=191734",
          "commentText": "Okay, if you enjoy history try The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire (Volume 1) - each volume is around 48hrs each, it  might sound like a lot of hours listening but it's a great book and taught me a lot about Roman history.\nIf you're into sci-fi try the old BBC radio series Journey into Space, Operation Luna (the first in the series).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Operation Luna (the first in the series)",
          "reason": "Named as the first installment in the recommended Journey into Space series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Chilton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "radio drama",
        "space adventure"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "option-volatility-pricing-advanced-trading-strategies-and-techniq-dea337",
      "title": "Option Volatility & Pricing: Advanced Trading Strategies and Techniques",
      "author": "Sheldon Natenberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 249178,
          "author": "jakewolf",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T22:32:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=249178",
          "commentText": "For all you who love playing with math check out \t\nOption Volatility & Pricing: Advanced Trading Strategies and Techniques by Sheldon Natenberg",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Option Volatility & Pricing: Advanced Trading Strategies and Techniques by Sheldon Natenberg",
          "reason": "Offers it as a suggestion to readers who enjoy working with mathematics.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy math.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sheldon Natenberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "derivatives",
        "options trading"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "options-the-secret-life-of-steve-jobs-918a87",
      "title": "Options: The Secret Life of Steve Jobs",
      "author": "Dan Lyons",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 601923,
          "author": "ciscoriordan",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-10T08:05:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 601903,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fictional books related to startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=601923",
          "commentText": "Options by Fake Steve Jobs (Dan Lyons): http://www.amazon.com/Options-Secret-Life-Steve-Parody/dp/03... (http://www.amazon.com/Options-Secret-Life-Steve-Parody/dp/0306815842)\nAlthough all the parts in it that I liked were already on the blog: http://fakesteve.blogspot.com",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Options by Fake Steve Jobs (Dan Lyons):",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The parts the commenter liked were already on the blog.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Lyons"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "steve jobs parody",
        "technology satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "oracle-bones-a-journey-through-time-in-china-32c6e3",
      "title": "Oracle Bones: A Journey Through Time in China",
      "author": "Peter Hessler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24287895,
          "author": "omosubi",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-26T22:11:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 24286084,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading at the moment and what do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24287895",
          "commentText": "The 42nd parallel by John Dos Passos - really good novel about America at the turn of the century until the depression. Considered a classic\nThe Peregrine by J.A. Baker Englishman follows a few peregrines around the English countryside documenting everything he can. Past the first quarter or so it's just a log of his days which has no real narrative and is hard to get through. I'm not going to finish it\nI just finished Oracle Bones by Peter Hessler. Really good book about ancient China and it's relationship to the near present day (it was written in the late 90s and early 2000s)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Really good book about ancient China and it's relationship to the near present day",
          "reason": "Called a really good book about ancient China and its relationship to the near present.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Hessler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "china",
        "cultural history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "orange-world-and-other-stories-8a7928",
      "title": "Orange World and Other Stories",
      "author": "Karen Russell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36083958,
          "author": "code_Whisperer",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-26T13:38:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36083958",
          "commentText": "Easily these (so far):\nThis is How You Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (actually now one of my all-time favorites, without regard to genre. Just amazing)\nChildren of Time - Adrian Tchaikovsky\nThe Book of Strange New Things - Michael Faber\nTed Chiang's short story collections (Exhalations and Stories of your life and others)\nDaemon - Daniel Suarez\nThe City and the City - China Miéville\nRoadside Picnic - Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (this one still haunts my dreams at times)\nWe Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse Book 1) - Dennis Taylor (just finished this series for book club)\nGalatea 2.2, The Overstory, Bewilderment, The Gold Bug Variations - 4 different books, all by Richard Powers - what can I say, the man is a genius and a treasure\nEifelheim - Michael Flynn - ok, this book can be a slog at times, but it is very rewarding for those who persevere, and has stuck in my brain for many years\nChocky - John Wyndham - A quiet, delightful surprise\nProvidence - Max Barry - This book flows like a movie. It will make a great movie. I found myself LITERALLY out of breath a couple of times\nHench: A Novel - Natalie Zina Walschots - Quirky, memorable\nThe Peacemaker's Code - Deepak Malhotra - Why hasn't this guy written more sci-fi?\nOrange World and Other Stories - Karen Russell - OK, maybe not strictly sci-fi, but this book tickles my brain\nGUILTY PLEASURE SCI-FI FAVORITE: The Vaz series by Laurence Dahners. I think I've read that series 3 times now.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Orange World and Other Stories - Karen Russell - OK, maybe not strictly sci-fi, but this book tickles my brain",
          "reason": "Praises how it engages their thinking, while qualifying its genre.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "May not strictly be science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Karen Russell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "magical realism",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "orbiting-the-giant-hairball-e8c7bc",
      "title": "Orbiting the Giant Hairball",
      "author": "Gordon MacKenzie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28453102,
          "author": "tonteldoos",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-08T04:40:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 28450555,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that impacted your work that few other people seem to care about?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28453102",
          "commentText": "Orbiting the Giant Hairball (Gordon MacKenzie).  I gave my copy to someone, and never got it back, but would love to read it again.  Not one thing in particular stuck, but the book as a whole provided some interesting insights on working for big companies as a 'creative' (yes, programmers are creative) individual.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Orbiting the Giant Hairball (Gordon MacKenzie).",
          "reason": "Says the book offered interesting insights on working as a creative individual in big companies.",
          "audience": "Creative people working in large companies.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says no single idea stuck with them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gordon MacKenzie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "corporate culture",
        "organizational creativity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "order-out-of-chaos-345cc3",
      "title": "Order Out of Chaos",
      "author": "Ilya Prigogine and Isabelle Stengers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14747745,
          "author": "FiatLuxDave",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T20:26:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14747745",
          "commentText": "I love the idea of looking for overlooked gems.  Here are a few of mine:\nInfinite in All Directions, Freeman Dyson : just a book of his thoughts, but I really appreciated his perspective on respect between religion/spirituality and science.\nIgnition! An informal history of liquid rocket propellants, J.D. Clark : I picked up a copy of this in a roadside bookstore on a lark. Entertaining tales of people blowing themselves up in the name of science.\nApollo 11 Press kit : My grandmother was a journalist for Florida Today during the space race, and she gave me her copy.  It is amazing to see how much detail was provided.  I don't know if our modern press ever gets press kits like these, but it was not dumbed-down much at all, which was very nice to see.\nThe Adventures of Samurai Cat, Mark Rogers : Silly fun. \n Kind of like if Bored of the Rings had been written by Jerry Bruckheimer and Spider Jerusalem.\nInto the cool, Sagan and Schnieder : about complexity and thermodynamics. Written for a layperson, I still learned a lot from it.\nOrder out of Chaos, Prigogine and Stengers : More thermo, also written for lay audience, also learned a lot from it.\nControlled Thermonuclear Reactions, L. Artsimovich : Of all the plasma physics books I have read (many) this is the one I remember most. Rather out-of-date now, it contains loads of information about the early Soviet fusion program, with pictures and discussion of now-forgotten experiments.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "also written for lay audience, also learned a lot from it.",
          "reason": "The commenter learned a lot from this layperson-oriented book about thermodynamics.",
          "audience": "Lay readers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ilya Prigogine and Isabelle Stengers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "complexity science",
        "thermodynamics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ordinary-differential-equations-0aad37",
      "title": "Ordinary Differential Equations",
      "author": "Morris Tenenbaum and Harry Pollard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31499196,
          "author": "sn9",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-25T00:28:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31499196",
          "commentText": "The other benefit is that all of the AoPS books have extremely complete solutions manuals so you'll get immediate feedback on the quality of your solution, or you can just look if you've been banging your head against something for a while.\nSolutions manuals are the autodidact's best friend.\nOther high quality books with complete solutions included or in separate solutions manuals include Spivak's Calculus, Hubbard and Hubbard's Vector Calculus, Tenenbaum and Pollard's Ordinary Differential Equations (a really cheap Dover text from the 60s!), and Knuth et. al's Concrete Mathematics.\nGoing through the AoPS books and the above will give you an extremely solid foundation to learn any further math you might need as a software engineer as needed.\nIf you have a career spanning 3-4 decades, spending a few years mastering this material can be extremely useful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tenenbaum and Pollard's Ordinary Differential Equations",
          "reason": "Names it among high-quality books with complete solutions available.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it is a cheap Dover text from the 1960s.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Morris Tenenbaum",
        "Harry Pollard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "differential equations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ordinary-differential-equations-2b4b78",
      "title": "Ordinary Differential Equations",
      "author": "Vladimir I. Arnold",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34441116,
          "author": "steppi",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T15:11:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34441116",
          "commentText": "Some favorites below. Books 0-3 are accessible. The remaining books are more difficult but I'd highly recommend them to math students.\n0. Jan Gullberg, Mathematics, From the Birth of Numbers. A highly accessible popular survey on different branches of higher mathematics. I read this over the Summer between high school and starting my undergraduate degree. It's what made me want to study math. Previously I'd wanted to be a guitar player, but had to find a new ambition after an injury left me unable to play.\n1. The high school mathematics series by Israel Gelfand. Algebra, Trigonometry, The Method of Coordinates, and Functions and Graphs. I\ndidn't have much mathematics background in high school, but working through these really solidified my grasp on the basics.\n2. George Polya. How to Solve it. A short book giving excellent high level advice on mathematical problem solving.\n3. George E. Andrews, Number Theory. I worked through this freshman year contemporaneously with my first proof based class on simple logic and set theory. A very beautiful and accessible introduction to basic number theory. The combinatorial/geometric proofs of Fermat's Little Theorem and Wilson's Theorem are lovely. It also includes a very nice proof of Chebyshev's theorem on the asymptotic density of primes and even the Rogers-Ramanujan identities for integer partitions.\n4. Vladimir Arnold, Ordinary Differential Equations: Undergrad ODE classes are often taught in a cookbook fashion and if so, don't offer much enlightenment. This book explains what's going on at geometrical level. I didn't appreciate ODEs until I read this. See https://www.uni-muenster.de/Physik.TP/~munsteg/arnold.html for Arnold's views on teaching mathematics.\n5. E.C. Titchmarsh The Theory of Functions: Recommended by my undergraduate advisor because he noticed that I liked reading older books. It contains sections on complex analysis and real analysis with measure theory, but I've only read the complex analysis sections. It's not for everyone, if I recall correctly, there is not a single picture, but it is very lively and has a lot of material you won't find in a standard complex analysis book, including Dirichlet series. Excellent as a supplement to a standard complex analysis book.\n6. George Polya. Mathematics and Plausible Reasoning. An excellent expansion on Polya's ideas on How to Solve it. While the goal is to seek rigorous proofs, to get there it's powerful to be able to think based on intuition, heuristics, and plausible reasoning. A lot of math exposition is theorem/proof based and doesn't help develop these skills. In a similar vein, see also Terence Tao's classic post There's more to mathematics than rigour and proofs https://terrytao.wordpress.com/career-advice/theres-more-to-... (https://terrytao.wordpress.com/career-advice/theres-more-to-mathematics-than-rigour-and-proofs/).\n7. H.S.M Coxeter, An Introduction to Geometry. A book of very beautiful classical geometry. Something typically not touched on at all in a typical mathematics curriculum.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Vladimir Arnold, Ordinary Differential Equations:",
          "reason": "The commenter says it explains the geometry behind ODEs and helped them appreciate the subject.",
          "audience": "Undergraduate readers studying ODEs.",
          "caveat": "The commenter contrasts its geometric explanations with cookbook-style courses.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vladimir I. Arnold"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "geometric intuition",
        "ordinary differential equations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ordinary-men-reserve-police-battalion-101-and-the-final-solution--4023de",
      "title": "Ordinary Men: Reserve Police Battalion 101 and the Final Solution in Poland",
      "author": "Christopher R. Browning",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29032484,
          "author": "dp-hackernews",
          "createdAt": "2021-10-28T21:47:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 29030285,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29032484",
          "commentText": "You may want to \"warm-up\" with this one first...\nhttps://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Ordinary-Men-Audiobook/00629814... (https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Ordinary-Men-Audiobook/006298148X)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You may want to \"warm-up\" with this one first...",
          "reason": "Suggests this as a warm-up before the parent-mentioned title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter frames it as a warm-up; no further detail is given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher R. Browning"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "holocaust",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "organic-chemistry-43bab0",
      "title": "Organic Chemistry",
      "author": "Robert T. Morrison and Robert N. Boyd",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16086492,
          "author": "md2be",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-06T17:55:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16086492",
          "commentText": "Morrison and Boyd,  Organic chemistry\nGuidurati, Econometrics\nSamuelson, Economics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Morrison and Boyd,  Organic chemistry",
          "reason": "Names it as an answer to the question asking for the best textbook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert T. Morrison and Robert N. Boyd"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "organic chemistry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "organic-chemistry-as-a-second-language-9c4eaf",
      "title": "Organic Chemistry as a Second Language",
      "author": "David R. Klein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33597407,
          "author": "domnomnom",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-14T17:18:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33597407",
          "commentText": "Organic chemistry as a second language and the analogous text by Klein. Nothing in particular clicked for me, but I took orgo 1 and orgo 2 at two different schools, and I remember his book being extremely readable for ochem 2.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Organic chemistry as a second language",
          "reason": "The commenter found it extremely readable for organic chemistry 2.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says nothing in particular clicked for them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David R. Klein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "organic chemistry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "organizing-america-wealth-power-and-the-origins-of-corporate-capi-55ec78",
      "title": "Organizing America: Wealth, Power, and the Origins of Corporate Capitalism",
      "author": "Charles Perrow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12494191,
          "author": "dredmorbius",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-14T04:13:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12494191",
          "commentText": "From a recent HN comment,  a list, some authors, and some guidelines, largely based on books which radically changed my thinking.\nCurrently:  Vaclav Smil, Energy in World History (1994), and Manfred Weissenbacher, Sources of Power (2009).  Both detail the role and impact of energy through world history.  The latter draws strongly on the first, both are exceedingly well documented.  TL;DR: coal changed much, oil changed everything.\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/3... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/30398523&referer=brief_results)\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foragin... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foraging-agriculture-and-coal/oclc/837625798&referer=brief_results)\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625970&referer=brief_results)\nJames Burke's books Connections and The Day the Universe Changed, and their accompanying television series, were a profound introduction to the history of technology, science, ideas, and philosophy.  Though 30+ years old, they remain highly current and relevant.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/connections/oclc/4494136\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/day-the-universe-changed/oclc... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/day-the-universe-changed/oclc/12049817)\nJeremy Campbell's Grammatical Man (1984) introduced the concepts of information theory and their deep, deep, deep interconnections to a tremendous number of interconnected systems, many not explored within his book.  Darwin's The Origin of Species, James Gleick's Chaos, and many of the works of Santa Fe Institute members, including John C. Holland, J. Doyne Farmer, Geoffrey West, W. Brian Arthur, David Krakauer, and Sander van der Leeuw, continue these themes.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-e... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-entropy-language-and-life/oclc/8306673)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/chaos-making-a-new-science/oc... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/chaos-making-a-new-science/oclc/15366709)\nWilliam Ophuls' Ecology and the Politics of Scarcity (1977) is perhaps the best, most comprehensive, shortest, and most readable exposition of the fact, reality, dynamics, and interactions of limits on the present phase of fossil-fuel fed economic growth I've found.  This is a book I recommend not only for the message, but the author's clarity of thought and exposition, his meticulous research, exquisite bibliographical notes, and, given the nearly 30 years elapsed, testability numerous of his predictions, some failed, yes, others uncannily accurate.  Rather more the latter.  In a similar vein, William R. Catton's Overshoot looks at the ecological dynamics in more depth, with much wisdom, the writings of Richard Heinberg cover the ground of limits fairly accessibly and more recently.  Vaclav Smil in numerous books addresses technical factors of the profound nature of the past 250 years, and implications for the future.  Meadows, et al, in Limits to Growth set off much of the post-1970 discussion (though they're hardly the first to raise the question -- it dates to Seneca the Elder),\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-s... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-scarcity-prologue-to-a-political-theory-of-the-steady-state/oclc/2524932)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/overshoot-the-ecological-basi... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/overshoot-the-ecological-basis-of-revolutionary-change/oclc/6195764)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Aheinberg%2C+richard&a... (https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Aheinberg%2C+richard&amp;qt=owc_search)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Asmil%2C+vaclav&amp;qt... (https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Asmil%2C+vaclav&amp;qt=results_page)\nThough hardly pessimistic, Daniel Yergin's book The Prize (and TV series) impressed upon me more than any other just how much petroleum specifically changed and transformed the modern world.  Though intended largely as laudetory and championing the oil industry by the author, my read of it was exceptionally cautionary.  The impacts on business, everyday life, politics, wars, industry, and transport, and the rate at which they occurred, are simply staggering.  You can continue this exploration in Vaclav Smil's Energy in World History (1994) (I've recommended Smil independently elsewhere), and a rare but profound two-volume set I'm currently reading, Manfred Weissenbacher's Sources of Power: How energy forges human history (2009).  The shear physicality of this book speaks to the message -- it's divided into five parts:  1) Foraging Age (6 pages), 2) Agricultural Age (156 pp), 3) Coal Age (160 pp),  4) Oil Age (296 pp), and 5) Beyond the Oil Age (142 pp).  That is, the ~2 million years of pre-agricultural existence are little more than a footnote, the 8,000 years of agriculture roughly equal to the 150 years of coal, and the 100 years of petroleum use roughly twice either.  The oil and post-oil ages comprise their own volume.  Yergin followed up with The Quest, continuing the search for oil, though I've been less impressed by it.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/prize-the-epic-quest-for-oil-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/prize-the-epic-quest-for-oil-money-and-power/oclc/22381448)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/30398523)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foragi... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foraging-agriculture-and-coal/oclc/837625798)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/83762... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625970)\nAdam Smith's An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations is among the most-cited (and most incorrectly cited), least-read books of high influence I'm aware of, outside religious texts (and perhaps it is a religious text to some…).  The author's message has been exceptionally shaped and manipulated by a powerful set of forces, quite often utterly misrepresenting Smith's original intent.  Reading him in his own words, yourself, is strongly recommended.  I'd also recommend scholarship particularly by Emma Rothschild and Gavin Kennedy, though also others, on Smith. Contrast with the portrayal by the propaganda disinformation front of the Mont Pelerin Society / Atlas Network / so-called Foundation for Economic Education, and much of the modern American Libertarian movement (von Mises, Hayek, Friedman, Hazlett, Rothbard, and more recently, Norberg).  Contrast The Invisible Hand (1964), a compilation of essays published by Libertarian house Regnery Press in 1966, at the beginning of the rise in public use of Smith's metaphor to indictate mechanism rather than an expression of the unknown.\nThere are numerous editions of Smith, I believe the Glasgow is frequently cited by Smith scholars:  https://www.worldcat.org/title/glasgow-edition-of-the-works-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/glasgow-edition-of-the-works-and-correspondence-of-adam-smith-2-an-inquiry-into-the-nature-and-causes-of-the-wealth-of-nations-vol-1/oclc/832488566)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/economic-sentiments-adam-smit... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/economic-sentiments-adam-smith-condorcet-and-the-enlightenment/oclc/45282974)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smith-and-the-invisible-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smith-and-the-invisible-hand/oclc/820387997)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smiths-lost-legacy/oclc/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smiths-lost-legacy/oclc/56598640)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/invisible-hand-a-collection-o... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/invisible-hand-a-collection-of-essays-on-the-economic-philosophy-of-free-enterprise/oclc/326622)\nI'd like to put in recommendations on technology specifically, but am still searching for a good general text.  The material's covered somewhat in the chaos and complexity recommendations above (Campbell et al), though I'd add Joseph Tainter's The Collapse of Complex Societies.  Charle's Perrow has several excellent books including Normal Accidents and Organizing America.   I'd like to reference something concerning Unix, Linux, and programming, perhaps Kernighan and Pike's The Unix Programming Environment, Linus Torvalds' Just for Fun, Richard Stallman's The GNU Manifesto, and Steve McConnel's Code Complete.  The O'Reilly book Unix Power Tools also encapsulates much the strength of the Unix toolset.  All these are somewhat dated.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/collapse-of-complex-societies... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/collapse-of-complex-societies/oclc/15083222)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/normal-accidents-living-with-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/normal-accidents-living-with-high-risk-technologies/oclc/10229932)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/organizing-america-wealth-pow... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/organizing-america-wealth-power-and-the-origins-of-corporate-capitalism/oclc/939707157)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-programming-environment/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-programming-environment/oclc/10269821)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/5238168... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/52381684)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Charle's Perrow has several excellent books including Normal Accidents and Organizing America.",
          "reason": "Named as one of several excellent books by Perrow.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Perrow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american business history",
        "corporate capitalism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "origins-of-form-278954",
      "title": "Origins of Form",
      "author": "Christopher Williams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10534162,
          "author": "schlagetown",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T17:01:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10534162",
          "commentText": "Watchmen (Alan Moore)\nOrigins of Form (Christopher Williams)\nStarship & The Canoe (Kenneth Brower)\nThe Size of Lumber (Nicholson Baker)\nZen Mind, Beginner's Mind (Shunryu Suzuki)\nDeschooling Society (Ivan Illich)\nMoby Dick (Herman Melville)\nBolo'Bolo (P.M.)\nLe Ton beau de Marot (Douglas Hofstadter)\nGaia: A New Look at Life on Earth (James Lovelock)\nMouse or Rat: Translation as Negotiation (Umberto Eco)\nNeuromancer (William Gibson)\nThe Intelligent Investor (Benjamin Graham)\nDon Quixote (Miguel Cervantes)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Origins of Form (Christopher Williams)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about the best books read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher Williams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "design theory",
        "form"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "origins-fourteen-billion-years-of-cosmic-evolution-4ac06b",
      "title": "Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution",
      "author": "Neil deGrasse Tyson and Donald Goldsmith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11229747,
          "author": "arc_of_descent",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:41:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229747",
          "commentText": "I'm currently reading - Origins: Fourteen Billion Years of Cosmic Evolution by Neil deGrasse Tyson, so I immediately recommend it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "so I immediately recommend it.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the book they are currently reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is still reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neil deGrasse Tyson and Donald Goldsmith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cosmology",
        "history of the universe"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "orthogonal-c964a9",
      "title": "Orthogonal",
      "author": "Greg Egan",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10213505,
          "author": "sohkamyung",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-14T03:05:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10213505",
          "commentText": "For more mind altering fiction from Egan, tackle his \"Orthogonal\" books, which posits a universe where the speed of light is not a constant and builds on that (and Riemannian Geometry).\nIf you just want the physics behind the books, see his website [ http://www.gregegan.net/ORTHOGONAL/ORTHOGONAL.html ]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For more mind altering fiction from Egan, tackle his \"Orthogonal\" books",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the books as mind-altering fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The books posit a universe where the speed of light is not constant and draw on Riemannian geometry.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Greg Egan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternate physics",
        "riemannian geometry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "other-men-s-flowers-355d80",
      "title": "Other Men's Flowers",
      "author": "Archibald Wavell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17522752,
          "author": "steve_gh",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T13:28:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17522752",
          "commentText": "If you want a poetry anthology, can I recommend \"Other Men's Flowers\" by Lord Wavell - poetry that he momorized that saw him through WW1 and WW2. You won't like everything, but there is lots of good stuff in it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "can I recommend \"Other Men's Flowers\" by Lord Wavell",
          "reason": "Recommended as a poetry anthology; it collects poems Wavell memorized and that saw him through the world wars.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a poetry anthology.",
          "caveat": "You won't like everything, but there is lots of good stuff in it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Archibald Wavell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "poetry anthology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "other-songs-99cd0f",
      "title": "Other Songs",
      "author": "Jacek Dukaj",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13249817,
          "author": "test-accout-0",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T14:12:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249817",
          "commentText": "Jacek Dukaj - Other songs\nFor me - the best book ever. Other are just worse.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jacek Dukaj - Other songs\nFor me - the best book ever.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best book ever in response to a request for fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jacek Dukaj"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternate history",
        "polish literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "our-babies-ourselves-how-biology-and-culture-shape-the-way-we-par-00f961",
      "title": "Our Babies, Ourselves: How Biology and Culture Shape the Way We Parent",
      "author": "Meredith F. Small",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33851156,
          "author": "alibova",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T06:24:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33851156",
          "commentText": "Loved How to talk so kids will listen\nAlso a fan of\nOur babies ourselves - https://www.amazon.com/Our-Babies-Ourselves-Biology-Culture/... (https://www.amazon.com/Our-Babies-Ourselves-Biology-Culture/dp/0385483627)\nHunt, Gather, Parent - https://www.amazon.com/Our-Babies-Ourselves-Biology-Culture/... (https://www.amazon.com/Our-Babies-Ourselves-Biology-Culture/dp/0385483627)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Our babies ourselves",
          "reason": "Lists it as another book they are a fan of.",
          "audience": "Parents",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Meredith F. Small"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Parenting",
        "Science",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "child development",
        "cross cultural parenting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "our-band-could-be-your-life-d37f66",
      "title": "Our Band Could Be Your Life",
      "author": "Michael Azerrad",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42269201,
          "author": "sandy_coyote",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:59:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42269201",
          "commentText": "I caught up with some science fiction this year.\nThe Murderbot diaries books by Martha Wells - 6/10. Mixed on these. They're fun to read. The setting is cool and the worldbuilding is shallow but effective (i.e., don't read it if you want game of thrones in space). Each novella takes an afternoon to read. I think \"snarky violent droid\" is overcooked these days and lost interest after book 5.\nLight by M. John Harrison - 7/10 excellent prose; great multiple-storyline plot; the journey was better than the destination, but it kept me thinking\nFar from the Light of Heaven by Tade Thompson - 7/10 Fun. If \"near future Nigerian/British post-colonial frontier action with guns, robots, and psychic aliens\" sounds cool to you, check it out. I liked his Rosewater Trilogy just as much.\nBlindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts - tough to rate these. brilliant ideas, VERY challenging plots. I wish I didn't get so confused by the end of each book.\nProject Hail Mary by Andy Weir - 6/10 - this and the Martian read like blog posts pasted together. The grand dilemma is spelled out on page one and never gets any deeper. Pro: the plot is in your face on every page and you will never be confused when reading; Con - there is zero internal character development. Read if you like stories driven by applied science, not comparative moral decision-making.\nThe City and the City by China Miéville - 9/10 - you will invariably see something like \"Kafka meets [some affected crime novelist] to describe this book, and that ain't wrong. Kind of SF, kind of fantasy.\nRailsea by China Miéville - 8/10 - great good vs evil YA SF about, well, imagine if trains were like boats. Good character writing, tight plot.\nThe Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi - 8/10 - loved this. More \"realist\" near-future fabulism than Gibson, but if you love cyberpunk, read this.\nThe Shipbreaker Triology by Paolo Bacigalupi - 6/10 - near-future YA science fiction with a lot of blood and guns. Pretty good stories.\nRoadside Picnic by the Strugatsky brothers - 9/10 - reread. I had to go back. This gets a near perfect score because of its style, setting, and plot.\nThe Sprawl Trilogy (Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive) by William Gibson - 9/10 - I had read Neuromancer 3 times but never the next two. I was pleasantly surprised to find the second and third novel easier to read* but just as enjoyable as Neuromancer.\nThe Bridge trilogy by William Gibson - 8/10 so far. I am in the second book. Can't believe I slept on these for the last couple decades.\nnon-SF:\nOur Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981-1991 by Michael Azerrad - 9/10 - if you like punk/hardcore from the 80s, this is a great read.\n* Every time I read Neuromancer, Gibson's literary footguns --holograms, false memories, hallucinations, and drug-addled unreality--make me feel crazy for not being able to follow the plot at times. I'm okay with believing that was the intended effect.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Our Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981-1991 by Michael Azerrad - 9/10",
          "reason": "Rates it highly and recommends it to fans of 1980s punk and hardcore.",
          "audience": "Readers who like punk or hardcore from the 1980s.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Azerrad"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american indie music",
        "punk rock"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "our-inner-ape-02ec1c",
      "title": "Our Inner Ape",
      "author": "Frans de Waal",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1026976,
          "author": "namin",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T08:42:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026976",
          "commentText": "The Naked Ape by Desmond Morris -- a zoological study of homo sapiens. A classic nicely supplemented by Our Inner Ape by Frans der Waal.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Our Inner Ape by Frans der Waal.",
          "reason": "Described as a useful supplement to The Naked Ape in a response to a book recommendation request.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in human behavior and primatology.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frans de Waal"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human behavior",
        "primatology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "our-man-in-havana-39c87f",
      "title": "Our Man in Havana",
      "author": "Graham Greene",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13249110,
          "author": "petre",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T08:36:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249110",
          "commentText": "Just about any Graham Greene book: The Power and the Glory. The Quiet American, The Ministry of Fear, The Comedians, Our Man in Havana etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Our Man in Havana",
          "reason": "Listed as an example of a Graham Greene book in response to a request for fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Graham Greene"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cuba",
        "literary fiction",
        "spy satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "our-oriental-heritage-the-story-of-civilization-volume-1-459c88",
      "title": "Our Oriental Heritage: The Story of Civilization, Volume 1",
      "author": "Will Durant",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20336047,
          "author": "jolmg",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T15:27:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20336047",
          "commentText": "Random book with no justification:\nOur Oriental Heritage: The Story of Civilization, Volume 1\nby Will Durant\nIt's in the Internet Archive:\nhttps://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.61276/page/n15\nThe Story of Civilization is an 11-volume set of books[1], by the way.\n[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Story_of_Civilization",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Random book with no justification:\nOur Oriental Heritage: The Story of Civilization, Volume 1\nby Will Durant",
          "reason": "Offers it as a book suggestion in response to the request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter gives no justification.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Will Durant"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient civilizations",
        "world history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "our-town-0bd875",
      "title": "Our Town",
      "author": "Thornton Wilder",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30739383,
          "author": "every",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T02:08:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30739383",
          "commentText": "Dandelion Wine - Ray Bradbury\nMurder in the Cathedral - T. S. Eliot\nOur Town - Thornton Wilder",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Our Town - Thornton Wilder",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thornton Wilder"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american drama",
        "play"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "out-of-control-d2a31b",
      "title": "Out of Control",
      "author": "Kevin Kelly",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12247256,
          "author": "partomniscient",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T12:44:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12247256",
          "commentText": "For me perhaps its \"Out of Control\" by Kevin Kelly : http://kk.org/outofcontrol/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Out of Control\" by Kevin Kelly",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kevin Kelly"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "complex systems",
        "cybernetics",
        "evolution"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "out-of-control-the-new-biology-of-machines-social-systems-and-the-7e7a5a",
      "title": "Out of Control: The New Biology of Machines, Social Systems, and the Economic World",
      "author": "Kevin Kelly",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15960988,
          "author": "briga",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T15:51:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15960988",
          "commentText": "A few of the best were:\nWhat Technology Wants by Kevin Kelly. A really profound and interesting look into what technology is. Technology evolves through the same sort of Darwinian process that life evolves. Technology is in some sense alive, and Kelly's perspective on it is wonderfully refreshing. I also read his book Out of Control, which is fantastic.\nSapiens by Yuval Harari. Enough people are talking about this one that I don't have to say much, suffice it to say it's a fascinating look into human history a la Guns, Germs, and Steel.\nThe Lucifer Principle by Howard Bloom. If you're a fan of Harari you'll love this one. It's an alternative scientific look at evil, and how evil appears to be encoded into our species.\nHyperspace by Michio Kaku. Kaku is an amazing popular science writer bar none and this is his exploration of modern physics and string theory. The most concise and understandable explanation of modern physics I've read, which is part for the course with Kaku.\nRed Queen by Matt Ridley. A fascinating look at sex, and why the human sex drive, and therefore human  nature, is the way it is.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also read his book Out of Control, which is fantastic.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it fantastic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kevin Kelly"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "complex systems",
        "cybernetics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "out-of-the-inner-circle-8f9ba8",
      "title": "Out of the Inner Circle",
      "author": "Bill Landreth",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17749694,
          "author": "jim_lawless",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T13:00:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17749694",
          "commentText": "Out of the Inner Circle (1985) - the autobiographical true story of \"The Cracker\" Bill Landreth.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Out of the Inner Circle (1985) - the autobiographical true story of \"The Cracker\" Bill Landreth.",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to a request for similar books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Landreth"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer crime",
        "hacking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "out-of-the-shadows-2c9c11",
      "title": "Out of the Shadows",
      "author": "Jonathan Kingsman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42653631,
          "author": "bwb",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T08:02:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42653631",
          "commentText": "Out of the Shadows By Jonathan Kingsman\nhttps://shepherd.com/book/out-of-the-shadows\nAmazing book about the grain markets and how they have changed over the last 40 years.\n\"Once shadowy figures, grain merchants have now come out of the shadows. Almost everything that you eat or drink today will contain something bought, stored, transported, processed, shipped, distributed or sold by one of the seven giants of the agricultural supply chain. The media often refers to them as the ABCD group of international grain-trading companies, with ABCD standing for ADM, Bunge, Cargill and Dreyfus. The acronym, though, ignores the other three giants of the food supply: Glencore, COFCO International and Wilmar. Together, they handle 50 percent of the international trade in grain and oilseeds. In this book’s series of exclusive and unprecedented interviews, CEOs and senior traders from these seven giants describe in their own words how the agricultural markets are changing, and how they are adapting to those changes.\"\nThe Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket\nBy Benjamin Lorr\nhttps://shepherd.com/book/the-secret-life-of-groceries\nFive years of research really explains large swaths of our food system and how it changes what we eat.\nYou might like these as well:\nThe best unexpectedly enthralling books about seemingly boring things\nhttps://shepherd.com/best-books/good-books-about-seemingly-b... (https://shepherd.com/best-books/good-books-about-seemingly-boring-things)\nThe best books that make sense of how globalization broke down, and what happens next\nhttps://shepherd.com/best-books/globalization-breaks-down-wh... (https://shepherd.com/best-books/globalization-breaks-down-what-happens-next)\n*Features The Big Rig, a book about the American trucking industry and it's breakdown\nSome good ones in there :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Out of the Shadows By Jonathan Kingsman",
          "reason": "Calls it an amazing book about grain markets and their changes over 40 years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Kingsman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "agricultural supply chains",
        "grain markets"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "out-of-the-silent-planet-92c89f",
      "title": "Out of the Silent Planet",
      "author": "C. S. Lewis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15630232,
          "author": "rwnspace",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:54:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630232",
          "commentText": "Out of the Silent Planet, by C.S. Lewis. Wonderfully written, though not as completely fleshed-out as a modern sci-fi reader may be used to. Still stands on its own two feet, worth a try. My first sci-fi.\nThe Golden Bough, Frazer. Sublime, frustrating and intriguing. Changes your dreams, whether you immediately realise it or not.\nHow Things Work: The Universal Encyclopedia of Machines. My grandfather gave me this when I was 8, I still regularly leaf through the tea-coloured pages and detailed black-and-red drawings two decades later. It's a charming book, the kind of thing we have websites for nowadays.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Still stands on its own two feet, worth a try.",
          "reason": "Praised as a well-written science-fiction novel and worth trying, with a caveat about its level of detail.",
          "audience": "Readers open to older science fiction.",
          "caveat": "Not as completely fleshed-out as a modern sci-fi reader may be used to.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "C. S. Lewis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classic science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "out-of-the-software-crisis-73610b",
      "title": "Out of the Software Crisis",
      "author": "Baldur Bjarnason",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34161202,
          "author": "onion2k",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T14:21:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161202",
          "commentText": "\"Out of the Software Crisis\" by Baldur Bjarnason. It's about applying systems thinking to software projects. As a systems thinking novice I found it really interesting. https://softwarecrisis.baldurbjarnason.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Out of the Software Crisis\" by Baldur Bjarnason.",
          "reason": "The commenter found this book about applying systems thinking to software projects interesting.",
          "audience": "Readers who are new to systems thinking.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Baldur Bjarnason"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software projects",
        "systems thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "out-of-the-tar-pit-c50c80",
      "title": "Out of the Tar Pit",
      "author": "Ben Moseley and Peter Marks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14487201,
          "author": "qpre",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T12:50:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487201",
          "commentText": "Not a book per say, but \"Out of The Tar Pit\" by Moseley and Marks is definitely a must-read.\nAbstract:\n```\nComplexity is the single major difficulty in the successful development\nof large-scale software systems. Following Brooks we distinguish\naccidental from essential difficulty, but disagree with his premise that\nmost complexity remaining in contemporary systems is essential. We\nidentify common causes of complexity and discuss general approaches\nwhich can be taken to eliminate them where they are accidental in\nnature. To make things more concrete we then give an outline for\na potential complexity-minimizing approach based on functional programming\nand Codd’s relational model of data.\n```\nLink: http://shaffner.us/cs/papers/tarpit.pdf",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Out of The Tar Pit\" by Moseley and Marks is definitely a must-read.",
          "reason": "Called a must-read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Commenter says it is not a book per se.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ben Moseley and Peter Marks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "functional programming",
        "relational model",
        "software complexity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "outgrowing-god-a-beginner-s-guide-to-atheism-d9b3c5",
      "title": "Outgrowing God: A Beginner’s Guide to Atheism",
      "author": "Richard Dawkins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50119288,
          "author": "chistev",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T15:05:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50119288",
          "commentText": "1. Animal Farm by George Orwell\n2. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes [1]\n3. Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley\n4. I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette Mccurdy\n5. Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris\n6. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe [2]\n7. Cosmos by Carl Sagan\n8. The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution by Richard Dawkins [3]\n9. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson\n10. The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander [4]\n11. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka\n12. Billions and Billions: Thoughts on Life and Death at the Brink of the Millennium by Carl Sagan [5][6][7]\n13. Outgrowing God: A Beginner’s Guide to Atheism by Richard Dawkins\n[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50076596\n[2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47452253\n[3] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48326741\n[4] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49539535\n[5] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49751771\n[6] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49740712\n[7] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49739256",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Outgrowing God: A Beginner’s Guide to Atheism by Richard Dawkins",
          "reason": "Listed among books read repeatedly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Dawkins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "atheism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "outland-76cb66",
      "title": "Outland",
      "author": "Dennis E. Taylor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28074328,
          "author": "johntdaly",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-05T14:38:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28074328",
          "commentText": "The concepts where novel in all books by Denis E. Taylor so far, or at least I find the way he presents them in a new or unique way. The Singularity Trap sticks out to me as a rather unique way to tell the first contact story but I found the story itself less enjoyable than his other works.\nI liked the first 3 books of the Bobiverse series but book 4 wasn’t as enjoyable as the rest for me.\nBy favorite book by Denis E. Taylor was Outland, it reminded me of some of the better works of Michael Crichton. To bad he has writer's block when it comes to continuing the story.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "By favorite book by Denis E. Taylor was Outland",
          "reason": "The commenter identifies it as their favorite Taylor book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the story has not continued because of the author's writer's block.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28059025,
          "author": "johntdaly",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T09:35:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28059025",
          "commentText": "SciFi\nThe Bobiverse Series by Dennis E. Taylor\nThe Singularity Trap and Outland, also by Dennis E. Taylor\nThe Interdependency Series by John Scalzi\nSciFi + Comedy\nExpeditionary Force Series by Craig Alanson\nMilitary SciFi\nThe Lost Fleet Series by Jack Campbell\nThe Palladium Wars Series by Marko Kloos\nA bit of all of the above\nMurderbot Diaries Series by Martha Wells\nSciFi/SciFantasy + Comedy\nMagic 2.0 by Scott Mayer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Singularity Trap and Outland, also by Dennis E. Taylor",
          "reason": "Lists it as a science fiction recommendation.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dennis E. Taylor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "disaster",
        "parallel universes",
        "parallel worlds",
        "survival"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "outlaws-of-the-marsh-6b5a07",
      "title": "Outlaws of the Marsh",
      "author": "Shi Nai'an",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22101202,
          "author": "lizzard",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T18:56:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22101202",
          "commentText": "Some other fabulous Chinese novels, not really obscure as they are the most famous novels in China, but not well known to English speaking readers: Dream of Red Mansions/Story of the Stone, an epic about two families and the decline of their fortunes; The Scholars, another 18th century long book of linked stories that's basically political satire; and Outlaws of the Marsh/The Water Margin, a long series of linked tales about bandits that's a little bit Robin-Hoodish as it's really about their political rebellion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Outlaws of the Marsh/The Water Margin, a long series of linked tales about bandits",
          "reason": "Described as linked tales about bandits and political rebellion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not well known to English-speaking readers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Shi Nai'an"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bandit tales",
        "chinese classic",
        "political rebellion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "outlive-fb073c",
      "title": "Outlive",
      "author": "Peter Attia",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42218912,
          "author": "rashidae",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T03:06:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42218912",
          "commentText": "I’ve been getting into self-optimization lately, and sleep has been a game-changer. Two books that really opened my eyes are Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker and Outlive by Peter Attia. Walker breaks down why sleep is so critical, while Attia ties it into the bigger picture of health and longevity. Also been exploring Bryan Johnson’s Blueprint Protocol.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and Outlive by Peter Attia.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it connects sleep to broader health and longevity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Attia"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "longevity",
        "preventive medicine"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "outlive-the-science-and-art-of-longevity-1cb2c5",
      "title": "Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity",
      "author": "Peter Attia and Bill Gifford",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36439481,
          "author": "lnwlebjel",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T21:44:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36439481",
          "commentText": "For me it's a book I am reading now: Outlive, the science and art of longevity, by Peter Attia MD. The book is a summary of the many podcasts which I have been listening to for a couple of years now, a result of which I am happier, healthier (by arguably the right metrics), fitter, and better able to navigate life and the prospect of getting older. If you are over 40 I highly recommend it, and if you're over 50 it's a must read.\nIf I could sum up, I would say that so much of health and fitness is just trying to figure out the right thing to do - this book applies an appropriate level of skepticism to say what we know and what we don't on this subject, and teaches you how to assess for yourself what you need to do to improve your odds of a long healthy life. Finding it is like finally finding the a great text book on subject that you haven't been able to wrap your head around.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Outlive, the science and art of longevity, by Peter Attia MD.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it for assessing health and fitness choices and improving the odds of a long, healthy life.",
          "audience": "The commenter especially recommends it to people over 40 and calls it a must-read for people over 50.",
          "caveat": "The book summarizes podcasts the commenter has followed for years; it applies skepticism to what is and is not known.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Attia",
        "Bill Gifford"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fitness",
        "longevity",
        "preventive health"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "outlive-the-science-and-art-of-longevity-fa6960",
      "title": "Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity",
      "author": "Peter Attia",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45325879,
          "author": "xu3u32",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-21T19:29:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 45312545,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that helped you lose weight?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45325879",
          "commentText": "Outlive by Peter Attia, Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter, Finding Ultra by Rich Roll. Lost 60 lbs and kept it off for 5 years now. Doing my first half ironman in 5 weeks.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Outlive by Peter Attia",
          "reason": "Listed among books associated with the commenter’s weight loss.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Attia"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "longevity",
        "weight loss"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "overclocked-stories-of-the-future-present-c455d3",
      "title": "Overclocked: Stories of the Future Present",
      "author": "Cory Doctorow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227103,
          "author": "abyssknight",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T17:59:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227103",
          "commentText": "Cory Doctorow's collection of stories called \"Overclocked\" was a nice distraction. Check it out if you get a chance. I believe it's actually out there on his site for free.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "was a nice distraction. Check it out if you get a chance.",
          "reason": "Recommended as an enjoyable collection of stories and a nice distraction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it may be available free on the author's site.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cory Doctorow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short story collection"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "overcoming-social-anxiety-and-shyness-a-self-help-guide-using-cog-9faaf0",
      "title": "Overcoming Social Anxiety and Shyness: A Self-Help Guide Using Cognitive Behavioral Techniques",
      "author": "Gillian Butler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2897624,
          "author": "naner",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-18T01:35:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 2897515,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on overcoming shyness",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2897624",
          "commentText": "Sure, there are workbooks you can buy if you don't have access to a psychologist or therapy group. The only catch is that there is nobody to push you to go through the exercises and you won't have the benefit of external feedback from a counselor or a peer group. You'll have to force yourself to do the exercises properly and it will take longer than if you had professional help.\nAnyway, here's a few workbooks I found with minimal effort. Go over the reviews to decide which to try:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Shyness-Social-Anxiety-Workbook-Step-/... (http://www.amazon.com/Shyness-Social-Anxiety-Workbook-Step-/dp/1572245530/)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Managing-Social-Anxiety-Workbook-Cogni... (http://www.amazon.com/Managing-Social-Anxiety-Workbook-Cognitive-Behavioral/dp/0195336690/)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Shyness-Social-Anxiety-Workbook-Techni... (http://www.amazon.com/Shyness-Social-Anxiety-Workbook-Techniques/dp/B002FL5I68/)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Overcoming-Social-Anxiety-Shyness-Beha... (http://www.amazon.com/Overcoming-Social-Anxiety-Shyness-Behavioral/dp/0465005454/)\nI also posted this awhile ago: http://news.ycombinator.org/item?id=2614140\nThat is an example of a therapy group program.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Overcoming-Social-Anxiety-Shyness-Beha",
          "reason": "Included in a list of workbooks to consider after checking reviews.",
          "audience": "People seeking help with shyness or social anxiety.",
          "caveat": "The commenter found the links with minimal effort and suggests checking reviews to decide which to try.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gillian Butler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognitive behavioral therapy",
        "self help",
        "social anxiety"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "overtime-ef7c3c",
      "title": "Overtime",
      "author": "Charles Stross",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056662,
          "author": "aaronem",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:53:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056662",
          "commentText": "Peter Watts's Blindsight - easily the best SF novel I've read in the last decade. I haven't got round to Echopraxia yet, but I doubt it'll fail to live up to its predecessor.\nAlso, while I have no use whatsoever for Stross's \"Singularity\" stuff, his Laundry Files series excels, especially for an inveterate old Lovecraft fan such as myself. If you want a taste, there are some shorts available online -- \"Overtime\" and \"Funny Farm\" are good places to start; \"Equoid\" is the most recent, but it's not representative, and it's also the weakest entry in the series as a whole due to its poor characterization and reliance on shock and gruesomeness rather than the more insidious sort of horror in which the rest of the series specializes.\nI'm sort of surprised to see that no one has yet mentioned Heinlein; I know he's a politically divisive figure in the fandom, to say the least, but he's also the great granddaddy of the modern field, and such prominence deserves recognition. (Hell, he was pushing the Rapture of the Nerds before any of its modern adherents was even born!) Granted that his later works tend to bog down in self-referentiality and author tracts on the evils of Communism and the benefits of casual nudism; in his prime, though, he was an author and storyteller practically beyond compare.\nIn particular, his The Moon is a Harsh Mistress remains a classic among classics; The Puppet Masters even more so, to the extent of spawning practically a whole subgenre of second-rate imitations; and, for a lighter entry, his oft-overlooked The Door into Summer is a sweet story in which all's well that ends well and the importance of feline companionship in a well-rounded life is not overlooked.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Overtime\" and \"Funny Farm\" are good places to start",
          "reason": "Recommended as a starting point for sampling the series.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for an entry point to the series.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Stross"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "lovecraftian horror",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ovid-in-love-ebce56",
      "title": "Ovid in Love",
      "author": "Ovid; translated by Guy Lee",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13567953,
          "author": "madhadron",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T17:46:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567953",
          "commentText": "I separate my books into levels. Level 0 are the books that I reread steadily over the years (also the ones that I pack in my suitcase when I'm moving as opposed to shipping), so I'll just post that list here, in no particular order: 'Good Poems' edited by Garrison Keiller; 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen; 'Persuasion' by Jane Austen; Fitzgerald's translation of 'The Rubaiyat'; Ford Madox Ford's 'Parade's End'; Hafiz, 'The Gift'; Modesitt, 'Gravity Dreams'; Heinlein, 'Time Enough for Love'; Bulgakov, 'Master and Margarita'; 'Ovid in Love' (Guy Lee's translation of the Amores).\nI've been revisiting a lot of Le Guin's novellas ('The Found and the Lost' is a great collection) and Borges's stories since the election. They have been a source of great comfort.\nI find that I don't reread nonfiction. I'll reference something I remember in it, but I can't think of a work of nonfiction I've reread in the past few years.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Ovid in Love' (Guy Lee's translation of the Amores)",
          "reason": "Lists it among books reread steadily over the years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ovid; translated by Guy Lee"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classical poetry",
        "latin literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "owly-8b97f3",
      "title": "Owly",
      "author": "Andy Runton",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50059327,
          "author": "dyingkneepad",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-12T17:01:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50059327",
          "commentText": "The Dog Man series is probably the one I read the most to my kids, and the one I liked the most. The 10 first books are one whole story, read them in order. The Cat Kid Comic Club is cool as well.\nThe \"Who would win?\" series is also very popular at home.\nThe Owly comics are amazing for kids who are just starting to read. It's also super cute.\nJunie B. Jones stuff is also something I recall reading multiple times.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Owly comics are amazing for kids who are just starting to read. It's also super cute.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the comics for children beginning to read.",
          "audience": "Children who are just starting to read.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andy Runton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s comics",
        "early readers"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "owner-s-share-8ae7a4",
      "title": "Owner's Share",
      "author": "Nathan Lowell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13236925,
          "author": "jrgifford",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T12:55:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13236925",
          "commentText": "I read 54 books (might be 56, there's still time!) in 2016. Here's the ones I recommend:\nFiction:\n- Owner's Share by Nathan Lowell\nI forget who recommended I read the Solar Clipper series several years ago, but I have been following them for a long time and look forward to it. It's part of a series, so start with the first one (Quarter Share) and continue from there.\n- Star Wars: Tarkin by James Luceno\nNon fiction:\n- Programming Beyond Practices by Gregory Brown.\n- Thirteen: The Apollo Flight That Failed by Henry S.F. Cooper Jr.\nFor the rest of the books I read this year: https://www.goodreads.com/user_challenges/3965760",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Here's the ones I recommend:",
          "reason": "Included in the list the commenter explicitly recommends.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It is part of a series; the commenter says to start with Quarter Share.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nathan Lowell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "audio friendly fiction",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "oxford-english-dictionary-653c7b",
      "title": "Oxford English Dictionary",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27638213,
          "author": "lanstin",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T01:31:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27638213",
          "commentText": "I love the OED.  I have a paper copy of the older edition (the 2 volume one with a magnifying glass).  The histories of words is so interesting.  I always tell people (English non-native speakers or my kids learning English spelling etc. in school) that in English the spelling of a word is telling you the history of the word.  But the ways meanings slip around and so on is infinitely interesting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I love the OED. I have a paper copy of the older edition",
          "reason": "Praises the dictionary’s word histories and discusses its older print edition.",
          "audience": "English learners and children learning English spelling, as suggested by the commenter.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dictionary",
        "english language",
        "etymology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "oxford-english-dictionary-dac4c2",
      "title": "Oxford English Dictionary",
      "author": "Oxford University Press",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27657477,
          "author": "tomcam",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-28T02:28:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27657477",
          "commentText": "When I started making money I bought the full 22 volume version. Awesome fun.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "When I started making money I bought the full 22 volume version. Awesome fun.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes buying the complete edition as fun.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Oxford University Press"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dictionary",
        "english language",
        "etymology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "oxford-readings-in-philosophy-2faff2",
      "title": "Oxford Readings in Philosophy",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503580,
          "author": "gjm11",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T13:10:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503580",
          "commentText": "Obviously anyone's recommendations are going to tell you as much about that person's philosophical preferences as about the actual books. We might be able to do better if you told us more about your own interests and prejudices. Anyway, here are a few recommendations:\nEthics and (technical questions about) personal identity: \"Reasons and persons\", by Derek Parfit. Quite heavy going, but Parfit's an outstandingly clear thinker and there are some very good ideas here.\nApplied ethics: \"Living high and letting die\", by Peter Unger. Argues for the counterintuitive conclusion that basically all of us in the affluent West have an obligation to do (not just somewhat more but) vastly more for the least well-off.\nPhilosophy of religion (from a definitely atheist perspective): \"The miracle of theism\", by John Mackie. Quite dense, but well written, clear and mostly fair. Much much more seriously intellectually than any of the recent \"New Atheist\" books.\nPhilosophy of mind, epistemology, ethics, decision theory, philosophy of physics, many other things: \"Good and Real\", by Gary Drescher. \"A breathtakingly original assault on all the Big Issues!\", says Daniel Dennett, and he's right.\nRecommended on just about any topic: the \"Oxford Readings in Philosophy\" series of anthologies. Each volume consists of a lengthy introduction followed by somewhere on the order of 10 important articles from the primary literature. Generally very approachable and well selected.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Recommended on just about any topic: the \"Oxford Readings in Philosophy\" series of anthologies.",
          "reason": "Recommends the anthology series across a wide range of topics.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking approachable selections from primary philosophical literature.",
          "caveat": "Each volume includes a lengthy introduction and selected primary literature articles.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "philosophy anthologies",
        "primary sources"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "php-5-objects-patterns-and-practice-8b1c7b",
      "title": "PHP 5 Objects, Patterns, and Practice",
      "author": "Matt Zandstra",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 66983,
          "author": "henryw",
          "createdAt": "2007-10-12T19:32:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 66786,
          "threadTitle": "A good book to re-learn php?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=66983",
          "commentText": "PHP 5 Objects, Patterns, and Practice has a lot of advanced stuff.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/PHP-5-Objects-Patterns-Practice/dp/159... (http://www.amazon.com/PHP-5-Objects-Patterns-Practice/dp/1590593804/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-7637886-1359244?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1192217491&sr=8-1)\nZend PHP Study Guide has the basics without much examples.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/architects-Zend-Certification-Study-Gu... (http://www.amazon.com/architects-Zend-Certification-Study-Guide/dp/0973862149/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-7637886-1359244?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1192218522&sr=8-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "PHP 5 Objects, Patterns, and Practice has a lot of advanced stuff.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it covers advanced PHP material.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matt Zandstra"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "object oriented programming",
        "php"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "php-solutions-dynamic-web-design-made-easy-56fec4",
      "title": "PHP Solutions: Dynamic Web Design Made Easy",
      "author": "David Powers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 91856,
          "author": "noelchurchill",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-22T00:23:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 91778,
          "threadTitle": "Question: Quality Books/Tutorials for PHP",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=91856",
          "commentText": "I have found \"PHP Solutions: Dynamic Web Design Made Easy\" to be an excellent learning book.  It covers all the usual things you'd want to build in a web app.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"PHP Solutions: Dynamic Web Design Made Easy\" to be an excellent learning book.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an excellent learning book and says it covers common web app needs.",
          "audience": "Readers learning PHP and building web applications.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Powers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "php",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "php-and-mysql-by-example-da2c6f",
      "title": "PHP and MySQL by Example",
      "author": "Ellie Quigley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13663192,
          "author": "vvoyer",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-16T20:17:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13663192",
          "commentText": "PHP and MySQL by example: you build an IMDB like website in a very progressive and beginner manner.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/PHP-MySQL-Example-Ellie-Quigley/dp/01... (https://www.amazon.com/PHP-MySQL-Example-Ellie-Quigley/dp/0131875086)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "PHP and MySQL by example: you build an IMDB like website in a very progressive and beginner manner.",
          "reason": "Builds an IMDb-like website progressively for beginners.",
          "audience": "Beginners.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ellie Quigley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mysql",
        "php",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "php-for-dummies-fb7c74",
      "title": "PHP for Dummies",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3380294,
          "author": "billpatrianakos",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-22T03:54:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 3380141,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Intro Programming Book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3380294",
          "commentText": "Depends on what the goal is. Considering who's asking I'd assume the other commenters options would seem more attractive but I'd honestly never discount a good old \"For Dummies\" book. Seriously! I was about 17 when I deciding to move from online tutorials to books and I found that I really couldn't appreciate the O'Reilly books or any of the other suggestions you'd expect from this crowd until after I got through a couple of \"For Dummies\" books. \"PHP for Dummies\" was my favorite of the ones I read.\nI'm sure I'll be laughed at for suggesting it but they're really amazing at explaining things in layman's terms, there's usually some project that's useful that you build throughout it, and you actually retain the information when you're done. I know they don't teach you the latest greatest but as a beginner you don't need that stuff anyway and the fundamentals are what it's really about. \"For Dummies\" books are underrated. They're not cool but they work.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"PHP for Dummies\" was my favorite of the ones I read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says this was their favorite among the For Dummies books they read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "beginner guides",
        "php"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "php-for-dummies-d26a5d",
      "title": "PHP for Dummies",
      "author": "Janet Valade",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12152350,
          "author": "homoSapiens",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-24T05:42:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12152350",
          "commentText": "1. Think and grow rich: Thought me about goal setting, opened my eyes to the fact that a man can rise from his humble beginnings to any height he want's to attain if he is willing to work for it.\n2. PHP for dummies: My first exposure to the world of programming, since then I've never looked back.\n3. Rich Dad, Poor Dad: Changed my thinking about finance, I don't know how I would have handled my finances if I hadn't come across this book as a teenager, I feel so lucky to have read this book. I would have been stuck in society's harmful way of handling finance.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "PHP for dummies: My first exposure to the world of programming, since then I've never looked back.",
          "reason": "The commenter credits it with introducing them to programming.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Janet Valade"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "php programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pacific-rims-beermen-ballin-in-flip-flops-and-the-philippines-unl-2cd999",
      "title": "Pacific Rims: Beermen Ballin' in Flip-Flops and the Philippines' Unlikely Love Affair with Basketball",
      "author": "Rafe Bartholomew",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804348,
          "author": "JonathanMerklin",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:41:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804348",
          "commentText": "Great thread. 2019 was the first time in about 7-8 years I made reading for pleasure a tertiary priority ((school+career)work/sleep/exercise+socializing+(NEW!)reading) and I got through about 20 books of varying length and difficulty, so here are the next 20 in my queue:\n- Infinite Jest (already started, will likely finish in early Jan. I love it so far.)\n- Quantum Computing Since Democritus (started in November as my nonfiction read, but took a break; I think I want to finish IJ first. Scott is an excellent writer and I was really enjoying this)\n- Building Microservices\n- The Code Book\n- How Cars Work (I want to turn the projection of a car in my brain from a black box to a gray box this year, and I don't mean by purchasing a Cybertruck)\n- To Kill a Mockingbird\n- The Personal MBA (for years I laughed off caring about the business of business and lived in my fantasy land of being satisfied with just the technical details and being focused on only implementing great software/learning how to do so. With a few years in the workforce under my belt, I realize that such an outlook was of great detriment to me. I'm open to other suggestions on similar \"catch me up to speed on general business education\" material)\n- Designing Data-Intensive Applications\n- Island (I have a copy of this but not Brave New World. Multiple friends of mine demand I try Huxley, so here we are.)\n- The Annotated Turing\n- How to Invent Everything\n- Soonish (SMBC is a daily read for me and I'm excited to get to this.)\n- How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems (ditto XKCD modulo release schedule)\n- Basic Economics\n- Thus Spoke Zarathustra\n- Seveneves\n- The Prince\n- Pacific Rims: Beermen Ballin' in Flip-Flops and the Philippines' Unlikely Love Affair with Basketball\n- Elevator Music: A Surreal History of Muzak, Easy-Listening, and Other Moodsong\n- Fahrenheit 451\nAdditionally, to tickle the part of my brain that fancies mathematics (one of my my majors in undergrad), I try to work through a chapter or two of Evan Chen's \"An Infinitely Long Napkin\" on a quarterly basis. If you don't mind a conversational tone to your math textbooks, I've found this to be an excellent resource for scraping the surface of a wide variety of topics and fields (including, well, topics like fields). I think I'll continue this habit.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pacific Rims: Beermen Ballin' in Flip-Flops and the Philippines' Unlikely Love Affair with Basketball",
          "reason": "Listed in the commenter's planned reading queue.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rafe Bartholomew"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "basketball",
        "philippines"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "packing-for-mars-the-curious-science-of-life-in-space-f96b93",
      "title": "Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in Space",
      "author": "Mary Roach",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mary Roach"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human spaceflight",
        "space medicine"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "paddling-your-own-canoe-173e50",
      "title": "Paddling Your Own Canoe",
      "author": "Nick Offerman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34179618,
          "author": "muffinman26",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-29T23:37:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34179618",
          "commentText": "For me it's a mix of:\n1. News sites with book reviews. I read Vox's book critic reviews for a while, as well as my local paper's book review section. Definitely better for fiction or current events than other non-fiction.\n2. Asking the people working at the bookstore. I'm consistently surprised by the breadth of book recommendations bookstore employees can give. Even asking for something incredibly specific (like \"young adult fiction featuring a trans male protagonist\" or \"modern fantasy takes on mythologies other than Greek or Norse\") usually yields a few interesting results. Again, better for fiction than technical non-fiction.\n3. Friends, newsletters, and podcasts.\n4. Wandering around bookstores, especially boutiques, and thumbing through the books on display. This still yields mostly new releases, but stretches me outside my comfort zone. I found both Paddling Your Own Canoe by Nick Offerman (entertaining) and Breathing Fire: Female Inmate Firefighters on the Front Lines by Jaime Lowe (well-researched non-fiction) this way.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found both Paddling Your Own Canoe by Nick Offerman (entertaining)",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as entertaining.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nick Offerman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "humor",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pairs-trading-0e60b0",
      "title": "Pairs Trading",
      "author": "Ganapathy Vidyamurthy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3184995,
          "author": "rfurlan",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-02T01:39:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 3177815,
          "threadTitle": "Good books for hackers interested in quant finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3184995",
          "commentText": "Books I would recommend for beginners:\nEvidence Based Technical Analysis:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Evidence-Based-Technical-Analysis-Scie... (http://www.amazon.com/Evidence-Based-Technical-Analysis-Scientific-Statistical/dp/0470008741)\nPairs Trading:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Pairs-Trading-Quantitative-Methods-Ana... (http://www.amazon.com/Pairs-Trading-Quantitative-Methods-Analysis/dp/0471460672)\nQuantitative Trading:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Quantitative-Trading-Build-Algorithmic... (http://www.amazon.com/Quantitative-Trading-Build-Algorithmic-Business/dp/0470284889)\nAn Introduction to High Frequency Finance:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Introduction-High-Frequency-Finance-Ra... (http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-High-Frequency-Finance-Ramazan-Dacorogna/dp/0122796713)\nTrading and Exchanges: Market Microstructure for Practitioners:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Trading-Exchanges-Market-Microstructur... (http://www.amazon.com/Trading-Exchanges-Market-Microstructure-Practitioners/dp/0195144708)\nI also wrote a couple of very introductory articles, sadly I never got past part #2:\nhttp://www.bitcortex.com/2008/12/28/pragmatic-automated-trad... (http://www.bitcortex.com/2008/12/28/pragmatic-automated-trading-part-1/)\nhttp://www.bitcortex.com/2009/01/04/pragmatic-automated-trad... (http://www.bitcortex.com/2009/01/04/pragmatic-automated-trading-part-2/)\nI am could mentor 1-2 HN readers that are serious about getting into quant trading. Just let me know you are interested :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pairs Trading:",
          "reason": "Listed among books recommended for beginners.",
          "audience": "Beginners in quant trading.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ganapathy Vidyamurthy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "pairs trading",
        "quantitative trading"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "palace-walk-70323f",
      "title": "Palace Walk",
      "author": "Naguib Mahfouz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1569264,
          "author": "dkarl",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T22:04:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569264",
          "commentText": "Palace Walk, by Naguib Mahfouz\nA family drama set in Cairo during and after World War I.  It's a long book, but the going is easy.  The variety of characters of different ages and temperaments, each with their own preoccupations in a turbulent time, provide a fascinating glimpse of what to me was an entirely unknown society and culture.  It's the first book in a trilogy, so if you like it, there are more books waiting.\nNever Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro\nVery sad.  It ripped me up the first time I read it.  Anybody who grew up feeling different and somehow deficient should read it.\nTalking to Strange Men, by Ruth Rendell\nAn easy and fast-paced kind-of-mystery by a well-known mystery writer.  There are two stories related in a crucial but indirect way.  Each story has mysteries and twists that could stand on their own for suspense, but they play second fiddle to the development of several interesting characters.\nPersepolis and Persepolis 2, by Marjane Satrapi\nGraphic memoirs about growing up in Iran and Europe.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "provide a fascinating glimpse of what to me was an entirely unknown society and culture",
          "reason": "The characters and setting offer a fascinating glimpse of an unfamiliar society and culture.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Cairo and its society during and after World War I.",
          "caveat": "Long, though the commenter says the going is easy; first in a trilogy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Naguib Mahfouz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "egyptian literature",
        "family drama"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "paladin-s-grace-58fe80",
      "title": "Paladin's Grace",
      "author": "T. Kingfisher",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29670989,
          "author": "Rebelgecko",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T06:41:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29670989",
          "commentText": "It's a bit outside of what I regularly read, but I semi-accidentally read a romance novel called Paladin's Grace. You may or may not dig it, not sure how it stacks up against others in the genre but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I semi-accidentally read a romance novel called Paladin's Grace.",
          "reason": "Says they were pleasantly surprised by how much they enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in romance or fantasy.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure how it compares with other books in the genre.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "T. Kingfisher"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fantasy romance",
        "romance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pale-blue-dot-8ca16c",
      "title": "Pale Blue Dot",
      "author": "Carl Sagan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 143367,
          "author": "macmac",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T16:08:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143367",
          "commentText": "The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert M. Pirsig\nLila: An Inquiry into Morals - Robert M. Pirsig\nThe Open Society and its Enemies - Karl. R. Popper\nThe Player of Games - Iain M. Banks\nPale Blue Dot - Carl Sagan\nThe God Delusion - Richard Dawkins\n\"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—\t\nI took the one less traveled by,\t\nAnd that has made all the difference.\" from \"The Road not Taken\" by Robert Frost",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pale Blue Dot - Carl Sagan",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carl Sagan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "astronomy",
        "space exploration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pale-lights-3ab10d",
      "title": "Pale Lights",
      "author": "ErraticErrata",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46398604,
          "author": "shnock",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T02:46:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46398604",
          "commentText": "DCC is êxcéllént. I have also been enjoying Pale Lights and The Years of Apocalypse.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I have also been enjoying Pale Lights",
          "reason": "Says they have been enjoying it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "ErraticErrata"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dark fantasy",
        "web serial"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pandora-s-lab-seven-stories-of-science-gone-wrong-6178ab",
      "title": "Pandora's Lab: Seven Stories of Science Gone Wrong",
      "author": "Paul A. Offit",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17521595,
          "author": "rgbimbochamp",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T09:38:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521595",
          "commentText": "I read a bunch this year but Pandora's Lab is the most mind-boggling shit one should read.\nMy list resides here: https://saru.science/readinglist/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pandora's Lab is the most mind-boggling shit one should read.",
          "reason": "Strongly urges people to read it and calls it mind-boggling.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul A. Offit"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "medical history",
        "science misconceptions"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "papa-hemingway-2d292c",
      "title": "Papa Hemingway",
      "author": "A. E. Hotchner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17337335,
          "author": "auslegung",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:22:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337335",
          "commentText": "The Bible, Hobbit, LOTR series, Narnia, Catcher in the Rye, 1984, Papa Hemingway, these are all books that I’ve had to buy multiple times because they fall apart over the years. Never realized until just now how many comfort books I have...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Papa Hemingway",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "A. E. Hotchner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary biography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "parable-of-the-talents-c05bc7",
      "title": "Parable of the Talents",
      "author": "Octavia E. Butler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43614198,
          "author": "Jtsummers",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T18:04:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43614198",
          "commentText": "> Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler (near future post-apocalyptic sci-fi).\nIf you haven't read it, Parable of the Talents, the sequel, is also worth a read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Parable of the Talents, the sequel, is also worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the sequel is worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Octavia E. Butler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopia",
        "post apocalyptic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "parade-s-end-39391b",
      "title": "Parade's End",
      "author": "Ford Madox Ford",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13567953,
          "author": "madhadron",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T17:46:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567953",
          "commentText": "I separate my books into levels. Level 0 are the books that I reread steadily over the years (also the ones that I pack in my suitcase when I'm moving as opposed to shipping), so I'll just post that list here, in no particular order: 'Good Poems' edited by Garrison Keiller; 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen; 'Persuasion' by Jane Austen; Fitzgerald's translation of 'The Rubaiyat'; Ford Madox Ford's 'Parade's End'; Hafiz, 'The Gift'; Modesitt, 'Gravity Dreams'; Heinlein, 'Time Enough for Love'; Bulgakov, 'Master and Margarita'; 'Ovid in Love' (Guy Lee's translation of the Amores).\nI've been revisiting a lot of Le Guin's novellas ('The Found and the Lost' is a great collection) and Borges's stories since the election. They have been a source of great comfort.\nI find that I don't reread nonfiction. I'll reference something I remember in it, but I can't think of a work of nonfiction I've reread in the past few years.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ford Madox Ford's 'Parade's End'",
          "reason": "Lists it among books reread steadily over the years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ford Madox Ford"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "modernist literature",
        "world war i fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "parallel-and-concurrent-programming-in-haskell-3d6538",
      "title": "Parallel and Concurrent Programming in Haskell",
      "author": "Simon Marlow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9757947,
          "author": "HugoDaniel",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T13:01:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9757947",
          "commentText": "Parallel and Concurrent Programming in Haskell By Simon Marlow",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Parallel and Concurrent Programming in Haskell By Simon Marlow",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Simon Marlow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "concurrent programming",
        "haskell",
        "parallel programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "parenting-beyond-belief-on-raising-ethical-caring-kids-without-re-25af5a",
      "title": "Parenting Beyond Belief: On Raising Ethical, Caring Kids Without Religion",
      "author": "Dale McGowan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 127721,
          "author": "ixnu",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-03T01:44:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 127711,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Hacker moms & dads, what do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=127721",
          "commentText": "We have a 10 month old, a six, and eight y-o. Here are some  books that have helped us:\nThe Happiest Baby on the Block: The New Way to Calm Crying and Help Your Newborn Baby Sleep Longer (Paperback)\nby Harvey Karp\nParenting Beyond Belief: On Raising Ethical, Caring Kids Without Religion by Dale McGowan",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Parenting Beyond Belief: On Raising Ethical, Caring Kids Without Religion by Dale McGowan",
          "reason": "Listed among books that helped the family.",
          "audience": "Parents raising children without religion.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dale McGowan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Parenting"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ethical upbringing",
        "secular parenting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "parenting-from-the-inside-out-b97b8a",
      "title": "Parenting from the Inside Out",
      "author": "Daniel J. Siegel and Mary Hartzell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1633516,
          "author": "dwwoelfel",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T17:36:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1633516",
          "commentText": "http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/1585422096",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "http://www.amazon.com/o/ASIN/1585422096",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1632057,
          "author": "btilly",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T04:56:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1632057",
          "commentText": "Parenting from the Inside-Out.  If you're willing to work your way through it slowly, and do the exercises, it is invaluable.  If you just read and understand it intellectually, the benefit is not nearly so great.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it is invaluable",
          "reason": "Calls the book invaluable when readers work through it slowly and do the exercises.",
          "audience": "Readers willing to work through it slowly and do the exercises.",
          "caveat": "Reading and understanding it intellectually without doing the exercises brings much less benefit.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel J. Siegel and Mary Hartzell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Parenting",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "parent child relationships",
        "reflective parenting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "parmenides-7353f5",
      "title": "Parmenides",
      "author": "Plato",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19090108,
          "author": "nathias",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T21:39:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090108",
          "commentText": "Plato - Meno, Symposium, Parmenides, Gorgias, Protagoras\nPlotinus -Enneads\nMarkus Aurelius - Meditations\nDescartes - On method\nDescartes - Meditations\nSpinoza - On the improvement of Understanding\nLeibniz - Monadology\nLeibniz - Grace\nVoltaire - Candid\nDiderot - D'Alembert's Dream\nKant - How to orient oneself in thinking\nKant - Critique of Pure Reason\nKant - Critique of Judgment\nHegel - Phenomenology of Spirit\nHegel - Logic\nvon Kleist - Marionette Theatre\nKierkegaard - The Sickness Unto Death\nHeidegger - Being and Time\nSartre - Being and Nothingness\nSartre - Flies\nSartre - Nausea\nDeleuze - Difference and Repetition\nKafka - Metamorphosis\nKafka - The Castle\nLem - Magellan Nebula\nLem - His Master's Voice\nCioran - A Short History of Decay\nPessoa - Book Of Despair\nWolfe -  New Sun tetralogy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Plato - Meno, Symposium, Parmenides, Gorgias, Protagoras",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Plato"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient greek philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "parsing-techniques-5ef657",
      "title": "Parsing Techniques",
      "author": "Dick Grune",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12252572,
          "author": "alok-g",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-09T04:11:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12252572",
          "commentText": "Minds, Brains and Machines by Geoffrey Brown [1] for introducing me to the complexities of the mind-body problem.  It did not show the answers of course, but helped me think right about it.\nSiddhartha by Herman Hesse [2] for contributing to helping me come out of excessive questioning of everything (philosophy) to science that helps towards actually answering the questions answerable.\nFeynman Lectures in Physics [3] and Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman [4], with no need to explain \"how\".  :-)\nThe Ghost in the Atom [5] for explaining varied views on the nature of science, especially Quantum Mechanics, and what goes in the minds of the top-notch scientists working on these problems.\nParsing Techniques by Dick Grune [6] for teaching me the fundamentals of computer science and helping me proceed with my deep interest in Artificial Intelligence.\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/Minds-Brains-Machines-Mind-Matters/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Minds-Brains-Machines-Mind-Matters/dp/1853990132)\n[2] https://www.amazon.com/Siddhartha-Hermann-Hesse/dp/161382378... (https://www.amazon.com/Siddhartha-Hermann-Hesse/dp/1613823789/)\n[3] http://www.feynmanlectures.caltech.edu/\n[4] https://www.amazon.com/Surely-Feynman-Adventures-Curious-Cha... (https://www.amazon.com/Surely-Feynman-Adventures-Curious-Character/dp/0393316041/)\n[5] https://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Atom-Discussion-Mysteries-Quant... (https://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Atom-Discussion-Mysteries-Quantum/dp/0521457289/)\n[6] https://www.amazon.com/Parsing-Techniques-Practical-Monograp... (https://www.amazon.com/Parsing-Techniques-Practical-Monographs-Computer/dp/038720248X/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Parsing Techniques by Dick Grune [6] for teaching me the fundamentals of computer science and helping me proceed with my deep interest in Artificial Intelligence.",
          "reason": "Credited with teaching computer science fundamentals and supporting the commenter's interest in AI.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dick Grune"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "compiler design",
        "parsing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "parsing-techniques-a-practical-guide-04c078",
      "title": "Parsing Techniques: A Practical Guide",
      "author": "Dick Grune and Ceriel J. H. Jacobs",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 137073,
          "author": "MMZ",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-14T19:10:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 136875,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good compiler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=137073",
          "commentText": "This is one of the best books I have come across. Precise and to the point. Lots of examples, and bibliographic references.\nhttp://www.wiley.co.uk/wileychi/grune/\nThere is also a great book by the same author on parsing.\nhttp://www.cs.vu.nl/~dick/PTAPG.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "There is also a great book by the same author on parsing.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes the parsing book as great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dick Grune and Ceriel J. H. Jacobs"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "parsing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "parthiban-kanavu-12ecb6",
      "title": "Parthiban Kanavu",
      "author": "Kalki Krishnamurthy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10792503,
          "author": "krishna2",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-25T22:08:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10792503",
          "commentText": "Happy my list will cons new lists. :)\nPoSe is by far the magnum opus. PaKa was written first and SiSa was written a dozen or so years later but historically SiSa happens about a decade or two before PaKa. PaKa is short (one-fifth the size of the other two). I liked the story of PaKa a lot. [although the movie version was totally butchered]. And just like how PoSe (which happens about 300 years after PaKa/SiSa) is all about Chozhas, the other two are about Pallavas. Very fascinating reads - will totally recommend it.\nIf you like Science and Music (in this case, western classical music), and biographies/history related to the science/music characters, then you will like my list a lot.\nPlease feel free to get in touch offline - can share more details. [I have the same id as the hn id in google/gmail as well].\nPS: the goodreads link you posted takes me to my year_in_books page - can you please share your public url? Would love to see your reading list. thanks.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I liked the story of PaKa a lot. [although the movie version was totally butchered].",
          "reason": "Says they liked the story a lot; the movie adaptation is criticized.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the movie version was butchered.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10788790,
          "author": "sundarurfriend",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T17:10:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10788790",
          "commentText": "Wow, that's quite the inspiring list. I've been thinking about creating a list of 52 books to read for 2016 (one per week), and I think I'll be stealing a lot from your list here.\nI'm a big fan of Ponniyin Selvan, how do Parthiban Kanavu and Sivagamiyin Sabatham compare to it?\nHere's the 52 I finished this year: https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2015",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "how do Parthiban Kanavu and Sivagamiyin Sabatham compare to it?",
          "reason": "Asks how it compares with a book they like; gives no direct evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kalki Krishnamurthy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "tamil literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "passionate-marriage-sex-love-intimacy-in-emotionally-committed-re-dd1cce",
      "title": "Passionate Marriage: Sex, Love & Intimacy in Emotionally Committed Relationships",
      "author": "David Schnarch",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30241789,
          "author": "zentr1c",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T08:18:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241789",
          "commentText": "Things nobody tells you about relationship dynamics when you are young. Whats a head of you emontionaly? I recommend these to my son.\nErich Fromm The Art of Loving\nDavid schnarch \nPassionate Marriage: Sex, Love & Intimacy in emotionally committed relationships.\nAnd before you get married...\nGet some new perspective why ...\nWolfgang gädecke, Sexuality, Partnership and Marriage : From a Spiritual Perspective",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Passionate Marriage: Sex, Love & Intimacy in emotionally committed relationships.",
          "reason": "Lists it among books recommended to the commenter’s son about relationship dynamics.",
          "audience": "Young people learning about relationships.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Schnarch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "intimacy",
        "marriage",
        "relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "password-1ba541",
      "title": "Password",
      "author": "Martin Paul Eve",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12243872,
          "author": "jboynyc",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-07T21:51:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12243872",
          "commentText": "Most recently, Password by Martin Paul Eve. Highly recommended. http://www.bloomsbury.com/us/password-9781501314872/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Most recently, Password by Martin Paul Eve. Highly recommended.",
          "reason": "Explicitly described as highly recommended.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin Paul Eve"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybersecurity",
        "passwords"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "path-of-compassion-bed0da",
      "title": "Path of Compassion",
      "author": "Thich Nhat Hanh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35171605,
          "author": "grepLeigh",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:18:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35171605",
          "commentText": "Most posts offer the obvious suggestions (The Mom Test, High Growth Handbook, The Personal MBA, The Power Law, Hard Thing about Hard Thing, Will It Fly, etc), so I'll focus on some non-obvious suggestions.\nFor tactical advice, I find talks/podcasts and mastermind groups more useful than books.  My favorite podcast (by far) is Rob Walling's Startups for the Rest of Us, which is oriented towards building a capital-efficient bootstrapped business. The archive is full of extremely valuable tactical advice.\nThe books I've found most helpful on my entrepreneurship journey are about mental health, emotional intelligence, and relationships of all kinds. Sharing a few that have had a profound impact, since they helped me metabolize and understand what drove me to become a founder in the first place.\n1. The Self-Compassion Skills Workbook by Tim Desmond\n2. Path of Compassion by Thich Nhat Hanh\n3. The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read, Philippa Perry\n4. Burnout, Emily Nagoski\n5. Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents, Lindsay C. Gibson\n6. Self-Compassion, Dr. Kristin Neff\n7. How to Keep House While Drowning, KC Davis\n8. Deploy Empathy, Michele Hansen\n9. The Body Keeps the Score, Bessel A. Van der Kolk\n10. Atlas of the Heart, Brene Brown\n11. What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Path of Compassion by Thich Nhat Hanh",
          "reason": "Listed among books that helped the commenter on their entrepreneurship journey.",
          "audience": "Founders interested in mental health, emotional intelligence, and relationships.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thich Nhat Hanh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhism",
        "compassion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pathfinder-bacbdd",
      "title": "Pathfinder",
      "author": "Orson Scott Card",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2087684,
          "author": "Beanblabber",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T06:15:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2087684",
          "commentText": "Pathfinder - Orson Scott Card\nNot only is it written by the author of the epic ender's game series ( which is a must as well), but it mixes genetic mutations of time control, ancient(objectively, not subjectively.) civilizations and plain ol good sci-fi together for one hell of a ride.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "mixes genetic mutations of time control, ancient(objectively, not subjectively.) civilizations and plain ol good sci-fi together for one hell of a ride.",
          "reason": "Described as an exciting blend of time control, ancient civilizations, and science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Orson Scott Card"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "time travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pathfinder-john-charles-fremont-and-the-course-of-american-empire-f79336",
      "title": "Pathfinder: John Charles Frémont and the Course of American Empire",
      "author": "Tom Chaffin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6976452,
          "author": "davidw",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T20:41:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976452",
          "commentText": "Looking through my list, none jumps out as a 'life changer':\nhttp://davids-book-reviews.blogspot.it/\nAlthough there are several good ones there:\n* Nathan Barry's Authority: http://blog.liberwriter.com/2013/11/21/nathan-barrys-authori... (http://blog.liberwriter.com/2013/11/21/nathan-barrys-authority/)\n* Worthless, Impossible and Stupid: http://davids-book-reviews.blogspot.it/2013/09/worthless-imp... (http://davids-book-reviews.blogspot.it/2013/09/worthless-impossible-and-stupid-how.html) - not one for the ages, but I thought his take on entrepreneurship was interesting.\n* http://davids-book-reviews.blogspot.it/2013/08/pathfinder-jo... (http://davids-book-reviews.blogspot.it/2013/08/pathfinder-john-charles-fremont-and.html) - biography of John Fremont.  Interesting guy in an interesting period of American history.\n* http://davids-book-reviews.blogspot.it/2013/02/innovation-an... (http://davids-book-reviews.blogspot.it/2013/02/innovation-and-entrepreneurship.html) - Innovation and Entrepreneurship by Drucker.  Still a very relevant book in a lot of ways.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "biography of John Fremont. Interesting guy in an interesting period of American history.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the subject and historical period interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Chaffin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american history",
        "exploration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pattern-classification-418a2b",
      "title": "Pattern Classification",
      "author": "Richard O. Duda, Peter E. Hart, and David G. Stork",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 79625,
          "author": "mriley",
          "createdAt": "2007-11-14T02:40:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 79359,
          "threadTitle": "Can anyone recommend good books, articles or essays that introduce machine learning?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=79625",
          "commentText": "I'll second this recommendation - I bought the printed copy, and I'm constantly going to it for reference. The fact that it's available for free is just an added bonus.\nI would also suggest Elements of Statistical Learning: http://www-stat.stanford.edu/~tibs/ElemStatLearn/\nAs well as Duda, Hart, and Stork's Pattern Classification: http://rii.ricoh.com/~stork/DHS.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "As well as Duda, Hart, and Stork's Pattern Classification",
          "reason": "Suggested as another book for the machine learning recommendations request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard O. Duda, Peter E. Hart, and David G. Stork"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classification",
        "machine learning",
        "pattern recognition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pattern-oriented-software-architecture-volume-1-a-system-of-patte-fdf3d2",
      "title": "Pattern-Oriented Software Architecture, Volume 1: A System of Patterns",
      "author": "Frank Buschmann, Regine Meunier, Hans Rohnert, Peter Sommerlad, and Michael Stal",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12150875,
          "author": "de107549",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-23T20:24:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12150875",
          "commentText": "There were different book that impacted different stages of my career:\nAs a programmer :\n1. The C++ Programming Language by Bjarne Stroustrup.\n2. Operating System Concepts by Silberschatz\n3. Compilers by Aho\nAs an agile software developer:\n1. eXtreme Programming by Kent Beck\n2. Pragmatic Programmer by Hunt and Thomas\n3. Continuous Delivery by Jez Humble\nAs an architect:\n1. Domain Driven Design by Evans\n2. Pattern-Oriented Software Architecture by Buschmann\n3. Envisioning Information by Edward Tufte\nAs a CEO:\n1. Good To Great by Collins\n2. Lean Startup by Eric Ries\n3. Beyond Budgeting by Pfläging",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pattern-Oriented Software Architecture by Buschmann",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frank Buschmann, Regine Meunier, Hans Rohnert, Peter Sommerlad, and Michael Stal"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software architecture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "patterns-for-parallel-programming-c28a9d",
      "title": "Patterns for Parallel Programming",
      "author": "Timothy G. Mattson, Beverly A. Sanders, and Berna L. Massingill",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7765865,
          "author": "dkersten",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-19T05:40:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7765865",
          "commentText": "The only ones I can think of off-hand are these two. The second one isn't really about parallel/concurrent/distributed programming per se, but rather about using Intels Threading Building Blocks - good book if that's what you want to do, but not very useful if not. The first book is interesting and covers a lot of ground (covering general techniques and algorithms as well as specific implementations with OpenMP, MPI and Java's facilities), but I liked Art of multiprocessor programming more, probably because it has a more beginner friendly teach everything from the very beginning approach.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Patterns-Parallel-Programming-Timothy-... (http://www.amazon.com/Patterns-Parallel-Programming-Timothy-Mattson/dp/0321228111/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1400477708&sr=8-1&keywords=patterns+of+parallel+programming)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Intel-Threading-Building-Blocks-Parall... (http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Threading-Building-Blocks-Parallelism/dp/0596514808/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1400477796&sr=1-1&keywords=intel+threading+building+blocks)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The first book is interesting and covers a lot of ground (covering general techniques and algorithms as well as specific implementations with OpenMP, MPI and Java's facilities)",
          "reason": "Described as interesting and broad in its coverage of techniques, algorithms, and implementations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter preferred The Art of Multiprocessor Programming.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Timothy G. Mattson, Beverly A. Sanders, and Berna L. Massingill"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mpi",
        "openmp",
        "parallel programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "patterns-for-time-triggered-embedded-systems-building-reliable-ap-7a3dd4",
      "title": "Patterns for Time-Triggered Embedded Systems: Building Reliable Applications with the 8051 Family of Microcontrollers",
      "author": "Michael J. Pont",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22096179,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T03:57:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22096179",
          "commentText": "This is a thread after my own heart! I love finding out and reading old, less well-known and thought provoking books on a variety of subject matters. I have come to the conclusion that \"popular\" almost always equals \"lowest common denominator\" and \"fad of the month\" particularly given today's media hype cycles. Moreover one has to guard against having ones mental models bounded within a box. By actively seeking out lesser known and out of the way viewpoints one truly grows. Some books from my collection which i have not seen mentioned here (in no particular order or categorization);\n* The Natural History of Nonsense by Bergan Evans\n* Programming on Purpose, Essays on Software Design by P. J. Plauger\n* Management: A Political Activity by Ted Stephenson\n* The Energy of Life: The Science of What Makes Our Minds and Bodies Work by Guy Brown\n* Patterns for Time-Triggered Embedded Systems: Building Reliable Applications with the 8051 Family of Microcontrollers by Michael Pont.\n* UNIX Systems for Modern Architectures: Symmetric Multiprocessing and Caching for Kernel Programmers by Curt Schimmel.\n* Maxims and Reflections (Ricordi) by Francesco Guicciardini\nThere are a bunch more i have to root around for :-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Patterns for Time-Triggered Embedded Systems: Building Reliable Applications with the 8051 Family of Microcontrollers by Michael Pont.",
          "reason": "Lists it among books from their collection that they have not seen mentioned in the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael J. Pont"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "8051 microcontrollers",
        "embedded systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "patterns-in-network-architecture-47251c",
      "title": "Patterns in Network Architecture",
      "author": "John Day",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28456228,
          "author": "jonny_storm",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-08T12:48:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 28450555,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that impacted your work that few other people seem to care about?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28456228",
          "commentText": "Patterns in Network Architecture\nFirst published in 2007, Patterns... describes a kind of grand unification of network protocols, collapsing the fraught OSI model into a single, recursive layer. Notable features include: the unification of transport semantics, from TCP to UDP; the decimation of Internet routes through private-everywhere, topological addressing; the supplanting of URL and DNS with application names and a dynamic, distributed directory; elegant approaches to mobility and multicast/anycast; emergent security and DDoS mitigation; emergent throughput and connection scaling; a sophisticated approach to monitoring and management; and much more.\nWith the arguable failure of IPv6, the deepening swamp of IoT, and the now-leaning tower of HTTP-based transports, Patterns... illuminates a different path, one that can still be taken, both in the small and the large.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Patterns in Network Architecture",
          "reason": "Presents the book as illuminating an alternative design path for network architecture.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in network protocols and Internet architecture.",
          "caveat": "The comment frames its case around the arguable failure of IPv6 and challenges in IoT and HTTP-based transports.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Day"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "internet protocols",
        "network architecture",
        "osi model"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "patterns-of-software-54098c",
      "title": "Patterns of Software",
      "author": "Richard P. Gabriel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 86044,
          "author": "jdale27",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T19:08:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86044",
          "commentText": "(I'm going to ignore the prohibition on \"programming/technical books\".)\n- GEB\n- SICP\n- anything by Paul Auster or Hermann Hesse\n- most Haruki Murakami, especially \"The Wind-up Bird Chronicle\"\n- Joan Didion, \"Where I Was From\"\n- Richard P. Gabriel, \"Patterns of Software\"\n- Durbin, Eddy, Krogh, and Mitchison, \"Biological Sequence Analysis\"\n- Italo Calvino, \"if on a winter's night a traveller\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Patterns of Software\"",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorites in response to the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes they are ignoring the thread's exclusion of technical books.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard P. Gabriel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming",
        "software design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "paul-wilmott-introduces-quantitative-finance-02ad54",
      "title": "Paul Wilmott Introduces Quantitative Finance",
      "author": "Paul Wilmott",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6332780,
          "author": "brotchie",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-05T07:56:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 6329955,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which two books were the most influential on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6332780",
          "commentText": "1) Diaspora - Greg Egan. Absolutely changed my world view regarding our place in the universe, the nature of conscious minds, and the potential for post-biological life.\n2) Paul Wilmott Introduces Quantitative Finance. Pulled this off the shelf at random in a book store 3-4 years ago and found out that modern Finance involves a bunch of mathematics and programming. Started me on a course of learning everything I could learn about the subject and changed my \"life arc\" very much for the better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Started me on a course of learning everything I could learn about the subject and changed my \"life arc\" very much for the better.",
          "reason": "It prompted sustained learning and positively changed the commenter’s life direction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Wilmott"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Economics",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "quantitative finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "paul-s-works-of-the-law-in-the-perspective-of-second-century-rece-9febd8",
      "title": "Paul's \"Works of the Law\" in the Perspective of Second-Century Reception",
      "author": "Matthew J. Thomas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38557174,
          "author": "rightlane",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:08:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557174",
          "commentText": "The Apology by Plato. Short but insightful.\nDungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman. If you like LitRPG this series is just so good.\nPaul's \"Works of the Law\" in the Perspective of Second-Century Reception by Matthew J. Thomas. If you are a theology nerd this is just exceedingly interesting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you are a theology nerd this is just exceedingly interesting.",
          "reason": "Called exceedingly interesting.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in theology.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthew J. Thomas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biblical studies",
        "christian theology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "paul-s-letter-to-the-galatians-6c5bbb",
      "title": "Paul's Letter to the Galatians",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15157049,
          "author": "tomohawk",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T17:05:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15157049",
          "commentText": "Paul's Letter to the Galatians",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Paul's Letter to the Galatians",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian scripture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "paypal-wars-b52bb4",
      "title": "PayPal Wars",
      "author": "Eric M. Jackson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1027082,
          "author": "ecq",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T11:01:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027082",
          "commentText": "Great books i read in 2009\n-The Wolf of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort - hilarious\n-Inside Steve's Brain\n-Paypal Wars - old book but still very informative and relevant\n-Viral Loop by Adam L. Penenberg",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Paypal Wars - old book but still very informative and relevant",
          "reason": "Calls the book informative and relevant.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in PayPal’s early history.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is an old book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 947743,
          "author": "ecq",
          "createdAt": "2009-11-18T03:46:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 947581,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN:  What's the best first business book for a programmer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=947743",
          "commentText": "Most of the books I read are usually business profiles/bios of founders/companies.\n1) iCon Steve Jobs: The Greatest Second Act in the History of Business\n2) The Google Story\n3) The Perfect Store: Inside eBay\n4) Paypal Wars\n5) Barbarians at the Gate (not tech-related but one of the best business books of all time)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "4) Paypal Wars",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of business profiles and biographies the commenter reads.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in company histories and business profiles.",
          "caveat": "Presented as part of a reading list, without an explicit recommendation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 138230,
          "author": "paulkafasis",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-16T16:24:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=138230",
          "commentText": "I'd also highly recommend The Monk and the Riddle - I don't think I've ever seen it suggested elsewhere, but I recommend it to everyone.\nI found PayPal Wars to be a bit dull, and the author a bit smug.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I found PayPal Wars to be a bit dull, and the author a bit smug.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it dull and its author smug.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric M. Jackson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "paypal",
        "startup history",
        "company history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "peak-secrets-from-the-new-science-of-expertise-86b685",
      "title": "Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise",
      "author": "Anders Ericsson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29670982,
          "author": "fma",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T06:39:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29670982",
          "commentText": "Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise by Anders Ericsson\nEssentially a book on how the best in the world structured their learning to master their skill, and how you can incorporate to what you want to master.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise by Anders Ericsson",
          "reason": "Describes how experts structure learning and how readers can apply those methods to a skill.",
          "audience": "People who want to master a skill.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anders Ericsson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "deliberate practice",
        "expertise"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "peak-secrets-from-the-new-science-of-expertise-564bf2",
      "title": "Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14490385,
          "author": "pombrand",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T19:04:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14490385",
          "commentText": "\"Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise\" because I've been learning ineffectively my whole life not knowing that I was. Should be required reading for every 15 year old. The best, most science based book I've ever read about learning effectively.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The best, most science based book I've ever read about learning effectively.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the best science-based book they have read on effective learning and says it should be required reading for 15-year-olds.",
          "audience": "Everyone, especially 15-year-olds.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "deliberate practice",
        "expertise"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pearls-of-functional-algorithm-design-7bef04",
      "title": "Pearls of Functional Algorithm Design",
      "author": "Richard Bird",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7767502,
          "author": "fredyr",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-19T14:16:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7767502",
          "commentText": "Richard Bird, Philip Wadler - Introduction to Functional Programming\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Functional-Programming-In... (http://www.amazon.com/Introduction-Functional-Programming-International-Computing/dp/0134841891)\nRichard Bird - Pearls of Functional Algorithm Design\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Pearls-Functional-Algorithm-Design-Ric... (http://www.amazon.com/Pearls-Functional-Algorithm-Design-Richard/dp/0521513383)\nChristian Queinnec - Lisp in Small Pieces\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Lisp-Small-Pieces-Christian-Queinnec/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Lisp-Small-Pieces-Christian-Queinnec/dp/0521545668)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Richard Bird - Pearls of Functional Algorithm Design",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Bird"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "functional programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pears-cyclopaedia-fb5f17",
      "title": "Pears' Cyclopaedia",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47985997,
          "author": "anenefan",
          "createdAt": "2026-05-02T12:53:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 47984463,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47985997",
          "commentText": "I just loved taking the time and care to pick a book as a fitting gift mostly for birthday or Christmas presents for the kids about over the years who could really use a practical book.  It's not something I've done for over a decade so not many spring to mind.\nFor someone I considered daughter like for her senior school year I took time to get my hands on a \"Pears' Cyclopaedia\" for her birthday.\nMy neighbour who had lupus but continued to smoke heavily, no sarcasm intended, with sincerity I got her dark but funny \"The Book of Bunny Suicides\" by Andy Riley.  She photocopied the image of the bunny smoking as many as it could and hung in up.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I took time to get my hands on a \"Pears' Cyclopaedia\" for her birthday.",
          "reason": "Given as a birthday gift.",
          "audience": "A daughter-like recipient in her senior school year.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Learning",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "encyclopedia",
        "reference book"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pedagogy-of-the-oppressed-ab6465",
      "title": "Pedagogy of the Oppressed",
      "author": "Paulo Freire",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42963832,
          "author": "rbanffy",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-06T16:15:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42963832",
          "commentText": "- The Paul Street Boys (Ferenc Molnár)\n- The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas (Machado de Assis)\n- Cousin Bazilio (Eça de Queirós)\n- Pedagogy of the Oppressed (Paulo Freire)\nAll these as a teen. I don't think my moral compass had much plasticity after that.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pedagogy of the Oppressed (Paulo Freire)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paulo Freire"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "critical pedagogy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pedro-paramo-ff4ec0",
      "title": "Pedro Páramo",
      "author": "Juan Rulfo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783915,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:06:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783915",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction, best to worst:\nHenry Marsh, Do No Harm. A brilliant memoir by a neurosurgeon about his work, the nature of his profession, successes and mistakes (especially the latter). Frequently touches or verges into the personal. Not morbid, but often sad.\nKeith Johnstone, Impro for Storytellers. \nViola Spolin, Improvisation for the Theater\nTwo very good books about improvisation, although Spolin's is too dry and theory-laden for me (it's meant for teachers more than practitioners). Both, however, pale compared to Keith Johnstone's earlier Impro: Improvisation and the Theater, which is a life-changing book about what improvisation can teach us about spontaneous creativity and relationships between people. I recommend that one first and foremost if you know nothing about improvisation and are curious.\nMartinus J G Veltman, Facts and Mysteries in Elementary Particle Physics. A readable account - necessarily simplified, of course - of the current state of affairs in elementary particles and much of the last 50 years of history, by one of the participants (a Nobel prize winner). Not as organized and methodical as I thought it would be, and half a year later I forgot most of the physical explanations, but it was an interesting read.\nRobert B. Edgerton, Sick Societies. A thorough examination of the hundreds of horrible examples when \"natural\" societies studied by anthropologists have customs that are not only bad from our modern Western point of view, but arguably fail in achieving their own objectives. The whole book exists to counter lazy cultural relativism of the \"maybe we don't like X, but if they do it, it must be for a good reason and it must be a useful adaptation for them\" kind.\nMichael Harris, Mathematics Without Apologies. A very eclectic and idiosyncratic book by a mathematician on the sociology and epistemology of mathematics as a discipline. To be appreciated for its wealth of ideas and references to other interesting books and theories, rather than for any particular argument or thread.\nMilton Rokeach, The Three Christs of Ypsilanti. A story on what happened when a psychologist tried to bring three psychiatric patients, each believing themselves to be Christ, together and to talk it out amongst themselves. Happened in the 1960s. The idea is more interesting than the outcome.\nFiction, best to worst:\nPatrick O'Brian, The Hundred Days. The penultimate book in the series of the best historical novels (the Aubrey-Maturin series) ever written, by a huge margin. The series transcend the genre and I count the Aubrey-Maturin books among the very best books I read in the last decade.\nDodie Smith, I Capture the Castle. A brilliantly written coming-of-age story about a girl growing up in an impoverished family occupying a decaying castle in the English countryside, set in the 1930s. Reminded me in many ways of Rebecca West's The Fountain Overflows, a novel in the similar genre (but with a younger protagonist) that's known much less than it deserves.\nJuan Rulfo, Pedro Paramo. If you read and liked Garcia Marquez's A Hundred Years of Solitude, this one is shorter, darker, involves many more dead people, and you may want to give it a try.\nAlfred Hayes, In Love. A story of a man obsessed by love in a mid-century NYC. Unexpectedly touching, very convincing psychologically.\nIain M. Banks, Against a Dark Background. SF, a grand heist novel set in a advanced civilization living in a star system located unimaginably far away from any other stars and galaxies, and so doomed to a lone struggle with its own long history. A wealth of technological and social ideas you'd expect from Banks. The ending felt a bit forced.\nGene Wolfe, There Are Doors. Gene Wolfe, Nightsite of the Long Sun/Lake of the Long Sun.\nGene Wolfe is the best writer American science fiction produced in the last half-century. \"There are Doors\" is a pretty weird fantasy novel about an alternate world where men die after their first intercourse (as some spiders do in ours), and the hero travels back and forth between that world and ours. It's good, but not as strong as Wolfe's best, which to my taste is the Book of the New Sun tetralogy, the novellas in the Fifth Head of Cerberus collection, and many of his short stories (well-collected in The Best of Gene Wolfe). The other two are the first half of the \"Book of the Long Sun\" series that I'm still reading through.\nUrsula K. Le Guin, The Dispossessed. Superb political SF about an imagined anarchist [anti-]utopia. A serious attempt to describe a human society with no central power structures and no ownership. The hero is a physicist born and raised in that society who escapes to a sibling planet with the more typical modern states. This novel took all the awards in the 1970s when it was published, and deservedly so.\n[cont'd]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Juan Rulfo, Pedro Paramo. If you read and liked Garcia Marquez's A Hundred Years of Solitude, this one is shorter, darker, involves many more dead people, and you may want to give it a try.",
          "reason": "Suggests it to readers who liked A Hundred Years of Solitude, describing it as shorter and darker.",
          "audience": "Readers who liked A Hundred Years of Solitude.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Juan Rulfo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "magical realism",
        "mexican literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "peig-544a9b",
      "title": "Peig",
      "author": "Peig Sayers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17383367,
          "author": "hessenwolf",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T20:48:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17383367",
          "commentText": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peig_Sayers#Peig",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peig_Sayers#Peig",
          "reason": "Linked as a book suggestion in a thread asking for lesser-known books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peig Sayers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "great blasket island",
        "irish autobiography",
        "irish language literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pellucidar-9e6a9a",
      "title": "Pellucidar",
      "author": "Edgar Rice Burroughs",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20916332,
          "author": "wazoox",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T08:51:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20916332",
          "commentText": "And the Pellucidar series too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "And the Pellucidar series too.",
          "reason": "Adds the series as another that has traveled well through time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edgar Rice Burroughs"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hollow earth"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "penetration-testing-a-hands-on-introduction-to-hacking-430e46",
      "title": "Penetration Testing: A Hands-On Introduction to Hacking",
      "author": "Georgia Weidman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10541418,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-10T18:49:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10541418",
          "commentText": "The Shepherd's Crown by Terry Pratchett. His last work. \nPhoebe and Her Unicorn by Dana Simpson (I'd recommend this to families with young children)\nCSS Secrets: Better Solutions to Everyday Web Design Problems by Lea Verou. I'm not really a front in person so this was an interesting look into CSS3\nPenetration Testing: A Hands-On Introduction to Hacking\nGeorgia Weidman\nI'm starting next on Rework, as I've heard a lot about it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Penetration Testing: A Hands-On Introduction to Hacking\nGeorgia Weidman",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the question about the year's best books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Georgia Weidman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybersecurity",
        "penetration testing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "penitent-6e3e11",
      "title": "Penitent",
      "author": "Dan Abnett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39260433,
          "author": "punchclockhero",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-05T12:19:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39260433",
          "commentText": "Nice to see another 40K reader. Recently I realised there are new Inquisitor books so I binged Penitent. Felt like reuniting with old friends.\nOn to The Magos now, I usually get my Black Library fix from bundles, but I might make an exception for this one.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I binged Penitent. Felt like reuniting with old friends.",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed returning to familiar characters while reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Abnett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "inquisition",
        "warhammer 40 000"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pensees-d24d33",
      "title": "Pensées",
      "author": "Blaise Pascal",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41240689,
          "author": "warrenm",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-13T22:52:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41240689",
          "commentText": "Pascal's Pensees",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pascal's Pensees",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Blaise Pascal"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "percy-jackson-the-olympians-44b2db",
      "title": "Percy Jackson & the Olympians",
      "author": "Rick Riordan",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34636134,
          "author": "Kibae",
          "createdAt": "2023-02-03T01:50:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 34634274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books your kids like most",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34636134",
          "commentText": "I remember I would stay up late reading those books. Each chapter ended on a cliffhanger similar to shows like Breaking Bad and I just had to keep reading to find out what happens next.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I remember I would stay up late reading those books.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes being engrossed in the books, staying up to find out what happened next.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rick Riordan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure",
        "children s fantasy",
        "greek mythology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "percy-jackson-and-the-olympians-177e64",
      "title": "Percy Jackson and the Olympians",
      "author": "Rick Riordan",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34635157,
          "author": "zem",
          "createdAt": "2023-02-03T00:01:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 34634274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books your kids like most",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34635157",
          "commentText": "not quite at age 4, but keep the Percy Jackson books in mind for when they're older. kids love the heck out of those.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "keep the Percy Jackson books in mind for when they're older. kids love the heck out of those.",
          "reason": "Suggested for when the children are older; the commenter says kids love them.",
          "audience": "Older children.",
          "caveat": "Not suggested yet for age four; keep in mind for when they're older.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rick Riordan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "greek mythology",
        "middle grade"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "percy-the-park-keeper-183962",
      "title": "Percy the Park Keeper",
      "author": "Nick Butterworth",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50079372,
          "author": "pjacotg",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-13T21:50:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50079372",
          "commentText": "To get started board books and we also had a book with pictures of a 1000 everyday objects which both my kids loved.\nThen for older than the first few months, my kids loved Maisy books, Spot books, various Julia Donaldsons, Percy the Park Keeper and Hairy Maclarey to name a few.\nGood luck with all of it!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Percy the Park Keeper",
          "reason": "The commenter lists it among books their children loved.",
          "audience": "Young children; offered as reading advice for a baby.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nick Butterworth"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "animals",
        "picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pereira-maintains-035964",
      "title": "Pereira Maintains",
      "author": "Antonio Tabucchi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46267894,
          "author": "idoubtit",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-14T22:41:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 46226571,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46267894",
          "commentText": "1. Die Wand (1963, Germany). The Wall. Marlen Haushofer.\nAn excellent novel, simple, yet moving. Why do we live and what is our connection to nature?\n2. Fifth Business (1970, Canada). Robertson Davies.\nI've read thousands of novels, so I'm always glad to read something new and unpredictable, but still based on the best premise: interesting characters.\n3. Sostiene Pereira (1994, Italy). Pereira Maintains. Antonio Tabucchi.\nMy favorite book this year. A deep and smart and tense plunge into the Portuguese life of a few decades ago. Italian literature has so many gems.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sostiene Pereira (1994, Italy). Pereira Maintains. Antonio Tabucchi.\nMy favorite book this year.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it their favorite book of the year and describes it as a deep, smart, tense plunge into Portugal’s past.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Antonio Tabucchi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "portuguese literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "perennial-seller-ad5eaa",
      "title": "Perennial Seller",
      "author": "Ryan Holiday",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40283398,
          "author": "pedalpete",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T08:07:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40283398",
          "commentText": "The Obstacle is the Way - Ryan Holiday\nHoliday, in most of his books, makes stoic philosophy relatable and gives examples of we'd be familiar with in modern day. It's a fairly easy read, and I gift it the most as well.\nAs a software engineer, I found his less popular book Perennial Seller to also be very good. It describes his writing style, which honestly is very similar to coding, but also talks about his approach to marketing his books, which drives the content.\nPlay Bigger by Al Ramadan (and a few others) which talks about category design. I haven't tried their newer books, but I'm somewhat tempted.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found his less popular book Perennial Seller to also be very good.",
          "reason": "Calls it very good and describes its writing style, approach to marketing books, and content.",
          "audience": "Writers and software engineers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ryan Holiday"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "book marketing",
        "creative work"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "perfect-sound-whatever-ff1640",
      "title": "Perfect Sound Whatever",
      "author": "James Acaster",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21793216,
          "author": "emehex",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T23:43:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793216",
          "commentText": "• The Madness of Crowds by Douglas Murray\n• Consciousness by Annaka Harris\n• More From Less by Andrew McAffee\n• The School of Life: An Emotional Education\n• Perfect Sound Whatever by James Acaster\n• Humble Pi by Matt Parker\n• The Last Pirate of New York by Rich Cohen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Perfect Sound Whatever by James Acaster",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Acaster"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comedy",
        "music"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "perfectly-reasonable-deviations-from-the-beaten-path-bf6046",
      "title": "Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Path",
      "author": "Richard P. Feynman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 57499,
          "author": "comatose_kid",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-20T17:51:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=57499",
          "commentText": "Anything by Richard Feynman.  I recently read 'Perfectly reasonable deviations from the beaten path' and really enjoyed it.  It gave good insight into how Feynman lived his life (eg, asking not to be a member of the National Academy of Sciences), and how he treated others.  I think the most beneficial thing I learned from this was how he let 'unimportant' things slide to make time for his life's work.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recently read 'Perfectly reasonable deviations from the beaten path' and really enjoyed it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed it and learned from its account of Feynman's life.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Feynman's life and values.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard P. Feynman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "letters",
        "richard feynman"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "perfume-the-story-of-a-murderer-640092",
      "title": "Perfume: The Story of a Murderer",
      "author": "Patrick Süskind",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8106931,
          "author": "un_publishable",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:13:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106931",
          "commentText": "\"Perfume\" by Patrick Suskind, and the movie is great as well. The main character is a horrible person but so is everyone else. Possibly the funniest nihilist book ever written.\nAlso interesting to those of us with no sense of smell.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Possibly the funniest nihilist book ever written.",
          "reason": "Calls it possibly the funniest nihilist book ever written and notes its interest to people without a sense of smell.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy dark humor or have no sense of smell.",
          "caveat": "The main character and other characters are described as horrible people.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Patrick Süskind"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dark humor",
        "historical fiction",
        "nihilism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pern-2dcf3c",
      "title": "Pern",
      "author": "Anne McCaffrey",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50116165,
          "author": "manarth",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T09:29:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50116165",
          "commentText": "And yes: Tolkien, Dune, Pratchett, Douglas Adams, Asimov/Foundation, McCaffrey/Pern, Janny Wurts, Raymond E Feist, and more recently Brandon Sanderson, Patrick Rothfuss, and Melissa McPhail (who sadly passed away, with the Pattern of Shadow and Light incomplete).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "McCaffrey/Pern",
          "reason": "Listed among authors and series read repeatedly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anne McCaffrey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "science fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "perseus-gate-5dc8aa",
      "title": "Perseus Gate",
      "author": "M. D. Cooper",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17538451,
          "author": "facorreia",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T02:57:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17538451",
          "commentText": "I heartily recommend Destiny Rising[1] by M. D. Cooper -- free on Kindle Unlimited. It's the first 2 books of the \"Intrepid Saga\", which in turn is part of a growing collection of series in the \"Aeon 14\" universe[2]. It's really fun and also engrossing.\nSome of the related series, like \"Perseus Gate\"[3] are hilarious. All of these stories have a lighthearted tone and have great character development. They are based on \"hard\" sci-fi (i.e. plausible inventions) and touch on deeper topics like the meaning of sentience, and of freedom, but they never get heavy.\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/Destiny-Rising-Military-Space-Intrepi... (https://www.amazon.com/Destiny-Rising-Military-Space-Intrepid-ebook/dp/B06VXRKKNP)\n[2] http://www.aeon14.com\n[3] http://www.aeon14.com/series/perseus-gate-season-1-orion-spa... (http://www.aeon14.com/series/perseus-gate-season-1-orion-space)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Some of the related series, like \"Perseus Gate\"[3] are hilarious.",
          "reason": "Calls the related series hilarious.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "M. D. Cooper"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "humor",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "peste-et-cholera-7ebc02",
      "title": "Peste et Choléra",
      "author": "Patrick Deville",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10802083,
          "author": "haylem",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-28T17:06:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10802083",
          "commentText": "This will be an unlikely HN entry, but as there was not pre-requirement, I thoroughly enjoyed a French book named \"Peste et Cholera\" by Patrick Deville, about Alexandre Yersin [1]. Yersin is mostly known for identified the bacillus responsible for the plague [2]. Not that it relates to our field, but the guy's dedication and hard-work was inspiring (similarly, Pasteur's life is quite interesting to read about).\nAlso out of our usual targets here, though somewhat more related, I enjoyed \"Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World\" [3] by Haruki Murakami. I found the universes interesting and enjoyed the setting of a world were programmers learn to compute and encrypt things in their brains (even if it's a small part of the story).\n[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandre_Yersin\n[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yersinia_pestis\n[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard-Boiled_Wonderland_and_the... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard-Boiled_Wonderland_and_the_End_of_the_World)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I thoroughly enjoyed a French book named \"Peste et Cholera\" by Patrick Deville, about Alexandre Yersin",
          "reason": "Says they thoroughly enjoyed this book about Alexandre Yersin.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Patrick Deville"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alexandre yersin",
        "infectious disease"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pete-the-cat-051b73",
      "title": "Pete the Cat",
      "author": "James Dean; Eric Litwin",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50039386,
          "author": "NishanStepak",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T02:52:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50039386",
          "commentText": "Yertle is fantastic.  For something more modern try Pete the Cat.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For something more modern try Pete the Cat.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a more modern option.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 50038910,
          "author": "misterspaceman",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T01:24:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50038910",
          "commentText": "Favorites When I Was Younger:\nThe Monster at the End of this Book\nThe Little Red Caboose\nFavorites to Read to Kids:\nThe Hiccupotamus\nDear Zoo\nThe Sneetches\nMercy Watson to the Rescue\nPete the Cat (I Love My White Shoes or His Four Groovy Buttons)\nFavorite Authors: Mo Willems, Sandra Boynton",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Pete the Cat (I Love My White Shoes or His Four Groovy Buttons)",
          "reason": "The commenter lists the series among books they like reading to children.",
          "audience": "Children read to by the commenter.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Dean",
        "Eric Litwin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s picture books",
        "early readers"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "peter-norton-s-assembly-language-book-65453c",
      "title": "Peter Norton's Assembly Language Book",
      "author": "Peter Norton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13661331,
          "author": "DrPhish",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-16T16:45:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13661331",
          "commentText": "If you are interested in assembly language concepts and don't mind something slightly archaic, I thoroughly enjoyed this book: https://www.amazon.com/Peter-Nortons-Assembly-Language-Book/... (https://www.amazon.com/Peter-Nortons-Assembly-Language-Book/dp/0136619010)\nIt goes through lessons that build up to a pretty good interactive disk editor (DSKPATCH) written entirely in x86 assembly.\nIts the book that got 12 year old me out of the BASIC ghetto.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I thoroughly enjoyed this book",
          "reason": "Recommends a book the commenter thoroughly enjoyed for learning assembly concepts through an interactive disk editor project.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in assembly language concepts.",
          "caveat": "Described as slightly archaic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Norton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "disk editor",
        "x86 assembly"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "peter-pan-fc3433",
      "title": "Peter Pan",
      "author": "J. M. Barrie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13249516,
          "author": "veddox",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T12:18:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249516",
          "commentText": "Well, \"fiction\" is an incredibly broad category (if it can even be called that). And \"must read\" is highly subjective ;-)\nIf you're just looking for some light entertainment, go for sci-fi or fantasy (Lord of the Rings, anyone?). But if you don't mind some slightly \"heavier\" reading, have a look at the classics. In some cases they can be a little tricky to understand, but they are called \"classics\" for a reason...\nSpecific suggestions (incomplete and in no particular order): Shakespeare's plays, Jane Austen's \"Pride and Prejudice\", Daniel Defoe's \"Robinson Crusoe\", Harper Lee's \"To kill a mockingbird\", JM Barrie's \"Peter Pan\", Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "JM Barrie's \"Peter Pan\"",
          "reason": "Included in a list of specific suggestions for fiction reading.",
          "audience": "Readers open to classics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that classics can be tricky to understand.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. M. Barrie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure fiction",
        "children s literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "peter-reinhart-s-artisan-breads-every-day-f931b4",
      "title": "Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day",
      "author": "Peter Reinhart",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1569505,
          "author": "rudyfink",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T23:29:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569505",
          "commentText": "Here are some nonfiction books that I've enjoyed.\nHow We Know What Isn't So: The Fallibility of Human Reason in Everyday Life - Gilovich - a good book on the inability of the human mind to accept things as random.\nCrucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High - Patterson, et all - fluffy but nice short and solid book for better skills at listening and responding in conversation\nFull Throttle: The Life & Fast Times of Racing Legend Curtis Turner - Edlestein - Curtis Turner was an influential figure in the development of what became NASCAR.  I enjoyed the book for his character and as insight into a pass time that I had not really understood.\nPeter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day - Reinhart - His latest book on quality home baking.  This is definitely a do along with the book kind of read, but I found it to be easy to follow, appealing to detail, and satisfying in producing delicious bread.\nVintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails: From the Alamagoozlum to the Zombie 100 Rediscovered Recipes and the Stories Behind Them - Haigh - If you're of age, this is an interesting background in cocktails and their evolution in America.\nI forget whether it was on HN or not, but I've been enjoying this list of great magazine articles http://www.kk.org/cooltools/the-best-magazi.php .",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found it to be easy to follow, appealing to detail, and satisfying in producing delicious bread.",
          "reason": "Found it easy to follow and satisfying for making delicious bread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A do-along read that involves baking as you go.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Reinhart"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bread baking",
        "home baking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "peter-s-railway-c29d30",
      "title": "Peter's Railway",
      "author": "Christopher G. C. Vine",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34634533,
          "author": "deckiedan",
          "createdAt": "2023-02-02T23:01:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 34634274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books your kids like most",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34634533",
          "commentText": "We've 2 kids, 8 and 5 - both total book worms (and into Minecraft and biking and dude perfect and all sorts... But they love books).\nFind stuff you'll enjoy reading to them. And read to them a lot. You've got the right idea.\nMO Williams books are great for that age.  The elephant and piggie books are fun, Annette's Baguette is brilliant.  The Brambly Hedge books are lovely. Dr Seuss is mostly quite fun.  Peter's railway (if they like trains or engineering at all), the Thomas the Tank engine books, the topsy and Tim books are ok...\nBut get lots of books from the library, charity / thrift stores.  Get lots of books to try out, and have available for them to read. And if they aren't interested, you can always thrift them again. Hanging out at the local library can be good. No time pressure, just let them browse and look at whatever random things they want.\nFor slightly older kids, we've really enjoyed reading Hillary McKay, Terry Pratchett's kids books / short stories, Vivian French's books are great.  and some of the classics are great too - EE Milne, the Paddington books...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Peter's railway (if they like trains or engineering at all)",
          "reason": "Suggested for children who like trains or engineering.",
          "audience": "Children interested in trains or engineering.",
          "caveat": "Conditional on the child's interests.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher G. C. Vine"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "engineering",
        "trains"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "petersburg-e66ca7",
      "title": "Petersburg",
      "author": "Andrei Bely",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3988417,
          "author": "mixonic",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-17T18:40:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3988417",
          "commentText": "This Maguire & Malmstad translation is what I read:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Petersburg-Andrei-Bely/dp/0253202191\nAnd I found it pretty tolerable. The footnotes are in the back (I think?) which kind of stinks for your first read. Unless you're a serious student of Petersburg history, the footnotes are requisite for understanding half of the nuance. Bely is doing all these tricks shifting the geography of the city and playing off places and events, and that's lost to the modern reader without help. I'm eager to read it again without paying attention to the notes though.\nI'll take a look at Moravagine, it looks great. It's in line after Volume 3 of Gulag A. and Orlando Figes's history of the Russian revolutions. I need more context for all this pre-WWI stuff!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "And I found it pretty tolerable. The footnotes are in the back (I think?) which kind of stinks for your first read.",
          "reason": "The commenter found this translation tolerable, while noting that the footnote placement is inconvenient.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Footnotes are at the back and are needed to understand much of the nuance.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3987855,
          "author": "yolesaber",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-17T16:50:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3987855",
          "commentText": "Petersburg is exactly what I wanted to read once school ends. All this CS and math work makes me want to just discorporate myself into a ridiculous, subjective work.\nWhich translation would you recommend?\nAlso, if you enjoyed the darker parts of The Master and Margarita, I highly recommend Blaise Cendras' Moravagine (http://www.amazon.com/Moravagine-York-Review-Books-Classics/... (http://www.amazon.com/Moravagine-York-Review-Books-Classics/dp/1590170636)).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Petersburg is exactly what I wanted to read once school ends.",
          "reason": "Says they plan to read it after school ends; this does not express an evaluation or recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3987214,
          "author": "mixonic",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-17T14:51:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3987214",
          "commentText": "I don't tend to read biz books, but recently I've read a ton of great Russian texts.\nThe Master & Margarita\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Master_and_Margarita\nGoethe's Faust & the story of Pontius Pilate retold in 1930s Russia. Really, I mean really damn good. Very readable.\nBooks 1 & 2 of The Gulag Archipelago\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gulag_Archipelago\nAn expansive history of the Soviet prison camp system, almost a folk history.\nPetersburg\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petersburg_%28novel%29\nThink Joyce writing about a revolutionary plot in the Petersburg of 1910-something, involving patricide and a time-bomb set for 24 hours from now. Yeah.\nThat and slowly working through Proust (book 5). I'm not sure if I really recommend it, but I'd be interested to hear thoughts from other smarty-pants HN people.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Think Joyce writing about a revolutionary plot in the Petersburg of 1910-something",
          "reason": "Offers a vivid description of its revolutionary plot and setting.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in experimental fiction and Russian literature.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrei Bely"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "modernist fiction",
        "russian literature",
        "city novel",
        "russian modernist literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "phaedo-ccd7ce",
      "title": "Phaedo",
      "author": "Plato",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46692926,
          "author": "DataDaoDe",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-20T15:38:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 46690957,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What non-fiction do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46692926",
          "commentText": "Plato's works surrounding Socrates' death: Phaedo, Crito, Euthyphro, The Apology.\nIts fascinating to discover how many thoughts and ideas they had which are still relevant in our societies today. Also, they are incredibly readable, its like taking part in on a conversation among friends.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Phaedo",
          "reason": "Listed among Plato's works about Socrates' death; the commenter says the ideas remain relevant and the works are readable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Plato"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient greek philosophy",
        "socratic dialogues"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "phantoms-in-the-brain-205b3f",
      "title": "Phantoms in the Brain",
      "author": "V. S. Ramachandran and Sandra Blakeslee",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 240824,
          "author": "dcurtis",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T05:32:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240824",
          "commentText": "V.S. Ramachandran's Phantoms in the Brain changed my life.\nThe Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat by Oliver Sacks solidified my interest in neuroscience\nAnd The Three Pound Enigma solidified my fascination with medicine in general.\nIf you only read one, read Phantoms in the Brain. It's like the bible of science, providing the crumbs for future research into the deeply interesting and previously philosophical realms of the human brain and who we are.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you only read one, read Phantoms in the Brain.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed their life and explicitly says to read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "V. S. Ramachandran and Sandra Blakeslee"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "brain",
        "neuroscience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "phantoms-in-the-brain-probing-the-mysteries-of-the-human-mind-c516a2",
      "title": "Phantoms in the Brain: Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind",
      "author": "V. S. Ramachandran",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10209194,
          "author": "stuxnet79",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T20:14:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10209194",
          "commentText": "Phantoms in the Brain: Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind by Dr. Vilayanur S. Ramachandran\nRead it around three years ago and I was never the same since. It is non-fiction, and I think VR is only mentioned in passing, but if you see it anywhere, be sure to pick it up. It was a fun and informative read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "if you see it anywhere, be sure to pick it up. It was a fun and informative read.",
          "reason": "Calls it fun and informative and recommends picking it up.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Nonfiction; VR is mentioned only in passing, according to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "V. S. Ramachandran"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "brain",
        "neuroscience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "phantoms-in-the-brain-probing-the-mysteries-of-the-human-mind-0d0221",
      "title": "Phantoms in the Brain: Probing the Mysteries of the Human Mind",
      "author": "V. S. Ramachandran and Sandra Blakeslee",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237367,
          "author": "sateesh",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T14:20:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237367",
          "commentText": "If you like books by Sacks I would also recommend reading \"Phantoms in the brain\" by S.Ramachandran",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would also recommend reading \"Phantoms in the brain\" by S.Ramachandran",
          "reason": "Recommends it to readers who like books by Oliver Sacks.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the brain and neurological cases.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "V. S. Ramachandran and Sandra Blakeslee"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "neurology",
        "neuroscience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pharmakon-9b8867",
      "title": "Pharmakon",
      "author": "Dale Pendell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13804180,
          "author": "metaphorm",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:19:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804180",
          "commentText": "- The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin\n- Blindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts\n- The Tao Te Ching\n- The Gateless Gate (Koun Yamada translation/editing)\n- The Baroque Cycle (Quicksilver, The Confusion, The System of the World) by Neal Stephenson\n- The Invisibles by Grant Morrison\n- Incerto (Fooled by Randomness, The Black Swan, Antifragile, The Bed of Procrustes) by Nassim Nicholas Taleb\n- Iron John by Robert Bly\n- Catch 22 by Joseph Heller\n- The Character of Physical Law by Richard P. Feynman\n- Collected Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges\n- 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez\n- Pharmakon by Dale Pendell\n- The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss\n- Greek Mythology by Edith Hamilton\n- The Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual by Gary Gygax et al\n- Introduction to Algorithms by Charles E. Leiserson, Clifford Stein, Ronald Rivest, and Thomas H. Cormen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pharmakon by Dale Pendell",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed how people think.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dale Pendell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ethnobotany",
        "psychoactive plants"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "phenomenology-of-spirit-3a7844",
      "title": "Phenomenology of Spirit",
      "author": "Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37960142,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:06:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960142",
          "commentText": "I ran this thread through GPT-4 to extract mentions and summarize them in markdown. Sharing if it's helpful for others too.\n* \"Manufacturing Consent\" by Chomsky and Herman (2 mentions)\n    * Summary: This book investigates and criticizes the media's role in promoting and sustaining powerful interests. Chomsky frames the media as a system that safeguards the power of the elite by shaping public opinion.\n* \"On Palestine\" by Chomsky (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers an insightful view of one of the most enduring and intractable conflicts of our time. Chomsky explores the historical origins, developments, and politics surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict.\n* \"Requiem for the American Dream\" by Noam Chomsky (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book discusses the concentration of wealth in the hands of the few and its effects on democracy in America. It highlights the decline of the middle class and the widening wealth gap.\n* \"The Design of Everyday Things\" by Don Norman (2 mentions)\n    * Summary: The book details the science behind our interaction with everyday items. It scrutinizes the design process and explores the relationship between users and the products they use, urging designers to think deeply about how their designs influence user behavior.\n* \"The Better Angels of Our Nature\" by Steven Pinker (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book challenges the belief that society is becoming increasingly violent, arguing instead that violence has declined over historical time periods. It explores the psychological and societal mechanisms that have led to this decrease.\n* \"Factfulness\" by Hans Rosling (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Factfulness emphasizes a more optimistic view of global human progress. It challenges the notion that the world is worse off today than it was in the past by providing facts and statistics that argue the contrary.\n* \"Phenomenology of Spirit\" by Hegel (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This is a central work of German philosophy in which Hegel explores the concept of 'spirit'. He examines the relationship between consciousness and its objects, eventually leading to a discussion about the nature of freedom and the unfolding of history.\n* \"The Righteous Mind\" by Jonathan Haidt (2 mentions)\n    * Summary: The book delves into the world of moral psychology and its impact on politics and religion. Haidt proposes that morality is not a product of rational thought but is driven by intuitive reactions, challenging conventional understandings of morality.\n* \"How To Build A Car\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: The book offers a captivating analysis of Formula 1 car design and the precision engineering involved in creating these high-performance vehicles. It provides insights into the processes followed by a renowned designer.\n* \"Factfulness\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: Factfulness emphasizes a more optimistic view of global human progress. It challenges notions that the world is getting worse by presenting an array of facts that argue the contrary.\n* \"Strunk and White The Elements of Style\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A guide to English language usage and writing style that covers topics such as conciseness, clarity, and simplicity of expression. It is considered a seminal work on English composition and is widely used in American English writing.\n* \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book explores the concept of how symbols, patterns and loops manifest in the fields of mathematics, art and music. It also discusses aspects of cognition and consciousness and how our minds perceive and understand the world.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Phenomenology of Spirit\" by Hegel (1 mention)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937434,
          "author": "mvncleaninst",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T02:10:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937434",
          "commentText": "I'm assuming this thread is non-programming related since that's like everything else on this website\nProbably Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit. And it didn't impact me in a way where I agreed with it, it was more the opposite. It sort of made me realize \"oh, this is what bullshit looks like\" and I was able to take that and apply it elsewhere\nI'll give an example... Hegel sort of works like this: person X says A, person Y says B, there's a disagreement, they both fight to the death and person X enslaves person Y, then person Y goes crazy, turns to religion (I'm not bullshitting here either, he introduces the priest at this point in the master slave dialectic [0]), then person Y affirms their own slavery both physically and mentally. This is the basic process on which \"history\" happens\nThink about this for a second, all of those people who died in the 20th century because of this guy's bullshit. I read his garbage cover to cover, lesson learned: bullshit is dangerous. There's a reason why Hegel doesn't like math. After I read this guy, it made me realize something: non-technical non-fiction is fiction\n[0] \"As a separate, independent extreme, it rejects the essence of its will, and casts upon the mediator or minister [priest] its own freedom of decision, and herewith the responsibility for its own action. This mediator, having a direct relationship with the unchangeable Being, ministers by giving advice on what is right.\" (para 228)",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Probably Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit.",
          "reason": "The commenter says reading it helped them recognize what they regard as flawed reasoning elsewhere.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter strongly criticizes the book and Hegel’s ideas.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19090108,
          "author": "nathias",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T21:39:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090108",
          "commentText": "Plato - Meno, Symposium, Parmenides, Gorgias, Protagoras\nPlotinus -Enneads\nMarkus Aurelius - Meditations\nDescartes - On method\nDescartes - Meditations\nSpinoza - On the improvement of Understanding\nLeibniz - Monadology\nLeibniz - Grace\nVoltaire - Candid\nDiderot - D'Alembert's Dream\nKant - How to orient oneself in thinking\nKant - Critique of Pure Reason\nKant - Critique of Judgment\nHegel - Phenomenology of Spirit\nHegel - Logic\nvon Kleist - Marionette Theatre\nKierkegaard - The Sickness Unto Death\nHeidegger - Being and Time\nSartre - Being and Nothingness\nSartre - Flies\nSartre - Nausea\nDeleuze - Difference and Repetition\nKafka - Metamorphosis\nKafka - The Castle\nLem - Magellan Nebula\nLem - His Master's Voice\nCioran - A Short History of Decay\nPessoa - Book Of Despair\nWolfe -  New Sun tetralogy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hegel - Phenomenology of Spirit",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "german idealism",
        "consciousness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "phenomenology-of-spirit-34e980",
      "title": "Phenomenology of Spirit",
      "author": "G. W. F. Hegel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 86099,
          "author": "initself",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T21:11:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86099",
          "commentText": "Phenomenology of Spirit - G.W.F. Hegel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Phenomenology of Spirit - G.W.F. Hegel",
          "reason": "Named as a favorite in the thread's book discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "G. W. F. Hegel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "german idealism",
        "phenomenology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "phenomenology-of-the-end-23f975",
      "title": "Phenomenology of the End",
      "author": "Franco Berardi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37943360,
          "author": "zingababba",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T14:26:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37943360",
          "commentText": "Some recent ones I've really enjoyed:   \nThe Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind - Julian Jaynes;   \nAnd: Phenomenology of the End - Franco Berardi;   \nThe True Believer - Eric Hoffer;   \nI See Satan Fall Like Lightning - Rene Girard;   \nSurplus Enjoyment - Slavoy Zizek;   \nDionysus, Christ, and the Death of God - Giuseppe Fornari\nPhenomenology of the End in particular blew my mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Phenomenology of the End in particular blew my mind.",
          "reason": "The commenter singles it out as especially mind-blowing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Franco Berardi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "contemporary philosophy",
        "technology and society"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "philip-and-alex-s-guide-to-web-publishing-9f794d",
      "title": "Philip and Alex's Guide to Web Publishing",
      "author": "Philip Greenspun and Alex Jacoby",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12144339,
          "author": "lazyjones",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:59:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144339",
          "commentText": "First part of the question (actual influences):\n1) Philip and Alex's Guide to Web Publishing (not strictly a book). http://philip.greenspun.com/panda/\n2) The \"Dragon Book\" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principles_of_Compiler_Design\n3) Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach\nSecond part (at hindsight):\n1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rich_Dad_Poor_Dad (cheesy, but useful)\n2) http://toddkashdan.com/upside.php\n3) https://www.schranner.com/de/news/2012/04/16/-verhandeln-im-... (https://www.schranner.com/de/news/2012/04/16/-verhandeln-im-grenzbereich-und-teure-fehler-jetzt-auch-im-apple-ibook-store) - German book about negotiations written by an experienced hostage negotiator.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Philip and Alex's Guide to Web Publishing (not strictly a book)",
          "reason": "Listed as an actual influence, though the commenter notes it is not strictly a book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not strictly a book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip Greenspun and Alex Jacoby"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "web publishing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "philippians-28ed9d",
      "title": "Philippians",
      "author": "Paul the Apostle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 86056,
          "author": "nfriedly",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T19:42:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86056",
          "commentText": "Which books/chapters? I love Psalms and Philippians, but I really love the beauty of how it all fits together.\n(Not trying to belittle, just curious)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I love Psalms and Philippians",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly says they love Philippians.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul the Apostle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "new testament",
        "scripture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "philoctetes-9cab5f",
      "title": "Philoctetes",
      "author": "Sophocles",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25561604,
          "author": "rithmAlgo",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-28T18:23:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 25554464,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books for dealing with workplace politics and dishonesty?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25561604",
          "commentText": "Ancient classics like Sophocles, Ajax, Philoctetes, Antigone, Oedipus or the writings of Cicero, etc. Everything that happens today already happened thousands of years ago the only difference was they lived in a much less censored time back then, so Sophocles could really express to the viewer(now reader) the true nature of the human condition such as workplace dishonesty, or why accolades are given to the scoundrels and the virtuous never receive any recognition. All of this can be found reading our civilizations history because the fundamental nature of humans has not changed in that time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ajax, Philoctetes, Antigone, Oedipus",
          "reason": "Recommended as an ancient classic illustrating enduring human behavior and workplace dishonesty.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sophocles"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classics",
        "greek tragedy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "philosophies-of-mathematics-d54fd4",
      "title": "Philosophies of Mathematics",
      "author": "Alexander George and Daniel J. Velleman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 665137,
          "author": "ionfish",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T14:13:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665137",
          "commentText": "Velleman's book with Alexander George, Philosophies of Mathematics, is a good introduction to that subject, and has a nice walkthrough of ZFC.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Velleman's book with Alexander George, Philosophies of Mathematics",
          "reason": "Described as a good introduction to the subject, with a walkthrough of ZFC.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in philosophy of mathematics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alexander George and Daniel J. Velleman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "philosophy of mathematics",
        "zfc"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "philosophi-naturalis-principia-mathematica-9cbf0c",
      "title": "Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica",
      "author": "Isaac Newton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37814502,
          "author": "nickster",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-08T21:17:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37814502",
          "commentText": "In Computers? The Mythical Man Month Fred Brooks\nIn Management? Turn the Ship Around David Marquet\nIn literature? Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad\nIn Philosophy? The Republic Plato\nIn Religion? The Confessions St. Augustine\nIn Mathematics? The Elements Euclid\nIn History? Parallel lives Plutarch\nIn Physics? Principia Isaac Newton",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Principia Isaac Newton",
          "reason": "Listed as a book people in physics may pretend to have read.",
          "audience": "People in physics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37810868,
          "author": "aniijbod",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-08T14:39:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37810868",
          "commentText": "In Computers? The Mythical Man Month Fred Brooks\nIn Mnaagement? Turn the Ship Around David Marquet\nIn literature? Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad\nIn Philosophy? The Republic Plato\nIn Religion? The Confessions St. Augustine\nIn Mathematics? The Elements Euclid\nIn History? Parallel lives Plutarch\nIn Physics? Principia Isaac Newton",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Principia Isaac Newton",
          "reason": "Listed as a book people in physics may pretend to have read.",
          "audience": "People in physics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34444936,
          "author": "lordgrenville",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T20:06:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34444936",
          "commentText": "From what I've heard, Euclid is fairly accessible and was for centuries the standard geometry textbook for children; the Principia is incredibly daunting, and Newton even admitted that he made it extra confusing on purpose to deter readers who weren't already experts.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "the Principia is incredibly daunting, and Newton even admitted that he made it extra confusing on purpose to deter readers who weren't already experts.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as daunting and says Newton intentionally made it confusing for nonexperts.",
          "audience": "Readers who are already experts.",
          "caveat": "The commenter's claim about Newton's intent is presented without further context.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31999422,
          "author": "decasteve",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-06T11:33:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31999422",
          "commentText": "That would be a hard one. A book of appetizers without a main course. I read it when I was an undergrad wanting to get a broad sense of different areas in Math I could pursue.\nIf I had to pick one math book it would have to be a classic with some depth to it: Euclid’s Elements, Newton’s Principia, or Gauss’ Disquisitiones.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Newton’s Principia",
          "reason": "Named as one of the classics the commenter would choose if picking a math book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21315153,
          "author": "playing_colours",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T17:51:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21315153",
          "commentText": "Focusing on mathematics, I think about two kinds of foundational books.\n1. Historically foundational: books that brought important ideas, introduced a new branch, progressed the maths significantly. You can read them these days, but their content, proofs, language, etc. is not up to date. Examples: Elements by Euclid, Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica by Newton, Disquisitiones Arithmeticae by Gauss.\n2. Modern foundational books: The ones that can be used for studying now. Books that are clearly written, popular, cover their subject well. Examples: Visual Complex Analysis, Spivak’s Calculus, Linear Algebra Done Right, Hardy’s \nAn Introduction to the Theory of Numbers.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica by Newton",
          "reason": "Listed as a historically foundational mathematics book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says historical works may have outdated content, proofs, and language.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isaac Newton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classical mechanics",
        "history of science",
        "physics",
        "mathematical physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "philosophy-as-a-way-of-life-c97ca2",
      "title": "Philosophy as a Way of Life",
      "author": "Pierre Hadot",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46693299,
          "author": "0xmattf",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-20T16:01:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 46690957,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What non-fiction do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46693299",
          "commentText": "I only read non-fiction; mostly philosophy. Here are some books off the top of my head:\n* The Inner Citadel/Philosophy as a Way of Life by Pierre Hadot\n* Plato's dialogues (someone already mentioned a few of them, but the Republic was missing from their list).\n* Epictetus (Discourses and Enchiridion)\n* The various essays/letters of Seneca\n* Matter and Consciousness by Churchland (older, but fascinating)\n* The Mediations of Marcus Aurelius\n* (mostly) any Buddhist texts\n* What a Plant Knows\n* Moonwalking with Einstein\nThere are tons of fascinating books, way too many to list.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Inner Citadel/Philosophy as a Way of Life by Pierre Hadot",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pierre Hadot"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient philosophy",
        "philosophical practice"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "philosophy-in-the-flesh-b7af22",
      "title": "Philosophy in the Flesh",
      "author": "George Lakoff, Mark Johnson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15157485,
          "author": "subsubsub",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T18:33:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15157485",
          "commentText": "All the books, without the affiliate links:\n- Philosophy In The Flesh [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001FSJAWK]\n- The Political Mind [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0017T0B2U]\n- The Way We Think [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AAL62RO]\n- Louder Than Words [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00918JOBI]",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Philosophy In The Flesh",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15157316,
          "author": "ignacio_gcaa",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T17:55:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15157316",
          "commentText": "This cognitive science/cognitive linguistics books were a hinge point for me:\nGeorge Lakoff:\n- Philosophy In The Flesh http://amzn.to/2xFTKU7\n- The Political Mind http://amzn.to/2vU9rF1\nGilles Fauconnier, Mark Turner:\n- The Way We Think http://amzn.to/2xFv4ep\nBenjamin K. Bergen:\n- Louder Than Words http://amzn.to/2wwsMhv",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Philosophy In The Flesh http://amzn.to/2xFTKU7",
          "reason": "The commenter says these books were a hinge point for them.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in cognitive science and cognitive linguistics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Lakoff, Mark Johnson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognitive linguistics",
        "embodied cognition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "philosophy-of-computer-science-an-introduction-to-the-issues-and--672636",
      "title": "Philosophy of Computer Science: An Introduction to the Issues and the Literature",
      "author": "William J. Rapaport",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39058618,
          "author": "shagie",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T17:51:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39058618",
          "commentText": "Philosophy of Computer Science: An Introduction to the Issues and the Literature\nby William J. Rapaport - ( https://www.apaonline.org/news/254862/William-Rapaport-is-th... (https://www.apaonline.org/news/254862/William-Rapaport-is-the-2015-Barwise-Prize-winner.htm) )\n> The APA is pleased to announce that William Rapaport (University at Buffalo) has been selected by the APA committee on philosophy and computers as the winner of the 2015 Barwise Prize!\nThis corresponds to the class https://cse.buffalo.edu/~rapaport/510.html\nhttps://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&que... (https://hn.algolia.com/?dateRange=all&page=0&prefix=true&query=Rapaport&sort=byPopularity&type=story)\nThe table of contents can be read at https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Philosophy+of+Computer+Science%3... (https://www.wiley.com/en-us/Philosophy+of+Computer+Science%3A+An+Introduction+to+the+Issues+and+the+Literature-p-9781119891901)\nYou are likely interested in sections 3.12 through 3.18\n    3.12 CS as Engineering 64\n    3.13 Science xor Engineering? 66\n    3.14 CS as “Both” 66\n    3.15 CS as “More” 68\n    3.15.1 CS as a New Kind of Science 68\n    3.15.2 CS as a New Kind of Engineering 70\n    3.16 CS as “Neither” 71\n    3.16.1 CS as Art 71\n    3.16.2 CS as the Study of Complexity 71\n    3.16.3 CS as the Philosophy(!) of Procedures 72\n    3.16.4 CS as Computational Thinking 72\n    3.16.5 CS as AI 73\n    3.16.6 Is CS Magic? 74\n    3.17 Summary 76\n    3.18 Questions for the Reader 77\n\nAnd section 5 which starts out with:\n    5 Engineering 95\n    5.1 Defining ‘Engineering’ 95\n    5.2 Engineering as Science 97\n    5.3 A Brief History of Engineering 98\n    5.4 Conceptions of Engineering 99\n    5.5 What Engineers Do 100",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Philosophy of Computer Science: An Introduction to the Issues and the Literature\nby William J. Rapaport",
          "reason": "Points to sections on computer science as engineering and on engineering more broadly.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in philosophy of computer science and engineering.",
          "caveat": "Likely most relevant sections are 3.12–3.18 and 5.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William J. Rapaport"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "engineering",
        "philosophy of computer science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "philosophy-of-mathematics-structure-and-ontology-c118d8",
      "title": "Philosophy of Mathematics: Structure and Ontology",
      "author": "Stewart Shapiro",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503420,
          "author": "ionfish",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T09:28:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503420",
          "commentText": "Most of the \"eye-opening or incredibly interesting\" philosophical material that I've read has been in individual articles rather than books. That said, here are a few favourites from various areas. It's a bit heavily weighted towards recent material; Kant and Plato ought to be on there, but I can't stand Kant as a writer, even if his ideas are profound, and Plato's style has always irritated me for some reason I can't quite put my finger on. I could probably keep tying titles all day, so I'll stop with those that first popped into my head.\nAristotle, Nicomachean Ethics\nDavid Chalmers, The Conscious Mind: In Search of a Fundamental Theory\nGottlob Frege, Die Grundlagen der Arithmetik\nThomas Hobbes, Leviathan\nDavid Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding\nJ.S. Mill, On Liberty\nJohn Rawls, A Theory of Justice\nStewart Shapiro, Philosophy of Mathematics: Structure and Ontology",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stewart Shapiro, Philosophy of Mathematics: Structure and Ontology",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stewart Shapiro"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "philosophy of mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "philosophy-of-mind-an-anthology-7af08b",
      "title": "Philosophy of Mind: An Anthology",
      "author": "John Heil",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1504236,
          "author": "MWinther",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T19:54:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1504236",
          "commentText": "I took a course in philosophy during my Cognitive Science studies, and our course book (http://www.amazon.com/Philosophy-Mind-Anthology-John-Heil/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/Philosophy-Mind-Anthology-John-Heil/dp/0199253838/)) was really useful, since they had an original text and a couple of criticisms of that text, sometimes followed by a retort on that criticism. That was really good to get a grasp of the subject, even though I agree with others here that having an excellent teacher did a lot more to get the subject than any book would have.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "our course book (http://www.amazon.com/Philosophy-Mind-Anthology-John-Heil/dp...) was really useful",
          "reason": "Says the course book was really useful for grasping the subject.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an introduction to philosophy of mind.",
          "caveat": "The commenter credits an excellent teacher with doing more to help understand the subject than a book could.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Heil"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "anthology",
        "philosophy of mind"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "phoebe-and-her-unicorn-8dfd4c",
      "title": "Phoebe and Her Unicorn",
      "author": "Dana Simpson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10541418,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-10T18:49:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10541418",
          "commentText": "The Shepherd's Crown by Terry Pratchett. His last work. \nPhoebe and Her Unicorn by Dana Simpson (I'd recommend this to families with young children)\nCSS Secrets: Better Solutions to Everyday Web Design Problems by Lea Verou. I'm not really a front in person so this was an interesting look into CSS3\nPenetration Testing: A Hands-On Introduction to Hacking\nGeorgia Weidman\nI'm starting next on Rework, as I've heard a lot about it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Phoebe and Her Unicorn by Dana Simpson (I'd recommend this to families with young children)",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommended for families with young children.",
          "audience": "Families with young children.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dana Simpson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic strip",
        "unicorns"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "photobox-250-images-you-need-to-see-34346a",
      "title": "Photobox: 250 Images You Need to See",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47984791,
          "author": "sahar_builds",
          "createdAt": "2026-05-02T09:17:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 47984463,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47984791",
          "commentText": "Photobox: 250 Images You Need To See, Thames&Hudson\nIt’s a good book for visual people — designers, photographers, artists, or just someone who is looking for inspiration.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Photobox: 250 Images You Need To See, Thames&Hudson",
          "reason": "Described as a good book for visual people looking for inspiration.",
          "audience": "Designers, photographers, artists, and people looking for inspiration.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "photography",
        "visual inspiration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "physical-chemistry-d3a1a7",
      "title": "Physical Chemistry",
      "author": "Ira N. Levine",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3231320,
          "author": "possibilistic",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T17:59:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231320",
          "commentText": "Physical Chemistry by Levine. It has given me an amazing theoretical and quantitative grasp for thermodynamics, aqueous systems, etc. It's incredibly easy to understand if you've had general chemistry and diff eq. It's my best textbook this semester.\nIt gets into quantum and statistical mechanics, but I haven't made it that far yet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Physical Chemistry by Levine. It has given me an amazing theoretical and quantitative grasp for thermodynamics, aqueous systems, etc.",
          "reason": "Praised for providing an excellent theoretical and quantitative grasp of physical chemistry topics.",
          "audience": "Readers with general chemistry and differential equations background.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not yet reached the quantum and statistical mechanics sections.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ira N. Levine"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "physical chemistry",
        "thermodynamics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "physical-chemistry-8cdc9c",
      "title": "Physical Chemistry",
      "author": "Peter Atkins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14136993,
          "author": "nkrs",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T07:05:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14136993",
          "commentText": "Physical Chemistry by Peter Atkins",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Physical Chemistry by Peter Atkins",
          "reason": "Named as a candidate for the field’s bible.",
          "audience": "Chemistry readers",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Atkins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "physical chemistry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "physical-modeling-in-matlab-c881f6",
      "title": "Physical Modeling in MATLAB",
      "author": "Allen B. Downey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9612334,
          "author": "avinassh",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T16:06:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9612334",
          "commentText": "This repo maintains list of free programming books [0].\nMany of the books at Green Tea Press[1] are available for free:\n- Think Python: How To Think Like a Computer Scientist\n- Think Bayes: Bayesian Statistics in Python\n- Think Complexity: Exploring Complexity Science with Python\n- Think Stats: Probability and Statistics for Programmers\n- The Little Book of Semaphores\n- Physical Modeling in MATLAB\n- Learning Perl the Hard Way\nfew others. Do check the site.\nSecondly, books by Al Sweigart[2] are also freely available. They include:\n- Automate the Boring Stuff with Python[3]\n- Hacking Secret Ciphers with Python\n- Invent Your Own Computer Games with Python\n- Making Games with Python & Pygame\n[0] - https://github.com/vhf/free-programming-books\n[1] - http://www.greenteapress.com/\n[2] - https://inventwithpython.com/\n[3] - https://automatetheboringstuff.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Physical Modeling in MATLAB",
          "reason": "Listed among freely available programming books in response to a request for free reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Allen B. Downey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "matlab",
        "physical modeling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "physically-based-rendering-5ae676",
      "title": "Physically Based Rendering",
      "author": "Matt Pharr and Greg Humphreys",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7757121,
          "author": "gfodor",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:37:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7757121",
          "commentText": "Physically Based Rendering by Pharr and Humphreys. Excellent book on modern ray tracing that is a literate program. It's an amazing piece of work (even won an oscar!)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Excellent book on modern ray tracing that is a literate program. It's an amazing piece of work",
          "reason": "Praised as excellent and an amazing work on modern ray tracing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matt Pharr and Greg Humphreys"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer graphics",
        "ray tracing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "physically-based-rendering-from-theory-to-implementation-2b784c",
      "title": "Physically Based Rendering: From Theory to Implementation",
      "author": "Matt Pharr and Greg Humphreys",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14655401,
          "author": "miketuritzin",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-28T16:14:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 14652936,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on modern computer graphics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14655401",
          "commentText": "From my experience this is very much true of the current state of real-time rendering (and there's nothing really wrong with that, because it's just not possible to run anything resembling physically accurate algorithms in real-time). However, in the world of offline rendering and raytracing, there has been considerable work on doing physically accurate rendering. Of course a lot of approximations are still made due to memory/CPU constraints, but it is a different world. \"Physically Based Rendering\" by Pharr and Humphreys is a good intro to this way of doing things.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Physically Based Rendering\" by Pharr and Humphreys is a good intro to this way of doing things.",
          "reason": "Called a good introduction to physically accurate offline rendering and ray tracing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matt Pharr and Greg Humphreys"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer graphics",
        "physically based rendering",
        "ray tracing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "physically-based-rendering-from-theory-to-implementation-third-ed-b586be",
      "title": "Physically Based Rendering: From Theory to Implementation (Third Edition)",
      "author": "Matt Pharr, Wenzel Jakob, and Greg Humphreys",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32792895,
          "author": "gabereiser",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T17:54:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32792895",
          "commentText": "Physically Based Rendering (vol.3) Pharr, Jakob, Humphreys.\nBecause it covers most, if not all, the maths required to do PBR right. If you are interested in graphics, this book MUST be on your shelf.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you are interested in graphics, this book MUST be on your shelf.",
          "reason": "The commenter strongly recommends it for graphics and says it covers the mathematics required for physically based rendering.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computer graphics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matt Pharr",
        "Wenzel Jakob",
        "Greg Humphreys"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer graphics",
        "physically based rendering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "physics-as-metaphor-2ff7c9",
      "title": "Physics as Metaphor",
      "author": "Roger S. Jones",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38237974,
          "author": "ranprieur",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T06:53:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38237974",
          "commentText": "Physics as Metaphor by Roger S Jones. I've never seen a better explanation of how time and space are constructed out of perceptions.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Physics as Metaphor by Roger S Jones.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it explains how time and space are constructed out of perceptions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roger S. Jones"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "perception",
        "philosophy of physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "physics-for-entertainment-c033d1",
      "title": "Physics for Entertainment",
      "author": "Yakov Perelman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36429831,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T09:42:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36429831",
          "commentText": "In no particular order and off the top of my head;\nThe Sherlock Holmes canonical stories - The importance of logical reasoning and brain over brawn. Instrumental in teaching me to think.\nPhysics for Entertainment (and other books) by Ya. Perelman - Beauty and understanding of Science. Instrumental in giving me a lifelong interest in Science/Technology.\nStructured Computer Organization by Andrew Tanenbaum - Instrumental in teaching me the layering of abstractions by which something complex can arise from more simpler and detailed components.\nRaja Yoga by Swami Vivekananda and The Science of Yoga by Swami Sivananda - Instrumental in introducing me to Hindu philosophy.\nBruce lee's fighting method (3 vols) - Instrumental in introducing me to Martial Arts and physical culture.\nThe above books were the ones which sparked my interest in their respective domains decades ago (late 1980s/early 1990s in India) when books were hard to come by and money wasn't available either. When i look around today, books are so easily available and yet people have stopped reading and even seem to lack curiosity.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Physics for Entertainment (and other books) by Ya. Perelman",
          "reason": "The books sparked a lifelong interest in science and technology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Yakov Perelman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "popular physics",
        "science demonstrations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "physics-for-future-presidents-74ae30",
      "title": "Physics for Future Presidents",
      "author": "Richard Muller",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6982220,
          "author": "dmlorenzetti",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-30T00:01:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 6981802,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good general technical books for teenagers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6982220",
          "commentText": "Check out \"Physics for Future Presidents\" by Richard Muller.  It gives an overview of physics, emphasizing why the concepts are important in the modern world, rather than the math details.\nIf she's interested in biology, you might consider \"Animals in Translation\" by Temple Grandin.  It's more about animals than about technology, but it touches on how understanding animals affects the low-tech systems that you use to handle them.\nFor interesting/easy intros to why some math skills are important, look at Darrell Huff's \"How to Lie With Statistics\" or John Allen Paulos' \"Innumeracy\" (or \"A Mathematician Reads the Newspaper\").\nI haven't read any of them, but I hear Petroski's books recommended.\nFor a great short read that touches on architectural engineering, law, and ethics, look for Joe Morgenstern's \"Fifty-Nine Story Crisis\" which appeared in the New Yorker in May 1995.  It's about how the structural engineer for the Citicorp tower realized its design was flawed, after the tower had been built and occupied.  You can find it on the web.\nSome of these are not overtly about \"learn this technology\", but to me they all sell the idea of technology and science as both central to our lives and interesting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Check out \"Physics for Future Presidents\" by Richard Muller.",
          "reason": "Recommended as an overview of physics focused on why concepts matter in the modern world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Emphasizes concepts over mathematical detail.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Muller"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "physics",
        "popular science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "physics-of-the-future-how-science-will-shape-human-destiny-and-ou-6f7c45",
      "title": "Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100",
      "author": "Michio Kaku",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10532861,
          "author": "espinchi",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T13:25:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10532861",
          "commentText": "Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Physics-Future-Science-Shape-Destiny-e... (http://www.amazon.com/Physics-Future-Science-Shape-Destiny-ebook/dp/B004FGLX2Y)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Physics of the Future: How Science Will Shape Human Destiny and Our Daily Lives by the Year 2100",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for the best books read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michio Kaku"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "emerging technologies",
        "future technology",
        "scientific forecasting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pi-in-the-sky-70adca",
      "title": "Pi in the Sky",
      "author": "John D. Barrow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23727968,
          "author": "jostylr",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T21:53:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23727968",
          "commentText": "I remember Pi in the Sky by John Barrows very fondly. It has more of a focus on geometry and logic.\nA Programmer's Introduction to Mathematics by Jeremy Kun is wide ranging and appropriate if there is also interest in programming.\nNature and Growth of Modern Mathematics by Edna Kramer is a wonderful book if history is a passion as well.\nElements of Mathematics by John Stillwell is a broad overview of subjects. It has a crisp mathematical feel to it.\nVector Calculus, Linear Algebra, and Differential Forms by John & Barbara Hubbard is a beautiful introduction to the multi-dimensional aspects, but it is a book that should happen after knowing one dimensional calculus. .\nIf your child hasn't been exposed to Guesstimation, then a book on that is highly recommended. The book with that title by Weinstein and Adams is a nice guide to investigating that realm.\nIf the child does arithmetic from right to left, as is sadly too common, the book Speed Mathematics Simplified by Edward Stoddard is a great remedy for that.\nEveryday Calculus by Oscar Fernandez could also be worth a look.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I remember Pi in the Sky by John Barrows very fondly.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John D. Barrow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "geometry",
        "logic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pihkal-a-chemical-love-story-60cd3a",
      "title": "PiHKAL: A Chemical Love Story",
      "author": "Alexander Shulgin and Ann Shulgin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30824305,
          "author": "ipnon",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-27T21:23:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30824305",
          "commentText": "PiHKAL by Alexander and Ann Shulgin is on its face a book about love and chemistry. Taken together it becomes more of a treatise on how psychopharmacology is a method of personal and sociological analysis. Drug use becomes a psychological tool to manifest the phenomena of the mind that are normally hidden, and novel synthesis becomes a tool to then access the areas of the mind unexplored throughout history. Aside of all this, the Shulgin's story is one of absolute dedication to science in the face of its many impediments: internal psychology, interpersonal relations, social stigma, technical innovation, and authoritarian censorship.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "PiHKAL by Alexander and Ann Shulgin is on its face a book about love and chemistry.",
          "reason": "Describes its treatment of chemistry, psychopharmacology, psychology, and the authors' dedication to science.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alexander Shulgin",
        "Ann Shulgin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal narrative",
        "psychedelic chemistry",
        "psychopharmacology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pihkal-a-chemical-love-story-dcbdb9",
      "title": "PiHKAL: A Chemical Love Story",
      "author": "Alexander and Ann Shulgin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30833321,
          "author": "nemo1618",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T17:47:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30833321",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed the book, particularly Ann's trip reports, but fair warning: it contains a lot more love triangle drama and, uh, old people sex, than I was expecting. Also, I wish I could buy just the first half of the book -- I don't want to end up on a watchlist!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed the book, particularly Ann's trip reports, but fair warning: it contains a lot more love triangle drama and, uh, old people sex, than I was expecting.",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed the book, especially Ann's trip reports.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It includes more love triangle drama and sex involving older people than the commenter expected; they wish they could buy only the first half.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alexander Shulgin",
        "Ann Shulgin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "psychedelics",
        "psychopharmacology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pictures-at-a-revolution-five-movies-and-the-birth-of-the-new-hol-bcf5c2",
      "title": "Pictures at a Revolution: Five Movies and the Birth of the New Hollywood",
      "author": "Mark Harris",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36601648,
          "author": "HillRat",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:20:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601648",
          "commentText": "Lots of options out there. A few from my bookshelf: Bijker's \"Of Bicycles, Bakelites, and Bulbs\" is a case-study-centric work that seeks to build a general theory of STS. Nye's \"Technology Matters\" is less a work of theory than a critique that poses core questions about how society should seek to integrate technical advances. Latour's \"Science in Action,\" \"Reassembling the Social,\" and \"Aramis\" are great examples of his approach to whole-of-system analysis of sociotechnical systems. Rogers' \"Diffusion of Innovation\" is a classic work theorizing how innovation is communicated through social networks.\nMIT Press has a wide variety of books that cover specific topics in history, most of which have great theoretic interest: Agar's \"The Government Machine,\" dealing with the evolution of technology and expertise within the UK government; Medina's \"Cybernetic Revolutionaries,\" about Beer's Cybersyn project; and Ensmenger's \"The Computer Boys Take Over,\" about the cultural development of the \"programmer,\" are all great reads.\nAlso, you can look beyond pure technology for interesting adjacencies: for example, Schatz's \"The Genius of the System\" describes how changes in technology and management production radically upended Hollywood, resulting in the studio system that dominated from the 1930s through the 1950s, while Harris' \"Pictures at a Revolution\" picks up the pieces at the end of that system, discussing the rise of \"New Hollywood,\" driven by cultural and technical (particularly the French use of inexpensive filming technologies to create the New Wave) forces.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Harris' \"Pictures at a Revolution\" picks up the pieces at the end of that system, discussing the rise of \"New Hollywood,\"",
          "reason": "Discusses the end of the studio system and the rise of New Hollywood.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Harris"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hollywood history",
        "new hollywood"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pictures-of-a-gone-city-a8ce21",
      "title": "Pictures of a Gone City",
      "author": "Richard Walker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17521303,
          "author": "jboynyc",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T08:16:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521303",
          "commentText": "I recently read The Dispossessed and The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin, and will continue reading her stuff over the summer for sure. It's really great. (HN discussion about her obituary: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16218439)\nThe other day I started Pictures of a Gone City, a book about the Bay Area by critical geographer Richard Walker. It was recently discussed here (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17473141). I'm only about fifty pages in, but I can tell this is going to be worthwhile.\nI'm also still finishing Kids These Days: Human Capital and the Making of Millennials by Malcolm Harris. It's a very compelling account of the crises and pressures confronting today's young adults (among which I can still, just barely, count myself).\nOther books I've got lined up for the summer:\n• The Boy Kings: A Journey Into the Heart of the Social Network, by Kate Losse. This memoir by an early Facebook employee came out a few years ago, and I finally want to read it.\n• Social Creature, by Tara Isabella Burton. Recently published novel that's been getting rave reviews. It's been described as \"a literary novel about social media.\"\n• Surveys, by Natasha Stagg. A novel about microcelebrity/instafame that came out in 2016.\nPS: LitHub runs a \"Rotten Tomatoes for Book Reviews\" site at https://bookmarks.reviews/ that I'm finding to be a useful resource to discover new books coming out. That's how I found out about the Burton and Stagg books.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I can tell this is going to be worthwhile",
          "reason": "The commenter expects the book to be worthwhile, though has read only about fifty pages.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Only about fifty pages in.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Walker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bay area",
        "urban geography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "picturing-the-uncertain-world-7a4945",
      "title": "Picturing the Uncertain World",
      "author": "Howard Wainer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3395871,
          "author": "alisey",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T14:47:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395871",
          "commentText": "\"Picturing the Uncertain World\" by Howard Wainer.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0691137595\n- World record improves linearly for over 50 years, for how long will the trend continue?\n- Is it OK not to rescore erroneously high SAT scores?\n- Why among examinees who get the same SAT score White examinees do better on easy items, whereas Black examinees do better on hard items?\n- How comes that areas with the lowest and the highest kidney cancer death rate are rural areas?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Picturing the Uncertain World\" by Howard Wainer.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Howard Wainer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data visualization",
        "statistics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pif-et-hercule-f1dcde",
      "title": "Pif et Hercule",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17382679,
          "author": "paulborza",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T18:38:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17382679",
          "commentText": "I personally enjoyed Pif et Hercule when I was a kid. The comics were fun and each magazine came with a toy.\nhttps://www.google.com/search?q=pif+and+hercule",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I personally enjoyed Pif et Hercule when I was a kid.",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed the comics as a child.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic books",
        "franco belgian comics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pigeon-588ed2",
      "title": "Pigeon",
      "author": "Mo Willems",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26800750,
          "author": "lnwlebjel",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-13T23:16:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26800750",
          "commentText": "Mo Willems is awesome (Pigeon series, Elephant and Piggy). Some of the Dr. Suess books are still great and fun to read (I can read with my eyes shut, One fish two fish). The book with no pictures, the day the crayons quit, dragons love tacos, and the princess and the dragon by Audrey Wood are all books that I've probably read 100 times and still enjoy.\nAs my kids got a bit older the Box Car children series was compelling, and the girls loved the Rainbow Magic books. Capt. Underpants and Dog man are hilarious and just subversive enough that a 7-9 yr old feel like they are getting away with something. Then on to Mysterious Benedict Society, Harry Potter, Rick Riordan, and Keeper of the Lost Cities.\nOur M.O. was to max out our Library card on a regular basis with just about everything possible and then iterate from there on the authors the kids enjoyed. I feel like reading is one of the things we've gotten right so far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pigeon series",
          "reason": "The commenter likes the series.",
          "audience": "Young children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mo Willems"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pillars-of-history-06bdfb",
      "title": "Pillars of History",
      "author": "Thomas Cahill",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1273331,
          "author": "iaind",
          "createdAt": "2010-04-17T17:13:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1273331",
          "commentText": "A great way to get into history is Thomas Cahill's \"Pillars of History\" series. Start with \"How the Irish Saved Civilization\" and if you like it, carry on with the rest of the series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A great way to get into history is Thomas Cahill's \"Pillars of History\" series.",
          "reason": "Recommends the series as a way to get into history.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in getting into history.",
          "caveat": "Suggests starting with How the Irish Saved Civilization and continuing if you like it.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Cahill"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "popular history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pimp-the-story-of-my-life-84d06a",
      "title": "Pimp: The Story of My Life",
      "author": "Iceberg Slim",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25318804,
          "author": "NothingIsReal",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T21:57:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25318804",
          "commentText": "1. How I Raised Myself From Failure to Success in Selling, Bettger\nA good intro to sales, and a very good book on self-development.\n2. When Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management, Lowenstein\nA story about LTCM, one of the early and most notorious \"quant\" hedge funds. A cheeky nod to intellectualism.\n3. Liar's Poker, Lewis\nInvestment banking through a trader's eyes. Yes, the absurdity is only partly dramatized.\n4. Pimp: The Story of My Life, Iceberg Slim\nNo pithy blurb can summarize this; read it if you want a look into human nature.\n5. The Six-Month Fix: Adventures in Rescuing Failing Companies, Sutton\nWritten by a friend and a mentor; may he rest. Gives you a sobering account of what really goes behind the scenes of many companies, along with their management.\nApologies; I know this list isn't focused on more humbling professions like the examples you gave.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pimp: The Story of My Life, Iceberg Slim",
          "reason": "Recommended for readers who want a look into human nature.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in human nature.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Iceberg Slim"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "street life"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pimsleur-mandarin-chinese-da024b",
      "title": "Pimsleur Mandarin Chinese",
      "author": "Paul Pimsleur",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 192332,
          "author": "olifante",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-16T23:51:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=192332",
          "commentText": "I have to second that recommendation. I've been studying Pimsleur's excellent Mandarin Chinese I, II and III in my daily commute and road trips for some time, and I highly recommend it. It requires reasonably active listening and sentence production, so it helps you avoid drowsiness on long trips.\nCoincidentally, I'm leaving soon on a car trip to Morocco and was just preparing to sync the free Michigan Modern Standard Arabic and the Pimsleur Egyptian Arabic audio courses to my iPod.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pimsleur's excellent Mandarin Chinese I, II and III",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the course excellent and says they highly recommend it.",
          "audience": "Learners of Mandarin Chinese.",
          "caveat": "Requires reasonably active listening and sentence production.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Pimsleur"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "audio course",
        "language learning",
        "mandarin chinese"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pinball-1973-ca79cd",
      "title": "Pinball, 1973",
      "author": "Haruki Murakami",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17337468,
          "author": "minikomi",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:46:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337468",
          "commentText": "Pinball 1973 by Murakami Haruki. It's written before he really consolidated his style, but has a clunky charm all of its own.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Pinball 1973 by Murakami Haruki.",
          "reason": "Calls it clunky but charming.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Written before Murakami had fully consolidated his style.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Haruki Murakami"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "japanese literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pirate-cinema-69fb8a",
      "title": "Pirate Cinema",
      "author": "Cory Doctorow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4787131,
          "author": "Kluny",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T04:41:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787131",
          "commentText": "Shantaram by Gregory Roberts.\nPirate Cinema by Cory Doctorow.\nThat's Me in the Middle by Donald Jack.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pirate Cinema by Cory Doctorow.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cory Doctorow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pirate-diary-60277d",
      "title": "Pirate Diary",
      "author": "Richard Platt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11700113,
          "author": "DanBC",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-15T09:10:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11700113",
          "commentText": "Still mostly reading childrens books.\nThis is not my hat: https://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Not-Hat-Jon-Klassen/dp/1406353... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Not-Hat-Jon-Klassen/dp/1406353434)\nBlack dog: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Dog-Levi-Pinfold/dp/184877052... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Dog-Levi-Pinfold/dp/1848770529)\nFArTHER: https://www.amazon.co.uk/FArTHER-Grahame-Baker-Smith/dp/1848... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/FArTHER-Grahame-Baker-Smith/dp/1848771339) (Sadly this book uses a stupid font. Other than that it's lovely.)\nPirate Diary: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pirate-Diary-Journal-Jake-Carpenter... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pirate-Diary-Journal-Jake-Carpenter/dp/0744594308)\nI get these from the CILIP Kate Greenaway award. Once you know the name of the writer, or illustrator, or even publisher, you can usually find more good books. http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/greenaway.php\nCILIP is a UK librarian organisation.  The US equivalent award is probably something like the Caldecott Medal: http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/caldecottmeda... (http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/caldecottmedal/caldecottmedal)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pirate Diary:",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Platt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s picture books",
        "pirates"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pirate-latitudes-852aeb",
      "title": "Pirate Latitudes",
      "author": "Michael Crichton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6703113,
          "author": "6thSigma",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-09T20:44:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6703113",
          "commentText": "Yes, it was published posthumously. There is another book that was actually finished by another author after Crichton died which is called Micro.\nI get the feeling Pirate Latitudes was closer to a first draft than a final draft - but it's still Crichton.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I get the feeling Pirate Latitudes was closer to a first draft than a final draft - but it's still Crichton.",
          "reason": "The commenter thinks it reads more like a first draft, while noting it is still Crichton's work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as closer to a first draft than a final draft.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6700106,
          "author": "bennyg",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-09T00:42:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6700106",
          "commentText": "I love Crichton's stories more than any other author. Pirate is the one that was finished posthumously, right? I've been meaning to pick that one up.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I've been meaning to pick that one up.",
          "reason": "Expresses interest in reading the book, without evaluating or recommending it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6698071,
          "author": "6thSigma",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-08T18:27:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6698071",
          "commentText": "Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Crichton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical adventure",
        "pirates"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pirkei-avot-f847c3",
      "title": "Pirkei Avot",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503671,
          "author": "zppx",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T14:26:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503671",
          "commentText": "My list:\n- Pirkei Avot, it's a section of the Mishnah (a part of the Talmud), it summarizes the jewish moral thought (well, not for the Karaites Jews, they did not believe in the Talmud), I was born in a Orthodox Jewish family so it was important on my beliefs, even though I am an Atheist now.\n- Organon, it's a compilation of Aristotle's logic works, they are the basis for the logical thought of the Western civilization, I think it's easier to read the originals than compendiums.\n- Philosophical Investigations, the second book of Wittgenstein, it's dense, and obscure to some extent, but it's really eye-opener, some ideas that influenced the last century are introduced there.\n- Proofs and Refutations, a posthumous work by Imre Lakatos, it defied much of my established view on how Mathematics works.\n- Thus Spoke Zarathustra, a powerful book, it's dense and you can only drag many conclusions from it when you read other works from Nietzsche, which lead to my next book.\n- On the Genealogy of Morality, this is for me the most important of the 5 books that I have read from Nietzsche, in the first essay of the book the concept of master morality and slave morality is introduced, some people think that Nietzsche favors the first, I disagree, for me he describes and criticizes both.\n- Truth and Method, the classic of Gadamer, some people call it a \"postmodern\" work, this only serves to show how \"modern\" some of the \"postmodern\" were, the book basically addresses how our current beliefs and customs, which he calls traditions, plays an important part in our hermeneutics and how we always are biased to interpret something.\n- Epistemic Justification, this book of William Alston is a good refinement if you already know some epistemology, although I disagree with the \"justified true belief\" definition of knowledge, that is the main theme of the book and its essays, it introduced some questions about the nature and limitations of knowledge.\n- Inquiry into the Human Mind, by Thomas Reid is a good read and also a staunch defense of the common sense.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pirkei Avot, it's a section of the Mishnah (a part of the Talmud), it summarizes the jewish moral thought",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list answering a request for eye-opening or interesting philosophy books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is part of the Mishnah and Talmud and that it influenced their beliefs.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "jewish ethics",
        "mishnah"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "planar-microwave-engineering-62af21",
      "title": "Planar Microwave Engineering",
      "author": "Thomas H. Lee",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1026759,
          "author": "joe_bleau",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T04:13:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026759",
          "commentText": "Influence, \nPredictably Irrational, \nFooled by Randomness, \nThe Blank Slate, \nHouse of Cards, \nand Planar Microwave Engineering come to mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Planar Microwave Engineering come to mind.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for great books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas H. Lee"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "microwave engineering",
        "rf circuits"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "planet-of-adventure-8a2d1a",
      "title": "Planet of Adventure",
      "author": "Jack Vance",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17596605,
          "author": "kevinofe",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-23T22:39:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17596605",
          "commentText": "Wow, I can’t believe I just found this thread and not one mention of Jack Vance. His \"Planet of Adventure\" series, Alastor series or Demon Princes novels are classics. His command of language and dialogue is unparalleled. Every modern sci-fi author cites him as an influence.\nGateway by Frederik Pohl is another underrated one from the 70s although the sequels are disappointing.\nThe Forever War Joe Haldeman and Robert Heinlein’s Starship Troopers are also indispensable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His \"Planet of Adventure\" series",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the series a classic and praises Vance’s language and dialogue.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jack Vance"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure",
        "planetary romance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "planetwalker-807f19",
      "title": "Planetwalker",
      "author": "John Francis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15630223,
          "author": "Panino",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:53:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630223",
          "commentText": "* Johnny Got His Gun, by Dalton Trumbo. Powerful anti-war story.\n  * Vagabonding, by Rolf Potts. Shaped my views on hard work and travel.\n  * 1984, by George Orwell. Brilliant and terrifying.\n  * The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle. Overcoming mental pain through consciousness. \n  * Planetwalker, by John Francis. Inspired me to walk and put myself into things more.\n  * Pure enjoyment: Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson), Ready Player One (Ernest Cline), Watchmen (Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons), Red Rising trilogy (Pierce Brown).\n\nHonorable mention: The Water Knife (Paolo Bacigalupi).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Planetwalker, by John Francis. Inspired me to walk and put myself into things more.",
          "reason": "Says it inspired them to walk and engage more fully.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Francis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "environmental activism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "planning-extreme-programming-8302f7",
      "title": "Planning Extreme Programming",
      "author": "Kent Beck and Martin Fowler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14846482,
          "author": "BJanecke",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T09:59:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14846482",
          "commentText": "* Douglas Hofstadter - Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid\n* Fred Brooks -  Design Of Design\n* Fred Brooks - The Mythical Man month\n* Eric J. Evans - Domain Driven Design\n* Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software\n* Kent Beck - Extreme Programming Explained\n* Kent Beck - Planning Extreme Programming\n*  Michael C. Feathers - Working Effectively with Legacy Code\n* Daniel Kahneman - Thinking, Fast and Slow\n[EDIT] Correct the author for legacy code",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Planning Extreme Programming",
          "reason": "Included in a list answering which books affected how the commenter structures code.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kent Beck and Martin Fowler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "agile software development",
        "extreme programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "platform-revolution-how-networked-markets-are-transforming-the-ec-f3cf8d",
      "title": "Platform Revolution: How Networked Markets Are Transforming the Economy",
      "author": "Geoffrey G. Parker, Marshall W. Van Alstyne, and Sangeet Paul Choudary",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27640136,
          "author": "vladmarin",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T08:20:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27640136",
          "commentText": "* Platform Revolution: How Networked Markets Are Transforming the Economy. The book explains how to think of a platform systematically. It's valuable because it applies to everything else in life, any business, any industry - not just IT platforms. Based on the findings of 2 Nobel prize winners.\n* Never Split the Difference. Don't even think about it - read it. The book is a life coaching chapter that everyone should learn.\n* The Seventh Sense: Power, Fortune, and Survival in the Age of Networks. Everything is a network. From wars, to economy, to minorities, to terrorism. Understanding what truly lies behind the concept of \"network\" is just as well one of those life coaching chapters everyone should learn.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Platform Revolution: How Networked Markets Are Transforming the Economy.",
          "reason": "Says it offers a systematic way to think about platforms and applies across industries.",
          "audience": "People interested in business platforms and markets.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Geoffrey G. Parker",
        "Marshall W. Van Alstyne",
        "Sangeet Paul Choudary"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "network effects",
        "platform economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "plato-and-a-platypus-walk-into-a-bar-e9b5ca",
      "title": "Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar",
      "author": "Thomas Cathcart, Daniel Klein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1971251,
          "author": "loganfrederick",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T08:41:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971251",
          "commentText": "+ Hacker Ethic by Steven Levy\n+ Masters of Doom by David Kushner\n+ The Millionaire Mind by Dr. Thomas Stanley\n+ The Intelligent Investor by Ben Graham\n+ The Essays of Warren Buffet by Lawrence Cunningham\n+ Buffet by Roger Lowenstein\n+ The Knack by Norm Brodsky\n+ Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar by Thomas Cathcart, Daniel Klein\n+ The Return of the Great Depression by Vox Day\n+ Capitalism and Freedom by Milton Friedman\n+ Road to Serfdom by Hayek\n+ Iacocca:An Autobiography by Lee Iacocca",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar by Thomas Cathcart, Daniel Klein",
          "reason": "Listed as a book to give the commenter's younger self.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Cathcart, Daniel Klein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "logic",
        "philosophy humor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "plato-at-the-googleplex-why-philosophy-won-t-go-away-d3b548",
      "title": "Plato at the Googleplex: Why Philosophy Won't Go Away",
      "author": "Rebecca Newberger Goldstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10786739,
          "author": "hackerbloos",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T02:19:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786739",
          "commentText": "I've just updated my list of books I read this year. Scores are out of 5. If there is a + it means I found it to be extra special for some reason or other.\n= Jan =\nSmarter Than You Think - Clive Thompson 3\nThe positives of tech and the internet.\n= Feb =\nSuper Sad True Love Story - Gary Shteyngart 4\nScience fiction set in the not too distant future. Main themes include life extension and surveillance.\n= Mar =\nThe HitchHiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams 4\nThe Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams 3\nHad never read this series, thought it might be about time.\n= Apr =\nWhat does it all Mean? - Thomas Nagel 2 (though it is kind of meant for people who have never done any Philosophy, ever, so would recommend to someone like that. Will pass it on to someone taking an interest in the subject)\nAn introduction to Philosophy.\nEarth - David Brin 5+\nScience fiction set in the not too distant future, written in the 90s. Really interesting themes / vision of post climate change world.\nSlaughterHouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut 5\nSemi autobiographical account of the bombing of Dresden in WW2. Really funny and clever ideas. Very good.\n= May =\nNick Cohen - What’s Left? 4\nAccount of how the left has degenerated since the collapse of the hard left and the winning of liberal battles e.g. LGBT rights. Basic premise is that those on the left hate the West and the status quo so much they stoop to allying themselves with anyone who also opposes the status quo.\n= June =\nPlato at the Googleplex: Why Philosophy won’t go away - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 5+\nPlato has somehow appeared in the 21st century and is doing a talk at Google! A really enjoyable account of how Plato’s philosophy could be applied to modern issues. Really good. I want to go to Athens.\n= July =\nThe Mind Body Problem - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 4\nNovel about a female philosophy student shagging around and philosophising about it.\nBelieving Bullshit - Stephen Law 4\nBook detailing the various tricks / schemes played by charlatans and how to avoid being taken in by them.\n= August =\n36 Arguments for the Existence of God: a work of fiction - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 3\nNovel about an academic and his mentor. It was ok.\n= September =\nThe Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams 3\nThink I’m done reading these for now, don’t feel the urge to finish the set.\nKafka - The Trial 5\nReally good. Love the surrealism - the nightmarish / dreamish-ness of it. Saw it in the Theatre as well after reading it, thought that was great too.\n= October =\n= November =\nExistence - David Brin 3\nNot as good as Earth. Glad I read that first. Interesting imagining of what form contact from alien life could take though. Also interesting look at existential risks. The main part I didn’t like was how it skipped forward in time 3 decades about 3/4s of the way through, I had thought the characters were a little weak in general up until then anyway, and then they were pretty much gone entirely at that point.\n= December =\nAlone Together - Sherry Turtle 4\nThe negatives of tech, robotics and the internet. Interesting and important read.\nImperium - Robert Harris 5\nFirst in the semi-fictional trilogy accounting the fall of the Roman Republic, told through the eyes of Cicero’s secretary, Tiro. Really good. The politics, the corruption, the ancient city really brought to life. Enhanced by having visited Rome in the Summer.\nAlso currently reading ‘Reclaiming Conversation’ by Sherry Turkle, an account of the negative affect being permanently tethered to the internet has on our conversations, our capacity for empathy and our relationships, and Nietzsche’s 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra'.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Plato at the Googleplex: Why Philosophy won’t go away - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 5+",
          "reason": "Rated 5+ and called really enjoyable and really good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rebecca Newberger Goldstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "philosophy in modern life",
        "plato"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "plato-s-dialogues-72a405",
      "title": "Plato's dialogues",
      "author": "Plato",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46693299,
          "author": "0xmattf",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-20T16:01:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 46690957,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What non-fiction do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46693299",
          "commentText": "I only read non-fiction; mostly philosophy. Here are some books off the top of my head:\n* The Inner Citadel/Philosophy as a Way of Life by Pierre Hadot\n* Plato's dialogues (someone already mentioned a few of them, but the Republic was missing from their list).\n* Epictetus (Discourses and Enchiridion)\n* The various essays/letters of Seneca\n* Matter and Consciousness by Churchland (older, but fascinating)\n* The Mediations of Marcus Aurelius\n* (mostly) any Buddhist texts\n* What a Plant Knows\n* Moonwalking with Einstein\nThere are tons of fascinating books, way too many to list.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Plato's dialogues",
          "reason": "The commenter lists Plato's dialogues and notes that the Republic was missing from another list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Plato"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient greek philosophy",
        "socratic dialogues"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "plato-complete-works-e5d689",
      "title": "Plato: Complete Works",
      "author": "Plato",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31968916,
          "author": "vehemenz",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T16:30:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31968916",
          "commentText": "Plato: Complete Works\nAre anthologies cheating?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Plato: Complete Works",
          "reason": "Proposed as the commenter’s choice in response to the rereading question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter asks whether anthologies count.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Plato"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient greek philosophy",
        "collected works"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "play-bigger-179ca5",
      "title": "Play Bigger",
      "author": "Al Ramadan, Dave Peterson, Christopher Lochhead, Kevin Maney",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40283398,
          "author": "pedalpete",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T08:07:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40283398",
          "commentText": "The Obstacle is the Way - Ryan Holiday\nHoliday, in most of his books, makes stoic philosophy relatable and gives examples of we'd be familiar with in modern day. It's a fairly easy read, and I gift it the most as well.\nAs a software engineer, I found his less popular book Perennial Seller to also be very good. It describes his writing style, which honestly is very similar to coding, but also talks about his approach to marketing his books, which drives the content.\nPlay Bigger by Al Ramadan (and a few others) which talks about category design. I haven't tried their newer books, but I'm somewhat tempted.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Play Bigger by Al Ramadan (and a few others) which talks about category design.",
          "reason": "Identifies it as a book about category design.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Has not tried the authors' newer books, but is somewhat tempted.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Al Ramadan",
        "Dave Peterson",
        "Christopher Lochhead",
        "Kevin Maney"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business strategy",
        "category design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "play-it-as-it-lays-bde65f",
      "title": "Play It as It Lays",
      "author": "Joan Didion",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49909596,
          "author": "benleejamin",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T14:34:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49909596",
          "commentText": "I really loved Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet! Very succinct. Currently working through The Tale of Genji (slowly) and Play It as It Lays (because I will read anything by Joan Didion).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Play It as It Lays (because I will read anything by Joan Didion).",
          "reason": "Reading it because they enjoy Didion's work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joan Didion"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american literature",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "player-s-handbook-a852e9",
      "title": "Player's Handbook",
      "author": "Gary Gygax and coauthors",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13804180,
          "author": "metaphorm",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:19:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804180",
          "commentText": "- The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin\n- Blindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts\n- The Tao Te Ching\n- The Gateless Gate (Koun Yamada translation/editing)\n- The Baroque Cycle (Quicksilver, The Confusion, The System of the World) by Neal Stephenson\n- The Invisibles by Grant Morrison\n- Incerto (Fooled by Randomness, The Black Swan, Antifragile, The Bed of Procrustes) by Nassim Nicholas Taleb\n- Iron John by Robert Bly\n- Catch 22 by Joseph Heller\n- The Character of Physical Law by Richard P. Feynman\n- Collected Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges\n- 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez\n- Pharmakon by Dale Pendell\n- The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss\n- Greek Mythology by Edith Hamilton\n- The Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual by Gary Gygax et al\n- Introduction to Algorithms by Charles E. Leiserson, Clifford Stein, Ronald Rivest, and Thomas H. Cormen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual by Gary Gygax et al",
          "reason": "Included in a list answering which books changed the commenter’s thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "One of three named Dungeons & Dragons rulebooks.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gary Gygax and coauthors"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dungeons dragons",
        "tabletop role playing games"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "playing-at-the-world-a90994",
      "title": "Playing at the World",
      "author": "Jon Peterson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5691697,
          "author": "cenazoic",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T19:01:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5691697",
          "commentText": "* The Quincunx, Charles Palliser (historical fiction: \"Those for whom this...will be a special treat are those who enjoy solving word or logic puzzles. To be enjoyed to its fullest, this is a book that benefits from active participation on the part of the reader.\"\n* Playing at the World, Jon Peterson (\"Explore the conceptual origins of wargames and role-playing games in this unprecedented history of simulating the real and the impossible.\")\n* The Years of Lyndon Johnson (v1-4, 5 in production), Robert Caro.  (If you ever wanted to see how political power actually works in the US, you can't beat this biography of LBJ, which reads like a (very long) novel.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Playing at the World, Jon Peterson (\"Explore the conceptual origins of wargames and role-playing games in this unprecedented history of simulating the real and the impossible.\")",
          "reason": "The description presents it as a history of the origins of wargames and role-playing games.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jon Peterson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "role playing games",
        "wargames"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "playing-to-win-b6ccf7",
      "title": "Playing to Win",
      "author": "A.G. Lafley and Roger L. Martin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "A.G. Lafley",
        "Roger L. Martin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "plays-by-george-bernard-shaw-98f9ec",
      "title": "Plays by George Bernard Shaw",
      "author": "George Bernard Shaw",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 143127,
          "author": "sarvesh",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T05:10:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143127",
          "commentText": "Star Trek, Plays by George Bernard Shaw, Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged, Firefly",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Plays by George Bernard Shaw",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Bernard Shaw"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "drama"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "plutarch-s-lives-volume-2-5071e9",
      "title": "Plutarch's Lives, Volume 2",
      "author": "Plutarch",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 456347,
          "author": "pskomoroch",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T14:15:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456347",
          "commentText": "I used to have a lot more time for non CS reading and actually made an Amazon list on this topic back in 2005:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/2INJSM38... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/2INJSM38IDMDZ/ref=cm_sw_r_de_lm)\n1.  On War (Everyman's Library (Cloth)) by Carl Von Clausewitz\n2.  Leadership: The Warrior's Art by Barry R. McCaffrey\n3.  Small Unit Leadership: A Commonsense Approach by Dandridge M. Malone\n4.  The Defense of Hill 781: An Allegory of Modern Mechanized Combat by James R. McDonough\n5.  The Art of Maneuver: Maneuver-Warfare Theory and AirLand Battle by Robert Leonhard\n6.  Strategy: Second Revised Edition (Meridian) by B. H. Liddell Hart\n7.  The Art of War by Niccolò Machiavelli\n8.  Hagakure: The Book of the Samauri by Tsunetomo Yamamoto\n9.  The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius\n10.  The Art of War (Shambhala classics) by Sun Tzu\n11.  The Prince (Bantam Classics) by Niccolo Machiavelli\n12.  Evolutionary Game Theory by Jörgen W. Weibull\n13.  On Guerrilla Warfare by Mao Tse-tung\n14.  The History of the Peloponnesian War: Revised Edition (Penguin Classics) by Thucydides\n15.  The Histories (Penguin Classics) by Herodotus\n16.  The Persian Expedition (Penguin Classics) by Xenophon\n17.  Plutarch: Lives of Noble Grecians and Romans (Modern Library Series, Vol. 1) by Plutarch\n18.  Plutarch's Lives, Volume 2 (Modern Library Classics) by Plutarch\n19.  Livy: The Early History of Rome, Books I-V (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 1-5) by Titus Livy\n20.  The History of Rome from Its Foundation, Books XXI-XXX: The War with Hannibal (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 21-30) by Titus Livius Livy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "18.  Plutarch's Lives, Volume 2 (Modern Library Classics) by Plutarch",
          "reason": "Included in a list of military strategy books answering the thread's request.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking books about military strategy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Plutarch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient rome",
        "classical biography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "poems-for-the-lost-ac1d3e",
      "title": "Poems for the Lost",
      "author": "Exurb1a",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40048221,
          "author": "kirkarg",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-16T03:59:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40048221",
          "commentText": "Poems for the lost, because I'm lost too. By exurbia.\nExcellent book, some poems go very deep but most of them are just funny (at least for me).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Poems for the lost, because I'm lost too. By exurbia.",
          "reason": "Calls it an excellent book and highlights its deep and funny poems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds most poems funny, at least personally.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Exurb1a"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "existentialism",
        "poetry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pointers-on-c-b6f2e4",
      "title": "Pointers on C",
      "author": "Kenneth A. Reek",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1213038,
          "author": "Apreche",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-23T14:58:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 1212675,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I use and love Python. What's the best book to learn C ?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1213038",
          "commentText": "Pointers on C helped me really understand pointers like no other book was able to do.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Pointers-C-Kenneth-Reek/dp/0673999866/... (http://www.amazon.com/Pointers-C-Kenneth-Reek/dp/0673999866/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269356298&sr=8-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pointers on C helped me really understand pointers like no other book was able to do.",
          "reason": "Recommended for understanding pointers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kenneth A. Reek"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming",
        "pointers"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "points-of-view-a-tribute-to-alan-kay-681919",
      "title": "Points of View: A Tribute to Alan Kay",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1569635,
          "author": "mgunes",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T00:26:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569635",
          "commentText": "* Go to http://www.thinkingforaliving.org/topics/shelf, close your eyes, move your pointer around at random , buy the book the pointer rests on, scroll down; repeat five times. You can't go wrong.\n* Points of View - A Tribute to Alan Kay -- the second hardcover edition just came out, and it's downloadable as PDF at http://vpri.org/pov/.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Points of View - A Tribute to Alan Kay -- the second hardcover edition just came out",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alan kay",
        "computer history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "poland-be8ad9",
      "title": "Poland",
      "author": "James A. Michener",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19090375,
          "author": "SaintGhurka",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T22:01:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090375",
          "commentText": "The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need by Andrew Tobias.  It inoculated me against a lot of potentially bad financial decisions.  Also a fairly quick and entertaining read - which helps in a dry subject like personal finance.\nPoland by James Michener - or any other of Michener's historical fiction.  Not all of them are great literary works, but because they  span thousands of years, they caused me to start thinking generationally.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Poland by James Michener - or any other of Michener's historical fiction.",
          "reason": "The long historical span prompted the commenter to think generationally.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not all of Michener's books are great literary works.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James A. Michener"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "generational history",
        "historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "political-economy-3586ac",
      "title": "Political Economy",
      "author": "Mark Twain",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467918,
          "author": "5letters",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T16:17:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467918",
          "commentText": "When I've needed to laugh I've read and reread:\nMark Twain's  \"Life on the Mississippi\"  and \"Roughing It\" as well as many short stories, esp. \"My Watch\", \"Political Economy\", \"Journalism in Tennessee\"\nAlso short stories from others:\nJ.S. Perelman's \"Strictly From Hunger\",\nAlex Atkinson's \"The Eyes of Texas are Upon You\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"My Watch\", \"Political Economy\", \"Journalism in Tennessee\"",
          "reason": "Named among the short stories the commenter rereads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Twain"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "satire",
        "short story"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "political-order-31edb9",
      "title": "Political Order",
      "author": "Francis Fukuyama",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21796311,
          "author": "chewxy",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-15T14:20:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21796311",
          "commentText": "I ploughed through Francis Fukuyama's Political Order series this year. I wouldn't say it's my favourite, but it was in some sense uplifting. He writes as though rule of law is a evolutionary certainty. As much as that's largely BS in my view, it's still nice to read.\nAfter 4 years I also finally finished Capital in the 21st Century. My opinion: worth reading by jumping around, not worth reading in linear fashion.\nBruce Pascoe's Dark Emu is worth a read too. It's well researched, but the author does occasionally blur the line between opinion and facts. I attribute it to writing styles. Similar in nature to another book I quite liked in the past - Wisdom Sits in Places, but less focused.\nNarrative Economics by Robert Shiller would be unfocused to people who are in the tech industry. Nonetheless, the book serves to give context to people who are textmining. Hopefully some changes to economics arise from this. His understanding of genetic algorithms and selection could do with some work.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I ploughed through Francis Fukuyama's Political Order series this year.",
          "reason": "Says the series was somewhat uplifting, while rejecting its apparent assumption that rule of law is inevitable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its apparent view of rule of law as an evolutionary certainty is largely mistaken.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Francis Fukuyama"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political institutions",
        "rule of law"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "political-order-and-political-decay-cf9427",
      "title": "Political Order and Political Decay",
      "author": "Francis Fukuyama",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23859413,
          "author": "me_me_me",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T14:39:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859413",
          "commentText": "I would add the 'Political Decay' as a must after 'Political Order'.\nIMHO 'Decay' its more important as it digs into current trends (i.e. mechanisms of undermining institutions).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the 'Political Decay' as a must after 'Political Order'",
          "reason": "The commenter says Political Decay is essential after Political Order because it examines current trends and institutional erosion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Francis Fukuyama"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political development",
        "political institutions"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "political-order-and-political-decay-from-the-industrial-revolutio-21dcc5",
      "title": "Political Order and Political Decay: From the Industrial Revolution to the Globalization of Democracy",
      "author": "Francis Fukuyama",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783529,
          "author": "Symmetry",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:46:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783529",
          "commentText": "Here are the ones I'd be willing to recommend, in reverse chronological order of when I read them.  I read 59 total.  Listen to books on tape while working out has maybe doubled my reading rate.\nGenghis Khan: His Conquests, His Empire, His Legacy - Great book on how the Mongol Empire came to be, who Genghis was, and it put the whole thing in perspective for me in a useful way.\nThe Knowledge: How to Rebuild Our World from Scratch - What it says on the tin.  Actually a good overview how some important technologies interrelate.\nSuperforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction - How to be wrong less often.  Based on the Good Judgement Project results.\nThe Three-Body Problem - Decent enough science fiction but extra interesting because it's science fiction from a different culture.\nIgnition!: An informal history of liquid rocket propellants - A history of things that go boom.  Engaging writing and I learned things about chemistry.\nThe Traitor Baru Cormorant - I'm nominating this for a Hugo.  It tells you it's going to stab you in the gut but when it does you don't see it coming.  Plus high quality scheming and speculation on economics, society, and empire.\nThe Sorcerer of the Wildeeps - Excellent use of voice and an overall good book.\nBloom - Made my skin crawl in places and also was good at making you feel a radical change in perspective.\nSeeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed - An interesting perspective on certain aspects of government.  A bit too negative for the topic, the factors outlined are also why commercial economies were able to develop more centralized economies than agrarian ones in the early modern era.\nPolitical Order and Political Decay: From the Industrial Revolution to the Globalization of Democracy - Quite good book on bureaucracy though not as excellent as the previous book on the origins of states.\nLast First Snow - It's always great to read books about the struggles between people with sympathetic motivations.\nThe Unwelcome Warlock - The latest in a series of fantasy books where people use magic in creative and sensible ways.\nAsteroid Mining 101: Wealth for the New Space Economy -Mostly about all the different sorts of asteroids.\nSeveneves - Neal Stephenson's latest.  If you like his books read it but maybe skip the last 1/3 after the timeskip.\nElon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future - Wow he did a lot of cool stuff.\nStories of Your Life and Others - Brilliant and poetic short stories.\nDarwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life - Some interesting perspective on materialism.\nPower, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life - Best science book I've read in a while!  Shows why mitochondria matter, the fundamental limits of prochariotic life, and several important ways mitochondria influence again and evolution.\nBlue Remembered Earth - Awesome near futureish book that does well at imagining a future that isn't just a linear extrapolation but is still believable.\nA Key, an Egg, an Unfortunate Remark - Not enough pacifist badass grandmothers in urban fantasy.\nQuantum Computing since Democritus - I understand QM much better now.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Political Order and Political Decay: From the Industrial Revolution to the Globalization of Democracy - Quite good book on bureaucracy though not as excellent as the previous book on the origins of states.",
          "reason": "Calls it quite good on bureaucracy, though less excellent than the previous book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Less excellent than the previous book on the origins of states.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Francis Fukuyama"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bureaucracy",
        "political development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "politics-and-the-english-language-b350db",
      "title": "Politics and the English Language",
      "author": "George Orwell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5692169,
          "author": "bloodorange",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T21:32:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5692169",
          "commentText": "Adding more:\nSiddhartha - Hermen Hesse\nNarcissus and Goldmund - Herman Hesse\nThe Glass Bead Game - Herman Hesse\nThe Consolations of Philosophy - Alain de Botton\nA Brief History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson\nPolitics and The English Lanaguage (essay) - George Orwell\nA Modest Proposal (essay) - Jonathan Swift",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Politics and The English Lanaguage (essay) - George Orwell",
          "reason": "Named as an essay in a response to a request for good books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "An essay rather than a book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Orwell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Society",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "politics-of-qat-the-role-of-a-drug-in-ruling-yemen-98c817",
      "title": "Politics of Qat: The Role of a Drug in Ruling Yemen",
      "author": "David F. S. C. Johnson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22093286,
          "author": "idlewords",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T19:15:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22093286",
          "commentText": "\"Light and Color in the Outdoors\" by Marcel Minnaert. The book goes into the physics of a lot of outdoor phenomena; you will be amazed at the things you never noticed or thought about before reading it.\n\"The History and Social Influence of the Potato\" is a pretty good time.\n\"Politics of Qat: The Role of a Drug in Ruling Yemen\" may sound way too niche, but it's fascinating as a study of transportation in a drug economy. Qat is a perishable leaf (like salad) and the politics of the entire region depend on who can more reliably deliver it to gunmen.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it's fascinating as a study of transportation in a drug economy.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds it fascinating as a study of transportation in a drug economy.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in qat and Yemen's drug economy.",
          "caveat": "The commenter acknowledges the subject may seem very niche.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David F. S. C. Johnson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "drug economy",
        "qat",
        "yemen"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "polity-universe-448eb5",
      "title": "Polity universe",
      "author": "Neal Asher",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36023307,
          "author": "DazWilkin",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T18:03:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36023307",
          "commentText": "I really enjoy(ed) Neal Asher's \"Transformation\" series (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Intelligence) and the Polity universe.\nI enjoy sci-fi series, interesting spacecraft, compelling aliens and am a sucker for machine-based intelligence.\nThis series combines all these and re-engaged in sci-fi. I went on to read most of Asher's other books including \"Agent Cormac\" and \"Spatterjay\" series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and the Polity universe.",
          "reason": "Names the Polity universe as part of what they enjoy in Neal Asher's science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neal Asher"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "machine intelligence",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "polostan-114aae",
      "title": "Polostan",
      "author": "Neal Stephenson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42270379,
          "author": "gangstead",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T02:51:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42270379",
          "commentText": "Neal Stephenson has a brand new book out this month called Polostan. It's my favorite Stephenson book in a while. It's historical fiction in the Cryptonmicon genre.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neal Stephenson has a brand new book out this month called Polostan. It's my favorite Stephenson book in a while. It's historical fiction in the Cryptonmicon genre.",
          "reason": "Calls it a favorite Stephenson book in a while.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neal Stephenson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternate history",
        "historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "poor-charlie-s-almanack-the-wit-and-wisdom-of-charles-t-munger-710743",
      "title": "Poor Charlie's Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger",
      "author": "Charles T. Munger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19896197,
          "author": "andrenth",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T03:14:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19896197",
          "commentText": "* Poor Charlie's Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger\n* Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger\n* The Model Thinker: What You Need to Know to Make Data Work for You\n* The Great Mental Models",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Poor Charlie's Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles T. Munger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "decision making",
        "mental models"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "poor-economics-a-radical-rethinking-of-the-way-to-fight-global-po-959354",
      "title": "Poor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty",
      "author": "Abhijit V. Banerjee; Esther Duflo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38557717,
          "author": "Brajeshwar",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:51:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557717",
          "commentText": "Most of the books I read are influenced by similar threads on HN. This year has not been good overall and it impacted my reading. I need to finish writing the post https://brajeshwar.com/2023/books/\n“How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question” by Michael Schur is a fun book that opens with a good question, “Should I punch my friend in the face for no reason?”\nI have been meaning to and this year I finally read The Diary of a Young Girl.\nFor 2024, here are some of the ones from my list (sorry for the formatting, copied Markdown from my notes);\n- [Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_War:_The_Fight_for_the_Wo... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_War:_The_Fight_for_the_World%27s_Most_Critical_Technology)) by [Chris Miller](https://www.christophermiller.net)\n- [First Principles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Principles_%28book%29) by [Thomas E. Ricks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_E._Ricks_%28journalist%29)\n- [Greenlights](https://greenlights.com) by [Matthew McConaughey](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_McConaughey)\n- How Asia Works: Success and Failure in the World's Most Dynamic Region by Joe Studwell\n- [Poor Economics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poor_Economics): A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty by [Abhijit V. Banerjee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abhijit_Banerjee),  and [Esther Duflo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther_Duflo)\n- Raising An Emotionally Intelligent Child The Heart of Parenting by [John Gottman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gottman), and Joan DeClaire\n- [The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read](https://www.amazon.com/Book-Wish-Your-Parents-Read/dp/198487... (https://www.amazon.com/Book-Wish-Your-Parents-Read/dp/1984879553)): (and Your Children Will Be Glad That You Did) by [Philippa Perry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippa_Perry)\n- [The End Of The World Is Just The Beginning: Mapping The Collapse Of Globalization](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_End_of_the_World_is_just_t... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_End_of_the_World_is_just_the_Beginning)) by [Peter Zeihan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Zeihan)\n- [The Tatas: How a Family Built a Business and a Nation](https://www.amazon.com/Tatas-Family-Built-Business-Nation/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Tatas-Family-Built-Business-Nation/dp/9352779371)) by [Girish Kuber](https://mr.wikipedia.org/wiki/गिरीश_कुबेर), and English translation by Vikrant Pande.\n- [Windfall: The Booming Business of Global Warming](https://www.amazon.com/Windfall-Booming-Business-Global-Warm... (https://www.amazon.com/Windfall-Booming-Business-Global-Warming/dp/1594204012)) by [McKenzie Funk](https://www.mckenziefunk.com)\n- [Dieter Rams: The Complete Works](https://www.amazon.com/Dieter-Rams-Complete-Klaus-Klemp/dp/1... (https://www.amazon.com/Dieter-Rams-Complete-Klaus-Klemp/dp/1838661530/)) by [Klaus Klemp](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaus_Klemp)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "here are some of the ones from my list",
          "reason": "Included on the commenter's reading list for 2024.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as a planned read, not an evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Abhijit V. Banerjee",
        "Esther Duflo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "development economics",
        "poverty"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "poor-no-more-16ff19",
      "title": "Poor No More",
      "author": "Robert Chester Ruark",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15156207,
          "author": "jaco8",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T14:46:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156207",
          "commentText": "Poor no more   - Robert Chester Ruark\nA Coffin Full of Dreams  - Frisco Hitt\nOblomov  - Ivan Goncharov\nThe Man Without Qualities - Robert Musil",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Poor no more   - Robert Chester Ruark",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which books had the biggest impact on mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Chester Ruark"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "population-485-e3208b",
      "title": "Population: 485",
      "author": "Michael Perry",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10218130,
          "author": "TobbenTM",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-14T23:25:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 10211331,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10218130",
          "commentText": "Population: 485 from Michael Perry",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Population: 485 from Michael Perry",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Perry"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "small town life"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pornland-how-porn-has-hijacked-our-sexuality-108303",
      "title": "Pornland: How Porn Has Hijacked Our Sexuality",
      "author": "Gail Dines",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6736119,
          "author": "l0stb0y",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-14T22:24:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6736119",
          "commentText": "Pornland: How Porn Has Hijacked Our Sexuality by Gail Dines.\nShould be essential reading for everyone, especially men, in this day and age.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Pornland-How-Porn-Hijacked-Sexuality/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Pornland-How-Porn-Hijacked-Sexuality/dp/0807001546)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Should be essential reading for everyone, especially men, in this day and age.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it essential reading, especially for men.",
          "audience": "Everyone, especially men.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gail Dines"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "pornography",
        "sexuality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "positioning-bfb460",
      "title": "Positioning",
      "author": "Al Ries and Jack Trout",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Al Ries",
        "Jack Trout"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "branding",
        "marketing strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "positioning-the-battle-for-your-mind-283773",
      "title": "Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind",
      "author": "Al Ries, Jack Trout, and Philip Kotler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Al Ries",
        "Jack Trout",
        "Philip Kotler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "brand positioning",
        "marketing strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "positive-intelligence-acea93",
      "title": "Positive Intelligence",
      "author": "Shirzad Chamine",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10765999,
          "author": "Bar_Code",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T03:56:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10765999",
          "commentText": "Positive Intelligence. I was able to \"label\" my personality and all of those of my teams and reports. I know how I need to change, and know what drives the people I work with. I never thought of the over achiever as a problem, but they \"prevent\" others from stepping up.\nEmotional Intelligence 2.0. Much easier read than the original. We are humans, driven by emotion, we need to be smart about it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I was able to \"label\" my personality and all of those of my teams and reports. I know how I need to change, and know what drives the people I work with.",
          "reason": "Says the book helped them identify personality patterns and understand how to change and work with others.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Shirzad Chamine"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personality",
        "team dynamics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "post-soviet-britain-988ccb",
      "title": "Post Soviet Britain",
      "author": "Abby Innes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45286269,
          "author": "chairmansteve",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-18T06:40:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 45283087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45286269",
          "commentText": "Post Soviet Britain by Abby Innes. Excellent so far (70 pages in).\nCrossing the Unknown Sea by David Whyte. Also excellent. Nearly finished it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Post Soviet Britain by Abby Innes. Excellent so far (70 pages in).",
          "reason": "Calls it excellent so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has read about 70 pages.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Abby Innes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political economy",
        "uk politics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "post-wall-post-square-b6f79c",
      "title": "Post Wall Post Square",
      "author": "Kristina Spohr",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25905047,
          "author": "dwrodri",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T16:30:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25905047",
          "commentText": "\"Post Wall Post Square\" by Kristina Spohr appears to be a fascinating verbal illustration of everything that happened in the years surrounding the downfall of the Soviet Union, from the perspective of each world leader.\nMy usual reading list consists of tech books, but I figured I'd change it up a little to have a bit of an escape.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Post Wall Post Square\" by Kristina Spohr appears to be a fascinating verbal illustration of everything that happened in the years surrounding the downfall of the Soviet Union, from the perspective of each world leader.",
          "reason": "Describes it as fascinating and says it covers events surrounding the Soviet Union’s downfall through world leaders’ perspectives.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kristina Spohr"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cold war",
        "fall of the soviet union"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "post-scarcity-anarchism-0071c5",
      "title": "Post-Scarcity Anarchism",
      "author": "Murray Bookchin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6902258,
          "author": "thenerdfiles",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T19:11:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6902258",
          "commentText": "There's a great collection of essays in The Philosohy of Law (edited by Richard Dworkin), which gives a characterization of legal philosophy/thought in Western Analytic tradition, and Post-Scarcity Anarchism (Murray Bookchin), a sort of historical analysis on how the post-structuralists' thought played subnarrative to the orthogonal political philosophy of that tradition.\nI tend to read longform articles. Thanks, news!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Post-Scarcity Anarchism (Murray Bookchin)",
          "reason": "Names it alongside a praised essay collection in an answer to the best-book question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Murray Bookchin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "anarchism",
        "political philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "postscript-on-the-societies-of-control-72a2d7",
      "title": "Postscript on the Societies of Control",
      "author": "Gilles Deleuze",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17521023,
          "author": "elvinyung",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T07:03:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521023",
          "commentText": "Lots of entrepreneurial suggestions here already, so I'm going do something different by suggesting more humanities-focused books/papers that could help round out our understanding of the state of things:\n* Status Update by Alice Marwick - an ethnography of the SF tech scene in the mid-late 2000s, a very detailed examination of the status structures in Silicon Valley and how we were changed by the rise of social media.\n* Postscript on the Societies of Control by Deleuze - short, insightful, somewhat prescient paper on the evolution of \"control\" mechanisms in postindustrial, capitalist societies.\n* Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative? by Mark Fisher - a very compelling analysis of the neoliberal postmodern condition, and how the cultural milieu has changed since the fall of the Soviet Union, and free-market capitalism became the only extant economic system in the world.\n* Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs - this probably needs no introduction; it was an extremely transformative treatise on urban form, vitality, diversity, and completely overturned the urban planning field when it was originally published. I think everyone who plans on living in a city should read this book.\n* Hollow City by Rebecca Solnit - an ethnography of the gentrification and bohemian displacement in San Francisco during the dot-com boom of the 1990s. She doesn't just blame \"the techies\" for the gentrification, but rather uses the gentrification as a lens to examine the culture around urbanism has changed in the recent decades.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "short, insightful, somewhat prescient paper",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it insightful and prescient and suggests it for understanding contemporary society.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in social control and postindustrial societies.",
          "caveat": "It is a paper, rather than a book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gilles Deleuze"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "postindustrial society",
        "social control"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "postsingular-b57dac",
      "title": "Postsingular",
      "author": "Rudy Rucker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6388456,
          "author": "Nekorosu",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T08:16:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6388456",
          "commentText": "Everything from Vernor Vinge is top notch. Start with A Fire Upon the Deep. If you like it read the other two books of the trilogy. It's a space opera by degree of events but it never gets cheesy. The amount of ideas put into these books never cease to amaze me.\nRudy Rucker's Postsingular followed by Hylozoic are great books. It's a rather humorous view on postsingular way of life. It's hard to describe his books and Rucker's writing style is not everyone's cup of tea but William Gibson likes it.\nAlso if you haven't read anything from Michael Swanwick you should give his books a try. It's not strictly science fiction because he likes to slide into more psychedelic and surreal areas of fiction. But I consider that his charm. Start with The Iron Dragon's Daughter.\nI also have to mention Cory Doctorow's Down and Out In the Magic Kingdom. I actually don't really like Doctorow's works. Some of them are boring. But this particular book is an exception and absolutely worth reading. A lot of interesting ideas are in play there including reputation based currency, eternal life (through ability to backup/restore body and memories) and extreme transhumanism.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rudy Rucker's Postsingular followed by Hylozoic are great books.",
          "reason": "Calls both books great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rudy Rucker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "post singularity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "postwar-a-history-of-europe-since-1945-6e970b",
      "title": "Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945",
      "author": "Tony Judt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33849965,
          "author": "totablebanjo",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T02:32:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33849965",
          "commentText": "Postwar by Tony Judt. Published in 2005, it covers 1945 Postwar Europe to ~2005. Good coverage of not just the major Western European countries like the UK, Germany, and France, but attention is paid to the Eastern European countries and Soviet Union. The US of course comes into the picture at parts, but the book is firmly focused on Europe. I found the economic development, political attitudes and party shifts, and the coverage of the Soviet Union and countries behind the iron curtain.\nI am looking for a follow up and may read Secondhand Time by Svetlana Alexievich, Stalin by Kotkin, or The Free World by Mendand. Suggestions appreciated",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it covers 1945 Postwar Europe to ~2005",
          "reason": "Found its coverage of European countries, political shifts, economic development, and the Soviet Union valuable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Firmly focused on Europe.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tony Judt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cold war",
        "postwar europe"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "potestas-clavium-27bfc3",
      "title": "Potestas Clavium",
      "author": "Lev Shestov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1027662,
          "author": "julius_geezer",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T21:08:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027662",
          "commentText": "Definitely a great read. By the way, if you find Pirsig on the sophists interesting, you might look up Lev Shestov, _Potestas Clavium_.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you might look up Lev Shestov, _Potestas Clavium_.",
          "reason": "Suggests looking up the book for someone interested in Pirsig's discussion of the sophists.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Pirsig on the sophists.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lev Shestov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "existentialism",
        "russian philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "powder-mage-ffbae2",
      "title": "Powder Mage",
      "author": "Brian McClellan",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25913977,
          "author": "asicsp",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-26T09:34:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25913977",
          "commentText": "See https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/wiki/lists\nMy recommendations, in no particular order:\n* The Riyria Revelations by Michael Sullivan\n* Memory, Sorrow and Thorn by Tad Williams\n* To Ride Hell's Chasm by Janny Wurts\n* Worm by Wildbow\n* Cradle by Will Wight (think anime like Naruto in book form, but without fillers/fan-service)\n* Farseer by Robin Hobb\n* Powder Mage by Brian McClellan\n* The First Law by Joe Abercrombie\n* The Dagger and the Coin by Daniel Abraham",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Powder Mage by Brian McClellan",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's fantasy recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking fantasy novels or epics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13240233,
          "author": "leandot",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T20:44:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13240233",
          "commentText": "Tech: Relevant Search, Clojure for the Brave and True\nPersonal: The Subtle Art of not Giving a f*ck\nSci-Fi: Red Rising\nFantasy: Powder Mage, Age of Myth\nAnd a plug, but on topic - book mentions on HN: http://hackernewsbooks.com",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Fantasy: Powder Mage",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian McClellan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "flintlock fantasy",
        "military fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "power-failure-the-inside-story-of-the-collapse-of-enron-8f0c12",
      "title": "Power Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron",
      "author": "Mimi Swartz and Sherron Watkins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mimi Swartz and Sherron Watkins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "corporate fraud",
        "enron"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "power-system-stability-and-control-806f8e",
      "title": "Power System Stability and Control",
      "author": "Prabha Kundur",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32790509,
          "author": "probablypower",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T13:38:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790509",
          "commentText": "For power system operations: \"Power System Stability and Control\" by Prabha Kundur (https://www.amazon.com/System-Stability-Control-Prabha-Kundu... (https://www.amazon.com/System-Stability-Control-Prabha-Kundur/dp/007035958X))\nIt is the bible of modern power system operations, and it will become more and more important as more renewable energy comes online. Understanding the concepts presented in this book is the difference between \"why haven't we hit 100% renewables yet?!\" and \"we need market incentives for inertial ancillary services\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Power System Stability and Control\" by Prabha Kundur",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the bible of modern power system operations and says its concepts clarify challenges in integrating renewables.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in power system operations and renewable energy integration.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Prabha Kundur"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "grid stability",
        "power systems",
        "renewable energy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "power-and-plenty-849d41",
      "title": "Power and Plenty",
      "author": "Ronald Findlay and Kevin H. O'Rourke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18662208,
          "author": "earthicus",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T08:09:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18662208",
          "commentText": "Ofer Gal - Baroque Science. A highly academic history of the scientific revolution, not the most readable book. It focused quite a bit on mathematization, especially in optics (and Kepler's optics revolution in particular), and also in observation via instrumentation like telescopes and microscopes.\nPaul Nahin - The Logician and the Engineer. About Boole and Shannon's work; I had already learned the material so i skimmed part of it and returned it to the library.\nIan Mortimer - The time traveler's guide to medieval england. Talks about what daily life was like for different social classes in 14th century England eg towns & cities, food, clothes, housing, employment, travel etc. I got about halfway through and lost interest in the subject matter.\nLucio Russo - The forgotten Revolution. A very readable academic history of the development of science in ptolomaic egypt (eg euclid, archimedes, etc). This was certainly the most surprising book I read all year. This time period has been almost completely deleted from history, which jumps straight from aristotle to the renaissance (with a quick stop in the islamic world if you're being spoiled), and their achievements were incredibly impressive!\nJim al-Khalili - The House of Wisdom. A pop-history book about arabic science that i got from the library. I was wary because it's written by a particle physicist and not a historian, and sure enough it is filled with so much nonsense that I through it down in disgust after a few chapters.\nColin Pask - Magnificent Principia. A brief tour of some of the highlights of Newton's Principia, using both newton's geometric diagrams and modern notation. Following the modern notation of course assumes some basic calculus. Highly recommended - it made me want to learn old fashioned celestial mechanics! Perhaps in 2019...\nRandall Munroe - What if. A fun light read about whimsical scenarios.\nSigmund - Exact thinking in demented times. About the vienna circle, the philosophical group associated with logical positivism.\nNewman [ed] - The world of mathematics vol 1. A varied Collection of mathematical writings, both contemporary and historical.\nRichard J Evans - The Coming of the Third Reich. Evans has recently written a three volume treatment of the third Reich. this is of course the first and starts with the origins of the modern form of antisemitism in the late 19th century. I hope to read the next two in 2019!\nRobert Harper - Practical foundations for programming languages. I've mostly just skimmed it so my understanding is quite superficial, maybe in a year or two I'll go through and do all the exercises. I liked that he avoided 'paradigms' and developed the subject more systematically. The book's table of contents is absolutely irresistible!\nTolkien - the Hobbit. I finally got around to reading it... I didn't care for it. I started the lord of the rings but i don't think i'm going to finish it.\nMichael Chriton - Jurassic Park. The movie was better.\nAgatha Christie - Murder on the Orient Express. I think i just don't like fiction. The few years before this I tried reading more fancy literature and i didn't like that, so this year I tried more popular literature... Recently i heard someone say they thought that history spoiled fiction for them. I think I've suffered the same problem.\nFindlay & O'Rourke - Power and Plenty. (in progress) An economic history of the 2nd millennium, absolutely fascinating so far. The discussion of the black death was particularly memorable. It's become something of a meme to point out how the peasant survivors were economically better off than their parents and grandparents. In fact that effect was limited to western europe. In eastern europe the economics were different and feudalism deepened, and in the arab world the reaction was different still: (if i remember my reading correctly) it was certain sects of military men who came out on top. I'm bringing it up because it is a perfect reminder that reality is more complicated than memes.\nRobert Harper - Programming in Standard ML. (in progress) Online notes about functional programming.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "(in progress) An economic history of the 2nd millennium, absolutely fascinating so far.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds it absolutely fascinating so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Reading was still in progress.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ronald Findlay and Kevin H. O'Rourke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic history",
        "global trade"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "power-sex-suicide-mitochondria-and-the-meaning-of-life-cdb417",
      "title": "Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life",
      "author": "Nick Lane",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783529,
          "author": "Symmetry",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:46:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783529",
          "commentText": "Here are the ones I'd be willing to recommend, in reverse chronological order of when I read them.  I read 59 total.  Listen to books on tape while working out has maybe doubled my reading rate.\nGenghis Khan: His Conquests, His Empire, His Legacy - Great book on how the Mongol Empire came to be, who Genghis was, and it put the whole thing in perspective for me in a useful way.\nThe Knowledge: How to Rebuild Our World from Scratch - What it says on the tin.  Actually a good overview how some important technologies interrelate.\nSuperforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction - How to be wrong less often.  Based on the Good Judgement Project results.\nThe Three-Body Problem - Decent enough science fiction but extra interesting because it's science fiction from a different culture.\nIgnition!: An informal history of liquid rocket propellants - A history of things that go boom.  Engaging writing and I learned things about chemistry.\nThe Traitor Baru Cormorant - I'm nominating this for a Hugo.  It tells you it's going to stab you in the gut but when it does you don't see it coming.  Plus high quality scheming and speculation on economics, society, and empire.\nThe Sorcerer of the Wildeeps - Excellent use of voice and an overall good book.\nBloom - Made my skin crawl in places and also was good at making you feel a radical change in perspective.\nSeeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed - An interesting perspective on certain aspects of government.  A bit too negative for the topic, the factors outlined are also why commercial economies were able to develop more centralized economies than agrarian ones in the early modern era.\nPolitical Order and Political Decay: From the Industrial Revolution to the Globalization of Democracy - Quite good book on bureaucracy though not as excellent as the previous book on the origins of states.\nLast First Snow - It's always great to read books about the struggles between people with sympathetic motivations.\nThe Unwelcome Warlock - The latest in a series of fantasy books where people use magic in creative and sensible ways.\nAsteroid Mining 101: Wealth for the New Space Economy -Mostly about all the different sorts of asteroids.\nSeveneves - Neal Stephenson's latest.  If you like his books read it but maybe skip the last 1/3 after the timeskip.\nElon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future - Wow he did a lot of cool stuff.\nStories of Your Life and Others - Brilliant and poetic short stories.\nDarwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life - Some interesting perspective on materialism.\nPower, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life - Best science book I've read in a while!  Shows why mitochondria matter, the fundamental limits of prochariotic life, and several important ways mitochondria influence again and evolution.\nBlue Remembered Earth - Awesome near futureish book that does well at imagining a future that isn't just a linear extrapolation but is still believable.\nA Key, an Egg, an Unfortunate Remark - Not enough pacifist badass grandmothers in urban fantasy.\nQuantum Computing since Democritus - I understand QM much better now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life - Best science book I've read in a while! Shows why mitochondria matter, the fundamental limits of prochariotic life, and several important ways mitochondria influence again and evolution.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best science book they have read in a while and explains its subjects.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nick Lane"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolution",
        "mitochondria"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "power-speed-endurance-b590f9",
      "title": "Power, Speed, Endurance",
      "author": "Brian MacKenzie, C. J. Martin, and Michael Gonzales",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4967419,
          "author": "jlees",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T23:17:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967419",
          "commentText": "It Starts With Food was the book that has had the most significant impact on my life this year. Power, Speed, Endurance, which I recently got, has a shot at being the next most impactful.\nAmong Others was one of the most enjoyable fiction reads. Beautiful. Prep was also surprisingly good, and not something I would usually have read.\nLeading So People Will Follow surprisingly insightful and clearly actionable.\nThe Big Nerd Ranch's guide to iOS development carried me through last Christmas and the new year admirably. I haven't really read many programming books this year but it stands out as being well crafted.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Power, Speed, Endurance, which I recently got, has a shot at being the next most impactful.",
          "reason": "The commenter expects it may become the next most impactful book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Recently acquired; expected impact, not yet reported.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian MacKenzie, C. J. Martin, and Michael Gonzales"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "endurance training",
        "fitness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "powerful-b7f422",
      "title": "Powerful",
      "author": "Patty McCord",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Powerful (Patty McCord)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Patty McCord"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "company culture",
        "human resources"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "powers-and-thrones-a-new-history-of-the-middle-ages-b3a42c",
      "title": "Powers and Thrones: A New History of the Middle Ages",
      "author": "Dan Jones",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40429844,
          "author": "romanhn",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T15:39:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40429844",
          "commentText": "I read a lot of history, but many of the books are quite dry. A rare exception were the books by Dan Jones I recently read, on medieval England (The Plantagenets, The Wars Of Roses). I learned a bunch and sincerely enjoyed the process. His Powers and Thrones book is next up.\nIncidentally, I found out that Shakespeare covered similar timelines (especially the wars of the roses) in his 8 history plays, which I've been going through. Never read any Shakespeare before, and liking it enough that I already made a top ten list of his works to get into next.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His Powers and Thrones book is next up.",
          "reason": "Plans to read it next.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in medieval history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Jones"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "medieval europe",
        "middle ages"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "practical-api-design-confessions-of-a-java-framework-architect-54867d",
      "title": "Practical API Design: Confessions of a Java Framework Architect",
      "author": "Jaroslav Tulach",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12263930,
          "author": "mh8h",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-10T18:43:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 12262586,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are good reads for designing APIs?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12263930",
          "commentText": "If you need programming APIs, and not necessarily REST, take a look at \"Practical API Design, Confessions of a Java Framework Architect\": http://www.apress.com/9781430209737",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "take a look at \"Practical API Design, Confessions of a Java Framework Architect\"",
          "reason": "Suggests the book for programming APIs, including APIs beyond REST.",
          "audience": "People designing programming APIs.",
          "caveat": "Specifically framed for programming APIs, not necessarily REST.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jaroslav Tulach"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "api design",
        "java frameworks"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "practical-apache-struts-2-web-2-0-projects-9e1546",
      "title": "Practical Apache Struts 2 Web 2.0 Projects",
      "author": "Ian Roughley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 221122,
          "author": "richesh",
          "createdAt": "2008-06-18T20:25:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 221097,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Best book for Java",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=221122",
          "commentText": "I'm assuming you are looking for Struts 2, if this is the case there are only few good books out there. I own all these books below and they are useful, but they are not as updated as the latest release.  My suggestion to you is to keep an eye on the struts 2 wiki and join the mailing list to get the latest information.\n1. Practical Apache Struts 2 Web 2.0 Projects (Practical Projects) by Ian Roughley - http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Apache-Struts-Web-Projects/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Apache-Struts-Web-Projects/dp/1590599039/)\n2. Starting Struts 2 by Ian Roughley - http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Struts-2-Ian-Roughley/dp/1430... (http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Struts-2-Ian-Roughley/dp/1430320338/)\n3. Struts 2 in Action (In Action) by Don Brown, Chad Davis, and Scott Stanlick - http://www.amazon.com/Struts-2-Action-Don-Brown/dp/193398807... (http://www.amazon.com/Struts-2-Action-Don-Brown/dp/193398807X)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Practical Apache Struts 2 Web 2.0 Projects (Practical Projects) by Ian Roughley",
          "reason": "Lists it as a useful resource for learning Struts 2.",
          "audience": "People learning Struts 2.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the books are not as up to date as the latest release.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ian Roughley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "apache struts",
        "java",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "practical-c-programming-780dd3",
      "title": "Practical C Programming",
      "author": "Steve Oualline",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33131470,
          "author": "raddan",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T11:33:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33131470",
          "commentText": "I am surprised to see nobody mention Practical C Programming (https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Programming-Does-Nutshell-H... (https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Programming-Does-Nutshell-Handbooks/dp/1565923065)) by Steve Oualline. Before I studied computer science in school, I read this book and successfully taught myself C. Readers here may consider it to be a bit remedial, but if you’re struggling to understand the other recommended books, start here. I attempted to read K&R half a dozen times back then, unsuccessfully. Looking back at it now, I can see why: K&R’s examples are hard for true beginners to wrap their minds around. I now teach C as a part of an upper level undergraduate course; the key to understanding most of C’s counterintuitive behavior is to have a clear understanding of its relationship with memory. In fact, I quite like C. It is simple and elegant in many ways. It is also just super unsafe.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I am surprised to see nobody mention Practical C Programming",
          "reason": "The commenter learned C from it and recommends it as a starting point for readers struggling with other books.",
          "audience": "True beginners who struggle with other recommended C books.",
          "caveat": "Readers with more experience may find it remedial.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve Oualline"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "practical-computing-for-biologists-d3a6e1",
      "title": "Practical Computing for Biologists",
      "author": "Steven H. D. Haddock and Casey W. Dunn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37398405,
          "author": "bionhoward",
          "createdAt": "2023-09-05T22:04:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 37386127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best intro to programming book for 2nd graders?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37398405",
          "commentText": "Practical Computing for Biologists was an extremely great one for me, but it looks like the price got jacked way up, maybe there are PDFs floating around and maybe it’s worth $120 due to awesomeness. https://practicalcomputing.org/index.html\nMainly I give this recommendation based on the practicality of the material and straightforward style. You don’t necessarily need to be a biologist to get a lot out of it, same stuff is used everywhere anyway. Combine that book with the Pythonista app on a phone and you can just whip out your mobile device and instantly have a better equivalent to a TI-83 calculator, with internet.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Practical Computing for Biologists was an extremely great one for me",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it for practical material and straightforward style, noting it is useful beyond biology.",
          "audience": "Readers learning practical computing; biology is not required.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the price has risen substantially and wonders whether PDFs are available.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven H. D. Haddock",
        "Casey W. Dunn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "python",
        "scientific computing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "practical-cryptography-9178a0",
      "title": "Practical Cryptography",
      "author": "Niels Ferguson and Bruce Schneier",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14488056,
          "author": "TallGuyShort",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T14:59:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14488056",
          "commentText": "I would recommend Schneier's Cryptography Engineering (or its predecessor) Practical Cryptography over Applied Cryptography, given the question. I agree Applied Cryptography is a very interesting book, but that's because I'm a crypto nerd. For someone looking to improve general software engineering skills, I think the other books do a better job of presenting best practices and the understanding behind them, with a bit less mathematical theory, etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "(or its predecessor) Practical Cryptography over Applied Cryptography",
          "reason": "Recommended over Applied Cryptography for someone seeking general software engineering skills and best practices.",
          "audience": "Readers looking to improve general software engineering skills.",
          "caveat": "Presented as the predecessor of Cryptography Engineering.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Niels Ferguson and Bruce Schneier"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cryptography",
        "software engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "practical-file-system-design-with-the-be-file-system-d7bb67",
      "title": "Practical File System Design with the Be File System",
      "author": "Dominic Giampaolo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29310830,
          "author": "linguae",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T19:48:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29310830",
          "commentText": "For a great introduction to file systems, I highly recommend Practical File System Design with the Be File System by Dominic Giampaolo, creator of the Be File System who ended up moving to Apple and designed Spotlight, the file indexing and search system that was introduced in Mac OS X Tiger.  It's very well written and you'll learn a lot.  When I was hired in 2006 as a summer undergraduate research intern at an academic storage systems lab, I used this book to study up on file systems design and implementation.  At the time I haven't even taken an operating systems class (I had just completed my freshman year), though I already knew a lot about operating systems by reading a lot of papers and books on Unix as well as writing C programs that used POSIX system calls.  This book helped me a lot on my very first research project: exploring the use of SQLite as the basis of a non-hierarchical file system.  That was a fun project that helped start my research career.\nI still refer to this book from time to time to brush up on file system basics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For a great introduction to file systems, I highly recommend Practical File System Design with the Be File System by Dominic Giampaolo,",
          "reason": "Highly recommends it as an introduction to file systems and a reference for their fundamentals.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an introduction to file system design and implementation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dominic Giampaolo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "be file system",
        "file systems",
        "storage systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "practical-linear-algebra-37f999",
      "title": "Practical Linear Algebra",
      "author": "Gerald Farin and Dianne Hansford",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31710731,
          "author": "djmips",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-12T02:34:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31710731",
          "commentText": "belfalas you probably feel you don't need another one but this is a great book that is friendly for visual learners (even though apparently they don't exist!)\nPractical Linear Algebra - Gerald Farin & Dianne Hansford.\nIIRC, the first edition was based on a work designed to educate design workers at a car firm who either didn't have the background or needed shoring up. So from the beginning it was aimed at the common person. It has since been developed over the years to it's current form.\nAll I know is this book has great illustrations / great analogies and was written in a way that worked _for me_ where other books did not and was a springboard to more advanced texts which as you can tell by the comments there are many. I highly reccomend.\nhttp://www.farinhansford.com/books/pla/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Practical Linear Algebra - Gerald Farin & Dianne Hansford.",
          "reason": "The commenter highly recommends it, praising its illustrations, analogies, and accessible style.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a visually friendly and accessible introduction to linear algebra.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it worked for them and served as a springboard to more advanced texts.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gerald Farin",
        "Dianne Hansford"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "linear algebra",
        "visual learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "practical-microservices-ad9e5a",
      "title": "Practical Microservices",
      "author": "Ethan Garofolo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22300368,
          "author": "ethangarofolo",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-11T17:29:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22300368",
          "commentText": "I don't know if linking to one's own work is considered gauche here, but since it fits with the original question, my own book Practical Microservices fits this description (https://pragprog.com/book/egmicro/practical-microservices).  It takes the reader from inception of a projection to a functioning system, explaining the basics of microservices, event sourcing, and CQRS along the way.  Each chapter builds on the previous ones.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "my own book Practical Microservices",
          "reason": "The author recommends it as a project-based book that builds a functioning system.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ethan Garofolo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cqrs",
        "event sourcing",
        "microservices"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "practical-modern-javascript-02cc65",
      "title": "Practical Modern JavaScript",
      "author": "Nicolas Bevacqua",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14463350,
          "author": "bevacqua",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-01T18:59:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14463350",
          "commentText": "Maybe check out Practical Modern JavaScript, which I wrote, which is free\nhttps://github.com/bevacqua/practical-es6",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Maybe check out Practical Modern JavaScript, which I wrote, which is free",
          "reason": "Suggests the book and notes that it is free.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter identifies as its author; no specific evaluation is stated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nicolas Bevacqua"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ecmascript",
        "javascript"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "practical-object-oriented-design-ca27b7",
      "title": "Practical Object-Oriented Design",
      "author": "Sandi Metz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16673965,
          "author": "Fire-Dragon-DoL",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-25T19:18:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16673965",
          "commentText": "POODR - Practical Object oriented design in ruby. Changed my way of coding entirely, brought me to a completely different level and pushed an even bigger growth",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "POODR - Practical Object oriented design in ruby. Changed my way of coding entirely, brought me to a completely different level and pushed an even bigger growth",
          "reason": "The commenter says it transformed their coding and contributed to substantial professional growth.",
          "audience": "Ruby programmers interested in object-oriented design.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sandi Metz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "object oriented design",
        "ruby"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "practical-object-oriented-design-an-agile-primer-be0692",
      "title": "Practical Object-Oriented Design: An Agile Primer",
      "author": "Sandi Metz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23385987,
          "author": "oak_io",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-02T00:56:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23385987",
          "commentText": "Practical Object-Oriented Design in Ruby: An Agile Primer, Sandi Metz\n264 pages, although including code snippets and a few diagrams.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Practical Object-Oriented Design in Ruby: An Agile Primer, Sandi Metz",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "264 pages, although including code snippets and a few diagrams.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sandi Metz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "object oriented design",
        "ruby"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "practical-rails-projects-f9b304",
      "title": "Practical Rails Projects",
      "author": "Eldon Alameda",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 781207,
          "author": "isharan",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-23T23:36:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 781079,
          "threadTitle": "Can you recommend some good RoR books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=781207",
          "commentText": "The main thing you want to do when learning Rails is to make sure you're pretty solid in Ruby. David Black's Well-Grounded Rubyist covers a lot of Ruby.\nAs for Rails, I have nothing but good things to about Foundation Rails 2 by Eldon Alameda. He gives a brief introduction to Ruby at the beginning, and doesn't rely on scaffolding/plugins, something a lot of early Rails developers try and overuse. Although, now that I think about it, the routing chapter was a little weak. Of course there's also the standard Agile Web Development with Rails (3rd Edition) which was written by the creator of Rails.\nAfter that, the best place is to start writing apps and get some hands-on experience. If you want, there's another book that Eldon Alameda wrote called \"Practical Rails Projects\" which does exactly that -- guides you through 6 or 7 Rails projects to teach you all about Rails. However, it uses an older version of Rails (1.2.3 compared to the current 2.3.3) but I'm sure a lot of the concepts will still apply. You can always install an older version of Rails to follow along.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "another book that Eldon Alameda wrote called \"Practical Rails Projects\" which does exactly that -- guides you through 6 or 7 Rails projects to teach you all about Rails.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for learning Rails through guided projects.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking hands-on Rails experience.",
          "caveat": "Uses an older Rails version (1.2.3 vs. the then-current 2.3.3), though the commenter says many concepts still apply.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eldon Alameda"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "project based learning",
        "ruby on rails"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "practical-rails-social-networking-sites-75c47c",
      "title": "Practical Rails Social Networking Sites",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 781328,
          "author": "larrywright",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-24T01:32:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 781079,
          "threadTitle": "Can you recommend some good RoR books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=781328",
          "commentText": "I'll second the votes for The Rails Way, it really is good. Another one to consider which I didn't see mentioned is an Apress book called \"Practical Rails Social Networking Sites\". It's slightly out of date, though anything written more than 6 months ago is. In spite of it's somewhat misleading title, it's a good introduction to building a site in Rails, and touches on most of the things you'd need to build any modern application. It serves as a good introduction to Rails IMO.\nOne other really good resource is The Rails Guides: http://guides.rubyonrails.org - they cover everything, and are very up to date. I use them regularly.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's slightly out of date, though anything written more than 6 months ago is. In spite of it's somewhat misleading title, it's a good introduction to building a site in Rails",
          "reason": "Calls it a good introduction to building a Rails site.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Slightly out of date; the commenter says the title is somewhat misleading.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ruby on rails",
        "social networking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "practical-sql-a5eb0f",
      "title": "Practical SQL",
      "author": "Anthony DeBarros",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48405540,
          "author": "runjake",
          "createdAt": "2026-06-04T22:32:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 48403642,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/resources for learning SQL?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48405540",
          "commentText": "I thought Practical SQL was very good at explaining both the how and the why with practical real-world examples.\nhttps://nostarch.com/practical-sql-2nd-edition",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I thought Practical SQL was very good at explaining both the how and the why with practical real-world examples.",
          "reason": "Praises its explanations of both SQL techniques and rationale, with practical examples.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anthony DeBarros"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "database",
        "sql"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "practical-statistics-simply-explained-bf40d8",
      "title": "Practical Statistics Simply Explained",
      "author": "Russel Langley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32943750,
          "author": "westcort",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T19:46:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32943750",
          "commentText": "\"Practical Statistics Simply Explained\" by Russel Langley was an excellent introduction to statistical concepts that gives one a real \"feel\" for how to apply statistics in real-world use. I highly recommend working all of the problems in the text.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Practical Statistics Simply Explained\" by Russel Langley",
          "reason": "Highly recommends it as an introduction to applying statistics in real-world situations.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an introduction to practical statistics.",
          "caveat": "Recommends working through all the problems.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Russel Langley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "applied statistics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "practical-statistics-for-data-scientists-727e70",
      "title": "Practical Statistics for Data Scientists",
      "author": "Peter Bruce, Andrew Bruce, and Peter Gedeck",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20677176,
          "author": "RocketSyntax",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-12T16:44:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 20674745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Neural Networks/Deep Learning Books Should I Read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20677176",
          "commentText": "Ah, I just read your description. Allow me to change my recommendation to \"Practical Statistics for Data Scientists\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Allow me to change my recommendation to \"Practical Statistics for Data Scientists\"",
          "reason": "The commenter changes their recommendation to this title after reading the requester's description.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Bruce, Andrew Bruce, and Peter Gedeck"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data science",
        "statistics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "practical-tcp-ip-designing-using-and-troubleshooting-tcp-ip-netwo-220de9",
      "title": "Practical TCP/IP: Designing, Using, and Troubleshooting TCP/IP Networks on Linux and Windows",
      "author": "Niall Mansfield",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27652810,
          "author": "teleforce",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T16:19:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 27650775,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27652810",
          "commentText": "I'd recommend Kurose's Computer Networking: A Top Down Approach (now in 8th edition) book if you want to learn a proper computer networks concepts because this is the definitive textbook.\nIf you want the practical aspects of computer networks, you can try Niall Manfields' Practical TCP/IP designing, using and troubleshooting TCP/IP networks on Linux and Windows book.  Granted it's a bit old (2nd edition is essentially the same 1st edition), but because you are after the essentials it should be more than fine. Here's the review of the book:\nhttps://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=122... (https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/stamp/stamp.jsp?tp=&arnumber=1220683)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Niall Manfields' Practical TCP/IP designing, using and troubleshooting TCP/IP networks on Linux and Windows book",
          "reason": "Suggested for learning practical aspects of computer networks.",
          "audience": "People seeking practical networking essentials.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is old and that the second edition is essentially the same as the first.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Niall Mansfield"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "linux",
        "network troubleshooting",
        "tcp ip"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "practice-what-you-preach-d5f63b",
      "title": "Practice What You Preach",
      "author": "David H. Maister",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35219113,
          "author": "tmcdos",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-19T14:14:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35219113",
          "commentText": "I am not an entrepreneur (yet) but I still want to share a few titles with you:\n- \"Maverick or The seven day weekend\" by Ricardo Semler\n- \"Rework\" by Jason Fried and David Hansson\n- \"Startup - an insider's guide to launching and running a business\" by Kevin Ready\n- \"Bookkeeping and Cost Accounting for Factories\" by William Kent (1918)\n- \"Practice what you preach\" by David Maister\n- \"Don't oil the squeaky wheel\" by Wolf Rinke\n- \"Selling The Wheel: Choosing The Best Way To Sell For You Your Company Your Customers\" by Jeff Cox\n- \"The power of stupidity\" by Giancarlo Livraghi\n- \"How to write a good advertisement\" by Victor Schwab\n- \"How to Make Money Out of Thin Air\" by Brian Sher\n- \"Good manners and business etiquette. Illustrated Guide\" by Elena Ber\n- \"Don't just roll the dice: A usefully short guide to software pricing\" by Neil Davidson\n- \"Message to Garcia\" by Elbert Hubbard\n- the TopLeaf course of 36 video lectures on management by dr. Izhak Adizes can be purchased on https://vimeo.com/ondemand/topleaf or found on ru tracker (if you have access)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Practice what you preach\" by David Maister",
          "reason": "Shares the title among several books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are not yet an entrepreneur.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David H. Maister"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "management",
        "professional services"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "practice-of-perfection-and-christian-virtues-8f53be",
      "title": "Practice of Perfection and Christian Virtues",
      "author": "Alphonsus Rodriguez",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13971217,
          "author": "michaelsbradley",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T20:05:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13971217",
          "commentText": "Practice of Perfection and Christian Virtues\nby Alphonsus Rodriguez, S.J., 1609\nas translated into English from the original Spanish by Joseph Rickaby, S.J., 1929\nhttps://archive.org/details/PPCV-Manresa\nI found it to be a mirror of my soul, in which I saw more clearly than ever before my many faults and areas for improvement; at the same time, it held out to me the prescriptions necessary for the cure... a work still in progress, to be sure.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Practice of Perfection and Christian Virtues\nby Alphonsus Rodriguez, S.J., 1609",
          "reason": "Names the book and describes it as a mirror that revealed faults and prescriptions for improvement.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Calls the work a work in progress.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alphonsus Rodriguez"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian spirituality",
        "virtue"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pragmatic-thinking-learning-a9d237",
      "title": "Pragmatic Thinking & Learning",
      "author": "Andy Hunt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17082822,
          "author": "skfist",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-16T14:48:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17082822",
          "commentText": "My favorites so far:\n- Pragmatic Thinking & Learning by Andy Hunt\n- The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman\n- The Effective Engineer* by Edmond Lau\n- The Pragmatic Programmer by Andy Hunt and Dave Thomas\n- SQL Performance Explained by Markus Winand\nAnd http://teachyourselfcs.com curriculum is pretty good as well.\nAs a side note, there's so much we can learn from game programmers and OS/database/compiler engineers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pragmatic Thinking & Learning by Andy Hunt",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s favorites in a thread asking for books to read when starting a software engineering or computer science career.",
          "audience": "People starting a career in software engineering or computer science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andy Hunt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "learning strategies",
        "software development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pragmatic-thinking-and-learning-91858f",
      "title": "Pragmatic Thinking and Learning",
      "author": "Andy Hunt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3277783,
          "author": "haasted",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T18:25:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3277783",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed Pragmatic Thinking and Learning (http://pragprog.com/book/ahptl/pragmatic-thinking-and-learni... (http://pragprog.com/book/ahptl/pragmatic-thinking-and-learning)). It's quite accessible, and doesn't feel too pop or new age.\nIf you're quick, you can get it rather cheaply during the Black Friday sale. (http://media.pragprog.com/newsletters/2011-11-21.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed Pragmatic Thinking and Learning",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed it and describes it as accessible.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it does not feel too pop or new age.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1867913,
          "author": "faz",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-04T06:22:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1867913",
          "commentText": "Just started with \"Pragmatic Thinking and Learning\" by Andy Hunt.\nAlso reading \"1453: The Holy War For Constantinople and the Clash of Islam and the West\" by Roger Crowley. More of an action book than a historical one.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Just started with \"Pragmatic Thinking and Learning\" by Andy Hunt.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andy Hunt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Computing",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "learning techniques",
        "cognitive skills",
        "pragmatic programmer"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "praise-to-hell-14f924",
      "title": "Praise to Hell",
      "author": "Gündüz Vassaf",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9674847,
          "author": "fakturk",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T14:54:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674847",
          "commentText": "The Third Wave - Alvin Toffler\nListen Little Man - Wilhelm Reich\nPraise to Hell - Gunduz Vassaf (actully I read this book in turkish and I don't know is it translated to english but I still want to recommend this one)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Praise to Hell - Gunduz Vassaf (actully I read this book in turkish and I don't know is it translated to english but I still want to recommend this one)",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the book based on reading it in Turkish.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether it has an English translation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gündüz Vassaf"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "social criticism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pre-industrial-societies-anatomy-of-the-pre-modern-world-5a0698",
      "title": "Pre-Industrial Societies: Anatomy of the Pre-Modern World",
      "author": "Pat Hudson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910816,
          "author": "thaumasiotes",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T17:19:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910816",
          "commentText": "Pre-Industrial Societies: Anatomy of the Pre-Modern World https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1780747411/\nBrotherhood of Kings: How International Relations Shaped the Ancient Near East https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195313984/\nThe Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the Economy Bigger https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0691136408/\nThe Mystery of the Hanging Garden of Babylon: An Elusive World Wonder Traced https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CG3JMD0/\nThe Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature https://www.amazon.com/dp/0670031518/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pre-Industrial Societies: Anatomy of the Pre-Modern World",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pat Hudson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "preindustrial societies",
        "social history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pre-suasion-d4aa1d",
      "title": "Pre-Suasion",
      "author": "Robert B. Cialdini",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17983531,
          "author": "dorchadas",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-13T23:13:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17983531",
          "commentText": "I haven't read that one, but I read is Pre-suasion last year, and it was definitely an eyeopener. Have quite a lot of bookmarks in that one still. Need to get around to Influence too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read is Pre-suasion last year, and it was definitely an eyeopener.",
          "reason": "Calls it an eye-opener.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert B. Cialdini"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marketing",
        "persuasion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "precalculus-mathematics-in-a-nutshell-e1b9ac",
      "title": "Precalculus Mathematics in a Nutshell",
      "author": "George Finlay Simmons",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30487529,
          "author": "pevey",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T12:01:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30487529",
          "commentText": "Precalculus Mathematics in a Nutshell by George Finlay Simmons is one I go back to from time to time to make sure I have mastery of basic math.  Someone gave it to me in high school.\nIt’s a tiny book but powerful. It helped me a prepare for college. There’s something very inspiring about understanding geometry, trig, and algebra well enough that you can flip through a few pages, follow along, and basically cover the whole of those subjects as taught in high schools.\nI later used it to study for the GMAT and GRE and got a 99 percentile math score both times. I’m reasonably intelligent but not a math whiz. The book definitely helped. It is brief but densely-packed with everything you really need to know.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Precalculus Mathematics in a Nutshell by George Finlay Simmons is one I go back to from time to time to make sure I have mastery of basic math.",
          "reason": "The commenter uses it to review foundational math and credits it with helping prepare for college and standardized tests.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Brief, densely packed review; the commenter says they are not a math whiz.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Finlay Simmons"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "geometry",
        "precalculus",
        "trigonometry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "precalculus-mathematics-in-a-nutshell-88a9a3",
      "title": "Precalculus Mathematics in a Nutshell",
      "author": "George F. Simmons",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34442397,
          "author": "djrockstar1",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T16:46:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34442397",
          "commentText": "Had to do a Calculus course in uni despite not having taken any calc or pre-calc in high school. \"Precalculus Mathematics in a Nutshell\" and \"Calculus Made Easy\" were complete lifesavers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Precalculus Mathematics in a Nutshell\" and \"Calculus Made Easy\" were complete lifesavers.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book was a lifesaver while taking university calculus without prior calculus or precalculus.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George F. Simmons"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "precalculus"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "predicate-calculus-and-program-semantics-5b29ac",
      "title": "Predicate Calculus and Program Semantics",
      "author": "Edsger W. Dijkstra and Carel S. Scholten",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32790850,
          "author": "User23",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T14:15:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790850",
          "commentText": "Dijkstra’s A Discipline of Programming and its spiritual successor that he did with Scholten  Predicate Calculus and Program Semantics. They changed how I think about programming.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Predicate Calculus and Program Semantics",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed how they think about programming.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edsger W. Dijkstra",
        "Carel S. Scholten"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "formal methods",
        "program semantics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "predictable-revenue-594d13",
      "title": "Predictable Revenue",
      "author": "Aaron Ross",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12246085,
          "author": "callmeed",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T07:47:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12246085",
          "commentText": "On Writing Well by Zinsser\nTraction by Weinberg & Mares\nPredictable Revenue by Ross\nChoose Yourself by Altucher\nLearn Python the Hard Way by Shaw\nMere Christianity by Lewis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Predictable Revenue by Ross",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about books given as gifts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8026610,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-13T04:06:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 8025870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8026610",
          "commentText": "Fiction: Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace\nNon-Fiction / Science:  Our Mathematical Universe by Max Tegmark\nNon-Fiction / Business: Predictable Revenue by Aaron Ross\nNon-Fiction / Programming / Tech: OSGI in Action by Richard Hall, Karl Pauls, Stuart McCulloch, and David Savage",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Non-Fiction / Business: Predictable Revenue by Aaron Ross",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Aaron Ross"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "revenue growth",
        "sales"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "prep-193e68",
      "title": "Prep",
      "author": "Curtis Sittenfeld",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4967419,
          "author": "jlees",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T23:17:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967419",
          "commentText": "It Starts With Food was the book that has had the most significant impact on my life this year. Power, Speed, Endurance, which I recently got, has a shot at being the next most impactful.\nAmong Others was one of the most enjoyable fiction reads. Beautiful. Prep was also surprisingly good, and not something I would usually have read.\nLeading So People Will Follow surprisingly insightful and clearly actionable.\nThe Big Nerd Ranch's guide to iOS development carried me through last Christmas and the new year admirably. I haven't really read many programming books this year but it stands out as being well crafted.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Prep was also surprisingly good",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was surprisingly good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Curtis Sittenfeld"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "boarding school",
        "coming of age"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "presence-bringing-your-boldest-self-to-your-biggest-challenges-ab2e0a",
      "title": "Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges",
      "author": "Amy Cuddy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12420068,
          "author": "codeful",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-03T17:26:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12420068",
          "commentText": "Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest \nby Amy Cuddy\nand\nThe Charisma Myth: Master the Art of Personal Magnetism\nby Olivia Fox Cabane\nI really liked these books about how to be more influential in everyday life. These books provide simple techniques you can use right after you have read. Available as audiobooks too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really liked these books about how to be more influential in everyday life.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really liked the books and that they provide immediately usable techniques for influence.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking influence in everyday life.",
          "caveat": "The title as supplied is truncated; completed from the recognizable book title.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Amy Cuddy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "confidence",
        "influence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "press-send-f82e10",
      "title": "Press Send",
      "author": "John McLaren",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 602212,
          "author": "alain94040",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-10T16:03:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 601903,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fictional books related to startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=602212",
          "commentText": "Startup book turning into thriller with light dose of sci-fi and compelling characters: \"Press Send\" by John McLaren (http://www.amazon.com/Press-Send-John-McLaren/dp/0671015702)\nTo me, \"Press Send\" run circles around \"Microserfs\".\nGood luck finding it in the US (It's a UK book for some reason).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Press Send\" run circles around \"Microserfs\".",
          "reason": "Presented as a startup thriller and explicitly praised in comparison with Microserfs.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in startup fiction with science-fiction elements.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is difficult to find in the US.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John McLaren"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "startup fiction",
        "technology industry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "presumed-innocent-dfa9fc",
      "title": "Presumed Innocent",
      "author": "Scott Turow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42511878,
          "author": "undopamine",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T23:20:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42511878",
          "commentText": "The 3-body problem trilogy (Rememberance of the Earth's past). My first sci-fi novels ever - the Netflix show sold me and these novels compelled me on a whole new hard sci-fi rabbit hole.\nPresumed Innocent (preceeded by the Apple TV show of same name). Murder mystery. Loved it.\nTie-in novels from videogame franchise:\n- Deus Ex: Black Light\n- Devil May Cry: before the nightmare\nI've also started Marvel Comics in anticipation of Fantastic Four and the whole Secret Wars storyline it will build up.\nCouldn't finish a single non-fiction this year, but enjoyable so far:\n- Zero to One\n- When I say no, I feel guilty\n- Designing data-intensive applications",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Presumed Innocent\n(preceeded by the Apple TV show of same name). Murder mystery. Loved it.",
          "reason": "The commenter loved this murder mystery novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Turow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "legal thriller",
        "murder mystery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "prey-ef358b",
      "title": "Prey",
      "author": "Michael Crichton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056521,
          "author": "pkudel4",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:18:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056521",
          "commentText": "Prey is a novel by Michael Crichton - @everyone",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Prey is a novel by Michael Crichton",
          "reason": "Named as a science-fiction book in the discussion asking for favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Crichton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nanotechnology",
        "thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "price-theory-86823d",
      "title": "Price Theory",
      "author": "Milton Friedman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 180667,
          "author": "mstoehr",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-04T05:37:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 180589,
          "threadTitle": "Good book for economics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=180667",
          "commentText": "These two are my favorite (that are reasonably priced!).  Samuelson is definitely a formidable thinker and lays the groundwork for much later economic thinking.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Worldly-Philosophers-Lives-Economic-Th... (http://www.amazon.com/Worldly-Philosophers-Lives-Economic-Thinkers/dp/068486214X)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Price-Theory-Milton-Friedman/dp/020206... (http://www.amazon.com/Price-Theory-Milton-Friedman/dp/0202060748)\nHowever if you go with the Samuelson, Fridman, and Heilbroner you'll be missing out on some key concepts relating to information and games, which are essential for understanding modern developments in economics.\nSo, I would also look at Myerson's Game Theory\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Game-Theory-Analysis-Roger-Myerson/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Game-Theory-Analysis-Roger-Myerson/dp/0674341163)\nFinally, the empirical side of economics is quite important, and it is essential for investigating whether the theoretical conceptions (say in Samuelson) actually hold up.  There are many bad texts, and the seminal ones (Greene) are quite difficult in the beginning.  So, I recommend a pedagogical text that uses the likelihood approach.  Although, this is, by no means, a comprehensive text, you can certainly gain an understanding of a basic econometric study\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Econometric-Modeling-David-Hendry-Ni... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Econometric-Modeling-David-Hendry-Nielsen/dp/0691130892)\nThat should give you a broad introduction.  Also, checkout http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/DisplayJournalBrowse.cfm, which is an excellent resource with many free papers.\nGood Luck!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "These two are my favorite",
          "reason": "The commenter identifies this title as one of their two favorite books in the list.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking economics reading recommendations.",
          "caveat": "The commenter qualifies the favorites as reasonably priced.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Milton Friedman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "price theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "price-theory-and-applications-69f22d",
      "title": "Price Theory and Applications",
      "author": "Steven Landsburg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12566267,
          "author": "logfromblammo",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T17:17:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12566267",
          "commentText": "Try the Society of Actuaries / Casualty Actuarial Society study resources [0] for exams P (probability) [1], FM (financial mathematics) [2], MFE (models for financial economics) [3] or S (statistics and probabilistic models) [4].  Look at the PDF syllabus documents, and there will be a section on \"suggested texts\".\nLooking up the suggested texts for previous test years (or for obsolete tests) may also reveal texts that may be cheaper now or available as used copies.\nYou could probably get something like Price Theory and Applications (Landsburg) or Principles of Corporate Finance (Brealey, Myers, Allen) for cheap.\n[0] http://beanactuary.org/exams/preliminary/?fa=preliminary-com... (http://beanactuary.org/exams/preliminary/?fa=preliminary-computer-based-exams)\n[1] https://www.soa.org/education/exam-req/edu-exam-p-detail.asp... (https://www.soa.org/education/exam-req/edu-exam-p-detail.aspx)\n[2] https://www.soa.org/education/exam-req/edu-exam-fm-detail.as... (https://www.soa.org/education/exam-req/edu-exam-fm-detail.aspx)\n[3] https://www.soa.org/education/exam-req/edu-exam-mfe-detail.a... (https://www.soa.org/education/exam-req/edu-exam-mfe-detail.aspx)\n[4] https://www.casact.org/admissions/syllabus/index.cfm?fa=Ssyl... (https://www.casact.org/admissions/syllabus/index.cfm?fa=Ssyllabi&parentID=345)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You could probably get something like Price Theory and Applications (Landsburg) or Principles of Corporate Finance (Brealey, Myers, Allen) for cheap.",
          "reason": "Suggested as an affordable text to consider.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking suggested economics and finance texts.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may be possible to get a copy cheaply.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Landsburg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economics textbooks",
        "price theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "price-theory-an-intermediate-text-073acf",
      "title": "Price Theory: An Intermediate Text",
      "author": "David D. Friedman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 180846,
          "author": "mhb",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-04T15:54:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 180589,
          "threadTitle": "Good book for economics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=180846",
          "commentText": "Price Theory: An Intermediate Text by David Friedman.  Online version: http://www.daviddfriedman.com/Academic/Price_Theory/PThy_ToC... (http://www.daviddfriedman.com/Academic/Price_Theory/PThy_ToC.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Price Theory: An Intermediate Text by David Friedman.",
          "reason": "Offered as a book option in response to a request for economics books.",
          "audience": "Someone seeking an economics textbook.",
          "caveat": "The title identifies it as an intermediate text.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David D. Friedman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economics textbook",
        "microeconomics",
        "price theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "prices-and-production-and-other-works-8de181",
      "title": "Prices and Production and Other Works",
      "author": "F. A. Hayek",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13805640,
          "author": "narrator",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T20:09:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805640",
          "commentText": "I read the Bible cover to cover.  I liked the bible because it dealt with fear a lot.  Fear of the guy coming over the hill and slaughtering your whole tribe on a moment's notice.  Fear of your whole legacy being destroyed and lost when people you've never heard of show up.  I also liked the view of god that he's a jerk, but that's all that there is.  It was like they were trying to put together a worldview that corresponded to a reality where terrible things happen all the time, so they made god a jerk.  I just think back to what people in the old testament had to deal with on a daily basis and think my life is really not that bad.\n\"Prices and Production and other Works\" which is a compilation of F.A Hayek's work by Joseph Salerno.  It contains a lot of great criticisms of Keynes theories during the 30s.  I used to really think I could understand mainstream economics, but Hayek totally demolished it in my mind and I can't have productive discussions with academically trained economists anymore because I have to start over from first principles with them.\n\"The Edge Effect\" by Eric Braverman was a great book for understanding my mind.  I got a lot out of it and it changed my understanding of my personal psychology.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Prices and Production and other Works\" which is a compilation of F.A Hayek's work by Joseph Salerno. It contains a lot of great criticisms of Keynes theories during the 30s.",
          "reason": "Says it contains strong critiques that changed their view of mainstream economics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "F. A. Hayek"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "austrian economics",
        "keynesian economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "primal-leadership-e66c83",
      "title": "Primal Leadership",
      "author": "Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16569321,
          "author": "jrs235",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-12T16:36:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16569321",
          "commentText": "Difficult Conversations\nPrimal Leadership\nNecessary Endings",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Primal Leadership",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that helped professionally.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "emotional intelligence",
        "leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "primavera-con-una-esquina-rota-724d49",
      "title": "Primavera con una esquina rota",
      "author": "Mario Benedetti",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21459507,
          "author": "vo2maxer",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T03:28:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21459507",
          "commentText": "Yes, here are some I’ve read in the last year:\nBartleby y compañía by Enrique Vila-Matas, on why writers give up or why they may be reluctant to write. It’s a mixture of fiction and biography, hard to tell which but fun searching for authors who may not exist.\nLas Constelaciones Oscuras by Pola Oloixarac. I think many in HN would like her work, this novel in particular.\nEl Ejército Iluminado by David Toscana.\nPrimavera con una esquina rota by Mario Benedetti\nLa Casa Verde by Mario Varga Llosa",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Primavera con una esquina rota by Mario Benedetti",
          "reason": "Lists it among books read in the last year, in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "A reader seeking Spanish-language book recommendations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mario Benedetti"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political fiction",
        "uruguayan literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "prime-obsession-2c1e41",
      "title": "Prime Obsession",
      "author": "John Derbyshire",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40280220,
          "author": "black6",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-06T22:25:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40280220",
          "commentText": "Eric Hoffer's \"The True Believer\"\nCicero's \"How to Grow Old\"\nJohn Derbyshire's \"Prime Obsession\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "John Derbyshire's \"Prime Obsession\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Derbyshire"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "riemann hypothesis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "prime-obsession-bernhard-riemann-and-the-greatest-unsolved-proble-0b3115",
      "title": "Prime Obsession: Bernhard Riemann and the Greatest Unsolved Problem in Mathematics",
      "author": "John Derbyshire",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12098993,
          "author": "0xmohit",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T04:49:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12098993",
          "commentText": "Here are a few:\nSync: The Emerging Science of Spontaneous Order by Steven Strogatz\nPrime Obsession: Bernhard Riemann and the Greatest Unsolved Problem in Mathematics by John Derbyshire\nPredictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely\nThe Peter Principle: Why Things Always Go Wrong by \tLaurence J. Peter and Raymond Hull",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Prime Obsession: Bernhard Riemann and the Greatest Unsolved Problem in Mathematics by John Derbyshire",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Derbyshire"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "number theory",
        "riemann hypothesis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "principle-centered-leadership-8c9ca6",
      "title": "Principle-Centered Leadership",
      "author": "Stephen R. Covey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21741282,
          "author": "cnicolaou",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-09T08:57:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21741282",
          "commentText": "While i really value the books from the US and British armies that were shared, I think \"Principle Centered Leadership by Stephen Covey\" is a really good book on the topic of Leadership.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Principle-Centered-Leadership-Stephen... (https://www.amazon.com/Principle-Centered-Leadership-Stephen-Covey-dp-0671749102/dp/0671749102/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think \"Principle Centered Leadership by Stephen Covey\" is a really good book on the topic of Leadership.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a really good book on leadership.",
          "audience": "People learning leadership.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen R. Covey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "principle centered leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "principles-and-practice-of-sleep-medicine-a264b3",
      "title": "Principles and Practice of Sleep Medicine",
      "author": "Meir H. Kryger, Thomas Roth, and William C. Dement, editors",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40966434,
          "author": "lccerina",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-15T09:43:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 40962582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most accurate scientific book on human sleep?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40966434",
          "commentText": "Sleep researcher here. The most detailed you can find would be \"principles and practices of sleep medicine\", but that would not give you direct advice on how to solve your problems, more a general understanding of that.\nIf it's Insomnia, consider a cognitive behavioral therapist. If it's something else, look for the right expert. It can be also an external condition (e.g., do you live close to railways, airports, chemical plants?), diet and lifestyle, genetic factors etc...\nWithout knowing what is your main sleep complaint is difficult to advice you.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The most detailed you can find would be \"principles and practices of sleep medicine\"",
          "reason": "Suggested as the most detailed source for general understanding of sleep.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a detailed, general understanding of sleep.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it does not give direct advice on solving personal sleep problems.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Meir H. Kryger",
        "Thomas Roth",
        "William C. Dement"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sleep disorders",
        "sleep medicine"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "principles-for-dealing-with-the-changing-world-order-c649bf",
      "title": "Principles for Dealing with the Changing World Order",
      "author": "Ray Dalio",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39249448,
          "author": "cpursley",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T11:31:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249448",
          "commentText": "This book is absolute garbage. Zeihan is a geopolitical lightweight and a very uninformed one at that. It’s hard to tell if he was intentionally dishonest in that book or really that uninformed. He is so factually wrong on some points that’s it shocking, like things that are objectively and quantifiable facts.\nFor much better Geopolitical books, check these out:\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52962238-principles-for-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52962238-principles-for-dealing-with-the-changing-world-order)\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56696339-the-power-of-ge... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56696339-the-power-of-geography)\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/16144575",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For much better Geopolitical books, check these out:\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52962238-principles-for-...",
          "reason": "Recommended as a better geopolitical book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ray Dalio"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "geopolitics",
        "world order"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "principles-of-compiler-design-ac787b",
      "title": "Principles of Compiler Design",
      "author": "Alfred V. Aho and Jeffrey D. Ullman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12144339,
          "author": "lazyjones",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:59:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144339",
          "commentText": "First part of the question (actual influences):\n1) Philip and Alex's Guide to Web Publishing (not strictly a book). http://philip.greenspun.com/panda/\n2) The \"Dragon Book\" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principles_of_Compiler_Design\n3) Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach\nSecond part (at hindsight):\n1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rich_Dad_Poor_Dad (cheesy, but useful)\n2) http://toddkashdan.com/upside.php\n3) https://www.schranner.com/de/news/2012/04/16/-verhandeln-im-... (https://www.schranner.com/de/news/2012/04/16/-verhandeln-im-grenzbereich-und-teure-fehler-jetzt-auch-im-apple-ibook-store) - German book about negotiations written by an experienced hostage negotiator.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The \"Dragon Book\"",
          "reason": "Listed among actual influences; the alias points to Principles of Compiler Design.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alfred V. Aho",
        "Jeffrey D. Ullman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "compiler design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "principles-of-corporate-finance-d136fd",
      "title": "Principles of Corporate Finance",
      "author": "Richard A. Brealey, Stewart C. Myers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3179865,
          "author": "veyron",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-01T00:22:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 3177815,
          "threadTitle": "Good books for hackers interested in quant finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3179865",
          "commentText": "If you are going to go that route, I'd point to Brealey and Myers \"Principles of Corporate Finance\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd point to Brealey and Myers \"Principles of Corporate Finance\".",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to a discussion of books that could help someone understand companies and finance.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard A. Brealey, Stewart C. Myers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "capital budgeting",
        "corporate finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "principles-of-corporate-finance-c92e87",
      "title": "Principles of Corporate Finance",
      "author": "Richard A. Brealey, Stewart C. Myers, Franklin Allen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12561908,
          "author": "n00b101",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T02:25:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12561908",
          "commentText": "Options, Futures, and Other Derivatives by John Hull\nPrinciples of Corporate Finance by Richard Brealey, Stewart Myers, Franklin Allen\nTraders, Guns and Money: Knowns and unknowns in the dazzling world of derivatives by Satyajit Das",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Principles of Corporate Finance by Richard Brealey, Stewart Myers, Franklin Allen",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for must-read economics and finance books.",
          "audience": "Someone learning about finance.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard A. Brealey, Stewart C. Myers, Franklin Allen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "corporate finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "principles-of-corporate-finance-46d9aa",
      "title": "Principles of Corporate Finance",
      "author": "Richard A. Brealey, Stewart C. Myers, and Franklin Allen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12566267,
          "author": "logfromblammo",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T17:17:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12566267",
          "commentText": "Try the Society of Actuaries / Casualty Actuarial Society study resources [0] for exams P (probability) [1], FM (financial mathematics) [2], MFE (models for financial economics) [3] or S (statistics and probabilistic models) [4].  Look at the PDF syllabus documents, and there will be a section on \"suggested texts\".\nLooking up the suggested texts for previous test years (or for obsolete tests) may also reveal texts that may be cheaper now or available as used copies.\nYou could probably get something like Price Theory and Applications (Landsburg) or Principles of Corporate Finance (Brealey, Myers, Allen) for cheap.\n[0] http://beanactuary.org/exams/preliminary/?fa=preliminary-com... (http://beanactuary.org/exams/preliminary/?fa=preliminary-computer-based-exams)\n[1] https://www.soa.org/education/exam-req/edu-exam-p-detail.asp... (https://www.soa.org/education/exam-req/edu-exam-p-detail.aspx)\n[2] https://www.soa.org/education/exam-req/edu-exam-fm-detail.as... (https://www.soa.org/education/exam-req/edu-exam-fm-detail.aspx)\n[3] https://www.soa.org/education/exam-req/edu-exam-mfe-detail.a... (https://www.soa.org/education/exam-req/edu-exam-mfe-detail.aspx)\n[4] https://www.casact.org/admissions/syllabus/index.cfm?fa=Ssyl... (https://www.casact.org/admissions/syllabus/index.cfm?fa=Ssyllabi&parentID=345)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You could probably get something like Price Theory and Applications (Landsburg) or Principles of Corporate Finance (Brealey, Myers, Allen) for cheap.",
          "reason": "Suggested as an affordable finance text to consider.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking suggested economics and finance texts.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may be possible to get a copy cheaply.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard A. Brealey, Stewart C. Myers, and Franklin Allen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "corporate finance",
        "finance textbooks"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "principles-of-digital-audio-4771a9",
      "title": "Principles of Digital Audio",
      "author": "Ken Pohlmann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14137515,
          "author": "dTal",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T09:59:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14137515",
          "commentText": "For work:\nPrinciples of Digital Audio, by Ken Pohlmann\nFor play:\nHandbook of Model Rocketry, by G. Harry Stine.\n(p.s. if anyone has any suggestions for the field of imaging, I'd love to hear them as I don't know of a good imaging \"bible\".)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Principles of Digital Audio, by Ken Pohlmann",
          "reason": "Named as the commenter’s work-related bible.",
          "audience": "Readers working with digital audio",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ken Pohlmann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "audio engineering",
        "digital audio"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "principles-of-economics-4463ef",
      "title": "Principles of Economics",
      "author": "John B. Taylor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36429601,
          "author": "gizmo",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T08:59:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36429601",
          "commentText": "Read the micro 101 and macro 101 textbooks used by good universities. Principles of Economics by Taylor is one of the common textbooks. Macroeconomics by Mankiw is another one. Intro courses on any subject tend to be very accessible to laypeople.\nSowell is unserious because he misrepresents the other side. He basically argues that when you leave everything for the market to figure out it will automatically turn out alright, and if it doesn’t then clearly it means you need to deregulate more. You can look up what the arguments against complete free market solutions in healthcare, housing, education, and manufacturing are and you’ll see that the “obvious common sense market based” solutions don’t produce good outcomes for society.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Principles of Economics by Taylor is one of the common textbooks.",
          "reason": "Listed as a common university introductory economics textbook.",
          "audience": "Laypeople taking an introductory economics course.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John B. Taylor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "introductory economics",
        "textbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "principles-of-economics-a9e761",
      "title": "Principles of Economics",
      "author": "Carl Menger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12561793,
          "author": "fiatjaf",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T01:53:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12561793",
          "commentText": "I have news for you: statistics is totally unrelated to economics. Better rethink everything you think you know.\nFor people wanting recommendations, I suggest Carl Menger's Principles of Economics, which has saved me from stupidification on college.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I suggest Carl Menger's Principles of Economics, which has saved me from stupidification on college.",
          "reason": "Suggested to people seeking recommendations and credited with helping the commenter avoid poor economic understanding in college.",
          "audience": "People wanting economics book recommendations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carl Menger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "austrian economics",
        "economic theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "principles-of-mathematics-0012ff",
      "title": "Principles of Mathematics",
      "author": "Richard L. Allendoerfer and Cletus O. Oakley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31496932,
          "author": "blindmute",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T20:05:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31496932",
          "commentText": "In order:\n1. Book of Proof\n1a. How to Prove It: A Structured Approach\n2. Elements of Set Theory - Enderton\n2a. Naive Set Theory - Halmos\n3. Foundations of Analysis - Landau\n4. Basic Mathematics - Lang\n5. Principles of Mathematics - Allendoerfer & Oakley\n6. A Transition to Advanced Mathematics\n6a. Concept of Modern Mathematics - Stewart\n7. Calculus - Apostol or Spivak\nDon't skip any",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "5. Principles of Mathematics - Allendoerfer & Oakley",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard L. Allendoerfer",
        "Cletus O. Oakley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "foundational mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "principles-of-microeconomics-7c8c2a",
      "title": "Principles of Microeconomics",
      "author": "N. Gregory Mankiw",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12566654,
          "author": "xapata",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T18:00:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12566654",
          "commentText": "Mankiw's text is decent, but heavily influenced by his politics.\nRegardless of who you read, it's good to be skeptical and consider their personal agenda.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Mankiw's text is decent, but heavily influenced by his politics.",
          "reason": "Described as decent, with a caveat about political influence.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is heavily influenced by Mankiw’s politics.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "N. Gregory Mankiw"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "microeconomics",
        "textbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "principles-of-neural-science-57147b",
      "title": "Principles of Neural Science",
      "author": "Eric R. Kandel et al.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32790567,
          "author": "docdocgoose",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T13:43:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790567",
          "commentText": "Principles of Neural Science by Kandel et al\nMolecular Biology of The Cell by Alberts et al\nJaneway’s Immunobiology\nRobbin’s Pathologic Basis of Disease\nAll of these books are extraordinary in their sheer ability to organize thousands of small details into thematic narratives of how life operates.\nThey also reveal how hard  we humans try to narrate life into tidy, comprehensible themes.\nThese books are all of an era (2005-2015), and there are probably newer ones. That said, they are a great guide for non biologists into how experts think things work.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Principles of Neural Science by Kandel et al",
          "reason": "The commenter praises these books for organizing details into thematic narratives about how life operates.",
          "audience": "Non-biologists seeking insight into how experts think about how life works.",
          "caveat": "These books are from 2005–2015; the commenter notes newer books may exist.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric R. Kandel et al."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "neural science",
        "neuroscience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "principles-of-personal-defense-03e726",
      "title": "Principles of Personal Defense",
      "author": "Jeff Cooper",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10027904,
          "author": "hga",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T17:06:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027904",
          "commentText": "The Selfish Gene is wonderfully tight, indeed very little noise and a whole lot of signal.\nHere's two books if you want to learn about math you might want to learn about: The Facts on File Dictionary on Mathematics by Gibson, and Foundations and Fundamental Concepts of Mathematics by Howard Eves, which takes a historical approach, but is not a history per se.  More like \"this is what the Greeks did, in this period the use of calculus was pretty loose and look at this equation that  Euler thought was right, these are the steps that brought rigor to it\" etc.\nSusan Wise Bauer has been writing a series of history books solely focused on \"politics\", i.e. no coverage of the arts besides occasional mentions; that can be a very useful framework to then hang study of things like the arts off of.  Also no wild speculation like Guns, Germs and Steel is filled with, if it wasn't written down and passed down to us, it gets only brief mention.  Here's the first one: http://www.susanwisebauer.com/books/history-of-the-ancient-w... (http://www.susanwisebauer.com/books/history-of-the-ancient-world/)\nSamuel Eliot Morison wrote a series of book on the History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, they're focused on what happened in detail, with charts of the movement of the ships in various battles and so on.  The TV series Victory at Sea was based on them, and they're a good framework to then hang more detailed study of the war off of: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_United_States_Naval... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_United_States_Naval_Operations_in_World_War_II)\nAs Wikipedians put it, This History of U.S. Naval Operations also intentionally avoided a certain amount of analysis, for instance deferring to other works for the causes of the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor. The intended audience for the work, to quote from the preface, was \"the general reader rather than the professional sailor.\"\nThere are two very tight and short books on self-defense, Jeff Cooper Principles of Personal Defense and Massad Ayoob's In the Gravest Extreme, The Role of the Firearm in Personal Protection, \"Just the facts, ma'am\", firearm centric but wonderfully focused.\nADDED: Sun Tzu's The Art of War is itself very focused (the media on which it was written strongly encourages that!), although the commentary, traditional and what modern translators add, can wander into fluff.  A lot of it is relevant to modern non-violent life, and don't forget that \"You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you\".  I recommend  Samuel B. Griffith's translation, he was a professional military officer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jeff Cooper Principles of Personal Defense",
          "reason": "Lists it as one of two focused, short books on self-defense.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking focused self-defense information.",
          "caveat": "Firearm-centric context applies to the pair of books discussed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeff Cooper"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self defense"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "principles-of-quantum-mechanics-497fce",
      "title": "Principles of Quantum Mechanics",
      "author": "R. Shankar",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16082758,
          "author": "joshvm",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-05T23:41:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16082758",
          "commentText": "It's not the best textbook ever, but Shankar's book on quantum mechanics is interesting. It builds everything from ideas about vector spaces and the underlying mathematics (in an accessible way) before quantum magically pops out. You end up understanding bra-ket notation without realising it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Shankar's book on quantum mechanics is interesting.",
          "reason": "Calls the book interesting while discussing its accessible explanation of the underlying mathematics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is interesting; no stronger endorsement is stated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "R. Shankar"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "physics",
        "quantum mechanics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "principles-of-statistics-cb1d98",
      "title": "Principles of Statistics",
      "author": "M. G. Bulmer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 665147,
          "author": "fogus",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T14:16:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665147",
          "commentText": "I personally liked \"A Logical Approach to Discrete Math\" by Gries and Schneider which can be had for a good price on Amazon.  As for statustics, I liked \"Statistics: A Gentle Introduction\" by Coolidge and \"Principles of Statistics\" by Bullmer which can be had for a great price even new.\nAlthough only slightly related to your chosen topics, \"Linear Algebra Done Right\" by Axler is awesome.\n-m",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Principles of Statistics\" by Bullmer",
          "reason": "Says they liked the book.",
          "audience": "Readers studying statistics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "M. G. Bulmer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "statistics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "prioritizing-web-usability-998c8c",
      "title": "Prioritizing Web Usability",
      "author": "Jakob Nielsen and Hoa Loranger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 240850,
          "author": "trotzke",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T06:28:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240850",
          "commentText": "On my desk:\nGetting Real (37Signals),\nHardball (Chris Mathews),\nPrioritizing Web Usability (Jakob Nielsen)\nNearby shelf:\nThe Design of Everyday Things,\nMaverick,\nFounders at work,\nA Brief History of Time,\nA Pattern Language,\nPeopleware,\nMade to stick,\nWeb Standards Solutions,\nDesigning Interactions,\nThe Pragmatic Programmer,\nThe Mythical Man-Month,\nOh, the Places You'll Go!\nOther good reads:\nBlink,\nTipping Point,\nLong Tail,\nFreakonomics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Prioritizing Web Usability (Jakob Nielsen)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for recommended books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jakob Nielsen and Hoa Loranger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "user experience",
        "web usability"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "prisoner-s-dilemma-4f0838",
      "title": "Prisoner's Dilemma",
      "author": "William Poundstone",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13805365,
          "author": "jonbaer",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T19:34:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805365",
          "commentText": "Prisoners of Geography - Tim Marshall\nThe Revenge of Geography - Robert D. Kaplan\nPrisoner's Dilemma - William Poundstone\nThe Master Algorithm - Pedro Domingos\nZero-Sum Future - Gideon Rachman\nThe End of History and the Last Man - Francis Fukuyama\nEntanglement - Amir Aczel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Prisoner's Dilemma - William Poundstone",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Poundstone"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "game theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "privacy-in-context-technology-policy-and-the-integrity-of-social--c5a0f9",
      "title": "Privacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life",
      "author": "Helen Nissenbaum",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Helen Nissenbaum"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "information ethics",
        "privacy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pro-git-de7f21",
      "title": "Pro Git",
      "author": "Scott Chacon; Ben Straub",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2524259,
          "author": "gte910h",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-07T18:31:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 2524205,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books for soon to be Software Engineers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2524259",
          "commentText": "Code Compete 2\nSoftware Estimation: Demystifying the Black Art\nPro GIT\nDebugging by Agans",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pro GIT",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "New software engineers transitioning from school to industry.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Chacon; Ben Straub"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "git",
        "version control"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "probabilistic-graphical-models-principles-and-techniques-b9b434",
      "title": "Probabilistic Graphical Models: Principles and Techniques",
      "author": "Daphne Koller and Nir Friedman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13901290,
          "author": "akssri",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T14:05:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13901290",
          "commentText": "Graphical models might also be something folks might want to consider. Ideas from PGMs are often behind many advances in ML.\nThe canonical text is by Daphne Koller; a course I took used Martin Wainwright's monograph though - the book is briefer and dives into the math quicker.\nhttps://people.eecs.berkeley.edu/~wainwrig/Papers/WaiJor08_F... (https://people.eecs.berkeley.edu/~wainwrig/Papers/WaiJor08_FTML.pdf)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The canonical text is by Daphne Koller",
          "reason": "Identifies Koller’s text as the canonical book on graphical models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daphne Koller and Nir Friedman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "machine learning",
        "probabilistic graphical models"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "probabilistic-reasoning-in-intelligent-systems-networks-of-plausi-6e29de",
      "title": "Probabilistic Reasoning in Intelligent Systems: Networks of Plausible Inference",
      "author": "Judea Pearl",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1026576,
          "author": "Eliezer",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T01:48:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026576",
          "commentText": "Seconded hard.\nIf you have to read only one of these, read Probabilistic Reasoning in Intelligent Systems.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you have to read only one of these, read Probabilistic Reasoning in Intelligent Systems.",
          "reason": "Urges readers to choose it if they read only one of the books mentioned.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Judea Pearl"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "bayesian networks"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "probability-6fb678",
      "title": "Probability",
      "author": "Leo Breiman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2734410,
          "author": "NY_Entrepreneur",
          "createdAt": "2011-07-06T15:46:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 2723436,
          "threadTitle": "Suggest good sites/books on probability",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2734410",
          "commentText": "\"Can you please suggest on-line resource to learn great beginning and advanced probability concepts?\"\nYup!  The subject at the level you ask is a major topic in applied math but is not very popular in US universities.  So, you will not get many good answers.  In particular, the 'computer science' community, with 'machine learning' and 'artificial' this, Bayesian that, likely won't have good answers.\nYour \"on-line\" part is asking a bit much; I can give you references to books but not all on-line.  There may be some PDF files on-line, from TeX, that have such material; try some Google searching with the keywords used here.\nThe intuitive foundations of probability went back to gambling.\n'Probability' is a field of 'applied' math and as such is well defined:\nAbout 100 years ago, E. Borel student H. Lebesgue invented 'measure theory' which essentially 'rewrote' classic calculus, especially the part about integration.  For the simple cases, what Lebesgue did gets the same numerical values as the classic Riemann integral.  The difference is that in theoretical work Lebesgue's integral is much more general and much better 'behaved'.\nBut 'measure theory' has to do with, intuitively, 'length', 'area', 'volume' and various generalizations of these.  Well, in probability, for probability P and event A, the 'probability' of A is P(A) and is a number in [0,1] and acts much like the 'area' of A. The connection is so close that, in the end, we have to accept that the foundations of probability are measure theory.\nThen\nA. N. Kolmogorov, 'Foundations of the Theory of Probability, Second English Edition', Chelsea Publishing Company, New York, 1956.  English translation of the original German '\"Grundbegriffe der Wahrscheinlichkeitrechnung,\"' 'Ergebnisse Der Mathematik', 1933.\napplied Lebesgue's work to make probability a solid field of math.  Since then Kolmogorov's foundations have been nearly the only one taken seriously in any 'modern' or 'advanced' work in probability, stochastic processes, or mathematical statistics.\nA good start on a good text in stochastic processes was:\nJ. L. Doob, 'Stochastic Processes', John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1953.\nDoob was long at University of Illinois.  One of his students was P. Halmos who was later an assistant to von Neumann at the Institute for Advanced Study and in about 1942 wrote the first version of the still standard:\nPaul R. Halmos, 'Finite-Dimensional Vector Spaces, Second Edition', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, New Jersey, 1958.\nLater he wrote:\nPaul R. Halmos, 'Measure Theory', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, NJ, 1950.\nwith at the end a NICE introduction to probability and stochastic processes based on measure theory.\nLikely the first rock solid, quite comprehensive, highly polished presentation of 'modern' probability was the first edition of:\nM. Loeve, 'Probability Theory, I and II, 4th Edition', Springer-Verlag, New York, 1977.\nLoeve was long at Berkeley.  One of his students did:\nJacques Neveu, 'Mathematical Foundations of the Calculus of Probability', Holden-Day, San Francisco, 1965.\nand another did:\nLeo Breiman, 'Probability', ISBN 0-89871-296-3, SIAM, Philadelphia, 1992.\nEither of these two can be regarded as a more succinct presentation of the more important material in Loeve.  Breiman is the more 'practical' and 'accessible'; Neveu is a crown jewel of elegance and succinctness but not always easy to read.\nOther good presentations of much the same material include:\nKai Lai Chung, 'A Course in Probability Theory, Second Edition', ISBN 0-12-174650-X, Academic Press, New York, 1974.\nand\nYuan Shih Chow and Henry Teicher, 'Probability Theory:  Independence, Interchangeability, Martingales', ISBN 0-387-90331-3, Springer-Verlag, New York, 1978.\nIn total, those texts nail down 'probability' at all four corners and make it a rock solid topic in applied math.  Good knowledge of, say, Breiman is a necessary and sufficient condition for knowing 'probability' at a serious level, that is, without being watered down for 'general audiences'.\nFor more, proceed with stochastic processes, stochastic optimal control, mathematical statistics, etc.\nFor learning probability, minimal prerequisites (more would be helpful) would be abstract algebra, linear algebra, 'analysis', measure theory, and functional analysis.\nFor abstract algebra, there are many texts.  Sufficient is\nI. N. Herstein, 'Topics in Algebra', Blaisdell, New York, 1964.\nbut can consider S. Lang, etc.\nFor linear algebra, there are many texts, but the old:\nPaul R. Halmos, 'Finite-Dimensional Vector Spaces, Second Edition', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, New Jersey, 1958.\nremains a good 'second' text.  It is also an introduction to functional analysis.\nThe main text for 'analysis' is just:\nWalter Rudin, 'Principles of Mathematical Analysis', McGraw-Hill, New York.\nin whatever is the latest edition.\nCan skip the material on exterior algebra or just get it from the original source, now in English:\nHenri Cartan, 'Differential Forms', ISBN 0-486-45010-4, Dover, Mineola, NY, 2006.\nFor measure theory and functional analysis, the standards are:\nH. L. Royden, 'Real Analysis:  Second Edition', Macmillan, New York.\nand the first (real) half of:\nWalter Rudin, 'Real and Complex Analysis', ISBN 07-054232-5, McGraw-Hill, New York.\nActually, Loeve also covers much of this material.  Neveu slips in quite a lot.\nThen you will be ready for Breiman, Neveu, Chung, Chow and Teicher, or Loeve.\nYou will discover:\nThe start of probability theory is a 'probability space'.  For that, there are three parts, (1) the 'sample space', (2) the 'events', and (3) the 'probability measure'.\nThe 'sample space' is just a set of points; to support any reasonably serious work in probability, the sample space has to be uncountably infinite.  In all our work, we do some one 'trial', and that corresponds to some one point in the sample space.  The other points in the sample space are what 'might' have been our trial.\nAn 'event' is a set of trials.  We ask that the collection of all events have some 'closure' properties to make that collection a 'sigma algebra'.  So, briefly, the collection of events has as one event the whole sample space and is closed under relative complements and countable unions.\nIn terms of measure theory, the sample space and the sigma algebra of events form a 'measurable space'.  A 'probability measure' is just a positive measure with total 'mass' 1. Thank you Lebesgue and measure theory.\nOn the reals R, we can take the open sets and, then, the Borel sets, that is, the smallest sigma algebra that contains the open sets.  A 'random variable' is a function from the probability space to the reals that is 'measurable', that is, the inverse image of a Borel set is an event.\nAs an alternative, we can ask that the inverse image of the Lebesgue measurable sets of R be events.\nIf X is such a random variable, then its 'expectation' E[X] is just the Lebesgue ('abstract') integral of X over the probability space.  For E[X] to exist, we need only that X be measurable and that the integral of both the positive and the negative parts of X not be infinite (we don't want to subtract one infinity from another).  E.g., Lebesgue integration is very 'general':  All we need is measurability and not subtract one infinity from another.\nBy a change of variable, we can also write the expectation as a Lebesgue integral over the real line with respect to the 'distribution' of X on R. Or, X 'induces' a probability measure on R.\nWe can discuss convergence of random variables -- in distribution, probability, mean square, and almost surely.\nThen we can define independence for events, sigma algebras, and random variables.  E.g., with this approach, if X and Y are independent random variables and f and g are functions, then f(X) and g(Y) are independent random variables.  Don't try to prove this the elementary way!\nWith independent random variables, we can cover the classic limit theorems -- central limit theorem, weak and strong laws of large numbers, and the law of the iterated logarithm.\nUsing the Radon-Nikodym theorem of measure theory, for random variables X and Y we can define their 'conditional expectation' E[Y|X].\nWith such 'conditioning' we can discuss Markov processes, martingales, and the martingale convergence theorem.\nWe can also move on to ergodic theory and, say, Poincare recurrence (keep stirring the coffee and the cream will separate back, close to where it was when it was poured in).\nThose are the previews of coming attractions.\nNote:  This material is not very popular in US universities.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Leo Breiman, 'Probability', ISBN 0-89871-296-3, SIAM, Philadelphia, 1992.",
          "reason": "Called practical and accessible, and described as sufficient for serious knowledge of probability.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a serious mathematical understanding of probability.",
          "caveat": "The comment says prerequisites such as analysis and measure theory are helpful.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leo Breiman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
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    },
    {
      "id": "probability-theory-7a1d44",
      "title": "Probability Theory",
      "author": "Michel Loève",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2734410,
          "author": "NY_Entrepreneur",
          "createdAt": "2011-07-06T15:46:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 2723436,
          "threadTitle": "Suggest good sites/books on probability",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2734410",
          "commentText": "\"Can you please suggest on-line resource to learn great beginning and advanced probability concepts?\"\nYup!  The subject at the level you ask is a major topic in applied math but is not very popular in US universities.  So, you will not get many good answers.  In particular, the 'computer science' community, with 'machine learning' and 'artificial' this, Bayesian that, likely won't have good answers.\nYour \"on-line\" part is asking a bit much; I can give you references to books but not all on-line.  There may be some PDF files on-line, from TeX, that have such material; try some Google searching with the keywords used here.\nThe intuitive foundations of probability went back to gambling.\n'Probability' is a field of 'applied' math and as such is well defined:\nAbout 100 years ago, E. Borel student H. Lebesgue invented 'measure theory' which essentially 'rewrote' classic calculus, especially the part about integration.  For the simple cases, what Lebesgue did gets the same numerical values as the classic Riemann integral.  The difference is that in theoretical work Lebesgue's integral is much more general and much better 'behaved'.\nBut 'measure theory' has to do with, intuitively, 'length', 'area', 'volume' and various generalizations of these.  Well, in probability, for probability P and event A, the 'probability' of A is P(A) and is a number in [0,1] and acts much like the 'area' of A. The connection is so close that, in the end, we have to accept that the foundations of probability are measure theory.\nThen\nA. N. Kolmogorov, 'Foundations of the Theory of Probability, Second English Edition', Chelsea Publishing Company, New York, 1956.  English translation of the original German '\"Grundbegriffe der Wahrscheinlichkeitrechnung,\"' 'Ergebnisse Der Mathematik', 1933.\napplied Lebesgue's work to make probability a solid field of math.  Since then Kolmogorov's foundations have been nearly the only one taken seriously in any 'modern' or 'advanced' work in probability, stochastic processes, or mathematical statistics.\nA good start on a good text in stochastic processes was:\nJ. L. Doob, 'Stochastic Processes', John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1953.\nDoob was long at University of Illinois.  One of his students was P. Halmos who was later an assistant to von Neumann at the Institute for Advanced Study and in about 1942 wrote the first version of the still standard:\nPaul R. Halmos, 'Finite-Dimensional Vector Spaces, Second Edition', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, New Jersey, 1958.\nLater he wrote:\nPaul R. Halmos, 'Measure Theory', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, NJ, 1950.\nwith at the end a NICE introduction to probability and stochastic processes based on measure theory.\nLikely the first rock solid, quite comprehensive, highly polished presentation of 'modern' probability was the first edition of:\nM. Loeve, 'Probability Theory, I and II, 4th Edition', Springer-Verlag, New York, 1977.\nLoeve was long at Berkeley.  One of his students did:\nJacques Neveu, 'Mathematical Foundations of the Calculus of Probability', Holden-Day, San Francisco, 1965.\nand another did:\nLeo Breiman, 'Probability', ISBN 0-89871-296-3, SIAM, Philadelphia, 1992.\nEither of these two can be regarded as a more succinct presentation of the more important material in Loeve.  Breiman is the more 'practical' and 'accessible'; Neveu is a crown jewel of elegance and succinctness but not always easy to read.\nOther good presentations of much the same material include:\nKai Lai Chung, 'A Course in Probability Theory, Second Edition', ISBN 0-12-174650-X, Academic Press, New York, 1974.\nand\nYuan Shih Chow and Henry Teicher, 'Probability Theory:  Independence, Interchangeability, Martingales', ISBN 0-387-90331-3, Springer-Verlag, New York, 1978.\nIn total, those texts nail down 'probability' at all four corners and make it a rock solid topic in applied math.  Good knowledge of, say, Breiman is a necessary and sufficient condition for knowing 'probability' at a serious level, that is, without being watered down for 'general audiences'.\nFor more, proceed with stochastic processes, stochastic optimal control, mathematical statistics, etc.\nFor learning probability, minimal prerequisites (more would be helpful) would be abstract algebra, linear algebra, 'analysis', measure theory, and functional analysis.\nFor abstract algebra, there are many texts.  Sufficient is\nI. N. Herstein, 'Topics in Algebra', Blaisdell, New York, 1964.\nbut can consider S. Lang, etc.\nFor linear algebra, there are many texts, but the old:\nPaul R. Halmos, 'Finite-Dimensional Vector Spaces, Second Edition', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, New Jersey, 1958.\nremains a good 'second' text.  It is also an introduction to functional analysis.\nThe main text for 'analysis' is just:\nWalter Rudin, 'Principles of Mathematical Analysis', McGraw-Hill, New York.\nin whatever is the latest edition.\nCan skip the material on exterior algebra or just get it from the original source, now in English:\nHenri Cartan, 'Differential Forms', ISBN 0-486-45010-4, Dover, Mineola, NY, 2006.\nFor measure theory and functional analysis, the standards are:\nH. L. Royden, 'Real Analysis:  Second Edition', Macmillan, New York.\nand the first (real) half of:\nWalter Rudin, 'Real and Complex Analysis', ISBN 07-054232-5, McGraw-Hill, New York.\nActually, Loeve also covers much of this material.  Neveu slips in quite a lot.\nThen you will be ready for Breiman, Neveu, Chung, Chow and Teicher, or Loeve.\nYou will discover:\nThe start of probability theory is a 'probability space'.  For that, there are three parts, (1) the 'sample space', (2) the 'events', and (3) the 'probability measure'.\nThe 'sample space' is just a set of points; to support any reasonably serious work in probability, the sample space has to be uncountably infinite.  In all our work, we do some one 'trial', and that corresponds to some one point in the sample space.  The other points in the sample space are what 'might' have been our trial.\nAn 'event' is a set of trials.  We ask that the collection of all events have some 'closure' properties to make that collection a 'sigma algebra'.  So, briefly, the collection of events has as one event the whole sample space and is closed under relative complements and countable unions.\nIn terms of measure theory, the sample space and the sigma algebra of events form a 'measurable space'.  A 'probability measure' is just a positive measure with total 'mass' 1. Thank you Lebesgue and measure theory.\nOn the reals R, we can take the open sets and, then, the Borel sets, that is, the smallest sigma algebra that contains the open sets.  A 'random variable' is a function from the probability space to the reals that is 'measurable', that is, the inverse image of a Borel set is an event.\nAs an alternative, we can ask that the inverse image of the Lebesgue measurable sets of R be events.\nIf X is such a random variable, then its 'expectation' E[X] is just the Lebesgue ('abstract') integral of X over the probability space.  For E[X] to exist, we need only that X be measurable and that the integral of both the positive and the negative parts of X not be infinite (we don't want to subtract one infinity from another).  E.g., Lebesgue integration is very 'general':  All we need is measurability and not subtract one infinity from another.\nBy a change of variable, we can also write the expectation as a Lebesgue integral over the real line with respect to the 'distribution' of X on R. Or, X 'induces' a probability measure on R.\nWe can discuss convergence of random variables -- in distribution, probability, mean square, and almost surely.\nThen we can define independence for events, sigma algebras, and random variables.  E.g., with this approach, if X and Y are independent random variables and f and g are functions, then f(X) and g(Y) are independent random variables.  Don't try to prove this the elementary way!\nWith independent random variables, we can cover the classic limit theorems -- central limit theorem, weak and strong laws of large numbers, and the law of the iterated logarithm.\nUsing the Radon-Nikodym theorem of measure theory, for random variables X and Y we can define their 'conditional expectation' E[Y|X].\nWith such 'conditioning' we can discuss Markov processes, martingales, and the martingale convergence theorem.\nWe can also move on to ergodic theory and, say, Poincare recurrence (keep stirring the coffee and the cream will separate back, close to where it was when it was poured in).\nThose are the previews of coming attractions.\nNote:  This material is not very popular in US universities.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "M. Loeve, 'Probability Theory, I and II, 4th Edition', Springer-Verlag, New York, 1977.",
          "reason": "Called the first rock-solid, comprehensive, polished presentation of modern probability.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a comprehensive mathematical treatment of probability.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
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      "authorNames": [
        "Michel Loève"
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    {
      "id": "probability-theory-independence-interchangeability-martingales-792930",
      "title": "Probability Theory: Independence, Interchangeability, Martingales",
      "author": "Yuan Shih Chow and Henry Teicher",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2734410,
          "author": "NY_Entrepreneur",
          "createdAt": "2011-07-06T15:46:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 2723436,
          "threadTitle": "Suggest good sites/books on probability",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2734410",
          "commentText": "\"Can you please suggest on-line resource to learn great beginning and advanced probability concepts?\"\nYup!  The subject at the level you ask is a major topic in applied math but is not very popular in US universities.  So, you will not get many good answers.  In particular, the 'computer science' community, with 'machine learning' and 'artificial' this, Bayesian that, likely won't have good answers.\nYour \"on-line\" part is asking a bit much; I can give you references to books but not all on-line.  There may be some PDF files on-line, from TeX, that have such material; try some Google searching with the keywords used here.\nThe intuitive foundations of probability went back to gambling.\n'Probability' is a field of 'applied' math and as such is well defined:\nAbout 100 years ago, E. Borel student H. Lebesgue invented 'measure theory' which essentially 'rewrote' classic calculus, especially the part about integration.  For the simple cases, what Lebesgue did gets the same numerical values as the classic Riemann integral.  The difference is that in theoretical work Lebesgue's integral is much more general and much better 'behaved'.\nBut 'measure theory' has to do with, intuitively, 'length', 'area', 'volume' and various generalizations of these.  Well, in probability, for probability P and event A, the 'probability' of A is P(A) and is a number in [0,1] and acts much like the 'area' of A. The connection is so close that, in the end, we have to accept that the foundations of probability are measure theory.\nThen\nA. N. Kolmogorov, 'Foundations of the Theory of Probability, Second English Edition', Chelsea Publishing Company, New York, 1956.  English translation of the original German '\"Grundbegriffe der Wahrscheinlichkeitrechnung,\"' 'Ergebnisse Der Mathematik', 1933.\napplied Lebesgue's work to make probability a solid field of math.  Since then Kolmogorov's foundations have been nearly the only one taken seriously in any 'modern' or 'advanced' work in probability, stochastic processes, or mathematical statistics.\nA good start on a good text in stochastic processes was:\nJ. L. Doob, 'Stochastic Processes', John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1953.\nDoob was long at University of Illinois.  One of his students was P. Halmos who was later an assistant to von Neumann at the Institute for Advanced Study and in about 1942 wrote the first version of the still standard:\nPaul R. Halmos, 'Finite-Dimensional Vector Spaces, Second Edition', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, New Jersey, 1958.\nLater he wrote:\nPaul R. Halmos, 'Measure Theory', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, NJ, 1950.\nwith at the end a NICE introduction to probability and stochastic processes based on measure theory.\nLikely the first rock solid, quite comprehensive, highly polished presentation of 'modern' probability was the first edition of:\nM. Loeve, 'Probability Theory, I and II, 4th Edition', Springer-Verlag, New York, 1977.\nLoeve was long at Berkeley.  One of his students did:\nJacques Neveu, 'Mathematical Foundations of the Calculus of Probability', Holden-Day, San Francisco, 1965.\nand another did:\nLeo Breiman, 'Probability', ISBN 0-89871-296-3, SIAM, Philadelphia, 1992.\nEither of these two can be regarded as a more succinct presentation of the more important material in Loeve.  Breiman is the more 'practical' and 'accessible'; Neveu is a crown jewel of elegance and succinctness but not always easy to read.\nOther good presentations of much the same material include:\nKai Lai Chung, 'A Course in Probability Theory, Second Edition', ISBN 0-12-174650-X, Academic Press, New York, 1974.\nand\nYuan Shih Chow and Henry Teicher, 'Probability Theory:  Independence, Interchangeability, Martingales', ISBN 0-387-90331-3, Springer-Verlag, New York, 1978.\nIn total, those texts nail down 'probability' at all four corners and make it a rock solid topic in applied math.  Good knowledge of, say, Breiman is a necessary and sufficient condition for knowing 'probability' at a serious level, that is, without being watered down for 'general audiences'.\nFor more, proceed with stochastic processes, stochastic optimal control, mathematical statistics, etc.\nFor learning probability, minimal prerequisites (more would be helpful) would be abstract algebra, linear algebra, 'analysis', measure theory, and functional analysis.\nFor abstract algebra, there are many texts.  Sufficient is\nI. N. Herstein, 'Topics in Algebra', Blaisdell, New York, 1964.\nbut can consider S. Lang, etc.\nFor linear algebra, there are many texts, but the old:\nPaul R. Halmos, 'Finite-Dimensional Vector Spaces, Second Edition', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, New Jersey, 1958.\nremains a good 'second' text.  It is also an introduction to functional analysis.\nThe main text for 'analysis' is just:\nWalter Rudin, 'Principles of Mathematical Analysis', McGraw-Hill, New York.\nin whatever is the latest edition.\nCan skip the material on exterior algebra or just get it from the original source, now in English:\nHenri Cartan, 'Differential Forms', ISBN 0-486-45010-4, Dover, Mineola, NY, 2006.\nFor measure theory and functional analysis, the standards are:\nH. L. Royden, 'Real Analysis:  Second Edition', Macmillan, New York.\nand the first (real) half of:\nWalter Rudin, 'Real and Complex Analysis', ISBN 07-054232-5, McGraw-Hill, New York.\nActually, Loeve also covers much of this material.  Neveu slips in quite a lot.\nThen you will be ready for Breiman, Neveu, Chung, Chow and Teicher, or Loeve.\nYou will discover:\nThe start of probability theory is a 'probability space'.  For that, there are three parts, (1) the 'sample space', (2) the 'events', and (3) the 'probability measure'.\nThe 'sample space' is just a set of points; to support any reasonably serious work in probability, the sample space has to be uncountably infinite.  In all our work, we do some one 'trial', and that corresponds to some one point in the sample space.  The other points in the sample space are what 'might' have been our trial.\nAn 'event' is a set of trials.  We ask that the collection of all events have some 'closure' properties to make that collection a 'sigma algebra'.  So, briefly, the collection of events has as one event the whole sample space and is closed under relative complements and countable unions.\nIn terms of measure theory, the sample space and the sigma algebra of events form a 'measurable space'.  A 'probability measure' is just a positive measure with total 'mass' 1. Thank you Lebesgue and measure theory.\nOn the reals R, we can take the open sets and, then, the Borel sets, that is, the smallest sigma algebra that contains the open sets.  A 'random variable' is a function from the probability space to the reals that is 'measurable', that is, the inverse image of a Borel set is an event.\nAs an alternative, we can ask that the inverse image of the Lebesgue measurable sets of R be events.\nIf X is such a random variable, then its 'expectation' E[X] is just the Lebesgue ('abstract') integral of X over the probability space.  For E[X] to exist, we need only that X be measurable and that the integral of both the positive and the negative parts of X not be infinite (we don't want to subtract one infinity from another).  E.g., Lebesgue integration is very 'general':  All we need is measurability and not subtract one infinity from another.\nBy a change of variable, we can also write the expectation as a Lebesgue integral over the real line with respect to the 'distribution' of X on R. Or, X 'induces' a probability measure on R.\nWe can discuss convergence of random variables -- in distribution, probability, mean square, and almost surely.\nThen we can define independence for events, sigma algebras, and random variables.  E.g., with this approach, if X and Y are independent random variables and f and g are functions, then f(X) and g(Y) are independent random variables.  Don't try to prove this the elementary way!\nWith independent random variables, we can cover the classic limit theorems -- central limit theorem, weak and strong laws of large numbers, and the law of the iterated logarithm.\nUsing the Radon-Nikodym theorem of measure theory, for random variables X and Y we can define their 'conditional expectation' E[Y|X].\nWith such 'conditioning' we can discuss Markov processes, martingales, and the martingale convergence theorem.\nWe can also move on to ergodic theory and, say, Poincare recurrence (keep stirring the coffee and the cream will separate back, close to where it was when it was poured in).\nThose are the previews of coming attractions.\nNote:  This material is not very popular in US universities.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Yuan Shih Chow and Henry Teicher, 'Probability Theory:  Independence, Interchangeability, Martingales'",
          "reason": "Included among good presentations of the core material in probability.",
          "audience": "Readers studying mathematical probability.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Yuan Shih Chow and Henry Teicher"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "martingales",
        "probability"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "probability-and-random-processes-d4e991",
      "title": "Probability and Random Processes",
      "author": "Geoffrey Grimmett and David Stirzaker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 665078,
          "author": "J_McQuade",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T13:37:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665078",
          "commentText": "Well, if you're looking for an introduction to the basics of mathematics (which I would recommend for anyone looking to delve deeper into any specific area), you can't really beat 'How to Prove It' by Velleman. It covers the fundamental concepts of mathematical analysis and proof-writing (and, perhaps more importantly, reading proofs) and will help give you a great grounding for further reading, especially in the areas of discrete mathematics, set theory, and probability. I can't recommend it enough as an enjoyable introduction to the field.\nAlso, for a good probability textbook, I would point you to 'Probability and Random Processes' by Grimmett and Stirzaker. It may be a bit hard-going at first (which is why I recommend How to Prove It to get you used to rigorous maths), but it is a very thorough text that also happens to concentrate on many areas of interest to the average programmer (Markov chains and the like). Together with the companion book of exercises, it should be fantastic for self-teaching, too.\nIn calculus, you have so many options that I can only really suggest you go out and find one that you like. I used 'Early Transcendentals' by Stewart in my first year Calculus lectures and it's served as a good reference ever since, particularly for basic vector / multi-dimensional calculus. But, like I say, just look around.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Probability and Random Processes' by Grimmett and Stirzaker.",
          "reason": "Recommends this thorough probability text for self-teaching.",
          "audience": "Readers studying probability, including programmers interested in Markov chains.",
          "caveat": "May be hard-going at first; the commenter recommends first becoming comfortable with rigorous mathematics.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Geoffrey Grimmett and David Stirzaker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "markov chains",
        "probability"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "probability-for-the-enthusiastic-beginner-678119",
      "title": "Probability: For the Enthusiastic Beginner",
      "author": "David J. Morin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27647193,
          "author": "aalhour",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T00:06:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27647193",
          "commentText": "* Thinking Fast and Slow\n* The Selfish Gene\n* Probability: For the Enthusiastic Beginner\n* How to Measure Anything\n* Rationality: From AI to Zombies\n* Cynefin: Weaving Sense-making into the fabric of our world\n* Major works of Friedrich Nietzsche",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Probability: For the Enthusiastic Beginner",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David J. Morin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "probability"
      ],
      "purposes": []
    },
    {
      "id": "problem-solving-with-algorithms-and-data-structures-using-python-6ef1db",
      "title": "Problem Solving with Algorithms and Data Structures Using Python",
      "author": "Brad Miller and David Ranum",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13415717,
          "author": "tu7001",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-17T07:22:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13415717",
          "commentText": "http://interactivepython.org/runestone/static/pythonds/index... (http://interactivepython.org/runestone/static/pythonds/index.html), truly great read, especially if one learning python.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "truly great read, especially if one learning python.",
          "reason": "Calls it a truly great read, particularly for someone learning Python.",
          "audience": "People learning Python.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brad Miller and David Ranum"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "data structures",
        "python"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "problem-solving-strategies-0fdbd2",
      "title": "Problem-Solving Strategies",
      "author": "Arthur Engel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31501336,
          "author": "newsoul",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-25T06:45:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31501336",
          "commentText": "After reading all the comments I am sharing my choices\n1. The foundations of mathematics by Stewart and Tall\n2. Problem Solving Strategies by Arthur Engels\n3. Journey into Mathematics by Rotman\n4. Concrete Mathematics by Knuth et al.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2. Problem Solving Strategies by Arthur Engels",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur Engel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "problem solving"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "problems-for-children-from-5-to-15-2eb152",
      "title": "Problems for Children from 5 to 15",
      "author": "V. I. Arnold",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34454093,
          "author": "lr1970",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-20T15:09:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34454093",
          "commentText": "V.I. Arnold \"Problems for children from 5 to 15\" [0]. \nThe book was discussed on HN in 2021 [1] (325 comments)\nIf you have kinds and teach them math this book has mind-opening problems that even curious adults would enjoy.\n[0] https://www.imaginary.org/sites/default/files/taskbook_arnol... (https://www.imaginary.org/sites/default/files/taskbook_arnold_en_0.pdf)\n[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27884973",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "V.I. Arnold \"Problems for children from 5 to 15\"",
          "reason": "Recommended for its mind-opening problems that curious adults can enjoy too.",
          "audience": "Children learning math; curious adults may also enjoy the problems.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "V. I. Arnold"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical problems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "problems-in-general-physics-8587a1",
      "title": "Problems in General Physics",
      "author": "I. E. Irodov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23726818,
          "author": "screye",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T19:37:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23726818",
          "commentText": "Probably not anyone's first choice, completely unknown in the US and not truly a maths book, so much as a physics book.\nProblems in general physics by IE Irodov [1] was one of those \"bang your head on the wall, but when you get it it's ecstasy\" kind of books for me.\nI am not even sure if I would recommend it to every one. Maybe masochists. But, looking back on it, I have some really fond memories of locking myself in a room for 2 days to get a problem that I felt oh-so-close to solving. Eventually getting it is intensely rewarding.\nIt it right at the grade 10-12 level.\nhttps://smile.amazon.com/Problems-General-Physics-I-Irodov/d... (https://smile.amazon.com/Problems-General-Physics-I-Irodov/dp/8183552153?sa-no-redirect=1)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Problems in general physics by IE Irodov",
          "reason": "The author describes it as challenging and intensely rewarding to work through.",
          "audience": "Students around grades 10–12; especially someone who enjoys difficult problems.",
          "caveat": "It is a physics book rather than a maths book, and the commenter would not recommend it to everyone.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "I. E. Irodov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "physics problems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "problems-in-mathematical-analysis-29ff54",
      "title": "Problems in Mathematical Analysis",
      "author": "B. Demidovich",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31492203,
          "author": "rq1",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T13:59:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31492203",
          "commentText": "These are MIR books afaik, where would you get them?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "These are MIR books afaik, where would you get them?",
          "reason": "Asks where to obtain the books listed in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The target comment refers to the parent’s list without repeating individual titles.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31489785,
          "author": "Jugurtha",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T09:20:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31489785",
          "commentText": "- \"A Course of Higher Mathematics\", V. I. Smirnov.\n- \"Differential and Integral Calculus\", N. Piskunov.\n- \"Problems in Mathematical Analysis\", B. Demidovich.\nThese are great books. Demidovich's book is a collection of more than 3000 exercises. Smirnov's book is a course that takes you from what a value means, to advanced topics (5 volumes, in 7 books). Piskunov's book is in-between (course and exercises).\nThese are the books we've used and went to during the first two years of Engineering (all engineers civil/mechanical/electrical/etc. and phys/maths/chem students go through the maths/phys/chem heavy common core except CS/SE students).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Problems in Mathematical Analysis\", B. Demidovich.",
          "reason": "The commenter lists it among books they used and notes its extensive exercise collection.",
          "audience": "Engineering, physics, mathematics, and chemistry students in the first two years.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it contains more than 3,000 exercises.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "B. Demidovich"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical analysis",
        "problem sets",
        "problem solving"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "problems-on-algorithms-378bf3",
      "title": "Problems on Algorithms",
      "author": "Ian Parberry and William Gasarch",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 665069,
          "author": "rw",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T13:33:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665069",
          "commentText": "A few suggestions (if only we all had more time):\nDo ProjectEuler.net, as it provides a great mesh between algorithm design and mathematics; it might be within your expertise already, however. Look in to getting a good discrete math book or two. My circumstances led me to not use my discrete math book very much for class, so I won't give you a recommendation that I do not have.\nGo through Scholarpedia. They are doing cool work over there.\nGet some text(s) on statistical inference, especially Bayesian learning. If you have access to a good library system (say, state-wide library loan), you ought to have no problem getting most textbooks.\nSeeing as how you're into NLP and AI, look at concurrency and what, say, Google is doing with MapReduce and PageRank (they publish reasonably-understandable papers). In general, push yourself to read peer-reviewed journal articles on the topics of your interest.\nPeruse some of the organizations that do research into the philosophical and human issues surrounding AI and technology. For example, there's Less Wrong at lesswrong.com. They can come off as quite hubristic, but if you drill through the latent groupthink and individual over-assertiveness, you'll find a gigantic wealth of information on both what rationality is, and how to apply it to your life.\nAdditionally, check out (I've mentioned these before, so I'll quote myself verbatim):\n\"Problems On Algorithms\" (Parberry, Gasarch): A slim volume containing ~700 exercises on proving various properties of algorithms. And it teaches you most of what is needed. Download it from: http://www.eng.unt.edu/ian/books/free/\n\"Elements of the Theory of Computation\" (Papadimitriou): Classic text. Sure you've heard of Turing machines before, but what do you know about mu-recursive functions? It's very beautiful and if you have a person with whom to read the book and do the exercises, you will gain immensely. It will help unify, in your mind, many of the myriad articles you've probably read on Wikipedia about formal languages and complexity theory.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Problems On Algorithms\" (Parberry, Gasarch): A slim volume containing ~700 exercises",
          "reason": "Describes a book of exercises and says it teaches much of what is needed.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in algorithm design and proofs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ian Parberry and William Gasarch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "proof exercises"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "process-and-reality-an-essay-in-cosmology-e3f875",
      "title": "Process and Reality: An Essay in Cosmology",
      "author": "Alfred North Whitehead",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10027409,
          "author": "kenOfYugen",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T15:05:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027409",
          "commentText": "Process and Reality: An Essay in Cosmology\nby Alfred North Whitehead",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Process and Reality: An Essay in Cosmology\nby Alfred North Whitehead",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books with a high signal-to-noise ratio.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alfred North Whitehead"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "metaphysics",
        "process philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "processing-a-programming-handbook-for-visual-designers-and-artist-61f53e",
      "title": "Processing: A Programming Handbook for Visual Designers and Artists",
      "author": "Casey Reas and Ben Fry",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1265304,
          "author": "revorad",
          "createdAt": "2010-04-14T16:22:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 1265091,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good books on graphing/charting/visualization?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1265304",
          "commentText": "I would highly recommend learning R (http://www.r-project.org/). It is very easy to directly query databases and R has many visualisation packages, including the awesome ggplot2 (http://had.co.nz/ggplot2/) based on the grammar of graphics. I'm writing an R graphs cookbook and my startup's visualisation product is also built on R (see profile and feel free to email me if you need any help).\nAlso, look at Ben Fry's Processing books (http://benfry.com/). Here's an introductory tutorial - http://blog.blprnt.com/blog/blprnt/your-random-numbers-getti... (http://blog.blprnt.com/blog/blprnt/your-random-numbers-getting-started-with-processing-and-data-visualization)).\nIf you're familiar with Python, check out Matplotlib (https://www.packtpub.com/matplotlib-python-development/book).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also, look at Ben Fry's Processing books",
          "reason": "Suggests Ben Fry's Processing books for visualization.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring visualization with Processing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Casey Reas and Ben Fry"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data visualization",
        "processing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "procrastination-93789d",
      "title": "Procrastination",
      "author": "Jane B. Burka and Lenora M. Yuen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3395580,
          "author": "MengYuanLong",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T12:31:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395580",
          "commentText": "I am loving this thread. There are so many wonderful suggestions.\nMy personal additions (though I know they are not obscure):\nDown and Out in Disneyland - Cory Doctorow (This was gifted by a friend and really inspired me to make some significant changes in my life. That includes the decision to learn to code and escape the user end of the spectrum.)\nProcrastination- Jane B. Burka , Lenora M. Yuen (This book has fundamentally altered my introspective conclusions. That is to say, I am now more aware of times when I am procrastinating and the impact it has on my life.)\nThis year was a great year for reading and I hope to read even more next year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book has fundamentally altered my introspective conclusions.",
          "reason": "Says it changed their understanding of their own procrastination and its impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jane B. Burka and Lenora M. Yuen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "procrastination",
        "self help"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "producing-open-source-software-1f0b50",
      "title": "Producing Open Source Software",
      "author": "Karl Fogel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1027146,
          "author": "rsaarelm",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T12:44:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027146",
          "commentText": "Fiction, mostly.\nDeclare, by Tim Powers. Cold war espionage with black magic. Entertainingly bleak, and probably did a lot more weirdness with real history than I knew how to appreciate.\nProducing Open Source Software (http://producingoss.com/), by Karl Fogel. A very thorough look into all sorts of practical matters in running a large open source software project.\nThe Engines of Light trilogy by Ken MacLeod. Entertaining, though a bit erratic. Makes a bunch of Forteana fit in a hard SF framework. Also the second MacLeod book I've read that has a weird pixie dust immortality treatment that seems incongruous with the rest of the technology level.\nMatter by Iain M. Banks. Culture again after Algebraist. Still good.\nThe Dark Side of the Sun by Terry Pratchett. Finally got around to reading this one. Was surprisingly fresh. It would have been interesting to see Pratchett write more science fiction after this and Strata around 30 years ago.\nThe City and the Stars by Arthur C. Clarke. Another old SF book. This one wasn't very fresh, seemed like two or three different novels stapled together, with bits and pieces that might work pretty well if it weren't for the other bits and pieces.\nCrooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis. Not a lot of surprises, if you know what Warren Ellis tends to write. Basically a road trip novel through various degeneracies in America. Fun, but tends to go for gross-out warrenellisisms in favor of overall coherence.\nNeuropath by Scott Bakker. A technothriller about all sorts of fun things you can do by directly rewiring peoples' brains with near-future neurosurgery. Bakker's chilly philosophical outlook doesn't pack quite the same punch in an already mostly rationalistic setting as it did in the Prince of Nothing fantasy books. Sticks with a single not particularly unsympathetic viewpoint character and therefore avoids the problem in Prince of Nothing where you'd often end up in the head of someone you really don't want to be anywhere near.\nThe Tao is Silent by Raymond Smullyan. Smullyan writes various essays inspired by Taoism. Quality varies, but Smullyan is generally fun to read.\nOn SF by Thomas Disch. Beautifully acerbic essays by someone who takes science fiction literature seriously and doesn't let it off easy. And just plain likes to insult people. Representative, though noticeably dated sample: http://www.press.umich.edu/pdf/9780472068968-1.pdf\nDenner's Wreck by Lawrence Watt-Evans. Watt-Evans has an specific style of writing from what follows from the setting and premises rather than going for the most dramatically obvious plot. The results are hit-and-miss with his fantasy novels I've read, but work a lot better here, where the legends of a bronze-age civilization end up emerging from a science fiction setting. Watt-Evans' narrative style supports the plot where the traditional stories end up not really being what they seem to be.\nThe Official Book of Ultima by Shay Addams. It tells how Richard Garriott's obsession with programming in high school lead to the Ultima game series, which were one of the most notable computer games in the 80s and became the flagship product of Garriott's Origin Systems company. Also documents how the games grew from Ultima I being programmed by Garriot alone learning as he went along into Ultima VI developed by a large team. There is much detail about Ultima VI, which was being developed as the book was written. Much of it also conflicts with the game that ended up being released, and I ended up wondering whether this was about the game changing during production or just Addams getting his facts wrong.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Producing Open Source Software (http://producingoss.com/), by Karl Fogel. A very thorough look into all sorts of practical matters in running a large open source software project.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a thorough guide to practical open source project management.",
          "audience": "People running or contributing to large open source software projects.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Karl Fogel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "open source",
        "software project management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "product-design-for-the-web-principles-of-designing-and-releasing--cebcae",
      "title": "Product Design for the Web: Principles of Designing and Releasing Web Products",
      "author": "Randy J. Hunt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12711221,
          "author": "ryanSrich",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-14T21:28:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12711221",
          "commentText": "Here's a list of all design books that I give to new hires:\nBranded Interactions: Creating the Digital Experience - (https://www.amazon.com/Branded-Interactions-Creating-Digital... (https://www.amazon.com/Branded-Interactions-Creating-Digital-Experience/dp/0500518173))\nThe Visual Display of Quantitative Information - https://www.amazon.com/Visual-Display-Quantitative-Informati... (https://www.amazon.com/Visual-Display-Quantitative-Information/dp/0961392142/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480332&sr=1-1&keywords=Edward+Tufte)\nUniversal Principles of Design - https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Principles-Design-Revised-U... (https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Principles-Design-Revised-Updated/dp/1592535879/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480359&sr=1-1&keywords=universal+principles+of+design)\nThe Interface: IBM and the Transformation of Corporate Design, 1945-1976 - https://www.amazon.com/Interface-Transformation-Corporate-19... (https://www.amazon.com/Interface-Transformation-Corporate-1945-1976-Quadrant/dp/0816670390/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480388&sr=1-1&keywords=the+interface+ibm)\nMultiple Signatures: On Designers, Authors, Readers and Users - https://www.amazon.com/Multiple-Signatures-Designers-Authors... (https://www.amazon.com/Multiple-Signatures-Designers-Authors-Readers/dp/0847839737/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480427&sr=1-1&keywords=Multiple+Signatures)\nChange by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation - https://www.amazon.com/Change-Design-Transforms-Organization... (https://www.amazon.com/Change-Design-Transforms-Organizations-Innovation/dp/0061766089/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480449&sr=1-1&keywords=Change+by+design)\nThoughts on Design - https://www.amazon.com/Thoughts-Design-Paul-Rand/dp/08118754... (https://www.amazon.com/Thoughts-Design-Paul-Rand/dp/081187544X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480478&sr=1-1&keywords=Thoughts+on+design)\nNotes on the Synthesis of Form - https://www.amazon.com/Notes-Synthesis-Form-Harvard-Paperbac... (https://www.amazon.com/Notes-Synthesis-Form-Harvard-Paperbacks/dp/0674627512/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480495&sr=1-1&keywords=notes+on+the+synthesis+of+form)\n..and a list of ones I'm considering adding:\nUnflattening - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0674744438/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0674744438/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\nCreative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All  - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/038534936X/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/038534936X/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\nThe Design Method - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321928849/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321928849/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\nProduct Design for the Web: Principles of Designing and Releasing Web Products- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321929039/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321929039/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "and a list of ones I'm considering adding:",
          "reason": "The commenter is considering adding it to the design book list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Under consideration for addition to the list.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Randy J. Hunt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "product design",
        "product development",
        "web design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "profession-b956e6",
      "title": "Profession",
      "author": "Isaac Asimov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22722761,
          "author": "avip",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T21:09:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22722761",
          "commentText": "Who has time for books nowadays? Some lovely tales so short u can read'em over coffee:\n- Asimov's Profession, his best short story IMHO\n- Mimsy Were the Borogoves - just reread it, it's as great as it was when I was a teen!\n- Flowers to Algernon is sad, but a must\n- Everything from Lem's Cyberiad\n- Everything from Borjes` Fictions",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Asimov's Profession, his best short story IMHO",
          "reason": "Calls it Asimov's best short story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isaac Asimov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short story"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "professional-assembly-language-ffbe65",
      "title": "Professional Assembly Language",
      "author": "Richard Blum",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4352228,
          "author": "jfaucett",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-07T20:53:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 4351898,
          "threadTitle": "Best book for x86 assembly (linux)",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4352228",
          "commentText": "I liked \"Professional Assembly Language\" by Wrox, its concise and has good explanations. Knowing assembly does let c pointer wierdness make sense, and it will definately make you realize c is a very \"High Level Language\", just saying hello world in x86 is a biotch :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I liked \"Professional Assembly Language\" by Wrox, its concise and has good explanations.",
          "reason": "The commenter liked its concise presentation and good explanations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Blum"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "assembly language",
        "x86"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "professional-javascript-for-web-developers-61cecb",
      "title": "Professional JavaScript for Web Developers",
      "author": "Nicholas C. Zakas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10184162,
          "author": "clark-kent",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-08T04:49:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10184162",
          "commentText": "\"Eloquent JavaScript: A Modern Introduction to Programming\"\n\"Functional JavaScript: Introducing Functional Programming with Underscore.js\"\n\"Professional JavaScript for Web Developers\"\n[edited to add more books]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Professional JavaScript for Web Developers\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nicholas C. Zakas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "javascript",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "professional-rails-36fb78",
      "title": "Professional Rails",
      "author": "Rappin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 781147,
          "author": "gtani",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-23T22:43:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 781079,
          "threadTitle": "Can you recommend some good RoR books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=781147",
          "commentText": "all good rec's.  Some others, all well-reviewed on amazon and assuming you have a team of java /C, C++, C# / PHP, python or some kind of web app coders\n- Well-Grounded Rubyist by David A. Black (infinite number stars!)\n- the 2 Wrox books, Professional Rails (Rappin), Art of (Benson)\n- Advanced rails (Oreilly, Ediger);\nThe one i'd stear clear of, i don't remember who wrote it, but it has a picture of an ocean wave on the cover.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the 2 Wrox books, Professional Rails (Rappin)",
          "reason": "Included in a list of other book recommendations for Rails.",
          "audience": "Teams with experience in Java, C, C++, C#, PHP, Python, or web app development.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rappin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ruby on rails"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "profiles-in-courage-3dfe14",
      "title": "Profiles in Courage",
      "author": "John F. Kennedy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40279392,
          "author": "shihanwan1",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-06T20:53:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40279392",
          "commentText": "Profiles in Courage by JFK (probably ghost written)\nI go back to the section on Daniel Webster and the compromise of 1850 a lot. It always stuck with me how much courage it took to advocate for compromise and peace rather than head into a civil war.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Profiles in Courage by JFK (probably ghost written)",
          "reason": "The commenter often returns to its section on Daniel Webster and the Compromise of 1850, highlighting courage in advocating compromise and peace.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter suspects it was ghostwritten.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John F. Kennedy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political courage",
        "us history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "profit-first-da3c5e",
      "title": "Profit First",
      "author": "Mike Michalowicz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35173572,
          "author": "swah",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T19:35:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35173572",
          "commentText": "Profit First by Mike Michalowicz, bar none",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Profit First by Mike Michalowicz, bar none",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mike Michalowicz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cash flow",
        "small business finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "profit-over-people-neoliberalism-global-order-add6b6",
      "title": "Profit Over People: Neoliberalism & Global Order",
      "author": "Noam Chomsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19090626,
          "author": "vishnugupta",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T22:27:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090626",
          "commentText": "All the books below have shaped my thought process to a significant degree. I started reading late but I'm fortunate enough to have stumbled upon these gems.\n\"Debt: The First 5000 Years\": This is truly a magnum opus. Until I read this I had taken money, economy, market etc., for granted. And I had held onto the widely accepted, but naive, view that economic systems somehow grew out of barter systems. The range of topics discussed, and the way author shows how seemingly independent concepts are intertwined, is truly astonishing. I'm on my 2nd read.\n\"Thinking, Fast and Slow\": This book made me truly appreciate the value of psychology. I didn't even know the existence of a vast domain called behavioral science until I read this book. Now I'm deliberately conscious about the decisions I take and retrace my thought process multiple times just to make sure that I haven't fallen pray to some of the cognitive biases.\n\"The Tell-Tale Brain\": While I did know that human brain is a unique organ this book opened my eyes to its layered complexities. For instance, how \"seeing\" is not a single step but a multi step process. From image formation, to identifying the object, to evoking emotional response.\n\"QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter\": The book with the highest signal to noise ratio. I finally understood what science is about, a way to model nature and to keep refining it to fit the observation. There are no true/false theories/models only those that explain nature's behavior better or worse. Nature is agnostic to all our theories and models. She's just the way she is. For details read about double slit experiment.\n\"How the World Works\": This one along with \"Profit Over People: Neoliberalism & Global Order\" has greatly shaped my mental model about the workings of contemporary world. I now understand why does military gets all the funding, why do powerful governments tend to keep its subject under perpetual fear, why is it that the cost of education has been sky-rocketing.\n\"The Hanging of Afzal Guru and the Strange Case of the Attack on the Indian Parliament\": A glimpse into the working of Indian justice system.\n\"Broken Republic\": This is by far the most accurate description about current affairs in India. How India is being hollowed out and how its most vulnerable section is the one fighting against it.\n\"Grammatical Man: Information, Entropy, Language and Life\": I'm currently reading it (20% through) and it has already made a big impact. The meaning of information is deep and subtle and pervades not just human being but the life itself.\n\"The Order of Time\": The book that well and truly shook the foundation that I had taken for granted for my entire life. That space and time aren't something absolute and are personal has had a profound impact on me.\n\"The Upanisads\": A truly remarkable work of human mind. Just to think about some of the concepts uplifts my mood.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Profit Over People: Neoliberalism & Global Order\" has greatly shaped my mental model about the workings of contemporary world.",
          "reason": "Says it helped shape their mental model of the contemporary world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Noam Chomsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "neoliberalism",
        "political economy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programmed-inequality-how-britain-discarded-women-technologists-a-29059e",
      "title": "Programmed Inequality: How Britain Discarded Women Technologists and Lost Its Edge in Computing",
      "author": "Marie Hicks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22707114,
          "author": "gxqoz",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T21:34:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22707114",
          "commentText": "A good history of early British computing is Programmed Inequality. Gets at why that country squandered its WW2-era computing lead (spoiler alert: sexism was part of it). https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/programmed-inequality",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A good history of early British computing is Programmed Inequality.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as a history of early British computing and says it examines why Britain lost its computing lead.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in British computing history and women's role in technology.",
          "caveat": "The comment says sexism was part of the reason Britain lost its lead.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marie Hicks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "british computing",
        "gender inequality",
        "women in technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programmed-inequality-how-britain-discarded-women-technologists-a-8d061d",
      "title": "Programmed Inequality: How Britain Discarded Women Technologists and Lost Its Edge in Computing",
      "author": "Mar Hicks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22710300,
          "author": "di4na",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T10:22:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22710300",
          "commentText": "Programmed Inequality by Mar Hicks, https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/programmed-inequality\nOn the history of women in programming in Britain and how they got discarded from the profession.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programmed Inequality by Mar Hicks,",
          "reason": "Recommends a history of women in programming and their exclusion from the profession.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mar Hicks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "gender and technology",
        "women in computing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programmer-s-guide-to-the-1802-aa3e2e",
      "title": "Programmer's Guide to the 1802",
      "author": "Tom Swan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12144529,
          "author": "fogus",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T16:24:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144529",
          "commentText": "\"Thinking Forth\" by Leo Brodie --> http://thinking-forth.sourceforge.net/\n\"How Buildings Learn: What Happens After They're Built\" by Stewart Brand --> http://www.openculture.com/2015/07/watch-stewart-brands-6-pa... (http://www.openculture.com/2015/07/watch-stewart-brands-6-part-series-how-buildings-learn-with-music-by-brian-eno.html)\n\"Programmer's Guide to the 1802\" by Tom Swan --> http://www.tomswan.com/store/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Programmer's Guide to the 1802\" by Tom Swan",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the books that impacted the commenter's career.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Swan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "assembly programming",
        "microprocessors"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-beyond-practices-6eee3b",
      "title": "Programming Beyond Practices",
      "author": "Gregory Brown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13236925,
          "author": "jrgifford",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T12:55:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13236925",
          "commentText": "I read 54 books (might be 56, there's still time!) in 2016. Here's the ones I recommend:\nFiction:\n- Owner's Share by Nathan Lowell\nI forget who recommended I read the Solar Clipper series several years ago, but I have been following them for a long time and look forward to it. It's part of a series, so start with the first one (Quarter Share) and continue from there.\n- Star Wars: Tarkin by James Luceno\nNon fiction:\n- Programming Beyond Practices by Gregory Brown.\n- Thirteen: The Apollo Flight That Failed by Henry S.F. Cooper Jr.\nFor the rest of the books I read this year: https://www.goodreads.com/user_challenges/3965760",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Here's the ones I recommend:",
          "reason": "Included in the list the commenter explicitly recommends.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gregory Brown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming practice",
        "software development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-challenges-c9b34a",
      "title": "Programming Challenges",
      "author": "Steven S. Skiena, Miguel A. Revilla",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 55485,
          "author": "ambition",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-17T02:25:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 55372,
          "threadTitle": "Question: What are the best books on algorithms?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=55485",
          "commentText": "It depends on what you want to get out of them. \nIf all you do is build a library, you'll never get anything out of it, since you actually need to study the books for that. :P\nIf you want a reference, then by all means take aston and Hexayurt's excellent suggestions. Especially CLRS.\nIf you don't know much about algorithms right now, then you'll find Cormen et al. very challenging to start with.\nIf you're like me, you want to be able to use algorithms as a tool to solve real problems. \nTo practice that, I have a few suggestions, if I may be so bold. \nPick up a copy of the Algorithm Design Manual and Programming Challenges, by Steven Skiena. Programming Challenges will introduce you to the ACM-ICPC repository of programming problems, which is a great low-pressure area to build some top-notch skill in algorithms. You'll want to get into TopCoder as well. \nFor a slightly different taste, pick up Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach, by Stuart Russell and Peter Norvig, also known as AIMA or the Green Book. Its discussion of search algorithms is unrivaled.\nGood luck!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pick up a copy of the Algorithm Design Manual and Programming Challenges, by Steven Skiena.",
          "reason": "Suggests it for practice with ACM-ICPC programming problems.",
          "audience": "Readers practicing algorithmic problem solving.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven S. Skiena, Miguel A. Revilla"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "competitive programming",
        "problem solving"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-challenges-the-programming-contest-training-manual-0bcdd3",
      "title": "Programming Challenges: The Programming Contest Training Manual",
      "author": "Steven S. Skiena and Miguel A. Revilla",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29219506,
          "author": "anuragbiyani",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T18:54:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29219506",
          "commentText": "The good thing about Algorithm Design & Analysis as a topic is that there is no lack of great resources to learn from! And even better, a large portion of them are freely available online (in forms of lecture notes, or entire books, video lectures, programming challenges with online judging, etc).\nIn addition to what others have mentioned, here are some example resources you might prefer for a beginner-intermediate level intro:\n1. (free online) Algorithms by Dasgupta, Papadimitriou, and Vazirani  http://algorithmics.lsi.upc.edu/docs/Dasgupta-Papadimitriou-... (http://algorithmics.lsi.upc.edu/docs/Dasgupta-Papadimitriou-Vazirani.pdf)\n2. (free online) Algorithms by Jeff Erickson https://jeffe.cs.illinois.edu/teaching/algorithms/\n3. Algorithm design by Kleinberg & Tardos https://www.amazon.com/Algorithm-Design-Jon-Kleinberg/dp/032... (https://www.amazon.com/Algorithm-Design-Jon-Kleinberg/dp/0321295358)\n4. Another one specifically for more applied view (esp., how they are used in programming contests such as ICPC) is Skiena & Revilla's \"Programming Challenges\" book (https://www.amazon.com/Programming-Challenges-Contest-Traini... (https://www.amazon.com/Programming-Challenges-Contest-Training-Computer/dp/0387001638)). Note that this is different than Skiena's other popular book (Algorithm Design manual) which is also pretty good and has a \"war story\" based perspective to design of algorithms.\n5. There are also several resources where lecture notes from university  Algorithm & DS courses are very useful. Here is an example from my previous Professor, David Kempe: http://david-kempe.com/teaching/DataStructures.pdf\n6. Several programming competition specific tutorials can be found on Topcoder: https://www.topcoder.com/thrive/tracks?track=Competitive%20P... (https://www.topcoder.com/thrive/tracks?track=Competitive%20Programming) (individual SRM archives are also good place to try problems first hand and then learn from other's approach). In general,  if you search for ACM-ICPC resources, you will find a lot more targeted information/problems which will apply not only for leetcode, but also for detailed understanding of the theory too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Skiena & Revilla's \"Programming Challenges\" book",
          "reason": "Suggests it for a more applied view, especially programming contests.",
          "audience": "Learners interested in programming contests such as ICPC.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is different from Skiena's Algorithm Design Manual.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 29217853,
          "author": "e9",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-14T15:44:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29217853",
          "commentText": "Back when I was in high school I learned all leetcode algorithms from doing programming competitions. One of the books I used was: http://acm.cs.buap.mx/downloads/Programming_Challenges.pdf\nWhat really put me to the next level is this amazing free training program which I still recommend anyone who wants to nail the interviews. It teaches each algorithm and data structure and gives you appropriate challenging exercises so you really understand them: https://train.usaco.org/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "One of the books I used was: http://acm.cs.buap.mx/downloads/Programming_Challenges.pdf",
          "reason": "The commenter used it while learning algorithms through programming competitions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven S. Skiena",
        "Miguel A. Revilla"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "competitive programming",
        "programming contests"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-concurrency-on-the-jvm-a443f2",
      "title": "Programming Concurrency on the JVM",
      "author": "Venkat Subramaniam",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237380,
          "author": "rdeboo",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T14:22:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237380",
          "commentText": "I set myself a goal to read 20 books; I succeeded.\nHere's the ones I recommend most:\nKim Zetter - Countdown to Zero (on Stuxnet virus and how it was smuggled into the nuclear facility; very interesting)\nGary Kasparov - Winter is Coming (we should consider Russia a dictatorship by now; though until recently, western politicians treated it as a democratic partner country)\nMark Goodman - Future crimes (wide spanning book on crime in the age of the internet)\nPhilip E. Tetlock - Superforecasting (how amateurs can consistently beat domain professionals in forecasting all kind of stuff)\nVenkat Subramaniam - Programming Concurrency on the JVM (good overview of your options (diy with locking / akka / clojure & STM))",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Venkat Subramaniam - Programming Concurrency on the JVM (good overview of your options (diy with locking / akka / clojure & STM))",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a good overview of JVM concurrency options.",
          "audience": "Programmers choosing concurrency approaches on the JVM.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Venkat Subramaniam"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "concurrency",
        "jvm"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-elixir-e5bccc",
      "title": "Programming Elixir",
      "author": "Dave Thomas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9758428,
          "author": "rubiquity",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T14:14:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758428",
          "commentText": "Eloquent Ruby is one of my favorite books, too. That book really motivated me to learn how programming languages work. Here are a few other books I found to be enjoyable and well-written:\nProgramming Erlang by Joe Armstrong\nProgramming Elixir by Dave Thomas\nSeven (more) Languages In Seven Weeks by Bruce Tate\nThink Bayes, Think OS, How To Think Like A Functional Programmer (Think OCaml) and The Little Book of Semaphores by Allen B. Downey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming Elixir by Dave Thomas",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter found enjoyable and well-written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401296,
          "author": "vyshane",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:03:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401296",
          "commentText": "Recently read:\nProgramming Elixir - Dave Thomas\nIntroducing Elixir - Simon St. Laurent and J. David Eisenberg\nThe Swift Programming Language - Apple\nCurrently reading:\nFunctional Programming in Swift - Chris Eidhof, Florian Kugler, and Wouter Swierstra\nRecently purchased but not started:\nThe Algorithm Design Manual - Steven S Skiena\nSipping from time to time:\nInverting The Pyramid: The History of Football Tactics - Jonathan Wilson",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Programming Elixir - Dave Thomas",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dave Thomas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "elixir",
        "functional programming",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-games-for-atari-2600-19db2f",
      "title": "Programming Games for Atari 2600",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34412883,
          "author": "kgwxd",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-17T14:41:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 34412069,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach programming by building a series of small projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34412883",
          "commentText": "Programming Games for Atari 2600 https://forums.atariage.com/topic/339819-upcoming-book-on-at... (https://forums.atariage.com/topic/339819-upcoming-book-on-atari-2600-programming-now-available/#comment-5153794)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming Games for Atari 2600",
          "reason": "Listed as a book recommendation in response to a request for project-based programming books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "atari 2600 programming",
        "game programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-interviews-exposed-91fc24",
      "title": "Programming Interviews Exposed",
      "author": "John Mongan, Noah Suojanen, and Eric Gigeure",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3395527,
          "author": "Cardinal",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T12:06:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395527",
          "commentText": "It has to be Java Concurrency in Practice. Even though it has Java in its name I think every programmer should read this.\nOther books I absolutely loved are Effective Java 2 and Programming Interviews Exposed. I'm waiting for Amazon to ship me the second edition of the latter.\nHackers and Painters is a classic I default to whenever I'm looking for inspiration.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Other books I absolutely loved are Effective Java 2 and Programming Interviews Exposed.",
          "reason": "Includes it among books they absolutely loved.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Mongan, Noah Suojanen, and Eric Gigeure"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming interviews",
        "technical interview preparation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-interviews-exposed-236b16",
      "title": "Programming Interviews Exposed",
      "author": "John Mongan, Noah Suojala, and Eric Giguère",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16757386,
          "author": "gradyj",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T18:15:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16757386",
          "commentText": "- Programming Interviews Exposed\n- Head First Design Patterns\n- Clean Code\nI'm a junior in my first job and I've had these books in my personal library for a while now. Incredible helpful",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Programming Interviews Exposed",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the books in the list incredibly helpful.",
          "audience": "A junior software developer in a first job.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Mongan, Noah Suojala, and Eric Giguère"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming interviews"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-language-processors-in-java-compilers-and-interpreter-f2eda4",
      "title": "Programming Language Processors in Java: Compilers and Interpreters",
      "author": "David A. Watt and Deryck F. Brown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 136937,
          "author": "at",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-14T17:33:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 136875,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good compiler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=136937",
          "commentText": "1. Programming Language Processors in Java: Compilers and Interpreters\nhttp://www.dcs.gla.ac.uk/~daw/books/PLPJ/\n2. The definitive ANTLR reference\nhttp://www.pragprog.com/titles/tpantlr\n1. gives you a good introduction in how to write parsers from scratch (without lex/yacc'ish parsing frameworks), and is probably a good warm-up before the book you mention.\n2. gives you an introduction to state-of-the parsing with a framework (antlr) + a some about compilation. Note: antlr also has a nice IDE for rapid developing/prototyping of parsers - antlrworks. See http://antlr.org for more info.\nA very nice parsing framework for Python is dparser. It allows you to write grammars as docstrings to methods, which makes it very  easy to try out things\nhttp://www.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/library/l-cpdpars.ht... (http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/library/l-cpdpars.html)\nhttp://dparser.sourceforge.net/\nDefinite Clause Grammars for Prolog is also worth a look (at least for reference)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming Language Processors in Java: Compilers and Interpreters",
          "reason": "Recommends it as an introduction to writing parsers from scratch and a warm-up text.",
          "audience": "Readers learning to write parsers and compilers.",
          "caveat": "Suggested as a warm-up before the other book mentioned.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David A. Watt and Deryck F. Brown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "java",
        "parsers"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-languages-application-and-interpretation-178629",
      "title": "Programming Languages: Application and Interpretation",
      "author": "Shriram Krishnamurthi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35930008,
          "author": "wffurr",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T16:35:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35930008",
          "commentText": "How to Design Programs: https://htdp.org/\nI already had a strong programming background in Java, C, JavaScript and PHP.  I thought an introductory programming class at the Master’s level would be a waste of time.  Going through rigorous program design in Racket was a mind expanding experience.  I was amazed how much programming we did before reaching the assignment statement (set!) otherwise the first thing taught in typical introductory programming courses.\nThe format of the class was a big part of the experience though: all assignments pair programmed and then presented to a panel by a randomly chosen member of the pair.\nA close second would be PLAI: https://www.plai.org/. As experienced through the Brown University online version of the Design and Implementation of Programming Languages: https://cs.brown.edu/courses/info/csci1730/\nIt gave me a very thorough and engaging grounding in the various programming language idioms and constructs and how they actually work.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A close second would be PLAI: https://www.plai.org/.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it gave them thorough, engaging grounding in programming language idioms and how they work.",
          "audience": "Readers learning programming language design and implementation.",
          "caveat": "The experience was through Brown University’s online course.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 136997,
          "author": "jcl",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-14T18:21:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 136875,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good compiler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=136997",
          "commentText": "We used Appel's book in college, and it wasn't too bad (in the hands of decent professor, of course).  Appel glosses over some subjects, but you really have to if you want to implement the base compiler in a single semester and still maybe have time to implement some of the more interesting features in the second half of the book.\nAbout half our class didn't finish the base compiler.  Fortunately for us, we were using the Java version of the text, so most of the students already knew the implementation language; I know a course at another school using the ML text, and none of them finished their compiler, because they had to learn the language at the same time as coding the compiler.\nHere's an online book that covers interpretation of programming languages in Scheme (touching on functional language compilation in several places):\nhttp://www.cs.brown.edu/~sk/Publications/Books/ProgLangs/200... (http://www.cs.brown.edu/~sk/Publications/Books/ProgLangs/2007-04-26/)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Here's an online book that covers interpretation of programming languages in Scheme",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Shriram Krishnamurthi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "interpreters",
        "language implementation",
        "programming language semantics",
        "programming languages"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-languages-design-and-implementation-4abb4f",
      "title": "Programming Languages: Design and Implementation",
      "author": "Terrence W. Pratt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30486392,
          "author": "jonsen",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T08:19:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486392",
          "commentText": "Programming Languages: Design and Implementation by Terrence W. Pratt\nComing from electronics and computer hardware this made me see that those \"mysterious\" high level languages where all just loops and if-then-else statements.\nThen\nAlgorithms + Data Structures = Programs by Niklaus Wirth\ngave a good practical framework for entering computer science and software engineering.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming Languages: Design and Implementation by Terrence W. Pratt",
          "reason": "The commenter says it demystified high-level languages by showing them as loops and conditional statements.",
          "audience": "Readers coming from electronics and computer hardware.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terrence W. Pratt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "language implementation",
        "programming languages"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-languages-design-and-implementation-e9b8a1",
      "title": "Programming Languages: Design and Implementation",
      "author": "Terrence W. Pratt, Marvin V. Zelkowitz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2414545,
          "author": "dragonquest",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T10:26:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414545",
          "commentText": "Over the years I've found the following CS books helpful, but only a minority in my day-to-day work. Your mileage may vary, as would the utility of these to you.\nAlgorithms -> Algorithms + Data Structures = Programs by Wirth (worth its weight in gold if you can get past the Pascal syntax)\nOS -> Operating System Concepts by Silberschatz et al (The dinosaur book)\nCS Theory -> Introduction to Automata Theory, Languages, and Computation by Hopcroft, Ullman\nProgramming Languages Theory -> Programming languages: design and implementation by Pratt et al\nDatabase Theory -> Database Design by Wiederhold\nArchitecture -> Structured Computer Organization by Andrew S Tanenbaum",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming Languages Theory -> Programming languages: design and implementation by Pratt et al",
          "reason": "Lists it among CS books they found helpful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terrence W. Pratt, Marvin V. Zelkowitz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "language implementation",
        "programming language theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-multi-agent-systems-in-agentspeak-using-jason-f82921",
      "title": "Programming Multi-Agent Systems in AgentSpeak using Jason",
      "author": "Rafael H. Bordini, Jomi Fred Hübner, and Michael Wooldridge",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268894,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:13:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268894",
          "commentText": "Seeing this reminds me of something I'm not proud of. I've done effectively no reading this year. At least not by my normal standards.\nI generally read between 30-50 books a year (mix of fiction and non-fiction). But this year I knew my focus was going to be more on research, reading papers, writing code, etc. so I set my reading goal lower than normal (I usually set it to like 75, knowing that that's a bit aspirational). This year? I set it to like, 30. And I won't come close to hitting that. Right now I'm at 7 books for the year. So I don't have a big sample set to choose from. :-(\nThat said...\nOf what I did read, a couple were pretty good:\nNon-fiction:\nFancy Bear Goes Phishing: The Dark History of the Information Age, in Five Extraordinary Hacks- Scott J. Shapiro\nReadings in Agents - Huhns, Singh (eds)\nProgramming Multi-Agent Systems in AgentSpeak using Jason - Bordini, Hubner, & Wooldridge\nFiction:\nIn Too Deep (Jack Reacher, #29) - Lee Child",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming Multi-Agent Systems in AgentSpeak using Jason - Bordini, Hubner, & Wooldridge",
          "reason": "Lists it among the few books they read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rafael H. Bordini",
        "Jomi Fred Hübner",
        "Michael Wooldridge"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "agentspeak",
        "jason",
        "multi agent systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-php-0e00bd",
      "title": "Programming PHP",
      "author": "Rasmus Lerdorf and Kevin Tatroe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 66866,
          "author": "inklesspen",
          "createdAt": "2007-10-12T15:17:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 66786,
          "threadTitle": "A good book to re-learn php?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=66866",
          "commentText": "I don't (and won't) use PHP, but I'd suggest starting with an O'Reilly book like http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/progphp2/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd suggest starting with an O'Reilly book like",
          "reason": "Suggested as a starting point for learning PHP.",
          "audience": "Someone returning to PHP.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they do not and will not use PHP.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rasmus Lerdorf and Kevin Tatroe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "php",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-perl-823b3e",
      "title": "Programming Perl",
      "author": "Larry Wall, Tom Christiansen, and Jon Orwant",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16085585,
          "author": "Tepix",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-06T15:15:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16085585",
          "commentText": "The Camel book¹ is pretty fantastic.\nI hope the \"Learning Perl 6\" book by brian d. foy will be as good.\n-- \n¹ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Programming_Perl",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Camel book¹ is pretty fantastic.",
          "reason": "Calls the book fantastic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 240710,
          "author": "kylec",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T03:03:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240710",
          "commentText": "I thought about posting this here after a relative success asking the question on Reddit:\nhttp://www.reddit.com/info/6mikl/comments/\nbut it looks like you've beaten me to it!\nI did create a listing of the most popular books mentioned on the comment thread, if you're interested. The following were mentioned by 4 or more people:\n14 The C Programming Language\n11 Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs\n8 Introduction to Algorithms\n7 Compilers: Principles, Techniques and Tools\n6 Programming Erlang\n5 The Mythical Man-Month\n5 The Pragmatic Programmer\n5 Applied Cryptography\n4 Beautiful Code\n4 The Little Schemer\n4 Programming Perl\nmore here: http://www.reddit.com/info/6mikl/comments/c04abpy",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "4 Programming Perl",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the most frequently mentioned books in the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Larry Wall, Tom Christiansen, and Jon Orwant"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "perl",
        "programming languages"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-prolog-for-artificial-intelligence-19579a",
      "title": "Programming Prolog for Artificial Intelligence",
      "author": "Ivan Bratko",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 869042,
          "author": "sb",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-08T14:34:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 868994,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books to learn Prolog?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=869042",
          "commentText": "one of the best texts around is \"the art of prolog, advanced programming techniques\" 2nd edition, by leon sterling and ehud shapiro.\nhowever, by now, it seems a bit dated (e.g. on the constraint logic programming side), so there is another recommendable text \"programming prolog for artifical intelligence\" by ivan bratko\nso if you can afford, i would recommend both texts for self-study.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "there is another recommendable text \"programming prolog for artifical intelligence\" by ivan bratko",
          "reason": "Described as another recommendable text for Prolog.",
          "audience": "People studying Prolog, including for self-study.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ivan Bratko"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "logic programming",
        "prolog"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-python-4c96cc",
      "title": "Programming Python",
      "author": "Mark Lutz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16756709,
          "author": "falcolas",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T17:06:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16756709",
          "commentText": "Programming Python from O'Reilly. It helps lift my monitor nicely.\nHonestly, I've yet to find a physical book that has proven to be a useful reference in the long run. Programming languages just change too quickly; it's the web or the code.\nAs for more meta-programming/business/interpersonal books, the few that I've read are not ones I've ever had any real desire to go back to.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Programming Python from O'Reilly. It helps lift my monitor nicely.",
          "reason": "The commenter mentions it as a monitor stand and says physical books have not proved useful as long-term references.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Used to lift a monitor; the commenter doubts its value as a reference.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 121994,
          "author": "mathogre",
          "createdAt": "2008-02-23T13:00:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 121779,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What is the best Python book for a beginner?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=121994",
          "commentText": "Learning Python is an excellent book.  It is what I found most useful for learning the language.  I bought and read many books, and this one is the best I found.  Conversely, Programming Python sucks, even though both are authored by the same person.  (LP is co-authored.)\nThe language docs from python.org are invaluable as a reference, which includes the tutorial.  I invariably download the html tarball and put it on any machine I use for python programming.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Programming Python sucks, even though both are authored by the same person.",
          "reason": "Strongly criticizes the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 121859,
          "author": "bharris",
          "createdAt": "2008-02-23T05:04:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 121779,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What is the best Python book for a beginner?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=121859",
          "commentText": "Programming Python or Core Python. Both from the O'Reilly collection.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming Python or Core Python. Both from the O'Reilly collection.",
          "reason": "Offers it as one of two book choices in response to a request for Python book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Presented as one option alongside Core Python.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Lutz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "python",
        "programming",
        "python programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-ruby-205a09",
      "title": "Programming Ruby",
      "author": "Dave Thomas, with Chad Fowler and Andy Hunt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 135339,
          "author": "jraines",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T18:09:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135339",
          "commentText": "Getting Real (37 Signals)\nProgramming Ruby (Pragmatic Programmers)\nAgile Web Development with Rails (Pragmatic Programmers)\nJavascript: The Definitive Guide (O'Reilly)\na good text on database design & normalization, performance issues, and SQL\nsomething to teach *nix basics, which I don't have but could have used",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming Ruby (Pragmatic Programmers)",
          "reason": "Listed as a book for a hacker's bookshelf.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dave Thomas, with Chad Fowler and Andy Hunt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming",
        "ruby"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-ruby-the-pragmatic-programmers-guide-498046",
      "title": "Programming Ruby: The Pragmatic Programmers' Guide",
      "author": "Dave Thomas and Andy Hunt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 781384,
          "author": "jonny_noog",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-24T02:26:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 781079,
          "threadTitle": "Can you recommend some good RoR books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=781384",
          "commentText": "I know the question was asking for RoR book recommendations, but being quite new to both Ruby and Rails when I started using Rails, I have found \"Programming Ruby: The Pragmatic Programmers' Guide\" (AKA the Pickaxe Book) to be an invaluable reference.\nIf you're already very experienced with Ruby, then please ignore. :P",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I have found \"Programming Ruby: The Pragmatic Programmers' Guide\" (AKA the Pickaxe Book) to be an invaluable reference.",
          "reason": "Calls it an invaluable reference for learning Ruby.",
          "audience": "People new to Ruby and Rails; experienced Ruby users are told to ignore the suggestion.",
          "caveat": "The recommendation is conditional on not already being very experienced with Ruby.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dave Thomas and Andy Hunt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming reference",
        "ruby programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-rust-2nd-edition-e75c94",
      "title": "Programming Rust, 2nd Edition",
      "author": "Jim Blandy, Jason Orendorff, and Leonora F. S. Tindall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33594637,
          "author": "neriymus",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-14T14:45:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33594637",
          "commentText": "\"Programming Rust 2.0\" - the online rust book didn't make rust click for me, but this book definitely did",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this book definitely did",
          "reason": "Says this book made Rust click, unlike the online Rust book.",
          "audience": "People learning Rust.",
          "caveat": "The online Rust book did not make Rust click for the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jim Blandy",
        "Jason Orendorff",
        "Leonora F. S. Tindall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "rust",
        "systems programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-scala-2nd-edition-890b0a",
      "title": "Programming Scala, 2nd Edition",
      "author": "Dean Wampler and Alex Payne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10182175,
          "author": "speedkills",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-07T17:14:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10182175",
          "commentText": "Programming Scala 2nd edition and Functional Programming in Scala.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming Scala 2nd edition",
          "reason": "Listed as a book on Scala.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dean Wampler and Alex Payne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "functional programming",
        "scala"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-server-side-applications-for-microsoft-windows-2000-69b95b",
      "title": "Programming Server-Side Applications for Microsoft Windows 2000",
      "author": "Jeffrey Richter and Jason D. Clark",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40512771,
          "author": "kruador",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-29T15:10:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 40497383,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Can anyone recommend a Windows Systems programming book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40512771",
          "commentText": "I would recommend \"Programming Server-Side Applications for Windows 2000\" by Jeffrey Richter and Jason D. Clark.\nRichter also wrote \"Windows via C/C++\", which was previously titled \"Programming Applications for Windows 2000\" (4th edition) or \"Advanced Windows\" (3rd and earlier editions).\nI realise these books are now very old (17 years old for \"Windows via C/C++\" and 25 years for \"Programming Server-Side Applications\") but really, the Windows API hasn't changed all that much in that time.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Programming Server-Side Applications for Windows 2000\" by Jeffrey Richter and Jason D. Clark",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends this book for learning Windows systems programming.",
          "audience": "Someone learning Windows systems programming.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is 25 years old, though the Windows API has changed little.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeffrey Richter",
        "Jason D. Clark"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "windows api",
        "windows programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-using-gnu-smalltalk-fc2078",
      "title": "Programming Using GNU Smalltalk",
      "author": "Stéphane Ducasse",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14842680,
          "author": "marvel_boy",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-24T21:05:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14842680",
          "commentText": "Programming using GNU Smalltalk \nhttp://stephane.ducasse.free.fr/FreeBooks/Gnu/ProgrammingUsi... (http://stephane.ducasse.free.fr/FreeBooks/Gnu/ProgrammingUsingGnuSmalltalk.pdf)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming using GNU Smalltalk",
          "reason": "Names a programming book in response to a question about books that shaped code structure.",
          "audience": "Programmers interested in GNU Smalltalk.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stéphane Ducasse"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "gnu smalltalk",
        "smalltalk"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-webassembly-with-rust-d90807",
      "title": "Programming WebAssembly with Rust",
      "author": "Kevin Hoffman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22300880,
          "author": "banana_maker",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-11T18:12:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22300880",
          "commentText": "* The Rails Tutorial - https://www.railstutorial.org/\nThis book (although an older edition) is largely what got me into programming, and taught me so much about Rails.\n* Programming WebAssembly with Rust - https://pragprog.com/book/khrust/programming-webassembly-wit... (https://pragprog.com/book/khrust/programming-webassembly-with-rust)\nThis book steps through learning about web assembly, writing it by hand, and then implementing a server for webassembly. I had so many misconceptions about webassembly/wasm before reading this.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming WebAssembly with Rust",
          "reason": "It walks through learning WebAssembly, writing it by hand, and implementing a server for it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kevin Hoffman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "rust",
        "webassembly"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-in-scala-7051fd",
      "title": "Programming in Scala",
      "author": "Martin Odersky, Lex Spoon, and Bill Venners",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13410769,
          "author": "letientai299",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T16:13:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13410769",
          "commentText": "Programming in Scala \nby Martin Odersky, Lex Spoon, and Bill Venners.\nBeside a good introduction into Scala, that book also teach me the principles in computer programing. It's worth read again several times.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Beside a good introduction into Scala, that book also teach me the principles in computer programing. It's worth read again several times.",
          "reason": "Praises it as a good Scala introduction and says it is worth rereading.",
          "audience": "Readers learning Scala and programming principles.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797417,
          "author": "zzygan",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T04:52:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797417",
          "commentText": "I'm one of the ones that has too many books on my reading list.\nProgramming in Scala - Odersky et al.\nCode Complete 2- re reading, its a good read actually\nGodel Escher Bach - Hofstadter",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Programming in Scala - Odersky et al.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 715188,
          "author": "warfangle",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-20T21:02:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715188",
          "commentText": "Previous: Anathem\nCurrent: Programming in Scala",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Current: Programming in Scala",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin Odersky, Lex Spoon, and Bill Venners"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "scala",
        "programming languages",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-in-scala-fd4e6e",
      "title": "Programming in Scala",
      "author": "Martin Odersky, Lex Spoon, Bill Venners",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1973575,
          "author": "mike_esspe",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T02:28:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1973575",
          "commentText": "\"Programming in Scala\" by Martin Odersky, Lex Spoon, Bill Venners.\nVery easy read, explains a lot of functional programming concepts. This book made me a fan of Scala and functional programming.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book made me a fan of Scala and functional programming.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book is an easy read that explains functional programming concepts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin Odersky, Lex Spoon, Bill Venners"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "functional programming",
        "scala"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-in-standard-ml-88a693",
      "title": "Programming in Standard ML",
      "author": "Robert Harper",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10184539,
          "author": "cannam",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-08T08:14:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10184539",
          "commentText": "Not that many options I think.\nA classic is Larry C Paulson's \"ML for the Working Programmer\", although it's (a) apparently a bit divisive (see e.g. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9667264) and (b) out of print. It's a thoughtful treatment of functional programming that happens to use ML, and a book I enjoy reading rather than just referring to. I appreciate the fact that the second edition introduces modules very early on, and that it's relatively un-mathematical in the way it presents things like module semantics.\nRobert Harper's \"Programming in Standard ML\" (online only I think, at http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~rwh/smlbook/book.pdf) is more thorough. It's modern enough to present the Basis library as part of the language, so you do get a handful of useful existing data structures rather than feeling you're expected to build everything yourself. A pity the Basis library is so slight though.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Programming in Standard ML\"",
          "reason": "Describes it as more thorough and modern, while noting the Basis library is slight.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter thinks it may be available online only and says the Basis library is slight.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Harper"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "functional programming",
        "standard ml"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-on-purpose-essays-on-software-design-f45bfb",
      "title": "Programming on Purpose: Essays on Software Design",
      "author": "P. J. Plauger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22096179,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T03:57:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22096179",
          "commentText": "This is a thread after my own heart! I love finding out and reading old, less well-known and thought provoking books on a variety of subject matters. I have come to the conclusion that \"popular\" almost always equals \"lowest common denominator\" and \"fad of the month\" particularly given today's media hype cycles. Moreover one has to guard against having ones mental models bounded within a box. By actively seeking out lesser known and out of the way viewpoints one truly grows. Some books from my collection which i have not seen mentioned here (in no particular order or categorization);\n* The Natural History of Nonsense by Bergan Evans\n* Programming on Purpose, Essays on Software Design by P. J. Plauger\n* Management: A Political Activity by Ted Stephenson\n* The Energy of Life: The Science of What Makes Our Minds and Bodies Work by Guy Brown\n* Patterns for Time-Triggered Embedded Systems: Building Reliable Applications with the 8051 Family of Microcontrollers by Michael Pont.\n* UNIX Systems for Modern Architectures: Symmetric Multiprocessing and Caching for Kernel Programmers by Curt Schimmel.\n* Maxims and Reflections (Ricordi) by Francesco Guicciardini\nThere are a bunch more i have to root around for :-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming on Purpose, Essays on Software Design by P. J. Plauger",
          "reason": "Lists it among books from their collection that they have not seen mentioned in the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "P. J. Plauger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming essays",
        "software design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-the-universe-e3ad3e",
      "title": "Programming the Universe",
      "author": "Seth Lloyd",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 199933,
          "author": "signa11",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-26T03:20:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 199722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=199933",
          "commentText": "programming the universe, seth lloyd is very nice.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "programming the universe, seth lloyd is very nice.",
          "reason": "Calls the book “very nice” in response to a request for vacation reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Seth Lloyd"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "digital physics",
        "quantum computing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-the-universe-a-quantum-computer-scientist-takes-on-th-832c8e",
      "title": "Programming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos",
      "author": "Seth Lloyd",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Seth Lloyd"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cosmology",
        "quantum computing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "programming-the-z80-bc664f",
      "title": "Programming the Z80",
      "author": "Rodnay Zaks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 176956,
          "author": "jgrahamc",
          "createdAt": "2008-04-29T20:25:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 176803,
          "threadTitle": "Which is your favorite 70-80s computer book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=176956",
          "commentText": "BBC Micro Advanced Users Guide\nProgramming the Z80, Rodnay Zacks",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Programming the Z80, Rodnay Zacks",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rodnay Zaks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "assembly language",
        "z80"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "project-management-for-construction-c140d2",
      "title": "Project Management for Construction",
      "author": "Chris Hendrickson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 947856,
          "author": "jhlb",
          "createdAt": "2009-11-18T05:47:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 947581,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN:  What's the best first business book for a programmer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=947856",
          "commentText": "My introduction to the way that businesses work was an \"Engineering Economics\" course. It is about how accounting works, i.e. \"financial accounting\" vs. \"management accounting\", the time value of money, what the numbers on a quarterly report mean, &c. If you find a course syllabus online you can see what topics are covered, and a find textbook.\nAlso when I was seeking this type of knowledge, I read chapters 2,3,4 of http://pmbook.ce.cmu.edu/ , which I found by looking at a MIT opencourseware course on project management. The textbook is about construction but the important aspects transfer to anything.\nI think the most important thing is to learn the nuts and bolts. When you get comfortable with all that, then you can start to think at a higher level.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I read chapters 2,3,4 of http://pmbook.ce.cmu.edu/",
          "reason": "Says the textbook’s important aspects transfer beyond construction to other fields.",
          "audience": "People seeking foundational knowledge about how businesses work.",
          "caveat": "The textbook is about construction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris Hendrickson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "construction",
        "project management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "project-oberon-be6461",
      "title": "Project Oberon",
      "author": "Niklaus Wirth",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23365164,
          "author": "jll29",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-30T22:03:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23365164",
          "commentText": "I recommend these two free online/e-books by Niklaus Wirth:\nCompiler Construction\nhttps://inf.ethz.ch/personal/wirth/CompilerConstruction/inde... (https://inf.ethz.ch/personal/wirth/CompilerConstruction/index.html)\nHow to build a compiler from scractch (if you read German, there is an even\nmore concise book by him, \"Übersetzerbau)\".\nProject Oberon\nhttps://inf.ethz.ch/personal/wirth/ProjectOberon/index.html\nHow to build a personal workstation including all software from scratch.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Project Oberon",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends this free online book about building a personal workstation and its software from scratch.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in building a personal workstation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Niklaus Wirth"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer systems",
        "oberon"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "project-oberon-the-design-of-an-operating-system-and-compiler-f2b730",
      "title": "Project Oberon: The Design of an Operating System and Compiler",
      "author": "Niklaus Wirth and Jürg Gutknecht",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29307647,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T15:48:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29307647",
          "commentText": "Awesome! Specifically not on my list already there's: Concepts, Techniques, and Models of Computer Programming; Smalltalk-80: The language and its implementation; The Architecture of Symbolic Computers and Project Oberon: The design of an operating system and compiler.\nThis reminds me Niklaus Wirth's Compiler Construction probably belongs in this thread.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Project Oberon: The design of an operating system and compiler",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Niklaus Wirth",
        "Jürg Gutknecht"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "compiler construction",
        "oberon",
        "operating systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "project-orion-the-true-story-of-the-atomic-spaceship-1cfce9",
      "title": "Project Orion: The True Story of the Atomic Spaceship",
      "author": "George Dyson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37161155,
          "author": "fsloth",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T13:21:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37161155",
          "commentText": "Project Orion: The True Story of the Atomic Spaceship by George Dyson.\nA mindblowing vision and project of a vehicle that would offer the capability to truck TONS of stuff as far as, say Saturn, or offer speedy travel to Mars.\nBorn in the nuclear optimism of 1950's, killed by politics and bad optics of nuclear bomb enabled spaceflight.\nThe more I read of the book the more exciting the topic became. I did not realize how superior and feasible the nuke powered spaceship would be if built.\nI hope Orion will fly one day, it's that awesome.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Project Orion: The True Story of the Atomic Spaceship by George Dyson.\nA mindblowing vision and project of a vehicle that would offer the capability to truck TONS of stuff as far as, say Saturn, or offer speedy travel to Mars.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the book's subject mindblowing and says the topic became more exciting while reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Dyson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nuclear propulsion",
        "project orion",
        "spaceflight history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "project-pope-219524",
      "title": "Project Pope",
      "author": "Clifford D. Simak",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39729464,
          "author": "bookofjoe",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T21:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729464",
          "commentText": "\"A Canticle For Leibowitz\"\n\"The Sparrow\"\n\"Lord of Light\"\n\"The Immortal\"\n\"Hyperion\"\n\"The Last Question\"\n\"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?\"\n\"Stranger in a Strange Land\"\n\"The City and the Stars\"\n\"Childhood's End\"\n\"Anathem\"\n\"Eifelheim\"\n\"A Case of Conscience\"\n\"VALIS\" trilogy\n\"The Book of Strange New Things\"\n\"Behold The Man\"\n\"The God Engines\"\n\"Book of the New Sun\"\n\"The Parable of the Sower\"\n\"The Dosadi Experiment\"\n\"Grass\"\n\"Project Pope\"\n\"Calculating God\"\n\"Factoring Humanity\"\n\"Jesus on Mars\"\n\"Surface Detail",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Project Pope\"",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about books that changed perspectives on religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Clifford D. Simak"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "catholicism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "prolog-programming-for-artificial-intelligence-92faf7",
      "title": "Prolog Programming for Artificial Intelligence",
      "author": "Ivan Bratko",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 869166,
          "author": "fogus",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-08T15:28:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 868994,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books to learn Prolog?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=869166",
          "commentText": "I loved Prolog Programming for Artificial Intelligence by Ivan Bratko.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved Prolog Programming for Artificial Intelligence by Ivan Bratko.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they loved the book.",
          "audience": "People learning Prolog.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ivan Bratko"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "logic programming",
        "prolog"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "prolog-programming-in-depth-d232d8",
      "title": "Prolog Programming in Depth",
      "author": "Michael A. Covington, Donald Nute, and André Vellino",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 869026,
          "author": "jherdman",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-08T14:24:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 868994,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books to learn Prolog?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=869026",
          "commentText": "Prolog is a pretty neat language. It feels really strange at first, but as you grow used to its weirdness, it becomes much more enjoyable.\nI learned Prolog in university using the book \"Prolog Programming in Depth\", by Michael A. Covington, Donald Nute, and André Vellino. Frankly, I didn't use the book all that much. It was a handy reference now and then, but it wasn't essential. Perhaps there's some good tutorials online?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I learned Prolog in university using the book \"Prolog Programming in Depth\", by Michael A. Covington, Donald Nute, and André Vellino.",
          "reason": "Described as a handy reference, though not essential.",
          "audience": "People learning Prolog.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they did not use it much and it was not essential.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael A. Covington, Donald Nute, and André Vellino"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "logic programming",
        "prolog"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "prolog-and-natural-language-analysis-d476f9",
      "title": "Prolog and Natural-Language Analysis",
      "author": "Fernando C. N. Pereira and Stuart M. Shieber",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2414425,
          "author": "microtonal",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T09:10:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414425",
          "commentText": "The standard for computational grammars and parsers in natural language processing is:\nProlog and Natural-Language Analysis - Fernando C. N. Pereira and Stuart M. Shieber\nThe PDF is available from the publisher:\nhttp://www.mtome.com/Publications/PNLA/prolog-digital.pdf\nIt also serves as a great introduction to Prolog and logics programming.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It also serves as a great introduction to Prolog and logics programming.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a good introduction to Prolog and logic programming.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in natural-language processing, Prolog, or logic programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fernando C. N. Pereira and Stuart M. Shieber"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "logic programming",
        "natural language processing",
        "prolog"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "promethea-bfa89e",
      "title": "Promethea",
      "author": "Alan Moore",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1754091,
          "author": "brunoc",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-04T00:26:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1754091",
          "commentText": "If it turns out that you enjoy graphic novels, I'd recommend Alan Moore's \"Promothea\" as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend Alan Moore's \"Promothea\" as well.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for readers who enjoy graphic novels.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy graphic novels.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan Moore"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "graphic novel",
        "mythology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "proofs-without-words-b3db69",
      "title": "Proofs Without Words",
      "author": "Roger B. Nelsen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23727502,
          "author": "montalbano",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T20:51:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23727502",
          "commentText": "Spivak is an excellent choice but may be too advanced depending on his level. I would also strongly recommend any of the books in the Art of Problem Solving series:\nhttps://artofproblemsolving.com/store/list/aops-curriculum\nI've got a PhD in bioengineering but I'm currently going through Introduction to Counting and Probability and I'm really enjoying it.\nSome others (not AOPS series):\nNelsen - Proofs Without Words\nPolya - How to Solve it\nStrogatz - Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nelsen - Proofs Without Words",
          "reason": "Lists it among additional book suggestions in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roger B. Nelsen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical proofs",
        "visual reasoning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "proofs-and-refutations-the-logic-of-mathematical-discovery-f1d2e5",
      "title": "Proofs and Refutations: The Logic of Mathematical Discovery",
      "author": "Imre Lakatos",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30828024,
          "author": "unnah",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T07:24:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30828024",
          "commentText": "The Lakatos book is a great introduction to mathematical thinking in that it shows the importance of definitions - how even simple definitions are malleable and can be changed to properly handle special cases.  All the details are discussed in human-readable prose without formulas more complicated than simple addition.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Lakatos book is a great introduction to mathematical thinking",
          "reason": "Endorses the book as an introduction to mathematical thinking, emphasizing definitions and special cases.",
          "audience": "Readers learning mathematical thinking.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Imre Lakatos"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "definitions",
        "mathematical reasoning",
        "philosophy of mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "proofs-and-types-79da0f",
      "title": "Proofs and Types",
      "author": "Jean-Yves Girard, Yves Lafont, and Paul Taylor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30823361,
          "author": "amateurlogician",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-27T19:41:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30823361",
          "commentText": "Girard's rhetoric never fails to keep me hooked. I treasure any number of works of Girard, whether his introductions to Type Theory and his Linear Logic or notes on his quest for Transcendental Logic. Clear prose of exposition, to the point and clearly motivated, intermingled with literary allusions in critique of philosophers' ideas of truth, the work of Girard is truly a gem.\nParticularly entertaining is his 'A pure waste of paper' (Appendix A of 'LOCUS SOLUM') (https://girard.perso.math.cnrs.fr/0.pdf). I could flip to a random page of his 'appendix' and just sink in.\nA fine introductory work of his to the subject would be 'PROOFS AND TYPES' (https://people.mpi-sws.org/~dreyer/ats/papers/girard.pdf).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'PROOFS AND TYPES'",
          "reason": "Identified as a fine introductory work on the subject.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an introduction to type theory.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jean-Yves Girard",
        "Yves Lafont",
        "Paul Taylor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "proof theory",
        "type theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "proofs-a-long-form-textbook-137a9c",
      "title": "Proofs: A Long Form Textbook",
      "author": "Jay Cummings",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31489198,
          "author": "rg111",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T07:49:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31489198",
          "commentText": "- Linear Algebra: Gilbert Strang videos + book\n- Calculus and basics of Analysis: Spivak\n- Group Theory: Visual Group Theory\n- Complex Analysis: Visual Complex Analysis\n- Writing proofs: Proofs: A Long Form Textbook by Jay Cummings\n- Abstract Algebra: Dummit-Foote book. First few chapters if you like.\n___\nPop-Sci:\n1. The Joy of X by Steven Strogatz\n2. Fermat's Enigma by Simon Singh\n(All this books except AA are very highly recommended by me)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Writing proofs: Proofs: A Long Form Textbook by Jay Cummings",
          "reason": "Listed as a resource for learning to write proofs.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jay Cummings"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical proofs"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "propaganda-the-formation-of-men-s-attitudes-bab4b3",
      "title": "Propaganda: The Formation of Men's Attitudes",
      "author": "Jacques Ellul",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40889507,
          "author": "nataliste",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-06T10:32:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40889507",
          "commentText": "Here are some books that pop bubbles, but must be read with humility to avoid becoming its own new bubble, as the world is complex and contains contradictions:\nHoward Zinn's People's History of the United States\nJared Diamond's Guns, Germs, and Steel\nMichael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma\nAyn Rand's the Fountainhead\nThomas Sowell's Basic Economics\nJulian Jaynes's the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind\nIain McGilchrist's the Master and his Emmisary\nVarlam Sharlamov's the Kolyma Tales\nJacques Ellul's Propaganda: the Formation of Men's Attitudes (or alternatively Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jacques Ellul's Propaganda: the Formation of Men's Attitudes",
          "reason": "Listed as a book that pops bubbles.",
          "audience": "Readers who want their assumptions challenged.",
          "caveat": "Read with humility; the world is complex and contains contradictions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jacques Ellul"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "propaganda"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "prophet-of-innovation-joseph-schumpeter-and-creative-destruction-419f7b",
      "title": "Prophet of Innovation: Joseph Schumpeter and Creative Destruction",
      "author": "Thomas K. McCraw",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 202954,
          "author": "dmharrison",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T03:49:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=202954",
          "commentText": "I liked 'Prophet of Innovation: Joseph Schumpeter and Creative Destruction' interesting read.  It wasn't a cover to cover for me, more something I could pick up during lulls",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I liked 'Prophet of Innovation: Joseph Schumpeter and Creative Destruction' interesting read. It wasn't a cover to cover for me, more something I could pick up during lulls",
          "reason": "Liked the book and found it an interesting read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter read it intermittently rather than cover to cover.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas K. McCraw"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic thought",
        "joseph schumpeter"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "protagoras-1a0c9e",
      "title": "Protagoras",
      "author": "Plato",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19090108,
          "author": "nathias",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T21:39:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090108",
          "commentText": "Plato - Meno, Symposium, Parmenides, Gorgias, Protagoras\nPlotinus -Enneads\nMarkus Aurelius - Meditations\nDescartes - On method\nDescartes - Meditations\nSpinoza - On the improvement of Understanding\nLeibniz - Monadology\nLeibniz - Grace\nVoltaire - Candid\nDiderot - D'Alembert's Dream\nKant - How to orient oneself in thinking\nKant - Critique of Pure Reason\nKant - Critique of Judgment\nHegel - Phenomenology of Spirit\nHegel - Logic\nvon Kleist - Marionette Theatre\nKierkegaard - The Sickness Unto Death\nHeidegger - Being and Time\nSartre - Being and Nothingness\nSartre - Flies\nSartre - Nausea\nDeleuze - Difference and Repetition\nKafka - Metamorphosis\nKafka - The Castle\nLem - Magellan Nebula\nLem - His Master's Voice\nCioran - A Short History of Decay\nPessoa - Book Of Despair\nWolfe -  New Sun tetralogy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Plato - Meno, Symposium, Parmenides, Gorgias, Protagoras",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Plato"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient greek philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "protecting-the-gift-049aee",
      "title": "Protecting the Gift",
      "author": "Gavin de Becker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15961346,
          "author": "billbrown",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:31:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961346",
          "commentText": "Here's quite a few, but they might be of interest to others.\n1. You Have the Right to Remain Innocent: great advice that I had never seen anywhere else (except his video that started the whole thing).\n2. The Vital Question: good overview of origin of life research.\n3. Fragment: hard science fiction (is that the term?) that delved into evolution and dovetailed with some of the reading I had been doing around that subject.\n4. The Science of Navigation: delved into the wonder of current navigational technology and how we got to here.\n5. The Lost City of the Monkey God: bought on a lark, made me realize that archaeology can still find new things nowadays.\n6. Island of the Lost: historical account of two shipwrecks on the same island at the same time that knew nothing of each other.\n7. Protecting the Gift: another eye-opener about being more aware of the ways people _can_ prey on children.\n8. Wondrous Contrivances: how people reacted to new techologies in the past.\n9. Rig Ship for Ultra Quiet: submariner's account of life during a Cold War operation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Protecting the Gift: another eye-opener about being more aware of the ways people _can_ prey on children.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an eye-opener about awareness of risks to children.",
          "audience": "People concerned with children's safety.",
          "caveat": "The commenter frames the subject as awareness of possible risks.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gavin de Becker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Parenting",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "child safety",
        "risk awareness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "protector-7395eb",
      "title": "Protector",
      "author": "Larry Niven",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8622265,
          "author": "dllthomas",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-18T03:42:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8622265",
          "commentText": "A single book?  Impossible.  I don't think I could even name my favorite Zelazny or PKD.  Many of the works of both are in the running.  As is \"Dune\", for sure.  Possibly \"Snow Crash\". \"Protector\" might not quite make the cut, but comes somewhat close - from my recollection it was my favorite Niven (not counting short stories)...  I'm currently finally getting around to \"The Mote In God's Eye\".  Further back, \"Foundation\" was pretty amazing, and I've a bit of a soft spot for \"Childhood's End\".  Bester's \"The Demolished Man\" is well worth a read, but I think also doesn't quite make the cut.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Protector\" might not quite make the cut, but comes somewhat close - from my recollection it was my favorite Niven",
          "reason": "Says it came close to their favorites and recalls it as their favorite Niven book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it might not quite make the cut.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Larry Niven"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alien evolution",
        "interstellar conflict"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "proto-how-one-ancient-language-went-global-7392fe",
      "title": "Proto: How One Ancient Language Went Global",
      "author": "Laura Spinney",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47988332,
          "author": "mac3n",
          "createdAt": "2026-05-02T17:17:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 47984463,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47988332",
          "commentText": "\"Proto\" - Laura Spinney. Proto-Indoeuropean. https://www.powells.com/book/proto-how-one-ancient-language-... (https://www.powells.com/book/proto-how-one-ancient-language-went-global-9781639732586?condition=New)\nbefore that\n\"The Horse the Wheel & Language\". David Anthony. Proto-Indoeuropeans. https://www.powells.com/book/horse-the-wheel-language-how-br... (https://www.powells.com/book/horse-the-wheel-language-how-bronze-age-riders-from-the-eurasian-steppes-shaped-the-modern-world-9780691148182?condition=New)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Proto\" - Laura Spinney. Proto-Indoeuropean.",
          "reason": "Named as a book given before the other title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Laura Spinney"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical linguistics",
        "proto indo european"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "proverbs-aaf6e7",
      "title": "Proverbs",
      "author": "Unknown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23858967,
          "author": "ARandomerDude",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:51:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858967",
          "commentText": "The Epistle to the Romans and Proverbs were game-changers for how I understand the world around me, and why people do what they do.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Epistle to the Romans and Proverbs were game-changers for how I understand the world around me",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed how they understand the world and people's actions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hebrew bible",
        "wisdom literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "proverbs-9d542f",
      "title": "Proverbs",
      "author": "Solomon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503385,
          "author": "_urga",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T08:58:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503385",
          "commentText": "Philosophy is not always wisdom. Of reading many books there is no end. But if it's wisdom, you can read it in an hour and spend a life-time understanding and applying it. Read Solomon's Proverbs (http://bit.ly/aJpmva) and Ecclesiastes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read Solomon's Proverbs",
          "reason": "Directly recommends reading it for wisdom and lifelong understanding and application.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking wisdom to understand and apply over time.",
          "caveat": "The commenter contrasts an hour of reading with a lifetime of understanding and applying it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Solomon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biblical wisdom literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "proverbs-71eb20",
      "title": "Proverbs",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8528363,
          "author": "andsmi2",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-29T17:05:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 8528058,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Book Has the Most Page-for-Page Wisdom?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8528363",
          "commentText": "How about Solomon's Proverbs? Composed between 4 and 5 centuries before Sun Tzu even lived, translated into Greek 100 years before the earliest known Art of War manuscript, and containing a collection of ancient wisdom in bite size chunks-- page for page the most wisdom you could possibly find.\nTraditional English Translation: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/8300/8300-h/8300-22h.htm\nModern Reading Translation:\nhttps://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+1&vers... (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs+1&version=NLT)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How about Solomon's Proverbs?",
          "reason": "Presents Proverbs as a source of exceptionally dense ancient wisdom.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503888,
          "author": "joshuacc",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T16:26:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503888",
          "commentText": "While the Bible as a whole isn't a philosophy book, it does contain a few. Books like the Proverbs of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, the Book of Job, etc. are what we could call \"practical philosophy.\"",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Books like the Proverbs of Solomon",
          "reason": "Offered as an example of biblical books that can be considered practical philosophy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "wisdom literature",
        "bible",
        "religious texts"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "proverbs-d36284",
      "title": "Proverbs",
      "author": "Traditional; part of the Bible",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17914478,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-05T01:44:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17914478",
          "commentText": "That's a bit snarky. Most of it was written as non-fiction. Your descendant will be denouncing a 21st C physics book on HN as fiction in 500 years time. I guess you haven't read, for example, Proverbs (just a load of great proverbs) or Ecclesiastes (very dark view of life - nihilistic, sceptical, world-weary) - they're great stuff. (disclosure: total atheist)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "they're great stuff",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it great reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Traditional; part of the Bible"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biblical literature",
        "proverbs"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "providence-d4b830",
      "title": "Providence",
      "author": "Max Barry",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36083958,
          "author": "code_Whisperer",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-26T13:38:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36083958",
          "commentText": "Easily these (so far):\nThis is How You Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (actually now one of my all-time favorites, without regard to genre. Just amazing)\nChildren of Time - Adrian Tchaikovsky\nThe Book of Strange New Things - Michael Faber\nTed Chiang's short story collections (Exhalations and Stories of your life and others)\nDaemon - Daniel Suarez\nThe City and the City - China Miéville\nRoadside Picnic - Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (this one still haunts my dreams at times)\nWe Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse Book 1) - Dennis Taylor (just finished this series for book club)\nGalatea 2.2, The Overstory, Bewilderment, The Gold Bug Variations - 4 different books, all by Richard Powers - what can I say, the man is a genius and a treasure\nEifelheim - Michael Flynn - ok, this book can be a slog at times, but it is very rewarding for those who persevere, and has stuck in my brain for many years\nChocky - John Wyndham - A quiet, delightful surprise\nProvidence - Max Barry - This book flows like a movie. It will make a great movie. I found myself LITERALLY out of breath a couple of times\nHench: A Novel - Natalie Zina Walschots - Quirky, memorable\nThe Peacemaker's Code - Deepak Malhotra - Why hasn't this guy written more sci-fi?\nOrange World and Other Stories - Karen Russell - OK, maybe not strictly sci-fi, but this book tickles my brain\nGUILTY PLEASURE SCI-FI FAVORITE: The Vaz series by Laurence Dahners. I think I've read that series 3 times now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Providence - Max Barry - This book flows like a movie. It will make a great movie.",
          "reason": "Praises its cinematic flow and says it would make a great movie.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Max Barry"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military science fiction",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "proving-ground-the-untold-story-of-the-six-women-who-programmed-t-b2367f",
      "title": "Proving Ground: The Untold Story of the Six Women Who Programmed the World’s First Modern Computer",
      "author": "Kathy Kleiman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37159343,
          "author": "kaesve",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T09:44:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37159343",
          "commentText": "Proving Ground: The Untold Story of the Six Women Who Programmed the World’s First Modern Computer (by Kathy Kleiman)\nI enjoy reading up on computer history, and this is a pretty good retelling of an important story. However, the parts that really struck me are the personal accounts of the author in trying to recover this history. The ENIAC 6 played an important role in the history of the first computer and of programming as a vocation, but their story was almost forgotten. To the point that these women were not even invited to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the ENIAC. That's shameful, and I'm happy that they finally have started to get the recognition they deserve.\nIf you're interested in this history, Jean Jennings Bartik also wrote an autobiography, that tells the story from her perspective.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Proving Ground: The Untold Story of the Six Women Who Programmed the World’s First Modern Computer (by Kathy Kleiman)",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed its account of computer history and the recovery of the ENIAC programmers’ story.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computer history.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is a retelling and focuses on the author’s efforts to recover the history.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kathy Kleiman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer history",
        "eniac",
        "women in computing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "proxima-ultima-8e42f0",
      "title": "Proxima & Ultima",
      "author": "Stephen Baxter",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38557043,
          "author": "coldpie",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T14:56:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557043",
          "commentText": "I randomly stumbled on the Proxima & Ultima duology by Stephen Baxter and they shot up to the top echelon of my favorite books list. Near-future sci-fi, interstellar travel, alternate histories, alien cultures, non-human cognition. Just wonderful stuff to randomly pick off the library shelf because they had a cool sounding name. I actually read the 2nd book first by accident, and thought it worked pretty well in retrospect.\nI also liked Eon by Greg Bear (RIP), for actually quite similar reasons.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I randomly stumbled on the Proxima & Ultima duology by Stephen Baxter and they shot up to the top echelon of my favorite books list.",
          "reason": "Calls the duology among their favorite books and praises its speculative themes.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in near-future science fiction, interstellar travel, alternate histories, and alien cognition.",
          "caveat": "The commenter accidentally read the second book first and says it worked well in retrospect.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Baxter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alien cognition",
        "alternate history",
        "interstellar travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "psalms-a74434",
      "title": "Psalms",
      "author": "Traditionally attributed to David and other authors",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 86056,
          "author": "nfriedly",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T19:42:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86056",
          "commentText": "Which books/chapters? I love Psalms and Philippians, but I really love the beauty of how it all fits together.\n(Not trying to belittle, just curious)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I love Psalms and Philippians",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly says they love Psalms.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Traditionally attributed to David and other authors"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biblical poetry",
        "scripture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "psyche-and-symbol-e37968",
      "title": "Psyche and Symbol",
      "author": "C. G. Jung",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30759601,
          "author": "starrygordon",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-21T20:56:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30759601",
          "commentText": "The Book of Changes (also known as the I Ching or Yi Jing, depending on your favorite Romanization).  Explaining what it is would be too lengthy here; it is better to start with a précis like the Wikipedia article, and then (I would say) to the introduction to the Wilhelm-Baynes translation by C.G. Jung. One can actually employ the divination rituals, which often yield \"answers\" which are often strangely relevant and sometimes shocking.  I came to the Book of Changes via another book, _Psyche and Symbol_, by Jung, which I found very difficult.  At the time I was 17 or 18 (so, late 1950s) and \"we\" were all going through an End-of-History moment when all relevant, important facts were supposed to be known and everyone was supposed to be well-balanced and rational.  (This is so remote from contemporary cultures that I guess you had to be there to understand it.)  It was \"the old folks' home in the college\" as the prophet Zimmerman put it, dry and asphyxiating.  I wanted to break out of that.  Jung's preface to the Book of Changes was included in _Psyche and Symbol_ and instead of being confused with his rather dense mythographies elsewhere, the part about the Book of Changes was very clear and included a description of the material practice.  So I ordered the book (actually, in those days, two volumes from the Bollingen Foundation and far from a mass-media or hip item) and started using it immediately.  Its style was not at all like the Bible, the Qur'an, or most of the other spiritual works of fame; I suppose some of it resembles the Daode Jing (Tao Te Ching) but since one works actively with it -- it requires interpretation -- the experience of using it is unlike that of any other books I know.  It certainly changed by life by changing the perspectives from which I looked upon things.  I had sort of escaped into a wider and stranger world.  (Curiously, I later became a computer programmer, using from time to time the binary arithmetic supposedly invented by Leibniz under the inspiration of the Book of Changes, although this may be in the area of legend.) There are quite a few editions of the book online, some of them bilingual in case you can read ancient Chinese or you like the décor; but an investigation of the characters and their etymology may also be relevant.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "another book, _Psyche and Symbol_",
          "reason": "The commenter found it difficult, though Jung's preface in it led them to the Book of Changes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter found it very difficult.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "C. G. Jung"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "jungian psychology",
        "symbolism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "psychedelic-information-theory-shamanism-in-the-age-of-reason-c79acc",
      "title": "Psychedelic Information Theory: Shamanism in the Age of Reason",
      "author": "James L. Kent",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20981724,
          "author": "nateferrero",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T07:09:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20981724",
          "commentText": "Psychedelic Information Theory: Shamanism in the Age of Reason",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Psychedelic Information Theory: Shamanism in the Age of Reason",
          "reason": "Offered as a book in response to a request for good books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James L. Kent"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "psychedelics",
        "shamanism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "psycho-vertical-b56c45",
      "title": "Psycho Vertical",
      "author": "Andy Kirkpatrick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10175598,
          "author": "robinwarren",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:30:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175598",
          "commentText": "Just finished Guns, Germs and Steel by Jarod Diamond. A bit longer than it needed to be for my purposes but he covers the material in some depth, I'd definitely recommend it.\nPrior to that I'd read Psycho Vertical by Andy Kirk Patrick which I would very strongly recommend, I don't think you need to be into climbing to enjoy it.\nI think I'm about to start reading What the doormouse said by John Markoff or finish reading Technical revolutions and financial capital by Carlota Perez. I think I'll leave the latter and restart it when I've more brain time to spend on it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would very strongly recommend, I don't think you need to be into climbing to enjoy it.",
          "reason": "Strong recommendation, with a note that climbing interest is not required.",
          "audience": "You do not need to be into climbing to enjoy it.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andy Kirkpatrick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "climbing",
        "mountaineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "psycho-cybernetics-a-new-way-to-get-more-living-out-of-life-88d4cf",
      "title": "Psycho-Cybernetics: A New Way to Get More Living Out of Life",
      "author": "Maxwell Maltz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22094871,
          "author": "K0SM0S",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T23:24:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22094871",
          "commentText": "Not exactly unknown but rarely mentioned these days:\nPsycho-Cybernetics, A New Way to Get More Living Out of Life (1960) by Dr Maxwell Maltz, MD.\nA foundational work in the field of self-image and more generally self-growth. Sort of the missing link between Hill-Carnegie and Covey, it's the first of its kind to shatter the body/mind duality and show facts in hand the power of the whole. A positively enriching read, containing a few invaluable ideas.\nIf you're a Zen or Stoic like me, you'll find the traces of these roots in there, the lineage of ideas.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Psycho-Cybernetics, A New Way to Get More Living Out of Life (1960) by Dr Maxwell Maltz, MD.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it foundational for self-image and self-growth and says it contains invaluable ideas.",
          "audience": "The commenter mentions Zen and Stoic readers like themselves.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it contains “a few” invaluable ideas.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Maxwell Maltz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal development",
        "self image"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "psychological-types-cd9f02",
      "title": "Psychological Types",
      "author": "Carl Jung",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23859039,
          "author": "omreaderhn",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:58:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859039",
          "commentText": "Fooled by Randomness - Nassim Taleb\nLetters from a Stoic - Seneca\nThe Bible\nBeyond Good and Evil - Nietzsche\nPsychological Types - Carl Jung",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Psychological Types - Carl Jung",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carl Jung"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "jungian psychology",
        "personality theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "psychology-is-about-people-f0973f",
      "title": "Psychology Is About People",
      "author": "H. J. Eysenck",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 877202,
          "author": "cojadate",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T17:25:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=877202",
          "commentText": "I would argue that Stephen King's 'It' should also have the status of a great novel.\nOne French critic wrote of 'It':\n«Ça» fonctionne parce que «Ça» fait peur. Pendant plus de mille pages – Jean-Pierre Dufreigne, L'Express\nTranslation: 'It' works because \"It\" scares. Throughout over one thousand pages.\nHow wrong can a critic be?\nYes the horror element is great but it's not why 'It' works at all, not for me anyway. For me 'It' works because of its insights into human nature – it's use of fantasy to look unflinchingly at human nature at it's worst and it's most beautiful, to do justice to a world that is full of both evil and goodness, because every story overlaps with other stories overlapping with other stories, just like real life, because it's a morally uncompromising book which presents no hard and fast rules of morality, because it portrays children and childhood accurately, because it shows us a world where abuse, neglect and apathy are rife, come in many forms, and can be perpetrated by people for all kinds of reasons, sometimes wilfully, sometimes from neediness, sometimes from a self-deluded sense of righteousness, sometimes from lack of knowing anything better. Because it also writes about the power of love and the deep bonds people share without a shred of sentimentality. Because it's a fantasy, and yet it shows our world perhaps more accurately than any story I've ever read, watched or heard.\nI particularly loved the theme of standing up to oppressors. Many stories have this element, but 'It' is so true to reality that the standing-up is more inspiring and powerful than in other works. Typically however, King has the wisdom to have a side-plot which shows how standing up to oppressors can go wrong, by way of brutal vigilantism and bloody revenge. It's this steadfast refusal to accept clichés and black-and-white worldviews of any kind which I particularly appreciate in King.\nI don't know, maybe the best thing about it is that makes a giant telepathic space turtle seem like a perfectly plausible part of a novel characterized by gritty realism.\nMy second, not entirely unrelated, nomination is 'Psychology is About People' by HJ Eysenck. This is half a century old so I am sure there are now many better books saying much the same thing. But for me it was the culmination of a train of thought, which started when I came across the quote \"wisest is she who knows she does not know\" in Jostein Gaarder's  Sophie's World  , which made me realize how little I know and how important it is to identify and question my own assumptions.\nPsychology is About People is an attack on fuzzy thinking in the fields of public policy-making, social science and, above all, psychology (Eysenck was himself a psychologist). He demonstrates that pyschotherapy, at least in his time, was little more than storytelling which, when held up to the hard light of the experimental method, was almost always proven false. Likewise, he attacks governments for basing their social policies on similarly unexamined assumptions. These fields, especially psychology have all come a long way since Eysenck's time but it's still very easy to spot the kind of fuzzy thinking and refusal-to-question-assumptions everywhere you look.\nI disagree with Eysenk in some of the conclusions he makes from his own research, but I think his general approach to knowledge and truth is fantastic. It certainly changed the way I think and has effected in me a permanent distaste for 'meta-narratives' of all kinds.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I disagree with Eysenk in some of the conclusions he makes from his own research, but I think his general approach to knowledge and truth is fantastic.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its general approach to knowledge and truth.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Disagrees with some conclusions; the book is half a century old and the commenter expects newer books may cover similar ground better.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "H. J. Eysenck"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "critical thinking",
        "social science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "psychology-and-space-f6cd64",
      "title": "Psychology and Space",
      "author": "Yuri Gagarin and Vladimir Lebedev",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18745639,
          "author": "dyukqu",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T11:57:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18745639",
          "commentText": "Psychology and Space by Yuri Gagarin and Vladimir Lebedev (a Soviet psychologist)[0]\nIt's an old book (I just read it in 2018, if that counts), but I guess its content about astronomers' training is very relevant to this day. Still, I'd like to read more up-to-date -e.g reflecting on the astronomers' experiences who had lived on the International Space Station- counterpart of this book.\n[0] https://www.amazon.com/Psychology-Space-Yuri-Gagarin/dp/1410... (https://www.amazon.com/Psychology-Space-Yuri-Gagarin/dp/1410206742)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Psychology and Space by Yuri Gagarin and Vladimir Lebedev (a Soviet psychologist)",
          "reason": "Says its content about astronomers’ training remains relevant.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in astronaut and astronomer training.",
          "caveat": "The commenter wants a more up-to-date counterpart.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Yuri Gagarin and Vladimir Lebedev"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "astronaut training",
        "spaceflight"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "psychology-of-computer-programming-63fd4e",
      "title": "Psychology of Computer Programming",
      "author": "Gerald M. Weinberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3338423,
          "author": "gruseom",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T20:29:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3338423",
          "commentText": "Oh, the making shit up part doesn't perturb me (well, maybe a little) - I just think it's worth mentioning. Your Pixies analogy is very clever. If Peopleware is the Pixies then maybe Jerry Weinberg would be the Velvets? Maybe not. The Velvets kind of stand on their own pretty well. Maybe the MC5. There's a band I never got, though they were pretty influential pre-punk. (My point is that Weinberg's early stuff on human factors in software -- Psychology of Computer Programming -- was seminal, but not particularly readable now.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Weinberg's early stuff on human factors in software -- Psychology of Computer Programming -- was seminal, but not particularly readable now.",
          "reason": "Calls it seminal work on human factors in software, while saying it is not particularly readable now.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not particularly readable now.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gerald M. Weinberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human factors",
        "software engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "psychology-of-intelligence-analysis-42eab4",
      "title": "Psychology of Intelligence Analysis",
      "author": "Richards J. Heuer Jr.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33801795,
          "author": "agoodone345",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T15:12:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33801795",
          "commentText": "This one is up there. https://www.amazon.com/Psychology-Intelligence-Analysis-Rich... (https://www.amazon.com/Psychology-Intelligence-Analysis-Richards-Heuer/dp/B0016OST3O)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This one is up there.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richards J. Heuer Jr."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "analytical thinking",
        "intelligence analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pump-six-82cdb1",
      "title": "Pump Six",
      "author": "Paolo Bacigalupi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6923250,
          "author": "angersock",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-17T19:25:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 6921805,
          "threadTitle": "What book has inspired you the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6923250",
          "commentText": "Not a book, but the essay \"Conscience of a Hacker\" has never been far from my mind.\nIn middle-school, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress and Starship Troopers started a fairly strong libertarian bend as well as a somewhat antiauthortarian\nIn high-school, Atlas Shrugged gave me a clear vision of how important it was to create things with the skills I'd learned, and how naked self-interest could shape a society.\nIn college, Pump Six illustrated the failings of \"In the future, it's going to be even more awesome to be rich and white\".\nAfter college, The Jungle showed me both the importance of social safety nets and how easily people who say \"I'll just work harder\" get screwed by the system--any system. Makers gave me a better appreciation for taking care of my self and my body.\n~\nIt's important, I think, to constantly be reading new things and taking in new ideas; had I stopped with Atlas Shrugged, for example, I'd probably be a lot different (and more naive) than I am today.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In college, Pump Six illustrated the failings of \"In the future, it's going to be even more awesome to be rich and white\".",
          "reason": "The commenter says it illustrated the failings of a future centered on wealth and whiteness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paolo Bacigalupi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories",
        "social inequality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "pump-six-and-other-stories-527d12",
      "title": "Pump Six and Other Stories",
      "author": "Paolo Bacigalupi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23574465,
          "author": "blaser-waffle",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-19T13:46:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 23561163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book that nobody you know has heard of?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23574465",
          "commentText": "Sometime Never: A Fable for Supermen, by Roahl Dahl\nThe Earth Abides, by George Stewart.  Story is set in Berkeley, CA after a disease kills most life on earth, maybe a little too on the nose these days...\nPaolo Bacigalupi's short stories (e.g. Pump Six), some of which he later turned into longer books.\nCourtship Rite, by Don Kingsbury.  Plot is kind of bland but the worldbuilding is fantastic, essentially an attempt to create a world where cannibalism isn't immediately though of as an ultimate evil, which leads to odd implications for society.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Paolo Bacigalupi's short stories (e.g. Pump Six), some of which he later turned into longer books.",
          "reason": "Mentions Bacigalupi's short-story collection as an example of his stories.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8259256,
          "author": "ghostDancer",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T18:27:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8259256",
          "commentText": "Paolo Bacigalupi \"Pump Six and Other Stories\" short sci-fi stories.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Paolo Bacigalupi \"Pump Six and Other Stories\" short sci-fi stories.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4968292,
          "author": "dgtized",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T05:37:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4968292",
          "commentText": "Didn't get aorund reading it till this year, but I highly recommend _The Windup Girl_ by Paolo Bacigalupi. _Pump 6 and Other Stories_ by him is also quite good. Finally got around to reading the Takahashi Kovec's novels, _Altered Carbon_ by Richard K Morgan and it's sequels.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "_Pump 6 and Other Stories_ by him is also quite good.",
          "reason": "Calls the collection quite good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paolo Bacigalupi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories",
        "biopunk",
        "climate fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "purgatory-636a6a",
      "title": "Purgatory",
      "author": "Dante Alighieri",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13804126,
          "author": "hashslingrz",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:15:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804126",
          "commentText": "Gravity's Rainbow, Thomas Pynchon (1973). The Platonic ideal of the Postmodern novel that combines a deep understanding of modernity with deep understanding and pessimistic view of technology.\nPurgatory, Dante (1320). No other work so elegantly grasps Christian Sanctification and it's true difficulties.\nPhilosophical Investigations, Ludwig Wittgenstin (1953). Like Pynchon, Wittgenstein understood quite well the exhausting pedantic nature of modern life. A book that can stand on it's own without having read much philosophy, this work attacks the foundations of most of \"Modern\" (I would label this as post Medieval philosophy ). \nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, Abelsson, Sussman, Sussman (1985). For me, the definitive \"Programming is what exactly?\" book.\nComputer Systems, a Programmer's Perspective, Bryant & O'Hallaron (2012). The Concrete Systems yin to SICP's abstract yang. \nBattleCry of Freedom, McPhearson (1988). The best Civil War history in the past generation that also lays bear how much of  what we view as modern crisis in the U.S. ( partisanship, horrendous propagandized media coverage, etc ) is as old as the country itself.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "No other work so elegantly grasps Christian Sanctification and it's true difficulties.",
          "reason": "Praised for its understanding of Christian sanctification and its difficulties.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dante Alighieri"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian theology",
        "dante s divine comedy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "python-07782c",
      "title": "Python",
      "author": "Chris Fehily",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1971205,
          "author": "Mithrandir",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T07:48:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971205",
          "commentText": "If I could travel back in time (and felt justified in changing the past/future) I would give myself The Hacker Ethic ( https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/The_Hacker_Et... (https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/The_Hacker_Ethic) ), Python by Chris Fehily ( http://www.amazon.com/Python-Chris-Fehily/dp/0201748843 ), and Free Software Free Society ( http://shop.fsf.org/product/free-software-free-society/ ). If I could only give one book, I'd choose FSFS\nAge doesn't matter. :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Python by Chris Fehily",
          "reason": "Chosen as one of the books to give the commenter's younger self.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris Fehily"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "python programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "python-cookbook-eed61d",
      "title": "Python Cookbook",
      "author": "Alex Martelli, Anna Ravenscroft, and David Ascher",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 121863,
          "author": "matstc",
          "createdAt": "2008-02-23T05:27:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 121779,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What is the best Python book for a beginner?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=121863",
          "commentText": "I went through \"dive into python\", \"learning python\", and the python cookbook by oreilly, in that order. If I had to do it again, I would skip dive into python which I found a bit easy. Cookbooks are usually dry and this one is too, but it does beef up your skills.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Cookbooks are usually dry and this one is too, but it does beef up your skills.",
          "reason": "Says it is dry but improves skills.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds it dry.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alex Martelli, Anna Ravenscroft, and David Ascher"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming",
        "python"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "python-distilled-c1ad3b",
      "title": "Python Distilled",
      "author": "David M. Beazley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39255260,
          "author": "md1348",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T22:38:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39255260",
          "commentText": "\"The Algorithm Design Manual\" by Skiena to prep for algo interviews, in case hiring picks up again.\n\"The Two Towers\" by Tolkien, I last read them in high school and wanted to revisit Middle-earth.\n\"Python Distilled\" by Beazley - I'm using it to iron out some of my knowledge gaps with the language. It's well-written and informative!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Python Distilled\" by Beazley - I'm using it to iron out some of my knowledge gaps with the language. It's well-written and informative!",
          "reason": "The commenter uses it to address gaps in their Python knowledge and calls it well-written and informative.",
          "audience": "Python learners seeking to fill knowledge gaps.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David M. Beazley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming reference",
        "python"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "python-for-data-science-for-dummies-a5cbce",
      "title": "Python for Data Science For Dummies",
      "author": "Luca Massaron and John Paul Mueller",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13900932,
          "author": "ju-st",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T12:12:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13900932",
          "commentText": "\"Python for Data Science For Dummies\" by Luca Massaron & John Paul Mueller is a very practical book on machine learning. In a real world scenario your first obstacles will be learning how to use the programming language as well as preparing data. Both topics are well covered in this book. The \"learning from data\" chapter contains an introduction into basic machine learning algorithms as well as ensemble learning. The book contains minor inaccuracies but I think it's a good, practical start for a novice. It doesn't include anything on neural nets however.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Python for Data Science For Dummies\" by Luca Massaron & John Paul Mueller",
          "reason": "Praised as a good, practical start for novices; covers Python, data preparation, and introductory machine learning.",
          "audience": "Novices.",
          "caveat": "Has minor inaccuracies and does not cover neural nets.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Luca Massaron and John Paul Mueller"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data science",
        "machine learning",
        "python"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "python-for-kids-c3cc9f",
      "title": "Python for Kids",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10183250,
          "author": "SSilver2k2",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-07T21:58:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10183250",
          "commentText": "Python for Kids\nhttps://www.nostarch.com/pythonforkids\nIt's one of my favorites.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's one of my favorites.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the book one of their favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10183240,
          "author": "SSilver2k2",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-07T21:56:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10183240",
          "commentText": "Python for Kids\nhttps://www.nostarch.com/pythonforkids",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Python for Kids",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming for children",
        "python"
      ],
      "purposes": []
    },
    {
      "id": "python-the-hard-way-502a9f",
      "title": "Python the Hard Way",
      "author": "Zed A. Shaw",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3380206,
          "author": "benkant",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-22T03:19:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 3380141,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Intro Programming Book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3380206",
          "commentText": "I currently recommend \"Python the Hard Way\". I learnt using the MicroSoft BASIC manual that was around circa 1986 and I turned out ok.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I currently recommend \"Python the Hard Way\".",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly recommends it as an introductory programming book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Zed A. Shaw"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming education",
        "python"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "q-7275d1",
      "title": "Q",
      "author": "Luther Blissett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25906465,
          "author": "aaron-santos",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T18:04:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25906465",
          "commentText": "I try to alternate fiction and non-fiction when I can. Having recently finished Capital Vol 1, I've started Q by Luther Blissett this week. Q seems to be well regarded, but I'm going in blind. After Q I'll likely go back to Capital Vol 2 which I understand to be on the drier side.\nDuring iso I've set aside Wednesday nights as reading nights. The schedule gives me something to look forward too, but it doesn't preclude reading during the weekends if I'm feeling into it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Q seems to be well regarded, but I'm going in blind.",
          "reason": "Has started the novel but says they are going in without prior knowledge.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is going in blind and has no firsthand assessment yet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15630189,
          "author": "pmyteh",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:46:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630189",
          "commentText": "'Q' by Luther Blissett. A fictional romp through the Reformation written from the perspective of a protagonist who is on the losing side of every struggle. Low farce, high politics, a bit of sex, lots of death, and a fabulous take on how Western Christianity came to be how it is today.\nWritten by a collective of Italian anarchists, bizarrely, and named after a former AC Milan and England footballer. You couldn't make it up. Fabulous.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Q' by Luther Blissett. A fictional romp through the Reformation",
          "reason": "Calls it fabulous and describes it as a lively historical novel with political themes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Luther Blissett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "reformation",
        "historical fiction",
        "historical novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "qbq-the-question-behind-the-question-23ba5d",
      "title": "QBQ! The Question Behind the Question",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2173556,
          "author": "farout",
          "createdAt": "2011-02-03T04:14:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 2172825,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: If you could recommend only three management books...",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2173556",
          "commentText": "The books others have suggested are very good. However here are 3 that will challenge you to produce:\n\"QBQ! The Question Behind the Question\":\nas the review says:aimed at purging the \"blame, complaining, and procrastination\" from the workplace\n\"The Ant and the Elephant\":\nI read about several hundred nonfiction books mainly marketing or programming annually - this book is profound on motivating yourself. The idea that before you start your journey - imagine the milestones then imagine the ways you fail and NOW imagine what will do you when this happens  is stunning. It is rehearsing for the worst so when the worst happens you you feel sad and then immediately move on.\nFinally, I just loved this book \"How to Get Rich\" especially the section about hiring and keeping talent and negotiating the sale of your business.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"QBQ! The Question Behind the Question\":",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books offered to challenge readers to produce.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal accountability"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "quack-this-way-158586",
      "title": "Quack This Way",
      "author": "David Foster Wallace and Bryan A. Garner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665060,
          "author": "billybatson",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:11:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665060",
          "commentText": "A Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley: Decent. I think this book would best be read in conjunction while working through a textbook. I will admit that it did do quite a bit to help relieve math anxiety, but the nature of the book is practicality.\nBrave New World by Aldous Huxley: A reread. A bit depressing considering the state of the world today. I found myself wondering which reality would be preferable.\nLetters to a Young Mathematician by Ian Stewart: Easy, but fruitful read. I've struggled a lot with math confidence, and this helped alleviate a lot of that.\nHow to Speak, How to Listen by Mortimer J. Adler: A lot of practical advice. My biggest takeaway was this: if it's worth talking about, even if the conversation sucks or the other person doesn't understand, any bit of advancement and understanding is worth the effort. Really helped me increase my patience when talking to people.\nQuack This Way by David Foster Wallace and Bryan Garner: Super useful and practical discussion between two lovers of language. I keep a copy with me at all times.\nThe Autobiography of Gucci Mane: Just a fun read while on vacation. \"If Gucci can do it, you can do it\".\nJesus' Son by Denis Johnson: A nice if brutal read. It was my first foray in DJ. I felt Cormac McCarthyish vibes.\nBlood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy: A classic. The Judge.\nThinking About Mathematics by Stuart Shapiro: Highly recommended for anyone interested in the philosophical questions of mathematics. Shapiro writes clearly, concisely, and in a manner that is easy to read.\nThe Liars' Club by Mary Karr: Pretty great but brutal.\nThe Broom of the System by David Foster Wallace: I really enjoyed it. It's ode to Wittgenstein and it helped me cope with a lot of questions that I felt after studying LW.\nThe Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: I think we've all been in Werther's shoes. Though I hope that nobody comes to the same conclusion he came to.\nManage Your Day-To-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, & Sharpen Your Creative Mind: A pretty great book. I find myself writing a book report on it to make sure I internalize a lot of the lessons. If you're having trouble doing creative work while working, read this.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Super useful and practical discussion between two lovers of language. I keep a copy with me at all times.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the discussion useful and practical and keeps a copy close at hand.",
          "audience": "People interested in language.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Foster Wallace and Bryan A. Garner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "grammar",
        "language usage"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "qualityland-2d7a51",
      "title": "QualityLand",
      "author": "Marc-Uwe Kling",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33852139,
          "author": "Laarlf",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T09:51:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33852139",
          "commentText": "Qualityland written by Marc-Uwe Kling",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Qualityland written by Marc-Uwe Kling",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marc-Uwe Kling"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopia",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "quantitative-trading-how-to-build-your-own-algorithmic-trading-bu-5c0168",
      "title": "Quantitative Trading: How to Build Your Own Algorithmic Trading Business",
      "author": "Ernie Chan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3179046,
          "author": "jcardente",
          "createdAt": "2011-10-31T21:02:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 3177815,
          "threadTitle": "Good books for hackers interested in quant finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3179046",
          "commentText": "Ernie Chan's book, \"Quantitative Trading: How to Build Your Own Algorithmic Trading Business \", is a good starting point. It's a nice blend of theory and pragmatic practice. Chan provides example implementations in Matlab to help readers get started.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Quantitative-Trading-Build-Algorithmic... (http://www.amazon.com/Quantitative-Trading-Build-Algorithmic-Business/dp/0470284889)\nChan's blog is informative as well,\nhttp://epchan.blogspot.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ernie Chan's book, \"Quantitative Trading: How to Build Your Own Algorithmic Trading Business \", is a good starting point. It's a nice blend of theory and pragmatic practice.",
          "reason": "Described as a good starting point and a blend of theory and pragmatic practice.",
          "audience": "Readers starting in quantitative or algorithmic trading.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ernie Chan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithmic trading",
        "quantitative finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "quantum-chance-nonlocality-teleportation-and-other-quantum-marvel-f13914",
      "title": "Quantum Chance: Nonlocality, Teleportation and Other Quantum Marvels",
      "author": "Nicolas Gisin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17936661,
          "author": "atlas1428",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T18:44:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17936661",
          "commentText": "- The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins\n- Godel Escher Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\n- Language, Truth, and Logic by A. J. Ayer\n- Thinking in Systems: A Primer by Donella Meadows\nBooks that serve as investment philosophy guides for those who've developed a habit of saving money but are looking for the \"next step\" in building more wealth. From the mind of one of the greatest investors of all time:\n- The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham (get the annotated version with an epilogue written by Warren Buffett!)\n- The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America\nA book that discusses what matters most in your life from a resource-allocation, measurable results standpoint (family, etc.):\n- How Will You Measure Your Life by Clayton Christensen\nA book I read 10 years ago that forever changed the way I manage productivity and organization both at work and in my personal life:\n- Getting Things Done by David Allen\nBooks that show that our universe is just as crazy, if not crazier, than science fiction:\n- Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy\n- Quantum Chance: Nonlocality, Teleportation and Other Quantum Marvels\n- ..and so on with intersecting topics!\nNot to mention, I love trying to have as deep an understanding as I can by reading highly technical textbooks on cosmology, gravitation, and quantum physics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Quantum Chance: Nonlocality, Teleportation and Other Quantum Marvels",
          "reason": "Listed among books showing how strange the universe is.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nicolas Gisin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nonlocality",
        "quantum physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "quantum-computing-and-quantum-information-9ebf88",
      "title": "Quantum Computing and Quantum Information",
      "author": "Michael A. Nielsen and Isaac L. Chuang",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8110135,
          "author": "XaspR8d",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T18:38:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8110135",
          "commentText": "3D Shape: Its Unique Place in Visual Perception by Zygmunt Pizlo. (I studied human gesture briefly in college so it caught my eye at a used book store. Pretty good cognitive science survey so far. Haven't gotten to the CS part yet, but I'm not knowledgeable in computer vision anyway so I couldn't really review it from that perspective.)\nQuantum Computing and Quantum Information by Michael Nielsen and Isaac Chuang. (Beastly book. I actually find it to be a pretty well-written introduction so far, but I just barely have the background to plod through it.)\nHocus Pocus by Kurt Vonnegut. (S.O. loves Vonnegut, so I'm working my way through his collection. Great so far, though I don't always have the patience for goofy midwestern people humor, despite being a midwesterner myself.)\nAlif the Unseen by G Willow Wilson. (Only a few pages in, but I have a weakness for fantasy-in-modern-day-setting novels and it came on a recommendation from a friend outside of the genre. On a similar note, I strongly recommend both of Nick Harkaway's novels, Angelmaker and Gone-Away World, which I recently reread.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I actually find it to be a pretty well-written introduction so far",
          "reason": "Finds it a well-written introduction.",
          "audience": "Readers with the necessary background in quantum mechanics and computing.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they barely have the background to work through it.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael A. Nielsen and Isaac L. Chuang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "quantum computing",
        "quantum information"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "quantum-computing-for-computer-scientists-aac647",
      "title": "Quantum Computing for Computer Scientists",
      "author": "Noson S. Yanofsky and Mirco A. Mannucci",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13407070,
          "author": "johnbender",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-15T23:22:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13407070",
          "commentText": "Quantum Computing for Computer Scientists\nNote, you have to be willing to put the time in, especially if your linear algebra is rusty or (like me) you have only a passing familiarity with complex numbers.\nWith that in mind, it's almost entirely self-contained and you can immediately start to make connections with classical computing if you're familiar with automata.\nI've been interested in learning about quantum computing for a few years now and this book finally got me going.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Computing-Computer-Scientists... (https://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Computing-Computer-Scientists-Yanofsky/dp/0521879965)\n[update]\nAs an aside it's a really great excuse to try out one of the many computer algebra systems out there. I gave Mathematica a trial for fun since I'd already used SageMath in the past.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this book finally got me going.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book helped them get started learning quantum computing and that it is largely self-contained.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in quantum computing who know automata.",
          "caveat": "Requires time; rusty linear algebra or limited familiarity with complex numbers may be a challenge.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Noson S. Yanofsky and Mirco A. Mannucci"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "quantum computing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "quantum-economics-the-new-science-of-money-8748bf",
      "title": "Quantum Economics: The New Science of Money",
      "author": "David Orrell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29828970,
          "author": "_448",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-06T19:50:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29828970",
          "commentText": "This is a very interesting book: \"Quantum Economics: The New Science of Money\"\nIt covers economics, finance, history and quantum physics in an engaging way.\n[0] https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/40051046-quantum-econ... (https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/40051046-quantum-economics)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Quantum Economics: The New Science of Money\"",
          "reason": "Described as an interesting book covering economics, finance, history, and quantum physics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Orrell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial systems",
        "quantum economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "quantum-field-theory-24bab5",
      "title": "Quantum Field Theory",
      "author": "Michael E. Peskin and Daniel V. Schroeder",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31973110,
          "author": "plaguepilled",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-04T03:07:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31973110",
          "commentText": "Quantum Field Theory by Peskin and Schroeder. There are many things in that book I could make into a standalone project that could occupy years at a time.\nSome other picks:\nThe Man in The High Castle by Phil K. Dick. The Plague or The Outsider by Albert Camus. City of Thieves by David Benioff.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Quantum Field Theory by Peskin and Schroeder.",
          "reason": "Selected as a reread; the commenter sees projects in its material that could occupy years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael E. Peskin",
        "Daniel V. Schroeder"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "particle physics",
        "quantum field theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "quantum-lens-80514d",
      "title": "Quantum Lens",
      "author": "Douglas E. Richards",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783776,
          "author": "noxToken",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T15:40:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783776",
          "commentText": "Was light year for me:\nConfessions of a D-List Supervillain - Jim Bernheimer\nOrigins of a D-List Supervillain - Jim Bernheimer\nThe second is a prequel of the first. I haven't read the third in the series. Light reading about a guy's descent into villainy.\nYes Please - Amy Poehler: I love memoirs. I just didn't love this one. It read a lot like Leslie Knope was the author, but there was an obscene amount of name dropping that kept interrupting the flow of the book for me.\nFresh Off the Boat: A Memoir - Eddie Huang: Like I said, I'm a sucker for these things. Picked it up, because the series reminded me of a 90s Asian version of Everybody Hates Chris. The absurdity and random profanity was a little off-putting at first. Remembering how I felt as a black boy doing some of the same dumb things in the 90s really put it into perspective though.\nThe Serpent of Venice: A Novel - Christopher Moore: The follow up to Fool. It's a different take on Shakespearian story-telling. I can't recommend his novels enough.\nQuantum Lens - Douglas E. Richards: I read this solely because I liked Wired and Amped. No-frills action with a sci-fi element. You probably won't get engrossed, but you will be entertained.\nSpell or High Water & An Unwelcome Quest - Scott Meyer: Books 2 & 3 in a series about a group of guys who can manipulate reality through writing scripts. Good, but not my favorite.\nArmada: A Novel - Ernest Cline: Ah yes. The long awaited sophomore effort from the author of Ready Player One. This book fell harder than it deserved to, because people where expecting it to be analogous to Ready Player One. Spoiler: it's not. The novel does have its short-comings. Repetitive dialogue, shoe-horned classic pop-culture references and shallow writing plague this book. If you've got time for a short novel, give it a whirl, but don't expect anything amazing.\nWords of Radiance - Brandon Sanderson: Book 2 of the Stormlight Archives. If it's an epic by Sanderson, do yourself a favor and board the hype train. You won't be disappointed. It's everything you want in a long fantasy novel without being bogged down with side-plots and details.\nWarbreaker - Brandon Sanderson: This is a standalone novel with a tie-on to Words of Radiance. I'm only halfway through it. Would recommend so far, especially since it's free from the author.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Quantum Lens - Douglas E. Richards: I read this solely because I liked Wired and Amped. No-frills action with a sci-fi element. You probably won't get engrossed, but you will be entertained.",
          "reason": "Promises entertainment, while warning readers may not get engrossed.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking no-frills science fiction action.",
          "caveat": "May not engross readers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas E. Richards"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "action",
        "science fiction thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "quantum-mechanics-and-experience-559e21",
      "title": "Quantum Mechanics and Experience",
      "author": "David Z. Albert",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1504138,
          "author": "lg",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T18:50:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1504138",
          "commentText": "Quantum Mechanics and Experience, by David Z. Albert, is the most interesting book I read as a philosophy major.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Quantum Mechanics and Experience, by David Z. Albert, is the most interesting book I read as a philosophy major.",
          "reason": "Calls it the most interesting book he read as a philosophy major.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in philosophy and quantum mechanics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Z. Albert"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "philosophy of physics",
        "quantum mechanics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "quantum-physics-for-babies-da55b6",
      "title": "Quantum Physics for Babies",
      "author": "Chris Ferrie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42536538,
          "author": "adamredwoods",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-29T01:23:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42536538",
          "commentText": "Oddly I really like the \"for Babies\" books:\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33939767-quantum-physics... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33939767-quantum-physics-for-babies)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Oddly I really like the \"for Babies\" books:",
          "reason": "Says they really like the “for Babies” books; the linked title identifies this one as Quantum Physics for Babies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris Ferrie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "board books",
        "quantum physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "quantum-reality-29ebc9",
      "title": "Quantum Reality",
      "author": "Nick Herbert",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1753293,
          "author": "mp_cnb",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:41:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753293",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction\n- 'The Selfish Gene' - Richard Dawkins\nGrokking the concept changed the way I thought about life forever.\n- 'Quantum Reality' - Nick Herbert\nOne of the best introductory level books on quantum physics mysteries. No nonsense.\n- Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert Pirsig\nThe book that introduced me to Kant, Hume and philosophy of science. Just for that, I'm forever indebted to it.\nSome favorite fiction books -\n- Cryptonomicon - Neal Stephenson\nLoved 'Snowcrash' too.\n- 'The Moon is a Harsh Mistress' - Robert Heinlein\n- Anything by Kurt Vonnegut, Milan Kundera, Somerset Maugham",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One of the best introductory level books on quantum physics mysteries. No nonsense.",
          "reason": "Described as one of the best introductory books on quantum physics.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in quantum physics.",
          "caveat": "No nonsense.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nick Herbert"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "quantum physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "quantum-space-loop-quantum-gravity-and-the-search-for-the-structu-572a6e",
      "title": "Quantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe",
      "author": "Jim Baggott",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Quantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jim Baggott"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "loop quantum gravity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "quantum-einstein-bohr-and-the-great-debate-about-the-nature-of-re-b9c446",
      "title": "Quantum: Einstein, Bohr and the Great Debate About the Nature of Reality",
      "author": "Manjit Kumar",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33850247,
          "author": "rubayeet",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T03:19:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33850247",
          "commentText": "Quantum By Manjit Kumar: Traces the scientific discoveries leading to quantum theory, relationships among renowned scientists of 20th century, with a focus on Bohr-Einstein debate.\nIncredible History of India’s Geography by Sanjeev Sanyal: Abbreviated history of the Indian subcontinent, starting with the Indus Valley civilization, ending with the conflicts between India - Pakistan.\nSea Stories by William McRaven - An autobiography of a decorated Navy SEAL officer, who was involved in planning and execution of historically significant special operations (rescuing Captain Philip, and killing Bin Laden).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Traces the scientific discoveries leading to quantum theory, relationships among renowned scientists of 20th century, with a focus on Bohr-Einstein debate.",
          "reason": "Describes its history of quantum theory and focus on the Bohr-Einstein debate.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Manjit Kumar"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bohr einstein debate",
        "quantum theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "quarter-share-6782e4",
      "title": "Quarter Share",
      "author": "Nathan Lowell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13236925,
          "author": "jrgifford",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T12:55:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13236925",
          "commentText": "I read 54 books (might be 56, there's still time!) in 2016. Here's the ones I recommend:\nFiction:\n- Owner's Share by Nathan Lowell\nI forget who recommended I read the Solar Clipper series several years ago, but I have been following them for a long time and look forward to it. It's part of a series, so start with the first one (Quarter Share) and continue from there.\n- Star Wars: Tarkin by James Luceno\nNon fiction:\n- Programming Beyond Practices by Gregory Brown.\n- Thirteen: The Apollo Flight That Failed by Henry S.F. Cooper Jr.\nFor the rest of the books I read this year: https://www.goodreads.com/user_challenges/3965760",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's part of a series, so start with the first one (Quarter Share) and continue from there.",
          "reason": "Named as the first book and recommended starting point for the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nathan Lowell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "interstellar trade",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "queen-margot-73d7d7",
      "title": "Queen Margot",
      "author": "Alexandre Dumas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20918348,
          "author": "idoubtit",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T14:13:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20918348",
          "commentText": "Monte Cristo is also my favorite novel by Alexandre Dumas, but I enjoyed many other books he wrote — he used to have assistants that wrote part of his books, and, IIRC, one of them claimed that he was the main author of some novels.\nI'd recommend reading \"Les 3 mousquetaires\", where the Lady is one of the most interesting characters I've ever met. The book was a huge success, and is still famous in France nowadays, like its main character, D'Artagnan. The two sequences are okay, \"Vingt ans après\" and \"Le vicomte de Bragelonne\".\nOther good historical novels by Dumas are \"La reine Margot\", \"Joseph Balsamo\", \"Le collier de la reine\". For the fans, there are dozens of lesser novels, like \"La tulipe noire\" (which I know I've read, but can't remember at all).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Other good historical novels by Dumas are \"La reine Margot\"",
          "reason": "Includes it among other good historical novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alexandre Dumas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "french history",
        "historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "queen-of-angels-0f8a28",
      "title": "Queen of Angels",
      "author": "Greg Bear",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15431542,
          "author": "wpietri",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-09T04:15:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15431542",
          "commentText": "For Bear, Queen of Angels and Moving Mars are two that have AIs as major elements. I enjoyed them both.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For Bear, Queen of Angels and Moving Mars are two that have AIs as major elements. I enjoyed them both.",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed the book and notes that AI is a major element.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in science fiction featuring AI.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Greg Bear"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "psychological science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "queen-s-thief-e1d0b6",
      "title": "Queen's Thief",
      "author": "Megan Whalen Turner",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33850815,
          "author": "fitblipper",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T05:12:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33850815",
          "commentText": "I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the Queen's Thief series by Megan Turner. I went into it not expecting much but came away from it surprised in a number of ways.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the Queen's Thief series by Megan Turner.",
          "reason": "Says the series was an enjoyable surprise.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Went in not expecting much.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Megan Whalen Turner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political intrigue",
        "ya fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "quest-academy-99bb5e",
      "title": "Quest Academy",
      "author": "Brian J. Nordon",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42270928,
          "author": "asicsp",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T04:53:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42270928",
          "commentText": "I mostly read progression fantasy books these days. Here are some series that I enjoyed a lot:\n* \"Beware of Chicken\" by CasualFarmer\n* \"The Immaculate Collection\" by havlo\n* \"The Runic Artist\" by Ellake\n* \"The Broken Knife\" by SilverSidhe\n* \"Immovable Mage\" by ImmovableMage\n* \"The Gorgon Incident and Other Stories\" by John Bierce\n* \"Quest Academy\" by Brian J. Nordon\n* \"The Weirkey Chronicles\" by Sarah Lin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Quest Academy\" by Brian J. Nordon",
          "reason": "Listed among progression fantasy series the commenter enjoyed a lot.",
          "audience": "Readers of progression fantasy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian J. Nordon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "academy fantasy",
        "progression fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "questioning-technology-041776",
      "title": "Questioning Technology",
      "author": "Andrew Feenberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39060415,
          "author": "yourcelf",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T20:09:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39060415",
          "commentText": "It may be a bit more zoomed out than what you're looking for if you're specifically looking at philosophical treatments of the practice of engineering, but Andrew Feenberg's \"Questioning Technology\" is excellent introduction to the philosophy of technology, particularly exploring the interplay between technological constraint and political/economic/social drivers of its development.\n\"Philosophy of Technology\" in general is a pretty rich field with a long history, and you might find more references in it than in engineering specifically.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Andrew Feenberg's \"Questioning Technology\" is excellent introduction to the philosophy of technology",
          "reason": "Recommended as an introduction to philosophy of technology, including technological constraints and political, economic, and social influences.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may be more zoomed out than a philosophical treatment focused specifically on engineering practice.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew Feenberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "philosophy of technology",
        "political economy",
        "technology and society"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "questions-are-the-answer-948864",
      "title": "Questions Are the Answer",
      "author": "Hal Gregersen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33800931,
          "author": "michepriest",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T14:08:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33800931",
          "commentText": "Questions Are the Answer by Hal Gregersen\nWhen you’re stuck or your team is stuck, do what he calls a “question burst” to ideate all the questions that need to be asked. It’s so simple but highly effective",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Questions Are the Answer by Hal Gregersen",
          "reason": "Suggests using a question burst to generate the questions that need to be asked when you or your team are stuck.",
          "audience": "For individuals or teams who are stuck and need to ideate questions.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hal Gregersen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ideation",
        "questioning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "quicksilver-324425",
      "title": "Quicksilver",
      "author": "Neal Stephenson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10175635,
          "author": "scott_s",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:39:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175635",
          "commentText": "I unofficially abandoned \"Quicksilver\" about halfway through. I thought I was the only geek who wasn't enamored with his writing.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I unofficially abandoned \"Quicksilver\" about halfway through. I thought I was the only geek who wasn't enamored with his writing.",
          "reason": "Abandoned halfway and says he was not enamored with the author's writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter may be referring to the book’s writing generally.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8257805,
          "author": "aekeus",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T14:36:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257805",
          "commentText": "Quicksilver - Neal Stephenson\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quicksilver_%28novel%29",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Quicksilver - Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6698513,
          "author": "fredyr",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-08T19:26:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6698513",
          "commentText": "I'm doing a Neal Stephenson marathon, just started with Quicksilver last night, after finishing Snow Crash and Reamde back to back.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "just started with Quicksilver last night",
          "reason": "Mentioned as the start of a Neal Stephenson reading marathon.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 136531,
          "author": "christefano",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-14T03:40:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=136531",
          "commentText": "Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson.\nDrive it Forever by Robert Sikorsky.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson.",
          "reason": "Listed as a book for the hacker's bookshelf.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neal Stephenson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "baroque cycle",
        "baroque era",
        "early science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "quiller-series-3ecd93",
      "title": "Quiller series",
      "author": "Adam Hall",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23471512,
          "author": "abower",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T22:09:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23471512",
          "commentText": "Adam Hall's Quiller series. Good to revisit every few years and the mechanism of building to a crisis, then starting after the resolution and backing up is fun. Not for everyone though as it's cold war vintage spy stuff. Feels real though, not like Hollywood versin of Bond.\nBanks of course, Use of Weapons is great.\nJust hit 51 and finally reading Dune now, so keep that in mind, but would also suggest Cryptonomicon as i have started it several times, put it down and then come back and had to start again several times.... but i find it interesting enough to keep trying!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Adam Hall's Quiller series.",
          "reason": "Says it is good to revisit and enjoys its structure of building to a crisis, then starting after the resolution and backing up.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy vintage Cold War spy fiction.",
          "caveat": "Not for everyone; it is Cold War vintage spy fiction. The commenter says it feels real rather than like a Hollywood Bond story.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adam Hall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cold war",
        "spy fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "quit-the-power-of-knowing-when-to-walk-away-463d00",
      "title": "Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away",
      "author": "Annie Duke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33850198,
          "author": "pivo",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T03:11:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33850198",
          "commentText": "Just started reading, \"Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away\" by her so can't confidently recommend it, but so far I'm really enjoying it. Again, poker experience, knowing when to fold, is relevant.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Just started reading, \"Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away\" by her",
          "reason": "Enjoying it so far and notes the relevance of poker experience to knowing when to fold.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Has just started reading and cannot confidently recommend it yet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Annie Duke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "decision making",
        "quitting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "qur-an-ef9d28",
      "title": "Qur'an",
      "author": "God (as stated by the commenter)",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8106917,
          "author": "seafoodplatter",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:09:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106917",
          "commentText": "Qur'an by God Almighty.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Qur'an by God Almighty.",
          "reason": "Listed as a book suggestion in response to a request for reading suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "God (as stated by the commenter)"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "islam",
        "sacred texts"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "qur-an-678a73",
      "title": "Qur'an",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8538486,
          "author": "edman",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-31T13:01:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 8528058,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Book Has the Most Page-for-Page Wisdom?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8538486",
          "commentText": "Qur'an definitely!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Qur'an definitely!",
          "reason": "Recommends it as the book with the most page-for-page wisdom.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "islamic texts",
        "religious texts"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "quran-0797a2",
      "title": "Quran",
      "author": "Unknown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27630182,
          "author": "qntty",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T12:59:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27630182",
          "commentText": "Does anybody just read the Quran? I listened to some comparative religion lectures by Huston Smith where he said basically it's impossible to just read. He tried it and didn't understand it. It's a book that is very hard to get into without an existing knowledge of Islam that comes from somewhere other than reading the Quran. Eventually he began to understand it after a lot of background reading from the Sufis.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it's impossible to just read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is difficult to understand without background knowledge and describes eventually understanding it after background reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is very hard to get into without prior knowledge of Islam.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 27630100,
          "author": "exdsq",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T12:50:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27630100",
          "commentText": "I appreciate learning other cultures, but why the Quran? Seems heavy - why not some sociology textbook on Islamic culture?",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "why the Quran?",
          "reason": "The commenter questions why it was chosen and suggests a sociology textbook on Islamic culture instead.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "islam",
        "religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "qur-an-4870a9",
      "title": "Qur’an",
      "author": "Unknown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34161496,
          "author": "psithurism",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T14:53:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161496",
          "commentText": "Sociology:\n- The Coddling of the American Mind\n- The Tao of Pooh\n- Guns, Germs, and Steel\n- Weapons of the Weak\nReligious:\n- Guru Granth Sahib\n- Bible (King James Version)\n- Q’uran\n- The Book of Mormon \n- Tipitaka\nFantasy:\n- Dawn of Wonder by Jonathan Renshaw\n- The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan \n- The Way of Kings series by Brandon Sanderson\n- Mistborn also by Brandon Sanderson\n- Red Rising by Pierce Brown\n- The Licanius trilogy by James Islington\n- Saga of the Forgotten Warrior series by Larry Correia\nBiography\n- John Adams by David McCullough",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Q’uran",
          "reason": "Listed under religious books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "islam",
        "religious scripture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "r-for-data-science-678ab5",
      "title": "R for Data Science",
      "author": "Hadley Wickham and Garrett Grolemund",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16351410,
          "author": "hawktheslayer",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T05:54:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16351410",
          "commentText": "Storytelling with Data - because so many people are bad at PowerPoint:\nhttp://www.storytellingwithdata.com/book\nR for Data Science - because it is such a solid foundation for a career in business analytics:\nhttp://r4ds.had.co.nz\nAnd for extra credit two books I hope my collegues DON'T read since they are best kept secret are Cialdini's two books on influence:\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Cialdini",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "R for Data Science - because it is such a solid foundation for a career in business analytics:",
          "reason": "Calls it a solid foundation for a career in business analytics.",
          "audience": "People pursuing business analytics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hadley Wickham and Garrett Grolemund"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data science",
        "r programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "r-in-action-8f0c88",
      "title": "R in Action",
      "author": "Robert I. Kabacoff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1265536,
          "author": "revorad",
          "createdAt": "2010-04-14T17:49:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 1265091,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good books on graphing/charting/visualization?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1265536",
          "commentText": "Oh cool, I haven't read that book, will look it up. The UseR series books are very good too, although a bit expensive. If you have access to a good University library, I recommend looking them up.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I haven't read that book",
          "reason": "Mentions the parent’s book while saying they have not read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1265417,
          "author": "johnwatson11218",
          "createdAt": "2010-04-14T17:13:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 1265091,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good books on graphing/charting/visualization?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1265417",
          "commentText": "I just got the book \"R in Action\" from the Manning MEAP program. Chapter 3 is all about the graphing capabilities built into R. I had a hard time trying to learn that stuff from the online docs but I find the book very easy to follow.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I find the book very easy to follow",
          "reason": "Says the book’s explanation of R’s graphing capabilities is easy to follow.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert I. Kabacoff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "r programming",
        "data visualization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "r-g-letourneau-mover-of-men-and-mountains-763f86",
      "title": "R. G. LeTourneau: Mover of Men and Mountains",
      "author": "R. G. LeTourneau",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1975576,
          "author": "dcaldwell",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T16:06:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1975576",
          "commentText": "This is a random one\nR.G. LeTourneau: Mover of Men and Mountains\nIt's an autobiography of the businessman and inventor who basically created the industry of large scale earth moving equipment before, during, and after the Great Depression.  \"What does this have to do with tech stuff?\" you may ask.  I read this book right after re-reading Hackers and Painters by Paul Graham.  LeTourneau utilizes many of the business principles that Paul Graham espouses in his book.  Additionally, LeTourneau was a true hacker before computer hackers were around - he just hacked tractors.  I highly recommend this book.  One thing that many may not like is that his machines destroyed rainforests.  Being from a different generation, he saw this as taking unproductive jungle and making it productive.  Not a view many of us would take in this day in time as we've seen the consequences.  LeTourneau was a Christian and he does talk about his faith a good bit in the book.  Even if that's not your thing, I still think you'll enjoy the book and be surprised at the similarities between his makeup and the makeup of a modern hacker",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend this book.",
          "reason": "Highly recommends the autobiography and says LeTourneau's business principles resemble those discussed by Paul Graham.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Notes that his machines destroyed rainforests and that he discusses his Christian faith at length.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "R. G. LeTourneau"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christianity",
        "earthmoving",
        "engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rest-api-design-rulebook-cc9d32",
      "title": "REST API Design Rulebook",
      "author": "Mark Masse",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24384019,
          "author": "tj612",
          "createdAt": "2020-09-05T14:58:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 24383180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Suggestions for books about API design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24384019",
          "commentText": "About REST : REST API Design Rulebook by Mark Massé (O'Reilly).\nMy reference when I'm designing a REST API.\nhttps://www.oreilly.com/library/view/rest-api-design/9781449... (https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/rest-api-design/9781449317904/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "About REST : REST API Design Rulebook by Mark Massé (O'Reilly). My reference when I'm designing a REST API.",
          "reason": "Calls it their reference when designing a REST API.",
          "audience": "People designing REST APIs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Masse"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "api design",
        "rest"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "restful-web-services-cookbook-0bc1c9",
      "title": "RESTful Web Services Cookbook",
      "author": "Subbu Allamaraju",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12263270,
          "author": "niftich",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-10T17:07:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 12262586,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are good reads for designing APIs?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12263270",
          "commentText": "I recommend this physical book: 'RESTful Web Services Cookbook'. It walks you though the rationale behind HTTP APIs and progressively using more and more of HTTP's features to build a sophisticated but elegant API.\n[1] http://shop.oreilly.com/product/9780596801694.do",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend this physical book: 'RESTful Web Services Cookbook'.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a guide to the rationale behind HTTP APIs and using HTTP features to build an API.",
          "audience": "People learning to design HTTP APIs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Subbu Allamaraju"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "api design",
        "http",
        "rest"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ra-5ff386",
      "title": "Ra",
      "author": "qntm",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48085463,
          "author": "rationalist",
          "createdAt": "2026-05-10T16:45:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 48084905,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci fi books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48085463",
          "commentText": "Somewhat lesser-known sci-fi novels I read in the past:\nThe Unincorporated Man (and three sequels)\nCross between science fiction and fantasy: Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality (\"HPMOR\") - the premise is that Harry Potter is raised by a good aunt and uncle, and is taught the Scientific Method and so he uses that when encountering magic.\nOld Man's War (and sequels) by John Scalzi\nRedshirts by John Scalzi\nScience-reality: Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\nRa by qntm\nThere is no Antiemetics Division by qntm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ra by qntm",
          "reason": "Listed as a science fiction read in response to a request for recent books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46400114,
          "author": "thesumofall",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T08:09:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46400114",
          "commentText": "My best reads this year:\nNon-fiction:\n- The Power Broker by Robert Caro\nFantasy:\n- The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson\nSci-fi:\n- Sun Eater series by Christopher Ruocchio\n- A Canticle For Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr\n- Ra by qntm\n- Jean le Flambeur series by Hannu Rajaniemi\n- Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer (didn’t like the subsequent books of the series so much)\nOther novels:\n- Woodcutters by Thomas Bernhard",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Ra by qntm",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42268930,
          "author": "k__",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:19:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268930",
          "commentText": "My reads this year with my personal ratings:\nGreg Egan, Diaspora (7/10)\nDan Simmons, Hyperion 1-4 (9/10)\nJames S.A. Corey, Leviathan Wakes (6/10)\nScott Alexander, Unsong (7/10)\nQtmn, Ra (7/10)\nQtmn, Fine Structure (6/10)\nAndy Weir, Project Hail Mary (6/10)\nWildbow, Worm (8/10)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Qtmn, Ra (7/10)",
          "reason": "Rates it 7 out of 10.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "qntm"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternate history",
        "magic systems",
        "magic as technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "race-and-culture-a-world-view-08b51a",
      "title": "Race and Culture: A World View",
      "author": "Thomas Sowell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33599970,
          "author": "ghastmaster",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-14T19:53:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33599970",
          "commentText": "His book \"Race and Culture: A World View\" was an eye opener. After being very politically naïve for many years, my reading of this book changed how I view economic, regulatory, and political consequences.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His book \"Race and Culture: A World View\" was an eye opener.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed how they view economic, regulatory, and political consequences.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Sowell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "politics",
        "race"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "racing-towards-excellence-3b7c91",
      "title": "Racing Towards Excellence",
      "author": "Jan Sramek",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11252763,
          "author": "kennyfrc",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-09T13:19:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11252763",
          "commentText": "Ha! Just had that binge too...\n... Here's what I like:\nOn the business end:\n- Badass by Kathy Sierra\n- Impossible to Inevitable by Aaron Ross\n- Traction by Gabriel Weinberg\n- Cold Calling Early Customers by Robert Graham\n- Learn or Die by Edward Hess\nOn \"refining your thought process\":\n- Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley\n- Racing Towards Excellence by Jan Sramek\n- Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin\n- Case Interview Secrets by Victor Cheng (helps you think in a nice, structured way)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Racing Towards Excellence by Jan Sramek",
          "reason": "Included under the commenter’s books for refining thought processes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jan Sramek"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "career development",
        "performance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "radiance-0646d8",
      "title": "Radiance",
      "author": "Catherynne M. Valente",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45652664,
          "author": "BoredPositron",
          "createdAt": "2025-10-21T05:12:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 45651938,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45652664",
          "commentText": "Radiance by Catherynne M. Valente. It's fine.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Radiance by Catherynne M. Valente. It's fine.",
          "reason": "Gives the book a lukewarm assessment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is only fine.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Catherynne M. Valente"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternate history",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "radical-acceptance-328db2",
      "title": "Radical Acceptance",
      "author": "Tara Brach",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14481458,
          "author": "feignix",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-04T13:26:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14481458",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n1. Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes\nbecause it's so beautifully written and made me experience a flood of emotions.\n2. The Little Prince - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry\nAgain, a very touching, charming book about a little kid's world(universe?) view, told through his adventures.\nNon-fiction:\n1. The subtle art of not giving a F*ck - Mark Manson\nOpened my eyes to what I was possibly doing wrong with my life.\n2. Radical Acceptance - Tara Brach\nStill currently reading it, but I wish I'd found it earlier.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Still currently reading it, but I wish I'd found it earlier.",
          "reason": "The commenter wishes they had found it earlier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Still currently reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tara Brach"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mindfulness",
        "self compassion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "radical-candor-be-a-kick-ass-boss-without-losing-your-humanity-d9b44b",
      "title": "Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity",
      "author": "Kim Scott",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17525393,
          "author": "glorithm",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T18:21:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17525393",
          "commentText": "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, by Mark Manson\nhttps://www.amazon.ca/Subtle-Art-Not-Giving-Counterintuitive... (https://www.amazon.ca/Subtle-Art-Not-Giving-Counterintuitive/dp/0062641549/)\nRadical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity, by Kim Scott\nhttps://www.amazon.ca/Radical-Candor-Kick-Ass-Without-Humani... (https://www.amazon.ca/Radical-Candor-Kick-Ass-Without-Humanity-ebook/dp/B01KTIEFEE)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity, by Kim Scott",
          "reason": "Listed as a response to a request for interesting recent books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kim Scott"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "management",
        "workplace communication"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "radical-focus-f2b65d",
      "title": "Radical Focus",
      "author": "Christina Wodtke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35170395,
          "author": "wpietri",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T16:03:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35170395",
          "commentText": "Lots of good suggestions here. One I don't see is Wotdke's \"Radical Focus\". It's about OKRs, but don't be put off by prior big-corp experiences with it. The book focuses on using them in an entrepreneurial context and it's great. Even if you decide to come up with your own system, this will help clarify what you want out of a way to set goals and make sure you're on track for them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book focuses on using them in an entrepreneurial context and it's great.",
          "reason": "Explains using OKRs in an entrepreneurial context and helps clarify goals and tracking.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs considering a goal-setting system.",
          "caveat": "It is about OKRs; the commenter says you can still use it to develop your own system.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christina Wodtke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "goal setting",
        "okrs"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rails-antipatterns-best-practice-ruby-on-rails-refactoring-8e1ea0",
      "title": "Rails AntiPatterns: Best Practice Ruby on Rails Refactoring",
      "author": "Chad Pytel and Tammer Saleh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8795332,
          "author": "autokad",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T03:36:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795332",
          "commentText": "let me know if you guys find better replacements, but this is what I got on my list:\nO'Reilly - Scott Murray - Interactive Data Visualization for the Web\nData Visualization with D3.js Cookbook\nA First Course in Probability\nRails AntiPatterns - Best Practice Ruby on Rails Refactoring\nBayesian Data Analysis Andrew Gelma\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nCode Complete\nBishop - Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning\nO'Reilly Mining The Social Web",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rails AntiPatterns - Best Practice Ruby on Rails Refactoring",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chad Pytel and Tammer Saleh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "refactoring",
        "ruby on rails"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "railsspace-ba1672",
      "title": "RailsSpace",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 781272,
          "author": "mhartl",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-24T00:34:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 781079,
          "threadTitle": "Can you recommend some good RoR books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=781272",
          "commentText": "I previously wrote the Rails tutorial RailsSpace, which is now out-of-date but was very well-received in its time (see the Amazon reviews at http://www.amazon.com/dp/0321480791 --- ignoring the ones complaining that it's out-of-date :-). To remedy the perennial problem of outdated Rails tutorials, I'm currently working on an online Ruby on Rails tutorial book that will be up-to-date (and easy to update!) by design.\nIt'll be a couple months before I really get cranking, but I expect to be finished with the book by the end of the year. I'm also planning to make an extended screencast series once the book is done. You can follow the project's progress at http://railstutorial.org/.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I previously wrote the Rails tutorial RailsSpace, which is now out-of-date but was very well-received in its time",
          "reason": "Describes its prior reception positively while noting it is outdated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The tutorial is now out of date.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ruby on rails"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rainbow-magic-445019",
      "title": "Rainbow Magic",
      "author": "Daisy Meadows",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26800750,
          "author": "lnwlebjel",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-13T23:16:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26800750",
          "commentText": "Mo Willems is awesome (Pigeon series, Elephant and Piggy). Some of the Dr. Suess books are still great and fun to read (I can read with my eyes shut, One fish two fish). The book with no pictures, the day the crayons quit, dragons love tacos, and the princess and the dragon by Audrey Wood are all books that I've probably read 100 times and still enjoy.\nAs my kids got a bit older the Box Car children series was compelling, and the girls loved the Rainbow Magic books. Capt. Underpants and Dog man are hilarious and just subversive enough that a 7-9 yr old feel like they are getting away with something. Then on to Mysterious Benedict Society, Harry Potter, Rick Riordan, and Keeper of the Lost Cities.\nOur M.O. was to max out our Library card on a regular basis with just about everything possible and then iterate from there on the authors the kids enjoyed. I feel like reading is one of the things we've gotten right so far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the girls loved the Rainbow Magic books",
          "reason": "The commenter says the girls loved the series.",
          "audience": "Children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daisy Meadows"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "raintree-county-d7ab85",
      "title": "Raintree County",
      "author": "Ross Lockridge Jr.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9674224,
          "author": "vermooten",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T11:37:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674224",
          "commentText": "Raintree County by Ross Lockridge Jr. Man the ending destroyed me...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Man the ending destroyed me...",
          "reason": "The ending had a powerful emotional impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ross Lockridge Jr."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "raisinbread-the-story-of-jennifer-choate-and-her-role-in-the-cris-283dff",
      "title": "Raisinbread: The Story of Jennifer Choate and Her Role in the Crisis of 2262",
      "author": "Dennis Paul Himes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46400187,
          "author": "wojciii",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T08:28:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46400187",
          "commentText": "I read a lot of sci-fi. Much of that is bad.\nThis is not the case.\nDennis Paul Himes: Raisinbread: The Story of Jennifer Choate and Her Role in the Crisis of 2262\nAfter reading the above book (I didn't get much sleep) I e-mailed the author with the subject \"Please take my money!\" and asked him to write more books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dennis Paul Himes: Raisinbread: The Story of Jennifer Choate and Her Role in the Crisis of 2262",
          "reason": "After reading it, the commenter asked the author to write more books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dennis Paul Himes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "raising-venture-capital-for-the-serious-entrepreneur-77a3df",
      "title": "Raising Venture Capital for the Serious Entrepreneur",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 601174,
          "author": "ochiba",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-09T17:55:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 600953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on the nuts and bolts of starting up",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=601174",
          "commentText": "Raising Venture Capital for the Serious Entrepreneur is probably the most useful book I've yet read when it comes to startups. Topics covered: Financing maps; Cash flow and risk of early stage ventures; how much capital raise and what to spend it on; getting behind how VCs think (really informative), business plans, valuation of early stage ventures, term sheets, splitting rewards, allocating control, aligning interests (options, vesting, noncompete, IP, etc.).\nhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/0071496025\nI've read Founders plus a couple of other titles on the subject, but this one really stood out.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Raising Venture Capital for the Serious Entrepreneur is probably the most useful book I've yet read when it comes to startups.",
          "reason": "Calls it probably the most useful startup book they have read.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs seeking venture capital.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "startup finance",
        "venture capital"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "raising-an-emotionally-intelligent-child-e98ec4",
      "title": "Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child",
      "author": "John Gottman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33852085,
          "author": "te_chris",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T09:43:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33852085",
          "commentText": "Sitting with my newborn sleeping on my chest currently. I’ve really enjoyed Brain Rules for Baby and currently reading Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child. Both good, feel like the latter is going to be a pivotal part of our parenting. My wife really enjoyed The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "currently reading Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child. Both good, feel like the latter is going to be a pivotal part of our parenting.",
          "reason": "Calls it good and expects it to be pivotal to their parenting.",
          "audience": "Parents of young children.",
          "caveat": "They are still reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Gottman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Parenting",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "child development",
        "emotional intelligence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "raising-an-emotionally-intelligent-child-the-heart-of-parenting-610254",
      "title": "Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child: The Heart of Parenting",
      "author": "John Gottman; Joan DeClaire",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38557717,
          "author": "Brajeshwar",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:51:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557717",
          "commentText": "Most of the books I read are influenced by similar threads on HN. This year has not been good overall and it impacted my reading. I need to finish writing the post https://brajeshwar.com/2023/books/\n“How to Be Perfect: The Correct Answer to Every Moral Question” by Michael Schur is a fun book that opens with a good question, “Should I punch my friend in the face for no reason?”\nI have been meaning to and this year I finally read The Diary of a Young Girl.\nFor 2024, here are some of the ones from my list (sorry for the formatting, copied Markdown from my notes);\n- [Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_War:_The_Fight_for_the_Wo... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chip_War:_The_Fight_for_the_World%27s_Most_Critical_Technology)) by [Chris Miller](https://www.christophermiller.net)\n- [First Principles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Principles_%28book%29) by [Thomas E. Ricks](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_E._Ricks_%28journalist%29)\n- [Greenlights](https://greenlights.com) by [Matthew McConaughey](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_McConaughey)\n- How Asia Works: Success and Failure in the World's Most Dynamic Region by Joe Studwell\n- [Poor Economics](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poor_Economics): A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty by [Abhijit V. Banerjee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abhijit_Banerjee),  and [Esther Duflo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esther_Duflo)\n- Raising An Emotionally Intelligent Child The Heart of Parenting by [John Gottman](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Gottman), and Joan DeClaire\n- [The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read](https://www.amazon.com/Book-Wish-Your-Parents-Read/dp/198487... (https://www.amazon.com/Book-Wish-Your-Parents-Read/dp/1984879553)): (and Your Children Will Be Glad That You Did) by [Philippa Perry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippa_Perry)\n- [The End Of The World Is Just The Beginning: Mapping The Collapse Of Globalization](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_End_of_the_World_is_just_t... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_End_of_the_World_is_just_the_Beginning)) by [Peter Zeihan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Zeihan)\n- [The Tatas: How a Family Built a Business and a Nation](https://www.amazon.com/Tatas-Family-Built-Business-Nation/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Tatas-Family-Built-Business-Nation/dp/9352779371)) by [Girish Kuber](https://mr.wikipedia.org/wiki/गिरीश_कुबेर), and English translation by Vikrant Pande.\n- [Windfall: The Booming Business of Global Warming](https://www.amazon.com/Windfall-Booming-Business-Global-Warm... (https://www.amazon.com/Windfall-Booming-Business-Global-Warming/dp/1594204012)) by [McKenzie Funk](https://www.mckenziefunk.com)\n- [Dieter Rams: The Complete Works](https://www.amazon.com/Dieter-Rams-Complete-Klaus-Klemp/dp/1... (https://www.amazon.com/Dieter-Rams-Complete-Klaus-Klemp/dp/1838661530/)) by [Klaus Klemp](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klaus_Klemp)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "here are some of the ones from my list",
          "reason": "Included on the commenter's reading list for 2024.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as a planned read, not an evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Gottman",
        "Joan DeClaire"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Parenting",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "emotional intelligence",
        "parenting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rama-series-fefe77",
      "title": "Rama series",
      "author": "Arthur C. Clarke",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056535,
          "author": "akkartik",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:20:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056535",
          "commentText": "When I read your comment I'm strongly reminded of myself ten years ago. I held almost exactly the same view on hard scifi, and was similarly obsessed with Arthur C Clarke. But I've since loosened my definition of scifi for a couple of reasons:\na) I now think of scifi as any work intended to do more than tell a story or explore a world. Focussing on just hard scifi causes great works of social and sociology fiction like The Dispossessed to be left without a clear pigeonhole. Which is a great pity, IMO.\nPerhaps the biggest chunk that gets miscategorized is cyberpunk; works like Snow Crash and Hardwired are clearly about more than whether the ending is happy or sad, or whether the hero gets the girl. Doesn't seem right to categorize them as fantasy. Better to narrow Arthur C Clarke into the sub-category of hard scifi. Loosening my uptight definition caused me to better appreciate Snow Crash in particular on a second reading a decade later. It's aged wonderfully.\nYou could even imagine a book with fantasy 'props' that feels scifi-like. I haven't seen it yet, but I have no doubt it can be done. (Any recommendations from others?)\nb) Not even everything Arthur C Clarke wrote was hard. Rama series, c'mon! Kim Stanley Robinson is a great author, but I fail to see how he's 'more hard' than Asimov or Heinlein. Somebody described the Red Mars series to me as a reality show with dune buggies, and that seems about right. You certainly couldn't call it 'more hard' than Anathem.\nAnyways, for hard scifi readers the top author today is probably Greg Egan. That I think everybody can agree on. I have other recommendations elsewhere on this thread.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Rama series, c'mon!",
          "reason": "Cites the series while arguing Clarke did not write only hard science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875929,
          "author": "elblanco",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T03:44:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875929",
          "commentText": "Dune, The Rama Series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Rama Series",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur C. Clarke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "generation ship",
        "generation ships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ramcharitmanas-d9cc84",
      "title": "Ramcharitmanas",
      "author": "Tulsidas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40282222,
          "author": "uptownfunk",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T04:03:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40282222",
          "commentText": "The Rama Charit Manasa\nBhagavatam\nBhagavad Gita\nChaitanya Caritamrta\nMahabharata",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Rama Charit Manasa",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tulsidas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "devotional literature",
        "hindu scripture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ramona-quimby-fdbc5e",
      "title": "Ramona Quimby",
      "author": "Beverly Cleary",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50038288,
          "author": "sp332",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-10T23:47:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50038288",
          "commentText": "The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins - Dr Seuss\nIf You Give a Mouse a Cookie - the original is by far the best of these.\nRamona Quimby series - Beverly Cleary\nIggy Peck, Architect (+series) - Andrea Beaty\nBeast Feast - Emma Yarlett\nDragons Love Tacos (+ 2) - Adam Rubin\nThe Princess in Black (+series) - Shannon & Dean Hale\nDon't Let a Unicorn Scribble (+series) - Diane Abler\nThe Camping Trip - Jennifer Maan\nMaddie & Mabel (+series) - Kari Allen\nI Love You Stinky Face - Lisa McCourt\nAuthors that were always good: Arnold Lobel, Sandra Boynton, James Stevenson\nAnd don't forget to check https://www.betterworldbooks.com/ , they are affiliated with the Internet Archive and they don't show up in shopping searches.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ramona Quimby series - Beverly Cleary",
          "reason": "Listed among favorite children's books.",
          "audience": "Children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Beverly Cleary"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s fiction",
        "family"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "range-c93aac",
      "title": "Range",
      "author": "David Epstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30735764,
          "author": "jwood27",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:37:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735764",
          "commentText": "The following have all had a significant effect on my worldview. You can find more information at [1].\n- The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow\n- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\n- Crime and Punishment\n- The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York\n- Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies\n- The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity\n- Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead\n- Franny and Zooey\n- Master of the Senate\n- Atlas Shrugged\n- Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed\n- Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap?\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\n- The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics\n- The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don't\n- Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans\n- Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\n- Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World\n- Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones\n- Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow\n- Ethics in the Real World: 86 Brief Essays on Things that Matter\n- A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life\n- Humankind: A Hopeful History\n- The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think\n[1] https://jacobw.xyz/books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World",
          "reason": "Listed among books that significantly affected the commenter’s worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Epstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "expertise",
        "generalists"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "range-of-ghosts-ae7a42",
      "title": "Range of Ghosts",
      "author": "Elizabeth Bear",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4967242,
          "author": "colomon",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T22:03:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967242",
          "commentText": "New:\nRange of Ghosts, Elizabeth Bear\nThrone of the Crescent Moon, Saladin Ahmed\nOld:\nThe House of the Stag, Kage Baker\nSoldier of Sidon, Gene Wolfe\nRange of Ghosts was definitely the stand out book of the year for me, the other three I'm sure I will reread.  (Actually this time around was already a reread for Soldier of Sidon.)  I'm pretty sure there were a couple of other books I read and quite enjoyed that I've forgotten now.  No science fiction books come to mind at all, which makes me kind of sad.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Range of Ghosts was definitely the stand out book of the year for me",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the standout book of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Elizabeth Bear"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ranger-s-apprentice-5ee660",
      "title": "Ranger’s Apprentice",
      "author": "John Flanagan",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50040119,
          "author": "microflash",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T05:41:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50040119",
          "commentText": "I’d add Ranger’s Apprentice by John Flanagan in others’ recommendations.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ranger’s Apprentice by John Flanagan",
          "reason": "The commenter adds the series to others’ recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Flanagan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure",
        "children s fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rant-an-oral-biography-of-buster-casey-3b2412",
      "title": "Rant: An Oral Biography of Buster Casey",
      "author": "Chuck Palahniuk",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8944867,
          "author": "iambot",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-26T00:21:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944867",
          "commentText": "Diamond age: a young ladies illustrated primer. Anathem. Halting state. Accelerando. Rant: an oral biography of buster casey. Enders game. The laundry files.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rant: an oral biography of buster casey.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chuck Palahniuk"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "oral history format",
        "speculative fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rapid-application-development-d7ffbc",
      "title": "Rapid Application Development",
      "author": "Steve McConnell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35726409,
          "author": "warrenm",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-27T11:24:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 35710671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell still a recommended read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35726409",
          "commentText": "In my opinion, it's as much a \"recommended read\" as a lot of other so-called \"classics\":\n- Rapid Application Development (also by McConnell)\n- Soul of a New Machine by Kidder\n- Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks\n- Programming Pearls by John Bentley\n- Applied Cryptography (2e) by Bruce Schneier\n- The Cuckoo's Egg by Cliff Stohl\n- Structured Computer Organization by Tanenbaum & Todd\n- Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software by Gamma, Helm, etc\n- A New Kind of Science by Wolfram\nAnd many more could be added to this list\nSure, some of them use acronyms or reference technology that you've either never heard of or has been supplanted\nBut you could [nearly] do a find-and-replace on those \"outdated\" terms with a \"current\" term, and the books would [effectively] be up-to-date\nDon't get hung-up on specific examples - they're just there to illustrate the problem domain",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Rapid Application Development (also by McConnell)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed among classics that may use outdated acronyms or technology references.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve McConnell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rapid-development-taming-wild-software-schedules-841b27",
      "title": "Rapid Development: Taming Wild Software Schedules",
      "author": "Steve McConnell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35726482,
          "author": "warrenm",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-27T11:33:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 35710671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell still a recommended read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35726482",
          "commentText": "RAD was written in 1996\n\"Agile Development\" (under that name, at least) didn't really appear on the scene til nearly the end of the decade\nPrecursors to it were there (spiral development, pair programming, etc) ... but kinda hard to write about something that didn't exist yet :)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "RAD was written in 1996",
          "reason": "Discusses when the book was written in relation to agile development.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33856014,
          "author": "ChrisMarshallNY",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T18:05:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33856014",
          "commentText": "> Code Complete by Steve McConnell\n+1. Also, Rapid Development, by McConnell[0]. I would say that it's even better than Code Complete.\nIt would be considered \"quaint,\" these days, but Writing Solid Code[1], by Steve Maguire, was a seminal book in my education. I still use many of the techniques he mentioned.\nAnd I cannot say enough about The Design of Everyday Things, by Don Norman[2]. That book changed my life. I would consider it required reading, for anyone that develops anything that will be used by other humans.\n[0] https://www.microsoftpressstore.com/store/rapid-development-... (https://www.microsoftpressstore.com/store/rapid-development-9780735691490)\n[1] https://writingsolidcode.com\n[2] https://jnd.org/the-design-of-everyday-things-revised-and-ex... (https://jnd.org/the-design-of-everyday-things-revised-and-expanded-edition/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also, Rapid Development, by McConnell[0]. I would say that it's even better than Code Complete.",
          "reason": "The commenter ranks it above Code Complete.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve McConnell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software development",
        "rapid application development",
        "software project management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "raspberry-pi-assembly-language-programming-arm-processor-coding-8cae4e",
      "title": "Raspberry Pi Assembly Language Programming: ARM Processor Coding",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40110404,
          "author": "vbezhenar",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-22T00:18:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 40104823,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books/resources to understand modern Assembler?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40110404",
          "commentText": "If you're interested in ARM 32 bit, I can recommend book \"Raspberry Pi Assembly Language Programming: ARM Processor Coding\"\nIt very thoroughly describes Cortex M0 assembly language and it also touches the concept of multiprocessor programming. And you just need two Raspi Picos (one to serve as programmer) which are very available.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "book \"Raspberry Pi Assembly Language Programming: ARM Processor Coding\"",
          "reason": "Recommended as an option for learning ARM 32-bit assembly.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in ARM 32-bit assembly.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its coverage is focused on Cortex-M0 and touches multiprocessor programming; it requires two Raspberry Pi Picos.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "arm",
        "assembly language",
        "raspberry pi pico"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rat-king-7345ad",
      "title": "Rat King",
      "author": "James Clavell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1973966,
          "author": "derrickpetzold",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T04:51:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1973966",
          "commentText": "After Shogun I read a bunch of his books. The only one that stood out for me was Rat King.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The only one that stood out for me was Rat King.",
          "reason": "Identifies it as the only one of Clavell's books that stood out after reading several.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Clavell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rational-investing-in-irrational-times-790f8b",
      "title": "Rational Investing in Irrational Times",
      "author": "Larry Swedroe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 248600,
          "author": "eposts",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T15:59:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248600",
          "commentText": "Here is a good list:\nhttp://www.bogleheads.org/readbooks.htm\nGeneral Investing\n# The Four Pillars of Investing - by William (\"Bill\") Bernstein.\n# Wise Investing Made Simple or The Only Guide to a Winning Investment Strategy You'll Ever Need - by Larry Swedroe\n# The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing - by Taylor Larimore, Mel Lindauer, and Michael LeBoeuf\n# All About Asset Allocation - by Rick Ferri\n# The Informed Investor - by Frank Armstrong\n# The Little Book of Common Sense Investing - by John \"Jack\" Bogle\n# The Coffeehouse Investor - by Bill Schultheis.\nInvestor Behavior\n# Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes And How To Correct Them - by Gary Belsky and Thomas Gilovich\n# Your Money and Your Brain: How the New Science of Neuroeconomics Can Help Make You Rich - by Jason Zweig\n# Rational Investing in Irrational Times: How to Avoid the Costly Mistakes Even Smart People Make Today - by Larry Swedroe\nFinancial History\n# Against the Gods and Capital Ideas - by Peter L. Bernstein\n# Devil Take the Hindmost: A History of Financial Speculation - by Edward Chancellor\n# A Random Walk Down Wall Street - by Burton Malkiel\nLike others here have mentioned, http://www.bogleheads.org/ is a great forum for Vanguard investors.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rational Investing in Irrational Times: How to Avoid the Costly Mistakes Even Smart People Make Today - by Larry Swedroe",
          "reason": "Listed under investor behavior in response to a request for learning resources.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking resources on investor behavior.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Larry Swedroe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "behavioral finance",
        "investing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rationalism-in-politics-232c11",
      "title": "Rationalism in Politics",
      "author": "Michael Oakeshott",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15793462,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-28T01:24:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15793462",
          "commentText": "Metaphors We Live By - Lakoff/Johnson\nPhilosophy in the Flesh - L/J\nRationalism in Politics - Oakeshott\nErving Goffman – Presentation of Self in Everyday Life\nWalter Lippmann – Public Opinion\nArt as Experience - John Dewey\nPlutarch's Lives\nG.K. Chesterton – Heretics\n(essay) William James - On A Certain Blindness in Human Beings (and its sequel)\n(essay) R.L. Stevenson - The Lantern-Bearers",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rationalism in Politics - Oakeshott",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Oakeshott"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rationality-in-economics-635853",
      "title": "Rationality in Economics",
      "author": "Vernon L. Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12416563,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:55:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416563",
          "commentText": "\"I'm wondering which other books have you read that have had the most impact on you professionally or even personally?\"\nProfessionally: Peter F. Drucker's books.\nPersonally: \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann,  \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"Metaphysical Horror\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"Rationality in Economics\" by Vernon L. Smith, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Rationality in Economics\" by Vernon L. Smith",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about books with personal impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vernon L. Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic theory",
        "rationality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ravage-ashes-ashes-f29300",
      "title": "Ravage (Ashes, Ashes)",
      "author": "René Barjavel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056573,
          "author": "jfoucher",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:28:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056573",
          "commentText": "Really surprised to see no mention of H. G. Wells here, so I'm just going to add it :\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Time_Machine\nYou can get it at project Gutemberg, so no excuse not to read it.\nAny book by French author Barjavel are also worth reading in my opinion, especially \"La Nuit des Temps\" / \"The Ice People\" ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ice_People_%28Barjavel_nov... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ice_People_%28Barjavel_novel%29) ) and \"Ravage\" / \"Ashes, Ashes\" ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravage_%28novel%29 )",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and \"Ravage\" / \"Ashes, Ashes\"",
          "reason": "Specifically highlights it among books by Barjavel that are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "René Barjavel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "french science fiction",
        "post apocalyptic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "raven-2f190e",
      "title": "Raven",
      "author": "Tim Reiterman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910443,
          "author": "kevinmchugh",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:47:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910443",
          "commentText": "Command And Control, by Eric Schlosser. A history of America's nuclear weapons program and it's many near-disasters.\nRaven, by Tim Reiterman. Biography of Jim Jones by one of the journalists who'd reported the story the longest.\nLiquid Intelligence, by Dave Arnold. Everything you need to know to understand cocktails and make good ones.\nOn Food and Cooking, by Harold McGee. An exhaustive reference on the history and science of food and ingredients. Every page has something surprising and useful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Biography of Jim Jones by one of the journalists who'd reported the story the longest.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tim Reiterman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "jim jones",
        "jonestown"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ravenor-series-8021e4",
      "title": "Ravenor series",
      "author": "Dan Abnett",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42318439,
          "author": "gadders",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-04T15:34:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42318439",
          "commentText": "Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson\nGlorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon\nAll of the CJ Box series of Joe Pickett books\nThe Dan Abnett Eisenhorn and Ravenor Warhammer novels\nIn case you can't tell, I mostly read for entertainment.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dan Abnett Eisenhorn and Ravenor Warhammer novels",
          "reason": "Lists the Ravenor novels among books read for entertainment.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for entertainment.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Abnett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "warhammer 40 000"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ray-tracing-in-one-weekend-1f4f2a",
      "title": "Ray Tracing in One Weekend",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30824379,
          "author": "going_ham",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-27T21:35:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30824379",
          "commentText": "The entire ray tracing in one weekend[1] series is really good book for getting into computer graphics. It covers a simple implementation of path tracer and getting the image is really satisfying! Modern hardware and light simulation makes art fun!\n[1]: https://raytracing.github.io/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The entire ray tracing in one weekend[1] series is really good book for getting into computer graphics.",
          "reason": "Recommends the series for learning computer graphics through a satisfying path tracer implementation.",
          "audience": "People getting into computer graphics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer graphics",
        "path tracing",
        "ray tracing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ray-tracing-the-next-week-135cd3",
      "title": "Ray Tracing: The Next Week",
      "author": "Peter Shirley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13661981,
          "author": "corysama",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-16T17:51:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13661981",
          "commentText": "Ray Tracing in One Weekend\nRay Tracing: The Next Week\nRay Tracing: The Rest of Your Life\nhttp://in1weekend.blogspot.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ray Tracing: The Next Week",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Shirley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer graphics",
        "ray tracing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ray-tracing-the-rest-of-your-life-71cc02",
      "title": "Ray Tracing: The Rest of Your Life",
      "author": "Peter Shirley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13661981,
          "author": "corysama",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-16T17:51:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13661981",
          "commentText": "Ray Tracing in One Weekend\nRay Tracing: The Next Week\nRay Tracing: The Rest of Your Life\nhttp://in1weekend.blogspot.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ray Tracing: The Rest of Your Life",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Shirley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer graphics",
        "ray tracing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "razor-girl-dbbfa1",
      "title": "Razor Girl",
      "author": "Carl Hiaasen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12475387,
          "author": "fitzwatermellow",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T20:07:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12475387",
          "commentText": "There is some remarkable fiction coming out this season by some of the best:\nJonathan Safran Foer's Here I Am\nZadie Smith's Swing Time\nIan McEwan's Nutshell\nColson Whitehead's The Underground Railroad\nCarl Hiassan's Razor Girl\nAlan Moore's Jerusalem\nJonathan Lethem's A Gamber's Anatomy\nHa Jin's The Boat Rocker\nT.C. Boyle's The Terranauts\nMichael Chabon's Moonglow\nCormac McCarthy's The Passenger\nI've got plenty of friends who never touch fiction because \"it's not real\". Preferring science, history, economics, biography and virtually anything else. But I think its obligatory at times. The soul requires it's own nourishment, if not more so than the body and the mind. Indulge yourself. If only because great writing will make your writing greater, as if by osmosis. But ultimately, because only fiction can uncover the truths that can't be revealed any other way ;)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Carl Hiassan's Razor Girl",
          "reason": "Included in a list of remarkable fiction; the comment urges readers to indulge in fiction.",
          "audience": "Readers who tend to avoid fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carl Hiaasen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crime fiction",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "re-positioning-marketing-in-an-era-of-competition-change-and-cris-d1133d",
      "title": "Re-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis",
      "author": "Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Re-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jack Trout",
        "Steve Rivkin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "brand positioning",
        "marketing strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "reactive-design-patterns-cae299",
      "title": "Reactive Design Patterns",
      "author": "Roland Kuhn and Jamie Allen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8109012,
          "author": "ninjakeyboard",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:05:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109012",
          "commentText": "Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture. Pretty basic - looking for a good read though and my reading list is running dry. Manning is releasing some good stuff on reactive development that I'd recommend - the Reactive Design Patterns material that is available is super good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Reactive Design Patterns material that is available is super good.",
          "reason": "Calls the available material super good and says they would recommend it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roland Kuhn and Jamie Allen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "reactive programming",
        "software design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "reading-the-oed-76c01b",
      "title": "Reading the OED",
      "author": "Ammon Shea",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2616101,
          "author": "cb372",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T12:45:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2616101",
          "commentText": "I recently read \"Reading the OED\" by Ammon Shea. Recommended for word nerds.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recently read \"Reading the OED\" by Ammon Shea. Recommended for word nerds.",
          "reason": "Recommended for word nerds.",
          "audience": "Word nerds.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ammon Shea"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dictionaries",
        "lexicography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "readings-in-agents-f408a1",
      "title": "Readings in Agents",
      "author": "Michael N. Huhns and Munindar P. Singh (editors)",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268894,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:13:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268894",
          "commentText": "Seeing this reminds me of something I'm not proud of. I've done effectively no reading this year. At least not by my normal standards.\nI generally read between 30-50 books a year (mix of fiction and non-fiction). But this year I knew my focus was going to be more on research, reading papers, writing code, etc. so I set my reading goal lower than normal (I usually set it to like 75, knowing that that's a bit aspirational). This year? I set it to like, 30. And I won't come close to hitting that. Right now I'm at 7 books for the year. So I don't have a big sample set to choose from. :-(\nThat said...\nOf what I did read, a couple were pretty good:\nNon-fiction:\nFancy Bear Goes Phishing: The Dark History of the Information Age, in Five Extraordinary Hacks- Scott J. Shapiro\nReadings in Agents - Huhns, Singh (eds)\nProgramming Multi-Agent Systems in AgentSpeak using Jason - Bordini, Hubner, & Wooldridge\nFiction:\nIn Too Deep (Jack Reacher, #29) - Lee Child",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Readings in Agents - Huhns, Singh (eds)",
          "reason": "Lists it among the few books they read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael N. Huhns",
        "Munindar P. Singh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "multi agent systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "real-analysis-a-long-form-mathematics-textbook-e6a5cc",
      "title": "Real Analysis: A Long-Form Mathematics Textbook",
      "author": "Jay Cummings",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18473725,
          "author": "julysun",
          "createdAt": "2018-11-17T03:17:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 18473561,
          "threadTitle": "Best book/paper you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18473725",
          "commentText": "If you have taken some \"intro to proofs\" or \"intro to abstract algebra\" or \"intro linear algebra\" or any other such course where you've seen rigorous proofs, then Jay Cummings' \"Real Analysis: A Long-Form Mathematics Textbook\" [0] is  simply a phenomenal introduction to real analysis. It's a fast paced tour de force through rigorous analysis.\nI actually wrote a longer comment, but I had to invoke the names of other authors. Better not. Either way, I love the book.\n[0] https://www.amazon.com/Real-Analysis-Long-Form-Mathematics-T... (https://www.amazon.com/Real-Analysis-Long-Form-Mathematics-Textbook/dp/1724510126/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1542422962&sr=1-1&keywords=jay+cummings)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I love the book.",
          "reason": "Calls it a phenomenal introduction to real analysis and says they love it.",
          "audience": "Readers familiar with rigorous proofs, such as through an introductory proofs, abstract algebra, or linear algebra course.",
          "caveat": "Fast paced.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jay Cummings"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "proof based mathematics",
        "real analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "real-fast-food-5dd57c",
      "title": "Real Fast Food",
      "author": "Nigel Slater",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227525,
          "author": "adw",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T20:53:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227525",
          "commentText": "\"Real Fast Food\" by Nigel Slater.\nYes, it's a cookbook. Bloody good one, though, and you've gotta eat.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Real Fast Food\" by Nigel Slater.\nYes, it's a cookbook. Bloody good one, though, and you've gotta eat.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a very good cookbook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nigel Slater"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cookbook",
        "quick cooking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "real-punks-don-t-wear-black-767086",
      "title": "Real Punks Don't Wear Black",
      "author": "Frank Kogan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6918222,
          "author": "o_nate",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-16T22:15:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6918222",
          "commentText": "One of these:\nRobert Bellah - Religion in Human Evolution\nFrank Kogan - Real Punks Don't Wear Black\nJerry McGill - Dear Marcus\nMark Kurlansky - The Big Oyster",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Frank Kogan - Real Punks Don't Wear Black",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frank Kogan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "music culture",
        "punk"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "real-world-haskell-fd6169",
      "title": "Real World Haskell",
      "author": "Bryan O'Sullivan, John Goerzen, and Don Stewart",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22303280,
          "author": "aredirect",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-11T21:49:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22303280",
          "commentText": "I wrote Nim days: https://xmonader.github.io/nimdays you will find redis parser, redis clients, webframework, assets bundler, tcp router, terminaltables, .. and more\nAlso I love Real World Haskell and Practical Common Lisp",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also I love Real World Haskell",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 407234,
          "author": "blakehall",
          "createdAt": "2008-12-23T03:43:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 407067,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Let's start a Hacker News book club",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=407234",
          "commentText": "Since it's already set up how about http://groups.google.com/group/real-world-haskell-book-club",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "real-world-haskell-book-club",
          "reason": "Links to an existing book club for the title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bryan O'Sullivan",
        "John Goerzen",
        "Don Stewart"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "functional programming",
        "haskell"
      ],
      "purposes": []
    },
    {
      "id": "real-world-haskell-e63623",
      "title": "Real World Haskell",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14843536,
          "author": "fusiongyro",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-24T23:01:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14843536",
          "commentText": "A Mentoring Course in Smalltalk[0]. I was really surprised, after reading and really loving Design Patterns, that there was still so much to say about OO design.\nI did love Design Patterns a lot though. Purely Functional Data Structures by Chris Okasaki was also really useful for Haskell, as was Real World Haskell.\nProgramming Prolog probably had a bigger influence on my Prolog than the other books, even though I read Art of Prolog and Prolog Programming in Depth first. Especially the latest edition, it's a really beautiful book.\n[0]: http://www.lulu.com/us/en/shop/andres-valloud/a-mentoring-co... (http://www.lulu.com/us/en/shop/andres-valloud/a-mentoring-course-on-smalltalk/paperback/product-3788890.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "as was Real World Haskell",
          "reason": "Listed as a book that was really useful for Haskell.",
          "audience": "Haskell programmers",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "functional programming",
        "haskell"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "real-world-ocaml-c106f4",
      "title": "Real World OCaml",
      "author": "Yaron Minsky, Anil Madhavapeddy, and Jason Hickey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9649479,
          "author": "rdc12",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-02T22:34:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 9636361,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9649479",
          "commentText": "Fiction: Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (loved the movie as a kid, but never got round to reading the book), will follow up with the Lost World.\nNon-Fiction: Chaos by James Gleick.\nSemester break reading, Real World Ocaml and Modern Compilers in ML (assuming they arrive in time)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Semester break reading, Real World Ocaml",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as planned reading; no evaluation given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9349919,
          "author": "javamonn",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T18:40:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9349919",
          "commentText": "I read three books at a time, and only pick up/start/buy a new one once I finish one. Helps acquiring a large back log of unread literature around the apartment. :)\n  * Labyrinths - Jorge Louis Borges [0]\nI believe HN was the reason I picked this up, if I remember correctly. It's a collection of short stories, each of which can be finished in a night, which is satisfying. I really dig his writing style and fantastical nature of the stories. I've done a bit of philosophical reading but a lot of the references he makes go over my head, leaving me to do a bit of research after each story.\n  * The Design of Everyday Things - Don Norman [1]\nPicked this up after finishing Debbie Millman's How to Think Like a Great Graphic Designer [2] (Misleading title, I would 100% recommend this book to anyone). I'm not sure what I expected, but so far this hasn't been satisfying. The first couple of chapters have been laying out a framework and defining terms. Considering swapping this out for Jon Kolko's Well Designed - How to Use Empathy To Create Products People Love [3], which seemed much more actionable after picking it up at Barnes and Noble.\n  * Real World OCaml - Yaron Minsky, Anil Madhavapeddy, Jason Hickey [4]\n\nSecond time picking this up, originally read up to chapter on Functors over the summer. I started over this time and I'm about finished with the first section, \"Language Concepts\", now. It's worth noting that the entire text is available online for free on the book's website. [5] I did some Scheme in high school and read through the fist half of SICP and dabble in functional js, but this is my first experience with a semi pure functional language and I'm loving it. I'm going through the functional challenges on Hackerrank in OCaml at the same time to solidify some of the language concepts. Decided to go with OCaml over Haskell or Clojure because I'm super interested in using/contributing to Mirage OS [6]\n[0] http://www.amazon.com/Labyrinths-Directions-Paperbook-Jorge-... (http://www.amazon.com/Labyrinths-Directions-Paperbook-Jorge-Borges/dp/0811216993)\n[1] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0465050654\n[2] http://www.amazon.com/Think-Like-Great-Graphic-Designer/dp/1... (http://www.amazon.com/Think-Like-Great-Graphic-Designer/dp/1581154968)\n[3] http://www.amazon.com/Well-Designed-Empathy-Create-Products-... (http://www.amazon.com/Well-Designed-Empathy-Create-Products-People/dp/1625274793)\n[4] http://www.amazon.com/Real-World-OCaml-Functional-programmin... (http://www.amazon.com/Real-World-OCaml-Functional-programming/dp/144932391X)\n[5] https://realworldocaml.org/v1/en/html/index.html\n[6] http://openmirage.org/\nedit: formatting",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'm loving it.",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoys studying the book while learning OCaml.",
          "audience": "Readers learning OCaml or functional programming.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is still near the start of the book.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Yaron Minsky, Anil Madhavapeddy, and Jason Hickey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "functional programming",
        "ocaml"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "real-zen-for-real-life-2944c6",
      "title": "Real Zen for Real Life",
      "author": "Bret W. Davis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33599995,
          "author": "senko",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-14T19:54:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33599995",
          "commentText": "I found \"Real Zen for real life\" by Bret W. Davis pretty approachable.\nIt's from The Great Courses, but also available as audiobook on Audible.\nBTW he also recommends the same book (gateless gate + blue cliff records, same translation) as the parent poster.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found \"Real Zen for real life\" by Bret W. Davis pretty approachable.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as approachable.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for an approachable introduction to Zen Buddhism.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bret W. Davis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "zen buddhism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "real-time-rendering-aec830",
      "title": "Real-Time Rendering",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14659684,
          "author": "kobeya",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-29T00:06:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 14652936,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on modern computer graphics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14659684",
          "commentText": "Real Time Rendering is particularly good at explaining the underlying concepts of modern GPU rendering pipelines.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Real Time Rendering is particularly good at explaining the underlying concepts of modern GPU rendering pipelines.",
          "reason": "Praises its explanation of modern GPU rendering pipeline concepts.",
          "audience": "People learning modern GPU rendering pipelines.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer graphics",
        "gpu rendering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "real-world-cryptography-e89d7b",
      "title": "Real-World Cryptography",
      "author": "David Wong",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50347577,
          "author": "cryptoalex",
          "createdAt": "2026-11-03T03:14:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 50347425,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Cryptography book do you recommend for reading with 10 year olds?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50347577",
          "commentText": "I would suggest Real-World Cryptography by DAVID WONG. It has good introduction  covering basic primitives like various hash functions, MAC, KDF, then sym/asym, and so on, all the way to PQC and protocols design. A nice intro book, maybe your 10 y.o. will find it interesting.\nP.S. In fact, I was going to send that book to my friend's son who is about same age, and who got some sudden interest in cryptography recently. So it is safe to say that I am now aware of at least two 10 year olds who have interest in Cryptography. I feel a bit surprised, but in a good way :)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I would suggest Real-World Cryptography by DAVID WONG.",
          "reason": "Recommended as an introduction covering cryptographic primitives, post-quantum cryptography, and protocol design.",
          "audience": "Possibly a 10-year-old interested in cryptography.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may interest the child; this is not certain.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Wong"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cryptography",
        "post quantum cryptography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "real-world-reasoning-toward-scalable-uncertain-spatiotemporal-con-aaaf2b",
      "title": "Real-World Reasoning: Toward Scalable, Uncertain Spatiotemporal, Contextual and Causal Inference",
      "author": "Ben Goertzel, Nil Geisweiller, and Lucio Coelho",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33381977,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T07:56:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33381977",
          "commentText": "Of the books I've read this year, the fiction ones that stand out to me would be:\n1. The entire Sprawl Trilogy by Gibson, and the entire Bridge Trilogy, also by Gibson. The former I'd read before (multiple times) while the latter I had not read all the way through until now. Neuromancer I've read probably 7 or 8 times total in my life by now. I'm not as crazy about Gibson's later stuff, but the Sprawl and Bridge books are great.\n2. The rest of the HHGTTG \"trilogy\" besides the first book. I'd read the first book a couple of years ago but never got around to reading the rest until this year. Note that when I say \"the rest\" I'm excluding that one book that was written by another author after Douglas Adams' passing. I may still read it one day, but I'm not in any hurry to do so.\nIn terms of non-fiction:\nReal-World Reasoning: Toward Scalable, Uncertain Spatiotemporal, Contextual and Causal Inference by Ben Goertzel, Nil Geisweiller, and Lucio Coelho is the stand-out of the lot. How the Mind Works by Steven Pinker and How Can the Human Mind Occur in the Physical Universe? by John R Anderson are also worthy of a mention.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Real-World Reasoning: Toward Scalable, Uncertain Spatiotemporal, Contextual and Causal Inference by Ben Goertzel, Nil Geisweiller, and Lucio Coelho is the stand-out of the lot.",
          "reason": "Named as the standout among the commenter’s nonfiction reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ben Goertzel",
        "Nil Geisweiller",
        "Lucio Coelho"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "causal inference",
        "uncertainty reasoning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "reality-is-not-what-it-seems-the-journey-to-quantum-gravity-6ece06",
      "title": "Reality Is Not What It Seems: The Journey to Quantum Gravity",
      "author": "Carlo Rovelli",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23154196,
          "author": "gdubs",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T14:15:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23154196",
          "commentText": "Someone already mentioned “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”, so I’ll go with something I read last year, Carlo Rovelli’s, “Reality is Not What it Seems.”\nI don’t think I really ever grasped the concept of relativity fully until reading that book — at least the aspects of time. [edit: well, not “fully”, I’m sure — but at least a lot more than I have in the past.]\nAt the same time I read the Dalai Lama’s, “Universe in a Single Atom”, which focuses on his love of science / physics, and was a very good pair to Rovelli’s book. It made me really think about the role of subjectivity in terms of Relativity. It also made me think about life, and consciousness, broadly.\nThat led to the Dalai Lama’s other book, “A Profound Mind”, which helped me really understand the Buddhist concept of “Emptiness” for the first time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Carlo Rovelli’s, “Reality is Not What it Seems.”",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them understand aspects of relativity, especially time.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in physics and relativity.",
          "caveat": "The commenter qualifies that they did not grasp relativity fully.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carlo Rovelli"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "physics",
        "quantum gravity",
        "relativity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "reality-transurfing-steps-i-v-4d98ff",
      "title": "Reality Transurfing: Steps I–V",
      "author": "Vadim Zeland",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2923957,
          "author": "salemh",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-25T06:25:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 2919368,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have changed the way you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2923957",
          "commentText": "Reality Tansurfing 1: The Space of Variations\n\"Choosing\" your own reality, positive mind frames, philosophy and actionable steps for goal attainment (no \"Secret\" wish fulfillment).\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1846941229/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1846941229/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1846941229)\n\" Some of Zeeland's techniques are very simple and practical; e.g. his methods of combining rational thinking with intuition for making practical decisions.  Other \"tools\" require a high degree of control over one's thoughts and/or emotions.\n    Zeeland also advocates reducing the amount of mental self-talk in favour of listening to one's intuition, which has some similarity with the teachings of Eckhart Tolle [[2]].\"\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vadim_Zeeland\nThe Tibetan Book of Living and Dying\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062508342/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062508342/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0062508342)\nThis novel has been of great help to me and family with recent deaths. Overall life outlook, happiness, and the like.\nEnders Game\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812550706/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812550706/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0812550706)\nI have read this novel over 15 years roughly 8 times. I get more, and a different perspective (which is interesting just examining my own reaction to re-reads based on my life and age at reading / re-reading).\nPrometheus Rising\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1561840564/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1561840564/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1561840564)\n\"Hacking\" reality, your mind, alternate viewpoints of reality and \"living\" accordingly (or not :D)\nPandora's Star\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345479211/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345479211/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0345479211)\nFascinating \"space opera\" wherein humanity masters worm-hole technology (and space colonization), ever lasting life (downloading / uploading) and a lovely read with a dose of astrophysics (though, the number of plot lines and characters gets far too muddled much of the time, symptomatic of Hamilton's books). Great \"look\" at a potential future of these potential advancements.\nNeuropath\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0765361574/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0765361574/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0765361574)\nScience fiction novel set in near-future based on new advanced in neuroscience; psychopath / serial killer thriller (one night read)on the brain as a chemical machine (and free-will arguments) with brutal thriller violence. This sticks with you for a number of weeks. Sending this to my sister was reacted with \"it was really good, fascinating..why the f* did you send this to me?\"\nThe Darkness That Comes Before (The Prince of Nothing, Book 1)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1841494089/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1841494089/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=1841494089)\nFantasy, philosophy, linguistics in Magic..dark, dark and a very old world. Brilliant, the best fantasy series this decade.\nTitan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400077303/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400077303/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1400077303)\nFrom dirt (literally), to one of the richest men in history, a genius accountant, inventor, process engineer, capitalist, competitive monster (crusher), also spawning much of modern medicine research centers (while he himself was a more holistic man who distrusted \"modern medicine). An incredible biography (oft cited by other novels on various Baron's / dynastic biographies) on the idiocyncrocies and the incredible desire for wealth and power, while abhoring lavish displays of wealth. From his rise, to consolidation, to \"war\" with the Rothschilds to the ultimate breakup of Standard Oil.\n1,000 Dollars and an Idea: Entrepreneur to Billionaire: Expanded Edition\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1557048487/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1557048487/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1557048487)\nSam Wyly, on building businesses to last, 15-20 years to \"flip\" or keep. Nuggets of wisdom for all industries and verticals.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Reality Tansurfing 1: The Space of Variations",
          "reason": "The entry describes practical decision methods and tools for shaping one's outlook and goals.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some tools are said to require strong control over thoughts or emotions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vadim Zeland"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self help",
        "visualization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "really-the-blues-f8d20a",
      "title": "Really the Blues",
      "author": "Mezz Mezzrow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43613568,
          "author": "josefritzishere",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T17:01:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43613568",
          "commentText": "I am a lifetime avid reader but  there are very few books I come back to and re-read. I guess the books which impact you the most aren't the ones you'd expect. Here are some that come to mind:\n*Novels in Three Lines* - Felix Feneon; like clever sarcastic haiku\n*Riddley Walker* - Russell Hoban; It's written in an imagined language making it completely and utterly immersive\n*Waiting for Nothing* - Tom Kromer; Great depression era destitution, and travel\n*Days of Life and Death and Escape to the Moon* - William Saroyan; In an era of great writers, Saroyan remains wildly under appreciated.\n*Really the Blues* - Mezz Mezzrow; Written in 1920s jive slang, it's emblematic of an era\n*The KLF* - John Higgs; The book is subtitled \"Chaos, Magic and the Band who Burned a Million Pounds\"  All those things are true and Higgs brilliantly tells the tale.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "*Really the Blues* - Mezz Mezzrow; Written in 1920s jive slang, it's emblematic of an era",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it emblematic of its era and notes its 1920s jive slang.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mezz Mezzrow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "1920s",
        "jazz",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "realm-of-racket-c79049",
      "title": "Realm of Racket",
      "author": "Matthias Felleisen, David Van Horn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34412844,
          "author": "rg111",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-17T14:38:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 34412069,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach programming by building a series of small projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34412844",
          "commentText": "A similar great book is Realm of Racket.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A similar great book is Realm of Racket.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book similar to the one being discussed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthias Felleisen",
        "David Van Horn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "project based learning",
        "racket programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "realm-of-racket-6425ae",
      "title": "Realm of Racket",
      "author": "Matthias Felleisen, Daniel P. Friedman, and Bruce F. Findler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12162419,
          "author": "sn9",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-25T23:54:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 12160209,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 12 year old tech savvy girl – books, programs, events, advice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12162419",
          "commentText": "She can learn just about anything nowadays from sites like Coursera, edx, and Udacity.\nBooks like Realm of Racket can be fun introductions to programming that happen to teach some advanced stuff.\nBooks that the parent's might like are Carol Dweck's Mindset, Barbara Oakley's A Mind for Numbers, and Angela Duckworth's Grit. If she shows an interest in mathematics, the Art of Problem Solving books and forums are great.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Books like Realm of Racket can be fun introductions to programming",
          "reason": "Suggested as a fun introduction to programming that teaches some advanced material.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a programming introduction.",
          "caveat": "May include advanced material.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthias Felleisen, Daniel P. Friedman, and Bruce F. Findler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming education",
        "racket"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "realm-of-the-elderlings-bb088b",
      "title": "Realm of the Elderlings",
      "author": "Robin Hobb",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17514539,
          "author": "timwaagh",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-12T13:53:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17514539",
          "commentText": "War and Peace by Tolstoy. it is far from 'recent' but i read it only this year. it is particularly interesting because it is not overly intellectual in nature yet still written around the time it portrays.\nRobin Hobbs latest Fitz and the Fool trilogy are also great books i read this year. as are all her works really.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "as are all her works really.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises all of Robin Hobb’s works, broadly endorsing this series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robin Hobb"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "reason-and-analysis-0edeb5",
      "title": "Reason and Analysis",
      "author": "Brand Blanshard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2150710,
          "author": "Tim1776",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-28T03:47:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2150710",
          "commentText": "Other books that influence how I build software:\n\"The Biological Basis of Teleological Concepts\" by Harry Binswanger,\n\"The Fountainhead\" by Ayn Rand,\n\"The Autobiography of an Idea\" by Louis H. Sullivan,\n\"Reason and Analysis\" by Brand Blanshard",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Reason and Analysis\" by Brand Blanshard",
          "reason": "Lists it among books that influence how they build software.",
          "audience": "Software builders.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brand Blanshard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "analysis",
        "reasoning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "reasons-and-persons-c402db",
      "title": "Reasons and Persons",
      "author": "Derek Parfit",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503580,
          "author": "gjm11",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T13:10:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503580",
          "commentText": "Obviously anyone's recommendations are going to tell you as much about that person's philosophical preferences as about the actual books. We might be able to do better if you told us more about your own interests and prejudices. Anyway, here are a few recommendations:\nEthics and (technical questions about) personal identity: \"Reasons and persons\", by Derek Parfit. Quite heavy going, but Parfit's an outstandingly clear thinker and there are some very good ideas here.\nApplied ethics: \"Living high and letting die\", by Peter Unger. Argues for the counterintuitive conclusion that basically all of us in the affluent West have an obligation to do (not just somewhat more but) vastly more for the least well-off.\nPhilosophy of religion (from a definitely atheist perspective): \"The miracle of theism\", by John Mackie. Quite dense, but well written, clear and mostly fair. Much much more seriously intellectually than any of the recent \"New Atheist\" books.\nPhilosophy of mind, epistemology, ethics, decision theory, philosophy of physics, many other things: \"Good and Real\", by Gary Drescher. \"A breathtakingly original assault on all the Big Issues!\", says Daniel Dennett, and he's right.\nRecommended on just about any topic: the \"Oxford Readings in Philosophy\" series of anthologies. Each volume consists of a lengthy introduction followed by somewhere on the order of 10 important articles from the primary literature. Generally very approachable and well selected.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Reasons and persons\", by Derek Parfit. Quite heavy going, but Parfit's an outstandingly clear thinker and there are some very good ideas here.",
          "reason": "Presents it as a recommendation for ethics and technical questions about personal identity.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in ethics and personal identity.",
          "caveat": "Quite heavy going.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Derek Parfit"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ethics",
        "personal identity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "reassembling-the-social-an-introduction-to-actor-network-theory-a04a29",
      "title": "Reassembling the Social: An Introduction to Actor-Network-Theory",
      "author": "Bruno Latour",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36601648,
          "author": "HillRat",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:20:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601648",
          "commentText": "Lots of options out there. A few from my bookshelf: Bijker's \"Of Bicycles, Bakelites, and Bulbs\" is a case-study-centric work that seeks to build a general theory of STS. Nye's \"Technology Matters\" is less a work of theory than a critique that poses core questions about how society should seek to integrate technical advances. Latour's \"Science in Action,\" \"Reassembling the Social,\" and \"Aramis\" are great examples of his approach to whole-of-system analysis of sociotechnical systems. Rogers' \"Diffusion of Innovation\" is a classic work theorizing how innovation is communicated through social networks.\nMIT Press has a wide variety of books that cover specific topics in history, most of which have great theoretic interest: Agar's \"The Government Machine,\" dealing with the evolution of technology and expertise within the UK government; Medina's \"Cybernetic Revolutionaries,\" about Beer's Cybersyn project; and Ensmenger's \"The Computer Boys Take Over,\" about the cultural development of the \"programmer,\" are all great reads.\nAlso, you can look beyond pure technology for interesting adjacencies: for example, Schatz's \"The Genius of the System\" describes how changes in technology and management production radically upended Hollywood, resulting in the studio system that dominated from the 1930s through the 1950s, while Harris' \"Pictures at a Revolution\" picks up the pieces at the end of that system, discussing the rise of \"New Hollywood,\" driven by cultural and technical (particularly the French use of inexpensive filming technologies to create the New Wave) forces.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Reassembling the Social,\"",
          "reason": "Presented as a strong example of Latour's whole system analysis approach.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruno Latour"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "actor network theory",
        "science and technology studies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rebuilding-the-indian-1793db",
      "title": "Rebuilding the Indian",
      "author": "Fred Haefele",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13669137,
          "author": "Gairm",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-17T16:01:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13669137",
          "commentText": "I was hoping someone would ask this. The question made me think of 'Rebuilding the Indian' by Fred Haefele. In an autobiographical work, the author gets respite from and perspective on his emotional issues by focussing on rebuilding an antique motorcycle.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The question made me think of 'Rebuilding the Indian' by Fred Haefele.",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to a request for non-CS examples of learning through a project.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fred Haefele"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "autobiography",
        "motorcycles",
        "personal reflection"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "recursion-6ba185",
      "title": "Recursion",
      "author": "Tony Ballantyne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13567973,
          "author": "chc4",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T17:48:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567973",
          "commentText": "Pattern Recognition by William Gibson. Really, anything by Gibson is worth reading multiple times, simply for the great writing style. Pattern Recognition also does something special: have you really ever /thought/ about brands and advertising? Lots of commentary on culture, memetic fashion, and what it means.\nRecursion by Tony Ballantyne is a book that I didn't actually like all that much, but reread anyways. It covers a lot of topics I love (global AIs, Von Neumann Machines, tulpas, trusting trust, and a totalitarian utopia). The plot leaves a lot to be desired, but the concepts are worth it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Recursion by Tony Ballantyne is a book that I didn't actually like all that much, but reread anyways. It covers a lot of topics I love (global AIs, Von Neumann Machines, tulpas, trusting trust, and a totalitarian utopia). The plot leaves a lot to be desired, but the concepts are worth it.",
          "reason": "The plot disappoints, but the commenter says its concepts are worth exploring.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter did not like it much and says the plot leaves a lot to be desired.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tony Ballantyne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "totalitarian utopia",
        "von neumann machines"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "red-famine-stalin-s-war-on-ukraine-e9cfef",
      "title": "Red Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine",
      "author": "Anne Applebaum",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804093,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:12:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804093",
          "commentText": "Writing a Go Interpreter\nWriting a Go Compiler\nNo One Cares about Crazy People\nI Heard You Paint Houses\nUNIX: A History and a Memoir\nRed Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine\nHow Asia Works\nThe Dream Machine\nBlack Earth\nThe Fabric of Reality\nBehave (tried twice, maybe third times a charm?)\nA Short History of Nearly Everything\nStiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers\nGenius: The Life and Science Richard Feynman\nSuper Thinking\nMan's Search for Meaning\nThe Cooking Gene\nThe Vital Question: Why is Life The Way it Is (re-read)\nThe Case Against Sugar\nThe 15 Decisive Battles of the World\nThe History of the Peloponnesian War\nThe Beginning of Infinity\nThe Book of Why",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Red Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine",
          "reason": "Listed in the commenter's planned reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anne Applebaum"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "holodomor",
        "ukraine"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "red-notice-a-true-story-of-finance-murder-and-one-man-s-fight-for-e8819f",
      "title": "Red Notice: A True Story of Finance, Murder, and One Man's Fight for Justice",
      "author": "Bill Browder",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18664739,
          "author": "nop_slide",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T15:35:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664739",
          "commentText": "- A Random Walk Down Wall Street: I got much more interested in personal finance this year, and definitely recommend this book as a stepping stone for learning about investing.\n- Frankenstein: Highly recommend! It is nothing like it is portrayed to be in pop culture and I thoroughly enjoyed it.\n- Unbelievable: My Front-Row Seat to the Craziest Campaign in America: It is literally unbelievable. It follows Katy Tur, a reporter tasked with following Trump leading up to the election. If you aren't already fed up with Trump, then give this a whirl.\n- Dune: 5/5 sci-fi\n- The Society of the Spectacle: I had trouble with this one. I think some things get lost in translation, and the philosophical arguments are so abstract it was a bit hard to follow along. I had a few key take-aways but to be honest it was kind of a chore to read.\n- How Not to Die: Argues for prioritizing a plant-based diet, and definitely changed my relationship with food.\n- East of Eden: My wife's favorite book and is now one of my favorites.\n- Sapiens: Very enjoyable, but some of it can feel pseudo-sciency and gets a bit nihilistic in the end.\n- Man's Search for Meaning: Also very enjoyable, a good reminder to appreciate the people and things around you.\n- A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy: Very accessible intro to Stoicism\n- Red Notice: A True Story of Finance, Murder, and One Man's Fight for Justice: Very interesting and reads like a fiction thriller. TLDR Russia doesn't fuck around",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Very interesting and reads like a fiction thriller.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it very interesting and compares it to a fiction thriller.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment ends with a brief summary involving Russia.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Browder"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial crime",
        "russia"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "red-rising-trilogy-fda878",
      "title": "Red Rising trilogy",
      "author": "Pierce Brown",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13239927,
          "author": "JamesLeonis",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T20:04:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13239927",
          "commentText": "I ripped through Red Rising and Golden Sun last month based on a buddy's recommendation. Morning Star is my early Christmas gift. It's an absolute page-turner of a series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's an absolute page-turner of a series.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the series as an absolute page-turner.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pierce Brown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopian fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "red-team-blues-f82141",
      "title": "Red Team Blues",
      "author": "Cory Doctorow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40464564,
          "author": "CRConrad",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-24T09:56:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40464564",
          "commentText": "Oh, I forgot -- also Rent åt helvete by Elinor Torp.\nAnd, in fiction: Red Team blues by Cory Doctorow (again), The Twyford code by Janice Hallett, and The Glass Key by Dashiell Hammett.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Red Team blues by Cory Doctorow (again)",
          "reason": "Listed as a fiction pick in response to a thread asking for the best books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cory Doctorow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cryptocurrency",
        "cybercrime"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "red-team-how-to-succeed-by-thinking-like-the-enemy-b8e97f",
      "title": "Red Team: How to Succeed by Thinking Like the Enemy",
      "author": "M. E. Bowman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11297334,
          "author": "staggler",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:02:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297334",
          "commentText": "http://www.amazon.com/Red-Team-Succeed-Thinking-Enemy/dp/046... (http://www.amazon.com/Red-Team-Succeed-Thinking-Enemy/dp/0465048943)\nPhenomenal modern look into the practice of alternative analysis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Phenomenal modern look into the practice of alternative analysis",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a phenomenal modern look at alternative analysis.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "M. E. Bowman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternative analysis",
        "red teaming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rediscovering-scripture-s-vision-for-women-1e0d4c",
      "title": "Rediscovering Scripture’s Vision for Women",
      "author": "Lucy Peppiatt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33850142,
          "author": "russnewcomer",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T03:03:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33850142",
          "commentText": "Top three (sorry)\nChristianity and the New Spirit of Capitalism by Kathryn Tanner. A really good look at how capitalism has been expressed in our modern world, and how Christianity should not enable the worst excesses of capitalism.\nThe Power Broker by Robert Caro. This one actually took me about 6 months between reading and Audible, because it is in some ways too detailed, but the naked use of power for maintaining power for a singular vision is illuminating. Even in an antagonistic biography, Moses leaps off the page as a bright, energetic, flawed human.  I enjoyed this a lot.\nRediscovering Scripture’s Vision for Women by Lucy Peppiat. A persuasive, intelligent, and solid look at how Christianity in America has taken many unfortunate turns away from reading Scripture as a document of equality and elevation, and toward a document of hierarchy and repression. I think Peppiat does a good job of discussing all theological avenues of thought and while clearly disfavoring some, not stooping to ridicule, caricature, or personal attack.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A persuasive, intelligent, and solid look at how Christianity in America has taken many unfortunate turns",
          "reason": "Praises its account of changing interpretations of Scripture and women's equality in American Christianity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the author favors some theological views while discussing multiple avenues of thought.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lucy Peppiatt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian theology",
        "women and religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "redliners-df76b8",
      "title": "Redliners",
      "author": "David Drake",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1026884,
          "author": "Daniel_Newby",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T06:33:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026884",
          "commentText": "Redliners by David Drake. Burned out soldiers are sent to baby-sit a planetary colonization. Fortunately for the story it turns out to be a planet full of monsters. Baen Free Library.\nAccelerando, Iron Sunrise, and Singularity Sky by Charles Stross.  Singularity stories.\nHouse of Leaves by Mark Danielewski.  Supernatural meta-fiction with half the story in the footnotes.  Reminiscent of the movie Donnie Darko.\nCrooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis.  Private eye gets retained by the White House to track down the other U.S. Constitution.  To quote William Gibson, \"Stop It. You're frightening me.\"\nHurry Down Sunshine by Michael Greenberg.  Story of his teenage daughter's descent into manic psychosis.\nA Hat Full of Sky and Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett.  Kids' stories, so they have wall-to-wall story, unlike some of his more situational adult books.\nJames H. Schmitz science fiction stories. Available from the Baen Free Library of digital books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Redliners by David Drake. Burned out soldiers are sent to baby-sit a planetary colonization.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes its premise: burned-out soldiers assigned to protect a planetary colony that turns out to be full of monsters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Drake"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military science fiction",
        "planetary colonization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "redwinter-69b60a",
      "title": "Redwinter",
      "author": "Ed McDonald",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38570515,
          "author": "mooreds",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T16:00:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38570515",
          "commentText": "I got into some interesting fantasy/SF:\n* The Locked Tomb Trilogy -- the first book is so good and the second and third books are good and unique.\n* The Great Cities Duology (first book was stronger)\n* The Paladin's Legacy (sequel series to The Deed of Paksenarrion, great to be back in that world)\n* The Founders Trilogy by Robert Jackson Bennett\n* The Up and Under series by Deborah Baker is super whimsical\n* The Redwinter Series by Ed McDonald\nIf you're into the genre, all of these are great (at least the ones I've read, haven't finished all the series).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Redwinter Series by Ed McDonald",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's fantasy/SF reads, which they describe as great.",
          "audience": "fantasy/SF readers",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not finished all the series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ed McDonald"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dark fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "refactoring-ui-8b82b7",
      "title": "Refactoring UI",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23371743,
          "author": "austinpena",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-31T19:00:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23371743",
          "commentText": "I love refactoring UI. Very practical advice.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I love refactoring UI. Very practical advice.",
          "reason": "Says they love it and find its advice practical.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "practical design advice",
        "ui design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "refactoring-your-wetware-052974",
      "title": "Refactoring Your Wetware",
      "author": "Andy Hunt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 797130,
          "author": "raju",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T02:01:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797130",
          "commentText": "1. Programming Clojure (Not going too well)\n2. Refactoring your Wetware (This is a very good book)\n3. SICP (Just started looking into this to see if I can attempt to write the code in Clojure)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Refactoring your Wetware (This is a very good book)",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a very good book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andy Hunt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "developer learning",
        "personal productivity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "reflections-on-the-art-of-living-a-joseph-campbell-companion-80e224",
      "title": "Reflections on the Art of Living: A Joseph Campbell Companion",
      "author": "Joseph Campbell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 875880,
          "author": "wgj",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T03:22:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875880",
          "commentText": "Reflections on the Art of Living: A Joseph Campbell Companion\nThe Power of Now",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Reflections on the Art of Living: A Joseph Campbell Companion",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph Campbell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "life philosophy",
        "mythology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "regenesis-2ab0c7",
      "title": "Regenesis",
      "author": "George Monbiot",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40429328,
          "author": "Scarblac",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T14:58:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40429328",
          "commentText": "Monbiot's _Regenesis_, which investigates ways in which it might be possible to make global food production both sustainable and affordable, seemed very well written to me.\nFinally finished the last _Discworld_ book. The whole series is great, of course.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Monbiot's _Regenesis_, which investigates ways in which it might be possible to make global food production both sustainable and affordable, seemed very well written to me.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is well written and describes its investigation of sustainable, affordable food production.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Monbiot"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "agriculture",
        "sustainable food systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "regenesis-5d2a79",
      "title": "Regenesis",
      "author": "George Church and Ed Regis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4787278,
          "author": "derekja",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T05:35:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787278",
          "commentText": "Regenesis by George Church and Ed Regis.\nMind-blowing future possibilities for synthetic biology from one of the main leaders in the field. I wrote a full review here: http://radar.oreilly.com/2012/11/george-church-and-the-poten... (http://radar.oreilly.com/2012/11/george-church-and-the-potential-of-synthetic-biology.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Regenesis by George Church and Ed Regis.",
          "reason": "Discusses future possibilities in synthetic biology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Church and Ed Regis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "synthetic biology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "reichian-therapy-for-home-use-6cfe15",
      "title": "Reichian Therapy for Home Use",
      "author": "Jack Willis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27638265,
          "author": "SirensOfTitan",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T01:39:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27638265",
          "commentText": "Most books by Bob Wilson, particularly Prometheus Rising, which set off a world of self-discovery when I picked it up first in high school.\nNowadays, on weird books or ideas, I’d say:\n* The technique of Focusing by Eugene Gendlin\n* Shinzen Young’s writing on his See-Hear-Feel noting meditation technique\n* Or, similar to focusing but much, much weirder: Jack Willis’s Reichian Therapy for Home Use (available free on the internet)\nEvery single book here has its own issues, but they all elaborate on listening to the body, and the subtle ways we hold stress in our bodies. They’ve helped me understand too that there’s a difference between being emotionally fat and emotionally expressive: the former is like a McDonald’s meal, the latter like a fine dining meal.\nI’ve struggled with generalized anxiety all my life, and this stuff has really helped me deal with it without pushing it away. On the actual real reduction-of anxiety I still feel fairly clueless.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Jack Willis’s Reichian Therapy for Home Use",
          "reason": "Listed among resources that helped the commenter understand bodily stress and emotions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says every book listed has its own issues; it is available free online.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jack Willis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "body awareness",
        "reichian therapy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "reign-of-the-anunnaki-e7edb0",
      "title": "Reign of the Anunnaki",
      "author": "Jan Erik Sigdell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26594247,
          "author": "dvfjsdhgfv",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-26T16:50:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26594247",
          "commentText": "I try to read everything I can about the Anunnaki. As you can guess, 95% of it is utterly useless, but at least some bits can point me in an interesting direction, so I'll just mention two titles.\nLast year I read The Anunnaki Connection: Sumerian Gods, Alien DNA, and the Fate of Humanity, and the author has a PhD next to her name, so she caught me off guard. It's not a bad book, she basically tries to make sense of it proposing her own theory (I don't want to spoil you the pleasure of finding out in case there are other Anunnaki (or panspermia in general) fans here). Unfortunately at some point she wrote we're using 10% of our brain which was a big letdown.\nSo I was very positively surprised by Reign of the Anunnaki by Jan Erik Sigdell. The guy uses proper references! It's invaluable in these kinds of books where you need to check almost every sentence because the authors have a tendency to colorize facts or sometimes simply fantasize or repeat gossip.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "So I was very positively surprised by Reign of the Anunnaki by Jan Erik Sigdell.",
          "reason": "The commenter was positively surprised by it and values its proper references.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The subject area contains unreliable claims, so the commenter says almost every sentence needs checking.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jan Erik Sigdell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient astronaut theories",
        "anunnaki"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "reinforcement-learning-and-stochastic-optimization-346e34",
      "title": "Reinforcement Learning and Stochastic Optimization",
      "author": "Warren B. Powell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38237982,
          "author": "smokel",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T06:55:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38237982",
          "commentText": "\"Journey to the Edge of Reason, The Life of Kurt Gödel\", by Stephen Budiansky.\nEven though it contains an introduction to his proof of the Incompleteness Theorems, you won't learn all too much about logic or mathematics, but it sure paints an interesting picture of the people involved at the start of the 20th century.\n\"Silas Marner\" by George Eliot.  Has redefined humor for me.\n\"Reinforcement Learning and Stochastic Optimization\" by Warren B. Powell.  I'm still not entirely sure what to think of his claims about unifying many scientific disciplines, but it sure is packed with a lot of information and theory.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'm still not entirely sure what to think of his claims about unifying many scientific disciplines, but it sure is packed with a lot of information and theory.",
          "reason": "Dense with information and theory, though the commenter is unsure about its claims of unifying scientific disciplines.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in reinforcement learning and stochastic optimization.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is uncertain about its unification claims and describes it as information- and theory-heavy.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Warren B. Powell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "reinforcement learning",
        "stochastic optimization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "reinventing-discovery-8ffd98",
      "title": "Reinventing Discovery",
      "author": "Michael Nielsen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33800540,
          "author": "m-watson",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T13:40:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33800540",
          "commentText": "I often say to people that the most important thing physics gave me was being comfortable not knowing something. My math and physics education have 100% changed the way I think and address problems in life, despite not going into a physics career.\nSince it is a book thread:\nThe Information: James Gleick - really made me take a step back to think about what information is and how we talk about it\nReinventing Discovery: Michael Nielsen - It was some years back now but I had trouble reading it because I kept having to write things down or read about a new idea the book just put into my head. It really was thought provoking at the time.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Reinventing Discovery: Michael Nielsen",
          "reason": "Prompted the commenter to write things down and explore new ideas; they found it thought provoking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter recalls having difficulty reading it at the time.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Nielsen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "open science",
        "scientific discovery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rejection-proof-b6c2b0",
      "title": "Rejection Proof",
      "author": "Jia Jiang",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35169577,
          "author": "notsure357",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T15:14:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35169577",
          "commentText": "Rejection Proof: How I Beat Fear and Became Invincible Through 100 Days of Rejection by Jia Jiang\nHighly enjoyable read! This book really captures the entrepreneurial experience of interviewing for insights while focusing on the fear of rejection, which is a major problem that isn't typically found in most other books on entrepreneurship.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rejection Proof: How I Beat Fear and Became Invincible Through 100 Days of Rejection",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it highly enjoyable and says it captures the entrepreneurial experience of interviewing for insights while facing fear of rejection.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs and people conducting customer interviews.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says this aspect is not typically covered in other entrepreneurship books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jia Jiang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "customer interviews",
        "fear of rejection"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "relational-programming-in-minikanren-ca91a5",
      "title": "Relational Programming in miniKanren",
      "author": "William Byrd",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29307981,
          "author": "thoughtFrame",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:14:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29307981",
          "commentText": "Somewhat varied but I think some of these may fit your criteria.\nProgramming Erlang by Joe Armstrong\nCommunicating Sequential Processes by Hoare\nThe algorithmic beauty of plants by Prusinkiewicz, Lindenmayer\nNetwork Performance Analysis Using the J Programming Language by Alan Holt\nRelational Programming in miniKanren by William Byrd\nExercises in Programming Style by Cristina Videira Lopes\nedit: also \"SAT/SMT by example\" by Dennis Yurichev",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Relational Programming in miniKanren by William Byrd",
          "reason": "Listed as a suggestion in response to the request for books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Byrd"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "minikanren",
        "relational programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "relativism-and-the-foundations-of-philosophy-2006ec",
      "title": "Relativism and the Foundations of Philosophy",
      "author": "Steven Hales",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45947912,
          "author": "wannabebarista",
          "createdAt": "2025-11-16T19:57:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 45947737,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45947912",
          "commentText": "Here's my list so far:\nDifferential Privacy (2025) by Simson Garfinkel. This is an accessible and enjoyable introduction to differential privacy from the MIT Press essentials series.\nThe Philosopher in the Kitchen (1825) by Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin. This is a primer on gourmandism or the art and science of cooking, eating, and hosting. An interesting look at the French intellectual milieu at the turn of the nineteenth century.\nRelativism and the Foundations of Philosophy (2006) by Steven Hales. This book argues for relativism about philosophical propositions, e.g., metaphysical statements. I came across this book and picked it up after enjoying a few articles from Hales' blog [0].\nI usually put up a list at the end of each year. Here's the list from last year [1].\n[0] https://hilariusbookbinder.substack.com\n[1] https://bcmullins.github.io/interesting-books-2024/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book argues for relativism about philosophical propositions",
          "reason": "Explains that it argues for relativism about philosophical propositions.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in philosophical relativism.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Hales"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "metaphysics",
        "relativism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "release-it-c04c27",
      "title": "Release It!",
      "author": "Michael T. Nygard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26000803,
          "author": "bwh2",
          "createdAt": "2021-02-02T13:38:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 25987664,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommended books and papers on distributed systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26000803",
          "commentText": "Release It! by Michael Nygard is a good book on resilience engineering for distributed systems.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Release It! by Michael Nygard is a good book on resilience engineering for distributed systems.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a book on resilience engineering for distributed systems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael T. Nygard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "distributed systems",
        "resilience engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "relevance-communication-and-cognition-cdf8b5",
      "title": "Relevance: Communication and Cognition",
      "author": "Dan Sperber and Deirdre Wilson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503745,
          "author": "harscoat",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T15:09:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503745",
          "commentText": "It depends if you want to be knowledgeable \"about\" philosophy and knowledge or if you want to apply it to you life.\n* K.Popper (in both cases;): _Open society and its ennemies_ http://www.archive.org/stream/opensocietyandit033120mbp#page... (http://www.archive.org/stream/opensocietyandit033120mbp#page/n7/mode/2up)\nfor \"Ars Vitae\" (applicable to one's life)\n* Plato: _Gorgias_\n* Marc Aurélius: _Meditations_\n* Friedrich Nietzsche: _Beyond good & evil_\nI agree with others on Hume, Russell, Husserl.\nAnother great thinker while he does not pretend to be a philosopher is Dan Sperber, I think of 2 books\n* Dan Sperber (with Deirdre Wilson) _Relevance. Communication and Cognition_ (Blackwell, 1986)\n* Sperber, Dan (1996) Explaining culture: _A naturalistic approach._ (Oxford: Blackwell)\nFinally philosophical literature: \n* Doistoievski: _The Brothers Karamazov_ (question of God is asked)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dan Sperber (with Deirdre Wilson) _Relevance. Communication and Cognition_",
          "reason": "Included as one of two books by Dan Sperber that the commenter has in mind as worthwhile philosophical works.",
          "audience": "People interested in philosophy and communication.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Sperber and Deirdre Wilson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognition",
        "communication",
        "relevance theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "reliable-software-through-composite-design-7a757e",
      "title": "Reliable Software Through Composite Design",
      "author": "Glenford J. Myers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14848124,
          "author": "wallstprog",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T14:51:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14848124",
          "commentText": "At the risk of being labeled a dinosaur, this is still prob. the best book I ever read on structuring code:\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Reliable-Software-Through-Composite-D... (https://www.amazon.com/Reliable-Software-Through-Composite-Design/dp/0884052842/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this is still prob. the best book I ever read on structuring code",
          "reason": "Calls it probably the best book they have read on structuring code.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says this recommendation may make them seem like a dinosaur.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Glenford J. Myers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "composite design",
        "software design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "religion-and-nothingness-d8b35e",
      "title": "Religion and Nothingness",
      "author": "Keiji Nishitani",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36105222,
          "author": "DocTomoe",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T16:01:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105222",
          "commentText": "Keiji Nishitani: What is religion?\nMight be „Religion and Nothingness“ in your translation.\nNishitani describes religion as a phenomenon from the philosophical Zen Buddhist perspective of the Kyoto School.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Might be „Religion and Nothingness“ in your translation.",
          "reason": "Identifies the title as a possible translation of Nishitani’s work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The translated title may vary.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Keiji Nishitani"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "kyoto school",
        "zen buddhism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "religion-and-the-rise-of-capitalism-475f0c",
      "title": "Religion and the Rise of Capitalism",
      "author": "R. H. Tawney",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17938850,
          "author": "dmccunney",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-08T01:21:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17938850",
          "commentText": "An assortment:\n\"The Silent Language\" by Edward T. Hall.\nHall was an anthropologist attached to the University of New Mexico.  He and his research partner, linguist Norman Trager, were doing research in comparative culture.  Hall realized they would need a comprehensive theory of culture to describe what they were comparing and provide ways to compare them.  Hall's model was \"culture as communication\", and the results were presented in the book above.  His key point was that most of culture was like the iceberg - 90% of it is processed on an unconscious reflex level.  We are no more aware of most of our culture than a fish is of the water it swims in.  We only become aware when we are set down in a culture that does things differently than ours. The Silent Language is about how we use space.  The followup \"The Hidden Dimension looks into how different cultures use time. Many things fell into place when I read Hall.\n\"Games People Play\" by Eric Berne.\nBerne was a psychiatrist and founder of the discipline of Transactional Analysis.  Games People Play was a PopSci bestseller when first published, which was odd because it's a highly technical volume written for other psychiatrists.  His thesis was that most human behavior could be viewed as games, and most of what we did were ways of structuring time.  Follow up with his \"What Do You Say After You've Said Hello?\" and \"Beyond Games and Scripts\".  Hall's work above did much to explain teh behavior of societies.  Berne's work does much to explain the behavior of people in societies.\n\"The Anatomy of Criticism\" by Northrop Frye.\nFrye was a Professor of English at Toronto University.  He had completed a study of William Blake called \"Fearful Symmetry\", and was attempting to do a study of Spencer's Faery Queen.  But he found himself trying to make sense of various terms used in literature, and the result became a work of pure theory, unconnected with any specific works.  He refers to poetry and poetics, but his canvas is broader.  Part of his problem was that there was no general term in English for a work of prose fiction.  It's a set of four essays, covering Historical Criticism, Ethical Criticism, Archetypal Criticism, and Rhetorical Criticism, but makes clear that while each form is valid in its own terms, none fully described literature, and a more synoptic view was required.\n\"The Structure of Scientific Revolutions\" by Thomas S. Kuhn\nKuhn's work challenged the accepted notions of scientific progress, and the notion of steady accumulation.  His thesis was that the real progress came from notions that lay outside accepted theories, and provided new paradigms by which reality might be understood, and faced all the resistance transformative ideas face from entrenched doctrine until they are demonstrated to be correct.\n\"Management: Tasks, Practices, Responsibilities\" by Peter F. Drucker.\nDrucker was our present generation's primary primary theorist and consultant on the practice of management, and just what management was and what mangers did.  This work was probably his magnum opus, where he pulled together the ideas he'd formulated elsewhere into a coherent whole.  It's a liberal education not only in management, but in the nature and structure of market based economies.\n\"The Making of Economic Society\" by Robert F. Heilbroner.\nThis is probably the best single volume overview I'm aware of on economics and economic history, beginning with just what an economy is, and the changing conception of economics through history, with the transition from Traditional through Command to Market economies and the issues involved with each.  Many animated discussions I see online about economics make me say \"Those words don't mean what you think they do.  Please read Heilbroner, and come back when you have.  Then we might at least be talking about the same things.\"\n\"The Problems of Philosophy\" by Bertrand Russell.\nRussell is concerned with knowledge, and how we know what we know.  He asks \"Is there any knowledge in the world so certin that no reasonable man could doubt it?\", and concludes that it's one of the most difficult questions that can be asked.  When we understand the obstacles in the way of a straightforward and confident answer, we are launched on the study of philosophy, which is concerned with precisely such questions.  If philosophy is of interest, this is a superb place to start.\n\"Religion and the Rise of Capitalism\" by R. H. Tawney.\nEconomies don't exist in vacuums.  The are aspects of the societies in which they exist, and reflect the values of those societies. Religion has been a critical part of the value systems of societies for as long as there have been societies, and religious notions on what sort of behavior is acceptable affect the structure of economies by determining what sort of transactions are permissible. Tawney is specifically concerned with religious thought in England affecting social organization and economic issues in the period immediately preceding the Reformation and the two following centuries, but while his focus in England, his description of the way in which Christian religious doctrine changed gradually to make a capitalist economy possible in England, the underlying processes could be applied through Europe in general. Read this as a companion to Max Weber's \"The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism\", originally written in German and concerned with the Netherlands and Germany.\n\"Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy\" by Joseph A. Schumpeter.\nSchumpeter was an Austrian economist, a contemporary of John Maynard Keynes, and (briefly) Austria's Finance Minister in the 1920's.  Like Keynes, he considered himself influenced by Marx.  But unlike many others, he believed Marx \"asked all the right questions, and got all the wrong answers\".  Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy was Schumpeter's (often delightfully snarky) attempt to understand what Marx got wrong and why.  It's a useful brainwash after you've spent any time reading MArx or other folks who consider themselves Marxists, and provides a needed sense of perspective.\nThere's more, but I have to stop somewhere...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tawney is specifically concerned with religious thought in England affecting social organization and economic issues",
          "reason": "Explores how religious thought shaped social organization and economic change.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Focused on England before and after the Reformation, with broader processes the commenter says could apply across Europe.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "R. H. Tawney"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of capitalism",
        "religion and society"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "religion-in-human-evolution-18c49e",
      "title": "Religion in Human Evolution",
      "author": "Robert Bellah",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6918222,
          "author": "o_nate",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-16T22:15:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6918222",
          "commentText": "One of these:\nRobert Bellah - Religion in Human Evolution\nFrank Kogan - Real Punks Don't Wear Black\nJerry McGill - Dear Marcus\nMark Kurlansky - The Big Oyster",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Robert Bellah - Religion in Human Evolution",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Bellah"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human evolution",
        "religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "religion-a-very-short-introduction-e72d2d",
      "title": "Religion: A Very Short Introduction",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36105045,
          "author": "capableweb",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T15:43:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105045",
          "commentText": "I'm a big fan of the \"Very Short Introductions\" series from Oxford University Press. They're usually brief and gives a wide starting point to a lot of different viewpoints of a subject, useful as a starting point into a topic. Seems there are about 730 books published in the series so far, with a wide range of topics. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Very_Short_Introductions\nI personally haven't read it, but there is one for religion as well, \"Religion: A Very Short Introduction\" (9780190064679). Then there are a bunch of them around specific subjects in religion as well, browse the list in the Wikipedia article and you'll find them.\nI've read maybe ~20 books from the series and all besides two or three have been of utmost quality, so probably this one is at least a good starting point.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I personally haven't read it, but there is one for religion as well, \"Religion: A Very Short Introduction\" (9780190064679).",
          "reason": "Identified as the series’ religion title and considered a likely starting point.",
          "audience": "Starting point for learning about religion.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "religion-what-it-is-how-it-works-and-why-it-matters-9c641e",
      "title": "Religion: What It Is, How It Works, and Why It Matters",
      "author": "Christian Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42220961,
          "author": "throw0101d",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T14:13:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42220961",
          "commentText": "If I had to pick one: The rise and fall of American growth: the U.S. standard of living since the Civil War by Robert Gordon. The gains that we have made in the (early) 20th century are unlikely to ever be repeated, and progress in many metrics has measurably slowed or even stalled since ~1970s (likely being asymptotic). And while the Internet (classified under the Information, Communication, Technology (ICT) chapters) gave a bump in the 1990s, it's mostly been flat since 2004.\nMore economic history with Slouching towards Utopia: an economic history of the twentieth century by J. Bradford Delong. More economic ideas stuff in Value(s): building a better world for all by Mark Carney (ran the Banks of Canada and England). Also Waphsott's Keynes Hayek: the clash that defined modern economics and Samuelson Friedman: the battle over the free market.\nThe currency of politics: the political theory of money from Aristotle to Keynes by Sefan Eich, Money: the true story of a made-up thing by Jacob Goldstein, and The power of gold: the history of an obsession by Peter Bernstein (also his Against the Gods on risk). Show how much of a human construct \"money\" is, how its meaning changes in different times and places/cultures. Should be required reading by all the 'hard money' folks (gold standard, BTC).\nThe good life: lessons from the world's longest scientific study of happiness by Waldinger and Schultz (directors of the Harvard study). If there's one 'magic' thing for health and happiness it seems to be having good relationships (family, friends) in your life.\nReligion: what it is, how it works, and why it matters by Christian Smith and Strange rites: new religions for a godless world by Tara Burton. While many think that religion is in decline, the non-material/supernatural things that people believe in has actually shifted. And having beliefs in a super-human entity seems to be the basis of most societies and civilizations. Related, The warfare between science and religion : the idea that wouldn't die, a series of essays; the conflict thesis bunk, both historically and presently.\nThe origins of Canadian and American political differences by Jason Kaufman, two seemingly-the-same neighbouring countries that have had different development paths when it comes to culture and government. (I'm Canadian.)\nSpeaking of government: Civil resistance: what everyone needs to know by Erica Chenoweth. Seems violence/force is generally a less effective way to affect change in society than non-violence.\nThe week: a history of the unnatural rhythms that made us who we are by David Henkin. Seems that while seven days has been around for a long while, making it a really 'hard' structure/schedule around it is a more recent phenomenon than you'd expect.\nIf you have kids, Karen Le Billon's French kids eat everything (and yours can, too) and Getting to YUM: the 7 secrets of raising eager eaters, her husband is French and she lived there for a year and found many things done better there than US/CA. See also The happiest kids in the world: how Dutch parents help their kids and themselves by doing less by Acosta and Hutchison.\nFlying blind: the 737 MAX tragedy and the fall of Boeing by Peter Robison is an HN favourite. While we get a lot of engineer vs MBA comments, I think the bigger problem (associated with the MBA-types) is financialization, i.e., returns over everything else. Having non-engineers/MBAs can be 'fine' also long as trying to squeeze blood/money from a stone at the cost of everything else.\nSome philosophy with Alasdair C. MacIntyre: After Virtue is a good starting point. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/After_Virtue",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Religion: what it is, how it works, and why it matters by Christian Smith",
          "reason": "Discusses how beliefs in supernatural things shift and shape societies.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in religion and society.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christian Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "religion",
        "sociology of religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "reluctant-genius-faf009",
      "title": "Reluctant Genius",
      "author": "Charlotte Gray",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1977527,
          "author": "jorkos",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-07T00:49:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1977527",
          "commentText": "\"Reluctant Genuis\" (biography of Alexander Graham Bell) - a must read to better understand the context in which the phone was invented, and the tremendous impact it had as a technology; the story of an amazing inventor, period.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a must read to better understand the context in which the phone was invented, and the tremendous impact it had as a technology",
          "reason": "Calls it a must-read for understanding the invention and impact of the telephone.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charlotte Gray"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alexander graham bell",
        "invention",
        "telephone"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rendezvous-with-rama-series-d56ca8",
      "title": "Rendezvous with Rama series",
      "author": "Arthur C. Clarke",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22722478,
          "author": "grayed-down",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T20:36:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22722478",
          "commentText": "If by positive impact you mean most enjoyable, then:\nThe Godfather, Mario Puzo (Film good, Novel excellent)\nAnna Karenin, Leo Tolstoy (Best novelist ever IMO)\nRendezvous With Rama Series, Arthur Clarke (Great)\nReplay, Ken Grimley? (Cool story)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rendezvous With Rama Series, Arthur Clarke (Great)",
          "reason": "Recommends the series and calls it great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur C. Clarke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "hard science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "renegades-of-the-empire-how-three-software-warriors-started-a-rev-047312",
      "title": "Renegades of the Empire: How Three Software Warriors Started a Revolution Behind the Walls of Fortress Microsoft",
      "author": "Michael Drummond",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22708439,
          "author": "j1mr10rd4n",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T01:29:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22708439",
          "commentText": "I thought Renegades of the Empire was a fascinating look into the internal machinations at Redmond and a bit of DirectX history too\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Renegades-Empire-Software-Revolution-... (https://www.amazon.com/Renegades-Empire-Software-Revolution-Microsoft/dp/0609604163)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Renegades of the Empire",
          "reason": "Describes internal maneuvering at Microsoft and some DirectX history.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Microsoft and software history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Drummond"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "directx",
        "microsoft history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rent-at-helvete-30192e",
      "title": "Rent åt helvete",
      "author": "Elinor Torp",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40464564,
          "author": "CRConrad",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-24T09:56:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40464564",
          "commentText": "Oh, I forgot -- also Rent åt helvete by Elinor Torp.\nAnd, in fiction: Red Team blues by Cory Doctorow (again), The Twyford code by Janice Hallett, and The Glass Key by Dashiell Hammett.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "also Rent åt helvete by Elinor Torp.",
          "reason": "Listed as another book the commenter read in response to a thread asking for the best books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Elinor Torp"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "report-from-engine-co-82-f56b05",
      "title": "Report from Engine Co. 82",
      "author": "Dennis Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Report From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dennis Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "firefighting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "report-to-greco-7d9efe",
      "title": "Report to Greco",
      "author": "Nikos Kazantzakis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9350201,
          "author": "twobits",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T19:12:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350201",
          "commentText": "It's on my reading list. Have read \"Report to Greco\" by Nikos Kazantzakis, and it's my favorite book of all time. Very deep, very touching, very thought provoking, and at the same time very simple, easy, and accessible.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's my favorite book of all time. Very deep, very touching, very thought provoking",
          "reason": "Calls it their favorite book and praises its depth and accessibility.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nikos Kazantzakis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "repositioning-marketing-in-an-era-of-competition-change-and-crisi-484736",
      "title": "Repositioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis",
      "author": "Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6130130,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2013-07-30T21:18:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 6130006,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read re marketing for my website?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6130130",
          "commentText": "I'm not sure if the fact that it's a game changes anything or not as I don't play in that space myself.  But just in terms of marketing in general, some of the essentials include:\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing - Al Ries & Jack Trout\nPositioning - Al Ries & Jack Trout\nRepositioning - Jack Trout (with Steve Rivkin)\nDifferentiate or Die - Jack Trout (with Steve Rivkin)\nThe Ultimate Marketing Plan - Dan S. Kennedy\nThe Ultimate Sales Machine - Chet Holmes\nAll Marketers Are Liars - Seth Godin\nThe Purple Cow - Seth Godin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Repositioning - Jack Trout (with Steve Rivkin)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jack Trout",
        "Steve Rivkin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "brand positioning",
        "marketing strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "requiem-for-the-american-dream-cd7cd6",
      "title": "Requiem for the American Dream",
      "author": "Noam Chomsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37960159,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:07:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960159",
          "commentText": "* \"Amusing Ourselves to Death\" by Neil Postman (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Postman contrasts the dystopian visions of George Orwell's \"1984\" and Aldous Huxley's \"Brave New World\" to argue that western society is becoming a shallow, entertainment-driven culture shaped by television and other media. He discusses the profound effects of television on politics, education, and other aspects of society.\n* \"Howard Zinn: A People's History of the US\" by Howard Zinn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers an alternative exploration of American history from the perspective of ordinary people and marginalized groups rather than from political leaders, emphasizing class struggles and systemic injustices.\n* \"The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science\" by Isaac Asimov (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive outline of scientific knowledge, covering fields like physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, and earth science. It communicates complex scientific concepts in a way that is accessible to non-specialist readers.\n* \"Das Kapital\" by Karl Marx (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive critique of capitalism highlighting its inherent contradictions and imbalances. Marx diagnoses the capitalist system as one in which the rich get richer at the expense of the working class. The book has been influential in shaping socialist and communist thought.\n* \"Handbook of Electronic Circuits\" (1 mention, authors not specified)\n    * Summary: An extensive reference guide that provides information on basic electronic circuits and components. It delves into the world of electronics with detailed illustrations and designs, making it a valuable resource for both beginners and professionals in the field.\n* \"Simulacra and Simulation\" by Jean Baudrillard (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This philosophical work explores the nature and cultural implications of signs and images in contemporary society. Baudrillard posits that symbols and signs have replaced reality and meaning, creating a hyperreal world where simulations of reality have become more real than reality itself.\n* \"LSD: My Problem Child\" by Albert Hofmann (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This autobiographical work by Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who first synthesized LSD, discusses his discovery and personal experiences with the drug, exploring both the positive and negative effects of LSD, its influence on society, and its potential therapeutic uses.\n* \"Requiem for the American Dream: The 10 Principles of Concentration of Wealth & Power\" by Noam Chomsky (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Chomsky provides an extensive critique of inequality in America, arguing that the concentration of wealth and power among a small elite is undermining democracy. He lays out 10 principles of concentration of wealth and power that have led to this situation.\n* \"Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\" by Alfred Lansing (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This true account of Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton's 1914-1916 expedition turned survival story. When his ship, the Endurance, was crushed by ice and left Shackleton and his crew stranded, they embarked on a harrowing and miraculous voyage to safety.\n* \"Hacker's Handbook\" by Hugo Cornwall (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A guidebook for computer enthusiasts that provides a look at the world of hacking. It covers a range of topics, including telephone and computer hacking, as well as legal implications.\n* \"Cosmos\" by Carl Sagan (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This widely-admired book introduces the universe beyond the Earth. Sagan explores our place in the universe, the history of scientific discovery, and the crucial role of critical thinking in grasping our world and the vast cosmos we are part of.\n* \"Six Pillars of Self-Esteem\" by Nathaniel Branden (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book provides a comprehensive exploration of self-esteem, its importance, its sources, and how to cultivate it. It offers concrete strategies to enhance self-esteem, which Branden argues is a key component of psychological health and personal fulfillment.\n* \"Future Shock\" by Alvin Toffler (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Future Shock examines the psychological and sociological impact of accelerating technological and social change. Toffler introduces the concept of \"future shock\" as a form of psychological disorientation caused by a rapid change in society and advocates for a more measured and conscious approach to future planning.\n* \"The Metropolis and Mental Life\" by Georg Simmel (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This seminal essay analyzes the effects of the urban environment on the individual's mind and social relationships. Simmel argues that the impersonality and money-centered economy of the metropolis lead to individuals feeling more alienated and adopting a defensive, blase attitude towards life.\n* \"The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power\" by Shoshana Zuboff (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book provides an extensive critique of the commodification of personal data by corporations in the digital age. Zuboff explores the rise of surveillance capitalism, where businesses harvest and analyze customer data to predict and influence behaviors.\n* \"Permanent Record\" by Edward Snowden (1 mention)\n    * Summary: In this powerful memoir, whistle-blower Edward Snowden tells his story on why he decided to expose the mass surveillance practices of the U.S. government. Permanent Record opens a broader conversation about free societies, privacy, surveillance, and what makes a country strong.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Requiem for the American Dream: The 10 Principles of Concentration of Wealth & Power\" by Noam Chomsky (1 mention)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37960142,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:06:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960142",
          "commentText": "I ran this thread through GPT-4 to extract mentions and summarize them in markdown. Sharing if it's helpful for others too.\n* \"Manufacturing Consent\" by Chomsky and Herman (2 mentions)\n    * Summary: This book investigates and criticizes the media's role in promoting and sustaining powerful interests. Chomsky frames the media as a system that safeguards the power of the elite by shaping public opinion.\n* \"On Palestine\" by Chomsky (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers an insightful view of one of the most enduring and intractable conflicts of our time. Chomsky explores the historical origins, developments, and politics surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict.\n* \"Requiem for the American Dream\" by Noam Chomsky (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book discusses the concentration of wealth in the hands of the few and its effects on democracy in America. It highlights the decline of the middle class and the widening wealth gap.\n* \"The Design of Everyday Things\" by Don Norman (2 mentions)\n    * Summary: The book details the science behind our interaction with everyday items. It scrutinizes the design process and explores the relationship between users and the products they use, urging designers to think deeply about how their designs influence user behavior.\n* \"The Better Angels of Our Nature\" by Steven Pinker (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book challenges the belief that society is becoming increasingly violent, arguing instead that violence has declined over historical time periods. It explores the psychological and societal mechanisms that have led to this decrease.\n* \"Factfulness\" by Hans Rosling (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Factfulness emphasizes a more optimistic view of global human progress. It challenges the notion that the world is worse off today than it was in the past by providing facts and statistics that argue the contrary.\n* \"Phenomenology of Spirit\" by Hegel (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This is a central work of German philosophy in which Hegel explores the concept of 'spirit'. He examines the relationship between consciousness and its objects, eventually leading to a discussion about the nature of freedom and the unfolding of history.\n* \"The Righteous Mind\" by Jonathan Haidt (2 mentions)\n    * Summary: The book delves into the world of moral psychology and its impact on politics and religion. Haidt proposes that morality is not a product of rational thought but is driven by intuitive reactions, challenging conventional understandings of morality.\n* \"How To Build A Car\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: The book offers a captivating analysis of Formula 1 car design and the precision engineering involved in creating these high-performance vehicles. It provides insights into the processes followed by a renowned designer.\n* \"Factfulness\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: Factfulness emphasizes a more optimistic view of global human progress. It challenges notions that the world is getting worse by presenting an array of facts that argue the contrary.\n* \"Strunk and White The Elements of Style\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A guide to English language usage and writing style that covers topics such as conciseness, clarity, and simplicity of expression. It is considered a seminal work on English composition and is widely used in American English writing.\n* \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book explores the concept of how symbols, patterns and loops manifest in the fields of mathematics, art and music. It also discusses aspects of cognition and consciousness and how our minds perceive and understand the world.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Requiem for the American Dream\" by Noam Chomsky (1 mention)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37941354,
          "author": "pchangr",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T11:28:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37941354",
          "commentText": "I know “Requiem for the American Dream” talks about it. Just keep in mind it’s written from a very us centric perspective",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I know “Requiem for the American Dream” talks about it. Just keep in mind it’s written from a very us centric perspective",
          "reason": "The commenter identifies it as addressing the topic in the parent question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it has a very US-centric perspective.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Noam Chomsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "wealth inequality",
        "politics",
        "middle class"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "resistances-to-the-adoption-of-technological-innovations-1169e7",
      "title": "Resistances to the Adoption of Technological Innovations",
      "author": "Bernhard J. Stern",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22094219,
          "author": "dredmorbius",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T21:27:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22094219",
          "commentText": "In no particular order, and some of these being more \"highly underrated\" as opposed to \"unknown\", with the notable exception of Smith's Wealth of Nations which is disturbingly un- and mis-read:\n1. Grammatical Man, by Jeremy Campbell (1982)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-e... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-entropy-language-and-life/oclc/856698430)\nMy introduction to information theory and its diverse set of interrelated applications and phenomena.\n2. Ecology and the Politics of Scarcity, by William Ophuls (1977)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-s... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-scarcity-revisited-the-unraveling-of-the-american-dream/oclc/872523631)\nDistills the Limits to Growth issue to its essence, and looks at the political implications, with a set of estimates of political developments which have played out closely.\n3. An Inquiry to the Nature and Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith (1776)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/inquiry-into-the-nature-and-c... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/inquiry-into-the-nature-and-causes-of-the-wealth-of-nations/oclc/1083940513)\nThe best-known, but least-read, and most mis-read book on this list.  Smith isn't perfect and has flaws.  But his message is extraordinarily misunderstood and misrepresented.  Even where he is wrong, he is instructive.\n4. Commercialism and Journalism, by Hamilton Holt (1909)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/commercialism-and-journalism/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/commercialism-and-journalism/oclc/639344712)\nA short but extraordinarily illuminating read on the influence of money and advertising on the press, coming near the beginning of the era of mass media.\n5. Unix Power Tools, by Mike Loukides et al (1997)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/2584502... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/258450296)\nThe book that really got me \"over the hump\" in understanding the Unix environment and tools.  Now somewhat dated, though still highly useful.\n6. A Short History of Progress, by Ronald Wright (2004)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/short-history-of-progress/ocl... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/short-history-of-progress/oclc/1089834019)\nAn exploration of the story, question, and future, of progress.\n7. Entropy and the Economic Process, by Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen (1971)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/entropy-law-and-the-economic-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/entropy-law-and-the-economic-process/oclc/299362046)\nA re-thinking of economics taking thermodynamics into account.  Famously difficult to read, but well worth the effort.\n8. On the Damned Human Race, by Mark Twain (1962)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/mark-twain-on-the-damned-huma... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/mark-twain-on-the-damned-human-race/oclc/950982242)\nA darker, angrier, more bitter side of Twain, cracking open the sanitised version those familiar with Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn will know, and giving an insight to the darker side of late 19th and early 20th century America.\n9. Energy and Civilization, by Vaclav Smil (2017)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-and-civilization-a-his... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-and-civilization-a-history/oclc/1032365823)\nA re-casting of history, not according to spiritual or cultural progress, Great Men, or social dynamics, but the access to and utilisation of energy sources.\n10. Resistances to the Adoption of Technological Innovations, by Bernhard J. Stern (1937)\nhttps://archive.org/details/technologicaltre1937unitrich/pag... (https://archive.org/details/technologicaltre1937unitrich/page/39)\nA fascinating exploration of the organised opposition to numerous significant technological innovations through the ages, contrary to the conventional story told by mainstream economic and innovation models and stories.  Stern's research assistant at the time he was working on this topic went on to become known as a science fiction author, and based one of his first works on this notion:  Isaac Asimov.\nOn the question of compiling such lists:  I've recently started keeping a research journal in which I'm trying to capture works of significance that I've read, vaguely inspired by both index-card methods (such as Zettelkasten or POIC) and bullet journals.\nThe organisation is \"BOTI\" -- best of the interval.\nI will start a two-page spread, dated, of a specific class of entries -- works, videos, authors, ideas, etc. -- and when that closes, start another.  Periodically (about every month, for now) I'll select the best of those works for a BOTM list, and at the end of a year, a BOTY list.\nOr at least that's the idea.\nThis may address the question of keeping track of the most significant works (or authors, concepts, ideas, etc.) over time, which otherwise tend to become a bit of a jumble.\nThe BOTI list and periodic aggregations themselves resemble round-robin databases, or ring or circular buffers or files, though without actually rewriting each specific list.  The initial capture levels remain accessible (in the journal) for revisiting, should something prove to have been more significant on subsequent reflection than initially appeared.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Resistances to the Adoption of Technological Innovations, by Bernhard J. Stern (1937)",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a fascinating study of organized opposition to technological innovations across history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bernhard J. Stern"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of technology",
        "innovation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rethinking-madness-3260f5",
      "title": "Rethinking Madness",
      "author": "Paris Williams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35929538,
          "author": "ada1981",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T15:50:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35929538",
          "commentText": "Rethinking Madness by Dr. Paris Williams.\nHelped me to understand psychosis as a natural process, then when supported, results in a more sane, connected and healthier individual — and that that modern medical world is dramatically behind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rethinking Madness by Dr. Paris Williams.",
          "reason": "Says it helped the commenter understand psychosis as a natural process and challenges modern medical views.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the process leads to healthier outcomes when supported.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paris Williams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mental health",
        "psychosis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "retief-0e0e59",
      "title": "Retief",
      "author": "Keith Laumer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8613630,
          "author": "db48x",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-16T06:55:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8613630",
          "commentText": "Almost anything by Vernor Vinge. \"A Deepness in the Sky\" in particular is amazing. I was/am particularly impress by how he handles the idea of fundamental limits on the scope of human achievement, and by how he weaves that into the story so that it's there at all levels.\n\"Diaspora\" by Greg Egan has a great story, huge ideas, and probably the most cogent explanation of sentience/sapience ever written.\n\"The Diamond Age, or A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer\" and \"Accelerando\" have already been mentioned.\n\"Reteif!\" Made me laugh out loud. Larry Niven's \"Destiny's Road\" points out the difficulty of interstellar colonization. \"Ringworld\" blew my mind. Gene Wolfe's \"The Book of the New Syn\" taught me to pay attention; \"Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency\" by Douglas Adams reinforced the lesson.\nThere are a lot of good ones; I could go on for ages...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Reteif!\" Made me laugh out loud.",
          "reason": "Says the book made them laugh out loud.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Keith Laumer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "diplomacy",
        "humor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "retief-series-de20b0",
      "title": "Retief series",
      "author": "Keith Laumer",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17536701,
          "author": "alanning",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:44:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536701",
          "commentText": "For something humorous and a bit off the beaten path, I'd recommend the Retief series by Keith Laumer.  [1]\nFor the best SciFi in general, I'd actually suggest you check out assorted collections of short story.  I don't have a specific anthology to recommend but I have yet to find a published collection at my library that was less than thought-provoking.\nFor the classics, you can't go wrong with Hugo Award winners. [2]  Your local library probably has most of them; try starting with the old ones and working your way through.\n1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jame_Retief\n2. http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For something humorous and a bit off the beaten path, I'd recommend the Retief series by Keith Laumer.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for humorous science fiction away from the usual path.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Keith Laumer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "diplomacy",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "return-from-the-stars-7eb277",
      "title": "Return from the Stars",
      "author": "Stanisław Lem",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1865034,
          "author": "narag",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T15:08:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865034",
          "commentText": "It seems that most recomendations fall in the sci-fi genre. I'll add my personal favourite: Stanisław Lem (the author of Solaris). The Star Diaries and Cyberiad are a lot of fun mixed with really interesting ideas.\nBut if you want to read a very actual story, including an anticipation of the Internet, take a look at this 1961 story:\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Return_from_the_Stars",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "take a look at this 1961 story:",
          "reason": "Points readers to the story as an unusually timely work anticipating the Internet.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in a story anticipating the Internet.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stanisław Lem"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "future society",
        "internet"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "return-of-a-king-the-battle-for-afghanistan-1839-42-2ef3f0",
      "title": "Return of a King: The Battle for Afghanistan, 1839–42",
      "author": "William Dalrymple",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10554510,
          "author": "rluhar",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-12T17:21:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10554510",
          "commentText": "Return of a King (William Dalrymple 2013) - A book about the Anglo-Afghan wars of the 19th century. To paraphrase Mark Twain: History doesn't repeat, but it rhymes\nBeing Mortal (Atul Gawande, 2014) - Powerful book about old age and confronting the mortality of our loved ones\nThe Dark Forest (Cixin Liu, 2014) - Wonderful science fiction from China\nThe Peripheral (William Gibson, 2015) - Bleak, near future science fiction.\nThe Water Knife (Paolo Bacigalupi, 2015) - More bleak, near future science fiction.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Return of a King (William Dalrymple 2013) - A book about the Anglo-Afghan wars of the 19th century. To paraphrase Mark Twain: History doesn't repeat, but it rhymes",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the question about the year's best books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Dalrymple"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "afghanistan",
        "anglo afghan wars"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "return-of-the-native-d78b6a",
      "title": "Return of the Native",
      "author": "Thomas Hardy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 767415,
          "author": "jleung",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-17T05:20:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=767415",
          "commentText": "For a programmer on vacation, I wouldn't recommend a technical book. Go for something that will exercise the right side of your brain, the parts that don't get as much work day-to-day. Your left-brain is what you're trying to rest and refresh; that's why you're on vacation after all.\nI'd go for something on the far end of the spectrum; some forgotten modern classic that won't let your left-brain to kick in, like Return of the Native.\nIf you absolutely must have something technical, the aforementioned Neal Stephenson books are great, as are William Gibson books. The Little Schemer is a good book to go through while you're NOT on vacation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "like Return of the Native",
          "reason": "Suggested as a modern classic for vacation reading.",
          "audience": "A programmer wanting a nontechnical vacation read.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Hardy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classic novel",
        "victorian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "revenue-management-906ce3",
      "title": "Revenue Management",
      "author": "Robert G. Cross",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8717409,
          "author": "taylorbuley",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T16:53:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8717409",
          "commentText": "The Art of Profitability http://www.amazon.com/Art-Profitability-Adrian-Slywotzky/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Art-Profitability-Adrian-Slywotzky/dp/0446692271/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418057572&sr=8-1&keywords=art+of+profitability)\nRevenue Management http://www.amazon.com/Revenue-Management-Robert-G-Cross/dp/0... (http://www.amazon.com/Revenue-Management-Robert-G-Cross/dp/0767900332/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418057547&sr=8-1&keywords=revenue+management)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Revenue Management",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert G. Cross"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "pricing",
        "revenue optimization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "revival-e6540e",
      "title": "Revival",
      "author": "Stephen King",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8795694,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T07:00:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795694",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nPredictable Revenue - Aaron Ross, Marylou Tyler\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nThe Ultimate Question 2.0 - Fred Reichheld‎\nThe Singularity is Near - Ray Kurzweil\nMoonshot! - John Sculley\nZero To One - Peter Thiel\nRepublic - Plato\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius\nNineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell\nFahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury\nThe Mysterious Island - Jules Verne\nDiscipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy, Fred Wiersema\nFalse Memory - Dean Koontz\nNOS4A2- Joe Hill\nRevival - Stephen King\nBarbarians At The Gate - John Helyar and Bryan Burrough\nInto Thin Air - John Krakauer\nHow To Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nand any collection of the works of H.P. Lovecraft.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Revival - Stephen King",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for impactful or liked books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen King"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "horror",
        "supernatural"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "revolutionary-road-77a8c8",
      "title": "Revolutionary Road",
      "author": "Richard Yates",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9348539,
          "author": "ashark",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:06:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348539",
          "commentText": "Franny and Zooey -- Salinger\nMostly by introducing me to the Stoics (Aurelius especially) and a variety of Eastern, especially Zen Buddhist, works.\nRevolutionary Road -- Yates\nYay, mentioned that one in two threads today and it's not even noon yet!\nA History of Western Philosophy -- Russell\nVonnegut in general. Bluebeard serves as a good overview of his major themes and ideas, to pick just one book. The part about how people with small talents who were once valued by their communities have been rendered eccentrics of no special value to anyone by easy, cheap, global distribution of media is always near the front of my mind.\nHow to Read a Book -- Adler",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Revolutionary Road -- Yates\nYay, mentioned that one in two threads today and it's not even noon yet!",
          "reason": "Lists it among books that changed the commenter's perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Yates"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american suburban life"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "revolutionary-wealth-65bc67",
      "title": "Revolutionary Wealth",
      "author": "Alvin Toffler and Heidi Toffler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17168854,
          "author": "ctafur",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T20:04:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168854",
          "commentText": "\"Revolutionary Wealth\", by Alvin and Heidi Toffler.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Revolutionary Wealth\", by Alvin and Heidi Toffler.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alvin Toffler and Heidi Toffler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "future studies",
        "wealth"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rho-agenda-36ed75",
      "title": "Rho Agenda",
      "author": "Richard Phillips",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8944742,
          "author": "fendale",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-25T23:44:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8944742",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed the Honor Harrington series by David Webber. I've also read most of the Safehold series, also by Webber, which has been excellent so far.\nCurrently half way through the Lost Fleet Series, which is pretty good too.\nQuite different from the 3 series above, the Rho Agenda was very good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Rho Agenda was very good.",
          "reason": "Calls the series very good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Phillips"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alien technology",
        "conspiracy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rice-noodle-fish-deep-travels-through-japan-s-food-culture-1f6ba6",
      "title": "Rice, Noodle, Fish: Deep Travels Through Japan's Food Culture",
      "author": "Matt Goulding",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15762394,
          "author": "sukhadatkeereo",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T02:46:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762394",
          "commentText": "1.Rice, Noodle, Fish: Deep Travels Through Japan's Food Culture by Matt Goulding\n2.Oaxaca Journal by Oliver Sacks\n3.A History of the World in 100 Objects by Neil MacGregor\n4.Ernest Hemingway on Writing by Ernest Hemingway\n5.Seven Elements That Have Changed the World: An Adventure of Ingenuity and Discovery by John Browne.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rice, Noodle, Fish: Deep Travels Through Japan's Food Culture by Matt Goulding",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matt Goulding"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "food travel",
        "japanese cuisine"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rich-dad-series-25915d",
      "title": "Rich Dad series",
      "author": "Robert T. Kiyosaki",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 687425,
          "author": "dkokelley",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-04T18:48:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 687066,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on getting rich?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=687425",
          "commentText": "RDPR isn't really as much about getting rich as it is about being rich. Getting rich requires skill, luck, etc. Being rich requires a different mindset in order to continue being rich. Rich people don't buy fancy cars. They buy things that turn a profit so that they can get fancy cars. That's what RDPD is about. I don't know about the rest of the series of the MLM stuff.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "I don't know about the rest of the series of the MLM stuff.",
          "reason": "The commenter refers to the wider series but expresses uncertainty about it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure about the rest of the series and its MLM associations.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 249262,
          "author": "zzzmarcus",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T23:44:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=249262",
          "commentText": "There is some good to Rich Dad. For example:\n- the explanation of how the rich earn passive income by acquiring assets rather than making a direct trade of time for money. It may seem obvious if you know it, but it's a basic and powerful concept.\n- he recommends learning to read balance sheets and becoming financially literate which is, again, basic but important\n- his advice to consider the importance of taxes and learn to structure your income to where you pay taxes but no more than you have to.\nA lot of it's pretty obvious advice, but there is one thing he does well which is to motivate people to take control and become interested in learning to improve their financial situation. I think that generally outweighs the \"bad\" and \"dangerous\" advice in the book.\nThere are better books out there, but I think that the (unfortunately named) Rich Dad series takes more flak than it deserves.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the (unfortunately named) Rich Dad series takes more flak than it deserves",
          "reason": "Says the series has some useful ideas, though acknowledges better books exist.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "There are better books; some advice is described as bad and dangerous.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert T. Kiyosaki"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal finance",
        "financial literacy",
        "wealth mindset"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rich-enough-c3ad34",
      "title": "Rich Enough",
      "author": "Mary Holm",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42219098,
          "author": "wingworks",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T04:00:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42219098",
          "commentText": "The Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins (the guy that started the FIRE movement.)\nGreat read, and not dry like many finance/investing books can be. Worth a read if you want to retire early, or even just retire normally.\nIf you happen to live in NZ, then Rich Enough by Mary Holm is a great read. (again about best way to manage your money, but focused on NZ)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rich Enough by Mary Holm is a great read.",
          "reason": "Recommended for managing money, with a focus on New Zealand.",
          "audience": "Readers in New Zealand interested in managing money.",
          "caveat": "The recommendation is specifically framed for people living in New Zealand.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mary Holm"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "new zealand",
        "personal finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "richard-dawkins-s-books-b458c4",
      "title": "Richard Dawkins's books",
      "author": "Richard Dawkins",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467423,
          "author": "lennyscales",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:23:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467423",
          "commentText": "- Sapiens\n- Richard Dawkin's books",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Richard Dawkin's books",
          "reason": "Says they have been reread but does not name individual titles.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Dawkins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolution",
        "popular science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "richard-scarry-s-busy-busy-town-80178c",
      "title": "Richard Scarry’s Busy, Busy Town",
      "author": "Richard Scarry",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50046323,
          "author": "signalToNose",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T18:35:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50046323",
          "commentText": "Richard Scarry - Busy, busy town. It is still great",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Richard Scarry - Busy, busy town. It is still great",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book is still great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Scarry"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "richer-wiser-happier-how-the-world-s-greatest-investors-win-in-ma-169fc1",
      "title": "Richer, Wiser, Happier: How the World's Greatest Investors Win in Markets and Life",
      "author": "William Green",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33415925,
          "author": "michaelcao",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-01T01:41:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33415925",
          "commentText": "Richer, Wiser, Happier: How the World's Greatest Investors Win in Markets and Life by William Green. I learn a lot of lessons from great investors.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Richer, Wiser, Happier: How the World's Greatest Investors Win in Markets and Life by William Green.",
          "reason": "Lists the book and says it taught them lessons from great investors.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Green"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "investing",
        "investor biographies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "riches-for-the-poor-the-clemente-course-in-the-humanities-0d4417",
      "title": "Riches for the Poor: The Clemente Course in the Humanities",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5000764,
          "author": "Mz",
          "createdAt": "2013-01-03T02:33:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 5000101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5000764",
          "commentText": "Seeing like a state\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0300078153\nRiches for the poor: The Clemente course in humanities\nhttp://books.google.com/books/about/Riches_for_the_Poor.html... (http://books.google.com/books/about/Riches_for_the_Poor.html?id=ltZXCvg4ubAC)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Riches for the poor: The Clemente course in humanities",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "humanities education"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "riders-in-the-chariot-6cbc9f",
      "title": "Riders in the Chariot",
      "author": "Patrick White",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6975689,
          "author": "MrOrelliOReilly",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T18:32:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6975689",
          "commentText": "'Riders in The Chariot', by Patrick White!!\nBig bulking book, worth every minute you put into it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Big bulking book, worth every minute you put into it.",
          "reason": "Says the lengthy book is worth the time it takes to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes it as a big, bulky book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Patrick White"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "australian literature",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "riders-of-the-purple-sage-ed60f7",
      "title": "Riders of the Purple Sage",
      "author": "Zane Grey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41240816,
          "author": "bikenaga",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-13T23:14:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41240816",
          "commentText": "Someone else mentioned Thomas Hardy's \"The Mayor of Casterbirdge\". It's the one of his 5 major novels I haven't read. \"Far From the Madding Crowd\" and \"Return of the Native\" are okay, but the two that really are magnificent are:\n\"Jude the Obscure\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/153\n\"Tess of the D'Urbervilles\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/110\nYou can sense his fury at the society he was depicting. You might not want to read either of these, particularly \"Tess\", if you're prone to depression.\nFrederick Jackson Turner, \"The Frontier in American History\" (1921) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/22994\nThis collection leads off with Turner's essay \"The Significance of the Frontier in American History\" (1893). It's considered by some the most influential historical essay about America ever written. Historians went back and forth on his claims for decades, and people pointed out many issues with them. It seems like the critics predominate now. But it's still worth reading, particularly since (right or wrong) his ideas influenced the way we think of ourselves. Turner was a very good writer - he was a noted orator, and his essays have an oratorical quality - and the other essays in the collection are pretty good, too.\nOwen Wister, \"The Virginian\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1298\nZane Grey, \"Riders of the Purple Sage\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1300\nAnd the sequel: \"The Rainbow Trail\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/5067\n\"The Virginian\" (1902) and \"Riders\" (1912) established many of the themes and tropes for the \"standard\" western, and they're still fun to read. But the genre comprises many other kinds of writing - e.g. A. B. Guthrie, Elmer Kelton, and the next writer.\nWilla Cather's novels:\nThe \"plains trilogy\" (the stories are set in Nebraska and Colorado, but otherwise unrelated):\n\"O Pioneers!\" (1913) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/24\n\"The Song of the Lark\" (1915) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/44\n\"My Ántonia\" (1918) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19810\nAnd not quite a hundred years ago, but a wonderful novel:\n\"Death Comes for the Archbishop\" (1927) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/69730\nA few brief mentions: James Joyce's \"Ulysses\", though I had a tough time getting through it; some of Nathaniel Hawthorne's short stories (e.g. \"The Minister's Black Veil\"); \"Njal's Saga\" (I liked the Penguin edition with the translation by Magnusson and Pallson); the great works of classic fantasy (Lord Dunsany, E. R. Eddison, William Morris, Arthur Machen); the essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zane Grey, \"Riders of the Purple Sage\"",
          "reason": "Along with The Virginian, it helped establish themes and tropes of the standard Western and remains fun to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Zane Grey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "western"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "riding-shotgun-00a822",
      "title": "Riding Shotgun",
      "author": "Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nathan Bennett",
        "Stephen A. Miles"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coo",
        "succession planning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "right-thing-right-now-good-values-good-character-good-deeds-de179a",
      "title": "Right Thing, Right Now: Good Values. Good Character. Good Deeds.",
      "author": "Ryan Holiday",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46396841,
          "author": "phtrivier",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T22:08:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46396841",
          "commentText": "I started the year with \"Right thing, right now\", and I'm ending it with \"wisdom takes work\" (R.Holiday), but I'm happy to say that I'm now a bit \"tired\" of re-reading the same rehashing of other people's book, and I want to read the original ones. Which, actually, is the pont.\nI wanted to read classics, and devoured \"The portrait of Dorian Gray\" (O.Wilde), where maybe 50% of all the \"as O.Wilde said...\" quotes seem to come from (uttered by a single, incredibly obnoxious character.)\nI challenged myself to read \"Les Miserables\" (V.Hugo), and actually managed to get two tomes out of five down. Eminently quotable, heavily skippable - why on earth spend half a time on describing the ins and out of Waterloo, except to show off ? - and, surprisingly, at times, _funny_.\nThe bio of Pierre Mendès France (J.Lacouture) was very much topical, given the mess in Franch politics. We had more PMs in one year than in a few chapters of the book. It's very weird to read that, at some point, some politicians were \"liked\" by the people - but lost power anyway.\nA small Edouard Phillipe book called \"Men who read\" almost made me like the guy - his next book is more serious and expected. It pains me to think that our next election is going to be about \"well read people who disappointed everyone\" vs \"popular jocks with no education who will end up disappointing everyone\".\n\"Abundance\" (E.Klein / D.Thompson) is an attempt from \"well read people\" to at least try and understand why everyone is disappointed and prefer the jocks. I don't think they included any solution in their book, though - maybe they save it for the sequel, or for E.Klein's presidential bid.\nI want to read all Stripe press - if only, because the covers rock, and they're optimistic. Started with \"Poor Charlie's Almanach\" (C.Munger), which a disappointing rehash of the same funny speech seven times. (Tldr : be multidisciplinary, study cognitive biases, don't trade). In the middle of \"The Origins of Efficiency \" (Potter)\n\"The Wave\" (Souleymane) was not optimistic. And not practical at all - sure, AI enabled drones carrying bioweapons will suck. \"The Age of predators\" (G. Da Empoli) reminds us that the AI enabled bioweapons carrying drones will come from an illiberal state enabled by billionaires from Silicon Valley, and Russian trolls. I wish someone told me where to go to avoid being targeted too early.\n\"Everything is tuberculosis\" (J. Greene) reminded me of a time when scientists were trying to solve problems as opposed to creating brand new ones - but at least the next generations won't die of boredom.\n\"We, programmers\" is a rehash of Uncle Bob's pre talks \"history of programming\". I loved the long and detailed parts about G.Hopper. He ends with a (failed) attempt to convince that programmers will still be needed in the age of AI.\nSteve Yegge's \"Vibe coding\" goes full \"resistance is futile\" about programming with agents, and, interestingly, ends up talking more about TDD than Uncle Bob - but the words \"electricity consumption\" and \"climate impact\" are not utured, because, why spoil the fun.\n\"The Common LISP cookbook\" tried to explain me the difference between ASDF, quicklisp and whatnot - 2025 was the closest year I ever go to actually writing something in LISP instead of reading books about it.\nAnd also, \"The baby is a mammal\" (M.Odent) and \"Becoming a dad for dummies\", because this year was probably the last one we're I'll get so much time to read :)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I started the year with \"Right thing, right now\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are tired of rereading books that rehash others’ ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Grouped with what the commenter calls repeated rehashes of other people’s books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ryan Holiday"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ethics",
        "stoicism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "right-wrong-how-technology-transforms-our-ethics-d3934b",
      "title": "Right/Wrong: How Technology Transforms Our Ethics",
      "author": "Juan Enriquez",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42510859,
          "author": "joeyagreco",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T20:06:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42510859",
          "commentText": "Right/Wrong by Juan Enriquez\nVery interesting outlook on the ethics of the near future. Gave me a great (new) perspective on many issues.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Right-Wrong-Technology-Transforms-Eth... (https://www.amazon.com/Right-Wrong-Technology-Transforms-Ethics/dp/0262044420)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Right/Wrong by Juan Enriquez",
          "reason": "The commenter says it offers an interesting outlook on the ethics of the near future and a new perspective on many issues.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Juan Enriquez"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "future ethics",
        "technology ethics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "righteous-indignation-07cfeb",
      "title": "Righteous Indignation",
      "author": "Andrew Breitbart",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13567388,
          "author": "AlwaysBCoding",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T16:00:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567388",
          "commentText": "I just re-read Righteous Indignation by Andrew Breitbart -- Fascinating in retrospect as it accurately describes so much about the emergence of new media and what manifested itself in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fascinating in retrospect as it accurately describes so much about the emergence of new media and what manifested itself in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.",
          "reason": "Calls the book fascinating in retrospect and credits it with describing new media and the 2016 election.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew Breitbart"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "2016 u s presidential election",
        "media"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "righting-software-3d4d2c",
      "title": "Righting Software",
      "author": "Juval Löwy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33856473,
          "author": "leetrout",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T18:55:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33856473",
          "commentText": "A Philosophy of Software Design\nhttps://web.stanford.edu/~ouster/cgi-bin/book.php\nRighting Software\nhttps://rightingsoftware.org/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Righting Software",
          "reason": "Lists the book in response to a request for suggested reading.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking material on software engineering.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Juval Löwy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software architecture",
        "software development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rinsed-from-cartels-to-crypto-how-the-tech-industry-washes-money--4643af",
      "title": "Rinsed: From Cartels to Crypto: How the Tech Industry Washes Money for the World's Deadliest Crooks",
      "author": "Geoff White",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42219433,
          "author": "lovestory",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T05:56:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42219433",
          "commentText": "I only have time to listen to audiobooks so I hope this list is not too basic.\nOn the Edge: The Art of Risking Everything by Nate Silver\nThe End of Reality: How Four Billionaires Are Selling a Fantasy Future of the Metaverse, Mars, and Crypto by Jonathan Taplin\nThe Value of Others by Orion Taraban\nRinsed: From Cartels to Crypto: How the Tech Industry Washes Money for the World's Deadliest Crooks by Geoff White\nWhy We Die: The New Science of Aging and the Quest for Immortality by Venki Ramakrishnan\nExtremely Hardcore: Inside Elon Musk's Twitter by Zoe Schiffer\nBottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Katherine Eban\nAI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference by Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor\nHijacking Bitcoin: The Hidden History of BTC by Roger Ver\nGo Woke, Go Broke: The Inside Story of the Radicalization of Corporate America by Charles Gasparino\nThe Catalyst: RNA and the Quest to Unlock Life's Deepest Secrets by Thomas R Cech\nand my book of the year\nGood Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health by Casey Means M D",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rinsed: From Cartels to Crypto: How the Tech Industry Washes Money for the World's Deadliest Crooks by Geoff White",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Geoff White"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crypto",
        "cybercrime",
        "money laundering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rise-and-kill-first-the-secret-history-of-israel-s-targeted-assas-37d521",
      "title": "Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations",
      "author": "Ronen Bergman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804899,
          "author": "AGivant",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:29:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804899",
          "commentText": "Here is my list (from https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/912138-alex-givant?rea...):\nMemoirs:\n- Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti..).\n- Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive by Land, Stephanie, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39218350-maid\n- Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40409969-medium-raw\n- Confessions of a Tax Collector: One Man's Tour of Duty Inside the IRS by Yancey, Rick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_..).\n- The Perfect Predator: A Scientist's Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Superbug: A Memoir by Steffanie Strathdee, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-pre... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-predator)\nPolitics:\n- Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Desmond, Matthew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25852784-evicted\n- Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America by Leovy, Jill, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13153693-ghettoside\n- American Prison: A Reporter's Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment by Bauer, Shane, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38561954-american-prison\n- Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Eban, Katherine, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42448266-bottle-of-lies\n- A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America by Miller, T. Christian, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35805861-a-false-report\n- The New Silk Roads by Frankopan, Peter, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro..).\nHistory:\n- Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-1956 by Applebaum, Anne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13531848-iron-curtain\n- The Romanovs: 1613-1918 by Montefiore, Simon Sebag, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26109020-the-romanovs\n- The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Johnson, Steven, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36086.The_Ghost_Map\n- Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations by Bergman, Ronen, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f..).\n- Madame Fourcade's Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against Hitler by Olson, Lynne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade..).\n- Argo: How the CIA & Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History by Méndez, Antonio J., https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13588425-argo\nCrime:\n- Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History by Selby, Scott Andrew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7071759-flawless\n- American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road by Bilton, Nick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi..).\n- Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by Carreyrou, John, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37976541-bad-blood\n- Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World by Wright, Tom, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-..).\n- The Mastermind: Drugs. Empire. Murder. Betrayal. by Ratliff, Evan, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41181600-the-mastermind\nTechnology:\n- Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon by Zetter, Kim, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze..).\n- Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World by Thompson, Clive, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40406806-coders",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations by Bergman, Ronen",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list of favorite nonfiction books read in 2019.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ronen Bergman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "intelligence",
        "israel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rising-strong-edac8d",
      "title": "Rising Strong",
      "author": "Brené Brown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10845443,
          "author": "andersthue",
          "createdAt": "2016-01-05T19:39:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 10833032,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book you've recently read and enjoyed?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10845443",
          "commentText": "Rising Strong by Brene Brown\nIt teaches you how to get back up after failure, how to be in the arena, doing the work and not backing down when the critics tries to shame you.\nHer research on shame in her earlier books and especially on the subject of \"doing the best you can\" in this book has helped me a lot.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rising Strong by Brene Brown\nIt teaches you how to get back up after failure, how to be in the arena, doing the work and not backing down when the critics tries to shame you.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it teaches resilience after failure and not backing down under criticism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brené Brown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal growth",
        "resilience",
        "shame"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rising-up-and-rising-down-9f2683",
      "title": "Rising Up and Rising Down",
      "author": "William T. Vollmann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8109118,
          "author": "nooron",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:21:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109118",
          "commentText": "William Vollmann's Rising Up & Rising Down is worth your time. If you're inclined towards philosophy of science or epistemology, I'd also recommend R Nozick's Invariances: The Structure of the Objective World.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "William Vollmann's Rising Up & Rising Down is worth your time.",
          "reason": "Says it is worth the reader’s time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William T. Vollmann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ethics",
        "political history",
        "violence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rising-up-and-rising-down-some-thoughts-on-violence-freedom-and-u-99c68c",
      "title": "Rising Up and Rising Down: Some Thoughts on Violence, Freedom and Urgent Means",
      "author": "William T. Vollmann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10027563,
          "author": "rsync",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T15:46:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027563",
          "commentText": "Rising Up and Rising Down:  Some Thoughts on Violence, Freedom and Urgent Means\nAuthor:  William T. Vollmann\nIt's a 7 volume set, but has a one volume abridged version which is one of the more fascinating and thought-provoking books I have ever read.  I rate it very closely to GEB.\nHighly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a 7 volume set, but has a one volume abridged version which is one of the more fascinating and thought-provoking books I have ever read. I rate it very closely to GEB.\nHighly recommended.",
          "reason": "Calls the abridged version fascinating and thought-provoking and explicitly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The full work is a seven-volume set; the commenter recommends its one-volume abridgment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William T. Vollmann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ethics",
        "freedom",
        "violence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "risk-society-towards-a-new-modernity-a531c6",
      "title": "Risk Society: Towards a New Modernity",
      "author": "Ulrich Beck",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39060777,
          "author": "MPSimmons",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T20:36:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39060777",
          "commentText": "Risk Society by Ulrich Beck is one that I enjoyed. Make sure to get it used; the new prices are crazy\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Risk-Society-Modernity-Published-asso... (https://www.amazon.com/Risk-Society-Modernity-Published-association/dp/0803983468)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Risk Society by Ulrich Beck is one that I enjoyed.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter advises buying it used because new copies are expensive.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ulrich Beck"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "modernity",
        "risk society",
        "social theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "risk-the-science-and-politics-of-fear-3c9ee5",
      "title": "Risk: The Science and Politics of Fear",
      "author": "Dan Gardner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1026502,
          "author": "ErrantX",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T00:27:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026502",
          "commentText": "Risk, the science of politics and fear by Dan Gardner (absolutely fantastic book, I already mentioned it on here earlier in the year).\nThe Game (again). I read this regularly to remind me of a few things - it's the book that originally got me fascinated in human interaction.\nNemesis (Richard Mullers theory) after a recommendation on HN.\nA couple of Obama's books (seemed logical to read up on him)- dreams of my Father I especially liked.\nSnowball (though still chugging through that).\nIn Search of Schrodinger's Cat - a book all about the evolution of quantum theory (and one that gives me my favourite quote of the year: In 1905 Einstein actually published 5 times. The fifth being his PHD dissertation; yes those three individually genius works, which shook the very foundations of physics, were published my a man called Mr Einstein. Despite the artistic license I still love it as a quote :))",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Risk, the science of politics and fear by Dan Gardner (absolutely fantastic book",
          "reason": "Calls it an absolutely fantastic book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Gardner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "politics",
        "risk perception"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "river-out-of-eden-ba0ffc",
      "title": "River Out of Eden",
      "author": "Richard Dawkins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10766367,
          "author": "adomanico",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T07:19:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10766367",
          "commentText": "The Moral Landscape - Sam Harris\nRiver Out of Eden - Richard Dawkins\nThe God Delusion - Richard Dawkins",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "River Out of Eden - Richard Dawkins",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that affected the reader's thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Dawkins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolution",
        "popular science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "river-town-bbaf62",
      "title": "River Town",
      "author": "Peter Hessler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12988672,
          "author": "simoch",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-18T18:03:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12988672",
          "commentText": "Several:\n* \"The Elements Of Computing Systems\", by Nisan and Schocken\nAccompanies www.nand2tetris.org and leads you through implementing logic gates, a CPU, Assembler, right up to a functional computer, with the help of simulator software on a PC. Fascinating, but requires 100-200 hours to complete all the exercises.\n* \"The Rosie Project\", by Graeme Simsion\nEasy to read novel about a man searching for a wife, as recommended on Bill Gates' blog\n* \"Island Of The Lost\", by Joan Druett\nA true story of survival after being shipwrecked on a remote island\n* \"River Town\", by Peter Hessler\nThe experiences of an English teacher who spent two years working in China",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"River Town\", by Peter Hessler",
          "reason": "Describes an English teacher's two years working in China.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Hessler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "china",
        "expatriate life"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "river-of-gods-4e1cc7",
      "title": "River of Gods",
      "author": "Ian McDonald",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13251872,
          "author": "sorokod",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T22:22:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13251872",
          "commentText": "For sci-fi with some Indian spice have a look at River of Gods by Ian McDonald",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For sci-fi with some Indian spice have a look at River of Gods by Ian McDonald",
          "reason": "Suggests the novel to readers seeking science fiction with an Indian setting or influence.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in science fiction with Indian elements.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ian McDonald"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "india"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "river-of-the-gods-genius-courage-and-betrayal-in-the-search-for-t-001b95",
      "title": "River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile",
      "author": "Candice Millard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38556496,
          "author": "CharleFKane",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T14:09:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38556496",
          "commentText": "Deadly Times: The 1910 Bombing of the Los Angeles Times and America's Forgotten Decade of Terror, Lew Irwin\nRiver of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile, Candice Millard\nThe Fleet That Had To Die,  Richard Hough\nTrapped Under the Sea: One Engineering Marvel, Five Men, and a Disaster Ten Miles Into the Darkness, Neil Swidey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile, Candice Millard",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Candice Millard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "exploration",
        "nile river"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "riverworld-series-0ecc05",
      "title": "Riverworld series",
      "author": "Philip José Farmer",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31978002,
          "author": "buriburi",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-04T15:21:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31978002",
          "commentText": "The Riverworld series by Phillip Jose Farmer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Riverworld series by Phillip Jose Farmer.",
          "reason": "Offered as an answer to the rereading question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip José Farmer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure",
        "resurrection"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "roadwork-03ece9",
      "title": "Roadwork",
      "author": "Sally Sutton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26775082,
          "author": "rmk",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-12T00:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26775082",
          "commentText": "- Good Night, Moon\n- The Runaway Bunny\n- Harold and the Purple Crayon\n- Grandfather Twilight (for slightly older children)\n- Sandra Boynton books\n- Max's Breakfast (and other books)\n- I Read Signs (Tana Hoban; other books by her also quite good)\n- Go! Go! Go! Stop! (Cherise Mericle Harper)\n- Little Pea (Amy Krouse Rosenthal)\n- Trucks, My Car (and other Byron Barton books)\n- The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Eric Carle; some other books by this author are also good)\n- Roadwork (Sally Sutton; also in the same vein by the illustrator Brian Lovelock: Demolition, Flight of the Honey Bee, The Rain Train).\nMany others come to mind, but these are well-loved.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Roadwork (Sally Sutton",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sally Sutton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s picture books",
        "construction vehicles"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "roald-dahl-books-c42684",
      "title": "Roald Dahl books",
      "author": "Roald Dahl",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34636319,
          "author": "lancefisher",
          "createdAt": "2023-02-03T02:14:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 34634274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books your kids like most",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34636319",
          "commentText": "My kids really enjoyed Minecraft: The Island by Max Brooks. They already liked Minecraft, and the book was a fun read. For a 4yo, I think anything that you read with him is great. Also, when my kids were about that age, they really liked the Roald Dahl books. Just get the boxed set, because they are all good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "they really liked the Roald Dahl books. Just get the boxed set, because they are all good.",
          "reason": "The commenter says their kids liked the books and recommends the boxed set.",
          "audience": "Children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roald Dahl"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "boxed sets",
        "children s books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "roald-dahl-s-books-5e779a",
      "title": "Roald Dahl’s books",
      "author": "Roald Dahl",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50039390,
          "author": "jep888",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T02:53:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50039390",
          "commentText": "The Narnia series, the Harry Potter series, Alice in Wonderland, Wind in the Willows,the Sherlock Holmes series (there are great versions of these made slightly easier for children to read), and of course all of Roald Dahl's books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "all of Roald Dahl's books",
          "reason": "Recommended as children’s books in the list.",
          "audience": "Children.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roald Dahl"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s fiction",
        "fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "robert-heinlein-s-works-67e12f",
      "title": "Robert Heinlein's works",
      "author": "Robert A. Heinlein",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22098690,
          "author": "thorin",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T13:41:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22098690",
          "commentText": "Not sure if these books are unknown or fallen out of favor, but I've never spoken to anyone else who's read them without me passing them on first:\nTravels - Michael Crichton - a number of useful life lessons I'm only just catching up on\nhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Travels-Vintage-Departures-Michael-... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Travels-Vintage-Departures-Michael-Crichton/dp/0804171270/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3E8SW874CLAC8&keywords=travels+michael+crichton&qid=1579527486&sprefix=travels+micha%2Caps%2C292&sr=8-1)\nThe Ragged Trousered Philanthropists\nhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Ragged-Trousered-Philanthropists-Wo... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ragged-Trousered-Philanthropists-Wordsworth-Classics/dp/184022682X/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1DN57D10PVLZS&keywords=ragged+trousered+philanthropist&qid=1579527544&sprefix=ragged+tr%2Caps%2C170&sr=8-1)\nIshmael\nhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Ishmael-Novel-Book-1-ebook/dp/B000S... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ishmael-Novel-Book-1-ebook/dp/B000SEFH6A/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=ismael&qid=1579527572&sr=8-1)\nAnother thought, Robert Heinlein doesn't seem well known in the UK these days but I think he might be better thought of in the UK although may be considered dated and sexist. I often see him quoted on here.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I often see him quoted on here.",
          "reason": "The commenter suggests Heinlein may be more familiar in the UK than they have found him to be.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They say he may be considered dated and sexist.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert A. Heinlein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classic science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "robert-oppenheimer-a-life-inside-the-center-6539ab",
      "title": "Robert Oppenheimer: A Life Inside the Center",
      "author": "Ray Monk",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10787298,
          "author": "yetanotheracc",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T06:03:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787298",
          "commentText": "Absolutely amazing, changed the way I look at the society, will re-read:\n- George Orwell, Keep the Aspidistra Flying\nLoved:\n- Alastair Reynolds, House of Suns\n- Andy Weir, The Martian\n- Neal Stephenson, Seveneves\n- Greg Egan, Teranesia\nLiked:\n- Arthur C. Clarke, 3001: The Final Odyssey\n- Arthur C. Clarke, 2061: Odyssey Three\n- Richard Feynman, The Character of Physical Laws\n- Richard Feynman, The Pleasure of Finding Things Out\n- Jonathan Slack, Stem Cells: A Very Short Introduction\n- John Scalzi, Fuzzy Nation (bought the audiobook for Wil Wheaton's narration)\n- Ray Monk, Robert Oppenheimer: A Life Inside the Center\n- Alastair Reynolds,  Revelation Space\n- David C. Cassidy, Beyond Uncertainty: Heisenberg, Quantum Physics, and the Bomb\nFound full of BS, did not finish:\n- Noam Chomsky, Understanding Power\nTextbooks:\n- order of 10^3 pages of Open University textbooks\n- Klauber, Student Friendly Quantum Field Theory\n- Feynman & Hibbs, Quantum Mechanics and Path Integrals\n- Wald, General Relativity (5 chapters)\n- Peskin & Schroeder, An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory (5 chapters)\nNot as bad as I felt before making the list, but underwhelming in terms of quantity. I intend to read a whole lot more in 2016.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Ray Monk, Robert Oppenheimer: A Life Inside the Center",
          "reason": "Listed under books the commenter says they liked.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ray Monk"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "j robert oppenheimer"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "robot-bdff9c",
      "title": "Robot",
      "author": "Adam Wiśniewski-Snerg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48086002,
          "author": "pianetanaif",
          "createdAt": "2026-05-10T17:35:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 48084905,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci fi books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48086002",
          "commentText": "In the post I didn’t mention what I’m reading: Robot by Adam Wiśniewski-Snerg",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Robot by Adam Wiśniewski-Snerg",
          "reason": "Named as the book the commenter is reading in response to a request for current science fiction reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adam Wiśniewski-Snerg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "polish science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "robot-builder-s-bonanza-f0e6b6",
      "title": "Robot Builder's Bonanza",
      "author": "Gordon McComb",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804066,
          "author": "Delfino",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:09:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804066",
          "commentText": "I read about 25 books this year, here are the top 10 I look forward to reading in 2020, many of them informed by my favorites of 2019:\nHomo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari - I read Sapiens this year and really enjoyed it. I just started this today one so I may finish that before the end of the year.\nThinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman - I like books that make me think and from what I've heard, this will definitely do the trick. I read Factfulness this year and this was a suggested follow-up.\nThe Language Instinct by Steven Pinker - I've gotten really into natural languages since I've lived outside my country of origin for the last 2 and a half years and I've heard good things about this book being an entry point into linguistics.\nSword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski - With the new Witcher show coming out on Netflix I finally went back and beat The Witcher 3 then read the first book, The Last Wish. It was enjoyable enough that I want to keep going with the series.\nEducated by Tara Westover - Was convinced by Bill Gate's blog this is worthwhile. I'm a teacher so it wasn't hard to convince me.\nRobot Builder's Bonanza by Gordon McComb - I've been asked to teach a robotics course next year and this one seems to be The Book everyone recommends to dive into robotics.\nDivided by Partition: United by Resilience by Mallika Ahluwalia - I recently visited the Partition Museum in Amritsar, Punjab, India and purchased this book there to learn about more stories about people impacted by this event.\nThe Elements of Computing Systems by Noam Nisan and Shimon Shocken - I just read Code by Petzold and it was one of my favorite books. Even though I studied Computer Science in University and most of the concepts weren't new to me, it was such a fun experience mentally \"building\" a computer from relays/transistors to logic gates and up to assemblers, compilers, and interpreters. I want to keep going with this and jump into the Nand2Tetris online course.\nThe Annotated Turing by Charles Petzold - Again, I loved Petzold's Code so I looked up other books he wrote and this one looks great. I've never actually read Turing's work so I'm excited to have some background and explanation to help me not just read the words but grasp their significance.\nZACH-LIKE by Zachtronics - I played through several Zachtronics games this year (TIS-100, Shenzhen I/O and Opus Magnum) so I can't wait to dive into some of the thinking behind creating these and similar games.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this one seems to be The Book everyone recommends to dive into robotics.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is widely recommended as a way to get into robotics.",
          "audience": "People beginning to learn robotics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gordon McComb"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hands on projects",
        "robotics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "robot-building-for-beginners-d348fa",
      "title": "Robot Building for Beginners",
      "author": "David Cook",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Robot Building for Beginners",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Cook"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "robotics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "robots-and-empire-78f93b",
      "title": "Robots and Empire",
      "author": "Isaac Asimov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12070956,
          "author": "teh_klev",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T13:41:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12070956",
          "commentText": "No, most (non-pedantic) Asimov fans refer to the first three books (F, F&E, SF - which yes are technically collections of short stories glued together as one) as \"the Foundation Trilogy\". I do recommend reading the Foundation's Edge and Foundation and Earth, they're worthy sequels to the \"trilogy\".\nThe Robot novels are also a top read and tie in with the later Foundation books in a satisfying way:\n- The Caves of Steel\n- The Naked Sun\n- The Robots of Dawn\n- Robots and Empire",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Robots and Empire",
          "reason": "Listed among the Robot novels the commenter calls a top read.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the Robot novels.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isaac Asimov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "robot fiction",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "robots-series-4cdb51",
      "title": "Robots series",
      "author": "Isaac Asimov",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 141209,
          "author": "SwellJoe",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T22:36:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=141209",
          "commentText": "Asimov's two big universes, found in the Robots series and the Foundation series, (which turned out to be the same when he revisited them in the 70's and 80's) are simply wonderful.  By far my favorite sci-fi, and among the most enduring works in the genre.  I read them both every two or three years, and sometimes grab one off the shelf when I just want something to read.  The early Foundation is sort of a future history version of \"The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire\" (I seem to recall that was intentional, actually).  Asimov's autobiographies and the posthumous book of his correspondence are all fantastic and insightful.  I learned a lot from them, and my admiration for the man increased even more upon reading them.\nDune is also astoundingly good, though after the first three, the quality goes downhill (slowly, but surely).  Definitely lots to think about.\nRendezvous with Rama left me breathless...and I could not put it down until I'd read the last page.  I've returned to it a couple of times, and loved it every single time.  The later Rama books are deeply flawed, and should have never happened (they were not written by Clarke, and it shows), as they make Rama seem...hmmm, I can't really think of the right word that expresses it.  Cheap, dinky, small, something bad.  But Rendezvous is a must read for everyone.\nDouglas Adams, of course.  The whole Hitchhikers' series is a must, while the Dirk Gently stuff is also funny, but not sci-fi and not mandatory.\nI mentioned in another thread my love of dystopias, and one of the best ever is The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.  She's one of the best sci-fi writers alive (she doesn't exclusively write sci-fi, however).  Oryx and Crake is also fascinating.\nCat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut.  I enjoy all of Vonnegut's work, but Cat's Cradle is a magical perfect novel.\nI don't know if everyone would agree that it's sci-fi, but Mark Twain's Letters from the Earth was an eye opener for me when I was a kid (I went on a Mark Twain kick when I was in elementary school...no one ever told me that all of his books weren't kids books, so I read everything I could get my hands on after being hooked by Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn).  Turns out Mark Twain was seditious, heretical, and quite the troublemaker all around.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "found in the Robots series",
          "reason": "Praises Asimov's Robots and Foundation universes as enduring favorites.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in enduring science fiction universes.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isaac Asimov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "robotics",
        "shared universe"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "robust-composition-57f0d8",
      "title": "Robust Composition",
      "author": "Mark S. Miller",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14842736,
          "author": "abecedarius",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-24T21:13:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14842736",
          "commentText": "Thinking Forth; Software Tools; SICP; Abstraction and Specification in Program Development; Essentials of Programming Languages; Paradigms of AI Programming; I'd like to list something about OO too, but no book I know really measures up to learning from other programmers. But there's Mark S. Miller's thesis Robust Composition.\n(in roughly chronological order. As you can see from the chronology, it took me a long time to start to like OOP.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Mark S. Miller's thesis Robust Composition",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a possible book about object-oriented programming, though the commenter says no book they know measures up to learning from other programmers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter offers it tentatively as a thesis, not as an endorsement.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark S. Miller"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "object oriented programming",
        "software composition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rocheworld-86eedf",
      "title": "Rocheworld",
      "author": "Robert L. Forward",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15428928,
          "author": "curtis",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:54:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428928",
          "commentText": "I think all of Robert Forward's stuff would qualify.  My favorites are\nRocheworld (AKA The Flight of the Dragonfly) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocheworld\nand\nDragon's Egg - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon%27s_Egg",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rocheworld (AKA The Flight of the Dragonfly)",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorite works by Robert Forward.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert L. Forward"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hard science fiction",
        "interstellar travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rocket-fuel-b65931",
      "title": "Rocket Fuel",
      "author": "Gino Wickman and Mark C. Winters",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35184007,
          "author": "achenatx",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-16T16:15:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35184007",
          "commentText": "I like books that are actionable. Lots of books are inspirational but not that useful (e.g. crossing the chasm). I run a curriculum in my company which uses a few books I have read over the years.\nemyth revisited (how to think about and structure an org)\ngetting to yes (negotiation)\ninfluence the psychology of persuasion (negotiation)\nspin selling (enterprise sales, supplanted by sandler)\nYou cant teach a kid to ride a bike at a seminar (sandler sales)\n5 dysfunctions of a team (one of the best leadership books)\nfirst break all the rules (management)\naccounting for dummies\npurple cow (differentiation)\nblue ocean strategy (differentiation)\ntraction (strategy/operations)\nrocketfuel (strategy/operations)\nfor professional services:\nmanaging the professional services firm\ngetting naked",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "rocketfuel (strategy/operations)",
          "reason": "Includes it in a company curriculum on strategy and operations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gino Wickman",
        "Mark C. Winters"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business operations",
        "entrepreneurship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rocket-surgery-made-easy-b2449c",
      "title": "Rocket Surgery Made Easy",
      "author": "Steve Krug",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12714481,
          "author": "krosaen",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-15T16:17:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12714481",
          "commentText": "I think it really depends on what you want to do.\n1) Want to make user interfaces that are actually useful to people? Read up on product management, UX and interaction design. Important skills: articulating the problem you are solving and for what kind of user, and being able to validate whether your hypothesis is on point. Iterating before committing further resources to building a prototype. Conducting user testing sessions (rocket surgery made easy is a good resource for this).\n2) Want to make a specific view / flow of a product inviting and visually appealing? Study visual design and typography.\n3) Want to be able to build a functional prototype that looks reasonably good? Study frontend design / development. There are a lot of frameworks that could get you up and running.\nIMHO going for (1) and (3) first is smart; if you can't prototype and evaluate a user experience that has a shot in hell of being useful to an actual user, being able to make stuff look pretty is kind of irrelevant (unless you are specializing and collaborating with engineers and UX people). In any of the above cases, at least knowing more precisely what you want to learn will help you do better googling, e.g \"best books on visual design\" or \"best books on interaction design\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "rocket surgery made easy is a good resource for this",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a good resource for user testing sessions.",
          "audience": "People learning to conduct user testing sessions.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve Krug"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "usability testing",
        "user testing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rockets-missiles-and-men-in-space-55f388",
      "title": "Rockets, Missiles and Men in Space",
      "author": "Willy Ley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6332353,
          "author": "arjn",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-05T05:32:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 6329955,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which two books were the most influential on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6332353",
          "commentText": "1) Rockets, Missiles and Men in Space - Willy Ley ( side note: I rescued this book from a friend who was using it for target practice with an airgun!)\n2) Chaos - James Gleick\n(I have to mention this one too) The Armchair Universe : An exploration of Computer Worlds - A. K. Dewdney",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rockets, Missiles and Men in Space - Willy Ley",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Willy Ley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "rocketry",
        "spaceflight history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rogue-code-652285",
      "title": "Rogue Code",
      "author": "Mark Russinovich",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17749639,
          "author": "terminalcommand",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T12:49:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17749639",
          "commentText": "Mark Russinovich's Jeff Aiken Trilogy. If you're looking for a quality bestseller similar to Dan Brown books.\nZero day, Trojan Horse and Rogue Code are all excellent novels. Some common themes include computer virus epidemics, cyber armies, cyber warfare, dangers of an overnetworked but undersecured society",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zero day, Trojan Horse and Rogue Code are all excellent novels.",
          "reason": "Described as an excellent novel in a recommended trilogy.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a quality bestseller similar to Dan Brown.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Russinovich"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer security",
        "cyber thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rogue-economics-3b0fac",
      "title": "Rogue Economics",
      "author": "Loretta Napoleoni",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 797271,
          "author": "Kaizyn",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T03:19:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797271",
          "commentText": "You'd probably also be interested in the book Rogue Economics by Napoleoni.  It discusses how the money from illicit activities are flowing around the world.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "book Rogue Economics by Napoleoni. It discusses how the money from illicit activities are flowing around the world.",
          "reason": "Suggests this book to explain the movement of money from illicit activities around the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Loretta Napoleoni"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "globalization",
        "illicit finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "roma-aeterna-6697ae",
      "title": "Roma Aeterna",
      "author": "Hans H. Ørberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30826008,
          "author": "cercatrova",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T01:22:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30826008",
          "commentText": "LLPSI Pars I, Familia Romana\nLLPSI Pars II, Roma Aeterna\nThese are the two main books. Each has companion books such as exercise books and teachers' guides. After these two, you should be able to read Caesar's Commentarii de Bello Gallico, but Ørberg also has other books.\nAs for whether the workbooks are worth it, I never used them, but then again I only read the main book for leisure, not in an academic setting or for serious study. If you're in the latter, then I'm sure the workbooks would help.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "LLPSI Pars II, Roma Aeterna",
          "reason": "Named as the second main book in the series.",
          "audience": "Latin learners.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not used the workbooks.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hans H. Ørberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "latin language learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "roma-terna-c70e7d",
      "title": "Roma Æterna",
      "author": "Robert Silverberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14750118,
          "author": "Bakary",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-12T04:26:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14750118",
          "commentText": "Roma Æterna - Robert Silverberg\nThe Happiness Hypothesis - Jonathan Haidt\nAlamut - Vladimir Bartol\nNon Stop - Brian Aldiss\nA fortune teller told me - Tiziano Terzani",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Roma Æterna - Robert Silverberg",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Silverberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternate history",
        "ancient rome"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "romance-of-the-three-kingdoms-7e14bb",
      "title": "Romance of the Three Kingdoms",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17381922,
          "author": "zawerf",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T16:18:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17381922",
          "commentText": "The \"Four Great Classic Novels\" from 14th-18th century China: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_Chinese_Novels\nSpecifically:\nWater Margin\nRomance of the Three Kingdoms\nJourney to the West\nDream of the Red Chamber\nThey are referenced in everything in asian media and there a bajillion tv/movie adaptations of them but they are relatively unknown in the west.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Romance of the Three Kingdoms",
          "reason": "Lists it as one of the Four Great Classic Novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chinese literature",
        "historical novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "romeo-and-juliet-303a22",
      "title": "Romeo and Juliet",
      "author": "William Shakespeare",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41178889,
          "author": "curry798",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T07:00:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41178889",
          "commentText": "Romeo and Juliet\nhe Blue Castle: a novel by L. M. Montgomery\nA Room with a View by E. M. Forster",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Romeo and Juliet",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite classic books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Shakespeare"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "elizabethan literature",
        "tragedy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "roots-48e96a",
      "title": "Roots",
      "author": "Alex Haley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2639667,
          "author": "pedoh",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T03:29:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639667",
          "commentText": "Roots by Alex Haley. My copy is read, re-read, worn, and well loved.\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Haley#Roots",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Roots by Alex Haley. My copy is read, re-read, worn, and well loved.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book is well loved and describes rereading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alex Haley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "african american history",
        "family saga"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rosalind-franklin-the-dark-lady-of-dna-ea54ea",
      "title": "Rosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA",
      "author": "Brenda Maddox",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brenda Maddox"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dna",
        "women in science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rosencrantz-and-guildenstern-are-dead-0cb39e",
      "title": "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead",
      "author": "Tom Stoppard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13567969,
          "author": "greydius",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T17:48:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567969",
          "commentText": "This was made into a movie a while back as well. It really liked it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It really liked it.",
          "reason": "Says they really liked the work, referring to the play named in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Stoppard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "absurdist drama",
        "existentialism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rosewater-trilogy-a6868c",
      "title": "Rosewater Trilogy",
      "author": "Tade Thompson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42269201,
          "author": "sandy_coyote",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:59:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42269201",
          "commentText": "I caught up with some science fiction this year.\nThe Murderbot diaries books by Martha Wells - 6/10. Mixed on these. They're fun to read. The setting is cool and the worldbuilding is shallow but effective (i.e., don't read it if you want game of thrones in space). Each novella takes an afternoon to read. I think \"snarky violent droid\" is overcooked these days and lost interest after book 5.\nLight by M. John Harrison - 7/10 excellent prose; great multiple-storyline plot; the journey was better than the destination, but it kept me thinking\nFar from the Light of Heaven by Tade Thompson - 7/10 Fun. If \"near future Nigerian/British post-colonial frontier action with guns, robots, and psychic aliens\" sounds cool to you, check it out. I liked his Rosewater Trilogy just as much.\nBlindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts - tough to rate these. brilliant ideas, VERY challenging plots. I wish I didn't get so confused by the end of each book.\nProject Hail Mary by Andy Weir - 6/10 - this and the Martian read like blog posts pasted together. The grand dilemma is spelled out on page one and never gets any deeper. Pro: the plot is in your face on every page and you will never be confused when reading; Con - there is zero internal character development. Read if you like stories driven by applied science, not comparative moral decision-making.\nThe City and the City by China Miéville - 9/10 - you will invariably see something like \"Kafka meets [some affected crime novelist] to describe this book, and that ain't wrong. Kind of SF, kind of fantasy.\nRailsea by China Miéville - 8/10 - great good vs evil YA SF about, well, imagine if trains were like boats. Good character writing, tight plot.\nThe Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi - 8/10 - loved this. More \"realist\" near-future fabulism than Gibson, but if you love cyberpunk, read this.\nThe Shipbreaker Triology by Paolo Bacigalupi - 6/10 - near-future YA science fiction with a lot of blood and guns. Pretty good stories.\nRoadside Picnic by the Strugatsky brothers - 9/10 - reread. I had to go back. This gets a near perfect score because of its style, setting, and plot.\nThe Sprawl Trilogy (Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive) by William Gibson - 9/10 - I had read Neuromancer 3 times but never the next two. I was pleasantly surprised to find the second and third novel easier to read* but just as enjoyable as Neuromancer.\nThe Bridge trilogy by William Gibson - 8/10 so far. I am in the second book. Can't believe I slept on these for the last couple decades.\nnon-SF:\nOur Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981-1991 by Michael Azerrad - 9/10 - if you like punk/hardcore from the 80s, this is a great read.\n* Every time I read Neuromancer, Gibson's literary footguns --holograms, false memories, hallucinations, and drug-addled unreality--make me feel crazy for not being able to follow the plot at times. I'm okay with believing that was the intended effect.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I liked his Rosewater Trilogy just as much.",
          "reason": "Says they liked this trilogy as much as Far from the Light of Heaven.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tade Thompson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "afrofuturism",
        "alien contact"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rough-cut-woodworking-with-tommy-mac-12-step-by-step-projects-af3bc7",
      "title": "Rough Cut—Woodworking with Tommy Mac: 12 Step-by-Step Projects",
      "author": "Tommy MacDonald",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22302132,
          "author": "thrower123",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-11T19:57:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22302132",
          "commentText": "Some good ones I don't see yet, which I like because they very much follow the organic path you might follow doing things incrementally, rather than presenting everything full-blown.\nHow to Make an RPG - Build a retro-style JRPG from scratch\nhttps://howtomakeanrpg.com/\nMazes for Programmers: Code Your Own Twisty Little Passages by Jamis Buck - covers a whole gamut of different maze generation algorithms.  This author also has a great book on doing a raytracer step by step.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Mazes-Programmers-Twisty-Little-Passa... (https://www.amazon.com/Mazes-Programmers-Twisty-Little-Passages/dp/1680500554)\nRough Cut--Woodworking with Tommy Mac: 12 Step-by-Step Projects - very nice beginning woodworking book.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Rough-Cut-Woodworking-Tommy-Step-Step... (https://www.amazon.com/Rough-Cut-Woodworking-Tommy-Step-Step/dp/1600854168)\nThe Inform (6) Beginner's Guide - introduces the Inform 6 interactive fiction language through three successive text adventure games\nhttps://www.inform-fiction.org/manual/IBG.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rough Cut--Woodworking with Tommy Mac: 12 Step-by-Step Projects",
          "reason": "Calls it a nice beginning woodworking book.",
          "audience": "Beginning woodworkers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tommy MacDonald"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "step by step projects",
        "woodworking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "roughing-it-9c531a",
      "title": "Roughing It",
      "author": "Mark Twain",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467918,
          "author": "5letters",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T16:17:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467918",
          "commentText": "When I've needed to laugh I've read and reread:\nMark Twain's  \"Life on the Mississippi\"  and \"Roughing It\" as well as many short stories, esp. \"My Watch\", \"Political Economy\", \"Journalism in Tennessee\"\nAlso short stories from others:\nJ.S. Perelman's \"Strictly From Hunger\",\nAlex Atkinson's \"The Eyes of Texas are Upon You\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and \"Roughing It\"",
          "reason": "The commenter has reread it when needing a laugh.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 715202,
          "author": "TrevorJ",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-20T21:07:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715202",
          "commentText": "\"The Screwtape Letters\", by C.S. Lewis\nIn the middle of \"Roughing It\" by Mark Twain now.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Roughing It\" by Mark Twain now.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Twain"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Fiction",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american west",
        "travel memoir",
        "travel writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "roving-mars-be2e6e",
      "title": "Roving Mars",
      "author": "Steve Squyres",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 621651,
          "author": "JimmyL",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-22T06:00:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621651",
          "commentText": "Steve Squyres' Roving Mars (the book, not the movie)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Steve Squyres' Roving Mars (the book, not the movie)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question seeking a favorite true story tech book.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in space exploration and engineering stories.",
          "caveat": "Specifies the book rather than the movie.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve Squyres"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mars exploration",
        "nasa",
        "planetary science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rubaiyat-of-omar-khayyam-c37efe",
      "title": "Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam",
      "author": "Omar Khayyam",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17048405,
          "author": "robtani",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T16:03:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17048405",
          "commentText": "The one that comes to mind above all else for me is the \"Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam\" written by the great Persian mathematician, philosopher, polymath Khayyam in the 11'th century. His perspectives on life and death ever so eloquently painted in words are amazing!! Just wish I could read the original Persian version as I'm sure much is lost in translation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The one that comes to mind above all else for me is the \"Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam\"",
          "reason": "Calls its perspectives on life and death amazing, while noting that translation may lose some of the original.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter wishes they could read the original Persian and suspects meaning is lost in translation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Omar Khayyam"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "persian literature",
        "poetry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ruby-best-practices-3187ff",
      "title": "Ruby Best Practices",
      "author": "Gregory T. Brown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2415613,
          "author": "jollyjerry",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T15:59:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2415613",
          "commentText": "3 books that I helped me tie my daily work back to more abstract computer science concepts are:\n- Ruby Best Practices\n- Javascript, the Good Parts\n- Higher Order Perl\nI recommend picking these up after you've done work in the languages they're about.  They assume that you're already comfortable with the language, but then go back to show how that language uses CS concepts.  They highlight how functional programming, and other classic introductory CS concepts, but stays practical.  None of them are long reads, and there are clear take aways that make you better at programming.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Ruby Best Practices",
          "reason": "Included in a set of books said to connect daily programming work to computer science concepts and improve programming.",
          "audience": "Ruby programmers already comfortable with the language.",
          "caveat": "The commenter recommends reading it after gaining experience with Ruby.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gregory T. Brown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming practices",
        "ruby"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ruby-for-rails-adce1a",
      "title": "Ruby for Rails",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 781188,
          "author": "jcapote",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-23T23:14:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 781079,
          "threadTitle": "Can you recommend some good RoR books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=781188",
          "commentText": "Ruby for Rails, it really helps displace the \"magic\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ruby for Rails, it really helps displace the \"magic\"",
          "reason": "Says the book helps demystify Rails.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ruby on rails",
        "ruby programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ruby-on-rails-up-and-running-a7e299",
      "title": "Ruby on Rails: Up and Running",
      "author": "Bruce A. Tate, Curt Hibbs",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14699,
          "author": "briandon",
          "createdAt": "2007-04-19T18:14:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 14675,
          "threadTitle": "What is the best RoR book for beginners? Best online resources?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14699",
          "commentText": "I've heard good things about 'Ruby on Rails: Up and Running':\nhttp://www.oreilly.com/catalog/rubyrails/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've heard good things about 'Ruby on Rails: Up and Running'",
          "reason": "Reports hearing positive things about the book in response to a request for Rails books.",
          "audience": "People seeking a Rails book.",
          "caveat": "The commenter reports secondhand praise.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruce A. Tate, Curt Hibbs"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ruby on rails",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rules-of-ascension-345f4d",
      "title": "Rules of Ascension",
      "author": "David B. Coe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3231188,
          "author": "unalone",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T17:15:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231188",
          "commentText": "Rules of Ascension by David B Coe. A book I picked out of a library shelf one day because it sounded intriguing, and it is – it's the first volume in an epic about political machinations across several fantasy continents, and about a race war between two species, one of which is basically human, one of which is a frailer, magic-wielding species. I'm a sucker for political complexity, and I love that fantasy lets authors invent hypothetical scenarios for me to delve into.\nI just wish the book's marketers would have respected it a bit more. The cover is of a long-haired man with an earring and a sword walking away from a burning castle, and it makes me feel a little bit cheesy carrying it around. I dislike smart books with deceptively stupid covers about as much as I dislike stupid books with deceptively smart covers.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Rules of Ascension by David B Coe.",
          "reason": "The commenter likes its political complexity and invented hypothetical scenarios.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The cover feels cheesy to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David B. Coe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "political fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rules-of-play-game-design-fundamentals-6157e6",
      "title": "Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals",
      "author": "Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 296015,
          "author": "pmsaue0",
          "createdAt": "2008-09-05T16:43:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 295871,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HC: Which books on user interface design do you wish your CEO/Cofounders would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=296015",
          "commentText": "The Phaidon Design Classics, although they are not specifically about web interface design, are AWESOME. http://www.phaidon.com/designclassics/  They are great to look over for inspiration and to see examples of products that really pushed the envelope of design forward.  BTW, if you shelled out for the box set you would score major brownie points with the CEO ;) as they are very accessible to people who aren't actually doing the grunt/brain work of design.\nMore along the lines of computing, Rules of Play: http://tinyurl.com/554oj5 is a great read.  Probably not what you'd want to give your CEO, though.  Very inspiring and thoughtful writing.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Rules of Play: http://tinyurl.com/554oj5 is a great read. Probably not what you'd want to give your CEO, though. Very inspiring and thoughtful writing.",
          "reason": "Called a great read with inspiring and thoughtful writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Probably not suitable to give to a CEO.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "game design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ruminations-on-c-e98c15",
      "title": "Ruminations on C++",
      "author": "Andrew Koenig",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30490465,
          "author": "mbfg",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T17:30:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30490465",
          "commentText": "\"Ruminations in C++\" really helped me a great deal long time back. People will complain that it was just a recollection of earlier prints, which is true, but as a cohesive set it was really good. It beat the concept into one's mind as to how to control the lifetimes/resources of things with classes.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Ruminations in C++\" really helped me a great deal long time back. People will complain that it was just a recollection of earlier prints, which is true, but as a cohesive set it was really good.",
          "reason": "Says the book helped them and praises it as a cohesive treatment.",
          "audience": "Readers learning C++ resource and lifetime management.",
          "caveat": "Acknowledges criticism that it recollected earlier prints.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew Koenig"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c",
        "resource management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rumo-his-miraculous-adventures-bfc9b3",
      "title": "Rumo & His Miraculous Adventures",
      "author": "Walter Moers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227208,
          "author": "GvS",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T18:42:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227208",
          "commentText": "I can recommend Zamonia series by Walter Moers:\n   The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear\n   Rumo & His Miraculous Adventures\n   The City of Dreaming Books\n\nAwesome fantasy books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rumo & His Miraculous Adventures",
          "reason": "Named as an installment in the recommended Zamonia series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Walter Moers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure fantasy",
        "comic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rumpelstiltskin-6d5371",
      "title": "Rumpelstiltskin",
      "author": "Paul O. Zelinsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26780413,
          "author": "pmdulaney",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-12T15:25:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26780413",
          "commentText": "The Napping House by Audrey Wood\nAll the picture books of William Joyce\nPaul O. Zelinsky's Rumpelstiltskin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Paul O. Zelinsky's Rumpelstiltskin",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul O. Zelinsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s picture books",
        "fairy tales"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "run-with-the-hunted-a-charles-bukowski-reader-2a4d1f",
      "title": "Run With the Hunted: A Charles Bukowski Reader",
      "author": "Charles Bukowski",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8720464,
          "author": "smharris65",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-09T01:50:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8720464",
          "commentText": "Run With the Hunted: A Charles Bukowski Reader\nhttp://amzn.com/0060924586",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Run With the Hunted: A Charles Bukowski Reader",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Bukowski"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american literature",
        "literary excerpts"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "run-with-the-hunted-1e3d75",
      "title": "Run with the Hunted",
      "author": "Charles Bukowski",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1865751,
          "author": "smharris65",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T18:05:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865751",
          "commentText": "Run With the Hunted by poet Charles Bukowski. This ain't your grandma's poetry :)\nhttp://amzn.to/b24sCC",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Run With the Hunted by poet Charles Bukowski. This ain't your grandma's poetry :)",
          "reason": "Introduces it playfully as unconventional poetry.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Bukowski"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "collected works",
        "poetry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "runaway-e7f34a",
      "title": "Runaway",
      "author": "Alice Munro",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6976064,
          "author": "xijuan",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T19:40:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976064",
          "commentText": "The short story \"Runaway\" by Alice Munro. Alice Munro is very good at depicting the complex emotions of people in a relationship. This story has given me insight about my own relationship.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The short story \"Runaway\" by Alice Munro.",
          "reason": "Says the story provided insight into the commenter’s own relationship.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alice Munro"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "relationships",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "running-lean-iterate-from-plan-a-to-a-plan-that-works-04918e",
      "title": "Running Lean: Iterate from Plan A to a Plan That Works",
      "author": "Ash Maurya",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41546228,
          "author": "gary17the",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-15T08:56:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41546228",
          "commentText": "\"If you like that, you're gonna love this.\" (Private Hudson in \"Aliens\", 1986) - Ash Maurya, \"Running Lean: Iterate from Plan A to a Plan That Works\". Try to get your hands on a preview of the upcoming 3rd edition (10 years newer than the 2nd edition).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ash Maurya, \"Running Lean: Iterate from Plan A to a Plan That Works\". Try to get your hands on a preview of the upcoming 3rd edition",
          "reason": "Suggests seeking a preview of the upcoming third edition.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment specifically points to a preview of the upcoming third edition.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ash Maurya"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business modeling",
        "customer validation",
        "lean startup"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "running-with-the-kenyans-753f6b",
      "title": "Running with the Kenyans",
      "author": "Adharanand Finn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4797113,
          "author": "earroway",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-17T03:58:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4797113",
          "commentText": "\"Running with Kenyans\"- Adharanand Finn",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Running with Kenyans\"- Adharanand Finn",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adharanand Finn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "kenya",
        "running"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "russell-on-religion-77582b",
      "title": "Russell on Religion",
      "author": "Bertrand Russell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227807,
          "author": "tommorris",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T23:11:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227807",
          "commentText": "I don't agree that the arguments in the God Delusion are too bad. He does take some real liberties with Aquinas, but all the scholarly dressing you apply to Aquinas doesn't really improve the arguments. Dawkins deals with them too hastily, but even if Dawkins was an Aquinas scholar and applied the principle of charity to the arguments, they'd still be unconvincing arguments. The God Delusion is a popular book, not a scholarly refutation of all arguments for the existence of God.\nIf you want to read scholarly refutations of arguments for the existence of God, as well as read some arguments put forward explicitly for the non-existence of God, then you have to turn elsewhere: Michael Martin's \"Atheism: A Philosophical Justification\", Robin Le Podevin's \"Arguing for Atheism\" and Nick Everett's \"The Non-Existence Of God\". Another good book from an agnostic rather than atheist perspective is Anthony Kenny's \"The God of the Philosophers\". A slightly easier read is Julian Baggini's \"Atheism: A Very Short Introduction\" which is okay. I have some reservations with it, but it covers most of the important arguments and has some stuff about ethics and living the good life and all that happy-clappy stuff too.\nAs for stuff that isn't concerned with the philosophical arguments? I found Onfray's \"In Defence of Atheism\" a pretty good read - it is polemical, but is well-written. Nietzsche is always good to read so long as you don't - you know - become a damn goth or whatever after reading it or try and commit genocide or something. Russell's \"Why I Am Not A Christian\" and the much less read compilation \"Russell on Religion\" (not widely available outside academia as far as I'm aware) - Russell is a good writer and says some very refreshing things like:\n<blockquote>Even if the open windows of science at first make us shiver after the cozy indoor warmth of traditional humanizing myths, in the end the fresh air brings vigor, and the great spaces have a splendor of their own.</blockquote>",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the much less read compilation \"Russell on Religion\"",
          "reason": "Included among works on religion; the commenter praises Russell as a good writer and says he has refreshing things to say.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as much less read and not widely available outside academia.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bertrand Russell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "collected essays",
        "religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "russian-criminal-tattoo-encyclopedia-volume-1-0b932f",
      "title": "Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopedia, Volume 1",
      "author": "Danzig Baldaev",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3338494,
          "author": "m0nastic",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T21:02:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3338494",
          "commentText": "Right now I'm reading:\nFiction-\n- Reamde (Bought it when it came out, but had to wait to start until I finished some other stuff on my list)\n- The Big Blowdown by George Pelecanos\nNonfiction-\n- Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopedia (Volume 1) -- primarily for research, but it's fascinating.\n- Dark Markets by Misha Glenny\n- How to Live on Mars by robert Zubrin\n- The Lightness of Being by Frank Wilczek\n- This is Your Brain on Music by Daniel Levitin\n- Towards a New Architecture by Le Corbusier\n- and Strange Things Happen by Stewart Copeland\nTechnical-\n- Tangled Web (I saw someone else mention it, and it's really really good so far)\n- Skiena's Algorithms book (making slower progress than I'd like).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopedia (Volume 1) -- primarily for research, but it's fascinating.",
          "reason": "Reading it primarily for research and calls it fascinating.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Primarily for research.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Danzig Baldaev"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "criminal tattoos",
        "russian prison culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "russian-spring-0bd19d",
      "title": "Russian Spring",
      "author": "Norman Spinrad",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40878218,
          "author": "howard941",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-04T21:32:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40878218",
          "commentText": "Russian Spring by Norman Spinrad. It did all of the aforementioned: Bit, stung, head blow, and it felt like the US dying would feel.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Russian Spring by Norman Spinrad. It did all of the aforementioned: Bit, stung, head blow",
          "reason": "Names it as a book that had a strong emotional impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Norman Spinrad"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "rust-from-the-ground-up-ded06f",
      "title": "Rust from the Ground Up",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34412636,
          "author": "ajoseps",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-17T14:19:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 34412069,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach programming by building a series of small projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34412636",
          "commentText": "This book is still in progress but I've gone through some of the chapters and have enjoyed it. Rust from the Ground Up: https://leanpub.com/rust-from-the-ground-up\nI was looking for a book that had offline projects I can work on while on flights, and this book focuses on rebuilding linux utilities using rust. The other nice part is that you get a better understanding of linux internals.\nI believe the author is also responsive on the rust subreddit.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Rust from the Ground Up:",
          "reason": "The commenter has enjoyed some chapters and describes its projects rebuilding Linux utilities with Rust.",
          "audience": "Someone seeking offline projects and a better understanding of Linux internals.",
          "caveat": "The book is still in progress.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "linux utilities",
        "rust",
        "systems programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ruth-51244d",
      "title": "Ruth",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8107077,
          "author": "kilo_man",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T09:00:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107077",
          "commentText": "Just listing books that have had a big impact on me:\n* The Now Habit - http://www.amazon.com/dp/1585425524\n* Getting Things Done - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0142000280\n* Simply Christian - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061920622\n* Surprised by Hope - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061551821\n* The Great Divorce - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060652950\n* Mere Christianity - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060652926\n* The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - http://www.amazon.com/dp/048629823X\n* Tao Te Ching - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060812451\nBooks from the Bible that I like:\n* Genesis\n* Judges\n* Ruth\n* Tobit\n* Job\n* Psalms\n* Ecclesiastes\n* Sirach/Ecclesiasticus\n* Everything written by John",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ruth",
          "reason": "Listed among biblical books the commenter says they like.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bible",
        "hebrew scripture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "recoltes-et-semailles-3cdd76",
      "title": "Récoltes et Semailles",
      "author": "Alexander Grothendieck",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23562109,
          "author": "hasseweyl",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-18T11:41:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 23561163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book that nobody you know has heard of?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23562109",
          "commentText": "Alexander Grothendieck - Récoltes et Semailles",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Alexander Grothendieck - Récoltes et Semailles",
          "reason": "Names it as an answer to the thread’s request for a favorite lesser-known book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alexander Grothendieck"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical autobiography",
        "mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "s-2c355e",
      "title": "S.",
      "author": "J. J. Abrams and Doug Dorst",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14860045,
          "author": "bawigga",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:34:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14860045",
          "commentText": "The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood\nThe 4-Hour Body - Tim Ferriss - Lot's of anecdotes from Ferriss' own experiments.\nS. - by J.J. Abrams - Layers upon layers. Unlike anything I've read before and a true Abrams experience. Check it out if you haven't heard of it!\nCode: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software -\n Charles Petzold - Fascinating PopSci book on the origins of Computers and Code. Each chapter seems to build on the knowledge you've built from previous chapters. Interesting read for the programmer/computer engineer and VERY approachable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "S. - by J.J. Abrams - Layers upon layers. Unlike anything I've read before and a true Abrams experience. Check it out if you haven't heard of it!",
          "reason": "Calls it unlike anything they have read and encourages others to check it out.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. J. Abrams and Doug Dorst"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "book as object",
        "experimental fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "scjp-be2630",
      "title": "SCJP",
      "author": "Kathy Sierra and Bert Bates",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10184199,
          "author": "srirangr",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-08T05:09:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10184199",
          "commentText": "SCJP by Kathy Sierra and Bert Bates is an amazing book to learn Java. With interesting examples (often about movie characters) and advanced images/graphics for a better understanding of the concepts.\nI recommend it to anyone starting to learn Java, with or without any previous programming experience.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SCJP by Kathy Sierra and Bert Bates is an amazing book to learn Java.",
          "reason": "Describes it as an amazing book for learning Java.",
          "audience": "Anyone starting to learn Java, with or without previous programming experience.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kathy Sierra and Bert Bates"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "java",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "seo-book-e14686",
      "title": "SEO Book",
      "author": "Aaron Wall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 673504,
          "author": "wallflower",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-25T12:03:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 673487,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there any good Internet marketing books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=673504",
          "commentText": "1) \"Always Be Testing: The Complete Guide to Google Website Optimizer\" (A/B Testing)\n2) Aaron Wall's SEO Book - excellent primer for internet marketing and SEO - theory but with practice applied\n3) The original Backrub/Pagerank paper\n> probably with more emphasis on theory\nAre you doing research for school? I know you asked for theory but you did say 'fundamental'. Just to throw it out there, fundamentally, I believe the independent people (not large companies - that is different) making more money than we'd like to know through Internet marketing don't think in terms of theory - theory is easy - they try and try many different ways until something works. For example, Shoemoney:\n\"So with this Cornhusker quiz, it’s a needed service because all these guys want to see where they are. It spreads virally, because they want to challenge their friends and see if they could do better than their friends. And the way to make money is, when they finish, if they score high enough, they’re presented with a free trial to Netflix. [with his referral ID of course]\"\nhttp://blog.mixergy.com/shoemoney-ads/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Aaron Wall's SEO Book - excellent primer for internet marketing and SEO",
          "reason": "Described as an excellent primer for internet marketing and SEO.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an introduction to internet marketing and SEO.",
          "caveat": "Theory is paired with practice.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Aaron Wall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "internet marketing",
        "seo"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sinless-939cdb",
      "title": "SINless",
      "author": "K.C. Alexander",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34166076,
          "author": "kcartlidge",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T21:16:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34166076",
          "commentText": "For sheer entertainment value: I've just finished KC Alexander's two \"SINless\" books - Necrotech and Nanoshock.  Both were excellent reads.  Nothing heavy, just some extremely filthy and brutal transhumanist SciFi with a hint of cyberpunk in there too (not enough to make it that genre).  Fast, frantic, gritty.\nGreat writing by a young bi-polar feminist writer with a great future.\nAlso, the introduction and the first few chapters of \"Letters from the Desert\" by Carlo Carretto.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've just finished KC Alexander's two \"SINless\" books - Necrotech and Nanoshock.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the two books for entertainment and their fast, gritty style.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as filthy and brutal.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "K.C. Alexander"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biopunk",
        "cyberpunk",
        "transhumanism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "smacss-15a5fd",
      "title": "SMACSS",
      "author": "Jonathan Snook",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8597246,
          "author": "bzalasky",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-12T18:31:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 8595745,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommended books for beginner web developer",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8597246",
          "commentText": "Here's a great collection of resources (compiled by Zed Shaw) for learning about programming, software and web development:\n- http://programming-motherfucker.com/become.html\nYou'll find resources on Zed's site that will help you learn the web development toolchain as well. You'll want a good editor, an understanding of git and version control, as well as the command line (apologies if you're acquainted with these already but looking to get into web development).\nAnother thing to remember is that once you grasp the basics, you can learn a lot from reading other people's code (especially libraries) and the associated documentation.\nSome other resources that helped me out immensely when I was getting started (or that I wish I'd read):\nA great overview of JavaScript.\n- http://eloquentjavascript.net/\nOnce you get the basics of JS down, this book will help you learn how to organize your code better.\n- http://addyosmani.com/resources/essentialjsdesignpatterns/bo... (http://addyosmani.com/resources/essentialjsdesignpatterns/book/)\nAn overview of HTML5.\n- http://fortuito.us/diveintohtml5/\nWhile it's from 2010, most of it is probably still applicable. This was the intro to CSS that helped me grasp the box model and DOM.\n- https://code.tutsplus.com/tutorials/css-noob-to-ninja--net-1... (https://code.tutsplus.com/tutorials/css-noob-to-ninja--net-12186)\nThis is a great book for learning how to organize SASS/CSS files in a large project.\n- https://smacss.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is a great book for learning how to organize SASS/CSS files in a large project.",
          "reason": "Recommended for organizing SASS/CSS files in large projects.",
          "audience": "Developers working on large projects.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Snook"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "css architecture",
        "sass"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sql-antipatterns-42939f",
      "title": "SQL Antipatterns",
      "author": "Bill Karwin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7757208,
          "author": "recursive",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T18:49:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7757208",
          "commentText": "Sql Antipatterns by Bill Karwin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sql Antipatterns by Bill Karwin",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer in a thread asking for recently read programming books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Karwin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "database design",
        "sql"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sql-programming-style-d80575",
      "title": "SQL Programming Style",
      "author": "Joe Celko",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 241224,
          "author": "xenoterracide",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T15:08:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=241224",
          "commentText": "SQL for Smarties\nSQL programming style\nboth are by Joe Celko",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SQL programming style",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for recommended books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joe Celko"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "database programming",
        "sql"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sql-for-professionals-304b67",
      "title": "SQL for Professionals",
      "author": "Swapna Kishore",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35954366,
          "author": "vram22",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-15T20:56:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35954366",
          "commentText": "More info for some of them that I gave incomplete info for above, after googling:\nhttps://www.amazon.in/Sql-Professionals-Swapna-Kishore/dp/00... (https://www.amazon.in/Sql-Professionals-Swapna-Kishore/dp/007462184X)\nhttps://www.amazon.in/Object-Primer-Agile-Model-Driven-Devel... (https://www.amazon.in/Object-Primer-Agile-Model-Driven-Development/dp/0521540186)\nhttps://www.amazon.in/Unix-Shell-Programming-Stephen-Kochan/... (https://www.amazon.in/Unix-Shell-Programming-Stephen-Kochan/dp/0810463091)\nhttps://www.amazon.in/Designing-Object-Oriented-Software-Reb... (https://www.amazon.in/Designing-Object-Oriented-Software-Rebecca-Wirfs-Brock/dp/0136298257)\nhttps://www.amazon.in/Object-Oriented-Analysis-Applications-... (https://www.amazon.in/Object-Oriented-Analysis-Applications-Addison-wesley-Technology/dp/020189551X)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "https://www.amazon.in/Sql-Professionals-Swapna-Kishore/dp/00...",
          "reason": "Provides more information for a title mentioned in the prior comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35954262,
          "author": "vram22",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-15T20:46:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35954262",
          "commentText": "Not all of the ones below may be textbooks, sorry, but IMO they are all very good. I cut my programming teeth on some of them, and read others at different times later in my career.\nHow to Solve It, by Georg Polya. \nA famous Hungarian mathematician. \nA text on general problem solving principles or techniques. A classic.\nHow to Solve It by Computer, by Dromey, an AU CS professor. In the same spirit as the Polya book, but applied to iteratively working out algorithms and pseudocode for common important programming problems.\nThe K&R C book. What to say.\nThe Unix Programming Environment, by Kernighan and Pike. Ditto.\nProgramming Pearls, and More Programming Pearls, by Jon Bentley.\nAmong many other things, some clever / advanced uses of awk.\nWriting Efficient Programs, also by Bentley. I had mentioned it on HN earlier, and someone replied saying they had used it in real life, and it was gold.\nSQL for Professionals, by authors whose names I forget.\nThe Object Primer, by can't remember who, but good.\nA Unix book by Kochan, IIRC.\nObject-Oriented Software Construction, by Bertrand Meyer, creator of the Eiffel programming language.\nA book on object-oriented analysis / design, can't remember the name, by Rebecca Wirfs-Brock (?) and others. Learned about CRC  cards from it. Very cool concept and technique.\nA book on Object-Oriented Design, by Grady Booch, from a time before he co-invented UML. Forget the exact name.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SQL for Professionals, by authors whose names I forget.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they forget the authors' names.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Swapna Kishore"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "database programming",
        "sql"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sql-for-smarties-7575db",
      "title": "SQL for Smarties",
      "author": "Joe Celko",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16758302,
          "author": "icc97",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T19:47:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16758302",
          "commentText": "Joe Celko's SQL for Smarties.\nTufte's Visual Display of Quantitive Information.\nDonald Norman's Design of Everyday Things.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Joe Celko's SQL for Smarties.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 241224,
          "author": "xenoterracide",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T15:08:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=241224",
          "commentText": "SQL for Smarties\nSQL programming style\nboth are by Joe Celko",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SQL for Smarties",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for recommended books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joe Celko"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "database programming",
        "sql",
        "query design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sql-visual-quickstart-guide-17c1c6",
      "title": "SQL: Visual QuickStart Guide",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34413825,
          "author": "fellowniusmonk",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-17T15:43:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 34412069,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach programming by building a series of small projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34413825",
          "commentText": "It's not quite the same as what you are looking for, but I've known multiple people who were stuck in their attemp to learn to code before using railstutorial, I view it and the book \"sql: visual quickstart guide\" as two very well designed intros that manage to avoid having sections with random jumps in difficulty and terminology usage that can leave true beginners behind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the book \"sql: visual quickstart guide\"",
          "reason": "Describes it as a well-designed introduction that avoids abrupt jumps in difficulty and terminology.",
          "audience": "True beginners.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "database fundamentals",
        "sql"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ssi-open-water-diver-e57a44",
      "title": "SSI Open Water Diver",
      "author": "Scuba Schools International",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1974839,
          "author": "rdl",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T11:36:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974839",
          "commentText": "SSI Open Water Diver.  Not because the book is particularly (or at all) well written, but because it was my entry into an amazing hobby -- SCUBA diving.  It's an enjoyable activity on its own, and the training model for SCUBA is actually a good way to teach a lot of things to consumers (a VC friend who just picked up diving too believes this as well).\nFor actual book as book, probably \"First In; How Seven CIA Officers Opened the War on Terror in Afghanistan\" by Gary Schroen.  They basically went in with $30mm or so and an old helicopter, 2 SF ODAs, and accomplished most of the good accomplished to date in Afghanistan within 2 months.\nFor fiction, I'd love to say Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle, but it's just too fucking long.  He needs an editor; I'm on book 3.  For unexpectedly awesome, Suarez's Daemon and Freedom.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "SSI Open Water Diver.  Not because the book is particularly (or at all) well written, but because it was my entry into an amazing hobby -- SCUBA diving.",
          "reason": "Says the book introduced them to an amazing hobby.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not particularly well written.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scuba Schools International"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "diver training",
        "scuba diving"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sacre-bleu-b9bdc3",
      "title": "Sacre Bleu",
      "author": "Christopher Moore",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13249209,
          "author": "Nevermark",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T09:47:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249209",
          "commentText": "I rarely read fiction, but am loving \"Sacre Bleu\" by Christopher Moore. If you like art, artistic and clever turns of phrase and plot, comedy about serious things, wonderfully twisted fictionalized versions of historical figures and events, then you will enjoy it.\nWikipedia: \"Sacrebleu\" is a very old French profanity meant as a cry of surprise or happiness.\nThe book lives up to both of those feelings.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I rarely read fiction, but am loving \"Sacre Bleu\" by Christopher Moore.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are loving the book and describes its humor, turns of phrase, and plot positively.",
          "audience": "Readers who like art, clever writing, comedy, and fictionalized historical figures and events.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher Moore"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "art history",
        "fictionalized historical figures",
        "historical comedy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sacred-games-3f8896",
      "title": "Sacred Games",
      "author": "Vikram Chandra",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8405704,
          "author": "anishkothari",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-03T14:38:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8405704",
          "commentText": "Look up Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra - it's a great, multilayered story. I'm hoping it will be made into a movie someday!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Look up Sacred Games by Vikram Chandra - it's a great, multilayered story.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great, multilayered story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vikram Chandra"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crime fiction",
        "indian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sad-tiger-dd749c",
      "title": "Sad Tiger",
      "author": "Neige Sinno",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46391750,
          "author": "jeremyscanvic",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T13:23:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46391750",
          "commentText": "I read Sad Tiger by Neige Sinno. Really unsettling but definitely worth reading.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I read Sad Tiger by Neige Sinno. Really unsettling but definitely worth reading.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it unsettling but says it is worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Really unsettling.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neige Sinno"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "sexual violence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "saga-of-the-exiles-526e91",
      "title": "Saga of the Exiles",
      "author": "Julian May",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36023446,
          "author": "kcartlidge",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T18:20:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36023446",
          "commentText": "Multiple re-reads:\n- Saga of the Exiles by Julian May, which merges science fiction with folklore/fantasy in Pliocene Earth\n- Hyperion by Dan Simmons, excellent SF with a feel of the Canterbury Tales about it\n- Neuromancer by William Gibson, plus the follow-ups (all the Sprawl) are very good too\n- The Sheep Look Up by John Brunner, about the eco collapse of the US in the 1980s (10 years after it was written) and which William Gibson called a \"brilliant novel\"\nAnd a couple of guilty pleasures:\n- Venus Equilateral by George O Smith, 1940s stories based around a three mile long space station at the L4 point in space, a bit like Babylon 5 meets DS9 in the era of vacuum tubes\n- Necrotech by KC Alexander, a brutal and obscene body-mod cyberpunk dystopia (the sequel of which, Nanoshock, has a superbly offensive opening sentence)\n- Halcyon Drift by Brian Stableford, about a corporate dystopia and a pilot who hooks up his body to merge with his ship (a bit blase now but less so then, especially as I had read far less at the time)\n- Bio of a Space Tyrant by Piers Anthony, a 6 book series following the rise of a refugee to becoming the Tyrant of Jupiter",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Saga of the Exiles by Julian May, which merges science fiction with folklore/fantasy in Pliocene Earth",
          "reason": "Describes the series as mixing science fiction with folklore and fantasy in Pliocene Earth.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Julian May"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "prehistoric earth",
        "time travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "salafi-jihadism-the-history-of-an-idea-d802dd",
      "title": "Salafi-Jihadism: The History of an Idea",
      "author": "Shiraz Maher",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15961256,
          "author": "strictnein",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:22:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961256",
          "commentText": "Sorry, this got a little longer than I meant it to be\n- Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed - It's over 20 years old now but still really good, especially if you're into planes like the U-2, F-117, and SR-71\nIf you're wanting a deeper understanding of the other side of the war on terror, I'd recommend the following:\n- I Was Told to Come Alone: My Journey Behind the Lines of Jihad\n- Salafi-Jihadism: The History of an Idea\n- The Way of the Strangers: Encounters with the Islamic State\n- After the Prophet: The Epic Story of the Shia-Sunni Split in Islam\n- The Black Banners: The Inside Story of 9/11 and the War Against al-Qaeda\nIf you're wanting a dive into Russia:\n- The Invention of Russia: From Gorbachev's Freedom to Putin's War\n- The Red Web: The Struggle Between Russia's Digital Dictators and the New Online Revolutionaries\n- Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible: The Surreal Heart of the New Russia\nIf you're wanting true Spy stuff:\n- The Billion Dollar Spy: A True Story of Cold War Espionage and Betrayal\n- The Spy's Son: The True Story of the Highest-Ranking CIA Officer Ever Convicted of Espionage and the Son He Trained to Spy for Russia\n- Left of Boom: How a Young CIA Case Officer Penetrated the Taliban and Al-Qaeda (the author is a little full of himself, but still, it's interesting)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Salafi-Jihadism: The History of an Idea",
          "reason": "Recommended for a deeper understanding of the other side of the war on terror.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a deeper understanding of the other side of the war on terror.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Shiraz Maher"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political ideology",
        "salafi jihadism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "salt-b5b44d",
      "title": "Salt",
      "author": "Adam Roberts",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8613975,
          "author": "DanBC",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-16T11:14:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8613975",
          "commentText": "I really like the ideas from Greg Egan, so any of his books.\nI still love Gibson, even his later books.\nI want to say one of my favourite books is \"Salt\" by Adam Roberts.  I love the characters and description of political views and the way the war between factions plays out.  Roberts' other books are pretty good too.\nI loved REAMDE - I could have done with a bit more inside the game and a bit less tramping through the woods.  I love Stephenson's other books too.\nFinally: Bruce Sterling seems to be under-appreciated.  Hard to recommend one of his books.\nThis question is perhaps a FAQ.  Has anyone on HN ever scraped the answers posted to the various threads, added information about number of mentions or votes; with links to Amazon (and other book sellers)?\nHaving some carefully chosen adds and duplicating all the links with affiliate links would turn this into a mostly passive income project.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I want to say one of my favourite books is \"Salt\" by Adam Roberts. I love the characters and description of political views and the way the war between factions plays out.",
          "reason": "Calls it a favorite and praises its characters and depiction of political conflict.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adam Roberts"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "factional war",
        "political conflict"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "salt-sugar-fat-how-the-food-giants-hooked-us-2bd951",
      "title": "Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us",
      "author": "Michael Moss",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45319738,
          "author": "wibbily",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-21T03:19:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 45312545,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that helped you lose weight?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45319738",
          "commentText": "There’s a bunch of books that cover how the food industry exploits your primate brain and tries to make you eat more. Salt Sugar Fat [1] is one.\nNot a traditional weight loss guide. But, learning about all the tricks they play made me so angry that I lost eighty pounds… worth a try\n[1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15797397-salt-sugar-fat",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Salt Sugar Fat [1] is one.",
          "reason": "Offered as an example of a book about how the food industry encourages people to eat more; learning about its tactics angered the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not a traditional weight-loss guide.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Moss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "eating behavior",
        "food industry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "salt-a-world-history-fbd621",
      "title": "Salt: A World History",
      "author": "Mark Kurlansky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3644085,
          "author": "wj",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-28T17:54:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 3643009,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-technical book you've read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3644085",
          "commentText": "Salt: A World History\nThis came out almost a decade ago to critical acclaim. I finally picked it up and am about halfway through. It is a very engaging read about the surprisingly large role that salt played in human history.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It is a very engaging read about the surprisingly large role that salt played in human history.",
          "reason": "Describes it as very engaging and gives its historical subject.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231082,
          "author": "nicklovescode",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T16:40:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231082",
          "commentText": "Calculus - Michael Spivak\nSalt: A World History - Mark Kurlansky",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Salt: A World History - Mark Kurlansky",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Kurlansky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "food history",
        "global history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "saltwater-buddha-827501",
      "title": "Saltwater Buddha",
      "author": "Jaimal Yogis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10175648,
          "author": "bookmarkacc",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:43:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175648",
          "commentText": "Saltwater Buddha-\nGreat book which teaches some buddhist concepts through the lens of a young surfers comig of age story. Really good stuff",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great book which teaches some buddhist concepts through the lens of a young surfers comig of age story. Really good stuff",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book and says it teaches Buddhist concepts through a coming-of-age story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jaimal Yogis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhism",
        "surfing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "salvage-a-personal-odyssey-7f9676",
      "title": "Salvage: A Personal Odyssey",
      "author": "Ian Tew",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25319338,
          "author": "wmoser",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T23:08:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319338",
          "commentText": "Since you called out working on a container ship, a lot of these have a nautical bent but that’s an area of my personal interest as well.\nLooking for a ship, John McPhee,\nBook about a sailor looking for work and eventually catching a ship.\nBorn A Crime, Trevor Noah, not about another career but Apertheid South Africa, I enjoyed it and wished I would have read it before traveling through S.A. For work.\nDon’t Tell mum I work on the rigs, she thinks I’m a piano player in a whorehouse, by Paul Carter, read this one awhile ago but it’s about an oil well driller.  The industry has changed quite a bit since this book was written but I remember really enjoying it.\nSalvage: a personal odyssey by Ian Tew. I enjoyed this book about a a salvage master out of Singapore\nThe ride of a lifetime by Robert Iger, book about Iger’s journey to being CEO of Walt Disney Company. A bit of insight to what the company executives are doing/ supposed to be doing?\nQuench Your Own Thirst, Jim Koch, the founder of the Boston Beer company. He discusses some of the mistakes he made along the way too.\nGood clean fun, Nick offerman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Salvage: a personal odyssey by Ian Tew. I enjoyed this book about a a salvage master out of Singapore",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed this account of a salvage master.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in maritime work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ian Tew"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marine salvage",
        "maritime memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "salvation-sequence-01e8b9",
      "title": "Salvation Sequence",
      "author": "Peter F. Hamilton",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33385207,
          "author": "kyriakos",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T15:59:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33385207",
          "commentText": "Salvation Sequence by Peter G Hamilton\nA realistic alien invasion hard scifi trilogy set during different periods of time in our future. \"Read\" in audiobook format, narrated by John Lee who is also great.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Salvation Sequence by Peter G Hamilton",
          "reason": "Described as a realistic hard science fiction trilogy about an alien invasion across different future periods.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter F. Hamilton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alien invasion",
        "hard science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "same-as-ever-a-guide-to-what-never-changes-da84d5",
      "title": "Same as Ever: A Guide to What Never Changes",
      "author": "Morgan Housel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41558722,
          "author": "sylviangth",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-16T18:00:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41558722",
          "commentText": "Same as ever by Morgan Housel, also the author of the Psychology of Money. This book is not directly related to startups, but I have read it, and it is full of timeless lessons that could apply to startups, like planning pessimistically yet dreaming optimistically, the compounding effect, and many more. I think it could set you in a good mindset for startups, especially in the early stage, though I think this book could resonate with anyone. It’s quite new, but it’s one of the best reads of mine this year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Same as ever by Morgan Housel, also the author of the Psychology of Money.",
          "reason": "Says its timeless lessons could apply to startups and recommends it as mindset reading.",
          "audience": "Startup founders, especially at the early stage; commenter says it could resonate with anyone.",
          "caveat": "Not directly related to startups.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Morgan Housel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "decision making",
        "long term thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "samurai-trilogy-757ee9",
      "title": "Samurai Trilogy",
      "author": "Eiji Yoshikawa",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31971960,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T23:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31971960",
          "commentText": "In case you don't already know of this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samurai_Trilogy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In case you don't already know of this: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samurai_Trilogy",
          "reason": "Points the other commenter to the Samurai Trilogy in the context of their mention of Musashi.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eiji Yoshikawa"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "samurai"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sanatorium-under-the-sign-of-the-hourglass-5e779a",
      "title": "Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass",
      "author": "Bruno Schulz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41176559,
          "author": "d13",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T23:19:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41176559",
          "commentText": "It’s amazing, as is his Hourglass By The Sign of the Sanitorium.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "his Hourglass By The Sign of the Sanitorium",
          "reason": "Calls it amazing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruno Schulz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "modernist literature",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sandman-064f2c",
      "title": "Sandman",
      "author": "Neil Gaiman",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6924278,
          "author": "bmelton",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-17T22:02:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 6921805,
          "threadTitle": "What book has inspired you the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6924278",
          "commentText": "I would have put \"Sandman\" on my list, but might have deleted it for its non-novel status.  Thanks for bucking the trend with Watchmen. ;-)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I would have put \"Sandman\" on my list",
          "reason": "Says they would have included it on their list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They might have omitted it because it is not a novel.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neil Gaiman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "graphic novels",
        "mythology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sandman-slim-da5a83",
      "title": "Sandman Slim",
      "author": "Richard Kadrey",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25909644,
          "author": "gennarro",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T22:11:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25909644",
          "commentText": "I love mystery books (dad books) and am going to go through the whole Sandman Slim series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I love mystery books (dad books) and am going to go through the whole Sandman Slim series.",
          "reason": "Plans to read the entire series and says they love mystery books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Kadrey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "supernatural mystery",
        "urban fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sandra-boynton-books-be4089",
      "title": "Sandra Boynton books",
      "author": "Sandra Boynton",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26775082,
          "author": "rmk",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-12T00:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26775082",
          "commentText": "- Good Night, Moon\n- The Runaway Bunny\n- Harold and the Purple Crayon\n- Grandfather Twilight (for slightly older children)\n- Sandra Boynton books\n- Max's Breakfast (and other books)\n- I Read Signs (Tana Hoban; other books by her also quite good)\n- Go! Go! Go! Stop! (Cherise Mericle Harper)\n- Little Pea (Amy Krouse Rosenthal)\n- Trucks, My Car (and other Byron Barton books)\n- The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Eric Carle; some other books by this author are also good)\n- Roadwork (Sally Sutton; also in the same vein by the illustrator Brian Lovelock: Demolition, Flight of the Honey Bee, The Rain Train).\nMany others come to mind, but these are well-loved.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sandra Boynton books",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sandra Boynton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sandra-boynton-s-books-8bfde8",
      "title": "Sandra Boynton’s books",
      "author": "Sandra Boynton",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50039807,
          "author": "jkestner",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T04:31:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50039807",
          "commentText": "In that case, anything you can stand to read over and over again with feeling (Little Blue Truck was it for me), and the Eric Carle and Sandra Boynton books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Eric Carle and Sandra Boynton books",
          "reason": "Suggested as books to read repeatedly to young children.",
          "audience": "Young children read to by a caregiver.",
          "caveat": "No individual titles are specified.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sandra Boynton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "board books",
        "children s picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "santa-olivia-19c3ce",
      "title": "Santa Olivia",
      "author": "Jacqueline Carey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15630283,
          "author": "perlgeek",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:04:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630283",
          "commentText": "Let me recommend an author instead: Jacqueline Carey.\nShe writes in a beautiful language, writes gripping stories, sometimes includes erotic scenes which don't appear cheap, and the characters are well thought out. There's often some politics going on in the foreground or background, sometimes quite intricate.\nCheckout the Kushiel series for classical fantasy, or \"Santa Olivia\" for young adult urban fantasy.\nOther fantasy authors I'e read recently and enjoyed: Patrick Rothfuss, Peter v. Brett, Brandon Sanderson, Brent Weeks.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "or \"Santa Olivia\" for young adult urban fantasy.",
          "reason": "Suggests the book as young adult urban fantasy.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in young adult urban fantasy.",
          "caveat": "The author notes that her books sometimes include erotic scenes.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jacqueline Carey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "urban fantasy",
        "young adult"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sapira-s-art-science-of-bedside-diagnosis-b8a3f7",
      "title": "Sapira's Art & Science of Bedside Diagnosis",
      "author": "Jane M. Orient",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28456313,
          "author": "thebrainkid",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-08T12:57:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 28450555,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that impacted your work that few other people seem to care about?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28456313",
          "commentText": "The probably won't be relevant to most people here, but one book that changed how I approach my work (as a physician) was \"Sapira's Art & Science of Bedside Diagnosis\". It goes beyond the basics of physical diagnosis and delves into the history and statistics of various physical diagnostic techniques. It even describes a few low-tech techniques and skills which have been forgotten in the US medical system because of high-tech (and more expensive) imaging or lab testing regimens.\nIncidentally, I found this book referenced in this article: \"Why Should Doctors Read Medical Books?\" by Dr. Eric Cassell [0]\n[0] http://www.ericcassell.com/download/WhyShouldDoctorsReadMedi... (http://www.ericcassell.com/download/WhyShouldDoctorsReadMedicalBooks.pdf)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "one book that changed how I approach my work (as a physician) was \"Sapira's Art & Science of Bedside Diagnosis\".",
          "reason": "Says it changed their approach to medical work and covers history, diagnostic statistics, and low-tech techniques.",
          "audience": "Physicians and readers interested in physical diagnosis.",
          "caveat": "The comment says it goes beyond basic physical diagnosis and describes techniques less used in the US medical system.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jane M. Orient"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "clinical examination",
        "medical history",
        "physical diagnosis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sartor-resartus-108fa6",
      "title": "Sartor Resartus",
      "author": "Thomas Carlyle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40429807,
          "author": "mamonster",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T15:36:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40429807",
          "commentText": "I have finally gotten around to Sartor Resartus, now very obvious why a lot of the greats talked highly about this book. Very well written (and works fine as a standalone without needing to have read Carlyle's other works).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I have finally gotten around to Sartor Resartus",
          "reason": "Says it is well written and works as a standalone.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Does not require reading Carlyle’s other works.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Carlyle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "satire",
        "victorian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "satantango-c3016d",
      "title": "Satantango",
      "author": "László Krasznahorkai",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4966593,
          "author": "wahnfrieden",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T18:18:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4966593",
          "commentText": "Satantango, by László Krasznahorkai.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Satantango, by László Krasznahorkai.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "László Krasznahorkai"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "save-me-the-plums-9da8fc",
      "title": "Save Me the Plums",
      "author": "Ruth Reichl",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25319589,
          "author": "e15ctr0n",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T23:55:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319589",
          "commentText": "Save Me the Plums, a memoir by a former editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine, that chronicles the golden age of print media before the Internet turned the world of publishing upside down. https://www.amzn.com/081298238X",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Save Me the Plums, a memoir by a former editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine",
          "reason": "Recommended as a memoir about the print media era before the Internet transformed publishing.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in magazine editing and print media.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ruth Reichl"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "food media",
        "magazine publishing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "save-the-cat-d0ef67",
      "title": "Save the Cat!",
      "author": "Blake Snyder",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910210,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:25:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910210",
          "commentText": "- \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies\" - probably the most influential book I've read in my life, profoundly changed the way I think. It's a collection of LessWrong essays on science and rationality.\n- \"On Intelligence\" and \"I am a Strange Loop\" - how mind works.\n- \"Rework\", \"Zero to One\", \"Start Small, Stay Small\" - insightful startup advice.\n- Fun autobiographies: Ghost in the Wires (Kevin Mitnick), iWoz (Steve Wozniak), Catch me if you can (Frank Abagnale), Just for Fun (Linus Torvalds), Elon Musk, Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\n- How companies work: Creativity Inc (Pixar), In the Plex (Google)\n- On writing: Art of fiction/nonfiction by Ayn Rand, Story by Robert McKee, Save the Cat, Step by Step to Standup Comedy.\n- Other: The Selfish Gene, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Serious Creativity, Hackers & Painters, Hacking Growth, Angel (on angel investing, by Jason Calacanis).\nAlso collections of essays by Paul Graham [1] and Scott Alexander [2]:\n[1] https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%20Complete%20Essays.epub?dl=0)\n[2] https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of%20Scott%20Alexandria%20-%20Scott%20Alexander.epub?dl=0)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Save the Cat",
          "reason": "Listed under books about writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Blake Snyder"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "screenwriting",
        "story structure"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "save-the-pixel-081d0b",
      "title": "Save the Pixel",
      "author": "Ben Hunt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12712742,
          "author": "thejerz",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-15T04:44:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12712742",
          "commentText": "\"Save The Pixel\" by Ben Hunt is a hidden gem.\nIt's an ebook, but don't let that fool you.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Save The Pixel\" by Ben Hunt is a hidden gem.",
          "reason": "Calls it a hidden gem and recommends it in response to a request for UI design reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It is an ebook, but the commenter says not to let that put you off.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ben Hunt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "interface design",
        "web design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "saving-the-season-526a60",
      "title": "Saving the Season",
      "author": "Kevin West",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7968338,
          "author": "shanacarp",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:34:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968338",
          "commentText": "Saving the Season By Kevin West.  Yes it is a cookbook, but it has some fabulous essays about everything from fruit, vegetables, history of preserving, all sorts of things.\nPlus the recipes look crazy amazing.  I rarely say that.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Yes it is a cookbook, but it has some fabulous essays about everything from fruit, vegetables, history of preserving, all sorts of things.\nPlus the recipes look crazy amazing. I rarely say that.",
          "reason": "Praises its essays and says the recipes look amazing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kevin West"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "History",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cookbook",
        "food preservation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "saxon-algebra-1-04d9f9",
      "title": "Saxon Algebra 1",
      "author": "John Saxon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34447294,
          "author": "Wistar",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T23:48:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34447294",
          "commentText": "Not nearly as rarefied as many of the books cited here, for me it was John Saxon's excellent Algebra 1/2, Algebra 1, and Algebra 2. I didn't get a good enough grasp on basic Algebra in high-school. When I was in my early–mid 20s, a friend gave me these three algebra textbooks. In a marathon session lasting about two weeks, I went through all three books from end-to-end and really learned algebra. For whatever reasons, the Saxon books worked really well for me — better than any other learning I have ever gotten from a textbook. Although I was very motivated, I attribute a lot of my success learning algebra well to those three books. I still own them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Algebra 1",
          "reason": "The commenter says the Saxon books worked very well for learning algebra.",
          "audience": "Learners who want to build a grasp of basic algebra.",
          "caveat": "The commenter had been very motivated while studying it.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Saxon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algebra",
        "math textbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "saxon-algebra-1-2-5fbfbd",
      "title": "Saxon Algebra 1/2",
      "author": "John Saxon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34447294,
          "author": "Wistar",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T23:48:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34447294",
          "commentText": "Not nearly as rarefied as many of the books cited here, for me it was John Saxon's excellent Algebra 1/2, Algebra 1, and Algebra 2. I didn't get a good enough grasp on basic Algebra in high-school. When I was in my early–mid 20s, a friend gave me these three algebra textbooks. In a marathon session lasting about two weeks, I went through all three books from end-to-end and really learned algebra. For whatever reasons, the Saxon books worked really well for me — better than any other learning I have ever gotten from a textbook. Although I was very motivated, I attribute a lot of my success learning algebra well to those three books. I still own them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "John Saxon's excellent Algebra 1/2",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book worked very well for learning algebra.",
          "audience": "Learners who want to build a grasp of basic algebra.",
          "caveat": "The commenter had been very motivated while studying it.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Saxon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algebra",
        "math textbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "saxon-algebra-2-6321af",
      "title": "Saxon Algebra 2",
      "author": "John Saxon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34447294,
          "author": "Wistar",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T23:48:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34447294",
          "commentText": "Not nearly as rarefied as many of the books cited here, for me it was John Saxon's excellent Algebra 1/2, Algebra 1, and Algebra 2. I didn't get a good enough grasp on basic Algebra in high-school. When I was in my early–mid 20s, a friend gave me these three algebra textbooks. In a marathon session lasting about two weeks, I went through all three books from end-to-end and really learned algebra. For whatever reasons, the Saxon books worked really well for me — better than any other learning I have ever gotten from a textbook. Although I was very motivated, I attribute a lot of my success learning algebra well to those three books. I still own them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Algebra 2",
          "reason": "The commenter says the Saxon books worked very well for learning algebra.",
          "audience": "Learners who want to build a grasp of basic algebra.",
          "caveat": "The commenter had been very motivated while studying it.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Saxon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algebra",
        "math textbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "say-goodnight-to-insomnia-4ce442",
      "title": "Say Goodnight to Insomnia",
      "author": "Gregg D. Jacobs",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40964783,
          "author": "kernx16",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-15T02:17:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 40962582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most accurate scientific book on human sleep?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40964783",
          "commentText": "I dug into this quite a bit for a while. A book that I found pretty good, albeit at times redundant, is \"Say Goodnight To Insomnia\". The author has studied sleep, specifically insomnia, for a good chunk of their life and uses CBT to conquer insomnia. The book also talks a bit about myths around sleep which I found interesting.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A book that I found pretty good, albeit at times redundant, is \"Say Goodnight To Insomnia\".",
          "reason": "The commenter found it good and says it uses CBT to address insomnia.",
          "audience": "People seeking help with insomnia.",
          "caveat": "The commenter found parts redundant.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gregg D. Jacobs"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognitive behavioral therapy",
        "insomnia",
        "sleep"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "say-nothing-263f1e",
      "title": "Say Nothing",
      "author": "Patrick Radden Keefe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42275555,
          "author": "_hdki",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T17:46:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42275555",
          "commentText": "A few of this year's highlights for me and my notes on the books, where available.\nFiction -\nNotes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/2ab29d16-0cb1-4ef8-8cde... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/2ab29d16-0cb1-4ef8-8cde-8c9d90db0daf)\nPride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/65214629-29ac-45a6-b474... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/65214629-29ac-45a6-b474-b9fad1285564)\nBleak House by Charles Dickens\nThe Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/bd090cb4-bc9a-41cb-9833... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/bd090cb4-bc9a-41cb-9833-f60834ccd28c)\nNonfiction -\nThe House of Government by Yuri Slezkine (my luckiest find of the year)\nStalin: The Court of The Red Tsar by Simon Sebag Montefiore - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/13ebec0d-0859-4858-864a... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/13ebec0d-0859-4858-864a-8c28bacfed8f)\nVienna by Richard Cockett - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/c0e1d1fb-dea7-456b-a95e... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/c0e1d1fb-dea7-456b-a95e-fcccdd63814a)\nThe House That Madigan Built by Ray Long (an interesting history of a legendary figure in Illinois state politics)\nSay Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s nonfiction highlights of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Patrick Radden Keefe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "northern ireland",
        "the troubles"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "scarcity-why-having-too-little-means-so-much-7cb264",
      "title": "Scarcity: Why Having Too Little Means So Much",
      "author": "Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19088405,
          "author": "aswanson",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T18:50:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19088405",
          "commentText": "Read that one a few months ago. Definitely recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read that one a few months ago. Definitely recommended.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly recommends the book discussed in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "behavioral economics",
        "scarcity mindset"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "schaum-s-outline-series-dc04ae",
      "title": "Schaum's Outline Series",
      "author": "Schaum's Outlines",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31491003,
          "author": "Koshkin",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T12:15:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31491003",
          "commentText": "The Schaum's Outline Series. It has tons of solved problems and exercises, which is exactly what is critical for getting a handle on mathematical concepts and methods. There's also the Demystified series, which is good but has fewer exercises.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Schaum's Outline Series.",
          "reason": "The commenter values its many solved problems and exercises for learning mathematical concepts and methods.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Schaum's Outlines"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematics textbooks",
        "worked problems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "scholastic-metaphysics-a-contemporary-introduction-960d16",
      "title": "Scholastic Metaphysics: A Contemporary Introduction",
      "author": "Edward Feser",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43612025,
          "author": "heraclius1729",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T14:37:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43612025",
          "commentText": "Scholastic Metaphysics: A Contemporary Introduction by Edward Fesser\nI stumbled across this completely by accident while doing research for a history of science class I was designing years ago. It took... a while... to stop saying \"but why does this matter!\" every two seconds while reading it, but eventually I was able to open my mind to metaphysics as a discipline and get it into my head exactly what he was talking about, and why it was useful. After that, it was smooth sailing. I owe a lot to this book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Scholastic Metaphysics: A Contemporary Introduction by Edward Fesser",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book helped them understand metaphysics and why it was useful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It took a while for the commenter to understand the material.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward Feser"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "metaphysics",
        "scholastic philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "schwarzbuch-kapitalismus-9c6e28",
      "title": "Schwarzbuch Kapitalismus",
      "author": "Robert Kurz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12563043,
          "author": "3151",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T08:04:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12563043",
          "commentText": "Maybe i overread it but The Fable of the Bees is from Bernard Mandeville. \nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fable_of_the_Bees\nMy two takes for a good historic understanding of economics are this Books:\nEconomics of Good and Evil, Tomáš Sedláček\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Economics-Good-Evil-Economic-Gilgames... (https://www.amazon.com/Economics-Good-Evil-Economic-Gilgamesh/dp/019932218X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474617689&sr=8-1&keywords=Tom%C3%A1s+Sedl%C3%A1cek)\nand Schwarzbuch Kapitalismus, Robert Kurz (could't find a English Version)\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Schwarzbuch-Kapitalismus-Ein-Abgesang... (https://www.amazon.com/Schwarzbuch-Kapitalismus-Ein-Abgesang-Marktwirtschaft/dp/3548363083/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474617771&sr=8-1&keywords=robert+kurz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and Schwarzbuch Kapitalismus, Robert Kurz (could't find a English Version)",
          "reason": "Offers it as one of two books for a good historical understanding of economics.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a historical understanding of economics; the commenter notes no English version was found.",
          "caveat": "The commenter could not find an English version.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Kurz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "capitalism",
        "history of capitalism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "science-comics-4981db",
      "title": "Science Comics",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35577704,
          "author": "daydream",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-15T04:52:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 35566416,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technology/creative books and games for my daughter (7 years)",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35577704",
          "commentText": "Science Comics is a really well done series of comics explaining various topics. Highly recommend especially if there’s a topic your child is really into already.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Science Comics is a really well done series of comics explaining various topics. Highly recommend especially if there’s a topic your child is really into already.",
          "reason": "A comics series explaining a range of topics.",
          "audience": "Children interested in a topic covered by the series.",
          "caveat": "Especially suited to topics the child is already interested in.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "educational comics",
        "science comics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "science-and-civilisation-in-china-e25d12",
      "title": "Science and Civilisation in China",
      "author": "Joseph Needham",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29816049,
          "author": "contingencies",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-05T22:32:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29816049",
          "commentText": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_and_Civilisation_in_Ch... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_and_Civilisation_in_China)\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TCP/IP_Illustrated#Volume_1:_T... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TCP/IP_Illustrated#Volume_1:_The_Protocols)\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debt:_The_First_5000_Years\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_Not_Being_Governed",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_and_Civilisation_in_Ch...",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph Needham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chinese history",
        "history of science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "science-and-sanity-bd4768",
      "title": "Science and Sanity",
      "author": "Alfred Korzybski",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15156659,
          "author": "xtiansimon",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T16:04:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156659",
          "commentText": "Hmm. Not to repeat, I think I must dig deep into the archives...\nKorzybski, Alfred. Science and Sanity. Institute of GS, 1958. [1]\nThe Institute of General Semantics has a current website [2], is on Facebook, and has several articles on Wikipedia.org [3].\nOne of the mind-bending premises (Wikipedia.org):\n\"Non-Aristotelianism: While Aristotle wrote a true definition gives the essence of the thing defined ..., general semantics denies the existence of such an 'essence'. [...] In general semantics, it is always possible to give a description of empirical facts, but such descriptions remain just that—descriptions—which necessarily leave out many aspects of the objective, microscopic, and submicroscopic events they describe. According to general semantics, language, natural or otherwise ... can be used to describe the taste of an orange, but one cannot give the taste of the orange using language alone.\"\n[1]: https://books.google.com/books/about/Science_and_Sanity.html?\n[2]: http://www.generalsemantics.org/\n[3]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_of_General_Semantics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Korzybski, Alfred. Science and Sanity. Institute of GS, 1958.",
          "reason": "Presented as a book that the commenter found worth retrieving from the archives.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alfred Korzybski"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epistemology",
        "general semantics",
        "language"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "science-and-society-in-the-16th-and-17th-centuries-3a0ef6",
      "title": "Science and Society in the 16th and 17th Centuries",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1865596,
          "author": "nathanielksmith",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T17:29:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 1864688,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865596",
          "commentText": "I alluded to this in http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865350 , but want to respond to your comment about reading \"making you think.\"\nI had a major breakthrough in my creative (programming, music) life when I realized that my most intensely creative periods were fueled by reading.\nWhat would happen is that I would work tirelessly drafting ideas, hacking or making music until I burned out and got very depressed. I stayed like this and, through some accident, started reading as a way to pass time. Before I got through more than one or two books, I'd have forgotten the depression and be back to creating stuff again.\nNow, I try to make time for reading daily (instead of binging/purging). It helps me avoid burnout on creative projects and gives me new ideas all the time.\nFor the past two years I've been reading a handful of authors and will recommend them instead of specific books: HP Lovecraft, Jorge Luis Borges, Haruki Murakami, Philip K Dick, Neal Stephenson, William Gibson, Franz Kafka.\nI also very much enjoyed a book called Science and Society in the 16th and 17th Centuries that I picked up at a college library booksale. I don't recall the author, unfortunately.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also very much enjoyed a book called Science and Society in the 16th and 17th Centuries that I picked up at a college library booksale. I don't recall the author, unfortunately.",
          "reason": "Says they very much enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Author not recalled.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "science-in-action-how-to-follow-scientists-and-engineers-through--7fad82",
      "title": "Science in Action: How to Follow Scientists and Engineers Through Society",
      "author": "Bruno Latour",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36601648,
          "author": "HillRat",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:20:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601648",
          "commentText": "Lots of options out there. A few from my bookshelf: Bijker's \"Of Bicycles, Bakelites, and Bulbs\" is a case-study-centric work that seeks to build a general theory of STS. Nye's \"Technology Matters\" is less a work of theory than a critique that poses core questions about how society should seek to integrate technical advances. Latour's \"Science in Action,\" \"Reassembling the Social,\" and \"Aramis\" are great examples of his approach to whole-of-system analysis of sociotechnical systems. Rogers' \"Diffusion of Innovation\" is a classic work theorizing how innovation is communicated through social networks.\nMIT Press has a wide variety of books that cover specific topics in history, most of which have great theoretic interest: Agar's \"The Government Machine,\" dealing with the evolution of technology and expertise within the UK government; Medina's \"Cybernetic Revolutionaries,\" about Beer's Cybersyn project; and Ensmenger's \"The Computer Boys Take Over,\" about the cultural development of the \"programmer,\" are all great reads.\nAlso, you can look beyond pure technology for interesting adjacencies: for example, Schatz's \"The Genius of the System\" describes how changes in technology and management production radically upended Hollywood, resulting in the studio system that dominated from the 1930s through the 1950s, while Harris' \"Pictures at a Revolution\" picks up the pieces at the end of that system, discussing the rise of \"New Hollywood,\" driven by cultural and technical (particularly the French use of inexpensive filming technologies to create the New Wave) forces.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Latour's \"Science in Action,\"",
          "reason": "Presented as a strong example of Latour's whole system analysis approach.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruno Latour"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "actor network theory",
        "science and technology studies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "science-of-logic-2abdd2",
      "title": "Science of Logic",
      "author": "Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19090108,
          "author": "nathias",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T21:39:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090108",
          "commentText": "Plato - Meno, Symposium, Parmenides, Gorgias, Protagoras\nPlotinus -Enneads\nMarkus Aurelius - Meditations\nDescartes - On method\nDescartes - Meditations\nSpinoza - On the improvement of Understanding\nLeibniz - Monadology\nLeibniz - Grace\nVoltaire - Candid\nDiderot - D'Alembert's Dream\nKant - How to orient oneself in thinking\nKant - Critique of Pure Reason\nKant - Critique of Judgment\nHegel - Phenomenology of Spirit\nHegel - Logic\nvon Kleist - Marionette Theatre\nKierkegaard - The Sickness Unto Death\nHeidegger - Being and Time\nSartre - Being and Nothingness\nSartre - Flies\nSartre - Nausea\nDeleuze - Difference and Repetition\nKafka - Metamorphosis\nKafka - The Castle\nLem - Magellan Nebula\nLem - His Master's Voice\nCioran - A Short History of Decay\nPessoa - Book Of Despair\nWolfe -  New Sun tetralogy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hegel - Logic",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "german idealism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "scientific-advertising-c61ac3",
      "title": "Scientific Advertising",
      "author": "Claude C. Hopkins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Claude C. Hopkins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "advertising",
        "marketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "scientific-american-library-db83e1",
      "title": "Scientific American Library",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32794074,
          "author": "bmitc",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T19:52:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32794074",
          "commentText": "I have a lot, probably too many to list, but the Scientific American Library series has some of the best science writing ever, by luminaries in the respective fields like John Wheeler, P.W. Atkins, Julian Schwinger, and others.\nhttps://www.thriftbooks.com/series/scientific-american-libra... (https://www.thriftbooks.com/series/scientific-american-library-series/92985/)\nI'm slowly collecting all of them, as they can be had in great condition for cheap.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Scientific American Library series",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the series for its science writing and is slowly collecting its books.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in science writing across a range of fields.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "popular science",
        "science writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "scientific-notation-and-other-first-principles-comprehensive-math-f935da",
      "title": "Scientific Notation and Other First Principles: Comprehensive Mathematics for Lawyers and Politicians",
      "author": "Jacob Herwitz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 756227,
          "author": "jaja",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T20:06:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=756227",
          "commentText": "\"Scientific Notation and Other First Principles: Comprehensive Mathematics for Lawyers and Politicians,\" by Jacob Herwitz.  Penguin, 1992.\nGreat introductory text which starts from algebraic first principles and goes through pretty much everything up until differential equations.  Very thorough.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Scientific Notation and Other First Principles: Comprehensive Mathematics for Lawyers and Politicians,\" by Jacob Herwitz.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for recommended mathematics books, with a description as a thorough introductory text.",
          "audience": "Lawyers and politicians seeking an introductory mathematics text.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jacob Herwitz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "introductory mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "scientific-principles-of-hypertrophy-training-c504a0",
      "title": "Scientific Principles of Hypertrophy Training",
      "author": "Mike Israetel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42222681,
          "author": "zs234465234165",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T18:32:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42222681",
          "commentText": "Dr. Mike Israetel\nScientific Principles of Hypertrophy Training (Renaissance Periodization",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Scientific Principles of Hypertrophy Training",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mike Israetel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "muscle hypertrophy",
        "resistance training"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "scopes-closures-8c8ddf",
      "title": "Scopes & Closures",
      "author": "Kyle Simpson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14521795,
          "author": "ciw1973",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-09T14:53:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14521795",
          "commentText": "\"Eloquent Javascript\" (http://eloquentjavascript.net/) definitely gets my vote, as it starts with concepts that someone new to programming would need to understand before diving into the specifics of the language. Available to read online for free, although well worth spending money on a physical copy to thumb through, but it may be a little too slow to get going for someone who already has experience with other languages.\nFor developers, I'd recommend Kyle Simpson's \"You Don't Know JS\" books, in particular \"This & Object Prototypes\", followed by \"Scopes & Closures\". Well written, with plenty of example code, these are deep dives into specific areas which make Javascript different/weird. They're available to read in his Github repo (https://github.com/getify/You-Dont-Know-JS), but consider buying them, as he deserves to get paid.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "followed by \"Scopes & Closures\"",
          "reason": "Highlights it as a particular book in the recommended series.",
          "audience": "Developers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kyle Simpson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "closures",
        "javascript"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "scott-meyers-s-books-a3bb14",
      "title": "Scott Meyers's books",
      "author": "Scott Meyers",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14842478,
          "author": "mhh__",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-24T20:42:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14842478",
          "commentText": "Alexandrescu's Modern C++ design taught me how to template properly.\nAlso, Scott Meyers's books were very helpful.\nThe design of the D standard library has also been very influential on my code (Mainly convincing me of the benefits of ranges over iterator)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Scott Meyers's books were very helpful.",
          "reason": "The commenter says Meyers's books were very helpful.",
          "audience": "C++ programmers.",
          "caveat": "No individual titles are specified.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Meyers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c",
        "software design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "screw-it-let-s-do-it-lessons-in-life-a66f57",
      "title": "Screw It, Let's Do It: Lessons In Life",
      "author": "Richard Branson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12144310,
          "author": "0xmohit",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:55:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144310",
          "commentText": "- The Peter Principle: Why Things Always Go Wrong by Lawrence J. Peter & Raymond Hull\n- The Upside of Irrationality by Dan Ariely\n- Screw It, Let's Do It: Lessons In Life by Sir Richard Branson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Screw It, Let's Do It: Lessons In Life by Sir Richard Branson",
          "reason": "Named in response to a request for books that impacted a career.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Branson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "scrum-the-art-of-doing-twice-the-work-in-half-the-time-0eb139",
      "title": "Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time",
      "author": "Jeff Sutherland and J.J. Sutherland",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10786160,
          "author": "wushupork",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T22:57:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786160",
          "commentText": "Traction by Justin Mares, Gabriel Weinberg - would probably reread\nGrowth Hacker Marketing by Ryan Holiday\nHow to Fail at Almost Everything by Scott Adams - great read\nScaling Up By Verne Harnish\nGreat By Choice by Jim Collins - love the whole series\nThe Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes - probably worth a reread\nHow to Win at the Sport of Business By Mark Cuban - good read\nElon Mush by Ashlee Vance - need I say more\nThe Hard Thing about Hard Things By Ben Horowitz\nThe Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg - probably need to deeply absorb this - a lot of good stuff\nCopy This! By Paul Orfalea - another good \"small business\" entrepreneur book\nThe E-Myth Revisited By Michael Gerber - 2nd time read. Got more out of it this time.\nThe People's Tycoon (Ford) by Steven Watts - I love reading about businessmen from this age\nScrum by JJ Sutherland Jeff Sutherland - good read for development teams",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Scrum by JJ Sutherland Jeff Sutherland - good read for development teams",
          "reason": "Described as a good read for development teams.",
          "audience": "Development teams.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeff Sutherland and J.J. Sutherland"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "agile development",
        "scrum"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sea-people-the-puzzle-of-polynesia-f414a1",
      "title": "Sea People: The Puzzle of Polynesia",
      "author": "Christina Thompson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21793675,
          "author": "captaincrowbar",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-15T01:07:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793675",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction I read this year:\nMichael Benson - Space Odyssey - The detailed story of the making of 2001: A Space Odyssey. If you're a fan of the movie, or of Stanley Kubrick and/or Arthur C. Clarke in general, you should read this.\nAtul Gawande - Complications - Fascinating look at life in the medical profession.\nChristina Thompson - Sea People - Detailed, well-researched history of Polynesian-Western contact and relations. As a New Zealander I was interested in this, although American or European readers with no personal connection may be less so.\nPeter Singer - Marx: A Very Short Introduction - What it says on the tin.\nRobert C Allen - Global Economic History: A Very Short Introduction - Also good, but inaccurately titled; it should have said \"Global Economic History Since the Industrial Revolution\".\nFraser A Sherman - Now and Then We Time Travel - A thorough if somewhat superficial survey of time travel in the movies.\nAlec Nevala-Lee - Astounding - A history of the magazine Astounding Stories, and the four men most closely associated with it: John Campbell, Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, and Ron Hubbard. Very thoroughly researched and annotated; it reveals a lot of new information and debunks a lot of old myths. (Whichever version of the \"FBI visits Campbell to complain about A-bomb stories\" you've heard, I can pretty much guarantee it wasn't the real one.)\nElizabeth Sandifer - Tardis Eruditorum 1: William Hartnell - The first volume of a thorough study of Doctor Who, with a combined fannish and scholarly point of view that I enjoyed.\nRandall Munroe - How To - It's by Randall Munroe, what else do you need to know?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Detailed, well-researched history of Polynesian-Western contact and relations. As a New Zealander I was interested in this, although American or European readers with no personal connection may be less so.",
          "reason": "Praised as detailed and well researched.",
          "audience": "Readers with a personal connection to New Zealand or Polynesian history.",
          "caveat": "The commenter suggests American or European readers without a personal connection may be less interested.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christina Thompson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "european contact",
        "polynesian history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sea-stories-my-life-in-special-operations-049e0f",
      "title": "Sea Stories: My Life in Special Operations",
      "author": "William H. McRaven",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33850247,
          "author": "rubayeet",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T03:19:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33850247",
          "commentText": "Quantum By Manjit Kumar: Traces the scientific discoveries leading to quantum theory, relationships among renowned scientists of 20th century, with a focus on Bohr-Einstein debate.\nIncredible History of India’s Geography by Sanjeev Sanyal: Abbreviated history of the Indian subcontinent, starting with the Indus Valley civilization, ending with the conflicts between India - Pakistan.\nSea Stories by William McRaven - An autobiography of a decorated Navy SEAL officer, who was involved in planning and execution of historically significant special operations (rescuing Captain Philip, and killing Bin Laden).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An autobiography of a decorated Navy SEAL officer",
          "reason": "Identifies it as an autobiography about a Navy SEAL officer involved in historically significant special operations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William H. McRaven"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military memoir",
        "navy seals"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sea-of-tranquility-88581a",
      "title": "Sea of Tranquility",
      "author": "Emily St. John Mandel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38560202,
          "author": "monkeypicks",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T18:52:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38560202",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\nVictory City- new Salman Rushdie book. Great retelling of the history of one of the great medieval South Indian kingdoms. Not his best, but his writing is still top notch.\nSea of Tranquility- speculative fiction from Emily St. John Mandel (of Station Eleven fame). It's a series of interconnected stories spanning centuries from the near past to the near future. Beautifully written. Read when I was down with COVID earlier this year and it invaded my dreams (in a good way). Short and easy read.\nGiovanni's Room- story of an American expat in Paris caught between his love for a man and his duty to his girlfriend. This is the first James Baldwin book I have read but will definitely check out more of his work in 2024.\nTheory of Bastards- speculative fiction by Audrey Schulmann. Literary sci-fi similar to Station Eleven. It's about a woman researching primate behavior set in the near future where the earth is ravaged by the effects of climate change. Very well researched, beautifully written and nothing like I have ever read before. This won the 2019 Philip K Dick Award.\nInvisible Cities- literary fiction by Italo Calvino. It's less than 200 pages but a very dense and tough read. It's a conversation between Marco Polo and Kublai Khan where MP is describing cities in KK's vast empire. It's a strange, strange book that I think I will return to often. If you liked the world building in Piranesi and want more, this is the book for you. Calvino describes 55 cities in under 200 pages, with each one feeling very different. Again, first Calvino book I have read and will definitely check out more of his works in 2024.\nNon-fiction:\nThinking in Systems: A Primer- by Donella Meadows. Read this based on HN's recommendation. Thank you!\nOn Intelligence- by Jeff Hawkins. This was on my shelf for years and am glad I got to read it this year. The creator of the Palm Pilot presents his theory of intelligence and how the brain works. It's compelling. I hope to read his follow up book in 2024. Would love HN's recommendations of similar books.\nA Primate's Memoir- by Robert M. Sapolsky. Enjoyable read of the author's research on Savannah baboons and his adventures in Africa. His love for primates and humans alike come through clearly.\nBuild: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making- by Tony Fadell. A great business book by the co-founder of Nest. Draws on his experience both as a startup founder and leading innovative teams at large tech companies (Apple, in his case). Just as any business book, this could have been shorter and less repetitive but thankfully, there is enough good material here to be a book rather than a blog post.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Beautifully written. Read when I was down with COVID earlier this year and it invaded my dreams (in a good way).",
          "reason": "Praises its writing and describes its lasting effect on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as speculative fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Emily St. John Mandel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "interconnected stories",
        "speculative fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "searching-for-and-maintaining-peace-ddb321",
      "title": "Searching for and Maintaining Peace",
      "author": "Jacques Philippe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12280563,
          "author": "JonathanAquino",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-13T06:55:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12280563",
          "commentText": "Along the same lines, I have enjoyed several times a little book called \"Searching for and Maintaining Peace\", by Father Jacques Philippe. It gives a Christian/Catholic perspective on how to deal with the troubles of life: fear of being without, fear of suffering, dealing with the suffering of loved ones, impatience with the shortcomings of others, kicking ourselves when we commit a fault, etc.\nThe short answer is to acquire and maintain an interior peace, no matter what the circumstances. This allows the grace of God to act through us. The book develops this idea from several angles, in about 100 pages.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I have enjoyed several times a little book called \"Searching for and Maintaining Peace\", by Father Jacques Philippe.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have enjoyed rereading it and describes its guidance for life's troubles.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Presents a Christian/Catholic perspective and grounds its advice in the grace of God.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jacques Philippe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "catholic perspective",
        "christian spirituality",
        "inner peace"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "second-foundation-b7ad7c",
      "title": "Second Foundation",
      "author": "Isaac Asimov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2043481,
          "author": "wwortiz",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T20:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043481",
          "commentText": "Snow Crash and The Diamond Age are good books, especially for just starting to read again.\nUbik is my favorite PKD book followed closely by Electric Sheep.\nThe His Dark Materials isn't really sci-fi so much as fantasy but it is quite a good read (though if you didn't have a kindle it might be embarrassing buying them from the young adult section, they are quite adult though).\nI think a huge thing missing from your list is the Foundation series from Asimov (I recommend going in order of publishing, start with Foundation move onto Foundation and Empire then Second Foundation and more if you are into it).\nMy 2 cents.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "start with Foundation move onto Foundation and Empire then Second Foundation",
          "reason": "Included in the recommended publication order for the Foundation series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isaac Asimov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "psychohistory",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "secret-wars-865910",
      "title": "Secret Wars",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42569167,
          "author": "weakfish",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-01T20:48:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42569167",
          "commentText": "Man, I love the Fantastic 4 and by extension the whole secret wars arc. Glad to see another fan eager for how it’s handled on the screen.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the whole secret wars arc",
          "reason": "Expresses enthusiasm for the Secret Wars storyline.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marvel",
        "superhero comics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "secrets-of-closing-the-sale-f36c34",
      "title": "Secrets of Closing the Sale",
      "author": "Zig Ziglar",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10240701,
          "author": "tsattersten",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-18T17:39:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10240701",
          "commentText": "Our selections from The 100 Best Business Books of All Time were:\n-Selling The Invisible by Harry Beckwith (great look at selling services)\n-Secrets of Closing The Sale by Zig Ziglar (gets you prepared for objections)\n-How to Become A Rainmaker by Jeffrey Fox (shortcuts to better sales techniques)\n-The Little Red Book of Selling by Jeffrey Gitomer (best first book for first time salespeople)\nAs mentioned in other posts, I would also add SPIN Selling, Mastering the Complex Sale and The Referral Engine.\n\"Smart\" books in the sales space include Influence, Made To Stick, To Sell Is Human.\nFor motivation, read more Zig, Tony Robbins, and Dale Carnegie.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Secrets of Closing The Sale by Zig Ziglar (gets you prepared for objections)",
          "reason": "Recommended for preparing to handle objections.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Zig Ziglar"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "objection handling",
        "sales"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "secrets-of-divine-love-8e0c54",
      "title": "Secrets of Divine Love",
      "author": "A. Helwa",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 44572483,
          "author": "Aro_oj",
          "createdAt": "2025-07-15T15:55:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 44568054,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44572483",
          "commentText": "It's a self-help book called Secrets of Divine Love. \nIt helped me with clearing out so much in my life that I used to worry about. It is a slow read; otherwise, one gets bored other than that, I enjoyed each and every bit of it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's a self-help book called Secrets of Divine Love.",
          "reason": "Says it helped clear away many worries and that they enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A slow read; the commenter says otherwise one gets bored.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "A. Helwa"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "islamic spirituality",
        "self help"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "secrets-of-power-negotiating-258b2b",
      "title": "Secrets of Power Negotiating",
      "author": "Roger Dawson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5501644,
          "author": "timo614",
          "createdAt": "2013-04-05T23:17:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 5501062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Business Book For a 13-year-old Girl?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5501644",
          "commentText": "It really depends on what facet of business you think she'd be interested in.\nTo be honest I think better than any specific business resource out there would be to just get her on the path to building the core skills she'll use later on in life. She's already got that started with her vending business which is great. I think pushing her towards taking on some school activities may be great too. Things where she can help organize events and fundraisers and really contribute to a group.\nAs for my favorite books on business I would suggest for a 13 year old:\n\"Death by Meeting\" The author describes a fictional company that is terrible at conducting meetings until the main character comes and helps address the issues. I know she's not really running meetings at the moment so this may be of less use to her until she has others working along side her. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0787968056\nI also agree that \"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" is an excellent book. I grew up with social anxiety disorder and it was one of the books that really broke me out of my shell and gave me the confidence to really push past it. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0671723650\nAnother book I found pretty interesting was \"Win the Crowd.\" While not a 'business' book, per se, it goes into how to really grab your audience's attention and hold it.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0060742054\nLastly \"Secrets of Powers Negotiating\" is an interesting book I'd suggest she take a look at. There are endless applications to negotiation in business from sales to even negotiating your first salary. \nhttp://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Power-Negotiating-15th-Anniver... (http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Power-Negotiating-15th-Anniversary/dp/1601631391)\nJust some ideas -- hope it helps!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lastly \"Secrets of Powers Negotiating\" is an interesting book I'd suggest she take a look at.",
          "reason": "Called interesting and suggested for a young person to consider.",
          "audience": "A 13-year-old interested in business and negotiation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roger Dawson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "negotiation",
        "sales"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "secrets-of-question-based-selling-3ef6c0",
      "title": "Secrets of Question Based Selling",
      "author": "Thomas A. Freese",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10235519,
          "author": "jaboutboul",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T19:27:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10235519",
          "commentText": "Secrets of Questions Based Selling: http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Question-Based-Selling-Powerfu... (http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Question-Based-Selling-Powerful-Business/dp/1402287526/)\nGreat book that helped me learn the psychology behind sales.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Secrets of Questions Based Selling: http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Question-Based-Selling-Powerfu...",
          "reason": "Described as a great book that helped the commenter learn the psychology behind sales.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking to understand sales psychology.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas A. Freese"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "question based selling",
        "sales"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "secrets-of-sandhill-road-b912ba",
      "title": "Secrets of Sandhill Road",
      "author": "Scott Kupor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21902980,
          "author": "baristaGeek",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T00:46:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902980",
          "commentText": "Best business books:\n-Secrets of Sandhill Road\n-Hackers and Painters\n-The Great CEO within\n-Venture Deals\n-Predictable Revenue\n-Zero to One\n-The Hard Thing About Hard Things\n-Lean customer development\n-Lost and founder\n-Lean B2B\n-From Impossible to Inevitable\n-Traction\nBest computer science books:\n-Competitive programming 3\n-Structure and interpretation of computer programs\nBest for fun (non-fiction):\n-Meditations\n-Sapiens\n-How to win friends and influence people\n-A brief history of time\n-Self-reliance\n-Frente a la estrella polar",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-Secrets of Sandhill Road",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s best business books in response to a question about influential books.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in venture capital and startups.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Kupor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "startups",
        "venture capital"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "secrets-of-the-database-ninja-6a2abb",
      "title": "Secrets of the Database Ninja",
      "author": "Stéphane Faroult",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40874951,
          "author": "iainctduncan",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-04T13:51:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 40840658,
          "threadTitle": "Books to Dive in into Fullstack Development",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40874951",
          "commentText": "Couple of Recos:\nO'Reilly's \"Learning SQL\" is probably the best intro to relational databases I've seen.\nWhile old, Reissig's \"Secrets of the Database Ninja\" is fantastic for understanding what the heck's going in that weird franken-language.\nRe the comments on books vs courses and videos.... buying a good library is IMHO a much better investment. You learn where things are in your shelf and can find further info in seconds. This becomes even more valuable as searching for technical stuff gets worse every year. Also, good books teach you what you don't know you need to know, rather than what everyone knows they are looking for.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Reissig's \"Secrets of the Database Ninja\" is fantastic for understanding what the heck's going in that weird franken-language.",
          "reason": "Recommended for understanding SQL.",
          "audience": "Readers trying to make sense of SQL.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it is old.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stéphane Faroult"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "databases",
        "sql"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "secrets-of-the-javascript-ninja-7e95ae",
      "title": "Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja",
      "author": "John Resig and Bear Bibeault",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7759712,
          "author": "kachhalimbu",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-17T09:42:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7759712",
          "commentText": "I highly recommend \"Secrets of JavaScript Ninja by John Resig and Bear Bibeault. It tremendously help me level up my JS skills.\nhttp://www.manning.com/resig/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend \"Secrets of JavaScript Ninja by John Resig and Bear Bibeault. It tremendously help me level up my JS skills.",
          "reason": "The commenter highly recommends it, saying it helped improve their JavaScript skills.",
          "audience": "People looking to improve their JavaScript skills",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Resig and Bear Bibeault"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "javascript"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "secrets-of-the-javascript-ninja-second-edition-f76b14",
      "title": "Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja, Second Edition",
      "author": "John Resig",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14463072,
          "author": "irrational",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-01T18:33:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14463072",
          "commentText": "Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja, Second Edition along with You  Don't Know JS are always my two recommendations. The two together shore up the weaknesses in the other.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja, Second Edition along with You  Don't Know JS are always my two recommendations.",
          "reason": "Explicitly names it as one of the commenter's two recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the two books together shore up each other's weaknesses.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Resig"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "javascript",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "secrets-of-the-millionaire-mind-d5526e",
      "title": "Secrets of the Millionaire Mind",
      "author": "T. Harv Eker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35170339,
          "author": "caloique",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T15:59:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35170339",
          "commentText": "1) The richest man in Babylon\n2) The four agreement\n3) Secrets of the Millionaire Mind",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Secrets of the Millionaire Mind",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "T. Harv Eker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal finance",
        "wealth mindset"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "secrets-of-the-temple-5b053c",
      "title": "Secrets of the Temple",
      "author": "William Greider",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18663736,
          "author": "agentofoblivion",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T13:39:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663736",
          "commentText": "Secrets of the Temple. An absurdly good read on the history of the Federal Reserve system. I learned a tremendous amount about how our world works, and how we got to where we are today. Very eye opening, and a little scary how powerful they are. (Not conspiratorial in tone, as the title and topic might have you believe. Very balanced narrative.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Secrets of the Temple. An absurdly good read on the history of the Federal Reserve system.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an absurdly good read and says it teaches the history of the Federal Reserve.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that its title and topic might suggest a conspiratorial tone, but calls the narrative balanced.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Greider"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "federal reserve",
        "monetary policy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "security-engineering-a-guide-to-building-dependable-distributed-s-1163f5",
      "title": "Security Engineering: A Guide to Building Dependable Distributed Systems",
      "author": "Ross Anderson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16352825,
          "author": "irundebian",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T14:34:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16352825",
          "commentText": "Ross Anderson: Security Engineering - A Guide to Building\nDependable Distributed Systems\nMatt Bishop: Computer Security: Art and Science",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ross Anderson: Security Engineering - A Guide to Building\nDependable Distributed Systems",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ross Anderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer security",
        "security engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "security-and-usability-designing-secure-systems-that-people-can-u-3e06cd",
      "title": "Security and Usability: Designing Secure Systems That People Can Use",
      "author": "Lorrie Faith Cranor and Simson Garfinkel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lorrie Faith Cranor and Simson Garfinkel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human computer interaction",
        "usable security"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "seductive-interaction-design-creating-playful-fun-and-effective-u-dc458b",
      "title": "Seductive Interaction Design: Creating Playful, Fun, and Effective User Experiences",
      "author": "Stephen P. Anderson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12711261,
          "author": "divmain",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-14T21:34:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12711261",
          "commentText": "I found Seductive Interaction Design to be both enjoyable and highly instructive!\nhttps://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321725522/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found Seductive Interaction Design to be both enjoyable and highly instructive!",
          "reason": "Calls it enjoyable and highly instructive.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen P. Anderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "behavioral design",
        "interaction design",
        "user experience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "seeing-things-as-they-are-a-theory-of-perception-e7cbdf",
      "title": "Seeing Things as They Are: A Theory of Perception",
      "author": "John Searle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237230,
          "author": "abronan",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:53:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237230",
          "commentText": "I maintain a list of my readings triaged by topics: https://github.com/abronan/readings\nThis year was rough for me as I had to deal with severe symptoms of anxiety that eventually led to panic attacks. I tried to understand the phenomenon and tackle subjects such as anxiety, consciousness and perceptual experience. Three books are especially interesting in that regard:\n- The Feeling of What Happens: Body and Emotion in the Making of Consciousness - Antonio Damasio - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/125777.The_Feeling_of_Wh... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/125777.The_Feeling_of_What_Happens?from_search=true)\n- Anxious: Using the Brain to Understand and Treat Fear and Anxiety - Joseph LeDoux - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23398722-anxious?ac=1&fr... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23398722-anxious?ac=1&from_search=true)\n- Seeing Things As They Are: A Theory of Perception - John Searle: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22104265-seeing-things-a... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22104265-seeing-things-as-they-are?from_search=true)\nThe first two books are dealing with the neurophysiological aspects, with a focus on the brain and the specific areas involved with physical sensory experiences and/or consciousness. It explains how some areas of the brain are linked to fear and anxiety (fear conditioning, fight-or-flight response, etc.). Reading \"The Feeling of What Happens\" gives you all the necessary knowledge to fully understand the second book which is a tough read. The book \"Anxious\" also gives you a glimpse on different methods to treat and prevent symptoms of anxiety (Cognitive behavioral Therapy, SSRI, beta blockers, meditation, etc..). The last book is theoretical but comes as a good complement and gives you a broad understanding on the notion of perception (which is central to the first book).\nKnowing which parts of the brain are involved with fear and anxiety and how everything fits together helps me controlling my emotions when physical symptoms of anxiety are appearing (the trigger to panic attacks).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The last book is theoretical but comes as a good complement and gives you a broad understanding on the notion of perception",
          "reason": "A theoretical complement that broadens understanding of perception.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in perception and consciousness.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as theoretical.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Searle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "perception",
        "philosophy of mind"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "seeking-wisdom-e4ab08",
      "title": "Seeking Wisdom",
      "author": "Peter Bevelin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2645512,
          "author": "colson04",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-12T02:52:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2645512",
          "commentText": "I briefly checked out the first 20 or 30 reviews on Amazon and was not surprised by the comments, but by the ratings.  My take on the comments?  True:  if you are a long time follower of the signal vs. noise blog then you will have seen some of the material before.  \nTrue:  some of the advice is ambiguous, but necessarily so - this is not a \"how to start a web company\" step-by-step manual.  It is an aid to seeing business from a total non-traditional platform.  \nTrue:  the book is short on pages and word-count - you can easily read it in an afternoon.  Every other page is an illustration (no informational value) of some kind taking away from actual information space - I did feel I was mislead by this.  \nTrue:  They do use their own company as an example quite a lot which took away credibility.  Their biz is the extreme example in a few ways but it is very interesting how they embrace obstacles that others run from i.e. having globally spread employees.\nI got over my own negativities when I read the book for the second time three months later.  The book is written in such a way that, to me, the message will adapt and be meaningful regardless of the current situation.  Kind of like the bookd Who Moved My Cheese is still taught and changes meaning for each reader, each time they read it.\nIn my opinion it's definitely worth reading - take that for what you will.\nOther suggestions?  I've got plenty if you want 'em.  I read a book or two a week.  Here's two more of my fav business-type books.\nSeeking Wisdom by Peter Bevelin &\nThe E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber - a classic\nHere's a short cut to the best reading on business and entrepreneurship - take the following links and cross reference.  If a book is on both lists it's usually very good.\nhttp://sivers.org/book\nhttp://personalmba.com/best-business-books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seeking Wisdom by Peter Bevelin",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorite business books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Bevelin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "decision making"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "selected-non-fictions-9e2842",
      "title": "Selected Non-Fictions",
      "author": "Jorge Luis Borges",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15157517,
          "author": "ma91c1an",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T18:38:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15157517",
          "commentText": "Jorge Luis Borges, Selected Non-Fictions, 1999.\nI first encountered Borges as a 15 year old student in high school. I am now 56. The book was ficciones. It changed my life.\nBorges read everything. What made him the genius that he was, is that he remembered everything that he read, and he was consequently able to make droll observations across cultures and epochs.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Jorge Luis Borges, Selected Non-Fictions, 1999.",
          "reason": "Named as a book that shaped the commenter’s perspective on Borges.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jorge Luis Borges"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary essays"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "selected-papers-on-fun-and-games-37dc6f",
      "title": "Selected Papers on Fun and Games",
      "author": "Donald E. Knuth",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29316606,
          "author": "zvr",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-23T11:28:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29316606",
          "commentText": "> I haven't read any of Knuth's stuff\nYou're missing out on some of the best writing on any topic!\nNot all Knuth's books are the same: The Art of Computer Programming (TAOCP) is his mangum opus, an ever-expanding encyclopedic knowledge fire-hose of various computer science topics. But the series of books that are simply \"collected papers\" makes it easy to focus on something much narrower. For impractical, you may want to start from Selected Papers on Fun and Games.\nAnd then he has books like Surreal Numbers, which is written as a story of a couple discovering mathematical notation and deriving a whole system...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Selected Papers on Fun and Games",
          "reason": "Suggested as a narrower, impractical starting point for exploring Knuth’s collected papers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donald E. Knuth"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer science essays",
        "recreational mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "selected-philosophical-writings-26be94",
      "title": "Selected Philosophical Writings",
      "author": "René Descartes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503692,
          "author": "telemachos",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T14:39:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503692",
          "commentText": "Some from the canon:\n\nPlato: Defence of Socrates, Euthyphro, Crito (translated by David Gallop)\nThe Modes of Scepticism by Julia Annas and Jonathan Barnes (a beautiful collection of texts from Pyrrhonian scepticism and analysis of their arguments; the best way I know to meet ancient scepticism)\nDescartes: Meditations on First Philosophy (The Cambridge University Press edition is very good; it's probably worth buying their Selected Philosophical Writings for a good basic Descartes text)\nDavid Hume: An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding and An Enquiry concerning the Principles of Morals (I recommend the Oxford Philosophical Texts editions)\nWittgenstein: Philosophical Investigations (terribly, terribly difficult, but very rewarding)\n  A few contemporary things:\n\nGilbert Ryle: The Concept of Mind\nWillard Van Orman Quine: From a Logical Point of View\nJ. L. Mackie: Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong\nThomas Nagel: Mortal Questions (short essays, well-written, very accessible)\nBernard Williams: Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy\nMichael Smith: The Moral Problem\n  Specialist, technical, odd:\n\nThe Frege Reader by Michael Beaney (for modern logic and the beginnings of contemporary philosophy in the analytic style)\nJ. L. Mackie: The Cement of the Universe: A Study of Causation\nWilliam Kingdon Clifford: The Ethics of Belief (he argues, oddly but powerfully, that it's immoral to believe things on insufficient evidence or irrationally - an offense to morality, not just reason)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it's probably worth buying their Selected Philosophical Writings for a good basic Descartes text",
          "reason": "Says the collection is probably worth buying as a basic Descartes text.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a basic Descartes text.",
          "caveat": "Recommendation is qualified as probably worth buying.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "René Descartes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "descartes",
        "philosophy anthology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "self-consistency-a-theory-of-personality-f32078",
      "title": "Self Consistency: A Theory of Personality",
      "author": "Prescott Lecky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11245778,
          "author": "PaulMontreal",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-08T15:29:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11245778",
          "commentText": "By far the most useful book I've ever read is Prescott Lecky's  Self Consistency, a theory of personality. I think it was published in the 40's. It's his theory of the human personality in response to the popular ideas of the time from Freud and various behaviourists. If you want an incredibly useful model for understanding your mind and the various forms of resistance we all have to deal with, I don't think you'll find a better book. (And I've read a lot of them). Last I looked the book was about $150 used, on amazon, but there are PDF's floating about.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "By far the most useful book I've ever read is Prescott Lecky's Self Consistency, a theory of personality.",
          "reason": "Calls it the most useful book they've read and recommends it for understanding the mind and resistance.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a model for understanding their minds and forms of resistance.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says used copies cost about $150 and PDFs circulate online.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Prescott Lecky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personality theory",
        "self consistency"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "self-and-others-482325",
      "title": "Self and Others",
      "author": "R. D. Laing",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9348299,
          "author": "humanarity",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:37:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348299",
          "commentText": "Meditations (Marcus Aurelius) - incredibly clear ideas probably clear-up 80% of issues you have with everyday life\nThe Bible (& The Gnostic Gospels) - I love the idea that Jesus was a real guy who (literally) petrified his childhood playmates because they \"vexed\" him by dispersing his anti-gravity water :)\nAtlas Shrugged - no excuses\nSelf and Others - personal pyschology\nSeth Speaks - a lady channels an interdimensional being\nThe Road Less Travelled - a psychoanalyst's memoirs\nLetters to a Young Artist - encouragement for going your own way, a series of letters\nThe Alchemist - help you read the signs from the heart of the World for your own path\nAn Introduction to Zen Buddhism, et al (T. Suzuki) - really interesting, non-duality, higher third unification of opposites\nHear the Wind Sing (Murakami) - really bizarre and pure, his first one written late nights at kitchen table after working in a bar, before he became famous\nRich Dad Poor Dad - solid advice\nDiscrete Maths (Rosen) - interesting and very learnable, a great reference\nAn Imaginary Life (Malouf) - great clarity of writing\nThe Solid Mandala (Patrick White) - amazing observation of people",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Self and Others - personal pyschology",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "R. D. Laing"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "interpersonal psychology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "self-compassion-5ce8ee",
      "title": "Self-Compassion",
      "author": "Kristin Neff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35171605,
          "author": "grepLeigh",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:18:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35171605",
          "commentText": "Most posts offer the obvious suggestions (The Mom Test, High Growth Handbook, The Personal MBA, The Power Law, Hard Thing about Hard Thing, Will It Fly, etc), so I'll focus on some non-obvious suggestions.\nFor tactical advice, I find talks/podcasts and mastermind groups more useful than books.  My favorite podcast (by far) is Rob Walling's Startups for the Rest of Us, which is oriented towards building a capital-efficient bootstrapped business. The archive is full of extremely valuable tactical advice.\nThe books I've found most helpful on my entrepreneurship journey are about mental health, emotional intelligence, and relationships of all kinds. Sharing a few that have had a profound impact, since they helped me metabolize and understand what drove me to become a founder in the first place.\n1. The Self-Compassion Skills Workbook by Tim Desmond\n2. Path of Compassion by Thich Nhat Hanh\n3. The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read, Philippa Perry\n4. Burnout, Emily Nagoski\n5. Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents, Lindsay C. Gibson\n6. Self-Compassion, Dr. Kristin Neff\n7. How to Keep House While Drowning, KC Davis\n8. Deploy Empathy, Michele Hansen\n9. The Body Keeps the Score, Bessel A. Van der Kolk\n10. Atlas of the Heart, Brene Brown\n11. What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Self-Compassion, Dr. Kristin Neff",
          "reason": "Listed among books that helped the commenter on their entrepreneurship journey.",
          "audience": "Founders interested in mental health, emotional intelligence, and relationships.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kristin Neff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self compassion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "self-directed-behavior-746cbd",
      "title": "Self-Directed Behavior",
      "author": "David L. Watson and Roland G. Tharp",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22093396,
          "author": "bordercases",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T19:28:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22093396",
          "commentText": "Very good book. I forgot how I stumbled into it but it's pretty much the text for changing behavior. Only person coming close is BJ Fogg's work on tiny habits who really just distilled the material into \"You won't believe THAT ONE TRICK, psychologists will HATE you!\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's pretty much the text for changing behavior",
          "reason": "The commenter describes the book as a text for changing behavior and says it is very practical.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking practical behavior change.",
          "caveat": "The commenter compares it to BJ Fogg's work on tiny habits and says Fogg distilled its material.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David L. Watson",
        "Roland G. Tharp"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "behavior change",
        "self management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "self-reliance-and-nature-the-complete-first-and-second-series-of--20524b",
      "title": "Self-Reliance and Nature: The Complete First and Second Series of Emerson's Essays",
      "author": "Ralph Waldo Emerson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36428782,
          "author": "r9295",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T06:49:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36428782",
          "commentText": "Ralph Waldo Emerson's collection of essays:\n\"Self-Reliance and Nature\nThe Complete First and Second Series of Emerson's Essays\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Self-Reliance and Nature\nThe Complete First and Second Series of Emerson's Essays",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ralph Waldo Emerson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "essays",
        "self reliance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "self-service-linux-mastering-the-art-of-problem-determination-2ae263",
      "title": "Self-Service Linux: Mastering the Art of Problem Determination",
      "author": "Mark Wilding and Dan Viassolo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9613100,
          "author": "jonschipp",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T17:50:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9613100",
          "commentText": "Self Service Linux: Mastering the Art of Problem Determination\nhttp://ptgmedia.pearsoncmg.com/images/013147751X/downloads/0... (http://ptgmedia.pearsoncmg.com/images/013147751X/downloads/013147751X_book.pdf)\nGreat book on debugging issues on Linux \\w strace, gdb, core dumps, etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great book on debugging issues on Linux \\w strace, gdb, core dumps, etc.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book about debugging Linux issues.",
          "audience": "Readers debugging Linux systems with strace, gdb, and core dumps.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Wilding and Dan Viassolo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "gdb",
        "linux debugging",
        "strace"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "self-theories-1a9e40",
      "title": "Self-Theories",
      "author": "Carol S. Dweck",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3278822,
          "author": "aik",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-26T01:45:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3278822",
          "commentText": "There are a lot of really good ones here.  Three more:\nOn overcoming cognitive bias (and understanding how mindsets influence motivation, personality, and behavior):\nSelf-Theories by Carol S. Dweck\nMental peformance:\nThe Inner Game of Tennis - The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance\nMental Models on influence:\nInfluencer: The Power to Change Anything",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Self-Theories by Carol S. Dweck",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carol S. Dweck"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mindsets",
        "motivation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sell-more-software-0855c3",
      "title": "Sell More Software",
      "author": "Patrick McKenzie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6901085,
          "author": "adidash",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T15:49:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6901085",
          "commentText": "Power of Habit - Charles Duhigg\nLean Analytics - Alistair Croll and Ben Yoskovitz\nServe to win - Novak Djokovic\nHonorable mention: Sell More Software - Patrick Mckenzie",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Sell More Software - Patrick Mckenzie",
          "reason": "Listed as an honorable mention in response to a question asking for the best book read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Marked as an honorable mention.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Patrick McKenzie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marketing",
        "software sales"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sell-or-be-sold-e2e1fe",
      "title": "Sell or Be Sold",
      "author": "Grant Cardone",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41707137,
          "author": "Crazyontap",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-01T11:45:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 41693844,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good essays/books/advice about software sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41707137",
          "commentText": "I recently read \"Sell or Be Sold\" by Grant Cardone. While the author might come off as a bit scammy, the book itself offers valuable insights. The key takeaway for me was the importance of genuinely believing in what you're selling. You need to be convinced that your product or service is the best possible solution for your customer, whether it's in terms of value for money, ease of use, or any other criteria. By selling it, you're actually improving their life.\nAs a programmer, I found this perspective particularly enlightening. It taught me that effective selling isn't just about persuasion; it's about conviction and truly understanding the value of what you're offering.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Sell or Be Sold\" by Grant Cardone",
          "reason": "The commenter says it offers valuable insights about conviction in selling.",
          "audience": "Programmers learning to sell.",
          "caveat": "The author might come off as a bit scammy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Grant Cardone"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "persuasion",
        "sales"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "selling-the-wheel-87f23b",
      "title": "Selling the Wheel",
      "author": "Jeff Cox",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35219113,
          "author": "tmcdos",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-19T14:14:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35219113",
          "commentText": "I am not an entrepreneur (yet) but I still want to share a few titles with you:\n- \"Maverick or The seven day weekend\" by Ricardo Semler\n- \"Rework\" by Jason Fried and David Hansson\n- \"Startup - an insider's guide to launching and running a business\" by Kevin Ready\n- \"Bookkeeping and Cost Accounting for Factories\" by William Kent (1918)\n- \"Practice what you preach\" by David Maister\n- \"Don't oil the squeaky wheel\" by Wolf Rinke\n- \"Selling The Wheel: Choosing The Best Way To Sell For You Your Company Your Customers\" by Jeff Cox\n- \"The power of stupidity\" by Giancarlo Livraghi\n- \"How to write a good advertisement\" by Victor Schwab\n- \"How to Make Money Out of Thin Air\" by Brian Sher\n- \"Good manners and business etiquette. Illustrated Guide\" by Elena Ber\n- \"Don't just roll the dice: A usefully short guide to software pricing\" by Neil Davidson\n- \"Message to Garcia\" by Elbert Hubbard\n- the TopLeaf course of 36 video lectures on management by dr. Izhak Adizes can be purchased on https://vimeo.com/ondemand/topleaf or found on ru tracker (if you have access)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Selling The Wheel: Choosing The Best Way To Sell For You Your Company Your Customers\" by Jeff Cox",
          "reason": "Shares the title among several books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are not yet an entrepreneur.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeff Cox"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sales",
        "sales strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "selling-to-vito-3c36d0",
      "title": "Selling to VITO",
      "author": "Anthony Parinello",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5859187,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-11T02:22:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 5859004,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5859187",
          "commentText": ">> 1. What books are you currently reading?\nWell, I'm one of those people who has a bookmark in about 15 different books that I'm \"currently reading\" but some are higher priorities than others, and some will never be finished (probably) and others I'll have to start over since I've forgotten what was happening when I sat it aside, etc.  But offhand, I can think of:\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore - re-reading this one\nThe Prime Solution - Jeff Thull - 3rd Jeff Thull book on selling that I've read lately, and I'll probably reread the entire series when I finish this one\nThe New Solution Selling  - re-reading this - can you tell I'm starting to try and move into sales?\nSelling to VITO - more sales stuff.\nHow to Create A Mind - Ray Kurzweil\nGodel, Escher, Bach - Douglas Hofstadter - set this aside over a year ago; about halfway through, will probably finish it, but FSM only knows when\nA New Kind of Science - Stephen Wolfram (see above about GEB)\nMadame Bovary - Meh. May finish one day, may not.  Would have to start it over at this point.\nREAMDE - Neal Stephenson - set this aside a while back, but intend to finish it eventually.  Will probably restart from the beginning.\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Stephen Gary Blank - I'm kinda in a perpetual state of reading and re-reading sections of this book.\nThe Dispossessed - Ursula K. LeGuin - sat this aside quite some time ago, will have to start over at some point.\nThe Man In The Moss - Phil Rickman - another one that I sat aside for a while, and may or may not ever bother finishing.  Weird, because I usually really enjoy Rickman's work and just tear through his books, but I got stalled out on this one for some reason.\n>> 2. Which book has helped you the most?\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Stephen Gary Blank.\nAlso, The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki and Crossing the Chasm by Moore.\nOf all these sales books I've read lately, I'm really starting to buy into this \"Diagnostic Selling\" stuff by Jeff Thull, so I'd endorse Mastering The Complex Sale, Exceptional Selling and The Prime Solution by Thull. Also, The New Solution Selling.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Selling to VITO - more sales stuff.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 569115,
          "author": "melvinram",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-19T04:56:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 568556,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sales book recommendation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=569115",
          "commentText": "If I had to pick one, I'd pick SPIN Selling as feverishaaron said. It's a lot more how to and broken down into steps. Selling to VITO is also step by step, but SPIN Selling approach makes more sense to me.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Selling to VITO is also step by step, but SPIN Selling approach makes more sense to me.",
          "reason": "Notes that it is step by step, while preferring SPIN Selling's approach.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter prefers SPIN Selling's approach.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 568573,
          "author": "melvinram",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-18T18:35:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 568556,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sales book recommendation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=568573",
          "commentText": "* SPIN Selling by Rackman\n* The Sales Bible by Gitomer\n* Selling to VITO by Parinello\n* Lead Generation for the Complex Sale by Brian Carroll\n* http://www.marketingsherpa.com/\n* http://blog.startwithalead.com/weblog/\n* http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=35771&trk=a... (http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=35771&trk=anet_ug_hm) This one is a linekdin group that sends out a good email news letter",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Selling to VITO by Parinello",
          "reason": "Listed as a response to the question asking for sales book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anthony Parinello"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sales",
        "executive selling",
        "enterprise sales"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "seminumerical-algorithms-9d2721",
      "title": "Seminumerical Algorithms",
      "author": "Donald Knuth",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20729804,
          "author": "denton-scratch",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T12:30:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20729804",
          "commentText": "Most of these answers seem to be books about algorithms.\nComputer science is much broader than that; it includes databases, AI (not the same as algorithms!), computer architecture, topics such as hardware interfacing, history of computing, and some overlap with areas in philosophy.\nI didn't ever formally study CS, but I did read several books on algorithms. Especially notable is the seven-volume work \"The Art of Computer Programming\" by Donald Knuth; in particular the volumes \"Fundamental Algorithms\", \"Sorting and Searching\", and \"Seminumerical Algorithms\" are timeless masterpieces, entertaining and witty, and they totally nail their subject-matter. If you think CS is equivalent to \"algorithms\", then read these books.\nN.B. I understand that some of these books have been re-written to use a revised version of Knuth's MIX machine language, to allow the examples to embody modern developments such as pipelines, caches, and parallelism. I haven't read these updated editions; no doubt they are even better than the originals.\nBut I think CS is a much broader field than algorithms.\n[edit] Harrumph. Wikipedia says that only three-and-a-bit volumes have yet been published. Seven volumes was the original plan. Smacks a little of George R. R. Martin?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the volumes \"Fundamental Algorithms\", \"Sorting and Searching\", and \"Seminumerical Algorithms\"",
          "reason": "Named as one of the praised volumes of The Art of Computer Programming.",
          "audience": "Readers focused on algorithms.",
          "caveat": "The comment says computer science is broader than algorithms.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donald Knuth"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "numerical algorithms",
        "random number generation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "semiology-of-graphics-9cf3b3",
      "title": "Semiology of Graphics",
      "author": "Jacques Bertin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16758142,
          "author": "engi_nerd",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T19:34:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16758142",
          "commentText": "I keep a wide variety of references around this desk. Some of my favorites:\nManuel Lima's \"Visual Complexity\", \"The Book of Circles\", and \"The Book of Trees\". These are useful as references and as visualization inspiration.\nJacques Bertin's \"Semiology of Graphics\". Gorgeous and immensely useful.\nDesmond and Nicholas Higham's \"MATLAB Guide, 3rd Edition\", and Yair Altman's \"Accelerating MATLAB Performance\". Both are invaluable for serious MATLAB work.\nTitus A. Beu's book on Numerical Programming is very good as a reference.\nFor anyone needing to work on military simulations, \"Engineering Principles of Combat Modeling and Distributed Simulation\" by Tolk is the best reference I have found on the subject.\nAnd TAOCP and CLRS are here for reference purposes as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gorgeous and immensely useful.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it gorgeous and immensely useful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16757923,
          "author": "roberto",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T19:13:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16757923",
          "commentText": "\"Semiology of Graphics\", by Jacques Bertin. Originally published in 1967, it describes principles of graphic communication, similar to Tufte's work.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Semiology of Graphics\", by Jacques Bertin.",
          "reason": "Describes principles of graphic communication, similar to Tufte's work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jacques Bertin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data visualization",
        "graphic communication",
        "information design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "seneca-s-letters-c6aab2",
      "title": "Seneca's Letters",
      "author": "Seneca",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17988588,
          "author": "ioddly",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-14T16:30:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17988588",
          "commentText": "It's actually his personal diary, written often while he was on campaign. From that perspective I think it's impressive how insightful he managed to be in short bursts. But if you are looking for something more long-form, you might try Seneca's Letters or Epictetus Discourses.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you might try Seneca's Letters",
          "reason": "Suggested for someone looking for long-form writing.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking philosophical works in a longer form.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Seneca"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "letters",
        "stoicism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sense-and-sensibility-08f672",
      "title": "Sense and Sensibility",
      "author": "Jane Austen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50119582,
          "author": "pmpmpmpm",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T15:25:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50119582",
          "commentText": "I can’t resist an invocation:)\nMost of these are old since I’ve been reading more articles these days but here are a few good books or series I’ve read more than twice: The Hobbit, LOTR, the Silmarillion, Neuromancer, the Chronicles of Narnia, Hong Lou Meng, The Heart Sutra, The Bhagavad Gita, The Tao De Ching, The Wheel of Time series, No country for old men, Persuasion, Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice, The Way of Kings, The Talisman, the Dark Tower Series, and The Prophet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sense & Sensibility",
          "reason": "Included among good books read more than twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jane Austen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "romance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sentimental-education-9ec36f",
      "title": "Sentimental Education",
      "author": "Gustave Flaubert",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22722286,
          "author": "robertlf",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T20:14:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22722286",
          "commentText": "Most definitely read Flaubert's \"Sentimental Education.\"  The ending still gets to me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Most definitely read Flaubert's \"Sentimental Education.\"",
          "reason": "Directly urges the reader to read it and notes that its ending is affecting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the ending still gets to them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gustave Flaubert"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bildungsroman",
        "french literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "septology-29fe59",
      "title": "Septology",
      "author": "Jon Fosse",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38249008,
          "author": "phlox",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-13T11:11:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38249008",
          "commentText": "Jon Fosse (this year's Nobel Prize winner in literature) - \"Septology\" I-II, a dreamlike maze of thoughts written in a way I haven't seen before. A hypnotic, meandering stream of consciousness slowly unfolding into an intriguing story.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Septology\" I-II, a dreamlike maze of thoughts written in a way I haven't seen before. A hypnotic, meandering stream of consciousness slowly unfolding into an intriguing story.",
          "reason": "Praised for its hypnotic stream of consciousness and intriguing story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Dreamlike, meandering stream of consciousness.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jon Fosse"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "stream of consciousness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "serve-to-win-cd6be9",
      "title": "Serve to Win",
      "author": "Novak Djokovic",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6901085,
          "author": "adidash",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T15:49:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6901085",
          "commentText": "Power of Habit - Charles Duhigg\nLean Analytics - Alistair Croll and Ben Yoskovitz\nServe to win - Novak Djokovic\nHonorable mention: Sell More Software - Patrick Mckenzie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Serve to win - Novak Djokovic",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for the best book read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Novak Djokovic"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "athletic performance",
        "nutrition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "set-this-house-in-order-c3ceb4",
      "title": "Set This House in Order",
      "author": "Matt Ruff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5691809,
          "author": "cju",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T19:28:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5691809",
          "commentText": "If you liked DFW and Borges, you may like Matt Ruff (especialy \"Set this House in Order\", \"The Mirage\" and \"Fool on the Hill\"). It's not as complex but the style is similar and really enjoyable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you liked DFW and Borges, you may like Matt Ruff (especialy \"Set this House in Order\", \"The Mirage\" and \"Fool on the Hill\"). It's not as complex but the style is similar and really enjoyable.",
          "reason": "Recommended to readers who like DFW and Borges; the commenter says the style is similar and really enjoyable.",
          "audience": "Readers who like David Foster Wallace and Jorge Luis Borges.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not as complex as those authors' work.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matt Ruff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "psychological fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sets-for-mathematics-47c964",
      "title": "Sets for Mathematics",
      "author": "F. William Lawvere and Robert Rosebrugh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7579619,
          "author": "nextos",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T23:51:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7579619",
          "commentText": "What about Lawvere's Conceptual Mathematics or Sets for Mathematics?",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Sets for Mathematics",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7578490,
          "author": "decasteve",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-12T17:34:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7578490",
          "commentText": "If you've already covered Vector Spaces, Groups, and Rings in your studies, I would suggest checking out Bill Lawvere's \"Conceptual Mathematics: A First Introduction to Categories\". i.e. An introduction to category theory through the category of sets.  His \"Sets for Mathematics\" is also good but it's a more concise presentation of the topic but a less than gentle introduction than the former book.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "His \"Sets for Mathematics\" is also good",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as good.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in sets and category theory.",
          "caveat": "The presentation is more concise but less gentle than the previous book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "F. William Lawvere and Robert Rosebrugh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "set theory",
        "category theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sets-for-mathematics-be5058",
      "title": "Sets for Mathematics",
      "author": "F. William Lawvere",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7585632,
          "author": "decasteve",
          "createdAt": "2014-04-14T11:50:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 7577810,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books like SICP?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7585632",
          "commentText": "A lot of the same ground but Sets for Mathematics is more concise and probably goes into more depth by the end.  If you've previously done rings, groups, vector spaces, topological spaces, the concepts tie nicely together in Sets for Mathematics.\nConceptual Mathematics puts a lot more time up front motivating the material with examples and tries to build your intuition before getting into the details.    If all you've done previously was linear algebra and some discrete math, this book is probably better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sets for Mathematics is more concise and probably goes into more depth by the end.",
          "reason": "Compares it favorably for concision and depth, and says it suits readers with prior abstract math experience.",
          "audience": "Readers who have studied rings, groups, vector spaces, and topological spaces.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "F. William Lawvere"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "category theory",
        "set theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "seven-more-languages-in-seven-weeks-3f0d48",
      "title": "Seven (More) Languages in Seven Weeks",
      "author": "Bruce A. Tate",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9758428,
          "author": "rubiquity",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T14:14:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758428",
          "commentText": "Eloquent Ruby is one of my favorite books, too. That book really motivated me to learn how programming languages work. Here are a few other books I found to be enjoyable and well-written:\nProgramming Erlang by Joe Armstrong\nProgramming Elixir by Dave Thomas\nSeven (more) Languages In Seven Weeks by Bruce Tate\nThink Bayes, Think OS, How To Think Like A Functional Programmer (Think OCaml) and The Little Book of Semaphores by Allen B. Downey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seven (more) Languages In Seven Weeks by Bruce Tate",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter found enjoyable and well-written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruce A. Tate"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "language survey",
        "programming languages"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "seven-elements-that-have-changed-the-world-an-adventure-of-ingenu-ceadad",
      "title": "Seven Elements That Have Changed the World: An Adventure of Ingenuity and Discovery",
      "author": "John Browne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15762394,
          "author": "sukhadatkeereo",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T02:46:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762394",
          "commentText": "1.Rice, Noodle, Fish: Deep Travels Through Japan's Food Culture by Matt Goulding\n2.Oaxaca Journal by Oliver Sacks\n3.A History of the World in 100 Objects by Neil MacGregor\n4.Ernest Hemingway on Writing by Ernest Hemingway\n5.Seven Elements That Have Changed the World: An Adventure of Ingenuity and Discovery by John Browne.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seven Elements That Have Changed the World: An Adventure of Ingenuity and Discovery by John Browne.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Browne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chemical elements",
        "scientific discovery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "seven-languages-in-seven-weeks-a-pragmatic-guide-to-learning-prog-f32d79",
      "title": "Seven Languages in Seven Weeks: A Pragmatic Guide to Learning Programming Languages",
      "author": "Bruce A. Tate",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32790580,
          "author": "Stamp01",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T13:45:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790580",
          "commentText": "Seven Languages in Seven Weeks: A Pragmatic Guide to Learning Programming Languages by Bruce Tate\nSeriously, check out this book. It's delightful! It'll level you up as a software developer. Also, I've heard it heavily influenced José Valim to create Elixir.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seven Languages in Seven Weeks: A Pragmatic Guide to Learning Programming Languages by Bruce Tate",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it delightful and says it can help readers improve as software developers.",
          "audience": "Software developers.",
          "caveat": "The claimed influence on José Valim is hearsay: “I've heard”.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruce A. Tate"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming languages",
        "software development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "seven-mysteries-of-life-352c97",
      "title": "Seven Mysteries of Life",
      "author": "Guy Murchie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2147187,
          "author": "raghav305",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-27T09:00:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2147187",
          "commentText": "Vedanta books - so many good authors all saying the same thing\nArt of Happiness - Dalai Lama\nJonathan Livingston Seagull - Richard Bach\nPhysics problems - Irodov\nSeven Mysteries of Life - Guy Murchie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seven Mysteries of Life - Guy Murchie",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Guy Murchie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "life sciences",
        "natural history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "seven-pillars-of-wisdom-d6cc8c",
      "title": "Seven Pillars of Wisdom",
      "author": "T. E. Lawrence",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6417827,
          "author": "hvass",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-20T14:18:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6417827",
          "commentText": "Thanks for reminding me of Seven Pillars, been on my wishlist for way too long now.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Thanks for reminding me of Seven Pillars, been on my wishlist for way too long now.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6416411,
          "author": "seanccox",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-20T07:28:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6416411",
          "commentText": "White Teeth, Zadie Smith\nFierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates, Tom Robbins\nHomage to Catalonia, George Orwell\nCatch 22, Joseph Heller\nTimequake; Mother Night, Kurt Vonnegut Jr.\nSeven Pillars of Wisdom, TE Lawrence\nThe Histories, Tacitus\nThe Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger (caveat, it was most effective when I read it at 16)\nRedwall, Brian Jaques (got me really excited about reading when I was in the fourth grade)\nThis list could be much, much longer, but those are the most prominent 'life-changers' that come to mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seven Pillars of Wisdom, TE Lawrence",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the most prominent life-changers that come to mind.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "T. E. Lawrence"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "arab revolt",
        "memoir",
        "middle east"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sewer-gas-and-electric-4ceca7",
      "title": "Sewer Gas and Electric",
      "author": "Matt Ruff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1753020,
          "author": "macrael",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T16:40:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753020",
          "commentText": "Another lovely counterpoint to Ayn Rand is \"Sewer Gas and Electric\" by Matt Ruff. It is absurdist science fiction that is hilarious and full of fascinating characters.\nI really enjoy Atlas Shrugged as well, I've read the whole book twice, actually. But I don't believe it is a good code to live by. My favorite quite about her books comes from The Daily Show. On the back of America The Book there is a fake blurb from Rand: \"just like one of my books, reading this book will make you an asshole for two weeks.\"\nHer books are seductive because they intentionally oversimplify life. Her characters are not realistic and are completely binary. Everyone is either a superhero or a weasel. This makes for entertaining reading, but not much else.\nRead \"Crossing to Safety\" by Wallace Stegner. It is a brautiful book about an intense relationship forged between two couples. It's my favorite thing I've read recently.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another lovely counterpoint to Ayn Rand is \"Sewer Gas and Electric\" by Matt Ruff. It is absurdist science fiction that is hilarious and full of fascinating characters.",
          "reason": "Praises it as a lovely counterpoint and describes it as hilarious, with fascinating characters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matt Ruff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "absurdist fiction",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sex-at-dawn-28d11c",
      "title": "Sex at Dawn",
      "author": "Christopher Ryan and Cacilda Jethá",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22095162,
          "author": "justinko",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T00:18:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22095162",
          "commentText": "Sex at Dawn and Civilized to Death by Christopher Ryan",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sex at Dawn",
          "reason": "Listed as a book in response to the thread's request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher Ryan",
        "Cacilda Jethá"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolutionary psychology",
        "human sexuality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sex-power-suicide-mitochondria-and-the-meaning-of-life-2cf527",
      "title": "Sex, Power, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life",
      "author": "Nick Lane",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30824663,
          "author": "estaseuropano",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-27T22:10:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30824663",
          "commentText": "If you haven't read it yet, pick up \"Sex, Power Suicide\" as well. Very dense reading but I learned something new or understood something I knew better from basically every page I read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "pick up \"Sex, Power Suicide\" as well. Very dense reading but I learned something new or understood something I knew better from basically every page I read.",
          "reason": "The commenter urges readers to pick it up and says it was dense but informative.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Very dense reading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nick Lane"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolutionary biology",
        "mitochondria"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sexuality-partnership-and-marriage-from-a-spiritual-perspective-14fd24",
      "title": "Sexuality, Partnership and Marriage: From a Spiritual Perspective",
      "author": "Wolfgang Gädecke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30241789,
          "author": "zentr1c",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T08:18:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241789",
          "commentText": "Things nobody tells you about relationship dynamics when you are young. Whats a head of you emontionaly? I recommend these to my son.\nErich Fromm The Art of Loving\nDavid schnarch \nPassionate Marriage: Sex, Love & Intimacy in emotionally committed relationships.\nAnd before you get married...\nGet some new perspective why ...\nWolfgang gädecke, Sexuality, Partnership and Marriage : From a Spiritual Perspective",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wolfgang gädecke, Sexuality, Partnership and Marriage : From a Spiritual Perspective",
          "reason": "Lists it as a book for gaining a new perspective before marriage.",
          "audience": "People considering marriage.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Wolfgang Gädecke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marriage",
        "sexuality",
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "shades-of-grey-3f6f9d",
      "title": "Shades of Grey",
      "author": "Jasper Fforde",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8107031,
          "author": "pbowyer",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:44:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107031",
          "commentText": "Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde. One of my favourite books ever!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One of my favourite books ever!",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly calls it one of their favorite books ever.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jasper Fforde"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "color perception",
        "dystopian satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "shadow-of-the-apt-26c155",
      "title": "Shadow of the Apt",
      "author": "Adrian Tchaikovsky",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33383513,
          "author": "Eric_WVGG",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T12:36:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33383513",
          "commentText": "I’m also reading Apt, agree that it’s not his best, but he’s one of those guys whose least efforts are still better than nearly everything else on the shelf. And an absolute machine, he writes at a near Steven King pace.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I’m also reading Apt",
          "reason": "The commenter is reading the series and says it is not the author's best, while praising his least efforts in general.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter agrees it is not the author's best.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adrian Tchaikovsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "insect inspired societies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "shadow-saga-d7b933",
      "title": "Shadow saga",
      "author": "Orson Scott Card",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9348757,
          "author": "blumkvist",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:27:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348757",
          "commentText": "Good suggestions already ITT, so I'm not gonna repeat.\nAll of Enderverse by Orson Scot Card is simply excellent. Ender's game is a nice peak into what goes on in the whole series. A mash between true strategy, relationships, personal development, philosophy and is very engaging.\nHowever the rest of the Ender series deal mainly with philosophy. Plenty of nuggets there. Additionally Shadow's saga is situated on Earth and is about strategy and competing. Highly recommended too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Additionally Shadow's saga is situated on Earth and is about strategy and competing. Highly recommended too.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly recommends the saga for its focus on strategy and competition.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Orson Scott Card"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military science fiction",
        "strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "shadows-of-the-apt-431fd8",
      "title": "Shadows of the Apt",
      "author": "Adrian Tchaikovsky",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33390173,
          "author": "skydhash",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-30T01:57:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33390173",
          "commentText": "\"Shadows of the Apts\" series is one of my favorite. The story is so nicely constructed that you sometimes forgot the world building, even though it impacts on the characters' personalities. I've also the Expert System books, and it was somewhat disturbing in their explorations. Most of his books I've read seems to be premised on how easily man experiments can go wrong.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Shadows of the Apts\" series is one of my favorite.",
          "reason": "Names it as one of their favorite series and praises its story construction and worldbuilding.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adrian Tchaikovsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "worldbuilding"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "shadows-of-the-empire-bbfd8e",
      "title": "Shadows of the Empire",
      "author": "Steve Perry",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6388137,
          "author": "b3b0p",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T04:43:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6388137",
          "commentText": "My favorite fiction book is Shadows of the Empire by Steve Perry. I am not a fan of the Star Wars books nor am I a hardcore Star Wars fan, but this book captures me every time.\nOther favorites, not including those mentioned by others already are Jurassic Park and the Harry Potter series. I like to go back and read these often.\nFor fun, my favorite, far and away is Foxtrot by Bill Amend.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favorite fiction book is Shadows of the Empire by Steve Perry.",
          "reason": "Names it as their favorite fiction book and says it captures them every time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are not a fan of the Star Wars books or a hardcore Star Wars fan.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve Perry"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "star wars"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "shadows-of-the-mind-a-search-for-the-missing-science-of-conscious-e011df",
      "title": "Shadows of the Mind: A Search for the Missing Science of Consciousness",
      "author": "Roger Penrose",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41175653,
          "author": "taylodl",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:37:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175653",
          "commentText": "- Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Pirsig)\n- Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid (Hofstadter)\n- Shadows of the Mind: A Search for the Missing Science of Consciousness (Penrose)\n- Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind (Suzuki)\n- Demian (Hesse)\n- The Stranger (Camus)\n- Slaughterhouse-Five (Vonnegut)\n- Another Roadside Attraction (Robbins)\nI have read many books that have had an impact on me for a time, but these are the books that have had an enduring impact going on now for decades.\nAnd yes, one of these books, Another Roadside Attraction, is unlike the others. You can substitute any Tom Robbins book, or read them all!, but this is the book that started it all for me. Tom Robbins' books taught me to not take life so seriously.\nDemian and The Stranger may be fiction, but let's just say their purpose is to get across a philosophical point.\nFinally, with regards to Slaughterhouse-Five, you'll just have to read it.\nEnjoy!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shadows of the Mind: A Search for the Missing Science of Consciousness (Penrose)",
          "reason": "Lists it among books that have had an enduring impact for decades.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roger Penrose"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consciousness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "shadows-of-the-pomegranate-tree-dcba87",
      "title": "Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree",
      "author": "Tariq Ali",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10787625,
          "author": "aws_ls",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T09:09:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787625",
          "commentText": "1) Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree - Rating 3/5 - Got an idea about the times in receding Muslim powers, at the end of the 15th Century, in Spain -  The author is an historian so positive point is that fiction rooted in history. But some of the fictional narratives could have been better, as he was not a fiction writer when he started out.\n2) Zero to One - Rating 4/5 - Thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. Insights into and anecdotal examples of Paypal mafia, among the numerous over there.\n3) Liar's Poker - Rating 4/5 - The first of several best seller's by Michael Lewis, gives insights into the working of Investment Finance business, and in a very interesting way (lots of humor)\n4) Devotion of Suspect X - Rating 4/5 - Work of fiction by the Japanese best seller author Keigo Higashino. Enjoyable read - contrasts a Physicist and a Mathematician trying to out think each other in a crime context (reference to Maths/Physics are just pop-level so don't expect too much)\n5) 'Digital Gold...' by Nathaniel Popper - Currently reading (very enjoyable at around 41%) - Captures the history of evolution of Bitcoin. Also made me sad for various people for different reasons, e.g. Hal Finney, who was the first adopter of Satoshi Nakamoto's idea. Reading this book made me appreciate why not knowing who is SN is important. I am no longer curious.\n6) Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond - Rating 5/5 - A perspective changing book, if there can be one. Had picked it up from Gates notes' reading list couple years back. After reading this, my entire perspective on religions, politics, culture changed and I view everything from the reference point of when we started to do agriculture some 20,000 years ago, and of course geographical perspective.\nSome others in my to-read list (hope to pick one before the turn of the year):\n1) Emperor of all maladies - book on cancer research\n2) Ashley Vance's book on Elon Musk\n3) 100 years of solitude\n4) The selfish gene\n5) The hard thing about hard things\n6) Or, if I see any other book: either on this page, or on Gates Notes or on HN reading share the other day. Am a big fan of exchanging/sharing reading lists.\nEdit: Formatting. HN post editor needs two new lines ('\\n') to display one\nEdit 2: Had wrongly named book #4 as Salvation of a saint (which is another book, I read earlier by the same author)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Rating 3/5 - Got an idea about the times in receding Muslim powers, at the end of the 15th Century, in Spain - The author is an historian so positive point is that fiction rooted in history. But some of the fictional narratives could have been better",
          "reason": "Values its historical grounding but says some fictional narratives could be better.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some fictional narratives could have been better.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tariq Ali"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "15th century spain",
        "historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "shadows-on-the-koyukuk-6c909d",
      "title": "Shadows on the Koyukuk",
      "author": "Sidney Huntington",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12244284,
          "author": "daltonlp",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-07T23:14:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244284",
          "commentText": "Shadows on the Koyukuk, by Sidney Huntington\nSkunk Works, by Ben Rich",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shadows on the Koyukuk, by Sidney Huntington",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sidney Huntington"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alaska",
        "athabascan life"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "shake-hands-with-the-devil-the-failure-of-humanity-in-rwanda-eb0862",
      "title": "Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda",
      "author": "Roméo Dallaire",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18744121,
          "author": "cf498",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T02:58:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744121",
          "commentText": ">(Read in 2018)\n* Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/215758.Shake_Hands_with_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/215758.Shake_Hands_with_the_Devil)\nStill reading it every few weeks and its hanging over my head to finally finish it. Not something you want to read, but a book like few i have read before.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Not something you want to read, but a book like few i have read before.",
          "reason": "Describes it as unlike any other book they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it is not something you want to read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roméo Dallaire"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "peacekeeping",
        "rwandan genocide"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "shakespeare-the-world-as-stage-5cf47d",
      "title": "Shakespeare: The World as Stage",
      "author": "Bill Bryson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21797508,
          "author": "randcraw",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-15T17:37:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21797508",
          "commentText": "All of these are by Bill Bryson but none are about travel:\nShakespeare: the World as Stage\nOne Summer: America, 1927\nThe Mother Tongue: English and How it Got that Way\nMade in America: an Informal History of the English Language in the US\nAt Home: A Short History of Private Life",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shakespeare: the World as Stage",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Bryson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary biography",
        "william shakespeare"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "shambhala-the-sacred-path-of-the-warrior-d6a41b",
      "title": "Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior",
      "author": "Chögyam Trungpa",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11229877,
          "author": "fsiefken",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T16:16:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229877",
          "commentText": "That's a very broad question, so I read your comments to get a feel from where you might be coming from and/or going to and where you and I might overlap:\n* Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Antifragile, things that gain from disorder http://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Incer... (http://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Incerto/dp/0812979680/)\n* Jared Diamond. The World until yesterday, what can we learn from traditional societies http://www.amazon.com/World-Until-Yesterday-Traditional-Soci... (http://www.amazon.com/World-Until-Yesterday-Traditional-Societies/dp/0143124404)\n* Frans de Waal. The Bonobo and the Atheist: In Search of Humanism Among the Primates http://www.amazon.com/Bonobo-Atheist-Search-Humanism-Primate... (http://www.amazon.com/Bonobo-Atheist-Search-Humanism-Primates/dp/0393347796/)\n* John Higgs. The KLF: Chaos, Magic... http://www.amazon.com/KLF-Chaos-Magic-Music-Money-ebook/dp/B... (http://www.amazon.com/KLF-Chaos-Magic-Music-Money-ebook/dp/B00ABFHOS0/)\n* Joseph Jaworski. Synchronicity, the inner Path of leadership http://www.amazon.com/Synchronicity-The-Inner-Path-Leadershi... (http://www.amazon.com/Synchronicity-The-Inner-Path-Leadership-ebook/dp/B0051ANRBI)\n* Piero Ferrucci. Your Inner Will, finding personal strength in critical times http://www.amazon.com/Your-Inner-Will-Personal-Strength/dp/0... (http://www.amazon.com/Your-Inner-Will-Personal-Strength/dp/0399174931)\n* William Irvine. A Guide to the good life, the ancient art of stoic joy http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic/dp/01953... (http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic/dp/0195374614)\n* Chogyam Trungpa. Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior http://www.amazon.com/Shambhala-Sacred-Warrior-Chogyam-Trung... (http://www.amazon.com/Shambhala-Sacred-Warrior-Chogyam-Trungpa/dp/1590304519/)\n* Tomas Malik. Patience with God: The Story of Zacchaeus Continuing In Us http://www.amazon.com/Patience-God-Story-Zacchaeus-Continuin... (http://www.amazon.com/Patience-God-Story-Zacchaeus-Continuing/dp/0385524498/)\n* Nick Winter. The Motivation Hacker http://www.amazon.com/Motivation-Hacker-Nick-Winter/dp/09892... (http://www.amazon.com/Motivation-Hacker-Nick-Winter/dp/0989279820)\n* Chas Emerick, Brian Carper, Christophe Grad. Clojure Programming http://www.amazon.com/Clojure-Programming-Chas-Emerick/dp/14... (http://www.amazon.com/Clojure-Programming-Chas-Emerick/dp/1449394701)\nFiction:\n* Peter Hamilton - The Reality Dysfunction\n* Neal Stephenson - Cryptonomicon (his other hit: Snow Crash is surprisingly more history then SF now...)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Chogyam Trungpa. Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior",
          "reason": "Included in a response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7970935,
          "author": "theshadowmonkey",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T14:39:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7970935",
          "commentText": "I just started reading \n* Shambala - The Sacred Path of the Warrior\n* The PayPal Wars\n* Founders at Work",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Shambala - The Sacred Path of the Warrior",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter only says they started reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chögyam Trungpa"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhism",
        "meditation",
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "shame-5825a0",
      "title": "Shame",
      "author": "Salman Rushdie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5692079,
          "author": "JackGibbs",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T20:57:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5692079",
          "commentText": "Some authors and a rec or two for each.\nDFW - Infinite Jest\nPynchon - Really anything, but in particular Against the Day, V, and Gravity's Rainbow.\nRushdie - Shame and Satanic Verses, a lot of good other ones.\nNeal Stephenson - Cryptonomicon\nGaddis - JR, hence my name.\nHeller - Catch-22",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rushdie - Shame and Satanic Verses",
          "reason": "Included among the author's recommended books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says there are many other good ones.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Salman Rushdie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "magical realism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "share-this-973f6b",
      "title": "Share This",
      "author": "Deanna Zandt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2087445,
          "author": "jdp23",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T04:19:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2087445",
          "commentText": "Share This -- Deanna Zandt",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Share This -- Deanna Zandt",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Deanna Zandt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "social media"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "shareholder-letters-of-warren-buffett-e84e82",
      "title": "Shareholder Letters of Warren Buffett",
      "author": "Warren Buffett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10785204,
          "author": "kirk21",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T19:47:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785204",
          "commentText": "Best books I have read this year:\n- Shareholder letters of Warren Buffett: http://amzn.to/1OgZVh9\n- Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage: http://amzn.to/1Oh09oz",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shareholder letters of Warren Buffett",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's best books read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Warren Buffett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "investing",
        "shareholder letters"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "shark-drunk-the-art-of-catching-a-large-shark-from-a-tiny-rubber--ed2605",
      "title": "Shark Drunk: The Art of Catching a Large Shark from a Tiny Rubber Dinghy in a Big Ocean",
      "author": "Morten A. Strøksnes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23561426,
          "author": "mindracer",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-18T09:37:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 23561163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book that nobody you know has heard of?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23561426",
          "commentText": "Shark Drunk: The Art of Catching a Large Shark from a Tiny Rubber Dinghy in a Big Ocean by Morten Stroksnes",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shark Drunk: The Art of Catching a Large Shark from a Tiny Rubber Dinghy in a Big Ocean by Morten Stroksnes",
          "reason": "Names the book as an answer to the thread’s request for a favorite lesser-known book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Morten A. Strøksnes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nature writing",
        "shark fishing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "shattered-sword-the-untold-story-of-the-battle-of-midway-01cac8",
      "title": "Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway",
      "author": "Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43613486,
          "author": "bloopernova",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T16:54:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43613486",
          "commentText": "The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors by James Hornfischer. The amazing courage shown by the US Navy sailors as their tiny 2,000 ton Destroyers and Destroyer Escorts faced a Japanese fleet of Battleships, Cruisers, and Destroyers at The Battle Off Samar. Inspiring and horrifying, the DDs and DEs of the US navy were protecting \"Escort Carriers\" which were smaller aircraft carriers made from cargo ship hulls. Warning, may inspire you to learn a whole bunch more about world war 2.\nAnd 2 books that sort of go together:\nIncredible Victory: The Battle of Midway by Walter Lord, and Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway by Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully. Read Incredible Victory first, learn about the luck, good and bad, that led to a much-needed victory in the Pacific. Then read Shattered Sword and get a fuller picture of events, especially from the Japanese side. Learn about how hubris and dogma led to the Japanese Navy's defeat. Then learn about how saving face led to history not being accurately told by the witnesses on the Japanese side.\nAll 3 are great books that are well worth your time.\nOthers that I've enjoyed:\nParable of the Sower by Octavia Butler (near future post-apocalyptic sci-fi).\nThe non-fiction Liberation Trilogy by Rick Atkinson (more WW2 non-fiction, nice details about North Africa through Italy, then France to Germany).\nMidnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham.\nMost Secret War by RV Jones (nerdy, funny history of one scientist's world war 2 experience).\nThe Discworld City Guard books, starting with Guards! Guards!, by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy fiction satire, hilarious and comforting. Highly, highly recommended!!\nPeter F Hamilton sci-fi adventure books: Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained are a duo of great space opera stretching across multiple planets and people. Don't spoil yourself by reading any descriptions of Judas Unchained before you read Pandora's Star. Also by the same author, The Night's Dawn Trilogy: The Reality Dysfunction, The Neutronium Alchemist, and The Naked God. Fantastic big canvas space opera with lots of threads, great world-building, and amazing situations. Both sets of books are highly recommended escapes from reality.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Then read Shattered Sword and get a fuller picture of events, especially from the Japanese side.",
          "reason": "Recommended for a fuller account, especially from the Japanese perspective.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the Battle of Midway.",
          "caveat": "The commenter recommends reading Incredible Victory first.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Parshall",
        "Anthony Tully"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "battle of midway",
        "japanese perspective",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "she-comes-first-64ea53",
      "title": "She Comes First",
      "author": "Ian Kerner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30739734,
          "author": "koboll",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T03:12:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30739734",
          "commentText": "She Comes First.\nPretty much the sole reason I've been told over and over again for the past decade that ours was \"the best sex [they've] ever had\".\nIf you have sex with women, you need to read it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "She Comes First.\nPretty much the sole reason I've been told over and over again for the past decade that ours was \"the best sex [they've] ever had\".\nIf you have sex with women, you need to read it.",
          "reason": "The commenter credits it with improving their sexual relationships and recommends it to people who have sex with women.",
          "audience": "People who have sex with women.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ian Kerner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "oral sex",
        "sexual health"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "she-said-705d99",
      "title": "She Said",
      "author": "Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46400087,
          "author": "constantinum",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T08:03:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46400087",
          "commentText": "- Permutation City — Greg Egan\n- She Said — Jodi Kantor & Megan Twohey\n- Conclave — Robert Harris\n- First You Write a Sentence — Joe Moran\n- Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine — Gail Honeyman\n- The Master and Margarita — Mikhail Bulgakov\nMore books here -> https://pastebin.com/XVeacpHM",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "She Said — Jodi Kantor & Megan Twohey",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21794503,
          "author": "hkyeti",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-15T04:42:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21794503",
          "commentText": "Catch and kill and She said were compelling reads on the scourge of sexual harassment in Hollywood and industry in general.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Catch and kill and She said were compelling reads",
          "reason": "Describes it as a compelling account of sexual harassment in Hollywood and industry more broadly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Society",
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "investigative journalism",
        "me too movement",
        "sexual harassment"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sherlock-holmes-canon-08b78e",
      "title": "Sherlock Holmes canon",
      "author": "Arthur Conan Doyle",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31971936,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T23:32:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31971936",
          "commentText": "The Sherlock Holmes Canon.\nThe language phrasings, creation of a masterful personality, focus on clever logical deductions, varied story lines are all combined harmoniously to take the reader on a truly enjoyable read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Sherlock Holmes Canon.\nThe language phrasings, creation of a masterful personality, focus on clever logical deductions, varied story lines are all combined harmoniously to take the reader on a truly enjoyable read.",
          "reason": "Praises the combined stories for their language, character, deductions, and variety.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur Conan Doyle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "detective fiction",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sherlock-holmes-stories-938a8b",
      "title": "Sherlock Holmes stories",
      "author": "Arthur Conan Doyle",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1569064,
          "author": "robertg",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:03:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569064",
          "commentText": "I really like the Sherlock Holmes stories.\nThey are a bit dated, but still good reads.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Study-Scarlet-Sherlock-Holmes-Mystery/... (http://www.amazon.com/Study-Scarlet-Sherlock-Holmes-Mystery/dp/1450596185/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1280782968&sr=8-1)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I really like the Sherlock Holmes stories.\nThey are a bit dated, but still good reads.",
          "reason": "Says they like the stories and that they remain good reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They are a bit dated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur Conan Doyle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classic literature",
        "detective fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ship-breaker-trilogy-fe7b19",
      "title": "Ship Breaker Trilogy",
      "author": "Paolo Bacigalupi",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42269201,
          "author": "sandy_coyote",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:59:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42269201",
          "commentText": "I caught up with some science fiction this year.\nThe Murderbot diaries books by Martha Wells - 6/10. Mixed on these. They're fun to read. The setting is cool and the worldbuilding is shallow but effective (i.e., don't read it if you want game of thrones in space). Each novella takes an afternoon to read. I think \"snarky violent droid\" is overcooked these days and lost interest after book 5.\nLight by M. John Harrison - 7/10 excellent prose; great multiple-storyline plot; the journey was better than the destination, but it kept me thinking\nFar from the Light of Heaven by Tade Thompson - 7/10 Fun. If \"near future Nigerian/British post-colonial frontier action with guns, robots, and psychic aliens\" sounds cool to you, check it out. I liked his Rosewater Trilogy just as much.\nBlindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts - tough to rate these. brilliant ideas, VERY challenging plots. I wish I didn't get so confused by the end of each book.\nProject Hail Mary by Andy Weir - 6/10 - this and the Martian read like blog posts pasted together. The grand dilemma is spelled out on page one and never gets any deeper. Pro: the plot is in your face on every page and you will never be confused when reading; Con - there is zero internal character development. Read if you like stories driven by applied science, not comparative moral decision-making.\nThe City and the City by China Miéville - 9/10 - you will invariably see something like \"Kafka meets [some affected crime novelist] to describe this book, and that ain't wrong. Kind of SF, kind of fantasy.\nRailsea by China Miéville - 8/10 - great good vs evil YA SF about, well, imagine if trains were like boats. Good character writing, tight plot.\nThe Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi - 8/10 - loved this. More \"realist\" near-future fabulism than Gibson, but if you love cyberpunk, read this.\nThe Shipbreaker Triology by Paolo Bacigalupi - 6/10 - near-future YA science fiction with a lot of blood and guns. Pretty good stories.\nRoadside Picnic by the Strugatsky brothers - 9/10 - reread. I had to go back. This gets a near perfect score because of its style, setting, and plot.\nThe Sprawl Trilogy (Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive) by William Gibson - 9/10 - I had read Neuromancer 3 times but never the next two. I was pleasantly surprised to find the second and third novel easier to read* but just as enjoyable as Neuromancer.\nThe Bridge trilogy by William Gibson - 8/10 so far. I am in the second book. Can't believe I slept on these for the last couple decades.\nnon-SF:\nOur Band Could Be Your Life: Scenes from the American Indie Underground, 1981-1991 by Michael Azerrad - 9/10 - if you like punk/hardcore from the 80s, this is a great read.\n* Every time I read Neuromancer, Gibson's literary footguns --holograms, false memories, hallucinations, and drug-addled unreality--make me feel crazy for not being able to follow the plot at times. I'm okay with believing that was the intended effect.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Shipbreaker Triology by Paolo Bacigalupi - 6/10",
          "reason": "Rates the stories pretty good.",
          "audience": "Readers of near-future young adult science fiction.",
          "caveat": "Contains a lot of blood and guns.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paolo Bacigalupi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "climate fiction",
        "young adult"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "shoe-dog-a-memoir-by-the-creator-of-nike-9adc0a",
      "title": "Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike",
      "author": "Phil Knight",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237255,
          "author": "hackerkid",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:59:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237255",
          "commentText": "- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari\n- Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight\n- Rework by Jason Fried\n- Rocket Boys by Homer Hickam\n- Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand\n- The Martian by Andy Weir\n- Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman by Richard Feynman",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12991353,
          "author": "matt101589",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-19T01:02:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12991353",
          "commentText": "Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike\nGreat founder story\nWhen Breathe Becomes Air\nStory about the meaning of life. Not sure how anyone can go through this and not cry. (First book I've ever cried reading)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike\nGreat founder story",
          "reason": "Praised as a great founder story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12070313,
          "author": "as17237",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T11:30:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12070313",
          "commentText": "* In Defense of Liberal Edication By Farred Zakaria\n* Confidence Men By Ros Suskind\n* Dark Money by Jane Meyer\n* Better by Atul Gawande\n* The Checklist Manifesto by Atul Gawande\n* Essentialism by Greg Mckeown\n* Contagious by Jonah Berger\n* Sapiens by Yuval Harari\n* The Pentagons Brain by Annie Jacobson\n* Shoe Dog by Phil Knight\n* The Only Game in town by Mohamed El-Erian\n* The Industries of Future By Alec Ross",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Shoe Dog by Phil Knight",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Phil Knight"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nike",
        "entrepreneurship",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "shop-class-as-soulcraft-an-inquiry-into-the-value-of-work-30c70d",
      "title": "Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work",
      "author": "Matthew B. Crawford",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39059380,
          "author": "philip1209",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T18:48:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39059380",
          "commentText": "I recommend Shop Class as Soulcraft, which contrasts blue-collar work (motorcycle repair) with knowledge work. It's not specifically \"tech\"-related, but it does a good job of exploring how corporatization has diminished the ability to be a craftsperson in modern careers.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I recommend Shop Class as Soulcraft",
          "reason": "Recommended for its contrast between motorcycle repair and knowledge work, and its discussion of corporatization's effects on craft.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in craft and modern careers.",
          "caveat": "Not specifically tech-related.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthew B. Crawford"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "corporatization",
        "craftsmanship",
        "meaning of work"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "short-stories-by-philip-k-dick-b019a9",
      "title": "Short stories by Philip K. Dick",
      "author": "Philip K. Dick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 140463,
          "author": "ericb",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T02:23:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140463",
          "commentText": "Probably a book of Phillip K. Dick's short stories. If you want to inspire imagination, nothing's better than sci-fi short stories for a hit of imagination-crack, and Phillip K. Dick is a master.\nYou've probably seen movies based on his stories, including: the Minority Report, Total Recall, Blade Runner, Screamers, A scanner Darkly and a few others.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you want to inspire imagination, nothing's better than sci-fi short stories for a hit of imagination-crack, and Phillip K. Dick is a master.",
          "reason": "Praises Dick as a master and says science fiction short stories inspire imagination.",
          "audience": "Readers looking to spark their imagination.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip K. Dick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "shortcut-a52960",
      "title": "Shortcut",
      "author": "John Pollack",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19897124,
          "author": "james_s_tayler",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T08:12:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19897124",
          "commentText": "I recently read Shortcut, which is another book about analogy/metaphor and the role it plays in thinking. Highly recommend anyone to read one or two books on this topic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recently read Shortcut, which is another book about analogy/metaphor and the role it plays in thinking. Highly recommend anyone to read one or two books on this topic.",
          "reason": "Presents analogy and metaphor as important to thinking.",
          "audience": "Anyone interested in analogy, metaphor, and thinking.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Pollack"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "analogy",
        "metaphor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "shots-in-the-dark-japan-zen-and-the-west-986fc4",
      "title": "Shots in the Dark: Japan, Zen, and the West",
      "author": "Shōji Yamada",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40290219,
          "author": "patal",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T19:11:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40290219",
          "commentText": "\"Last Chance to See\" by Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine. About Adams and Carwardine travelling the world to document several animals on the brink of extinction (by then 1988). Very entertaining and raising questions about the responsibility of human globalization. An all-time favourite.\n\"Never In Anger\" by Jean Briggs. About her living 17 months among Inuit in the 1970ies, documenting how the Inuit see emotions and raise their children without any shouting or violence.\n\"Shots in the Dark - Japan, Zen, and the West\" by Shōji Yamada. About the culture exchange between Japan and the West in the early 20th century and how several perceptions of Zen got constructed in the process.\n\"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" by Douglas Hofstaedter. About core ideas in logic, music and art, and their connections. I always find something new there.\n\"In Praise of Mastery\" / \"芸談\" by Tanizaki Jun’ichirō. An essay about the japanese pursuit of mastery. It's a fascinating window into the arts perception in late 19th century Japan.\nWebster's Dictionary of 1913. A great resource for looking up original meanings of words. I find it very useful for naming stuff in programming.\n\"Woe Is I\" by Patricia O'Conner. A witty grammar book. O'Conner's entertaining style makes it easy to grasp the grammar topics and come back for more.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Shots in the Dark - Japan, Zen, and the West\" by Shōji Yamada.",
          "reason": "Describes cultural exchange and how perceptions of Zen were constructed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Shōji Yamada"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "japan and the west",
        "zen"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "show-me-the-money-08089e",
      "title": "Show Me the Money",
      "author": "Alvin D. Hall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5502679,
          "author": "annaNwonderland",
          "createdAt": "2013-04-06T04:58:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 5501062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Business Book For a 13-year-old Girl?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5502679",
          "commentText": "A lot of the books mentioned sound fabulous, but are mostly geared towards adults. Here are a couple of suggestions that I used with my 13 year old.  We homeschooled him for a year so that he could develop his game app business.\n1.  Show Me The Money by Alvin D. Hall:  This book is by DK books.  It is colorful and a GREAT intro to the basics of finance, business and economics.  \n2.  The Young Entrepreneur's Guide to Starting and Running a Business (Completely Revised and Updated) by Steve Mariotti is another awesome book. He was a teacher in a rough inner-city school when he noticed that he could keep the kids attention when he taught math in the context of running a business.  He then developed a course around that idea.  Your daughter may not want to read the entire book.  It's one of those books where you can read different chapters based on interest.  \n3.  One of the homeschool writing classes my son took was How to Write a Business Plan.  The teachers used the book The One Page Business Plan for the Creative Entrepreneur by Jim Horan.  Great way for kids to learn the aspects of a business. The book is VERY EASY to follow.\nInspirational book for your daughter (I got this for my daughter):  \n-Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women\nWRITING MAGAZINE: New Moon Girls (newmoon.com)\nMy daughter has a subscription. This magazine and web site is written and edited by the girls.\nVIDEOS: Khan Academy\n- Economics of a Cupcake Factory\n- Raising Money for a Startup (shows the whole process)\n- The Business Cycle\nVIDEOS: When my daughter was in 5th grade, I used some Schlessinger Media videos on economics to introduce her to the basics of business.  I was able to check these out of the library (we are in the Silicon Valley).  These videos are:\n- Economics for Children: Starting a Business\n- Economics for Children: What is Economics\n- Economics for Children: Saving, spending, and investing money\nINSPIRATION: Resources for your daughter:\n- Woman Innovate Mobile (wim.co) - focuses on startups by female founders in the area of mobile products/services.\n- Hackbright Academy (www.hackbrightacademy.com) - programming fellowship for women\n- JumpThru Women's Business Accelerator (http://jumpthru.net)\n- GeekGirl (http://geekgirlcamp.com)\nMOVIE: Inspirational movie for your daughter:\n- Temple Grandin:  shows how Temple Grandin overcame the disabilities of autism and revolutionized cattle slaughter houses so that they would be more humane.  Her invention is now used by most slaughter houses.  The gore of the slaughter is kept at a minimum in the movie.  It is mostly focused on the challenges she faced and overcame.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book is by DK books. It is colorful and a GREAT intro to the basics of finance, business and economics.",
          "reason": "Praised as a colorful, great introduction to finance, business, and economics.",
          "audience": "A young reader interested in business and economics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alvin D. Hall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business basics",
        "personal finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "show-stopper-the-breakneck-race-to-create-windows-nt-and-the-next-b6f16c",
      "title": "Show Stopper!: The Breakneck Race to Create Windows NT and the Next Generation at Microsoft",
      "author": "G. Pascal Zachary",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25532169,
          "author": "spondyl",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T22:39:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25532169",
          "commentText": "There's a book called Show Stopper!: The Breakneck Race to Create Windows NT and the Next Generation at Microsoft by Zachary, G. Pascal\nThe book itself is pretty interesting but there's one line in there about how Dave Cutler always takes his vacations on time, every time without question.\nIt never goes into any more details but that seemed totally at odds with what I expected? At least when hustle culture and the idea that leaders don't take breaks seems somewhat prevalent nowadays (or at least in the mid-2000s)\nAs someone whose parents don't take vacations all that often, and came from a small town where there's that sort of \"I'm a good person because I work harder than you\" mentality, I was kind of hoping Cutler might reveal his philosophy of why he takes holidays without failure.\nMaybe he just likes holidays and I'm over thinking it haha",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "There's a book called Show Stopper!: The Breakneck Race to Create Windows NT and the Next Generation at Microsoft by Zachary, G. Pascal\nThe book itself is pretty interesting",
          "reason": "The commenter finds the book interesting and reflects on its account of Dave Cutler's vacation habits.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter hoped the book would explain Cutler's reasons for taking vacations, but it gives no further details.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "G. Pascal Zachary"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "microsoft history",
        "software development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "shriek-an-afterword-d12f95",
      "title": "Shriek: An Afterword",
      "author": "Jeff VanderMeer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33852921,
          "author": "rocketbop",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T12:07:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33852921",
          "commentText": "> Borne by Jeff VanderMeer, a weird near future declinepunk with bioengineering and evil corporations.\nI loved Shriek: An Afterword, and have wanted to read more VanderMeer for a while. Did you just coin the term 'declinepunk'? I've never heard it before.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved Shriek: An Afterword",
          "reason": "The commenter says they loved the book and want to read more by the author.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeff VanderMeer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biopunk",
        "weird fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "shroud-b22dd5",
      "title": "Shroud",
      "author": "Adrian Tchaikovsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45950124,
          "author": "qkeast",
          "createdAt": "2025-11-17T01:35:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 45947737,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45950124",
          "commentText": "- One Yellow Eye by Leigh Radford\n- Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera\nI keep a reading list at quinnkeast.com/reading. Would love to see others’ if any has one to share!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s standout books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adrian Tchaikovsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "shutter-island-baa4b2",
      "title": "Shutter Island",
      "author": "Dennis Lehane",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4787426,
          "author": "spuiszis",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:23:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787426",
          "commentText": "Man's Search for Meaning - ViktorFrankl\nEndgame (Biography of Bobby Fischer) - Frank Brady\nWalt Disney - Bob Thomas\nThe Given Day - Dennis Lehane (Fiction)\nShutter Island - Dennis Lehane (Way better than movie)\nMichael Lewis - The Big Short\nChurchill - Paul Johnson (faster read than the others)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shutter Island - Dennis Lehane (Way better than movie)",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is much better than the movie adaptation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dennis Lehane"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "psychological thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sid-meier-s-memoir-3fb7d4",
      "title": "Sid Meier's Memoir!",
      "author": "Sid Meier",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27886778,
          "author": "b33j0r",
          "createdAt": "2021-07-19T20:11:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 27879593,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27886778",
          "commentText": "Wil Wheaton reads Masters of Doom, almost worth it for his impressions alone. “Sid Meier’s Memoir” is great along the same genre.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Sid Meier’s Memoir” is great along the same genre.",
          "reason": "Calls it great and recommends it as a book in the same genre.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sid Meier"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "game design",
        "video game history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sideshow-ba3cd0",
      "title": "Sideshow",
      "author": "Sheri S. Tepper",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15762987,
          "author": "balance_it",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T05:24:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762987",
          "commentText": "Sideshow by Sheri Stewart Tepper.\nThis book changed the way I think about what is right and what is wrong.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sideshow by Sheri Stewart Tepper.",
          "reason": "Says the book changed how they think about right and wrong.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sheri S. Tepper"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "moral philosophy",
        "speculative fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "signal-to-noise-4e76e2",
      "title": "Signal to Noise",
      "author": "Eric Nylund",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056835,
          "author": "tartuffe78",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T13:40:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056835",
          "commentText": "Lot's of my favorites already listed\nSome more good ones:\nIlium/Olympos - Dan Simmons\nCenturies - A. A. Attanasio\nCallahan's Crosstime Saloon - Spider Robinson\nSignal to Noise - Eric Nylund",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Signal to Noise - Eric Nylund",
          "reason": "Lists it among more good books answering the favorites question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Nylund"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "signals-and-systems-11c1f4",
      "title": "Signals and Systems",
      "author": "Alan V. Oppenheim and Alan S. Willsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32790844,
          "author": "surfpel",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T14:15:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790844",
          "commentText": "Microelectronic Circuits by Adel S. Sedra and Kenneth C. Smith\nSignals and Systems by Alan V. Oppenheim and Alan S. Willsky",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Signals and Systems by Alan V. Oppenheim and Alan S. Willsky",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan V. Oppenheim",
        "Alan S. Willsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "signal processing",
        "systems theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "signals-and-systems-88cfc7",
      "title": "Signals and Systems",
      "author": "Alan V. Oppenheim, Alan S. Willsky, and S. Hamid Nawab",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910827,
          "author": "hprotagonist",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T17:20:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910827",
          "commentText": "Blanchard, Devaney and Hall, \"Differential Equations\".    The first math textbook I found that you can actually read.\nOppenheim, Willsky, and Nawab, \"Signals and Systems\".  The foundational modern text for signals processing; Fourier analysis becomes a fundamental way of thinking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Signals and Systems\".  The foundational modern text for signals processing; Fourier analysis becomes a fundamental way of thinking.",
          "reason": "Calls it foundational and says it makes Fourier analysis a fundamental way of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan V. Oppenheim, Alan S. Willsky, and S. Hamid Nawab"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fourier analysis",
        "signal processing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "signature-in-the-cell-d8ed56",
      "title": "Signature in the Cell",
      "author": "Stephen C. Meyer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268991,
          "author": "e3a8",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:28:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268991",
          "commentText": "Signature in the cell - Stephen C. Meyer\nThe Divine Reality - Hamza Andreas Tzortzis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Signature in the cell - Stephen C. Meyer",
          "reason": "Lists it among books read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen C. Meyer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "intelligent design",
        "origin of life"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "silas-marner-b8890b",
      "title": "Silas Marner",
      "author": "George Eliot",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38237982,
          "author": "smokel",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T06:55:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38237982",
          "commentText": "\"Journey to the Edge of Reason, The Life of Kurt Gödel\", by Stephen Budiansky.\nEven though it contains an introduction to his proof of the Incompleteness Theorems, you won't learn all too much about logic or mathematics, but it sure paints an interesting picture of the people involved at the start of the 20th century.\n\"Silas Marner\" by George Eliot.  Has redefined humor for me.\n\"Reinforcement Learning and Stochastic Optimization\" by Warren B. Powell.  I'm still not entirely sure what to think of his claims about unifying many scientific disciplines, but it sure is packed with a lot of information and theory.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Has redefined humor for me.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it redefined their sense of humor.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Eliot"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "victorian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "silently-and-very-fast-be7992",
      "title": "Silently and Very Fast",
      "author": "Catherynne M. Valente",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15446630,
          "author": "thescribe",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-11T01:21:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15446630",
          "commentText": "Silently and Very Fast by Catherynne M. Valente, I felt like it really introduced emotion in an AI context,",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Silently and Very Fast by Catherynne M. Valente, I felt like it really introduced emotion in an AI context,",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its depiction of emotion in an AI context.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Catherynne M. Valente"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "consciousness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "silver-tower-d32fa5",
      "title": "Silver Tower",
      "author": "Dale Brown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12244904,
          "author": "peckrob",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T01:31:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244904",
          "commentText": "I read a lot of Science Fiction for fun. These are a few of my favorites that I've given to other people:\n1. Vacuum Diagrams by Stephen Baxter. When I think of epic hard science fiction, the Xeelee Sequence books spring to mind. With a story line that spans millions of years (and a few dozen books), this collection of short stories is a good introduction to one of the best and most underrated sci-fi series out there. Baxter's Manifold trilogy (Manifold: Space, Manifold: Time and Manifold: Origin) are also fantastic.\n2. Foundation by Isaac Asimov. The whole Foundation series is wonderful, but this book is a landmark of sci-fi that should be on any fan's bookcase.\n3. The Martian by Andy Weir. This book is what I've been giving the last couple years to people who don't think they like sci-fi. Everyone I've given it to has loved it.\n4. Rama by Arthur C. Clarke. Another hard sci-fi staple. The rest of the Rama books he \"co-wrote\" with Gentry Lee are decent but become more space opera than hard sci-fi. I enjoyed them but many sci-fi fans find them polarizing.\n5. Silver Tower by Dale Brown. More of a military thriller than sci-fi (Flight of the Old Dog is another favorite of mine by him) and terribly dated by modern standards (it was written when the Soviet Union was still a thing). But it's the first \"adult\" sci-fi book I ever read as a kid, so it'll always have a special place for me.\nEDIT: Another one:\n6. Coyote by Allen Steele. I love stories like this one: primitive, longshot interstellar exploration and primitive, first generation colonization. Especially for  desperate reasons. The first two Coyote books were good, but I just can't get into any of the subsequent ones.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "More of a military thriller than sci-fi",
          "reason": "Lists it among favorite books given to others and says it has a special place because it was their first adult science fiction book as a child.",
          "audience": "Readers of military thrillers and science fiction.",
          "caveat": "Terribly dated by modern standards; more military thriller than science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dale Brown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "silverlock-0674fa",
      "title": "Silverlock",
      "author": "John Myers Myers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5691996,
          "author": "steve_g",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T20:29:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5691996",
          "commentText": "Silverlock by John Myers Myers - a fantasy novel written in 1949 with hundreds (maybe thousands) of allusions to mythology, history, and classic literature.  It's a lot of fun.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Silverlock by John Myers Myers - a fantasy novel written in 1949 with hundreds (maybe thousands) of allusions to mythology, history, and classic literature. It's a lot of fun.",
          "reason": "Calls it a lot of fun and describes its literary allusions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Myers Myers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary allusions"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "simon-sinek-s-books-cf1ef8",
      "title": "Simon Sinek's books",
      "author": "Simon Sinek",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21712513,
          "author": "Bumerang",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T14:33:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21712513",
          "commentText": "Everything by Simon Sinek, but most important for me is \"Leaders Eat Last\" [0]. I haven't read the last one (The Infinite Game), but I've heard it's pretty good as well.\nAlso Extreme Ownership [1] and Dichotomy of Leadership [2] by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin.\nAll of these books had tremendous impact on me as a leader and I highly recommend them.\n[0]: https://www.amazon.com/Leaders-Eat-Last-Together-Others/dp/B... (https://www.amazon.com/Leaders-Eat-Last-Together-Others/dp/B00HQ3K34M/)\n[1]: https://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Ownership-U-S-Navy-SEALs-eboo... (https://www.amazon.com/Extreme-Ownership-U-S-Navy-SEALs-ebook/dp/B00VE4Y0Z2)\n[2]: https://www.amazon.com/Dichotomy-Leadership-Balancing-Challe... (https://www.amazon.com/Dichotomy-Leadership-Balancing-Challenges-Ownership/dp/B07BN5NGQ5/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Everything by Simon Sinek, but most important for me is \"Leaders Eat Last\" [0].",
          "reason": "Recommends the author's books broadly and singles out this title as most important.",
          "audience": "People interested in leadership.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Simon Sinek"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "simple-heuristics-that-make-us-smart-772130",
      "title": "Simple Heuristics That Make Us Smart",
      "author": "Gerd Gigerenzer, Peter M. Todd, and the ABC Research Group",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 240776,
          "author": "pjackson",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T04:15:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240776",
          "commentText": "I recently read Simple Heuristics That Make Us Smart by Gerd Gigerenzer, Peter M. Todd, and the ABC Research Group and The Nothing That Is: A Natural History Of Zero by Robert Kaplan.\nBoth were great reads and left me energized. Neither had much to do with technology or startups. But I felt more prepared and motivated to solve problems after I read them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Both were great reads and left me energized.",
          "reason": "The commenter says both books were great reads and left them energized.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Neither had much to do with technology or startups.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gerd Gigerenzer, Peter M. Todd, and the ABC Research Group"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "decision making",
        "heuristics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "simple-heuristics-that-make-us-smart-b7359a",
      "title": "Simple Heuristics That Make Us Smart",
      "author": "Gerd Gigerenzer et al.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3277592,
          "author": "lpolovets",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T17:30:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3277592",
          "commentText": "Category 1:\n- Simple Heuristics That Make Use Smart by Gigerenzer, et al. (http://www.amazon.com/Simple-Heuristics-That-Make-Smart/dp/0... (http://www.amazon.com/Simple-Heuristics-That-Make-Smart/dp/0195143817/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1322242265&sr=1-1)). I have heard good things about this book but have not read it yet.\nCategory 2:\n- Think Twice by Mauboussin (http://www.amazon.com/Think-Twice-Harnessing-Power-Counterin... (http://www.amazon.com/Think-Twice-Harnessing-Power-Counterintuition/dp/1422176754))\n- Influence by Cialdini (http://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Busine... (http://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Business-Essentials/dp/006124189X))\nCategory 3:\n- You already mentioned Michalko, but his other book, Thinkertoys, is also very good (http://www.amazon.com/Thinkertoys-Handbook-Creative-Thinking... (http://www.amazon.com/Thinkertoys-Handbook-Creative-Thinking-Techniques-2nd/dp/1580087736))\nCategory 5:\n- Switch by the Heath brothers is excellent (http://www.amazon.com/Switch-Change-Things-When-Hard/dp/0385... (http://www.amazon.com/Switch-Change-Things-When-Hard/dp/0385528752/))",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I have heard good things about this book but have not read it yet.",
          "reason": "Reports positive things heard about the book while noting they have not read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gerd Gigerenzer et al."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "decision making",
        "heuristics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "simplicity-160382",
      "title": "Simplicity",
      "author": "Dave Thomas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46248549,
          "author": "skydhash",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-12T20:36:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 46226571,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46248549",
          "commentText": "The \"Sun Eater\" series (7 books) by C. Ruocchio have the final book published this year. Dune vibe/A bit of Warhammer.\n\"Simplicity\" by Dave Thomas is in the same vein of \"The Pragmatic Programmer\". Worth a quick read.\n\"Tidy First?\" by Kent Beck is another one that's worth a quick read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Simplicity\" by Dave Thomas is in the same vein of \"The Pragmatic Programmer\". Worth a quick read.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a quick read in the vein of The Pragmatic Programmer.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Worth a quick read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dave Thomas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "simply-christian-ab8a3b",
      "title": "Simply Christian",
      "author": "N. T. Wright",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8107077,
          "author": "kilo_man",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T09:00:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107077",
          "commentText": "Just listing books that have had a big impact on me:\n* The Now Habit - http://www.amazon.com/dp/1585425524\n* Getting Things Done - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0142000280\n* Simply Christian - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061920622\n* Surprised by Hope - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061551821\n* The Great Divorce - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060652950\n* Mere Christianity - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060652926\n* The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - http://www.amazon.com/dp/048629823X\n* Tao Te Ching - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060812451\nBooks from the Bible that I like:\n* Genesis\n* Judges\n* Ruth\n* Tobit\n* Job\n* Psalms\n* Ecclesiastes\n* Sirach/Ecclesiasticus\n* Everything written by John",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Simply Christian",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter says have had a big impact on them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "N. T. Wright"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christianity",
        "theology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "simply-fly-a-deccan-odyssey-7982f4",
      "title": "Simply Fly: A Deccan Odyssey",
      "author": "G. R. Gopinath",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42664855,
          "author": "suchoudh",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-11T10:30:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42664855",
          "commentText": "Simply Fly: A Deccan Odyssey, Collins Business, 2010, ISBN 978-81-7223-842-1, 978-93-5029-155-9\namazon link::  https://www.amazon.in/Simply-Fly-Odyssey-Captain-Gopinath/dp... (https://www.amazon.in/Simply-Fly-Odyssey-Captain-Gopinath/dp/935029155X)\nhe created the low cost airline in India. \nThere is a movie also based on his life - Sarfira ( starring Akshay Kumar)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Simply Fly: A Deccan Odyssey",
          "reason": "About the founder of a low-cost airline in India.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "G. R. Gopinath"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aviation",
        "entrepreneurship",
        "low cost airlines"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "simply-javascript-d7fe81",
      "title": "Simply JavaScript",
      "author": "Kevin Yank and Cameron Adams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 71861,
          "author": "whalesalad",
          "createdAt": "2007-10-23T23:03:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 71741,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Recommend me *the* best Javascript book/reference",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=71861",
          "commentText": "Best book hands down for learning JS is called Simply Javascript from Sitepoint written by Kevin Yank and Cameron Adams.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Best book hands down for learning JS is called Simply Javascript from Sitepoint written by Kevin Yank and Cameron Adams.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommended as the best book for learning JavaScript.",
          "audience": "People learning JavaScript.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kevin Yank and Cameron Adams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "javascript",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "since-cumorah-856c32",
      "title": "Since Cumorah",
      "author": "Hugh Nibley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17913331,
          "author": "lcall",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T22:16:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17913331",
          "commentText": "Upvoted, and I would also say the Book of Mormon, with the Bible.  The BoM reinforces the Bible's teachings powerfully, and as I age and read again, sometimes in other languages, and some scholarly things about it, they both just keep getting better and better.  Including in their effect on me.  You can get a copy of either one for free.\nEdit:\nAdditionally, some which have been mentioned or not:\n- a couple of biographies of Lincoln (one is free on gutenberg.org, the other more recent by Doris Kearns Goodwin), and one of Washington whose name I forget now, but there are good ones out there.\n- the 7 Habits book (Covey), and How to Win Friends and Influence People by Carnegie.\n- Refactoring ..., by Martin Fowler.\n- some thick Scheme programming book from college (sorry, it's downstairs).  And \"The Little Schemer\", also about Scheme (one of the authors, Friedman, was also our instructor).\n- Since Cumorah, by Hugh Nibley (maybe dated now, but there is a lot of related work).  Really got me interested in related topics.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Since Cumorah, by Hugh Nibley (maybe dated now, but there is a lot of related work).",
          "reason": "Says it got them interested in related topics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter suggests it may be dated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hugh Nibley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mormon studies",
        "religious history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "single-story-america-d0478d",
      "title": "Single-Story America",
      "author": "Ilya Ilf and Yevgeny Petrov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17382960,
          "author": "archagon",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T19:31:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17382960",
          "commentText": "In 1935-36, two Soviet humorists took a coast-to-coast road trip across the US and gathered their experiences in a book called \"Single-Story America\" (or \"Little Golden America\" in English). The translation by Charles Malamuth seems rather wooden compared to the hilarious, witty tone of the original Russian, but I think it's still very much worth reading: an uncanny number of their observations about American life and culture are still completely relevant today.\n(Some choice quotes in my Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6708623)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think it's still very much worth reading",
          "reason": "The commenter says its observations about American life and culture remain relevant.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The Charles Malamuth translation seems wooden compared with the original Russian.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ilya Ilf and Yevgeny Petrov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american culture",
        "soviet literature",
        "travel writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sirach-ce058c",
      "title": "Sirach",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8107077,
          "author": "kilo_man",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T09:00:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107077",
          "commentText": "Just listing books that have had a big impact on me:\n* The Now Habit - http://www.amazon.com/dp/1585425524\n* Getting Things Done - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0142000280\n* Simply Christian - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061920622\n* Surprised by Hope - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061551821\n* The Great Divorce - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060652950\n* Mere Christianity - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060652926\n* The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - http://www.amazon.com/dp/048629823X\n* Tao Te Ching - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060812451\nBooks from the Bible that I like:\n* Genesis\n* Judges\n* Ruth\n* Tobit\n* Job\n* Psalms\n* Ecclesiastes\n* Sirach/Ecclesiasticus\n* Everything written by John",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sirach/Ecclesiasticus",
          "reason": "Listed among biblical books the commenter says they like.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bible",
        "deuterocanonical books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "site-reliability-engineering-6272f8",
      "title": "Site Reliability Engineering",
      "author": "Betsy Beyer, Chris Jones, Jennifer Petoff, and Niall Richard Murphy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27653461,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T17:36:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 27650775,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27653461",
          "commentText": "As luck would have it, my blog on Github pages is down. So here's the post describing the four in markdown.\nTldr; Designing Data Intensive Applications, Effective Python, The Google SRE book, and High Performance Browser Networking.\nhttps://github.com/eatonphil/notes.eatonphil.com/blob/master... (https://github.com/eatonphil/notes.eatonphil.com/blob/master/posts/books-developers-should-read.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Google SRE book",
          "reason": "Listed among the four books the commenter recommends developers read.",
          "audience": "Developers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17039417,
          "author": "jacksmith21006",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-10T14:59:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17039417",
          "commentText": "The Phoenix project.   Everyone should read, IMO.  I actually started with The Goal first.  Then Phoenix project and then the Google SRE book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Then Phoenix project and then the Google SRE book.",
          "reason": "The commenter mentions reading it as the next book in a sequence, without evaluating or recommending it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12068003,
          "author": "motxilo",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T00:25:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12068003",
          "commentText": "Blindsight (Watts)\nBetween the World and Me (Coates)\nEconomics in One Lesson (Hazlitt)\nCorporate Confidential: 50 Secrets Your Company Doesn't Want You to Know---and What to Do About Them (Shapiro)\nLos últimos españoles de Mauthausen (Hernández de Miguel)\nDistributed Systems for Fun and Profit (Takada)\nThe Knowledge: How to Rebuild Civilization in the Aftermath of a Cataclysm (Dartnell)\nHistoria mínima de España (Fusi)\nTurn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders (Marquet)\nWhat I Learned Losing A Million Dollars (Moynihan)\nSite Reliability Engineering: How Google Runs Production Systems (Google)\nAdventures in Human Being: A Grand Tour from the Cranium to the Calcaneum (Francis)\nOperating Systems: Three Easy Pieces (Arpaci-Dusseau)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Site Reliability Engineering: How Google Runs Production Systems (Google)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Betsy Beyer",
        "Chris Jones",
        "Jennifer Petoff",
        "Niall Richard Murphy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "site reliability engineering",
        "google",
        "production systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sivagamiyin-sabatham-818840",
      "title": "Sivagamiyin Sabatham",
      "author": "Kalki Krishnamurthy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10792503,
          "author": "krishna2",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-25T22:08:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10792503",
          "commentText": "Happy my list will cons new lists. :)\nPoSe is by far the magnum opus. PaKa was written first and SiSa was written a dozen or so years later but historically SiSa happens about a decade or two before PaKa. PaKa is short (one-fifth the size of the other two). I liked the story of PaKa a lot. [although the movie version was totally butchered]. And just like how PoSe (which happens about 300 years after PaKa/SiSa) is all about Chozhas, the other two are about Pallavas. Very fascinating reads - will totally recommend it.\nIf you like Science and Music (in this case, western classical music), and biographies/history related to the science/music characters, then you will like my list a lot.\nPlease feel free to get in touch offline - can share more details. [I have the same id as the hn id in google/gmail as well].\nPS: the goodreads link you posted takes me to my year_in_books page - can you please share your public url? Would love to see your reading list. thanks.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Very fascinating reads - will totally recommend it.",
          "reason": "Includes it in the books the commenter finds fascinating and recommends.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10788790,
          "author": "sundarurfriend",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T17:10:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10788790",
          "commentText": "Wow, that's quite the inspiring list. I've been thinking about creating a list of 52 books to read for 2016 (one per week), and I think I'll be stealing a lot from your list here.\nI'm a big fan of Ponniyin Selvan, how do Parthiban Kanavu and Sivagamiyin Sabatham compare to it?\nHere's the 52 I finished this year: https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2015",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "how do Parthiban Kanavu and Sivagamiyin Sabatham compare to it?",
          "reason": "Asks how it compares with a book they like; gives no direct evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kalki Krishnamurthy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "tamil literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "six-cello-suites-c01946",
      "title": "Six Cello Suites",
      "author": "Johann Sebastian Bach",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14138611,
          "author": "jabv",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T13:28:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14138611",
          "commentText": "When I studied cello performance in college, my professor would joke that the 40 David Popper etudes were my new bible. However, I think a copy of Bach's six cello suites is a better match.\nIn my work in math education, there are many possibilities, but I think Polya's \"How to Solve It\" is a strong contender.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a copy of Bach's six cello suites is a better match",
          "reason": "The commenter considers these a better match for a cello-performance bible.",
          "audience": "Cellists",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Johann Sebastian Bach"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cello",
        "classical music"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "six-degrees-our-future-on-a-hotter-planet-3e8a6f",
      "title": "Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet",
      "author": "Mark Lynas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16354684,
          "author": "drawdown",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T20:42:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16354684",
          "commentText": "I would like it if my coworkers and managers read and took to heart the message behind\n   • Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet\n     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Degrees:_Our_Future_on_a_Hotter_Planet\n\n   • Drawdown: The most comprehensive plan ever proposed to reverse global warming \n     http://www.drawdown.org/the-book\n   \nbut sadly most are too focused on their stock options.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would like it if my coworkers and managers read and took to heart the message behind\n   • Six Degrees: Our Future on a Hotter Planet",
          "reason": "Wishes coworkers and managers would read and take its message to heart.",
          "audience": "Coworkers and managers; readers interested in climate change.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Lynas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "climate change",
        "global warming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "six-degrees-the-science-of-a-connected-age-61dac1",
      "title": "Six Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age",
      "author": "Duncan J. Watts",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10325237,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T20:31:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325237",
          "commentText": "I'm sure there are many, but a few that jump to mind, in no particular order, and spanning both fiction and non-fiction:\nThe Selfish Gene - Dawkins\nA New Kind of Science - Wolfram\nThe Singularity is Near - Kurzweil\nGödel, Escher, Bach - Hofstadter\nFluid Concepts and Creative Analogies - Hofstadter\nAtlas Shrugged - Rand\nThe Fountainhead - Rand\nNineteen Eighty-Four - Orwell\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nAmbient Findability - Peter Morville\nEmergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software - Steven Johnson\nSix Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age - Duncan Watts\nLinked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means for Business, Science, and Everyday Life - Albert-laszlo Barabasi\nArtificial Life - Steven Levy\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nThe World is Flat - Thomas Friedman\nnot a book, but the various writings of Douglas Engelbart - http://www.dougengelbart.org/library/library.html\nGlasshouse - Charles Stross\nPermutation City - Greg Egan\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nThe Shockwave Rider - John Brunner\nThe Society of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nThe Origin of Wealth: The Radical Remaking of Economics and What it Means for Business and Society - Eric Beinhocker\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nFooled By Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Six Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age - Duncan Watts",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Duncan J. Watts"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "network science",
        "social networks"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "six-great-scientists-8784ab",
      "title": "Six Great Scientists",
      "author": "J. G. Crowther",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 192237,
          "author": "asnyder",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-16T21:09:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=192237",
          "commentText": "1.\"The Long Tail\" by Chris Anderson\n2.\"Super Crunchers\" by Ian Ayres\n3.\"Six Great Scientists\" by J.G Crowther\n4.\"The Meaning of It All\" by Richard Feynman\n5.\"Dealers of Lightning\"(The story of XEROX Parc) by Michael Hiltzik \n6.\"What I Believe\" by Betrand Russell\nThe above titles can all be found at audible.com, and probably through itunes too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Six Great Scientists\" by J.G Crowther",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. G. Crowther"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "scientist biographies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "six-thinking-hats-d7855b",
      "title": "Six Thinking Hats",
      "author": "Edward de Bono",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3278980,
          "author": "steveeq1",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-26T03:32:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3278980",
          "commentText": "Personally, I'm a big fan of Edward DeBono. Two of my favorite books are:\n1) Lateral Thinking: http://tinyurl.com/88ugdjz\n2) Six Thinking Hats: http://tinyurl.com/7t2w27y . There is a video course available on youtube as well: http://tinyurl.com/6q4rz2t\nI learned about them through Alan Kaye's reading list: http://tinyurl.com/83bqlbx  He has a section on learning and creativity that has some other good alternatives.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Two of my favorite books are:\n1) Lateral Thinking: http://tinyurl.com/88ugdjz\n2) Six Thinking Hats",
          "reason": "The commenter names it as one of their favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward de Bono"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creative thinking",
        "decision making"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sixty-days-and-counting-f9debf",
      "title": "Sixty Days and Counting",
      "author": "Kim Stanley Robinson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2043657,
          "author": "Anon84",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T21:05:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043657",
          "commentText": "I've just finished Hamilton's Commonwealth Saga and it's definitely one of the best books I've read in a long time.\nThe first three Dune novels are particularly good. Dune has a tendency to get more philosophical in the later volumes (plans within plans within plans).\nIf I had to choose an all time favorite I would probably go with Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy (Red/Green/Blue Mars). An extremely well researched view of how Mars colonization and terraforming might proceed in a realistic way.\nHe also has a trilogy on the possible/likely consequences of runaway global warming (Forty Signs of Rain, Fifty Degrees Below, Sixty Days and Counting) but RGB Mars is definitely better.\nEdit: \"The content of Green Mars and the cover artwork for Red Mars are included on the Phoenix DVD, carried onboard Phoenix, a NASA lander that successfully touched down on Mars in May 2008. The First Interplanetary Library is intended to be a sort of time capsule for future Mars explorers and colonists.\" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_trilogy#On_Phoenix_spacecr... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_trilogy#On_Phoenix_spacecraft)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Forty Signs of Rain, Fifty Degrees Below, Sixty Days and Counting",
          "reason": "Named as part of a trilogy about consequences of runaway global warming; the commenter prefers the Mars trilogy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Explicitly rated below the Mars trilogy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kim Stanley Robinson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "climate change",
        "near future fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sixty-stories-7ebebc",
      "title": "Sixty Stories",
      "author": "Dino Buzzati",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17381918,
          "author": "riffraff",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T16:18:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17381918",
          "commentText": "Basically everything by Buzzati is awesome and virtually unknown to foreigners. \nI would suggest a short story collection though, like \"sessanta racconti\".\nhttp://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sessanta_racconti\nIt's up there with the best Asimov or Calvino or Borges: simple brilliant ideas, perfect execution.\nAnd yes, CTM is awesome too!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would suggest a short story collection though, like \"sessanta racconti\".\nhttp://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sessanta_racconti\nIt's up there with the best Asimov or Calvino or Borges: simple brilliant ideas, perfect execution.",
          "reason": "Calls it a suggested collection and compares its ideas and execution favorably with acclaimed writers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dino Buzzati"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "italian literature",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sketched-with-the-quill-8a8a17",
      "title": "Sketched With the Quill",
      "author": "Andrzej Bobkowski",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17168677,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:31:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168677",
          "commentText": "I can't give just one, but here are a few that had a strong influence on me: \n\"12 Rules for Life\" by Jordan Peterson, \"Why Switzerland?\" Jonathan Steinberg, \"Little Book of Common Sense Investing\" by John C. Bogle, \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" by Butron Malkiel, \"Liberalismus\" by Ludwig von Mises, \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann, \"Walden\" by Henry David Thoreau, \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"A Treatise on Political Economy\" by Jean-Baptiste Say, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy\" by Joseph Alois Schumpeter, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"My Correct Views on Everything\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"The Captive Mind\" Czesław Miłosz, \"One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, \"The House of the Dead\" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, \"Conversations with an Executioner\" by Kazimierz Moczarski, \"Diary 1954\" by Leopold Tyrmand, \"The Master and Margarita\" by Mikhail Bulgakov, \"A World Apart: A Memoir of the Gulag\" by Gustaw Herling-Grudziński",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a strong influence on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrzej Bobkowski"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sketching-user-experiences-6e625b",
      "title": "Sketching User Experiences",
      "author": "Bill Buxton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18668153,
          "author": "mathewsanders",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T22:05:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 18662992,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on modern UI/UX?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18668153",
          "commentText": "Every couple years I’ll go read Magic Inc by Bret Viktor (not a book, just online: http://worrydream.com/MagicInk/) and I always find it refreshing reminder to think about how we can design technology to help us rather than just create a CRUD interface.\n‘Sketching User Experiences’ by Bill Buxton https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/980280.Sketching_User_Ex... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/980280.Sketching_User_Experiences) and ‘Mental Models’ by Indi Young: https://rosenfeldmedia.com/books/mental-models/ we’re both very influential to me as a young designer thinking about process and I believe they are still both relevant.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "‘Sketching User Experiences’ by Bill Buxton",
          "reason": "Says it was influential to them as a young designer and that it remains relevant.",
          "audience": "Designers thinking about process",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Buxton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "design process",
        "prototyping",
        "user experience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sketching-user-experiences-getting-the-design-right-and-the-right-6acdaa",
      "title": "Sketching User Experiences: Getting the Design Right and the Right Design",
      "author": "Bill Buxton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12711815,
          "author": "overeater",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-14T23:28:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12711815",
          "commentText": "Some of the reading list in the UI/UX course at Brown:\nhttp://cs.brown.edu/courses/csci1300/\nParticularly (free links with pdfs),\nDon Norman - Design of Everyday Things\nhttps://archive.org/details/DesignOfEverydayThings\nBill Buxton - Input Manuscript\nhttp://www.billbuxton.com/inputManuscript.html\nAlan Cooper - About Face\nhttp://feiramoderna.net/download/pos-positivo/COOPER-Alan/Ab... (http://feiramoderna.net/download/pos-positivo/COOPER-Alan/About_Face_3-The_Essentials_of_Interaction_Design.pdf)\nVignelli - The Vignelli Canon\nhttp://www.vignelli.com/canon.pdf\nBill Buxton - Sketching User Experiences\nhttp://bscw.wineme.fb5.uni-siegen.de/pub/bscw.cgi/d807887/Sk... (http://bscw.wineme.fb5.uni-siegen.de/pub/bscw.cgi/d807887/Sketching_User_Experiences___Getting_the_Design_Right_and_the_Right_Design__Interactive_Technologies_.pdf)\n(the workshop slides)\nhttps://www.medien.ifi.lmu.de/lehre/ss14/id/Day%202%20Sketch... (https://www.medien.ifi.lmu.de/lehre/ss14/id/Day%202%20Sketching%20IxD.pdf)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Bill Buxton - Sketching User Experiences",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The linked item is identified as workshop slides.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6231363,
          "author": "hcarvalhoalves",
          "createdAt": "2013-08-18T02:27:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 6231052,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is a good book for learning front end design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6231363",
          "commentText": "Try to learn and understand design as a discipline before going into the specifics of user interfaces and interaction design. For that I recommend:\n- Universal Principles of Design - William Lidwell\n- The Design of Everyday Things - Donald A. Norman\nThen for more practical knowledge:\n- Forms that Work: Designing Web Forms for Usability - Caroline Jarrett\n- Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability - Steve Krug\n- Designing the Obvious: A Common Sense Approach to Web & Mobile Application Design - Robert Hoekman Jr.\n- Sketching User Experiences: Getting the Design Right and the Right Design - Bill Buxton",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sketching User Experiences: Getting the Design Right and the Right Design - Bill Buxton",
          "reason": "Listed as practical knowledge for user interfaces and interaction design.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking practical UI and interaction design knowledge.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Buxton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "interaction design",
        "prototyping",
        "sketching",
        "user experience design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "skinship-69ba92",
      "title": "Skinship",
      "author": "James Reich",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47028659,
          "author": "HardwareLust",
          "createdAt": "2026-02-15T23:02:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 47027236,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47028659",
          "commentText": "Skinship by James Reich. Really excellent so far!\nAlso reading Dopamine Nation by Anna Lembke.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Skinship by James Reich. Really excellent so far!",
          "reason": "Calls the book excellent so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The positive assessment is provisional; the commenter is still reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Reich"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "skunk-works-63bea9",
      "title": "Skunk Works",
      "author": "Ben Rich",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12244284,
          "author": "daltonlp",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-07T23:14:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244284",
          "commentText": "Shadows on the Koyukuk, by Sidney Huntington\nSkunk Works, by Ben Rich",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Skunk Works, by Ben Rich",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ben Rich"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aerospace engineering",
        "lockheed skunk works"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "skunk-works-a-personal-memoir-of-my-years-at-lockheed-17217b",
      "title": "Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed",
      "author": "Ben R. Rich",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14859827,
          "author": "DarkTree",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:13:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859827",
          "commentText": "A Short History of Nearly Everything (Bill Bryson).\nIt's a cursory overview of all of history (title) from the dawn of time to the evolution of humans. It seems to be only slightly dated in some information, but really interesting to learn how the knowledge we assume is true today came to fruition over time.\nBefore that,\nSkunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed (Ben R. Rich)\nSuch an awesome book about not only the engineering feats achieved by  Lockheed Martin during the Cold War Era, but the incredible ability to keep developments secret from the mostly everyone. If you want to know more about the purpose of Area51, check it out.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Such an awesome book about not only the engineering feats achieved by  Lockheed Martin during the Cold War Era, but the incredible ability to keep developments secret",
          "reason": "Calls it an awesome account of engineering achievements and secrecy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ben R. Rich"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aerospace engineering",
        "cold war",
        "lockheed"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "skyward-a77684",
      "title": "Skyward",
      "author": "Brandon Sanderson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21903974,
          "author": "Maximus9000",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T04:36:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21903974",
          "commentText": "Not much fiction in here:\n* Ender's game\n* Children of time\n* Kingkiller Chronicle (series)\n* Skyward",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Skyward",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about influential books.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brandon Sanderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "young adult"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "skyward-flight-f52c38",
      "title": "Skyward Flight",
      "author": "Brandon Sanderson, Janci Patterson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33850149,
          "author": "JamesBrooks",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T03:05:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33850149",
          "commentText": "Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir (top recommendation of the year)\nSanderson's Skyward Flight series (a few things came out this year, it's young-adult but thoughtfully enjoyable and easy to consume).\nI read a few Asimov's this year I hadn't gotten around to, but the two that really stood out were 'The Gods Themselve's and 'The End of Eternity'.\n(I primarily read to sci-fi/fantasy)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sanderson's Skyward Flight series",
          "reason": "Calls it thoughtfully enjoyable and easy to consume.",
          "audience": "Young adult readers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brandon Sanderson",
        "Janci Patterson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space adventure",
        "young adult"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sled-driver-flying-the-world-s-fastest-jet-648c95",
      "title": "Sled Driver: Flying the World's Fastest Jet",
      "author": "Brian Shul",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40279045,
          "author": "Froedlich",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-06T20:20:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40279045",
          "commentText": "I'm re-reading Tracy Kidder's \"The Soul of a New Machine\" at the moment.  It's about Data General and the development of a new minicomputer.  I read it at the dawn of my IT career in the 1990s and found much of was still relevant then.  (the book was written in 1981)  Thirty years later, I'm mostly just nodding as I follow along; yep, yep, yep. \"Engineering\" is a distant second to corporate politics and office pecking order.\nReading Brian Shul's \"Sled Driver\" autobiography on the tablet.  Shul was an SR-71 pilot, and the book is about 10% Shul and 90% SR-71.  It reads fast and it's interesting, with unexpected bits of information.\nJust finished David Goggins' \"Can't Hurt Me.\"  It's supposed to be a \"motivational\" autobiography.  I can't say I felt motivated.  Most of his problems were self-inflicted, and he treated his family and children like dirt.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Reading Brian Shul's \"Sled Driver\" autobiography on the tablet.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it reads fast and is interesting, with unexpected information.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The book is about 10% Shul and 90% the SR-71.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Shul"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aviation",
        "sr 71"
      ],
      "purposes": []
    },
    {
      "id": "sleepless-series-d77daa",
      "title": "Sleepless series",
      "author": "Nancy Kress",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9080900,
          "author": "profexile",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-20T15:56:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9080900",
          "commentText": "A couple books that I'd recommend for their attention to biology and genetics as the scientific driver:\nJulie Czerneda's Species Imperative Trilogy: \nSurvival, Migration, and Regeneration.\nMaragaret Atwood, anything, but recently the MaddAddam trilogy: \nOryx and Crake, Year of the Flood, and Maddaddam.\nNancy Kress' Sleepless series: \nBeggars in Spain, Beggars and Choosers, and Beggars Ride.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nancy Kress' Sleepless series:",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books recommended for their attention to biology and genetics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nancy Kress"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "genetic engineering",
        "sleep"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sleight-of-mouth-the-magic-of-conversational-belief-change-04d7ad",
      "title": "Sleight of Mouth: The Magic of Conversational Belief Change",
      "author": "Robert Dilts",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22094903,
          "author": "james_s_tayler",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T23:28:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22094903",
          "commentText": "Sleight of Mouth.\nIt's an NLP book unlike any other. It presents 12 (if I recall correctly) patterns of speech that are highly effective at changing people's perception of something. It's just super practical and really helped me out when I read it close to a decade ago. Never heard anyone else bring mention it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sleight of Mouth.\nIt's an NLP book unlike any other.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it presents practical speech patterns for changing people's perceptions and helped them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says “if I recall correctly” about the number of patterns.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Dilts"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "neuro linguistic programming",
        "persuasion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "slide-ology-966ab6",
      "title": "Slide:ology",
      "author": "Nancy Duarte",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12416396,
          "author": "cwbrandsma",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:25:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416396",
          "commentText": "* Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell\n* Freakenomics\n* Slideology\n* The Checklist Manifesto",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Slideology",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nancy Duarte"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "presentation design",
        "visual communication"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "slouching-towards-bethlehem-65fb46",
      "title": "Slouching Towards Bethlehem",
      "author": "Joan Didion",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38564728,
          "author": "sirohsis144",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T02:35:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38564728",
          "commentText": "The Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse\nThe Road, Cormac McCarthy\nSometimes a Great Notion, Ken Kesey\nSlouching Towards Bethlehem, Joan Didion",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Slouching Towards Bethlehem, Joan Didion",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joan Didion"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Society",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "essays"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "slouching-towards-utopia-1ad8ba",
      "title": "Slouching Towards Utopia",
      "author": "J. Bradford DeLong",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268913,
          "author": "igor47",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:16:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268913",
          "commentText": "The Deluge -- a darker take on climate change than Ministry for the Future, but also felt pretty realistic.\nThis is how you lose the time war -- took me a long time to start this book, and then I couldn't put it down.\nNon fiction, I really enjoyed Slouching Towards Utopia. I'm a sucker for narrative history like that, and I got a few useful concepts from the book. I also really liked The Prince of Peace, a biography of Keynes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Non fiction, I really enjoyed Slouching Towards Utopia. I'm a sucker for narrative history like that, and I got a few useful concepts from the book.",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed its narrative history and found useful concepts in it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. Bradford DeLong"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic history",
        "industrialization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "slouching-towards-utopia-an-economic-history-of-the-twentieth-cen-a88af2",
      "title": "Slouching Towards Utopia: An Economic History of the Twentieth Century",
      "author": "J. Bradford DeLong",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42220961,
          "author": "throw0101d",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T14:13:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42220961",
          "commentText": "If I had to pick one: The rise and fall of American growth: the U.S. standard of living since the Civil War by Robert Gordon. The gains that we have made in the (early) 20th century are unlikely to ever be repeated, and progress in many metrics has measurably slowed or even stalled since ~1970s (likely being asymptotic). And while the Internet (classified under the Information, Communication, Technology (ICT) chapters) gave a bump in the 1990s, it's mostly been flat since 2004.\nMore economic history with Slouching towards Utopia: an economic history of the twentieth century by J. Bradford Delong. More economic ideas stuff in Value(s): building a better world for all by Mark Carney (ran the Banks of Canada and England). Also Waphsott's Keynes Hayek: the clash that defined modern economics and Samuelson Friedman: the battle over the free market.\nThe currency of politics: the political theory of money from Aristotle to Keynes by Sefan Eich, Money: the true story of a made-up thing by Jacob Goldstein, and The power of gold: the history of an obsession by Peter Bernstein (also his Against the Gods on risk). Show how much of a human construct \"money\" is, how its meaning changes in different times and places/cultures. Should be required reading by all the 'hard money' folks (gold standard, BTC).\nThe good life: lessons from the world's longest scientific study of happiness by Waldinger and Schultz (directors of the Harvard study). If there's one 'magic' thing for health and happiness it seems to be having good relationships (family, friends) in your life.\nReligion: what it is, how it works, and why it matters by Christian Smith and Strange rites: new religions for a godless world by Tara Burton. While many think that religion is in decline, the non-material/supernatural things that people believe in has actually shifted. And having beliefs in a super-human entity seems to be the basis of most societies and civilizations. Related, The warfare between science and religion : the idea that wouldn't die, a series of essays; the conflict thesis bunk, both historically and presently.\nThe origins of Canadian and American political differences by Jason Kaufman, two seemingly-the-same neighbouring countries that have had different development paths when it comes to culture and government. (I'm Canadian.)\nSpeaking of government: Civil resistance: what everyone needs to know by Erica Chenoweth. Seems violence/force is generally a less effective way to affect change in society than non-violence.\nThe week: a history of the unnatural rhythms that made us who we are by David Henkin. Seems that while seven days has been around for a long while, making it a really 'hard' structure/schedule around it is a more recent phenomenon than you'd expect.\nIf you have kids, Karen Le Billon's French kids eat everything (and yours can, too) and Getting to YUM: the 7 secrets of raising eager eaters, her husband is French and she lived there for a year and found many things done better there than US/CA. See also The happiest kids in the world: how Dutch parents help their kids and themselves by doing less by Acosta and Hutchison.\nFlying blind: the 737 MAX tragedy and the fall of Boeing by Peter Robison is an HN favourite. While we get a lot of engineer vs MBA comments, I think the bigger problem (associated with the MBA-types) is financialization, i.e., returns over everything else. Having non-engineers/MBAs can be 'fine' also long as trying to squeeze blood/money from a stone at the cost of everything else.\nSome philosophy with Alasdair C. MacIntyre: After Virtue is a good starting point. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/After_Virtue",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "More economic history with Slouching towards Utopia: an economic history of the twentieth century by J. Bradford Delong.",
          "reason": "Lists it as a further book on economic history.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in economic history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. Bradford DeLong"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "20th century economy",
        "economic history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "slow-horses-522df4",
      "title": "Slow Horses",
      "author": "Mick Herron",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38563048,
          "author": "themadturk",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T23:08:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38563048",
          "commentText": "All of Mick Herron's Slow Horses books, after watching the first two series on Apple TV. By far the most fun spy fiction I've ever read.\nRose/House, a novella from Arkady Martine, a surprisingly deep little murder mystery involving an A.I.\nMy Dark Vanessa, by Kate Elizabeth Russell. I started this not long after finishing Nabakov's Lolita. It's the same story, seen from the victim's POV -- though for whatever reason, she doesn't see herself as a victim. A good, post-MeToo contrast to Nabakov.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All of Mick Herron's Slow Horses books",
          "reason": "Calls the books the most fun spy fiction they've read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mick Herron"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "spy fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "small-business-kit-for-dummies-bf5141",
      "title": "Small Business Kit For Dummies",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 947713,
          "author": "anigbrowl",
          "createdAt": "2009-11-18T03:12:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 947581,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN:  What's the best first business book for a programmer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=947713",
          "commentText": "I really think you might be best to start off with something like 'Small business kit for dummies' - not because I think you're a dummy, but because you say you don't know much about business. Instead of books about motivation, leadership, negotiation and so on, you probably need something more down to earth - what your legal options and obligations are, basic accounting and economics, contracts and ownership of intellectual property, and so forth.\nNot to say the other things aren't valuable or important, but it's often the seemingly obvious stuff that can end up causing you expensive headaches. The Small business Administration (www.sba.gov) is not that focused towards startups (because on a national scale, a 'small business' is anything with < 500 employees) but they do have all sorts of handy information on their website, and it's all free.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "start off with something like 'Small business kit for dummies'",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a practical introduction to legal obligations, accounting, economics, contracts, and intellectual property.",
          "audience": "Readers who know little about business.",
          "caveat": "The commenter prefers it to books focused on motivation, leadership, or negotiation for a beginner.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "accounting",
        "business law",
        "small business"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "small-is-beautiful-c6507d",
      "title": "Small Is Beautiful",
      "author": "E. F. Schumacher",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33595048,
          "author": "sbaiddn",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-14T15:08:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33595048",
          "commentText": "Engineering:\nThird year math phys and its accompanying book (McQuarrie). It blew my mind when I learned McQuarrie is a chemist.\nEngineering's role in society:\nSchumacher's \"Small is beautiful\" and \"Guide for the perplexed\" was the straw finally broke me free of the technocrat worldview. (Although Illich's argument that a car's average speed is 3mph made me question my love for cars)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Schumacher's \"Small is beautiful\"",
          "reason": "Includes it among books that helped free the commenter from a technocratic worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "E. F. Schumacher"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "appropriate technology",
        "human scale economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "small-pieces-loosely-joined-860ff9",
      "title": "Small Pieces Loosely Joined",
      "author": "David Weinberger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1569403,
          "author": "dedalus",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T22:51:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569403",
          "commentText": "Just finished reading \"Small Pieces Loosely Joined\" (http://www.smallpieces.com/) which is a wonderful read on why we care about the Web.\nThe author's previous work called \"The Cluetrain Manifesto\" (http://www.cluetrain.com/ ) is also a nice read",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "which is a wonderful read on why we care about the Web.",
          "reason": "Calls it a wonderful read about why people care about the Web.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the Web and its cultural meaning.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Weinberger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "web culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "small-things-like-these-84e367",
      "title": "Small Things Like These",
      "author": "Claire Keegan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46246518,
          "author": "tra3",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-12T17:44:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 46226571,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46246518",
          "commentText": "Couple of books from this year:\n- A short stay in hell (sci-fi): A modern take on Library of Babel. Pretty dark. Quick read.\n- The Burried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro. Nominally fantasy, but not really. Great, like his other books.\n- Small things like these (fiction). Set in 1900s Ireland, atmospheric. I learned about Magdalene laundries from this book.\n- Parable of the Sawer by Octavia E. Butler, science fiction. Collapse of society, survival etc. Pretty bleak.\n- Lonely Kind of War (biography). Author was a forward air controller during the Vietnam war. His job was to direct air strikes from jets and bombers on enemy positions and then confirm the kills. Interesting and depressing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Small things like these (fiction). Set in 1900s Ireland, atmospheric. I learned about Magdalene laundries from this book.",
          "reason": "An atmospheric story that taught the commenter about Magdalene laundries.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Claire Keegan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ireland",
        "magdalene laundries"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "small-unit-leadership-54475b",
      "title": "Small Unit Leadership",
      "author": "Dandridge M. Malone",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21718322,
          "author": "nickpinkston",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-06T00:44:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21718322",
          "commentText": "I loved the SUL book, and it's on Audible too:\nhttps://www.audible.com/pd/Small-Unit-Leadership-Audiobook/B... (https://www.audible.com/pd/Small-Unit-Leadership-Audiobook/B0055TJJBW)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved the SUL book",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly says they loved the book, using the abbreviation supplied by its audiobook link.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dandridge M. Malone"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military leadership",
        "small unit leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "small-unit-leadership-a-commonsense-approach-e88a56",
      "title": "Small Unit Leadership: A Commonsense Approach",
      "author": "Dandridge M. Malone",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 456347,
          "author": "pskomoroch",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T14:15:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456347",
          "commentText": "I used to have a lot more time for non CS reading and actually made an Amazon list on this topic back in 2005:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/2INJSM38... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/2INJSM38IDMDZ/ref=cm_sw_r_de_lm)\n1.  On War (Everyman's Library (Cloth)) by Carl Von Clausewitz\n2.  Leadership: The Warrior's Art by Barry R. McCaffrey\n3.  Small Unit Leadership: A Commonsense Approach by Dandridge M. Malone\n4.  The Defense of Hill 781: An Allegory of Modern Mechanized Combat by James R. McDonough\n5.  The Art of Maneuver: Maneuver-Warfare Theory and AirLand Battle by Robert Leonhard\n6.  Strategy: Second Revised Edition (Meridian) by B. H. Liddell Hart\n7.  The Art of War by Niccolò Machiavelli\n8.  Hagakure: The Book of the Samauri by Tsunetomo Yamamoto\n9.  The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius\n10.  The Art of War (Shambhala classics) by Sun Tzu\n11.  The Prince (Bantam Classics) by Niccolo Machiavelli\n12.  Evolutionary Game Theory by Jörgen W. Weibull\n13.  On Guerrilla Warfare by Mao Tse-tung\n14.  The History of the Peloponnesian War: Revised Edition (Penguin Classics) by Thucydides\n15.  The Histories (Penguin Classics) by Herodotus\n16.  The Persian Expedition (Penguin Classics) by Xenophon\n17.  Plutarch: Lives of Noble Grecians and Romans (Modern Library Series, Vol. 1) by Plutarch\n18.  Plutarch's Lives, Volume 2 (Modern Library Classics) by Plutarch\n19.  Livy: The Early History of Rome, Books I-V (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 1-5) by Titus Livy\n20.  The History of Rome from Its Foundation, Books XXI-XXX: The War with Hannibal (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 21-30) by Titus Livius Livy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "3.  Small Unit Leadership: A Commonsense Approach by Dandridge M. Malone",
          "reason": "Included in a list of military strategy books answering the thread's request.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking books about military strategy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dandridge M. Malone"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military leadership",
        "small unit tactics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "small-wars-far-away-places-b1bfec",
      "title": "Small Wars, Far Away Places",
      "author": "Michael Burleigh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11699565,
          "author": "executesorder66",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-15T05:25:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11699565",
          "commentText": "I'm still reading it but: Small Wars, Far Away Places. [0]\nIt's about how after WW2 lots of the empires started crumbling and how that affected the smaller countries of the world. It is very well researched, and incredibly interesting.\n[0] http://www.amazon.com/Small-Wars-Far-Away-Places/dp/02307523... (http://www.amazon.com/Small-Wars-Far-Away-Places/dp/0230752322/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1463289805&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=small+wares+far+away+places)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's about how after WW2 lots of the empires started crumbling and how that affected the smaller countries of the world. It is very well researched, and incredibly interesting.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it well researched and incredibly interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is still reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Burleigh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "decolonization",
        "postwar history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "smalltalk-80-the-language-and-its-implementation-9f9798",
      "title": "Smalltalk-80: The Language and Its Implementation",
      "author": "Adele Goldberg; David Robson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 176891,
          "author": "smoody",
          "createdAt": "2008-04-29T19:23:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 176803,
          "threadTitle": "Which is your favorite 70-80s computer book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=176891",
          "commentText": "Two books if that's permitted:\n1. \"Smalltalk-80 The Languange and its Implementation\" - They eventually dropped the implementation chapters from the book, but you can still get the original edition used on Amazon if you're curious as to how Smalltalk was implemented  (http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0201113716/ref=dp_olp... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0201113716/ref=dp_olp_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1209496624&sr=8-1)). I'm surprised at how cheap they are, as the book is considered a collector's item.\n2. \"Computer Lib\" by Ted Nelson (http://www.digibarn.com/collections/books/computer-lib/)\nAnd, as a bonus, the TRS-80 Model I Users Manual. I still remember the first \"program\" the book taught me:\n10 PRINT \"HEY MA, IT WORKS!\"\n20 END",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Smalltalk-80 The Languange and its Implementation",
          "reason": "The commenter describes the original edition as useful for learning how Smalltalk was implemented.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The implementation chapters were later dropped; the original edition is described as a collector’s item.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adele Goldberg; David Robson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming language implementation",
        "smalltalk"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "smart-startups-e88c58",
      "title": "Smart Startups",
      "author": "David Silver",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 65166,
          "author": "ajkates",
          "createdAt": "2007-10-09T06:58:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 65153,
          "threadTitle": "Top Books for Entrepreneurs. List them.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=65166",
          "commentText": "Smart Startups - David Silver\nA great read for web entrepreneurs.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Smart Startups - David Silver\nA great read for web entrepreneurs.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great read for web entrepreneurs.",
          "audience": "Web entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Silver"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "web startups"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "smart-and-gets-things-done-00ec11",
      "title": "Smart and Gets Things Done",
      "author": "Joel Spolsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2330440,
          "author": "riskish",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-16T02:29:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 2329700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that change your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2330440",
          "commentText": "I have found these books to be very influential in my thinking on web startups and building things in general:\n1) Hackers & Painters - PG\n2) Smart & Get Things Done - Joel Spolsky\n3) Rework - Jason Fried\n4) Getting Real - Jason Fried\n5) Founders at Work - Jessica Livingston\n6) Joel on Software - Joel Spolsky\nThese are by far some of my favorites.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2) Smart & Get Things Done - Joel Spolsky",
          "reason": "Includes it among books they found influential and among their favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joel Spolsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hiring",
        "software management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "smarter-faster-better-the-secrets-of-being-productive-in-life-and-b702a9",
      "title": "Smarter Faster Better: The Secrets of Being Productive in Life and Business",
      "author": "Charles Duhigg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237838,
          "author": "satyajitranjeev",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T15:30:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237838",
          "commentText": "Things I completed:\n1. Elon Musk: Inventing the Future\n2. The Code Book - Simon Singh\n3. Fermat's Enigma - Simon Singh\n4. Deep Work - Cal Newport\n5. Smarter Faster Better - Charles Duhigg\n6. 1984\n7. So good they can't ignore you - Cal Newport\n8. Distributed Systems for fun and profit\n9. Classic Shell Scripting\nThings I partially read and hope to complete some time:\n1. The music of Primes\n2. Traction\n3. Founders at work\n4. Your Memory: How it works and how to improve it\nThings I would recommend:\nFermat's Enigma and The Code Book are very interesting reads if you are into Mathematics. They are both written very well and you don't need to know too much of Mathematics to understand it. On the other hand The Music of Primes started of very interesting and then got a bit too heavy for an evening read. If you can chug along I think it would be a good one too.\nOf all the self help books I mentioned I think Duhiggs Smarter, faster better is the one that stands out. It is more of an analysis of various teams and people and how they got to work efficiently.\nFounders at work is a long read but something that you can read a chapter independently and that's why it is under half read but definitely something to look at.\n[EDIT: formatting]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Of all the self help books I mentioned I think Duhiggs Smarter, faster better is the one that stands out.",
          "reason": "Says it stands out for its analysis of how teams and people work efficiently.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in productivity and effective teams.",
          "caveat": "Describes it as analysis rather than straightforward self help.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Duhigg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "productivity",
        "teamwork"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "smarter-ventures-f64168",
      "title": "Smarter Ventures",
      "author": "Katharine Campbell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 137957,
          "author": "daleharvey",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-16T04:22:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=137957",
          "commentText": "Smarter Ventures - Katharine Cambell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Smarter Ventures - Katharine Cambell",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Katharine Campbell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "technology startups",
        "venture capital"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "smilla-s-sense-of-snow-514fe2",
      "title": "Smilla’s Sense of Snow",
      "author": "Peter Høeg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50115740,
          "author": "frigidcow",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T08:34:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50115740",
          "commentText": "Peter Hoeg Smilla's Sense of Snow (twice)\nW.Somerset Maugham The Trembling of a Leaf(twice)\nAnd many others..",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Peter Hoeg Smilla's Sense of Snow (twice)",
          "reason": "Listed as a book the commenter read twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Høeg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crime fiction",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "smoke-and-mirrors-short-fiction-and-illusions-bc515d",
      "title": "Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fiction and Illusions",
      "author": "Neil Gaiman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15961153,
          "author": "bernardino",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:09:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961153",
          "commentText": "1. The Tolkien Reader by J.R.R. Tolkien - If you are into trolls living under a bridge, and more.\n2. Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fiction and Illusions by Neil Gaiman - If you are into a young knight with a cool horse looking for a holy grail but to only find out an elderly woman bought it from a thrift store, and more.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fiction and Illusions by Neil Gaiman",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the thread’s book prompt, with an example from its stories.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in fantasy short fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neil Gaiman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "myth retellings",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "smuggler-nation-how-illicit-trade-made-america-f8d93e",
      "title": "Smuggler Nation: How Illicit Trade Made America",
      "author": "Peter Andreas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33383028,
          "author": "photochemsyn",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T11:20:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33383028",
          "commentText": "Nomi Prins, All the Presidents Bankers, and also Collusion: How Central Bankers Rigged the World.\nThose two books illustrate the financialization of the US and global economy over time, and although dense, are well worth the effort.  She has a new book out as of Oct, \"Permanent Distortion: How Financial Markets Abandoned the Real Economy Forever.\"\nPeter Anderas, Smuggler Nation: How Illicit Trade Made America\nA very fun historical read, covering everything from textile machinery smuggling from Britain to the American colonies, to rum and whiskey smuggling into Indian Country in the 19th century, to opium smuggling to China, to Prohibition and the modern Drug War, cotton smuggling by the South to Europe to finance the South's Civil War army, and the smuggling of people from slaves to immigrants.  Very eye-opening, a lot of America's 'wealthy families' got their first pool of capital in this manner.\nAlso:\nJunji Ito, Uzumaki and No Longer Human\nWilliam Gibson, The Peripheral and Agency",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Peter Anderas, Smuggler Nation: How Illicit Trade Made America",
          "reason": "Calls it a fun historical read and eye-opening account of smuggling across US history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Andreas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "illicit trade",
        "smuggling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "snapshots-from-hell-70ef4a",
      "title": "Snapshots from Hell",
      "author": "Peter Robinson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25319735,
          "author": "ghufran_syed",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-06T00:19:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319735",
          "commentText": "\"Snapshots from Hell\" by Peter Robinson is a great description of an MBA, with some good descriptions about finance and consulting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Snapshots from Hell\" by Peter Robinson is a great description of an MBA, with some good descriptions about finance and consulting.",
          "reason": "Describes MBA life, finance, and consulting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Robinson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consulting",
        "finance",
        "mba"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sniper-on-the-eastern-front-a4729c",
      "title": "Sniper on the Eastern Front",
      "author": "Albrecht Wacker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14479964,
          "author": "davidgh",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-04T05:00:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14479964",
          "commentText": "How We Got to Now, Steven Johnson. Walks you through a half dozen foundational inventions and the process through which they came to be. Fascinating to see what the inventors were trying to solve vs. how the world ended up applying their technology.\nUnbroken, Laura Hillenbrand. If you haven't read the book don't judge it by the (awful) movie.\nThe Liberators: My Life in the Soviet Army. Really opens your eyes to the problems and realities of communism. I love the author's dry sense of humor as he witnesses the absurdity of many of the things he encountered.\nSniper on the Eastern Front, Albrecht Wacker. A view of WWII through the eyes of a German sniper.\nAuschwitz: A Doctor's Eyewitness Account, Miklos Nyiszli. A view of the holocaust through the eyes of a Jewish doctor in the Auschwitz concentration camp.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sniper on the Eastern Front, Albrecht Wacker. A view of WWII through the eyes of a German sniper.",
          "reason": "Presents it as a view of World War II through a German sniper's eyes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Albrecht Wacker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military memoir",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sniping-in-france-068f89",
      "title": "Sniping in France",
      "author": "Hesketh-Prichard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34160861,
          "author": "themodelplumber",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:44:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160861",
          "commentText": "I realized I can't really recommend books to audiences much anymore, because I don't read those types of audience-books as much as I used to.\nBut still, here are some I probably bought for $0.99 and enjoyed:\nLost Restaurants of Seattle\nThis Outcast Generation by Taijun Takeda\nThe Royal Navy Lynx: An Operational History\nA Doctor's War by Aidan MacCarthy\nSniping in France by Hesketh-Prichard\nThe Art of Whittling by Faurot\nMoscow Calling by Angus Roxburgh\nFeynman's Rainbow by Leonard Mlodinow\nIcelandic Folk Tales by Stefansson\nIf you like any of those topics then you have my random recommendation, and possibly the indulgent vanity of once more having avoided consumer risk, or maybe consumer regret.\nThese were fun in 2022, in addition to 1) web browsing, which I find is definitely reading, despite all its numbered-pagelessness, and 2) dipping back into lots of classics and favorites, from Blacksad to Darwin to Scaramouche and Tom Sawyer.\n(Possibly throwing in a volume on the adventures of Groo, a Weird Tales, a Comics Cavalcade, some TTRPGs, and a Scooby-Doo Team-Up...)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Sniping in France by Hesketh-Prichard",
          "reason": "Included among books enjoyed in 2022 and offered as a recommendation to readers interested in the topics.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the book's topic.",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls the recommendations random.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hesketh-Prichard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sniping",
        "world war i"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "snowball-earth-the-story-of-the-global-catastrophe-that-spawned-l-9fce72",
      "title": "Snowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know It",
      "author": "Gabrielle Walker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gabrielle Walker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "paleoclimatology",
        "snowball earth"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "snowball-the-business-of-life-99faee",
      "title": "Snowball: The Business of Life",
      "author": "Alice Schroeder",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 621468,
          "author": "ngsayjoe",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-22T01:52:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621468",
          "commentText": "Snowball: The Business of Life",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Snowball: The Business of Life",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alice Schroeder"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "warren buffett"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "so-long-and-thanks-for-all-the-fish-66b959",
      "title": "So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish",
      "author": "Douglas Adams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22720827,
          "author": "fullshark",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T17:34:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22720827",
          "commentText": "I like So Long and Thanks for all the Fish, in part because of how sweet and optimistic it was.  After finishing I then was shocked by how dark and depressing Mostly Harmless was.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I like So Long and Thanks for all the Fish, in part because of how sweet and optimistic it was.",
          "reason": "Likes it for being sweet and optimistic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Adams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic science fiction",
        "optimism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "so-you-think-you-know-c-and-10-more-short-essays-on-programming-l-7eef71",
      "title": "So You Think You Know C and 10 More Short Essays on Programming Languages",
      "author": "Andrey Karpov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23376503,
          "author": "okaleniuk",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-01T08:50:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23376503",
          "commentText": "Definitely not the best but it's short, fun, and for developers. Definitely doable in a weekend.\nSo You Think You Know C And 10 More Short Essays on Programming Languages: https://wordsandbuttons.online/SYTYKC.pdf",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "So You Think You Know C And 10 More Short Essays on Programming Languages",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a short, fun read for developers.",
          "audience": "Developers interested in programming languages.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not the best.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrey Karpov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming",
        "programming languages"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "so-you-think-you-know-c-f5db25",
      "title": "So You Think You Know C?",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33130914,
          "author": "adipginting",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-08T09:15:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 33130533,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book to learn C in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33130914",
          "commentText": "A ~1/10 part of this book will test your C skill, not quite an introductory book. https://wordsandbuttons.online/SYTYKC.pdf",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A ~1/10 part of this book will test your C skill",
          "reason": "The commenter says it tests C skills.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not quite an introductory book.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "so-you-ve-been-publicly-shamed-3ba02f",
      "title": "So You've Been Publicly Shamed",
      "author": "Jon Ronson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10534003,
          "author": "rossdavidh",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T16:41:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10534003",
          "commentText": "\"So You've Been Publicly Shamed\", by Jon Ronson, and \"The Invaders: How Humans and Their Dogs Drove Neanderthals to Extinction\",  by Pat Shipman, are my two best reads this year (that were published in 2015).  The first is a great analysis of the phenomenon (usually Twitter-based) of shame-storms, and the second is about the far, far older phenomenon of one invasive species driving a closely related one to extinction.  Both very well done.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The first is a great analysis of the phenomenon (usually Twitter-based) of shame-storms",
          "reason": "Calls it a great analysis of public shaming.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jon Ronson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "online shaming",
        "social media"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "social-acceleration-6197e9",
      "title": "Social Acceleration",
      "author": "Hartmut Rosa",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39249854,
          "author": "nihzm",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T13:00:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249854",
          "commentText": "Right now, One hundred years of solitude by Gabriel García. I have been taking a break from scifi and nonfiction to enjoy some classics. The latest book I've read just before this one were\n1. The Dictator's Handbook by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita and Alastair Smith. They present a compelling argument for their framework to understand political structure and action based on the size of the coalition. The book is actually a condensed, much more readable version of the academic research of both authors. It was both a depressing and exhilarating read (as implied by the title, the whole book has a very sarcastic tone). It was also very interesting many of their arguments also apply in corporate environments just as they do in \"normal politics\"; the corporate power structure is not that far removed from the royal palaces of the kingdom or more generally from a dictatorship. Recommended read.\n2. Social Acceleration by Hartmut Rosa. This one was a though read, but absolutely illuminating. It presents an extremely clear analytic analysis on why we increasingly feel like like \"we don't have enough time\".\nIt starts by arguing how the preception of time in the preindustrial age was slower than the industrialized one (in short, mostly because in the preindustrialized society major sociotechnological change took longer than thee generations to occurr, making your life look not that different than from those of your parents and grandparents), and then it discusses the age of industrialization (standardization of national time, introduction of schedules for factory working hours) which by necessity introduced \"temporal structures\" to coordinate these new massive social structures. Also, the rate of technological progress became such that your life was no longer like your parents and grandparent's one, i.e. there were major inter-generational sociotechnological changes; Further, compounded on top of that was the secularization of western society and the romantic belief that enjoying more wordly experiences (as opposed to the afterlife) implied living a fuller or \"more complete\" life, introducing the need to experience more and faster to the masses (cf. mass tourism etc.).\nFinally it reaches the (post)modern age where the author argues that the introduction of instant worldwide communication (& internet) began eroding the temporal structure of the 20th century since they are no longer needed, as the technology now allows for (nearly) instantaneous coordination (eg. home working, international firms, etc). Moreover, technological progress is also accelerated as the internet allows for faster global exchange of ideas between more people.\nHowever, even though we are freed from the \"temporal structures\" of the 20th century we are not going back to the preindustrial slower perception of time. On the contrary, because we still have these structures and can now bring about major changes even faster there is intra-generational sociotechnological change, i.e. society can change by a lot more than before within your own lifetime. So even though we have supposedly \"more time\" thanks to the efficiency introduced by technological advancements, we actually end up feeling like we have less because of how fast change occurrs. And this is does not refer only to greater social change, but also to the life of the individual that is increasingly filled with last minute rescheduling and planning changes that reach them outside of working hours.\nParallel to all of this, the internet also allows to experience more, faster than any other technology before. This latches on the romatic idea of the previous century and naturally leads to the current \"attention span crisis\" induced by the exploitation of this myth by tech companies. All of this, of course, is not good for your psyche as people need to have some constants in their lives, and the author concludes with a warning on the effects of indefinitely sustained social acceleration.\nSo that was the gist of it, more or less. The book has a lot more (eg. connections to the capitalist economic model, the problem(s) all of this causes to the construction your own identity) but as I said it is rather though to read because of its academic style of writing. Not recommended unless you're motivated, but I wanted to share the author's ideas, since reading this book really helped me to find more time in my life by seeing _why_ I felt like I had none.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Social Acceleration by Hartmut Rosa. This one was a though read, but absolutely illuminating.",
          "reason": "Says it illuminates why people increasingly feel they do not have enough time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes it as a tough read because of its academic writing style; not recommended unless motivated.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hartmut Rosa"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "modernity",
        "social theory",
        "time pressure"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "society-of-the-spectacle-f268f5",
      "title": "Society of the Spectacle",
      "author": "Guy Debord",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13805931,
          "author": "nosuchthing",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T20:48:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805931",
          "commentText": "Codemasters - Game Genie NES Codebook\n  Aldous Huxley - Collected Essays\n  Guy Debord - Society of the Spectacle\n  Antonie de Saint-Exupery - The Little Prince\n\nAlso worth mentioning, is everything by Dr Seuss.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Guy Debord - Society of the Spectacle",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Guy Debord"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marxist theory",
        "media criticism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "soft-skills-the-software-developer-s-life-manual-48980d",
      "title": "Soft Skills: The Software Developer's Life Manual",
      "author": "John Z. Sonmez",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15965699,
          "author": "tranvu",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T23:56:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15965699",
          "commentText": "- The Road to Character (David Brooks)\n- Code (Charles Petzold)\n- Soft Skills: The Software Developer's Life Manual (John Z. Sonmez)\n- Zero Bugs and Program Faster (Kate Thompson)\n- Daemon (Daniel Suarez)\n- Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions (Brian Christian)\n- How to Talk to Anyone: 92 Little Tricks for Big Success in Relationships (Leil Lowndes)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Soft Skills: The Software Developer's Life Manual (John Z. Sonmez)",
          "reason": "Listed as a book read in response to a question asking which books the commenter would recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Z. Sonmez"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "professional development",
        "software careers"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "softwar-f1420e",
      "title": "Softwar",
      "author": "Matthew Symonds",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41702485,
          "author": "igorzij",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-30T21:42:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 41693844,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good essays/books/advice about software sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41702485",
          "commentText": "Founding Sales\nAlso while not exactly about sales, \"Softwar\" (a bio of Larry Ellison) has a ton of great insights on enterprise sales",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Softwar\" (a bio of Larry Ellison) has a ton of great insights on enterprise sales",
          "reason": "The commenter says this biography offers insights on enterprise sales.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not exactly about sales.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthew Symonds"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "enterprise sales",
        "larry ellison"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "softwar-an-intimate-portrait-of-larry-ellison-f0bbb4",
      "title": "Softwar: An Intimate Portrait of Larry Ellison",
      "author": "Matthew Symonds",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5633,
          "author": "comatose_kid",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T06:44:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5633",
          "commentText": "Business side:\n\nMost business books are fun to read, but it's really hard to say that any have been truly helpful.  Most lean more to the motivational/inspirational side, instead of focusing on case studies.  My suspicion is that business is probably not best learned from a book.  But I'll list a few I like anyways.\nAlan Sugar: The Amstrad Story\n  - Great story about how Sir Alan grew an empire selling stereos out of the back of a car.  Instructive because his key insights revolved around understanding what the average user wanted, as opposed to the technical elite. \nSoftwar:  An Intimate Portrait of Larry Ellison\n  - He started his first company at 33 after working for other high tech firms.  This book is neat because Ellison adds his own comments in the footer when he disagrees with the biographer.\nFounders @ Work\n  - Pre-ordered it.  I was tempted to read it all at once, but decided to spread it out over 2 weeks.  I'm glad that I did - there's a lot to digest....\nProduct side:\n\nDesigning Interactions\n   -  If you want to design great user experiences, it helps to see the thought processes great designers go through to create successful products.\nBulletproof Web Design\n   - Well written, concise.  Cederholm knows CSS.\nHardening Linux\n   - I've seen many guides at the bookstore.  This one appealed to me because it has both breadth and depth.  The chapter on configuring firewalls was alone worth the price of the book.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Softwar:  An Intimate Portrait of Larry Ellison\n  - He started his first company at 33",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says the book is neat because Ellison adds comments when he disagrees with the biographer.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthew Symonds"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "larry ellison",
        "technology entrepreneurship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "softwar-an-intimate-portrait-of-larry-ellison-and-oracle-b5deaa",
      "title": "Softwar: An Intimate Portrait of Larry Ellison and Oracle",
      "author": "Matthew Symonds",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12144313,
          "author": "nibs",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:55:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144313",
          "commentText": "Same top two, 3) Softwar: Larry Ellison and Oracle by Matthew Symonds",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Softwar: Larry Ellison and Oracle by Matthew Symonds",
          "reason": "Added as the third choice after “Same top two.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229948,
          "author": "elevensies",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T16:40:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229948",
          "commentText": "Some highlights from the last couple months of my reading, nonfiction:\nSoftwar (Larry Ellison), Matthew Symonds\nA Perfect Red, Amy Butler Greenfield\nAssault on Lake Casitas, Brad Alan Lewis\nand fiction:\nThis Census-Taker, China Mieville\nWhatever, Michel Houellebecq",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Softwar (Larry Ellison), Matthew Symonds",
          "reason": "Listed among recent nonfiction reading; no evaluation is given.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthew Symonds"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "oracle",
        "larry ellison",
        "technology executives"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "software-craftsmanship-1aa6f7",
      "title": "Software Craftsmanship",
      "author": "Pete McBreen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26834105,
          "author": "mac3n",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-16T14:12:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 26833319,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book for software engineers (besides the well-known ones)?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26834105",
          "commentText": "\"Death March\", Yourdon. \nDoomed software projects - how to recognize and deal with them, and sometimes use them to your advantage.\n\"Software Craftsmanship\", McBreen. \nTake pride in your work.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Software Craftsmanship\", McBreen.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it encourages taking pride in your work.",
          "audience": "Software engineers",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pete McBreen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software development practice"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "software-design-by-example-57fe2f",
      "title": "Software Design by Example",
      "author": "Greg Wilson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34412263,
          "author": "tsm",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-17T13:44:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 34412069,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach programming by building a series of small projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34412263",
          "commentText": "Software Design by Example (https://www.routledge.com/Software-Design-by-Example-A-Tool-... (https://www.routledge.com/Software-Design-by-Example-A-Tool-Based-Introduction-with-JavaScript/Wilson/p/book/9781032330235))\nAvailable free online at https://third-bit.com/sdxjs/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Software Design by Example",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a request for project-based programming books.",
          "audience": "Learners seeking a project-based introduction to programming.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it is available free online.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Greg Wilson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "javascript",
        "project based learning",
        "software design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "software-engineering-for-internet-applications-15d535",
      "title": "Software Engineering for Internet Applications",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26833412,
          "author": "tjr",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-16T13:09:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 26833319,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book for software engineers (besides the well-known ones)?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26833412",
          "commentText": "Software Engineering for Internet Applications\nAbout Face / The Inmates Are Running the Asylum",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Software Engineering for Internet Applications",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "web application development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "software-engineering-for-internet-applications-af4794",
      "title": "Software Engineering for Internet Applications",
      "author": "Philip Greenspun",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46484902,
          "author": "tjr",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-04T04:26:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 46483863,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading list for being a better engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46484902",
          "commentText": "Some specifics are outdated, but I very much like a lot of the general theme of Greenspun’s Software Engineering for Internet Applications:\nhttps://philip.greenspun.com/seia/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I very much like a lot of the general theme of Greenspun’s Software Engineering for Internet Applications:",
          "reason": "The commenter likes its general theme.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some specifics are outdated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip Greenspun"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software engineering",
        "web applications"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "software-engineering-for-internet-applications-81646e",
      "title": "Software Engineering for Internet Applications",
      "author": "Philip Greenspun, Alex R. C. Cockburn, and Greg Terry",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9612328,
          "author": "tjr",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T16:06:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9612328",
          "commentText": "http://philip.greenspun.com/seia/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "http://philip.greenspun.com/seia/",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip Greenspun, Alex R. C. Cockburn, and Greg Terry"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software engineering",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "software-requirements-8797ef",
      "title": "Software Requirements",
      "author": "Karl Wiegers and Joy Beatty",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43724651,
          "author": "skydhash",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-18T03:14:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 43723077,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on talking to users?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43724651",
          "commentText": "There are three main subproblems to your questions:\n1. Find out what users wants. The answer to that is research and the only book I have is Just Enough Research by Erika Hall. I also found Essentials of Business Research Methods by Joe Hair Jr. et al.\n2. Build the thing that the user wants. That's mostly the real of Software Requirements and I have two candidates for you:\n- Mastering the Requirements Process: Getting Requirements Right by Suzanne and James Robertson\n- Software Requirements by Karl Wiegers and Joy Beatty.\n3. Build something that the user likes and that he can use. That's UX and I have three candidates this time:\n- Observing the User Experience, 2nd Edition by E. Goodman and M. Kunlavsky\n- Understanding Your Users, 2nd Edition by K. Baxter et al.\n- The UX Book by R. Hartson and P. S. Pyla\nAll of those just emphasize having an objective view of what you want to bring to the users and a rational execution strategy. I haven't read all so I can't judge them, but I believe they will give you enough starting points for you to devise your own method.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Software Requirements by Karl Wiegers and Joy Beatty.",
          "reason": "Listed as a candidate for building what users want.",
          "audience": "People working on software requirements.",
          "caveat": "One of two candidates; commenter says they have not read all the listed books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Karl Wiegers",
        "Joy Beatty"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "requirements engineering",
        "software requirements"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "software-runaways-lessons-learned-from-massive-software-project-f-a2c86b",
      "title": "Software Runaways: Lessons Learned from Massive Software Project Failures",
      "author": "Robert L. Glass",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14487136,
          "author": "RossBencina",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T12:36:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487136",
          "commentText": "I see you read Kent Beck's TDD book. A good follow-up might be Roy Osherove's \"The Art of Unit Testing.\" I found it to have a lot of pragmatic, practical advice. It's not the final word, but it is a good next step after Kent Beck's book. It has some C#-specific material, but that stuff is interesting to read about even if you're working in other languages.\nLot's good suggestions in this thread, here's one I didn't see:\n\"Software Runaways - lessons learned from massive software project failures,\" by Robert L. Glass.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Software Runaways - lessons learned from massive software project failures,\" by Robert L. Glass.",
          "reason": "Offered as another suggestion in the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert L. Glass"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software engineering",
        "software project failures"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "software-and-mind-3894dd",
      "title": "Software and Mind",
      "author": "Andrey A. T. G. (Andrey T. G.)",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14773154,
          "author": "cromd",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-14T21:02:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14773154",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed \"Software and Mind\", which I first read about on HN, though the discussion was short and people didn't seem to like the author's angle much.  It's largely about how \"mechanistic theories of software\" hold us back, how programmers aren't getting to exercise their brains, and how most people are giving more and more control of their life up to others in order to avoid having to program.  Avoiding programming becomes more of a goal than expanding the mind.\nThe author is very passionate about all this - and I think most people would find the intensity off-putting.  He manages to fill ~800 pages.  I am not sure I agree with everything.  While it resonated strongly, I'm also not that bummed out about the ability to launch a website from scratch in 5 minutes.  But, in much the same way I feel about the writing of Nassim Taleb, despite having many statements that are incendiary and possibly wrong, it approaches a topic from an angle that you probably haven't been getting elsewhere.\nI immediately thought of this book when I read the question because I've never met anyone who has read it or who has any interest in reading it after hearing about it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed \"Software and Mind\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says it resonated strongly and approaches its topic from an unusual angle.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in software, programming, and how technology shapes thought.",
          "caveat": "The author’s intensity may put people off; the commenter does not agree with everything.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrey A. T. G. (Andrey T. G.)"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mechanistic thinking",
        "programming and cognition",
        "software philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "soil-and-soul-12fe16",
      "title": "Soil and Soul",
      "author": "Alastair McIntosh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8107040,
          "author": "syntaxgoonoo",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:48:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107040",
          "commentText": "Soil and Soul by Alastair Mcintosh -  http://www.alastairmcintosh.com/soilandsoul.htm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Soil and Soul by Alastair Mcintosh",
          "reason": "Named as a book suggestion in response to the favorite-books question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alastair McIntosh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "community activism",
        "ecology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "solar-clipper-931c4f",
      "title": "Solar Clipper",
      "author": "Nathan Lowell",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13236925,
          "author": "jrgifford",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T12:55:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13236925",
          "commentText": "I read 54 books (might be 56, there's still time!) in 2016. Here's the ones I recommend:\nFiction:\n- Owner's Share by Nathan Lowell\nI forget who recommended I read the Solar Clipper series several years ago, but I have been following them for a long time and look forward to it. It's part of a series, so start with the first one (Quarter Share) and continue from there.\n- Star Wars: Tarkin by James Luceno\nNon fiction:\n- Programming Beyond Practices by Gregory Brown.\n- Thirteen: The Apollo Flight That Failed by Henry S.F. Cooper Jr.\nFor the rest of the books I read this year: https://www.goodreads.com/user_challenges/3965760",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I have been following them for a long time and look forward to it.",
          "reason": "The commenter has followed the series for years and looks forward to it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter advises starting with the first book, Quarter Share.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nathan Lowell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "interstellar trade",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "solar-cycle-91a6b3",
      "title": "Solar Cycle",
      "author": "Gene Wolfe",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41176997,
          "author": "nbonaparte",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T00:26:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41176997",
          "commentText": "Gene Wolfe’s Solar Cycle and Gravity’s Rainbow",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gene Wolfe’s Solar Cycle",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gene Wolfe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "far future",
        "literary science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "soldier-of-sidon-1d9ba9",
      "title": "Soldier of Sidon",
      "author": "Gene Wolfe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4967242,
          "author": "colomon",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T22:03:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967242",
          "commentText": "New:\nRange of Ghosts, Elizabeth Bear\nThrone of the Crescent Moon, Saladin Ahmed\nOld:\nThe House of the Stag, Kage Baker\nSoldier of Sidon, Gene Wolfe\nRange of Ghosts was definitely the stand out book of the year for me, the other three I'm sure I will reread.  (Actually this time around was already a reread for Soldier of Sidon.)  I'm pretty sure there were a couple of other books I read and quite enjoyed that I've forgotten now.  No science fiction books come to mind at all, which makes me kind of sad.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The House of the Stag, Kage Baker\nSoldier of Sidon, Gene Wolfe",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are sure they will reread it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "This time was already a reread.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gene Wolfe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient egypt",
        "historical fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "solenoid-d72659",
      "title": "Solenoid",
      "author": "Mircea Cărtărescu",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46446578,
          "author": "locusofself",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-31T18:01:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46446578",
          "commentText": "Solenoid was definitely my favorite read in ages. I cannot wait to read more of his stuff",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Solenoid was definitely my favorite read in ages.",
          "reason": "Calls it their favorite read in ages.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mircea Cărtărescu"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "romanian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "solid-state-physics-f42e8d",
      "title": "Solid State Physics",
      "author": "Neil W. Ashcroft and N. David Mermin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43686220,
          "author": "PaulHoule",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-14T20:55:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 43685856,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What 3 Books Would You Recommend to Anyone?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43686220",
          "commentText": "I think \"life changing\" and \"universal\" are contradictory.\nA person who is ready to pick up the bar,  for instance,  would benefit from Rippetoe's Starting Strength but if you don't pick up the bar it's just another book (you might get something from just plain lifting Schwarzenegger's Modern Weighlifting though, if not the Misner, Thorne and Wheeler book Gravitation.)  Similarly Super System will change your life if you are serious about playing poker,  otherwise it's just a fun read like the D&D Monster Manual  I'd say that Ashcroft and Mermin's Solid State Physics was a great adventure even if I didn't end up doing physics in the end,  but I was a grad student in condensed matter and I took Ashcroft's class.  When I was wanting to explore the edges of applied philosophy and literature I felt Alain Badiou's Being and Event was meaningful to me but a lot of people would say it is obscurantist French trash like Derrida and if you believe that I can't change your mind.\nI'd tend to reject categorically that fiction could be life changing but maybe that's harsh.  So often people nominate books that to me are trash like Atlas Shrugged,  The Illuminati Trilogy or Hitchhiker's Guide.  From time to time though I do discover an author with a large body of work that I'm obsessed with for a few months,  like last year I rediscovered Poul Anderson (want to see Dominic Flandry have a fight with Kimball Kinnison) and got into Pratchett's Discworld.\nI think a lot of books that offer simple answers to things like books by Malcolm Gladwell and Robert Greene are often harmful and also I think Man's Search for Meaning by Frankl is absolute poison for 21st century people.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ashcroft and Mermin's Solid State Physics was a great adventure",
          "reason": "The commenter recalls it as a great adventure, despite not ultimately pursuing physics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter was a condensed matter graduate student and took Ashcroft's class.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neil W. Ashcroft",
        "N. David Mermin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "condensed matter physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "solo-an-american-dreamer-in-europe-b36f9d",
      "title": "Solo: An American Dreamer in Europe",
      "author": "Wright Morris",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12070964,
          "author": "cafard",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T13:43:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12070964",
          "commentText": "Solo: An American Dreamer in Europe by Wright Morris, a memoir of spending part of 1932 and 1933 in Austria, Italy, and France. Not on the whole as rewarding as his other memoirs Will's Boy and A Cloak of Light, but interesting enough.\nAdolphe and Le Cahier Rouge by Benjamin Constant. The former a devastating short novel, the latter a memoir, a portrait of the artist as a young twerp. (The things we boomers would say if something comparable had been published by a millenial!)\nFates and Furies by Lauren Groff, a novel read for a book club. The less said, the better.\nAutobiography by Henry James. Very slow going, but rewarding, a mind at work.\nMy Promised Land by Avi Shalets. A history of Israel and the Zionist project by an Israeli journalist. It covers a lot of ground that most Americans (I infer from my book club) don't know. It seemed to me that it could have been maybe 15% shorter, and that David Remnick should have impounded Shalets's thesaurus.\nThree Critics of the Enlightenment: Vico, Hamann, Herder by Isaiah Berlin. Well worth reading, but requiring more time than just its own reading, for now I have to read some Herder. I have already fought my way through some Hamann; the translation is heavily footnoted, as necessary for those of us who aren't handy with Greek, Hebrew, and Latin, and don't have the Bible memorized.\nKulturgeschichte der Neuzeit (vol. ii) by Egon Friedell. Clive James's recommendation in Cultural Amnesia put me onto this one. Most interesting, but slow going because my German is rusty.\n[Edit: got rid of most of the \"most interesting\"s.]",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Not on the whole as rewarding as his other memoirs Will's Boy and A Cloak of Light, but interesting enough.",
          "reason": "Finds it interesting enough, though less rewarding than the author's other memoirs.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Less rewarding than Will's Boy and A Cloak of Light.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Wright Morris"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "solving-mathematical-problems-be16b3",
      "title": "Solving Mathematical Problems",
      "author": "Terence Tao",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34441306,
          "author": "adamsmith143",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T15:27:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34441306",
          "commentText": "A lot of comments about textbooks that helped in specific topics but I don't think that answers the spirit of OP's question. Sure working through ANY Linear Algebra textbook is going to improve your Linear Algebra skills.\nIn the spirit of OP's question:\nHow to Solve it by G. Polya\nSolving Mathematical Problems by Terrence Tao\nIntroduction to Mathematical Thinking by Keith Devlin\nAre all amazing, How to Solve it in particular is an all time classic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Solving Mathematical Problems by Terrence Tao",
          "reason": "The commenter lists it among books they find amazing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terence Tao"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "problem solving"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "solving-mathematical-problems-a-personal-perspective-943f7d",
      "title": "Solving Mathematical Problems: A Personal Perspective",
      "author": "Terence Tao",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21348411,
          "author": "Jun8",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T19:39:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21348411",
          "commentText": "It's not wide-ranging but Terence Tao's Solving Mathematical Problems (https://books.google.com/books/about/Solving_Mathematical_Pr... (https://books.google.com/books/about/Solving_Mathematical_Problems_A_Personal.html?id=ZBTJWhXD05MC)) makes you understand mathematical thinking better than any other book I have seen at that level.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Terence Tao's Solving Mathematical Problems",
          "reason": "Says it helps readers understand mathematical thinking better than other books at that level.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not wide-ranging.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terence Tao"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical thinking",
        "problem solving"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "some-desperate-glory-4a5633",
      "title": "Some Desperate Glory",
      "author": "Emily Tesh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42274559,
          "author": "giaour",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T15:38:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42274559",
          "commentText": "Highlights so far this year are:\n- Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesch -- really phenomenal pacing and psychological terror in a sci-fi action novel.\n- The Golem of Brooklyn by Adam Mansbach -- good portrait of different strains of American Judaism in a book structured around a quest\n- Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters -- great characters and structured revelation. This was sitting unread on my shelf for years because I thought it would be preachy, but it wasn't.\n- The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman -- tales from Camelot in the aftermath of Arthur's defeat at Camlann. Excellent mixing of round table legends from different points in history.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesch -- really phenomenal pacing and psychological terror in a sci-fi action novel.",
          "reason": "Praised for its pacing and psychological terror.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Emily Tesh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Psychology",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "psychological horror",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "somerset-maugham-s-books-f7ed0e",
      "title": "Somerset Maugham's books",
      "author": "W. Somerset Maugham",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1753293,
          "author": "mp_cnb",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:41:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753293",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction\n- 'The Selfish Gene' - Richard Dawkins\nGrokking the concept changed the way I thought about life forever.\n- 'Quantum Reality' - Nick Herbert\nOne of the best introductory level books on quantum physics mysteries. No nonsense.\n- Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance - Robert Pirsig\nThe book that introduced me to Kant, Hume and philosophy of science. Just for that, I'm forever indebted to it.\nSome favorite fiction books -\n- Cryptonomicon - Neal Stephenson\nLoved 'Snowcrash' too.\n- 'The Moon is a Harsh Mistress' - Robert Heinlein\n- Anything by Kurt Vonnegut, Milan Kundera, Somerset Maugham",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Somerset Maugham",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. Somerset Maugham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "something-deeply-hidden-5d3eb2",
      "title": "Something Deeply Hidden",
      "author": "Sean Carroll",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Something Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sean Carroll"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "many worlds interpretation",
        "quantum mechanics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "something-of-value-0e72b5",
      "title": "Something of Value",
      "author": "Robert C. Ruark",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20334419,
          "author": "jaco8",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T12:40:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20334419",
          "commentText": "Something for the long holiday evenings:\nRobert C. Ruark - Something of Value\nFrisco Hitt - A Coffin Full of Dreams\nAleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn - The First Circle",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Robert C. Ruark - Something of Value",
          "reason": "Listed as a book for long holiday evenings in response to a request for a summer read.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a book for long holiday evenings.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert C. Ruark"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "africa",
        "historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sometime-never-a-fable-for-supermen-2fdee1",
      "title": "Sometime Never: A Fable for Supermen",
      "author": "Roald Dahl",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23574465,
          "author": "blaser-waffle",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-19T13:46:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 23561163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book that nobody you know has heard of?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23574465",
          "commentText": "Sometime Never: A Fable for Supermen, by Roahl Dahl\nThe Earth Abides, by George Stewart.  Story is set in Berkeley, CA after a disease kills most life on earth, maybe a little too on the nose these days...\nPaolo Bacigalupi's short stories (e.g. Pump Six), some of which he later turned into longer books.\nCourtship Rite, by Don Kingsbury.  Plot is kind of bland but the worldbuilding is fantastic, essentially an attempt to create a world where cannibalism isn't immediately though of as an ultimate evil, which leads to odd implications for society.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sometime Never: A Fable for Supermen, by Roahl Dahl",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roald Dahl"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopian fiction",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sometimes-a-great-notion-5b07c2",
      "title": "Sometimes a Great Notion",
      "author": "Ken Kesey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38564728,
          "author": "sirohsis144",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T02:35:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38564728",
          "commentText": "The Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse\nThe Road, Cormac McCarthy\nSometimes a Great Notion, Ken Kesey\nSlouching Towards Bethlehem, Joan Didion",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sometimes a Great Notion, Ken Kesey",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ken Kesey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "songmaster-5ee046",
      "title": "Songmaster",
      "author": "Orson Scott Card",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1570310,
          "author": "edanm",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T06:17:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1570310",
          "commentText": "I'm a huge fan of Orson Scott Card, so take the following with a grain of salt.\nDespite \"recent interviews\" which most people really disagree with, I still think almost all his fiction works are great. So if you liked Ender's Game, be sure to pick up other fiction books by him. I especially recommend \"Songmaster\" and \"The Worthing Saga\".",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I especially recommend \"Songmaster\"",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends this novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says to take their enthusiasm with a grain of salt and notes disagreement with the author's recent interviews.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Orson Scott Card"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "songs-of-the-spirit-the-place-of-psalms-in-the-worship-of-god-7eb82c",
      "title": "Songs of the Spirit: The Place of Psalms in the Worship of God",
      "author": "Kenneth Stewart, editor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12070437,
          "author": "jbms",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T12:07:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12070437",
          "commentText": "Eat That Frog!  (Brian Tracy)- Lots of useful productivity tips. Motivating and practical.\nBleachers (John Grisham) - I learned a lot about the culture behind American Football and school/college sports.\nThe Wide Lens (Ron Adner) - I learned a systematic approach towards evaluating ideas and the environment around them so that I could determine what needs to change (outside of my innovations) that must be encouraged for my ideas to succeed.\nThe Martian (Andy Weir) - I got a \"feel\" for living on Mars being a reality potentially sooner than I appreciated.\nBrownlow North (K Moody Stuart) - A book about a Scottish Evangelist. It was superb to see where he started from in his preaching, how he differed from everyone else, and how that was probably the key to his startling effectiveness.\nSongs of the Spirit: The Place of Psalms in the Worship of God (Ed: Kenneth Stewart) - I learned an appreciation for the book of Psalms, though written long before it, it is clearly (by how it's written, what it discusses in the past tense, and what's only understood now) FOR the New Testament church.\nIn my Father's House (Corrie ten Boom) - a beautiful insight into what a Christian household can look like.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I learned an appreciation for the book of Psalms",
          "reason": "Says it helped them appreciate the Psalms and their place in Christian worship.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kenneth Stewart, editor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian worship",
        "psalms"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sons-131c48",
      "title": "Sons",
      "author": "Pearl S. Buck",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39254378,
          "author": "fuzztester",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T20:56:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39254378",
          "commentText": "Your comment reminded me of this book:\nThe Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck, which I read many years ago, as a teenager or young adult.\nI was quite moved by it.\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_S._Buck\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Good_Earth\nExcerpt:\n[ The Good Earth is a historical fiction novel by Pearl S. Buck published in 1931 that dramatizes family life in a 20th-century Chinese village in Anhwei. It is the first book in her House of Earth trilogy, continued in Sons (1932) and A House Divided (1935). It was the best-selling novel in the United States in both 1931 and 1932, won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1932, and was influential in Buck's winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1938. Buck, who grew up in China as the daughter of American missionaries, wrote the book while living in China and drew on her first-hand observation of Chinese village life. ]\nIt is only today that I got to know, due to googling for the links, that she won both the Pulitzer prize and the Nobel prize for Literature, partly for that book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "continued in Sons (1932)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14748013,
          "author": "clock_tower",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T20:59:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14748013",
          "commentText": "Rory Stewart, _The Prince of the Marshes_. It's about general dysfunction in the early Iraq War, but it's also about the meaning of life. Perhaps it's just how Stewart writes? (His _The Places In Between_ is also well worth reading, but is much better known.)\nTony Horwitz, all works -- especially _Baghdad Without a Map_ (which will leave you with a much healthier view of the modern Middle East) and _Confederates in the Attic_ (a dress-rehearsal for the Age of Trump?).\nPearl Buck, _Sons_. (Best to read _The Good Earth_ first, but you've probably already read it.) I doubt it's a very accurate depiction of China, and the characters' morality is hair-raising (while the narrator is so far off the deep end that he/she is impossible to take seriously); but it's a memorable adventure story firmly grounded in the plausible, and it dramatizes some important lessons about the dangers that can afflict families and middle age.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "but it's a memorable adventure story firmly grounded in the plausible",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a memorable adventure story that dramatizes lessons about families and middle age.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter doubts its accuracy about China and finds the characters' morality hair-raising and the narrator impossible to take seriously.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pearl S. Buck"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure",
        "chinese society",
        "family saga",
        "historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "soonish-99ece4",
      "title": "Soonish",
      "author": "Kelly and Zach Weinersmith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804348,
          "author": "JonathanMerklin",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:41:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804348",
          "commentText": "Great thread. 2019 was the first time in about 7-8 years I made reading for pleasure a tertiary priority ((school+career)work/sleep/exercise+socializing+(NEW!)reading) and I got through about 20 books of varying length and difficulty, so here are the next 20 in my queue:\n- Infinite Jest (already started, will likely finish in early Jan. I love it so far.)\n- Quantum Computing Since Democritus (started in November as my nonfiction read, but took a break; I think I want to finish IJ first. Scott is an excellent writer and I was really enjoying this)\n- Building Microservices\n- The Code Book\n- How Cars Work (I want to turn the projection of a car in my brain from a black box to a gray box this year, and I don't mean by purchasing a Cybertruck)\n- To Kill a Mockingbird\n- The Personal MBA (for years I laughed off caring about the business of business and lived in my fantasy land of being satisfied with just the technical details and being focused on only implementing great software/learning how to do so. With a few years in the workforce under my belt, I realize that such an outlook was of great detriment to me. I'm open to other suggestions on similar \"catch me up to speed on general business education\" material)\n- Designing Data-Intensive Applications\n- Island (I have a copy of this but not Brave New World. Multiple friends of mine demand I try Huxley, so here we are.)\n- The Annotated Turing\n- How to Invent Everything\n- Soonish (SMBC is a daily read for me and I'm excited to get to this.)\n- How To: Absurd Scientific Advice for Common Real-World Problems (ditto XKCD modulo release schedule)\n- Basic Economics\n- Thus Spoke Zarathustra\n- Seveneves\n- The Prince\n- Pacific Rims: Beermen Ballin' in Flip-Flops and the Philippines' Unlikely Love Affair with Basketball\n- Elevator Music: A Surreal History of Muzak, Easy-Listening, and Other Moodsong\n- Fahrenheit 451\nAdditionally, to tickle the part of my brain that fancies mathematics (one of my my majors in undergrad), I try to work through a chapter or two of Evan Chen's \"An Infinitely Long Napkin\" on a quarterly basis. If you don't mind a conversational tone to your math textbooks, I've found this to be an excellent resource for scraping the surface of a wide variety of topics and fields (including, well, topics like fields). I think I'll continue this habit.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Soonish",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are excited to read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kelly and Zach Weinersmith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "emerging technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sorting-and-searching-252677",
      "title": "Sorting and Searching",
      "author": "Donald Knuth",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20729804,
          "author": "denton-scratch",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T12:30:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20729804",
          "commentText": "Most of these answers seem to be books about algorithms.\nComputer science is much broader than that; it includes databases, AI (not the same as algorithms!), computer architecture, topics such as hardware interfacing, history of computing, and some overlap with areas in philosophy.\nI didn't ever formally study CS, but I did read several books on algorithms. Especially notable is the seven-volume work \"The Art of Computer Programming\" by Donald Knuth; in particular the volumes \"Fundamental Algorithms\", \"Sorting and Searching\", and \"Seminumerical Algorithms\" are timeless masterpieces, entertaining and witty, and they totally nail their subject-matter. If you think CS is equivalent to \"algorithms\", then read these books.\nN.B. I understand that some of these books have been re-written to use a revised version of Knuth's MIX machine language, to allow the examples to embody modern developments such as pipelines, caches, and parallelism. I haven't read these updated editions; no doubt they are even better than the originals.\nBut I think CS is a much broader field than algorithms.\n[edit] Harrumph. Wikipedia says that only three-and-a-bit volumes have yet been published. Seven volumes was the original plan. Smacks a little of George R. R. Martin?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the volumes \"Fundamental Algorithms\", \"Sorting and Searching\", and \"Seminumerical Algorithms\"",
          "reason": "Named as one of the praised volumes of The Art of Computer Programming.",
          "audience": "Readers focused on algorithms.",
          "caveat": "The comment says computer science is broader than algorithms.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donald Knuth"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "search algorithms",
        "sorting algorithms"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sotyi-rupkatha-c1c679",
      "title": "Sotyi Rupkatha",
      "author": "Parimal Bhattacharya",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42556739,
          "author": "__rito__",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-31T05:53:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42556739",
          "commentText": "For me, some of the best books I read this year, are:\n- Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, I have seen many narratives on the fault at the core of current values and goals of human civilization, but never saw a laid out alternative. Whatever it might be, I like the book for attempting at presenting one.\n- Solaris by Stanislaw Lem, I like this book for extremely original thoughts. This books was so thin (~200 pages), yet it was grand. I also wrote a review [0].\n- The Happiness Trap by Russ Hariss, was very helpful to me in sorting through some things. Very practical book.\n- Anathem by Neal Stephenson, one of the most original book, and probably the best one by Stephenson. Very original ideas, mind expanding.\n- Permutation City by Greg Egan, this book raised the standard for possibly all SciFi book that I will read in the future. Extremely original and grand ideas.\n- The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt, another book that lays out alternatives to what is now considered mainstream.\n- Sotyi Rupkatha by Parimal Bhattacharya (Bengali), a book without any ideological or emotional baggage explaining the plight and pain of a tribal community for Aluminium mining. The way colonialism lives in mining was eye-opening. Aluminium mining, separating, etc. are done in lesser fortunate countries where huge amounts of water is wasted and the environment polluted. The West still imports that refined raw material in cheap and produces final products with lesser environmental impact and peofits by selling the finished products to the same countries in large profits. It was refreshing to see that this book did not have a Communist undertone.\n- Krishna Basudev by Bani Basu (Bengali), life of God Krishna in form of a novel in crisp prose, written maintaining authenticity of core books like Bhagavat Purana and Harivansha.\n- I am currently listening to \"The Hobbit\" audiobook narrated by Andy Serkis. This is peak audiobook for me.\n[0]: https://ritogh.substack.com/p/not-merely-a-story-of-a-man-fa... (https://ritogh.substack.com/p/not-merely-a-story-of-a-man-facing)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a book without any ideological or emotional baggage explaining the plight and pain of a tribal community for Aluminium mining.",
          "reason": "Values its account of a tribal community's suffering connected to aluminum mining and its account of colonialism in mining.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter emphasizes the book's lack of ideological or emotional baggage.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Parimal Bhattacharya"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Nature",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "environmental impact",
        "mining",
        "tribal communities"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "soul-of-a-new-machine-b2c9a5",
      "title": "Soul of a New Machine",
      "author": "Tracy Kidder",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43185273,
          "author": "dharris",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-26T16:35:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 43084739,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction/non-fiction book should everyone read on the topic of CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43185273",
          "commentText": "\"I'm going to a commune in Vermont and will deal with no unit of time shorter than a season.\" from _Soul of a New Machine_\nI was a teen when I read this. I should re-read",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "from _Soul of a New Machine_",
          "reason": "The commenter recalls reading it as a teenager and says they should reread it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22708451,
          "author": "cfallin",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T01:30:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22708451",
          "commentText": "Soul of a New Machine is fantastic!\nAlso on computer architecture / story of developing a new processor, \"The Pentium Chronicles\" by Robert Colwell is a really interesting book on the story of the Pentium Pro, the first out-of-order CPU from Intel.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Soul of a New Machine is fantastic!",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tracy Kidder"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer engineering",
        "1980s computing",
        "product development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "soulblade-bcc262",
      "title": "Soulblade",
      "author": "Lindsay Buroker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237020,
          "author": "Jemaclus",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:13:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237020",
          "commentText": "I keep an active list of books I've read, along with my reviews at my book review website, https://books.brianseitel.com. One of the benefits of this is that my favorite books automatically populate on the left. In 2016, I read over 60 books. My top 10 for 2016 (so far) are, in rough order of favorite-ness:\n- \"All the Birds in the Sky\" by Charlie Jane Anders\n- \"The Shards of Heaven\" and its sequel \"The Gates of Hell\" by Michael Livingston (fictional story set in Roman times)\n- \"The Last Breath\" by Charlie Magee\n- \"The Guns of Empire\" by Django Wexler (Book 4 of The Shadow Campaigns series, which I highly recommend)\n- \"The King's Traitor\" by Jeff Wheeler (original take on Arthurian legend)\n- \"Uprooted\" by Naomi Novik\n- \"End Game\" by Lindsay Buroker (Book 8 of her sci-fi series, The Fallen Empire, which is a pretty fun series overall. Short and sweet adventures.)\n- \"Soulblade\" by Lindsay Buroker (Book 8 of her fantasy series, Dragon Blood, which is another great series. All of Buroker's books are good, imo.)\n- \"Ghost Talkers\" by Mary Robinette Kowal (It's WWII, ghosts are real... and they're spies.)\nThis year I also read books 1-3 of The Expanse, and I think they would also be in this list, except I haven't reviewed them yet. I'm currently reading Book 4, with the recently published book, Babylon's Ashes, in the queue. I fully expect these to make it into the top 10.\nObviously, I enjoy sci-fi / fantasy the most, but across a wide range of sub-genres. For non-sci-fi, my top read was \"I Will Teach You To Be Rich\" by Ramit Sethi, which really changed the way I organize my finances.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My top 10 for 2016 (so far) are, in rough order of favorite-ness:",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's top books of the year, ranked by preference.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Book 8 of the Dragon Blood series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lindsay Buroker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure",
        "epic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "soundings-the-story-of-the-remarkable-woman-who-mapped-the-ocean--103d2a",
      "title": "Soundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor",
      "author": "Hali Felt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hali Felt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marie tharp",
        "oceanography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "source-code-my-beginnings-31c401",
      "title": "Source Code: My Beginnings",
      "author": "Bill Gates",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42654502,
          "author": "jll29",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T10:43:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42654502",
          "commentText": "Reading some of these books recommended here, perhaps the most shocking thing is that so much is due to randomness: an arbitrary person does something small that turns out to be on the critical path, and without it the big thing would not get completed.\nI like the kind of books recommended here, but please be aware of survivor's bias (there not many books about failures! Any great recommendations? \"How we could NOT get back to the moon again\", \"Recall: Toyota hits the breaks\", \"Last fag: how big tobacco lost against a Minneapolis law firm\" ;-) and the fact that the winner gets to write the history. For example, next month, Bill Gates new memoir \"Source Code\" will come out, the first of three planned autobiographical books, and I doubt he will share with us how he strongarmed PC manufacturers into shipping Windows pre-installed in order to get the OS monopoly and other important events.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "next month, Bill Gates new memoir \"Source Code\" will come out",
          "reason": "Mentions the forthcoming memoir while doubting it will cover controversial business tactics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter doubts Gates will disclose how he secured Windows preinstallation and the OS monopoly.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Gates"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bill gates",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sources-of-chinese-tradition-27de8f",
      "title": "Sources of Chinese Tradition",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22093707,
          "author": "brownbat",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T20:14:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22093707",
          "commentText": "Andy Kessler's How We Got Here.\nOnly a few hundred people have rated it on GoodReads, but if you wanted to trace a march of technological progress from swords to the Internet, it does a good job. There are definitely other stories you could tell about this accelerating sweep of technological change, but this one was a solid rapid overview and really stuck some ideas with me about how changes compound (or completely swerve to a new goal) over time.\nThe original tweet is more about how domain experts would rely on books nobody outside that domain has heard of, so maybe I should be thinking more about textbooks that stuck with me. Sources of Chinese Tradition, the Tractatus, and A Mathematical Theory of Computation all left pretty lasting influences in one way or another.\nSources of Japanese Tradition discusses the origins of Tendai Zen Buddhism, with some bits on Dogen, who once wrote something like, \"If you want to achieve a certain thing, you must first become a certain person. After becoming a certain person, you no longer want that certain thing.\"\nThat's a pretty good tie in to Kessler's view of the last several hundred years of human progress. We were repeatedly solving some other problem, which once we had the tools to solve that, it became nearly irrelevant compared to what else we could do now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sources of Chinese Tradition, the Tractatus, and A Mathematical Theory of Computation all left pretty lasting influences in one way or another.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it had a lasting influence on them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chinese history",
        "chinese philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "south-the-story-of-shackleton-s-last-expedition-1914-1917-e3de93",
      "title": "South: The Story of Shackleton’s Last Expedition, 1914–1917",
      "author": "Ernest Shackleton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42616829,
          "author": "rednafi",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-06T22:35:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42616829",
          "commentText": "“South: The Story of Shackleton’s Last Expedition, 1914–1917” by Sir Ernest Shackleton. Here, Shackleton documents the journey of the Endurance expedition, which aimed to traverse Antarctica but instead became a legendary tale of survival after the ship was trapped and destroyed by pack ice.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“South: The Story of Shackleton’s Last Expedition, 1914–1917” by Sir Ernest Shackleton.",
          "reason": "Recommends Shackleton’s account of the Endurance expedition and its survival story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ernest Shackleton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "antarctic exploration",
        "survival"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "southern-reach-10a978",
      "title": "Southern Reach",
      "author": "Jeff VanderMeer",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46400119,
          "author": "Dambalala",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T08:10:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46400119",
          "commentText": ". Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch. Urban fantasy with a great audiobook narrator (Kobna Holdbrook-Smith). Harry Potter meets Sherlock Holmes. Loved the computer history and London Library parts in False Value.\n. Chrestomanci series by Diana Wynne Jones. Found the first book in a local phonebox library. Especially liked the probability computer in Conrad’s Fate.\n. Southern Reach trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer. Recommended by a barber after I mentioned the cartoon \"Scavengers Reign\". Annihilation is well worth reading.\n. The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro. Novel about memory, forgetting.\n. Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman. Short novel imagining Einstein's dreams whilst he worked on his relativity theory.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Southern Reach trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer. Recommended by a barber after I mentioned the cartoon \"Scavengers Reign\". Annihilation is well worth reading.",
          "reason": "Calls Annihilation well worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeff VanderMeer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ecological mystery",
        "weird fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "southern-reach-trilogy-1895b6",
      "title": "Southern Reach Trilogy",
      "author": "Jeff VanderMeer",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38573009,
          "author": "unaindz",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T19:21:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38573009",
          "commentText": "Last year Annihilation and the rest of the trilogy rekindled my passion for reading after almost a decade.\nVandemeer really has a way with words but specifically in this novel he manages to describe what I though was indescribable.\nIt was only fair that I tried another one of his trilogies, Borne, The Strange Bird and Dead Astronauts.\nWith Borne being pretty normal (for Vandermeer standards) and the other two reading like pretty ramblings at times if you lack the context. I still loved them but they may not be for everyone.\nYou should read them in the order above so that you have as many pieces of the prose puzzle when you reach Dead Astronauts. But even if you end up not liking the writing of the last two books, Borne can still be enjoyed independently.\nAs for this year. \n\"Blood music\" by Greg Bear.\nBiology scify with a pretty weird concept.\n\"Firefall\" trilogy by Peter Watts\nUsually a scify story revolvs around one core idea, this one does too, but it kept surprising me with new secondary but interesting ones until the end.\nRead The Colonel between the two main books.\n\"Rifters\" trilogy by Peter Watts\nExploring sexual abuse, empathy\n\"Story of Your Life\" by Ted Chiang\nShort story about a linguist learning the recently arrived aliens language. Liked the humor depicting the different perspectives between scientists and military. Pretty emotional.\nI'm not sure what it tells about me but all of these are bittersweet scify with good prose.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Annihilation and the rest of the trilogy",
          "reason": "The commenter says the trilogy rekindled their passion for reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10211468,
          "author": "ddw",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-13T14:16:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 10211331,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10211468",
          "commentText": "\"Annihilation\" by Jeff VanderMeer and the rest of the Southern Reach trilogy.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the rest of the Southern Reach trilogy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeff VanderMeer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "weird fiction",
        "biological horror",
        "ecological horror"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "space-mission-analysis-and-design-c5d582",
      "title": "Space Mission Analysis and Design",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14139184,
          "author": "bmcooley",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T14:42:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14139184",
          "commentText": "SMAD - \"Space Mission Analysis and Design\". The latest edition is \"Space Mission Engineering - The New SMAD\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SMAD - \"Space Mission Analysis and Design\".",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "astrodynamics",
        "space mission design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "space-mission-engineering-the-new-smad-c5eafd",
      "title": "Space Mission Engineering: The New SMAD",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14139184,
          "author": "bmcooley",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T14:42:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14139184",
          "commentText": "SMAD - \"Space Mission Analysis and Design\". The latest edition is \"Space Mission Engineering - The New SMAD\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The latest edition is \"Space Mission Engineering - The New SMAD\".",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "astrodynamics",
        "space mission design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "space-odyssey-stanley-kubrick-arthur-c-clarke-and-the-making-of-a-b0db47",
      "title": "Space Odyssey: Stanley Kubrick, Arthur C. Clarke, and the Making of a Masterpiece",
      "author": "Michael Benson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21793675,
          "author": "captaincrowbar",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-15T01:07:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793675",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction I read this year:\nMichael Benson - Space Odyssey - The detailed story of the making of 2001: A Space Odyssey. If you're a fan of the movie, or of Stanley Kubrick and/or Arthur C. Clarke in general, you should read this.\nAtul Gawande - Complications - Fascinating look at life in the medical profession.\nChristina Thompson - Sea People - Detailed, well-researched history of Polynesian-Western contact and relations. As a New Zealander I was interested in this, although American or European readers with no personal connection may be less so.\nPeter Singer - Marx: A Very Short Introduction - What it says on the tin.\nRobert C Allen - Global Economic History: A Very Short Introduction - Also good, but inaccurately titled; it should have said \"Global Economic History Since the Industrial Revolution\".\nFraser A Sherman - Now and Then We Time Travel - A thorough if somewhat superficial survey of time travel in the movies.\nAlec Nevala-Lee - Astounding - A history of the magazine Astounding Stories, and the four men most closely associated with it: John Campbell, Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, and Ron Hubbard. Very thoroughly researched and annotated; it reveals a lot of new information and debunks a lot of old myths. (Whichever version of the \"FBI visits Campbell to complain about A-bomb stories\" you've heard, I can pretty much guarantee it wasn't the real one.)\nElizabeth Sandifer - Tardis Eruditorum 1: William Hartnell - The first volume of a thorough study of Doctor Who, with a combined fannish and scholarly point of view that I enjoyed.\nRandall Munroe - How To - It's by Randall Munroe, what else do you need to know?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you're a fan of the movie, or of Stanley Kubrick and/or Arthur C. Clarke in general, you should read this.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it to fans of the film, Kubrick, or Clarke.",
          "audience": "Fans of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Stanley Kubrick, or Arthur C. Clarke.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Benson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "2001 a space odyssey",
        "film production"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "space-rogues-f078a7",
      "title": "Space Rogues",
      "author": "John Wilker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17382381,
          "author": "reboog711",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T17:48:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17382381",
          "commentText": "Space Rogues is a fun space adventure story by an indy author, John Wilker.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Space-Rogues-Adventure-Adventures-Smu... (https://www.amazon.com/Space-Rogues-Adventure-Adventures-Smuggler-ebook/dp/B0756561CK/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1529776077&sr=8-2&keywords=Space+Rogues)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Space Rogues is a fun space adventure story by an indy author, John Wilker.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a fun space adventure.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Wilker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space adventure"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "space-and-time-in-general-relativity-795243",
      "title": "Space and Time in General Relativity",
      "author": "David Mermin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11229681,
          "author": "shpx",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:15:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229681",
          "commentText": "The Design of Everyday Things. Probably the quintessential book on design, the basic premise is that if you can't figure out how a thing works, it's not your fault.\nStructures: Or Why Things Don't Fall Down. About the engineering of various things, mostly buildings. Highly recommend.\nThe Elements of Computer Systems (better known as NAND to Tetris). Describes a computer from the bottom up.\nA History of the Arab Peoples\nThe Quran\nThe Bible\nSpace and Time in General Relativity by David Mermin\nFeynman QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Space and Time in General Relativity by David Mermin",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Mermin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "general relativity",
        "physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "spacetime-and-geometry-an-introduction-to-general-relativity-289c60",
      "title": "Spacetime and Geometry: An Introduction to General Relativity",
      "author": "Sean M. Carroll",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16084139,
          "author": "Hockenbrizzle",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-06T06:29:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16084139",
          "commentText": "For a textbook where the author does a brilliant job of introducing a complex topic:\nSpacetime and Geometry an Introduction to General Relativity by Sean Carroll.\nAlso the textbooks by David Griffiths and Gill Strang mentioned in other comments.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For a textbook where the author does a brilliant job of introducing a complex topic:\nSpacetime and Geometry an Introduction to General Relativity by Sean Carroll.",
          "reason": "Praises Carroll’s introduction of a complex topic and names the book as an example.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sean M. Carroll"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "general relativity",
        "physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "spam-kings-0edd74",
      "title": "Spam Kings",
      "author": "Brian McWilliams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17750601,
          "author": "iooi",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T15:00:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17750601",
          "commentText": "\"Spam Kings\" isn't bad either.  A bit dated, but it's a good history of one of the earlier spam operations.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Spam Kings\" isn't bad either. A bit dated, but it's a good history of one of the earlier spam operations.",
          "reason": "Says it is a good history of an early spam operation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A bit dated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian McWilliams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybercrime",
        "spam"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "spam-nation-the-inside-story-of-organized-cybercrime-from-global--39aba1",
      "title": "Spam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime—from Global Epidemic to Your Front Door",
      "author": "Brian Krebs",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Krebs"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybercrime",
        "spam"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "spares-712dc9",
      "title": "Spares",
      "author": "Michael Marshall Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17382220,
          "author": "oldcynic",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T17:16:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17382220",
          "commentText": "Is Michael Marshall Smith well known in the US?\nIntruders was made into a BBC America series, but his earlier works are much more interesting.\nOnly Forward, One of Us, What You Make It, or Spares from the nineties are all well written, and all beat any of the suspense he's written as Michael Marshall. He simply seems much better writing near future dystopian sci-fi.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Only Forward, One of Us, What You Make It, or Spares from the nineties are all well written",
          "reason": "Grouped among the author's better written earlier works; the commenter prefers his near-future dystopian science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Marshall Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "british science fiction",
        "near future dystopia"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "spark-0b0747",
      "title": "Spark",
      "author": "John J. Ratey and Eric Hagerman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13238121,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:01:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238121",
          "commentText": "Last year I gave myself a Zuckerberg-style goal to read a book every two weeks. It started well, but some months were harder than others (usually when the book wasn't very good, so I would switch to podcasts for a few weeks, before getting back on track).\nHere's an unordered list of the best:\n[BUSINESS / SELF-IMPROVEMENT]\n- \"Work Rules!\" - about Google's culture and values\n- \"Search Inside Yourself\" - about mindfulness, meditation, and the impact on your life.\n- \"What got you here won't get you there\" - Liked a lot more than I expected.\n- \"Re-read Innovator's Dilemma\" - a great classic; never gets old.\n- \"How will you measure your life\" - from the same author. Also excellent.\n- \"The Best Service is No Service\" - good overview on why Amazon's customer service is so good\n- \"Crucial Conversations\" - half is common sense; half is good tips to practice everyday.\n[PROGRAMMING]\n- \"Fluent Python\" - was afraid it'd be too basic, but not really. Enjoyed it a lot.\n- \"Think Complexity\" - about algorithm complexity, data structures, etc. Great read.\n- \"Python Data Science Handbook\" - meh.\n- \"Fundamentals of Deep Learning\" - good intro. Helped me solidify some concepts from Andrew Ng's ML course\n- \"Deep Learning\" - by Goodfellow and Bengio. Just started, but really liking it.\n[STARTUPS] (all excellent; in order)\n- \"The Hard Things about Hard Things\"\n- \"Zero to One\"\n- \"The Founder's Dilemmas\"\n- \"The Launch Pad\"\n[FICTION]\n- Trilogy: \"Off to be a wizard / An Unwelcome Quest / Spell or High Water\"\n- \"Infinite Jest\" - tried but failed to finish. May try again later.\n- \"Ready Player One\" - nice, but repetitive after a while. Good read before the movie comes out.\n[NON-FICTION]\n- \"What If?\" - xkcd FTW\n- \"How to Read a Book\" - good concepts, but should be a 10 pages blog post, not a book\n- \"Spark\" - Science of the Exercise and the Brain - Long, but good\n- \"Sugar Shock\" - still reading; hopefully will help me cut my sweet cravings\n[BIOGRAPHIES]\n- \"The New New Thing\" - about Jim Clark's life, one of the very first entrepreneurs\n- \"Machines of Loving Grace\" - about the research and the rise of AI\n- \"Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution\"\n- \"The Second Coming of Steve Jobs\" - About Pixar's story. Liked more than Isaacson's biography\n- \"The Innovators\" - great summary of computer industry, from the 1800's till today\n- \"Ghost in the Wires\" - Kevin Mitnick's story. Had started years ago, but finally finished it\n- \"Idea Man\" - about Paul Allen's story. Quite an impressive man.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Spark\" - Science of the Exercise and the Brain - Long, but good",
          "reason": "Described as good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is long.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John J. Ratey and Eric Hagerman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "brain health",
        "exercise"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "spatterjay-07270e",
      "title": "Spatterjay",
      "author": "Neal Asher",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36023307,
          "author": "DazWilkin",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T18:03:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36023307",
          "commentText": "I really enjoy(ed) Neal Asher's \"Transformation\" series (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Intelligence) and the Polity universe.\nI enjoy sci-fi series, interesting spacecraft, compelling aliens and am a sucker for machine-based intelligence.\nThis series combines all these and re-engaged in sci-fi. I went on to read most of Asher's other books including \"Agent Cormac\" and \"Spatterjay\" series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and \"Spatterjay\" series.",
          "reason": "Names the series among the author's other works the commenter went on to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neal Asher"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alien worlds",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "speak-memory-7d4691",
      "title": "Speak, Memory",
      "author": "Vladimir Nabokov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1026526,
          "author": "tokenadult",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T00:56:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026526",
          "commentText": "Next on my reading list I would like to read some Vladimir Nabokov since I've never read any of his work. Has anyone else here read any of his books?\nI read a lot of Nabokov beginning in high school and continuing into my university studies (when I was initially a Russian language major). Nabokov is very interesting to read. I like Speak, Memory\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Speak-Memory-Everymans-Library-Cloth/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Speak-Memory-Everymans-Library-Cloth/dp/0375405534/)\nand his essays on literary criticism (which I'm not turning up just now as I do an Amazon search, but which you should be able to find in a library). I'm not such a big fan of his most famous novel, Lolita. I read it once and have never reread it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nabokov is very interesting to read. I like Speak, Memory",
          "reason": "Says Nabokov is interesting to read and that they like this book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vladimir Nabokov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary memoir",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "species-imperative-trilogy-8cf6cc",
      "title": "Species Imperative Trilogy",
      "author": "Julie E. Czerneda",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9080900,
          "author": "profexile",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-20T15:56:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9080900",
          "commentText": "A couple books that I'd recommend for their attention to biology and genetics as the scientific driver:\nJulie Czerneda's Species Imperative Trilogy: \nSurvival, Migration, and Regeneration.\nMaragaret Atwood, anything, but recently the MaddAddam trilogy: \nOryx and Crake, Year of the Flood, and Maddaddam.\nNancy Kress' Sleepless series: \nBeggars in Spain, Beggars and Choosers, and Beggars Ride.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Julie Czerneda's Species Imperative Trilogy:",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books recommended for their attention to biology and genetics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Julie E. Czerneda"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biology",
        "first contact",
        "genetics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "specifying-systems-the-tla-language-and-tools-for-hardware-and-so-0279a5",
      "title": "Specifying Systems: The TLA+ Language and Tools for Hardware and Software Engineers",
      "author": "Leslie Lamport",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25990326,
          "author": "agentultra",
          "createdAt": "2021-02-01T16:48:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 25987664,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommended books and papers on distributed systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25990326",
          "commentText": "https://lamport.azurewebsites.net/tla/book.html\nimho the most useful book you can read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "imho the most useful book you can read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the most useful book to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leslie Lamport"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "distributed systems",
        "formal methods",
        "tla"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "speech-and-language-processing-373119",
      "title": "Speech and Language Processing",
      "author": "Daniel Jurafsky and James H. Martin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27629753,
          "author": "etherio",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T12:13:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27629753",
          "commentText": "- \"The Theoretical Minimum: What You Need to Know to Start Doing Physics\" by Leonard Susskind. I'm reading the entire series and it's very clear and interesting, definitely recommend if you want to get into physics.\n- \"Speech and Language Processing (3rd ed. draft)\" - Really good intro to natural language processing.\n- Kar by Orhan Pamuk - not a technical book just an intriguing fiction book in turkish I want to read to work on my Turkish;.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Speech and Language Processing (3rd ed. draft)\" - Really good intro to natural language processing.",
          "reason": "Calls it a really good introduction to natural language processing.",
          "audience": "Readers learning natural language processing.",
          "caveat": "The cited edition is a draft.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16757120,
          "author": "microtonal",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T17:48:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16757120",
          "commentText": "I rely mostly on hypertext for referencing, mostly through Dash for macOS and man pages. Books that I still occasionally reference:\n- Speech and Language Processing, Jurafsky & Martin\n- K&R\n- Sedgewick & Wayne, but more for teaching than anything else.\nIn a previous life:\n- The C++ Standard Library, Nicolai Josuttis,\n- C++ GUI Programming with Qt 4, Jasmin Blanchette and Mark Summerfield\n- The C++ Programming Language, Bjarne Stroustrup\n- Effective Java, Joshua Bloch\n- Scott Meyers' Effective C++ books.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Speech and Language Processing, Jurafsky & Martin",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Jurafsky",
        "James H. Martin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "natural language processing",
        "computational linguistics",
        "speech recognition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "speed-scale-an-action-plan-for-solving-our-climate-crisis-now-a8918f",
      "title": "Speed & Scale: An Action Plan for Solving Our Climate Crisis Now",
      "author": "John Doerr",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38238205,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T07:44:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238205",
          "commentText": "- \"Going Infinite\", by Michael Lewis\n- \"Speed & Scale\", John Doerr\n- \"Superintelligence\", by Nick Bostrom\nAll great reads, strongly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- \"Speed & Scale\", John Doerr",
          "reason": "The commenter includes it among books they strongly recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Doerr"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business strategy",
        "climate solutions"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "speed-mathematics-simplified-e688e5",
      "title": "Speed Mathematics Simplified",
      "author": "Edward Stoddard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23727968,
          "author": "jostylr",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T21:53:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23727968",
          "commentText": "I remember Pi in the Sky by John Barrows very fondly. It has more of a focus on geometry and logic.\nA Programmer's Introduction to Mathematics by Jeremy Kun is wide ranging and appropriate if there is also interest in programming.\nNature and Growth of Modern Mathematics by Edna Kramer is a wonderful book if history is a passion as well.\nElements of Mathematics by John Stillwell is a broad overview of subjects. It has a crisp mathematical feel to it.\nVector Calculus, Linear Algebra, and Differential Forms by John & Barbara Hubbard is a beautiful introduction to the multi-dimensional aspects, but it is a book that should happen after knowing one dimensional calculus. .\nIf your child hasn't been exposed to Guesstimation, then a book on that is highly recommended. The book with that title by Weinstein and Adams is a nice guide to investigating that realm.\nIf the child does arithmetic from right to left, as is sadly too common, the book Speed Mathematics Simplified by Edward Stoddard is a great remedy for that.\nEveryday Calculus by Oscar Fernandez could also be worth a look.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the book Speed Mathematics Simplified by Edward Stoddard is a great remedy for that.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a remedy for doing arithmetic from right to left.",
          "audience": "Readers who do arithmetic from right to left.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward Stoddard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mental arithmetic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "spell-or-high-water-fc08ba",
      "title": "Spell or High Water",
      "author": "Scott Meyer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783776,
          "author": "noxToken",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T15:40:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783776",
          "commentText": "Was light year for me:\nConfessions of a D-List Supervillain - Jim Bernheimer\nOrigins of a D-List Supervillain - Jim Bernheimer\nThe second is a prequel of the first. I haven't read the third in the series. Light reading about a guy's descent into villainy.\nYes Please - Amy Poehler: I love memoirs. I just didn't love this one. It read a lot like Leslie Knope was the author, but there was an obscene amount of name dropping that kept interrupting the flow of the book for me.\nFresh Off the Boat: A Memoir - Eddie Huang: Like I said, I'm a sucker for these things. Picked it up, because the series reminded me of a 90s Asian version of Everybody Hates Chris. The absurdity and random profanity was a little off-putting at first. Remembering how I felt as a black boy doing some of the same dumb things in the 90s really put it into perspective though.\nThe Serpent of Venice: A Novel - Christopher Moore: The follow up to Fool. It's a different take on Shakespearian story-telling. I can't recommend his novels enough.\nQuantum Lens - Douglas E. Richards: I read this solely because I liked Wired and Amped. No-frills action with a sci-fi element. You probably won't get engrossed, but you will be entertained.\nSpell or High Water & An Unwelcome Quest - Scott Meyer: Books 2 & 3 in a series about a group of guys who can manipulate reality through writing scripts. Good, but not my favorite.\nArmada: A Novel - Ernest Cline: Ah yes. The long awaited sophomore effort from the author of Ready Player One. This book fell harder than it deserved to, because people where expecting it to be analogous to Ready Player One. Spoiler: it's not. The novel does have its short-comings. Repetitive dialogue, shoe-horned classic pop-culture references and shallow writing plague this book. If you've got time for a short novel, give it a whirl, but don't expect anything amazing.\nWords of Radiance - Brandon Sanderson: Book 2 of the Stormlight Archives. If it's an epic by Sanderson, do yourself a favor and board the hype train. You won't be disappointed. It's everything you want in a long fantasy novel without being bogged down with side-plots and details.\nWarbreaker - Brandon Sanderson: This is a standalone novel with a tie-on to Words of Radiance. I'm only halfway through it. Would recommend so far, especially since it's free from the author.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Spell or High Water & An Unwelcome Quest - Scott Meyer: Books 2 & 3 in a series about a group of guys who can manipulate reality through writing scripts. Good, but not my favorite.",
          "reason": "Calls the series books good, but not a favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Good but not their favorite.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Meyer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fantasy",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "spell-or-highwater-bc7fc7",
      "title": "Spell or Highwater",
      "author": "Scott Meyer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7970785,
          "author": "will_work4tears",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T14:16:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7970785",
          "commentText": "I just finished Alan Dean Foster's \"Taken\" Trilogy and really enjoyed it.  It's probably \"not as bad\" as Dan Brown (opinion only, possibly), but it's what most here would just classify as escapist trash.\nAlso Scott Meyer released a sequel to his \"Off to be the Wizard\" book (Spell or Highwater) and I finished reading it soon after the Taken trilogy.  It's a great series too.\nI bought the \"Everything is Bullshit\" book and I'm on a plane tomorrow, so I'll probably finish it during the flight.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a great series too.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the series great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Meyer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "spelunky-2eaae9",
      "title": "Spelunky",
      "author": "Derek Yu",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237860,
          "author": "dejv",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T15:32:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237860",
          "commentText": "Out of 32 books I read this year I recommend:\nSomehow tech/startup related:\n- Spelunky, Derek Yu: book about creating the game of Spelunky + notes on game design\n- Disrupted, Dan Lyons: book about \"old\" guy working in startup\n- Hatching Twitter, Nick Bilton: book about Twitter\nNon-startupy books:\n- A Wild Sheep Chase, Haruki Murakami: modern Japanese novel\n- The Hills of Chianti, Piero Antinori: story about wine company and notes on wine making, wine marketing and other stuff from one of the most notable wine company from Italy (700 years old, owned by one family whole history)\n- The City and the Stars, Arthur C. Clark: scifi classic",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Spelunky, Derek Yu: book about creating the game of Spelunky + notes on game design",
          "reason": "Included among the books the commenter recommends.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in making games and game design.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Derek Yu"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "game design",
        "video games"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sperm-wars-1ee6ab",
      "title": "Sperm Wars",
      "author": "Robin Baker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13828716,
          "author": "villmann",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-09T12:06:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13828716",
          "commentText": "The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins;\nRed Queen, Matt Ridley;\nSperm Wars, Robin Baker;\nRead in that order, the books explain much of what is going on in our society and lives. This has enabled me to to analyse my own, and others, actions and motives.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sperm Wars, Robin Baker;",
          "reason": "Included in a list whose order the commenter says explains much about society and people's lives.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robin Baker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolutionary psychology",
        "reproductive biology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sperm-wars-the-science-of-sex-3476a1",
      "title": "Sperm Wars: The Science of Sex",
      "author": "Robin Baker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1752336,
          "author": "zackattack",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T07:43:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752336",
          "commentText": "The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind, by Julian Jaynes, is the best book I've read this year. It profoundly changed the way I look at things. I also found Sperm Wars to be very enlightening, ditto Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also found Sperm Wars to be very enlightening",
          "reason": "The commenter found it very enlightening.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in reproductive biology and human sexuality.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robin Baker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human sexuality",
        "reproductive biology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "spetsnaz-the-story-behind-the-soviet-sas-155d02",
      "title": "Spetsnaz: The Story Behind the Soviet SAS",
      "author": "Viktor Suvorov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22096185,
          "author": "kevinkeller",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T03:58:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22096185",
          "commentText": "Great find, thanks!\nSome of his other works are also worth reading:\n'Inside the Soviet Army': http://militera.lib.ru/research/suvorov12/index.html\nOne excerpt:\n> The winter of 1969 was an exceptionally bitter one in the Soviet Far East. When the first clashes with the Chinese took place on the river Ussuri, and before combat divisions reached the area, the pressure exerted by the enemy was borne by the KGB frontier troops. After the clash was over, the General Staff held a careful investigation into all the mistakes and oversights which had occurred. It was quickly discovered that several KGB soldiers had frozen to death in the snow, simply because they had never received elementary instruction in sleeping out in temperatures below zero.\n> This was alarming news. A commission from the General Staff immediately carried out experiments with three divisions, chosen at random, and came to a depressing conclusion. Wartime experience had been irrevocably lost and the modern Soviet soldier had not been taught how he could sleep in the snow. Naturally he was not allowed a sleeping bag and of course he was forbidden to light a fire. Normally a soldier would spend nights when the temperature was below freezing-point in his vehicle. But what was he to do if the vehicle was put out of action?\n> The chiefs of staff of all divisions were immediately summoned to Moscow. They were given a day's instruction in the technique of sleeping out in snow at freezing temperatures, using only a greatcoat. Then each of them was required to convince himself that this was possible, by sleeping in the snow for three nights. (It should be remembered that March in Solnechnogorsk, near Moscow, is a hard month, with snow on the ground and temperatures below zero.) Then the chiefs of staff returned to their divisions and immediately the entire Soviet Army was put to a very hard test-that of spending a night in the open in numbing cold and without any extra clothing. It seemed as if those who were stationed in deserts in the south were in luck. But no-they were sent by turns to either Siberia or the north to be put through the same tough training. Thereafter, spending a night in the snow became a part of all military training programmes.\n'Inside Soviet Military Intelligence': http://militera.lib.ru/research/suvorov8/index.html\nAbout the GRU.\n'Spetsnaz. The Story Behind the Soviet SAS': http://militera.lib.ru/research/suvorov6/index.html\nExcerpt talking about the importance of a spade:\n> Every infantryman in the Soviet Army carries with him a small spade. When he is given the order to halt he immediately lies flat and starts to dig a hole in the ground beside him. In three minutes he will have dug a little trench 15 centimetres deep, in which he can lie stretched out flat, so that bullets can whistle harmlessly over his head. The earth he has dug out forms a breastwork in front and at the side to act as an additional cover. If a tank drives over such a trench the soldier has a 50% chance that it will do him no harm. At any moment the soldier may be ordered to advance again and, shouting at the top of his voice, will rush ahead. If he is not ordered to advance, he digs in deeper and deeper. At first his trench can be used for firing in the lying position. Later it becomes a trench from which to fire in the kneeling position, and later still, when it is 110 centimetres deep, it can be used for firing in the standing position. The earth that has been dug out protects the soldier from bullets and fragments. He makes an embrasure in this breastwork into which he positions the barrel of his gun. In the absence of any further commands he continues to work on his trench. He camouflages it. He starts to dig a trench to connect with his comrades to the left of him. He always digs from right to left, and in a few hours the unit has a trench linking all the riflemen's trenches together. The unit's trenches are linked with the trenches of other units. Dug-outs are built and communication trenches are added at the rear. The trenches are made deeper, covered over, camouflaged and reinforced. Then, suddenly, the order to advance comes again. The soldier emerges, shouting and swearing as loudly as he can.\n> The infantryman uses the same spade for digging graves for his fallen comrades. If he doesn't have an axe to hand he uses the spade to chop his bread when it is frozen hard as granite. He uses it as a paddle as he floats across wide rivers on a telegraph pole under enemy fire. And when he gets the order to halt, he again builds his impregnable fortress around himself. He knows how to dig the earth efficiently. He builds his fortress exactly as it should be. The spade is not just an instrument for digging: it can also be used for measuring. It is 50 centimetres long. Two spade lengths are a metre. The blade is 15 centimetres wide and 18 centimetres long. With these measurements in mind the soldier can measure anything he wishes.\n> The infantry spade does not have a folding handle, and this is a very important feature. It has to be a single monolithic object. All three of its edges are as sharp as a knife. It is painted with a green matt paint so as not to reflect the strong sunlight.\n> The spade is not only a tool and a measure. It is also a guarantee of the steadfastness of the infantry in the most difficult situations. If the infantry have a few hours to dig themselves in, it could take years to get them out of their holes and trenches, whatever modern weapons are used against them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Spetsnaz. The Story Behind the Soviet SAS':",
          "reason": "Says the author’s other works are worth reading and names this book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Viktor Suvorov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military history",
        "spetsnaz"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sphere-c2f5e9",
      "title": "Sphere",
      "author": "Michael Crichton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5834663,
          "author": "kohanz",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T19:33:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5834663",
          "commentText": "Sphere by Michael Crichton. I was quite young at the time, but I remember being completely engrossed. Please don't relate it to the movie version :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sphere by Michael Crichton. I was quite young at the time, but I remember being completely engrossed. Please don't relate it to the movie version :)",
          "reason": "Remembers being completely engrossed by it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter was quite young when they read it and asks readers not to relate it to the movie version.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Crichton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "spillover-animal-infections-and-the-next-human-pandemic-de8afb",
      "title": "Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic",
      "author": "David Quammen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13236323,
          "author": "chimprich",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T10:37:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13236323",
          "commentText": "* The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee. The prose was a bit purple for me but fascinating book about the progress of cancer treatment including recent advances. Second half of the book is more interesting in my opinion so don't give up if you find the history of cancer a little do dry.\n* Tuf Voyaging by George RR Martin. I thought this was a stupid premise (guy travels the universe in a huge ship with cat companions?) but a friend strongly recommended it and I found it stupidly readable and very entertaining.\n* Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery by Henry Marsh. Deeply interesting and humane book about the work of an eminent brain surgeon.\n* The Better Angels of Our Nature: The Decline of Violence In History And Its Causes by Steven Pinker. Strong persuasive central thesis even if though I didn't agree with all his arguments. Very wide-ranging book with many ideas from philosophy and history.\n* Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic by David Quammen. Informative and scary book about zoonotic diseases. Like a non-fiction cross between the detective, horror and sci-fi genres.\n* The Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela. Read this because I felt I should rather than out of pure interest, but it was a good decision: fascinating biography and startling how intelligent and occasionally ruthless Mandela was.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Informative and scary book about zoonotic diseases.",
          "reason": "Informative account of zoonotic diseases.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The subject is scary.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Quammen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "infectious disease",
        "pandemics",
        "zoonoses"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "spillworthy-7f317a",
      "title": "Spillworthy",
      "author": "Johanna Harness",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22093554,
          "author": "lcall",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T19:52:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22093554",
          "commentText": "Very recently: Spillworthy, by Johanna Harness (https://www.amazon.com/Spillworthy-Johanna-Harness/dp/099138... (https://www.amazon.com/Spillworthy-Johanna-Harness/dp/0991381025)).\nMight be targeted at a teen audience, but I enjoyed it very much, as relaxing, clean, light fiction that makes the reader want to be a better person while they enjoy themselves.  Very thoughtful and enjoyable, hard to put down.  Shows a hard situation be resolved, from the perspective of the youths involved, and I thought it shows a lot of kind thoughtfulness over many years, by the author.  (Some years ago I knew the author's husband.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Very recently: Spillworthy, by Johanna Harness",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed it as relaxing, thoughtful fiction that encourages readers to be better people.",
          "audience": "Possibly teens; the commenter says they enjoyed it too.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it may be targeted at a teen audience.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Johanna Harness"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "character growth",
        "young adult"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "spin-state-aa156e",
      "title": "Spin State",
      "author": "Chris Moriarty",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34176258,
          "author": "sershe",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-29T18:48:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34176258",
          "commentText": "1) Chris Moriarty. Spin State - relatively-hard sci-fi with decent non sci-fi elements (i.e. characters and stuff), which I think is rare.\n2) Ralph Ellison. Invisible Man. I really enjoyed the writing, among other things, and how he captures short moments and scenes with sort of a hard-to-describe quality of a visual art, almost.\n3) Ilya Somin. Free To Move. To me most of the book was \"duh\" but I think it would be a good read for people on the fence about immigration and private vs public institutions.\n4) Vaclav Smil. Energy And Civilization; possibly How the World Really Works, still reading that one. Really dense and detailed examination of energy history of mankind for the former, and infrastructure of technological civilization for the latter.\n5) Pluckrose & Lindsday. Cynical Theories. Good 101 on CRT and modern woke movement.\n6) Alexander. New Jim Crow. Good 101 on war on drugs, although some broader social arguments the book makes straightforwardly don't seem to follow, or are contradicted by, its factual base IMHO.\n7) Stephenson. Seveneves - really good hard sci-fi imho, although felt very, very long.\n8) Orwell. Down and Out in Paris and London. A good book about poverty only 70-100 years ago. Also a good perspective for modern complaints about poverty - I have some non-US background for that, so I think many US readers might benefit more.\nOn the fence. \n1) I want to plug Seleukid Royal Economy, just for the hell of it, if you are interested in ancient economy :)\n2) Galef. Scout Mindset - on the fence about this one, but it seemed like it was way too long for what it offers. Maybe I've just read a lot of the same stuff ago.\n3) Okorafor. Binti - not bad as a YA book, but sci-fi aspects are remarkably bad.\nA few more I'm too lazy to type out ;)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Spin State - relatively-hard sci-fi with decent non sci-fi elements (i.e. characters and stuff), which I think is rare.",
          "reason": "Presents it as a recommended read and praises its mix of science fiction and character elements.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris Moriarty"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hard science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "spin-trilogy-fd6418",
      "title": "Spin trilogy",
      "author": "Robert Charles Wilson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36022420,
          "author": "Maelcum",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T16:18:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36022420",
          "commentText": "Many of Philip K. Dick books and short stories, but Ubik and A Maze of Death are my favorites.\nWilliam Gibson's Sprawl trilogy (Neuromancer, Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive)\nDouglas N. Adams - The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\nFrank Herbert's Dune books\nTheodore Sturgeon's More Than Human\nRobert A. Heinlein - Citizen of the Galaxy\nRobert Charles Wilson's Spin trilogy\nFrederik Pohl's Heechee books",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Robert Charles Wilson's Spin trilogy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Charles Wilson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cosmic mystery",
        "first contact"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "spinning-silver-7a8fe4",
      "title": "Spinning Silver",
      "author": "Naomi Novik",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18708770,
          "author": "rexaliquid",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-18T17:57:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18708770",
          "commentText": "Some fiction from this year I would recommend:\nLeviathan Wakes (The Expanse #1) by James S. A. Corey - I enjoyed this whole series. I like that the physics of space travel is respected among the politics/mystery. Each book in the series is a bit of a different genre set in the universe.\nSpinning Silver by Naomi Novak - Eastern European folk tale akin to Rumplestiltskin.\nAn Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green - Contemporary fiction with a scifi bent. Ultimately hopeful, it explores the consequences of viral fame.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Spinning Silver by Naomi Novak - Eastern European folk tale akin to Rumplestiltskin.",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list of fiction they recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as akin to the Rumplestiltskin folk tale.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Naomi Novik"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "eastern european folklore",
        "fairy tale retelling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "spinoff-2667a7",
      "title": "Spinoff",
      "author": "Charlie Sporck",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17204961,
          "author": "kken",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T13:14:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17204961",
          "commentText": "This. Also\n\"Spinoff\" by Charlie Sporck - early Silicon Valley history on Semi companies\n\"Commodore - a company on the edge\" by Brian Bagnall\n\"Only the paranoid survive\" by Andy Grove - Intels switch to Microprocessors. (Interestingly you can see in the book that he realized the power of the internet, but failed to act on it to some extend)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Spinoff\" by Charlie Sporck",
          "reason": "Recommended as an account of early Silicon Valley semiconductor company history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charlie Sporck"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "semiconductor industry",
        "silicon valley"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "spiritual-formation-4a20de",
      "title": "Spiritual Formation",
      "author": "Henri J. M. Nouwen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38685840,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-18T17:53:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38685840",
          "commentText": "'The Path To Power', Caro, first volume of his LBJ biography. Elsewhere ('Working'), Caro has explained that his career in writing is to make clear how power is acquired and used. I think he achieves this goal here and am looking forward to the remaining volumes.\n'Spiritual Formation', Henri Nouwen. A deep, Catholic, thinker with much to offer those who are looking in this direction.\n'In A Sunburned Country', Bryson. Bryson is an ideal travel companion.\n'The Information', Gleick. A tour of the ideas and technologies underneath how we became so dependent on bits.\n'Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons'... the most worthwhile part was how my son and I bonded over working through the lessons.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Spiritual Formation', Henri Nouwen.",
          "reason": "Described as offering much to readers interested in this direction.",
          "audience": "Those looking for deep Catholic thought.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Henri J. M. Nouwen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "catholic spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "spivak-s-calculus-68e13c",
      "title": "Spivak's Calculus",
      "author": "Michael Spivak",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23727502,
          "author": "montalbano",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T20:51:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23727502",
          "commentText": "Spivak is an excellent choice but may be too advanced depending on his level. I would also strongly recommend any of the books in the Art of Problem Solving series:\nhttps://artofproblemsolving.com/store/list/aops-curriculum\nI've got a PhD in bioengineering but I'm currently going through Introduction to Counting and Probability and I'm really enjoying it.\nSome others (not AOPS series):\nNelsen - Proofs Without Words\nPolya - How to Solve it\nStrogatz - Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Spivak is an excellent choice but may be too advanced depending on his level.",
          "reason": "Calls it an excellent choice, while noting it may be too advanced for the student's level.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "May be too advanced depending on the student's level.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Spivak"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "calculus",
        "textbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "splash-of-code-c47acf",
      "title": "Splash of Code",
      "author": "Joel Dare",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22305431,
          "author": "codazoda",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-12T03:21:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22305431",
          "commentText": "My Splash of Code book teaches JavaScript to absolute beginners by walking them through some type-in generative art projects. People really seem to enjoy it, especially non-developers who are a little technical, such as designers, scrum masters, and product owners.\nSplash of Code by Joel Dare",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My Splash of Code book teaches JavaScript to absolute beginners",
          "reason": "Teaches JavaScript through type-in generative art projects.",
          "audience": "Absolute beginners, including somewhat technical non-developers such as designers, scrum masters, and product owners.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joel Dare"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "generative art",
        "javascript"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "splinter-cell-books-e9d128",
      "title": "Splinter Cell books",
      "author": "Various authors",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25846874,
          "author": "giantg2",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T14:36:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25846874",
          "commentText": "I don't read much fiction either. I did read more when I was younger.\nI enjoyed many of the Halo books (there are a couple duds in there too), which lead me to other books authored by Eric Nylund. I like his writing style, even though he has more fantasy elements to his stories than I would typically like but it somehow works. A Game of Universe and Mortal Coils are some that I have read.\nI also read some of the Splinter Cell books. They were ok from what I remember, but probably only good if you liked the games. Tom Clancy has some good books (the Splinter Cell game books are ghost written). I remember Rainbow Six was a good one.\nYou could also try non-fiction adventure books. Since they are set in areas you are not familiar with, your brain still has to build the environment and imagery. Something like One Man's Wilderness. I enjoyed that book. I used to read and listen to books like Hatchet and this was along the same lines but non-fiction. I'd also say to be careful about these. For me, it makes me want to quit and live on a farm.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I also read some of the Splinter Cell books. They were ok from what I remember, but probably only good if you liked the games.",
          "reason": "Says the books were okay, mainly for readers who liked the games.",
          "audience": "Readers who liked the Splinter Cell games.",
          "caveat": "Only probably worthwhile if you liked the games.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "spy fiction",
        "video game tie in"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "splitting-an-order-537017",
      "title": "Splitting an Order",
      "author": "Ted Kooser",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17341548,
          "author": "cschmidt",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T20:44:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17341548",
          "commentText": "I really enjoy Ted Kooser. A poet from Nebraska, who was the poet laureate twice. His recent Splitting an Order was wonderful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His recent Splitting an Order was wonderful.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the book wonderful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ted Kooser"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "poetry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "spot-b6a12d",
      "title": "Spot",
      "author": "Eric Hill",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50079372,
          "author": "pjacotg",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-13T21:50:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50079372",
          "commentText": "To get started board books and we also had a book with pictures of a 1000 everyday objects which both my kids loved.\nThen for older than the first few months, my kids loved Maisy books, Spot books, various Julia Donaldsons, Percy the Park Keeper and Hairy Maclarey to name a few.\nGood luck with all of it!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Spot books",
          "reason": "The commenter lists these among books their children loved.",
          "audience": "Young children; offered as reading advice for a baby.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Hill"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "early childhood",
        "picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "springfield-confidential-1a838f",
      "title": "Springfield Confidential",
      "author": "Mike Reiss",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17521167,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T07:42:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521167",
          "commentText": "Here are the best books I've read over the last few months:\n- Lost and Founder - the founder of Moz shares his advice and experience from building a 40M/year company. I found the things he says about building a startup extremely insightful and practically useful. Reading it feels like having a dinner with a friend who shares with you the things he has learned in a very honest, down to earth way. Highly recommend it.\n- Rationality from AI to Zombies - probably the most influential book I've read in my life, profoundly changed the way I think. It's a collection of LessWrong essays on science and rationality. (recently they've released an an audio version by the way).\n- \"A Short History of Nearly Everything\" and \"Our Mathematical Universe\" - two general popular science books I'm enjoying a lot. Haven't finished reading them yet, but so far they're brilliant(and very easy to understand, authors do an amazing job explaining complicated things in a simple, accessible way).\n- Hacking Growth - an AMAZING book on \"growth hacking\". It provides a framework for marketing a startup, gives a ton of practical advice and specific tactics. It breaks down step by step how  startups and big tech companies grow their products. Most of the books I've read on the subject were bullshit, but this one is absolutely fantastic, can't recommend it enough.\nOther great books I should mention:  This Idea is Brilliant, Actionable Gamification, The Design of Everyday Things, The Master Algorithm (great overview of machine learning techniqes), Springfield Confidential (fun behind the scenes from one of the writers on Simpsons), Homo Deus(from the author of Sapiens).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Springfield Confidential (fun behind the scenes from one of the writers on Simpsons)",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as a fun behind-the-scenes account.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in The Simpsons and its production.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mike Reiss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "television writing",
        "the simpsons"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "springfield-confidential-jokes-secrets-and-outright-lies-from-a-l-bf6776",
      "title": "Springfield Confidential: Jokes, Secrets, and Outright Lies from a Lifetime Writing for The Simpsons",
      "author": "Mike Reiss",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21792874,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T22:44:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21792874",
          "commentText": "The ones I rated highest out of those I read this year (which is what I think the question means).\n* Exactly: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester\n* Atomic Adventures: Secret Islands, Forgotten N-Rays, and Isotopic Murder-A Journey into the Wild World of Nuclear Science by James Magaffey\n* Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande\n* Vulcan 607 by Rowland White\n* Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen\n* Best. Movie. Year. Ever: How 1999 Blew Up the Big Screen by Brian Raftery\n* A Fabulous Creation: How the LP Saved Our Lives by David Hepworth\n* 1983: Reagan, Andropov, and a World on the Brink by Taylor Downing\n* The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes and Why by Amanda Ripley\n* In Your Defence: Stories of Life and Law by Sarah Langford\n* Springfield Confidential: Jokes, Secrets, and Outright Lies from a Lifetime Writing for The Simpsons by Mike Reiss\n* Working Actor: Breaking in, Making a Living, and Making a Life in the Fabulous Trenches of Show Business by David Dean Bottrell\n* Becoming by Michelle Obama\n* Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress by Steven Pinker\n* Rush Hour by Iain Gatel\n* Tamed: Ten Species that Changed our World by Alice Roberts\n* The Next American City: The Big Promise of Our Midsize Metros by Mick Cornett",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The ones I rated highest out of those I read this year",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s highest-rated books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mike Reiss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "television writing",
        "the simpsons"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sprites-in-qbasic-c42d8b",
      "title": "Sprites in QBASIC",
      "author": "Ted Felix",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37389557,
          "author": "marttt",
          "createdAt": "2023-09-05T09:16:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 37386127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best intro to programming book for 2nd graders?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37389557",
          "commentText": "Strange as it may seem, me (computer hobbyist) and my son (3th grade) ended up working with this book on QBASIC by Ted Felix:\nhttp://tedfelix.com/qbasic/\nYes, QBASIC. Back to the 1990s. DOSBox or something similar needed for it to work under Windows 10. But: the syntax is easy to grasp even for children who are not native English speakers, and the full-screen IDE with Large Friendly Letters On A Blue Screen seems to help the kids in maintaining focus. Modify your code, hit F5, repeat (infinite LOOPs under DOSBox may be \"fun\", though, since the program termination hotkey is tricky to figure out).\nFor teaching/learning the absolute basics of programming, QBASIC still seems well worth considering.\nGoing through this book with my son just these days, and I think he's doing great. It's a really well written book, too. Careful wording, empathetic towards the child-learner. A prime example of \"new is not always better\".\nWhen we're done with the introductory book, we'll probably move foward to \"Sprites in QBASIC\" by the same author: http://tedfelix.com/qbasic/sprites.html",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "we'll probably move foward to \"Sprites in QBASIC\" by the same author",
          "reason": "Plans to use it after finishing the introductory book.",
          "audience": "A child learning QBASIC with a parent.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not yet started the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ted Felix"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s programming",
        "qbasic",
        "sprites"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sputnik-sweetheart-0465f6",
      "title": "Sputnik Sweetheart",
      "author": "Haruki Murakami",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15961269,
          "author": "calebm",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:24:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961269",
          "commentText": "* The Unconsoled (Kazuo Ishiguro)\n* Never Let Me Go (Kazuo Ishiguro)\n* Influx (Daniel Suarex)\n* Sputnik Sweetheart (Haruki Murakami)\n* Apex (Ramez Naam)\n* One Second After (William R. Forstchen)\n* Anna Karanina (Leo Tolstoy)\n* Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n* A Farewell to Arms (Ernest Hemingway)\n* Crux (Ramez Naam)\n* A Moveable Feast (Ernest Hemingway)\n* Hardboiled Wonderland and The End of the World (Haruki Murakami)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Sputnik Sweetheart (Haruki Murakami)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 200158,
          "author": "Tichy",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-26T12:49:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 199722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=200158",
          "commentText": "I'd recommend to start with Norwegian Wood for Murakami. Didn't like Sputnik Sweetheart at all, and many of his other books tend to be too esoterical for my taste. But NW was esoterics-free, if I remember correctly.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Didn't like Sputnik Sweetheart at all",
          "reason": "The commenter says they did not like it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 199906,
          "author": "justindz",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-26T02:37:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 199722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=199906",
          "commentText": "Haruki Murakami.  Sputnik Sweetheart, Norwegian Wood, Kafka on the Shore.  After the Quake, if you like short stories.  Great stuff.\nIf you want something lighter, try Banana Yoshimoto.  If you want something with more sex and gruesome murders, try Ryu Murakami.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sputnik Sweetheart, Norwegian Wood, Kafka on the Shore. After the Quake, if you like short stories. Great stuff.",
          "reason": "Recommends these titles as “Great stuff.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Haruki Murakami"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "japanese literature",
        "literary fiction",
        "unrequited love"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "spycatcher-cf4829",
      "title": "Spycatcher",
      "author": "Peter Wright",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17750730,
          "author": "vectorEQ",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T15:16:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17750730",
          "commentText": "not really a cybercrime novel, but really interesting for people in that business i'd say. Spy Catcher.  That is written by someone in high position of MI:5 and their first 'science' officer. a lot of interesting information about spying which later really kickstarted cyber espionage / crime in a way...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Spy Catcher. That is written by someone in high position of MI:5",
          "reason": "Suggests the book as interesting reading for people in the field.",
          "audience": "People in the spying or cybercrime business.",
          "caveat": "Not really a cybercrime novel; it is about spying.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Wright"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "espionage",
        "intelligence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "squaring-the-circle-geometry-in-art-architecture-ffff06",
      "title": "Squaring the Circle: Geometry in Art & Architecture",
      "author": "Paul Calter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10027564,
          "author": "walterbell",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T15:46:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027564",
          "commentText": "1) A2K Handbook, free online, http://a2knetwork.org/handbook\n\"Access to Knowledge (A2K) is the umbrella term for a movement that aims to create more equitable public access to the products of human culture and learning. The ultimate objective of the movement is to create a world in which educational and cultural works are accessible to all, and in which consumers and creators alike participate in a vibrant ecosystem of innovation and creativity.\"\n2) Sci-Fi author L. Sprague de Camp's 1963 book, \"The Ancient Engineers\", covers the period from early Egyptian engineering up to Galileo. http://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Engineers-L-Sprague-Camp/dp/03... (http://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Engineers-L-Sprague-Camp/dp/0345482875/)\n“History, technology, culture, finance, and sociology intersect here. It’s not history from the top (kings and such, which some say is dry), nor history from the bottom (average people, which is necessarily endless and perhaps not very revealing). It’s history from the nuts-and-bolts middle – how structures were built, how materials were transported, how wars were fought. When you know this sort of foundational information, everything else becomes more real.”\n3) Paul Calter, \"Squaring the Circle: Geometry in Art & Architecture\", http://www.amazon.com/Squaring-Circle-Geometry-Art-Architect... (http://www.amazon.com/Squaring-Circle-Geometry-Art-Architecture/dp/0470412127/)\n\"the combination of the subject knowledge of design, architecture, art, geometry, philospohy, music theory, and mathematics ... Calter includes the basic lessons and explanations of a regular Geometry course in his book, but then he interweaves an integrated classical curriculum (based on deductive reasoning)\"\n4) Georges Ifrah, \"Universal History of Numbers\", http://www.amazon.com/Universal-History-Numbers-Prehistory-I... (http://www.amazon.com/Universal-History-Numbers-Prehistory-Invention/dp/0471375683/)\n\"the first complete account of the invention and evolution of numbers the world over ... Dubbed the \"Indiana Jones of numbers,\" Georges Ifrah traveled all over the world for ten years to uncover the little-known details of this amazing story. From India to China, and from Egypt to Chile, Ifrah talked to mathematicians, historians, archaeologists, and philosophers.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "3) Paul Calter, \"Squaring the Circle: Geometry in Art & Architecture\"",
          "reason": "Lists the book and describes its connections across geometry, architecture, art, and other subjects.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Calter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Design",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "architecture",
        "art and mathematics",
        "geometry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sredni-vashtar-870c42",
      "title": "Sredni Vashtar",
      "author": "Saki (H. H. Munro)",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20915436,
          "author": "lukewrites",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T05:34:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20915436",
          "commentText": "Anna Karenina\nFor a lighter, but still interesting read, anything by Saki is good - Sredni Vashtar was the first story of his I read and I still come back to it decades later.\nhttp://www.classicshorts.com/stories/vashtar.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sredni Vashtar was the first story of his I read and I still come back to it decades later.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they still return to the story decades after first reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Saki (H. H. Munro)"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "edwardian literature",
        "short story"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "staff-engineer-cff882",
      "title": "Staff Engineer",
      "author": "Will Larson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27630948,
          "author": "beckingz",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T14:09:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27630948",
          "commentText": "Going to be reading:\n- Staff Engineer\n- Thinking in Systems: a Primer\n- Team Topologies\nAnd for fiction:\n- The Master and Margarita\nMight re-read peopleware again as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Staff Engineer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Will Larson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software engineering leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "staff-engineer-leadership-beyond-the-management-track-40de71",
      "title": "Staff Engineer: Leadership beyond the management track",
      "author": "Will Larson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33855481,
          "author": "rahimnathwani",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T17:13:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33855481",
          "commentText": "Staff Engineer: Leadership beyond the management track by Will Larson (https://staffeng.com/book)\nPeopleware",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Staff Engineer: Leadership beyond the management track by Will Larson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Will Larson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "staff engineering",
        "technical leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stainless-steel-rat-55f767",
      "title": "Stainless Steel Rat",
      "author": "Harry Harrison",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17353257,
          "author": "adamhepner",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-20T07:15:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17353257",
          "commentText": "Actually, the whole Dune series, and risking to be controversial - the extended universe with the abomination of books by Frank Herbert's son. Yes, they break the rules, yes, they are rushed and yes some explanations plain don't make sense, but ohmygod the additional tens of thousands of years added to the story just put on so much more grandure... But why I like it: I open random page, and I just enjoy falling back to the epic story and remembering small details, discovering new ones, pondering upon the small artificial quotes before the chapters. Those books have so much going on for them, and thanks to the time spans involved you can actually pretty much jump in at any moment.\nOther one is Stainless Steel Rat series by Harry Harrison, those are very funny and don't attempt to take themselves too seriously, and have the same principle - you can jump into the story at any moment and just enjoy rapid pace of events splashed with humorous commentary. Plus the protagonist is a very much self made man in a world where it doesn't come easily, so there's that bit of hope for you.\nThirdly - Discworld. I guess it does not need comment, does it?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "those are very funny and don't attempt to take themselves too seriously",
          "reason": "Praises the humor, pace, and hopeful protagonist; says readers can jump in anywhere.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Harry Harrison"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic science fiction",
        "space adventure"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stalin-paradoxes-of-power-1878-1928-0237be",
      "title": "Stalin: Paradoxes of Power, 1878–1928",
      "author": "Stephen Kotkin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32198157,
          "author": "specialist",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T23:02:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32198157",
          "commentText": "Powered thru Stalin: Paradoxes of Power, 1878-1928 by Stephen Kotkin. How the Bolsheviks ended up in power is just such a ridiculous, improbable tale.\nFantastic book. Super hard to read, given the current events here in the USA. Paraphrasing, Kotkin's thesis is that revolution only succeeds when the elite stop defending the current regime.\nI've since been wondering what our elite will do, when push comes to shove.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Fantastic book. Super hard to read, given the current events here in the USA.",
          "reason": "Praises the book but finds it difficult to read in light of current events.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Super hard to read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Kotkin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political history",
        "russian revolution",
        "stalin"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stalin-the-court-of-the-red-tsar-addd16",
      "title": "Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar",
      "author": "Simon Sebag Montefiore",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42275555,
          "author": "_hdki",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T17:46:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42275555",
          "commentText": "A few of this year's highlights for me and my notes on the books, where available.\nFiction -\nNotes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/2ab29d16-0cb1-4ef8-8cde... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/2ab29d16-0cb1-4ef8-8cde-8c9d90db0daf)\nPride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/65214629-29ac-45a6-b474... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/65214629-29ac-45a6-b474-b9fad1285564)\nBleak House by Charles Dickens\nThe Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/bd090cb4-bc9a-41cb-9833... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/bd090cb4-bc9a-41cb-9833-f60834ccd28c)\nNonfiction -\nThe House of Government by Yuri Slezkine (my luckiest find of the year)\nStalin: The Court of The Red Tsar by Simon Sebag Montefiore - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/13ebec0d-0859-4858-864a... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/13ebec0d-0859-4858-864a-8c28bacfed8f)\nVienna by Richard Cockett - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/c0e1d1fb-dea7-456b-a95e... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/c0e1d1fb-dea7-456b-a95e-fcccdd63814a)\nThe House That Madigan Built by Ray Long (an interesting history of a legendary figure in Illinois state politics)\nSay Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stalin: The Court of The Red Tsar by Simon Sebag Montefiore",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s nonfiction highlights of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Simon Sebag Montefiore"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "joseph stalin",
        "soviet union"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stalin-the-kremlin-mountaineer-e090fb",
      "title": "Stalin: The Kremlin Mountaineer",
      "author": "Simon Sebag Montefiore",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17521488,
          "author": "Stronico",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T09:06:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521488",
          "commentText": "1.  You Can't Win by Jack Black - autobiography of a late 19th century safecracker and general criminal - long enough ago for everything to be different, but the differences are still recognizable\n2.  Stalin - the Kremlin Mountaineer - a great, and short biography of Joseph Stalin - one of the rare books that could have been longer\n3.  Stars Beneath Us: Finding God in the Evolving Cosmos by Paul Wallace - an astrophysicist looks at the book of Job and reveals it as the big picture view.\n4.  The True Believer by Eric Hoffer - the all time classic of the study of mass movements.  Full of aphorisms too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a great, and short biography of Joseph Stalin",
          "reason": "Calls it a great short biography.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Stalin's life.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Simon Sebag Montefiore"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "joseph stalin",
        "soviet history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stan-veit-s-history-of-the-personal-computer-adb018",
      "title": "Stan Veit's History of the Personal Computer",
      "author": "Stan Veit",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22711267,
          "author": "pjbk",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T14:19:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22711267",
          "commentText": "Since these have not been mentioned already:\n* Brian Bagnall trilogy on the history of Commodore/Amiga: http://variantpress.com\n* Severo Ornstein's \"Computing in the Middle Ages\", about how it used to be a professional programmer back in the early days. You can find his CHM oral history interview at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q243lfVdQ9E.\n* \"Stan Veit's History of the Personal Computer\". A candid view about how the PC industry unfolded.\n* \"Introduction to Algorithms\" by Udi Manber. IMHO one of the best books about how to approach problems with a programmer's mindset.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Stan Veit's History of the Personal Computer\". A candid view about how the PC industry unfolded.",
          "reason": "Recommends a history of how the PC industry developed.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in personal computer history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stan Veit"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "pc industry",
        "personal computers"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stanley-the-impossible-life-of-africa-s-greatest-explorer-6c0022",
      "title": "Stanley: The Impossible Life of Africa's Greatest Explorer",
      "author": "Tim Jeal",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38564038,
          "author": "rufus_foreman",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T00:57:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38564038",
          "commentText": "Recommended:\nStanley: The Impossible Life of Africa's Greatest Explorer. Fiction? Non-fiction?\nHad to be made up. A guy born in England to poor circumstances ships out to New Orleans, jumps ship, fights in the Civil War on the confederate side, gets captured, fights in the Civil War on the union side, gets wounded, ends up fighting in the union navy. After the war, becomes a journalist in the American west. Then organizes an expedition to the Ottoman empire...OK he's 26 years old at this point. Sure there's some stuff later but...that's a pretty good resume for a 26 year old. Unbelievable.\nLou Reed: The King of New York Same thing. Just completely real but also unbelievable. The songs he had written by 1965.\nHitler: A Biography, by Ian Kershaw. Completely real, also unbelievable. The German people voting against democracy. Unbelievable.\nEscape From Rome, Walter Scheidel, \"The gripping story of how the end of the Roman Empire was the beginning of the modern world\". I think about the Roman Empire a lot, so basically it was a military slave state and it fell and that's bad?\nThe Great Depression: A Diary, I thought I would hate this, let's read a diary, right? Reading a diary of the Great Depression happening in front of you, it's amazing. The dread, and the bargaining. He's like bargaining against reality that the depression will end.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stanley: The Impossible Life of Africa's Greatest Explorer.",
          "reason": "Lists it under “Recommended” and calls Stanley's life unbelievable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tim Jeal"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "african history",
        "exploration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "star-diaries-a03f82",
      "title": "Star Diaries",
      "author": "Stanisław Lem",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 876370,
          "author": "Tichy",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T09:48:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876370",
          "commentText": "Star Diaries by Stanislaw Lem\nSherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Star Diaries by Stanislaw Lem",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to the thread’s request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stanisław Lem"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic science fiction",
        "space travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "star-fraction-1537c9",
      "title": "Star Fraction",
      "author": "Ken MacLeod",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4662005,
          "author": "bdunbar",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-16T21:38:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 4661261,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite Science Fiction book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4662005",
          "commentText": "A Deepness in the Sky, Vernor Vinge.\nBecause 'unix epoch' is why.  Also: it feels like a future where the details are right, but largely hidden unless needed.\nStar Fraction, Ken MacLeod.\nA romping good read, is why.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A romping good read, is why.",
          "reason": "Calls it a very enjoyable read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ken MacLeod"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "star-schema-the-complete-reference-2bb289",
      "title": "Star Schema: The Complete Reference",
      "author": "Christopher Adamson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13407961,
          "author": "amirbehzad",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T03:01:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13407961",
          "commentText": "Book:\nStar Schema, The Complete Reference, by Christopher Adamson.\nOne of the best technical books ever written.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Schema-Complete-Reference-Christopher... (https://www.amazon.com/Schema-Complete-Reference-Christopher-Adamson/dp/0071744320)\nArticle:\nThinking Clearly about Performance, Cary Millsap (Method R Corporation)\nhttp://method-r.com/papers?download=44:thinking-clearly-(pap... (http://method-r.com/papers?download=44:thinking-clearly-%28paper%29)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Star Schema, The Complete Reference, by Christopher Adamson.\nOne of the best technical books ever written.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the best technical books ever written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher Adamson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data warehousing",
        "star schemas"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "star-wars-tarkin-224fd8",
      "title": "Star Wars: Tarkin",
      "author": "James Luceno",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13236925,
          "author": "jrgifford",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T12:55:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13236925",
          "commentText": "I read 54 books (might be 56, there's still time!) in 2016. Here's the ones I recommend:\nFiction:\n- Owner's Share by Nathan Lowell\nI forget who recommended I read the Solar Clipper series several years ago, but I have been following them for a long time and look forward to it. It's part of a series, so start with the first one (Quarter Share) and continue from there.\n- Star Wars: Tarkin by James Luceno\nNon fiction:\n- Programming Beyond Practices by Gregory Brown.\n- Thirteen: The Apollo Flight That Failed by Henry S.F. Cooper Jr.\nFor the rest of the books I read this year: https://www.goodreads.com/user_challenges/3965760",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Here's the ones I recommend:",
          "reason": "Included in the list the commenter explicitly recommends.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Luceno"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "star wars"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "starlight-and-storm-8b58b9",
      "title": "Starlight and Storm",
      "author": "Gaston Rébuffat",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15630276,
          "author": "alekseypo",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:02:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630276",
          "commentText": "I really enjoy Jorge Luis Borges (hard to pick a favorite, just dive into the short stories and find out for yourself). Imagine an M.C. Escher drawing in story form.\nI also have a strong pull towards adventure so books like Wind, Sand and Stars by Exupery or Starlight and Storm by Rebuffat are constant companions.\nGrowing up I loved books by Emilio Salgari, for a man who traveled so little outside of Italy he had an uncanny ability to imagine worlds and adventures beyond his doorstep. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emilio_Salgari\nI second Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "or Starlight and Storm by Rebuffat are constant companions.",
          "reason": "Describes this adventure book as a constant companion.",
          "audience": "Readers drawn to adventure.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gaston Rébuffat"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure writing",
        "mountaineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stars-beneath-us-finding-god-in-the-evolving-cosmos-b17b15",
      "title": "Stars Beneath Us: Finding God in the Evolving Cosmos",
      "author": "Paul Wallace",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17521488,
          "author": "Stronico",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T09:06:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521488",
          "commentText": "1.  You Can't Win by Jack Black - autobiography of a late 19th century safecracker and general criminal - long enough ago for everything to be different, but the differences are still recognizable\n2.  Stalin - the Kremlin Mountaineer - a great, and short biography of Joseph Stalin - one of the rare books that could have been longer\n3.  Stars Beneath Us: Finding God in the Evolving Cosmos by Paul Wallace - an astrophysicist looks at the book of Job and reveals it as the big picture view.\n4.  The True Believer by Eric Hoffer - the all time classic of the study of mass movements.  Full of aphorisms too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "an astrophysicist looks at the book of Job and reveals it as the big picture view.",
          "reason": "Recommends the book's framing of Job and the cosmos.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Wallace"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "book of job",
        "cosmology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "starship-the-canoe-2e6056",
      "title": "Starship & the Canoe",
      "author": "Kenneth Brower",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10534162,
          "author": "schlagetown",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T17:01:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10534162",
          "commentText": "Watchmen (Alan Moore)\nOrigins of Form (Christopher Williams)\nStarship & The Canoe (Kenneth Brower)\nThe Size of Lumber (Nicholson Baker)\nZen Mind, Beginner's Mind (Shunryu Suzuki)\nDeschooling Society (Ivan Illich)\nMoby Dick (Herman Melville)\nBolo'Bolo (P.M.)\nLe Ton beau de Marot (Douglas Hofstadter)\nGaia: A New Look at Life on Earth (James Lovelock)\nMouse or Rat: Translation as Negotiation (Umberto Eco)\nNeuromancer (William Gibson)\nThe Intelligent Investor (Benjamin Graham)\nDon Quixote (Miguel Cervantes)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Starship & The Canoe (Kenneth Brower)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about the best books read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kenneth Brower"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "freeman dyson"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "starship-grifters-0a934b",
      "title": "Starship Grifters",
      "author": "Robert Kroese",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8402022,
          "author": "totalrobe",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T17:51:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8402022",
          "commentText": "Comedic sci fi is getting me back into it:\nJohn Scalzi writes a kickass tale- Old Man's War series\nRobert Kroese just hilarious - Starship Grifters\nRead a while ago and couldn't put it down - Avogadro Corp: The Singularity is Closer than it Appers by William Hertling",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Robert Kroese just hilarious - Starship Grifters",
          "reason": "The commenter describes the book as hilarious.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Kroese"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comedic science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "startide-rising-403a3b",
      "title": "Startide Rising",
      "author": "David Brin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15430881,
          "author": "hackeraccount",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-09T00:50:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15430881",
          "commentText": "Sure.  I'm an idiot.  I didn't read anything beyond - \"hard sci-fi\"  That said, there was an AI that popped up in some very minor parts of Startide Rising as I recall.  But no, mostly I'm just stupid.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "there was an AI that popped up in some very minor parts of Startide Rising as I recall.",
          "reason": "Recalls a minor AI appearance in the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure of their recollection.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14859819,
          "author": "sparq_beam",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:12:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859819",
          "commentText": "The Uplift War - David Brin\nI had enjoyed Sundiver and Startide Rising from the same series quite a bit, but I have to be honest, this one is trying my patience. I like the whole uplift concept, but I'm finding the writing in this one a bit clumsy.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I had enjoyed Sundiver and Startide Rising from the same series quite a bit",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed it quite a bit.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Brin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "hard science fiction",
        "space opera",
        "uplift"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "starting-from-scratch-bce26b",
      "title": "Starting From Scratch",
      "author": "Wes Moss",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2627237,
          "author": "starter",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-06T23:37:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2627237",
          "commentText": "The Bible: Ecclesiastes - For Humans\nStarting From Scratch by Wes Moss - For Entrepreneurs",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Starting From Scratch by Wes Moss - For Entrepreneurs",
          "reason": "Listed as a suggested book for entrepreneurs.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Wes Moss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "personal finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "startup-4cc182",
      "title": "Startup",
      "author": "Jerry Kaplan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5662,
          "author": "sharpshoot",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T12:02:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5662",
          "commentText": "startup by jerry Kaplan. This book really gives you the insight and adrenaline involved in building an idea which was too early for its time. Emotional stuff :)\niCon: the unofficial biography of steve jobs. Tremendous into steve's character",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "startup by jerry Kaplan. This book really gives you the insight and adrenaline involved in building an idea which was too early for its time.",
          "reason": "Says it conveys the insight and adrenaline of building an idea too early for its time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jerry Kaplan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "startup history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "startup-boards-d65e2e",
      "title": "Startup Boards",
      "author": "Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brad Feld",
        "Mahendra Ramsinghani"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "corporate boards",
        "startups"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "startup-communities-building-an-entrepreneurial-ecosystem-in-your-e6a77d",
      "title": "Startup Communities: Building an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem in Your City",
      "author": "Brad Feld",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4967193,
          "author": "jkuria",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T21:48:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967193",
          "commentText": "Blue Ocean strategy -- Really solid and well researched book on how to create things customers will gladly pay for while minimizing your own costs. Creating uncontested market space for yourself and making the competition irrelevant.\nVisual Communication -- old book currently out of print but timeless principles for effective communication. Visual communication is often more effective than words.\nEat, Drink and Be Healthy -- How to enjoy food but stay in great shape. You do not need to live on steamed  broccoli and granola to do this! Lots of bland foods are unhealthy and lots of healthy foods are actually tasty. You just need to know which ones.\nHow to build a start up community in your city -- Book by Brad Feld with some interesting ideas about 'leaders' and 'feeders'. Read it to to build a community around http://AfriTech.org\nPositioning -- interesting ideas on how to succeed in a crowded market place\nWriting Non Fiction -- another old book that is out of print but lots of good ideas on how to communicate effectively",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How to build a start up community in your city -- Book by Brad Feld with some interesting ideas about 'leaders' and 'feeders'.",
          "reason": "The commenter notes interesting ideas and says they read it to build a community.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brad Feld"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "startup ecosystems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "startup-nation-cf4401",
      "title": "Startup Nation",
      "author": "Dan Senor and Saul Singer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17207432,
          "author": "djbelieny",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T17:02:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17207432",
          "commentText": "Not necessarily company or people but I'd like to recommend \"Startup Nation\" by Dan Senor & Saul Singer. Very interesting chronicle of Israel's economic boom and it touches on interesting history of several tech companies which either relocates, created branches or were created in Israel.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd like to recommend \"Startup Nation\" by Dan Senor & Saul Singer.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends its chronicle of Israel's economic boom and technology companies.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Israel's economy and technology companies.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Senor and Saul Singer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic development",
        "israel",
        "startups"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "startup-sales-guide-e6173d",
      "title": "Startup Sales Guide",
      "author": "Steli Efti",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10233838,
          "author": "revorad",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T15:22:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10233838",
          "commentText": "Read and listen to everything Steli Efti says -\nhttps://twitter.com/steli\nHis book - http://www.startupsalesguide.com/\n“The Predictable Revenue Guide To Tripling Your Sales” by Aaron Ross and Jason M. Lemkin - http://www.saastr.com/the-predictable-revenue-guide-to-tripl... (http://www.saastr.com/the-predictable-revenue-guide-to-tripling-your-sales-by-aaron-ross-and-jason-m-lemkin-download-part-1-now/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His book - http://www.startupsalesguide.com/",
          "reason": "Recommended alongside the instruction to read and listen to everything Steli Efti says.",
          "audience": "People learning startup sales.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steli Efti"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sales",
        "startup sales"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "startup-an-insider-s-guide-to-launching-and-running-a-business-1a5f4e",
      "title": "Startup: An Insider's Guide to Launching and Running a Business",
      "author": "Kevin Ready",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35219113,
          "author": "tmcdos",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-19T14:14:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35219113",
          "commentText": "I am not an entrepreneur (yet) but I still want to share a few titles with you:\n- \"Maverick or The seven day weekend\" by Ricardo Semler\n- \"Rework\" by Jason Fried and David Hansson\n- \"Startup - an insider's guide to launching and running a business\" by Kevin Ready\n- \"Bookkeeping and Cost Accounting for Factories\" by William Kent (1918)\n- \"Practice what you preach\" by David Maister\n- \"Don't oil the squeaky wheel\" by Wolf Rinke\n- \"Selling The Wheel: Choosing The Best Way To Sell For You Your Company Your Customers\" by Jeff Cox\n- \"The power of stupidity\" by Giancarlo Livraghi\n- \"How to write a good advertisement\" by Victor Schwab\n- \"How to Make Money Out of Thin Air\" by Brian Sher\n- \"Good manners and business etiquette. Illustrated Guide\" by Elena Ber\n- \"Don't just roll the dice: A usefully short guide to software pricing\" by Neil Davidson\n- \"Message to Garcia\" by Elbert Hubbard\n- the TopLeaf course of 36 video lectures on management by dr. Izhak Adizes can be purchased on https://vimeo.com/ondemand/topleaf or found on ru tracker (if you have access)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Startup - an insider's guide to launching and running a business\" by Kevin Ready",
          "reason": "Shares the title among several books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are not yet an entrepreneur.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kevin Ready"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "startups"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "startupland-how-three-guys-risked-everything-to-turn-an-idea-into-7f384a",
      "title": "Startupland: How Three Guys Risked Everything to Turn an Idea into a Global Business",
      "author": "Mikkel Svane",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17205522,
          "author": "jordanab",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T14:21:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205522",
          "commentText": "- \"Startupland: How Three Guys Risked Everything to Turn an Idea into a Global Business\"\nI just finished this, and really enjoyed it. It's about the founding of Zendesk. I personally liked it's perspective because it's founders were 30 somethings (instead of the usual out of college types), and they are from Europe.\nI also really enjoyed:\n- \"Hatching Twitter: A True Story of Money, Power, Friendship, and Betrayal\"\n- \"The Airbnb Story: How Three Ordinary Guys Disrupted an Industry, Made Billions and Created Plenty of Controversy\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I just finished this, and really enjoyed it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mikkel Svane"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "startup founding",
        "zendesk"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "startups-that-work-surprising-research-on-what-makes-or-breaks-a--bac3b7",
      "title": "Startups That Work: Surprising Research on What Makes or Breaks a New Company",
      "author": "Joel Kurtzman and Glenn Rifkin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 138487,
          "author": "davidsickmiller",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-16T22:47:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=138487",
          "commentText": "It looks like nobody else has recommend one book I particularly like: Startups That Work: Surprising Research on What Makes or Breaks a New Company by Joel Kurtzman and Glenn Rifkin.\nIt combines a large quantitative study on startups with highlights from case interviews.  The book's claims are generally backed by empirical evidence, which is something missing in many other entrepreneurship books.\nDavid Sickmiller",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "one book I particularly like: Startups That Work: Surprising Research on What Makes or Breaks a New Company",
          "reason": "The commenter particularly likes the book and highlights its evidence-based startup research.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says empirical backing is often missing from other entrepreneurship books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joel Kurtzman and Glenn Rifkin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "empirical research",
        "entrepreneurship",
        "startups"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stasiland-a1770f",
      "title": "Stasiland",
      "author": "Anna Funder",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38238595,
          "author": "nicbou",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T08:58:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238595",
          "commentText": "Ways of being. It's about different kinds of intelligences out in the wild. It starts a bit slow but it's very interesting and has a lot of interesting anecdotes and stories.\nBefore that I couldn't put down Stasiland, a book with stories about Stasi employees and the people they persecuted.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Before that I couldn't put down Stasiland, a book with stories about Stasi employees and the people they persecuted.",
          "reason": "Says they couldn't put the book down.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anna Funder"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "east germany",
        "stasi"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "statistical-mechanics-6817d9",
      "title": "Statistical Mechanics",
      "author": "R. K. Pathria",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40282011,
          "author": "curiouscavalier",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T03:18:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40282011",
          "commentText": "Statistical Mechanics by Pathria. Every read teaches me something new and reminds me how little I know.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Statistical Mechanics by Pathria. Every read teaches me something new",
          "reason": "Says rereading it teaches them something new.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "R. K. Pathria"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "statistical mechanics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "statistical-methods-the-geometric-approach-5e2636",
      "title": "Statistical Methods: The Geometric Approach",
      "author": "Peter W. F. Saville and Graham R. Wood",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30490292,
          "author": "dxbydt",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T17:14:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30490292",
          "commentText": "Saville is a fantastic book. You may like Gemignani’s “Calculus and Statistics” - in the same spirit. Mostly combined problems in high school level stat and calculus, going back and forth between the 2 subjects.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Saville is a fantastic book.",
          "reason": "Affirms the parent comment's positive assessment of Saville's book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter W. F. Saville",
        "Graham R. Wood"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "geometric approach",
        "statistics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "statistical-models-6e9abc",
      "title": "Statistical Models",
      "author": "David A. Freedman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 665079,
          "author": "lkozma",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T13:38:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665079",
          "commentText": "You could read Gilbert Strang's Linear Algebra books, there are also video lectures available...\nGelman's Bayesian Data Analysis is a good statistical intro with a Bayesian bend,\nmaybe Freedman's Statistical models,\nread some general machine learning intro book, such as Alpaydin or Bishop for a more probabilistic view.\nFor NLP especially, you'll need some information theory. Maybe start with MacKay's Information Theory, Inference, etc. (it is freely available online), very entertaining and accessible book and you can follow the pointers there for more details.\nFor general data mining and machine learning you need some basics of optimization, pick up any standard book on convex optimization to get an idea of the basic problems and methods.\nthat's it at a first try :)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "maybe Freedman's Statistical models",
          "reason": "Suggested as a possible statistics text.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Presented tentatively.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David A. Freedman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "statistical modeling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "statistical-rethinking-a-bayesian-course-with-examples-in-r-and-s-267856",
      "title": "Statistical Rethinking: A Bayesian Course with Examples in R and Stan",
      "author": "Richard McElreath",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33601124,
          "author": "thatcherc",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-14T21:10:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33601124",
          "commentText": "I had a real \"click\" moment with Statistic Rethinking (2nd Edition) too! I never really \"got\" Bayes' Theorem before (could use it to solve homework problems and stuff but never appreciated it) but somewhere in SR Chapter 2 the whole point of it really snapped into focus. Good book!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I had a real \"click\" moment with Statistic Rethinking (2nd Edition) too!",
          "reason": "The commenter says a chapter made Bayes' Theorem snap into focus.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard McElreath"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bayesian statistics",
        "statistical modeling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "statistics-30528c",
      "title": "Statistics",
      "author": "David Freedman, Robert Pisani, and Roger Purves",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30488224,
          "author": "eezurr",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T13:30:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30488224",
          "commentText": "Statistics, 4th addition by david freedman. Read it years ago but still remains the most lucid book ive ever read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Statistics, 4th addition by david freedman.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it remains the most lucid book they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Freedman",
        "Robert Pisani",
        "Roger Purves"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "statistics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "statistics-through-applications-6200e3",
      "title": "Statistics Through Applications",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 665596,
          "author": "PebblesRox",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T17:58:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665596",
          "commentText": "I read this textbook (Statistics Through Applications) for fun last summer:  http://bcs.whfreeman.com/sta/default.asp?s=&n=&i=... (http://bcs.whfreeman.com/sta/default.asp?s=&n=&i=&v=&o=&ns=0&uid=0&rau=0)\nUnlike most textbooks, it is actually well written.  It would not take long to finish if you skip most of the exercises and I think it provides a good introduction to and explanation of basic ideas involved in statistics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Unlike most textbooks, it is actually well written.  It would not take long to finish if you skip most of the exercises and I think it provides a good introduction to and explanation of basic ideas involved in statistics.",
          "reason": "Praised as well written and a good introduction to basic statistical ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter read it for fun and suggests skipping most exercises for a quicker read.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "statistics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "statistics-a-gentle-introduction-2e4f36",
      "title": "Statistics: A Gentle Introduction",
      "author": "Frederick Coolidge",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 665147,
          "author": "fogus",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T14:16:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665147",
          "commentText": "I personally liked \"A Logical Approach to Discrete Math\" by Gries and Schneider which can be had for a good price on Amazon.  As for statustics, I liked \"Statistics: A Gentle Introduction\" by Coolidge and \"Principles of Statistics\" by Bullmer which can be had for a great price even new.\nAlthough only slightly related to your chosen topics, \"Linear Algebra Done Right\" by Axler is awesome.\n-m",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I liked \"Statistics: A Gentle Introduction\" by Coolidge",
          "reason": "Says they liked the book.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for an introduction to statistics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frederick Coolidge"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "statistics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "status-update-802e89",
      "title": "Status Update",
      "author": "Alice E. Marwick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17521023,
          "author": "elvinyung",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T07:03:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521023",
          "commentText": "Lots of entrepreneurial suggestions here already, so I'm going do something different by suggesting more humanities-focused books/papers that could help round out our understanding of the state of things:\n* Status Update by Alice Marwick - an ethnography of the SF tech scene in the mid-late 2000s, a very detailed examination of the status structures in Silicon Valley and how we were changed by the rise of social media.\n* Postscript on the Societies of Control by Deleuze - short, insightful, somewhat prescient paper on the evolution of \"control\" mechanisms in postindustrial, capitalist societies.\n* Capitalist Realism: Is There No Alternative? by Mark Fisher - a very compelling analysis of the neoliberal postmodern condition, and how the cultural milieu has changed since the fall of the Soviet Union, and free-market capitalism became the only extant economic system in the world.\n* Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs - this probably needs no introduction; it was an extremely transformative treatise on urban form, vitality, diversity, and completely overturned the urban planning field when it was originally published. I think everyone who plans on living in a city should read this book.\n* Hollow City by Rebecca Solnit - an ethnography of the gentrification and bohemian displacement in San Francisco during the dot-com boom of the 1990s. She doesn't just blame \"the techies\" for the gentrification, but rather uses the gentrification as a lens to examine the culture around urbanism has changed in the recent decades.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Status Update by Alice Marwick - an ethnography of the SF tech scene in the mid-late 2000s",
          "reason": "Suggested to help round out understanding of the state of things; described as a detailed examination of Silicon Valley status structures.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in technology, social media, or Silicon Valley culture.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alice E. Marwick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ethnography",
        "silicon valley",
        "social media"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "steal-like-an-artist-2e38ca",
      "title": "Steal Like an Artist",
      "author": "Austin Kleon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8798179,
          "author": "addydev",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-26T05:40:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8798179",
          "commentText": "You can try \"Steal like an Artist\" if you are looking for a quick and easy read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You can try \"Steal like an Artist\" if you are looking for a quick and easy read.",
          "reason": "Suggests the book as a quick, easy read.",
          "audience": "Someone looking for a quick and easy read.",
          "caveat": "Described as quick and easy.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Austin Kleon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artistic process",
        "creativity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "steal-this-book-138fb7",
      "title": "Steal This Book",
      "author": "Abby Hoffman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9611646,
          "author": "jrs235",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T14:39:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9611646",
          "commentText": "Steal This Book: https://leanpub.com/stealthisbook (Apparently no longer available from LeanPub... heres's a dropbox link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/qm6vkabvd8jc3le/stealthisbook.pdf?... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/qm6vkabvd8jc3le/stealthisbook.pdf?dl=0) )\nDon't Just Roll the Dice: http://download.red-gate.com/ebooks/DJRTD_eBook.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Steal This Book: https://leanpub.com/stealthisbook",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for recommended free reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may no longer be available from LeanPub.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Abby Hoffman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "counterculture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stealing-the-corner-office-d2589c",
      "title": "Stealing the Corner Office",
      "author": "Brandon Reid",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25555186,
          "author": "chris_j",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-27T23:38:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 25554464,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books for dealing with workplace politics and dishonesty?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25555186",
          "commentText": "Stealing The Corner Office by Brandon Reid was very useful for me. The premise of the book is that there are certain behaviours that you need to exhibit in order to get ahead at work (other than actually doing a good job and producing for your employer) and that you'd better know what they are so that someone else doesn't get ahead at your expense.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stealing The Corner Office by Brandon Reid was very useful for me.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was very useful and describes its premise as identifying behaviors that help people get ahead at work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brandon Reid"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "career advancement",
        "workplace politics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stealing-the-network-f05229",
      "title": "Stealing the Network",
      "author": "Ryan Russell",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17750793,
          "author": "johnymontana",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T15:24:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17750793",
          "commentText": "Yes! Came here to recommend these. An insane level of technical detail (for suspense novel format) but still maintains a super entertaining storyline as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Yes! Came here to recommend these. An insane level of technical detail (for suspense novel format) but still maintains a super entertaining storyline as well.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the series, praising its technical detail and entertaining storyline.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Has an unusually high level of technical detail for a suspense novel.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ryan Russell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybercrime",
        "hacking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stealing-the-network-how-to-own-a-continent-5d9547",
      "title": "Stealing the Network: How to Own a Continent",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 766654,
          "author": "deutronium",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-16T20:23:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 766544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=766654",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed reading this book a fair few years ago on holiday \"Stealing the network: how to own a continent\"\n(http://www.amazon.com/Stealing-Network-How-Own-Continent/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Stealing-Network-How-Own-Continent/dp/1931836051)).  Theres a few books in the series, they blend fiction with real security related attacks, its not strictly a programming book, they do delve into coding a few things if I remember correctly.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed reading this book a fair few years ago on holiday \"Stealing the network: how to own a continent\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed it and describes its blend of fiction and real security attacks.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in security, especially as holiday reading.",
          "caveat": "Not strictly a programming book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybersecurity",
        "hacking fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "steaming-to-bamboola-94bb7f",
      "title": "Steaming to Bamboola",
      "author": "Christopher Buckley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25319676,
          "author": "cafard",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-06T00:10:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319676",
          "commentText": "Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana is about a way of life long gone, but it is well worth reading. As for the more recent merchant marine, Christopher Buckley's Steaming to Bamboola is very funny, and I suppose fairly accurate. For forest rangers, Norman Maclean's novella \"USFS 1919\", collected in A River Runs Through It, gives a picture of how it was then.\nAugust Fruge, longtime director of the University of California Press, wrote an excellent memoir, A Skeptic Among Scholars. There are many academic novels and memoirs, but I think very well of Alvin Kernan's In Plato's Cave. Also there is Herbert Simon's Models of My Life, which touches on academia and computing.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Christopher Buckley's Steaming to Bamboola is very funny, and I suppose fairly accurate.",
          "reason": "Described as very funny and fairly accurate, about the merchant marine in context.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in merchant marine life.",
          "caveat": "Accuracy is qualified by “I suppose.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher Buckley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "maritime work",
        "merchant marine"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "steel-beach-76dd1e",
      "title": "Steel Beach",
      "author": "John Varley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10176206,
          "author": "waterlesscloud",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T22:10:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10176206",
          "commentText": "Re-reading Steel Beach by John Varley. A sort of post-singularity romp from 1992.\nPolitics And The Occult, by Gary Lachman. Much what it sounds like, a history of occult movements in politics.\nThe Lunar Men, by Jenny Uglow.  Non-fiction about the Lunar Society, a science club in 18th century England.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Re-reading Steel Beach by John Varley.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Re-reading is reported without an explicit positive evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140490,
          "author": "nazgulnarsil",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T02:59:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140490",
          "commentText": "depends on the subgenre :)\nSuperhuman:\nSlan by A.E. Van Vogt\nMore Than Human by Theodore STurgeon\nOdd John by Olaf Stapledon\nPost Apocalyptic:\nThe Day of The Triffids by John Whyndham\nEarth Abides by George R. Stewart\nA Canticle for Lebowitz by...don't remember\nSpace Opera/Adventure:\nany of The Culture novels by Iain M. Banks\nThe Reality Dysfunction series by ...don't remember\nHyperion series by Dan Simmons\nTo Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer\nDystopian:\nWe by Yevgeny Zamyatin <---highly overlooked, predates 1984 and Brave New World\nBut the Absolute Best would be anything by:\nStanislaw Lem (Cyberiad, Futurological Congress, Solaris)\nAlfred Bester (The STars my Destination, The Demolished Man)\nor Samuel R. Delany (Babel-17, Dhalgren, Trtion, Nova)\noh and Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light and This Immortal are both great.\nSome of Philip K. Dick's stuff is great, but everyone recommends him. :)\nalmost forgot John Brunner, check out Steel Beach, The Sheep Look Up, and Stand on Zanzibar.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "check out Steel Beach, The Sheep Look Up, and Stand on Zanzibar.",
          "reason": "Includes it in a direct recommendation to check out the listed books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Varley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "lunar society",
        "post singularity",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "steering-the-craft-exercises-and-discussions-on-story-writing-for-d2d95a",
      "title": "Steering the Craft: Exercises and Discussions on Story Writing for the Lone Navigator or the Mutinous Crew",
      "author": "Ursula K. Le Guin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1965325,
          "author": "kranner",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-03T10:07:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 1965039,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books for English writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1965325",
          "commentText": "\"Steering the Craft: Exercises and Discussions on Story Writing for the Lone Navigator or the Mutinous Crew\" by Ursula K Le Guin\nThe advice therein extends beyond stories.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Steering-Craft-Exercises-Discussions-N... (http://www.amazon.com/Steering-Craft-Exercises-Discussions-Navigator/dp/0933377460)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Steering the Craft: Exercises and Discussions on Story Writing for the Lone Navigator or the Mutinous Crew\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says its advice extends beyond stories.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ursula K. Le Guin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "story writing",
        "writing exercises"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stella-maris-5428ad",
      "title": "Stella Maris",
      "author": "Cormac McCarthy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40457935,
          "author": "deathgripsss",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-23T18:10:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40457935",
          "commentText": "I finally got round to reading The Passenger and the companion piece Stella Maris. Cormac McCarthy still had it even in his late 80's. Not quite as good as his earlier novels but still very sharp.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "and the companion piece Stella Maris.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they read it alongside The Passenger and describes McCarthy's late work as sharp.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not quite as good as his earlier novels.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cormac McCarthy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stem-cells-a-very-short-introduction-c35cae",
      "title": "Stem Cells: A Very Short Introduction",
      "author": "Jonathan Slack",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10787298,
          "author": "yetanotheracc",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T06:03:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787298",
          "commentText": "Absolutely amazing, changed the way I look at the society, will re-read:\n- George Orwell, Keep the Aspidistra Flying\nLoved:\n- Alastair Reynolds, House of Suns\n- Andy Weir, The Martian\n- Neal Stephenson, Seveneves\n- Greg Egan, Teranesia\nLiked:\n- Arthur C. Clarke, 3001: The Final Odyssey\n- Arthur C. Clarke, 2061: Odyssey Three\n- Richard Feynman, The Character of Physical Laws\n- Richard Feynman, The Pleasure of Finding Things Out\n- Jonathan Slack, Stem Cells: A Very Short Introduction\n- John Scalzi, Fuzzy Nation (bought the audiobook for Wil Wheaton's narration)\n- Ray Monk, Robert Oppenheimer: A Life Inside the Center\n- Alastair Reynolds,  Revelation Space\n- David C. Cassidy, Beyond Uncertainty: Heisenberg, Quantum Physics, and the Bomb\nFound full of BS, did not finish:\n- Noam Chomsky, Understanding Power\nTextbooks:\n- order of 10^3 pages of Open University textbooks\n- Klauber, Student Friendly Quantum Field Theory\n- Feynman & Hibbs, Quantum Mechanics and Path Integrals\n- Wald, General Relativity (5 chapters)\n- Peskin & Schroeder, An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory (5 chapters)\nNot as bad as I felt before making the list, but underwhelming in terms of quantity. I intend to read a whole lot more in 2016.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Jonathan Slack, Stem Cells: A Very Short Introduction",
          "reason": "Listed under books the commenter says they liked.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Slack"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "stem cells"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "step-by-step-to-stand-up-comedy-915ba7",
      "title": "Step by Step to Stand-Up Comedy",
      "author": "Greg Dean",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910210,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:25:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910210",
          "commentText": "- \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies\" - probably the most influential book I've read in my life, profoundly changed the way I think. It's a collection of LessWrong essays on science and rationality.\n- \"On Intelligence\" and \"I am a Strange Loop\" - how mind works.\n- \"Rework\", \"Zero to One\", \"Start Small, Stay Small\" - insightful startup advice.\n- Fun autobiographies: Ghost in the Wires (Kevin Mitnick), iWoz (Steve Wozniak), Catch me if you can (Frank Abagnale), Just for Fun (Linus Torvalds), Elon Musk, Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\n- How companies work: Creativity Inc (Pixar), In the Plex (Google)\n- On writing: Art of fiction/nonfiction by Ayn Rand, Story by Robert McKee, Save the Cat, Step by Step to Standup Comedy.\n- Other: The Selfish Gene, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Serious Creativity, Hackers & Painters, Hacking Growth, Angel (on angel investing, by Jason Calacanis).\nAlso collections of essays by Paul Graham [1] and Scott Alexander [2]:\n[1] https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%20Complete%20Essays.epub?dl=0)\n[2] https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of%20Scott%20Alexandria%20-%20Scott%20Alexander.epub?dl=0)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Step by Step to Standup Comedy",
          "reason": "Listed under books about writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Greg Dean"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "joke writing",
        "stand up comedy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stephen-biesty-s-incredible-cross-sections-1f4758",
      "title": "Stephen Biesty's Incredible Cross-Sections",
      "author": "Stephen Biesty",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48986738,
          "author": "kamphey",
          "createdAt": "2026-07-21T00:35:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 48981842,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favourite science history book of the 20th century?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48986738",
          "commentText": "Might sound silly but I LOVE: Stephen Biesty's Incredible Cross-Sections.\nThey single handedly made me interested in how things were made, how things were on the inside. How things were engineered.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stephen Biesty's Incredible Cross-Sections",
          "reason": "The commenter says the books sparked their interest in how things are made and engineered.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in how things are made and what is inside them.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Biesty"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cutaway illustrations",
        "engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "steve-jobs-the-next-big-thing-3473ac",
      "title": "Steve Jobs & the NeXT Big Thing",
      "author": "Randall E. Stross",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 135906,
          "author": "fogus",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-13T12:45:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135906",
          "commentText": "Off the top of my head:\n- Soul of a New Machine\n- The Cuckoo's Egg\n- Revolution in the Valley\n- Fire in the Valley\n- Compilers by Sethi, Ullman, Aho\n- Masters of Doom\n- iWoz\n- Steve Jobs & the NeXT Big Thing\n- Crypto\n- Code\n- The Man Who Loved Only Numbers\n- The Man Who Knew Infinity\n- ANSI Common LISP\nMost of the books above are recommended because once reading them you will have an uncontrollable urge to immediately create something brilliant.  You will not be able to stop yourself.\n-m",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Steve Jobs & the NeXT Big Thing",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter recommends for their motivating effect.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computing and creating things.",
          "caveat": "The claimed effect is an uncontrollable urge to create something brilliant.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Randall E. Stross"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "next",
        "steve jobs"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stiff-the-curious-lives-of-human-cadavers-ea938c",
      "title": "Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers",
      "author": "Mary Roach",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804093,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:12:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804093",
          "commentText": "Writing a Go Interpreter\nWriting a Go Compiler\nNo One Cares about Crazy People\nI Heard You Paint Houses\nUNIX: A History and a Memoir\nRed Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine\nHow Asia Works\nThe Dream Machine\nBlack Earth\nThe Fabric of Reality\nBehave (tried twice, maybe third times a charm?)\nA Short History of Nearly Everything\nStiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers\nGenius: The Life and Science Richard Feynman\nSuper Thinking\nMan's Search for Meaning\nThe Cooking Gene\nThe Vital Question: Why is Life The Way it Is (re-read)\nThe Case Against Sugar\nThe 15 Decisive Battles of the World\nThe History of the Peloponnesian War\nThe Beginning of Infinity\nThe Book of Why",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers",
          "reason": "Listed in the commenter's planned reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mary Roach"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "forensic science",
        "human remains"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stiffed-the-betrayal-of-the-american-man-63130b",
      "title": "Stiffed: The Betrayal of the American Man",
      "author": "Susan Faludi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17914326,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-05T01:12:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17914326",
          "commentText": "All these had a huge impact on me. The descriptions are inadequate, I've just tried to mention the subject matter.\nDeborah Tannen, You Just Don't Understand - how males and females talk different languages.\nLakoff & Johnson, Metaphors We Live By - how our language and thoughts are built from a fabric of conceptual metaphors. Philosophy In The Flesh is about the conceptual metaphors that philosophy is built from.\nJonathan Glover, Humanity: A Moral History of the Twentieth Century - WWI, WWII and other wars, nazism, communism etc\nPlutarch's Lives - biographies and stories from famous ancient Greeks and Romans. Amazing how little's changed.\nLin Yutang, The Importance of Understanding - introduced me to ancient Chinese philosophers. The Importance of Living - introduced me to ancient Chinese writers, poets and the Chinese way of life.\nHofstadter, Gödel, Escher, Bach - read it when I was 14, and I was into music, art and programming, so it blew my mind.\nSusan Faludi, STIFFED - men, work, jobs, masculinity, 20th C\nWalter Lippmann, Public Opinion - media, war, propaganda, democracy\nNoam Chomsky's political books\nE.F. Schumacher, Small is Beautiful - the world, development, government, planning, organization, humanity, sustainability\nJ.R. Saul, Voltaire's Bastards - power, history, democracy, technocracy, reason, rationality, history from late 18th C until today.\nRaymond Williams, Culture and Society 1780-1950 - the anti-industrialist tradition, politics, culture, society and the new language describing these things\nClifford Pickover, Computers, Patterns, Chaos, and Beauty - programming, mathematics, art, fractals, dynamical systems etc\nBen Zander, The Art of Possibility - hard to explain, kind of advanced self-help, the magic of changing attitudes, expectations, habits.\nMy favourite non-fiction books of all time, though, are the essays of Emerson, Hazlitt, RL Stevenson, GK Chesterton, Santayana, Bertrand Russell. And the books of Nietzsche, SARK and Robert Fulghum.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Susan Faludi, STIFFED - men, work, jobs, masculinity, 20th C",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books said to have had a huge impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Susan Faludi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "masculinity",
        "work"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stig-of-the-dump-6849cc",
      "title": "Stig of the Dump",
      "author": "Clive King",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50038641,
          "author": "electroweak",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T00:47:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50038641",
          "commentText": "Of all the Dr Seuss read to my kids the one that stands out is hard to find now: \"I Had Trouble Getting to Solla Sollew\".\nProbably rare because the young protagonist who over-judges the severity of his minor problem, gulliblly starts on a quest where he increasingly suffers worse, finally concludes the actual solution is to confront his problems with swift and blinding violence. I read it so many times I can still recall a good portion from memory.\nMy personal favourite was \"Stig of the Dump\", which still holds up today, unlike many from my childhood.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Stig of the Dump\"",
          "reason": "The commenter’s personal favorite, which they say still holds up.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says many other books from their childhood do not hold up as well.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Clive King"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure",
        "children s fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stigum-s-money-market-a4ac7b",
      "title": "Stigum's Money Market",
      "author": "Marcia Stigum",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22577154,
          "author": "hogFeast",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T17:57:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22577154",
          "commentText": "Stigum's Money Markets will tell you about the financial system specifically.\nSomething like The Economist's Guide to Financial Markets will give you a good general overview.\nSome of the recommendations on here are truly awful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stigum's Money Markets will tell you about the financial system specifically.",
          "reason": "Recommended for information about the financial system.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marcia Stigum"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial system",
        "money markets"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stillness-speaks-f07f9d",
      "title": "Stillness Speaks",
      "author": "Eckhart Tolle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4787418,
          "author": "timmm",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:19:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787418",
          "commentText": "The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho.\nKing, Warrior, Magician, Lover by Moore and Gillette\nThe lean startup\nPaul Graham how to start a startup\nMark Hyman Ultimate Mind Solution\nTribal Leadership\nWheel of Time\nThink and Grow Rich\nSuperior Man David Deida\nThe Fountain Head\nEckhart Tolle New Earth\n50th Law\nGood to Great\nJed Mckenna\nEarl Nightengale\nLong Walk to Freedom\nOutliers\nGood to Great\nPsycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz (Self-image)\nSeven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey(Being awesome)\nWealth of Nations\nWayne Dyer The Tao\nSystem of the World\nOrigin of Species\nBrave new world\nThank you economy\nCrush it\nBuilt to Last\nWho Moved my Cheese\nStillness Speak Eckhert Tolle\nMastery George Leonard\nSteve Jobs Biography\nThe Last Lecture\nSteve Pavlina Books\nIacocca\nStriking Thoughts Bruce Lee\nCarlos Castaneda\nGhost in the Wires\nRichest Man in Babylon\nWay of the Superior Man\nLosing My Virginity\nThink and Grow Rich\nDelivering Happiness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stillness Speak Eckhert Tolle",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eckhart Tolle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mindfulness",
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stochastic-processes-9ba6f5",
      "title": "Stochastic Processes",
      "author": "Joseph L. Doob",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2734410,
          "author": "NY_Entrepreneur",
          "createdAt": "2011-07-06T15:46:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 2723436,
          "threadTitle": "Suggest good sites/books on probability",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2734410",
          "commentText": "\"Can you please suggest on-line resource to learn great beginning and advanced probability concepts?\"\nYup!  The subject at the level you ask is a major topic in applied math but is not very popular in US universities.  So, you will not get many good answers.  In particular, the 'computer science' community, with 'machine learning' and 'artificial' this, Bayesian that, likely won't have good answers.\nYour \"on-line\" part is asking a bit much; I can give you references to books but not all on-line.  There may be some PDF files on-line, from TeX, that have such material; try some Google searching with the keywords used here.\nThe intuitive foundations of probability went back to gambling.\n'Probability' is a field of 'applied' math and as such is well defined:\nAbout 100 years ago, E. Borel student H. Lebesgue invented 'measure theory' which essentially 'rewrote' classic calculus, especially the part about integration.  For the simple cases, what Lebesgue did gets the same numerical values as the classic Riemann integral.  The difference is that in theoretical work Lebesgue's integral is much more general and much better 'behaved'.\nBut 'measure theory' has to do with, intuitively, 'length', 'area', 'volume' and various generalizations of these.  Well, in probability, for probability P and event A, the 'probability' of A is P(A) and is a number in [0,1] and acts much like the 'area' of A. The connection is so close that, in the end, we have to accept that the foundations of probability are measure theory.\nThen\nA. N. Kolmogorov, 'Foundations of the Theory of Probability, Second English Edition', Chelsea Publishing Company, New York, 1956.  English translation of the original German '\"Grundbegriffe der Wahrscheinlichkeitrechnung,\"' 'Ergebnisse Der Mathematik', 1933.\napplied Lebesgue's work to make probability a solid field of math.  Since then Kolmogorov's foundations have been nearly the only one taken seriously in any 'modern' or 'advanced' work in probability, stochastic processes, or mathematical statistics.\nA good start on a good text in stochastic processes was:\nJ. L. Doob, 'Stochastic Processes', John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1953.\nDoob was long at University of Illinois.  One of his students was P. Halmos who was later an assistant to von Neumann at the Institute for Advanced Study and in about 1942 wrote the first version of the still standard:\nPaul R. Halmos, 'Finite-Dimensional Vector Spaces, Second Edition', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, New Jersey, 1958.\nLater he wrote:\nPaul R. Halmos, 'Measure Theory', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, NJ, 1950.\nwith at the end a NICE introduction to probability and stochastic processes based on measure theory.\nLikely the first rock solid, quite comprehensive, highly polished presentation of 'modern' probability was the first edition of:\nM. Loeve, 'Probability Theory, I and II, 4th Edition', Springer-Verlag, New York, 1977.\nLoeve was long at Berkeley.  One of his students did:\nJacques Neveu, 'Mathematical Foundations of the Calculus of Probability', Holden-Day, San Francisco, 1965.\nand another did:\nLeo Breiman, 'Probability', ISBN 0-89871-296-3, SIAM, Philadelphia, 1992.\nEither of these two can be regarded as a more succinct presentation of the more important material in Loeve.  Breiman is the more 'practical' and 'accessible'; Neveu is a crown jewel of elegance and succinctness but not always easy to read.\nOther good presentations of much the same material include:\nKai Lai Chung, 'A Course in Probability Theory, Second Edition', ISBN 0-12-174650-X, Academic Press, New York, 1974.\nand\nYuan Shih Chow and Henry Teicher, 'Probability Theory:  Independence, Interchangeability, Martingales', ISBN 0-387-90331-3, Springer-Verlag, New York, 1978.\nIn total, those texts nail down 'probability' at all four corners and make it a rock solid topic in applied math.  Good knowledge of, say, Breiman is a necessary and sufficient condition for knowing 'probability' at a serious level, that is, without being watered down for 'general audiences'.\nFor more, proceed with stochastic processes, stochastic optimal control, mathematical statistics, etc.\nFor learning probability, minimal prerequisites (more would be helpful) would be abstract algebra, linear algebra, 'analysis', measure theory, and functional analysis.\nFor abstract algebra, there are many texts.  Sufficient is\nI. N. Herstein, 'Topics in Algebra', Blaisdell, New York, 1964.\nbut can consider S. Lang, etc.\nFor linear algebra, there are many texts, but the old:\nPaul R. Halmos, 'Finite-Dimensional Vector Spaces, Second Edition', D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc., Princeton, New Jersey, 1958.\nremains a good 'second' text.  It is also an introduction to functional analysis.\nThe main text for 'analysis' is just:\nWalter Rudin, 'Principles of Mathematical Analysis', McGraw-Hill, New York.\nin whatever is the latest edition.\nCan skip the material on exterior algebra or just get it from the original source, now in English:\nHenri Cartan, 'Differential Forms', ISBN 0-486-45010-4, Dover, Mineola, NY, 2006.\nFor measure theory and functional analysis, the standards are:\nH. L. Royden, 'Real Analysis:  Second Edition', Macmillan, New York.\nand the first (real) half of:\nWalter Rudin, 'Real and Complex Analysis', ISBN 07-054232-5, McGraw-Hill, New York.\nActually, Loeve also covers much of this material.  Neveu slips in quite a lot.\nThen you will be ready for Breiman, Neveu, Chung, Chow and Teicher, or Loeve.\nYou will discover:\nThe start of probability theory is a 'probability space'.  For that, there are three parts, (1) the 'sample space', (2) the 'events', and (3) the 'probability measure'.\nThe 'sample space' is just a set of points; to support any reasonably serious work in probability, the sample space has to be uncountably infinite.  In all our work, we do some one 'trial', and that corresponds to some one point in the sample space.  The other points in the sample space are what 'might' have been our trial.\nAn 'event' is a set of trials.  We ask that the collection of all events have some 'closure' properties to make that collection a 'sigma algebra'.  So, briefly, the collection of events has as one event the whole sample space and is closed under relative complements and countable unions.\nIn terms of measure theory, the sample space and the sigma algebra of events form a 'measurable space'.  A 'probability measure' is just a positive measure with total 'mass' 1. Thank you Lebesgue and measure theory.\nOn the reals R, we can take the open sets and, then, the Borel sets, that is, the smallest sigma algebra that contains the open sets.  A 'random variable' is a function from the probability space to the reals that is 'measurable', that is, the inverse image of a Borel set is an event.\nAs an alternative, we can ask that the inverse image of the Lebesgue measurable sets of R be events.\nIf X is such a random variable, then its 'expectation' E[X] is just the Lebesgue ('abstract') integral of X over the probability space.  For E[X] to exist, we need only that X be measurable and that the integral of both the positive and the negative parts of X not be infinite (we don't want to subtract one infinity from another).  E.g., Lebesgue integration is very 'general':  All we need is measurability and not subtract one infinity from another.\nBy a change of variable, we can also write the expectation as a Lebesgue integral over the real line with respect to the 'distribution' of X on R. Or, X 'induces' a probability measure on R.\nWe can discuss convergence of random variables -- in distribution, probability, mean square, and almost surely.\nThen we can define independence for events, sigma algebras, and random variables.  E.g., with this approach, if X and Y are independent random variables and f and g are functions, then f(X) and g(Y) are independent random variables.  Don't try to prove this the elementary way!\nWith independent random variables, we can cover the classic limit theorems -- central limit theorem, weak and strong laws of large numbers, and the law of the iterated logarithm.\nUsing the Radon-Nikodym theorem of measure theory, for random variables X and Y we can define their 'conditional expectation' E[Y|X].\nWith such 'conditioning' we can discuss Markov processes, martingales, and the martingale convergence theorem.\nWe can also move on to ergodic theory and, say, Poincare recurrence (keep stirring the coffee and the cream will separate back, close to where it was when it was poured in).\nThose are the previews of coming attractions.\nNote:  This material is not very popular in US universities.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A good start on a good text in stochastic processes was:\nJ. L. Doob, 'Stochastic Processes', John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1953.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a good starting text on stochastic processes.",
          "audience": "Readers studying stochastic processes.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph L. Doob"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "stochastic processes"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stock-market-cash-flow-0cfc45",
      "title": "Stock Market Cash Flow",
      "author": "Andy Tanner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15967078,
          "author": "peelle",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-20T04:35:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15967078",
          "commentText": "This year I read 31 books. Only 8 were non-fiction. I'm hoping to finish another 2 before the year ends.\nMy top 3 were.\n1. The Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson. This series did a good job of balancing big and little picture, while givings us a neat form of magic to learn about.\n2. Stock Market Cash Flow from the RDPD series. In 2016 I had read several books on fundamental(or value) investing, and this book helped me bust out of the thinking that, that style is the only way to look at, and earn in the stock market.\n3. Snow Crash. This book was just fun. The characters were enjoyable to watch, and there was some clever stuff in this book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this book helped me bust out of the thinking that, that style is the only way to look at, and earn in the stock market.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book helped expand their perspective on investing.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring ways to approach the stock market beyond value investing.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes reading it after reading several books on value investing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andy Tanner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "investing strategies",
        "stock market"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stock-market-wizards-interviews-with-america-s-top-stock-traders-bb433f",
      "title": "Stock Market Wizards: Interviews with America's Top Stock Traders",
      "author": "Jack D. Schwager",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 248539,
          "author": "maurycy",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T15:05:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248539",
          "commentText": "Market Wizards: Interviews with Top Traders  by Jack D. Schwager\nStock Market Wizards: Interviews with America's Top Stock Traders  by Jack D. Schwager",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stock Market Wizards: Interviews with America's Top Stock Traders  by Jack D. Schwager",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for investing books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jack D. Schwager"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "investment interviews",
        "trading"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stock-trader-s-almanac-2010-2260bf",
      "title": "Stock Trader's Almanac 2010",
      "author": "Jeffrey A. Hirsch",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1971250,
          "author": "staunch",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T08:41:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971250",
          "commentText": "Stock Trader's Almanac 2010",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stock Trader's Almanac 2010",
          "reason": "Named as the book they would give their younger self.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeffrey A. Hirsch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "stock market",
        "trading"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stocks-for-the-long-run-507ab3",
      "title": "Stocks for the Long Run",
      "author": "Jeremy J. Siegel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30742512,
          "author": "irchans",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T13:39:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30742512",
          "commentText": "Personal Power - Robbins, How to win friends and influence people - Carnegie, Feeling Good - Burns, Godel Esher Bach - Hofstadter,  Fundamentals of Physics - Halliday and Resnick, Jonathan Livingston Seagull - Bach, The Commodore 64 User Manual, \"Stocks for the Long Run\",  The Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide - Gygax, Dune - Herbert",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stocks for the Long Run",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeremy J. Siegel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "investing",
        "stocks"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stocks-for-the-long-run-d95023",
      "title": "Stocks for the Long Run",
      "author": "Jeremy Siegel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 248702,
          "author": "nostrademons",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T16:48:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248702",
          "commentText": "#1 for me would be The Intelligent Investor, by Benjamin Graham.  Also read all of Warren Buffett's Letters from the Chairman - they're all up on the Berkshire Hathaway website.  Peter Lynch's books are good too.\nI see a lot of people here recommending A Random Walk Down Wall Street, which is a good book, but you're going to finish it and say \"This investing stuff is too complicated for me.  I think I'll just put my money in index funds.\"  Which is perfectly sensible investment advice, but if that's all you want, I can tell you \"Go invest in index funds\" right now and save you a couple hours of reading. ;-)\nJeremy Siegel's Stocks for the Long Run is like Random Walk - it's decent, but the conclusion is basically \"go invest in a stock index fund and don't worry about it\".  I'm not even sure that's great advice right now - he bases a lot of his argument on historical performance, but when an asset class has done well over the recent past, that usually means it'll do poorly in the near future.  Read neither or both - Random Walk gives you good perspective for understanding Stocks for the Long Run.\nFinally, if you do get into investing, make sure you start small.  I've made some wonderful investment decisions and some truly terrible ones.  The wonderful ones more than compensated, but they looked very similar at the time, and if I'd put all my money into the terrible one there wouldn't be any capital available for the wonderful one.\nActually, I'd recommend doing some dry-runs: pretend that you're putting money in a stock, and then track how well you'd have done over time if it were real.  Read all the 10-Ks for the stock (they're up in the EDGAR database at the SEC's website), research all the fundamentals, and listen to the analyst conference calls (Yahoo Finance webcasts them live whenever earnings come out).  That'll give you a sense of what questions to ask and what events affect the stock price.\nI did some of those dry runs and lost hypothetical money on a lot of them, which makes me very glad that they're just dry runs. ;-)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it's decent, but the conclusion is basically \"go invest in a stock index fund and don't worry about it\".",
          "reason": "Describes it as decent and outlines its index-fund conclusion.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in long-term investing.",
          "caveat": "The commenter questions whether its advice is sound now and cautions about relying on past performance.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeremy Siegel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "long term investing",
        "stock market"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stolen-focus-c6887a",
      "title": "Stolen Focus",
      "author": "Johann Hari",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46692558,
          "author": "jbrockwork",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-20T15:09:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 46690957,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What non-fiction do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46692558",
          "commentText": "Your Inner Fish: A Journey Into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body\n - Really cool account of human evolutionary history\nStolen Focus (Johann Hari)\n - About how we've lost (and can regain) the ability to focus due to technological distraction (currently social media, etc. but hasn't always been)\nChip War\n - History and geopolitical significance of the semiconductor industry",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stolen Focus (Johann Hari)",
          "reason": "About how technological distraction affects our ability to focus and how that ability can be regained.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Johann Hari"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "attention",
        "digital distraction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stop-acting-rich-bc53de",
      "title": "Stop Acting Rich",
      "author": "Thomas J. Stanley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8795412,
          "author": "akulbe",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T04:30:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795412",
          "commentText": "The Personal MBA - Josh Kaufman\nThe First 20 Hours - Josh Kaufman\nSo Good They Can't Ignore You - Cal Newport\nThe 4-Hour Workweek - Tim Ferriss\nThe 4-Hour Body - Tim Ferriss\nStop Acting Rich - Thomas J. Stanley\nJames Altucher - Choose Yourself",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stop Acting Rich - Thomas J. Stanley",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas J. Stanley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal finance",
        "wealth"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stop-drinking-now-541ba3",
      "title": "Stop Drinking Now",
      "author": "Allen Carr",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25550411,
          "author": "nextweek2",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-27T11:51:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25550411",
          "commentText": "My recommendation is \"Stop Drinking Now\" by Allen Carr.\nWatched Nikki Glaser explain it: \nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LUm51Z-Ii0\n(8min)\nOrdered the book:\nhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Stop-Drinking-Now-Allen-Carrs/dp/18... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Stop-Drinking-Now-Allen-Carrs/dp/184837982X)\nNow I so much more energy and feel so much better all the time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My recommendation is \"Stop Drinking Now\" by Allen Carr.",
          "reason": "Recommends the book and says they have more energy and feel better after ordering it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Allen Carr"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alcohol cessation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stories-by-anton-chekhov-71e025",
      "title": "Stories by Anton Chekhov",
      "author": "Anton Chekhov",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467573,
          "author": "trts",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:40:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467573",
          "commentText": "For many books that I find myself thinking about for years, or just that I enjoyed very much, I will revisit them later.  They can be very revealing in how my perspective has changed or that I'll identify with completely different characters, or be awed by a passage that my earlier self overlooked.\nSeveral that come to mind are\nHeart of Darkness\nMoby Dick\nRobinson Crusoe\nPretty much any Chekhov story\nCathedral by Raymond Carver",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Pretty much any Chekhov story",
          "reason": "Says they revisit pretty much any Chekhov story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anton Chekhov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "russian literature",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stories-of-cats-and-the-lives-they-touch-534a75",
      "title": "Stories of Cats and the Lives They Touch",
      "author": "Peggy Schaefer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12144255,
          "author": "deadmik3",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:48:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144255",
          "commentText": "\"Cracking the Coding Interview\" (probably wouldn't even have a career without this book)\n\"The Little Schemer\"\n\"Stories of Cats and the Lives They Touch\" by Peggy Schaefer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Stories of Cats and the Lives They Touch\" by Peggy Schaefer",
          "reason": "Named in response to a request for books that impacted a career.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peggy Schaefer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cats",
        "human animal relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stories-of-the-law-and-how-it-s-broken-f51024",
      "title": "Stories of the Law and How It's Broken",
      "author": "The Secret Barrister",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23858879,
          "author": "sigwinch28",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:44:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858879",
          "commentText": "The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine - Michael Lewis\nAn entertaining read about just how fragile and naive western financial systems can be.\nStories of the Law and How It's Broken - The Secret Barrister\nGives a (mostly anecdotal) insight about how broken the English legal system is. I had to pause several times while reading because it conflicted so much with my world view.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Stories of the Law and How It's Broken - The Secret Barrister",
          "reason": "Said to give insight into problems in the English legal system.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The insight is described as mostly anecdotal; reading sometimes conflicted with the commenter's worldview.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "The Secret Barrister"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "english law",
        "legal system"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stories-of-the-prophets-aa23ae",
      "title": "Stories of the Prophets",
      "author": "Ibn Kathir",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38238867,
          "author": "cvhashim04",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T09:55:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238867",
          "commentText": "Based",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Based",
          "reason": "Clearly endorses the book praised as a masterpiece in the immediate parent comment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38238828,
          "author": "itisme_b",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T09:48:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238828",
          "commentText": "Stories of the Prophets, Ibn Kethir.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Stories of the Prophets, Ibn Kethir.",
          "reason": "Names the book without stating an opinion about it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ibn Kathir"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "islam",
        "prophets"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "story-567767",
      "title": "Story",
      "author": "Robert McKee",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910210,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:25:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910210",
          "commentText": "- \"Rationality: From AI to Zombies\" - probably the most influential book I've read in my life, profoundly changed the way I think. It's a collection of LessWrong essays on science and rationality.\n- \"On Intelligence\" and \"I am a Strange Loop\" - how mind works.\n- \"Rework\", \"Zero to One\", \"Start Small, Stay Small\" - insightful startup advice.\n- Fun autobiographies: Ghost in the Wires (Kevin Mitnick), iWoz (Steve Wozniak), Catch me if you can (Frank Abagnale), Just for Fun (Linus Torvalds), Elon Musk, Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!\n- How companies work: Creativity Inc (Pixar), In the Plex (Google)\n- On writing: Art of fiction/nonfiction by Ayn Rand, Story by Robert McKee, Save the Cat, Step by Step to Standup Comedy.\n- Other: The Selfish Gene, Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, Serious Creativity, Hackers & Painters, Hacking Growth, Angel (on angel investing, by Jason Calacanis).\nAlso collections of essays by Paul Graham [1] and Scott Alexander [2]:\n[1] https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/2no0sqybnxurpcd/Paul%20Graham%20-%20Complete%20Essays.epub?dl=0)\n[2] https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of... (https://www.dropbox.com/s/i43lqpdyd4qa255/The%20Library%20of%20Scott%20Alexandria%20-%20Scott%20Alexander.epub?dl=0)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Story by Robert McKee",
          "reason": "Listed under books about writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert McKee"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "screenwriting",
        "story structure"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "story-of-your-life-4a88f3",
      "title": "Story of Your Life",
      "author": "Ted Chiang",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38600754,
          "author": "cyrialize",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-11T14:10:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38600754",
          "commentText": "I've read \"Story of Your Life\" for a class in college! I really wish I kept the book that had that story, there were many other interesting ones in there.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I've read \"Story of Your Life\" for a class in college!",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38573009,
          "author": "unaindz",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T19:21:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38573009",
          "commentText": "Last year Annihilation and the rest of the trilogy rekindled my passion for reading after almost a decade.\nVandemeer really has a way with words but specifically in this novel he manages to describe what I though was indescribable.\nIt was only fair that I tried another one of his trilogies, Borne, The Strange Bird and Dead Astronauts.\nWith Borne being pretty normal (for Vandermeer standards) and the other two reading like pretty ramblings at times if you lack the context. I still loved them but they may not be for everyone.\nYou should read them in the order above so that you have as many pieces of the prose puzzle when you reach Dead Astronauts. But even if you end up not liking the writing of the last two books, Borne can still be enjoyed independently.\nAs for this year. \n\"Blood music\" by Greg Bear.\nBiology scify with a pretty weird concept.\n\"Firefall\" trilogy by Peter Watts\nUsually a scify story revolvs around one core idea, this one does too, but it kept surprising me with new secondary but interesting ones until the end.\nRead The Colonel between the two main books.\n\"Rifters\" trilogy by Peter Watts\nExploring sexual abuse, empathy\n\"Story of Your Life\" by Ted Chiang\nShort story about a linguist learning the recently arrived aliens language. Liked the humor depicting the different perspectives between scientists and military. Pretty emotional.\nI'm not sure what it tells about me but all of these are bittersweet scify with good prose.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Story of Your Life\" by Ted Chiang",
          "reason": "The commenter liked its humor about different perspectives between scientists and military, and found it emotional.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A short story.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ted Chiang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "linguistics",
        "short fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "storytelling-with-data-712cc2",
      "title": "Storytelling with Data",
      "author": "Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16351410,
          "author": "hawktheslayer",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T05:54:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16351410",
          "commentText": "Storytelling with Data - because so many people are bad at PowerPoint:\nhttp://www.storytellingwithdata.com/book\nR for Data Science - because it is such a solid foundation for a career in business analytics:\nhttp://r4ds.had.co.nz\nAnd for extra credit two books I hope my collegues DON'T read since they are best kept secret are Cialdini's two books on influence:\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Cialdini",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Storytelling with Data - because so many people are bad at PowerPoint:",
          "reason": "Recommends it to colleagues in response to the question about books they should have read.",
          "audience": "Colleagues who create presentations or use PowerPoint.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cole Nussbaumer Knaflic"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data visualization",
        "presentation design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "straight-line-leadership-c6ae85",
      "title": "Straight Line Leadership",
      "author": "Dusan Djukich",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21910667,
          "author": "thisisit",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-30T03:45:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21910667",
          "commentText": "Two books:\n1. Straight Line Leadership: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11556152-straight-line-l... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11556152-straight-line-leadership)\nStill going through the chapters and it is illuminating.\n2. 12 Week Year: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10009377-the-12-week-yea... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10009377-the-12-week-year)\nSome might find it very basic but I found that breaking my intentions to 3 months and tracking them has helped me see what I want and where I want to go.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Still going through the chapters and it is illuminating.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds the book illuminating while still reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is still working through the chapters.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dusan Djukich"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "straight-talk-for-startups-564126",
      "title": "Straight Talk for Startups",
      "author": "Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Randy Komisar",
        "Jantoon Reigersman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "startups"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "straight-from-the-gut-b76d21",
      "title": "Straight from the Gut",
      "author": "Jack Welch with John A. Byrne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1635177,
          "author": "adammichaelc",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-26T05:38:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1635177",
          "commentText": "Business: 7 Habits, 8th Habit, Getting Things Done, 4 Steps to Epiphany, Straight from the Gut\nSpiritual: Book of Mormon, Book of Isaiah, The 4 Gospels in the New Testament\nRelationship: The 5 Love Languages, Men are from Mars Women from Venus\nPhysical: Spark, The Vitamin D Solution",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Business: 7 Habits, 8th Habit, Getting Things Done, 4 Steps to Epiphany, Straight from the Gut",
          "reason": "Included in a list answering the question about books that changed your life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jack Welch with John A. Byrne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "corporate leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "strange-rites-new-religions-for-a-godless-world-f54b72",
      "title": "Strange Rites: New Religions for a Godless World",
      "author": "Tara Isabella Burton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42220961,
          "author": "throw0101d",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T14:13:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42220961",
          "commentText": "If I had to pick one: The rise and fall of American growth: the U.S. standard of living since the Civil War by Robert Gordon. The gains that we have made in the (early) 20th century are unlikely to ever be repeated, and progress in many metrics has measurably slowed or even stalled since ~1970s (likely being asymptotic). And while the Internet (classified under the Information, Communication, Technology (ICT) chapters) gave a bump in the 1990s, it's mostly been flat since 2004.\nMore economic history with Slouching towards Utopia: an economic history of the twentieth century by J. Bradford Delong. More economic ideas stuff in Value(s): building a better world for all by Mark Carney (ran the Banks of Canada and England). Also Waphsott's Keynes Hayek: the clash that defined modern economics and Samuelson Friedman: the battle over the free market.\nThe currency of politics: the political theory of money from Aristotle to Keynes by Sefan Eich, Money: the true story of a made-up thing by Jacob Goldstein, and The power of gold: the history of an obsession by Peter Bernstein (also his Against the Gods on risk). Show how much of a human construct \"money\" is, how its meaning changes in different times and places/cultures. Should be required reading by all the 'hard money' folks (gold standard, BTC).\nThe good life: lessons from the world's longest scientific study of happiness by Waldinger and Schultz (directors of the Harvard study). If there's one 'magic' thing for health and happiness it seems to be having good relationships (family, friends) in your life.\nReligion: what it is, how it works, and why it matters by Christian Smith and Strange rites: new religions for a godless world by Tara Burton. While many think that religion is in decline, the non-material/supernatural things that people believe in has actually shifted. And having beliefs in a super-human entity seems to be the basis of most societies and civilizations. Related, The warfare between science and religion : the idea that wouldn't die, a series of essays; the conflict thesis bunk, both historically and presently.\nThe origins of Canadian and American political differences by Jason Kaufman, two seemingly-the-same neighbouring countries that have had different development paths when it comes to culture and government. (I'm Canadian.)\nSpeaking of government: Civil resistance: what everyone needs to know by Erica Chenoweth. Seems violence/force is generally a less effective way to affect change in society than non-violence.\nThe week: a history of the unnatural rhythms that made us who we are by David Henkin. Seems that while seven days has been around for a long while, making it a really 'hard' structure/schedule around it is a more recent phenomenon than you'd expect.\nIf you have kids, Karen Le Billon's French kids eat everything (and yours can, too) and Getting to YUM: the 7 secrets of raising eager eaters, her husband is French and she lived there for a year and found many things done better there than US/CA. See also The happiest kids in the world: how Dutch parents help their kids and themselves by doing less by Acosta and Hutchison.\nFlying blind: the 737 MAX tragedy and the fall of Boeing by Peter Robison is an HN favourite. While we get a lot of engineer vs MBA comments, I think the bigger problem (associated with the MBA-types) is financialization, i.e., returns over everything else. Having non-engineers/MBAs can be 'fine' also long as trying to squeeze blood/money from a stone at the cost of everything else.\nSome philosophy with Alasdair C. MacIntyre: After Virtue is a good starting point. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/After_Virtue",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Strange rites: new religions for a godless world by Tara Burton",
          "reason": "Discusses changing beliefs in supernatural things and their role in society.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in religion and society.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tara Isabella Burton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "new religious movements",
        "religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stranger-than-fiction-14eca1",
      "title": "Stranger Than Fiction",
      "author": "Chuck Palahniuk",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18662508,
          "author": "amuresan",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T09:26:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18662508",
          "commentText": "1. La peste (Albert Camus) - entertaining if you're into French existentialism\n2. Linked (Barabasi) - insightful and useful to understand that most phenomenon we see in real life follow a power law and what that means\n3. Leonardo da Vinci (Walter Isaacson) - surprising how little of da Vinci's real personality is reflected in his modern image\n4. Matrix computations – third edition (Gene Golub, Charles van Loan) - good read if you're into linear algebra\n5. Giving effective feedback (Harvard business review) - useful for getting an understanding on how to handle human interaction\n6. The old man and the sea (Ernest Hemingway) - enjoyed it a lot, a reflection of Hemingway's romantic spirit. Also, a quick read.\n7. Screwjack (Hunter S. Thompson) - didn't resonate with me although I am a fan of existentialism\n8. Sun and steel (Yukio Mishima) - raw and intimate. before reading this book I'd recommend reading up on Mishima's life\n9. Stranger than fiction (Chuck Palahniuck) - somewhat entertaining, more so because it served as a glimpse into Palahniuck's creative process\n10. Thinking in Systems: A Primer (Dana Meadows) - useful for understanding that in modern life we have complex systems at work with emergent behavior that we didn't expect. Trying to isolate / model a single component of one of these systems is a flawed approach.\n11. Chaos monkeys (Antonio Garcia Martinez) - entertaining, but quite long\n12. Weapons of math destruction (Cathy O'Neil) - in a way, similar to Thinking in systems, but at an applied level. Shows how rules in modern society can have unintended negative consequences when hidden negative feedback loops emerge from the complex system they are embedded in.\n13. Lolita (Nabokov) - a brilliant novel from many points of view. Although the topic is controversial, it is a book that had to be written.\n14. The prince (Machiavelli) - an interesting read. It was intended as a guide to the young price Cesare Borgia from his teacher Machiavelli. The secret to enjoying it is not to judge it by modern morality.\n15. Give and take (Adam Grant) - psychology research about giving / taking / matching personality types presented in a book for the masses. I would not read it again; watching a presentation online should be enough to get the point across.\n16. Mécanique (Landau, Lifchitz) - refresh of mechanics\n17. Do androids dream of electric sheep (Philip K. Dick) - enjoyable and entertaining! I'm surprised how different the feel of the book is compared to the Blade runner films. In the book androids are purely rational beings, whereas the film wraps them in an aura of romanticism.\n18. How we learn (Benedict Carey) - decades of learning research condensed in a book\n19. Advanced Calculus: A Differential Forms Approach (Harold M. Edwards) - the best math book I've read so far! For me it was eye-opening in a fundamental way. Edwards is truly a gifted teacher.\n20. Three men in a boat (Jerome K. Jerome) - enjoyable and amusing\n21. Getting to yes (Roger Fisher, William Ury) - negotiation book, nicely written and structured\n22. Without a word (Zhang Jie) - historical novel by one of China's most acclaimed modern writers. I don't have a good reference to compare against since this was my first Chinese novel, but overall I did enjoy it. It felt real and raw.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "somewhat entertaining, more so because it served as a glimpse into Palahniuck's creative process",
          "reason": "The commenter found it somewhat entertaining and valued its glimpse into Palahniuk's creative process.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Only somewhat entertaining.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chuck Palahniuk"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creative process",
        "essays"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "strangers-to-ourselves-7acdb0",
      "title": "Strangers to Ourselves",
      "author": "Timothy D. Wilson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3337259,
          "author": "gruseom",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T08:29:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3337259",
          "commentText": "I'm almost at the end of Vanity Fair. It is long, surprisingly light, and psychologically astute. There's one passage where Thackeray nails the concept of cognitive dissonance so strikingly (100 years before Festinger) that it ought to be in textbooks. Many of his observations have made me laugh with their classic English wit. He also has one hell of an anti-heroine. This book reminded me why I used to love literature.\nAlso, Strangers to Ourselves by Timothy Wilson - a good book on research into unconscious thought processes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a good book on research into unconscious thought processes.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a good book about research into unconscious thought.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Timothy D. Wilson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "unconscious thought"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "strategic-modelling-and-business-dynamics-e23926",
      "title": "Strategic Modelling and Business Dynamics",
      "author": "John Morecroft",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20205370,
          "author": "Jtsummers",
          "createdAt": "2019-06-17T17:34:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 20196671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What to read after “Thinking in Systems”?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20205370",
          "commentText": "Sterman's \"Business Dynamics\" may be of interest to you, but it's pricey. You may be able to find a PDF online. Morecroft's \"Strategic Modelling and Business Dynamics\" is available on Safari Books Online if you have a subscription.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Morecroft's \"Strategic Modelling and Business Dynamics\" is available on Safari Books Online if you have a subscription.",
          "reason": "Offers another potentially relevant book in response to the reading request.",
          "audience": "Someone seeking mathematical or programming-oriented systems books.",
          "caveat": "Available on Safari Books Online with a subscription.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Morecroft"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "strategic modeling",
        "system dynamics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "strategies-and-games-theory-and-practice-1305ad",
      "title": "Strategies and Games: Theory and Practice",
      "author": "Prajit K. Dutta",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 56976,
          "author": "nostrademons",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T17:56:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56976",
          "commentText": "Also pick up a game-theory textbook, which puts those formal terms in even more formal terms. ;-)\nMy course used Prajit K. Dutta's Strategies and Games: Theory and Practices (http://www.amazon.com/Strategies-Games-Practice-Prajit-Dutta... (http://www.amazon.com/Strategies-Games-Practice-Prajit-Dutta/dp/0262041693/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-0581323-0293267?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190224551&sr=8-1)), which seemed fairly good, though I don't have much to compare it with.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "which seemed fairly good, though I don't have much to compare it with.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it fairly good but has little basis for comparison.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a game theory textbook.",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not have much to compare it with.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Prajit K. Dutta"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "game theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "strategy-rules-five-timeless-lessons-from-bill-gates-andy-grove-a-48b1cf",
      "title": "Strategy Rules: Five Timeless Lessons from Bill Gates, Andy Grove, and Steve Jobs",
      "author": "David B. Yoffie and Michael A. Cusumano",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11229784,
          "author": "my5thaccount",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:50:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229784",
          "commentText": "Zero to One by Peter Thiel\nThe Hard Thing about Hard Things by Ben Horowitz\nStrategy Rules - Five Timeless Lessons from Bill Gates, Andy Grove, and Steve Jobs by David B. Yoffie, Michael A. Cusumano\nThese are all timely books and recently written.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Strategy Rules - Five Timeless Lessons from Bill Gates, Andy Grove, and Steve Jobs by David B. Yoffie, Michael A. Cusumano",
          "reason": "Listed as a book suggestion in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls the listed books timely and recently written.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David B. Yoffie and Michael A. Cusumano"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business strategy",
        "leadership",
        "technology companies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "strategy-that-works-how-winning-companies-close-the-strategy-to-e-434554",
      "title": "Strategy That Works: How Winning Companies Close the Strategy-to-Execution Gap",
      "author": "Paul Leinwand and Cesare Mainardi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21735589,
          "author": "tikiman163",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-08T12:37:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21735589",
          "commentText": "I strongly recommend the following:\nGood to Great: Why some companies make the leap and Others Don't \nThe Goal: A process of Continuous Improvement \nTeam of Teams\nStrategy that Works: Bridging the Stategy to Execution Gap\nThere isn't a single book that will teach you everything you need to know, but these 5 books taken together will cover nearly everything. The points I suggest paying the most attention to are level 5 leadership, the hedgehog concept, the flywheel concept, Kaizen style continuous improvement, how to organize groups of teams to avoid micromanaging, and how to work with a company culture to make decisions supported by real data that tells you what the most effective decisions would be and how to achieve this by choosing concepts to promote to employees in order to guide their decision making.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Strategy that Works: Bridging the Stategy to Execution Gap\nThere isn't a single book that will teach you everything you need to know, but these 5 books taken together will cover nearly everything.",
          "reason": "Recommended as one of five books that together cover leadership and management.",
          "audience": "People learning leadership, especially for tech teams.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says no single book covers everything.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Leinwand and Cesare Mainardi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business strategy",
        "strategy execution"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "street-survival-0a7951",
      "title": "Street Survival",
      "author": "Ronald J. Adams, Thomas M. McTernan, and Charles Remsberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24289918,
          "author": "giardini",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-27T03:41:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 24286084,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading at the moment and what do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24289918",
          "commentText": "FWIW Street Survival by Remsburg is for police officers. A citizen might do better with a book with a citizen's perspective, one not burdened with the constraints of being a PO.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Street Survival by Remsburg is for police officers. A citizen might do better with a book with a citizen's perspective, one not burdened with the constraints of being a PO.",
          "reason": "Says the book is intended for police officers and may not suit a citizen seeking a civilian perspective.",
          "audience": "Police officers.",
          "caveat": "A citizen may prefer a book written from a citizen's perspective.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 24288535,
          "author": "giantg2",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-26T23:35:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 24286084,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading at the moment and what do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24288535",
          "commentText": "Street Survival by Remsburg",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Street Survival by Remsburg",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ronald J. Adams",
        "Thomas M. McTernan",
        "Charles Remsberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "law enforcement",
        "police training"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "street-survival-0eb825",
      "title": "Street Survival",
      "author": "Charles Remsberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24323451,
          "author": "giantg2",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-30T15:20:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 24286084,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading at the moment and what do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24323451",
          "commentText": "Sorry, looks like I made a mistake. The title I'm actually reading is The Tactical Edge by Remsburg. Street Survival is still good, but I think The Tactical Edge is more useful.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Street Survival is still good",
          "reason": "Says it is still good, while preferring The Tactical Edge as more useful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter considers The Tactical Edge more useful.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Remsberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "law enforcement",
        "police tactics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "streetlights-and-shadows-searching-for-the-keys-to-adaptive-decis-156f00",
      "title": "Streetlights and Shadows: Searching for the Keys to Adaptive Decision Making",
      "author": "Gary Klein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3277935,
          "author": "maxprogram",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T19:12:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3277935",
          "commentText": "\"Streetlights and Shadows: Searching for the Keys to Adaptive Decision Making\", Gary Klein\n\"Normal Accidents: Living with High-Risk Technologies\", Charles Perrow\n\"Chaos: Making a New Science\", James Gleick\n\"Filters Against Folly\", Garrett James Hardin\n\"Judgment in Managerial Decision Making\", Max Bazerman\n\"Deep Simplicity: Bringing Order to Chaos and Complexity\", John Gribben",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Streetlights and Shadows: Searching for the Keys to Adaptive Decision Making\", Gary Klein",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books about thinking and cognition.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gary Klein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adaptive expertise",
        "decision making"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "streets-are-for-people-a-primer-for-americans-215297",
      "title": "Streets Are for People: A Primer for Americans",
      "author": "Bernard Rudofsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13804185,
          "author": "MK999",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:19:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804185",
          "commentText": "\"Streets are for People: A Primer for Americans\" -Bernard Rudofsky\n\"The Bible Proves the Teachings of the Catholic Church\" -Bro Michael Dimond",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Streets are for People: A Primer for Americans\" -Bernard Rudofsky",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed how people think.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bernard Rudofsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "street design",
        "urbanism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "strength-in-numbers-e77813",
      "title": "Strength in Numbers",
      "author": "Bill Laboon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17750846,
          "author": "JoelMcCracken",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T15:33:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17750846",
          "commentText": "Recently I enjoyed https://www.amazon.com/Strength-Numbers-Cryptocurrency-Bill-... (https://www.amazon.com/Strength-Numbers-Cryptocurrency-Bill-Laboon/dp/1981526730/)\nBasically a novel about a couple of college students who find some lost bitcoin in the near future, and the drama that ensues.\nI thought the book was super interesting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I thought the book was super interesting.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the novel and found it super interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Laboon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bitcoin",
        "cryptocurrency"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "strengthsfinder-2-0-717250",
      "title": "StrengthsFinder 2.0",
      "author": "Tom Rath",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227139,
          "author": "NEPatriot",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T18:11:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227139",
          "commentText": "The War of Art - Stephen Pressfield - how to overcome yourself\nGates of Fire - same as above, the story of the stand at Thermopylae\nAgincourt & 3 part series Archer's tale - Bernard Cornwell - accounts of medievil warfare\nStrengthsFinder 2.0 - Tom Rath - take a test and discover your strengths/things you love to do, focus on on doing those",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "take a test and discover your strengths/things you love to do, focus on on doing those",
          "reason": "Suggested for identifying personal strengths and focusing on them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Rath"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self development",
        "strengths assessment"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stress-test-7d69e8",
      "title": "Stress Test",
      "author": "Timothy F. Geithner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22573593,
          "author": "tracer4201",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T06:29:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22573593",
          "commentText": "Reading Stress Test by Timothy Geithner taught me quite a bit, although it’s not a primer on the financial system but play by play of the financial crisis.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Reading Stress Test by Timothy Geithner taught me quite a bit",
          "reason": "The commenter says it taught them about the financial crisis.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an account of the financial crisis.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not a primer on the financial system.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8266022,
          "author": "MalcolmDiggs",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-03T23:38:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8266022",
          "commentText": "I recently picked up Tim Geithner's book 'Stress Test' (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00IN73B9E)\n...but in the first few pages he referenced that HE was recently reading a different book, which sounded more interesting, so now I'm reading that:\nLiaquat Ahamed - Lords of Finance (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001QIGZEK)\n...so far so good; if you're into historical stuff.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I recently picked up Tim Geithner's book 'Stress Test'",
          "reason": "The commenter picked up the book but does not express an opinion about it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Timothy F. Geithner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial crisis",
        "memoir",
        "financial systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "strictly-from-hunger-2dc8f8",
      "title": "Strictly From Hunger",
      "author": "S. J. Perelman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467918,
          "author": "5letters",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T16:17:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467918",
          "commentText": "When I've needed to laugh I've read and reread:\nMark Twain's  \"Life on the Mississippi\"  and \"Roughing It\" as well as many short stories, esp. \"My Watch\", \"Political Economy\", \"Journalism in Tennessee\"\nAlso short stories from others:\nJ.S. Perelman's \"Strictly From Hunger\",\nAlex Atkinson's \"The Eyes of Texas are Upon You\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "J.S. Perelman's \"Strictly From Hunger\"",
          "reason": "The commenter rereads it when needing a laugh.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "S. J. Perelman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "humor",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "striking-thoughts-46b807",
      "title": "Striking Thoughts",
      "author": "Bruce Lee",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4787418,
          "author": "timmm",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:19:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787418",
          "commentText": "The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho.\nKing, Warrior, Magician, Lover by Moore and Gillette\nThe lean startup\nPaul Graham how to start a startup\nMark Hyman Ultimate Mind Solution\nTribal Leadership\nWheel of Time\nThink and Grow Rich\nSuperior Man David Deida\nThe Fountain Head\nEckhart Tolle New Earth\n50th Law\nGood to Great\nJed Mckenna\nEarl Nightengale\nLong Walk to Freedom\nOutliers\nGood to Great\nPsycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz (Self-image)\nSeven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey(Being awesome)\nWealth of Nations\nWayne Dyer The Tao\nSystem of the World\nOrigin of Species\nBrave new world\nThank you economy\nCrush it\nBuilt to Last\nWho Moved my Cheese\nStillness Speak Eckhert Tolle\nMastery George Leonard\nSteve Jobs Biography\nThe Last Lecture\nSteve Pavlina Books\nIacocca\nStriking Thoughts Bruce Lee\nCarlos Castaneda\nGhost in the Wires\nRichest Man in Babylon\nWay of the Superior Man\nLosing My Virginity\nThink and Grow Rich\nDelivering Happiness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Striking Thoughts Bruce Lee",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruce Lee"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aphorisms",
        "martial arts"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "strong-mothers-strong-sons-6b9477",
      "title": "Strong Mothers, Strong Sons",
      "author": "Meg Meeker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38557134,
          "author": "HenryBemis",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:04:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557134",
          "commentText": "Halftime: Moving from Success...\n(this makes sense if you around 40 or over 40)(I read it a few years back and then again this year as a self-follow-up)\nThou Shall Prosper: Ten Commandments for Making Money\n(it's NOT about making money - I found it more useful on \"adding value\" more than \"making money - it changed my perspective on 'how to work, how to operate, how to see things, how to see/seek/grab opportunities' but ultimately how to add value - _and_ get paid handsomely for it)(ok it is about making money, but as a result, not as a driver)\n(if you ignore the \"too much Judaism\" bits, it is a great book)(I read it a few years back and then again this year as a self-follow-up)\nIf you are a parent, Meg Meeker's\n- Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters\n- Strong Mothers, Strong Sons\n(if you ignore the \"too much Christianity\" bits, these are great books) I found them to be super useful manuals/cheatsheets to building strong loving and trusting relationships with my kid(s). I used it with/for my daughter and our relationship moved from a cold father-daughter-we-don't-understand-each-other to a thriving friendly loving respecting listening relationship where she ASKS to actually spend time with me. I cannot recommend it enough to any parent that asks me for books(again.. ignoring the \"too much Christianity\" bits)\n(Disclaimer: I don't want to proselytize anyone to either/or/both Judaism, Christianity or any other religion.)(it's just that I found the Prosper and Strong books so useful..)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "- Strong Mothers, Strong Sons",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter calls useful manuals for building strong, loving, trusting relationships with their children.",
          "audience": "Parents, especially mothers and sons.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says to ignore the “too much Christianity” bits.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Meg Meeker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Parenting",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mother son relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "structure-and-interpretation-of-computer-programs-616af8",
      "title": "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs",
      "author": "Harold Abelson; Gerald Jay Sussman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5675,
          "author": "aristus",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T13:33:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5675",
          "commentText": "I've had to make up for a college education so these may be old hat.\nAlan Kay's UI lectures: http://webcast.berkeley.edu/course_details.php?seriesid=1906978270\nEd Tufte, especially Envisioning Information\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (SICP)\nhttp://www.swiss.ai.mit.edu/classes/6.001/abelson-sussman-lectures/\nEd Yourdon: Death March... this is a great guide to dealing with enterprizey development. This shows you what to avoid in your own org.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs (SICP)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Harold Abelson; Gerald Jay Sussman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer science education",
        "functional programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "structure-and-interpretation-of-computer-programs-6530d1",
      "title": "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2414509,
          "author": "dytrivedi",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T09:58:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414509",
          "commentText": "Godel, Escher, Bach\nSICP\nArt of Computer Programming\nC Programming Language\nIntroduction to Algorithms\nLand of Lisp\n-- Extracted from my wishlist - http://flipkart.com/wishlist/dhavaltrivedi",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "SICP",
          "reason": "Lists SICP among books on the commenter's wishlist in a thread asking for useful CS books.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking computer science study resources.",
          "caveat": "Listed as a wishlist item; no specific evaluation is given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2414494,
          "author": "kamechan",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T09:50:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414494",
          "commentText": "i'd probably put some kind of ordering on these.\nstart with algorithm analysis and basic data structures etc in CLRS. (ch 3,4,10,11,12) and then go back and fill in the more advanced concepts. dasgupta, papadimitriou, vazirani is good too http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~vazirani/algorithms.html\nfor the compilers book, it's necessary to go through the assembly, and some of sipser (need DFA/NFA/context free grammars), as well as structure and interpretation of computer programs.\nOS could come after the algorithms and preferably after assembly but before the compilers book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "for the compilers book, it's necessary to go through the assembly, and some of sipser (need DFA/NFA/context free grammars), as well as structure and interpretation of computer programs.",
          "reason": "Names it as useful background for studying compilers.",
          "audience": "Readers studying compilers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer science foundations",
        "programming languages"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "structured-analytic-techniques-for-intelligence-analysis-69b54e",
      "title": "Structured Analytic Techniques for Intelligence Analysis",
      "author": "Randolph H. Pherson and Richards J. Heuer Jr.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33799924,
          "author": "atemerev",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T12:48:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33799924",
          "commentText": "Structured Analytic Techniques for Intelligence Analysis (Randolph H. Pherson, Richards J. Heuer Jr.) I am not an intelligence analyst, but this book is very insightful on thinking about your thinking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Structured Analytic Techniques for Intelligence Analysis (Randolph H. Pherson, Richards J. Heuer Jr.)",
          "reason": "The commenter finds it insightful for thinking about one's thinking.",
          "audience": "The commenter says it can be insightful even for readers who are not intelligence analysts.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Randolph H. Pherson",
        "Richards J. Heuer Jr."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "analytic methods",
        "intelligence analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "structured-computer-organization-cc0f94",
      "title": "Structured Computer Organization",
      "author": "Andrew S. Tanenbaum and Todd Austin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35726409,
          "author": "warrenm",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-27T11:24:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 35710671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Is \"Code Complete\" by Steve McConnell still a recommended read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35726409",
          "commentText": "In my opinion, it's as much a \"recommended read\" as a lot of other so-called \"classics\":\n- Rapid Application Development (also by McConnell)\n- Soul of a New Machine by Kidder\n- Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks\n- Programming Pearls by John Bentley\n- Applied Cryptography (2e) by Bruce Schneier\n- The Cuckoo's Egg by Cliff Stohl\n- Structured Computer Organization by Tanenbaum & Todd\n- Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software by Gamma, Helm, etc\n- A New Kind of Science by Wolfram\nAnd many more could be added to this list\nSure, some of them use acronyms or reference technology that you've either never heard of or has been supplanted\nBut you could [nearly] do a find-and-replace on those \"outdated\" terms with a \"current\" term, and the books would [effectively] be up-to-date\nDon't get hung-up on specific examples - they're just there to illustrate the problem domain",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Structured Computer Organization by Tanenbaum & Todd",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed among classics that may use outdated acronyms or technology references.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew S. Tanenbaum",
        "Todd Austin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer architecture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "structured-design-fundamentals-of-a-discipline-of-computer-progra-f79e67",
      "title": "Structured Design: Fundamentals of a Discipline of Computer Program and Systems Design",
      "author": "Larry L. Constantine and Edward Yourdon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33857489,
          "author": "ayewo",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T20:26:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33857489",
          "commentText": "Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks is pretty good.\nThere is also the Design of Everyday Things (TDoET) by Don Norman.\nStructured Design from 1975 by Larry L. Constantine and Ed Yourdon is another excellent book that I am currently reading now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Structured Design from 1975 by Larry L. Constantine and Ed Yourdon is another excellent book",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an excellent book and says they are currently reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Published in 1975.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Larry L. Constantine",
        "Edward Yourdon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software design",
        "structured programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "struggling-to-surrender-ed0d50",
      "title": "Struggling to Surrender",
      "author": "Jeffrey Lang",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39729968,
          "author": "vadertemp",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T22:15:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729968",
          "commentText": "Struggling to Surrender: Dr. Jeffrey Lang",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Struggling to Surrender: Dr. Jeffrey Lang",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeffrey Lang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "islam",
        "religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "struts-2-in-action-b1cf12",
      "title": "Struts 2 in Action",
      "author": "Don Brown, Chad Davis, and Scott Stanlick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 221122,
          "author": "richesh",
          "createdAt": "2008-06-18T20:25:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 221097,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Best book for Java",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=221122",
          "commentText": "I'm assuming you are looking for Struts 2, if this is the case there are only few good books out there. I own all these books below and they are useful, but they are not as updated as the latest release.  My suggestion to you is to keep an eye on the struts 2 wiki and join the mailing list to get the latest information.\n1. Practical Apache Struts 2 Web 2.0 Projects (Practical Projects) by Ian Roughley - http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Apache-Struts-Web-Projects/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Apache-Struts-Web-Projects/dp/1590599039/)\n2. Starting Struts 2 by Ian Roughley - http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Struts-2-Ian-Roughley/dp/1430... (http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Struts-2-Ian-Roughley/dp/1430320338/)\n3. Struts 2 in Action (In Action) by Don Brown, Chad Davis, and Scott Stanlick - http://www.amazon.com/Struts-2-Action-Don-Brown/dp/193398807... (http://www.amazon.com/Struts-2-Action-Don-Brown/dp/193398807X)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Struts 2 in Action (In Action) by Don Brown, Chad Davis, and Scott Stanlick",
          "reason": "Lists it as a useful resource for learning Struts 2.",
          "audience": "People learning Struts 2.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the books are not as up to date as the latest release.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Don Brown, Chad Davis, and Scott Stanlick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "apache struts",
        "java",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stuck-da7231",
      "title": "Stuck",
      "author": "Abby Covert",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32347726,
          "author": "tedyoung",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-04T20:13:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32347726",
          "commentText": "Don't forget about diagrams! Words are important, but diagrams can really get concepts across. And not just the \"technical\" diagrams (sequence diagrams, flowcharts), but conceptual ones.\nI really like Abby Covert's new book on diagrams: \"Stuck\": https://abbycovert.com/stuck",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really like Abby Covert's new book on diagrams: \"Stuck\"",
          "reason": "Recommends it for learning about diagrams.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Abby Covert"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "diagrams",
        "information architecture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "stuff-matters-exploring-the-marvellous-materials-that-shape-our-m-d5229a",
      "title": "Stuff Matters: Exploring the Marvellous Materials That Shape Our Man-Made World",
      "author": "Mark Miodownik",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910192,
          "author": "itpragmatik",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:24:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910192",
          "commentText": "1. Sapiens - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23692271-sapiens\n2. The Gene: An Intimate History - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27276428-the-gene\n3. I Contain Multitudes - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29083367-i-contain-multi... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29083367-i-contain-multitudes)\n4. Stuff Matters - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19553030-stuff-matters\n5. Rework - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6732019-rework",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "4. Stuff Matters",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for favorite nonfiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Miodownik"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "everyday materials",
        "materials science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "style-lessons-in-clarity-and-grace-c6273d",
      "title": "Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace",
      "author": "Joseph M. Williams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1966341,
          "author": "Isamu",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-03T16:13:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 1965039,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books for English writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1966341",
          "commentText": "Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace, by Joseph M. William.\nNow in its 10th edition!\nThis is the real thing - a very useful book that cuts through the annoying prescriptive crap. Highly recommended.\nhttp://www.pearsonhighered.com/educator/product/Style-Lesson... (http://www.pearsonhighered.com/educator/product/Style-Lessons-in-Clarity-and-Grace-10E/9780205747467.page)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is the real thing - a very useful book that cuts through the annoying prescriptive crap. Highly recommended.",
          "reason": "Praised as useful and highly recommended for its approach to style.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter objects to prescriptive writing advice.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph M. Williams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "clarity",
        "grammar",
        "style"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "style-toward-clarity-and-grace-1966ad",
      "title": "Style: Toward Clarity and Grace",
      "author": "Joseph M. Williams and Joseph Bizup",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32343612,
          "author": "scruple",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-04T14:47:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32343612",
          "commentText": "I keep a copy on my desk and thumb through it occasionally when I need help with my writing. Next to that book is also a copy of Williams and Colomb's Style: Toward Clarity and Grace. I've also read the USAF Tongue and Quill. There are good lessons in all 3 of these books for technical writers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Williams and Colomb's Style: Toward Clarity and Grace",
          "reason": "Says the three books offer good lessons for technical writers.",
          "audience": "Technical writers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph M. Williams",
        "Joseph Bizup"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "style",
        "technical writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "subliminal-54c3ff",
      "title": "Subliminal",
      "author": "Leonard Mlodinow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8107038,
          "author": "khc",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:47:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107038",
          "commentText": "Poor Economics - Abhijit Banerjee & Esther Duflo\nThinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman\nThe Signal and The Noise - Nate Silver\nPredictably Irrational - Dan Ariely\nThis Time is Different - Carmen Reinhart & Kenneth Rogoff\nSubliminal - Leonard Mlodinow\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Taleb\nFor something more lighthearted, I also enjoyed:\nAn Economist Gets Lunch - Tyler Cowen\nInside Jokes - Matthew Hurley & others\n(mostly skipped the dense parts)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Subliminal - Leonard Mlodinow",
          "reason": "Listed among books offered in response to the favorite-books request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leonard Mlodinow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "social psychology",
        "unconscious mind"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "submit-now-designing-persuasive-web-sites-9c6b1c",
      "title": "Submit Now: Designing Persuasive Web Sites",
      "author": "Andrew Chak",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 296061,
          "author": "radley",
          "createdAt": "2008-09-05T17:20:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 295871,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HC: Which books on user interface design do you wish your CEO/Cofounders would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=296061",
          "commentText": "Often, Interaction Design gets lumped in with Interface Design (or simply overlooked). For this I suggest:\n\"Submit Now: Designing Persuasive Web Sites\" by Andrew Chak (2003)\n• Similar to \"Don't Make me Think\", but focuses more on personal interaction & choices more than layout.\n\"Defensive Design for the Web: How to improve error messages, help, forms, and other crisis points\" by 37 Signals (2004)\n• Error management (not just 404s) is one of the most overlooked UI portions of a web project and are often left up to the developers to \"figure out\".\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Submit-Now-Designing-Persuasive-VOICES... (http://www.amazon.com/Submit-Now-Designing-Persuasive-VOICES/dp/0735711704/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1220633479&sr=8-1)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Defensive-Design-Web-improve-messages/... (http://www.amazon.com/Defensive-Design-Web-improve-messages/dp/073571410X/ref=pd_bbs_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1220633462&sr=8-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Submit Now: Designing Persuasive Web Sites\" by Andrew Chak (2003)\n• Similar to \"Don't Make me Think\", but focuses more on personal interaction & choices more than layout.",
          "reason": "Suggested for interaction design, with a focus on personal interaction and choices.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Focuses more on interaction and choices than layout.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew Chak"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "interaction design",
        "persuasive design",
        "web design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "subtle-is-the-lord-the-science-and-the-life-of-albert-einstein-5cef62",
      "title": "Subtle Is the Lord: The Science and the Life of Albert Einstein",
      "author": "Abraham Pais",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32198251,
          "author": "y56366346767",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T23:14:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32198251",
          "commentText": "Just finished 'Subtle is the Lord - The Science and Life of Albert Einstein' by Abraham Pais. Easily the best biography of Einstein.\nCurrently reading: 'Inhibitor Phase' by Alastair Reynolds (60% read), 'Wayward' by Hannah Mathewson (50%), '10,000 Light Years from Home' by James Tiptree Jnr (50%), 'Rust for Rustaceans' by Jon Gjengset (20%), and 'Hands-on Rust' by Herbert Wolverson (10%).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Easily the best biography of Einstein.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best biography of Einstein.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Abraham Pais"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "albert einstein",
        "physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "succeed-how-we-can-reach-our-goals-d10100",
      "title": "Succeed: How We Can Reach Our Goals",
      "author": "Heidi Grant Halvorson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4966472,
          "author": "lpolovets",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T17:35:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4966472",
          "commentText": "I really liked Succeed by Halvorson, as well as Willpower by Baumeister and Tierney. The former covers research on setting goals, the latter covers research on being more disciplined. Both book are a great blend of interesting studies and practical advice.\nAmazon links: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0452297710 and http://www.amazon.com/dp/0143122231\nThorough book notes:\nhttp://www.quora.com/Leo-Polovets/Exceptionally-long-book-no... (http://www.quora.com/Leo-Polovets/Exceptionally-long-book-notes-for-exceptionally-good-books/Notes-on-Succeed-by-Halvorson) and http://www.quora.com/Leo-Polovets/Exceptionally-long-book-no... (http://www.quora.com/Leo-Polovets/Exceptionally-long-book-notes-for-exceptionally-good-books/Notes-on-Willpower-by-Baumeister-and-Tierney)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really liked Succeed by Halvorson",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really liked it and describes its subject.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Heidi Grant Halvorson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "goal setting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "succinctly-dd4c2b",
      "title": "Succinctly",
      "author": "Syncfusion",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23365804,
          "author": "znhll",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-30T23:34:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23365804",
          "commentText": "There's a whole series of ebooks by Syncfusion that are exactly what you're describing. Matter fact I think they call them the \"Succintly\" ebooks series because they tend to introduce a technology or topic in a short 100-200 pages. Check em out here: https://www.syncfusion.com/ebooks",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Succintly\" ebooks series",
          "reason": "A series of concise ebooks introducing technologies and topics in 100–200 pages.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Syncfusion"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short technical ebooks",
        "technology introductions"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sufficiently-advanced-technology-0efc9e",
      "title": "Sufficiently Advanced Technology",
      "author": "Scott B. Nuttall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9093431,
          "author": "JoachimS",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-23T09:57:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9093431",
          "commentText": "Sanderson's law is what I feel. Thanks for pointing it out.\nI really enjoyed Karl Schroeders Ventus where the population saw technology as magic:\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ventus\nNuttails Suffiently Advanced Technology is also a good example:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Sufficiently-Advanced-Technology-Inver... (http://www.amazon.com/Sufficiently-Advanced-Technology-Inverse-Shadows-ebook/dp/B00DVZM1WQ)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nuttails Suffiently Advanced Technology is also a good example:",
          "reason": "Calls it a good example of technology perceived as magic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott B. Nuttall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "technology as magic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "summa-theologiae-0f0af9",
      "title": "Summa Theologiae",
      "author": "Thomas Aquinas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23859331,
          "author": "elliotlent",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T14:32:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859331",
          "commentText": "Summa Theologiae by St Thomas Aquinas",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Summa Theologiae by St Thomas Aquinas",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Aquinas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "scholasticism",
        "theology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "summer-of-night-98e40a",
      "title": "Summer of Night",
      "author": "Dan Simmons",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9674757,
          "author": "dmux",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T14:35:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674757",
          "commentText": "His last name is Simmons. And the Hyperion Cantos is an excellent series. His other books are worth reading too: Summer of Night, The Terror.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His other books are worth reading too: Summer of Night, The Terror.",
          "reason": "Says the author’s other books are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Simmons"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "horror"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "summerhill-0c0659",
      "title": "Summerhill",
      "author": "A. S. Neill",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29829198,
          "author": "sbacic",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-06T20:04:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29829198",
          "commentText": "I expect I'll get a lot of flak for this one, but I'd like to suggest the \"4 hour work week\" by Tim Ferriss. I've read it at about the same age and it had a profound effect on me.\nAnother book I'd suggest is the Enchiridion of Epictetus.\nIf you ever intend to have kids, \"Summerhill\" by A.S.Neill is a good choice.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If you ever intend to have kids, \"Summerhill\" by A.S.Neill is a good choice.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a good choice for someone who may have children.",
          "audience": "Readers who may have children.",
          "caveat": "The suggestion is conditional on intending to have kids.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "A. S. Neill"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Parenting"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternative education",
        "child autonomy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sun-and-steel-7f9c4a",
      "title": "Sun and Steel",
      "author": "Yukio Mishima",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18662508,
          "author": "amuresan",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T09:26:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18662508",
          "commentText": "1. La peste (Albert Camus) - entertaining if you're into French existentialism\n2. Linked (Barabasi) - insightful and useful to understand that most phenomenon we see in real life follow a power law and what that means\n3. Leonardo da Vinci (Walter Isaacson) - surprising how little of da Vinci's real personality is reflected in his modern image\n4. Matrix computations – third edition (Gene Golub, Charles van Loan) - good read if you're into linear algebra\n5. Giving effective feedback (Harvard business review) - useful for getting an understanding on how to handle human interaction\n6. The old man and the sea (Ernest Hemingway) - enjoyed it a lot, a reflection of Hemingway's romantic spirit. Also, a quick read.\n7. Screwjack (Hunter S. Thompson) - didn't resonate with me although I am a fan of existentialism\n8. Sun and steel (Yukio Mishima) - raw and intimate. before reading this book I'd recommend reading up on Mishima's life\n9. Stranger than fiction (Chuck Palahniuck) - somewhat entertaining, more so because it served as a glimpse into Palahniuck's creative process\n10. Thinking in Systems: A Primer (Dana Meadows) - useful for understanding that in modern life we have complex systems at work with emergent behavior that we didn't expect. Trying to isolate / model a single component of one of these systems is a flawed approach.\n11. Chaos monkeys (Antonio Garcia Martinez) - entertaining, but quite long\n12. Weapons of math destruction (Cathy O'Neil) - in a way, similar to Thinking in systems, but at an applied level. Shows how rules in modern society can have unintended negative consequences when hidden negative feedback loops emerge from the complex system they are embedded in.\n13. Lolita (Nabokov) - a brilliant novel from many points of view. Although the topic is controversial, it is a book that had to be written.\n14. The prince (Machiavelli) - an interesting read. It was intended as a guide to the young price Cesare Borgia from his teacher Machiavelli. The secret to enjoying it is not to judge it by modern morality.\n15. Give and take (Adam Grant) - psychology research about giving / taking / matching personality types presented in a book for the masses. I would not read it again; watching a presentation online should be enough to get the point across.\n16. Mécanique (Landau, Lifchitz) - refresh of mechanics\n17. Do androids dream of electric sheep (Philip K. Dick) - enjoyable and entertaining! I'm surprised how different the feel of the book is compared to the Blade runner films. In the book androids are purely rational beings, whereas the film wraps them in an aura of romanticism.\n18. How we learn (Benedict Carey) - decades of learning research condensed in a book\n19. Advanced Calculus: A Differential Forms Approach (Harold M. Edwards) - the best math book I've read so far! For me it was eye-opening in a fundamental way. Edwards is truly a gifted teacher.\n20. Three men in a boat (Jerome K. Jerome) - enjoyable and amusing\n21. Getting to yes (Roger Fisher, William Ury) - negotiation book, nicely written and structured\n22. Without a word (Zhang Jie) - historical novel by one of China's most acclaimed modern writers. I don't have a good reference to compare against since this was my first Chinese novel, but overall I did enjoy it. It felt real and raw.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "raw and intimate. before reading this book I'd recommend reading up on Mishima's life",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as raw and intimate.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They recommend reading about Mishima's life first.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Yukio Mishima"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "body and mind",
        "yukio mishima"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sunburst-and-luminary-an-apollo-memoir-3f8b2c",
      "title": "Sunburst and Luminary: An Apollo Memoir",
      "author": "Don Eyles",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18744408,
          "author": "sizzzzlerz",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T04:20:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744408",
          "commentText": "* Bad Blood  - John Carreyou\nThis has been listed multiple times. Depicts the darkside of the startup phenomena\n* Chasing New Horizons - Alan Stern, David Grinspoon\nDocuments the people and machine that explored Pluto\n* Sunburst and Luminary - Don Eyles\nHistory of the Apollo guidance computer software from the man who wrote it",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sunburst and Luminary - Don Eyles\nHistory of the Apollo guidance computer software from the man who wrote it",
          "reason": "History of Apollo guidance computer software from one of its authors.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Don Eyles"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "apollo program",
        "guidance computers"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sundown-towns-a-hidden-dimension-of-american-racism-186306",
      "title": "Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism",
      "author": "James W. Loewen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237663,
          "author": "wpietri",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T15:08:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237663",
          "commentText": "Matt Ruff's Lovecraft Country, which led me to the non-fiction book Sundown Towns by James W. Loewen. I'm reading the latter right now and blowing my mind.\nMy understanding of the American history of racism was basically that it was generally getting better over time. Slavery, Civil War, Jim Crow, and then the civil rights era. What this leaves out was that things got rapidly better after the civil war for a few decades, and then got substantially worse. And that it didn't get worse in the south; all over America white people drove out non-whites from their towns. They created \"sundown towns\", places where African-Americans weren't allowed after dark.\nThis is an era that goes unmentioned in most official local histories, and I never heard about it growing up white. That was the case even though it was happening all around the area I grew up. E.g., not far from where my family lived was a major vacation area built by and for well-off African-Americans because they were kept out of the white ones:\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idlewild,_Michigan\nI had literally never heard of the place, let alone known its history, even though I know the name of almost every town an village nearby.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'm reading the latter right now and blowing my mind.",
          "reason": "The commenter says its account of sundown towns changed their understanding of American racism.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in American history and racism.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is currently reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James W. Loewen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american racism",
        "sundown towns"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sunzi-speaks-the-art-of-war-e6129b",
      "title": "Sunzi Speaks: The Art of War",
      "author": "Tsai Chih Chung",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 456335,
          "author": "hedgehog",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T14:06:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456335",
          "commentText": "\"The Art Of War\" is great, I read this version when I was 13 but I would still recommend it as a good place to start before getting another translation or other books:\n\"Sunzi Speaks: The Art of War\"\nTsai Chih Chung\nhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/0385472587\nSome online reading that you might find interesting:\nhttp://www.ingber.com/combat97_cmi.ps.gz\nhttp://www.ndu.edu/inss/Symposia/joint2008/papers/Hoffman%20... (http://www.ndu.edu/inss/Symposia/joint2008/papers/Hoffman%20Paper_Panel%203.pdf)\nhttp://www.ndu.edu/inss/Symposia/joint2008/papers/Warden%20P... (http://www.ndu.edu/inss/Symposia/joint2008/papers/Warden%20Paper_Panel%203.pdf)\nhttp://www.dodccrp.org/files/Smith_Complexity.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would still recommend it as a good place to start before getting another translation",
          "reason": "Recommended as an accessible starting version of The Art of War.",
          "audience": "Readers beginning with The Art of War.",
          "caveat": "The commenter recommends trying another translation afterward.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tsai Chih Chung"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "graphic adaptation",
        "military strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "super-crunchers-f6caa3",
      "title": "Super Crunchers",
      "author": "Ian Ayres",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 192237,
          "author": "asnyder",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-16T21:09:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=192237",
          "commentText": "1.\"The Long Tail\" by Chris Anderson\n2.\"Super Crunchers\" by Ian Ayres\n3.\"Six Great Scientists\" by J.G Crowther\n4.\"The Meaning of It All\" by Richard Feynman\n5.\"Dealers of Lightning\"(The story of XEROX Parc) by Michael Hiltzik \n6.\"What I Believe\" by Betrand Russell\nThe above titles can all be found at audible.com, and probably through itunes too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Super Crunchers\" by Ian Ayres",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ian Ayres"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data driven decision making"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "super-parents-super-children-74047f",
      "title": "Super Parents, Super Children",
      "author": "Frances Kendall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 127779,
          "author": "curi",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-03T03:32:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 127711,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Hacker moms & dads, what do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=127779",
          "commentText": "libertarians frequently take positions like \"I own the TV, so it's my decision if/when it will be used.\" How does this book handle that sort of issue?\n(Note: I am generally libertarian-oriented and this kind of position is often taken by people I otherwise respect.)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "How does this book handle that sort of issue?",
          "reason": "Asks how the book addresses a parenting issue, without endorsing or criticizing it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 127732,
          "author": "mhb",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-03T02:07:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 127711,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Hacker moms & dads, what do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=127732",
          "commentText": "I liked \"Super Parents Super Children\" (http://www.amazon.com/Super-Parents-Children-Frances-Kendall... (http://www.amazon.com/Super-Parents-Children-Frances-Kendall/dp/0929205006/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1204509907&sr=1-1))\nFrom their book description:\nProvides the libertarian answer to solving all your child-raising problems, based on self-discipline and freedom of choice.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I liked \"Super Parents Super Children\"",
          "reason": "Says they liked the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frances Kendall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Parenting",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "child rearing",
        "libertarian parenting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "super-system-57af6c",
      "title": "Super System",
      "author": "Doyle Brunson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43686220,
          "author": "PaulHoule",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-14T20:55:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 43685856,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What 3 Books Would You Recommend to Anyone?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43686220",
          "commentText": "I think \"life changing\" and \"universal\" are contradictory.\nA person who is ready to pick up the bar,  for instance,  would benefit from Rippetoe's Starting Strength but if you don't pick up the bar it's just another book (you might get something from just plain lifting Schwarzenegger's Modern Weighlifting though, if not the Misner, Thorne and Wheeler book Gravitation.)  Similarly Super System will change your life if you are serious about playing poker,  otherwise it's just a fun read like the D&D Monster Manual  I'd say that Ashcroft and Mermin's Solid State Physics was a great adventure even if I didn't end up doing physics in the end,  but I was a grad student in condensed matter and I took Ashcroft's class.  When I was wanting to explore the edges of applied philosophy and literature I felt Alain Badiou's Being and Event was meaningful to me but a lot of people would say it is obscurantist French trash like Derrida and if you believe that I can't change your mind.\nI'd tend to reject categorically that fiction could be life changing but maybe that's harsh.  So often people nominate books that to me are trash like Atlas Shrugged,  The Illuminati Trilogy or Hitchhiker's Guide.  From time to time though I do discover an author with a large body of work that I'm obsessed with for a few months,  like last year I rediscovered Poul Anderson (want to see Dominic Flandry have a fight with Kimball Kinnison) and got into Pratchett's Discworld.\nI think a lot of books that offer simple answers to things like books by Malcolm Gladwell and Robert Greene are often harmful and also I think Man's Search for Meaning by Frankl is absolute poison for 21st century people.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Similarly Super System will change your life if you are serious about playing poker",
          "reason": "The commenter says it can be life changing for serious poker players.",
          "audience": "People serious about playing poker.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says otherwise it is just a fun read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Doyle Brunson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "poker strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "super-thinking-44f6b6",
      "title": "Super Thinking",
      "author": "Gabriel Weinberg and Lauren McCann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804093,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:12:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804093",
          "commentText": "Writing a Go Interpreter\nWriting a Go Compiler\nNo One Cares about Crazy People\nI Heard You Paint Houses\nUNIX: A History and a Memoir\nRed Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine\nHow Asia Works\nThe Dream Machine\nBlack Earth\nThe Fabric of Reality\nBehave (tried twice, maybe third times a charm?)\nA Short History of Nearly Everything\nStiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers\nGenius: The Life and Science Richard Feynman\nSuper Thinking\nMan's Search for Meaning\nThe Cooking Gene\nThe Vital Question: Why is Life The Way it Is (re-read)\nThe Case Against Sugar\nThe 15 Decisive Battles of the World\nThe History of the Peloponnesian War\nThe Beginning of Infinity\nThe Book of Why",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Super Thinking",
          "reason": "Listed in the commenter's planned reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gabriel Weinberg and Lauren McCann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mental models"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "super-thinking-the-big-book-of-mental-models-1eb463",
      "title": "Super Thinking: The Big Book of Mental Models",
      "author": "Gabriel Weinberg and Lauren McCann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20981893,
          "author": "jor-el",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T07:45:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20981893",
          "commentText": "Super thinking: The big book of mental models, it has been discussed on HN before https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20211572.\nHaven't completed it yet, so far I am finding it good.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "so far I am finding it good.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are finding it good so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not completed it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19899432,
          "author": "AlchemistCamp",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T14:16:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19899432",
          "commentText": "Gabriel Weinberg of Duck Duck go recently released an entire book devoted to mental models. A few years ago, he also wrote a good article that gives an early idea what he was thinking about here:\nhttps://medium.com/@yegg/mental-models-i-find-repeatedly-use... (https://medium.com/@yegg/mental-models-i-find-repeatedly-useful-936f1cc405d)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Gabriel Weinberg of Duck Duck go recently released an entire book devoted to mental models.",
          "reason": "The commenter notes the book is devoted to mental models, in response to a discussion asking for books on the subject.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gabriel Weinberg and Lauren McCann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Business",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mental models",
        "decision making"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "super-cannes-d83b3f",
      "title": "Super-Cannes",
      "author": "J. G. Ballard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10223627,
          "author": "monknomo",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-15T22:48:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 10211331,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10223627",
          "commentText": "Super-Cannes - JG Ballard",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Super-Cannes - JG Ballard",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. G. Ballard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopian fiction",
        "psychological thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "superfreakonomics-f4260a",
      "title": "Superfreakonomics",
      "author": "Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1027286,
          "author": "brown9-2",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T15:27:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027286",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction:\nCoders at Work by Peter Siebel and Founders at Work by Jessica Livingston - I loved reading about the founder's stories and first-hand perspectives of notable programmers.\nThe Pleasures and Sorrows of Work by Alain de Botton - really interesting perspective on \"work\" and various types of careers and people that find happiness in them/work itself.\nSuperfreakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner - even if you don't agree with their arguments or think that the authors are all fluff, I think that their writing style is exceptionally clear and easy to understand.\nThe Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb - some really interesting ideas and analysis, although the book could have been 1/2 as short\nFiction:\nAnathem by Neal Stephenson - starts out slow but after the first 200 pages it became a really great story that I couldn't put down.\nLife of Pi by Yann Martel - loved the main story of the book, the controversial ending didn't bother me too much because I don't feel like it takes away from the story at all.\nThe Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson - cheap fun and suspenseful\nThe Road by Cormac McCarthy - I don't think much needs to be said about this book\nWhite Tiger by Aravind Adiga - extremely interesting and gripping novel about a side of the world most of us Westerners never see\nHitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams - finally read this classic. I read the \"Ultimate Edition\" which contains all 5 of Adams' novel, loved the first one but the story felt like it started to putter out by the third.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I think that their writing style is exceptionally clear and easy to understand.",
          "reason": "Praises the authors' clear, accessible writing.",
          "audience": "Readers who value clear, accessible writing.",
          "caveat": "The commenter acknowledges disagreement with the arguments and the view that the authors are fluff.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "behavioral economics",
        "popular economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "supernatural-meetings-with-the-ancient-teachers-of-mankind-9003db",
      "title": "Supernatural: Meetings with the Ancient Teachers of Mankind",
      "author": "Graham Hancock",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23154647,
          "author": "JeffDClark",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T14:55:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23154647",
          "commentText": "A piece of fiction that has never failed to make me think every time I read it, is: The Futurological Congress: From the Memoirs of Ijon Tichy by Stanislaw Lem.\nOne of the tenets of getting your mind bent is reading things that are antithetical to your own world view. For this reason I read and had my mind bent by Supernatural: Meetings with the Ancient Teachers of Mankind - Graham Hancock.\nFinally, I offer The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food by Dan Barber. I have read a lot about food, nature, etc. but Barber nails the heart of the problem with our current (really recent past, in light of the pandemic) food culture. From farms and restaurants to the consumers (we are not just eaters) he shows how there could be another way that is more sustainable, as well as being more delicious.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For this reason I read and had my mind bent by Supernatural: Meetings with the Ancient Teachers of Mankind - Graham Hancock.",
          "reason": "Read it to encounter ideas antithetical to the reader's worldview.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking ideas that challenge their worldview.",
          "caveat": "Recommended as an opposing perspective, not as an endorsement of its claims.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Graham Hancock"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternative history",
        "human origins"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "superworm-e5397e",
      "title": "Superworm",
      "author": "Julia Donaldson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50038501,
          "author": "stackghost",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T00:27:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50038501",
          "commentText": "I really wanted to like Iggy Peck, Ada Twist, and Rosie Revere, because they promote really positive messages. But man, the verse is really clumsy and poor in some areas.  Not stellar writing.\nTo add to your list: anything by Julia Donaldson. The Gruffalo, Super Worm, Room on the Broom, the Whale and the Snail.\nPerennial favs when my kids were 3-5",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Gruffalo, Super Worm, Room on the Broom, the Whale and the Snail.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends Julia Donaldson's children's books as perennial favorites.",
          "audience": "Children ages 3–5",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Julia Donaldson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "picture books",
        "rhyming books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sur-petition-creating-value-monopolies-when-everyone-else-is-mere-0dee7c",
      "title": "Sur/petition: Creating Value Monopolies When Everyone Else is Merely Competing",
      "author": "Edward de Bono",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12246073,
          "author": "hoodoof",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T07:44:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12246073",
          "commentText": "Sur/petition: Creating Value Monopolies When Everyone Else is Merely Competing\nEdward DeBono\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Sur-petition-Creating-Monopolies-Comp... (https://www.amazon.com/Sur-petition-Creating-Monopolies-Competing/dp/0006379281)\nThis is the book that inspired me to start in the world of business.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sur/petition: Creating Value Monopolies When Everyone Else is Merely Competing",
          "reason": "Says it inspired them to start in business.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward de Bono"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "competitive strategy",
        "marketing strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "surely-you-re-joking-mr-feynman-adventures-of-a-curious-character-65f902",
      "title": "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character",
      "author": "Richard P. Feynman and Ralph Leighton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15960931,
          "author": "alexwilde",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T15:45:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15960931",
          "commentText": "1. Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\n2. Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! (Adventures of a Curious Character)\n3. The Loyal: The Story of Atwood and the Second Civil War (disclosure - my father wrote this book)\n4. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business\n5. Grit\nI thoroughly enjoyed all of these. It was interesting to see how Grit and The Power of Habit played off each other.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I thoroughly enjoyed all of these.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they thoroughly enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard P. Feynman",
        "Ralph Leighton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "physicist memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "surfaces-and-essences-080f1d",
      "title": "Surfaces and Essences",
      "author": "Douglas Hofstadter and Emmanuel Sander",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12098835,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T03:47:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12098835",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nCode by Charles Petzold\nArtificial Life - Steven Levy\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Singularity is Near - Ray Kurzweil\nSurfaces and Essences - Douglas Hofstadter\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\n-- One of my favorites is How Not to Be Wrong by Jordan Ellenbreg\nI have that on my list of \"to read real soon now\".  Sounds fascinating.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Surfaces and Essences - Douglas Hofstadter",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Hofstadter and Emmanuel Sander"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "analogy",
        "cognition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "surfaces-and-essences-analogy-as-the-fuel-and-fire-of-thinking-f496e4",
      "title": "Surfaces and Essences: Analogy as the Fuel and Fire of Thinking",
      "author": "Douglas Hofstadter and Emmanuel Sander",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10175609,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:34:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175609",
          "commentText": "It's a long list, because I'm guilty of interleaving my reading of dozens (or more) of books at at time. My Goodreads \"currently reading\" shelf has about 25 books in it.  :-(\nBut of the ones I'm really actively reading right now, and plan to finish soon:\n1. Surfaces and Essences: Analogy As The Fuel And Fire Of Thinking - Douglas Hofstader and Emmanuel Sander\n2. The Gathering Storm - Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson\n3. The Balanced Scorecard - David P. Norton and Robert S. Kaplan\nAlso, books that I don't really think of in terms of \"reading\" so much as \"working through\":\n4. Learning R - Richard Cotton\n5. Practical Common Lisp - Peter Seibel",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Surfaces and Essences: Analogy As The Fuel And Fire Of Thinking - Douglas Hofstader and Emmanuel Sander",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8718923,
          "author": "matthewwiese",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T20:22:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8718923",
          "commentText": "Hofstadter is a wonderful writer and illuminates his topics with much creativity and wonderful analogy. I highly suggest you look into his more recent books, especially Surfaces and Essences: Analogy as the Fuel and Fire of Thinking.\nHe is also incredibly receptive to emails; as a first semester freshman he responded in depth to my email to him.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly suggest you look into his more recent books, especially Surfaces and Essences: Analogy as the Fuel and Fire of Thinking.",
          "reason": "Highly recommends this book among Hofstadter's more recent works.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Hofstadter's writing and topics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Hofstadter and Emmanuel Sander"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "analogy",
        "cognition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "surplus-enjoyment-c7aa95",
      "title": "Surplus Enjoyment",
      "author": "Slavoj Žižek",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37943360,
          "author": "zingababba",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T14:26:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37943360",
          "commentText": "Some recent ones I've really enjoyed:   \nThe Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind - Julian Jaynes;   \nAnd: Phenomenology of the End - Franco Berardi;   \nThe True Believer - Eric Hoffer;   \nI See Satan Fall Like Lightning - Rene Girard;   \nSurplus Enjoyment - Slavoy Zizek;   \nDionysus, Christ, and the Death of God - Giuseppe Fornari\nPhenomenology of the End in particular blew my mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Surplus Enjoyment - Slavoy Zizek",
          "reason": "Included among recent books the commenter has enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Slavoj Žižek"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "psychoanalysis",
        "zizek"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "surprised-by-hope-9f9d59",
      "title": "Surprised by Hope",
      "author": "N. T. Wright",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8107077,
          "author": "kilo_man",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T09:00:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107077",
          "commentText": "Just listing books that have had a big impact on me:\n* The Now Habit - http://www.amazon.com/dp/1585425524\n* Getting Things Done - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0142000280\n* Simply Christian - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061920622\n* Surprised by Hope - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061551821\n* The Great Divorce - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060652950\n* Mere Christianity - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060652926\n* The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - http://www.amazon.com/dp/048629823X\n* Tao Te Ching - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060812451\nBooks from the Bible that I like:\n* Genesis\n* Judges\n* Ruth\n* Tobit\n* Job\n* Psalms\n* Ecclesiastes\n* Sirach/Ecclesiasticus\n* Everything written by John",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Surprised by Hope",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter says have had a big impact on them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "N. T. Wright"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christianity",
        "resurrection",
        "theology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "surreal-numbers-a8df51",
      "title": "Surreal Numbers",
      "author": "Donald E. Knuth",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29316606,
          "author": "zvr",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-23T11:28:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29316606",
          "commentText": "> I haven't read any of Knuth's stuff\nYou're missing out on some of the best writing on any topic!\nNot all Knuth's books are the same: The Art of Computer Programming (TAOCP) is his mangum opus, an ever-expanding encyclopedic knowledge fire-hose of various computer science topics. But the series of books that are simply \"collected papers\" makes it easy to focus on something much narrower. For impractical, you may want to start from Selected Papers on Fun and Games.\nAnd then he has books like Surreal Numbers, which is written as a story of a couple discovering mathematical notation and deriving a whole system...",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "books like Surreal Numbers",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a story about a couple discovering mathematical notation and deriving a system.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23726545,
          "author": "tromp",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T19:04:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23726545",
          "commentText": "Surreal Numbers by Knuth is great, although not related to analyis/calculus:\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Surreal-Numbers-Donald-Knuth/dp/02010... (https://www.amazon.com/Surreal-Numbers-Donald-Knuth/dp/0201038129)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Surreal Numbers by Knuth is great, although not related to analyis/calculus",
          "reason": "Recommended as an enjoyable mathematics book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is not related to analysis or calculus.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donald E. Knuth"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "surreal numbers",
        "mathematical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "surreal-numbers-054c81",
      "title": "Surreal Numbers",
      "author": "Donald Knuth",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29307839,
          "author": "tephra",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:02:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29307839",
          "commentText": "> I haven't read any of Knuth's stuff because doesn't having 7 volumes kinda imply it can't possibly be well edited? Or maybe I really do just need to suck it up and read these books. I know it's not the same exact book but I took his style to be to generate encyclopedic tomes rather than interesting reading.\nOf the Knuth I've read (which includes [a tiny] _some_ of AoCP, lets not kid ourselves) I think he is a very good writer with great sense of humour between the academicness of some of his writing. Take the Surreal Numbers book for example.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Take the Surreal Numbers book for example.",
          "reason": "Offered as an example of Knuth's engaging writing and humor.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donald Knuth"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical fiction",
        "surreal numbers"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "surveillance-valley-the-secret-military-history-of-the-internet-1d6aa9",
      "title": "Surveillance Valley: The Secret Military History of the Internet",
      "author": "Yasha Levine",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17205698,
          "author": "emodendroket",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T14:42:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205698",
          "commentText": "Maybe a bit more of a downer than you have in mind, but I read Surveillance Valley by Yasha Levine and I thought parts were interesting, especially the discussion of the links between TOR and US intelligence.\nSeibel's Coders at Work is really fascinating and it's great to get all these different perspectives, some of them really tearing down current orthodoxy (like the interview about how nobody really reads code or jwz making fun of software blogs).\nFree as in Freedom, about Richard Stallman, was also a book I enjoyed reading a lot, although I understand the subject hated it (it's been a while, but I recall it being a pretty sympathetic portrait, but unflattering in parts).\nI'm interested to know if anybody read the Carreyou book about Theranos. It sounds like it could be good.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I read Surveillance Valley by Yasha Levine and I thought parts were interesting",
          "reason": "The commenter found parts interesting, while describing the book as potentially more of a downer.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says parts were interesting; the book may be more of a downer.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Yasha Levine"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "internet surveillance",
        "military history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "survival-of-the-richest-escape-fantasies-of-the-tech-billionaires-877225",
      "title": "Survival of the Richest: Escape Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires",
      "author": "Douglas Rushkoff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33854220,
          "author": "cateblanchett",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T14:57:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33854220",
          "commentText": "Anything by Douglas Rushkoff. I particularly enjoyed Survival of the Richest: Escape Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires.\nAnother good one is Irrational Man by William Barrett. The only truly comprehensive look at existentialism I've read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I particularly enjoyed Survival of the Richest: Escape Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires.",
          "reason": "Says they particularly enjoyed it, after recommending anything by Rushkoff.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Rushkoff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "tech culture",
        "technology billionaires"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "survival-of-the-savvy-high-integrity-political-tactics-for-career-a3e7e0",
      "title": "Survival of the Savvy: High-Integrity Political Tactics for Career and Company Success",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25555310,
          "author": "OneFunFellow",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-28T00:00:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 25554464,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books for dealing with workplace politics and dishonesty?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25555310",
          "commentText": "I stole this from someone else but what you are experiencing is this:\nSome workplaces value consensus and some workplaces value correctness.\nSound about right?\nUnfortunately there's nothing you can do to change the culture.\nInstead of trying to change or deal with or adapt to culture, ask pointed questions about correctness vs consensus culture during the interview.\nEDIT: One book to suggest is Survival of the Savvy: High-Integrity Political Tactics for Career and Company Success",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One book to suggest is Survival of the Savvy: High-Integrity Political Tactics for Career and Company Success",
          "reason": "The commenter suggests it in response to a request for books about workplace politics and dishonesty.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "career strategy",
        "workplace politics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "suttree-1f84db",
      "title": "Suttree",
      "author": "Cormac McCarthy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18663308,
          "author": "ivanmaeder",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:27:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663308",
          "commentText": "My highlights from this year:\n1. \"How to Measure Anything\" (Douglas Hubbard)\nPresents a few simple techniques (confidence intervals, Monte Carlo simulations, regression analysis, Bayes, etc) to help with decision-making. E.g., should we build this feature or spend the same money on marketing?\nI put it alongside \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" (Daniel Kahneman), \"Superforecasting\" (Philip Tetlock), \"The Art of Thinking Clearly\" (Rolf Dobelli), etc. These books explain how our thinking is often flawed; \"How to Measure Anything\" gives you some tools to avoid flawed thinking.\nNote: if you already know the math (a lot of people on HN would), you might not get that much out of it.\n2. \"Why We Sleep\" (Matthew Walker)\nAs I read this book I kept thinking about all the people I knew who would benefit from it: family and friends whom I want to have healthy happy lives, managers who believe that they'll get more out of people by pushing them to work crazy hours… and lots of people who think they’ll get more out of themselves if they sleep less.\nWith references to studies, the book explains the different factors that influence sleep, what your body does during sleep and the different phases of sleep, how your body—mostly the brain—benefits, etc.\nFor days after reading it I kept telling friends about things I'd learnt from it. One of my favourite was how certain types of bird are able to sleep: they line themselves up in a row, with the birds on each end putting only half their brain to sleep. This way they can keep one of their eyes open—the one furthest to the end—so they can keep watch. Then after a while the birds on the end will turn around and sleep the other side of their brain.\nFascinating!\nMy only complaint is that it very rarely mentions the actual numbers behind studies. E.g., there might be a mention of a lack of sleep and an increased risk of diabetes or depression or heart attacks, but there's no reference to the amount the risks increase by.\n3. \"Shoe Dog\" (Phil Knight)\nThe story of Nike, told by the founder. I honestly don't care about Nike but that's not the takeaway—it's not about shoes or T-shirts or Michael Jordan. It's about a guy trying to keep a business alive: almost from day one there no let-up, the company is continually under threat.\nAlso the early employees are a really fun bunch.\n4. \"The Master and Margarita\" (Mikhail Bulgakov)\nFiction. It took me a while to warm up to this but I'm glad I stuck it out. I think the charm is in the language and the crazy mix of characters, the way religion is dealt with in a very human way; the tension, the fun…\nI really struggle to describe this book.\n5. \"Shantaram\" (David Gregory Roberts)\nFiction. I was looking for a book about India. I've never been, and I thought I might learn something and get a feeling of what it's like to be there.\nI didn't. Not in the same way that I could feel the heat in \"Heart of Darkness\" (Joseph Conrad) or the sun and the trees in \"From the Holy Mountain\" (William Dalrymple) or the weight of the world in \"Suttree\" (Cormac McCarthy).\nBut it's a good ride of a story.\n6. \"In Dreams Begin Responsibilities and Other Stories\" (Delmore Schwartz)\nI knew this book from university. And then a few weeks ago: I needed a break from the world of tech and productivity and work, and this did the trick. It is so far away from that. Think: creative types working on books and poems and plays during the depression, struggling, self-conscious, observant, talkative…",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "or the weight of the world in \"Suttree\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned as a comparison for the atmosphere the commenter sought; no evaluation of this title is given here.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2640614,
          "author": "clutchski",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T12:39:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2640614",
          "commentText": "Suttree by Cormac McCarthy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Suttree by Cormac McCarthy.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cormac McCarthy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american literature",
        "literary fiction",
        "southern gothic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "swallows-and-amazons-5a3490",
      "title": "Swallows and Amazons",
      "author": "Arthur Ransome",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17337252,
          "author": "gerikson",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:06:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337252",
          "commentText": "Used to be the Swallows and Amazon series (when I was much younger).\nThen it was the 2 memoirs by Patrick Leigh Fermor: \"A Time of Gifts\" and \"Between the Woods and the Water\".\nLately it's the Aubrey-Maturin by Patrick O'Brian series which I have re-read multiple times.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Swallows and Amazon series",
          "reason": "The commenter says this series used to be their comfort read when they were younger.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur Ransome"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s adventure",
        "sailing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "swarm-cda00e",
      "title": "Swarm",
      "author": "B. V. Larson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25845573,
          "author": "ryanmercer",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T12:22:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25845573",
          "commentText": "Heinlein is always great.\nCheck out B. V. Larson's Swarm and Undying Mercenaries series, Dennis E. Taylor Bobiverse series, and Craig Alanson's Expeditionary Force.\nAlso what I mentioned to OP, what I'm doing my annual re-listen of https://www.goodreads.com/series/51166-troy-rising\nThey're not Heinlein by any means but they're fairly good hard science fiction. The audiobook versions all have fantastic narrators too if one has a commute.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Check out B. V. Larson's Swarm and Undying Mercenaries series",
          "reason": "Suggested among science fiction series the commenter describes as fairly good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these series are not Heinlein by any means.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "B. V. Larson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "swarm-544827",
      "title": "Swarm",
      "author": "Jon Evans",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17749469,
          "author": "EvanAnderson",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T12:15:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17749469",
          "commentText": "You said \"novels\", so I'm assuming you're looking for fiction. If that's the case I enjoyed Jon Evans' \"Swarm\": http://m.feedbooks.com/userbook/24466/swarm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed Jon Evans' \"Swarm\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed it as a novel matching the request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jon Evans"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybercrime",
        "thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sway-the-irresistible-pull-of-irrational-behavior-d2291c",
      "title": "Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior",
      "author": "Ori Brafman and Rom Brafman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1226995,
          "author": "ColemanF",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T17:19:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226995",
          "commentText": "Another good Behavioral Economics book:\nSway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior by Ori Brafman and Rom Brafman  \nI liked it a lot better than Predictably Irrational.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior by Ori Brafman and Rom Brafman  \nI liked it a lot better than Predictably Irrational.",
          "reason": "Says they liked it a lot better than Predictably Irrational.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ori Brafman and Rom Brafman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "behavioral economics",
        "decision making"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sweat-the-technique-revelations-on-creativity-from-the-lyrical-ge-769c70",
      "title": "Sweat the Technique: Revelations on Creativity from the Lyrical Genius",
      "author": "Rakim",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21792982,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T23:04:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21792982",
          "commentText": "I read a bunch of nonfiction in 2019, but the only nonfiction book I read that was published in 2019 and that I really liked was Rakim's _Sweat The Technique_.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the only nonfiction book I read that was published in 2019 and that I really liked was Rakim's _Sweat The Technique_.",
          "reason": "The commenter says this was the only 2019 nonfiction book they read and really liked.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rakim"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creativity",
        "hip hop"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "swimming-to-antarctica-tales-of-a-long-distance-swimmer-966f76",
      "title": "Swimming to Antarctica: Tales of a Long-Distance Swimmer",
      "author": "Lynne Cox",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6387589,
          "author": "wallflower",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T23:55:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387589",
          "commentText": "I love biographies/auto-biographies of people not in technology (directly) who live an interesting life.\n\"Giant Steps: The Remarkable Story of the Goliath Expedition From Punta Arenas to Russia\" by Karl Bushby\nUnbelievable what it feels like to just take off...\nhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/0751536954\n\"Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination\"\nThe first third of the book is remarkable in that Walt Disney constantly struggles with failure.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/0679757473\n\"Swimming to Antarctica: Tales of a Long-Distance Swimmer\" by Lynne Cox\nHer story is all about single focus on doing what you want to do.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/B0013L8AQQ\n\"Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life\" by Steve Martin\nhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/1416553657",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Swimming to Antarctica: Tales of a Long-Distance Swimmer\" by Lynne Cox\nHer story is all about single focus on doing what you want to do.",
          "reason": "The commenter highlights the story's focus on pursuing what you want to do.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lynne Cox"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure memoir",
        "swimming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "swimming-to-cambodia-9634c8",
      "title": "Swimming to Cambodia",
      "author": "Spalding Gray",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21901753,
          "author": "pmoriarty",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T21:10:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21901753",
          "commentText": "If you like David Sedaris you might enjoy Spalding Gray's monologues.  Swimming to Cambodia and Gray's Anatomy are my favorites.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Swimming to Cambodia and Gray's Anatomy are my favorites.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of their favorite monologues and suggests it to people who like David Sedaris.",
          "audience": "Readers who like David Sedaris",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Spalding Gray"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "monologue"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "swing-time-81d77f",
      "title": "Swing Time",
      "author": "Zadie Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12475387,
          "author": "fitzwatermellow",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T20:07:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12475387",
          "commentText": "There is some remarkable fiction coming out this season by some of the best:\nJonathan Safran Foer's Here I Am\nZadie Smith's Swing Time\nIan McEwan's Nutshell\nColson Whitehead's The Underground Railroad\nCarl Hiassan's Razor Girl\nAlan Moore's Jerusalem\nJonathan Lethem's A Gamber's Anatomy\nHa Jin's The Boat Rocker\nT.C. Boyle's The Terranauts\nMichael Chabon's Moonglow\nCormac McCarthy's The Passenger\nI've got plenty of friends who never touch fiction because \"it's not real\". Preferring science, history, economics, biography and virtually anything else. But I think its obligatory at times. The soul requires it's own nourishment, if not more so than the body and the mind. Indulge yourself. If only because great writing will make your writing greater, as if by osmosis. But ultimately, because only fiction can uncover the truths that can't be revealed any other way ;)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zadie Smith's Swing Time",
          "reason": "Included in a list of remarkable fiction; the comment urges readers to indulge in fiction.",
          "audience": "Readers who tend to avoid fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Zadie Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "contemporary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "switch-f746f7",
      "title": "Switch",
      "author": "Chip Heath and Dan Heath",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1973786,
          "author": "elptacek",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T03:43:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1973786",
          "commentText": "\"Switch\" by Chip and Dan Heath. Website here: http://heathbrothers.com/switch/. I don't tend to go out of my way for self-help type books, which this may or may not be. The authors leverage a lot of research and rhetoric that was already familiar, plus some that was not. It was pleasing to learn some new vocabulary, such as \"Fundamental Attribution Error\" and \"Ego Depletion.\" Since my kids were born, it has been very apparent that the better a human is at manipulating others, the more likely that human is to survive. But we tend to think of manipulating behavior as having negative connotations. \"Switch\" is full of stories about effecting change by manipulating behavior. Positive stories. As a parent, I found the reminder to look for positive ways to reinforce desired behavior invaluable. And, personally, I found the notion that behavior is highly attributable to environmental forces something of a relief.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "As a parent, I found the reminder to look for positive ways to reinforce desired behavior invaluable.",
          "reason": "Values its advice on positively reinforcing desired behavior and its perspective on how environments shape behavior.",
          "audience": "Parents interested in changing behavior.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that some ideas and research were already familiar.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chip Heath",
        "Dan Heath"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Parenting",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "behavior change"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "switch-bitch-e03ef4",
      "title": "Switch Bitch",
      "author": "Roald Dahl",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Switch Bitch",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roald Dahl"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "sword-of-destiny-d1ed13",
      "title": "Sword of Destiny",
      "author": "Andrzej Sapkowski",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804066,
          "author": "Delfino",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:09:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804066",
          "commentText": "I read about 25 books this year, here are the top 10 I look forward to reading in 2020, many of them informed by my favorites of 2019:\nHomo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari - I read Sapiens this year and really enjoyed it. I just started this today one so I may finish that before the end of the year.\nThinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman - I like books that make me think and from what I've heard, this will definitely do the trick. I read Factfulness this year and this was a suggested follow-up.\nThe Language Instinct by Steven Pinker - I've gotten really into natural languages since I've lived outside my country of origin for the last 2 and a half years and I've heard good things about this book being an entry point into linguistics.\nSword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski - With the new Witcher show coming out on Netflix I finally went back and beat The Witcher 3 then read the first book, The Last Wish. It was enjoyable enough that I want to keep going with the series.\nEducated by Tara Westover - Was convinced by Bill Gate's blog this is worthwhile. I'm a teacher so it wasn't hard to convince me.\nRobot Builder's Bonanza by Gordon McComb - I've been asked to teach a robotics course next year and this one seems to be The Book everyone recommends to dive into robotics.\nDivided by Partition: United by Resilience by Mallika Ahluwalia - I recently visited the Partition Museum in Amritsar, Punjab, India and purchased this book there to learn about more stories about people impacted by this event.\nThe Elements of Computing Systems by Noam Nisan and Shimon Shocken - I just read Code by Petzold and it was one of my favorite books. Even though I studied Computer Science in University and most of the concepts weren't new to me, it was such a fun experience mentally \"building\" a computer from relays/transistors to logic gates and up to assemblers, compilers, and interpreters. I want to keep going with this and jump into the Nand2Tetris online course.\nThe Annotated Turing by Charles Petzold - Again, I loved Petzold's Code so I looked up other books he wrote and this one looks great. I've never actually read Turing's work so I'm excited to have some background and explanation to help me not just read the words but grasp their significance.\nZACH-LIKE by Zachtronics - I played through several Zachtronics games this year (TIS-100, Shenzhen I/O and Opus Magnum) so I can't wait to dive into some of the thinking behind creating these and similar games.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Sword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed the first book enough to want to continue the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The first book was enjoyable enough to continue.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrzej Sapkowski"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "witcher"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "synchronicity-the-inner-path-of-leadership-a76af0",
      "title": "Synchronicity: The Inner Path of Leadership",
      "author": "Joseph Jaworski",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11229877,
          "author": "fsiefken",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T16:16:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229877",
          "commentText": "That's a very broad question, so I read your comments to get a feel from where you might be coming from and/or going to and where you and I might overlap:\n* Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Antifragile, things that gain from disorder http://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Incer... (http://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Incerto/dp/0812979680/)\n* Jared Diamond. The World until yesterday, what can we learn from traditional societies http://www.amazon.com/World-Until-Yesterday-Traditional-Soci... (http://www.amazon.com/World-Until-Yesterday-Traditional-Societies/dp/0143124404)\n* Frans de Waal. The Bonobo and the Atheist: In Search of Humanism Among the Primates http://www.amazon.com/Bonobo-Atheist-Search-Humanism-Primate... (http://www.amazon.com/Bonobo-Atheist-Search-Humanism-Primates/dp/0393347796/)\n* John Higgs. The KLF: Chaos, Magic... http://www.amazon.com/KLF-Chaos-Magic-Music-Money-ebook/dp/B... (http://www.amazon.com/KLF-Chaos-Magic-Music-Money-ebook/dp/B00ABFHOS0/)\n* Joseph Jaworski. Synchronicity, the inner Path of leadership http://www.amazon.com/Synchronicity-The-Inner-Path-Leadershi... (http://www.amazon.com/Synchronicity-The-Inner-Path-Leadership-ebook/dp/B0051ANRBI)\n* Piero Ferrucci. Your Inner Will, finding personal strength in critical times http://www.amazon.com/Your-Inner-Will-Personal-Strength/dp/0... (http://www.amazon.com/Your-Inner-Will-Personal-Strength/dp/0399174931)\n* William Irvine. A Guide to the good life, the ancient art of stoic joy http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic/dp/01953... (http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic/dp/0195374614)\n* Chogyam Trungpa. Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior http://www.amazon.com/Shambhala-Sacred-Warrior-Chogyam-Trung... (http://www.amazon.com/Shambhala-Sacred-Warrior-Chogyam-Trungpa/dp/1590304519/)\n* Tomas Malik. Patience with God: The Story of Zacchaeus Continuing In Us http://www.amazon.com/Patience-God-Story-Zacchaeus-Continuin... (http://www.amazon.com/Patience-God-Story-Zacchaeus-Continuing/dp/0385524498/)\n* Nick Winter. The Motivation Hacker http://www.amazon.com/Motivation-Hacker-Nick-Winter/dp/09892... (http://www.amazon.com/Motivation-Hacker-Nick-Winter/dp/0989279820)\n* Chas Emerick, Brian Carper, Christophe Grad. Clojure Programming http://www.amazon.com/Clojure-Programming-Chas-Emerick/dp/14... (http://www.amazon.com/Clojure-Programming-Chas-Emerick/dp/1449394701)\nFiction:\n* Peter Hamilton - The Reality Dysfunction\n* Neal Stephenson - Cryptonomicon (his other hit: Snow Crash is surprisingly more history then SF now...)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Joseph Jaworski. Synchronicity, the inner Path of leadership",
          "reason": "Included in a response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph Jaworski"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "personal development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "system-reset-68494f",
      "title": "System Reset",
      "author": "Tobias Buckell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15431201,
          "author": "superkuh",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-09T02:25:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15431201",
          "commentText": "By far the best is Simon Funk's \"AfterLife\". The mystery keeps you on the edge of your seat and the tech jargon and concepts are both detailed and correct which is a rare thing for any fiction. Also,\nCharles Stross - \"Accelerando\"\nDaniel Suarez\" \"Daemon\"\nKim Stanley Robinson - \"Aurora\"\nTobias Buckell - \"System Reset\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tobias Buckell - \"System Reset\"",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's recommendations in response to a book request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tobias Buckell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "system-of-the-world-cfbba8",
      "title": "System of the World",
      "author": "Neal Stephenson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4787418,
          "author": "timmm",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:19:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787418",
          "commentText": "The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho.\nKing, Warrior, Magician, Lover by Moore and Gillette\nThe lean startup\nPaul Graham how to start a startup\nMark Hyman Ultimate Mind Solution\nTribal Leadership\nWheel of Time\nThink and Grow Rich\nSuperior Man David Deida\nThe Fountain Head\nEckhart Tolle New Earth\n50th Law\nGood to Great\nJed Mckenna\nEarl Nightengale\nLong Walk to Freedom\nOutliers\nGood to Great\nPsycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz (Self-image)\nSeven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey(Being awesome)\nWealth of Nations\nWayne Dyer The Tao\nSystem of the World\nOrigin of Species\nBrave new world\nThank you economy\nCrush it\nBuilt to Last\nWho Moved my Cheese\nStillness Speak Eckhert Tolle\nMastery George Leonard\nSteve Jobs Biography\nThe Last Lecture\nSteve Pavlina Books\nIacocca\nStriking Thoughts Bruce Lee\nCarlos Castaneda\nGhost in the Wires\nRichest Man in Babylon\nWay of the Superior Man\nLosing My Virginity\nThink and Grow Rich\nDelivering Happiness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "System of the World",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neal Stephenson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "systemantics-the-systems-bible-df30a9",
      "title": "Systemantics: The Systems Bible",
      "author": "John Gall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33858877,
          "author": "rglover",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T22:50:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33858877",
          "commentText": "Systemantics is a fun read: https://www.amazon.com/SYSTEMANTICS-SYSTEMS-BIBLE-John-Gall-... (https://www.amazon.com/SYSTEMANTICS-SYSTEMS-BIBLE-John-Gall-ebook/dp/B00AK1BIDM)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Systemantics is a fun read",
          "reason": "Described as a fun read in response to a request for reading material.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in systems and organizational behavior.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Gall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "organizational behavior",
        "systems theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "systematic-theology-d8c1f0",
      "title": "Systematic Theology",
      "author": "Wayne Grudem",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17168823,
          "author": "rsyring",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:58:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168823",
          "commentText": "Agreed.  A close second for me is Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem.  It helped me understand the Bible and put the things I was reading into categories.  It's a thick book, but very readable.  If you want something a bit smaller, there are two thinner books that are a summary of the original:\n* Introduction to systematic theology (the discipline, not the book): https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/whats-systematic-... (https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/whats-systematic-theology-and-why-bother/)\n* Introductory book: Christian Beliefs\n* Mid-Level: Bible Doctrine\n* In Depth: Systematic Theology",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem. It helped me understand the Bible and put the things I was reading into categories. It's a thick book, but very readable.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped organize their understanding of the Bible and is very readable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a thick book; two thinner summaries are mentioned.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Wayne Grudem"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian theology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "systems-thinking-ec277c",
      "title": "Systems Thinking",
      "author": "Alexander Levenchuk",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33799096,
          "author": "dottedmag",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T10:49:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33799096",
          "commentText": "«Systems thinking» by Levenchuk.\nMasterful distillation of the most important parts of current systems engineering and systems management into a broadly applicable systems thinking approach.\nThe book is now reworked to a course and is currently free: https://eem.institute/open-endedness/systems-thinking/\nTBH I read the original (in Russian), and English translation does not seem to be of stellar quality.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "«Systems thinking» by Levenchuk.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a broad, applicable distillation of systems engineering and management.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter read the Russian original and says the English translation's quality seems poor.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alexander Levenchuk"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "systems engineering",
        "systems thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "systems-of-survival-202d31",
      "title": "Systems of Survival",
      "author": "Jane Jacobs",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22096016,
          "author": "crimsonalucard",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T03:16:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22096016",
          "commentText": "Systems of Survival by Jane Jacobs.\nShe comes up with an elegant social theory behind the nature of corruption.\nWe know on a certain level why people can be seduced by corruption, but she introduces a higher level concept that describes why entire civilizations can be corrupt.\nThe book is really short as her theory is quite elegantly explained in a short dialogue between intellectuals.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Systems of Survival by Jane Jacobs.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for its social theory of corruption across civilizations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12474478,
          "author": "kaiku",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T17:32:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12474478",
          "commentText": "Systems of Survival by Jane Jacobs",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Systems of Survival by Jane Jacobs",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jane Jacobs"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "corruption",
        "economic life",
        "ethics",
        "social theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tardis-eruditorum-b2386e",
      "title": "TARDIS Eruditorum",
      "author": "Elizabeth Sandifer",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21793675,
          "author": "captaincrowbar",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-15T01:07:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793675",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction I read this year:\nMichael Benson - Space Odyssey - The detailed story of the making of 2001: A Space Odyssey. If you're a fan of the movie, or of Stanley Kubrick and/or Arthur C. Clarke in general, you should read this.\nAtul Gawande - Complications - Fascinating look at life in the medical profession.\nChristina Thompson - Sea People - Detailed, well-researched history of Polynesian-Western contact and relations. As a New Zealander I was interested in this, although American or European readers with no personal connection may be less so.\nPeter Singer - Marx: A Very Short Introduction - What it says on the tin.\nRobert C Allen - Global Economic History: A Very Short Introduction - Also good, but inaccurately titled; it should have said \"Global Economic History Since the Industrial Revolution\".\nFraser A Sherman - Now and Then We Time Travel - A thorough if somewhat superficial survey of time travel in the movies.\nAlec Nevala-Lee - Astounding - A history of the magazine Astounding Stories, and the four men most closely associated with it: John Campbell, Robert Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, and Ron Hubbard. Very thoroughly researched and annotated; it reveals a lot of new information and debunks a lot of old myths. (Whichever version of the \"FBI visits Campbell to complain about A-bomb stories\" you've heard, I can pretty much guarantee it wasn't the real one.)\nElizabeth Sandifer - Tardis Eruditorum 1: William Hartnell - The first volume of a thorough study of Doctor Who, with a combined fannish and scholarly point of view that I enjoyed.\nRandall Munroe - How To - It's by Randall Munroe, what else do you need to know?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The first volume of a thorough study of Doctor Who, with a combined fannish and scholarly point of view that I enjoyed.",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed its thorough blend of fandom and scholarship.",
          "audience": "Doctor Who fans and readers interested in scholarly analysis.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Elizabeth Sandifer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "doctor who",
        "television criticism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tcp-ip-guide-9c264b",
      "title": "TCP/IP Guide",
      "author": "Charles M. Kozierok",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27654093,
          "author": "orangefox",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T18:46:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 27650775,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27654093",
          "commentText": "TCP/IP Guide http://www.tcpipguide.com/ is one of my favorites. Its free at the website and available as a book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "TCP/IP Guide http://www.tcpipguide.com/ is one of my favorites. Its free at the website and available as a book.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a favorite and notes it is available as a book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is free on the website.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles M. Kozierok"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "network protocols",
        "tcp ip"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tcp-ip-illustrated-volume-2-51f2bb",
      "title": "TCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 2",
      "author": "W. Richard Stevens",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30486405,
          "author": "oogali",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T08:21:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30486405",
          "commentText": "Seconded. He had such a strong and clear style of delivery.\nBut if I had to pick one, it’s a toss up between Unix Network Programming and TCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 2.\nThose two books had a significant impact on me in terms of demystifying the network stack.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it’s a toss up between Unix Network Programming and TCP/IP Illustrated, Volume 2.\nThose two books had a significant impact on me",
          "reason": "The commenter says the books significantly helped demystify the network stack.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. Richard Stevens"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "network protocols",
        "tcp ip"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tcp-ip-network-administration-23eb55",
      "title": "TCP/IP Network Administration",
      "author": "Craig Hunt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27653994,
          "author": "huy-nguyen",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T18:35:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 27650775,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27653994",
          "commentText": "This is an oldie but goodie: “ TCP/IP Network Administration (3rd Edition; O'Reilly Networking)” by Craig Hunt. However, I think nothing teaches networking better than making your own network devices from open source components, for example, creating routers/firewalls/access points from barebones Linux/Unix machines.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“ TCP/IP Network Administration (3rd Edition; O'Reilly Networking)” by Craig Hunt.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an oldie but goodie.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Craig Hunt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "network administration",
        "tcp ip"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ti-99-4a-basic-reference-manual-c1d1d3",
      "title": "TI-99/4A BASIC Reference Manual",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17169741,
          "author": "mm321",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T23:27:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17169741",
          "commentText": "Don't know about changing my life, but these books changed the way i look at things:\nThe Tao of Pooh: Benjamin Hoff\nSlaughterhouse-Five, or The Children's Crusade by Kurt Vonnegut\nTI 99/4a basic reference manual\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, by Abelson, Sussman\nObject Oriented Analysis and Design by Grady Booch\nDarkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler\nThieves in the Night by Arthur Koestler\nAll the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren\nThe Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck\nThe Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.\nWar and Peace by L.N.Tolstoy\nChapaev and the void by Pelevin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "TI 99/4a basic reference manual",
          "reason": "Listed among books that changed how the commenter looks at things.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "basic programming",
        "ti 99 4a"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "trs-80-model-i-user-s-manual-bc48c8",
      "title": "TRS-80 Model I User's Manual",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 176891,
          "author": "smoody",
          "createdAt": "2008-04-29T19:23:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 176803,
          "threadTitle": "Which is your favorite 70-80s computer book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=176891",
          "commentText": "Two books if that's permitted:\n1. \"Smalltalk-80 The Languange and its Implementation\" - They eventually dropped the implementation chapters from the book, but you can still get the original edition used on Amazon if you're curious as to how Smalltalk was implemented  (http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0201113716/ref=dp_olp... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0201113716/ref=dp_olp_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1209496624&sr=8-1)). I'm surprised at how cheap they are, as the book is considered a collector's item.\n2. \"Computer Lib\" by Ted Nelson (http://www.digibarn.com/collections/books/computer-lib/)\nAnd, as a bonus, the TRS-80 Model I Users Manual. I still remember the first \"program\" the book taught me:\n10 PRINT \"HEY MA, IT WORKS!\"\n20 END",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the TRS-80 Model I Users Manual",
          "reason": "The manual taught the commenter their first program.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "trs 80",
        "user manuals"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "take-off-with-elixir-d9cda4",
      "title": "Take Off With Elixir",
      "author": "Rob Conery",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13661596,
          "author": "innocentoldguy",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-16T17:11:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13661596",
          "commentText": "I liked Take Off With Elixir, by Rob Conery.  It walks you through writing a program for a fictional aerospace start-up.  It also comes with a 3-hour companion video, which is good too.\nhttps://bigmachine.io/products/take-off-with-elixir/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I liked Take Off With Elixir, by Rob Conery.",
          "reason": "The commenter liked the book; it guides readers through a program for a fictional aerospace startup.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The companion video is described as good too.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rob Conery"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "elixir",
        "project based learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "takedown-e09fe2",
      "title": "Takedown",
      "author": "Tsutomu Shimomura",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17749868,
          "author": "GuB-42",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T13:27:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17749868",
          "commentText": "Takedown by Tsutomo Shimomura\nThat's the story of how Kevin Mitnick got caught. Very controversial so I can't say it's good. I still enjoyed it back then.\nNote that the question is about novels, and I think it is how you should read the book. I seriously doubt its credibility when it comes to facts.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Takedown by Tsutomo Shimomura",
          "reason": "Shares that they enjoyed it, while questioning its factual credibility.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Very controversial; the commenter doubts its credibility as factual history.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tsutomu Shimomura"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybercrime",
        "hacking",
        "true crime"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "taleb-s-books-0ba07d",
      "title": "Taleb's books",
      "author": "Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17047189,
          "author": "volkl48",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T13:36:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17047189",
          "commentText": "Taleb's books are something I almost hate to recommend.\nI don't like a lot of his attitude (arrogance) and I'm not sure I'd call them all that well written either. He likes to ramble and seems to cram as many \"SAT words\" as possible into his writing, even when simpler/more commonly used words would done the job just as well.\nWith that said, they're some of the books that have made me reconsider the world around me the most and he has a very interesting take on the world.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Taleb's books are something I almost hate to recommend.",
          "reason": "They prompted substantial reconsideration of the world, though the commenter dislikes Taleb's attitude and writing style.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter almost hates recommending them and criticizes the author's arrogance, rambling, and word choice.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nassim Nicholas Taleb"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "decision making",
        "risk"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "talent-is-overrated-what-really-separates-world-class-performers--c2a035",
      "title": "Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else",
      "author": "Geoff Colvin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12416163,
          "author": "b_emery",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T20:48:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416163",
          "commentText": "The most important books I've read in the last 10 yrs (with respect to professional growth) are:\nTalent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else, by G. Colvin\nThe Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, by C. Duhigg\nThese books have reshaped how I work and how I think about work. With the knowledge contained in these books it's not hard to outline the daily routines needed to be great at just about anything.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "These books have reshaped how I work and how I think about work.",
          "reason": "Says the listed books reshaped how they work and think about work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Geoff Colvin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "deliberate practice",
        "expert performance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tales-from-the-white-hart-41ccba",
      "title": "Tales from the White Hart",
      "author": "Arthur C. Clarke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 140653,
          "author": "dcminter",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T08:15:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140653",
          "commentText": "Tales from the White Hart (Clarke, RIP) kicked off my interest in science and thus in IT. So that inspired me most.\nStill, I think the best SF I've read was Feersum Endjinn by Iain M. Banks.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tales from the White Hart (Clarke, RIP) kicked off my interest in science and thus in IT.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it sparked their interest in science and IT.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur C. Clarke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "science humor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tales-of-soldiers-and-civilians-0baa2e",
      "title": "Tales of Soldiers and Civilians",
      "author": "Ambrose Bierce",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20915681,
          "author": "Gibbon1",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T06:33:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20915681",
          "commentText": "Ambrose Bierce, Tales of Soldiers and Civilians\nO'Henry, the Gentle Grafter.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ambrose Bierce, Tales of Soldiers and Civilians",
          "reason": "Lists the book in response to a request for favorite old books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ambrose Bierce"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories",
        "war"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tales-of-a-dying-earth-ac1276",
      "title": "Tales of a Dying Earth",
      "author": "Jack Vance",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10534502,
          "author": "Maultasche",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T17:48:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10534502",
          "commentText": "Tales of a Dying Earth by Jack Vance\nThat was a very good book.\nI hadn't even heard of Jack Vance until recently, but it seems like he's been an influence on many modern authors.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "That was a very good book.",
          "reason": "Calls it a very good book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jack Vance"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "science fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "talking-to-my-daughter-about-the-economy-or-how-capitalism-works--81d9f3",
      "title": "Talking to My Daughter About the Economy: or, How Capitalism Works--and How It Fails",
      "author": "Yanis Varoufakis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45954201,
          "author": "bicepjai",
          "createdAt": "2025-11-17T15:03:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 45947737,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45954201",
          "commentText": "1. Talking to My Daughter About the Economy: or, How Capitalism Works--and How It Fails\n2. Writing to learn. People who are scared of writing like me must listen to this every year :)\n3. Made to stick\n4. Million dollar weekend\n5. Surrounded by idiots",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Talking to My Daughter About the Economy: or, How Capitalism Works--and How It Fails",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Yanis Varoufakis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "capitalism",
        "economic literacy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "talking-to-strange-men-06f5dd",
      "title": "Talking to Strange Men",
      "author": "Ruth Rendell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1569264,
          "author": "dkarl",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T22:04:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569264",
          "commentText": "Palace Walk, by Naguib Mahfouz\nA family drama set in Cairo during and after World War I.  It's a long book, but the going is easy.  The variety of characters of different ages and temperaments, each with their own preoccupations in a turbulent time, provide a fascinating glimpse of what to me was an entirely unknown society and culture.  It's the first book in a trilogy, so if you like it, there are more books waiting.\nNever Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro\nVery sad.  It ripped me up the first time I read it.  Anybody who grew up feeling different and somehow deficient should read it.\nTalking to Strange Men, by Ruth Rendell\nAn easy and fast-paced kind-of-mystery by a well-known mystery writer.  There are two stories related in a crucial but indirect way.  Each story has mysteries and twists that could stand on their own for suspense, but they play second fiddle to the development of several interesting characters.\nPersepolis and Persepolis 2, by Marjane Satrapi\nGraphic memoirs about growing up in Iran and Europe.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An easy and fast-paced kind-of-mystery by a well-known mystery writer.",
          "reason": "Describes it as an easy, fast-paced mystery with interesting characters and suspenseful plotlines.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for an easy, fast-paced mystery.",
          "caveat": "The mysteries and twists play second fiddle to character development.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ruth Rendell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "character driven fiction",
        "mystery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "talking-with-tech-leads-0111ca",
      "title": "Talking with Tech Leads",
      "author": "Patrick Kua",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21712679,
          "author": "sidcool",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T14:51:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21712679",
          "commentText": "I recently bought 'Talking with tech leads' by Patrick Kua.  Very applicable to tech companies",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Very applicable to tech companies",
          "reason": "Says the book is very applicable to tech companies.",
          "audience": "People working in tech companies.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Patrick Kua"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "team management",
        "tech leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "talmud-db03c2",
      "title": "Talmud",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42967215,
          "author": "DataDaoDe",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-06T22:37:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42967215",
          "commentText": "The Old Man and the sea - Hemmingway - so many things, with every reread I find something new.\nThe Heart of the Buddhas Teaching - Thich Nhat Hanh, useful prayers, concepts for understanding and dealing with life and a moral compass for going through it.\nThe Way of Zen - Alan Watts, opened my eyes to different forms of religious experience\nAlso a lot of psychology and philosophy books in undergrad were foundational to my thinking. The Moral Animal, the Moral Landscape, The Blank Slate, The Republic and Plato’s writings on Socrates, Tao te Ching, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, the Tanakh and parts of the Talmud, but many of these were more academic, still holistically they have shaped my thinking and moral compass.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "parts of the Talmud",
          "reason": "Lists it among texts that shaped their thinking and moral compass.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Only parts are mentioned.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "jewish law",
        "rabbinic literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tamed-ten-species-that-changed-our-world-813de5",
      "title": "Tamed: Ten Species That Changed Our World",
      "author": "Alice Roberts",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21792874,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T22:44:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21792874",
          "commentText": "The ones I rated highest out of those I read this year (which is what I think the question means).\n* Exactly: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester\n* Atomic Adventures: Secret Islands, Forgotten N-Rays, and Isotopic Murder-A Journey into the Wild World of Nuclear Science by James Magaffey\n* Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande\n* Vulcan 607 by Rowland White\n* Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen\n* Best. Movie. Year. Ever: How 1999 Blew Up the Big Screen by Brian Raftery\n* A Fabulous Creation: How the LP Saved Our Lives by David Hepworth\n* 1983: Reagan, Andropov, and a World on the Brink by Taylor Downing\n* The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes and Why by Amanda Ripley\n* In Your Defence: Stories of Life and Law by Sarah Langford\n* Springfield Confidential: Jokes, Secrets, and Outright Lies from a Lifetime Writing for The Simpsons by Mike Reiss\n* Working Actor: Breaking in, Making a Living, and Making a Life in the Fabulous Trenches of Show Business by David Dean Bottrell\n* Becoming by Michelle Obama\n* Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress by Steven Pinker\n* Rush Hour by Iain Gatel\n* Tamed: Ten Species that Changed our World by Alice Roberts\n* The Next American City: The Big Promise of Our Midsize Metros by Mick Cornett",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The ones I rated highest out of those I read this year",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s highest-rated books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alice Roberts"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "domestication",
        "human animal relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "taming-silicon-valley-fee85e",
      "title": "Taming Silicon Valley",
      "author": "Gary Marcus",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46391806,
          "author": "elcapithanos",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T13:31:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46391806",
          "commentText": "My favourite by far was Adam Becker's More Everything Forever.\nSpecial mention also goes to Taming Silicon Valley by Gary Marcus.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Special mention also goes to Taming Silicon Valley by Gary Marcus.",
          "reason": "The commenter gives it a special mention among their reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gary Marcus"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ai governance",
        "technology policy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "taming-text-382e08",
      "title": "Taming Text",
      "author": "Grant Ingersoll, Thomas Morton, and Andrew Farris",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9758549,
          "author": "akbar_R",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T14:30:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758549",
          "commentText": "Taming text http://www.amazon.com/Taming-Text-Find-Organize-Manipulate/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Taming-Text-Find-Organize-Manipulate/dp/193398838X)\nNatural Language Processing with Python http://www.nltk.org/book/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Taming text",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Grant Ingersoll, Thomas Morton, and Andrew Farris"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "natural language processing",
        "text mining"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tanakh-141e5e",
      "title": "Tanakh",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42967215,
          "author": "DataDaoDe",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-06T22:37:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42967215",
          "commentText": "The Old Man and the sea - Hemmingway - so many things, with every reread I find something new.\nThe Heart of the Buddhas Teaching - Thich Nhat Hanh, useful prayers, concepts for understanding and dealing with life and a moral compass for going through it.\nThe Way of Zen - Alan Watts, opened my eyes to different forms of religious experience\nAlso a lot of psychology and philosophy books in undergrad were foundational to my thinking. The Moral Animal, the Moral Landscape, The Blank Slate, The Republic and Plato’s writings on Socrates, Tao te Ching, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, the Tanakh and parts of the Talmud, but many of these were more academic, still holistically they have shaped my thinking and moral compass.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Tanakh and parts of the Talmud",
          "reason": "Lists it among texts that shaped their thinking and moral compass.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Grouped with academic works.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "jewish scripture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tao-te-ching-610a57",
      "title": "Tao Te Ching",
      "author": "Lao Tzu; translated by Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13241195,
          "author": "Zelmor",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T23:02:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13241195",
          "commentText": "After a quarter of an hour, I keep coming back to two books/audiobooks that have shaped this year. The rest is of no significance in comparison.\nThe Tao Te Ching \nby Lao Tzu\nTranslated by Gia-Fu Feng (1919–1985) and Jane English (1942–)\nHere is the audiobook read by Jacob Needleman, with additional commentary at the end. You can listen to it repeatedly on daily commutes, gives you something to consider:\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACr-EGYv71k\nDhammapada, The Sayings of the Buddha\nTranslated and edited by Thomas Byrom\nWhile Byrom's translation is not generally well received among literary scholars, I enjoy his poetic edits, and believe it is easier to remember the verses in everyday life. I carry it a Shambhala Pocket Classics edition with myself, usually, and read it as a reminder whenever I lose the way.\nAgain, read by Jacob Needleman:\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbtSvgL2fEU",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The rest is of no significance in comparison.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it has shaped their year and is worth returning to for reflection.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking something to consider during daily commutes.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lao Tzu; translated by Gia-Fu Feng and Jane English"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "taoism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tao-the-watercourse-way-363c60",
      "title": "Tao: The Watercourse Way",
      "author": "Alan Watts",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503408,
          "author": "zephjc",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T09:14:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503408",
          "commentText": "Almost anything by Alan Watts. Tao: The Watercourse Way is good.  He also has a bunch of lectures recorded in audio and available on bittorrent.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tao: The Watercourse Way is good.",
          "reason": "The commenter says this book is good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan Watts"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "taoism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tap-dancing-to-work-27e2b5",
      "title": "Tap Dancing to Work",
      "author": "Carol J. Loomis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665209,
          "author": "PostPost",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:26:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665209",
          "commentText": "Sorry for the wall of text.\n1. Bourne (The language and world of this novel are extraordinary - everything is falling apart yet brimming with life. Strangely moving)\n2. The Design of Everyday things (Essential for anyone in UI/UX)\n3. All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (Highly engaging, entertaining sci-fi novella series, from an author that can write a very decent robot protagonist)\n4. The Power (Interesting story with sci-fi elements on the dynamics of power, sex, and gender roles. I didn't care for the book, but the first 3/4 of the book are amazing)\n5. Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days\n6. 7 brief Lessons on Physics\n7. The Last Lecture (The energy and positivity coming from a man knowing he's about to die is infectious. Great read)\n8. A wizard of Earthsea (Move over Harry Potter, this is the essential children's story about wizards)\n9. Exploring diabetes with owls (Funny, irreverent)\n10. Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children (Made an effort to read more YA this year - this was the best in this series, but I still hated it. There's a host of better YA series out there.)\n11. A Wizard of Earthsea: The Tombs of Atuan (See 8.)\n12. The Girl in the Dark (Interesting book about a skin condition I had never heard of, and the trials of living with a very rare condition)\n13. The Phantom Tollbooth (Clever children's book)\n14. Black hole blues and songs from outer space (Informative book about the study of space,  the political and economic forces standing in the way of science, and the incredible individuals working in this field)\n15. Welcome to Night Vale (Hugely entertaining, clever and weird)\n16. You need a budget (Basic economics book explaining how to budget in a way that lets you do more with your money)\n17. To fight Against This Age (Incredibly pretentious, \nIvory Tower philosophizing)\n18. Infinity Gauntlet (Half the Universe dying because Thanos wanted to sleep with Lady Death will never not be ridiculous)\n19. The Right and Wrong Stuff (Great read explaining how to anticipate and avoid career pitfalls)\n20. Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children: Hollow City (pretty shitty)\n21. The Farthest Shore (Ursula K. Le Guin was the biggest loss this year)\n22. Miss peregrine's home for Peculiar Children: Library of Souls (I hate this book and all its characters)\n23. Every Good Endevour (Religious book about a Christian worldview and the value of labor - not a bad read)\n24. When to Rob a Bank and 131 warped suggestions… (interesting, funny, from the writers of Freakonomics)\n25. Weapons of Math Destruction (Probably the most useful book on this list, if you're reading this on \"hackernews\")\n26. Holes (Perfect summer paperback read)\n27. Silver Screen Sirens (Essential for film geeks)\n28. A full life: reflections at 90 (I gained a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter: he lived an incredible life and does great things)\n29. Call Me by your name (Very good romance novel to send to your bigoted relatives at Christmas)\n30. Hyperbole and a half (Incredibly entertaining, very distinctive art style)\n31. The Murderbot diaries: Artificial Condition (See 3.)\n32. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Best children's book, fight me)\n33. Less (Exceptionally well-written)\n34. Resilience (Great book, especially for those that have gone through extremely difficult circumstances)\n35. The Strange Bird (Dark, bleak, full of life, see 1.)\n36. The Murderbot diaries: Rogue Protocol (See 3.)\n37. His Dark Materials: The subtle knife (See 32.)\n38. Tap Dancing to Work (Very dry, some stories/articles are fantastic, others very, very boring for people that do not care about finance)\n39. So Good They Can't Ignore You (Pretty good)\n40. His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass (Amazing YA, see 32.)\n41. Uncontainable (Inspirational book about conscious capitalism)\n42. The Emperor of All Maladies (Pretty much everything you'll ever want to know about Cancer, written in a very engaging way)\n43. Blind Spot\n44. Shoe dog (Great story, see madmax108's comment, totally agree)\n45. The Faithful Spy (Beautiful artwork describing a Christian pastor's fight against fascism during WW2)\n46. Zero to One\n47. You'll grow out of it\n48. The Happiness advantage (Really fantastic book about the value of positive psychology)\n49. Dreams from my father (Enlightening look into Obama's \nearly days)\n50. Ayoade on Ayoade (Entertaining, extremely scatter-brained, not as funny as his interviews or tv programs)\n51. The Diabolic (badly written YA Sci-Fi)\n52. The Physics of Everyday Things (surprisingly informative, recommended for non science-people interested in the way things work)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Very dry, some stories/articles are fantastic, others very, very boring for people that do not care about finance",
          "reason": "The commenter praises some stories but says others are very boring to readers uninterested in finance.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in finance may find some stories worthwhile.",
          "caveat": "The book is very dry, and some pieces are very boring to people who do not care about finance.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carol J. Loomis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "investing",
        "warren buffett"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tapworthy-679603",
      "title": "Tapworthy",
      "author": "Josh Clark",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2087703,
          "author": "davidedicillo",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T06:24:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2087703",
          "commentText": "As someone who spend a lot of time designing iPhone apps I have to say that I really enjoyed Tapworthy ( http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1449381650 )\nI also finally read \"Founders at Work\", but I'm sure you all read that already.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed Tapworthy",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed it as someone who spends substantial time designing iPhone apps.",
          "audience": "People who design iPhone apps.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Josh Clark"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "iphone app design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "taschenbuch-der-algorithmen-f33a33",
      "title": "Taschenbuch der Algorithmen",
      "author": "Berthold Vöcking, et al.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32937099,
          "author": "FearNotDaniel",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T10:43:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937099",
          "commentText": "> Taschenbuch der Algorithmen\nThanks for the tip! Since I'm currently trying to improve both my German and my understanding of algorithmic principles, this looks like a fun book to work through.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thanks for the tip! Since I'm currently trying to improve both my German and my understanding of algorithmic principles, this looks like a fun book to work through.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book seems fun to work through while improving German and understanding algorithms.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Berthold Vöcking"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "german language learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tau-zero-468aa8",
      "title": "Tau Zero",
      "author": "Poul Anderson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49903834,
          "author": "adangit",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T02:56:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49903834",
          "commentText": "Tau Zero, by Poul Anderson. Love it so far——does anyone know how scientifically accurate it might be?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tau Zero, by Poul Anderson. Love it so far",
          "reason": "Says they love it so far and asks about its scientific accuracy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They have not finished reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Poul Anderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hard science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "teach-your-child-to-read-in-100-easy-lessons-ac7c7f",
      "title": "Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons",
      "author": "Siegfried Engelmann, Phyllis Haddox, and Elaine Bruner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38685840,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-18T17:53:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38685840",
          "commentText": "'The Path To Power', Caro, first volume of his LBJ biography. Elsewhere ('Working'), Caro has explained that his career in writing is to make clear how power is acquired and used. I think he achieves this goal here and am looking forward to the remaining volumes.\n'Spiritual Formation', Henri Nouwen. A deep, Catholic, thinker with much to offer those who are looking in this direction.\n'In A Sunburned Country', Bryson. Bryson is an ideal travel companion.\n'The Information', Gleick. A tour of the ideas and technologies underneath how we became so dependent on bits.\n'Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons'... the most worthwhile part was how my son and I bonded over working through the lessons.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "'Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons'",
          "reason": "The commenter found working through the lessons worthwhile for bonding with his son.",
          "audience": "A parent teaching a child to read.",
          "caveat": "The most worthwhile part for the commenter was bonding with his son.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Siegfried Engelmann",
        "Phyllis Haddox",
        "Elaine Bruner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Parenting"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "parent child learning",
        "reading instruction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "teach-yourself-c-in-21-days-d5a2c0",
      "title": "Teach Yourself C++ in 21 Days",
      "author": "Jesse Liberty",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33596741,
          "author": "spapas82",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-14T16:41:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33596741",
          "commentText": "For me it was the book \"Teach yourself C++ in 21 days\" by Jesse Liberty. I know it has a funny title however this book allowed me to finally understand Object Oriented Programming.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this book allowed me to finally understand Object Oriented Programming",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book helped them finally understand object-oriented programming.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that the title is funny.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jesse Liberty"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c",
        "object oriented programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "teach-yourself-php-in-24-hours-d8a37b",
      "title": "Teach Yourself PHP in 24 Hours",
      "author": "Sams Publishing",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 91859,
          "author": "cellis",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-22T00:32:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 91778,
          "threadTitle": "Question: Quality Books/Tutorials for PHP",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=91859",
          "commentText": "Teach yourself PHP in 24 Hours. Sams Publishing....very comprehensive.\nBut, I must ask you: if you are using/learning PHP on the job, why not try something better/more interesting off the job (like I do)? PHP was my first web language and where I a learned lot of real world software development strategies, but I definitely wouldn't recommend learning  things the PHP way to a beginner.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Teach yourself PHP in 24 Hours. Sams Publishing....very comprehensive.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it very comprehensive.",
          "audience": "People learning PHP.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they would not recommend learning PHP's approach to a beginner.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sams Publishing"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "php",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "team-geek-c7f06a",
      "title": "Team Geek",
      "author": "Brian W. Fitzpatrick and Ben Collins-Sussman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21713334,
          "author": "rusk",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T15:56:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21713334",
          "commentText": "I think \"Team Geek\" [0] is probably worth a mention in this light.\nIt's written in that infuriating cutesy techy-language that seems to infuse a lot of the \"hipper\" books of this genre but there really is some good advice in there.\nFYI these are the guys that did Subversion, which was a pretty successful project for a while, back in the day. This same writing style pervades the SVN docs as well. Yeuch.\nIn the same vein, I also enjoyed \"rework\" by Jason Fried [1] though that's more about modern work, than purely management. Also kind of \"hip\" in style, but not so insufferable ;-)\n[0] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/14514115-team-geek\n[1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6732019-rework",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "there really is some good advice in there.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book contains good advice, despite disliking its cutesy tech style.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The writing style is described as infuriatingly cutesy and techy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian W. Fitzpatrick and Ben Collins-Sussman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software team collaboration",
        "technology management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "team-of-teams-d70309",
      "title": "Team of Teams",
      "author": "Stanley McChrystal, Tantum Collins, David Silverman, and Chris Fussell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12416052,
          "author": "boothead",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T20:31:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416052",
          "commentText": "Extreme Ownership by Joko Wilink\nTeam of teams by Gen. Stan McChrystal\nBoth of these are required reading for understanding how humans work together.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Both of these are required reading for understanding how humans work together.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as required reading for understanding how people work together.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking to understand teamwork.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stanley McChrystal, Tantum Collins, David Silverman, and Chris Fussell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "organizational change",
        "teamwork"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "team-of-teams-new-rules-of-engagement-for-a-complex-world-f30b1a",
      "title": "Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World",
      "author": "Stanley McChrystal, Tantum Collins, David Silverman, and Chris Fussell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21735589,
          "author": "tikiman163",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-08T12:37:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21735589",
          "commentText": "I strongly recommend the following:\nGood to Great: Why some companies make the leap and Others Don't \nThe Goal: A process of Continuous Improvement \nTeam of Teams\nStrategy that Works: Bridging the Stategy to Execution Gap\nThere isn't a single book that will teach you everything you need to know, but these 5 books taken together will cover nearly everything. The points I suggest paying the most attention to are level 5 leadership, the hedgehog concept, the flywheel concept, Kaizen style continuous improvement, how to organize groups of teams to avoid micromanaging, and how to work with a company culture to make decisions supported by real data that tells you what the most effective decisions would be and how to achieve this by choosing concepts to promote to employees in order to guide their decision making.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I strongly recommend the following:\nGood to Great: Why some companies make the leap and Others Don't \nThe Goal: A process of Continuous Improvement \nTeam of Teams",
          "reason": "Recommended as one of five books that together cover leadership and management.",
          "audience": "People learning leadership, especially for tech teams.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says no single book covers everything.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stanley McChrystal, Tantum Collins, David Silverman, and Chris Fussell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "organizational management",
        "team leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "teaming-with-microbes-14f03d",
      "title": "Teaming with Microbes",
      "author": "Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32197668,
          "author": "murrayb",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:05:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197668",
          "commentText": "Teaming with Microbes by Jeff Lowenfels and Wayne Lewis. Since last week. Good read I recommend it even if you are not into gardening understanding life in the soi is important.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Good read I recommend it even if you are not into gardening understanding life in the soi is important.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it, including to readers who are not into gardening.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in understanding life in the soil, even if they are not into gardening.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeff Lowenfels",
        "Wayne Lewis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "gardening",
        "soil ecology",
        "soil microbiology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "technic-stories-627e97",
      "title": "Technic stories",
      "author": "Poul Anderson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056548,
          "author": "dasmoth",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:23:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056548",
          "commentText": "Poul Anderson's \"Technic\" stories, e.g. \"The Trouble Twisters\".  Must re-read some.\nSomewhat more recent: pretty-much anything by David Brin.\nFor my taste, a lot of recent sci-fi seems to be a little too focused on politics and society vs. the exhileration of a good technical solution.  But do enjoy Charles Stross and John Scalzi.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Poul Anderson's \"Technic\" stories, e.g. \"The Trouble Twisters\".",
          "reason": "Says they should reread some of these stories in a thread asking for favorite sci-fi books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Poul Anderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "interstellar trade",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "technological-revolutions-and-financial-capital-94f258",
      "title": "Technological Revolutions and Financial Capital",
      "author": "Carlota Perez",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10175598,
          "author": "robinwarren",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:30:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175598",
          "commentText": "Just finished Guns, Germs and Steel by Jarod Diamond. A bit longer than it needed to be for my purposes but he covers the material in some depth, I'd definitely recommend it.\nPrior to that I'd read Psycho Vertical by Andy Kirk Patrick which I would very strongly recommend, I don't think you need to be into climbing to enjoy it.\nI think I'm about to start reading What the doormouse said by John Markoff or finish reading Technical revolutions and financial capital by Carlota Perez. I think I'll leave the latter and restart it when I've more brain time to spend on it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "finish reading Technical revolutions and financial capital by Carlota Perez. I think I'll leave the latter and restart it when I've more brain time to spend on it.",
          "reason": "The commenter plans to restart it when they have more time to focus.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6976205,
          "author": "j2labs",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T20:04:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976205",
          "commentText": "Technological Revolutions and Financial Capital, by Carlota Perez",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Technological Revolutions and Financial Capital, by Carlota Perez",
          "reason": "Lists the book as an answer to the thread’s question about a life-changing book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carlota Perez"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic cycles",
        "financial history",
        "technological change",
        "technology and finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "technology-matters-questions-to-live-with-a1036b",
      "title": "Technology Matters: Questions to Live With",
      "author": "David E. Nye",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36601648,
          "author": "HillRat",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:20:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601648",
          "commentText": "Lots of options out there. A few from my bookshelf: Bijker's \"Of Bicycles, Bakelites, and Bulbs\" is a case-study-centric work that seeks to build a general theory of STS. Nye's \"Technology Matters\" is less a work of theory than a critique that poses core questions about how society should seek to integrate technical advances. Latour's \"Science in Action,\" \"Reassembling the Social,\" and \"Aramis\" are great examples of his approach to whole-of-system analysis of sociotechnical systems. Rogers' \"Diffusion of Innovation\" is a classic work theorizing how innovation is communicated through social networks.\nMIT Press has a wide variety of books that cover specific topics in history, most of which have great theoretic interest: Agar's \"The Government Machine,\" dealing with the evolution of technology and expertise within the UK government; Medina's \"Cybernetic Revolutionaries,\" about Beer's Cybersyn project; and Ensmenger's \"The Computer Boys Take Over,\" about the cultural development of the \"programmer,\" are all great reads.\nAlso, you can look beyond pure technology for interesting adjacencies: for example, Schatz's \"The Genius of the System\" describes how changes in technology and management production radically upended Hollywood, resulting in the studio system that dominated from the 1930s through the 1950s, while Harris' \"Pictures at a Revolution\" picks up the pieces at the end of that system, discussing the rise of \"New Hollywood,\" driven by cultural and technical (particularly the French use of inexpensive filming technologies to create the New Wave) forces.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Nye's \"Technology Matters\" is less a work of theory than a critique that poses core questions about how society should seek to integrate technical advances.",
          "reason": "A critique posing core questions about how society should integrate technical advances.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Less a work of theory than a critique.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David E. Nye"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "technology and society",
        "technology criticism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "technomanifestos-b86935",
      "title": "Technomanifestos",
      "author": "Adam Brate",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16298028,
          "author": "rvdmei",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T15:47:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16298028",
          "commentText": "Technomanifestos by Adam Brate. I never had any introduction to the history of information technology until I read this book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Technomanifestos by Adam Brate.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adam Brate"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "information technology history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "technostress-the-human-cost-of-the-computer-revolution-f8ab6f",
      "title": "Technostress: The Human Cost of the Computer Revolution",
      "author": "Craig Brod",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39251595,
          "author": "n2dasun",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T16:26:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39251595",
          "commentText": "I'm in the middle of reading \"Technostress: The Human Cost of the Computer Revolution\", by psychologist Craig Brod.\nI'm in my late 40s and the book reads to me as a nice time capsule of how computing has reshaped our society, and sets good context for considering the effects of AI, the pandemic and our more connected and increasingly-remote world overall, and looking to the future.\nI see a lot of early criticisms of his research in book reviews, but I have a tough time dismissing the observations in the book, based on what I've seen",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'm in the middle of reading \"Technostress: The Human Cost of the Computer Revolution\", by psychologist Craig Brod.",
          "reason": "Presents a historical perspective on computing's effects and context for considering AI and remote life.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computing's effects on society and their relevance today.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes early criticisms of Brod's research but finds the book's observations hard to dismiss.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Craig Brod"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer history",
        "technology and society"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "telluria-4b688e",
      "title": "Telluria",
      "author": "Vladimir Sorokin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8109216,
          "author": "rebolek",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:33:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109216",
          "commentText": "Telluriya by Vladimir Sorokin.\nVery interesting, especially with current development in Ukraine.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Telluriya by Vladimir Sorokin.\nVery interesting, especially with current development in Ukraine.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds it very interesting in light of developments in Ukraine.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vladimir Sorokin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopian fiction",
        "russian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ten-books-on-architecture-8ecc99",
      "title": "Ten Books on Architecture",
      "author": "Vitruvius",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14140468,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T16:55:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14140468",
          "commentText": "Ten Books of Architecture which, for better or worse and perhaps suggestive of the level scientific basis for contemporary architectural practice, was written contemporaneously with many of the events later described in the Christian Bible...though from a practical standpoint of running a firm, The Prince might be more apropos.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Ten Books of Architecture which, for better or worse",
          "reason": "Named as architecture's historical bible, with The Prince suggested as more relevant to running a firm.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter qualifies it with “for better or worse” and says The Prince may be more useful for firm management.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vitruvius"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "architectural theory",
        "architecture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tensorflow-machine-learning-cookbook-54846a",
      "title": "TensorFlow Machine Learning Cookbook",
      "author": "Nick McClure",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13900378,
          "author": "hpvic03",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T07:52:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13900378",
          "commentText": "If you want to get into actually implementing deep neural nets (what everyone is calling \"AI\" these days), then look at TensorFlow and Keras.\nThis is a good getting started book for TensorFlow:\nhttps://www.amazon.com/TensorFlow-Machine-Learning-Cookbook-... (https://www.amazon.com/TensorFlow-Machine-Learning-Cookbook-McClure-ebook/dp/B01HY3TC54)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is a good getting started book for TensorFlow:",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a good introductory book for getting started with TensorFlow.",
          "audience": "People implementing deep neural networks.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nick McClure"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "machine learning",
        "tensorflow"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "teranesia-054935",
      "title": "Teranesia",
      "author": "Greg Egan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18663414,
          "author": "r34",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:47:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663414",
          "commentText": "Ernst Jünger: Annäherungen. Drogen und Rausch (not transleted to english? I've read it in polish). Great piece of essay.\nThe Art of War by Sun Tzu - bit sad\n2 books by Greg Egan: Distress & Teranesia\nThe Invention of Nature : Alexander Von Humboldt's New World\nDMT: The spirit molecule\nOne Hundred Years of Solitude by Marquez (WOW)\nThe book of dead philosophers by Simon Critchley (funny!)\n& some more (I have to start noting it down :P)\nCurrently: The Systems View of the World by Ervin Laszlo",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "2 books by Greg Egan: Distress & Teranesia",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10787298,
          "author": "yetanotheracc",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T06:03:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787298",
          "commentText": "Absolutely amazing, changed the way I look at the society, will re-read:\n- George Orwell, Keep the Aspidistra Flying\nLoved:\n- Alastair Reynolds, House of Suns\n- Andy Weir, The Martian\n- Neal Stephenson, Seveneves\n- Greg Egan, Teranesia\nLiked:\n- Arthur C. Clarke, 3001: The Final Odyssey\n- Arthur C. Clarke, 2061: Odyssey Three\n- Richard Feynman, The Character of Physical Laws\n- Richard Feynman, The Pleasure of Finding Things Out\n- Jonathan Slack, Stem Cells: A Very Short Introduction\n- John Scalzi, Fuzzy Nation (bought the audiobook for Wil Wheaton's narration)\n- Ray Monk, Robert Oppenheimer: A Life Inside the Center\n- Alastair Reynolds,  Revelation Space\n- David C. Cassidy, Beyond Uncertainty: Heisenberg, Quantum Physics, and the Bomb\nFound full of BS, did not finish:\n- Noam Chomsky, Understanding Power\nTextbooks:\n- order of 10^3 pages of Open University textbooks\n- Klauber, Student Friendly Quantum Field Theory\n- Feynman & Hibbs, Quantum Mechanics and Path Integrals\n- Wald, General Relativity (5 chapters)\n- Peskin & Schroeder, An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory (5 chapters)\nNot as bad as I felt before making the list, but underwhelming in terms of quantity. I intend to read a whole lot more in 2016.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Greg Egan, Teranesia",
          "reason": "Listed under books the commenter says they loved.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Greg Egan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolution",
        "hard science fiction",
        "speculative biology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "term-sheets-valuations-a-line-by-line-look-at-the-intricacies-of--5ecd71",
      "title": "Term Sheets & Valuations: A Line-by-Line Look at the Intricacies of Venture Capital Term Sheets & Valuations",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 601056,
          "author": "emilam",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-09T16:07:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 600953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on the nuts and bolts of starting up",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=601056",
          "commentText": "\"Term Sheets & Valuations - A Line by Line Look at the Intricacies of Venture Capital Term Sheets & Valuations\"\nand\n\"Deal Terms - The Finer Points of Venture Capital Deal Structures, Valuations, Term Sheets, Stock Options and Getting VC Deals Done (Inside the Minds)\"\nBoth are great books. I would read Term Sheets first, but Deal Terms has a lot of great information when you are getting ready to do VC funding. I guess that is if you do VC funding.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Both are great books. I would read Term Sheets first",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book and recommends reading it first.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "startup finance",
        "term sheets",
        "venture capital"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "terminal-boredom-857fbc",
      "title": "Terminal Boredom",
      "author": "Izumi Suzuki",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28060242,
          "author": "ArtWomb",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T12:33:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28060242",
          "commentText": "Terminal Boredom, Izumi Suzuki\nInvisible Planets: Contemporary Chinese Science Fiction in Translation, Ken Liu",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Terminal Boredom, Izumi Suzuki",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Izumi Suzuki"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "japanese science fiction",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "terminal-compromise-8a8b9b",
      "title": "Terminal Compromise",
      "author": "Winn Schwartau",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17750803,
          "author": "epx",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T15:26:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17750803",
          "commentText": "Terminal Compromise",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Terminal Compromise",
          "reason": "Offered as a response to a request for cybercrime novel recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Winn Schwartau"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybercrime",
        "cyberthriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "terminal-man-ced58a",
      "title": "Terminal Man",
      "author": "Michael Crichton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46247337,
          "author": "devrundown",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-12T18:52:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 46226571,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46247337",
          "commentText": "- The Writer - James Patterson\n- Terminal Man - Michael Crichton\n- The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Terminal Man - Michael Crichton",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Crichton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "medical thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "terminal-world-eb12c0",
      "title": "Terminal World",
      "author": "Alastair Reynolds",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36023272,
          "author": "thrill",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T17:58:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36023272",
          "commentText": "I quite liked \"Terminal World\" by Alastair Reynolds, though sadly he plans no further novels in that universe.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I quite liked \"Terminal World\" by Alastair Reynolds",
          "reason": "Says the commenter liked the novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The author plans no further novels in that universe.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alastair Reynolds"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "post apocalyptic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "terre-des-hommes-287641",
      "title": "Terre des hommes",
      "author": "Antoine de Saint-Exupéry",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10786609,
          "author": "FatalBaboon",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T01:34:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786609",
          "commentText": "I've been trying to up my game on reading:\n- Founders at Work: Jessica Livingston. Good. Less repetitive than Coders at Work.\n- Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage. Awfuly boring. But I don't care at all about sailing (it was a gift).\n- Terre des Hommmes: Antoine de St Exupéry. Brilliant, the chapter with the 2 girls made me decide to read all his work in 2016.\n- Practical Common Lisp: Peter Siebel. Had to start Lisp!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Terre des Hommmes: Antoine de St Exupéry. Brilliant, the chapter with the 2 girls made me decide to read all his work in 2016.",
          "reason": "Described as brilliant; it prompted the commenter to read the author's other work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Antoine de Saint-Exupéry"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aviation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tesla-man-out-of-time-639a0b",
      "title": "Tesla: Man Out of Time",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 621387,
          "author": "dbrush",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-22T00:46:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621387",
          "commentText": "Tesla: Man Out of Time touches a bit on the race between Edison and Tesla. A very good book as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tesla: Man Out of Time touches a bit on the race between Edison and Tesla. A very good book as well.",
          "reason": "Calls the book very good and notes its account of the Edison–Tesla race.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "edison tesla rivalry",
        "nikola tesla"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tess-of-the-d-urbervilles-e67499",
      "title": "Tess of the d'Urbervilles",
      "author": "Thomas Hardy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41240816,
          "author": "bikenaga",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-13T23:14:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41240816",
          "commentText": "Someone else mentioned Thomas Hardy's \"The Mayor of Casterbirdge\". It's the one of his 5 major novels I haven't read. \"Far From the Madding Crowd\" and \"Return of the Native\" are okay, but the two that really are magnificent are:\n\"Jude the Obscure\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/153\n\"Tess of the D'Urbervilles\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/110\nYou can sense his fury at the society he was depicting. You might not want to read either of these, particularly \"Tess\", if you're prone to depression.\nFrederick Jackson Turner, \"The Frontier in American History\" (1921) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/22994\nThis collection leads off with Turner's essay \"The Significance of the Frontier in American History\" (1893). It's considered by some the most influential historical essay about America ever written. Historians went back and forth on his claims for decades, and people pointed out many issues with them. It seems like the critics predominate now. But it's still worth reading, particularly since (right or wrong) his ideas influenced the way we think of ourselves. Turner was a very good writer - he was a noted orator, and his essays have an oratorical quality - and the other essays in the collection are pretty good, too.\nOwen Wister, \"The Virginian\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1298\nZane Grey, \"Riders of the Purple Sage\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1300\nAnd the sequel: \"The Rainbow Trail\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/5067\n\"The Virginian\" (1902) and \"Riders\" (1912) established many of the themes and tropes for the \"standard\" western, and they're still fun to read. But the genre comprises many other kinds of writing - e.g. A. B. Guthrie, Elmer Kelton, and the next writer.\nWilla Cather's novels:\nThe \"plains trilogy\" (the stories are set in Nebraska and Colorado, but otherwise unrelated):\n\"O Pioneers!\" (1913) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/24\n\"The Song of the Lark\" (1915) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/44\n\"My Ántonia\" (1918) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19810\nAnd not quite a hundred years ago, but a wonderful novel:\n\"Death Comes for the Archbishop\" (1927) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/69730\nA few brief mentions: James Joyce's \"Ulysses\", though I had a tough time getting through it; some of Nathaniel Hawthorne's short stories (e.g. \"The Minister's Black Veil\"); \"Njal's Saga\" (I liked the Penguin edition with the translation by Magnusson and Pallson); the great works of classic fantasy (Lord Dunsany, E. R. Eddison, William Morris, Arthur Machen); the essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Tess of the D'Urbervilles\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/110",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it magnificent and says it conveys Hardy's fury at the society he depicted.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter particularly cautions readers prone to depression about reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Hardy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "social criticism",
        "victorian novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "test-driven-javascript-development-0009dd",
      "title": "Test Driven JavaScript Development",
      "author": "Christian Johansen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7757354,
          "author": "will_work4tears",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T19:13:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7757354",
          "commentText": "Been reading this one on my Kindle app, but it seems very \"entry level\" so far.  You know of any good Intermediate to Advanced JS books out there?  I have Test Driven JavaScript Development by Christian Johansen that I've dug into a bit, but have yet to finish (it's got some more \"advanced\" stuff I guess, currying, etc).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I have Test Driven JavaScript Development by Christian Johansen that I've dug into a bit, but have yet to finish",
          "reason": "Mentions having started the book and not yet finished it, without evaluating or recommending it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1464278,
          "author": "augustl",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-26T21:03:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1463717,
          "threadTitle": "Need best Javascript books suggestion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1464278",
          "commentText": "Test Driven JavaScript Development by Christian Johansen.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Test-Driven-JavaScript-Development-Dev... (http://www.amazon.com/Test-Driven-JavaScript-Development-Developers-Library/dp/0321683919)\nNot out yet, though.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Test Driven JavaScript Development by Christian Johansen.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not out yet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christian Johansen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "javascript",
        "test driven development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "test-lean-and-ship-healthy-9cfa29",
      "title": "Test Lean and Ship Healthy",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23365883,
          "author": "codelion",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-30T23:46:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23365883",
          "commentText": "Test Lean and Ship Healthy - https://github.com/srcclr/test-lean\nA short handbook on developing high quality software in the DevOps world.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Test Lean and Ship Healthy",
          "reason": "Listed as a short handbook on developing high-quality software in DevOps.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "devops",
        "software quality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "test-driven-development-with-python-bd31fb",
      "title": "Test-Driven Development with Python",
      "author": "Harry Percival",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9611936,
          "author": "kev6168",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T15:14:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9611936",
          "commentText": "Test-Driven Development with Python \n[http://chimera.labs.oreilly.com/books/1234000000754/index.ht... (http://chimera.labs.oreilly.com/books/1234000000754/index.html)]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Test-Driven Development with Python",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Harry Percival"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "python",
        "test driven development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "test-driven-web-development-with-python-4a5172",
      "title": "Test-Driven Web Development with Python",
      "author": "Harry J.W. Percival",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6975778,
          "author": "dcolgan",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T18:51:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6975778",
          "commentText": "Test-Driven Web Development with Python.\nVery well written and engaging.  The prerelease version is available free online at http://chimera.labs.oreilly.com/books/1234000000754.  I've known for a long time that I wanted to do unit testing on my web dev projects but never really understood the how part.  I'm almost done with the book, and am super excited to try TDD on my projects now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Very well written and engaging.",
          "reason": "Praises its writing and says it made the how of unit testing clear.",
          "audience": "Web developers who want to use test-driven development.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is almost finished and has not yet tried TDD on their projects.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Harry J.W. Percival"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "python",
        "test driven development",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "testing-computer-software-f5d913",
      "title": "Testing Computer Software",
      "author": "Cem Kaner, Jack Falk, and Hung Q. Nguyen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16358031,
          "author": "xstartup",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-12T11:40:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16358031",
          "commentText": "McConnell, Steve. Code Complete. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Press, 1993.\nMcConnell, Steve. Software Project Survival Guide. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Press, 1998.\nMaguire, Steve. Writing Solid Code. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Press, 1993.\nRanade and Nash. The Elements of C Programming Style. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1992.\nKernighan and Plauger. The Elements of Programming Style. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1982.\nCaner, Cem, et al. Testing Computer Software, Second Edition. New York: Wiley Computer Publishing, 1999.\nHunt, Andrew, et al. The Pragmatic Programmer. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 2000.\nHolub, Allen. Enough Rope to Shoot Yourself in the Foot: Rules for C and C++ Programming. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1995.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Caner, Cem, et al. Testing Computer Software, Second Edition.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the question about books colleagues should have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Second edition.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cem Kaner, Jack Falk, and Hung Q. Nguyen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "quality assurance",
        "software testing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "teton-tales-4a405f",
      "title": "Teton Tales",
      "author": "Paul Petzoldt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26593887,
          "author": "npsimons",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-26T16:19:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26593887",
          "commentText": "> It's fascinating how he was writing around 100 years ago, and how around 25% is super old-timey cultural references or things that no one would think today, but how much of it is still pretty relevant.\nPerspectives from the past are super interesting. In \"Teton Tales\" by Paul Petzoldt, he describes chopping down a tree and tying it with rope to a car to use it as a brake going downhill, back in the early days of cars where brakes weren't so good. Crazy stuff! I need to finish that book someday.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "In \"Teton Tales\" by Paul Petzoldt",
          "reason": "The commenter describes a memorable account from the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they still need to finish it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Petzoldt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mountaineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tetris-the-games-people-play-08b82f",
      "title": "Tetris: The Games People Play",
      "author": "Box Brown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237188,
          "author": "kranner",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:44:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237188",
          "commentText": "- Tetris: The Games People Play by Box Brown\n- Tibet, Tibet by Patrick French\n- Maya: A Novel by CW Huntington, Jr\n- The Science of Enlightenment by Shinzen Young\n- Flask Web Development by Miguel Grinberg\n- Buddha's Diet by Tara Cottrell\n- A Feast of Vultures by Josy Joseph\n- Genghis Khan: Life, Death and Resurrection by John Man\n- Chasing the Scream by Johann Hari\n- Cuckold by Kiran Nagarkar\n- Goliath by Tom Gauld\n- This Will Never Happen Again by David Cain\n- Cure by Jo Marchant\n- If It’s Monday It Must Be Madurai: A Conducted Tour of India by Srinath Perur\n- Deep Work by Cal Newport\n- Enduring Love by Ian McEwan\n- The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery\n- The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt\n- The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion\nand a few others that aren't worth recommending; all the above are.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "all the above are.",
          "reason": "The commenter includes the listed books among those worth recommending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Box Brown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "graphic nonfiction",
        "tetris",
        "video games"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "thank-you-economy-6d6337",
      "title": "Thank You Economy",
      "author": "Gary Vaynerchuk",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4787418,
          "author": "timmm",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:19:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787418",
          "commentText": "The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho.\nKing, Warrior, Magician, Lover by Moore and Gillette\nThe lean startup\nPaul Graham how to start a startup\nMark Hyman Ultimate Mind Solution\nTribal Leadership\nWheel of Time\nThink and Grow Rich\nSuperior Man David Deida\nThe Fountain Head\nEckhart Tolle New Earth\n50th Law\nGood to Great\nJed Mckenna\nEarl Nightengale\nLong Walk to Freedom\nOutliers\nGood to Great\nPsycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz (Self-image)\nSeven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey(Being awesome)\nWealth of Nations\nWayne Dyer The Tao\nSystem of the World\nOrigin of Species\nBrave new world\nThank you economy\nCrush it\nBuilt to Last\nWho Moved my Cheese\nStillness Speak Eckhert Tolle\nMastery George Leonard\nSteve Jobs Biography\nThe Last Lecture\nSteve Pavlina Books\nIacocca\nStriking Thoughts Bruce Lee\nCarlos Castaneda\nGhost in the Wires\nRichest Man in Babylon\nWay of the Superior Man\nLosing My Virginity\nThink and Grow Rich\nDelivering Happiness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thank you economy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gary Vaynerchuk"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "thanks-for-the-feedback-the-science-and-art-of-receiving-feedback-98f274",
      "title": "Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well",
      "author": "Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12416373,
          "author": "nmalaguti",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T21:21:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416373",
          "commentText": "Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well by \nDouglas Stone and Sheila Heen.\nI think it has made me a better teammate, mentor, and mentee.\nIf you'd like to know more before buying it, check out \nhttp://www.npr.org/2015/09/22/434597124/trying-to-change-or-... (http://www.npr.org/2015/09/22/434597124/trying-to-change-or-changing-the-subject-how-feedback-gets-derailed)\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Thanks-Feedback-Science-Receiving-Wel... (https://www.amazon.com/Thanks-Feedback-Science-Receiving-Well-ebook/dp/B00DMCV0XE#productDescription_secondary_view_div_1472850774308)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think it has made me a better teammate, mentor, and mentee.",
          "reason": "Says the book helped them become a better teammate, mentor, and mentee.",
          "audience": "Teammates, mentors, and mentees.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "feedback",
        "workplace communication"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "that-will-never-work-6f719c",
      "title": "That Will Never Work",
      "author": "Marc Randolph",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172037,
          "author": "jacktribe",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:47:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172037",
          "commentText": "As someone who is more interested in building the product than marketing it, I found the following recent reads helpful in achieving a balance:\n1. Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey A. Moore - making your product work for the masses\n2. The Cold Start Problem by Andrew Chen - achieving escape velocity, getting viral referral traffic\n3. Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss - it might seem a bit gimmicky but negotiation always comes off gimmicky\nMotivational stories:\n4. The Almanack Of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson\n5. The Founders by Jimmy Soni\n6. The Upstarts by Brad Stone\n7. Hatching Twitter by Nick Bilton\n8. That Will Never Work by Marc Randolph\n9. Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald's by Ray Kroc\nCan't skip:\n10. Zero To One by Peter Thiel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "That Will Never Work by Marc Randolph",
          "reason": "Listed as a motivational story.",
          "audience": "People building products.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marc Randolph"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "netflix",
        "startup history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "that-s-me-in-the-middle-cbf708",
      "title": "That's Me in the Middle",
      "author": "Donald Jack",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4787131,
          "author": "Kluny",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T04:41:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787131",
          "commentText": "Shantaram by Gregory Roberts.\nPirate Cinema by Cory Doctorow.\nThat's Me in the Middle by Donald Jack.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "That's Me in the Middle by Donald Jack.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donald Jack"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-12-million-stuffed-shark-f39ad5",
      "title": "The $12 Million Stuffed Shark",
      "author": "Don Thompson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15630284,
          "author": "stevenj",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:04:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630284",
          "commentText": "SURELY YOU'RE JOKING MR. FEYNMAN BY RICHARD FEYNMAN\n-I loved this book for its humor, everyday practicality, how relatable it felt even without having a background in physics or knowledge about the pranks and experiments he conducted. As well as the book being well-written in the sense that it reads as if you're sitting on the couch with him as he's telling you stories about his life, all with a child-like sense of wonder and enthusiasm about the world.\nTHE $12 MILLION STUFFED SHARK BY DON THOMPSON\n-I'm interested in the high-finance and fine-art worlds and this book discussed how they both go together - money and art - in an informative, quick-paced way.\nTHE BUY SIDE BY TURNEY DUFF\n-For its humor, honesty, and how well written it was in terms of it being a page turner while also providing you with an insightful account about the high-finance industry.\nMOLLY'S GAME BY MOLLY BLOOM\n-It was an entertaining, quick-paced read about the private, high-stakes poker industry with an assortment of participants.\nMONEYBALL, LIAR'S POKER & THE BIG SHORT BY MICHAEL LEWIS\n-I thought they were all entertaining reads, while also being insightful about their respective subjects.\nSTEVE JOBS BY WALTER ISAACSON\n-It was an illuminating read to me.\n- - -\nSeparately, these books are on my list to read if anyone has opinions about them:\n-Ghost in the Wires by Kevin \nMitnick\n-Principles by Ray Dalio\n-A Man For All Markets by Edward Thorp",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this book discussed how they both go together - money and art - in an informative, quick-paced way.",
          "reason": "Finds it informative and quick-paced on the connection between high finance and fine art.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in high finance and fine art.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Don Thompson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "art market",
        "finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-12-million-stuffed-shark-the-curious-economics-of-contemporar-2f287b",
      "title": "The $12 Million Stuffed Shark: The Curious Economics of Contemporary Art",
      "author": "Don Thompson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33850229,
          "author": "jeffreyrogers",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T03:17:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33850229",
          "commentText": "Red Plenty, a novel that is loosely about the invention of linear programming in the Soviet Union (a branch of mathematics, only somewhat related to computer programming). Good description of what the process of scientific invention feels like in the first part of the book. (if you want more depth on the mathematics of linear programming, Understanding and Using Linear Programming is a very readable (and short) textbook that only requires basic linear algebra knowledge).\nMoneyball, people have been recommending this to me for years but I never read it because I find baseball so boring. I'm glad I finally read it. It's not really a book about baseball it's about finding and exploiting unappreciated edges.\nWho We Are and How We Got Here, makes a lot of the recent genetic research on human origins understandable. Especially relevant this year due to Svante Paabo's nobel prize.\nOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood, possibly better than the movie (which I love). Reads a bit like a script. The dialog is very good and contains many \"scenes\" that aren't in the movie.\n$12 Million Dollar Stuffed Shark, if you are interested in modern art or how things that look like something anyone could do can sell for absurd amounts of money this book is worth reading.\nA Sailor of Austria: In Which Without Really Intending to, Otto Prohaska Becomes Official War Hero No. 27 of the Hapsburg Empire, one of the reviews I read before starting this described it as something like \"a techno-thriller set on an austrian submarine in world war one\". If that sounds appealing to you, you'll probably like this book. If not don't bother starting it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "if you are interested in modern art or how things that look like something anyone could do can sell for absurd amounts of money this book is worth reading",
          "reason": "Recommends it to readers interested in modern art and its market.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in modern art or how art sells for high prices.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Don Thompson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "art market",
        "contemporary art"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-delicate-art-of-bureaucracy-60d9c6",
      "title": "The (Delicate) Art of Bureaucracy",
      "author": "Mark Schwartz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40429444,
          "author": "geethree",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T15:07:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40429444",
          "commentText": "The (Delicate) Art of Bureaucracy by Mark Schwartz. Shares an interesting view on bureaucracy, how it is all around us an used heavily in our line of work.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The (Delicate) Art of Bureaucracy by Mark Schwartz.",
          "reason": "Presents it as an interesting view of bureaucracy and its role in their line of work.",
          "audience": "People interested in bureaucracy and its place in work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Schwartz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bureaucracy",
        "it management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mis-behavior-of-markets-a-fractal-view-of-risk-ruin-and-rewar-2af3d0",
      "title": "The (Mis)Behavior of Markets: A Fractal View of Risk, Ruin, and Reward",
      "author": "Benoit B. Mandelbrot and Richard L. Hudson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8026013,
          "author": "akg_67",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-12T22:47:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 8025870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8026013",
          "commentText": "The (mis)Behavior of Markets, A Fractal View on Risk, Ruin, and Reward by Benoit B. Mandelbrot and Richard L. Hudson.\nYou may enjoy this book if you are interested in Financial Markets, have some knowledge of Efficient Market Theory, and aware of existence of Fractal Geometry.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/The-Misbehavior-Markets-Financial-Turb... (http://www.amazon.com/The-Misbehavior-Markets-Financial-Turbulence/dp/0465043577/)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "You may enjoy this book if you are interested in Financial Markets, have some knowledge of Efficient Market Theory, and aware of existence of Fractal Geometry.",
          "reason": "Suggested for readers interested in financial markets who have some familiarity with efficient market theory and fractal geometry.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in financial markets with some knowledge of efficient market theory and fractal geometry.",
          "caveat": "Assumes some familiarity with efficient market theory and fractal geometry.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Benoit B. Mandelbrot and Richard L. Hudson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial markets",
        "fractal geometry",
        "market risk"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-10-000-year-explosion-133d9b",
      "title": "The 10,000 Year Explosion",
      "author": "Gregory Cochran and Henry Harpending",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783459,
          "author": "Sherlock",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:37:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783459",
          "commentText": "\"The Magicians\", \"The Magician King\", \"The Magician's Land\" - Lev Grossman. 4/5\n\"Inside Job\" - Connie Willis. 4/5\n\"Norwegian Wood (Tokio Blues)\" - Haruki Murakami. 4/5\n\"Old Man's War\" - John Scalzi. 5/5\n\"Persepolis\" - Marjane Satrapi. 5/5\nNon fiction:\n\"The 10,000 year explosion\" about recent evolution. 3/5 ton of evidence for their thesis, but lacks predictions.\n\"What if\" well known by HN. 5/5\n\"The nurture assumption\" about education, 2/5. Maybe a 4/5 when it was published, but now their ideas are in the water supply.\n\"The man who mistook his wife for a hat\", by Oliver Sacks 4/5. Several stories about neurological deficits.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The 10,000 year explosion\" about recent evolution. 3/5 ton of evidence for their thesis, but lacks predictions.",
          "reason": "Notes its evidence for the thesis, but says it lacks predictions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Rated 3/5; says it lacks predictions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gregory Cochran and Henry Harpending"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "genetics",
        "human evolution"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-10-000-year-explosion-how-civilization-accelerated-human-evol-88af05",
      "title": "The 10,000 Year Explosion: How Civilization Accelerated Human Evolution",
      "author": "Gregory Cochran and Henry Harpending",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10029114,
          "author": "qrendel",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-09T00:47:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10029114",
          "commentText": "I read Sapiens after seeing the same edge.org conversation, and while it was mostly good, I think it started off strong and then became less so as it went on. Especially towards the end it became almost a hot list of current events the author had read about in the newspaper, like browsing through a lot of TED talks, without a lot of coherence to a larger picture. My other complaint would be that some portions seemed less scholarly and heavily influenced by the author's opinions and personal worldview. Not a bad book by any means but somewhat less than the \"history of humankind\" I had hoped for. The first quarter focusing on prehistory through agriculture was very informative, though leaves me questioning if I'm just suffering from Gell-Mann amnesia. Rated it 4/5 on Goodreads when I was finished.\nI found Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond to be perhaps a better book of similar nature overall, and would add in The 10,000 Year Explosion by Cochran and Harpending as another good one for those who liked Sapiens.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "would add in The 10,000 Year Explosion by Cochran and Harpending as another good one for those who liked Sapiens.",
          "reason": "Calls it another good book for readers who liked Sapiens.",
          "audience": "Readers who liked Sapiens.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gregory Cochran and Henry Harpending"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "gene culture coevolution",
        "human evolution"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-100-best-business-books-of-all-time-ecab41",
      "title": "The 100 Best Business Books of All Time",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10240701,
          "author": "tsattersten",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-18T17:39:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10240701",
          "commentText": "Our selections from The 100 Best Business Books of All Time were:\n-Selling The Invisible by Harry Beckwith (great look at selling services)\n-Secrets of Closing The Sale by Zig Ziglar (gets you prepared for objections)\n-How to Become A Rainmaker by Jeffrey Fox (shortcuts to better sales techniques)\n-The Little Red Book of Selling by Jeffrey Gitomer (best first book for first time salespeople)\nAs mentioned in other posts, I would also add SPIN Selling, Mastering the Complex Sale and The Referral Engine.\n\"Smart\" books in the sales space include Influence, Made To Stick, To Sell Is Human.\nFor motivation, read more Zig, Tony Robbins, and Dale Carnegie.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Our selections from The 100 Best Business Books of All Time were:",
          "reason": "Names the source list from which the selections are drawn.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 568593,
          "author": "AlleyRow",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-18T18:57:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 568556,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sales book recommendation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=568593",
          "commentText": "The 100 Best Business Books of All Time has a list of 12 Sales/Marketing books on this page: http://100bestbiz.com/more-on-the-100-best/\nThe list as a whole is pretty solid.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The 100 Best Business Books of All Time has a list of 12 Sales/Marketing books on this page",
          "reason": "The commenter says the linked list of sales and marketing books is solid.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business books",
        "marketing",
        "sales"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-10x-rule-39669d",
      "title": "The 10X Rule",
      "author": "Grant Cardone",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15159229,
          "author": "johnsimer",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T01:39:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15159229",
          "commentText": "Innovator's dilemma & Innovator's solution- why big companies almost always get beaten by startups and how to overcome this\n10x Rule by Grant Cardone - you must take 10x more action than you think to get success\nAwaken the Giant Within - you can motivate yourself to do anything via the \"Pain Pleasure Principle\"\nBold: How to go big, make wealth, and change the world - some strategies from Musk, Bezos, Diamandis/Singularity U\nThe Art of Profitability - Coca-cola from a 2-Liter costs $.02/oz , Coca-cola from a restaurant costs $.20/oz\nmy full list here: https://goo.gl/9SD8b6",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "10x more action than you think to get success",
          "reason": "Claims greater action is needed to achieve success.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Grant Cardone"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "goal setting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-12-week-year-d7edc4",
      "title": "The 12 Week Year",
      "author": "Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21910667,
          "author": "thisisit",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-30T03:45:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21910667",
          "commentText": "Two books:\n1. Straight Line Leadership: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11556152-straight-line-l... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11556152-straight-line-leadership)\nStill going through the chapters and it is illuminating.\n2. 12 Week Year: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10009377-the-12-week-yea... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10009377-the-12-week-year)\nSome might find it very basic but I found that breaking my intentions to 3 months and tracking them has helped me see what I want and where I want to go.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Some might find it very basic but I found that breaking my intentions to 3 months and tracking them has helped me see what I want and where I want to go.",
          "reason": "The three-month planning and tracking approach helped the commenter clarify goals.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a structured way to set and track goals.",
          "caveat": "Some may find it very basic.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "goal setting",
        "time management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-15-decisive-battles-of-the-world-16d7f7",
      "title": "The 15 Decisive Battles of the World",
      "author": "Edward S. Creasy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804093,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:12:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804093",
          "commentText": "Writing a Go Interpreter\nWriting a Go Compiler\nNo One Cares about Crazy People\nI Heard You Paint Houses\nUNIX: A History and a Memoir\nRed Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine\nHow Asia Works\nThe Dream Machine\nBlack Earth\nThe Fabric of Reality\nBehave (tried twice, maybe third times a charm?)\nA Short History of Nearly Everything\nStiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers\nGenius: The Life and Science Richard Feynman\nSuper Thinking\nMan's Search for Meaning\nThe Cooking Gene\nThe Vital Question: Why is Life The Way it Is (re-read)\nThe Case Against Sugar\nThe 15 Decisive Battles of the World\nThe History of the Peloponnesian War\nThe Beginning of Infinity\nThe Book of Why",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 15 Decisive Battles of the World",
          "reason": "Listed in the commenter's planned reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward S. Creasy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-1619-project-ccbbb9",
      "title": "The 1619 Project",
      "author": "Nikole Hannah-Jones and The New York Times Magazine",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34161387,
          "author": "yawz",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T14:41:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161387",
          "commentText": "My best nonfiction read was The 1619 Project. It's a heavy read, but I highly recommend it. The runner up would be Christian Livermore's We Are Not OK.\nBest fiction read was Tim Winton's Breath or (there's probably some recency bias at play here) Sebastian de Castel's Traitor's Blade.\nI also read a few comic books. I love the East of West series (at least the first three books).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a heavy read, but I highly recommend it.",
          "reason": "The commenter highly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a heavy read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nikole Hannah-Jones",
        "The New York Times Magazine"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "african american history",
        "slavery",
        "united states"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-21-irrefutable-laws-of-leadership-b4e7d3",
      "title": "The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership",
      "author": "John C. Maxwell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10787209,
          "author": "theologic",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T05:16:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787209",
          "commentText": "Got a new job in May so slowed me down, but got through around 8 this year.\nI'm a Lencioni fan:\nDeath by Meeting --  Describes 3 types of meetings\nGetting Naked -- Describes how to consult\nI'm also a Marshall Goldsmith fan:\nWhat Got You Here Won't Get You There -  Once you get beyond a Director level with some mistakes, read this book\nMojo, How to Get It, How To Keep It - Another \"look yourself in the mirror\" book\nAlso:\n21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership  - John Maxwell. A little prod to act more like a leader.\nReady Player One -- Ernest Cline, Great Young Adult Book.  Escapist fantasy.\nEvery Shot Counts -- Mark Broady, Statistical Look At Golf, but has some smell of Kahnemann\nTo Kill A Mockingbird -- Timeless Classic I Never Got To.  Loved Atticus.  I won't read a Watchman if it spoils my view of what Atticus was all about.\nStarted But Not Finished:\nBusiness Dynamics Thinking -- Sterman (out of MIT). I need to take off work to read this 'cause it is so massive.  Basically it is control theory applied to business modelling.  However, I am convinced if somebody can apply these models, it really is the best competitive advantage.  However, too people willing to stick with it.\nHow to Measure Anything -- Douglas Hubbard.  Sort of makes me mad because it is so commonsense, yet most businesses don't apply this commonsense approach.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A little prod to act more like a leader.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it gives a nudge to act more like a leader.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John C. Maxwell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-22-immutable-laws-of-branding-7d06c6",
      "title": "The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding",
      "author": "Al Ries and Laura Ries",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Al Ries",
        "Laura Ries"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "branding"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-4-hour-body-e5bbd5",
      "title": "The 4-Hour Body",
      "author": "Tim Ferriss",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14860045,
          "author": "bawigga",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:34:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14860045",
          "commentText": "The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood\nThe 4-Hour Body - Tim Ferriss - Lot's of anecdotes from Ferriss' own experiments.\nS. - by J.J. Abrams - Layers upon layers. Unlike anything I've read before and a true Abrams experience. Check it out if you haven't heard of it!\nCode: The Hidden Language of Computer Hardware and Software -\n Charles Petzold - Fascinating PopSci book on the origins of Computers and Code. Each chapter seems to build on the knowledge you've built from previous chapters. Interesting read for the programmer/computer engineer and VERY approachable.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The 4-Hour Body - Tim Ferriss - Lot's of anecdotes from Ferriss' own experiments.",
          "reason": "Notes the book contains many anecdotes about Ferriss's experiments.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8795412,
          "author": "akulbe",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T04:30:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795412",
          "commentText": "The Personal MBA - Josh Kaufman\nThe First 20 Hours - Josh Kaufman\nSo Good They Can't Ignore You - Cal Newport\nThe 4-Hour Workweek - Tim Ferriss\nThe 4-Hour Body - Tim Ferriss\nStop Acting Rich - Thomas J. Stanley\nJames Altucher - Choose Yourself",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 4-Hour Body - Tim Ferriss",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tim Ferriss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "body optimization",
        "experiments",
        "fitness",
        "self experimentation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-4-hour-chef-2d92d3",
      "title": "The 4-Hour Chef",
      "author": "Tim Ferriss",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3395863,
          "author": "g3orge",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T14:44:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395863",
          "commentText": "yes. I highly recommend this book. And I can't wait for his new book, \"The 4-Hour Chef\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can't wait for his new book, \"The 4-Hour Chef\".",
          "reason": "Expresses anticipation for the author's upcoming book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tim Ferriss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Learning",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cooking",
        "self experimentation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-4-hour-chef-343e59",
      "title": "The 4-Hour Chef",
      "author": "Timothy Ferriss",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6423793,
          "author": "thenomad",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-21T17:56:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6423793",
          "commentText": "\"Four-Hour Body\" is also very much worth a read. Both the methodology he uses and the ideas themselves are useful - and our bodies are a pretty big part of our lives.\nHaven't read \"Four-Hour Chef\" yet, but people have recommended it for the stuff on learning.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Haven't read \"Four-Hour Chef\" yet, but people have recommended it for the stuff on learning.",
          "reason": "The commenter reports that others recommended it for its material on learning.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in learning.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Timothy Ferriss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cooking",
        "learning methods"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-40-principles-triz-keys-to-technical-innovation-d89ee3",
      "title": "The 40 Principles: TRIZ Keys to Technical Innovation",
      "author": "Genrich Altshuller",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33803012,
          "author": "toolslive",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T16:23:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33803012",
          "commentText": "I read: https://www.amazon.com/40-Principles-TRIZ-Innovation-Extende... (https://www.amazon.com/40-Principles-TRIZ-Innovation-Extended/dp/0964074052/)\nand I still think it's a great way to find strategies to think outside the box.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read: https://www.amazon.com/40-Principles-TRIZ-Innovation-Extende... and I still think it's a great way to find strategies to think outside the box.",
          "reason": "The commenter still considers it a great source of strategies for thinking outside the box.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Genrich Altshuller"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "innovation",
        "problem solving",
        "triz"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-42nd-parallel-0580ed",
      "title": "The 42nd Parallel",
      "author": "John Dos Passos",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24287895,
          "author": "omosubi",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-26T22:11:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 24286084,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading at the moment and what do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24287895",
          "commentText": "The 42nd parallel by John Dos Passos - really good novel about America at the turn of the century until the depression. Considered a classic\nThe Peregrine by J.A. Baker Englishman follows a few peregrines around the English countryside documenting everything he can. Past the first quarter or so it's just a log of his days which has no real narrative and is hard to get through. I'm not going to finish it\nI just finished Oracle Bones by Peter Hessler. Really good book about ancient China and it's relationship to the near present day (it was written in the late 90s and early 2000s)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 42nd parallel by John Dos Passos - really good novel about America at the turn of the century until the depression. Considered a classic",
          "reason": "Praised as a good novel and described as a classic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Dos Passos"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american novel",
        "modernism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-5-elements-of-effective-thinking-fdbfa1",
      "title": "The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking",
      "author": "Edward B. Burger and Michael Starbird",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33817000,
          "author": "kickaha",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-01T14:56:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33817000",
          "commentText": "The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking by Burger and Starbird.\nhttps://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691156668/th... (https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691156668/the-5-elements-of-effective-thinking)\nDefies categorization, difficult to summarize. A tutorial for effective and fulfilling learning, grappling with challenging intellectual problems, and for cultivating creativity.\nIt’s easy to read it superficially. The authors recommend reading it three times through. I read it again with first semester college students every fall. In actual fact, returning to it always reveals more insights (at least for me).\nMost students roll their eyes and miss the value. But every year students come back and tell me that it changed the way they think when they got to college.\nI’ve gotten some colleagues hooked on it too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking by Burger and Starbird.",
          "reason": "A tutorial for learning, tackling intellectual problems, and cultivating creativity; rereading it reveals further insights.",
          "audience": "The commenter reads it with first semester college students.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is easy to read superficially and students often miss its value.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward B. Burger",
        "Michael Starbird"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creative problem solving",
        "critical thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-500-hats-of-bartholomew-cubbins-b96fe1",
      "title": "The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins",
      "author": "Dr. Seuss",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50038288,
          "author": "sp332",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-10T23:47:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50038288",
          "commentText": "The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins - Dr Seuss\nIf You Give a Mouse a Cookie - the original is by far the best of these.\nRamona Quimby series - Beverly Cleary\nIggy Peck, Architect (+series) - Andrea Beaty\nBeast Feast - Emma Yarlett\nDragons Love Tacos (+ 2) - Adam Rubin\nThe Princess in Black (+series) - Shannon & Dean Hale\nDon't Let a Unicorn Scribble (+series) - Diane Abler\nThe Camping Trip - Jennifer Maan\nMaddie & Mabel (+series) - Kari Allen\nI Love You Stinky Face - Lisa McCourt\nAuthors that were always good: Arnold Lobel, Sandra Boynton, James Stevenson\nAnd don't forget to check https://www.betterworldbooks.com/ , they are affiliated with the Internet Archive and they don't show up in shopping searches.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins - Dr Seuss",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite children's books.",
          "audience": "Children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dr. Seuss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "picture books",
        "rhyming books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-50th-law-030248",
      "title": "The 50th Law",
      "author": "50 Cent and Robert Greene",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4787418,
          "author": "timmm",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:19:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787418",
          "commentText": "The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho.\nKing, Warrior, Magician, Lover by Moore and Gillette\nThe lean startup\nPaul Graham how to start a startup\nMark Hyman Ultimate Mind Solution\nTribal Leadership\nWheel of Time\nThink and Grow Rich\nSuperior Man David Deida\nThe Fountain Head\nEckhart Tolle New Earth\n50th Law\nGood to Great\nJed Mckenna\nEarl Nightengale\nLong Walk to Freedom\nOutliers\nGood to Great\nPsycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz (Self-image)\nSeven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey(Being awesome)\nWealth of Nations\nWayne Dyer The Tao\nSystem of the World\nOrigin of Species\nBrave new world\nThank you economy\nCrush it\nBuilt to Last\nWho Moved my Cheese\nStillness Speak Eckhert Tolle\nMastery George Leonard\nSteve Jobs Biography\nThe Last Lecture\nSteve Pavlina Books\nIacocca\nStriking Thoughts Bruce Lee\nCarlos Castaneda\nGhost in the Wires\nRichest Man in Babylon\nWay of the Superior Man\nLosing My Virginity\nThink and Grow Rich\nDelivering Happiness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "50th Law",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "50 Cent and Robert Greene"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fearlessness",
        "strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-71-2-deaths-of-evelyn-hardcastle-197476",
      "title": "The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle",
      "author": "Stuart Turton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665117,
          "author": "scottdw",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:15:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665117",
          "commentText": "Maybe not \"better literature\" but I always look forward to a new Rebus novel by Ian Rankin (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inspector%20Rebus).\nThough, the best (IMHO) whodunnit of 2018 is Stuart Turton's \"The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle\" (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36337550-the-7-deaths-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36337550-the-7-deaths-of-evelyn-hardcastle))",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the best (IMHO) whodunnit of 2018 is Stuart Turton's \"The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle\"",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the best whodunnit of 2018.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy whodunnits.",
          "caveat": "The commenter qualifies the judgment as their opinion.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stuart Turton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mystery",
        "whodunnit"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-8th-habit-f5a877",
      "title": "The 8th Habit",
      "author": "Stephen R. Covey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1635177,
          "author": "adammichaelc",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-26T05:38:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1635177",
          "commentText": "Business: 7 Habits, 8th Habit, Getting Things Done, 4 Steps to Epiphany, Straight from the Gut\nSpiritual: Book of Mormon, Book of Isaiah, The 4 Gospels in the New Testament\nRelationship: The 5 Love Languages, Men are from Mars Women from Venus\nPhysical: Spark, The Vitamin D Solution",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Business: 7 Habits, 8th Habit, Getting Things Done, 4 Steps to Epiphany, Straight from the Gut",
          "reason": "Included in a list answering the question about books that changed your life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen R. Covey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "personal effectiveness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-agi-revolution-af14ed",
      "title": "The AGI Revolution",
      "author": "Ben Goertzel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ben Goertzel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial general intelligence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-absolute-at-large-43c9ea",
      "title": "The Absolute at Large",
      "author": "Karel Čapek",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13249050,
          "author": "ceceron",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T08:01:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249050",
          "commentText": "+1 - Dostoyevsky is a must have.\nThere are many fictional books that tell so much truth about humanity, but I would recommend Karel Capek's novels as those aren't very popular nowadays. Particuraly: The \"Absolute at Large\" and \"War with the Newts\".",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Particuraly: The \"Absolute at Large\"",
          "reason": "Named as a particular Čapek novel recommended by the commenter.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in fiction that explores human nature.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Čapek's novels are not very popular nowadays.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Karel Čapek"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "czech literature",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-abstract-wild-1df3d6",
      "title": "The Abstract Wild",
      "author": "Jack Turner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5692568,
          "author": "japhyr",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T23:45:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5692568",
          "commentText": "The Abstract Wild, Jack Turner\nHonest and challenging, without being sentimental.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Abstract Wild, Jack Turner\nHonest and challenging, without being sentimental.",
          "reason": "Describes it as honest and challenging.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not sentimental.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jack Turner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "environmental philosophy",
        "wilderness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-accidental-masterpiece-on-the-art-of-life-and-vice-versa-45ab27",
      "title": "The Accidental Masterpiece: On the Art of Life and Vice Versa",
      "author": "Michael Kimmelman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42219077,
          "author": "Brajeshwar",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T03:54:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42219077",
          "commentText": "This year, I decided to read more fiction, and I like it.[1] Here are some of the interesting non-fiction books I liked;\n- Chip War: The Fight for the World’s Most Critical Technology by Chris Miller\n- How We Got to Now: Six Innovations That Made the Modern World by Steven Johnson\n- The Accidental Masterpiece: On the Art of Life and Vice Versa by Michael Kimmelman\n- The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin\n- The TATAS: How a Family Built a Business and a Nation by Girish Kuber\n1. https://brajeshwar.com/2024/books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Accidental Masterpiece: On the Art of Life and Vice Versa by Michael Kimmelman",
          "reason": "Included among the non-fiction books the commenter liked.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Kimmelman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "art criticism",
        "everyday life"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-accidental-theorist-5d04ec",
      "title": "The Accidental Theorist",
      "author": "Paul Krugman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 181117,
          "author": "davidmathers",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-05T01:46:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 180589,
          "threadTitle": "Good book for economics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=181117",
          "commentText": "One option: assume that there is no one book that can serve as an intro to economics (I haven't found one yet) and start learning the subject be reading the 3 great classical economists: Adam Smith, David Ricardo, and Karl Marx. All 3 were geniuses who had many brilliant insights. And all 3 were wrong in a similar fundemental way because they didn't fully grasp the concept of value.\nPersonally I've found overviews (ie \"The Wordly Philosophers\") to be useless for real learning.\nWhat I've found instead is that when really smart people are wrong, their wrongness (how and why they are wrong) is just as instructive as when they are right. If not more so.\nOnce you understand classical economics then learn about the marginal revolution. Follow that by reading Keynes and Von Mises simultaneously.\nAlmost every notable economist of the last 50 years is, in some form, an intellectual descendent of either Keynes or the Austrians (Von Mises and Hayek). Perhaps directly or one of Keynes -> Galbraith or Austrians -> Chicago School (Milton Friedman).\nThere are also lots of intellectual descendents of Marx (Thomas Sowell for example) but they tend to just write about economics rather than being actual working economists.\nNotable Keynesians: Paul Krugman is an excellent writer and wrote several great popular books in the 90's, I escpecially like The Accidental Theorist. Brad DeLong worked for the Clinton administration and has a blog.\nNotable Austrians: The Marginal Revolution blog (directly inspired by \"Austrians\"), Greg Mankiw (worked for the Bush administration a few years ago, not directly inspired by \"Austrians\").",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I escpecially like The Accidental Theorist.",
          "reason": "The commenter singles it out as a book they especially like.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in popular economics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Krugman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "popular economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-accounting-game-31507d",
      "title": "The Accounting Game",
      "author": "Judith Orloff and Darrell Mullis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18664248,
          "author": "33W",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T14:40:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664248",
          "commentText": "Freakonomics - good “everything you know is wrong”\nPromote yourself - meh “just become an influencer and pick a new job”\nExtreme Ownership - good “navy seal war story -> leadership principle -> business application” x12\nRise - good “wow I have an easy life”\nDrive - good “some people like doing stuff just because”\nThe Accounting Game - good “money explained to a kid to make you feel vetter about not understanding money”",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Accounting Game - good",
          "reason": "Listed as good in response to the thread's request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Judith Orloff and Darrell Mullis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "accounting",
        "financial literacy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-accounting-game-basic-accounting-from-the-lemonade-stand-a1df36",
      "title": "The Accounting Game: Basic Accounting From the Lemonade Stand",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43952469,
          "author": "keiferski",
          "createdAt": "2025-05-11T09:08:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 43949411,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fictional business books like The Goal",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43952469",
          "commentText": "It's designed more for kids, but I found it useful for understanding basic accounting concepts: The Accounting Game: Basic Accounting From the Lemonade Stand.\nI also found two of the novels in Clavell's Asian Saga to be quite business-focused: Tai-Pan and Noble House. Not so much for the nuts-and-bolts of business, but just a large business organization being founded and growing over the course of multiple centuries.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found it useful for understanding basic accounting concepts: The Accounting Game: Basic Accounting From the Lemonade Stand.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it useful for understanding basic accounting concepts.",
          "audience": "Kids, primarily.",
          "caveat": "Designed more for kids.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "accounting",
        "financial literacy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-accusation-b1358a",
      "title": "The Accusation",
      "author": "Bandi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15020474,
          "author": "searine",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T17:41:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15020474",
          "commentText": "Re-reading Anathem by Neal Stephenson, because it's so god damn good.\nThe Mandibles recently. It was okay. The economic ideas were interesting, but the story dragged.\nThe Accusation by Bandi was good if you like North Korea stuff.\nThe Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O - Was decent for a Stephenson novel, but definitely niche sci-fi/fantasy.\nThe Glass Bead Game by Herman Hesse. Didn't like it. Really didn't like the ending.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Accusation by Bandi was good if you like North Korea stuff.",
          "reason": "Recommends it to readers interested in North Korea.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in North Korea.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bandi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "north korea",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-act-of-creation-e9615e",
      "title": "The Act of Creation",
      "author": "Arthur Koestler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15157326,
          "author": "jesperlang",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T17:56:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15157326",
          "commentText": "not going to repeat what's already been said so I will just add one:\nThe Act of Creation by Arthur Koestler about human creativity. This was a heavy read but mind-bending like no other, literally had to put it down every now and then to contemplate/write/sketch what I just read. Fascinating!\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30676.The_Act_of_Creatio... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30676.The_Act_of_Creation)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Act of Creation by Arthur Koestler about human creativity. This was a heavy read but mind-bending like no other",
          "reason": "Calls it mind-bending and fascinating, and says it changed how they thought about creativity.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in human creativity.",
          "caveat": "Described as a heavy read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur Koestler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Psychology",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creativity",
        "theory of humor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-actor-s-life-a-survival-guide-363881",
      "title": "The Actor’s Life: A Survival Guide",
      "author": "Jenna Fischer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18744369,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T04:11:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744369",
          "commentText": "* The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCullough\n* Higher: A Historic Race to the Sky and the Making of a City by Neal Bascomb\n* Caesar’s Last Breath: Decoding the Secrets of the Air Around Us by Sam Kean\n* Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari\n* A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts by Andrew Chaikin\n* The Actor’s Life: A survival guide by Jenna Fischer\n* The Interstellar Age: The Story of the NASA Men and Women Who Flew the Forty-Year Voyager Mission by Jim Bell\n* The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance by David Epstein\n* Uncommon People: The Rise and Fall of the Rock Stars 1955-1994 by David Hepworth\n* Chasing Space: An Astronaut's Story of Grit, Grace, & Second Chances by Leland Melvin\n* The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough\n* Jefferson: Architect of American Liberty by John B. Boles",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Actor’s Life: A survival guide by Jenna Fischer",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite nonfiction book read in 2018.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jenna Fischer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "acting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-adolescence-of-p-1-6daa95",
      "title": "The Adolescence of P-1",
      "author": "Thomas Joseph Ryan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41176989,
          "author": "mikewarot",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T00:25:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41176989",
          "commentText": "1632 by Eric Flint - it became a series. I can read them over and over. - Alternate history, contemplative of everything that makes modern civilization possible and keeps it going.\nThe Art of Electronics  - Horowitz and Hill - All the nitty gritty details you'll need if you're to be a good electronics designer\nThe adolescence of P-1 - Thomas Joseph Ryan - Introduced me to the idea of random walks leading to AI.\nComputer Lib/Dream Machines - Ted Nelson -- Quite a bit of ideas about computers, I read it decades ago.\nDiary of an Early American Boy: Noah Blake 1805 -- By Eric Sloane -- Early Americans really knew their shit, we tend to think of them as simpler people, this book dispelled me of that stupid notion.\nBoys Second Book of Electronics - Alfred Morgan, 1957 -- Introduced me to the idea that I could make my own radio or anything electronic I wanted to make.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The adolescence of P-1 - Thomas Joseph Ryan - Introduced me to the idea of random walks leading to AI.",
          "reason": "Says it introduced them to the idea of random walks leading to AI.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Joseph Ryan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "random walks"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-adolescence-of-p1-91feb4",
      "title": "The Adolescence of P1",
      "author": "Thomas J. Ryan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15428939,
          "author": "ChuckMcM",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:56:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428939",
          "commentText": "\"The Adolescence of P1\" was a fun book (early AI)\nVinge, Baer, Benford, and Clark are all good hard SF writers. Some of Chrichhton's work. I suspect it was easier to write convincingly before the world caught up. These days it gets harder and harder to see past the next couple of decades.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Adolescence of P1\" was a fun book",
          "reason": "The commenter describes the book as fun.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas J. Ryan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "early ai fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-advent-of-the-algorithm-0e7664",
      "title": "The Advent of the Algorithm",
      "author": "David Berlinski",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14491019,
          "author": "cestith",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T19:53:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14491019",
          "commentText": "- The Practice of Programming ; Kernighan and Pike\n- The Advent of the Algorithm ; Berlinski\n- Engineering a Compiler ; Torczon and Cooper\n- Advanced Programming in the Unix Environment ; Stevens and Rago\n- Databases, Types, and the Relational Model ; Date\n- Code ; Petzold",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Advent of the Algorithm ; Berlinski",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for language-agnostic programming books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Berlinski"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-adventure-of-leadership-2f470f",
      "title": "The Adventure of Leadership",
      "author": "Hap Klopp",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 139131,
          "author": "cmm324",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-17T19:15:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=139131",
          "commentText": "The Adventure of Leadership by Hap Klopp is a great weekend read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Adventure of Leadership by Hap Klopp is a great weekend read.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a great weekend read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hap Klopp"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-adventure-of-the-dancing-men-413ae9",
      "title": "The Adventure of the Dancing Men",
      "author": "Arthur Conan Doyle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20916629,
          "author": "a-saleh",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T09:43:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20916629",
          "commentText": "I would almost considered quoting the great ancient literature a cheat-code but I still do really like the Ecclesiastes.\nFrom the other end of the spectrum, \"The Adventure of the Dancing Men\" is the book/story that inspired my interest in cryptography. In the end I never worked in infromation-security but I did enjoy it from my 10 years til I left college, and I still do enjoy going for puzzle-hunts with some of my friends :)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The Adventure of the Dancing Men\" is the book/story that inspired my interest in cryptography.",
          "reason": "Says the story inspired their interest in cryptography.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur Conan Doyle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cryptography",
        "detective fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-adventures-and-piracies-of-captain-singleton-1e67b4",
      "title": "The Adventures and Piracies of Captain Singleton",
      "author": "Daniel Defoe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4966535,
          "author": "yread",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T18:00:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4966535",
          "commentText": "Melville's Moby Dick, Crockford's Javascript: the good parts, Vonnegut's short stories, Defoe's Adventures and Piracies of captain Singleton (not about the design pattern), Amsterdam in the 70s. Not a single new release though.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Defoe's Adventures and Piracies of captain Singleton",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Defoe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-adventures-of-groo-3f06f4",
      "title": "The Adventures of Groo",
      "author": "Sergio Aragonés",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34160861,
          "author": "themodelplumber",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:44:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160861",
          "commentText": "I realized I can't really recommend books to audiences much anymore, because I don't read those types of audience-books as much as I used to.\nBut still, here are some I probably bought for $0.99 and enjoyed:\nLost Restaurants of Seattle\nThis Outcast Generation by Taijun Takeda\nThe Royal Navy Lynx: An Operational History\nA Doctor's War by Aidan MacCarthy\nSniping in France by Hesketh-Prichard\nThe Art of Whittling by Faurot\nMoscow Calling by Angus Roxburgh\nFeynman's Rainbow by Leonard Mlodinow\nIcelandic Folk Tales by Stefansson\nIf you like any of those topics then you have my random recommendation, and possibly the indulgent vanity of once more having avoided consumer risk, or maybe consumer regret.\nThese were fun in 2022, in addition to 1) web browsing, which I find is definitely reading, despite all its numbered-pagelessness, and 2) dipping back into lots of classics and favorites, from Blacksad to Darwin to Scaramouche and Tom Sawyer.\n(Possibly throwing in a volume on the adventures of Groo, a Weird Tales, a Comics Cavalcade, some TTRPGs, and a Scooby-Doo Team-Up...)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "a volume on the adventures of Groo",
          "reason": "Possibly included among books and other reading the commenter enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they were possibly throwing in a volume.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sergio Aragonés"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fantasy comics",
        "humor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-adventures-of-samurai-cat-06ab7b",
      "title": "The Adventures of Samurai Cat",
      "author": "Mark Rogers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14747745,
          "author": "FiatLuxDave",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T20:26:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14747745",
          "commentText": "I love the idea of looking for overlooked gems.  Here are a few of mine:\nInfinite in All Directions, Freeman Dyson : just a book of his thoughts, but I really appreciated his perspective on respect between religion/spirituality and science.\nIgnition! An informal history of liquid rocket propellants, J.D. Clark : I picked up a copy of this in a roadside bookstore on a lark. Entertaining tales of people blowing themselves up in the name of science.\nApollo 11 Press kit : My grandmother was a journalist for Florida Today during the space race, and she gave me her copy.  It is amazing to see how much detail was provided.  I don't know if our modern press ever gets press kits like these, but it was not dumbed-down much at all, which was very nice to see.\nThe Adventures of Samurai Cat, Mark Rogers : Silly fun. \n Kind of like if Bored of the Rings had been written by Jerry Bruckheimer and Spider Jerusalem.\nInto the cool, Sagan and Schnieder : about complexity and thermodynamics. Written for a layperson, I still learned a lot from it.\nOrder out of Chaos, Prigogine and Stengers : More thermo, also written for lay audience, also learned a lot from it.\nControlled Thermonuclear Reactions, L. Artsimovich : Of all the plasma physics books I have read (many) this is the one I remember most. Rather out-of-date now, it contains loads of information about the early Soviet fusion program, with pictures and discussion of now-forgotten experiments.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Silly fun.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as silly fun.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Rogers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fantasy",
        "parody"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-adventures-of-tom-sawyer-65d093",
      "title": "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer",
      "author": "Mark Twain",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34160861,
          "author": "themodelplumber",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:44:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160861",
          "commentText": "I realized I can't really recommend books to audiences much anymore, because I don't read those types of audience-books as much as I used to.\nBut still, here are some I probably bought for $0.99 and enjoyed:\nLost Restaurants of Seattle\nThis Outcast Generation by Taijun Takeda\nThe Royal Navy Lynx: An Operational History\nA Doctor's War by Aidan MacCarthy\nSniping in France by Hesketh-Prichard\nThe Art of Whittling by Faurot\nMoscow Calling by Angus Roxburgh\nFeynman's Rainbow by Leonard Mlodinow\nIcelandic Folk Tales by Stefansson\nIf you like any of those topics then you have my random recommendation, and possibly the indulgent vanity of once more having avoided consumer risk, or maybe consumer regret.\nThese were fun in 2022, in addition to 1) web browsing, which I find is definitely reading, despite all its numbered-pagelessness, and 2) dipping back into lots of classics and favorites, from Blacksad to Darwin to Scaramouche and Tom Sawyer.\n(Possibly throwing in a volume on the adventures of Groo, a Weird Tales, a Comics Cavalcade, some TTRPGs, and a Scooby-Doo Team-Up...)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "from Blacksad to Darwin to Scaramouche and Tom Sawyer",
          "reason": "Mentioned among classics and favorites the commenter revisited.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23467743,
          "author": "wazoox",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:56:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467743",
          "commentText": "The book I've reread the most is The Odyssey. For a long time, I've read it once every year.\nAnother book I've read many times is Eco's Foucault's Pendulum.\nI've read Asimov's cycle of Foundation many times. Don't know how many, actually.\nI've also read several times some philosophy classics, particularly Plato's Symposium, Phaedrus, Apology and Republic.\nThen there are many books that I've read at least twice, almost all considered classics (from 1984 to LoTR, Great expectations to Tom Sawyer, Crime and punishment to Twenty thousand leagues under the sea, etc).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "from 1984 to LoTR, Great expectations to Tom Sawyer, Crime and punishment to Twenty thousand leagues under the sea",
          "reason": "Included among classics the commenter has read at least twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803978,
          "author": "jriot",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:57:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803978",
          "commentText": "I've curated my 2020 list over the last few months, eventually splitting it in two; 2021 has been started, but below is my 2020 list.\nBrave New World\nCatcher in the Rye (3rd read)\nTom Sawyer\nThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn\nWar and Peace\nCatch-22\nStranger in a Strange Lan\nThe Hobbit (3rd read)\nThe Illiad\nThe Odessey\nWalden\nLeisure, The Basis of Culture\nThe Seven Storey Mountain\nConfessions\nThe City of God\nWays of Life St Augustine\nCatechism of the Catholic Church\nThese Truths\nBattle Cry of Freedom\nThe Complete Guide to Fly Fishing\nThe Lure and Lore of Trout Fishing\nThe Duck Huntingest Gentlemen",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Tom Sawyer",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's curated 2020 reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Part of a planned reading list.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1724786,
          "author": "tokenadult",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-24T18:32:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1724786",
          "commentText": "My children like the George R. R. Martin books, the Philip Pullman books, the Harry Potter series, and other books much in that genre category. They also read \"classic\" literature as they get older, for example Oliver Twist or Tom Sawyer. Two of my sons have really liked A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (which I have never read) and I really liked The Chosen by Chaim Potok (which I reread a few years ago, and still thought was very good).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "for example Oliver Twist or Tom Sawyer.",
          "reason": "Gives it as an example of classic literature their children read as they get older.",
          "audience": "Children as they get older.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Twain"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure",
        "coming of age",
        "american literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-adventures-of-a-free-lunch-junkie-e4905d",
      "title": "The Adventures of a Free Lunch Junkie",
      "author": "Earl Bronsteen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48435023,
          "author": "RattlesnakeJake",
          "createdAt": "2026-06-07T14:07:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 48434230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48435023",
          "commentText": "\"The Adventures of a Free Lunch Junkie\" by Earl Bronsteen:\nhttps://a.co/d/0b7sZ26V\nIt's an old guy writing about accepting every \"Sit through our seminar and get a free lunch\" offer that came his way. I found it hilarious.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Adventures of a Free Lunch Junkie\" by Earl Bronsteen",
          "reason": "The commenter says they found the account of attending free-lunch seminars hilarious.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Earl Bronsteen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "humor",
        "seminar marketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-advertised-mind-groundbreaking-insights-into-how-our-brains-r-96a0c5",
      "title": "The Advertised Mind: Groundbreaking Insights into How Our Brains Respond to Advertising",
      "author": "Erik du Plessis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10535419,
          "author": "sogen",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T20:03:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10535419",
          "commentText": "1.- Sandman\n2.- Toxic Sludge is Good For You: Lies, Damn Lies and the Public Relations Industry\n3.- The Advertised Mind: Groundbreaking Insights into How Our Brains Respond to Advertising\n4.- The Hidden Persuaders - \"A brisk, authoritative and frightening report on how manufacturers, fundraisers and politicians are attempting to turn the American mind into a kind of catatonic dough that will buy, give or vote at their command--The New Yorker",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Advertised Mind: Groundbreaking Insights into How Our Brains Respond to Advertising",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the question about the year's best books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Erik du Plessis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "advertising",
        "consumer psychology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-adweek-copywriting-handbook-0e6c00",
      "title": "The Adweek Copywriting Handbook",
      "author": "Joseph Sugarman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1081276,
          "author": "redsymbol",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-27T19:11:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 1080708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Marketing Books for Developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1081276",
          "commentText": "In early 2009, I got sick and tired of my incompetence with sales and marketing, and decided to learn.  So I set out to learn, even if it meant sacrificing coding for a while.\nMarketing (and its cousin, sales) has many facets, perhaps surprisingly many, with significant differences among them.  Just like compiler implementation requires skills and knowledge different from 3D graphics coding, or secure web development, for example.  At the \"high end\" of the marketing food chain, there are things like public relations.  I personally don't know much about that yet.\nInstead, I chose to focus on copywriting. Basically, the art and science of creating powerfully effective ads using only the written word.  Often this means writing sales letters, i.e. several-page-long texts that sell something.\nThis focus has proven to be a good choice.  It gives a very strong foundation that applies to other kinds of marketing and sales.  For example, Adwords ads can be viewed as extremely short sales letters.\nYou asked specifically about books.  Over the course of 2009, I worked through (not just read!) about half a dozen marketing tomes that people had recommended to me.  In descending priority, my favorite three:\n  * Hypnotic Writing by Joe Vitale\n  * The Adweek Copywriting Handbook by Joseph Sugerman\n  * Cashvertising by Drew Whitman\n\nIf you can read only three books, I'd suggest these, in the order listed.  But if you can only read one, Cashvertising might actually be the best for you.\nCAVEAT: Make sure you work through all the exercises the book has - and if it doesn't, invent them!  Sugarman's book, for example, has few explicit reader exercises.  So after each section or chapter, close the book and write an ad for your product, and/or some other product (real or imaginary), applying and exercising the principles you just learned.  Use pen and paper, or better yet, a dedicated notebook.  You'll miss out on at least 80% of the value of these books if you fail to do this!!\nAnother very good thing to do is to HAND COPY a good sales letter.  Do it in long hand, on sheets of paper, with a pen or pencil.  Why in the world, you ask?  Because it's a powerful, powerful way to drill some of the more subtle advertising patterns into your subconscious.\nSeveral important marketers - Dan Kennedy is one - famously recommend doing this with 100 long sales letters if you really want to manifest great skill in marketing.  I've done about six of them myself, so far.  Doing just the first one produced a difference in my skill that was too great to ignore.\nAlmost no one will do this, because it's so much work.  A good solid sales letter may be ten pages, which takes me about three hours to hand copy.  Let me just suggest that it's worth it, and you may want to try it out once to evaluate for yourself.  Just make sure you use a GOOD (meaning, highly financially successful) sales letter - you want to make sure you ingrain good habits, not bad ones!\nP.S. Cialdini and Collier are often recommended.  Personally, I found less value in them.  Cialdini's is good, but very, very mental and intellectual.  That can be great for a typical advertising person.  But most people reading this (programmers) need to be LESS mental, to grok marketing, not more.  Reading even a few pages of Cialdini makes me feel \"stuck in my head\".\nFor Collier, I'm personally glad I took the time to read it, but for most people in your shoes it is probably not the first priority, and IMO not even a \"must-read\" at all.\nEDIT: fixed formatting and a typo",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Adweek Copywriting Handbook by Joseph Sugerman",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s three favorite marketing books and recommended as one to work through.",
          "audience": "Programmers learning marketing and copywriting.",
          "caveat": "Has few explicit reader exercises; the commenter suggests writing ads after each section or chapter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph Sugarman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "advertising",
        "copywriting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-afghan-campaign-376854",
      "title": "The Afghan Campaign",
      "author": "Steven Pressfield",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227235,
          "author": "ctkrohn",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T18:51:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227235",
          "commentText": "Stephen Pressfield is fantastic.  Besides \"Gates of Fire,\" I've read \"The Afghan Campaign\" and \"The Virtues of War,\" two novels about Alexander The Great.  Very highly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've read \"The Afghan Campaign\"",
          "reason": "Included among the author's novels; the comment ends with an emphatic recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Pressfield"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "military fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-aftermath-85b808",
      "title": "The Aftermath",
      "author": "Philip Bump",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37156408,
          "author": "PaulHoule",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T02:22:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37156408",
          "commentText": "The Aftermath by Phillip Bump\nhttps://www.pbump.com/\nIt's a nice mix of being data driven but accessible.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Aftermath by Phillip Bump",
          "reason": "Describes it as a nice mix of data-driven analysis and accessibility.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip Bump"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american politics",
        "data driven analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-age-of-extremes-a-history-of-the-world-1914-1991-bd47f7",
      "title": "The Age of Extremes: A History of the World, 1914–1991",
      "author": "Eric Hobsbawm",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1752362,
          "author": "metamemetics",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T08:13:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752362",
          "commentText": "Gravity's Rainbow (Pynchon)\nThe Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge (Rilke)\nThe Age of Extremes: A History of the World, 1914-1991 (Hobsbawm)\nBhagavad Gita\nUpanishads\nCrimes Against Logic: Exposing the Bogus Arguments of Politicians, Priests, Journalists, and Other Serial Offenders (Whyte)\nTractatus Logico-Philosophicus (Wittgenstein)\nedit: added 2 more & author names",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Age of Extremes: A History of the World, 1914-1991 (Hobsbawm)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Hobsbawm"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "20th century history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-age-of-jihad-769f9a",
      "title": "The Age of Jihad",
      "author": "Patrick Cockburn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14860087,
          "author": "koevet",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:37:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14860087",
          "commentText": "The Age of Jihad by Patrick Cockburn.\nThe brutal, heart-breaking history of the last 20 years of the Middle East. Field journalism at its best.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Age of Jihad by Patrick Cockburn.\nThe brutal, heart-breaking history of the last 20 years of the Middle East. Field journalism at its best.",
          "reason": "Praises it as a heartbreaking history and field journalism at its best.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Patrick Cockburn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "journalism",
        "middle east"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-age-of-predators-a9543e",
      "title": "The Age of Predators",
      "author": "Giuliano da Empoli",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46396841,
          "author": "phtrivier",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T22:08:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46396841",
          "commentText": "I started the year with \"Right thing, right now\", and I'm ending it with \"wisdom takes work\" (R.Holiday), but I'm happy to say that I'm now a bit \"tired\" of re-reading the same rehashing of other people's book, and I want to read the original ones. Which, actually, is the pont.\nI wanted to read classics, and devoured \"The portrait of Dorian Gray\" (O.Wilde), where maybe 50% of all the \"as O.Wilde said...\" quotes seem to come from (uttered by a single, incredibly obnoxious character.)\nI challenged myself to read \"Les Miserables\" (V.Hugo), and actually managed to get two tomes out of five down. Eminently quotable, heavily skippable - why on earth spend half a time on describing the ins and out of Waterloo, except to show off ? - and, surprisingly, at times, _funny_.\nThe bio of Pierre Mendès France (J.Lacouture) was very much topical, given the mess in Franch politics. We had more PMs in one year than in a few chapters of the book. It's very weird to read that, at some point, some politicians were \"liked\" by the people - but lost power anyway.\nA small Edouard Phillipe book called \"Men who read\" almost made me like the guy - his next book is more serious and expected. It pains me to think that our next election is going to be about \"well read people who disappointed everyone\" vs \"popular jocks with no education who will end up disappointing everyone\".\n\"Abundance\" (E.Klein / D.Thompson) is an attempt from \"well read people\" to at least try and understand why everyone is disappointed and prefer the jocks. I don't think they included any solution in their book, though - maybe they save it for the sequel, or for E.Klein's presidential bid.\nI want to read all Stripe press - if only, because the covers rock, and they're optimistic. Started with \"Poor Charlie's Almanach\" (C.Munger), which a disappointing rehash of the same funny speech seven times. (Tldr : be multidisciplinary, study cognitive biases, don't trade). In the middle of \"The Origins of Efficiency \" (Potter)\n\"The Wave\" (Souleymane) was not optimistic. And not practical at all - sure, AI enabled drones carrying bioweapons will suck. \"The Age of predators\" (G. Da Empoli) reminds us that the AI enabled bioweapons carrying drones will come from an illiberal state enabled by billionaires from Silicon Valley, and Russian trolls. I wish someone told me where to go to avoid being targeted too early.\n\"Everything is tuberculosis\" (J. Greene) reminded me of a time when scientists were trying to solve problems as opposed to creating brand new ones - but at least the next generations won't die of boredom.\n\"We, programmers\" is a rehash of Uncle Bob's pre talks \"history of programming\". I loved the long and detailed parts about G.Hopper. He ends with a (failed) attempt to convince that programmers will still be needed in the age of AI.\nSteve Yegge's \"Vibe coding\" goes full \"resistance is futile\" about programming with agents, and, interestingly, ends up talking more about TDD than Uncle Bob - but the words \"electricity consumption\" and \"climate impact\" are not utured, because, why spoil the fun.\n\"The Common LISP cookbook\" tried to explain me the difference between ASDF, quicklisp and whatnot - 2025 was the closest year I ever go to actually writing something in LISP instead of reading books about it.\nAnd also, \"The baby is a mammal\" (M.Odent) and \"Becoming a dad for dummies\", because this year was probably the last one we're I'll get so much time to read :)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The Age of predators\" (G. Da Empoli) reminds us that the AI enabled bioweapons carrying drones will come from an illiberal state enabled by billionaires from Silicon Valley, and Russian trolls.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it warns of AI enabled bioweapons and illiberal states.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter wishes it explained where to go to avoid being targeted.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Giuliano da Empoli"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "authoritarianism",
        "geopolitics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-age-of-spiritual-machines-433c8b",
      "title": "The Age of Spiritual Machines",
      "author": "Ray Kurzweil",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12144444,
          "author": "benkarst",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T16:13:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144444",
          "commentText": "1. \"The Age of Spiritual Machines\" (2000) by Ray Kurzweil. This futurist book sparked my imagination at a young age as to what was possible with technology. Several of its predictions that have come true today.\n2. \"Creativity Inc.\" (2014) by Ed Catmull. Fascinating stories and lessons from the man who ran Pixar, the animated film company with 11 straight number 1's at the box office.\n3. \"Outliers\" by Malcolm Gladwell. Along with talent and hard work, being well-positioned is a big part of success. Put in 10,000 hours to be great at anything.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This futurist book sparked my imagination at a young age as to what was possible with technology.",
          "reason": "Says it sparked their imagination about what technology could make possible.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ray Kurzweil"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "futurism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-age-of-spiritual-machines-when-computers-exceed-human-intelli-480fd5",
      "title": "The Age of Spiritual Machines: When Computers Exceed Human Intelligence",
      "author": "Ray Kurzweil",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3277958,
          "author": "AJ007",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T19:22:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3277958",
          "commentText": "\"Poor Charlie's Almanack\" was one of two books which had a profound impact on my way of thinking ( \"Charlie Munger - The Psychology of Human Misjudgment\", listed in the parent post is probably the best piece in this book.)\nThe other book, which I read when I was 15 or 16, \"The Age of Spiritual Machines: When Computers Exceed Human Intelligence\" by Ray Kurzweil was the other. Instead of looking at the universe through the question of why won't this work, I began thinking about problems as under what circumstances would this occur. Today, the book may be dated, but its effect for me remains.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The Age of Spiritual Machines: When Computers Exceed Human Intelligence\" by Ray Kurzweil was the other",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed how they approached problems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the book may be dated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ray Kurzweil"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "future of computing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-age-of-surveillance-capitalism-f5f92a",
      "title": "The Age of Surveillance Capitalism",
      "author": "Shoshana Zuboff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49900165,
          "author": "lbrito",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-29T20:41:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49900165",
          "commentText": "The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, by Shoshana Zuboff. Can't recommend it enough",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Age of Surveillance Capitalism, by Shoshana Zuboff. Can't recommend it enough",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly says they cannot recommend it enough.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37960159,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:07:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960159",
          "commentText": "* \"Amusing Ourselves to Death\" by Neil Postman (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Postman contrasts the dystopian visions of George Orwell's \"1984\" and Aldous Huxley's \"Brave New World\" to argue that western society is becoming a shallow, entertainment-driven culture shaped by television and other media. He discusses the profound effects of television on politics, education, and other aspects of society.\n* \"Howard Zinn: A People's History of the US\" by Howard Zinn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers an alternative exploration of American history from the perspective of ordinary people and marginalized groups rather than from political leaders, emphasizing class struggles and systemic injustices.\n* \"The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science\" by Isaac Asimov (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive outline of scientific knowledge, covering fields like physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, and earth science. It communicates complex scientific concepts in a way that is accessible to non-specialist readers.\n* \"Das Kapital\" by Karl Marx (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive critique of capitalism highlighting its inherent contradictions and imbalances. Marx diagnoses the capitalist system as one in which the rich get richer at the expense of the working class. The book has been influential in shaping socialist and communist thought.\n* \"Handbook of Electronic Circuits\" (1 mention, authors not specified)\n    * Summary: An extensive reference guide that provides information on basic electronic circuits and components. It delves into the world of electronics with detailed illustrations and designs, making it a valuable resource for both beginners and professionals in the field.\n* \"Simulacra and Simulation\" by Jean Baudrillard (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This philosophical work explores the nature and cultural implications of signs and images in contemporary society. Baudrillard posits that symbols and signs have replaced reality and meaning, creating a hyperreal world where simulations of reality have become more real than reality itself.\n* \"LSD: My Problem Child\" by Albert Hofmann (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This autobiographical work by Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who first synthesized LSD, discusses his discovery and personal experiences with the drug, exploring both the positive and negative effects of LSD, its influence on society, and its potential therapeutic uses.\n* \"Requiem for the American Dream: The 10 Principles of Concentration of Wealth & Power\" by Noam Chomsky (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Chomsky provides an extensive critique of inequality in America, arguing that the concentration of wealth and power among a small elite is undermining democracy. He lays out 10 principles of concentration of wealth and power that have led to this situation.\n* \"Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\" by Alfred Lansing (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This true account of Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton's 1914-1916 expedition turned survival story. When his ship, the Endurance, was crushed by ice and left Shackleton and his crew stranded, they embarked on a harrowing and miraculous voyage to safety.\n* \"Hacker's Handbook\" by Hugo Cornwall (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A guidebook for computer enthusiasts that provides a look at the world of hacking. It covers a range of topics, including telephone and computer hacking, as well as legal implications.\n* \"Cosmos\" by Carl Sagan (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This widely-admired book introduces the universe beyond the Earth. Sagan explores our place in the universe, the history of scientific discovery, and the crucial role of critical thinking in grasping our world and the vast cosmos we are part of.\n* \"Six Pillars of Self-Esteem\" by Nathaniel Branden (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book provides a comprehensive exploration of self-esteem, its importance, its sources, and how to cultivate it. It offers concrete strategies to enhance self-esteem, which Branden argues is a key component of psychological health and personal fulfillment.\n* \"Future Shock\" by Alvin Toffler (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Future Shock examines the psychological and sociological impact of accelerating technological and social change. Toffler introduces the concept of \"future shock\" as a form of psychological disorientation caused by a rapid change in society and advocates for a more measured and conscious approach to future planning.\n* \"The Metropolis and Mental Life\" by Georg Simmel (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This seminal essay analyzes the effects of the urban environment on the individual's mind and social relationships. Simmel argues that the impersonality and money-centered economy of the metropolis lead to individuals feeling more alienated and adopting a defensive, blase attitude towards life.\n* \"The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power\" by Shoshana Zuboff (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book provides an extensive critique of the commodification of personal data by corporations in the digital age. Zuboff explores the rise of surveillance capitalism, where businesses harvest and analyze customer data to predict and influence behaviors.\n* \"Permanent Record\" by Edward Snowden (1 mention)\n    * Summary: In this powerful memoir, whistle-blower Edward Snowden tells his story on why he decided to expose the mass surveillance practices of the U.S. government. Permanent Record opens a broader conversation about free societies, privacy, surveillance, and what makes a country strong.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power\" by Shoshana Zuboff (1 mention)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21459544,
          "author": "banjo_milkman",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T03:39:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21459544",
          "commentText": "My struggle book 6 by Karl Ove Knausgaard. Good, though I think I preferred the earlier books. It's still very compelling, but a little too much Hitler in this one\nUnderland: A Deep Time Journey by Robert Macfarlane. Poetic landscape history, reminiscent of Sebald. Good stuff.\nClick here to kill everybody by Bruce Schneier. Scary.\nMachines like me by Ian McEwan. First McEwan I read for a while but I liked it more than I expected. I thought the AI bits were quite good.\nThe deep history of ourselves : the four-billion-year story of how we got conscious brains by Joseph LeDoux. Bit disappointed in this one, it seemed like there should have been a better story here.\nThe Tangled Tree: A Radical New History of Life:  David Quammen.\nThe Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power by Shoshana Zuboff. Makes CS careers look less appealing.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Makes CS careers look less appealing.",
          "reason": "Says it makes computer science careers look less appealing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Shoshana Zuboff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data economy",
        "surveillance",
        "data capitalism",
        "surveillance capitalism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-age-of-surveillance-capitalism-the-fight-for-a-human-future-a-b80917",
      "title": "The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power",
      "author": "Shoshana Zuboff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37937135,
          "author": "c420",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:31:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937135",
          "commentText": "The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power by Shoshana Zuboff\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Age_of_Surveillance_Capi... (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Age_of_Surveillance_Capitalism)\nAnd Permanent Record by Snowden",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power",
          "reason": "Listed as a book that had a major impact on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Shoshana Zuboff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data economy",
        "surveillance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-age-of-turbulence-87ecff",
      "title": "The Age of Turbulence",
      "author": "Alan Greenspan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22931737,
          "author": "elamje",
          "createdAt": "2020-04-21T04:04:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 22861452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading to make sense of the economy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22931737",
          "commentText": "The Fed gets a lot of hate, and heck, even economists get a lot of hate, but a good place to start learning about macroeconomics is by understanding what the Fed is doing and why they are doing it. The Age of Turbulence and the Courage to Act are autobiographies written by two former Fed Chairmen, which is the highest rank in the Fed. Greenspan and Bernanke likely get negative publicity, but they wrote books for the layman to understand their decisions. The Courage to Act goes into detail about what Bernanke and co did during the Great Recession and at least gives you context for the decisions which can help you determine if what they did was for “Wall Street”, “Main Street” or everyone.\nYou’ll likely be surprised at what facilities are at the disposal of this pseudo public institution, and it’s certainly interesting. The Fed collects inordinate amounts of data from each of its branches, and in times of crisis, as the books elaborate on, it seems they mostly go off the cuff with custom solutions to large scale solutions. Anyways, it helped me understand the US economy better. Greenspan’s book has more info on global policies.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Age of Turbulence and the Courage to Act are autobiographies written by two former Fed Chairmen",
          "reason": "Suggested as a layperson-friendly way to understand the Federal Reserve and its decisions.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an accessible introduction to macroeconomics and Fed policy.",
          "caveat": "The book covers global policies, according to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan Greenspan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "central banking",
        "federal reserve"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-age-of-turbulence-adventures-in-a-new-world-9fb9a9",
      "title": "The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World",
      "author": "Alan Greenspan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27887516,
          "author": "machinehermiter",
          "createdAt": "2021-07-19T21:35:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 27879593,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27887516",
          "commentText": "I second Designing Data-Intensive Applications.\nDeep Learning with Python by François Chollet I think works as an audiobook as well.\nI am a big non-fiction audio book fan and so much depends on the voice actor. I bad read can ruin the best content while Robertson Dean made Alan Greenspan's The Age of Turbulence into an enthralling adventure story.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Robertson Dean made Alan Greenspan's The Age of Turbulence into an enthralling adventure story.",
          "reason": "Praises Robertson Dean's audiobook narration.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The praise concerns the narration, not necessarily the book itself.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan Greenspan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial history",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-age-of-uncertainty-2fbb21",
      "title": "The Age of Uncertainty",
      "author": "Tobias Hürter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42660798,
          "author": "thetanka",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T22:04:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42660798",
          "commentText": "Maybe a bit off-topic if you are less interested in people and character studies, but it is one of the books I have read the most.\nThe Age of Uncertainty by Tobias Hürter\nIt’s about the minds who redefined our understanding of the universe, and I would say they were people who did a hard thing or two.\nhttps://openlibrary.org/books/OL37331178M/Age_of_Uncertainty",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Age of Uncertainty by Tobias Hürter",
          "reason": "Recommended as a frequently reread book about thinkers who redefined understanding of the universe.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in people and character studies.",
          "caveat": "May be off-topic for readers less interested in people and character studies.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tobias Hürter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of science",
        "scientific thinkers"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-age-of-the-economist-96361a",
      "title": "The Age of the Economist",
      "author": "Daniel R. Fusfeld",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12562927,
          "author": "rubyn00bie",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T07:30:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12562927",
          "commentText": "Preface: For a bit of I suppose... uhh, qualification, I took nearly every single upper division Economics class my university offered (~25). I did so because I LOVE Econ. Also, sorry for the rambling nature of this.\nFirst things first, finance is only sort of economics, it's really just finance. I'd highly recommend taking an accounting class (or book) and a grab an intro finance book. Accounting will really help with jargon, and just some really basic things (like balance sheets). Also, \"Security Analysis\" [0] is the \"only\" book you'll ever need, Warren Buffet recommended it to Bill Gates, and now Bill Gates recommends it to everyone.\nBack to Economics... There are two primary \"groups\" of thought... sort of like twins separated at birth who grow to hate each other.\n----------------------------------\nThe First: Neoclassical Economics\n----------------------------------\nFocuses primarily on microeconomics and largely mathematical. It's birth is largely due to Economists wanting to make econ a \"true science\" like we see the physical sciences (biology, chemistry, physics). It starts around the late 1800s and really picks up steam around the time of Einstein. Math was hot and being applied everywhere.\nA really interesting period to research and study is right after black Tuesday (and before the great depression) and what the central bank didn't do (before central bank intervention in markets). While I really detest the bastard, Milton Friedman's work on monetary policy is pretty science and generally good here. [1],[2].\nI'm a Keynesian (I suppose-- Econ gets deep fast), and so you'd be no where without reading some of what Keynes did to get our assess out of the great depression (i.e. government spending). It's also more or less the birth of Macroeconomics... You'll know you're good when you laugh at forgetting: Y = C + I + G + (X - M). Some good things to get started are looking at the IS-LM [3] model and AS-AD [4] model.\nThat gets you into the 60s - 70s. Tall Paul Volker is the unsung hero of the 80s, read about him (he ran the federal reserve). After that microeconomics starts to fragment into things involving game theory and behavioral economics (Daniel Kahneman is the man).\nEconometric analysis mathematically speaking is just multivariate regression analysis for time series or cross-sectional data. More \"modern\" analysis is probably using panel data [5] (combination of cross sectional and time series). Calculus, linear algebra, and differential equations should prepare one plenty for everything but panel data analysis. The real \"econ\" part is applying solid econ theory to the mathematics you're using, a textbook will help [6]. For finance this is your bread and butter.\nGame theory will apply a lot of different mathematical tools. You will need to love pure math. To really get into it requires pain or love. I like a healthy amount of both.\n----------------------------------\nThe Second: Heterodox Economics\n----------------------------------\nSo as it turns out, neoclassical economics is at most half of Economics. It's really where the \"philosophy\" comes into play. You're gonna need a quick history lesson to sort of see it's topic matter. Economics really didn't exist before... the 1500s. You can try to apply economics to earlier times but you could also just make shit up and post it to twitter. Both would be equally likely to contain truth.\nEconomics came into existence around the time the Dutch began developing trade routes (1550s). A by product of all this trade, is tons of cash, and goods-- currency (silver, metals, whatever) starts to actually be used in society (before that it was mostly just a status symbol). It pisses off a lot of _institutions_, most of all \"the church\" and monarchies because money is allowing people to gain power. It's usurping power from them. This is the rise of the \"merchant class\" and now thanks to money (trade really, but whatever it's complicated)-- people are liberating themselves from the social status they're born into. Eventually modern republics appear, and governments form. Nations trading globally becomes more common (Dutch, English, Spanish) and we get to Adam Smith, David Ricardo [7], et. al.\nNow it's the 1800s. People are seeing the birth and growth of capitalism, industry, corporations, and the tumultuous death of agrarian life. Now the way the \"common person\" lives their day dramatically changing, for a few it was better for most it was worse. Some economists begin to ask why are we replacing these now defunct _institutions_ with equally shitty, or possibly shittier, ones. This is more or less becomes the birth of heterodox economics which largely studies the more abstract ideas like \"institutions\"; by it's very nature the content tends to be philosophical.\nBy the 1920s heterodox economics is falling by the wayside. The content is less able to be tested like a physical science (i.e. no math/stats); so, it's treated like a misbegotten child... By the 1950s heterodox content was marginal at best-- the cold war and fear of communism made (makes) people insane. Economists pretty much had to be pro-capitalism or face being called \"commies\" and thrown in jail or worse being a narc in a witch hunt. This was more or less the nail in the coffin in mainstream heterodox economics (at least for research in the Occident). After the cold-war ended the nail got pulled out, but I wouldn't say it's really outta the coffin yet.\nThis book [8] isn't great but it's quickly digestible and will point you in the appropriate directions.\n----------------------------------\n----------------------------------\nSome Rambling to Finish\nI'd highly recommend not just learning how to use the tools, but why we have them and where they came from. Economics is vastly deeper than the average person will ever know. That depth is greatly empowering and guiding when using its lenses to see and solve problems. One last thing, know there's no going back, you will see the world differently.\n[0] https://www.amazon.com/Security-Analysis-Foreword-Buffett-Ed... (https://www.amazon.com/Security-Analysis-Foreword-Buffett-Editions/dp/0071592539)\n[1] \"The Role of Monetary Policy.\" American Economic Review, Vol. 58, No. 1 (Mar., 1968), pp. 1–17 JSTOR presidential address to American Economics Association\n[2] \"Inflation and Unemployment: Nobel lecture\", 1977, Journal of Political Economy. Vol. 85, pp. 451–72. JSTOR\n[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IS%E2%80%93LM_model\n[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AD%E2%80%93AS_model\n[5] The course I took on panel data, http://web.pdx.edu/%7Ecrkl/ec510/ec510-PD.htm\n[6] https://www.amazon.com/Using-Econometrics-Practical-Addison-... (https://www.amazon.com/Using-Econometrics-Practical-Addison-Wesley-Economics/dp/0131367730)\n[7] He more or less invented trade theory (competitive advantage) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Ricardo\n[8] https://www.amazon.com/Age-Economist-9th-Daniel-Fusfeld/dp/0... (https://www.amazon.com/Age-Economist-9th-Daniel-Fusfeld/dp/0321088123)\nEdit: for formatting.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "This book [8] isn't great but it's quickly digestible and will point you in the appropriate directions.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a quick, digestible introduction that points readers toward further study.",
          "audience": "Readers starting to explore heterodox economics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it isn't great.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel R. Fusfeld"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "heterodox economics",
        "history of economic thought"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-airbnb-story-how-three-ordinary-guys-disrupted-an-industry-ma-19a99c",
      "title": "The Airbnb Story: How Three Ordinary Guys Disrupted an Industry, Made Billions and Created Plenty of Controversy",
      "author": "Leigh Gallagher",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17205522,
          "author": "jordanab",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T14:21:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205522",
          "commentText": "- \"Startupland: How Three Guys Risked Everything to Turn an Idea into a Global Business\"\nI just finished this, and really enjoyed it. It's about the founding of Zendesk. I personally liked it's perspective because it's founders were 30 somethings (instead of the usual out of college types), and they are from Europe.\nI also really enjoyed:\n- \"Hatching Twitter: A True Story of Money, Power, Friendship, and Betrayal\"\n- \"The Airbnb Story: How Three Ordinary Guys Disrupted an Industry, Made Billions and Created Plenty of Controversy\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also really enjoyed:",
          "reason": "Explicitly included among books the commenter really enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leigh Gallagher"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "airbnb",
        "startup history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-alchemy-of-air-b067ba",
      "title": "The Alchemy of Air",
      "author": "Thomas Hager",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42218938,
          "author": "adastra22",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T03:10:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42218938",
          "commentText": "\"The Alchemy of Air\" by Thomas Hager. This covers the discovery of fertilizer, its strategic implications (it was the oil of its day), the creation in Germany of the Haber-Bosch process for producing fertilizer and gunpowder precursors from air, and how it fueled two world wars. An incredible story that is not widely known these days.\n\"The Making of the Atomic Bomb\" by Richard Rhodes. This is an old one, but still a classic. The first half is like a scientific detective story about the discovery and development of quantum theory itself, in Germany and Denmark, and can be read by itself as an engaging history of physics. Then Hitler rises to power, we learn how most of the characters we've met so far escape to England and the USA, and the others except Bohr become part of the German nuclear project. It then becomes an engineering management history of the Manhattan project, and a fascinating look at the challenges they overcame. The final chapter is a sobering play by play description of what happened to the people of Hiroshima, and was hardest but necessary to read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Alchemy of Air\" by Thomas Hager.",
          "reason": "Presents the history of fertilizer, the Haber-Bosch process, and its role in two world wars as an incredible story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Hager"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fertilizer history",
        "haber bosch process"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-alchemy-of-finance-37a825",
      "title": "The Alchemy of Finance",
      "author": "George Soros",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15157970,
          "author": "vpribish",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T20:15:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15157970",
          "commentText": "Goedel, Escher, Bach -- If you're reading this page you will dig this book.\nGuns, Germs, and Steel -- how circumstance drove civilizations. Fun storytelling even if it's a bit too \"just-so\".  definitely trains you to look at any situation and seek it's origins with less initial judgement.\nThe Visual Display of Quantitive Information -- gets at the essence of communication and medium.  more than it seems!\nThe Alchemy of Finance -- \"reflexivity\", but if you're also interested in Soros or some finance storytelling it's worth it.\nThe Selfish Gene -- as everyone else has said.\nThe Prize -- the history of oil.  huh?  yeah.  Likely to change how you look at the history of technology, government, power, the saudis, and geopolitics.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "if you're also interested in Soros or some finance storytelling it's worth it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is worth reading for readers interested in Soros or finance storytelling.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in George Soros or finance storytelling.",
          "caveat": "The recommendation is framed around interest in those subjects.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Soros"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial markets",
        "reflexivity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-algorithmic-beauty-of-seashells-f2d52a",
      "title": "The Algorithmic Beauty of Seashells",
      "author": "Hans Meinhardt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32197751,
          "author": "kaesve",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:14:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197751",
          "commentText": "I'm working through \"The algorithmic beauty of seashells\" by Hans Meinhardt and it's fantastic. It's been on my list for quite a while, but I only got around to it about 2 months ago. I'm through the first 90%, which means I got through the seashell pattern modeling. I'm reading the last part more slowly, both because it's not building up the model and because I'm building an interactive implementation of the models.\nI'm also reading Seveneves by Neal Stephenson. Started less than a month ago, am at p256/867. It's not my 'priority book', but I've been enjoying it when my brain needed a break from the seashells.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's fantastic. It's been on my list for quite a while, but I only got around to it about 2 months ago.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it fantastic and describes building an interactive implementation of its models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is reading the last part more slowly.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hans Meinhardt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical biology",
        "reaction diffusion",
        "seashell patterns"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-almanack-of-naval-ravikant-a-guide-to-wealth-and-happiness-7275a2",
      "title": "The Almanack of Naval Ravikant: A Guide to Wealth and Happiness",
      "author": "Eric Jorgenson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41241964,
          "author": "aitooltrek-com",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-14T02:23:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41241964",
          "commentText": "I personally recommend this book: The Almanack of Naval Ravikant A Guide to Wealth and Happiness. It was an old book but it is really classic. I think Naval's philosophy in this book has inspired me a lot and change my mindset in daily life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Almanack of Naval Ravikant A Guide to Wealth and Happiness",
          "reason": "The commenter personally recommends it and says its philosophy inspired them and changed their mindset.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is an old book while calling it a classic.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Jorgenson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "happiness",
        "wealth building"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-alpha-strategy-199fa8",
      "title": "The Alpha Strategy",
      "author": "John Pugsley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15671440,
          "author": "gravidor",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-10T17:33:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15671440",
          "commentText": "The Name of the Wind - For all the reasons mentioned above, is one of my absolute favorite fiction books.  Its not just the characters, its Rothfuss' use of language.  I've never kept track of so many quotable phrases in a book.\nEnders Shadow Series by Orson Scott Card - I loved the majority of the Ender's Game series was disappointed when it was over.  Throughout those books, Bean was always my favorite character and it was a great day when I discovered the Ender's Shadow series which chronicles Bean's life over several books. The thing I loved most about Bean were his powers of analysis and he taught me to think more about scenario outcomes and think about multiple ways of achieving my goals.\nDune - A pattern is emerging here.  I love the books where the hero CHOOSES to ascend and works to get there.  Paul Atredies starts out a boy against harsh conditions and rises to the challenge.\nThe Stand by Stephen King - I read this book when I was 14 or 15 on summer break in a week.  I fell in from the start and read for entire days until it was done and when it was over I was in awe at the size (1000+ pages) and scope of what King accomplished.\nThe Alpha Strategy by John Pugsley - Its an interesting book and look at economics and wealth preservation in layman's terms.  Its funny because this book was written in the 80s and when I read it, it was immediately applicable.  I grew up in a pretty liberal household and this book made me start to pay attention to what liberals and conservatives were saying and form my own opinions.\nAtlas Shrugged - I read this right after the book above and the two in combination really caused a mindeset shift for me. It wasn't so much that everyone is out to get me or against me, but more I am responsible for my outcomes and I need to invest in myself.\nE-Myth Revisited By Michael Gerber - Piqued my interest in systems and where I started to learn the value of systems and making success repeatable.\nWorking the System By Sam Carpenter - More of the \"how-to\" book E-Myth Revisited should have been.\nDaemon Series - This one has been mentioned and while it didn't have the impact on my that the other books did, I did enjoy the world the author created.\nThieves Emporium by Max Hernandez - This was a quick read and appealed to my love of technical fiction.  Similar to Daemon, its use of technology in the story is interesting and not that far off from the real world at this point.  [WARNING: GRAPHIC SCENES]\nI was unambitious and coasted through life until after college, and it wasn't until I was in my late 20s that I started really reading books like these.  Over the past few years, I've become almost a completely different person.  I read a tremendous amount and can say its had a huge impact on my \"mental models\" and how I approach life.\nBooks I'm interested in reading next include: \n- Meditations\n- Works on mental models\n- Elon Musk biography (the amount he's able to accomplish quickly is staggering)\nI don't read as much fiction as I used to, instead choosing to focus on technical books, but fiction has definitely had an impact on my development as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Its an interesting book and look at economics and wealth preservation in layman's terms.",
          "reason": "Calls it interesting and says it prompted them to pay attention to political arguments and form their own opinions.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in economics and wealth preservation explained in accessible terms.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Pugsley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal finance",
        "wealth preservation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-alphabet-that-changed-the-world-532d96",
      "title": "The Alphabet That Changed the World",
      "author": "Stan Tenen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39731131,
          "author": "ghthor",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-17T01:38:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39731131",
          "commentText": "The Alphabet that changed the world by Stan Tenan\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Alphabet-That-Changed-World-Conscious... (https://www.amazon.com/Alphabet-That-Changed-World-Consciousness/dp/1556437234/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.kJjy1kqJm2JDWzKYnCoTQvqmFZOwJbrlHOHxC_M1QqbabUdELldIsYVYveLEYXrCXfBVdx_Fnj-yuTUM-wnk_mzYkCex7IbbARcAlvLWpmyaXho8vk5KGHDbNKD9Yz58jtcA_cMv3j92AU4YMA2VUXwcN1-qhW8T6NG7bJ1t5mlVTrZSHq5LQOoQqub8kPNG.5LqXbVrx7oz4Bb0VG81v3MWndMDCGFbMhmKuvSFv4z4&dib_tag=se&qid=1710639508&refinements=p_27%3AStan+Tenen&s=books&sr=1-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Alphabet that changed the world by Stan Tenan",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stan Tenen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consciousness",
        "hebrew alphabet"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-american-political-tradition-62dbec",
      "title": "The American Political Tradition",
      "author": "Richard Hofstadter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 715173,
          "author": "ddemchuk",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-20T20:56:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715173",
          "commentText": "Just finished \"Anthem\" by Ayn Rand (it's like 100 pages so it only took a few hours)\nStarted \"The American Political Tradition\" by Richard Hofstadter, pretty engaging history of our major politicians and founding fathers...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Started \"The American Political Tradition\" by Richard Hofstadter, pretty engaging history of our major politicians and founding fathers...",
          "reason": "The commenter describes its historical account as pretty engaging.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Hofstadter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american politics",
        "political history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-analogue-alternative-the-electronic-analogue-computer-in-brit-a859df",
      "title": "The Analogue Alternative: The Electronic Analogue Computer in Britain and USA, 1930–1970",
      "author": "James S. Small",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22711167,
          "author": "amatic",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T14:00:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22711167",
          "commentText": "I've enjoyed \"The Analogue Alternative: The Electronic Analogue Computer in Britain and USA, 1930-1970\", By James S. Small. Really got me thinking about the possibility of forgotten ideas from that space.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've enjoyed \"The Analogue Alternative: The Electronic Analogue Computer in Britain and USA, 1930-1970\", By James S. Small.",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed the book and found it thought-provoking about forgotten ideas in analogue computing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James S. Small"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "analogue computing",
        "computer history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-anatomy-of-peace-resolving-the-heart-of-conflict-19557d",
      "title": "The Anatomy of Peace: Resolving the Heart of Conflict",
      "author": "The Arbinger Institute",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39249002,
          "author": "ochronus",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T10:15:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249002",
          "commentText": "The Anatomy of Peace: How to Resolve the Heart of Conflict",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Anatomy of Peace: How to Resolve the Heart of Conflict",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "The Arbinger Institute"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "conflict resolution",
        "interpersonal relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-anatomy-of-violence-the-biological-roots-of-crime-4a48a3",
      "title": "The Anatomy of Violence: The Biological Roots of Crime",
      "author": "Adrian Raine",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6899433,
          "author": "h1ccup",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T06:59:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6899433",
          "commentText": "This is my list(Most of these books aren't from 2013):\n1. The Man Who Invented the Computer: The Biography of John Atanasoff by Jane Smiley\n2. Halting State by Charlie Stross\n3. Levels of Life by Julian Barnes\n4. The Particle At The End Of The Universe by Sean Carrol\n5. Churchil Bomb by Graham Farmello\n6. The Science Of Memory by Charles Fernyhough\n7. The Anatomy of Violence: The biological roots of crime by Adrian Raine\n8. The Bet: Paul Ehrlich, Julian Simon, and our gamble over Earth’s future by Paul Sabin\n9. Experiencing Art: In the brain of the beholder by Arthur Shimamura\n10. The Spark: A Mother’s Story of Nurturing Genius by Kristine Barnett",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Anatomy of Violence: The biological roots of crime by Adrian Raine",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list answering which books were best.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adrian Raine"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biological psychology",
        "criminology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ancestor-s-tale-a-pilgrimage-to-the-dawn-of-evolution-4f9ebf",
      "title": "The Ancestor’s Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution",
      "author": "Richard Dawkins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 142885,
          "author": "Prrometheus",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-21T22:49:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=142885",
          "commentText": "Some books:\n\"The Fountainhead\" - gave me the gift of self-confidence\n\"The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution\" - helps me understand where I come from and where I fit in the Biosphere\n\"The Use of Knowledge in Society\" - This, along with other pieces on economics and capitalist anarchism, gave me an appreciation for distributed non-hierarchical systems. (http://www.econlib.org/Library/Essays/hykKnw1.html)\nPaul Graham's stuff - Got me to the point where I'm quitting my job in two weeks.\nI read a ton of fantasy, sci fi, and historical fiction growing up. I'm sure that has something to do with my grand imagination, distaste for authority, and idealism.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution\" - helps me understand where I come from and where I fit in the Biosphere",
          "reason": "Says it helps them understand human origins and their place in the biosphere.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Dawkins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biodiversity",
        "evolution",
        "human origins"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ancient-city-3c1b96",
      "title": "The Ancient City",
      "author": "Numa Denis Fustel de Coulanges",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40297638,
          "author": "unraveller",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-08T13:02:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40297638",
          "commentText": "Jacques Barzun - From Dawn to Decadence: 500 Years of Western Cultural Life 1500 to the Present (2001)\nThe Ancient City by Numa Denis Fustel de Coulanges (1864)\nIntellectuals By Paul Johnson\nDaniel J. Boorstin - The Discoverers\nThe Great Courses - The Industrial Revolution (audiobook/lectures)\nDecline of the West - Spengler",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Ancient City by Numa Denis Fustel de Coulanges (1864)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Numa Denis Fustel de Coulanges"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient society"
      ],
      "purposes": []
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ancient-greek-hero-in-24-hours-7432dc",
      "title": "The Ancient Greek Hero in 24 Hours",
      "author": "Gregory Nagy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33854231,
          "author": "hdivider",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T14:58:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33854231",
          "commentText": "\"The Ancient Greek Hero in 24 Hours\" by Gregory Nagy, Harvard prof on greeks.\nDeepens your understanding of a different conception of a hero. According to Nagy, the heroes in Homeric poetry were not meant to be directly emulated like our modern Superman -- instead of a single character being the role model, you should take your inspiration from the whole story. All characters, all nuances, sequences of events, consequences and interactions.\nAlso gives you a much richer vocabulary for so many concepts still central to the human condition. English and other modern languages don't allow us to explore these in the same way.\nIn-depth, but provides a \"civilizing experience\" according to Nagy. And I suggest: don't read it as an engineer, so to speak. It's not code, or an academic paper. Read for inspiration and conceptual diversification. Broaden your toolbox for understanding the human condition.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Ancient Greek Hero in 24 Hours\" by Gregory Nagy, Harvard prof on greeks.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for deepening understanding of heroism and broadening conceptual tools for understanding human experience.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Greek heroes and the human condition.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is in-depth and advises reading for inspiration rather than as an engineer or academic paper.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gregory Nagy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient greek literature",
        "heroism",
        "homer"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-angel-maker-s-wife-anglamakerskan-31bd4d",
      "title": "The Angel Maker’s Wife (Änglamakerskan)",
      "author": "Camilla Läckberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24292529,
          "author": "2rsf",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-27T11:23:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 24286084,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading at the moment and what do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24292529",
          "commentText": "A Swedish thriller by Camilla Läckberg called Änglamakerskan (The Angel Maker’s Wife), I'm mainly reading it to improve my Swedish though it is fun and catching to read",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A Swedish thriller by Camilla Läckberg called Änglamakerskan (The Angel Maker’s Wife)",
          "reason": "Reading it to improve Swedish; says it is fun and engaging to read.",
          "audience": "Readers learning Swedish.",
          "caveat": "The comment does not explicitly recommend it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Camilla Läckberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "swedish thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-anglican-book-of-common-prayer-b1d90a",
      "title": "The Anglican Book of Common Prayer",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8718717,
          "author": "j-b",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T19:55:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8718717",
          "commentText": "The Anglican Book of Common Prayer.\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Book_of_Common_Prayer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Anglican Book of Common Prayer.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "anglicanism",
        "christian liturgy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-annotated-alice-ffd30f",
      "title": "The Annotated Alice",
      "author": "Martin Gardner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42269021,
          "author": "tmtvl",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:33:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42269021",
          "commentText": "53 days ago there was a thread about the best book we've ever read. As I have re-read the book this year I will link my comment: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41758060\nFor a general recommendation for a book to buy for Christmas I'd say the Annotated Alice by Martin Gardner is quite wonderful, if you'll pardon the pun.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Annotated Alice by Martin Gardner is quite wonderful",
          "reason": "Suggested as a general Christmas book recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin Gardner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alice in wonderland",
        "annotated editions"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-annotated-alice-101bac",
      "title": "The Annotated Alice",
      "author": "Lewis Carroll and Martin Gardner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 143508,
          "author": "andrewl",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T19:59:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143508",
          "commentText": "D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths\nStar Trek, the original series\nI, Robot by Isaac Asimov. The first science fiction story I read, which lead to all the others.\nThe Annotated Alice by Lewis Carroll and Martin Gardner. That's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, by Lewis Carroll, with wonderful annotations by Martin Gardner.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Annotated Alice by Lewis Carroll and Martin Gardner. That's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, by Lewis Carroll, with wonderful annotations by Martin Gardner.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises Gardner's annotations as wonderful.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lewis Carroll and Martin Gardner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alice",
        "literary annotations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-annotated-american-gods-d27cf6",
      "title": "The Annotated American Gods",
      "author": "Neil Gaiman; Leslie S. Klinger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38557233,
          "author": "tsujamin",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:13:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557233",
          "commentText": "A pair of books I’d recommend for 2024, which I didn’t get the chance to reread this year, would be:\n- The Ocean at the End of the Lane (Gaiman), which is beautiful in a way I can’t quite describe\n- Century Rain (Reynolds), which is best described as a hard boiled 1930’s noir hard science fiction novel.\nBooks I read this year which I really enjoyed:’\n- Exploding The Phone (Lapsley): Super engrossing description of the phone phreak scene almost from its start to its end\n- Hyperion and sequels (Simmons): Probably one of my favourite science fiction series now, and I’ve already felt the need to go back and re-read passages from it. Also really enjoy how each part of the series (Hyperion, then Fall of Hyperion, then the Endymion books) re-invent the style and the story.\n- The Annotated American Gods (Gaiman, Klinger): 1000’s of footnotes is a great way to revisit the story :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1000’s of footnotes is a great way to revisit the story",
          "reason": "The extensive footnotes make it a great way for the commenter to revisit the story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neil Gaiman",
        "Leslie S. Klinger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "annotated editions",
        "mythic fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-annotated-turing-a-guided-tour-through-alan-turing-s-historic-a36d69",
      "title": "The Annotated Turing: A Guided Tour Through Alan Turing's Historic Paper on Computability and the Turing Machine",
      "author": "Charles Petzold",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22709914,
          "author": "fellellor",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T08:18:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22709914",
          "commentText": "\"The Annotated Turing\" by Charles Petzold is an in depth look into the seminal paper by Claude Shannon that started this whole \"tech\" thing.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"The Annotated Turing\" by Charles Petzold is an in depth look",
          "reason": "Described as an in-depth look at Turing's foundational paper.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21803515,
          "author": "lghh",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:10:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803515",
          "commentText": "Leisure Stuff:\nBoom Town: The Fantastical Saga Of Oklahoma City, It's Chaotic Founding... by Sam Anderson\nMidnight In Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham\nDune by Frank Herbert\nThe Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu (tried it this year and stopped, want to give it another go)\nStories of Your Life and Others - Ted Chiang (just finished Exhalation and I think it's great)\nAn Ursula K. Le Guin novel, have not picked one out yet\nA book related to basketball (possibly Dream Team, but IDK yet)\nLess Leisure Stuff:\nLocked In: The True Causes of Mass Incarceration and How to Achieve Real Reform by John Pfaff\nEvicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond\nThe End Of Policing by Alex S Vitale\nEither Manufacturing Consent or Understanding Power by Chomsky\nThe Annotated Turing by Charles Petzold\nWork:\nCode Complete 2 by Steve McConnell\nThe Web Application Hacker's Handbook: Finding and Exploiting Security Flaws by Dafydd Stuttard,  Marcus Pinto\nFinish Writing An Interpreter In Go by Thorsten Ball\nIf I can get through all of these, I will be very pleased. Throw in a book or two at recommendation from friends and I think I'm full for the year.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Annotated Turing by Charles Petzold",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21320193,
          "author": "gshubert17",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-22T03:39:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21320193",
          "commentText": "Charles Petzold (who wrote \"Code\") has written a very good book which goes through Turing's paper in small sections:\nThe Annotated Turing: A Guided Tour Through Alan Turing's Historic Paper on Computability and the Turing Machine",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "has written a very good book which goes through Turing's paper in small sections: The Annotated Turing: A Guided Tour Through Alan Turing's Historic Paper on Computability and the Turing Machine",
          "reason": "Recommends the book as a very good guided explanation of Turing's paper.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Petzold"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computability",
        "turing machines",
        "turing machine"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ant-and-the-elephant-9d6d12",
      "title": "The Ant and the Elephant",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2173556,
          "author": "farout",
          "createdAt": "2011-02-03T04:14:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 2172825,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: If you could recommend only three management books...",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2173556",
          "commentText": "The books others have suggested are very good. However here are 3 that will challenge you to produce:\n\"QBQ! The Question Behind the Question\":\nas the review says:aimed at purging the \"blame, complaining, and procrastination\" from the workplace\n\"The Ant and the Elephant\":\nI read about several hundred nonfiction books mainly marketing or programming annually - this book is profound on motivating yourself. The idea that before you start your journey - imagine the milestones then imagine the ways you fail and NOW imagine what will do you when this happens  is stunning. It is rehearsing for the worst so when the worst happens you you feel sad and then immediately move on.\nFinally, I just loved this book \"How to Get Rich\" especially the section about hiring and keeping talent and negotiating the sale of your business.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this book is profound on motivating yourself.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it profound for self-motivation and describes its mental rehearsal idea.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mental rehearsal",
        "motivation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-anthropocene-reviewed-9d2e64",
      "title": "The Anthropocene Reviewed",
      "author": "John Green",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33851151,
          "author": "smlavine",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T06:22:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33851151",
          "commentText": "John Green's The Anthropocene Reviewed. It's funny and makes me thankful to be a part of the world. It is not like his other books, it is a non-fiction work written in short essays. Highly recommend.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "John Green's The Anthropocene Reviewed. It's funny and makes me thankful to be a part of the world.",
          "reason": "Calls it funny and says it made them thankful to be part of the world; explicitly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Nonfiction written in short essays; unlike his other books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Green"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "environment",
        "personal essays"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-anubis-gates-8f8e57",
      "title": "The Anubis Gates",
      "author": "Tim Powers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10220125,
          "author": "harryc2011",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-15T12:06:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 10211331,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10220125",
          "commentText": "The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tim Powers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fantasy",
        "time travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-anunnaki-connection-sumerian-gods-alien-dna-and-the-fate-of-h-c86f00",
      "title": "The Anunnaki Connection: Sumerian Gods, Alien DNA, and the Fate of Humanity",
      "author": "Heather Lynn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26594247,
          "author": "dvfjsdhgfv",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-26T16:50:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26594247",
          "commentText": "I try to read everything I can about the Anunnaki. As you can guess, 95% of it is utterly useless, but at least some bits can point me in an interesting direction, so I'll just mention two titles.\nLast year I read The Anunnaki Connection: Sumerian Gods, Alien DNA, and the Fate of Humanity, and the author has a PhD next to her name, so she caught me off guard. It's not a bad book, she basically tries to make sense of it proposing her own theory (I don't want to spoil you the pleasure of finding out in case there are other Anunnaki (or panspermia in general) fans here). Unfortunately at some point she wrote we're using 10% of our brain which was a big letdown.\nSo I was very positively surprised by Reign of the Anunnaki by Jan Erik Sigdell. The guy uses proper references! It's invaluable in these kinds of books where you need to check almost every sentence because the authors have a tendency to colorize facts or sometimes simply fantasize or repeat gossip.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Last year I read The Anunnaki Connection: Sumerian Gods, Alien DNA, and the Fate of Humanity",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is not a bad book, but criticizes its claim about brain use.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The author claims humans use 10% of their brain, which the commenter calls a big letdown.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Heather Lynn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "anunnaki",
        "pseudoscience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-apocalypse-triptych-8bf6a2",
      "title": "The Apocalypse Triptych",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42510301,
          "author": "dpifke",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T18:32:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42510301",
          "commentText": "After you finish the Silo series, if you're wishing for more, there are some short stories in the same universe in an anthology Hugh Howey edited:\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Apocalypse_Triptych\nI generally prefer long-form fiction, but very much enjoyed most of the stories in the Triptych books, and they led me to other, similar authors whose work I also enjoy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "in an anthology Hugh Howey edited:\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Apocalypse_Triptych",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends stories in the anthology to readers wanting more after the Silo series.",
          "audience": "Readers who finished the Silo series and want more stories in its universe.",
          "caveat": "The commenter generally prefers long-form fiction but enjoyed most of the anthology's stories.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "post apocalyptic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-apollo-murders-df18c6",
      "title": "The Apollo Murders",
      "author": "Chris Hadfield",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45951939,
          "author": "scrapheap",
          "createdAt": "2025-11-17T08:55:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 45947737,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45951939",
          "commentText": "Stand out books for me that I've read this year:\n* The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler (Short, but a great read)\n* The Incandescent by Emily Tesh\n* The Armchair Universe by A.K.Dewdney (First read this one many years ago, but I've been reading it again)\n* Final Orbit by Chris Hadfield (third book in a series, so you'd want to start at the begining with The Apollo Murders)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you'd want to start at the begining with The Apollo Murders",
          "reason": "Suggested as the starting point for the series containing Final Orbit.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris Hadfield"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-apology-of-socrates-52d652",
      "title": "The Apology of Socrates",
      "author": "Plato",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13805453,
          "author": "lostphilosopher",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T19:45:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805453",
          "commentText": "Generally:\nThe Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Thomas Kuhn\nThe Apology of Socrates, Plato\nProfessionally:\nThe Pragmatic Programmer, Andrew Hunt and David Thomas\nThe Best Interface is No Interface, Golden Krishna",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Apology of Socrates, Plato",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Plato"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient greece",
        "socratic philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-applied-theory-of-price-6a014a",
      "title": "The Applied Theory of Price",
      "author": "Deirdre N. McCloskey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12562923,
          "author": "davidivadavid",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T07:30:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12562923",
          "commentText": "One approach is to go to the MIT OpenCourseWare website, look for the economics department, and look at their reading lists.\nOf course, that's going to be mostly academic reading (textbooks, etc.). But if you want to learn the basics, it's probably safer to start there than the pop econ books (and I would dispense with most heterodox reading before you're able to assess them within a larger framework).\nTwo good books that haven't been mentioned here:\nEconomic Theory in Retrospect, by Mark Blaug. Very useful to get a good historical grounding in the main ideas that compose today's orthodox economics.\nThe Applied Theory of Pirce, by McCloskey. Your usual microeconomics textbook, but far more thorough, insisting a lot on grasping the intuition behind the concepts. Available for free from the author's website here: http://www.deirdremccloskey.com/docs/price.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Applied Theory of Pirce, by McCloskey. Your usual microeconomics textbook, but far more thorough, insisting a lot on grasping the intuition behind the concepts.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a thorough microeconomics textbook that emphasizes intuition.",
          "audience": "Readers learning microeconomics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Deirdre N. McCloskey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic theory",
        "microeconomics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-archer-s-tale-series-f6ec35",
      "title": "The Archer's Tale series",
      "author": "Bernard Cornwell",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227139,
          "author": "NEPatriot",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T18:11:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227139",
          "commentText": "The War of Art - Stephen Pressfield - how to overcome yourself\nGates of Fire - same as above, the story of the stand at Thermopylae\nAgincourt & 3 part series Archer's tale - Bernard Cornwell - accounts of medievil warfare\nStrengthsFinder 2.0 - Tom Rath - take a test and discover your strengths/things you love to do, focus on on doing those",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "3 part series Archer's tale - Bernard Cornwell - accounts of medievil warfare",
          "reason": "Listed as a suggestion about medieval warfare.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bernard Cornwell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "medieval warfare"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-architecture-of-happiness-101b3b",
      "title": "The Architecture of Happiness",
      "author": "Alain de Botton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1569117,
          "author": "ddewey",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:15:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569117",
          "commentText": "I just read and enjoyed The Architecture of Happiness by Alain de Botton.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I just read and enjoyed The Architecture of Happiness by Alain de Botton.",
          "reason": "Says they read and enjoyed the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alain de Botton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Design",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aesthetics",
        "architecture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-architecture-of-open-source-applications-volume-1-llvm-1d54c6",
      "title": "The Architecture of Open Source Applications, Volume 1: LLVM",
      "author": "Amy Brown and Greg Wilson, editors",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40106499,
          "author": "sargstuff",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-21T15:28:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 40104823,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books/resources to understand modern Assembler?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40106499",
          "commentText": "'Computer Architeture: A Quantitative Apporach\" and/or more specific design types (mips, arm, etc) can be found under the Morgan Kaufmann Series in Computer Architeture and Design.\n\"Getting Started with LLVM Core Libraries: Get to Grips With Llvm Essentials and Use the Core Libraries to Build Advanced Tools \"\n\"The Architecture of Open Source Applications (Volume 1) : LLVM\" https://aosabook.org/en/v1/llvm.html\n\"Tourist Guide to LLVM source code\" : https://blog.regehr.org/archives/1453\nllvm home page : https://llvm.org/\nllvm tutorial : https://llvm.org/docs/tutorial/\nllvm reference : https://llvm.org/docs/LangRef.html\nlearn by examples :  C source code to 'llvm' bitcode : https://stackoverflow.com/questions/9148890/how-to-make-clan... (https://stackoverflow.com/questions/9148890/how-to-make-clang-compile-to-llvm-ir#9149406)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Architecture of Open Source Applications (Volume 1) : LLVM\"",
          "reason": "Listed as a resource for learning about LLVM and assembly.",
          "audience": "Someone learning assembly, LLVM, and low-level programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Amy Brown",
        "Greg Wilson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "llvm",
        "open source software"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-argumentative-indian-fbcb6e",
      "title": "The Argumentative Indian",
      "author": "Amartya Sen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17381879,
          "author": "sidcool",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T16:09:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17381879",
          "commentText": "The Argumentative Indian by Amartya Sen.  Superbly written treatise.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Argumentative Indian by Amartya Sen. Superbly written treatise.",
          "reason": "Calls it a superbly written treatise.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Amartya Sen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "indian intellectual history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-armchair-economist-d93e33",
      "title": "The Armchair Economist",
      "author": "Steven E. Landsburg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30826939,
          "author": "zwayhowder",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T03:48:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30826939",
          "commentText": "Not my fields but.\nThe Armchair Economist by Steven Landsburg for economics.\nThe Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman for design in any aspect.\nCloser to my field of organisational performance/psychology.\nThe Fearless Organisation by Amy C Edmondson.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Armchair Economist by Steven Landsburg for economics.",
          "reason": "Listed as a book for economics in response to the recommendation question.",
          "audience": "People interested in economics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says economics is not their field.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven E. Landsburg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic reasoning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-armchair-universe-an-exploration-of-computer-worlds-769568",
      "title": "The Armchair Universe: An Exploration of Computer Worlds",
      "author": "A. K. Dewdney",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6332353,
          "author": "arjn",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-05T05:32:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 6329955,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which two books were the most influential on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6332353",
          "commentText": "1) Rockets, Missiles and Men in Space - Willy Ley ( side note: I rescued this book from a friend who was using it for target practice with an airgun!)\n2) Chaos - James Gleick\n(I have to mention this one too) The Armchair Universe : An exploration of Computer Worlds - A. K. Dewdney",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Armchair Universe : An exploration of Computer Worlds - A. K. Dewdney",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "A. K. Dewdney"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cellular automata",
        "computer simulations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-arms-of-krupp-e9aecd",
      "title": "The Arms of Krupp",
      "author": "William Manchester",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36601373,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:00:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601373",
          "commentText": "Here are some histories of specific industries I've read recently and supremely enjoyed:\n- The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger\n- The Machine That Changed the World: The Story of Lean Production-- Toyota's Secret Weapon in the Global Car Wars That Is Now Revolutionizing World Industry\n- Empires of the Sky: Zeppelins, Airplanes, and Two Men's Epic Duel to Rule the World\n- Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America (of all of these not the most amazing but still interesting)\n- The Arms of Krupp: The Rise and Fall of the Industrial Dynasty that Armed Germany at War\nAnd then you can learn a lot by reading about the people who built the industries too. Here are a few I've been reading about recently that I recommend:\n- Edison by Edmund Morris (Just read it backwards, you'll see.)\n- Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow\n- The People's Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century by Steven Watts\n- Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler\nI also got some interesting suggestions asking a similar question on Twitter a bit ago.\nhttps://twitter.com/eatonphil/status/1668625835350454273",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Arms of Krupp: The Rise and Fall of the Industrial Dynasty that Armed Germany at War",
          "reason": "Listed among industry histories the commenter recently read and greatly enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Manchester"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "german industry",
        "krupp family"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-arms-of-krupp-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-industrial-dynasty-tha-11cb24",
      "title": "The Arms of Krupp: The Rise and Fall of the Industrial Dynasty that Armed Germany at War",
      "author": "William Manchester",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36666587,
          "author": "HamptonFounders",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-10T14:01:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36666587",
          "commentText": "Not sure if this is helpful, but a friend fed this conversation through ChatGPT and had it summarize for easier reading:\n-The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy -Bigger by Marc Levinson\n-The Machine That Changed the World: The Story of Lean Production-- Toyota's Secret Weapon in the Global Car Wars That Is Now Revolutionizing World Industry by James P. Womack, Daniel T. Jones, and Daniel Roos\n-Empires of the Sky: Zeppelins, Airplanes, and Two Men's Epic Duel to Rule the World by Erik Larson\n-Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America by Richard -White\n-The Arms of Krupp: The Rise and Fall of the Industrial Dynasty that Armed Germany at War by William Manchester\n-Edison by Edmund Morris\n-Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow\n-The People's Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century by Steven Watts\n-Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler\n-The Victorian Internet by Tom Standage\n-The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood by James Gleick\n-Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age by Michael S. Malone\n-The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester\n-The Innovators by Walter Isaacson\n-Medieval Technology and Social Change by Lynn White Jr.\n-The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation by Jon Gertner\n-Electricity in the 17th and 18th Centuries: A Study of Early Modern Physics by Eric H. Chaney\n-Early Electrical Communication by A. F. Marland\n-Bibliographical History of Electricity and Magnetism by Silvanus P. Thompson\n-Electric Science: Its History, Phenomena, and Applications by J. J. Fahie\n-The History and Present State of Electricity by Andrew Ure\n-https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/\n-De Re Metallica by Georgius Agricola",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Arms of Krupp: The Rise and Fall of the Industrial Dynasty that Armed Germany at War by William Manchester",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books offered in response to the history of technology question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Manchester"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "arms industry",
        "german history",
        "industrial history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-and-business-of-online-writing-957066",
      "title": "The Art and Business of Online Writing",
      "author": "Nicolas Cole",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42274055,
          "author": "codazoda",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T14:21:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42274055",
          "commentText": "Here are a few I enjoyed this year...\nWalts Way, Andrew Lock\nBusy Doing Nothing, Hundred Rabbits\nThe Art and Business of Online Writing, Nocolas Cole\nIf you want to be a writer and publish your own book I've written a short how-to guide. I'm updating it right now, building a site to promote other authors, and I'll release the new version in the coming days. My email address is in my profile if you're interested.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art and Business of Online Writing, Nocolas Cole",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter enjoyed this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nicolas Cole"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "online writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-and-craft-of-drawing-e43aa1",
      "title": "The Art and Craft of Drawing",
      "author": "Vernon Blake",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15762871,
          "author": "argimenes",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T04:58:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762871",
          "commentText": "- \"The Art and Craft of Drawing\", by Vernon Blake (1924)\n- \"Mindstorms\", by Seymour Papert\n- \"Dune\", by Frank Herbert\n-",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "\"The Art and Craft of Drawing\", by Vernon Blake (1924)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2639808,
          "author": "argimenes",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T04:32:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639808",
          "commentText": "Sci-Fi: The Dune series. All of them. There is no excuse to give up after the first one. Frank Herbert was a philosopher who worked in the medium of the sci-fi novel.\nFantasy: \"The Worm Ourobourous\".  If Christoper Marlowe had invented the fantasy novel genre, this is what he would have written. The prose makes modern fantasy look like milquetoast.\nCriticism: \"The Art and Craft of Drawing\" by Vernon Blake. The best attempt to capture the mental processes involved in drawing like the Masters. It was written in the 1920s when artists could still draw like the Masters and knew the tradition.\nProgramming: \"Paradigms of Artificial Intelligence Programming: Case Studies in Common Lisp\". A gymnasium for the programming mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The best attempt to capture the mental processes involved in drawing like the Masters.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best attempt to explain the mental processes involved in drawing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it was written when artists could still draw like the Masters and knew the tradition.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vernon Blake"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "drawing",
        "art instruction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-and-craft-of-problem-solving-4a6e9e",
      "title": "The Art and Craft of Problem Solving",
      "author": "Paul Zeitz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19898050,
          "author": "ForHackernews",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T11:16:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19898050",
          "commentText": "I'd recommend \"The Art and Craft of Problem Solving\" by Paul Zeitz, who coached the U.S. International Mathematical Olympiad team. https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0471789011/artofprob... (https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0471789011/artofproblems-20)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend \"The Art and Craft of Problem Solving\" by Paul Zeitz, who coached the U.S. International Mathematical Olympiad team.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommended as a book on problem solving.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in mathematical problem solving.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Zeitz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical olympiads",
        "problem solving"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-and-science-of-respect-9dbd75",
      "title": "The Art and Science of Respect",
      "author": "J. Prince",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18666320,
          "author": "getsomeboi",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T18:24:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18666320",
          "commentText": "Extreme Ownership - Jocko/Babin\nDichotomy of Leadership - Jocko/Babin\nEvery Little Step: My Story - Bobby Brown\nThe Art and Science of Respect - J. Prince",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art and Science of Respect - J. Prince",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. Prince"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "music"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-action-224a2e",
      "title": "The Art of Action",
      "author": "Stephen Bungay",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35170666,
          "author": "jessep",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T16:21:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35170666",
          "commentText": "\"The Art of Action\" It has changed how I approach everything, not just how I run my business. Is applying approaches used in militaries to organize action around the leader's intent, taking action in the right general direction, and delegating the \"what\" (the intent) but not the \"how\" of the way it is actually achieved.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Art of Action\" It has changed how I approach everything, not just how I run my business.",
          "reason": "Changed the commenter's approach to business and other activities through military approaches to organizing and delegating action.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Bungay"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "delegation",
        "military strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-agent-oriented-modeling-42f1c3",
      "title": "The Art of Agent-Oriented Modeling",
      "author": "Bernhard Henderson-Sellers and Paolo Giorgini",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28661269,
          "author": "m3talsmith",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T14:45:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28661269",
          "commentText": "1. Why’s Poignant Guide to Ruby\n2. Practical Common Lisp\n3. A Programmer’s Introduction to Mathematics\n4. Data Structures and Programming Design in C\n5. The Art of Agent Oriented Modeling",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Agent Oriented Modeling",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s programming book selections.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bernhard Henderson-Sellers",
        "Paolo Giorgini"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "agent oriented modeling",
        "software modeling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-agile-development-41ed4f",
      "title": "The Art of Agile Development",
      "author": "James Shore",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32197972,
          "author": "cenny",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:42:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197972",
          "commentText": "I'm almost finished with The Art of Agile Development(https://www.programmingbooks.dev/#the-art-of-agile-developme... (https://www.programmingbooks.dev/#the-art-of-agile-development)). I started reading 3 weeks ago and it's a chunky books. It's a great book and covers a lot of good agile ideas and practices.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm almost finished with The Art of Agile Development",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great book that covers many useful agile ideas and practices.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is a chunky book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Shore"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "agile software development",
        "software engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-agile-development-1f154c",
      "title": "The Art of Agile Development",
      "author": "James Shore and Shane Warden",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783528,
          "author": "mlent",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:46:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783528",
          "commentText": "\"The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared\"\nby Jonas Jonasson\n(Love it -- hilarious, witty, a pleasure to read)\n\"Kafka on the Shore\" \nby Haruki Murakami\n(Strange good -- but I'm not sure if I liked it as much as liked \"The Wild Sheep Chase\")\n\"One hundred years of solitude\"\nby Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez\n(Very slow, had a hard time honestly)\n\"Gone Girl\"\nby Gillian Flynn\n(A fast, exciting read but found the ending unsatisfying. But would recommend)\n\"Still Life with Woodpecker\"\nby Tom Robbins\n(Fantastic prose, fantastical characters and situations. Will read more from him)\nAnd for technical books, I read \"The Art of Agile Development\". Was alright.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The Art of Agile Development\". Was alright.",
          "reason": "Says it was alright.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Shore and Shane Warden"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "agile software development",
        "software engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-approximation-ed7cad",
      "title": "The Art of Approximation",
      "author": "Philip Morrison and Phylis Morrison",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34441109,
          "author": "thehappypm",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T15:10:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34441109",
          "commentText": "The Art of Approximation gave me far more intuition than any class",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Approximation gave me far more intuition than any class",
          "reason": "The commenter says it gave them more intuition than any class.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip Morrison",
        "Phylis Morrison"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "approximation",
        "estimation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-asking-or-how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-let-peopl-ed0876",
      "title": "The Art of Asking: or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help",
      "author": "Amanda Palmer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10769841,
          "author": "miraj",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-21T06:06:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10769841",
          "commentText": "Some of the books that made me think and look at things differently (from 2015 readings only):\n- In the Light of What We Know\n- The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers\n- Bathing the Lion\n- The Art of Asking; or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help\n- The Tears of Dark Water\n- God Is Dead\n- A Curious Mind: The Secret to a Bigger Life\n- The Water Knife",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The Art of Asking; or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help",
          "reason": "Listed among books that made the commenter think and look at things differently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Amanda Palmer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "asking for help",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-choosing-cd5747",
      "title": "The Art of Choosing",
      "author": "Sheena Iyengar",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4789990,
          "author": "pitchups",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T18:35:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4789990",
          "commentText": "Everything Is Obvious: *Once You Know the Answer by Duncan J. Watts\nWhere Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation by Steven Johnson\nThe Upside of Irrationality by Dan Ariely\nThe Hidden Brain: How Our Unconscious Minds Elect Presidents, Control Markets, Wage Wars by Shankar Vedantam\nThe Googlization of Everything: (And Why We Should Worry) by Siva Vaidhyanathan\nIn The Plex: How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives by Steven Levy\nIdea Man: A Memoir by Paul Allen\nThe Art of Choosing by Sheena Iyengar",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Choosing by Sheena Iyengar",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sheena Iyengar"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "choice",
        "decision making"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-communicating-a58736",
      "title": "The Art of Communicating",
      "author": "Thich Nhat Hanh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40431069,
          "author": "Wonnk13",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T17:08:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40431069",
          "commentText": "Be Here Now: Ram Dass\nAvadhuta Gita\nThe Art of Communicating: Thich Nhat Hanh\nOpen to other recs for non dual meditation / spirituality without a lot of religious dogma.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Communicating: Thich Nhat Hanh",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in non-dual meditation or spirituality.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thich Nhat Hanh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "communication",
        "mindfulness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-computer-game-design-9a6b7c",
      "title": "The Art of Computer Game Design",
      "author": "Chris Crawford",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14139193,
          "author": "cableshaft",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T14:43:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14139193",
          "commentText": "The Art of Computer Game Design by Chris Crawford was the first book on the theory computer and video games. It's got quite a few ideas in there that are still relevant today.\nBut I don't think it's comprehensive or constantly referenced by those in the industry (it's almost forgotten about by modern designers, I bet). I think a closer fit to a 'bible of the field' would be The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses by Jesse Schell. Lots of good information about what to think about, and you can even buy a deck of tarot-sized cards that has a compiled list of all the questions the book invites you to raise when thinking about your game on them.\nI'm still waiting for something similar that focuses more on board game design specifically, but a lot of the Book of Lenses can be applied to board games as well.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Art of Computer Game Design by Chris Crawford was the first book on the theory computer and video games.",
          "reason": "Described as an early theoretical work, but the commenter says it is not comprehensive or widely referenced today.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter thinks it may be almost forgotten by modern designers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris Crawford"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "game design",
        "video game theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-computer-programming-volume-2-seminumerical-algorithms-498378",
      "title": "The Art of Computer Programming, Volume 2: Seminumerical Algorithms",
      "author": "Donald E. Knuth",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29308619,
          "author": "JackFr",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T17:00:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29308619",
          "commentText": "Just read his introduction to generating pseudo-random numbers or his sketch of a proof of Benfords law in Seminumerical Algorithms. Excellent stuff.\nFor moderately impractical, look at tape sorting in Sorting and Searching.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just read his introduction to generating pseudo-random numbers or his sketch of a proof of Benfords law in Seminumerical Algorithms. Excellent stuff.",
          "reason": "Recommends reading sections on pseudo-random numbers and Benford's law.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donald E. Knuth"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "numerical methods",
        "pseudo random numbers"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-computer-programming-volume-3-sorting-and-searching-64704d",
      "title": "The Art of Computer Programming, Volume 3: Sorting and Searching",
      "author": "Donald E. Knuth",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29308619,
          "author": "JackFr",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T17:00:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29308619",
          "commentText": "Just read his introduction to generating pseudo-random numbers or his sketch of a proof of Benfords law in Seminumerical Algorithms. Excellent stuff.\nFor moderately impractical, look at tape sorting in Sorting and Searching.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For moderately impractical, look at tape sorting in Sorting and Searching.",
          "reason": "Points to the book's tape sorting material as moderately impractical reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as moderately impractical.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7758671,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-17T00:06:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7758671",
          "commentText": "The books on and around my nightstand:\n+ Joy of Clojure. A recent gift[card]. I put off learning Clojure because of it's more complex syntax. I'm both glad I did, and that I have this book now that that's the no longer the case.\n+ ANSI Common Lisp. Lisp was out of reach at the time when my younger self might have pursued computer programming, and realizing around two years ago how accessible it had become got me to download Lisp in a Box and then buy the used copy. Currently visiting, this book orbits in and out of the rotation with a cometary periodicity.\n+ Art of Computer Programming: Volume 3, Sorting and Searching Twenty-five years ago or so I bought volume I and about 15 years I donated it to the community radio station's books sale [WMNF 88.5]. I spent about $25 dollars including shipping for used copies of the first three volumes from Amazon last year. Right now each is on a different floor. The proximate reason Sorting and Searching is by the bed: I'm taking Algorithms I on Coursera and it is the first one that really dives into algorithms. A deeper reason is that Knuth always reminds me how much more there is to know - I'm getting better at the maths, but haven't learned MIX. Maybe one of these nights.\n+ Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs I bought a \"used\" copy from MIT via Amazon last year. It's staggering how much is really in it that I glossed over 'reading' the free online version. It's much better than I thought, and I find myself constantly referring to it or just reading a section. It's also a reference for the other Coursera course I am taking: Funtional Programming in Scala with Martin Ordersky.\nThe non-programming books are from the public library:\n+ How Literature Works: 50 Key Concepts. The sections are four to six pages and lightweight. Makes for something brief to read. It's the sort of book that I feel no obligation to finish.\n+ Poetry of the First World War: An Anthology This book is actually why I mention the non-programming books. I don't read poetry, but I'd always seen people make a big deal about it, and there this was on the new book shelf. I see why the English make a big deal about Siegried Sassoon. I see why they make an even bigger deal about Wilfred Owen. It's potent and powerful and the bench of poets runs much deeper. It makes that war the last ancient one.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Art of Computer Programming: Volume 3, Sorting and Searching",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donald E. Knuth"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "sorting algorithms",
        "sorting and searching",
        "tape sorting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-computer-systems-performance-analysis-techniques-for-e-c42a99",
      "title": "The Art of Computer Systems Performance Analysis: Techniques for Experimental Design, Measurement, Simulation, and Modeling",
      "author": "Raj Jain",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32799808,
          "author": "edumucelli",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-11T14:17:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32799808",
          "commentText": "\"The Art of Computer System Performance Analysis: Techniques for Experimental Design, Measurement, Simulation and Modeling\"\nI have seen so many errors on computer science benchmarks and experimentation that I think this book is a must read when it comes to \"how to compare things\" in computer science. It goes from the basics to advanced scenarios. I have really great memories of studying quantitative methods during my Master's Degree and reading this book. It is really an underrated book. The confidence it gives when you base your experimentation/benchmark on the theories this book gives is amazing, whatever your audience is you can step in and present the results feeling that what you present is really what it is.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Art of Computer System Performance Analysis: Techniques for Experimental Design, Measurement, Simulation and Modeling\"",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a must-read for comparing computer science benchmarks and experiments.",
          "audience": "Readers evaluating computer science benchmarks and experiments.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Raj Jain"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "benchmarking",
        "experimental design",
        "performance analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-creative-writing-e05f7e",
      "title": "The Art of Creative Writing",
      "author": "Lajos Egri",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15762745,
          "author": "wj",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T04:30:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762745",
          "commentText": "The Art of Creative Writing by Lajos Egri ended up playing a huge role a decade after I read it in how I approached sales and marketing.\nFrom a more theoretical perspective Cosmos by Sagan had a huge impact on how I view life's big questions.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Creative Writing by Lajos Egri ended up playing a huge role a decade after I read it in how I approached sales and marketing.",
          "reason": "Says it later shaped their approach to sales and marketing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lajos Egri"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creative writing",
        "sales and marketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-deception-controlling-the-human-element-of-security-4f3e9f",
      "title": "The Art of Deception: Controlling the Human Element of Security",
      "author": "Kevin Mitnick and William L. Simon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22708572,
          "author": "mitchelldeacon9",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T01:58:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22708572",
          "commentText": "The following is a list of my favorite books on software engineering, cyber-security, and the history of IT business development.\nBowden, Mark (2011) Worm: The First Digital World War\nBrooks, Frederick (1995) Mythical Man-Month, 2nd ed.\nChristensen, Clayton (1997) Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail\nHafner, Katie and Matthew Lyon (1996) Where Wizards Stay Up Late: Origins of the Internet\nHunt, Andrew and David Thomas (1999) Pragmatic Programmer\nMacCormick, John (2012) Nine Algorithms that Changed the Future\nMcConnell, Steve (2004) Code Complete, 2nd ed.\nMitnick, Kevin and William Simon (2002) Art of Deception\nPoulsen, Kevin (2011) Kingpin: How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cyber-Crime Underworld\nRaymond, Eric (2003) Art of Unix Programming\nStone, Brad (2013) The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon\nTorvalds, Linus and David Diamond (2001) Just for Fun: Story of an Accidental Revolutionary\nWallace, James and Jim Erickson (1992) Hard Drive: Bill Gates and Making of the Microsoft Empire\nWilliams, Sam (2002) Free as in Freedom: Richard Stallman's Crusade for Free Software\nWilson, Mike (1996) The Difference between God and Larry Ellison: Inside Oracle Corp",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mitnick, Kevin and William Simon (2002) Art of Deception",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kevin Mitnick",
        "William L. Simon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybersecurity",
        "social engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-deception-controlling-the-human-element-of-security-bcb04a",
      "title": "The Art of Deception: Controlling the Human Element of Security",
      "author": "Kevin Mitnick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 85888,
          "author": "pierrefar",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T10:16:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85888",
          "commentText": "Philip Pullman's trilogy His Dark Material which kicks off with the Golden Compass is a great read. \nSherlock Holmes stories are fun.\nThe Art of Deception by Kevin Mitnick is also a good read.\nPierre",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Deception by Kevin Mitnick is also a good read.",
          "reason": "Calls it a good read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kevin Mitnick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer security",
        "social engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-doing-science-and-engineering-d7f177",
      "title": "The Art of Doing Science and Engineering",
      "author": "Richard Hamming",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34162547,
          "author": "sukunrt",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T16:25:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34162547",
          "commentText": "1. The art of doing science and engineering by Richard Hamming. This might be the best engineering book I've ever read. Hamming's breadth and depth are fascinating. His back of the envelope calculations are crazy accurate and early accounts of computing hilarious(real programmers write machine code). There is a great account of his discovery of error correcting codes and a great account of his failure to discover FFT. All in all it's a wonderful book on how to think about things in science and engineering.\n2. The open society and its enemies by Karl Popper. This is a great book on open society and liberal democracy. Broadly the book is a critic of historicist theories of Plato and Marx. There is also good philosophy on essentialism and the futility of getting closer to the truth by defining things more precisely.\n3. Printing Press as an agent of change by Elizabeth Eisenstein. This account of the impact of the printing press on Europe is very long but worth it. The parts on the scientific revolution are particularly good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This might be the best engineering book I've ever read.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its breadth, depth, and lessons on thinking about science and engineering.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in thinking about science and engineering.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25546922,
          "author": "iamcreasy",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-26T22:26:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25546922",
          "commentText": "Is The Art of Doing Science and Engineering similar to Richard Hamming's talk You and your research[1]?\n[1] https://www.cs.virginia.edu/~robins/YouAndYourResearch.html",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Is The Art of Doing Science and Engineering similar to Richard Hamming's talk You and your research[1]?",
          "reason": "Asks whether the book is similar to Hamming’s talk.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Hamming"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creative thinking",
        "engineering",
        "research practice"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-electronics-686d1a",
      "title": "The Art of Electronics",
      "author": "Paul Horowitz; Winfield Hill",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467655,
          "author": "cecja",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:47:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467655",
          "commentText": "The Art of Electronics\nThe Hitchhiker\nThe Idiot\nThe Wealth of Nations\nand sadly Concrete Mathematics... not because it is a bad book but because I suck at math.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Electronics",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Horowitz",
        "Winfield Hill"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "electronics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-electronics-student-manual-d90b5e",
      "title": "The Art of Electronics Student Manual",
      "author": "Thomas C. Hayes and Paul Horowitz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910437,
          "author": "DanBC",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:46:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910437",
          "commentText": "Bomber Command by Max Hastings. This book explained the change in Allies attitudes around bombing during WWII from \"only barbarians bomb civillians\" to the mass fire bombing of heavily populated cities. It was also eye-opening to read about the massive death rate in bomber command. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bomber-Command-Pan-Military-Classic... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bomber-Command-Pan-Military-Classics/dp/0330513613/)\nThe Art of Electronics, and especially the student manual that accompanies it. I read these a long time ago, and at the time it was a pretty good introductionto electronics, especially if you bought some cheap second hand test equipment and had a few breadboards and components to do the lab work. I'm not sure if it's aged well. There are a bunch of people on HN who still do electronic work who could recommend better newer books.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "especially the student manual that accompanies it",
          "reason": "Mentioned as an accompanying manual for lab work with The Art of Electronics.",
          "audience": "Readers learning electronics through lab work.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether the book has aged well.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10029788,
          "author": "DanBC",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-09T07:34:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10029788",
          "commentText": "The Art of Electronics and the accompanying student manual.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the accompanying student manual",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas C. Hayes and Paul Horowitz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "electronics",
        "circuit design",
        "hands on labs"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-fielding-4de253",
      "title": "The Art of Fielding",
      "author": "Chad Harbach",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4788827,
          "author": "GoTeamMN",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T15:04:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4788827",
          "commentText": "I just read The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach. It's a beautifully written book. It's fiction.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a beautifully written book.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the writing as beautiful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chad Harbach"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "baseball",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-frugal-hedonism-32bc89",
      "title": "The Art of Frugal Hedonism",
      "author": "Annie Raser-Rowland and Adam Grubb",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46398558,
          "author": "ImaCake",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T02:38:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46398558",
          "commentText": "I read/listened/sampled a lot this year but a few have reached out into my life and changed me at least a little bit.\n- In Defense of Food - Michael Pollan. A brilliant \"not diet\" book about not eating crap and enjoying chocolate cake with your friends. I followed this up with Ultra Processed People to arm myself with the facts to defend not eating the junk people call food.\n- The Dispossesed - Ursula Le Guin: recommended in previous year's HN what did you reads. An absolutely triumph for how it manages to portray a believable anarchist society.\n- Adult Children of Alcoholics: useful to the multitude of us who grew up with an alcoholic parent(s). I used this to identify the common patterns I share with others who grew up like me. You are not alone!\n- The Invention of Clouds (not finished): I really like the context of \"dissenting science\" which the author conveys brilliantly. Turns out Dark Academia and Bro Science are not new.\n- The Art of Frugal Hedonism: Irreverant although it comes off a little pious. This book has helped me accept that I have enough stuff already.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Irreverant although it comes off a little pious. This book has helped me accept that I have enough stuff already.",
          "reason": "Says it helped them feel they already have enough, while finding it somewhat pious.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Comes off a little pious.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Annie Raser-Rowland",
        "Adam Grubb"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "frugal living",
        "simple living"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-innovation-d86edb",
      "title": "The Art of Innovation",
      "author": "Tom Kelley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 240672,
          "author": "rdoherty",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T02:21:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240672",
          "commentText": "* The Pragmatic Programmer\n* Becoming a Technical Leader\n* In Search of Stupidity\n* Hackers & Painters\n* Blockbusters\n* Joel on Software: And on Diverse and Occasionally Related Matters That Will Prove of Interest to Software Developers, Designers, and Managers, and to Those Who, Whether by Good Fortune or Ill Luck, Work with Them in Some Capacity\n* The Best Software Writing I\n* Behind Closed Doors\n* Managing Humans\n* The Mythical Man-Month\n* Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams\n* The Non-Designers Design Book\n* Founders at Work\n* Good to Great\n* Dreaming in Code\n* The Art of the Start\n* Maverick\n* The Design of Everyday Things\n* The Art of Project Management\n* The Art of Innovation",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* The Art of Innovation",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Kelley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "innovation"
      ],
      "purposes": []
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-insight-in-science-and-engineering-mastering-complexit-63fe70",
      "title": "The Art of Insight in Science and Engineering: Mastering Complexity",
      "author": "Sanjoy Mahajan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32795509,
          "author": "532nm",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T23:48:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32795509",
          "commentText": "\"The Art of Insight in Science and Engineering: Mastering Complexity\" by Sanjoy Mahajan.\nIt beautifully treats estimation and problem solving techniques, illustrated by examples from science and engineering. Instead of aiming for a complete, thorough and accurate treatment of problems, its goal is to teach shortcuts to sacrifice some accuracy for much reduced effort. This is a refreshing change to academia where rigor is often pursued at all cost. But in the real world rigor rarely matter, and simplifications are almost always worthwhile, especially initially since we can always refine models if required.\nI first read it as an undergraduate and use the estimation and problem solving techniques from it almost daily. Though well hidden, the pdf is available for free on the website of the publisher.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Art of Insight in Science and Engineering: Mastering Complexity\" by Sanjoy Mahajan.",
          "reason": "Praised for teaching estimation and problem-solving shortcuts through examples, which the commenter says they use almost daily.",
          "audience": "Science and engineering learners seeking practical estimation and problem-solving techniques.",
          "caveat": "The techniques trade some accuracy for less effort; models can be refined later if needed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sanjoy Mahajan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "estimation",
        "problem solving",
        "science and engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-intrusion-e9e899",
      "title": "The Art of Intrusion",
      "author": "Kevin Mitnick and William L. Simon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4530801,
          "author": "dysoco",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-16T23:51:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 4530022,
          "threadTitle": "What to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4530801",
          "commentText": "You can try some Kevin Mitnick's books.\n\"Ghost in the wires\" is his biography with a lot of fun stories, recommended.\n\"The art of intrusion\" is about more technical hacking, lot of war stories from all over the world.\n\"The art of deception\" is about Social Engineering, I have not read it yet... but looks amazing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The art of intrusion\" is about more technical hacking, lot of war stories from all over the world.",
          "reason": "Describes its focus on technical hacking and accounts of real incidents in a list of suggested books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231166,
          "author": "cleverjake",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T17:05:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231166",
          "commentText": "The Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Art-Intrusion-Exploits-Intruders-Decei... (http://www.amazon.com/Art-Intrusion-Exploits-Intruders-Deceivers/dp/0764569597)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kevin Mitnick",
        "William L. Simon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hacking",
        "computer security",
        "cybersecurity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-leadership-2d1774",
      "title": "The Art of Leadership",
      "author": "Michael Lopp",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33856038,
          "author": "mystickphoenix",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T18:08:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33856038",
          "commentText": "A few things come to mind along with what's already been mentioned:\nAssorted Non-Book Readings:\n- https://randsinrepose.com/dont-skip-this/\n- http://www.stilldrinking.org/programming-sucks\n- https://sysadvent.blogspot.com/2019/12/day-21-being-kind-to-... (https://sysadvent.blogspot.com/2019/12/day-21-being-kind-to-3am-you.html)\n- https://donellameadows.org/archives/leverage-points-places-t... (https://donellameadows.org/archives/leverage-points-places-to-intervene-in-a-system/)\n- https://grugbrain.dev/\n- https://changelog.com/posts/rich-hickeys-greatest-hits\n- https://github.com/papers-we-love/papers-we-love/blob/master... (https://github.com/papers-we-love/papers-we-love/blob/master/design/out-of-the-tar-pit.pdf)\n- http://www.cs.unc.edu/techreports/86-020.pdf\nBooks:\n- The Phoenix Project: Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, George Spafford\n- Deep Work: Cal Newport\n- The Art of Leadership: Michael Lopp (Rands)\n- Extreme Ownership: Jocko Willink and Leif Babin (once you get through the \nho-rah stuff it's a fantastic read)\n- Time Management for System Administrators: O'Reilly (fantastic for interrupt driven work)\n- Elements of Clojure: Zachary Tellman (not just for Clojure devs)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Leadership: Michael Lopp (Rands)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Lopp"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "engineering management",
        "leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-learning-a-journey-in-the-pursuit-of-excellence-9ffec5",
      "title": "The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence",
      "author": "Josh Waitzkin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 85872,
          "author": "sri",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T08:51:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85872",
          "commentText": "The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence\nby Josh Waitzkin (the movie Searching for Bobby Fisher was about him): talks about the higher stages of mastery.\nAmazon: http://www.amazon.com/Art-Learning-Journey-Pursuit-Excellenc... (http://www.amazon.com/Art-Learning-Journey-Pursuit-Excellence/dp/0743277457)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "talks about the higher stages of mastery.",
          "reason": "Presents it as a book about mastery.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Josh Waitzkin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mastery",
        "performance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-learning-an-inner-journey-to-optimal-performance-8435ec",
      "title": "The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance",
      "author": "Josh Waitzkin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23154002,
          "author": "kryogen1c",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T13:54:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23154002",
          "commentText": "perhaps blasé, but the Tao. it is as simple as it is unknowable, from the highest levels of philosophy down to action-items in your everyday life. the Tao that can be described is not the true Tao, so you must search yourself :)\nto simply be smarter (but maybe not wiser), the art of learning by josh waitzkin. if you are interested in optimizing anything, why not learn how to optimize optimization?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the art of learning by josh waitzkin",
          "reason": "Suggested for becoming smarter.",
          "audience": "Readers who want to learn more effectively.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Josh Waitzkin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "learning strategies",
        "performance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-living-e2781a",
      "title": "The Art of Living",
      "author": "Epictetus; adapted by Sharon Lebell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16296278,
          "author": "ahdroit",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T05:03:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296278",
          "commentText": "the art of living - Epictetus, Sharon Lebell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the art of living - Epictetus, Sharon Lebell",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Epictetus; adapted by Sharon Lebell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "stoicism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-maneuver-maneuver-warfare-theory-and-airland-battle-77e41a",
      "title": "The Art of Maneuver: Maneuver-Warfare Theory and AirLand Battle",
      "author": "Robert Leonhard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 456347,
          "author": "pskomoroch",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T14:15:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456347",
          "commentText": "I used to have a lot more time for non CS reading and actually made an Amazon list on this topic back in 2005:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/2INJSM38... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/2INJSM38IDMDZ/ref=cm_sw_r_de_lm)\n1.  On War (Everyman's Library (Cloth)) by Carl Von Clausewitz\n2.  Leadership: The Warrior's Art by Barry R. McCaffrey\n3.  Small Unit Leadership: A Commonsense Approach by Dandridge M. Malone\n4.  The Defense of Hill 781: An Allegory of Modern Mechanized Combat by James R. McDonough\n5.  The Art of Maneuver: Maneuver-Warfare Theory and AirLand Battle by Robert Leonhard\n6.  Strategy: Second Revised Edition (Meridian) by B. H. Liddell Hart\n7.  The Art of War by Niccolò Machiavelli\n8.  Hagakure: The Book of the Samauri by Tsunetomo Yamamoto\n9.  The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius\n10.  The Art of War (Shambhala classics) by Sun Tzu\n11.  The Prince (Bantam Classics) by Niccolo Machiavelli\n12.  Evolutionary Game Theory by Jörgen W. Weibull\n13.  On Guerrilla Warfare by Mao Tse-tung\n14.  The History of the Peloponnesian War: Revised Edition (Penguin Classics) by Thucydides\n15.  The Histories (Penguin Classics) by Herodotus\n16.  The Persian Expedition (Penguin Classics) by Xenophon\n17.  Plutarch: Lives of Noble Grecians and Romans (Modern Library Series, Vol. 1) by Plutarch\n18.  Plutarch's Lives, Volume 2 (Modern Library Classics) by Plutarch\n19.  Livy: The Early History of Rome, Books I-V (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 1-5) by Titus Livy\n20.  The History of Rome from Its Foundation, Books XXI-XXX: The War with Hannibal (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 21-30) by Titus Livius Livy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "5.  The Art of Maneuver: Maneuver-Warfare Theory and AirLand Battle by Robert Leonhard",
          "reason": "Included in a list of military strategy books answering the thread's request.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking books about military strategy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Leonhard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "maneuver warfare",
        "military strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-memory-051a18",
      "title": "The Art of Memory",
      "author": "Frances A. Yates",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43612522,
          "author": "treetalker",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T15:20:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43612522",
          "commentText": "Peter Bevelin's Seeking Wisdom.\nThe other day someone on here recommended The Philosopher's Toolkit, and I ordered a copy based on that recommendation. I've only started to dip into various parts, but I can already confirm that it is a good introductory compendium of the basics of philosophy, logic, and argumentation. In the same vein is Daniel Dennett's Intuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking.\nA personal favorite is Frances  Yates's The Art of Memory (think: intersection of rhetoric, mnemonic systems, philosophical systems, and the occult during the Renaissance).\nMatthew Butterick's Practical Typography and Typography for Lawyers. Bryan Garner's The Winning Brief.\nUmberto Eco's How to Write a Thesis. Adler's How to Read a Book. Pierre Bayard's How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read.\nI could go on. Book posts are my favorite posts on HN, but they always lighten my wallet and at home I'm surrounded with ever-growing piles of great material.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A personal favorite is Frances  Yates's The Art of Memory",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a personal favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frances A. Yates"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of ideas",
        "mnemonics",
        "renaissance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-money-getting-cd3468",
      "title": "The Art of Money Getting",
      "author": "P. T. Barnum",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 687215,
          "author": "icey",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-04T15:29:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 687066,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on getting rich?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=687215",
          "commentText": "It's over a century old, but the \"Art of Money Getting\" by P.T. Barnum is still pretty good:\nhttp://www.fourmilab.ch/etexts/www/barnum/moneygetting/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the \"Art of Money Getting\" by P.T. Barnum is still pretty good",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it still pretty good in response to a request for favorite books on getting rich.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it is over a century old.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "P. T. Barnum"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal finance",
        "wealth building"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-monitoring-f1e47c",
      "title": "The Art of Monitoring",
      "author": "James Turnbull",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13661738,
          "author": "sobinator",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-16T17:24:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13661738",
          "commentText": "'The Art of Monitoring' by James Turnbull (https://www.artofmonitoring.com/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Art of Monitoring' by James Turnbull",
          "reason": "Provides the title as an answer to the request for project-based learning books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Turnbull"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "infrastructure",
        "system monitoring"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-not-being-governed-3e4009",
      "title": "The Art of Not Being Governed",
      "author": "James C. Scott",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29816049,
          "author": "contingencies",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-05T22:32:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29816049",
          "commentText": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_and_Civilisation_in_Ch... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_and_Civilisation_in_China)\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TCP/IP_Illustrated#Volume_1:_T... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TCP/IP_Illustrated#Volume_1:_The_Protocols)\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debt:_The_First_5000_Years\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_Not_Being_Governed",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_Not_Being_Governed",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James C. Scott"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "anarchism",
        "state formation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-postgresql-862930",
      "title": "The Art of PostgreSQL",
      "author": "Dimitri Fontaine",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35929634,
          "author": "VWWHFSfQ",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T15:58:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35929634",
          "commentText": "I don't know about _eye opening_, but The Art of PostgreSQL really changed the way I work for the better.  Like a lot of people, I used to be one that would pull all my data into Python for processing, Pandas-style.  Once I learned how to do it all directly in PG everything became trivial.\n[0] https://theartofpostgresql.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of PostgreSQL really changed the way I work for the better.",
          "reason": "Says it changed their workflow by showing how to process data directly in PostgreSQL.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dimitri Fontaine"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data processing",
        "postgresql",
        "sql"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-problem-solving-309347",
      "title": "The Art of Problem Solving",
      "author": "Richard Rusczyk; Sandor Lehoczky",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34443722,
          "author": "wallscratch",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T18:30:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34443722",
          "commentText": "Going to echo the suggestions for the Art of Problem Solving books, particularly I recommend the contest books (vol 1 or 2). Several very talented people have said to me that these books taught them how to think. Maybe a bit exaggerated, but they’re very good.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the Art of Problem Solving books",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the contest books, saying they are very good and can teach mathematical thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The claim that the books teach people how to think may be exaggerated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Rusczyk",
        "Sandor Lehoczky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "math contests",
        "problem solving"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-problem-solving-fa6a1c",
      "title": "The Art of Problem Solving",
      "author": "Richard Rusczyk and others",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12162419,
          "author": "sn9",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-25T23:54:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 12160209,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 12 year old tech savvy girl – books, programs, events, advice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12162419",
          "commentText": "She can learn just about anything nowadays from sites like Coursera, edx, and Udacity.\nBooks like Realm of Racket can be fun introductions to programming that happen to teach some advanced stuff.\nBooks that the parent's might like are Carol Dweck's Mindset, Barbara Oakley's A Mind for Numbers, and Angela Duckworth's Grit. If she shows an interest in mathematics, the Art of Problem Solving books and forums are great.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the Art of Problem Solving books and forums are great",
          "reason": "Recommended if she shows an interest in mathematics.",
          "audience": "Someone interested in mathematics.",
          "caveat": "Conditional on her showing interest in mathematics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Rusczyk"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "math education",
        "problem solving"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-profitability-ed36b3",
      "title": "The Art of Profitability",
      "author": "Adrian J. Slywotzky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15159229,
          "author": "johnsimer",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T01:39:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15159229",
          "commentText": "Innovator's dilemma & Innovator's solution- why big companies almost always get beaten by startups and how to overcome this\n10x Rule by Grant Cardone - you must take 10x more action than you think to get success\nAwaken the Giant Within - you can motivate yourself to do anything via the \"Pain Pleasure Principle\"\nBold: How to go big, make wealth, and change the world - some strategies from Musk, Bezos, Diamandis/Singularity U\nThe Art of Profitability - Coca-cola from a 2-Liter costs $.02/oz , Coca-cola from a restaurant costs $.20/oz\nmy full list here: https://goo.gl/9SD8b6",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Profitability",
          "reason": "Uses Coca-Cola pricing examples to illustrate profitability.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adrian J. Slywotzky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business strategy",
        "profit models"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-prolog-0fa803",
      "title": "The Art of Prolog",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2414435,
          "author": "T-R",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T09:16:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414435",
          "commentText": "I've heard \"The Art of Prolog\" is good, too... a quick glance at Amazon shows it to be ridiculously expensive, though.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've heard \"The Art of Prolog\" is good, too... a quick glance at Amazon shows it to be ridiculously expensive, though.",
          "reason": "Reports hearing that the book is good, while noting its high price.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it and says it is ridiculously expensive.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "logic programming",
        "prolog"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-racing-in-the-rain-40a219",
      "title": "The Art of Racing in the Rain",
      "author": "Garth Stein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18669989,
          "author": "derangedHorse",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-13T05:12:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18669989",
          "commentText": "The Art of Racing in the Rain was one of my favorite books to read!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Racing in the Rain was one of my favorite books to read!",
          "reason": "Calls it one of their favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Garth Stein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-rails-0ab69f",
      "title": "The Art of Rails",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 781128,
          "author": "acangiano",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-23T22:24:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 781079,
          "threadTitle": "Can you recommend some good RoR books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=781128",
          "commentText": "For Ruby books, checkout my page here:\n* Recommended Ruby Books (http://antoniocangiano.com/ruby-and-rails-recommended-books/)\nI have not updated the Rails page yet, but you should be fine with:\n* Agile Web Development with Rails, Third Edition (http://www.pragprog.com/titles/rails3/agile-web-development-... (http://www.pragprog.com/titles/rails3/agile-web-development-with-rails-third-edition))\nOther books you may want to consider afterward are:\n* The Art of Rails (http://www.amazon.com/Art-Rails-Programmer/dp/0470189487)\n* Enterprise Rails (http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596515201/).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Other books you may want to consider afterward are:\n* The Art of Rails",
          "reason": "Included among books to consider after the first suggestion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ruby on rails"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-rails-0127ca",
      "title": "The Art of Rails",
      "author": "Benson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 781147,
          "author": "gtani",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-23T22:43:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 781079,
          "threadTitle": "Can you recommend some good RoR books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=781147",
          "commentText": "all good rec's.  Some others, all well-reviewed on amazon and assuming you have a team of java /C, C++, C# / PHP, python or some kind of web app coders\n- Well-Grounded Rubyist by David A. Black (infinite number stars!)\n- the 2 Wrox books, Professional Rails (Rappin), Art of (Benson)\n- Advanced rails (Oreilly, Ediger);\nThe one i'd stear clear of, i don't remember who wrote it, but it has a picture of an ocean wave on the cover.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Art of (Benson)",
          "reason": "Included in a list of other book recommendations for Rails.",
          "audience": "Teams with experience in Java, C, C++, C#, PHP, Python, or web app development.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Benson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ruby on rails"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-readable-code-995836",
      "title": "The Art of Readable Code",
      "author": "Dustin Boswell; Trevor Foucher",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6976558,
          "author": "ramgp",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T21:01:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976558",
          "commentText": "Software development related reads with a strong focus on proven practices that enhance software quality in terms of readability and maintainability (and other software ~ilities) to ease the process of changing the software later on.\nThe Art of Readable Code by  Dustin Boswell & Trevor Foucher\nDon't Make Me Think 2ed by Steve Krug\nRemote: Office not Required by Jason Fried & DHH\nThe Art of Unit Testing by Roy Osherove\nCode Complete 2 by Steve McConnell\nRefactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code by Martin Fowler\nThe Practice of Programming by Brian Kernighan & Rob Pike\nJavaScript: The Good Parts by Douglas Crockford\nCode Simplicity by Max Kanat-Alexander\nAn Introduction to Programming in Go by Caleb Doxsey at http://www.golang-book.com/\nAlso read: How To Be Black by Baratunde Thurston",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Readable Code by  Dustin Boswell & Trevor Foucher",
          "reason": "Listed as a software development read focused on practices that improve readability and maintainability.",
          "audience": "Software developers seeking to improve code readability and maintainability.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dustin Boswell; Trevor Foucher"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "code readability",
        "software quality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-responsive-drawing-3706d8",
      "title": "The Art of Responsive Drawing",
      "author": "Nathan Goldstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30824874,
          "author": "adyer07",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-27T22:40:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30824874",
          "commentText": "\"The Art of Responsive Drawing\" by Nathan Goldstein.\nIt's an in depth analysis of the elements of drawing and, more importantly, what those elements actually do. It really celebrates the expressive and creative aspects of drawing, in a way that's both beautiful to look at, and accessible to read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Art of Responsive Drawing\" by Nathan Goldstein.",
          "reason": "Recommended for its analysis of drawing elements and their expressive and creative effects.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nathan Goldstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "drawing",
        "visual art"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-scalability-35c99f",
      "title": "The Art of Scalability",
      "author": "Martin L. Abbott and Michael T. Fisher",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21720127,
          "author": "nicksman",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-06T08:40:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21720127",
          "commentText": "Thank you that is great and very worth reading.\nSomething I've enjoyed as well which is a bit shorter and maybe quicker to digest is the chapter discussing leadership in the Art of Scalability https://www.amazon.co.uk/Art-Scalability-Architecture-Organi... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Art-Scalability-Architecture-Organizations-Enterprise). The authors have a military background no doubt influenced by DOD doctrine.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Something I've enjoyed as well which is a bit shorter and maybe quicker to digest is the chapter discussing leadership in the Art of Scalability",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed its leadership chapter and suggests it as a shorter, quicker read.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in leadership and organizational scalability.",
          "caveat": "The praise is specifically for the chapter discussing leadership.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin L. Abbott and Michael T. Fisher"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "scaling organizations",
        "technology management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-seduction-87ea55",
      "title": "The Art of Seduction",
      "author": "Robert Greene",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32936875,
          "author": "brandall10",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T10:10:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936875",
          "commentText": "Robert Greene’s books, in particular 48 Laws of Power and Art of Seduction.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Art of Seduction.",
          "reason": "Names it among Robert Greene's books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Greene"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "persuasion",
        "seduction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-software-security-assessment-e2b26b",
      "title": "The Art of Software Security Assessment",
      "author": "Mark Dowd, John McDonald, and Justin Schuh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9350151,
          "author": "selleck",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T19:07:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350151",
          "commentText": "A.M. Train Ride - Creative Thinkering\n- Just okay\nP.M. Train Ride - Counter Hack Reloaded\n- so far so good. a little dated but a good intro to security.\nAudiobook - 48 Laws of Power\n- I love the history lessons in it. Very engaging. You don't have to be power-hungry to read it.\nDigital Book at work - The Art of Software Security Assessment\n- Just started, I will let you know next month.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Just started, I will let you know next month.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has only just started it.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 715118,
          "author": "yan",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-20T20:28:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715118",
          "commentText": "Check out \"The Art of Software Security Assessment\" if you're into that.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Check out \"The Art of Software Security Assessment\" if you're into that.",
          "reason": "Suggests the book to readers interested in software security.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in software security.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Dowd, John McDonald, and Justin Schuh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software security",
        "code auditing",
        "security assessment"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-software-security-assessment-16b89e",
      "title": "The Art of Software Security Assessment",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14139759,
          "author": "alltakendamned",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T15:40:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14139759",
          "commentText": "For application security I'd say:\nWeb Application Hackers Handbook 2nd Edition\nand\nThe Art of Software Security Assessment",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Software Security Assessment",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "code auditing",
        "software security"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-software-testing-f31f3a",
      "title": "The Art of Software Testing",
      "author": "Glenford J. Myers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 135563,
          "author": "wallflower",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T22:55:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135563",
          "commentText": "\"Becoming a Technical Leader\" by Gerald Weinberg\nUnconventional perspective on management\n\"How Buildings Learn\" by Stewart Brand\nOne of the best books about designing long-term architectures. Excellent coffee table book\n\"Envisioning Information\" by Edward Tufte\n\"Walt Disney\" by Neal Gabler\nExcellent biography of maybe the greatest imagineer ever\n\"The Art of Software Testing\" by Glenford J. Myers\n~100 page classic. The central premise is that the successful test is one that finds bugs/issues not one that doesn't.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Art of Software Testing\" by Glenford J. Myers\n~100 page classic. The central premise is that the successful test is one that finds bugs/issues not one that doesn't.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a classic and summarizes its central premise.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "About 100 pages, according to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Glenford J. Myers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "debugging",
        "software testing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-speedreading-people-e503d0",
      "title": "The Art of Speedreading People",
      "author": "Paul D. Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 137953,
          "author": "tonyvt2005",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-16T04:11:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=137953",
          "commentText": "Founders at Work (of course)\n\"Best Practices\"-type books that cover the tools and technology the startup is using, whether its Textmate, Unix, Subversion, whatever.  Becoming more efficient is never a bad thing.\nI'd also add books on management and dealing with people:\n- The Art of Speedreading People - Tieger\n- Behind Closed Doors - Rothman, Derby\n- The Mythical Man Month - Brooks\n- Most if not all the books on Joel Spolsky's \"MBA Curriculum\":\nhttp://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/FogCreekMBACurriculum... (http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/FogCreekMBACurriculum.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of Speedreading People - Tieger",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul D. Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "communication",
        "personality assessment"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-spending-money-30a3aa",
      "title": "The Art of Spending Money",
      "author": "Morgan Housel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46397616,
          "author": "boarsofcanada",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T23:43:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46397616",
          "commentText": "The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel.\nHighly recommended no matter what your age.\nJust a few chapters into The Art of Spending Money by the same author. So far very good as well.\nBoth cover how personal finance is, first and foremost, personal and specific to an individual and highly dependent on your life experience.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Just a few chapters into The Art of Spending Money by the same author. So far very good as well.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the first few chapters have been very good so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter had read only a few chapters.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Morgan Housel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal finance",
        "spending"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-war-in-the-middle-ages-374f34",
      "title": "The Art of War in the Middle Ages",
      "author": "Charles Oman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 456866,
          "author": "pg",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T18:45:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456866",
          "commentText": "Along with the Anabasis and Caesar's Gallic Wars, I particularly recommend Johnnie Johnson's Wing Leader, Hanson's Western Way of War, and Oman's Art of War in the Middle Ages.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Oman's Art of War in the Middle Ages.",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter particularly recommends.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in military history and warfare.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Oman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "medieval warfare",
        "military history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-war-in-the-western-world-5c3149",
      "title": "The Art of War in the Western World",
      "author": "Azar Gat (as published under the pseudonym Jones)",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 456339,
          "author": "mechanical_fish",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T14:08:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456339",
          "commentText": "You sound like you're looking for something like Jones' The Art of War in the Western World:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Art-War-Western-World/dp/0252069668\nOr just go there and follow Amazon \"related\" links.\nJones is of the \"very broad\" school of military history. It can be a little bit dry, but it certainly tries to be comprehensive: It's like Civilization in that it starts with phalanx and then moves slowly forward through the history of strategy and tactics.\nYou might like the works of John Keegan, another famous military historian who takes a general approach. He's got a History of Warfare that's like a lighter-weight version of Jones -- I might recommend starting with that, actually. His one-volume histories of WWI and WWII are probably decent.\nKeegan is British, so it wouldn't surprise me if his histories were heavy on the Western front. If you want the actual history of WWII you need a history that's more about the Eastern Front, which is pretty much where the war in Europe was actually decided. Unfortunately, the history on that subject lags decades behind, because the surviving Germans didn't exactly want to dwell on it and the Soviets weren't exactly forthcoming. (Many of the key Soviet figures either got disappeared by Stalin or lived under the constant fear of being disappeared by Stalin.) I'm not sure what the best current general history of the Eastern Front is, but I do know that the big Western expert on the subject is David Glantz, who has spent the last twenty years digging through formerly-sealed Soviet records of enormous battles that were covered up for years.  I'd probably start with:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Slaughterhouse-Handbook-Eastern-David-... (http://www.amazon.com/Slaughterhouse-Handbook-Eastern-David-Glantz/dp/097176509X)\nbecause I don't know any better and it comes up first on Amazon.\nIf you want something written by a gamer try the works of James Dunnigan, founder of SPI and author of a whole pile of famous simulation board games. I read most of his Dirty Little Secrets of World War II and it was interesting. A much breezier style than the heavy-duty military historians. And he's got books that cover contemporary military stuff as well as history.\nNobody should read about war at the 10,000 foot level without also reading about what it's actually like on the ground. Obviously, the great modern literary works on the subject are Slaughterhouse Five and, even more so, Catch-22. In the realm of nonfiction, Fussell's Wartime was interesting, but it led me to Eugene Sledge's With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa, which is even better: a very good book by a guy from the front lines in the Pacific who is not shy about telling you exactly what went on. Comes with an endorsement by PG! (from the last time I mentioned it on HN.)Don't read it over lunch if you're squeamish.\n(I haven't actually read some of these, but my dad is a military boardgamer and military history buff. He's got several bookshelves packed with books like these.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "You sound like you're looking for something like Jones' The Art of War in the Western World",
          "reason": "Suggested as a broad work of military history and strategy.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a broad account of military history.",
          "caveat": "Described as somewhat dry, though comprehensive.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Azar Gat (as published under the pseudonym Jones)"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military history",
        "military strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-witty-banter-70661c",
      "title": "The Art of Witty Banter",
      "author": "Patrick King",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15762515,
          "author": "sasaf5",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T03:27:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762515",
          "commentText": "Brian Lopes - Mastering Mountain Bike Skills. Taught me that the sound of my tires rolling on gravel is more rewarding than a place in the podium.\nPatrick King - The Art of Witty Banter. Taught me how to be entertaining among non-engineers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Patrick King - The Art of Witty Banter. Taught me how to be entertaining among non-engineers.",
          "reason": "The author says it taught them to be entertaining among non-engineers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Patrick King"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "conversation",
        "humor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-the-deal-19e77f",
      "title": "The Art of the Deal",
      "author": "Donald J. Trump; Tony Schwartz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40282891,
          "author": "sam1r",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T06:18:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40282891",
          "commentText": ">>> Unfortunate title for one of the best books on plain common sense when it comes to interacting with people)\nMany say the same of the infamous “the art of the deal” from Donald J Trump” in 1989.\nHe, (pretty much), defines a base framework he still follows himself vehemently, today.\nThe way he executes today becomes a little less exciting, imo, each time he takes over headlines.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Many say the same of the infamous “the art of the deal” from Donald J Trump” in 1989.",
          "reason": "Discusses the framework the book is said to define and comments on the author's execution of it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Calls it infamous and says its execution becomes less exciting when Trump takes over headlines.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donald J. Trump",
        "Tony Schwartz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business memoir",
        "deal making"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-the-deal-387fb5",
      "title": "The Art of the Deal",
      "author": "Donald J. Trump and Tony Schwartz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 56988,
          "author": "nmeyer",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T18:19:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56988",
          "commentText": "Art of the Deal, by Trump",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Art of the Deal, by Trump",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donald J. Trump and Tony Schwartz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business memoir",
        "deal making"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-the-metaobject-protocol-de4b4f",
      "title": "The Art of the Metaobject Protocol",
      "author": "Gregor Kiczales, Jim des Rivières, Daniel G. Bobrow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21312302,
          "author": "ken",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T14:00:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21312302",
          "commentText": "The Art of the Metaobject Protocol.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Art of the Metaobject Protocol.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gregor Kiczales, Jim des Rivières, Daniel G. Bobrow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "common lisp",
        "metaobject protocols"
      ],
      "purposes": []
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-the-novel-9190e2",
      "title": "The Art of the Novel",
      "author": "Milan Kundera",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21802758,
          "author": "0kl",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T13:11:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21802758",
          "commentText": "I plan to reread a couple core works for myself. Of that list the ones that I’d recommend for others are:\nAurelius (trans. Martin Hammond)\nFear and Trembling\nMan’s Search for Meaning\nTolstoy’s Confessions\nKundera’s The Art of the Novel\nAfter doing a thorough reading of “How to Read a Book” I decided to try rereading a few books to pull more out of them.\nI can’t recommend “How to Read a Book” enough - despite its anachronisms and glaring faults, it’s the only book I’ve found that has genuinely made me feel that I’ve not really read a single book in my life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kundera’s The Art of the Novel",
          "reason": "One of the books the commenter says they would recommend to others.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Milan Kundera"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary criticism",
        "novel theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-art-of-the-soluble-1b7e60",
      "title": "The Art of the Soluble",
      "author": "Peter Medawar",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 86220,
          "author": "diversityhire",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:14:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86220",
          "commentText": "Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's Flow: the Psychology of Optimal Experience\nWilliam Faulkner's As I Lay Dying &amp; The Sound and the Fury\nJulian Jaynes' The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind\nPeter Medawar's The Art of the Soluable\nDesigned by Peter Saville\nNietzsche's Twilight of the Idols\nBloom County Babylon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Peter Medawar's The Art of the Soluable",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the thread’s question about favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Medawar"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "research",
        "scientific method"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-artist-s-way-6e6d13",
      "title": "The Artist's Way",
      "author": "Julia Cameron",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49904633,
          "author": "dv35z",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T05:16:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49904633",
          "commentText": "Curious what you have learned so far about creativity, practical \"do it now\" type ideas.\nI read Artists Way a few years back, and did some of the recommended practices (daily pages, and artist dates) - it was effective in subtle and powerful ways.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read Artists Way a few years back",
          "reason": "Says its recommended practices were effective in subtle and powerful ways.",
          "audience": "People interested in practical ideas for creativity.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Julia Cameron"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creativity exercises"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ascent-of-humanity-civilization-and-the-human-sense-of-self-66a950",
      "title": "The Ascent of Humanity: Civilization and the Human Sense of Self",
      "author": "Charles Eisenstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37937326,
          "author": "ofou",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:55:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937326",
          "commentText": "The Ascent of Humanity: Civilization and the Human Sense of Self by Charles Eisenstein",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Ascent of Humanity: Civilization and the Human Sense of Self by Charles Eisenstein",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Eisenstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "civilization",
        "modernity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ashley-book-of-knots-961e7c",
      "title": "The Ashley Book of Knots",
      "author": "Clifford W. Ashley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Ashley Book of Knots",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Clifford W. Ashley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "knots",
        "reference"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-assault-on-reason-177558",
      "title": "The Assault on Reason",
      "author": "Al Gore",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 192170,
          "author": "wumi",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-16T19:48:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=192170",
          "commentText": "Assault on Reason by Al Gore.\nBourne Trilogy by Robert Ludlum (the movie retains only the name and a basic profile of Jason Bourne, almost none of the plot)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Assault on Reason by Al Gore",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Al Gore"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-attractor-factor-5507a5",
      "title": "The Attractor Factor",
      "author": "Joe Vitale",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2150409,
          "author": "kthodla",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-28T01:29:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2150409",
          "commentText": "The Biology of Belief by Bruce H. Lipton\nThe Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand\nThe Attractor Factor by Joe Vitale\nThe Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Attractor Factor by Joe Vitale",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joe Vitale"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "law of attraction",
        "personal development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-australian-trilogy-af60e5",
      "title": "The Australian Trilogy",
      "author": "Bryce Courtenay",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10223691,
          "author": "georgeott",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-15T23:08:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10211331,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10223691",
          "commentText": "\"The Potato Factory: The Australian Trilogy\" - Bryce Courtenay",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Potato Factory: The Australian Trilogy\" - Bryce Courtenay",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bryce Courtenay"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "australian historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-autobiography-of-andrew-carnegie-093344",
      "title": "The Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie",
      "author": "Andrew Carnegie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 203117,
          "author": "colinplamondon",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T08:02:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=203117",
          "commentText": "The Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie- there's an unmistakably personal feel to it, as if Carnegie is sitting right there imparting the lessons and stories of his life to you and you alone. He's an incredible writer and it shines through in every page.\nFree download link (don't you love the public domain?):\nhttp://manybooks.net/titles/carnegiea1797617976-8.html\nRichard Branson's autobiography, Losing My Virginity, is also a great read even discounting the perfect title- together, Branson and Carnegie really drive home the importance of taking risks and leveraging up at every opportunity.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Autobiography of Andrew Carnegie- there's an unmistakably personal feel to it",
          "reason": "Praised for its personal feel and Carnegie's writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew Carnegie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "andrew carnegie",
        "autobiography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-autobiography-of-gucci-mane-f84f94",
      "title": "The Autobiography of Gucci Mane",
      "author": "Gucci Mane",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18675764,
          "author": "billybatson",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-13T20:29:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18675764",
          "commentText": "Haha! Absolutely. I just realized that I have so much work I have to do that I don't have time to waste reading stuff that isn't important. With that being said, I'm understanding that I also need be comfortable with the fact that sometimes I just like reading easy things.\nThe Autobiography of Gucci Mane was actually really good. While all the adjectives you listed fit, I found myself mostly inspired. You can tell that he's being brutally honest with himself, and that he sincerely made an effort to learn from his mistakes. I think any human being can appreciate that. If you're interested, I say go for it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Autobiography of Gucci Mane was actually really good.",
          "reason": "Calls it really good and recommends it to interested readers.",
          "audience": "People interested in Gucci Mane's candid account and personal growth.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665060,
          "author": "billybatson",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:11:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665060",
          "commentText": "A Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley: Decent. I think this book would best be read in conjunction while working through a textbook. I will admit that it did do quite a bit to help relieve math anxiety, but the nature of the book is practicality.\nBrave New World by Aldous Huxley: A reread. A bit depressing considering the state of the world today. I found myself wondering which reality would be preferable.\nLetters to a Young Mathematician by Ian Stewart: Easy, but fruitful read. I've struggled a lot with math confidence, and this helped alleviate a lot of that.\nHow to Speak, How to Listen by Mortimer J. Adler: A lot of practical advice. My biggest takeaway was this: if it's worth talking about, even if the conversation sucks or the other person doesn't understand, any bit of advancement and understanding is worth the effort. Really helped me increase my patience when talking to people.\nQuack This Way by David Foster Wallace and Bryan Garner: Super useful and practical discussion between two lovers of language. I keep a copy with me at all times.\nThe Autobiography of Gucci Mane: Just a fun read while on vacation. \"If Gucci can do it, you can do it\".\nJesus' Son by Denis Johnson: A nice if brutal read. It was my first foray in DJ. I felt Cormac McCarthyish vibes.\nBlood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy: A classic. The Judge.\nThinking About Mathematics by Stuart Shapiro: Highly recommended for anyone interested in the philosophical questions of mathematics. Shapiro writes clearly, concisely, and in a manner that is easy to read.\nThe Liars' Club by Mary Karr: Pretty great but brutal.\nThe Broom of the System by David Foster Wallace: I really enjoyed it. It's ode to Wittgenstein and it helped me cope with a lot of questions that I felt after studying LW.\nThe Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: I think we've all been in Werther's shoes. Though I hope that nobody comes to the same conclusion he came to.\nManage Your Day-To-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, & Sharpen Your Creative Mind: A pretty great book. I find myself writing a book report on it to make sure I internalize a lot of the lessons. If you're having trouble doing creative work while working, read this.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just a fun read while on vacation. \"If Gucci can do it, you can do it\".",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as a fun vacation read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gucci Mane"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hip hop",
        "music",
        "music memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-autobiography-of-malcolm-x-92ea10",
      "title": "The Autobiography of Malcolm X",
      "author": "Malcolm X with Alex Haley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 202932,
          "author": "antiform",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T03:27:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=202932",
          "commentText": "The Man Who Knew Infinity, about Ramanujan, is a biography that I reread regularly, if only as an example of somebody who continued to do what he loved against all odds. Whenever I get overly frustrated with a math or programming problem that I can't seem to overcome, I go through some of my favorite passages in there, if only to remind myself how lucky I am to be able to what I love with the support of the people in my life.\nAlso, I can now safely say that reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X in high school was a key moment in my personal development.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X in high school was a key moment in my personal development.",
          "reason": "Credits reading it with being a key moment in their personal development.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Malcolm X with Alex Haley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "autobiography",
        "civil rights"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-autobiography-of-an-idea-662e8b",
      "title": "The Autobiography of an Idea",
      "author": "Louis H. Sullivan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2150710,
          "author": "Tim1776",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-28T03:47:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2150710",
          "commentText": "Other books that influence how I build software:\n\"The Biological Basis of Teleological Concepts\" by Harry Binswanger,\n\"The Fountainhead\" by Ayn Rand,\n\"The Autobiography of an Idea\" by Louis H. Sullivan,\n\"Reason and Analysis\" by Brand Blanshard",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Autobiography of an Idea\" by Louis H. Sullivan",
          "reason": "Lists it among books that influence how they build software.",
          "audience": "Software builders.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Louis H. Sullivan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Biography",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "architecture",
        "modernism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-automatic-millionaire-bb802e",
      "title": "The Automatic Millionaire",
      "author": "David Bach",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26367484,
          "author": "EvanKRob",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-06T14:17:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 26321793,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books made you the most money?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26367484",
          "commentText": "Same concept but different book. The Automatic Millionaire. Short and sweet, highly recommend",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Automatic Millionaire. Short and sweet, highly recommend",
          "reason": "Calls it short and sweet and highly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Bach"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal finance",
        "saving"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-awakening-of-faith-in-the-mahayana-4f6869",
      "title": "The Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana",
      "author": "Aśvaghoṣa (attributed)",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36428666,
          "author": "cratermoon",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T06:32:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36428666",
          "commentText": "The Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana, attributed to Aśvaghoṣa but probably composed much later in China.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana, attributed to Aśvaghoṣa but probably composed much later in China.",
          "reason": "Named as the commenter's answer to which book contributed meaningfully to their life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that the attribution is disputed and it was probably composed much later in China.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Aśvaghoṣa (attributed)"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhist philosophy",
        "mahayana buddhism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-bfg-05ae93",
      "title": "The BFG",
      "author": "Roald Dahl",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1731343,
          "author": "squidsoup",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-27T11:38:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1731343",
          "commentText": "I'm reading the Harry Potter series to my 5 year old at a somwhat slow pace; slow, as we typically only have time for half a chapter per night and he seems to ask questions every odd sentence! I think he's managing to follow the story though - he just requires a bit of processing time and the odd query to keep it in order.\nYou can never go wrong with Roald Dahl of course - my son loved the BFG and Fantastic Mr. Fox.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "my son loved the BFG",
          "reason": "The commenter says their son loved the book.",
          "audience": "Children.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roald Dahl"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s fantasy",
        "giants"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-balkans-80e4d1",
      "title": "The Balkans",
      "author": "Misha Glenny",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33854197,
          "author": "nl",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T14:56:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33854197",
          "commentText": "Try The Balkans by Misha Glenny",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Try The Balkans by Misha Glenny",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a follow-up history book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Misha Glenny"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "balkan history",
        "modern europe"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ballad-of-reading-gaol-3cbd6b",
      "title": "The Ballad of Reading Gaol",
      "author": "Oscar Wilde",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17521408,
          "author": "stochastic_monk",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T08:42:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521408",
          "commentText": "Excellent choice with Blake, and of course, there’s nothing quite like Reading Gaol. The latter is some of the best written word art ever created.\nI would point others to Robert Browning’s Childe Roland To The Dark Tower Came. It’s a late romantic poem about the time after Camelot’s glory has faded and all hopes have been dashed by man’s weakness and the inexorable hunger of time. A fitting poem for those of us who live in an age whose greatest promises lay unfulfilled. These were not the robots we were promised.*\n*Tagline stolen from a truly stellar Op-Ed from last year available here: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/09/opinion/sunday/household-... (https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/09/opinion/sunday/household-robots-alexa-homepod.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "there’s nothing quite like Reading Gaol. The latter is some of the best written word art ever created.",
          "reason": "Calls it some of the best written word art ever created.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Oscar Wilde"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "poetry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ballad-of-songbirds-and-snakes-976932",
      "title": "The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes",
      "author": "Suzanne Collins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268663,
          "author": "spencerchubb",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T21:32:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268663",
          "commentText": "Hunger Games Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes\nyou don't have to have read the other Hunger Games because it is set about 60 years before the others",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hunger Games Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes",
          "reason": "Describes it as a prequel set about 60 years before the other books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the other Hunger Games books are not required reading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Suzanne Collins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopian fiction",
        "prequel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-bankers-new-clothes-70e708",
      "title": "The Bankers' New Clothes",
      "author": "Anat Admati and Martin Hellwig",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22575856,
          "author": "FabHK",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T15:13:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22575856",
          "commentText": "There is no quick fix, indeed.\nInternational finance is secondary to what the OP is requesting though. I think a history of banking, and the events that led to the current regulatory framework, would be suitable. Can’t think of a good book though (except the Bankers’ New Clothes I recommended below).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "except the Bankers’ New Clothes I recommended below",
          "reason": "Identified as the book the commenter recommended for learning about banking history and the events behind the current regulatory framework.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they cannot think of another good book on the subject.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anat Admati",
        "Martin Hellwig"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "banking regulation",
        "financial crises"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-baron-in-the-trees-b98724",
      "title": "The Baron in the Trees",
      "author": "Italo Calvino",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 44571464,
          "author": "world2vec",
          "createdAt": "2025-07-15T14:23:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 44568054,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44571464",
          "commentText": "\"The Baron in the Trees\" by Italo Calvino.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Baron in the Trees\" by Italo Calvino.",
          "reason": "Names it as a favorite book in response to the thread question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38562325,
          "author": "monkeypicks",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T21:52:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38562325",
          "commentText": "Thanks for the rec! If On a Winter's Night and Baron in the Trees are next on my list :)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Baron in the Trees are next on my list",
          "reason": "Says it is among the books they plan to read next.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Italo Calvino"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "italian literature",
        "literary fiction",
        "magical realism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-baron-of-magister-valley-45aca1",
      "title": "The Baron of Magister Valley",
      "author": "Steven Brust",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42566928,
          "author": "WillAdams",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-01T16:16:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42566928",
          "commentText": "I would highly recommend pairing that with _The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo_ by Tom Reiss --- it's a fascinating look at that period of history.\nFor fun, if you like fantasy, Steven Brust's _The Baron of Magister Valley_ is delightful, one of his \"Paarfi Romances\" it is TCoMC w/ the names changed and serial numbers filed off in a fantasy world (which is actually a science-fictional one as noted on Penny Arcade).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Steven Brust's _The Baron of Magister Valley_ is delightful",
          "reason": "Calls the book delightful.",
          "audience": "Readers who like fantasy.",
          "caveat": "A fantasy retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo with names changed; its setting is described as science fictional.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Brust"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "monte cristo retelling",
        "paarfi romances",
        "vlad taltos"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-basic-laws-of-human-stupidity-144b5e",
      "title": "The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity",
      "author": "Carlo M. Cipolla",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43612566,
          "author": "treetalker",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T15:24:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43612566",
          "commentText": "The Bed of Procrustes is great too, and easy to reread as a summary of the other books once you've already read them a few times individually.\nTaleb also wrote a forward to the recent edition of Cipolla's The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity, which predates Taleb's books but is \"Taleb-adjacent\".",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Taleb also wrote a forward to the recent edition of Cipolla's The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a book with a foreword by Taleb and described as predating his books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25541970,
          "author": "varlock",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-26T07:18:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25541970",
          "commentText": "For me it was \"The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity\" by C. Cipolla. A very short book that illustrates, in a subtly-humorous way, how stupid people are far more powerful than one would think.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For me it was \"The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity\" by C. Cipolla.",
          "reason": "A short, subtly humorous book illustrating how powerful stupid people can be.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carlo M. Cipolla"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human behavior",
        "economic history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-bastiat-collection-e83daa",
      "title": "The Bastiat Collection",
      "author": "Frédéric Bastiat",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40281633,
          "author": "BrannonKing",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T02:18:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40281633",
          "commentText": "The Bastiat Collection. Emerson's essays.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bastiat Collection.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frédéric Bastiat"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classical liberalism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-battle-cry-of-freedom-the-civil-war-era-064737",
      "title": "The Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era",
      "author": "James M. McPherson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10027747,
          "author": "efuquen",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T16:26:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027747",
          "commentText": "I've also been reading The Battle Cry of Freedom and it's been amazing. The analysis and insights the author can pack into every single page is just incredible.  And all those political, social, and historical insights have just as much applicability today. It really has been essential reading for understanding the major fault lines that have defined American life, and continue to do so in major ways.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've also been reading The Battle Cry of Freedom and it's been amazing. The analysis and insights the author can pack into every single page is just incredible.",
          "reason": "Calls it amazing and praises its dense analysis and insights.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James M. McPherson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american civil war",
        "united states history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-battle-for-spain-60afc1",
      "title": "The Battle for Spain",
      "author": "Antony Beevor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14860180,
          "author": "kiliantics",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:46:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14860180",
          "commentText": "Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds: really creative world-building in a galactic society and an engaging, twisting plotine.\nThe Battle for Spain by Antony Beevor: this is on my shelf long-term as it's quite dense but it's apparently one of the best works on the Spanish revolution.\nMiddlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides: unique intersection of themes with American immigration, industrialisation and gender all packed into one. Fitting themes for the politics of today though the book already seems slightly dated when it comes to gender politics.\nAnarchosyndicalism: Theory and Practice by Rudolf Rocker. This is to compliment my interest in the Spanish civil war and the history of unionism/syndicalism.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "this is on my shelf long-term as it's quite dense but it's apparently one of the best works on the Spanish revolution.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the best works on the Spanish revolution, while noting it is dense.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as quite dense.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Antony Beevor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "spanish civil war",
        "spanish revolution"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-bazaar-of-bad-dreams-c3099d",
      "title": "The Bazaar of Bad Dreams",
      "author": "Stephen King",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11699849,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-15T07:08:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11699849",
          "commentText": "Reading The Meaning of Science by Tim Lewens right now.  It's an introductory \"Philosophy of Science\" book, and I'm enjoying it so far.  Up to where I'm at now, the author has covered Karl Popper and his falsification oriented framework, and Thomas Kuhn and the \"scientific revolution / paradigm shift\" model.\nA couple of other ones from this year that stand out to me:\nDisrupted by Dan \"Fake Steve Jobs\" Lyons\nIt's Not The Big That Eat The Small, It's The Fast That Eat The Slow by Jason Jennings\nIn terms of fiction, this years haul includes:\nThe Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King\nThe Last Mile by David Baldacci",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's fiction haul for the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen King"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "horror",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-beach-cb732b",
      "title": "The Beach",
      "author": "Alex Garland",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50117808,
          "author": "zen_kernal",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T12:56:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50117808",
          "commentText": "Robert Anton Wilson: Cosmic Trigger and Quantum Psychology\nIsaac Asimov: Beginnings\nAlex Garland: The Beach\nBuddha: The Dhammapada",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Alex Garland: The Beach",
          "reason": "Listed in response to which books the commenter read at least twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alex Garland"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-beak-of-the-finch-a-story-of-evolution-in-our-time-78b881",
      "title": "The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time",
      "author": "Jonathan Weiner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6983854,
          "author": "Snail_Commando",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-30T09:39:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 6981802,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good general technical books for teenagers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6983854",
          "commentText": "There are already suggestions in this thread that are better than mine, but I'll still throw my hat in the ring.\nThat's great that she's interested in biology. I'd like to gently suggest that if she \"isn't very enthusiastic about computers or technology\", you should instead try to nurture her demonstrated interest in art, biology, and other science.\nI know absolutely nothing about art, except that I apparently have no taste. So I'll refrain from making any suggestions on art books.\nTL;DR: Skip down to the third section for the \"technical book\" suggestion.\n--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n(1)\nHere are some suggestions of books on general science, biology, and chemistry (in no particular order, these are some of the first ones that come to my mind):\n\"The Structure of Scientific Revolutions\" By Thomas S. Kuhn\n\"The Diversity of Life\" By Edward O. Wilson\n\"The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time\"  by Jonathan Weiner\n\"Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes: Further Reflections in Natural History\"  by Stephen Jay Gould\n\"Life on a Young Planet\" By Andrew H. Knoll\n\"Galápagos\" By Kurt Vonnegut (Fiction, but related) (I loved this book, but it's not for everyone I suppose. A couple of my friends didn't like it.)\n\"Napoleon's Buttons\" By Penny Le Couteur and Jay Burreson\n\"The Lives of a Cell: Notes of a Biology Watcher\" By Lewis Thomas\n---------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n(2)\nIf she's interested in learning a lot about cellular biology in beautifully exhaustive detail, buy her this textbook:\n\"Molecular Biology of the Cell\" By Bruce Alberts, Paul Walter, Alexander Johnson, Julian Lewis, Martin Raff, Keith Roberts\nThis book is huge. And it is wonderful.\n---------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n---Read this suggestion if my other suggestions aren't good---\n(3)\nSo you want a technical book? And she's interested in biology?\nBuy her a copy of:\n\"The Principles of Biomedical Informatics\" By Ira J. Kalet\nThis textbook is incredible. It teaches you some fundamentals of many different flavors of bioinformatics. (Different flavors, because, as the author acknowledges, bioinformatics can mean many things.) You can learn how to work with amino acid sequences, protein modeling, medical imaging, probabilistic biomedical models, and more!\nSince you have SICP and LoL on your bookshelf already, you might love the next part. The entire textbook is a cleverly accessible primer on how to build applications with Common Lisp. Whether you're a greybeard Lisp hacker or a repl-noob, you'll like this book if you are interested in learning about bioinformatics.\nI've had the first edition for quite some time. Recently, I think in the past few months, a second edition was released. Someone gifted me the 2nd ed, :) but I haven't really compared the two.\n----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\nI was going to suggest Gödel, Escher, Bach when you mentioned she was interested in art, and were hoping to find a technical book for her. Then I saw that you already had tried that one. I'm going to leave the suggestion anyway because these types of threads are wonderful for finding great books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time\"  by Jonathan Weiner",
          "reason": "Listed among suggestions for general science, biology, and chemistry.",
          "audience": "A teenager interested in biology and science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Weiner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolution",
        "field biology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-bear-and-the-nightingale-trilogy-92e511",
      "title": "The Bear and the Nightingale trilogy",
      "author": "Katherine Arden",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33890046,
          "author": "jrgoff",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-07T02:39:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33890046",
          "commentText": "If you enjoy riffs on Russian fairy tales - I thought The Bear and the Nightingale trilogy was also really enjoyable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I thought The Bear and the Nightingale trilogy was also really enjoyable.",
          "reason": "Recommends the trilogy as enjoyable for readers who like riffs on Russian fairy tales.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy retellings or riffs on Russian fairy tales.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Katherine Arden"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fairy tale retellings",
        "russian folklore"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-bed-of-procrustes-5d9f6d",
      "title": "The Bed of Procrustes",
      "author": "Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43612566,
          "author": "treetalker",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T15:24:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43612566",
          "commentText": "The Bed of Procrustes is great too, and easy to reread as a summary of the other books once you've already read them a few times individually.\nTaleb also wrote a forward to the recent edition of Cipolla's The Basic Laws of Human Stupidity, which predates Taleb's books but is \"Taleb-adjacent\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bed of Procrustes is great too",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it great and says it works as a summary after reading the other books individually.",
          "audience": "Readers who have already read the other books a few times.",
          "caveat": "Presented as a summary to revisit after reading the other books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16010565,
          "author": "jonvillage",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-26T19:55:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16010565",
          "commentText": "This year I've read:\nMaxims - Epictetus\nThe road to serfdom - Friedrich Hayek\nDe officiis - Cicero\nDe divinatione - Cicero\nLives of eminent philosophers - Diogenes Laertius\nConfessions - Al ghazali\nIlliad - Homer\nOdyssey - Homer\nInfluence - Robert Cialdini\nGuns, Germs and steel - Jared Diamond\nPoor Charlie's Almanack - Charlie Munger - 2nd reading\nAndrew Carnegie's Biography - Joseph Frazier\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Taleb - 2nd reading\nBed of Procrustes - Nassim Taleb\nNever Split the Difference - Christopher Voss\nThe intelligent investor - Benjamin Graham\nAutobiography - Benjamin Franklin\nI always remember this quote:\n\"In my whole life, I have known no wise people who didn't read all the time -- none, zero.\"  Charlie Munger",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Bed of Procrustes - Nassim Taleb",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10788761,
          "author": "bewe42",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T17:04:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10788761",
          "commentText": "absolutely agree, in fact, for me I need to look beyond his constant anger to not lose the value of his ideas. I also read \"Bed of Procrustes\" which I couldn't finish.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I also read \"Bed of Procrustes\" which I couldn't finish.",
          "reason": "Says they could not finish it, without explaining why.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not say why they stopped reading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nassim Nicholas Taleb"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aphorisms",
        "decision making"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-bee-sting-a12c65",
      "title": "The Bee Sting",
      "author": "Paul Murray",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38556865,
          "author": "peruvian",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T14:42:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38556865",
          "commentText": "Paul Murray's The Bee Sting - very engrossing novel about a family in post-crash Ireland.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Paul Murray's The Bee Sting - very engrossing novel about a family in post-crash Ireland.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a very engrossing novel about a family in post-crash Ireland.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Murray"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "family",
        "irish fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-beermat-entrepreneur-9b78b1",
      "title": "The Beermat Entrepreneur",
      "author": "Mike Southon; Chris West",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 948001,
          "author": "jlees",
          "createdAt": "2009-11-18T08:42:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 947581,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN:  What's the best first business book for a programmer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=948001",
          "commentText": "Guy Kawasaki's books are pretty ace for learning the 'silicon valley' style of business, big picture, etc. I think the first real book I picked up was something more down to earth though like the Beermat Entrepreneur (UK-specific) that outlined the whole process quite well from what to incorporate as to accounting and sales.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Beermat Entrepreneur (UK-specific) that outlined the whole process quite well",
          "reason": "Says it outlines the business start-up process well, from incorporation to accounting and sales.",
          "audience": "People starting a business in the UK.",
          "caveat": "UK-specific.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mike Southon; Chris West"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business startup",
        "uk"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-beginner-s-computer-handbook-understanding-programming-the-mi-1e229d",
      "title": "The Beginner's Computer Handbook: Understanding & Programming the Micro",
      "author": "Judy Tatchell and Bill Bennett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12253686,
          "author": "copist",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-09T10:47:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12253686",
          "commentText": "\"The Beginner's Computer Handbook - Understanding & Programming The Micro\" by Judy Tatchell and Bill Bennett\nhttp://www.currybet.net/cbet_blog/2004/06/the-beginners-comp... (http://www.currybet.net/cbet_blog/2004/06/the-beginners-computer-handboo.php)\nI crafted my first computer from cardboard :) and learned to type and code using hand drawn keyboard :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I crafted my first computer from cardboard :) and learned to type and code using hand drawn keyboard :)",
          "reason": "Shared as the book that inspired the commenter’s early computer-building and coding activity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Judy Tatchell and Bill Bennett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computing for beginners",
        "early computing",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-best-service-is-no-service-18e62e",
      "title": "The Best Service Is No Service",
      "author": "Bill Price and David Jaffe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13238121,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:01:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238121",
          "commentText": "Last year I gave myself a Zuckerberg-style goal to read a book every two weeks. It started well, but some months were harder than others (usually when the book wasn't very good, so I would switch to podcasts for a few weeks, before getting back on track).\nHere's an unordered list of the best:\n[BUSINESS / SELF-IMPROVEMENT]\n- \"Work Rules!\" - about Google's culture and values\n- \"Search Inside Yourself\" - about mindfulness, meditation, and the impact on your life.\n- \"What got you here won't get you there\" - Liked a lot more than I expected.\n- \"Re-read Innovator's Dilemma\" - a great classic; never gets old.\n- \"How will you measure your life\" - from the same author. Also excellent.\n- \"The Best Service is No Service\" - good overview on why Amazon's customer service is so good\n- \"Crucial Conversations\" - half is common sense; half is good tips to practice everyday.\n[PROGRAMMING]\n- \"Fluent Python\" - was afraid it'd be too basic, but not really. Enjoyed it a lot.\n- \"Think Complexity\" - about algorithm complexity, data structures, etc. Great read.\n- \"Python Data Science Handbook\" - meh.\n- \"Fundamentals of Deep Learning\" - good intro. Helped me solidify some concepts from Andrew Ng's ML course\n- \"Deep Learning\" - by Goodfellow and Bengio. Just started, but really liking it.\n[STARTUPS] (all excellent; in order)\n- \"The Hard Things about Hard Things\"\n- \"Zero to One\"\n- \"The Founder's Dilemmas\"\n- \"The Launch Pad\"\n[FICTION]\n- Trilogy: \"Off to be a wizard / An Unwelcome Quest / Spell or High Water\"\n- \"Infinite Jest\" - tried but failed to finish. May try again later.\n- \"Ready Player One\" - nice, but repetitive after a while. Good read before the movie comes out.\n[NON-FICTION]\n- \"What If?\" - xkcd FTW\n- \"How to Read a Book\" - good concepts, but should be a 10 pages blog post, not a book\n- \"Spark\" - Science of the Exercise and the Brain - Long, but good\n- \"Sugar Shock\" - still reading; hopefully will help me cut my sweet cravings\n[BIOGRAPHIES]\n- \"The New New Thing\" - about Jim Clark's life, one of the very first entrepreneurs\n- \"Machines of Loving Grace\" - about the research and the rise of AI\n- \"Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution\"\n- \"The Second Coming of Steve Jobs\" - About Pixar's story. Liked more than Isaacson's biography\n- \"The Innovators\" - great summary of computer industry, from the 1800's till today\n- \"Ghost in the Wires\" - Kevin Mitnick's story. Had started years ago, but finally finished it\n- \"Idea Man\" - about Paul Allen's story. Quite an impressive man.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Best Service is No Service\" - good overview on why Amazon's customer service is so good",
          "reason": "Described as a good overview of Amazon’s customer service.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Price and David Jaffe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "customer service",
        "service design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-best-software-writing-i-6c64ba",
      "title": "The Best Software Writing I",
      "author": "Joel Spolsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 407102,
          "author": "antiform",
          "createdAt": "2008-12-23T01:28:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 407067,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Let's start a Hacker News book club",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=407102",
          "commentText": "I have a suggestion for what to read: the posts that make up Joel Spolsky's Introduction to Best Software Writing I. [http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/BestSoftwareWriting.h... (http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/BestSoftwareWriting.html)]\nMost of the entries included in the book are solid articles, but most tend to merely skim the surface of the topic at hand, and I would love to go deeper and discuss the posts with the HN community.\nThey are brief enough to have something like one per week, and not distract too much from our day jobs (no more than HN itself, anyway). Also, I believe all the entries are still freely available at their original sites, so we don't have to worry about people not participating because they could not find the book.\nAs for downsides, I think a couple of the posts were submitted to HN before, but I think most, if not all, of them are worth revisiting. Also, it could be the case that many members have already read the book, but again, I think these posts are good enough to read again and discuss.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I have a suggestion for what to read: the posts that make up Joel Spolsky's Introduction to Best Software Writing I.",
          "reason": "Suggests it for the book club and says its posts are worth discussing.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in software writing and discussing its articles.",
          "caveat": "Most entries skim the surface; the commenter wants to explore the topics more deeply.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joel Spolsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "essay collections",
        "software writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-best-software-writing-i-3625e9",
      "title": "The Best Software Writing I",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7048773,
          "author": "iends",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-13T03:38:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 7048683,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best development book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7048773",
          "commentText": "I just finished reading the Pragmatic Programmer for the first time and felt that it was pretty much a letdown. For one, it makes a huge number of claims but does not back up these claims by any empirical evidence (even though I think it's mostly right, and that empirical evidence for some of their claims exists). Two, I feel like an undergraduate software course covers 75% of the material in the book (at least mine did). Maybe people have learned since it was first published, or maybe I've just worked on pretty good teams that practiced the stuff, but nothing in there was ground breaking or made me a better developer. Three, there was a lot of filler in the book, summaries, talking about future, and past chapters, etc that added no value except to inflate the page count.\nI feel like Pragmatic Programmer would be a good book to read before starting your first job, or maybe your undergraduate year of college.\nI was going to start Code Complete next, but Pragmatic Programmer was so disappointing I decided to read fiction for the next few weeks instead.\nSo to answer your question, the best language agnostic development books I've read are:\n1. Joel on Software: And on Diverse and Occasionally Related Matters That Will Prove of Interest to Software Developers, Designers, and Managers, and to Those Who, Whether by Good Fortune or Ill Luck, Work with Them in Some Capacity\n2. The Best Software Writing I\n3. Hackers and Painters\nI always wish Joel would come out with a second volume of #2, or to start his blog up again. I've yet to find something that equals his quality since he stopped writing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Best Software Writing I",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the commenter’s best language-agnostic development books.",
          "audience": "Software developers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "anthology",
        "software writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-best-that-money-can-t-buy-85498e",
      "title": "The Best That Money Can't Buy",
      "author": "Jacque Fresco",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29815560,
          "author": "splittingTimes",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-05T21:54:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29815560",
          "commentText": "At that age I can only recommend to you to read fiction as well. Classic literature and philosophy will enrich your mind.\nInstead of tech/science books, let me throw something else at you:\nJacque Fresco \"The Best That Money Can't Buy\" [1].\nRobert Steele \"Open-Source Everything Manifesto\" [2]. Do not be mislead by the title. Open-source here is all-encompassing, software is only a tiny fraction of the spectrum.\nDavid Graeber \"Fragments of an Anarchist Anthropology\" [3]\n===\n[1] https://www.amazon.de/Best-That-Money-Cant-Buy-ebook/dp/B077... (https://www.amazon.de/Best-That-Money-Cant-Buy-ebook/dp/B0773TB3GX)\n[2] https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Robert-David-Steele/dp/1583944435\n[3] https://www.amazon.de/-/en/David-Graeber-ebook/dp/B00MAPBIYA",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jacque Fresco \"The Best That Money Can't Buy\" [1].",
          "reason": "Lists the book among suggestions for the reader.",
          "audience": "Someone interested in fiction, classic literature, and philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jacque Fresco"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "resource based economy",
        "utopian society"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-best-of-gene-wolfe-048d05",
      "title": "The Best of Gene Wolfe",
      "author": "Gene Wolfe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783915,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:06:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783915",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction, best to worst:\nHenry Marsh, Do No Harm. A brilliant memoir by a neurosurgeon about his work, the nature of his profession, successes and mistakes (especially the latter). Frequently touches or verges into the personal. Not morbid, but often sad.\nKeith Johnstone, Impro for Storytellers. \nViola Spolin, Improvisation for the Theater\nTwo very good books about improvisation, although Spolin's is too dry and theory-laden for me (it's meant for teachers more than practitioners). Both, however, pale compared to Keith Johnstone's earlier Impro: Improvisation and the Theater, which is a life-changing book about what improvisation can teach us about spontaneous creativity and relationships between people. I recommend that one first and foremost if you know nothing about improvisation and are curious.\nMartinus J G Veltman, Facts and Mysteries in Elementary Particle Physics. A readable account - necessarily simplified, of course - of the current state of affairs in elementary particles and much of the last 50 years of history, by one of the participants (a Nobel prize winner). Not as organized and methodical as I thought it would be, and half a year later I forgot most of the physical explanations, but it was an interesting read.\nRobert B. Edgerton, Sick Societies. A thorough examination of the hundreds of horrible examples when \"natural\" societies studied by anthropologists have customs that are not only bad from our modern Western point of view, but arguably fail in achieving their own objectives. The whole book exists to counter lazy cultural relativism of the \"maybe we don't like X, but if they do it, it must be for a good reason and it must be a useful adaptation for them\" kind.\nMichael Harris, Mathematics Without Apologies. A very eclectic and idiosyncratic book by a mathematician on the sociology and epistemology of mathematics as a discipline. To be appreciated for its wealth of ideas and references to other interesting books and theories, rather than for any particular argument or thread.\nMilton Rokeach, The Three Christs of Ypsilanti. A story on what happened when a psychologist tried to bring three psychiatric patients, each believing themselves to be Christ, together and to talk it out amongst themselves. Happened in the 1960s. The idea is more interesting than the outcome.\nFiction, best to worst:\nPatrick O'Brian, The Hundred Days. The penultimate book in the series of the best historical novels (the Aubrey-Maturin series) ever written, by a huge margin. The series transcend the genre and I count the Aubrey-Maturin books among the very best books I read in the last decade.\nDodie Smith, I Capture the Castle. A brilliantly written coming-of-age story about a girl growing up in an impoverished family occupying a decaying castle in the English countryside, set in the 1930s. Reminded me in many ways of Rebecca West's The Fountain Overflows, a novel in the similar genre (but with a younger protagonist) that's known much less than it deserves.\nJuan Rulfo, Pedro Paramo. If you read and liked Garcia Marquez's A Hundred Years of Solitude, this one is shorter, darker, involves many more dead people, and you may want to give it a try.\nAlfred Hayes, In Love. A story of a man obsessed by love in a mid-century NYC. Unexpectedly touching, very convincing psychologically.\nIain M. Banks, Against a Dark Background. SF, a grand heist novel set in a advanced civilization living in a star system located unimaginably far away from any other stars and galaxies, and so doomed to a lone struggle with its own long history. A wealth of technological and social ideas you'd expect from Banks. The ending felt a bit forced.\nGene Wolfe, There Are Doors. Gene Wolfe, Nightsite of the Long Sun/Lake of the Long Sun.\nGene Wolfe is the best writer American science fiction produced in the last half-century. \"There are Doors\" is a pretty weird fantasy novel about an alternate world where men die after their first intercourse (as some spiders do in ours), and the hero travels back and forth between that world and ours. It's good, but not as strong as Wolfe's best, which to my taste is the Book of the New Sun tetralogy, the novellas in the Fifth Head of Cerberus collection, and many of his short stories (well-collected in The Best of Gene Wolfe). The other two are the first half of the \"Book of the Long Sun\" series that I'm still reading through.\nUrsula K. Le Guin, The Dispossessed. Superb political SF about an imagined anarchist [anti-]utopia. A serious attempt to describe a human society with no central power structures and no ownership. The hero is a physicist born and raised in that society who escapes to a sibling planet with the more typical modern states. This novel took all the awards in the 1970s when it was published, and deservedly so.\n[cont'd]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and many of his short stories (well-collected in The Best of Gene Wolfe).",
          "reason": "Says it collects many of Wolfe's best short stories.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gene Wolfe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary science fiction",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-best-of-greg-egan-2f775b",
      "title": "The Best of Greg Egan",
      "author": "Greg Egan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36021193,
          "author": "beckingz",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:26:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021193",
          "commentText": "Revelation Space - Alastair Reynolds\nWireless - Charles Stross\nStories of your life and others - Ted Chiang\nMoonrise - Ben Bova\nLast Plane to Heaven - Jay Lake\nBest of Greg Egan - Greg Egan",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Best of Greg Egan - Greg Egan",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for science fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Greg Egan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hard science fiction",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-best-of-myles-6444c1",
      "title": "The Best of Myles",
      "author": "Flann O'Brien",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34168812,
          "author": "cafard",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-29T02:40:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34168812",
          "commentText": "If you haven't yet, treat yourself to The Poor Mouth and The Best of Myles.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and The Best of Myles",
          "reason": "Encourages readers to read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Flann O'Brien"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "humor",
        "irish literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-bet-paul-ehrlich-julian-simon-and-our-gamble-over-earth-s-fut-e69d9a",
      "title": "The Bet: Paul Ehrlich, Julian Simon, and Our Gamble over Earth's Future",
      "author": "Paul Sabin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6899433,
          "author": "h1ccup",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T06:59:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6899433",
          "commentText": "This is my list(Most of these books aren't from 2013):\n1. The Man Who Invented the Computer: The Biography of John Atanasoff by Jane Smiley\n2. Halting State by Charlie Stross\n3. Levels of Life by Julian Barnes\n4. The Particle At The End Of The Universe by Sean Carrol\n5. Churchil Bomb by Graham Farmello\n6. The Science Of Memory by Charles Fernyhough\n7. The Anatomy of Violence: The biological roots of crime by Adrian Raine\n8. The Bet: Paul Ehrlich, Julian Simon, and our gamble over Earth’s future by Paul Sabin\n9. Experiencing Art: In the brain of the beholder by Arthur Shimamura\n10. The Spark: A Mother’s Story of Nurturing Genius by Kristine Barnett",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bet: Paul Ehrlich, Julian Simon, and our gamble over Earth’s future by Paul Sabin",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list answering which books were best.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Sabin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Nature",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "environmental debate",
        "population"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-better-angels-of-our-nature-0d618f",
      "title": "The Better Angels of Our Nature",
      "author": "Steven Pinker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37960142,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:06:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960142",
          "commentText": "I ran this thread through GPT-4 to extract mentions and summarize them in markdown. Sharing if it's helpful for others too.\n* \"Manufacturing Consent\" by Chomsky and Herman (2 mentions)\n    * Summary: This book investigates and criticizes the media's role in promoting and sustaining powerful interests. Chomsky frames the media as a system that safeguards the power of the elite by shaping public opinion.\n* \"On Palestine\" by Chomsky (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers an insightful view of one of the most enduring and intractable conflicts of our time. Chomsky explores the historical origins, developments, and politics surrounding the Israel-Palestine conflict.\n* \"Requiem for the American Dream\" by Noam Chomsky (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book discusses the concentration of wealth in the hands of the few and its effects on democracy in America. It highlights the decline of the middle class and the widening wealth gap.\n* \"The Design of Everyday Things\" by Don Norman (2 mentions)\n    * Summary: The book details the science behind our interaction with everyday items. It scrutinizes the design process and explores the relationship between users and the products they use, urging designers to think deeply about how their designs influence user behavior.\n* \"The Better Angels of Our Nature\" by Steven Pinker (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book challenges the belief that society is becoming increasingly violent, arguing instead that violence has declined over historical time periods. It explores the psychological and societal mechanisms that have led to this decrease.\n* \"Factfulness\" by Hans Rosling (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Factfulness emphasizes a more optimistic view of global human progress. It challenges the notion that the world is worse off today than it was in the past by providing facts and statistics that argue the contrary.\n* \"Phenomenology of Spirit\" by Hegel (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This is a central work of German philosophy in which Hegel explores the concept of 'spirit'. He examines the relationship between consciousness and its objects, eventually leading to a discussion about the nature of freedom and the unfolding of history.\n* \"The Righteous Mind\" by Jonathan Haidt (2 mentions)\n    * Summary: The book delves into the world of moral psychology and its impact on politics and religion. Haidt proposes that morality is not a product of rational thought but is driven by intuitive reactions, challenging conventional understandings of morality.\n* \"How To Build A Car\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: The book offers a captivating analysis of Formula 1 car design and the precision engineering involved in creating these high-performance vehicles. It provides insights into the processes followed by a renowned designer.\n* \"Factfulness\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: Factfulness emphasizes a more optimistic view of global human progress. It challenges notions that the world is getting worse by presenting an array of facts that argue the contrary.\n* \"Strunk and White The Elements of Style\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A guide to English language usage and writing style that covers topics such as conciseness, clarity, and simplicity of expression. It is considered a seminal work on English composition and is widely used in American English writing.\n* \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book explores the concept of how symbols, patterns and loops manifest in the fields of mathematics, art and music. It also discusses aspects of cognition and consciousness and how our minds perceive and understand the world.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"The Better Angels of Our Nature\" by Steven Pinker (1 mention)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32345243,
          "author": "udev",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-04T16:45:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32345243",
          "commentText": "I read about 800 pages of his writing (\"Better Angels ...\" book) and there were passages of absolute beauty, like the part about Alan Turing.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I read about 800 pages of his writing (\"Better Angels ...\" book)",
          "reason": "Describes reading the book and notes passages of beauty, including one about Alan Turing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19089022,
          "author": "tvladeck",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T19:47:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19089022",
          "commentText": "The Selfish Gene & The Blind Watchmaker by Dawkins\nEvolution is the reason we exist! Understanding how it happens and why it can lead to counterintuitive outcomes is very important. He also narrates his own audiobooks and is excellent at it.\nThe Blank Slate & The Better Angels of our Nature by Pinker\nBoth books counter much accepted wisdom. The second book, in particular, will make you think of humanity in a fundamentally different light.\nThe Black Swan & Fooled by Randomness by Taleb\nThe role of chance in everyday life! It plays a big role!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Blank Slate & The Better Angels of our Nature by Pinker\nBoth books counter much accepted wisdom. The second book, in particular, will make you think of humanity in a fundamentally different light.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it challenges accepted wisdom and changes how readers think about humanity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968340,
          "author": "andreasvc",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:34:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968340",
          "commentText": "The better angels of our nature - Steven Pinker.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The better angels of our nature - Steven Pinker.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6698889,
          "author": "lukevdp",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-08T20:25:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6698889",
          "commentText": "The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Pinker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "violence",
        "human progress",
        "civilization",
        "historical trends"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-better-angels-of-our-nature-the-decline-of-violence-in-histor-906ae6",
      "title": "The Better Angels of Our Nature: The Decline of Violence in History and Its Causes",
      "author": "Steven Pinker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13236323,
          "author": "chimprich",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T10:37:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13236323",
          "commentText": "* The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee. The prose was a bit purple for me but fascinating book about the progress of cancer treatment including recent advances. Second half of the book is more interesting in my opinion so don't give up if you find the history of cancer a little do dry.\n* Tuf Voyaging by George RR Martin. I thought this was a stupid premise (guy travels the universe in a huge ship with cat companions?) but a friend strongly recommended it and I found it stupidly readable and very entertaining.\n* Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery by Henry Marsh. Deeply interesting and humane book about the work of an eminent brain surgeon.\n* The Better Angels of Our Nature: The Decline of Violence In History And Its Causes by Steven Pinker. Strong persuasive central thesis even if though I didn't agree with all his arguments. Very wide-ranging book with many ideas from philosophy and history.\n* Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic by David Quammen. Informative and scary book about zoonotic diseases. Like a non-fiction cross between the detective, horror and sci-fi genres.\n* The Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela. Read this because I felt I should rather than out of pure interest, but it was a good decision: fascinating biography and startling how intelligent and occasionally ruthless Mandela was.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Strong persuasive central thesis even if though I didn't agree with all his arguments.",
          "reason": "The central thesis is persuasive, though the commenter disagrees with some arguments.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not agree with all the arguments.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Pinker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human progress",
        "social science",
        "violence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-bhagavad-gita-c15d58",
      "title": "The Bhagavad Gita",
      "author": "Unknown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11229799,
          "author": "swatkat",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:52:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229799",
          "commentText": "I Am That, by Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj\nFreedom from the Known, by Jiddu Krishnamurti\nThink on These Things, by Jiddu Krishnamurti\nThe Bhagavad Gita\nThe Grand Design, by Stephen Hawking",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bhagavad Gita",
          "reason": "Offered as a book suggestion in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient text",
        "hinduism",
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-bhagavad-gita-580304",
      "title": "The Bhagavad Gita",
      "author": "Translated by Eknath Easwaran",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13968164,
          "author": "rajesht",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T14:50:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13968164",
          "commentText": "Bhagavad Gita - translated by Eknath  Easwaran https://www.amazon.com/Bhagavad-Easwarans-Classics-Indian-Sp... (https://www.amazon.com/Bhagavad-Easwarans-Classics-Indian-Spirituality/dp/1586380192)\nEknath has a deep understanding of Indian spirituality, in first 75 or so pages he explains it beautifully. He also explains how Bhagwad Gita is a map of how to live a life. These teaching can be applied even today to live a good life without too much stress.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bhagavad Gita - translated by Eknath  Easwaran",
          "reason": "Says Easwaran explains its teachings beautifully and that they offer a map for living well with less stress.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Translated by Eknath Easwaran"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "indian spirituality",
        "life guidance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-bhagavad-gita-a-walkthrough-for-westerners-8e688d",
      "title": "The Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners",
      "author": "Jack Hawley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8111289,
          "author": "WorldWideWayne",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T22:11:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8111289",
          "commentText": "The Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners by Jack Hawley",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners by Jack Hawley",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a request for reading suggestions.",
          "audience": "Western readers seeking a walkthrough of the Bhagavad Gita.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jack Hawley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bhagavad gita",
        "hinduism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-bible-proves-the-teachings-of-the-catholic-church-b28eb7",
      "title": "The Bible Proves the Teachings of the Catholic Church",
      "author": "Brother Michael Dimond",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13804185,
          "author": "MK999",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:19:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804185",
          "commentText": "\"Streets are for People: A Primer for Americans\" -Bernard Rudofsky\n\"The Bible Proves the Teachings of the Catholic Church\" -Bro Michael Dimond",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Bible Proves the Teachings of the Catholic Church\" -Bro Michael Dimond",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed how people think.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brother Michael Dimond"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "catholic apologetics",
        "christianity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-big-book-of-alcoholics-anonymous-1a43c6",
      "title": "The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous",
      "author": "Alcoholics Anonymous",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17048482,
          "author": "coleifer",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T16:10:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17048482",
          "commentText": "War and Peace, Tolstoy. There are some tedious passages where Tolstoy develops a theory of history, but the realness of the characters, and their struggles to find themselves, is described better than any other book I've read. It's a beautiful story.\nThe Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous. Don't need to be an alcoholic to see that our efforts to run and order our lives often can end up making us more miserable. Read the first 164 pages.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Don't need to be an alcoholic to see that our efforts to run and order our lives often can end up making us more miserable.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as relevant even to non-alcoholics for its insight into attempts to control one's life.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in reflecting on how they try to run and order their lives.",
          "caveat": "Suggests reading the first 164 pages.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alcoholics Anonymous"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alcoholics anonymous",
        "recovery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-big-book-of-concepts-b854a6",
      "title": "The Big Book of Concepts",
      "author": "Mieke Bal",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12097680,
          "author": "selmat",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-14T22:28:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12097680",
          "commentText": "1. https://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Techniques-Models-Computer-P... (https://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Techniques-Models-Computer-Programming/dp/0262220695)\n2. https://www.amazon.com/Big-Book-Concepts-MIT-Press/dp/026263... (https://www.amazon.com/Big-Book-Concepts-MIT-Press/dp/0262632993/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468535286&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Big+Book+of+Concepts)\n3. https://www.amazon.com/Gödel-Escher-Bach-Eternal-Golden/dp/0... (https://www.amazon.com/Gödel-Escher-Bach-Eternal-Golden/dp/0465026567/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468535300&sr=8-1&keywords=escher+godel+bach)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://www.amazon.com/Big-Book-Concepts-MIT-Press/dp/026263...",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mieke Bal"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "concepts",
        "cultural theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-big-book-of-concepts-3e88bb",
      "title": "The Big Book of Concepts",
      "author": "Gregory L. Murphy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12099250,
          "author": "selmat",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T06:28:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12099250",
          "commentText": "Updated as new comment since two hours already elapsed\n[1] Concepts, Techniques, and Models of Computer Programming (MIT Press) - URL: https://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Techniques-Models-Computer-P... (https://www.amazon.com/Concepts-Techniques-Models-Computer-Programming/dp/0262220695)\n[2] The Big Book of Concepts (MIT Press)  - URL: https://www.amazon.com/Big-Book-Concepts-MIT-Press/dp/026263... (https://www.amazon.com/Big-Book-Concepts-MIT-Press/dp/0262632993/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468535286&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Big+Book+of+Concepts)\n[3] Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid - URL: https://www.amazon.com/Gödel-Escher-Bach-Eternal-Golden/dp/0... (https://www.amazon.com/Gödel-Escher-Bach-Eternal-Golden/dp/0465026567/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468535300&sr=8-1&keywords=escher+godel+bach)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Big Book of Concepts",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gregory L. Murphy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognitive science",
        "concepts"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-big-con-8aa9eb",
      "title": "The Big Con",
      "author": "David W. Maurer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15961428,
          "author": "jamestimmins",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:40:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961428",
          "commentText": "Recommend:\n1) The Power Broker - About Robert Moses, the most powerful city planner in New York from the 1930s to the 1960s. Great if you're interested in city planning, how people gain and exercise power, and the real politik of government.\n2) The Jungle - Remembered as an exposé of meatpacking, but really more than that. Phenomenal story about early 20th immigrants to Chicago trying to take part in the American Dream but struggling to survive. Surprisingly relevant today.\n3) The Big Con - Fascinating look at con artists in the first half of the 20th century.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Big Con - Fascinating look at con artists in the first half of the 20th century.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls its account of con artists fascinating.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in con artists and early 20th-century history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David W. Maurer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "con artists",
        "confidence games"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-big-nerd-ranch-guide-to-ios-development-ee9b29",
      "title": "The Big Nerd Ranch Guide to iOS Development",
      "author": "Big Nerd Ranch",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4967419,
          "author": "jlees",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T23:17:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967419",
          "commentText": "It Starts With Food was the book that has had the most significant impact on my life this year. Power, Speed, Endurance, which I recently got, has a shot at being the next most impactful.\nAmong Others was one of the most enjoyable fiction reads. Beautiful. Prep was also surprisingly good, and not something I would usually have read.\nLeading So People Will Follow surprisingly insightful and clearly actionable.\nThe Big Nerd Ranch's guide to iOS development carried me through last Christmas and the new year admirably. I haven't really read many programming books this year but it stands out as being well crafted.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Big Nerd Ranch's guide to iOS development carried me through last Christmas and the new year admirably.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the guide served them well; they call it well crafted.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have not read many programming books that year.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Big Nerd Ranch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ios development",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-big-orange-splot-32e077",
      "title": "The Big Orange Splot",
      "author": "Daniel Manus Pinkwater",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13805856,
          "author": "zardo",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T20:34:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805856",
          "commentText": "The Big Orange Splot",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Big Orange Splot",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Manus Pinkwater"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s picture book",
        "individuality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-big-oyster-4c5dba",
      "title": "The Big Oyster",
      "author": "Mark Kurlansky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6918222,
          "author": "o_nate",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-16T22:15:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6918222",
          "commentText": "One of these:\nRobert Bellah - Religion in Human Evolution\nFrank Kogan - Real Punks Don't Wear Black\nJerry McGill - Dear Marcus\nMark Kurlansky - The Big Oyster",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mark Kurlansky - The Big Oyster",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Kurlansky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "new york history",
        "oysters"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-big-sleep-aeefcf",
      "title": "The Big Sleep",
      "author": "Raymond Chandler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2526794,
          "author": "m0nastic",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-08T21:51:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 2526568,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2526794",
          "commentText": "I'm not sure about \"essential reading\", but I like most anything besides Science Fiction or Fantasy (probably the opposite of most folks here)\nSome of my top choices would be:\nAnything by Bulgakov (Heart of a Dog and Master and Margerita are both pretty widely available in English)\nBerlin Stories by Christopher Isherwood\nBurmese Days by George Orwell\nCakes and Ale by Somerset Maugham\nColor of Summer by Reinaldo Arenas\nWilliwaw by Gore Vidal\nThe Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s top choices.",
          "audience": "Readers who like fiction outside science fiction and fantasy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Raymond Chandler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "detective fiction",
        "noir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-big-time-c98e96",
      "title": "The Big Time",
      "author": "Fritz Leiber",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45652071,
          "author": "bix6",
          "createdAt": "2025-10-21T03:17:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 45651938,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45652071",
          "commentText": "Recently finished childhood’s end and the end of eternity, enjoyed both. Just started the big time… it’s odd so far lol we’ll see.\nEdit: also reading empire of AI. It’s insightful but not as fun of a read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Just started the big time… it’s odd so far lol we’ll see.",
          "reason": "Has only just started it and finds it odd so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure what they think so far.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fritz Leiber"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "time travel",
        "war across time"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-biggest-ideas-in-the-universe-space-time-and-motion-5c0776",
      "title": "The Biggest Ideas in the Universe: Space, Time, and Motion",
      "author": "Sean Carroll",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40436496,
          "author": "spicyusername",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-22T01:43:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40436496",
          "commentText": "The Biggest Ideas in the Universe 1: Space, Time and Motion by Sean Carroll\nVery approachable introduction to the math behind classical physics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Biggest Ideas in the Universe 1: Space, Time and Motion by Sean Carroll\nVery approachable introduction to the math behind classical physics.",
          "reason": "Described as a very approachable introduction to the mathematics of classical physics.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an accessible introduction to classical physics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sean Carroll"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classical physics",
        "space and time"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-billionaire-raj-a-journey-through-india-s-new-gilded-age-313c0c",
      "title": "The Billionaire Raj: A Journey Through India's New Gilded Age",
      "author": "James Crabtree",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18744608,
          "author": "wp381640",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T05:30:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744608",
          "commentText": "released this year and great reads:\n* Bad Blood - mentioned tons of times\n* Billion Dollar Whale - story of the 1MDB scandal\n* Black Edge - chronicles insider trading on wall street\n* The Billionaire Raj - about India's income inequality and ruling oligarchy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Billionaire Raj - about India's income inequality and ruling oligarchy",
          "reason": "Includes the book in a list of recent releases answering a favorite nonfiction books question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Crabtree"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "income inequality",
        "india"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-biology-of-belief-9c2137",
      "title": "The Biology of Belief",
      "author": "Bruce H. Lipton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2150409,
          "author": "kthodla",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-28T01:29:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2150409",
          "commentText": "The Biology of Belief by Bruce H. Lipton\nThe Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand\nThe Attractor Factor by Joe Vitale\nThe Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Biology of Belief by Bruce H. Lipton",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruce H. Lipton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "belief",
        "biology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-bird-way-32394e",
      "title": "The Bird Way",
      "author": "Jennifer Ackerman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30735764,
          "author": "jwood27",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:37:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735764",
          "commentText": "The following have all had a significant effect on my worldview. You can find more information at [1].\n- The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow\n- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\n- Crime and Punishment\n- The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York\n- Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies\n- The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity\n- Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead\n- Franny and Zooey\n- Master of the Senate\n- Atlas Shrugged\n- Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed\n- Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap?\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\n- The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics\n- The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don't\n- Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans\n- Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\n- Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World\n- Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones\n- Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow\n- Ethics in the Real World: 86 Brief Essays on Things that Matter\n- A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life\n- Humankind: A Hopeful History\n- The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think\n[1] https://jacobw.xyz/books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think",
          "reason": "Listed among books that significantly affected the commenter’s worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jennifer Ackerman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "animal cognition",
        "bird behavior"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-birth-of-plenty-5d128a",
      "title": "The Birth of Plenty",
      "author": "William J. Bernstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23858983,
          "author": "jakozaur",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:53:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858983",
          "commentText": "Forward looking:\nDisunited Nations: The Scramble for Power in an Ungoverned World\nDoughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist\nAI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order\nHistorical:\nThe Birth of Plenty: How the Prosperity of the Modern World was Created\nWhy Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty\nGeneral:\nPredictably Irrational, Revised and Expanded Edition: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions\nThe Square and the Tower: Networks and Power, from the Freemasons to Facebook",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Birth of Plenty: How the Prosperity of the Modern World was Created",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William J. Bernstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic growth",
        "modern history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-birth-of-a-theorem-d0d8bf",
      "title": "The Birth of a Theorem",
      "author": "Cédric Villani",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18755056,
          "author": "madrafi",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-25T00:21:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18755056",
          "commentText": "- Rationality From AI to Zombies (huge collection of essays about (rationality,intelligence,quantum physics,bayesian probability,philosophy...) that can be read on lesswrong.com)\n-Intuition Pumps and other Thinking Tools\n-Sapiens\n-Edward.O Wilson Letters to a young scientist\n-Cédric Villani Birth of a Theorem\n-Emanuel Derman Models Behaving Badly\n-Letters From A Stoic by Seneca\n-Mathematics it's contents methods 3 Volumes (Aleksandrov et al.)\n-Nick Bostrom Superinteligence\n-The Moral Animal by Robert Wright",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cédric Villani Birth of a Theorem",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite nonfiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cédric Villani"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical research"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-birth-of-the-modern-world-society-1815-1830-3f69d9",
      "title": "The Birth of the Modern: World Society 1815–1830",
      "author": "Paul Johnson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14747047,
          "author": "jboggan",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T19:08:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14747047",
          "commentText": "\"Modern Times\" and \"The Birth of the Modern\" by Paul Johnson which cover world history from 1919-1989 and 1815-1830 respectively. Amazing histories written in a breadth and exploratory depth that illuminate so much of the past and make the present more understandable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Modern Times\" and \"The Birth of the Modern\" by Paul Johnson",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of histories praised for illuminating the past and making the present more understandable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Johnson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "19th century history",
        "modern history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-black-art-of-video-game-console-design-cb6d8a",
      "title": "The Black Art of Video Game Console Design",
      "author": "Andre LaMothe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21767643,
          "author": "e9",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-11T22:52:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 21765528,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fun Tech Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21767643",
          "commentText": "Simple and fun to read + you build full game console and games for it. Has more practical knowledge than my full undergrad degree in Computer Engineering:\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Black-Video-Game-Console-Design/dp/06... (https://www.amazon.com/Black-Video-Game-Console-Design/dp/0672328208)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Simple and fun to read + you build full game console and games for it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is fun to read and teaches through building a game console and games.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in building game consoles and games.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andre LaMothe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "console design",
        "game development",
        "video game hardware"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-black-banners-the-inside-story-of-9-11-and-the-war-against-al-2c889d",
      "title": "The Black Banners: The Inside Story of 9/11 and the War Against al-Qaeda",
      "author": "Ali H. Soufan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15961256,
          "author": "strictnein",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:22:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961256",
          "commentText": "Sorry, this got a little longer than I meant it to be\n- Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed - It's over 20 years old now but still really good, especially if you're into planes like the U-2, F-117, and SR-71\nIf you're wanting a deeper understanding of the other side of the war on terror, I'd recommend the following:\n- I Was Told to Come Alone: My Journey Behind the Lines of Jihad\n- Salafi-Jihadism: The History of an Idea\n- The Way of the Strangers: Encounters with the Islamic State\n- After the Prophet: The Epic Story of the Shia-Sunni Split in Islam\n- The Black Banners: The Inside Story of 9/11 and the War Against al-Qaeda\nIf you're wanting a dive into Russia:\n- The Invention of Russia: From Gorbachev's Freedom to Putin's War\n- The Red Web: The Struggle Between Russia's Digital Dictators and the New Online Revolutionaries\n- Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible: The Surreal Heart of the New Russia\nIf you're wanting true Spy stuff:\n- The Billion Dollar Spy: A True Story of Cold War Espionage and Betrayal\n- The Spy's Son: The True Story of the Highest-Ranking CIA Officer Ever Convicted of Espionage and the Son He Trained to Spy for Russia\n- Left of Boom: How a Young CIA Case Officer Penetrated the Taliban and Al-Qaeda (the author is a little full of himself, but still, it's interesting)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Black Banners: The Inside Story of 9/11 and the War Against al-Qaeda",
          "reason": "Recommended for a deeper understanding of the other side of the war on terror.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a deeper understanding of the other side of the war on terror.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ali H. Soufan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "9 11",
        "al qaeda",
        "counterterrorism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-black-book-551104",
      "title": "The Black Book",
      "author": "Orhan Pamuk",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1026940,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T07:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026940",
          "commentText": "I got myself a Sony Reader mid-2009 and started reading about twice more than I had been before. 2009 was also the first year in which I wasn't too lazy to document which books I read (I'm really glad I wasn't). Here're some of the favourites this year:\nClassics:\nKafka's The Process and America - both stunning novels that deserve to be read as much as his most famous, The Castle.\nJan Potocki, The Manuscript Found in Saragossa - a trippy collection of tales organised in multiple nested frames.\nScott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby.\nLeo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina. Still as breathtaking as I'd remembered it from the previous reading five years ago.\nScience Fiction:\nGene Wolfe, The Book of the New Sun. Wolfe, whom I hadn't read before, turns out to be in a class of his own. It's literary SF, overwhelmingly masterful and beautiful in its prose and characters, yet it could give any hardcore SF novel a run in terms of its ideas. It demands and richly rewards a close reading. I'll be reading more Wolfe in 2010.\nTed Chiang, collected stories. Chiang writes only stories, and has written just a few of them, but nearly every one is a gem. Read Understand on the web (http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/stories/under.htm) to see if you like his style - I do.\nVernor Vinge, A Deepness in the Sky, The Peace War, Marooned in Realtime. All great novels, but start from A Fire Upon the Deep (I read that in 2008) if you haven't read Vinge before, it's the best introduction.\nGreg Egan, Diaspora, Quarantine, Distress. Egan is the best hardcore SF author out there. _Diaspora_ is a fascinating take on shared simulated reality that's very different from the usual fare. Quarantine will appeal to your inner quantum mechanical geek.\nContemporary fiction:\nPynchon, V. Pynchon is the best novelist we've got. I recommend The Crying of the Lot 49 as the best Pynchon to start from; V is more difficult and much longer, but rewards the patience. I still can't get over the fact that Pynchon wrote and published this novel when he was 26.\nOrhan Pamuk, The Black Book.\nAnnie Proulx, Fine Just The Way It Is. A new collection of stories from the best writer about rural America out there. Three are extraordinary, two so-so, the rest very good.\nNon-fiction:\nW. Sidney Allen, Vox Graeca and Vox Latina. If you want to know how ancient Greek and Latin sounded, these are the books to read.\nElizabeth Lloyd. The Case Of The Female Orgasm. An interesting study into how available evolutionary explanations of female orgasm fail in various ways. This is a book about evolutionary biology and its methodological soundness as much as it is about explaining female orgasm.\nComputer-related:\nPeter Seibel, Coders at Work. A fantastic collection of interview with great programmers. The one 2009 book no hacker should be without.\nSqueak by Example. Does a great job of explaining Smalltalk in general and Squeak in particular.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Orhan Pamuk, The Black Book.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Orhan Pamuk"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "turkish literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-black-book-of-communism-54a320",
      "title": "The Black Book of Communism",
      "author": "Stéphane Courtois et al.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40879298,
          "author": "rufus_foreman",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-05T01:35:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40879298",
          "commentText": "The Black Book of Communism.\nAmong other things, it discusses the famine in China under Mao in the late 1950's and early 1960's.\nSome families traded children with each other. That way, they could kill and eat someone else's children instead of killing and eating their own.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Black Book of Communism.\nAmong other things, it discusses the famine in China under Mao",
          "reason": "Names the book and recounts a disturbing account of famine and survival.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stéphane Courtois et al."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "communism",
        "historical atrocities",
        "mao era china"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-black-count-glory-revolution-betrayal-and-the-real-count-of-m-434577",
      "title": "The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo",
      "author": "Tom Reiss",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42566928,
          "author": "WillAdams",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-01T16:16:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42566928",
          "commentText": "I would highly recommend pairing that with _The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo_ by Tom Reiss --- it's a fascinating look at that period of history.\nFor fun, if you like fantasy, Steven Brust's _The Baron of Magister Valley_ is delightful, one of his \"Paarfi Romances\" it is TCoMC w/ the names changed and serial numbers filed off in a fantasy world (which is actually a science-fictional one as noted on Penny Arcade).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would highly recommend pairing that with _The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo_ by Tom Reiss --- it's a fascinating look at that period of history.",
          "reason": "Highly recommends it as a fascinating look at that historical period.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Suggested as a companion to the book in the parent comment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Reiss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alexandre dumas",
        "french revolution",
        "general thomas alexandre dumas"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-black-death-in-egypt-and-england-a-comparative-study-7bca65",
      "title": "The Black Death in Egypt and England: A Comparative Study",
      "author": "Stuart J. Borsch",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22868861,
          "author": "rz2k",
          "createdAt": "2020-04-14T17:33:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 22861452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading to make sense of the economy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22868861",
          "commentText": "Right now I am reading The Black Death in Egypt and England: a comparative study by Stuart Borsch. It compares the macroeconomic effects of the black death in England in Egypt. The relative power of the aristocracy to control or fail to control the supply and price of labor not only affected wages in the short term but agricultural productivity and eventually the foundation for industrialization and entrepreneurship.\nI am only a third of the way through, but it so far seems thoroughly researched, without the dodgy understanding of economics in many (most?)  historical nonfiction books. The only potential problem is that I want to believe that the dystopian sounding world ruled by mamluks was an economic disaster waiting to happen, so I am wary of my reading being overly credulous. It could be that irrigation dependent agriculture was more brittle infrastructure, but I haven't yet had time to finish or digest the book yet.\nFrom the introduction\nEngland:\n> In spite of the disputes over many significant issues, scholars agree about certain aspects of the outcome in Western Europe, particularly northwestern Europe. In many areas, urban and rural wages rose, land rents declined, grain prices dropped, agricultural output became more diversified, and unemployment levels decreased. Furthermore, the percentage decrease of agrarian and total output was less than that of the population, and per capita incomes rose. Overall economic recovery was largely completed by the year 1500. Landholding systems were transformed, and the manorial system, which was on the wane in some areas, collapsed in many parts of Western Europe, and was replaced by tenant farming or small peasant landholdings. Where these conclusions are accepted, they are often accepted as an axiomatic response to the relative scarcity of labor and the abundance of land that accompanied depopulation. The concessions that landlords made to peasants also seem to be an obvious consequence of the relative scarcity of rural labor.\nEgypt:\n> Wages dropped precipitously, land rents increased, grain prices rose, agricultural output became less diversified, and unemployment levels increased. The percentage decrease in agrarian and total output was greater than that of the population, and per capita incomes plummeted. The landholding system did not undergo a radical transformation, and the aristocracy was able to successfully contest the demands of scarce rural labor. Furthermore, economic recovery was nowhere in sight by 1500; the agrarian system lay in ruins, and agricultural output had declined by approximately sixty-eight percent.\n[1] https://smile.amazon.com/Black-Death-Egypt-England-Comparati... (https://smile.amazon.com/Black-Death-Egypt-England-Comparative-dp-0292706170/dp/0292706170)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Right now I am reading The Black Death in Egypt and England: a comparative study by Stuart Borsch.",
          "reason": "Compares the macroeconomic effects of the Black Death in England and Egypt.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is only a third of the way through and has not finished or digested it; they are wary of a potentially overly credulous reading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stuart J. Borsch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "black death",
        "economic history",
        "medieval egypt and england"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-black-indies-5b34f5",
      "title": "The Black Indies",
      "author": "Jules Verne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20918199,
          "author": "idoubtit",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T13:58:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20918199",
          "commentText": "When I was a child, I loved Jules Vernes' novels. My favorite were \"L'île mystérieuse\" et \"Michel Strogoff\". I've read them again after a few decades, and I enjoyed them both.\n\"L'île mystérieuse\" is the survival adventure of a small and disparate group, but the main theme is how science can dominate nature. The mystery part is better enjoyed if the reader knows a bit of Jules Verne' other books.\n\"Michel Strogoff\" is a pure and romantic adventure in Russia, at the time of the Tatar invasions. It was sometimes brutal for a child reader, but I could still remember many scenes thirty years later.\nOther good novels are \"Voyage au centre de la terre\", \"Vingt-mille lieues sous les mers\", \"Cinq semaines en ballon\", \"Le tour du monde en 80 jours\", \"Les indes noires\". I've a few others which I enjoyed at a lesser point.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Les indes noires\"",
          "reason": "Includes it among other good novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jules Verne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure",
        "mining"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-black-jacobins-b01d29",
      "title": "The Black Jacobins",
      "author": "C. L. R. James",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 407263,
          "author": "thomasmallen",
          "createdAt": "2008-12-23T04:16:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 407067,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Let's start a Hacker News book club",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=407263",
          "commentText": "I'll briefly recommend \"The Black Jacobins\" by CLR James: A classical quasi-Marxist study of Toussaint L'Ouverture and the Haitian Revolution (the only widely successful slave revolt). Toussaint hacked the slave trade, colonial oppression, and the pernicious influence of the French, Spanish, English, and self-interested bourgeoisie mulattoes.\nI'm about half-way through it right now. Good book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'll briefly recommend \"The Black Jacobins\" by CLR James",
          "reason": "Calls it a good book and recommends it; describes its study of Toussaint L'Ouverture and the Haitian Revolution.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the Haitian Revolution and Toussaint L'Ouverture.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are only about halfway through.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "C. L. R. James"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "haitian revolution",
        "toussaint l ouverture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-black-lizard-big-book-of-locked-room-mysteries-c7adc2",
      "title": "The Black Lizard Big Book of Locked-Room Mysteries",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29671866,
          "author": "leeuw01",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T09:12:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29671866",
          "commentText": "Non-Fiction: The Pyramid Principle - Logic in Writing and Thinking.\nAlthough the writing techniques the author presents sound obvious in hindsight, having them all-in one place as an comprehensive framework you can follow helped me a lot for the writing and research in my work\nFiction: The Black Lizard Big Book of Locked-Room Mysteries\nA curated and annotated collection of locked-room mystery stories. All the stories are accompagnied by a small introduction into the author and the main character written by the curator. His enthousiasm shows in these small introductions, making the stories themselves even better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Black Lizard Big Book of Locked-Room Mysteries",
          "reason": "A curated collection of locked-room mystery stories; the introductions enhance the stories.",
          "audience": "Readers of locked-room mysteries.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "locked room mysteries",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-blacktongue-thief-a6d8e2",
      "title": "The Blacktongue Thief",
      "author": "Christopher Buehlman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32197956,
          "author": "zachwill",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:40:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197956",
          "commentText": "grugq recommended The Blacktongue Thief a few months ago, and it was fantastic: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29670545\nSince then, I've read several of the author's other books — and recently I've been re-listening to The First Law trilogy. (Steven Pacey is the best Audible narrator in the game.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "grugq recommended The Blacktongue Thief a few months ago, and it was fantastic",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was fantastic after another user recommended it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher Buehlman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure fantasy",
        "dark fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-blind-spot-lectures-on-logic-8c300b",
      "title": "The Blind Spot: Lectures on Logic",
      "author": "Jean-Yves Girard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35933133,
          "author": "lambdaxymox",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T21:50:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35933133",
          "commentText": "Jean Yves-Girard's thinking evolved from analytic philosophy to continental philosophy over the course of his life, and in this book in particular, some of his asides and polemics critique how we conceptualize truth, knowledge, and logic, and how other fields conceptualize that stuff, from a continental perspective. The fact that this kind of stuff turned up in a mathematical logic book of all places really struck me. It put me on a path to taking a more serious interest in the continental school, and reading more of it (currently chewing on Gilles Deleuze and Bruno Latour). It's a very unusual and difficult book, that led me to very different (compared to what I am used to, anyway) modes of thinking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "in this book in particular, some of his asides and polemics critique how we conceptualize truth, knowledge, and logic",
          "reason": "The book sparked a more serious interest in continental philosophy and new modes of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as unusual and difficult.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 35929689,
          "author": "lambdaxymox",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T16:04:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35929689",
          "commentText": "The Blind Spot: Lectures On Logic by Jean Yves-Girard\nFor context, Girard is a mathematical logician, philosopher, and co-discoverer of the type system System F (Haskell, ML, etc.). The book is a monograph on proof theory, and I was interested in learning more about affine and linear logic to deepen my understanding of Rust and other language ecosystems focused around the ability to explicitly model resources. However, along the way, I learned some other great things: (1) continental philosophy is deep and cool; (2) mathematical writing can be simultaneously rigorous, clear, and hilarious; and it reinforced (alongside Alain Connes's Noncommutative Geometry, and various French philosophers) (3) French academic writing is both frustratingly and delightfully idiosyncratic. Girard writes polemically about other aspects of knowledge, mathematics, etc., and there's heaps of dry humor and anecdotes throughout the book. It's a hard book to read even by pure mathematics standards--a topic not exactly known for being a brisk read--but it was worth it just for the side discoveries alone.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Blind Spot: Lectures On Logic by Jean Yves-Girard",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was worth reading for its side discoveries, humor, and anecdotes.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in proof theory, affine and linear logic, or mathematical writing.",
          "caveat": "Hard to read, even by pure mathematics standards.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jean-Yves Girard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Philosophy",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "continental philosophy",
        "linear logic",
        "mathematical logic",
        "proof theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-blitzkrieg-legend-the-1940-campaign-in-the-west-f8777d",
      "title": "The Blitzkrieg Legend: The 1940 Campaign in the West",
      "author": "Karl-Heinz Frieser",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17521978,
          "author": "wazoox",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T11:26:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521978",
          "commentText": "Here is a quick list of the last great books I've read which are available in English (some 'Ive read in other languages):\n- History of Western Philosophy, by Bertrand Russell :\n   This is a wonderful book. Read it.\n- Why the West rules -- for now, Ian Morris :\n   How geography drives history. really deep and thought-provoking.\n- the Strange Defeat, Marc Bloch :\n   A gripping, living narration of the French armies collapse in 1940, from the inside (Marc Bloch was an officer). With a very deep analysis of the long maturing reasons for this defeat.\n- Histories of Alexander the Great, Quintus Curtius Rufus :\n   The title says it all. Very elegant Latin prose.\n- The Golden Ass, Apuleius :\n   A funny story and an immortal classic.\n- The Blitzkrieg Legend: The 1940 Campaign in the West, Karl-Heinz Frieser :\n   For true military history geeks :)\nI notice that these are either classics, or history. Well, so be it :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For true military history geeks :)",
          "reason": "Recommends it to military history enthusiasts.",
          "audience": "Military history enthusiasts.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Karl-Heinz Frieser"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "campaign history",
        "military history",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-blood-oranges-1fe237",
      "title": "The Blood Oranges",
      "author": "John Hawkes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33383086,
          "author": "cousin_it",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T11:28:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33383086",
          "commentText": "Madonna in a Fur Coat, by Sahabattin Ali - a short Turkish novel published in 1943, sad and charming, reminds me of Somerset Maugham.\nThe Blood Oranges, by John Hawkes - he's a postmodern writer, but this short novel is pretty straightforward. The narrator is the best-written hedonist Casanova I've ever read, and the novel explores both the perks and the fallout of this outlook on life. Maybe read alongside The Girl in a Swing by Richard Adams, which explores similar issues and is also extremely good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Blood Oranges, by John Hawkes",
          "reason": "Praised as a straightforward postmodern novel exploring the perks and fallout of hedonism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The author is described as postmodern, though this novel is called straightforward.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Hawkes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hedonism",
        "postmodern literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-bloodline-feud-77b0a1",
      "title": "The Bloodline Feud",
      "author": "Charles Stross",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15963577,
          "author": "wink",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T19:52:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15963577",
          "commentText": "1. Off to Be the Wizard (Scott Meyer) - Very good.\n2. Ready Player One (Ernest Cline) - I liked it although it's kinda ridiculous and one-sided.\n3. The Bloodline Feud (Charles Stross) - Actually part 1&2 of a series. Really need to continue, very good. I'd say this was not \"oh I know what will happen next\" which is kinda rare.\n4. The Graveyard Book (Neil Gaiman) - It's ok, but not as good as I had hoped.\n5. Coraline (Neil Gaiman) - It's a children's book, and very short, but I liked it a lot.\n6. Accelerated C++ (Koening/Moo) - Not finished, I was under the impression it's \"C++ for programmers well-versed in other languages\" and for that it's a bit slow-starting, but not bad I guess\nI really need to read more. :|",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Really need to continue, very good.",
          "reason": "Calls it very good; identifies it as parts 1 and 2 of a series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not continued the series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Stross"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternate history",
        "time travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-blue-book-ec0833",
      "title": "The Blue Book",
      "author": "Ludwig Wittgenstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503658,
          "author": "Mentat_Enki",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T14:13:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503658",
          "commentText": "Technically, HE himself, as in Plato, first person, never says 'the physical world is bad'.  However, if you study his work, you will find that this notion is indeed carried out in the words and actions of his protagonist, Socrates.\nFor example, and maybe the best example: Socrates, laying on his back as the numbness and cold from the hemlock worked its way from his legs upward after willingly drinking it, removed the cloth that had been laid across his face and said \"Oh... don't forget to sacrifice a cock to Asclepius for me...\".  This phrase, which was also used by Steinbeck in \"The Moon is Down\" in a similar context, is taken to mean \"please go an make an offering to the God of Ailments & Cures, as I have been cured of the curses of the physical world by death, and am going to a much better place...\"\nAlso, Plato's take wasn't that the physical world was \"bad\" so much as it was composed of imperfect instances of the \"Forms\"; Reality as mere shadows and projections of purer, more abstract concepts.\nI take slight issue, however, with you denigrating \"secondary materials\" with a broad stroke.  There are some really very good, objective analyses of Plato (Vlastos, et. al.) that actually provide a great deal of insight from time to time by explaining some of the idioms and pre-conceived notions of the time and culture that are necessarily understood to be placed in the proper context to understand the dialogue.\nFor my 2¢, I say to the OP: Wittgenstein.  The \"Brown\" and \"Blue\" books.  Very interesting, modern philosophy that deals with semantic meaning and the binding of semantics to syntax and lexicon.  Very intriguing stuff.  Oh, and the guy was a kindergarden teacher, so you KNOW he had balls of steel. ;)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wittgenstein.  The \"Brown\" and \"Blue\" books.  Very interesting, modern philosophy",
          "reason": "Calls these books very interesting and recommends Wittgenstein to the original poster.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in modern philosophy and meaning.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ludwig Wittgenstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "semantics",
        "wittgenstein"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-blue-castle-b068fd",
      "title": "The Blue Castle",
      "author": "L. M. Montgomery",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41178889,
          "author": "curry798",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T07:00:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41178889",
          "commentText": "Romeo and Juliet\nhe Blue Castle: a novel by L. M. Montgomery\nA Room with a View by E. M. Forster",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "he Blue Castle: a novel by L. M. Montgomery",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite classic books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The title appears with an apparent missing initial letter in the comment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "L. M. Montgomery"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "canadian literature",
        "romance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-blue-cliff-record-589995",
      "title": "The Blue Cliff Record",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33599995,
          "author": "senko",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-14T19:54:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33599995",
          "commentText": "I found \"Real Zen for real life\" by Bret W. Davis pretty approachable.\nIt's from The Great Courses, but also available as audiobook on Audible.\nBTW he also recommends the same book (gateless gate + blue cliff records, same translation) as the parent poster.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "he also recommends the same book (gateless gate + blue cliff records, same translation) as the parent poster.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the lecturer recommends this Zen text.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned alongside The Gateless Gate as the same translation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "koans",
        "zen buddhism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-blue-economy-760864",
      "title": "The Blue Economy",
      "author": "Gunter Pauli",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18485549,
          "author": "piocho",
          "createdAt": "2018-11-19T11:05:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 18473561,
          "threadTitle": "Best book/paper you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18485549",
          "commentText": "Gunter Pauli - The Blue Economy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gunter Pauli - The Blue Economy",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the thread's question about the best book read in 2018.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gunter Pauli"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "circular economy",
        "sustainable business"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-boat-rocker-6b3ce8",
      "title": "The Boat Rocker",
      "author": "Ha Jin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12475387,
          "author": "fitzwatermellow",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T20:07:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12475387",
          "commentText": "There is some remarkable fiction coming out this season by some of the best:\nJonathan Safran Foer's Here I Am\nZadie Smith's Swing Time\nIan McEwan's Nutshell\nColson Whitehead's The Underground Railroad\nCarl Hiassan's Razor Girl\nAlan Moore's Jerusalem\nJonathan Lethem's A Gamber's Anatomy\nHa Jin's The Boat Rocker\nT.C. Boyle's The Terranauts\nMichael Chabon's Moonglow\nCormac McCarthy's The Passenger\nI've got plenty of friends who never touch fiction because \"it's not real\". Preferring science, history, economics, biography and virtually anything else. But I think its obligatory at times. The soul requires it's own nourishment, if not more so than the body and the mind. Indulge yourself. If only because great writing will make your writing greater, as if by osmosis. But ultimately, because only fiction can uncover the truths that can't be revealed any other way ;)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ha Jin's The Boat Rocker",
          "reason": "Included in a list of remarkable fiction; the comment urges readers to indulge in fiction.",
          "audience": "Readers who tend to avoid fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ha Jin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "contemporary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-body-1be0e4",
      "title": "The Body",
      "author": "Charles Colson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30746251,
          "author": "kcartlidge",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T20:24:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30746251",
          "commentText": "- Total Freedom by Jiddu Krishnamurti.\nInitially this came across as shallow truths masquerading as profundity, especially with his unwillingness/inability to explain himself during discussions. Finally I read enough that some things just 'clicked' into place and my perspectives shifted along with my outlook on life.\n- Letters from the Desert by Carlo Carretto (first half).\nI was brought up a protestant so was never really exposed to catholic thought in my formative years. When I finally started exploring the classics for myself I found them often overly wordy and mystical, so I moved on to more modern (relatively speaking) works like this and the Way of the Pilgrim too. The simplicity of the writing and the clarity of the thoughts in the first few chapters of Letters from the Desert hit me hard.\n- The Quran\nA wonderfully phrased book that captures its times very well. Ideally to be read alongside something like Islam: A Short History or Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet, both by Karen Armstrong, to provide the context.\nAs an aside the Qu'ran is available for free online in audio format both as interlinear English/Arabic but also as Arabic only, and as a non-speaker of Arabic I often find listening to it being chanted a very calming and uplifting experience despite having no clue what is being said.\n- Getting Real by 37 Signals.\nAs a programmer/developer/engineer since the late 1980s this was a revelation, bringing a clarity to my own thoughts and feelings about much of the world of enterprise software development. Very obvious points in retrospect that nobody ever (including me) seemed to have realised during my entire career before then.\n- Web Copy that Sells by Maria Veloso.\nA strange choice, given that there is nothing 'profound' in here. What it is, though, is a very well written book on persuasion which finally got me to see that I'd spent years avoiding 'sales' as something that wasn't for me whereas in reality it's for everyone and we do it all the time.\n- The Body by Charles Colson.\nColson was jailed for his part in the Nixon stuff, then became a Christian. It's an incredibly moving book which is not his autobiography but an analysis of what is going wrong with the church. The impact comes from the stories he relates at the start of the chapters (especially the opening ones about 9/11). Those tales gave me an understanding of the potential 'greatness' in people.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Body by Charles Colson.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it moving and says its stories helped them see people's potential for greatness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It is an analysis of what is going wrong with the church, not an autobiography.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Colson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christianity",
        "church"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-body-keeps-the-score-brain-mind-and-body-in-the-healing-of-tr-225594",
      "title": "The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma",
      "author": "Bessel van der Kolk",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30241379,
          "author": "Shared404",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T07:22:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241379",
          "commentText": "Not for everyone, but those who it is for very much should read this - but not without understanding that it can be quite triggering at times. :\n  The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma   \n  -Bessel van der Kolk\n\nIt's not an easy read for said people, but very worthwhile. Was introduced at a friends place and got a little ways in, waiting to pick up my own copy now.\nEdit:\nAlso \"The Art of War\" is fun. It mostly boils down to common sense, but it's interesting to see application of first principles to ancient warfare.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Not for everyone, but those who it is for very much should read this - but not without understanding that it can be quite triggering at times.",
          "reason": "Recommends it to those it suits, while noting that it can be triggering and difficult.",
          "audience": "People for whom the book is relevant; the commenter does not specify further.",
          "caveat": "Can be triggering and is not an easy read; commenter has only read part and is waiting to get a copy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bessel van der Kolk"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mental health",
        "trauma"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-body-in-pain-14c022",
      "title": "The Body in Pain",
      "author": "Elaine Scarry",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15630924,
          "author": "mbrock",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T18:57:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630924",
          "commentText": "Gödel, Escher, Bach awakened my intellectual curiosity about formal systems and other autistic modes of beauty as a teenager. After \"The Selfish Gene\" it was the first book I bought and read on my own volition, so I have to credit it as a major influence.\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs for showing that you can think rigorously and compose beautiful programs out of simple pieces.\nContingency, Irony, and Solidarity by Richard Rorty for showing that it's possible to think and feel about politics while maintaining a profoundly ironic and groundless mind.\nThe Body in Pain by Elaine Scarry for its beautiful view of civilization as materialized caring and of the inflicting of pain as metaphysically destructive.\nBeing-in-the-world by Dreyfus for introducing me to Heidegger and showing how continental philosophy inspired by Heidegger was a major force in the evolution of AI and how AI researchers tended to be influenced by rationalist philosophy in the vein of Descartes which leads to huge misunderstandings of the nature of being.\nDhammapada translated by Gil Fronsdal because it's a beautiful exposition of early Buddhist poetry and clearly shows the worldview of south east Asian Buddhism.\nDebt by David Graeber for making me interested in money and credit systems from an anthropological point of view.\nA Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace for being hilarious and sad and buzzing with neurotic perceptive overeducated thought in a way that mirrored my own precocious self-consciousness and made me feel less \"marooned in my own skull.\"\nThe Uses of Disorder by Richard Sennett for giving a defense of the anarchy of urban life that views conflict as necessary for growth.\nAfter Virtue by Alisdair MacIntyre for showing the contemporary situation in thought and ethics as profoundly abnormal and difficult, being the aftermath of the Enlightenment project's failure to ground morality in objective reason, and pointing to virtue within traditions as the only way to live coherently.\nThe Teachings of Huang-bo for being a merciless and hilarious attack on sanctimonious and ritualistic Buddhism, displaying the role of sarcasm and wit in spirituality, and generally just shouting \"wake up, lazy pretentious idiot\" on every page.\nFanged Noumena by Nick Land for diving deeply into amphetaminic insanity thus accurately mirroring the schizophrenia of postmodern capitalism.\nThe letters of Van Gogh.\nPhillip Lopate's personal essays.\nHyperobjects by Timothy Morton.\nOn the Origins of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Body in Pain by Elaine Scarry for its beautiful view of civilization as materialized caring and of the inflicting of pain as metaphysically destructive.",
          "reason": "Praises its view of civilization, care, and the destructive nature of inflicted pain.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Elaine Scarry"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ethics",
        "pain"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-body-a-guide-for-occupants-a4a361",
      "title": "The Body: A Guide for Occupants",
      "author": "Bill Bryson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38557052,
          "author": "wabbledwillow",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T14:57:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557052",
          "commentText": "The Body: A Guide for Occupants  \nby Bill Bryson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Body: A Guide for Occupants  \nby Bill Bryson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Bryson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human body",
        "popular science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-bomb-a586e7",
      "title": "The Bomb",
      "author": "Fred Kaplan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34160619,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:11:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160619",
          "commentText": "This year I've put myself to the challenge to read at least one book per week which I primarily could complete by reading in the middle of the night while holding our sleeping baby in my arms. It has been an interesting challenge which gave me a lot of fulfilment and has certainly changed my mind on how I view the world. This comment became quite a long read, apologies for that.\nBooks I highly recommend:\nChurchill by Andrew Roberts (p:1105)\nA biography about one of the most interesting figures in politics and WWII. Roberts gives a very detailed description of the life of Churchill and manages to keep you interested the entire length of the book.\nThe God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (p:374)\nIn The God Delusion Dawkins gives arguments why there is no God, why we do not need a God and why religion is damaging to our society. If you are religious it might not be the book for you unless you are open to hear his arguments and line of reasoning. Dawkins will challenge your worldview.\nThe Bomb by Fred Kaplan (p:384)\nKaplan describes the policy of different US presidents on the atomic bomb and war in general. And primarily on the inability of US presidents and policy-makers to tune down its military. A chilling read which makes you appreciate a nuclear holocaust did not happen (yet)....\nPoor Economics by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo (p:320)\nBanerjee and Duflo give a gripping portrait of how poor people live. They offer an insight in the choices and decisions people make surviving on less than 1 USD a day (corrected for purchasing power). It made me completely rethink my own view on poverty and development aid; stressing even more that in order to help one need to have a complete understanding of the individual's situation and the local boundary conditions.\nProject Hail Mary  by Andy Weir (p:476)\nThis book triggered my science fiction reading. For some reason I never was interested in science fiction. Most likely triggered by reading Foundation by Asimov a few years back which apparently is not a book to my taste. But Andy Weir completely annihilated that wrong perspective on science fiction. Project Hail Mary is interesting, funny and gripping book.\nKindred by Octavia Butler  (p:287)\nThis book.... From page one I was hooked and almost read it in one go. Butler is a wonderful author and Kindred is a must-read. The book is about a woman traveling back in time to end up on a slave plantation. It's a chilling account of slavery.\nOther books I read this year, ask me anything about one of these books. I've added a + if I think its worth a recommendation\nBiography:\nNavalny by Dollbaum, Lallouet and Noble (p:280); The Man from the Future by Ananyo Bhattacharya (p:354) +\nSociology; Politics; Economics; Business:\nOnly the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove (p:224); The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli  (p:140); Winter is Coming by Garry Kasparov (p:290); Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum (p:224) +; Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl (p:164) +; We Are Bellingcat by Eliot Higgins (p:272); De Zeven Vinkjes by Joris Luyendijk (p:200); Waarom vuilnismannen meer verdienen dan bankiers by Rutger Bregman (p:104)\nComedy: The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (p:336)\nHistory:\nBand of Brothers  by Stephen E. Ambrose (p:432); The Nuclear Jihadist by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins (p:413) +; The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre (p:384) +; De Heineken Ontvoering by Peter R. de Vries (p:347); Red Famine by Anne Apllebaum (p:384); Night by Elie Wiesel (p:115) +\nScience, Technology, Mathematics:\nFermat's Enigma by Simon Singh (p:315) +; A Mathematician's Apology by G.H. Hardy (p:153); The Great Influenza by John M. Barry (p:546); The Rise and Fall of the Dinousaurs by Stephen Brusatte (p:404) ++; The Double Helix by James Watson (p:144)\nSport:\nRun or Die by Killian Jornet (p:208); The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton  (p:290) +; The Rise of the Ultra Runners by  (p:304); Tom Dumoulin by Patrick Bernhart (p:203)\nFiction:\nAnthem by Ayn Rand (p:105); Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (p:704); The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (p:566); Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (p:466); Live and Let die by Ian Fleming  (p:229)\nClassics:\nA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (p:104); The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (p:201); The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald (p:180); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (p:139); Animal Farm by George Orwell (p:122) +; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (p:227) +; The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (p:118)\nScience Fiction:\nThe Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (p:399); All Systems Red  by Martha Wells (p:144) +; A Memory Called Empire  by Arkady Martine (p:462) +; A Psalm built for the Wild by Becky Chambers (p:160); Dune by Frank Herbert (p:658); Foundation by Isaac Asimov (p:244); The Martian by Andy Weir (p:384) +;\nThe Forever War by Joe Haldeman (p:278)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bomb by Fred Kaplan",
          "reason": "Describes US presidents' policies on nuclear weapons and war, and the difficulty of restraining the military.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a chilling read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fred Kaplan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nuclear weapons",
        "us foreign policy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-bonobo-and-the-atheist-in-search-of-humanism-among-the-primat-348f5b",
      "title": "The Bonobo and the Atheist: In Search of Humanism Among the Primates",
      "author": "Frans de Waal",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36105367,
          "author": "fsiefken",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T16:15:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105367",
          "commentText": "A, yes that's a topic I've been interested in all my life.\n## Frans de Waal. The Bonobo and the Atheist\n\"..evidence for the seeds of ethical behavior in primate societies that further cements the case for the biological origins of human fairness. Interweaving vivid tales from the animal kingdom with thoughtful philosophical analysis, de Waal seeks a bottom-up explanation of morality that emphasizes our connection with animals. In doing so, de Waal explores for the first time the implications of his work for our understanding of modern religion. Whatever the role of religious moral imperatives, he sees it as a \"Johnny-come-lately\" role that emerged only as an addition to our natural instincts for cooperation and empathy.\"\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Bonobo-Atheist-Search-Humanism-Primat... (https://www.amazon.com/Bonobo-Atheist-Search-Humanism-Primates-ebook/dp/B007Q6XKEY/)\n## Aleksi Kuokkanen. Constructing Ethical Patterns in Times of Globalization\nhttps://brill.com/display/title/20218\n## Ken Wilber. Up from Eden.\nDated and I find Ken Wilber's views in general to be problematic. Still it's one approach to understand religion.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Up-Eden-Transpersonal-Human-Evolution... (https://www.amazon.com/Up-Eden-Transpersonal-Human-Evolution/dp/0835607313)\n## Cardinal Walter Kasper. Mercy\n\"Cardinal Walter Kasper examines God’s mercy while holding these devastating facts and questions in hand. He looks at empathy and compassion as a starting point for theological reflection on the topic. He continues by reflecting upon the following: What does it mean to believe in a merciful God? How are divine mercy and divine justice related? How can we speak of a sympathetic―that is, a compassionate―God? Can undeserved woe and divine mercy be brought into harmony with one another? He likewise seeks to address the ethical questions that similarly arise: How can we measure up to the standard of divine mercy in our own actions? What does the message of mercy mean for the practice of the church and how can we cause the central message of God’s mercy to shine in the life of Christians and the church? What does this message mean for a new culture of mercy in our society? These considerations of mercy lead to the fundamental questions of theology. In this work, Kasper combines theological reflection with spiritual, pastoral, and social considerations on this essential topic at a crucial time.\"\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Mercy-Essence-Gospel-Christian-Life/d... (https://www.amazon.com/Mercy-Essence-Gospel-Christian-Life/dp/0809106094)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "## Frans de Waal. The Bonobo and the Atheist",
          "reason": "Explores biological origins of fairness and morality, and implications for understanding religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229877,
          "author": "fsiefken",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T16:16:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229877",
          "commentText": "That's a very broad question, so I read your comments to get a feel from where you might be coming from and/or going to and where you and I might overlap:\n* Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Antifragile, things that gain from disorder http://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Incer... (http://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Incerto/dp/0812979680/)\n* Jared Diamond. The World until yesterday, what can we learn from traditional societies http://www.amazon.com/World-Until-Yesterday-Traditional-Soci... (http://www.amazon.com/World-Until-Yesterday-Traditional-Societies/dp/0143124404)\n* Frans de Waal. The Bonobo and the Atheist: In Search of Humanism Among the Primates http://www.amazon.com/Bonobo-Atheist-Search-Humanism-Primate... (http://www.amazon.com/Bonobo-Atheist-Search-Humanism-Primates/dp/0393347796/)\n* John Higgs. The KLF: Chaos, Magic... http://www.amazon.com/KLF-Chaos-Magic-Music-Money-ebook/dp/B... (http://www.amazon.com/KLF-Chaos-Magic-Music-Money-ebook/dp/B00ABFHOS0/)\n* Joseph Jaworski. Synchronicity, the inner Path of leadership http://www.amazon.com/Synchronicity-The-Inner-Path-Leadershi... (http://www.amazon.com/Synchronicity-The-Inner-Path-Leadership-ebook/dp/B0051ANRBI)\n* Piero Ferrucci. Your Inner Will, finding personal strength in critical times http://www.amazon.com/Your-Inner-Will-Personal-Strength/dp/0... (http://www.amazon.com/Your-Inner-Will-Personal-Strength/dp/0399174931)\n* William Irvine. A Guide to the good life, the ancient art of stoic joy http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic/dp/01953... (http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic/dp/0195374614)\n* Chogyam Trungpa. Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior http://www.amazon.com/Shambhala-Sacred-Warrior-Chogyam-Trung... (http://www.amazon.com/Shambhala-Sacred-Warrior-Chogyam-Trungpa/dp/1590304519/)\n* Tomas Malik. Patience with God: The Story of Zacchaeus Continuing In Us http://www.amazon.com/Patience-God-Story-Zacchaeus-Continuin... (http://www.amazon.com/Patience-God-Story-Zacchaeus-Continuing/dp/0385524498/)\n* Nick Winter. The Motivation Hacker http://www.amazon.com/Motivation-Hacker-Nick-Winter/dp/09892... (http://www.amazon.com/Motivation-Hacker-Nick-Winter/dp/0989279820)\n* Chas Emerick, Brian Carper, Christophe Grad. Clojure Programming http://www.amazon.com/Clojure-Programming-Chas-Emerick/dp/14... (http://www.amazon.com/Clojure-Programming-Chas-Emerick/dp/1449394701)\nFiction:\n* Peter Hamilton - The Reality Dysfunction\n* Neal Stephenson - Cryptonomicon (his other hit: Snow Crash is surprisingly more history then SF now...)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Frans de Waal. The Bonobo and the Atheist: In Search of Humanism Among the Primates",
          "reason": "Included in a response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frans de Waal"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "primatology",
        "evolutionary morality",
        "humanism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-book-eaters-5deb77",
      "title": "The Book Eaters",
      "author": "Sunyi Dean",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34162646,
          "author": "Taywee",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T16:32:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34162646",
          "commentText": "The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean is a really good modern fantasy about families of monsters (based mostly on vampires) that eat books.  Probably my favorite book of the year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Probably my favorite book of the year.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a really good modern fantasy and their favorite book of the year.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in modern fantasy about monsters and book-eating families.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sunyi Dean"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "monsters",
        "vampires"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-book-that-wouldn-t-burn-series-ac7885",
      "title": "The Book That Wouldn't Burn series",
      "author": "Mark Lawrence",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49906748,
          "author": "fifticon",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T10:08:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49906748",
          "commentText": "I too am on DCC; I wonder why I like it, but I do.\nStrangely, one of the things it reminds me of,\nis the Malazan-Book-of-the-fallen series, in spite of how different they are.\nI was/have been on the 'book that wouldnt burn' series;\nI still have to read the final third book.\nIronically, I have not yet finished that series because I dread it;\nthe author is a little too good at writing truly loathable antagonists,\nand at the same time reading him, you have learned \nhe cares little for plot armor ('if he dies, he dies', sigh.)\nOther than that, Piranesi by Susanne Clarke;\nI have also gotten her earlier book, but not gotten far into it yet.\nDCC is strangely hypocritical -\na massive commercial success where we the readers revel-wallow in the graphic\nsuffering of the fictive protagonists/victims,\nand author & co are making truckloads of profits, \nprecisely on the kinds of sheenanigans the books on the surface critisize :-).\nIt is also a bit ironic, that the books/Carl critisize fascism,\nwhile at the same time, Carl is on a kind of one-man fascist/tyrant purging\nthe existing elite, with summary and graphic executions. Sigh :-)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the 'book that wouldnt burn' series",
          "reason": "Has read the first two thirds and dreads finishing because of the loathsome antagonists and lack of plot armor.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Finds the antagonists loathsome and fears characters may die unexpectedly.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Lawrence"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dark fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-book-of-assistance-f67375",
      "title": "The Book of Assistance",
      "author": "Imam al-Haddad",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17049340,
          "author": "noufalibrahim",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T17:43:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17049340",
          "commentText": "The Book of Assistance by Imam Al-Haddad (translated by Mostafa Badawi) - I'm a religious person and read a lot of literature related to that. Most of them provide a temporary high and then no particular benefit after. This was a notable exception. It was extremely practical and much of what I read affected me and made me changed the way I lived. It's highly specific to Islam though and much of the advice might not be relevant to others.\nhttps://fonsvitae.com/product/the-book-of-assistance-imam-ab... (https://fonsvitae.com/product/the-book-of-assistance-imam-abdallah-ibn-alawi-al-haddad-risalatul-muawanah/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Book of Assistance by Imam Al-Haddad (translated by Mostafa Badawi)",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was practical, affected them, and changed how they lived.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Islamic religious guidance.",
          "caveat": "Highly specific to Islam; much of the advice may not be relevant to others.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Imam al-Haddad"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "islamic spirituality",
        "religious practice"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-book-of-basketball-b0c876",
      "title": "The Book of Basketball",
      "author": "Bill Simmons",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8401385,
          "author": "cwal37",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:16:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401385",
          "commentText": "Currently engaged in:\n-The Bone Clocks - David Mitchell. Just a fun read. Fiction sucks me in pretty easily, and I enjoy the time-hopping.\n-Dirty, Sacred Rivers: Confronting South Asia's Water Crisis - Cheryl Colopy. Not enjoying this as much as I thought I would so far, possibly because I have too much academic experience in the topic area and the writer is a reporter. I'm a bit more pragmatic about large energy projects, not exactly bleeding heart, but I try to focus on the bigger picture. It was a free book on a table at work though from someone cleaning out their office, so not a big deal.\n-Operations Research - Hillier and Lieberman. Also a free book from work. Something I need a stronger foundation in for upcoming projects.\nPerpetual Backburner\n-Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace. I've gotten a couple hundred pages in a few times. If I get distracted at all it's so hard to go back to.\n-Capital in the 21st Century - Piketty. I blazed through the first couple hundred pages around when it came out, then I went on a long vacation. Now I sort of nibble at it when I'm in the mood. One of the most compelling economics books I've ever read.\nRecently finished\n-The Book of Basketball - Bill Simmons. Fun to read about the history of the NBA from a true fanatic. Eyes glazed over in some sections on the Celtics though.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Fun to read about the history of the NBA from a true fanatic. Eyes glazed over in some sections on the Celtics though.",
          "reason": "The commenter found the NBA history fun to read, while some Celtics sections lost their interest.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some sections on the Celtics bored the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Simmons"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "basketball",
        "nba history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-book-of-bunny-suicides-e6b170",
      "title": "The Book of Bunny Suicides",
      "author": "Andy Riley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47985997,
          "author": "anenefan",
          "createdAt": "2026-05-02T12:53:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 47984463,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47985997",
          "commentText": "I just loved taking the time and care to pick a book as a fitting gift mostly for birthday or Christmas presents for the kids about over the years who could really use a practical book.  It's not something I've done for over a decade so not many spring to mind.\nFor someone I considered daughter like for her senior school year I took time to get my hands on a \"Pears' Cyclopaedia\" for her birthday.\nMy neighbour who had lupus but continued to smoke heavily, no sarcasm intended, with sincerity I got her dark but funny \"The Book of Bunny Suicides\" by Andy Riley.  She photocopied the image of the bunny smoking as many as it could and hung in up.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "with sincerity I got her dark but funny \"The Book of Bunny Suicides\" by Andy Riley.",
          "reason": "Given as a gift; the commenter calls it dark but funny.",
          "audience": "A neighbor who continued to smoke despite having lupus.",
          "caveat": "Described as dark.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andy Riley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cartoon",
        "dark humor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-book-of-changes-d3ae8c",
      "title": "The Book of Changes",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30759601,
          "author": "starrygordon",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-21T20:56:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30759601",
          "commentText": "The Book of Changes (also known as the I Ching or Yi Jing, depending on your favorite Romanization).  Explaining what it is would be too lengthy here; it is better to start with a précis like the Wikipedia article, and then (I would say) to the introduction to the Wilhelm-Baynes translation by C.G. Jung. One can actually employ the divination rituals, which often yield \"answers\" which are often strangely relevant and sometimes shocking.  I came to the Book of Changes via another book, _Psyche and Symbol_, by Jung, which I found very difficult.  At the time I was 17 or 18 (so, late 1950s) and \"we\" were all going through an End-of-History moment when all relevant, important facts were supposed to be known and everyone was supposed to be well-balanced and rational.  (This is so remote from contemporary cultures that I guess you had to be there to understand it.)  It was \"the old folks' home in the college\" as the prophet Zimmerman put it, dry and asphyxiating.  I wanted to break out of that.  Jung's preface to the Book of Changes was included in _Psyche and Symbol_ and instead of being confused with his rather dense mythographies elsewhere, the part about the Book of Changes was very clear and included a description of the material practice.  So I ordered the book (actually, in those days, two volumes from the Bollingen Foundation and far from a mass-media or hip item) and started using it immediately.  Its style was not at all like the Bible, the Qur'an, or most of the other spiritual works of fame; I suppose some of it resembles the Daode Jing (Tao Te Ching) but since one works actively with it -- it requires interpretation -- the experience of using it is unlike that of any other books I know.  It certainly changed by life by changing the perspectives from which I looked upon things.  I had sort of escaped into a wider and stranger world.  (Curiously, I later became a computer programmer, using from time to time the binary arithmetic supposedly invented by Leibniz under the inspiration of the Book of Changes, although this may be in the area of legend.) There are quite a few editions of the book online, some of them bilingual in case you can read ancient Chinese or you like the décor; but an investigation of the characters and their etymology may also be relevant.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Book of Changes (also known as the I Ching or Yi Jing, depending on your favorite Romanization).",
          "reason": "The commenter says using it changed their perspective and opened a wider world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says understanding it requires interpretation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chinese philosophy",
        "divination",
        "i ching"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-book-of-circles-visualizing-spheres-of-knowledge-c23fd6",
      "title": "The Book of Circles: Visualizing Spheres of Knowledge",
      "author": "Manuel Lima",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16758142,
          "author": "engi_nerd",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T19:34:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16758142",
          "commentText": "I keep a wide variety of references around this desk. Some of my favorites:\nManuel Lima's \"Visual Complexity\", \"The Book of Circles\", and \"The Book of Trees\". These are useful as references and as visualization inspiration.\nJacques Bertin's \"Semiology of Graphics\". Gorgeous and immensely useful.\nDesmond and Nicholas Higham's \"MATLAB Guide, 3rd Edition\", and Yair Altman's \"Accelerating MATLAB Performance\". Both are invaluable for serious MATLAB work.\nTitus A. Beu's book on Numerical Programming is very good as a reference.\nFor anyone needing to work on military simulations, \"Engineering Principles of Combat Modeling and Distributed Simulation\" by Tolk is the best reference I have found on the subject.\nAnd TAOCP and CLRS are here for reference purposes as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Visual Complexity\", \"The Book of Circles\", and \"The Book of Trees\". These are useful as references and as visualization inspiration.",
          "reason": "One of the commenter's favorites; useful as a reference and source of visualization inspiration.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Manuel Lima"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "circular diagrams",
        "data visualization",
        "information design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-book-of-dead-philosophers-65477e",
      "title": "The Book of Dead Philosophers",
      "author": "Simon Critchley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18663414,
          "author": "r34",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:47:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663414",
          "commentText": "Ernst Jünger: Annäherungen. Drogen und Rausch (not transleted to english? I've read it in polish). Great piece of essay.\nThe Art of War by Sun Tzu - bit sad\n2 books by Greg Egan: Distress & Teranesia\nThe Invention of Nature : Alexander Von Humboldt's New World\nDMT: The spirit molecule\nOne Hundred Years of Solitude by Marquez (WOW)\nThe book of dead philosophers by Simon Critchley (funny!)\n& some more (I have to start noting it down :P)\nCurrently: The Systems View of the World by Ervin Laszlo",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book of dead philosophers by Simon Critchley (funny!)",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as funny.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Simon Critchley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "death",
        "philosophers"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-book-of-family-traditions-on-the-art-of-war-a89742",
      "title": "The Book of Family Traditions on the Art of War",
      "author": "Yagyū Munenori",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227779,
          "author": "nekopa",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T22:58:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227779",
          "commentText": "I have to add that people should also read The Book of Five Rings that was written by Musashi. I can't count the number of times I have bought and given away this book. Especially the translation done by Thomas Cleary. Cleary adds another text into the mix \"The Book of Family Traditions on the Art of War\"  by Yagyu Munenori, a contemporary of Musashi, but from a very different circle, so you get a nice contrast, and I believe it shows you how simplicity wins(5 rings). But both are excellent reads.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cleary adds another text into the mix \"The Book of Family Traditions on the Art of War\"",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an excellent read and values its contrast with Musashi.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Presented through Thomas Cleary's translation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Yagyū Munenori"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "japanese martial strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-book-of-form-and-emptiness-ed1282",
      "title": "The Book of Form and Emptiness",
      "author": "Ruth Ozeki",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34165479,
          "author": "spicymaki",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T20:25:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34165479",
          "commentText": "These were all wonderful books to read.\nMy top three were:\n1. Four Thousand Weeks\n2. The Book of Form and Emptiness\n3. The Three-Body Problem",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2. The Book of Form and Emptiness",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's top three books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34161456,
          "author": "spicymaki",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T14:49:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161456",
          "commentText": "2022 was a year full of change for me and I am not looking for change but more of a complement to my life as it is currently.\nIn the process of reading:\nParable of a Sower’s Daughter by Octavia Butler\nRead this year:\nThe Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki\nThe Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson\nFour Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman\nA Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki\nSea of Tranquillity by Emily St. John Mandel\nChildren of Dune by Frank Herbert\nTurtles All the Way Down by John Green\nThe Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu\nStation Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki",
          "reason": "Listed among books read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ruth Ozeki"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "japanese american fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-book-of-job-92dd13",
      "title": "The Book of Job",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8108812,
          "author": "Aym_C",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T15:36:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8108812",
          "commentText": "Dive into the classics.\nJohn Cowper Powys may help you to plan a great journey :\nhttp://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/12914/pg12914.html\n(Despite a few bizarre choices. Paul Bourget, seriously ?)\nIf I had to choose myself : Homer (The Iliad and the Odyssey), the Bible (David's psalms and Job's book), Augustine, Dante, Saint Simon, Shakespeare, Rousseau, Dostoievsky, Proust, Céline.\nAparté :\nIf you like ambitious history with economic insights, I would strongly suggest to read Fernand Braudel works. He wrote three fantastic triptychs :\n- The Mediterranean: And the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II (his thesis)\n- Civilization and Capitalism, 15th-18th Century (the best history books I've ever read)\n- The Identity of France",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Job's book",
          "reason": "Specifically names Job as part of the Bible they would choose.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biblical literature",
        "scripture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-book-of-joy-a54024",
      "title": "The Book of Joy",
      "author": "Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41758434,
          "author": "iancmceachern",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-06T16:54:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41758434",
          "commentText": "\"The book of joy\" by the Dalai Lama and Desmund Tutu (they were lifelong friends)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The book of joy\" by the Dalai Lama and Desmund Tutu",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dalai Lama",
        "Desmond Tutu"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dialogue",
        "happiness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-book-of-laughter-and-forgetting-93bd51",
      "title": "The Book of Laughter and Forgetting",
      "author": "Milan Kundera",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14863514,
          "author": "Ayaz",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-27T08:19:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14863514",
          "commentText": "_The Book of Laughter and Forgetting_ by _Milan Kundera_.\nI am taking a break from reading business/self-help/startup related books to read fiction. Milan Kundera is one of my favourite authors.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I am taking a break from reading business/self-help/startup related books to read fiction. Milan Kundera is one of my favourite authors.",
          "reason": "The commenter chose it as a fiction read and says Kundera is a favorite author.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Milan Kundera"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "czech literature",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-book-of-lies-5498c8",
      "title": "The Book of Lies",
      "author": "Aleister Crowley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1754096,
          "author": "brunoc",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-04T00:29:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1754096",
          "commentText": "Robert Anton Wilson's \"Illuminatus Trilogy\", \"Prometheus Rising\".\nAleister Crowley's \"Book of lies\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Aleister Crowley's \"Book of lies\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Aleister Crowley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "occult"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-book-of-mormon-51b3c6",
      "title": "The Book of Mormon",
      "author": "Joseph Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39729776,
          "author": "fuzzfactor",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T21:46:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729776",
          "commentText": "\"The Origin of Consciousness\", Jaynes\n\"The Book of Mormon\", Smith",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Book of Mormon\", Smith",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about books that changed perspectives on religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mormonism",
        "religion",
        "scripture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-book-of-numbers-816e2f",
      "title": "The Book of Numbers",
      "author": "John H. Conway",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1971662,
          "author": "algoriffic",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T14:36:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971662",
          "commentText": "The Book of Numbers - John Conway. I wish I had read this somewhere around 12-15. I think this book would have quite an impact on a young mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I wish I had read this somewhere around 12-15. I think this book would have quite an impact on a young mind.",
          "reason": "The commenter thinks it would have a strong impact on a young reader.",
          "audience": "Young readers interested in mathematics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John H. Conway"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "number theory",
        "recreational mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-book-of-proof-12ca19",
      "title": "The Book of Proof",
      "author": "Richard Hammack",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33604411,
          "author": "luuuzeta",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-15T02:12:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33604411",
          "commentText": "Mathematical proofs didn't click for me, so much so that I ended up failing my Discrete Math class because of it. Before I retook the DM course again, I took a Proof Workshop but I doubt I would've done good without the following books:\n* Richard Hammack's The Book of Proof [1]\n* Mathematical Proofs by Chartrand, Polimeni, and Zhang\n[1]: \nhttps://www.people.vcu.edu/~rhammack/BookOfProof/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Richard Hammack's The Book of Proof",
          "reason": "Says the book helped them prepare to retake discrete mathematics.",
          "audience": "Readers learning mathematical proofs or discrete mathematics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter doubts they would have done well without it, alongside a Proof Workshop.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Hammack"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical proofs"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-book-of-skaith-aa1b90",
      "title": "The Book of Skaith",
      "author": "Leigh Brackett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2047314,
          "author": "solost",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-28T23:38:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2047314",
          "commentText": "A few additional thoughts based on the comments here:\nIf you liked \"In Conquest Born\" - Friedman wrote These Alien Shores, which is a true hacker sci fi, absolutely incredible.\nThe Book of Skaith by Leigh Bracket is a truely awesome compilation of the three Skaith novels. Leigh helped write the initial Empire Strikes back!\nAlmost anything by Jack Vance will be good.  If you've read The Dying Earth, George RR Martin just produced a tribute called Songs of the Dying Earth with some of the best Sci Fi writers contributing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Book of Skaith by Leigh Bracket is a truely awesome compilation of the three Skaith novels.",
          "reason": "Calls the compilation truly awesome.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leigh Brackett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "planetary romance",
        "space adventure"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-book-of-trees-visualizing-branches-of-knowledge-0fbe18",
      "title": "The Book of Trees: Visualizing Branches of Knowledge",
      "author": "Manuel Lima",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16758142,
          "author": "engi_nerd",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T19:34:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16758142",
          "commentText": "I keep a wide variety of references around this desk. Some of my favorites:\nManuel Lima's \"Visual Complexity\", \"The Book of Circles\", and \"The Book of Trees\". These are useful as references and as visualization inspiration.\nJacques Bertin's \"Semiology of Graphics\". Gorgeous and immensely useful.\nDesmond and Nicholas Higham's \"MATLAB Guide, 3rd Edition\", and Yair Altman's \"Accelerating MATLAB Performance\". Both are invaluable for serious MATLAB work.\nTitus A. Beu's book on Numerical Programming is very good as a reference.\nFor anyone needing to work on military simulations, \"Engineering Principles of Combat Modeling and Distributed Simulation\" by Tolk is the best reference I have found on the subject.\nAnd TAOCP and CLRS are here for reference purposes as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Visual Complexity\", \"The Book of Circles\", and \"The Book of Trees\". These are useful as references and as visualization inspiration.",
          "reason": "One of the commenter's favorites; useful as a reference and source of visualization inspiration.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Manuel Lima"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data visualization",
        "information design",
        "tree diagrams"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-book-of-virtues-8ae1cb",
      "title": "The Book of Virtues",
      "author": "William J. Bennett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1725071,
          "author": "invalidOrTaken",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-24T19:38:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1725071",
          "commentText": "My Side of the Mountain---about a kid running away and actually living off the land.\nBook of Virtues---don't give him this, just have it around in your house to read when bored.  Gambling scandals notwithstanding, it's full of good stuff.\nBlind Man's Bluff---for a kid a bit older, but it's about submarine history in the Cold War.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Book of Virtues---don't give him this, just have it around in your house to read when bored. Gambling scandals notwithstanding, it's full of good stuff.",
          "reason": "Says it is full of good material and suggests keeping it available for a child to browse.",
          "audience": "Children who can read independently.",
          "caveat": "The commenter mentions gambling scandals and advises leaving it around rather than directly giving it to the child.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William J. Bennett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "anthology",
        "moral stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-book-of-why-e37588",
      "title": "The Book of Why",
      "author": "Judea Pearl",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30735322,
          "author": "ArthurDevNL",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T16:49:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735322",
          "commentText": "Maybe a bit more niche, but these two have been real eye openers.\nThe Book of Why - Judea Pearl. A very down to earth book about causality and related concepts.\nHow Emotions are Made - Lisa Feldman Barrett. Emotions make a lot more sense after reading her book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Book of Why - Judea Pearl.",
          "reason": "Described as a down-to-earth book about causality and related concepts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Judea Pearl"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "causality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-book-of-why-the-new-science-of-cause-and-effect-a0f80f",
      "title": "The Book of Why: The New Science of Cause and Effect",
      "author": "Judea Pearl and Dana Mackenzie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33804060,
          "author": "kbrkbr",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T17:24:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33804060",
          "commentText": "If you’re into probability, statistics and/or ML, Judea Pearl‘s The Book Of Why enlighted me kind of.\nWhile reading and applying, the suspicion had grown in me that probability is embedded in causality. Specifically when using Bayes theorem I had tweaked notation for me, so P[X|Y] would mean that X depends causally on Y. Then\nP(Y|X)=P[X|Y]P(Y)/P(X)\nwould clearly show the reverse problem character, and how evidential reasoning is built on causal reasoning.\nThus what Pearl and a lot of contributors built fell on fertile ground with me. I think it is an amazing addition to reasoning tools.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Judea Pearl‘s The Book Of Why enlighted me kind of.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book helped their understanding of probability and causality and calls it an amazing addition to reasoning tools.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in probability, statistics, or machine learning.",
          "caveat": "The commenter qualifies the impact as having enlightened them “kind of.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Judea Pearl",
        "Dana Mackenzie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bayesian reasoning",
        "causal inference"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-book-of-why-the-new-science-of-cause-and-effect-70301d",
      "title": "The Book of Why: The New Science of Cause and Effect",
      "author": "Judea Pearl",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17521669,
          "author": "axplusb",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T09:54:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521669",
          "commentText": "Judea Pearl's The Book of Why.\nBasically Pearl argues that classical statistics completely ignored the concept of causality so far and introduces a complete framework to bring causal inference into statistical/data analysis. The framework is based on graphs and asks for causal hypotheses (like econometricians would do with instrumental variables) and allows to compute/quantify causal effects.\nAnyone working with data should probably read this book. The fact that Pearl brought in a professional math/science writer as co-author is a huge boost to the main ideas accessibility and make for a nice albeit deep summer read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anyone working with data should probably read this book. The fact that Pearl brought in a professional math/science writer as co-author is a huge boost to the main ideas accessibility and make for a nice albeit deep summer read.",
          "reason": "Recommends it to data workers and says the co-author improves accessibility, while describing it as deep.",
          "audience": "Anyone working with data.",
          "caveat": "Described as a deep read.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Judea Pearl"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "causal inference",
        "data analysis",
        "statistics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-book-of-the-courtier-663479",
      "title": "The Book of the Courtier",
      "author": "Baldassare Castiglione",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33816966,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-01T14:53:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33816966",
          "commentText": "If you liked that book, you should read the original sources from which Robert Greene derived his (too simplified) work viz. the works of Baltasar Gracian, Machiavelli, Francesco Guicciardini, Baldassare Castiglione etc.\nThese are far more nuanced and all-encompassing books on what i call \"Worldly Wisdom\" i.e. dealing with the World as is rather than how you would like it to be. These sort of books are some of my favourites that i constantly keep going back to.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Baldassare Castiglione",
          "reason": "Suggested as an original source behind Robert Greene’s simplified work; the commenter says these books offer nuance and worldly wisdom.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17915725,
          "author": "SpecialistEMT",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-05T07:20:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17915725",
          "commentText": "I liked the Art of War in high school. Feel like it helped me a lot with stuff like negotiating salary in my early years.\nLater -- The Book of the Courtier by Baldassare Castiglione -- same topic as Art of War I'd say.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Book of the Courtier by Baldassare Castiglione -- same topic as Art of War I'd say.",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a later book on a similar topic, without an explicit evaluation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Baldassare Castiglione"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "courtly life",
        "renaissance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-book-of-the-long-sun-827522",
      "title": "The Book of the Long Sun",
      "author": "Gene Wolfe",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22094899,
          "author": "atombender",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T23:28:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22094899",
          "commentText": "I mean the story, sorry, not the style. It's one of Banks' few self-contained sci-fi novels, and it's set in a rather odd universe that fits into the \"dying Earth\" tradition of dystopian sci-fi (Wolfe's New Sun/Short Sun/Long Sun sequence, Vance's Dying Earth, etc.) more than in Banks' more utopian/panoramic Culture novels. His other standalones, Against a Dark Background and The Algebraist, are much closer to his Culture novels, for example.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Wolfe's New Sun/Short Sun/Long Sun sequence",
          "reason": "Named as part of a sequence associated with the dying Earth tradition.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14748794,
          "author": "gasbag",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T23:00:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14748794",
          "commentText": "You're right, I'm sure it's possible.  And it would definitely be the more visually stunning of the two: the variety of places and buildings and artifacts and creatures that we'd get to see would unquestionably outstrip those of Long Sun.\nI hadn't thought about who would be good to produce/direct it, but either pair of brothers would be a great choice.  They'd certainly have enough material to work with.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "They'd certainly have enough material to work with.",
          "reason": "The commenter discusses the series as possible adaptation material.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14747823,
          "author": "gasbag",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T20:35:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14747823",
          "commentText": "Yes, this tetralogy* is spellbinding.  The world is vast and cannot be fully comprehended.  As you said, it feels quite real, and everything that happens around Severian hints at so much more.  This book ought to be at the top of every SF aficionado's reading list.  It's that good.  I'm glad yours is the top comment right now.\nI have been thinking about how the trend in long-form television would be very favorable for translating some of Wolfe's books into film and exposing them to a broader audience.  There are so many things in New Sun that would make for compelling television, and we have the technology to do the special effects right--that is, not a CG-fest, but (mostly) subtle and in service of the story.  His fuligin cloak alone I would love to see in motion.  Though I think the way the story is told would have to change drastically, unless they were to keep the narration--which is a tricky prospect.  Part of the book's charm is that you never know if what you are imagining based on what the narrator says really happened that way, and people put enough faith in what they see to lose that aspect.\nFor that reason, and because a film translation would have to expose a number of the puzzles that Gene put into New Sun for us, I've latched onto the idea of a TV series for Book of the Long Sun instead.  It is just as imaginative, the world (or should I say the whorl) just as vast, and the book follows almost as grand an adventure.  Patera Silk, in my opinion, makes for an even more compelling protagonist than Severian, and the other characters are even more human than those in New Sun.  On the surface it is not as dramatic, or fantastic, but the interactions of the gods of the Whorl with the humans gets at one of those central philosophical and technological questions, as does Silk's enlightenment (which happens on page one, so I'm not giving anything away) among other things.\nSo if anyone here happens to be a producer, or knows one, get the first book of either series into their hands.  They'll get the rest on their own.  And hurry up, please--Gene's getting up there in age and you'll want his help.\n* though of course there is Urth of the New Sun...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It is just as imaginative, the world (or should I say the whorl) just as vast",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its imaginative world and grand adventure, and finds its protagonist compelling.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is less dramatic or fantastic on the surface than New Sun.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gene Wolfe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction",
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary science fiction",
        "worldbuilding",
        "religion and technology",
        "science fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-book-of-the-subgenius-00e669",
      "title": "The Book of the SubGenius",
      "author": "Various authors",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27647311,
          "author": "AlexMT23",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-27T00:26:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27647311",
          "commentText": "You're right, the Book of the SubGenius is certainly not for everyone. We can't have people questioning reality, it would unleash chaos.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the Book of the SubGenius is certainly not for everyone",
          "reason": "The commenter echoes the parent’s caveat while making a satirical remark about questioning reality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not for everyone.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "parody",
        "subgenius"
      ],
      "purposes": []
    },
    {
      "id": "the-books-in-my-life-5e88fc",
      "title": "The Books in My Life",
      "author": "Henry Miller",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22722272,
          "author": "robertlf",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T20:12:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22722272",
          "commentText": "If you like Henry Miller, you'll probably enjoy his favorite books.  Check out \"The Books In My Life\" and \"The Wisdom of the Heart.\"  I had the good fortune to visit his cabin in Big Sur a couple of years ago and it was very inspiring.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Check out \"The Books In My Life\"",
          "reason": "Suggests it as one of Henry Miller’s favorite books.",
          "audience": "Readers who like Henry Miller.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Henry Miller"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "books and reading",
        "literary criticism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-books-of-the-fey-0bd664",
      "title": "The Books of the Fey",
      "author": "Kristine Kathryn Rusch",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 86199,
          "author": "Darmani",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T03:31:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86199",
          "commentText": "This Perfect Day by Ira Levin (out of print, yet much more worthwhile in my opinion than other dystopic novels)\nGuns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond\nThe Books of the Fey by Kristine Kathryn Rusch\nArtemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer\nThe Deathgate Cycle by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Books of the Fey by Kristine Kathryn Rusch",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the thread’s question about favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kristine Kathryn Rusch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fairies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-border-trilogy-2a6214",
      "title": "The Border Trilogy",
      "author": "Cormac McCarthy",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17337533,
          "author": "davidarkemp2",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:57:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337533",
          "commentText": "I bought Cormac McCarrthy's Border Trilogy on a whim (had seen and loved the film of No Country for Old Men before). I'm based in the UK, but it honestly takes you places you can never go. Read the whole three books four or five times nows.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6163.The_Border_Trilogy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I bought Cormac McCarrthy's Border Trilogy on a whim",
          "reason": "Says it takes them to places they can never go and that they have reread all three books four or five times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cormac McCarthy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american borderlands",
        "literary western"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-box-man-8c091d",
      "title": "The Box Man",
      "author": "Kobo Abe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1569628,
          "author": "squidsoup",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T00:25:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569628",
          "commentText": "I think Haruki Murakami (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haruki_murakami) is one of the most interesting and weird contemporary novelists alive today. On a similar Japanese tip, also check out anything by Kobo Abe, particularly The Woman in the Dunes and The Box Man.\nIf you're into sci-fi, as inevitably a lot of hackers are, Jeff Noon's Vurt and Pollen are both brilliant.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "particularly The Woman in the Dunes and The Box Man.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a particularly worthwhile Kobo Abe novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kobo Abe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "existential fiction",
        "japanese literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-box-how-the-shipping-container-made-the-world-smaller-and-the-0e7000",
      "title": "The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the Economy Bigger",
      "author": "Marc Levinson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910816,
          "author": "thaumasiotes",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T17:19:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910816",
          "commentText": "Pre-Industrial Societies: Anatomy of the Pre-Modern World https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1780747411/\nBrotherhood of Kings: How International Relations Shaped the Ancient Near East https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195313984/\nThe Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the Economy Bigger https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0691136408/\nThe Mystery of the Hanging Garden of Babylon: An Elusive World Wonder Traced https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CG3JMD0/\nThe Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature https://www.amazon.com/dp/0670031518/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the Economy Bigger",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marc Levinson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "global trade",
        "shipping containers"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-boxcar-children-c31066",
      "title": "The Boxcar Children",
      "author": "Gertrude Chandler Warner",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26800750,
          "author": "lnwlebjel",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-13T23:16:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26800750",
          "commentText": "Mo Willems is awesome (Pigeon series, Elephant and Piggy). Some of the Dr. Suess books are still great and fun to read (I can read with my eyes shut, One fish two fish). The book with no pictures, the day the crayons quit, dragons love tacos, and the princess and the dragon by Audrey Wood are all books that I've probably read 100 times and still enjoy.\nAs my kids got a bit older the Box Car children series was compelling, and the girls loved the Rainbow Magic books. Capt. Underpants and Dog man are hilarious and just subversive enough that a 7-9 yr old feel like they are getting away with something. Then on to Mysterious Benedict Society, Harry Potter, Rick Riordan, and Keeper of the Lost Cities.\nOur M.O. was to max out our Library card on a regular basis with just about everything possible and then iterate from there on the authors the kids enjoyed. I feel like reading is one of the things we've gotten right so far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Box Car children series was compelling",
          "reason": "The commenter found the series compelling as the children grew older.",
          "audience": "Older children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gertrude Chandler Warner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s mysteries"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-boy-kings-a-journey-into-the-heart-of-the-social-network-b4915c",
      "title": "The Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network",
      "author": "Katherine Losse",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Katherine Losse"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "facebook",
        "silicon valley"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-boy-who-harnessed-the-wind-16fcc5",
      "title": "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind",
      "author": "William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Boy who Harnessed the Wind",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "renewable energy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-boy-who-stole-attila-s-horse-2e74c6",
      "title": "The Boy Who Stole Attila’s Horse",
      "author": "Iván Repila",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15642103,
          "author": "tcx",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-07T10:00:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15642103",
          "commentText": "Jared Diamond - \"Collapse: how societies choose to fail or succeed\" (non-fiction)\nIván Repila - \"The Boy Who Stole Attila’s Horse\": short intense novel about 2 boys who are trapped in a well\nMargaret Atwood - \"The handmaid's tale\"\nKhaled Hosseini - \"The kite runner\"\nAgatha Christie - \"The murder of Roger Ackroyd\" (very surprising plot)\nAndy Weir - \"The Martian\"\nCharles Dickens - \"David Copperfield\"\nClare Mackintosh - \"I let you go\"\nCarlos Ruiz Zafón - \"The Shadow of the Wind\"\nM.R. Carey - \"The girl with all the gifts\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Iván Repila - \"The Boy Who Stole Attila’s Horse\": short intense novel about 2 boys who are trapped in a well",
          "reason": "Describes it as a short, intense novel about two boys trapped in a well.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Iván Repila"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "survival"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-boy-s-second-book-of-electronics-2d02b2",
      "title": "The Boy's Second Book of Electronics",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37937288,
          "author": "mikewarot",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:50:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937288",
          "commentText": "I've read that, it's a great book if you're already into electronics. It filled a huge knowledge void that I wasn't aware I had... but the thing that got me started was \"The Boy's Second Book of Electronics\", which launched me into the world of electronics in the early 1970s, before PCs were a thing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Boy's Second Book of Electronics\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says it got them started in electronics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "electronics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-boy-s-second-book-of-radio-and-electronics-154f21",
      "title": "The Boy's Second Book of Radio and Electronics",
      "author": "Alfred Morgan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36442950,
          "author": "mikewarot",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-23T04:54:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36442950",
          "commentText": "The Boy's Second Book of Radio and Electronics - by Alfred Morgan (1957).[1]\nI had almost failed 4th grade, and it was strongly suggested (I don't know the details, but it happened quickly) that I should be set loose in the school library, and allowed to pick out any book and read it. This very book got me into electronics, and later when the personal computing revolution arrived, I was all set to join in.\n---\nDiary of an Early American Boy: Noah Blake 1805.[2]\nIt was the love story wound into this quite fascinating look into the lives of young men in that time period, that inspired my decision to propose to my Wife.\n---\n[1] https://worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/Technology/The-B... (https://worldradiohistory.com/BOOKSHELF-ARH/Technology/The-Boys-Second-Book-of-Radio-and-Electronics-Morgan-1957.pdf)\n[2] https://store.doverpublications.com/0486436667.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Boy's Second Book of Radio and Electronics - by Alfred Morgan (1957).",
          "reason": "The commenter says this book got them interested in electronics and helped prepare them for personal computing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alfred Morgan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "electronics",
        "radio"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-boy-s-third-book-of-radio-and-electronics-c673f8",
      "title": "The Boy's Third Book of Radio and Electronics",
      "author": "Alfred Powell Morgan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 358760,
          "author": "pkeane",
          "createdAt": "2008-11-10T02:13:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 358490,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's a good book to learn electronics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=358760",
          "commentText": "The Boys' First Book of Radio and Electronics. Author: Morgan, Alfred Powell, Publisher: New York, Scribner Date: [1954]\nThe Boys' Second Book of Radio and Electronics. Author: Morgan, Alfred Powell, Publisher: New York, Scribner Date: [1957]\nThe Boy's Third Book of Radio and Electronics. Author: Morgan, Alfred Powell, Publisher: New York, Scribner Date: [1962]\nThe Boys' Fourth Book of Radio and Electronics; an introduction to solid state physics, semiconductors, and transistors, Author: Morgan, Alfred Powell. Publisher: New York, Scribner Date: [1969]\nFor me, nothing else comes close :-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Boy's Third Book of Radio and Electronics.",
          "reason": "Offers this title as a book that worked well for the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alfred Powell Morgan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "electronics",
        "radio"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-boys-on-the-bus-d91a13",
      "title": "The Boys on the Bus",
      "author": "Timothy Crouse",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25318805,
          "author": "ghaff",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T21:57:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25318805",
          "commentText": "Historical but Boys on the Bus by Timothy Crouse on old-style political journalism. (Although I imagine a lot is still true.) There's a lot about journalism, photojournalism, and so forth (perhaps unsurprisingly) although so much has changed in the past 10-20 years it probably isn't that relevant to those professions today.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Boys on the Bus by Timothy Crouse on old-style political journalism.",
          "reason": "An account of old-style political journalism, photojournalism, and related work.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in political journalism.",
          "caveat": "Historical; the commenter says much has changed and it may not be relevant to those professions today.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Timothy Crouse"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "photojournalism",
        "political journalism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-boys-first-book-of-radio-and-electronics-6a7e5f",
      "title": "The Boys' First Book of Radio and Electronics",
      "author": "Alfred Powell Morgan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 358760,
          "author": "pkeane",
          "createdAt": "2008-11-10T02:13:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 358490,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's a good book to learn electronics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=358760",
          "commentText": "The Boys' First Book of Radio and Electronics. Author: Morgan, Alfred Powell, Publisher: New York, Scribner Date: [1954]\nThe Boys' Second Book of Radio and Electronics. Author: Morgan, Alfred Powell, Publisher: New York, Scribner Date: [1957]\nThe Boy's Third Book of Radio and Electronics. Author: Morgan, Alfred Powell, Publisher: New York, Scribner Date: [1962]\nThe Boys' Fourth Book of Radio and Electronics; an introduction to solid state physics, semiconductors, and transistors, Author: Morgan, Alfred Powell. Publisher: New York, Scribner Date: [1969]\nFor me, nothing else comes close :-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Boys' First Book of Radio and Electronics.",
          "reason": "Offers this title as a book that worked well for the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alfred Powell Morgan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "electronics",
        "radio"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-boys-fourth-book-of-radio-and-electronics-532347",
      "title": "The Boys' Fourth Book of Radio and Electronics",
      "author": "Alfred Powell Morgan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 358760,
          "author": "pkeane",
          "createdAt": "2008-11-10T02:13:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 358490,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's a good book to learn electronics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=358760",
          "commentText": "The Boys' First Book of Radio and Electronics. Author: Morgan, Alfred Powell, Publisher: New York, Scribner Date: [1954]\nThe Boys' Second Book of Radio and Electronics. Author: Morgan, Alfred Powell, Publisher: New York, Scribner Date: [1957]\nThe Boy's Third Book of Radio and Electronics. Author: Morgan, Alfred Powell, Publisher: New York, Scribner Date: [1962]\nThe Boys' Fourth Book of Radio and Electronics; an introduction to solid state physics, semiconductors, and transistors, Author: Morgan, Alfred Powell. Publisher: New York, Scribner Date: [1969]\nFor me, nothing else comes close :-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Boys' Fourth Book of Radio and Electronics; an introduction to solid state physics, semiconductors, and transistors",
          "reason": "Offers this title as a book that worked well for the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alfred Powell Morgan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "electronics",
        "radio"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-boys-second-book-of-radio-and-electronics-67aba2",
      "title": "The Boys' Second Book of Radio and Electronics",
      "author": "Alfred Powell Morgan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 358760,
          "author": "pkeane",
          "createdAt": "2008-11-10T02:13:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 358490,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's a good book to learn electronics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=358760",
          "commentText": "The Boys' First Book of Radio and Electronics. Author: Morgan, Alfred Powell, Publisher: New York, Scribner Date: [1954]\nThe Boys' Second Book of Radio and Electronics. Author: Morgan, Alfred Powell, Publisher: New York, Scribner Date: [1957]\nThe Boy's Third Book of Radio and Electronics. Author: Morgan, Alfred Powell, Publisher: New York, Scribner Date: [1962]\nThe Boys' Fourth Book of Radio and Electronics; an introduction to solid state physics, semiconductors, and transistors, Author: Morgan, Alfred Powell. Publisher: New York, Scribner Date: [1969]\nFor me, nothing else comes close :-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Boys' Second Book of Radio and Electronics.",
          "reason": "Offers this title as a book that worked well for the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alfred Powell Morgan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "electronics",
        "radio"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-brain-audit-8812b0",
      "title": "The Brain Audit",
      "author": "Sean D'Souza",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4966953,
          "author": "omarchowdhury",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T20:07:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4966953",
          "commentText": "The Brain Audit by Sean D'Souza",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Brain Audit by Sean D'Souza",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sean D'Souza"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "customer decision making",
        "marketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-brain-that-changes-itself-1bcf4c",
      "title": "The Brain That Changes Itself",
      "author": "Norman Doidge",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2330176,
          "author": "rcamera",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-16T00:46:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 2329700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that change your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2330176",
          "commentText": "This is an awesome list! Still haven't read some of them yet, but the few left are in my queue. I would add one more:\nThe Brain That Changes Itself by Norman Doige. This book will give you a whole new perspective on how your mind and the human brain works! It will talk about neuroplasticity and real world examples of people that had their brain tweaked through this new area of research in neuroscience.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book will give you a whole new perspective on how your mind and the human brain works!",
          "reason": "Promises a new perspective on the brain and explains neuroplasticity through real-world examples.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Norman Doidge"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "neuroplasticity",
        "neuroscience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-bravest-ever-bear-294b11",
      "title": "The Bravest Ever Bear",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26774992,
          "author": "AnimalMuppet",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-12T00:40:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26774992",
          "commentText": "That's the secret to writing children's books.  You have to write something an adult can read 100 times without going insane.\nOne I really liked was The Bravest Ever Bear.  I forget who it's by, but it is pretty good by the \"adult reading 100 times\" test.  It may be for kids a bit older than 4, but not a lot.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "One I really liked was The Bravest Ever Bear.  I forget who it's by, but it is pretty good by the \"adult reading 100 times\" test.  It may be for kids a bit older than 4, but not a lot.",
          "reason": "The commenter likes it and says it holds up to repeated adult reading.",
          "audience": "Children a little older than 4.",
          "caveat": "May suit children slightly older than 4.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-bread-baker-s-apprentice-d6aac1",
      "title": "The Bread Baker's Apprentice",
      "author": "Peter Reinhart",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bread Baker's Apprentice",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Reinhart"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bread baking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-brewmaster-s-table-781aa7",
      "title": "The Brewmaster's Table",
      "author": "Garrett Oliver",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Brewmaster's Table",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Garrett Oliver"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "beer",
        "food pairing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-bridge-e94bb6",
      "title": "The Bridge",
      "author": "Iain Banks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15630308,
          "author": "roryisok",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:09:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630308",
          "commentText": "Day of the Triffids - John Wyndham - everyone goes blind and a bunch of sentient plants start eating people. one of the first science fiction books I ever read, and the one that introduced me to post apocalyptic fiction. Giant plants might sound silly, but its no more silly than walking corpses. And in fact the walking dead and 28 days later owe a lot to this book.\nJonathan Strange and Mr Norrell - Susanna Clarke - beautifully inventive fantasy novel about two magicians bringing magic back to Britain during the Napoleonic wars. Fab read.\nGateway - Frederick Pohl - pulp sf at its best. Humans discover a hollowed out asteroid worth ftl ships preprogrammed with unknown destinations. Prospectors pack as much food as they can and hit 'launch' in the hopes that they'll discover something valuable and not land on a star or starve to death.\nThe Forever War - Joe Haldeman - more great pulp sci-fi about the first interstellar war. Old man's war by John Scalzi is very similar and almost as good.\nMost things by Iain (m) banks. Crow Road, Wasp Factory, The Bridge, Consider Phlebas, Use of Weapons, Player of Games etc. Song of stone was awful though, they're not all winners",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Most things by Iain (m) banks. Crow Road, Wasp Factory, The Bridge, Consider Phlebas, Use of Weapons, Player of Games etc.",
          "reason": "Names it among works by an author the commenter generally recommends.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says not everything by Iain Banks is a winner.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Iain Banks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-brief-wondrous-life-of-oscar-wao-e16f89",
      "title": "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao",
      "author": "Junot Díaz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10217334,
          "author": "darrelld",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-14T20:40:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 10211331,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10217334",
          "commentText": "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao\nExcellent storytelling, humour and slice of life human drama. It's just amazing how Junot Diaz tells of the tragedy of one family and the fukú curse that haunts them over generations.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/The-Brief-Wondrous-Life-Oscar/dp/15944... (http://www.amazon.com/The-Brief-Wondrous-Life-Oscar/dp/1594483299)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Excellent storytelling, humour and slice of life human drama. It's just amazing how Junot Diaz tells of the tragedy of one family and the fukú curse that haunts them over generations.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its storytelling, humor, family drama, and the author's treatment of the story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Junot Díaz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dominican american literature",
        "family saga",
        "magical realism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-broken-earth-trilogy-5234e2",
      "title": "The Broken Earth Trilogy",
      "author": "N. K. Jemisin",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31969001,
          "author": "dbingham",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T16:39:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31969001",
          "commentText": "The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin\nExtremely well done series that straddles the sci-fi fantasy line.  There's a reason Jemisin became the first person to win the Hugo three years running for three books of a series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Broken Earth Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin\nExtremely well done series that straddles the sci-fi fantasy line.",
          "reason": "Calls the series extremely well done and notes its science fiction and fantasy blend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "N. K. Jemisin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "climate fiction",
        "speculative fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-broken-knife-e9dbc7",
      "title": "The Broken Knife",
      "author": "SilverSidhe",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42270928,
          "author": "asicsp",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T04:53:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42270928",
          "commentText": "I mostly read progression fantasy books these days. Here are some series that I enjoyed a lot:\n* \"Beware of Chicken\" by CasualFarmer\n* \"The Immaculate Collection\" by havlo\n* \"The Runic Artist\" by Ellake\n* \"The Broken Knife\" by SilverSidhe\n* \"Immovable Mage\" by ImmovableMage\n* \"The Gorgon Incident and Other Stories\" by John Bierce\n* \"Quest Academy\" by Brian J. Nordon\n* \"The Weirkey Chronicles\" by Sarah Lin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Broken Knife\" by SilverSidhe",
          "reason": "Listed among progression fantasy series the commenter enjoyed a lot.",
          "audience": "Readers of progression fantasy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "SilverSidhe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "progression fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-broken-road-98e54a",
      "title": "The Broken Road",
      "author": "Patrick Leigh Fermor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15635202,
          "author": "dodgyb",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-06T13:21:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15635202",
          "commentText": "Fiction - Narcissus and Goldmund by Hermann Hesse. Contrasting the lives of a free spirit and a disciplined mind.\nNon Fiction - A Time of Gifts/Between the Woods and the Water/The Broken Road by Patrick Leigh Fermor. Recounting a trip from Holland to Constantinople by foot in the 1930's when he was a teenager. A trilogy of books written when he was in his 60's and 70's. An erudite raconteur.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Time of Gifts/Between the Woods and the Water/The Broken Road by Patrick Leigh Fermor.",
          "reason": "Part of a trilogy recounting the author's journey on foot from Holland to Constantinople in the 1930s.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Patrick Leigh Fermor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "europe",
        "travel writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-broom-of-the-system-3e2b0c",
      "title": "The Broom of the System",
      "author": "David Foster Wallace",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665060,
          "author": "billybatson",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:11:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665060",
          "commentText": "A Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley: Decent. I think this book would best be read in conjunction while working through a textbook. I will admit that it did do quite a bit to help relieve math anxiety, but the nature of the book is practicality.\nBrave New World by Aldous Huxley: A reread. A bit depressing considering the state of the world today. I found myself wondering which reality would be preferable.\nLetters to a Young Mathematician by Ian Stewart: Easy, but fruitful read. I've struggled a lot with math confidence, and this helped alleviate a lot of that.\nHow to Speak, How to Listen by Mortimer J. Adler: A lot of practical advice. My biggest takeaway was this: if it's worth talking about, even if the conversation sucks or the other person doesn't understand, any bit of advancement and understanding is worth the effort. Really helped me increase my patience when talking to people.\nQuack This Way by David Foster Wallace and Bryan Garner: Super useful and practical discussion between two lovers of language. I keep a copy with me at all times.\nThe Autobiography of Gucci Mane: Just a fun read while on vacation. \"If Gucci can do it, you can do it\".\nJesus' Son by Denis Johnson: A nice if brutal read. It was my first foray in DJ. I felt Cormac McCarthyish vibes.\nBlood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy: A classic. The Judge.\nThinking About Mathematics by Stuart Shapiro: Highly recommended for anyone interested in the philosophical questions of mathematics. Shapiro writes clearly, concisely, and in a manner that is easy to read.\nThe Liars' Club by Mary Karr: Pretty great but brutal.\nThe Broom of the System by David Foster Wallace: I really enjoyed it. It's ode to Wittgenstein and it helped me cope with a lot of questions that I felt after studying LW.\nThe Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: I think we've all been in Werther's shoes. Though I hope that nobody comes to the same conclusion he came to.\nManage Your Day-To-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, & Sharpen Your Creative Mind: A pretty great book. I find myself writing a book report on it to make sure I internalize a lot of the lessons. If you're having trouble doing creative work while working, read this.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed it. It's ode to Wittgenstein and it helped me cope with a lot of questions that I felt after studying LW.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed it and found it helpful after studying Wittgenstein.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Wittgenstein or philosophical questions.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Foster Wallace"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "wittgenstein"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-brown-book-386c01",
      "title": "The Brown Book",
      "author": "Ludwig Wittgenstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503658,
          "author": "Mentat_Enki",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T14:13:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503658",
          "commentText": "Technically, HE himself, as in Plato, first person, never says 'the physical world is bad'.  However, if you study his work, you will find that this notion is indeed carried out in the words and actions of his protagonist, Socrates.\nFor example, and maybe the best example: Socrates, laying on his back as the numbness and cold from the hemlock worked its way from his legs upward after willingly drinking it, removed the cloth that had been laid across his face and said \"Oh... don't forget to sacrifice a cock to Asclepius for me...\".  This phrase, which was also used by Steinbeck in \"The Moon is Down\" in a similar context, is taken to mean \"please go an make an offering to the God of Ailments & Cures, as I have been cured of the curses of the physical world by death, and am going to a much better place...\"\nAlso, Plato's take wasn't that the physical world was \"bad\" so much as it was composed of imperfect instances of the \"Forms\"; Reality as mere shadows and projections of purer, more abstract concepts.\nI take slight issue, however, with you denigrating \"secondary materials\" with a broad stroke.  There are some really very good, objective analyses of Plato (Vlastos, et. al.) that actually provide a great deal of insight from time to time by explaining some of the idioms and pre-conceived notions of the time and culture that are necessarily understood to be placed in the proper context to understand the dialogue.\nFor my 2¢, I say to the OP: Wittgenstein.  The \"Brown\" and \"Blue\" books.  Very interesting, modern philosophy that deals with semantic meaning and the binding of semantics to syntax and lexicon.  Very intriguing stuff.  Oh, and the guy was a kindergarden teacher, so you KNOW he had balls of steel. ;)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wittgenstein.  The \"Brown\" and \"Blue\" books.  Very interesting, modern philosophy",
          "reason": "Calls these books very interesting and recommends Wittgenstein to the original poster.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in modern philosophy and meaning.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ludwig Wittgenstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "semantics",
        "wittgenstein"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-bulwark-aa4c8a",
      "title": "The Bulwark",
      "author": "Theodore Dreiser",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25532522,
          "author": "LordNight",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T23:24:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25532522",
          "commentText": "Although I am an avid reader and have been reading on average 1 or 2 books each week for the past 15 years, I don't think I've ever read a book than \"changed my life\". Looking back, I think the most impactfull book for me was The Art of Loving (1956) by Erich Fromm because it opened up  a world of psychology and psychoanalysis and significantly altered my view on how humans think.\nAmong the classic fiction the best so far were: T. Dreiser - The Bulwark, S. Maugham - Of Human Bondage, L. Tolstoy - The Kreutzer Sonata and E. Zola - l'Oeuvre & Germinal.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "T. Dreiser - The Bulwark",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorite classic fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Theodore Dreiser"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classic american fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-burn-collector-18722f",
      "title": "The Burn Collector",
      "author": "Al Burian",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6335318,
          "author": "AtTheLast",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-05T17:01:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 6329955,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which two books were the most influential on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6335318",
          "commentText": "1) The Burn Collector by All Burian\n2) Getting Real by 37 Signals",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Burn Collector by All Burian",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Al Burian"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "zines"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-burnout-society-e6aff1",
      "title": "The Burnout Society",
      "author": "Byung-Chul Han",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46396709,
          "author": "steve_adams_86",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T21:53:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46396709",
          "commentText": "The Burnout Society - Byung-Chul Han\nThe Disappearance of Rituals - Byung-Chul Han\nOutlive - Peter Attia (This felt like a complete waste of attention)\nAn Emotional Education - School of Life/Alain de Botton\nThe Story of Your Life and Others - Ted Chiang\nNausicaä of the Valley of the Wind - Hayao Miyazaki\nPlants from Test Tubes - Lydiane Kyte; John Kleyn; Holly Scoggins; Mark Bridgen\nSome biography I've forgotten",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Burnout Society - Byung-Chul Han",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937086,
          "author": "davidthewatson",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:26:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937086",
          "commentText": "I'd suggest books like:\nhttps://equalityfiles.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/thomas_sza... (https://equalityfiles.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/thomas_szasz_the_second_sin.pdf)\nand any of Byung-Chul Han's philosophical books over the last ten years, though The Burnout society is probably the place to start.\nMy favorite thing about these books is that if the title piques your interest, it's a quick read because of the aphoristic style keeping the aforementioned short.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Burnout society is probably the place to start.",
          "reason": "Suggested as the place to start with Han’s philosophical books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Han's books are quick reads because of their aphoristic style.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Byung-Chul Han"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "burnout",
        "social critique",
        "social theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-business-book-big-ideas-simply-explained-162702",
      "title": "The Business Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained",
      "author": "DK",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22574198,
          "author": "rootsudo",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T09:41:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22574198",
          "commentText": "Actually - any college level book. There are tons, they're cheap on ebay, look for pearson or mcgraw hill. If you're creative, you can probably find a epub/pdf.\nBut even the DK Eye Witness have a good idea - how business works, how money works.\nFinancial system, economics, monetary policy become very simple with pictures, and even easier on an spreadsheet. Even more so is how many people don't know how much the government does in collecting statistics to analyze and examine the health of the economy - The BLS https://www.bls.gov/ is a great resource and once you have a basic understanding (or know healthy or \"safe\" numbers) you can explore other country economic numbers and see if they make sense (or not!) e.g. https://psa.gov.ph/ for Philippine Statistics.\nContemporary Financial Management is great -\nAccounting Princicpals are also great (can you read a PL sheet? Do you know GAAP? How about Compliance regulations?)\nJust \"money\" is one piece of the puzzle - money is a tool and that tool has been transformed into different pieces that fit what we do finance in life -\nA basic book would be rich dad, poor dad - it's quite cliche but it's a good introduction to \"wealth\" and assets vs liability == net worth.\n---\ntl;dr I ranted, I can go on - the DK Eyewitness books are a good starting point and then you can dig deep - but mostly it really runs quite simple for most things and then gatekeeped by interesting vocabulary.\nHow Money Works: The Facts Visually Explained (How Things Work) Hardcover – March 14, 2017\nby DK  (Author)\n.\nHow Business Works: A Graphic Guide to Business Success Hardcover – 2015\nby Dk (Author)\nThe Economics Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained Paperback – February 6, 2018\nThe Business Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained Paperback – November 20, 2018\nHow Business Works: The Facts Visually Explained (How Things Work) Hardcover – April 14, 2015\nDK Eyewitness Books: Money: Discover the Fascinating Story of Money from Silver Ingots to Smart Cards Paperback – June 14, 2016",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Business Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained Paperback – November 20, 2018",
          "reason": "Included in a list of recommended visual introductions to business.",
          "audience": "Beginners; the commenter favors visual introductions.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "DK"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business",
        "visual guide"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-business-of-venture-capital-502d0e",
      "title": "The Business of Venture Capital",
      "author": "Mahendra Ramsinghani",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mahendra Ramsinghani"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fundraising",
        "venture capital"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-butter-battle-book-f7d1fd",
      "title": "The Butter Battle Book",
      "author": "Dr. Seuss",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13804180,
          "author": "metaphorm",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:19:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804180",
          "commentText": "- The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin\n- Blindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts\n- The Tao Te Ching\n- The Gateless Gate (Koun Yamada translation/editing)\n- The Baroque Cycle (Quicksilver, The Confusion, The System of the World) by Neal Stephenson\n- The Invisibles by Grant Morrison\n- Incerto (Fooled by Randomness, The Black Swan, Antifragile, The Bed of Procrustes) by Nassim Nicholas Taleb\n- Iron John by Robert Bly\n- Catch 22 by Joseph Heller\n- The Character of Physical Law by Richard P. Feynman\n- Collected Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges\n- 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez\n- Pharmakon by Dale Pendell\n- The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss\n- Greek Mythology by Edith Hamilton\n- The Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual by Gary Gygax et al\n- Introduction to Algorithms by Charles E. Leiserson, Clifford Stein, Ronald Rivest, and Thomas H. Cormen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed how people think.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dr. Seuss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "arms race",
        "children s literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-buy-side-3e80da",
      "title": "The Buy Side",
      "author": "Turney Duff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15630284,
          "author": "stevenj",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:04:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630284",
          "commentText": "SURELY YOU'RE JOKING MR. FEYNMAN BY RICHARD FEYNMAN\n-I loved this book for its humor, everyday practicality, how relatable it felt even without having a background in physics or knowledge about the pranks and experiments he conducted. As well as the book being well-written in the sense that it reads as if you're sitting on the couch with him as he's telling you stories about his life, all with a child-like sense of wonder and enthusiasm about the world.\nTHE $12 MILLION STUFFED SHARK BY DON THOMPSON\n-I'm interested in the high-finance and fine-art worlds and this book discussed how they both go together - money and art - in an informative, quick-paced way.\nTHE BUY SIDE BY TURNEY DUFF\n-For its humor, honesty, and how well written it was in terms of it being a page turner while also providing you with an insightful account about the high-finance industry.\nMOLLY'S GAME BY MOLLY BLOOM\n-It was an entertaining, quick-paced read about the private, high-stakes poker industry with an assortment of participants.\nMONEYBALL, LIAR'S POKER & THE BIG SHORT BY MICHAEL LEWIS\n-I thought they were all entertaining reads, while also being insightful about their respective subjects.\nSTEVE JOBS BY WALTER ISAACSON\n-It was an illuminating read to me.\n- - -\nSeparately, these books are on my list to read if anyone has opinions about them:\n-Ghost in the Wires by Kevin \nMitnick\n-Principles by Ray Dalio\n-A Man For All Markets by Edward Thorp",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For its humor, honesty, and how well written it was in terms of it being a page turner",
          "reason": "Praises its humor, honesty, writing, and account of high finance.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in high finance.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Turney Duff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "wall street"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-c-interfaces-and-implementations-93e265",
      "title": "The C Interfaces and Implementations",
      "author": "David R. Hanson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24388854,
          "author": "teleforce",
          "createdAt": "2020-09-06T03:55:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 24383180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Suggestions for books about API design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24388854",
          "commentText": "Please check \"The C Interfaces and Implementations\" book by David Hanson [1]. Someone has implemented the concept using his library that you can check and use [2].\nAnother excellent reference is the \"The Linux Programming Interface\" book by Michael Kerrisk that documents most of the API available under Linux [3].\n[1]https://www.amazon.com/dp/0201498413\n[2]https://github.com/gon1332/gonlibs\n[3]https://www.amazon.com/Linux-Programming-Interface-System-Ha... (https://www.amazon.com/Linux-Programming-Interface-System-Handbook/dp/1593272200)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Please check \"The C Interfaces and Implementations\" book by David Hanson",
          "reason": "Suggested as a reference on API design.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David R. Hanson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "api design",
        "c programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-c-programming-language-4th-edition-68196d",
      "title": "The C++ Programming Language, 4th Edition",
      "author": "Bjarne Stroustrup",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10182356,
          "author": "0xcde4c3db",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-07T17:56:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10182356",
          "commentText": "The C++ Programming Language, 4th Ed.\nhttps://isocpp.org/tour has PDFs of the first four chapters, which offer something of a breadth-first overview of C++11.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The C++ Programming Language, 4th Ed.",
          "reason": "Listed as a C++ book in response to the request for language books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bjarne Stroustrup"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-cio-paradox-c5795c",
      "title": "The CIO Paradox",
      "author": "Martha Heller",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martha Heller"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cio",
        "technology leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-cs-detective-d5c0b4",
      "title": "The CS Detective",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20737573,
          "author": "ryanpcmcquen",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-19T13:33:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20737573",
          "commentText": "'The CS Detective' is the most well written introduction to Computer Science theories I have ever come across:\nhttps://nostarch.com/csdetective\nIt is approachable, fun, and engaging. It frames concepts inside a 'detective' story, making the explanations less abstract and more practical.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The CS Detective' is the most well written introduction to Computer Science theories I have ever come across",
          "reason": "Calls it the best-written introduction to computer science theory the commenter has encountered, and describes it as approachable, fun, and engaging.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an approachable introduction to computer science theory.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer science fundamentals",
        "computer science theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-caine-mutiny-47e056",
      "title": "The Caine Mutiny",
      "author": "Herman Wouk",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20990128,
          "author": "hirundo",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-17T00:57:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20990128",
          "commentText": "Another great sea story: The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another great sea story: The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great sea story in response to a book discussion.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy sea stories.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Herman Wouk"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military fiction",
        "naval fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-call-of-cthulhu-98ecba",
      "title": "The Call of Cthulhu",
      "author": "H. P. Lovecraft",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1971377,
          "author": "_b8r0",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T10:28:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971377",
          "commentText": "My younger self wouldn't have been interested in the books that interest me now. Instead I'd have to settle for some good fiction.\nGoing back in time to around 12-16, I'd send one of:\n* Brave New World - Aldous Huxley\n* 1984 - George Orwell\n* To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee\n* Catch 22 - Joe Heller\n* Slaughterhouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut\n* Of Mice and Men - Steinbeck\n* Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury\n* The Call of Ctulhu - H.P. Lovecraft\n* Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card\nSome of those I actually read in school and loved (but wish I read earlier), others I didn't. I think any of those books would've interested me at the time. There's plenty of time for Rich Dad, Poor Dad, SPIN Selling and all the business books later in life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* The Call of Ctulhu - H.P. Lovecraft",
          "reason": "Included as a fiction choice for their younger self.",
          "audience": "Readers around ages 12–16, as suggested by the commenter.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "H. P. Lovecraft"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cosmic horror"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-cambridge-encyclopedia-of-language-154258",
      "title": "The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language",
      "author": "David Crystal",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37936995,
          "author": "philipov",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:13:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37936995",
          "commentText": "As a kid? I'd probably name \"Goedel, Escher, Bach\" and \"The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language\" as the two that had the biggest impact on me while I was in high school.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language\"",
          "reason": "Named as one of two books with the biggest impact on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Crystal"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "language",
        "linguistics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-cambridge-handbook-of-expertise-and-expert-performance-8f5af0",
      "title": "The Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance",
      "author": "K. Anders Ericsson et al.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3395543,
          "author": "sayemm",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T12:15:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395543",
          "commentText": "\"The Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance\" - http://www.amazon.com/Cambridge-Expertise-Performance-Handbo... (http://www.amazon.com/Cambridge-Expertise-Performance-Handbooks-Psychology/dp/0521600812/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1324988081&sr=8-1)\nHere are some excerpts:\n- http://www.psy.fsu.edu/faculty/ericsson/ericsson.exp.perf.ht... (http://www.psy.fsu.edu/faculty/ericsson/ericsson.exp.perf.html)\n- http://www.psy.fsu.edu/faculty/ericsson/ericsson.mem.exp.htm... (http://www.psy.fsu.edu/faculty/ericsson/ericsson.mem.exp.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance\"",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about the best book read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "K. Anders Ericsson et al."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "expert performance",
        "expertise"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-campus-trilogy-95a340",
      "title": "The Campus Trilogy",
      "author": "David Lodge",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467715,
          "author": "p4bl0",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:53:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467715",
          "commentText": "The Campus Trilogy (Changing Places, Small World, Nice Work), by David Lodge.\nDO IT!: Scenarios of the Revolution, by Jerry Rubin.\nThe Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking A Spy Through The Maze Of Computer Espionage, by Cliff Stoll.\nThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams.\nLogicomix, by Apóstolos K. Doxiàdis and Christos Papadimitriou.\nOther books that I strongly recommend can be found here (some of them are in French): https://pablo.rauzy.name/miscellaneous.html#books\nUpdate: Pirates de tous les pays, by Marcus Rediker is a translation of Villains of All Nations: Atlantic Pirates in the Golden Age which you can thus read in English :). It really is an awesome read! After I finished it I immidiately ordered 5 more copies to give them to friends.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Campus Trilogy (Changing Places, Small World, Nice Work), by David Lodge.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Lodge"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "campus novel",
        "comic fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-candy-man-14add5",
      "title": "The Candy Man",
      "author": "Vincent King",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30739886,
          "author": "Rylex",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T03:45:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30739886",
          "commentText": "- Most books by Roger Zelazny. The guy code write with a few words, he could paint an amazing picture. Chronicles of Amber, Lord of Light, Isle of the Dead, etc...\n- And a trashy Candyman , https://sciencefictionruminations.com/2020/05/10/book-review... (https://sciencefictionruminations.com/2020/05/10/book-review-candy-man-vincent-king-1971/), not the one everyone is used to, this was so mind boggling to a 13 year old....",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "And a trashy Candyman",
          "reason": "Recounts a formative, memorable reading experience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it trashy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vincent King"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "horror"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-canterbury-tales-9fd285",
      "title": "The Canterbury Tales",
      "author": "Geoffrey Chaucer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20916743,
          "author": "MLij",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T10:07:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20916743",
          "commentText": "Since no one has mentioned them I just wanted to add \"The Canterbury Tales\" by Chaucer and \"Beowulf\" to the list. I've both read them in high school and liked them very much.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've both read them in high school and liked them very much.",
          "reason": "Says they liked it very much.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Geoffrey Chaucer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "frame narrative",
        "medieval literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-captive-mind-351b41",
      "title": "The Captive Mind",
      "author": "Czesław Miłosz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17168677,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:31:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168677",
          "commentText": "I can't give just one, but here are a few that had a strong influence on me: \n\"12 Rules for Life\" by Jordan Peterson, \"Why Switzerland?\" Jonathan Steinberg, \"Little Book of Common Sense Investing\" by John C. Bogle, \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" by Butron Malkiel, \"Liberalismus\" by Ludwig von Mises, \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann, \"Walden\" by Henry David Thoreau, \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"A Treatise on Political Economy\" by Jean-Baptiste Say, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy\" by Joseph Alois Schumpeter, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"My Correct Views on Everything\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"The Captive Mind\" Czesław Miłosz, \"One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, \"The House of the Dead\" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, \"Conversations with an Executioner\" by Kazimierz Moczarski, \"Diary 1954\" by Leopold Tyrmand, \"The Master and Margarita\" by Mikhail Bulgakov, \"A World Apart: A Memoir of the Gulag\" by Gustaw Herling-Grudziński",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Captive Mind\" Czesław Miłosz",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a strong influence on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12071006,
          "author": "Atwood",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T13:51:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12071006",
          "commentText": "Global Brain -Bloom\nCaptive Mind -Milosz\nMachines of Loving Grace -Markoff\nStation 11 -Mandell (fiction)\nSapiens -Harari\nRevenant (do not remember author/fiction)\nArgonauts  -Nelson",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Captive Mind -Milosz",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Czesław Miłosz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "totalitarianism",
        "intellectual life"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-car-that-could-the-inside-story-of-gm-s-revolutionary-electri-30cbcb",
      "title": "The Car That Could: The Inside Story of GM's Revolutionary Electric Vehicle",
      "author": "Michael Shnayerson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 621450,
          "author": "dan_the_welder",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-22T01:40:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621450",
          "commentText": "The Car That Could: The Inside Story of GM's Revolutionary Electric Vehicle by Michael Shnayerson.\nIf that gives you a taste for how crazy General Motors is, follow up with On a Clear Day You Can See General Motors by John Z. Delorian. Less about tech, more about management anti patterns!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Car That Could: The Inside Story of GM's Revolutionary Electric Vehicle by Michael Shnayerson.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Shnayerson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "electric vehicles",
        "general motors"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-carls-e8c023",
      "title": "The Carls",
      "author": "Hank Green",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24290042,
          "author": "O_H_E",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-27T04:10:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 24286084,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading at the moment and what do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24290042",
          "commentText": "I very recently listening to the audiobook of the Carls series[0] by Hank Green. Some top notch fiction, some sci-fi, very 2020-like society, young adult, accidental parallels to 2020 events, discusses social media, money, and empathy, in a very tasteful way. Yes the book was released in 2020, but the script was set in stone way before things went south.\n(Tease: the audio of the second book is done with different actors and have a interview with Cory Doctorow )\nBuy while supporting local bookshops:\n- https://Bookshop.org\n- Audiobook: http://libro.fm/referral?rf_code=lfm208662 (referral link)\n[0] with the great full names being \"An absolutely remarkable thing\" and \"A beautifully foolish endeavour\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I very recently listening to the audiobook of the Carls series[0] by Hank Green.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes listening to the series and praises its fiction and science fiction elements.",
          "audience": "Young adult readers.",
          "caveat": "The second audiobook uses different actors and includes an interview with Cory Doctorow.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hank Green"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "social media",
        "young adult"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-carnivore-diet-94542b",
      "title": "The Carnivore Diet",
      "author": "Paul Saladino",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32944951,
          "author": "Matake007",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T21:37:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32944951",
          "commentText": "The Millionaire Fastlane - MJ DeMarco\n12 Rules for Life - Jordan Peterson\nThe Carnivore Diet - Paul Saladino\nThe 7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Stephen Covey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Carnivore Diet - Paul Saladino",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Saladino"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "carnivore diet",
        "nutrition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-case-against-education-why-the-education-system-is-a-waste-of-f3740f",
      "title": "The Case Against Education: Why the Education System Is a Waste of Time and Money",
      "author": "Bryan Caplan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29673092,
          "author": "samglover97",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T12:32:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29673092",
          "commentText": "A few books I enjoyed:\n- The Case against Education by Bryan Caplan, discussing the merits of signalling theory (the point of education is to signal your intelligence and conscientiousness) as opposed to human capital theory (education genuinely makes you a better worker with more skills). Didn't find it totally convincing but it was a fun and interesting read.\n- The Genetic Lottery: Why DNA Matters for Social Equality by Kathryn Harden, a wonderful book on how hereditary IQ is, and why that is a good case for redistribution, given that IQ is so predictive of wealth/income\n- The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson, a biography of Jennifer Doudna, the woman who founded CRISPR and won the Nobel prize. Great read, thrilling.\n- My Struggle book 1, by Karl Ove Knausgård. Haven't finished this yet, just started it a few days ago - about 300 pages in. Great, great novel, one of the best I've read in a while.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Didn't find it totally convincing but it was a fun and interesting read.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it fun and interesting, though not totally convincing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they were not totally convinced by its argument.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bryan Caplan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "education policy",
        "signaling theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-case-against-reality-0da364",
      "title": "The Case Against Reality",
      "author": "Donald D. Hoffman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40879119,
          "author": "ptrhvns",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-05T00:44:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40879119",
          "commentText": "\"The Case Against Reality\" by Donald D. Hoffman\nI can't even ...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The Case Against Reality\" by Donald D. Hoffman\nI can't even ...",
          "reason": "Names the book as an answer to which book affected the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter gives no further explanation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donald D. Hoffman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognitive science",
        "consciousness",
        "perception"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-case-against-sugar-53430c",
      "title": "The Case Against Sugar",
      "author": "Gary Taubes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804093,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:12:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804093",
          "commentText": "Writing a Go Interpreter\nWriting a Go Compiler\nNo One Cares about Crazy People\nI Heard You Paint Houses\nUNIX: A History and a Memoir\nRed Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine\nHow Asia Works\nThe Dream Machine\nBlack Earth\nThe Fabric of Reality\nBehave (tried twice, maybe third times a charm?)\nA Short History of Nearly Everything\nStiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers\nGenius: The Life and Science Richard Feynman\nSuper Thinking\nMan's Search for Meaning\nThe Cooking Gene\nThe Vital Question: Why is Life The Way it Is (re-read)\nThe Case Against Sugar\nThe 15 Decisive Battles of the World\nThe History of the Peloponnesian War\nThe Beginning of Infinity\nThe Book of Why",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Case Against Sugar",
          "reason": "Listed in the commenter's planned reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gary Taubes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nutrition",
        "sugar"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-case-for-god-ba93b9",
      "title": "The Case for God",
      "author": "Karen Armstrong",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39729865,
          "author": "red_admiral",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T22:01:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729865",
          "commentText": "Just about everything by Karen Armstrong. The Case for God is a good one to start with.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Case for God is a good one to start with.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a good starting point among Karen Armstrong's books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Karen Armstrong"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "religion",
        "theology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-case-of-the-female-orgasm-acc3ae",
      "title": "The Case of the Female Orgasm",
      "author": "Elizabeth A. Lloyd",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1026940,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T07:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026940",
          "commentText": "I got myself a Sony Reader mid-2009 and started reading about twice more than I had been before. 2009 was also the first year in which I wasn't too lazy to document which books I read (I'm really glad I wasn't). Here're some of the favourites this year:\nClassics:\nKafka's The Process and America - both stunning novels that deserve to be read as much as his most famous, The Castle.\nJan Potocki, The Manuscript Found in Saragossa - a trippy collection of tales organised in multiple nested frames.\nScott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby.\nLeo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina. Still as breathtaking as I'd remembered it from the previous reading five years ago.\nScience Fiction:\nGene Wolfe, The Book of the New Sun. Wolfe, whom I hadn't read before, turns out to be in a class of his own. It's literary SF, overwhelmingly masterful and beautiful in its prose and characters, yet it could give any hardcore SF novel a run in terms of its ideas. It demands and richly rewards a close reading. I'll be reading more Wolfe in 2010.\nTed Chiang, collected stories. Chiang writes only stories, and has written just a few of them, but nearly every one is a gem. Read Understand on the web (http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/stories/under.htm) to see if you like his style - I do.\nVernor Vinge, A Deepness in the Sky, The Peace War, Marooned in Realtime. All great novels, but start from A Fire Upon the Deep (I read that in 2008) if you haven't read Vinge before, it's the best introduction.\nGreg Egan, Diaspora, Quarantine, Distress. Egan is the best hardcore SF author out there. _Diaspora_ is a fascinating take on shared simulated reality that's very different from the usual fare. Quarantine will appeal to your inner quantum mechanical geek.\nContemporary fiction:\nPynchon, V. Pynchon is the best novelist we've got. I recommend The Crying of the Lot 49 as the best Pynchon to start from; V is more difficult and much longer, but rewards the patience. I still can't get over the fact that Pynchon wrote and published this novel when he was 26.\nOrhan Pamuk, The Black Book.\nAnnie Proulx, Fine Just The Way It Is. A new collection of stories from the best writer about rural America out there. Three are extraordinary, two so-so, the rest very good.\nNon-fiction:\nW. Sidney Allen, Vox Graeca and Vox Latina. If you want to know how ancient Greek and Latin sounded, these are the books to read.\nElizabeth Lloyd. The Case Of The Female Orgasm. An interesting study into how available evolutionary explanations of female orgasm fail in various ways. This is a book about evolutionary biology and its methodological soundness as much as it is about explaining female orgasm.\nComputer-related:\nPeter Seibel, Coders at Work. A fantastic collection of interview with great programmers. The one 2009 book no hacker should be without.\nSqueak by Example. Does a great job of explaining Smalltalk in general and Squeak in particular.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An interesting study into how available evolutionary explanations of female orgasm fail in various ways.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an interesting study and notes its examination of the limits of evolutionary explanations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is as much about evolutionary biology and methodological soundness as about explaining female orgasm.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Elizabeth A. Lloyd"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolutionary biology",
        "sexuality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-casual-vacancy-29a50a",
      "title": "The Casual Vacancy",
      "author": "J. K. Rowling",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4968193,
          "author": "imrehg",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T04:58:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4968193",
          "commentText": "Gravity's Rainbow - took 4 months out of my year, but and it's still mostly a whoosh, but every time I started reading another book after that, it was just amazing how much better Pyncheon writes. Will revisit it for sure, though not very soon.\nAnna Karenina - just a whole different level, Tolstoy's writing in a way I don't feel many contemporary writes could. Feels creepy how similar the people's lives in the 19th Century was to ours. Creepy but fun too.\nIf On A Winter's Night A Traveller - Italo Calvino will just punch you in the face, this is a book for people who love reading books.\nThe Magicians - adult magic fiction, and somehow it feels that if magic was indeed real, it would be like it is depicted here, not like anything in Harry Potter's (no matter how much I loved the storytelling, the magic theory was just so full of plotholes).\nThe Casual Vacancy - JKRowling's not-Harry-Potter-book. It's very gritty, and feels very real. Still having my cold shivers thinking of small-town living after this.\n(Except for the last one the others are older releases, don't usually jump into the newest ones, I just take it casual)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Casual Vacancy - JKRowling's not-Harry-Potter-book. It's very gritty, and feels very real.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it gritty and realistic, and says it left them with lingering chills about small-town living.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. K. Rowling"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "small town life",
        "social realism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-cat-s-table-1c92b0",
      "title": "The Cat's Table",
      "author": "Michael Ondaatje",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4966795,
          "author": "napoleond",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T19:15:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4966795",
          "commentText": "These are the ones I remember, but not necessarily for being the best.\nSteve Jobs - Walter Isaacson. I thought it was interesting; an honest attempt at cataloguing the life of a fascinating and complex person.\nHow To Win Friends And Influence People - Dale Carnegie. I'd skimmed through it in high school, and decided it was full of obvious/cheesy platitudes, but was somehow convinced to take another look this year and I'm very glad I did. It is mostly full of very basic \"don't be an ass\" advice, but I needed it.\nNever Eat Alone - Keith Ferrazzi. I'm not sure what to think of this one. It's pretty low on actionable advice, but it did help me (together with HTWFAIF, above) reframe the way I approach interpersonal relationships.\nThe Cat's Table - Michael Ondaatje. I haven't finished this one yet, but it's part of a recent concerted effort to read more fiction. I've always loved Ondaatje's work, and this latest novel is no different.\nFreakonomics - Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner. I just started reading this last night, and I'm already 100 pages in. It's an addicting read, and is already causing me to re-evaluate the incentive systems that are everywhere.\nNapoleon Bonaparte - Alan Schom. I've been reading this one slowly for a while (it's a hefty book). It's a very well written account of Napoleon's entire life story--highly recommended.\nCrossing the Chasm - Geoffrey Moore. Just started this one last night as well (Christmas presents!) and so far it seems like it will live up to the hype.\nThe Education of Millionaires - Michael Ellsberg. This one, I can't recommend. As always, though, YMMV :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Cat's Table - Michael Ondaatje. I haven't finished this one yet, but it's part of a recent concerted effort to read more fiction. I've always loved Ondaatje's work, and this latest novel is no different.",
          "reason": "Says they have always loved Ondaatje's work and this novel is no different.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not finished it yet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Ondaatje"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-cauchy-schwarz-master-class-an-introduction-to-the-art-of-mat-f343f5",
      "title": "The Cauchy–Schwarz Master Class: An Introduction to the Art of Mathematical Inequalities",
      "author": "J. Michael Steele",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23727035,
          "author": "mci",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T20:06:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23727035",
          "commentText": "The Cauchy–Schwarz Master Class: An Introduction to the Art of Mathematical Inequalities is a graded problem book that will teach them the principles and practice of mathematical proofs like no other book. Here is its MAA review: [0]. A pirate PDF is a Google search away. Take a look and see if you like it.\n[0] https://www.maa.org/press/maa-reviews/the-cauchy-schwarz-mas... (https://www.maa.org/press/maa-reviews/the-cauchy-schwarz-master-class-an-introduction-to-the-art-of-mathematical-inequalities)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Cauchy–Schwarz Master Class: An Introduction to the Art of Mathematical Inequalities is a graded problem book that will teach them the principles and practice of mathematical proofs like no other book.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a graded problem book for learning mathematical proofs.",
          "audience": "A bright, self-motivated teenager interested in mathematics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter suggests taking a look to see if it suits them.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. Michael Steele"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical inequalities",
        "problem solving",
        "proofs"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-cave-26f1d9",
      "title": "The Cave",
      "author": "José Saramago",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2087413,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T04:03:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2087413",
          "commentText": "Jose Saramago - The Cave because it the language was so beautiful even in translation that it made me want to learn Portuguese.\nRoberto Bolano - The Savage Detectives because what's not to love about tough guy poets?\nDavid Bain - Empire Express because it put startups and business in a new light.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jose Saramago - The Cave because it the language was so beautiful even in translation that it made me want to learn Portuguese.",
          "reason": "Praises the language, which inspired them to want to learn Portuguese.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Read in translation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "José Saramago"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consumer society",
        "translated fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-celebrated-jumping-frog-of-calaveras-county-8be3c8",
      "title": "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County",
      "author": "Mark Twain",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20914562,
          "author": "bmmayer1",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T01:45:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914562",
          "commentText": "Economics:\n- The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith\n- Das Kapital, Karl Marx\n- That Which Is Seen, and That Which Is Not Seen, Frederic Bastiat\nPhilosophy / Politics:\n- The Republic, Plato\n- Second Treatise on Government, John Locke\n- The Law, Frederic Bastiat\n- Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes\n- Meditations, Marcus Aurelius\n- Democracy in America, Alexis de Toqueville\n- On Liberty, John Stuart Mill\nFiction:\n- The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, Mark Twain\n- The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin\n- Metamorphoses, Franz Kafka\n- Candide, Voltaire\n- The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, Mark Twain",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Twain"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "humor",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-cement-of-the-universe-a-study-of-causation-6d5ab7",
      "title": "The Cement of the Universe: A Study of Causation",
      "author": "J. L. Mackie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503692,
          "author": "telemachos",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T14:39:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503692",
          "commentText": "Some from the canon:\n\nPlato: Defence of Socrates, Euthyphro, Crito (translated by David Gallop)\nThe Modes of Scepticism by Julia Annas and Jonathan Barnes (a beautiful collection of texts from Pyrrhonian scepticism and analysis of their arguments; the best way I know to meet ancient scepticism)\nDescartes: Meditations on First Philosophy (The Cambridge University Press edition is very good; it's probably worth buying their Selected Philosophical Writings for a good basic Descartes text)\nDavid Hume: An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding and An Enquiry concerning the Principles of Morals (I recommend the Oxford Philosophical Texts editions)\nWittgenstein: Philosophical Investigations (terribly, terribly difficult, but very rewarding)\n  A few contemporary things:\n\nGilbert Ryle: The Concept of Mind\nWillard Van Orman Quine: From a Logical Point of View\nJ. L. Mackie: Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong\nThomas Nagel: Mortal Questions (short essays, well-written, very accessible)\nBernard Williams: Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy\nMichael Smith: The Moral Problem\n  Specialist, technical, odd:\n\nThe Frege Reader by Michael Beaney (for modern logic and the beginnings of contemporary philosophy in the analytic style)\nJ. L. Mackie: The Cement of the Universe: A Study of Causation\nWilliam Kingdon Clifford: The Ethics of Belief (he argues, oddly but powerfully, that it's immoral to believe things on insufficient evidence or irrationally - an offense to morality, not just reason)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "J. L. Mackie: The Cement of the Universe: A Study of Causation",
          "reason": "Includes it among specialist, technical, and unusual recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in causation.",
          "caveat": "Characterized as specialist and technical.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. L. Mackie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "causation",
        "metaphysics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-cemetery-of-forgotten-books-841680",
      "title": "The Cemetery of Forgotten Books",
      "author": "Carlos Ruiz Zafón",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42279539,
          "author": "hiyer",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-30T04:50:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42279539",
          "commentText": "Cemetery of Forgotten Books series by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. The stories are very dark and affecting. His descriptions are evocative, and the writing is absolutely beautiful even in translation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cemetery of Forgotten Books series by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. The stories are very dark and affecting. His descriptions are evocative, and the writing is absolutely beautiful even in translation.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the series’ stories and writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carlos Ruiz Zafón"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-center-cannot-hold-8927ef",
      "title": "The Center Cannot Hold",
      "author": "Elyn R. Saks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11297799,
          "author": "roymurdock",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:56:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297799",
          "commentText": "Older Stuff: The Bible/Quran, The Republic (Plato), The Social Contract (Rousseau), Tao Te Ching (Laozi), Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky), History of the Peloponnesian War (Thucydides)\nNewer Stuff: Nine Stories (Salinger), The Razor's Edge (Maugham), Nausea (Sartre), Siddartha (Hesse), Road to Serfdom (Hayek), The Book (Watts), Design of Everyday Things (Norman), Atlas Shrugged (Rand), Invisible Man (Ellison), Debunking Economics (Keen), Blood Meridian (McCarthy), The Center Cannot Hold (Saks), This Time Is Different (Reinhart/Rogoff), Infinite Jest (Wallace), Calvin and Hobbes (Watterson)\nAll of these books are well written and have given me some perspective on interesting people/situations/ways of thinking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Center Cannot Hold (Saks)",
          "reason": "Listed among books said to have given the commenter perspective on interesting people, situations, and ways of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Elyn R. Saks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "schizophrenia"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-center-holds-861419",
      "title": "The Center Holds",
      "author": "Jonathan Allen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8257680,
          "author": "rtpg",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T14:17:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257680",
          "commentText": "Finished reading The Center Holds recently, which was a page-turner despite being pretty aware of the events (spoiler: Obama wins 2012).\nThere's a section about the Obama campaign's digital strategy which is interesting.\nAlso read Jordan Mechner's \"The Making of Prince of Persia\", which is snippets of his diary from working on the game. It's insanely interesting, very sad I couldn't read more from his life (especially the making of Last Express).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Finished reading The Center Holds recently, which was a page-turner",
          "reason": "Describes it as a page-turner.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Allen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "2012 us election",
        "obama campaign",
        "political campaigns"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-centurions-4010b5",
      "title": "The Centurions",
      "author": "Jean Lartéguy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25320138,
          "author": "billfruit",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-06T01:34:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25320138",
          "commentText": "The Right Stuff - Test Pilots\nArrowsmith - Sinclair Lewis - Medical Profession\nMcTeague - Frank Norris - Dentistry\nTwo Years Behind the Mast - Dana - Sailor in thr Merchant Marine\nThe Red and the Black - Stendahl - Catholic Clergy\nThe Centurions - Jean Larteguy  - Infantry/Special Ops\nI always suggest reading fiction, it is a good source for lot of incidental knowledge about various aspects of life.\nCan anyone recommend books/novels on the English legal profession? Thanks.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Centurions - Jean Larteguy  - Infantry/Special Ops",
          "reason": "Listed as fiction offering insight into infantry and special operations.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in infantry and special operations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jean Lartéguy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "french indochina war",
        "infantry",
        "special operations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-chaos-makers-the-dreamers-the-deceived-ce2b63",
      "title": "The Chaos Makers: The Dreamers & The Deceived",
      "author": "Fred Harrison",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1465297,
          "author": "adamcrowe",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T09:59:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1465297",
          "commentText": "General and fallacy debunking:\n'Economics In One Lesson' by Henry Hazlitt\nhttp://jim.com/econ\nLand and rent analysis (missing in almost all textbooks):\n'The New Road to Serfdom: An Illustrated Guide to the Coming Real Estate Collapse' by Dr. Michael Hudson\nhttp://michael-hudson.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/RoadToS... (http://michael-hudson.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/RoadToSerfdom.pdf)\n'The Chaos Makers: The Dreamers & The Deceived' by Fred Harrison\nhttp://renegadeeconomist.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/the-... (http://renegadeeconomist.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/the-chaos-makers.pdf)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Chaos Makers: The Dreamers & The Deceived' by Fred Harrison",
          "reason": "Listed for its analysis of land and rent.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in land and rent analysis.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fred Harrison"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "land economics",
        "rent"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-charisma-myth-how-anyone-can-master-the-art-and-science-of-pe-412688",
      "title": "The Charisma Myth: How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism",
      "author": "Olivia Fox Cabane",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25537039,
          "author": "meowzero",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-25T15:40:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25537039",
          "commentText": "Maybe not A book, but some books that helped me change my behavior just a little bit.\nBrain Rules for Baby: How to Raise a Smart and Happy Child from Zero to Five - if you're thinking of having children or have young children already. This book gives some good insight on possible, data-driven ways to raise a happy and smart kid. I currently have a newborn and have altered some ways I behave around her. It also helps to think about how you were raised, and if that impacted the way you are.\nThe Mind Illuminated: A Complete Meditation Guide Integrating Buddhist Wisdom and Brain Science for Greater Mindfulness - if you're into meditation, I think this is the book to get. I started out with Headspace and this book takes it to the next level.\nHow to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life - This was an entertaining book on how Scott Adams failed and succeeded. He gives some practical tips on what he did to get to where he is. Of course, there is survivorship bias, but I found some of it helpful.\nThe Charisma Myth: How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism - People aren't born Charismatic. You can practice it.\nNever Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It - A book about negotiation. I used to hate negotiating. Heck I still do. While I might not use the exact tactics outlined in the book, it helped me realize that I should try to negotiate more. And it might have helped me to get good deals or better salary just by asking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Charisma Myth: How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism - People aren't born Charismatic. You can practice it.",
          "reason": "Presented as a book about charisma and the claim that it can be practiced.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Olivia Fox Cabane"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "charisma",
        "communication"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-charisma-myth-master-the-art-and-science-of-personal-magnetis-234500",
      "title": "The Charisma Myth: Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism",
      "author": "Olivia Fox Cabane",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12420068,
          "author": "codeful",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-03T17:26:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12420068",
          "commentText": "Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest \nby Amy Cuddy\nand\nThe Charisma Myth: Master the Art of Personal Magnetism\nby Olivia Fox Cabane\nI really liked these books about how to be more influential in everyday life. These books provide simple techniques you can use right after you have read. Available as audiobooks too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really liked these books about how to be more influential in everyday life.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really liked the books and that they provide immediately usable techniques for influence.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking influence in everyday life.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Olivia Fox Cabane"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "charisma",
        "influence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-chickenshit-club-46fd43",
      "title": "The Chickenshit Club",
      "author": "Jesse Eisinger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23858948,
          "author": "randtrain34",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:50:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858948",
          "commentText": "The Chickenshit Club by Jesse Eisinger is a great teardown of gov vs corporations legal action",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Chickenshit Club by Jesse Eisinger is a great teardown of gov vs corporations legal action",
          "reason": "Described as a teardown of government versus corporations legal action.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jesse Eisinger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "corporate law",
        "department of justice",
        "white collar crime"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-child-in-you-0abf71",
      "title": "The Child in You",
      "author": "Stefanie Stahl",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34164218,
          "author": "robsun",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T18:44:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34164218",
          "commentText": "Out of 36 books I read this year, these 4 positions have the biggest impact on my life:\nThe gene: an intimate history by Siddhartha Mukherjee - fascinating book about genes and medicine. Author explains ~150 years of experiments and findings in genetic science without going into technical details.\nThe child in you by Stefanie Stahl - it is one of the most important books I  ever read. This book helped me understand myself, discover and overcome some of my traumas.\nNonviolent communication: a language of life by Marshall Rosenberg - very good handbook for improving your communication skills.\nLessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus - when I think of this book word \"charming\" comes to my mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The child in you by Stefanie Stahl - it is one of the most important books I  ever read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them understand themselves and work through trauma.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stefanie Stahl"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "childhood trauma",
        "self understanding"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-child-of-time-4918af",
      "title": "The Child of Time",
      "author": "Isaac Asimov and Robert Silverberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10786156,
          "author": "kwhitefoot",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T22:54:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786156",
          "commentText": "The Child of Time : Isaac Asimov, Robert Silverberg\nLiked it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Child of Time : Isaac Asimov, Robert Silverberg\nLiked it.",
          "reason": "Says they liked the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isaac Asimov and Robert Silverberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short fiction",
        "time travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-china-study-9df391",
      "title": "The China Study",
      "author": "T. Colin Campbell and Thomas M. Campbell II",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40046038,
          "author": "d416",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-15T21:46:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40046038",
          "commentText": "The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_China_Study\nit’s the Red Pill of diet and nutrition  \n(not for everyone)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss and Long-term Health\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_China_Study\nit’s the Red Pill of diet and nutrition  \n(not for everyone)",
          "reason": "Presented as a perspective-shifting book about diet and nutrition.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is “not for everyone.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "T. Colin Campbell",
        "Thomas M. Campbell II"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nutrition",
        "plant based diet"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-chinese-written-character-as-a-medium-for-poetry-e31923",
      "title": "The Chinese Written Character as a Medium for Poetry",
      "author": "Ernest Fenollosa",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9674192,
          "author": "ThomPete",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T11:23:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674192",
          "commentText": "The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Origin-Consciousness-Breakdown-Bicamer... (http://www.amazon.com/Origin-Consciousness-Breakdown-Bicameral-Mind/dp/0618057072)\nI found it on this list:\nhttp://spacecollective.org/wilfriedhoujebek/4076/Summery-Boo... (http://spacecollective.org/wilfriedhoujebek/4076/Summery-Books-Too-Far-Out-For-Johnny-Depp)\nWhere also the following books some of which I read to (Vehicles is really good) can be found:\nThe White Goddess - Robert Graves\nGraves' grammar of poetic myth works at so many levels at the same time that I can't keep track of them all. This is not a book, this is a neurosis you can borrow. Druidic power to the nerds.\nThe Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind - Julian Jaynes\nNever mind the bulky title. The theory of Jaynes seems preposterous at first: before man was conscious he would not stop and think when making a decision, instead he would literally hear a voice telling him what to do. When life became too complicated this faculty broke down, but not in an instant. Religion is a by-product of this neuro-catastrophe. Jaynes however knows to make use of historic material in such a way that in the course of his argument he becomes plausible! If you don't trust me on this, trust Daniel Dennett.\nThe Ghost of Chance - William S. Burroughs\nBurroughs was a great admirer of Jaynes and here he uses the bicameral image of two dividing brain spheres as a metaphor for the divide between peaceful lemur on Madagascar and the war-mongering chimpanzee on the African mainland as a reminder that human evolution could have taken a better turn.\nAncient Evenings - Norman Mailer\nThis book, the only lengthy novel in this list, I first looked up because Burroughs referenced it as his inspiration for 'The Western Lands'. When I noticed it starts with my favourite Yeats quote I knew I needed to read this. Even though Burroughs could never have written it like this, at times it is more Burroughs then Burroughs himself. It is the autobiography of a Ka, the lowliest soul of the seven souls of the ancient Egyptians, which makes for unusual reading. Especially because Mailer uses an uncensored version of Egyptian mythology which, to put it mildly, differs from the version you get of it from the National Geographic. The Egyptians practised sex magic with the stamina of a bonobo. Mailer makes Aleister Crowley look like a prudish schoolboy. This is the boldest attempt to recreate a radically different mind from ours that I know of, and does so successfully. The novel as the creation of an artificial consciousness. At the same time it doubles as an All American Novel (yuk).\nThe Mind in the Cave - David Lewis-Williams\nPalaeolithic Psychedelia anyone? Close your eyes, place a finger on both of your eyelids and press gently. What you see is the origin of all art, you only need to look at rock-art with a guide like Lewis-Williams to see it.\nThe Chinese Written Character as a Medium for Poetry - Ernest Fennolosa\nEdited by Ezra Pound, the most spectacular misunderstanding of language ever to be reprinted. It reads excellent and it gives us a language (Chinoiserie-Chinese) that does not exist in this world but should exist in a better world.\nVehicles - Valentino Braitenberg\nI have read so much stuff relating to Cybernetics, AI, emergent systems and self-organization that I am totally saturated with it. The material itself is exciting but the professional obligation of science to be dull gets on my nerves. But this is an exception, wonderfully written and illustrated with funky little drawings. Vehicles is a tiny book but its size is deceptive. This introduction to synthetic psychology describes a number of simple responsive vehicles that with each new feature became aware of the world around them a good deal more. Each new vehicle is a new mind.\nThe Coleridge Notebooks.\nCharles Lamb said he loved to lend his books to ‘Poet, Metaphysician, Bard’ Coleridge because he would return them with annotations more interesting then the book itself. Samuel Taylor Coleridge had a mind that was free, discursive, unruly and truly original. His notebooks record the flow of his thoughts as if you are sitting next to him. Every now and then I dip into this and always come out with some gem I never saw before. Get the Seamus Perry edition of this. Get a copy of the Road to Xanadu by Livingstone-Lowes for extra enjoyment.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It reads excellent and it gives us a language (Chinoiserie-Chinese) that does not exist in this world but should exist in a better world.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its reading experience and imaginative account of language.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls its account of Chinese a “spectacular misunderstanding of language.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ernest Fenollosa"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Philosophy",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chinese characters",
        "language",
        "poetics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-choice-09c67e",
      "title": "The Choice",
      "author": "Eliyahu M. Goldratt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19899526,
          "author": "kesor",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T14:25:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19899526",
          "commentText": "\"The Goal\" by Eliyahu Goldratt, and other of his books are great books to learn how to think.\nIt is a more concrete example of Systems Thinking that is applied to various environments, manufacturing in \"The Goal\", marketing and strategy in \"It's Not Luck\", projects in \"Critical Chain\", retail in \"Isn't it Obvious\", and personal improvement in \"The Choice\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "personal improvement in \"The Choice\"",
          "reason": "Listed as an application of systems thinking to personal improvement among Goldratt's books.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in systems thinking and personal improvement.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eliyahu M. Goldratt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal improvement",
        "systems thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-chomsky-reader-316aa3",
      "title": "The Chomsky Reader",
      "author": "Noam Chomsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9675178,
          "author": "neilk",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T16:06:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9675178",
          "commentText": "Chomsky's oeuvre on politics, in general. There isn't one single book that states a thesis, it's about a perspective. So perhaps start with The Chomsky Reader.  An easier-to-digest intro is the documentary Manufacturing Consent. The twist is that a lot of the things you think of as \"bugs\" in the political and economic systems of the Western democracies are \"features\" from the perspective of powerful elites. But the meta-lesson is that big questions can be answered. If you get past the mythology in your culture, and read primary sources, you can really figure this stuff out. Chomsky can go off the deep end at times (and his fanclub does so a lot), but his documentation is meticulous. Well worth reading.\nFor very different perspectives on programming, check out Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programming (read it a decade ago and I use techniques from there every day.)\nThe Gift by Lewis Hyde. Although directed at artists, it is highly relevant to creative programmers and the phenomenon of open source. He is able to articulate things which are very hard to talk about, like the intersection of economics and artistry, and how the gifting ethos is necessary for any culture to thrive. If you think ESR had the last word on how open source works, you need to read this.\nAnother book of interest by Hyde is Trickster Makes This World, wherein you learn the hacker archetype - the giver of technology; the player of tricks - has been around since prehistory. It's not a coincidence that those two aspects are always seen together.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "So perhaps start with The Chomsky Reader.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a starting point for exploring Chomsky's political perspective.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an introduction to Chomsky's political writing.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Chomsky can go off the deep end at times.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Noam Chomsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "media criticism",
        "political thought"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-christian-tradition-c2a8e8",
      "title": "The Christian Tradition",
      "author": "Jaroslav Pelikan",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36104926,
          "author": "cafard",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T15:33:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36104926",
          "commentText": "Jaroslav Pelikan wrote a five-volume series on the history of Christian doctrine. It is short on sociology, but long on creeds. Really I don't know enough about other religions to make suggestions.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Jaroslav Pelikan wrote a five-volume series on the history of Christian doctrine.",
          "reason": "Describes Pelikan's five-volume history of Christian doctrine.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Short on sociology and long on creeds.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jaroslav Pelikan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian doctrine",
        "church history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-chronicles-of-old-guy-d023c0",
      "title": "The Chronicles of Old Guy",
      "author": "Timothy J. Gawne",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15429847,
          "author": "pdfernhout",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T20:28:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15429847",
          "commentText": "The Chronicles of Old Guy (2012) and other books in that series by Timothy J. Gawne are all fairly hard sci-fi (maybe not 100%, but close) about an AI embodied in a huge cybertank. The series is written by a neuroscientist with an MIT degree and a \"general research interest is in the nature of the neural code, and the physical basis of human thought.\" The key idea is that in order for the cybertanks to not either go rogue or crazy they needed to have personalities based on how humans actually think so they identified with human culture. Timothy J. Gawne is able to mix both fairly hard sci-fi and humor at the same time -- which seems pretty rare. I've been hoping for a sixth book in the series, but it has been two years since the last...\nFrom the blurb of the fifth novel: \"Everybody’s favorite self-aware weapon of mass destruction, the Odin-Class cybertank known as Old Guy, is back and charging into action as only a fusion-powered 2000 ton armored fighting vehicle can! Through a curious twist of fate, Old Guy finds himself back on Old Earth under the yoke of the vile and despicable Neoliberal oligarchs. Between a looming ecological disaster, renegade sentient bioweapons, inscrutable aliens, the recycling center from Hell, and an unlikely alliance between the Cult of Cthulhu and the Order of the Librarians Temporal, Old Guy must throw off his cybernetic shackles, defeat the Neoliberals, save the world, and launch a line of comfortable yet stylish footwear. \"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Chronicles of Old Guy (2012)",
          "reason": "Praises the series' hard science fiction, humor, and unusual AI premise.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the books may not be completely hard SF and hopes for a sixth book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Timothy J. Gawne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "cybertanks",
        "military science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-chronicles-of-thomas-covenant-253c90",
      "title": "The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant",
      "author": "Stephen R. Donaldson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2660753,
          "author": "Abaddon",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-16T11:06:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2660753",
          "commentText": "For fiction, I'd vote for the First and Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen Donaldson.\nHe's often mocked for deploying the less-visited corners of the OED, but some people love that sort of joy in language. The antihero has never been done better, and the inversion of the whole 'wake up in a fantasy land' trope is brilliant and explored to its logical conclusions.\nGive it to Book 2 of the First Chronicles ('The Illearth War') before you decide whether you like them.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'd vote for the First and Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen Donaldson.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its language, antihero, and inversion of the fantasy trope, while advising readers to give it through Book 2.",
          "audience": "Readers of fiction and fantasy who enjoy unusual vocabulary and language.",
          "caveat": "The antihero and trope inversion may take through Book 2 of the First Chronicles to judge.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen R. Donaldson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "antihero",
        "epic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-chronoliths-7289ea",
      "title": "The Chronoliths",
      "author": "Robert Charles Wilson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32937956,
          "author": "Bakary",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T12:32:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937956",
          "commentText": "I suggest reading the Chronoliths as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I suggest reading the Chronoliths as well.",
          "reason": "Suggests reading the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Charles Wilson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-chrysalids-f038ab",
      "title": "The Chrysalids",
      "author": "John Wyndham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17338118,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T13:38:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17338118",
          "commentText": "My top three would be:\nDune by  Frank Herbert (only the first book, dislike the rest of the series)\nFarmer in the Sky by Robert Heinlein\nThe Crysalids by John Wyndham\nI've probably read these three books at least twice a decade since the 80s when I was a teenager.\nThe Complete Robot from Isaac Asimov would be a close forth.\nThe Tripod Trilogy by John Christopher would be fifth on the list. Hadn't read since a teenager, but about ten years ago tracked down copies of them (and the prequel) and it was delightful to reread.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Crysalids by John Wyndham",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13569455,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T22:20:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13569455",
          "commentText": "Three books I tend to re-read every 3-8 years are: Farmer in the Sky[1], The Chrysalids[2] and Dune[3][4]. Read them as a teenager and thirty years later still re-read.\nOthers I’ve re-read recently are:\n* Camouflage [5]\n* The Green And the Gray [6]\n* The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August [7]\n* The Martian [8]\n* I Am Not A Serial Killer series [9]\nI plan to re-read in the near future:\n* Touch [10]\n* The Hollow City [11]\n* Pulling Up Stakes [12]\nYes, I read a lot. [13]\n---\n[1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50851.Farmer_in_the_Sky\n[2] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/826845.The_Chrysalids\n[3] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1000049.Dune\n[4] Only the first book in the series. Really disliked all the rest. Last couple of times I’ve listened to the Audible audiobook version which is excellent.\n[5] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21607.Camouflage\n[6] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/216455.The_Green_And_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/216455.The_Green_And_the_Gray)\n[7] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295861-the-first-fifte... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295861-the-first-fifteen-lives-of-harry-august)\n[8] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18007564-the-martian\n[9] https://www.goodreads.com/series/49883-john-cleaver\n[10] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23561543-touch\n[11] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13034956-the-hollow-city\n[12] https://www.goodreads.com/series/94696-pulling-up-stakes\n[13] http://www.michevan.id.au/content/reading-habits-of-2015/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Chrysalids[2] and Dune[3][4].",
          "reason": "Lists it among books reread every three to eight years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8257599,
          "author": "mark_integerdsv",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T14:05:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257599",
          "commentText": "The Chrysalids - John Wyndham.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Chrysalids - John Wyndham.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Wyndham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "post apocalyptic",
        "mutation",
        "dystopian fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-churn-e4b976",
      "title": "The Churn",
      "author": "James S. A. Corey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36024164,
          "author": "spoiler",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T19:51:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36024164",
          "commentText": "The Novellas are amazing! So, I definitely recommend them. I loved The Churn personally, because I really enjoyed finding out more about Amos.\nI'd recommend reading all the books anyway. They flow quit differently to the show, even if they are a faithful adaptation. So, I think you'll enjoy the experience even if you think you know what's coming.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved The Churn personally",
          "reason": "The commenter says they loved the novella and enjoyed learning more about Amos.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James S. A. Corey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "character backstory",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-circadian-code-d6b5c3",
      "title": "The Circadian Code",
      "author": "Satchin Panda",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18745186,
          "author": "aryamaan",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T09:08:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18745186",
          "commentText": "Can vouch for Circadian Code. The first two third of the book is accompanied with practical actionable items and helped me to gain control on my sleep.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Can vouch for Circadian Code. The first two third of the book is accompanied with practical actionable items and helped me to gain control on my sleep.",
          "reason": "Vouches for its actionable guidance, which helped improve their sleep.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Satchin Panda"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "circadian rhythms",
        "sleep"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-city-at-the-end-of-time-317a7b",
      "title": "The City at the End of Time",
      "author": "Greg Bear",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9677024,
          "author": "ConceptJunkie",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-08T01:50:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9677024",
          "commentText": "Greg Bear's \"The City At The End of Time\"  It has its flaws, but there are more cool SF ideas in this book than practically anything I've ever read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It has its flaws, but there are more cool SF ideas in this book than practically anything I've ever read.",
          "reason": "Praises its abundance of science fiction ideas, while acknowledging flaws.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It has its flaws.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Greg Bear"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cosmic horror",
        "deep time"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-civil-war-f89bc0",
      "title": "The Civil War",
      "author": "Shelby Foote",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 457944,
          "author": "uuilly",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-30T10:15:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=457944",
          "commentText": "I've been waiting years for someone to ask this question :)\nWishlited this last night on amazon:\nCarnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise to Western Power by Victor Davis Hanson\nHave read these and enjoyed these:\nGeneral Warfare theory:\nHistory of Warfare by Keegan\nIntel:\nIntelligence and War by Keegan\nCounterinsurgency:\n\"Ghost Wars\" by Steve Coll.  For a really enjoyable experience read \"The Great Game\"  by Hopkirk first.\nThe Civil War deserves it's own category. Watch the PBS dvds, actually buy them.  If you're hungry for more dig into \"The Civil War\" by Shelby Foote is hefty but it's satisfying.\n1776 is a classic.\n\"Blind mans bluff\" is a great book about submarine warfare.\nFor more current stuff Robert Kagan is probably the most informed pundit on war and military strategy.\nWW-II\n\"The Last Lion\" books 1 and 2 are about Churchill and they involve lots of military strategy.  You should also check out \"The gathering storm + the other six books Churchill wrote on WWII.\nMan I could go on forever.  I have \"Panzer General\" and \"Caesar's Conquest of Gaul\" on my nightstand...\nEnjoy...\nPS:  Once you're well versed you'll hear people referring to Clauswitz a lot.  When you're sick of hearing his name and you want more than the wikipedia entry go read \"On War.\"  Art of War goes w/o saying as well...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If you're hungry for more dig into \"The Civil War\" by Shelby Foote is hefty but it's satisfying.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is satisfying for readers who want more detail.",
          "audience": "Readers wanting more on the American Civil War.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as hefty.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Shelby Foote"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american civil war"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-claim-of-reason-65b28e",
      "title": "The Claim of Reason",
      "author": "Stanley Cavell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503373,
          "author": "carid",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T08:44:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503373",
          "commentText": "A couple by Stanley Cavell:\nMust We Mean What We Say? (1969)\nThe Claim of Reason: Wittgenstein, Skepticism, Morality, and Tragedy (1979) New York: Oxford University Press.\nI would also second Russell's A Brief History of Western Philosophy.  It's biased and weirdly shallow in some places, but written by a philosopher, so not a toothless compilation.\nObscure but made an impression on me: Ways of Worldmaking by Nelson Goodman.\nIf you can get through it: John Rawls's A Theory of Justice...an important book with a few very important ideas.\nStuff by Amartya Sen.\nOn philosophy of science, the historical narratives do the job I think, like The Sleepwalkers by Arthur Koestler (a great read once you get through the Greeks).  You could read Thomas Kuhn, Feyerabend's autobiography \"Killing Time\" which is great, and if you're really serious read Peter Galison's stuff.\nFinally, again, more history that pure philosophy but I really liked Wittgenstein's Vienna by Toulmin.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Claim of Reason: Wittgenstein, Skepticism, Morality, and Tragedy (1979)",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stanley Cavell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "skepticism",
        "wittgenstein"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-classroom-management-book-ec0b10",
      "title": "The Classroom Management Book",
      "author": "Harry K. Wong and Rosemary T. Wong",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40284561,
          "author": "JackMorgan",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T12:14:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40284561",
          "commentText": "Wow, this is interesting, very few books I've read more than once! Even fewer are non fiction, but they sure do explain a lot about me:\n- Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving by Pete Walker helped me process a number of assaults that happened to me as a child\n- Designing Data Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann helped me understand intuitively how databases work and how to use eventual consistency to handle workloads\n- The Highly Sensitive Person: How To Thrive when the World Overwhelms You by Elaine Aron this helped me process my and my families neurodivergence.\n- Structure And Interpretation of Computer Programs by Ableson and Sussman. Great book, it's how I learned to love Lisp. I felt like I grew 10x in skill from completing all the homework.\n- Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training by Mark Rippetoe. This is the book that got me into powerlifting  as a regular part of my fitness. I used this to heal my back, neck, and wrist pain. Changed my life.\n- Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter by James Gurney. The GOAT of plein air painting himself teaches so much about how light works on complex forms. I've dog-eared this book.\n- Reinventing Organizations by Frederic Laloux. A great look into how to build and run a self organizing team. Very insightful for when I was leading several teams and needed inspiration for something other than the typical chain of command.\n- The Classroom Management Book by Harry Wong. This book taught me so much about how humans work. I still apply lessons from this book 20 years later.\n- Real World Haskell by O'Sullivan, Goerzen, Stewart. This taught me a lot about Haskell, and got me into all the neat effects needed to make a function pure but still handle IO/async, etc.\n- Peopleware by DeMarco, Lister. My go to book for people management and a philosophy of project management\n- Science of Trust: Emotional Attunement for Couples by Gottman. I love this book for teaching me how to be a better spouse and friend.\n- The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing by Larimore, Lindauer. A great guide to building a permanent portfolio that will return consistent gains with the market. Simple in hindsight, thanks to this book. Best book on investing I've ever read.\n- How to Take Smart Notes by Ahrens. Introduces the zettlekasten system for thinking and creativity. Very inspiring, got me to start a personal file that I keep going to this day, five years later.\n- Twenty Small Sailboats to Take you Anywhere by Vigor. I read this book over and over, dreaming of buying a small boat and sailing around the world. Maybe this year...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Classroom Management Book by Harry Wong. This book taught me so much about how humans work.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they still apply lessons from it 20 years later.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Harry K. Wong",
        "Rosemary T. Wong"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classroom management",
        "teaching"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-clear-quran-ddd604",
      "title": "The Clear Quran",
      "author": "Mustafa Khattab",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39729911,
          "author": "gungho2rdo2",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T22:07:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729911",
          "commentText": "The Clear Quran\nTranslation by Dr. Khattab",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Clear Quran",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mustafa Khattab"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "islam",
        "quran"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-client-f514bf",
      "title": "The Client",
      "author": "John Grisham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2618480,
          "author": "imjonathanlee",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-04T00:13:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2618480",
          "commentText": "Currently reading: The girl who kicked the hornet's nest\nTop Favorites: Count of Monte Cristo, The three musketeers, Sherlock Homes and the Hound of Baskersville, Atlas Shrugged, The Client",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Client",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter’s top favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Grisham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crime fiction",
        "legal thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-closer-s-survival-guide-059fd2",
      "title": "The Closer's Survival Guide",
      "author": "Grant Cardone",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10234943,
          "author": "rishi",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T17:51:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10234943",
          "commentText": "Grant Cardone's The Closer's Survival Guide.\nGet it on Audible:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Closers-Survival-Guide-Third/dp/B00K1O... (http://www.amazon.com/Closers-Survival-Guide-Third/dp/B00K1O4TPW/)\nI've read a ton of sales books and this is by far the best one. Actionable stuff - no fluff. Great for founders who have trouble getting the deal closed and the cash in the bank.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Grant Cardone's The Closer's Survival Guide.",
          "reason": "Called the best sales book the commenter has read, with actionable material and no fluff.",
          "audience": "Founders who have trouble closing deals and collecting payment.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Grant Cardone"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "closing deals",
        "sales"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-closing-of-the-american-mind-94562d",
      "title": "The Closing of the American Mind",
      "author": "Allan Bloom",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 56751,
          "author": "yters",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T06:37:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56751",
          "commentText": "Being a programmer, you've probably felt the appeal of Platonism, so I'd recommend a couple of his dialogues: Phaedrus, Symposium, and the Republic (in order of length, short to long, since they are pretty dense).  I'd also recommend reading the Republic last, so you can get over the misconceptions you were probably taught in high school.\nAllan Bloom's Closing of the American Mind is also very enlightening for a) understanding the goals of the enlightenment, and b) understanding the current state of our culture.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "is also very enlightening for a) understanding the goals of the enlightenment, and b) understanding the current state of our culture.",
          "reason": "Calls it enlightening for understanding the Enlightenment and contemporary culture.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in culture and intellectual history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Allan Bloom"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "higher education",
        "political philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-cloudspotter-s-guide-the-science-history-and-culture-of-cloud-71cef3",
      "title": "The Cloudspotter's Guide: The Science, History, and Culture of Clouds",
      "author": "Gavin Pretor-Pinney",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22095210,
          "author": "e15ctr0n",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T00:29:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22095210",
          "commentText": "The Cloudspotter's Guide: The Science, History, and Culture of Clouds by Gavin Pretor-Pinney\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Cloudspotters-Guide-Science-History-C... (https://www.amazon.com/Cloudspotters-Guide-Science-History-Culture/dp/0399533451/)\nI found this book in the Best Books of the Year 2006 round-up by The Economist: https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2006/12/07/fighting... (https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2006/12/07/fighting-to-be-tops)\nBook review: https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2006/05/25/radiantl... (https://www.economist.com/books-and-arts/2006/05/25/radiantly-cloudy)\nWebsite: https://cloudappreciationsociety.org/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Cloudspotter's Guide: The Science, History, and Culture of Clouds by Gavin Pretor-Pinney",
          "reason": "The commenter identifies the book and notes finding it in a year-end book roundup.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in clouds and their science, history, and culture.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gavin Pretor-Pinney"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "clouds",
        "meteorology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-coaching-habit-b69dfc",
      "title": "The Coaching Habit",
      "author": "Michael Bungay Stanier",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21914539,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-30T16:38:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21914539",
          "commentText": "Getting Things Done - the 2001 version I read two years ago, I use the general idea and it helps to have a clear head when your fighting fires daily.\nNever Split the Difference - some very practical negotiation strategies.\nMini Habits by Stephen Guise - short book but awesome method.  I am still doing the one pushup habit since last March.\nHow to Shoot Video That Doesn't Suck by Steve Stockman - I wanted to improve my video production for my programming course for kids.  I am still learning but this book has been a huge help.\nThe Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing and Thinking by Barbara Minto - huge help with improving my written communication at my job.\nThe Coaching Habit by Michael Stanier - short book but huge help when your transitioning to managing people.\nMade to Stick by Dan Heath - was a huge help in planning how I would teach elementary students last month about programming.\nThe 80/20 Principle by Richard Koch - aside from application of Pareto principle, I took away the idea that books provide the best bang for your buck for knowledge density.\nThe 4 Hour Work Week - great inspiration to start your own thing.\nThe $100 Startup - like the 4HWW but with more details.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "short book but huge help when your transitioning to managing people.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was a huge help during their transition to managing people.",
          "audience": "People moving into management.",
          "caveat": "Described as a short book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Bungay Stanier"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coaching",
        "management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-code-book-the-evolution-of-secrecy-from-mary-queen-of-scots-t-9188a0",
      "title": "The Code Book: The Evolution of Secrecy from Mary, Queen of Scots to Quantum Cryptography",
      "author": "Simon Singh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7766038,
          "author": "kirang1989",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-19T06:52:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7766038",
          "commentText": "Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective and NAND2Tetris: Elements of Computing Systems are the best books to learn the internals of computer hardware and solidify your understanding of how a computer works.\nThe Pragmatic Programmer - My all time favorite. Awesome book to learn best practices of various aspects in programming.\nThe Code Book: The Evolution Of Secrecy From Mary, Queen Of Scots To Quantum Cryptography, if you have a thing for cryptography.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Code Book: The Evolution Of Secrecy From Mary, Queen Of Scots To Quantum Cryptography, if you have a thing for cryptography.",
          "reason": "Recommended for readers interested in cryptography.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in cryptography",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Simon Singh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "codes",
        "cryptography",
        "secret communication"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-code-breaker-68027f",
      "title": "The Code Breaker",
      "author": "Walter Isaacson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33852658,
          "author": "Orange1688",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T11:30:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33852658",
          "commentText": "An excellent gauge for how good a book is can be found in how many times you catch yourself thinking back on it even after some time has passed. Through this, my favorite this entire year is The Diary of a Young Girl (Anne Frank's diary). Without a doubt one of the best books I have ever read, just through how supremely human it is.\nOther books are:\n-The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson\n-Sapiens by Yuval Yuval Noah Harari\n-21 Lessons for the 21st Century\n-Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feyn\nman!: Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard Feynman\n-Why Nations Fail by Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson\n-Permanent Record by Edward Snowden",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's other books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Walter Isaacson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biography",
        "genetics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-code-breaker-jennifer-doudna-gene-editing-and-the-future-of-t-959cfa",
      "title": "The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race",
      "author": "Walter Isaacson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29673092,
          "author": "samglover97",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T12:32:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29673092",
          "commentText": "A few books I enjoyed:\n- The Case against Education by Bryan Caplan, discussing the merits of signalling theory (the point of education is to signal your intelligence and conscientiousness) as opposed to human capital theory (education genuinely makes you a better worker with more skills). Didn't find it totally convincing but it was a fun and interesting read.\n- The Genetic Lottery: Why DNA Matters for Social Equality by Kathryn Harden, a wonderful book on how hereditary IQ is, and why that is a good case for redistribution, given that IQ is so predictive of wealth/income\n- The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson, a biography of Jennifer Doudna, the woman who founded CRISPR and won the Nobel prize. Great read, thrilling.\n- My Struggle book 1, by Karl Ove Knausgård. Haven't finished this yet, just started it a few days ago - about 300 pages in. Great, great novel, one of the best I've read in a while.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson, a biography of Jennifer Doudna, the woman who founded CRISPR and won the Nobel prize. Great read, thrilling.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great, thrilling read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Walter Isaacson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crispr",
        "gene editing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-code-of-capital-31a1ce",
      "title": "The Code of Capital",
      "author": "Katharina Pistor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22575420,
          "author": "jonahbenton",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T14:16:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22575420",
          "commentText": "Huge, huge topic. You will have to pick a path through the enormous jungle.\nThe starting point I would recommend is bottom up, through accounting and financial statements. Core knowledge, of both practical and intellectual value. Tons of books here, I particularly like\nThomas Ittelson - Financial Statements\nAccessible, straightforward, friendly.\nAfter that, any of the collections of\nWarren Buffett's Letters to Shareholders\nare both entertaining and intellectually valuable, and provide great insight. Read forward, eg, from his first letters in the 1960s, to now.\nOne of the realizations in the journey is that there are, and have been, a lot of different kinds of money- credit money and exchange money and asset money and so forth. A relatively abstract/intellectual but immensely useful survey is\nThe Nature of Money - Geoffrey Ingham\nThe concept of an asset is critical to the functioning of the financial system. New kinds of assets are created all the time. One of the best written books I have read recently goes into venture capital and debt asset creation:\nThe Code Of Capital - Katharina Pistor\nThe role of different kinds of money in history, especially US history, is absolutely fascinating. I am in the middle of\nAmerican Bonds - Sarah Quinn\nand can recommend.\nI do not especially recommend the Dalio books or Graeber's Debt or Ferguson's books. They are fine but I did not find them helping me build understanding. Not quite junk food, but definitely not protein.\nI unfortunately have not found any of the books I have seen about the Federal Reserve to be worthy of recommending. My wife works there and so I have perhaps a unique perspective. But nothing conveys the challenge and the mechanics of what they do. Still looking. The papers the various Fed banks publish, as well as the papers published by the Bank of England, are uniformly outstanding.\nFinally, some of the bitcoin people have written about money. Tho I am a believer in bitcoin I absolutely recommend against most of them, especially Saifedean Ammous's book. Do not read.\nGood luck!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Code Of Capital - Katharina Pistor",
          "reason": "Recommended for its account of venture capital and debt asset creation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it one of the best written books they have read recently.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Katharina Pistor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "debt",
        "financial assets",
        "venture capital"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-cognitive-style-of-powerpoint-90f6fc",
      "title": "The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint",
      "author": "Edward R. Tufte",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5607,
          "author": "notabel",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T04:04:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5607",
          "commentText": "I had long pined to read Tufte's The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint, but couldn't convince myself to spend the money; when I arrived at university, I immediately found a copy, and greatly appreciated it (not to say I agreed with every point).  I thence read Visual Display of Quantitative Information, and found it fascinating--for anyone who's ever taken an interest in typography, visualization, or the theory of communication, it's an excellent read.  Even if none of that interests you, you'd still benefit from the book: it shows you how to think analytically about human factors, which is a relatively rare discipline.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I had long pined to read Tufte's The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint",
          "reason": "The commenter says they wanted to read it and appreciated finding a copy, without stating an overall endorsement.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in typography, visualization, or communication theory.",
          "caveat": "They explicitly say they did not agree with every point.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward R. Tufte"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "information design",
        "powerpoint",
        "visual communication"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-cold-cold-ground-0831f8",
      "title": "The Cold Cold Ground",
      "author": "Adrian McKinty",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42280530,
          "author": "bwb",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-30T09:15:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42280530",
          "commentText": "If you guys want to browse, I've had 1,300+ readers share their 3 favorite reads of the year here:\nhttps://shepherd.com/bboy/2024\nYou can browse by a lot of different genres, etc.\nYou can also submit yours here -> https://shepherd.com/bboy/my-3-fav-reads\nYou can see my 3 here: https://shepherd.com/bboy/2024/f/bwb\n*Every submitter gets a page like that.\nWhat were my 3?\n1. The Cold Cold Ground - Fantastic police procedural set in Northern Ireland during The Troubles.\n2. The Aggressor - Near future Tom-Clancy-like sketch of a USA/China war.\n3. Wounded Tigris - Amazing Nonfiction about a team traveling down the entire Tigris River. Heavy on environment, history, and people. Utterly fascinating.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1. The Cold Cold Ground - Fantastic police procedural set in Northern Ireland during The Troubles.",
          "reason": "Named as one of the commenter’s three favorite reads; described as a fantastic police procedural.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adrian McKinty"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "police procedural",
        "the troubles"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-cold-millions-33ee90",
      "title": "The Cold Millions",
      "author": "Jess Walter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46392136,
          "author": "eleventen",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T14:11:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46392136",
          "commentText": "Pachinko by Min Jin Lee stuck with me more than anything else I read this year. It is a work of simple beauty.\nIt’s a story of several generations of poor Korean women who eventually immigrate to Japan. The front half of the book is wonderfully paced to spend time with the characters.  The back half can feel a bit rushed, but it becomes more of a page turner.\nThe Cold Millions by Jess Walter is another period novel about union organizing in the Pacific Northwest around the turn of the century, and follows two brothers.  The depth of research makes this book wonderfully vibrant.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Cold Millions by Jess Walter is another period novel about union organizing in the Pacific Northwest around the turn of the century, and follows two brothers. The depth of research makes this book wonderfully vibrant.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book’s research and vivid historical setting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jess Walter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical novel",
        "labor history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-cold-start-problem-how-to-start-and-scale-network-effects-c7b533",
      "title": "The Cold Start Problem: How to Start and Scale Network Effects",
      "author": "Andrew Chen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35174862,
          "author": "awinter-py",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T21:18:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35174862",
          "commentText": "Bunch of mentions of cold start problem here already.\nI at first assumed this book was just its title, and was some combination of 'launch to a lot of people in a narrow space' plus 'personal value precedes network value'.\nThere's actually a lot more in it, especially about the granularity of scaling at uber.\nFor me the book landed after I'd already tried and failed to start a network by onboarding individuals. The 'atomic networks' stuff in there is gold. (Though for someone like me who learns through failure, I needed to try everything else before the message landed).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The 'atomic networks' stuff in there is gold.",
          "reason": "Praises the book's ideas about atomic networks after describing lessons from a failed attempt to start a network.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its message landed only after they had tried and failed to onboard individuals.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew Chen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marketplaces",
        "network effects",
        "product growth"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-cold-war-swap-c16fff",
      "title": "The Cold War Swap",
      "author": "Ross Thomas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783919,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:07:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783919",
          "commentText": "[cont'd]\nMichael Frayn, Democracy. A compulsively readable play about an episode in the politics of West Germany in the 1970s, a subject I didn't know could be made so interesting to me. Superb.\nMichael Flynn, Eifelheim. Excellent and profound SF/historical novel about aliens crashing in the Germany of the Middle Ages, and how that would work out. Avoids cheap tricks, very strong on historical research and verisimilitude.\nRoss Thomas, The Cold War Swap, Cast a Yellow Shadow, Chinaman's Chance. Very well-written thrillers, typically stories about spying or political corruption. I'm usually bored by this genre, couldn't put these down. Will read more by this (hitherto unknown to me) author.\nUrsula K. Le Guin, The Wizard of Earthsea. (reread) Still as good as I remembered it to be.\nP.K.Dick, The Man in the High Castle. (reread) Very inventive and weird in a good way, but I wish the characters would be a little different (everyone is the same highly neurotic mouthpiece for the author), and the obsession with I Ching does nothing for me. Still worth reading.\nRobert Ryan, Dead Man's Land. A Sherlock Holmes novel in which 90% of the action is with John Watson rejoining the Army to help in World War I at his late middle age, and Holmes appears only briefly. Works quite well. Very detailed on day-to-day trench warfare and medicine at the front.\nMichael Frayn, Noises Off. A funny short play, very meta, not as good as his \"Democracy\".\nNeil Gaiman, The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Better than his two long novels of the 2000s. A self-contained fairy tale, fun to read and well-written, but not beyond that. Gaiman's unsurpassed masterpiece, to me, is still The Sandman.\nMichael Swansick, Chasing the Phoenix. SF, set on a future Earth where computers and electronic communication are outlawed following problems with runaway AIs, but there's lots of high technology (e.g. genetics) otherwise. Funny and amusing, a light read.\n[edit: deleted about 20 books I didn't like or hated]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ross Thomas, The Cold War Swap, Cast a Yellow Shadow, Chinaman's Chance. Very well-written thrillers, typically stories about spying or political corruption. I'm usually bored by this genre, couldn't put these down.",
          "reason": "Groups it among very well-written thrillers the commenter could not put down.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ross Thomas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political corruption",
        "spy thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-cold-war-a-new-history-9e24c8",
      "title": "The Cold War: A New History",
      "author": "John Lewis Gaddis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7968872,
          "author": "markbao",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T02:24:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968872",
          "commentText": "I'm currently reading This Explains Everything: Deep, Beautiful, and Elegant Theories of How the World Works, a regretfully titled yet excellent book. [0]\nEdge.org, in its annual question to prominent scientists and 'thought leaders', asked them \"What is your favorite deep, elegant, or beautiful explanation?\" My favorite ones so far include the many offshoots of natural selection and evolution, plus all of the stuff about the brain.\nI recently finished The Cold War: A New History, a great primer to how we got to the geopolitical situation we are in now (at least the major western/eastern powers), and A Short History of Nearly Everything, which was an awesome birds-eye view of modern science. ★★★★☆ to both.\nMy next book is going to be about AI; let me know if you have any recommendations. (I'm not sure I'm ready for GEB.)\n[0] http://www.amazon.com/dp/0062230174/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a great primer to how we got to the geopolitical situation we are in now",
          "reason": "Calls it a great primer on the history behind the current geopolitical situation.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an introduction to the Cold War and its geopolitical consequences.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Lewis Gaddis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cold war",
        "geopolitics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-coldfire-trilogy-dd1d86",
      "title": "The Coldfire Trilogy",
      "author": "C. S. Friedman",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 86223,
          "author": "icky",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:37:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86223",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- The Time Machine (still holds up very well, and seems strangely eerie and prescient in places)... (H. G. Wells)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Hobbit (and LotR) (Tolkien)\n- Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n- Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties (I picked up Idoru first, so I haven't yet read Virtual Light) (also Gibson)\n- The Difference Engine (Gibson, Sterling)\n- Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n- Cryptonomicon (\" \")\n- Circuit of Heaven, End of Days (Dennis Danvers)\n- All of the \"Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser\" stories and novels. (Fritz Leiber)\n- The Earthsea trilogy (Ursula K. LeGuin)\n- 'salem's Lot (Stephen King)\n- Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein)\n- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)\n- the Coldfire trilogy (C. S. Friedman)\n- various Cory Doctorow short stories\n- Kamikaze L'Amour (Richard Kadrey)\n- Lightpaths (Howard V. Hendrix)\n- A Canticle For Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)\n- Moonwar, Venus (Ben Bova)\n- the Stainless Steel Rat series (Harry Harrison)\n- Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)\n- Ringworld (Larry Niven)\n- Cthon (Piers Anthony) -- Trippiness level approaching Philip Jose Farmer ;-)\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (Douglas Adams)\n- The Black Company (Glen Cook)\n- there's one particularly good post-cyberpunk series that takes place in a world in which Canada emerged as a major world power, but for the life of me I can't rememeber the title.\n- the 1632 series (Eric Flint)... see also S. M. Stirling's Nantucket series (\"Island in the Sea of Time\", et al.), and H. Beam Piper's novel Kalvan of Otherwhen\nNon-fiction:\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (Hume)\n- the surviving words and works of Epicurus, and Diogenes the Cynic\n- Freakonomics (Levitt, Dubner)\n- The Gay Science (Nietzsche)\n- The Jefferson Bible (Christ, Jefferson (ed.))\n- The Devil's Dictionary (Bierce)\n- Brain Droppings (George Carlin)\n- anything by P. J. O'Rourke\n- anything by Dave Barry",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Coldfire trilogy (C. S. Friedman)",
          "reason": "Recommends the trilogy in the fiction list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "C. S. Friedman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alien world",
        "dark fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-coleridge-notebooks-6e8f5e",
      "title": "The Coleridge Notebooks",
      "author": "Samuel Taylor Coleridge",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9674192,
          "author": "ThomPete",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T11:23:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674192",
          "commentText": "The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Origin-Consciousness-Breakdown-Bicamer... (http://www.amazon.com/Origin-Consciousness-Breakdown-Bicameral-Mind/dp/0618057072)\nI found it on this list:\nhttp://spacecollective.org/wilfriedhoujebek/4076/Summery-Boo... (http://spacecollective.org/wilfriedhoujebek/4076/Summery-Books-Too-Far-Out-For-Johnny-Depp)\nWhere also the following books some of which I read to (Vehicles is really good) can be found:\nThe White Goddess - Robert Graves\nGraves' grammar of poetic myth works at so many levels at the same time that I can't keep track of them all. This is not a book, this is a neurosis you can borrow. Druidic power to the nerds.\nThe Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind - Julian Jaynes\nNever mind the bulky title. The theory of Jaynes seems preposterous at first: before man was conscious he would not stop and think when making a decision, instead he would literally hear a voice telling him what to do. When life became too complicated this faculty broke down, but not in an instant. Religion is a by-product of this neuro-catastrophe. Jaynes however knows to make use of historic material in such a way that in the course of his argument he becomes plausible! If you don't trust me on this, trust Daniel Dennett.\nThe Ghost of Chance - William S. Burroughs\nBurroughs was a great admirer of Jaynes and here he uses the bicameral image of two dividing brain spheres as a metaphor for the divide between peaceful lemur on Madagascar and the war-mongering chimpanzee on the African mainland as a reminder that human evolution could have taken a better turn.\nAncient Evenings - Norman Mailer\nThis book, the only lengthy novel in this list, I first looked up because Burroughs referenced it as his inspiration for 'The Western Lands'. When I noticed it starts with my favourite Yeats quote I knew I needed to read this. Even though Burroughs could never have written it like this, at times it is more Burroughs then Burroughs himself. It is the autobiography of a Ka, the lowliest soul of the seven souls of the ancient Egyptians, which makes for unusual reading. Especially because Mailer uses an uncensored version of Egyptian mythology which, to put it mildly, differs from the version you get of it from the National Geographic. The Egyptians practised sex magic with the stamina of a bonobo. Mailer makes Aleister Crowley look like a prudish schoolboy. This is the boldest attempt to recreate a radically different mind from ours that I know of, and does so successfully. The novel as the creation of an artificial consciousness. At the same time it doubles as an All American Novel (yuk).\nThe Mind in the Cave - David Lewis-Williams\nPalaeolithic Psychedelia anyone? Close your eyes, place a finger on both of your eyelids and press gently. What you see is the origin of all art, you only need to look at rock-art with a guide like Lewis-Williams to see it.\nThe Chinese Written Character as a Medium for Poetry - Ernest Fennolosa\nEdited by Ezra Pound, the most spectacular misunderstanding of language ever to be reprinted. It reads excellent and it gives us a language (Chinoiserie-Chinese) that does not exist in this world but should exist in a better world.\nVehicles - Valentino Braitenberg\nI have read so much stuff relating to Cybernetics, AI, emergent systems and self-organization that I am totally saturated with it. The material itself is exciting but the professional obligation of science to be dull gets on my nerves. But this is an exception, wonderfully written and illustrated with funky little drawings. Vehicles is a tiny book but its size is deceptive. This introduction to synthetic psychology describes a number of simple responsive vehicles that with each new feature became aware of the world around them a good deal more. Each new vehicle is a new mind.\nThe Coleridge Notebooks.\nCharles Lamb said he loved to lend his books to ‘Poet, Metaphysician, Bard’ Coleridge because he would return them with annotations more interesting then the book itself. Samuel Taylor Coleridge had a mind that was free, discursive, unruly and truly original. His notebooks record the flow of his thoughts as if you are sitting next to him. Every now and then I dip into this and always come out with some gem I never saw before. Get the Seamus Perry edition of this. Get a copy of the Road to Xanadu by Livingstone-Lowes for extra enjoyment.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His notebooks record the flow of his thoughts as if you are sitting next to him. Every now and then I dip into this and always come out with some gem I never saw before. Get the Seamus Perry edition of this.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds new insights in repeated dips into Coleridge's notebooks and recommends a specific edition.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Recommends the Seamus Perry edition.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Samuel Taylor Coleridge"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary journals",
        "notebooks",
        "romantic poetry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-collapsing-empire-e74eb9",
      "title": "The Collapsing Empire",
      "author": "John Scalzi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17749867,
          "author": "sdoering",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T13:27:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17749867",
          "commentText": "I would throw in the sequel \"Head on\". Same universe - just some time later. The audiobook is also narrated by Wil Wheaton. And it is great as always.\nOfftopic. I would blindly recommend all books in the combination Wheaton narrating Scalzi. But esp. \"The Collapsing Empire\" (I can't wait for the next part to be released in October).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "But esp. \"The Collapsing Empire\"",
          "reason": "Especially recommends this among books narrated by Wil Wheaton and written by John Scalzi.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The next part had not yet been released at the time.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Scalzi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political science fiction",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-collector-collector-a42c07",
      "title": "The Collector Collector",
      "author": "Tibor Fischer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25844205,
          "author": "DanBC",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T09:05:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25844205",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed The Collector Collector and The Thought Gang by Tibor Fischer. They're both short, and funny.\nhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Collector-Tibor-Fischer/dp/00992681... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Collector-Tibor-Fischer/dp/0099268191)\nhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Thought-Gang-Tibor-Fischer/dp/00995... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thought-Gang-Tibor-Fischer/dp/0099516926)\nI enjoyed all the books written by Fred Vargas. Detective stories, but funny. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fred-Vargas/e/B001I9OXT6",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed The Collector Collector and The Thought Gang by Tibor Fischer.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as short and funny.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tibor Fischer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-colonel-501f23",
      "title": "The Colonel",
      "author": "Peter Watts",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38573009,
          "author": "unaindz",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T19:21:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38573009",
          "commentText": "Last year Annihilation and the rest of the trilogy rekindled my passion for reading after almost a decade.\nVandemeer really has a way with words but specifically in this novel he manages to describe what I though was indescribable.\nIt was only fair that I tried another one of his trilogies, Borne, The Strange Bird and Dead Astronauts.\nWith Borne being pretty normal (for Vandermeer standards) and the other two reading like pretty ramblings at times if you lack the context. I still loved them but they may not be for everyone.\nYou should read them in the order above so that you have as many pieces of the prose puzzle when you reach Dead Astronauts. But even if you end up not liking the writing of the last two books, Borne can still be enjoyed independently.\nAs for this year. \n\"Blood music\" by Greg Bear.\nBiology scify with a pretty weird concept.\n\"Firefall\" trilogy by Peter Watts\nUsually a scify story revolvs around one core idea, this one does too, but it kept surprising me with new secondary but interesting ones until the end.\nRead The Colonel between the two main books.\n\"Rifters\" trilogy by Peter Watts\nExploring sexual abuse, empathy\n\"Story of Your Life\" by Ted Chiang\nShort story about a linguist learning the recently arrived aliens language. Liked the humor depicting the different perspectives between scientists and military. Pretty emotional.\nI'm not sure what it tells about me but all of these are bittersweet scify with good prose.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read The Colonel between the two main books.",
          "reason": "Recommended as an interstitial read between the two main books.",
          "audience": "readers of Firefall",
          "caveat": "Read it between the two main books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Watts"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "hard science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-color-purple-6699e0",
      "title": "The Color Purple",
      "author": "Alice Walker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46227376,
          "author": "wryoak",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-11T03:39:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 46226571,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46227376",
          "commentText": "Man’s Search For Meaning (Frankl), The Color Purple (Walker), Orbital (Harvey)\nNot specifically for the HN community but these are the only books I read this year that I would recommend without qualification.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Color Purple (Walker)",
          "reason": "Recommended without qualification.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 400633,
          "author": "garnerwoods",
          "createdAt": "2008-12-17T06:24:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=400633",
          "commentText": "Usually I will find out what book famous people has read, what are their favorite books, hope that any book which bring influence on them, will bring good influence on me too.. also, as famous n successful people combined with their experience, I'm sure they have better taste on their choice too.\nStephen King's Favorite:\nThis Book Will Save Your Life by A. M. Homes\nSaturday by Ian McEwan\nThe Mad Cook of Pymatuning: A Novel by Christopher Lehmann-Haupt\nThe Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson\nThe Tenderness of Wolves: A Novel by Stef Penney\nWhen Will There Be Good News?: A Novel by Kate Atkinson\nJ.K. Rowling's Favorite:\nThe Five Red Herrings by Dorothy L. Sayers\nI Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith\nSkellig by David Almond\nThe Woman Who Walked into Doors by Roddy Doyle\nJeffrey Eugenides, author, Pulitzer prize winner\n\"Herzog,\" by Saul Bellow\n\"Love in a Fallen City,\" by Eileen Chang\n\"The Lay of the Land,\" by Richard Ford\nOprah Winfrey's Favorite:\nWhite Oleander by Janet Fitch\nThe Color Purple by Alice Walker\nA Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith\nThe Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz\nTo Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee\nThe Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison\nThe Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck\nFor complete list visit http://www.famouspal.com",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Color Purple by Alice Walker",
          "reason": "Listed as one of Oprah Winfrey's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment reports it as someone else's favorite; it does not state the author's own endorsement.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alice Walker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-color-of-distance-54baed",
      "title": "The Color of Distance",
      "author": "Amy Thomson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50117823,
          "author": "drakonka",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T12:57:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50117823",
          "commentText": "A few:\n- Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (thrice)\n- The Color of Distance by Amy Thomson (twice)\n- Fox 8 by George Saunders (twice)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Color of Distance by Amy Thomson (twice)",
          "reason": "The commenter reports reading it twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Amy Thomson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-color-of-law-fb1409",
      "title": "The Color of Law",
      "author": "Richard Rothstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37937122,
          "author": "genghisjahn",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:30:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937122",
          "commentText": "Seneca\nAmusing Ourselves to Death\nThe Color of Law",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Color of Law",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a major impact on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Rothstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "housing policy",
        "racial segregation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-color-of-law-a-forgotten-history-of-how-our-government-segreg-c1952a",
      "title": "The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America",
      "author": "Richard Rothstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18664055,
          "author": "cwal37",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T14:20:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664055",
          "commentText": "A few of my faves.\nNon-Fiction\nBy Adam Tooze: Crashed, and Wages of Destruction. Both excellent economic histories, the former covering the recent financial crisis and its aftermath, the latter on the Nazi economy. Tooze does an excellent job coming up with larger trends and global narratives, I'm often amazed at just how much he's able to keep in his head.\nBy Richard Rothstein: The Color of Law. A quick, informative, yet more than thorough enough on the factual, legal prevention that American employed over the majority of the 20th century to prevent black Americans form participating in the housing market, both personal home ownership and public housing (a major institutional driver of household wealth and success tarting in the early 20th century).\nBy Jeffrey Lockwood: Locust: The Devastating Rise and Mysterious Disappearance of the Insect that Shaped the American Frontier. I had no idea the American frontier was home to devastating largest-in-the-world locust plagues that suddenly disappeared near the end of the 19th century.\nBy Peter Brannen: The Ends of the World. A great primer on mass extinctions and their often geologic causes.\nBy Rick Perstein: Nixonland. Still working on this one, but a deep dive into that era of American politics feels quite relevant at the moment, except that everything today feels stupid in comparison.\nFiction\nBy N.K. Jemisin: The Broken Earth trilogy. A really great self-contained story, extremely evocative, and the author actually puts out great books at an amazingly fast pace.\nCooking\nBy Stella Parks: Bravetart: Iconic American Desserts. If you like baking, and the history of iconic American baked goods this is a must have/read. Never thought I'd spend so much time on a carrot cake.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "By Richard Rothstein: The Color of Law. A quick, informative, yet more than thorough enough",
          "reason": "Praised as quick, informative and sufficiently thorough on government policies that excluded Black Americans from housing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Rothstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "housing segregation",
        "redlining"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-color-of-magic-15d01d",
      "title": "The Color of Magic",
      "author": "Terry Pratchett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18675016,
          "author": "fdw",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-13T19:02:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18675016",
          "commentText": "> The Color of Magic - Terry Pratchett (Kinda interesting, but rather odd)\nThis is the first book on Pratchett's Discworld. It definitely has a different tone than his later works. If you've not totally annoyed by it, or if you'd like to read fantasy which strongly mirrors our world, with a dry and playful humour, I'd recommend reading some later ones. They are quite independent of one another, so that you don't have to read them in order (although there's several sets with the same protagonists).\nPersonally, I'd always recommend Going Postal, maybe Night Watch (a bit of back story could help but is not necessary), or Monstrous Regiment.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Color of Magic - Terry Pratchett (Kinda interesting, but rather odd)",
          "reason": "Describes the first Discworld book as interesting but odd.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter recommends later Discworld books if the reader is not put off by this one.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry Pratchett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "discworld"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-comfort-crisis-embrace-discomfort-to-reclaim-your-wild-happy--095e8e",
      "title": "The Comfort Crisis: Embrace Discomfort to Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self",
      "author": "Michael Easter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46397360,
          "author": "azuanrb",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T23:06:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46397360",
          "commentText": "The Comfort Crisis: Embrace Discomfort To Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self by Michael Easter.\nNever Finished: Unshackle Your Mind and Win the War Within by David Goggins.\nThese two books stuck with me. We are often too comfortable with being comfortable. There is nothing wrong with that, but real growth happens when we step outside our comfort zone. We are far more capable than we think.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Comfort Crisis: Embrace Discomfort To Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self by Michael Easter.",
          "reason": "The commenter says both books stuck with them and describes their theme as growth through leaving comfort zones.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Easter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "discomfort",
        "resilience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-coming-community-c1aa56",
      "title": "The Coming Community",
      "author": "Giorgio Agamben",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503919,
          "author": "ghb",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T16:41:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503919",
          "commentText": "The Coming Community, Giorgio Agamben: A series of reflections on medieval philosophy and language that culminates in a notion of community that isn't grounded in any kind of commonality. It's a brilliant work that still serves as the terra firma for understanding the rest of Agamben's more popular works such as Homo Sacer and Means without Ends. This is one of the most influential and brilliantly conceived books I've ever read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is one of the most influential and brilliantly conceived books I've ever read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it brilliant, influential, and brilliantly conceived.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in medieval philosophy, language, and Agamben’s work.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it helps make sense of Agamben’s other, more popular works.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Giorgio Agamben"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "community",
        "giorgio agamben",
        "political philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-coming-of-neo-feudalism-a-warning-to-the-global-middle-class-4a16d7",
      "title": "The Coming of Neo-Feudalism: A Warning to the Global Middle Class",
      "author": "Joel Kotkin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40279007,
          "author": "ldehaan",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-06T20:17:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40279007",
          "commentText": "The Coming of Neo-Feudalism - Joel Kotkin (its a brainful)\nAlgorithns to live by - Brian Christian\nThinking Fast and Slow - Daniel khaneman\nThe Machiavellians: Defenders of Freedom - James Burnham",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Coming of Neo-Feudalism - Joel Kotkin (its a brainful)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it “a brainful.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joel Kotkin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political economy",
        "social class"
      ],
      "purposes": []
    },
    {
      "id": "the-coming-of-the-third-reich-c86f1f",
      "title": "The Coming of the Third Reich",
      "author": "Richard J. Evans",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18662208,
          "author": "earthicus",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T08:09:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18662208",
          "commentText": "Ofer Gal - Baroque Science. A highly academic history of the scientific revolution, not the most readable book. It focused quite a bit on mathematization, especially in optics (and Kepler's optics revolution in particular), and also in observation via instrumentation like telescopes and microscopes.\nPaul Nahin - The Logician and the Engineer. About Boole and Shannon's work; I had already learned the material so i skimmed part of it and returned it to the library.\nIan Mortimer - The time traveler's guide to medieval england. Talks about what daily life was like for different social classes in 14th century England eg towns & cities, food, clothes, housing, employment, travel etc. I got about halfway through and lost interest in the subject matter.\nLucio Russo - The forgotten Revolution. A very readable academic history of the development of science in ptolomaic egypt (eg euclid, archimedes, etc). This was certainly the most surprising book I read all year. This time period has been almost completely deleted from history, which jumps straight from aristotle to the renaissance (with a quick stop in the islamic world if you're being spoiled), and their achievements were incredibly impressive!\nJim al-Khalili - The House of Wisdom. A pop-history book about arabic science that i got from the library. I was wary because it's written by a particle physicist and not a historian, and sure enough it is filled with so much nonsense that I through it down in disgust after a few chapters.\nColin Pask - Magnificent Principia. A brief tour of some of the highlights of Newton's Principia, using both newton's geometric diagrams and modern notation. Following the modern notation of course assumes some basic calculus. Highly recommended - it made me want to learn old fashioned celestial mechanics! Perhaps in 2019...\nRandall Munroe - What if. A fun light read about whimsical scenarios.\nSigmund - Exact thinking in demented times. About the vienna circle, the philosophical group associated with logical positivism.\nNewman [ed] - The world of mathematics vol 1. A varied Collection of mathematical writings, both contemporary and historical.\nRichard J Evans - The Coming of the Third Reich. Evans has recently written a three volume treatment of the third Reich. this is of course the first and starts with the origins of the modern form of antisemitism in the late 19th century. I hope to read the next two in 2019!\nRobert Harper - Practical foundations for programming languages. I've mostly just skimmed it so my understanding is quite superficial, maybe in a year or two I'll go through and do all the exercises. I liked that he avoided 'paradigms' and developed the subject more systematically. The book's table of contents is absolutely irresistible!\nTolkien - the Hobbit. I finally got around to reading it... I didn't care for it. I started the lord of the rings but i don't think i'm going to finish it.\nMichael Chriton - Jurassic Park. The movie was better.\nAgatha Christie - Murder on the Orient Express. I think i just don't like fiction. The few years before this I tried reading more fancy literature and i didn't like that, so this year I tried more popular literature... Recently i heard someone say they thought that history spoiled fiction for them. I think I've suffered the same problem.\nFindlay & O'Rourke - Power and Plenty. (in progress) An economic history of the 2nd millennium, absolutely fascinating so far. The discussion of the black death was particularly memorable. It's become something of a meme to point out how the peasant survivors were economically better off than their parents and grandparents. In fact that effect was limited to western europe. In eastern europe the economics were different and feudalism deepened, and in the arab world the reaction was different still: (if i remember my reading correctly) it was certain sects of military men who came out on top. I'm bringing it up because it is a perfect reminder that reality is more complicated than memes.\nRobert Harper - Programming in Standard ML. (in progress) Online notes about functional programming.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Evans has recently written a three volume treatment of the third Reich. this is of course the first",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter hopes to read the next two volumes in 2019.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8106995,
          "author": "watwut",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:33:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106995",
          "commentText": "\"The Coming of the Third Reich\" from Richard J. Evans\nI read it recently and it did changed the way I look at the politics and government now. It made me fully understand that things like separation/accumulation of powers are really important. As in when activists of all kinds complained about such set-ups before, I treated it only abstract theoretical problems. Not anymore, I see the point now. The Third Reich did not happen overnight as it seemed from high school version of it, it was made possible by thousands tiny steps by varying parties.\nThere were other things to learn from that book too, but the above was the most important. It is a first part of a trilogy and whole of it is worth reading. That first part was the most eye opening to me through.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Coming of the Third Reich\" from Richard J. Evans",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed how they view politics and government and calls it eye opening.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The first part of a trilogy; the commenter says the whole trilogy is worth reading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard J. Evans"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nazi germany",
        "rise of fascism",
        "third reich"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-commanding-heights-997387",
      "title": "The Commanding Heights",
      "author": "Daniel Yergin and Joseph Stanislaw",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13236099,
          "author": "soberhoff",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T09:40:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13236099",
          "commentText": "If you enjoyed that book I also suggest The Commanding Heights by the same author.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also suggest The Commanding Heights by the same author.",
          "reason": "Explicitly suggests it to someone who enjoyed the referenced book.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoyed The Prize.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Yergin and Joseph Stanislaw"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic policy",
        "energy industry",
        "globalization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-commodore-64-user-manual-87de2a",
      "title": "The Commodore 64 User Manual",
      "author": "Commodore",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30742512,
          "author": "irchans",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T13:39:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30742512",
          "commentText": "Personal Power - Robbins, How to win friends and influence people - Carnegie, Feeling Good - Burns, Godel Esher Bach - Hofstadter,  Fundamentals of Physics - Halliday and Resnick, Jonathan Livingston Seagull - Bach, The Commodore 64 User Manual, \"Stocks for the Long Run\",  The Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide - Gygax, Dune - Herbert",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Commodore 64 User Manual",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Commodore"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "commodore 64",
        "user manual"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-communist-manifesto-015269",
      "title": "The Communist Manifesto",
      "author": "Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13970929,
          "author": "eli_gottlieb",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T19:34:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13970929",
          "commentText": "The Manifesto of the Communist Party.  It's not that it's greatly-written, or that everything in it is right.  It just manages to achieve the feeling that, truly, \"another world is possible.\"",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Manifesto of the Communist Party. It's not that it's greatly-written, or that everything in it is right. It just manages to achieve the feeling that, truly, \"another world is possible.\"",
          "reason": "The commenter values its ability to make another world feel possible, while qualifying its writing and claims.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not greatly written and not everything in it is right.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12565777,
          "author": "marmot777",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T16:23:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12565777",
          "commentText": "These are important books but obviously not a comprehensive list.\n* John Locke's Two Treatises of Government - It's political philosophy but it's hard to understand Classical Liberalism without having read some Locke.\n* Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations - He and Locke are the two main guys to read for a solid start on Classical Liberalism, which is completely different than modern political liberalism. It's like having two features in an app with nearly the same name. Confusing as fuck.\n* E. F. Schumacher's Small Is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered - This book will shift your perspective, useful to avoid becoming an a mindless advocate for one school of thought or another.\n* Marx is a tough one as Capital is massive and unreadable and The Communist Manifesto is a propaganda pamphlet but I think you need to at least find some articles that summarize the basics.\n* Keynes and Hayek - This hip hop battle is a decent start:\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0nERTFo-Sk\nthen read Keynes' The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money and Hayek's The Road to Serfdom.\n* Milton Friedman's - Yes, read Capitalism and Freedom. I hesitated to include it as the guy's so good at making the case that it can turn you into a market advocate bot. Please resist that.\nCan someone help me on this, is there a book balance Hayek and a book to balance Friedman? I'm sorry but Keynes doesn't do it for me. Look at the difference in titles between Hayek and Keynes. It's hard to motivate to read the Keynes book but nobody ever has trouble reading Hayek.\nI see a lot of these ideas come up on HN a lot. What I don't like so much is when someone becomes an advocate for a particular ism. To me, all isms are rubbish. All of them. Understand but do not become a shill for an ideology.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The Communist Manifesto is a propaganda pamphlet",
          "reason": "Criticized as a propaganda pamphlet.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter suggests looking for articles summarizing the basics instead.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797257,
          "author": "Oompa",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T03:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797257",
          "commentText": "Second Treatise of Government - Locke\nOn Liberty - Mill\nThe Communist Manifesto - Marx & Engels\nEros & Civilization - Marcuse\nCivilization and Its Discontents - Freud\nThe Road To Serfdom - Hayak\nMilestones - Qutb",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Communist Manifesto - Marx & Engels",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "communism",
        "political theory",
        "marxism",
        "political manifesto"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-compass-of-zen-4245da",
      "title": "The Compass of Zen",
      "author": "Seung Sahn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30735111,
          "author": "beezle",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T16:30:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735111",
          "commentText": "The Compass of Zen by Seung Sahn.  I was a much angrier and stressed person prior to reading it.\nNot perfect today by any means but far, far better.  And no, I'm not a \"practicing\" zen buddhist or anything close - the book just sort of reset my mind and outlook on life and dealings with others.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Compass of Zen by Seung Sahn.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped reset their outlook and made them less angry and stressed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are not a practicing Zen Buddhist.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Seung Sahn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "meditation",
        "zen buddhism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-complete-c-reference-13ecbb",
      "title": "The Complete C Reference",
      "author": "Herbert Schildt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1212706,
          "author": "prog",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-23T12:13:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 1212675,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I use and love Python. What's the best book to learn C ?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1212706",
          "commentText": "I found \"The Complete C Reference\" by Herbert Schildt to be quite good. Most of the language is covered in about 250 pages followed by standard library function, algorthims and data structures and ends in a good project \"The Little C Interpreter\". Its about 800 pages but then its a reference so you don't need to read it in one go :-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found \"The Complete C Reference\" by Herbert Schildt to be quite good.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it quite good and describes its broad language, library, algorithms, data structures, and project coverage.",
          "audience": "Readers learning C or using a C reference.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that at about 800 pages, it is a reference that need not be read all at once.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Herbert Schildt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming",
        "data structures",
        "reference"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-complete-guide-to-capital-markets-for-quantitative-profession-2aacdd",
      "title": "The Complete Guide to Capital Markets for Quantitative Professionals",
      "author": "Satyajit Das",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12563758,
          "author": "lujim",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T11:30:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12563758",
          "commentText": "If you're looking for the nuts and bolts on how capital markets around the world work this book is hands down the best there is.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Complete-Quantitative-Professionals-M... (https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Quantitative-Professionals-McGraw-Hill-Investment/dp/0071468293)\nEquities, Futures, Rate Swaps, Options, Credit, Treasury, Corporate, Municipal, Mortgage and Agency Bonds.  Then the technology that supports it all.\nIt is not only a fantastic high level view, but it get granular enough to explain things like how US Treasuries prices quoted in 32nds of a dollar or how fixed income securities are identified by something called a CUSIP or what a strike price is for an option.  Granular enough to explain practical day to day concepts that would help you at your first job in a financial firm.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you're looking for the nuts and bolts on how capital markets around the world work this book is hands down the best there is.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best book for understanding how global capital markets work and describes its practical detail.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a practical understanding of capital markets, including concepts useful in a first financial firm job.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Satyajit Das"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "capital markets",
        "financial instruments",
        "quantitative finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-complete-guide-to-capital-markets-for-the-quantitative-profes-080cd8",
      "title": "The Complete Guide to Capital Markets for the Quantitative Professional",
      "author": "A. Kuznetsov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12567190,
          "author": "aminorex",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T19:13:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12567190",
          "commentText": "Kuznetsov,A. - The Complete Guide to Capital Markets for the Quantitative Professional (2006)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kuznetsov,A. - The Complete Guide to Capital Markets for the Quantitative Professional (2006)",
          "reason": "Listed as a response to the request for must-read economics and finance books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "A. Kuznetsov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "capital markets",
        "quantitative finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-complete-guide-to-fasting-932b0b",
      "title": "The Complete Guide to Fasting",
      "author": "Jason Fung",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21803513,
          "author": "MonkeyIsNull",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T15:10:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21803513",
          "commentText": "He did write The Complete Guide to Fasting, which is excellent and covers all the science behind it. \nThere is also Delay, Don't Deny: Living an Intermittent Fasting Lifestyle by Gin Stephens which is basically One Meal a Day, however she includes links to all the reports to everything she talks about in the book and yes, she actually read them and encourages others to do the same, not just believe what she says.\nThere's always the fasting subreddit's wiki that has links to other info: https://www.reddit.com/r/fasting/wiki/fasting_in_a_nutshell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "He did write The Complete Guide to Fasting, which is excellent and covers all the science behind it.",
          "reason": "Called excellent and said to cover the science behind fasting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jason Fung"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "intermittent fasting",
        "nutrition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-complete-problem-solver-38c6b3",
      "title": "The Complete Problem Solver",
      "author": "John R. Hayes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26837383,
          "author": "Jugurtha",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-16T18:24:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 26833319,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book for software engineers (besides the well-known ones)?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26837383",
          "commentText": "Books, concepts, and mindsets that help build the right thing. Problem solving, design, design thinking, consulting resources.\n\"The Complete Problem Solver\", \"Change by Design\", \"The Design of Everyday Things\", \"Jobs to Be Done\", concepts like non-consumption. Questions that confirm that feature requests are valid and avoid solving Y problem when the actual problem is X. Thought processes to prioritize work and focus on what matters.\nExample: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26814150\nThen books, concepts, and mindsets that help software engineers reap the reward of the software they write. Marketing, sales, prospecting, pricing, communication.\nI believe there is a huge quantity of beautiful, idiomatic, code that solves no real problem, and a huge number of software engineers who have trouble monetizing their skill, or get stuck in unfulfilling roles because they have not found a way to shape an interesting one for themselves.\nA few examples of threads searching for answers one usually answers through piecing together many resources, books, and life experiences:\nhttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26805216\nhttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26650563\nhttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26550896\nhttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26465891\nhttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26446169\nhttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26366426",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Complete Problem Solver\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John R. Hayes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "problem solving"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-complete-sherlock-holmes-386537",
      "title": "The Complete Sherlock Holmes",
      "author": "Arthur Conan Doyle",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8259442,
          "author": "tzs",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T19:00:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8259442",
          "commentText": "I have several in-progress.\n\"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince\" by J.K. Rowling [5] (Kindle edition)\n2012-06 issue of \"Analog Science Fiction and Fact\". I'm so far behind the current issue because I switched to an electronic subscription when a few years ago. At the time, it was only available from Barnes & Noble. The Nook app on iPad was pretty terrible, and I don't like reading on iPad in bed, so I fell behind. When it became available for Kindle [6], I switched my subscription to that, and converted my Nook issues with Calibre, and am now working my way through the backlog at a casual pace.\n\"Logical Chess Move by Move\" by Irving Chernev [1].\n\"Build Up Your Chess 1: The Fundamentals\" by Artur Yusupov [2].\n\"Understanding Copyright Law\" by Marshall A. Leaffer [3] (Kindle edition).\n\"Guns, Germs, and Steel\" by Jared Diamond [4] (Kindle edition, via Kindle Owner's Lending Library)\nI've also been re-reading \"Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Novels and Stories\" by Arthur Conan Doyle [7] (Kindle). Generally what has been happening is that a PBS station here has been showing the 1984 British \"Sherlock Holmes\" TV series with Jeremy Brett as Holmes [8]. I'll watch that, and then often will re-read the corresponding Doyle story.\n[1] http://www.amazon.com/Logical-Chess-Explained-Algebraic-Edit... (http://www.amazon.com/Logical-Chess-Explained-Algebraic-Edition/dp/0713484640)\n[2] http://www.amazon.com/Build-Up-Your-Chess-Fundamentals/dp/19... (http://www.amazon.com/Build-Up-Your-Chess-Fundamentals/dp/1906552010/)\n[3] http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Copyright-Law-Marshall-L... (http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Copyright-Law-Marshall-Leaffer-ebook/dp/B008O84N12)\n[4] http://www.amazon.com/Guns-Germs-Steel-Fates-Societies-ebook... (http://www.amazon.com/Guns-Germs-Steel-Fates-Societies-ebook/dp/B000VDUWMC/)\n[5] http://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Half-Blood-Prince-Book-eb... (http://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Half-Blood-Prince-Book-ebook/dp/B00728DYEM/)\n[6] http://www.amazon.com/Analog-Science-Fiction-and-Fact/dp/B00... (http://www.amazon.com/Analog-Science-Fiction-and-Fact/dp/B000N8V3EQ/)\n[7] http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-Complete-Stories-Volum... (http://www.amazon.com/Sherlock-Holmes-Complete-Stories-Volumes-ebook/dp/B000QCS8YM/)\n[8] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherlock_Holmes_(1984_TV_series... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherlock_Holmes_%281984_TV_series%29)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "re-reading \"Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Novels and Stories\" by Arthur Conan Doyle",
          "reason": "Says they are rereading the collection, prompted by watching the television series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1725114,
          "author": "kapilkaisare",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-24T19:48:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1725114",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n1. Life of Pi - Yann Martel\n2. The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas : An awesome closeup of revenge\n3. The complete Sherlock Holmes series : 'nuff said.\nNon fiction:\n1. Cosmos - Carl Sagan : I fell in love with science post-reading this book.\n2. October Sky - Homer Hickham : A real life story of how a group of boys in a backwater town build a rocket that changes their lives.\n3. Chariots of the Gods - Erich Von Daniken -  A real mind bender, even if you choose not to agree with his ideas.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The complete Sherlock Holmes series : 'nuff said.",
          "reason": "Recommends the complete series in a list of suggested fiction.",
          "audience": "Boys.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur Conan Doyle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "detective fiction",
        "mystery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-complete-upmanship-1fcd98",
      "title": "The Complete Upmanship",
      "author": "Stephen Potter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25556811,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-28T04:59:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 25554464,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books for dealing with workplace politics and dishonesty?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25556811",
          "commentText": "This is a very interesting question since it is a fundamental problem in any group human activity. I have found the following useful;\n* Management: A political activity by Ted Stephenson. For some reason, most people are not aware of this book. Deals with Power, Conflict, Bargaining, Compromise, Participation and Change. The opening line of the preface states \"This book presents the view that management is substantially a political activity, based on power and characterized by conflict\". Since we are dealing with Human organisms this is absolutely the right approach to take.\n* The Empowered Manager: Positive Political Skills at Work by Peter Block is also good but more idealistic. But be aware that trying to be/do good does not guarantee reciprocation.\n* The Complete Upmanship: Including Gamesmanship, Lifemanship, One-upmanship and Supermanship by Stephen Potter. Humourous, but a great deal of life advice in it. Basically, how to put down other people and show yourself in the best light using \"genteel\" psychological means.\n* Behavior Modification: Principles and Procedures by Raymond Miltenberger. ABA psychology course textbook which is a must read.\n* Brainwashing: The science of thought control by Kathleen Taylor. The title is bit sensationalist, but the content is very relevant.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Complete Upmanship: Including Gamesmanship, Lifemanship, One-upmanship and Supermanship by Stephen Potter.",
          "reason": "Recommended as humorous advice on using genteel psychological means to put others down and present oneself favorably.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Humorous in tone; its advice includes putting other people down.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Potter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "office politics",
        "social tactics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-complete-works-of-joseph-conrad-c75b5c",
      "title": "The Complete Works of Joseph Conrad",
      "author": "Joseph Conrad",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16759284,
          "author": "jquinby",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T21:25:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16759284",
          "commentText": "Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows\nGetting to Yes by Roger Fisher and William Ury\nARRL Handbook for Radio Communications\nARRL Antenna Book\nAmerican Heritage Dictionary, 5th Ed.\nBible/Lectionary, Breviary, and Catechism\nIf fiction counts, I will probably never delete Flatland or the complete Joseph Conrad from my Kindle.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "or the complete Joseph Conrad from my Kindle.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph Conrad"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classic literature",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-complete-works-of-lord-byron-7ddb98",
      "title": "The Complete Works of Lord Byron",
      "author": "Lord Byron",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 143408,
          "author": "maheshcr",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T17:03:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143408",
          "commentText": "A worn out, moth eaten copy of Lord Byron's complete works. It took me almost a decade to outgrow the influence. Especially the poem Manfred, and the soliloquay at the beginning!\nThe Sanyasin - Satprem. I walked the streets of Chennai not knowing what the hell was happening, while reading this. Magical, mystic..anyone who has ever held any spiritual notions should read this...\nLast Temptation by Nikos Kazantikakis, what can I say..every word has drilled through me!\nKa by Roberto Calasso, this made me confront my own culture and religion like no other.\nSiddhartha by Herman Hesse.\nGodel, Escher & Bach - Douglas Hofstadter. Barely made it to 4th chapter but that alone has shattered opinions I held about my style of thinking.\nAnd Sri Aurobindo...almost everything that he has written touches me like no other. It was like coming home after being in exile. Not that I understand anything but...\nAnd of course Don Box's talk on DDJ about the origins of .NET!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A worn out, moth eaten copy of Lord Byron's complete works. It took me almost a decade to outgrow the influence.",
          "reason": "The commenter says Byron's works influenced them for nearly a decade.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Byron's poetry.",
          "caveat": "The commenter eventually outgrew the influence.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lord Byron"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "poetry",
        "romanticism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-complete-yes-minister-dfee71",
      "title": "The Complete Yes Minister",
      "author": "Jonathan Lynn and Antony Jay",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43613992,
          "author": "dbl000",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T17:42:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43613992",
          "commentText": "The Complete Yes Minister, a novelization of the TV show, but probably more approachable. A kind of \"high brow\" skewering of politics and government. There's a lot of interplay between politicians and civil servants that mirrors some play between politicians and people, especially in the case of \"systemic lag\".\nErasure by Percival Everett. A book on racial conformity and expectations. A weird case where the movie (American Fiction) might be better than the book. Pretty easy and quick read however. I don't know what it was but this book has stuck with me ever since I've read it.\nThe Code Book by Simon Singh. This is the book that got me into cryptography. It's a bit old and outdated now (published in 1999) but it was responsible for forming a lifelong interest in me.\nArriving Today: From Factory to Front Door by Christopher Mims. The premise was supposed to be tracking a product from production to consumer, but then the COVID happened. The book turns into an exploration of how just in time production and supply lanes work today.\nThe Dictator's Handbook by Bruce Bueno de Mesquita. I had a professor who was friends with BBM, so when we were discussing selectorate theory we actually got to meet him. At it's core this is a cynical book about realpolitik, talking about how leaders get in power, stay in power, get money and foreign aid, and deal with revolutions and war. It is very political focused but the theory can be abstracted out to most big organizations. It fundamentally changed the way I look at interactions between countries. This is 100% a more mass market appeal book than the original paper (and imo a bit dumbed down) but everyone I've recommended it to has come back appreciative about it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Complete Yes Minister, a novelization of the TV show, but probably more approachable.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as an approachable novelization and a high-brow skewering of politics and government.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in politics and government.",
          "caveat": "A novelization of the TV show.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Lynn",
        "Antony Jay"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "government",
        "political satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-computation-book-573d5e",
      "title": "The Computation Book",
      "author": "Peter Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24586397,
          "author": "snicky",
          "createdAt": "2020-09-25T03:49:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 24582669,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24586397",
          "commentText": "If you are interested in the computer science in general I highly recommend:\n1. Structure and Interpretation\nof Computer Programs (available for free, e.g. here http://sarabander.github.io/sicp/html/index.xhtml\n2. https://computationbook.com/\nAlso, I haven't read it yet, but this book has been praised here a lot recently:\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Designing-Data-Intensive-Applications... (https://www.amazon.com/Designing-Data-Intensive-Applications-Reliable-Maintainable/dp/1449373321)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://computationbook.com/",
          "reason": "Listed as a book recommendation for people interested in computer science generally.",
          "audience": "People interested in computer science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computation",
        "logic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-computer-boys-take-over-computers-programmers-and-the-politic-765e17",
      "title": "The Computer Boys Take Over: Computers, Programmers, and the Politics of Technical Expertise",
      "author": "Nathan Ensmenger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36601648,
          "author": "HillRat",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:20:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601648",
          "commentText": "Lots of options out there. A few from my bookshelf: Bijker's \"Of Bicycles, Bakelites, and Bulbs\" is a case-study-centric work that seeks to build a general theory of STS. Nye's \"Technology Matters\" is less a work of theory than a critique that poses core questions about how society should seek to integrate technical advances. Latour's \"Science in Action,\" \"Reassembling the Social,\" and \"Aramis\" are great examples of his approach to whole-of-system analysis of sociotechnical systems. Rogers' \"Diffusion of Innovation\" is a classic work theorizing how innovation is communicated through social networks.\nMIT Press has a wide variety of books that cover specific topics in history, most of which have great theoretic interest: Agar's \"The Government Machine,\" dealing with the evolution of technology and expertise within the UK government; Medina's \"Cybernetic Revolutionaries,\" about Beer's Cybersyn project; and Ensmenger's \"The Computer Boys Take Over,\" about the cultural development of the \"programmer,\" are all great reads.\nAlso, you can look beyond pure technology for interesting adjacencies: for example, Schatz's \"The Genius of the System\" describes how changes in technology and management production radically upended Hollywood, resulting in the studio system that dominated from the 1930s through the 1950s, while Harris' \"Pictures at a Revolution\" picks up the pieces at the end of that system, discussing the rise of \"New Hollywood,\" driven by cultural and technical (particularly the French use of inexpensive filming technologies to create the New Wave) forces.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ensmenger's \"The Computer Boys Take Over,\" about the cultural development of the \"programmer,\" are all great reads.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great read about the cultural development of the programmer.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nathan Ensmenger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer culture",
        "programming history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-computer-and-the-brain-b783ad",
      "title": "The Computer and the Brain",
      "author": "John von Neumann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15630498,
          "author": "dedalus",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:35:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630498",
          "commentText": "Three Scientists and their Gods: This book foreshadows the meaning and purpose of science+tech https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214570.Three_Scientists_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214570.Three_Scientists_and_Their_Gods)\nScifi: The Three Body problem (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)) for its whole encompassing narrative about human future and some of it will be real (fusion instead of chemical fuel, pulse propulsion and other social consequences)\nArdor: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20931250-ardor if you ever wanted to understand ancient indian philosophy. Heavy read, not recommended for fun but more as quest\nFoxTales: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/412167.Foxtales about how software was developed in the midwest free of all the fashion/hipsterism currently in vogue and building a community of users for your software\nThe elements of networking style: If you ever wanted to know the politics of how networking RFCs are made: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2298785.The_Elements_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2298785.The_Elements_of_Networking_Style) and design choices made to build modern day internet\nUnwritten Laws of Engineering: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13122143-unwritten-laws-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13122143-unwritten-laws-of-engineering) is an old and timeless way detailing what it means to engineer\nHigh Performance Browser Networking: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17985198-high-performanc... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17985198-high-performance-browser-networking) if you ever wanted to know what happens inside a browser\nThe Computer and the Brain: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/358880.The_Computer_and_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/358880.The_Computer_and_the_Brain) where the master compares the machine with our brain\nThe Grammatical Man: If you ever wanted to know the importance of structure and constraint in everything: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/722028.Grammatical_Man",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Computer and the Brain: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/358880.The_Computer_and_... where the master compares the machine with our brain",
          "reason": "Describes its comparison of computers and the brain.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John von Neumann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computational models",
        "neuroscience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-computer-as-a-communication-device-b5fdf3",
      "title": "The Computer as a Communication Device",
      "author": "J. C. R. Licklider",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9612744,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T17:01:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9612744",
          "commentText": "The Law - Frédéric Bastiat. http://bastiat.org/en/the_law.html\nCapitalism - A Treatise on Economics - George Reisman.  http://www.capitalism.net/Capitalism/CAPITALISM_Internet.pdf\nThe Works of Lysander Spooner.  http://lysanderspooner.org/node/2\nThe Machinery of Freedom David Friedman. - http://daviddfriedman.com/The_Machinery_of_Freedom_.pdf\nDemocratizing Innovation - Eric Von Hippel. http://web.mit.edu/evhippel/www/democ1.htm\nThe Sources of Innovation - Eric Von Hippel. http://web.mit.edu/evhippel/www/sources.htm\nIntroduction to Information Retrieval - http://nlp.stanford.edu/IR-book/html/htmledition/irbook.html\nInformation Theory, Inference, and Learning Algorithms - David MacKay.  http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/itprnn/book.html\nIntroduction to Cybernetics - William Ross Ashby. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/books/IntroCyb.pdf\n\"Man-Computer Symbiosis\" and \"The Computer As A Communication Device\" - J.C.R. Licklider. http://memex.org/licklider.pdf\nDesign For A Brain - William Ross Ashby. https://archive.org/details/designforbrainor00ashb\nThe Writings of Douglas Engelbart. http://www.dougengelbart.org/library/library.html\nand if you like maths, don't miss this great list of free maths texts by George Cain:  https://people.math.gatech.edu/~cain/textbooks/onlinebooks.h... (https://people.math.gatech.edu/~cain/textbooks/onlinebooks.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Computer As A Communication Device\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. C. R. Licklider"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human computer interaction",
        "networked computing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-computing-universe-a-journey-through-a-revolution-8baccf",
      "title": "The Computing Universe: A Journey through a Revolution",
      "author": "Tony Hey and Gyuri Pápay",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36601687,
          "author": "mablopoule",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:23:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601687",
          "commentText": "Obviously computer-centered, but I strongly recommend \"The Computing Universe\" by Tony Hey and Gyuri Pápay.\nWhile obviously touching Alan Turing's contribution, it doesn't just call it at day, but goes in detail on the history of networking, of memory, of the web, of \"personal computers\" companies, with tons of little asides on specific contributors, or projects.\nhttps://www.cambridge.org/core/books/computing-universe/2542... (https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/computing-universe/254200CEE6406C377BBB8E1E3ECA6FF9)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I strongly recommend \"The Computing Universe\" by Tony Hey and Gyuri Pápay.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends it for its wide ranging history of computing topics and contributors.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Computer centered.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tony Hey",
        "Gyuri Pápay"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer networking",
        "history of computing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-concept-of-mind-c184d5",
      "title": "The Concept of Mind",
      "author": "Gilbert Ryle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503692,
          "author": "telemachos",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T14:39:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503692",
          "commentText": "Some from the canon:\n\nPlato: Defence of Socrates, Euthyphro, Crito (translated by David Gallop)\nThe Modes of Scepticism by Julia Annas and Jonathan Barnes (a beautiful collection of texts from Pyrrhonian scepticism and analysis of their arguments; the best way I know to meet ancient scepticism)\nDescartes: Meditations on First Philosophy (The Cambridge University Press edition is very good; it's probably worth buying their Selected Philosophical Writings for a good basic Descartes text)\nDavid Hume: An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding and An Enquiry concerning the Principles of Morals (I recommend the Oxford Philosophical Texts editions)\nWittgenstein: Philosophical Investigations (terribly, terribly difficult, but very rewarding)\n  A few contemporary things:\n\nGilbert Ryle: The Concept of Mind\nWillard Van Orman Quine: From a Logical Point of View\nJ. L. Mackie: Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong\nThomas Nagel: Mortal Questions (short essays, well-written, very accessible)\nBernard Williams: Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy\nMichael Smith: The Moral Problem\n  Specialist, technical, odd:\n\nThe Frege Reader by Michael Beaney (for modern logic and the beginnings of contemporary philosophy in the analytic style)\nJ. L. Mackie: The Cement of the Universe: A Study of Causation\nWilliam Kingdon Clifford: The Ethics of Belief (he argues, oddly but powerfully, that it's immoral to believe things on insufficient evidence or irrationally - an offense to morality, not just reason)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gilbert Ryle: The Concept of Mind",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of contemporary philosophy recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gilbert Ryle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "philosophy of mind"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-concepts-and-practice-of-mathematical-finance-3f2f4b",
      "title": "The Concepts and Practice of Mathematical Finance",
      "author": "Mark Joshi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3178598,
          "author": "shogunmike",
          "createdAt": "2011-10-31T19:16:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 3177815,
          "threadTitle": "Good books for hackers interested in quant finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3178598",
          "commentText": "If by 'quantitative finance' you mean option pricing then check out the books by Mark Joshi:\n- 'The Concepts and Practice of Mathematical Finance'\n- 'C++ Design Patterns and Derivatives Pricing'\nAlso of note is Baxter & Rennie:\n- 'Financial Calculus: An Introduction to Derivative Pricing'\nOnce you've studied those and have a good grasp of Measure Theory, you'll want to tackle Shreve, Vol II.\nAnd a brief plug of my (slightly out of date!) quant finance website, Quantstart.com.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If by 'quantitative finance' you mean option pricing then check out the books by Mark Joshi",
          "reason": "Suggested for readers interested in option pricing.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in quantitative finance and option pricing.",
          "caveat": "The suggestion is conditional on meaning option pricing by quantitative finance.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Joshi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical finance",
        "option pricing",
        "quantitative finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-confessions-afff88",
      "title": "The Confessions",
      "author": "Jean-Jacques Rousseau",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8107064,
          "author": "epynonymous",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:55:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107064",
          "commentText": "ayn rand, the fountainhead\njean jacques rousseau, the confessions\nsterling seagrave, dragon lady\nknights of king arthur's court\nromance of the three kingdoms",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "jean jacques rousseau, the confessions",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jean-Jacques Rousseau"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "autobiography",
        "enlightenment"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-confidence-game-3328ff",
      "title": "The Confidence Game",
      "author": "Maria Konnikova",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15156236,
          "author": "mikesabat",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T14:51:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156236",
          "commentText": "I'm on a streak of reading Neuromarketing/behavioral economic type books. \n1. Predictably irrational is particularly good. Especially the first half. \n2. The Confidence Game explains the steps of how con trick people to fool themselves. \n3. Buyology is very focused on purchases/retail. \n4. Brainfluence. I'm halfway through it. Mostly bite-sized chapters  and it's similar to Buyology, but I prefer this book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Confidence Game explains the steps of how con trick people to fool themselves.",
          "reason": "Describes what the book explains within a list answering a question about impactful books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Maria Konnikova"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognitive biases",
        "con artists"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-confusion-1f2fe2",
      "title": "The Confusion",
      "author": "Neal Stephenson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3338248,
          "author": "euroclydon",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T19:30:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3338248",
          "commentText": "The Confusion - Neal Stephenson\n(I'm starting to tire a little of the female hero character who's in all his books, but on the whole, The Baroque Cycle, which this is the second volume of, has been very educational and always entertaining)\nThe Visual Display of Quantative Information, Envisioning Information, Visual Explanations, and Beautiful Evidence\n(I picked up all four books by Edward Tufte at his one day training course.  At the 2011 SVG Open, I was blown away by Mike Bostock's D3 demo, and Niel Fraser told me to read all of Tuftes books to see where these revolutionary ways of displaying information came from)\nESV Bible, actually hoping to find time to get my Python script running so I can download the audio, chapter by chapter, because the audio version I bought is nigh impossible to navigate.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Confusion - Neal Stephenson",
          "reason": "Currently reading; says the Baroque Cycle has been educational and entertaining overall.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Starting to tire of the female hero character in Stephenson's books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neal Stephenson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "age of sail",
        "historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-connection-machine-9100dc",
      "title": "The Connection Machine",
      "author": "W. Daniel Hillis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9758510,
          "author": "abecedarius",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T14:25:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758510",
          "commentText": "Knuth: he's an excellent writer with a sense of humor.\nAnything coauthored by Kernighan is a good bet, though the material is not quite so ageless. Similar remarks for P.J. Plauger.\nNorvig doesn't just write exquisite code, but good prose too.\nI always liked Abelson & Sussman's style, even though it's more textbookish. Abelson also co-wrote Turtle Geometry, which is almost unknown these days and still eye-opening. (It's more of a math book than a programming one, but its point is to be both.)\nDaniel Hillis: The Pattern on the Stone, The Connection Machine.\nRichard O'Keefe, The Craft of Prolog.\nJon Bentley.\nI remember pg's On Lisp as good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Pattern on the Stone, The Connection Machine.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. Daniel Hillis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer architecture",
        "parallel computing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-conqueror-series-ce0337",
      "title": "The Conqueror series",
      "author": "Conn Iggulden",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6387616,
          "author": "kyzyl",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T00:04:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387616",
          "commentText": "As has already been mentioned elsewhere in this thread, most of Neil Stephenson's work is just great. Cryptonomicon is my favorite, but The Baroque Cycle (three books) is very good as well.\nIf you're into crime/mystery fiction, the recently deceased Elmore Leonard was one of the best. A few of his books have been made into movies (Get Shorty, Jackie Brown, The Big Bounce) with mixed results, but I do I highly recommend reading the books, which are numerous.\nFor a different sort of fiction, James Clavell's Shogun, Taipan, and Noble House are great. In fact, Noble House very well be my favorite book. It's a long (~1400 page) book about business dealings, political intrigue, and more. All set in the context of 1963 Hong Kong.\nThose who like a touch of historical fiction could take a look at Conn Uggulden. One of his series, The Conqueror, which is about the rise and fall of the Mongol empire is pretty interesting. The books are a light read, and not particularly complicated, but it's entertaining and has some neat historical bits.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "One of his series, The Conqueror, which is about the rise and fall of the Mongol empire is pretty interesting.",
          "reason": "Calls the series interesting and notes its historical subject.",
          "audience": "Readers who like historical fiction.",
          "caveat": "Described as a light read, not particularly complicated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753386,
          "author": "alinajaf",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T19:17:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753386",
          "commentText": "I am a total whore for historical fiction:\n'Shogun' by James Clavell was the first book I read that had me glued to it for hours and hours at a time. Tai Pan is also a classic.\nI also found the original three Courtney books by Wilbur Smith (starting with 'The Sound of Thunder') were a guilty pleasure. They are pure trash, with thin characters and a predictable plot but epic adventure nonetheless.\nMore recently I've topped off the 'Emperor' series (chronicling Julius Ceasars life) and have started the 'Conqueror' series (same thing, but its about Genghis Khan). Both by Conn Iggulden.\nNot quite at the same literary level as some of the other suggestions here but I was wondering if I was the only one.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "have started the 'Conqueror' series (same thing, but its about Genghis Khan)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Conn Iggulden"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "genghis khan",
        "mongol empire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-conquest-of-mexico-3d6e25",
      "title": "The Conquest of Mexico",
      "author": "Bernal Díaz del Castillo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1226877,
          "author": "aasarava",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:42:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226877",
          "commentText": "The Conquest of Mexico, by Bernal Diaz -- a conquistador who traveled with the Cortes expedition to Mexico City to overthrow King Montezuma.  Incredible, true story written by someone who has actually there.  An unknown land; the clash of two cultures; the clash of two religions; temples to angry gods; hoardes of gold in hidden rooms; human sacrifices; alliances; mutinies; enslavement; first description of Tenochtitlan, the city on the lake; the destruction of Tenochtitlan; and more.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Conquest of Mexico, by Bernal Diaz",
          "reason": "Called an incredible true story, with vivid details about the conquest.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bernal Díaz del Castillo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aztec history",
        "spanish conquest"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-conscious-mind-in-search-of-a-fundamental-theory-24052b",
      "title": "The Conscious Mind: In Search of a Fundamental Theory",
      "author": "David J. Chalmers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503420,
          "author": "ionfish",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T09:28:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503420",
          "commentText": "Most of the \"eye-opening or incredibly interesting\" philosophical material that I've read has been in individual articles rather than books. That said, here are a few favourites from various areas. It's a bit heavily weighted towards recent material; Kant and Plato ought to be on there, but I can't stand Kant as a writer, even if his ideas are profound, and Plato's style has always irritated me for some reason I can't quite put my finger on. I could probably keep tying titles all day, so I'll stop with those that first popped into my head.\nAristotle, Nicomachean Ethics\nDavid Chalmers, The Conscious Mind: In Search of a Fundamental Theory\nGottlob Frege, Die Grundlagen der Arithmetik\nThomas Hobbes, Leviathan\nDavid Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding\nJ.S. Mill, On Liberty\nJohn Rawls, A Theory of Justice\nStewart Shapiro, Philosophy of Mathematics: Structure and Ontology",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "David Chalmers, The Conscious Mind: In Search of a Fundamental Theory",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David J. Chalmers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consciousness",
        "philosophy of mind"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-conspiracy-against-the-human-race-a-contrivance-of-horror-3e5d18",
      "title": "The Conspiracy Against the Human Race: A Contrivance of Horror",
      "author": "Thomas Ligotti",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29034744,
          "author": "cityzen",
          "createdAt": "2021-10-29T03:08:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 29030285,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29034744",
          "commentText": "If you can stomach it, The Conspiracy Against the Human Race: A Contrivance of Horror is a great audiobook. It is a pretty heavy listen but I enjoyed it quite a bit.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If you can stomach it, The Conspiracy Against the Human Race: A Contrivance of Horror is a great audiobook. It is a pretty heavy listen but I enjoyed it quite a bit.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great audiobook and says they enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as a heavy listen and says it may be hard to stomach.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Ligotti"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "horror",
        "philosophical pessimism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-constitution-of-the-united-states-of-america-3820cb",
      "title": "The Constitution of the United States of America",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22721872,
          "author": "frabbit",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T19:29:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22721872",
          "commentText": "The Bible (Old and New Testaments), An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, The Constitution of the United States of America and Jonathan Livingstone Seagull.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Constitution of the United States of America",
          "reason": "Listed as a book in response to the thread’s request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "constitutional law",
        "founding documents"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-consumer-s-republic-2df842",
      "title": "The Consumer's Republic",
      "author": "Lizabeth Cohen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32936258,
          "author": "fullsend",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T08:39:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936258",
          "commentText": "I enjoy content that adds curious new information and different views to topics full of cliches, while still being relatively respectable or well researched.\nComing Apart - this book described the coming separation of the US into two “classes” long before it was widely talked about. Today most talk about it as a political divide. This book tackles it as a divide between knowledge workers and the rest. A controversial take that adds much needed food for thought to the conversation. If you’ve lived poor and you’ve also lived in a place like Palo Alto, you’ll be astounded by how readily you can point and say, “that’s me”. Lots of fascinating statistics.\nBowling Alone - a great book about the collapse of US social life. Dense, lots of statistics, but a clear picture is laid out of increasing isolation and alienation. Read it alongside something like Consumer’s Republic to understand how so much of this stems from the selfishness and individuality encouraged by consumerism in post-war America.\nTriumph of the City - an excellent take that can be used as food for thought when people are talking about how dirty cities are. In truth, the author argues, they are our greenest “invention” ever. Lots of good evidence. Imagine collecting the trash if every human lived on their own acre of land. The sewage, the energy usage. Cities are incredibly efficient and clean.\nThe Man Who Solved The Market - everyone interested in finance needs to read this and it’s precursor More Money Than God. The Bogleheads and their index fund ilk are often correct when they say “money managers all lose to an index after fees”. Beating the market is nigh on impossible for all but a few. Most of those few work at Renaissance Technologies. Their Medallion Fund has made 36% after fees every single year since 1989. The fund does its best in market crash years. Closed to outside investors. A story of mathematicians essentially building models that can predict the future reliably. Utterly fascinating, the most successful money printer ever built. As a bonus, we learn that Jim Simons originally controlled this printer and spent the money helping US math teachers. He then ceded control to Robert Mercer, who used the printer’s output to fund Cambridge Analytica, Steve Bannon, Trump, etc.\nThe Snowball - a biography of Warren Buffet that tells an incredible story. The story is one of total obsession. Of a human who literally started from a few dollars, learned about some principles like compounding at age 6, and applied the exact same principles every day for the rest of his life with very little deviation. The craziest part of this story is how every 10 years, he’s surrounded by people saying “times have changed, you’re missing out”. Then those people get blown up by whatever black swan, and Warren’s snowball just grows and grows. He didn’t become a billionaire till he was in his 50’s but the snowball is still growing and he’s one of the richest people alive.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Consumer’s Republic",
          "reason": "The commenter suggests reading it alongside Bowling Alone to understand how consumerism contributed to social isolation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lizabeth Cohen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consumerism",
        "postwar united states"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-conviction-to-lead-a1073b",
      "title": "The Conviction to Lead",
      "author": "Albert Mohler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21712529,
          "author": "ahnooie",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T14:35:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21712529",
          "commentText": "Managing the Unmanageable, a second vote for Peopleware, The Mythical Man-Month, and The Conviction to Lead\nhttps://b3n.org/programming-management-leadership-books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Conviction to Lead",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a request for leadership and management books.",
          "audience": "People interested in leadership.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Albert Mohler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian leadership",
        "leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-cooking-gene-5a25a2",
      "title": "The Cooking Gene",
      "author": "Michael W. Twitty",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804093,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:12:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804093",
          "commentText": "Writing a Go Interpreter\nWriting a Go Compiler\nNo One Cares about Crazy People\nI Heard You Paint Houses\nUNIX: A History and a Memoir\nRed Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine\nHow Asia Works\nThe Dream Machine\nBlack Earth\nThe Fabric of Reality\nBehave (tried twice, maybe third times a charm?)\nA Short History of Nearly Everything\nStiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers\nGenius: The Life and Science Richard Feynman\nSuper Thinking\nMan's Search for Meaning\nThe Cooking Gene\nThe Vital Question: Why is Life The Way it Is (re-read)\nThe Case Against Sugar\nThe 15 Decisive Battles of the World\nThe History of the Peloponnesian War\nThe Beginning of Infinity\nThe Book of Why",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Cooking Gene",
          "reason": "Listed in the commenter's planned reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael W. Twitty"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "african american history",
        "food history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-corrections-eb7a18",
      "title": "The Corrections",
      "author": "Jonathan Franzen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5832634,
          "author": "agilecoder",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T14:32:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5832634",
          "commentText": "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and A \nSpot of Bother both by Mark Haddon\nThe Corrections by Jonathan Franzen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Franzen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "family relationships",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-corwin-cycle-a6118e",
      "title": "The Corwin Cycle",
      "author": "Roger Zelazny",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17337357,
          "author": "stratosgear",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:26:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337357",
          "commentText": "\"Nine princes in Amber\", by Roger Zelazny. Read the whole series multiple teams and the Corwin Cycle some more...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Corwin Cycle some more",
          "reason": "Says they have reread this series repeatedly as a comfort read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roger Zelazny"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classic fantasy",
        "portal fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-cosmic-game-explorations-of-the-frontiers-of-human-consciousn-5db9e6",
      "title": "The Cosmic Game: Explorations of the Frontiers of Human Consciousness",
      "author": "Stanislav Grof",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2617819,
          "author": "d2_nyc",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T20:13:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2617819",
          "commentText": "The Cosmic Game: Explorations of the Frontiers of Human Consciousness\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0791438767",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Cosmic Game: Explorations of the Frontiers of Human Consciousness",
          "reason": "Listed as a suggested book in response to the thread’s request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stanislav Grof"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consciousness",
        "transpersonal psychology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-cost-of-rights-91660c",
      "title": "The Cost of Rights",
      "author": "Stephen Holmes and Cass R. Sunstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42964897,
          "author": "wannabebarista",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-06T18:08:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42964897",
          "commentText": "In undergrad, reading these two books really changed my outlook. I went in skeptical and a little conspiratorial and these helped bring me closer to reality and even a little hopeful.\n- The Cost of Rights (1999) by Stephen Holmes and Cass Sunstein\n- A Theory of Justice (1971) by John Rawls",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Cost of Rights (1999) by Stephen Holmes and Cass Sunstein",
          "reason": "Says it helped shift their outlook closer to reality and made them more hopeful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Read while skeptical and somewhat conspiratorial.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Holmes",
        "Cass R. Sunstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "constitutional law",
        "political philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-cost-of-rights-why-liberty-depends-on-taxes-e8b4fa",
      "title": "The Cost of Rights: Why Liberty Depends on Taxes",
      "author": "Stephen Holmes and Cass Sunstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41183704,
          "author": "wannabebarista",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T17:55:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41183704",
          "commentText": "Here are books I recommend to everyone and got me interested in economics and philosophy:\n- The Worldly Philosophers by Robert Heilbroner\n- The Cost of Rights: Why Liberty Depends on Taxes by Stephen Holmes and Cass Sunstein\n- Wittgenstein's Poker by David Edmonds and John Eidinow\n- A History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Cost of Rights: Why Liberty Depends on Taxes by Stephen Holmes and Cass Sunstein",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommended to everyone; commenter says these books got them interested in economics and philosophy.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in economics and philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Holmes",
        "Cass Sunstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "constitutional law",
        "public finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-courage-to-act-e1c795",
      "title": "The Courage to Act",
      "author": "Ben S. Bernanke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22931737,
          "author": "elamje",
          "createdAt": "2020-04-21T04:04:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 22861452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading to make sense of the economy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22931737",
          "commentText": "The Fed gets a lot of hate, and heck, even economists get a lot of hate, but a good place to start learning about macroeconomics is by understanding what the Fed is doing and why they are doing it. The Age of Turbulence and the Courage to Act are autobiographies written by two former Fed Chairmen, which is the highest rank in the Fed. Greenspan and Bernanke likely get negative publicity, but they wrote books for the layman to understand their decisions. The Courage to Act goes into detail about what Bernanke and co did during the Great Recession and at least gives you context for the decisions which can help you determine if what they did was for “Wall Street”, “Main Street” or everyone.\nYou’ll likely be surprised at what facilities are at the disposal of this pseudo public institution, and it’s certainly interesting. The Fed collects inordinate amounts of data from each of its branches, and in times of crisis, as the books elaborate on, it seems they mostly go off the cuff with custom solutions to large scale solutions. Anyways, it helped me understand the US economy better. Greenspan’s book has more info on global policies.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Age of Turbulence and the Courage to Act are autobiographies written by two former Fed Chairmen",
          "reason": "Suggested for context on the Fed's decisions during the Great Recession.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an accessible introduction to macroeconomics and Fed policy.",
          "caveat": "The book discusses the response to the Great Recession, as the commenter notes.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ben S. Bernanke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "central banking",
        "federal reserve",
        "great recession"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-courtney-novels-9b5b98",
      "title": "The Courtney novels",
      "author": "Wilbur Smith",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1753386,
          "author": "alinajaf",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T19:17:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753386",
          "commentText": "I am a total whore for historical fiction:\n'Shogun' by James Clavell was the first book I read that had me glued to it for hours and hours at a time. Tai Pan is also a classic.\nI also found the original three Courtney books by Wilbur Smith (starting with 'The Sound of Thunder') were a guilty pleasure. They are pure trash, with thin characters and a predictable plot but epic adventure nonetheless.\nMore recently I've topped off the 'Emperor' series (chronicling Julius Ceasars life) and have started the 'Conqueror' series (same thing, but its about Genghis Khan). Both by Conn Iggulden.\nNot quite at the same literary level as some of the other suggestions here but I was wondering if I was the only one.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the original three Courtney books",
          "reason": "Called a guilty pleasure and praised for epic adventure.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls them pure trash, with thin characters and a predictable plot.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Wilbur Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical adventure"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-covenant-of-water-829a73",
      "title": "The Covenant of Water",
      "author": "Abraham Verghese",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38557198,
          "author": "velavar",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:09:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557198",
          "commentText": "This was the year I got my attention under enough control to be able to read voraciously again like I used to in my childhood :)\n* I'll always bring up The Three-body problem because I re-read it every year\n* Piranesi because of it's fantastical story-telling\n* The Covenant of Water - because it's a fantastic medical drama and a sweeping story spanning generations\n* Victory City - Salamn Rushdie's latest novel which is surprisingly readable\n* The Enchanted Forest/Kaikeyi/Palace of Illusions - because they cover the major Indian epics from the lens of the women characters (think Circe with an Indian background)\n* Trust - The same story told from different viewpoints with a setting in the early NY financial world, which makes it extra interesting\nI notice that I do tend to favour books with an Indian background because of my nostalgia for it as  I live in a foreign land. Maybe I'll branch out more next year!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "because it's a fantastic medical drama and a sweeping story spanning generations",
          "reason": "Praised as a medical drama and multigenerational story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Abraham Verghese"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "family saga",
        "medical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-craft-of-scientific-writing-624e28",
      "title": "The Craft of Scientific Writing",
      "author": "Michael Alley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32346550,
          "author": "cratermoon",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-04T18:29:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32346550",
          "commentText": "David Beer & David McMurrey, A Guide to Writing as an Engineer http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1103219505\nPhilip Kiely, Writing for Software Developers https://philipkiely.com/wfsd/\nMichael Alley The Craft of Scientific Writing http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1032304610\nAlso see Online Technical Writing https://mcmassociates.io/textbook/ David McMurrey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Michael Alley The Craft of Scientific Writing",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Alley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "scientific writing",
        "technical writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-creative-professional-s-guide-to-better-proposals-1615b2",
      "title": "The Creative Professional's Guide to Better Proposals",
      "author": "Nathan Powell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10233416,
          "author": "aslakhellesoy",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T14:12:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10233416",
          "commentText": "I picked up many great tips from Nathan Powell's \"The Creative Professional's Guide to Better Proposals\". Highly recommended.\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Creative-Professionals-Guide-Better-... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Creative-Professionals-Guide-Better-Proposals-ebook/dp/B013ESTNDY)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I picked up many great tips from Nathan Powell's \"The Creative Professional's Guide to Better Proposals\". Highly recommended.",
          "reason": "Calls it highly recommended and says it provided many useful tips.",
          "audience": "Creative professionals preparing proposals.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nathan Powell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "proposal writing",
        "sales"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-creature-from-jekyll-island-aa605f",
      "title": "The Creature from Jekyll Island",
      "author": "G. Edward Griffin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6460473,
          "author": "ChrisC215",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-28T01:13:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6460473",
          "commentText": "The Creature from Jekyll Island,\nEasy Reads: Alchemist, The Giver, The Greatest Salesman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Creature from Jekyll Island,",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "G. Edward Griffin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "federal reserve",
        "monetary history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-crisis-of-the-modern-world-aaf3f2",
      "title": "The Crisis of the Modern World",
      "author": "René Guénon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23858990,
          "author": "omarchowdhury",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:53:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858990",
          "commentText": "The Crisis of the Modern World and The Reign of Quantity and the Signs of the Times by René Guénon.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Crisis of the Modern World",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22115828,
          "author": "marttt",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-22T08:58:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22115828",
          "commentText": "\"The Crisis of the Modern World\" by René Guénon (1927), French mathematician and metaphysicist.\nQuoting Wikipedia, this book describes the \"intellectual divide\" between the East and West, and the peculiar nature, according to him, of modern civilization.\" [1]\n1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ren%C3%A9_Gu%C3%A9non",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"The Crisis of the Modern World\" by René Guénon",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "René Guénon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "traditionalism",
        "east west relations",
        "modern civilization",
        "modernity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-crossing-9cae30",
      "title": "The Crossing",
      "author": "Cormac McCarthy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39252511,
          "author": "sarang23592",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T17:50:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39252511",
          "commentText": "I am halfway into The Crossing By Cormac Mcarthy and it is a fantastic read till now. The section between the priest and the heretic has me going again and again and thinking a lot about it. I am looking forward to the rest of the book. After this the next in queue is The Brothers Karamazov by Dostoyevsky and I am pretty excited for that as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I am halfway into The Crossing By Cormac Mcarthy and it is a fantastic read till now.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a fantastic read and says a section has prompted repeated reflection.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not finished reading it yet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cormac McCarthy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american literature",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-crown-jewels-a1e16a",
      "title": "The Crown Jewels",
      "author": "Walter Jon Williams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17539207,
          "author": "jimmahoney",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T06:36:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17539207",
          "commentText": "lighthearted and fun : \"The Crown Jewels\" by Walter John Williams. Definitely.\nSee https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drake_Maijstral",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "lighthearted and fun : \"The Crown Jewels\" by Walter John Williams. Definitely.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as lighthearted and fun.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for lighthearted, fun science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Walter Jon Williams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comedy",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-crusades-the-authoritative-history-of-the-war-for-the-holy-la-045079",
      "title": "The Crusades: The Authoritative History of the War for the Holy Land",
      "author": "Thomas Asbridge",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21902525,
          "author": "russdpale",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T23:19:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902525",
          "commentText": "_The Crusades: The Authoritative History of the War for the Holy Land_ by Thomas Asbridge. A modern scholarly and critical look at one of the most fascinating times in human history that even beginners can understand.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A modern scholarly and critical look at one of the most fascinating times in human history that even beginners can understand.",
          "reason": "Recommends a scholarly, critical account that beginners can understand.",
          "audience": "Beginners interested in the Crusades or medieval history",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Asbridge"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crusades",
        "medieval history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-crystal-shard-99b509",
      "title": "The Crystal Shard",
      "author": "R. A. Salvatore",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22735123,
          "author": "noddingham",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-31T05:23:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22735123",
          "commentText": "I started reading R.A Salvatore's Forgotten Realms books when I was around 12 or 13, starting with the Crystal Shard and eventually working my way through the next dozen or so as they came out.\nGrowing up in rural Texas, I perceived themes related to stoicism, equality, and racism, that, while probably not intended by the author, still made me think about the way I'd seen people treated, and how I wanted to treat people in the future.\nIn addition, there were a few quotes in some of the chapter titles that stuck with me for whatever reason: \"Joy multiplies when it is shared among friends, but grief diminishes with every division. That is life.”\nI doubt I would see the same things in those books if I read them now, but perhaps for the right audience at the right time there might be something there.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "starting with the Crystal Shard and eventually working my way through the next dozen or so as they came out.",
          "reason": "The commenter names it as the first of the Forgotten Realms books they read.",
          "audience": "The commenter suggests the books may resonate with the right audience at the right time.",
          "caveat": "The commenter doubts they would see the same things in the books now and says the themes may not have been intended.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "R. A. Salvatore"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "forgotten realms",
        "high fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-crystal-world-1004d3",
      "title": "The Crystal World",
      "author": "J. G. Ballard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38239314,
          "author": "atombender",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T11:29:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38239314",
          "commentText": "That collection has a bunch of great stories. Some I particularly like:\n* \"Report on an Unidentified Space Station\" — shades of Lem, Borges, and Harlan Ellison as a crew explores an apparently infinite construct.\n* \"A Question of Re-Entry\" — post-colonialism á la Heart of Darkness by way of science fiction allegory; a beautiful companion to his apocalypse series (of which the best is The Crystal World; there's another story here, \"The Illuminated Man\", that Ballard used as the basis for that book).\n* \"The Drowned Giant\" — an odd fable about giant found washed up on a beach and how a cottage industry of scavenging grows around it. (There's a decent animated version of this story in Netflix's \"Love, Death & Robots.\")\n* \"Dream Cargoes\" — I guess I like Ballard the most when he's off in some tropical environment where nature is doing weird things, and this is one of them, and also because it's implied to be set on Vieques, an island that I love very much.\nThere are a few duds, but what's interesting is the wide span of Ballard's focus. He doesn't do one type of story, but many. (Unfortunately his later career could have done with more of this type of imaginative variance; he spent his last couple of decades writing at least three (four, if you count Running Wild) about rich gated communities hiding dark psychological secrets, and they were not very good.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the best is The Crystal World; there's another story here, \"The Illuminated Man\", that Ballard used as the basis for that book",
          "reason": "Identifies it as the best of Ballard's apocalypse novels and says a story in the collection inspired it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. G. Ballard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "apocalyptic fiction",
        "climate fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-crystal-and-the-way-of-light-11ba84",
      "title": "The Crystal and the Way of Light",
      "author": "Chögyal Namkhai Norbu",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32937399,
          "author": "dvfjsdhgfv",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T11:23:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937399",
          "commentText": "Chogyal Namkhai Norbu's The Crystal and the Way of Light. It was a discovery on so many levels.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Chogyal Namkhai Norbu's The Crystal and the Way of Light. It was a discovery on so many levels.",
          "reason": "Describes the book as a significant discovery.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chögyal Namkhai Norbu"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dzogchen",
        "tibetan buddhism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-culture-code-d9564a",
      "title": "The Culture Code",
      "author": "Daniel Coyle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18774757,
          "author": "gmishuris",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-28T03:44:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18774757",
          "commentText": "Three of my favorites were:\n1. The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle\nAn excellent analysis of what makes some cultures great and others toxic.\n2. Measure What Matters by John Doerr\nJohn Doerr describes a simple yet effective management system that has helped Google succeed and scale. The Objective and Key Results approach can be effective for anyone from a single contributor to a large organization trying to encourage a culture of effective collaboration and achievement.\n3. Small Giants by Bo Burlingham\nThe stories about a handful of companies that chose to be great rather than big.\nSome of the other books that I have enjoyed are listed here: https://behavioralvalueinvestor.com/other-interesting-books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Culture Code by Daniel Coyle\nAn excellent analysis of what makes some cultures great and others toxic.",
          "reason": "Names it a favorite and calls its analysis excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Coyle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "organizational culture",
        "teamwork"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-culture-map-a25f4b",
      "title": "The Culture Map",
      "author": "Erin Meyer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Erin Meyer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cross cultural communication",
        "management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-culture-of-cities-2ccfee",
      "title": "The Culture of Cities",
      "author": "Lewis Mumford",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39057520,
          "author": "max_",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T16:45:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39057520",
          "commentText": "Lewis Mumford's Books;\n- Technics & Civilization\n- The Culture of Cities\n- The Story of Utopias\nLewis Mumford talks about technology, but from an anthropological pint of view.\nAnother book I would recommend is The Nature of Technology by Brian Arthur\nThe other I would recommend is James Burk's Connections he's has some books but I but the documentary is highly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The Culture of Cities",
          "reason": "Listed among Mumford's books about technology and society.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lewis Mumford"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "technology and society",
        "urban history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-culture-of-critique-1097c3",
      "title": "The Culture of Critique",
      "author": "Kevin MacDonald",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237963,
          "author": "thraway2016",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T15:42:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237963",
          "commentText": "The Culture of Critique",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Culture of Critique",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kevin MacDonald"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "antisemitic conspiracy theories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-culture-of-flowers-be6b85",
      "title": "The Culture of Flowers",
      "author": "Jack Goody",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42218907,
          "author": "dilawar",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T03:04:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42218907",
          "commentText": "Culture of Flowers by Jack Goodie. An anthropology book that compares the culture of Flowers across civilizations. \"No flowers in Africa\" to China being most gifted place in terms of flowers. Variability across Europe and Muslim civilizations etc etc.\nAs an Indian, I found how civilizations treat luxury (flowers) and necessity fascinating. Apparently Europe had a culture of garlands before the banquet culture. India is still predominantly garlands expect for a few highly westernised places.  Muslim treatment or rather rejection of flowers in mosque but giving the world spectacle of flower gardens was very fascinating.\nThe book is not going to win any prize for prose or even coherence structure.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Culture of Flowers by Jack Goodie.",
          "reason": "Describes the book's cross-cultural study of flowers as luxury and necessity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its prose and structure lack coherence.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jack Goody"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "anthropology of flowers",
        "cross cultural history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-culture-of-make-believe-c77de5",
      "title": "The Culture of Make Believe",
      "author": "Derrick Jensen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33599036,
          "author": "TaylorAlexander",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-14T18:56:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33599036",
          "commentText": "I read the book “The Culture of Make Believe” and what finally clicked for me was that politicians and CEOs don’t care about anything but themselves, and we all pretend that our system functions but when it results in mass deaths or abuse we just pretend it didn’t happen.\nOne of many examples in the book was the Bhopal disaster, and the way media and politicians responded to it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I read the book “The Culture of Make Believe”",
          "reason": "The commenter says it led them to see politicians and CEOs as self-interested and society as ignoring mass harm.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Derrick Jensen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "corporate accountability",
        "political power"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-currency-of-politics-the-political-theory-of-money-from-arist-826be4",
      "title": "The Currency of Politics: The Political Theory of Money from Aristotle to Keynes",
      "author": "Stefan Eich",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42220961,
          "author": "throw0101d",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T14:13:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42220961",
          "commentText": "If I had to pick one: The rise and fall of American growth: the U.S. standard of living since the Civil War by Robert Gordon. The gains that we have made in the (early) 20th century are unlikely to ever be repeated, and progress in many metrics has measurably slowed or even stalled since ~1970s (likely being asymptotic). And while the Internet (classified under the Information, Communication, Technology (ICT) chapters) gave a bump in the 1990s, it's mostly been flat since 2004.\nMore economic history with Slouching towards Utopia: an economic history of the twentieth century by J. Bradford Delong. More economic ideas stuff in Value(s): building a better world for all by Mark Carney (ran the Banks of Canada and England). Also Waphsott's Keynes Hayek: the clash that defined modern economics and Samuelson Friedman: the battle over the free market.\nThe currency of politics: the political theory of money from Aristotle to Keynes by Sefan Eich, Money: the true story of a made-up thing by Jacob Goldstein, and The power of gold: the history of an obsession by Peter Bernstein (also his Against the Gods on risk). Show how much of a human construct \"money\" is, how its meaning changes in different times and places/cultures. Should be required reading by all the 'hard money' folks (gold standard, BTC).\nThe good life: lessons from the world's longest scientific study of happiness by Waldinger and Schultz (directors of the Harvard study). If there's one 'magic' thing for health and happiness it seems to be having good relationships (family, friends) in your life.\nReligion: what it is, how it works, and why it matters by Christian Smith and Strange rites: new religions for a godless world by Tara Burton. While many think that religion is in decline, the non-material/supernatural things that people believe in has actually shifted. And having beliefs in a super-human entity seems to be the basis of most societies and civilizations. Related, The warfare between science and religion : the idea that wouldn't die, a series of essays; the conflict thesis bunk, both historically and presently.\nThe origins of Canadian and American political differences by Jason Kaufman, two seemingly-the-same neighbouring countries that have had different development paths when it comes to culture and government. (I'm Canadian.)\nSpeaking of government: Civil resistance: what everyone needs to know by Erica Chenoweth. Seems violence/force is generally a less effective way to affect change in society than non-violence.\nThe week: a history of the unnatural rhythms that made us who we are by David Henkin. Seems that while seven days has been around for a long while, making it a really 'hard' structure/schedule around it is a more recent phenomenon than you'd expect.\nIf you have kids, Karen Le Billon's French kids eat everything (and yours can, too) and Getting to YUM: the 7 secrets of raising eager eaters, her husband is French and she lived there for a year and found many things done better there than US/CA. See also The happiest kids in the world: how Dutch parents help their kids and themselves by doing less by Acosta and Hutchison.\nFlying blind: the 737 MAX tragedy and the fall of Boeing by Peter Robison is an HN favourite. While we get a lot of engineer vs MBA comments, I think the bigger problem (associated with the MBA-types) is financialization, i.e., returns over everything else. Having non-engineers/MBAs can be 'fine' also long as trying to squeeze blood/money from a stone at the cost of everything else.\nSome philosophy with Alasdair C. MacIntyre: After Virtue is a good starting point. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/After_Virtue",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The currency of politics: the political theory of money from Aristotle to Keynes by Sefan Eich",
          "reason": "Explains how the book explores money as a human construct across different times and places.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in political theory and money.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stefan Eich"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "monetary history",
        "money",
        "political theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-cyberiad-626734",
      "title": "The Cyberiad",
      "author": "Stanislaw Lem",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22722761,
          "author": "avip",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T21:09:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22722761",
          "commentText": "Who has time for books nowadays? Some lovely tales so short u can read'em over coffee:\n- Asimov's Profession, his best short story IMHO\n- Mimsy Were the Borogoves - just reread it, it's as great as it was when I was a teen!\n- Flowers to Algernon is sad, but a must\n- Everything from Lem's Cyberiad\n- Everything from Borjes` Fictions",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Everything from Lem's Cyberiad",
          "reason": "Recommends reading everything in The Cyberiad.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stanislaw Lem"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "robot stories",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-d-programming-language-6e6673",
      "title": "The D Programming Language",
      "author": "Andrei Alexandrescu",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9757906,
          "author": "slvn",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T12:54:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9757906",
          "commentText": "the d programming language by andrei alexandrescu (ISBN-13: 978-0321635365)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the d programming language by andrei alexandrescu",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrei Alexandrescu"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "d programming",
        "programming languages"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-da-vinci-code-da18ba",
      "title": "The Da Vinci Code",
      "author": "Dan Brown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20334564,
          "author": "olah_1",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T13:03:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20334564",
          "commentText": "I don't find Zealot any more damning than The DaVinci Code.\nJean Danielou wrote a book about the Dead Sea Scrolls, Qumran, and the Essenes way back in the 80's that explains how it's all related and what it means for Christianity.\nI personally had a \"not fun\" chat with an atheist friend about Zealot because I pointed out how much silly conjecture and assumptions are underlying the book.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I don't find Zealot any more damning than The DaVinci Code.",
          "reason": "The title is used as a comparison in a critical discussion of Zealot.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401391,
          "author": "ggambetta",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:17:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401391",
          "commentText": "Currently read and recently read, in no particular order:\nModern C++ Design (Andrei Alexandrescu)\nThe Screenwriter's Bible (David Trottier)\nClean Code (Robert Cecil Martin)\nIl Codice da Vinci (Dan Brown)\nThe Anatomy of Story (John Truby)\nA Random Walk Down Wall Street (Burton Malkiel)\nThe Power of Habit (Charles Duhigg)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Il Codice da Vinci (Dan Brown)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027230,
          "author": "Tichy",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T14:27:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027230",
          "commentText": "The Lost Symbol sucked - I was entertained by Vinci Code and Illuminati, even though some of the riddles seemed chilidish. But Lost Symbol adds an unnecessary esoteric, New Age angle (\"Twitter is god\"), and the riddles have become too ridiculous. One of them is turning some letters on their head to make them readable. Another thing were \"magic squares\" - so I guess because they have \"magic\" in the name they have to be something deep and conspirational...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I was entertained by Vinci Code and Illuminati",
          "reason": "Says the earlier book was entertaining.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter found some riddles childish.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027000,
          "author": "blahblahblah",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T09:17:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027000",
          "commentText": "Revelation Space, by Alastair Reynolds - Quirky sci-fi novel with a xenoarchaeology angle\nHunters of Dune, by Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson - I'm not recommending this one on the basis of the writing.  I'd recommend it only to those who read all of Frank Herbert's original Dune series and have been hanging in suspense ever since because the cliffhanger ending of Chapterhouse Dune was never resolved due to Frank's untimely death.  They based the book on Frank's outline, but it clearly would have been a better book if it had been written by Frank.  Nonetheless, it is satisfying to resolve the unanswered questions:  Who the heck are these Honored Matres and what were they running away from?\nLabyrinths:  Selected Stories & Other Writings, by Jorges Luis Borges - This is kind of a quirky collection of short stories that are all mindbenders of one variety or another.  The best description I can give of Borges is that reading him is kind of like solving puzzles.\nAcross the Nightingale Floor:  Tales of the Otori, by Lain Hearn - Historical fiction set in feudal Japan with lords and their retainers, assassins, etc.\nThe Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown - If you liked The Da Vinci Code or Angels & Demons, you'll probably like this one as well.  While Dan Brown will probably never write anything that matches the utter genius of Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum, he is entertaining in his own way and worth a read.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "If you liked The Da Vinci Code or Angels & Demons, you'll probably like this one as well.",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a comparison point for recommending The Lost Symbol; no endorsement is expressed here.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Brown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "thriller",
        "conspiracy fiction",
        "conspiracy",
        "mystery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-daevabad-trilogy-1b8f39",
      "title": "The Daevabad Trilogy",
      "author": "S. A. Chakraborty",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42508597,
          "author": "chapliboy",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T13:02:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42508597",
          "commentText": "I finally read Count of Monte Cristo (unabridged) Fully worth the hype.\nAlso read a lot of Arabian fantasy (?). Fantasy with djinn etc.\nFavourites were Master of Djinn and the City of Brass series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the City of Brass series",
          "reason": "Names the series among their favorites in a discussion of fantasy featuring djinn.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "S. A. Chakraborty"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "djinn",
        "historical fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dagger-and-the-coin-afb958",
      "title": "The Dagger and the Coin",
      "author": "Daniel Abraham",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25913977,
          "author": "asicsp",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-26T09:34:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25913977",
          "commentText": "See https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/wiki/lists\nMy recommendations, in no particular order:\n* The Riyria Revelations by Michael Sullivan\n* Memory, Sorrow and Thorn by Tad Williams\n* To Ride Hell's Chasm by Janny Wurts\n* Worm by Wildbow\n* Cradle by Will Wight (think anime like Naruto in book form, but without fillers/fan-service)\n* Farseer by Robin Hobb\n* Powder Mage by Brian McClellan\n* The First Law by Joe Abercrombie\n* The Dagger and the Coin by Daniel Abraham",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* The Dagger and the Coin by Daniel Abraham",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's fantasy recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking fantasy novels or epics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17538918,
          "author": "minhazm423",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T05:13:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17538918",
          "commentText": "Hey unfortunately I have nothing to add but I'd like to make a request for sci fi books\nw/ these themes:\nfinance\ncurrency\neconomics\nmath\nmoney\npower\nSome common reccomendations I've seen are\nanything by Neal Stephenson\nThe other recommendations Ive seen are fantasy like\nThe Traitor Baru Cormorant\nThe Dagger and Coin series\nMaking Money\nGoing Postal\nDoes anyone have any similar recommendations?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Dagger and Coin series",
          "reason": "Listed among fantasy recommendations the commenter has seen while requesting similar books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter asks for similar recommendations and does not endorse this series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Abraham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Economics",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political fantasy",
        "epic fantasy",
        "finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dancing-wu-li-masters-c48aa0",
      "title": "The Dancing Wu Li Masters",
      "author": "Gary Zukav",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15156316,
          "author": "RockyMcNuts",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:05:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156316",
          "commentText": "The Emperor's New Mind, by Roger Penrose\nThe Tao of Physics, by Fritjof Capra\nDancing Wu Li Masters, by Gary Zukav\nThe Naked Ape, by Desmond Morris\nThe Road to Serfdom, by Friedrich Hayek\nThe Worldly Philosophers, by Robert Heilbroner\nThe Story of Philosophy, by Will Durant\nGrammatical Man, by Jeremy Campbell\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert M. Pirsig\nFlow, by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dancing Wu Li Masters, by Gary Zukav",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which books had the biggest impact on mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gary Zukav"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "eastern philosophy",
        "physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dao-of-capital-cb44e6",
      "title": "The Dao of Capital",
      "author": "Mark Spitznagel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17049034,
          "author": "DLA",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T17:10:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17049034",
          "commentText": "Totally agree with mountbranch here.\nPrinciples is fantastic. At the same time you may read and think \"sure, common sense\" but then did you think that before you read the item -- probably not. I feel this is a book to keep for a lifetime. Can't wait for Ray's economics book.\nCool animated summary here:\nhttps://www.principles.com/principles-for-success/\nThe Dao of Capital is deeper. The chapter on Conifers (yeah, pine trees) and how they exist with and balance times of trouble versus opportunity is well worth the price of the book.\nAlso, and not least, Nassim Taleb's books: Fooled By Randomness, Black Swan, and Anti-fragile. Poetic, deep, useful, and entertaining. Fantastic. A pleasure to read and listen to in audio while driving/traveling.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dao of Capital is deeper. The chapter on Conifers (yeah, pine trees) and how they exist with and balance times of trouble versus opportunity is well worth the price of the book.",
          "reason": "Praises its depth and says the chapter on conifers is well worth the price.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Spitznagel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "austrian economics",
        "conifers",
        "investing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dark-fae-series-70d3b2",
      "title": "The Dark Fae Series",
      "author": "McKenzie Rae",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24183387,
          "author": "mswen",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-17T02:45:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 24176902,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please suggest some good books you have read recently",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24183387",
          "commentText": "Changeling (The Dark Fae Series Book 1)\nFaery Tales (The Dark Fae Series Book 2)\nBy McKenzie Rae\nBook 2 was just released last week. I sat down this morning to read and as of this evening I am about 200 pages in. It really sucked me in.\nDisclaimer. I am the father of the author. But when she was younger I would read something she wrote and if she asked for my reaction I was honest. I would say, it is really good for a 14 year old. That would drive her crazy. But I would tell her I will always give you my honest reaction.\nWhen she was picked up by a publisher in her early 20s, she was kind of bashful about me reading her work. It was so gratifying to be able to walk in about 2/3 of the way through that first published novel and tell her that even though it wasn't my preferred genre I had started to care about the characters and the plot and I had to finish.\nI feel like each book has gotten better. This latest book captured my attention within the first few pages and I spent way more time reading it today than I originally intended.\nSorry if anyone is offended at me promoting my daughter's work.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "(The Dark Fae Series Book 1)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is the author's father.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "McKenzie Rae"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fae fantasy",
        "paranormal romance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dark-tales-of-lillebror-rabbit-5c1e37",
      "title": "The Dark Tales of Lillebror Rabbit",
      "author": "Jonna Björnstjerna",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50042577,
          "author": "schrectacular",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T12:29:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50042577",
          "commentText": "Here's some stuff for younger kids that haven't been mentioned yet:\nMatthew Cordell is awesome. \"Cornbread and Poppy\" are cute, \"Evergreen\" is fun, but check out his whole catalog. Probably my favorite active author/illustrator.\n\"Nobody Likes a Goblin\" by Ben Hatke\n\"The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess\" by Tom Gauld\n\"The Little Island by Margaret Wise Brown\" under the pseudonym Golden MacDonald\n”The Dark Tales of Lillebror Rabbit“ by Jonna Björnstjerna\n\"Les P'tites Poules\" by Christian Jolibois\nA little older, Ursula LeGuin is amazing, \"A Wizard of Earthsea\", \"Catwings\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "”The Dark Tales of Lillebror Rabbit“ by Jonna Björnstjerna",
          "reason": "Listed as a book for younger children.",
          "audience": "Younger children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonna Björnstjerna"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-darkness-that-comes-before-f99b8d",
      "title": "The Darkness That Comes Before",
      "author": "R. Scott Bakker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2923957,
          "author": "salemh",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-25T06:25:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 2919368,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have changed the way you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2923957",
          "commentText": "Reality Tansurfing 1: The Space of Variations\n\"Choosing\" your own reality, positive mind frames, philosophy and actionable steps for goal attainment (no \"Secret\" wish fulfillment).\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1846941229/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1846941229/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1846941229)\n\" Some of Zeeland's techniques are very simple and practical; e.g. his methods of combining rational thinking with intuition for making practical decisions.  Other \"tools\" require a high degree of control over one's thoughts and/or emotions.\n    Zeeland also advocates reducing the amount of mental self-talk in favour of listening to one's intuition, which has some similarity with the teachings of Eckhart Tolle [[2]].\"\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vadim_Zeeland\nThe Tibetan Book of Living and Dying\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062508342/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062508342/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0062508342)\nThis novel has been of great help to me and family with recent deaths. Overall life outlook, happiness, and the like.\nEnders Game\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812550706/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0812550706/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0812550706)\nI have read this novel over 15 years roughly 8 times. I get more, and a different perspective (which is interesting just examining my own reaction to re-reads based on my life and age at reading / re-reading).\nPrometheus Rising\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1561840564/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1561840564/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1561840564)\n\"Hacking\" reality, your mind, alternate viewpoints of reality and \"living\" accordingly (or not :D)\nPandora's Star\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345479211/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345479211/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0345479211)\nFascinating \"space opera\" wherein humanity masters worm-hole technology (and space colonization), ever lasting life (downloading / uploading) and a lovely read with a dose of astrophysics (though, the number of plot lines and characters gets far too muddled much of the time, symptomatic of Hamilton's books). Great \"look\" at a potential future of these potential advancements.\nNeuropath\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0765361574/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0765361574/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=0765361574)\nScience fiction novel set in near-future based on new advanced in neuroscience; psychopath / serial killer thriller (one night read)on the brain as a chemical machine (and free-will arguments) with brutal thriller violence. This sticks with you for a number of weeks. Sending this to my sister was reacted with \"it was really good, fascinating..why the f* did you send this to me?\"\nThe Darkness That Comes Before (The Prince of Nothing, Book 1)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1841494089/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1841494089/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=1841494089)\nFantasy, philosophy, linguistics in Magic..dark, dark and a very old world. Brilliant, the best fantasy series this decade.\nTitan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400077303/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1400077303/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1400077303)\nFrom dirt (literally), to one of the richest men in history, a genius accountant, inventor, process engineer, capitalist, competitive monster (crusher), also spawning much of modern medicine research centers (while he himself was a more holistic man who distrusted \"modern medicine). An incredible biography (oft cited by other novels on various Baron's / dynastic biographies) on the idiocyncrocies and the incredible desire for wealth and power, while abhoring lavish displays of wealth. From his rise, to consolidation, to \"war\" with the Rothschilds to the ultimate breakup of Standard Oil.\n1,000 Dollars and an Idea: Entrepreneur to Billionaire: Expanded Edition\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1557048487/ref=as_li_ss_tl?... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1557048487/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=xlracom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399369&creativeASIN=1557048487)\nSam Wyly, on building businesses to last, 15-20 years to \"flip\" or keep. Nuggets of wisdom for all industries and verticals.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Darkness That Comes Before (The Prince of Nothing, Book 1)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1841494089/ref=as_li_ss_tl?...\nFantasy, philosophy, linguistics in Magic..dark, dark and a very old world. Brilliant, the best fantasy series this decade.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it brilliant and names its fantasy, philosophical, and linguistic elements.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in dark fantasy, philosophy, and linguistics.",
          "caveat": "Described as very dark.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "R. Scott Bakker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dark fantasy",
        "linguistics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-darwin-elevator-771948",
      "title": "The Darwin Elevator",
      "author": "Jason M. Hough",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7313965,
          "author": "Mankhool",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-27T18:33:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7313965",
          "commentText": "I'm ancient and have been reading Sci-Fi my entire life. I just finished \"The Darwin Elevator\" (1st of 3 in a trilogy) and it was the most refreshing SF I've read in a least 10 years.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it was the most refreshing SF I've read in a least 10 years.",
          "reason": "Calls it the most refreshing science fiction they have read in at least ten years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jason M. Hough"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "post apocalyptic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dawn-patrol-eaf453",
      "title": "The Dawn Patrol",
      "author": "Don Winslow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5833109,
          "author": "nicwolff",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T15:45:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5833109",
          "commentText": "Top three:\nMockingbird, by Walter Tevis;\nRiddley Walker, by Russell Hoban;\nGlimpses of the Moon, by Edith Wharton\nSome other favorites:\nThe Dog Stars, by Peter Heller;\nTo Reign In Hell, by Steven Brust;\nMachine Man, by Max Barry;\nThe Dawn Patrol, by Don Winslow;\nThe Woman, by Hank Ketchum",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dawn Patrol, by Don Winslow",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's other favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Don Winslow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crime fiction",
        "surf culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dawn-of-everything-a-new-history-of-humanity-869ec9",
      "title": "The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity",
      "author": "David Graeber and David Wengrow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33852782,
          "author": "bsenftner",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T11:49:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33852782",
          "commentText": "The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity\nby David Graeber, David Wengrow\nThe Dawn of Everything fundamentally transforms our understanding of the human past and offers a path toward imagining new forms of freedom, new ways of organizing society. This is a monumental book of formidable intellectual range, animated by curiosity, moral vision, and a faith in the power of direct action.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity\nby David Graeber, David Wengrow",
          "reason": "Presented as a book the commenter is recommending in response to the thread's best-book question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Graeber",
        "David Wengrow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human history",
        "social organization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-day-the-crayons-quit-582d82",
      "title": "The Day the Crayons Quit",
      "author": "Drew Daywalt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26800750,
          "author": "lnwlebjel",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-13T23:16:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26800750",
          "commentText": "Mo Willems is awesome (Pigeon series, Elephant and Piggy). Some of the Dr. Suess books are still great and fun to read (I can read with my eyes shut, One fish two fish). The book with no pictures, the day the crayons quit, dragons love tacos, and the princess and the dragon by Audrey Wood are all books that I've probably read 100 times and still enjoy.\nAs my kids got a bit older the Box Car children series was compelling, and the girls loved the Rainbow Magic books. Capt. Underpants and Dog man are hilarious and just subversive enough that a 7-9 yr old feel like they are getting away with something. Then on to Mysterious Benedict Society, Harry Potter, Rick Riordan, and Keeper of the Lost Cities.\nOur M.O. was to max out our Library card on a regular basis with just about everything possible and then iterate from there on the authors the kids enjoyed. I feel like reading is one of the things we've gotten right so far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the day the crayons quit",
          "reason": "The commenter says it remains enjoyable after many rereads.",
          "audience": "Young children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Drew Daywalt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-day-the-universe-changed-b789a1",
      "title": "The Day the Universe Changed",
      "author": "James Burke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12494191,
          "author": "dredmorbius",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-14T04:13:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12494191",
          "commentText": "From a recent HN comment,  a list, some authors, and some guidelines, largely based on books which radically changed my thinking.\nCurrently:  Vaclav Smil, Energy in World History (1994), and Manfred Weissenbacher, Sources of Power (2009).  Both detail the role and impact of energy through world history.  The latter draws strongly on the first, both are exceedingly well documented.  TL;DR: coal changed much, oil changed everything.\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/3... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/30398523&referer=brief_results)\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foragin... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foraging-agriculture-and-coal/oclc/837625798&referer=brief_results)\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625970&referer=brief_results)\nJames Burke's books Connections and The Day the Universe Changed, and their accompanying television series, were a profound introduction to the history of technology, science, ideas, and philosophy.  Though 30+ years old, they remain highly current and relevant.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/connections/oclc/4494136\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/day-the-universe-changed/oclc... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/day-the-universe-changed/oclc/12049817)\nJeremy Campbell's Grammatical Man (1984) introduced the concepts of information theory and their deep, deep, deep interconnections to a tremendous number of interconnected systems, many not explored within his book.  Darwin's The Origin of Species, James Gleick's Chaos, and many of the works of Santa Fe Institute members, including John C. Holland, J. Doyne Farmer, Geoffrey West, W. Brian Arthur, David Krakauer, and Sander van der Leeuw, continue these themes.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-e... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-entropy-language-and-life/oclc/8306673)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/chaos-making-a-new-science/oc... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/chaos-making-a-new-science/oclc/15366709)\nWilliam Ophuls' Ecology and the Politics of Scarcity (1977) is perhaps the best, most comprehensive, shortest, and most readable exposition of the fact, reality, dynamics, and interactions of limits on the present phase of fossil-fuel fed economic growth I've found.  This is a book I recommend not only for the message, but the author's clarity of thought and exposition, his meticulous research, exquisite bibliographical notes, and, given the nearly 30 years elapsed, testability numerous of his predictions, some failed, yes, others uncannily accurate.  Rather more the latter.  In a similar vein, William R. Catton's Overshoot looks at the ecological dynamics in more depth, with much wisdom, the writings of Richard Heinberg cover the ground of limits fairly accessibly and more recently.  Vaclav Smil in numerous books addresses technical factors of the profound nature of the past 250 years, and implications for the future.  Meadows, et al, in Limits to Growth set off much of the post-1970 discussion (though they're hardly the first to raise the question -- it dates to Seneca the Elder),\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-s... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-scarcity-prologue-to-a-political-theory-of-the-steady-state/oclc/2524932)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/overshoot-the-ecological-basi... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/overshoot-the-ecological-basis-of-revolutionary-change/oclc/6195764)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Aheinberg%2C+richard&a... (https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Aheinberg%2C+richard&amp;qt=owc_search)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Asmil%2C+vaclav&amp;qt... (https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=au%3Asmil%2C+vaclav&amp;qt=results_page)\nThough hardly pessimistic, Daniel Yergin's book The Prize (and TV series) impressed upon me more than any other just how much petroleum specifically changed and transformed the modern world.  Though intended largely as laudetory and championing the oil industry by the author, my read of it was exceptionally cautionary.  The impacts on business, everyday life, politics, wars, industry, and transport, and the rate at which they occurred, are simply staggering.  You can continue this exploration in Vaclav Smil's Energy in World History (1994) (I've recommended Smil independently elsewhere), and a rare but profound two-volume set I'm currently reading, Manfred Weissenbacher's Sources of Power: How energy forges human history (2009).  The shear physicality of this book speaks to the message -- it's divided into five parts:  1) Foraging Age (6 pages), 2) Agricultural Age (156 pp), 3) Coal Age (160 pp),  4) Oil Age (296 pp), and 5) Beyond the Oil Age (142 pp).  That is, the ~2 million years of pre-agricultural existence are little more than a footnote, the 8,000 years of agriculture roughly equal to the 150 years of coal, and the 100 years of petroleum use roughly twice either.  The oil and post-oil ages comprise their own volume.  Yergin followed up with The Quest, continuing the search for oil, though I've been less impressed by it.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/prize-the-epic-quest-for-oil-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/prize-the-epic-quest-for-oil-money-and-power/oclc/22381448)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-in-world-history/oclc/30398523)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foragi... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/before-oil-the-ages-of-foraging-agriculture-and-coal/oclc/837625798)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/83762... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/oil-age-and-beyond/oclc/837625970)\nAdam Smith's An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations is among the most-cited (and most incorrectly cited), least-read books of high influence I'm aware of, outside religious texts (and perhaps it is a religious text to some…).  The author's message has been exceptionally shaped and manipulated by a powerful set of forces, quite often utterly misrepresenting Smith's original intent.  Reading him in his own words, yourself, is strongly recommended.  I'd also recommend scholarship particularly by Emma Rothschild and Gavin Kennedy, though also others, on Smith. Contrast with the portrayal by the propaganda disinformation front of the Mont Pelerin Society / Atlas Network / so-called Foundation for Economic Education, and much of the modern American Libertarian movement (von Mises, Hayek, Friedman, Hazlett, Rothbard, and more recently, Norberg).  Contrast The Invisible Hand (1964), a compilation of essays published by Libertarian house Regnery Press in 1966, at the beginning of the rise in public use of Smith's metaphor to indictate mechanism rather than an expression of the unknown.\nThere are numerous editions of Smith, I believe the Glasgow is frequently cited by Smith scholars:  https://www.worldcat.org/title/glasgow-edition-of-the-works-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/glasgow-edition-of-the-works-and-correspondence-of-adam-smith-2-an-inquiry-into-the-nature-and-causes-of-the-wealth-of-nations-vol-1/oclc/832488566)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/economic-sentiments-adam-smit... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/economic-sentiments-adam-smith-condorcet-and-the-enlightenment/oclc/45282974)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smith-and-the-invisible-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smith-and-the-invisible-hand/oclc/820387997)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smiths-lost-legacy/oclc/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/adam-smiths-lost-legacy/oclc/56598640)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/invisible-hand-a-collection-o... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/invisible-hand-a-collection-of-essays-on-the-economic-philosophy-of-free-enterprise/oclc/326622)\nI'd like to put in recommendations on technology specifically, but am still searching for a good general text.  The material's covered somewhat in the chaos and complexity recommendations above (Campbell et al), though I'd add Joseph Tainter's The Collapse of Complex Societies.  Charle's Perrow has several excellent books including Normal Accidents and Organizing America.   I'd like to reference something concerning Unix, Linux, and programming, perhaps Kernighan and Pike's The Unix Programming Environment, Linus Torvalds' Just for Fun, Richard Stallman's The GNU Manifesto, and Steve McConnel's Code Complete.  The O'Reilly book Unix Power Tools also encapsulates much the strength of the Unix toolset.  All these are somewhat dated.\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/collapse-of-complex-societies... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/collapse-of-complex-societies/oclc/15083222)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/normal-accidents-living-with-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/normal-accidents-living-with-high-risk-technologies/oclc/10229932)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/organizing-america-wealth-pow... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/organizing-america-wealth-power-and-the-origins-of-corporate-capitalism/oclc/939707157)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-programming-environment/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-programming-environment/oclc/10269821)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/5238168... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/52381684)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "were a profound introduction to the history of technology, science, ideas, and philosophy.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was a profound introduction to several connected fields.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it is over 30 years old but remains relevant.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Burke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of ideas",
        "history of science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dazzle-of-day-d9a325",
      "title": "The Dazzle of Day",
      "author": "Molly Gloss",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39729605,
          "author": "crabmusket",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T21:23:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729605",
          "commentText": "The Long Loneliness by Dorothy Day. About her life and involvement with the Catholic Worker movement.\nThe Dazzle Of Day by Molly Gloss. A downbeat beautiful meditation on a spaceship crewed by Quakers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dazzle Of Day by Molly Gloss.",
          "reason": "Presented as a meditation on a spaceship crewed by Quakers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as downbeat.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Molly Gloss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "generation ship",
        "quakers",
        "religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-deadline-a-novel-about-project-management-324a2c",
      "title": "The Deadline: A Novel About Project Management",
      "author": "Tom DeMarco",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43951320,
          "author": "NiceAdvice",
          "createdAt": "2025-05-11T04:17:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 43949411,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fictional business books like The Goal",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43951320",
          "commentText": "I'm a big fan of The Deadline: A Novel About Project Management by Tom DeMarco.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm a big fan of The Deadline: A Novel About Project Management by Tom DeMarco.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom DeMarco"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "project management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-deadly-fuze-d6fe4a",
      "title": "The Deadly Fuze",
      "author": "J. D. Hunley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 621301,
          "author": "joe_bleau",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-21T23:43:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621301",
          "commentText": "Can't pick just one, but I enjoyed: Tuxedo Park, Soul Of a New Machine, and The Deadly Fuze.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed: Tuxedo Park, Soul Of a New Machine, and The Deadly Fuze.",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of books the commenter enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. D. Hunley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "manhattan project",
        "military history",
        "nuclear weapons"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-death-gate-cycle-f0c9b6",
      "title": "The Death Gate Cycle",
      "author": "Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467680,
          "author": "pier25",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:50:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467680",
          "commentText": "- Sapiens\n- The Lord of the Rings\n- Siddhartha\n- Chaos: Making a New Science\n- The Death Gate cycle books\n- Neuromancer\n- Head First Design Patterns\n- Valis\n- Dune\n- The name of the rose\nI'm sure there are more, but these are the ones off the top of my head.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Death Gate cycle books",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Margaret Weis",
        "Tracy Hickman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-death-gate-cycle-4d7dd9",
      "title": "The Death Gate Cycle",
      "author": "Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 86199,
          "author": "Darmani",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T03:31:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86199",
          "commentText": "This Perfect Day by Ira Levin (out of print, yet much more worthwhile in my opinion than other dystopic novels)\nGuns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond\nThe Books of the Fey by Kristine Kathryn Rusch\nArtemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer\nThe Deathgate Cycle by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Deathgate Cycle by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the thread’s question about favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "parallel worlds"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-death-of-adam-essays-on-modern-thought-0cdedd",
      "title": "The Death of Adam: Essays on Modern Thought",
      "author": "Marilynne Robinson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17049300,
          "author": "dubya",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T17:38:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17049300",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed Marilynne Robinson's \"Death of Adam: essays on modern thought\".  It's a pretty wide-ranging indictment of the \"glib and dismissive\" nature of a lot of modern thought.  It won't help you rebuild a world view, but it will help point out the flaws in existing ones.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed Marilynne Robinson's \"Death of Adam: essays on modern thought\".",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed this collection of essays and describes its critique of modern thought.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It will not help rebuild a worldview, but can point out flaws in existing ones.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marilynne Robinson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary essays",
        "modern thought"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-death-of-superman-d32002",
      "title": "The Death of Superman",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30241362,
          "author": "byteface",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T07:20:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241362",
          "commentText": "The death of Superman (Graphic Novel)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The death of Superman (Graphic Novel)",
          "reason": "Offers it as an answer to the request for a book recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "graphic novel",
        "superhero comics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-death-of-the-west-a4275e",
      "title": "The Death of the West",
      "author": "Patrick J. Buchanan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10184678,
          "author": "urxvt",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-08T09:08:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10184678",
          "commentText": "The Death of the West, by Patrick J. Buchanan. Looking at the Western Europe I thought that it is the time for such books.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Death of the West, by Patrick J. Buchanan. Looking at the Western Europe I thought that it is the time for such books.",
          "reason": "Says current conditions in Western Europe make this kind of book timely.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Patrick J. Buchanan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "politics",
        "western europe"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-decipherment-of-linear-b-4be8a7",
      "title": "The Decipherment of Linear B",
      "author": "John Chadwick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33801745,
          "author": "sho_hn",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T15:08:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33801745",
          "commentText": "\"The Decipherment of Linear B\" by John Chadwick is the story of how Michael Ventris, an architect with no formal education in linguistics and cryptanalysis, defied conventional (and his own) dogma and revealed the ancient Linear B script to have been used to write down the Greek language. This rewrote European history over night, and ends with a lovely section on what the now-readable documents reveal about the civilization who produced them.\nWonderful lessons therein on:\n- thinking from first principles and following the evidence and solid metrics\n- being willing to be proven wrong, and keeping an open mind in the face of new facts\n- the value of open scientific collaboration\n- resisting arguments from authority\n- how fundamental skills and intelligence transfer across domains\nVentris did not have a Rosetta stone at hand, so he had to decipher the script from what he could suss out using statistical methods and building up an internal logic. It's also a fun story of a great puzzle.\nIt's a short and great book and was formative to me. There's newer books on the story that do a better job of highlighting the contributions of Ventris' collaborators (particularly the impressive Alice Kober), but Chadwick's is still the most concise and enjoyable, I think.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a short and great book and was formative to me.",
          "reason": "Presents lessons in evidence-based thinking, collaboration, and resisting arguments from authority through the story of deciphering Linear B.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says newer books better highlight Ventris's collaborators, though Chadwick's remains the most concise and enjoyable.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Chadwick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "decipherment",
        "history of linguistics",
        "linear b"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-decision-book-50-models-for-strategic-thinking-e47d7a",
      "title": "The Decision Book: 50 Models for Strategic Thinking",
      "author": "Mikael Krogerus, Roman Tschäppeler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19896789,
          "author": "daniel_iversen",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T06:29:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19896789",
          "commentText": "I love The Decision Book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9793361-the-decision-boo... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9793361-the-decision-book)\n... read and skim it quite a few times and it's super nice and quick to use.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I love The Decision Book: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9793361-the-decision-boo... ... read and skim it quite a few times and it's super nice and quick to use.",
          "reason": "Expresses affection for the book and says it is nice and quick to use.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mikael Krogerus, Roman Tschäppeler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "decision making",
        "mental models"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-decision-maker-4cf375",
      "title": "The Decision Maker",
      "author": "Dennis Bakke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16351627,
          "author": "tobyjsullivan",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T07:24:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16351627",
          "commentText": "1) The Pragmatic Programmer by Hunt and Thomas will always be a classic.\n2) The Decision Maker by Dennis Bakke. This one pairs well with the more thorough Reinventing Organizations which has been mentioned in another comment.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "This one pairs well with the more thorough Reinventing Organizations",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a companion to the more thorough Reinventing Organizations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as less thorough than Reinventing Organizations.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dennis Bakke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "management",
        "organizational decision making"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-deed-of-paksenarrion-c967e6",
      "title": "The Deed of Paksenarrion",
      "author": "Elizabeth Moon",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31972788,
          "author": "jayturley",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-04T02:05:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31972788",
          "commentText": "The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elisabeth Moon.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elisabeth Moon.",
          "reason": "Selected as the book to reread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Elizabeth Moon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-defense-cdd7bf",
      "title": "The Defense",
      "author": "Vladimir Nabokov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5693444,
          "author": "gruseom",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-12T07:08:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5693444",
          "commentText": "It depends on what you like. Flannery O'Connor's fiction is extraordinary. I bet you'd like Nabokov based on what you've said so far; I like his earlier Russian novels best (which have excellent English translations), like The Defense, for example. If you want to go whole hog into postmodernism then try Pynchon or Gaddis.\nThe 19th century Russians from Gogol to Chekhov are pretty much can't-lose. Turgenev's Fathers and Sons is beautiful and captures the spirit of youth.\nFord Madox Ford's The Good Soldier is a short masterpiece. The Great Gatsby is as good as its reputation says. Read Dickens if you want the essence of the English language and character. Read Kafka for the strangest articulation of modernity. Bruno Schulz is more whimsical. Borges is another whom your list suggests you should try.\nIf you really want to go down a rabbit hole, find Martin Seymour-Smith's Guide to Modern World Literature and browse through it to blow your mind. It covers everything and seems impossible, except it exists so it can't be.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "like The Defense, for example.",
          "reason": "Offers it as an example of Nabokov's earlier Russian novels.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in fiction, based on their stated tastes.",
          "caveat": "Recommends Nabokov's earlier Russian novels generally.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vladimir Nabokov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "psychological fiction",
        "russian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-defense-of-hill-781-an-allegory-of-modern-mechanized-combat-53998d",
      "title": "The Defense of Hill 781: An Allegory of Modern Mechanized Combat",
      "author": "James R. McDonough",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 456347,
          "author": "pskomoroch",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T14:15:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456347",
          "commentText": "I used to have a lot more time for non CS reading and actually made an Amazon list on this topic back in 2005:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/2INJSM38... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/2INJSM38IDMDZ/ref=cm_sw_r_de_lm)\n1.  On War (Everyman's Library (Cloth)) by Carl Von Clausewitz\n2.  Leadership: The Warrior's Art by Barry R. McCaffrey\n3.  Small Unit Leadership: A Commonsense Approach by Dandridge M. Malone\n4.  The Defense of Hill 781: An Allegory of Modern Mechanized Combat by James R. McDonough\n5.  The Art of Maneuver: Maneuver-Warfare Theory and AirLand Battle by Robert Leonhard\n6.  Strategy: Second Revised Edition (Meridian) by B. H. Liddell Hart\n7.  The Art of War by Niccolò Machiavelli\n8.  Hagakure: The Book of the Samauri by Tsunetomo Yamamoto\n9.  The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius\n10.  The Art of War (Shambhala classics) by Sun Tzu\n11.  The Prince (Bantam Classics) by Niccolo Machiavelli\n12.  Evolutionary Game Theory by Jörgen W. Weibull\n13.  On Guerrilla Warfare by Mao Tse-tung\n14.  The History of the Peloponnesian War: Revised Edition (Penguin Classics) by Thucydides\n15.  The Histories (Penguin Classics) by Herodotus\n16.  The Persian Expedition (Penguin Classics) by Xenophon\n17.  Plutarch: Lives of Noble Grecians and Romans (Modern Library Series, Vol. 1) by Plutarch\n18.  Plutarch's Lives, Volume 2 (Modern Library Classics) by Plutarch\n19.  Livy: The Early History of Rome, Books I-V (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 1-5) by Titus Livy\n20.  The History of Rome from Its Foundation, Books XXI-XXX: The War with Hannibal (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 21-30) by Titus Livius Livy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "4.  The Defense of Hill 781: An Allegory of Modern Mechanized Combat by James R. McDonough",
          "reason": "Included in a list of military strategy books answering the thread's request.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking books about military strategy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James R. McDonough"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mechanized combat",
        "military fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-defining-decade-why-your-twenties-matter-0b15f0",
      "title": "The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter",
      "author": "Meg Jay",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12142417,
          "author": "gyvastis",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T08:43:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12142417",
          "commentText": "\"The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter\" by Meg Jay",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter\" by Meg Jay",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that impacted one’s career.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Meg Jay"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal development",
        "twenties"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-defining-decade-why-your-twenties-matter-and-how-to-make-the--cc44fc",
      "title": "The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter—and How to Make the Most of Them Now",
      "author": "Meg Jay",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29817873,
          "author": "kirso",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-06T01:24:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29817873",
          "commentText": "Omg, please do me a favour and read this book:\nDefining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter And How To Make The Most Of Them Now\nI only read it when I was 30. It has a a typical self-help title but honestly it has all you need to succeed in the next decade. I wish I could have read it at your age.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter And How To Make The Most Of Them Now",
          "reason": "The commenter urges an 18-year-old to read it and wishes they had read it at that age.",
          "audience": "Young adults preparing for their twenties.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes its title sounds like typical self-help.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Meg Jay"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "life planning",
        "young adulthood"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-definitive-antlr-reference-48ff46",
      "title": "The Definitive ANTLR Reference",
      "author": "Terence Parr",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 136937,
          "author": "at",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-14T17:33:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 136875,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good compiler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=136937",
          "commentText": "1. Programming Language Processors in Java: Compilers and Interpreters\nhttp://www.dcs.gla.ac.uk/~daw/books/PLPJ/\n2. The definitive ANTLR reference\nhttp://www.pragprog.com/titles/tpantlr\n1. gives you a good introduction in how to write parsers from scratch (without lex/yacc'ish parsing frameworks), and is probably a good warm-up before the book you mention.\n2. gives you an introduction to state-of-the parsing with a framework (antlr) + a some about compilation. Note: antlr also has a nice IDE for rapid developing/prototyping of parsers - antlrworks. See http://antlr.org for more info.\nA very nice parsing framework for Python is dparser. It allows you to write grammars as docstrings to methods, which makes it very  easy to try out things\nhttp://www.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/library/l-cpdpars.ht... (http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/library/l-cpdpars.html)\nhttp://dparser.sourceforge.net/\nDefinite Clause Grammars for Prolog is also worth a look (at least for reference)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The definitive ANTLR reference",
          "reason": "Recommends it for learning parsing with a framework and some compilation.",
          "audience": "Readers learning ANTLR and parser development.",
          "caveat": "Focuses on framework based parsing, with some compilation coverage.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terence Parr"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "antlr",
        "parsers"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-definitive-book-of-body-language-f05bc2",
      "title": "The Definitive Book of Body Language",
      "author": "Allan Pease and Barbara Pease",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 569186,
          "author": "rivo",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-19T06:47:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 568556,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sales book recommendation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=569186",
          "commentText": "Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Busine... (http://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Business-Essentials/dp/006124189X/)\nThe Definitive Book of Body Language\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Definitive-Book-Body-Language/dp/05538... (http://www.amazon.com/Definitive-Book-Body-Language/dp/0553804723/)\n+1 to How to Win Friends & Influence People",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Definitive Book of Body Language\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Definitive-Book-Body-Language/dp/05538...",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Allan Pease and Barbara Pease"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "body language",
        "nonverbal communication"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-definitive-book-of-body-language-e94a5f",
      "title": "The Definitive Book of Body Language",
      "author": "Allan and Barbara Pease",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4788271,
          "author": "dontstealmyname",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T12:45:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4788271",
          "commentText": "I found the book \"The definitive book of body language: How to read others's thoughts by their gestures\" by Allan and Barbara Pease to be a great read.\nThe greatest show on Earth - Richard Dawkins was an excellent read.\nSurely  you're joking Mr Feynman by Richard p.Feynman was terrific read by a very small bit can considerred offensive or  at the least dated in its outlook but if you can get past that its great!\nI recently finished a book on ID called \"Masters of doom\" by David Kushner which I rather enjoyed as well.\nI also love reading about crackers from the (mostly) 80's and I can recommend.\nCuckoo Egg by Cliff Stoll\nMasters of deception\nWe are anonymous - Inside the hacker world of lulzsec, anonymous and the global cyber insurgency  by Parmy Olson\nI loved \"Underground Hacking Madness and the obsession on the electronic frontier\" once I got past the first 2 or 3 chapters (also it was researched by Julian Assange before wikileak and has a chapter about his hacking) An Ebook copy can be found on the authors website http://www.underground-book.net/download.php3\nGhost in the wire Kevin Mitnick",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "to be a great read",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Allan and Barbara Pease"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "body language",
        "nonverbal communication"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-deluge-37316b",
      "title": "The Deluge",
      "author": "Stephen Markley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268913,
          "author": "igor47",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:16:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268913",
          "commentText": "The Deluge -- a darker take on climate change than Ministry for the Future, but also felt pretty realistic.\nThis is how you lose the time war -- took me a long time to start this book, and then I couldn't put it down.\nNon fiction, I really enjoyed Slouching Towards Utopia. I'm a sucker for narrative history like that, and I got a few useful concepts from the book. I also really liked The Prince of Peace, a biography of Keynes.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Deluge -- a darker take on climate change than Ministry for the Future, but also felt pretty realistic.",
          "reason": "Describes it as realistic, while noting its darker treatment of climate change.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter characterizes it as darker than Ministry for the Future.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Markley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "climate change",
        "climate fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-deluge-9601a4",
      "title": "The Deluge",
      "author": "Adam Tooze",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18745435,
          "author": "Emma_Goldman",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T10:45:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18745435",
          "commentText": "My idiosyncratic picks, all of them history:\nCivil War, David Armitage\nMeaning in History, Karl Lowith\nManifest Destiny, Anders Stephanson\nThe Deluge, Adam Tooze\nThe Moral Economists, Tim Rogan\nThe Guardians, Susan Pederson\nI also enjoyed properly getting to grips with Keynes, Du Bois, Schmitt and Freud for the first time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Deluge, Adam Tooze",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s history picks in response to a favorite-books question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as an idiosyncratic pick.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adam Tooze"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic history",
        "world war i"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-deluge-the-great-war-america-and-the-remaking-of-the-global-o-ba02f7",
      "title": "The Deluge: The Great War, America and the Remaking of the Global Order",
      "author": "Adam Tooze",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22578636,
          "author": "schemathings",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T20:58:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22578636",
          "commentText": "I listened to the audiobook version of 3 books by Adam Tooze in the past year and found them to be excellent for understanding how finance works, through 3 separate case studies/examples if you will ..\n1. The Deluge: The Great War, America and the Remaking of the Global Order describes how most of the current global financial structures were formed, through the lens of WW1 policy\n2. The Wages of Destruction: The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy .. moves you forward to WW2/post-depression economy\n3. Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World (recommended elsewhere in this thread) .. brings things up to current times",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Deluge: The Great War, America and the Remaking of the Global Order",
          "reason": "The commenter says the audiobook was excellent for understanding finance through World War I policy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adam Tooze"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic history",
        "global financial history",
        "world war i"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-democratic-party-a-history-8b7116",
      "title": "The Democratic Party: A History",
      "author": "Frank R. Kent",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43686747,
          "author": "bradac56",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-14T21:55:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 43685856,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What 3 Books Would You Recommend to Anyone?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43686747",
          "commentText": "1.) The Tao Jones Averages by Bennett W. Goodspeed 1984 (this is the primer before reading Jack Bogle's books).\n2.) The Democratic Party: A History by Frank R. Kent 1928 (an important read of where both modern USA political parties came from).\n3.) Native American Anarchism by Eunice Minette Schuster..1970 (bias is a funny thing).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Democratic Party: A History by Frank R. Kent 1928",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an important read about the origins of modern US political parties.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frank R. Kent"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political parties",
        "us political history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-demon-in-the-machine-bd7d0b",
      "title": "The Demon in the Machine",
      "author": "Paul Davies",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21458346,
          "author": "pixelperfect",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T00:05:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21458346",
          "commentText": "The Demon in the Machine by Paul Davies (would recommend)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "(would recommend)",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly says they would recommend it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Davies"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "life and information"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dervish-house-296f63",
      "title": "The Dervish House",
      "author": "Ian McDonald",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056610,
          "author": "mattkevan",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:38:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056610",
          "commentText": "Anything by Alastair Reynolds - his Revelation Space series is great, and House of Suns is a fantastic one-off. He's probably the  closest to Ian Banks in creating galaxy-spanning civilisations across eons of time.\nIan MacDonald is another good one. My favourite of his is The Dervish House, but his others are definitely worth reading.\nCharles Stross is good. Didn't get on with Accelerando, but his Laundry books are a fun mix of HP Lovecraft/Len Deighton/IT Crowd. Halting State and Rule 34 are good explorations of pervasive augmented reality and intelligent algorithms. Also Glasshouse as an exploration of post-singularity society. Never managed to finish a Cory Doctorow book though.\nI found William Gibson's Bigend trilogy a slog, but I really enjoyed The Peripheral - it's a fun read.\nEnders Game and Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card are fantastic, but the remaining books suffer from diminishing returns (with the possible exception of Ender's Shadow). There are a lot of books in the series, but basically, the series finishes wherever you get bored reading it.\nAnything by China Mieville is well worth your time.\nOh, I also really enjoyed Elizabeth Bear's Jacobs Ladder trilogy, set on a generation ship where the inhabitants have forgotten who they are and where they're going.\nFor some older stuff:\nThe Stars my Destination by Alfred Bester – I was surprised at how good it is and how well it stands up. I couldn't believe it was written nearly 50 years ago.\nThe Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein - possibly my favourite of his. I want to start a lunar revolution with a sentient mainframe...\nI'm currently working my way through all the Hugo Award winners, from 1953 up, and there's some real gems there.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favourite of his is The Dervish House",
          "reason": "Names it as the commenter's favorite Ian McDonald book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ian McDonald"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "istanbul",
        "near future"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-deserters-10ff4c",
      "title": "The Deserters",
      "author": "Charles Glass",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41802421,
          "author": "xkcd-sucks",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-10T19:18:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41802421",
          "commentText": "Moby Dick, Herman Melville\nVALIS, Philip K Dick\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance + also Lila, Robert Pirsig\nNaked Lunch, William Burroughs\nImmortality, Milan Kundera\nCatch-22, Joseph Heller (pair with The Deserters, Charles Glass -- In fact a lot of the stuff in Catch-22 is actually toned down from reality)\nMastering the Core Teachings of Buddha, Daniel Ingram (but ignore 80% of it)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Deserters, Charles Glass",
          "reason": "Suggested as a companion to Catch-22.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Glass"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "desertion",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-design-method-ca530e",
      "title": "The Design Method",
      "author": "Eric Karjaluoto",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12711221,
          "author": "ryanSrich",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-14T21:28:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12711221",
          "commentText": "Here's a list of all design books that I give to new hires:\nBranded Interactions: Creating the Digital Experience - (https://www.amazon.com/Branded-Interactions-Creating-Digital... (https://www.amazon.com/Branded-Interactions-Creating-Digital-Experience/dp/0500518173))\nThe Visual Display of Quantitative Information - https://www.amazon.com/Visual-Display-Quantitative-Informati... (https://www.amazon.com/Visual-Display-Quantitative-Information/dp/0961392142/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480332&sr=1-1&keywords=Edward+Tufte)\nUniversal Principles of Design - https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Principles-Design-Revised-U... (https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Principles-Design-Revised-Updated/dp/1592535879/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480359&sr=1-1&keywords=universal+principles+of+design)\nThe Interface: IBM and the Transformation of Corporate Design, 1945-1976 - https://www.amazon.com/Interface-Transformation-Corporate-19... (https://www.amazon.com/Interface-Transformation-Corporate-1945-1976-Quadrant/dp/0816670390/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480388&sr=1-1&keywords=the+interface+ibm)\nMultiple Signatures: On Designers, Authors, Readers and Users - https://www.amazon.com/Multiple-Signatures-Designers-Authors... (https://www.amazon.com/Multiple-Signatures-Designers-Authors-Readers/dp/0847839737/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480427&sr=1-1&keywords=Multiple+Signatures)\nChange by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation - https://www.amazon.com/Change-Design-Transforms-Organization... (https://www.amazon.com/Change-Design-Transforms-Organizations-Innovation/dp/0061766089/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480449&sr=1-1&keywords=Change+by+design)\nThoughts on Design - https://www.amazon.com/Thoughts-Design-Paul-Rand/dp/08118754... (https://www.amazon.com/Thoughts-Design-Paul-Rand/dp/081187544X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480478&sr=1-1&keywords=Thoughts+on+design)\nNotes on the Synthesis of Form - https://www.amazon.com/Notes-Synthesis-Form-Harvard-Paperbac... (https://www.amazon.com/Notes-Synthesis-Form-Harvard-Paperbacks/dp/0674627512/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480495&sr=1-1&keywords=notes+on+the+synthesis+of+form)\n..and a list of ones I'm considering adding:\nUnflattening - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0674744438/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0674744438/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\nCreative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All  - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/038534936X/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/038534936X/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\nThe Design Method - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321928849/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321928849/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\nProduct Design for the Web: Principles of Designing and Releasing Web Products- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321929039/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321929039/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "and a list of ones I'm considering adding:",
          "reason": "The commenter is considering adding it to the design book list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Under consideration for addition to the list.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Karjaluoto"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "design methodology",
        "design process"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-design-of-design-essays-from-a-computer-scientist-6ac926",
      "title": "The Design of Design: Essays from a Computer Scientist",
      "author": "Frederick P. Brooks Jr.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13410552,
          "author": "olau",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T15:42:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13410552",
          "commentText": "If you read that and like it, try The Design of Design by Fred Brooks, in which he talks about on a high level how the design process works; good teachings about the flaws of the waterfall model.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you read that and like it, try The Design of Design by Fred Brooks, in which he talks about on a high level how the design process works; good teachings about the flaws of the waterfall model.",
          "reason": "Suggests it to readers who like the parent book and praises its lessons about design and waterfall's flaws.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the design process and software project methods.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frederick P. Brooks Jr."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software design",
        "waterfall model"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-design-of-everyday-things-774f51",
      "title": "The Design of Everyday Things",
      "author": "Donald Norman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13803941,
          "author": "d33",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T16:57:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13803941",
          "commentText": "On the quick I could think of two:\n\"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman - essentially a book about \"bugs\" in our minds that lead us to bad decisions,\n\"The Design of Everyday Things\" by Donald Norman - changes the way you look at human-made things, makes you better appreciate examples of design that take functionality into account.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Design of Everyday Things\" by Donald Norman",
          "reason": "Listed in answer to a question about books that changed how people think about the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donald Norman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human centered design",
        "product usability"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-design-of-web-apis-df5672",
      "title": "The Design of Web APIs",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24385351,
          "author": "dudul",
          "createdAt": "2020-09-05T17:35:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 24383180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Suggestions for books about API design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24385351",
          "commentText": "This book is really good: https://www.manning.com/books/the-design-of-web-apis\nIt even spends the first few chapters talking about API design in general (not just for REST) with really great, intuitive examples.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book is really good:",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the book and says it starts with general API design and intuitive examples.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "api design",
        "web apis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-devops-handbook-8ad746",
      "title": "The DevOps Handbook",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22712736,
          "author": "gonehome",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T17:36:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22712736",
          "commentText": "It definitely does - nothing is perfect, but the core ideas of version control for config, continuous deployment, automated testing, focusing on bottlenecks, and tracking data are all valid.\nThe dev ops handbook is a good compliment for real world examples. I’ve personally seen good dev ops turn things around and make products way better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The dev ops handbook is a good compliment for real world examples.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for real-world examples related to the ideas discussed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "devops",
        "software delivery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-development-of-mathematics-5b3852",
      "title": "The Development of Mathematics",
      "author": "E. T. Bell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 85912,
          "author": "rugoso",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T12:37:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85912",
          "commentText": "- Godel Esher Bach\n- The Development of Mathematics, by E. T. Bell\nnot that i understand mathematics that well, but this book gave me many ideas of how an abstract/complex thing like mathematics can evolve through history, i found that exciting\n- when i was a teenager i liked a couple of books by Martin Gardner",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "this book gave me many ideas of how an abstract/complex thing like mathematics can evolve through history, i found that exciting",
          "reason": "The author found its account of mathematics evolving through history exciting and idea-generating.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they do not understand mathematics very well.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "E. T. Bell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of mathematics",
        "mathematical ideas"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-devil-s-cup-084e9b",
      "title": "The Devil's Cup",
      "author": "Stewart Lee Allen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8111548,
          "author": "nicholassmith",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T23:22:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8111548",
          "commentText": "It's a great book, I think I'm on 5th or 6th reread now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's a great book, I think I'm on 5th or 6th reread now.",
          "reason": "Calls the book great and says they have reread it several times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8109089,
          "author": "nicholassmith",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:16:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109089",
          "commentText": "Reading two books, We by Yevgeny Zamyatin and The Devil's Cup by Stewart Lee Allen.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Devil's Cup by Stewart Lee Allen",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stewart Lee Allen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coffee history",
        "food history",
        "travel writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-devil-s-cup-a-history-of-the-world-according-to-coffee-568489",
      "title": "The Devil's Cup: A History of the World According to Coffee",
      "author": "Stewart Lee Allen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8109219,
          "author": "11001",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:34:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109219",
          "commentText": "\"The Devil's Cup\" is great! He also has \"In the Devil's garden\", which is quite good as well. It presents the history of food in terms of the seven deadly sins.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Devil's Cup\" is great!",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stewart Lee Allen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coffee",
        "food history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-devil-s-dp-dictionary-7dc062",
      "title": "The Devil's DP Dictionary",
      "author": "Stan Kelly-Bootle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22710359,
          "author": "PaulAJ",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T10:44:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22710359",
          "commentText": "* Alan Turing: The Enigma of Intelligence by Andrew Hodges. The definitive biography, with lots of detailed explanations of his work.\n* Making Software, edited by Oram & Wilson. A bunch of papers about evidence-based software engineering.\n* Beautiful Code, also edited by Oram & Wilson. A bunch of papers about especially elegant pieces of software.\n* Eiffel, by Bertrand Meyer. What Java should have been.\n* The Devil's DP Dictionary, by Stan Kelly Bootle. A satirical look at the computer industry circa 1980.\n* The Jargon File. (http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/). The language of the Elder Days.\n* Facts and Fallacies of Software Engineering by Robert Glass.\n* The Pragmatic Programmer by Hunt & Thomas.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Devil's DP Dictionary, by Stan Kelly Bootle. A satirical look at the computer industry circa 1980.",
          "reason": "Describes it as satire about the computer industry around 1980.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stan Kelly-Bootle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer industry",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-devil-s-candy-the-bonfire-of-the-vanities-goes-to-hollywood-7ccad6",
      "title": "The Devil’s Candy: The Bonfire of the Vanities Goes to Hollywood",
      "author": "Julie Salamon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33382606,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T10:05:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382606",
          "commentText": "Top 2 so far:\n   * Washington: A life by Ron Chernow\n   * The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won by Victor Davis Hanson\n\nThe Washington book is a very detailed by clear overview of his life. Easy to follow (even for complex situations) and very week written.\nThe WW2 book is amazing. Compares the countries fighting in around 20 different areas (technology, leadership, geography, aircraft) and says who is better and why.\nAlso very good:\n   * FDR by Jean Edward Smith\n   * Master of the Senate by Robert A. Caro\n   * The Penguin History of New Zealand by Michael King\n   * The years of Lyndon Johnson 2 – Means of Ascent by Robert Caro\n   * Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road by Kyle Buchanan\n   * Becoming Trader Joe: How I Did Business My Way and Still Beat the Big Guys by Joe Coulombe\n   * How Innovation Works: And Why It Flourishes in Freedom by Matt Ridley\n   * Yeager: An Autobiography by Chuck Yeager\n   * The years of Lyndon Johnson: The Path to Power by Robert Caro\n   * The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson\n   * Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson\n   * An Economist walks into a Brothel: And Other Unexpected Places to Understand Risk by Allison Schrager\n   * The Devil’s Candy: The Bonfire of the Vanities Goes to Hollywood by Julie Salamon\n   * Sam Walton: Made in America by Sam Walton",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* The Devil’s Candy: The Bonfire of the Vanities Goes to Hollywood by Julie Salamon",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Julie Salamon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "film production",
        "the bonfire of the vanities"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-devotion-of-suspect-x-9e030d",
      "title": "The Devotion of Suspect X",
      "author": "Keigo Higashino",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10787625,
          "author": "aws_ls",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T09:09:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787625",
          "commentText": "1) Shadows of the Pomegranate Tree - Rating 3/5 - Got an idea about the times in receding Muslim powers, at the end of the 15th Century, in Spain -  The author is an historian so positive point is that fiction rooted in history. But some of the fictional narratives could have been better, as he was not a fiction writer when he started out.\n2) Zero to One - Rating 4/5 - Thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. Insights into and anecdotal examples of Paypal mafia, among the numerous over there.\n3) Liar's Poker - Rating 4/5 - The first of several best seller's by Michael Lewis, gives insights into the working of Investment Finance business, and in a very interesting way (lots of humor)\n4) Devotion of Suspect X - Rating 4/5 - Work of fiction by the Japanese best seller author Keigo Higashino. Enjoyable read - contrasts a Physicist and a Mathematician trying to out think each other in a crime context (reference to Maths/Physics are just pop-level so don't expect too much)\n5) 'Digital Gold...' by Nathaniel Popper - Currently reading (very enjoyable at around 41%) - Captures the history of evolution of Bitcoin. Also made me sad for various people for different reasons, e.g. Hal Finney, who was the first adopter of Satoshi Nakamoto's idea. Reading this book made me appreciate why not knowing who is SN is important. I am no longer curious.\n6) Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond - Rating 5/5 - A perspective changing book, if there can be one. Had picked it up from Gates notes' reading list couple years back. After reading this, my entire perspective on religions, politics, culture changed and I view everything from the reference point of when we started to do agriculture some 20,000 years ago, and of course geographical perspective.\nSome others in my to-read list (hope to pick one before the turn of the year):\n1) Emperor of all maladies - book on cancer research\n2) Ashley Vance's book on Elon Musk\n3) 100 years of solitude\n4) The selfish gene\n5) The hard thing about hard things\n6) Or, if I see any other book: either on this page, or on Gates Notes or on HN reading share the other day. Am a big fan of exchanging/sharing reading lists.\nEdit: Formatting. HN post editor needs two new lines ('\\n') to display one\nEdit 2: Had wrongly named book #4 as Salvation of a saint (which is another book, I read earlier by the same author)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Rating 4/5 - Work of fiction by the Japanese best seller author Keigo Higashino. Enjoyable read - contrasts a Physicist and a Mathematician trying to out think each other in a crime context (reference to Maths/Physics are just pop-level so don't expect too much)",
          "reason": "Calls it an enjoyable read and describes its crime plot.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Math and physics references are only pop-level.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10175632,
          "author": "deskamess",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:38:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175632",
          "commentText": "In between books right now, but...\nNext one:\nGenocide of One - Takano\nPrevious three:\nMalice - Keigo Higashino\nThe Devotion of Suspect X - Keigo Higashino\nSalvation of A Saint - Keigo Higashino",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Devotion of Suspect X - Keigo Higashino",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Keigo Higashino"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crime fiction",
        "japanese literature",
        "mystery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dhammapada-5f0d2f",
      "title": "The Dhammapada",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50117808,
          "author": "zen_kernal",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T12:56:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50117808",
          "commentText": "Robert Anton Wilson: Cosmic Trigger and Quantum Psychology\nIsaac Asimov: Beginnings\nAlex Garland: The Beach\nBuddha: The Dhammapada",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dhammapada",
          "reason": "Listed in response to which books the commenter read at least twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhist scripture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-diary-of-saint-maria-faustina-kowalska-4a3057",
      "title": "The Diary of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska",
      "author": "Maria Faustina Kowalska",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15762608,
          "author": "_sdegutis",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T03:53:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762608",
          "commentText": "\"The Diary of St. Faustina\" - it's the diary of a nun from the 1930s who had regular visions of Jesus for many years, which the Catholic Church has approved. As a Christian it's been difficult sometimes to interpret the gospels or to understand how to put virtues into action or even how to pray, and this book has given me plenty of concrete examples of all these.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Diary of St. Faustina\"",
          "reason": "Says the book offers concrete examples for interpreting the gospels, practicing virtues, and praying.",
          "audience": "Christians seeking guidance in interpreting the gospels, practicing virtues, or praying.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Maria Faustina Kowalska"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Health",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "catholic spirituality",
        "religious diary"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-diary-of-samuel-pepys-b67b00",
      "title": "The Diary of Samuel Pepys",
      "author": "Samuel Pepys",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41175718,
          "author": "montgomery_r",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:45:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175718",
          "commentText": "For the value of ‘best’ that includes  (a) had a deep and long lasting impact on how I think about the world and (b) I consider beautiful pieces of writing in their own right, here are some in no particular order: \nThe Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins \nThinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nNaming and Necessity, Saul Kripke\nTractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein\n(These you might want to approach via a gentle introduction if you did not study Philosophy to degree level) \nThe Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle\nDarkness at Noon,\nArthur Koestler\nThe Glass Bead Game,\nHermann Hesse\nA Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh\nDiaries, Samuel Pepys\nFalling Off the Map, Pico Iyer\nA Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor\nThe Lonely Sea and the Sky,\nFrancis Chichester\nThe Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope\nBevis, Richard Jeffries\nThe Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith\nThe Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse\nHitch-22, essaysChristopher Hitchens \nCollected Essays, William Hazlitt\nVenice, Martin Gayford\nThe Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski\nThe Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch\nToo obvious a list, perhaps, but some gems for all that! Happy reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Diaries, Samuel Pepys",
          "reason": "Includes it among books with lasting impact on how they think and that they consider beautiful writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Samuel Pepys"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "17th century england",
        "diary"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-diary-of-a-nobody-113db6",
      "title": "The Diary of a Nobody",
      "author": "George and Weedon Grossmith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41175841,
          "author": "montgomery_r",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:58:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175841",
          "commentText": "Aargh, Formatting! Try 2 :\nFor the value of ‘best’ that includes\n(a) had a deep and long lasting impact on how I think about the world and\n(b) I consider beautiful pieces of writing in their own right,\nhere are some in no particular order:\nThe Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins\nThinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nNaming and Necessity, Saul Kripke\nTractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein\n(These you might want to approach via a gentle introduction if you did not study Philosophy to degree level)\nThe Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle\nDarkness at Noon, Arthur Koestler\nThe Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse\nA Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh\nDiaries, Samuel Pepys\nFalling Off the Map, Pico Iyer\nA Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor\nThe Lonely Sea and the Sky, Francis Chichester\nThe Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope\nBevis, Richard Jeffries\nThe Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith\nThe Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse\nHitch-22, essays, Christopher Hitchens\nCollected Essays, William Hazlitt\nVenice, Martin Gayford\nThe Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski\nThe Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch\nToo obvious a list, perhaps, but some gems for all that! Happy reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith",
          "reason": "Includes the title among books considered impactful and beautifully written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41175718,
          "author": "montgomery_r",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:45:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175718",
          "commentText": "For the value of ‘best’ that includes  (a) had a deep and long lasting impact on how I think about the world and (b) I consider beautiful pieces of writing in their own right, here are some in no particular order: \nThe Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins \nThinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nNaming and Necessity, Saul Kripke\nTractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein\n(These you might want to approach via a gentle introduction if you did not study Philosophy to degree level) \nThe Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle\nDarkness at Noon,\nArthur Koestler\nThe Glass Bead Game,\nHermann Hesse\nA Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh\nDiaries, Samuel Pepys\nFalling Off the Map, Pico Iyer\nA Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor\nThe Lonely Sea and the Sky,\nFrancis Chichester\nThe Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope\nBevis, Richard Jeffries\nThe Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith\nThe Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse\nHitch-22, essaysChristopher Hitchens \nCollected Essays, William Hazlitt\nVenice, Martin Gayford\nThe Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski\nThe Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch\nToo obvious a list, perhaps, but some gems for all that! Happy reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith",
          "reason": "Includes it among books with lasting impact on how they think and that they consider beautiful writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Grossmith",
        "Weedon Grossmith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fiction",
        "comic novel",
        "diary",
        "victorian satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dice-man-bc6b87",
      "title": "The Dice Man",
      "author": "Luke Rhinehart",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16313120,
          "author": "monkeygus",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-05T23:12:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16313120",
          "commentText": "The Dice Man - Luke Rhinehart\nonce you hand over your life to the dice, anything can happen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dice Man - Luke Rhinehart\nonce you hand over your life to the dice, anything can happen",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Luke Rhinehart"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chance",
        "existential fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dictator-s-handbook-7412cc",
      "title": "The Dictator's Handbook",
      "author": "Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, Alastair Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18663438,
          "author": "mosiuerbarso",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:52:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663438",
          "commentText": "These are a mixture of audio books and paperbacks I've been reading. I'm listening to more and more audiobooks via audible as it allows me to keep learning new stuff whilst travelling or doing simple household jobs.\nAnyways. Here are a few of my best of I've read/listened to this year:\nDictators Handbook by Bruce De Mesquita and Alastair Smith -\nVery interesting theories on power structures.\nHistory of western philosophy by Bertrand Russel - I love my history. And it was fascinating seeing how ideas/thoughts/thinking have evolved over the centuries.\nAmerica the Farewell tour by Chris Hedges - Very interesting ideas and points of view. A tough read at times. I really hope it some part of the book doesn't come true.\nChasing the Scream by Johanne Hari - Good history of the war on drugs, the cost and its futility.\nI've read more but these are my top 5 of 2018",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dictators Handbook by Bruce De Mesquita and Alastair Smith -\nVery interesting theories on power structures.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it presents very interesting theories on power structures.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruce Bueno de Mesquita, Alastair Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political economy",
        "political power"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dictionary-of-concise-writing-334c86",
      "title": "The Dictionary of Concise Writing",
      "author": "Robert Hartwell Fiske",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1968559,
          "author": "GeneralMaximus",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-04T05:11:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 1965039,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books for English writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1968559",
          "commentText": "A few weeks back I purchased a book called The Dictionary of Concise Writing by Robert Hartwell Fiske. So far it has served me well. Here: http://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-Concise-Writing-Alternative... (http://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-Concise-Writing-Alternatives-Phrases/dp/1933338121/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1291439438&sr=8-1)\nIt's a fun book to skim when you have nothing to do.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I purchased a book called The Dictionary of Concise Writing by Robert Hartwell Fiske. So far it has served me well.",
          "reason": "Says the book has served them well and is fun to skim.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes it as a book to skim when you have nothing to do.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Hartwell Fiske"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "concise writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-difference-between-god-and-larry-ellison-1a9b80",
      "title": "The Difference Between God and Larry Ellison",
      "author": "Mike Wilson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36601356,
          "author": "Zelphyr",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T14:59:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601356",
          "commentText": "It's quite old and so doesn't include the rise of the Internet and subsequent innovations but, Accidental Empires is pretty good: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accidental_Empires\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late - on the creation of the Internet\nThe Soul of a New Machine - On computing in the 70's and 80's\nThe Difference Between God and Larry Ellison - On the rise of Oracle (also has the best title)\nMasters of Doom - A history of id Software\nWhat The Dormouse Said - How the 60's counterculture influenced computing\nThe New New Thing - Follows Jim Clark around while he creates SGI, Netscape, etc...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Difference Between God and Larry Ellison",
          "reason": "Described as covering Oracle's rise.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it has the best title.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mike Wilson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "oracle",
        "technology companies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-difference-between-god-and-larry-ellison-inside-oracle-corpor-21d62f",
      "title": "The Difference Between God and Larry Ellison: Inside Oracle Corporation",
      "author": "Mike Wilson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22708572,
          "author": "mitchelldeacon9",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T01:58:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22708572",
          "commentText": "The following is a list of my favorite books on software engineering, cyber-security, and the history of IT business development.\nBowden, Mark (2011) Worm: The First Digital World War\nBrooks, Frederick (1995) Mythical Man-Month, 2nd ed.\nChristensen, Clayton (1997) Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail\nHafner, Katie and Matthew Lyon (1996) Where Wizards Stay Up Late: Origins of the Internet\nHunt, Andrew and David Thomas (1999) Pragmatic Programmer\nMacCormick, John (2012) Nine Algorithms that Changed the Future\nMcConnell, Steve (2004) Code Complete, 2nd ed.\nMitnick, Kevin and William Simon (2002) Art of Deception\nPoulsen, Kevin (2011) Kingpin: How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cyber-Crime Underworld\nRaymond, Eric (2003) Art of Unix Programming\nStone, Brad (2013) The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon\nTorvalds, Linus and David Diamond (2001) Just for Fun: Story of an Accidental Revolutionary\nWallace, James and Jim Erickson (1992) Hard Drive: Bill Gates and Making of the Microsoft Empire\nWilliams, Sam (2002) Free as in Freedom: Richard Stallman's Crusade for Free Software\nWilson, Mike (1996) The Difference between God and Larry Ellison: Inside Oracle Corp",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wilson, Mike (1996) The Difference between God and Larry Ellison: Inside Oracle Corp",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mike Wilson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "larry ellison",
        "oracle"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dilbert-principle-e4981d",
      "title": "The Dilbert Principle",
      "author": "Scott Adams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34160619,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:11:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160619",
          "commentText": "This year I've put myself to the challenge to read at least one book per week which I primarily could complete by reading in the middle of the night while holding our sleeping baby in my arms. It has been an interesting challenge which gave me a lot of fulfilment and has certainly changed my mind on how I view the world. This comment became quite a long read, apologies for that.\nBooks I highly recommend:\nChurchill by Andrew Roberts (p:1105)\nA biography about one of the most interesting figures in politics and WWII. Roberts gives a very detailed description of the life of Churchill and manages to keep you interested the entire length of the book.\nThe God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (p:374)\nIn The God Delusion Dawkins gives arguments why there is no God, why we do not need a God and why religion is damaging to our society. If you are religious it might not be the book for you unless you are open to hear his arguments and line of reasoning. Dawkins will challenge your worldview.\nThe Bomb by Fred Kaplan (p:384)\nKaplan describes the policy of different US presidents on the atomic bomb and war in general. And primarily on the inability of US presidents and policy-makers to tune down its military. A chilling read which makes you appreciate a nuclear holocaust did not happen (yet)....\nPoor Economics by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo (p:320)\nBanerjee and Duflo give a gripping portrait of how poor people live. They offer an insight in the choices and decisions people make surviving on less than 1 USD a day (corrected for purchasing power). It made me completely rethink my own view on poverty and development aid; stressing even more that in order to help one need to have a complete understanding of the individual's situation and the local boundary conditions.\nProject Hail Mary  by Andy Weir (p:476)\nThis book triggered my science fiction reading. For some reason I never was interested in science fiction. Most likely triggered by reading Foundation by Asimov a few years back which apparently is not a book to my taste. But Andy Weir completely annihilated that wrong perspective on science fiction. Project Hail Mary is interesting, funny and gripping book.\nKindred by Octavia Butler  (p:287)\nThis book.... From page one I was hooked and almost read it in one go. Butler is a wonderful author and Kindred is a must-read. The book is about a woman traveling back in time to end up on a slave plantation. It's a chilling account of slavery.\nOther books I read this year, ask me anything about one of these books. I've added a + if I think its worth a recommendation\nBiography:\nNavalny by Dollbaum, Lallouet and Noble (p:280); The Man from the Future by Ananyo Bhattacharya (p:354) +\nSociology; Politics; Economics; Business:\nOnly the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove (p:224); The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli  (p:140); Winter is Coming by Garry Kasparov (p:290); Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum (p:224) +; Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl (p:164) +; We Are Bellingcat by Eliot Higgins (p:272); De Zeven Vinkjes by Joris Luyendijk (p:200); Waarom vuilnismannen meer verdienen dan bankiers by Rutger Bregman (p:104)\nComedy: The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (p:336)\nHistory:\nBand of Brothers  by Stephen E. Ambrose (p:432); The Nuclear Jihadist by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins (p:413) +; The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre (p:384) +; De Heineken Ontvoering by Peter R. de Vries (p:347); Red Famine by Anne Apllebaum (p:384); Night by Elie Wiesel (p:115) +\nScience, Technology, Mathematics:\nFermat's Enigma by Simon Singh (p:315) +; A Mathematician's Apology by G.H. Hardy (p:153); The Great Influenza by John M. Barry (p:546); The Rise and Fall of the Dinousaurs by Stephen Brusatte (p:404) ++; The Double Helix by James Watson (p:144)\nSport:\nRun or Die by Killian Jornet (p:208); The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton  (p:290) +; The Rise of the Ultra Runners by  (p:304); Tom Dumoulin by Patrick Bernhart (p:203)\nFiction:\nAnthem by Ayn Rand (p:105); Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (p:704); The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (p:566); Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (p:466); Live and Let die by Ian Fleming  (p:229)\nClassics:\nA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (p:104); The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (p:201); The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald (p:180); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (p:139); Animal Farm by George Orwell (p:122) +; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (p:227) +; The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (p:118)\nScience Fiction:\nThe Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (p:399); All Systems Red  by Martha Wells (p:144) +; A Memory Called Empire  by Arkady Martine (p:462) +; A Psalm built for the Wild by Becky Chambers (p:160); Dune by Frank Herbert (p:658); Foundation by Isaac Asimov (p:244); The Martian by Andy Weir (p:384) +;\nThe Forever War by Joe Haldeman (p:278)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4597065,
          "author": "arunabh",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-01T14:15:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 4596721,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4597065",
          "commentText": "1. Ulysses \n2. The Dilbert Principle",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Dilbert Principle",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86337,
          "author": "gills",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T17:57:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86337",
          "commentText": "The First Circle (Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn)\nLOTR\nSiddhartha (Hermann Hesse)\nThe Odyssey (Homer)\nThe Dilbert Principle (Scott Adams) -- Alright, not literature! But come on, it's Dilbert :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dilbert Principle (Scott Adams) -- Alright, not literature! But come on, it's Dilbert :)",
          "reason": "The commenter includes it among their favorites, with a playful caveat that it is not literature.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not literature.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Adams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "workplace satire",
        "management",
        "workplace"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dinosaur-hunters-a-true-story-of-scientific-rivalry-and-the-d-8aee63",
      "title": "The Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World",
      "author": "Deborah Cadbury",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Deborah Cadbury"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "paleontology",
        "scientific rivalry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-disappearance-of-the-universe-0c9e87",
      "title": "The Disappearance of the Universe",
      "author": "Gary R. Renard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467514,
          "author": "Slumberthud",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:33:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467514",
          "commentText": "The Disappearance of the Universe - 4 times",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Disappearance of the Universe - 4 times",
          "reason": "Reports reading it four times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gary R. Renard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nonduality",
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-discarded-image-bd559b",
      "title": "The Discarded Image",
      "author": "C. S. Lewis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22093141,
          "author": "Rerarom",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T18:54:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22093141",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\nMordecai Roshwald, Level 7\nAlexander Dewdney, The Planiverse\nJoseph Heller, God Knows\nAlan Lightman, Einstein's Dreams\nNon-fiction:\nJane Goodall, In the Shadow of Man\nGian-Carlo Rota, Indiscrete Thoughts\nC. S. Lewis, The Discarded Image\nMichael E. Brown, How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming\nRobert Kegan, In Over Our Heads\nMichael Harris, The Atomic Times\nI may add guilty pleasures like the Legacy of the Force series, but I don't think this is what people here are looking for.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "C. S. Lewis, The Discarded Image",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's nonfiction picks in response to a request for unknown books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "C. S. Lewis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "medieval cosmology",
        "medieval literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-discipline-of-market-leaders-485f80",
      "title": "The Discipline of Market Leaders",
      "author": "Michael Treacy; Fred Wiersema",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6975992,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T19:26:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6975992",
          "commentText": "I've read a lot of books this year[1], but if I had to pick one to fit your criteria, I'd lean towards The Origin of Wealth by Eric Beinhocker.\nTOoW presents a case for a new view of Economics, rooted in evolution as the primary engine behind endogenous growth[2], and modeling the economy as a complex adaptive system[3].\nIn the end, his theories may or may not be correct, but I've learned a TON about economics from reading this book, and if the \"Complexity Economics\"[4] guys are right, it has some interesting implications.\nPersonally, I suspect that the CE folks are onto something, but this book is worth reading just for the history lesson it presents, vis-a-vis the development of modern economic thought.  And for a book featuring a ton of history and on a topic (economics) that some people might find dry, it's very accessible and reads more like a novel than a textbook. I churned through the whole thing in about 2 days, it was so engrossing.\nAnyway, I only just read it last week, so it may be too early to call it a \"book that changed my life\", but I can say that as soon as I finished it, I immediately started re-reading it, this time to take notes and jot down thoughts about some of the implications and actionable aspects of this thinking.  It definitely gets a +1 from me.\nOutside of that, The Discipline of Market Leaders would probably be the other candidate.  I only discovered this one because it was referenced in a different book I was reading, but it's turned out to be quite interesting.  The authors present a pretty strong case for a very specific approach to business strategy that resonates with me.\n[1]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6964841\n[2]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endogenous_growth_theory\n[3]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complex_adaptive_system\n[4]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complexity_economics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's turned out to be quite interesting. The authors present a pretty strong case for a very specific approach to business strategy that resonates with me.",
          "reason": "Says the book is interesting and its business strategy resonates.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Treacy; Fred Wiersema"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business strategy",
        "competitive strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-discontented-little-baby-book-7c22ef",
      "title": "The Discontented Little Baby Book",
      "author": "Pamela Douglas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46411106,
          "author": "port11",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-28T13:55:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46411106",
          "commentText": "Congratulations! It’s a very challenging and bumpy ride but it makes life differently meaningful.\nDiscontented Little Baby is terrific. I was parenting out of fear, the typical stuff of staying indoors, sleep schedules, etc. The book has a really chill approach: just go live your life and bring the baby along. That’s how we wanted to parent, but somehow everyone around us got us into a place of fear.\nDon’t make the kid nap in the dark, that hinders their cortisol/melatonin cycle development. Go have fun together!\nGood luck, internet stranger :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Discontented Little Baby is terrific.",
          "reason": "Praises its relaxed approach to parenting and taking the baby along in daily life.",
          "audience": "New parents.",
          "caveat": "The commenter contrasts its advice with fear-driven rules about staying indoors and sleep schedules.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pamela Douglas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Parenting"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "infant care",
        "parenting approach"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-discourses-of-epictetus-4815d0",
      "title": "The Discourses of Epictetus",
      "author": "Epictetus",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40279566,
          "author": "UniverseHacker",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-06T21:10:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40279566",
          "commentText": "The Discourses of Epictetus - This is useful to re-read frequently while thinking about any new challenges in my life, as these are powerful tools for managing hardship and generally living well.\nWhen I say no, I feel guilty by Manuel J. Smith - a book on assertive and non-manipulative communication. This has been incredibly valuable for improving my personal relationships and work. It's also allowed me to recognize and defend myself against emotional manipulation, which is more common than I realized. For many people that is the main way they communicate- by trying to control others with guilt through manipulation.. and I used to be both unaware and extremely vulnerable to it. It is useful to re-read and practice frequently, as these are skills that require practice.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Discourses of Epictetus - This is useful to re-read frequently",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is useful to reread while thinking about life's new challenges and describes it as a tool for managing hardship and living well.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Epictetus"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ethics",
        "stoicism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-discoverers-94e588",
      "title": "The Discoverers",
      "author": "Daniel J. Boorstin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40297638,
          "author": "unraveller",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-08T13:02:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40297638",
          "commentText": "Jacques Barzun - From Dawn to Decadence: 500 Years of Western Cultural Life 1500 to the Present (2001)\nThe Ancient City by Numa Denis Fustel de Coulanges (1864)\nIntellectuals By Paul Johnson\nDaniel J. Boorstin - The Discoverers\nThe Great Courses - The Industrial Revolution (audiobook/lectures)\nDecline of the West - Spengler",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Daniel J. Boorstin - The Discoverers",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel J. Boorstin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of exploration"
      ],
      "purposes": []
    },
    {
      "id": "the-discoverers-a-history-of-man-s-search-to-know-his-world-and-h-a57d72",
      "title": "The Discoverers: A History of Man’s Search to Know His World and Himself",
      "author": "Daniel J. Boorstin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36619755,
          "author": "theage",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-06T17:37:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36619755",
          "commentText": "The Discoverers: A History of Man’s Search to Know His World and Himself - Daniel J. Boorstin\nHow Innovation Works: And Why It Flourishes in Freedom - Matt Ridley\nThe Technology Trap: Capital, Labor, and Power in the Age of Automation - Carl Benedikt Frey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Discoverers: A History of Man’s Search to Know His World and Himself - Daniel J. Boorstin",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for technology history books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel J. Boorstin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of discovery",
        "intellectual history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dispossessed-an-ambiguous-utopia-7c76bd",
      "title": "The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia",
      "author": "Ursula K. Le Guin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8613345,
          "author": "hoggle",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-16T03:10:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8613345",
          "commentText": "The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia by Ursula K. Le Guin\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dispossessed",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia by Ursula K. Le Guin",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to the question asking for a favorite sci-fi or fantasy book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ursula K. Le Guin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political themes",
        "utopian fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-diversity-of-life-ed7404",
      "title": "The Diversity of Life",
      "author": "Edward O. Wilson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6983854,
          "author": "Snail_Commando",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-30T09:39:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 6981802,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good general technical books for teenagers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6983854",
          "commentText": "There are already suggestions in this thread that are better than mine, but I'll still throw my hat in the ring.\nThat's great that she's interested in biology. I'd like to gently suggest that if she \"isn't very enthusiastic about computers or technology\", you should instead try to nurture her demonstrated interest in art, biology, and other science.\nI know absolutely nothing about art, except that I apparently have no taste. So I'll refrain from making any suggestions on art books.\nTL;DR: Skip down to the third section for the \"technical book\" suggestion.\n--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n(1)\nHere are some suggestions of books on general science, biology, and chemistry (in no particular order, these are some of the first ones that come to my mind):\n\"The Structure of Scientific Revolutions\" By Thomas S. Kuhn\n\"The Diversity of Life\" By Edward O. Wilson\n\"The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time\"  by Jonathan Weiner\n\"Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes: Further Reflections in Natural History\"  by Stephen Jay Gould\n\"Life on a Young Planet\" By Andrew H. Knoll\n\"Galápagos\" By Kurt Vonnegut (Fiction, but related) (I loved this book, but it's not for everyone I suppose. A couple of my friends didn't like it.)\n\"Napoleon's Buttons\" By Penny Le Couteur and Jay Burreson\n\"The Lives of a Cell: Notes of a Biology Watcher\" By Lewis Thomas\n---------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n(2)\nIf she's interested in learning a lot about cellular biology in beautifully exhaustive detail, buy her this textbook:\n\"Molecular Biology of the Cell\" By Bruce Alberts, Paul Walter, Alexander Johnson, Julian Lewis, Martin Raff, Keith Roberts\nThis book is huge. And it is wonderful.\n---------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n---Read this suggestion if my other suggestions aren't good---\n(3)\nSo you want a technical book? And she's interested in biology?\nBuy her a copy of:\n\"The Principles of Biomedical Informatics\" By Ira J. Kalet\nThis textbook is incredible. It teaches you some fundamentals of many different flavors of bioinformatics. (Different flavors, because, as the author acknowledges, bioinformatics can mean many things.) You can learn how to work with amino acid sequences, protein modeling, medical imaging, probabilistic biomedical models, and more!\nSince you have SICP and LoL on your bookshelf already, you might love the next part. The entire textbook is a cleverly accessible primer on how to build applications with Common Lisp. Whether you're a greybeard Lisp hacker or a repl-noob, you'll like this book if you are interested in learning about bioinformatics.\nI've had the first edition for quite some time. Recently, I think in the past few months, a second edition was released. Someone gifted me the 2nd ed, :) but I haven't really compared the two.\n----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\nI was going to suggest Gödel, Escher, Bach when you mentioned she was interested in art, and were hoping to find a technical book for her. Then I saw that you already had tried that one. I'm going to leave the suggestion anyway because these types of threads are wonderful for finding great books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Diversity of Life\" By Edward O. Wilson",
          "reason": "Listed among suggestions for general science, biology, and chemistry.",
          "audience": "A teenager interested in biology and science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward O. Wilson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biodiversity",
        "evolution"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-divide-a-brief-guide-to-global-inequality-and-its-solutions-bdad06",
      "title": "The Divide: A Brief Guide to Global Inequality and its Solutions",
      "author": "Jason Hickel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21903523,
          "author": "kaiwen1",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T02:36:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21903523",
          "commentText": "What a great critique. I'd like to see a similar treatment of Jason Hickel's \"The Divide\", which feels both terribly important and very biased and sloppy.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Jason Hickel's \"The Divide\", which feels both terribly important and very biased and sloppy.",
          "reason": "The commenter considers its subject important but finds the treatment biased and sloppy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The positive assessment concerns the subject’s importance; the commenter criticizes the book’s execution.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jason Hickel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "development",
        "global inequality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-divided-mind-the-epidemic-of-mindbody-disorders-c1ff08",
      "title": "The Divided Mind: The Epidemic of Mindbody Disorders",
      "author": "John E. Sarno",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8717910,
          "author": "mgmeyers",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T18:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8717910",
          "commentText": "The Divided Mind: The Epidemic of Mindbody Disorders\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/130610.The_Divided_Mind?... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/130610.The_Divided_Mind?ac=1)\nThis book helped me get rid of the wrist tendinitis I had for four years prior, in four weeks. It also changed the way I view many of the chronic physical ailments many of us face.\nThe Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1963638.The_Untethered_S... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1963638.The_Untethered_Soul?ac=1)\nA great book about consciousness and awareness that isn't too \"froo froo\"-y. It definitely has had a profound impact on my relationship to myself and my surroundings.\nTo Soften the Blow\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16209280-to-soften-the-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16209280-to-soften-the-blow?ac=1)\nIt's hard to define the impact this book had on me, but it was also profound. It's an autobiography of Lynnie Vessels who's father shot her mother with a shotgun across their dining room table. As depressing as that sounds, it's actually a very inspiring and strangely uplifting book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book helped me get rid of the wrist tendinitis I had for four years prior, in four weeks.",
          "reason": "The commenter credits it with resolving long-standing wrist tendinitis and changing their view of chronic ailments.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John E. Sarno"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chronic pain",
        "mindbody disorders"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-divided-self-an-existential-study-in-sanity-and-madness-946c71",
      "title": "The Divided Self: An Existential Study in Sanity and Madness",
      "author": "R. D. Laing",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15156961,
          "author": "asddddd",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T16:50:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156961",
          "commentText": "The Divided Self (R. D. Laing). Bit dense at times, and perhaps not relevant to many on HN, but a truly fascinating examination of the edges of sanity.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Divided Self (R. D. Laing). Bit dense at times, and perhaps not relevant to many on HN, but a truly fascinating examination of the edges of sanity.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a truly fascinating examination of the edges of sanity.",
          "audience": "May not be relevant to many on HN.",
          "caveat": "Bit dense at times.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "R. D. Laing"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "existential psychology",
        "sanity and madness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-divine-conspiracy-ec721d",
      "title": "The Divine Conspiracy",
      "author": "Dallas Willard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25652012,
          "author": "heintzsight",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-05T22:22:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25652012",
          "commentText": "Try again, and then again - the layers of meaning in the Bible are profound if you have the intellect to dive into them. It's brilliant in addressing different problems at different stages of life and ultimately about consciousness and something beyond. I'm not advocating it as a belief, just try trusting it and not setting up a straw man. Read \"the divine conspiracy\" by Dallas Willard or 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read \"the divine conspiracy\" by Dallas Willard",
          "reason": "Suggested as a book to read alongside the Bible.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are not advocating belief in the Bible.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dallas Willard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian spirituality",
        "consciousness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-divine-reality-a89f72",
      "title": "The Divine Reality",
      "author": "Hamza Andreas Tzortzis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268991,
          "author": "e3a8",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:28:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268991",
          "commentText": "Signature in the cell - Stephen C. Meyer\nThe Divine Reality - Hamza Andreas Tzortzis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Divine Reality - Hamza Andreas Tzortzis",
          "reason": "Lists it among books read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hamza Andreas Tzortzis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "islam",
        "theism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-doctor-in-the-house-f1dfad",
      "title": "The Doctor in the House",
      "author": "Mahathir Mohamad",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18669949,
          "author": "pknerd",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-13T05:01:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18669949",
          "commentText": "Though many but a few recommendations:\n- Hooked\n- The dollar trap\n- Built to sell\n- Brain rules\n- The doctor in the house (Memoir of Malaysian PM, Mahathir)\n- 1984 by Orwell (Still reading)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The doctor in the house (Memoir of Malaysian PM, Mahathir)",
          "reason": "Listed as a book read in 2018, in response to a question asking which books commenters would recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mahathir Mohamad"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "malaysian politics",
        "political memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dollar-crisis-dcc57d",
      "title": "The Dollar Crisis",
      "author": "Richard Duncan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 248932,
          "author": "comatose_kid",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T19:11:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248932",
          "commentText": "Thanks for the suggestion.  Could you be more specific as to why this book is so great?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Could you be more specific as to why this book is so great?",
          "reason": "Asks for the rationale behind the recommendation; this is not an endorsement.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 248567,
          "author": "ideas101",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T15:29:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248567",
          "commentText": "you must read \"The Dollar Crisis\" before you invest in anything - trust me this will help for the rest of your life !!!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Dollar Crisis\"",
          "reason": "Urges readers to read it before investing and says it will help for life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Presented as a must-read before investing in anything.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 248564,
          "author": "ideas101",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T15:27:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248564",
          "commentText": "you must read \"The Dollar Crisis\" before you invest in anything - trust me this will help for the rest of your life !!!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Dollar Crisis\"",
          "reason": "Urges readers to read it before investing and says it will help for life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Presented as a must-read before investing in anything.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Duncan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "monetary policy",
        "financial crises",
        "financial crisis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dollar-trap-f78d13",
      "title": "The Dollar Trap",
      "author": "Eswar S. Prasad",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18669949,
          "author": "pknerd",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-13T05:01:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18669949",
          "commentText": "Though many but a few recommendations:\n- Hooked\n- The dollar trap\n- Built to sell\n- Brain rules\n- The doctor in the house (Memoir of Malaysian PM, Mahathir)\n- 1984 by Orwell (Still reading)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The dollar trap",
          "reason": "Listed as a book read in 2018, in response to a question asking which books commenters would recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eswar S. Prasad"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "international finance",
        "us dollar"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-domain-game-c30c65",
      "title": "The Domain Game",
      "author": "David Kesmodel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1999080,
          "author": "fandor",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-13T03:01:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1999080",
          "commentText": "I recommend you book The Domain Game from David Kesmodel- http://tinyurl.com/2dv5u9c\nIt is fascinating story about domain tycoons like Kevin Ham or Frank Schill",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend you book The Domain Game from David Kesmodel",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the book about domain tycoons.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Kesmodel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "domain names",
        "entrepreneurship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-doomsday-book-247e90",
      "title": "The Doomsday Book",
      "author": "Connie Willis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13120453,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-07T04:25:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13120453",
          "commentText": "Connie Willis: The Doomsday Book, a winner of the 1993 Hugo for best novel. It's deep and wide and brilliant and there's a technical excellence to the storytelling that made the book as a whole satisfying. She leaves a few loose ends and they're just the right ones and in just the right quantity.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's deep and wide and brilliant and there's a technical excellence to the storytelling that made the book as a whole satisfying.",
          "reason": "Praises the book's scope, storytelling, and satisfying effect.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Leaves a few loose ends, which the commenter considers just right.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Connie Willis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "time travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-door-in-the-wall-1e5af2",
      "title": "The Door in the Wall",
      "author": "H. G. Wells",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22720383,
          "author": "stevekemp",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T16:44:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22720383",
          "commentText": "Agreed.  No specific book has every \"changed my life\", or specifically been the source of positive impacts.\nBut reading stories is fun, and something I do constantly.  Currently I'm re-reading Brandon Sanderson's Stormlight Archive.  Every year or two I re-read Dune, Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Amber, and Steven Brust's Taltos series.  Always a pleasure.\nMy recommendations would probably echo those already posted, with the addition of small random stories that I remember fondly because they were just fun, interesting, or surprising  (e.g. H. G. Wells: The Door in the Wall, or the original Mary Poppins books recently completed after finishing the Dresden Files for the first time.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "H. G. Wells: The Door in the Wall",
          "reason": "Includes it among small stories they remember fondly for being fun, interesting, or surprising.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "H. G. Wells"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "short story"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-doorbell-rang-4712ff",
      "title": "The Doorbell Rang",
      "author": "Rex Stout",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5832481,
          "author": "leephillips",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T14:08:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5832481",
          "commentText": "Some favorites:\nPale Fire by Nabokov\nUlysses by Joyce\nEt Tu, Babe by Leyner\nMetamorphosis by Kafka (more a long story)\nThings Fall Apart by Achebe\nHamlet and Coriolanus by Shakespeare\nThe Code of the Woosters by Wodehouse\nThe Doorbell Rang by Stout",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Doorbell Rang by Stout",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rex Stout"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "detective fiction",
        "nero wolfe"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-doors-of-perception-9a09c0",
      "title": "The Doors of Perception",
      "author": "Aldous Huxley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18745659,
          "author": "DyslexicAtheist",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T12:06:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18745659",
          "commentText": "my reading has taken a dark turn this year. I blame it on Thomas Ligotti (first book on my list)  ;)\n- The Conspiracy Against the Human Race (Thomas Ligotti) ... fun fact: S01 of 'True Detectives' has ripped part of the dialogue straight from this book without giving credit\n- The Trouble with being born (Emil Cioran)\n- The Industrial Society and its Future (Ted Kaczynski)\n- The Technological Society (Jaques Ellul)\n- Propaganda (Jaques Ellul)\n- McMafia - A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld (Misha Glenny)\n- The Doors Of Perception (Aldous Huxley)\n- The Manipulation of Human Behavior (Albert D. Biderman)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Doors Of Perception (Aldous Huxley)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Included in the commenter’s reading list.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13567342,
          "author": "manlio",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T15:50:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567342",
          "commentText": "* The Doors of Perception, by Aldous Huxley. [0]\nSo famous it became a bit of a cliche. I read it years ago and it didn't make any sense to me. But now that I've been studying Buddhism and practicing meditation for a while I picked it up again and I found it nothing short of brilliant, packed with interesting insights on philosophy, the arts, theology, the history of mysticism and the quest for the meaning of life. I know it sounds trite, but I simply wasn't ready for it the first time.\n* The Unbearable Lightness of Being, by Milan Kundera. [1]\nI read this 10 years ago. It touched my heart back then and it did it again this time. It's one of the few works of fiction that changed, a little or a lot, the way I think about love, relationships, loneliness and happiness.\nI can't wait to re-read it a third time, in 10 years.\n[0] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5128.The_Doors_of_Percep... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5128.The_Doors_of_Perception_Heaven_and_Hell)\n[1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9717.The_Unbearable_Ligh... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9717.The_Unbearable_Lightness_of_Being)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found it nothing short of brilliant, packed with interesting insights on philosophy, the arts, theology, the history of mysticism and the quest for the meaning of life.",
          "reason": "The reread felt brilliant and full of insights across several subjects.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it did not make sense to them on their first read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Aldous Huxley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Art",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhism",
        "consciousness",
        "meditation",
        "mysticism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-double-746bff",
      "title": "The Double",
      "author": "Fyodor Dostoevsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5693392,
          "author": "gruseom",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-12T06:41:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5693392",
          "commentText": "Don't miss The Double. This was the book that Dostoevsky wrote after his early rock-star debut. It was widely hated at the time, and Dostoevsky found himself in the doghouse as quickly as he had been celebrated before, but it's fabulous—much better than that initial book and one of the best things he ever wrote.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Don't miss The Double. This was the book that Dostoevsky wrote after his early rock-star debut.",
          "reason": "Calls it fabulous, much better than the earlier book, and one of Dostoevsky's best.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it was widely hated when published.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fyodor Dostoevsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "psychological fiction",
        "russian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-double-helix-a-personal-account-of-the-discovery-of-the-struc-f0125b",
      "title": "The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA",
      "author": "James D. Watson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5700940,
          "author": "maxharris",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-13T19:41:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5700940",
          "commentText": "The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Those are the two to start with.\nIf you like those, check out some of her nonfiction books: The Virtue of Selfishness: A New Concept of Egoism, Philosophy: Who Needs It, and Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology (these are but a few - Rand wrote a long series of nonfiction books).\nAyn Rand's Normative Ethics: The Virtuous Egoist by Tara Smith (a philosophy professor at UT-Austin) is excellent because it unpacks Ayn Rand's ethical system in an academic style. Finally, Leonard Peikoff's Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand gives a comprehensive view of Rand's entire philosophy.\nLight reading (not by Objectivist authors, and not in any particular order):\nMasters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture by David Kushner\nThe Soul of A New Machine by Tracy Kidder\nThe Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA by James Watson\nWhat Do You Care What Other People Think?: Further Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard Feynman\nSurely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard Feynman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA by James Watson",
          "reason": "Included in a list labeled light reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these are not by Objectivist authors and are not in a particular order.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James D. Watson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dna",
        "scientific discovery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-doubter-s-companion-044f21",
      "title": "The Doubter's Companion",
      "author": "John Ralston Saul",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10324794,
          "author": "walterbell",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T18:12:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10324794",
          "commentText": "Nine Hundred Grandmothers, by R.A. Lafferty (out of print except for \"The Books of Sand\")\nLast and First Men, by Olaf Stapledon, free at http://www.feedbooks.com/book/2028/last-and-first-men\nAccelerando, by Charles Stross, free at http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelera... (http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelerando/accelerando.html)\nThe Doubter's Companion, by John Ralston Saul, http://www.amazon.com/The-Doubters-Companion-Dictionary-Aggr... (http://www.amazon.com/The-Doubters-Companion-Dictionary-Aggressive/dp/0743236602)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Doubter's Companion, by John Ralston Saul",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Ralston Saul"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dictionary",
        "skepticism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dragon-never-sleeps-911438",
      "title": "The Dragon Never Sleeps",
      "author": "Glen Cook",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23561337,
          "author": "amesdemarbre",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-18T09:20:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 23561163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book that nobody you know has heard of?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23561337",
          "commentText": "Gotta give it to Glen Cook - The dragon never sleeps. He's better known  for  the Black Company series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The dragon never sleeps.",
          "reason": "Names it as the favorite book in response to the thread’s question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Glen Cook"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dragons-of-eden-speculations-on-the-evolution-of-human-intell-9e7651",
      "title": "The Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence",
      "author": "Carl Sagan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3397465,
          "author": "arank",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T21:18:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3397465",
          "commentText": "Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence (1986) from Carl Sagan.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence (1986) from Carl Sagan.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carl Sagan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolution",
        "human intelligence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-drama-of-the-gifted-child-8b0143",
      "title": "The Drama of the Gifted Child",
      "author": "Alice Miller",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10785476,
          "author": "ThrustVectoring",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:31:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785476",
          "commentText": "Books I'm glad I've read:\nThe Inner Game of Tennis\nImpro by Keith Johnstone\nSeeing Like a State\nThe Timeless Way of Building\nLinear and Geometric Algebra by Alan Macdonald\nMeditations by Marcus Aurelius (read this one thrice)\nThe Tao of Pooh\nScience, Strategy and War: The Strategic Theory of John Boyd\nThe Drama of the Gifted Child\nInteraction Ritual\nWhat Do You Say After You Say Hello?\nOf niche use:\nMathematics: its Content, Methods and Meaning - mostly useful for figuring out what math you don't know. I recommend reading it at a fairly decent pace, and noting what subjects don't sound like an overview of something you've already learned.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Drama of the Gifted Child",
          "reason": "Included under “Books I'm glad I've read.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alice Miller"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "childhood",
        "family dynamics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dream-3677d0",
      "title": "The Dream",
      "author": "Gurbaksh Chahal",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 687176,
          "author": "maximumwage",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-04T14:11:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 687066,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on getting rich?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=687176",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed The Dream by Gurbaksh Chahal. He founded BlueLithium, which was acquired by Yahoo. The book goes into detail about the attitudes required to get rich and manage wealth. Here are a bunch of other books written by rich people as well: http://www.bigwinner.org/books",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed The Dream by Gurbaksh Chahal.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed it and describes its focus on attitudes for building wealth.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in attitudes toward getting rich and managing wealth.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gurbaksh Chahal"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "wealth building"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dream-quest-of-unknown-kadath-a47f25",
      "title": "The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath",
      "author": "H. P. Lovecraft",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50115941,
          "author": "johncoltrane",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T09:03:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50115941",
          "commentText": "J.R.R. Tolkien: The lord of the Rings (lost count)\nPhilip K. Dick: Ubik, Flow My Tears The Policeman Said, A Scanner Darkly, etc. too many to count (many more than twice)\nWilliam Gibson: everything at least twice\nNeal Stephenson: Snow crash (three times, I think)\nClifford D. Simak: City\nH. P. Lovecraft: everything at least twice. There is a French compilation of The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, The Silver Key, and Through the Gates of the Silver Key that I've read countless times. I've used two editions and I'm at my third.\nMaurice G. Dantec: Babylon Babies (three times)\nPossibly many others.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, The Silver Key, and Through the Gates of the Silver Key",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have read this work countless times in a French compilation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Named as part of a compilation, not necessarily a standalone edition.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "H. P. Lovecraft"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cosmic horror",
        "weird fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dreaming-void-165b94",
      "title": "The Dreaming Void",
      "author": "Peter F. Hamilton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1226847,
          "author": "aarongough",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:34:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226847",
          "commentText": "I'm a big fan of Sci-Fi because I feel it makes people think about what they want the future to be, as well as avoiding the re-hashing of historical and current events that many fiction books set in the present do. With that in mind a list of great books to read:\n  The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson\n  Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson\n  Gridlinked - Neal Asher\n  Neuromancer - William Gibson\n  The Reality Dysfunction - Peter F. Hamilton\n  The Dreaming Void - Peter F. Hamilton\n  Fallen Dragon - Peter F. Hamilton\n  Altered Carbon - Richard Morgan\n  Market Forces - Richard Morgan\n  Blindsight - Peter Watts\n  The Electric Church - Jeff Somers\n  Tunnel in the Sky - Robert A. Heinlein\n  The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Robert A. Heinlein\n  1984 - George Orwell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dreaming Void - Peter F. Hamilton",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter F. Hamilton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-drought-e612c2",
      "title": "The Drought",
      "author": "J. G. Ballard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13238592,
          "author": "apocalypstyx",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T17:07:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238592",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\nInherent Vice  ---  Thomas Pynchon\nThe Great and Secret Show  ---  Clive Barker\nJurassic Park  ---  Michael Crichton\nThe Mothman Prophecies  ---  John A. Keel (1)\nThe Wind in the Willows  ---  Kenneth Grahame\nEnder's Game  ---  Orson Scott Card\nAll Quiet on the Western Front  ---   Erich Maria Remarque\nThe Drought  ---  J. G. Ballard\nThe Dead Father's Club  ---  Matt Harris\nChildren of Men  ---  P. D. James\nThe Islanders  ---  Pascal Garnier\nSilence of the Lambs  ---  Thomas Harris\nInherit the Wind  ---  Jerome Lawrence & Robert E. Lee\nThe Butt  ---  Will Self\nInside Outside  ---  Philip Jose Farmer\nThe Panda Theory  ---  Pascal Garnier\nFanshaw  ---  Nathaniel Hawthorne\nThe Scarlet Letter  ---  Nathaniel Hawthorne\nThis Census-Taker  ---  China Mieville\nThe House of the Seven Gables  ---  Nathaniel Hawthorne\nThe A26  ---  Pascal Garnier\nThe Blithedale Romance  ---  Nathaniel Hawthorne\nThe Weird  ---  Edited by Jeff VanderMeer & Ann VanderMeer (2)\nFront Seat Passenger  ---  Pascal Garnier\nNon-Fiction:\nThe Wealth of Networks  ---  Yochai Benkler\nField Notes from A Catastrophe  ---  Elizabeth Kolbert\nWhat Ever Happened to Modernism?  ---  Gabriel Josipovici\nEscape Velocity  ---  Mark Dery\nWhat We See When We Read  ---  Peter Mendelsund\n(1) Author described as non-fiction, publisher hedged bets and labelled in as such, supposedly.\n(2) If only this book could be picked by Subterranean or Centipede press so it'd be a better printed and bound book than Tor ever seems to want to do.\nI always recommend Ballard, even when not wanted.  Relevant quote:\n   A story by J. G. Ballard, as you know, calls for people who don't\n   think. One begins with characters who regard the physical universe\n   as a mysterious and arbitrary place, and who would not dream of\n   trying to understand its actual laws. Furthermore, in order to be\n   the protagonist of a J.G. Ballard novel, or anything more than a\n   very minor character therein, you must have cut yourself off from\n   the entire body of scientific education. In this way, when the world\n   disaster — be it wind or water — comes upon you, you are under\n   absolutely no obligation to do anything about it but sit and worship\n   it. Even more further, some force has acted to remove from the face\n   of the world all people who might impose good sense or rational\n   behavior on you, so that the disaster proceeds unchecked and unopposed\n   except by the almost inevitable thumb-rule engineer type who for\n   his individual comfort builds a huge pyramid (without huge footings)\n   to resist high winds, or trains a herd of alligators and renegade\n   divers to help him out in dealing with deep water.  Algis Budrys,\n   Galaxy magazine (December 1966)\n\n\nI'd recommend Pascal Garnier for anyone who likes sickly dark humor + surrealism + noir + a kind of Ballardian-air.  Also Pynchon.  Hawthorne might be the stand-out this year, in the sense of his works' subtle, implicit ability to question the authorial mode, the nature of the text itself, and the instability of it.\nIn non-fiction I'd recommend Dery's Escape Velocity; It's from the 90s but still deals too presciently with many of the issues around the near-religification of modern electronic technology.  And Josipovici if you lean toward depressive jolts of existential anxiety (it deals mostly with the arts, but I think there's a broader life applicability).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Drought  ---  J. G. Ballard",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. G. Ballard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "climate fiction",
        "literary science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-drowned-and-the-saved-253f37",
      "title": "The Drowned and the Saved",
      "author": "Primo Levi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17045915,
          "author": "scandox",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T09:19:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17045915",
          "commentText": "Well if you've read Frankl then I think you should read Primo Levi. The Drowned and The Saved and also If This Is A Man. One could say he came to less easily swallowed conclusions, but I think it is essential reading.\nFor me personally however I think Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment more or less informed my world-view from a very young age and continues to do so.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Drowned and The Saved",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommended as essential reading for someone who has read Frankl.",
          "audience": "Readers of Viktor Frankl.",
          "caveat": "The author says Levi reached less easily swallowed conclusions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Primo Levi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "holocaust",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dubliners-2a98f5",
      "title": "The Dubliners",
      "author": "James Joyce",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 86161,
          "author": "david",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T23:36:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86161",
          "commentText": "- What the Dormouse Said, John Markoff\n- Alongside Night, J Neil Schulman,\n- Prometheus Rising, Robert Anton Wilson\n- Anything by Doug Rushkoff, Get Back in the Box is a good one for business/entrepreneurship\n- The Dubliners, James Joyce\n- The Elements of Typographic Style, by Robert Bringhurst",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dubliners, James Joyce",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Joyce"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "irish literature",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dude-de-ching-62abd7",
      "title": "The Dude De Ching",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39057772,
          "author": "drannex",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T17:01:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39057772",
          "commentText": "And if you want something a bit more relaxed and updated, The Dude De Ching[1], is quite good. It's a rewrite based around the core concepts of Dudeism, a fan-made spiritual practice based on the character \"The Dude\" from The Big Lebowski.\n> The rug is a fabrication which ties our ruminations together.\n1. https://dudeism.com/thedudedeching/\nEdit: There is an online version available as well, https://aui.me/text/the-dude-de-ching/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Dude De Ching[1], is quite good.",
          "reason": "The commenter says this rewrite is good and describes it as based around Dudeism's core concepts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It is a rewrite based on Dudeism, a fan-made spiritual practice inspired by The Big Lebowski.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "daoism",
        "dudeism",
        "parody"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-dynamodb-book-c303e2",
      "title": "The DynamoDB Book",
      "author": "Alex DeBrie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467487,
          "author": "avremel",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:30:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467487",
          "commentText": "I usually read good technical books twice. Recently did that for: Designing Data-Intensive Applications, DynamoDB Book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "DynamoDB Book",
          "reason": "Says they recently read it twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alex DeBrie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "amazon dynamodb",
        "databases"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-e-myth-7caeb7",
      "title": "The E-Myth",
      "author": "Michael E. Gerber",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35178237,
          "author": "quickthrower2",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-16T04:51:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35178237",
          "commentText": "The E-Myth covers stuff maybe consider basic on HN but it is really good for a first book",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The E-Myth covers stuff maybe consider basic on HN but it is really good for a first book",
          "reason": "Says it is a good first book, despite some HN readers finding its material basic.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a first book on entrepreneurship.",
          "caveat": "Some HN readers may consider its material basic.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael E. Gerber"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "small business"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-early-history-of-rome-9b2148",
      "title": "The Early History of Rome",
      "author": "Livy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 456347,
          "author": "pskomoroch",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T14:15:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456347",
          "commentText": "I used to have a lot more time for non CS reading and actually made an Amazon list on this topic back in 2005:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/2INJSM38... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/2INJSM38IDMDZ/ref=cm_sw_r_de_lm)\n1.  On War (Everyman's Library (Cloth)) by Carl Von Clausewitz\n2.  Leadership: The Warrior's Art by Barry R. McCaffrey\n3.  Small Unit Leadership: A Commonsense Approach by Dandridge M. Malone\n4.  The Defense of Hill 781: An Allegory of Modern Mechanized Combat by James R. McDonough\n5.  The Art of Maneuver: Maneuver-Warfare Theory and AirLand Battle by Robert Leonhard\n6.  Strategy: Second Revised Edition (Meridian) by B. H. Liddell Hart\n7.  The Art of War by Niccolò Machiavelli\n8.  Hagakure: The Book of the Samauri by Tsunetomo Yamamoto\n9.  The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius\n10.  The Art of War (Shambhala classics) by Sun Tzu\n11.  The Prince (Bantam Classics) by Niccolo Machiavelli\n12.  Evolutionary Game Theory by Jörgen W. Weibull\n13.  On Guerrilla Warfare by Mao Tse-tung\n14.  The History of the Peloponnesian War: Revised Edition (Penguin Classics) by Thucydides\n15.  The Histories (Penguin Classics) by Herodotus\n16.  The Persian Expedition (Penguin Classics) by Xenophon\n17.  Plutarch: Lives of Noble Grecians and Romans (Modern Library Series, Vol. 1) by Plutarch\n18.  Plutarch's Lives, Volume 2 (Modern Library Classics) by Plutarch\n19.  Livy: The Early History of Rome, Books I-V (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 1-5) by Titus Livy\n20.  The History of Rome from Its Foundation, Books XXI-XXX: The War with Hannibal (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 21-30) by Titus Livius Livy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "19.  Livy: The Early History of Rome, Books I-V (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 1-5) by Titus Livy",
          "reason": "Included in a list of military strategy books answering the thread's request.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking books about military strategy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Livy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient rome",
        "military history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-earth-abides-86cd38",
      "title": "The Earth Abides",
      "author": "George R. Stewart",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23574465,
          "author": "blaser-waffle",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-19T13:46:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 23561163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book that nobody you know has heard of?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23574465",
          "commentText": "Sometime Never: A Fable for Supermen, by Roahl Dahl\nThe Earth Abides, by George Stewart.  Story is set in Berkeley, CA after a disease kills most life on earth, maybe a little too on the nose these days...\nPaolo Bacigalupi's short stories (e.g. Pump Six), some of which he later turned into longer books.\nCourtship Rite, by Don Kingsbury.  Plot is kind of bland but the worldbuilding is fantastic, essentially an attempt to create a world where cannibalism isn't immediately though of as an ultimate evil, which leads to odd implications for society.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Earth Abides, by George Stewart.  Story is set in Berkeley, CA after a disease kills most life on earth, maybe a little too on the nose these days...",
          "reason": "Lists the novel and describes its post-pandemic setting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says the premise may be a little too on the nose these days.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George R. Stewart"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "pandemic fiction",
        "post apocalyptic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-earthsea-cycle-8d967b",
      "title": "The Earthsea Cycle",
      "author": "Ursula K. Le Guin",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 86223,
          "author": "icky",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:37:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86223",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- The Time Machine (still holds up very well, and seems strangely eerie and prescient in places)... (H. G. Wells)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Hobbit (and LotR) (Tolkien)\n- Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n- Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties (I picked up Idoru first, so I haven't yet read Virtual Light) (also Gibson)\n- The Difference Engine (Gibson, Sterling)\n- Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n- Cryptonomicon (\" \")\n- Circuit of Heaven, End of Days (Dennis Danvers)\n- All of the \"Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser\" stories and novels. (Fritz Leiber)\n- The Earthsea trilogy (Ursula K. LeGuin)\n- 'salem's Lot (Stephen King)\n- Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein)\n- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)\n- the Coldfire trilogy (C. S. Friedman)\n- various Cory Doctorow short stories\n- Kamikaze L'Amour (Richard Kadrey)\n- Lightpaths (Howard V. Hendrix)\n- A Canticle For Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)\n- Moonwar, Venus (Ben Bova)\n- the Stainless Steel Rat series (Harry Harrison)\n- Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)\n- Ringworld (Larry Niven)\n- Cthon (Piers Anthony) -- Trippiness level approaching Philip Jose Farmer ;-)\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (Douglas Adams)\n- The Black Company (Glen Cook)\n- there's one particularly good post-cyberpunk series that takes place in a world in which Canada emerged as a major world power, but for the life of me I can't rememeber the title.\n- the 1632 series (Eric Flint)... see also S. M. Stirling's Nantucket series (\"Island in the Sea of Time\", et al.), and H. Beam Piper's novel Kalvan of Otherwhen\nNon-fiction:\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (Hume)\n- the surviving words and works of Epicurus, and Diogenes the Cynic\n- Freakonomics (Levitt, Dubner)\n- The Gay Science (Nietzsche)\n- The Jefferson Bible (Christ, Jefferson (ed.))\n- The Devil's Dictionary (Bierce)\n- Brain Droppings (George Carlin)\n- anything by P. J. O'Rourke\n- anything by Dave Barry",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Earthsea trilogy (Ursula K. LeGuin)",
          "reason": "Recommends the trilogy in the fiction list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ursula K. Le Guin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coming of age",
        "wizards"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ecological-detective-15b518",
      "title": "The Ecological Detective",
      "author": "Ray Hilborn and Marc Mangel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30827495,
          "author": "borroka",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T05:45:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30827495",
          "commentText": "For my previous career as mathematical biologist: \"The Ecological Detective\" by Hilborn and Mangel, and \"Introduction to Quantitative Genetics\" by Falconer and Mackay. \nThe first is a fascinating, exciting, and readable journey into biology, statistics, and thinking like a detective (data, models, theory, and how much weight one should assign to each component of the investigation), which is how people doing biological research should think.\nThe second is a very readable introduction to Quantitative Genetics, which comprises the mathematical and statistical tools we should use when we talk about selection, drift, and heritability of traits.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Ecological Detective\" by Hilborn and Mangel",
          "reason": "Recommended as an inviting introduction to mathematical biology through biology, statistics, and scientific reasoning.",
          "audience": "Curious readers interested in mathematical biology.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ray Hilborn",
        "Marc Mangel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ecology",
        "mathematical biology",
        "statistical modeling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-economic-consequences-of-the-peace-ea2b6c",
      "title": "The Economic Consequences of the Peace",
      "author": "John Maynard Keynes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10027828,
          "author": "auntienomen",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T16:45:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027828",
          "commentText": "A few books at various levels with very high signal-to-noise ratio:\nFeynman's little popular science book _QED:  The Strange Theory of Light & Matter_ is a gem.  It's very short and non-mathematical, but still manages to get remarkably close to the truth.\nIf you're more mathematically inclined (e.g., fluent in multivariate calculus) and know a little classical physics, the first 5 chapters of Wald's _General Relativity_ are an essentially complete introduction to the subject.\nAnother classic is Shannon's _A Mathematical Theory of Communication_, which introduces the subject of information theory, and then solves basically all the subject's main problems.\nIn economics, I think the record for signal to noise is probably held by Keynes _The Econonic Consequences of the Peace_, 118 pages, in which he basically forecasts the disastrous course of events from 1918 to 1939.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the record for signal to noise is probably held by Keynes _The Econonic Consequences of the Peace_",
          "reason": "Calls it the likely high-water mark for signal-to-noise in economics and says it forecasts events from 1918 to 1939.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says “probably.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Maynard Keynes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "postwar economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-economic-growth-engine-how-energy-and-work-drive-material-pro-7231c7",
      "title": "The Economic Growth Engine: How Energy and Work Drive Material Prosperity",
      "author": "Robert U. Ayres and Benjamin Warr",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13805545,
          "author": "ishtanbul",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T19:59:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805545",
          "commentText": "The Economic Growth Engine: How Energy and Work Drive Material Prosperity\nby Ayers and Warr\nDescribes the economy in thermodynamic terms, as a materials processing machine, in contrast with neoclassical models of abstract \"factors of production\".  Does a deep dive on examining what technological progress is and how it happens. I don't agree with everything in it but the perspective is unique and highly thought provoking.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Economic-Growth-Engine-Prosperity-Int... (https://www.amazon.com/Economic-Growth-Engine-Prosperity-International/dp/1849804354)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I don't agree with everything in it but the perspective is unique and highly thought provoking.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes its perspective as unique and highly thought provoking, while noting they disagree with some of it.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in economic growth, energy, and technological progress.",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not agree with everything in the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert U. Ayres and Benjamin Warr"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic growth",
        "energy economics",
        "thermodynamics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-economics-book-big-ideas-simply-explained-8c0f4f",
      "title": "The Economics Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained",
      "author": "DK",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22574198,
          "author": "rootsudo",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T09:41:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22574198",
          "commentText": "Actually - any college level book. There are tons, they're cheap on ebay, look for pearson or mcgraw hill. If you're creative, you can probably find a epub/pdf.\nBut even the DK Eye Witness have a good idea - how business works, how money works.\nFinancial system, economics, monetary policy become very simple with pictures, and even easier on an spreadsheet. Even more so is how many people don't know how much the government does in collecting statistics to analyze and examine the health of the economy - The BLS https://www.bls.gov/ is a great resource and once you have a basic understanding (or know healthy or \"safe\" numbers) you can explore other country economic numbers and see if they make sense (or not!) e.g. https://psa.gov.ph/ for Philippine Statistics.\nContemporary Financial Management is great -\nAccounting Princicpals are also great (can you read a PL sheet? Do you know GAAP? How about Compliance regulations?)\nJust \"money\" is one piece of the puzzle - money is a tool and that tool has been transformed into different pieces that fit what we do finance in life -\nA basic book would be rich dad, poor dad - it's quite cliche but it's a good introduction to \"wealth\" and assets vs liability == net worth.\n---\ntl;dr I ranted, I can go on - the DK Eyewitness books are a good starting point and then you can dig deep - but mostly it really runs quite simple for most things and then gatekeeped by interesting vocabulary.\nHow Money Works: The Facts Visually Explained (How Things Work) Hardcover – March 14, 2017\nby DK  (Author)\n.\nHow Business Works: A Graphic Guide to Business Success Hardcover – 2015\nby Dk (Author)\nThe Economics Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained Paperback – February 6, 2018\nThe Business Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained Paperback – November 20, 2018\nHow Business Works: The Facts Visually Explained (How Things Work) Hardcover – April 14, 2015\nDK Eyewitness Books: Money: Discover the Fascinating Story of Money from Silver Ingots to Smart Cards Paperback – June 14, 2016",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Economics Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained Paperback – February 6, 2018",
          "reason": "Included in a list of recommended visual introductions to economics.",
          "audience": "Beginners; the commenter favors visual introductions.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "DK"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economics",
        "visual guide"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-economy-886869",
      "title": "The Economy",
      "author": "CORE Econ",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22869472,
          "author": "scorecard",
          "createdAt": "2020-04-14T18:18:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 22861452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading to make sense of the economy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22869472",
          "commentText": "The Economy, a free, open access textbook crowdsourced from Econ professors all over the world, along with the Core Covid-19 collection of teaching materials:\nhttps://www.core-econ.org/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Economy, a free, open access textbook",
          "reason": "An open access textbook crowdsourced from economics professors worldwide.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "CORE Econ"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economics textbook",
        "open access"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-economy-of-literature-3ce85b",
      "title": "The Economy of Literature",
      "author": "Marc Shell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22094497,
          "author": "jeromebaek",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T22:14:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22094497",
          "commentText": "the economy of literature, marc shell. it gives you a semiotics of money, a way of understanding money qualitatively. it has been 100x more valuable than any economics textbook.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the economy of literature, marc shell.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it offers a way to understand money qualitatively and has been more valuable to them than an economics textbook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marc Shell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary theory",
        "semiotics of money"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-edge-effect-1407f1",
      "title": "The Edge Effect",
      "author": "Eric Braverman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13805640,
          "author": "narrator",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T20:09:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805640",
          "commentText": "I read the Bible cover to cover.  I liked the bible because it dealt with fear a lot.  Fear of the guy coming over the hill and slaughtering your whole tribe on a moment's notice.  Fear of your whole legacy being destroyed and lost when people you've never heard of show up.  I also liked the view of god that he's a jerk, but that's all that there is.  It was like they were trying to put together a worldview that corresponded to a reality where terrible things happen all the time, so they made god a jerk.  I just think back to what people in the old testament had to deal with on a daily basis and think my life is really not that bad.\n\"Prices and Production and other Works\" which is a compilation of F.A Hayek's work by Joseph Salerno.  It contains a lot of great criticisms of Keynes theories during the 30s.  I used to really think I could understand mainstream economics, but Hayek totally demolished it in my mind and I can't have productive discussions with academically trained economists anymore because I have to start over from first principles with them.\n\"The Edge Effect\" by Eric Braverman was a great book for understanding my mind.  I got a lot out of it and it changed my understanding of my personal psychology.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Edge Effect\" by Eric Braverman was a great book for understanding my mind. I got a lot out of it and it changed my understanding of my personal psychology.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book for understanding their mind and says it changed their view of their psychology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Braverman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-education-of-a-coach-86a506",
      "title": "The Education of a Coach",
      "author": "David Halberstam",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1226975,
          "author": "pyronicide",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T17:14:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226975",
          "commentText": "Here are some books that are a mix of psychology and economics that I think are especially suited for HN:\nBehavioral Economics:\n  Predictably Irrational - Dan Ariely\n  Nudge - Richard Thaler\n  Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard - Chip and Dan Heath\n\nEconomics:\n  The Black Swan: Impact of the Highly Improbable - Nassim Taleb\n  Fooled by Randomness - Nassim Taleb\n  Drunkard's Walk - Leonard Mlodinow\n\nPsychology:\n  Opening Skinner's Box - Lauren Slater\n\nManagement:\n  The Education of a Coach - David Halberstam",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Education of a Coach - David Halberstam",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Halberstam"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coaching",
        "leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-egg-37a05e",
      "title": "The Egg",
      "author": "Andy Weir",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36021564,
          "author": "moondistance",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:53:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021564",
          "commentText": "A few lesser known but great sci-if books:\n-Permutation City\n-Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect\n-The Egg (Andy Weir short story)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Egg (Andy Weir short story)",
          "reason": "Listed as a lesser-known science fiction short story in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It is a short story, not a book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10211695,
          "author": "partisan",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-13T15:31:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10211695",
          "commentText": "The Egg, a short story: http://www.galactanet.com/oneoff/theegg_mod.html\nToo short for a TLDR, but it changed the way I look at other people, for the better.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Egg, a short story",
          "reason": "Says it changed how they look at other people, for the better.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A short story, not a book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andy Weir"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short story",
        "afterlife"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ego-tunnel-88d8a4",
      "title": "The Ego Tunnel",
      "author": "Thomas Metzinger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10175651,
          "author": "ommunist",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:43:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175651",
          "commentText": "The Ego Tunnel by Thomas Metzinger, contains a revelatory research upon nature of human consciousness, makes me question about what existing AIs do wrong, and what is exactly the human intellect, feeling and emotion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "contains a revelatory research upon nature of human consciousness, makes me question about what existing AIs do wrong, and what is exactly the human intellect, feeling and emotion.",
          "reason": "Describes its treatment of consciousness as revelatory and says it prompts questions about AI and human experience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Metzinger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consciousness",
        "philosophy of mind"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ego-and-its-own-f42146",
      "title": "The Ego and Its Own",
      "author": "Max Stirner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 86338,
          "author": "h3st",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T17:58:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86338",
          "commentText": "The Ego and its Own, by Max Stirner.\nThe Open Society and its Enemies, by Karl Popper.\nThe Illuminatus! trilogy.\nRobin Hobb books (with special mention of the farseer trilogy), Neal Stephenson, Alan Moore, Terry Pratchett.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Ego and its Own, by Max Stirner.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Max Stirner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "individualist anarchism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-eight-of-spades-9236e7",
      "title": "The Eight of Spades",
      "author": "John Dickson Carr",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32198173,
          "author": "nineplay",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T23:04:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32198173",
          "commentText": "I just finished recent Clark nominee Skyward Inn and it was such a disappointment that I've gone back to golden-age mysteries to read something I know I'll enjoy - The Eight of Spades by John Dickson Carr.\nI'm in a bit of a lull unfortunately, it seems like every recommended book I've read recently is a dud.  I read every day so my demand is high.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Eight of Spades by John Dickson Carr.",
          "reason": "Turned to this mystery expecting a reliably enjoyable read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Dickson Carr"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classic mystery",
        "golden age detective fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-eighth-day-of-creation-makers-of-the-revolution-in-biology-f7260e",
      "title": "The Eighth Day of Creation: Makers of the Revolution in Biology",
      "author": "Horace Freeland Judson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8257615,
          "author": "chl",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T14:07:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257615",
          "commentText": "\"The Eighth Day of Creation: Makers of the Revolution in Biology\" by Horace Freeland Judson; a masterpiece originally published in 1979 and based on ~10 years of research, interviews w/ more than 100 scientists &c.\nhttp://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/11/science/11judson.html?_r=0",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a masterpiece originally published in 1979 and based on ~10 years of research, interviews w/ more than 100 scientists",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a masterpiece and notes its extensive research and interviews.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Horace Freeland Judson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of biology",
        "scientist interviews"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-electric-church-42ec9b",
      "title": "The Electric Church",
      "author": "Jeff Somers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1226847,
          "author": "aarongough",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:34:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226847",
          "commentText": "I'm a big fan of Sci-Fi because I feel it makes people think about what they want the future to be, as well as avoiding the re-hashing of historical and current events that many fiction books set in the present do. With that in mind a list of great books to read:\n  The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson\n  Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson\n  Gridlinked - Neal Asher\n  Neuromancer - William Gibson\n  The Reality Dysfunction - Peter F. Hamilton\n  The Dreaming Void - Peter F. Hamilton\n  Fallen Dragon - Peter F. Hamilton\n  Altered Carbon - Richard Morgan\n  Market Forces - Richard Morgan\n  Blindsight - Peter Watts\n  The Electric Church - Jeff Somers\n  Tunnel in the Sky - Robert A. Heinlein\n  The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - Robert A. Heinlein\n  1984 - George Orwell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Electric Church - Jeff Somers",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeff Somers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyberpunk"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-elegant-universe-superstrings-hidden-dimensions-and-the-quest-2cad43",
      "title": "The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory",
      "author": "Brian Greene",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13236372,
          "author": "n3on_net",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T10:47:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13236372",
          "commentText": "Here is my list of 2016:\n- The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory\n- The 48 Laws Of Power\n- Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything\n- Crossing the Chasm\n- The Richest Man in Babylon\n- Confessions of an Economic Hit Man\n- Europe: A History\n- The Penguin History of Europe\n- The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon\n- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\nEvery of the books was awesome. The only thing is that I haven't finished Europe: A History from Norman and read The Penguin History of Europe instead because the Norman book was just too long for me. But It has way more details.\nI switch between business-related books and non-business related (it can be everything from philosophy to language history to hardcore science) but I don't read fiction (The Richest Man in Babylon is fictional, but still the focus is on self-development).\nHope you could see some titles that might interest you.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Every of the books was awesome.",
          "reason": "The commenter says every listed book was awesome.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Greene"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cosmology",
        "physics",
        "string theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-elements-836b40",
      "title": "The Elements",
      "author": "Euclid",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37814502,
          "author": "nickster",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-08T21:17:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37814502",
          "commentText": "In Computers? The Mythical Man Month Fred Brooks\nIn Management? Turn the Ship Around David Marquet\nIn literature? Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad\nIn Philosophy? The Republic Plato\nIn Religion? The Confessions St. Augustine\nIn Mathematics? The Elements Euclid\nIn History? Parallel lives Plutarch\nIn Physics? Principia Isaac Newton",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Elements Euclid",
          "reason": "Listed as a book people in mathematics may pretend to have read.",
          "audience": "People in mathematics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37810868,
          "author": "aniijbod",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-08T14:39:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 37810385,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the book that people in your field pretend to have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37810868",
          "commentText": "In Computers? The Mythical Man Month Fred Brooks\nIn Mnaagement? Turn the Ship Around David Marquet\nIn literature? Heart of Darkness Joseph Conrad\nIn Philosophy? The Republic Plato\nIn Religion? The Confessions St. Augustine\nIn Mathematics? The Elements Euclid\nIn History? Parallel lives Plutarch\nIn Physics? Principia Isaac Newton",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Elements Euclid",
          "reason": "Listed as a book people in mathematics may pretend to have read.",
          "audience": "People in mathematics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 755474,
          "author": "timwiseman",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T15:48:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755474",
          "commentText": "I will join with anatoly in disagreeing.  The Elements are a beautiful piece of literature and I recommend reading them for a historical understanding.  (I have not read them through by any means, but I have read segments which are magnificent).\nAs for understanding mathematics and its techniques, there are now much better methods.  Our understanding of mathematics and methods of learning (not to mention our simple culture in general) have changed substantially since then, the most obvious point being the development of non-Euclidean geometry.\nTo add to the list of books already mentioned consider Numeracy.  It was influential for me when I was an undergraduate and touches on numerous topics.  Also, if you want to start at the beginniner, there is a very good book called Chapter Zero that starts with nothing and is easily accessible to anyone willing to study it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Elements are a beautiful piece of literature and I recommend reading them for a historical understanding.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for historical understanding and praises it as literature.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the history of mathematics.",
          "caveat": "For understanding mathematics and its techniques, the commenter says there are better methods.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Euclid"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "geometry",
        "classical mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-elements-of-c-programming-style-e55096",
      "title": "The Elements of C Programming Style",
      "author": "R. A. Ranade and A. Nash",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16358031,
          "author": "xstartup",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-12T11:40:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16358031",
          "commentText": "McConnell, Steve. Code Complete. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Press, 1993.\nMcConnell, Steve. Software Project Survival Guide. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Press, 1998.\nMaguire, Steve. Writing Solid Code. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Press, 1993.\nRanade and Nash. The Elements of C Programming Style. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1992.\nKernighan and Plauger. The Elements of Programming Style. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1982.\nCaner, Cem, et al. Testing Computer Software, Second Edition. New York: Wiley Computer Publishing, 1999.\nHunt, Andrew, et al. The Pragmatic Programmer. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 2000.\nHolub, Allen. Enough Rope to Shoot Yourself in the Foot: Rules for C and C++ Programming. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1995.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ranade and Nash. The Elements of C Programming Style.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the question about books colleagues should have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "R. A. Ranade and A. Nash"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming",
        "code style"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-elements-of-computing-systems-0b1fee",
      "title": "The Elements of Computing Systems",
      "author": "Noam Nisan, Shimon Schocken",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20729569,
          "author": "qubex",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T11:23:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20729569",
          "commentText": "I strongly advise the following:\n- The Computational Beauty Of Nature, by William Gary Flake\n- The Impostor’s Handbook, by Rob Conery\n- The Elements Of Computing Systems, by Noam Nisan & Shimon Schocken",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Elements Of Computing Systems, by Noam Nisan & Shimon Schocken",
          "reason": "Included in a list the commenter strongly advises.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Noam Nisan, Shimon Schocken"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer systems",
        "from scratch construction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-elements-of-computing-systems-building-a-modern-computer-from-d70c69",
      "title": "The Elements of Computing Systems: Building a Modern Computer from First Principles",
      "author": "Noam Nisan, Shimon Schocken",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13408145,
          "author": "DubiousPusher",
          "createdAt": "2017-01-16T04:10:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 13406638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best computer science book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13408145",
          "commentText": "The Elements of Computing Systems: Building a Modern Computer from First Principles by Noam Nisan and Shimon Schocken\nBasically it has you hands on work through the basics of every concept active in a modern computer save for networks and web.\nYou use software tools provided with the book to design memory, ALUs, intepreters, VMs, compilers Operating Systems and applications.\nAvailable as a free online class at http://www.nand2tetris.org",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Elements of Computing Systems: Building a Modern Computer from First Principles by Noam Nisan and Shimon Schocken",
          "reason": "Describes a hands-on path through modern computer concepts using software tools.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Does not cover networks or the web.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Noam Nisan, Shimon Schocken"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer architecture",
        "computer systems",
        "nand2tetris"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-elements-of-graphing-data-e55812",
      "title": "The Elements of Graphing Data",
      "author": "William S. Cleveland",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1266976,
          "author": "dmlorenzetti",
          "createdAt": "2010-04-15T04:27:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 1265091,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good books on graphing/charting/visualization?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1266976",
          "commentText": "A colleague says great things about Cleveland's \"The Elements of Graphing Data.\"  It talks about how to leverage the way people perceive graphs in order to convey information.  I've flipped through it, and it's on my to-read list.  Sorry I can't say more about it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A colleague says great things about Cleveland's \"The Elements of Graphing Data.\"",
          "reason": "The commenter reports a colleague's strong praise and describes the book's subject.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in how people perceive graphs and how to convey information.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has only flipped through it and cannot say more.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William S. Cleveland"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data visualization",
        "graph perception"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-elements-of-integration-and-lebesgue-measure-621c65",
      "title": "The Elements of Integration and Lebesgue Measure",
      "author": "Robert G. Bartle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34442498,
          "author": "bmitc",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T16:52:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34442498",
          "commentText": "While I have a ton of favorite math books, the two books that I felt really helped me the relevant subject are:\n* An Introduction to Manifolds by Loring Tu\n* The Elements of Integration and Lebesgue Measure by Robert G. Bartle.\nThese two books were instrumental to my studying for my qualifying exams.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Elements of Integration and Lebesgue Measure by Robert G. Bartle.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was instrumental in studying for qualifying exams.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert G. Bartle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "lebesgue integration",
        "measure theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-elements-of-networking-style-ea16ff",
      "title": "The Elements of Networking Style",
      "author": "Dimitri Bertsekas and Robert Gallager",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15630498,
          "author": "dedalus",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:35:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630498",
          "commentText": "Three Scientists and their Gods: This book foreshadows the meaning and purpose of science+tech https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214570.Three_Scientists_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214570.Three_Scientists_and_Their_Gods)\nScifi: The Three Body problem (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)) for its whole encompassing narrative about human future and some of it will be real (fusion instead of chemical fuel, pulse propulsion and other social consequences)\nArdor: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20931250-ardor if you ever wanted to understand ancient indian philosophy. Heavy read, not recommended for fun but more as quest\nFoxTales: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/412167.Foxtales about how software was developed in the midwest free of all the fashion/hipsterism currently in vogue and building a community of users for your software\nThe elements of networking style: If you ever wanted to know the politics of how networking RFCs are made: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2298785.The_Elements_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2298785.The_Elements_of_Networking_Style) and design choices made to build modern day internet\nUnwritten Laws of Engineering: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13122143-unwritten-laws-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13122143-unwritten-laws-of-engineering) is an old and timeless way detailing what it means to engineer\nHigh Performance Browser Networking: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17985198-high-performanc... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17985198-high-performance-browser-networking) if you ever wanted to know what happens inside a browser\nThe Computer and the Brain: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/358880.The_Computer_and_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/358880.The_Computer_and_the_Brain) where the master compares the machine with our brain\nThe Grammatical Man: If you ever wanted to know the importance of structure and constraint in everything: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/722028.Grammatical_Man",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The elements of networking style: If you ever wanted to know the politics of how networking RFCs are made: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2298785.The_Elements_of_... and design choices made to build modern day internet",
          "reason": "Recommends it for understanding RFC politics and internet design choices.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in networking standards and internet design.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dimitri Bertsekas and Robert Gallager"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "internet history",
        "network protocols"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-elements-of-programming-f315d1",
      "title": "The Elements of Programming",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14490367,
          "author": "mempko",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T19:02:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14490367",
          "commentText": "The Elements of Programming. They use C++ but it isn't about C++ at all",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Elements of Programming. They use C++ but it isn't about C++ at all",
          "reason": "Suggested as a language-agnostic programming book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Uses C++, but the commenter says it is not about C++.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "language agnostic programming",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-elements-of-style-cb19cc",
      "title": "The Elements of Style",
      "author": "William Strunk Jr., E. B. White",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32346159,
          "author": "MDGeist",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-04T17:58:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32346159",
          "commentText": "I got an MA in technical writing and my editing professor gave us Strunk & White. It probably did more for me than half the classes tbh.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I got an MA in technical writing and my editing professor gave us Strunk & White. It probably did more for me than half the classes tbh.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it contributed more to their learning than half their classes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Strunk Jr.",
        "E. B. White"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "editing",
        "style guide"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-elenium-d99f37",
      "title": "The Elenium",
      "author": "David Eddings",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41777176,
          "author": "schnitzelstoat",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-08T13:30:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41777176",
          "commentText": "The Elenium trilogy by Eddings is good as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Elenium trilogy by Eddings is good as well.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the trilogy is good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Eddings"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-elephant-vanishes-88b65e",
      "title": "The Elephant Vanishes",
      "author": "Haruki Murakami",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23562209,
          "author": "croo",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-18T11:57:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 23561163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book that nobody you know has heard of?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23562209",
          "commentText": "Haruki Murakami - The elephant vanishes\nAs I searched for the author after reading this book by chance it seemed to me that he is quite famous - but nobody around me has ever heard of him. The book I recommend is a collection of short stories, most rooted in reality with a hint(or sometimes a container) of surreal.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book I recommend is a collection of short stories, most rooted in reality with a hint(or sometimes a container) of surreal.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends this collection of short stories.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Haruki Murakami"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories",
        "surrealism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-eleventh-hour-8d8d9c",
      "title": "The Eleventh Hour",
      "author": "Graeme Base",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12244502,
          "author": "wilwade",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T00:03:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244502",
          "commentText": "No kids books have been listed, but I have found them all too often enlightening. Sometimes even more than an adult book.\nI and my kids have enjoyed all of Graeme Base's books, but The Eleventh Hour is particularly good and have given it to many kids and adults:\nhttp://graemebase.com/book/the-eleventh-hour/\nI am also thinking about giving Yertle the Turtle By Dr. Seuss out to anyone I meet before the election:\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yertle_the_Turtle_and_Other_St... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yertle_the_Turtle_and_Other_Stories)\nI have given many Dr. Seuss books away as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Eleventh Hour is particularly good and have given it to many kids and adults",
          "reason": "Calls it particularly good and says it has been given to children and adults.",
          "audience": "Children and adults",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Graeme Base"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "picture book",
        "puzzle mystery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-embodied-mind-e254a4",
      "title": "The Embodied Mind",
      "author": "Francisco J. Varela and Evan Thompson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30828585,
          "author": "sinbadpalomar",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T08:52:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30828585",
          "commentText": "I would add The Embodied Mind - Francisco Varela and Evan Thompson (1991) https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/embodied-mind-revised-edition\nA great accomponiment to the first two, and a great read for those in AI related fields to start thinking about cognition more holistically and less computationally.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would add The Embodied Mind - Francisco Varela and Evan Thompson (1991)",
          "reason": "Suggested as a companion to the first two books and a starting point for holistic thinking about cognition.",
          "audience": "Readers in AI related fields.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Francisco J. Varela",
        "Evan Thompson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognition",
        "embodied cognition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-emotion-machine-288fd4",
      "title": "The Emotion Machine",
      "author": "Marvin Minsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13902818,
          "author": "tatoalo",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T18:47:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13902818",
          "commentText": "I'd spend my money on these two:\n- The Emotion Machine by Minsky\n- Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies by Nick Bostrom",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Emotion Machine by Minsky",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question asking for the best books on AI.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marvin Minsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "cognitive science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-emperor-s-new-mind-concerning-computers-minds-and-the-laws-of-280551",
      "title": "The Emperor's New Mind: Concerning Computers, Minds, and the Laws of Physics",
      "author": "Roger Penrose",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 879569,
          "author": "peterbraden",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-13T17:33:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=879569",
          "commentText": "Yeah - I much preferred \"The Emperors New Mind\" Which covers many of the same themes without the pretentiousness.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I much preferred \"The Emperors New Mind\" Which covers many of the same themes without the pretentiousness.",
          "reason": "The commenter prefers it for covering similar themes without what they see as pretentiousness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roger Penrose"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "consciousness",
        "physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-empire-series-aa74ac",
      "title": "The Empire series",
      "author": "Isaac Asimov",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1865661,
          "author": "tdupree",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T17:44:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865661",
          "commentText": "I thoroughly enjoyed the Foundation Series about a year ago and since then have been reading many of the books found in Asimov's Foundation Universe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_series#List_of_books... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_series#List_of_books_within_the_Foundation_Universe)). Right now I am reading \"The Robots of Dawn\", the third book in Asimov's Robot Series. I have gone in a kind of a strange order, first reading The Complete Robot, then the Foundation Series, the Empire Series, and now the Robot Series.  I have enjoyed them all, I like Asimov's style.  I also enjoyed Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and will be reading the next book in the series \"Speaker for the Dead\" soon.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "first reading The Complete Robot, then the Foundation Series, the Empire Series, and now the Robot Series.",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed Asimov's series and style.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isaac Asimov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-empowered-manager-positive-political-skills-at-work-65a669",
      "title": "The Empowered Manager: Positive Political Skills at Work",
      "author": "Peter Block",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25556811,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-28T04:59:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 25554464,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books for dealing with workplace politics and dishonesty?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25556811",
          "commentText": "This is a very interesting question since it is a fundamental problem in any group human activity. I have found the following useful;\n* Management: A political activity by Ted Stephenson. For some reason, most people are not aware of this book. Deals with Power, Conflict, Bargaining, Compromise, Participation and Change. The opening line of the preface states \"This book presents the view that management is substantially a political activity, based on power and characterized by conflict\". Since we are dealing with Human organisms this is absolutely the right approach to take.\n* The Empowered Manager: Positive Political Skills at Work by Peter Block is also good but more idealistic. But be aware that trying to be/do good does not guarantee reciprocation.\n* The Complete Upmanship: Including Gamesmanship, Lifemanship, One-upmanship and Supermanship by Stephen Potter. Humourous, but a great deal of life advice in it. Basically, how to put down other people and show yourself in the best light using \"genteel\" psychological means.\n* Behavior Modification: Principles and Procedures by Raymond Miltenberger. ABA psychology course textbook which is a must read.\n* Brainwashing: The science of thought control by Kathleen Taylor. The title is bit sensationalist, but the content is very relevant.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Empowered Manager: Positive Political Skills at Work by Peter Block is also good but more idealistic.",
          "reason": "Recommended for positive political skills at work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds it more idealistic and cautions that being good does not guarantee reciprocation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Block"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "management",
        "workplace politics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-end-is-always-near-49f71a",
      "title": "The End Is Always Near",
      "author": "Dan Carlin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42270140,
          "author": "WheelsAtLarge",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T01:58:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42270140",
          "commentText": "The End is Always Near, Dan Carlin\nA quick read on many points in history when things looked grim and it must have seemed like the end of society was coming --an interesting read not necessarily mind-blowing.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The End is Always Near, Dan Carlin",
          "reason": "Calls it an interesting quick read covering historical moments when society seemed near its end.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Interesting but not necessarily mind-blowing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Carlin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical crises",
        "societal collapse"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-end-of-alchemy-d91df1",
      "title": "The End of Alchemy",
      "author": "Mervyn King",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22576671,
          "author": "habosa",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T16:52:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22576671",
          "commentText": "\"The End of Alchemy\" by Mervyn King is a great book that explains fiscal/monetary policy and the modern banking system from the ground up.  King was the head of the Bank of England during the last recession.  This was the book that made me \"get it\".\n\"When Genius Failed\" by Roger Lowenstein is the story of the fall of Long Term Capital Management which was basically the biggest hedge fund failure ever.  Teaches you a lot about modern high finance and systemic risk.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The End of Alchemy\" by Mervyn King is a great book that explains fiscal/monetary policy and the modern banking system from the ground up.",
          "reason": "Recommended for explaining fiscal and monetary policy and modern banking from the ground up.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mervyn King"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "central banking",
        "monetary policy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-end-of-average-cb5b11",
      "title": "The End of Average",
      "author": "Todd Rose",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24213645,
          "author": "giardini",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-19T17:59:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 24176902,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please suggest some good books you have read recently",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24213645",
          "commentText": "Wrong: Why Experts Keep Failing Us - and How to Know When Not to Trust Them by David H. Freedman\n- Painfully relevant to the current pandemic. Explains why the experts aren't!\nThe End of Average by Todd Rose\n- Pulls the curtain(s) aside from education, corporations and the non-science of \"scientific management\". Why Taylorism continues to dominate corporate and social life today. Explains many features of our lives (both civic and corporate) that were \"baked into\" society decades ago, are rarely examined (indeed rarely noticed) and are ripe for replacement.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_management\nThe Miraculous Fever Tree by Fiammetta Rocco\nThis reads like (and should be made into) a BBC series: story after story of generations of human suffering from malaria, which remains far more deadly than Covid-19. Where else do you read that merely living in Rome before the existence of a cure for malaria was almost guaranteed to shorten your life significantly and end it badly? Imperial Rome, the center of Roman civilization! Rome, the center of the Catholic Church during and after Rome fell and into the Early Middle Ages! And this disease was endemic not only in Rome but to most of southern Europe extending up to Britain.\nhttps://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/science-mal... (https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/science-malaria-in-britain-1361345.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The End of Average by Todd Rose\n- Pulls the curtain(s) aside from education, corporations and the non-science of \"scientific management\".",
          "reason": "Described as revealing the influence of scientific management in education, corporations, and social life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Todd Rose"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Learning",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "individuality",
        "taylorism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-end-of-faith-religion-terror-and-the-future-of-reason-d2642f",
      "title": "The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason",
      "author": "Sam Harris",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36105275,
          "author": "mhb",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T16:07:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105275",
          "commentText": "The End Of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason\nhttps://www.samharris.org/books/the-end-of-faith",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The End Of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sam Harris"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "atheism",
        "religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-end-of-history-and-the-last-man-5857f2",
      "title": "The End of History and the Last Man",
      "author": "Francis Fukuyama",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13805365,
          "author": "jonbaer",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T19:34:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805365",
          "commentText": "Prisoners of Geography - Tim Marshall\nThe Revenge of Geography - Robert D. Kaplan\nPrisoner's Dilemma - William Poundstone\nThe Master Algorithm - Pedro Domingos\nZero-Sum Future - Gideon Rachman\nThe End of History and the Last Man - Francis Fukuyama\nEntanglement - Amir Aczel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The End of History and the Last Man - Francis Fukuyama",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Francis Fukuyama"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "liberal democracy",
        "political philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-end-of-race-politics-arguments-for-a-colorblind-america-1b4913",
      "title": "The End of Race Politics: Arguments for a Colorblind America",
      "author": "Coleman Hughes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268732,
          "author": "whacko_quacko",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T21:45:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268732",
          "commentText": "The End of Race Politics by Coleman Hughes. Pretty good book. I used to be a bleeding heart liberal with pro social justice (read: pro affirmative action) sentiments, but he makes a compelling case against it. Also, it's very well written and fun to read",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The End of Race Politics by Coleman Hughes. Pretty good book.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it pretty good and says it made a compelling case against affirmative action.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Coleman Hughes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "affirmative action",
        "race"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-end-of-reality-how-four-billionaires-are-selling-a-fantasy-fu-3e7caf",
      "title": "The End of Reality: How Four Billionaires Are Selling a Fantasy Future of the Metaverse, Mars, and Crypto",
      "author": "Jonathan Taplin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42219433,
          "author": "lovestory",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T05:56:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42219433",
          "commentText": "I only have time to listen to audiobooks so I hope this list is not too basic.\nOn the Edge: The Art of Risking Everything by Nate Silver\nThe End of Reality: How Four Billionaires Are Selling a Fantasy Future of the Metaverse, Mars, and Crypto by Jonathan Taplin\nThe Value of Others by Orion Taraban\nRinsed: From Cartels to Crypto: How the Tech Industry Washes Money for the World's Deadliest Crooks by Geoff White\nWhy We Die: The New Science of Aging and the Quest for Immortality by Venki Ramakrishnan\nExtremely Hardcore: Inside Elon Musk's Twitter by Zoe Schiffer\nBottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Katherine Eban\nAI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference by Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor\nHijacking Bitcoin: The Hidden History of BTC by Roger Ver\nGo Woke, Go Broke: The Inside Story of the Radicalization of Corporate America by Charles Gasparino\nThe Catalyst: RNA and the Quest to Unlock Life's Deepest Secrets by Thomas R Cech\nand my book of the year\nGood Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health by Casey Means M D",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The End of Reality: How Four Billionaires Are Selling a Fantasy Future of the Metaverse, Mars, and Crypto by Jonathan Taplin",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Taplin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "billionaires",
        "crypto",
        "technology criticism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-end-of-religion-69095b",
      "title": "The End of Religion",
      "author": "Bruxy Cavey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17982015,
          "author": "davidandgoliath",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-13T20:05:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17982015",
          "commentText": "`Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams` by Matthew Walker. Still in the midst of it actually, and it's had a huge impact.\nRunner-up would be `the end of religion` by Bruxy Cavey.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Runner-up would be `the end of religion` by Bruxy Cavey.",
          "reason": "Listed as the commenter's runner-up life-changing book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruxy Cavey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christianity",
        "religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-end-of-your-world-e356c6",
      "title": "The End of Your World",
      "author": "Adyashanti",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15630201,
          "author": "goodroot",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:49:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630201",
          "commentText": "* Harry Potter!\n* A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy: Taught me much about myself and reinforced a healthy pattern of practicing will power.\n* The End of Your World: After discovering spirituality and meditation I had lingering questions. This is a frank book on the trappings of the spiritual journey. The break-down of abiding vs. un-abiding enlightenment helped me navigate through fascinating times.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The End of Your World: After discovering spirituality and meditation I had lingering questions. This is a frank book on the trappings of the spiritual journey.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a frank treatment of spiritual journeys and says it helped them navigate that period.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adyashanti"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "meditation",
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ender-saga-f216e2",
      "title": "The Ender Saga",
      "author": "Orson Scott Card",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6387395,
          "author": "gillianseed",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T23:00:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387395",
          "commentText": "Nothing 'exotic' really, my all time favourites are Asimov, Heinlein, Philip K.Dick, Stephen King (particularly dark tower series), Arthur C. Clarke, Orson Scott Card (Ender series), William Gibson, Douglas Adams.\nI was recently coaxed into reading the 'Kingkiller chronicles' by Patrick Rothfuss, I was sceptical thinking it would be something like Harry Potter (not my cup of tea) but I ended up really liking it, looking forward to the third book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Orson Scott Card (Ender series)",
          "reason": "Named among the commenter’s all-time favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Orson Scott Card"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military science fiction",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ends-of-the-world-volcanic-apocalypses-lethal-oceans-and-our--10909b",
      "title": "The Ends of the World: Volcanic Apocalypses, Lethal Oceans, and Our Quest to Understand Earth's Past Mass Extinctions",
      "author": "Peter Brannen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18664055,
          "author": "cwal37",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T14:20:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664055",
          "commentText": "A few of my faves.\nNon-Fiction\nBy Adam Tooze: Crashed, and Wages of Destruction. Both excellent economic histories, the former covering the recent financial crisis and its aftermath, the latter on the Nazi economy. Tooze does an excellent job coming up with larger trends and global narratives, I'm often amazed at just how much he's able to keep in his head.\nBy Richard Rothstein: The Color of Law. A quick, informative, yet more than thorough enough on the factual, legal prevention that American employed over the majority of the 20th century to prevent black Americans form participating in the housing market, both personal home ownership and public housing (a major institutional driver of household wealth and success tarting in the early 20th century).\nBy Jeffrey Lockwood: Locust: The Devastating Rise and Mysterious Disappearance of the Insect that Shaped the American Frontier. I had no idea the American frontier was home to devastating largest-in-the-world locust plagues that suddenly disappeared near the end of the 19th century.\nBy Peter Brannen: The Ends of the World. A great primer on mass extinctions and their often geologic causes.\nBy Rick Perstein: Nixonland. Still working on this one, but a deep dive into that era of American politics feels quite relevant at the moment, except that everything today feels stupid in comparison.\nFiction\nBy N.K. Jemisin: The Broken Earth trilogy. A really great self-contained story, extremely evocative, and the author actually puts out great books at an amazingly fast pace.\nCooking\nBy Stella Parks: Bravetart: Iconic American Desserts. If you like baking, and the history of iconic American baked goods this is a must have/read. Never thought I'd spend so much time on a carrot cake.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "By Peter Brannen: The Ends of the World. A great primer on mass extinctions and their often geologic causes.",
          "reason": "Called a great primer on mass extinctions and their geological causes.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an introduction to mass extinctions.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Brannen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "geology",
        "mass extinctions"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-endurance-shackleton-s-legendary-antarctic-expedition-16469c",
      "title": "The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition",
      "author": "Caroline Alexander",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1569223,
          "author": "hop",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:51:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569223",
          "commentText": "Recently finished The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition - An extraordinary true story and possibly the best book I've ever read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An extraordinary true story and possibly the best book I've ever read.",
          "reason": "Calls it an extraordinary true story and possibly the best book they've read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Caroline Alexander"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "antarctic exploration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-energy-of-life-the-science-of-what-makes-our-minds-and-bodies-f59e61",
      "title": "The Energy of Life: The Science of What Makes Our Minds and Bodies Work",
      "author": "Guy Brown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22096179,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T03:57:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22096179",
          "commentText": "This is a thread after my own heart! I love finding out and reading old, less well-known and thought provoking books on a variety of subject matters. I have come to the conclusion that \"popular\" almost always equals \"lowest common denominator\" and \"fad of the month\" particularly given today's media hype cycles. Moreover one has to guard against having ones mental models bounded within a box. By actively seeking out lesser known and out of the way viewpoints one truly grows. Some books from my collection which i have not seen mentioned here (in no particular order or categorization);\n* The Natural History of Nonsense by Bergan Evans\n* Programming on Purpose, Essays on Software Design by P. J. Plauger\n* Management: A Political Activity by Ted Stephenson\n* The Energy of Life: The Science of What Makes Our Minds and Bodies Work by Guy Brown\n* Patterns for Time-Triggered Embedded Systems: Building Reliable Applications with the 8051 Family of Microcontrollers by Michael Pont.\n* UNIX Systems for Modern Architectures: Symmetric Multiprocessing and Caching for Kernel Programmers by Curt Schimmel.\n* Maxims and Reflections (Ricordi) by Francesco Guicciardini\nThere are a bunch more i have to root around for :-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Energy of Life: The Science of What Makes Our Minds and Bodies Work by Guy Brown",
          "reason": "Lists it among books from their collection that they have not seen mentioned in the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Guy Brown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "energy metabolism",
        "human biology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-engines-of-light-trilogy-6585f1",
      "title": "The Engines of Light trilogy",
      "author": "Ken MacLeod",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1027146,
          "author": "rsaarelm",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T12:44:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027146",
          "commentText": "Fiction, mostly.\nDeclare, by Tim Powers. Cold war espionage with black magic. Entertainingly bleak, and probably did a lot more weirdness with real history than I knew how to appreciate.\nProducing Open Source Software (http://producingoss.com/), by Karl Fogel. A very thorough look into all sorts of practical matters in running a large open source software project.\nThe Engines of Light trilogy by Ken MacLeod. Entertaining, though a bit erratic. Makes a bunch of Forteana fit in a hard SF framework. Also the second MacLeod book I've read that has a weird pixie dust immortality treatment that seems incongruous with the rest of the technology level.\nMatter by Iain M. Banks. Culture again after Algebraist. Still good.\nThe Dark Side of the Sun by Terry Pratchett. Finally got around to reading this one. Was surprisingly fresh. It would have been interesting to see Pratchett write more science fiction after this and Strata around 30 years ago.\nThe City and the Stars by Arthur C. Clarke. Another old SF book. This one wasn't very fresh, seemed like two or three different novels stapled together, with bits and pieces that might work pretty well if it weren't for the other bits and pieces.\nCrooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis. Not a lot of surprises, if you know what Warren Ellis tends to write. Basically a road trip novel through various degeneracies in America. Fun, but tends to go for gross-out warrenellisisms in favor of overall coherence.\nNeuropath by Scott Bakker. A technothriller about all sorts of fun things you can do by directly rewiring peoples' brains with near-future neurosurgery. Bakker's chilly philosophical outlook doesn't pack quite the same punch in an already mostly rationalistic setting as it did in the Prince of Nothing fantasy books. Sticks with a single not particularly unsympathetic viewpoint character and therefore avoids the problem in Prince of Nothing where you'd often end up in the head of someone you really don't want to be anywhere near.\nThe Tao is Silent by Raymond Smullyan. Smullyan writes various essays inspired by Taoism. Quality varies, but Smullyan is generally fun to read.\nOn SF by Thomas Disch. Beautifully acerbic essays by someone who takes science fiction literature seriously and doesn't let it off easy. And just plain likes to insult people. Representative, though noticeably dated sample: http://www.press.umich.edu/pdf/9780472068968-1.pdf\nDenner's Wreck by Lawrence Watt-Evans. Watt-Evans has an specific style of writing from what follows from the setting and premises rather than going for the most dramatically obvious plot. The results are hit-and-miss with his fantasy novels I've read, but work a lot better here, where the legends of a bronze-age civilization end up emerging from a science fiction setting. Watt-Evans' narrative style supports the plot where the traditional stories end up not really being what they seem to be.\nThe Official Book of Ultima by Shay Addams. It tells how Richard Garriott's obsession with programming in high school lead to the Ultima game series, which were one of the most notable computer games in the 80s and became the flagship product of Garriott's Origin Systems company. Also documents how the games grew from Ultima I being programmed by Garriot alone learning as he went along into Ultima VI developed by a large team. There is much detail about Ultima VI, which was being developed as the book was written. Much of it also conflicts with the game that ended up being released, and I ended up wondering whether this was about the game changing during production or just Addams getting his facts wrong.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Engines of Light trilogy by Ken MacLeod. Entertaining, though a bit erratic.",
          "reason": "Calls the trilogy entertaining while noting it is somewhat erratic.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in hard science fiction and Forteana.",
          "caveat": "Described as somewhat erratic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ken MacLeod"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "forteana",
        "hard science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-enjoyment-of-math-be8ad9",
      "title": "The Enjoyment of Math",
      "author": "Hans Rademacher; Otto Toeplitz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34443279,
          "author": "acrodrig",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T17:52:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34443279",
          "commentText": "The enjoyment of Math (https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/enjoyment-of-math-hans-rade... (https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/enjoyment-of-math-hans-rademacher/1101640979)). Best book ever. Made me fall in love with math as a teenager.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The enjoyment of Math",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the best book and says it made them fall in love with math.",
          "audience": "The commenter read it as a teenager.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hans Rademacher",
        "Otto Toeplitz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "recreational mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-entrepreneur-s-daily-nietzsche-c81220",
      "title": "The Entrepreneur's Daily Nietzsche",
      "author": "Brad Feld and Dave Jilk",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brad Feld",
        "Dave Jilk"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-entrepreneur-s-guide-to-law-and-strategy-3845df",
      "title": "The Entrepreneur's Guide to Law and Strategy",
      "author": "Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Constance Bagley",
        "Craig Dauchy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "startup law"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-entrepreneurial-venture-53cdcd",
      "title": "The Entrepreneurial Venture",
      "author": "William A. Sahlman, Howard H. Stevenson, Michael J. Roberts, and Amar V. Bhide",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 138154,
          "author": "ojbyrne",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-16T13:45:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=138154",
          "commentText": "I have a book left over from my b-school days that I often dip back into. It's called \"The Entrepreneurial Venture\" and it's sort of like \"Founders at Work\" if that had been written by Harvard Business School professors.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Entrepreneurial-Venture-Practice-Manag... (http://www.amazon.com/Entrepreneurial-Venture-Practice-Management/dp/0875848923)\nI know that in this group it probably provides an alternative perspective.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I know that in this group it probably provides an alternative perspective.",
          "reason": "Offered as an alternative perspective, compared to Founders at Work.",
          "audience": "This group, in the context of startup books.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it may provide an alternative perspective for this group.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William A. Sahlman, Howard H. Stevenson, Michael J. Roberts, and Amar V. Bhide"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "startup management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-entropy-law-and-the-economic-process-1a021d",
      "title": "The Entropy Law and the Economic Process",
      "author": "Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22094219,
          "author": "dredmorbius",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T21:27:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22094219",
          "commentText": "In no particular order, and some of these being more \"highly underrated\" as opposed to \"unknown\", with the notable exception of Smith's Wealth of Nations which is disturbingly un- and mis-read:\n1. Grammatical Man, by Jeremy Campbell (1982)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-e... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-entropy-language-and-life/oclc/856698430)\nMy introduction to information theory and its diverse set of interrelated applications and phenomena.\n2. Ecology and the Politics of Scarcity, by William Ophuls (1977)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-s... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-scarcity-revisited-the-unraveling-of-the-american-dream/oclc/872523631)\nDistills the Limits to Growth issue to its essence, and looks at the political implications, with a set of estimates of political developments which have played out closely.\n3. An Inquiry to the Nature and Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith (1776)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/inquiry-into-the-nature-and-c... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/inquiry-into-the-nature-and-causes-of-the-wealth-of-nations/oclc/1083940513)\nThe best-known, but least-read, and most mis-read book on this list.  Smith isn't perfect and has flaws.  But his message is extraordinarily misunderstood and misrepresented.  Even where he is wrong, he is instructive.\n4. Commercialism and Journalism, by Hamilton Holt (1909)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/commercialism-and-journalism/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/commercialism-and-journalism/oclc/639344712)\nA short but extraordinarily illuminating read on the influence of money and advertising on the press, coming near the beginning of the era of mass media.\n5. Unix Power Tools, by Mike Loukides et al (1997)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/2584502... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/258450296)\nThe book that really got me \"over the hump\" in understanding the Unix environment and tools.  Now somewhat dated, though still highly useful.\n6. A Short History of Progress, by Ronald Wright (2004)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/short-history-of-progress/ocl... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/short-history-of-progress/oclc/1089834019)\nAn exploration of the story, question, and future, of progress.\n7. Entropy and the Economic Process, by Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen (1971)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/entropy-law-and-the-economic-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/entropy-law-and-the-economic-process/oclc/299362046)\nA re-thinking of economics taking thermodynamics into account.  Famously difficult to read, but well worth the effort.\n8. On the Damned Human Race, by Mark Twain (1962)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/mark-twain-on-the-damned-huma... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/mark-twain-on-the-damned-human-race/oclc/950982242)\nA darker, angrier, more bitter side of Twain, cracking open the sanitised version those familiar with Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn will know, and giving an insight to the darker side of late 19th and early 20th century America.\n9. Energy and Civilization, by Vaclav Smil (2017)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-and-civilization-a-his... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-and-civilization-a-history/oclc/1032365823)\nA re-casting of history, not according to spiritual or cultural progress, Great Men, or social dynamics, but the access to and utilisation of energy sources.\n10. Resistances to the Adoption of Technological Innovations, by Bernhard J. Stern (1937)\nhttps://archive.org/details/technologicaltre1937unitrich/pag... (https://archive.org/details/technologicaltre1937unitrich/page/39)\nA fascinating exploration of the organised opposition to numerous significant technological innovations through the ages, contrary to the conventional story told by mainstream economic and innovation models and stories.  Stern's research assistant at the time he was working on this topic went on to become known as a science fiction author, and based one of his first works on this notion:  Isaac Asimov.\nOn the question of compiling such lists:  I've recently started keeping a research journal in which I'm trying to capture works of significance that I've read, vaguely inspired by both index-card methods (such as Zettelkasten or POIC) and bullet journals.\nThe organisation is \"BOTI\" -- best of the interval.\nI will start a two-page spread, dated, of a specific class of entries -- works, videos, authors, ideas, etc. -- and when that closes, start another.  Periodically (about every month, for now) I'll select the best of those works for a BOTM list, and at the end of a year, a BOTY list.\nOr at least that's the idea.\nThis may address the question of keeping track of the most significant works (or authors, concepts, ideas, etc.) over time, which otherwise tend to become a bit of a jumble.\nThe BOTI list and periodic aggregations themselves resemble round-robin databases, or ring or circular buffers or files, though without actually rewriting each specific list.  The initial capture levels remain accessible (in the journal) for revisiting, should something prove to have been more significant on subsequent reflection than initially appeared.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Entropy and the Economic Process, by Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen (1971)",
          "reason": "The commenter says it rethinks economics in light of thermodynamics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is famously difficult to read.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ecological economics",
        "thermodynamics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-epistle-of-james-9cc31a",
      "title": "The Epistle of James",
      "author": "James the Just",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15160659,
          "author": "pbhjpbhj",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T10:16:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15160659",
          "commentText": "The synoptic gospels and NT, but to choose one book from the NT, ...\nThe Epistle of James - as it has some strong counterpoints to other parts of the NT particularly the contrast of Pauline notions of grace with charity/works.\nEmperor's New Mind, Penrose - probably my biggest take away from it was to consider how human perception works alongside, and co-mingles with, physics.\nWeb of Life, Capra - considering holistic nature of life, one's connection to the World at large; emergent patterns, complex structure birthing from simplicity (goes well with what I recall of Gleick's Chaos).\nZen and the Art ... - what is value, what is valuable to me, whither/whence/wherefore value; how should I relate to my children (long before i had any) and how to challenge them philosophically.\nRepublic, Plato - the first book that really set me thinking about the structure of society, about inequalities. And of course about stepping out of The Cave.\nKoran & Hadith (partial readings, ie whole sections; couple of major hadith only) - [redacted]; but greater understanding of Islam and of religion in general; taught me to watchfully avoid being tainted by the labels people give themselves and look instead to their actions.\nMein Kampf (partial reading) - ideas have intrinsic moral value, that we should judge ideas on their merits and not by who has them; we should be careful about tarring people by simple association.\nArt of War - preparedness, looking to supply lines, avoiding conflicts, not entering \"battles\" you know you'll lose (which I'd take as 'learn nothing from').\nChristianarchy - what it means to be a Christian, who is and isn't \"in\".\nAgrarian Justice, Paine - what is my place politically and economically in the world, whence do I derive the 'rights' to own what I do, whether such ownership is good.\nWorth noting here that the ideas and impressions I got are unlikely to be what you will get, we react to books based on who we are, our frame of mind, moods, etc.. Most of these books I read as a late teenager, that at least in part boosts their impact. The impact is not necessarily the purpose of the book, quite the opposite in some cases.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Epistle of James - as it has some strong counterpoints to other parts of the NT",
          "reason": "Discussed for its counterpoints within the New Testament.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James the Just"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christianity",
        "new testament"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-essays-of-warren-buffett-de26ca",
      "title": "The Essays of Warren Buffett",
      "author": "Lawrence A. Cunningham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1971251,
          "author": "loganfrederick",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T08:41:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971251",
          "commentText": "+ Hacker Ethic by Steven Levy\n+ Masters of Doom by David Kushner\n+ The Millionaire Mind by Dr. Thomas Stanley\n+ The Intelligent Investor by Ben Graham\n+ The Essays of Warren Buffet by Lawrence Cunningham\n+ Buffet by Roger Lowenstein\n+ The Knack by Norm Brodsky\n+ Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar by Thomas Cathcart, Daniel Klein\n+ The Return of the Great Depression by Vox Day\n+ Capitalism and Freedom by Milton Friedman\n+ Road to Serfdom by Hayek\n+ Iacocca:An Autobiography by Lee Iacocca",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Essays of Warren Buffet by Lawrence Cunningham",
          "reason": "Listed as a book to give the commenter's younger self.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lawrence A. Cunningham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "corporate governance",
        "investing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-essays-of-warren-buffett-lessons-for-corporate-america-18c0cf",
      "title": "The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America",
      "author": "Warren Buffett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17936661,
          "author": "atlas1428",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T18:44:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17936661",
          "commentText": "- The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins\n- Godel Escher Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\n- Language, Truth, and Logic by A. J. Ayer\n- Thinking in Systems: A Primer by Donella Meadows\nBooks that serve as investment philosophy guides for those who've developed a habit of saving money but are looking for the \"next step\" in building more wealth. From the mind of one of the greatest investors of all time:\n- The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham (get the annotated version with an epilogue written by Warren Buffett!)\n- The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America\nA book that discusses what matters most in your life from a resource-allocation, measurable results standpoint (family, etc.):\n- How Will You Measure Your Life by Clayton Christensen\nA book I read 10 years ago that forever changed the way I manage productivity and organization both at work and in my personal life:\n- Getting Things Done by David Allen\nBooks that show that our universe is just as crazy, if not crazier, than science fiction:\n- Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy\n- Quantum Chance: Nonlocality, Teleportation and Other Quantum Marvels\n- ..and so on with intersecting topics!\nNot to mention, I love trying to have as deep an understanding as I can by reading highly technical textbooks on cosmology, gravitation, and quantum physics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America",
          "reason": "Listed among investment philosophy guides for building wealth.",
          "audience": "People who save and want to build more wealth.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Warren Buffett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "corporate governance",
        "investing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-essence-of-decision-e207b7",
      "title": "The Essence of Decision",
      "author": "Graham Allison and Philip Zelikow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13805461,
          "author": "nappy",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T19:46:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805461",
          "commentText": "\"The Essence of Decision\" - Graham Allison and Philip Zelikow\nThe easy way to think decisions is with the rational actor model. \"The United States didn't sign the TPP agreement because...\" \"Apple removed the headphone jack because...\" When the reality of large organizations is that decisions are made in the interaction of many people suborganizations. Allison and Zelikow are political scientists who massively advanced academic understanding of organization decision making... to illustrate their theories, they did original research into the Cuban missile crisis using it as an example of various models. Very accessible. It changed the way I think about how companies, governments, and the world works.\n\"Infinite Jest\" - David Foster Wallace\nIt changed my life. This book taught me empathy and the truth in ordinary things... It's brilliant and amazing and worth making your way through 1000+ pages. RIP DFW.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Very accessible. It changed the way I think about how companies, governments, and the world works.",
          "reason": "The commenter says its accessible account of organizational decision making changed how they think about companies and governments.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in how large organizations make decisions.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Graham Allison and Philip Zelikow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cuban missile crisis",
        "organizational decision making"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-essential-calvin-and-hobbes-1e5750",
      "title": "The Essential Calvin and Hobbes",
      "author": "Bill Watterson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12244990,
          "author": "Brainix",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T01:51:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244990",
          "commentText": "The Essential Calvin and Hobbes. That book taught me to be a decent person.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Essential Calvin and Hobbes. That book taught me to be a decent person.",
          "reason": "Says the book taught them to be a decent person.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Watterson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic strips"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ethics-of-ambiguity-19fc2b",
      "title": "The Ethics of Ambiguity",
      "author": "Simone de Beauvoir",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503706,
          "author": "edna_piranha",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T14:46:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503706",
          "commentText": "If you're interested in phenomenology and/or existentialism and works that are somewhat readable (this is subjective of course), I'd suggest:\n1. Maurice Merleau-Ponty - The Phenomenology of Perception\n2. Simone de Beauvoir - Ethics of Ambiguity\n3. Friedrich Nietzsche - Will to Power\nI'd highly recommend NOT reading Being and Time by Heidegger - you'll want to stab your eyes out ten times.\nOutside of pure philosophical texts and more emphasis on fictional works related to philosophy, I'd suggest indirect material that encourage ideas of subjective perception and point-of-view. Examples are works by Franz Kafka, Ryu Murakami and William S. Burroughs.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2. Simone de Beauvoir - Ethics of Ambiguity",
          "reason": "Suggests it to readers interested in phenomenology or existentialism.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in phenomenology or existentialism.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says readability is subjective.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Simone de Beauvoir"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ethics",
        "existentialism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ethics-of-belief-1686ba",
      "title": "The Ethics of Belief",
      "author": "William Kingdon Clifford",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503692,
          "author": "telemachos",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T14:39:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503692",
          "commentText": "Some from the canon:\n\nPlato: Defence of Socrates, Euthyphro, Crito (translated by David Gallop)\nThe Modes of Scepticism by Julia Annas and Jonathan Barnes (a beautiful collection of texts from Pyrrhonian scepticism and analysis of their arguments; the best way I know to meet ancient scepticism)\nDescartes: Meditations on First Philosophy (The Cambridge University Press edition is very good; it's probably worth buying their Selected Philosophical Writings for a good basic Descartes text)\nDavid Hume: An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding and An Enquiry concerning the Principles of Morals (I recommend the Oxford Philosophical Texts editions)\nWittgenstein: Philosophical Investigations (terribly, terribly difficult, but very rewarding)\n  A few contemporary things:\n\nGilbert Ryle: The Concept of Mind\nWillard Van Orman Quine: From a Logical Point of View\nJ. L. Mackie: Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong\nThomas Nagel: Mortal Questions (short essays, well-written, very accessible)\nBernard Williams: Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy\nMichael Smith: The Moral Problem\n  Specialist, technical, odd:\n\nThe Frege Reader by Michael Beaney (for modern logic and the beginnings of contemporary philosophy in the analytic style)\nJ. L. Mackie: The Cement of the Universe: A Study of Causation\nWilliam Kingdon Clifford: The Ethics of Belief (he argues, oddly but powerfully, that it's immoral to believe things on insufficient evidence or irrationally - an offense to morality, not just reason)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "he argues, oddly but powerfully, that it's immoral to believe things on insufficient evidence or irrationally",
          "reason": "Presents its argument as an odd but powerful case about belief and evidence.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in evidence and belief.",
          "caveat": "The argument is described as odd.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Kingdon Clifford"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ethics of belief",
        "evidence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ethics-of-liberty-a402d5",
      "title": "The Ethics of Liberty",
      "author": "Murray N. Rothbard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9612954,
          "author": "porsager",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T17:32:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9612954",
          "commentText": "If you're already at Mises.org you should read\nEthics of liberty\nhttp://anarcho-capitalist.org/wp-content/pdfs/Rothbard%20%28... (http://anarcho-capitalist.org/wp-content/pdfs/Rothbard%20%28Murray%29%20-%20The%20Ethics%20of%20Liberty.pdf)\nFor a new liberty\nhttps://mises.org/sites/default/files/For%20a%20New%20Libert... (https://mises.org/sites/default/files/For%20a%20New%20Liberty%20The%20Libertarian%20Manifesto_3.pdf)\nIf those are to your liking they contain some great reading lists. A lot of the books in those lists are also available for free at mises.org",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ethics of liberty",
          "reason": "Recommends reading it if the reader is already at Mises.org.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the Mises.org material.",
          "caveat": "Conditional: “If those are to your liking.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Murray N. Rothbard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "libertarianism",
        "political philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ethics-of-liberty-6d1818",
      "title": "The Ethics of Liberty",
      "author": "Murray Rothbard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18042039,
          "author": "timtas",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-21T19:27:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18042039",
          "commentText": "This is a very impactful book, but challenging for those new to the topic. I would recommend reading his \"The Ethics of Liberty\" first.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend reading his \"The Ethics of Liberty\" first.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a first read before the more challenging book under discussion.",
          "audience": "Readers new to the topic.",
          "caveat": "Describes the other book as challenging for newcomers.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Murray Rothbard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "libertarianism",
        "political philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-etymologicon-a-circular-stroll-through-the-hidden-connections-c86e34",
      "title": "The Etymologicon: A Circular Stroll Through the Hidden Connections of the English Language",
      "author": "Mark Forsyth",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30829812,
          "author": "mdp2021",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T12:34:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30829812",
          "commentText": "Linguistics: some time ago, a member recommended\nMark Forsyth's Etymologicon\n, which I promptly found and read: not only it is a must-read in general (if you speak, read or write), but surely it should lure one into an interest in studies concerning language.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mark Forsyth's Etymologicon\n, which I promptly found and read: not only it is a must-read in general",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a must-read and says it can draw readers into language studies.",
          "audience": "People who speak, read, or write, including readers curious about language.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Forsyth"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "english language",
        "etymology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-everlasting-man-fd2f6f",
      "title": "The Everlasting Man",
      "author": "G. K. Chesterton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8109628,
          "author": "joeclark77",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T17:22:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109628",
          "commentText": "How can there be 71 comments and not one mention of G. K. Chesterton?  Go out, right now, and check out The Everlasting Man and Orthodoxy from your local library.\nI would also throw out there Shop Class as Soulcraft by Matthew Crawford, as something to inspire makers & engineers without being a technical book.  If you like history, David McCullough's biography John Adams is a masterpiece (also see 1776 by the same author).\nI can't think of anything else that hasn't already been mentioned.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Go out, right now, and check out The Everlasting Man and Orthodoxy from your local library.",
          "reason": "Directly urges readers to check it out in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking interesting, perspective-expanding books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "G. K. Chesterton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian apologetics",
        "religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-evolution-of-civilizations-60bf92",
      "title": "The Evolution of Civilizations",
      "author": "Carroll Quigley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30823369,
          "author": "cl42",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-27T19:42:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30823369",
          "commentText": "\"Seeing Like a State\" by James C. Scott\nI started my career in international development, and the book above provides a dozen case studies on states using scientific management, stats, etc. to try and control their growth/populations/economies and failing miserably.\nIt is a beautiful book in that it illustrates how difficult it is to actually manage a country and economy well, especially if you are trying to completely change it (i.e., \"develop\" it, solve poverty, etc.). It humbled me as a 22 year old \"professional\" wanting to fix the world.\n\"The Death and Life of Great American Cities\" by Jane Jacobs is a close second to this theme of economic, technocratic development.\nEDIT: I notice 22 upvotes. WOW! If you are a fan of this book or curious to hear more, please comment. Happy to elaborate. If you want a third book, The Evolution of Civilizations[1] is another fun one here. It tries to apply scientific principles and hypothesis testing to historical analysis!\n[1] https://10millionsteps.com/review-evolution-of-civilizations",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Evolution of Civilizations",
          "reason": "Offered as a third book; the commenter says it applies scientific principles and hypothesis testing to historical analysis.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in historical analysis.",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it a fun book; no further caveat is given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carroll Quigley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "civilizational theory",
        "historical analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-existential-pleasures-of-engineering-64b6a2",
      "title": "The Existential Pleasures of Engineering",
      "author": "Samuel C. Florman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39063833,
          "author": "ctrlp",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-20T01:48:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39063833",
          "commentText": "Samuel Florman wrote some interesting books reflecting on engineering and the humanities\nThe Civilized Engineer\nThe Introspective Engineer\nThe Existential Pleasures of Engineering\nA few others I haven't read",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Existential Pleasures of Engineering",
          "reason": "Lists it among Florman’s books reflecting on engineering and the humanities.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read all of the listed books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 39063081,
          "author": "lambdaphagy",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T23:57:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39063081",
          "commentText": "Florman's _The Existential Pleasures of Engineering_.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Florman's _The Existential Pleasures of Engineering_.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Samuel C. Florman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "engineering",
        "philosophy of engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-expedition-106b9e",
      "title": "The Expedition",
      "author": "Bea Uusma",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8257548,
          "author": "nixy",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T13:58:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257548",
          "commentText": "\"The Expedition\" by Bea Uusma. A forensic investigation into why three arctic explorers died trying to reach the north pole in a balloon—conducted over 100 years after they died.\nIt's a fascinating story, as well as a great insight into a mind that became obsessed with answering the question \"they had enough clothes, food, fuel and ammo to survive. Why did they die?\"\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Expedition-Forgotten-Story-Trage... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Expedition-Forgotten-Story-Tragedy-ebook/dp/B00KFDR028)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Expedition\" by Bea Uusma.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a fascinating story and praises its insight into obsessive investigation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bea Uusma"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "arctic exploration",
        "forensic history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-experience-of-god-being-consciousness-bliss-83796e",
      "title": "The Experience of God: Being, Consciousness, Bliss",
      "author": "David Bentley Hart",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37937559,
          "author": "catlover76",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T02:27:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937559",
          "commentText": "The Experience of God by David Bentley Hart\nAny of David Foster Wallace's books of essays such as A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again and Consider the Lobster",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Experience of God by David Bentley Hart",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Bentley Hart"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "theology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-expert-system-series-d2f826",
      "title": "The Expert System series",
      "author": "Adrian Tchaikovsky",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33390173,
          "author": "skydhash",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-30T01:57:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33390173",
          "commentText": "\"Shadows of the Apts\" series is one of my favorite. The story is so nicely constructed that you sometimes forgot the world building, even though it impacts on the characters' personalities. I've also the Expert System books, and it was somewhat disturbing in their explorations. Most of his books I've read seems to be premised on how easily man experiments can go wrong.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I've also the Expert System books, and it was somewhat disturbing in their explorations.",
          "reason": "Says they have read the books and found their explorations somewhat disturbing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as somewhat disturbing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adrian Tchaikovsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "speculative fiction",
        "technological consequences"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-extermination-of-the-american-bison-bd3cd0",
      "title": "The Extermination of the American Bison",
      "author": "William T. Hornaday",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42274691,
          "author": "perrygeo",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T15:56:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42274691",
          "commentText": "Origin - A genetic history of the Americas by Jennifer Raff. Recent evidence of how humans came to the Americas; it's a significantly different story than our conventional wisdom account.\nCows, Pigs, Wars, and Witches by Marvin Harris. How cultural norms establish collective behavior.\nThe Extermination of the American Bison. Written in the late 1800s as the tragedy was unfolding. Lots on great detail on how and why we decimated a keystone species in a matter of a few decades.\nPlato's Revenge by William Ophuls. A concise manifesto on societal change. Lays out a vision for a new post-growth, post-oil, ecological consciousness that incorporates modern science, religion and philosophy.\nFour Thousand Weeks. Far from a self-help time-management book, this is more a philosophy book on human's relationship with time. Delightful read.\nBreath by James Nestor. Modern humans are breathing incorrectly due to factors of modern life. An exploration of the science and art of breathing properly.\nBernoulli's Fallacy by Aubrey Clayton. In the statistical wars, this book takes a strong stance: Bayesian is unequivocally better. He exploses the racist/colonial history of frequentist statistics, as well as the fundamental flaws in their math. Posits that mis-applied frequentist methods are to blame for the reproducibility crisis in science.\nHow the World Really Works by Vaclav Smil. A no-nonsense, factual account of the systems that keep our modern globalized society running.\nElements of Clojure by Zach Tellman. A concise, high-level philosophy about how we build and compose abstractions. One of those books where every sentence is gold. My only wish that the book wasn't tied to Clojure (most of the book is applicable to any language, despite the title).\nTidy First? by Kent Beck. How and when to make structural changes (refactoring, architecture, paying down tech debt) vs behavioral changes (new features, bug fixes). You need both, and you can use economic theory as a guide for when to invest in one or the other. But you need to treat them differently.\nNumerical Linear Algebra for Programmers by Dragan Djuric. A code-centric introduction to common linear algrebra routines, Using Clojure and the neaderthal library - a high-level API for fast math optimized for CPU and GPU hardware.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Extermination of the American Bison. Written in the late 1800s as the tragedy was unfolding.",
          "reason": "Described as a contemporary account of the destruction of the American bison.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William T. Hornaday"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american bison",
        "wildlife conservation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-extraordinary-life-of-an-ordinary-man-a-memoir-3b03ad",
      "title": "The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man: A Memoir",
      "author": "Paul Newman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42659908,
          "author": "jdeibele",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T20:38:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42659908",
          "commentText": "\"Idea Man\" is by Paul Allen.\n\"The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man: A Memoir\" looks like an interesting book on Paul Newman but I haven't read it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The Extraordinary Life of an Ordinary Man: A Memoir\" looks like an interesting book on Paul Newman but I haven't read it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it looks interesting but has not read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Newman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "film",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": []
    },
    {
      "id": "the-eye-c10437",
      "title": "The Eye",
      "author": "Vladimir Nabokov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10208130,
          "author": "V-2",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T14:15:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10208130",
          "commentText": "Obviously not s-f as such, but - quite a few novels by Nabokov. \"The Luzhin Defence\" (aka \"The Defense\"), \"The Eye\", \"Bend Sinister\", \"Transparent Things\" - all very immersing, and posing the question of what's the true reality, its underpinnings and seams. Challenging reads for sure, every detail matters.\nSome might recommend Pynchon as well, personally I'm not convinced but to each his own.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Luzhin Defence\" (aka \"The Defense\"), \"The Eye\", \"Bend Sinister\", \"Transparent Things\" - all very immersing, and posing the question of what's the true reality, its underpinnings and seams.",
          "reason": "Described as immersive and as questioning the nature and foundations of reality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls these challenging reads and says every detail matters.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vladimir Nabokov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "psychological fiction",
        "reality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-eye-of-the-world-f98afb",
      "title": "The Eye of the World",
      "author": "Robert Jordan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10226072,
          "author": "monroepe",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-16T12:36:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 10211331,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10226072",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed The Eye of the World. I can't wait to start book 2. I have heard the series slows down considerably later on.But so far I love it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed The Eye of the World.",
          "reason": "Says they love the book so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They have heard the series slows down considerably later on.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10217169,
          "author": "partisan",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-14T20:08:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 10211331,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10217169",
          "commentText": "I read through the first three books of the Wheel of Time, but couldn't make it further. I may try again at some point. Did you also love Eye of the World?",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Did you also love Eye of the World?",
          "reason": "The commenter asks whether the other person loved it; they do not state their own opinion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10216709,
          "author": "monroepe",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-14T18:47:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 10211331,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10216709",
          "commentText": "I just bought that book and will be starting it tomorrow. I am finishing up The Eye of the World - Robert Jordan today. My wife loved it (she reads a lot faster than me).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I am finishing up The Eye of the World - Robert Jordan today.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are finishing the book; no opinion is given.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3395419,
          "author": "beilabs",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T11:04:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395419",
          "commentText": "I'm fairly sure it was well mapped out for him.  I'll go and re-read the lot a couple of months before I do.\nTIL today, there is a comic book for The Eye of the World.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "there is a comic book for The Eye of the World.",
          "reason": "Notes the existence of a comic book adaptation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Jordan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "quest"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-eyes-of-texas-are-upon-you-b2035e",
      "title": "The Eyes of Texas Are Upon You",
      "author": "Alex Atkinson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467918,
          "author": "5letters",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T16:17:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467918",
          "commentText": "When I've needed to laugh I've read and reread:\nMark Twain's  \"Life on the Mississippi\"  and \"Roughing It\" as well as many short stories, esp. \"My Watch\", \"Political Economy\", \"Journalism in Tennessee\"\nAlso short stories from others:\nJ.S. Perelman's \"Strictly From Hunger\",\nAlex Atkinson's \"The Eyes of Texas are Upon You\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Alex Atkinson's \"The Eyes of Texas are Upon You\"",
          "reason": "The commenter rereads it when needing a laugh.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alex Atkinson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "humor",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-fabric-of-civilization-how-textiles-made-the-world-b86592",
      "title": "The Fabric of Civilization: How Textiles Made the World",
      "author": "Virginia Postrel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47031526,
          "author": "mikewarot",
          "createdAt": "2026-02-16T06:22:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 47027236,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47031526",
          "commentText": "The fabric of civilization - how textiles made the world -- Virginia Postrel\nIt's chok full of interesting stuff.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The fabric of civilization - how textiles made the world -- Virginia Postrel",
          "reason": "Calls it full of interesting material.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Virginia Postrel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic history",
        "textile history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-fabric-of-the-cosmos-space-time-and-the-texture-of-reality-2a6c8c",
      "title": "The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality",
      "author": "Brian Greene",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 755165,
          "author": "brown9-2",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T13:43:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755165",
          "commentText": "I know this doesn't answer your question since you asked about math in general, but in case anyone ever starts a \"Best Physics books for complete noobie?\" thread I'd like to go ahead and suggest Brian Greene's \"Fabric of the Cosmos\": http://www.amazon.com/Fabric-Cosmos-Space-Texture-Reality/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/Fabric-Cosmos-Space-Texture-Reality/dp/0375727205/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1249998147&sr=8-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd like to go ahead and suggest Brian Greene's \"Fabric of the Cosmos\"",
          "reason": "Suggests the book for a hypothetical discussion of beginner physics books.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for physics books for beginners.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it does not answer the current math question.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Greene"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cosmology",
        "physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-facts-on-file-dictionary-of-mathematics-a349dd",
      "title": "The Facts on File Dictionary of Mathematics",
      "author": "David C. Gibson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10027904,
          "author": "hga",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T17:06:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027904",
          "commentText": "The Selfish Gene is wonderfully tight, indeed very little noise and a whole lot of signal.\nHere's two books if you want to learn about math you might want to learn about: The Facts on File Dictionary on Mathematics by Gibson, and Foundations and Fundamental Concepts of Mathematics by Howard Eves, which takes a historical approach, but is not a history per se.  More like \"this is what the Greeks did, in this period the use of calculus was pretty loose and look at this equation that  Euler thought was right, these are the steps that brought rigor to it\" etc.\nSusan Wise Bauer has been writing a series of history books solely focused on \"politics\", i.e. no coverage of the arts besides occasional mentions; that can be a very useful framework to then hang study of things like the arts off of.  Also no wild speculation like Guns, Germs and Steel is filled with, if it wasn't written down and passed down to us, it gets only brief mention.  Here's the first one: http://www.susanwisebauer.com/books/history-of-the-ancient-w... (http://www.susanwisebauer.com/books/history-of-the-ancient-world/)\nSamuel Eliot Morison wrote a series of book on the History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, they're focused on what happened in detail, with charts of the movement of the ships in various battles and so on.  The TV series Victory at Sea was based on them, and they're a good framework to then hang more detailed study of the war off of: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_United_States_Naval... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_United_States_Naval_Operations_in_World_War_II)\nAs Wikipedians put it, This History of U.S. Naval Operations also intentionally avoided a certain amount of analysis, for instance deferring to other works for the causes of the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor. The intended audience for the work, to quote from the preface, was \"the general reader rather than the professional sailor.\"\nThere are two very tight and short books on self-defense, Jeff Cooper Principles of Personal Defense and Massad Ayoob's In the Gravest Extreme, The Role of the Firearm in Personal Protection, \"Just the facts, ma'am\", firearm centric but wonderfully focused.\nADDED: Sun Tzu's The Art of War is itself very focused (the media on which it was written strongly encourages that!), although the commentary, traditional and what modern translators add, can wander into fluff.  A lot of it is relevant to modern non-violent life, and don't forget that \"You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you\".  I recommend  Samuel B. Griffith's translation, he was a professional military officer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Facts on File Dictionary on Mathematics by Gibson",
          "reason": "Lists it among books for learning about mathematics.",
          "audience": "Readers who want to learn about mathematics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David C. Gibson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dictionary",
        "mathematics reference"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-failure-of-the-new-economics-daee2a",
      "title": "The Failure of the 'New Economics'",
      "author": "Henry Hazlitt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12562480,
          "author": "dmfdmf",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T05:16:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12562480",
          "commentText": "What are you a communist? Talk about old.\nBTW, you should also read Hazlitt's \"The Failure of the 'New Economics' \". Hazlitt shredded Keynes and doesn't pull any punches.  Too bad nobody listened to him.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you should also read Hazlitt's \"The Failure of the 'New Economics' \". Hazlitt shredded Keynes and doesn't pull any punches. Too bad nobody listened to him.",
          "reason": "Recommends Hazlitt's critique of Keynes and praises its forcefulness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Henry Hazlitt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic critique",
        "keynesian economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-faithful-spy-4a6c34",
      "title": "The Faithful Spy",
      "author": "John Hendrix",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665209,
          "author": "PostPost",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:26:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665209",
          "commentText": "Sorry for the wall of text.\n1. Bourne (The language and world of this novel are extraordinary - everything is falling apart yet brimming with life. Strangely moving)\n2. The Design of Everyday things (Essential for anyone in UI/UX)\n3. All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (Highly engaging, entertaining sci-fi novella series, from an author that can write a very decent robot protagonist)\n4. The Power (Interesting story with sci-fi elements on the dynamics of power, sex, and gender roles. I didn't care for the book, but the first 3/4 of the book are amazing)\n5. Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days\n6. 7 brief Lessons on Physics\n7. The Last Lecture (The energy and positivity coming from a man knowing he's about to die is infectious. Great read)\n8. A wizard of Earthsea (Move over Harry Potter, this is the essential children's story about wizards)\n9. Exploring diabetes with owls (Funny, irreverent)\n10. Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children (Made an effort to read more YA this year - this was the best in this series, but I still hated it. There's a host of better YA series out there.)\n11. A Wizard of Earthsea: The Tombs of Atuan (See 8.)\n12. The Girl in the Dark (Interesting book about a skin condition I had never heard of, and the trials of living with a very rare condition)\n13. The Phantom Tollbooth (Clever children's book)\n14. Black hole blues and songs from outer space (Informative book about the study of space,  the political and economic forces standing in the way of science, and the incredible individuals working in this field)\n15. Welcome to Night Vale (Hugely entertaining, clever and weird)\n16. You need a budget (Basic economics book explaining how to budget in a way that lets you do more with your money)\n17. To fight Against This Age (Incredibly pretentious, \nIvory Tower philosophizing)\n18. Infinity Gauntlet (Half the Universe dying because Thanos wanted to sleep with Lady Death will never not be ridiculous)\n19. The Right and Wrong Stuff (Great read explaining how to anticipate and avoid career pitfalls)\n20. Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children: Hollow City (pretty shitty)\n21. The Farthest Shore (Ursula K. Le Guin was the biggest loss this year)\n22. Miss peregrine's home for Peculiar Children: Library of Souls (I hate this book and all its characters)\n23. Every Good Endevour (Religious book about a Christian worldview and the value of labor - not a bad read)\n24. When to Rob a Bank and 131 warped suggestions… (interesting, funny, from the writers of Freakonomics)\n25. Weapons of Math Destruction (Probably the most useful book on this list, if you're reading this on \"hackernews\")\n26. Holes (Perfect summer paperback read)\n27. Silver Screen Sirens (Essential for film geeks)\n28. A full life: reflections at 90 (I gained a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter: he lived an incredible life and does great things)\n29. Call Me by your name (Very good romance novel to send to your bigoted relatives at Christmas)\n30. Hyperbole and a half (Incredibly entertaining, very distinctive art style)\n31. The Murderbot diaries: Artificial Condition (See 3.)\n32. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Best children's book, fight me)\n33. Less (Exceptionally well-written)\n34. Resilience (Great book, especially for those that have gone through extremely difficult circumstances)\n35. The Strange Bird (Dark, bleak, full of life, see 1.)\n36. The Murderbot diaries: Rogue Protocol (See 3.)\n37. His Dark Materials: The subtle knife (See 32.)\n38. Tap Dancing to Work (Very dry, some stories/articles are fantastic, others very, very boring for people that do not care about finance)\n39. So Good They Can't Ignore You (Pretty good)\n40. His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass (Amazing YA, see 32.)\n41. Uncontainable (Inspirational book about conscious capitalism)\n42. The Emperor of All Maladies (Pretty much everything you'll ever want to know about Cancer, written in a very engaging way)\n43. Blind Spot\n44. Shoe dog (Great story, see madmax108's comment, totally agree)\n45. The Faithful Spy (Beautiful artwork describing a Christian pastor's fight against fascism during WW2)\n46. Zero to One\n47. You'll grow out of it\n48. The Happiness advantage (Really fantastic book about the value of positive psychology)\n49. Dreams from my father (Enlightening look into Obama's \nearly days)\n50. Ayoade on Ayoade (Entertaining, extremely scatter-brained, not as funny as his interviews or tv programs)\n51. The Diabolic (badly written YA Sci-Fi)\n52. The Physics of Everyday Things (surprisingly informative, recommended for non science-people interested in the way things work)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Beautiful artwork describing a Christian pastor's fight against fascism during WW2",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its artwork and describes its historical subject.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Hendrix"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "graphic nonfiction",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-fall-2fdde8",
      "title": "The Fall",
      "author": "Albert Camus",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15762015,
          "author": "cryoshon",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T00:58:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762015",
          "commentText": "\"the fall\" by camus\nthe specific topic is a man's life-- but not the man you think.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"the fall\" by camus",
          "reason": "Offers it in response to a request for books with broad impact on daily life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Albert Camus"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "existentialism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-fall-of-advertising-and-the-rise-of-pr-0b3181",
      "title": "The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR",
      "author": "Al Ries and Laura Ries",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 193850,
          "author": "hschenker",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-19T04:26:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 193308,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What books on marketing do you recomend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=193850",
          "commentText": "\"The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR,\" by Al and Laura Ries.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR,\" by Al and Laura Ries.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Al Ries",
        "Laura Ries"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "advertising",
        "marketing",
        "public relations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-fall-of-carthage-6691a6",
      "title": "The Fall of Carthage",
      "author": "Adrian Goldsworthy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42656645,
          "author": "stevenfoster",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T15:48:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42656645",
          "commentText": "Fall of Carthage by Adrian Goldsworthy\nFew people understand the Punic wars and what it took to “delete” Carthage from the world. Delenda Cartago Est.\nGoldsworthy tells the story accessibly from both sides of the wars. Lessons that echo throughout history.\nMore of a biography but still fits your criteria is The Wright Brothers by David McCullough. It’s an easy read and hard to put down. I had no idea what it took to make flying a thing until that book. We definitely take for granted how much those two men changed the world.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fall of Carthage by Adrian Goldsworthy",
          "reason": "Recommended for an accessible account of the Punic Wars from both sides.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the Punic Wars and historical lessons.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adrian Goldsworthy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "carthage",
        "punic wars"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-fallen-empire-a9f8b3",
      "title": "The Fallen Empire",
      "author": "Lindsay Buroker",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237020,
          "author": "Jemaclus",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:13:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237020",
          "commentText": "I keep an active list of books I've read, along with my reviews at my book review website, https://books.brianseitel.com. One of the benefits of this is that my favorite books automatically populate on the left. In 2016, I read over 60 books. My top 10 for 2016 (so far) are, in rough order of favorite-ness:\n- \"All the Birds in the Sky\" by Charlie Jane Anders\n- \"The Shards of Heaven\" and its sequel \"The Gates of Hell\" by Michael Livingston (fictional story set in Roman times)\n- \"The Last Breath\" by Charlie Magee\n- \"The Guns of Empire\" by Django Wexler (Book 4 of The Shadow Campaigns series, which I highly recommend)\n- \"The King's Traitor\" by Jeff Wheeler (original take on Arthurian legend)\n- \"Uprooted\" by Naomi Novik\n- \"End Game\" by Lindsay Buroker (Book 8 of her sci-fi series, The Fallen Empire, which is a pretty fun series overall. Short and sweet adventures.)\n- \"Soulblade\" by Lindsay Buroker (Book 8 of her fantasy series, Dragon Blood, which is another great series. All of Buroker's books are good, imo.)\n- \"Ghost Talkers\" by Mary Robinette Kowal (It's WWII, ghosts are real... and they're spies.)\nThis year I also read books 1-3 of The Expanse, and I think they would also be in this list, except I haven't reviewed them yet. I'm currently reading Book 4, with the recently published book, Babylon's Ashes, in the queue. I fully expect these to make it into the top 10.\nObviously, I enjoy sci-fi / fantasy the most, but across a wide range of sub-genres. For non-sci-fi, my top read was \"I Will Teach You To Be Rich\" by Ramit Sethi, which really changed the way I organize my finances.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "which is a pretty fun series overall. Short and sweet adventures.",
          "reason": "Described as a pretty fun series of short adventures.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lindsay Buroker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-far-distant-oxus-ab0ca0",
      "title": "The Far-Distant Oxus",
      "author": "Katharine Hull and Pamela Whitlock",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45286173,
          "author": "card_zero",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-18T06:23:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 45283087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45286173",
          "commentText": "I read The Whispering Mountain by Joan Aiken and was struck by similarities to Pratchett, for instance the part where the main character heroically defeats monsters in a wood by using knowledge gleaned from an old encyclopedia that he carries everywhere, and how he ſpeakſ like thiſ when reading aloud from it, and the part about underground camels in Wales. It references The Far-Distant Oxus at one point, which I want to read (a pony adventure story written in 1937 by teenagers).\n(I know the long s wasn't really used at the ends of words, that was just a hurried example.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It references The Far-Distant Oxus at one point, which I want to read",
          "reason": "The commenter says they want to read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Katharine Hull",
        "Pamela Whitlock"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s literature",
        "pony stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-farseer-trilogy-b81d6a",
      "title": "The Farseer Trilogy",
      "author": "Robin Hobb",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46407482,
          "author": "ilvez",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-28T01:30:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46407482",
          "commentText": "\"Brief Cases\" -- just give me more Dresden. I think my favourite series, I'm a simple guy :) Short stories themself are so and so. If you are into the series then these small stories are just like Saturday evening reading, so no big investment. Some of them stick and make you warm, some of them meh, thats ok.\n\"Mother of Learning\" I picked up from my (ex-)colleague. Not in the time-travelling, but he told me that I would probably like Dungeon Crawler Carl. Haven't gotten to it yet. He's read more fantasy than me so he just suggested after we discussed about our preferences. This one I just wanted to read because he really was into :)\nAbout Fitz -- read my other comment. I think whole Elderling series is worth it. It is the long game. Just being invested in characters and Robin Hobb can write characters. If you only think about Farseer trilogy, then I still think it's worth it, but maybe I'm just sucker for it. :-) (there are pacing issues for sure, but Hobb wrote it in 90s, in that sense it was ahead of time, forgive some of those small issues). Read it first I guess 20+ years ago or so..",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If you only think about Farseer trilogy, then I still think it's worth it, but maybe I'm just sucker for it.",
          "reason": "Thinks the trilogy is worthwhile, while acknowledging personal bias.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter may be especially fond of it; mentions pacing issues in the broader series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robin Hobb"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "character driven",
        "epic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-fast-fourier-transform-4d6ad9",
      "title": "The Fast Fourier Transform",
      "author": "E. Oran Brigham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35929884,
          "author": "weinzierl",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T16:23:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35929884",
          "commentText": "Brigham's book on the Fast Fourier Transform was an eye opener for me. Not so much because of the \"Fast\" part (which is super interesting and useful too) but it was the introduction I needed to make integral transforms and convolution click. And that helped tremendously to connect a whole bunch of other dots.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Brigham's book on the Fast Fourier Transform",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped integral transforms and convolution click and connect other ideas.",
          "audience": "Readers learning integral transforms and convolution.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its value was not mainly the “Fast” part.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "E. Oran Brigham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "convolution",
        "fourier transform",
        "signal processing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-fate-of-the-west-the-battle-to-save-the-world-s-most-successf-9d13c2",
      "title": "The Fate of the West: The Battle to Save the World's Most Successful Political Idea",
      "author": "Bill Emmott",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15630807,
          "author": "Nevaeh",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T18:36:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630807",
          "commentText": "The Fate of the West: The Battle to Save the World's Most Successful Political Idea.\nThis review claims it's the best book of 2017 and sums it well: https://www.amazon.com/gp/review/R24LMIB16JWMLC?ref_=glimp_1... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/review/R24LMIB16JWMLC?ref_=glimp_1rv_cl)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Fate of the West: The Battle to Save the World's Most Successful Political Idea.",
          "reason": "Provides the title as a response to the thread asking for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Emmott"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "liberal democracy",
        "western politics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-fear-index-4e721e",
      "title": "The Fear Index",
      "author": "Robert Harris",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37158561,
          "author": "bloak",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T07:59:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37158561",
          "commentText": "Other good books by Robert Harris: The Ghost; The Fear Index; The Second Sleep.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Fear Index;",
          "reason": "Lists it among Harris's good books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18726247,
          "author": "henrik_w",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-20T16:26:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18726247",
          "commentText": "I thought The Fear Index was quite disappointing, simply not believable for me.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The Fear Index was quite disappointing, simply not believable for me.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it disappointing and unbelievable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12069186,
          "author": "acabrahams",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T06:10:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12069186",
          "commentText": "1. The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu\n2. One L by Scott Turow\n3. The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu\n4. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells\n5. Believer: My Forty Years in Politics by David Axelrod\n6. The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells\n7. Augustus: First Emperor of Rome by Adrian Goldsworthy\n8. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (re-read)\n9. I, Claudius by Robert Graves\n10. Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks\n11. The Fear Index by Robert Harris\n12. Red Dragon by Thomas Harris (re-read)\n13. The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris (re-read)\n14. Hannibal by Thomas Harris (re-read)\n15. Game Change by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin (re-read)\n16. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (re-read)\n17. Claudius the God by Robert Graves\nRe-reads take hardly any time at all, so I'm not sure whether to count them. If you're not, then 11 books read so far.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Fear Index by Robert Harris",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Harris"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "finance",
        "financial thriller",
        "technology thriller",
        "thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-fearless-organization-88178d",
      "title": "The Fearless Organization",
      "author": "Amy C. Edmondson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30826939,
          "author": "zwayhowder",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T03:48:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30826939",
          "commentText": "Not my fields but.\nThe Armchair Economist by Steven Landsburg for economics.\nThe Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman for design in any aspect.\nCloser to my field of organisational performance/psychology.\nThe Fearless Organisation by Amy C Edmondson.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Fearless Organisation by Amy C Edmondson.",
          "reason": "Listed as a book related to the commenter’s field of organizational performance and psychology.",
          "audience": "People interested in organizational performance or psychology.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Amy C. Edmondson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "organizational behavior",
        "psychological safety"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-feeling-of-what-happens-body-and-emotion-in-the-making-of-con-b58317",
      "title": "The Feeling of What Happens: Body and Emotion in the Making of Consciousness",
      "author": "Antonio Damasio",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237230,
          "author": "abronan",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:53:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237230",
          "commentText": "I maintain a list of my readings triaged by topics: https://github.com/abronan/readings\nThis year was rough for me as I had to deal with severe symptoms of anxiety that eventually led to panic attacks. I tried to understand the phenomenon and tackle subjects such as anxiety, consciousness and perceptual experience. Three books are especially interesting in that regard:\n- The Feeling of What Happens: Body and Emotion in the Making of Consciousness - Antonio Damasio - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/125777.The_Feeling_of_Wh... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/125777.The_Feeling_of_What_Happens?from_search=true)\n- Anxious: Using the Brain to Understand and Treat Fear and Anxiety - Joseph LeDoux - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23398722-anxious?ac=1&fr... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23398722-anxious?ac=1&from_search=true)\n- Seeing Things As They Are: A Theory of Perception - John Searle: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22104265-seeing-things-a... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22104265-seeing-things-as-they-are?from_search=true)\nThe first two books are dealing with the neurophysiological aspects, with a focus on the brain and the specific areas involved with physical sensory experiences and/or consciousness. It explains how some areas of the brain are linked to fear and anxiety (fear conditioning, fight-or-flight response, etc.). Reading \"The Feeling of What Happens\" gives you all the necessary knowledge to fully understand the second book which is a tough read. The book \"Anxious\" also gives you a glimpse on different methods to treat and prevent symptoms of anxiety (Cognitive behavioral Therapy, SSRI, beta blockers, meditation, etc..). The last book is theoretical but comes as a good complement and gives you a broad understanding on the notion of perception (which is central to the first book).\nKnowing which parts of the brain are involved with fear and anxiety and how everything fits together helps me controlling my emotions when physical symptoms of anxiety are appearing (the trigger to panic attacks).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Reading \"The Feeling of What Happens\" gives you all the necessary knowledge to fully understand the second book",
          "reason": "Provides background for understanding the neurophysiological aspects of the next book.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in consciousness, perception, or anxiety.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Antonio Damasio"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consciousness",
        "neuroscience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-fellowship-of-the-river-1d84db",
      "title": "The Fellowship of the River",
      "author": "Joe Tafur",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23157861,
          "author": "ExactActuation",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T18:37:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23157861",
          "commentText": "Food of the Gods by Terrence McKenna (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/111941/food-of-the-... (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/111941/food-of-the-gods-by-terrence-mckenna/))\nHow to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/529343/how-to-chang... (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/529343/how-to-change-your-mind-by-michael-pollan/))\nFellowship of the River by Joe Tafur, MD (https://www.drjoetafur.com/the-fellowship-of-the-river)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fellowship of the River by Joe Tafur, MD",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for mind bending books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joe Tafur"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ayahuasca",
        "integrative medicine"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-feminine-mystique-b5c9dc",
      "title": "The Feminine Mystique",
      "author": "Betty Friedan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23155886,
          "author": "bkandel",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T16:28:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23155886",
          "commentText": "Two that did it for me:\n- The Righteous Mind, Jonathan Haidt. Really deepened my understanding of how Western and other cultures think about moral and ethical issues.\n- The Feminine Mystique, Betty Friedan. It's a feminist book that is very non-ideological, and helped me, as someone born in the 80's, appreciate some very real and practical issues that feminism has helped us address.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Feminine Mystique, Betty Friedan.",
          "reason": "Says it helped them appreciate practical issues addressed by feminism.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking historical context on feminism",
          "caveat": "Describes it as non-ideological.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8718219,
          "author": "therealdrag0",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T18:48:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8718219",
          "commentText": "This is what I thought about posting. I've read a lot of books this year (45 books totaling 22,000 pages), the most important being: History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Silent Spring, The Feminine Mystique, The Grapes of Wrath, The Price of Inequality, The Happiness Hypothesis.\nBut, out of all that (which I had to go look up on my Goodreads), HPMOR is what came to mind, both an engaging story, thought provoking ideas, and a lot of pages to work with :).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Feminine Mystique",
          "reason": "Listed among books read this year; no individual evaluation is given.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Betty Friedan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "feminism",
        "women s history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-feynman-lectures-on-physics-volume-i-a0ca9b",
      "title": "The Feynman Lectures on Physics, Volume I",
      "author": "Richard P. Feynman, Robert B. Leighton, and Matthew Sands",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3231252,
          "author": "irahul",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T17:38:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231252",
          "commentText": "You don't have to know anything about Feynman or Physics. The book assumes a basic knowledge of Mathematics and Science, and that's all you need to understand it.\nBut be warned - this isn't an easy book, and you can't skim through it. This is an extremely dense book; it builds on what it already has told you, which makes sense because \"Observe, Reason, Experiment\" is how you do science. To reason/deduce, you need to have a base and then you take it from there. When it introduces concepts that can't be deduced, it tells you that. Also, it clearly says analysis/logic alone isn't a killall - sometimes you just go the numerical method road(which is somehow similar to brute-force algorithm most of the times), and it gives you results which analysis alone can't.\nI am reading it a very slow pace, because the book is packed with information with no superfluous content, and many a times I have to stop to think about what it's telling me.\nI would recommend you read the first chapter \"Atoms in motion\" first. Well, I already knew everything is made of atoms(duh), but still, it presented things to me in a very engaging way.\nSome gists to give you a preview:\nEverything is made of atoms; water is made of molecules which are atoms in a bond; molecules are held together by mutual attraction; molecules always jiggle; the jiggle is represented as heat; you heat water - you increase the jiggling; increased jiggling loosens the mutual molecular attraction and some molecules escape, and you get steam.\nAnd molecules which escape are the ones which are jiggling badly; because the ones which aren't jiggling hard won't be breaking the mutual attraction; and when high energy molecules escaped, the net energy of the system is lower.\nOh, and now you know why you feel cold when your sweat evaporates.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I would recommend you read the first chapter \"Atoms in motion\" first.",
          "reason": "Recommends starting with the book’s first chapter, praising its engaging presentation.",
          "audience": "Readers with basic mathematics and science knowledge.",
          "caveat": "Dense and difficult to skim; the commenter reads it slowly.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231232,
          "author": "ekm2",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T17:31:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231232",
          "commentText": "An introduction to Probability by William Feller\nCode(By Charles Petzold)\nFeynman Lectures Vol1\nArtificial Intelligence,A Modern Approach By Norvig\nBlink By Malcolm Gladwell.\nConcurrently.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Feynman Lectures Vol1",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard P. Feynman",
        "Robert B. Leighton",
        "Matthew Sands"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mechanics",
        "physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-fifth-head-of-cerberus-ac223b",
      "title": "The Fifth Head of Cerberus",
      "author": "Gene Wolfe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33383519,
          "author": "rnernento",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T12:37:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33383519",
          "commentText": "I think Gene Wolfe is the one of the greatest authors of all time across any genre. I highly highly recommend the Fifth Head of Cerberus which is 3 short interconnected novellas and Peace, which isn't traditional Sci-Fi but is absolutely worth a read.\nHe's not just writing, he's constructing beautifully crafted puzzle-boxes that take a lot of time and thought to unpack.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly highly recommend the Fifth Head of Cerberus",
          "reason": "Highly recommended as three interconnected novellas and praised as a carefully constructed puzzle.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy stories that take time and thought to unpack.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gene Wolfe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "novellas",
        "puzzle narrative"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-fifth-sacred-thing-2161b9",
      "title": "The Fifth Sacred Thing",
      "author": "Starhawk",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17177240,
          "author": "andrei_says_",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-29T08:04:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17177240",
          "commentText": "I think you will enjoy The Fifth Sacred Thing if you haven’t read it already.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think you will enjoy The Fifth Sacred Thing if you haven’t read it already.",
          "reason": "Suggests it to someone who may enjoy it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Starhawk"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ecotopian fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-fifth-science-a6d43f",
      "title": "The Fifth Science",
      "author": "Exurb1a",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28060631,
          "author": "code_Whisperer",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T13:14:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28060631",
          "commentText": "The one that sticks in my head the most (and which I did not think I would enjoy based on the book jacket blurb) is \"Children of Time\" by Adrian Tchaikovsky. I highly recommend to anyone who listens. I also recently encountered \"The Fifth Science\" by someone named 'Exurb1a' and enjoyed it so much that I am now reading another of his books named \"Geometry for Ocelots\"\nAndy Weir's \"Hail Mary\" is an imaginative and fun read, as is \"The Startup Wife\" by Tahmima Anam. Oh! And \"The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet' (or almost anything else) by Becky Chambers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Fifth Science\" by someone named 'Exurb1a'",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed it so much they started another book by the author.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Author is identified tentatively as “someone named 'Exurb1a'.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Exurb1a"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "philosophical science fiction",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-final-architecture-f759fc",
      "title": "The Final Architecture",
      "author": "Adrian Tchaikovsky",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34162369,
          "author": "ad-astra",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T16:08:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34162369",
          "commentText": "If you’re into Science Fiction:\n(Note: I listed to these all via the Audible audiobooks, they were all very well narrated and I’d highly recommend listening this way.)\n#1: The Children of Time series by Adrian Tchaikovsky.\nThis is amazingly fascinating from beginning to end, if you like speculative evolution zenofiction space operas, you’re in for a real treat. I feel like these books were written for me. I went the audiobook route and chugged through each (roughly 600 page) book, neglecting focus to almost anything else in my life. I would be playing Tetris on my phone (via the Tappy app) while listening at 1.1x speed, which is the perfect amount of mental stimulation to have massive amounts of time go by without noticing.\n#2: Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.\nI don’t want to spoil too much, but this is a must-read for engineer-brain nerds like me that yearn to understand complex systems recreationally. Enough said. Mandatory. I read Artemis by Andy Weir afterwards and enjoyed it too, but Hail Mary is my fave.\n#3: The Final Architecture series by Adrian Tchaikovsky.\nAfter obsessively finishing the Children of Time series there was a huge hole in my heart, so I started this series. I didn’t really latch on until 15% through the first book, but once I did I was once again obsessively hooked.\n#4 (Bonus) I’m now reading Dragon’s Egg by Robert L. Forward and am very excited to report back when I eventually finish. It involves alien life that evolved in the atomic strata of neutron stars (nerd drool).\nI’ve now mostly taken a break from reading as it became all-consuming. But it was very worth it overall, best reading year in my life so far.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "#3: The Final Architecture series by Adrian Tchaikovsky.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they became obsessively hooked after the first book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter did not latch on until 15% through the first book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adrian Tchaikovsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aliens",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-final-reflection-33845c",
      "title": "The Final Reflection",
      "author": "John M. Ford",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36021700,
          "author": "kwooding",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:03:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021700",
          "commentText": "Here’s a book I don’t expect to see on too many lists (and I’m surprised it’s on mine, as I don’t typically like big-property universes like Star Trek): The Final Reflection, John M Ford. It’s an ancient book (by Star Trek standards-1984) set in the original ST:TOS universe, but it did Klingon world-building before that was a thing (it’s not canon, as it did this long before Klingons were fleshed out in any real way). Loved the worldbuilding, loved that it made a then 2-dimensional alien into a rich 3-d society.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Final Reflection, John M Ford",
          "reason": "The commenter names it as an unexpected favorite and praises its Klingon worldbuilding and rich society.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Set in the Star Trek universe, but not canon.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John M. Ford"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alien societies",
        "star trek"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-financier-a2387c",
      "title": "The Financier",
      "author": "Theodore Dreiser",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1974567,
          "author": "dm3",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T08:57:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974567",
          "commentText": "\"Financier\" by T.Dreiser and \"Martin Eden\" by J.London.\nSome of the best books you'll ever read about character development. Definitely read the latter one if you're in your early 20-ies.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Financier\" by T.Dreiser",
          "reason": "Lists it among the best books about character development.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Theodore Dreiser"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american literature",
        "character development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-first-20-hours-ea3238",
      "title": "The First 20 Hours",
      "author": "Josh Kaufman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8795412,
          "author": "akulbe",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T04:30:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795412",
          "commentText": "The Personal MBA - Josh Kaufman\nThe First 20 Hours - Josh Kaufman\nSo Good They Can't Ignore You - Cal Newport\nThe 4-Hour Workweek - Tim Ferriss\nThe 4-Hour Body - Tim Ferriss\nStop Acting Rich - Thomas J. Stanley\nJames Altucher - Choose Yourself",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The First 20 Hours - Josh Kaufman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Josh Kaufman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "rapid skill acquisition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-first-circle-31fbc4",
      "title": "The First Circle",
      "author": "Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20334419,
          "author": "jaco8",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T12:40:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20334419",
          "commentText": "Something for the long holiday evenings:\nRobert C. Ruark - Something of Value\nFrisco Hitt - A Coffin Full of Dreams\nAleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn - The First Circle",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn - The First Circle",
          "reason": "Listed as a book for long holiday evenings in response to a request for a summer read.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a book for long holiday evenings.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political fiction",
        "soviet literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-first-law-trilogy-ec0e38",
      "title": "The First Law trilogy",
      "author": "Joe Abercrombie",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10837311,
          "author": "monroepe",
          "createdAt": "2016-01-04T18:19:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 10833032,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book you've recently read and enjoyed?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10837311",
          "commentText": "The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The First Law Trilogy by Joe Abercrombie",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9647200,
          "author": "monroepe",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-02T17:00:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 9636361,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9647200",
          "commentText": "The Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie. Book 3 of the First Law trilogy.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Last-Argument-Kings-First-Three-ebook/... (http://www.amazon.com/Last-Argument-Kings-First-Three-ebook/dp/B00H6T36QI/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=&qid=)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Book 3 of the First Law trilogy.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No evaluation given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joe Abercrombie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "grimdark fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-first-three-minutes-f9928a",
      "title": "The First Three Minutes",
      "author": "Steven Weinberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Weinberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "big bang",
        "cosmology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-first-tycoon-a61551",
      "title": "The First Tycoon",
      "author": "T. J. Stiles",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45097112,
          "author": "ajd555",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-01T22:21:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 45097025,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What great book are you currently reading or recently finished?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45097112",
          "commentText": "The First Tycoon by T.J Stiles  - a great biography (easy to read) about Cornelius Vanderbilt, and you get a lot of amazing history on NYC and the rise of modern transportation and freight (steamboats to railroads). I recommend to anyone interested in NYC history and supply chains in general",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The First Tycoon by T.J Stiles",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it to people interested in NYC history and supply chains.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in NYC history and supply chains.",
          "caveat": "Described as an easy-to-read biography of Cornelius Vanderbilt.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "T. J. Stiles"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cornelius vanderbilt",
        "new york city history",
        "transportation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-first-world-war-a-complete-history-5657b0",
      "title": "The First World War: A Complete History",
      "author": "Martin Gilbert",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10766433,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T08:01:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10766433",
          "commentText": "Not sure about \"significantly affected how I think\", but here are a couple of the standouts from 2015 that come to mind:\nThe First World War: A Complete History\nPredictable Revenue\nSuperforecasting\nThe Master Algorithm\nNatural Born Heroes",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The First World War: A Complete History",
          "reason": "Listed as a standout read in response to a question about books that affected the reader's thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether it significantly affected their thinking.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin Gilbert"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "world war i"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-first-and-last-freedom-f979e3",
      "title": "The First and Last Freedom",
      "author": "J. Krishnamurti",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23858656,
          "author": "notoriousarun",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:15:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858656",
          "commentText": "The First and Last Freedom By J. Krishnamurti",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The First and Last Freedom By J. Krishnamurti",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. Krishnamurti"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "krishnamurti",
        "self knowledge"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-five-people-you-meet-in-heaven-21be09",
      "title": "The Five People You Meet in Heaven",
      "author": "Mitch Albom",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12249620,
          "author": "galazzah",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T17:57:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12249620",
          "commentText": "I read \"The five people you meet in heaven\" by Mitch Albom. Sure it might be fictional and meant for a younger audience, but this book really changed the way I think. Really makes you realize that every little interaction you have with someone affects that person for the rest of their lives in one way or another; and vice versa.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I read \"The five people you meet in heaven\" by Mitch Albom. Sure it might be fictional and meant for a younger audience, but this book really changed the way I think.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed how they think about the effects people have on one another.",
          "audience": "The commenter suggests it may suit a younger audience.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it may be fictional and intended for a younger audience.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mitch Albom"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human connection",
        "meaning of life"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-flaw-of-averages-why-we-underestimate-risk-in-the-face-of-unc-6abfda",
      "title": "The Flaw of Averages: Why We Underestimate Risk in the Face of Uncertainty",
      "author": "Sam L. Savage",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49900746,
          "author": "jldugger",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-29T21:18:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49900746",
          "commentText": "About two thirds of the way through \"Flaw of Averages\". Thankfully the chapters are short but it's written for business students and is aggressively anti-jargon, which can be annoying at times.\nIt started off promising, with some hints about monte carlo methods implemented in spreadsheets, but kind of detours into statistics basics, layman summaries of the author's prior scholarly work, and various business consulting anecdotes. I did not, for example, expect to read a chapter on the FASB-II's flaws regarding options pricing. And a few are downright concerning a decade later. I would not, for example, brag about advising Wells Fargo executives on their employee incentive programs after the cross-selling scandal came to light.\nThe final chapters, which I have not yet gotten to, supposedly cover the solution to the flaw of averages. Given the book is 15 years old, I'm expecting it to be pretty dated implementation wise, but I might be able to apply it to Prometheus histograms or t-digests. And I've learned a few things, like Jensen's inequality, and found a few sheets demoing a sampling approach.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "About two thirds of the way through \"Flaw of Averages\". Thankfully the chapters are short but it's written for business students and is aggressively anti-jargon, which can be annoying at times.",
          "reason": "The commenter is reading it and describes its short chapters and jargon-free style, which they sometimes find annoying.",
          "audience": "Business students, as described by the commenter.",
          "caveat": "The anti-jargon style can be annoying; the commenter expects the implementation advice to be dated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sam L. Savage"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "risk analysis",
        "statistics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-fleet-that-had-to-die-013a85",
      "title": "The Fleet That Had To Die",
      "author": "Richard Hough",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38556496,
          "author": "CharleFKane",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T14:09:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38556496",
          "commentText": "Deadly Times: The 1910 Bombing of the Los Angeles Times and America's Forgotten Decade of Terror, Lew Irwin\nRiver of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile, Candice Millard\nThe Fleet That Had To Die,  Richard Hough\nTrapped Under the Sea: One Engineering Marvel, Five Men, and a Disaster Ten Miles Into the Darkness, Neil Swidey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Fleet That Had To Die,  Richard Hough",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Hough"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "naval history",
        "russian history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-flies-01616a",
      "title": "The Flies",
      "author": "Jean-Paul Sartre",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19090108,
          "author": "nathias",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T21:39:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090108",
          "commentText": "Plato - Meno, Symposium, Parmenides, Gorgias, Protagoras\nPlotinus -Enneads\nMarkus Aurelius - Meditations\nDescartes - On method\nDescartes - Meditations\nSpinoza - On the improvement of Understanding\nLeibniz - Monadology\nLeibniz - Grace\nVoltaire - Candid\nDiderot - D'Alembert's Dream\nKant - How to orient oneself in thinking\nKant - Critique of Pure Reason\nKant - Critique of Judgment\nHegel - Phenomenology of Spirit\nHegel - Logic\nvon Kleist - Marionette Theatre\nKierkegaard - The Sickness Unto Death\nHeidegger - Being and Time\nSartre - Being and Nothingness\nSartre - Flies\nSartre - Nausea\nDeleuze - Difference and Repetition\nKafka - Metamorphosis\nKafka - The Castle\nLem - Magellan Nebula\nLem - His Master's Voice\nCioran - A Short History of Decay\nPessoa - Book Of Despair\nWolfe -  New Sun tetralogy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sartre - Flies",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jean-Paul Sartre"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "existentialism",
        "theater"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-flight-of-the-dragonfly-23df44",
      "title": "The Flight of the Dragonfly",
      "author": "Robert L. Forward",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15428928,
          "author": "curtis",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:54:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428928",
          "commentText": "I think all of Robert Forward's stuff would qualify.  My favorites are\nRocheworld (AKA The Flight of the Dragonfly) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocheworld\nand\nDragon's Egg - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon%27s_Egg",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rocheworld (AKA The Flight of the Dragonfly)",
          "reason": "Alternate title for Rocheworld, listed as one of the commenter's favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Alternate title of Rocheworld.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056797,
          "author": "arethuza",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T13:30:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056797",
          "commentText": "It was \"The Flight of the Dragonfly\".\nOne the other hand the same reviewer described the aliens in the novel as being Californian surfers....",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "It was \"The Flight of the Dragonfly\".",
          "reason": "Identifies the novel being discussed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert L. Forward"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aliens",
        "hard science fiction",
        "interstellar travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-flight-of-the-garuda-the-dzogchen-tradition-of-tibetan-buddhi-50eaec",
      "title": "The Flight of the Garuda: The Dzogchen Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism",
      "author": "Keith Dowman (translator)",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15762164,
          "author": "thsowers",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T01:42:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762164",
          "commentText": "The Flight of the Garuda: The Dzogchen Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism translated by Keith Dowman.\nI've read many books about meditation, but this is one of my favorites. I wish I could read the original text to get the rhyme scheme!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this is one of my favorites.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of their favorite meditation books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter wishes they could read the original text to experience its rhyme scheme.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Keith Dowman (translator)"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dzogchen",
        "meditation",
        "tibetan buddhism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-floating-opera-5b4546",
      "title": "The Floating Opera",
      "author": "John Barth",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 877453,
          "author": "utx00",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T19:29:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=877453",
          "commentText": "all the kings men - warren\nthe floating opera - barth",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the floating opera - barth",
          "reason": "Named as one of the commenter’s favorite books in response to the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Barth"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american literature",
        "postmodern fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-folklore-of-discworld-fcee8f",
      "title": "The Folklore of Discworld",
      "author": "Terry Pratchett, Jacqueline Simpson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40429728,
          "author": "ZeroGravitas",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T15:30:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40429728",
          "commentText": "The Science of Discworld series of books are surprisingly good for things that sound, on first hearing of them them, like a quick cash in.\nBoth the science writing and the Discworld content is pretty great and well integrated together.\nThe Folklore of Discworld book is also great, digging into the myths and folklore that was referenced and lampooned.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Folklore of Discworld book is also great",
          "reason": "Praises its discussion of referenced myths and folklore.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry Pratchett",
        "Jacqueline Simpson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "discworld",
        "folklore",
        "mythology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-follet-valley-mysteries-c49805",
      "title": "The Follet Valley Mysteries",
      "author": "Ian Moore",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42508401,
          "author": "KaiserPro",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T12:06:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42508401",
          "commentText": "Fun books:\no the follet valley mysteries by Ian Moore. (Fun crime procedural, with the protagonist being a rather ineffectual unemployed film studies lecturer in france , and a cast of domineering supporting actors)\no Uruly by David Mitchell (A \"rollock\" through early english monarchy, pointing out the luck, or lack of it, of all the kings and queens)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the follet valley mysteries by Ian Moore. (Fun crime procedural",
          "reason": "Calls the series fun and describes its crime-procedural premise.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ian Moore"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crime fiction",
        "mystery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-forest-people-d9945b",
      "title": "The Forest People",
      "author": "Colin M. Turnbull",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17049569,
          "author": "justinhj",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T18:10:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17049569",
          "commentText": "Some books have been very influential on how I see the world. Ishmael is one about an intelligent ape that explains the natural world to a guy in socratic dialogue style. Guns Germs and Steal. The Forest People, a book from the 60s by an anthropologist who lives with a pygmy tribe. These books about where we came from I find really interesting.\nFor self improvement books you can’t go wrong with 7 Habits of a highly effective people. It’s short and to the point and very practical.\nI’m half way through Zen and Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and it’s either way over my head or overrated. I don’t particularly like the narrator which does not help",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Forest People, a book from the 60s by an anthropologist who lives with a pygmy tribe.",
          "reason": "Listed among books about human origins the commenter finds interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Colin M. Turnbull"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "anthropology",
        "ethnography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-forest-unseen-a-year-s-watch-in-nature-f8ca55",
      "title": "The Forest Unseen: A Year's Watch in Nature",
      "author": "David George Haskell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45653440,
          "author": "ljsocal",
          "createdAt": "2025-10-21T07:45:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 45651938,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45653440",
          "commentText": "“The Forest Unseen” by David George Haskell. If you’re not already blown away by nature’s creativity and complexity, you will be if you read this.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you’re not already blown away by nature’s creativity and complexity, you will be if you read this.",
          "reason": "Predicts the book will amaze readers with nature’s creativity and complexity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David George Haskell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "forest ecology",
        "nature writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-fortran-coloring-book-853979",
      "title": "The Fortran Coloring Book",
      "author": "Edward R. Kaufman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30488530,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T14:07:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30488530",
          "commentText": "Despite high interest in learning to program, I was confused and bored in my first (FORTRAN) programming course. Browsing at the local bookstore I found 'The FORTRAN Coloring Book' and took it home. Kaufman's approach unlocked some kind of door for me, and the effort of going to find my own resources did as well. Forty years on,  'The Fortran Coloring Book' sits on the shelf next to 'Software Tools in Pascal' (same bookstore a few months later) and many of the other books listed in this thread (e.g. TAOCP, SICP, UPE, OSTEP.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The FORTRAN Coloring Book'",
          "reason": "The commenter says Kaufman’s approach unlocked a door for them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward R. Kaufman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fortran programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-forty-rules-of-love-b7b906",
      "title": "The Forty Rules of Love",
      "author": "Elif Shafak",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43686530,
          "author": "Uzmanali",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-14T21:30:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 43685856,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What 3 Books Would You Recommend to Anyone?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43686530",
          "commentText": "I recommend you 3 books that changed my perception and really helped me during tough times. The Power of Habit\" by charles duhigg, \"The Forty Rules of Love\" by elif shafak and \"Man's Search for Meaning\" by viktor E. frankl.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Forty Rules of Love\" by elif shafak",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as one of three books that changed their perception and helped during tough times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783593,
          "author": "fmax30",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:59:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783593",
          "commentText": "I had read zero books by April 2015.\nHave read the following since then.\n1. 1984 by Orwell\n2. Animal Farm by Orwell\n3. 40 Rules of Love by Elif Shafak\n4. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline\n5. The Man in the high castle by Philip k Dic\n6. Tuesdays with morrie by Mitch Albom\n7. Broken Verses by Kamila Shamsie\n8. The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell\n9. Veronica Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho\n10. The Little Prince by antoine saint exupery\n11. A Monster calls by Patrick ness\nBooks that I am currently reading very very slowly ( 1-3 chapters per week )\n1. The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking\n2. The Wind Up Bird Chronicles by Murakami (I am really enjoying the slow reading here)\n3. Zen and art of motorcycle by Robert Pirsig\nEdit: Formatting",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "3. 40 Rules of Love by Elif Shafak",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Elif Shafak"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "rumi",
        "spiritual fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-found-and-the-lost-0ea400",
      "title": "The Found and the Lost",
      "author": "Ursula K. Le Guin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13567953,
          "author": "madhadron",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T17:46:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567953",
          "commentText": "I separate my books into levels. Level 0 are the books that I reread steadily over the years (also the ones that I pack in my suitcase when I'm moving as opposed to shipping), so I'll just post that list here, in no particular order: 'Good Poems' edited by Garrison Keiller; 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen; 'Persuasion' by Jane Austen; Fitzgerald's translation of 'The Rubaiyat'; Ford Madox Ford's 'Parade's End'; Hafiz, 'The Gift'; Modesitt, 'Gravity Dreams'; Heinlein, 'Time Enough for Love'; Bulgakov, 'Master and Margarita'; 'Ovid in Love' (Guy Lee's translation of the Amores).\nI've been revisiting a lot of Le Guin's novellas ('The Found and the Lost' is a great collection) and Borges's stories since the election. They have been a source of great comfort.\nI find that I don't reread nonfiction. I'll reference something I remember in it, but I can't think of a work of nonfiction I've reread in the past few years.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Found and the Lost' is a great collection",
          "reason": "Calls it a great collection.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ursula K. Le Guin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "novella collection"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-foundations-of-arithmetic-50607e",
      "title": "The Foundations of Arithmetic",
      "author": "Gottlob Frege",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503420,
          "author": "ionfish",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T09:28:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503420",
          "commentText": "Most of the \"eye-opening or incredibly interesting\" philosophical material that I've read has been in individual articles rather than books. That said, here are a few favourites from various areas. It's a bit heavily weighted towards recent material; Kant and Plato ought to be on there, but I can't stand Kant as a writer, even if his ideas are profound, and Plato's style has always irritated me for some reason I can't quite put my finger on. I could probably keep tying titles all day, so I'll stop with those that first popped into my head.\nAristotle, Nicomachean Ethics\nDavid Chalmers, The Conscious Mind: In Search of a Fundamental Theory\nGottlob Frege, Die Grundlagen der Arithmetik\nThomas Hobbes, Leviathan\nDavid Hume, An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding\nJ.S. Mill, On Liberty\nJohn Rawls, A Theory of Justice\nStewart Shapiro, Philosophy of Mathematics: Structure and Ontology",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gottlob Frege, Die Grundlagen der Arithmetik",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gottlob Frege"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "logic",
        "philosophy of mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-foundations-of-mathematics-4f215d",
      "title": "The Foundations of Mathematics",
      "author": "Ian Stewart and David Tall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31501336,
          "author": "newsoul",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-25T06:45:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31501336",
          "commentText": "After reading all the comments I am sharing my choices\n1. The foundations of mathematics by Stewart and Tall\n2. Problem Solving Strategies by Arthur Engels\n3. Journey into Mathematics by Rotman\n4. Concrete Mathematics by Knuth et al.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1. The foundations of mathematics by Stewart and Tall",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ian Stewart",
        "David Tall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "foundations of mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-founders-10909e",
      "title": "The Founders",
      "author": "Jimmy Soni",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172037,
          "author": "jacktribe",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:47:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172037",
          "commentText": "As someone who is more interested in building the product than marketing it, I found the following recent reads helpful in achieving a balance:\n1. Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey A. Moore - making your product work for the masses\n2. The Cold Start Problem by Andrew Chen - achieving escape velocity, getting viral referral traffic\n3. Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss - it might seem a bit gimmicky but negotiation always comes off gimmicky\nMotivational stories:\n4. The Almanack Of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson\n5. The Founders by Jimmy Soni\n6. The Upstarts by Brad Stone\n7. Hatching Twitter by Nick Bilton\n8. That Will Never Work by Marc Randolph\n9. Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald's by Ray Kroc\nCan't skip:\n10. Zero To One by Peter Thiel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Founders by Jimmy Soni",
          "reason": "Listed as a motivational story.",
          "audience": "People building products.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jimmy Soni"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "paypal",
        "startup history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-founders-trilogy-1f1b8b",
      "title": "The Founders Trilogy",
      "author": "Robert Jackson Bennett",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38570515,
          "author": "mooreds",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T16:00:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38570515",
          "commentText": "I got into some interesting fantasy/SF:\n* The Locked Tomb Trilogy -- the first book is so good and the second and third books are good and unique.\n* The Great Cities Duology (first book was stronger)\n* The Paladin's Legacy (sequel series to The Deed of Paksenarrion, great to be back in that world)\n* The Founders Trilogy by Robert Jackson Bennett\n* The Up and Under series by Deborah Baker is super whimsical\n* The Redwinter Series by Ed McDonald\nIf you're into the genre, all of these are great (at least the ones I've read, haven't finished all the series).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Founders Trilogy by Robert Jackson Bennett",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's fantasy/SF reads, which they describe as great.",
          "audience": "fantasy/SF readers",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not finished all the series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Jackson Bennett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "heist fantasy",
        "magical technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-fountain-overflows-d3af44",
      "title": "The Fountain Overflows",
      "author": "Rebecca West",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783915,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:06:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783915",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction, best to worst:\nHenry Marsh, Do No Harm. A brilliant memoir by a neurosurgeon about his work, the nature of his profession, successes and mistakes (especially the latter). Frequently touches or verges into the personal. Not morbid, but often sad.\nKeith Johnstone, Impro for Storytellers. \nViola Spolin, Improvisation for the Theater\nTwo very good books about improvisation, although Spolin's is too dry and theory-laden for me (it's meant for teachers more than practitioners). Both, however, pale compared to Keith Johnstone's earlier Impro: Improvisation and the Theater, which is a life-changing book about what improvisation can teach us about spontaneous creativity and relationships between people. I recommend that one first and foremost if you know nothing about improvisation and are curious.\nMartinus J G Veltman, Facts and Mysteries in Elementary Particle Physics. A readable account - necessarily simplified, of course - of the current state of affairs in elementary particles and much of the last 50 years of history, by one of the participants (a Nobel prize winner). Not as organized and methodical as I thought it would be, and half a year later I forgot most of the physical explanations, but it was an interesting read.\nRobert B. Edgerton, Sick Societies. A thorough examination of the hundreds of horrible examples when \"natural\" societies studied by anthropologists have customs that are not only bad from our modern Western point of view, but arguably fail in achieving their own objectives. The whole book exists to counter lazy cultural relativism of the \"maybe we don't like X, but if they do it, it must be for a good reason and it must be a useful adaptation for them\" kind.\nMichael Harris, Mathematics Without Apologies. A very eclectic and idiosyncratic book by a mathematician on the sociology and epistemology of mathematics as a discipline. To be appreciated for its wealth of ideas and references to other interesting books and theories, rather than for any particular argument or thread.\nMilton Rokeach, The Three Christs of Ypsilanti. A story on what happened when a psychologist tried to bring three psychiatric patients, each believing themselves to be Christ, together and to talk it out amongst themselves. Happened in the 1960s. The idea is more interesting than the outcome.\nFiction, best to worst:\nPatrick O'Brian, The Hundred Days. The penultimate book in the series of the best historical novels (the Aubrey-Maturin series) ever written, by a huge margin. The series transcend the genre and I count the Aubrey-Maturin books among the very best books I read in the last decade.\nDodie Smith, I Capture the Castle. A brilliantly written coming-of-age story about a girl growing up in an impoverished family occupying a decaying castle in the English countryside, set in the 1930s. Reminded me in many ways of Rebecca West's The Fountain Overflows, a novel in the similar genre (but with a younger protagonist) that's known much less than it deserves.\nJuan Rulfo, Pedro Paramo. If you read and liked Garcia Marquez's A Hundred Years of Solitude, this one is shorter, darker, involves many more dead people, and you may want to give it a try.\nAlfred Hayes, In Love. A story of a man obsessed by love in a mid-century NYC. Unexpectedly touching, very convincing psychologically.\nIain M. Banks, Against a Dark Background. SF, a grand heist novel set in a advanced civilization living in a star system located unimaginably far away from any other stars and galaxies, and so doomed to a lone struggle with its own long history. A wealth of technological and social ideas you'd expect from Banks. The ending felt a bit forced.\nGene Wolfe, There Are Doors. Gene Wolfe, Nightsite of the Long Sun/Lake of the Long Sun.\nGene Wolfe is the best writer American science fiction produced in the last half-century. \"There are Doors\" is a pretty weird fantasy novel about an alternate world where men die after their first intercourse (as some spiders do in ours), and the hero travels back and forth between that world and ours. It's good, but not as strong as Wolfe's best, which to my taste is the Book of the New Sun tetralogy, the novellas in the Fifth Head of Cerberus collection, and many of his short stories (well-collected in The Best of Gene Wolfe). The other two are the first half of the \"Book of the Long Sun\" series that I'm still reading through.\nUrsula K. Le Guin, The Dispossessed. Superb political SF about an imagined anarchist [anti-]utopia. A serious attempt to describe a human society with no central power structures and no ownership. The hero is a physicist born and raised in that society who escapes to a sibling planet with the more typical modern states. This novel took all the awards in the 1970s when it was published, and deservedly so.\n[cont'd]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Reminded me in many ways of Rebecca West's The Fountain Overflows, a novel in the similar genre (but with a younger protagonist) that's known much less than it deserves.",
          "reason": "Says it is less well known than it deserves.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rebecca West"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "british literature",
        "family saga"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-four-gospels-ea9dcd",
      "title": "The Four Gospels",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1635177,
          "author": "adammichaelc",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-26T05:38:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1635177",
          "commentText": "Business: 7 Habits, 8th Habit, Getting Things Done, 4 Steps to Epiphany, Straight from the Gut\nSpiritual: Book of Mormon, Book of Isaiah, The 4 Gospels in the New Testament\nRelationship: The 5 Love Languages, Men are from Mars Women from Venus\nPhysical: Spark, The Vitamin D Solution",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Spiritual: Book of Mormon, Book of Isaiah, The 4 Gospels in the New Testament",
          "reason": "Included in a list answering the question about books that changed your life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian scripture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-four-pillars-of-geometry-0e8b8d",
      "title": "The Four Pillars of Geometry",
      "author": "John Stillwell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23740149,
          "author": "VitalyAnkh",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-05T17:06:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23740149",
          "commentText": "I recommend John Stillwell’s The Four Pillars of Geometry  https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9780387255309. This book is suitable for all who want to cultivate a interest in mathematics.\nThe Four Pillars of Geometry approaches geometry in four different ways, spending two chapters on each. This makes the subject accessible to readers of all mathematical tastes, from the visual to the algebraic. Not only does each approach offer a different view; the combination of viewpoints yields insights not available in most books at this level. For example, it is shown how algebra emerges from projective geometry, and how the hyperbolic plane emerges from the real projective line.\nJohn Stillwell is a great mathematician and writer. You won’t regret reading this.\nPS. John Stillwell’s Mathematics and Its History is also worth reading. In fact, the book doesn’t aim to tell the story of mathematics. The book connects and the parts of mathematics with a historical perspective.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend John Stillwell’s The Four Pillars of Geometry",
          "reason": "Recommends it as an accessible geometry book for different mathematical tastes.",
          "audience": "Anyone interested in mathematics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Stillwell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "geometry",
        "hyperbolic geometry",
        "projective geometry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-four-pillars-of-investing-10a333",
      "title": "The Four Pillars of Investing",
      "author": "William Bernstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22574325,
          "author": "pembrook",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T10:16:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22574325",
          "commentText": "First, arm yourself with the tools to figure out whether what you're reading is bullshit or not (unfortunately a huge issue in the finance space). Read about The Organon by Aristotle, particularly his work around logical fallacies.\nThen, for a brief overview of the history of money, currency, and markets read the first part of William Bernstein's The Four Pillars of Investing (provides some good historical context).\nTo understand financial market movements in the short term (like what is happening now), read about crowd psychology, behavioral biases (Kahneman), and black swans (Taleb).\nTo understand financial markets over the long term, read anything written by Buffet (his annual reports) or Munger, or their intellectual precursor, Graham and Dodd.\nTo understand the theories and thinking underpinning money and central banking, read about Adam Smith, Milton Friedman, Keynes, and Hayek.\nStart with a bias toward history and older works, and move towards newer works to understand how the current zeitgeist got here and be able to think more critically about the ideas that are currently en vogue.\nAlso, I agree with the comment that recommends avoiding books by journalists. These are typically compelling narratives in search of supporting facts and theories (the wrong way to approach thinking). You should start your learning from the opposite position. Learn the theories and facts first, then think critically about any good-sounding narratives you see repeated in the wild.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "read the first part of William Bernstein's The Four Pillars of Investing (provides some good historical context).",
          "reason": "Recommended for historical context on money, currency, and markets.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter specifies reading the first part.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Bernstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of money",
        "investing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-fourth-part-of-the-world-the-race-to-the-ends-of-the-earth-an-4e4c0d",
      "title": "The Fourth Part of the World: The Race to the Ends of the Earth, and the Epic Story of the Map That Gave America Its Name",
      "author": "Toby Lester",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4598605,
          "author": "urish",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-01T18:35:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 4596721,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4598605",
          "commentText": "\"The Fourth Part of the World: The Race to the Ends of the Earth, and the Epic Story of the Map That Gave America Its Name\".\nA really interesting history book. I'm now in a great part, about how knowledge of geography (and map projections) was disseminated in Europe through a network of scholars and humanists during the 15th century. There was this huge collaborative effort to reconstruct ancient texts and to bring them in line with (then) current knowledge.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A really interesting history book.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a really interesting history book and describes its account of geography and mapmaking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Toby Lester"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "age of discovery",
        "cartography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-fourth-way-dec63c",
      "title": "The Fourth Way",
      "author": "P. D. Ouspensky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22094854,
          "author": "qwerty456127",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T23:21:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22094854",
          "commentText": "I've read a portion of Gurdjieff's \"Beelzebub's Tales to His Grandson\" and found it boring. Perhaps it would get interesting if I read more.\nBut now I'm reading \"the fourth way\" by Peter Ouspensky, the most famous (if we don't count Joseph Stalin) of his students and find it awesome. Very rational, explaining everything  in an exciting, easy to grok way. It feels like  a book I would recommend to everyone.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "But now I'm reading \"the fourth way\" by Peter Ouspensky, the most famous (if we don't count Joseph Stalin) of his students and find it awesome.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they find it awesome and easy to understand, and would recommend it to everyone.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "P. D. Ouspensky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "esoteric philosophy",
        "fourth way"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-fractal-prince-4c42fc",
      "title": "The Fractal Prince",
      "author": "Hannu Rajaniemi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10784101,
          "author": "skorgu",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:39:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10784101",
          "commentText": "I was on a sf kick this year apparently.\nFull list (why can't amazon show me the read dates of my kindle books?!):\n- Ancillary Sword\n- The Magician's Land\n- The Three Body Problem (incomplete)\n- Libriomancer, Codex Born, Unbound\n- Thank You, Jeeves\n- Omon Ra (incomplete)\n- Stations of the Tide\n- 1Q84 (staggeringly incomplete)\n- The Desert Spear (incomplete)\n- The Lost Fleet: {Dauntless,Fearless,Courageous} (third \none incomplete)\n- Superintelligence\n- Nexus, Crux (incomplete)\n- Another Fine Myth\n- The Annihilation Score\n- The Man with the Golden Torc, Daemons are Forever\n- The Fractal Prince (incomplete)\n- Crooked\n- Ancillary Mercy\n- The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet\n- The Traitor Baru Cormarant\n- Excession\n- Hive Mind\n- Seveneves",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "- The Fractal Prince (incomplete)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Marked incomplete.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9056399,
          "author": "macmac",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T11:42:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056399",
          "commentText": "Anything by Iain M. Banks. Start with \"The Player of Games\" and \"Consider Phlebas\".\nAnything by Vernor S. Vinge especially \"Zones of Thought\" series.\n\"Daemon\", \"Freedom(tm)\", \"Kill Decision\" and \"Influx\" by Daniel Suarez.\n\"The Martian\" by Andy Weir.\nAnything by Neal Stephenson, especially \"Reamde: A Novel\" and \"Cryptonomicon\".\nAnything by Hannu Rajaniemi, especially \"The Fractal Prince\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "especially \"The Fractal Prince\".",
          "reason": "Particularly recommends this novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hannu Rajaniemi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "posthuman",
        "posthumanism",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-fractalist-memoir-of-a-scientific-maverick-9c9316",
      "title": "The Fractalist: Memoir of a Scientific Maverick",
      "author": "Benoit B. Mandelbrot",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4968606,
          "author": "davidw",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T08:15:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4968606",
          "commentText": "I recently started a review 'blog':\nhttp://davids-book-reviews.blogspot.com/\nOf that list, \"Information wants to be shared\", and \"The Fractalist: Memoir of a Scientific Maverick\" stick out as being pretty good.  \"Climbing the Charts: What Radio Airplay Tells Us about the Diffusion of Innovation\" was also very interesting, and a clever use of statistics to look at how one specific sector works. I also loved \"The Oregon Desert\", although it's probably not very interesting to most people out there.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Fractalist: Memoir of a Scientific Maverick\" stick out as being pretty good.",
          "reason": "Says it sticks out as pretty good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Benoit B. Mandelbrot"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fractals",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-frayed-atlantic-edge-53d62e",
      "title": "The Frayed Atlantic Edge",
      "author": "David Gange",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33382904,
          "author": "2b3a51",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T10:58:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382904",
          "commentText": "* The Frayed Atlantic Edge* by David Gange\nA book about a kayak journey around the Atlantic coast of the UK and Ireland that the author undertook in 2016. Published in 2018. The author (who is a historian) develops essays about the history of the coastal communities with a lot of references to earlier work and current writers. There is a Web site with additional material. [1] The book starts off with the mechanics of kayaking through coastal waters and slowly edges into quite deep historical reflections.\nI'm working my way around the Atlantic edge of the UK slowly as currently disrupted travel allows.\n[1] https://frayedatlanticedge.wordpress.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* The Frayed Atlantic Edge* by David Gange",
          "reason": "Describes the author’s kayak journey and historical essays about coastal communities.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Gange"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coastal communities",
        "kayaking",
        "uk and ireland"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-freedoms-of-suburbia-7c4fd4",
      "title": "The Freedoms of Suburbia",
      "author": "Paul Barker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2531523,
          "author": "yason",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-10T05:51:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 2526568,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2531523",
          "commentText": "In the recent year or two I've been reading dozens of books about urban planning, suburbia, traditional neighbourhoods, modern neighbourhoods, traffic planning, pedestrian planning, cityscape and from there I'm slowly moving now especially to the roots of modernism and its various derivatives in architecture and city planning.\nThere are lots of books about the former, with a huge number of various angles. Dom Nozzi has a couple of books with critical analysis on traffic planning and suburbia; well, he's not against all that per se, he just carefully points out the planning patterns that do not work for humane living. Then everybody probably knows Kunstler who has been a vocal author on the subject for years; I can recommend his TedTalk[1] to sum up many of his books. On the contrary, a delightful book about the appeal and history of the British suburbia by Paul Barker is the book 'The Freedoms of Suburbia', to be enjoyed slowly over the cup of hot tea.\n[1] http://www.ted.com/talks/james_howard_kunstler_dissects_subu... (http://www.ted.com/talks/james_howard_kunstler_dissects_suburbia.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a delightful book about the appeal and history of the British suburbia by Paul Barker is the book 'The Freedoms of Suburbia', to be enjoyed slowly over the cup of hot tea.",
          "reason": "Describes it as delightful and recommends enjoying it slowly.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in British suburbia and its history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Barker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "suburban history",
        "urban planning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-frege-reader-d5b7cc",
      "title": "The Frege Reader",
      "author": "Michael Beaney",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503692,
          "author": "telemachos",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T14:39:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503692",
          "commentText": "Some from the canon:\n\nPlato: Defence of Socrates, Euthyphro, Crito (translated by David Gallop)\nThe Modes of Scepticism by Julia Annas and Jonathan Barnes (a beautiful collection of texts from Pyrrhonian scepticism and analysis of their arguments; the best way I know to meet ancient scepticism)\nDescartes: Meditations on First Philosophy (The Cambridge University Press edition is very good; it's probably worth buying their Selected Philosophical Writings for a good basic Descartes text)\nDavid Hume: An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding and An Enquiry concerning the Principles of Morals (I recommend the Oxford Philosophical Texts editions)\nWittgenstein: Philosophical Investigations (terribly, terribly difficult, but very rewarding)\n  A few contemporary things:\n\nGilbert Ryle: The Concept of Mind\nWillard Van Orman Quine: From a Logical Point of View\nJ. L. Mackie: Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong\nThomas Nagel: Mortal Questions (short essays, well-written, very accessible)\nBernard Williams: Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy\nMichael Smith: The Moral Problem\n  Specialist, technical, odd:\n\nThe Frege Reader by Michael Beaney (for modern logic and the beginnings of contemporary philosophy in the analytic style)\nJ. L. Mackie: The Cement of the Universe: A Study of Causation\nWilliam Kingdon Clifford: The Ethics of Belief (he argues, oddly but powerfully, that it's immoral to believe things on insufficient evidence or irrationally - an offense to morality, not just reason)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "for modern logic and the beginnings of contemporary philosophy in the analytic style",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a reader for modern logic and early analytic philosophy.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in modern logic and analytic philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Beaney"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "analytic philosophy",
        "frege",
        "logic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-frontier-in-american-history-3c6f9b",
      "title": "The Frontier in American History",
      "author": "Frederick Jackson Turner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41240816,
          "author": "bikenaga",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-13T23:14:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41240816",
          "commentText": "Someone else mentioned Thomas Hardy's \"The Mayor of Casterbirdge\". It's the one of his 5 major novels I haven't read. \"Far From the Madding Crowd\" and \"Return of the Native\" are okay, but the two that really are magnificent are:\n\"Jude the Obscure\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/153\n\"Tess of the D'Urbervilles\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/110\nYou can sense his fury at the society he was depicting. You might not want to read either of these, particularly \"Tess\", if you're prone to depression.\nFrederick Jackson Turner, \"The Frontier in American History\" (1921) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/22994\nThis collection leads off with Turner's essay \"The Significance of the Frontier in American History\" (1893). It's considered by some the most influential historical essay about America ever written. Historians went back and forth on his claims for decades, and people pointed out many issues with them. It seems like the critics predominate now. But it's still worth reading, particularly since (right or wrong) his ideas influenced the way we think of ourselves. Turner was a very good writer - he was a noted orator, and his essays have an oratorical quality - and the other essays in the collection are pretty good, too.\nOwen Wister, \"The Virginian\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1298\nZane Grey, \"Riders of the Purple Sage\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1300\nAnd the sequel: \"The Rainbow Trail\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/5067\n\"The Virginian\" (1902) and \"Riders\" (1912) established many of the themes and tropes for the \"standard\" western, and they're still fun to read. But the genre comprises many other kinds of writing - e.g. A. B. Guthrie, Elmer Kelton, and the next writer.\nWilla Cather's novels:\nThe \"plains trilogy\" (the stories are set in Nebraska and Colorado, but otherwise unrelated):\n\"O Pioneers!\" (1913) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/24\n\"The Song of the Lark\" (1915) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/44\n\"My Ántonia\" (1918) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19810\nAnd not quite a hundred years ago, but a wonderful novel:\n\"Death Comes for the Archbishop\" (1927) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/69730\nA few brief mentions: James Joyce's \"Ulysses\", though I had a tough time getting through it; some of Nathaniel Hawthorne's short stories (e.g. \"The Minister's Black Veil\"); \"Njal's Saga\" (I liked the Penguin edition with the translation by Magnusson and Pallson); the great works of classic fantasy (Lord Dunsany, E. R. Eddison, William Morris, Arthur Machen); the essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Frederick Jackson Turner, \"The Frontier in American History\" (1921)",
          "reason": "The commenter says it remains worth reading because its ideas influenced how Americans think of themselves.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Turner's claims have been heavily criticized, and critics now predominate.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frederick Jackson Turner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american west",
        "frontier thesis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-frugal-wizard-s-handbook-for-surviving-medieval-england-ddcecf",
      "title": "The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England",
      "author": "Brandon Sanderson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38562603,
          "author": "ashton314",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T22:18:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38562603",
          "commentText": "+1 for Yumi and Tress. You don’t have to be deep into the rest of his books to appreciate them. (Unlike Sunlit Man) The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England was a total hoot—if you want something light and silly, go for that.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England was a total hoot—if you want something light and silly, go for that.",
          "reason": "Calls it a hoot and recommends it for readers wanting something light and silly.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for something light and silly.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38238140,
          "author": "harry_ord",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T07:27:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238140",
          "commentText": "The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England. Not sure what I'll read after. I was at a bit off a loss after reading race after technology.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure what to read after it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brandon Sanderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "time travel",
        "comic fantasy",
        "medieval england"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-fugitive-game-7b43b0",
      "title": "The Fugitive Game",
      "author": "Jonathan Littman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17750154,
          "author": "severine",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T14:06:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17750154",
          "commentText": "This? http://gen.lib.rus.ec/book/index.php?md5=5A8FE70517FD734D720... (http://gen.lib.rus.ec/book/index.php?md5=5A8FE70517FD734D720A183A24ABBF9D)\nTitle: \tUnderground: Tales of Hacking, Madness, and Obsession on the Electronic Frontier\nAuthor(s):\tSuelette Dreyfuss\nPublisher:\tMandarin Australia\nYear:\t1997\nISBN:\t9781863305952, 1863305955\n>> This book provides a great overview of a number of computer intrusion incidents and links them throught not only the technical nature of the activity but the persons behind them. UNDERGROUND provides an excellent overview of intrustion activities focusing on the UK, Australia, and the United States. It covers the late 80's to the early nineties with stories on incidents such as the WANK Worm outbreak and 8lgm's activities. The stand out attribute of this book is that it examines what happened to the intruders after their activity rather than focusing on the activity itself. It also examines the interrelationships between intruders worldwide giving some insight into how the culture allows for several key persons to be involved in or have siginficant knowledge of many different activities. A must have to include in your library along with other staples such as Cuckoo's Egg, Masters of Deception, Fugitive Game, and Hacker Crackdown. However, like the other books noted, there are apt to be a few points that persons will take exception too with regard to accuracy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "staples such as Cuckoo's Egg, Masters of Deception, Fugitive Game, and Hacker Crackdown",
          "reason": "Lists it as a staple alongside other books on hacking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The blurb says there may be points readers take exception to regarding accuracy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Littman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybercrime",
        "kevin mitnick"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-functional-approach-to-programming-09ceed",
      "title": "The Functional Approach to Programming",
      "author": "Guy Cousineau and Michel Mauny",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23366735,
          "author": "undecidabot",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-31T02:46:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23366735",
          "commentText": "Ullman's book is really accessible and what introduced me to SML as well,\nbut for those looking for something that goes a little deeper,\ndo read \"ML for the Working Programmer\" by Lawrence Paulson (author of Isabelle).\nIt has one of the best introductions to ML's module system\nand even covers building a (toy) tactical theorem prover.\nOh, and it's now available online for free as well [1].\nAnother great book on FP is \"The Functional Approach to Programming\" [2],\nwhich is a bit like SICP but using Caml (OCaml without the O) instead of Scheme.\n[1] https://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~lp15/MLbook/pub-details.html\n[2] http://pauillac.inria.fr/cousineau-mauny/main.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another great book on FP is \"The Functional Approach to Programming\" [2],\nwhich is a bit like SICP but using Caml (OCaml without the O) instead of Scheme.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as a book on functional programming and compares its approach to SICP.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Uses Caml rather than Scheme.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Guy Cousineau",
        "Michel Mauny"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "caml",
        "functional programming",
        "ocaml"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-future-is-degrowth-a-guide-to-a-world-beyond-capitalism-2e6436",
      "title": "The Future Is Degrowth: A Guide to a World Beyond Capitalism",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38556997,
          "author": "browningstreet",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T14:53:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38556997",
          "commentText": "The Future is Degrowth: A Guide to a World Beyond Capitalism\nNovelist as a Vocation by Murakami\nThe Milky Way: An Autobiography of Our Galaxy by Moiya McTier",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Future is Degrowth: A Guide to a World Beyond Capitalism",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "degrowth",
        "post capitalism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-futurological-congress-from-the-memoirs-of-ijon-tichy-9a3e40",
      "title": "The Futurological Congress: From the Memoirs of Ijon Tichy",
      "author": "Stanisław Lem",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23154647,
          "author": "JeffDClark",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T14:55:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23154647",
          "commentText": "A piece of fiction that has never failed to make me think every time I read it, is: The Futurological Congress: From the Memoirs of Ijon Tichy by Stanislaw Lem.\nOne of the tenets of getting your mind bent is reading things that are antithetical to your own world view. For this reason I read and had my mind bent by Supernatural: Meetings with the Ancient Teachers of Mankind - Graham Hancock.\nFinally, I offer The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food by Dan Barber. I have read a lot about food, nature, etc. but Barber nails the heart of the problem with our current (really recent past, in light of the pandemic) food culture. From farms and restaurants to the consumers (we are not just eaters) he shows how there could be another way that is more sustainable, as well as being more delicious.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A piece of fiction that has never failed to make me think every time I read it, is: The Futurological Congress: From the Memoirs of Ijon Tichy by Stanislaw Lem.",
          "reason": "Says it consistently prompts thought on rereading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stanisław Lem"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "satire",
        "speculative fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-galaxy-and-the-ground-within-a45ad9",
      "title": "The Galaxy, and the Ground Within",
      "author": "Becky Chambers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33383079,
          "author": "morelisp",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T11:28:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33383079",
          "commentText": "For non-fiction, Graeber and Wengrow's The Dawn of Everything (which I'm still working through the references of as well, many of which are also good).\nFor fiction, my sample size this year is sadly small but probably Becky Chambers's The Galaxy, and the Ground Within, the final(?) book in the Wayfarers (The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet) series. A great end to the series, and given that it must have been plotted originally pre-2020 oddly contemporary.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "probably Becky Chambers's The Galaxy, and the Ground Within",
          "reason": "Names it as their likely favorite fiction read of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says their fiction sample size was small.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Becky Chambers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "wayfarers"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-gambler-6ad04c",
      "title": "The Gambler",
      "author": "Fyodor Dostoevsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2617494,
          "author": "1reza",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T18:37:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2617494",
          "commentText": "The Gambler by Fyodor Dostoevsky",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Gambler by Fyodor Dostoevsky",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to the thread’s request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fyodor Dostoevsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "gambling",
        "russian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-gap-cycle-e3e225",
      "title": "The Gap Cycle",
      "author": "Stephen R. Donaldson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056600,
          "author": "Jedd",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:34:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056600",
          "commentText": "Doubtless there'll be lots of strong opinions, and (hopefully, usefully) lots of duplicates that you can then tote up to get a bit of a consensus.\nIain M. Banks - all his Culture books are fantastic, but I'll single out 'Excession' since you seek titles.\nNeal Stephenson's 'Anathem'\nStephen Donaldson (most famous for the Thomas Covenant tri-trilogy) wrote a 5-book 'Gap Series'.  I have very fond memories of it, though it's been two decades since I read it.\nPhilip K. Dick wrote a tonne of good stuff (and a bit of meh) but my two favourite are Clans of the Alphane Moon (the first Dick I read), and Valis (a bit more conventional to have on the favourite list)\nUrsula Le Guin also has a huge body of excellent work - Left Hand of Darkness, and The Dispossessed are my favourites.\nI really loved Roger Zelazny's Lord Of Light, though I understand it's not conventionally considered his best work.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "wrote a 5-book 'Gap Series'.  I have very fond memories of it",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have very fond memories of the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter last read it two decades ago.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen R. Donaldson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political intrigue",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-garbage-collection-handbook-the-art-of-automatic-memory-manag-5c1e54",
      "title": "The Garbage Collection Handbook: The Art of Automatic Memory Management",
      "author": "Richard Jones, Antony Hosking, and Eliot Moss",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33803547,
          "author": "jasone",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T16:56:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33803547",
          "commentText": "These are books that I've reread major portions of repeatedly because they consistently trigger broader thinking about their subject matter.\nPurely Functional Data Structures by Chris Okasaki broadened how I think about algorithmic complexity analysis, after decades of mostly imperative programming. Other books on lambda calculus, type theory, OCaml, Haskell, etc. preceded this in my reading list, but this book clinched my love of functional programming.\nThe Garbage Collection Handbook by Richard Jones, Antony Hosking, and Eliot Moss provides broad, yet sufficiently detailed, coverage of automatic memory management that most techniques can be understood and implemented without digging into the primary literature. That said, this book (actually its predecessor, Garbage Collection by Jones and Lins) inspired me to dig deep into memory management, and jemalloc is one of the incidental results.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Garbage Collection Handbook by Richard Jones, Antony Hosking, and Eliot Moss provides broad, yet sufficiently detailed, coverage of automatic memory management that most techniques can be understood and implemented without digging into the primary literature.",
          "reason": "Offers broad, detailed coverage sufficient to understand and implement most memory management techniques.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its predecessor inspired them to dig into memory management.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Jones",
        "Antony Hosking",
        "Eliot Moss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "garbage collection",
        "memory management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-garbage-collection-handbook-the-art-of-automatic-memory-manag-3b5fdc",
      "title": "The Garbage Collection Handbook: The Art of Automatic Memory Management",
      "author": "Richard Jones and Antony Hosking",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14487722,
          "author": "pjmlp",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T14:15:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487722",
          "commentText": "A few ones:\n\"Algorithms and Data Structures\" from Niklaus Wirth.\n\"Introduction to Algorithms, 3rd Edition\" from Thomas H. Cormen, Charles E. Leiserson, Ronald L. Rivest, Clifford Stein.\n\"The Garbage Collection Handbook: The Art of Automatic Memory Management\" from Richard Jones and Antony Hosking\n\"Code Complete\" from Steve McConnell\n\"From Mathematics to Generic Programming\" from Alexander Stepanov and Daniel Rose",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Garbage Collection Handbook: The Art of Automatic Memory Management\" from Richard Jones and Antony Hosking",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books to add to a programming library.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Jones and Antony Hosking"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "garbage collection",
        "memory management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-garden-of-eden-8a6f53",
      "title": "The Garden of Eden",
      "author": "Ernest Hemingway",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1724771,
          "author": "SHOwnsYou",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-24T18:29:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1724771",
          "commentText": "If you actually want literature, my favorite book as a child was Where the Red Fern Grows. If they are around 14+ there are some great, captivating Hemmingway books. A Farewell to Arms, Island in the Stream, A Movable Feast, and The Garden of Eden (In that order).\nI keeping editing as I think of new things. This may sound odd, but if they are in the 14+ range, How to Win Friends and Influence People is great. It changed a lot for me.\nWhen I was like 9 I got the book How to be Twice as Smart and it taught me a ton of mental tricks.\nThis book taught me a lot (probably if the boy is like 10 or 12+?)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Backyard-Ballistics-Cannons-Cincinnati... (http://www.amazon.com/Backyard-Ballistics-Cannons-Cincinnati-Dynamite/dp/1556523750/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1285352917&sr=1-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Farewell to Arms, Island in the Stream, A Movable Feast, and The Garden of Eden (In that order).",
          "reason": "Included among captivating Hemingway books suggested for older boys.",
          "audience": "Readers around age 14 and older.",
          "caveat": "Part of a suggested reading order.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ernest Hemingway"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-gateless-gate-798229",
      "title": "The Gateless Gate",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33599995,
          "author": "senko",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-14T19:54:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33599995",
          "commentText": "I found \"Real Zen for real life\" by Bret W. Davis pretty approachable.\nIt's from The Great Courses, but also available as audiobook on Audible.\nBTW he also recommends the same book (gateless gate + blue cliff records, same translation) as the parent poster.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "he also recommends the same book (gateless gate + blue cliff records, same translation) as the parent poster.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the lecturer recommends this Zen text.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned alongside Blue Cliff Records as the same translation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "koans",
        "zen buddhism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-gateless-gate-24c81c",
      "title": "The Gateless Gate",
      "author": "Koun Yamada (translator/editor)",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13804180,
          "author": "metaphorm",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:19:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804180",
          "commentText": "- The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin\n- Blindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts\n- The Tao Te Ching\n- The Gateless Gate (Koun Yamada translation/editing)\n- The Baroque Cycle (Quicksilver, The Confusion, The System of the World) by Neal Stephenson\n- The Invisibles by Grant Morrison\n- Incerto (Fooled by Randomness, The Black Swan, Antifragile, The Bed of Procrustes) by Nassim Nicholas Taleb\n- Iron John by Robert Bly\n- Catch 22 by Joseph Heller\n- The Character of Physical Law by Richard P. Feynman\n- Collected Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges\n- 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez\n- Pharmakon by Dale Pendell\n- The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss\n- Greek Mythology by Edith Hamilton\n- The Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual by Gary Gygax et al\n- Introduction to Algorithms by Charles E. Leiserson, Clifford Stein, Ronald Rivest, and Thomas H. Cormen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Gateless Gate (Koun Yamada translation/editing)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed how people think.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Koun Yamada (translator/editor)"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "koans",
        "zen buddhism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-gates-of-hell-c156b5",
      "title": "The Gates of Hell",
      "author": "Michael Livingston",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237020,
          "author": "Jemaclus",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:13:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237020",
          "commentText": "I keep an active list of books I've read, along with my reviews at my book review website, https://books.brianseitel.com. One of the benefits of this is that my favorite books automatically populate on the left. In 2016, I read over 60 books. My top 10 for 2016 (so far) are, in rough order of favorite-ness:\n- \"All the Birds in the Sky\" by Charlie Jane Anders\n- \"The Shards of Heaven\" and its sequel \"The Gates of Hell\" by Michael Livingston (fictional story set in Roman times)\n- \"The Last Breath\" by Charlie Magee\n- \"The Guns of Empire\" by Django Wexler (Book 4 of The Shadow Campaigns series, which I highly recommend)\n- \"The King's Traitor\" by Jeff Wheeler (original take on Arthurian legend)\n- \"Uprooted\" by Naomi Novik\n- \"End Game\" by Lindsay Buroker (Book 8 of her sci-fi series, The Fallen Empire, which is a pretty fun series overall. Short and sweet adventures.)\n- \"Soulblade\" by Lindsay Buroker (Book 8 of her fantasy series, Dragon Blood, which is another great series. All of Buroker's books are good, imo.)\n- \"Ghost Talkers\" by Mary Robinette Kowal (It's WWII, ghosts are real... and they're spies.)\nThis year I also read books 1-3 of The Expanse, and I think they would also be in this list, except I haven't reviewed them yet. I'm currently reading Book 4, with the recently published book, Babylon's Ashes, in the queue. I fully expect these to make it into the top 10.\nObviously, I enjoy sci-fi / fantasy the most, but across a wide range of sub-genres. For non-sci-fi, my top read was \"I Will Teach You To Be Rich\" by Ramit Sethi, which really changed the way I organize my finances.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My top 10 for 2016 (so far) are, in rough order of favorite-ness:",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's top books of the year, ranked by preference.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Identified as the sequel to The Shards of Heaven.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Livingston"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient rome",
        "historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-geek-atlas-a69809",
      "title": "The Geek Atlas",
      "author": "John Graham-Cumming",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1226778,
          "author": "jgrahamc",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:09:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226778",
          "commentText": "At the risk of being yelled at: The Geek Atlas (http://geekatlas.com/)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Geek Atlas",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for recommended non-software books.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in non-software books relevant to the Hacker News community.",
          "caveat": "The commenter prefaces the suggestion with “At the risk of being yelled at.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Graham-Cumming"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "science travel",
        "technology landmarks"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-geek-leader-s-handbook-essential-leadership-insight-for-peopl-1cd86b",
      "title": "The Geek Leader's Handbook: Essential Leadership Insight for People with Technical Backgrounds",
      "author": "Paul Glen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43726979,
          "author": "scarface_74",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-18T11:21:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 43723077,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on talking to users?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43726979",
          "commentText": "The Geek Leader's Handbook: Essential Leadership Insight for People with Technical Backgrounds",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Geek Leader's Handbook: Essential Leadership Insight for People with Technical Backgrounds",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "People with technical backgrounds.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Glen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "technical leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-geek-leader-s-handbook-essential-leadership-insight-for-peopl-04fa59",
      "title": "The Geek Leader's Handbook: Essential Leadership Insight for People with Technical Backgrounds",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43732505,
          "author": "terrellbm",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-18T22:43:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 43723077,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on talking to users?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43732505",
          "commentText": "Sounds cool!\nDownloading the sample",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Sounds cool!\nDownloading the sample",
          "reason": "Expresses interest in the book and says they are downloading a sample.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 43729727,
          "author": "terrellbm",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-18T16:44:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 43723077,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on talking to users?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43729727",
          "commentText": "Is this more for management/leadership as opposed to talking to users?\nSeems like a good book overall! :)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Is this more for management/leadership as opposed to talking to users?",
          "reason": "Asks whether the book is focused on management and leadership rather than user interviews.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "technical leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-genesis-of-technoscientific-revolutions-5b8aab",
      "title": "The Genesis of Technoscientific Revolutions",
      "author": "Narayanamurti and Tsao",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40429588,
          "author": "a_tartaruga",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T15:19:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40429588",
          "commentText": "The Genesis of Technoscientific Revolutions by Narayanamurti and Tsao is worth reading for a better understanding of how research works and how to nurture it. It has a very clear explanation of how engineering and technology mirror science and how both work together.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Genesis of Technoscientific Revolutions by Narayanamurti and Tsao is worth reading",
          "reason": "Recommends it for understanding how research works and how to nurture it.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in research, engineering, and technology.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Narayanamurti",
        "Tsao"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "engineering",
        "scientific research",
        "technoscience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-genetic-lottery-why-dna-matters-for-social-equality-150ca9",
      "title": "The Genetic Lottery: Why DNA Matters for Social Equality",
      "author": "Kathryn Paige Harden",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29673092,
          "author": "samglover97",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T12:32:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29673092",
          "commentText": "A few books I enjoyed:\n- The Case against Education by Bryan Caplan, discussing the merits of signalling theory (the point of education is to signal your intelligence and conscientiousness) as opposed to human capital theory (education genuinely makes you a better worker with more skills). Didn't find it totally convincing but it was a fun and interesting read.\n- The Genetic Lottery: Why DNA Matters for Social Equality by Kathryn Harden, a wonderful book on how hereditary IQ is, and why that is a good case for redistribution, given that IQ is so predictive of wealth/income\n- The Code Breaker by Walter Isaacson, a biography of Jennifer Doudna, the woman who founded CRISPR and won the Nobel prize. Great read, thrilling.\n- My Struggle book 1, by Karl Ove Knausgård. Haven't finished this yet, just started it a few days ago - about 300 pages in. Great, great novel, one of the best I've read in a while.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The Genetic Lottery: Why DNA Matters for Social Equality by Kathryn Harden, a wonderful book on how hereditary IQ is, and why that is a good case for redistribution, given that IQ is so predictive of wealth/income",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it wonderful and describes its case for redistribution in light of genetic influences on IQ and income.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kathryn Paige Harden"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Science",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "behavioral genetics",
        "iq",
        "social equality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-genius-and-the-goddess-db2205",
      "title": "The Genius and the Goddess",
      "author": "Aldous Huxley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12246288,
          "author": "cheshire_cat",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T08:41:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12246288",
          "commentText": "\"The Genius and the Goddess\" by Aldous Huxley. It's one of his lesser known works and also quite short (128 pp).\nI really like Huxleys way of waving thoughts on psychology and philosophy into a story and specially liked it in this novel.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really like Huxleys way of waving thoughts on psychology and philosophy into a story and specially liked it in this novel.",
          "reason": "The commenter especially likes how the novel weaves psychology and philosophy into its story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it is lesser known and short (128 pages).",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Aldous Huxley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-genius-of-lisp-bdb645",
      "title": "The Genius of Lisp",
      "author": "Cees de Groot",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47315450,
          "author": "clyfe",
          "createdAt": "2026-03-09T21:01:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 47315415,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47315450",
          "commentText": "Cees de Groot's The Genius Of Lisp https://berksoft.ca/gol/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cees de Groot's The Genius Of Lisp",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cees de Groot"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "lisp",
        "programming languages"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-genius-of-the-few-54aa37",
      "title": "The Genius of the Few",
      "author": "Christian and Barbara Joy O'Brien",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46254327,
          "author": "gethly",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-13T13:19:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 46226571,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46254327",
          "commentText": "Not read this year but:\n1. Sebastian Junger - Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging\n  I read it some years ago but I remember it being a good read - for men. It also mentions how older societies handled post-war PTSD. So it got stuck in my head, despite only reading it once. Author was also a guest on Joe Rogan few times.\n\n2. Christian and Barbara Joy O'Brien - The Genius of The Few (get it from goldenageproject.org.uk, not amazon)\n  Great addition for anyone interested in Anunnaki and Sitchin's work. This takes a different angle but comes to the same/similar conclusions as Sitchin in more straightforward and less bombastic way as the authors were strictly fact-driven and held off any personal opinions or anything they could not prove. And I find that this is the only work not written by armchair warriors, second to Sitchin.\n\n\n\nI have no time yet but want to buy Schopenhauer's works. So it might be of interest to some as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Christian and Barbara Joy O'Brien - The Genius of The Few",
          "reason": "Recommended for readers interested in Anunnaki and Sitchin’s work; described as a more straightforward, less bombastic treatment.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Anunnaki and Sitchin’s work.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it reaches similar conclusions to Sitchin.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christian O'Brien",
        "Barbara Joy O'Brien"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient astronaut theories",
        "anunnaki"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-genius-of-the-system-hollywood-filmmaking-in-the-studio-era-4ca064",
      "title": "The Genius of the System: Hollywood Filmmaking in the Studio Era",
      "author": "Thomas Schatz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36601648,
          "author": "HillRat",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:20:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601648",
          "commentText": "Lots of options out there. A few from my bookshelf: Bijker's \"Of Bicycles, Bakelites, and Bulbs\" is a case-study-centric work that seeks to build a general theory of STS. Nye's \"Technology Matters\" is less a work of theory than a critique that poses core questions about how society should seek to integrate technical advances. Latour's \"Science in Action,\" \"Reassembling the Social,\" and \"Aramis\" are great examples of his approach to whole-of-system analysis of sociotechnical systems. Rogers' \"Diffusion of Innovation\" is a classic work theorizing how innovation is communicated through social networks.\nMIT Press has a wide variety of books that cover specific topics in history, most of which have great theoretic interest: Agar's \"The Government Machine,\" dealing with the evolution of technology and expertise within the UK government; Medina's \"Cybernetic Revolutionaries,\" about Beer's Cybersyn project; and Ensmenger's \"The Computer Boys Take Over,\" about the cultural development of the \"programmer,\" are all great reads.\nAlso, you can look beyond pure technology for interesting adjacencies: for example, Schatz's \"The Genius of the System\" describes how changes in technology and management production radically upended Hollywood, resulting in the studio system that dominated from the 1930s through the 1950s, while Harris' \"Pictures at a Revolution\" picks up the pieces at the end of that system, discussing the rise of \"New Hollywood,\" driven by cultural and technical (particularly the French use of inexpensive filming technologies to create the New Wave) forces.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Schatz's \"The Genius of the System\" describes how changes in technology and management production radically upended Hollywood",
          "reason": "Describes technology and management changes that reshaped Hollywood's studio system.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Schatz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hollywood history",
        "studio system"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-gentle-grafter-abd874",
      "title": "The Gentle Grafter",
      "author": "O. Henry",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20915681,
          "author": "Gibbon1",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T06:33:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20915681",
          "commentText": "Ambrose Bierce, Tales of Soldiers and Civilians\nO'Henry, the Gentle Grafter.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "O'Henry, the Gentle Grafter.",
          "reason": "Lists the book in response to a request for favorite old books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "O. Henry"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-gentlemen-bastard-sequence-6784fc",
      "title": "The Gentlemen Bastard Sequence",
      "author": "Scott Lynch",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1866358,
          "author": "solost",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T20:29:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1866358",
          "commentText": "I just finished The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss and started Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch.  For those of you reading Ice and Fire or who have finished all of the current work I recommend both of these series.\nI also look at The Book of 5 Rings and The Art of War on a regular basis.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For those of you reading Ice and Fire or who have finished all of the current work I recommend both of these series.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the two named series to readers of A Song of Ice and Fire.",
          "audience": "Readers of A Song of Ice and Fire.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Lynch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "heist fantasy",
        "swashbuckling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-geography-of-bliss-5c3898",
      "title": "The Geography of Bliss",
      "author": "Eric Weiner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4513920,
          "author": "ohashi",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-12T23:44:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 4513324,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading currently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4513920",
          "commentText": "Re-reading Catch 22.  I just finished The Geography of Bliss which was pretty interesting and a very fun read.  I like to keep a list of books I enjoyed too (http://kevinohashi.com/books if you're curious)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Geography of Bliss which was pretty interesting and a very fun read.",
          "reason": "Describes it as interesting and a very fun read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Weiner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "happiness",
        "travel writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-gervais-principle-e20262",
      "title": "The Gervais Principle",
      "author": "Venkatesh Rao",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42508431,
          "author": "ramthehack",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T12:13:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42508431",
          "commentText": "The Gervais Principle by Venkatesh Rao\nI did Not understand my work Environment anymore but this blogpost perfectly explained it",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Gervais Principle by Venkatesh Rao",
          "reason": "Lists the book in response to a question about standout reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Venkatesh Rao"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "organizational behavior",
        "workplace dynamics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ghost-156dc9",
      "title": "The Ghost",
      "author": "Robert Harris",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37158561,
          "author": "bloak",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T07:59:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37158561",
          "commentText": "Other good books by Robert Harris: The Ghost; The Fear Index; The Second Sleep.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Other good books by Robert Harris: The Ghost;",
          "reason": "Lists it among Harris's good books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Harris"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ghost-map-the-story-of-london-s-most-terrifying-epidemic-and--b14897",
      "title": "The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic—and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World",
      "author": "Steven Johnson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804899,
          "author": "AGivant",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:29:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804899",
          "commentText": "Here is my list (from https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/912138-alex-givant?rea...):\nMemoirs:\n- Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti..).\n- Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive by Land, Stephanie, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39218350-maid\n- Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40409969-medium-raw\n- Confessions of a Tax Collector: One Man's Tour of Duty Inside the IRS by Yancey, Rick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_..).\n- The Perfect Predator: A Scientist's Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Superbug: A Memoir by Steffanie Strathdee, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-pre... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-predator)\nPolitics:\n- Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Desmond, Matthew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25852784-evicted\n- Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America by Leovy, Jill, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13153693-ghettoside\n- American Prison: A Reporter's Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment by Bauer, Shane, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38561954-american-prison\n- Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Eban, Katherine, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42448266-bottle-of-lies\n- A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America by Miller, T. Christian, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35805861-a-false-report\n- The New Silk Roads by Frankopan, Peter, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro..).\nHistory:\n- Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-1956 by Applebaum, Anne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13531848-iron-curtain\n- The Romanovs: 1613-1918 by Montefiore, Simon Sebag, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26109020-the-romanovs\n- The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Johnson, Steven, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36086.The_Ghost_Map\n- Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations by Bergman, Ronen, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f..).\n- Madame Fourcade's Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against Hitler by Olson, Lynne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade..).\n- Argo: How the CIA & Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History by Méndez, Antonio J., https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13588425-argo\nCrime:\n- Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History by Selby, Scott Andrew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7071759-flawless\n- American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road by Bilton, Nick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi..).\n- Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by Carreyrou, John, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37976541-bad-blood\n- Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World by Wright, Tom, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-..).\n- The Mastermind: Drugs. Empire. Murder. Betrayal. by Ratliff, Evan, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41181600-the-mastermind\nTechnology:\n- Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon by Zetter, Kim, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze..).\n- Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World by Thompson, Clive, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40406806-coders",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Johnson, Steven",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list of favorite nonfiction books read in 2019.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Johnson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cholera",
        "public health"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ghost-in-the-atom-d2f4d4",
      "title": "The Ghost in the Atom",
      "author": "Paul C. W. Davies and Julian R. Brown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12252572,
          "author": "alok-g",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-09T04:11:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12252572",
          "commentText": "Minds, Brains and Machines by Geoffrey Brown [1] for introducing me to the complexities of the mind-body problem.  It did not show the answers of course, but helped me think right about it.\nSiddhartha by Herman Hesse [2] for contributing to helping me come out of excessive questioning of everything (philosophy) to science that helps towards actually answering the questions answerable.\nFeynman Lectures in Physics [3] and Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman [4], with no need to explain \"how\".  :-)\nThe Ghost in the Atom [5] for explaining varied views on the nature of science, especially Quantum Mechanics, and what goes in the minds of the top-notch scientists working on these problems.\nParsing Techniques by Dick Grune [6] for teaching me the fundamentals of computer science and helping me proceed with my deep interest in Artificial Intelligence.\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/Minds-Brains-Machines-Mind-Matters/dp... (https://www.amazon.com/Minds-Brains-Machines-Mind-Matters/dp/1853990132)\n[2] https://www.amazon.com/Siddhartha-Hermann-Hesse/dp/161382378... (https://www.amazon.com/Siddhartha-Hermann-Hesse/dp/1613823789/)\n[3] http://www.feynmanlectures.caltech.edu/\n[4] https://www.amazon.com/Surely-Feynman-Adventures-Curious-Cha... (https://www.amazon.com/Surely-Feynman-Adventures-Curious-Character/dp/0393316041/)\n[5] https://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Atom-Discussion-Mysteries-Quant... (https://www.amazon.com/Ghost-Atom-Discussion-Mysteries-Quantum/dp/0521457289/)\n[6] https://www.amazon.com/Parsing-Techniques-Practical-Monograp... (https://www.amazon.com/Parsing-Techniques-Practical-Monographs-Computer/dp/038720248X/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Ghost in the Atom [5] for explaining varied views on the nature of science, especially Quantum Mechanics, and what goes in the minds of the top-notch scientists working on these problems.",
          "reason": "Praised for explaining different views on science and scientists' thinking about quantum mechanics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul C. W. Davies and Julian R. Brown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "philosophy of science",
        "quantum mechanics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ghost-in-the-machine-f17a14",
      "title": "The Ghost in the Machine",
      "author": "Arthur Koestler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12099199,
          "author": "rolancaster01",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T06:01:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12099199",
          "commentText": "Melville \"Bartlby the Scrivener\" & Ramsey \"When We Are No More: how Digital Memory Is Shaping Our Future\"\nDown \"Brilliant Beacons: a History of the American Lighthouse\"\nKoestler \"Darkness Before Noon\" & \"The Invisible Writing\" & \"The Ghost in the Machine\"\nJohn Gardner - anything really but October light and the sunlight dialogs in particular.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Ghost in the Machine\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur Koestler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human behavior",
        "mind body problem"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ghosts-of-evolution-nonsensical-fruit-missing-partners-and-ot-09621d",
      "title": "The Ghosts of Evolution: Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, and Other Ecological Anachronisms",
      "author": "Connie Barlow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Connie Barlow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ecological anachronisms",
        "seed dispersal"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-gift-db9045",
      "title": "The Gift",
      "author": "Lewis Hyde",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9675178,
          "author": "neilk",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T16:06:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9675178",
          "commentText": "Chomsky's oeuvre on politics, in general. There isn't one single book that states a thesis, it's about a perspective. So perhaps start with The Chomsky Reader.  An easier-to-digest intro is the documentary Manufacturing Consent. The twist is that a lot of the things you think of as \"bugs\" in the political and economic systems of the Western democracies are \"features\" from the perspective of powerful elites. But the meta-lesson is that big questions can be answered. If you get past the mythology in your culture, and read primary sources, you can really figure this stuff out. Chomsky can go off the deep end at times (and his fanclub does so a lot), but his documentation is meticulous. Well worth reading.\nFor very different perspectives on programming, check out Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programming (read it a decade ago and I use techniques from there every day.)\nThe Gift by Lewis Hyde. Although directed at artists, it is highly relevant to creative programmers and the phenomenon of open source. He is able to articulate things which are very hard to talk about, like the intersection of economics and artistry, and how the gifting ethos is necessary for any culture to thrive. If you think ESR had the last word on how open source works, you need to read this.\nAnother book of interest by Hyde is Trickster Makes This World, wherein you learn the hacker archetype - the giver of technology; the player of tricks - has been around since prehistory. It's not a coincidence that those two aspects are always seen together.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Gift by Lewis Hyde. Although directed at artists, it is highly relevant to creative programmers and the phenomenon of open source.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it for its insights on economics, artistry, and open source.",
          "audience": "Artists and creative programmers.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it is directed at artists.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lewis Hyde"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creativity",
        "gift economy",
        "open source"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-gift-of-imperfection-4cefce",
      "title": "The Gift of Imperfection",
      "author": "Brené Brown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6976140,
          "author": "neilk",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T19:53:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976140",
          "commentText": "Most of what I read is related to startups or economics, but for the short list of change-my-life books:\nThis year I read a lot about what you might loosely call the Paleo movement / anti-carbs and sugar movement. The New Evolution Diet, The Primal Blueprint, books by Gary Taubes, and so on. I think this is going to change how I eat and exercise forever.\nThe Gift of Imperfection and other works by Brené Brown. Lately this is being promoted by Oprah, which isn't usually a good sign. I think it stands apart because it's not theory or poetry; it's based on some solid research on what people living more productive and satisfying lives are actually doing. If nothing else, her books have made me a better friend when my friends are in pain. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Evwgu369Jw",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Gift of Imperfection and other works by Brené Brown.",
          "reason": "Says Brown’s books are based on solid research and have helped the commenter be a better friend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that Oprah’s promotion of the work is usually not a good sign.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brené Brown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self acceptance",
        "vulnerability"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-gingery-book-series-806bdc",
      "title": "The Gingery book series",
      "author": "David J. Gingery",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22312362,
          "author": "culopatin",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-12T20:18:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22312362",
          "commentText": "I got the first two from the On sale section. Sounds amazing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I got the first two from the On sale section.",
          "reason": "The comment responds to a recommendation of the series and says the commenter bought its first two books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David J. Gingery"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "foundry",
        "machine shop",
        "metalworking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-girl-in-a-swing-054957",
      "title": "The Girl in a Swing",
      "author": "Richard Adams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33383086,
          "author": "cousin_it",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T11:28:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33383086",
          "commentText": "Madonna in a Fur Coat, by Sahabattin Ali - a short Turkish novel published in 1943, sad and charming, reminds me of Somerset Maugham.\nThe Blood Oranges, by John Hawkes - he's a postmodern writer, but this short novel is pretty straightforward. The narrator is the best-written hedonist Casanova I've ever read, and the novel explores both the perks and the fallout of this outlook on life. Maybe read alongside The Girl in a Swing by Richard Adams, which explores similar issues and is also extremely good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Maybe read alongside The Girl in a Swing by Richard Adams",
          "reason": "Suggested as a companion novel exploring similar issues to The Blood Oranges.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Adams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hedonism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-girl-on-the-train-a886b3",
      "title": "The Girl on the Train",
      "author": "Paula Hawkins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10785428,
          "author": "ycom13__",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:23:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785428",
          "commentText": "Here are all the ones I read this year\n  A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire) by George R. R. Martin\n  A Feast for Crows: A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) by George R.R. Martin\n  The Confident Speaker: Beat Your Nerves and Communicate at Your Best in Any Situation by Harrison Monarth\n  House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewsk\n  To the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War by Jeff Shaara \n  Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson\n  Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader by Brent Schlender\n  George Washington's Secret Six: The Spy Ring That Saved the American Revolution by Brian Kilmeade\n  Think Like a Freak: The Authors of Freakonomics Offer to Retrain Your Brain by Steven D. Levitt\n  Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance\n  Finders Keepers: A Novel by Stephen King\n  The Guns of August: The Pulitzer Prize-Winning Classic About the Outbreak of World War I by Barbara W. Tuchman\n  The Wright Brothers by David McCullough\n  Seveneves: A Novel by Neal Stephenson\n  The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson\n  Hitler's Last Day: Minute by Minute by Emma Craigie\n  The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins\n  Robopocalypse: A Novel (Vintage Contemporaries) by Daniel H. Wilson\n  Robogenesis by Daniel H. Wilson\n  In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick\n\n\n\nMy 5 favorite ones from that list are\n  In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick\n  Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance\n  To the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War by Jeff Shaara \n  Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson\n  The Wright Brothers by David McCullough",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9643365,
          "author": "paulornothing",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-02T01:53:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 9636361,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9643365",
          "commentText": "For Fun: The Girl on the Train - Just finished it, kept me interested not bad. http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Train-Paula-Hawkins/dp/1594633665... (http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Train-Paula-Hawkins/dp/1594633665/)\nFor learning: Automate the Boring Stuff http://www.amazon.com/Automate-Boring-Stuff-Python-Programmi... (http://www.amazon.com/Automate-Boring-Stuff-Python-Programming/dp/1593275994/)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Just finished it, kept me interested not bad.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it kept them interested and was not bad.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paula Hawkins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "psychological thriller",
        "domestic suspense"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-girl-with-all-the-gifts-aa35b6",
      "title": "The Girl with All the Gifts",
      "author": "M. R. Carey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15642103,
          "author": "tcx",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-07T10:00:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15642103",
          "commentText": "Jared Diamond - \"Collapse: how societies choose to fail or succeed\" (non-fiction)\nIván Repila - \"The Boy Who Stole Attila’s Horse\": short intense novel about 2 boys who are trapped in a well\nMargaret Atwood - \"The handmaid's tale\"\nKhaled Hosseini - \"The kite runner\"\nAgatha Christie - \"The murder of Roger Ackroyd\" (very surprising plot)\nAndy Weir - \"The Martian\"\nCharles Dickens - \"David Copperfield\"\nClare Mackintosh - \"I let you go\"\nCarlos Ruiz Zafón - \"The Shadow of the Wind\"\nM.R. Carey - \"The girl with all the gifts\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "M.R. Carey - \"The girl with all the gifts\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "M. R. Carey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopia",
        "zombie fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-given-day-c3dc43",
      "title": "The Given Day",
      "author": "Dennis Lehane",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4787426,
          "author": "spuiszis",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:23:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787426",
          "commentText": "Man's Search for Meaning - ViktorFrankl\nEndgame (Biography of Bobby Fischer) - Frank Brady\nWalt Disney - Bob Thomas\nThe Given Day - Dennis Lehane (Fiction)\nShutter Island - Dennis Lehane (Way better than movie)\nMichael Lewis - The Big Short\nChurchill - Paul Johnson (faster read than the others)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Given Day - Dennis Lehane (Fiction)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dennis Lehane"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-glass-key-cd63e2",
      "title": "The Glass Key",
      "author": "Dashiell Hammett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40464564,
          "author": "CRConrad",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-24T09:56:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40464564",
          "commentText": "Oh, I forgot -- also Rent åt helvete by Elinor Torp.\nAnd, in fiction: Red Team blues by Cory Doctorow (again), The Twyford code by Janice Hallett, and The Glass Key by Dashiell Hammett.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Glass Key by Dashiell Hammett.",
          "reason": "Listed as a fiction pick in response to a thread asking for the best books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dashiell Hammett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crime fiction",
        "hardboiled fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-glasshouse-b32a18",
      "title": "The Glasshouse",
      "author": "Charles Stross",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7968624,
          "author": "ioseph",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T00:47:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968624",
          "commentText": "Just finished The Glasshouse by Charles Stross, really great sci-fi\nNow reading Neil Young's autobiography",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just finished The Glasshouse by Charles Stross, really great sci-fi",
          "reason": "Calls it really great science fiction.",
          "audience": "Science fiction readers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Stross"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "posthumanism",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-global-war-for-internet-governance-fce787",
      "title": "The Global War for Internet Governance",
      "author": "Laura DeNardis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Laura DeNardis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "digital policy",
        "internet governance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-gnostic-gospels-96ad94",
      "title": "The Gnostic Gospels",
      "author": "Elaine Pagels",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9348299,
          "author": "humanarity",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:37:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348299",
          "commentText": "Meditations (Marcus Aurelius) - incredibly clear ideas probably clear-up 80% of issues you have with everyday life\nThe Bible (& The Gnostic Gospels) - I love the idea that Jesus was a real guy who (literally) petrified his childhood playmates because they \"vexed\" him by dispersing his anti-gravity water :)\nAtlas Shrugged - no excuses\nSelf and Others - personal pyschology\nSeth Speaks - a lady channels an interdimensional being\nThe Road Less Travelled - a psychoanalyst's memoirs\nLetters to a Young Artist - encouragement for going your own way, a series of letters\nThe Alchemist - help you read the signs from the heart of the World for your own path\nAn Introduction to Zen Buddhism, et al (T. Suzuki) - really interesting, non-duality, higher third unification of opposites\nHear the Wind Sing (Murakami) - really bizarre and pure, his first one written late nights at kitchen table after working in a bar, before he became famous\nRich Dad Poor Dad - solid advice\nDiscrete Maths (Rosen) - interesting and very learnable, a great reference\nAn Imaginary Life (Malouf) - great clarity of writing\nThe Solid Mandala (Patrick White) - amazing observation of people",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Bible (& The Gnostic Gospels) - I love the idea that Jesus was a real guy",
          "reason": "The commenter says they love the idea of Jesus as a real historical person.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Elaine Pagels"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "early christianity",
        "gnosticism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-go-programming-language-00b987",
      "title": "The Go Programming Language",
      "author": "Alan A. A. Donovan, Brian W. Kernighan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41388166,
          "author": "noufalibrahim",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T07:13:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41388166",
          "commentText": "I think it makes sense to create a book list and have a yearly target for them. One book a month is reasonable for medium sized books. HEre are some that I found useful.\n1. The Practice of Programming\n2. Programming Pearls\n3. Go Programming Language\n4. Architecture of Open Source applications - https://aosabook.org/en/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "3. Go Programming Language",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter found useful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan A. A. Donovan",
        "Brian W. Kernighan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "go programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-go-programming-language-0f3545",
      "title": "The Go Programming Language",
      "author": "Alan A. A. Donovan and Brian W. Kernighan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12244002,
          "author": "jsmith0295",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-07T22:15:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244002",
          "commentText": "Atlas Shrugged\nJust kidding. I did give a friend The Go Programming Language by Donovan & Kernighan, though",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I did give a friend The Go Programming Language by Donovan & Kernighan, though",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10183409,
          "author": "pakled_engineer",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-07T23:01:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10183409",
          "commentText": "The Go Programming Language: Brian W. Kernighan is avail preorder on Amazon.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Go Programming Language: Brian W. Kernighan is avail preorder on Amazon.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Available for preorder at the time of the comment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan A. A. Donovan and Brian W. Kernighan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "go",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-go-getter-2afd50",
      "title": "The Go-Getter",
      "author": "Peter B. Kyne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15156458,
          "author": "sguav",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:31:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156458",
          "commentText": "The Go-Getter by Peter B. Kyne and Bach's Jonathan Livingston Seagull",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Go-Getter by Peter B. Kyne",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter B. Kyne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ambition",
        "business fable"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-god-engines-bd58f0",
      "title": "The God Engines",
      "author": "John Scalzi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39729464,
          "author": "bookofjoe",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T21:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729464",
          "commentText": "\"A Canticle For Leibowitz\"\n\"The Sparrow\"\n\"Lord of Light\"\n\"The Immortal\"\n\"Hyperion\"\n\"The Last Question\"\n\"Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?\"\n\"Stranger in a Strange Land\"\n\"The City and the Stars\"\n\"Childhood's End\"\n\"Anathem\"\n\"Eifelheim\"\n\"A Case of Conscience\"\n\"VALIS\" trilogy\n\"The Book of Strange New Things\"\n\"Behold The Man\"\n\"The God Engines\"\n\"Book of the New Sun\"\n\"The Parable of the Sower\"\n\"The Dosadi Experiment\"\n\"Grass\"\n\"Project Pope\"\n\"Calculating God\"\n\"Factoring Humanity\"\n\"Jesus on Mars\"\n\"Surface Detail",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The God Engines\"",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about books that changed perspectives on religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Scalzi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "religion",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-god-who-is-there-66f95d",
      "title": "The God Who Is There",
      "author": "Francis Schaeffer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9348639,
          "author": "AnimalMuppet",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:16:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348639",
          "commentText": "I second \"The Abolition of Man\".  Also \"The God Who Is There\" or \"Escape From Reason\" by Francis Schaeffer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The God Who Is There\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Francis Schaeffer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian apologetics",
        "theology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-god-of-the-machine-264ae8",
      "title": "The God of the Machine",
      "author": "Isabel Paterson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 56703,
          "author": "axiom",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T04:20:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56703",
          "commentText": "It's pretty tragic how little most people understand about basic economics. Not just with respect to how societies function, but basic concepts like incentives and the law of supply and demand. Oh, and of course No Free Lunch. \nSo in that spirit, here are a couple of economics books that I quite seriously believe everyone should be forced to read.\nEconomics in One Lesson, by Hazlitt \nFree to Choose: A Personal Statement, by Milton and Rose Friedman\nFreakonomics, by Levitt and Dubner (this book is just so damn fun to read)\n\nand for the hackers:\nThe God of the Machine, by Paterson\n(Think engineering principles as applied to economics, history and politics. Probably one of the most interesting books I've read in my entire life, even if I don't entirely agree with the thesis.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Probably one of the most interesting books I've read in my entire life, even if I don't entirely agree with the thesis.",
          "reason": "Called one of the most interesting books the commenter has read.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in applying engineering principles to economics, history, and politics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not entirely agree with its thesis.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isabel Paterson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political economy",
        "systems thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-god-of-the-philosophers-c7be7c",
      "title": "The God of the Philosophers",
      "author": "Anthony Kenny",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227807,
          "author": "tommorris",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T23:11:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227807",
          "commentText": "I don't agree that the arguments in the God Delusion are too bad. He does take some real liberties with Aquinas, but all the scholarly dressing you apply to Aquinas doesn't really improve the arguments. Dawkins deals with them too hastily, but even if Dawkins was an Aquinas scholar and applied the principle of charity to the arguments, they'd still be unconvincing arguments. The God Delusion is a popular book, not a scholarly refutation of all arguments for the existence of God.\nIf you want to read scholarly refutations of arguments for the existence of God, as well as read some arguments put forward explicitly for the non-existence of God, then you have to turn elsewhere: Michael Martin's \"Atheism: A Philosophical Justification\", Robin Le Podevin's \"Arguing for Atheism\" and Nick Everett's \"The Non-Existence Of God\". Another good book from an agnostic rather than atheist perspective is Anthony Kenny's \"The God of the Philosophers\". A slightly easier read is Julian Baggini's \"Atheism: A Very Short Introduction\" which is okay. I have some reservations with it, but it covers most of the important arguments and has some stuff about ethics and living the good life and all that happy-clappy stuff too.\nAs for stuff that isn't concerned with the philosophical arguments? I found Onfray's \"In Defence of Atheism\" a pretty good read - it is polemical, but is well-written. Nietzsche is always good to read so long as you don't - you know - become a damn goth or whatever after reading it or try and commit genocide or something. Russell's \"Why I Am Not A Christian\" and the much less read compilation \"Russell on Religion\" (not widely available outside academia as far as I'm aware) - Russell is a good writer and says some very refreshing things like:\n<blockquote>Even if the open windows of science at first make us shiver after the cozy indoor warmth of traditional humanizing myths, in the end the fresh air brings vigor, and the great spaces have a splendor of their own.</blockquote>",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another good book from an agnostic rather than atheist perspective is Anthony Kenny's \"The God of the Philosophers\".",
          "reason": "Called a good book from an agnostic perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Agnostic rather than atheist perspective.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anthony Kenny"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "agnosticism",
        "philosophy of religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-gods-are-athirst-7df0c2",
      "title": "The Gods Are Athirst",
      "author": "Anatole France",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17382035,
          "author": "watwut",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T16:41:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17382035",
          "commentText": "The gods are athirst from Anatole France: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/24010",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The gods are athirst from Anatole France",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anatole France"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "french revolution",
        "historical novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-gods-will-have-blood-bfd407",
      "title": "The Gods Will Have Blood",
      "author": "Anatole France",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17382112,
          "author": "analogwzrd",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T16:56:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17382112",
          "commentText": "Alternate (probably American title) I remember from high school is The Gods Will Have Blood",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Gods Will Have Blood",
          "reason": "Offered as the alternate title for the book being discussed in the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anatole France"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "french revolution",
        "historical novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-going-to-bed-book-c9b34c",
      "title": "The Going to Bed Book",
      "author": "Sandra Boynton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46398631,
          "author": "cpfohl",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T02:53:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46398631",
          "commentText": "If Little Blue Truck isn’t on your regular list you should add it. We also loved Pond by Jim LaMarche (older audience, but beautifully illustrated and told), the Boynton books are fun to read aloud especially Barnyard Dance, and The Going to Bed Book. There are more, but these are the highlights from that age range",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and The Going to Bed Book",
          "reason": "Names it among the Boynton books they find fun to read aloud.",
          "audience": "For reading aloud.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sandra Boynton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bedtime",
        "children s books",
        "picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-golden-age-trilogy-20ab79",
      "title": "The Golden Age trilogy",
      "author": "John C. Wright",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2055827,
          "author": "ysopex",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-31T17:14:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2055827",
          "commentText": "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Golden_Age_%28novel_series%29\nSeriously, I've read these about twice a year since they came out. His Chaos series is very good too. More fantasy than sci-fi tho.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've read these about twice a year since they came out.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they reread the series about twice a year, indicating strong enjoyment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John C. Wright"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "posthumanism",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-golden-ass-a79151",
      "title": "The Golden Ass",
      "author": "Apuleius",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17521978,
          "author": "wazoox",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T11:26:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521978",
          "commentText": "Here is a quick list of the last great books I've read which are available in English (some 'Ive read in other languages):\n- History of Western Philosophy, by Bertrand Russell :\n   This is a wonderful book. Read it.\n- Why the West rules -- for now, Ian Morris :\n   How geography drives history. really deep and thought-provoking.\n- the Strange Defeat, Marc Bloch :\n   A gripping, living narration of the French armies collapse in 1940, from the inside (Marc Bloch was an officer). With a very deep analysis of the long maturing reasons for this defeat.\n- Histories of Alexander the Great, Quintus Curtius Rufus :\n   The title says it all. Very elegant Latin prose.\n- The Golden Ass, Apuleius :\n   A funny story and an immortal classic.\n- The Blitzkrieg Legend: The 1940 Campaign in the West, Karl-Heinz Frieser :\n   For true military history geeks :)\nI notice that these are either classics, or history. Well, so be it :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A funny story and an immortal classic.",
          "reason": "Calls it funny and an immortal classic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Apuleius"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient rome",
        "classical literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-golden-compass-49997e",
      "title": "The Golden Compass",
      "author": "Philip Pullman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2087883,
          "author": "bkudria",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T08:27:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2087883",
          "commentText": "Reposted from my site: (http://ben.kudria.net/post/2548785108/my-favorite-books-of-2... (http://ben.kudria.net/post/2548785108/my-favorite-books-of-2010)). Affiliate links there, for those inclined.\n===\nIn 2010, every single book I read, I read on my Kindle. Buying a Kindle has been the best thing I have ever done for my reading addiction. I recently upgraded to a Kindle 3, and I wholeheartedly recommended you get one as well, even if you currently have a Kindle 2.\nHere are the top books I enjoyed in 2010, and you will enjoy also.\n- The His Dark Materials Trilogy. Start with The Golden Compass.\n- The City & The City by China Miéville. Quite the post-modern detective story. (Read also his novel Perdido Street Station)\n- Surface Detail, the new novel by Iain M. Banks, who has quickly catapulted to the very top of my “Favorite Sci-Fi Authors” list. Surface Detail may not be the best novel for a Banks-unfamiliar reader, however — you may wish to start with something like Consider Phlebas or Look To Windward.\n- I re-read Robert M. Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Read this book carefully and it will change your life. (N.B. It’s not really about Zen, although it kinda is.)\n- The true story Zeitoun, by Dave Eggers, about Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a Syrian-born painting contractor in New Orleans. What Zeitoun does for the people of New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina is heartwarming and truly American, and what the US Government does to him and his family is terrifying and utterly infuriating.\n- The Wind-up Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi is a fun Thai cyber/gene-punk yarn. Bacigalupi is a new author, and I look forward to reading more of his stuff.\n- Dan Simmons’ Song Of Kali has an invasive and palpable stench of suspense. This horror novel set in Calcutta is an excruciating, brutal, and brilliant read.\n- Kafka On the Shore by Haruki Murakami. I’ve always been a fan of Murakami’s works, but this novel from 2002 is, in my opinion, one of his greatest. It’s beautiful, haunting, and superbly thought-provoking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Start with The Golden Compass.",
          "reason": "Listed as the starting point for the recommended His Dark Materials trilogy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip Pullman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "young adult"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-golden-notebook-adae03",
      "title": "The Golden Notebook",
      "author": "Doris Lessing",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37162275,
          "author": "adamc",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T14:33:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37162275",
          "commentText": "The best two books I read in the last year-ish are \"The Golden Notebook\" (novel by Doris Lessing) and \"The Soul of a New Machine\" by Tracy Kidder.\nBest tech book has been \"Designing Data-Intensive Applications\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Golden Notebook\" (novel by Doris Lessing)",
          "reason": "Named among the commenter’s two best reads of the past year or so.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Doris Lessing"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-golden-road-27d070",
      "title": "The Golden Road",
      "author": "William Dalrymple",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268845,
          "author": "1-2-3-5-8",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:05:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268845",
          "commentText": "On top of my list of best books this year is The Golden Road by William Dalrymple",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On top of my list of best books this year is The Golden Road by William Dalrymple",
          "reason": "Names it as the best book on their list this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Dalrymple"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "south asian history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-golden-ticket-p-np-and-the-search-for-the-impossible-1ec57d",
      "title": "The Golden Ticket: P, NP, and the Search for the Impossible",
      "author": "Lance Fortnow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31171779,
          "author": "cenny",
          "createdAt": "2022-04-26T19:09:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 31166475,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Top inspiring books on crucial CS ideas?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31171779",
          "commentText": "\"The Little Schemer\" (https://www.programmingbooks.dev/#the-little-schemer) is a classic that has stood the test of time.\nOtherwise I think \"The Golden Ticket: P, NP, and the Search for the Impossible\" is a hidden gem about a very interesting CS topic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Golden Ticket: P, NP, and the Search for the Impossible\" is a hidden gem about a very interesting CS topic.",
          "reason": "Calls it a hidden gem and highlights its subject.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lance Fortnow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computational complexity",
        "p versus np"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-golden-trade-of-the-moors-650d0a",
      "title": "The Golden Trade of the Moors",
      "author": "E. W. Bovill",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 240684,
          "author": "pg",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T02:30:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240684",
          "commentText": "The best thing I've been reading lately is E. W. Bovill's English Country Life 1780-1830.  Boring title, but a great book.  His Golden Trade of the Moors is fabulous.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His Golden Trade of the Moors is fabulous.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it fabulous.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "E. W. Bovill"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "african history",
        "trans saharan trade"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-golden-treasury-d4a97a",
      "title": "The Golden Treasury",
      "author": "Francis Turner Palgrave",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30241943,
          "author": "billfruit",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T08:40:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241943",
          "commentText": "The Palgraves Golden Treasury.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Palgraves Golden Treasury.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Francis Turner Palgrave"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "poetry anthology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-goldfinch-392afb",
      "title": "The Goldfinch",
      "author": "Donna Tartt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237188,
          "author": "kranner",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:44:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237188",
          "commentText": "- Tetris: The Games People Play by Box Brown\n- Tibet, Tibet by Patrick French\n- Maya: A Novel by CW Huntington, Jr\n- The Science of Enlightenment by Shinzen Young\n- Flask Web Development by Miguel Grinberg\n- Buddha's Diet by Tara Cottrell\n- A Feast of Vultures by Josy Joseph\n- Genghis Khan: Life, Death and Resurrection by John Man\n- Chasing the Scream by Johann Hari\n- Cuckold by Kiran Nagarkar\n- Goliath by Tom Gauld\n- This Will Never Happen Again by David Cain\n- Cure by Jo Marchant\n- If It’s Monday It Must Be Madurai: A Conducted Tour of India by Srinath Perur\n- Deep Work by Cal Newport\n- Enduring Love by Ian McEwan\n- The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery\n- The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt\n- The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion\nand a few others that aren't worth recommending; all the above are.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "all the above are.",
          "reason": "The commenter includes the listed books among those worth recommending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donna Tartt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coming of age",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-golem-of-brooklyn-56d3ed",
      "title": "The Golem of Brooklyn",
      "author": "Adam Mansbach",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42274559,
          "author": "giaour",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T15:38:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42274559",
          "commentText": "Highlights so far this year are:\n- Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesch -- really phenomenal pacing and psychological terror in a sci-fi action novel.\n- The Golem of Brooklyn by Adam Mansbach -- good portrait of different strains of American Judaism in a book structured around a quest\n- Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters -- great characters and structured revelation. This was sitting unread on my shelf for years because I thought it would be preachy, but it wasn't.\n- The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman -- tales from Camelot in the aftermath of Arthur's defeat at Camlann. Excellent mixing of round table legends from different points in history.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Golem of Brooklyn by Adam Mansbach -- good portrait of different strains of American Judaism in a book structured around a quest",
          "reason": "Praised as a portrait of different strains of American Judaism, structured around a quest.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adam Mansbach"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american judaism",
        "golem"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-good-book-a-humanist-bible-c531ae",
      "title": "The Good Book: A Humanist Bible",
      "author": "A. C. Grayling",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2616756,
          "author": "tokenadult",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T15:40:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2616756",
          "commentText": "I just finished reading the entire Harry Potter series of novels for the first time, as my third son was reading it for the second time. My daughter will finish the series soon.\nI also read selected parts of The Good Book: A Humanist Bible\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Good-Book-Humanist-Bible/dp/0802717373... (http://www.amazon.com/Good-Book-Humanist-Bible/dp/0802717373/)\nbefore I had to return it to the library yesterday. I especially like the section \"Proverbs,\" which I read in full. I was able to find the section that quotes Confucius and Mencius extensively just before I returned the book. It's an interesting concept, but some parts of The Good Book: A Humanist Bible are extremely dull reading.\nI am likely to read Quotology\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Quotology-Stages-Willis-Goth-Regier/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/Quotology-Stages-Willis-Goth-Regier/dp/0803217528/)\nnext, to learn more about how quotations are traced after being misattributed, a subject I own another book about.\nI agree with the OP that A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is well worth reading.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I also read selected parts of The Good Book: A Humanist Bible",
          "reason": "The commenter especially likes the Proverbs section.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some parts are extremely dull reading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "A. C. Grayling"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ethics",
        "humanism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-good-life-lessons-from-the-world-s-longest-scientific-study-o-897c6a",
      "title": "The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Scientific Study of Happiness",
      "author": "Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42220961,
          "author": "throw0101d",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T14:13:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42220961",
          "commentText": "If I had to pick one: The rise and fall of American growth: the U.S. standard of living since the Civil War by Robert Gordon. The gains that we have made in the (early) 20th century are unlikely to ever be repeated, and progress in many metrics has measurably slowed or even stalled since ~1970s (likely being asymptotic). And while the Internet (classified under the Information, Communication, Technology (ICT) chapters) gave a bump in the 1990s, it's mostly been flat since 2004.\nMore economic history with Slouching towards Utopia: an economic history of the twentieth century by J. Bradford Delong. More economic ideas stuff in Value(s): building a better world for all by Mark Carney (ran the Banks of Canada and England). Also Waphsott's Keynes Hayek: the clash that defined modern economics and Samuelson Friedman: the battle over the free market.\nThe currency of politics: the political theory of money from Aristotle to Keynes by Sefan Eich, Money: the true story of a made-up thing by Jacob Goldstein, and The power of gold: the history of an obsession by Peter Bernstein (also his Against the Gods on risk). Show how much of a human construct \"money\" is, how its meaning changes in different times and places/cultures. Should be required reading by all the 'hard money' folks (gold standard, BTC).\nThe good life: lessons from the world's longest scientific study of happiness by Waldinger and Schultz (directors of the Harvard study). If there's one 'magic' thing for health and happiness it seems to be having good relationships (family, friends) in your life.\nReligion: what it is, how it works, and why it matters by Christian Smith and Strange rites: new religions for a godless world by Tara Burton. While many think that religion is in decline, the non-material/supernatural things that people believe in has actually shifted. And having beliefs in a super-human entity seems to be the basis of most societies and civilizations. Related, The warfare between science and religion : the idea that wouldn't die, a series of essays; the conflict thesis bunk, both historically and presently.\nThe origins of Canadian and American political differences by Jason Kaufman, two seemingly-the-same neighbouring countries that have had different development paths when it comes to culture and government. (I'm Canadian.)\nSpeaking of government: Civil resistance: what everyone needs to know by Erica Chenoweth. Seems violence/force is generally a less effective way to affect change in society than non-violence.\nThe week: a history of the unnatural rhythms that made us who we are by David Henkin. Seems that while seven days has been around for a long while, making it a really 'hard' structure/schedule around it is a more recent phenomenon than you'd expect.\nIf you have kids, Karen Le Billon's French kids eat everything (and yours can, too) and Getting to YUM: the 7 secrets of raising eager eaters, her husband is French and she lived there for a year and found many things done better there than US/CA. See also The happiest kids in the world: how Dutch parents help their kids and themselves by doing less by Acosta and Hutchison.\nFlying blind: the 737 MAX tragedy and the fall of Boeing by Peter Robison is an HN favourite. While we get a lot of engineer vs MBA comments, I think the bigger problem (associated with the MBA-types) is financialization, i.e., returns over everything else. Having non-engineers/MBAs can be 'fine' also long as trying to squeeze blood/money from a stone at the cost of everything else.\nSome philosophy with Alasdair C. MacIntyre: After Virtue is a good starting point. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/After_Virtue",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The good life: lessons from the world's longest scientific study of happiness by Waldinger and Schultz",
          "reason": "Says the study suggests good relationships are central to health and happiness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Waldinger",
        "Marc Schulz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "happiness",
        "harvard study of adult development",
        "relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-good-soldier-792aab",
      "title": "The Good Soldier",
      "author": "Ford Madox Ford",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5693444,
          "author": "gruseom",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-12T07:08:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5693444",
          "commentText": "It depends on what you like. Flannery O'Connor's fiction is extraordinary. I bet you'd like Nabokov based on what you've said so far; I like his earlier Russian novels best (which have excellent English translations), like The Defense, for example. If you want to go whole hog into postmodernism then try Pynchon or Gaddis.\nThe 19th century Russians from Gogol to Chekhov are pretty much can't-lose. Turgenev's Fathers and Sons is beautiful and captures the spirit of youth.\nFord Madox Ford's The Good Soldier is a short masterpiece. The Great Gatsby is as good as its reputation says. Read Dickens if you want the essence of the English language and character. Read Kafka for the strangest articulation of modernity. Bruno Schulz is more whimsical. Borges is another whom your list suggests you should try.\nIf you really want to go down a rabbit hole, find Martin Seymour-Smith's Guide to Modern World Literature and browse through it to blow your mind. It covers everything and seems impossible, except it exists so it can't be.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ford Madox Ford's The Good Soldier is a short masterpiece.",
          "reason": "Calls it a short masterpiece.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ford Madox Ford"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "modernist fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-good-soldier-svejk-5e50df",
      "title": "The Good Soldier Švejk",
      "author": "Jaroslav Hašek",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17337431,
          "author": "yread",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:41:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337431",
          "commentText": "The Good Soldier Švejk",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Good Soldier Švejk",
          "reason": "Names it as a comfort book in response to the thread question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jaroslav Hašek"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "satire",
        "war fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-google-resume-b7ad56",
      "title": "The Google Resume",
      "author": "Gayle Laakmann McDowell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9045519,
          "author": "cunninghamd",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-13T17:29:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 9044833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I have $2k for books, training and confs. What should I spend it on?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9045519",
          "commentText": "If you want to work for Microsoft or Google, while you likely can't get away with using your employers's $2K, the best books to read are Cracking the Coding Interview and Elements of Programming Interviews. Both books have very solid algorithm questions which you can use to go research the various algorithms and learn them. Although, I'd wait for Elements of Programming Interviews v2 which will include Java samples, as opposed to C++, but that's just me.\nMcDowell's The Google Resume also has some useful tidbits in it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "McDowell's The Google Resume also has some useful tidbits in it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it has useful tidbits for someone aiming to work at Google or Microsoft.",
          "audience": "People preparing to work for Microsoft or Google.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gayle Laakmann McDowell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "job applications",
        "tech careers"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-googlization-of-everything-and-why-we-should-worry-f966f3",
      "title": "The Googlization of Everything (And Why We Should Worry)",
      "author": "Siva Vaidhyanathan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4789990,
          "author": "pitchups",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T18:35:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4789990",
          "commentText": "Everything Is Obvious: *Once You Know the Answer by Duncan J. Watts\nWhere Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation by Steven Johnson\nThe Upside of Irrationality by Dan Ariely\nThe Hidden Brain: How Our Unconscious Minds Elect Presidents, Control Markets, Wage Wars by Shankar Vedantam\nThe Googlization of Everything: (And Why We Should Worry) by Siva Vaidhyanathan\nIn The Plex: How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives by Steven Levy\nIdea Man: A Memoir by Paul Allen\nThe Art of Choosing by Sheena Iyengar",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Googlization of Everything: (And Why We Should Worry) by Siva Vaidhyanathan",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Siva Vaidhyanathan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "digital culture",
        "google"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-gorgon-incident-and-other-stories-f8664c",
      "title": "The Gorgon Incident and Other Stories",
      "author": "John Bierce",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42270928,
          "author": "asicsp",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T04:53:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42270928",
          "commentText": "I mostly read progression fantasy books these days. Here are some series that I enjoyed a lot:\n* \"Beware of Chicken\" by CasualFarmer\n* \"The Immaculate Collection\" by havlo\n* \"The Runic Artist\" by Ellake\n* \"The Broken Knife\" by SilverSidhe\n* \"Immovable Mage\" by ImmovableMage\n* \"The Gorgon Incident and Other Stories\" by John Bierce\n* \"Quest Academy\" by Brian J. Nordon\n* \"The Weirkey Chronicles\" by Sarah Lin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Gorgon Incident and Other Stories\" by John Bierce",
          "reason": "Listed among progression fantasy series the commenter enjoyed a lot.",
          "audience": "Readers of progression fantasy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Bierce"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "progression fantasy",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-government-machine-a-revolutionary-history-of-the-computer-2ef0de",
      "title": "The Government Machine: A Revolutionary History of the Computer",
      "author": "Jon Agar",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36601648,
          "author": "HillRat",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:20:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601648",
          "commentText": "Lots of options out there. A few from my bookshelf: Bijker's \"Of Bicycles, Bakelites, and Bulbs\" is a case-study-centric work that seeks to build a general theory of STS. Nye's \"Technology Matters\" is less a work of theory than a critique that poses core questions about how society should seek to integrate technical advances. Latour's \"Science in Action,\" \"Reassembling the Social,\" and \"Aramis\" are great examples of his approach to whole-of-system analysis of sociotechnical systems. Rogers' \"Diffusion of Innovation\" is a classic work theorizing how innovation is communicated through social networks.\nMIT Press has a wide variety of books that cover specific topics in history, most of which have great theoretic interest: Agar's \"The Government Machine,\" dealing with the evolution of technology and expertise within the UK government; Medina's \"Cybernetic Revolutionaries,\" about Beer's Cybersyn project; and Ensmenger's \"The Computer Boys Take Over,\" about the cultural development of the \"programmer,\" are all great reads.\nAlso, you can look beyond pure technology for interesting adjacencies: for example, Schatz's \"The Genius of the System\" describes how changes in technology and management production radically upended Hollywood, resulting in the studio system that dominated from the 1930s through the 1950s, while Harris' \"Pictures at a Revolution\" picks up the pieces at the end of that system, discussing the rise of \"New Hollywood,\" driven by cultural and technical (particularly the French use of inexpensive filming technologies to create the New Wave) forces.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Agar's \"The Government Machine,\" dealing with the evolution of technology and expertise within the UK government",
          "reason": "Covers technology and expertise evolving within the UK government.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jon Agar"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "british government",
        "history of computing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-grammatical-man-8e80f2",
      "title": "The Grammatical Man",
      "author": "Jeremy Campbell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15630498,
          "author": "dedalus",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:35:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630498",
          "commentText": "Three Scientists and their Gods: This book foreshadows the meaning and purpose of science+tech https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214570.Three_Scientists_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214570.Three_Scientists_and_Their_Gods)\nScifi: The Three Body problem (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)) for its whole encompassing narrative about human future and some of it will be real (fusion instead of chemical fuel, pulse propulsion and other social consequences)\nArdor: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20931250-ardor if you ever wanted to understand ancient indian philosophy. Heavy read, not recommended for fun but more as quest\nFoxTales: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/412167.Foxtales about how software was developed in the midwest free of all the fashion/hipsterism currently in vogue and building a community of users for your software\nThe elements of networking style: If you ever wanted to know the politics of how networking RFCs are made: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2298785.The_Elements_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2298785.The_Elements_of_Networking_Style) and design choices made to build modern day internet\nUnwritten Laws of Engineering: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13122143-unwritten-laws-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13122143-unwritten-laws-of-engineering) is an old and timeless way detailing what it means to engineer\nHigh Performance Browser Networking: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17985198-high-performanc... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17985198-high-performance-browser-networking) if you ever wanted to know what happens inside a browser\nThe Computer and the Brain: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/358880.The_Computer_and_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/358880.The_Computer_and_the_Brain) where the master compares the machine with our brain\nThe Grammatical Man: If you ever wanted to know the importance of structure and constraint in everything: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/722028.Grammatical_Man",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Grammatical Man: If you ever wanted to know the importance of structure and constraint in everything: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/722028.Grammatical_Man",
          "reason": "Recommends it for understanding the importance of structure and constraint.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeremy Campbell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "information theory",
        "systems thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-grand-chessboard-6c9f7b",
      "title": "The Grand Chessboard",
      "author": "Zbigniew Brzezinski",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41770957,
          "author": "MrDresden",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T20:56:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41770957",
          "commentText": "In the fictional corner I must place the Nights Dawn Trilogy and Dune.\nOther corners don't really have a best book, for me. Recently read 'Emperor of all maladies' and found it a fascinating journey through cancer, both as an illness and as a research subject.\nAlso recently read 'The Grand Chessboard' which was also fascinating for a completely different reason.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Grand Chessboard'",
          "reason": "Described as fascinating.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12067791,
          "author": "cryoshon",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-10T23:29:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12067791",
          "commentText": "I'm not going to list all 42, but here are the highlights:\nHow to Read a Book (Adler)\nWorld Order (Kissinger)\nDer Grundrisse (Marx)\nThe Grand Chessboard (Brzezinski)\nManufacturing Consent (Chomsky)\nGulag Archipelago (Solhenitzyn)\nOn War (Clausewitz)\nThe Hidden Persuaders (Packard)\nIntuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking (Dennett)\nThe Strategy of Desire (Dichter)\nSkills acquired: intentional syntopical reading, prediction of geopolitical hinge points, and identification of absent context in media... I'm always looking for another book to read.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Grand Chessboard (Brzezinski)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Zbigniew Brzezinski"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "geopolitics",
        "eurasia",
        "eurasian politics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-grand-design-9dd411",
      "title": "The Grand Design",
      "author": "Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11229799,
          "author": "swatkat",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:52:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229799",
          "commentText": "I Am That, by Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj\nFreedom from the Known, by Jiddu Krishnamurti\nThink on These Things, by Jiddu Krishnamurti\nThe Bhagavad Gita\nThe Grand Design, by Stephen Hawking",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Grand Design, by Stephen Hawking",
          "reason": "Offered as a book suggestion in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783593,
          "author": "fmax30",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:59:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783593",
          "commentText": "I had read zero books by April 2015.\nHave read the following since then.\n1. 1984 by Orwell\n2. Animal Farm by Orwell\n3. 40 Rules of Love by Elif Shafak\n4. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline\n5. The Man in the high castle by Philip k Dic\n6. Tuesdays with morrie by Mitch Albom\n7. Broken Verses by Kamila Shamsie\n8. The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell\n9. Veronica Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho\n10. The Little Prince by antoine saint exupery\n11. A Monster calls by Patrick ness\nBooks that I am currently reading very very slowly ( 1-3 chapters per week )\n1. The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking\n2. The Wind Up Bird Chronicles by Murakami (I am really enjoying the slow reading here)\n3. Zen and art of motorcycle by Robert Pirsig\nEdit: Formatting",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "1. The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Reading slowly, 1–3 chapters per week.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9637143,
          "author": "fmax30",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-01T07:20:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 9636361,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9637143",
          "commentText": "The Grand Design - Stephen Hawking.\nShould finish it by tonight.\nAfter that, it is time for 1984 - George Orwell.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Grand Design - Stephen Hawking.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they expect to finish it that night; no evaluation is given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cosmology",
        "physics",
        "origin of the universe"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-gray-man-30ab12",
      "title": "The Gray Man",
      "author": "Mark Greaney",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42523748,
          "author": "jplehmann",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-27T16:53:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42523748",
          "commentText": "Similarly, I've read all of the dozen+ Gray Man books, and they are also great light reading if you like international operative type genre.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've read all of the dozen+ Gray Man books, and they are also great light reading if you like international operative type genre.",
          "reason": "Recommends the series as enjoyable light reading for readers who like international operative stories.",
          "audience": "Readers who like international operative stories.",
          "caveat": "Described as light reading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Greaney"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "action thriller",
        "spy thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-great-american-health-hoax-854638",
      "title": "The Great American Health Hoax",
      "author": "Raymond Francis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17981488,
          "author": "mhkool",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-13T19:12:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17981488",
          "commentText": "\"The Great American Health Hoax\" by Raymond Francis made me understand that health is not gained with medicines but by avoiding toxins and eating nutricious foods.\nhttp://raymondfrancisauthor.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Great American Health Hoax\" by Raymond Francis made me understand that health is not gained with medicines but by avoiding toxins and eating nutricious foods.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed their understanding of health.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment presents the book's health claims as the basis for its advice.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Raymond Francis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "health claims",
        "nutrition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-great-book-of-base-8ec864",
      "title": "The Great Book of BASE",
      "author": "Matt Gerdes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14139569,
          "author": "itsdevlin",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T15:23:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14139569",
          "commentText": "The Great Book of BASE - BASE Jumping, written by Matt Gerdes",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Great Book of BASE - BASE Jumping, written by Matt Gerdes",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matt Gerdes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "base jumping",
        "parachuting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-great-cities-ea8925",
      "title": "The Great Cities",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38570515,
          "author": "mooreds",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T16:00:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38570515",
          "commentText": "I got into some interesting fantasy/SF:\n* The Locked Tomb Trilogy -- the first book is so good and the second and third books are good and unique.\n* The Great Cities Duology (first book was stronger)\n* The Paladin's Legacy (sequel series to The Deed of Paksenarrion, great to be back in that world)\n* The Founders Trilogy by Robert Jackson Bennett\n* The Up and Under series by Deborah Baker is super whimsical\n* The Redwinter Series by Ed McDonald\nIf you're into the genre, all of these are great (at least the ones I've read, haven't finished all the series).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Great Cities Duology (first book was stronger)",
          "reason": "The commenter says the first book was stronger.",
          "audience": "fantasy/SF readers",
          "caveat": "The first book was stronger.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "urban fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-great-crash-1929-c2e6b4",
      "title": "The Great Crash, 1929",
      "author": "John Kenneth Galbraith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12561975,
          "author": "AndrewKemendo",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T02:47:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12561975",
          "commentText": "The following list will introduce you to Western Economic Philosophy as it relates to modern history specifically. This list is weighted heavily toward neo-classical economics and does not get into computational model based economics - specifically microeconomics, which comprises the bulk of economics education today:\nSchumpeter - History of economic analysis\nAdam Smith - Theory of Moral Sentiments\nKaynes - The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money\nMarx - Capital\nBenjamin Graham - The Intelligent Investor\nGalbraith - The Affluent Society\nGalbraith - The Great Crash\nMilton Friedman - Capitalism and Freedom\nNassim Taleb - Black Swan\nRon Suskind - Confidence Men\nScott Patterson - Dark Pools\nIf you want to delve into heterodox economics afterward, start with the following:\nHayek - Individualism and Economic Order\nMises - Human Action\nRothbard - Man, Economy, State",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Galbraith - The Great Crash",
          "reason": "Included in a list described as an introduction to Western economic philosophy.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring economic thought in modern history.",
          "caveat": "The list is weighted toward neoclassical economics and excludes computational model based economics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1874622,
          "author": "alina24",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-05T19:54:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1874622",
          "commentText": "The Language Instinct - Steven Pinker\nInteresting Times - Eric Hobsbawm\nThe Great Crash, 1929 - John Galbraith",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Great Crash, 1929 - John Galbraith",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Kenneth Galbraith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "great depression",
        "financial crises",
        "financial history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-great-demographic-reversal-ageing-societies-waning-inequality-695546",
      "title": "The Great Demographic Reversal: Ageing Societies, Waning Inequality, and an Inflation Revival",
      "author": "Charles Goodhart and Manoj Pradhan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34161946,
          "author": "jmoak3",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T15:31:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161946",
          "commentText": "2022 was a great year for my reading (in order of my favorites):\nThe Great Demographic Reversal by Charles Goodhart - this book changed my life, but now that inflation and the retirements are in full swing it might be harder to make early moves on the knowledge. The graphs are also beginning to become outdated since the book was written in the end of 2019/early 2020? Either way, it inspired my decision to move closer to family.\nThe End of the World is Just the Beginning by Peter Zeihan - this book is well worth the read. Peter is a very educated and factual guy, and it's hard to disagree with the normalized vectors of change he is describing. The magnitude of these vectors however are up for much debate. Lots to think on, agree with, and disagree with.\nAmerican Icon by Bryce G. Hoffman - a book on Ford's handling of the 2008 crisis. It's got some flowery parts that idolize these men too much IMO but a great book on leadership and problem solving.\nLights Out - a book on how GE failed. If hypothetically American Icon was paid for to make Ford look good, Lights Out would have been paid for by disgruntled investors to burn that company's reputation to the ground. By some Wall Street Journal employees, this book is bonkers and a really frigid lesson about how incentives play out and a sober view of work in the real world.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Great Demographic Reversal by Charles Goodhart - this book changed my life",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book changed their life and inspired a decision to move closer to family.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says inflation and retirements may make early moves based on its insights harder, and that its graphs are becoming outdated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Goodhart",
        "Manoj Pradhan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "demographics",
        "inflation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-great-depression-a-diary-f95226",
      "title": "The Great Depression: A Diary",
      "author": "Benjamin Roth",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38564038,
          "author": "rufus_foreman",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T00:57:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38564038",
          "commentText": "Recommended:\nStanley: The Impossible Life of Africa's Greatest Explorer. Fiction? Non-fiction?\nHad to be made up. A guy born in England to poor circumstances ships out to New Orleans, jumps ship, fights in the Civil War on the confederate side, gets captured, fights in the Civil War on the union side, gets wounded, ends up fighting in the union navy. After the war, becomes a journalist in the American west. Then organizes an expedition to the Ottoman empire...OK he's 26 years old at this point. Sure there's some stuff later but...that's a pretty good resume for a 26 year old. Unbelievable.\nLou Reed: The King of New York Same thing. Just completely real but also unbelievable. The songs he had written by 1965.\nHitler: A Biography, by Ian Kershaw. Completely real, also unbelievable. The German people voting against democracy. Unbelievable.\nEscape From Rome, Walter Scheidel, \"The gripping story of how the end of the Roman Empire was the beginning of the modern world\". I think about the Roman Empire a lot, so basically it was a military slave state and it fell and that's bad?\nThe Great Depression: A Diary, I thought I would hate this, let's read a diary, right? Reading a diary of the Great Depression happening in front of you, it's amazing. The dread, and the bargaining. He's like bargaining against reality that the depression will end.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Great Depression: A Diary",
          "reason": "Lists it under “Recommended” and says reading the diary unfold is amazing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They expected to dislike reading a diary.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Benjamin Roth"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "great depression",
        "primary sources"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-great-divorce-3da416",
      "title": "The Great Divorce",
      "author": "C. S. Lewis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8107077,
          "author": "kilo_man",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T09:00:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107077",
          "commentText": "Just listing books that have had a big impact on me:\n* The Now Habit - http://www.amazon.com/dp/1585425524\n* Getting Things Done - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0142000280\n* Simply Christian - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061920622\n* Surprised by Hope - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061551821\n* The Great Divorce - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060652950\n* Mere Christianity - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060652926\n* The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - http://www.amazon.com/dp/048629823X\n* Tao Te Ching - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060812451\nBooks from the Bible that I like:\n* Genesis\n* Judges\n* Ruth\n* Tobit\n* Job\n* Psalms\n* Ecclesiastes\n* Sirach/Ecclesiasticus\n* Everything written by John",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Great Divorce",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter says have had a big impact on them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "C. S. Lewis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "afterlife",
        "christian allegory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-great-game-727850",
      "title": "The Great Game",
      "author": "Peter Hopkirk",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 457944,
          "author": "uuilly",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-30T10:15:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=457944",
          "commentText": "I've been waiting years for someone to ask this question :)\nWishlited this last night on amazon:\nCarnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise to Western Power by Victor Davis Hanson\nHave read these and enjoyed these:\nGeneral Warfare theory:\nHistory of Warfare by Keegan\nIntel:\nIntelligence and War by Keegan\nCounterinsurgency:\n\"Ghost Wars\" by Steve Coll.  For a really enjoyable experience read \"The Great Game\"  by Hopkirk first.\nThe Civil War deserves it's own category. Watch the PBS dvds, actually buy them.  If you're hungry for more dig into \"The Civil War\" by Shelby Foote is hefty but it's satisfying.\n1776 is a classic.\n\"Blind mans bluff\" is a great book about submarine warfare.\nFor more current stuff Robert Kagan is probably the most informed pundit on war and military strategy.\nWW-II\n\"The Last Lion\" books 1 and 2 are about Churchill and they involve lots of military strategy.  You should also check out \"The gathering storm + the other six books Churchill wrote on WWII.\nMan I could go on forever.  I have \"Panzer General\" and \"Caesar's Conquest of Gaul\" on my nightstand...\nEnjoy...\nPS:  Once you're well versed you'll hear people referring to Clauswitz a lot.  When you're sick of hearing his name and you want more than the wikipedia entry go read \"On War.\"  Art of War goes w/o saying as well...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For a really enjoyable experience read \"The Great Game\"  by Hopkirk first.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends reading it first for an enjoyable experience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Hopkirk"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "central asia",
        "espionage"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-great-game-of-business-e478ac",
      "title": "The Great Game of Business",
      "author": "Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jack Stack",
        "Bo Burlingham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "employee ownership",
        "open book management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-great-good-place-dec613",
      "title": "The Great Good Place",
      "author": "Ray Oldenburg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15635164,
          "author": "0x4f3759df",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-06T13:13:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15635164",
          "commentText": "I like books that introduce the concepts of good urbanism\n{Geography of Nowhere,\nStreets are for People, \nGreat Good Places}\nThey really opened my mind to understanding structure and place",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great Good Places",
          "reason": "The books introduced concepts of good urbanism and opened the commenter’s mind to structure and place.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in urbanism and place",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ray Oldenburg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "community",
        "third places"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-great-influenza-61349c",
      "title": "The Great Influenza",
      "author": "John M. Barry",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48984047,
          "author": "leobg",
          "createdAt": "2026-07-20T19:54:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 48981842,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favourite science history book of the 20th century?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48984047",
          "commentText": "The Faber Book of Science (Carey)\nAsimov’s New Guide to Science (Asimov)\nThe Great Influenza (Barry)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Great Influenza (Barry)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 34160619,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:11:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160619",
          "commentText": "This year I've put myself to the challenge to read at least one book per week which I primarily could complete by reading in the middle of the night while holding our sleeping baby in my arms. It has been an interesting challenge which gave me a lot of fulfilment and has certainly changed my mind on how I view the world. This comment became quite a long read, apologies for that.\nBooks I highly recommend:\nChurchill by Andrew Roberts (p:1105)\nA biography about one of the most interesting figures in politics and WWII. Roberts gives a very detailed description of the life of Churchill and manages to keep you interested the entire length of the book.\nThe God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (p:374)\nIn The God Delusion Dawkins gives arguments why there is no God, why we do not need a God and why religion is damaging to our society. If you are religious it might not be the book for you unless you are open to hear his arguments and line of reasoning. Dawkins will challenge your worldview.\nThe Bomb by Fred Kaplan (p:384)\nKaplan describes the policy of different US presidents on the atomic bomb and war in general. And primarily on the inability of US presidents and policy-makers to tune down its military. A chilling read which makes you appreciate a nuclear holocaust did not happen (yet)....\nPoor Economics by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo (p:320)\nBanerjee and Duflo give a gripping portrait of how poor people live. They offer an insight in the choices and decisions people make surviving on less than 1 USD a day (corrected for purchasing power). It made me completely rethink my own view on poverty and development aid; stressing even more that in order to help one need to have a complete understanding of the individual's situation and the local boundary conditions.\nProject Hail Mary  by Andy Weir (p:476)\nThis book triggered my science fiction reading. For some reason I never was interested in science fiction. Most likely triggered by reading Foundation by Asimov a few years back which apparently is not a book to my taste. But Andy Weir completely annihilated that wrong perspective on science fiction. Project Hail Mary is interesting, funny and gripping book.\nKindred by Octavia Butler  (p:287)\nThis book.... From page one I was hooked and almost read it in one go. Butler is a wonderful author and Kindred is a must-read. The book is about a woman traveling back in time to end up on a slave plantation. It's a chilling account of slavery.\nOther books I read this year, ask me anything about one of these books. I've added a + if I think its worth a recommendation\nBiography:\nNavalny by Dollbaum, Lallouet and Noble (p:280); The Man from the Future by Ananyo Bhattacharya (p:354) +\nSociology; Politics; Economics; Business:\nOnly the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove (p:224); The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli  (p:140); Winter is Coming by Garry Kasparov (p:290); Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum (p:224) +; Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl (p:164) +; We Are Bellingcat by Eliot Higgins (p:272); De Zeven Vinkjes by Joris Luyendijk (p:200); Waarom vuilnismannen meer verdienen dan bankiers by Rutger Bregman (p:104)\nComedy: The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (p:336)\nHistory:\nBand of Brothers  by Stephen E. Ambrose (p:432); The Nuclear Jihadist by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins (p:413) +; The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre (p:384) +; De Heineken Ontvoering by Peter R. de Vries (p:347); Red Famine by Anne Apllebaum (p:384); Night by Elie Wiesel (p:115) +\nScience, Technology, Mathematics:\nFermat's Enigma by Simon Singh (p:315) +; A Mathematician's Apology by G.H. Hardy (p:153); The Great Influenza by John M. Barry (p:546); The Rise and Fall of the Dinousaurs by Stephen Brusatte (p:404) ++; The Double Helix by James Watson (p:144)\nSport:\nRun or Die by Killian Jornet (p:208); The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton  (p:290) +; The Rise of the Ultra Runners by  (p:304); Tom Dumoulin by Patrick Bernhart (p:203)\nFiction:\nAnthem by Ayn Rand (p:105); Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (p:704); The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (p:566); Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (p:466); Live and Let die by Ian Fleming  (p:229)\nClassics:\nA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (p:104); The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (p:201); The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald (p:180); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (p:139); Animal Farm by George Orwell (p:122) +; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (p:227) +; The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (p:118)\nScience Fiction:\nThe Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (p:399); All Systems Red  by Martha Wells (p:144) +; A Memory Called Empire  by Arkady Martine (p:462) +; A Psalm built for the Wild by Becky Chambers (p:160); Dune by Frank Herbert (p:658); Foundation by Isaac Asimov (p:244); The Martian by Andy Weir (p:384) +;\nThe Forever War by Joe Haldeman (p:278)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Great Influenza by John M. Barry",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John M. Barry"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "1918 influenza pandemic",
        "epidemiology",
        "medical history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-great-leveler-violence-and-the-history-of-inequality-from-the-de6880",
      "title": "The Great Leveler: Violence and the History of Inequality from the Stone Age to the Twenty-First Century",
      "author": "Walter Scheidel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24287271,
          "author": "banjo_milkman",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-26T21:07:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 24286084,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading at the moment and what do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24287271",
          "commentText": "The Great Leveler: Violence and the History of Inequality from the Stone Age to the Twenty-First Century\nSeems moderately depressing so far.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Great Leveler: Violence and the History of Inequality from the Stone Age to the Twenty-First Century\nSeems moderately depressing so far.",
          "reason": "The commenter reports finding it moderately depressing so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Seems moderately depressing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Walter Scheidel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "inequality",
        "violence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-great-melody-a-thematic-biography-of-edmund-burke-6fc687",
      "title": "The Great Melody: A Thematic Biography of Edmund Burke",
      "author": "Conor Cruise O'Brien",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1027668,
          "author": "julius_geezer",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T21:16:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027668",
          "commentText": "Four I had forgotten:\n_Warrenpoint_ by Denis Donoghue. Memoirs of youth, beautifully written.\n_The Great Melody: A Thematic Biography of Edmund Burke_ by Conor Cruise O'Brien.\n_Autobiographies_ by W. B. Yeats. This was I think the first time reading it through, though 25 years ago I read a fair bit in a housemate's copy. There are sentences that you will want to reread to see how he does it. And in the art of payback, Yeats on George Moore makes Hemingway on Fitzgerald/Ford/Stein/etc look amateurish.\n_The Italians_ by Luigi Barzini.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "_The Great Melody: A Thematic Biography of Edmund Burke_ by Conor Cruise O'Brien.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books enjoyed and recommended.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Conor Cruise O'Brien"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "edmund burke",
        "political biography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-great-mental-models-bf0c35",
      "title": "The Great Mental Models",
      "author": "Shane Parrish et al.",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43594433,
          "author": "0xCE0",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-05T15:59:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 43572949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books written on “How to think”?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43594433",
          "commentText": "Well, maybe the best example is this:\nhttps://fs.blog/tgmm/\nI have physical copies of these books. They are really well quality material, well layouted, and the content is similar to what is found at fs.blog website. All the \"mental models\" for thinking they include are kind of p*rn for this kind of stuff, but it is nearly impossible to apply these mental models consciously in real life, especially ad-hoc real life situation. There is no time to think each different mental model for every situation/task/problem/matter. The most effective thinking is the real-life \"quick math/no BS\" style of thinking, and the real superpower is if you have made your own expedition to the matter, because then you can just recall the stuff you need from your own brain quicker and better than any LLM.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I have physical copies of these books.",
          "reason": "Presents the books as an example in a thread asking for books about how to think, but says the models are nearly impossible to apply consciously in real life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The mental models are difficult to apply consciously in real-life situations.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Shane Parrish et al."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "decision making",
        "mental models"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-great-mental-models-297dd2",
      "title": "The Great Mental Models",
      "author": "Shane Parrish, Rhiannon Beaubien, and Fletcher Ellison",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19896197,
          "author": "andrenth",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T03:14:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19896197",
          "commentText": "* Poor Charlie's Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger\n* Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger\n* The Model Thinker: What You Need to Know to Make Data Work for You\n* The Great Mental Models",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Great Mental Models",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Shane Parrish, Rhiannon Beaubien, and Fletcher Ellison"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "decision making",
        "mental models"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-great-mental-models-general-thinking-concepts-3673f9",
      "title": "The Great Mental Models: General Thinking Concepts",
      "author": "Shane Parrish",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19899492,
          "author": "emre",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T14:22:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19899492",
          "commentText": "I would recommend Poor Charlie's Almanack by Charlie Munger and these following two books:\nThe Model Thinker: What You Need to Know to Make Data Work for You by Scott Page\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Model-Thinker-What-Need-Know/dp/04650... (https://www.amazon.com/Model-Thinker-What-Need-Know/dp/0465094627)\nand\nThe Great Mental Models: General Thinking Concepts by Shane Parrish\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Great-Mental-Models-Thinking-Concepts... (https://www.amazon.com/Great-Mental-Models-Thinking-Concepts-ebook/dp/B07P79P8ST)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Great Mental Models: General Thinking Concepts by Shane Parrish",
          "reason": "Recommended as a book on mental models.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking books about mental models.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Shane Parrish"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "critical thinking",
        "mental models"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-great-mortality-7ee18f",
      "title": "The Great Mortality",
      "author": "John Kelly",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8716503,
          "author": "kunstmord",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T14:22:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8716503",
          "commentText": "Tropic of Capricorn by Henry Miller. To be honest, I re-read it, but it had a much more significant impact the second time (I originally considered it to be weaker than \"Black Spring\" and \"Tropic of Cancer\", but this time round, due to certain personal circumstances, it resonated with me in a very powerful way – his ruminations concerning compassion, interacting with other people, the meaning and value of work and creativity). \nnfortunately, the only new book I read this year was \"The Great Mortality\", a pretty interesting but a tad too un-academic account of the Black Plague in Europe. Hopefully, I'll have a lot more time to read in 2015.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "a pretty interesting but a tad too un-academic account of the Black Plague in Europe.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it pretty interesting while finding the account somewhat too unacademic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The account is described as a tad too unacademic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Kelly"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "black death",
        "medieval europe"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-great-tang-dynasty-record-of-the-western-regions-b78640",
      "title": "The Great Tang Dynasty Record of the Western Regions",
      "author": "Xuanzang",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39729930,
          "author": "slowmovintarget",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T22:10:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729930",
          "commentText": "The Great Tang Dynasty Record of the Western Regions\nThis is intended to be an accurate account of a Buddhist monk's travels from China to India and back in the mid-seventh century. The Tang emperor was so impressed with the account, he asked the monk (Xuangzang) to create this historical record.\nIn addition to accurately describing the imports, exports, geography, and culture, it also goes on at length about dealing with \"naga kings\" (dragons inhabiting lakes), saints flying around with supernatural power, reincarnation, reputed temple miracles, collected stories of Buddhist enlightenment or attainment, and so on.\nIt's a similar experience to reading the Illiad or the Odyssey, in that it gives you a perspective on how people give credibility to the fantastic, when there is no evidence.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Great Tang Dynasty Record of the Western Regions",
          "reason": "Described as an account of a Buddhist monk's travels and beliefs that offers perspective on how people credit fantastic claims.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Xuanzang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhism",
        "religion",
        "travel writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-greater-journey-americans-in-paris-dc1640",
      "title": "The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris",
      "author": "David McCullough",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18744369,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T04:11:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744369",
          "commentText": "* The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCullough\n* Higher: A Historic Race to the Sky and the Making of a City by Neal Bascomb\n* Caesar’s Last Breath: Decoding the Secrets of the Air Around Us by Sam Kean\n* Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari\n* A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts by Andrew Chaikin\n* The Actor’s Life: A survival guide by Jenna Fischer\n* The Interstellar Age: The Story of the NASA Men and Women Who Flew the Forty-Year Voyager Mission by Jim Bell\n* The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance by David Epstein\n* Uncommon People: The Rise and Fall of the Rock Stars 1955-1994 by David Hepworth\n* Chasing Space: An Astronaut's Story of Grit, Grace, & Second Chances by Leland Melvin\n* The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough\n* Jefferson: Architect of American Liberty by John B. Boles",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCullough",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite nonfiction book read in 2018.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David McCullough"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american expatriates"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-greatest-show-on-earth-a8fa49",
      "title": "The Greatest Show on Earth",
      "author": "Richard Dawkins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19092949,
          "author": "CJKerr",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-06T05:30:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19092949",
          "commentText": "For younger readers, or those who prefer a lighter reader, Dawkins \"The Greatest Show On Earth\" covers similar material in a more accessible (if less rigorous) manner. I forgot to mention it in my own recommendations, but it is one of the books I recommend at every opportunity.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it is one of the books I recommend at every opportunity.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it for an accessible explanation of similar material.",
          "audience": "Younger readers or those who prefer a lighter read.",
          "caveat": "More accessible but less rigorous than the comparison in context.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Dawkins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolution",
        "evolutionary biology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-guardians-dfcde2",
      "title": "The Guardians",
      "author": "Susan Pedersen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18745435,
          "author": "Emma_Goldman",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T10:45:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18745435",
          "commentText": "My idiosyncratic picks, all of them history:\nCivil War, David Armitage\nMeaning in History, Karl Lowith\nManifest Destiny, Anders Stephanson\nThe Deluge, Adam Tooze\nThe Moral Economists, Tim Rogan\nThe Guardians, Susan Pederson\nI also enjoyed properly getting to grips with Keynes, Du Bois, Schmitt and Freud for the first time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Guardians, Susan Pederson",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s history picks in response to a favorite-books question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as an idiosyncratic pick.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Susan Pedersen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "league of nations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-guide-28de7a",
      "title": "The Guide",
      "author": "R. K. Narayan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15156533,
          "author": "jeffersonheard",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:44:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156533",
          "commentText": "Getting More - Stuart Diamond. I still think this is the best book on the art of negotiation.\nGetting Things Done - David Allen. If you have adult ADHD like me, and you haven't read this, it's the first system that's really worked for productivity for me.\nMan's Search for Meaning - Victor Frankl.\nLiving Buddha, Living Christ - Thich Nhat Hanh.\nCosmos - Carl Sagan.\nThe Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. LeGuin.\nThe One who Walks Away from Omelas - U.K. LeGuin.\nWild Seed - Octavia Butler.\nThe Heike Monogatari - (tr. Helen Craig McCullough) “The sound of the Gion Shoja temple bells echoes the impermanence of all things; the color of the sala flowers reveals the truth that to flourish is to fall. The proud do not endure, like a passing dream on a night in spring; the mighty fall at last, to be no more than dust before the wind.” If you need a comparison. this is the Japanese historical equivalent of Game of Thrones combined with a bit of MacBeth. The rise and fall of two shogunate families, and an analysis of the tragic flaws of character that brought their fall about.\nLes Miserables - Victor Hugo.\nSmall Gods - Terry Pratchett.\nHeart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad.\nThe Guide - R. K. Narayan.\nEvidence - Mary Oliver.\nAll of Us - The Collected Poetry of Raymond Carver.\nSilence - Shusaku Endo.\nThe Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald.\nThe Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Murakami Haruki. This and the next four are odd choices, perhaps, since it's a surrealist book, but IMO books that force your imagination to work hard do as much for creativity and fresh ideas as any of the more popular methods.\nThe Well-Built City (The Physiognomy / Memoranda / The Beyond) Jeffery Ford - Surrealist novellas best described as about the protagonist living and achieving agency within the constructs, dreams, and nightmares of a \"Great Man's\" mind.\nSnow Crash - Neal Stephenson.\nGravity's Rainbow - Thomas Pynchon.\nDhalgren - Samuel L. \"Chip\" Delany.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Guide - R. K. Narayan.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "R. K. Narayan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "indian literature",
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-guide-for-the-perplexed-3205d2",
      "title": "The Guide for the Perplexed",
      "author": "Maimonides",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25531528,
          "author": "haivri",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T21:19:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25531528",
          "commentText": "The Torah and it's related works, most notably:\nThe Guide for the Perplexed by Maimonides\nOn the Essence of Chassidus by Menachem Mendel Schneersohn",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Guide for the Perplexed by Maimonides",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Maimonides"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "jewish philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-guide-to-getting-it-on-1c5ca7",
      "title": "The Guide to Getting It On",
      "author": "Paul Joannides",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1752307,
          "author": "jseliger",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T07:24:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752307",
          "commentText": "See here: http://jseliger.com/2010/03/22/influential-books-on-me-that-... (http://jseliger.com/2010/03/22/influential-books-on-me-that-is/) for a list of influential books on me. I actually have a half-written post on books I wish I'd read when I was younger; here it is:\n1. <em>Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience</em> by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi\n2. <em>The Guide to Getting It On</em> by Paul Johannides [sp?]\n3. <em>The Mating Mind: How Sexual Choice Shaped the Evolution of Human Nature</em> by Geoffrey Miller\n4. <em>Hackers & Painters</em> by Paul Graham\n5. <em>Man's Search for Meaning</em> by Viktor Frankl\n6. <em>Stumbling on Happiness</em> by Daniel Gilbert\nIn all cases, I think these books profoundly shaped how not only I think, but I think others can learn to think too. All suddenly revealed new connections and ideas about the world I'd never experienced or expected to experience before.\nGranted, no book can be removed from its context, and its possible that if I'd read some of the books above as a younger person I wouldn't have been ready to appreciate them. But <em>Flow</em> seems by far the most valuable of the choices listed above because it engulfs more of the content of the others than any other choice.\nSteven Berlin Johnson's new book Where Ideas Come From looks promising: http://www.amazon.com/Where-Good-Ideas-Come-Innovation/dp/15... (http://www.amazon.com/Where-Good-Ideas-Come-Innovation/dp/1594487715?ie=UTF8&tag=thstsst-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957) .",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2. <em>The Guide to Getting It On</em> by Paul Johannides [sp?]",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books the commenter says profoundly shaped their thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that age and context can affect whether a reader is ready to appreciate it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Joannides"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sex education",
        "sexual health"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-gun-seller-f66383",
      "title": "The Gun Seller",
      "author": "Hugh Laurie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1569874,
          "author": "nopassrecover",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T02:21:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569874",
          "commentText": "Some recents:\nSurely You're Joking Mr Feynmann is a good read.\nAs is Vonnegut's Cat's Cradle\nAs is Hugh Laurie's The Gun Seller\nAnd I'm just getting into Orwell's Keep The Aspidistra Flying which is quite good too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "As is Hugh Laurie's The Gun Seller",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s recent book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hugh Laurie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "satire",
        "spy thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-guns-at-last-light-the-war-in-western-europe-1944-1945-992b4d",
      "title": "The Guns at Last Light: The War in Western Europe, 1944–1945",
      "author": "Rick Atkinson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6387571,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T23:49:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387571",
          "commentText": "While I often read Science Fiction and recently enjoyed Corey Doctorow's Rapture of the Nerds, Last week I finished Jeet Thayil's Narcopolis.\nCurrently, I am reading the third volume of Rick Atkinson's history of the second world war, The Guns at Last Light: The War in Western Europe, 1944-1945. I've enjoyed all three volumes over the past decade.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Guns at Last Light: The War in Western Europe, 1944-1945. I've enjoyed all three volumes over the past decade.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have enjoyed all three volumes in the history series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rick Atkinson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military history",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-guns-of-empire-9726ac",
      "title": "The Guns of Empire",
      "author": "Django Wexler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237020,
          "author": "Jemaclus",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:13:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237020",
          "commentText": "I keep an active list of books I've read, along with my reviews at my book review website, https://books.brianseitel.com. One of the benefits of this is that my favorite books automatically populate on the left. In 2016, I read over 60 books. My top 10 for 2016 (so far) are, in rough order of favorite-ness:\n- \"All the Birds in the Sky\" by Charlie Jane Anders\n- \"The Shards of Heaven\" and its sequel \"The Gates of Hell\" by Michael Livingston (fictional story set in Roman times)\n- \"The Last Breath\" by Charlie Magee\n- \"The Guns of Empire\" by Django Wexler (Book 4 of The Shadow Campaigns series, which I highly recommend)\n- \"The King's Traitor\" by Jeff Wheeler (original take on Arthurian legend)\n- \"Uprooted\" by Naomi Novik\n- \"End Game\" by Lindsay Buroker (Book 8 of her sci-fi series, The Fallen Empire, which is a pretty fun series overall. Short and sweet adventures.)\n- \"Soulblade\" by Lindsay Buroker (Book 8 of her fantasy series, Dragon Blood, which is another great series. All of Buroker's books are good, imo.)\n- \"Ghost Talkers\" by Mary Robinette Kowal (It's WWII, ghosts are real... and they're spies.)\nThis year I also read books 1-3 of The Expanse, and I think they would also be in this list, except I haven't reviewed them yet. I'm currently reading Book 4, with the recently published book, Babylon's Ashes, in the queue. I fully expect these to make it into the top 10.\nObviously, I enjoy sci-fi / fantasy the most, but across a wide range of sub-genres. For non-sci-fi, my top read was \"I Will Teach You To Be Rich\" by Ramit Sethi, which really changed the way I organize my finances.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My top 10 for 2016 (so far) are, in rough order of favorite-ness:",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's top books of the year, ranked by preference.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Book 4 of The Shadow Campaigns series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Django Wexler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "flintlock fantasy",
        "military fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-gutenberg-galaxy-490797",
      "title": "The Gutenberg Galaxy",
      "author": "Marshall McLuhan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15156396,
          "author": "decasteve",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:22:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156396",
          "commentText": "Marshall McLuhan's \"Gutenberg Galaxy\" and \"Understanding Media\".\nBuckminster Fuller's \"Operating Manual for Spaceship Earth\" (and other books and essays of his).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Marshall McLuhan's \"Gutenberg Galaxy\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marshall McLuhan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "media theory",
        "print culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-hacked-world-order-how-nations-fight-trade-maneuver-and-manip-c54c14",
      "title": "The Hacked World Order: How Nations Fight, Trade, Maneuver, and Manipulate in the Digital Age",
      "author": "Adam Segal",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14859839,
          "author": "strictnein",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:14:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859839",
          "commentText": "Recently:\n- The Invention of Russia: From Gorbachev's Freedom to Putin's War\n- The Red Web: The Struggle Between Russia’s Digital Dictators and the New Online Revolutionaries\nBoth excellent and pair really well. Add in \"Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible\" and you've got some decent insight into modern Russia, I think.\nJust finished:\n- Left of Boom: How a Young CIA Case Officer Penetrated the Taliban and Al-Qaeda\nInteresting to read. Author is rather sure of himself, but I guess that helped him be successful. Also interesting to see what the CIA redacted, since they left all the redactions in place in the book and used classical music in the audio book to represent them. Kind of sloppily redacted at times, with the redacted country or entity clearly referenced a sentence or two later. And then there's strange things redacted, like the language of bootleg DVDs that are purchased in SE Afghanistan. It's Farsi, for the record.\n- The Hacked World Order: How Nations Fight, Trade, Maneuver, and Manipulate in the Digital Age\nIf you're interested in kind of an overview of the cyber (yes, I hate the word too) space, from the perspective of nation states and the impact of their actions, this is a good read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you're interested in kind of an overview of the cyber (yes, I hate the word too) space, from the perspective of nation states and the impact of their actions, this is a good read.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a good overview of cyber issues from a nation-state perspective.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in cyber issues and nation-state actions.",
          "caveat": "The commenter dislikes the term “cyber.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adam Segal"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybersecurity",
        "geopolitics",
        "nation states"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-hacker-crackdown-893952",
      "title": "The Hacker Crackdown",
      "author": "Bruce Sterling",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17750154,
          "author": "severine",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T14:06:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17750154",
          "commentText": "This? http://gen.lib.rus.ec/book/index.php?md5=5A8FE70517FD734D720... (http://gen.lib.rus.ec/book/index.php?md5=5A8FE70517FD734D720A183A24ABBF9D)\nTitle: \tUnderground: Tales of Hacking, Madness, and Obsession on the Electronic Frontier\nAuthor(s):\tSuelette Dreyfuss\nPublisher:\tMandarin Australia\nYear:\t1997\nISBN:\t9781863305952, 1863305955\n>> This book provides a great overview of a number of computer intrusion incidents and links them throught not only the technical nature of the activity but the persons behind them. UNDERGROUND provides an excellent overview of intrustion activities focusing on the UK, Australia, and the United States. It covers the late 80's to the early nineties with stories on incidents such as the WANK Worm outbreak and 8lgm's activities. The stand out attribute of this book is that it examines what happened to the intruders after their activity rather than focusing on the activity itself. It also examines the interrelationships between intruders worldwide giving some insight into how the culture allows for several key persons to be involved in or have siginficant knowledge of many different activities. A must have to include in your library along with other staples such as Cuckoo's Egg, Masters of Deception, Fugitive Game, and Hacker Crackdown. However, like the other books noted, there are apt to be a few points that persons will take exception too with regard to accuracy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "staples such as Cuckoo's Egg, Masters of Deception, Fugitive Game, and Hacker Crackdown",
          "reason": "Lists it as a staple alongside other books on hacking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The blurb says there may be points readers take exception to regarding accuracy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3782911,
          "author": "lsiebert",
          "createdAt": "2012-04-01T06:03:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 3781486,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi Books for Hackers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3782911",
          "commentText": "http://textiplication.com/2009/07/13/hackers-and-hacking-in-... (http://textiplication.com/2009/07/13/hackers-and-hacking-in-science-fiction/)\nhas many of the recommendations I'd make. I especially recommend Cryptonomicon if you want some pseudocode.  I'll add a few newer books:\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ready_Player_One\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daemon_%28technothriller_series%29\nHowever, have you considered some free nonfiction?  http://www.mit.edu/hacker/hacker.html The Hacker Crackdown\nhttp://hermetic.com/bey/taz3.html#labelTAZ Temporary Autonomous Zones\nYou might also like scifi short stories: http://www.flurb.net/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Hacker Crackdown",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruce Sterling"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer crime",
        "hacker culture",
        "hacker history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-hacker-s-diet-1e4889",
      "title": "The Hacker's Diet",
      "author": "John Walker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45319192,
          "author": "mikewarot",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-21T01:25:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 45312545,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that helped you lose weight?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45319192",
          "commentText": "I read The Hackers Diet[1], and it really helped, back at the dawn of the Internet.\n[1] https://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read The Hackers Diet[1], and it really helped",
          "reason": "The commenter says reading it helped.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Walker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nutrition tracking",
        "weight loss"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-half-life-of-facts-bbfd7c",
      "title": "The Half-Life of Facts",
      "author": "Samuel Arbesman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5406298,
          "author": "chris_dcosta",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-20T09:41:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 5401749,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What interesting books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5406298",
          "commentText": "The Half Life of Facts\nMost useful explanation I have found to explain why the pre-internet age grown-ups (that would also be me) get stuck thinking that facts remain always the same.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Half Life of Facts\nMost useful explanation I have found to explain why the pre-internet age grown-ups (that would also be me) get stuck thinking that facts remain always the same.",
          "reason": "Calls it the most useful explanation they've found for why people assume facts remain unchanged.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Samuel Arbesman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "changing knowledge",
        "facts"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-hamlet-648d39",
      "title": "The Hamlet",
      "author": "William Faulkner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5691600,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T18:40:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5691600",
          "commentText": "Blood Meridian, Cormac McCarthy.\nPhilosphical Investigations, Ludwig Witgenstein.\nThe Analects.\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, Ableson and Sussman.\nThe Hamet and The Town and The Mansion, William Faulkner.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hamet and The Town and The Mansion, William Faulkner.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for good book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Faulkner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classic literature",
        "southern literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-hanging-of-afzal-guru-and-the-strange-case-of-the-attack-on-t-9b8585",
      "title": "The Hanging of Afzal Guru and the Strange Case of the Attack on the Indian Parliament",
      "author": "Manisha Sethi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19090626,
          "author": "vishnugupta",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T22:27:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090626",
          "commentText": "All the books below have shaped my thought process to a significant degree. I started reading late but I'm fortunate enough to have stumbled upon these gems.\n\"Debt: The First 5000 Years\": This is truly a magnum opus. Until I read this I had taken money, economy, market etc., for granted. And I had held onto the widely accepted, but naive, view that economic systems somehow grew out of barter systems. The range of topics discussed, and the way author shows how seemingly independent concepts are intertwined, is truly astonishing. I'm on my 2nd read.\n\"Thinking, Fast and Slow\": This book made me truly appreciate the value of psychology. I didn't even know the existence of a vast domain called behavioral science until I read this book. Now I'm deliberately conscious about the decisions I take and retrace my thought process multiple times just to make sure that I haven't fallen pray to some of the cognitive biases.\n\"The Tell-Tale Brain\": While I did know that human brain is a unique organ this book opened my eyes to its layered complexities. For instance, how \"seeing\" is not a single step but a multi step process. From image formation, to identifying the object, to evoking emotional response.\n\"QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter\": The book with the highest signal to noise ratio. I finally understood what science is about, a way to model nature and to keep refining it to fit the observation. There are no true/false theories/models only those that explain nature's behavior better or worse. Nature is agnostic to all our theories and models. She's just the way she is. For details read about double slit experiment.\n\"How the World Works\": This one along with \"Profit Over People: Neoliberalism & Global Order\" has greatly shaped my mental model about the workings of contemporary world. I now understand why does military gets all the funding, why do powerful governments tend to keep its subject under perpetual fear, why is it that the cost of education has been sky-rocketing.\n\"The Hanging of Afzal Guru and the Strange Case of the Attack on the Indian Parliament\": A glimpse into the working of Indian justice system.\n\"Broken Republic\": This is by far the most accurate description about current affairs in India. How India is being hollowed out and how its most vulnerable section is the one fighting against it.\n\"Grammatical Man: Information, Entropy, Language and Life\": I'm currently reading it (20% through) and it has already made a big impact. The meaning of information is deep and subtle and pervades not just human being but the life itself.\n\"The Order of Time\": The book that well and truly shook the foundation that I had taken for granted for my entire life. That space and time aren't something absolute and are personal has had a profound impact on me.\n\"The Upanisads\": A truly remarkable work of human mind. Just to think about some of the concepts uplifts my mood.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Hanging of Afzal Guru and the Strange Case of the Attack on the Indian Parliament\": A glimpse into the working of Indian justice system.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a glimpse into India's justice system.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Manisha Sethi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "afzal guru",
        "indian justice system"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-happiest-kids-in-the-world-how-dutch-parents-help-their-kids--04e90b",
      "title": "The Happiest Kids in the World: How Dutch Parents Help Their Kids (and Themselves) by Doing Less",
      "author": "Rina Mae Acosta and Michele Hutchison",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42220961,
          "author": "throw0101d",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T14:13:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42220961",
          "commentText": "If I had to pick one: The rise and fall of American growth: the U.S. standard of living since the Civil War by Robert Gordon. The gains that we have made in the (early) 20th century are unlikely to ever be repeated, and progress in many metrics has measurably slowed or even stalled since ~1970s (likely being asymptotic). And while the Internet (classified under the Information, Communication, Technology (ICT) chapters) gave a bump in the 1990s, it's mostly been flat since 2004.\nMore economic history with Slouching towards Utopia: an economic history of the twentieth century by J. Bradford Delong. More economic ideas stuff in Value(s): building a better world for all by Mark Carney (ran the Banks of Canada and England). Also Waphsott's Keynes Hayek: the clash that defined modern economics and Samuelson Friedman: the battle over the free market.\nThe currency of politics: the political theory of money from Aristotle to Keynes by Sefan Eich, Money: the true story of a made-up thing by Jacob Goldstein, and The power of gold: the history of an obsession by Peter Bernstein (also his Against the Gods on risk). Show how much of a human construct \"money\" is, how its meaning changes in different times and places/cultures. Should be required reading by all the 'hard money' folks (gold standard, BTC).\nThe good life: lessons from the world's longest scientific study of happiness by Waldinger and Schultz (directors of the Harvard study). If there's one 'magic' thing for health and happiness it seems to be having good relationships (family, friends) in your life.\nReligion: what it is, how it works, and why it matters by Christian Smith and Strange rites: new religions for a godless world by Tara Burton. While many think that religion is in decline, the non-material/supernatural things that people believe in has actually shifted. And having beliefs in a super-human entity seems to be the basis of most societies and civilizations. Related, The warfare between science and religion : the idea that wouldn't die, a series of essays; the conflict thesis bunk, both historically and presently.\nThe origins of Canadian and American political differences by Jason Kaufman, two seemingly-the-same neighbouring countries that have had different development paths when it comes to culture and government. (I'm Canadian.)\nSpeaking of government: Civil resistance: what everyone needs to know by Erica Chenoweth. Seems violence/force is generally a less effective way to affect change in society than non-violence.\nThe week: a history of the unnatural rhythms that made us who we are by David Henkin. Seems that while seven days has been around for a long while, making it a really 'hard' structure/schedule around it is a more recent phenomenon than you'd expect.\nIf you have kids, Karen Le Billon's French kids eat everything (and yours can, too) and Getting to YUM: the 7 secrets of raising eager eaters, her husband is French and she lived there for a year and found many things done better there than US/CA. See also The happiest kids in the world: how Dutch parents help their kids and themselves by doing less by Acosta and Hutchison.\nFlying blind: the 737 MAX tragedy and the fall of Boeing by Peter Robison is an HN favourite. While we get a lot of engineer vs MBA comments, I think the bigger problem (associated with the MBA-types) is financialization, i.e., returns over everything else. Having non-engineers/MBAs can be 'fine' also long as trying to squeeze blood/money from a stone at the cost of everything else.\nSome philosophy with Alasdair C. MacIntyre: After Virtue is a good starting point. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/After_Virtue",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The happiest kids in the world: how Dutch parents help their kids and themselves by doing less by Acosta and Hutchison.",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a related book about parenting practices.",
          "audience": "Parents interested in parenting approaches.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rina Mae Acosta",
        "Michele Hutchison"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Parenting",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dutch parenting",
        "family life"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-happiness-advantage-63c079",
      "title": "The Happiness Advantage",
      "author": "Shawn Achor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665209,
          "author": "PostPost",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:26:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665209",
          "commentText": "Sorry for the wall of text.\n1. Bourne (The language and world of this novel are extraordinary - everything is falling apart yet brimming with life. Strangely moving)\n2. The Design of Everyday things (Essential for anyone in UI/UX)\n3. All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (Highly engaging, entertaining sci-fi novella series, from an author that can write a very decent robot protagonist)\n4. The Power (Interesting story with sci-fi elements on the dynamics of power, sex, and gender roles. I didn't care for the book, but the first 3/4 of the book are amazing)\n5. Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days\n6. 7 brief Lessons on Physics\n7. The Last Lecture (The energy and positivity coming from a man knowing he's about to die is infectious. Great read)\n8. A wizard of Earthsea (Move over Harry Potter, this is the essential children's story about wizards)\n9. Exploring diabetes with owls (Funny, irreverent)\n10. Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children (Made an effort to read more YA this year - this was the best in this series, but I still hated it. There's a host of better YA series out there.)\n11. A Wizard of Earthsea: The Tombs of Atuan (See 8.)\n12. The Girl in the Dark (Interesting book about a skin condition I had never heard of, and the trials of living with a very rare condition)\n13. The Phantom Tollbooth (Clever children's book)\n14. Black hole blues and songs from outer space (Informative book about the study of space,  the political and economic forces standing in the way of science, and the incredible individuals working in this field)\n15. Welcome to Night Vale (Hugely entertaining, clever and weird)\n16. You need a budget (Basic economics book explaining how to budget in a way that lets you do more with your money)\n17. To fight Against This Age (Incredibly pretentious, \nIvory Tower philosophizing)\n18. Infinity Gauntlet (Half the Universe dying because Thanos wanted to sleep with Lady Death will never not be ridiculous)\n19. The Right and Wrong Stuff (Great read explaining how to anticipate and avoid career pitfalls)\n20. Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children: Hollow City (pretty shitty)\n21. The Farthest Shore (Ursula K. Le Guin was the biggest loss this year)\n22. Miss peregrine's home for Peculiar Children: Library of Souls (I hate this book and all its characters)\n23. Every Good Endevour (Religious book about a Christian worldview and the value of labor - not a bad read)\n24. When to Rob a Bank and 131 warped suggestions… (interesting, funny, from the writers of Freakonomics)\n25. Weapons of Math Destruction (Probably the most useful book on this list, if you're reading this on \"hackernews\")\n26. Holes (Perfect summer paperback read)\n27. Silver Screen Sirens (Essential for film geeks)\n28. A full life: reflections at 90 (I gained a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter: he lived an incredible life and does great things)\n29. Call Me by your name (Very good romance novel to send to your bigoted relatives at Christmas)\n30. Hyperbole and a half (Incredibly entertaining, very distinctive art style)\n31. The Murderbot diaries: Artificial Condition (See 3.)\n32. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Best children's book, fight me)\n33. Less (Exceptionally well-written)\n34. Resilience (Great book, especially for those that have gone through extremely difficult circumstances)\n35. The Strange Bird (Dark, bleak, full of life, see 1.)\n36. The Murderbot diaries: Rogue Protocol (See 3.)\n37. His Dark Materials: The subtle knife (See 32.)\n38. Tap Dancing to Work (Very dry, some stories/articles are fantastic, others very, very boring for people that do not care about finance)\n39. So Good They Can't Ignore You (Pretty good)\n40. His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass (Amazing YA, see 32.)\n41. Uncontainable (Inspirational book about conscious capitalism)\n42. The Emperor of All Maladies (Pretty much everything you'll ever want to know about Cancer, written in a very engaging way)\n43. Blind Spot\n44. Shoe dog (Great story, see madmax108's comment, totally agree)\n45. The Faithful Spy (Beautiful artwork describing a Christian pastor's fight against fascism during WW2)\n46. Zero to One\n47. You'll grow out of it\n48. The Happiness advantage (Really fantastic book about the value of positive psychology)\n49. Dreams from my father (Enlightening look into Obama's \nearly days)\n50. Ayoade on Ayoade (Entertaining, extremely scatter-brained, not as funny as his interviews or tv programs)\n51. The Diabolic (badly written YA Sci-Fi)\n52. The Physics of Everyday Things (surprisingly informative, recommended for non science-people interested in the way things work)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Really fantastic book about the value of positive psychology",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it fantastic and praises its discussion of positive psychology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7452015,
          "author": "blufox",
          "createdAt": "2014-03-23T03:37:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 7450534,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's on your reading list? Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7452015",
          "commentText": "Currently reading 2 books - Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer; The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Shawn Achor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Business",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "positive psychology",
        "happiness",
        "workplace well being"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-happiness-trap-34aacf",
      "title": "The Happiness Trap",
      "author": "Russ Harris",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42556739,
          "author": "__rito__",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-31T05:53:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42556739",
          "commentText": "For me, some of the best books I read this year, are:\n- Ishmael by Daniel Quinn, I have seen many narratives on the fault at the core of current values and goals of human civilization, but never saw a laid out alternative. Whatever it might be, I like the book for attempting at presenting one.\n- Solaris by Stanislaw Lem, I like this book for extremely original thoughts. This books was so thin (~200 pages), yet it was grand. I also wrote a review [0].\n- The Happiness Trap by Russ Hariss, was very helpful to me in sorting through some things. Very practical book.\n- Anathem by Neal Stephenson, one of the most original book, and probably the best one by Stephenson. Very original ideas, mind expanding.\n- Permutation City by Greg Egan, this book raised the standard for possibly all SciFi book that I will read in the future. Extremely original and grand ideas.\n- The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt, another book that lays out alternatives to what is now considered mainstream.\n- Sotyi Rupkatha by Parimal Bhattacharya (Bengali), a book without any ideological or emotional baggage explaining the plight and pain of a tribal community for Aluminium mining. The way colonialism lives in mining was eye-opening. Aluminium mining, separating, etc. are done in lesser fortunate countries where huge amounts of water is wasted and the environment polluted. The West still imports that refined raw material in cheap and produces final products with lesser environmental impact and peofits by selling the finished products to the same countries in large profits. It was refreshing to see that this book did not have a Communist undertone.\n- Krishna Basudev by Bani Basu (Bengali), life of God Krishna in form of a novel in crisp prose, written maintaining authenticity of core books like Bhagavat Purana and Harivansha.\n- I am currently listening to \"The Hobbit\" audiobook narrated by Andy Serkis. This is peak audiobook for me.\n[0]: https://ritogh.substack.com/p/not-merely-a-story-of-a-man-fa... (https://ritogh.substack.com/p/not-merely-a-story-of-a-man-facing)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Happiness Trap by Russ Hariss, was very helpful to me in sorting through some things. Very practical book.",
          "reason": "Says it was personally helpful and practical.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Russ Harris"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "acceptance and commitment therapy",
        "emotional wellbeing",
        "self help"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-happy-prince-e5b38a",
      "title": "The Happy Prince",
      "author": "Oscar Wilde",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38245401,
          "author": "darajava",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T23:54:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38245401",
          "commentText": "I read The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde. It’s only a 10 minute read, meant for kids, but it’s beautiful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde. It’s only a 10 minute read, meant for kids, but it’s beautiful.",
          "reason": "Described as beautiful.",
          "audience": "Children; a ten-minute read.",
          "caveat": "Meant for kids and takes about ten minutes to read.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Oscar Wilde"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fairy tale",
        "short story"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-hardest-working-man-in-showbiz-46fd51",
      "title": "The Hardest (Working) Man in Showbiz",
      "author": "Ron Jeremy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32790333,
          "author": "BMc2020",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T13:17:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790333",
          "commentText": "Electromagnatic Compatibility Engineering, Henry Ott\nThe Elements of Style, Strunk and White\nThe Hardest (working) Man in Showbiz, Ron Jeremy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hardest (working) Man in Showbiz, Ron Jeremy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ron Jeremy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entertainment",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-hardware-hacker-414d5e",
      "title": "The Hardware Hacker",
      "author": "bunnie Huang",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16001013,
          "author": "StevenForth",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-24T19:50:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16001013",
          "commentText": "I also enjoyed and learned a great deal from The Hardware Hacker. I gave copies to my daughter and to a friend who do manufacturing in China.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also enjoyed and learned a great deal from The Hardware Hacker.",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed it and learned a great deal from it.",
          "audience": "People involved in manufacturing in China; the commenter gave copies to a daughter and a friend who work in that field.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "bunnie Huang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hardware",
        "manufacturing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-hardware-hacker-63732d",
      "title": "The Hardware Hacker",
      "author": "Andrew Huang",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16757794,
          "author": "PascLeRasc",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T18:59:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16757794",
          "commentText": "The Hardware Hacker by Bunnie Huang. It's great for casual reading and some reference to how electronics are manufactured.\nUNIX and Linux System Administration Handbook. I have an old version but it's also great material and excellent writing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's great for casual reading and some reference to how electronics are manufactured.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises it for casual reading and as a reference on electronics manufacturing.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in electronics manufacturing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew Huang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "electronics manufacturing",
        "hardware hacking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-harmony-silk-factory-5e0f6d",
      "title": "The Harmony Silk Factory",
      "author": "Tash Aw",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1026340,
          "author": "reg4c",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T22:17:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026340",
          "commentText": "Harmony Silk Factory - Tash Aw\nSatanic Verses - Salman Rushdi\nOld Man and the Sea - Hemingway",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Harmony Silk Factory - Tash Aw",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tash Aw"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "malaysian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-haskell-school-of-expression-93dbed",
      "title": "The Haskell School of Expression",
      "author": "Paul Hudak",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 797765,
          "author": "wwkeyboard",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T11:11:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797765",
          "commentText": "I'm bouncing between that book and \"The Haskell School of Expression\"( http://www.haskell.org/soe/ ). The second seems to be better at describing data structures and building the language in your mind while the first is more of a reference of useful ideas.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The Haskell School of Expression\"",
          "reason": "Compared favorably for explaining data structures and building an understanding of the language.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comparison is relative to the other book being read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Hudak"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data structures",
        "functional programming",
        "haskell"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-heart-is-a-lonely-hunter-aea804",
      "title": "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter",
      "author": "Carson McCullers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31968871,
          "author": "bmj",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T16:25:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31968871",
          "commentText": "This has been a year of re-reading for me, so this is a timely question.  I can't pick just one at the moment, but I'll split a couple of top choices via genre.  (Also worth noting that in the end, my final choice would probably be the Bible.)\nFiction:\nThe Heart Is a Lonely Hunter - Carson McCullers\nAngle of Repose - Wallace Stegner\nNon-fiction:\nIn Good Company - Stanley Hauerwas\nInto the Silent Land - Martin Laird",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter - Carson McCullers",
          "reason": "Listed as a fiction choice for rereading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter cannot pick just one at the moment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carson McCullers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "southern literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-heart-sutra-30fbcc",
      "title": "The Heart Sutra",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50119582,
          "author": "pmpmpmpm",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T15:25:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50119582",
          "commentText": "I can’t resist an invocation:)\nMost of these are old since I’ve been reading more articles these days but here are a few good books or series I’ve read more than twice: The Hobbit, LOTR, the Silmarillion, Neuromancer, the Chronicles of Narnia, Hong Lou Meng, The Heart Sutra, The Bhagavad Gita, The Tao De Ching, The Wheel of Time series, No country for old men, Persuasion, Sense & Sensibility, Pride & Prejudice, The Way of Kings, The Talisman, the Dark Tower Series, and The Prophet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Heart Sutra",
          "reason": "Included among good books read more than twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhist scripture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-heart-of-christianity-f74b3b",
      "title": "The Heart of Christianity",
      "author": "Marcus J. Borg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36105156,
          "author": "charles_f",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T15:54:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105156",
          "commentText": "It's not directly answering the question, but I really appreciated \"The heart of Christianity\", which offers an interesting philosophical analysis of the three \"interpretations\" of Christianity, and which I would think is applicable to a lot of religions.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really appreciated \"The heart of Christianity\"",
          "reason": "Says they appreciated its philosophical analysis of Christianity’s interpretations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marcus J. Borg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christianity",
        "theology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-heart-of-everything-that-is-0690bc",
      "title": "The Heart of Everything That Is",
      "author": "Bob Drury and Tom Clavin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37161852,
          "author": "doodlebugging",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T14:10:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37161852",
          "commentText": "I agree that it would make a fantastic miniseries.\nIf you read books about Native American history, Texas tribes and their interactions with Anglo settlers, northern plains tribes I can recommend a few titles.\nFrontier Blood - Jo Ella Powell Exley : Tells the history of the Parker family clan. Their small fort in central Texas was raided by Comanches in 1836 and one of the children kidnapped was Cynthia Ann Parker who gave birth to Quanah Parker, the last great Comanche war chief. The book covers Parkers who helped shape the doctrine of the Baptist church too. It's a good read.\nNine Years Among the Indians, 1870-1879 - Herman Lehmann : This book was written by a man who was kidnapped by Apaches in 1870 and raised as Apache. He later left that tribe for the Comanches after he killed an Apache medicine man. In 1879 he was repatriated with his family in central Texas on the advice of Quanah Parker. He, like many others who spent time living with Native American tribes, preferred their way of life to that of his blood family. He talks about the challenge of reintegrating. He had to relearn to speak English and German and to adapt to all the technology and lifestyle changes encountered. It's a great book.\nThe Heart of Everything That Is - Bob Drury/Tom Clavin : This is Red Cloud's story told using his autobiography. Red Cloud was probably the greatest Native American war chief. It's an epic story.\nI just finished reading a book that according to a NY Times book review is \"The single best book I have ever read on Native American history\". You may have heard of it.\nIndigenous Continent - The Epic Contest for North America -- Pekka Hamalainen/Evin Rias\nI almost want to say don't bother. This is a classic case of an attempt to condense a complex subject into a book that can be digested in a few days of casual reading. The book must leave out so much in order to cover so many things that it ends up almost unreadable.\nThere are formatting problems that should've been corrected by the publisher. Several maps that should fit on one page have parts of the map cut off and printed at the top of the next page. That is ridiculous.\nAnother thing that contributes to unreadability and leads to confusion in telling this epic tale is that the narrative jumps from one time period to another with no subheadings to warn that you are stepping back in time for context. Consecutive paragraphs describe events in different regions with no effort to tie them together or to make them fit. There is so much information that it feels that things the authors thought important are just worked in whether they fit or not so that interesting tidbits are told. Unfortunately this ends up creating a stew of a story where the author stirs the pot a little and instead of the beefy broth in the spoon you end up with potato chunks and a random bay leaf. The bay leaf flavoring their story is the history that they couldn't fit somewhere else so they just tossed it in there.\nThere is a lot of slavery in the book. This was a real thing historically so it is a very interesting treatment of that subject and for those who are under the impression that Anglo colonists started the institution of slavery in North America it will be enlightening for them to read about Native American treatment of captives.\nAll in all, there is so much history to cover that many events and characters have their own stories feel like Reader's Digest footnotes.\nThe best way to treat this book is to use it as a springboard for deeper study because it feels shallow. The physical book also could be improved by cleaning up the typesetting, adding headings, moving paragraphs around into more coherent narratives, and fixing the maps.\nAnyway, this got long and I know you probably read some of these. Have fun.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Heart of Everything That Is - Bob Drury/Tom Clavin",
          "reason": "Tells Red Cloud’s story using his autobiography; the commenter calls it an epic story.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Native American history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bob Drury",
        "Tom Clavin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "lakota history",
        "red cloud"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-heart-of-the-buddha-s-teaching-e5df26",
      "title": "The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching",
      "author": "Thich Nhat Hanh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42967215,
          "author": "DataDaoDe",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-06T22:37:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42967215",
          "commentText": "The Old Man and the sea - Hemmingway - so many things, with every reread I find something new.\nThe Heart of the Buddhas Teaching - Thich Nhat Hanh, useful prayers, concepts for understanding and dealing with life and a moral compass for going through it.\nThe Way of Zen - Alan Watts, opened my eyes to different forms of religious experience\nAlso a lot of psychology and philosophy books in undergrad were foundational to my thinking. The Moral Animal, the Moral Landscape, The Blank Slate, The Republic and Plato’s writings on Socrates, Tao te Ching, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, the Tanakh and parts of the Talmud, but many of these were more academic, still holistically they have shaped my thinking and moral compass.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Heart of the Buddhas Teaching - Thich Nhat Hanh",
          "reason": "Calls it useful for prayers, understanding and dealing with life, and moral guidance.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thich Nhat Hanh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhism",
        "mindfulness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-hermetic-millennia-7d2b12",
      "title": "The Hermetic Millennia",
      "author": "John C. Wright",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13120144,
          "author": "joeclark77",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-07T03:05:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13120144",
          "commentText": "John C Wright's \"eschaton sequence\":\nCount to a Trillion\nThe Hermetic Millennia\nJudge of Ages\nArchitect of Aeons\nThe Vindication of Man\n(and one more to come)\nIt's a combination of hard sci-fi and space opera, based around one essentially immortal character (and his rival, and his girl) carrying out a mission over tens of thousands of years.  Mind-blowing scale and yet there's a romance to it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hermetic Millennia",
          "reason": "Listed as an installment in the series offered in response to a request for the year's best sci-fi.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John C. Wright"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hard science fiction",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-hidden-brain-39b9bf",
      "title": "The Hidden Brain",
      "author": "Shankar Vedantam",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4789990,
          "author": "pitchups",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T18:35:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4789990",
          "commentText": "Everything Is Obvious: *Once You Know the Answer by Duncan J. Watts\nWhere Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation by Steven Johnson\nThe Upside of Irrationality by Dan Ariely\nThe Hidden Brain: How Our Unconscious Minds Elect Presidents, Control Markets, Wage Wars by Shankar Vedantam\nThe Googlization of Everything: (And Why We Should Worry) by Siva Vaidhyanathan\nIn The Plex: How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives by Steven Levy\nIdea Man: A Memoir by Paul Allen\nThe Art of Choosing by Sheena Iyengar",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hidden Brain: How Our Unconscious Minds Elect Presidents, Control Markets, Wage Wars by Shankar Vedantam",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Shankar Vedantam"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "social psychology",
        "unconscious bias"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-hidden-dimension-4fe352",
      "title": "The Hidden Dimension",
      "author": "Edward T. Hall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17938850,
          "author": "dmccunney",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-08T01:21:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17938850",
          "commentText": "An assortment:\n\"The Silent Language\" by Edward T. Hall.\nHall was an anthropologist attached to the University of New Mexico.  He and his research partner, linguist Norman Trager, were doing research in comparative culture.  Hall realized they would need a comprehensive theory of culture to describe what they were comparing and provide ways to compare them.  Hall's model was \"culture as communication\", and the results were presented in the book above.  His key point was that most of culture was like the iceberg - 90% of it is processed on an unconscious reflex level.  We are no more aware of most of our culture than a fish is of the water it swims in.  We only become aware when we are set down in a culture that does things differently than ours. The Silent Language is about how we use space.  The followup \"The Hidden Dimension looks into how different cultures use time. Many things fell into place when I read Hall.\n\"Games People Play\" by Eric Berne.\nBerne was a psychiatrist and founder of the discipline of Transactional Analysis.  Games People Play was a PopSci bestseller when first published, which was odd because it's a highly technical volume written for other psychiatrists.  His thesis was that most human behavior could be viewed as games, and most of what we did were ways of structuring time.  Follow up with his \"What Do You Say After You've Said Hello?\" and \"Beyond Games and Scripts\".  Hall's work above did much to explain teh behavior of societies.  Berne's work does much to explain the behavior of people in societies.\n\"The Anatomy of Criticism\" by Northrop Frye.\nFrye was a Professor of English at Toronto University.  He had completed a study of William Blake called \"Fearful Symmetry\", and was attempting to do a study of Spencer's Faery Queen.  But he found himself trying to make sense of various terms used in literature, and the result became a work of pure theory, unconnected with any specific works.  He refers to poetry and poetics, but his canvas is broader.  Part of his problem was that there was no general term in English for a work of prose fiction.  It's a set of four essays, covering Historical Criticism, Ethical Criticism, Archetypal Criticism, and Rhetorical Criticism, but makes clear that while each form is valid in its own terms, none fully described literature, and a more synoptic view was required.\n\"The Structure of Scientific Revolutions\" by Thomas S. Kuhn\nKuhn's work challenged the accepted notions of scientific progress, and the notion of steady accumulation.  His thesis was that the real progress came from notions that lay outside accepted theories, and provided new paradigms by which reality might be understood, and faced all the resistance transformative ideas face from entrenched doctrine until they are demonstrated to be correct.\n\"Management: Tasks, Practices, Responsibilities\" by Peter F. Drucker.\nDrucker was our present generation's primary primary theorist and consultant on the practice of management, and just what management was and what mangers did.  This work was probably his magnum opus, where he pulled together the ideas he'd formulated elsewhere into a coherent whole.  It's a liberal education not only in management, but in the nature and structure of market based economies.\n\"The Making of Economic Society\" by Robert F. Heilbroner.\nThis is probably the best single volume overview I'm aware of on economics and economic history, beginning with just what an economy is, and the changing conception of economics through history, with the transition from Traditional through Command to Market economies and the issues involved with each.  Many animated discussions I see online about economics make me say \"Those words don't mean what you think they do.  Please read Heilbroner, and come back when you have.  Then we might at least be talking about the same things.\"\n\"The Problems of Philosophy\" by Bertrand Russell.\nRussell is concerned with knowledge, and how we know what we know.  He asks \"Is there any knowledge in the world so certin that no reasonable man could doubt it?\", and concludes that it's one of the most difficult questions that can be asked.  When we understand the obstacles in the way of a straightforward and confident answer, we are launched on the study of philosophy, which is concerned with precisely such questions.  If philosophy is of interest, this is a superb place to start.\n\"Religion and the Rise of Capitalism\" by R. H. Tawney.\nEconomies don't exist in vacuums.  The are aspects of the societies in which they exist, and reflect the values of those societies. Religion has been a critical part of the value systems of societies for as long as there have been societies, and religious notions on what sort of behavior is acceptable affect the structure of economies by determining what sort of transactions are permissible. Tawney is specifically concerned with religious thought in England affecting social organization and economic issues in the period immediately preceding the Reformation and the two following centuries, but while his focus in England, his description of the way in which Christian religious doctrine changed gradually to make a capitalist economy possible in England, the underlying processes could be applied through Europe in general. Read this as a companion to Max Weber's \"The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism\", originally written in German and concerned with the Netherlands and Germany.\n\"Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy\" by Joseph A. Schumpeter.\nSchumpeter was an Austrian economist, a contemporary of John Maynard Keynes, and (briefly) Austria's Finance Minister in the 1920's.  Like Keynes, he considered himself influenced by Marx.  But unlike many others, he believed Marx \"asked all the right questions, and got all the wrong answers\".  Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy was Schumpeter's (often delightfully snarky) attempt to understand what Marx got wrong and why.  It's a useful brainwash after you've spent any time reading MArx or other folks who consider themselves Marxists, and provides a needed sense of perspective.\nThere's more, but I have to stop somewhere...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hidden Dimension looks into how different cultures use time.",
          "reason": "Described as a follow-up examining cultural uses of time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward T. Hall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "intercultural communication",
        "proxemics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-hidden-life-of-trees-440dfa",
      "title": "The Hidden Life of Trees",
      "author": "Peter Wohlleben",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15960279,
          "author": "atulatul",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T14:11:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15960279",
          "commentText": "Update: added a few lines about the books than just a name listing\nFrom the ones I read in 2017, I would highly recommend (non-IT):\n1. The hidden life of trees- Peter Wohlleben Why forest trees are different than the ones you plant, how the communicate, how they care for their friends when they are not well, how mother trees protect their young ones by not letting them grow too fast, the fungi network, etc. The book is very easy to read- there is no scientific terminology overload. Things are told very simply. Not restricted to students of the subject. Learned something interesting every couple of pages. \nAnother aspect is that the love shows. It is very clear that the author is in love with the subject. The author manages a wild forest in Germany and talks mainly about trees in terms of beeches, firs, oaks, etc. The author is politely insistent that we should protect the natural wild forests and let them be.\n2. Why the allies won- Richard Overy Probably the best book I read on WW2. So many more factors went into winning the war than actual fight. Probably appealed to my analytical mind.\n3. India After Gandhi- Ramachandra Guha As the author says history ends for many Indians with freedom. Very good chronicles. Started appreciating Nehru more.\n4. Re-read Gone With The Wind, To Kill a Mockingbird, the Godfather and a few P.G Wodehouse- all of which I like.\nCurrently, halfway through Stephen Fry's Mythos which seems good enough to recommend. I am pretty new to the Greek Mythology and he is a good story teller. Don't have much to compare it with, though.\nAlso, by choice, I read quite a few books in rural Marathi(an Indian regional language) and was surprised how good the story telling was. Also noticed that I had gone quite far from my mother tongue but was happy to see how easy it was to go back.\nPlease answer my similar question https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15960188",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would highly recommend (non-IT):\n1. The hidden life of trees- Peter Wohlleben",
          "reason": "The commenter highly recommends its accessible account of forest life and tree relationships.",
          "audience": "Readers curious about forests, including those without a scientific background.",
          "caveat": "The author focuses mainly on German wild forests and advocates protecting them.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Wohlleben"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "forest ecology",
        "tree communication"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-hidden-reality-93093a",
      "title": "The Hidden Reality",
      "author": "Brian Greene",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hidden Reality - Brian Greene",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Greene"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cosmology",
        "multiverse"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-hiding-place-fa47c6",
      "title": "The Hiding Place",
      "author": "Corrie ten Boom and John and Elizabeth Sherrill",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12080244,
          "author": "yegborscht",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-12T16:12:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12080244",
          "commentText": "If you like Corrie ten Boom you'll love The Hiding Place, but I suspect you've already read it, it's a classic :-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you like Corrie ten Boom you'll love The Hiding Place, but I suspect you've already read it, it's a classic :-)",
          "reason": "Recommends it to readers who like Corrie ten Boom.",
          "audience": "Readers who like Corrie ten Boom.",
          "caveat": "The commenter suspects the recipient has already read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Corrie ten Boom and John and Elizabeth Sherrill"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian memoir",
        "dutch resistance",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-high-school-mathematics-series-c31500",
      "title": "The High School Mathematics series",
      "author": "Israel Gelfand",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34441116,
          "author": "steppi",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T15:11:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34441116",
          "commentText": "Some favorites below. Books 0-3 are accessible. The remaining books are more difficult but I'd highly recommend them to math students.\n0. Jan Gullberg, Mathematics, From the Birth of Numbers. A highly accessible popular survey on different branches of higher mathematics. I read this over the Summer between high school and starting my undergraduate degree. It's what made me want to study math. Previously I'd wanted to be a guitar player, but had to find a new ambition after an injury left me unable to play.\n1. The high school mathematics series by Israel Gelfand. Algebra, Trigonometry, The Method of Coordinates, and Functions and Graphs. I\ndidn't have much mathematics background in high school, but working through these really solidified my grasp on the basics.\n2. George Polya. How to Solve it. A short book giving excellent high level advice on mathematical problem solving.\n3. George E. Andrews, Number Theory. I worked through this freshman year contemporaneously with my first proof based class on simple logic and set theory. A very beautiful and accessible introduction to basic number theory. The combinatorial/geometric proofs of Fermat's Little Theorem and Wilson's Theorem are lovely. It also includes a very nice proof of Chebyshev's theorem on the asymptotic density of primes and even the Rogers-Ramanujan identities for integer partitions.\n4. Vladimir Arnold, Ordinary Differential Equations: Undergrad ODE classes are often taught in a cookbook fashion and if so, don't offer much enlightenment. This book explains what's going on at geometrical level. I didn't appreciate ODEs until I read this. See https://www.uni-muenster.de/Physik.TP/~munsteg/arnold.html for Arnold's views on teaching mathematics.\n5. E.C. Titchmarsh The Theory of Functions: Recommended by my undergraduate advisor because he noticed that I liked reading older books. It contains sections on complex analysis and real analysis with measure theory, but I've only read the complex analysis sections. It's not for everyone, if I recall correctly, there is not a single picture, but it is very lively and has a lot of material you won't find in a standard complex analysis book, including Dirichlet series. Excellent as a supplement to a standard complex analysis book.\n6. George Polya. Mathematics and Plausible Reasoning. An excellent expansion on Polya's ideas on How to Solve it. While the goal is to seek rigorous proofs, to get there it's powerful to be able to think based on intuition, heuristics, and plausible reasoning. A lot of math exposition is theorem/proof based and doesn't help develop these skills. In a similar vein, see also Terence Tao's classic post There's more to mathematics than rigour and proofs https://terrytao.wordpress.com/career-advice/theres-more-to-... (https://terrytao.wordpress.com/career-advice/theres-more-to-mathematics-than-rigour-and-proofs/).\n7. H.S.M Coxeter, An Introduction to Geometry. A book of very beautiful classical geometry. Something typically not touched on at all in a typical mathematics curriculum.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The high school mathematics series by Israel Gelfand.",
          "reason": "The commenter says working through the books solidified their grasp of the basics.",
          "audience": "Readers building a foundation in mathematics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Israel Gelfand"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algebra",
        "functions and graphs",
        "trigonometry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-highly-sensitive-person-how-to-thrive-when-the-world-overwhel-1dadcc",
      "title": "The Highly Sensitive Person: How to Thrive When the World Overwhelms You",
      "author": "Elaine N. Aron",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40284561,
          "author": "JackMorgan",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T12:14:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40284561",
          "commentText": "Wow, this is interesting, very few books I've read more than once! Even fewer are non fiction, but they sure do explain a lot about me:\n- Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving by Pete Walker helped me process a number of assaults that happened to me as a child\n- Designing Data Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann helped me understand intuitively how databases work and how to use eventual consistency to handle workloads\n- The Highly Sensitive Person: How To Thrive when the World Overwhelms You by Elaine Aron this helped me process my and my families neurodivergence.\n- Structure And Interpretation of Computer Programs by Ableson and Sussman. Great book, it's how I learned to love Lisp. I felt like I grew 10x in skill from completing all the homework.\n- Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training by Mark Rippetoe. This is the book that got me into powerlifting  as a regular part of my fitness. I used this to heal my back, neck, and wrist pain. Changed my life.\n- Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter by James Gurney. The GOAT of plein air painting himself teaches so much about how light works on complex forms. I've dog-eared this book.\n- Reinventing Organizations by Frederic Laloux. A great look into how to build and run a self organizing team. Very insightful for when I was leading several teams and needed inspiration for something other than the typical chain of command.\n- The Classroom Management Book by Harry Wong. This book taught me so much about how humans work. I still apply lessons from this book 20 years later.\n- Real World Haskell by O'Sullivan, Goerzen, Stewart. This taught me a lot about Haskell, and got me into all the neat effects needed to make a function pure but still handle IO/async, etc.\n- Peopleware by DeMarco, Lister. My go to book for people management and a philosophy of project management\n- Science of Trust: Emotional Attunement for Couples by Gottman. I love this book for teaching me how to be a better spouse and friend.\n- The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing by Larimore, Lindauer. A great guide to building a permanent portfolio that will return consistent gains with the market. Simple in hindsight, thanks to this book. Best book on investing I've ever read.\n- How to Take Smart Notes by Ahrens. Introduces the zettlekasten system for thinking and creativity. Very inspiring, got me to start a personal file that I keep going to this day, five years later.\n- Twenty Small Sailboats to Take you Anywhere by Vigor. I read this book over and over, dreaming of buying a small boat and sailing around the world. Maybe this year...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Highly Sensitive Person: How To Thrive when the World Overwhelms You by Elaine Aron this helped me process my and my families neurodivergence.",
          "reason": "Helped the commenter process their family's neurodivergence.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Elaine N. Aron"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "neurodivergence",
        "sensory processing sensitivity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-hills-of-chianti-1fc702",
      "title": "The Hills of Chianti",
      "author": "Piero Antinori",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237860,
          "author": "dejv",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T15:32:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237860",
          "commentText": "Out of 32 books I read this year I recommend:\nSomehow tech/startup related:\n- Spelunky, Derek Yu: book about creating the game of Spelunky + notes on game design\n- Disrupted, Dan Lyons: book about \"old\" guy working in startup\n- Hatching Twitter, Nick Bilton: book about Twitter\nNon-startupy books:\n- A Wild Sheep Chase, Haruki Murakami: modern Japanese novel\n- The Hills of Chianti, Piero Antinori: story about wine company and notes on wine making, wine marketing and other stuff from one of the most notable wine company from Italy (700 years old, owned by one family whole history)\n- The City and the Stars, Arthur C. Clark: scifi classic",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The Hills of Chianti, Piero Antinori: story about wine company and notes on wine making, wine marketing and other stuff from one of the most notable wine company from Italy",
          "reason": "Included among the non-startup books the commenter recommends.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in wine, wine businesses, and marketing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Piero Antinori"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marketing",
        "wine",
        "winemaking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-histories-fbfc27",
      "title": "The Histories",
      "author": "Tacitus",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6416411,
          "author": "seanccox",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-20T07:28:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6416411",
          "commentText": "White Teeth, Zadie Smith\nFierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates, Tom Robbins\nHomage to Catalonia, George Orwell\nCatch 22, Joseph Heller\nTimequake; Mother Night, Kurt Vonnegut Jr.\nSeven Pillars of Wisdom, TE Lawrence\nThe Histories, Tacitus\nThe Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger (caveat, it was most effective when I read it at 16)\nRedwall, Brian Jaques (got me really excited about reading when I was in the fourth grade)\nThis list could be much, much longer, but those are the most prominent 'life-changers' that come to mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Histories, Tacitus",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the most prominent life-changers that come to mind.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tacitus"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "roman history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-history-and-present-state-of-electricity-d3d935",
      "title": "The History and Present State of Electricity",
      "author": "Andrew Ure",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36666587,
          "author": "HamptonFounders",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-10T14:01:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36666587",
          "commentText": "Not sure if this is helpful, but a friend fed this conversation through ChatGPT and had it summarize for easier reading:\n-The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy -Bigger by Marc Levinson\n-The Machine That Changed the World: The Story of Lean Production-- Toyota's Secret Weapon in the Global Car Wars That Is Now Revolutionizing World Industry by James P. Womack, Daniel T. Jones, and Daniel Roos\n-Empires of the Sky: Zeppelins, Airplanes, and Two Men's Epic Duel to Rule the World by Erik Larson\n-Railroaded: The Transcontinentals and the Making of Modern America by Richard -White\n-The Arms of Krupp: The Rise and Fall of the Industrial Dynasty that Armed Germany at War by William Manchester\n-Edison by Edmund Morris\n-Titan: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow\n-The People's Tycoon: Henry Ford and the American Century by Steven Watts\n-Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler\n-The Victorian Internet by Tom Standage\n-The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood by James Gleick\n-Dealers of Lightning: Xerox PARC and the Dawn of the Computer Age by Michael S. Malone\n-The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester\n-The Innovators by Walter Isaacson\n-Medieval Technology and Social Change by Lynn White Jr.\n-The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation by Jon Gertner\n-Electricity in the 17th and 18th Centuries: A Study of Early Modern Physics by Eric H. Chaney\n-Early Electrical Communication by A. F. Marland\n-Bibliographical History of Electricity and Magnetism by Silvanus P. Thompson\n-Electric Science: Its History, Phenomena, and Applications by J. J. Fahie\n-The History and Present State of Electricity by Andrew Ure\n-https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/\n-De Re Metallica by Georgius Agricola",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The History and Present State of Electricity by Andrew Ure",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books offered in response to the history of technology question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew Ure"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "electrical science",
        "history of electricity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-history-and-social-influence-of-the-potato-e74f04",
      "title": "The History and Social Influence of the Potato",
      "author": "Redcliffe N. Salaman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22093286,
          "author": "idlewords",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T19:15:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22093286",
          "commentText": "\"Light and Color in the Outdoors\" by Marcel Minnaert. The book goes into the physics of a lot of outdoor phenomena; you will be amazed at the things you never noticed or thought about before reading it.\n\"The History and Social Influence of the Potato\" is a pretty good time.\n\"Politics of Qat: The Role of a Drug in Ruling Yemen\" may sound way too niche, but it's fascinating as a study of transportation in a drug economy. Qat is a perishable leaf (like salad) and the politics of the entire region depend on who can more reliably deliver it to gunmen.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The History and Social Influence of the Potato\" is a pretty good time.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a pretty good time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Redcliffe N. Salaman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "agricultural history",
        "potatoes"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-history-of-johnson-county-iowa-254943",
      "title": "The History of Johnson County, Iowa",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50073354,
          "author": "JoeAltmaier",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-13T15:34:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 50047998,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most obscure book you own?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50073354",
          "commentText": "The History of Johnson County Iowa, 966 pages. I've read it cover to cover more than once. Well, not the extensive roster of Civil War records of all residents who served, fully 30% of the total pages, but the rest.\nA wonderful insightful look into 1882 thoughts about what constituted history. The human interest stories are the best - how the names of local townships were selected, the storms and railroad schemes, fights and murders.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The History of Johnson County Iowa, 966 pages.",
          "reason": "The commenter has read it more than once and praises its account of 1882 ideas about history and local life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter skips the extensive Civil War service roster.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "iowa history",
        "local history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-history-of-my-life-295a1d",
      "title": "The History of My Life",
      "author": "Giacomo Casanova",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2526702,
          "author": "Luyt",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-08T20:50:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 2526568,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2526702",
          "commentText": "In the classics category, I'm re-reading (for the tenth time or so) the memoires of Giacomo Casanova, \"L'Histoire de ma vie\" (\"The History of my Life\"), 12 volumes or so, in Dutch translation.  Fascinating stuff and a interesting insight in the 18th century. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casanova",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the memoires of Giacomo Casanova, \"L'Histoire de ma vie\" (\"The History of my Life\")",
          "reason": "Calls the memoir fascinating and an interesting insight into the 18th century.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Giacomo Casanova"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "18th century europe",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-history-of-rome-from-its-foundation-books-xxi-xxx-the-war-wit-d6dca6",
      "title": "The History of Rome from Its Foundation, Books XXI-XXX: The War with Hannibal",
      "author": "Livy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 456347,
          "author": "pskomoroch",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T14:15:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456347",
          "commentText": "I used to have a lot more time for non CS reading and actually made an Amazon list on this topic back in 2005:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/2INJSM38... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/2INJSM38IDMDZ/ref=cm_sw_r_de_lm)\n1.  On War (Everyman's Library (Cloth)) by Carl Von Clausewitz\n2.  Leadership: The Warrior's Art by Barry R. McCaffrey\n3.  Small Unit Leadership: A Commonsense Approach by Dandridge M. Malone\n4.  The Defense of Hill 781: An Allegory of Modern Mechanized Combat by James R. McDonough\n5.  The Art of Maneuver: Maneuver-Warfare Theory and AirLand Battle by Robert Leonhard\n6.  Strategy: Second Revised Edition (Meridian) by B. H. Liddell Hart\n7.  The Art of War by Niccolò Machiavelli\n8.  Hagakure: The Book of the Samauri by Tsunetomo Yamamoto\n9.  The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius\n10.  The Art of War (Shambhala classics) by Sun Tzu\n11.  The Prince (Bantam Classics) by Niccolo Machiavelli\n12.  Evolutionary Game Theory by Jörgen W. Weibull\n13.  On Guerrilla Warfare by Mao Tse-tung\n14.  The History of the Peloponnesian War: Revised Edition (Penguin Classics) by Thucydides\n15.  The Histories (Penguin Classics) by Herodotus\n16.  The Persian Expedition (Penguin Classics) by Xenophon\n17.  Plutarch: Lives of Noble Grecians and Romans (Modern Library Series, Vol. 1) by Plutarch\n18.  Plutarch's Lives, Volume 2 (Modern Library Classics) by Plutarch\n19.  Livy: The Early History of Rome, Books I-V (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 1-5) by Titus Livy\n20.  The History of Rome from Its Foundation, Books XXI-XXX: The War with Hannibal (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 21-30) by Titus Livius Livy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "20.  The History of Rome from Its Foundation, Books XXI-XXX: The War with Hannibal (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 21-30) by Titus Livius Livy",
          "reason": "Included in a list of military strategy books answering the thread's request.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking books about military strategy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Livy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient rome",
        "military history",
        "punic wars"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-history-of-sexuality-volume-i-an-introduction-f825f0",
      "title": "The History of Sexuality, Volume I: An Introduction",
      "author": "Michel Foucault",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503252,
          "author": "anonman1",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T07:18:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503252",
          "commentText": "\"History of Sexuality: Volume I\" -Michel Foucault\n\"Discipline and Punish\" -Michel Foucault\n\"Philosophy in the Flesh\" -George Lakoff\n\"Metaphors We Live By\" -George Lakoff\n\"Civilization and its Discontents\" -Sigmund Freud\nThese books allowed me to look at reality in a completely different manner.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"History of Sexuality: Volume I\" -Michel Foucault",
          "reason": "The list responds to a request for philosophical books; the commenter says these books changed how they see reality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michel Foucault"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sexuality",
        "social theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-history-of-thinking-f8d2b5",
      "title": "The History of Thinking",
      "author": "Chris Crawford",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14747126,
          "author": "emhac",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T19:18:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14747126",
          "commentText": "http://www.erasmatazz.com/library/the-mind/history-of-thinki... (http://www.erasmatazz.com/library/the-mind/history-of-thinking/index.html)\nHistory of thinking is the book which Sapiens / Homo Deus would like to be.\nI think it is one of the best complete arguments on the nature of our relationship to computers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "History of thinking is the book which Sapiens / Homo Deus would like to be.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the best complete arguments about our relationship to computers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris Crawford"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of ideas",
        "human computer relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-history-of-united-states-naval-operations-in-world-war-ii-eaa562",
      "title": "The History of United States Naval Operations in World War II",
      "author": "Samuel Eliot Morison",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10027904,
          "author": "hga",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T17:06:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027904",
          "commentText": "The Selfish Gene is wonderfully tight, indeed very little noise and a whole lot of signal.\nHere's two books if you want to learn about math you might want to learn about: The Facts on File Dictionary on Mathematics by Gibson, and Foundations and Fundamental Concepts of Mathematics by Howard Eves, which takes a historical approach, but is not a history per se.  More like \"this is what the Greeks did, in this period the use of calculus was pretty loose and look at this equation that  Euler thought was right, these are the steps that brought rigor to it\" etc.\nSusan Wise Bauer has been writing a series of history books solely focused on \"politics\", i.e. no coverage of the arts besides occasional mentions; that can be a very useful framework to then hang study of things like the arts off of.  Also no wild speculation like Guns, Germs and Steel is filled with, if it wasn't written down and passed down to us, it gets only brief mention.  Here's the first one: http://www.susanwisebauer.com/books/history-of-the-ancient-w... (http://www.susanwisebauer.com/books/history-of-the-ancient-world/)\nSamuel Eliot Morison wrote a series of book on the History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, they're focused on what happened in detail, with charts of the movement of the ships in various battles and so on.  The TV series Victory at Sea was based on them, and they're a good framework to then hang more detailed study of the war off of: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_United_States_Naval... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_United_States_Naval_Operations_in_World_War_II)\nAs Wikipedians put it, This History of U.S. Naval Operations also intentionally avoided a certain amount of analysis, for instance deferring to other works for the causes of the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor. The intended audience for the work, to quote from the preface, was \"the general reader rather than the professional sailor.\"\nThere are two very tight and short books on self-defense, Jeff Cooper Principles of Personal Defense and Massad Ayoob's In the Gravest Extreme, The Role of the Firearm in Personal Protection, \"Just the facts, ma'am\", firearm centric but wonderfully focused.\nADDED: Sun Tzu's The Art of War is itself very focused (the media on which it was written strongly encourages that!), although the commentary, traditional and what modern translators add, can wander into fluff.  A lot of it is relevant to modern non-violent life, and don't forget that \"You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you\".  I recommend  Samuel B. Griffith's translation, he was a professional military officer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Samuel Eliot Morison wrote a series of book on the History of United States Naval Operations in World War II",
          "reason": "Recommends the detailed account as a framework for further study of the war.",
          "audience": "The commenter quotes its intended audience as the general reader rather than the professional sailor.",
          "caveat": "The series intentionally avoids some analysis and defers to other works for causes.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Samuel Eliot Morison"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "naval history",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-history-of-the-ancient-world-f4624d",
      "title": "The History of the Ancient World",
      "author": "Susan Wise Bauer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10027904,
          "author": "hga",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T17:06:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027904",
          "commentText": "The Selfish Gene is wonderfully tight, indeed very little noise and a whole lot of signal.\nHere's two books if you want to learn about math you might want to learn about: The Facts on File Dictionary on Mathematics by Gibson, and Foundations and Fundamental Concepts of Mathematics by Howard Eves, which takes a historical approach, but is not a history per se.  More like \"this is what the Greeks did, in this period the use of calculus was pretty loose and look at this equation that  Euler thought was right, these are the steps that brought rigor to it\" etc.\nSusan Wise Bauer has been writing a series of history books solely focused on \"politics\", i.e. no coverage of the arts besides occasional mentions; that can be a very useful framework to then hang study of things like the arts off of.  Also no wild speculation like Guns, Germs and Steel is filled with, if it wasn't written down and passed down to us, it gets only brief mention.  Here's the first one: http://www.susanwisebauer.com/books/history-of-the-ancient-w... (http://www.susanwisebauer.com/books/history-of-the-ancient-world/)\nSamuel Eliot Morison wrote a series of book on the History of United States Naval Operations in World War II, they're focused on what happened in detail, with charts of the movement of the ships in various battles and so on.  The TV series Victory at Sea was based on them, and they're a good framework to then hang more detailed study of the war off of: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_United_States_Naval... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_United_States_Naval_Operations_in_World_War_II)\nAs Wikipedians put it, This History of U.S. Naval Operations also intentionally avoided a certain amount of analysis, for instance deferring to other works for the causes of the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor. The intended audience for the work, to quote from the preface, was \"the general reader rather than the professional sailor.\"\nThere are two very tight and short books on self-defense, Jeff Cooper Principles of Personal Defense and Massad Ayoob's In the Gravest Extreme, The Role of the Firearm in Personal Protection, \"Just the facts, ma'am\", firearm centric but wonderfully focused.\nADDED: Sun Tzu's The Art of War is itself very focused (the media on which it was written strongly encourages that!), although the commentary, traditional and what modern translators add, can wander into fluff.  A lot of it is relevant to modern non-violent life, and don't forget that \"You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you\".  I recommend  Samuel B. Griffith's translation, he was a professional military officer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Here's the first one: http://www.susanwisebauer.com/books/history-of-the-ancient-w...",
          "reason": "Recommends the first book in Bauer's politics-focused history series as a useful framework for further study.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a political history framework to build other study on.",
          "caveat": "Focused on politics, with occasional mentions of the arts.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Susan Wise Bauer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient history",
        "political history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-history-of-the-decline-and-fall-of-the-roman-empire-volume-1-086dd1",
      "title": "The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Volume 1",
      "author": "Edward Gibbon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 191734,
          "author": "PI",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-16T13:05:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=191734",
          "commentText": "Okay, if you enjoy history try The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire (Volume 1) - each volume is around 48hrs each, it  might sound like a lot of hours listening but it's a great book and taught me a lot about Roman history.\nIf you're into sci-fi try the old BBC radio series Journey into Space, Operation Luna (the first in the series).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's a great book and taught me a lot about Roman history",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great book and says they learned a lot about Roman history.",
          "audience": "Listeners interested in Roman history.",
          "caveat": "Each volume is around 48 hours long.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward Gibbon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient rome",
        "roman empire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-history-of-the-peloponnesian-war-01bc76",
      "title": "The History of the Peloponnesian War",
      "author": "Thucydides",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804093,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:12:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804093",
          "commentText": "Writing a Go Interpreter\nWriting a Go Compiler\nNo One Cares about Crazy People\nI Heard You Paint Houses\nUNIX: A History and a Memoir\nRed Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine\nHow Asia Works\nThe Dream Machine\nBlack Earth\nThe Fabric of Reality\nBehave (tried twice, maybe third times a charm?)\nA Short History of Nearly Everything\nStiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers\nGenius: The Life and Science Richard Feynman\nSuper Thinking\nMan's Search for Meaning\nThe Cooking Gene\nThe Vital Question: Why is Life The Way it Is (re-read)\nThe Case Against Sugar\nThe 15 Decisive Battles of the World\nThe History of the Peloponnesian War\nThe Beginning of Infinity\nThe Book of Why",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The History of the Peloponnesian War",
          "reason": "Listed in the commenter's planned reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thucydides"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient greece",
        "military history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-holloway-guide-to-technical-recruiting-and-hiring-5e4590",
      "title": "The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring",
      "author": "Ozzie Osman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ozzie Osman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hiring",
        "technical recruiting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-holy-bible-555cc1",
      "title": "The Holy Bible",
      "author": "Unknown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27637408,
          "author": "chestertn",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T23:16:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27637408",
          "commentText": "The Holy Bible. It taught me that vanitas vanitatum et omnia vanitas.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Holy Bible.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for a book that gave an unfair advantage.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it taught them that all is vanity.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christianity",
        "religious scripture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-honourable-schoolboy-547af0",
      "title": "The Honourable Schoolboy",
      "author": "John le Carré",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49909916,
          "author": "hardwaregeek",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T15:00:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49909916",
          "commentText": "Almost finished with A Perfect Spy. Maybe the most emotionally compelling Le Carre I’ve read. Long and I do find him a bit of a slog (The Honorable Schoolboy especially), but there’s something so fun about his brand of tactical, psychological espionage.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Honorable Schoolboy especially",
          "reason": "Says this novel exemplifies their difficulty with le Carré's slow pacing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Finds it a slog.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John le Carré"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "espionage",
        "psychological thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-horatio-hornblower-series-798f21",
      "title": "The Horatio Hornblower series",
      "author": "C. S. Forester",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4967310,
          "author": "arram",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T22:39:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967310",
          "commentText": "I read 27 books in 2012. Here are some of the more interesting ones:\nShogun - James Clavel. 'Epic' is the best word I can use to describe this historical fiction. I first read it in 2009 and have reread all 1100 pages multiple times since. The first English pilot to reach the Japans discovers a culture that, while strange, is in many ways far more advanced than his own. The fictional Lord Toranaga is based on the historical Tokugawa Ieyasu, a brilliant strategist who founded a dynasty that lasted 268 years. The book is full of the real Tokugawa's writings, which can be very profound. For anyone familiar with the 'marshmallow test' for determining how well 5 year olds will do later in life, Tokugawa had it figured out 370 years before Walter Mischel:\n\"The strong manly ones in life are those who understand the meaning of the word patience. Patience means restraining one's inclinations. There are seven emotions: joy, anger, anxiety, adoration, grief, fear, and hate, and if a man does not give way to these he can be called patient. I am not as strong as I might be, but I have long known and practiced patience. And if my descendants wish to be as I am, they must study patience.\"\nLieutenant Hornblower - C.S. Forrester. Shogun taught me that reading historical fiction made regular history much more interesting, which made me seek out more historical fiction. This is a series of 12 books covering the career of a British navel man during the Napoleonic Wars. Gene Roddenberry based the character of Jean Luc Picard on its protagonist. My recommendation won't be as strong as these gentlemen though: \"I find Hornblower admirable.\" -Winston Churchill, and \"I recommend Forester to everyone literate I know,\" -Ernest Hemingway\nThe Sparrow - Mary Doria Russell. I found this through another Hacker News book thread. I enjoyed it so much that after reading the sequel I immediately went back and read the first book again. SETI discovers music coming from Alpha Centauri and the Jesuits are the first to launch an expedition to investigate. It's science fiction, but unlike most science fiction, the story is more about the characters and their relationships than it is about exploring the consequences of an interesting premise.\nCall Me Ted - Ted Turner. At the peak (before the AOL-Time Warner merger debacle) Ted Turner was worth $10 Billion. His autobiography is a great look into the sort of exceptional personality that creates that kind of exceptional result. Everything from growing up in the south and almost being lynched in school when someone started a rumor that he'd badmouthed General Robert E. Lee, to transforming his dad's billboard company several times until it was a media empire with TV channels like CNN, TNT, and Cartoon Network. Here's a great excerpt from a section written by a friend of his:\n\"And you know what I’m going to do next after I have the fourth network?” I said, “No, Ted, what’s that?” “I’m going to run for president and be elected.” Now I thought to myself, “This guy is absolutely nuts— and I’ve just agreed to lend him all this money!” I said to Ted, “Oh, Ted, don’t tell anybody else about that, okay?” And he said, “Cuz, your trouble is you don’t understand the power of television. Let me show you.” He pulled a little book of matches out of his desk drawer and he said, “Okay, it’s Saturday morning at 7: 30 and it’s Captain Teddy’s Kiddy Hour, and I come on television and I say, ‘Hey kids, today we’re going to play a game and it’s going to be so much fun. Now, don’t tell Mommy and Daddy, this is our secret between Captain Teddy and you. Now, everybody go get some matches. See Captain Teddy’s matches? Go get some just like this.’” Then he goes over to his window he says, “All right kids, everybody got your match? Go to the window and strike your match and light the curtain or the drape,” at which point he struck his match right near the old cheesecloth thing he had hanging in front of his window and then he flung the window open and he said to me, “At that point, I’d look out over Atlanta and watch it burn.” It was an incredible performance.\"",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "This is a series of 12 books covering the career of a British navel man during the Napoleonic Wars.",
          "reason": "Listed as a follow-on after Shogun made historical fiction more interesting; the commenter also cites praise from Churchill and Hemingway.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says their own recommendation is less strong.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "C. S. Forester"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "napoleonic wars",
        "naval fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-horse-the-wheel-and-language-62beb5",
      "title": "The Horse, the Wheel, and Language",
      "author": "David W. Anthony",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47988332,
          "author": "mac3n",
          "createdAt": "2026-05-02T17:17:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 47984463,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47988332",
          "commentText": "\"Proto\" - Laura Spinney. Proto-Indoeuropean. https://www.powells.com/book/proto-how-one-ancient-language-... (https://www.powells.com/book/proto-how-one-ancient-language-went-global-9781639732586?condition=New)\nbefore that\n\"The Horse the Wheel & Language\". David Anthony. Proto-Indoeuropeans. https://www.powells.com/book/horse-the-wheel-language-how-br... (https://www.powells.com/book/horse-the-wheel-language-how-bronze-age-riders-from-the-eurasian-steppes-shaped-the-modern-world-9780691148182?condition=New)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Horse the Wheel & Language\". David Anthony. Proto-Indoeuropeans.",
          "reason": "Named as a previous book gift.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38238171,
          "author": "nbonaparte",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T07:35:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238171",
          "commentText": "Just finished The Song of the Cell, currently reading Gravity’s Rainbow (lol) and starting The Horse, the Wheel, and Language.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "starting The Horse, the Wheel, and Language",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David W. Anthony"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "archaeology",
        "historical linguistics",
        "indo european languages",
        "proto indo european"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-hound-of-the-baskervilles-db83a7",
      "title": "The Hound of the Baskervilles",
      "author": "Arthur Conan Doyle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2618480,
          "author": "imjonathanlee",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-04T00:13:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2618480",
          "commentText": "Currently reading: The girl who kicked the hornet's nest\nTop Favorites: Count of Monte Cristo, The three musketeers, Sherlock Homes and the Hound of Baskersville, Atlas Shrugged, The Client",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sherlock Homes and the Hound of Baskersville",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter’s top favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur Conan Doyle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "detective fiction",
        "sherlock holmes"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-house-that-madigan-built-0af583",
      "title": "The House That Madigan Built",
      "author": "Ray Long",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42275555,
          "author": "_hdki",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T17:46:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42275555",
          "commentText": "A few of this year's highlights for me and my notes on the books, where available.\nFiction -\nNotes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/2ab29d16-0cb1-4ef8-8cde... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/2ab29d16-0cb1-4ef8-8cde-8c9d90db0daf)\nPride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/65214629-29ac-45a6-b474... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/65214629-29ac-45a6-b474-b9fad1285564)\nBleak House by Charles Dickens\nThe Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/bd090cb4-bc9a-41cb-9833... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/bd090cb4-bc9a-41cb-9833-f60834ccd28c)\nNonfiction -\nThe House of Government by Yuri Slezkine (my luckiest find of the year)\nStalin: The Court of The Red Tsar by Simon Sebag Montefiore - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/13ebec0d-0859-4858-864a... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/13ebec0d-0859-4858-864a-8c28bacfed8f)\nVienna by Richard Cockett - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/c0e1d1fb-dea7-456b-a95e... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/c0e1d1fb-dea7-456b-a95e-fcccdd63814a)\nThe House That Madigan Built by Ray Long (an interesting history of a legendary figure in Illinois state politics)\nSay Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The House That Madigan Built by Ray Long (an interesting history of a legendary figure in Illinois state politics)",
          "reason": "Described as an interesting history of a legendary Illinois political figure.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ray Long"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "illinois politics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-house-of-government-d227ba",
      "title": "The House of Government",
      "author": "Yuri Slezkine",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42275555,
          "author": "_hdki",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T17:46:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42275555",
          "commentText": "A few of this year's highlights for me and my notes on the books, where available.\nFiction -\nNotes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/2ab29d16-0cb1-4ef8-8cde... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/2ab29d16-0cb1-4ef8-8cde-8c9d90db0daf)\nPride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/65214629-29ac-45a6-b474... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/65214629-29ac-45a6-b474-b9fad1285564)\nBleak House by Charles Dickens\nThe Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/bd090cb4-bc9a-41cb-9833... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/bd090cb4-bc9a-41cb-9833-f60834ccd28c)\nNonfiction -\nThe House of Government by Yuri Slezkine (my luckiest find of the year)\nStalin: The Court of The Red Tsar by Simon Sebag Montefiore - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/13ebec0d-0859-4858-864a... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/13ebec0d-0859-4858-864a-8c28bacfed8f)\nVienna by Richard Cockett - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/c0e1d1fb-dea7-456b-a95e... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/c0e1d1fb-dea7-456b-a95e-fcccdd63814a)\nThe House That Madigan Built by Ray Long (an interesting history of a legendary figure in Illinois state politics)\nSay Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The House of Government by Yuri Slezkine (my luckiest find of the year)",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it their luckiest find of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Yuri Slezkine"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "russian revolution",
        "soviet union"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-house-of-government-a-saga-of-the-russian-revolution-a9292e",
      "title": "The House of Government: A Saga of the Russian Revolution",
      "author": "Yuri Slezkine",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39729470,
          "author": "amadeuspagel",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T21:08:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729470",
          "commentText": "The House of Government by Yuri Slezkine.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The House of Government by Yuri Slezkine.",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about books that changed perspectives on religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Yuri Slezkine"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "communism",
        "russian revolution",
        "soviet history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-house-of-morgan-3f0618",
      "title": "The House of Morgan",
      "author": "Ron Chernow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22575820,
          "author": "JacobDotVI",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T15:10:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22575820",
          "commentText": "House of Morgan - biography of JO Morgan and kin\nSnowball - biography of Warren Buffet\nThe Good Earth - novel about Chinese farmer\nFortune’s Children - the rise and fall of the Vanderbilts",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "House of Morgan - biography of JO Morgan and kin",
          "reason": "Listed as a biography of J. P. Morgan and his family.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ron Chernow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "banking history",
        "j p morgan"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-house-of-niccolo-e4c160",
      "title": "The House of Niccolò",
      "author": "Dorothy Dunnett",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1975129,
          "author": "ANH",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T14:00:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1975129",
          "commentText": "The eight books of the House of Niccolo series by Dorothy Dunnett. Swashbuckling 15th-century entrepreneurship. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_House_of_Niccol%C3%B2\nAnd once you've finished that, there's a sequel series (actually written before the House of Niccolo): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lymond_Chronicles",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The eight books of the House of Niccolo series by Dorothy Dunnett. Swashbuckling 15th-century entrepreneurship.",
          "reason": "Recommends the series and describes it as swashbuckling 15th-century entrepreneurship.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dorothy Dunnett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "15th century europe",
        "historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-house-of-the-dead-e8e63d",
      "title": "The House of the Dead",
      "author": "Fyodor Dostoyevsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17168677,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:31:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168677",
          "commentText": "I can't give just one, but here are a few that had a strong influence on me: \n\"12 Rules for Life\" by Jordan Peterson, \"Why Switzerland?\" Jonathan Steinberg, \"Little Book of Common Sense Investing\" by John C. Bogle, \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" by Butron Malkiel, \"Liberalismus\" by Ludwig von Mises, \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann, \"Walden\" by Henry David Thoreau, \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"A Treatise on Political Economy\" by Jean-Baptiste Say, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy\" by Joseph Alois Schumpeter, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"My Correct Views on Everything\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"The Captive Mind\" Czesław Miłosz, \"One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, \"The House of the Dead\" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, \"Conversations with an Executioner\" by Kazimierz Moczarski, \"Diary 1954\" by Leopold Tyrmand, \"The Master and Margarita\" by Mikhail Bulgakov, \"A World Apart: A Memoir of the Gulag\" by Gustaw Herling-Grudziński",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The House of the Dead\" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a strong influence on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238048,
          "author": "thisisforyou",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T15:53:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238048",
          "commentText": "The Complete Fiction -Lovecraft, H.P.\nPilgrim at Tinker Creek -Dillard, Annie\nThe Fractalist: Memoir of a Scientific Maverick -Mandelbrot, Benoît B.\nAncient Sorceries and Other Weird Stories -Blackwood, Algernon\nFlow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience -Csikszentmihalyi, Mihaly\nDeath in Venice -Mann, Thomas\nWhites -Rush, Norman\nThe Room -Selby Jr., Hubert\nBook of Numbers -Cohen, Joshua\nMaggot: Poems -Muldoon, Paul\nThe Peasant in Nineteenth-Century Russia -Vucinich, Wayne S.\nThe Mezzanine -Baker, Nicholson\nThe Museum of Unconditional Surrender -Ugrešić, Dubravka\nWhat Is Life? with Mind and Matter and Autobiographical Sketches -Schrödinger, Erwin\nDictionary of the Khazars -Pavić, Milorad\nHonored Guest -Williams, Joy\nMartyrs and Miracles -Trickey-Bapty, Carolyn\nNoa Noa -Gauguin, Paul\nTheir Eyes Were Watching God -Hurston, Zora Neale\nOrdeal by Hunger: The Story of the Donner Party -Stewart, George R.\nMoby-Dick; or, The Whale -Melville, Herman\nEileen -Moshfegh, Ottessa\nHaute Surveillance -Göransson, Johannes\nMazes and Labyrinths: Their History and Development -Matthews, W.H.\nA Higher Form of Killing: The Secret History of Chemical and Biological Warfare -Harris, Robert\nOur Lady of the Flowers -Genet, Jean\n*The House of the Dead -Dostoyevsky, Fyodor\nCurrent: \nBlack Swan, Nassim Taleb",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The House of the Dead -Dostoyevsky, Fyodor",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fyodor Dostoyevsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir novel",
        "prison literature",
        "russian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-house-of-the-stag-02e359",
      "title": "The House of the Stag",
      "author": "Kage Baker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4967242,
          "author": "colomon",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T22:03:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967242",
          "commentText": "New:\nRange of Ghosts, Elizabeth Bear\nThrone of the Crescent Moon, Saladin Ahmed\nOld:\nThe House of the Stag, Kage Baker\nSoldier of Sidon, Gene Wolfe\nRange of Ghosts was definitely the stand out book of the year for me, the other three I'm sure I will reread.  (Actually this time around was already a reread for Soldier of Sidon.)  I'm pretty sure there were a couple of other books I read and quite enjoyed that I've forgotten now.  No science fiction books come to mind at all, which makes me kind of sad.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The House of the Stag, Kage Baker",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kage Baker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fantasy novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-housekeeper-and-the-professor-5adf47",
      "title": "The Housekeeper and the Professor",
      "author": "Yōko Ogawa",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6387634,
          "author": "svag",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T00:11:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387634",
          "commentText": "I am currently reading a book called \"The Housekeeper and the Professor\" of Yoko Ogawa.\nI haven't finished it, but I find it quite interesting. It's the story of a housekeeper and a professor of mathematics who can remember new memories only for 80 minutes.\nHere is a link to the relevant wikipedia article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Housekeeper_and_the_Profess... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Housekeeper_and_the_Professor)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I haven't finished it, but I find it quite interesting.",
          "reason": "Says the book is interesting, though they have not finished it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not finished reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Yōko Ogawa"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematics",
        "memory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-humane-interface-new-directions-for-designing-interactive-sys-8aae73",
      "title": "The Humane Interface: New Directions for Designing Interactive Systems",
      "author": "Jef Raskin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12711893,
          "author": "codr4life",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-14T23:49:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12711893",
          "commentText": "Second Tufte, read all of them several times and they've influenced everything since. Raskin's \"The Humane Interface: New Directions for Designing Interactive Systems\" is another good one, puts a lot of solid research into context.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Raskin's \"The Humane Interface: New Directions for Designing Interactive Systems\" is another good one, puts a lot of solid research into context.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a good book that puts solid research into context.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jef Raskin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human computer interaction",
        "interface design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-humanoids-c93bfe",
      "title": "The Humanoids",
      "author": "Jack Williamson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35396581,
          "author": "defrost",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-01T02:52:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 35392063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Science Fiction books that predict where ChatGPT might lead us?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35396581",
          "commentText": "With Folded Hands (novella)\nThe Humanoids\nby Jack Williamson ( ~ 1949 )\nSimple premise: Slowly the humanoids spread throughout the galaxy, threatening to stifle all human endeavor.\nie. Humanity gets hugged to death by AI via robots that helicopter cuddle smother them for their own good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Humanoids\nby Jack Williamson",
          "reason": "Depicts humanoids threatening to stifle human endeavor.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jack Williamson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human autonomy",
        "robotics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-hundred-days-d0f87a",
      "title": "The Hundred Days",
      "author": "Patrick O'Brian",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783915,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:06:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783915",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction, best to worst:\nHenry Marsh, Do No Harm. A brilliant memoir by a neurosurgeon about his work, the nature of his profession, successes and mistakes (especially the latter). Frequently touches or verges into the personal. Not morbid, but often sad.\nKeith Johnstone, Impro for Storytellers. \nViola Spolin, Improvisation for the Theater\nTwo very good books about improvisation, although Spolin's is too dry and theory-laden for me (it's meant for teachers more than practitioners). Both, however, pale compared to Keith Johnstone's earlier Impro: Improvisation and the Theater, which is a life-changing book about what improvisation can teach us about spontaneous creativity and relationships between people. I recommend that one first and foremost if you know nothing about improvisation and are curious.\nMartinus J G Veltman, Facts and Mysteries in Elementary Particle Physics. A readable account - necessarily simplified, of course - of the current state of affairs in elementary particles and much of the last 50 years of history, by one of the participants (a Nobel prize winner). Not as organized and methodical as I thought it would be, and half a year later I forgot most of the physical explanations, but it was an interesting read.\nRobert B. Edgerton, Sick Societies. A thorough examination of the hundreds of horrible examples when \"natural\" societies studied by anthropologists have customs that are not only bad from our modern Western point of view, but arguably fail in achieving their own objectives. The whole book exists to counter lazy cultural relativism of the \"maybe we don't like X, but if they do it, it must be for a good reason and it must be a useful adaptation for them\" kind.\nMichael Harris, Mathematics Without Apologies. A very eclectic and idiosyncratic book by a mathematician on the sociology and epistemology of mathematics as a discipline. To be appreciated for its wealth of ideas and references to other interesting books and theories, rather than for any particular argument or thread.\nMilton Rokeach, The Three Christs of Ypsilanti. A story on what happened when a psychologist tried to bring three psychiatric patients, each believing themselves to be Christ, together and to talk it out amongst themselves. Happened in the 1960s. The idea is more interesting than the outcome.\nFiction, best to worst:\nPatrick O'Brian, The Hundred Days. The penultimate book in the series of the best historical novels (the Aubrey-Maturin series) ever written, by a huge margin. The series transcend the genre and I count the Aubrey-Maturin books among the very best books I read in the last decade.\nDodie Smith, I Capture the Castle. A brilliantly written coming-of-age story about a girl growing up in an impoverished family occupying a decaying castle in the English countryside, set in the 1930s. Reminded me in many ways of Rebecca West's The Fountain Overflows, a novel in the similar genre (but with a younger protagonist) that's known much less than it deserves.\nJuan Rulfo, Pedro Paramo. If you read and liked Garcia Marquez's A Hundred Years of Solitude, this one is shorter, darker, involves many more dead people, and you may want to give it a try.\nAlfred Hayes, In Love. A story of a man obsessed by love in a mid-century NYC. Unexpectedly touching, very convincing psychologically.\nIain M. Banks, Against a Dark Background. SF, a grand heist novel set in a advanced civilization living in a star system located unimaginably far away from any other stars and galaxies, and so doomed to a lone struggle with its own long history. A wealth of technological and social ideas you'd expect from Banks. The ending felt a bit forced.\nGene Wolfe, There Are Doors. Gene Wolfe, Nightsite of the Long Sun/Lake of the Long Sun.\nGene Wolfe is the best writer American science fiction produced in the last half-century. \"There are Doors\" is a pretty weird fantasy novel about an alternate world where men die after their first intercourse (as some spiders do in ours), and the hero travels back and forth between that world and ours. It's good, but not as strong as Wolfe's best, which to my taste is the Book of the New Sun tetralogy, the novellas in the Fifth Head of Cerberus collection, and many of his short stories (well-collected in The Best of Gene Wolfe). The other two are the first half of the \"Book of the Long Sun\" series that I'm still reading through.\nUrsula K. Le Guin, The Dispossessed. Superb political SF about an imagined anarchist [anti-]utopia. A serious attempt to describe a human society with no central power structures and no ownership. The hero is a physicist born and raised in that society who escapes to a sibling planet with the more typical modern states. This novel took all the awards in the 1970s when it was published, and deservedly so.\n[cont'd]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Patrick O'Brian, The Hundred Days. The penultimate book in the series of the best historical novels (the Aubrey-Maturin series) ever written, by a huge margin.",
          "reason": "Describes its series as the best historical novels ever written, by a huge margin.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Patrick O'Brian"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "naval fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-hundred-thousand-kingdoms-72da0e",
      "title": "The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms",
      "author": "N. K. Jemisin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056623,
          "author": "moomin",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:42:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056623",
          "commentText": "You realize not a single person has mentioned a female author? Let's fix that:\nThe Long Tomorrow by Leigh Brackett\nThe Doomsday Book by Connie Willis\nAmong Others by Jo Walton\nFeed by Mira Grant\nThe Hunger Games!\nThe Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin\nGrass by Sheri S Tepper\nGate of Ivrael and Downbelow Station by CJ Cherryh\nAnd the fabulous space opera:\nAncillary Justice by Ann Leckie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin",
          "reason": "Listed as a sci-fi book in response to a favorites question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "N. K. Jemisin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-hundred-year-old-man-who-climbed-out-of-the-window-and-disapp-c8bc29",
      "title": "The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared",
      "author": "Jonas Jonasson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783528,
          "author": "mlent",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:46:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783528",
          "commentText": "\"The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared\"\nby Jonas Jonasson\n(Love it -- hilarious, witty, a pleasure to read)\n\"Kafka on the Shore\" \nby Haruki Murakami\n(Strange good -- but I'm not sure if I liked it as much as liked \"The Wild Sheep Chase\")\n\"One hundred years of solitude\"\nby Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez\n(Very slow, had a hard time honestly)\n\"Gone Girl\"\nby Gillian Flynn\n(A fast, exciting read but found the ending unsatisfying. But would recommend)\n\"Still Life with Woodpecker\"\nby Tom Robbins\n(Fantastic prose, fantastical characters and situations. Will read more from him)\nAnd for technical books, I read \"The Art of Agile Development\". Was alright.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "(Love it -- hilarious, witty, a pleasure to read)",
          "reason": "Calls it hilarious, witty, and a pleasure to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonas Jonasson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure",
        "comic novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-hunger-games-trilogy-17371f",
      "title": "The Hunger Games Trilogy",
      "author": "Suzanne Collins",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1974498,
          "author": "lancewiggs",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T08:30:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974498",
          "commentText": "Work\nWhere wizards stayed up late - Matthew Lyon, Katie Hafner: The beginning of the internet. Plenty of history and lessons\nFun\nThe Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins. Young adult fiction that reads fast but makes you think.\nLife\nMarry Him: The Case for Settling for Mr. Good Enough - Lori Gottlieb: Amusing book, easy read and aimed at women, but has some good insights on why we fail to get married before it's too late.\nI love that I was able to scroll through pages on Amazon to check (most of) the books I read this year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins. Young adult fiction that reads fast but makes you think.",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite year's read and praised as fast-paced and thought-provoking.",
          "audience": "Young adult fiction readers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Suzanne Collins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopia",
        "young adult"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-husband-habit-68c072",
      "title": "The Husband Habit",
      "author": "Alina Rodriguez",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1865721,
          "author": "HeyLaughingBoy",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T17:58:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865721",
          "commentText": "Just finished Andrew Vachhs's Haiku which I think is his weakest novel so far, I liked Alina Rodriguez's The Husband Habit and I could not put down Born To Run which gave me new insight into running, a sport I'm just getting started with. Currently reading Cooper's About Face (only technical book on the list :-) and about to start Joshua Slocum's Sailing Alone Around the World",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I liked Alina Rodriguez's The Husband Habit",
          "reason": "Says they liked the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alina Rodriguez"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "romance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-hyperion-cantos-70cd22",
      "title": "The Hyperion Cantos",
      "author": "Dan Simmons",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056941,
          "author": "FleshGordon",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T14:09:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056941",
          "commentText": "Hell yes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hell yes.",
          "reason": "Enthusiastically agrees with the parent’s recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Simmons"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-hypomanic-edge-8b7ef4",
      "title": "The Hypomanic Edge",
      "author": "John D. Gartner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1753284,
          "author": "jing",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T18:37:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753284",
          "commentText": "Here's a few I've really liked that have a broader subject matter than only what you asked for.  I figure that if you like to read you'd like these books.\n--- NON-FICTION ---\nDarkness Visible\nA Mathemematician's Apology\nOmnivore's Dilemma\nFermat's Enigma\nThe Code Book\nBorn to Run\nJudgement of Paris\nSiddhartha\nKilling Pablo\nThe Victorian Internet\nLone Survivor\nI Hope They Serve Beer in Hell\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman\nPapillon\nInto Thin Air\nBorn on a Blue Day\nTouching the Void\nGot Fight\nThe Conquest of Happiness\n--- FICTION ---\nSwitch Bitch\nLost Horizon\nThe Cuckoo's Egg\nThe Simlarillion\nThe Time Traveler's Wife\nThe Alchemist\nThe Count of Monte Cristo\nA Canticle for Leibowitz\nNeverwhere\nMy Uncle Oswald\nStories of Your Life and Others\nInvisible Cities\nLife of Pi\nAtlas Shrugged\n--- WALL STREET / FINANCE ---\nWhen Genius Failed\nLiar's Poker\nBuffett (Lowenstein)\nBull!\nBlack-Scholes and Beyond (textbook)\nFixed Income Securities (textbook)\nThe Road to Serfdom\nThe Smartest Guys in the Room\nFortune's Formula\nThe Fourth Turning\nInside the House of Money\n--- ENTREPRENEURSHIP / COMPUTERS (non-textbook) ---\nMasters of Doom\nIt's Not About the Bike\nDot. Bomb\nFounders at Work\nThe PayPal Wars\nCoders at Work\nThe Mousedriver Chronicles\nLeaving Microsoft to Change the World\nThe Soul of a New Machine\nStartup\nThe Hypomanic Edge\nSmall Giants\nSmall is the New Big\nFour Hour Work Week\nThe Boy who Harnessed the Wind\nFour Steps to the Epiphany\nPour your Heart into it\nBeyond Software Architecture\nSetting the Table\n--- DESIGN / UX ---\nOn Writing\nThe Design of Everyday Things\nUnderstanding Comics\nThe Elements of Typographic Style\nDon't Make me Think!\nA Pattern Language\n--- PROGRAMMING ---\nProgramming Pearls\nEffective Java\nThe Algorithm Design Manual\nAdvanced Programming in the UNIX Environment\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nRefactoring\nJava Concurrency in Practice\nJava Puzzlers\nExpert C Programming\n--- COOKING ---\nThe Secrets of Cooking Revealed\nCooking for Geeks\nThe Bread Baker's Apprentice\nThe Brewmaster's Table\n--- MISC ---\nRobot Building for Beginners\nMountaineering - The Freedom of the Hills\nA First Course in Coding Theory\nThe Computational Beauty of Nature\nTotal Control\nThe Ashley Book of Knots\nMake: Electronics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hypomanic Edge",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John D. Gartner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "mood disorders"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-i-hate-mathematics-book-32a999",
      "title": "The I Hate Mathematics Book",
      "author": "Marilyn Burns",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1727442,
          "author": "PebblesRox",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-25T18:02:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1727442",
          "commentText": "The I Hate Mathematics Book was always a favourite in my family growing up.  It's the kind of math they don't teach you in elementary school. I learned about googol, infinity, topology, permutations, parabolas, game theory, and all sorts of fun stuff. It taught me that math is not just the boring arithmetic that you learn in elementary school.  \nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d.html/ref=redir_mdp_mobile/187-... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d.html/ref=redir_mdp_mobile/187-4537131-9360105?a=0316117412)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The I Hate Mathematics Book was always a favourite in my family growing up.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a family favorite and says it made math more fun.",
          "audience": "Children interested in engaging math activities.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marilyn Burns"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "math activities",
        "recreational mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-icu-book-c05275",
      "title": "The ICU Book",
      "author": "Paul Marino",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41176934,
          "author": "paviva",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T00:13:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41176934",
          "commentText": "Permutation city, Greg Egan\nDictionnaire philosophique, Voltaire\nThe Road to Serfdom, Friedrich Hayek\nThe ICU Book, Paul Marino",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The ICU Book, Paul Marino",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Marino"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "critical care",
        "intensive care medicine"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-intp-personality-careers-relationships-the-quest-for-truth-an-eaabe8",
      "title": "The INTP: Personality, Careers, Relationships, & the Quest for Truth and Meaning",
      "author": "A.J. Drenth",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7451006,
          "author": "thecooluser",
          "createdAt": "2014-03-22T21:34:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 7450534,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's on your reading list? Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7451006",
          "commentText": "Recently did the Myer Briggs test and read \"The INTP: Personality, Careers, Relationships, & the Quest for Truth and Meaning\". Now I just need to read more criticism of the Myer Briggs test so I can have a more balanced view of it all, but the results/book seemed pretty darn spot on.\nAlso been loving \"The Little Book of Talent\" from the author of \"The Talent Code\" (which is another one of my favourite books).\nAnd after reading a lot of Stoic philosophy over the years, I've finally got around to \"A Guide to the Good Life\". Very clear explanation of Stoic ideas so probably would have been the best place to start. :)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the results/book seemed pretty darn spot on.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book's results seemed very accurate to them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter wants to read criticism of the Myers-Briggs test for a more balanced view.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "A.J. Drenth"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "myers briggs",
        "personality types"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-icarus-deception-d71419",
      "title": "The Icarus Deception",
      "author": "Seth Godin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13805675,
          "author": "bynkman",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T20:13:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805675",
          "commentText": "Average is Over by Tyler Cowen. About educated middle class workers working with collaborative automated systems vs non-educated and a changing society.\nWho Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson. An allegory about how our modern jobs are changing.\nMindset by Carol Dweck. About the belief of fixed mindset vs a growth or learning mindset, and the effects of both.\nThe Icarus Deception by Seth Godin. How our industrial (conformity) economy has evolved into a connection (post-industrial) economy, and what it takes to survive in this new world.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Icarus Deception by Seth Godin. How our industrial (conformity) economy has evolved into a connection (post-industrial) economy, and what it takes to survive in this new world.",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about books that changed one’s worldview and describes its subject.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Seth Godin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creativity",
        "post industrial economy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-icon-programming-language-e06ea9",
      "title": "The Icon Programming Language",
      "author": "Ralph E. Griswold, Madge T. Griswold, and David R. Hanson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28690095,
          "author": "edrx",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-29T03:43:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28690095",
          "commentText": "\"The Icon Programming Language\".\nhttps://www2.cs.arizona.edu/icon/ftp/doc/lb1up.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Icon Programming Language\".",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ralph E. Griswold",
        "Madge T. Griswold",
        "David R. Hanson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "icon programming language"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-idea-factory-b5f473",
      "title": "The Idea Factory",
      "author": "Pepper White",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10027320,
          "author": "tjr",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T14:34:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027320",
          "commentText": "The Idea Factory, by Pepper White",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Idea Factory, by Pepper White",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books with a high signal-to-noise ratio.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pepper White"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bell labs",
        "technology history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ideal-team-player-65b2f2",
      "title": "The Ideal Team Player",
      "author": "Patrick Lencioni",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43952248,
          "author": "varlock",
          "createdAt": "2025-05-11T08:12:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 43949411,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fictional business books like The Goal",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43952248",
          "commentText": "Another one by the same author, which I heartily recommend, is \"The Ideal Team Player\".\nRead it many years ago, and I still use it as a basic framework when I interview candidates (in a nutshell, you want someone humble, hungry, and smart).\nI personally wouldn't recommend \"Death by Meeting\", though.\nMaybe it's just because it didn't resonate much with me, so YMMV.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "which I heartily recommend, is \"The Ideal Team Player\".",
          "reason": "The commenter uses it as a basic framework when interviewing candidates.",
          "audience": "People interviewing candidates.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Patrick Lencioni"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hiring",
        "team management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-identity-of-france-47278e",
      "title": "The Identity of France",
      "author": "Fernand Braudel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8108812,
          "author": "Aym_C",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T15:36:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8108812",
          "commentText": "Dive into the classics.\nJohn Cowper Powys may help you to plan a great journey :\nhttp://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/12914/pg12914.html\n(Despite a few bizarre choices. Paul Bourget, seriously ?)\nIf I had to choose myself : Homer (The Iliad and the Odyssey), the Bible (David's psalms and Job's book), Augustine, Dante, Saint Simon, Shakespeare, Rousseau, Dostoievsky, Proust, Céline.\nAparté :\nIf you like ambitious history with economic insights, I would strongly suggest to read Fernand Braudel works. He wrote three fantastic triptychs :\n- The Mediterranean: And the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II (his thesis)\n- Civilization and Capitalism, 15th-18th Century (the best history books I've ever read)\n- The Identity of France",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Identity of France",
          "reason": "Includes it among Braudel's works they strongly suggest reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fernand Braudel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "french history",
        "national identity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-imitation-of-christ-67829a",
      "title": "The Imitation of Christ",
      "author": "Thomas à Kempis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25531674,
          "author": "scop",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T21:37:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25531674",
          "commentText": "1. New Testament (I was not raised in a religious household)\n2. The Imitation of Christ\n3. The Lord of the Rings\n4. The Iliad",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Imitation of Christ",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas à Kempis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian devotion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-immaculate-collection-46df6f",
      "title": "The Immaculate Collection",
      "author": "havlo",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42270928,
          "author": "asicsp",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T04:53:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42270928",
          "commentText": "I mostly read progression fantasy books these days. Here are some series that I enjoyed a lot:\n* \"Beware of Chicken\" by CasualFarmer\n* \"The Immaculate Collection\" by havlo\n* \"The Runic Artist\" by Ellake\n* \"The Broken Knife\" by SilverSidhe\n* \"Immovable Mage\" by ImmovableMage\n* \"The Gorgon Incident and Other Stories\" by John Bierce\n* \"Quest Academy\" by Brian J. Nordon\n* \"The Weirkey Chronicles\" by Sarah Lin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Immaculate Collection\" by havlo",
          "reason": "Listed among progression fantasy series the commenter enjoyed a lot.",
          "audience": "Readers of progression fantasy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "havlo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "progression fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-immense-journey-41da2c",
      "title": "The Immense Journey",
      "author": "Loren Eiseley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23858852,
          "author": "psalminen",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:41:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858852",
          "commentText": "+1 for this recommendation.\nI'll add The Immense Journey by Loren Eiseley. It's gems are a little metaphorical, but a great read nonetheless.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'll add The Immense Journey by Loren Eiseley.",
          "reason": "Adds it as a recommendation and calls it a great read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its gems are a little metaphorical.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Loren Eiseley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "essays",
        "natural history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-immortal-life-of-henrietta-lacks-ff55f6",
      "title": "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks",
      "author": "Rebecca Skloot",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rebecca Skloot"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hela cells",
        "medical ethics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-immortality-key-the-secret-history-of-the-religion-with-no-na-954edd",
      "title": "The Immortality Key: The Secret History of the Religion with No Name",
      "author": "Brian C. Muraresku",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33852072,
          "author": "gtsnexp",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T09:40:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33852072",
          "commentText": "The Immortality Key: The Secret History of the Religion with No Name\nBrian C. Muraresku\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Immortality-Key-Uncovering-History-Re... (https://www.amazon.com/Immortality-Key-Uncovering-History-Religion/dp/1250207142)\nWell written, engrossing book on the historical underpinnings and the pharmacological foundations behind liturgical practices in modern religions.\nThe motivation and gist of the book isn't new but the author paid great attention to existing evidence and wrote the book carefully enough to not diverge into hippie territory.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Well written, engrossing book on the historical underpinnings and the pharmacological foundations behind liturgical practices in modern religions.",
          "reason": "Praises its writing and careful treatment of evidence on the history and pharmacology behind religious practices.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The motivation and gist of the book isn't new.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian C. Muraresku"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "psychoactive substances",
        "religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-immortals-of-meluha-66656c",
      "title": "The Immortals of Meluha",
      "author": "Amish Tripathi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4968438,
          "author": "treskot",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T06:42:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4968438",
          "commentText": "Are we also talking about fiction here? This is a great book - The Immortals of Meluha - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Immortals_of_Meluha\nAnd for designers and developers, the Smashing Magazine series - brilliant!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is a great book - The Immortals of Meluha",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Amish Tripathi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "indian mythology",
        "mythological fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-immune-system-5bcce8",
      "title": "The Immune System",
      "author": "Peter Parham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32793327,
          "author": "atemerev",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T18:38:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32793327",
          "commentText": "The Immune System by Peter Parham. A masterpiece.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Immune System by Peter Parham. A masterpiece.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a masterpiece.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Parham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "immunology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-impersonal-life-7d9fa3",
      "title": "The Impersonal Life",
      "author": "Joseph S. Benner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19089536,
          "author": "jtr_47",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T20:35:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19089536",
          "commentText": "\"The Impersonal Life\" by Joseph Brenner",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Impersonal Life\" by Joseph Brenner",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph S. Benner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "new thought",
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-implementation-of-functional-programming-languages-e614b0",
      "title": "The Implementation of Functional Programming Languages",
      "author": "Simon Peyton Jones",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2414431,
          "author": "arethuza",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T09:14:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414431",
          "commentText": "I really liked \"The Implementation of Functional Programming Languages\" by Simon Peyton Jones, which is available online:\nhttp://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/people/simonpj/papers... (http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/um/people/simonpj/papers/slpj-book-1987/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really liked \"The Implementation of Functional Programming Languages\" by Simon Peyton Jones",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really liked the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Simon Peyton Jones"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "compiler implementation",
        "functional programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-importance-of-living-b813a8",
      "title": "The Importance of Living",
      "author": "Lin Yutang",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17914326,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-05T01:12:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17914326",
          "commentText": "All these had a huge impact on me. The descriptions are inadequate, I've just tried to mention the subject matter.\nDeborah Tannen, You Just Don't Understand - how males and females talk different languages.\nLakoff & Johnson, Metaphors We Live By - how our language and thoughts are built from a fabric of conceptual metaphors. Philosophy In The Flesh is about the conceptual metaphors that philosophy is built from.\nJonathan Glover, Humanity: A Moral History of the Twentieth Century - WWI, WWII and other wars, nazism, communism etc\nPlutarch's Lives - biographies and stories from famous ancient Greeks and Romans. Amazing how little's changed.\nLin Yutang, The Importance of Understanding - introduced me to ancient Chinese philosophers. The Importance of Living - introduced me to ancient Chinese writers, poets and the Chinese way of life.\nHofstadter, Gödel, Escher, Bach - read it when I was 14, and I was into music, art and programming, so it blew my mind.\nSusan Faludi, STIFFED - men, work, jobs, masculinity, 20th C\nWalter Lippmann, Public Opinion - media, war, propaganda, democracy\nNoam Chomsky's political books\nE.F. Schumacher, Small is Beautiful - the world, development, government, planning, organization, humanity, sustainability\nJ.R. Saul, Voltaire's Bastards - power, history, democracy, technocracy, reason, rationality, history from late 18th C until today.\nRaymond Williams, Culture and Society 1780-1950 - the anti-industrialist tradition, politics, culture, society and the new language describing these things\nClifford Pickover, Computers, Patterns, Chaos, and Beauty - programming, mathematics, art, fractals, dynamical systems etc\nBen Zander, The Art of Possibility - hard to explain, kind of advanced self-help, the magic of changing attitudes, expectations, habits.\nMy favourite non-fiction books of all time, though, are the essays of Emerson, Hazlitt, RL Stevenson, GK Chesterton, Santayana, Bertrand Russell. And the books of Nietzsche, SARK and Robert Fulghum.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Importance of Living - introduced me to ancient Chinese writers, poets and the Chinese way of life.",
          "reason": "Says it introduced them to ancient Chinese writers, poets, and ways of life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lin Yutang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chinese culture",
        "chinese literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-importance-of-understanding-d90d80",
      "title": "The Importance of Understanding",
      "author": "Lin Yutang",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17914326,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-05T01:12:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17914326",
          "commentText": "All these had a huge impact on me. The descriptions are inadequate, I've just tried to mention the subject matter.\nDeborah Tannen, You Just Don't Understand - how males and females talk different languages.\nLakoff & Johnson, Metaphors We Live By - how our language and thoughts are built from a fabric of conceptual metaphors. Philosophy In The Flesh is about the conceptual metaphors that philosophy is built from.\nJonathan Glover, Humanity: A Moral History of the Twentieth Century - WWI, WWII and other wars, nazism, communism etc\nPlutarch's Lives - biographies and stories from famous ancient Greeks and Romans. Amazing how little's changed.\nLin Yutang, The Importance of Understanding - introduced me to ancient Chinese philosophers. The Importance of Living - introduced me to ancient Chinese writers, poets and the Chinese way of life.\nHofstadter, Gödel, Escher, Bach - read it when I was 14, and I was into music, art and programming, so it blew my mind.\nSusan Faludi, STIFFED - men, work, jobs, masculinity, 20th C\nWalter Lippmann, Public Opinion - media, war, propaganda, democracy\nNoam Chomsky's political books\nE.F. Schumacher, Small is Beautiful - the world, development, government, planning, organization, humanity, sustainability\nJ.R. Saul, Voltaire's Bastards - power, history, democracy, technocracy, reason, rationality, history from late 18th C until today.\nRaymond Williams, Culture and Society 1780-1950 - the anti-industrialist tradition, politics, culture, society and the new language describing these things\nClifford Pickover, Computers, Patterns, Chaos, and Beauty - programming, mathematics, art, fractals, dynamical systems etc\nBen Zander, The Art of Possibility - hard to explain, kind of advanced self-help, the magic of changing attitudes, expectations, habits.\nMy favourite non-fiction books of all time, though, are the essays of Emerson, Hazlitt, RL Stevenson, GK Chesterton, Santayana, Bertrand Russell. And the books of Nietzsche, SARK and Robert Fulghum.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lin Yutang, The Importance of Understanding - introduced me to ancient Chinese philosophers.",
          "reason": "Says it introduced them to ancient Chinese philosophers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lin Yutang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient china",
        "chinese philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-imposter-s-handbook-dc9167",
      "title": "The Imposter's Handbook",
      "author": "Rhett Allain",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21767165,
          "author": "ismitley",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-11T21:54:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 21765528,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fun Tech Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21767165",
          "commentText": "Someone recommended this book on here a couple of weeks ago: https://bigmachine.io/products/the-imposters-handbook/\nThis is a pretty neat book, that explains a lot of difficult concepts in technology in an easier to grasp manner.  Things like P=NP and Big O get covered.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is a pretty neat book, that explains a lot of difficult concepts in technology in an easier to grasp manner.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it explains difficult technology concepts in an easier-to-grasp way, including P=NP and Big O.",
          "audience": "Readers who want accessible explanations of difficult technology concepts.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rhett Allain"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithms",
        "complexity theory",
        "computer science concepts"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-incal-30fcdb",
      "title": "The Incal",
      "author": "Alejandro Jodorowsky and Moebius",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17384297,
          "author": "aresant",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-24T00:38:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17384297",
          "commentText": "No, Moebius as in Jean Giraud\nGreat primer\nhttp://www.tcj.com/jean-moebius-giraud-1938-2012/\nGreat collection of his awe inspiring art and a short film\nhttps://www.rabbleboy.com/the-amazing-art-of-moebius-jean-gi... (https://www.rabbleboy.com/the-amazing-art-of-moebius-jean-giraud-and-the-18-art-tips/)\nAnd if you're looking for something outrageously creative and courageously insane go buy a copy of \"the incal\" which is his graphic novel collaboration with Alejandro Jodorowsky",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "go buy a copy of \"the incal\"",
          "reason": "Recommended as outrageously creative and courageously insane.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for highly imaginative graphic novels.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alejandro Jodorowsky and Moebius"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "graphic novel",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-incandescent-95b892",
      "title": "The Incandescent",
      "author": "Emily Tesh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45951939,
          "author": "scrapheap",
          "createdAt": "2025-11-17T08:55:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 45947737,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45951939",
          "commentText": "Stand out books for me that I've read this year:\n* The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler (Short, but a great read)\n* The Incandescent by Emily Tesh\n* The Armchair Universe by A.K.Dewdney (First read this one many years ago, but I've been reading it again)\n* Final Orbit by Chris Hadfield (third book in a series, so you'd want to start at the begining with The Apollo Murders)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Incandescent by Emily Tesh",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s standout books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Emily Tesh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-incredible-secret-money-machine-0f9983",
      "title": "The Incredible Secret Money Machine",
      "author": "Don Lancaster",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9613547,
          "author": "giacomoharp",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T18:56:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9613547",
          "commentText": "Oldie but goodie. A contrarian view of business from a prototypical hacker, Don Lancaster. I re-read this every few years to regain perspective.\nThe Incredible Secret Money Machine   http://www.tinaja.com/ebooks/ismm.pdf\n more of Don: http://tinaja.com/\n   -G",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Oldie but goodie. A contrarian view of business from a prototypical hacker",
          "reason": "Described as a good book that the commenter rereads to regain perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Presents a contrarian view of business.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Don Lancaster"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "contrarian business",
        "entrepreneurship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-incredible-secret-money-machine-ii-aea1fe",
      "title": "The Incredible Secret Money Machine II",
      "author": "Don Lancaster",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35169372,
          "author": "JohnFen",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T15:01:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35169372",
          "commentText": "I've read a tall stack of business books, and in all honesty, I think only one of them was of any real value to me. It also has the benefits of being short and an easy read.\n\"The Incredible Secret Money Machine II\" by Don Lancaster",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The Incredible Secret Money Machine II\" by Don Lancaster",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was the only business book of real value to them, and praises its brevity and readability.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter found only one book in a tall stack of business books valuable.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Don Lancaster"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "small business"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-incredible-unlikeliness-of-being-evolution-and-the-making-of--e7735c",
      "title": "The Incredible Unlikeliness of Being: Evolution and the Making of Us",
      "author": "Alice Roberts",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10029196,
          "author": "Blahah",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-09T01:28:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10029196",
          "commentText": "A good option is to look for winners of science book prizes.\nThe Royal Society Winton Prize is excellent: http://www.theguardian.com/books/royal-society-science-book-... (http://www.theguardian.com/books/royal-society-science-book-prize).\nSome personal favourites:\nThe Incredible Unlikeliness Of Being by Alice Roberts is a wonderful book that describes how a human being develops from conception to adulthood in minute biological detail.\nThe Code Book: The Science of Secrecy from Ancient Egypt to Quantum Cryptography by Simon Singh is fantastic, if a little out of date by now.\nCosmos: The Story of Cosmic Evolution, Science and Civilisation by Carl Sagan.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Incredible Unlikeliness Of Being by Alice Roberts is a wonderful book",
          "reason": "Calls it a wonderful book and describes its subject.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alice Roberts"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "embryology",
        "human development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-index-card-1edd77",
      "title": "The Index Card",
      "author": "Helaine Olen and Harold Pollack",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26324221,
          "author": "tacostakohashi",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-03T03:04:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 26321793,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books made you the most money?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26324221",
          "commentText": "Rich Dad, Poor Dad\nIt's by no means a great book, but it covers the basics, it's accessible, and I read it at just about the right time around 18 years of age.\nSomething better / more modern might be:\nhttps://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/317640/the-index-ca... (https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/317640/the-index-card-by-helaine-olen-and-harold-pollack/9780143130529/)\nLearning the basics of accounting goes a long way too.\nUnfortunately, you also need to read up a little bit on the gory details of taxes and deductions, pension schemes, etc in your country, and that stuff changes all the time, so the books and knowledge rapidly gets out of date - you want to try not to get distracted by the minutiae of that, and focus on accounting, assets and liabilities, income and expenses.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Something better / more modern might be:",
          "reason": "Offered as a better, more modern alternative to Rich Dad Poor Dad.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Helaine Olen",
        "Harold Pollack"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial literacy",
        "personal finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-index-of-self-destructive-acts-9d482d",
      "title": "The Index of Self-Destructive Acts",
      "author": "Dominic Beha",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25845731,
          "author": "cafard",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T12:41:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25845731",
          "commentText": "A bit long, but The Index of Self-Destructive Acts by Dominic Beha has bits touching on tech and business. It is quickly (for its length) read. Another book set in the first decade of the century is Netherland by Joseph O'Neill (nothing in particular to do with tech or business), not long, and quite readable.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A bit long, but The Index of Self-Destructive Acts by Dominic Beha has bits touching on tech and business.",
          "reason": "Suggested as fiction with elements touching on technology and business.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in fiction with some technology and business themes.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is a bit long.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dominic Beha"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-inevitable-1988df",
      "title": "The Inevitable",
      "author": "Kevin Kelly",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15961294,
          "author": "vo1d",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:27:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961294",
          "commentText": "- The Innovator's Dilemma by Clay Christensen\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman\n- A Briefer History of Time by Stephen Hawking\n- The Lean Startup by Eric Ries\n- Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson\n- The Industries of the Future by Alec Ross\n- Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss\n- Start with No by Jim Camp\n- How Google Works by Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg\n- The Everything Store by Brad Stone\n- The Inevitable by Kevin Kelly",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Inevitable by Kevin Kelly",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12068574,
          "author": "mjklin",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T02:49:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12068574",
          "commentText": "Where I'm Reading From, by Tim Parks\nThe Inevitable, by Kevin Kelly\nIdeas that Changed the World, by Felipe Fernandez-Armesto\nA Reader's Manifesto, by B.R. Myers\nFramed!, by Hari Singh\nLeaves of Grass, by Walt Whitman\nWhy Education is Useless, by Daniel Cottom\nThe New Diary, by Tristine Rainer\nRaising a Happy, Unspoiled Child, by Burton White\nDo way, way more in WorkFlowy, by Frank Degenaar\nUnlearning the Basics, by R. Sativihari\nThe Devil's Pleasure Palace, by Michael Walsh\nThe Truth about Everything, by Matthew Stewart\nThe Big Questions, by Steven Landsburg\nThe Seven Mysteries of Life, by Guy Murchie\nThe Optimistic Child, by Martin Seligman\nSystemantics, by John Gall\nThe Scientists A Family Romance, by Marco Roth\nThe Logic Of Failure, by Dietrich Dorner\nOrganizing Creativity, by Daniel Wessel\nA Curious Mind, by Brian Grazer\nAppointment In Samarra, by John O'Hara",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Inevitable, by Kevin Kelly",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kevin Kelly"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "digital culture",
        "future technology",
        "technology futures"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-infinite-book-aac2ab",
      "title": "The Infinite Book",
      "author": "John D. Barrow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23156744,
          "author": "ainiriand",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T17:25:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23156744",
          "commentText": "For me that was 'The Infinite Book' by John D. Barrow. I read it at a very young age and changed my brain completely.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For me that was 'The Infinite Book' by John D. Barrow.",
          "reason": "The commenter says reading it at a young age changed their thinking completely.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The account is personal; no specific topic or effect is described.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John D. Barrow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cosmology",
        "infinity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-influence-of-sea-power-upon-history-1660-1783-0c70b2",
      "title": "The Influence of Sea Power upon History, 1660–1783",
      "author": "Alfred Thayer Mahan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6556140,
          "author": "BWStearns",
          "createdAt": "2013-10-15T20:37:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 6553238,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the essential books of knowledge for civilization?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6556140",
          "commentText": "I know that conflict is the less civilized side of civilization, and that HN generally is opposed to it (as sane people are), but a discussion of societal development would be lacking without an honest consideration of where the civilized components break down.\nI would suggest Musashi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_Five_Rings), Clausewitz, Influence of Seapower Upon History (Mahan), and of course Sun Tzu. While some are more specific than others (Musashi is actually about swordsmanship specifically, but conflict generally) they all have insightful things to teach.\nFor a broader discussion look at Bobbitt's Shield of Achilles. He still has a significant portion on conflict, however it is also a discussion on the interplay of technology, legal development, and conflict.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Influence of Seapower Upon History (Mahan)",
          "reason": "Suggested as a book with lessons about conflict.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says some of the suggested books are more specific than others.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alfred Thayer Mahan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military strategy",
        "naval history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-informant-fa9d7e",
      "title": "The Informant",
      "author": "Kurt Eichenwald",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 85974,
          "author": "gensym",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T16:28:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85974",
          "commentText": "The Evolution of Cooperation - Robert Axelrod\nCryptonomicon - Neal Stephenson\nJonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell - Susanna Clark\nInfinite Jest - David Foster Wallace\nThe Informant - Kurt Eichenwald\nThe Visual Display of Quantitative Information - Edward Tufte\nLiar's Poker - Michael Lewis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Informant - Kurt Eichenwald",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kurt Eichenwald"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "corporate fraud",
        "white collar crime"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-information-e51144",
      "title": "The Information",
      "author": "James Gleick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33800540,
          "author": "m-watson",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T13:40:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33800540",
          "commentText": "I often say to people that the most important thing physics gave me was being comfortable not knowing something. My math and physics education have 100% changed the way I think and address problems in life, despite not going into a physics career.\nSince it is a book thread:\nThe Information: James Gleick - really made me take a step back to think about what information is and how we talk about it\nReinventing Discovery: Michael Nielsen - It was some years back now but I had trouble reading it because I kept having to write things down or read about a new idea the book just put into my head. It really was thought provoking at the time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Information: James Gleick",
          "reason": "Made the commenter step back and think about what information is and how people discuss it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Gleick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "information theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-informed-investor-fa05b1",
      "title": "The Informed Investor",
      "author": "Frank Armstrong",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 248600,
          "author": "eposts",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T15:59:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248600",
          "commentText": "Here is a good list:\nhttp://www.bogleheads.org/readbooks.htm\nGeneral Investing\n# The Four Pillars of Investing - by William (\"Bill\") Bernstein.\n# Wise Investing Made Simple or The Only Guide to a Winning Investment Strategy You'll Ever Need - by Larry Swedroe\n# The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing - by Taylor Larimore, Mel Lindauer, and Michael LeBoeuf\n# All About Asset Allocation - by Rick Ferri\n# The Informed Investor - by Frank Armstrong\n# The Little Book of Common Sense Investing - by John \"Jack\" Bogle\n# The Coffeehouse Investor - by Bill Schultheis.\nInvestor Behavior\n# Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes And How To Correct Them - by Gary Belsky and Thomas Gilovich\n# Your Money and Your Brain: How the New Science of Neuroeconomics Can Help Make You Rich - by Jason Zweig\n# Rational Investing in Irrational Times: How to Avoid the Costly Mistakes Even Smart People Make Today - by Larry Swedroe\nFinancial History\n# Against the Gods and Capital Ideas - by Peter L. Bernstein\n# Devil Take the Hindmost: A History of Financial Speculation - by Edward Chancellor\n# A Random Walk Down Wall Street - by Burton Malkiel\nLike others here have mentioned, http://www.bogleheads.org/ is a great forum for Vanguard investors.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Informed Investor - by Frank Armstrong",
          "reason": "Listed as a general investing book in response to a request for learning resources.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking general investing resources.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frank Armstrong"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "investing",
        "personal finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-inner-citadel-the-meditations-of-marcus-aurelius-ea3c88",
      "title": "The Inner Citadel: The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius",
      "author": "Pierre Hadot",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46693299,
          "author": "0xmattf",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-20T16:01:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 46690957,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What non-fiction do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46693299",
          "commentText": "I only read non-fiction; mostly philosophy. Here are some books off the top of my head:\n* The Inner Citadel/Philosophy as a Way of Life by Pierre Hadot\n* Plato's dialogues (someone already mentioned a few of them, but the Republic was missing from their list).\n* Epictetus (Discourses and Enchiridion)\n* The various essays/letters of Seneca\n* Matter and Consciousness by Churchland (older, but fascinating)\n* The Mediations of Marcus Aurelius\n* (mostly) any Buddhist texts\n* What a Plant Knows\n* Moonwalking with Einstein\nThere are tons of fascinating books, way too many to list.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Inner Citadel/Philosophy as a Way of Life by Pierre Hadot",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pierre Hadot"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marcus aurelius",
        "stoicism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-inner-game-of-tennis-the-classic-guide-to-the-mental-side-of--15c806",
      "title": "The Inner Game of Tennis: The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance",
      "author": "W. Timothy Gallwey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3278822,
          "author": "aik",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-26T01:45:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3278822",
          "commentText": "There are a lot of really good ones here.  Three more:\nOn overcoming cognitive bias (and understanding how mindsets influence motivation, personality, and behavior):\nSelf-Theories by Carol S. Dweck\nMental peformance:\nThe Inner Game of Tennis - The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance\nMental Models on influence:\nInfluencer: The Power to Change Anything",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Inner Game of Tennis - The Classic Guide to the Mental Side of Peak Performance",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. Timothy Gallwey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "peak performance",
        "sports psychology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-innocent-anthropologist-notes-from-a-mud-hut-7d224e",
      "title": "The Innocent Anthropologist: Notes from a Mud Hut",
      "author": "Nigel Barley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20333451,
          "author": "tempguy9999",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T09:19:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20333451",
          "commentText": "An odd one here. 'Chimpanzee Material Culture'[0]. It's getting on a bit (pub 1992) so perhaps others can recommend a more updated study, but it's a sophisticated presentation of chimps, their culture, how they compare to human hunter-gatherers (and how difficult it can be to distinguish between crude stone tools used by one or other), how difficult it is to even phrase the right question when it comes to comparing chimps and humans, and a list of open issues. Anyone who wants to talk about limits of nonhuman should read this.\nAnd with a sense of humour too. Not too heavy, and I found it a genuine page-turner (rather unexpected that!)\nAnd as I mention humour I just reminded myself of 'The Innocent Anthropologist'[1] which is kind-of similar in a way but totally hilarious [1]. It's really funny, also very educational, and would make a very good complement to the first.\nI suppose to continue the theme of other cultures (which fascinate me because they teach me so much about my own culture and assumptions when I read how very different other societies can be), 'Aztec'[2]. It tracks the life of a (fictional) aztec and the destruction of his culture and people as the conquistadors arrive. The author does take some historical liberties; allow for that a little.\nI'll call it the best book I ever read, however it is dense so it either works for you or it doesn't. But if it works, it is amazing!\n[0] https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chimpanzee-Material-Culture-Implica... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Chimpanzee-Material-Culture-Implications-Evolution/dp/0521423716)\n[1] https://www.amazon.co.uk/Innocent-Anthropologist-Notes-Mud-H... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Innocent-Anthropologist-Notes-Mud-Hut/dp/1906011508)\n[2] https://www.amazon.co.uk/Aztec-Gary-Jennings/dp/0765317508",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Innocent Anthropologist'",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is very funny, educational, and would complement the first book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nigel Barley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "anthropology",
        "fieldwork"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-innovator-s-dilemma-47a0c4",
      "title": "The Innovator's Dilemma",
      "author": "Clayton Christensen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 674923,
          "author": "skmurphy",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-26T03:58:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 673487,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there any good Internet marketing books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=674923",
          "commentText": "I would recommend these books for a good grounding in marketing and fostering innovation:\n   The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen\n   Crossing the Chasm and Inside the Tornado by Geoffrey Moore\n   Innovation and Entrepreneurship by Peter Drucker\n   Marketing High Technology by William Davidow\n   Four Steps to the Epiphany by Steve Blank\n   Jumpstart Your Business Brain by Doug Hall\n   E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber\n   Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim & R. Mauborgne\n   Influence The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini\n   The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries and Jack Trout\n   Secrets of Consulting by Gerald Weinberg\n\nFor an article that summarizes key concepts see http://skmurphy.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/Crucial%20Mar... (http://skmurphy.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/04/Crucial%20Marketing%20Concepts.pdf)\nThere is a companion slide deck here http://www.skmurphy.com/f/SDForum061211.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Innovator’s Dilemma by Clayton Christensen",
          "reason": "Recommended for grounding in marketing and fostering innovation.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a grounding in marketing and innovation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Clayton Christensen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "disruptive innovation",
        "innovation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-innovator-s-dilemma-when-new-technologies-cause-great-firms-t-d19fae",
      "title": "The Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail",
      "author": "Clayton M. Christensen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22708572,
          "author": "mitchelldeacon9",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T01:58:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22708572",
          "commentText": "The following is a list of my favorite books on software engineering, cyber-security, and the history of IT business development.\nBowden, Mark (2011) Worm: The First Digital World War\nBrooks, Frederick (1995) Mythical Man-Month, 2nd ed.\nChristensen, Clayton (1997) Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail\nHafner, Katie and Matthew Lyon (1996) Where Wizards Stay Up Late: Origins of the Internet\nHunt, Andrew and David Thomas (1999) Pragmatic Programmer\nMacCormick, John (2012) Nine Algorithms that Changed the Future\nMcConnell, Steve (2004) Code Complete, 2nd ed.\nMitnick, Kevin and William Simon (2002) Art of Deception\nPoulsen, Kevin (2011) Kingpin: How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cyber-Crime Underworld\nRaymond, Eric (2003) Art of Unix Programming\nStone, Brad (2013) The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon\nTorvalds, Linus and David Diamond (2001) Just for Fun: Story of an Accidental Revolutionary\nWallace, James and Jim Erickson (1992) Hard Drive: Bill Gates and Making of the Microsoft Empire\nWilliams, Sam (2002) Free as in Freedom: Richard Stallman's Crusade for Free Software\nWilson, Mike (1996) The Difference between God and Larry Ellison: Inside Oracle Corp",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Christensen, Clayton (1997) Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Clayton M. Christensen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business strategy",
        "disruptive innovation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-innovator-s-solution-d7ee36",
      "title": "The Innovator's Solution",
      "author": "Michael E. Raynor, Clayton M. Christensen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15159229,
          "author": "johnsimer",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T01:39:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15159229",
          "commentText": "Innovator's dilemma & Innovator's solution- why big companies almost always get beaten by startups and how to overcome this\n10x Rule by Grant Cardone - you must take 10x more action than you think to get success\nAwaken the Giant Within - you can motivate yourself to do anything via the \"Pain Pleasure Principle\"\nBold: How to go big, make wealth, and change the world - some strategies from Musk, Bezos, Diamandis/Singularity U\nThe Art of Profitability - Coca-cola from a 2-Liter costs $.02/oz , Coca-cola from a restaurant costs $.20/oz\nmy full list here: https://goo.gl/9SD8b6",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Innovator's solution",
          "reason": "Describes how established companies can overcome disruption.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael E. Raynor, Clayton M. Christensen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "innovation strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-innovators-how-a-group-of-inventors-hackers-geniuses-and-geek-82144b",
      "title": "The Innovators: How a Group of Inventors, Hackers, Geniuses and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution",
      "author": "Walter Isaacson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17206175,
          "author": "startupfreak",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T15:26:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17206175",
          "commentText": "The Innovators: How a Group of Inventors, Hackers, Geniuses and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution by Walter Isaacson.\nThe list of people covered starts at Ada Lovelace and covers Vannevar Bush, Alan Turing, John von Neumann, J.C.R. Licklider, Doug Engelbart, Robert Noyce, Bill Gates, Steve Wozniak, Tim Berners-Lee and a bunch more",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Innovators: How a Group of Inventors, Hackers, Geniuses and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution by Walter Isaacson.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for recommendations about tech companies and people.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the people behind the digital revolution.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Walter Isaacson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "digital history",
        "technology pioneers"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-instructions-3c0795",
      "title": "The Instructions",
      "author": "Adam Levin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2616282,
          "author": "schrototo",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T13:41:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2616282",
          "commentText": "The Instructions by Adam Levin. Best book I've read since Infinite Jest (by David Foster Wallace, of course, also highly recommended). The characters, the story, the language, my god the language... It's all utterly fantastic. The last 300 pages had me so thoroughly gripped, I read them in one sitting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Instructions by Adam Levin. Best book I've read since Infinite Jest",
          "reason": "Calls it the best book they've read since Infinite Jest and praises its characters, story, and language.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adam Levin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-intel-trinity-0d9ac3",
      "title": "The Intel Trinity",
      "author": "Michael S. Malone",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17206704,
          "author": "hkmurakami",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T16:07:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17206704",
          "commentText": "\"Andy Grove\"\n\"The Intel Trinity\"\n\"Netscape Time\"\n\"Valley Boy\"\nBrian Kernighan is a CS professor at Princeton and quite a personable guy. I'd imagine that he has some talks about his work and past up online.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Intel Trinity\"",
          "reason": "Included in a list of book suggestions in response to a request for tech company history.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Intel and its founders.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael S. Malone"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "intel history",
        "technology companies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-intel-trinity-how-robert-noyce-gordon-moore-and-andy-grove-bu-db3baa",
      "title": "The Intel Trinity: How Robert Noyce, Gordon Moore, and Andy Grove Built the World's Most Important Company",
      "author": "Michael S. Malone",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22706956,
          "author": "justicezyx",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-27T21:12:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22706956",
          "commentText": "The Intel Trinity \nAbout the early days until 90s for Intel, having stories on Shockley's semiconductor lab, Fairchild then Intel etc.\nThe soul of a new machine\nNot much history, but more on how a small computer manufacturer in 70s. It's quite relevant today, as the process very much resembles a software startup's.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Intel Trinity",
          "reason": "The book is listed with a description of Intel's early history, from Shockley's lab through Fairchild and Intel.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the history of Intel and the semiconductor industry.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael S. Malone"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "intel",
        "semiconductors",
        "silicon valley"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-intelligent-man-s-guide-to-science-b12376",
      "title": "The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science",
      "author": "Isaac Asimov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37960159,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:07:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960159",
          "commentText": "* \"Amusing Ourselves to Death\" by Neil Postman (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Postman contrasts the dystopian visions of George Orwell's \"1984\" and Aldous Huxley's \"Brave New World\" to argue that western society is becoming a shallow, entertainment-driven culture shaped by television and other media. He discusses the profound effects of television on politics, education, and other aspects of society.\n* \"Howard Zinn: A People's History of the US\" by Howard Zinn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers an alternative exploration of American history from the perspective of ordinary people and marginalized groups rather than from political leaders, emphasizing class struggles and systemic injustices.\n* \"The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science\" by Isaac Asimov (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive outline of scientific knowledge, covering fields like physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, and earth science. It communicates complex scientific concepts in a way that is accessible to non-specialist readers.\n* \"Das Kapital\" by Karl Marx (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive critique of capitalism highlighting its inherent contradictions and imbalances. Marx diagnoses the capitalist system as one in which the rich get richer at the expense of the working class. The book has been influential in shaping socialist and communist thought.\n* \"Handbook of Electronic Circuits\" (1 mention, authors not specified)\n    * Summary: An extensive reference guide that provides information on basic electronic circuits and components. It delves into the world of electronics with detailed illustrations and designs, making it a valuable resource for both beginners and professionals in the field.\n* \"Simulacra and Simulation\" by Jean Baudrillard (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This philosophical work explores the nature and cultural implications of signs and images in contemporary society. Baudrillard posits that symbols and signs have replaced reality and meaning, creating a hyperreal world where simulations of reality have become more real than reality itself.\n* \"LSD: My Problem Child\" by Albert Hofmann (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This autobiographical work by Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who first synthesized LSD, discusses his discovery and personal experiences with the drug, exploring both the positive and negative effects of LSD, its influence on society, and its potential therapeutic uses.\n* \"Requiem for the American Dream: The 10 Principles of Concentration of Wealth & Power\" by Noam Chomsky (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Chomsky provides an extensive critique of inequality in America, arguing that the concentration of wealth and power among a small elite is undermining democracy. He lays out 10 principles of concentration of wealth and power that have led to this situation.\n* \"Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\" by Alfred Lansing (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This true account of Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton's 1914-1916 expedition turned survival story. When his ship, the Endurance, was crushed by ice and left Shackleton and his crew stranded, they embarked on a harrowing and miraculous voyage to safety.\n* \"Hacker's Handbook\" by Hugo Cornwall (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A guidebook for computer enthusiasts that provides a look at the world of hacking. It covers a range of topics, including telephone and computer hacking, as well as legal implications.\n* \"Cosmos\" by Carl Sagan (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This widely-admired book introduces the universe beyond the Earth. Sagan explores our place in the universe, the history of scientific discovery, and the crucial role of critical thinking in grasping our world and the vast cosmos we are part of.\n* \"Six Pillars of Self-Esteem\" by Nathaniel Branden (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book provides a comprehensive exploration of self-esteem, its importance, its sources, and how to cultivate it. It offers concrete strategies to enhance self-esteem, which Branden argues is a key component of psychological health and personal fulfillment.\n* \"Future Shock\" by Alvin Toffler (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Future Shock examines the psychological and sociological impact of accelerating technological and social change. Toffler introduces the concept of \"future shock\" as a form of psychological disorientation caused by a rapid change in society and advocates for a more measured and conscious approach to future planning.\n* \"The Metropolis and Mental Life\" by Georg Simmel (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This seminal essay analyzes the effects of the urban environment on the individual's mind and social relationships. Simmel argues that the impersonality and money-centered economy of the metropolis lead to individuals feeling more alienated and adopting a defensive, blase attitude towards life.\n* \"The Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power\" by Shoshana Zuboff (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book provides an extensive critique of the commodification of personal data by corporations in the digital age. Zuboff explores the rise of surveillance capitalism, where businesses harvest and analyze customer data to predict and influence behaviors.\n* \"Permanent Record\" by Edward Snowden (1 mention)\n    * Summary: In this powerful memoir, whistle-blower Edward Snowden tells his story on why he decided to expose the mass surveillance practices of the U.S. government. Permanent Record opens a broader conversation about free societies, privacy, surveillance, and what makes a country strong.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science\" by Isaac Asimov (1 mention)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37960149,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960149",
          "commentText": "* \"On Writing\" by Stephen King (1 mention)\n    * Summary: In his guide to the craft of writing, King masterfully conveys his views on how good writing is cultivated. The book provides personal insights into the author's life while serving as a guide for aspiring writers.\n* \"The Dictionary\" (1 mention, multiple authors)\n    * Summary: A reference book containing an alphabetical list of words in a specific language, providing definitions, pronunciations, etymology, and other details. It is a valuable resource for understanding and accurately using language.\n* \"Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book chronicles Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 1914-1916 survival journey across the Antarctic. Faced with treacherous weather conditions and a lack of provisions, the men battle to stay alive, highlighting the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.\n* \"The Experience of God\" by David Bentley Hart (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A philosophical exploration of the concept of God that goes beyond specific religious doctrines. Hart articulates a vision of ultimate reality that transcends religious, philosophical, and cultural boundaries.\n* \"A Mind for Numbers\" by Barbara Oakley (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book provides practical advice on how to learn effectively in math and science areas, but the techniques are applicable across disciplines. Oakley shares techniques to overcome learning obstacles and improve comprehension and retention.\n* \"A People's History of the US\" by Howard Zinn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers an alternative exploration of American history from the perspective of ordinary people and marginalized groups rather than political leaders, emphasizing class struggles and systemic injustices.\n* \"The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science\" by Isaac Asimov (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive outline of scientific knowledge, covering fields like physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, and earth science. It communicates complex scientific concepts in a way that is accessible to non-specialist readers.\n* \"Das Kapital\" by Karl Marx (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive critique of capitalism highlighting its inherent contradictions and imbalances. Marx diagnoses the capitalist system as one in which the rich get richer at the expense of the working class. The book has been influential in shaping socialist and communist thought.\n* \"You are Not So Smart\" by David McRaney (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book explores various cognitive biases, logical fallacies, and memory missteps that humans commonly succumb to. The author uses humor and personal anecdotes to make neuroscience and psychology accessible, challenging readers to question their perceptions of the world and themselves.\n* \"Blink\" by Malcolm Gladwell (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Gladwell explores the process of quick decision-making, also known as \"thin-slicing.\" The book delves into both the potential accuracy and the pitfalls of making snap judgments. It demonstrates how our subconscious biases often override our better instincts.\n* \"How To Sell at Margins Higher Than Your Competitors\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book offers detailed advice on how to avoid price competition by creating differentiators and adding value, thereby allowing readers to compete on things other than price.\n*  \"The Surrender Experiment\" by Michael Singer (1 mention)\n    * Summary: The book chronicles the author’s journey from solitude into the business world. It explores the idea of surrendering personal preferences to allow life to guide the way, challenging conventional views about control and outcomes.\n* \"How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World\" by Harry Browne (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This self-help book offers a blueprint for finding personal freedom. It encourages readers to embrace their individual sovereignty and to not be inhibited by societal conventions, effectively teaching how to live on one's own terms.\n* \"Happy by Derren Brown\" and \"The Daily Stoic\" (1 mention, authors not specified)\n    * Summary: \"Happy\" provides a perspective on happiness using the principles of stoic philosophy, challenging modern conceptions of happiness. \"The Daily Stoic\" provides a year's worth of philosophical wisdom from ancient stoics, aimed at allowing people to better respond to life's challenges.\n* \"Guns, Germs, and Steel\" by Jared Diamond (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Diamond investigates the geographical and environmental factors that have shaped the modern world. He argues that civilizations have developed differently across the globe due to variances in geography, climate, vegetation, and animal populations, more so than due to traits inherent to different racial or ethnic groups.\n* \"The Gulag Archipelago\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Solzhenitsyn unveils the brutal reality of the Soviet Union’s forced labor camp system. It's an exploration of the human capability for evil when unchecked by moral constraints, shedding light on the mechanisms of a totalitarian regime.\n* \"Ecclesiastes\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A book from the Bible that delves into the purpose of life and the vain pursuit of earthly things. It debates the merits of wisdom, wealth, and pleasure, underscoring the transience and ultimate futility of human endeavors, and urging readers to fear God and keep his commandments.\n* \"Women hold up half the sky\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A collection of personal stories illuminating the oppression and resistance of women in developing countries. The book confronts issues like gender inequality, sexual violence, maternal mortality and economic disparity while highlighting the resilience and strength of ordinary women in overcoming them.\n* \"Spell of the Sensuous\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book offers a radical reinterpretation of our relationship with the natural world. It critiques Western civilization’s estrangement from nature, exploring indigenous cultures and offering a philosophical enquiry into human perception and its relation to the environment.\n* \"Kids and the Amiga\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A guide to using the Amiga computer, aimed at children and early-tweens. It provides a hands-on approach to learning basic computer skills by creating practical programs.\n* \"Hackers\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: The book provides a comprehensive history of hackers, tracing the evolution of hacking culture from the 1950s to the present day. It details the personalities, philosophies, and technical exploits that have defined this diverse and innovative subculture.\n* \"LSD my problem child\" by Albert Hoffmann (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book is the autobiography of Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who first synthesized LSD. It chronicles his discovery, the subsequent fallout, and his personal experiences with the drug.\n* \"Electric cool aid acid test\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book tells the story of novelist Ken Kesey and his band of Merry Pranksters. They embarked on a cross-country bus journey, experimenting with LSD and challenging societal norms, becoming pivotal figures in the psychedelic movement and the counterculture of the 1960s.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science\" by Isaac Asimov (1 mention)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937059,
          "author": "CapitalistCartr",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:22:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937059",
          "commentText": "As a kid, \"The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science\" by Isaac Asimov. As an adult, \"Das Kapital\" by Karl Marx.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science\" by Isaac Asimov",
          "reason": "Named as a book that affected the commenter as a child.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isaac Asimov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "science overview"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-interdependency-361c84",
      "title": "The Interdependency",
      "author": "John Scalzi",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28059025,
          "author": "johntdaly",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T09:35:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28059025",
          "commentText": "SciFi\nThe Bobiverse Series by Dennis E. Taylor\nThe Singularity Trap and Outland, also by Dennis E. Taylor\nThe Interdependency Series by John Scalzi\nSciFi + Comedy\nExpeditionary Force Series by Craig Alanson\nMilitary SciFi\nThe Lost Fleet Series by Jack Campbell\nThe Palladium Wars Series by Marko Kloos\nA bit of all of the above\nMurderbot Diaries Series by Martha Wells\nSciFi/SciFantasy + Comedy\nMagic 2.0 by Scott Mayer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Interdependency Series by John Scalzi",
          "reason": "Lists the series as a science fiction recommendation.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Scalzi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political intrigue",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-interface-ibm-and-the-transformation-of-corporate-design-1945-9292b9",
      "title": "The Interface: IBM and the Transformation of Corporate Design, 1945–1976",
      "author": "John Harwood",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12711221,
          "author": "ryanSrich",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-14T21:28:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12711221",
          "commentText": "Here's a list of all design books that I give to new hires:\nBranded Interactions: Creating the Digital Experience - (https://www.amazon.com/Branded-Interactions-Creating-Digital... (https://www.amazon.com/Branded-Interactions-Creating-Digital-Experience/dp/0500518173))\nThe Visual Display of Quantitative Information - https://www.amazon.com/Visual-Display-Quantitative-Informati... (https://www.amazon.com/Visual-Display-Quantitative-Information/dp/0961392142/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480332&sr=1-1&keywords=Edward+Tufte)\nUniversal Principles of Design - https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Principles-Design-Revised-U... (https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Principles-Design-Revised-Updated/dp/1592535879/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480359&sr=1-1&keywords=universal+principles+of+design)\nThe Interface: IBM and the Transformation of Corporate Design, 1945-1976 - https://www.amazon.com/Interface-Transformation-Corporate-19... (https://www.amazon.com/Interface-Transformation-Corporate-1945-1976-Quadrant/dp/0816670390/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480388&sr=1-1&keywords=the+interface+ibm)\nMultiple Signatures: On Designers, Authors, Readers and Users - https://www.amazon.com/Multiple-Signatures-Designers-Authors... (https://www.amazon.com/Multiple-Signatures-Designers-Authors-Readers/dp/0847839737/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480427&sr=1-1&keywords=Multiple+Signatures)\nChange by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation - https://www.amazon.com/Change-Design-Transforms-Organization... (https://www.amazon.com/Change-Design-Transforms-Organizations-Innovation/dp/0061766089/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480449&sr=1-1&keywords=Change+by+design)\nThoughts on Design - https://www.amazon.com/Thoughts-Design-Paul-Rand/dp/08118754... (https://www.amazon.com/Thoughts-Design-Paul-Rand/dp/081187544X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480478&sr=1-1&keywords=Thoughts+on+design)\nNotes on the Synthesis of Form - https://www.amazon.com/Notes-Synthesis-Form-Harvard-Paperbac... (https://www.amazon.com/Notes-Synthesis-Form-Harvard-Paperbacks/dp/0674627512/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480495&sr=1-1&keywords=notes+on+the+synthesis+of+form)\n..and a list of ones I'm considering adding:\nUnflattening - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0674744438/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0674744438/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\nCreative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All  - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/038534936X/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/038534936X/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\nThe Design Method - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321928849/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321928849/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\nProduct Design for the Web: Principles of Designing and Releasing Web Products- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321929039/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321929039/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Here's a list of all design books that I give to new hires:",
          "reason": "Included in a design book list given to new hires.",
          "audience": "New hires.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Harwood"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "corporate design",
        "design history",
        "ibm"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-internet-is-not-the-answer-6585ef",
      "title": "The Internet Is Not the Answer",
      "author": "Andrew Keen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10767821,
          "author": "SeaDude",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T18:43:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10767821",
          "commentText": "\"The Internet is Not the Answer\" by: Andrew Keen\nFINALLY! a scathing, rake-that-rich-a$$-across-thee-coals dive into our superficial obsession with the digitally privileged. Muah!Best book I've read in years + the appendix/biblio holds 20 pages or so of FURTHER awesome reading.\n\"Human Use of Human Beings\" by: Norbert Weiner\nAn awesome transportation into 1950 MIT professor who calls out the problems of \"progress\" and explores communication in the neatest way. Everything he mentions is still a problem today! I just really dug this book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Best book I've read in years",
          "reason": "Calls it the best book they've read in years and praises its critique of digital privilege.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew Keen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "internet culture",
        "technology criticism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-interpretation-of-dreams-397a75",
      "title": "The Interpretation of Dreams",
      "author": "Sigmund Freud",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 86007,
          "author": "shayan",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T18:13:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86007",
          "commentText": "Unfortunately I can't read fiction too much, I feel like what I read must directly help me with what I do, so I feel a lot better reading either technical stuff or business related (I love business).  Since we are excluding technical, most of the following are business related, or helps you in dealing with people and solving problems)\nNetscape Time - Jim Clark (very educational for those interested in startups, good piece of Internet history, interesting insights to the culture of the first Internet companies)\nHow To Win Friends And Influence People - Dale Carnegie (found it through YC recommendations, THANK YOU.  one of the best educational books I have ever read, it will teach you how to make friends, be a good leader, get along at home, encourage people, make them follow you and so much more...)\nFounders at Work -  Jessica Livingston (I found it relevant to what I am doing, good lessons, and interesting insights)\nGetting to Yes - Roger Fisher, William L. Ury (teaches you how to negotiate and how to get the best out of each situation for yourself and the other part, will be useful both at work and personal life, a bit dry)\nWinning - Jack Welch (great advices on leadership, might be more useful to someone that is running a big company)\nLeadership Is an Art - Max Depree (great leadership advices, it will give you the right mindset of how to be a great leader) \n-----------\nAnimal Farm (George Orwell), Alchemist (Paulo Coelho), Interpreting Your Dreams(Freud)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Interpreting Your Dreams(Freud)",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sigmund Freud"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dreams",
        "psychoanalysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-interstellar-age-the-story-of-the-nasa-men-and-women-who-flew-790163",
      "title": "The Interstellar Age: The Story of the NASA Men and Women Who Flew the Forty-Year Voyager Mission",
      "author": "Jim Bell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18744369,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T04:11:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744369",
          "commentText": "* The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCullough\n* Higher: A Historic Race to the Sky and the Making of a City by Neal Bascomb\n* Caesar’s Last Breath: Decoding the Secrets of the Air Around Us by Sam Kean\n* Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari\n* A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts by Andrew Chaikin\n* The Actor’s Life: A survival guide by Jenna Fischer\n* The Interstellar Age: The Story of the NASA Men and Women Who Flew the Forty-Year Voyager Mission by Jim Bell\n* The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance by David Epstein\n* Uncommon People: The Rise and Fall of the Rock Stars 1955-1994 by David Hepworth\n* Chasing Space: An Astronaut's Story of Grit, Grace, & Second Chances by Leland Melvin\n* The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough\n* Jefferson: Architect of American Liberty by John B. Boles",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Interstellar Age: The Story of the NASA Men and Women Who Flew the Forty-Year Voyager Mission by Jim Bell",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite nonfiction book read in 2018.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jim Bell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space exploration",
        "voyager program"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-intrepid-saga-c8834e",
      "title": "The Intrepid Saga",
      "author": "M. D. Cooper",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15964247,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T21:05:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15964247",
          "commentText": "The Aeon 14 novels following Tanis Richards[1] have been a consistently good read. The Intrepid Saga and The Orion War series. Haven't ventured into the other offshoots as yet.\nThe Dome Trilogy[2] was also pretty good, as are the Rho Agenda series[3][4][5].\nAnd if you prefer horror to sci-fi, the I Am Not a Serial Killer series[6] was very good overall, although I thought it lost some steam in the last two books.\nAnd finally, The Rosie Project[7] was so completely charming I ended up reading it straight through in one night.\n[1] https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/6426890.M_D_Cooper\n[2] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25501349-unexpected-rain\n[3] https://www.goodreads.com/series/61746-the-rho-agenda\n[4] https://www.goodreads.com/series/142618-the-rho-agenda-incep... (https://www.goodreads.com/series/142618-the-rho-agenda-inception)\n[5] https://www.goodreads.com/series/175066-rho-agenda-assimilat... (https://www.goodreads.com/series/175066-rho-agenda-assimilation)\n[6] https://www.goodreads.com/series/49883-john-cleaver\n[7] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18015965-the-rosie-proje... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18015965-the-rosie-project)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Intrepid Saga and The Orion War series.",
          "reason": "Described as consistently good reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "M. D. Cooper"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-intuitionist-4abda0",
      "title": "The Intuitionist",
      "author": "Colson Whitehead",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43611803,
          "author": "pinewurst",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T14:15:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43611803",
          "commentText": "The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Intuitionist by Colson Whitehead",
          "reason": "Listed as a book worth the reader's time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Colson Whitehead"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "mystery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-invaders-how-humans-and-their-dogs-drove-neanderthals-to-exti-955f50",
      "title": "The Invaders: How Humans and Their Dogs Drove Neanderthals to Extinction",
      "author": "Pat Shipman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10534003,
          "author": "rossdavidh",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T16:41:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10534003",
          "commentText": "\"So You've Been Publicly Shamed\", by Jon Ronson, and \"The Invaders: How Humans and Their Dogs Drove Neanderthals to Extinction\",  by Pat Shipman, are my two best reads this year (that were published in 2015).  The first is a great analysis of the phenomenon (usually Twitter-based) of shame-storms, and the second is about the far, far older phenomenon of one invasive species driving a closely related one to extinction.  Both very well done.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the second is about the far, far older phenomenon of one invasive species driving a closely related one to extinction. Both very well done.",
          "reason": "Says the book is very well done.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pat Shipman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human evolution",
        "neanderthals"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-invention-of-clouds-9c955e",
      "title": "The Invention of Clouds",
      "author": "Richard Hamblyn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46398558,
          "author": "ImaCake",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T02:38:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46398558",
          "commentText": "I read/listened/sampled a lot this year but a few have reached out into my life and changed me at least a little bit.\n- In Defense of Food - Michael Pollan. A brilliant \"not diet\" book about not eating crap and enjoying chocolate cake with your friends. I followed this up with Ultra Processed People to arm myself with the facts to defend not eating the junk people call food.\n- The Dispossesed - Ursula Le Guin: recommended in previous year's HN what did you reads. An absolutely triumph for how it manages to portray a believable anarchist society.\n- Adult Children of Alcoholics: useful to the multitude of us who grew up with an alcoholic parent(s). I used this to identify the common patterns I share with others who grew up like me. You are not alone!\n- The Invention of Clouds (not finished): I really like the context of \"dissenting science\" which the author conveys brilliantly. Turns out Dark Academia and Bro Science are not new.\n- The Art of Frugal Hedonism: Irreverant although it comes off a little pious. This book has helped me accept that I have enough stuff already.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "(not finished): I really like the context of \"dissenting science\" which the author conveys brilliantly.",
          "reason": "Likes its account of dissenting science, but had not finished it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not finished.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Hamblyn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of science",
        "meteorology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-invention-of-nature-alexander-von-humboldt-s-new-world-2e6309",
      "title": "The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt's New World",
      "author": "Andrea Wulf",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13239780,
          "author": "jdpigeon",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T19:47:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13239780",
          "commentText": "It was the second year of my \"read books like an adult\" effort and there were some great ones:\nInfinite Jest (David Foster Wallace)*\nI was blown away by how completely delightful it was to read. I went in to it with a lot of trepidation about its length and esoteric fixation, but found myself completely immersed in the book in a way that I hadn't been since I was kid. I didn't pick up any hard and fast lessons from the book (indeed, its thesis is mostly that life is hard and the easy answers that are out there are toxic), but I definitely came away from it feeling like it was a bit more acceptable to share what I really thought and felt with others. Reading the book is like entering an intimate communion with DFW's mind and it reinforced in me the importance of inter-human connection in that way.\nEvery Love Story is a Ghost Story (D.T. Max)\nDFW's biography, which I read after Infinite Jest. I highly recommend reading after IJ to get more background on where the books idea's came from. Two things I learned: 1. IJ basically took him ten years to write, 2: An incredible amount of it is drawn from personal issues and experiences, his struggles with addiction and loneliness were very real and he greatly downplayed them in his interviews.\nThe Invention of Nature (Andrea Wulf)\nThe best historical book I've ever read. Von Humbolt was one of the greatest scientists to ever live and I can't believe I'd ever heard of him before. The book itself does a great job of tying together the ideas of many great thinkers: Humboldt, Darwin, Thoreau, Muir, Goethe.\nThe Conquest of Happiness (Bertrand Russel)\nGreat little 'self-help' book from Russel. Perhaps a bit quaint in its datedness and Englishness, but a lot of the ideas still hold true. His thoughts on boredom were the high point of the book IMO.\nThe Hard Thing About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\nThe most 'make an adult of you'-feeling book I read this year. After attending an 'MBA bootcamp' style course, this book was the gritty, personal account that helped me tie all those lessons together. I got a job with a startup shortly afterwards and because I've never studied business (or worked in a real company before), I refer to the lessons in this book a lot.\nMy Struggle, first  volume (Karl Ove Knausgaard)\nStill reading this one and not entirely sure what to think. It's entertaining, heartfelt, and provides that sense of communion that good fiction needs. The book's purpose seems totally up in the air, however.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The best historical book I've ever read.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best historical book they have ever read and praises how it connects thinkers' ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrea Wulf"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alexander von humboldt",
        "history of science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-inventions-of-daedalus-6d6bb5",
      "title": "The Inventions of Daedalus",
      "author": "David E. H. Jones",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41175693,
          "author": "dcminter",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:41:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175693",
          "commentText": "\"Best\" is always too hard - here are a handful that I love.\nPride & Prejudice - Jane Austen\nJonathan Strange & Mr Norrell - Susannah Clarke\nThe Crow Road - Iain Banks\nEqual Rites - Terry Pratchett\nThree Men in a Boat - Jerome K. Jerome\nA Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson\nBlack Holes & Time Warps - Kip Thorne\nThe Inventions of Daedalus - David E H Jones\nThe Cuckoo's Egg - Cliff Stoll\nI hope one or two of those float your boat!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Inventions of Daedalus - David E H Jones",
          "reason": "Offers it as one of a handful of books the commenter loves in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says choosing the “best” is too hard.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David E. H. Jones"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "inventions",
        "science writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-inverted-world-6f5f68",
      "title": "The Inverted World",
      "author": "Christopher Priest",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783485,
          "author": "louisrochal",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:40:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783485",
          "commentText": "\"Thus Spoke Zarathustra\" - Nietzsche (French Translation) - 5/5 An absolute Must read.\n\"1984\" - Orwell - 5/5 French law on surveillance made me want to read it again\n\"Fahrenheit 451\" - Ray Bradbury - 4/5\n\"La zone du dehors\" - Alain Damasio - 4/5\n\"The name of the wind\" - Patrick Rothfuss - 4/5 A great fantasy story. It's a big book, there is a lot of details, but very well written.\n\"Stranger in a Strange Land\" - Robert A. Heinlein - 3/5 Awesome concept, but very slow\n\"The Inverted World\" - Christopher Priest - 4/5 Great short book",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Inverted World\" - Christopher Priest - 4/5 Great short book",
          "reason": "Calls it a great short book and rates it 4/5.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher Priest"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "speculative fiction",
        "surreal"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-investor-s-manifesto-599221",
      "title": "The Investor's Manifesto",
      "author": "William J. Bernstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1026494,
          "author": "sivers",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T00:12:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026494",
          "commentText": "(The links here bring you to my notes from each book, and the ISBN number for each so you can find it easily at your favorite library/store/whatever.)\nHow We Decide - by Jonah Lehrer:\nBrilliant book with one clear message: our emotional brain is faster and usually smarter than our logical brain. Our emotions are trained by years of logic and experience, retaining it all for real wisdom. Many decisions are better made by going with the gut feeling. Gets a little too technical with deep brain/neuro/cortex talk, but brings it back to usable points.\nhttp://sivers.org/book/HowWeDecide\nThe Investor's Manifesto - by William J. Bernstein:\nAbsolutely my favorite author and advisor on the subject of investing. Anyone with any money to invest (or already invested) please read this book. Such clear thinking, using only facts, and using numbers not guesses. Modern portfolio theory: use passive indexes of the entire market, no speculation, no stock picking, and avoid the entire fee-sucking financial industry.\nhttp://sivers.org/book/InvestorsManifesto\nSum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives - by David Eagleman:\nFiction. Awesomely creative think-piece of 40 different short stories of what happens when you die. To be clear: the author is not pretending this is fact! The framework is inspiring for anyone: coming up with 40 different answers to any one question.\nhttp://sivers.org/book/Sum\nThe Talent Code - by Daniel Coyle:\nA great book showing that deep practice - (struggling in certain targeted ways - operating at the edges of your ability, where you make mistakes - experiences where you're forced to slow down, make errors, and correct them) - is what really makes you improve at anything.\nhttp://sivers.org/book/TalentCode\nInfluence - by Robert Cialdini:\nClassic book on the psychology of persuasion. I read it 15 years ago, thought about it ever since, and re-read it now. How to get a 700% improvement in volunteers. How to sell more by doubling your prices. How to make people feel they made a choice, when really you made it for them.\nhttp://sivers.org/book/Influence\nThe Time Paradox - by Philip Zimbardo and John Boyd:\nSee my in-depth article about this book at http://sivers.org/time\nhttp://sivers.org/book/TimeParadox",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anyone with any money to invest (or already invested) please read this book.",
          "reason": "Directly urges anyone with money to invest to read it.",
          "audience": "People with money to invest or already invested.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William J. Bernstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "investing",
        "passive investing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-invisible-life-of-addie-larue-992f4d",
      "title": "The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue",
      "author": "V. E. Schwab",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33851298,
          "author": "duped",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T06:55:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33851298",
          "commentText": "The Invisible Life of Addie Larue.\n(in terms of genre, I guess you'd call it urban fantasy, kind of, but it's really more of a classic fable - in structure, not in story - told in an original way)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Invisible Life of Addie Larue.",
          "reason": "Names it as a favorite read and describes its genre and storytelling style.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is hard to classify, calling it urban fantasy but more like a classic fable in structure.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "V. E. Schwab"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fairy tale retelling",
        "urban fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-invisible-writing-3005f2",
      "title": "The Invisible Writing",
      "author": "Arthur Koestler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12099199,
          "author": "rolancaster01",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T06:01:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12099199",
          "commentText": "Melville \"Bartlby the Scrivener\" & Ramsey \"When We Are No More: how Digital Memory Is Shaping Our Future\"\nDown \"Brilliant Beacons: a History of the American Lighthouse\"\nKoestler \"Darkness Before Noon\" & \"The Invisible Writing\" & \"The Ghost in the Machine\"\nJohn Gardner - anything really but October light and the sunlight dialogs in particular.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Invisible Writing\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur Koestler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "political history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-invisibles-1a22b6",
      "title": "The Invisibles",
      "author": "Grant Morrison",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13804180,
          "author": "metaphorm",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T17:19:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13804180",
          "commentText": "- The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin\n- Blindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts\n- The Tao Te Ching\n- The Gateless Gate (Koun Yamada translation/editing)\n- The Baroque Cycle (Quicksilver, The Confusion, The System of the World) by Neal Stephenson\n- The Invisibles by Grant Morrison\n- Incerto (Fooled by Randomness, The Black Swan, Antifragile, The Bed of Procrustes) by Nassim Nicholas Taleb\n- Iron John by Robert Bly\n- Catch 22 by Joseph Heller\n- The Character of Physical Law by Richard P. Feynman\n- Collected Fictions by Jorge Luis Borges\n- 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez\n- Pharmakon by Dale Pendell\n- The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss\n- Greek Mythology by Edith Hamilton\n- The Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual by Gary Gygax et al\n- Introduction to Algorithms by Charles E. Leiserson, Clifford Stein, Ronald Rivest, and Thomas H. Cormen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Invisibles by Grant Morrison",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed how people think.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Grant Morrison"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic books",
        "conspiracy fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-iron-dragon-s-daughter-93da19",
      "title": "The Iron Dragon's Daughter",
      "author": "Michael Swanwick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6388456,
          "author": "Nekorosu",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T08:16:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6388456",
          "commentText": "Everything from Vernor Vinge is top notch. Start with A Fire Upon the Deep. If you like it read the other two books of the trilogy. It's a space opera by degree of events but it never gets cheesy. The amount of ideas put into these books never cease to amaze me.\nRudy Rucker's Postsingular followed by Hylozoic are great books. It's a rather humorous view on postsingular way of life. It's hard to describe his books and Rucker's writing style is not everyone's cup of tea but William Gibson likes it.\nAlso if you haven't read anything from Michael Swanwick you should give his books a try. It's not strictly science fiction because he likes to slide into more psychedelic and surreal areas of fiction. But I consider that his charm. Start with The Iron Dragon's Daughter.\nI also have to mention Cory Doctorow's Down and Out In the Magic Kingdom. I actually don't really like Doctorow's works. Some of them are boring. But this particular book is an exception and absolutely worth reading. A lot of interesting ideas are in play there including reputation based currency, eternal life (through ability to backup/restore body and memories) and extreme transhumanism.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Start with The Iron Dragon's Daughter.",
          "reason": "Recommends starting with this book when trying Swanwick's work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes Swanwick's fiction can be psychedelic and surreal.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Swanwick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "industrial fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-iron-heel-183f57",
      "title": "The Iron Heel",
      "author": "Jack London",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12245675,
          "author": "SeaDude",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T05:33:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12245675",
          "commentText": "\"Ecotopia\" by: Earnest Callenbach\n\"Self Reliance\" by: Ralph Waldo Emerson\n\"The Iron Heel\" by: Jack (fuckin) London!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Iron Heel\" by: Jack (fuckin) London!",
          "reason": "Named as an answer in a thread asking which books the commenter found amazing enough to give as gifts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jack London"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopian fiction",
        "political fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-irregulars-roald-dahl-and-the-british-spy-ring-in-wartime-was-561dcf",
      "title": "The Irregulars: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington",
      "author": "Jennet Conant",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jennet Conant"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "espionage",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-irresistible-offer-eb3e6c",
      "title": "The Irresistible Offer",
      "author": "Mark Joyner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 193554,
          "author": "donw",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-18T19:50:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 193308,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What books on marketing do you recomend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=193554",
          "commentText": "Some observations:\nIsn't the first title just the first volume of the Calculus textbook used in 'Saw'?\nDoes the second title have errata?\nDoes the third book describe the current political climate in the States?\nIs the fourth book written by the Mafia?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Is the fourth book written by the Mafia?",
          "reason": "Refers to the title in a joke, without evaluating the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 193331,
          "author": "edw519",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-18T12:59:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 193308,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What books on marketing do you recomend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=193331",
          "commentText": "Differentiate or Die\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing\nGetting Everything You Can Out of All You've Got\nThe Irresistable Offer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Irresistable Offer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Joyner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sales",
        "marketing",
        "marketing strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-island-of-the-day-before-a0347f",
      "title": "The Island of the Day Before",
      "author": "Umberto Eco",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5692680,
          "author": "maxerickson",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-12T00:41:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5692680",
          "commentText": "Nobody has suggested Umberto Eco yet.I would try The Island of the Day Before or Baudolino before Foucault's Pendulum.\nAlistair Reynolds is space opera done nicely (if you want to look in that direction). Chasm City stands on its own, but there are some similar works there.\nTwain fits in with some of your other comments.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would try The Island of the Day Before",
          "reason": "Explicitly suggests trying the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Suggests it before Foucault's Pendulum.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797621,
          "author": "aadvaark",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T08:10:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797621",
          "commentText": "And the island of the day before",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "And the island of the day before",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Umberto Eco"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-israel-lobby-and-u-s-foreign-policy-65c5cb",
      "title": "The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy",
      "author": "John J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41176948,
          "author": "mjfl",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T00:16:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41176948",
          "commentText": "The Israel Lobby by John Mearsheimer and Steven Walt. Mearsheimer and Walt give a powerful explanation to the predicament of the United States' seeming unlimited commitment to the State of Israel.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Israel Lobby by John Mearsheimer and Steven Walt. Mearsheimer and Walt give a powerful explanation",
          "reason": "Describes the book as giving a powerful explanation of U.S. commitment to Israel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John J. Mearsheimer",
        "Stephen M. Walt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "israel",
        "lobbying",
        "u s foreign policy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-italians-b9370e",
      "title": "The Italians",
      "author": "Luigi Barzini",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1027668,
          "author": "julius_geezer",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T21:16:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027668",
          "commentText": "Four I had forgotten:\n_Warrenpoint_ by Denis Donoghue. Memoirs of youth, beautifully written.\n_The Great Melody: A Thematic Biography of Edmund Burke_ by Conor Cruise O'Brien.\n_Autobiographies_ by W. B. Yeats. This was I think the first time reading it through, though 25 years ago I read a fair bit in a housemate's copy. There are sentences that you will want to reread to see how he does it. And in the art of payback, Yeats on George Moore makes Hemingway on Fitzgerald/Ford/Stein/etc look amateurish.\n_The Italians_ by Luigi Barzini.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "_The Italians_ by Luigi Barzini.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books enjoyed and recommended.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Luigi Barzini"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "italian culture",
        "national character"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-jagged-orbit-09d3e0",
      "title": "The Jagged Orbit",
      "author": "John Brunner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36021727,
          "author": "atlasunshrugged",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:06:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021727",
          "commentText": "My absolute favorite is Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner, The Jagged Orbit was also excellent. Other than that, of course Snow Crash is a masterpiece, but I think my favorite Stephenson book is The Diamond Age. Another excellent one is Daemon by Daniel Suarez whose books are quite fascinating and look at generally pretty topical plotlines (I was just thinking I have to revisit his book Kill Decision about AI enabled killer drones).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Jagged Orbit was also excellent.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Brunner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopian fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-january-dancer-b65b6b",
      "title": "The January Dancer",
      "author": "Michael Flynn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6900556,
          "author": "jrjarrett",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T14:19:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6900556",
          "commentText": "1. The Ocean at the End Of The Lane - Neil Gaiman\n2. Ancillary Justice - Ann Leckie\n3. The January Dancer/Up Jim River/In The Lion's Mouth/On The Razor's Edge - Michael Flynn\n4. Ghost Spin - Chris Moriarity",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The January Dancer",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list answering which books were best.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Flynn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-jargon-file-90f0af",
      "title": "The Jargon File",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 621374,
          "author": "tjr",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-22T00:37:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621374",
          "commentText": "The various accounts weaved into The Jargon File.  Gave me, early on in my programming life, a pretty good flavor of what being a hacker was really like.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The various accounts weaved into The Jargon File.",
          "reason": "Values its accounts for the insight they gave into hacker life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer history",
        "hacker culture",
        "programming folklore"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-javascript-anthology-0638e0",
      "title": "The JavaScript Anthology",
      "author": "James Edwards and Cameron Adams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1463776,
          "author": "jbail",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-26T15:19:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 1463717,
          "threadTitle": "Need best Javascript books suggestion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1463776",
          "commentText": "The JavaScript Anthology is good. It doesn't focus on the language details a whole lot, but gives tons of hands on examples. My copy is battered pretty bad with coffee spilled all over it. That's a good sign.\nAlso, John Resig (of jQuery fame) wrote an excellent book called Pro JavaScript Techniques. I read it every year. It is a very detailed exploration of the language fundamentals and beyond.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The JavaScript Anthology is good.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly describes the book as good and notes its hands-on examples.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking practical JavaScript examples.",
          "caveat": "It does not focus heavily on language details.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Edwards and Cameron Adams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hands on examples",
        "javascript"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-jazz-theory-book-93a097",
      "title": "The Jazz Theory Book",
      "author": "Mark Levine",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32790369,
          "author": "fuzzmuzzy",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T13:21:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790369",
          "commentText": "The Jazz Theory book - Mark Levine\nHigh Performance Browser Networking - edit: Ilya Grigorik\nEffortless Mastery - Kenny werner",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Jazz Theory book - Mark Levine",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Levine"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "jazz theory",
        "music"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-jefferson-bible-e126fc",
      "title": "The Jefferson Bible",
      "author": "Thomas Jefferson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29815845,
          "author": "oversocialized",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-05T22:16:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29815845",
          "commentText": "I like the Jefferson Bible.  Has Jesus teachings pieced together without all the supernatural.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I like the Jefferson Bible.",
          "reason": "Describes it as an edited collection of Jesus's teachings without supernatural elements.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Presents the book as excluding supernatural material.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 86223,
          "author": "icky",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:37:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86223",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- The Time Machine (still holds up very well, and seems strangely eerie and prescient in places)... (H. G. Wells)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Hobbit (and LotR) (Tolkien)\n- Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n- Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties (I picked up Idoru first, so I haven't yet read Virtual Light) (also Gibson)\n- The Difference Engine (Gibson, Sterling)\n- Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n- Cryptonomicon (\" \")\n- Circuit of Heaven, End of Days (Dennis Danvers)\n- All of the \"Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser\" stories and novels. (Fritz Leiber)\n- The Earthsea trilogy (Ursula K. LeGuin)\n- 'salem's Lot (Stephen King)\n- Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein)\n- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)\n- the Coldfire trilogy (C. S. Friedman)\n- various Cory Doctorow short stories\n- Kamikaze L'Amour (Richard Kadrey)\n- Lightpaths (Howard V. Hendrix)\n- A Canticle For Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)\n- Moonwar, Venus (Ben Bova)\n- the Stainless Steel Rat series (Harry Harrison)\n- Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)\n- Ringworld (Larry Niven)\n- Cthon (Piers Anthony) -- Trippiness level approaching Philip Jose Farmer ;-)\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (Douglas Adams)\n- The Black Company (Glen Cook)\n- there's one particularly good post-cyberpunk series that takes place in a world in which Canada emerged as a major world power, but for the life of me I can't rememeber the title.\n- the 1632 series (Eric Flint)... see also S. M. Stirling's Nantucket series (\"Island in the Sea of Time\", et al.), and H. Beam Piper's novel Kalvan of Otherwhen\nNon-fiction:\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (Hume)\n- the surviving words and works of Epicurus, and Diogenes the Cynic\n- Freakonomics (Levitt, Dubner)\n- The Gay Science (Nietzsche)\n- The Jefferson Bible (Christ, Jefferson (ed.))\n- The Devil's Dictionary (Bierce)\n- Brain Droppings (George Carlin)\n- anything by P. J. O'Rourke\n- anything by Dave Barry",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Jefferson Bible (Christ, Jefferson (ed.))",
          "reason": "Listed under nonfiction in response to the thread’s question about favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Jefferson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "religion",
        "christianity",
        "edited scripture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-jeffersonian-transformation-f02aa2",
      "title": "The Jeffersonian Transformation",
      "author": "Henry Adams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41241541,
          "author": "cafard",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-14T01:02:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41241541",
          "commentText": "NYRB had the wonderful idea of taking the first and last few chapters of Henry Adams's history of the US 1801-1817, and printing them in a form you can slide into a windbreaker's pocket. Look for The Jeffersonian Transformation. For that matter NYRB's War and the Iliad is excellent brief reading, though I say less for Simone Weil's famous essay that for Rachel Bespaloff's \"On the Iliad\" and Herman Broch's \"The Style of the Mythical Age\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Look for The Jeffersonian Transformation.",
          "reason": "Recommends this pocket-sized selection from Adams's history of the US, 1801–1817.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for brief reading that fits in a pocket.",
          "caveat": "It contains selected chapters rather than the full history.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Henry Adams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "early american history",
        "thomas jefferson"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-jesus-storybook-bible-abb2e3",
      "title": "The Jesus Storybook Bible",
      "author": "Sally Lloyd-Jones",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14479953,
          "author": "cconcepts",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-04T04:57:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14479953",
          "commentText": "Personally, because a thorough understanding of the Bible shows that its teaching is quite different to what is often portrayed in media and in the assumptions of people like myself who had not previously read it.\nYou can take many individual parts of the Bible out of context and make it sound like madness but reading the whole in its entirety has a narrative that many miss.\nFor those raised on the internet and faster gratification (like me), try The Jesus Storybook Bible which I personally think is a great effort at paraphrasing the original.\nEDIT: clarity",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "try The Jesus Storybook Bible which I personally think is a great effort at paraphrasing the original.",
          "reason": "Recommends this as a paraphrase of the Bible.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sally Lloyd-Jones"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bible paraphrase",
        "christianity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-johnstown-flood-e0d324",
      "title": "The Johnstown Flood",
      "author": "David McCullough",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18744369,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T04:11:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744369",
          "commentText": "* The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCullough\n* Higher: A Historic Race to the Sky and the Making of a City by Neal Bascomb\n* Caesar’s Last Breath: Decoding the Secrets of the Air Around Us by Sam Kean\n* Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari\n* A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts by Andrew Chaikin\n* The Actor’s Life: A survival guide by Jenna Fischer\n* The Interstellar Age: The Story of the NASA Men and Women Who Flew the Forty-Year Voyager Mission by Jim Bell\n* The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance by David Epstein\n* Uncommon People: The Rise and Fall of the Rock Stars 1955-1994 by David Hepworth\n* Chasing Space: An Astronaut's Story of Grit, Grace, & Second Chances by Leland Melvin\n* The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough\n* Jefferson: Architect of American Liberty by John B. Boles",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite nonfiction book read in 2018.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David McCullough"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american history",
        "natural disasters"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-journeyer-a9fe24",
      "title": "The Journeyer",
      "author": "Gary Jennings",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9351418,
          "author": "jilted",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T22:17:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9351418",
          "commentText": "Nick Cave - And the Ass Saw the Angel\nGary Jennings - Aztec\nGary Jennings - The Journeyor",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gary Jennings - The Journeyor",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed one's perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gary Jennings"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "marco polo"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-joy-of-c-2eeabf",
      "title": "The Joy of C",
      "author": "Lawrence H. Miller and Alexander E. Quilici",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28663628,
          "author": "macando",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-26T19:07:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 28659636,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best programming book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28663628",
          "commentText": "Most influential - Clean Code and The Joy of C (the first programming book I've read)\nMost informative - Effective Java\nFunniest - Learn You a Haskell for Great Good!\nBest written - Eloquent Ruby\nMost useful - Data Modeling Essentials",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Joy of C (the first programming book I've read)",
          "reason": "Listed as the first programming book the commenter read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lawrence H. Miller",
        "Alexander E. Quilici"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-joy-of-clojure-6967c2",
      "title": "The Joy of Clojure",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467644,
          "author": "dustingetz",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:46:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467644",
          "commentText": "Joy of Clojure https://www.manning.com/books/the-joy-of-clojure-second-edit... (https://www.manning.com/books/the-joy-of-clojure-second-edition)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Joy of Clojure",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "clojure",
        "functional programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-joy-of-clojure-26b1fd",
      "title": "The Joy of Clojure",
      "author": "Michael Fogus, Chris Houser",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1973612,
          "author": "trptcolin",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T02:46:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1973612",
          "commentText": "The Joy of Clojure - Michael Fogus and Chris Houser (http://www.manning.com/fogus/) Riveting look at the language and functional programming - covers edge cases, gives lots of idiomatic examples, and goes deep into the really interesting parts.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Riveting look at the language and functional programming",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as riveting and praises its idiomatic examples and depth.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Fogus, Chris Houser"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "clojure",
        "functional programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-joy-of-living-unlocking-the-science-of-happiness-35b21d",
      "title": "The Joy of Living: Unlocking the Science of Happiness",
      "author": "Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13256904,
          "author": "cloverich",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-26T04:19:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13256904",
          "commentText": "Congratulations on head-on tackling such a tough problem! I wish you the best of luck as I\"m sure it is not easy. Wanted to comment -- I'm not sure the extent to which this will be useful or relevant (so forgive me if its misplaced). I was interested in meditation (and to some smaller extent, buddhism). This book is short and generally well written from a buddhist perspective but may be of particular interest because the author previously suffered from panic attacks and believe's his use of meditation allowed him to control them: https://www.amazon.com/Joy-Living-Unlocking-Science-Happines... (https://www.amazon.com/Joy-Living-Unlocking-Science-Happiness-ebook/dp/B000OI0G6G/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1482725830&sr=1-2&keywords=joyful+living)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book is short and generally well written from a buddhist perspective",
          "reason": "Describes the book as short and generally well written, and suggests it may interest someone curious about meditation.",
          "audience": "People interested in meditation or Buddhism, especially those curious about panic attacks.",
          "caveat": "The author says the recommendation may not be useful or relevant.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhism",
        "meditation",
        "panic attacks"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-joy-of-x-a-guided-tour-of-mathematics-from-one-to-infinity-602089",
      "title": "The Joy of X: A Guided Tour of Mathematics, from One to Infinity",
      "author": "Steven Strogatz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4968440,
          "author": "swatkat",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T06:43:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4968440",
          "commentText": "'The Joy of X: A Guided Tour of Mathematics, from One to Infinity' by Steven Strogatz. http://www.flipkart.com/joy-x-1848878443/p/itmdekzuwjwwngfz?... (http://www.flipkart.com/joy-x-1848878443/p/itmdekzuwjwwngfz?pid=9781848878440)\n'Anything You Want: 40 Lessons For A New Kind Of Entrepreneur' by Derek Sivers. http://www.flipkart.com/anything-you-want-1936719118/p/itmdy... (http://www.flipkart.com/anything-you-want-1936719118/p/itmdynfvqes6fdbd?pid=9781936719112)\n'Jugari Cross' by Poornachandra Tejaswi; an amazing thriller novel that takes place in real-time. http://www.flipkart.com/jugari-cross/p/itmd7gdp6xvushkd?pid=... (http://www.flipkart.com/jugari-cross/p/itmd7gdp6xvushkd?pid=RBKD7GDPGERXMG4T)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Joy of X: A Guided Tour of Mathematics, from One to Infinity' by Steven Strogatz.",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about the best books read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Strogatz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "popular mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-joy-of-x-3030d5",
      "title": "The Joy of x",
      "author": "Steven Strogatz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31489198,
          "author": "rg111",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T07:49:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31489198",
          "commentText": "- Linear Algebra: Gilbert Strang videos + book\n- Calculus and basics of Analysis: Spivak\n- Group Theory: Visual Group Theory\n- Complex Analysis: Visual Complex Analysis\n- Writing proofs: Proofs: A Long Form Textbook by Jay Cummings\n- Abstract Algebra: Dummit-Foote book. First few chapters if you like.\n___\nPop-Sci:\n1. The Joy of X by Steven Strogatz\n2. Fermat's Enigma by Simon Singh\n(All this books except AA are very highly recommended by me)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Joy of X by Steven Strogatz",
          "reason": "Listed among pop-science recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Identified as pop-sci.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Strogatz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "popular mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-jungle-book-d58406",
      "title": "The Jungle Book",
      "author": "Rudyard Kipling",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20915799,
          "author": "NeedMoreTea",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T06:53:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20915799",
          "commentText": "The Phantom Rickshaw and other Eerie Tales, Rudyard Kipling. This is the one that includes \"The Man Who Would be King\" that's a fairly well known film with Sean Connery and Michael Caine.\nHis other short story books, such as The Jungle Book and Just So Stories - so much better than the Disney.\nThe Time Machine and other Stories, H G Wells.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His other short story books, such as The Jungle Book and Just So Stories - so much better than the Disney.",
          "reason": "Praises Kipling's books in comparison with Disney adaptations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comparison is specifically with Disney adaptations.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rudyard Kipling"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-key-to-the-universe-d88d23",
      "title": "The Key to the Universe",
      "author": "Nigel Calder",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12417361,
          "author": "mathsciencekid",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-03T02:04:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12417361",
          "commentText": "I grew up in a single-parent household back in the 70's before computers and\nstartups were the thing they are now and although my mom was an uneducated immigrant,\nI was fortunate to grow up in the bay area and get an education at a good public school\nwhere my teachers introduced me to\n  Harold Jacobs's \"Geometry\"\n  Nietziche's \"Thus Spoke Zarathustra\"\n  Freeman Dyson's \"Disturbing The Universe\"\n  Nigel Calder's \"The Key to the Universe\"\n  Jacob Bronowski's \"The Ascent of Man\"\n  Douglas Hofstadter's \"Gödel, Escher, Bach\"\n\nI especially loved spending time in the library, reading OMNI magazine, Scientific American \nmagazine (especially Martin Gardner's column) and the stories of Issac Asimov and Larry Niven.\nThose authors made me want to go to college and learn from people like them - people capable\nof thinking big ideas about science and civilization - and while none of those books ever \nhelped me raise money or start a business, they did help me help me overcome my personal \nfeelings of inadequacy from having come from a poor family and eventually become accepted \ninto a technical community which appreciated an ability to think and ask questions.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nigel Calder's \"The Key to the Universe\"",
          "reason": "Names it among books that helped inspire the commenter to pursue education and big ideas.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in science and civilization.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nigel Calder"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "astronomy",
        "cosmology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-killer-angels-dcbe83",
      "title": "The Killer Angels",
      "author": "Michael Shaara",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1865899,
          "author": "jsackmann",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T18:38:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865899",
          "commentText": "Yep, I love that one too.\nIn case you (or others) don't know, the movie Gettysburg is based on The Killer Angels, with the same focus on Lee and Chamberlain.  It's very long, but good -- much was filmed on site, and Pickett's Charge is done in real-time.  Harrowing stuff.\nAlso, let me plug the battlefield itself -- I just visited a couple of weekends ago for the first time as an adult.  If you've read about it or seen the movie, it's a fantastic place to see.  Unlike some Civil War battlefields, standing there really makes it clear -- you can look down from the top of Little Round Top, and you can look across the field of Pickett's Charge from both directions.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "the movie Gettysburg is based on The Killer Angels",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865794,
          "author": "scottkrager",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T18:16:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865794",
          "commentText": "Great book! I used to love story format non-fiction books, and \"The Killer Angels\" was one of my favorites. Also, check out \"The Longest Day\" by Cornelius Ryan (D-Day) and my favorite one of his, \"A Bridge Too Far\" (about largest airborne operation in WWII). Just don't watch the movies!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Killer Angels\" was one of my favorites.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of their favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Shaara"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american civil war",
        "historical fiction",
        "historical novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-kindly-ones-7791e7",
      "title": "The Kindly Ones",
      "author": "Jonathan Littell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40885005,
          "author": "moribvndvs",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-05T18:38:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40885005",
          "commentText": "The Kindly Ones by Jonathan Littell. It’s an incredibly well researched historical fiction that explores bureaucracy and the darkness of human nature, particularly how intelligent, capable, ordinary, and deeply flawed people can be swept up into genocide and hypocrisy vis-à-vis the Holocaust.\nIt is revolting, offensive, sepulchral, demoralizing, profoundly human, and a cascade of other powerful emotions I couldn’t even name, all at the same time. During my first read through, I recall being angry and disgusted by it at several points. It would weigh heavy on my mind even days after I had set it down, and a few times I would be unable to help but sob uncontrollably at work, the gym, supermarket, etc. I went through a long stretch of deep depression after reading it. Ultimately, it triggered a long examination of some of my values, how I perceived and treated others, and some of the negative influences in my life, and lead to a lot of positive changes. Later read throughs felt much more profound and even beautiful.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Kindly Ones by Jonathan Littell.",
          "reason": "Describes its exploration of bureaucracy and how ordinary people can be swept into genocide and hypocrisy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes the book as revolting, offensive, and demoralizing, and reports a prolonged period of deep depression after reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Littell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "holocaust",
        "perpetrators"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-king-james-bible-a3fb94",
      "title": "The King James Bible",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50119414,
          "author": "NishanStepak",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T15:13:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50119414",
          "commentText": "Frank Herbert Dune, book, there is a graphic novel of the latest edition which I glanced through.\nMachiavelli The Prince\nSun Tzu The Art of War\nEpictetus The Enchiridion\nTao Te Ching- different editions\nThe Odyssey in variety of formats, illustrated, graphic novel, book\nThe King James Bible-- Different pieces at various points. Proverbs many times.\nLewis Carroll-- Alices Adventures In Wonderland, book, annotated edition",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The King James Bible-- Different pieces at various points.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes reading different sections at various times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter specifies reading selected sections, including Proverbs.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian scripture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-king-s-english-142e01",
      "title": "The King's English",
      "author": "Henry Watson Fowler, Francis George Fowler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32346130,
          "author": "sleepydog",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-04T17:56:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32346130",
          "commentText": "The King’s English by Henry and Francis Fowler",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The King’s English by Henry and Francis Fowler",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Henry Watson Fowler",
        "Francis George Fowler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "english usage",
        "style guide"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-king-s-traitor-0c2d0a",
      "title": "The King's Traitor",
      "author": "Jeff Wheeler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237020,
          "author": "Jemaclus",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:13:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237020",
          "commentText": "I keep an active list of books I've read, along with my reviews at my book review website, https://books.brianseitel.com. One of the benefits of this is that my favorite books automatically populate on the left. In 2016, I read over 60 books. My top 10 for 2016 (so far) are, in rough order of favorite-ness:\n- \"All the Birds in the Sky\" by Charlie Jane Anders\n- \"The Shards of Heaven\" and its sequel \"The Gates of Hell\" by Michael Livingston (fictional story set in Roman times)\n- \"The Last Breath\" by Charlie Magee\n- \"The Guns of Empire\" by Django Wexler (Book 4 of The Shadow Campaigns series, which I highly recommend)\n- \"The King's Traitor\" by Jeff Wheeler (original take on Arthurian legend)\n- \"Uprooted\" by Naomi Novik\n- \"End Game\" by Lindsay Buroker (Book 8 of her sci-fi series, The Fallen Empire, which is a pretty fun series overall. Short and sweet adventures.)\n- \"Soulblade\" by Lindsay Buroker (Book 8 of her fantasy series, Dragon Blood, which is another great series. All of Buroker's books are good, imo.)\n- \"Ghost Talkers\" by Mary Robinette Kowal (It's WWII, ghosts are real... and they're spies.)\nThis year I also read books 1-3 of The Expanse, and I think they would also be in this list, except I haven't reviewed them yet. I'm currently reading Book 4, with the recently published book, Babylon's Ashes, in the queue. I fully expect these to make it into the top 10.\nObviously, I enjoy sci-fi / fantasy the most, but across a wide range of sub-genres. For non-sci-fi, my top read was \"I Will Teach You To Be Rich\" by Ramit Sethi, which really changed the way I organize my finances.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My top 10 for 2016 (so far) are, in rough order of favorite-ness:",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's top books of the year, ranked by preference.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as an original take on Arthurian legend.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeff Wheeler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "arthurian fantasy",
        "legend retelling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-kingdom-4dc047",
      "title": "The Kingdom",
      "author": "Emmanuel Carrère",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36104903,
          "author": "colechristensen",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T15:32:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36104903",
          "commentText": "Christianity:\nThe Swerve - Greenblatt\nThe Kingdom - Carrére\nBoth very much in the sense of historical development of the religion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Kingdom - Carrére",
          "reason": "Listed as a book on the historical development of Christianity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Emmanuel Carrère"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christianity",
        "religious history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-kings-depart-the-tragedy-of-germany-versailles-and-the-german-48032a",
      "title": "The Kings Depart: The Tragedy of Germany—Versailles and the German Revolution",
      "author": "Richard M. Watt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9350898,
          "author": "pbiggar",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T20:44:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350898",
          "commentText": "Try \"the kings depart: The Tragedy of Germany - Versailles and the German Revolution\" - http://www.amazon.com/The-Kings-Depart-Versailles-Revolution... (http://www.amazon.com/The-Kings-Depart-Versailles-Revolution/dp/184212658X)\nAlso, if you like podcasts, try Hardcore History - http://www.dancarlin.com/hardcore-history-series. There's a 5 part Series on WW1 called \"Blueprint for armageddon\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Try \"the kings depart: The Tragedy of Germany - Versailles and the German Revolution\"",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to a request for history book recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in World War I and German history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard M. Watt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "german revolution",
        "germany",
        "treaty of versailles"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-kite-runner-f84ec2",
      "title": "The Kite Runner",
      "author": "Khaled Hosseini",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15642103,
          "author": "tcx",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-07T10:00:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15642103",
          "commentText": "Jared Diamond - \"Collapse: how societies choose to fail or succeed\" (non-fiction)\nIván Repila - \"The Boy Who Stole Attila’s Horse\": short intense novel about 2 boys who are trapped in a well\nMargaret Atwood - \"The handmaid's tale\"\nKhaled Hosseini - \"The kite runner\"\nAgatha Christie - \"The murder of Roger Ackroyd\" (very surprising plot)\nAndy Weir - \"The Martian\"\nCharles Dickens - \"David Copperfield\"\nClare Mackintosh - \"I let you go\"\nCarlos Ruiz Zafón - \"The Shadow of the Wind\"\nM.R. Carey - \"The girl with all the gifts\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Khaled Hosseini - \"The kite runner\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1974467,
          "author": "_b8r0",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T08:18:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974467",
          "commentText": "It's a toss up for me between Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.\nEnder's Game is one of those books I never got round to reading and I thought it was incredible what they put that boy through. I got the main twist a bit earlier than I should've done but it was such a good story that it didn't affect me too much. I loved the manipulation of political debate by the other children, it reminded me of Fox news for some reason.\nA Thousand Splendid Suns is the tale of two Afghan women, one in Kabul and one from outside. It's incredible, harrowing and keeps you in a vice-like grip from start to finish. I loved it so much I bought a copy for my Mother in Law as I kept raving about it. If you liked the Kite Runner then you'll love this (it's by the same author).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "If you liked the Kite Runner then you'll love this (it's by the same author).",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Khaled Hosseini"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "afghanistan",
        "family",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-knack-945801",
      "title": "The Knack",
      "author": "Norm Brodsky, Bo Burlingham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1971251,
          "author": "loganfrederick",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T08:41:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971251",
          "commentText": "+ Hacker Ethic by Steven Levy\n+ Masters of Doom by David Kushner\n+ The Millionaire Mind by Dr. Thomas Stanley\n+ The Intelligent Investor by Ben Graham\n+ The Essays of Warren Buffet by Lawrence Cunningham\n+ Buffet by Roger Lowenstein\n+ The Knack by Norm Brodsky\n+ Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar by Thomas Cathcart, Daniel Klein\n+ The Return of the Great Depression by Vox Day\n+ Capitalism and Freedom by Milton Friedman\n+ Road to Serfdom by Hayek\n+ Iacocca:An Autobiography by Lee Iacocca",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Knack by Norm Brodsky",
          "reason": "Listed as a book to give the commenter's younger self.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Norm Brodsky, Bo Burlingham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "small business"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-know-it-all-f1b108",
      "title": "The Know-It-All",
      "author": "A. J. Jacobs",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46697452,
          "author": "vunderba",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-20T20:38:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46690957,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What non-fiction do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46697452",
          "commentText": "Totally agree. If you like this style of memoir + deep subject dive, I also highly recommend anything by A.J. Jacobs - his \"Year of Living Biblically\", and \"The Know-It-All\" are great reads in the same vein.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Know-It-All\"",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as a great read in the same vein as memoirs with a deep subject dive.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy memoirs combined with a deep subject dive.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "A. J. Jacobs"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "encyclopedias",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-knowledge-0cee78",
      "title": "The Knowledge",
      "author": "Lewis Dartnell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13567482,
          "author": "secfirstmd",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T16:19:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567482",
          "commentText": "You might also like \"The Knowledge\" by Dr Lewis Dartnell.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You might also like \"The Knowledge\" by Dr Lewis Dartnell.",
          "reason": "The commenter suggests the book to someone in the surrounding discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lewis Dartnell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "civilization recovery",
        "practical science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-kreutzer-sonata-e4f59c",
      "title": "The Kreutzer Sonata",
      "author": "Leo Tolstoy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25532522,
          "author": "LordNight",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T23:24:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25532522",
          "commentText": "Although I am an avid reader and have been reading on average 1 or 2 books each week for the past 15 years, I don't think I've ever read a book than \"changed my life\". Looking back, I think the most impactfull book for me was The Art of Loving (1956) by Erich Fromm because it opened up  a world of psychology and psychoanalysis and significantly altered my view on how humans think.\nAmong the classic fiction the best so far were: T. Dreiser - The Bulwark, S. Maugham - Of Human Bondage, L. Tolstoy - The Kreutzer Sonata and E. Zola - l'Oeuvre & Germinal.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "L. Tolstoy - The Kreutzer Sonata",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorite classic fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leo Tolstoy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "novella",
        "russian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-kundalini-equation-8e5253",
      "title": "The Kundalini Equation",
      "author": "Steven Barnes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17536533,
          "author": "physicsyogi",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:12:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536533",
          "commentText": "Cryptonomicon and Snow Crash were great. Others you might:\n- The Story of Your Life by Ted Chiang (superb short story that Arrival was based on)\n- The Three Body-Problem (Cixin Liu)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Parable of the Sower (Octavia Butler)\n- Lucifer's Hammer (Larry Niven)\n- The Kundalini Equation (Steven Barnes)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Kundalini Equation (Steven Barnes)",
          "reason": "Listed as a suggestion in response to the request for fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Barnes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biotechnology",
        "thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-l-a-quartet-1b6540",
      "title": "The L.A. Quartet",
      "author": "James Ellroy",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10786010,
          "author": "1812Overture",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T22:18:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786010",
          "commentText": "Dune by Frank Herbert- I'm one of the few people on Earth who enjoys the David Lynch adaptation so I finally had to get around to reading the book. Kind of awkward stylistically and structurally but a lot of fun.\nDevelopment as Freedom by Amartya Sen - It's seemed to me that there are political philosophies that focus on economic needs and those that focus on personal freedom. This is the best I've read at uniting those concepts.\nSurely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! - A blast to read and great insight into the thinking of a great mind.\nThe LA Quartet by James Ellroy (The Black Dahlia, The Big Nowhere, LA Confidential, White Jazz) - Really the pinnacle of dark gritty noir. If you like that I can't recommend highly enough.\nThe Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett - I like a lot of Hammett's other work but this seemed to have a lot of wheel spinning.\nCity of Quartz by Mike Davis - As an Angeleno this gave me so much insight into the city I love. I have no idea if it would be of any interest to an outsider.\nAntifragile by Nassim Taleb - Nassim Taleb is great and I've definitely been influenced a lot by his ideas, but he's getting too in love with the smell of his own farts.\nVarious books/textbooks on programming and databases - Nothing thrilling in this category. Gotta eat your vegetables.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Really the pinnacle of dark gritty noir. If you like that I can't recommend highly enough.",
          "reason": "Calls the series the pinnacle of gritty noir and strongly recommends it to readers who like the genre.",
          "audience": "Readers who like dark, gritty noir",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Ellroy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crime fiction",
        "noir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-lady-tasting-tea-84127e",
      "title": "The Lady Tasting Tea",
      "author": "David Salsburg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33807653,
          "author": "muggermuch",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-30T21:03:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 33797862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you a better thinker and problem solver?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33807653",
          "commentText": "1. I would fiercely recommend reading “An Engine, Not A Camera” (Donald MacKenzie). Formally, it reads as a sociological study of the practice of finance - how financial markets shape society instead of simply capturing its needs and desires at large. More importantly, however, it made me think deeper on questions about fields of study that are (were?) distant and to question assumptions: a lot of ideas that we take for granted as absolute truths are simply consensus-derived and have no objective reality.\n2. On a similar theme, “The Lady Tasting Tea” (David Salsburg) was a wonderful history of the development of statistics as a mathematical discipline. I found it absolutely fascinating to map out how individual personalities were buffeted and shaped by larger historical events and movements (e.g. eugenics in the late 19th century, WW2, the rise of the Soviet Union, etc.) into asking questions of data that propelled statistics forward. Disciplines we think of as being “hard” (math, CS, statistics, physics) have been shaped by social forces in a non-linear non-Hegelian fashion, in fits and starts, quite contrary to the way they are presented in a pedagogical setting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“The Lady Tasting Tea” (David Salsburg) was a wonderful history of the development of statistics as a mathematical discipline.",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed its account of how people and historical events shaped the development of statistics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Salsburg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of statistics",
        "statistics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-lady-and-the-monk-e60bb8",
      "title": "The Lady and the Monk",
      "author": "Pico Iyer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49902719,
          "author": "kaypro",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T00:19:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49902719",
          "commentText": "Just finished “Every Man Dies Alone” by Hans Fallada and now half way through “The Lady and the Monk” by Pico Iyer. Both recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“The Lady and the Monk” by Pico Iyer. Both recommended.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends both named books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pico Iyer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "japan",
        "travel writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-land-of-laughs-57646d",
      "title": "The Land of Laughs",
      "author": "Jonathan Carroll",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15630226,
          "author": "Stenzel",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:53:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630226",
          "commentText": "The Land of Laughs\nDebut novel and masterpiece of Jonathan Carroll.\nI need to read this regularly to readjust my antennae, otherwise I might become a complete jerk. Yes, I know this doesn't make any sense.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Land of Laughs\nDebut novel and masterpiece of Jonathan Carroll.",
          "reason": "Calls it a masterpiece and says they reread it regularly to recalibrate their outlook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Carroll"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-language-instinct-how-the-mind-creates-language-22195a",
      "title": "The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language",
      "author": "Steven Pinker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804894,
          "author": "knzhou",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:29:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804894",
          "commentText": "I try to only read books that are at least a few years old, so these aren’t timely recommendations.\nOn the list for next year:\nThe Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language\nEssays of Montaign\nWhy Zebras Don't Get Ulcers\nHigher Speculations: Grand Theories and Failed Revolutions in Physics and Cosmology\nThe Enigma of Reason\nSurfing Uncertainty: Prediction, Action, and the Embodied Mind\nImpro\nDeng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China\nInvisible Cities\nCollapse of Complex Societies\n--\nFavorites from this year:\nDeath's End\nOne Man's Meat\nLife Ascending: The Ten Great Inventions of Evolution\nA Primate's Memoir: A Neuroscientist's Unconventional Life Among the Baboons\nDo No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery\nCosmicomics\nWhy Quark Rhymes with Pork\nThe Unfolding of Language\nA Sand County Almanac",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language",
          "reason": "Listed among books planned for next year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Pinker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "language",
        "linguistics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-language-of-emotions-e32884",
      "title": "The Language of Emotions",
      "author": "Karla McLaren",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37167762,
          "author": "in9",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T20:43:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37167762",
          "commentText": "I'm reading a couple of books that I think are worth mentioning:\n- The Long Game: been thinking a lot about how to long term plan, stick to it and revise when needed. I think this book has been helpfull in those reflections.\n- The Complete Investor: just to keep thinking and working on wealth creation, I've been reading this one.\n- The Language of Emotions: this one came from Kent Beck's blog. The first half is not something I might ever use (contracts, etc...) but the second part, when it develops each emotion, is nice.\n- Taking the Work Out of Networking: I need to make more connections :D And I think this readining will help me out a bit and freshen perspectives on how to build those. The Long Game also has some synergy with this one.\nAlso, inspired by Jared Henderson lastest video on Stoicism, I've been meaning to read Lessons in Stoicism and a bit of Seneca + Epictetus (no Marcus Aurelius for now, Jared's view conviced me to keep this one for later).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Language of Emotions: this one came from Kent Beck's blog. The first half is not something I might ever use (contracts, etc...) but the second part, when it develops each emotion, is nice.",
          "reason": "Finds the sections developing each emotion useful, though not the first half.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The first half is not something they expect to use.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Karla McLaren"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "emotional awareness",
        "emotions"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-language-of-life-dna-and-the-revolution-in-personalized-medic-805745",
      "title": "The Language of Life: DNA and the Revolution in Personalized Medicine",
      "author": "Francis S. Collins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1569162,
          "author": "namin",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:31:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569162",
          "commentText": "Some books I've read this summer, which I can recommend:\n- The Facebook Effect -- well-written insider's account of the history of Facebook and its ambitions.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Facebook-Effect-Inside-Company-Connect... (http://www.amazon.com/Facebook-Effect-Inside-Company-Connecting/dp/1439102112)\n- The Quantum Enigma -- an accessible digest of quantum mechanics and its philosophical consequences.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Enigma-Physics-Encounters-Cons... (http://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Enigma-Physics-Encounters-Consciousness/dp/019534250X/)\n- Flesh & Machines -- a lightweight history of robotics and some wacky speculations by MIT's Rodney Brooks.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Flesh-Machines-Robots-Will-Change/dp/0... (http://www.amazon.com/Flesh-Machines-Robots-Will-Change/dp/0375420797)\n- The Language of Life: DNA and the Revolution of Personalized Medecine -- a well-backed account of what is or will be possible in medicine thanks to a better understanding of the genome and increase use of DNA sequencing for prevention, diagnostic, and treatment.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Language-Life-Revolution-Personalized-... (http://www.amazon.com/Language-Life-Revolution-Personalized-Medicine/dp/0061733180/)\n- ... by David Sedaris -- Funny short stories. Perhaps The Santaland Diaries for something light but really amusing, and When You Are Engulfed in Flames for something darker and more well-known. Also, if you like short stories, I heartily recommend Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules, a varied collection of short stories selected by Sedaris.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/David-Sedaris/e/B000AQ3YUW/\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0349119759\nhttp://www.amazon.com/When-You-Are-Engulfed-Flames/dp/031615... (http://www.amazon.com/When-You-Are-Engulfed-Flames/dp/0316154687/)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Children-Playing-Before-Statue-Hercule... (http://www.amazon.com/Children-Playing-Before-Statue-Hercules/dp/074327394X/)\n- Dreams of My Father -- Barack Obama writes candidly and beautifully about his childhood and early adulthood; it's not a political book, and it's worth reading for the writing alone.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Dreams-My-Father-Story-Inheritance/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Dreams-My-Father-Story-Inheritance/dp/1400082773/)\n- Mathematics: The Loss of Certainty: a chatty history of mathematics, and its perception.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Loss-Certainty-Galaxy-Book... (http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Loss-Certainty-Galaxy-Books/dp/0195030850)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Language of Life: DNA and the Revolution of Personalized Medecine -- a well-backed account of what is or will be possible in medicine thanks to a better understanding of the genome and increase use of DNA sequencing for prevention, diagnostic, and treatment.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a well-supported account of genomics and personalized medicine.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Francis S. Collins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dna sequencing",
        "genomics",
        "personalized medicine"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-languages-of-pao-67944d",
      "title": "The Languages of Pao",
      "author": "Jack Vance",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2526710,
          "author": "Luyt",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-08T20:54:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 2526568,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2526710",
          "commentText": "In the Scifi category, I'd recommend \"The Languages of Pao\" [1] by Jack Vance, which is inspired by the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis [2]. I've re-read it five times now, which means this book deserves the space it occupies in my bookshelf. Books that are only worth to be read once, you might as well throw away.\n[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Languages_of_Pao\n[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sapir%E2%80%93Whorf_hypothesis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend \"The Languages of Pao\"",
          "reason": "Recommends the novel and says its repeated rereading makes it worth keeping.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in science fiction and the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says books worth reading only once might as well be thrown away.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jack Vance"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "linguistic relativity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-last-answer-197552",
      "title": "The Last Answer",
      "author": "Isaac Asimov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 141152,
          "author": "rms",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T21:29:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=141152",
          "commentText": "I like \"The Last Answer\" also. It says a lot about Asimov's religious views. My first exposure to Asimov short stories was Robot Dreams which has both The Last Question and The Last Answer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I like \"The Last Answer\" also.",
          "reason": "Explicitly says they like the story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 140970,
          "author": "zeantsoi",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T17:31:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140970",
          "commentText": "I had always confused \"The Last Question\" with another Asimov work... \"The Last Answer\".\nI had first read TLQ many years ago, and had recently tried to find the story online, only to come across TLA. As hard as I tried, I couldn't come across the original story about the Multi-Vac (which, of course, is TLQ). I became briefly convinced that I had never actually read TLQ, but had made the story up in my head... until I read this post. Turns out I'm not actually genius. Kudos!\nhttp://destructionoverdrive.blogspot.com/2005/06/last-answer... (http://destructionoverdrive.blogspot.com/2005/06/last-answer-by-isaac-asimov.html)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "another Asimov work... \"The Last Answer\"",
          "reason": "Mentions the story while describing a past confusion about which Asimov work they had read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isaac Asimov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-last-breath-4c53f1",
      "title": "The Last Breath",
      "author": "Charlie Magee",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237020,
          "author": "Jemaclus",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:13:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237020",
          "commentText": "I keep an active list of books I've read, along with my reviews at my book review website, https://books.brianseitel.com. One of the benefits of this is that my favorite books automatically populate on the left. In 2016, I read over 60 books. My top 10 for 2016 (so far) are, in rough order of favorite-ness:\n- \"All the Birds in the Sky\" by Charlie Jane Anders\n- \"The Shards of Heaven\" and its sequel \"The Gates of Hell\" by Michael Livingston (fictional story set in Roman times)\n- \"The Last Breath\" by Charlie Magee\n- \"The Guns of Empire\" by Django Wexler (Book 4 of The Shadow Campaigns series, which I highly recommend)\n- \"The King's Traitor\" by Jeff Wheeler (original take on Arthurian legend)\n- \"Uprooted\" by Naomi Novik\n- \"End Game\" by Lindsay Buroker (Book 8 of her sci-fi series, The Fallen Empire, which is a pretty fun series overall. Short and sweet adventures.)\n- \"Soulblade\" by Lindsay Buroker (Book 8 of her fantasy series, Dragon Blood, which is another great series. All of Buroker's books are good, imo.)\n- \"Ghost Talkers\" by Mary Robinette Kowal (It's WWII, ghosts are real... and they're spies.)\nThis year I also read books 1-3 of The Expanse, and I think they would also be in this list, except I haven't reviewed them yet. I'm currently reading Book 4, with the recently published book, Babylon's Ashes, in the queue. I fully expect these to make it into the top 10.\nObviously, I enjoy sci-fi / fantasy the most, but across a wide range of sub-genres. For non-sci-fi, my top read was \"I Will Teach You To Be Rich\" by Ramit Sethi, which really changed the way I organize my finances.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My top 10 for 2016 (so far) are, in rough order of favorite-ness:",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's top books of the year, ranked by preference.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charlie Magee"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-last-continent-21daa0",
      "title": "The Last Continent",
      "author": "Terry Pratchett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3643442,
          "author": "railsmax",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-28T15:24:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 3643009,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-technical book you've read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3643442",
          "commentText": "Terry Pratchet 'The last continent', but it is 22-nd book of a serie 'flat world'. You should start from the begining. It's a really funny fantasy, and easy to read.\nAnother variant is 'Rework', authored 'DHH' for example - it is easy to read and usefully! Have a great vocation :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Terry Pratchet 'The last continent'",
          "reason": "Recommends it as funny fantasy that is easy to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It is the 22nd book in the series; the commenter advises starting at the beginning.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry Pratchett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fantasy",
        "discworld"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-last-dancer-e3d66f",
      "title": "The Last Dancer",
      "author": "Daniel Keys Moran",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36021681,
          "author": "whartung",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:01:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021681",
          "commentText": "Daniel Keys Moran\n  + Emerald Eyes\n  + The Long Run\n  + The Last Dancer\n\nI don’t reread books as a rule, but I’ve reread these, and TLR at least five times.\nI can rattle of an endless list of authors I like, but by organic evidence of “favorites” these stand out.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Last Dancer",
          "reason": "Listed among the author's favorites; the commenter says they have reread these books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Keys Moran"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyberpunk"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-last-days-of-night-a02e50",
      "title": "The Last Days of Night",
      "author": "Graham Moore",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12474630,
          "author": "blakesterz",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T17:55:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12474630",
          "commentText": "The Last Days Of Night - Graham Moore - It's historical fiction about Westinghouse, Bell, Edison and Tesla and the fight for the light bulb and electricity. Fast fun read and rather interesting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fast fun read and rather interesting.",
          "reason": "Calls it a fast, fun read and rather interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Graham Moore"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "history of electricity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-last-days-of-the-incas-35a34b",
      "title": "The Last Days of the Incas",
      "author": "Kim MacQuarrie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41769414,
          "author": "cambaceres",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-07T18:39:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41769414",
          "commentText": "I read The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and Les Misérables by Victor Hugo and I loved both of them, can recommend.\nSeveneves is an amazing book, just make sure you skip the last part.\nIf you are into history I can recommend The last days of the Incas by Kim MaqQuarrie, it's just an insanely interesting description on how the Incas was conquered, it feels like you're there man.\nIf you like evolutionary biology/phsycology then check out The Red Queen - Sex and the evolution of human Nature by Matt Ridley.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The last days of the Incas by Kim MaqQuarrie",
          "reason": "Recommended for an interesting account of the Inca conquest.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kim MacQuarrie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "inca empire",
        "spanish conquest"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-last-duel-67213d",
      "title": "The Last Duel",
      "author": "Eric Jager",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33852088,
          "author": "checkyoursudo",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T09:43:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33852088",
          "commentText": "I have read a lot of books this year. I am not sure I could pick a best.\nI will put up The Last Duel as one of the most entertaining books I read this year. I really enjoyed it.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/438538.The_Last_Duel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I will put up The Last Duel as one of the most entertaining books I read this year. I really enjoyed it.",
          "reason": "Names it among the most entertaining books they read and says they really enjoyed it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Jager"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical true crime",
        "medieval france"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-last-horizon-c84d63",
      "title": "The Last Horizon",
      "author": "Will Wight",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36021694,
          "author": "spoiler",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:02:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021694",
          "commentText": "The Expanse books are great. The TV show is a pretty good adaptation too, but I love the portrayal of the characters in the books.\nA recent thing I started reading (first book release this month) is The Last Horizon series by Will Wight (author of Cradle, and Elder Empire books). This one's more of a sci-fi and fantasy blend, if you're into that sort of thing. In a nutshell, it's magic-as-technology, but with space travel.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Last Horizon series",
          "reason": "The commenter says they recently started reading the series.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in a science fiction and fantasy blend.",
          "caveat": "Combines magic with technology and space travel.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Will Wight"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "magic as technology",
        "space fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-last-king-of-scotland-228858",
      "title": "The Last King of Scotland",
      "author": "Giles Foden",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8125666,
          "author": "IvyMike",
          "createdAt": "2014-08-02T19:08:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 8125375,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I save for offline reading during 5 weeks without Internet?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8125666",
          "commentText": "The internet, including forums like HN, encourage tiny little \"soundbites\" of reading.  How many internet stories do you read that are more than five minutes of reading?  If you're like me, very few.\nBut \"deep\" reading, thinking about one subject or story for a long time--hours or even days--is very rare on the internet.\nThis has been talked about before on HN, and the effects are much debated.  Here's one take on it.  http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1273705... (http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127370598)\nIn any case, I would encourage you to take this chance exercise your deep-reading muscles.  Read a long book.  Read a hard book.  Read a book outside of the genres you normally read.  The goal is to read something very different than the internet, and something different than you're used to.\nI'd suggest looking at a list of \"great books\" and picking out some that seem appealing to you, and picking out a few more that you have heard of but don't seem like your cup of tea.  You'll grow in different ways with each type.  Here's a list with a lot of variety: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/6.Best_Books_of_the_20th... (https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/6.Best_Books_of_the_20th_Century)\n(I don't know where you're going to be, but if it's Uganda, you might want to pick up \"The Last King of Scotland\", which I enjoyed reading during my stay in Kampala.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you might want to pick up \"The Last King of Scotland\", which I enjoyed reading",
          "reason": "Suggests it for a trip to Uganda and says they enjoyed reading it.",
          "audience": "Travelers going to Uganda may find its setting relevant.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Giles Foden"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political fiction",
        "uganda"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-last-lecture-2bacfc",
      "title": "The Last Lecture",
      "author": "Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32197795,
          "author": "Gary_TheSnail_",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:21:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197795",
          "commentText": "The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch\nStarted about a month ago, just finished earlier today.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch\nStarted about a month ago, just finished earlier today.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they finished reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665209,
          "author": "PostPost",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:26:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665209",
          "commentText": "Sorry for the wall of text.\n1. Bourne (The language and world of this novel are extraordinary - everything is falling apart yet brimming with life. Strangely moving)\n2. The Design of Everyday things (Essential for anyone in UI/UX)\n3. All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (Highly engaging, entertaining sci-fi novella series, from an author that can write a very decent robot protagonist)\n4. The Power (Interesting story with sci-fi elements on the dynamics of power, sex, and gender roles. I didn't care for the book, but the first 3/4 of the book are amazing)\n5. Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days\n6. 7 brief Lessons on Physics\n7. The Last Lecture (The energy and positivity coming from a man knowing he's about to die is infectious. Great read)\n8. A wizard of Earthsea (Move over Harry Potter, this is the essential children's story about wizards)\n9. Exploring diabetes with owls (Funny, irreverent)\n10. Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children (Made an effort to read more YA this year - this was the best in this series, but I still hated it. There's a host of better YA series out there.)\n11. A Wizard of Earthsea: The Tombs of Atuan (See 8.)\n12. The Girl in the Dark (Interesting book about a skin condition I had never heard of, and the trials of living with a very rare condition)\n13. The Phantom Tollbooth (Clever children's book)\n14. Black hole blues and songs from outer space (Informative book about the study of space,  the political and economic forces standing in the way of science, and the incredible individuals working in this field)\n15. Welcome to Night Vale (Hugely entertaining, clever and weird)\n16. You need a budget (Basic economics book explaining how to budget in a way that lets you do more with your money)\n17. To fight Against This Age (Incredibly pretentious, \nIvory Tower philosophizing)\n18. Infinity Gauntlet (Half the Universe dying because Thanos wanted to sleep with Lady Death will never not be ridiculous)\n19. The Right and Wrong Stuff (Great read explaining how to anticipate and avoid career pitfalls)\n20. Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children: Hollow City (pretty shitty)\n21. The Farthest Shore (Ursula K. Le Guin was the biggest loss this year)\n22. Miss peregrine's home for Peculiar Children: Library of Souls (I hate this book and all its characters)\n23. Every Good Endevour (Religious book about a Christian worldview and the value of labor - not a bad read)\n24. When to Rob a Bank and 131 warped suggestions… (interesting, funny, from the writers of Freakonomics)\n25. Weapons of Math Destruction (Probably the most useful book on this list, if you're reading this on \"hackernews\")\n26. Holes (Perfect summer paperback read)\n27. Silver Screen Sirens (Essential for film geeks)\n28. A full life: reflections at 90 (I gained a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter: he lived an incredible life and does great things)\n29. Call Me by your name (Very good romance novel to send to your bigoted relatives at Christmas)\n30. Hyperbole and a half (Incredibly entertaining, very distinctive art style)\n31. The Murderbot diaries: Artificial Condition (See 3.)\n32. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Best children's book, fight me)\n33. Less (Exceptionally well-written)\n34. Resilience (Great book, especially for those that have gone through extremely difficult circumstances)\n35. The Strange Bird (Dark, bleak, full of life, see 1.)\n36. The Murderbot diaries: Rogue Protocol (See 3.)\n37. His Dark Materials: The subtle knife (See 32.)\n38. Tap Dancing to Work (Very dry, some stories/articles are fantastic, others very, very boring for people that do not care about finance)\n39. So Good They Can't Ignore You (Pretty good)\n40. His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass (Amazing YA, see 32.)\n41. Uncontainable (Inspirational book about conscious capitalism)\n42. The Emperor of All Maladies (Pretty much everything you'll ever want to know about Cancer, written in a very engaging way)\n43. Blind Spot\n44. Shoe dog (Great story, see madmax108's comment, totally agree)\n45. The Faithful Spy (Beautiful artwork describing a Christian pastor's fight against fascism during WW2)\n46. Zero to One\n47. You'll grow out of it\n48. The Happiness advantage (Really fantastic book about the value of positive psychology)\n49. Dreams from my father (Enlightening look into Obama's \nearly days)\n50. Ayoade on Ayoade (Entertaining, extremely scatter-brained, not as funny as his interviews or tv programs)\n51. The Diabolic (badly written YA Sci-Fi)\n52. The Physics of Everyday Things (surprisingly informative, recommended for non science-people interested in the way things work)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The energy and positivity coming from a man knowing he's about to die is infectious. Great read",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great read and praises its energy and positivity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "life lessons",
        "memoir",
        "mortality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-last-lion-99851a",
      "title": "The Last Lion",
      "author": "William Manchester; final volume completed by Paul Reid",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38558118,
          "author": "allturtles",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T16:16:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38558118",
          "commentText": "The best thing I read this year was \"The Last Lion\", a three-volume biography of Winston Churchill.\nI don't know that I would recommend it to most people, it's a hell of a lot of words to read about one guy: volume 1 alone is 850 pages in hardcover, covering 1874-1932. The writer (William Manchester) is also very fond of his subject, so those who consider Churchill a villain (or even a deeply flawed hero) will likely not care for it.\nBut man, could Manchester write. This is history as literature. He's especially good at long, dramatic, paragraphs that build to a crescendo over hundreds of words and close with a flourish.\nThe last volume was finished by another author after Manchester died, so it isn't as good.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The best thing I read this year was \"The Last Lion\", a three-volume biography of Winston Churchill.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best thing they read, while questioning whether they would recommend it to most people.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Very long; readers who see Churchill as a villain or deeply flawed hero may not care for it. The final volume is weaker.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Manchester",
        "Paul Reid"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political biography",
        "winston churchill"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-last-mile-ad16e2",
      "title": "The Last Mile",
      "author": "David Baldacci",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11699849,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-15T07:08:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11699849",
          "commentText": "Reading The Meaning of Science by Tim Lewens right now.  It's an introductory \"Philosophy of Science\" book, and I'm enjoying it so far.  Up to where I'm at now, the author has covered Karl Popper and his falsification oriented framework, and Thomas Kuhn and the \"scientific revolution / paradigm shift\" model.\nA couple of other ones from this year that stand out to me:\nDisrupted by Dan \"Fake Steve Jobs\" Lyons\nIt's Not The Big That Eat The Small, It's The Fast That Eat The Slow by Jason Jennings\nIn terms of fiction, this years haul includes:\nThe Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King\nThe Last Mile by David Baldacci",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Last Mile by David Baldacci",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's fiction haul for the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Baldacci"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crime thriller",
        "mystery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-last-pirate-of-new-york-a-ghost-ship-a-killer-and-the-birth-o-60ca18",
      "title": "The Last Pirate of New York: A Ghost Ship, a Killer, and the Birth of a Gangster Nation",
      "author": "Rich Cohen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21793216,
          "author": "emehex",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T23:43:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793216",
          "commentText": "• The Madness of Crowds by Douglas Murray\n• Consciousness by Annaka Harris\n• More From Less by Andrew McAffee\n• The School of Life: An Emotional Education\n• Perfect Sound Whatever by James Acaster\n• Humble Pi by Matt Parker\n• The Last Pirate of New York by Rich Cohen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Last Pirate of New York by Rich Cohen",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rich Cohen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "new york history",
        "organized crime"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-last-place-on-earth-1c87ad",
      "title": "The Last Place on Earth",
      "author": "Roland Huntford",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42657693,
          "author": "fifilura",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T17:24:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42657693",
          "commentText": "Moreover, you can walk around inside the ship and see the cabins they lived in, indeed an incredible, immersive experience.\nCame here to say that Amundsen is a great example of someone who did hard things and made them look easy. Nansen also. And Shackleton, although he didn't make them look easy...\nBasically everything written by Roland Huntford about polar exploration is great inspiration. The Last Place on Earth covers Amundsen and Scott (the latter who did difficult things and made them look hard and died.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Last Place on Earth covers Amundsen and Scott",
          "reason": "Recommended as inspiration through its account of Amundsen and Scott’s polar exploration.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in polar exploration and people who undertook difficult expeditions.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes Scott died during the expedition.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roland Huntford"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "amundsen",
        "polar exploration",
        "scott"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-last-temptation-of-christ-c0a6e0",
      "title": "The Last Temptation of Christ",
      "author": "Nikos Kazantzakis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 143408,
          "author": "maheshcr",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T17:03:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143408",
          "commentText": "A worn out, moth eaten copy of Lord Byron's complete works. It took me almost a decade to outgrow the influence. Especially the poem Manfred, and the soliloquay at the beginning!\nThe Sanyasin - Satprem. I walked the streets of Chennai not knowing what the hell was happening, while reading this. Magical, mystic..anyone who has ever held any spiritual notions should read this...\nLast Temptation by Nikos Kazantikakis, what can I say..every word has drilled through me!\nKa by Roberto Calasso, this made me confront my own culture and religion like no other.\nSiddhartha by Herman Hesse.\nGodel, Escher & Bach - Douglas Hofstadter. Barely made it to 4th chapter but that alone has shattered opinions I held about my style of thinking.\nAnd Sri Aurobindo...almost everything that he has written touches me like no other. It was like coming home after being in exile. Not that I understand anything but...\nAnd of course Don Box's talk on DDJ about the origins of .NET!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Last Temptation by Nikos Kazantikakis, what can I say..every word has drilled through me!",
          "reason": "The commenter says every word had a profound impact on them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nikos Kazantzakis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "jesus",
        "religious fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-last-wish-828b0c",
      "title": "The Last Wish",
      "author": "Andrzej Sapkowski",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24189583,
          "author": "sp527",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-17T17:38:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 24176902,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please suggest some good books you have read recently",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24189583",
          "commentText": "Strongly agree. Just started reading it myself. One note for people picking it up: the English translation for ‘The Last Wish’ is not great but, if you power through it, all the remaining books are fantastic.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "the English translation for ‘The Last Wish’ is not great",
          "reason": "Says the English translation is not great, but advises readers to power through it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Criticism is specifically about the English translation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21804066,
          "author": "Delfino",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:09:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804066",
          "commentText": "I read about 25 books this year, here are the top 10 I look forward to reading in 2020, many of them informed by my favorites of 2019:\nHomo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari - I read Sapiens this year and really enjoyed it. I just started this today one so I may finish that before the end of the year.\nThinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman - I like books that make me think and from what I've heard, this will definitely do the trick. I read Factfulness this year and this was a suggested follow-up.\nThe Language Instinct by Steven Pinker - I've gotten really into natural languages since I've lived outside my country of origin for the last 2 and a half years and I've heard good things about this book being an entry point into linguistics.\nSword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski - With the new Witcher show coming out on Netflix I finally went back and beat The Witcher 3 then read the first book, The Last Wish. It was enjoyable enough that I want to keep going with the series.\nEducated by Tara Westover - Was convinced by Bill Gate's blog this is worthwhile. I'm a teacher so it wasn't hard to convince me.\nRobot Builder's Bonanza by Gordon McComb - I've been asked to teach a robotics course next year and this one seems to be The Book everyone recommends to dive into robotics.\nDivided by Partition: United by Resilience by Mallika Ahluwalia - I recently visited the Partition Museum in Amritsar, Punjab, India and purchased this book there to learn about more stories about people impacted by this event.\nThe Elements of Computing Systems by Noam Nisan and Shimon Shocken - I just read Code by Petzold and it was one of my favorite books. Even though I studied Computer Science in University and most of the concepts weren't new to me, it was such a fun experience mentally \"building\" a computer from relays/transistors to logic gates and up to assemblers, compilers, and interpreters. I want to keep going with this and jump into the Nand2Tetris online course.\nThe Annotated Turing by Charles Petzold - Again, I loved Petzold's Code so I looked up other books he wrote and this one looks great. I've never actually read Turing's work so I'm excited to have some background and explanation to help me not just read the words but grasp their significance.\nZACH-LIKE by Zachtronics - I played through several Zachtronics games this year (TIS-100, Shenzhen I/O and Opus Magnum) so I can't wait to dive into some of the thinking behind creating these and similar games.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "read the first book, The Last Wish. It was enjoyable enough",
          "reason": "The commenter found it enjoyable enough to continue the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Enjoyable enough to continue; no stronger praise stated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrzej Sapkowski"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dark fantasy",
        "short story collection",
        "witcher"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-last-of-the-savages-f4ae5a",
      "title": "The Last of the Savages",
      "author": "Jay McInerney",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 876067,
          "author": "sjs382",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T05:08:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876067",
          "commentText": "The Last of the Savages by Jay McInerney\nGlamorama by Bret Easton Ellis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Last of the Savages by Jay McInerney",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jay McInerney"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coming of age",
        "friendship",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-laughter-of-triumph-william-hone-and-the-fight-for-the-free-p-7599c4",
      "title": "The Laughter of Triumph: William Hone and the Fight for the Free Press",
      "author": "Ben Wilson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6333864,
          "author": "PeterWhittaker",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-05T13:05:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 6329955,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which two books were the most influential on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6333864",
          "commentText": "Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman. Should be read by all who wonder how our minds work - and how much happens \"behind the scenes\", \"under the covers\".\nDarwin's Dangerous Idea, by Daniel Dennett. Should be read by all curious to know the full implications of mechanistic evolution (hint: think about what came before life).\nThe Mating Mind, by Geoffrey Miller. Must-read for anyone in marketing, or anyone wondering why the other guy got laid and you didn't.\nGuns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies, by Jared Diamond. Why are we rich and they poor? Why so few domesticated African animals? Why one big China and a many-state Europe?\nThe Laughter of Triumph: William Hone and the Fight for the Free Press, by Ben Wilson. Great read about an early 19th C. struggle against unjust laws used to gag journalism. Relevant in today's age of bloggers, etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great read about an early 19th C. struggle against unjust laws used to gag journalism.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a great read about a historical struggle for press freedom.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ben Wilson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "19th century britain",
        "press freedom"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-launch-pad-inside-y-combinator-8b05f0",
      "title": "The Launch Pad: Inside Y Combinator",
      "author": "Randall Stross",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21852881,
          "author": "dbogue",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-21T19:28:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 21851207,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you know any good audio books for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21852881",
          "commentText": "The Launch Pad: Inside Y Combinator",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Launch Pad: Inside Y Combinator",
          "reason": "Names it in response to a request for audiobook suggestions.",
          "audience": "People interested in Y Combinator and startups.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Randall Stross"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "startups",
        "y combinator"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-launch-pad-inside-y-combinator-silicon-valley-s-most-exclusiv-0d3129",
      "title": "The Launch Pad: Inside Y Combinator, Silicon Valley's Most Exclusive School for Startups",
      "author": "Randall Stross",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8106906,
          "author": "waitingkuo",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:06:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106906",
          "commentText": "If you're interested in ycombinator, how about this one \"The Launch Pad: Inside Y Combinator, Silicon Valley's Most Exclusive School for Startups\" ( http://www.amazon.com/Launch-Pad-Combinator-Exclusive-Startu... (http://www.amazon.com/Launch-Pad-Combinator-Exclusive-Startups-ebook/dp/B00AFLLS3W/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406707523&sr=1-1&keywords=inside+y+combinator) )",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "how about this one \"The Launch Pad: Inside Y Combinator, Silicon Valley's Most Exclusive School for Startups\"",
          "reason": "Suggested for readers interested in Y Combinator.",
          "audience": "People interested in Y Combinator.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5402171,
          "author": "woodruffc",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-19T17:12:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 5401749,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What interesting books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5402171",
          "commentText": "I'm reading \"The Launch Pad Inside Y Combinator, Silicon Valley's Most Exclusive School for Startups\" by Randall Stross",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm reading \"The Launch Pad Inside Y Combinator, Silicon Valley's Most Exclusive School for Startups\" by Randall Stross",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Randall Stross"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "startups",
        "y combinator",
        "silicon valley"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-laws-of-human-nature-f8f02d",
      "title": "The Laws of Human Nature",
      "author": "Robert Greene",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21902727,
          "author": "james_niro",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T23:56:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902727",
          "commentText": "The Laws of Human Nature\nLove this book",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Laws of Human Nature\nLove this book",
          "reason": "Explicitly says they love the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Greene"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human behavior",
        "social dynamics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-laws-of-thought-23df4d",
      "title": "The Laws of Thought",
      "author": "George Boole",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21314312,
          "author": "cr0sh",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T16:41:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21314312",
          "commentText": "> If I had to say one text that is the fundamental one, I would go with a paper: “On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem” [1], by Alan Turing\nCertainly that one, but I would add a couple of others:\n\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Laws_of_Thought\" (George Boole) - lays out boolean algebra; fundamental to everything in computing\n\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Symbolic_Analysis_of_Relay_a... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Symbolic_Analysis_of_Relay_and_Switching_Circuits\") (Claude E. Shannon) - basically lays out the equivalence of switching circuits to boolean algebra, fundamental to electronic computing\nNote in fact many of Shannon's works and research could be considered \"fundamental\"...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Laws_of_Thought\" (George Boole) - lays out boolean algebra; fundamental to everything in computing",
          "reason": "Presents it as a foundational work on Boolean algebra in computing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment gives a Wikipedia link and describes the work as a text, but it is also known as a book title.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Boole"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "boolean algebra",
        "logic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-leadership-moment-d787a9",
      "title": "The Leadership Moment",
      "author": "Michael Useem",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42650524,
          "author": "snowwrestler",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-09T22:31:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42650524",
          "commentText": "I greatly enjoyed The Leadership Moment by Michael Useem, which covers 9 stories of crises and how leaders approached them.\nThe Man Who Discovered Quality by Andrea Gabor is an interesting story of W. Edwards Deming, the American who revolutionized post-WWII Japanese manufacturing with statistical approaches to reducing variance.\nIssac Newton by James Gleick conveys what it was like for Newton to essentially invent modern physical science in a pre-scientific world.\nDreaming In Code by Scott Rosenberg is a good counterpoint to inspiring tech origin stories: legendary coders coming together to build an amazing product and… basically failing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I greatly enjoyed The Leadership Moment by Michael Useem",
          "reason": "Covers nine stories of crises and leaders' responses.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Useem"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crisis management",
        "leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-legacy-of-heorot-35b97d",
      "title": "The Legacy of Heorot",
      "author": "Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, and Steven Barnes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056605,
          "author": "antimagic",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:36:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056605",
          "commentText": "You might try https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legacy_of_Heorot - unlike most of the books down by Niven and Purnell, this one tries to keep the science realistic (possibly due to them having a third author for this book - Barnes), and has one of the better descriptions of an alien ecology that I have read.  Another Liven and Purnell novel, Footfall, does probably the best job of describing a realistic militaristic exploitation of space that I have read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You might try https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legacy_of_Heorot - unlike most of the books down by Niven and Purnell, this one tries to keep the science realistic",
          "reason": "Suggests the novel and praises its attempt at realistic science and alien ecology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The realistic-science aspect may be due to its third coauthor, Barnes.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle, and Steven Barnes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alien ecology",
        "colonization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-lessons-of-history-eac8ae",
      "title": "The Lessons of History",
      "author": "Will Durant and Ariel Durant",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 192288,
          "author": "asdf333",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-16T22:23:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=192288",
          "commentText": "Most people have the basics covered. Here is one I haven't seen and is worth a huge amount -- not business, but it will definitely help you in life.\nWill and Ariel Durant: The Lessons of History\nA great synthesis by two lifelong historians on what can be learned from a study of history. Covers human nature, society, culture/morals and many other important topics and takes as objective a view as possible.\nYou can listen to it over and over and get some great insights. Dense, but easy to listen to. There is one small section that is slightly dated and shows that they were writers in their own time but most of it is timeless.\nI highly recommend this. It will really give you insight into our world.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Will and Ariel Durant: The Lessons of History",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great synthesis and highly recommends it for insight into the world.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in history, human nature, society, and culture.",
          "caveat": "Dense, though easy to listen to; one small section is slightly dated.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Will Durant and Ariel Durant"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical synthesis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-liars-club-ce516a",
      "title": "The Liars' Club",
      "author": "Mary Karr",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665060,
          "author": "billybatson",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:11:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665060",
          "commentText": "A Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley: Decent. I think this book would best be read in conjunction while working through a textbook. I will admit that it did do quite a bit to help relieve math anxiety, but the nature of the book is practicality.\nBrave New World by Aldous Huxley: A reread. A bit depressing considering the state of the world today. I found myself wondering which reality would be preferable.\nLetters to a Young Mathematician by Ian Stewart: Easy, but fruitful read. I've struggled a lot with math confidence, and this helped alleviate a lot of that.\nHow to Speak, How to Listen by Mortimer J. Adler: A lot of practical advice. My biggest takeaway was this: if it's worth talking about, even if the conversation sucks or the other person doesn't understand, any bit of advancement and understanding is worth the effort. Really helped me increase my patience when talking to people.\nQuack This Way by David Foster Wallace and Bryan Garner: Super useful and practical discussion between two lovers of language. I keep a copy with me at all times.\nThe Autobiography of Gucci Mane: Just a fun read while on vacation. \"If Gucci can do it, you can do it\".\nJesus' Son by Denis Johnson: A nice if brutal read. It was my first foray in DJ. I felt Cormac McCarthyish vibes.\nBlood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy: A classic. The Judge.\nThinking About Mathematics by Stuart Shapiro: Highly recommended for anyone interested in the philosophical questions of mathematics. Shapiro writes clearly, concisely, and in a manner that is easy to read.\nThe Liars' Club by Mary Karr: Pretty great but brutal.\nThe Broom of the System by David Foster Wallace: I really enjoyed it. It's ode to Wittgenstein and it helped me cope with a lot of questions that I felt after studying LW.\nThe Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: I think we've all been in Werther's shoes. Though I hope that nobody comes to the same conclusion he came to.\nManage Your Day-To-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, & Sharpen Your Creative Mind: A pretty great book. I find myself writing a book report on it to make sure I internalize a lot of the lessons. If you're having trouble doing creative work while working, read this.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Pretty great but brutal.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as pretty great, while noting it is brutal.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as brutal.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mary Karr"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "family",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-liberation-trilogy-60bd16",
      "title": "The Liberation Trilogy",
      "author": "Rick Atkinson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6387571,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T23:49:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387571",
          "commentText": "While I often read Science Fiction and recently enjoyed Corey Doctorow's Rapture of the Nerds, Last week I finished Jeet Thayil's Narcopolis.\nCurrently, I am reading the third volume of Rick Atkinson's history of the second world war, The Guns at Last Light: The War in Western Europe, 1944-1945. I've enjoyed all three volumes over the past decade.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've enjoyed all three volumes over the past decade.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have enjoyed all three volumes over the past decade.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rick Atkinson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military history",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-liberators-faf65f",
      "title": "The Liberators",
      "author": "Viktor Suvorov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37937376,
          "author": "db48x",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T02:02:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937376",
          "commentText": "\"The Liberators\" by Viktor Suvorov <https://archive.org/details/ViktorSuvorovTheLiberatorsMyLife... (https://archive.org/details/ViktorSuvorovTheLiberatorsMyLifeInThebOk.xyz/mode/2up)>\nI wish this one was required reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Liberators\" by Viktor Suvorov",
          "reason": "The commenter wishes this book were required reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Viktor Suvorov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "soviet military"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-liberators-my-life-in-the-soviet-army-eb1bec",
      "title": "The Liberators: My Life in the Soviet Army",
      "author": "Viktor Suvorov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14479964,
          "author": "davidgh",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-04T05:00:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14479964",
          "commentText": "How We Got to Now, Steven Johnson. Walks you through a half dozen foundational inventions and the process through which they came to be. Fascinating to see what the inventors were trying to solve vs. how the world ended up applying their technology.\nUnbroken, Laura Hillenbrand. If you haven't read the book don't judge it by the (awful) movie.\nThe Liberators: My Life in the Soviet Army. Really opens your eyes to the problems and realities of communism. I love the author's dry sense of humor as he witnesses the absurdity of many of the things he encountered.\nSniper on the Eastern Front, Albrecht Wacker. A view of WWII through the eyes of a German sniper.\nAuschwitz: A Doctor's Eyewitness Account, Miklos Nyiszli. A view of the holocaust through the eyes of a Jewish doctor in the Auschwitz concentration camp.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Liberators: My Life in the Soviet Army. Really opens your eyes to the problems and realities of communism.",
          "reason": "Says it opens readers' eyes to communism's problems and realities, and praises the author's dry humor.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Viktor Suvorov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military memoir",
        "soviet union"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-library-at-night-2859b2",
      "title": "The Library at Night",
      "author": "Alberto Manguel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1027538,
          "author": "julius_geezer",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T19:28:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027538",
          "commentText": "Some on this list are great, some just good:\n_The Critique of Pure Reason_--got about halfway through 30 years ago, set it aside, picked it up again. Probably shorter than <i>The Fountainhead</i> but takes a long time to read.\n_The Vindication of Tradition_, Jaroslav Pelikan, theology, very short quick read.\n_Netherland_ by Joseph O'Neill, via the neighborhood book club. Interesting picture of New York, thin characterization.\n_The Library at Night_, Alberto Manguel, actually a gift to my wife from a friend of hers. Good browsing book.\n_Untimely Thoughts_ by Nietzche. Probably not a great place to start Nietzche, but at least the first essay is interesting.\n_The Spectator Bird_, Wallace Stegner. Good novel, though maybe not my favorite Stegner.\n_Germany 1866-1945_ by Gordon Craig. Long, very readable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Good browsing book.",
          "reason": "Calls it a good book for browsing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It was a gift to the commenter's wife.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alberto Manguel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "books",
        "libraries"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-life-cycle-of-software-objects-7ecd4a",
      "title": "The Life Cycle of Software Objects",
      "author": "Ted Chiang",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46135693,
          "author": "torstenvl",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-03T15:36:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46135693",
          "commentText": "Strongly second Exhalation by Ted Chiang. \"The Life Cycle of Software Objects\" is especially compelling.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Life Cycle of Software Objects\" is especially compelling.",
          "reason": "The commenter singles out this story as especially compelling.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ted Chiang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "digital life"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-life-and-letters-of-charles-darwin-34ba33",
      "title": "The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin",
      "author": "Charles Darwin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1027344,
          "author": "acj",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T16:37:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027344",
          "commentText": "The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin\nEconomics in One Lesson, by Henry Hazlitt.\nThe Baroque Cycle, by Neal Stephenson.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books enjoyed and recommended.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Darwin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "charles darwin",
        "letters"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-light-eaters-cd3010",
      "title": "The Light Eaters",
      "author": "Zoë Schlanger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268867,
          "author": "fredoliveira",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:08:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268867",
          "commentText": "Read a lot this year — a lot more than most years. A few highlights:\nThe making of the atomic bomb by Richard Rhodes was probably the best of the bunch. I read it because I see some parallels between the discovery of atomic power and the search for AGI, and wanted an insight on the ethics and decision making of the time. It didn't disappoint.\nThe dawn of everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow was a solid read and retelling of how civilization began and evolved.\nThe message by Ta-Nehisi Coates, I read in two sittings — it was that impactful. A reminder of how the oppressed becomes the oppressor again and again. \"As it happens, you can See the world but never see the people in it\"\nOther highlights: The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt; re-read Thinking in Systems by Daniella Meadows; re-read Wherever You Go There You Are by Jon Kabat Zinn; The light eaters by Zoe Schlanger; I don't want to talk about it, by Terrence Real.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The light eaters by Zoe Schlanger",
          "reason": "Includes it among the year's highlights.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Zoë Schlanger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "botany",
        "plant intelligence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-lightning-tamers-2e358f",
      "title": "The Lightning Tamers",
      "author": "Kathy Joseph",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36601969,
          "author": "mullr",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:40:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601969",
          "commentText": "\"The Lightning Tamers\", by Kathy Joseph, is a wonderful and accessible book about the history of electricity. Her youtube channel is great too: https://www.youtube.com/c/KathyLovesPhysicsHistory",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Lightning Tamers\", by Kathy Joseph, is a wonderful and accessible book about the history of electricity.",
          "reason": "An accessible history of electricity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kathy Joseph"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of electricity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-limits-to-capital-6ac765",
      "title": "The Limits to Capital",
      "author": "David Harvey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22574945,
          "author": "triggercut",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T12:55:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22574945",
          "commentText": "If you have the time for a deep deep dive, I would recommend David Harvey's The Limits to Capital New Edition (2006). There's always the recorded version of his course on Reading Marx's Capital[1] which is similar.\n[1]https://www.youtube.com/user/readingcapital",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I would recommend David Harvey's The Limits to Capital New Edition (2006).",
          "reason": "Recommended for a deep dive into capital.",
          "audience": "Readers with time for an in-depth study.",
          "caveat": "A deep dive.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Harvey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marxist economics",
        "political economy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-limits-to-growth-785bc1",
      "title": "The Limits to Growth",
      "author": "Donella Meadows, Dennis Meadows, Jørgen Randers, and William W. Behrens III",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13805409,
          "author": "e_tm_",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T19:40:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805409",
          "commentText": "Understanding Media - Marshall McLuhan\nThe Book: on the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are - Alan Watts\nThe Limits to Growth - Donella Meadows\nIshmael - Daniel Quinn",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Limits to Growth - Donella Meadows",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donella Meadows, Dennis Meadows, Jørgen Randers, and William W. Behrens III"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sustainability",
        "systems dynamics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-linux-command-line-9500c1",
      "title": "The Linux Command Line",
      "author": "William E. Shotts, Jr.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14846208,
          "author": "CalRobert",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-25T08:48:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 14841939,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books had the greatest effect on how you structure your code?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14846208",
          "commentText": "Books are useful for a couple of reasons.\n1) It can do wonders for focus to disable your network connection, open a book, and work through examples (but maybe I just get distracted easily). This actually applies for most tasks that involve a computer and don't need the internet.\n2) Not specific to print, but a book that covers a topic in a structured, beginning-to-end way can help reduce gaps in one's knowledge. I learned a bit of BASH by just googling around and reading Stack Overflow, but reading The Linux Command Line (https://www.nostarch.com/tlcl) taught me things I wouldn't have gotten in 10 years of stack overflow browsing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "reading The Linux Command Line (https://www.nostarch.com/tlcl) taught me things I wouldn't have gotten in 10 years of stack overflow browsing.",
          "reason": "Says it taught them things they would not have learned from years of browsing Stack Overflow.",
          "audience": "People learning Bash and the Linux command line.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William E. Shotts, Jr."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bash",
        "linux command line"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-little-book-that-beats-the-market-d86be2",
      "title": "The Little Book That Beats the Market",
      "author": "Joel Greenblatt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29821214,
          "author": "blippage",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-06T09:20:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29821214",
          "commentText": "\"The Little Book That Beats The Market\", by Joel Greenblatt.\nWhy? Because hopefully it will get you interested in saving and investing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Little Book That Beats The Market\", by Joel Greenblatt.",
          "reason": "Recommended in hopes it will spark interest in saving and investing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joel Greenblatt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal finance",
        "value investing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-little-book-of-talent-18ac15",
      "title": "The Little Book of Talent",
      "author": "Daniel Coyle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7451006,
          "author": "thecooluser",
          "createdAt": "2014-03-22T21:34:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 7450534,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's on your reading list? Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7451006",
          "commentText": "Recently did the Myer Briggs test and read \"The INTP: Personality, Careers, Relationships, & the Quest for Truth and Meaning\". Now I just need to read more criticism of the Myer Briggs test so I can have a more balanced view of it all, but the results/book seemed pretty darn spot on.\nAlso been loving \"The Little Book of Talent\" from the author of \"The Talent Code\" (which is another one of my favourite books).\nAnd after reading a lot of Stoic philosophy over the years, I've finally got around to \"A Guide to the Good Life\". Very clear explanation of Stoic ideas so probably would have been the best place to start. :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also been loving \"The Little Book of Talent\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have been loving it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Coyle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "practice",
        "skill development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-little-engine-that-could-7c9888",
      "title": "The Little Engine That Could",
      "author": "Watty Piper",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42654113,
          "author": "DarknessFalls",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T09:33:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42654113",
          "commentText": "Do anthropomorphic trains count?  The Little Engine That Could.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Engine That Could.",
          "reason": "Offers the book as a playful example of doing a hard thing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Watty Piper"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s literature",
        "perseverance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-little-friend-b6e9b0",
      "title": "The Little Friend",
      "author": "Donna Tartt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10836593,
          "author": "searine",
          "createdAt": "2016-01-04T16:47:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 10833032,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book you've recently read and enjoyed?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10836593",
          "commentText": "Oh boy, you fucked up now. Here are the books I read this past year that I felt were \"Good\", starting from the most recent :\nTo Kill A Mocking Bird (Insanely good)\nTrue Grit (Insanely good)\nThe Little Friend (Good)\nPriceless (Very good, about art theft)\nThe Secret History (Insanely good)\nReady Player One (Good, nerdy)\nShadow Divers (Very good, history nerd book)\nDiary of Anne Frank (Very good)\nUnbroken (Very good, way better than the movie)\nWith The Old Breed at Peleliu and Okinawa (Very good)\nSeveneves (good, but I'm a Stephenson fanboy)\nThe Martian (Very good, but just watch the movie).\nI read a bunch of other stuff, but that's what I found really \"good\" this past year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Friend (Good)",
          "reason": "Described as “Good.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donna Tartt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coming of age",
        "southern gothic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-little-golden-calf-61913a",
      "title": "The Little Golden Calf",
      "author": "Ilya Ilf and Yevgeny Petrov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17383990,
          "author": "wrinkl3",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T23:18:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17383990",
          "commentText": "The same two authors also have a duology of satyrical novels about a conman in the 30s Soviet Russia: The Twelve Chairs [1] and The Little Golden Calf [2]. The novels are incredibly witty and their quotes/references are still part of the common Russian vernacular.\n[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twelve_Chairs\n[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Golden_Calf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Golden Calf [2]",
          "reason": "Included in a duology described as incredibly witty, with quotes still common in Russian vernacular.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ilya Ilf and Yevgeny Petrov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "con man",
        "soviet satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-little-island-dac6ce",
      "title": "The Little Island",
      "author": "Margaret Wise Brown (as Golden MacDonald)",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50042577,
          "author": "schrectacular",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T12:29:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50042577",
          "commentText": "Here's some stuff for younger kids that haven't been mentioned yet:\nMatthew Cordell is awesome. \"Cornbread and Poppy\" are cute, \"Evergreen\" is fun, but check out his whole catalog. Probably my favorite active author/illustrator.\n\"Nobody Likes a Goblin\" by Ben Hatke\n\"The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess\" by Tom Gauld\n\"The Little Island by Margaret Wise Brown\" under the pseudonym Golden MacDonald\n”The Dark Tales of Lillebror Rabbit“ by Jonna Björnstjerna\n\"Les P'tites Poules\" by Christian Jolibois\nA little older, Ursula LeGuin is amazing, \"A Wizard of Earthsea\", \"Catwings\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Little Island by Margaret Wise Brown\" under the pseudonym Golden MacDonald",
          "reason": "Listed as a book for younger children.",
          "audience": "Younger children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Margaret Wise Brown (as Golden MacDonald)"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-little-manual-of-api-design-ecf08e",
      "title": "The Little Manual of API Design",
      "author": "Henrik Frystyk Nielsen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24383932,
          "author": "rantwasp",
          "createdAt": "2020-09-05T14:48:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 24383180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Suggestions for books about API design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24383932",
          "commentText": "The Little Manual of API design\nYou can read it in an hour or two. It cover a lot of things that you should consider",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Manual of API design",
          "reason": "Says it covers many things to consider when designing an API.",
          "audience": "People designing APIs.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it can be read in an hour or two.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Henrik Frystyk Nielsen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "api design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-little-manual-of-api-design-cf4582",
      "title": "The Little Manual of API Design",
      "author": "Trolltech/Nokia",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12262873,
          "author": "esja",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-10T16:20:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 12262586,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are good reads for designing APIs?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12262873",
          "commentText": "The Little Manual of API Design (Trolltech/Nokia):\nhttp://people.mpi-inf.mpg.de/~jblanche/api-design.pdf\nHow to Design a Good API and Why it Matters (Josh Bloch):\nhttp://static.googleusercontent.com/media/research.google.co... (http://static.googleusercontent.com/media/research.google.com/en//pubs/archive/32713.pdf)\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAb7hSCtvGw",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Manual of API Design (Trolltech/Nokia):",
          "reason": "Listed as a read in response to a question asking for good reads on API design.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Trolltech/Nokia"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "api design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-little-manual-of-api-design-d5026e",
      "title": "The Little Manual of API Design",
      "author": "Johan Blomqvist and Markus Voelter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12264254,
          "author": "gabriel",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-10T19:32:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 12262586,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are good reads for designing APIs?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12264254",
          "commentText": "A good read for API design is \"The Little Manual of API Design\": http://www4.in.tum.de/~blanchet/api-design.pdf\nIt falls into the category of non-web API. It's a good read and I think it carries over to web APIs quite well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A good read for API design is \"The Little Manual of API Design\"",
          "reason": "Recommended as a good read for API design; the commenter says its ideas carry over to web APIs quite well.",
          "audience": "Readers designing APIs, including web APIs.",
          "caveat": "It focuses on non-web APIs.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Johan Blomqvist and Markus Voelter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "api design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-little-mouse-the-red-ripe-strawberry-and-the-big-hungry-bear-81388a",
      "title": "The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear",
      "author": "Don Wood",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23472250,
          "author": "RhysU",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T23:45:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23472250",
          "commentText": "Boom, boom, boom, etc from The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Don Wood"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s picture book"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-little-wooden-robot-and-the-log-princess-fff5af",
      "title": "The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess",
      "author": "Tom Gauld",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50042577,
          "author": "schrectacular",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T12:29:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50042577",
          "commentText": "Here's some stuff for younger kids that haven't been mentioned yet:\nMatthew Cordell is awesome. \"Cornbread and Poppy\" are cute, \"Evergreen\" is fun, but check out his whole catalog. Probably my favorite active author/illustrator.\n\"Nobody Likes a Goblin\" by Ben Hatke\n\"The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess\" by Tom Gauld\n\"The Little Island by Margaret Wise Brown\" under the pseudonym Golden MacDonald\n”The Dark Tales of Lillebror Rabbit“ by Jonna Björnstjerna\n\"Les P'tites Poules\" by Christian Jolibois\nA little older, Ursula LeGuin is amazing, \"A Wizard of Earthsea\", \"Catwings\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess\" by Tom Gauld",
          "reason": "Listed as a book for younger children.",
          "audience": "Younger children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Gauld"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-lives-of-a-cell-notes-of-a-biology-watcher-04ff7a",
      "title": "The Lives of a Cell: Notes of a Biology Watcher",
      "author": "Lewis Thomas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6983854,
          "author": "Snail_Commando",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-30T09:39:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 6981802,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good general technical books for teenagers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6983854",
          "commentText": "There are already suggestions in this thread that are better than mine, but I'll still throw my hat in the ring.\nThat's great that she's interested in biology. I'd like to gently suggest that if she \"isn't very enthusiastic about computers or technology\", you should instead try to nurture her demonstrated interest in art, biology, and other science.\nI know absolutely nothing about art, except that I apparently have no taste. So I'll refrain from making any suggestions on art books.\nTL;DR: Skip down to the third section for the \"technical book\" suggestion.\n--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n(1)\nHere are some suggestions of books on general science, biology, and chemistry (in no particular order, these are some of the first ones that come to my mind):\n\"The Structure of Scientific Revolutions\" By Thomas S. Kuhn\n\"The Diversity of Life\" By Edward O. Wilson\n\"The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time\"  by Jonathan Weiner\n\"Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes: Further Reflections in Natural History\"  by Stephen Jay Gould\n\"Life on a Young Planet\" By Andrew H. Knoll\n\"Galápagos\" By Kurt Vonnegut (Fiction, but related) (I loved this book, but it's not for everyone I suppose. A couple of my friends didn't like it.)\n\"Napoleon's Buttons\" By Penny Le Couteur and Jay Burreson\n\"The Lives of a Cell: Notes of a Biology Watcher\" By Lewis Thomas\n---------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n(2)\nIf she's interested in learning a lot about cellular biology in beautifully exhaustive detail, buy her this textbook:\n\"Molecular Biology of the Cell\" By Bruce Alberts, Paul Walter, Alexander Johnson, Julian Lewis, Martin Raff, Keith Roberts\nThis book is huge. And it is wonderful.\n---------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n---Read this suggestion if my other suggestions aren't good---\n(3)\nSo you want a technical book? And she's interested in biology?\nBuy her a copy of:\n\"The Principles of Biomedical Informatics\" By Ira J. Kalet\nThis textbook is incredible. It teaches you some fundamentals of many different flavors of bioinformatics. (Different flavors, because, as the author acknowledges, bioinformatics can mean many things.) You can learn how to work with amino acid sequences, protein modeling, medical imaging, probabilistic biomedical models, and more!\nSince you have SICP and LoL on your bookshelf already, you might love the next part. The entire textbook is a cleverly accessible primer on how to build applications with Common Lisp. Whether you're a greybeard Lisp hacker or a repl-noob, you'll like this book if you are interested in learning about bioinformatics.\nI've had the first edition for quite some time. Recently, I think in the past few months, a second edition was released. Someone gifted me the 2nd ed, :) but I haven't really compared the two.\n----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\nI was going to suggest Gödel, Escher, Bach when you mentioned she was interested in art, and were hoping to find a technical book for her. Then I saw that you already had tried that one. I'm going to leave the suggestion anyway because these types of threads are wonderful for finding great books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Lives of a Cell: Notes of a Biology Watcher\" By Lewis Thomas",
          "reason": "Listed among suggestions for general science, biology, and chemistry.",
          "audience": "A teenager interested in biology and science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lewis Thomas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biology essays"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-living-cosmos-27c6b6",
      "title": "The Living Cosmos",
      "author": "Chris Impey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1865682,
          "author": "nkassis",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T17:48:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865682",
          "commentText": "I'm reading \"The Living Cosmos\" by Chris Impey. Found it in a bargain bin at the book store. It was worth much more than what I paid for it. The book is about astrobiology which is an interesting topic. The author is very balanced on the subject, it's a good 10,000 feet overview of the field and the author does a pretty good job at vulgarizing the subject matter.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm reading \"The Living Cosmos\" by Chris Impey. Found it in a bargain bin at the book store. It was worth much more than what I paid for it. The book is about astrobiology which is an interesting topic. The author is very balanced on the subject, it's a good 10,000 feet overview of the field and the author does a pretty good job at vulgarizing the subject matter.",
          "reason": "Says it was worth more than its price and praises its balanced, accessible overview.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a broad introduction to astrobiology.",
          "caveat": "An overview of the field rather than a detailed treatment.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris Impey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "astrobiology",
        "popular science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-locked-tomb-2af662",
      "title": "The Locked Tomb",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38570515,
          "author": "mooreds",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T16:00:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38570515",
          "commentText": "I got into some interesting fantasy/SF:\n* The Locked Tomb Trilogy -- the first book is so good and the second and third books are good and unique.\n* The Great Cities Duology (first book was stronger)\n* The Paladin's Legacy (sequel series to The Deed of Paksenarrion, great to be back in that world)\n* The Founders Trilogy by Robert Jackson Bennett\n* The Up and Under series by Deborah Baker is super whimsical\n* The Redwinter Series by Ed McDonald\nIf you're into the genre, all of these are great (at least the ones I've read, haven't finished all the series).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Locked Tomb Trilogy -- the first book is so good and the second and third books are good and unique.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the first book and describes the later books as good and unique.",
          "audience": "fantasy/SF readers",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "necromancy",
        "space fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-log-from-the-sea-of-cortez-90b762",
      "title": "The Log from the Sea of Cortez",
      "author": "John Steinbeck",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15630270,
          "author": "gtycomb",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:01:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630270",
          "commentText": "Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann. The first time it was slow read, but I went back the book several times later in life and it has much to tell.\nThe Glass Beads Game by Herman Hess.\nSeveral books by Steinbeck - Travels with Charley, Log from the Sea of Cortez.\nThe Toilers of the Sea by Victor Hugo. A recent penguin translation is superb. Among the saddest and most memorable love stories.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Several books by Steinbeck - Travels with Charley, Log from the Sea of Cortez.",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's favorite books in response to the thread question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Steinbeck"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marine biology",
        "travel writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-logic-of-collective-action-c9ea28",
      "title": "The Logic of Collective Action",
      "author": "Mancur Olson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22864738,
          "author": "PaulHoule",
          "createdAt": "2020-04-14T11:38:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 22861452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading to make sense of the economy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22864738",
          "commentText": "Mancur Olson: Logic of Collective action.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mancur Olson: Logic of Collective action.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to what people are reading to understand the economy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mancur Olson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "collective action",
        "public choice"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-logic-of-failure-recognizing-and-avoiding-error-in-complex-si-3fa2b0",
      "title": "The Logic of Failure: Recognizing and Avoiding Error in Complex Situations",
      "author": "Dietrich Dörner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39060910,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T20:47:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39060910",
          "commentText": "A couple favorites that haven't been mentioned:\n'An Introduction to General Systems Thinking', Weinberg, and he's got a dozen more worthwhile books behind it.\n'The Logic of Failure: Recognizing and Avoiding Error in Complex Situations', Dietrich Dorner",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Logic of Failure: Recognizing and Avoiding Error in Complex Situations', Dietrich Dorner",
          "reason": "Named as a favorite relevant to the discussion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dietrich Dörner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "complex systems",
        "decision making",
        "human error"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-logic-of-life-9eef22",
      "title": "The Logic of Life",
      "author": "François Jacob",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10027601,
          "author": "jhedwards",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T15:55:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027601",
          "commentText": "1) Biology and Knowledge by Jean Piaget\n2) Ontogeny and Phylogeny by S.J. Gould\n3) The Logic of Life by Francois Jacob\nThese books have very little fluff and will challenge you to think in new ways about evolution, biology, and the development of human knowledge.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Logic of Life by Francois Jacob",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for high signal to noise books; says the books have little fluff and challenge readers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "François Jacob"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biology",
        "history of science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-logic-of-life-uncovering-the-new-economics-of-everything-57b929",
      "title": "The Logic of Life: Uncovering the New Economics of Everything",
      "author": "Tim Harford",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 180718,
          "author": "mooders",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-04T08:17:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 180589,
          "threadTitle": "Good book for economics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=180718",
          "commentText": "Tim Harford's http://www.amazon.co.uk/Undercover-Economist-Tim-Harford/dp/... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Undercover-Economist-Tim-Harford/dp/0349119856/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209888755&sr=1-1)\"Undercover Economist and http://www.amazon.co.uk/Logic-Life-Uncovering-Economics-Ever... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Logic-Life-Uncovering-Economics-Everything/dp/0316027561/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209888990&sr=1-1) Logic of Life are both excellent at drawing out serious economic principles from  everyday experiences.\nPhilip Coggan's http://www.amazon.co.uk/Money-Machine-Penguin-Business-Libra... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Money-Machine-Penguin-Business-Library/dp/0141009306/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209888653&sr=8-1) Money Machine is not directly an economics book, but details the movement of money through the global economy (but focused on London, specifically) and is an excellent overview of fiscal policy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Logic of Life are both excellent at drawing out serious economic principles from  everyday experiences.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is excellent at drawing economic principles from everyday experiences.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in accessible applications of economics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tim Harford"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "popular economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-lonely-sea-and-the-sky-f56749",
      "title": "The Lonely Sea and the Sky",
      "author": "Francis Chichester",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41175841,
          "author": "montgomery_r",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:58:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175841",
          "commentText": "Aargh, Formatting! Try 2 :\nFor the value of ‘best’ that includes\n(a) had a deep and long lasting impact on how I think about the world and\n(b) I consider beautiful pieces of writing in their own right,\nhere are some in no particular order:\nThe Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins\nThinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nNaming and Necessity, Saul Kripke\nTractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein\n(These you might want to approach via a gentle introduction if you did not study Philosophy to degree level)\nThe Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle\nDarkness at Noon, Arthur Koestler\nThe Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse\nA Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh\nDiaries, Samuel Pepys\nFalling Off the Map, Pico Iyer\nA Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor\nThe Lonely Sea and the Sky, Francis Chichester\nThe Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope\nBevis, Richard Jeffries\nThe Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith\nThe Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse\nHitch-22, essays, Christopher Hitchens\nCollected Essays, William Hazlitt\nVenice, Martin Gayford\nThe Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski\nThe Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch\nToo obvious a list, perhaps, but some gems for all that! Happy reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Lonely Sea and the Sky, Francis Chichester",
          "reason": "Includes the title among books considered impactful and beautifully written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41175718,
          "author": "montgomery_r",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:45:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175718",
          "commentText": "For the value of ‘best’ that includes  (a) had a deep and long lasting impact on how I think about the world and (b) I consider beautiful pieces of writing in their own right, here are some in no particular order: \nThe Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins \nThinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nNaming and Necessity, Saul Kripke\nTractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein\n(These you might want to approach via a gentle introduction if you did not study Philosophy to degree level) \nThe Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle\nDarkness at Noon,\nArthur Koestler\nThe Glass Bead Game,\nHermann Hesse\nA Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh\nDiaries, Samuel Pepys\nFalling Off the Map, Pico Iyer\nA Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor\nThe Lonely Sea and the Sky,\nFrancis Chichester\nThe Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope\nBevis, Richard Jeffries\nThe Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith\nThe Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse\nHitch-22, essaysChristopher Hitchens \nCollected Essays, William Hazlitt\nVenice, Martin Gayford\nThe Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski\nThe Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch\nToo obvious a list, perhaps, but some gems for all that! Happy reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Lonely Sea and the Sky,\nFrancis Chichester",
          "reason": "Includes it among books with lasting impact on how they think and that they consider beautiful writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Francis Chichester"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sailing",
        "adventure memoir",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-long-emergency-1d00fd",
      "title": "The Long Emergency",
      "author": "James Howard Kunstler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6977239,
          "author": "GnarfGnarf",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T23:52:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6977239",
          "commentText": "\"The Long Emergency\", James Kunstler (2005). Surviving the converging catastrophes of the twenty-first century.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Long Emergency\", James Kunstler (2005). Surviving the converging catastrophes of the twenty-first century.",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the question asking for a life-changing book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Howard Kunstler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "peak oil",
        "societal collapse"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-long-goodbye-de11a6",
      "title": "The Long Goodbye",
      "author": "Raymond Chandler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38238712,
          "author": "signalToNose",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T09:24:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238712",
          "commentText": "The long good-bye by Ramond Chandler. I enjoy every sentence. He was a master at his craft and capture me with the language and the story telling.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The long good-bye by Ramond Chandler. I enjoy every sentence.",
          "reason": "Praises the writing, language, and storytelling.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Raymond Chandler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crime fiction",
        "hardboiled detective"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-long-loneliness-65554a",
      "title": "The Long Loneliness",
      "author": "Dorothy Day",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39729605,
          "author": "crabmusket",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T21:23:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729605",
          "commentText": "The Long Loneliness by Dorothy Day. About her life and involvement with the Catholic Worker movement.\nThe Dazzle Of Day by Molly Gloss. A downbeat beautiful meditation on a spaceship crewed by Quakers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Long Loneliness by Dorothy Day.",
          "reason": "Described as a book about her life and involvement with the Catholic Worker movement.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dorothy Day"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "catholic worker movement",
        "catholicism",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-long-run-5148a4",
      "title": "The Long Run",
      "author": "Daniel Keys Moran",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36021681,
          "author": "whartung",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:01:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021681",
          "commentText": "Daniel Keys Moran\n  + Emerald Eyes\n  + The Long Run\n  + The Last Dancer\n\nI don’t reread books as a rule, but I’ve reread these, and TLR at least five times.\nI can rattle of an endless list of authors I like, but by organic evidence of “favorites” these stand out.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Long Run",
          "reason": "Listed among the author's favorites; the commenter says they have reread these books at least five times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Keys Moran"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyberpunk"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-long-tomorrow-74a420",
      "title": "The Long Tomorrow",
      "author": "Leigh Brackett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056623,
          "author": "moomin",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:42:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056623",
          "commentText": "You realize not a single person has mentioned a female author? Let's fix that:\nThe Long Tomorrow by Leigh Brackett\nThe Doomsday Book by Connie Willis\nAmong Others by Jo Walton\nFeed by Mira Grant\nThe Hunger Games!\nThe Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin\nGrass by Sheri S Tepper\nGate of Ivrael and Downbelow Station by CJ Cherryh\nAnd the fabulous space opera:\nAncillary Justice by Ann Leckie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Long Tomorrow by Leigh Brackett",
          "reason": "Listed as a sci-fi book in response to a favorites question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leigh Brackett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "post apocalyptic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-long-walk-d57119",
      "title": "The Long Walk",
      "author": "Richard Bachman (Stephen King)",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11557634,
          "author": "mcintyre1994",
          "createdAt": "2016-04-23T22:06:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 11556470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your favorite dystopian novel and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11557634",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed Stephen King's The Long Walk in addition to a few others already mentioned.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed Stephen King's The Long Walk",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed it in response to a favorite dystopian novel question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Bachman (Stephen King)"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopian fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-long-and-the-short-of-it-the-rise-and-decline-of-the-northern-9b02da",
      "title": "The Long and the Short of It: The Rise and Decline of the Northern European World",
      "author": "Simon Winder",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21793463,
          "author": "Jedd",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-15T00:28:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793463",
          "commentText": "Very much appreciate the recommendation.\nI'm reading (well, listening to) Simon Winder's Germania - the first of a trilogy covering the history of most of western Europe.  It sounds like it may interleave nicely with this work.\nSimon's style, augmented / exacerbated by the narrator, is delightfully droll -- I thoroughly enjoy it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the first of a trilogy covering the history of most of western Europe",
          "reason": "Praises Simon Winder's style and describes this as the first of a history trilogy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Simon Winder"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "european history",
        "western europe"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-longest-day-ae8f3f",
      "title": "The Longest Day",
      "author": "Cornelius Ryan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1865794,
          "author": "scottkrager",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T18:16:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865794",
          "commentText": "Great book! I used to love story format non-fiction books, and \"The Killer Angels\" was one of my favorites. Also, check out \"The Longest Day\" by Cornelius Ryan (D-Day) and my favorite one of his, \"A Bridge Too Far\" (about largest airborne operation in WWII). Just don't watch the movies!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "check out \"The Longest Day\" by Cornelius Ryan (D-Day)",
          "reason": "Recommends checking out the book about D-Day.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cornelius Ryan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "d day",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-loom-of-ruin-820825",
      "title": "The Loom of Ruin",
      "author": "Sam McPheeters",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4967105,
          "author": "peteforde",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T21:04:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967105",
          "commentText": "One of the darkest, funniest books I've ever read was called \"The Loom of Ruin\" by Sam McPheeters. I found myself laughing out loud regularly. You can read an excerpt here:\nhttp://www.vice.com/read/the-loom-of-ruin-0000118-v19n1",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One of the darkest, funniest books I've ever read was called \"The Loom of Ruin\" by Sam McPheeters.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of the darkest and funniest books they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sam McPheeters"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dark comedy",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-lords-of-discipline-cb0d14",
      "title": "The Lords of Discipline",
      "author": "Pat Conroy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467700,
          "author": "clairity",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:52:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467700",
          "commentText": "i recently re-read the wisdom of crowds, ~15 years now since i first read it. still good, still relevant. there's even a section on how quickly SARS was identified in international collaboration despite no central, coordinating entity.\nit's covertly a book about statistical reasoning, but with no dry statistical language, subversive in a way. we need more statistical reasoning in the world, particularly around risk assessment, to subdue fear and panic.\nedit: as for fiction,\njames clavell's asian saga[0] series is entertaining historical fiction, which i've read twice.\npat conroy's southern portraits, particularly the lords of discipline and the prince of tides, both wrenching, haunting, and beautiful.\nalso in the historical/cultural fiction realm: anna karenina, crime and punishment, a tale of two cities, les miserables.\n[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Asian_Saga",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the lords of discipline",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as wrenching, haunting, and beautiful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pat Conroy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "southern fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-loser-1304d3",
      "title": "The Loser",
      "author": "Thomas Bernhard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2617360,
          "author": "flomincucci",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T18:06:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2617360",
          "commentText": "Just finished reading The Loser by Thomas Bernhard. Cruel, repetitive, ironic... effing brilliant. It's about three pianists - one of them it's Glenn Gould, and how meeting him ruined the life of the other two.\nCurrently reading High Fidelity by Nick Hornby. I can't be objetive about him, I simple love it. (The movie is great, also)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cruel, repetitive, ironic... effing brilliant.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the novel brilliant despite describing its style as cruel, repetitive, and ironic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as cruel, repetitive, and ironic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Bernhard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "pianists"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-lost-city-of-z-9f8819",
      "title": "The Lost City of Z",
      "author": "David Grann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42508349,
          "author": "hijp",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T11:49:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42508349",
          "commentText": "I really liked \"The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder\".  It's very well researched and pieced together from conflicting accounts.\nAfter I was finished I decided to look up the author and found out he wrote \"Killers of the Flower Moon\" and \"The Lost City of Z\", both of which I really enjoyed!  If you like books like Endurance, Unbroken, or A Land So Strange, you'll dig this one.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "both of which I really enjoyed!",
          "reason": "Says they really enjoyed this book, identifying it among the author's works.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Grann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "exploration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-lost-city-of-the-monkey-god-803b21",
      "title": "The Lost City of the Monkey God",
      "author": "Douglas Preston",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15961346,
          "author": "billbrown",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:31:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961346",
          "commentText": "Here's quite a few, but they might be of interest to others.\n1. You Have the Right to Remain Innocent: great advice that I had never seen anywhere else (except his video that started the whole thing).\n2. The Vital Question: good overview of origin of life research.\n3. Fragment: hard science fiction (is that the term?) that delved into evolution and dovetailed with some of the reading I had been doing around that subject.\n4. The Science of Navigation: delved into the wonder of current navigational technology and how we got to here.\n5. The Lost City of the Monkey God: bought on a lark, made me realize that archaeology can still find new things nowadays.\n6. Island of the Lost: historical account of two shipwrecks on the same island at the same time that knew nothing of each other.\n7. Protecting the Gift: another eye-opener about being more aware of the ways people _can_ prey on children.\n8. Wondrous Contrivances: how people reacted to new techologies in the past.\n9. Rig Ship for Ultra Quiet: submariner's account of life during a Cold War operation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Lost City of the Monkey God: bought on a lark, made me realize that archaeology can still find new things nowadays.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed their view of what archaeology can discover.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in archaeology and exploration.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they bought it on a lark.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Preston"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "archaeology",
        "expeditions"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-lost-continent-9a06b2",
      "title": "The Lost Continent",
      "author": "Bill Bryson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 798484,
          "author": "rmk",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T17:54:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=798484",
          "commentText": "The Lost Continent, Bill Bryson.\nAn amazing book, very readable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An amazing book, very readable.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as amazing and very readable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Bryson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "travel writing",
        "united states"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-lost-man-83e9dc",
      "title": "The Lost Man",
      "author": "Jane Harper",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21461088,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T09:54:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21461088",
          "commentText": "Currently:\nThrough a Camel's Eye by Dorothy Johnston although admit I'm having trouble getting into it. Will give it another 50 pages before I decide.\nAnd today started listening to Dune Messiah on audiobook. I loved the first book which I've reread many times, but didn't enjoy the following books at all when I read them years and years ago. Decided to give them another try.\nRecommend:\nThe First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North for beautiful prose, charming writing and an inventive story. Her first and best book under that pseudonym.\nBarsk: The Elephants' Graveyard and The Moons of Barsk by Lawrence M. Schoen for making me care about anthropomorphic elephants.\nChildren of Time and Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky for almost making me care about non-anthropomorphic spiders.\nI Am Not a Serial Killer and sequels by Dan Wells for tricking me into reading a horror novel when I at first thought it was a thriller, but really enjoying it anyway.\nThe Lost Man by Jane Harper for being similar but so far a lot better than Through a Camel's Eye.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Lost Man by Jane Harper for being similar but so far a lot better than Through a Camel's Eye.",
          "reason": "Praised as similar to, but so far much better than, Through a Camel's Eye.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comparison is based on the commenter's reading so far.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jane Harper"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "australian setting",
        "crime fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-lost-symbol-362ccd",
      "title": "The Lost Symbol",
      "author": "Dan Brown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1027230,
          "author": "Tichy",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T14:27:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027230",
          "commentText": "The Lost Symbol sucked - I was entertained by Vinci Code and Illuminati, even though some of the riddles seemed chilidish. But Lost Symbol adds an unnecessary esoteric, New Age angle (\"Twitter is god\"), and the riddles have become too ridiculous. One of them is turning some letters on their head to make them readable. Another thing were \"magic squares\" - so I guess because they have \"magic\" in the name they have to be something deep and conspirational...",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The Lost Symbol sucked",
          "reason": "Strongly criticizes the book's esoteric angle and increasingly ridiculous riddles.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027000,
          "author": "blahblahblah",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T09:17:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027000",
          "commentText": "Revelation Space, by Alastair Reynolds - Quirky sci-fi novel with a xenoarchaeology angle\nHunters of Dune, by Brian Herbert & Kevin J. Anderson - I'm not recommending this one on the basis of the writing.  I'd recommend it only to those who read all of Frank Herbert's original Dune series and have been hanging in suspense ever since because the cliffhanger ending of Chapterhouse Dune was never resolved due to Frank's untimely death.  They based the book on Frank's outline, but it clearly would have been a better book if it had been written by Frank.  Nonetheless, it is satisfying to resolve the unanswered questions:  Who the heck are these Honored Matres and what were they running away from?\nLabyrinths:  Selected Stories & Other Writings, by Jorges Luis Borges - This is kind of a quirky collection of short stories that are all mindbenders of one variety or another.  The best description I can give of Borges is that reading him is kind of like solving puzzles.\nAcross the Nightingale Floor:  Tales of the Otori, by Lain Hearn - Historical fiction set in feudal Japan with lords and their retainers, assassins, etc.\nThe Lost Symbol, by Dan Brown - If you liked The Da Vinci Code or Angels & Demons, you'll probably like this one as well.  While Dan Brown will probably never write anything that matches the utter genius of Umberto Eco's Foucault's Pendulum, he is entertaining in his own way and worth a read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If you liked The Da Vinci Code or Angels & Demons, you'll probably like this one as well.",
          "reason": "Recommends it to readers who enjoyed the author’s earlier novels.",
          "audience": "Readers who liked The Da Vinci Code or Angels & Demons.",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it entertaining while saying it is unlikely to match Foucault’s Pendulum.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Brown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "thriller",
        "conspiracy",
        "conspiracy fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-lost-world-ce8a1b",
      "title": "The Lost World",
      "author": "Michael Crichton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9649479,
          "author": "rdc12",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-02T22:34:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 9636361,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9649479",
          "commentText": "Fiction: Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (loved the movie as a kid, but never got round to reading the book), will follow up with the Lost World.\nNon-Fiction: Chaos by James Gleick.\nSemester break reading, Real World Ocaml and Modern Compilers in ML (assuming they arrive in time)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "will follow up with the Lost World.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Plans to read it; no evaluation given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 875815,
          "author": "chrischen",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T02:47:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875815",
          "commentText": "The Lost World - Michael Crichton\nHarry Potter -",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Lost World - Michael Crichton",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Crichton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dinosaurs",
        "genetic engineering",
        "thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-loudest-voice-in-the-room-011daa",
      "title": "The Loudest Voice in the Room",
      "author": "Gabriel Sherman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21792651,
          "author": "JennyWeston",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T22:09:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21792651",
          "commentText": "The Loudest Voice in the room.   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Loudest_Voice_in_the_Room\nNot to agree or disagree with a political approach ... but to understand how and why Fox News works.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Not to agree or disagree with a political approach ... but to understand how and why Fox News works.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a way to understand how and why Fox News works.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says this is not an endorsement or rejection of a political approach.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gabriel Sherman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fox news",
        "media"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-lucifer-principle-a5d49e",
      "title": "The Lucifer Principle",
      "author": "Howard Bloom",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1026581,
          "author": "Asa-Nisse",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T01:50:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026581",
          "commentText": "Recommendations:\n- Collapse by Jared Diamond, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collapse_%28book%29 about how we over-exploit our planet.\n- The Lucifer Principle by Howard Bloom, psychological and cultural explanations of how humans react to \"memes\" amongst other gems of knowledge.\n- The Eschaton series by Charles Stross (sci-fi).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Lucifer Principle by Howard Bloom",
          "reason": "Listed as a recommendation for psychological and cultural explanations of human behavior.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 142883,
          "author": "aswanson",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-21T22:48:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=142883",
          "commentText": "Lucifer Principle -- Howard Bloom.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Lucifer Principle -- Howard Bloom.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Howard Bloom"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cultural evolution",
        "evolutionary psychology",
        "group behavior",
        "social psychology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-luzhin-defence-fbc90b",
      "title": "The Luzhin Defence",
      "author": "Vladimir Nabokov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10208130,
          "author": "V-2",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T14:15:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10208130",
          "commentText": "Obviously not s-f as such, but - quite a few novels by Nabokov. \"The Luzhin Defence\" (aka \"The Defense\"), \"The Eye\", \"Bend Sinister\", \"Transparent Things\" - all very immersing, and posing the question of what's the true reality, its underpinnings and seams. Challenging reads for sure, every detail matters.\nSome might recommend Pynchon as well, personally I'm not convinced but to each his own.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Luzhin Defence\" (aka \"The Defense\"), \"The Eye\", \"Bend Sinister\", \"Transparent Things\" - all very immersing, and posing the question of what's the true reality, its underpinnings and seams.",
          "reason": "Described as immersive and as questioning the nature and foundations of reality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls these challenging reads and says every detail matters.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vladimir Nabokov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "psychological fiction",
        "reality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-lymond-chronicles-1dd632",
      "title": "The Lymond Chronicles",
      "author": "Dorothy Dunnett",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1975129,
          "author": "ANH",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T14:00:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1975129",
          "commentText": "The eight books of the House of Niccolo series by Dorothy Dunnett. Swashbuckling 15th-century entrepreneurship. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_House_of_Niccol%C3%B2\nAnd once you've finished that, there's a sequel series (actually written before the House of Niccolo): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lymond_Chronicles",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "And once you've finished that, there's a sequel series (actually written before the House of Niccolo): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lymond_Chronicles",
          "reason": "Points to it as the follow-up series to read after The House of Niccolò.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it was written before The House of Niccolò.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dorothy Dunnett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "16th century scotland",
        "historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mos-6567-6569-video-controller-vic-ii-3c5031",
      "title": "The MOS 6567/6569 Video Controller (VIC-II)",
      "author": "Christian Bauer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14139763,
          "author": "c64e7c165b9a40b",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T15:40:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14139763",
          "commentText": "Not exactly a field/industry, but in the Commodore 64 demoscene it would be the \"VIC Article\", which is a nickname for \"The MOS 6567/6569 video controller (VIC-II)\" by Christian Bauer:\nhttp://www.zimmers.net/cbmpics/cbm/c64/vic-ii.txt",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The MOS 6567/6569 video controller (VIC-II)\" by Christian Bauer",
          "reason": "Named as the nickname's full title and described as the demoscene reference for the Commodore 64.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is not exactly a field or industry.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christian Bauer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "commodore 64",
        "demoscene",
        "vic ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mac-is-not-a-typewriter-c2bbac",
      "title": "The Mac Is Not a Typewriter",
      "author": "Robin Williams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17914850,
          "author": "combatentropy",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-05T03:36:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17914850",
          "commentText": "The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E. B. White\nThe Language Instinct by Steven Pinker\nThe Problem of Pain by C. S. Lewis\nThe Mac Is Not a Typewriter by Robin Williams\nGetting Real by 37 Signals",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mac Is Not a Typewriter by Robin Williams",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite nonfiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robin Williams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "macintosh",
        "typography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-machiavellians-defenders-of-freedom-bc06e0",
      "title": "The Machiavellians: Defenders of Freedom",
      "author": "James Burnham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40279007,
          "author": "ldehaan",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-06T20:17:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40279007",
          "commentText": "The Coming of Neo-Feudalism - Joel Kotkin (its a brainful)\nAlgorithns to live by - Brian Christian\nThinking Fast and Slow - Daniel khaneman\nThe Machiavellians: Defenders of Freedom - James Burnham",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Machiavellians: Defenders of Freedom - James Burnham",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Burnham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "elite theory",
        "political theory"
      ],
      "purposes": []
    },
    {
      "id": "the-machineries-of-empire-d280fa",
      "title": "The Machineries of Empire",
      "author": "Yoon Ha Lee",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36026544,
          "author": "shoo",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-22T01:55:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36026544",
          "commentText": "I'll plug some excellent work that is underrepresented here:\nCJ Cherryh's \"Cyteen\". Won the Hugo for best novel in '89. The backdrop is Cherryh's Alliance-Union universe -- which is arguably one of those classic \"cold war in space\" type space opera settings of science fiction of a certain vintage -- but that conflict isn't the focus of this novel. Cyteen is set in the research organisation that designs, grows and conditions the \"azi\" clone slave caste that generates population of labourers and specialists required to keep the Union society running. I found it initially slow going, but it turned out to be one of the best novels I've read in a long time. The plot is a kind of coming-of-age / political-intrigue / murder mystery tale. Not a space opera - power games, paranoia, abuse. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyteen\nYoon Ha Lee's \"Ninefox Gambit\" (first of a trilogy, each book in the trilogy shortlisted for Hugo best novel 2017/2018/2019). Space opera / military sci-fi. The political stability of the empire depends upon adherence to the empire's standard 'calendar', which is maintained through ritual torture of heretics. Much exotic technology depends upon calendric properties, and fails in regions where populations are following a nonstandard heretical calendar. The outcomes of battles depend not only on how many fleets or waves of infantry can be expended, but each side's mathematical ability to understand the local calendrical properties and adapt their tactics and technology accordingly. The plot follows a military officer's mission to quash a rebellion at a key star fortress -- and her attempt to improve the chances of success by having the mind of a dead undefeated war-criminal general loaded into her head. Space opera / military sci-fi.\nArkady Martine's \"A Memory Called Empire\" (won Hugo best novel in 2020). A tiny independent station sends a replacement diplomat into the heart of a neighboring empire, in an attempt to direct the empire's attention elsewhere and maintain independent station sovereignty, and discover what happened to the previous diplomat. Backdrop is suitable for a space opera, the story is political intrigue. The station society is one where memories and personalities can be artificially recorded and stored, and then re-implanted into future generations to preserve skills and knowledge. The novel explores attraction and intoxication with the culture and language of a dominant foreign power that is threatening to engulf one's own home.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Yoon Ha Lee's \"Ninefox Gambit\" (first of a trilogy",
          "reason": "Recommended as space opera and military science fiction, with battles shaped by mathematical understanding of calendar systems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Yoon Ha Lee"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternate mathematics",
        "military science fiction",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-macroscope-bb4549",
      "title": "The Macroscope",
      "author": "Joël de Rosnay",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9611994,
          "author": "gandalfu",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T15:22:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9611994",
          "commentText": "\"The Macroscope\" by Joël de Rosnay, a book on the systems approach\nhttp://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/macrbook.html\nThis book is an excellent, easy to read introduction to cybernetics and systems thinking, with applications to living organisms, the economy and the world as a whole. The main theme is that the complex systems which govern our life should be looked at as a whole, rather than be taken apart into their constituents. The different systems, processes and mechanisms are beautifully illustrated with examples and pictures.\nAlthough the text is over 20 years old, this visionary document is still highly relevant to our present situation and state of knowledge.\nIt is particularly recommended to people who wish to get an understanding of the basic concepts and applications of systems theory and cybernetics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Macroscope\" by Joël de Rosnay, a book on the systems approach",
          "reason": "Describes it as an excellent, accessible introduction to systems thinking and cybernetics.",
          "audience": "People seeking basic concepts and applications of systems theory and cybernetics.",
          "caveat": "The text is over 20 years old, though the commenter says it remains relevant.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joël de Rosnay"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybernetics",
        "systems theory",
        "systems thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-madness-of-crowds-8ef870",
      "title": "The Madness of Crowds",
      "author": "Douglas Murray",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21793216,
          "author": "emehex",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T23:43:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793216",
          "commentText": "• The Madness of Crowds by Douglas Murray\n• Consciousness by Annaka Harris\n• More From Less by Andrew McAffee\n• The School of Life: An Emotional Education\n• Perfect Sound Whatever by James Acaster\n• Humble Pi by Matt Parker\n• The Last Pirate of New York by Rich Cohen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Madness of Crowds by Douglas Murray",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Murray"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "culture",
        "identity politics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-magellanic-cloud-2b5c97",
      "title": "The Magellanic Cloud",
      "author": "Stanisław Lem",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19090108,
          "author": "nathias",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T21:39:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090108",
          "commentText": "Plato - Meno, Symposium, Parmenides, Gorgias, Protagoras\nPlotinus -Enneads\nMarkus Aurelius - Meditations\nDescartes - On method\nDescartes - Meditations\nSpinoza - On the improvement of Understanding\nLeibniz - Monadology\nLeibniz - Grace\nVoltaire - Candid\nDiderot - D'Alembert's Dream\nKant - How to orient oneself in thinking\nKant - Critique of Pure Reason\nKant - Critique of Judgment\nHegel - Phenomenology of Spirit\nHegel - Logic\nvon Kleist - Marionette Theatre\nKierkegaard - The Sickness Unto Death\nHeidegger - Being and Time\nSartre - Being and Nothingness\nSartre - Flies\nSartre - Nausea\nDeleuze - Difference and Repetition\nKafka - Metamorphosis\nKafka - The Castle\nLem - Magellan Nebula\nLem - His Master's Voice\nCioran - A Short History of Decay\nPessoa - Book Of Despair\nWolfe -  New Sun tetralogy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lem - Magellan Nebula",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stanisław Lem"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "space exploration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-magic-garden-explained-7e7a44",
      "title": "The Magic Garden Explained",
      "author": "Peter H. Salus",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29315076,
          "author": "defaultcompany",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-23T06:21:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29315076",
          "commentText": "Just today my wife asked me if we could get rid of \"The Magic Garden, Explained\", since I never use it. I told her it's just one of those books I like knowing is there even if I never crack it open again. Highly impractical in that it is so out of date (historical at this point) and from what I remember very well put together. It was so eye opening when I read it to see the inner workings of SVR4 and how every little bit of information had it's neat little place.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The Magic Garden, Explained\"",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as a well put together, eye opening account of SVR4.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is out of date and they never use it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter H. Salus"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "svr4",
        "unix history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-magic-school-bus-0dc80c",
      "title": "The Magic School Bus",
      "author": "Joanna Cole",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1725397,
          "author": "gokhan",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-24T20:57:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1725397",
          "commentText": "My son is 3.5 years old. Here are some of the books he loves.\nThe Magic School Bus series. For example:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Magic-School-Bus-Ocean-Floor/dp/059041... (http://www.amazon.com/Magic-School-Bus-Ocean-Floor/dp/0590414313/ref=sr_1_4?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1285361104&sr=8-4)\nIf I Built a Car (a great book on design)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0142408255/ref=oss_product\nManfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0811860639/ref=oss_product",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Magic School Bus series.",
          "reason": "Names a series of books the commenter’s young son loves.",
          "audience": "Young children.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joanna Cole"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s science",
        "educational fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-magic-of-math-caeebd",
      "title": "The Magic of Math",
      "author": "Arthur Benjamin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23728345,
          "author": "Tempest1981",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T22:57:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23728345",
          "commentText": "This may be too basic, but \"The Magic of Math\" by Arthur Benjamin\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24612214-the-magic-of-ma... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24612214-the-magic-of-math)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "This may be too basic, but \"The Magic of Math\" by Arthur Benjamin",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may be too basic.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur Benjamin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "recreational mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-magic-of-reality-how-we-know-what-s-really-true-706218",
      "title": "The Magic of Reality: How We Know What's Really True",
      "author": "Richard Dawkins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5702280,
          "author": "Avalaxy",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-14T00:08:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5702280",
          "commentText": "Permission Marketing - Seth Godin, made me think about what he calls interruption marketing.\nPurple Cow - Seth Godin, made me think about standing out.\nThe Lean Startup - Eric Ries, really changed the way I think about... Well, nearly everything that costs effort.\nThe God Delusion - Richard Dawkins, good theory about why God most probably doesn't exist.\nThe magic of reality - Richard Dawkins, great story about evolution, religion, etc.\nA short history of nearly everything - Bill Bryson, brilliant book. Perfect summary of our scientific advancements during the last centuries. He made me think about possible natural disasters.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The magic of reality - Richard Dawkins, great story about evolution, religion, etc.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as a great story about evolution and religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Dawkins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolution",
        "scientific explanation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-magician-king-a1ac5e",
      "title": "The Magician King",
      "author": "Lev Grossman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783459,
          "author": "Sherlock",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:37:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783459",
          "commentText": "\"The Magicians\", \"The Magician King\", \"The Magician's Land\" - Lev Grossman. 4/5\n\"Inside Job\" - Connie Willis. 4/5\n\"Norwegian Wood (Tokio Blues)\" - Haruki Murakami. 4/5\n\"Old Man's War\" - John Scalzi. 5/5\n\"Persepolis\" - Marjane Satrapi. 5/5\nNon fiction:\n\"The 10,000 year explosion\" about recent evolution. 3/5 ton of evidence for their thesis, but lacks predictions.\n\"What if\" well known by HN. 5/5\n\"The nurture assumption\" about education, 2/5. Maybe a 4/5 when it was published, but now their ideas are in the water supply.\n\"The man who mistook his wife for a hat\", by Oliver Sacks 4/5. Several stories about neurological deficits.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Magicians\", \"The Magician King\", \"The Magician's Land\" - Lev Grossman. 4/5",
          "reason": "Part of a trilogy rated 4/5.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lev Grossman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adult fantasy",
        "magical school"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-magician-s-land-479a0b",
      "title": "The Magician's Land",
      "author": "Lev Grossman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10784101,
          "author": "skorgu",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:39:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10784101",
          "commentText": "I was on a sf kick this year apparently.\nFull list (why can't amazon show me the read dates of my kindle books?!):\n- Ancillary Sword\n- The Magician's Land\n- The Three Body Problem (incomplete)\n- Libriomancer, Codex Born, Unbound\n- Thank You, Jeeves\n- Omon Ra (incomplete)\n- Stations of the Tide\n- 1Q84 (staggeringly incomplete)\n- The Desert Spear (incomplete)\n- The Lost Fleet: {Dauntless,Fearless,Courageous} (third \none incomplete)\n- Superintelligence\n- Nexus, Crux (incomplete)\n- Another Fine Myth\n- The Annihilation Score\n- The Man with the Golden Torc, Daemons are Forever\n- The Fractal Prince (incomplete)\n- Crooked\n- Ancillary Mercy\n- The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet\n- The Traitor Baru Cormarant\n- Excession\n- Hive Mind\n- Seveneves",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "- The Magician's Land",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed in a reading list; no evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783459,
          "author": "Sherlock",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:37:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783459",
          "commentText": "\"The Magicians\", \"The Magician King\", \"The Magician's Land\" - Lev Grossman. 4/5\n\"Inside Job\" - Connie Willis. 4/5\n\"Norwegian Wood (Tokio Blues)\" - Haruki Murakami. 4/5\n\"Old Man's War\" - John Scalzi. 5/5\n\"Persepolis\" - Marjane Satrapi. 5/5\nNon fiction:\n\"The 10,000 year explosion\" about recent evolution. 3/5 ton of evidence for their thesis, but lacks predictions.\n\"What if\" well known by HN. 5/5\n\"The nurture assumption\" about education, 2/5. Maybe a 4/5 when it was published, but now their ideas are in the water supply.\n\"The man who mistook his wife for a hat\", by Oliver Sacks 4/5. Several stories about neurological deficits.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Magicians\", \"The Magician King\", \"The Magician's Land\" - Lev Grossman. 4/5",
          "reason": "Part of a trilogy rated 4/5.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lev Grossman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adult fantasy",
        "magic",
        "magical school",
        "modern fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-magicians-trilogy-74475d",
      "title": "The Magicians Trilogy",
      "author": "Lev Grossman",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42269753,
          "author": "vunderba",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T00:39:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42269753",
          "commentText": "The Daemon series along with the Magicians Trilogy by Lev Grossman are two of my favorite sci-fi/fantasy series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Magicians Trilogy by Lev Grossman",
          "reason": "Names it as one of their two favorite science fiction/fantasy series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lev Grossman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "magic schools",
        "urban fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mahabharata-c470d4",
      "title": "The Mahabharata",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17383623,
          "author": "_jgdh",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T21:45:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17383623",
          "commentText": "But if by “great” you mean a lot of fun to read, then I’m skeptical. I grew up with these stories since my mother and grandmother told them as bedtime stories. As I learned to read I picked up the comic book versions (known as Amar Chitra Katha) and later the novels.\nAs far as the stories themselves go, they’re pretty drab. The plot is predictable, dialogue is meh, characters (apart from 2) are more like caricatures than real people, the morals are as subtle as bludgeons, they drag on for no reason. I would not recommend them to anyone.\nThat’s not to say they’re not important books. They were and are influential. Today’s books might be better but they owe a debt of gratitude to the classics. So in some ways reading the Mahabharata today and complaining it isn’t great is similar to complaining that Seinfeld Isn’t Funny. Plus I will say, at least half a billion people love these stories and worship the characters as Gods. If that makes you curious, pick them up.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "reading the Mahabharata today and complaining it isn’t great is similar to complaining that Seinfeld Isn’t Funny.",
          "reason": "Calls it historically important and influential, while criticizing the storytelling and saying they would not recommend it.",
          "audience": "Curious readers interested in influential classics may want to pick it up.",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds the stories drab, predictable, and overly long.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8402341,
          "author": "dedalus",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T18:46:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8402341",
          "commentText": "Read\n-----\nThe Unwritten Laws of Engineering - King & Skakoon\nThe Epic Struggle of the Internet of Things - Bruce Sterling\nThe Dilbert Future : Thriving on Stupidity in the 21st Century\nAlways Postpone Meetings with Time-Wasting Morons - Scott Adams\nThe Straight Dope Tells All\nCurrently Reading\nThe Mahabharata - This is an epic\nTubes: A Journey to the Center of the Internet",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Mahabharata - This is an epic",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an epic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "indian epic",
        "hindu literature",
        "sanskrit literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-making-of-economic-society-2303b6",
      "title": "The Making of Economic Society",
      "author": "Robert L. Heilbroner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17938850,
          "author": "dmccunney",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-08T01:21:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17938850",
          "commentText": "An assortment:\n\"The Silent Language\" by Edward T. Hall.\nHall was an anthropologist attached to the University of New Mexico.  He and his research partner, linguist Norman Trager, were doing research in comparative culture.  Hall realized they would need a comprehensive theory of culture to describe what they were comparing and provide ways to compare them.  Hall's model was \"culture as communication\", and the results were presented in the book above.  His key point was that most of culture was like the iceberg - 90% of it is processed on an unconscious reflex level.  We are no more aware of most of our culture than a fish is of the water it swims in.  We only become aware when we are set down in a culture that does things differently than ours. The Silent Language is about how we use space.  The followup \"The Hidden Dimension looks into how different cultures use time. Many things fell into place when I read Hall.\n\"Games People Play\" by Eric Berne.\nBerne was a psychiatrist and founder of the discipline of Transactional Analysis.  Games People Play was a PopSci bestseller when first published, which was odd because it's a highly technical volume written for other psychiatrists.  His thesis was that most human behavior could be viewed as games, and most of what we did were ways of structuring time.  Follow up with his \"What Do You Say After You've Said Hello?\" and \"Beyond Games and Scripts\".  Hall's work above did much to explain teh behavior of societies.  Berne's work does much to explain the behavior of people in societies.\n\"The Anatomy of Criticism\" by Northrop Frye.\nFrye was a Professor of English at Toronto University.  He had completed a study of William Blake called \"Fearful Symmetry\", and was attempting to do a study of Spencer's Faery Queen.  But he found himself trying to make sense of various terms used in literature, and the result became a work of pure theory, unconnected with any specific works.  He refers to poetry and poetics, but his canvas is broader.  Part of his problem was that there was no general term in English for a work of prose fiction.  It's a set of four essays, covering Historical Criticism, Ethical Criticism, Archetypal Criticism, and Rhetorical Criticism, but makes clear that while each form is valid in its own terms, none fully described literature, and a more synoptic view was required.\n\"The Structure of Scientific Revolutions\" by Thomas S. Kuhn\nKuhn's work challenged the accepted notions of scientific progress, and the notion of steady accumulation.  His thesis was that the real progress came from notions that lay outside accepted theories, and provided new paradigms by which reality might be understood, and faced all the resistance transformative ideas face from entrenched doctrine until they are demonstrated to be correct.\n\"Management: Tasks, Practices, Responsibilities\" by Peter F. Drucker.\nDrucker was our present generation's primary primary theorist and consultant on the practice of management, and just what management was and what mangers did.  This work was probably his magnum opus, where he pulled together the ideas he'd formulated elsewhere into a coherent whole.  It's a liberal education not only in management, but in the nature and structure of market based economies.\n\"The Making of Economic Society\" by Robert F. Heilbroner.\nThis is probably the best single volume overview I'm aware of on economics and economic history, beginning with just what an economy is, and the changing conception of economics through history, with the transition from Traditional through Command to Market economies and the issues involved with each.  Many animated discussions I see online about economics make me say \"Those words don't mean what you think they do.  Please read Heilbroner, and come back when you have.  Then we might at least be talking about the same things.\"\n\"The Problems of Philosophy\" by Bertrand Russell.\nRussell is concerned with knowledge, and how we know what we know.  He asks \"Is there any knowledge in the world so certin that no reasonable man could doubt it?\", and concludes that it's one of the most difficult questions that can be asked.  When we understand the obstacles in the way of a straightforward and confident answer, we are launched on the study of philosophy, which is concerned with precisely such questions.  If philosophy is of interest, this is a superb place to start.\n\"Religion and the Rise of Capitalism\" by R. H. Tawney.\nEconomies don't exist in vacuums.  The are aspects of the societies in which they exist, and reflect the values of those societies. Religion has been a critical part of the value systems of societies for as long as there have been societies, and religious notions on what sort of behavior is acceptable affect the structure of economies by determining what sort of transactions are permissible. Tawney is specifically concerned with religious thought in England affecting social organization and economic issues in the period immediately preceding the Reformation and the two following centuries, but while his focus in England, his description of the way in which Christian religious doctrine changed gradually to make a capitalist economy possible in England, the underlying processes could be applied through Europe in general. Read this as a companion to Max Weber's \"The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism\", originally written in German and concerned with the Netherlands and Germany.\n\"Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy\" by Joseph A. Schumpeter.\nSchumpeter was an Austrian economist, a contemporary of John Maynard Keynes, and (briefly) Austria's Finance Minister in the 1920's.  Like Keynes, he considered himself influenced by Marx.  But unlike many others, he believed Marx \"asked all the right questions, and got all the wrong answers\".  Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy was Schumpeter's (often delightfully snarky) attempt to understand what Marx got wrong and why.  It's a useful brainwash after you've spent any time reading MArx or other folks who consider themselves Marxists, and provides a needed sense of perspective.\nThere's more, but I have to stop somewhere...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is probably the best single volume overview I'm aware of on economics and economic history",
          "reason": "Recommended as an overview of economics and economic history.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an introduction to economic concepts and history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert L. Heilbroner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-making-of-karateka-3f2c6b",
      "title": "The Making of Karateka",
      "author": "Jordan Mechner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17236432,
          "author": "whitingx",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-05T10:41:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17236432",
          "commentText": "Recommendations in this area;\nBooks\n'The Making of Karateka' by Jordan Mechner \nhttp://amzn.eu/5iUrxxo\n'The Making of Prince of Persia' by Jordan Mechner \nhttp://amzn.eu/fJ0Nfr2\nDocumentaries\n'From Bedrooms to Billions'\nhttp://www.frombedroomstobillions.com/about-the-film\nhttps://www.imdb.com/title/tt2404567/\n'From Bedrooms to Billions: The Amiga Years!'\nhttp://www.frombedroomstobillions.com/amiga\nhttps://www.imdb.com/title/tt4603210/\nBlog Posts\nhttps://arstechnica.com/series/history-of-the-amiga/\nHope ^ these prove interesting, will update comment if I think of others ツ",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Making of Karateka' by Jordan Mechner",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jordan Mechner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "game history",
        "video game development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-man-behind-the-microchip-d2ef9b",
      "title": "The Man Behind the Microchip",
      "author": "Leslie Berlin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2152775,
          "author": "Tim1776",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-28T17:59:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2152775",
          "commentText": "A few great biographies: \"The Man Behind The Microchip\" by Leslie Berlin, \"iWoz: Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-Founded Apple, and Had Fun Doing It\" by Steve Wozniak and Gina Smith, and \"Just One More Thing\" by Peter Falk.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Man Behind The Microchip\" by Leslie Berlin",
          "reason": "Lists it among a few great biographies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leslie Berlin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "semiconductors",
        "silicon valley"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-man-who-counted-5d181c",
      "title": "The Man Who Counted",
      "author": "Malba Tahan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23726557,
          "author": "airstrike",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T19:05:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23726557",
          "commentText": "A bit on the lighter side, I do recommend The Man Who Counted which I read as a kid and absolutely loved\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Man-Who-Counted-Collection-Mathematic... (https://www.amazon.com/Man-Who-Counted-Collection-Mathematical/dp/0393309347)\nI read the original in Portuguese but would assume it's just as good in English, given overwhelmingly positive reviews on Amazon\nSee also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_Who_Counted\nIt won't really teach him math per se, but if my experience is any indication, it will get him hooked on developing intuition and he'll find beauty in otherwise mundane topics such as arithmetic. It's an incredibly engaging story aimed at younger readers but fun for people of all ages – think Arabian Nights with a character that loves math.\nCome to think of it, I've got to buy it again and re-read it one of these days",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I do recommend The Man Who Counted which I read as a kid and absolutely loved",
          "reason": "Recommended as an engaging story that can spark mathematical intuition and appreciation of everyday topics.",
          "audience": "Younger readers; the commenter says it is fun for all ages.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it will not really teach math directly.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Malba Tahan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "math puzzles",
        "mathematical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-man-who-discovered-quality-381218",
      "title": "The Man Who Discovered Quality",
      "author": "Andrea Gabor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42650524,
          "author": "snowwrestler",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-09T22:31:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42650524",
          "commentText": "I greatly enjoyed The Leadership Moment by Michael Useem, which covers 9 stories of crises and how leaders approached them.\nThe Man Who Discovered Quality by Andrea Gabor is an interesting story of W. Edwards Deming, the American who revolutionized post-WWII Japanese manufacturing with statistical approaches to reducing variance.\nIssac Newton by James Gleick conveys what it was like for Newton to essentially invent modern physical science in a pre-scientific world.\nDreaming In Code by Scott Rosenberg is a good counterpoint to inspiring tech origin stories: legendary coders coming together to build an amazing product and… basically failing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Man Who Discovered Quality by Andrea Gabor is an interesting story",
          "reason": "Tells the story of W. Edwards Deming and his impact on Japanese manufacturing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrea Gabor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "quality management",
        "w edwards deming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-man-who-folded-himself-b1834c",
      "title": "The Man Who Folded Himself",
      "author": "David Gerrold",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37160374,
          "author": "layer8",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T12:08:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37160374",
          "commentText": "“The Man Who Folded Himself” by David Gerrold. The writing is pretty terrible, but it’s the most fascinating exploration of time travel I’ve seen so far.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "“The Man Who Folded Himself” by David Gerrold. The writing is pretty terrible, but it’s the most fascinating exploration of time travel I’ve seen so far.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds its exploration of time travel fascinating.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the writing is pretty terrible.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Gerrold"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "time travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-man-who-invented-the-computer-4d866d",
      "title": "The Man Who Invented the Computer",
      "author": "Jane Smiley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1974155,
          "author": "nkassis",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T06:05:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974155",
          "commentText": "In a similar vein I just finished reading \"the man who invented the computer\" by Jane Smiley. It's mainly about John Atanasoff but it includes other important figures of early computer development such as Turing, Zuse, Mauchly,Eckert, Von Neumann...\nJust came but worth buying if you don't know the story of the ABC and it's relationship to ENIAC.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just came but worth buying if you don't know the story of the ABC and it's relationship to ENIAC.",
          "reason": "Says it is worth buying for readers unfamiliar with the ABC and ENIAC story.",
          "audience": "Readers unfamiliar with the ABC computer and its connection to ENIAC.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has only just received it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jane Smiley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "atanasoff berry computer",
        "early computing",
        "eniac"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-man-who-invented-the-computer-the-biography-of-john-atanasoff-9954d8",
      "title": "The Man Who Invented the Computer: The Biography of John Atanasoff",
      "author": "Jane Smiley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6899433,
          "author": "h1ccup",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T06:59:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6899433",
          "commentText": "This is my list(Most of these books aren't from 2013):\n1. The Man Who Invented the Computer: The Biography of John Atanasoff by Jane Smiley\n2. Halting State by Charlie Stross\n3. Levels of Life by Julian Barnes\n4. The Particle At The End Of The Universe by Sean Carrol\n5. Churchil Bomb by Graham Farmello\n6. The Science Of Memory by Charles Fernyhough\n7. The Anatomy of Violence: The biological roots of crime by Adrian Raine\n8. The Bet: Paul Ehrlich, Julian Simon, and our gamble over Earth’s future by Paul Sabin\n9. Experiencing Art: In the brain of the beholder by Arthur Shimamura\n10. The Spark: A Mother’s Story of Nurturing Genius by Kristine Barnett",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Man Who Invented the Computer: The Biography of John Atanasoff by Jane Smiley",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list answering which books were best.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jane Smiley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "early computing",
        "john atanasoff"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-man-who-knew-infinity-a-life-of-the-genius-ramanujan-8102b6",
      "title": "The Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan",
      "author": "Robert Kanigel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Kanigel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "srinivasa ramanujan"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-man-who-knew-too-much-the-inventive-life-of-robert-hooke-a6c33e",
      "title": "The Man Who Knew Too Much: The Inventive Life of Robert Hooke",
      "author": "Stephen Inwood",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 203328,
          "author": "dcminter",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T14:58:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=203328",
          "commentText": "Assuming you're looking for a slightly hacker oriented biography then I can heartily recommend \"The Man Who Knew Too Much: The Inventive Life of Robert Hooke\" by Stephen Inwood.\nIt gives an interesting insight to what it might have meant to have something of the hacker mindset in the 17th Century, and his connection with some of his contemporaries (Newton, Halley, and Wren notable amongst them) add to the general interest. Plus he was a supremely odd and cranky person.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can heartily recommend \"The Man Who Knew Too Much: The Inventive Life of Robert Hooke\" by Stephen Inwood.",
          "reason": "Heartily recommends this biography for its insight into Hooke and the hacker mindset.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in biographies and the history of science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Inwood"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hacker culture",
        "history of science",
        "robert hooke"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-man-who-loved-only-numbers-the-story-of-paul-erdos-and-the-se-311099",
      "title": "The Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth",
      "author": "Paul Hoffman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Hoffman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "paul erdos"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-man-who-solved-the-market-01a7c5",
      "title": "The Man Who Solved the Market",
      "author": "Gregory Zuckerman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32936258,
          "author": "fullsend",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T08:39:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936258",
          "commentText": "I enjoy content that adds curious new information and different views to topics full of cliches, while still being relatively respectable or well researched.\nComing Apart - this book described the coming separation of the US into two “classes” long before it was widely talked about. Today most talk about it as a political divide. This book tackles it as a divide between knowledge workers and the rest. A controversial take that adds much needed food for thought to the conversation. If you’ve lived poor and you’ve also lived in a place like Palo Alto, you’ll be astounded by how readily you can point and say, “that’s me”. Lots of fascinating statistics.\nBowling Alone - a great book about the collapse of US social life. Dense, lots of statistics, but a clear picture is laid out of increasing isolation and alienation. Read it alongside something like Consumer’s Republic to understand how so much of this stems from the selfishness and individuality encouraged by consumerism in post-war America.\nTriumph of the City - an excellent take that can be used as food for thought when people are talking about how dirty cities are. In truth, the author argues, they are our greenest “invention” ever. Lots of good evidence. Imagine collecting the trash if every human lived on their own acre of land. The sewage, the energy usage. Cities are incredibly efficient and clean.\nThe Man Who Solved The Market - everyone interested in finance needs to read this and it’s precursor More Money Than God. The Bogleheads and their index fund ilk are often correct when they say “money managers all lose to an index after fees”. Beating the market is nigh on impossible for all but a few. Most of those few work at Renaissance Technologies. Their Medallion Fund has made 36% after fees every single year since 1989. The fund does its best in market crash years. Closed to outside investors. A story of mathematicians essentially building models that can predict the future reliably. Utterly fascinating, the most successful money printer ever built. As a bonus, we learn that Jim Simons originally controlled this printer and spent the money helping US math teachers. He then ceded control to Robert Mercer, who used the printer’s output to fund Cambridge Analytica, Steve Bannon, Trump, etc.\nThe Snowball - a biography of Warren Buffet that tells an incredible story. The story is one of total obsession. Of a human who literally started from a few dollars, learned about some principles like compounding at age 6, and applied the exact same principles every day for the rest of his life with very little deviation. The craziest part of this story is how every 10 years, he’s surrounded by people saying “times have changed, you’re missing out”. Then those people get blown up by whatever black swan, and Warren’s snowball just grows and grows. He didn’t become a billionaire till he was in his 50’s but the snowball is still growing and he’s one of the richest people alive.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Man Who Solved The Market - everyone interested in finance needs to read this",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it to everyone interested in finance and describes Renaissance Technologies' market-beating record.",
          "audience": "People interested in finance.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says beating the market is nearly impossible for all but a few.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gregory Zuckerman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "quantitative finance",
        "renaissance technologies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-man-who-stole-portugal-5ea20c",
      "title": "The Man Who Stole Portugal",
      "author": "Murray Teigh Bloom",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16759148,
          "author": "pjc50",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T21:12:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16759148",
          "commentText": "I have 2 of the 7 books of the X Window Programming Reference in that role.\nApart from K&R, there are very few programming books which are worthwhile; up to about 10 years ago the ORA series were worthwhile, but nowadays especially with StackExchange it's just far better to get the one fragment of information you need in a handy searchable pasteable internet format.\n(Non-programming book recs: recently The Man Who Stole Portugal (non-fiction, surprisingly relevant to crypto) and The Time Of Gifts (biography, extravagantly written, requires checking wikipedia every 5 dozen words unless you have a really excellent knowledge of European history)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "recently The Man Who Stole Portugal (non-fiction, surprisingly relevant to crypto)",
          "reason": "Lists it among recent non-fiction recommendations and notes its surprising relevance to crypto.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in non-fiction or cryptocurrency.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Murray Teigh Bloom"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cryptocurrency",
        "financial fraud"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-man-without-qualities-075767",
      "title": "The Man Without Qualities",
      "author": "Robert Musil",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15156207,
          "author": "jaco8",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T14:46:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156207",
          "commentText": "Poor no more   - Robert Chester Ruark\nA Coffin Full of Dreams  - Frisco Hitt\nOblomov  - Ivan Goncharov\nThe Man Without Qualities - Robert Musil",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Man Without Qualities - Robert Musil",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to which books had the biggest impact on mental models.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Musil"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "austrian literature",
        "modernist novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-man-from-the-future-feffb2",
      "title": "The Man from the Future",
      "author": "Ananyo Bhattacharya",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34160619,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:11:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160619",
          "commentText": "This year I've put myself to the challenge to read at least one book per week which I primarily could complete by reading in the middle of the night while holding our sleeping baby in my arms. It has been an interesting challenge which gave me a lot of fulfilment and has certainly changed my mind on how I view the world. This comment became quite a long read, apologies for that.\nBooks I highly recommend:\nChurchill by Andrew Roberts (p:1105)\nA biography about one of the most interesting figures in politics and WWII. Roberts gives a very detailed description of the life of Churchill and manages to keep you interested the entire length of the book.\nThe God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (p:374)\nIn The God Delusion Dawkins gives arguments why there is no God, why we do not need a God and why religion is damaging to our society. If you are religious it might not be the book for you unless you are open to hear his arguments and line of reasoning. Dawkins will challenge your worldview.\nThe Bomb by Fred Kaplan (p:384)\nKaplan describes the policy of different US presidents on the atomic bomb and war in general. And primarily on the inability of US presidents and policy-makers to tune down its military. A chilling read which makes you appreciate a nuclear holocaust did not happen (yet)....\nPoor Economics by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo (p:320)\nBanerjee and Duflo give a gripping portrait of how poor people live. They offer an insight in the choices and decisions people make surviving on less than 1 USD a day (corrected for purchasing power). It made me completely rethink my own view on poverty and development aid; stressing even more that in order to help one need to have a complete understanding of the individual's situation and the local boundary conditions.\nProject Hail Mary  by Andy Weir (p:476)\nThis book triggered my science fiction reading. For some reason I never was interested in science fiction. Most likely triggered by reading Foundation by Asimov a few years back which apparently is not a book to my taste. But Andy Weir completely annihilated that wrong perspective on science fiction. Project Hail Mary is interesting, funny and gripping book.\nKindred by Octavia Butler  (p:287)\nThis book.... From page one I was hooked and almost read it in one go. Butler is a wonderful author and Kindred is a must-read. The book is about a woman traveling back in time to end up on a slave plantation. It's a chilling account of slavery.\nOther books I read this year, ask me anything about one of these books. I've added a + if I think its worth a recommendation\nBiography:\nNavalny by Dollbaum, Lallouet and Noble (p:280); The Man from the Future by Ananyo Bhattacharya (p:354) +\nSociology; Politics; Economics; Business:\nOnly the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove (p:224); The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli  (p:140); Winter is Coming by Garry Kasparov (p:290); Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum (p:224) +; Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl (p:164) +; We Are Bellingcat by Eliot Higgins (p:272); De Zeven Vinkjes by Joris Luyendijk (p:200); Waarom vuilnismannen meer verdienen dan bankiers by Rutger Bregman (p:104)\nComedy: The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (p:336)\nHistory:\nBand of Brothers  by Stephen E. Ambrose (p:432); The Nuclear Jihadist by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins (p:413) +; The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre (p:384) +; De Heineken Ontvoering by Peter R. de Vries (p:347); Red Famine by Anne Apllebaum (p:384); Night by Elie Wiesel (p:115) +\nScience, Technology, Mathematics:\nFermat's Enigma by Simon Singh (p:315) +; A Mathematician's Apology by G.H. Hardy (p:153); The Great Influenza by John M. Barry (p:546); The Rise and Fall of the Dinousaurs by Stephen Brusatte (p:404) ++; The Double Helix by James Watson (p:144)\nSport:\nRun or Die by Killian Jornet (p:208); The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton  (p:290) +; The Rise of the Ultra Runners by  (p:304); Tom Dumoulin by Patrick Bernhart (p:203)\nFiction:\nAnthem by Ayn Rand (p:105); Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (p:704); The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (p:566); Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (p:466); Live and Let die by Ian Fleming  (p:229)\nClassics:\nA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (p:104); The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (p:201); The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald (p:180); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (p:139); Animal Farm by George Orwell (p:122) +; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (p:227) +; The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (p:118)\nScience Fiction:\nThe Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (p:399); All Systems Red  by Martha Wells (p:144) +; A Memory Called Empire  by Arkady Martine (p:462) +; A Psalm built for the Wild by Becky Chambers (p:160); Dune by Frank Herbert (p:658); Foundation by Isaac Asimov (p:244); The Martian by Andy Weir (p:384) +;\nThe Forever War by Joe Haldeman (p:278)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Man from the Future by Ananyo Bhattacharya",
          "reason": "Marked with a plus as worth recommending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ananyo Bhattacharya"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "john von neumann",
        "mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-man-in-the-gray-flannel-suit-111e66",
      "title": "The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit",
      "author": "Sloan Wilson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 142958,
          "author": "tom_rath",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T00:30:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=142958",
          "commentText": "I'm not sure if \"The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit\" changed my life, but it reassured me I was on the right track in starting a business.  It reads very well today and I'd recommend it to any professional.\nI was particularly struck by this quote:\n\"I really don't know what I was looking for when I got back from the war, but it seemed as though all I could see was a lot of bright young men in grey flannel suits rushing around New York in a frantic parade to nowhere. They seemed to me to be pursuing neither ideals nor happiness -- they were pursuing a routine. For a long while I thought I was on the side lines watching the parade, and it was quite a shock to glance down and see that I too was wearing a grey flannel suit.\"",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'm not sure if \"The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit\" changed my life, but it reassured me I was on the right track in starting a business. It reads very well today and I'd recommend it to any professional.",
          "reason": "Says it reassured them about starting a business, reads well today, and recommends it to professionals.",
          "audience": "Professionals.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether it changed their life.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sloan Wilson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "career",
        "work culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-man-in-the-moss-bffed6",
      "title": "The Man in the Moss",
      "author": "Phil Rickman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5859187,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-11T02:22:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 5859004,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5859187",
          "commentText": ">> 1. What books are you currently reading?\nWell, I'm one of those people who has a bookmark in about 15 different books that I'm \"currently reading\" but some are higher priorities than others, and some will never be finished (probably) and others I'll have to start over since I've forgotten what was happening when I sat it aside, etc.  But offhand, I can think of:\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore - re-reading this one\nThe Prime Solution - Jeff Thull - 3rd Jeff Thull book on selling that I've read lately, and I'll probably reread the entire series when I finish this one\nThe New Solution Selling  - re-reading this - can you tell I'm starting to try and move into sales?\nSelling to VITO - more sales stuff.\nHow to Create A Mind - Ray Kurzweil\nGodel, Escher, Bach - Douglas Hofstadter - set this aside over a year ago; about halfway through, will probably finish it, but FSM only knows when\nA New Kind of Science - Stephen Wolfram (see above about GEB)\nMadame Bovary - Meh. May finish one day, may not.  Would have to start it over at this point.\nREAMDE - Neal Stephenson - set this aside a while back, but intend to finish it eventually.  Will probably restart from the beginning.\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Stephen Gary Blank - I'm kinda in a perpetual state of reading and re-reading sections of this book.\nThe Dispossessed - Ursula K. LeGuin - sat this aside quite some time ago, will have to start over at some point.\nThe Man In The Moss - Phil Rickman - another one that I sat aside for a while, and may or may not ever bother finishing.  Weird, because I usually really enjoy Rickman's work and just tear through his books, but I got stalled out on this one for some reason.\n>> 2. Which book has helped you the most?\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Stephen Gary Blank.\nAlso, The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki and Crossing the Chasm by Moore.\nOf all these sales books I've read lately, I'm really starting to buy into this \"Diagnostic Selling\" stuff by Jeff Thull, so I'd endorse Mastering The Complex Sale, Exceptional Selling and The Prime Solution by Thull. Also, The New Solution Selling.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Man In The Moss - Phil Rickman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "May not finish; the commenter says they stalled out despite usually enjoying the author's books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Phil Rickman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "folk horror",
        "historical mystery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-manager-s-path-a-guide-for-tech-leaders-6f80df",
      "title": "The Manager's Path: A Guide for Tech Leaders",
      "author": "Camille Fournier",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21719355,
          "author": "aprdm",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-06T04:52:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21719355",
          "commentText": "I've been a team lead for close to four years now in two different companies, both times my teams spanned multiple time zones!\nI really enjoy this subject and read a lot about it. My favorite books so far are:\n- Radical Candor\n-- Gives a great framework for candid conversations and empathy which IMO are the most important thing! Clear #1 in my list.\n- Leading by Alex Ferguson\n-- A great successful leader in another area - Soccer - that had many years building effective teams. It's incredible how many concepts can be mapped over, he talks for example on how having \"rockstars\" in a team that aren't team players isn't worth it.\n- Ride of a lifetime by Bob Iger\n-- It's mostly a biography of Disney's most successful CEO, I thought it was very authentic and gave good advices on how to deal with creative people, empathy, setting goals and navigating hard situations (compartmentalizing)\n- Creativity Inc Amy / Ed\n-- Pixar's president biography on how to manage creative teams, it is a bit repetitive but it is golden! Lots of good ideas and insightful chapters that make you think about how to build a successful culture.\n- The Manager's Path: A Guide for Tech Leaders\n-- IMO a bit shallow compared to the other books I mentioned but it was a pleasant read.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "IMO a bit shallow compared to the other books I mentioned but it was a pleasant read.",
          "reason": "Includes it among favorite books and describes it as a pleasant read.",
          "audience": "Tech leaders and engineering managers.",
          "caveat": "The commenter finds it a bit shallow compared with the other books listed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Camille Fournier"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "career development",
        "engineering management",
        "tech leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mandibles-a-family-2029-2047-f69824",
      "title": "The Mandibles: A Family, 2029–2047",
      "author": "Lionel Shriver",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15020474,
          "author": "searine",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T17:41:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15020474",
          "commentText": "Re-reading Anathem by Neal Stephenson, because it's so god damn good.\nThe Mandibles recently. It was okay. The economic ideas were interesting, but the story dragged.\nThe Accusation by Bandi was good if you like North Korea stuff.\nThe Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O - Was decent for a Stephenson novel, but definitely niche sci-fi/fantasy.\nThe Glass Bead Game by Herman Hesse. Didn't like it. Really didn't like the ending.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It was okay. The economic ideas were interesting, but the story dragged.",
          "reason": "Finds the economic ideas interesting, though the story drags.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The story dragged.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lionel Shriver"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopian fiction",
        "economic fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-manga-guide-to-linear-algebra-4b7134",
      "title": "The Manga Guide to Linear Algebra",
      "author": "Shin Takahashi, Iroha Inoue, and Trend-Pro Co., Ltd.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31707430,
          "author": "dragontamer",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-11T19:26:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31707430",
          "commentText": "I disagree. I personally found that one to be a poorly written \"Manga Guide\". (Manga Guide to SQL was a good one, but there really weren't as many good analogies for Linear Algebra).\nA lot of the \"examples\" were \"This is complicated and abstract, so we'll just say it is and go to textbook form\".",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I personally found that one to be a poorly written \"Manga Guide\".",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is poorly written and its examples skip to textbook form instead of giving useful analogies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They say the Manga Guide to SQL was good, but found fewer good analogies in this title.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 31707320,
          "author": "enhdless",
          "createdAt": "2022-06-11T19:14:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 31707163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best beginner friendly linear algebra book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31707320",
          "commentText": "I recommend The Manga Guide to Linear Algebra! I read it the summer before college and their visuals and analogies really helped me grasp basic concepts.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend The Manga Guide to Linear Algebra!",
          "reason": "The commenter says its visuals and analogies helped them grasp basic concepts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Shin Takahashi",
        "Iroha Inoue",
        "Trend-Pro Co., Ltd."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "linear algebra",
        "visual learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-manga-guides-90d3ce",
      "title": "The Manga Guides",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30823661,
          "author": "alexvoda",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-27T20:14:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30823661",
          "commentText": "I totally recommend this series for various domains:\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Manga_Guides",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I totally recommend this series for various domains:",
          "reason": "Recommends the series as an introduction across different subjects.",
          "audience": "People exploring various domains.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "illustrated educational books",
        "popular science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mansion-654627",
      "title": "The Mansion",
      "author": "William Faulkner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5691600,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T18:40:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5691600",
          "commentText": "Blood Meridian, Cormac McCarthy.\nPhilosphical Investigations, Ludwig Witgenstein.\nThe Analects.\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, Ableson and Sussman.\nThe Hamet and The Town and The Mansion, William Faulkner.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hamet and The Town and The Mansion, William Faulkner.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for good book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Faulkner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classic literature",
        "southern literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-manual-how-to-have-a-number-one-the-easy-way-ed044f",
      "title": "The Manual (How to Have a Number One the Easy Way)",
      "author": "The KLF",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2639641,
          "author": "meatsock",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T03:21:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639641",
          "commentText": "The Manual (How to Have a Number One the Easy Way)\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Manual",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Manual (How to Have a Number One the Easy Way)",
          "reason": "Named as the commenter's answer to the greatest book question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "The KLF"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "music industry",
        "popular music"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-manuscript-found-in-saragossa-91a3e6",
      "title": "The Manuscript Found in Saragossa",
      "author": "Jan Potocki",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1026940,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T07:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026940",
          "commentText": "I got myself a Sony Reader mid-2009 and started reading about twice more than I had been before. 2009 was also the first year in which I wasn't too lazy to document which books I read (I'm really glad I wasn't). Here're some of the favourites this year:\nClassics:\nKafka's The Process and America - both stunning novels that deserve to be read as much as his most famous, The Castle.\nJan Potocki, The Manuscript Found in Saragossa - a trippy collection of tales organised in multiple nested frames.\nScott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby.\nLeo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina. Still as breathtaking as I'd remembered it from the previous reading five years ago.\nScience Fiction:\nGene Wolfe, The Book of the New Sun. Wolfe, whom I hadn't read before, turns out to be in a class of his own. It's literary SF, overwhelmingly masterful and beautiful in its prose and characters, yet it could give any hardcore SF novel a run in terms of its ideas. It demands and richly rewards a close reading. I'll be reading more Wolfe in 2010.\nTed Chiang, collected stories. Chiang writes only stories, and has written just a few of them, but nearly every one is a gem. Read Understand on the web (http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/stories/under.htm) to see if you like his style - I do.\nVernor Vinge, A Deepness in the Sky, The Peace War, Marooned in Realtime. All great novels, but start from A Fire Upon the Deep (I read that in 2008) if you haven't read Vinge before, it's the best introduction.\nGreg Egan, Diaspora, Quarantine, Distress. Egan is the best hardcore SF author out there. _Diaspora_ is a fascinating take on shared simulated reality that's very different from the usual fare. Quarantine will appeal to your inner quantum mechanical geek.\nContemporary fiction:\nPynchon, V. Pynchon is the best novelist we've got. I recommend The Crying of the Lot 49 as the best Pynchon to start from; V is more difficult and much longer, but rewards the patience. I still can't get over the fact that Pynchon wrote and published this novel when he was 26.\nOrhan Pamuk, The Black Book.\nAnnie Proulx, Fine Just The Way It Is. A new collection of stories from the best writer about rural America out there. Three are extraordinary, two so-so, the rest very good.\nNon-fiction:\nW. Sidney Allen, Vox Graeca and Vox Latina. If you want to know how ancient Greek and Latin sounded, these are the books to read.\nElizabeth Lloyd. The Case Of The Female Orgasm. An interesting study into how available evolutionary explanations of female orgasm fail in various ways. This is a book about evolutionary biology and its methodological soundness as much as it is about explaining female orgasm.\nComputer-related:\nPeter Seibel, Coders at Work. A fantastic collection of interview with great programmers. The one 2009 book no hacker should be without.\nSqueak by Example. Does a great job of explaining Smalltalk in general and Squeak in particular.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a trippy collection of tales organised in multiple nested frames.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as a “trippy” collection of tales with nested framing stories.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jan Potocki"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fantastic fiction",
        "frame narrative"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-margarets-7e47bd",
      "title": "The Margarets",
      "author": "Sheri S. Tepper",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1569219,
          "author": "mqmouse",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:49:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569219",
          "commentText": "If you like SciFi, I really recommend Ian M. Banks and his Culture Series.\nHere is a link to the \"first\" in the series:\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consider_Phlebas\nBasically to give you a flavour, imagine a utopian society where energy is basically free and run by super intelligent benevolent AIs. So basically the citizens have nothing to do but live a completely hedonistic life.\nWhenever they encounter \"primitive\" societies, they try to make them more human and civilized. Basically the opposite of the \"prime directive\". The organization responsible for that is called Contact. Unfortunately, in order to make these societies more humane they sometimes have to resort to some dirty tricks (like assassinating evil dictators, instigating civil wars, etc etc). The organization responsible for that is called \"Special Circumstances\".\nAnother author I find great is Sheri Tepper.\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheri_S._Tepper\nSciFi with a feminist bent. Examples are Grass / and the Margarets.\nIf you want something more acid, anything by Victor Pelevin. Buddha's little finger is brilliant.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Examples are Grass / and the Margarets.",
          "reason": "Named as an example of Tepper's science fiction with a feminist bent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sheri S. Tepper"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "feminist science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-market-for-force-the-consequences-of-privatizing-security-18aa17",
      "title": "The Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security",
      "author": "Deborah D. Avant",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Deborah D. Avant"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "private military companies",
        "security privatization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mars-trilogy-f636b2",
      "title": "The Mars trilogy",
      "author": "Kim Stanley Robinson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056570,
          "author": "elorant",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:27:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056570",
          "commentText": "Everything from Asimov.\nThe Mars trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson.\nThe Culture books from Iain Banks.\nThe Rama series from Clarke although it got tiresome after a while.\nThe Sparrow and Children of God from Mary Doria Russell.\nContact by Sagan which by the way is one of the very few sci-fi books that were successfully depicted in movies.\nBrave new world from Huxley. Old one but still highly relevant.\nThe first ones from Gibson.\nThe Enter series by Orson Scott Card.\nBradbury's Farhenheit 451. This one is a classic.\nRevelation Space from Alaistair Reynolds who writes the most hardcore sci-fi I've ever come across.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mars trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson.",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite science fiction series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kim Stanley Robinson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mars",
        "terraforming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-martyr-88ef4e",
      "title": "The Martyr",
      "author": "Poul Anderson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39730406,
          "author": "yablak",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T23:32:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39730406",
          "commentText": "\"The Martyr\" by Poul Anderson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Martyr\" by Poul Anderson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Poul Anderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "religion",
        "short fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-masks-of-the-illuminati-6119ff",
      "title": "The Masks of the Illuminati",
      "author": "Robert Anton Wilson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9348325,
          "author": "enkiv2",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:40:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348325",
          "commentText": "The Masks of the Illuminati, by Robert Anton Wilson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Masks of the Illuminati, by Robert Anton Wilson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Anton Wilson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "conspiracy",
        "historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-master-and-his-emissary-the-divided-brain-and-the-making-of-t-7201d5",
      "title": "The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World",
      "author": "Iain McGilchrist",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36105344,
          "author": "sdsaga12",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T16:14:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105344",
          "commentText": "I second the recommendation for Nongbri's \"Before Religion\". It definitely improved my understanding of what it is we even mean / have meant by \"religion\".\nFor a more evolutionary understanding of religion, I'd recommend Joseph Henrich's \"The WEIRDest People in the World\" and \"The Secret of our Success\".\nFinally though certainly not least importantly, I'd recommend Iain McGilchrist's \"The Master and His Emissary\" and \"The Matter with Things\". Both touch on how it is we see and understand the world and how the current default perspective differs from those of other times and places.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend Iain McGilchrist's \"The Master and His Emissary\"",
          "reason": "The book addresses how people see and understand the world, and how perspectives differ across times and places.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Iain McGilchrist"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognitive neuroscience",
        "hemispheric theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mastermind-drugs-empire-murder-betrayal-06ee3e",
      "title": "The Mastermind: Drugs. Empire. Murder. Betrayal.",
      "author": "Evan Ratliff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804899,
          "author": "AGivant",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:29:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804899",
          "commentText": "Here is my list (from https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/912138-alex-givant?rea...):\nMemoirs:\n- Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti..).\n- Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive by Land, Stephanie, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39218350-maid\n- Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40409969-medium-raw\n- Confessions of a Tax Collector: One Man's Tour of Duty Inside the IRS by Yancey, Rick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_..).\n- The Perfect Predator: A Scientist's Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Superbug: A Memoir by Steffanie Strathdee, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-pre... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-predator)\nPolitics:\n- Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Desmond, Matthew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25852784-evicted\n- Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America by Leovy, Jill, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13153693-ghettoside\n- American Prison: A Reporter's Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment by Bauer, Shane, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38561954-american-prison\n- Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Eban, Katherine, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42448266-bottle-of-lies\n- A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America by Miller, T. Christian, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35805861-a-false-report\n- The New Silk Roads by Frankopan, Peter, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro..).\nHistory:\n- Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-1956 by Applebaum, Anne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13531848-iron-curtain\n- The Romanovs: 1613-1918 by Montefiore, Simon Sebag, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26109020-the-romanovs\n- The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Johnson, Steven, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36086.The_Ghost_Map\n- Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations by Bergman, Ronen, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f..).\n- Madame Fourcade's Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against Hitler by Olson, Lynne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade..).\n- Argo: How the CIA & Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History by Méndez, Antonio J., https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13588425-argo\nCrime:\n- Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History by Selby, Scott Andrew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7071759-flawless\n- American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road by Bilton, Nick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi..).\n- Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by Carreyrou, John, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37976541-bad-blood\n- Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World by Wright, Tom, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-..).\n- The Mastermind: Drugs. Empire. Murder. Betrayal. by Ratliff, Evan, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41181600-the-mastermind\nTechnology:\n- Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon by Zetter, Kim, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze..).\n- Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World by Thompson, Clive, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40406806-coders",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mastermind: Drugs. Empire. Murder. Betrayal. by Ratliff, Evan",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list of favorite nonfiction books read in 2019.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Evan Ratliff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "drug trafficking",
        "organized crime"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-match-king-ivar-kreuger-and-the-financial-empire-he-created-2e24e2",
      "title": "The Match King: Ivar Kreuger and the Financial Empire He Created",
      "author": "Frank Partnoy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227188,
          "author": "barnaby",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T18:34:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227188",
          "commentText": "Lately I'm into reading Biographies of Entrepreneurs.\nReserved \"Founders at work\" at the library, but currently reading \"Match King\" the biography of Ivar Kreuger. After failing a bunch of times, he figured it out: put on a show and pretend you're successful then other people buy in.  Problem is he took that too far.\nSurprisingly, good to read as an entrepreneur, both inspirational AND _cautionary_.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Surprisingly, good to read as an entrepreneur, both inspirational AND _cautionary_.",
          "reason": "Recommended for entrepreneurs as both inspirational and cautionary reading, based on the account of Kreuger's rise and excesses.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it both inspirational and cautionary.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frank Partnoy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial fraud",
        "ivar kreuger"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mathematical-theory-of-communication-739308",
      "title": "The Mathematical Theory of Communication",
      "author": "Claude E. Shannon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30487861,
          "author": "lvl100",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T12:43:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30487861",
          "commentText": "Elementary Number Theory by David Burton. I started reading this book in 8th grade to get a bit better at math competitions. Oh boy did it open my eyes.\nAs an adult, it’s Shannon’s The Mathematical Theory of Communication. I read it at least once a year. It’s the most intellectually powerful paper I’ve ever read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shannon’s The Mathematical Theory of Communication.",
          "reason": "The commenter rereads it at least once a year and calls it intellectually powerful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as a paper, though it is also published as a book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Claude E. Shannon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "information theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-maths-student-s-survival-guide-cd6451",
      "title": "The Maths Student's Survival Guide",
      "author": "Jenny Olive",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 755544,
          "author": "papaf",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T16:10:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755544",
          "commentText": "I came back to doing maths after a gap of over a decade. I found the student survival guide very clear and useful. I imagine it would be excellent to someone who is not good at maths.\nI read the guide every evening while I was cooking (its not a difficult read) and my maths improved greatly.\nhttp://www.netcomuk.co.uk/~jenolive/\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Maths-Students-Survival-Self-Help-Engi... (http://www.amazon.com/Maths-Students-Survival-Self-Help-Engineering/dp/0521017076)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the student survival guide very clear and useful",
          "reason": "Says the guide was clear and useful and that their maths improved greatly while reading it.",
          "audience": "People who are not good at maths.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jenny Olive"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "study skills"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-matter-with-things-our-brains-our-delusions-and-the-unmaking--0242a5",
      "title": "The Matter with Things: Our Brains, Our Delusions, and the Unmaking of the World",
      "author": "Iain McGilchrist",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36105344,
          "author": "sdsaga12",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T16:14:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105344",
          "commentText": "I second the recommendation for Nongbri's \"Before Religion\". It definitely improved my understanding of what it is we even mean / have meant by \"religion\".\nFor a more evolutionary understanding of religion, I'd recommend Joseph Henrich's \"The WEIRDest People in the World\" and \"The Secret of our Success\".\nFinally though certainly not least importantly, I'd recommend Iain McGilchrist's \"The Master and His Emissary\" and \"The Matter with Things\". Both touch on how it is we see and understand the world and how the current default perspective differs from those of other times and places.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and \"The Matter with Things\".",
          "reason": "The book addresses how people see and understand the world, and how perspectives differ across times and places.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Iain McGilchrist"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognitive neuroscience",
        "epistemology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-maze-runner-e1e6a2",
      "title": "The Maze Runner",
      "author": "James Dashner",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7968396,
          "author": "jaymon",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:44:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968396",
          "commentText": "I started The Martian by Andy Weir about 3 days ago and I'm really enjoying it. It's a really entertaining book that I highly recommend!\nLast week I finished The Paradox of Choice and Zero Day. I enjoyed both of them, although I don't think I'll be reading any of the sequels to Zero Day.\nBefore that I went through The Maze Runner trilogy, those were entertaining reads.\nSome other books I've read recently that I can remember off the top of my head are the Divergent series of books (eh), How Will You Measure Your Life by Clayton Christensen (great read), Ready Player One (loved, loved, loved this book), Starters (didn't bother reading any more in the series) and Moon walking With Einstein (I enjoyed it).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "those were entertaining reads",
          "reason": "Calls the trilogy entertaining.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Dashner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopian fiction",
        "young adult"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mcsweeney-s-quarterly-concern-54d2a0",
      "title": "The McSweeney's Quarterly Concern",
      "author": "Various contributors",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 86512,
          "author": "tel",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-06T05:10:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86512",
          "commentText": "V. by Thomas Pynchon\nThe Life of Pi by Yann Martel\nthe McSweeney's Quarterly Concern (Not a book per se, but  \nvery enjoyable)\nShakespeare (Everything, I'm surprised he's only been mentioned once so far)\nThe Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald\nThe Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe\nShogun by James Clavell\n\nThen, of course, the regular hodgepodge of Card, Asimov, Adams, Gaiman, Pratchet, Stephenson, Feynman, and that LOTR guy, Tolkey or sommat. (In all seriousness, though, all of these authors are phenomenal, if well-known for being such)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the McSweeney's Quarterly Concern (Not a book per se, but very enjoyable)",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as very enjoyable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is not a book per se.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Various contributors"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary magazine"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-meaning-of-culture-8d777c",
      "title": "The Meaning of Culture",
      "author": "John Cowper Powys",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8108812,
          "author": "Aym_C",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T15:36:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8108812",
          "commentText": "Dive into the classics.\nJohn Cowper Powys may help you to plan a great journey :\nhttp://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/12914/pg12914.html\n(Despite a few bizarre choices. Paul Bourget, seriously ?)\nIf I had to choose myself : Homer (The Iliad and the Odyssey), the Bible (David's psalms and Job's book), Augustine, Dante, Saint Simon, Shakespeare, Rousseau, Dostoievsky, Proust, Céline.\nAparté :\nIf you like ambitious history with economic insights, I would strongly suggest to read Fernand Braudel works. He wrote three fantastic triptychs :\n- The Mediterranean: And the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II (his thesis)\n- Civilization and Capitalism, 15th-18th Century (the best history books I've ever read)\n- The Identity of France",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "John Cowper Powys may help you to plan a great journey :",
          "reason": "Suggests the linked book as a guide for planning a journey.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The recommendation is qualified by “Despite a few bizarre choices.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Cowper Powys"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "culture",
        "literary criticism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-meaning-of-it-all-78239b",
      "title": "The Meaning of It All",
      "author": "Richard Feynman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 192237,
          "author": "asnyder",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-16T21:09:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=192237",
          "commentText": "1.\"The Long Tail\" by Chris Anderson\n2.\"Super Crunchers\" by Ian Ayres\n3.\"Six Great Scientists\" by J.G Crowther\n4.\"The Meaning of It All\" by Richard Feynman\n5.\"Dealers of Lightning\"(The story of XEROX Parc) by Michael Hiltzik \n6.\"What I Believe\" by Betrand Russell\nThe above titles can all be found at audible.com, and probably through itunes too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Meaning of It All\" by Richard Feynman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Feynman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "science and society"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-meaning-of-science-16a35e",
      "title": "The Meaning of Science",
      "author": "Tim Lewens",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11699849,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-15T07:08:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11699849",
          "commentText": "Reading The Meaning of Science by Tim Lewens right now.  It's an introductory \"Philosophy of Science\" book, and I'm enjoying it so far.  Up to where I'm at now, the author has covered Karl Popper and his falsification oriented framework, and Thomas Kuhn and the \"scientific revolution / paradigm shift\" model.\nA couple of other ones from this year that stand out to me:\nDisrupted by Dan \"Fake Steve Jobs\" Lyons\nIt's Not The Big That Eat The Small, It's The Fast That Eat The Slow by Jason Jennings\nIn terms of fiction, this years haul includes:\nThe Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King\nThe Last Mile by David Baldacci",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's an introductory \"Philosophy of Science\" book, and I'm enjoying it so far.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are enjoying it and identifies it as an introductory book on philosophy of science.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an introduction to philosophy of science.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is still reading it.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tim Lewens"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "philosophy of science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-measure-of-all-minds-dfcac0",
      "title": "The Measure of All Minds",
      "author": "José Hernández-Orallo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22093174,
          "author": "AndrewKemendo",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T19:00:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22093174",
          "commentText": "I will always promote Jose Hernandez-Orallo's The Measure of All Minds [1]\nIt attempts to codify how we should go about measuring and evaluating the somewhat fuzzy concept of \"intelligence.\" He proposes an extension of his \"Anytime Intelligence Test\" which could be used to test animal and machine intelligence on a level playing field.\nMeasurement of task capability against a baseline is the most overlooked problem in AI and as far as I am aware Hernandez-Orallo is the only one focusing on it.\nNotice that all of the major \"breakthrough\" moments in AI over the last half century had a human baseline that an AI was competing against. Those baselines were ones that had been already developed over years (sometimes a century) and were part of competitive games already. Go, Chess, DOTA etc... had leaderboards or international rankings.\nFor fuzzier things like driving, translation, strategy, trading etc... there is no generally accepted and measurable baseline test for what is considered human level, only proxies and unit specific tests. So we continue to not know when an AI system is measurably at or exceeding human level. Without this we can't definitively know how much progress we're making on Human Level Intelligence.\n[1]https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/measure-of-all-minds/DC... (https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/measure-of-all-minds/DC3DFD0C1D5B3A3AD6F56CD6A397ABCA)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I will always promote Jose Hernandez-Orallo's The Measure of All Minds",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it for its approach to measuring and evaluating intelligence.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in measuring intelligence across humans, animals, and machines.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "José Hernández-Orallo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "intelligence testing",
        "measurement"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-medical-detectives-c20aad",
      "title": "The Medical Detectives",
      "author": "Berton Roueché",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9242695,
          "author": "signa11",
          "createdAt": "2015-03-21T13:37:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 9242384,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on debugging?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9242695",
          "commentText": "oh yes ! heartily recommended. i have a copy from amazon, and the stories are just incredible. it is just like a magicians trick. you know it's a trick because laws of physics and all that, but quite fun to deduce.\nthe writing style is very engaging. some stories are fully resolved, others just conclude with a plausible hypothesis that explains the data, but due to lack of sufficient evidence  cannot be confirmed.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "oh yes ! heartily recommended. i have a copy from amazon, and the stories are just incredible.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends the book and praises its stories and engaging writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some stories end with plausible but unconfirmed hypotheses.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Berton Roueché"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "diagnostic reasoning",
        "medical case histories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mediterranean-and-the-mediterranean-world-in-the-age-of-phili-24634f",
      "title": "The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II",
      "author": "Fernand Braudel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8108812,
          "author": "Aym_C",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T15:36:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8108812",
          "commentText": "Dive into the classics.\nJohn Cowper Powys may help you to plan a great journey :\nhttp://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/12914/pg12914.html\n(Despite a few bizarre choices. Paul Bourget, seriously ?)\nIf I had to choose myself : Homer (The Iliad and the Odyssey), the Bible (David's psalms and Job's book), Augustine, Dante, Saint Simon, Shakespeare, Rousseau, Dostoievsky, Proust, Céline.\nAparté :\nIf you like ambitious history with economic insights, I would strongly suggest to read Fernand Braudel works. He wrote three fantastic triptychs :\n- The Mediterranean: And the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II (his thesis)\n- Civilization and Capitalism, 15th-18th Century (the best history books I've ever read)\n- The Identity of France",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mediterranean: And the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II (his thesis)",
          "reason": "Includes it among Braudel's works they strongly suggest reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fernand Braudel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "early modern history",
        "mediterranean history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-medusa-chronicles-f4310e",
      "title": "The Medusa Chronicles",
      "author": "Alastair Reynolds and Stephen Baxter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17537852,
          "author": "rektide",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T00:15:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537852",
          "commentText": "Central Station by Lavie Tidhar is an amazing charming story of a world deeply steeped old sitting baking world where new things are coming about. It is charm & delight in the purest & simplest.\nSpin by Robert Charles Wilson. \"Robert Charles Wilson is a hell of a storyteller,\" said Stephen King and this wonderful tour through time and space, humanity & people's lives is incredible.\nThe Quantum Thief series by Hannu Rajaniemi is open, scenic, wild, & so so vivid, one of the most beautiful worlds I've ever visited, & it reminds me so much of a joyous wild swashbuckling run. The mystery of the main character is enchanting.\nInfoquake series by David Louis Edelson is a gripping suspenseful rise of a star entrepreneur that redefines and radically expands the world, amid an already boisterous & full & busy beautiful world already overflowing in seamless technology everywhere. Although the plot line whips along with some suspense & tension, the scenery and the voyage is incredible.\nLathe of Heaven by Ursala Le Guin could quite easily, quite simply be the best first contact story story ever. Touching, and sincere, & simple. This world is not bright and shiny but her writing and the bonding of characters is incredible. See also the rest of the Hainish cycle.\nLeft Hand of Darkness also by Ursala Le Guin is a shifting chaotic shizmatic tale, about picking our fates. \"Well, I did it through dreams. Phil would have done it another way. But yeah, homage to Phil [K.] Dick is right.\"\n- https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/a... (https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/all/)\nFallen Dragon is an early & involved Peter Hamilton adventure book. There's leaving home, & space ships, more space ships, bad guys, fighting back the bad guys, bigger ships, and action. There is A LOT going on, all the time, & violence, but damn this book comes together into something incredible, & telling, & powerful & strong, something that easily makes it my top pick for most-underappreciated Peter Hamilton.\nDiamond Age by Neal Stephenson, which I'm providing largely as a counterweight to the Snowcrash & Sevenses recommendations here. Diamond Age is much less dark, and way more a fun tail about an incredible & mysterious primer for a young lady.\nSirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut.\nAll Systems Red series by Martha Wells is a underprivileged barely coping robot dealing with the humans she hates having to talk to & a shitty planet trying to kill them. Simple, fun, some action & violence, but the main character is a total hoot the whole time with more loner/zero/drop-out attitude & spunk than anything I've read & it's unbelievably charming.\nLords of Light by Roger Zelazny has more style, pizzaz, & spirit than I feel like any of us deserve. An interesting, storied tale from the post-singularity, with a remarkable & robust cast.\nIllium/Olympos by Dan Simmons, are, in my mind still the clear winner, far above Hyperion. The cast is charming beyond belief, stumbling through a world they both know all too much about & far far too little. Some really incredible worldbuilding here.\nRainbow's End by Vernor Vinge. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE A Fire Upon the Deep. But Rainbow's End really is our planet, sometime not far out, and Vinge has the most tour of this next place we're headed, with threads, and annotations, and group chat being the defining new technologies of humanity. And the tale of the misfit happenstance adventurers who wind up ensnared in the plot line is a fun, roving hoot of a journey, a wonderful second chance at a coming of age story.\nMedusa Chronicles by two of my favorites, Alastair Reynolds & Stephen Baxter is probably my favorite exploring the solar system book, about a guy/robot a bit apart from humanity that really wants to see what the local area has to offer. A lot of high tension conflicting societal impulses that our somewhat aloof lead stumbles through, on his personal mission of exploration. Lots of interesting robot philosophy & very varied elements of space come together with the characters to make an incredibly fun space epic, set in a delightful & intriguing alternative history\nOther's recommendations I'd +1: Dune (but super heady material), The Stars My Destination (brimming with class & substance), Mote in God's Eye (some of the best Space Colonial Marines style stuff out there), Accelerando (and Iron Sky and ... overflowing playful scifi), Blue Ant series (dripping with style), Foundation series (and much more Asimov!), Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy (simple direct exciting hunt for treasure in Star Wars), Fuzzy Nation (fun tale)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "is probably my favorite exploring the solar system book",
          "reason": "Calls it their favorite book about solar-system exploration and praises it as fun.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alastair Reynolds and Stephen Baxter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "space exploration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-memory-of-old-jack-644b36",
      "title": "The Memory of Old Jack",
      "author": "Wendell Berry",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49903615,
          "author": "UncleOxidant",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T02:21:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49903615",
          "commentText": "I started the year reading Demons by Dostoevsky. Seemed prophetic in a lot of ways about what was coming about 40 years later in 1917.\nAt the beginning of the summer I read All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy. I'm not into westerns, but I really liked that one. A modern classic.\nJust finished The Memory of Old Jack by Wendell Berry. Such a gorgeously written book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just finished The Memory of Old Jack by Wendell Berry.",
          "reason": "Calls it gorgeously written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Wendell Berry"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mental-game-of-poker-bb0d14",
      "title": "The Mental Game of Poker",
      "author": "Jared Tendler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40284224,
          "author": "partitioned",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T11:09:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40284224",
          "commentText": "The Mental Game of Poker",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mental Game of Poker",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jared Tendler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "performance psychology",
        "poker"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mercy-of-gods-84571c",
      "title": "The Mercy of Gods",
      "author": "James S. A. Corey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48091164,
          "author": "tim-tday",
          "createdAt": "2026-05-11T04:51:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 48084905,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci fi books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48091164",
          "commentText": "The latest dungeon crawler Carl book comes out on Tuesday. That’s a fun series.\nI’m also reading the new James SA  Corey series (the expanse). The first one is called “the mercy of gods”.\nI also received the recommendation of “what moves the dead” but I haven’t read it yet.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The first one is called “the mercy of gods”.",
          "reason": "Identifies the first book in the new series being read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42268997,
          "author": "lowbloodsugar",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:29:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268997",
          "commentText": "qntm, There is no antimemetics division.\nTamsin Muir, Gideon the Ninth\nIain M Banks, The Algebraist\nD F Jones, Colossus\nJames S A Corey, The Mercy of Gods",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "James S A Corey, The Mercy of Gods",
          "reason": "Lists it among books read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James S. A. Corey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alien civilization",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mesh-why-the-future-of-business-is-sharing-4bbdc6",
      "title": "The Mesh: Why the Future of Business Is Sharing",
      "author": "Lisa Gansky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lisa Gansky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business models",
        "sharing economy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-metaphysical-club-a-story-of-ideas-in-america-359c3f",
      "title": "The Metaphysical Club: A Story of Ideas in America",
      "author": "Louis Menand",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 203087,
          "author": "aheilbut",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T07:02:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=203087",
          "commentText": "It's a bit more than a biography, but I'd recommend \"The Metaphysical Club: A Story of Ideas in America\" by Louis Menand.  It's about the lives and history surrounding Oliver Wendell Holmes, William James, Charles Peirce, and John Dewey, and the pragmatist philosophy they were involved in creating.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend \"The Metaphysical Club: A Story of Ideas in America\" by Louis Menand.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a book about the lives, history, and pragmatist philosophy of several thinkers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is more than a biography.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Louis Menand"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american pragmatism",
        "intellectual history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-method-of-coordinates-f422ff",
      "title": "The Method of Coordinates",
      "author": "Israel M. Gelfand, E. G. Glagoleva, and E. E. Shnol",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29226108,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-15T11:16:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 29217252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Looking for a book on algorithms and data structures",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29226108",
          "commentText": "There are literally hundreds of threads with this topic on the Web. Most of them contain the same standard references which IMO are not always the best for people without much mathematical maturity and wishing to learn from first principles. That said, here are my recommendations for them (pdfs of almost all are available online and they can also be purchased cheaply as used books);\n* 1) Functions and Graphs and 2) The Method of Coordinates by I.M.Gelfand et. al. - These give you the basics on functions and how to visualize them which is crucial for understanding.\n* Introductory Logic and Sets for Computer Scientists by Nimal Nissanke - Nice succinct introduction to various required topics for Comp. Sci.\n*  Compared To What?: Introduction to the Analysis of Algorithms by Gregory Rawlins - This is a classic book which takes you by hand and walks you through Algorithm Analysis and the reqd. mathematics. You will find this more approachable than most other text books and well worth a study.\n* How to Think about Algorithms by Jeff Edmonds - Practical techniques without too much mathematical formalism.\n* Data Structure Techniques by Thomas Standish - A Classic text; good adjunct to more modern texts.\n* Advanced Data Structures by Peter Brass - Nice succinct text but not necessarily \"advanced\".\nOne final point; try to get a Algorithms and Data Structures book with code in the language with which you are most familiar. That way you understand the mapping from \"Abstract Algorithm\" to \"Concrete Language Implementation\" which is not always trivial.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Method of Coordinates",
          "reason": "Recommends it for learning to visualize mathematical concepts.",
          "audience": "Readers who want mathematical grounding for algorithms.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Israel M. Gelfand",
        "E. G. Glagoleva",
        "E. E. Shnol"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coordinate geometry",
        "mathematical visualization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-metropolitan-man-309d4f",
      "title": "The Metropolitan Man",
      "author": "Alexander Wales",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21907905,
          "author": "qznc",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T19:31:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21907905",
          "commentText": "I read a lot of fanfiction in the last years. On the downside the writing is less polished. On the upside it is free and non-mainstream.\nI was influenced by Eliezer Yudkowsky and his take on rationality. His fanfiction \"Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\" serves as a nice introduction. http://www.hpmor.com/\nWorm by John McCrae is an epic superhero/villain story. Consider it Game of Thrones in the superhero genre. With 16 million words it is a really long story. For comparison, the Harry Potter series is 10 million words.\nThe Metropolition Man by Alexander Wales is also in the superhero genre, but turns it on its head. Lex Luthor is the hero standing up against Superman.\nThe Last Ringbearer by Kirill Yeskov does the same to Lord of the Rings. It effectively becomes a fantasy spy thriller.\nThese three are great stories that show how good and evil are a point of view. An important lesson to learn in a time when US and China are increasingly hostile. Since HN is american, China might be compared to Mordor and Xi Jinping to Lux Luthor. Fiction stories may help you to at least imagine that they consider themselves as the good guys.\nAccelerando by Charles Stross turns the concept of technological singularity into a well-written story. As the story spans a looong timespan and shows how humanity antiquates itself, it makes you feel small in a good sense.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Metropolition Man by Alexander Wales is also in the superhero genre, but turns it on its head. Lex Luthor is the hero standing up against Superman.",
          "reason": "Praised for turning the superhero genre on its head.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in superhero fiction and alternate perspectives.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alexander Wales"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternate perspective",
        "superheroes"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-milky-way-an-autobiography-of-our-galaxy-fca4d4",
      "title": "The Milky Way: An Autobiography of Our Galaxy",
      "author": "Moiya McTier",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38556997,
          "author": "browningstreet",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T14:53:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38556997",
          "commentText": "The Future is Degrowth: A Guide to a World Beyond Capitalism\nNovelist as a Vocation by Murakami\nThe Milky Way: An Autobiography of Our Galaxy by Moiya McTier",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Milky Way: An Autobiography of Our Galaxy by Moiya McTier",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Moiya McTier"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "astronomy",
        "galaxies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-millionaire-next-door-0e8ee4",
      "title": "The Millionaire Next Door",
      "author": "Thomas J. Stanley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 687245,
          "author": "agotterer",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-04T16:07:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 687066,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on getting rich?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=687245",
          "commentText": "Check out \"The Millionaire Mind\" and \"The Millionaire Next Door\". The book isn't really about how to become rich. More about the mind set a millionaire has to get rich and stay rich.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Millionaire-Mind-Thomas-J-Stanley/dp/0... (http://www.amazon.com/Millionaire-Mind-Thomas-J-Stanley/dp/0740703579)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Millionaire-Next-Door-Thomas-Stanley/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Millionaire-Next-Door-Thomas-Stanley/dp/0671015206)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "and \"The Millionaire Next Door\".",
          "reason": "Recommended in response to a request for favorite books on getting rich.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the mindset associated with becoming and staying wealthy.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the book is more about millionaire mindset than how to become rich.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas J. Stanley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "millionaires",
        "wealth mindset"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mind-illuminated-0cd5b6",
      "title": "The Mind Illuminated",
      "author": "Culadasa (John Yates)",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30741674,
          "author": "emptysongglass",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T11:06:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30741674",
          "commentText": "I would say TMI is much more technical because it's written for the \"Hardcore Dharma\" community which is far more technique-oriented than Goenka. Goenka doesn't approach the stages of insight adaptively, which can easily frustrate practitioners of mindfulness whose first intro to meditation is body-scanning. I would rank body-scanning as one of the least efficacious techniques with very poor results when applied to the physical pain that often results from long sits.\nGood meditation teaching is equipping the practitioner with a toolset with the right tool applied for the appropriate stage of practice.\nTMI and Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha are necessarily complex because they are treating the entire path toward nibbana as a segmented map of attainment. I can think of virtually no technique which can be applied from the beginning to the end except for very difficult-to-approach techniques such as shikantaza (\"just sitting\") or the ekayana (\"one vehicle\") techniques of the Quanzhen (\"complete reality\") Chinese Buddhism schools. If you think TMI is obtuse try and approach the Shurangama Sutra which is really a mindfuck. But here's the thing: unconditioned existence is a mindfuck so we often need \"lesser\" graduated techniques to approach the paradoxical nature of reality.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "TMI is much more technical",
          "reason": "Describes it as complex and technical, mapping stages of meditation practice.",
          "audience": "Practitioners seeking a structured meditation path.",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it complex and technical.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21901687,
          "author": "santa_boy",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T20:58:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21901687",
          "commentText": "The Mind Illuminated (from HN), Non-Violent Communication, Antifragile, Atomic Habits and The Growth Mindset come to my mind immediately",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Mind Illuminated (from HN)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Culadasa (John Yates)"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "meditation",
        "buddhism",
        "mindfulness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mind-illuminated-a-complete-meditation-guide-integrating-budd-2fa98a",
      "title": "The Mind Illuminated: A Complete Meditation Guide Integrating Buddhist Wisdom and Brain Science for Greater Mindfulness",
      "author": "Culadasa (John Yates), Matthew Immergut, and Jeremy Graves",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25537039,
          "author": "meowzero",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-25T15:40:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25537039",
          "commentText": "Maybe not A book, but some books that helped me change my behavior just a little bit.\nBrain Rules for Baby: How to Raise a Smart and Happy Child from Zero to Five - if you're thinking of having children or have young children already. This book gives some good insight on possible, data-driven ways to raise a happy and smart kid. I currently have a newborn and have altered some ways I behave around her. It also helps to think about how you were raised, and if that impacted the way you are.\nThe Mind Illuminated: A Complete Meditation Guide Integrating Buddhist Wisdom and Brain Science for Greater Mindfulness - if you're into meditation, I think this is the book to get. I started out with Headspace and this book takes it to the next level.\nHow to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life - This was an entertaining book on how Scott Adams failed and succeeded. He gives some practical tips on what he did to get to where he is. Of course, there is survivorship bias, but I found some of it helpful.\nThe Charisma Myth: How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism - People aren't born Charismatic. You can practice it.\nNever Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It - A book about negotiation. I used to hate negotiating. Heck I still do. While I might not use the exact tactics outlined in the book, it helped me realize that I should try to negotiate more. And it might have helped me to get good deals or better salary just by asking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mind Illuminated: A Complete Meditation Guide Integrating Buddhist Wisdom and Brain Science for Greater Mindfulness - if you're into meditation, I think this is the book to get.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the book to get for meditation and says it took them beyond Headspace.",
          "audience": "People interested in meditation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Culadasa (John Yates)",
        "Matthew Immergut",
        "Jeremy Graves"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "meditation",
        "mindfulness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mind-in-the-cave-b2eed0",
      "title": "The Mind in the Cave",
      "author": "David Lewis-Williams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9674192,
          "author": "ThomPete",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T11:23:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674192",
          "commentText": "The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Origin-Consciousness-Breakdown-Bicamer... (http://www.amazon.com/Origin-Consciousness-Breakdown-Bicameral-Mind/dp/0618057072)\nI found it on this list:\nhttp://spacecollective.org/wilfriedhoujebek/4076/Summery-Boo... (http://spacecollective.org/wilfriedhoujebek/4076/Summery-Books-Too-Far-Out-For-Johnny-Depp)\nWhere also the following books some of which I read to (Vehicles is really good) can be found:\nThe White Goddess - Robert Graves\nGraves' grammar of poetic myth works at so many levels at the same time that I can't keep track of them all. This is not a book, this is a neurosis you can borrow. Druidic power to the nerds.\nThe Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind - Julian Jaynes\nNever mind the bulky title. The theory of Jaynes seems preposterous at first: before man was conscious he would not stop and think when making a decision, instead he would literally hear a voice telling him what to do. When life became too complicated this faculty broke down, but not in an instant. Religion is a by-product of this neuro-catastrophe. Jaynes however knows to make use of historic material in such a way that in the course of his argument he becomes plausible! If you don't trust me on this, trust Daniel Dennett.\nThe Ghost of Chance - William S. Burroughs\nBurroughs was a great admirer of Jaynes and here he uses the bicameral image of two dividing brain spheres as a metaphor for the divide between peaceful lemur on Madagascar and the war-mongering chimpanzee on the African mainland as a reminder that human evolution could have taken a better turn.\nAncient Evenings - Norman Mailer\nThis book, the only lengthy novel in this list, I first looked up because Burroughs referenced it as his inspiration for 'The Western Lands'. When I noticed it starts with my favourite Yeats quote I knew I needed to read this. Even though Burroughs could never have written it like this, at times it is more Burroughs then Burroughs himself. It is the autobiography of a Ka, the lowliest soul of the seven souls of the ancient Egyptians, which makes for unusual reading. Especially because Mailer uses an uncensored version of Egyptian mythology which, to put it mildly, differs from the version you get of it from the National Geographic. The Egyptians practised sex magic with the stamina of a bonobo. Mailer makes Aleister Crowley look like a prudish schoolboy. This is the boldest attempt to recreate a radically different mind from ours that I know of, and does so successfully. The novel as the creation of an artificial consciousness. At the same time it doubles as an All American Novel (yuk).\nThe Mind in the Cave - David Lewis-Williams\nPalaeolithic Psychedelia anyone? Close your eyes, place a finger on both of your eyelids and press gently. What you see is the origin of all art, you only need to look at rock-art with a guide like Lewis-Williams to see it.\nThe Chinese Written Character as a Medium for Poetry - Ernest Fennolosa\nEdited by Ezra Pound, the most spectacular misunderstanding of language ever to be reprinted. It reads excellent and it gives us a language (Chinoiserie-Chinese) that does not exist in this world but should exist in a better world.\nVehicles - Valentino Braitenberg\nI have read so much stuff relating to Cybernetics, AI, emergent systems and self-organization that I am totally saturated with it. The material itself is exciting but the professional obligation of science to be dull gets on my nerves. But this is an exception, wonderfully written and illustrated with funky little drawings. Vehicles is a tiny book but its size is deceptive. This introduction to synthetic psychology describes a number of simple responsive vehicles that with each new feature became aware of the world around them a good deal more. Each new vehicle is a new mind.\nThe Coleridge Notebooks.\nCharles Lamb said he loved to lend his books to ‘Poet, Metaphysician, Bard’ Coleridge because he would return them with annotations more interesting then the book itself. Samuel Taylor Coleridge had a mind that was free, discursive, unruly and truly original. His notebooks record the flow of his thoughts as if you are sitting next to him. Every now and then I dip into this and always come out with some gem I never saw before. Get the Seamus Perry edition of this. Get a copy of the Road to Xanadu by Livingstone-Lowes for extra enjoyment.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Close your eyes, place a finger on both of your eyelids and press gently. What you see is the origin of all art, you only need to look at rock-art with a guide like Lewis-Williams to see it.",
          "reason": "Presented as a guide to understanding the origins of art through rock art.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Lewis-Williams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "paleolithic art",
        "prehistoric culture",
        "rock art"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mind-s-i-fantasies-and-reflections-on-self-and-soul-471d8d",
      "title": "The Mind's I: Fantasies and Reflections on Self and Soul",
      "author": "Douglas Hofstadter and Daniel Dennett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23153309,
          "author": "pjmorris",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T12:43:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23153309",
          "commentText": "Maybe try something/anything by Douglas Hofstadter. 'Godel, Escher, Bach' gets most of the attention, but I also found  'The Mind's I: Fantasies And Reflections On Self & Soul' (with Daniel Dennett), and 'Metamagical Themas' fascinating.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Mind's I: Fantasies And Reflections On Self & Soul' (with Daniel Dennett), and 'Metamagical Themas' fascinating.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it fascinating.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Hofstadter",
        "Daniel Dennett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognition",
        "consciousness",
        "selfhood"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mindful-path-to-self-compassion-46cb54",
      "title": "The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion",
      "author": "Christopher Germer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20334980,
          "author": "avtar",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T13:53:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20334980",
          "commentText": "'The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion' by Christopher Germer https://chrisgermer.com/mindful-path-self-compassion/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion' by Christopher Germer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher Germer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mindfulness",
        "self compassion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mindful-way-through-depression-4e9dab",
      "title": "The Mindful Way Through Depression",
      "author": "Mark Williams et al.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5752857,
          "author": "joshux",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-22T18:35:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5752857",
          "commentText": "Talent Is Overrated - Geoff Colvin ( Theory from Anders Ericsson )\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Introvert Advantage - Marti Olsen Laney\nThe Mindful Way Through Depression - Mark Williams et al.\nSurely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mindful Way Through Depression - Mark Williams et al.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Williams et al."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "depression",
        "mindfulness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-minimalist-entrepreneur-6b46e7",
      "title": "The Minimalist Entrepreneur",
      "author": "Sahil Lavingia",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33382648,
          "author": "saint_angels",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T10:12:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382648",
          "commentText": "- The Network State, by Balaji S. Srinivasan\n- The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One, 1929-1964\n- The Minimalist Entrepreneur, by Sahil Lavingia\n- Shoe Dog, by Phil Knight",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The Minimalist Entrepreneur, by Sahil Lavingia",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sahil Lavingia"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bootstrapping",
        "entrepreneurship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-minister-s-black-veil-0fa23e",
      "title": "The Minister's Black Veil",
      "author": "Nathaniel Hawthorne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41240816,
          "author": "bikenaga",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-13T23:14:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41240816",
          "commentText": "Someone else mentioned Thomas Hardy's \"The Mayor of Casterbirdge\". It's the one of his 5 major novels I haven't read. \"Far From the Madding Crowd\" and \"Return of the Native\" are okay, but the two that really are magnificent are:\n\"Jude the Obscure\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/153\n\"Tess of the D'Urbervilles\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/110\nYou can sense his fury at the society he was depicting. You might not want to read either of these, particularly \"Tess\", if you're prone to depression.\nFrederick Jackson Turner, \"The Frontier in American History\" (1921) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/22994\nThis collection leads off with Turner's essay \"The Significance of the Frontier in American History\" (1893). It's considered by some the most influential historical essay about America ever written. Historians went back and forth on his claims for decades, and people pointed out many issues with them. It seems like the critics predominate now. But it's still worth reading, particularly since (right or wrong) his ideas influenced the way we think of ourselves. Turner was a very good writer - he was a noted orator, and his essays have an oratorical quality - and the other essays in the collection are pretty good, too.\nOwen Wister, \"The Virginian\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1298\nZane Grey, \"Riders of the Purple Sage\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1300\nAnd the sequel: \"The Rainbow Trail\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/5067\n\"The Virginian\" (1902) and \"Riders\" (1912) established many of the themes and tropes for the \"standard\" western, and they're still fun to read. But the genre comprises many other kinds of writing - e.g. A. B. Guthrie, Elmer Kelton, and the next writer.\nWilla Cather's novels:\nThe \"plains trilogy\" (the stories are set in Nebraska and Colorado, but otherwise unrelated):\n\"O Pioneers!\" (1913) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/24\n\"The Song of the Lark\" (1915) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/44\n\"My Ántonia\" (1918) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19810\nAnd not quite a hundred years ago, but a wonderful novel:\n\"Death Comes for the Archbishop\" (1927) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/69730\nA few brief mentions: James Joyce's \"Ulysses\", though I had a tough time getting through it; some of Nathaniel Hawthorne's short stories (e.g. \"The Minister's Black Veil\"); \"Njal's Saga\" (I liked the Penguin edition with the translation by Magnusson and Pallson); the great works of classic fantasy (Lord Dunsany, E. R. Eddison, William Morris, Arthur Machen); the essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "some of Nathaniel Hawthorne's short stories (e.g. \"The Minister's Black Veil\")",
          "reason": "Offered as an example of Hawthorne's short stories to consider.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nathaniel Hawthorne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american gothic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ministry-of-fear-153985",
      "title": "The Ministry of Fear",
      "author": "Graham Greene",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13249110,
          "author": "petre",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T08:36:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249110",
          "commentText": "Just about any Graham Greene book: The Power and the Glory. The Quiet American, The Ministry of Fear, The Comedians, Our Man in Havana etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Ministry of Fear",
          "reason": "Listed as an example of a Graham Greene book in response to a request for fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Graham Greene"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "wartime thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-minto-pyramid-principle-logic-in-writing-thinking-problem-sol-d89269",
      "title": "The Minto Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing, Thinking, & Problem Solving",
      "author": "Barbara Minto",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3277849,
          "author": "technology",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T18:47:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3277849",
          "commentText": "The Minto Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing, Thinking, & Problem Solving by Barbara Minto (http://www.amazon.com/Pyramid-Principle-Writing-Thinking-Pro... (http://www.amazon.com/Pyramid-Principle-Writing-Thinking-Problem/dp/0960191046))\nSome Mental Models are available here for free :\nhttp://www.focusinvestor.com/FocusSeriesPart3.pdf\nhttp://www.focusinvestor.com/MungerModels.pdf\nFor systems :\nLean Thinking by James Womack\n--------------\nSome thought provoking personal effectiveness titles :\nThe Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz (http://www.amazon.com/Four-Agreements-Practical-Personal-Fre... (http://www.amazon.com/Four-Agreements-Practical-Personal-Freedom/dp/1878424319))\nThe Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less by Barry Schwartz (http://www.amazon.com/Paradox-Choice-Why-More-Less/dp/006000... (http://www.amazon.com/Paradox-Choice-Why-More-Less/dp/0060005696/))\nThe Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Minto Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing, Thinking, & Problem Solving by Barbara Minto",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books on thinking and problem solving.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Barbara Minto"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business communication",
        "structured thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-miracle-of-theism-a20cd1",
      "title": "The Miracle of Theism",
      "author": "J. L. Mackie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503580,
          "author": "gjm11",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T13:10:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503580",
          "commentText": "Obviously anyone's recommendations are going to tell you as much about that person's philosophical preferences as about the actual books. We might be able to do better if you told us more about your own interests and prejudices. Anyway, here are a few recommendations:\nEthics and (technical questions about) personal identity: \"Reasons and persons\", by Derek Parfit. Quite heavy going, but Parfit's an outstandingly clear thinker and there are some very good ideas here.\nApplied ethics: \"Living high and letting die\", by Peter Unger. Argues for the counterintuitive conclusion that basically all of us in the affluent West have an obligation to do (not just somewhat more but) vastly more for the least well-off.\nPhilosophy of religion (from a definitely atheist perspective): \"The miracle of theism\", by John Mackie. Quite dense, but well written, clear and mostly fair. Much much more seriously intellectually than any of the recent \"New Atheist\" books.\nPhilosophy of mind, epistemology, ethics, decision theory, philosophy of physics, many other things: \"Good and Real\", by Gary Drescher. \"A breathtakingly original assault on all the Big Issues!\", says Daniel Dennett, and he's right.\nRecommended on just about any topic: the \"Oxford Readings in Philosophy\" series of anthologies. Each volume consists of a lengthy introduction followed by somewhere on the order of 10 important articles from the primary literature. Generally very approachable and well selected.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The miracle of theism\", by John Mackie. Quite dense, but well written, clear and mostly fair.",
          "reason": "Recommends it on philosophy of religion from an atheist perspective.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in philosophy of religion.",
          "caveat": "Quite dense; presented from a definitely atheist perspective.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. L. Mackie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "atheism",
        "philosophy of religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-miraculous-fever-tree-5f24d6",
      "title": "The Miraculous Fever-Tree",
      "author": "Fiammetta Rocco",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24213645,
          "author": "giardini",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-19T17:59:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 24176902,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please suggest some good books you have read recently",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24213645",
          "commentText": "Wrong: Why Experts Keep Failing Us - and How to Know When Not to Trust Them by David H. Freedman\n- Painfully relevant to the current pandemic. Explains why the experts aren't!\nThe End of Average by Todd Rose\n- Pulls the curtain(s) aside from education, corporations and the non-science of \"scientific management\". Why Taylorism continues to dominate corporate and social life today. Explains many features of our lives (both civic and corporate) that were \"baked into\" society decades ago, are rarely examined (indeed rarely noticed) and are ripe for replacement.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_management\nThe Miraculous Fever Tree by Fiammetta Rocco\nThis reads like (and should be made into) a BBC series: story after story of generations of human suffering from malaria, which remains far more deadly than Covid-19. Where else do you read that merely living in Rome before the existence of a cure for malaria was almost guaranteed to shorten your life significantly and end it badly? Imperial Rome, the center of Roman civilization! Rome, the center of the Catholic Church during and after Rome fell and into the Early Middle Ages! And this disease was endemic not only in Rome but to most of southern Europe extending up to Britain.\nhttps://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/science-mal... (https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/science-malaria-in-britain-1361345.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Miraculous Fever Tree by Fiammetta Rocco\nThis reads like (and should be made into) a BBC series: story after story of generations of human suffering from malaria",
          "reason": "Presented as a compelling account of malaria's history and human toll.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fiammetta Rocco"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "malaria",
        "medical history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mirage-01f33e",
      "title": "The Mirage",
      "author": "Matt Ruff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5691809,
          "author": "cju",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T19:28:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5691809",
          "commentText": "If you liked DFW and Borges, you may like Matt Ruff (especialy \"Set this House in Order\", \"The Mirage\" and \"Fool on the Hill\"). It's not as complex but the style is similar and really enjoyable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you liked DFW and Borges, you may like Matt Ruff (especialy \"Set this House in Order\", \"The Mirage\" and \"Fool on the Hill\"). It's not as complex but the style is similar and really enjoyable.",
          "reason": "Recommended to readers who like DFW and Borges; the commenter says the style is similar and really enjoyable.",
          "audience": "Readers who like David Foster Wallace and Jorge Luis Borges.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not as complex as those authors' work.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matt Ruff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternate history",
        "political thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-missing-readme-a-guide-for-the-new-software-engineer-d64a07",
      "title": "The Missing README: A Guide for the New Software Engineer",
      "author": "Chris Riccomini and Dmitry Koval",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33857288,
          "author": "_dain_",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T20:06:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33857288",
          "commentText": "seconding this, very high signal-noise ratio.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "seconding this, very high signal-noise ratio.",
          "reason": "The commenter seconds the parent’s recommendation and calls the book high signal-to-noise.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris Riccomini",
        "Dmitry Koval"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "career development",
        "software engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mission-song-ba03c1",
      "title": "The Mission Song",
      "author": "John le Carré",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 85863,
          "author": "jgrahamc",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T08:09:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85863",
          "commentText": "You reminded me of a great little book published a long time ago which is still very relevant: \"The Ugly American\"(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ugly_American).   A recent really good read was Le Carre's \"The Mission Song\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A recent really good read was Le Carre's \"The Mission Song\"",
          "reason": "Calls it a really good read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John le Carré"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "espionage"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mist-f60dfd",
      "title": "The Mist",
      "author": "Stephen King",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41177772,
          "author": "lotsofpizza",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T02:45:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41177772",
          "commentText": "The Mist - Stephen King\nCannery Row - Joseph Steinbeck\nPost Office - Charles Bukowski\nDracula - Bram Stoker",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mist - Stephen King",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen King"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "horror",
        "monsters"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mobile-mba-3ce610",
      "title": "The Mobile MBA",
      "author": "Jo Owen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12245929,
          "author": "dandare",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T07:08:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12245929",
          "commentText": "On a personal level the Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins because it explained that \"evil\" is not evil but \"mathematically\" inevitable, thus allowing me to find (relative) peace of mind.\nOn a professional level The Mobile MBA by Jo Owen, because it explained to me - the programmer - valuable management skills in no bullshit way (I can not stress this enough), thus allowed me to grow in my career.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mobile MBA by Jo Owen",
          "reason": "Says it explained valuable management skills in a direct way and helped their career.",
          "audience": "Programmers seeking management skills.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jo Owen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "management",
        "mba"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-model-thinker-58836e",
      "title": "The Model Thinker",
      "author": "Scott E. Page",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19898066,
          "author": "sonabinu",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T11:17:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19898066",
          "commentText": "Scott Page ( from U Michigan who is the creator of the class) has written a book on models called Model Thinker. I’m currently reading it and think it is pretty good!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "has written a book on models called Model Thinker. I’m currently reading it and think it is pretty good!",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is pretty good.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in models.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 19897119,
          "author": "james_s_tayler",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T08:11:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19897119",
          "commentText": "I'm reading The Model Thinker at the moment. +1",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm reading The Model Thinker at the moment. +1",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott E. Page"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mental models",
        "modeling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-modern-javascript-tutorial-b5b313",
      "title": "The Modern JavaScript Tutorial",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37329755,
          "author": "js2",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-30T22:05:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 37325594,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books to learn web development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37329755",
          "commentText": "I'll add The Modern JavaScript Tutorial as an additional reference I like:\nhttps://javascript.info/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Modern JavaScript Tutorial",
          "reason": "Adds it as an additional reference the commenter likes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "javascript"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-modes-of-scepticism-13aebe",
      "title": "The Modes of Scepticism",
      "author": "Julia Annas and Jonathan Barnes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503692,
          "author": "telemachos",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T14:39:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503692",
          "commentText": "Some from the canon:\n\nPlato: Defence of Socrates, Euthyphro, Crito (translated by David Gallop)\nThe Modes of Scepticism by Julia Annas and Jonathan Barnes (a beautiful collection of texts from Pyrrhonian scepticism and analysis of their arguments; the best way I know to meet ancient scepticism)\nDescartes: Meditations on First Philosophy (The Cambridge University Press edition is very good; it's probably worth buying their Selected Philosophical Writings for a good basic Descartes text)\nDavid Hume: An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding and An Enquiry concerning the Principles of Morals (I recommend the Oxford Philosophical Texts editions)\nWittgenstein: Philosophical Investigations (terribly, terribly difficult, but very rewarding)\n  A few contemporary things:\n\nGilbert Ryle: The Concept of Mind\nWillard Van Orman Quine: From a Logical Point of View\nJ. L. Mackie: Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong\nThomas Nagel: Mortal Questions (short essays, well-written, very accessible)\nBernard Williams: Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy\nMichael Smith: The Moral Problem\n  Specialist, technical, odd:\n\nThe Frege Reader by Michael Beaney (for modern logic and the beginnings of contemporary philosophy in the analytic style)\nJ. L. Mackie: The Cement of the Universe: A Study of Causation\nWilliam Kingdon Clifford: The Ethics of Belief (he argues, oddly but powerfully, that it's immoral to believe things on insufficient evidence or irrationally - an offense to morality, not just reason)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a beautiful collection of texts from Pyrrhonian scepticism and analysis of their arguments; the best way I know to meet ancient scepticism",
          "reason": "Describes it as a beautiful collection and the best way to encounter ancient skepticism.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in ancient skepticism.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Julia Annas and Jonathan Barnes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient philosophy",
        "pyrrhonian skepticism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-molecule-of-more-aec03b",
      "title": "The Molecule of More",
      "author": "Daniel Z. Lieberman and Michael E. Long",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46691570,
          "author": "ProtosGalaxias",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-20T13:23:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 46690957,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What non-fiction do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46691570",
          "commentText": "\"The Molecule of More\" by Daniel Z. Lieberman and Michael E. Long.\nA bit naive but fascinating narrative about how dopamine controls our feelings, addictions, and, basically, happiness.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The Molecule of More\" by Daniel Z. Lieberman and Michael E. Long.",
          "reason": "Presents a narrative about dopamine and its effects on feelings, addiction, and happiness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls the narrative a bit naive.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Z. Lieberman",
        "Michael E. Long"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "addiction",
        "dopamine"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-money-machine-ae82e6",
      "title": "The Money Machine",
      "author": "Philip Coggan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 180718,
          "author": "mooders",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-04T08:17:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 180589,
          "threadTitle": "Good book for economics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=180718",
          "commentText": "Tim Harford's http://www.amazon.co.uk/Undercover-Economist-Tim-Harford/dp/... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Undercover-Economist-Tim-Harford/dp/0349119856/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209888755&sr=1-1)\"Undercover Economist and http://www.amazon.co.uk/Logic-Life-Uncovering-Economics-Ever... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Logic-Life-Uncovering-Economics-Everything/dp/0316027561/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209888990&sr=1-1) Logic of Life are both excellent at drawing out serious economic principles from  everyday experiences.\nPhilip Coggan's http://www.amazon.co.uk/Money-Machine-Penguin-Business-Libra... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Money-Machine-Penguin-Business-Library/dp/0141009306/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209888653&sr=8-1) Money Machine is not directly an economics book, but details the movement of money through the global economy (but focused on London, specifically) and is an excellent overview of fiscal policy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Money Machine is not directly an economics book, but details the movement of money through the global economy (but focused on London, specifically) and is an excellent overview of fiscal policy.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an excellent overview of fiscal policy and describes its focus on money flows.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in fiscal policy and the movement of money.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not directly an economics book and focuses specifically on London.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip Coggan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fiscal policy",
        "global economy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-monk-af22dd",
      "title": "The Monk",
      "author": "Matthew Gregory Lewis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41759319,
          "author": "aireo",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-06T19:04:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41759319",
          "commentText": "Several immediately come to mind.\nShort stories: The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories (Ken Liu); Stories of Your Life and Others and Exhalation (Ted Chiang); The Martian Chronicles (Ray Bradbury)\nNovels: The Monk (Matthew Gregory Lewis); Frankenstein (Mary Shelley)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Monk (Matthew Gregory Lewis)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthew Gregory Lewis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "gothic fiction",
        "horror"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-monk-and-the-philosopher-b6b330",
      "title": "The Monk and the Philosopher",
      "author": "Jean-François Revel and Matthieu Ricard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503245,
          "author": "ulvund",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T07:12:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503245",
          "commentText": "I would not recommend any compilations of philosophy. The great thing about philosophy is reading the rationales and the results, not only the results.\n\"Ricard+Revel - The Monk and the Philosopher\" http://www.amazon.com/Monk-Philosopher-Father-Discuss-Meanin... (http://www.amazon.com/Monk-Philosopher-Father-Discuss-Meaning/dp/0805211039)\n\"Socrates(/Plato) - The Allegory of the Cave\" http://www.historyguide.org/intellect/allegory.html\n\"Plato(/Socrates/others) - Symposium\" http://www.amazon.com/Symposium-Plato/dp/0872200760\n\"Bertrand Russell - The Conquest of Happiness\" http://www.amazon.com/Conquest-Happiness-Bertrand-Russell/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/Conquest-Happiness-Bertrand-Russell/dp/0871401622)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Ricard+Revel - The Monk and the Philosopher\"",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for philosophical book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jean-François Revel and Matthieu Ricard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhism",
        "dialogue"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-monk-and-the-riddle-fe55e7",
      "title": "The Monk and the Riddle",
      "author": "Randy Komisar and Kent Lineback",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 138230,
          "author": "paulkafasis",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-16T16:24:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=138230",
          "commentText": "I'd also highly recommend The Monk and the Riddle - I don't think I've ever seen it suggested elsewhere, but I recommend it to everyone.\nI found PayPal Wars to be a bit dull, and the author a bit smug.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd also highly recommend The Monk and the Riddle - I don't think I've ever seen it suggested elsewhere, but I recommend it to everyone.",
          "reason": "The commenter highly recommends it and says they recommend it to everyone.",
          "audience": "Everyone, according to the commenter.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Randy Komisar and Kent Lineback"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business purpose",
        "entrepreneurship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-monk-and-the-riddle-13a683",
      "title": "The Monk and the Riddle",
      "author": "Randy Komisar",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4026199,
          "author": "semira",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-26T02:22:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4026199",
          "commentText": "The Monk and the Riddle - Randy Komisar",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Monk and the Riddle - Randy Komisar",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for a great book read recently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Randy Komisar"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-moral-animal-why-we-are-the-way-we-are-8cc40c",
      "title": "The Moral Animal: Why We Are the Way We Are",
      "author": "Robert Wright",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32197905,
          "author": "abbadadda",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:33:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197905",
          "commentText": "_The Splendid and The Vile._ My sister recommended it, and it was great on audiobook. I found the stories about Beaverbrook especially interesting. I found the insight fascinating into what Churchill was thinking during the war, how much he leaned on his closest advisors, and how badly some of Hitler's advisors fucked up. I wound up reading (or listening) to it through the lens of how important relationships are in whatever kind of work that we do. Also, in 2021 I read _The Moral Animal: Why We Are the Way We Are_ and it was the best book I've read in years.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "in 2021 I read _The Moral Animal: Why We Are the Way We Are_ and it was the best book I've read in years.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the best book they had read in years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Wright"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolutionary psychology",
        "human behavior"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-moral-animal-why-we-are-the-way-we-are-the-new-science-of-evo-6ad11b",
      "title": "The Moral Animal: Why We Are, the Way We Are: The New Science of Evolutionary Psychology",
      "author": "Robert Wright",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10207808,
          "author": "ekr",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T11:17:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10207808",
          "commentText": "The Moral Animal: Why We Are, the Way We Are: The New Science of Evolutionary Psychology - Robert Wright.\nAfter reading this, you will understand (and be able to predict) a lot of patterns of human behavior.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Moral Animal: Why We Are, the Way We Are: The New Science of Evolutionary Psychology - Robert Wright.\nAfter reading this, you will understand (and be able to predict) a lot of patterns of human behavior.",
          "reason": "Claims readers will understand and predict many patterns of human behavior.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Wright"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolutionary psychology",
        "human behavior"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-moral-economists-43f552",
      "title": "The Moral Economists",
      "author": "Tim Rogan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18745435,
          "author": "Emma_Goldman",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T10:45:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18745435",
          "commentText": "My idiosyncratic picks, all of them history:\nCivil War, David Armitage\nMeaning in History, Karl Lowith\nManifest Destiny, Anders Stephanson\nThe Deluge, Adam Tooze\nThe Moral Economists, Tim Rogan\nThe Guardians, Susan Pederson\nI also enjoyed properly getting to grips with Keynes, Du Bois, Schmitt and Freud for the first time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Moral Economists, Tim Rogan",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s history picks in response to a favorite-books question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as an idiosyncratic pick.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tim Rogan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic thought"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-moral-problem-6874e5",
      "title": "The Moral Problem",
      "author": "Michael Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503692,
          "author": "telemachos",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T14:39:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503692",
          "commentText": "Some from the canon:\n\nPlato: Defence of Socrates, Euthyphro, Crito (translated by David Gallop)\nThe Modes of Scepticism by Julia Annas and Jonathan Barnes (a beautiful collection of texts from Pyrrhonian scepticism and analysis of their arguments; the best way I know to meet ancient scepticism)\nDescartes: Meditations on First Philosophy (The Cambridge University Press edition is very good; it's probably worth buying their Selected Philosophical Writings for a good basic Descartes text)\nDavid Hume: An Enquiry concerning Human Understanding and An Enquiry concerning the Principles of Morals (I recommend the Oxford Philosophical Texts editions)\nWittgenstein: Philosophical Investigations (terribly, terribly difficult, but very rewarding)\n  A few contemporary things:\n\nGilbert Ryle: The Concept of Mind\nWillard Van Orman Quine: From a Logical Point of View\nJ. L. Mackie: Ethics: Inventing Right and Wrong\nThomas Nagel: Mortal Questions (short essays, well-written, very accessible)\nBernard Williams: Ethics and the Limits of Philosophy\nMichael Smith: The Moral Problem\n  Specialist, technical, odd:\n\nThe Frege Reader by Michael Beaney (for modern logic and the beginnings of contemporary philosophy in the analytic style)\nJ. L. Mackie: The Cement of the Universe: A Study of Causation\nWilliam Kingdon Clifford: The Ethics of Belief (he argues, oddly but powerfully, that it's immoral to believe things on insufficient evidence or irrationally - an offense to morality, not just reason)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Michael Smith: The Moral Problem",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of contemporary philosophy recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ethics",
        "moral philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-moral-underground-how-ordinary-americans-subvert-an-unfair-ec-28c771",
      "title": "The Moral Underground: How Ordinary Americans Subvert an Unfair Economy",
      "author": "Lisa Dodson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12981431,
          "author": "yolesaber",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-17T20:52:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12981431",
          "commentText": "The Moral Underground: How Ordinary Americans Subvert an Unfair Economy\nAn incredible look into the lives of the working poor and what it actually means to try and get out of poverty in America. It's a beautiful book. http://thenewpress.com/books/moral-underground",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An incredible look into the lives of the working poor and what it actually means to try and get out of poverty in America. It's a beautiful book.",
          "reason": "Praised as an incredible and beautiful account of the working poor and efforts to escape poverty.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lisa Dodson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "poverty",
        "working poor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-more-beautiful-world-our-hearts-know-is-possible-4aedf0",
      "title": "The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible",
      "author": "Charles Eisenstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17168725,
          "author": "gr33nman",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:39:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168725",
          "commentText": "The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible, by Charles Eisenstein.\nI almost passed on this one due to the corny sounding title, but I’m so glad I didn’t. It renewed my optimism about the future of humanity at a time when my faith was deeply challenged and I was bringing a new person into the world.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17345270-the-more-beauti... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17345270-the-more-beautiful-world-our-hearts-know-is-possible)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know Is Possible, by Charles Eisenstein. I almost passed on this one due to the corny sounding title, but I’m so glad I didn’t. It renewed my optimism about the future of humanity",
          "reason": "The commenter says it renewed their optimism about humanity's future.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The title initially sounded corny to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Eisenstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "interbeing",
        "social change"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-more-of-less-ed181b",
      "title": "The More of Less",
      "author": "Joshua Becker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18747136,
          "author": "rkho",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T17:14:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18747136",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed The More of Less by Joshua Becker. This year I finally had the realization that I've been accumulating way too many physical possessions that I didn't really need nor benefit from, and it's been a good introduction to practicing minimalism.\nThe book talks about how minimalism isn't about ridding yourself of everything but your bare necessities, but to discard things that you don't love so that you can better focus on the remaining things that are important to you. If you've read The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, this point will resonate with you quite well.\nI've since whittled down my wardrobe significantly, throwing out a large chunk of shirts/pants/sweaters that I haven't worn in over a year and it's actually done wonders for my health. I discovered that my bedroom had been left in neglect for a long time now, which had caused a bit of mold to grow (which in turn had given me allergy issues for the past couple months) and having to go through my clothes helped me both physically and mentally.\nAnother book that touches on these themes is Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown.\nMaybe in 2019 I'll finally get to a point where I don't have to pack dozens and dozens of boxes when I inevitably move again.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed The More of Less by Joshua Becker.",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed the book and found it a good introduction to practicing minimalism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joshua Becker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "decluttering",
        "minimalism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-morning-of-the-magicians-e47b98",
      "title": "The Morning of the Magicians",
      "author": "Louis Pauwels and Jacques Bergier",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32936207,
          "author": "rvieira",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T08:30:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936207",
          "commentText": "Disclaimer: These books changed the way I think primarily because I've read them quite young (early/mid teens) and as such, were formative.\n1. The Morning of the Magicians (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Morning_of_the_Magicians)\nThis book, although many (most?) of its claims are disproved really had an impact on me since it showed me that there could be _a lot_ more in the world than meets the eye. Everything around us and in history is filled with mysteries, unanswered questions. You could find interesting things everywhere. I would say the content is not the important part, but it instills the curiosity to dig deeper.\n2. Memories, Dreams, Reflections (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memories,_Dreams,_Reflections)\nA semi-autobiography of Carl Jung. It made me realise how \"meta-programmable\" humans are. How much of how we think can be though upon, itself. How we can introspect on our thoughs ... with our thoughts. Basically, made me in awe of conscious beings.\n3. Ficciones (Fictions, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ficciones)\nThis is classic from Jorge Luis Borges. It showed me at the time \"experimental\" literature. How can one can push story-telling to another level, like many other art forms have done.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Morning of the Magicians",
          "reason": "The commenter says it sparked curiosity about mysteries and unanswered questions, despite many of its claims being disproved.",
          "audience": "The commenter read it in their early to mid teens.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says many or most of its claims are disproved and that the content itself is not the important part.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Louis Pauwels",
        "Jacques Bergier"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "occult",
        "pseudohistory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-most-beautiful-place-in-the-world-c6bd5a",
      "title": "The Most Beautiful Place in the World",
      "author": "Ann Cameron",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50062729,
          "author": "CompoundStock",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-12T20:39:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50062729",
          "commentText": "One of my favorite books is The Most Beautiful Place in the World, by Ann Cameron and Thomas B. Allen. I read it when I was 8 or 9 years old. The story is very moving.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Most Beautiful Place in the World, by Ann Cameron and Thomas B. Allen.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a favorite and says its story is very moving.",
          "audience": "The commenter read it at age 8 or 9.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ann Cameron"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s literature",
        "coming of age"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-most-secret-memory-of-men-22092c",
      "title": "The Most Secret Memory of Men",
      "author": "Mohamed Mbougar Sarr",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39250019,
          "author": "komposit",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T13:26:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39250019",
          "commentText": "Ive just finished The Most Secret Memory of Men by Mohamed Mbougar Sarr. I cannot praise it highly enough.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Most Secret Memory of Men by Mohamed Mbougar Sarr. I cannot praise it highly enough.",
          "reason": "Says they just finished it and cannot praise it highly enough.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mohamed Mbougar Sarr"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "african literature",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mote-in-god-s-eye-ced6d1",
      "title": "The Mote in God's Eye",
      "author": "Larry Niven; Jerry Pournelle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38573304,
          "author": "ezekg",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T19:48:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38573304",
          "commentText": "I recently read The Mote in God's Eye and its sequel, The Gripping Hand. Mote is now one of my favorite first-contact books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recently read The Mote in God's Eye and its sequel",
          "reason": "Named as a recent read and one of the commenter's favorite first-contact books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Larry Niven",
        "Jerry Pournelle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mother-tongue-english-and-how-it-got-that-way-bf9bd3",
      "title": "The Mother Tongue: English and How It Got That Way",
      "author": "Bill Bryson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21797508,
          "author": "randcraw",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-15T17:37:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21797508",
          "commentText": "All of these are by Bill Bryson but none are about travel:\nShakespeare: the World as Stage\nOne Summer: America, 1927\nThe Mother Tongue: English and How it Got that Way\nMade in America: an Informal History of the English Language in the US\nAt Home: A Short History of Private Life",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mother Tongue: English and How it Got that Way",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Bryson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "english language",
        "linguistics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-motley-fool-investment-guide-69353a",
      "title": "The Motley Fool Investment Guide",
      "author": "David and Tom Gardner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26325332,
          "author": "smcameron",
          "createdAt": "2021-03-03T06:13:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 26321793,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books made you the most money?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26325332",
          "commentText": "\"The Motley Fool Investment Guide\", from 1996, not because it's particularly great (it's not), but because it got me into regular, sustained investing over time, and was where I first encountered the quote (mis?)attributed to Einstein: \"compound interest is the most powerful force in the universe.\"",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The Motley Fool Investment Guide\"",
          "reason": "Got the commenter started with regular, sustained investing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not particularly great.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Gardner",
        "Tom Gardner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "investing",
        "personal finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mountain-in-the-sea-2f9161",
      "title": "The Mountain in the Sea",
      "author": "Ray Nayler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49908378,
          "author": "einhard",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T13:04:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49908378",
          "commentText": "I am working through Paradise Lost right now for something to read studiously.\nFor reading before bed, I recently finished \"The Mountain In the Sea\" by Ray Nayler. I found it very good, with primary themes centered around the nature of consciousness, robots, AI, and corporatism. Highly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For reading before bed, I recently finished \"The Mountain In the Sea\" by Ray Nayler. I found it very good, with primary themes centered around the nature of consciousness, robots, AI, and corporatism. Highly recommended.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it very good and highly recommends it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ray Nayler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "consciousness",
        "corporatism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-murderbot-diaries-artificial-condition-653065",
      "title": "The Murderbot Diaries: Artificial Condition",
      "author": "Martha Wells",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665209,
          "author": "PostPost",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:26:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665209",
          "commentText": "Sorry for the wall of text.\n1. Bourne (The language and world of this novel are extraordinary - everything is falling apart yet brimming with life. Strangely moving)\n2. The Design of Everyday things (Essential for anyone in UI/UX)\n3. All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (Highly engaging, entertaining sci-fi novella series, from an author that can write a very decent robot protagonist)\n4. The Power (Interesting story with sci-fi elements on the dynamics of power, sex, and gender roles. I didn't care for the book, but the first 3/4 of the book are amazing)\n5. Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days\n6. 7 brief Lessons on Physics\n7. The Last Lecture (The energy and positivity coming from a man knowing he's about to die is infectious. Great read)\n8. A wizard of Earthsea (Move over Harry Potter, this is the essential children's story about wizards)\n9. Exploring diabetes with owls (Funny, irreverent)\n10. Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children (Made an effort to read more YA this year - this was the best in this series, but I still hated it. There's a host of better YA series out there.)\n11. A Wizard of Earthsea: The Tombs of Atuan (See 8.)\n12. The Girl in the Dark (Interesting book about a skin condition I had never heard of, and the trials of living with a very rare condition)\n13. The Phantom Tollbooth (Clever children's book)\n14. Black hole blues and songs from outer space (Informative book about the study of space,  the political and economic forces standing in the way of science, and the incredible individuals working in this field)\n15. Welcome to Night Vale (Hugely entertaining, clever and weird)\n16. You need a budget (Basic economics book explaining how to budget in a way that lets you do more with your money)\n17. To fight Against This Age (Incredibly pretentious, \nIvory Tower philosophizing)\n18. Infinity Gauntlet (Half the Universe dying because Thanos wanted to sleep with Lady Death will never not be ridiculous)\n19. The Right and Wrong Stuff (Great read explaining how to anticipate and avoid career pitfalls)\n20. Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children: Hollow City (pretty shitty)\n21. The Farthest Shore (Ursula K. Le Guin was the biggest loss this year)\n22. Miss peregrine's home for Peculiar Children: Library of Souls (I hate this book and all its characters)\n23. Every Good Endevour (Religious book about a Christian worldview and the value of labor - not a bad read)\n24. When to Rob a Bank and 131 warped suggestions… (interesting, funny, from the writers of Freakonomics)\n25. Weapons of Math Destruction (Probably the most useful book on this list, if you're reading this on \"hackernews\")\n26. Holes (Perfect summer paperback read)\n27. Silver Screen Sirens (Essential for film geeks)\n28. A full life: reflections at 90 (I gained a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter: he lived an incredible life and does great things)\n29. Call Me by your name (Very good romance novel to send to your bigoted relatives at Christmas)\n30. Hyperbole and a half (Incredibly entertaining, very distinctive art style)\n31. The Murderbot diaries: Artificial Condition (See 3.)\n32. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Best children's book, fight me)\n33. Less (Exceptionally well-written)\n34. Resilience (Great book, especially for those that have gone through extremely difficult circumstances)\n35. The Strange Bird (Dark, bleak, full of life, see 1.)\n36. The Murderbot diaries: Rogue Protocol (See 3.)\n37. His Dark Materials: The subtle knife (See 32.)\n38. Tap Dancing to Work (Very dry, some stories/articles are fantastic, others very, very boring for people that do not care about finance)\n39. So Good They Can't Ignore You (Pretty good)\n40. His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass (Amazing YA, see 32.)\n41. Uncontainable (Inspirational book about conscious capitalism)\n42. The Emperor of All Maladies (Pretty much everything you'll ever want to know about Cancer, written in a very engaging way)\n43. Blind Spot\n44. Shoe dog (Great story, see madmax108's comment, totally agree)\n45. The Faithful Spy (Beautiful artwork describing a Christian pastor's fight against fascism during WW2)\n46. Zero to One\n47. You'll grow out of it\n48. The Happiness advantage (Really fantastic book about the value of positive psychology)\n49. Dreams from my father (Enlightening look into Obama's \nearly days)\n50. Ayoade on Ayoade (Entertaining, extremely scatter-brained, not as funny as his interviews or tv programs)\n51. The Diabolic (badly written YA Sci-Fi)\n52. The Physics of Everyday Things (surprisingly informative, recommended for non science-people interested in the way things work)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Murderbot diaries: Artificial Condition (See 3.)",
          "reason": "The parenthetical points to the comment's positive description of the series.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy science fiction novellas.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martha Wells"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "robot protagonist",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-murderbot-diaries-rogue-protocol-f5dbfb",
      "title": "The Murderbot Diaries: Rogue Protocol",
      "author": "Martha Wells",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665209,
          "author": "PostPost",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:26:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665209",
          "commentText": "Sorry for the wall of text.\n1. Bourne (The language and world of this novel are extraordinary - everything is falling apart yet brimming with life. Strangely moving)\n2. The Design of Everyday things (Essential for anyone in UI/UX)\n3. All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (Highly engaging, entertaining sci-fi novella series, from an author that can write a very decent robot protagonist)\n4. The Power (Interesting story with sci-fi elements on the dynamics of power, sex, and gender roles. I didn't care for the book, but the first 3/4 of the book are amazing)\n5. Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days\n6. 7 brief Lessons on Physics\n7. The Last Lecture (The energy and positivity coming from a man knowing he's about to die is infectious. Great read)\n8. A wizard of Earthsea (Move over Harry Potter, this is the essential children's story about wizards)\n9. Exploring diabetes with owls (Funny, irreverent)\n10. Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children (Made an effort to read more YA this year - this was the best in this series, but I still hated it. There's a host of better YA series out there.)\n11. A Wizard of Earthsea: The Tombs of Atuan (See 8.)\n12. The Girl in the Dark (Interesting book about a skin condition I had never heard of, and the trials of living with a very rare condition)\n13. The Phantom Tollbooth (Clever children's book)\n14. Black hole blues and songs from outer space (Informative book about the study of space,  the political and economic forces standing in the way of science, and the incredible individuals working in this field)\n15. Welcome to Night Vale (Hugely entertaining, clever and weird)\n16. You need a budget (Basic economics book explaining how to budget in a way that lets you do more with your money)\n17. To fight Against This Age (Incredibly pretentious, \nIvory Tower philosophizing)\n18. Infinity Gauntlet (Half the Universe dying because Thanos wanted to sleep with Lady Death will never not be ridiculous)\n19. The Right and Wrong Stuff (Great read explaining how to anticipate and avoid career pitfalls)\n20. Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children: Hollow City (pretty shitty)\n21. The Farthest Shore (Ursula K. Le Guin was the biggest loss this year)\n22. Miss peregrine's home for Peculiar Children: Library of Souls (I hate this book and all its characters)\n23. Every Good Endevour (Religious book about a Christian worldview and the value of labor - not a bad read)\n24. When to Rob a Bank and 131 warped suggestions… (interesting, funny, from the writers of Freakonomics)\n25. Weapons of Math Destruction (Probably the most useful book on this list, if you're reading this on \"hackernews\")\n26. Holes (Perfect summer paperback read)\n27. Silver Screen Sirens (Essential for film geeks)\n28. A full life: reflections at 90 (I gained a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter: he lived an incredible life and does great things)\n29. Call Me by your name (Very good romance novel to send to your bigoted relatives at Christmas)\n30. Hyperbole and a half (Incredibly entertaining, very distinctive art style)\n31. The Murderbot diaries: Artificial Condition (See 3.)\n32. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Best children's book, fight me)\n33. Less (Exceptionally well-written)\n34. Resilience (Great book, especially for those that have gone through extremely difficult circumstances)\n35. The Strange Bird (Dark, bleak, full of life, see 1.)\n36. The Murderbot diaries: Rogue Protocol (See 3.)\n37. His Dark Materials: The subtle knife (See 32.)\n38. Tap Dancing to Work (Very dry, some stories/articles are fantastic, others very, very boring for people that do not care about finance)\n39. So Good They Can't Ignore You (Pretty good)\n40. His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass (Amazing YA, see 32.)\n41. Uncontainable (Inspirational book about conscious capitalism)\n42. The Emperor of All Maladies (Pretty much everything you'll ever want to know about Cancer, written in a very engaging way)\n43. Blind Spot\n44. Shoe dog (Great story, see madmax108's comment, totally agree)\n45. The Faithful Spy (Beautiful artwork describing a Christian pastor's fight against fascism during WW2)\n46. Zero to One\n47. You'll grow out of it\n48. The Happiness advantage (Really fantastic book about the value of positive psychology)\n49. Dreams from my father (Enlightening look into Obama's \nearly days)\n50. Ayoade on Ayoade (Entertaining, extremely scatter-brained, not as funny as his interviews or tv programs)\n51. The Diabolic (badly written YA Sci-Fi)\n52. The Physics of Everyday Things (surprisingly informative, recommended for non science-people interested in the way things work)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Murderbot diaries: Rogue Protocol (See 3.)",
          "reason": "The parenthetical points to the comment's positive description of the series.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy science fiction novellas.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martha Wells"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "robot protagonist",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mushroom-at-the-end-of-the-world-on-the-possibility-of-life-i-306515",
      "title": "The Mushroom at the End of the World: On the Possibility of Life in Capitalist Ruins",
      "author": "Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18743791,
          "author": "RodericDay",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T01:34:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18743791",
          "commentText": "\"The Mushroom at the End of the World: On the Possibility of Life in Capitalist Ruins\" by Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25510906-the-mushroom-at... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25510906-the-mushroom-at-the-end-of-the-world)\nIt's all about how in Japan there's this tradition of gifting (and never purchasing for oneself) matsutake, as a way of showing appreciation. However, this tradition grew alongside deforestation.\nJapan has done a pretty good job conserving forests, but this strange mushroom they like so much only grows in deforested forests out of skinny pines, so now it has to be imported from Oregon, Finland, and China.\nThe author embeds herself a bit with Laotian refugees that do mushroom hunting in Oregon, and describes the various interesting ways these communities operate. Auctions, forest hunting, how kids get started, etc.\nAnd then she explains how these two intensely social and human concepts (the gift giving and the harvesting) are connected via an impersonal cynical international supply chain that commodifies everything.\nBeautiful book tbh.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Beautiful book tbh.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it beautiful and describes its account of matsutake, communities, and an international supply chain.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Nature",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "capitalism",
        "matsutake",
        "supply chains"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mysterious-benedict-society-f729f9",
      "title": "The Mysterious Benedict Society",
      "author": "Trenton Lee Stewart",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26800750,
          "author": "lnwlebjel",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-13T23:16:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26800750",
          "commentText": "Mo Willems is awesome (Pigeon series, Elephant and Piggy). Some of the Dr. Suess books are still great and fun to read (I can read with my eyes shut, One fish two fish). The book with no pictures, the day the crayons quit, dragons love tacos, and the princess and the dragon by Audrey Wood are all books that I've probably read 100 times and still enjoy.\nAs my kids got a bit older the Box Car children series was compelling, and the girls loved the Rainbow Magic books. Capt. Underpants and Dog man are hilarious and just subversive enough that a 7-9 yr old feel like they are getting away with something. Then on to Mysterious Benedict Society, Harry Potter, Rick Riordan, and Keeper of the Lost Cities.\nOur M.O. was to max out our Library card on a regular basis with just about everything possible and then iterate from there on the authors the kids enjoyed. I feel like reading is one of the things we've gotten right so far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mysterious Benedict Society",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Older children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Trenton Lee Stewart"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s adventure"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mystery-method-dfdf33",
      "title": "The Mystery Method",
      "author": "Mystery",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227449,
          "author": "WildUtah",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T20:16:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227449",
          "commentText": "For the same reasons, if you want to understand why relationships are hard and what is really going on between people,\nThe Mystery Method by Mystery - About half is a real down-to-the bits theory of love and attraction.  The other half is advice about how to pick up dates at bars.  I only wanted the first part, but both are fascinating.  After reading this, it's like the veil was lifted and I could see the fnords.\nThe Game by Neil Strauss - The story of field research into practical romance by a great writer and a peek at the author of the first book above.  The author masters seductive romance and discovers that it is not the same as love.  In the end, though, he needed the first to have a chance at the second.\nOnce you accept that love and romance are hard and not free, these two books are a start at finding and building a quality relationship.  Of course, you'll have to ignore that they market themselves as manuals on how to avoid one.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Mystery Method by Mystery - About half is a real down-to-the bits theory of love and attraction.",
          "reason": "Presents a theory of love and attraction, though the other half is dating advice.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in relationships and attraction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter only wanted the first half; the book also gives advice on picking up dates.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mystery"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dating",
        "love and attraction",
        "relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mystery-method-5efbb3",
      "title": "The Mystery Method",
      "author": "Erik von Markovik",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1752555,
          "author": "chegra",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T11:59:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752555",
          "commentText": "These books, although some now I might not endorse some of their teaching but they have help me to see the world in a different light:\nThe Mystery Method -  Erik Von Markovik[Social Engineering at its best]\nRich Dad Poor Dad: Guide to Investing - Robert Kiyoski\nThe Thoughtworks Anthology: Essays on Software Technology and Innovation (Pragmatic Programmers)\nBible - First class book in teaching how to behave towards others, especially proverbs.\nTao Te Ching - For this two verse you should read it:\n\"When people see some things as beautiful,\nother things become ugly.\nWhen people see some things as good,\nother things become bad.\nBeing and non-being create each other.\nDifficult and easy support each other.\nLong and short define each other.\nHigh and low depend on each other.\nBefore and after follow each other\"\nCyropaedia - \"Along with the The prince this book was required reading by all former statesmen.\"",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Mystery Method -  Erik Von Markovik[Social Engineering at its best]",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter says helped them see the world differently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they may no longer endorse some of the books' teachings.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Erik von Markovik"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dating"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mystery-of-banking-df9f05",
      "title": "The Mystery of Banking",
      "author": "Murray N. Rothbard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22574378,
          "author": "zanezone",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T10:38:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22574378",
          "commentText": "Get some conflicting ideas. Two great, short books are The Mystery of Banking by Rothbard (available for free here: https://mises.org/library/mystery-banking) and Economics in One Lesson by Hazlitt (free here: https://fee.org/resources/economics-in-one-lesson/). They both conflict quite substantially with the mainstream and might open up a whole new line of inquiry for you.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Two great, short books are The Mystery of Banking by Rothbard",
          "reason": "Recommended as a short book presenting ideas that conflict with the mainstream.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking perspectives that challenge mainstream views.",
          "caveat": "Its ideas conflict substantially with the mainstream.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Murray N. Rothbard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "banking",
        "monetary theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mystery-of-capital-8224da",
      "title": "The Mystery of Capital",
      "author": "Hernando de Soto",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1752669,
          "author": "Symmetry",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T13:24:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752669",
          "commentText": "Trying to confine myself to books I haven't seen others mention:\n\"Guns, Votes, and Democracy\" is a wonderful book about democracy in the third world and is both insightful and surprisingly readable.\n\"The Retreat to Commitment\" is the only philosophy book I'd actually recommend.\n\"The Design of Everyday Things\" is a book for anyone who makes or uses things.\n\"The Transparent Society\" is a thought provoking book on the future of privacy.\n\"The Mystery of Capital\" is a book on the importance of non-corrupt government in successful capitalism, a good point of view to have in addition to Rand.\n\"The Strategy of Conflict\" on how to use game theory in the real world, and negotiations especially.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Mystery of Capital\" is a book on the importance of non-corrupt government in successful capitalism, a good point of view to have in addition to Rand.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls its point of view a good one to consider alongside Rand.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Presented as an additional point of view alongside Rand.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hernando de Soto"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "capitalism",
        "property rights"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mystery-of-the-hanging-garden-of-babylon-an-elusive-world-won-74eacf",
      "title": "The Mystery of the Hanging Garden of Babylon: An Elusive World Wonder Traced",
      "author": "Stephanie Dalley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910816,
          "author": "thaumasiotes",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T17:19:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910816",
          "commentText": "Pre-Industrial Societies: Anatomy of the Pre-Modern World https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1780747411/\nBrotherhood of Kings: How International Relations Shaped the Ancient Near East https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0195313984/\nThe Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the Economy Bigger https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0691136408/\nThe Mystery of the Hanging Garden of Babylon: An Elusive World Wonder Traced https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CG3JMD0/\nThe Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature https://www.amazon.com/dp/0670031518/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Mystery of the Hanging Garden of Babylon: An Elusive World Wonder Traced",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephanie Dalley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient wonders",
        "babylon"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-myth-of-christian-beginnings-67a3d0",
      "title": "The Myth of Christian Beginnings",
      "author": "Robert Wilken",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38558868,
          "author": "pauljonas",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T17:06:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38558868",
          "commentText": "1. Doppleganger: A Trip into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein — have read other titles by this author & they were mostly meh, but this is an incredible book, hard to describe, better to experience. Ostensibly is about how the author is often confused with Naomi Wolf who went down conspiracy rabbit holes but it is so much more than that.\n2. The Myth of Christian Beginnings by Robert Wilkin — an older title (1971), short well written book on how Christians mythologize early Christians, & frame it as some static model of heavenly perfection that they're always trying to get back to, or maintain\n3. Everyday Utopia by Kristen Ghodsee — on the surface, a book about utopian community experiments but is so much more, imaginative conjuring on thinking outside the box, how we blindly just accept things the way they are, so dismissive of nonorthodox ideas\n4. Palo Alto: A History of California, Capitalism, and the World by Malcolm Harris — just as the title advertises, have read a lot of history but the 19C on California presented here was so interesting",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "short well written book on how Christians mythologize early Christians",
          "reason": "Describes how the book examines Christian narratives about early Christians.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Wilken"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian historiography",
        "early christianity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-myth-of-the-rational-voter-80c02c",
      "title": "The Myth of the Rational Voter",
      "author": "Bryan Caplan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12067228,
          "author": "balnaphone",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-10T20:55:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12067228",
          "commentText": "\"The Art of Profitability\" by Adrian Slywotzky\n\"The Myth of the Rational Voter\" by Bryan Caplan\n\"Fanatical Prospecting\" by Jeb Blount\n\"Fooling Some of the People All of the Time\" by David Einhorn\n\"Confidence Game\" by Christine Richard\n\"Mouth Matters; How Your Mouth Ages Your Body and What YOU Can Do About It\" by Carol Vander Stoep\n\"Adventures in Stochastic Processes\" by Sidney & Resnick\n\"The Great Deformation\" by David Stockman\n\"Efficient Electrical Systems Design Handbook\" by Thumann & Franz\n\"The Goal\" by Eliyahu Goldratt\n\"Notes on Discrete Mathematics\" by Miguel Lerma\n\"Stochastic Calculus with Infinitesimals\" by Frederik S. Herzberg\n\"Information Theory, Inference, and Learning Algorithms\" by David Mackay\n\"Coming Apart\" by Charles Murray\n\"The Collapse of Complex Societies\" by Joseph Tainter\n\"In Other Words: The Science And Psychology Of Second-language Acquisition\" by Ellen Bialystok and Kenji Hakuta",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"The Myth of the Rational Voter\" by Bryan Caplan",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9674336,
          "author": "Symmetry",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T12:16:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674336",
          "commentText": "I'm just going to answer with the books that rearranged my understanding of the world the most.  In no particular order.\n\"Thinking Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman.\n\"Quantum Computing since Democritus\" by Scott Aaronson.\n\"The Strategy of Conflict\" by Thomas Schelling.\n\"Guns, Germs, and Steel\" and \"The World until Yesterday\" by Jared Diamond.\n\"The Retreat To Commitment\" by W. W. Bartley.\n\"The Myth of the Rational Voter\" by Bryan Caplan.  Despite the name it made me appreciate democracy a lot more.\n\"Wars, Guns, and Votes\" by Paul Collier.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Myth of the Rational Voter\" by Bryan Caplan. Despite the name it made me appreciate democracy a lot more.",
          "reason": "Says it made them appreciate democracy more.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Despite the name, it increased the commenter's appreciation of democracy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bryan Caplan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "public choice",
        "voter behavior"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mythical-man-month-ff419b",
      "title": "The Mythical Man-Month",
      "author": "Frederick P. Brooks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14489394,
          "author": "eru",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T17:23:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14489394",
          "commentText": "Fred Brook's \"The Mythical Man Month\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fred Brook's \"The Mythical Man Month\".",
          "reason": "Suggested in response to a request for books to add to the reader’s library.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frederick P. Brooks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "project management",
        "software engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-mythical-man-month-essays-on-software-engineering-e5d88c",
      "title": "The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering",
      "author": "Frederick P. Brooks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33925435,
          "author": "Breza",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-09T19:23:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33925435",
          "commentText": "Reading this book is a terrific way to spend an afternoon. Every chapter has a lesson that's directly applicable today, despite its age.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Reading this book is a terrific way to spend an afternoon.",
          "reason": "Says it is a terrific way to spend an afternoon and that its lessons remain applicable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frederick P. Brooks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-naked-ape-a-zoologist-s-study-of-the-human-animal-a79630",
      "title": "The Naked Ape: A Zoologist's Study of the Human Animal",
      "author": "Desmond Morris",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23862459,
          "author": "soco",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T18:53:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23862459",
          "commentText": "\"The Naked Ape: A Zoologist's Study of the Human Animal\" by Desmond Morris. Some stuff might be outdated but it definitely helped build a healthy dose of skepticism towards fellow humans - and towards myself. You definitely need that kind of skepticism and keeping your expectations low if you want to survive in an enterprise environment.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The Naked Ape: A Zoologist's Study of the Human Animal\" by Desmond Morris.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped build skepticism toward others and themself.",
          "audience": "Readers navigating enterprise environments.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says some material might be outdated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Desmond Morris"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolutionary biology",
        "human behavior"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-naked-god-b0ee1f",
      "title": "The Naked God",
      "author": "Peter F. Hamilton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43613486,
          "author": "bloopernova",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T16:54:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43613486",
          "commentText": "The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors by James Hornfischer. The amazing courage shown by the US Navy sailors as their tiny 2,000 ton Destroyers and Destroyer Escorts faced a Japanese fleet of Battleships, Cruisers, and Destroyers at The Battle Off Samar. Inspiring and horrifying, the DDs and DEs of the US navy were protecting \"Escort Carriers\" which were smaller aircraft carriers made from cargo ship hulls. Warning, may inspire you to learn a whole bunch more about world war 2.\nAnd 2 books that sort of go together:\nIncredible Victory: The Battle of Midway by Walter Lord, and Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway by Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully. Read Incredible Victory first, learn about the luck, good and bad, that led to a much-needed victory in the Pacific. Then read Shattered Sword and get a fuller picture of events, especially from the Japanese side. Learn about how hubris and dogma led to the Japanese Navy's defeat. Then learn about how saving face led to history not being accurately told by the witnesses on the Japanese side.\nAll 3 are great books that are well worth your time.\nOthers that I've enjoyed:\nParable of the Sower by Octavia Butler (near future post-apocalyptic sci-fi).\nThe non-fiction Liberation Trilogy by Rick Atkinson (more WW2 non-fiction, nice details about North Africa through Italy, then France to Germany).\nMidnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham.\nMost Secret War by RV Jones (nerdy, funny history of one scientist's world war 2 experience).\nThe Discworld City Guard books, starting with Guards! Guards!, by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy fiction satire, hilarious and comforting. Highly, highly recommended!!\nPeter F Hamilton sci-fi adventure books: Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained are a duo of great space opera stretching across multiple planets and people. Don't spoil yourself by reading any descriptions of Judas Unchained before you read Pandora's Star. Also by the same author, The Night's Dawn Trilogy: The Reality Dysfunction, The Neutronium Alchemist, and The Naked God. Fantastic big canvas space opera with lots of threads, great world-building, and amazing situations. Both sets of books are highly recommended escapes from reality.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Reality Dysfunction, The Neutronium Alchemist, and The Naked God.",
          "reason": "Named as part of a trilogy the commenter recommends.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy large-scale space opera.",
          "caveat": "Part of The Night's Dawn Trilogy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter F. Hamilton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-naked-sun-79b5ce",
      "title": "The Naked Sun",
      "author": "Isaac Asimov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29672624,
          "author": "pedrolins",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T11:11:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29672624",
          "commentText": "I wouldn't have gotten nearly as much enjoyment out of the series (including the 2 sequels after the trilogy) if I hadn't read Asimov's Robot Series. I know that the whole \"you don't get it because you haven't read these other books\" thing is kind of cliché, but I really do think that the majority of the joy I got from Foundation was because of how it connected with the Robot Series.\nBut of course, part of the enjoyment should come from the book itself. I'd say that the book does get better as new threats to the Foundation appear, but the premise largely stays the same throughout the trilogy: will the Seldon Plan succeed?\n(NOTE) The reading sequence for me went something like: \n1. Caves of Steel\n2. Naked Sun\n3. I, Robot\n4. Robots of Dawn\n5. Foundation Trilogy\nEDIT: remove redundant last paragraph",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "2. Naked Sun",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as part of the commenter's reading sequence.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12070956,
          "author": "teh_klev",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T13:41:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12070956",
          "commentText": "No, most (non-pedantic) Asimov fans refer to the first three books (F, F&E, SF - which yes are technically collections of short stories glued together as one) as \"the Foundation Trilogy\". I do recommend reading the Foundation's Edge and Foundation and Earth, they're worthy sequels to the \"trilogy\".\nThe Robot novels are also a top read and tie in with the later Foundation books in a satisfying way:\n- The Caves of Steel\n- The Naked Sun\n- The Robots of Dawn\n- Robots and Empire",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Naked Sun",
          "reason": "Listed among the Robot novels the commenter calls a top read.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the Robot novels.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isaac Asimov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mystery",
        "robot detective",
        "robot fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-naked-truth-1d2d63",
      "title": "The Naked Truth",
      "author": "Leslie Nielsen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10557173,
          "author": "Vomzor",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-13T00:18:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10557173",
          "commentText": "The naked truth. Leslie Nielsen fictional autobiography narrated by the man himself.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The naked truth. Leslie Nielsen fictional autobiography narrated by the man himself.",
          "reason": "Offered in response to a request for audiobook recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a fictional autobiography narrated by Nielsen.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leslie Nielsen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "audiobook",
        "humor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-name-s-phelan-fffa63",
      "title": "The Name’s Phelan",
      "author": "Jim Phelan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50068917,
          "author": "century19",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-13T09:21:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 50047998,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most obscure book you own?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50068917",
          "commentText": "The Name's Phelan by Jim Phelan\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13019115-the-name-s-phel... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13019115-the-name-s-phelan)\nNo idea how I came across it but it is an account of pre-independence Ireland that is lucid and fun.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Name's Phelan by Jim Phelan",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as a lucid, fun account of pre-independence Ireland.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jim Phelan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "irish history",
        "pre independence ireland"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-nanotech-succession-ea0c53",
      "title": "The Nanotech Succession",
      "author": "Linda Nagata",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36023164,
          "author": "rapjr9",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T17:42:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36023164",
          "commentText": "Linda Nagata's works, particularly The Nanotech Succession series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "particularly The Nanotech Succession series.",
          "reason": "Names the series as a particular highlight among Linda Nagata's works.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Linda Nagata"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nanotechnology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-nantucket-series-b1e7ec",
      "title": "The Nantucket Series",
      "author": "S. M. Stirling",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 86223,
          "author": "icky",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T05:37:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86223",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- The Time Machine (still holds up very well, and seems strangely eerie and prescient in places)... (H. G. Wells)\n- Dune (Frank Herbert)\n- The Hobbit (and LotR) (Tolkien)\n- Neuromancer (William Gibson)\n- Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties (I picked up Idoru first, so I haven't yet read Virtual Light) (also Gibson)\n- The Difference Engine (Gibson, Sterling)\n- Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n- Cryptonomicon (\" \")\n- Circuit of Heaven, End of Days (Dennis Danvers)\n- All of the \"Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser\" stories and novels. (Fritz Leiber)\n- The Earthsea trilogy (Ursula K. LeGuin)\n- 'salem's Lot (Stephen King)\n- Stranger in a Strange Land (Heinlein)\n- Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Twain)\n- the Coldfire trilogy (C. S. Friedman)\n- various Cory Doctorow short stories\n- Kamikaze L'Amour (Richard Kadrey)\n- Lightpaths (Howard V. Hendrix)\n- A Canticle For Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)\n- Moonwar, Venus (Ben Bova)\n- the Stainless Steel Rat series (Harry Harrison)\n- Treasure Island (Robert Louis Stevenson)\n- Ringworld (Larry Niven)\n- Cthon (Piers Anthony) -- Trippiness level approaching Philip Jose Farmer ;-)\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series (Douglas Adams)\n- The Black Company (Glen Cook)\n- there's one particularly good post-cyberpunk series that takes place in a world in which Canada emerged as a major world power, but for the life of me I can't rememeber the title.\n- the 1632 series (Eric Flint)... see also S. M. Stirling's Nantucket series (\"Island in the Sea of Time\", et al.), and H. Beam Piper's novel Kalvan of Otherwhen\nNon-fiction:\n- An Enquiry Concerning Human Understanding (Hume)\n- the surviving words and works of Epicurus, and Diogenes the Cynic\n- Freakonomics (Levitt, Dubner)\n- The Gay Science (Nietzsche)\n- The Jefferson Bible (Christ, Jefferson (ed.))\n- The Devil's Dictionary (Bierce)\n- Brain Droppings (George Carlin)\n- anything by P. J. O'Rourke\n- anything by Dave Barry",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "S. M. Stirling's Nantucket series",
          "reason": "Recommends the series in the fiction list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "S. M. Stirling"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternate history",
        "time travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-napping-house-3e13ef",
      "title": "The Napping House",
      "author": "Audrey Wood",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26780413,
          "author": "pmdulaney",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-12T15:25:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26780413",
          "commentText": "The Napping House by Audrey Wood\nAll the picture books of William Joyce\nPaul O. Zelinsky's Rumpelstiltskin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Napping House by Audrey Wood",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Audrey Wood"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-natural-history-of-nonsense-7c1643",
      "title": "The Natural History of Nonsense",
      "author": "Bergen Evans",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22096179,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T03:57:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22096179",
          "commentText": "This is a thread after my own heart! I love finding out and reading old, less well-known and thought provoking books on a variety of subject matters. I have come to the conclusion that \"popular\" almost always equals \"lowest common denominator\" and \"fad of the month\" particularly given today's media hype cycles. Moreover one has to guard against having ones mental models bounded within a box. By actively seeking out lesser known and out of the way viewpoints one truly grows. Some books from my collection which i have not seen mentioned here (in no particular order or categorization);\n* The Natural History of Nonsense by Bergan Evans\n* Programming on Purpose, Essays on Software Design by P. J. Plauger\n* Management: A Political Activity by Ted Stephenson\n* The Energy of Life: The Science of What Makes Our Minds and Bodies Work by Guy Brown\n* Patterns for Time-Triggered Embedded Systems: Building Reliable Applications with the 8051 Family of Microcontrollers by Michael Pont.\n* UNIX Systems for Modern Architectures: Symmetric Multiprocessing and Caching for Kernel Programmers by Curt Schimmel.\n* Maxims and Reflections (Ricordi) by Francesco Guicciardini\nThere are a bunch more i have to root around for :-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Natural History of Nonsense by Bergan Evans",
          "reason": "Lists it among books from their collection that they have not seen mentioned in the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bergen Evans"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "critical thinking",
        "pseudoscience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-natural-way-to-draw-8c5feb",
      "title": "The Natural Way to Draw",
      "author": "Kimon Nicolaïdes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19089916,
          "author": "kayfox",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T21:17:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19089916",
          "commentText": "A related book, and the basis for much of whats in Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain is The Natural Way to Draw, by Kimon Nicolaïdes.    It is a text book and has structured lessons in it, so if you need formal structure its helpful.   Following the lessons is not required to gain a lot from this book.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A related book, and the basis for much of whats in Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain is The Natural Way to Draw, by Kimon Nicolaïdes.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a related book and the basis for much of another drawing book's content.",
          "audience": "Readers who benefit from formal structure may find its structured lessons helpful.",
          "caveat": "Following the lessons is not required to gain a lot from it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kimon Nicolaïdes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "drawing instruction",
        "structured lessons"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-nature-and-art-of-workmanship-20f243",
      "title": "The Nature and Art of Workmanship",
      "author": "David Pye",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16758306,
          "author": "notananthem",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T19:47:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16758306",
          "commentText": "None, I keep em on my bookshelf.\nI refer to my design books. My favorite of all time, is \"The Nature and Art of Workmanship\" by David Pye, given to me by a former woodturning mentor.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Nature and Art of Workmanship\" by David Pye",
          "reason": "Named as the commenter's favorite book of all time and a gift from a former woodturning mentor.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Pye"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "craftsmanship",
        "woodworking",
        "workmanship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-nature-and-growth-of-modern-mathematics-212af1",
      "title": "The Nature and Growth of Modern Mathematics",
      "author": "Edna E. Kramer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23727968,
          "author": "jostylr",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T21:53:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23727968",
          "commentText": "I remember Pi in the Sky by John Barrows very fondly. It has more of a focus on geometry and logic.\nA Programmer's Introduction to Mathematics by Jeremy Kun is wide ranging and appropriate if there is also interest in programming.\nNature and Growth of Modern Mathematics by Edna Kramer is a wonderful book if history is a passion as well.\nElements of Mathematics by John Stillwell is a broad overview of subjects. It has a crisp mathematical feel to it.\nVector Calculus, Linear Algebra, and Differential Forms by John & Barbara Hubbard is a beautiful introduction to the multi-dimensional aspects, but it is a book that should happen after knowing one dimensional calculus. .\nIf your child hasn't been exposed to Guesstimation, then a book on that is highly recommended. The book with that title by Weinstein and Adams is a nice guide to investigating that realm.\nIf the child does arithmetic from right to left, as is sadly too common, the book Speed Mathematics Simplified by Edward Stoddard is a great remedy for that.\nEveryday Calculus by Oscar Fernandez could also be worth a look.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nature and Growth of Modern Mathematics by Edna Kramer is a wonderful book if history is a passion as well.",
          "reason": "A mathematics book suited to readers passionate about history.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the history of mathematics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edna E. Kramer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-nature-of-computation-e8e157",
      "title": "The Nature of Computation",
      "author": "Cristopher Moore, Stephan Mertens",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20729552,
          "author": "hexomancer",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T11:18:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20729552",
          "commentText": "Probably a little more advanced than what you are looking for but I would like to recommend The Nature of Computation by  Cristopher Moore and Stephan Mertens as a next step. It is such a fun book to read, with a lot of problems and exercises.\nhttp://nature-of-computation.org/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I would like to recommend The Nature of Computation by  Cristopher Moore and Stephan Mertens",
          "reason": "Recommended as a next step; the commenter calls it fun to read and notes its problems and exercises.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is probably more advanced than the recipient is looking for.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cristopher Moore, Stephan Mertens"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "complexity theory",
        "theory of computation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-nature-of-money-7913f0",
      "title": "The Nature of Money",
      "author": "Geoffrey Ingham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22575420,
          "author": "jonahbenton",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T14:16:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22575420",
          "commentText": "Huge, huge topic. You will have to pick a path through the enormous jungle.\nThe starting point I would recommend is bottom up, through accounting and financial statements. Core knowledge, of both practical and intellectual value. Tons of books here, I particularly like\nThomas Ittelson - Financial Statements\nAccessible, straightforward, friendly.\nAfter that, any of the collections of\nWarren Buffett's Letters to Shareholders\nare both entertaining and intellectually valuable, and provide great insight. Read forward, eg, from his first letters in the 1960s, to now.\nOne of the realizations in the journey is that there are, and have been, a lot of different kinds of money- credit money and exchange money and asset money and so forth. A relatively abstract/intellectual but immensely useful survey is\nThe Nature of Money - Geoffrey Ingham\nThe concept of an asset is critical to the functioning of the financial system. New kinds of assets are created all the time. One of the best written books I have read recently goes into venture capital and debt asset creation:\nThe Code Of Capital - Katharina Pistor\nThe role of different kinds of money in history, especially US history, is absolutely fascinating. I am in the middle of\nAmerican Bonds - Sarah Quinn\nand can recommend.\nI do not especially recommend the Dalio books or Graeber's Debt or Ferguson's books. They are fine but I did not find them helping me build understanding. Not quite junk food, but definitely not protein.\nI unfortunately have not found any of the books I have seen about the Federal Reserve to be worthy of recommending. My wife works there and so I have perhaps a unique perspective. But nothing conveys the challenge and the mechanics of what they do. Still looking. The papers the various Fed banks publish, as well as the papers published by the Bank of England, are uniformly outstanding.\nFinally, some of the bitcoin people have written about money. Tho I am a believer in bitcoin I absolutely recommend against most of them, especially Saifedean Ammous's book. Do not read.\nGood luck!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Nature of Money - Geoffrey Ingham",
          "reason": "Recommended as a useful survey of different kinds of money.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as relatively abstract and intellectual.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Geoffrey Ingham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "monetary theory",
        "money"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-nature-of-numbers-aacf39",
      "title": "The Nature of Numbers",
      "author": "Ian Stewart",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 44276774,
          "author": "eimrine",
          "createdAt": "2025-06-14T14:55:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 44269143,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Casual Math Book Suggestions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44276774",
          "commentText": "Ian Stewart never disappoints and seems related to OP's request. His \"Nature of Numbers\" is exactly that, also this is the first English book (foreign language for me) which I have read without any need of dictionary.\n\"The Great Mathematical Problems\" is about reading a chapter, then taking a rest, then reading another. \"Nature of Numbers\" can be read in one attempt and my emotion about that is I want this book to be several times thicker. The illustrations are among the best mathematical images I ever seen, despite being monochrome.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His \"Nature of Numbers\" is exactly that, also this is the first English book (foreign language for me) which I have read without any need of dictionary.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it suits the request and was accessible to read without a dictionary.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for an accessible introduction to mathematics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ian Stewart"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "number theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-nature-of-personal-reality-166955",
      "title": "The Nature of Personal Reality",
      "author": "Seth (channeled by Jane Roberts)",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37949917,
          "author": "vjulian",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T22:54:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37949917",
          "commentText": "The Nature of Personal Reality, by Seth (as “channeled” by Jane Roberts. That—and other Seth books. They provided me with a sense of wonder.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Nature of Personal Reality, by Seth (as “channeled” by Jane Roberts.",
          "reason": "The commenter says this and other Seth books gave them a sense of wonder.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter identifies Seth as channeled by Jane Roberts.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Seth (channeled by Jane Roberts)"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "seth material",
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-nature-of-technology-59ae42",
      "title": "The Nature of Technology",
      "author": "W. Brian Arthur",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36588298,
          "author": "max_",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-04T15:51:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36588298",
          "commentText": "1. The Imagineers of War by Sharon Weinberger\n2. The Nature of Technology by Brian Arthur\n3. (Not a book but documentary) Connections by James Burk\n4. Books by James Burk [0]\n[0]: https://www.thriftbooks.com/a/james--burke/215445/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Nature of Technology by Brian Arthur",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. Brian Arthur"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "innovation",
        "technology development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-nature-of-technology-what-it-is-and-how-it-evolves-eef1ee",
      "title": "The Nature of Technology: What It Is and How It Evolves",
      "author": "W. Brian Arthur",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39057520,
          "author": "max_",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T16:45:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39057520",
          "commentText": "Lewis Mumford's Books;\n- Technics & Civilization\n- The Culture of Cities\n- The Story of Utopias\nLewis Mumford talks about technology, but from an anthropological pint of view.\nAnother book I would recommend is The Nature of Technology by Brian Arthur\nThe other I would recommend is James Burk's Connections he's has some books but I but the documentary is highly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another book I would recommend is The Nature of Technology by Brian Arthur",
          "reason": "Recommended as a book about the nature of technology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. Brian Arthur"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "innovation",
        "technology evolution"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-navigator-f2de42",
      "title": "The Navigator",
      "author": "Morris West",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41178853,
          "author": "fuzztester",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T06:53:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41178853",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\nTaipan, by James Clavell\nThe Navigator, by Morris West\nNon-fiction:\nThe Upanishads (not a single book, but a bunch of them)\nThe Bhagavad Gita",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Navigator, by Morris West",
          "reason": "Listed under fiction in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Morris West"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-neanderthal-parallax-e6457c",
      "title": "The Neanderthal Parallax",
      "author": "Robert J. Sawyer",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13249119,
          "author": "nidx",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T08:43:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249119",
          "commentText": "I'll agree with everyone saying The Martian and add The Neanderthal Parralax (Trilogy) by Robert J Sawyer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "add The Neanderthal Parralax (Trilogy) by Robert J Sawyer",
          "reason": "Added as a recommended trilogy in response to a request for fiction reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert J. Sawyer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternate history",
        "evolution",
        "trilogy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-network-state-238205",
      "title": "The Network State",
      "author": "Balaji Srinivasan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32197761,
          "author": "stevenfoster",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:15:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197761",
          "commentText": "The Network State by Balaji Srinivasan for the past week and a half.\nAbout half the way through it. Would recommend",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Network State by Balaji Srinivasan for the past week and a half.\nAbout half the way through it. Would recommend",
          "reason": "The commenter says they would recommend it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is about halfway through.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Balaji Srinivasan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "digital governance",
        "network states",
        "political theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-network-state-6627b8",
      "title": "The Network State",
      "author": "Balaji S. Srinivasan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33382648,
          "author": "saint_angels",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T10:12:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382648",
          "commentText": "- The Network State, by Balaji S. Srinivasan\n- The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One, 1929-1964\n- The Minimalist Entrepreneur, by Sahil Lavingia\n- Shoe Dog, by Phil Knight",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The Network State, by Balaji S. Srinivasan",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Balaji S. Srinivasan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "governance",
        "network states"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-neuroscience-of-sleep-and-dreams-bfe166",
      "title": "The Neuroscience of Sleep and Dreams",
      "author": "Patrick McNamara, Robert A. Barton, and others",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40963922,
          "author": "pedalpete",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-14T23:11:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 40962582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most accurate scientific book on human sleep?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40963922",
          "commentText": "Why We Sleep has some issues, but for a primer, it's a good intro.\nI read that before I got into working in the neurotech/sleeptech space.\nThe Cambridge textbook The Neuroscience of Sleep and Dreams[1] I found surprisingly approachable. I've long had an interest in neuroscience, so it wasn't a completely new subject to me, but it wasn't a bad read.\nI'm a life-long insomniac, you didn't go into the details of your sleep problems, and I initially read Why We Sleep because I was trying to understand sleep and fix my own problem. Unfortunately, I it's still all the same CBT-I stuff, sleep hygiene, etc etc.\nWe're not working in insomnia, I haven't found anything in the peer-reviewed literature which is convincing that anyone is near a solution in this space.\n[1](https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/neuroscience-of-sleep-a... (https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/neuroscience-of-sleep-and-dreams/B4E0F0EC7C52BF82B205E83E9CC30A59))",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Cambridge textbook The Neuroscience of Sleep and Dreams[1] I found surprisingly approachable.",
          "reason": "The commenter found this textbook approachable and says it was not a bad read.",
          "audience": "Readers with some interest in neuroscience.",
          "caveat": "The commenter already had an interest in neuroscience.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Patrick McNamara",
        "Robert A. Barton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dreams",
        "sleep neuroscience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-neutronium-alchemist-ac1a26",
      "title": "The Neutronium Alchemist",
      "author": "Peter F. Hamilton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43613486,
          "author": "bloopernova",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T16:54:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43613486",
          "commentText": "The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors by James Hornfischer. The amazing courage shown by the US Navy sailors as their tiny 2,000 ton Destroyers and Destroyer Escorts faced a Japanese fleet of Battleships, Cruisers, and Destroyers at The Battle Off Samar. Inspiring and horrifying, the DDs and DEs of the US navy were protecting \"Escort Carriers\" which were smaller aircraft carriers made from cargo ship hulls. Warning, may inspire you to learn a whole bunch more about world war 2.\nAnd 2 books that sort of go together:\nIncredible Victory: The Battle of Midway by Walter Lord, and Shattered Sword: The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway by Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully. Read Incredible Victory first, learn about the luck, good and bad, that led to a much-needed victory in the Pacific. Then read Shattered Sword and get a fuller picture of events, especially from the Japanese side. Learn about how hubris and dogma led to the Japanese Navy's defeat. Then learn about how saving face led to history not being accurately told by the witnesses on the Japanese side.\nAll 3 are great books that are well worth your time.\nOthers that I've enjoyed:\nParable of the Sower by Octavia Butler (near future post-apocalyptic sci-fi).\nThe non-fiction Liberation Trilogy by Rick Atkinson (more WW2 non-fiction, nice details about North Africa through Italy, then France to Germany).\nMidnight in Chernobyl by Adam Higginbotham.\nMost Secret War by RV Jones (nerdy, funny history of one scientist's world war 2 experience).\nThe Discworld City Guard books, starting with Guards! Guards!, by Terry Pratchett. Fantasy fiction satire, hilarious and comforting. Highly, highly recommended!!\nPeter F Hamilton sci-fi adventure books: Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained are a duo of great space opera stretching across multiple planets and people. Don't spoil yourself by reading any descriptions of Judas Unchained before you read Pandora's Star. Also by the same author, The Night's Dawn Trilogy: The Reality Dysfunction, The Neutronium Alchemist, and The Naked God. Fantastic big canvas space opera with lots of threads, great world-building, and amazing situations. Both sets of books are highly recommended escapes from reality.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Reality Dysfunction, The Neutronium Alchemist, and The Naked God.",
          "reason": "Named as part of a trilogy the commenter recommends.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy large-scale space opera.",
          "caveat": "Part of The Night's Dawn Trilogy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter F. Hamilton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-new-business-road-test-54dd7f",
      "title": "The New Business Road Test",
      "author": "John Mullins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41547404,
          "author": "lcordier",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-15T13:31:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41547404",
          "commentText": "\"The new business road test\" - John Mullins\n\"Will it fly\" - Pat Flynn\n\"Start marketing\" - Rob Walling (https://robwalling.com/assets/ebook.pdf)\nI recommend the article on \"Why Startup Founders Should Stop Reading Business Books\" ;)\nhttps://youtu.be/19WpIbBhxJU\n(don't know where I got this...)\nIdeas are worth nothing unless executed. They are just a multiplier. Execution is worth millions.\n  Explanation:\n  AWFUL IDEA           -1\n  WEAK IDEA             1\n  SO-SO IDEA            5\n  GOOD IDEA            10\n  GREAT IDEA           15\n  BRILLIANT IDEA       20\n  \n  NO EXECUTION         $1\n  WEAK EXECUTION       $1000\n  SO-SO EXECUTION      $10,000\n  GOOD EXECUTION       $100,000\n  GREAT EXECUTION      $1,000,000\n  BRILLIANT EXECUTION  $10,000,000\n\nTo make a business, you need to multiply the two.\nThe most brilliant idea, with no execution, is worth $20.\nThe most brilliant idea takes great execution to be worth $20,000,000.\nThat’s why I don’t want to hear people’s ideas.\nI’m not interested until I see their execution.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The new business road test\" - John Mullins",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Mullins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business opportunities",
        "startup validation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-new-depression-the-breakdown-of-the-paper-money-economy-2c5fed",
      "title": "The New Depression: The Breakdown of the Paper Money Economy",
      "author": "Richard Duncan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12561955,
          "author": "saganus",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T02:41:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12561955",
          "commentText": "Not sure how popular this take on finance is, here in HN (really I have no idea), but I found these two very interesting.\n\"The New Depression: The Breakdown of the Paper Money Economy\"\nand \"The Dollar Crisis: Causes, Consequences, Cures\" both by Richard Duncan",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The New Depression: The Breakdown of the Paper Money Economy\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says they found the book interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure how popular this view of finance is.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Duncan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial crises",
        "monetary economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-new-digital-age-b1124c",
      "title": "The New Digital Age",
      "author": "Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5755156,
          "author": "jonajon",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-23T03:20:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5755156",
          "commentText": "The New Digital Age - Eric Schmidt & Jared Cohen\nWhy We Do What We Do - Edward Deci\nThe Talent Code - Daniel Coyle",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The New Digital Age - Eric Schmidt & Jared Cohen",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "digital technology",
        "geopolitics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-new-economics-8c2594",
      "title": "The New Economics",
      "author": "W. Edwards Deming",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41546903,
          "author": "kqr",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-15T11:48:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41546903",
          "commentText": "A bit unconventional, but I think Wheeler's Understanding Variation followed by Deming's A New Economics teach people how to interpret past and future in a way that makes both exploration and exploitation more effective.\nI would not want to go through life not having read those -- much less run an early-stage company!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Deming's A New Economics",
          "reason": "Recommends it for interpreting past and future to improve exploration and exploitation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. Edwards Deming"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "quality management",
        "systems thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-new-guide-to-self-sufficiency-873271",
      "title": "The New Guide to Self-Sufficiency",
      "author": "John Seymour",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15630056,
          "author": "DanBC",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:21:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630056",
          "commentText": "Milk, Sulphate, and Alby Starvation by Martin Millar.\nhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Milk-Sulphate-Starvation-Martin-Mil... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Milk-Sulphate-Starvation-Martin-Millar/dp/094779591X)\nThis book was given to me by my first girlfriend.  She died some time later, and I've found her death hard to deal with.\nA few things bring back really strong memories of her - drinking tea and eating buttery pikelets and jam, listening to Ivor Cutler or Tallulah Gosh.\nThis book (and his others) do that.\nThe new Guide to Self Sufficiency by John Seymour. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/1405345101/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?i... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/1405345101/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1509898635&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=self+sufficiency&dpPl=1&dpID=61oyJxzKQEL&ref=plSrch)\nWe used to live in the country side, and I had to chop wood for our family, our neighbours, and my aunt who lived nearby. It's almost meditative. You start with a big pile of logs, and a sharp ax, and you end with more wood on the stack. It's surprising how quickly you can burn wood, especially if you're using it to cook food and heat your home.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The new Guide to Self Sufficiency by John Seymour.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Seymour"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "homesteading",
        "self sufficiency"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-new-hacker-s-dictionary-b71906",
      "title": "The New Hacker's Dictionary",
      "author": "Eric S. Raymond",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 135245,
          "author": "tjr",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T16:46:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135245",
          "commentText": "- New Hacker's Dictionary (print version is nice for browsing)\n- The Little Schemer (or the whole series, if you really like them)\n- The Art of Computer Programming",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "New Hacker's Dictionary (print version is nice for browsing)",
          "reason": "Suggested for a hacker's bookshelf, with praise for the print edition as a browsing book.",
          "audience": "People who like browsing a physical reference book.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric S. Raymond"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computing reference",
        "hacker culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-new-jim-crow-f9a88b",
      "title": "The New Jim Crow",
      "author": "Michelle Alexander",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34176258,
          "author": "sershe",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-29T18:48:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34176258",
          "commentText": "1) Chris Moriarty. Spin State - relatively-hard sci-fi with decent non sci-fi elements (i.e. characters and stuff), which I think is rare.\n2) Ralph Ellison. Invisible Man. I really enjoyed the writing, among other things, and how he captures short moments and scenes with sort of a hard-to-describe quality of a visual art, almost.\n3) Ilya Somin. Free To Move. To me most of the book was \"duh\" but I think it would be a good read for people on the fence about immigration and private vs public institutions.\n4) Vaclav Smil. Energy And Civilization; possibly How the World Really Works, still reading that one. Really dense and detailed examination of energy history of mankind for the former, and infrastructure of technological civilization for the latter.\n5) Pluckrose & Lindsday. Cynical Theories. Good 101 on CRT and modern woke movement.\n6) Alexander. New Jim Crow. Good 101 on war on drugs, although some broader social arguments the book makes straightforwardly don't seem to follow, or are contradicted by, its factual base IMHO.\n7) Stephenson. Seveneves - really good hard sci-fi imho, although felt very, very long.\n8) Orwell. Down and Out in Paris and London. A good book about poverty only 70-100 years ago. Also a good perspective for modern complaints about poverty - I have some non-US background for that, so I think many US readers might benefit more.\nOn the fence. \n1) I want to plug Seleukid Royal Economy, just for the hell of it, if you are interested in ancient economy :)\n2) Galef. Scout Mindset - on the fence about this one, but it seemed like it was way too long for what it offers. Maybe I've just read a lot of the same stuff ago.\n3) Okorafor. Binti - not bad as a YA book, but sci-fi aspects are remarkably bad.\nA few more I'm too lazy to type out ;)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Good 101 on war on drugs, although some broader social arguments the book makes straightforwardly don't seem to follow, or are contradicted by, its factual base IMHO.",
          "reason": "Recommended as an introduction to the war on drugs, while questioning some broader arguments.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Some broader social arguments seem unsupported or contradicted by the book's factual base.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michelle Alexander"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mass incarceration",
        "war on drugs"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-new-manual-2-0-a704ff",
      "title": "The New Manual 2.0",
      "author": "Tripp Lanier",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5333012,
          "author": "o4tuna",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-06T18:54:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 5323956,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: which are some good self-help books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5333012",
          "commentText": "How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World\nby Harry Browne\nThe Power of TED (The Empowerment Dynamic)\nby David Emerald\nLoving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life\nby Byron Katie\nGet Out of Your Own Way: Overcoming Self-Defeating Behavior\nby Mark Goulston and Philip Goldberg\nFeeling Good: The New Mood Therapy\nby David Burns\nMojo: How to Get It, How to Keep It, How to Get It Back if you Lose It\nby Marshall Goldsmith\nThe New Manual 2.0\nby Tripp Lanier\nthenewmanual.com",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The New Manual 2.0\nby Tripp Lanier",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tripp Lanier"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal development",
        "relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-new-map-energy-climate-and-the-clash-of-nations-8a045e",
      "title": "The New Map: Energy, Climate, and the Clash of Nations",
      "author": "Daniel Yergin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42655431,
          "author": "oblo_mov",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T13:29:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42655431",
          "commentText": "Great call! I went for The New Map but this one is v high up my to read list.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I went for The New Map but this one is v high up my to read list.",
          "reason": "Says it is high on their to-read list after choosing another title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Yergin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "energy industry",
        "geopolitics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-new-oxford-annotated-bible-33076b",
      "title": "The New Oxford Annotated Bible",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43617063,
          "author": "gxonatano",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T23:43:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43617063",
          "commentText": "As an atheist, I couldn't agree more. The fastest way to become an atheist, as it's often pointed out, is to read the Bible, which explains why about 95% of the Christians I've known have never read it. When asked, they say things like \"the _whole_ thing?\" or \"cover to cover?\" as if it were the unabridged Oxford English Dictionary, instead of just a single volume.\nAs a work of literature, with an unparalleled influence on Western culture, it's required reading for anyone interested in literature, philosophy, history, or related disciplines. As a blueprint for how to live your life, however, any reasonably ethical person will find its teachings to be at odds with modern ethics. More often than not, it's morally repugnant, and unapologetic about it, too. You won't hear about how backwards its morality is by going to church, though, and so you need to read it for yourself. Even Jesus, one of the most upright citizens in the book, is revealed to be as full of hate and vengeance as he is a \"prince of peace.\"\nOf course, as with everything, it really matters what edition you get. The New Oxford Annotated Bible is a good starting point. The Norton Critical editions (in two volumes, the old and the new testaments) are great, too, and include some of the source materials. (Bet you didn't know that a lot of the Bible was plagiar...ahem... adapted from much earlier texts, and from other religions.) The Skeptic's Annotated Bible is a great edition, too, and annotates everything from a secular perspective.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The New Oxford Annotated Bible is a good starting point.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a starting edition of the Bible.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "annotated bible",
        "religious texts"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-new-road-to-serfdom-an-illustrated-guide-to-the-coming-real-e-0fbf98",
      "title": "The New Road to Serfdom: An Illustrated Guide to the Coming Real Estate Collapse",
      "author": "Michael Hudson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1465297,
          "author": "adamcrowe",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T09:59:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1465297",
          "commentText": "General and fallacy debunking:\n'Economics In One Lesson' by Henry Hazlitt\nhttp://jim.com/econ\nLand and rent analysis (missing in almost all textbooks):\n'The New Road to Serfdom: An Illustrated Guide to the Coming Real Estate Collapse' by Dr. Michael Hudson\nhttp://michael-hudson.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/RoadToS... (http://michael-hudson.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/RoadToSerfdom.pdf)\n'The Chaos Makers: The Dreamers & The Deceived' by Fred Harrison\nhttp://renegadeeconomist.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/the-... (http://renegadeeconomist.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/the-chaos-makers.pdf)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The New Road to Serfdom: An Illustrated Guide to the Coming Real Estate Collapse' by Dr. Michael Hudson",
          "reason": "Listed for its analysis of land and rent.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in land and rent analysis.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Hudson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "land economics",
        "rent"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-new-roman-empire-a-history-of-byzantium-ec863c",
      "title": "The New Roman Empire: A History of Byzantium",
      "author": "Anthony Kaldellis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46707489,
          "author": "cafard",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-21T15:58:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 46690957,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What non-fiction do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46707489",
          "commentText": "History: about halfway through The New Roman Empire: A History of Byzantium by Anthony Kaldellis. (About halfway through 918 pages, not counting notes etc., so you will see that it holds the interest.)\nPhilosophy: about halfway through A Reading of Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit by Quentin Lauer.\nMemoir: last year read Journeys of the Mind: A Life in History by Peter Brown, The Story of a Life by Konstantin Paustofsky.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The New Roman Empire: A History of Byzantium by Anthony Kaldellis",
          "reason": "The commenter is about halfway through and says it holds their interest.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anthony Kaldellis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "byzantine empire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-new-rules-of-marketing-pr-cd20d9",
      "title": "The New Rules of Marketing & PR",
      "author": "David Meerman Scott",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 193359,
          "author": "dshah",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-18T14:23:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 193308,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What books on marketing do you recomend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=193359",
          "commentText": "I'd highly recommend \"The New Rules of PR and Marketing\" by David Meerman Scott.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/New-Rules-Marketing-PR-Podcasting/dp/0... (http://www.amazon.com/New-Rules-Marketing-PR-Podcasting/dp/0470113456)\nGood read and very practical.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd highly recommend \"The New Rules of PR and Marketing\" by David Meerman Scott.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a highly recommended, practical read.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking marketing guidance.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Meerman Scott"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marketing",
        "public relations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-new-silk-roads-472240",
      "title": "The New Silk Roads",
      "author": "Peter Frankopan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804899,
          "author": "AGivant",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:29:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804899",
          "commentText": "Here is my list (from https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/912138-alex-givant?rea...):\nMemoirs:\n- Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti..).\n- Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive by Land, Stephanie, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39218350-maid\n- Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40409969-medium-raw\n- Confessions of a Tax Collector: One Man's Tour of Duty Inside the IRS by Yancey, Rick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_..).\n- The Perfect Predator: A Scientist's Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Superbug: A Memoir by Steffanie Strathdee, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-pre... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-predator)\nPolitics:\n- Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Desmond, Matthew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25852784-evicted\n- Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America by Leovy, Jill, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13153693-ghettoside\n- American Prison: A Reporter's Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment by Bauer, Shane, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38561954-american-prison\n- Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Eban, Katherine, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42448266-bottle-of-lies\n- A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America by Miller, T. Christian, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35805861-a-false-report\n- The New Silk Roads by Frankopan, Peter, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro..).\nHistory:\n- Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-1956 by Applebaum, Anne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13531848-iron-curtain\n- The Romanovs: 1613-1918 by Montefiore, Simon Sebag, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26109020-the-romanovs\n- The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Johnson, Steven, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36086.The_Ghost_Map\n- Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations by Bergman, Ronen, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f..).\n- Madame Fourcade's Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against Hitler by Olson, Lynne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade..).\n- Argo: How the CIA & Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History by Méndez, Antonio J., https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13588425-argo\nCrime:\n- Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History by Selby, Scott Andrew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7071759-flawless\n- American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road by Bilton, Nick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi..).\n- Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by Carreyrou, John, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37976541-bad-blood\n- Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World by Wright, Tom, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-..).\n- The Mastermind: Drugs. Empire. Murder. Betrayal. by Ratliff, Evan, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41181600-the-mastermind\nTechnology:\n- Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon by Zetter, Kim, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze..).\n- Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World by Thompson, Clive, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40406806-coders",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The New Silk Roads by Frankopan, Peter",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list of favorite nonfiction books read in 2019.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Frankopan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "asia",
        "geopolitics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-new-testament-48c337",
      "title": "The New Testament",
      "author": "David Bentley Hart (translator)",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39730711,
          "author": "hprotagonist",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-17T00:26:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39730711",
          "commentText": "Brueggemann is amazing.\nI would also add, in no particular order:\n- wisdom of the desert (merton's translation of the sayings of the desert fathers)\n- pilgrim at tinker creek; annie dillard\n- goatwalking, jim corbett\n- Impostors of God: Inquiries into our favorite Idols, william stringfellow\n- the new testament, trans. by david bentley hart\n- the sabbath, Abraham Joshua Heschel\n- zen flesh, zen bones\n- moral man, immoral society -- neibuhr\n- principia discordia\n- the poetry and sermons of john donne\n- many other poets.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the new testament, trans. by david bentley hart",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Bentley Hart (translator)"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bible translation",
        "christianity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-new-turing-omnibus-66-excursions-in-computer-science-7a7694",
      "title": "The New Turing Omnibus: 66 Excursions in Computer Science",
      "author": "A. K. Dewdney",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2414401,
          "author": "shadowsun7",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T08:59:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 2414280,
          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2414401",
          "commentText": "Also, a worthy introduction to the field would be The New Turing Omnibus by A.K.Dewdney.\nIn fact, I'd recommend this book first, for it gives self-taught programmers a taste of nearly everything in computer science (and thus equips them to know which branch they'd like to pursue next).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend this book first, for it gives self-taught programmers a taste of nearly everything in computer science",
          "reason": "Recommends it as an introduction that samples many areas of computer science.",
          "audience": "Self-taught programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "A. K. Dewdney"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer science overview"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-new-way-things-work-623194",
      "title": "The New Way Things Work",
      "author": "David Macaulay",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12244512,
          "author": "ilikebits",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T00:05:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244512",
          "commentText": "My favourite is \"The New Way Things Work\" by David Macaulay. Loved this book as a kid, it really got me into trying to figure out how the world worked (the title really nailed it).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Loved this book as a kid, it really got me into trying to figure out how the world worked",
          "reason": "The commenter loved it as a child and says it sparked interest in understanding how things work.",
          "audience": "Children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Macaulay"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "illustrated nonfiction",
        "mechanical principles"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-newcomers-e216f9",
      "title": "The Newcomers",
      "author": "Helen Thorpe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18752250,
          "author": "joshuahedlund",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-24T14:27:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18752250",
          "commentText": "Enlightenment Now by Steven Pinker (stunning global progress in the last two centuries)\nThe Newcomers by Helen Thorpe (refugee students learning English and American culture)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Newcomers by Helen Thorpe (refugee students learning English and American culture)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite nonfiction books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Helen Thorpe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "immigration",
        "refugee students"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-next-100-years-6167a2",
      "title": "The Next 100 Years",
      "author": "George Friedman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 715347,
          "author": "blazamos",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-20T22:14:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715347",
          "commentText": "In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan (excellent; recently saw Food, Inc. as well)\nThe Next 100 Years by George Friedman (amusing; was given to me as a gag gift)\nCurrently reading: Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Next 100 Years by George Friedman (amusing; was given to me as a gag gift)",
          "reason": "Describes it as amusing, with the qualification that it was a gag gift.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Received as a gag gift.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Friedman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "future forecasting",
        "geopolitics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-next-american-city-the-big-promise-of-our-midsize-metros-97c112",
      "title": "The Next American City: The Big Promise of Our Midsize Metros",
      "author": "Mick Cornett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21792874,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T22:44:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21792874",
          "commentText": "The ones I rated highest out of those I read this year (which is what I think the question means).\n* Exactly: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester\n* Atomic Adventures: Secret Islands, Forgotten N-Rays, and Isotopic Murder-A Journey into the Wild World of Nuclear Science by James Magaffey\n* Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande\n* Vulcan 607 by Rowland White\n* Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen\n* Best. Movie. Year. Ever: How 1999 Blew Up the Big Screen by Brian Raftery\n* A Fabulous Creation: How the LP Saved Our Lives by David Hepworth\n* 1983: Reagan, Andropov, and a World on the Brink by Taylor Downing\n* The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes and Why by Amanda Ripley\n* In Your Defence: Stories of Life and Law by Sarah Langford\n* Springfield Confidential: Jokes, Secrets, and Outright Lies from a Lifetime Writing for The Simpsons by Mike Reiss\n* Working Actor: Breaking in, Making a Living, and Making a Life in the Fabulous Trenches of Show Business by David Dean Bottrell\n* Becoming by Michelle Obama\n* Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress by Steven Pinker\n* Rush Hour by Iain Gatel\n* Tamed: Ten Species that Changed our World by Alice Roberts\n* The Next American City: The Big Promise of Our Midsize Metros by Mick Cornett",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The ones I rated highest out of those I read this year",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s highest-rated books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mick Cornett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mid sized cities",
        "urban planning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-next-fifty-years-science-in-the-first-half-of-the-twenty-firs-823803",
      "title": "The Next Fifty Years: Science in the First Half of the Twenty-First Century",
      "author": "John Brockman, editor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 56986,
          "author": "guest",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T18:14:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56986",
          "commentText": "I would concur with Xichekolas with respect to both Ender's Game and the Economist. Also, The Next Fifty Years: Science in the First Half of the Twenty-first Century (Paperback) is excellent.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Next Fifty Years: Science in the First Half of the Twenty-first Century (Paperback) is excellent.",
          "reason": "Calls the book excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Brockman, editor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "future of science",
        "science essays"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-night-is-large-2958e8",
      "title": "The Night Is Large",
      "author": "Martin Gardner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23730377,
          "author": "pjungwir",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-04T05:36:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23730377",
          "commentText": "I second this! Gardner would be something more recreational and fun than a lot else out there. The Colossal Book of Mathematics is a good way to get a lot in one place. The Night is Large is also great but less math-focused.\nI don't see any recommendations for Smullyan yet. The Lady or the Tiger is the classic I think, but I really loved Forever Undecided.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Night is Large is also great but less math-focused.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Less math-focused.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin Gardner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical essays"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-night-trilogy-c7b97c",
      "title": "The Night Trilogy",
      "author": "Elie Wiesel",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1974068,
          "author": "visakhcr",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T05:33:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974068",
          "commentText": "The best book I read was a work of fiction.\n\"The Night Trilogy: Night, Dawn, Day\" by Elie Wiesel.\nElie Wiesel is a Nobel peace prize winner and he is a survivor of The Holocaust. The short novel Night, talks about his experiences in the concentration camp. The Dawn and Day are fictional works by him .\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0809073641?ie=UTF8&tag=... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0809073641?ie=UTF8&tag=yogthecomref-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0809073641)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The best book I read was a work of fiction.\n\"The Night Trilogy: Night, Dawn, Day\" by Elie Wiesel.",
          "reason": "Names it as the best book they read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment describes Night as based on Wiesel's camp experiences, while Dawn and Day are fictional works.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Elie Wiesel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "holocaust",
        "trilogy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-nix-65133b",
      "title": "The Nix",
      "author": "Nathan Hill",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14859626,
          "author": "lazerpants",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T19:53:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859626",
          "commentText": "The Nix by Nathan Hill. It's excellent.\nReview: http://www.npr.org/2016/08/31/490101821/the-nix-is-a-vicious... (http://www.npr.org/2016/08/31/490101821/the-nix-is-a-vicious-sprawling-satire-with-a-very-human-heart)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Nix by Nathan Hill. It's excellent.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the book excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nathan Hill"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "family saga",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-no-bullshit-guide-to-math-and-physics-502423",
      "title": "The No Bullshit Guide to Math and Physics",
      "author": "Ivan Savov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23727200,
          "author": "ivan_ah",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T20:25:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23727200",
          "commentText": "Thx for plug. Indeed it would be a good book for any highschooler interested in more advanced topics.\n> I'm surprised it's expensive now.\nYeah amazon pricing is weird. My intent is for the book to be sold ~$30, but if I tell this price to amazon they start selling it for $20 after discounting, and then readers buy it less because they think it is not a complete book, but just some sort of summary notes. Nowadays I set the price to $40 so that after amazon discount the price will end up around $30, but today it is expensive indeed... I might have to bump it down to $35 at some point.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it would be a good book for any highschooler interested in more advanced topics.",
          "reason": "Calls the book a good choice for high schoolers interested in advanced topics.",
          "audience": "High schoolers interested in advanced topics.",
          "caveat": "Says it is expensive now; intended price is about $30.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ivan Savov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "advanced topics",
        "mathematical physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-no-cry-sleep-solution-718f5b",
      "title": "The No-Cry Sleep Solution",
      "author": "Elizabeth Pantley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 128024,
          "author": "pohart",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-03T12:56:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 127711,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Hacker moms & dads, what do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=128024",
          "commentText": "read \"the no cry sleep solution\" by Pantley, Sears\nit works, and you don't need to make your baby cry alone every night.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "read \"the no cry sleep solution\" by Pantley, Sears\nit works",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book works.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it avoids making the baby cry alone every night.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Elizabeth Pantley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Parenting"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "baby sleep"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-non-existence-of-god-3c0845",
      "title": "The Non-Existence of God",
      "author": "Nick Everitt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227807,
          "author": "tommorris",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T23:11:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227807",
          "commentText": "I don't agree that the arguments in the God Delusion are too bad. He does take some real liberties with Aquinas, but all the scholarly dressing you apply to Aquinas doesn't really improve the arguments. Dawkins deals with them too hastily, but even if Dawkins was an Aquinas scholar and applied the principle of charity to the arguments, they'd still be unconvincing arguments. The God Delusion is a popular book, not a scholarly refutation of all arguments for the existence of God.\nIf you want to read scholarly refutations of arguments for the existence of God, as well as read some arguments put forward explicitly for the non-existence of God, then you have to turn elsewhere: Michael Martin's \"Atheism: A Philosophical Justification\", Robin Le Podevin's \"Arguing for Atheism\" and Nick Everett's \"The Non-Existence Of God\". Another good book from an agnostic rather than atheist perspective is Anthony Kenny's \"The God of the Philosophers\". A slightly easier read is Julian Baggini's \"Atheism: A Very Short Introduction\" which is okay. I have some reservations with it, but it covers most of the important arguments and has some stuff about ethics and living the good life and all that happy-clappy stuff too.\nAs for stuff that isn't concerned with the philosophical arguments? I found Onfray's \"In Defence of Atheism\" a pretty good read - it is polemical, but is well-written. Nietzsche is always good to read so long as you don't - you know - become a damn goth or whatever after reading it or try and commit genocide or something. Russell's \"Why I Am Not A Christian\" and the much less read compilation \"Russell on Religion\" (not widely available outside academia as far as I'm aware) - Russell is a good writer and says some very refreshing things like:\n<blockquote>Even if the open windows of science at first make us shiver after the cozy indoor warmth of traditional humanizing myths, in the end the fresh air brings vigor, and the great spaces have a splendor of their own.</blockquote>",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nick Everett's \"The Non-Existence Of God\"",
          "reason": "Listed as a scholarly refutation of arguments for God's existence and an argument for atheism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nick Everitt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "atheism",
        "philosophy of religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-norton-critical-edition-of-the-bible-3178b1",
      "title": "The Norton Critical Edition of the Bible",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43617063,
          "author": "gxonatano",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T23:43:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43617063",
          "commentText": "As an atheist, I couldn't agree more. The fastest way to become an atheist, as it's often pointed out, is to read the Bible, which explains why about 95% of the Christians I've known have never read it. When asked, they say things like \"the _whole_ thing?\" or \"cover to cover?\" as if it were the unabridged Oxford English Dictionary, instead of just a single volume.\nAs a work of literature, with an unparalleled influence on Western culture, it's required reading for anyone interested in literature, philosophy, history, or related disciplines. As a blueprint for how to live your life, however, any reasonably ethical person will find its teachings to be at odds with modern ethics. More often than not, it's morally repugnant, and unapologetic about it, too. You won't hear about how backwards its morality is by going to church, though, and so you need to read it for yourself. Even Jesus, one of the most upright citizens in the book, is revealed to be as full of hate and vengeance as he is a \"prince of peace.\"\nOf course, as with everything, it really matters what edition you get. The New Oxford Annotated Bible is a good starting point. The Norton Critical editions (in two volumes, the old and the new testaments) are great, too, and include some of the source materials. (Bet you didn't know that a lot of the Bible was plagiar...ahem... adapted from much earlier texts, and from other religions.) The Skeptic's Annotated Bible is a great edition, too, and annotates everything from a secular perspective.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Norton Critical editions (in two volumes, the old and the new testaments) are great, too",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends these editions, which include source materials.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "annotated bible",
        "religious texts"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-notebooks-of-malte-laurids-brigge-ff5b8e",
      "title": "The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge",
      "author": "Rainer Maria Rilke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1752362,
          "author": "metamemetics",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T08:13:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752362",
          "commentText": "Gravity's Rainbow (Pynchon)\nThe Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge (Rilke)\nThe Age of Extremes: A History of the World, 1914-1991 (Hobsbawm)\nBhagavad Gita\nUpanishads\nCrimes Against Logic: Exposing the Bogus Arguments of Politicians, Priests, Journalists, and Other Serial Offenders (Whyte)\nTractatus Logico-Philosophicus (Wittgenstein)\nedit: added 2 more & author names",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge (Rilke)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rainer Maria Rilke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "modernist fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-nothing-that-is-a-natural-history-of-zero-7bb89a",
      "title": "The Nothing That Is: A Natural History of Zero",
      "author": "Robert Kaplan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 240776,
          "author": "pjackson",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T04:15:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240776",
          "commentText": "I recently read Simple Heuristics That Make Us Smart by Gerd Gigerenzer, Peter M. Todd, and the ABC Research Group and The Nothing That Is: A Natural History Of Zero by Robert Kaplan.\nBoth were great reads and left me energized. Neither had much to do with technology or startups. But I felt more prepared and motivated to solve problems after I read them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Both were great reads and left me energized.",
          "reason": "The commenter says both books were great reads and left them energized.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Neither had much to do with technology or startups.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Kaplan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of zero",
        "mathematical ideas"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-nuclear-jihadist-843c3b",
      "title": "The Nuclear Jihadist",
      "author": "Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34160619,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:11:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160619",
          "commentText": "This year I've put myself to the challenge to read at least one book per week which I primarily could complete by reading in the middle of the night while holding our sleeping baby in my arms. It has been an interesting challenge which gave me a lot of fulfilment and has certainly changed my mind on how I view the world. This comment became quite a long read, apologies for that.\nBooks I highly recommend:\nChurchill by Andrew Roberts (p:1105)\nA biography about one of the most interesting figures in politics and WWII. Roberts gives a very detailed description of the life of Churchill and manages to keep you interested the entire length of the book.\nThe God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (p:374)\nIn The God Delusion Dawkins gives arguments why there is no God, why we do not need a God and why religion is damaging to our society. If you are religious it might not be the book for you unless you are open to hear his arguments and line of reasoning. Dawkins will challenge your worldview.\nThe Bomb by Fred Kaplan (p:384)\nKaplan describes the policy of different US presidents on the atomic bomb and war in general. And primarily on the inability of US presidents and policy-makers to tune down its military. A chilling read which makes you appreciate a nuclear holocaust did not happen (yet)....\nPoor Economics by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo (p:320)\nBanerjee and Duflo give a gripping portrait of how poor people live. They offer an insight in the choices and decisions people make surviving on less than 1 USD a day (corrected for purchasing power). It made me completely rethink my own view on poverty and development aid; stressing even more that in order to help one need to have a complete understanding of the individual's situation and the local boundary conditions.\nProject Hail Mary  by Andy Weir (p:476)\nThis book triggered my science fiction reading. For some reason I never was interested in science fiction. Most likely triggered by reading Foundation by Asimov a few years back which apparently is not a book to my taste. But Andy Weir completely annihilated that wrong perspective on science fiction. Project Hail Mary is interesting, funny and gripping book.\nKindred by Octavia Butler  (p:287)\nThis book.... From page one I was hooked and almost read it in one go. Butler is a wonderful author and Kindred is a must-read. The book is about a woman traveling back in time to end up on a slave plantation. It's a chilling account of slavery.\nOther books I read this year, ask me anything about one of these books. I've added a + if I think its worth a recommendation\nBiography:\nNavalny by Dollbaum, Lallouet and Noble (p:280); The Man from the Future by Ananyo Bhattacharya (p:354) +\nSociology; Politics; Economics; Business:\nOnly the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove (p:224); The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli  (p:140); Winter is Coming by Garry Kasparov (p:290); Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum (p:224) +; Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl (p:164) +; We Are Bellingcat by Eliot Higgins (p:272); De Zeven Vinkjes by Joris Luyendijk (p:200); Waarom vuilnismannen meer verdienen dan bankiers by Rutger Bregman (p:104)\nComedy: The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (p:336)\nHistory:\nBand of Brothers  by Stephen E. Ambrose (p:432); The Nuclear Jihadist by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins (p:413) +; The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre (p:384) +; De Heineken Ontvoering by Peter R. de Vries (p:347); Red Famine by Anne Apllebaum (p:384); Night by Elie Wiesel (p:115) +\nScience, Technology, Mathematics:\nFermat's Enigma by Simon Singh (p:315) +; A Mathematician's Apology by G.H. Hardy (p:153); The Great Influenza by John M. Barry (p:546); The Rise and Fall of the Dinousaurs by Stephen Brusatte (p:404) ++; The Double Helix by James Watson (p:144)\nSport:\nRun or Die by Killian Jornet (p:208); The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton  (p:290) +; The Rise of the Ultra Runners by  (p:304); Tom Dumoulin by Patrick Bernhart (p:203)\nFiction:\nAnthem by Ayn Rand (p:105); Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (p:704); The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (p:566); Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (p:466); Live and Let die by Ian Fleming  (p:229)\nClassics:\nA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (p:104); The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (p:201); The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald (p:180); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (p:139); Animal Farm by George Orwell (p:122) +; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (p:227) +; The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (p:118)\nScience Fiction:\nThe Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (p:399); All Systems Red  by Martha Wells (p:144) +; A Memory Called Empire  by Arkady Martine (p:462) +; A Psalm built for the Wild by Becky Chambers (p:160); Dune by Frank Herbert (p:658); Foundation by Isaac Asimov (p:244); The Martian by Andy Weir (p:384) +;\nThe Forever War by Joe Haldeman (p:278)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Nuclear Jihadist by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins",
          "reason": "Marked with a plus as worth recommending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Frantz",
        "Catherine Collins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nuclear proliferation",
        "terrorism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-nude-a-study-in-ideal-form-5f2532",
      "title": "The Nude: A Study in Ideal Form",
      "author": "Kenneth Clark",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 142948,
          "author": "pg",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T00:18:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=142948",
          "commentText": "When I was a kid, the documentary series Connections.  It was the\nfirst time I'd ever seen someone follow vectors through history\ninstead of recounting it one period at a time, like most books and\nclasses do.\nDiscovering Lisp was a big one.  This was in 1983, when the default\nprogramming language was Pascal.  Lisp seemed (and in retrospect\nwas) startlingly better.  There was no one single book or quotation,\nbut I remember how excited I was to get my hands on a photocopy\nof the InterLisp manual.\nKenneth Clark's documentary series Civilisation (and the accompanying\nbook) impressed me a lot.  In fact, it was clearly the model for\nConnections.  I've never read anything else better about art.   His ideas\nare extremely subversive, but few get it because he usually speaks\nin code. And he\nhad access to stuff like no one else ever will again.\nI also learned a lot from his book The Nude.\nOne of the biggest influences on my ideas about startups was an\nessay by TJ Rogers, the CEO of Cypress Semiconductor.  I don't\nremember the title, but it cut through the usual corporate bullshit\nlike a knife.  For me the important thing was not just what he said,\nbut that one could even be that candid.\nOf all the books I've read in the last 5 years or so, Hardy's A\nMathematician's Apology is probably the one that stuck most in my\nhead.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also learned a lot from his book The Nude.",
          "reason": "Says they learned a lot from the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kenneth Clark"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "art history",
        "nude art"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-nudist-on-the-late-shift-2b8a65",
      "title": "The Nudist on the Late Shift",
      "author": "Po Bronson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19557022,
          "author": "blakesterz",
          "createdAt": "2019-04-02T18:16:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 19556208,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on the early history of the Internet and/or Web?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19557022",
          "commentText": "The Nudist On The Late Shift is a great one.\nThe Nat Geo TV series \"Valley Of The Boom\" was on earlier this year, that was entertaining.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Nudist On The Late Shift is a great one.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book in response to a book recommendation request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Po Bronson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dot com era",
        "silicon valley"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-number-devil-3f90f2",
      "title": "The Number Devil",
      "author": "Hans Magnus Enzensberger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34448780,
          "author": "Twisol",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-20T03:18:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34448780",
          "commentText": "As a child, I re-read The Number Devil constantly. It introduced me to some really cool mathematical ideas, couched in a cute story. The very last chapter includes a picture of the Principia Mathematica's proof of 1 + 1 = 2 -- mostly for shock value, I think, but also \"even this is within your reach\". I recently got to see a friend's copy of the Principia, and I realized just how much of it I actually did understand, which was a really nice closing of the loop.\nAs an adult, Imre Lakatos' Proofs and Refutations gave me a much richer understanding of definitions in mathematics -- what job they're meant to do, and when it makes sense to change your definitions instead of adding premises to your theorems.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "As a child, I re-read The Number Devil constantly.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it introduced them to interesting mathematical ideas.",
          "audience": "Children and readers curious about mathematical ideas.",
          "caveat": "The ideas are presented in a story.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hans Magnus Enzensberger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-number-sense-dfc77f",
      "title": "The Number Sense",
      "author": "Stanislas Dehaene",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227259,
          "author": "grosales",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T19:02:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227259",
          "commentText": "If you'd like to understand a little bit about how our brain might process and understand numbers, get \"The Number Sense\" by Stanislas Dehaene",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "get \"The Number Sense\" by Stanislas Dehaene",
          "reason": "Recommended for understanding how the brain processes and understands numbers.",
          "audience": "Readers curious about the brain and numerical cognition.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stanislas Dehaene"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognitive neuroscience",
        "numerical cognition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-numbers-behind-numb3rs-a0a0d2",
      "title": "The Numbers Behind Numb3rs",
      "author": "Keith Devlin and Gary Lorden",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4787936,
          "author": "SuperChihuahua",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T10:10:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787936",
          "commentText": "Coders at work\nThe numbers behind Numb3rs\nStatistical methods in counterterrorism\nTotal recall (the biography by Schwarzenegger)\nFrom dictatorship to democracy (available for free here: http://www.aeinstein.org/organizations98ce.html)\nThe miracle of mindfulness\nThe design of everyday things\nEscape from camp 14",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The numbers behind Numb3rs",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Keith Devlin and Gary Lorden"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematics in television"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-nurture-assumption-d58165",
      "title": "The Nurture Assumption",
      "author": "Judith Rich Harris",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23155560,
          "author": "james_s_tayler",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T16:04:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23155560",
          "commentText": "Heard a famous ADHD researcher recommend both this and Steven Pinker's Blank Slate for helping parents digest the science on why they can't engineer outcomes for their kids.\nGotta put both these on my list.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "recommend both this",
          "reason": "Says a researcher recommended it for understanding why parents cannot engineer outcomes for their children.",
          "audience": "Parents",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it yet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Judith Rich Harris"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Parenting",
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "child development",
        "nature and nurture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-nurture-assumption-why-children-turn-out-the-way-they-do-cc4635",
      "title": "The Nurture Assumption: Why Children Turn Out the Way They Do",
      "author": "Judith Rich Harris",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10029284,
          "author": "maxerickson",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-09T02:01:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10029284",
          "commentText": "Also read what Pinker is reading (he basically squees over this book):\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Nurture_Assumption",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also read what Pinker is reading (he basically squees over this book):",
          "reason": "Points readers to a book Pinker enthusiastically praises.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Judith Rich Harris"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Parenting",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "child development",
        "nature and nurture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-object-primer-118000",
      "title": "The Object Primer",
      "author": "Scott W. Ambler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35954262,
          "author": "vram22",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-15T20:46:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35954262",
          "commentText": "Not all of the ones below may be textbooks, sorry, but IMO they are all very good. I cut my programming teeth on some of them, and read others at different times later in my career.\nHow to Solve It, by Georg Polya. \nA famous Hungarian mathematician. \nA text on general problem solving principles or techniques. A classic.\nHow to Solve It by Computer, by Dromey, an AU CS professor. In the same spirit as the Polya book, but applied to iteratively working out algorithms and pseudocode for common important programming problems.\nThe K&R C book. What to say.\nThe Unix Programming Environment, by Kernighan and Pike. Ditto.\nProgramming Pearls, and More Programming Pearls, by Jon Bentley.\nAmong many other things, some clever / advanced uses of awk.\nWriting Efficient Programs, also by Bentley. I had mentioned it on HN earlier, and someone replied saying they had used it in real life, and it was gold.\nSQL for Professionals, by authors whose names I forget.\nThe Object Primer, by can't remember who, but good.\nA Unix book by Kochan, IIRC.\nObject-Oriented Software Construction, by Bertrand Meyer, creator of the Eiffel programming language.\nA book on object-oriented analysis / design, can't remember the name, by Rebecca Wirfs-Brock (?) and others. Learned about CRC  cards from it. Very cool concept and technique.\nA book on Object-Oriented Design, by Grady Booch, from a time before he co-invented UML. Forget the exact name.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Object Primer, by can't remember who, but good.",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they cannot remember the author.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott W. Ambler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "object oriented programming",
        "software development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-odyssey-1c9ef0",
      "title": "The Odyssey",
      "author": "Homer; translated by Emily Wilson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38574950,
          "author": "lavixu123",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T21:46:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38574950",
          "commentText": "2023 has been a good year with regard to reading. This has been year of History, Memoirs and Mythology. Some books I liked and would recommend are:\n1) Nothing To Fear - This book is about the Great Depression in the USA and how president JFK took steps to bring the economy back.\n2) Digital Minimalism - This is one book I would like to revisit every two years. About digital distractions and how to minimize it.\n3) The Odyssey By Emily Wilson- This was a surprising easy read with author's notes on the backdrop. Helps you understand Greek mythology and some unraveling of human emotions. Pretty deep. Highly recommend.\n4) Long Walk to Freedom - Autobiography of Nelson Mandela plus a good history of events in South Africa during his time.\n5) Lies My Teacher Told me - This is about lies that usually are represented in US high school history and the author debunks some myths. This is also a USA history primer, but all the tones associated are negative.\n6) India After Gandhi - Sneak peak into some Indian History and political environment after Independence, events leading to formation of states etc.\n7) Lend Me Your ears: Great Speeches in History - This is a great collection of speeches grouped by events. Highly recommend. Nice way to learn some history through speeches.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Odyssey By Emily Wilson- This was a surprising easy read",
          "reason": "Highly recommended; praised as accessible and helpful for understanding Greek mythology and human emotions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Homer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic poetry",
        "greek mythology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-old-new-thing-practical-development-throughout-the-evolution--7fc3a0",
      "title": "The Old New Thing: Practical Development Throughout the Evolution of Windows",
      "author": "Raymond Chen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22711464,
          "author": "CJefferson",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T14:53:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22711464",
          "commentText": "These are going to seem a bit strange, as they don't go that far into history, but I found the really interesting in showing how projects grow and evolve over time.\nThe Design and Evolution of C++ by Bjarne Stroustrup: This book is quite old itself now, but it talks about the early days of C++, and does a good job of describing how we ended up with the language we did.\nThe Old New Thing, Practical Development Throughout the Evolution of Windows by Raymond Chen. You can also read lots of the parts of this book on Raymond's blog, of the same name. This book really gave me a lot more respect for Windows and Microsoft on a technical level, giving many small fun stories on how functionality evolves over time, and how sensible decisions cause pain 10 years later.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Old New Thing, Practical Development Throughout the Evolution of Windows by Raymond Chen.",
          "reason": "Recommends the book for stories about Windows functionality evolving over time.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Windows development history.",
          "caveat": "Many parts can also be read on Raymond Chen’s blog of the same name.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Raymond Chen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software development",
        "windows"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-old-testament-950eec",
      "title": "The Old Testament",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30746017,
          "author": "kcartlidge",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T19:54:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30746017",
          "commentText": "> The \"only thing\" worth reading from the The Bible are the \"Wisdom Books\"\nFrom the perspective of Wisdom you're probably right.\nFrom the perspective of the modern Christian Faith I'd include the complete New Testament.  From the perspective of historical reference (I know archaeological opinions vary) include the Old Testament too.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "include the Old Testament too",
          "reason": "Suggests including it for historical reference, while noting archaeological opinions vary.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that archaeological opinions vary.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hebrew bible",
        "scripture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ominous-parallels-the-end-of-freedom-in-america-079f0f",
      "title": "The Ominous Parallels: The End of Freedom in America",
      "author": "Leonard Peikoff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16299854,
          "author": "abtinf",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T21:44:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16299854",
          "commentText": "If you want to obliterate any last remnant of nationalist thinking from your mind, read Ayn Rand. Or read The Ominious Parallels by Leonard Peikoff, one of her students.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Or read The Ominious Parallels by Leonard Peikoff, one of her students.",
          "reason": "Suggests reading it to challenge nationalist thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leonard Peikoff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nationalism",
        "political philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-once-and-future-king-a8e677",
      "title": "The Once and Future King",
      "author": "T. H. White",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9348558,
          "author": "dghf",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:07:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348558",
          "commentText": "Robert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson, Illuminatus!\nCarl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World.\nDaniel Dennett, Consciousness Explained.\nT.H. White, The Once and Future King.\nGeorge Orwell, Homage to Catalonia.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "T.H. White, The Once and Future King.",
          "reason": "Lists it as an answer to which books changed their perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1866085,
          "author": "markkat",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T19:20:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1866085",
          "commentText": "The Once and Future King, by T.H. White.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Once and Future King, by T.H. White.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "T. H. White"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "arthurian legend",
        "myth retelling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-once-and-future-world-aaa0a2",
      "title": "The Once and Future World",
      "author": "J.B. MacKinnon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32937407,
          "author": "codexjourneys",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T11:24:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937407",
          "commentText": "I'm reading The Once and Future World by J.B. MacKinnon, and I'm reading extra slowly because I'm enjoying it so much.\nIt's about nature, how we're wired to think the wild landscapes we grew up with were pristine, how it's truly evolved through history in response to humans' presence and it's hard to really pinpoint a baseline, and how much wildlife and plant life has vanished so far in the last two hundred years (from whatever fuzzy baseline we can arrive at).\nEarlier this year, I read Thinking in Systems by Donella Meadows and on almost every page I was taking notes! A huge eye-opener and felt like a missing link across sciences and social sciences. Also extremely readable and engaging.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm reading The Once and Future World by J.B. MacKinnon, and I'm reading extra slowly because I'm enjoying it so much.",
          "reason": "The commenter is enjoying it and describes its exploration of nature and human impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J.B. MacKinnon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ecology",
        "environmental history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-one-minute-millionaire-95d838",
      "title": "The One Minute Millionaire",
      "author": "Robert G. Allen and Mark Victor Hansen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 56858,
          "author": "ideas101",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T13:51:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56858",
          "commentText": "The One Minute Millionaire by Robert Allen and Mark Victor Hansen : it explains you what exactly works if you want to be financially successful - I would strongly recommend it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would strongly recommend it.",
          "reason": "Says it explains what works for financial success.",
          "audience": "People seeking financial success.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert G. Allen and Mark Victor Hansen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal finance",
        "wealth building"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-one-page-business-plan-for-the-creative-entrepreneur-ec032a",
      "title": "The One Page Business Plan for the Creative Entrepreneur",
      "author": "Jim Horan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5502679,
          "author": "annaNwonderland",
          "createdAt": "2013-04-06T04:58:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 5501062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Business Book For a 13-year-old Girl?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5502679",
          "commentText": "A lot of the books mentioned sound fabulous, but are mostly geared towards adults. Here are a couple of suggestions that I used with my 13 year old.  We homeschooled him for a year so that he could develop his game app business.\n1.  Show Me The Money by Alvin D. Hall:  This book is by DK books.  It is colorful and a GREAT intro to the basics of finance, business and economics.  \n2.  The Young Entrepreneur's Guide to Starting and Running a Business (Completely Revised and Updated) by Steve Mariotti is another awesome book. He was a teacher in a rough inner-city school when he noticed that he could keep the kids attention when he taught math in the context of running a business.  He then developed a course around that idea.  Your daughter may not want to read the entire book.  It's one of those books where you can read different chapters based on interest.  \n3.  One of the homeschool writing classes my son took was How to Write a Business Plan.  The teachers used the book The One Page Business Plan for the Creative Entrepreneur by Jim Horan.  Great way for kids to learn the aspects of a business. The book is VERY EASY to follow.\nInspirational book for your daughter (I got this for my daughter):  \n-Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women\nWRITING MAGAZINE: New Moon Girls (newmoon.com)\nMy daughter has a subscription. This magazine and web site is written and edited by the girls.\nVIDEOS: Khan Academy\n- Economics of a Cupcake Factory\n- Raising Money for a Startup (shows the whole process)\n- The Business Cycle\nVIDEOS: When my daughter was in 5th grade, I used some Schlessinger Media videos on economics to introduce her to the basics of business.  I was able to check these out of the library (we are in the Silicon Valley).  These videos are:\n- Economics for Children: Starting a Business\n- Economics for Children: What is Economics\n- Economics for Children: Saving, spending, and investing money\nINSPIRATION: Resources for your daughter:\n- Woman Innovate Mobile (wim.co) - focuses on startups by female founders in the area of mobile products/services.\n- Hackbright Academy (www.hackbrightacademy.com) - programming fellowship for women\n- JumpThru Women's Business Accelerator (http://jumpthru.net)\n- GeekGirl (http://geekgirlcamp.com)\nMOVIE: Inspirational movie for your daughter:\n- Temple Grandin:  shows how Temple Grandin overcame the disabilities of autism and revolutionized cattle slaughter houses so that they would be more humane.  Her invention is now used by most slaughter houses.  The gore of the slaughter is kept at a minimum in the movie.  It is mostly focused on the challenges she faced and overcame.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great way for kids to learn the aspects of a business. The book is VERY EASY to follow.",
          "reason": "Recommended as an easy-to-follow way for children to learn business concepts.",
          "audience": "Children learning about business, especially creative entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jim Horan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business planning",
        "creative entrepreneurship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-one-thing-you-need-to-know-3cdcd5",
      "title": "The One Thing You Need to Know",
      "author": "Marcus Buckingham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33858797,
          "author": "jshen",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T22:43:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33858797",
          "commentText": "Become a better story teller and persuader, and learn how to make better decisions and manage risk. A few books that helped me in no particular order …\nThe Science of Storytelling - Will Storr\nInfluence - Robert Cialdini\nThinking Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman\nAntifragile - Nassim Taleb\nHow Innovation Works - Natt Ridley\nThe One Thing You Need to Know - Marcus Buckingham\nTeam of Teams - General Stanley McChrystal",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The One Thing You Need to Know - Marcus Buckingham",
          "reason": "Listed among books that helped the commenter.",
          "audience": "People seeking to make better decisions and manage risk.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marcus Buckingham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ones-who-walk-away-from-omelas-0a9d38",
      "title": "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas",
      "author": "Ursula K. Le Guin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40887411,
          "author": "hackeraccount",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-06T00:58:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40887411",
          "commentText": "I think the The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas by Ursula K. Le Guin would be the short story that got to me.  I don't know if when I read it was particularly revelatory but I think about it a lot.\nThis will rightly get me down voted but in U.S. politics lately I was thinking, \"How much would you be willing to lie to get towards a desired or avoid a bad political end?\"  Though that thought is really just Le Guin retold.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas by Ursula K. Le Guin would be the short story that got to me.",
          "reason": "Says the story affected them and that they think about it often.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its central political thought may be Le Guin retold.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15156533,
          "author": "jeffersonheard",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:44:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156533",
          "commentText": "Getting More - Stuart Diamond. I still think this is the best book on the art of negotiation.\nGetting Things Done - David Allen. If you have adult ADHD like me, and you haven't read this, it's the first system that's really worked for productivity for me.\nMan's Search for Meaning - Victor Frankl.\nLiving Buddha, Living Christ - Thich Nhat Hanh.\nCosmos - Carl Sagan.\nThe Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. LeGuin.\nThe One who Walks Away from Omelas - U.K. LeGuin.\nWild Seed - Octavia Butler.\nThe Heike Monogatari - (tr. Helen Craig McCullough) “The sound of the Gion Shoja temple bells echoes the impermanence of all things; the color of the sala flowers reveals the truth that to flourish is to fall. The proud do not endure, like a passing dream on a night in spring; the mighty fall at last, to be no more than dust before the wind.” If you need a comparison. this is the Japanese historical equivalent of Game of Thrones combined with a bit of MacBeth. The rise and fall of two shogunate families, and an analysis of the tragic flaws of character that brought their fall about.\nLes Miserables - Victor Hugo.\nSmall Gods - Terry Pratchett.\nHeart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad.\nThe Guide - R. K. Narayan.\nEvidence - Mary Oliver.\nAll of Us - The Collected Poetry of Raymond Carver.\nSilence - Shusaku Endo.\nThe Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald.\nThe Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Murakami Haruki. This and the next four are odd choices, perhaps, since it's a surrealist book, but IMO books that force your imagination to work hard do as much for creativity and fresh ideas as any of the more popular methods.\nThe Well-Built City (The Physiognomy / Memoranda / The Beyond) Jeffery Ford - Surrealist novellas best described as about the protagonist living and achieving agency within the constructs, dreams, and nightmares of a \"Great Man's\" mind.\nSnow Crash - Neal Stephenson.\nGravity's Rainbow - Thomas Pynchon.\nDhalgren - Samuel L. \"Chip\" Delany.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The One who Walks Away from Omelas - U.K. LeGuin.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ursula K. Le Guin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Fantasy",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "moral dilemma",
        "short story",
        "utopia",
        "utopian fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-only-guide-to-a-winning-investment-strategy-you-ll-ever-need-181f96",
      "title": "The Only Guide to a Winning Investment Strategy You'll Ever Need",
      "author": "Larry Swedroe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 248600,
          "author": "eposts",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T15:59:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248600",
          "commentText": "Here is a good list:\nhttp://www.bogleheads.org/readbooks.htm\nGeneral Investing\n# The Four Pillars of Investing - by William (\"Bill\") Bernstein.\n# Wise Investing Made Simple or The Only Guide to a Winning Investment Strategy You'll Ever Need - by Larry Swedroe\n# The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing - by Taylor Larimore, Mel Lindauer, and Michael LeBoeuf\n# All About Asset Allocation - by Rick Ferri\n# The Informed Investor - by Frank Armstrong\n# The Little Book of Common Sense Investing - by John \"Jack\" Bogle\n# The Coffeehouse Investor - by Bill Schultheis.\nInvestor Behavior\n# Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes And How To Correct Them - by Gary Belsky and Thomas Gilovich\n# Your Money and Your Brain: How the New Science of Neuroeconomics Can Help Make You Rich - by Jason Zweig\n# Rational Investing in Irrational Times: How to Avoid the Costly Mistakes Even Smart People Make Today - by Larry Swedroe\nFinancial History\n# Against the Gods and Capital Ideas - by Peter L. Bernstein\n# Devil Take the Hindmost: A History of Financial Speculation - by Edward Chancellor\n# A Random Walk Down Wall Street - by Burton Malkiel\nLike others here have mentioned, http://www.bogleheads.org/ is a great forum for Vanguard investors.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wise Investing Made Simple or The Only Guide to a Winning Investment Strategy You'll Ever Need - by Larry Swedroe",
          "reason": "Listed as a general investing book in response to a request for learning resources.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking general investing resources.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Larry Swedroe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "investing",
        "investment strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-only-investment-guide-you-ll-ever-need-011e27",
      "title": "The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need",
      "author": "Andrew Tobias",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19090375,
          "author": "SaintGhurka",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T22:01:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19090375",
          "commentText": "The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need by Andrew Tobias.  It inoculated me against a lot of potentially bad financial decisions.  Also a fairly quick and entertaining read - which helps in a dry subject like personal finance.\nPoland by James Michener - or any other of Michener's historical fiction.  Not all of them are great literary works, but because they  span thousands of years, they caused me to start thinking generationally.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need by Andrew Tobias.  It inoculated me against a lot of potentially bad financial decisions.",
          "reason": "Says it helped guard against bad financial decisions; also calls it quick and entertaining.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The subject is dry personal finance.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew Tobias"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "investing",
        "personal finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-only-sustainable-edge-7b3bb0",
      "title": "The Only Sustainable Edge",
      "author": "John Hagel III and John Seely Brown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 193546,
          "author": "colortone",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-18T19:40:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 193308,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What books on marketing do you recomend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=193546",
          "commentText": "The Only Sustainable Edge\nThis is pretty much the only book that matters ;-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is pretty much the only book that matters ;-)",
          "reason": "Strongly endorses the book as the only one that matters.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for marketing books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Hagel III and John Seely Brown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business innovation",
        "competitive strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-only-way-to-stop-smoking-permanently-2de2c1",
      "title": "The Only Way to Stop Smoking Permanently",
      "author": "Allen Carr",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18663336,
          "author": "0db532a0",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:32:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663336",
          "commentText": "Personal summaries and opinions on some books I’ve read this year:\nThe First Man - Camus: A semi-autobiographical novel about his childhood growing up in Algeria in a poor family, his friendships, his educational successes and becoming a man.\nThe Unbearable Lightness of Being - Kundera: A realistic, unromantic look at the ideals involved in love, sexual and romantic relationships.\nLaughable Loves - Kundera: More of the same in the form of a collection of short stories. Thoroughly enjoyed.\nThe Only Way to Stop Smoking Permanently - Alan Carr: I’m not particularly into self-help books, but this has actually worked so far. It focusses on removing the desire to smoke, rather than increasing willpower not to smoke.\nMetamorphosis - Kafka: Looks at duty to family, social alienation and the equation of a man’s worth with his career and earning ability.\nWhat we cannot Know - du Sautoy: A not too poppy pop-science look into the limits of human knowledge and consciousness. Delves into maths, astronomy, philosophy, existence of a god, quantum physics. Still interesting as a graduate of mathematics, and answers a few questions I had about quantum physics.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I’m not particularly into self-help books, but this has actually worked so far.",
          "reason": "The commenter says its approach to removing the desire to smoke has worked for them so far.",
          "audience": "People seeking to stop smoking.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it has worked so far, so the outcome is not yet certain.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Allen Carr"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self help",
        "smoking cessation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-open-organization-b39420",
      "title": "The Open Organization",
      "author": "Jim Whitehurst",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17204991,
          "author": "hunterjrj",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T13:19:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17204991",
          "commentText": "For Red Hat, you can check out \"The Open Organization\" which details the culture that Red Hat espouses:\nhttps://www.redhat.com/en/explore/the-open-organization-book",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Open Organization\"",
          "reason": "Suggested as a book about the culture Red Hat promotes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jim Whitehurst"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "open leadership",
        "organizational culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-open-focus-brain-ef58d4",
      "title": "The Open-Focus Brain",
      "author": "Les Fehmi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8718142,
          "author": "marcusgarvey",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T18:37:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8718142",
          "commentText": "The Open Focus Brain. http://www.amazon.com/The-Open-Focus-Brain-Harnessing-Attent... (http://www.amazon.com/The-Open-Focus-Brain-Harnessing-Attention/dp/1590306120)\n\"According to Dr. Les Fehmi, a clinical psychologist and researcher, many of us have become stuck in “narrow-focus attention”: a tense, constricted, survival mode of attention that holds us in a state of chronic stress—and which lies at the root of common ailments including anxiety, depression, ADD, stress-related migraines, and more. To improve these conditions, Dr. Fehmi explains that we must learn to return to a relaxed, diffuse, and creative form of attention, which he calls 'Open Focus.'\nThis highly readable and empowering book offers straightforward explanations and simple exercises on how to shift into a more calm, open style of attention that reduces stress, improves health, and enhances performance.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Open Focus Brain.",
          "reason": "The supplied description presents the book as readable and empowering, with practical attention exercises.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Les Fehmi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "attention training",
        "stress reduction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-opium-of-the-intellectuals-62e984",
      "title": "The Opium of the Intellectuals",
      "author": "Raymond Aron",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22093129,
          "author": "neplus",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T18:53:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22093129",
          "commentText": "Depends on your definition of practically unknown. With that said, these are the four that immediately spring to mind as being both worth reading and relatively obscure (judging by date of publication in conjunction with being either out of print or with very few star ratings on Amazon).\nDid Monetary Forces Cause the Great Depression? - Peter Termin, 1975\nTermin is still going strong at MIT. His 1975 book was foundational for challenging Friedman on the cause of the Great Depression. Given what was to come in the 1980s this book quickly became overshadowed and destined for obscurity. However, it still provides an appropriate, timely lens to analyze monetary theory without the abstraction that has engrossed economics as of late.\nThe Supreme Court in the American System of Government  - Robert Jackson, 1955\nA series of lectures created for a Harvard lecture series in 1954-55 by Justice Jackson. He suddenly died before being able to deliver them, but they were compiled in a book now out of print. Justice Jackson is widely regarded - across the aisle - as one of the most brilliant legal writers of our time (or perhaps of any time). While this book doesn't set out his entire judicial philosophy, or even do what the title says due to his untimely death, it does lay a valuable conception of the proper role of the SCOTUS within the Republic. Also recommended, to see both his pen and intellect in action, are his opinions in Korematsu v. United States and West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette.\nThe Opium of the Intellectuals - Aron, 1955\nAmazon does a better job of summarizing than I could off the top of my head, so here you go: \"Raymond Aron's 1955 masterpiece The Opium of the Intellectuals, is one of the great works of twentieth- century political reflection. Aron shows how noble ideas can slide into the tyranny of \"secular religion\" and emphasizes how political thought has the profound responsibility of telling the truth about social and political reality-in all its mundane imperfections and tragic complexities.\"\nAn incredibly difficult read that is worth trying to get through. Brimming with ideas and not without its own pitfalls. Tells the story of 20th Century intellectual history and thought as well as any could, although in a rather indirect way.\nThe Protestant Establishment: Aristocracy and Caste in America (Aristocracy & Caste in America) - Baltzell, 1987\nI'll let Amazon summarize again: \"This classic account of the traditional upper class in America traces its origins, lifestyles, and political and social attitudes from the time of Theodore Roosevelt to that of John F. Kennedy. Sociologist E. Digby Baltzell describes the problems of exclusion and prejudice within the community of white Anglo-Saxon Protestants (or WASPs, an acronym he coined) and predicts with amazing accuracy what will happen when this inbred group is forced to share privilege and power with talented members of minority groups.\"\nMy summary would be: what will happen (hypothetically, remember the date of publication) when an ephemeral class (WASPs) suddenly disappear from their previous pedestal of influence? Prescient, widely applicable to other countries with their own quasi-classes, and deeply interesting for those less familiar with the subject.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "An incredibly difficult read that is worth trying to get through.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds it difficult but worthwhile, with many ideas about twentieth-century intellectual history.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in political thought and intellectual history.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is difficult, indirect, and has pitfalls.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Raymond Aron"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "intellectual history",
        "political thought"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-oranges-of-hieronymus-bosch-73b312",
      "title": "The Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch",
      "author": "Henry Miller",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20982973,
          "author": "adamraye",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T11:22:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20982973",
          "commentText": "The Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch by Henry Miller and Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter Thompson. There's something I really enjoy about these two almost magical realisim type books that never tires and I re-read them both at least once every few years.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch by Henry Miller",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoy both books and reread them periodically.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Henry Miller"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "magical realism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ordinary-business-of-life-9f3369",
      "title": "The Ordinary Business of Life",
      "author": "Roger E. Backhouse",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12562110,
          "author": "dredmorbius",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T03:25:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12562110",
          "commentText": "That's a pretty good list, though I have to take exception to your suggestions for heterodox economics all coming from the Hayek-Mises-Rothbard Austrian/Libertarian tradition.  There's considerably more to heterodox economics than Libertarian school.\n\"Heterodox economics\" is an umbrella term used to cover various approaches, schools, or traditions. These include socialist, Marxian, institutional, evolutionary, Georgist, Austrian, feminist,[3] social, post-Keynesian (not to be confused with New Keynesian),[2] and ecological economics among others.[4]\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heterodox_economics\nSteve Keen offers a fairly compelling criticism in Debunking Economics.\nHa-Joon Chang, of LSE, has several books providing criticisms and overviews of economics, his Economics: the user's guide is a light and readable overview.  http://www.worldcat.org/title/economics-the-users-guide/oclc... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/economics-the-users-guide/oclc/870896694&referer=brief_results)\n(It's worth noting that Ha-Joon Chang tends toward a Marxian view and in particular is a contrarian in trade and development concepts.  I happen to think his views have merits.)\nThere are several books which cover the history of economic thought, from more and less inclusive perspectives.  Roger Backhouse's The Ordinary Business of Life is extraordinarily dry, but reasonably encompasses the mainstream.  \nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/ordinary-business-of-life-a-hi... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/ordinary-business-of-life-a-history-of-economics-from-the-ancient-world-to-the-twenty-first-century/oclc/49198341&referer=brief_results)\nHeilbroner's The Worldly Philosophers is a classic:  http://www.worldcat.org/title/worldly-philosophers-the-lives... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/worldly-philosophers-the-lives-times-and-ideas-of-the-great-economic-thinkers/oclc/40762647&referer=brief_results)\nFor heterodoxy, I'd add to the Austrian side:\nHerman Daly on ecological economics.  http://www.worldcat.org/title/ecological-economics-principle... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/ecological-economics-principles-and-applications/oclc/804847292?referer=br&ht=edition)\nul\nit in f\nl.\nErick D. Beinhocker's The Origin of Wealth: Evolution, complexity, and the radical remaking of economics strikes me from reviews and a brief overview as one of the more interesting recent books on economics.  I've yet to read it in full.\nhttp://www.worldcat.org/title/origin-of-wealth-evolution-com... (http://www.worldcat.org/title/origin-of-wealth-evolution-complexity-and-the-radical-remaking-of-economics/oclc/64335906&referer=brief_results)\nThere's slew of other books, many quite bad, on the subject.  I'm largely convinced economics is vastly overdue for a robust remaking.  I'm not convinced that will happen.\n(It was my degree subject at uni.  I've been trying to comprehend it and rationalise its vast internal contradictions and inconsistencies since.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Roger Backhouse's The Ordinary Business of Life is extraordinarily dry, but reasonably encompasses the mainstream.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it reasonably encompasses mainstream economic thought.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring the history of economic thought.",
          "caveat": "Described as extraordinarily dry.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roger E. Backhouse"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of economic thought"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-organized-mind-5f0158",
      "title": "The Organized Mind",
      "author": "Daniel J. Levitin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19092022,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-06T01:57:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19092022",
          "commentText": "1. All of Nassim Taleb's Books - They changed the way I thought about tail probabilities and risk taking + bar bell strategies in general\n2. Thinking Fast and Slow - made me think about all of the biases that my mind has that I dont even realize\n3. The organized mind - This book gave me a lot of ideas about how I can change my life to live with less distractions and maybe do thinks more efficently\n4. The Vital Question - Made me realize how lucky we as humans and complex cellular beings are to even exist.\n5. Misquoting Jesus (and all of Ehrman's other books) - Gave me talking points I use against any/all overzealous Christians in my life. The stories of the bible are not remotely close to the stories that where handed down by the people that were with Jesus when he died. Over 100s of years and many errors (and a lot of luck), people decided Jesus was the son of God. Unfortunately for them, the chances of that being true are very very close to zero.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book gave me a lot of ideas about how I can change my life to live with less distractions and maybe do thinks more efficently",
          "reason": "Offered ideas for reducing distractions and improving efficiency.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the ideas may help them change their life.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel J. Levitin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "attention",
        "organization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-organon-1a4039",
      "title": "The Organon",
      "author": "Aristotle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22574325,
          "author": "pembrook",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T10:16:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22574325",
          "commentText": "First, arm yourself with the tools to figure out whether what you're reading is bullshit or not (unfortunately a huge issue in the finance space). Read about The Organon by Aristotle, particularly his work around logical fallacies.\nThen, for a brief overview of the history of money, currency, and markets read the first part of William Bernstein's The Four Pillars of Investing (provides some good historical context).\nTo understand financial market movements in the short term (like what is happening now), read about crowd psychology, behavioral biases (Kahneman), and black swans (Taleb).\nTo understand financial markets over the long term, read anything written by Buffet (his annual reports) or Munger, or their intellectual precursor, Graham and Dodd.\nTo understand the theories and thinking underpinning money and central banking, read about Adam Smith, Milton Friedman, Keynes, and Hayek.\nStart with a bias toward history and older works, and move towards newer works to understand how the current zeitgeist got here and be able to think more critically about the ideas that are currently en vogue.\nAlso, I agree with the comment that recommends avoiding books by journalists. These are typically compelling narratives in search of supporting facts and theories (the wrong way to approach thinking). You should start your learning from the opposite position. Learn the theories and facts first, then think critically about any good-sounding narratives you see repeated in the wild.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read about The Organon by Aristotle, particularly his work around logical fallacies.",
          "reason": "Recommended to help readers assess whether financial writing is sound.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Aristotle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "logic",
        "reasoning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-origin-of-wealth-301073",
      "title": "The Origin of Wealth",
      "author": "Eric D. Beinhocker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7969139,
          "author": "minikomi",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T04:14:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7969139",
          "commentText": "Just got a major literary hangover from finishing http://parahumans.wordpress.com/ .. not really a book, more an online series. Be warned - it is long, addictive (and sometimes a grind/confusing/difficult to suspend belief [only occasionally though]), but the world building & range of characters is astounding.\nThinking about doing a mind flush with either a short Kurt Vongegut or Terry Pratchett then on to tackle The Origin of Wealth, by Eric Beinhocker",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "then on to tackle The Origin of Wealth, by Eric Beinhocker",
          "reason": "Says they plan to read it next.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A reading plan does not express an evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 57115,
          "author": "huherto",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T23:14:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=57115",
          "commentText": "The Origin of Wealth \nhttp://www.mckinsey.com/ideas/books/originofwealth/overview.... (http://www.mckinsey.com/ideas/books/originofwealth/overview.asp)\nI thought it was very provocative, i was feeling very bored and reading it awoke my curiosity and eagerness to learn again.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Origin of Wealth",
          "reason": "Says it was provocative and rekindled their curiosity and eagerness to learn.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric D. Beinhocker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Business",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "complexity economics",
        "economic evolution",
        "evolutionary economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-origin-of-wealth-66b92b",
      "title": "The Origin of Wealth",
      "author": "Eric Beinhocker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6975992,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T19:26:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6975992",
          "commentText": "I've read a lot of books this year[1], but if I had to pick one to fit your criteria, I'd lean towards The Origin of Wealth by Eric Beinhocker.\nTOoW presents a case for a new view of Economics, rooted in evolution as the primary engine behind endogenous growth[2], and modeling the economy as a complex adaptive system[3].\nIn the end, his theories may or may not be correct, but I've learned a TON about economics from reading this book, and if the \"Complexity Economics\"[4] guys are right, it has some interesting implications.\nPersonally, I suspect that the CE folks are onto something, but this book is worth reading just for the history lesson it presents, vis-a-vis the development of modern economic thought.  And for a book featuring a ton of history and on a topic (economics) that some people might find dry, it's very accessible and reads more like a novel than a textbook. I churned through the whole thing in about 2 days, it was so engrossing.\nAnyway, I only just read it last week, so it may be too early to call it a \"book that changed my life\", but I can say that as soon as I finished it, I immediately started re-reading it, this time to take notes and jot down thoughts about some of the implications and actionable aspects of this thinking.  It definitely gets a +1 from me.\nOutside of that, The Discipline of Market Leaders would probably be the other candidate.  I only discovered this one because it was referenced in a different book I was reading, but it's turned out to be quite interesting.  The authors present a pretty strong case for a very specific approach to business strategy that resonates with me.\n[1]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6964841\n[2]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endogenous_growth_theory\n[3]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complex_adaptive_system\n[4]: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complexity_economics",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "this book is worth reading just for the history lesson it presents",
          "reason": "Recommends it for its economic history and accessible, engrossing treatment.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in economics and the development of economic thought.",
          "caveat": "The author’s theories may or may not be correct; commenter says it may be too early to judge its life-changing impact.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Beinhocker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "complexity economics",
        "economic thought"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-origin-of-wealth-the-radical-remaking-of-economics-and-what-i-db66d9",
      "title": "The Origin of Wealth: The Radical Remaking of Economics and What It Means for Business and Society",
      "author": "Eric Beinhocker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10325237,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-10-03T20:31:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 10324705,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10325237",
          "commentText": "I'm sure there are many, but a few that jump to mind, in no particular order, and spanning both fiction and non-fiction:\nThe Selfish Gene - Dawkins\nA New Kind of Science - Wolfram\nThe Singularity is Near - Kurzweil\nGödel, Escher, Bach - Hofstadter\nFluid Concepts and Creative Analogies - Hofstadter\nAtlas Shrugged - Rand\nThe Fountainhead - Rand\nNineteen Eighty-Four - Orwell\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nAmbient Findability - Peter Morville\nEmergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software - Steven Johnson\nSix Degrees: The Science of a Connected Age - Duncan Watts\nLinked: How Everything Is Connected to Everything Else and What It Means for Business, Science, and Everyday Life - Albert-laszlo Barabasi\nArtificial Life - Steven Levy\nThe Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nThe World is Flat - Thomas Friedman\nnot a book, but the various writings of Douglas Engelbart - http://www.dougengelbart.org/library/library.html\nGlasshouse - Charles Stross\nPermutation City - Greg Egan\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nThe Shockwave Rider - John Brunner\nThe Society of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nThe Origin of Wealth: The Radical Remaking of Economics and What it Means for Business and Society - Eric Beinhocker\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nFooled By Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Origin of Wealth: The Radical Remaking of Economics and What it Means for Business and Society - Eric Beinhocker",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for thought-provoking books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Beinhocker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "complexity economics",
        "evolutionary economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-origin-of-wealth-the-radical-remaking-of-economics-and-what-i-c7d00e",
      "title": "The Origin of Wealth: The Radical Remaking of Economics and What It Means for Business and Society",
      "author": "Eric D. Beinhocker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20198195,
          "author": "lemony_fresh",
          "createdAt": "2019-06-16T22:02:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 20196671,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What to read after “Thinking in Systems”?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20198195",
          "commentText": "“The Origin of Wealth” is an excellent take on macroeconomics from a complex adaptive systems view.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“The Origin of Wealth” is an excellent take on macroeconomics from a complex adaptive systems view.",
          "reason": "Describes it as an excellent take on macroeconomics through complex adaptive systems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric D. Beinhocker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "complex adaptive systems",
        "complexity economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-origins-of-canadian-and-american-political-differences-599253",
      "title": "The Origins of Canadian and American Political Differences",
      "author": "Jason Kaufman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42220961,
          "author": "throw0101d",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T14:13:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42220961",
          "commentText": "If I had to pick one: The rise and fall of American growth: the U.S. standard of living since the Civil War by Robert Gordon. The gains that we have made in the (early) 20th century are unlikely to ever be repeated, and progress in many metrics has measurably slowed or even stalled since ~1970s (likely being asymptotic). And while the Internet (classified under the Information, Communication, Technology (ICT) chapters) gave a bump in the 1990s, it's mostly been flat since 2004.\nMore economic history with Slouching towards Utopia: an economic history of the twentieth century by J. Bradford Delong. More economic ideas stuff in Value(s): building a better world for all by Mark Carney (ran the Banks of Canada and England). Also Waphsott's Keynes Hayek: the clash that defined modern economics and Samuelson Friedman: the battle over the free market.\nThe currency of politics: the political theory of money from Aristotle to Keynes by Sefan Eich, Money: the true story of a made-up thing by Jacob Goldstein, and The power of gold: the history of an obsession by Peter Bernstein (also his Against the Gods on risk). Show how much of a human construct \"money\" is, how its meaning changes in different times and places/cultures. Should be required reading by all the 'hard money' folks (gold standard, BTC).\nThe good life: lessons from the world's longest scientific study of happiness by Waldinger and Schultz (directors of the Harvard study). If there's one 'magic' thing for health and happiness it seems to be having good relationships (family, friends) in your life.\nReligion: what it is, how it works, and why it matters by Christian Smith and Strange rites: new religions for a godless world by Tara Burton. While many think that religion is in decline, the non-material/supernatural things that people believe in has actually shifted. And having beliefs in a super-human entity seems to be the basis of most societies and civilizations. Related, The warfare between science and religion : the idea that wouldn't die, a series of essays; the conflict thesis bunk, both historically and presently.\nThe origins of Canadian and American political differences by Jason Kaufman, two seemingly-the-same neighbouring countries that have had different development paths when it comes to culture and government. (I'm Canadian.)\nSpeaking of government: Civil resistance: what everyone needs to know by Erica Chenoweth. Seems violence/force is generally a less effective way to affect change in society than non-violence.\nThe week: a history of the unnatural rhythms that made us who we are by David Henkin. Seems that while seven days has been around for a long while, making it a really 'hard' structure/schedule around it is a more recent phenomenon than you'd expect.\nIf you have kids, Karen Le Billon's French kids eat everything (and yours can, too) and Getting to YUM: the 7 secrets of raising eager eaters, her husband is French and she lived there for a year and found many things done better there than US/CA. See also The happiest kids in the world: how Dutch parents help their kids and themselves by doing less by Acosta and Hutchison.\nFlying blind: the 737 MAX tragedy and the fall of Boeing by Peter Robison is an HN favourite. While we get a lot of engineer vs MBA comments, I think the bigger problem (associated with the MBA-types) is financialization, i.e., returns over everything else. Having non-engineers/MBAs can be 'fine' also long as trying to squeeze blood/money from a stone at the cost of everything else.\nSome philosophy with Alasdair C. MacIntyre: After Virtue is a good starting point. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/After_Virtue",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The origins of Canadian and American political differences by Jason Kaufman",
          "reason": "Describes contrasting cultural and governmental development in neighboring countries.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Canadian and American politics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jason Kaufman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american politics",
        "canadian politics",
        "comparative politics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-origins-of-genome-architecture-e4b32c",
      "title": "The Origins of Genome Architecture",
      "author": "Michael Lynch",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9674957,
          "author": "jonathansizz",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T15:18:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674957",
          "commentText": "Mind-blowing for those who've read 'The Selfish Gene' and thought it explained everything about evolution:\n'The Spandrels of San Marco and the Panglossian Paradigm: A Critique of the Adaptationist Programme', SJ Gould and RC Lewontin\n'The Origins of Genome Architecture', M Lynch\n'Mutation-Driven Evolution', M Nei",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Origins of Genome Architecture', M Lynch",
          "reason": "Listed as a mind-blowing book for readers who think The Selfish Gene explains everything about evolution.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in evolution and biology.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Lynch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolutionary biology",
        "genomics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-origins-of-order-621df3",
      "title": "The Origins of Order",
      "author": "Stuart Kauffman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 85894,
          "author": "anupamkapoor",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T11:06:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85894",
          "commentText": "- use of weapons (ian m banks)\n- surely you are joking mr feynman (rpf)\n- origin of order (stuart kauffman)\n- slaughter house five (kurt vonnegut)\n- goedel escher bach (douglas hofstadter)\n- theta-magical memas errr metamagical themas (dogulas hofsta)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "origin of order (stuart kauffman)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stuart Kauffman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biology",
        "complex systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-origins-of-political-order-7cd06b",
      "title": "The Origins of Political Order",
      "author": "Francis Fukuyama",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3395230,
          "author": "chad_oliver",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T09:13:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395230",
          "commentText": "I just finished reading \"The Origin of Political Order\", which was recommended by Venkatesh Rao. It's refreshing to read an overview of world history that doesn't focus on kings and kingdoms, but rather on the underlying causes. This book covers some dense material, but remains readable at all times. Highly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Origin of Political Order\"",
          "reason": "Praised as a readable, refreshing overview of the underlying causes of world history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Covers dense material.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Francis Fukuyama"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political institutions",
        "state formation",
        "world history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-orion-war-e72ead",
      "title": "The Orion War",
      "author": "M. D. Cooper",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15964247,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T21:05:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15964247",
          "commentText": "The Aeon 14 novels following Tanis Richards[1] have been a consistently good read. The Intrepid Saga and The Orion War series. Haven't ventured into the other offshoots as yet.\nThe Dome Trilogy[2] was also pretty good, as are the Rho Agenda series[3][4][5].\nAnd if you prefer horror to sci-fi, the I Am Not a Serial Killer series[6] was very good overall, although I thought it lost some steam in the last two books.\nAnd finally, The Rosie Project[7] was so completely charming I ended up reading it straight through in one night.\n[1] https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/6426890.M_D_Cooper\n[2] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25501349-unexpected-rain\n[3] https://www.goodreads.com/series/61746-the-rho-agenda\n[4] https://www.goodreads.com/series/142618-the-rho-agenda-incep... (https://www.goodreads.com/series/142618-the-rho-agenda-inception)\n[5] https://www.goodreads.com/series/175066-rho-agenda-assimilat... (https://www.goodreads.com/series/175066-rho-agenda-assimilation)\n[6] https://www.goodreads.com/series/49883-john-cleaver\n[7] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18015965-the-rosie-proje... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18015965-the-rosie-project)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Intrepid Saga and The Orion War series.",
          "reason": "Described as consistently good reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "M. D. Cooper"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-other-path-625017",
      "title": "The Other Path",
      "author": "Hernando de Soto",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12563982,
          "author": "pjc50",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T12:18:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12563982",
          "commentText": "Note that \"finance\" and \"economics\" are separate disciplines, roughly corresponding to applied vs theoretical.\nThe book which changed my thinking the most was \"The Other Path\" https://www.amazon.co.uk/Other-Path-Economic-Answer-Terroris... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Other-Path-Economic-Answer-Terrorism/dp/0465016103)\nIt would be easy to give it the traditional libertarian gloss of \"reducing regulation to improve the economy\", but it's much more subtle than that. It looks at the costs of being outside the \"system\", and the benefits of simplifying the system so as to include more people and businesses. Along with land reform to reflect the actual reality of buildings.\nAlso, short and entertaining, but with lots of insights into principal-agent problems and bubble mentality: \"Where Are the Customers' Yachts?\" https://www.amazon.co.uk/Where-Are-Customers-Yachts-Investme... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Where-Are-Customers-Yachts-Investment/dp/0471770892)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book which changed my thinking the most was \"The Other Path\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book changed their thinking and describes its analysis of exclusion, regulation, and land reform.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hernando de Soto"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic development",
        "informal economy",
        "land reform"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-outline-of-history-84aef6",
      "title": "The Outline of History",
      "author": "H. G. Wells",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 456349,
          "author": "notaddicted",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T14:16:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456349",
          "commentText": "Have you read Clausewitz On War? That was one of my favorite books last year.\nThis is more general than you are looking for and it stops a bit short of air war but it helped me to put historical events into a global context.\nThe outline of history; being a plain history of life and mankind. Rev. and brought up to date by Raymond Postgate and G.P. Wells. With maps and plans by J.F. Horrabin.\nWells, H. G. 1866-1946. (Herbert George),\nGarden City, N.Y. Doubleday 1971,\nBook. 1103p., D21 .W4 1971\nI'd say definitely search for books written about Iraq and Afghanistan, that should give you some information about current strategies.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The outline of history; being a plain history of life and mankind.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a broad history that helped put events into global context.",
          "audience": "Readers wanting a broad account of history.",
          "caveat": "More general than requested and stops short of air war.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "H. G. Wells"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human history",
        "world history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-outsider-305b4d",
      "title": "The Outsider",
      "author": "Colin Wilson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45962182,
          "author": "sph",
          "createdAt": "2025-11-18T07:01:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 45947737,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45962182",
          "commentText": "The Outsider by Colin Wilson validated a lot of the doubts I’ve had my entire life and showed me a courageous way forward embracing my nature.\nThis is a recommendation that applies to very few people but the misfits, the philosophers, the hermits, the compulsive thinkers. Those that feel they are meant to peer behind the veil of the world rather than dance to its tune.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Outsider by Colin Wilson",
          "reason": "The book helped the commenter embrace their nature and feel validated.",
          "audience": "A narrow audience: misfits, philosophers, hermits, and compulsive thinkers.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says this recommendation applies to very few people.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Colin Wilson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "existentialism",
        "outsider experience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-outsiders-eight-unconventional-ceos-and-their-radically-ratio-ddb6f8",
      "title": "The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success",
      "author": "William N. Thorndike",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21714293,
          "author": "tlapinsk",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T17:37:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21714293",
          "commentText": "Not specific to just tech teams, but I loved The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success by William Thorndike. So many great notes about leadership and successfully running a business in general.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Outsiders-Unconventional-Radically-Ra... (https://www.amazon.com/Outsiders-Unconventional-Radically-Rational-Blueprint/dp/1422162672/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=outsiders+book&qid=1575567270&s=books&sr=1-3)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success by William Thorndike. So many great notes about leadership and successfully running a business in general.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they loved it and praises its notes on leadership and running a business.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not specific to tech teams.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William N. Thorndike"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "capital allocation",
        "ceo leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-owl-and-the-pussy-cat-f6c04a",
      "title": "The Owl and the Pussy-cat",
      "author": "Edward Lear",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50039255,
          "author": "neom",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T02:31:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50039255",
          "commentText": "The Velveteen Rabbit\nThe Owl and the Pussycat\nGoodnight Moon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Owl and the Pussycat",
          "reason": "Named as a favorite title in response to the thread’s request for favorite children’s books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward Lear"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s poetry",
        "nonsense verse"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-paddington-books-7d145a",
      "title": "The Paddington books",
      "author": "Michael Bond",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34634533,
          "author": "deckiedan",
          "createdAt": "2023-02-02T23:01:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 34634274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books your kids like most",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34634533",
          "commentText": "We've 2 kids, 8 and 5 - both total book worms (and into Minecraft and biking and dude perfect and all sorts... But they love books).\nFind stuff you'll enjoy reading to them. And read to them a lot. You've got the right idea.\nMO Williams books are great for that age.  The elephant and piggie books are fun, Annette's Baguette is brilliant.  The Brambly Hedge books are lovely. Dr Seuss is mostly quite fun.  Peter's railway (if they like trains or engineering at all), the Thomas the Tank engine books, the topsy and Tim books are ok...\nBut get lots of books from the library, charity / thrift stores.  Get lots of books to try out, and have available for them to read. And if they aren't interested, you can always thrift them again. Hanging out at the local library can be good. No time pressure, just let them browse and look at whatever random things they want.\nFor slightly older kids, we've really enjoyed reading Hillary McKay, Terry Pratchett's kids books / short stories, Vivian French's books are great.  and some of the classics are great too - EE Milne, the Paddington books...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Paddington books",
          "reason": "Named among children's books described as great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Bond"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s literature",
        "talking animals"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-painter-b90776",
      "title": "The Painter",
      "author": "Peter Heller",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8401532,
          "author": "tustlem",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:34:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401532",
          "commentText": "Read:\nDeep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why by Laurence Gonzales (This was a great read),\nThe Painter by Peter Heller (Interesting novel),\nEssentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown (Good ideas and content, repeats a lot)\nCurrently reading:\nThe Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham,\nA Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William Irvine,\nInto Thin Air by Jon Krakauer\nEdit: reformatted for clarity.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Painter by Peter Heller (Interesting novel)",
          "reason": "Calls it an interesting novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Heller"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-palace-of-illusions-94def8",
      "title": "The Palace of Illusions",
      "author": "Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38557198,
          "author": "velavar",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:09:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557198",
          "commentText": "This was the year I got my attention under enough control to be able to read voraciously again like I used to in my childhood :)\n* I'll always bring up The Three-body problem because I re-read it every year\n* Piranesi because of it's fantastical story-telling\n* The Covenant of Water - because it's a fantastic medical drama and a sweeping story spanning generations\n* Victory City - Salamn Rushdie's latest novel which is surprisingly readable\n* The Enchanted Forest/Kaikeyi/Palace of Illusions - because they cover the major Indian epics from the lens of the women characters (think Circe with an Indian background)\n* Trust - The same story told from different viewpoints with a setting in the early NY financial world, which makes it extra interesting\nI notice that I do tend to favour books with an Indian background because of my nostalgia for it as  I live in a foreign land. Maybe I'll branch out more next year!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Enchanted Forest/Kaikeyi/Palace of Illusions - because they cover the major Indian epics from the lens of the women characters",
          "reason": "Listed among books reimagining Indian epics through women characters.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "indian mythology",
        "women centered retellings"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-paladin-s-legacy-7844c8",
      "title": "The Paladin's Legacy",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38570515,
          "author": "mooreds",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T16:00:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38570515",
          "commentText": "I got into some interesting fantasy/SF:\n* The Locked Tomb Trilogy -- the first book is so good and the second and third books are good and unique.\n* The Great Cities Duology (first book was stronger)\n* The Paladin's Legacy (sequel series to The Deed of Paksenarrion, great to be back in that world)\n* The Founders Trilogy by Robert Jackson Bennett\n* The Up and Under series by Deborah Baker is super whimsical\n* The Redwinter Series by Ed McDonald\nIf you're into the genre, all of these are great (at least the ones I've read, haven't finished all the series).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Paladin's Legacy (sequel series to The Deed of Paksenarrion, great to be back in that world)",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed returning to the world of the earlier series.",
          "audience": "fantasy/SF readers",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "sequel series"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-pale-king-8d8c27",
      "title": "The Pale King",
      "author": "David Foster Wallace",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14887909,
          "author": "levimaes",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-30T21:25:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14887909",
          "commentText": "Oh my god Infinite Jest reassured me I wasn't crazy for hating the self-loathing I associate with weed. And in such a funny way. I swear re-reading a chapter or scene in that book is like a real-life dream sequence; I can't help but dissociating. I still didn't understand so much of it after I \"finished\" it, but that didn't stop me from pulling the same shit I do--jumping over chapters until it's interesting--with his other work, \"The Pale King\". You will not be disappointed by the candidness and \"raw\"-ness of the pale king, either. I almost wanted to applaud some parts of it--a familiar reflex for you, too, I'm sure.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You will not be disappointed by the candidness and \"raw\"-ness of the pale king",
          "reason": "Predicts the reader will appreciate its candidness and rawness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they skip chapters until the material gets interesting.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2526858,
          "author": "pemulis",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-08T22:27:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 2526568,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2526858",
          "commentText": "I'm on a David Foster Wallace kick right now: Working through The Pale King, his collected essays and his short stories. Already read Infinite Jest. It's hard to say what qualifies as \"essential reading\" when it's impossible for a human being to read even one tenth of the great, all-time classic books. There just isn't enough time. My advice would be to read at least a few books that have reputations for being difficult. War and Peace, Gravity's Rainbow, In Search of Lost Time, Ulysses, etc. (The reason I'm only listing near-undisputed classics here is because these books are difficult, and in some cases very, very long [looking at you, Proust], and the assurance that it is all worth it helps you keep going when your brain hurts.) These books survived despite their difficulty because reading them is a mind-expanding, sometimes life-changing experience. Reading shouldn't be essentially passive.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Working through The Pale King",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Foster Wallace"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "postmodern fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-paleo-solution-407930",
      "title": "The Paleo Solution",
      "author": "Robb Wolf",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1865959,
          "author": "awolf",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T18:52:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865959",
          "commentText": "I highly recommend The Paleo Solution.\nWithout any doubt I can say it has radically changed my life for the better.\nRobb Wolf's podcasts are also packed with great information if you haven't dug into those yet.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend The Paleo Solution.",
          "reason": "The commenter highly recommends it and says it radically changed their life for the better.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865859,
          "author": "healsdata",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T18:30:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865859",
          "commentText": "Just finished The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf and started Starting Strength (2nd Edition) by Mark Rippetoe & Lon Kilgore.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Just finished The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robb Wolf"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nutrition",
        "paleo diet"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-paleo-solution-the-original-human-diet-d51403",
      "title": "The Paleo Solution: The Original Human Diet",
      "author": "Robb Wolf",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5324293,
          "author": "alexhjones",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-05T13:24:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 5323956,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: which are some good self-help books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5324293",
          "commentText": "Getting Things Done http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getting_Things_Done\nThe Seven Habits of Highly Effective People http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seven_Habits_of_Highly_Effe... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Seven_Habits_of_Highly_Effective_People)\nStarting Strength http://startingstrength.com/\n(controversial :-P) The Paleo solution http://www.amazon.com/Paleo-Solution-Original-Human-Diet/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Paleo-Solution-Original-Human-Diet/dp/0982565844)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "(controversial :-P) The Paleo solution",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter flags it as controversial.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robb Wolf"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nutrition",
        "paleo diet"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-palladium-wars-0c2d0a",
      "title": "The Palladium Wars",
      "author": "Marko Kloos",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28059025,
          "author": "johntdaly",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T09:35:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28059025",
          "commentText": "SciFi\nThe Bobiverse Series by Dennis E. Taylor\nThe Singularity Trap and Outland, also by Dennis E. Taylor\nThe Interdependency Series by John Scalzi\nSciFi + Comedy\nExpeditionary Force Series by Craig Alanson\nMilitary SciFi\nThe Lost Fleet Series by Jack Campbell\nThe Palladium Wars Series by Marko Kloos\nA bit of all of the above\nMurderbot Diaries Series by Martha Wells\nSciFi/SciFantasy + Comedy\nMagic 2.0 by Scott Mayer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Palladium Wars Series by Marko Kloos",
          "reason": "Lists the series as a military science fiction recommendation.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking military science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marko Kloos"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military science fiction",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-palliser-series-ff8d4d",
      "title": "The Palliser series",
      "author": "Anthony Trollope",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22101112,
          "author": "lizzard",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T18:45:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22101112",
          "commentText": "Trollope is pretty great. Especially if you like a long story arc and a large cast of characters, try the Warden series and the Palliser series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "try the Warden series and the Palliser series",
          "reason": "Suggested for readers who like a long story arc and a large cast of characters.",
          "audience": "Readers who like a long story arc and a large cast of characters.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anthony Trollope"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "victorian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-paradox-of-choice-why-more-is-less-0e0489",
      "title": "The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less",
      "author": "Barry Schwartz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3277849,
          "author": "technology",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T18:47:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3277849",
          "commentText": "The Minto Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing, Thinking, & Problem Solving by Barbara Minto (http://www.amazon.com/Pyramid-Principle-Writing-Thinking-Pro... (http://www.amazon.com/Pyramid-Principle-Writing-Thinking-Problem/dp/0960191046))\nSome Mental Models are available here for free :\nhttp://www.focusinvestor.com/FocusSeriesPart3.pdf\nhttp://www.focusinvestor.com/MungerModels.pdf\nFor systems :\nLean Thinking by James Womack\n--------------\nSome thought provoking personal effectiveness titles :\nThe Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz (http://www.amazon.com/Four-Agreements-Practical-Personal-Fre... (http://www.amazon.com/Four-Agreements-Practical-Personal-Freedom/dp/1878424319))\nThe Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less by Barry Schwartz (http://www.amazon.com/Paradox-Choice-Why-More-Less/dp/006000... (http://www.amazon.com/Paradox-Choice-Why-More-Less/dp/0060005696/))\nThe Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less by Barry Schwartz",
          "reason": "Listed among personal effectiveness titles in response to a request for books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Barry Schwartz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "choice",
        "decision making"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-particle-at-the-end-of-the-universe-b65c64",
      "title": "The Particle at the End of the Universe",
      "author": "Sean Carroll",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6899433,
          "author": "h1ccup",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T06:59:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6899433",
          "commentText": "This is my list(Most of these books aren't from 2013):\n1. The Man Who Invented the Computer: The Biography of John Atanasoff by Jane Smiley\n2. Halting State by Charlie Stross\n3. Levels of Life by Julian Barnes\n4. The Particle At The End Of The Universe by Sean Carrol\n5. Churchil Bomb by Graham Farmello\n6. The Science Of Memory by Charles Fernyhough\n7. The Anatomy of Violence: The biological roots of crime by Adrian Raine\n8. The Bet: Paul Ehrlich, Julian Simon, and our gamble over Earth’s future by Paul Sabin\n9. Experiencing Art: In the brain of the beholder by Arthur Shimamura\n10. The Spark: A Mother’s Story of Nurturing Genius by Kristine Barnett",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Particle At The End Of The Universe by Sean Carrol",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list answering which books were best.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sean Carroll"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "higgs boson",
        "particle physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-passage-53a735",
      "title": "The Passage",
      "author": "Justin Cronin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2627077,
          "author": "gennaria",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-06T22:44:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2627077",
          "commentText": "The Passage by Justin Cronin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Passage by Justin Cronin",
          "reason": "Listed as a suggested book in response to the thread’s request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Justin Cronin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "post apocalyptic",
        "vampires"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-passage-of-power-the-years-of-lyndon-johnson-b8c054",
      "title": "The Passage of Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson",
      "author": "Robert A. Caro",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4967299,
          "author": "chernevik",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T22:31:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967299",
          "commentText": "\"The Passage of Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson\" Robert Caro\nLBJ \"hacked\" the American Senate, understanding its operations better than anyone perhaps ever.  He further understood its role in American politics, and the impact of American politics upon it.  This 3rd volume of Caro's multi-volume biography covers LBJ's adoption of the vice-presidency, why his hopes of dominating JFK from that position failed (tldr; Kennedy was much, much smarter that Johnson understood), and Johnson's extraordinary transition to the Presidency on Kennedy's assassination.\nThe book would be outstanding simply for its sketches of JFK and RFK, figures secondary to its primary focus.  Taken as a whole it's required required reading for anyone thinking they understood politics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book would be outstanding simply for its sketches of JFK and RFK",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the biography and calls it required reading for people who think they understand politics.",
          "audience": "Anyone thinking they understand politics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert A. Caro"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american politics",
        "lyndon b johnson"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-passion-of-ayn-rand-549bc5",
      "title": "The Passion of Ayn Rand",
      "author": "Barbara Branden",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 202956,
          "author": "rglovejoy",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T03:50:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=202956",
          "commentText": "John Forbes Nash: \"A Beautiful Mind\" by Sylvia Nasir\nRichard Feynman: \"Genius\" by James Gleick\n\"The Passion of Ayn Rand\" by Barbara Brandon\n\"John Adams\" and \"Truman\" by David McCullough\n\"Lincoln the Unknown\" by Dale Carnegie",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Passion of Ayn Rand\" by Barbara Brandon",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Barbara Branden"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ayn rand",
        "objectivism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-pattern-of-shadow-and-light-4aa8d6",
      "title": "The Pattern of Shadow and Light",
      "author": "Melissa McPhail",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50116165,
          "author": "manarth",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T09:29:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50116165",
          "commentText": "And yes: Tolkien, Dune, Pratchett, Douglas Adams, Asimov/Foundation, McCaffrey/Pern, Janny Wurts, Raymond E Feist, and more recently Brandon Sanderson, Patrick Rothfuss, and Melissa McPhail (who sadly passed away, with the Pattern of Shadow and Light incomplete).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the Pattern of Shadow and Light incomplete",
          "reason": "Mentioned as an incomplete series the commenter has read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The series was left incomplete after the author’s death.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Melissa McPhail"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-pattern-on-the-stone-51337b",
      "title": "The Pattern on the Stone",
      "author": "W. Daniel Hillis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9758510,
          "author": "abecedarius",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T14:25:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758510",
          "commentText": "Knuth: he's an excellent writer with a sense of humor.\nAnything coauthored by Kernighan is a good bet, though the material is not quite so ageless. Similar remarks for P.J. Plauger.\nNorvig doesn't just write exquisite code, but good prose too.\nI always liked Abelson & Sussman's style, even though it's more textbookish. Abelson also co-wrote Turtle Geometry, which is almost unknown these days and still eye-opening. (It's more of a math book than a programming one, but its point is to be both.)\nDaniel Hillis: The Pattern on the Stone, The Connection Machine.\nRichard O'Keefe, The Craft of Prolog.\nJon Bentley.\nI remember pg's On Lisp as good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Daniel Hillis: The Pattern on the Stone, The Connection Machine.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. Daniel Hillis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computation",
        "computer science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-paul-street-boys-1f2ed8",
      "title": "The Paul Street Boys",
      "author": "Ferenc Molnár",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42963832,
          "author": "rbanffy",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-06T16:15:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42963832",
          "commentText": "- The Paul Street Boys (Ferenc Molnár)\n- The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas (Machado de Assis)\n- Cousin Bazilio (Eça de Queirós)\n- Pedagogy of the Oppressed (Paulo Freire)\nAll these as a teen. I don't think my moral compass had much plasticity after that.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Paul Street Boys (Ferenc Molnár)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ferenc Molnár"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coming of age"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-peacemaker-s-code-f3e19c",
      "title": "The Peacemaker's Code",
      "author": "Deepak Malhotra",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36083958,
          "author": "code_Whisperer",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-26T13:38:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36083958",
          "commentText": "Easily these (so far):\nThis is How You Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (actually now one of my all-time favorites, without regard to genre. Just amazing)\nChildren of Time - Adrian Tchaikovsky\nThe Book of Strange New Things - Michael Faber\nTed Chiang's short story collections (Exhalations and Stories of your life and others)\nDaemon - Daniel Suarez\nThe City and the City - China Miéville\nRoadside Picnic - Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (this one still haunts my dreams at times)\nWe Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse Book 1) - Dennis Taylor (just finished this series for book club)\nGalatea 2.2, The Overstory, Bewilderment, The Gold Bug Variations - 4 different books, all by Richard Powers - what can I say, the man is a genius and a treasure\nEifelheim - Michael Flynn - ok, this book can be a slog at times, but it is very rewarding for those who persevere, and has stuck in my brain for many years\nChocky - John Wyndham - A quiet, delightful surprise\nProvidence - Max Barry - This book flows like a movie. It will make a great movie. I found myself LITERALLY out of breath a couple of times\nHench: A Novel - Natalie Zina Walschots - Quirky, memorable\nThe Peacemaker's Code - Deepak Malhotra - Why hasn't this guy written more sci-fi?\nOrange World and Other Stories - Karen Russell - OK, maybe not strictly sci-fi, but this book tickles my brain\nGUILTY PLEASURE SCI-FI FAVORITE: The Vaz series by Laurence Dahners. I think I've read that series 3 times now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Peacemaker's Code - Deepak Malhotra - Why hasn't this guy written more sci-fi?",
          "reason": "Expresses a wish for more science fiction from the author.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Deepak Malhotra"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-pearl-cadc9e",
      "title": "The Pearl",
      "author": "John Steinbeck",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47330488,
          "author": "devrundown",
          "createdAt": "2026-03-11T00:26:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 47315415,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47330488",
          "commentText": "Just finished up the first two Game of Thrones book. Before continuing wanted to check out a couple of other books.\nRead Shadow Divers which was really good. Saw it suggested a lot and it did not disappoint.\nNow reading The Pearl by Steinbeck and Red Dwarf: Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers by Grant Naylor.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Now reading The Pearl by Steinbeck",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46397495,
          "author": "jaimefjorge",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T23:26:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46397495",
          "commentText": "All fiction.\n- The Great Gatsby. Really enjoyed it and seemed fitting with the current times.\n- Buddenbrooks, Thomas Mann. Generational wealth come and gone. Good for putting things into perspective.\n- Things Fall Apart, Achebe.\n- The Pearl, John Steinbeck\n- Hyperion (first book), Dan Simmons. Great sci-fi. Bought the second book and look forward to reading it.\n- Stoner, John Williams. Incredibly well written book\n- One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez. Still finishing but I hope to finish in time for next year",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Pearl, John Steinbeck",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785719,
          "author": "martythemaniak",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T21:18:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785719",
          "commentText": "Leave it to Psmith - 10/10\nAnna Karenina - 8/10\nThe Code of the Woosters 8/10\nFooled by Randomness 7/10\nFinding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life 8/10\nHow to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia 9/10\nReluctant Fundamentalist 9/10\nThe Sense of an Ending - Julian Barnes 8/10\nThe Last Question - Asimov - 9/10\nThe Magic of Thinking Big - 6/10\nThe catcher in the Rye 8/10\nModels 7/10\nHigh Fidelity - Nick Hornby 8/10\nThe Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman 7/10\nThe Surrender Experiment - 10/10\nUntethered Soul - 9/10\nThe Autobiography of a Yogi - 7/10\nRaja Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 7/10\nSomething Fresh, something new - 7/10\nKarma Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 8/10\nThinking, Fast and Slow - 9/10\nFierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates 10/10\nThe Pearl by John Steinbeck 7/10",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Pearl by John Steinbeck 7/10",
          "reason": "Rates the book 7/10.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Steinbeck"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "parable",
        "american literature",
        "literary fiction",
        "novella"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-penguin-history-of-new-zealand-5116fb",
      "title": "The Penguin History of New Zealand",
      "author": "Michael King",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33382606,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T10:05:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382606",
          "commentText": "Top 2 so far:\n   * Washington: A life by Ron Chernow\n   * The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won by Victor Davis Hanson\n\nThe Washington book is a very detailed by clear overview of his life. Easy to follow (even for complex situations) and very week written.\nThe WW2 book is amazing. Compares the countries fighting in around 20 different areas (technology, leadership, geography, aircraft) and says who is better and why.\nAlso very good:\n   * FDR by Jean Edward Smith\n   * Master of the Senate by Robert A. Caro\n   * The Penguin History of New Zealand by Michael King\n   * The years of Lyndon Johnson 2 – Means of Ascent by Robert Caro\n   * Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road by Kyle Buchanan\n   * Becoming Trader Joe: How I Did Business My Way and Still Beat the Big Guys by Joe Coulombe\n   * How Innovation Works: And Why It Flourishes in Freedom by Matt Ridley\n   * Yeager: An Autobiography by Chuck Yeager\n   * The years of Lyndon Johnson: The Path to Power by Robert Caro\n   * The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson\n   * Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson\n   * An Economist walks into a Brothel: And Other Unexpected Places to Understand Risk by Allison Schrager\n   * The Devil’s Candy: The Bonfire of the Vanities Goes to Hollywood by Julie Salamon\n   * Sam Walton: Made in America by Sam Walton",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* The Penguin History of New Zealand by Michael King",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael King"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "new zealand"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-penguin-history-of-the-world-68bfec",
      "title": "The Penguin History of the World",
      "author": "J. M. Roberts and Odd Arne Westad",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23858780,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:34:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858780",
          "commentText": "The Prince - Niccolo Machiavelli\nThe 48 Rules of Power - Robert Greene\nFooled By Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nHow to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big - Scott Adams\nBasic Economics - Thomas Sowell\nThe World Is Flat - Thomas L. Friedman\nThe Penguin History of the World: Sixth Edition - J. M. Roberts and Odd Arne Westad",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Penguin History of the World: Sixth Edition - J. M. Roberts and Odd Arne Westad",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that helped readers understand the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. M. Roberts",
        "Odd Arne Westad"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "world history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-pentagon-s-brain-f14233",
      "title": "The Pentagon's Brain",
      "author": "Annie Jacobsen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18664025,
          "author": "godelmachine",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T14:15:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664025",
          "commentText": "Finished The Imagineers of War by Sharon Weinberger and The Pentagons Brain\nBoth are on DARPA.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Finished The Imagineers of War by Sharon Weinberger and The Pentagons Brain",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17520298,
          "author": "godelmachine",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T03:27:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17520298",
          "commentText": "1) The Imagineer’s of War by Sharon Weinberger\n2) The Pentagon’s Brain by Annie Jacobson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Pentagon’s Brain by Annie Jacobson",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for interesting recent reading suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Annie Jacobsen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "darpa",
        "intelligence",
        "military history",
        "military research"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-pentagon-s-new-map-war-and-peace-in-the-twenty-first-century-8010aa",
      "title": "The Pentagon's New Map: War and Peace in the Twenty-first Century",
      "author": "Thomas P. M. Barnett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227009,
          "author": "ColemanF",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T17:25:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227009",
          "commentText": "The Pentagon's New Map: War and Peace in the Twenty-first Century by Thomas P. M. Barnett.\nIt's like The World is Flat on steroids.  It's probably even more pro free trade.  It's the most optimistic look at world affairs I've ever seen.  The idea is that trade ties countries together and makes them stop fighting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's the most optimistic look at world affairs I've ever seen.",
          "reason": "Calls it the most optimistic look at world affairs they have read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it is especially pro free trade.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas P. M. Barnett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "geopolitics",
        "globalization",
        "international relations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-pentium-chronicles-an-oral-history-of-intel-s-first-claims-to-18b318",
      "title": "The Pentium Chronicles: An Oral History of Intel's First Claims to Fame",
      "author": "Robert P. Colwell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22708451,
          "author": "cfallin",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T01:30:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22708451",
          "commentText": "Soul of a New Machine is fantastic!\nAlso on computer architecture / story of developing a new processor, \"The Pentium Chronicles\" by Robert Colwell is a really interesting book on the story of the Pentium Pro, the first out-of-order CPU from Intel.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Pentium Chronicles\" by Robert Colwell",
          "reason": "Tells the story of developing the Pentium Pro, described as Intel's first out-of-order CPU.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in computer architecture and processor development.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert P. Colwell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer architecture",
        "processor design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-perennial-philosophy-ab05e0",
      "title": "The Perennial Philosophy",
      "author": "Aldous Huxley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36135288,
          "author": "hello_computer",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-31T06:53:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36135288",
          "commentText": "William James was a Theosophist (no religion higher than truth).  Theosophy is another mystery school, like Masonry which preceded it (look into Leadbeater & Olcott, Blavatsky's handlers), and like Anthroposophy, which splintered from it in-turn.  These schools seem to have been undertaking the syncretization of all world religions known at the time.  Immediately after the fall of the Knights Templar, we get the Masons--mixing the Abrahamic with the Egyptian and Mithraic.  Then, as the Hindu and Buddhist doctrines made their ways into western consciousness in the 19th c., these also had to be retconned into the mix, ergo Theosophy.\nSo, of course James would be one to write about such things, but he was standing on the shoulders of giants; a disclosure of received wisdom more than personal insight.  And if you are interested in such things, the more recent mystery schools--Theosophy (Blavatsky), Anthroposophy (Steiner), Perennialism (Guenon), Esalen (Huxley, \"The Perennial Philosophy\")--are all good places to start.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Esalen (Huxley, \"The Perennial Philosophy\")",
          "reason": "Named as one of several places the commenter says are good starting points for exploring mystery schools.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in mystery schools and syncretic religious traditions.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Aldous Huxley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comparative religion",
        "mysticism",
        "perennialism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-perfect-predator-a-scientist-s-race-to-save-her-husband-from--1eca7c",
      "title": "The Perfect Predator: A Scientist's Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Superbug",
      "author": "Steffanie Strathdee and Thomas Patterson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804899,
          "author": "AGivant",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:29:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804899",
          "commentText": "Here is my list (from https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/912138-alex-givant?rea...):\nMemoirs:\n- Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti..).\n- Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive by Land, Stephanie, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39218350-maid\n- Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40409969-medium-raw\n- Confessions of a Tax Collector: One Man's Tour of Duty Inside the IRS by Yancey, Rick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_..).\n- The Perfect Predator: A Scientist's Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Superbug: A Memoir by Steffanie Strathdee, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-pre... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-predator)\nPolitics:\n- Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Desmond, Matthew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25852784-evicted\n- Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America by Leovy, Jill, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13153693-ghettoside\n- American Prison: A Reporter's Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment by Bauer, Shane, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38561954-american-prison\n- Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Eban, Katherine, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42448266-bottle-of-lies\n- A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America by Miller, T. Christian, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35805861-a-false-report\n- The New Silk Roads by Frankopan, Peter, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro..).\nHistory:\n- Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-1956 by Applebaum, Anne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13531848-iron-curtain\n- The Romanovs: 1613-1918 by Montefiore, Simon Sebag, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26109020-the-romanovs\n- The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Johnson, Steven, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36086.The_Ghost_Map\n- Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations by Bergman, Ronen, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f..).\n- Madame Fourcade's Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against Hitler by Olson, Lynne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade..).\n- Argo: How the CIA & Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History by Méndez, Antonio J., https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13588425-argo\nCrime:\n- Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History by Selby, Scott Andrew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7071759-flawless\n- American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road by Bilton, Nick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi..).\n- Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by Carreyrou, John, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37976541-bad-blood\n- Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World by Wright, Tom, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-..).\n- The Mastermind: Drugs. Empire. Murder. Betrayal. by Ratliff, Evan, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41181600-the-mastermind\nTechnology:\n- Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon by Zetter, Kim, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze..).\n- Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World by Thompson, Clive, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40406806-coders",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Perfect Predator: A Scientist's Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Superbug: A Memoir by Steffanie Strathdee",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list of favorite nonfiction books read in 2019.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steffanie Strathdee and Thomas Patterson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "infectious disease",
        "phage therapy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-perfect-weapon-war-sabotage-and-fear-in-the-cyber-age-a9e2e5",
      "title": "The Perfect Weapon: War, Sabotage, and Fear in the Cyber Age",
      "author": "David E. Sanger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18744518,
          "author": "jen729w",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T04:55:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744518",
          "commentText": "Breaking news : the remaking of journalism and why it matters now – Rusbridger, Alan\nFrom the editor of The Guardian for the last 20 years, a fascinating look at the move from traditional print to online news.\n---\nThe perfect weapon : war, sabotage, and fear in the cyber age – Sanger, David E.\nThe subtitle says it all. From that I’m now reading ‘Click Here to Kill Everybody’ by Schneier. Enjoying it so far.\n---\nThe world as it is : a memoir of the Obama White House\n— Rhodes, Benjamin J.\nAnother obvious one based on the title.\n---\nAs a side note, join your local library, people. None of this cost me a penny. I hope you still have a library wherever you live. Ours (Melbourne City Library Service) is just magnificent.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The perfect weapon : war, sabotage, and fear in the cyber age – Sanger, David E.\nThe subtitle says it all.",
          "reason": "Presents the book as an obvious pick based on its title and subtitle.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David E. Sanger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybersecurity",
        "cyberwarfare"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-perks-of-being-a-wallflower-aadb41",
      "title": "The Perks of Being a Wallflower",
      "author": "Stephen Chbosky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40442813,
          "author": "shanecleveland",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-22T16:25:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40442813",
          "commentText": "Browsing banned book lists as inspiration for books I should probably be reading. Just finished The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Pretty good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just finished The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Pretty good.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they thought it was pretty good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Chbosky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coming of age"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-persian-expedition-5ebc7c",
      "title": "The Persian Expedition",
      "author": "Xenophon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 456347,
          "author": "pskomoroch",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T14:15:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456347",
          "commentText": "I used to have a lot more time for non CS reading and actually made an Amazon list on this topic back in 2005:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/2INJSM38... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/fullview/2INJSM38IDMDZ/ref=cm_sw_r_de_lm)\n1.  On War (Everyman's Library (Cloth)) by Carl Von Clausewitz\n2.  Leadership: The Warrior's Art by Barry R. McCaffrey\n3.  Small Unit Leadership: A Commonsense Approach by Dandridge M. Malone\n4.  The Defense of Hill 781: An Allegory of Modern Mechanized Combat by James R. McDonough\n5.  The Art of Maneuver: Maneuver-Warfare Theory and AirLand Battle by Robert Leonhard\n6.  Strategy: Second Revised Edition (Meridian) by B. H. Liddell Hart\n7.  The Art of War by Niccolò Machiavelli\n8.  Hagakure: The Book of the Samauri by Tsunetomo Yamamoto\n9.  The Emperor's Handbook: A New Translation of The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius\n10.  The Art of War (Shambhala classics) by Sun Tzu\n11.  The Prince (Bantam Classics) by Niccolo Machiavelli\n12.  Evolutionary Game Theory by Jörgen W. Weibull\n13.  On Guerrilla Warfare by Mao Tse-tung\n14.  The History of the Peloponnesian War: Revised Edition (Penguin Classics) by Thucydides\n15.  The Histories (Penguin Classics) by Herodotus\n16.  The Persian Expedition (Penguin Classics) by Xenophon\n17.  Plutarch: Lives of Noble Grecians and Romans (Modern Library Series, Vol. 1) by Plutarch\n18.  Plutarch's Lives, Volume 2 (Modern Library Classics) by Plutarch\n19.  Livy: The Early History of Rome, Books I-V (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 1-5) by Titus Livy\n20.  The History of Rome from Its Foundation, Books XXI-XXX: The War with Hannibal (Penguin Classics) (Bks. 21-30) by Titus Livius Livy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "16.  The Persian Expedition (Penguin Classics) by Xenophon",
          "reason": "Included in a list of military strategy books answering the thread's request.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking books about military strategy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Xenophon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient greece",
        "military history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-persistence-of-vision-750202",
      "title": "The Persistence of Vision",
      "author": "John Varley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13240161,
          "author": "Freak_NL",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T20:35:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13240161",
          "commentText": "I've read all six novels of David Brin's Uplift trilogies this past year. If you enjoy sci-fi written with a sound grasp of ecological issues and an intriguing take on galactic society, have a look at these books.\nAlso, dolphins in space.\nIf you are unfamiliar with this author, you may remember him from his essay on a particular persistent trope in sci-fi writing linked on HN:\nhttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13040930\nI enjoyed the Uplift series (written in the eighties and nineties) a lot, and was pleasantly surprised to learn of a short story bundle that came out just this year. It includes a novelette that takes place in the Uplift universe, wrapping up some loose ends.\nThe story bundle is named Insistence of Vision, named for the opening story. The name is indubitably a nod to John Varley's (sublime!) short story The Persistence of Vision (also the name of the story bundle it is collected in, recommended for any sci-fi fan). I always find short sci-fi stories refreshing in that they provide a chance to explore more radical ideas and settings that would be hard to facilitate in longer works. Brin is one of those authors who succeeds in titillating the reader's imagination with interesting what-ifs and extrapolations without feeling contrived. Recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The name is indubitably a nod to John Varley's (sublime!) short story The Persistence of Vision",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the story “sublime” and recommends the collection it appears in to any science fiction fan.",
          "audience": "Science fiction fans.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Varley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-peter-norton-programmer-s-guide-to-the-ibm-pc-4595ae",
      "title": "The Peter Norton Programmer's Guide to the IBM PC",
      "author": "Peter Norton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30490393,
          "author": "randcraw",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T17:23:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30490393",
          "commentText": "“Complete Turbo Pascal” by Jeff Duntemann and “The Peter Norton Programmer's Guide to the IBM PC” blazed my trail into professional computing.  Both are near-ideal models of nonfiction writing and teach a practical skill through the joy of discovery.  No CS textbook I've read since can compare, though Allen Downey's “Think” series probably comes closest.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Complete Turbo Pascal” by Jeff Duntemann and “The Peter Norton Programmer's Guide to the IBM PC” blazed my trail into professional computing.",
          "reason": "Says it helped lead them into professional computing and praises its practical teaching through discovery.",
          "audience": "Readers learning IBM PC programming.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Norton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ibm pc",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-peter-principle-e45342",
      "title": "The Peter Principle",
      "author": "Laurence J. Peter and Raymond Hull",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12098993,
          "author": "0xmohit",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T04:49:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12098993",
          "commentText": "Here are a few:\nSync: The Emerging Science of Spontaneous Order by Steven Strogatz\nPrime Obsession: Bernhard Riemann and the Greatest Unsolved Problem in Mathematics by John Derbyshire\nPredictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely\nThe Peter Principle: Why Things Always Go Wrong by \tLaurence J. Peter and Raymond Hull",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Peter Principle: Why Things Always Go Wrong by Laurence J. Peter and Raymond Hull",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Laurence J. Peter and Raymond Hull"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "management",
        "organizational behavior"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-peter-principle-why-things-always-go-wrong-32e328",
      "title": "The Peter Principle: Why Things Always Go Wrong",
      "author": "Laurence J. Peter and Raymond Hull",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12144310,
          "author": "0xmohit",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:55:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144310",
          "commentText": "- The Peter Principle: Why Things Always Go Wrong by Lawrence J. Peter & Raymond Hull\n- The Upside of Irrationality by Dan Ariely\n- Screw It, Let's Do It: Lessons In Life by Sir Richard Branson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Peter Principle: Why Things Always Go Wrong by Lawrence J. Peter & Raymond Hull",
          "reason": "Named in response to a request for books that impacted a career.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Laurence J. Peter and Raymond Hull"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "management",
        "organizational behavior"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-phantom-major-257755",
      "title": "The Phantom Major",
      "author": "Virginia Cowles",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12416715,
          "author": "crdb",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T22:27:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416715",
          "commentText": "The first scene in Tolstoy's War and Peace should be required reading for engineering graduates, particularly the hyper-rational Sheldon types. I'm referring specifically to the impact Pierre has on the people at the party, the importance of manners, why small talk, etc. War and Peace is generally a great book because of how much it captures about human nature and power plays and it is still relevant today. It has a reputation for length but I found it much more readable than, say, Lord of the Rings.\nDelta Force by Col. Charlie Beckwith. Think your company has red tape? Try the US Army post-Vietnam. It's a great example of someone moving through bureaucracy to achieve great things and taught me to stop making excuses based on organisational behaviour. The Phantom Major by Virginia Cowles is in the same vein with some phenomenal hustling lessons. I still think of both men whenever I think whatever I'm doing is hard.\nDynamic Hedging by Taleb was written whilst he was a pit trader and is the most intuitive introduction to thinking about options I've read. It informs my thinking about decision making in terms of probability, path dependency and higher order greeks, and helps me take risks in a smart manner. I recommend it to a lot of people but nobody takes it up because (I'm guessing) it's only available as a second hand paper copy, and people think trading options has nothing to do with their life.\nLegionnaire by Simon Murray was recommended to me by my thesis supervisor shortly before graduation. I respected his opinion so I read the thing and it blew my mind in what people were capable of doing when pushed to the edge. Murray went on to have multiple interesting careers and set records as a helicopter pilot.\nThere are two books that were lessons in what they did not teach me.\nClayton Christensen's Innovator's Dilemma/Solution presents a very enticing idea but I think the core explanation for what it covers is much better set forward in Marc Bloch's Strange Defeat. There are regular sub-threads on the book on HN so I won't go into it further.\nI also read a couple of Jack Welch books and thought, wow, this guy knows what he is talking about. This was before 2007. After 2007, I heard from a few people - including very smart investors - who basically put GE's success down to the 30 year bull market and to the growth of GE Capital which became something like 60% of the company and indeed did almost take down GE with it after Lehman. It introduced the possibility that some famous leaders and gurus might not be as competent as they are branded to be and it's important to check for confounding variables.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Phantom Major by Virginia Cowles is in the same vein with some phenomenal hustling lessons.",
          "reason": "Says it offers phenomenal lessons in resourceful action.",
          "audience": "People seeking lessons in resourcefulness.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Virginia Cowles"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military history",
        "resourcefulness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-phantom-rickshaw-and-other-eerie-tales-081af2",
      "title": "The Phantom Rickshaw and Other Eerie Tales",
      "author": "Rudyard Kipling",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20915799,
          "author": "NeedMoreTea",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T06:53:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20915799",
          "commentText": "The Phantom Rickshaw and other Eerie Tales, Rudyard Kipling. This is the one that includes \"The Man Who Would be King\" that's a fairly well known film with Sean Connery and Michael Caine.\nHis other short story books, such as The Jungle Book and Just So Stories - so much better than the Disney.\nThe Time Machine and other Stories, H G Wells.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Phantom Rickshaw and other Eerie Tales, Rudyard Kipling.",
          "reason": "Lists the collection in response to a request for favorite old books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rudyard Kipling"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ghost stories",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-phenomenology-of-perception-655e03",
      "title": "The Phenomenology of Perception",
      "author": "Maurice Merleau-Ponty",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503706,
          "author": "edna_piranha",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T14:46:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503706",
          "commentText": "If you're interested in phenomenology and/or existentialism and works that are somewhat readable (this is subjective of course), I'd suggest:\n1. Maurice Merleau-Ponty - The Phenomenology of Perception\n2. Simone de Beauvoir - Ethics of Ambiguity\n3. Friedrich Nietzsche - Will to Power\nI'd highly recommend NOT reading Being and Time by Heidegger - you'll want to stab your eyes out ten times.\nOutside of pure philosophical texts and more emphasis on fictional works related to philosophy, I'd suggest indirect material that encourage ideas of subjective perception and point-of-view. Examples are works by Franz Kafka, Ryu Murakami and William S. Burroughs.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd suggest:\n1. Maurice Merleau-Ponty - The Phenomenology of Perception",
          "reason": "Suggests it to readers interested in phenomenology or existentialism.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in phenomenology or existentialism.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says readability is subjective.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Maurice Merleau-Ponty"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "existentialism",
        "phenomenology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-philosopher-in-the-kitchen-2e19d6",
      "title": "The Philosopher in the Kitchen",
      "author": "Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45947912,
          "author": "wannabebarista",
          "createdAt": "2025-11-16T19:57:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 45947737,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45947912",
          "commentText": "Here's my list so far:\nDifferential Privacy (2025) by Simson Garfinkel. This is an accessible and enjoyable introduction to differential privacy from the MIT Press essentials series.\nThe Philosopher in the Kitchen (1825) by Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin. This is a primer on gourmandism or the art and science of cooking, eating, and hosting. An interesting look at the French intellectual milieu at the turn of the nineteenth century.\nRelativism and the Foundations of Philosophy (2006) by Steven Hales. This book argues for relativism about philosophical propositions, e.g., metaphysical statements. I came across this book and picked it up after enjoying a few articles from Hales' blog [0].\nI usually put up a list at the end of each year. Here's the list from last year [1].\n[0] https://hilariusbookbinder.substack.com\n[1] https://bcmullins.github.io/interesting-books-2024/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An interesting look at the French intellectual milieu at the turn of the nineteenth century.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a primer on gourmandism and an interesting look at early nineteenth-century French intellectual life.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in cooking, eating, hosting, or French intellectual history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "food culture",
        "french intellectual history",
        "gourmandism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-philosopher-s-toolkit-890366",
      "title": "The Philosopher's Toolkit",
      "author": "Julian Baggini and Peter S. Fosl",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43612522,
          "author": "treetalker",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T15:20:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43612522",
          "commentText": "Peter Bevelin's Seeking Wisdom.\nThe other day someone on here recommended The Philosopher's Toolkit, and I ordered a copy based on that recommendation. I've only started to dip into various parts, but I can already confirm that it is a good introductory compendium of the basics of philosophy, logic, and argumentation. In the same vein is Daniel Dennett's Intuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking.\nA personal favorite is Frances  Yates's The Art of Memory (think: intersection of rhetoric, mnemonic systems, philosophical systems, and the occult during the Renaissance).\nMatthew Butterick's Practical Typography and Typography for Lawyers. Bryan Garner's The Winning Brief.\nUmberto Eco's How to Write a Thesis. Adler's How to Read a Book. Pierre Bayard's How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read.\nI could go on. Book posts are my favorite posts on HN, but they always lighten my wallet and at home I'm surrounded with ever-growing piles of great material.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can already confirm that it is a good introductory compendium of the basics of philosophy, logic, and argumentation.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a good introductory compendium of philosophy, logic, and argumentation.",
          "audience": "Readers new to philosophy, logic, and argumentation.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has only started dipping into various parts.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Julian Baggini",
        "Peter S. Fosl"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "argumentation",
        "logic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-philosopher-s-toolkit-a-compendium-of-philosophical-concepts--95c04c",
      "title": "The Philosopher's Toolkit: A Compendium of Philosophical Concepts and Methods",
      "author": "Julian Baggini and Peter S. Fosl",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43574111,
          "author": "nextos",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-03T19:17:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 43572949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books written on “How to think”?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43574111",
          "commentText": "I really like The Philosopher's Toolkit: A Compendium of Philosophical Concepts and Methods by Baggini & Fosl.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Philosopher's Toolkit: A Compendium of Philosophical Concepts and Methods by Baggini & Fosl",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really like the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Julian Baggini",
        "Peter S. Fosl"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "critical thinking",
        "philosophical methods"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-philosophy-book-d84ad5",
      "title": "The Philosophy Book",
      "author": "DK",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36112572,
          "author": "frankie_t",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-29T10:33:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36112572",
          "commentText": "I can't recommend something I haven't read myself, but Mircea Eliade's \"History of religion\" looks good, but it's quite bulky. I was considering it myself, for the same reasons as yours. Maybe someone who read it can elaborate. I'm reading his other work about yoga, and it is quite interesting.\nI you look for basic basic understanding, maybe \"The religions book\" could be of help. I'm occasionally reading \"The philosophy book\" from this series, and while it very brief, I find the format (brisk to the point summaries, graphics) quite good for what it's trying to achieve.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'm occasionally reading \"The philosophy book\" from this series",
          "reason": "The commenter says they find the concise summaries and graphics good for the book's purpose.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is very brief.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "DK"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "illustrated guide",
        "philosophy overview"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-philosophy-book-1254ce",
      "title": "The Philosophy Book",
      "author": "Will Buckingham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237156,
          "author": "impostervt",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:37:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237156",
          "commentText": "\"The Autobiography of Malcom X\"\nWhat a crazy life he led.\n\"Napoleon: A Life\" - Andrew Roberts\nA gigantic book that still felt rushed because of how much he did during his life.\n\"Babylon: Mesopotamia and the Birth of Civilization\" Kriwaczek, Paul\nInteresting introduction but I was hoping for more of a focus on a specific period of time. Instead if covers several thousand years of history.\n\"Buddhism Without Belief\" - Stephen Bachelor\nMeh.\n\"The Book of Magic: From Antiquity to the Enlightenment\" - Copenhaver, Brian\n\"The Philosophy Book\" - Will Buckingham\nGreat into to the history of Philosophy\n\"The Vindication of Man\" by John C Wright\nGreat, great series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great into to the history of Philosophy",
          "reason": "Praised as a great introduction to the history of philosophy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Will Buckingham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "introductory reference",
        "philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-phoenix-project-a-novel-about-it-devops-and-helping-your-busi-f8321c",
      "title": "The Phoenix Project: A Novel About IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win",
      "author": "Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, and George Spafford",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27889701,
          "author": "valbaca",
          "createdAt": "2021-07-20T03:12:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 27879593,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27889701",
          "commentText": "\"Algorithms to Live By\"\n\"The Phoenix Project\" / \"The Unicorn Project\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Phoenix Project\"",
          "reason": "Listed as a recommendation in response to the request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22709727,
          "author": "gonehome",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T07:11:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22709727",
          "commentText": "The Phoenix project was inspired in part by the goal - I think it's still good and the software focus makes it more fun to read if you're in software.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Phoenix project was inspired in part by the goal",
          "reason": "Says The Phoenix Project was inspired by The Goal, while noting its software focus makes it more fun for software readers.",
          "audience": "Readers working in software may find its software focus more fun.",
          "caveat": "The comment says it was inspired only in part by The Goal.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22708939,
          "author": "gonehome",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T03:23:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22708939",
          "commentText": "I also think it's a great book, but partly because it is technical.\nCharles is great at explaining how computers actually work with circuit diagrams from the ground up in a way that's articulate, clear, and engaging. I think I learned more from this book than I did in my CS architecture class.\nThe historical context he puts it in helps with clarity since it's easier to understand when you know how each successive step built on the previous one.\nIn addition to the Dream Machine, I'd also mention Steven Levy's Hackers as an obvious one to read.\nSome others I've read:\n- What the dormouse said (this one was just okay, but interesting to see some of the cultural context at the time).\n- Crypto (about the history of cryptography). I really liked this one, but people I've recommended it to found it dry.\n- In the Plex (history of Google)\n- Masters of Doom (John Carmack, John Romero and Id Software)\nRelated Fiction:\n- Microserfs\n- The Soul of a New Machine\n- The Phoenix Project (fiction paired with the Dev Ops Handbook)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "- The Phoenix Project (fiction paired with the Dev Ops Handbook)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as fiction paired with The DevOps Handbook.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gene Kim",
        "Kevin Behr",
        "George Spafford"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "devops",
        "technology industry fiction",
        "it management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-physicists-d8c3bf",
      "title": "The Physicists",
      "author": "Friedrich Dürrenmatt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15631099,
          "author": "btschaegg",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T19:28:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15631099",
          "commentText": "Hard to pinpoint. In terms of entertainment books, it'll probably come down to a tie between Douglas Adams' Last Chance to See and Walter Moers' The City of Dreaming Books, or maybe something by Terry Pratchett (although I couldn't single out a book there, either).\nThe reason for those is just that I can't imagine ever being bored reading them.\nMaybe also Flowers for Algernon (Daniel Keyes) for being a really creative concept (the way the story is told) and for being a wonderful example on how interesting modest sci-fi can be without resorting to \"LAZERZ!!!\".\nEdit: Another contestant: Friedrich Dürrenmatt's The Physicists. Grim yet humorful. I generally really like Dürrenmatt's dark endings.\nEdit 2: And another one: Measuring the World by Daniel Kehlmann, specifically for how well he got me to understand Gauss' weird reactions and motives without going into his work at all. Before I've read it, I would have sworn that a book that tries to present one of the greatest mathematicians would need loads of math in it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Friedrich Dürrenmatt's The Physicists. Grim yet humorful.",
          "reason": "Likes its grim yet humorous tone and Dürrenmatt's dark endings.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Friedrich Dürrenmatt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dark comedy",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-physics-of-everyday-things-29579e",
      "title": "The Physics of Everyday Things",
      "author": "James Kakalios",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665209,
          "author": "PostPost",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:26:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665209",
          "commentText": "Sorry for the wall of text.\n1. Bourne (The language and world of this novel are extraordinary - everything is falling apart yet brimming with life. Strangely moving)\n2. The Design of Everyday things (Essential for anyone in UI/UX)\n3. All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (Highly engaging, entertaining sci-fi novella series, from an author that can write a very decent robot protagonist)\n4. The Power (Interesting story with sci-fi elements on the dynamics of power, sex, and gender roles. I didn't care for the book, but the first 3/4 of the book are amazing)\n5. Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days\n6. 7 brief Lessons on Physics\n7. The Last Lecture (The energy and positivity coming from a man knowing he's about to die is infectious. Great read)\n8. A wizard of Earthsea (Move over Harry Potter, this is the essential children's story about wizards)\n9. Exploring diabetes with owls (Funny, irreverent)\n10. Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children (Made an effort to read more YA this year - this was the best in this series, but I still hated it. There's a host of better YA series out there.)\n11. A Wizard of Earthsea: The Tombs of Atuan (See 8.)\n12. The Girl in the Dark (Interesting book about a skin condition I had never heard of, and the trials of living with a very rare condition)\n13. The Phantom Tollbooth (Clever children's book)\n14. Black hole blues and songs from outer space (Informative book about the study of space,  the political and economic forces standing in the way of science, and the incredible individuals working in this field)\n15. Welcome to Night Vale (Hugely entertaining, clever and weird)\n16. You need a budget (Basic economics book explaining how to budget in a way that lets you do more with your money)\n17. To fight Against This Age (Incredibly pretentious, \nIvory Tower philosophizing)\n18. Infinity Gauntlet (Half the Universe dying because Thanos wanted to sleep with Lady Death will never not be ridiculous)\n19. The Right and Wrong Stuff (Great read explaining how to anticipate and avoid career pitfalls)\n20. Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children: Hollow City (pretty shitty)\n21. The Farthest Shore (Ursula K. Le Guin was the biggest loss this year)\n22. Miss peregrine's home for Peculiar Children: Library of Souls (I hate this book and all its characters)\n23. Every Good Endevour (Religious book about a Christian worldview and the value of labor - not a bad read)\n24. When to Rob a Bank and 131 warped suggestions… (interesting, funny, from the writers of Freakonomics)\n25. Weapons of Math Destruction (Probably the most useful book on this list, if you're reading this on \"hackernews\")\n26. Holes (Perfect summer paperback read)\n27. Silver Screen Sirens (Essential for film geeks)\n28. A full life: reflections at 90 (I gained a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter: he lived an incredible life and does great things)\n29. Call Me by your name (Very good romance novel to send to your bigoted relatives at Christmas)\n30. Hyperbole and a half (Incredibly entertaining, very distinctive art style)\n31. The Murderbot diaries: Artificial Condition (See 3.)\n32. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Best children's book, fight me)\n33. Less (Exceptionally well-written)\n34. Resilience (Great book, especially for those that have gone through extremely difficult circumstances)\n35. The Strange Bird (Dark, bleak, full of life, see 1.)\n36. The Murderbot diaries: Rogue Protocol (See 3.)\n37. His Dark Materials: The subtle knife (See 32.)\n38. Tap Dancing to Work (Very dry, some stories/articles are fantastic, others very, very boring for people that do not care about finance)\n39. So Good They Can't Ignore You (Pretty good)\n40. His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass (Amazing YA, see 32.)\n41. Uncontainable (Inspirational book about conscious capitalism)\n42. The Emperor of All Maladies (Pretty much everything you'll ever want to know about Cancer, written in a very engaging way)\n43. Blind Spot\n44. Shoe dog (Great story, see madmax108's comment, totally agree)\n45. The Faithful Spy (Beautiful artwork describing a Christian pastor's fight against fascism during WW2)\n46. Zero to One\n47. You'll grow out of it\n48. The Happiness advantage (Really fantastic book about the value of positive psychology)\n49. Dreams from my father (Enlightening look into Obama's \nearly days)\n50. Ayoade on Ayoade (Entertaining, extremely scatter-brained, not as funny as his interviews or tv programs)\n51. The Diabolic (badly written YA Sci-Fi)\n52. The Physics of Everyday Things (surprisingly informative, recommended for non science-people interested in the way things work)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "surprisingly informative, recommended for non science-people interested in the way things work",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as informative for people without a science background who are curious about how things work.",
          "audience": "Readers without a science background who are interested in how things work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Kakalios"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "everyday physics",
        "popular science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-physics-of-wall-street-a-brief-history-of-predicting-the-unpr-7a4b3b",
      "title": "The Physics of Wall Street: A Brief History of Predicting the Unpredictable",
      "author": "James Owen Weatherall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17911376,
          "author": "sonabinu",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T18:09:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17911376",
          "commentText": "Against the Gods: The Remarkable Story of Risk\nby Peter L. Bernstein \nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/128429.Against_the_Gods\nThe Physics of Wall Street: A Brief History of Predicting the Unpredictable\nby James Owen Weatherall https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13356644-the-physics-of-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13356644-the-physics-of-wall-street)\nFaster Than Thought: A Symposium on Digital Computing Machines\n(1953) by B. V. Bowden. http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/10719/Faster-Than-Tho... (http://www.computinghistory.org.uk/det/10719/Faster-Than-Thought-A-Symposium-on-Digital-Computing-Machines-1953/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Physics of Wall Street: A Brief History of Predicting the Unpredictable\nby James Owen Weatherall",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Owen Weatherall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial history",
        "quantitative finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-pigeon-tunnel-f098f0",
      "title": "The Pigeon Tunnel",
      "author": "John le Carré",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20332888,
          "author": "KaiserPro",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T07:16:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20332888",
          "commentText": "I personally hate self improvement books/management, so here are some narrative books that I loved and got lost in\n1) The tiger's wife - To me it has a brilliant full universe. Its comprised of a overarching narrative broken up with lots of short stories.\n2) night watch/ making money / going postal - terry pratchett Fun stories with full characters.\n3) THe pigeon tunnels - john le carre, Again composed of short stories, not overly spy-y just fascinating character studies, with a bit of history.\n4) differently morphous - Yahtzee croshaw this one is a scifi comedy, 100% worth getting in audiobook form\n5) rivers of london - ben aaronovich, policeman who was all set for a life of being a desk clerk accidentally becomes a wizard policemen.\n6) harry potter, obviously :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "3) THe pigeon tunnels - john le carre, Again composed of short stories, not overly spy-y just fascinating character studies, with a bit of history.",
          "reason": "Praises it as fascinating character studies with some history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it is not overly focused on espionage.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John le Carré"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "espionage",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-pilgrim-s-regress-fbfaef",
      "title": "The Pilgrim's Regress",
      "author": "C. S. Lewis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13240800,
          "author": "cicero",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T22:06:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13240800",
          "commentText": "A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter Miller (recommended SF classic)\nThe Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis (an old favorite, recommended)\nThe Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco (some interesting parts, but overall a disappointment)\nTheology and Sanity - Frank Sheed (recommended; a very written description of the Catholic faith; weaknesses are it's long and it's aimed to a mid 20th c. audience)\nChristianity for Modern Pagans: Pascal's Pensees - Peter Kreeft (recommended; a good exposition of Blaise Pascal's thought)\nCatholicism: A journey to the heart of the faith - Robert Barron (recommended; a good explanation of Catholicism for the common person)\nHis Master's Voice - Stanislaw Lem (recommended; very intellectual look at the problem of first contact)\nThe Industries of the Future - Alec Ross (the robotics chapter is best; other parts are more light-weight; easy read)\nClouds of Witnesses - Dorothy Sayers (not my favorite Sayers mystery, but enjoyable)\nA Study in Scarlet - Arthur Conan Doyle (recommended)\nWhy Gender Matters - Leonard Sax (recommended; most of the book is based on good science, but he does go out on a limb a time or two.)\nOld School - Tobias Wolff (recommended; a world before widespread TV where high school boys actually got excited about literature)\nInfinite Space, Infinite God - Karina and Robert Fabian editors (story quality varies; I enjoyed some of them)\nThe Sign of Four - Arthur Conan Doyle (recommended)\nOn Stranger Tides - Tim Powers (recommended; I love Powers, but Anubis Gates and Last Call are better. Still, if you like pirates you should like this)\nThe Art of Worldly Wisdom - Baltasar Gracian (interesting)\nAquinas at Prayer: the Bible, Mysticism, and Poetry - Paul Murray (recommended; this shows a different side of Thomas Aquinas)\nAristotle for Everybody: Difficult Thought Made Easy - Mortimer Adler (recommended; I almost think this should be required reading)\nThe Pilgrim's Regress - C.S. Lewis (I enjoyed it, but the ideas Lewis argues against are somewhat dated.)\nEdit for formatting",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Pilgrim's Regress - C.S. Lewis (I enjoyed it, but the ideas Lewis argues against are somewhat dated.)",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed the book, while noting that the ideas it argues against are somewhat dated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The ideas Lewis argues against are somewhat dated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "C. S. Lewis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian allegory",
        "religious fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-pixar-touch-435bae",
      "title": "The Pixar Touch",
      "author": "David A. Price",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1027868,
          "author": "wushupork",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T23:49:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027868",
          "commentText": "I got a Kindle as a gift too and I love it as well. I highly recommend you play with it or at least borrow someone's (if they'll let you) if you doubt you'll like it.\n\"Inside Steve's Brain\" - Great book on the history of Apple, and the inner workings of the company and the philosophy.\n\"Never Eat Alone\" by Keith Ferrazzi on the importance of networking and building relationships.\n\"Trade-Off, Why Some Things Catch On, and Others Don't\"\n\"The Pixar Touch\" Great history of Pixar and how they came about.\n\"Call me Ted\" - Ted Turner's autobiography\n\"How the Mighty Fall\" Jim Collins",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great history of Pixar and how they came about.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great history of Pixar.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David A. Price"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "animation",
        "pixar"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-pixar-touch-the-making-of-a-company-77c544",
      "title": "The Pixar Touch: The Making of a Company",
      "author": "David A. Price",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17205660,
          "author": "malexw",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T14:37:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205660",
          "commentText": "The Pixar Touch describes the creation of the company and first few films that Pixar made. I especially enjoyed it because of my interest in computer graphics, but it's probably a worthwhile read for most tech folks.\nCreativity, Inc., is another book about Pixar that's been recommended to me, though it was recommended as a way to learn about what successful management at a tech company looks like. I haven't read it though, so I can't vouch for the quality.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Pixar Touch describes the creation of the company and first few films that Pixar made. I especially enjoyed it",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed the book and describes its subject.",
          "audience": "Probably worthwhile for most tech folks.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David A. Price"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "company history",
        "pixar"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-place-of-dead-roads-55c477",
      "title": "The Place of Dead Roads",
      "author": "William S. Burroughs",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22724133,
          "author": "mirimir",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T00:35:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22724133",
          "commentText": "I'm an old man now, so I'm especially interested in books about getting complete with life. I'm also into amusing and distracting.\nTop on my list are William S. Burroughs' last trilogy (especially Place of Dead Roads and The Western Lands) and Matthew Stover's Caine series (especially Caine Black Knife and Caine's Law). Burroughs published that trilogy when he was about my age, and there's some amazing stuff about how memory shows up. The Caine series is basically a contemplation of \"What if you could undo the worst thing that you've ever done?\".\nI could go on about many other authors whom I've loved, over the years, but there's other stuff that I gotta do now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "especially Place of Dead Roads and The Western Lands",
          "reason": "Highlights it as a standout in Burroughs's final trilogy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William S. Burroughs"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "experimental fiction",
        "memory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-places-in-between-1dbf7c",
      "title": "The Places In Between",
      "author": "Rory Stewart",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14748013,
          "author": "clock_tower",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T20:59:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14748013",
          "commentText": "Rory Stewart, _The Prince of the Marshes_. It's about general dysfunction in the early Iraq War, but it's also about the meaning of life. Perhaps it's just how Stewart writes? (His _The Places In Between_ is also well worth reading, but is much better known.)\nTony Horwitz, all works -- especially _Baghdad Without a Map_ (which will leave you with a much healthier view of the modern Middle East) and _Confederates in the Attic_ (a dress-rehearsal for the Age of Trump?).\nPearl Buck, _Sons_. (Best to read _The Good Earth_ first, but you've probably already read it.) I doubt it's a very accurate depiction of China, and the characters' morality is hair-raising (while the narrator is so far off the deep end that he/she is impossible to take seriously); but it's a memorable adventure story firmly grounded in the plausible, and it dramatizes some important lessons about the dangers that can afflict families and middle age.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "is also well worth reading",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is well worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is much better known.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rory Stewart"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "afghanistan",
        "memoir",
        "travel writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-plantagenets-06dbc9",
      "title": "The Plantagenets",
      "author": "Dan Jones",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40429844,
          "author": "romanhn",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T15:39:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40429844",
          "commentText": "I read a lot of history, but many of the books are quite dry. A rare exception were the books by Dan Jones I recently read, on medieval England (The Plantagenets, The Wars Of Roses). I learned a bunch and sincerely enjoyed the process. His Powers and Thrones book is next up.\nIncidentally, I found out that Shakespeare covered similar timelines (especially the wars of the roses) in his 8 history plays, which I've been going through. Never read any Shakespeare before, and liking it enough that I already made a top ten list of his works to get into next.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Plantagenets",
          "reason": "Includes it among books about medieval England that the commenter enjoyed and learned from.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in medieval England.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Jones"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "medieval england",
        "plantagenet dynasty"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-player-s-handbook-dc5673",
      "title": "The Player's Handbook",
      "author": "Gary Gygax",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30742512,
          "author": "irchans",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T13:39:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30742512",
          "commentText": "Personal Power - Robbins, How to win friends and influence people - Carnegie, Feeling Good - Burns, Godel Esher Bach - Hofstadter,  Fundamentals of Physics - Halliday and Resnick, Jonathan Livingston Seagull - Bach, The Commodore 64 User Manual, \"Stocks for the Long Run\",  The Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide - Gygax, Dune - Herbert",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide - Gygax",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gary Gygax"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dungeons dragons",
        "role playing games"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-pleasure-of-finding-things-out-718c82",
      "title": "The Pleasure of Finding Things Out",
      "author": "Richard P. Feynman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12474190,
          "author": "navyad",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T16:43:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12474190",
          "commentText": "The pleasure of finding things out- Richard Feynman",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The pleasure of finding things out- Richard Feynman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10787298,
          "author": "yetanotheracc",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T06:03:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787298",
          "commentText": "Absolutely amazing, changed the way I look at the society, will re-read:\n- George Orwell, Keep the Aspidistra Flying\nLoved:\n- Alastair Reynolds, House of Suns\n- Andy Weir, The Martian\n- Neal Stephenson, Seveneves\n- Greg Egan, Teranesia\nLiked:\n- Arthur C. Clarke, 3001: The Final Odyssey\n- Arthur C. Clarke, 2061: Odyssey Three\n- Richard Feynman, The Character of Physical Laws\n- Richard Feynman, The Pleasure of Finding Things Out\n- Jonathan Slack, Stem Cells: A Very Short Introduction\n- John Scalzi, Fuzzy Nation (bought the audiobook for Wil Wheaton's narration)\n- Ray Monk, Robert Oppenheimer: A Life Inside the Center\n- Alastair Reynolds,  Revelation Space\n- David C. Cassidy, Beyond Uncertainty: Heisenberg, Quantum Physics, and the Bomb\nFound full of BS, did not finish:\n- Noam Chomsky, Understanding Power\nTextbooks:\n- order of 10^3 pages of Open University textbooks\n- Klauber, Student Friendly Quantum Field Theory\n- Feynman & Hibbs, Quantum Mechanics and Path Integrals\n- Wald, General Relativity (5 chapters)\n- Peskin & Schroeder, An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory (5 chapters)\nNot as bad as I felt before making the list, but underwhelming in terms of quantity. I intend to read a whole lot more in 2016.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Richard Feynman, The Pleasure of Finding Things Out",
          "reason": "Listed under books the commenter says they liked.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard P. Feynman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "physics",
        "scientific curiosity",
        "scientific discovery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-plenitude-creativity-innovation-and-making-stuff-15bcd3",
      "title": "The Plenitude: Creativity, Innovation, and Making Stuff",
      "author": "Rich Gold",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4967179,
          "author": "nichodges",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T21:42:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967179",
          "commentText": "A few highlights for me...\nAbundance - Peter H. Diamandis, Steven Kotler.\nDiamandis has an almost infectiously positive way of looking at the world. And a hope that's not just based on a philosophical belief but is backed up with hard data.\nDistrust That Particular Flavor - William Gibson.\nI never got into Gibson as a fiction writer, but this collection of essays, articles and talks immediately made me appreciate him as an amazing thinker, observer, and truly brilliant writer. This book is worthwhile for the pieces on Japan alone, but every single piece is wonderful.\nFinite and Infinite Games - James Carse.\nAn old book but one I only just discovered. No book has every so subtly had an impact on my life every day. The finite vs. infinite way of looking at the world has changed the way I think and act completely on the inside, yet it's probably hardly noticable on the outside. An amazingly easy book to read, couldn't recommend it highly enough.\nHow Music Works - David Byrne\nA unique and refreshing take on creating music that can be applied to the creation of anything. Byrne leaves the mysterious & ethereal world of 'creativity' for dead, and looks at how he creates music, and how the industry works, in a grounded and logical way. A brilliant book for anyone who creates anything.\nThe Plenitude: Creativity, Innovation, and Making Stuff - Rich Gold\nAnother old(er) book, but one I can't believe I only just found. Rich Gold's outlook on how and why we make things should be required reading for anyone who plans on thrusting their big idea into the world.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking - Susan Cain\nIt's had a lot of press, but I'm going to recommend it anyway. HN undoubtedly has a higher than average number of introverts who truly operate in an extroverted world. This book was absolutely eye opening in how it deconstructs different situations and personalities in a useful and positive way. I wouldn't say it's 'changed my life', but it has made a few relationships with close friends and colleagues a lot better.\nAnd a quick plug - for any avid Kindle readers out there, I've built a web app for viewing/sharing/organising Kindle highlights. If any HN'ers want early access sign up at http://kindred.it/ and I'll ping you a beta login.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "should be required reading for anyone who plans on thrusting their big idea into the world.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it to people planning to bring an idea into the world.",
          "audience": "Anyone planning to bring a big idea into the world.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rich Gold"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Business",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creativity",
        "innovation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-poet-2ab671",
      "title": "The Poet",
      "author": "Michael Connelly",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14860091,
          "author": "spapas82",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:38:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14860091",
          "commentText": "Right now: The Poet by Michael Connelly. Very interesting crime novel.\nBefore that: Best served cold by Joe Abercrombie. A great fantasy novel, the fourth after the First Law trilogy. I recommend it to fantasy lovers! It is standalone but I recommend reading The First Law first to have more info about characters and the universe of this novel.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Right now: The Poet by Michael Connelly. Very interesting crime novel.",
          "reason": "Calls it a very interesting crime novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Connelly"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crime fiction",
        "thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-poker-face-of-wall-street-ed5351",
      "title": "The Poker Face of Wall Street",
      "author": "Aaron Brown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3643068,
          "author": "jcarden",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-28T13:32:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 3643009,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-technical book you've read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3643068",
          "commentText": "The Theory That Would Not Die (http://amzn.to/w0N2Q6%29is a non-technical and nice historical overview of Bayes theorem and its applications. Another one I've enjoyed recently is Evening's Empire: A History of the Night in Early Modern Europe(http://amzn.to/zywusB). I started the Big Short too, but just couldn't really get into it. If you like things along that line then you should check out The Poker Face of Wall Street (http://amzn.to/zcbYHy)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you should check out The Poker Face of Wall Street",
          "reason": "Explicitly suggests it for readers who like books along that line.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Bayes, finance, or related topics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Aaron Brown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial risk",
        "poker"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-political-mind-e41d1b",
      "title": "The Political Mind",
      "author": "George Lakoff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15157485,
          "author": "subsubsub",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T18:33:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15157485",
          "commentText": "All the books, without the affiliate links:\n- Philosophy In The Flesh [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001FSJAWK]\n- The Political Mind [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0017T0B2U]\n- The Way We Think [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AAL62RO]\n- Louder Than Words [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00918JOBI]",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Political Mind",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15157316,
          "author": "ignacio_gcaa",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T17:55:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15157316",
          "commentText": "This cognitive science/cognitive linguistics books were a hinge point for me:\nGeorge Lakoff:\n- Philosophy In The Flesh http://amzn.to/2xFTKU7\n- The Political Mind http://amzn.to/2vU9rF1\nGilles Fauconnier, Mark Turner:\n- The Way We Think http://amzn.to/2xFv4ep\nBenjamin K. Bergen:\n- Louder Than Words http://amzn.to/2wwsMhv",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Political Mind http://amzn.to/2vU9rF1",
          "reason": "The commenter says these books were a hinge point for them.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in cognitive science and cognitive linguistics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Lakoff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "framing",
        "political cognition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-polity-caf8ad",
      "title": "The Polity",
      "author": "Neal Asher",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36032058,
          "author": "ThinkBeat",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-22T14:40:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36032058",
          "commentText": "Neal Asher writes (mostly) about The Polity:\nWhich is similar in concept to Ian M Banks The Culture series.\n(which I also love).\nAsher tends to be darker and more violent. \nI dont think he is for everyone.\nI would start with GridLinked.\nHis books are not a progressive timeline. \nSome take place in earlier times, some farther into the future of the Polity.\nI dont think it is intended så read them based on the timeline though.\n(Cut and paste)\nThe Polity is a far-future society run by artificial intelligences. In the early years of space travel, as we spread out into the solar system, the political make-up of humanity is a mixture of national and world (or moon) governments, and large corporations. However, these separate political entities – polities – employ AI for gain. During this time Iverus Skaidon, a scientist, directly links his mind to the AI Craystein Computer and invents underspace travel, just before his mind blows like a fuse. The invention of this faster-than-light travel results in a diaspora from the Solar System.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Neal Asher writes (mostly) about The Polity",
          "reason": "Describes the series and its setting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Asher's books are darker and more violent; the commenter says they may not suit everyone.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neal Asher"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "far future ai society",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-poor-man-and-the-lady-ef4560",
      "title": "The Poor Man and the Lady",
      "author": "Thomas Hardy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15961188,
          "author": "1undo",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:14:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961188",
          "commentText": "My general rule is: if the book is in Barnes & Nobles its not worth reading. If you want true enlightening from reading branch out from what everyone else reads. The best books I have ever read in my life didn't even get published. Check out Thomas Hardy: The Poor Man and the Lady. Which was rejected my 5 publishers",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Check out Thomas Hardy: The Poor Man and the Lady. Which was rejected my 5 publishers",
          "reason": "Urges readers to check out the unpublished novel, describing its rejection by five publishers.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it was rejected by five publishers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Hardy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "unpublished novel",
        "victorian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-poor-mouth-780315",
      "title": "The Poor Mouth",
      "author": "Flann O'Brien",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34168812,
          "author": "cafard",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-29T02:40:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34168812",
          "commentText": "If you haven't yet, treat yourself to The Poor Mouth and The Best of Myles.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "treat yourself to The Poor Mouth",
          "reason": "Encourages readers to read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Flann O'Brien"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "irish literature",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-portable-mba-840c32",
      "title": "The Portable MBA",
      "author": "Various",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 948929,
          "author": "HeyLaughingBoy",
          "createdAt": "2009-11-18T19:35:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 947581,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN:  What's the best first business book for a programmer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=948929",
          "commentText": "Three of my favorites are How Much Should I Charge Don't remember the author, but she reinforces the point that most small businesses are undercharging for their product/service and shows how to solve the problem.\nThe E-Myth Revisited kinda starts where the above one ends in that it points out the tragic flaw in many entrepreneurs: they want to practice their \"craft\" to the detriment of the actual business.\nGrowing A Business my copy of this disappeared over 10 years ago, but I still consider it one of the most important business books I've ever read.\nAnd pick up one of the many editions of The Portable MBA at a used bookstore. Good, basic foundations in Finance, Accounting, Marketing and HR.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "pick up one of the many editions of The Portable MBA at a used bookstore. Good, basic foundations in Finance, Accounting, Marketing and HR.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for basic foundations in finance, accounting, marketing, and human resources.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking basic business foundations.",
          "caveat": "There are many editions.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "accounting",
        "finance",
        "marketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-possibility-of-an-island-2f1912",
      "title": "The Possibility of an Island",
      "author": "Michel Houellebecq",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13118207,
          "author": "elevensies",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-06T20:50:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13118207",
          "commentText": "Three books I enjoyed this year:\nthis census taker, China Mieville\nTo Say Nothing Of The Dog, Connie Willis\nThe Possibility of an Island, Houellebecq\nIf you enjoy science-fiction, it is quite possible that you wouldn't enjoy any of the books above or even classify them as science-fiction (I would though) -- so definitely look them up or try the kindle sample to see if they appeal to you.\nAlso, I see Ann Leckie's Ancillary trilogy mentioned elsewhere, I second that recommendation.\n[Also, honourable mention to the TV show Westworld -- if it were a book I would have included.]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Possibility of an Island, Houellebecq",
          "reason": "Listed among three books the commenter enjoyed that year, in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes some readers may not classify it as science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michel Houellebecq"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopian fiction",
        "literary speculative fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-post-american-world-e64092",
      "title": "The Post-American World",
      "author": "Fareed Zakaria",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 240867,
          "author": "colinplamondon",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T06:55:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240867",
          "commentText": "The World is Flat\nThe Post American World\nLosing My Virginity - Richard Branson's Autobiography\nAutobiography of Andrew Carnegie\nThe Second Coming of Steve Jobs\nInside Steve's Brain\nThe Seven Day Weekend- Book by Ricardo Semler of Semco on company organization and management, Semco essentially operates as a socialist enterprise with election of bosses, profit sharing, open information, flex-time, etc, but with the twist that Ricardo is the majority stock owner. Fascinating book and well-written to boot.\nFounders at Work should go without saying :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Post American World",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for recommended books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fareed Zakaria"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "geopolitics",
        "global power"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-posthumous-memoirs-of-bras-cubas-17161c",
      "title": "The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas",
      "author": "Machado de Assis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42963832,
          "author": "rbanffy",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-06T16:15:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42963832",
          "commentText": "- The Paul Street Boys (Ferenc Molnár)\n- The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas (Machado de Assis)\n- Cousin Bazilio (Eça de Queirós)\n- Pedagogy of the Oppressed (Paulo Freire)\nAll these as a teen. I don't think my moral compass had much plasticity after that.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas (Machado de Assis)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Machado de Assis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "brazilian literature",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-postmortal-3955f7",
      "title": "The Postmortal",
      "author": "Drew Magary",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8257572,
          "author": "piratebroadcast",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T14:01:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257572",
          "commentText": "Awesome book - The Postmortal - http://www.amazon.com/The-Postmortal-Drew-Magary/dp/01431198... (http://www.amazon.com/The-Postmortal-Drew-Magary/dp/0143119826)\nSee also Ready Player One. http://www.amazon.com/Ready-Player-One-A-Novel/dp/0307887448",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Awesome book - The Postmortal",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an awesome book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Drew Magary"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopia",
        "immortality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-potato-factory-a09dc3",
      "title": "The Potato Factory",
      "author": "Bryce Courtenay",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10223691,
          "author": "georgeott",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-15T23:08:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10211331,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10223691",
          "commentText": "\"The Potato Factory: The Australian Trilogy\" - Bryce Courtenay",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Potato Factory: The Australian Trilogy\" - Bryce Courtenay",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bryce Courtenay"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "australian historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-powell-principles-cf35a3",
      "title": "The Powell Principles",
      "author": "Oren Harari",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Oren Harari"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-power-043d45",
      "title": "The Power",
      "author": "Naomi Alderman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665209,
          "author": "PostPost",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:26:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665209",
          "commentText": "Sorry for the wall of text.\n1. Bourne (The language and world of this novel are extraordinary - everything is falling apart yet brimming with life. Strangely moving)\n2. The Design of Everyday things (Essential for anyone in UI/UX)\n3. All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (Highly engaging, entertaining sci-fi novella series, from an author that can write a very decent robot protagonist)\n4. The Power (Interesting story with sci-fi elements on the dynamics of power, sex, and gender roles. I didn't care for the book, but the first 3/4 of the book are amazing)\n5. Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days\n6. 7 brief Lessons on Physics\n7. The Last Lecture (The energy and positivity coming from a man knowing he's about to die is infectious. Great read)\n8. A wizard of Earthsea (Move over Harry Potter, this is the essential children's story about wizards)\n9. Exploring diabetes with owls (Funny, irreverent)\n10. Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children (Made an effort to read more YA this year - this was the best in this series, but I still hated it. There's a host of better YA series out there.)\n11. A Wizard of Earthsea: The Tombs of Atuan (See 8.)\n12. The Girl in the Dark (Interesting book about a skin condition I had never heard of, and the trials of living with a very rare condition)\n13. The Phantom Tollbooth (Clever children's book)\n14. Black hole blues and songs from outer space (Informative book about the study of space,  the political and economic forces standing in the way of science, and the incredible individuals working in this field)\n15. Welcome to Night Vale (Hugely entertaining, clever and weird)\n16. You need a budget (Basic economics book explaining how to budget in a way that lets you do more with your money)\n17. To fight Against This Age (Incredibly pretentious, \nIvory Tower philosophizing)\n18. Infinity Gauntlet (Half the Universe dying because Thanos wanted to sleep with Lady Death will never not be ridiculous)\n19. The Right and Wrong Stuff (Great read explaining how to anticipate and avoid career pitfalls)\n20. Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children: Hollow City (pretty shitty)\n21. The Farthest Shore (Ursula K. Le Guin was the biggest loss this year)\n22. Miss peregrine's home for Peculiar Children: Library of Souls (I hate this book and all its characters)\n23. Every Good Endevour (Religious book about a Christian worldview and the value of labor - not a bad read)\n24. When to Rob a Bank and 131 warped suggestions… (interesting, funny, from the writers of Freakonomics)\n25. Weapons of Math Destruction (Probably the most useful book on this list, if you're reading this on \"hackernews\")\n26. Holes (Perfect summer paperback read)\n27. Silver Screen Sirens (Essential for film geeks)\n28. A full life: reflections at 90 (I gained a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter: he lived an incredible life and does great things)\n29. Call Me by your name (Very good romance novel to send to your bigoted relatives at Christmas)\n30. Hyperbole and a half (Incredibly entertaining, very distinctive art style)\n31. The Murderbot diaries: Artificial Condition (See 3.)\n32. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Best children's book, fight me)\n33. Less (Exceptionally well-written)\n34. Resilience (Great book, especially for those that have gone through extremely difficult circumstances)\n35. The Strange Bird (Dark, bleak, full of life, see 1.)\n36. The Murderbot diaries: Rogue Protocol (See 3.)\n37. His Dark Materials: The subtle knife (See 32.)\n38. Tap Dancing to Work (Very dry, some stories/articles are fantastic, others very, very boring for people that do not care about finance)\n39. So Good They Can't Ignore You (Pretty good)\n40. His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass (Amazing YA, see 32.)\n41. Uncontainable (Inspirational book about conscious capitalism)\n42. The Emperor of All Maladies (Pretty much everything you'll ever want to know about Cancer, written in a very engaging way)\n43. Blind Spot\n44. Shoe dog (Great story, see madmax108's comment, totally agree)\n45. The Faithful Spy (Beautiful artwork describing a Christian pastor's fight against fascism during WW2)\n46. Zero to One\n47. You'll grow out of it\n48. The Happiness advantage (Really fantastic book about the value of positive psychology)\n49. Dreams from my father (Enlightening look into Obama's \nearly days)\n50. Ayoade on Ayoade (Entertaining, extremely scatter-brained, not as funny as his interviews or tv programs)\n51. The Diabolic (badly written YA Sci-Fi)\n52. The Physics of Everyday Things (surprisingly informative, recommended for non science-people interested in the way things work)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Interesting story with sci-fi elements on the dynamics of power, sex, and gender roles. I didn't care for the book, but the first 3/4 of the book are amazing",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the first three quarters but says they did not care for the book overall.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter did not care for the book overall.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Naomi Alderman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "gender roles",
        "speculative fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-power-law-b4f58d",
      "title": "The Power Law",
      "author": "Sebastian Mallaby",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sebastian Mallaby"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "technology",
        "venture capital"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-power-and-the-glory-ab9f34",
      "title": "The Power and the Glory",
      "author": "Graham Greene",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13249110,
          "author": "petre",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T08:36:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249110",
          "commentText": "Just about any Graham Greene book: The Power and the Glory. The Quiet American, The Ministry of Fear, The Comedians, Our Man in Havana etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just about any Graham Greene book: The Power and the Glory.",
          "reason": "Listed as an example of a Graham Greene book in response to a request for fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Graham Greene"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "religious themes"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-power-of-full-engagement-3578c4",
      "title": "The Power of Full Engagement",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2968232,
          "author": "mattm",
          "createdAt": "2011-09-07T03:33:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 2963294,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Got a Kindle. What now? What books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2968232",
          "commentText": "The Power of Full Engagement is great.  I recently read it and it would probably do me good to read it again at least a few more times.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Power of Full Engagement is great.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the book great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "energy management",
        "productivity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-power-of-geography-ten-maps-that-reveal-the-future-of-our-wor-e96151",
      "title": "The Power of Geography: Ten Maps That Reveal the Future of Our World",
      "author": "Tim Marshall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39249448,
          "author": "cpursley",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T11:31:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249448",
          "commentText": "This book is absolute garbage. Zeihan is a geopolitical lightweight and a very uninformed one at that. It’s hard to tell if he was intentionally dishonest in that book or really that uninformed. He is so factually wrong on some points that’s it shocking, like things that are objectively and quantifiable facts.\nFor much better Geopolitical books, check these out:\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52962238-principles-for-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52962238-principles-for-dealing-with-the-changing-world-order)\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56696339-the-power-of-ge... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56696339-the-power-of-geography)\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/16144575",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56696339-the-power-of-ge...",
          "reason": "Recommended as a better geopolitical book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tim Marshall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "geopolitics",
        "political geography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-power-of-gold-the-history-of-an-obsession-e8f7c6",
      "title": "The Power of Gold: The History of an Obsession",
      "author": "Peter L. Bernstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42220961,
          "author": "throw0101d",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T14:13:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42220961",
          "commentText": "If I had to pick one: The rise and fall of American growth: the U.S. standard of living since the Civil War by Robert Gordon. The gains that we have made in the (early) 20th century are unlikely to ever be repeated, and progress in many metrics has measurably slowed or even stalled since ~1970s (likely being asymptotic). And while the Internet (classified under the Information, Communication, Technology (ICT) chapters) gave a bump in the 1990s, it's mostly been flat since 2004.\nMore economic history with Slouching towards Utopia: an economic history of the twentieth century by J. Bradford Delong. More economic ideas stuff in Value(s): building a better world for all by Mark Carney (ran the Banks of Canada and England). Also Waphsott's Keynes Hayek: the clash that defined modern economics and Samuelson Friedman: the battle over the free market.\nThe currency of politics: the political theory of money from Aristotle to Keynes by Sefan Eich, Money: the true story of a made-up thing by Jacob Goldstein, and The power of gold: the history of an obsession by Peter Bernstein (also his Against the Gods on risk). Show how much of a human construct \"money\" is, how its meaning changes in different times and places/cultures. Should be required reading by all the 'hard money' folks (gold standard, BTC).\nThe good life: lessons from the world's longest scientific study of happiness by Waldinger and Schultz (directors of the Harvard study). If there's one 'magic' thing for health and happiness it seems to be having good relationships (family, friends) in your life.\nReligion: what it is, how it works, and why it matters by Christian Smith and Strange rites: new religions for a godless world by Tara Burton. While many think that religion is in decline, the non-material/supernatural things that people believe in has actually shifted. And having beliefs in a super-human entity seems to be the basis of most societies and civilizations. Related, The warfare between science and religion : the idea that wouldn't die, a series of essays; the conflict thesis bunk, both historically and presently.\nThe origins of Canadian and American political differences by Jason Kaufman, two seemingly-the-same neighbouring countries that have had different development paths when it comes to culture and government. (I'm Canadian.)\nSpeaking of government: Civil resistance: what everyone needs to know by Erica Chenoweth. Seems violence/force is generally a less effective way to affect change in society than non-violence.\nThe week: a history of the unnatural rhythms that made us who we are by David Henkin. Seems that while seven days has been around for a long while, making it a really 'hard' structure/schedule around it is a more recent phenomenon than you'd expect.\nIf you have kids, Karen Le Billon's French kids eat everything (and yours can, too) and Getting to YUM: the 7 secrets of raising eager eaters, her husband is French and she lived there for a year and found many things done better there than US/CA. See also The happiest kids in the world: how Dutch parents help their kids and themselves by doing less by Acosta and Hutchison.\nFlying blind: the 737 MAX tragedy and the fall of Boeing by Peter Robison is an HN favourite. While we get a lot of engineer vs MBA comments, I think the bigger problem (associated with the MBA-types) is financialization, i.e., returns over everything else. Having non-engineers/MBAs can be 'fine' also long as trying to squeeze blood/money from a stone at the cost of everything else.\nSome philosophy with Alasdair C. MacIntyre: After Virtue is a good starting point. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/After_Virtue",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The power of gold: the history of an obsession by Peter Bernstein",
          "reason": "Groups it with books showing money as a human construct whose meaning changes across societies.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in gold and monetary history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter L. Bernstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "gold",
        "monetary history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-power-of-less-d7ce43",
      "title": "The Power of Less",
      "author": "Leo Babauta",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1868689,
          "author": "xutopia",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-04T13:17:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1868689",
          "commentText": "The Power of Less by Leo Babauta\nIt is essentially a guide on how to reduce complexity in your life so you can have more success with the essential things.  I like it so far but I'm only half way through it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Power of Less by Leo Babauta\nIt is essentially a guide on how to reduce complexity in your life so you can have more success with the essential things.  I like it so far but I'm only half way through it.",
          "reason": "Likes the book’s approach to simplifying life, though has read only half.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is only halfway through it.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leo Babauta"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal productivity",
        "simplicity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-power-of-myth-da0538",
      "title": "The Power of Myth",
      "author": "Joseph Campbell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30250615,
          "author": "lnwlebjel",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T20:31:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30250615",
          "commentText": ">  why Religion is the center-stage for almost every event that happens to humanity.\nIf that's the question you're after, you'd probably enjoy The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell, and some parts of Sapiens by Harari, both of which approach this question from outside of religion (while I'd argue that reading the books on your list approach it much differently).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you'd probably enjoy The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell",
          "reason": "Suggested for exploring why religion is central to human events.",
          "audience": "Someone interested in religion’s role in human history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph Campbell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comparative mythology",
        "religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-power-of-myth-c3a8be",
      "title": "The Power of Myth",
      "author": "Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37937558,
          "author": "kaycebasques",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T02:27:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937558",
          "commentText": "Six Pillars Of Self-Esteem. Biggest effect on me of any book, by far. The only book that immediately jumped to mind without me needing to check my \"read\" list.\nI vaguely recall The Soul Of Sex giving me a healthier foundation for my own sexuality.\nThe Power Of Myth and The Varieties Of Religious Experience for general spiritual goodness.\nThe Selfish Gene has probably had a deep lingering effect on my thoughts about my life as a biological creature.\nEvery Page Is Page One is very helpful for realizing (what I believe to be) the higher purpose of technical documentation, which is knowledge sharing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Power Of Myth and The Varieties Of Religious Experience for general spiritual goodness.",
          "reason": "Listed as a book for general spiritual goodness.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph Campbell",
        "Bill Moyers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mythology",
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-power-of-one-eb9903",
      "title": "The Power of One",
      "author": "Bryce Courtenay",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13249122,
          "author": "source99",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T08:46:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249122",
          "commentText": "The power of One by Bryce Courtney.\nWow.  If you ever wanted to see how a fiction book could make you feel and appreciate literature.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The power of One by Bryce Courtney.\nWow.  If you ever wanted to see how a fiction book could make you feel and appreciate literature.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its ability to evoke feeling and appreciation for literature.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bryce Courtenay"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coming of age",
        "south africa"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-power-of-silence-against-the-dictatorship-of-noise-7534b0",
      "title": "The Power of Silence: Against the Dictatorship of Noise",
      "author": "Robert Sarah",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910335,
          "author": "scop",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:36:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910335",
          "commentText": "It may be interesting at the end of this thread to take an inventory of the publishing dates of listed books. Will most be modern? Will many come from learned past of our elders?\nIt is hard for me to select a favorite. However as a voracious reader there is only one author for whom I have found myself re-reading his books multiple times: Robert Sarah.\nHe has published two books:\nThe Power of Silence (extended reflection on silence and the human condition)\nGod or Nothing (autobiography + reflections on current affairs)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Power of Silence (extended reflection on silence and the human condition)",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have reread Robert Sarah's books multiple times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Sarah"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "silence",
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-power-of-stupidity-46eb18",
      "title": "The Power of Stupidity",
      "author": "Giancarlo Livraghi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35219113,
          "author": "tmcdos",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-19T14:14:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35219113",
          "commentText": "I am not an entrepreneur (yet) but I still want to share a few titles with you:\n- \"Maverick or The seven day weekend\" by Ricardo Semler\n- \"Rework\" by Jason Fried and David Hansson\n- \"Startup - an insider's guide to launching and running a business\" by Kevin Ready\n- \"Bookkeeping and Cost Accounting for Factories\" by William Kent (1918)\n- \"Practice what you preach\" by David Maister\n- \"Don't oil the squeaky wheel\" by Wolf Rinke\n- \"Selling The Wheel: Choosing The Best Way To Sell For You Your Company Your Customers\" by Jeff Cox\n- \"The power of stupidity\" by Giancarlo Livraghi\n- \"How to write a good advertisement\" by Victor Schwab\n- \"How to Make Money Out of Thin Air\" by Brian Sher\n- \"Good manners and business etiquette. Illustrated Guide\" by Elena Ber\n- \"Don't just roll the dice: A usefully short guide to software pricing\" by Neil Davidson\n- \"Message to Garcia\" by Elbert Hubbard\n- the TopLeaf course of 36 video lectures on management by dr. Izhak Adizes can be purchased on https://vimeo.com/ondemand/topleaf or found on ru tracker (if you have access)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The power of stupidity\" by Giancarlo Livraghi",
          "reason": "Shares the title among several books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are not yet an entrepreneur.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Giancarlo Livraghi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human behavior",
        "stupidity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-power-of-ted-the-empowerment-dynamic-532524",
      "title": "The Power of TED: The Empowerment Dynamic",
      "author": "David Emerald",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5333012,
          "author": "o4tuna",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-06T18:54:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 5323956,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: which are some good self-help books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5333012",
          "commentText": "How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World\nby Harry Browne\nThe Power of TED (The Empowerment Dynamic)\nby David Emerald\nLoving What Is: Four Questions That Can Change Your Life\nby Byron Katie\nGet Out of Your Own Way: Overcoming Self-Defeating Behavior\nby Mark Goulston and Philip Goldberg\nFeeling Good: The New Mood Therapy\nby David Burns\nMojo: How to Get It, How to Keep It, How to Get It Back if you Lose It\nby Marshall Goldsmith\nThe New Manual 2.0\nby Tripp Lanier\nthenewmanual.com",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Power of TED (The Empowerment Dynamic)\nby David Emerald",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Emerald"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "empowerment",
        "relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-practice-of-programming-fdf75d",
      "title": "The Practice of Programming",
      "author": "Brian Kernighan; Rob Pike",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6976558,
          "author": "ramgp",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T21:01:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976558",
          "commentText": "Software development related reads with a strong focus on proven practices that enhance software quality in terms of readability and maintainability (and other software ~ilities) to ease the process of changing the software later on.\nThe Art of Readable Code by  Dustin Boswell & Trevor Foucher\nDon't Make Me Think 2ed by Steve Krug\nRemote: Office not Required by Jason Fried & DHH\nThe Art of Unit Testing by Roy Osherove\nCode Complete 2 by Steve McConnell\nRefactoring: Improving the Design of Existing Code by Martin Fowler\nThe Practice of Programming by Brian Kernighan & Rob Pike\nJavaScript: The Good Parts by Douglas Crockford\nCode Simplicity by Max Kanat-Alexander\nAn Introduction to Programming in Go by Caleb Doxsey at http://www.golang-book.com/\nAlso read: How To Be Black by Baratunde Thurston",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Practice of Programming by Brian Kernighan & Rob Pike",
          "reason": "Listed as a software development read focused on proven practices and software quality.",
          "audience": "Software developers seeking to improve software quality.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Kernighan; Rob Pike"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-practicing-mind-ebe22e",
      "title": "The Practicing Mind",
      "author": "Thomas M. Sterner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12144253,
          "author": "LA_Banker",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:48:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144253",
          "commentText": "1. \"Meditations\" – Marcus Aurelius\n2. \"The Practicing Mind\" – Thomas Sterner\n3. \"Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance\" – Atul Gawande (I'm not a surgeon; the principles herein are universal)\n(honorable mention: \"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" – Dale Carnegie; various biographies by Caro and Chernow)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Practicing Mind\" – Thomas Sterner",
          "reason": "Named in response to a request for books that impacted a career.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas M. Sterner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "practice",
        "process focus"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-pragmatic-programmer-411b31",
      "title": "The Pragmatic Programmer",
      "author": "David Thomas; Andrew Hunt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5704,
          "author": "bhb",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T16:03:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5704",
          "commentText": "Some of these have been mentioned, but these stand out for me\nProgramming:\nGetting Real\nThe Pragmatic Programmer\nHackers and Painters\nBusiness:\nGood to Great\nStart Your Own Business (I knew basically nothing about \nsmall business before I started, and it's a good intro)\nCrossing the Chasm (good so far, haven't finished)\nTechnology/Culture:\nThe Long Tail\nThe World is Flat\nProductivity/People:\nGetting Things Done\nGetting to Yes\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Pragmatic Programmer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Thomas; Andrew Hunt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming practice",
        "software development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-praise-of-folly-83fcc1",
      "title": "The Praise of Folly",
      "author": "Desiderius Erasmus",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12250994,
          "author": "lolive",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T21:25:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12250994",
          "commentText": "Different books for different ages:\n- Discourse on the Method [1], to become a healthy criticist of everything (perfect for your 15's-20's development)\n- Beyond Good and Evil [2], a definition of the 20th century craziness by the crazy genius Nietzsche (perfect for your 30's burnout)\n- The Praise of Folly [3], to realize that life is just a game (perfect for your 40's post-burnout rehab)\n- Propaganda [4], because you want to play the game too (perfect for your 50's meteoric rise to fame & success :).\n[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discourse_on_the_Method\n[2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyond_Good_and_Evil\n[3]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Praise_of_Folly\n[4]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propaganda_%28book%29",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Praise of Folly [3], to realize that life is just a game (perfect for your 40's post-burnout rehab)",
          "reason": "Presented as a way to see life as a game.",
          "audience": "The commenter suggests it for people in their 40s recovering from burnout.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Desiderius Erasmus"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "renaissance humanism",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-precipice-1e2258",
      "title": "The Precipice",
      "author": "Toby Ord",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30735764,
          "author": "jwood27",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T17:37:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30735764",
          "commentText": "The following have all had a significant effect on my worldview. You can find more information at [1].\n- The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany\n- Thinking, Fast and Slow\n- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\n- Crime and Punishment\n- The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York\n- Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies\n- The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity\n- Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead\n- Franny and Zooey\n- Master of the Senate\n- Atlas Shrugged\n- Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed\n- Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap?\n- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy\n- The Dictator's Handbook: Why Bad Behavior is Almost Always Good Politics\n- The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don't\n- Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans\n- Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\n- Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World\n- Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones\n- Homo Deus: A History of Tomorrow\n- Ethics in the Real World: 86 Brief Essays on Things that Matter\n- A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life\n- Humankind: A Hopeful History\n- The Bird Way: A New Look at How Birds Talk, Work, Play, Parent, and Think\n[1] https://jacobw.xyz/books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity",
          "reason": "Listed among books that significantly affected the commenter’s worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Toby Ord"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "existential risk",
        "longtermism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-predictable-revenue-guide-to-tripling-your-sales-31c9c2",
      "title": "The Predictable Revenue Guide to Tripling Your Sales",
      "author": "Aaron Ross and Jason M. Lemkin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10233838,
          "author": "revorad",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T15:22:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10233838",
          "commentText": "Read and listen to everything Steli Efti says -\nhttps://twitter.com/steli\nHis book - http://www.startupsalesguide.com/\n“The Predictable Revenue Guide To Tripling Your Sales” by Aaron Ross and Jason M. Lemkin - http://www.saastr.com/the-predictable-revenue-guide-to-tripl... (http://www.saastr.com/the-predictable-revenue-guide-to-tripling-your-sales-by-aaron-ross-and-jason-m-lemkin-download-part-1-now/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“The Predictable Revenue Guide To Tripling Your Sales” by Aaron Ross and Jason M. Lemkin",
          "reason": "Named as a book recommendation for sales.",
          "audience": "People seeking to improve sales.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Aaron Ross and Jason M. Lemkin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "saas sales",
        "sales development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-presentation-of-self-in-everyday-life-d07438",
      "title": "The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life",
      "author": "Erving Goffman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15793462,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-28T01:24:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15793462",
          "commentText": "Metaphors We Live By - Lakoff/Johnson\nPhilosophy in the Flesh - L/J\nRationalism in Politics - Oakeshott\nErving Goffman – Presentation of Self in Everyday Life\nWalter Lippmann – Public Opinion\nArt as Experience - John Dewey\nPlutarch's Lives\nG.K. Chesterton – Heretics\n(essay) William James - On A Certain Blindness in Human Beings (and its sequel)\n(essay) R.L. Stevenson - The Lantern-Bearers",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Erving Goffman – Presentation of Self in Everyday Life",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Erving Goffman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dramaturgical sociology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-price-of-civilization-reawakening-american-virtue-and-prosper-349a8f",
      "title": "The Price of Civilization: Reawakening American Virtue and Prosperity",
      "author": "Jeffrey Sachs",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3336150,
          "author": "gforces",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-09T23:27:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3336150",
          "commentText": "Philip Roth's 'Indignation. Julian Barnes 'The sense of an ending'. And a few other novels. Plus I'm reading 'The Price of Civilization: Reawakening American Virtue and Prosperity by Jeffrey Sachs. I would recommend one and all.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend one and all.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the listed books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeffrey Sachs"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-price-of-time-4d952b",
      "title": "The Price of Time",
      "author": "Edward Chancellor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33849956,
          "author": "skippyboxedhero",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T02:31:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33849956",
          "commentText": "Price of Time by Chancellor. Out of the new books I read, will be a classic of financial history. It isn't technical, it isn't a complete critique of QE but it is the most understandable, fully-explained critique...also well-timed (again, Chancellor wrote a book in 1999 about financial bubbles).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "will be a classic of financial history",
          "reason": "Calls it an understandable, fully explained critique of QE.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it is not technical and is not a complete critique of QE.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 33382237,
          "author": "alecco",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T08:50:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382237",
          "commentText": "Re-read Blindsight and Echopraxia by Watts, dark dystopia about the singularity.\nDifferently Morphous and Existentially Challenged by Yahtzee Croshow, a lot of magic comedy.\nThe Price of Time by Chancellor, about how the current financial everything bubble came to exist and how it's always the same story.\nThe World for Sale by Blas, about the history of commodities traders in the past century.\nChaos by O'Neill, 20 year investigation about Manson murders finds ties to government agencies.\nI read about 10 other books but they were all terrible. It's becoming more and more a needle in a haystack.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/48484.Blindsight\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18490708-echopraxia\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59056157-the-price-of-ti... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59056157-the-price-of-time)\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52199304-the-world-for-s... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52199304-the-world-for-sale)\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/43015073-chaos",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Price of Time by Chancellor, about how the current financial everything bubble came to exist and how it's always the same story.",
          "reason": "Described as explaining how the current financial bubble came to exist.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward Chancellor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial bubbles",
        "financial history",
        "interest rates",
        "monetary history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-primal-blueprint-db0114",
      "title": "The Primal Blueprint",
      "author": "Mark Sisson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6976140,
          "author": "neilk",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T19:53:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976140",
          "commentText": "Most of what I read is related to startups or economics, but for the short list of change-my-life books:\nThis year I read a lot about what you might loosely call the Paleo movement / anti-carbs and sugar movement. The New Evolution Diet, The Primal Blueprint, books by Gary Taubes, and so on. I think this is going to change how I eat and exercise forever.\nThe Gift of Imperfection and other works by Brené Brown. Lately this is being promoted by Oprah, which isn't usually a good sign. I think it stands apart because it's not theory or poetry; it's based on some solid research on what people living more productive and satisfying lives are actually doing. If nothing else, her books have made me a better friend when my friends are in pain. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Evwgu369Jw",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The New Evolution Diet, The Primal Blueprint, books by Gary Taubes, and so on.",
          "reason": "Includes the title in a list of books about paleo, carbohydrates, and sugar.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2616080,
          "author": "eswat",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T12:39:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2616080",
          "commentText": "The Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson and Linchpin by Seth Godin.\nI had started Linchpin first but I’m now focusing on finishing The Primal Blueprint instead. If you like to question Conventional Wisdom and want to take a second look at how modern society has wrongly dictated what we eat, how we work out, etc. then give it a read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you like to question Conventional Wisdom and want to take a second look at how modern society has wrongly dictated what we eat, how we work out, etc. then give it a read.",
          "reason": "Recommends it to readers interested in questioning conventional advice about diet and exercise.",
          "audience": "Readers who want to question conventional wisdom about food and exercise.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Sisson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "paleo diet",
        "fitness",
        "nutrition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-prince-of-mathematics-76a704",
      "title": "The Prince of Mathematics",
      "author": "Joseph George Glaeser",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23728569,
          "author": "mellosouls",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T23:31:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23728569",
          "commentText": "A little off-topic (and perhaps more useful for younger students) but you could do worse than introduce them to the achievements of Gauss (though they are probably somewhat familiar), who as a teenager had discovered and rediscovered several important theorems - his foundational Disquisitiones Arithmeticae was written at 21.\nhttps://www.storyofmathematics.com/19th_gauss.html\nThis book is aimed at a young audience, though I haven't read it and cannot say whether it is age-appropriate for late-teens.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/837010.The_Prince_of_Mat... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/837010.The_Prince_of_Mathematics)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "This book is aimed at a young audience, though I haven't read it",
          "reason": "A young-audience book about Gauss is offered as a possible fit.",
          "audience": "Young readers; suitability for late teens is uncertain.",
          "caveat": "The commenter hasn't read it and cannot judge age suitability.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph George Glaeser"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "carl friedrich gauss",
        "mathematical biography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-prince-of-tides-54c779",
      "title": "The Prince of Tides",
      "author": "Pat Conroy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467700,
          "author": "clairity",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:52:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467700",
          "commentText": "i recently re-read the wisdom of crowds, ~15 years now since i first read it. still good, still relevant. there's even a section on how quickly SARS was identified in international collaboration despite no central, coordinating entity.\nit's covertly a book about statistical reasoning, but with no dry statistical language, subversive in a way. we need more statistical reasoning in the world, particularly around risk assessment, to subdue fear and panic.\nedit: as for fiction,\njames clavell's asian saga[0] series is entertaining historical fiction, which i've read twice.\npat conroy's southern portraits, particularly the lords of discipline and the prince of tides, both wrenching, haunting, and beautiful.\nalso in the historical/cultural fiction realm: anna karenina, crime and punishment, a tale of two cities, les miserables.\n[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Asian_Saga",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the prince of tides",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as wrenching, haunting, and beautiful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pat Conroy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "southern fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-prince-of-the-marshes-ef320e",
      "title": "The Prince of the Marshes",
      "author": "Rory Stewart",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14748013,
          "author": "clock_tower",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T20:59:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14748013",
          "commentText": "Rory Stewart, _The Prince of the Marshes_. It's about general dysfunction in the early Iraq War, but it's also about the meaning of life. Perhaps it's just how Stewart writes? (His _The Places In Between_ is also well worth reading, but is much better known.)\nTony Horwitz, all works -- especially _Baghdad Without a Map_ (which will leave you with a much healthier view of the modern Middle East) and _Confederates in the Attic_ (a dress-rehearsal for the Age of Trump?).\nPearl Buck, _Sons_. (Best to read _The Good Earth_ first, but you've probably already read it.) I doubt it's a very accurate depiction of China, and the characters' morality is hair-raising (while the narrator is so far off the deep end that he/she is impossible to take seriously); but it's a memorable adventure story firmly grounded in the plausible, and it dramatizes some important lessons about the dangers that can afflict families and middle age.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's about general dysfunction in the early Iraq War, but it's also about the meaning of life.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as an account of early Iraq War dysfunction that also addresses life's meaning.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter wonders whether this effect comes from Stewart's writing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rory Stewart"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "iraq war",
        "memoir",
        "political travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-princess-and-the-dragon-347b65",
      "title": "The Princess and the Dragon",
      "author": "Audrey Wood",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26800750,
          "author": "lnwlebjel",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-13T23:16:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26800750",
          "commentText": "Mo Willems is awesome (Pigeon series, Elephant and Piggy). Some of the Dr. Suess books are still great and fun to read (I can read with my eyes shut, One fish two fish). The book with no pictures, the day the crayons quit, dragons love tacos, and the princess and the dragon by Audrey Wood are all books that I've probably read 100 times and still enjoy.\nAs my kids got a bit older the Box Car children series was compelling, and the girls loved the Rainbow Magic books. Capt. Underpants and Dog man are hilarious and just subversive enough that a 7-9 yr old feel like they are getting away with something. Then on to Mysterious Benedict Society, Harry Potter, Rick Riordan, and Keeper of the Lost Cities.\nOur M.O. was to max out our Library card on a regular basis with just about everything possible and then iterate from there on the authors the kids enjoyed. I feel like reading is one of the things we've gotten right so far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the princess and the dragon by Audrey Wood",
          "reason": "The commenter says it remains enjoyable after many rereads.",
          "audience": "Young children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Audrey Wood"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-princess-and-the-pony-721ff9",
      "title": "The Princess and the Pony",
      "author": "Kate Beaton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50038526,
          "author": "semiquaver",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T00:31:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50038526",
          "commentText": "It Might be an Apple (Shinsuke Yoshitake)\nThe Skull (Jon Klassen)\nThe Way Things Work\n(David Macaulay)\nAnimalia (Graeme Base)\nNanette’s Baguette (Mo Willlems)\nThe princess and the Pony (Kate Beaton)\nFrederick (Leo Leoni)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The princess and the Pony (Kate Beaton)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite children's books.",
          "audience": "Children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kate Beaton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "humor",
        "picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-princess-in-black-c38315",
      "title": "The Princess in Black",
      "author": "Shannon Hale and Dean Hale",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50038288,
          "author": "sp332",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-10T23:47:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50038288",
          "commentText": "The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins - Dr Seuss\nIf You Give a Mouse a Cookie - the original is by far the best of these.\nRamona Quimby series - Beverly Cleary\nIggy Peck, Architect (+series) - Andrea Beaty\nBeast Feast - Emma Yarlett\nDragons Love Tacos (+ 2) - Adam Rubin\nThe Princess in Black (+series) - Shannon & Dean Hale\nDon't Let a Unicorn Scribble (+series) - Diane Abler\nThe Camping Trip - Jennifer Maan\nMaddie & Mabel (+series) - Kari Allen\nI Love You Stinky Face - Lisa McCourt\nAuthors that were always good: Arnold Lobel, Sandra Boynton, James Stevenson\nAnd don't forget to check https://www.betterworldbooks.com/ , they are affiliated with the Internet Archive and they don't show up in shopping searches.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Princess in Black (+series) - Shannon & Dean Hale",
          "reason": "Listed among favorite children's books.",
          "audience": "Children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Shannon Hale",
        "Dean Hale"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "early readers",
        "superheroes"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-princeton-companion-to-applied-mathematics-758cbf",
      "title": "The Princeton Companion to Applied Mathematics",
      "author": "Nicholas J. Higham (editor)",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783319,
          "author": "musgravepeter",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:12:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783319",
          "commentText": "\"Leaving Orbit - Notes from the last days of American spaceflight\" - pleasantly sentimental view of the wind down of the shuttle program.\n\"The Dark Forest\" 2nd installment in Three Body Problem series. Quite clever.\n\"This Changes Everything\" - triggered by a quote from the doc on the radio about trying not to think about climate change and whether it's possible to be bored by the end of the world. Lots of good info (including a visit to a climate deniers conference), bit long winded.\n\"The Princeton Companion to Applied Mathematics\". If I read only 10% still worth it. Lots of things to dip into.\n\"The Astronomer and the Witch\" Kepler fights to save his mother from persecution.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Princeton Companion to Applied Mathematics\". If I read only 10% still worth it. Lots of things to dip into.",
          "reason": "Says it is worthwhile even if only 10% is read, with lots of material to dip into.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nicholas J. Higham (editor)"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "applied mathematics",
        "mathematics reference"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-princeton-companion-to-mathematics-58f406",
      "title": "The Princeton Companion to Mathematics",
      "author": "Timothy Gowers, June Barrow-Green, and Imre Leader (editors)",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23727980,
          "author": "enriquto",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T21:55:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23727980",
          "commentText": "The princeton companion is nice to have around, but you do not really read it end to end.\nSpivak's calculus you bring to the beach and read it between swim and swim.\nEDIT: Also, some books by Hilbert are breathtakingly beautiful: Geometry and the Imagination (just the chapter on synthetic differential geometry is worth more than 10 other great books), and the Methods of Mathematical Physics is also great.  It begins by giving three proofs of cauchy-schwartz inequality, and then goes on to give several different definitions of the eigenvectors of a matrix.  Both of those make great beach readings for this summer.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The princeton companion is nice to have around, but you do not really read it end to end.",
          "reason": "Useful to keep as a reference.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not really meant to be read end to end.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Timothy Gowers",
        "June Barrow-Green",
        "Imre Leader"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematics reference"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-princeton-companion-to-mathematics-f8dcf4",
      "title": "The Princeton Companion to Mathematics",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 755268,
          "author": "arghnoname",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-11T14:33:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=755268",
          "commentText": "My own math background is through Calculus II right now, so I'm a beginner, but I can't say the Companion (though it is excellent) is something I could 'get through' in the sense that people usually mean it. By necessity it is terse, despite its massive size. I personally find it useful as a survey on the field, but I wouldn't recommend it as a teaching guide in and of itself for people who happen to be as dumb as me.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the Companion (though it is excellent)",
          "reason": "Calls it excellent and useful as a survey, but says it is not a teaching guide to recommend for beginners.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a survey of mathematics.",
          "caveat": "Terse and difficult to get through; not recommended as a standalone teaching guide for beginners.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematics survey"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-principles-of-biomedical-informatics-fd1ddd",
      "title": "The Principles of Biomedical Informatics",
      "author": "Ira J. Kalet",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6983854,
          "author": "Snail_Commando",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-30T09:39:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 6981802,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good general technical books for teenagers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6983854",
          "commentText": "There are already suggestions in this thread that are better than mine, but I'll still throw my hat in the ring.\nThat's great that she's interested in biology. I'd like to gently suggest that if she \"isn't very enthusiastic about computers or technology\", you should instead try to nurture her demonstrated interest in art, biology, and other science.\nI know absolutely nothing about art, except that I apparently have no taste. So I'll refrain from making any suggestions on art books.\nTL;DR: Skip down to the third section for the \"technical book\" suggestion.\n--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n(1)\nHere are some suggestions of books on general science, biology, and chemistry (in no particular order, these are some of the first ones that come to my mind):\n\"The Structure of Scientific Revolutions\" By Thomas S. Kuhn\n\"The Diversity of Life\" By Edward O. Wilson\n\"The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Time\"  by Jonathan Weiner\n\"Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes: Further Reflections in Natural History\"  by Stephen Jay Gould\n\"Life on a Young Planet\" By Andrew H. Knoll\n\"Galápagos\" By Kurt Vonnegut (Fiction, but related) (I loved this book, but it's not for everyone I suppose. A couple of my friends didn't like it.)\n\"Napoleon's Buttons\" By Penny Le Couteur and Jay Burreson\n\"The Lives of a Cell: Notes of a Biology Watcher\" By Lewis Thomas\n---------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n(2)\nIf she's interested in learning a lot about cellular biology in beautifully exhaustive detail, buy her this textbook:\n\"Molecular Biology of the Cell\" By Bruce Alberts, Paul Walter, Alexander Johnson, Julian Lewis, Martin Raff, Keith Roberts\nThis book is huge. And it is wonderful.\n---------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n---Read this suggestion if my other suggestions aren't good---\n(3)\nSo you want a technical book? And she's interested in biology?\nBuy her a copy of:\n\"The Principles of Biomedical Informatics\" By Ira J. Kalet\nThis textbook is incredible. It teaches you some fundamentals of many different flavors of bioinformatics. (Different flavors, because, as the author acknowledges, bioinformatics can mean many things.) You can learn how to work with amino acid sequences, protein modeling, medical imaging, probabilistic biomedical models, and more!\nSince you have SICP and LoL on your bookshelf already, you might love the next part. The entire textbook is a cleverly accessible primer on how to build applications with Common Lisp. Whether you're a greybeard Lisp hacker or a repl-noob, you'll like this book if you are interested in learning about bioinformatics.\nI've had the first edition for quite some time. Recently, I think in the past few months, a second edition was released. Someone gifted me the 2nd ed, :) but I haven't really compared the two.\n----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------\nI was going to suggest Gödel, Escher, Bach when you mentioned she was interested in art, and were hoping to find a technical book for her. Then I saw that you already had tried that one. I'm going to leave the suggestion anyway because these types of threads are wonderful for finding great books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This textbook is incredible.",
          "reason": "Calls it incredible and recommends it to the parent as a technical book suggestion.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in bioinformatics and building applications with Common Lisp.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not compared the first and second editions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ira J. Kalet"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bioinformatics",
        "common lisp",
        "medical imaging"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-principles-of-object-oriented-javascript-5c65e0",
      "title": "The Principles of Object-Oriented JavaScript",
      "author": "Nicholas C. Zakas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23366040,
          "author": "msmagh",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-31T00:16:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23366040",
          "commentText": "The Principles of Object-Oriented JavaScript by Nicholas C. Zakas (120 pages).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Principles of Object-Oriented JavaScript by Nicholas C. Zakas",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nicholas C. Zakas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "javascript",
        "object oriented programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-principles-of-product-development-flow-805ae0",
      "title": "The Principles of Product Development Flow",
      "author": "Donald G. Reinertsen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33859795,
          "author": "markshead",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-05T00:33:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33859795",
          "commentText": "A few books that I've found useful:\nThe Goal - Eli Goldratt - It is a novel about optimizing a factory, but it is immensely valuable in thinking through what are the actual constraints on your team's ability to deliver software and how do you fix it without making other things worse. The Phoenix Project is kind of a modern retelling, but I'd start with The Goal.\nThe Principles of Product Development Flow - Reinersten - Great for thinking deeply about how you deliver value through your system and the tradeoffs you are making in what you choose to focus on next. Once again it isn't specific to software, but very relevant.\nThe 5 Dysfunctions of Teams - Lencioni - Common team problems and what to do instead.\nInfluence: Science and Practice - Cialdini - How to get people into agreement so you can move forward--a skill that can be used for both good and evil.\nThe Little Schemer - Friedman and Felleisen - It is kind of hard to describe why this would be useful, but I felt it made me think more deeply about what it means to program a computer in ways that indirectly supported the topics you mentioned. Or maybe I just happened to work through it at a point in my life when I was growing in those other areas too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Principles of Product Development Flow - Reinersten",
          "reason": "Recommends it for thinking deeply about delivering value and prioritization tradeoffs.",
          "audience": "People who want to reason about value delivery and what to focus on next.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not specific to software, but remains relevant.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donald G. Reinertsen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "flow management",
        "lean",
        "product development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-principles-of-project-management-8516ff",
      "title": "The Principles of Project Management",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2173098,
          "author": "Swannie",
          "createdAt": "2011-02-03T01:16:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 2172825,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: If you could recommend only three management books...",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2173098",
          "commentText": "This is a one written by a friend, on SitePoint:\nThe Principles Of Project Management\nhttp://www.sitepoint.com/books/project1/\nWhen you say development house, do you mean software house - as in doing development work for other companies? Or developing their own product? A very important distinction to make...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Principles Of Project Management",
          "reason": "Presented as a book written by the commenter’s friend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "project management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-printing-press-as-an-agent-of-change-a3ea80",
      "title": "The Printing Press as an Agent of Change",
      "author": "Elizabeth L. Eisenstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34162547,
          "author": "sukunrt",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T16:25:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34162547",
          "commentText": "1. The art of doing science and engineering by Richard Hamming. This might be the best engineering book I've ever read. Hamming's breadth and depth are fascinating. His back of the envelope calculations are crazy accurate and early accounts of computing hilarious(real programmers write machine code). There is a great account of his discovery of error correcting codes and a great account of his failure to discover FFT. All in all it's a wonderful book on how to think about things in science and engineering.\n2. The open society and its enemies by Karl Popper. This is a great book on open society and liberal democracy. Broadly the book is a critic of historicist theories of Plato and Marx. There is also good philosophy on essentialism and the futility of getting closer to the truth by defining things more precisely.\n3. Printing Press as an agent of change by Elizabeth Eisenstein. This account of the impact of the printing press on Europe is very long but worth it. The parts on the scientific revolution are particularly good.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "This account of the impact of the printing press on Europe is very long but worth it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says its account of the printing press's impact on Europe is worth the length.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the printing press and the scientific revolution.",
          "caveat": "Very long.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Elizabeth L. Eisenstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "european history",
        "printing press"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-problem-of-political-authority-df1a4f",
      "title": "The Problem of Political Authority",
      "author": "Michael Huemer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43688205,
          "author": "hiAndrewQuinn",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-15T01:44:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 43685856,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What 3 Books Would You Recommend to Anyone?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43688205",
          "commentText": "The Elephant in the Brain\nThe Enigma of Reason\nThe Problem of Political Authority",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Problem of Political Authority",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Huemer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political authority",
        "political philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-process-52499a",
      "title": "The Process",
      "author": "Franz Kafka",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1026940,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T07:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026940",
          "commentText": "I got myself a Sony Reader mid-2009 and started reading about twice more than I had been before. 2009 was also the first year in which I wasn't too lazy to document which books I read (I'm really glad I wasn't). Here're some of the favourites this year:\nClassics:\nKafka's The Process and America - both stunning novels that deserve to be read as much as his most famous, The Castle.\nJan Potocki, The Manuscript Found in Saragossa - a trippy collection of tales organised in multiple nested frames.\nScott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby.\nLeo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina. Still as breathtaking as I'd remembered it from the previous reading five years ago.\nScience Fiction:\nGene Wolfe, The Book of the New Sun. Wolfe, whom I hadn't read before, turns out to be in a class of his own. It's literary SF, overwhelmingly masterful and beautiful in its prose and characters, yet it could give any hardcore SF novel a run in terms of its ideas. It demands and richly rewards a close reading. I'll be reading more Wolfe in 2010.\nTed Chiang, collected stories. Chiang writes only stories, and has written just a few of them, but nearly every one is a gem. Read Understand on the web (http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/stories/under.htm) to see if you like his style - I do.\nVernor Vinge, A Deepness in the Sky, The Peace War, Marooned in Realtime. All great novels, but start from A Fire Upon the Deep (I read that in 2008) if you haven't read Vinge before, it's the best introduction.\nGreg Egan, Diaspora, Quarantine, Distress. Egan is the best hardcore SF author out there. _Diaspora_ is a fascinating take on shared simulated reality that's very different from the usual fare. Quarantine will appeal to your inner quantum mechanical geek.\nContemporary fiction:\nPynchon, V. Pynchon is the best novelist we've got. I recommend The Crying of the Lot 49 as the best Pynchon to start from; V is more difficult and much longer, but rewards the patience. I still can't get over the fact that Pynchon wrote and published this novel when he was 26.\nOrhan Pamuk, The Black Book.\nAnnie Proulx, Fine Just The Way It Is. A new collection of stories from the best writer about rural America out there. Three are extraordinary, two so-so, the rest very good.\nNon-fiction:\nW. Sidney Allen, Vox Graeca and Vox Latina. If you want to know how ancient Greek and Latin sounded, these are the books to read.\nElizabeth Lloyd. The Case Of The Female Orgasm. An interesting study into how available evolutionary explanations of female orgasm fail in various ways. This is a book about evolutionary biology and its methodological soundness as much as it is about explaining female orgasm.\nComputer-related:\nPeter Seibel, Coders at Work. A fantastic collection of interview with great programmers. The one 2009 book no hacker should be without.\nSqueak by Example. Does a great job of explaining Smalltalk in general and Squeak in particular.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kafka's The Process and America - both stunning novels",
          "reason": "The commenter calls both novels stunning.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Franz Kafka"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "absurdism",
        "modernist fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-process-of-education-2059af",
      "title": "The Process of Education",
      "author": "Jerome Bruner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10532955,
          "author": "noblethrasher",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-09T13:49:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10532955",
          "commentText": "Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman\nOn Intelligence by Jeff Hawkins\nThe Process of Education by Jerome Bruner",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Process of Education by Jerome Bruner",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for the best books read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jerome Bruner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "curriculum design",
        "education theory",
        "learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-product-is-docs-f60975",
      "title": "The Product Is Docs",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32354949,
          "author": "aloci",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-05T12:10:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32354949",
          "commentText": "My top recommendations are \"Docs for Developers\" and \"The Product is Docs\".\nI listed more books about docs and general writing, and TW courses and podcasts in this post: https://lorenaciutacu.com/resources-technical-writers/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and \"The Product is Docs\"",
          "reason": "Names it as a top recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "product documentation",
        "technical writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-professor-and-the-madman-6f8297",
      "title": "The Professor and the Madman",
      "author": "Simon Winchester",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9349250,
          "author": "sharkbot",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T17:24:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9349250",
          "commentText": "I'm reading \"The Professor and the Madman\" by Simon Winchester, a look at the creation of the Oxford English dictionary and the personalities, challenges, and environment of the people involved in its compilation.\nI'm also currently learning French, so it's interesting to see that English also contains exceptions, debates and colourful characters.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm reading \"The Professor and the Madman\" by Simon Winchester",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2639611,
          "author": "vinced",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T03:07:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639611",
          "commentText": "-All my friends are superheros\n-The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time\n-Outliers ... and other Malcolm Gladwel books\n-The Professor and the Madman\nmany more.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-The Professor and the Madman",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the thread’s question about the greatest book ever read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Simon Winchester"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Biography",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "lexicography",
        "oxford english dictionary"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-programmer-s-brain-7df526",
      "title": "The Programmer's Brain",
      "author": "Felienne Hermans",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41387886,
          "author": "mo_42",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T06:17:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387886",
          "commentText": "The Programmer's Brain by Felienne Hermans",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Programmer's Brain by Felienne Hermans",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Felienne Hermans"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "learning to code",
        "programmer cognition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-progressive-assault-on-laissez-faire-9b40e7",
      "title": "The Progressive Assault on Laissez-Faire",
      "author": "Barbara H. Fried",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15159641,
          "author": "frgtpsswrdlame",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T04:05:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15159641",
          "commentText": "The Progressive Assault on Laissez-Faire by Barbara Fried.\nIt's more pragmatic, aka not Marx/theory but it has some good arguments against our current econ/legal framework.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Progressive Assault on Laissez-Faire by Barbara Fried.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Barbara H. Fried"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "laissez faire",
        "legal history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-promise-of-sleep-1a74c1",
      "title": "The Promise of Sleep",
      "author": "William C. Dement",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2087620,
          "author": "snitko",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T05:38:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2087620",
          "commentText": "\"The Promise Of Sleep\" by William C. Dement.\nIt's a complete guide about sleep. If you want to manage your sleep, avoid various disorders, know how to treat them and stay in good health - you must have it. Mr. Dement is a pioneer of sleep science and knows a great deal about it. He's also a wonderful story teller - it feels as if you're reading an exciting novel, while the book remains very scientific and useful.\nPersonally, it helped me understand my sleep, I learned (though not completely) how to manage it and became a much happier person.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Promise Of Sleep\" by William C. Dement.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a complete guide, says readers must have it, and credits it with improving their understanding and sleep.",
          "audience": "People who want to manage sleep, avoid or treat disorders, and improve health.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they learned to manage their sleep, though not completely.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William C. Dement"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sleep science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-prophetic-imagination-8428bd",
      "title": "The Prophetic Imagination",
      "author": "Walter Brueggemann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39735634,
          "author": "kaycebasques",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-17T16:33:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39735634",
          "commentText": "The thesis of The Prophetic Imagination is \"the task of prophetic ministry is to nurture, nourish, and evoke a consciousness and perception alternative to the consciousness and perception of the dominant culture around us.\" It's a fascinating read. I have no idea how I stumbled onto this book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The thesis of The Prophetic Imagination is",
          "reason": "Calls it a fascinating read and explains its thesis.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says they have no idea how they came across the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Walter Brueggemann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biblical theology",
        "prophetic tradition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-protestant-establishment-aristocracy-and-caste-in-america-4c488f",
      "title": "The Protestant Establishment: Aristocracy and Caste in America",
      "author": "E. Digby Baltzell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22093129,
          "author": "neplus",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T18:53:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22093129",
          "commentText": "Depends on your definition of practically unknown. With that said, these are the four that immediately spring to mind as being both worth reading and relatively obscure (judging by date of publication in conjunction with being either out of print or with very few star ratings on Amazon).\nDid Monetary Forces Cause the Great Depression? - Peter Termin, 1975\nTermin is still going strong at MIT. His 1975 book was foundational for challenging Friedman on the cause of the Great Depression. Given what was to come in the 1980s this book quickly became overshadowed and destined for obscurity. However, it still provides an appropriate, timely lens to analyze monetary theory without the abstraction that has engrossed economics as of late.\nThe Supreme Court in the American System of Government  - Robert Jackson, 1955\nA series of lectures created for a Harvard lecture series in 1954-55 by Justice Jackson. He suddenly died before being able to deliver them, but they were compiled in a book now out of print. Justice Jackson is widely regarded - across the aisle - as one of the most brilliant legal writers of our time (or perhaps of any time). While this book doesn't set out his entire judicial philosophy, or even do what the title says due to his untimely death, it does lay a valuable conception of the proper role of the SCOTUS within the Republic. Also recommended, to see both his pen and intellect in action, are his opinions in Korematsu v. United States and West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette.\nThe Opium of the Intellectuals - Aron, 1955\nAmazon does a better job of summarizing than I could off the top of my head, so here you go: \"Raymond Aron's 1955 masterpiece The Opium of the Intellectuals, is one of the great works of twentieth- century political reflection. Aron shows how noble ideas can slide into the tyranny of \"secular religion\" and emphasizes how political thought has the profound responsibility of telling the truth about social and political reality-in all its mundane imperfections and tragic complexities.\"\nAn incredibly difficult read that is worth trying to get through. Brimming with ideas and not without its own pitfalls. Tells the story of 20th Century intellectual history and thought as well as any could, although in a rather indirect way.\nThe Protestant Establishment: Aristocracy and Caste in America (Aristocracy & Caste in America) - Baltzell, 1987\nI'll let Amazon summarize again: \"This classic account of the traditional upper class in America traces its origins, lifestyles, and political and social attitudes from the time of Theodore Roosevelt to that of John F. Kennedy. Sociologist E. Digby Baltzell describes the problems of exclusion and prejudice within the community of white Anglo-Saxon Protestants (or WASPs, an acronym he coined) and predicts with amazing accuracy what will happen when this inbred group is forced to share privilege and power with talented members of minority groups.\"\nMy summary would be: what will happen (hypothetically, remember the date of publication) when an ephemeral class (WASPs) suddenly disappear from their previous pedestal of influence? Prescient, widely applicable to other countries with their own quasi-classes, and deeply interesting for those less familiar with the subject.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Prescient, widely applicable to other countries with their own quasi-classes, and deeply interesting for those less familiar with the subject.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it prescient, broadly applicable, and interesting.",
          "audience": "Readers less familiar with social classes and American elites.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "E. Digby Baltzell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american social class",
        "wasps"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-protestant-ethic-and-the-spirit-of-capitalism-ae55b3",
      "title": "The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism",
      "author": "Max Weber",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17938850,
          "author": "dmccunney",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-08T01:21:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17938850",
          "commentText": "An assortment:\n\"The Silent Language\" by Edward T. Hall.\nHall was an anthropologist attached to the University of New Mexico.  He and his research partner, linguist Norman Trager, were doing research in comparative culture.  Hall realized they would need a comprehensive theory of culture to describe what they were comparing and provide ways to compare them.  Hall's model was \"culture as communication\", and the results were presented in the book above.  His key point was that most of culture was like the iceberg - 90% of it is processed on an unconscious reflex level.  We are no more aware of most of our culture than a fish is of the water it swims in.  We only become aware when we are set down in a culture that does things differently than ours. The Silent Language is about how we use space.  The followup \"The Hidden Dimension looks into how different cultures use time. Many things fell into place when I read Hall.\n\"Games People Play\" by Eric Berne.\nBerne was a psychiatrist and founder of the discipline of Transactional Analysis.  Games People Play was a PopSci bestseller when first published, which was odd because it's a highly technical volume written for other psychiatrists.  His thesis was that most human behavior could be viewed as games, and most of what we did were ways of structuring time.  Follow up with his \"What Do You Say After You've Said Hello?\" and \"Beyond Games and Scripts\".  Hall's work above did much to explain teh behavior of societies.  Berne's work does much to explain the behavior of people in societies.\n\"The Anatomy of Criticism\" by Northrop Frye.\nFrye was a Professor of English at Toronto University.  He had completed a study of William Blake called \"Fearful Symmetry\", and was attempting to do a study of Spencer's Faery Queen.  But he found himself trying to make sense of various terms used in literature, and the result became a work of pure theory, unconnected with any specific works.  He refers to poetry and poetics, but his canvas is broader.  Part of his problem was that there was no general term in English for a work of prose fiction.  It's a set of four essays, covering Historical Criticism, Ethical Criticism, Archetypal Criticism, and Rhetorical Criticism, but makes clear that while each form is valid in its own terms, none fully described literature, and a more synoptic view was required.\n\"The Structure of Scientific Revolutions\" by Thomas S. Kuhn\nKuhn's work challenged the accepted notions of scientific progress, and the notion of steady accumulation.  His thesis was that the real progress came from notions that lay outside accepted theories, and provided new paradigms by which reality might be understood, and faced all the resistance transformative ideas face from entrenched doctrine until they are demonstrated to be correct.\n\"Management: Tasks, Practices, Responsibilities\" by Peter F. Drucker.\nDrucker was our present generation's primary primary theorist and consultant on the practice of management, and just what management was and what mangers did.  This work was probably his magnum opus, where he pulled together the ideas he'd formulated elsewhere into a coherent whole.  It's a liberal education not only in management, but in the nature and structure of market based economies.\n\"The Making of Economic Society\" by Robert F. Heilbroner.\nThis is probably the best single volume overview I'm aware of on economics and economic history, beginning with just what an economy is, and the changing conception of economics through history, with the transition from Traditional through Command to Market economies and the issues involved with each.  Many animated discussions I see online about economics make me say \"Those words don't mean what you think they do.  Please read Heilbroner, and come back when you have.  Then we might at least be talking about the same things.\"\n\"The Problems of Philosophy\" by Bertrand Russell.\nRussell is concerned with knowledge, and how we know what we know.  He asks \"Is there any knowledge in the world so certin that no reasonable man could doubt it?\", and concludes that it's one of the most difficult questions that can be asked.  When we understand the obstacles in the way of a straightforward and confident answer, we are launched on the study of philosophy, which is concerned with precisely such questions.  If philosophy is of interest, this is a superb place to start.\n\"Religion and the Rise of Capitalism\" by R. H. Tawney.\nEconomies don't exist in vacuums.  The are aspects of the societies in which they exist, and reflect the values of those societies. Religion has been a critical part of the value systems of societies for as long as there have been societies, and religious notions on what sort of behavior is acceptable affect the structure of economies by determining what sort of transactions are permissible. Tawney is specifically concerned with religious thought in England affecting social organization and economic issues in the period immediately preceding the Reformation and the two following centuries, but while his focus in England, his description of the way in which Christian religious doctrine changed gradually to make a capitalist economy possible in England, the underlying processes could be applied through Europe in general. Read this as a companion to Max Weber's \"The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism\", originally written in German and concerned with the Netherlands and Germany.\n\"Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy\" by Joseph A. Schumpeter.\nSchumpeter was an Austrian economist, a contemporary of John Maynard Keynes, and (briefly) Austria's Finance Minister in the 1920's.  Like Keynes, he considered himself influenced by Marx.  But unlike many others, he believed Marx \"asked all the right questions, and got all the wrong answers\".  Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy was Schumpeter's (often delightfully snarky) attempt to understand what Marx got wrong and why.  It's a useful brainwash after you've spent any time reading MArx or other folks who consider themselves Marxists, and provides a needed sense of perspective.\nThere's more, but I have to stop somewhere...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Read this as a companion to Max Weber's \"The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism\"",
          "reason": "Recommended as a companion to Tawney's study of religion and capitalism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Weber focuses on the Netherlands and Germany.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Max Weber"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of capitalism",
        "sociology of religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-protracted-game-1daf0c",
      "title": "The Protracted Game",
      "author": "Scott Boorman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23153310,
          "author": "9214",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T12:43:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23153310",
          "commentText": "• \"Laws of Form\" by George Spencer-Brown, a little book that describes how to bootstrap the Universe from nothing. Louis Kauffman [1] has a lot of papers/writeups on it, from knot theory to quantum physics. If you ever wanted to make a pancake truly from scratch, this is a place to start.\n• \"The Unconscious as Infinite Sets\" by Ignacio Matte Blanco. Reformulates Freud in logico-mathematical terms and establishes a formal system (bi-logic) to describe unconsciousness phenomena: in case you ever wanted to apply category theory to study yourself.\n• \"The Protracted Game\" by Scott Boorman. Interprets Maoist's revolutionary strategies during 1927 - 1949 period as a game of Go. Interesting both from historical, military, and game-theoretical perspective; raised an appreciation of Eastern wisdom and 'board games as a tool of thought' [2] for me.\n• \"The Unwritten Laws of Engineering\" by W. J. King. Written in 1944, but the advice is still relevant, more so to the software engineering field. Should be at least skimmed at any part of your career.\n• \"The Myth of Sisyphus\" by Alber Camus. Unequivocally answers the most important question there is — does life have meaning, and if not, should you kill yourself over it? I read it in my teens while wrestling with existential dread, and lived a somewhat happy and interesting life ever after.\n[1]: http://homepages.math.uic.edu/~kauffman/Form.html\n[2]: There's also \"Laws of the Game\" by Eigen & Winkler that describes natural phenomena as glass-bead games with various rules.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Protracted Game\" by Scott Boorman.",
          "reason": "The commenter found its historical, military, and game-theoretical perspective interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Boorman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "go strategy",
        "maoism",
        "military strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-proverbs-of-solomon-28e565",
      "title": "The Proverbs of Solomon",
      "author": "Traditionally attributed to Solomon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1725179,
          "author": "Willwhatley",
          "createdAt": "2010-09-24T20:02:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1724596,
          "threadTitle": "What are great books for boys?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1725179",
          "commentText": "Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson.\nAlice in Wonderland iff still young enough not to think girls are gross. Otherwise you must sneak up on him with the poetry, then introduce the book. (I've had success with reciting 'Jabberwocky' and 'The Walrus and the Carpenter.')\nLearn 'If,' by Kipling, by heart. Then teach it slowly and patiently.\nAs an aside, quite a lot of Kipling is truly excellently boy friendly.\nThe Proverbs of Solomon, et al. Found in any Bible or Talmud. Bears repeated reading, as most eastern 'wisdom' literature does (The Book of Five Rings, The Art of War, etc.).\nWhile we're at, why not the Narnia books? I loved them, and I'd no idea the Lion was apparently Jesus until I was nine or so.\nBut by far do not DO NOT forget Michel Ende's marvelous 'The Neverending Story.'\nIf you're only familiar with it from a movie, you've missed the best part, when the boy 'Bastian must take up arms and become the adventurer he has read about and loved.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Proverbs of Solomon, et al. Found in any Bible or Talmud.",
          "reason": "Suggests it as wisdom literature that bears repeated reading.",
          "audience": "Boys.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Traditionally attributed to Solomon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "proverbs",
        "wisdom literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-psychedelic-explorer-s-guide-safe-therapeutic-and-sacred-jour-9be685",
      "title": "The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide: Safe, Therapeutic, and Sacred Journeys",
      "author": "James Fadiman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29672112,
          "author": "mekoka",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T09:45:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29672112",
          "commentText": "> Were you worried about a bad trip?\nMany therapists and scientists have documented their personal experience guiding hundreds, sometimes thousands of trips with strong psychedelic doses (e.g. 20mg+ synthetic psilocybin, 200mcg+ lsd). They've written entire chapters on bad trips in the context of specifically psychedelics, what are their cause, how to avoid them, and how to handle them when they occur. Research papers, books, articles, etc. It's all in there. Sometimes, even reading just a single chapter from a single book is enough (James Fadiman's The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide is quite accessible. https://tripsafe.org/ also offers good advice)\nAcquiring that knowledge requires to actually sit down and read the stuff. Sadly, what we have around us is people usually just spewing anecdotes and opinions.\nIf you're considering taking the journey, do yourself a favor and research the topic a bit before. You might be surprised at the amount of misinformation that's out there (and in these very threads).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "James Fadiman's The Psychedelic Explorer's Guide is quite accessible.",
          "reason": "Suggested as an accessible source about psychedelic experiences and handling bad trips.",
          "audience": "People considering a psychedelic experience and researching the topic.",
          "caveat": "The comment specifically calls it accessible; no broader evaluation is stated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Fadiman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "harm reduction",
        "psychedelics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-psychick-bible-c87f06",
      "title": "The Psychick Bible",
      "author": "Genesis Breyer P-Orridge",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910941,
          "author": "bartcobain",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T17:30:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910941",
          "commentText": "1. The psychick bible by Genesis Breyer P. Orridge.\n2. Breakthroughs in science by Isaac Asimov",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The psychick bible by Genesis Breyer P. Orridge.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Genesis Breyer P-Orridge"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chaos magic",
        "occultism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-psychology-of-intelligence-analysis-147818",
      "title": "The Psychology of Intelligence Analysis",
      "author": "Richards J. Heuer Jr.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3278603,
          "author": "bane",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T23:52:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3278603",
          "commentText": "\"The Psychology of Intelligence Analysis\" -\nhttps://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intellig... (https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/books-and-monographs/psychology-of-intelligence-analysis/PsychofIntelNew.pdf)\nIs a great book on learning to overcome cognitive bias and dealing with a foggy understanding of a problem set.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Psychology of Intelligence Analysis\"",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great book for learning to overcome cognitive bias and work with unclear problems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richards J. Heuer Jr."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognitive bias",
        "intelligence analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-psychology-of-problem-solving-0ab99f",
      "title": "The Psychology of Problem Solving",
      "author": "Janet E. Davidson and Robert J. Sternberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3277741,
          "author": "mixu",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T18:11:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3277741",
          "commentText": "How about some books that aren't pop-sci / business books? I am kind of biased, since I love this area of psychology.\n- The Sciences of the Artificial by Simon\n- The Psychology of Problem Solving by Davidson & Sternberg\n- The Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance (Cambridge Handbooks in Psychology) by Ericsson, Charness, Feltovich & Hoffman\n- Minds, Brains and Computers - The Foundations of Cognitive Science: An Anthology (Blackwell Philosophy Anthologies)\n- Choices, Values, and Frames by Kahneman & Tversky\nThe Sciences of the Artificial is a small but deep book by Herbert Simon, who is considered a key figure in founding the study of these areas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herbert_Simon ).\nDavidson & Sternberg focuses on problem solving (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Sternberg ).\nThe Cambridge Handbooks (there are many others) in particular are excellent as they contain classic articles in Cognitive Science and Psychology, with introductions and overviews by people who actually research this area. The one on Expertise and Expert performance is edited by K. A. Ericsson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K._Anders_Ericsson )\nMinds, Brains and Computers is another collection of classics, from a more model-based perspective.\nFinally, Kahneman and Tversky offer a more economics-centric viewpoint. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Kahneman & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amos_Tversky )\nIf you read scientific articles in this area, you'll notice that many of these author's names will keep popping up...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Davidson & Sternberg focuses on problem solving",
          "reason": "Presented as a relevant book on problem solving in response to a request for reading suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Janet E. Davidson and Robert J. Sternberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognitive psychology",
        "problem solving"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-psychology-of-self-esteem-bcb4e5",
      "title": "The Psychology of Self-Esteem",
      "author": "Nathaniel Branden",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15156851,
          "author": "SpinningCode",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T16:32:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156851",
          "commentText": "Psychology of Self-esteem by the same author is brilliant\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Psychology-Self-Esteem-Revolutionary-... (https://www.amazon.com/Psychology-Self-Esteem-Revolutionary-Approach-Self-Understanding-ebook/dp/B0030II1Y6/ref=sr_1_2)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Psychology of Self-esteem by the same author is brilliant",
          "reason": "Calls the book brilliant.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nathaniel Branden"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self esteem",
        "self help"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-psychopath-test-9acb29",
      "title": "The Psychopath Test",
      "author": "Jon Ronson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34161456,
          "author": "spicymaki",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T14:49:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161456",
          "commentText": "2022 was a year full of change for me and I am not looking for change but more of a complement to my life as it is currently.\nIn the process of reading:\nParable of a Sower’s Daughter by Octavia Butler\nRead this year:\nThe Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki\nThe Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson\nFour Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman\nA Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki\nSea of Tranquillity by Emily St. John Mandel\nChildren of Dune by Frank Herbert\nTurtles All the Way Down by John Green\nThe Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu\nStation Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson",
          "reason": "Listed among books read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3988442,
          "author": "DanBC",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-17T18:48:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3988442",
          "commentText": "Short story collection:\nThis is not your city, by Caitlin Horrocks\n(http://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Is-Not-Your-City/dp/1932511911)\n\"The Psychopath Test\" by Jon Ronson - he's really good journalist and writes well.  This is an interesting read about the newish \"psychopaths everywhere\" meme.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is an interesting read about the newish \"psychopaths everywhere\" meme.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an interesting read and says Ronson is a good journalist who writes well.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jon Ronson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "popular psychology",
        "psychopathy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-public-and-its-problems-af2197",
      "title": "The Public and Its Problems",
      "author": "John Dewey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1504493,
          "author": "mindviews",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T22:54:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1504493",
          "commentText": "I've read both \"Experience and Nature\" and \"How We Think\" and can recommend both.  \"How We Think\" was published first and is shorter - would make for a good introduction to Dewey.  \"Experience and Nature\" is longer and has more weight but is also more work to read.  I haven't read more than excerpts from his other works so I can't add much.  Otherwise, I intend to read \"The Public and its Problems\" which is supposed to be a good work on democracy.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I intend to read \"The Public and its Problems\" which is supposed to be a good work on democracy.",
          "reason": "Says it is supposed to be a good work on democracy.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in democracy and Dewey.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read more than excerpts from Dewey's other works and only intends to read this title.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Dewey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "democracy",
        "pragmatism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-punch-escrow-679384",
      "title": "The Punch Escrow",
      "author": "Tal M. Klein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18664102,
          "author": "piratebroadcast",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T14:25:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664102",
          "commentText": "We Are Legion (We Are Bob) was my flat-out favorite series this year. I'm positive that a lot of HN users would love it. The Punch Escrow by Tal Klein was also a favorite of this year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Punch Escrow by Tal Klein was also a favorite of this year.",
          "reason": "The commenter names it as another favorite of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tal M. Klein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "time travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-pursuit-of-innovation-686e71",
      "title": "The Pursuit of Innovation",
      "author": "Tom Peters",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 658176,
          "author": "salvadors",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-15T09:15:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 657892,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite management books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=658176",
          "commentText": "Seconded. From his earlier books, I've also always been a big fan of \"The Pursuit of Wow\" and \"The Pursuit of Innovation\". Not quite as colourful, but still fairly non-typical as business books go.\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0679755551\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0340717211",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and \"The Pursuit of Innovation\"",
          "reason": "Included alongside a book the commenter says they have always been a big fan of.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in unconventional business books.",
          "caveat": "Described as less colourful than Re-imagine!",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Peters"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "innovation",
        "management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-pursuit-of-wow-fc7821",
      "title": "The Pursuit of Wow!",
      "author": "Tom Peters",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 658176,
          "author": "salvadors",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-15T09:15:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 657892,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite management books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=658176",
          "commentText": "Seconded. From his earlier books, I've also always been a big fan of \"The Pursuit of Wow\" and \"The Pursuit of Innovation\". Not quite as colourful, but still fairly non-typical as business books go.\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0679755551\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0340717211",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've also always been a big fan of \"The Pursuit of Wow\"",
          "reason": "Says they have always been a big fan of the book.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in unconventional business books.",
          "caveat": "Described as less colourful than Re-imagine!",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Peters"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business strategy",
        "management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-qualcomm-equation-2dcc1a",
      "title": "The Qualcomm Equation",
      "author": "Dave Mock",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 948484,
          "author": "tricky",
          "createdAt": "2009-11-18T16:02:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 947581,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN:  What's the best first business book for a programmer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=948484",
          "commentText": "You might also like \"The Qualcomm Equation\" by Dave Mock. It is the story of a few engineers in San Diego who got together and used CDMA to transform the industry.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You might also like \"The Qualcomm Equation\" by Dave Mock.",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a possible fit for someone interested in business profiles and company stories.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in business profiles and company stories.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dave Mock"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "company history",
        "qualcomm"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-quants-b2f54c",
      "title": "The Quants",
      "author": "Scott Patterson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18827386,
          "author": "parallel_item",
          "createdAt": "2019-01-04T20:38:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 18824130,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What article/book do you recommend for my next flight?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18827386",
          "commentText": "Some finance books I love (and reread frequently). These books are more about characters and stories, more than traditional non-fiction.\nMy Life as a Quant by Emanuel Derman\nThe Quants by Scott Patterson\nA Man for All Markets by Edward O. Thorp\nReminiscences of a Stock Operator by Edwin Lefevre\nFlash Boys by Michael Lewis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Quants by Scott Patterson",
          "reason": "Includes it among finance books the commenter loves and rereads frequently.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in finance books focused on characters and stories.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these books are more about characters and stories than traditional nonfiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18665467,
          "author": "JabavuAdams",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:55:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665467",
          "commentText": "= Finished =\n* Homo Deus, Yuval Noah Harari\n* Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt\n* The Quants\n* All About ADHD: A Family Resource for Helping Your Child Succeed With ADHD\n* Still Procrastinating? The No Regrets Guide To Getting It Done\n* Why Does He Do That? Inside The Minds of Angry And Controlling Men\n* Killing Pablo\n* Blackhawk Down (re-read)\n* Revelation Space. Banks. (re-read)\n= Finished Chapters Required For A Course =\n* Essential University Physics, Volume 1. Wolfson.\n* Linear Algebra, A First Course. Kutler.\n* A Concise Introduction to Linear Algebra. Schay.\n* Biology I: Cells, Molecular Biology, and Genetics. Custom Text (York University, BIOL 1000).\n* Chemistry, A Molecular Approach. Tro et. al.\n= In Progress =\n* 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, Yuval Noah Harari\n* Time Reborn: From the Crisis In Physics to the Future of the Universe. Smolin.\n* Freemium Mobile Games: Design & Monetization",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "* The Quants",
          "reason": "Listed as finished; no evaluation or recommendation is expressed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16769837,
          "author": "meifun",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-05T23:51:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16769837",
          "commentText": "Here are the books on my desk:\nC++:\n\"The C++ Programming Language\", Stroustrup\n\"Programming: Principles and Practice Using C++\", Stroustrup\nQuant:\n\"Quantitative Trading\", Dr. Ernest Chan\n\"Algorithmic Trading\", Dr. Ernest Chan\n\"Machine Trading: Deploying Computer Algorithms to Conquer the Markets\", Dr. Ernest Chan\n\"Advances in Financial Machine Learning\", Marcos Lopez de Prado\n\"Options, Futures and Other Derivatives (10th edition)\", John C. Hull\nBuddhism:\n\"Open Heart, Clear Mind\", Thubten Chodron\n\"Buddhism For Beginners\", Thubten Chodron\n\"Working with Anger\", Thubten Chodron\nReading For Pleasure:\n\"Naked Statistics\", Charles Wheelan\n\"Algorithms to Live By\", Brian Christian and Tom Griffiths\n\"Dark Pools\"\n\"The Quants\", Scott Patterson\n\"The Physics Of Wall Street\", James Owen Weatherall\nPlus some Chinese books, I wont bore with the details, unless anyone wants to know. Fun Fact, while I was in China for 8 weeks in late 2017 I bought 60 Chinese books and stuffed them in a suitcase. It cost me $4,000RMB (~$604 USD) to check all of my stuff and purchases home :-)\nThe Math books are:\n\"Discrete math\", Susan Epp\n\"Discrete with Ducks\"\nvarious Calc books. If you want to learn math, find books that work for you. We all learn differently here.\nMy opinion: The Chan books are just amazing. Thought provoking and motivational. I am still reading the Prado book.\nMy opinion 2: If you ever want to slow down in life and learn what you are about, read about Buddhism. I'm not trying to start a flame war. It just works for me. It isn't being told what to believe because that is the way it is. I feel Buddhism lets me explore myself to find the right answers that work for me. Since studying my anger levels are in check. I am a better Husband. My wife comes first always.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"The Quants\", Scott Patterson",
          "reason": "Listed under “Reading For Pleasure.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Patterson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "quantitative finance",
        "wall street",
        "financial markets"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-quantum-enigma-physics-encounters-consciousness-04aa6f",
      "title": "The Quantum Enigma: Physics Encounters Consciousness",
      "author": "Bruce Rosenblum and Fred Kuttner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1569162,
          "author": "namin",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:31:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569162",
          "commentText": "Some books I've read this summer, which I can recommend:\n- The Facebook Effect -- well-written insider's account of the history of Facebook and its ambitions.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Facebook-Effect-Inside-Company-Connect... (http://www.amazon.com/Facebook-Effect-Inside-Company-Connecting/dp/1439102112)\n- The Quantum Enigma -- an accessible digest of quantum mechanics and its philosophical consequences.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Enigma-Physics-Encounters-Cons... (http://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Enigma-Physics-Encounters-Consciousness/dp/019534250X/)\n- Flesh & Machines -- a lightweight history of robotics and some wacky speculations by MIT's Rodney Brooks.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Flesh-Machines-Robots-Will-Change/dp/0... (http://www.amazon.com/Flesh-Machines-Robots-Will-Change/dp/0375420797)\n- The Language of Life: DNA and the Revolution of Personalized Medecine -- a well-backed account of what is or will be possible in medicine thanks to a better understanding of the genome and increase use of DNA sequencing for prevention, diagnostic, and treatment.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Language-Life-Revolution-Personalized-... (http://www.amazon.com/Language-Life-Revolution-Personalized-Medicine/dp/0061733180/)\n- ... by David Sedaris -- Funny short stories. Perhaps The Santaland Diaries for something light but really amusing, and When You Are Engulfed in Flames for something darker and more well-known. Also, if you like short stories, I heartily recommend Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules, a varied collection of short stories selected by Sedaris.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/David-Sedaris/e/B000AQ3YUW/\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0349119759\nhttp://www.amazon.com/When-You-Are-Engulfed-Flames/dp/031615... (http://www.amazon.com/When-You-Are-Engulfed-Flames/dp/0316154687/)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Children-Playing-Before-Statue-Hercule... (http://www.amazon.com/Children-Playing-Before-Statue-Hercules/dp/074327394X/)\n- Dreams of My Father -- Barack Obama writes candidly and beautifully about his childhood and early adulthood; it's not a political book, and it's worth reading for the writing alone.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Dreams-My-Father-Story-Inheritance/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Dreams-My-Father-Story-Inheritance/dp/1400082773/)\n- Mathematics: The Loss of Certainty: a chatty history of mathematics, and its perception.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Loss-Certainty-Galaxy-Book... (http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Loss-Certainty-Galaxy-Books/dp/0195030850)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Quantum Enigma -- an accessible digest of quantum mechanics and its philosophical consequences.",
          "reason": "Describes it as an accessible overview of quantum mechanics and philosophical consequences.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruce Rosenblum and Fred Kuttner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consciousness",
        "quantum mechanics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-quantum-thief-trilogy-b31d7d",
      "title": "The Quantum Thief trilogy",
      "author": "Hannu Rajaniemi",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8106924,
          "author": "vsviridov",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:11:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106924",
          "commentText": "Quantum Thief trilogy by Hannu Rajaniemi.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Quantum Thief trilogy by Hannu Rajaniemi.",
          "reason": "Listed as a suggestion in response to a request for books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hannu Rajaniemi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "posthumanism",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-quark-and-the-jaguar-9c7393",
      "title": "The Quark and the Jaguar",
      "author": "Murray Gell-Mann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910625,
          "author": "EngineerBetter",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T17:01:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910625",
          "commentText": "Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb has implications that I find impact very disparate areas. It's hard work in places though.\nThe Quark and the Jaguar by Murray Gell-Mann is a wonderfully readable and accessible intro to complexity, which again is a topic that seems to crop up all over the place.\nDelusions of Gender by Cordelia Fine cites a shedload of research to dispel gender-related myths. It should be taught in schools, in my opinion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a wonderfully readable and accessible intro to complexity",
          "reason": "The commenter praises it as an accessible introduction to complexity.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an introduction to complexity.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Murray Gell-Mann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "complex adaptive systems",
        "complexity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-queen-s-necklace-515302",
      "title": "The Queen's Necklace",
      "author": "Alexandre Dumas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20918348,
          "author": "idoubtit",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T14:13:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20918348",
          "commentText": "Monte Cristo is also my favorite novel by Alexandre Dumas, but I enjoyed many other books he wrote — he used to have assistants that wrote part of his books, and, IIRC, one of them claimed that he was the main author of some novels.\nI'd recommend reading \"Les 3 mousquetaires\", where the Lady is one of the most interesting characters I've ever met. The book was a huge success, and is still famous in France nowadays, like its main character, D'Artagnan. The two sequences are okay, \"Vingt ans après\" and \"Le vicomte de Bragelonne\".\nOther good historical novels by Dumas are \"La reine Margot\", \"Joseph Balsamo\", \"Le collier de la reine\". For the fans, there are dozens of lesser novels, like \"La tulipe noire\" (which I know I've read, but can't remember at all).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Le collier de la reine\"",
          "reason": "Includes it among other good historical novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alexandre Dumas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "french history",
        "historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-queendom-of-sol-57cade",
      "title": "The Queendom of Sol",
      "author": "Wil McCarthy",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056546,
          "author": "TheLoneWolfling",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:22:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056546",
          "commentText": "I enjoy The Queendom of Sol series, by Wil McCarthy.\nAlso, A Fire Upon the Deep / A Deepness in the Sky.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoy The Queendom of Sol series, by Wil McCarthy.",
          "reason": "Says they enjoy the series in a thread asking for favorite sci-fi books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Wil McCarthy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-quest-for-artificial-intelligence-a-history-of-ideas-and-achi-e43d19",
      "title": "The Quest for Artificial Intelligence: A History of Ideas and Achievements",
      "author": "Nils J. Nilsson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13900541,
          "author": "flor1s",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T09:13:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13900541",
          "commentText": "I think there is a pdf draft of the book legally available from http://ai.stanford.edu/~nilsson/QAI/qai.pdf",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I think there is a pdf draft of the book legally available",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment only notes that a legal draft PDF is available.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13900427,
          "author": "davidhunter",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-18T08:20:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 13900153,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books on AI?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13900427",
          "commentText": "The Quest for Artificial Intelligence: A History of Ideas and Achievements by Nils Nilsson\nGives a great run through of the history of AI research. Understanding the approaches that have been tried before gives you a sense of why the state of the field is what it is today. It is worth bearing in mind that AI research expands far beyond computer science into psychology, philosophy, linguistics etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Quest for Artificial Intelligence: A History of Ideas and Achievements by Nils Nilsson\nGives a great run through of the history of AI research.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for an overview of AI research history and how past approaches shaped the field.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an introduction to AI research history.",
          "caveat": "AI research also spans psychology, philosophy, and linguistics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nils J. Nilsson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ai research",
        "history of artificial intelligence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-quest-for-reality-689116",
      "title": "The Quest for Reality",
      "author": "Barry Stroud",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32791257,
          "author": "wunderlust",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T15:04:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32791257",
          "commentText": "My field of study (what I really like to think and learn about) isn't my field of work, but I like the question so I'll spill some thoughts.\nI spend a lot of time thinking about philosophical-ish stuff, so here are some books that have had the strongest residual effects (whether that's changing how I think, changing what I think about, changing my values, or simply getting the thought ball rolling faster):\nIshmael (Daniel Quinn)\n1984 (George Orwell)\nBrave New World (Aldous Huxley)\nGodel, Escher, Bach (Douglas Hofstadter)\nThe Republic [imp. \"the allegory of the cave\"] (Plato)\nThe Genealogy of Morals (Friedrich Nietzsche)\nThe Social Construction of Reality (Peter L. Berger, Thomas Luckmann)\nTractatus Logico-Philosophicus (L. Wittgenstein)\nDissemination [imp. \"The Pharmakon\"] (Jacques Derrida)\nThe Quest for Reality (Barry Stroud)\nLanguages of Art (Nelson Goodman)\nThe Structure of Scientific Revolutions (Thomas Kuhn)\nConcepts (Jerry Fodor)\nThe Web of Life (Fritjof Capra)\nFoucault's Pendulum (Umberto Eco)\nNaming and Necessity (Saul Kripke)\nZen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Robert Pirsig)\nThere are others, and a lot of essays (by thinkers like Bertrand Russell, Carl Hempel, Hilary Putnam, WVO Quine, Karl Popper, Alfred Tarski, Gottlob Frege, David Chalmers, Daniel Dennett, Michel Foucault, Jean Baudrillard, Mikhail Bakunin, CS Peirce, and David Hume, among many others), but these seem apropos as they most readily came to mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Quest for Reality (Barry Stroud)",
          "reason": "Listed among books with strong residual effects on the commenter’s thinking and values.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Barry Stroud"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epistemology",
        "metaphysics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-quiet-american-5c6998",
      "title": "The Quiet American",
      "author": "Graham Greene",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13249110,
          "author": "petre",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-24T08:36:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 13248833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great fiction reads for someone that reads non-fiction",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13249110",
          "commentText": "Just about any Graham Greene book: The Power and the Glory. The Quiet American, The Ministry of Fear, The Comedians, Our Man in Havana etc.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Quiet American",
          "reason": "Listed as an example of a Graham Greene book in response to a request for fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Graham Greene"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "political fiction",
        "vietnam"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-qur-an-57f265",
      "title": "The Qur'an",
      "author": "Translated by M. A. S. Abdel Haleem",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7969769,
          "author": "hackerboos",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T09:21:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7969769",
          "commentText": "The Qur'an translation you've mentioned is the best one I've found.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Qur'an translation you've mentioned is the best one I've found.",
          "reason": "Says this translation is the best one they have found.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7968642,
          "author": "ggreer",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T00:57:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968642",
          "commentText": "I just started When the Air Hits Your Brain: Tales from Neurosurgery[1]. The author is a neurosurgeon and an excellent writer.\nThe last book I read was Abdel Haleem's translation of the Qur'an[2]. For an ancient religious text, it's rather short. Total reading time was maybe 16 hours over the course of a week. I'm not religious, but it was interesting to get a better idea of what Muslims believe and why. That said, the whole thing reads like a 7th-century version of Time Cube. I came away with the impression that the author was a schizophrenic who knew of parts of the Bible.\nThe most useful book I've recently read is Steve Blank's Four Steps to the Epiphany[3]. It's a more structured version of a lot of the stuff I learned in YC.\nMy favorite books of the past year are Confessions of a Yakuza[4] and Infidel[5]. The subjects of each book are as different as can be, but their stories are quite captivating. Both survived immense suffering and managed to thrive afterwards. Reading those books reminded me of how lucky I am and how insignificant my problems are.\n1. http://www.amazon.com/When-Air-Hits-Your-Brain-ebook/dp/B006... (http://www.amazon.com/When-Air-Hits-Your-Brain-ebook/dp/B006WOFB5C/)\n2. http://www.amazon.com/Quran-Oxford-Worlds-Classics-ebook/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Quran-Oxford-Worlds-Classics-ebook/dp/B001ODEPPI/)\n3. http://www.amazon.com/Four-Steps-Epiphany-Steve-Blank-ebook/... (http://www.amazon.com/Four-Steps-Epiphany-Steve-Blank-ebook/dp/B00FLZKNUQ/)\n4. http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Yakuza-Junichi-Saga-ebook/... (http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Yakuza-Junichi-Saga-ebook/dp/B003YL3PPY)\n5. http://www.amazon.com/Infidel-Ayaan-Hirsi-Ali-ebook/dp/B000N... (http://www.amazon.com/Infidel-Ayaan-Hirsi-Ali-ebook/dp/B000NY12CI/)",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I'm not religious, but it was interesting to get a better idea of what Muslims believe and why. That said, the whole thing reads like a 7th-century version of Time Cube.",
          "reason": "Says it was interesting for understanding Muslim beliefs, but sharply criticizes the text.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a better understanding of Muslim beliefs.",
          "caveat": "The commenter compares it to Time Cube and describes a negative impression of its author.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Translated by M. A. S. Abdel Haleem"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "islam",
        "religious text",
        "translation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-quran-e6477e",
      "title": "The Quran",
      "author": "Various authors",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3395244,
          "author": "jasondrowley",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T09:20:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395244",
          "commentText": "I'm going to be on the receiving end of a great deal of vitriol for saying The Bible and the Koran, but sitting down and reading those two books—for the first time in my 21-year existence—was a really interesting experience.\nI'm not going to turn this into a personal essay. I realized—after reading both books with a critical eye—that there are a lot of trumped-up claims made about each books' contents that ultimately fail to bear themselves out. But there's a great deal to learn from each, and I say this as a nontheist.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Bible and the Koran, but sitting down and reading those two books—for the first time in my 21-year existence—was a really interesting experience.",
          "reason": "Reading it was described as a really interesting experience, with a great deal to learn.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter read it with a critical eye and identifies as a nontheist.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "islam",
        "religious texts"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-quran-f53544",
      "title": "The Quran",
      "author": "Various",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11297799,
          "author": "roymurdock",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:56:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297799",
          "commentText": "Older Stuff: The Bible/Quran, The Republic (Plato), The Social Contract (Rousseau), Tao Te Ching (Laozi), Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky), History of the Peloponnesian War (Thucydides)\nNewer Stuff: Nine Stories (Salinger), The Razor's Edge (Maugham), Nausea (Sartre), Siddartha (Hesse), Road to Serfdom (Hayek), The Book (Watts), Design of Everyday Things (Norman), Atlas Shrugged (Rand), Invisible Man (Ellison), Debunking Economics (Keen), Blood Meridian (McCarthy), The Center Cannot Hold (Saks), This Time Is Different (Reinhart/Rogoff), Infinite Jest (Wallace), Calvin and Hobbes (Watterson)\nAll of these books are well written and have given me some perspective on interesting people/situations/ways of thinking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Bible/Quran",
          "reason": "Listed among books said to have given the commenter perspective on interesting people, situations, and ways of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "islam",
        "religious text"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-rest-api-design-handbook-416b15",
      "title": "The REST API Design Handbook",
      "author": "George Reese",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24384951,
          "author": "rajvosa07",
          "createdAt": "2020-09-05T16:49:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 24383180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Suggestions for books about API design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24384951",
          "commentText": "I really liked: The REST API Design Handbook by George Reese.\nIt is everything you need to know and thinks about the angle of the people who need to consume your API. Quick read too.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/REST-API-Design-Handbook-ebook/dp/B00... (https://www.amazon.com/REST-API-Design-Handbook-ebook/dp/B00890OBFI)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really liked: The REST API Design Handbook by George Reese.",
          "reason": "The commenter liked the book and says it covers what API consumers need.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Quick read too.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Reese"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "api design",
        "rest"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-rails-tutorial-3f9c3f",
      "title": "The Rails Tutorial",
      "author": "Michael Hartl",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22300880,
          "author": "banana_maker",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-11T18:12:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22300880",
          "commentText": "* The Rails Tutorial - https://www.railstutorial.org/\nThis book (although an older edition) is largely what got me into programming, and taught me so much about Rails.\n* Programming WebAssembly with Rust - https://pragprog.com/book/khrust/programming-webassembly-wit... (https://pragprog.com/book/khrust/programming-webassembly-with-rust)\nThis book steps through learning about web assembly, writing it by hand, and then implementing a server for webassembly. I had so many misconceptions about webassembly/wasm before reading this.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Rails Tutorial",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them learn Rails and get into programming.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says this was an older edition.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Hartl"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ruby on rails",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-rain-train-8644e6",
      "title": "The Rain Train",
      "author": "Brian Lovelock",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26775082,
          "author": "rmk",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-12T00:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26775082",
          "commentText": "- Good Night, Moon\n- The Runaway Bunny\n- Harold and the Purple Crayon\n- Grandfather Twilight (for slightly older children)\n- Sandra Boynton books\n- Max's Breakfast (and other books)\n- I Read Signs (Tana Hoban; other books by her also quite good)\n- Go! Go! Go! Stop! (Cherise Mericle Harper)\n- Little Pea (Amy Krouse Rosenthal)\n- Trucks, My Car (and other Byron Barton books)\n- The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Eric Carle; some other books by this author are also good)\n- Roadwork (Sally Sutton; also in the same vein by the illustrator Brian Lovelock: Demolition, Flight of the Honey Bee, The Rain Train).\nMany others come to mind, but these are well-loved.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Rain Train",
          "reason": "Recommended as being in the same vein as Roadwork.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brian Lovelock"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-rape-of-the-mind-the-psychology-of-thought-control-menticide--749583",
      "title": "The Rape of the Mind: The Psychology of Thought Control, Menticide, and Brainwashing",
      "author": "Joost Meerloo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33850191,
          "author": "cf141q5325",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T03:10:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33850191",
          "commentText": "Joost Meerloo's \"Rape of the mind\".\nIts an incredible older book looking at the mechanisms exploited by totalitarian systems to subdue their victims. Namely nazi Germany, soviet Russia and revolutionary China.\nThe author was part of the dutch resistance against the nazi occupation and headed the psychological department of the dutch army in exile after he had to flee mainland Europe. He later also acted as a witness for the defense in the trial against Frank Schwable for collaborating as a PoW in Korea.\nIn addition to the really interesting and still highly relevant topic his writing shows him to be among the other awe inspiring scientists of the \"greatest generation\". Its quite simply an extremely impressive yet pleasant to read opus magnum.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Its an incredible older book looking at the mechanisms exploited by totalitarian systems to subdue their victims.",
          "reason": "Calls it incredible and says its account of mechanisms used by totalitarian systems remains relevant.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joost Meerloo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "brainwashing",
        "totalitarianism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-rational-male-48a3d4",
      "title": "The Rational Male",
      "author": "Rollo Tomassi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14480445,
          "author": "miqkt",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-04T08:47:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14480445",
          "commentText": "Rollo Tomassi – The Rational Male\nIf my younger self had read this, I think my course of life would be very much different than it is right now. Just a caution that it might come off as misogynistic ramblings for some readers.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Rollo Tomassi – The Rational Male\nIf my younger self had read this, I think my course of life would be very much different than it is right now.",
          "reason": "The commenter says reading it earlier would have changed their life course.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter warns it may come off as misogynistic ramblings to some readers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rollo Tomassi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dating",
        "masculinity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-rational-optimist-how-prosperity-evolves-dcfe17",
      "title": "The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves",
      "author": "Matt Ridley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2087818,
          "author": "rosejn",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T07:30:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2087818",
          "commentText": "Microcosm: E. coli and the New Science of Life \n- Carl Zimmer\n* This was one of the best science books I've ever read.  Zimmer uses e-coli as the primary actor a tour of genomics and history of the big breakthroughs in micro-biology.  I'm a developer, but this book was a page turner that really opened my eyes to to how cells operate, perform logic-like functions, and communicate.\nThe Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves\n- Matt Ridley\n* Ridley's basic thesis is that specialization and trade are the primary means of the betterment of the human condition, and he has a lot of thought provoking ways of looking at the world that will forever change the way I think about technology and business.  A wide ranging and enjoyable read",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A wide ranging and enjoyable read",
          "reason": "Praised as an enjoyable read with thought provoking ways of thinking about technology and business.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matt Ridley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "prosperity",
        "trade"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-raven-tower-583f82",
      "title": "The Raven Tower",
      "author": "Ann Leckie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46396943,
          "author": "elric",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T22:19:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46396943",
          "commentText": "I can warmly recommend anything written by Leckie. Her scifi is great. But her attempt at fantasy (The Raven Tower) is also most excellent.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "But her attempt at fantasy (The Raven Tower) is also most excellent.",
          "reason": "The commenter warmly recommends Leckie's writing and calls this fantasy novel most excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter distinguishes it from Leckie's science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ann Leckie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "deities",
        "myth retelling",
        "standalone fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-raw-shark-texts-4cff47",
      "title": "The Raw Shark Texts",
      "author": "Steven Hall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 875748,
          "author": "trafficlight",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T02:06:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875748",
          "commentText": "House of Leaves - Mark Danielewski\nThe Raw Shark Texts - Steven Hall",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Raw Shark Texts - Steven Hall",
          "reason": "Named in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Hall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "metafiction",
        "psychological thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-re-enchantment-of-art-a77acb",
      "title": "The Re-Enchantment of Art",
      "author": "Suzi Gablik",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25538793,
          "author": "itronitron",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-25T20:28:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25538793",
          "commentText": "The Black Swan, by Taleb, because at the time it was particularly relevant to my work and since then has also impacted my decision making process more generally.\nThe Re-enchantment of Art, by Suzi Gablik. I hated it when I first read it but then after reading it a second time realized she was right about a lot of things.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Re-enchantment of Art, by Suzi Gablik. I hated it when I first read it",
          "reason": "After rereading it, the commenter realized the author was right about many things.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter initially hated it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Suzi Gablik"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "art criticism",
        "modern art"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-real-happy-pill-2c0686",
      "title": "The Real Happy Pill",
      "author": "Anders Hansen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20332806,
          "author": "usrme",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T06:57:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20332806",
          "commentText": "\"The Real Happy Pill\" by Anders Hansen.\nIn a nutshell: it goes through the myriad of ways that exercise is good for your brain, and the author does it in a way that is easy to grok and even easier to implement in your own life.\nTo me it really drove home that I need to continue exercising for years to come and thanks to this book I'll be driving the concept home for people I care about as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Real Happy Pill\" by Anders Hansen.",
          "reason": "Says it explains how exercise benefits the brain in an accessible and practical way, and motivated continued exercise.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anders Hansen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "brain health",
        "exercise"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-real-world-of-technology-41b2e2",
      "title": "The Real World of Technology",
      "author": "Ursula M. Franklin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39061967,
          "author": "jsenn",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T22:09:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39061967",
          "commentText": "A critical book I enjoyed when I read it (before starting my career) was The Real World of Technology: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/1291973. Worth it just for the first chapter where she defines technology as practice, which helps clarify why the classic “technology X is a neutral tool that can be used for good or ill” argument isn’t very satisfying.\nThat said, I haven’t read it in a long time so not sure how well it holds up.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "A critical book I enjoyed when I read it (before starting my career) was The Real World of Technology",
          "reason": "The commenter valued its definition of technology as practice and its challenge to the neutral-tool argument.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it in a long time and is unsure how well it holds up.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ursula M. Franklin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "philosophy of technology",
        "technology and society"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-realm-of-racket-b24c16",
      "title": "The Realm of Racket",
      "author": "Matthias Felleisen, Matthew Flatt, Robert Bruce Findler, and Shriram Krishnamurthi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22301544,
          "author": "AlchemistCamp",
          "createdAt": "2020-02-11T19:09:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 22299180,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22301544",
          "commentText": "The Realm of Racket.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Realm of Racket.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthias Felleisen",
        "Matthew Flatt",
        "Robert Bruce Findler",
        "Shriram Krishnamurthi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "game programming",
        "racket"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-realm-of-the-elderlings-334592",
      "title": "The Realm of the Elderlings",
      "author": "Robin Hobb",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46407482,
          "author": "ilvez",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-28T01:30:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46407482",
          "commentText": "\"Brief Cases\" -- just give me more Dresden. I think my favourite series, I'm a simple guy :) Short stories themself are so and so. If you are into the series then these small stories are just like Saturday evening reading, so no big investment. Some of them stick and make you warm, some of them meh, thats ok.\n\"Mother of Learning\" I picked up from my (ex-)colleague. Not in the time-travelling, but he told me that I would probably like Dungeon Crawler Carl. Haven't gotten to it yet. He's read more fantasy than me so he just suggested after we discussed about our preferences. This one I just wanted to read because he really was into :)\nAbout Fitz -- read my other comment. I think whole Elderling series is worth it. It is the long game. Just being invested in characters and Robin Hobb can write characters. If you only think about Farseer trilogy, then I still think it's worth it, but maybe I'm just sucker for it. :-) (there are pacing issues for sure, but Hobb wrote it in 90s, in that sense it was ahead of time, forgive some of those small issues). Read it first I guess 20+ years ago or so..",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I think whole Elderling series is worth it. It is the long game.",
          "reason": "Says the series rewards investment in its characters and writing.",
          "audience": "Readers willing to commit to a long series.",
          "caveat": "There are pacing issues; the Farseer trilogy may be enough for some.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robin Hobb"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "character driven",
        "epic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-reason-i-jump-the-inner-voice-of-a-thirteen-year-old-boy-with-e818f8",
      "title": "The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism",
      "author": "Naoki Higashida",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12474909,
          "author": "neom",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T18:44:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12474909",
          "commentText": "Last three great books I've read are:\n$2.00 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America\nThe Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism\nMakers and Takers: The Rise of Finance and the Fall of American Business",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Reason I Jump: The Inner Voice of a Thirteen-Year-Old Boy with Autism",
          "reason": "Included among the writer's three great recent reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Naoki Higashida"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "autism",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-rebel-sell-how-the-counterculture-became-consumer-culture-102af4",
      "title": "The Rebel Sell: How the Counterculture Became Consumer Culture",
      "author": "Joseph Heath and Andrew Potter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 191783,
          "author": "PI",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-16T14:12:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=191783",
          "commentText": "If you're talking business books try The Rebel Sell \"How the counter culture became the consumer culture\". and I book I love for it's story telling is Boo Hoo \"$135 million. 18 months... a dot.com story from concept to catastrophe\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "try The Rebel Sell \"How the counter culture became the consumer culture\"",
          "reason": "Suggested as a business book.",
          "audience": "Listeners interested in business and consumer culture.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph Heath and Andrew Potter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consumer culture",
        "counterculture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-reckoners-3a81fa",
      "title": "The Reckoners",
      "author": "Brandon Sanderson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10785820,
          "author": "nkzednan",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T21:37:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785820",
          "commentText": "Riyria Revelations trilogy - quite good. Follows two thieves for hire. Read the books in publication order\nReady player one - liked it\nsamurai's garden\nExpanse series by James Corey entertaining\nSteelheart and Firefight by Sanderson- good but like Mistborn better\nWorm online serial parahumans good\nNonfiction I read: Delivering happiness, Drive, Power of Habit, Power of full engagement",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Steelheart and Firefight by Sanderson- good but like Mistborn better",
          "reason": "Calls Steelheart and Firefight good while saying they prefer Mistborn.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Prefers Mistborn to these books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brandon Sanderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopia",
        "superheroes"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-recursive-universe-cosmic-complexity-and-the-limits-of-scient-6fd0e7",
      "title": "The Recursive Universe: Cosmic Complexity and the Limits of Scientific Knowledge",
      "author": "William Poundstone",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13238963,
          "author": "cgh",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T17:52:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238963",
          "commentText": "> 1. The Recursive Universe: Cosmic Complexity and the Limits of Scientific Knowledge - Poundstone, William\nWonderful, I have never once in my life encountered another person who has read this book. I first read it as a student in the '90s and, like \"Godel, Escher, Bach\" and \"QED\", it made such an impact on me.\nStrangely, just yesterday I found myself recommending it to someone who is currently reading the new John Conway biography and had questions about the Game of Life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I first read it as a student in the '90s and, like \"Godel, Escher, Bach\" and \"QED\", it made such an impact on me.",
          "reason": "Says the book made a strong impression and that they had recently recommended it to someone interested in the Game of Life.",
          "audience": "Someone with questions about the Game of Life.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238537,
          "author": "kirubakaran",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:59:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238537",
          "commentText": "Here is my full bookshelf: http://www.kirubakaran.com/books-read.html\nBooks Read in 2016:\n1. The Recursive Universe: Cosmic Complexity and the Limits of Scientific Knowledge\n- Poundstone, William\n2. My Brain is Open: The Mathematical Journeys of Paul Erdos\n- Schechter, Bruce\n3. One Summer: America, 1927\n- Bryson, Bill\n4. The Three-Body Problem (Remembrance of Earth’s Past, #1)\n- Liu, Cixin\n5. The Dip: A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit\n- Godin, Seth\n6. At Home: A Short History of Private Life\n- Bryson, Bill\n7. Kings of Kings (Hardcore History, #56-58)\n- Carlin, Dan\n8. Blueprint for Armageddon (Hardcore History #50-55)\n- Carlin, Dan\n9. Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal\n- Klaff, Oren\n10. William Shakespeare: The World as Stage\n- Bryson, Bill\n11. So Good They Can't Ignore You: Why Skills Trump Passion in the Quest for Work You Love\n- Newport, Cal\n12. The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles\n- Pressfield, Steven\n13. In a Sunburned Country\n- Bryson, Bill\n14. Cannery Row\n- Steinbeck, John\n15. Traction: A Startup Guide to Getting Customers\n- Weinberg, Gabriel\n16. Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World\n- Newport, Cal\n17. Starship Troopers\n- Heinlein, Robert A.\n18. No Touch Monkey!: And Other Travel Lessons Learned Too Late\n- Halliday, Ayun",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Recursive Universe: Cosmic Complexity and the Limits of Scientific Knowledge",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Poundstone"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cellular automata",
        "complexity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-red-room-b66fa5",
      "title": "The Red Room",
      "author": "August Strindberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15960156,
          "author": "robin_reala",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T13:51:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15960156",
          "commentText": "Fiction? I started contributing to https://standardebooks.org/ and discovered Gogol’s Dead Souls and Strindberg’s The Red Room in the process as new favourite classics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "discovered Gogol’s Dead Souls and Strindberg’s The Red Room in the process as new favourite classics.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a new favorite classic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "August Strindberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "swedish literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-red-and-the-black-d0edce",
      "title": "The Red and the Black",
      "author": "Stendhal",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25320138,
          "author": "billfruit",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-06T01:34:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25320138",
          "commentText": "The Right Stuff - Test Pilots\nArrowsmith - Sinclair Lewis - Medical Profession\nMcTeague - Frank Norris - Dentistry\nTwo Years Behind the Mast - Dana - Sailor in thr Merchant Marine\nThe Red and the Black - Stendahl - Catholic Clergy\nThe Centurions - Jean Larteguy  - Infantry/Special Ops\nI always suggest reading fiction, it is a good source for lot of incidental knowledge about various aspects of life.\nCan anyone recommend books/novels on the English legal profession? Thanks.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Red and the Black - Stendahl - Catholic Clergy",
          "reason": "Listed as fiction offering insight into Catholic clergy.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the Catholic clergy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stendhal"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "19th century france",
        "catholic clergy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-rediscovery-of-man-0f3f1b",
      "title": "The Rediscovery of Man",
      "author": "Cordwainer Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22098007,
          "author": "baruchel",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T11:04:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22098007",
          "commentText": "Looking at the \"Best Sellers Rank\" of some famous website in order to figure out if some of my ideas are actually forgotten or not... This helped discarding some books (like \"Roadside Picnic\" or \"Memoirs Found in a Bathtub\"). While not absolutely unknown, I would still suggest: \"The Rediscovery of Man\" by Cordwainer Smith.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would still suggest: \"The Rediscovery of Man\"",
          "reason": "Suggested despite the commenter noting it is not absolutely unknown.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not absolutely unknown.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cordwainer Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classic science fiction",
        "short story collection"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-rediscovery-of-the-mind-954891",
      "title": "The Rediscovery of the Mind",
      "author": "John R. Searle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41175841,
          "author": "montgomery_r",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:58:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175841",
          "commentText": "Aargh, Formatting! Try 2 :\nFor the value of ‘best’ that includes\n(a) had a deep and long lasting impact on how I think about the world and\n(b) I consider beautiful pieces of writing in their own right,\nhere are some in no particular order:\nThe Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins\nThinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nNaming and Necessity, Saul Kripke\nTractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein\n(These you might want to approach via a gentle introduction if you did not study Philosophy to degree level)\nThe Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle\nDarkness at Noon, Arthur Koestler\nThe Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse\nA Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh\nDiaries, Samuel Pepys\nFalling Off the Map, Pico Iyer\nA Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor\nThe Lonely Sea and the Sky, Francis Chichester\nThe Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope\nBevis, Richard Jeffries\nThe Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith\nThe Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse\nHitch-22, essays, Christopher Hitchens\nCollected Essays, William Hazlitt\nVenice, Martin Gayford\nThe Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski\nThe Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch\nToo obvious a list, perhaps, but some gems for all that! Happy reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle",
          "reason": "Includes the title among books considered impactful and beautifully written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41175718,
          "author": "montgomery_r",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:45:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175718",
          "commentText": "For the value of ‘best’ that includes  (a) had a deep and long lasting impact on how I think about the world and (b) I consider beautiful pieces of writing in their own right, here are some in no particular order: \nThe Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins \nThinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nNaming and Necessity, Saul Kripke\nTractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein\n(These you might want to approach via a gentle introduction if you did not study Philosophy to degree level) \nThe Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle\nDarkness at Noon,\nArthur Koestler\nThe Glass Bead Game,\nHermann Hesse\nA Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh\nDiaries, Samuel Pepys\nFalling Off the Map, Pico Iyer\nA Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor\nThe Lonely Sea and the Sky,\nFrancis Chichester\nThe Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope\nBevis, Richard Jeffries\nThe Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith\nThe Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse\nHitch-22, essaysChristopher Hitchens \nCollected Essays, William Hazlitt\nVenice, Martin Gayford\nThe Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski\nThe Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch\nToo obvious a list, perhaps, but some gems for all that! Happy reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle",
          "reason": "Includes it among books with lasting impact on how they think and that they consider beautiful writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John R. Searle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consciousness",
        "philosophy of mind"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject",
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-referral-engine-d13cb9",
      "title": "The Referral Engine",
      "author": "John Jantsch",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10240701,
          "author": "tsattersten",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-18T17:39:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10240701",
          "commentText": "Our selections from The 100 Best Business Books of All Time were:\n-Selling The Invisible by Harry Beckwith (great look at selling services)\n-Secrets of Closing The Sale by Zig Ziglar (gets you prepared for objections)\n-How to Become A Rainmaker by Jeffrey Fox (shortcuts to better sales techniques)\n-The Little Red Book of Selling by Jeffrey Gitomer (best first book for first time salespeople)\nAs mentioned in other posts, I would also add SPIN Selling, Mastering the Complex Sale and The Referral Engine.\n\"Smart\" books in the sales space include Influence, Made To Stick, To Sell Is Human.\nFor motivation, read more Zig, Tony Robbins, and Dale Carnegie.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Referral Engine",
          "reason": "Suggested as an additional sales book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Jantsch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "referral marketing",
        "sales"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-regulatory-genome-gene-regulatory-networks-in-development-and-d047a1",
      "title": "The Regulatory Genome: Gene Regulatory Networks in Development and Evolution",
      "author": "Eric Davidson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8109195,
          "author": "bra-ket",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:30:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109195",
          "commentText": "The Regulatory Genome: Gene Regulatory Networks In Development And Evolution, by Eric Davidson\nawesome read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Regulatory Genome: Gene Regulatory Networks In Development And Evolution, by Eric Davidson\nawesome read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an awesome read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Davidson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolutionary developmental biology",
        "gene regulation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-relaxation-stress-reduction-workbook-44eae6",
      "title": "The Relaxation & Stress Reduction Workbook",
      "author": "Martha Davis, Elizabeth Robbins Eshelman, and Matthew McKay",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29678128,
          "author": "quantisan",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T21:54:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29678128",
          "commentText": "The Relaxation & Stress Reduction Workbook by Davis, et al.\nI was so stressed out to a point of collapsing, needing transfusions, and then being physically disabled for a month this year. Startup trouble, new baby complications, first child sleep regression, etc. all happening within weeks.\nThis book, with its practical, actionable suggestions, saved my sanity.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book, with its practical, actionable suggestions, saved my sanity.",
          "reason": "Credits its practical suggestions with helping during a period of severe stress.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martha Davis",
        "Elizabeth Robbins Eshelman",
        "Matthew McKay"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "relaxation",
        "stress management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-religion-war-e8b612",
      "title": "The Religion War",
      "author": "Scott Adams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2615925,
          "author": "tomfluff",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T11:26:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2615925",
          "commentText": "The Religion War - Scott Adams\nReally great read though recommend reading God's Debris first for better understanding of the characters",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Religion War - Scott Adams\nReally great read though recommend reading God's Debris first for better understanding of the characters",
          "reason": "Calls it a really great read and recommends reading it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Recommends reading God's Debris first for better understanding of the characters.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Adams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "religion",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-religions-book-db64e9",
      "title": "The Religions Book",
      "author": "DK Publishing",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36105282,
          "author": "amerkhalid",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T16:07:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105282",
          "commentText": "I really liked The Religions Book by DK Publishing.\nIt is not a deep or thorough book. But it covers almost all religious beliefs starting with hunter & gatherers. What I really liked about it was that you can see modern religions evolving from more primitive religions.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I really liked The Religions Book by DK Publishing.",
          "reason": "Likes its broad coverage of religions and their development over time.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not deep or thorough.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "DK Publishing"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comparative religion",
        "religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-religions-book-267c25",
      "title": "The Religions Book",
      "author": "DK",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36112572,
          "author": "frankie_t",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-29T10:33:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36112572",
          "commentText": "I can't recommend something I haven't read myself, but Mircea Eliade's \"History of religion\" looks good, but it's quite bulky. I was considering it myself, for the same reasons as yours. Maybe someone who read it can elaborate. I'm reading his other work about yoga, and it is quite interesting.\nI you look for basic basic understanding, maybe \"The religions book\" could be of help. I'm occasionally reading \"The philosophy book\" from this series, and while it very brief, I find the format (brisk to the point summaries, graphics) quite good for what it's trying to achieve.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "maybe \"The religions book\" could be of help.",
          "reason": "Suggested for a basic understanding of religions.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a basic understanding of religions.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "DK"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comparative religion",
        "religious traditions"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-reluctant-fundamentalist-9c9e81",
      "title": "The Reluctant Fundamentalist",
      "author": "Mohsin Hamid",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10785719,
          "author": "martythemaniak",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T21:18:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785719",
          "commentText": "Leave it to Psmith - 10/10\nAnna Karenina - 8/10\nThe Code of the Woosters 8/10\nFooled by Randomness 7/10\nFinding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life 8/10\nHow to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia 9/10\nReluctant Fundamentalist 9/10\nThe Sense of an Ending - Julian Barnes 8/10\nThe Last Question - Asimov - 9/10\nThe Magic of Thinking Big - 6/10\nThe catcher in the Rye 8/10\nModels 7/10\nHigh Fidelity - Nick Hornby 8/10\nThe Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman 7/10\nThe Surrender Experiment - 10/10\nUntethered Soul - 9/10\nThe Autobiography of a Yogi - 7/10\nRaja Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 7/10\nSomething Fresh, something new - 7/10\nKarma Yoga - Swami Vikekandanda - 8/10\nThinking, Fast and Slow - 9/10\nFierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates 10/10\nThe Pearl by John Steinbeck 7/10",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Reluctant Fundamentalist 9/10",
          "reason": "Rates the book 9/10.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mohsin Hamid"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "identity",
        "political fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-responsible-entrepreneur-7af791",
      "title": "The Responsible Entrepreneur",
      "author": "Carol Sanford",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2330082,
          "author": "dterra",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-16T00:10:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 2329700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that change your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2330082",
          "commentText": "Two books that changed my way of thinking about business are,\nSmall Giants and The Responsible Entrepreneur.\nI read them when I was young, so more than changing me, they have me a direction and a basis on what to focus. I read some chapters now and then...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Responsible Entrepreneur.\nI read them when I was young, so more than changing me, they have me a direction",
          "reason": "Says the books gave them direction and shaped what they focused on.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carol Sanford"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "responsible business"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-restoration-game-6649dd",
      "title": "The Restoration Game",
      "author": "Ken MacLeod",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1569218,
          "author": "gaius",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:49:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569218",
          "commentText": "Just finished The Restoration Game by Ken McLeod, I recommend it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Just finished The Restoration Game by Ken McLeod, I recommend it.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ken MacLeod"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political science fiction",
        "virtual reality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-retreat-to-commitment-d797bf",
      "title": "The Retreat to Commitment",
      "author": "Michael Oakeshott",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1752669,
          "author": "Symmetry",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T13:24:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752669",
          "commentText": "Trying to confine myself to books I haven't seen others mention:\n\"Guns, Votes, and Democracy\" is a wonderful book about democracy in the third world and is both insightful and surprisingly readable.\n\"The Retreat to Commitment\" is the only philosophy book I'd actually recommend.\n\"The Design of Everyday Things\" is a book for anyone who makes or uses things.\n\"The Transparent Society\" is a thought provoking book on the future of privacy.\n\"The Mystery of Capital\" is a book on the importance of non-corrupt government in successful capitalism, a good point of view to have in addition to Rand.\n\"The Strategy of Conflict\" on how to use game theory in the real world, and negotiations especially.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Retreat to Commitment\" is the only philosophy book I'd actually recommend.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly recommends it as the only philosophy book they would recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is the only philosophy book they would recommend.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Oakeshott"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "rationalism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-retreat-to-commitment-90dcad",
      "title": "The Retreat to Commitment",
      "author": "W. W. Bartley III",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9674336,
          "author": "Symmetry",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T12:16:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674336",
          "commentText": "I'm just going to answer with the books that rearranged my understanding of the world the most.  In no particular order.\n\"Thinking Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman.\n\"Quantum Computing since Democritus\" by Scott Aaronson.\n\"The Strategy of Conflict\" by Thomas Schelling.\n\"Guns, Germs, and Steel\" and \"The World until Yesterday\" by Jared Diamond.\n\"The Retreat To Commitment\" by W. W. Bartley.\n\"The Myth of the Rational Voter\" by Bryan Caplan.  Despite the name it made me appreciate democracy a lot more.\n\"Wars, Guns, and Votes\" by Paul Collier.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Retreat To Commitment\" by W. W. Bartley.",
          "reason": "Included among books that rearranged the commenter's understanding of the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. W. Bartley III"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epistemology",
        "rationality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-return-of-the-great-depression-2fd9b4",
      "title": "The Return of the Great Depression",
      "author": "Vox Day",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1971251,
          "author": "loganfrederick",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T08:41:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971251",
          "commentText": "+ Hacker Ethic by Steven Levy\n+ Masters of Doom by David Kushner\n+ The Millionaire Mind by Dr. Thomas Stanley\n+ The Intelligent Investor by Ben Graham\n+ The Essays of Warren Buffet by Lawrence Cunningham\n+ Buffet by Roger Lowenstein\n+ The Knack by Norm Brodsky\n+ Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar by Thomas Cathcart, Daniel Klein\n+ The Return of the Great Depression by Vox Day\n+ Capitalism and Freedom by Milton Friedman\n+ Road to Serfdom by Hayek\n+ Iacocca:An Autobiography by Lee Iacocca",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Return of the Great Depression by Vox Day",
          "reason": "Listed as a book to give the commenter's younger self.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vox Day"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic history",
        "great depression"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-return-of-the-native-c80402",
      "title": "The Return of the Native",
      "author": "Thomas Hardy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41240816,
          "author": "bikenaga",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-13T23:14:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41240816",
          "commentText": "Someone else mentioned Thomas Hardy's \"The Mayor of Casterbirdge\". It's the one of his 5 major novels I haven't read. \"Far From the Madding Crowd\" and \"Return of the Native\" are okay, but the two that really are magnificent are:\n\"Jude the Obscure\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/153\n\"Tess of the D'Urbervilles\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/110\nYou can sense his fury at the society he was depicting. You might not want to read either of these, particularly \"Tess\", if you're prone to depression.\nFrederick Jackson Turner, \"The Frontier in American History\" (1921) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/22994\nThis collection leads off with Turner's essay \"The Significance of the Frontier in American History\" (1893). It's considered by some the most influential historical essay about America ever written. Historians went back and forth on his claims for decades, and people pointed out many issues with them. It seems like the critics predominate now. But it's still worth reading, particularly since (right or wrong) his ideas influenced the way we think of ourselves. Turner was a very good writer - he was a noted orator, and his essays have an oratorical quality - and the other essays in the collection are pretty good, too.\nOwen Wister, \"The Virginian\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1298\nZane Grey, \"Riders of the Purple Sage\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1300\nAnd the sequel: \"The Rainbow Trail\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/5067\n\"The Virginian\" (1902) and \"Riders\" (1912) established many of the themes and tropes for the \"standard\" western, and they're still fun to read. But the genre comprises many other kinds of writing - e.g. A. B. Guthrie, Elmer Kelton, and the next writer.\nWilla Cather's novels:\nThe \"plains trilogy\" (the stories are set in Nebraska and Colorado, but otherwise unrelated):\n\"O Pioneers!\" (1913) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/24\n\"The Song of the Lark\" (1915) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/44\n\"My Ántonia\" (1918) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19810\nAnd not quite a hundred years ago, but a wonderful novel:\n\"Death Comes for the Archbishop\" (1927) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/69730\nA few brief mentions: James Joyce's \"Ulysses\", though I had a tough time getting through it; some of Nathaniel Hawthorne's short stories (e.g. \"The Minister's Black Veil\"); \"Njal's Saga\" (I liked the Penguin edition with the translation by Magnusson and Pallson); the great works of classic fantasy (Lord Dunsany, E. R. Eddison, William Morris, Arthur Machen); the essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Far From the Madding Crowd\" and \"Return of the Native\" are okay",
          "reason": "The commenter considers it okay, but less magnificent than Hardy's other novels named here.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it okay rather than magnificent.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Hardy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "victorian novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-revenge-of-geography-ffa1dd",
      "title": "The Revenge of Geography",
      "author": "Robert D. Kaplan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13805365,
          "author": "jonbaer",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T19:34:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805365",
          "commentText": "Prisoners of Geography - Tim Marshall\nThe Revenge of Geography - Robert D. Kaplan\nPrisoner's Dilemma - William Poundstone\nThe Master Algorithm - Pedro Domingos\nZero-Sum Future - Gideon Rachman\nThe End of History and the Last Man - Francis Fukuyama\nEntanglement - Amir Aczel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Revenge of Geography - Robert D. Kaplan",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert D. Kaplan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "geopolitics",
        "political geography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-revenge-of-geography-what-the-map-tells-us-about-coming-confl-c15fa2",
      "title": "The Revenge of Geography: What the Map Tells Us About Coming Conflicts and the Battle Against Fate",
      "author": "Robert D. Kaplan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39249448,
          "author": "cpursley",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T11:31:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249448",
          "commentText": "This book is absolute garbage. Zeihan is a geopolitical lightweight and a very uninformed one at that. It’s hard to tell if he was intentionally dishonest in that book or really that uninformed. He is so factually wrong on some points that’s it shocking, like things that are objectively and quantifiable facts.\nFor much better Geopolitical books, check these out:\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52962238-principles-for-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52962238-principles-for-dealing-with-the-changing-world-order)\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56696339-the-power-of-ge... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56696339-the-power-of-geography)\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/16144575",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/16144575",
          "reason": "Recommended as a better geopolitical book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert D. Kaplan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "geopolitics",
        "political geography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-reverse-of-the-medal-51428b",
      "title": "The Reverse of the Medal",
      "author": "Patrick O'Brian",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13567830,
          "author": "EdSharkey",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T17:23:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567830",
          "commentText": "The Reverse of the Medal by Patrick O'Brian.  I needed a bit of quality, mindless fun after 2016.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Reverse of the Medal by Patrick O'Brian. I needed a bit of quality, mindless fun after 2016.",
          "reason": "Describes it as quality, mindless fun.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Patrick O'Brian"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aubrey maturin series",
        "historical naval fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-revolt-of-the-public-and-the-crisis-of-authority-in-the-new-m-517dec",
      "title": "The Revolt of the Public and the Crisis of Authority in the New Millennium",
      "author": "Martin Gurri",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21793190,
          "author": "ellius",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T23:39:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793190",
          "commentText": "• The Revolt of the Public: No book has done a better job of describing the current moment in history\n• Masters of Doom: Reminded me what it means to care about work and have fun doing it\n• Team of Rivals: A remarkable work of history and portrait of a man\n• The Undercover Economist\n• Fooled by Randomness\n• The Prize",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Revolt of the Public: No book has done a better job of describing the current moment in history",
          "reason": "Says it best describes the current historical moment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin Gurri"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "media and politics",
        "public opinion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ridiculous-race-2220aa",
      "title": "The Ridiculous Race",
      "author": "Steve Hely and Vali Chandrasekaran",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1975408,
          "author": "mikecarlucci",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T15:20:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1975408",
          "commentText": "The Ridiculous Race\nSteve Hely & Vali Chandrasekaran\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Ridiculous-Race-Steve-Hely/dp/08050874... (http://www.amazon.com/Ridiculous-Race-Steve-Hely/dp/0805087400/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1291648596&sr=8-1)\nTwo friends challenge each other to an old fashioned race around the world with one caveat: no airplanes. Starting from the first page hilarity ensues as the two try to outdo, outthink and out race while experiencing as much as they can at the same time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Starting from the first page hilarity ensues as the two try to outdo, outthink and out race while experiencing as much as they can at the same time.",
          "reason": "Presents the book as an entertaining story of a race around the world without airplanes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The race has a no-airplanes condition.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve Hely and Vali Chandrasekaran"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure",
        "humor",
        "travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-rifter-series-a3dccc",
      "title": "The Rifter series",
      "author": "Peter Watts",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1866314,
          "author": "CWuestefeld",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T20:17:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1866314",
          "commentText": "I really loved Blindsight. It set me off reading reading a bunch of non-fiction about the mind (e.g., Hofstader' I Am A Strange Loop)\nThe first Rifter book was pretty good, but in the 2nd he really let loose with anti-capitalist themes to the point where I couldn't stand it anymore.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The first Rifter book was pretty good, but in the 2nd he really let loose with anti-capitalist themes to the point where I couldn't stand it anymore.",
          "reason": "The first installment was called pretty good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The second installment's anti-capitalist themes became too much for the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Watts"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopian",
        "underwater science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-riftwar-saga-77c2a9",
      "title": "The Riftwar Saga",
      "author": "Raymond E. Feist",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40878836,
          "author": "UmWhatever",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-04T23:28:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40878836",
          "commentText": "Oh, boy. The Fool is one of my favorite characters in fiction and poor, poor Fitz. I picked the original series up on a recommendation from a college friend. I went in thinking I was too old for a \"YA Fantasy\" book to make my heart ache. Wrong, wrong, wrong. Took me right back to bawling over Feist's Riftwar Saga as a young teen.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Took me right back to bawling over Feist's Riftwar Saga as a young teen.",
          "reason": "Recalls being emotionally affected by the series as a young teen.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401304,
          "author": "darrennix",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:03:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401304",
          "commentText": "Just finished: \nReady Player One and\nThe Riftwar Saga (both very enjoyable)\nReading: Predictably Irrational (more substance than most business books I've read)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "both very enjoyable",
          "reason": "The commenter describes the saga as very enjoyable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Raymond E. Feist"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-right-stuff-097102",
      "title": "The Right Stuff",
      "author": "Tom Wolfe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25320138,
          "author": "billfruit",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-06T01:34:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25320138",
          "commentText": "The Right Stuff - Test Pilots\nArrowsmith - Sinclair Lewis - Medical Profession\nMcTeague - Frank Norris - Dentistry\nTwo Years Behind the Mast - Dana - Sailor in thr Merchant Marine\nThe Red and the Black - Stendahl - Catholic Clergy\nThe Centurions - Jean Larteguy  - Infantry/Special Ops\nI always suggest reading fiction, it is a good source for lot of incidental knowledge about various aspects of life.\nCan anyone recommend books/novels on the English legal profession? Thanks.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Right Stuff - Test Pilots",
          "reason": "Listed as fiction offering insight into test pilots.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the test pilot profession.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Wolfe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aviation",
        "test pilots"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-right-and-wrong-stuff-9b2add",
      "title": "The Right and Wrong Stuff",
      "author": "Carter Cast",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665209,
          "author": "PostPost",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:26:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665209",
          "commentText": "Sorry for the wall of text.\n1. Bourne (The language and world of this novel are extraordinary - everything is falling apart yet brimming with life. Strangely moving)\n2. The Design of Everyday things (Essential for anyone in UI/UX)\n3. All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (Highly engaging, entertaining sci-fi novella series, from an author that can write a very decent robot protagonist)\n4. The Power (Interesting story with sci-fi elements on the dynamics of power, sex, and gender roles. I didn't care for the book, but the first 3/4 of the book are amazing)\n5. Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days\n6. 7 brief Lessons on Physics\n7. The Last Lecture (The energy and positivity coming from a man knowing he's about to die is infectious. Great read)\n8. A wizard of Earthsea (Move over Harry Potter, this is the essential children's story about wizards)\n9. Exploring diabetes with owls (Funny, irreverent)\n10. Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children (Made an effort to read more YA this year - this was the best in this series, but I still hated it. There's a host of better YA series out there.)\n11. A Wizard of Earthsea: The Tombs of Atuan (See 8.)\n12. The Girl in the Dark (Interesting book about a skin condition I had never heard of, and the trials of living with a very rare condition)\n13. The Phantom Tollbooth (Clever children's book)\n14. Black hole blues and songs from outer space (Informative book about the study of space,  the political and economic forces standing in the way of science, and the incredible individuals working in this field)\n15. Welcome to Night Vale (Hugely entertaining, clever and weird)\n16. You need a budget (Basic economics book explaining how to budget in a way that lets you do more with your money)\n17. To fight Against This Age (Incredibly pretentious, \nIvory Tower philosophizing)\n18. Infinity Gauntlet (Half the Universe dying because Thanos wanted to sleep with Lady Death will never not be ridiculous)\n19. The Right and Wrong Stuff (Great read explaining how to anticipate and avoid career pitfalls)\n20. Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children: Hollow City (pretty shitty)\n21. The Farthest Shore (Ursula K. Le Guin was the biggest loss this year)\n22. Miss peregrine's home for Peculiar Children: Library of Souls (I hate this book and all its characters)\n23. Every Good Endevour (Religious book about a Christian worldview and the value of labor - not a bad read)\n24. When to Rob a Bank and 131 warped suggestions… (interesting, funny, from the writers of Freakonomics)\n25. Weapons of Math Destruction (Probably the most useful book on this list, if you're reading this on \"hackernews\")\n26. Holes (Perfect summer paperback read)\n27. Silver Screen Sirens (Essential for film geeks)\n28. A full life: reflections at 90 (I gained a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter: he lived an incredible life and does great things)\n29. Call Me by your name (Very good romance novel to send to your bigoted relatives at Christmas)\n30. Hyperbole and a half (Incredibly entertaining, very distinctive art style)\n31. The Murderbot diaries: Artificial Condition (See 3.)\n32. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Best children's book, fight me)\n33. Less (Exceptionally well-written)\n34. Resilience (Great book, especially for those that have gone through extremely difficult circumstances)\n35. The Strange Bird (Dark, bleak, full of life, see 1.)\n36. The Murderbot diaries: Rogue Protocol (See 3.)\n37. His Dark Materials: The subtle knife (See 32.)\n38. Tap Dancing to Work (Very dry, some stories/articles are fantastic, others very, very boring for people that do not care about finance)\n39. So Good They Can't Ignore You (Pretty good)\n40. His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass (Amazing YA, see 32.)\n41. Uncontainable (Inspirational book about conscious capitalism)\n42. The Emperor of All Maladies (Pretty much everything you'll ever want to know about Cancer, written in a very engaging way)\n43. Blind Spot\n44. Shoe dog (Great story, see madmax108's comment, totally agree)\n45. The Faithful Spy (Beautiful artwork describing a Christian pastor's fight against fascism during WW2)\n46. Zero to One\n47. You'll grow out of it\n48. The Happiness advantage (Really fantastic book about the value of positive psychology)\n49. Dreams from my father (Enlightening look into Obama's \nearly days)\n50. Ayoade on Ayoade (Entertaining, extremely scatter-brained, not as funny as his interviews or tv programs)\n51. The Diabolic (badly written YA Sci-Fi)\n52. The Physics of Everyday Things (surprisingly informative, recommended for non science-people interested in the way things work)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great read explaining how to anticipate and avoid career pitfalls",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a great read about anticipating and avoiding career pitfalls.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking to navigate career challenges.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carter Cast"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "career development",
        "workplace"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-rings-of-saturn-d52b0a",
      "title": "The Rings of Saturn",
      "author": "W. G. Sebald",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2087500,
          "author": "kongqiu",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T04:40:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2087500",
          "commentText": "2666 by Roberto Bolano - makes you think or reconsider something on every single page\nThe Rings of Saturn by W.G. Sebald - a fascinating way of looking at the world",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Rings of Saturn by W.G. Sebald - a fascinating way of looking at the world",
          "reason": "Praised for offering a fascinating way of seeing the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. G. Sebald"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ripley-novels-40b993",
      "title": "The Ripley novels",
      "author": "Patricia Highsmith",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5693965,
          "author": "meerita",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-12T12:01:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5693965",
          "commentText": "Good author. A bit, elitist in their prose and a bit rude with the reader. He makes you read a lot before getting a bit of emotion. In Il nome della rosa he does a masterful work, to me.\nI really liked Patricia Highsmith with the sequels of Mr. Ripley. I also love the french book write Jean-Christophe Grangé with their beloved black novel books. Love the all of them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really liked Patricia Highsmith with the sequels of Mr. Ripley.",
          "reason": "Says they really liked the Ripley sequels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Patricia Highsmith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crime fiction",
        "psychological thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-rise-and-fall-of-the-dinosaurs-a13fba",
      "title": "The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs",
      "author": "Stephen Brusatte",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34160619,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:11:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160619",
          "commentText": "This year I've put myself to the challenge to read at least one book per week which I primarily could complete by reading in the middle of the night while holding our sleeping baby in my arms. It has been an interesting challenge which gave me a lot of fulfilment and has certainly changed my mind on how I view the world. This comment became quite a long read, apologies for that.\nBooks I highly recommend:\nChurchill by Andrew Roberts (p:1105)\nA biography about one of the most interesting figures in politics and WWII. Roberts gives a very detailed description of the life of Churchill and manages to keep you interested the entire length of the book.\nThe God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (p:374)\nIn The God Delusion Dawkins gives arguments why there is no God, why we do not need a God and why religion is damaging to our society. If you are religious it might not be the book for you unless you are open to hear his arguments and line of reasoning. Dawkins will challenge your worldview.\nThe Bomb by Fred Kaplan (p:384)\nKaplan describes the policy of different US presidents on the atomic bomb and war in general. And primarily on the inability of US presidents and policy-makers to tune down its military. A chilling read which makes you appreciate a nuclear holocaust did not happen (yet)....\nPoor Economics by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo (p:320)\nBanerjee and Duflo give a gripping portrait of how poor people live. They offer an insight in the choices and decisions people make surviving on less than 1 USD a day (corrected for purchasing power). It made me completely rethink my own view on poverty and development aid; stressing even more that in order to help one need to have a complete understanding of the individual's situation and the local boundary conditions.\nProject Hail Mary  by Andy Weir (p:476)\nThis book triggered my science fiction reading. For some reason I never was interested in science fiction. Most likely triggered by reading Foundation by Asimov a few years back which apparently is not a book to my taste. But Andy Weir completely annihilated that wrong perspective on science fiction. Project Hail Mary is interesting, funny and gripping book.\nKindred by Octavia Butler  (p:287)\nThis book.... From page one I was hooked and almost read it in one go. Butler is a wonderful author and Kindred is a must-read. The book is about a woman traveling back in time to end up on a slave plantation. It's a chilling account of slavery.\nOther books I read this year, ask me anything about one of these books. I've added a + if I think its worth a recommendation\nBiography:\nNavalny by Dollbaum, Lallouet and Noble (p:280); The Man from the Future by Ananyo Bhattacharya (p:354) +\nSociology; Politics; Economics; Business:\nOnly the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove (p:224); The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli  (p:140); Winter is Coming by Garry Kasparov (p:290); Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum (p:224) +; Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl (p:164) +; We Are Bellingcat by Eliot Higgins (p:272); De Zeven Vinkjes by Joris Luyendijk (p:200); Waarom vuilnismannen meer verdienen dan bankiers by Rutger Bregman (p:104)\nComedy: The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (p:336)\nHistory:\nBand of Brothers  by Stephen E. Ambrose (p:432); The Nuclear Jihadist by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins (p:413) +; The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre (p:384) +; De Heineken Ontvoering by Peter R. de Vries (p:347); Red Famine by Anne Apllebaum (p:384); Night by Elie Wiesel (p:115) +\nScience, Technology, Mathematics:\nFermat's Enigma by Simon Singh (p:315) +; A Mathematician's Apology by G.H. Hardy (p:153); The Great Influenza by John M. Barry (p:546); The Rise and Fall of the Dinousaurs by Stephen Brusatte (p:404) ++; The Double Helix by James Watson (p:144)\nSport:\nRun or Die by Killian Jornet (p:208); The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton  (p:290) +; The Rise of the Ultra Runners by  (p:304); Tom Dumoulin by Patrick Bernhart (p:203)\nFiction:\nAnthem by Ayn Rand (p:105); Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (p:704); The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (p:566); Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (p:466); Live and Let die by Ian Fleming  (p:229)\nClassics:\nA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (p:104); The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (p:201); The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald (p:180); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (p:139); Animal Farm by George Orwell (p:122) +; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (p:227) +; The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (p:118)\nScience Fiction:\nThe Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (p:399); All Systems Red  by Martha Wells (p:144) +; A Memory Called Empire  by Arkady Martine (p:462) +; A Psalm built for the Wild by Becky Chambers (p:160); Dune by Frank Herbert (p:658); Foundation by Isaac Asimov (p:244); The Martian by Andy Weir (p:384) +;\nThe Forever War by Joe Haldeman (p:278)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Rise and Fall of the Dinousaurs by Stephen Brusatte",
          "reason": "Marked with two pluses as worth recommending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Brusatte"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dinosaurs",
        "paleontology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-rise-and-fall-of-the-third-reich-a-history-of-nazi-germany-ade4b5",
      "title": "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany",
      "author": "William L. Shirer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34162012,
          "author": "daly",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T15:36:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34162012",
          "commentText": "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William Shirer\nMany lessons for modern times. A recent history lesson. Game of Thrones in real life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William Shirer",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a recent history lesson with many lessons for modern times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William L. Shirer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nazi germany",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-rise-of-theodore-roosevelt-8d9600",
      "title": "The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt",
      "author": "Edmund Morris",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38563399,
          "author": "wolftickets",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T23:45:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38563399",
          "commentText": "Read all of those but wanted to chime in that when I was in college the rise of TR inspired me to get my life in order. Not that he was an ideal but it was a lens to see a life that was focused and what he could tackle. Stellar writing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the rise of TR inspired me to get my life in order.",
          "reason": "Says the book inspired them to focus their life and praises its writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They clarify Roosevelt was not an ideal for them.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edmund Morris"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "us presidents"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-river-of-doubt-theodore-roosevelt-s-darkest-journey-ae07ae",
      "title": "The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey",
      "author": "Candice Millard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42653723,
          "author": "noufalibrahim",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T08:20:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42653723",
          "commentText": "One of the \"hard things\" I've come across was turn of the century explorations. The stories of polar explorers like Ernest Shackleton (chronicled in Lansing's Endurance) or tropical ones like \"River of Doubt\" detailing Roosevelt's exploration of the Amazon tributary are fascinating stories of how people's grit accomplished hard things.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"River of Doubt\" detailing Roosevelt's exploration of the Amazon tributary",
          "reason": "Describes Roosevelt's Amazon exploration and calls such stories fascinating accounts of grit.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Candice Millard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "amazon exploration",
        "theodore roosevelt"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-road-not-taken-1331ee",
      "title": "The Road Not Taken",
      "author": "Harry Turtledove",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36022170,
          "author": "roninhacker",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:51:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36022170",
          "commentText": "\"The Road Not Taken,\" by Harry Turtledove\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Road_Not_Taken_(short_st... (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Road_Not_Taken_%28short_story%29)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Road Not Taken,\" by Harry Turtledove",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Harry Turtledove"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "short story"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-road-to-jonestown-jim-jones-and-the-peoples-temple-c43e39",
      "title": "The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple",
      "author": "Jeff Guinn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23153802,
          "author": "mitchelldeacon9",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T13:35:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23153802",
          "commentText": "In addition to the classics of cognitive psychology (Kahneman, Taleb, et al.), I would also recommend books on psychological manipulation, religious cults, and con men. The following books offer a multi-disciplinary perspective on psychological techniques to improve awareness and exploit other people, both of which are essential to enhance your perception and protect yourself against fraud and manipulation.\nCialdini, Robert (2006) Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion\nGuinn, Jeff (2017) Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple\nEkman, Paul (2007) Emotions Revealed: Recognizing Faces and Feelings to Improve Communication and Emotional Life\nKahneman, Daniel (2011) Thinking, Fast and Slow\nMitnick, Kevin and William Simon (2002) Art of Deception\nNavarro and Karlins (2008) What Every Body is Saying: Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Speed-Reading People\nNietzsche, Friedrich (1887) On the Genealogy of Morals\nRhodes, Richard (1986) Making of the Atomic Bomb\nSun Tzu (c. 400 BCE) Art of War\nTaleb, Nassim Nicholas (2005) Fooled by Randomness\nWright, Lawrence (2013) Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Guinn, Jeff (2017) Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple",
          "reason": "Listed among books offering perspectives on cults and manipulation.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in recognizing manipulation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeff Guinn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cults",
        "jonestown"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-road-to-react-906a8b",
      "title": "The Road to React",
      "author": "Robin Wieruch",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34417715,
          "author": "rwieruch",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-17T19:48:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 34412069,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach programming by building a series of small projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34417715",
          "commentText": "Shameless plug if allowed: “The Road to React” goes through one large project to teach React.js from beginner to intermediate. I learned that going through one project it allows the teacher to go through a series of foundational aspects of the topic before implementing more  advanced domain specific features which make use of the earlier learned building blocks for the real world project. Does it make sense?\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Road-learn-React-pragmatic-React-js/d... (https://www.amazon.com/Road-learn-React-pragmatic-React-js/dp/172004399X/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“The Road to React” goes through one large project to teach React.js from beginner to intermediate.",
          "reason": "The author says the book teaches React through one large project.",
          "audience": "React learners from beginner to intermediate.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is promoting their own book.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robin Wieruch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "javascript",
        "project based learning",
        "react"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-road-to-serfdom-b1a327",
      "title": "The Road to Serfdom",
      "author": "Friedrich A. Hayek",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12565777,
          "author": "marmot777",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T16:23:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12565777",
          "commentText": "These are important books but obviously not a comprehensive list.\n* John Locke's Two Treatises of Government - It's political philosophy but it's hard to understand Classical Liberalism without having read some Locke.\n* Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations - He and Locke are the two main guys to read for a solid start on Classical Liberalism, which is completely different than modern political liberalism. It's like having two features in an app with nearly the same name. Confusing as fuck.\n* E. F. Schumacher's Small Is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered - This book will shift your perspective, useful to avoid becoming an a mindless advocate for one school of thought or another.\n* Marx is a tough one as Capital is massive and unreadable and The Communist Manifesto is a propaganda pamphlet but I think you need to at least find some articles that summarize the basics.\n* Keynes and Hayek - This hip hop battle is a decent start:\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0nERTFo-Sk\nthen read Keynes' The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money and Hayek's The Road to Serfdom.\n* Milton Friedman's - Yes, read Capitalism and Freedom. I hesitated to include it as the guy's so good at making the case that it can turn you into a market advocate bot. Please resist that.\nCan someone help me on this, is there a book balance Hayek and a book to balance Friedman? I'm sorry but Keynes doesn't do it for me. Look at the difference in titles between Hayek and Keynes. It's hard to motivate to read the Keynes book but nobody ever has trouble reading Hayek.\nI see a lot of these ideas come up on HN a lot. What I don't like so much is when someone becomes an advocate for a particular ism. To me, all isms are rubbish. All of them. Understand but do not become a shill for an ideology.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "then read Keynes' The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money and Hayek's The Road to Serfdom.",
          "reason": "Included in a suggested reading list.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring economic schools of thought.",
          "caveat": "The commenter warns against becoming a shill for an ideology.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Friedrich A. Hayek"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classical liberalism",
        "political economy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-road-to-wigan-pier-85cd9a",
      "title": "The Road to Wigan Pier",
      "author": "George Orwell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37937338,
          "author": "jekude",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:56:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937338",
          "commentText": "The Road to Wigan Pier - Orwell\nAntifragile - Taleb\nWhat is Life? - Schrodinger\nStructure and Interpretations of Computer Programs - Abelson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Road to Wigan Pier - Orwell",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Orwell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "poverty",
        "working class"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-robot-series-18866d",
      "title": "The Robot series",
      "author": "Isaac Asimov",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12070956,
          "author": "teh_klev",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T13:41:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12070956",
          "commentText": "No, most (non-pedantic) Asimov fans refer to the first three books (F, F&E, SF - which yes are technically collections of short stories glued together as one) as \"the Foundation Trilogy\". I do recommend reading the Foundation's Edge and Foundation and Earth, they're worthy sequels to the \"trilogy\".\nThe Robot novels are also a top read and tie in with the later Foundation books in a satisfying way:\n- The Caves of Steel\n- The Naked Sun\n- The Robots of Dawn\n- Robots and Empire",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Robot novels are also a top read and tie in with the later Foundation books in a satisfying way",
          "reason": "Calls the novels a top read and says they connect satisfyingly with the later Foundation books.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the later Foundation books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isaac Asimov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "robot fiction",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-robots-of-dawn-ed0c42",
      "title": "The Robots of Dawn",
      "author": "Isaac Asimov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29672624,
          "author": "pedrolins",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T11:11:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29672624",
          "commentText": "I wouldn't have gotten nearly as much enjoyment out of the series (including the 2 sequels after the trilogy) if I hadn't read Asimov's Robot Series. I know that the whole \"you don't get it because you haven't read these other books\" thing is kind of cliché, but I really do think that the majority of the joy I got from Foundation was because of how it connected with the Robot Series.\nBut of course, part of the enjoyment should come from the book itself. I'd say that the book does get better as new threats to the Foundation appear, but the premise largely stays the same throughout the trilogy: will the Seldon Plan succeed?\n(NOTE) The reading sequence for me went something like: \n1. Caves of Steel\n2. Naked Sun\n3. I, Robot\n4. Robots of Dawn\n5. Foundation Trilogy\nEDIT: remove redundant last paragraph",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "4. Robots of Dawn",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as part of the commenter's reading sequence.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12070956,
          "author": "teh_klev",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T13:41:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12070956",
          "commentText": "No, most (non-pedantic) Asimov fans refer to the first three books (F, F&E, SF - which yes are technically collections of short stories glued together as one) as \"the Foundation Trilogy\". I do recommend reading the Foundation's Edge and Foundation and Earth, they're worthy sequels to the \"trilogy\".\nThe Robot novels are also a top read and tie in with the later Foundation books in a satisfying way:\n- The Caves of Steel\n- The Naked Sun\n- The Robots of Dawn\n- Robots and Empire",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Robots of Dawn",
          "reason": "Listed among the Robot novels the commenter calls a top read.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the Robot novels.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865661,
          "author": "tdupree",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T17:44:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865661",
          "commentText": "I thoroughly enjoyed the Foundation Series about a year ago and since then have been reading many of the books found in Asimov's Foundation Universe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_series#List_of_books... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foundation_series#List_of_books_within_the_Foundation_Universe)). Right now I am reading \"The Robots of Dawn\", the third book in Asimov's Robot Series. I have gone in a kind of a strange order, first reading The Complete Robot, then the Foundation Series, the Empire Series, and now the Robot Series.  I have enjoyed them all, I like Asimov's style.  I also enjoyed Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and will be reading the next book in the series \"Speaker for the Dead\" soon.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Right now I am reading \"The Robots of Dawn\", the third book in Asimov's Robot Series.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Currently reading; no evaluation of this individual book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isaac Asimov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "robot fiction",
        "mystery",
        "robot detective"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-rock-warrior-s-way-10d89c",
      "title": "The Rock Warrior’s Way",
      "author": "Arno Ilgner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15961204,
          "author": "SJMosley",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:15:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961204",
          "commentText": "Recommendations:\n1) Einsteins Dreams - This book is a quick read, but shows a bunch of different perceptions of time. Fantastic.\n2) Rock warriors way - Even if you aren't a climber, I feel like this book has a lot of great lessons about committing without fear. Much more accessible as a climber though.\n3) Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art - Quick read, I learned a lot about storytelling in general.\n4) Agnotology: The Making and Unmaking of Ignorance - This is a series of essays and the first few were great views into companies creating ignorance in the 50's around smoking and link to cancer. Gets a little dense after a while.\nFull list:\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/review/list/18975415-samuel-mosley... (https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/18975415-samuel-mosley?shelf=read-2017)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rock warriors way - Even if you aren't a climber, I feel like this book has a lot of great lessons about committing without fear.",
          "reason": "Recommends its lessons about committing without fear.",
          "audience": "Climbers especially; the commenter says non-climbers can benefit too.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is more accessible to climbers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arno Ilgner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mental training",
        "rock climbing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-romanovs-1613-1918-a0008d",
      "title": "The Romanovs: 1613–1918",
      "author": "Simon Sebag Montefiore",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804899,
          "author": "AGivant",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T17:29:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804899",
          "commentText": "Here is my list (from https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/912138-alex-givant?rea...):\nMemoirs:\n- Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33313.Kitchen_Confidenti..).\n- Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive by Land, Stephanie, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39218350-maid\n- Medium Raw: A Bloody Valentine to the World of Food and the People Who Cook by Bourdain, Anthony, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40409969-medium-raw\n- Confessions of a Tax Collector: One Man's Tour of Duty Inside the IRS by Yancey, Rick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/196519.Confessions_of_a_..).\n- The Perfect Predator: A Scientist's Race to Save Her Husband from a Deadly Superbug: A Memoir by Steffanie Strathdee, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-pre... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36589701-the-perfect-predator)\nPolitics:\n- Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Desmond, Matthew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25852784-evicted\n- Ghettoside: A True Story of Murder in America by Leovy, Jill, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13153693-ghettoside\n- American Prison: A Reporter's Undercover Journey into the Business of Punishment by Bauer, Shane, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38561954-american-prison\n- Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Eban, Katherine, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/42448266-bottle-of-lies\n- A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America by Miller, T. Christian, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35805861-a-false-report\n- The New Silk Roads by Frankopan, Peter, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40921633-the-new-silk-ro..).\nHistory:\n- Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-1956 by Applebaum, Anne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13531848-iron-curtain\n- The Romanovs: 1613-1918 by Montefiore, Simon Sebag, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26109020-the-romanovs\n- The Ghost Map: The Story of London's Most Terrifying Epidemic--and How It Changed Science, Cities, and the Modern World by Johnson, Steven, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36086.The_Ghost_Map\n- Rise and Kill First: The Secret History of Israel's Targeted Assassinations by Bergman, Ronen, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/33598223-rise-and-kill-f..).\n- Madame Fourcade's Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against Hitler by Olson, Lynne, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41739312-madame-fourcade..).\n- Argo: How the CIA & Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History by Méndez, Antonio J., https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13588425-argo\nCrime:\n- Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History by Selby, Scott Andrew, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7071759-flawless\n- American Kingpin: The Epic Hunt for the Criminal Mastermind Behind the Silk Road by Bilton, Nick, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31920777-american-kingpi..).\n- Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by Carreyrou, John, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37976541-bad-blood\n- Billion Dollar Whale: The Man Who Fooled Wall Street, Hollywood, and the World by Wright, Tom, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38743564-billion-dollar-..).\n- The Mastermind: Drugs. Empire. Murder. Betrayal. by Ratliff, Evan, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41181600-the-mastermind\nTechnology:\n- Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World's First Digital Weapon by Zetter, Kim, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18465875-countdown-to-ze..).\n- Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World by Thompson, Clive, https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40406806-coders",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Romanovs: 1613-1918 by Montefiore, Simon Sebag",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list of favorite nonfiction books read in 2019.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Simon Sebag Montefiore"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "royalty",
        "russia"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-rommel-papers-cf1877",
      "title": "The Rommel Papers",
      "author": "Erwin Rommel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 456408,
          "author": "bjelkeman-again",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T15:06:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456408",
          "commentText": "My absolute favourite in this class of books is:\nInfantry attacks, Erwin Rommel: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infantry_Attacks\nDon't let the word \"Infantry\" in the title fool you. It is an engrossing account on how to use armed forces to your advantage. He supposedly was working on \"The Tank in Attack\", but never made it that far. A good substitute is The Rommel Papers, which was published posthumously by his family.\nThe Rommel Papers\nhttp://books.google.com/books?id=JE8VFsdxNGgC",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A good substitute is The Rommel Papers, which was published posthumously by his family.",
          "reason": "Calls it a good substitute for the unfinished The Tank in Attack.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in military strategy and using armed forces.",
          "caveat": "Published posthumously by Rommel's family.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Erwin Rommel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "military history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-routledge-philosophy-guidebook-to-wittgenstein-and-the-tracta-d7847b",
      "title": "The Routledge Philosophy Guidebook to Wittgenstein and the Tractatus",
      "author": "Michael Morris",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503577,
          "author": "igravious",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T13:05:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503577",
          "commentText": "While it is eye-opening I could hardly recommend the Tractatus unless you get it with a commentary. How about The Routledge Philosophy Guidebook to Wittgenstein and the Tractatus by Michael Morris?\nGood call with Karl Popper. On Liberty is archaic somewhat. To recommend just that book by John McCarthy is too narrow, and besides logic and the theory of computation are not a part of philosophy per se. Logic is a tool of philosophers. The theory of computation could possibly be folded into philosophy of mind but I've never seen it done so, there is a strong argument that it should be.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How about The Routledge Philosophy Guidebook to Wittgenstein and the Tractatus by Michael Morris?",
          "reason": "Suggests it in the context of the philosophy book recommendations request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Morris"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "wittgenstein"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ruby-way-82b58e",
      "title": "The Ruby Way",
      "author": "Hal Fulton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10182219,
          "author": "sanderjd",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-07T17:26:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10182219",
          "commentText": "I'm going through that right now, and finding it incredibly good, but still fairly outdated. It was written for Java 6, while Java 7 and (especially) 8 have more or less re-written the language. All of the advice is still really great, but some of the items are workarounds for weaknesses in the language that have since been strengthened. I'm working through Java 8 in Action[0] in parallel, and it's been a good experience.\nI've also been enjoying this Modern Java blog series, which is book-ish[1].\nIn a similar vein, I really enjoyed Effective Modern C++[2].\nI think The Ruby Way[3] is still the best ruby book, and a new edition just came out earlier this year.\nI'm looking for a good book about modern javascript if anyone has any suggestions.\n[0]: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20534354-java-8-in-actio... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20534354-java-8-in-action)\n[1]: http://blog.paralleluniverse.co/2014/05/01/modern-java/\n[2]: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22800553-effective-moder... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22800553-effective-modern-c)\n[3]: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4514.The_Ruby_Way",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I think The Ruby Way[3] is still the best ruby book, and a new edition just came out earlier this year.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the best Ruby book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hal Fulton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ruby"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-rubaiyat-of-omar-khayyam-91c04a",
      "title": "The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám",
      "author": "Omar Khayyám; translated by Edward FitzGerald",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13567953,
          "author": "madhadron",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T17:46:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13567953",
          "commentText": "I separate my books into levels. Level 0 are the books that I reread steadily over the years (also the ones that I pack in my suitcase when I'm moving as opposed to shipping), so I'll just post that list here, in no particular order: 'Good Poems' edited by Garrison Keiller; 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen; 'Persuasion' by Jane Austen; Fitzgerald's translation of 'The Rubaiyat'; Ford Madox Ford's 'Parade's End'; Hafiz, 'The Gift'; Modesitt, 'Gravity Dreams'; Heinlein, 'Time Enough for Love'; Bulgakov, 'Master and Margarita'; 'Ovid in Love' (Guy Lee's translation of the Amores).\nI've been revisiting a lot of Le Guin's novellas ('The Found and the Lost' is a great collection) and Borges's stories since the election. They have been a source of great comfort.\nI find that I don't reread nonfiction. I'll reference something I remember in it, but I can't think of a work of nonfiction I've reread in the past few years.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fitzgerald's translation of 'The Rubaiyat'",
          "reason": "Lists it among books reread steadily over the years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Omar Khayyám; translated by Edward FitzGerald"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "persian poetry",
        "translated poetry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-rules-for-the-dance-9b864f",
      "title": "The Rules for the Dance",
      "author": "Mary Oliver",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32937743,
          "author": "EdwardCoffin",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T12:10:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32937743",
          "commentText": "The Art of Doing Science and Engineering: Learning to Learn by Richard W. Hamming.  This has chapters on a variety of science, engineering, and math topics, and each one has what I found to be pretty good insights and views on them.\nThe Rules for the Dance by Mary Oliver.  I already knew I liked certain kinds of poetry, but never really understood why.  This book breaks down metrical poetry and explains how it works.\nThe Rules for the Direction of the Mind by Descartes, aka the regulae.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book breaks down metrical poetry and explains how it works.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped explain why they liked certain poetry and how metrical poetry works.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in poetry and meter.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mary Oliver"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "meter",
        "poetry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-runaway-bunny-626506",
      "title": "The Runaway Bunny",
      "author": "Margaret Wise Brown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26775082,
          "author": "rmk",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-12T00:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26775082",
          "commentText": "- Good Night, Moon\n- The Runaway Bunny\n- Harold and the Purple Crayon\n- Grandfather Twilight (for slightly older children)\n- Sandra Boynton books\n- Max's Breakfast (and other books)\n- I Read Signs (Tana Hoban; other books by her also quite good)\n- Go! Go! Go! Stop! (Cherise Mericle Harper)\n- Little Pea (Amy Krouse Rosenthal)\n- Trucks, My Car (and other Byron Barton books)\n- The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Eric Carle; some other books by this author are also good)\n- Roadwork (Sally Sutton; also in the same vein by the illustrator Brian Lovelock: Demolition, Flight of the Honey Bee, The Rain Train).\nMany others come to mind, but these are well-loved.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Runaway Bunny",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Margaret Wise Brown"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-runic-artist-d63c49",
      "title": "The Runic Artist",
      "author": "Ellake",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42270928,
          "author": "asicsp",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T04:53:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42270928",
          "commentText": "I mostly read progression fantasy books these days. Here are some series that I enjoyed a lot:\n* \"Beware of Chicken\" by CasualFarmer\n* \"The Immaculate Collection\" by havlo\n* \"The Runic Artist\" by Ellake\n* \"The Broken Knife\" by SilverSidhe\n* \"Immovable Mage\" by ImmovableMage\n* \"The Gorgon Incident and Other Stories\" by John Bierce\n* \"Quest Academy\" by Brian J. Nordon\n* \"The Weirkey Chronicles\" by Sarah Lin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Runic Artist\" by Ellake",
          "reason": "Listed among progression fantasy series the commenter enjoyed a lot.",
          "audience": "Readers of progression fantasy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ellake"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "magic",
        "progression fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-running-man-a01a0b",
      "title": "The Running Man",
      "author": "Richard Bachman (Stephen King)",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11558098,
          "author": "paulcole",
          "createdAt": "2016-04-24T00:57:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 11556470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your favorite dystopian novel and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11558098",
          "commentText": "Running Man, another Bachman book, is another dystopian favorite of mine.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Running Man, another Bachman book, is another dystopian favorite of mine.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of their dystopian favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Bachman (Stephen King)"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopian fiction",
        "thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-rust-programming-language-d56005",
      "title": "The Rust Programming Language",
      "author": "Steve Klabnik, Carol Nichols",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34414025,
          "author": "HellDunkel",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-17T15:55:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 34412069,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach programming by building a series of small projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34414025",
          "commentText": "The Rust Programming Language by Steve Klabnik and Carol Nichols. I don’t think it’s a language for beginners though.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Rust Programming Language by Steve Klabnik and Carol Nichols.",
          "reason": "Listed as a book in response to a request for programming books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Rust may not be a beginner-friendly language.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve Klabnik",
        "Carol Nichols"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "rust programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sacred-and-the-profane-the-nature-of-religion-689c74",
      "title": "The Sacred and the Profane: The Nature of Religion",
      "author": "Mircea Eliade",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36105215,
          "author": "cosentiyes",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T16:00:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105215",
          "commentText": "\"The Sacred and The Profane: The Nature of Religion\" by Mircea Eliade and \"Eight Theories of Religion\" by Daniel Pals aren't focused on a single religion but provide nice overviews on its history and evolution.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Sacred and The Profane: The Nature of Religion\" by Mircea Eliade",
          "reason": "Recommends it as an overview of religion’s history and evolution.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not focused on a single religion.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mircea Eliade"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comparative religion",
        "religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-saga-of-erik-the-viking-65fd5e",
      "title": "The Saga of Erik the Viking",
      "author": "Terry Jones",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50053491,
          "author": "thorin",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-12T09:05:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50053491",
          "commentText": "The Saga of Eric the Viking - Terry Jones (of Monty Python fame)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Saga of Eric the Viking - Terry Jones",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for favorite children’s books.",
          "audience": "Children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14860260,
          "author": "DanBC",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T20:55:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14860260",
          "commentText": "Kids books:\nCurrently reading The Saga of Eric the Viking by Terry Jones. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Saga-Erik-Viking-Puffin-Books/dp/01... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Saga-Erik-Viking-Puffin-Books/dp/0140322612/)\nIn the queue Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls by Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/014198600X/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Currently reading The Saga of Eric the Viking by Terry Jones.",
          "reason": "Names it as a children's book they are currently reading; no evaluation.",
          "audience": "Children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry Jones"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s adventure",
        "children s fantasy",
        "vikings"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-saint-of-bright-doors-76414a",
      "title": "The Saint of Bright Doors",
      "author": "Vajra Chandrasekera",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45950124,
          "author": "qkeast",
          "createdAt": "2025-11-17T01:35:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 45947737,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45950124",
          "commentText": "- One Yellow Eye by Leigh Radford\n- Shroud by Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera\nI keep a reading list at quinnkeast.com/reading. Would love to see others’ if any has one to share!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Saint of Bright Doors by Vajra Chandrasekera",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s standout books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vajra Chandrasekera"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sales-bible-da8dbf",
      "title": "The Sales Bible",
      "author": "Jeffrey Gitomer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 568573,
          "author": "melvinram",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-18T18:35:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 568556,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sales book recommendation?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=568573",
          "commentText": "* SPIN Selling by Rackman\n* The Sales Bible by Gitomer\n* Selling to VITO by Parinello\n* Lead Generation for the Complex Sale by Brian Carroll\n* http://www.marketingsherpa.com/\n* http://blog.startwithalead.com/weblog/\n* http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=35771&trk=a... (http://www.linkedin.com/groups?home=&gid=35771&trk=anet_ug_hm) This one is a linekdin group that sends out a good email news letter",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* The Sales Bible by Gitomer",
          "reason": "Listed as a response to the question asking for sales book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeffrey Gitomer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sales"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sales-handbook-cdc19d",
      "title": "The Sales Handbook",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41702324,
          "author": "petalmind",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-30T21:26:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 41693844,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good essays/books/advice about software sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41702324",
          "commentText": "Intercom on Sales: https://www.intercom.com/resources/books/b2b-sales\n+The Sales Handbook: https://www.intercom.com/resources/books/sales-handbook",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Sales Handbook",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sales"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sales-handbook-a732f0",
      "title": "The Sales Handbook",
      "author": "Intercom",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41704924,
          "author": "nikasakana",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-01T05:43:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 41693844,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good essays/books/advice about software sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41704924",
          "commentText": "Great resources!\nThanks so much for sharing!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great resources! Thanks so much for sharing!",
          "reason": "Calls the shared resources great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Intercom"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sales"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-salmon-of-doubt-c85f90",
      "title": "The Salmon of Doubt",
      "author": "Douglas Adams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227466,
          "author": "_bfhp",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T20:25:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227466",
          "commentText": "Before anything, read the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series by Douglas Adams. Then try the Salmon of Doubt by him. Salmon of Doubt is a must, but it's made more accessible by reading Adams' fictional works first.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Salmon of Doubt is a must, but it's made more accessible by reading Adams' fictional works first.",
          "reason": "Calls it a must-read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is more accessible after reading Adams' fictional works.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Adams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "essays",
        "posthumous collection"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-salmon-of-doubt-hitchhiking-the-galaxy-one-last-time-eb7fd6",
      "title": "The Salmon of Doubt: Hitchhiking the Galaxy One Last Time",
      "author": "Douglas Adams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33511256,
          "author": "jschulenklopper",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-07T19:43:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33511256",
          "commentText": "> I'm excluding that one book that was written by another author after Douglas Adams' passing.\nIf this is _A Salmon of Doubt_, I can strongly recommend that book. It's a collection of the things they found on his computer (with permission to publish it). It's a great and varied set of DNA's writing. I really enjoyed reading it.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If this is _A Salmon of Doubt_, I can strongly recommend that book.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends the book as a varied collection of Douglas Adams's writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter phrases the identification conditionally: “If this is A Salmon of Doubt.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Adams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "essays",
        "posthumous collection"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sandman-the-kindly-ones-8befaa",
      "title": "The Sandman: The Kindly Ones",
      "author": "Neil Gaiman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20981741,
          "author": "srijanshetty",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T07:14:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20981741",
          "commentText": "\"JCIP - Java Concurreny in Practice\", finally was able to complete this monster and now I see the world differently. I had a aha moment, just like Neo in the Matrix.\n\"The Sandman: Kindly Ones\" and \"The Sandman: Wake\", masterpieces from the master writer Neil Gaimann.\nReading \"Never Split the Difference\" which is about the art of negotiation and has been an enlightening read as of now. It argues negotiation isn't rational but is an affective exercise and I couldn't agree more.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Sandman: Kindly Ones\" and \"The Sandman: Wake\", masterpieces from the master writer Neil Gaimann.",
          "reason": "Calls it a masterpiece.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neil Gaiman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dark fantasy",
        "graphic novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sandman-the-wake-8d494d",
      "title": "The Sandman: The Wake",
      "author": "Neil Gaiman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20981741,
          "author": "srijanshetty",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T07:14:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20981741",
          "commentText": "\"JCIP - Java Concurreny in Practice\", finally was able to complete this monster and now I see the world differently. I had a aha moment, just like Neo in the Matrix.\n\"The Sandman: Kindly Ones\" and \"The Sandman: Wake\", masterpieces from the master writer Neil Gaimann.\nReading \"Never Split the Difference\" which is about the art of negotiation and has been an enlightening read as of now. It argues negotiation isn't rational but is an affective exercise and I couldn't agree more.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Sandman: Kindly Ones\" and \"The Sandman: Wake\", masterpieces from the master writer Neil Gaimann.",
          "reason": "Calls it a masterpiece.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neil Gaiman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dark fantasy",
        "graphic novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sands-of-mars-ceb178",
      "title": "The Sands of Mars",
      "author": "Arthur C. Clarke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056450,
          "author": "everyone",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T11:55:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056450",
          "commentText": "I have strong opinions about this. My criteria for a book being science fiction and not fantasy is that is must be based on scientific thinking. The author must have done some work to determine whether whats happening in his book is at least plausible according to real science, and then work out the details of how it would actually function. So I regard most \"science fiction\" books and almost all \"science fiction\" films as really being fantasy. Essentially they are works of fantasy or dramatic fiction re-skinned with lasers and aliens instead of magic and goblins (to a great or lesser extent).\nSo dune is a great book but it is 90% fantasy, there is only a little bit of research done by the author on desert ecosystems.\nMy favourite real science fiction author is Arthur C clarke. some good books by him...\nearthlight\nthe fountains of paradise\nislands in the sky\nthe sands of mars\nrama\nsongs of distant earth\nAlso would recommend accelerando by Charles Stross and the mars series by Kim Stanley Robinson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the sands of mars",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s good books by Clarke.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur C. Clarke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mars"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-santaland-diaries-4b7a38",
      "title": "The Santaland Diaries",
      "author": "David Sedaris",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1569162,
          "author": "namin",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:31:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569162",
          "commentText": "Some books I've read this summer, which I can recommend:\n- The Facebook Effect -- well-written insider's account of the history of Facebook and its ambitions.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Facebook-Effect-Inside-Company-Connect... (http://www.amazon.com/Facebook-Effect-Inside-Company-Connecting/dp/1439102112)\n- The Quantum Enigma -- an accessible digest of quantum mechanics and its philosophical consequences.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Enigma-Physics-Encounters-Cons... (http://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Enigma-Physics-Encounters-Consciousness/dp/019534250X/)\n- Flesh & Machines -- a lightweight history of robotics and some wacky speculations by MIT's Rodney Brooks.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Flesh-Machines-Robots-Will-Change/dp/0... (http://www.amazon.com/Flesh-Machines-Robots-Will-Change/dp/0375420797)\n- The Language of Life: DNA and the Revolution of Personalized Medecine -- a well-backed account of what is or will be possible in medicine thanks to a better understanding of the genome and increase use of DNA sequencing for prevention, diagnostic, and treatment.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Language-Life-Revolution-Personalized-... (http://www.amazon.com/Language-Life-Revolution-Personalized-Medicine/dp/0061733180/)\n- ... by David Sedaris -- Funny short stories. Perhaps The Santaland Diaries for something light but really amusing, and When You Are Engulfed in Flames for something darker and more well-known. Also, if you like short stories, I heartily recommend Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules, a varied collection of short stories selected by Sedaris.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/David-Sedaris/e/B000AQ3YUW/\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0349119759\nhttp://www.amazon.com/When-You-Are-Engulfed-Flames/dp/031615... (http://www.amazon.com/When-You-Are-Engulfed-Flames/dp/0316154687/)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Children-Playing-Before-Statue-Hercule... (http://www.amazon.com/Children-Playing-Before-Statue-Hercules/dp/074327394X/)\n- Dreams of My Father -- Barack Obama writes candidly and beautifully about his childhood and early adulthood; it's not a political book, and it's worth reading for the writing alone.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Dreams-My-Father-Story-Inheritance/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Dreams-My-Father-Story-Inheritance/dp/1400082773/)\n- Mathematics: The Loss of Certainty: a chatty history of mathematics, and its perception.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Loss-Certainty-Galaxy-Book... (http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Loss-Certainty-Galaxy-Books/dp/0195030850)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Perhaps The Santaland Diaries for something light but really amusing",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a light and amusing choice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Sedaris"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "essay",
        "humor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sanyasin-68cd9c",
      "title": "The Sanyasin",
      "author": "Satprem",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 143408,
          "author": "maheshcr",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T17:03:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143408",
          "commentText": "A worn out, moth eaten copy of Lord Byron's complete works. It took me almost a decade to outgrow the influence. Especially the poem Manfred, and the soliloquay at the beginning!\nThe Sanyasin - Satprem. I walked the streets of Chennai not knowing what the hell was happening, while reading this. Magical, mystic..anyone who has ever held any spiritual notions should read this...\nLast Temptation by Nikos Kazantikakis, what can I say..every word has drilled through me!\nKa by Roberto Calasso, this made me confront my own culture and religion like no other.\nSiddhartha by Herman Hesse.\nGodel, Escher & Bach - Douglas Hofstadter. Barely made it to 4th chapter but that alone has shattered opinions I held about my style of thinking.\nAnd Sri Aurobindo...almost everything that he has written touches me like no other. It was like coming home after being in exile. Not that I understand anything but...\nAnd of course Don Box's talk on DDJ about the origins of .NET!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Sanyasin - Satprem. I walked the streets of Chennai not knowing what the hell was happening, while reading this. Magical, mystic..anyone who has ever held any spiritual notions should read this...",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it magical and mystical and says people with spiritual notions should read it.",
          "audience": "Readers with spiritual interests.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Satprem"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mysticism",
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-scapegoat-e509cb",
      "title": "The Scapegoat",
      "author": "René Girard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30241672,
          "author": "leoh",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T08:01:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241672",
          "commentText": "“The Scapegoat” by Rene Girard, which suggests that we are deeply vulnerable to imitating others; and that when we imitate, this tends to lead to deep conflict, for we often imitate desire for scarce objects (e.g. a certain role at work, a particular romantic partner, etc.). We also tend to imitate hatred for a given party, as we tend to imitate hatred, too; thus engaging in the process of scapegoating, when, in fact, scapegoats are almost always innocent.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“The Scapegoat” by Rene Girard, which suggests that we are deeply vulnerable to imitating others",
          "reason": "Presents imitation, conflict, and scapegoating as ideas the book explains.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "René Girard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mimetic theory",
        "scapegoating"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-scarlet-pimpernel-c93ba8",
      "title": "The Scarlet Pimpernel",
      "author": "Baroness Orczy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46398356,
          "author": "ultrasounder",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T01:48:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46398356",
          "commentText": "Finished scarlet pimpernel on a rainy Christmas Day. Couldn’t put the book down. To think that it spawned a whole genre of super-hero movies where the protagonist hides behind a mask of “ foppiness” and it was written back in 1901 and set against the ever green theme of the French Revolution is mind boggling. Once I finished reading it yesterday, followed it up with the movie of the same title. Well made and acted. Wholly recommend the book first and then the movie.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wholly recommend the book first",
          "reason": "Recommends reading the book before watching the film.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Baroness Orczy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "french revolution",
        "historical adventure"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-scholars-eb1d4c",
      "title": "The Scholars",
      "author": "Wu Jingzi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22101202,
          "author": "lizzard",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T18:56:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22101202",
          "commentText": "Some other fabulous Chinese novels, not really obscure as they are the most famous novels in China, but not well known to English speaking readers: Dream of Red Mansions/Story of the Stone, an epic about two families and the decline of their fortunes; The Scholars, another 18th century long book of linked stories that's basically political satire; and Outlaws of the Marsh/The Water Margin, a long series of linked tales about bandits that's a little bit Robin-Hoodish as it's really about their political rebellion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Scholars, another 18th century long book of linked stories that's basically political satire",
          "reason": "Described as a long book of linked stories and political satire.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not well known to English-speaking readers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Wu Jingzi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chinese classic",
        "political satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-school-of-life-an-emotional-education-530fdb",
      "title": "The School of Life: An Emotional Education",
      "author": "The School of Life",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21793216,
          "author": "emehex",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T23:43:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21793216",
          "commentText": "• The Madness of Crowds by Douglas Murray\n• Consciousness by Annaka Harris\n• More From Less by Andrew McAffee\n• The School of Life: An Emotional Education\n• Perfect Sound Whatever by James Acaster\n• Humble Pi by Matt Parker\n• The Last Pirate of New York by Rich Cohen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The School of Life: An Emotional Education",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "The School of Life"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "emotional intelligence",
        "self knowledge"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-science-fiction-hall-of-fame-volume-one-1929-1964-1d9446",
      "title": "The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One, 1929–1964",
      "author": "Various authors",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33382648,
          "author": "saint_angels",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T10:12:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382648",
          "commentText": "- The Network State, by Balaji S. Srinivasan\n- The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One, 1929-1964\n- The Minimalist Entrepreneur, by Sahil Lavingia\n- Shoe Dog, by Phil Knight",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One, 1929-1964",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short story anthology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-science-of-discworld-8da2d4",
      "title": "The Science of Discworld",
      "author": "Terry Pratchett, Ian Stewart, and Jack Cohen",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40429728,
          "author": "ZeroGravitas",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T15:30:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40429728",
          "commentText": "The Science of Discworld series of books are surprisingly good for things that sound, on first hearing of them them, like a quick cash in.\nBoth the science writing and the Discworld content is pretty great and well integrated together.\nThe Folklore of Discworld book is also great, digging into the myths and folklore that was referenced and lampooned.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Science of Discworld series of books are surprisingly good",
          "reason": "Praises the science writing and its integration with Discworld.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Initially sounds like a quick cash-in.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry Pratchett",
        "Ian Stewart",
        "Jack Cohen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "discworld",
        "popular science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-science-of-enlightenment-26a5a3",
      "title": "The Science of Enlightenment",
      "author": "Shinzen Young",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237188,
          "author": "kranner",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:44:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237188",
          "commentText": "- Tetris: The Games People Play by Box Brown\n- Tibet, Tibet by Patrick French\n- Maya: A Novel by CW Huntington, Jr\n- The Science of Enlightenment by Shinzen Young\n- Flask Web Development by Miguel Grinberg\n- Buddha's Diet by Tara Cottrell\n- A Feast of Vultures by Josy Joseph\n- Genghis Khan: Life, Death and Resurrection by John Man\n- Chasing the Scream by Johann Hari\n- Cuckold by Kiran Nagarkar\n- Goliath by Tom Gauld\n- This Will Never Happen Again by David Cain\n- Cure by Jo Marchant\n- If It’s Monday It Must Be Madurai: A Conducted Tour of India by Srinath Perur\n- Deep Work by Cal Newport\n- Enduring Love by Ian McEwan\n- The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery\n- The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt\n- The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion\nand a few others that aren't worth recommending; all the above are.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "all the above are.",
          "reason": "The commenter includes the listed books among those worth recommending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Shinzen Young"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhism",
        "consciousness",
        "meditation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-science-of-fear-6facc9",
      "title": "The Science of Fear",
      "author": "Daniel Gardner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1226850,
          "author": "keyist",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:36:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226850",
          "commentText": "Don't miss sivers's great list: http://sivers.org/book\nAs for mine,\nScience Fiction (I like these authors so I'd recommend most of their books -- listing which ones I think are a good 'starter novel' for them):\n  Charles Stross: Halting State\n  Vernor Vinge: A Fire Upon The Deep\n  Iain M. Banks: Culture novels, start with Player of Games\n  David Louis Edelman: Jump 225 Trilogy\n  Daniel Suarez: Daemon and Freedom(tm)\n  John Scalzi: Old Man's War series\n  Dan Simmons: Hyperion\n\nSelf-improvement:\n  The Talent Code\n  Seeking Wisdom: From Darwin to Munger\n  Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion\n\nNon-fiction:\n  Amusing Ourselves To Death (highly recommended)\n  The Science of Fear\n  The Black Swan\n  Tokyo Vice\n  Racing The Beam (Atari history, very cool)\n  books by Daniel Pink\n  Guns, Germs, and Steel\n  The Prize by Daniel Yergin\n\nFantasy:\nAnything by Gaiman or China Mieville, pretty much.\nEDIT: links to previews (legally) available online\nCharles Stross's Accelerando (entire book): http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelera... (http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/fiction/accelerando/accelerando-intro.html)\nDavid Louis Edelman's Infoquake (1st 7 chapters): http://www.davidlouisedelman.com/jump225/infoquake/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Science of Fear",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Gardner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "risk perception"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-science-of-getting-rich-b148f2",
      "title": "The Science of Getting Rich",
      "author": "Wallace D. Wattles",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 687104,
          "author": "mutew",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-04T12:15:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 687066,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on getting rich?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=687104",
          "commentText": "Another great article and I would recommend it any day but if you are in the mood for a more fuzzier and feel good read with some good-living advice thrown in then grab a copy of \"The Science of Getting Rich\" by Wallace D. Wattles, available freely as a pdf on the internet.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "grab a copy of \"The Science of Getting Rich\" by Wallace D. Wattles",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a fuzzier, feel good read with good living advice.",
          "audience": "Readers wanting a feel good read and good living advice.",
          "caveat": "Described as fuzzier and feel good.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Wallace D. Wattles"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self help",
        "wealth building"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-science-of-influence-2520a4",
      "title": "The Science of Influence",
      "author": "Kevin Hogan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10233489,
          "author": "elorant",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T14:23:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10233489",
          "commentText": "A couple ones I've read and found quite useful:\nMake your contacts count\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Make-Your-Contacts-Count-Networking/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/Make-Your-Contacts-Count-Networking/dp/0814474020/)\nThe science of influence\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Science-Influence-Anyone-Minutes-Less-... (http://www.amazon.com/Science-Influence-Anyone-Minutes-Less-ebook/dp/B000VIIE9A/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The science of influence",
          "reason": "Included in a couple of books the commenter says they found quite useful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kevin Hogan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "influence",
        "persuasion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-science-of-storytelling-0c42fb",
      "title": "The Science of Storytelling",
      "author": "Will Storr",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33858797,
          "author": "jshen",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T22:43:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33858797",
          "commentText": "Become a better story teller and persuader, and learn how to make better decisions and manage risk. A few books that helped me in no particular order …\nThe Science of Storytelling - Will Storr\nInfluence - Robert Cialdini\nThinking Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman\nAntifragile - Nassim Taleb\nHow Innovation Works - Natt Ridley\nThe One Thing You Need to Know - Marcus Buckingham\nTeam of Teams - General Stanley McChrystal",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Science of Storytelling - Will Storr",
          "reason": "Listed among books that helped the commenter.",
          "audience": "People seeking to become better storytellers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Will Storr"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "storytelling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-science-of-trust-emotional-attunement-for-couples-dbace6",
      "title": "The Science of Trust: Emotional Attunement for Couples",
      "author": "John M. Gottman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40284561,
          "author": "JackMorgan",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T12:14:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40284561",
          "commentText": "Wow, this is interesting, very few books I've read more than once! Even fewer are non fiction, but they sure do explain a lot about me:\n- Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving by Pete Walker helped me process a number of assaults that happened to me as a child\n- Designing Data Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann helped me understand intuitively how databases work and how to use eventual consistency to handle workloads\n- The Highly Sensitive Person: How To Thrive when the World Overwhelms You by Elaine Aron this helped me process my and my families neurodivergence.\n- Structure And Interpretation of Computer Programs by Ableson and Sussman. Great book, it's how I learned to love Lisp. I felt like I grew 10x in skill from completing all the homework.\n- Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training by Mark Rippetoe. This is the book that got me into powerlifting  as a regular part of my fitness. I used this to heal my back, neck, and wrist pain. Changed my life.\n- Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter by James Gurney. The GOAT of plein air painting himself teaches so much about how light works on complex forms. I've dog-eared this book.\n- Reinventing Organizations by Frederic Laloux. A great look into how to build and run a self organizing team. Very insightful for when I was leading several teams and needed inspiration for something other than the typical chain of command.\n- The Classroom Management Book by Harry Wong. This book taught me so much about how humans work. I still apply lessons from this book 20 years later.\n- Real World Haskell by O'Sullivan, Goerzen, Stewart. This taught me a lot about Haskell, and got me into all the neat effects needed to make a function pure but still handle IO/async, etc.\n- Peopleware by DeMarco, Lister. My go to book for people management and a philosophy of project management\n- Science of Trust: Emotional Attunement for Couples by Gottman. I love this book for teaching me how to be a better spouse and friend.\n- The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing by Larimore, Lindauer. A great guide to building a permanent portfolio that will return consistent gains with the market. Simple in hindsight, thanks to this book. Best book on investing I've ever read.\n- How to Take Smart Notes by Ahrens. Introduces the zettlekasten system for thinking and creativity. Very inspiring, got me to start a personal file that I keep going to this day, five years later.\n- Twenty Small Sailboats to Take you Anywhere by Vigor. I read this book over and over, dreaming of buying a small boat and sailing around the world. Maybe this year...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Science of Trust: Emotional Attunement for Couples by Gottman. I love this book for teaching me how to be a better spouse and friend.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it teaches them to be a better spouse and friend.",
          "audience": "Couples and people seeking stronger relationships.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John M. Gottman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "couples",
        "relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-science-of-yoga-134c99",
      "title": "The Science of Yoga",
      "author": "Swami Sivananda",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36429831,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T09:42:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36429831",
          "commentText": "In no particular order and off the top of my head;\nThe Sherlock Holmes canonical stories - The importance of logical reasoning and brain over brawn. Instrumental in teaching me to think.\nPhysics for Entertainment (and other books) by Ya. Perelman - Beauty and understanding of Science. Instrumental in giving me a lifelong interest in Science/Technology.\nStructured Computer Organization by Andrew Tanenbaum - Instrumental in teaching me the layering of abstractions by which something complex can arise from more simpler and detailed components.\nRaja Yoga by Swami Vivekananda and The Science of Yoga by Swami Sivananda - Instrumental in introducing me to Hindu philosophy.\nBruce lee's fighting method (3 vols) - Instrumental in introducing me to Martial Arts and physical culture.\nThe above books were the ones which sparked my interest in their respective domains decades ago (late 1980s/early 1990s in India) when books were hard to come by and money wasn't available either. When i look around today, books are so easily available and yet people have stopped reading and even seem to lack curiosity.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Science of Yoga by Swami Sivananda",
          "reason": "It introduced the commenter to Hindu philosophy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Swami Sivananda"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hindu philosophy",
        "yoga"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-scientific-revolution-a-very-short-introduction-9d1558",
      "title": "The Scientific Revolution: A Very Short Introduction",
      "author": "Lawrence M. Principe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19093705,
          "author": "bsrhng",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-06T08:55:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19093705",
          "commentText": "The Scientific Revolution: A Very Short Introduction. This is a non-popular example, I found it because I like the series.\nThe book introduces the context of the scientific revolution and the thinking from which the ideas that we think of as science developed. It tells a very different story than the \"dark ages to enlightenment\" narrative and shows the seriousness and depth of thought at the time and also of subjects that many dismiss even without thinking, such as astrology.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Scientific Revolution: A Very Short Introduction.",
          "reason": "Introduces the context and thinking behind the development of science, and challenges a familiar historical narrative.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as a non-popular example.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lawrence M. Principe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of science",
        "scientific revolution"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-scientists-a-history-of-science-told-through-the-lives-of-its-e03520",
      "title": "The Scientists: A History of Science Told Through the Lives of Its Greatest Inventors",
      "author": "John Gribbin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36601483,
          "author": "philomathdan",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T15:08:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36601483",
          "commentText": "Would a history of science interest you?  I enjoyed \"The Scientists\" by John Gribbin so much I've read it twice.\nhttps://a.co/d/epMV64I",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed \"The Scientists\" by John Gribbin so much I've read it twice",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed it enough to read it twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Gribbin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-scribe-method-0bfc2f",
      "title": "The Scribe Method",
      "author": "Tucker Max; Zach Obront",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25324435,
          "author": "fbcx",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-06T16:19:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25324435",
          "commentText": "I feel like I understand nonfiction/business book writing and publishing much better after reading The Scribe Method. Super thorough step-by-step instruicions on creating a successful book.\nOfficial free download: https://scribemedia.com/scribe-method-book/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "after reading The Scribe Method.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them understand nonfiction and business book writing and publishing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tucker Max",
        "Zach Obront"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "book publishing",
        "nonfiction writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sculptor-c28de5",
      "title": "The Sculptor",
      "author": "Scott McCloud",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17523146,
          "author": "latexr",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T14:17:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17523146",
          "commentText": "1. Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art, by Scott McCloud\nA comic about comics, but I don’t think you have to enjoy the medium to get something out of the book. If you enjoy exploring subjects to their core, give it a shot.\n2. The Sculptor, by Scott McCloud\nThe latest fiction graphic novel by the person who wrote a seminal book on comics. No surprise it does a lot of things right.\n3. S-Town, by Brian Reed\nTechnically a podcast, but it was released all at once and is a contained story that lasts for seven hours. I’d say a fairer assessment would be to call it a well produced non-fiction audiobook, which is what you’d expect from the producers of Serial and This American Life. When I recommend it I always tell people to give it until the end of the second episode before deciding if they’ll stick with it.\n4. Mindhunter, by John Douglas\nEnjoyed the Netflix show? There’s a good chance you’ll enjoy this.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "No surprise it does a lot of things right.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the graphic novel does many things well.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott McCloud"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "graphic novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sea-wolf-5701a6",
      "title": "The Sea-Wolf",
      "author": "Jack London",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20914527,
          "author": "iBelieve",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T01:36:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914527",
          "commentText": "The Bible.\nMysterious Island (1874), Around the World in Eighty Days (1873), and other books by Jules Verne.\nBooks by James Fenimore Cooper.\nThe Sea-Wolf (1904) by Jack London.\nThe Count of Monte Cristo (1844) by Alexandre Dumas.\nOliver Twist (1839) by Charles Dickens.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Sea-Wolf (1904) by Jack London.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jack London"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sea adventure"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-second-book-of-machine-language-47ecd0",
      "title": "The Second Book of Machine Language",
      "author": "Richard Mansfield",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46780383,
          "author": "vparikh",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-27T14:28:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 46778461,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books to learn 6502 ASM and the Apple II",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46780383",
          "commentText": "I recommend these two books for 6502 assembly:\nhttps://archive.org/details/ataribooks-machine-language-for-... (https://archive.org/details/ataribooks-machine-language-for-beginners/mode/2up)\nand\nhttps://archive.org/details/ataribooks-the-second-book-of-ma... (https://archive.org/details/ataribooks-the-second-book-of-machine-language)\nThese two books will give you a good understanding of 6502 assembler - it is general but gives a good background and has a nice assembler with a full walk through of the code.   I used these two books to learn 6502 on my Commodore 64 and they are highly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://archive.org/details/ataribooks-the-second-book-of-ma...",
          "reason": "Recommended alongside the first book for learning 6502 assembly.",
          "audience": "Learners of 6502 assembly.",
          "caveat": "General coverage rather than Apple II specific.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Mansfield"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "6502 assembly",
        "machine language"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-second-sex-9d678f",
      "title": "The Second Sex",
      "author": "Simone de Beauvoir",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19095554,
          "author": "hibee72",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-06T15:02:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19095554",
          "commentText": "The first book that changed my life was \"The Second Sex\" by Simone De Beauvoir. Is not an easy book to read, with many philosophical and historical references, but it really shaped me. It changed my perception of women and also my awareness as a man.\nAnother thing that changed my life was not a book by a record. It's not the same thing, I know, but I must name it because I was influenced more by its literary part (the lyrics) than by its music. The album is \"The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway\" by Genesis.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The first book that changed my life was \"The Second Sex\" by Simone De Beauvoir.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book changed their life and shaped them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not an easy book to read; it includes many philosophical and historical references.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387477,
          "author": "pharrington",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T23:22:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387477",
          "commentText": "Reading The Second Sex right now. I need a bit of brush up on some history and philosophy.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Reading The Second Sex right now.",
          "reason": "The commenter is reading it and wants to brush up on history and philosophy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Simone de Beauvoir"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "feminism",
        "feminist philosophy",
        "gender"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-second-sin-1c9d57",
      "title": "The Second Sin",
      "author": "Thomas Szasz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37937086,
          "author": "davidthewatson",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:26:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937086",
          "commentText": "I'd suggest books like:\nhttps://equalityfiles.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/thomas_sza... (https://equalityfiles.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/thomas_szasz_the_second_sin.pdf)\nand any of Byung-Chul Han's philosophical books over the last ten years, though The Burnout society is probably the place to start.\nMy favorite thing about these books is that if the title piques your interest, it's a quick read because of the aphoristic style keeping the aforementioned short.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://equalityfiles.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/thomas_sza...",
          "reason": "Suggested alongside Byung-Chul Han’s philosophical books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Szasz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aphorisms",
        "psychiatry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-second-sleep-1a8ade",
      "title": "The Second Sleep",
      "author": "Robert Harris",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37158561,
          "author": "bloak",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T07:59:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37158561",
          "commentText": "Other good books by Robert Harris: The Ghost; The Fear Index; The Second Sleep.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Second Sleep.",
          "reason": "Lists it among Harris's good books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Harris"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-second-world-war-50d27f",
      "title": "The Second World War",
      "author": "Winston Churchill",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 457944,
          "author": "uuilly",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-30T10:15:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=457944",
          "commentText": "I've been waiting years for someone to ask this question :)\nWishlited this last night on amazon:\nCarnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise to Western Power by Victor Davis Hanson\nHave read these and enjoyed these:\nGeneral Warfare theory:\nHistory of Warfare by Keegan\nIntel:\nIntelligence and War by Keegan\nCounterinsurgency:\n\"Ghost Wars\" by Steve Coll.  For a really enjoyable experience read \"The Great Game\"  by Hopkirk first.\nThe Civil War deserves it's own category. Watch the PBS dvds, actually buy them.  If you're hungry for more dig into \"The Civil War\" by Shelby Foote is hefty but it's satisfying.\n1776 is a classic.\n\"Blind mans bluff\" is a great book about submarine warfare.\nFor more current stuff Robert Kagan is probably the most informed pundit on war and military strategy.\nWW-II\n\"The Last Lion\" books 1 and 2 are about Churchill and they involve lots of military strategy.  You should also check out \"The gathering storm + the other six books Churchill wrote on WWII.\nMan I could go on forever.  I have \"Panzer General\" and \"Caesar's Conquest of Gaul\" on my nightstand...\nEnjoy...\nPS:  Once you're well versed you'll hear people referring to Clauswitz a lot.  When you're sick of hearing his name and you want more than the wikipedia entry go read \"On War.\"  Art of War goes w/o saying as well...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The gathering storm + the other six books Churchill wrote on WWII.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends Churchill's books on World War II for their military strategy content.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter refers to The Gathering Storm and six other books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Winston Churchill"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military history",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-second-world-wars-how-the-first-global-conflict-was-fought-an-0b21cf",
      "title": "The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won",
      "author": "Victor Davis Hanson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33382606,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T10:05:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382606",
          "commentText": "Top 2 so far:\n   * Washington: A life by Ron Chernow\n   * The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won by Victor Davis Hanson\n\nThe Washington book is a very detailed by clear overview of his life. Easy to follow (even for complex situations) and very week written.\nThe WW2 book is amazing. Compares the countries fighting in around 20 different areas (technology, leadership, geography, aircraft) and says who is better and why.\nAlso very good:\n   * FDR by Jean Edward Smith\n   * Master of the Senate by Robert A. Caro\n   * The Penguin History of New Zealand by Michael King\n   * The years of Lyndon Johnson 2 – Means of Ascent by Robert Caro\n   * Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road by Kyle Buchanan\n   * Becoming Trader Joe: How I Did Business My Way and Still Beat the Big Guys by Joe Coulombe\n   * How Innovation Works: And Why It Flourishes in Freedom by Matt Ridley\n   * Yeager: An Autobiography by Chuck Yeager\n   * The years of Lyndon Johnson: The Path to Power by Robert Caro\n   * The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson\n   * Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson\n   * An Economist walks into a Brothel: And Other Unexpected Places to Understand Risk by Allison Schrager\n   * The Devil’s Candy: The Bonfire of the Vanities Goes to Hollywood by Julie Salamon\n   * Sam Walton: Made in America by Sam Walton",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won by Victor Davis Hanson",
          "reason": "Praises its comparisons of the countries fighting across about 20 areas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Victor Davis Hanson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military history",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-secret-history-e7c9e5",
      "title": "The Secret History",
      "author": "Donna Tartt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10836593,
          "author": "searine",
          "createdAt": "2016-01-04T16:47:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 10833032,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book you've recently read and enjoyed?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10836593",
          "commentText": "Oh boy, you fucked up now. Here are the books I read this past year that I felt were \"Good\", starting from the most recent :\nTo Kill A Mocking Bird (Insanely good)\nTrue Grit (Insanely good)\nThe Little Friend (Good)\nPriceless (Very good, about art theft)\nThe Secret History (Insanely good)\nReady Player One (Good, nerdy)\nShadow Divers (Very good, history nerd book)\nDiary of Anne Frank (Very good)\nUnbroken (Very good, way better than the movie)\nWith The Old Breed at Peleliu and Okinawa (Very good)\nSeveneves (good, but I'm a Stephenson fanboy)\nThe Martian (Very good, but just watch the movie).\nI read a bunch of other stuff, but that's what I found really \"good\" this past year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Secret History (Insanely good)",
          "reason": "Described as “Insanely good.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donna Tartt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "campus novel",
        "murder"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-secret-life-of-groceries-the-dark-miracle-of-the-american-sup-ca1de8",
      "title": "The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket",
      "author": "Benjamin Lorr",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42653631,
          "author": "bwb",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T08:02:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42653631",
          "commentText": "Out of the Shadows By Jonathan Kingsman\nhttps://shepherd.com/book/out-of-the-shadows\nAmazing book about the grain markets and how they have changed over the last 40 years.\n\"Once shadowy figures, grain merchants have now come out of the shadows. Almost everything that you eat or drink today will contain something bought, stored, transported, processed, shipped, distributed or sold by one of the seven giants of the agricultural supply chain. The media often refers to them as the ABCD group of international grain-trading companies, with ABCD standing for ADM, Bunge, Cargill and Dreyfus. The acronym, though, ignores the other three giants of the food supply: Glencore, COFCO International and Wilmar. Together, they handle 50 percent of the international trade in grain and oilseeds. In this book’s series of exclusive and unprecedented interviews, CEOs and senior traders from these seven giants describe in their own words how the agricultural markets are changing, and how they are adapting to those changes.\"\nThe Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket\nBy Benjamin Lorr\nhttps://shepherd.com/book/the-secret-life-of-groceries\nFive years of research really explains large swaths of our food system and how it changes what we eat.\nYou might like these as well:\nThe best unexpectedly enthralling books about seemingly boring things\nhttps://shepherd.com/best-books/good-books-about-seemingly-b... (https://shepherd.com/best-books/good-books-about-seemingly-boring-things)\nThe best books that make sense of how globalization broke down, and what happens next\nhttps://shepherd.com/best-books/globalization-breaks-down-wh... (https://shepherd.com/best-books/globalization-breaks-down-what-happens-next)\n*Features The Big Rig, a book about the American trucking industry and it's breakdown\nSome good ones in there :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket\nBy Benjamin Lorr",
          "reason": "Says its five years of research explain broad parts of the food system and how it changes what we eat.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Benjamin Lorr"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "food systems",
        "grocery industry",
        "supermarkets"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-secret-race-12e025",
      "title": "The Secret Race",
      "author": "Tyler Hamilton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34160619,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:11:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160619",
          "commentText": "This year I've put myself to the challenge to read at least one book per week which I primarily could complete by reading in the middle of the night while holding our sleeping baby in my arms. It has been an interesting challenge which gave me a lot of fulfilment and has certainly changed my mind on how I view the world. This comment became quite a long read, apologies for that.\nBooks I highly recommend:\nChurchill by Andrew Roberts (p:1105)\nA biography about one of the most interesting figures in politics and WWII. Roberts gives a very detailed description of the life of Churchill and manages to keep you interested the entire length of the book.\nThe God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (p:374)\nIn The God Delusion Dawkins gives arguments why there is no God, why we do not need a God and why religion is damaging to our society. If you are religious it might not be the book for you unless you are open to hear his arguments and line of reasoning. Dawkins will challenge your worldview.\nThe Bomb by Fred Kaplan (p:384)\nKaplan describes the policy of different US presidents on the atomic bomb and war in general. And primarily on the inability of US presidents and policy-makers to tune down its military. A chilling read which makes you appreciate a nuclear holocaust did not happen (yet)....\nPoor Economics by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo (p:320)\nBanerjee and Duflo give a gripping portrait of how poor people live. They offer an insight in the choices and decisions people make surviving on less than 1 USD a day (corrected for purchasing power). It made me completely rethink my own view on poverty and development aid; stressing even more that in order to help one need to have a complete understanding of the individual's situation and the local boundary conditions.\nProject Hail Mary  by Andy Weir (p:476)\nThis book triggered my science fiction reading. For some reason I never was interested in science fiction. Most likely triggered by reading Foundation by Asimov a few years back which apparently is not a book to my taste. But Andy Weir completely annihilated that wrong perspective on science fiction. Project Hail Mary is interesting, funny and gripping book.\nKindred by Octavia Butler  (p:287)\nThis book.... From page one I was hooked and almost read it in one go. Butler is a wonderful author and Kindred is a must-read. The book is about a woman traveling back in time to end up on a slave plantation. It's a chilling account of slavery.\nOther books I read this year, ask me anything about one of these books. I've added a + if I think its worth a recommendation\nBiography:\nNavalny by Dollbaum, Lallouet and Noble (p:280); The Man from the Future by Ananyo Bhattacharya (p:354) +\nSociology; Politics; Economics; Business:\nOnly the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove (p:224); The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli  (p:140); Winter is Coming by Garry Kasparov (p:290); Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum (p:224) +; Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl (p:164) +; We Are Bellingcat by Eliot Higgins (p:272); De Zeven Vinkjes by Joris Luyendijk (p:200); Waarom vuilnismannen meer verdienen dan bankiers by Rutger Bregman (p:104)\nComedy: The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (p:336)\nHistory:\nBand of Brothers  by Stephen E. Ambrose (p:432); The Nuclear Jihadist by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins (p:413) +; The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre (p:384) +; De Heineken Ontvoering by Peter R. de Vries (p:347); Red Famine by Anne Apllebaum (p:384); Night by Elie Wiesel (p:115) +\nScience, Technology, Mathematics:\nFermat's Enigma by Simon Singh (p:315) +; A Mathematician's Apology by G.H. Hardy (p:153); The Great Influenza by John M. Barry (p:546); The Rise and Fall of the Dinousaurs by Stephen Brusatte (p:404) ++; The Double Helix by James Watson (p:144)\nSport:\nRun or Die by Killian Jornet (p:208); The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton  (p:290) +; The Rise of the Ultra Runners by  (p:304); Tom Dumoulin by Patrick Bernhart (p:203)\nFiction:\nAnthem by Ayn Rand (p:105); Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (p:704); The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (p:566); Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (p:466); Live and Let die by Ian Fleming  (p:229)\nClassics:\nA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (p:104); The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (p:201); The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald (p:180); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (p:139); Animal Farm by George Orwell (p:122) +; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (p:227) +; The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (p:118)\nScience Fiction:\nThe Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (p:399); All Systems Red  by Martha Wells (p:144) +; A Memory Called Empire  by Arkady Martine (p:462) +; A Psalm built for the Wild by Becky Chambers (p:160); Dune by Frank Herbert (p:658); Foundation by Isaac Asimov (p:244); The Martian by Andy Weir (p:384) +;\nThe Forever War by Joe Haldeman (p:278)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton",
          "reason": "Marked with a plus as worth recommending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tyler Hamilton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cycling",
        "doping"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-secret-race-53fdf2",
      "title": "The Secret Race",
      "author": "Tyler Hamilton and Daniel Coyle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5691628,
          "author": "thoughtcriminal",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T18:46:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5691628",
          "commentText": "I read Frankenstein recently and its pretty intense. Recommended.\nProbably the most exhilarating read for me in a long while has been \"The Secret Race\" by Tyler Hamiliton. But don't take my word on it, read the reviews.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Probably the most exhilarating read for me in a long while has been \"The Secret Race\" by Tyler Hamiliton.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the most exhilarating read they have had in a long while.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter adds, “But don't take my word on it, read the reviews.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tyler Hamilton and Daniel Coyle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "doping",
        "professional cycling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-secret-speech-58dad8",
      "title": "The Secret Speech",
      "author": "Tom Rob Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8107093,
          "author": "mrcdima",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T09:05:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107093",
          "commentText": "Some titles I've recently read or at least have placed on my reading list.\n--------------------\nPhilosohpy\nLetters from a Stoic: Epistulae Morales Ad Lucilium - Seneca\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius (must read)\nThe Republic - Plato\n--------------------\nHistory\nFive Chimneys - Olga Lengyel\nThe Gulag Archipelago - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (must read)\nThe Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank\n--------------------\nFiction\n(particularly dystopian) 1984, Brave New World, Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451\n(crime/action) Child 44, The Secret Speech, Agent 6 - Tom Rob Smith\n--------------------\nEconomics\nCapital in the Twenty-First Century - Thomas Piketty\nPoor Economics: A Radical Rethinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty - Banerjee, Duflo\nWhy Nations Fail - Robinson\n--------------------\nEconomics/Decision making/Psychology\nUndercover Economist, Freakonomics, Nudge, Thinking Fast and Slow\n--------------------\nRandom titles\nThe Selfish Gene, Self-Reliance, The Elements of Style (about writing), Slaughterhouse-Five\n--------------------\nSome links to inspire your reading (though you may want to checkout the websites first to get an idea of the topics they cover)\nhttp://www.gatesnotes.com/Books\nhttp://bookpickings.brainpickings.org/\nhttp://www.farnamstreetblog.com/reading/\nhttp://www.ryanholiday.net/reading-newsletter\nI’m just a working-class guy trying to take part in the conversation that all the smart people are having. What books should I read? - http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-cl... (http://www.farnamstreetblog.com/2013/03/im-just-a-working-class-guy-trying-to-take-part-in-the-conversation-that-all-the-smart-people-are-having-what-books-should-i-read/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Secret Speech",
          "reason": "Listed as a title in response to the thread's request for book suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Rob Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crime fiction",
        "soviet union"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-secret-war-against-the-jews-ae4b06",
      "title": "The Secret War Against the Jews",
      "author": "John Loftus",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15017866,
          "author": "auganov",
          "createdAt": "2017-08-15T13:13:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 15016796,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15017866",
          "commentText": "The classic Clean Code by Robert C. Martin <- probably won't learn much new, but worth it, just to let the concepts reenter your consciousness.\nThe Secret War Against the Jews by John Loftus <- Changed the way I think about inner workings of the government. But at the same time, many claims are hard to verify.\nThe life changing magic of cleaning up by Marie Kondo <- not life changing but decent and a quick, 2-3 day read.\nNassim Taleb books, pretty sure everyone on here read it or plans to so, don't need my description.\nHalfway through The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis at the moment, it's pretty good, a joint biography of Kahneman and Tversky (of the \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\", which I guess is another HN classic).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Changed the way I think about inner workings of the government. But at the same time, many claims are hard to verify.",
          "reason": "Says it changed how they think about government, while noting verification concerns.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Many claims are hard to verify.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Loftus"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "conspiracy claims",
        "intelligence history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-secret-of-our-success-how-culture-is-driving-human-evolution--28fb7f",
      "title": "The Secret of Our Success: How Culture Is Driving Human Evolution, Domesticating Our Species, and Making Us Smarter",
      "author": "Joseph Henrich",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39060197,
          "author": "a_c",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T19:51:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39060197",
          "commentText": "The Secret of Our Success: How Culture Is Driving Human Evolution, Domesticating Our Species, and Making Us Smarter\nEngineers (and scientists) often boast ourselves as master of causality. We solve problem by understanding the domain. We laugh people as cargo-culting - not knowing why one does things. The Secret of Our Success shows it is a feature rather than a bug. The effect of \"culture\" takes much longer to manifest, often beyond our comprehension. One example given by the book is how we process cassava, lots of superfluous ritual. Without those processing culture, people get poisoned slowly. Only with modern chemistry do we comprehend the full extend of those ritual. But people have been eating cassava way before modern science were available. Similar can be said about medicine, lots of folk remedies don't work. But when they do, they do. Is not understanding a feature or a bug?\nWith the advent of LLM, things seem to come in full cycle. We now prompt the engine and get a result/an opinion of sort. No longer is understanding required. I see the use of LLM in software engineering very anti-engineering, hindrance to learning and understanding. But it might not be a bug after all.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Secret of Our Success: How Culture Is Driving Human Evolution, Domesticating Our Species, and Making Us Smarter",
          "reason": "Discussed as showing how cultural practices can be useful even when people do not understand their effects.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36105344,
          "author": "sdsaga12",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T16:14:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105344",
          "commentText": "I second the recommendation for Nongbri's \"Before Religion\". It definitely improved my understanding of what it is we even mean / have meant by \"religion\".\nFor a more evolutionary understanding of religion, I'd recommend Joseph Henrich's \"The WEIRDest People in the World\" and \"The Secret of our Success\".\nFinally though certainly not least importantly, I'd recommend Iain McGilchrist's \"The Master and His Emissary\" and \"The Matter with Things\". Both touch on how it is we see and understand the world and how the current default perspective differs from those of other times and places.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and \"The Secret of our Success\".",
          "reason": "Recommended for a more evolutionary understanding of religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph Henrich"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Society",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cultural evolution",
        "human evolution",
        "cumulative culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-secrets-of-consulting-d69eca",
      "title": "The Secrets of Consulting",
      "author": "Gerald M. Weinberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21712800,
          "author": "cafard",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T15:02:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21712800",
          "commentText": "Upvoted. Also by Weinberg, The Secrets of Consulting.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Also by Weinberg, The Secrets of Consulting.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17911258,
          "author": "mrmrcoleman",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T17:57:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17911258",
          "commentText": "“Soft skills” are typically the hardest.\nThe Power of Vulnerability: Brene Brown\nNon-Violent Communication: Marshall Rosenberg\nThe Secrets of Consulting: Gerald Weinberg",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Secrets of Consulting: Gerald Weinberg",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143070,
          "author": "skmurphy",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T03:34:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143070",
          "commentText": "in no particular order:\nMyers-Brigs Model for Personality\n\"Four Steps to the Epiphany\" by Steve Blank\nJohn Boyd's OODA Loop as a model for competitive decision making\nDecision Analysis techniques: in particular decision trees, expected value of perfect information, and good decision bad outcome\nBATNA (best alternative to a negotiated agreement) concept for negotiation planning\n\"Secrets of Consulting\" by Gerald M. Weinberg\n\"Bionomics\" by Michael Rothschild\nSimCity computer game\nAnalysis of Competing Hypotheses methodology\nwiki (social process) model for small team collaborative document development\ncommunity of practice model for knowledge management\n\"The Moon is a Harsh Mistress\" by Robert Heinlein (in particular TANSTAAFL)\nactivation energy, catalyst, and phase change concepts from physics/chemistry\nAmplify Positive Deviance model from Jerry Sternin (Save the Children)\n\"The Empowered Manager\" by Peter Block, in particular his trust vs. agreement matrix\n\"Crossing the Chasm\" & \"Inside the Tornado\" by Geoffrey Moore\n\"Maneuver Warfare Handbook\" by William Lind\n\"Change Your Brain, Change Your Life\" by Daniel Amen\n\"Micromotives and Macrobehavior\" by Thomas Schelling\nAppreciative Inquiry Techniques",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Secrets of Consulting\" by Gerald M. Weinberg",
          "reason": "Listed among the ideas and concepts that influenced the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gerald M. Weinberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consulting",
        "management",
        "soft skills"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-self-compassion-skills-workbook-c1ba6b",
      "title": "The Self-Compassion Skills Workbook",
      "author": "Tim Desmond",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35171605,
          "author": "grepLeigh",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:18:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35171605",
          "commentText": "Most posts offer the obvious suggestions (The Mom Test, High Growth Handbook, The Personal MBA, The Power Law, Hard Thing about Hard Thing, Will It Fly, etc), so I'll focus on some non-obvious suggestions.\nFor tactical advice, I find talks/podcasts and mastermind groups more useful than books.  My favorite podcast (by far) is Rob Walling's Startups for the Rest of Us, which is oriented towards building a capital-efficient bootstrapped business. The archive is full of extremely valuable tactical advice.\nThe books I've found most helpful on my entrepreneurship journey are about mental health, emotional intelligence, and relationships of all kinds. Sharing a few that have had a profound impact, since they helped me metabolize and understand what drove me to become a founder in the first place.\n1. The Self-Compassion Skills Workbook by Tim Desmond\n2. Path of Compassion by Thich Nhat Hanh\n3. The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read, Philippa Perry\n4. Burnout, Emily Nagoski\n5. Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents, Lindsay C. Gibson\n6. Self-Compassion, Dr. Kristin Neff\n7. How to Keep House While Drowning, KC Davis\n8. Deploy Empathy, Michele Hansen\n9. The Body Keeps the Score, Bessel A. Van der Kolk\n10. Atlas of the Heart, Brene Brown\n11. What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Self-Compassion Skills Workbook by Tim Desmond",
          "reason": "Listed among books that helped the commenter on their entrepreneurship journey.",
          "audience": "Founders interested in mental health, emotional intelligence, and relationships.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tim Desmond"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self compassion",
        "workbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sellout-58f345",
      "title": "The Sellout",
      "author": "Paul Beatty",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467732,
          "author": "jackschultz",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:55:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467732",
          "commentText": "These threads are posted a lot, but I still like reading the comments for new book recommendations if I see a match. Also, hopefully this can show people how great fiction is. I've seen comments that shun people for liking fiction compared to non.\nFor me:\nLonesome Dove\n100 Years of Solitude\nCatch-22\nThe Sellout (very relevant again)\nEast of Eden\nKafka on the Shore (and all the stories in Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Sellout (very relevant again)",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book feels very relevant again.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Beatty"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "race in america",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-senior-engineer-f53faf",
      "title": "The Senior Engineer",
      "author": "David Bryant Copeland",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41419330,
          "author": "aronowb14",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-01T18:56:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41419330",
          "commentText": "When I first graduated I read a bunch of tech focused books: they’re all helpful but I think practice and learning from more senior engineers is the most effective road to mastery! You can probably get away with not reading any of these books if you have good coworkers :).\nThat being said, these have been my favorites:\n- designing data intensive applications (a great way of understanding systems + the basics of SRE)\n- the senior engineer (I love the prototyping process he lays out)\n- the effective engineer (lots of good gems for approaching prioritization)\n- debugging (by David agans)- a great resource for a formalized debugging process if you don’t have one\n- on writing well (I’m halfway through this, but it has been indispensable for writing tickets + messages at work)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the senior engineer",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s favorite books; the commenter likes its prototyping process.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Bryant Copeland"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "prototyping",
        "software engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sense-of-structure-d18d63",
      "title": "The Sense of Structure",
      "author": "George Gopen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25904642,
          "author": "Tomte",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T15:57:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25904642",
          "commentText": "The Sense of Structure by George Gopen.\nToo little for my taste. I seem to have lost my ability to dive in and just read it without looking at the phone or HN, like it was with Harry Potter and all those books of my youth.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Sense of Structure by George Gopen.",
          "reason": "Names the book they want to read next.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Gopen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "prose style",
        "sentence structure"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sense-of-style-fa9b25",
      "title": "The Sense of Style",
      "author": "Steven Pinker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23366547,
          "author": "Alex63",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-31T01:54:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23366547",
          "commentText": "Not as thin, but you might find Steven Pinker's The Sense of Style interesting as a follow-up to S&W.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you might find Steven Pinker's The Sense of Style interesting as a follow-up to S&W.",
          "reason": "Suggested as an interesting follow-up to Strunk and White.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as not as thin as the preceding book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Pinker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "prose",
        "style guide"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sentinels-002cd1",
      "title": "The Sentinels",
      "author": "James Layton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6976024,
          "author": "pawn",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T19:31:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976024",
          "commentText": "I'll 2nd Ready Player One as a great book.  It and The Sentinels by James Layton were my two favorite reads this year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It and The Sentinels by James Layton were my two favorite reads this year.",
          "reason": "Names it as one of the commenter’s two favorite reads of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Layton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-serpent-of-venice-bdca96",
      "title": "The Serpent of Venice",
      "author": "Christopher Moore",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783776,
          "author": "noxToken",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T15:40:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783776",
          "commentText": "Was light year for me:\nConfessions of a D-List Supervillain - Jim Bernheimer\nOrigins of a D-List Supervillain - Jim Bernheimer\nThe second is a prequel of the first. I haven't read the third in the series. Light reading about a guy's descent into villainy.\nYes Please - Amy Poehler: I love memoirs. I just didn't love this one. It read a lot like Leslie Knope was the author, but there was an obscene amount of name dropping that kept interrupting the flow of the book for me.\nFresh Off the Boat: A Memoir - Eddie Huang: Like I said, I'm a sucker for these things. Picked it up, because the series reminded me of a 90s Asian version of Everybody Hates Chris. The absurdity and random profanity was a little off-putting at first. Remembering how I felt as a black boy doing some of the same dumb things in the 90s really put it into perspective though.\nThe Serpent of Venice: A Novel - Christopher Moore: The follow up to Fool. It's a different take on Shakespearian story-telling. I can't recommend his novels enough.\nQuantum Lens - Douglas E. Richards: I read this solely because I liked Wired and Amped. No-frills action with a sci-fi element. You probably won't get engrossed, but you will be entertained.\nSpell or High Water & An Unwelcome Quest - Scott Meyer: Books 2 & 3 in a series about a group of guys who can manipulate reality through writing scripts. Good, but not my favorite.\nArmada: A Novel - Ernest Cline: Ah yes. The long awaited sophomore effort from the author of Ready Player One. This book fell harder than it deserved to, because people where expecting it to be analogous to Ready Player One. Spoiler: it's not. The novel does have its short-comings. Repetitive dialogue, shoe-horned classic pop-culture references and shallow writing plague this book. If you've got time for a short novel, give it a whirl, but don't expect anything amazing.\nWords of Radiance - Brandon Sanderson: Book 2 of the Stormlight Archives. If it's an epic by Sanderson, do yourself a favor and board the hype train. You won't be disappointed. It's everything you want in a long fantasy novel without being bogged down with side-plots and details.\nWarbreaker - Brandon Sanderson: This is a standalone novel with a tie-on to Words of Radiance. I'm only halfway through it. Would recommend so far, especially since it's free from the author.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Serpent of Venice: A Novel - Christopher Moore: The follow up to Fool. It's a different take on Shakespearian story-telling. I can't recommend his novels enough.",
          "reason": "Says they cannot recommend Christopher Moore's novels enough.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher Moore"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fiction",
        "shakespeare retellings"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-seven-habits-of-highly-effective-people-2826ab",
      "title": "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People",
      "author": "Stephen R. Covey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4787418,
          "author": "timmm",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:19:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787418",
          "commentText": "The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho.\nKing, Warrior, Magician, Lover by Moore and Gillette\nThe lean startup\nPaul Graham how to start a startup\nMark Hyman Ultimate Mind Solution\nTribal Leadership\nWheel of Time\nThink and Grow Rich\nSuperior Man David Deida\nThe Fountain Head\nEckhart Tolle New Earth\n50th Law\nGood to Great\nJed Mckenna\nEarl Nightengale\nLong Walk to Freedom\nOutliers\nGood to Great\nPsycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz (Self-image)\nSeven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey(Being awesome)\nWealth of Nations\nWayne Dyer The Tao\nSystem of the World\nOrigin of Species\nBrave new world\nThank you economy\nCrush it\nBuilt to Last\nWho Moved my Cheese\nStillness Speak Eckhert Tolle\nMastery George Leonard\nSteve Jobs Biography\nThe Last Lecture\nSteve Pavlina Books\nIacocca\nStriking Thoughts Bruce Lee\nCarlos Castaneda\nGhost in the Wires\nRichest Man in Babylon\nWay of the Superior Man\nLosing My Virginity\nThink and Grow Rich\nDelivering Happiness",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen R. Covey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal effectiveness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-seven-military-classics-of-ancient-china-bda718",
      "title": "The Seven Military Classics of Ancient China",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 47317956,
          "author": "h4ch1",
          "createdAt": "2026-03-10T01:07:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 47315415,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47317956",
          "commentText": "Catastrophe 1914 - Max Hastings : Great book about what triggered WW1, the state of the world at that time. Just a great read in general.\nThe Seven Military Classics Of Ancient China : Sun Tzu isn't the only military strategist on the block.\nKaplan and Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry:  I make sure to study at least one university/high school textbook on any subject that I find interesting.\nAlso, not reading but watching Professor Jiang Xueqin's lectures [0] has been pivotal towards helping me find new avenues to research and understand geopolitics .\n[0] https://www.youtube.com/@PredictiveHistory",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Seven Military Classics Of Ancient China",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a collection of Chinese military strategy texts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient china",
        "military strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-seven-mysteries-of-life-d80f5a",
      "title": "The Seven Mysteries of Life",
      "author": "Guy Murchie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12068574,
          "author": "mjklin",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T02:49:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12068574",
          "commentText": "Where I'm Reading From, by Tim Parks\nThe Inevitable, by Kevin Kelly\nIdeas that Changed the World, by Felipe Fernandez-Armesto\nA Reader's Manifesto, by B.R. Myers\nFramed!, by Hari Singh\nLeaves of Grass, by Walt Whitman\nWhy Education is Useless, by Daniel Cottom\nThe New Diary, by Tristine Rainer\nRaising a Happy, Unspoiled Child, by Burton White\nDo way, way more in WorkFlowy, by Frank Degenaar\nUnlearning the Basics, by R. Sativihari\nThe Devil's Pleasure Palace, by Michael Walsh\nThe Truth about Everything, by Matthew Stewart\nThe Big Questions, by Steven Landsburg\nThe Seven Mysteries of Life, by Guy Murchie\nThe Optimistic Child, by Martin Seligman\nSystemantics, by John Gall\nThe Scientists A Family Romance, by Marco Roth\nThe Logic Of Failure, by Dietrich Dorner\nOrganizing Creativity, by Daniel Wessel\nA Curious Mind, by Brian Grazer\nAppointment In Samarra, by John O'Hara",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Seven Mysteries of Life, by Guy Murchie",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4787287,
          "author": "mvleming",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T05:38:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787287",
          "commentText": "The Seven Mysteries of Life I read last November over the span of a month, and this book is probably the one that has most-defined who I am today, even though it's been just a year. The author, Guy Murchie, spent 15 years writing it. From it I learned the most anybody is from me is 50th-cousin. I also learned that there are insects so small they don't feel gravity, and for them flying through the air feels like swimming. Seriously, get this book, it is earth-shattering.\nI'm also going to recommend another book but I hope not to undermine my first recommendation. It was written by Joseph Campbell and it's called The Hero with a Thousand Faces. I read it in January. In it Campbell writes of many mythological stories and then ties their common themes back to the journey the 'hero' must take. And from this journey the hero must take I got insights that were profound. I'm not kidding when I say I hold a deep reverence for this book.\nI hope you check 'em out. :)\nEdit: Here are the links to the books on Amazon:\nThe Seven Mysteries of Life: \nhttp://www.amazon.com/The-Seven-Mysteries-Life-Murchie/dp/03... (http://www.amazon.com/The-Seven-Mysteries-Life-Murchie/dp/0395957915/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352955359&sr=8-1&keywords=seven+mysteries+of+life)\nand The Hero with a Thousand Faces: \nhttp://www.amazon.com/Thousand-Faces-Collected-Joseph-Campbe... (http://www.amazon.com/Thousand-Faces-Collected-Joseph-Campbell/dp/1577315936/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352955351&sr=8-1&keywords=the+hero+with+a+thousand+faces)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seriously, get this book, it is earth-shattering.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it earth-shattering and recommends readers get it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Guy Murchie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "natural history",
        "interconnectedness",
        "life sciences"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-seven-principles-for-making-marriage-work-a4d7ad",
      "title": "The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work",
      "author": "John Gottman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33600435,
          "author": "gwd",
          "createdAt": "2022-11-14T20:22:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 33593631,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you recall any book or course that made a topic finally click?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33600435",
          "commentText": "On a completely different topic:  After watching my first marriage degenerate and my wife asked me to move out, I was fairly well mystified about what was going on.  We'd read lots of books about marriage and communication, planned for it to be tough, intended to see it through... so what happened?\n\"The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work\" by John Gottman was a book that I read after we'd separated that first started to make sense of the dynamics of my first marriage, and what caused it to spiral out of control.  Unfortunately by that point it was basically too late (as the book predicted, actually); but it certainly helped a lot in my second marriage, and has helped make sense of the dynamics of a lot of other relationships as well.  Definitely recommended reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work\" by John Gottman",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped explain the dynamics of their first marriage and helped in their second marriage and other relationships.",
          "audience": "People seeking to understand marriage and relationship dynamics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter read it after separating; they say it was too late to help the first marriage.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Gottman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "communication",
        "marriage",
        "relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-seven-sisters-7bf471",
      "title": "The Seven Sisters",
      "author": "Anthony Sampson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25319353,
          "author": "ghaff",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T23:11:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319353",
          "commentText": "Anthony Sampson's The Seven Sisters about the oil industry was also good although pretty old at this point. It does go into how the powers split things up post-WWI though.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Anthony Sampson's The Seven Sisters about the oil industry was also good",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was good and describes its oil industry focus.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it is pretty old.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anthony Sampson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "energy history",
        "oil industry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-seventh-sense-power-fortune-and-survival-in-the-age-of-networ-b00c6b",
      "title": "The Seventh Sense: Power, Fortune, and Survival in the Age of Networks",
      "author": "Joshua Cooper Ramo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27640136,
          "author": "vladmarin",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T08:20:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27640136",
          "commentText": "* Platform Revolution: How Networked Markets Are Transforming the Economy. The book explains how to think of a platform systematically. It's valuable because it applies to everything else in life, any business, any industry - not just IT platforms. Based on the findings of 2 Nobel prize winners.\n* Never Split the Difference. Don't even think about it - read it. The book is a life coaching chapter that everyone should learn.\n* The Seventh Sense: Power, Fortune, and Survival in the Age of Networks. Everything is a network. From wars, to economy, to minorities, to terrorism. Understanding what truly lies behind the concept of \"network\" is just as well one of those life coaching chapters everyone should learn.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* The Seventh Sense: Power, Fortune, and Survival in the Age of Networks.",
          "reason": "Says understanding networks is useful for making sense of many areas of life.",
          "audience": "People interested in networks and their influence.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joshua Cooper Ramo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "geopolitics",
        "network theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-shadow-campaigns-0fc0e0",
      "title": "The Shadow Campaigns",
      "author": "Django Wexler",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237020,
          "author": "Jemaclus",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:13:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237020",
          "commentText": "I keep an active list of books I've read, along with my reviews at my book review website, https://books.brianseitel.com. One of the benefits of this is that my favorite books automatically populate on the left. In 2016, I read over 60 books. My top 10 for 2016 (so far) are, in rough order of favorite-ness:\n- \"All the Birds in the Sky\" by Charlie Jane Anders\n- \"The Shards of Heaven\" and its sequel \"The Gates of Hell\" by Michael Livingston (fictional story set in Roman times)\n- \"The Last Breath\" by Charlie Magee\n- \"The Guns of Empire\" by Django Wexler (Book 4 of The Shadow Campaigns series, which I highly recommend)\n- \"The King's Traitor\" by Jeff Wheeler (original take on Arthurian legend)\n- \"Uprooted\" by Naomi Novik\n- \"End Game\" by Lindsay Buroker (Book 8 of her sci-fi series, The Fallen Empire, which is a pretty fun series overall. Short and sweet adventures.)\n- \"Soulblade\" by Lindsay Buroker (Book 8 of her fantasy series, Dragon Blood, which is another great series. All of Buroker's books are good, imo.)\n- \"Ghost Talkers\" by Mary Robinette Kowal (It's WWII, ghosts are real... and they're spies.)\nThis year I also read books 1-3 of The Expanse, and I think they would also be in this list, except I haven't reviewed them yet. I'm currently reading Book 4, with the recently published book, Babylon's Ashes, in the queue. I fully expect these to make it into the top 10.\nObviously, I enjoy sci-fi / fantasy the most, but across a wide range of sub-genres. For non-sci-fi, my top read was \"I Will Teach You To Be Rich\" by Ramit Sethi, which really changed the way I organize my finances.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "which I highly recommend",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly highly recommends the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Django Wexler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "flintlock fantasy",
        "military fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-shallows-d01544",
      "title": "The Shallows",
      "author": "Nicholas Carr",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45951152,
          "author": "unionjack22",
          "createdAt": "2025-11-17T05:56:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 45947737,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45951152",
          "commentText": "It’s absolutely insightful for adults as well. Especially when paired with the other horsemen of the attention apocalypse “Dopamine Nation”, “Irresistible”, and “The Shallows”.\nReturned my treatment of the internet from “the thing” to just another tool.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“The Shallows”",
          "reason": "Pairs it with the other books as insightful for adults.",
          "audience": "Adults, especially those concerned about attention and internet use.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231096,
          "author": "zachcb",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T16:45:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231096",
          "commentText": "The Shallows (Nicholas Carr)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Shallows (Nicholas Carr)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nicholas Carr"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "internet and cognition",
        "attention"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-shallows-what-the-internet-is-doing-to-our-brains-d51301",
      "title": "The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains",
      "author": "Nicholas Carr",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10785552,
          "author": "benajibayassine",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:50:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785552",
          "commentText": "1- The Emperor's Handbook by Marcus Aurelius. Jan, 10th 2015\n2- The crowd, a study of the popular mind by Gustave Le Bon. Jan, 10th 2015\n3- Remote by Jason Fried. Jan, 11th 2015\n4- The shape of the world to come by Laurent Cohen-Tanugi, Jan, 20th, 2015\n5- Post office by Charles Bukowski. Jan, 23rd 2015\n6- Gang leader for a day by Sudhir Venkatesh. Feb, 6th 2015\n7- Zen mind, beginner's mind by Shunryu Suzuki. Feb, 8th 2015\n8- The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Feb, 23rd 2015\n9- Darkness Visible by William Styron. March, 1st 2015\n10- Zero to One by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters. March, 9th 2015\n11- The Kaizen way: One small step can change your life by Robert Mauter. March, 11th 2015\n12- Time by Alexander Waugh. March, 12th 2015\n13- Max and the cats by Moacyr Scliar. March, 14th 2015\n14- Scattered by Gabor Mate. March, 20th 2015\n15- East of Eden by John Steinbeck. March, 30th 2015\n16- Crossing the unknown sea by David Whyte. April, 7th 2015\n17- Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. April, 13th 2015\n18- The World beyond your Head by Matthew Crawford. April, 22nd 2015\n19- How to Think about Exercise by Damon Young. April, 23rd 2015\n20- Solitude by Anthony Storr. May, 8th 2015\n21- Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. June, 10th 2015\n22- The bastard of Istanbul (in Arabic) by Elif Shafak. June, 21st 2015\n23- L’ordre libertaire: la vie philosophique d’Albert Camus by Michel Onfray. July, 7th 2015\n24- Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse. July, 10th 2015\n25- The arab uprisings by James Gelvin. July, 13th 2015\n26- How to worry less about money by John Armstrong. July, 13th 2015\n27- Self comes to mind by Antonio Damasio. July, 31st2015\n28- Muhammad: The First Muslim by Lesley Hazleton. August, 4th t2015\n29- Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. August, 15th 2015 \n30- Heidegger's Being and Time by William Blattner. August, 18th 2015 \n31- Heidegger and a hippo walk through those pearly gates by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. August, 19th 2015 \n32- Why nations fail by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson. October, 3rd 2015 \n33- Charlie Munger: the complete investor by Tren Griffin October, 9th 2015 \n34- The selfish gene by Richard Dawkins October, 23rd 2015\n35- The philosophical baby by Alison Gopnik October, 28th 2015\n36- The three-body problem by Cixin Liu November, 1st 2015\n37- Open letter to a young man by Andre Maurois November, 13th 2015\n38- Thinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman November, 16th 2015\n39- What do you care what people think by Richard Feynman November, 18th 2015\n40- When the body says No by Gabor Maté November, 29th 2015\n41- The truth will set you free by Alice Miller. December, 5th 2015\n42- The shallows by Nicholar Carr. December, 7th 2015\n43- What matters most byJames Hollis. December, 14th 2015\n44- Finding meaning in the second jalf of life byJames Hollis. December, 20yh2015",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The shallows by Nicholar Carr",
          "reason": "Included in a dated list of books read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9350787,
          "author": "koevet",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T20:29:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350787",
          "commentText": "\"The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains\" by Nicholas Carr. I'm halfway through it. The main thesis of the book is that the Internet has quickly modified our brain (neuro-plasticity) so that we absorb information quickly but we don't get deep into any topic any longer.\nThe book start strong with this thesis and then goes into a very interesting detour on the history of writing, from the egyptian to Gutemberg all the way to Vint Cerf.\nVery well researched book and well written.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Very well researched book and well written.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book as well researched and well written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nicholas Carr"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "attention",
        "history of writing",
        "internet",
        "internet and cognition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-shards-of-heaven-497589",
      "title": "The Shards of Heaven",
      "author": "Michael Livingston",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237020,
          "author": "Jemaclus",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:13:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237020",
          "commentText": "I keep an active list of books I've read, along with my reviews at my book review website, https://books.brianseitel.com. One of the benefits of this is that my favorite books automatically populate on the left. In 2016, I read over 60 books. My top 10 for 2016 (so far) are, in rough order of favorite-ness:\n- \"All the Birds in the Sky\" by Charlie Jane Anders\n- \"The Shards of Heaven\" and its sequel \"The Gates of Hell\" by Michael Livingston (fictional story set in Roman times)\n- \"The Last Breath\" by Charlie Magee\n- \"The Guns of Empire\" by Django Wexler (Book 4 of The Shadow Campaigns series, which I highly recommend)\n- \"The King's Traitor\" by Jeff Wheeler (original take on Arthurian legend)\n- \"Uprooted\" by Naomi Novik\n- \"End Game\" by Lindsay Buroker (Book 8 of her sci-fi series, The Fallen Empire, which is a pretty fun series overall. Short and sweet adventures.)\n- \"Soulblade\" by Lindsay Buroker (Book 8 of her fantasy series, Dragon Blood, which is another great series. All of Buroker's books are good, imo.)\n- \"Ghost Talkers\" by Mary Robinette Kowal (It's WWII, ghosts are real... and they're spies.)\nThis year I also read books 1-3 of The Expanse, and I think they would also be in this list, except I haven't reviewed them yet. I'm currently reading Book 4, with the recently published book, Babylon's Ashes, in the queue. I fully expect these to make it into the top 10.\nObviously, I enjoy sci-fi / fantasy the most, but across a wide range of sub-genres. For non-sci-fi, my top read was \"I Will Teach You To Be Rich\" by Ramit Sethi, which really changed the way I organize my finances.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My top 10 for 2016 (so far) are, in rough order of favorite-ness:",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's top books of the year, ranked by preference.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed alongside its sequel, The Gates of Hell.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Livingston"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient rome",
        "historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-shellcoder-s-handbook-discovering-and-exploiting-security-hol-43c80b",
      "title": "The Shellcoder's Handbook: Discovering and Exploiting Security Holes",
      "author": "Jack Koziol et al.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29308429,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T16:45:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29308429",
          "commentText": "I'll add Shellcoder's Handbook to the list. Great intro to compiler/language flaws for programmers who don't know much about software security (like me).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'll add Shellcoder's Handbook to the list. Great intro to compiler/language flaws for programmers who don't know much about software security (like me).",
          "reason": "Recommends it as an introduction to compiler and language flaws.",
          "audience": "Programmers with limited knowledge of software security.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jack Koziol et al."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "compiler vulnerabilities",
        "software security"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sheltering-sky-12749d",
      "title": "The Sheltering Sky",
      "author": "Paul Bowles",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40436779,
          "author": "closetkantian",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-22T02:33:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40436779",
          "commentText": "The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles. Existentialist novel—like Camus' The Stranger but better.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles. Existentialist novel—like Camus' The Stranger but better.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises it in comparison with The Stranger.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Bowles"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "existentialist fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-shepherd-s-crown-e90844",
      "title": "The Shepherd's Crown",
      "author": "Terry Pratchett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40439226,
          "author": "jemmyw",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-22T10:04:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40439226",
          "commentText": "I couldn't finish it. The writing wasn't great and that made me very sad.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I couldn't finish it. The writing wasn't great and that made me very sad.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they could not finish it and disliked the writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The title is identified only in the parent comment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40429897,
          "author": "Scarblac",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T15:42:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40429897",
          "commentText": "The Shepherd's Crown, it's #41 in the main series.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Shepherd's Crown, it's #41 in the main series.",
          "reason": "Identifies it as the 41st book in the main series in response to which book is last.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10541418,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2015-11-10T18:49:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 10532543,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you've read in 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10541418",
          "commentText": "The Shepherd's Crown by Terry Pratchett. His last work. \nPhoebe and Her Unicorn by Dana Simpson (I'd recommend this to families with young children)\nCSS Secrets: Better Solutions to Everyday Web Design Problems by Lea Verou. I'm not really a front in person so this was an interesting look into CSS3\nPenetration Testing: A Hands-On Introduction to Hacking\nGeorgia Weidman\nI'm starting next on Rework, as I've heard a lot about it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Shepherd's Crown by Terry Pratchett. His last work.",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the question about the year's best books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as Pratchett's last work.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry Pratchett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "discworld"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-shield-of-achilles-war-peace-and-the-course-of-history-a8318d",
      "title": "The Shield of Achilles: War, Peace, and the Course of History",
      "author": "Philip Bobbitt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6556140,
          "author": "BWStearns",
          "createdAt": "2013-10-15T20:37:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 6553238,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the essential books of knowledge for civilization?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6556140",
          "commentText": "I know that conflict is the less civilized side of civilization, and that HN generally is opposed to it (as sane people are), but a discussion of societal development would be lacking without an honest consideration of where the civilized components break down.\nI would suggest Musashi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Book_of_Five_Rings), Clausewitz, Influence of Seapower Upon History (Mahan), and of course Sun Tzu. While some are more specific than others (Musashi is actually about swordsmanship specifically, but conflict generally) they all have insightful things to teach.\nFor a broader discussion look at Bobbitt's Shield of Achilles. He still has a significant portion on conflict, however it is also a discussion on the interplay of technology, legal development, and conflict.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "look at Bobbitt's Shield of Achilles",
          "reason": "Suggested for a broader discussion of societal development and conflict.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it still devotes a significant portion to conflict.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip Bobbitt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "international relations",
        "law and technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-shipping-man-cd0b47",
      "title": "The Shipping Man",
      "author": "Matthew McCleery",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25319013,
          "author": "paulgb",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T22:26:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319013",
          "commentText": "> what is it like to work on a container ship\nYou might like The Shipping Man by Matthew McCleery. It's fiction, but the author is in the shipping financing industry and the book is a fun way to learn about (a caricaturized version of) that world.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "You might like The Shipping Man by Matthew McCleery.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a fun introduction to shipping financing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Fiction; presents a caricatured version of the industry.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthew McCleery"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "shipping finance",
        "shipping industry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-shock-doctrine-de7fd9",
      "title": "The Shock Doctrine",
      "author": "Naomi Klein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17523434,
          "author": "adamch",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T14:57:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17523434",
          "commentText": "1: Diaspora (Greg Egan). Brilliant sci-fi where computer science concepts like cellular automata, computation complexity etc are major plot points. Starts with a highly detailed explanation of AI personality creation. Super geeky and a brilliant plot.\n2: High Performance Browser Networking. Really explained a lot of modern networking. I was already familiar with the basics of the OSI stack, but this explained a lot of newer ideas, optimizations, and HTTP2. Really comprehensive guide to how the internet works.\n3: The Shock Doctrine (Naomi Klein): A history of how the CIA has shot down democratic regimes to enforce small-government-free-market policy in developing countries when these policies are rejected in polls. Explains a lot of the crises in Latin America and Russia.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Explains a lot of the crises in Latin America and Russia.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it explains crises in Latin America and Russia through the politics of economic policy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The description presents the book's argument about CIA-backed regime change and economic policy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Naomi Klein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "latin america",
        "neoliberalism",
        "russia"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-shyness-and-social-anxiety-workbook-proven-step-by-step-techn-92ed98",
      "title": "The Shyness and Social Anxiety Workbook: Proven, Step-by-Step Techniques for Overcoming Your Fear",
      "author": "Martin M. Antony and Richard P. Swinson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2897624,
          "author": "naner",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-18T01:35:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 2897515,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on overcoming shyness",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2897624",
          "commentText": "Sure, there are workbooks you can buy if you don't have access to a psychologist or therapy group. The only catch is that there is nobody to push you to go through the exercises and you won't have the benefit of external feedback from a counselor or a peer group. You'll have to force yourself to do the exercises properly and it will take longer than if you had professional help.\nAnyway, here's a few workbooks I found with minimal effort. Go over the reviews to decide which to try:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Shyness-Social-Anxiety-Workbook-Step-/... (http://www.amazon.com/Shyness-Social-Anxiety-Workbook-Step-/dp/1572245530/)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Managing-Social-Anxiety-Workbook-Cogni... (http://www.amazon.com/Managing-Social-Anxiety-Workbook-Cognitive-Behavioral/dp/0195336690/)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Shyness-Social-Anxiety-Workbook-Techni... (http://www.amazon.com/Shyness-Social-Anxiety-Workbook-Techniques/dp/B002FL5I68/)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Overcoming-Social-Anxiety-Shyness-Beha... (http://www.amazon.com/Overcoming-Social-Anxiety-Shyness-Behavioral/dp/0465005454/)\nI also posted this awhile ago: http://news.ycombinator.org/item?id=2614140\nThat is an example of a therapy group program.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shyness-Social-Anxiety-Workbook-Step-",
          "reason": "Included in a list of workbooks to consider after checking reviews.",
          "audience": "People seeking help with shyness or social anxiety.",
          "caveat": "The commenter found the links with minimal effort and suggests checking reviews to decide which to try.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin M. Antony and Richard P. Swinson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self help workbook",
        "social anxiety"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-silence-of-the-lambs-1f9991",
      "title": "The Silence of the Lambs",
      "author": "Thomas Harris",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13238592,
          "author": "apocalypstyx",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T17:07:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238592",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\nInherent Vice  ---  Thomas Pynchon\nThe Great and Secret Show  ---  Clive Barker\nJurassic Park  ---  Michael Crichton\nThe Mothman Prophecies  ---  John A. Keel (1)\nThe Wind in the Willows  ---  Kenneth Grahame\nEnder's Game  ---  Orson Scott Card\nAll Quiet on the Western Front  ---   Erich Maria Remarque\nThe Drought  ---  J. G. Ballard\nThe Dead Father's Club  ---  Matt Harris\nChildren of Men  ---  P. D. James\nThe Islanders  ---  Pascal Garnier\nSilence of the Lambs  ---  Thomas Harris\nInherit the Wind  ---  Jerome Lawrence & Robert E. Lee\nThe Butt  ---  Will Self\nInside Outside  ---  Philip Jose Farmer\nThe Panda Theory  ---  Pascal Garnier\nFanshaw  ---  Nathaniel Hawthorne\nThe Scarlet Letter  ---  Nathaniel Hawthorne\nThis Census-Taker  ---  China Mieville\nThe House of the Seven Gables  ---  Nathaniel Hawthorne\nThe A26  ---  Pascal Garnier\nThe Blithedale Romance  ---  Nathaniel Hawthorne\nThe Weird  ---  Edited by Jeff VanderMeer & Ann VanderMeer (2)\nFront Seat Passenger  ---  Pascal Garnier\nNon-Fiction:\nThe Wealth of Networks  ---  Yochai Benkler\nField Notes from A Catastrophe  ---  Elizabeth Kolbert\nWhat Ever Happened to Modernism?  ---  Gabriel Josipovici\nEscape Velocity  ---  Mark Dery\nWhat We See When We Read  ---  Peter Mendelsund\n(1) Author described as non-fiction, publisher hedged bets and labelled in as such, supposedly.\n(2) If only this book could be picked by Subterranean or Centipede press so it'd be a better printed and bound book than Tor ever seems to want to do.\nI always recommend Ballard, even when not wanted.  Relevant quote:\n   A story by J. G. Ballard, as you know, calls for people who don't\n   think. One begins with characters who regard the physical universe\n   as a mysterious and arbitrary place, and who would not dream of\n   trying to understand its actual laws. Furthermore, in order to be\n   the protagonist of a J.G. Ballard novel, or anything more than a\n   very minor character therein, you must have cut yourself off from\n   the entire body of scientific education. In this way, when the world\n   disaster — be it wind or water — comes upon you, you are under\n   absolutely no obligation to do anything about it but sit and worship\n   it. Even more further, some force has acted to remove from the face\n   of the world all people who might impose good sense or rational\n   behavior on you, so that the disaster proceeds unchecked and unopposed\n   except by the almost inevitable thumb-rule engineer type who for\n   his individual comfort builds a huge pyramid (without huge footings)\n   to resist high winds, or trains a herd of alligators and renegade\n   divers to help him out in dealing with deep water.  Algis Budrys,\n   Galaxy magazine (December 1966)\n\n\nI'd recommend Pascal Garnier for anyone who likes sickly dark humor + surrealism + noir + a kind of Ballardian-air.  Also Pynchon.  Hawthorne might be the stand-out this year, in the sense of his works' subtle, implicit ability to question the authorial mode, the nature of the text itself, and the instability of it.\nIn non-fiction I'd recommend Dery's Escape Velocity; It's from the 90s but still deals too presciently with many of the issues around the near-religification of modern electronic technology.  And Josipovici if you lean toward depressive jolts of existential anxiety (it deals mostly with the arts, but I think there's a broader life applicability).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Silence of the Lambs  ---  Thomas Harris",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12069186,
          "author": "acabrahams",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T06:10:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12069186",
          "commentText": "1. The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu\n2. One L by Scott Turow\n3. The Dark Forest by Cixin Liu\n4. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells\n5. Believer: My Forty Years in Politics by David Axelrod\n6. The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells\n7. Augustus: First Emperor of Rome by Adrian Goldsworthy\n8. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (re-read)\n9. I, Claudius by Robert Graves\n10. Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks\n11. The Fear Index by Robert Harris\n12. Red Dragon by Thomas Harris (re-read)\n13. The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris (re-read)\n14. Hannibal by Thomas Harris (re-read)\n15. Game Change by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin (re-read)\n16. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (re-read)\n17. Claudius the God by Robert Graves\nRe-reads take hardly any time at all, so I'm not sure whether to count them. If you're not, then 11 books read so far.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris (re-read)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Reread; the commenter questions whether rereads should count.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6898882,
          "author": "chrisgd",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T03:20:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6898882",
          "commentText": "The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the question asking for the best book read in 2013.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Harris"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crime thriller",
        "psychological thriller",
        "crime fiction",
        "thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-silent-deep-the-royal-navy-submarine-service-since-1945-c10a42",
      "title": "The Silent Deep: The Royal Navy Submarine Service Since 1945",
      "author": "Peter Hennessy and James Jinks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17205719,
          "author": "arethuza",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T14:44:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205719",
          "commentText": "Not software/hardware technology, but \"The Silent Deep - The Royal Navy Submarine Service Since 1945\" has some remarkable accounts of Admiral Hyman G. Rickover who was quite a character - extremely effective but also quite remarkably rude and intimidating.\nNote: What a US Navy Admiral is doing in a book about the Royal Navy is one of the things that makes the book fascinating.\nHere is an account of Jimmy Carter's interview with Rickover  when he was a young naval officer:\nhttps://www.upi.com/Archives/1986/07/09/Carter-extolls-old-N... (https://www.upi.com/Archives/1986/07/09/Carter-extolls-old-Navy-boss-Rickover/3885521265600/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Silent Deep - The Royal Navy Submarine Service Since 1945\" has some remarkable accounts",
          "reason": "The commenter highlights remarkable accounts and says the book is fascinating.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is not about software or hardware technology.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Hennessy and James Jinks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "royal navy",
        "submarine history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-silent-language-d0c242",
      "title": "The Silent Language",
      "author": "Edward T. Hall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17938850,
          "author": "dmccunney",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-08T01:21:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17938850",
          "commentText": "An assortment:\n\"The Silent Language\" by Edward T. Hall.\nHall was an anthropologist attached to the University of New Mexico.  He and his research partner, linguist Norman Trager, were doing research in comparative culture.  Hall realized they would need a comprehensive theory of culture to describe what they were comparing and provide ways to compare them.  Hall's model was \"culture as communication\", and the results were presented in the book above.  His key point was that most of culture was like the iceberg - 90% of it is processed on an unconscious reflex level.  We are no more aware of most of our culture than a fish is of the water it swims in.  We only become aware when we are set down in a culture that does things differently than ours. The Silent Language is about how we use space.  The followup \"The Hidden Dimension looks into how different cultures use time. Many things fell into place when I read Hall.\n\"Games People Play\" by Eric Berne.\nBerne was a psychiatrist and founder of the discipline of Transactional Analysis.  Games People Play was a PopSci bestseller when first published, which was odd because it's a highly technical volume written for other psychiatrists.  His thesis was that most human behavior could be viewed as games, and most of what we did were ways of structuring time.  Follow up with his \"What Do You Say After You've Said Hello?\" and \"Beyond Games and Scripts\".  Hall's work above did much to explain teh behavior of societies.  Berne's work does much to explain the behavior of people in societies.\n\"The Anatomy of Criticism\" by Northrop Frye.\nFrye was a Professor of English at Toronto University.  He had completed a study of William Blake called \"Fearful Symmetry\", and was attempting to do a study of Spencer's Faery Queen.  But he found himself trying to make sense of various terms used in literature, and the result became a work of pure theory, unconnected with any specific works.  He refers to poetry and poetics, but his canvas is broader.  Part of his problem was that there was no general term in English for a work of prose fiction.  It's a set of four essays, covering Historical Criticism, Ethical Criticism, Archetypal Criticism, and Rhetorical Criticism, but makes clear that while each form is valid in its own terms, none fully described literature, and a more synoptic view was required.\n\"The Structure of Scientific Revolutions\" by Thomas S. Kuhn\nKuhn's work challenged the accepted notions of scientific progress, and the notion of steady accumulation.  His thesis was that the real progress came from notions that lay outside accepted theories, and provided new paradigms by which reality might be understood, and faced all the resistance transformative ideas face from entrenched doctrine until they are demonstrated to be correct.\n\"Management: Tasks, Practices, Responsibilities\" by Peter F. Drucker.\nDrucker was our present generation's primary primary theorist and consultant on the practice of management, and just what management was and what mangers did.  This work was probably his magnum opus, where he pulled together the ideas he'd formulated elsewhere into a coherent whole.  It's a liberal education not only in management, but in the nature and structure of market based economies.\n\"The Making of Economic Society\" by Robert F. Heilbroner.\nThis is probably the best single volume overview I'm aware of on economics and economic history, beginning with just what an economy is, and the changing conception of economics through history, with the transition from Traditional through Command to Market economies and the issues involved with each.  Many animated discussions I see online about economics make me say \"Those words don't mean what you think they do.  Please read Heilbroner, and come back when you have.  Then we might at least be talking about the same things.\"\n\"The Problems of Philosophy\" by Bertrand Russell.\nRussell is concerned with knowledge, and how we know what we know.  He asks \"Is there any knowledge in the world so certin that no reasonable man could doubt it?\", and concludes that it's one of the most difficult questions that can be asked.  When we understand the obstacles in the way of a straightforward and confident answer, we are launched on the study of philosophy, which is concerned with precisely such questions.  If philosophy is of interest, this is a superb place to start.\n\"Religion and the Rise of Capitalism\" by R. H. Tawney.\nEconomies don't exist in vacuums.  The are aspects of the societies in which they exist, and reflect the values of those societies. Religion has been a critical part of the value systems of societies for as long as there have been societies, and religious notions on what sort of behavior is acceptable affect the structure of economies by determining what sort of transactions are permissible. Tawney is specifically concerned with religious thought in England affecting social organization and economic issues in the period immediately preceding the Reformation and the two following centuries, but while his focus in England, his description of the way in which Christian religious doctrine changed gradually to make a capitalist economy possible in England, the underlying processes could be applied through Europe in general. Read this as a companion to Max Weber's \"The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism\", originally written in German and concerned with the Netherlands and Germany.\n\"Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy\" by Joseph A. Schumpeter.\nSchumpeter was an Austrian economist, a contemporary of John Maynard Keynes, and (briefly) Austria's Finance Minister in the 1920's.  Like Keynes, he considered himself influenced by Marx.  But unlike many others, he believed Marx \"asked all the right questions, and got all the wrong answers\".  Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy was Schumpeter's (often delightfully snarky) attempt to understand what Marx got wrong and why.  It's a useful brainwash after you've spent any time reading MArx or other folks who consider themselves Marxists, and provides a needed sense of perspective.\nThere's more, but I have to stop somewhere...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Silent Language is about how we use space.",
          "reason": "Explains culture as communication and how much cultural behavior operates unconsciously.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward T. Hall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cultural anthropology",
        "intercultural communication"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-silver-key-878188",
      "title": "The Silver Key",
      "author": "H. P. Lovecraft",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50115941,
          "author": "johncoltrane",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T09:03:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50115941",
          "commentText": "J.R.R. Tolkien: The lord of the Rings (lost count)\nPhilip K. Dick: Ubik, Flow My Tears The Policeman Said, A Scanner Darkly, etc. too many to count (many more than twice)\nWilliam Gibson: everything at least twice\nNeal Stephenson: Snow crash (three times, I think)\nClifford D. Simak: City\nH. P. Lovecraft: everything at least twice. There is a French compilation of The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, The Silver Key, and Through the Gates of the Silver Key that I've read countless times. I've used two editions and I'm at my third.\nMaurice G. Dantec: Babylon Babies (three times)\nPossibly many others.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Silver Key",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have read this work countless times in a French compilation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Named as part of a compilation, not necessarily a standalone edition.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "H. P. Lovecraft"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cosmic horror",
        "weird fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-simple-path-to-wealth-9dbcda",
      "title": "The Simple Path to Wealth",
      "author": "J. L. Collins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42219098,
          "author": "wingworks",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T04:00:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42219098",
          "commentText": "The Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins (the guy that started the FIRE movement.)\nGreat read, and not dry like many finance/investing books can be. Worth a read if you want to retire early, or even just retire normally.\nIf you happen to live in NZ, then Rich Enough by Mary Holm is a great read. (again about best way to manage your money, but focused on NZ)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Simple Path to Wealth by JL Collins",
          "reason": "Recommended as an accessible personal finance read for people who want to retire early or normally.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in managing money or retirement.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it focuses on New Zealand.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. L. Collins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial independence",
        "personal finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-simpsons-and-philosophy-the-d-oh-of-homer-90d875",
      "title": "The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer",
      "author": "William Irwin, Mark T. Conard, and Aeon J. Skoble, editors",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46398265,
          "author": "atlasunshrugged",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T01:30:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46398265",
          "commentText": "It's a pretty old book, but I think my favorite this year was The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer which was great fun for an avid Simpsons fan (of the first 10 seasons at least).\nOf course, I'd also be remiss not to mention that I published a book called Rebooting a Nation about how the nation of Estonia modernized post re-independence and became a hub for startups and e-government in a single generation. Foreign Affairs was kind enough to just do a review: https://www.foreignaffairs.com/reviews/rebooting-nation-incr... (https://www.foreignaffairs.com/reviews/rebooting-nation-incredible-rise-estonia-e-government-and-startup-revolution)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Simpsons and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer which was great fun for an avid Simpsons fan (of the first 10 seasons at least).",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was great fun for an avid Simpsons fan.",
          "audience": "Avid Simpsons fans, especially of the first ten seasons.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Irwin",
        "Mark T. Conard",
        "Aeon J. Skoble"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "popular culture",
        "television"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-simpsons-and-their-mathematical-secrets-196118",
      "title": "The Simpsons and Their Mathematical Secrets",
      "author": "Simon Singh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7968333,
          "author": "deepakkapoor",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:34:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968333",
          "commentText": "Reading Simpsons and their mathematical secrets this week. The book is both entertaining and informative.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book is both entertaining and informative.",
          "reason": "Calls it entertaining and informative.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Simon Singh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematics in popular culture",
        "the simpsons"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-singularity-is-near-when-humans-transcend-biology-598b32",
      "title": "The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology",
      "author": "Ray Kurzweil",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8257764,
          "author": "caisah",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T14:31:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257764",
          "commentText": "The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology by Ray Kurzweil",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology by Ray Kurzweil",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5702591,
          "author": "alexvr",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-14T01:42:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5702591",
          "commentText": "- Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (a fun read. Pretty insightful. One of the best books about success, I think.)\n- The Singularity is Near by Ray Kurzweil (opened my mind to what the world could be)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "(opened my mind to what the world could be)",
          "reason": "The commenter says it opened their mind to possible futures.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ray Kurzweil"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Computing",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "technological singularity",
        "artificial intelligence",
        "futurism",
        "human enhancement"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-singularity-trap-f08726",
      "title": "The Singularity Trap",
      "author": "Dennis E. Taylor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28074328,
          "author": "johntdaly",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-05T14:38:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28074328",
          "commentText": "The concepts where novel in all books by Denis E. Taylor so far, or at least I find the way he presents them in a new or unique way. The Singularity Trap sticks out to me as a rather unique way to tell the first contact story but I found the story itself less enjoyable than his other works.\nI liked the first 3 books of the Bobiverse series but book 4 wasn’t as enjoyable as the rest for me.\nBy favorite book by Denis E. Taylor was Outland, it reminded me of some of the better works of Michael Crichton. To bad he has writer's block when it comes to continuing the story.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Singularity Trap sticks out to me as a rather unique way to tell the first contact story but I found the story itself less enjoyable than his other works.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds its first contact premise unique but the story less enjoyable than the author's other work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Less enjoyable than the author's other works.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 28059025,
          "author": "johntdaly",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T09:35:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28059025",
          "commentText": "SciFi\nThe Bobiverse Series by Dennis E. Taylor\nThe Singularity Trap and Outland, also by Dennis E. Taylor\nThe Interdependency Series by John Scalzi\nSciFi + Comedy\nExpeditionary Force Series by Craig Alanson\nMilitary SciFi\nThe Lost Fleet Series by Jack Campbell\nThe Palladium Wars Series by Marko Kloos\nA bit of all of the above\nMurderbot Diaries Series by Martha Wells\nSciFi/SciFantasy + Comedy\nMagic 2.0 by Scott Mayer",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Singularity Trap and Outland, also by Dennis E. Taylor",
          "reason": "Lists it as a science fiction recommendation.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dennis E. Taylor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "artificial intelligence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-site-reliability-workbook-797f5c",
      "title": "The Site Reliability Workbook",
      "author": "Betsy Beyer, Niall Richard Murphy, David K. Rensin, Kent Kawahara, and Stephen Thorne, editors",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27660257,
          "author": "eatonphil",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-28T10:59:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 27650775,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27660257",
          "commentText": "The SRE workbook doesn't sound like a book focused on teaching (it sounds like a book on application for after you've been taught).\nBut no I haven't read that or the \"Building Reliable...\" book.\nI'll look into the Building book. In general though all these Google books are really fantastic for anyone who has been a developer for a while and at any company size. I often feel like the chapters just couldn't explain the problem better.\nMy biggest problem is that the books kinda drone on and cover so much at once. I think they could have been better edited/cut down to make getting through them easier.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The SRE workbook doesn't sound like a book focused on teaching",
          "reason": "The commenter characterizes it as focused on application after instruction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have not read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Betsy Beyer",
        "Niall Richard Murphy",
        "David K. Rensin",
        "Kent Kawahara",
        "Stephen Thorne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "site reliability engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-six-month-fix-adventures-in-rescuing-failing-companies-9567dd",
      "title": "The Six-Month Fix: Adventures in Rescuing Failing Companies",
      "author": "Gary Sutton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25318804,
          "author": "NothingIsReal",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T21:57:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25318804",
          "commentText": "1. How I Raised Myself From Failure to Success in Selling, Bettger\nA good intro to sales, and a very good book on self-development.\n2. When Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management, Lowenstein\nA story about LTCM, one of the early and most notorious \"quant\" hedge funds. A cheeky nod to intellectualism.\n3. Liar's Poker, Lewis\nInvestment banking through a trader's eyes. Yes, the absurdity is only partly dramatized.\n4. Pimp: The Story of My Life, Iceberg Slim\nNo pithy blurb can summarize this; read it if you want a look into human nature.\n5. The Six-Month Fix: Adventures in Rescuing Failing Companies, Sutton\nWritten by a friend and a mentor; may he rest. Gives you a sobering account of what really goes behind the scenes of many companies, along with their management.\nApologies; I know this list isn't focused on more humbling professions like the examples you gave.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Six-Month Fix: Adventures in Rescuing Failing Companies, Sutton",
          "reason": "Described as a sobering account of what goes on behind the scenes of companies and their management.",
          "audience": "Readers curious about company management and turnaround work.",
          "caveat": "The author was the commenter's friend and mentor.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gary Sutton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "company turnarounds",
        "management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-skaith-trilogy-19306e",
      "title": "The Skaith trilogy",
      "author": "Leigh Brackett",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2047314,
          "author": "solost",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-28T23:38:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2047314",
          "commentText": "A few additional thoughts based on the comments here:\nIf you liked \"In Conquest Born\" - Friedman wrote These Alien Shores, which is a true hacker sci fi, absolutely incredible.\nThe Book of Skaith by Leigh Bracket is a truely awesome compilation of the three Skaith novels. Leigh helped write the initial Empire Strikes back!\nAlmost anything by Jack Vance will be good.  If you've read The Dying Earth, George RR Martin just produced a tribute called Songs of the Dying Earth with some of the best Sci Fi writers contributing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the three Skaith novels",
          "reason": "Describes the collection as an awesome compilation of the three novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leigh Brackett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "planetary romance",
        "space adventure"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-skeptic-s-annotated-bible-8c23f6",
      "title": "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible",
      "author": "Steve Wells",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43617063,
          "author": "gxonatano",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T23:43:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43617063",
          "commentText": "As an atheist, I couldn't agree more. The fastest way to become an atheist, as it's often pointed out, is to read the Bible, which explains why about 95% of the Christians I've known have never read it. When asked, they say things like \"the _whole_ thing?\" or \"cover to cover?\" as if it were the unabridged Oxford English Dictionary, instead of just a single volume.\nAs a work of literature, with an unparalleled influence on Western culture, it's required reading for anyone interested in literature, philosophy, history, or related disciplines. As a blueprint for how to live your life, however, any reasonably ethical person will find its teachings to be at odds with modern ethics. More often than not, it's morally repugnant, and unapologetic about it, too. You won't hear about how backwards its morality is by going to church, though, and so you need to read it for yourself. Even Jesus, one of the most upright citizens in the book, is revealed to be as full of hate and vengeance as he is a \"prince of peace.\"\nOf course, as with everything, it really matters what edition you get. The New Oxford Annotated Bible is a good starting point. The Norton Critical editions (in two volumes, the old and the new testaments) are great, too, and include some of the source materials. (Bet you didn't know that a lot of the Bible was plagiar...ahem... adapted from much earlier texts, and from other religions.) The Skeptic's Annotated Bible is a great edition, too, and annotates everything from a secular perspective.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Skeptic's Annotated Bible is a great edition, too, and annotates everything from a secular perspective.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a Bible edition with annotations from a secular perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve Wells"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "annotated bible",
        "religious texts"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-skull-21557b",
      "title": "The Skull",
      "author": "Jon Klassen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50038526,
          "author": "semiquaver",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T00:31:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50038526",
          "commentText": "It Might be an Apple (Shinsuke Yoshitake)\nThe Skull (Jon Klassen)\nThe Way Things Work\n(David Macaulay)\nAnimalia (Graeme Base)\nNanette’s Baguette (Mo Willlems)\nThe princess and the Pony (Kate Beaton)\nFrederick (Leo Leoni)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Skull (Jon Klassen)",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite children's books.",
          "audience": "Children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jon Klassen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "folklore",
        "picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sleep-solution-why-your-sleep-is-broken-and-how-to-fix-it-ce6c3a",
      "title": "The Sleep Solution: Why Your Sleep Is Broken and How to Fix It",
      "author": "W. Chris Winter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40967222,
          "author": "softwaredoug",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-15T12:27:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 40962582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most accurate scientific book on human sleep?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40967222",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed \"The Sleep Solution\" by Chris Winter\nIt's less catastrophizing about bad sleep than Why We Sleep, has a good sense of humor, lots of great information about Insomnia and other problems. Unlike \"Why We Sleep\", Dr. Winter is a practicing sleep doctor so has perhaps more practical perspective.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Sleep-Solution-Why-Your-Broken/dp/039... (https://www.amazon.com/Sleep-Solution-Why-Your-Broken/dp/0399583602)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed \"The Sleep Solution\" by Chris Winter",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it for its information about insomnia and other problems, humor, and practical perspective.",
          "audience": "People seeking information about insomnia and sleep problems.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is less catastrophizing about bad sleep than Why We Sleep.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. Chris Winter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "insomnia",
        "sleep",
        "sleep medicine"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sleepwalkers-f581a4",
      "title": "The Sleepwalkers",
      "author": "Arthur Koestler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503373,
          "author": "carid",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T08:44:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503373",
          "commentText": "A couple by Stanley Cavell:\nMust We Mean What We Say? (1969)\nThe Claim of Reason: Wittgenstein, Skepticism, Morality, and Tragedy (1979) New York: Oxford University Press.\nI would also second Russell's A Brief History of Western Philosophy.  It's biased and weirdly shallow in some places, but written by a philosopher, so not a toothless compilation.\nObscure but made an impression on me: Ways of Worldmaking by Nelson Goodman.\nIf you can get through it: John Rawls's A Theory of Justice...an important book with a few very important ideas.\nStuff by Amartya Sen.\nOn philosophy of science, the historical narratives do the job I think, like The Sleepwalkers by Arthur Koestler (a great read once you get through the Greeks).  You could read Thomas Kuhn, Feyerabend's autobiography \"Killing Time\" which is great, and if you're really serious read Peter Galison's stuff.\nFinally, again, more history that pure philosophy but I really liked Wittgenstein's Vienna by Toulmin.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Sleepwalkers by Arthur Koestler (a great read once you get through the Greeks)",
          "reason": "Praised as a great read on the historical narratives of philosophy of science.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter advises getting through the Greeks first.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur Koestler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "astronomy",
        "history of science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sleuth-investor-237b8c",
      "title": "The Sleuth Investor",
      "author": "Terry J. Mandelman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12584939,
          "author": "megadrive16",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-26T19:44:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12584939",
          "commentText": "Here are my recommendations. This list is optimised to teach you the fundamentals of economics and finance, give you alternative perspectives on status quo economic/financial thinking and then equip with you with tools, ideas, and concepts to come up with original investment ideas and increase the likelihood that they are going to actually make you, your clients, and your firm a lot of money without anybody getting grilled by the House Financial Services Committee, the SEC, or ending up in jail.\n1.) Get a recent copy of the CFA curriculum and do the end of chapter exercises. You can probably skip a lot of the quantitative methods material if you’re doing a degree in stats. The CFA curriculum will give you a solid understanding of all the major sub-categories of economics (micro, macro, corporate finance, security analysis, accounting, financial statement analysis, alternative investments, derivatives, portfolio management, and most importantly ethical standards for financial professionals.\n2.) Read the Economics Anti-Text Book to crush any illusion that the neoclassical economic paradigm, which the CFA curriculum is based on, is the only scholarly interpretation of how economics works in the real world. Then read it again. If you’re really a diehard scholar read some of the alternative economics papers that the book references.\n3.) Find a good book or paper that covers Rational Choice Theory in depth. Then, at least, read Kahneman and Tversky (1979). If you can, read all of Kahneman and Tversky’s papers. This should also help clear any illusion that humans being are rational agents, which is a cornerstone of neoclassical economics, and give you a foundation for thinking about how people in markets really make decisions.\n4.) Read Fooled by Randomness to get more alternative thinking on decision making and how finance and economics works in the real world vs. the textbook stuff that you’re going to learn via the CFA curriculum.\n5.) Read Business Dynamics (Sterman, 2000) to learn how to model systems the “right” way.\n6.) Read Best Practices for Equity Research Analysts (Valentine). Regardless if you want to be an equity analysis or not, this book is the best book around if you want to learn how to organise yourself to succeed working day-today in an investment decision making role. Just think about the equity specific aspects in the context of whatever category of finance you’re interested in.\n7.) The Sleuth Investor (Mandelman). A lot to people complained that some of this book’s suggestions cross an ethical line. I disagree. Again, this books will give you an alternative perspective about how economic agents gather information on the critical factors that will move the variables they’re  interested in (e.g. stock prices, bond ratings, commodity prices,  earnings, etc). It’s basic premise is get out of the building and collect HUMINT (echoing Valentine more aggressively) like a CIA case officer instead of a nerd in a cube reading the same 10K’s, sell-side research, as everybody else.\n8.) Expectations Investing (Mauboussin) is a must read for how to come up with contra-consensus investment ideas and get it right.\n9.) Investing: The Last Great Liberal Art is a must read for learning how to incorporate information from other fields (physics, biology, sociology, etc) into your economic analysis.\n10.) (Optional) Diaminds: Decoding the Mental Habits of Successful Thinkers that challenges you to think about your thinking and assess how great business thinkers think. Not a economics but definitely will help you become a better economic thinker.\nGood luck!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Sleuth Investor (Mandelman).",
          "reason": "Recommended for an alternative perspective on how economic agents gather information.",
          "audience": "Readers learning economics and finance.",
          "caveat": "Some readers say its suggestions cross an ethical line; the commenter disagrees.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry J. Mandelman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "information gathering",
        "investment research"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-slow-regard-of-silent-things-8b70e9",
      "title": "The Slow Regard of Silent Things",
      "author": "Patrick Rothfuss",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8613977,
          "author": "nl",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-16T11:15:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8613977",
          "commentText": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Fire_Upon_the_Deep\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Deepness_in_the_Sky\nIt's easy to categorise these as wonderful and well written space opera, but that undersells them. Their author (Venor Vinge) invented the idea of the Singularity, and worked as a computer science professor. Both won both the Hugo Award.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ender's_Game\nAs good as people say it is.\nMost of Richard Morgan's works (esp the https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takeshi_Kovacs series). Not his fantasy books though.\nFor fantasy books, Patrick Rothfuss is doing good stuff. The Kingkiller Chronicles is excellent. Read his other books before \"Slow Regard of Silent Things\", though, because that is one weird story.\nFrom more recent SciFi books:\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Windup_Girl is excellent.\nI'm currently reading Ancillary Justice and I'm really enjoying it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancillary_Justice",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Read his other books before \"Slow Regard of Silent Things\", though, because that is one weird story.",
          "reason": "Recommends reading Rothfuss's other books first, describing this story as unusual.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it a weird story and suggests reading other books first.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Patrick Rothfuss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "character study",
        "experimental fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-snail-and-the-whale-572692",
      "title": "The Snail and the Whale",
      "author": "Julia Donaldson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23468088,
          "author": "chrismatheson",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T16:33:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23468088",
          "commentText": "HAHA yes!\nadd Gruffalo, Room on the broom and Snail and the wale for me",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "add Gruffalo, Room on the broom and Snail and the wale for me",
          "reason": "Added to the books the commenter has read repeatedly with children.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Julia Donaldson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Parenting"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "animals",
        "children s picture book"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-snakehead-an-epic-tale-of-the-chinatown-underworld-and-the-am-e3494c",
      "title": "The Snakehead: An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream",
      "author": "Patrick Radden Keefe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29671070,
          "author": "emodendroket",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T06:56:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29671070",
          "commentText": "Bad Blood was a great one, though one that makes you feel like there's a deep rot at the heart of the American elite.\nI haven't read that Keefe book but I really enjoyed The Snakehead.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I haven't read that Keefe book but I really enjoyed The Snakehead.",
          "reason": "Says they really enjoyed the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Patrick Radden Keefe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human smuggling",
        "organized crime"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sneetches-and-other-stories-60bd20",
      "title": "The Sneetches and Other Stories",
      "author": "Dr. Seuss",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12244902,
          "author": "flubert",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T01:30:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244902",
          "commentText": "Get a couple of the collections of Dr. Seuss.\nCan't help but think that in addition to \"Yertle\", that \"Sneetches\", \"Horton Hears a Who\", and \"The Grinch who Stole Christmas\" are all timeless masterpieces.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Six-Seuss-Treasury-Dr-Classics/dp/067... (https://www.amazon.com/Six-Seuss-Treasury-Dr-Classics/dp/0679821481/)\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Hatful-Seuss-Favorite-Sneetches-Barth... (https://www.amazon.com/Hatful-Seuss-Favorite-Sneetches-Bartholomew/dp/0679883886/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Can't help but think that in addition to \"Yertle\", that \"Sneetches\", \"Horton Hears a Who\", and \"The Grinch who Stole Christmas\" are all timeless masterpieces.",
          "reason": "Calls the named stories timeless masterpieces.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dr. Seuss"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-snow-leopard-dadbab",
      "title": "The Snow Leopard",
      "author": "Peter Matthiessen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17982586,
          "author": "tbjohnston",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-13T21:05:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17982586",
          "commentText": "1. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius - practical advice on how to arm yourself every day.\n2. Man's Search for Meaning by Frankl - no matter how bad you think you have it, it can be worse, and you can find meaning.\n3. The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen - it's the journey (not the destination) and <i>pay attention!</i>",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen - it's the journey (not the destination) and <i>pay attention!</i>",
          "reason": "Lists it among life-changing books and draws a lesson about the journey and paying attention.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401405,
          "author": "interurban",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:18:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401405",
          "commentText": "Just finished:\nIn Patagonia by Bruce Chatwin\nArabian Sands by Wilfred Thesiger\nNow reading:\nSnow Leopard by Peter Matthiesen\nBeen on a travel themed binge the last few weeks, rereading my favorite travel books.  I highly recommend Arabian Sands, gives a pretty unique view of how the Arabian Peninsula was changing right after WWII.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiesen",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Matthiessen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "himalayas",
        "travel writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-snow-queen-db9b7f",
      "title": "The Snow Queen",
      "author": "Joan D. Vinge",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056606,
          "author": "akkartik",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T12:36:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056606",
          "commentText": "Purchased.\nIt occurs to me that the opposite category is also quite interesting. Books like Hammerfall and Snow Queen by Joan Vinge are fantasy with scifi elements that are hard to dismiss.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Books like Hammerfall and Snow Queen by Joan Vinge are fantasy with scifi elements that are hard to dismiss.",
          "reason": "Says it is fantasy with science fiction elements that are hard to dismiss.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joan D. Vinge"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "science fantasy",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-social-animal-aeca2a",
      "title": "The Social Animal",
      "author": "Elliot Aronson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9350231,
          "author": "ArekDymalski",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T19:15:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350231",
          "commentText": "In order of appearance:\n\"Fables for Robots\" by Stanislaw Lem - it shaped my love for SF for the rest of my life\n\"Mindwatching: Why We Behave the Way We Do\" by Hans and Michael Eysenck - it influenced my choice of studies\n\"The social animal\" by Elliot Aronson - it helped me to understand people a bit better :)\n\"Rich dad, poor dad\" by Robert Kiyosaki - it really helped me in the transition from the corporate world to own business",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it helped me to understand people a bit better",
          "reason": "Says it helped them understand people better.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Elliot Aronson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "social psychology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-social-construction-of-reality-a-treatise-in-the-sociology-of-e8daf7",
      "title": "The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge",
      "author": "Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckmann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39061961,
          "author": "Ezku",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T22:09:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39061961",
          "commentText": "This book is probably about a very different kind of ”engineering” than what you had in mind, but it’s been highly influential to my thinking:\n“The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge.” Berger & Luckmann 1966.\nPerhaps the core insight to me is that not only does every practice of engineering exist as embedded in the context of a socially constructed reality, but the practice of engineering itself also fundamentally involves the continual construction of such realities. In other words, for a software engineer to be able to do their job, they must among other things be a kind of applied social epistemologist.\nI expect this framing doesn’t make much sense to many readers — I’m hoping the following articles might serve to illustrate:\n“Programming as Theory Building.” Peter Naur, Microprocessing and Microprogramming 1985 (https://doi.org/10.1016/0165-6074%2885%2990032-8)\n> … suggests that programming properly should be regarded as an activity by which the programmers form or achieve a certain kind of insight, a theory, of the matters at hand. This suggestion is in contrast to what appears to be a more common notion, that programming should be regarded as a production of a program and certain other texts.\n“Interpretation, Interaction and Reality Construction in Software Engineering: An Explanatory Model.” Kari Rönkkö, Information and Software Technology 2007 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infsof.2007.02.014)\n> Floyd’s paper Outline of a Paradigm Change in Software Engineering requested that we move from a product oriented paradigm to a process oriented paradigm.\n> Naur’s paper Programming as Theory Building made it painfully clear to us that exemplary resources in the form of material and available support are not enough when modifying others’ programs. In fact, if Floyd’s claims had been taken seriously by the software developers in Naur’s study, and if the same developers had access to an explanatory model … their difficulties could have been both anticipated and prevented.\n> This article … explains from a natural language point of view, how interpretation takes place, and discusses the consequences of this in relation to interaction and reality construction in software engineering practice.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise in the Sociology of Knowledge.” Berger & Luckmann 1966.",
          "reason": "Connects engineering practice with socially constructed reality and social epistemology.",
          "audience": "Readers considering engineering in its social context.",
          "caveat": "The commenter expects this framing may not make sense to many readers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter L. Berger",
        "Thomas Luckmann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "engineering practice",
        "social constructionism",
        "sociology of knowledge"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-social-contract-a3dca6",
      "title": "The Social Contract",
      "author": "Jean-Jacques Rousseau",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11297799,
          "author": "roymurdock",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-16T14:56:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 11297015,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you wish your manager would read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11297799",
          "commentText": "Older Stuff: The Bible/Quran, The Republic (Plato), The Social Contract (Rousseau), Tao Te Ching (Laozi), Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky), History of the Peloponnesian War (Thucydides)\nNewer Stuff: Nine Stories (Salinger), The Razor's Edge (Maugham), Nausea (Sartre), Siddartha (Hesse), Road to Serfdom (Hayek), The Book (Watts), Design of Everyday Things (Norman), Atlas Shrugged (Rand), Invisible Man (Ellison), Debunking Economics (Keen), Blood Meridian (McCarthy), The Center Cannot Hold (Saks), This Time Is Different (Reinhart/Rogoff), Infinite Jest (Wallace), Calvin and Hobbes (Watterson)\nAll of these books are well written and have given me some perspective on interesting people/situations/ways of thinking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Social Contract (Rousseau)",
          "reason": "Listed among books said to have given the commenter perspective on interesting people, situations, and ways of thinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jean-Jacques Rousseau"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political philosophy",
        "social contract theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-software-engineer-s-guidebook-c3fd45",
      "title": "The Software Engineer's Guidebook",
      "author": "Gergely Orosz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41387633,
          "author": "rado_stankov",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T05:24:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387633",
          "commentText": "The top book imho is The Pragmatic Programer.\nHere some other recomendations\n- Designing Data-Intensive Applications\n- Tidy First?: A Personal Exercise in Empirical Software Design\n- A Philosophy of Software Design\n- Refactoring UI\n- The Software Engineer's Guidebook\n- https://blog.rstankov.com/programing-books/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Software Engineer's Guidebook",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gergely Orosz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "engineering career",
        "software engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-solid-mandala-880418",
      "title": "The Solid Mandala",
      "author": "Patrick White",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9348299,
          "author": "humanarity",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:37:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348299",
          "commentText": "Meditations (Marcus Aurelius) - incredibly clear ideas probably clear-up 80% of issues you have with everyday life\nThe Bible (& The Gnostic Gospels) - I love the idea that Jesus was a real guy who (literally) petrified his childhood playmates because they \"vexed\" him by dispersing his anti-gravity water :)\nAtlas Shrugged - no excuses\nSelf and Others - personal pyschology\nSeth Speaks - a lady channels an interdimensional being\nThe Road Less Travelled - a psychoanalyst's memoirs\nLetters to a Young Artist - encouragement for going your own way, a series of letters\nThe Alchemist - help you read the signs from the heart of the World for your own path\nAn Introduction to Zen Buddhism, et al (T. Suzuki) - really interesting, non-duality, higher third unification of opposites\nHear the Wind Sing (Murakami) - really bizarre and pure, his first one written late nights at kitchen table after working in a bar, before he became famous\nRich Dad Poor Dad - solid advice\nDiscrete Maths (Rosen) - interesting and very learnable, a great reference\nAn Imaginary Life (Malouf) - great clarity of writing\nThe Solid Mandala (Patrick White) - amazing observation of people",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Solid Mandala (Patrick White) - amazing observation of people",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its observation of people.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Patrick White"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "australian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-son-582df7",
      "title": "The Son",
      "author": "Philipp Meyer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6387960,
          "author": "veidr",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T02:51:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387960",
          "commentText": "The trilogy of Neuromancer, Burning Chrome, and Mona Lisa Overdrive is still my favorite work of fiction, and also, to my mind, exemplifies the kind of taut, awesome writing that I would want to do if I wrote novels. It the only series of 3 books I have read more than once.\nI caught these books at just the right time in my life (age 13 or 14), leading my high-school fascination with Japan and rekindled interest in computing, and probably played an inordinately large role in me ending up as a programmer who lives in Tokyo, two decades later.\nI like great sci fi best, but I think most of it is crap, including virtually all of the old pulp sci fi and Asimov I grew up reading (which was basically all of it), Star Wars/Trek, etc.\nOther than Gibson's stuff, some of the truly spectacular sci fi I have read is the very-dense-and-not-at-all-thriller-ish Mars trilogy (Red Mars, Green Mars, and Blue Mars), and the fast-paced-and-awesome Spin by Robert Charles Wilson. That led me to read all of Wilson's books, many of which are also good. Also Haldeman is an author worth reading, though not all of his books hit their mark.\nGreat sci fi is my favorite fiction, but IMO most of it is broken by being fundamentally implausible. Other fiction I consider great in other genres include Memoirs of a Geisha, Cold Mountain, REAMDE, The Son, The Road, the lighter but still version of that post-apocalyptic concept The Dog Stars, City of Thieves, and All the Pretty Horses and its sequels.\nIt's probably symptomatic of a major flaw in my character that despite also buying dozens of nonfiction works (Lincoln, On China, and so forth) over the past few years, I haven't finished any of them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Cold Mountain, REAMDE, The Son, The Road",
          "reason": "Explicitly considers it great fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philipp Meyer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "texas"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-son-also-rises-0b3604",
      "title": "The Son Also Rises",
      "author": "Gregory Clark",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8125674,
          "author": "spindritf",
          "createdAt": "2014-08-02T19:11:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 8125375,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What should I save for offline reading during 5 weeks without Internet?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8125674",
          "commentText": "Read books you always wanted but wouldn't get around to with all the distractions available at home. Be it classics, political theory, maybe something light and scientific? Generally, whatever doesn't require additional materials.\nHere are some titles of that kind I enjoyed.\nAnabasis by Xenophon\nHeart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad\nAntifragile by Nassim Taleb\nLearned Optimism by Martin Seligman\nThe Son also Rises by Gregory Clark",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Son also Rises by Gregory Clark",
          "reason": "Included among titles the commenter says they enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gregory Clark"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic history",
        "social mobility"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-song-machine-inside-the-hit-factory-2b5130",
      "title": "The Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory",
      "author": "John Seabrook",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11229751,
          "author": "tetraodonpuffer",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:42:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229751",
          "commentText": "some recommendations on mixed topics from my recent non-fiction reads, I enjoyed all of them for different reasons (the song machine book even got me to listen to music I would never have thought I'd enjoy, but can't argue Max Martin knows how to write a catchy song!)\nWhen breath becomes air\nhttp://smile.amazon.com/When-Breath-Becomes-Paul-Kalanithi/d... (http://smile.amazon.com/When-Breath-Becomes-Paul-Kalanithi/dp/081298840X/)\nDo no harm, Stories of Life, Death, and Brain Surgery\nhttp://smile.amazon.com/Do-No-Harm-Stories-Surgery/dp/125006... (http://smile.amazon.com/Do-No-Harm-Stories-Surgery/dp/125006581X/)\nThe Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory\nhttp://smile.amazon.com/Song-Machine-Inside-Hit-Factory/dp/0... (http://smile.amazon.com/Song-Machine-Inside-Hit-Factory/dp/0393241920/)\nWhy we work\nhttp://smile.amazon.com/Why-We-Work-TED-Books/dp/1476784868/\nEnlightenment 2.0\nhttp://smile.amazon.com/Enlightenment-2-0-Restoring-politics... (http://smile.amazon.com/Enlightenment-2-0-Restoring-politics-economy/dp/0062342894/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the song machine book even got me to listen to music I would never have thought I'd enjoy, but can't argue Max Martin knows how to write a catchy song!",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book broadened their music listening and praises its subject.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Seabrook"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "music industry",
        "pop music",
        "songwriting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-song-of-wandering-aengus-6ae35f",
      "title": "The Song of Wandering Aengus",
      "author": "W. B. Yeats",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19089420,
          "author": "beat",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T20:24:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19089420",
          "commentText": "Most recent: Factfulness, by Hans Rosling. For the past year or so, I've been trying hard to understand why people act the way they do, when those actions and beliefs are often irrational. This book brought so much of that together.\nVery first: The Song of Wandering Aengus, by William Butler Yeats. I read this when I was six or so. I found it as an illustrated children's book in children's section of the public library of the very small rural town. Someone decided this very adult poem, about an old man who wasted his life chasing an unattainable magic dream, was a good children's story. It introduced me to the idea that poems and stories could express sadness and failure and other negative feelings, not just the happy silly stuff of the other age-appropriate things I read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Song of Wandering Aengus, by William Butler Yeats.",
          "reason": "Describes how reading it as a child introduced them to stories and poems expressing sadness and failure.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter encountered it as an illustrated children's book, though the poem is described as adult.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. B. Yeats"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "illustrated children s book",
        "poetry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-song-of-the-cell-b235df",
      "title": "The Song of the Cell",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34167986,
          "author": "dysoco",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-29T00:34:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34167986",
          "commentText": "I'm very interested in The Song of the Cell, thanks, I love books like that and I tried to read The Emperor of All Maladies and I enjoyed the writing but I just couldn't keep reading, Cancer and terminal illnesses just terrify me, that was truly a horror book for me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm very interested in The Song of the Cell, thanks",
          "reason": "Expresses interest in reading it and says they love books like it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cell biology",
        "history of medicine"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-song-of-the-dodo-island-biogeography-in-an-age-of-extinctions-1b40d9",
      "title": "The Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinctions",
      "author": "David Quammen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20981733,
          "author": "znerp",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-16T07:12:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 20981508,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Read any good books lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20981733",
          "commentText": "The Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinctions by David Quammen",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Song of the Dodo: Island Biogeography in an Age of Extinctions by David Quammen",
          "reason": "Offered as a book in response to a request for good books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Quammen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "extinction",
        "island biogeography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-song-of-the-lark-b50c1a",
      "title": "The Song of the Lark",
      "author": "Willa Cather",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41240816,
          "author": "bikenaga",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-13T23:14:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41240816",
          "commentText": "Someone else mentioned Thomas Hardy's \"The Mayor of Casterbirdge\". It's the one of his 5 major novels I haven't read. \"Far From the Madding Crowd\" and \"Return of the Native\" are okay, but the two that really are magnificent are:\n\"Jude the Obscure\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/153\n\"Tess of the D'Urbervilles\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/110\nYou can sense his fury at the society he was depicting. You might not want to read either of these, particularly \"Tess\", if you're prone to depression.\nFrederick Jackson Turner, \"The Frontier in American History\" (1921) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/22994\nThis collection leads off with Turner's essay \"The Significance of the Frontier in American History\" (1893). It's considered by some the most influential historical essay about America ever written. Historians went back and forth on his claims for decades, and people pointed out many issues with them. It seems like the critics predominate now. But it's still worth reading, particularly since (right or wrong) his ideas influenced the way we think of ourselves. Turner was a very good writer - he was a noted orator, and his essays have an oratorical quality - and the other essays in the collection are pretty good, too.\nOwen Wister, \"The Virginian\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1298\nZane Grey, \"Riders of the Purple Sage\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1300\nAnd the sequel: \"The Rainbow Trail\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/5067\n\"The Virginian\" (1902) and \"Riders\" (1912) established many of the themes and tropes for the \"standard\" western, and they're still fun to read. But the genre comprises many other kinds of writing - e.g. A. B. Guthrie, Elmer Kelton, and the next writer.\nWilla Cather's novels:\nThe \"plains trilogy\" (the stories are set in Nebraska and Colorado, but otherwise unrelated):\n\"O Pioneers!\" (1913) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/24\n\"The Song of the Lark\" (1915) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/44\n\"My Ántonia\" (1918) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19810\nAnd not quite a hundred years ago, but a wonderful novel:\n\"Death Comes for the Archbishop\" (1927) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/69730\nA few brief mentions: James Joyce's \"Ulysses\", though I had a tough time getting through it; some of Nathaniel Hawthorne's short stories (e.g. \"The Minister's Black Veil\"); \"Njal's Saga\" (I liked the Penguin edition with the translation by Magnusson and Pallson); the great works of classic fantasy (Lord Dunsany, E. R. Eddison, William Morris, Arthur Machen); the essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Song of the Lark\" (1915)",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list of Cather novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Willa Cather"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american midwest"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-songs-of-distant-earth-4712e4",
      "title": "The Songs of Distant Earth",
      "author": "Arthur C. Clarke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056450,
          "author": "everyone",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T11:55:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056450",
          "commentText": "I have strong opinions about this. My criteria for a book being science fiction and not fantasy is that is must be based on scientific thinking. The author must have done some work to determine whether whats happening in his book is at least plausible according to real science, and then work out the details of how it would actually function. So I regard most \"science fiction\" books and almost all \"science fiction\" films as really being fantasy. Essentially they are works of fantasy or dramatic fiction re-skinned with lasers and aliens instead of magic and goblins (to a great or lesser extent).\nSo dune is a great book but it is 90% fantasy, there is only a little bit of research done by the author on desert ecosystems.\nMy favourite real science fiction author is Arthur C clarke. some good books by him...\nearthlight\nthe fountains of paradise\nislands in the sky\nthe sands of mars\nrama\nsongs of distant earth\nAlso would recommend accelerando by Charles Stross and the mars series by Kim Stanley Robinson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "songs of distant earth",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s good books by Clarke.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur C. Clarke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "interstellar colonization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sorcerer-of-the-wildeeps-1c95b3",
      "title": "The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps",
      "author": "Kai Ashante Wilson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783529,
          "author": "Symmetry",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:46:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783529",
          "commentText": "Here are the ones I'd be willing to recommend, in reverse chronological order of when I read them.  I read 59 total.  Listen to books on tape while working out has maybe doubled my reading rate.\nGenghis Khan: His Conquests, His Empire, His Legacy - Great book on how the Mongol Empire came to be, who Genghis was, and it put the whole thing in perspective for me in a useful way.\nThe Knowledge: How to Rebuild Our World from Scratch - What it says on the tin.  Actually a good overview how some important technologies interrelate.\nSuperforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction - How to be wrong less often.  Based on the Good Judgement Project results.\nThe Three-Body Problem - Decent enough science fiction but extra interesting because it's science fiction from a different culture.\nIgnition!: An informal history of liquid rocket propellants - A history of things that go boom.  Engaging writing and I learned things about chemistry.\nThe Traitor Baru Cormorant - I'm nominating this for a Hugo.  It tells you it's going to stab you in the gut but when it does you don't see it coming.  Plus high quality scheming and speculation on economics, society, and empire.\nThe Sorcerer of the Wildeeps - Excellent use of voice and an overall good book.\nBloom - Made my skin crawl in places and also was good at making you feel a radical change in perspective.\nSeeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed - An interesting perspective on certain aspects of government.  A bit too negative for the topic, the factors outlined are also why commercial economies were able to develop more centralized economies than agrarian ones in the early modern era.\nPolitical Order and Political Decay: From the Industrial Revolution to the Globalization of Democracy - Quite good book on bureaucracy though not as excellent as the previous book on the origins of states.\nLast First Snow - It's always great to read books about the struggles between people with sympathetic motivations.\nThe Unwelcome Warlock - The latest in a series of fantasy books where people use magic in creative and sensible ways.\nAsteroid Mining 101: Wealth for the New Space Economy -Mostly about all the different sorts of asteroids.\nSeveneves - Neal Stephenson's latest.  If you like his books read it but maybe skip the last 1/3 after the timeskip.\nElon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future - Wow he did a lot of cool stuff.\nStories of Your Life and Others - Brilliant and poetic short stories.\nDarwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life - Some interesting perspective on materialism.\nPower, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life - Best science book I've read in a while!  Shows why mitochondria matter, the fundamental limits of prochariotic life, and several important ways mitochondria influence again and evolution.\nBlue Remembered Earth - Awesome near futureish book that does well at imagining a future that isn't just a linear extrapolation but is still believable.\nA Key, an Egg, an Unfortunate Remark - Not enough pacifist badass grandmothers in urban fantasy.\nQuantum Computing since Democritus - I understand QM much better now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps - Excellent use of voice and an overall good book.",
          "reason": "Calls it an overall good book and praises its use of voice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kai Ashante Wilson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fantasy",
        "sword and sorcery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sorrows-of-young-werther-f87d94",
      "title": "The Sorrows of Young Werther",
      "author": "Johann Wolfgang von Goethe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665060,
          "author": "billybatson",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:11:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665060",
          "commentText": "A Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley: Decent. I think this book would best be read in conjunction while working through a textbook. I will admit that it did do quite a bit to help relieve math anxiety, but the nature of the book is practicality.\nBrave New World by Aldous Huxley: A reread. A bit depressing considering the state of the world today. I found myself wondering which reality would be preferable.\nLetters to a Young Mathematician by Ian Stewart: Easy, but fruitful read. I've struggled a lot with math confidence, and this helped alleviate a lot of that.\nHow to Speak, How to Listen by Mortimer J. Adler: A lot of practical advice. My biggest takeaway was this: if it's worth talking about, even if the conversation sucks or the other person doesn't understand, any bit of advancement and understanding is worth the effort. Really helped me increase my patience when talking to people.\nQuack This Way by David Foster Wallace and Bryan Garner: Super useful and practical discussion between two lovers of language. I keep a copy with me at all times.\nThe Autobiography of Gucci Mane: Just a fun read while on vacation. \"If Gucci can do it, you can do it\".\nJesus' Son by Denis Johnson: A nice if brutal read. It was my first foray in DJ. I felt Cormac McCarthyish vibes.\nBlood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy: A classic. The Judge.\nThinking About Mathematics by Stuart Shapiro: Highly recommended for anyone interested in the philosophical questions of mathematics. Shapiro writes clearly, concisely, and in a manner that is easy to read.\nThe Liars' Club by Mary Karr: Pretty great but brutal.\nThe Broom of the System by David Foster Wallace: I really enjoyed it. It's ode to Wittgenstein and it helped me cope with a lot of questions that I felt after studying LW.\nThe Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: I think we've all been in Werther's shoes. Though I hope that nobody comes to the same conclusion he came to.\nManage Your Day-To-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, & Sharpen Your Creative Mind: A pretty great book. I find myself writing a book report on it to make sure I internalize a lot of the lessons. If you're having trouble doing creative work while working, read this.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I think we've all been in Werther's shoes. Though I hope that nobody comes to the same conclusion he came to.",
          "reason": "The commenter relates to Werther while warning about his final conclusion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter hopes readers do not reach the character's conclusion.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Johann Wolfgang von Goethe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classic literature",
        "epistolary novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-soul-of-sex-9235c6",
      "title": "The Soul of Sex",
      "author": "Thomas Moore",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37937558,
          "author": "kaycebasques",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T02:27:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937558",
          "commentText": "Six Pillars Of Self-Esteem. Biggest effect on me of any book, by far. The only book that immediately jumped to mind without me needing to check my \"read\" list.\nI vaguely recall The Soul Of Sex giving me a healthier foundation for my own sexuality.\nThe Power Of Myth and The Varieties Of Religious Experience for general spiritual goodness.\nThe Selfish Gene has probably had a deep lingering effect on my thoughts about my life as a biological creature.\nEvery Page Is Page One is very helpful for realizing (what I believe to be) the higher purpose of technical documentation, which is knowledge sharing.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I vaguely recall The Soul Of Sex giving me a healthier foundation for my own sexuality.",
          "reason": "The commenter recalls that it gave them a healthier foundation for their sexuality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they only vaguely recall this.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Moore"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sexuality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-soul-of-an-octopus-7da952",
      "title": "The Soul of an Octopus",
      "author": "Sy Montgomery",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237188,
          "author": "kranner",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:44:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237188",
          "commentText": "- Tetris: The Games People Play by Box Brown\n- Tibet, Tibet by Patrick French\n- Maya: A Novel by CW Huntington, Jr\n- The Science of Enlightenment by Shinzen Young\n- Flask Web Development by Miguel Grinberg\n- Buddha's Diet by Tara Cottrell\n- A Feast of Vultures by Josy Joseph\n- Genghis Khan: Life, Death and Resurrection by John Man\n- Chasing the Scream by Johann Hari\n- Cuckold by Kiran Nagarkar\n- Goliath by Tom Gauld\n- This Will Never Happen Again by David Cain\n- Cure by Jo Marchant\n- If It’s Monday It Must Be Madurai: A Conducted Tour of India by Srinath Perur\n- Deep Work by Cal Newport\n- Enduring Love by Ian McEwan\n- The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery\n- The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt\n- The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion\nand a few others that aren't worth recommending; all the above are.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "all the above are.",
          "reason": "The commenter includes the listed books among those worth recommending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sy Montgomery"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "animal cognition",
        "marine biology",
        "octopuses"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sound-reinforcement-handbook-f588cc",
      "title": "The Sound Reinforcement Handbook",
      "author": "Gary Davis and Ralph Jones",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14138083,
          "author": "benji-york",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T11:57:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14138083",
          "commentText": "The Sound Reinforcement Handbook — Gary Davis and Ralph Jones",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Sound Reinforcement Handbook — Gary Davis and Ralph Jones",
          "reason": "Named as a candidate for the field’s bible.",
          "audience": "Sound reinforcement readers",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gary Davis and Ralph Jones"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "audio engineering",
        "live sound"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sound-of-thunder-b0978e",
      "title": "The Sound of Thunder",
      "author": "Wilbur Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1753386,
          "author": "alinajaf",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T19:17:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753386",
          "commentText": "I am a total whore for historical fiction:\n'Shogun' by James Clavell was the first book I read that had me glued to it for hours and hours at a time. Tai Pan is also a classic.\nI also found the original three Courtney books by Wilbur Smith (starting with 'The Sound of Thunder') were a guilty pleasure. They are pure trash, with thin characters and a predictable plot but epic adventure nonetheless.\nMore recently I've topped off the 'Emperor' series (chronicling Julius Ceasars life) and have started the 'Conqueror' series (same thing, but its about Genghis Khan). Both by Conn Iggulden.\nNot quite at the same literary level as some of the other suggestions here but I was wondering if I was the only one.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "starting with 'The Sound of Thunder'",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's guilty pleasure Courtney books, praised for epic adventure.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the books are pure trash, with thin characters and predictable plots.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Wilbur Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical adventure"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sources-of-innovation-6121c4",
      "title": "The Sources of Innovation",
      "author": "Eric von Hippel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9612744,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T17:01:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9612744",
          "commentText": "The Law - Frédéric Bastiat. http://bastiat.org/en/the_law.html\nCapitalism - A Treatise on Economics - George Reisman.  http://www.capitalism.net/Capitalism/CAPITALISM_Internet.pdf\nThe Works of Lysander Spooner.  http://lysanderspooner.org/node/2\nThe Machinery of Freedom David Friedman. - http://daviddfriedman.com/The_Machinery_of_Freedom_.pdf\nDemocratizing Innovation - Eric Von Hippel. http://web.mit.edu/evhippel/www/democ1.htm\nThe Sources of Innovation - Eric Von Hippel. http://web.mit.edu/evhippel/www/sources.htm\nIntroduction to Information Retrieval - http://nlp.stanford.edu/IR-book/html/htmledition/irbook.html\nInformation Theory, Inference, and Learning Algorithms - David MacKay.  http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/itprnn/book.html\nIntroduction to Cybernetics - William Ross Ashby. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/books/IntroCyb.pdf\n\"Man-Computer Symbiosis\" and \"The Computer As A Communication Device\" - J.C.R. Licklider. http://memex.org/licklider.pdf\nDesign For A Brain - William Ross Ashby. https://archive.org/details/designforbrainor00ashb\nThe Writings of Douglas Engelbart. http://www.dougengelbart.org/library/library.html\nand if you like maths, don't miss this great list of free maths texts by George Cain:  https://people.math.gatech.edu/~cain/textbooks/onlinebooks.h... (https://people.math.gatech.edu/~cain/textbooks/onlinebooks.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Sources of Innovation - Eric Von Hippel.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric von Hippel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "innovation",
        "product development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sovereign-individual-1da05f",
      "title": "The Sovereign Individual",
      "author": "James Dale Davidson and William Rees-Mogg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12473868,
          "author": "arjun27",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T15:39:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12473868",
          "commentText": "The Sovereign Individual. Highly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Sovereign Individual. Highly recommended.",
          "reason": "Explicitly calls it highly recommended.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Dale Davidson and William Rees-Mogg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "digital economy",
        "political economy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-space-barons-ad777c",
      "title": "The Space Barons",
      "author": "Christian Davenport",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17206527,
          "author": "sizzzzlerz",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T15:52:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17206527",
          "commentText": "A related book is \"The Space Barons\" by Christian Davenport. Along with Musk, it dives into the other private space companies put together by two other uber-wealthy massive egos, Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson.\nGreat line: How do you make millions in rockets? Start with a billion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A related book is \"The Space Barons\" by Christian Davenport.",
          "reason": "Introduced as a related book in the conversation about tech entrepreneurs.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in private space companies and their founders.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christian Davenport"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "commercial spaceflight",
        "space entrepreneurs"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-space-merchants-7b2981",
      "title": "The Space Merchants",
      "author": "Frederik Pohl",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056461,
          "author": "auggierose",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T11:59:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056461",
          "commentText": "Philip K. Dick (Ubik, Man in the high castle, Flow my tears the police man said)\nFrederik Pohl (Gateway, the Space Merchants)\nUrsula K. Le Guin (The Dispossessed, Left Hand of Darkness)\nIain M. Banks (Culture novels)\nYou will find many Sci-Fi treasures by just going through http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SF_Masterworks",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Space Merchants",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for favourite sci-fi books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frederik Pohl"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-space-trilogy-3526ab",
      "title": "The Space Trilogy",
      "author": "C. S. Lewis",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36021674,
          "author": "smithza",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T15:01:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021674",
          "commentText": "As an author better known for other genres, C.S. Lewis wrote an exceptional as Sci-Fi trilogy beginning in the 1930s. He would finish it in by the 1950s. Heavy in philosophy and combatting the currently popular ideas of eugenics and Wells’ ideation of human conquering of the solar system and eventual universe, it was a great read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "an exceptional as Sci-Fi trilogy",
          "reason": "The commenter describes Lewis's science fiction trilogy as exceptional and a great read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "C. S. Lewis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "planetary romance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-spaceship-under-the-apple-tree-5ff555",
      "title": "The Spaceship Under the Apple Tree",
      "author": "Louis Slobodkin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 140456,
          "author": "tjr",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T02:17:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140456",
          "commentText": "Growing up, I read a series of \"children's sci-fi\" books by Louis Slobodkin, the first being \"The Spaceship Under the Apple Tree.\"  These books played a significant role in my developing scientific interests.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the first being \"The Spaceship Under the Apple Tree.\"",
          "reason": "Says the series played a significant role in developing their scientific interests.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Louis Slobodkin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-spaceship-under-the-apple-tree-series-e586a1",
      "title": "The Spaceship Under the Apple Tree series",
      "author": "Louis Slobodkin",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 140456,
          "author": "tjr",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T02:17:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140456",
          "commentText": "Growing up, I read a series of \"children's sci-fi\" books by Louis Slobodkin, the first being \"The Spaceship Under the Apple Tree.\"  These books played a significant role in my developing scientific interests.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I read a series of \"children's sci-fi\" books by Louis Slobodkin",
          "reason": "Credits the series with helping develop their scientific interests.",
          "audience": "Children's science fiction readers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Louis Slobodkin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-spandrels-of-san-marco-and-the-panglossian-paradigm-a-critiqu-05f8ae",
      "title": "The Spandrels of San Marco and the Panglossian Paradigm: A Critique of the Adaptationist Programme",
      "author": "Stephen Jay Gould and Richard C. Lewontin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9674957,
          "author": "jonathansizz",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T15:18:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674957",
          "commentText": "Mind-blowing for those who've read 'The Selfish Gene' and thought it explained everything about evolution:\n'The Spandrels of San Marco and the Panglossian Paradigm: A Critique of the Adaptationist Programme', SJ Gould and RC Lewontin\n'The Origins of Genome Architecture', M Lynch\n'Mutation-Driven Evolution', M Nei",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Spandrels of San Marco and the Panglossian Paradigm: A Critique of the Adaptationist Programme', SJ Gould and RC Lewontin",
          "reason": "Offered as a mind-blowing challenge to the idea that The Selfish Gene explains everything about evolution.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in evolution and biology.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Jay Gould and Richard C. Lewontin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adaptationism",
        "evolutionary biology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-spark-a-mother-s-story-of-nurturing-genius-ae796d",
      "title": "The Spark: A Mother's Story of Nurturing Genius",
      "author": "Kristine Barnett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6899433,
          "author": "h1ccup",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T06:59:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6899433",
          "commentText": "This is my list(Most of these books aren't from 2013):\n1. The Man Who Invented the Computer: The Biography of John Atanasoff by Jane Smiley\n2. Halting State by Charlie Stross\n3. Levels of Life by Julian Barnes\n4. The Particle At The End Of The Universe by Sean Carrol\n5. Churchil Bomb by Graham Farmello\n6. The Science Of Memory by Charles Fernyhough\n7. The Anatomy of Violence: The biological roots of crime by Adrian Raine\n8. The Bet: Paul Ehrlich, Julian Simon, and our gamble over Earth’s future by Paul Sabin\n9. Experiencing Art: In the brain of the beholder by Arthur Shimamura\n10. The Spark: A Mother’s Story of Nurturing Genius by Kristine Barnett",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Spark: A Mother’s Story of Nurturing Genius by Kristine Barnett",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list answering which books were best.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kristine Barnett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Parenting"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "autism",
        "child development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-spectator-bird-12a33c",
      "title": "The Spectator Bird",
      "author": "Wallace Stegner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1027538,
          "author": "julius_geezer",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T19:28:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027538",
          "commentText": "Some on this list are great, some just good:\n_The Critique of Pure Reason_--got about halfway through 30 years ago, set it aside, picked it up again. Probably shorter than <i>The Fountainhead</i> but takes a long time to read.\n_The Vindication of Tradition_, Jaroslav Pelikan, theology, very short quick read.\n_Netherland_ by Joseph O'Neill, via the neighborhood book club. Interesting picture of New York, thin characterization.\n_The Library at Night_, Alberto Manguel, actually a gift to my wife from a friend of hers. Good browsing book.\n_Untimely Thoughts_ by Nietzche. Probably not a great place to start Nietzche, but at least the first essay is interesting.\n_The Spectator Bird_, Wallace Stegner. Good novel, though maybe not my favorite Stegner.\n_Germany 1866-1945_ by Gordon Craig. Long, very readable.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Good novel, though maybe not my favorite Stegner.",
          "reason": "Calls it a good novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "May not be the commenter's favorite among Stegner's work.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Wallace Stegner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american west",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-speed-of-trust-45473f",
      "title": "The Speed of Trust",
      "author": "Stephen M. R. Covey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30738885,
          "author": "tyroh",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T00:38:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30738885",
          "commentText": "The Speed of Trust by Stephen Covey: Made me realize that trust is essential in human interactions. Helped me through my businesses, career, and community building.\nAtomic Habits by James Clear: Read a lot about habits before but this really kickstarted my focus on living healthy and staying consistent.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Speed of Trust by Stephen Covey: Made me realize that trust is essential in human interactions. Helped me through my businesses, career, and community building.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed how they understood trust and helped in business, career, and community building.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen M. R. Covey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "trust"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-spell-of-the-sensuous-e9b7da",
      "title": "The Spell of the Sensuous",
      "author": "David Abram",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37960149,
          "author": "happycamper22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-20T19:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37960149",
          "commentText": "* \"On Writing\" by Stephen King (1 mention)\n    * Summary: In his guide to the craft of writing, King masterfully conveys his views on how good writing is cultivated. The book provides personal insights into the author's life while serving as a guide for aspiring writers.\n* \"The Dictionary\" (1 mention, multiple authors)\n    * Summary: A reference book containing an alphabetical list of words in a specific language, providing definitions, pronunciations, etymology, and other details. It is a valuable resource for understanding and accurately using language.\n* \"Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book chronicles Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 1914-1916 survival journey across the Antarctic. Faced with treacherous weather conditions and a lack of provisions, the men battle to stay alive, highlighting the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.\n* \"The Experience of God\" by David Bentley Hart (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A philosophical exploration of the concept of God that goes beyond specific religious doctrines. Hart articulates a vision of ultimate reality that transcends religious, philosophical, and cultural boundaries.\n* \"A Mind for Numbers\" by Barbara Oakley (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book provides practical advice on how to learn effectively in math and science areas, but the techniques are applicable across disciplines. Oakley shares techniques to overcome learning obstacles and improve comprehension and retention.\n* \"A People's History of the US\" by Howard Zinn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book offers an alternative exploration of American history from the perspective of ordinary people and marginalized groups rather than political leaders, emphasizing class struggles and systemic injustices.\n* \"The Intelligent Man's Guide to Science\" by Isaac Asimov (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive outline of scientific knowledge, covering fields like physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy, and earth science. It communicates complex scientific concepts in a way that is accessible to non-specialist readers.\n* \"Das Kapital\" by Karl Marx (1 mention)\n    * Summary: A comprehensive critique of capitalism highlighting its inherent contradictions and imbalances. Marx diagnoses the capitalist system as one in which the rich get richer at the expense of the working class. The book has been influential in shaping socialist and communist thought.\n* \"You are Not So Smart\" by David McRaney (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book explores various cognitive biases, logical fallacies, and memory missteps that humans commonly succumb to. The author uses humor and personal anecdotes to make neuroscience and psychology accessible, challenging readers to question their perceptions of the world and themselves.\n* \"Blink\" by Malcolm Gladwell (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Gladwell explores the process of quick decision-making, also known as \"thin-slicing.\" The book delves into both the potential accuracy and the pitfalls of making snap judgments. It demonstrates how our subconscious biases often override our better instincts.\n* \"How To Sell at Margins Higher Than Your Competitors\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book offers detailed advice on how to avoid price competition by creating differentiators and adding value, thereby allowing readers to compete on things other than price.\n*  \"The Surrender Experiment\" by Michael Singer (1 mention)\n    * Summary: The book chronicles the author’s journey from solitude into the business world. It explores the idea of surrendering personal preferences to allow life to guide the way, challenging conventional views about control and outcomes.\n* \"How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World\" by Harry Browne (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This self-help book offers a blueprint for finding personal freedom. It encourages readers to embrace their individual sovereignty and to not be inhibited by societal conventions, effectively teaching how to live on one's own terms.\n* \"Happy by Derren Brown\" and \"The Daily Stoic\" (1 mention, authors not specified)\n    * Summary: \"Happy\" provides a perspective on happiness using the principles of stoic philosophy, challenging modern conceptions of happiness. \"The Daily Stoic\" provides a year's worth of philosophical wisdom from ancient stoics, aimed at allowing people to better respond to life's challenges.\n* \"Guns, Germs, and Steel\" by Jared Diamond (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Diamond investigates the geographical and environmental factors that have shaped the modern world. He argues that civilizations have developed differently across the globe due to variances in geography, climate, vegetation, and animal populations, more so than due to traits inherent to different racial or ethnic groups.\n* \"The Gulag Archipelago\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1 mention)\n    * Summary: Solzhenitsyn unveils the brutal reality of the Soviet Union’s forced labor camp system. It's an exploration of the human capability for evil when unchecked by moral constraints, shedding light on the mechanisms of a totalitarian regime.\n* \"Ecclesiastes\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A book from the Bible that delves into the purpose of life and the vain pursuit of earthly things. It debates the merits of wisdom, wealth, and pleasure, underscoring the transience and ultimate futility of human endeavors, and urging readers to fear God and keep his commandments.\n* \"Women hold up half the sky\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A collection of personal stories illuminating the oppression and resistance of women in developing countries. The book confronts issues like gender inequality, sexual violence, maternal mortality and economic disparity while highlighting the resilience and strength of ordinary women in overcoming them.\n* \"Spell of the Sensuous\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book offers a radical reinterpretation of our relationship with the natural world. It critiques Western civilization’s estrangement from nature, exploring indigenous cultures and offering a philosophical enquiry into human perception and its relation to the environment.\n* \"Kids and the Amiga\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: A guide to using the Amiga computer, aimed at children and early-tweens. It provides a hands-on approach to learning basic computer skills by creating practical programs.\n* \"Hackers\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: The book provides a comprehensive history of hackers, tracing the evolution of hacking culture from the 1950s to the present day. It details the personalities, philosophies, and technical exploits that have defined this diverse and innovative subculture.\n* \"LSD my problem child\" by Albert Hoffmann (1 mention)\n    * Summary: This book is the autobiography of Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who first synthesized LSD. It chronicles his discovery, the subsequent fallout, and his personal experiences with the drug.\n* \"Electric cool aid acid test\" (1 mention, author not specified)\n    * Summary: This book tells the story of novelist Ken Kesey and his band of Merry Pranksters. They embarked on a cross-country bus journey, experimenting with LSD and challenging societal norms, becoming pivotal figures in the psychedelic movement and the counterculture of the 1960s.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"Spell of the Sensuous\" (1 mention, author not specified)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37937235,
          "author": "jazzyjackson",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:45:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937235",
          "commentText": "women hold up half the sky. i was ignorant to a lot of suffering in the world before I read this book. very emotional read.\nspell of the sensuous. mind bending history of the alphabet, the effect of being literate on your ways of thinking and an introduction to phenomenology and our original sin of considering \"nature\" to be an \"other\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "spell of the sensuous. mind bending history of the alphabet, the effect of being literate on your ways of thinking and an introduction to phenomenology",
          "reason": "The commenter describes its account of literacy's effects on thought and its introduction to phenomenology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Abram"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ecology",
        "phenomenology",
        "literacy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-spinoza-problem-cd7ae1",
      "title": "The Spinoza Problem",
      "author": "Irvin D. Yalom",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22721036,
          "author": "diehunde",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T17:57:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22721036",
          "commentText": "By Irvin Yalom. Great if you also want to learn bit of philosophy:\n- When Nietzsche Wept\n- The Schopenhauer Cure\n- The Spinoza Problem",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Spinoza Problem",
          "reason": "Listed as a fiction recommendation in response to the thread’s request.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Irvin D. Yalom"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "philosophical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-spirit-level-why-more-equal-societies-almost-always-do-better-c45600",
      "title": "The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better",
      "author": "Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1569084,
          "author": "gahahaha",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:07:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569084",
          "commentText": "The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better\nIt charts a connection between the income gap and everything from crime to illness and under-education. Got it two weeks ago. Blew me away. Easy to read too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better\nIt charts a connection between the income gap and everything from crime to illness and under-education. Got it two weeks ago. Blew me away. Easy to read too.",
          "reason": "Says the book’s account of inequality’s links to social outcomes was astonishing and easy to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "income inequality",
        "public health",
        "social epidemiology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-spirit-of-christianity-and-its-fate-141218",
      "title": "The Spirit of Christianity and Its Fate",
      "author": "G. W. F. Hegel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39731087,
          "author": "debtless4080",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-17T01:30:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39731087",
          "commentText": "Destiny disrupted: A History of the world through Islamic eyes, Tamim Ansary\nEarly Theological Writings, Hegel. Specifically 'The spirit of Christianity and it's Fate'.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Specifically 'The spirit of Christianity and it's Fate'.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "G. W. F. Hegel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian theology",
        "german idealism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-spiritual-seeker-s-guide-ce9f28",
      "title": "The Spiritual Seeker's Guide",
      "author": "Richard Craze",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36106974,
          "author": "MollyRealized",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T19:31:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36106974",
          "commentText": "I might suggest THE SPIRITUAL SEEKER'S GUIDE [1].  I have no idea what made me find it long ago.  It lists a very large number of religions, summarizes each briefly, and describes where you can find more if it interests you.\n[1] - https://www.amazon.com/dp/1880741288/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "THE SPIRITUAL SEEKER'S GUIDE",
          "reason": "Suggested for its brief summaries of many religions and pointers to further information.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they have no idea what led them to find it long ago.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Craze"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comparative religion",
        "religious traditions"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-splendid-and-the-vile-224029",
      "title": "The Splendid and the Vile",
      "author": "Erik Larson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32197905,
          "author": "abbadadda",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:33:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197905",
          "commentText": "_The Splendid and The Vile._ My sister recommended it, and it was great on audiobook. I found the stories about Beaverbrook especially interesting. I found the insight fascinating into what Churchill was thinking during the war, how much he leaned on his closest advisors, and how badly some of Hitler's advisors fucked up. I wound up reading (or listening) to it through the lens of how important relationships are in whatever kind of work that we do. Also, in 2021 I read _The Moral Animal: Why We Are the Way We Are_ and it was the best book I've read in years.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "_The Splendid and The Vile._ My sister recommended it, and it was great on audiobook.",
          "reason": "The commenter says their sister recommended it and describes it positively.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Erik Larson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "winston churchill",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-splendid-and-the-vile-a-saga-of-churchill-family-and-defiance-d2acdc",
      "title": "The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz",
      "author": "Erik Larson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25531547,
          "author": "tracer4201",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T21:21:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25531547",
          "commentText": "The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson. This is a factual account of 1940 and 1941 England, told as a day by day or month by month narrative describing Churchill and his close circle as the Germans ramped up their bombing campaign.\nIt reads like a thriller, and it taught me so much about the history of the war that I never learned in high school or college.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson. This is a factual account of 1940 and 1941 England, told as a day by day or month by month narrative describing Churchill and his close circle as the Germans ramped up their bombing campaign.\nIt reads like a thriller, and it taught me so much about the history of the war that I never learned in high school or college.",
          "reason": "Says it reads like a thriller and taught them about the history of the war.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Erik Larson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "the blitz",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sports-gene-75c08f",
      "title": "The Sports Gene",
      "author": "David Epstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10785513,
          "author": "projektir",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:40:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785513",
          "commentText": "Daring Greatly by Brené Brown - discussion of shame culture, its effects on people, and how to combat it - pretty good book about a topic that doesn't get raised often enough, even if I don't agree with everything the author says.\nThe Sports Gene by David Epstein - how genetics may affect sport performance (and not only that); a bit of a counterpoint to Gladwell's Outliers - probably my favorite book this year.\nThe Martian by Andy Weir - a guy tries to survive on Mars - found this one rather bland. I would have liked to see more psychology and less calculations, and I am not sure how I feel about its presentation of the scientific community.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "probably my favorite book this year.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it probably their favorite book of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Epstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "genetics",
        "sports science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sports-gene-inside-the-science-of-extraordinary-athletic-perf-cc7098",
      "title": "The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance",
      "author": "David Epstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18744369,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T04:11:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744369",
          "commentText": "* The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCullough\n* Higher: A Historic Race to the Sky and the Making of a City by Neal Bascomb\n* Caesar’s Last Breath: Decoding the Secrets of the Air Around Us by Sam Kean\n* Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari\n* A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts by Andrew Chaikin\n* The Actor’s Life: A survival guide by Jenna Fischer\n* The Interstellar Age: The Story of the NASA Men and Women Who Flew the Forty-Year Voyager Mission by Jim Bell\n* The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance by David Epstein\n* Uncommon People: The Rise and Fall of the Rock Stars 1955-1994 by David Hepworth\n* Chasing Space: An Astronaut's Story of Grit, Grace, & Second Chances by Leland Melvin\n* The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough\n* Jefferson: Architect of American Liberty by John B. Boles",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance by David Epstein",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite nonfiction book read in 2018.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Epstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "athletic performance",
        "sports science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-spy-who-came-in-from-the-cold-e67f45",
      "title": "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold",
      "author": "John le Carré",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45304576,
          "author": "jorisboris",
          "createdAt": "2025-09-19T18:02:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 45283087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45304576",
          "commentText": "Yes, I’ve read the spy who came in from the cold, and i tried to read a perfect spy\nI liked the first one but its very raw and dark, no glitter and glamour\nI quit the second one, part of the book are flashback scenes and I had a hard time staying concentrated, i forgot why exactly i didnt like those scenes",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Yes, I’ve read the spy who came in from the cold",
          "reason": "The commenter says they liked this book.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in spy fiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as raw and dark, without glamour.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John le Carré"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cold war",
        "spy fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-spy-s-son-the-true-story-of-the-highest-ranking-cia-officer-e-ca7d02",
      "title": "The Spy’s Son: The True Story of the Highest-Ranking CIA Officer Ever Convicted of Espionage and the Son He Trained to Spy for Russia",
      "author": "Bryan Denson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15961256,
          "author": "strictnein",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:22:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961256",
          "commentText": "Sorry, this got a little longer than I meant it to be\n- Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed - It's over 20 years old now but still really good, especially if you're into planes like the U-2, F-117, and SR-71\nIf you're wanting a deeper understanding of the other side of the war on terror, I'd recommend the following:\n- I Was Told to Come Alone: My Journey Behind the Lines of Jihad\n- Salafi-Jihadism: The History of an Idea\n- The Way of the Strangers: Encounters with the Islamic State\n- After the Prophet: The Epic Story of the Shia-Sunni Split in Islam\n- The Black Banners: The Inside Story of 9/11 and the War Against al-Qaeda\nIf you're wanting a dive into Russia:\n- The Invention of Russia: From Gorbachev's Freedom to Putin's War\n- The Red Web: The Struggle Between Russia's Digital Dictators and the New Online Revolutionaries\n- Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible: The Surreal Heart of the New Russia\nIf you're wanting true Spy stuff:\n- The Billion Dollar Spy: A True Story of Cold War Espionage and Betrayal\n- The Spy's Son: The True Story of the Highest-Ranking CIA Officer Ever Convicted of Espionage and the Son He Trained to Spy for Russia\n- Left of Boom: How a Young CIA Case Officer Penetrated the Taliban and Al-Qaeda (the author is a little full of himself, but still, it's interesting)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Spy's Son: The True Story of the Highest-Ranking CIA Officer Ever Convicted of Espionage and the Son He Trained to Spy for Russia",
          "reason": "Listed under the commenter’s recommendations for spy stories.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in espionage and intelligence work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bryan Denson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cia",
        "espionage",
        "russia"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-square-and-the-tower-3959f5",
      "title": "The Square and the Tower",
      "author": "Niall Ferguson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23858983,
          "author": "jakozaur",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:53:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858983",
          "commentText": "Forward looking:\nDisunited Nations: The Scramble for Power in an Ungoverned World\nDoughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist\nAI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order\nHistorical:\nThe Birth of Plenty: How the Prosperity of the Modern World was Created\nWhy Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty\nGeneral:\nPredictably Irrational, Revised and Expanded Edition: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions\nThe Square and the Tower: Networks and Power, from the Freemasons to Facebook",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Square and the Tower: Networks and Power, from the Freemasons to Facebook",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Niall Ferguson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "networks",
        "power"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-staff-engineer-s-path-e7a188",
      "title": "The Staff Engineer's Path",
      "author": "Tanya Reilly",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33861301,
          "author": "zb",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-05T04:01:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33861301",
          "commentText": "I’m currently reading The Staff Engineer's Path by Tanya Reilly and it’s really good (so far). It’s a great thing to read at the point it sounds like you have reached, where programming a little better is no longer going to move the needle, even if you aren’t in a position to apply everything in it yet.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I’m currently reading The Staff Engineer's Path by Tanya Reilly and it’s really good (so far).",
          "reason": "Recommends it for the stage where better programming alone no longer has much impact.",
          "audience": "People whose impact now depends on more than improving their programming.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is still reading it and qualifies the praise with “so far.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tanya Reilly"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "engineering leadership",
        "staff engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-stand-2bf3f0",
      "title": "The Stand",
      "author": "Stephen King",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40289299,
          "author": "themadturk",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T18:04:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40289299",
          "commentText": "The Soul Of A New Machine, by Tracy Kidder - \nThe history of computing fascinates me, and this is one of my favorite books on the topic.\nHackers, by Steven Levy -\nAgain, computing history, and especially relevant to me because I started personal computing in the mid-80s and like reading about the stuff I missed. Levy is always fun to read. There are a lot of good books on the microcomputer revolution, this one is just my favorite.\nBird By Bird, by Anne Lamott -\nIt's not just a book about writing, but a book about living. Lamott is a born storyteller, and every one of her non-fiction books is inspiring and highly readable.\nOn Writing, by Stephen King -\nI am not a King fan. The only fiction piece he's written I come back to is The Stand. But the story of how he became a writer, and his life as a writer, gives me hope for my own writing. And his advice is valuable; even if I don't like his books, I can't argue with his success.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The only fiction piece he's written I come back to is The Stand.",
          "reason": "Mentioned as the only Stephen King fiction the commenter returns to.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are not a Stephen King fan.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15671440,
          "author": "gravidor",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-10T17:33:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15671440",
          "commentText": "The Name of the Wind - For all the reasons mentioned above, is one of my absolute favorite fiction books.  Its not just the characters, its Rothfuss' use of language.  I've never kept track of so many quotable phrases in a book.\nEnders Shadow Series by Orson Scott Card - I loved the majority of the Ender's Game series was disappointed when it was over.  Throughout those books, Bean was always my favorite character and it was a great day when I discovered the Ender's Shadow series which chronicles Bean's life over several books. The thing I loved most about Bean were his powers of analysis and he taught me to think more about scenario outcomes and think about multiple ways of achieving my goals.\nDune - A pattern is emerging here.  I love the books where the hero CHOOSES to ascend and works to get there.  Paul Atredies starts out a boy against harsh conditions and rises to the challenge.\nThe Stand by Stephen King - I read this book when I was 14 or 15 on summer break in a week.  I fell in from the start and read for entire days until it was done and when it was over I was in awe at the size (1000+ pages) and scope of what King accomplished.\nThe Alpha Strategy by John Pugsley - Its an interesting book and look at economics and wealth preservation in layman's terms.  Its funny because this book was written in the 80s and when I read it, it was immediately applicable.  I grew up in a pretty liberal household and this book made me start to pay attention to what liberals and conservatives were saying and form my own opinions.\nAtlas Shrugged - I read this right after the book above and the two in combination really caused a mindeset shift for me. It wasn't so much that everyone is out to get me or against me, but more I am responsible for my outcomes and I need to invest in myself.\nE-Myth Revisited By Michael Gerber - Piqued my interest in systems and where I started to learn the value of systems and making success repeatable.\nWorking the System By Sam Carpenter - More of the \"how-to\" book E-Myth Revisited should have been.\nDaemon Series - This one has been mentioned and while it didn't have the impact on my that the other books did, I did enjoy the world the author created.\nThieves Emporium by Max Hernandez - This was a quick read and appealed to my love of technical fiction.  Similar to Daemon, its use of technology in the story is interesting and not that far off from the real world at this point.  [WARNING: GRAPHIC SCENES]\nI was unambitious and coasted through life until after college, and it wasn't until I was in my late 20s that I started really reading books like these.  Over the past few years, I've become almost a completely different person.  I read a tremendous amount and can say its had a huge impact on my \"mental models\" and how I approach life.\nBooks I'm interested in reading next include: \n- Meditations\n- Works on mental models\n- Elon Musk biography (the amount he's able to accomplish quickly is staggering)\nI don't read as much fiction as I used to, instead choosing to focus on technical books, but fiction has definitely had an impact on my development as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I fell in from the start and read for entire days until it was done",
          "reason": "Describes being absorbed by the book and in awe of its scale and scope.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen King"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "post apocalyptic fiction",
        "epic novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-standard-c-library-9abd34",
      "title": "The Standard C Library",
      "author": "P. J. Plauger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1213049,
          "author": "nfnaaron",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-23T15:02:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1212675,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I use and love Python. What's the best book to learn C ?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1213049",
          "commentText": "From my C days, I second and third Harbison & Steele. I learned from K&R, but I learned better from H&S.\nFrom this list (can't say how current they are),\nhttp://www.c-faq.com/resources/sd19.html\nI liked:\n  - K&R and H&S (if you have to choose, H&S)\n  - The Standard C Library, P.J.Plauger.\n  - C Traps and Pitfalls, Andrew Koenig.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Standard C Library, P.J.Plauger.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed among books the commenter liked; no further detail is given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "P. J. Plauger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming",
        "standard libraries"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-startup-owner-s-manual-the-step-by-step-guide-for-building-a--73aad1",
      "title": "The Startup Owner's Manual: The Step-by-Step Guide for Building a Great Company",
      "author": "Steve Blank and Bob Dorf",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4967773,
          "author": "smartial_arts",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T01:23:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967773",
          "commentText": "1. \"59 Seconds\"\nhttp://amzn.to/12DMx27\nA good no-nonsense self-help book. Outlines set of strategies for dealing with challenging situations in everyday life, touching on areas such as Parenting, Career, Dating. Author also looks into common misconceptions about how we function and which mental tricks are efficient and which are not so much.\n2. \"Start Small, Stay Small: - A Developer's Guide to Launching a Startup\"\nhttp://amzn.to/12DMzHt\nI actually have a blog post on it here - http://blog.nimblegecko.com/when-your-drugs-wear-off/ - in short it's a book for developers that focuses on how to start building an online product, with heavy emphasis on market, and marketing. It also addresses some of the common mistakes we, as developers, tend to make when conceiving and carrying out the execution of an idea.\n3. \"The Startup Owner's Manual: The Step-by-Step Guide for Building a Great Company \"\nebook - http://amzn.to/V3BxWq\ndead tree book - http://amzn.to/12DNfwd\nThis is classic, really. What was interesting for me in particular is the types of markets that a startup launches to - new market, resegmenting an existing market (low-end, high-end, specific features), clone market, and all of the limitations/dangers/expectations/growth profiles that choice of marketing strategy entails.\n4. \"Core Transformation: Reaching the wellspring within\"\nhttp://amzn.to/Vw5nAR\nNot that I've only read this book in 2012, but I keep returning to it - that's probably one of not too many truly life changing books for me. It contains very simple, yet very efficient reframing exercise (think NLP) that helps to uncover the true motivations behind behaviours that you don't like in yourself, and change those for good, yet in a completely unexpected and never predictable ways.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Startup Owner's Manual: The Step-by-Step Guide for Building a Great Company \"",
          "reason": "Called a classic; its discussion of startup markets and marketing strategies was particularly interesting to the commenter.",
          "audience": "People building a startup.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve Blank",
        "Bob Dorf"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "market strategy",
        "startups"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-startup-success-guide-76f830",
      "title": "The Startup Success Guide",
      "author": "Wil Schroter and Brad Feld",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1568428,
          "author": "PaulJoslin",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T18:02:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 1567456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I want to start a web company what books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1568428",
          "commentText": "While I'm at it. I'll tell you about some other's I have read.\n- Getting Real by 37 Signals http://gettingreal.37signals.com/\n- Rework by 37 Signals http://37signals.com/rework/\nThese are great and really get your mind thinking about alternatives to what most people believe.\n- Sarah Lacy's Once your lucky, twice you're good. http://www.amazon.com/Once-Youre-Lucky-Twice-Good/dp/1592403... (http://www.amazon.com/Once-Youre-Lucky-Twice-Good/dp/1592403824)\nThis isn't a technical book, but can really get you motivated to succeed reading the stories of previous successes! It also gives a bit of an insight into the internal workings of a start up in the early stages. It highlights networking as an important factor!\n- Start up success guide - http://www.amazon.com/Startup-Success-Guide-Books-Profession... (http://www.amazon.com/Startup-Success-Guide-Books-Professionals/dp/1430219858/)\nThis book was quite good, but felt a bit dated in comparison to Rob Walling's 'Start up book'.\nFinally 'Founders at work' is definitely worth a read. http://www.amazon.com/Founders-Work-Stories-Startups-Problem... (http://www.amazon.com/Founders-Work-Stories-Startups-Problem-Solution/dp/1430210788/)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "This book was quite good, but felt a bit dated in comparison to Rob Walling's 'Start up book'.",
          "reason": "Calls it quite good, while finding it dated compared with Walling's book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Felt a bit dated in comparison to Rob Walling's book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Wil Schroter and Brad Feld"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "startup"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-startup-wife-b8817e",
      "title": "The Startup Wife",
      "author": "Tahmima Anam",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28060631,
          "author": "code_Whisperer",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-04T13:14:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28060631",
          "commentText": "The one that sticks in my head the most (and which I did not think I would enjoy based on the book jacket blurb) is \"Children of Time\" by Adrian Tchaikovsky. I highly recommend to anyone who listens. I also recently encountered \"The Fifth Science\" by someone named 'Exurb1a' and enjoyed it so much that I am now reading another of his books named \"Geometry for Ocelots\"\nAndy Weir's \"Hail Mary\" is an imaginative and fun read, as is \"The Startup Wife\" by Tahmima Anam. Oh! And \"The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet' (or almost anything else) by Becky Chambers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Startup Wife\" by Tahmima Anam",
          "reason": "Includes it among enjoyable reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tahmima Anam"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "relationships",
        "technology startups"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-state-of-the-art-954178",
      "title": "The State of the Art",
      "author": "Iain Banks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8261745,
          "author": "brerlapn",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-03T06:23:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8261745",
          "commentText": "Advanced API Security by Prabath Siriwardena\nJust started it, but so far it's a well-written discussion of OAuth, OpenID Connect, UMA, and JSON for API security.\nThe State of the Art by Iain Banks\nI have been forcing myself to ration out the Culture books so I don't run through them too quickly.  Such a great series.\nThe Trauma of Everyday Life by Mark Epstein\nThe fourth book I've read by him, a really good synthesis of Buddhism and psychology.  I was pleasantly surprised to see him appear in Dan Harris's 10% Happier, too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The State of the Art by Iain Banks\nI have been forcing myself to ration out the Culture books so I don't run through them too quickly.  Such a great series.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the Culture books a great series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Iain Banks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "culture series"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-stoic-challenge-a-philosopher-s-guide-to-becoming-tougher-cal-c2f976",
      "title": "The Stoic Challenge: A Philosopher's Guide to Becoming Tougher, Calmer, and More Resilient",
      "author": "William B. Irvine",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25935058,
          "author": "salas88",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-27T22:34:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25935058",
          "commentText": "At the top of my list is \"The Stoic Challenge: A Philosopher's Guide to Becoming Tougher, Calmer, and More Resilient.\"\nI find it an easy guide for developing resilience, which is necessary to go through the world's crisis.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "At the top of my list is \"The Stoic Challenge: A Philosopher's Guide to Becoming Tougher, Calmer, and More Resilient.\"",
          "reason": "At the top of the commenter's reading list; says it is an easy guide to developing resilience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Presented as needed to cope with the world's crisis.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William B. Irvine"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "resilience",
        "stoicism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-stone-canal-de6f07",
      "title": "The Stone Canal",
      "author": "Ken MacLeod",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1226945,
          "author": "berntb",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T17:06:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226945",
          "commentText": "I also liked most of those. I'm just reading Blindsight, wonderful.\nThe only one I hated was \"Market forces\" by Morgan. It felt like reading \"The Pilgrim's Progress\", but with Chomsky as Jesus -- a little bit too heavy handed in political propaganda. For that kind of stuff done in a fascinating way, check Ken MacLeod's \"The Stone Canal\" and following.\n(Asher got a little too much of Space Opera for me, in the end.)\nFor sf, I'd add Greg Egan (Stross has been mentioned multiple times).\nI'd also like to recommend the worst author I used to buy books in hardcover from -- Robert L Forward. The guy couldn't have written a believable character to save his life, but he had some cool physics ideas. RIP.\nFor fantasy, which I didn't see mentioned, I'd add Scott Lynch, most stuff by Jack Vance, the black company series (Glen Cook), Joe Abercrombie and Vlad Taltos (Brust).\nDawkins' Selfish Gene has been mentioned. Steven Pinker was interesting.\nEdit: Re Schoeder, I've heard good things but not read anything yet. Thanks for advice and kick to start.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "check Ken MacLeod's \"The Stone Canal\" and following.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a fascinating treatment of that kind of material.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ken MacLeod"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political science fiction",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-storm-before-the-storm-2bcbda",
      "title": "The Storm Before the Storm",
      "author": "Mike Duncan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18663282,
          "author": "bun_at_work",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:22:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663282",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction:\n- Factfulness by Hans Rosling\n- The War on Science by Shawn Otto\n- Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell\n- A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson\n- The Storm Before the Storm by Mike Duncan\n- The Enigma of Reason by Hugo Mercier\nFiction:\n- And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie\n- The Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson\n- The Magicians by Lev Grossman\nThe non-fiction books were all incredible and highly recommended. I especially appreciate The War on Science as it is highly relevant in today's polarized and emotional political climate.\nThe fiction books were good, for the most part. However, The Magicians might be the worst book I have ever read, not limited to fiction or fantasy. For more on that, ask.\nI managed to read significantly more books this year due to joining an at-work book club, which has been very nice.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The non-fiction books were all incredible and highly recommended.",
          "reason": "Included among the nonfiction books the commenter calls incredible and highly recommended.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mike Duncan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political history",
        "roman republic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-storm-before-the-storm-the-beginning-of-the-end-of-the-roman--e8e24e",
      "title": "The Storm Before the Storm: The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic",
      "author": "Mike Duncan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16300007,
          "author": "jkmcf",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T22:17:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16300007",
          "commentText": "Here's a brand new one, from a famous history podcaster, Mike Duncan of The History of Rome fame.\nThe Storm Before the Storm: The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic\nIt would have been great if everyone had read this in the 80s, 90s, 2000s...\nAn under-analyzed period of Roman history.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Storm Before the Storm: The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic\nIt would have been great if everyone had read this in the 80s, 90s, 2000s...",
          "reason": "Says it would have been great if people had read the book earlier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mike Duncan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient rome",
        "roman republic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-story-of-art-8ddc6a",
      "title": "The Story of Art",
      "author": "E. H. Gombrich",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9674216,
          "author": "costea",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T11:31:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674216",
          "commentText": "Ernst Gombrich - The story of art",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ernst Gombrich - The story of art",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "E. H. Gombrich"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "art history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-story-of-utopias-353c24",
      "title": "The Story of Utopias",
      "author": "Lewis Mumford",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39057520,
          "author": "max_",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T16:45:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39057520",
          "commentText": "Lewis Mumford's Books;\n- Technics & Civilization\n- The Culture of Cities\n- The Story of Utopias\nLewis Mumford talks about technology, but from an anthropological pint of view.\nAnother book I would recommend is The Nature of Technology by Brian Arthur\nThe other I would recommend is James Burk's Connections he's has some books but I but the documentary is highly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- The Story of Utopias",
          "reason": "Listed among Mumford's books about technology and society.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lewis Mumford"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "technology and society",
        "utopian thought"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-story-of-an-hour-05503a",
      "title": "The Story of an Hour",
      "author": "Kate Chopin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20914562,
          "author": "bmmayer1",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T01:45:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914562",
          "commentText": "Economics:\n- The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith\n- Das Kapital, Karl Marx\n- That Which Is Seen, and That Which Is Not Seen, Frederic Bastiat\nPhilosophy / Politics:\n- The Republic, Plato\n- Second Treatise on Government, John Locke\n- The Law, Frederic Bastiat\n- Leviathan, Thomas Hobbes\n- Meditations, Marcus Aurelius\n- Democracy in America, Alexis de Toqueville\n- On Liberty, John Stuart Mill\nFiction:\n- The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, Mark Twain\n- The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin\n- Metamorphoses, Franz Kafka\n- Candide, Voltaire\n- The Count of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kate Chopin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-story-of-the-human-body-f76fd4",
      "title": "The Story of the Human Body",
      "author": "Daniel E. Lieberman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13243762,
          "author": "urza",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-23T08:57:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13243762",
          "commentText": "Highlights:\nHarry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\nWhen Three Worlds Collide\nPermutation City\nThe Story of Human Body\nIncognito: the secret life of your brain",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Story of Human Body",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel E. Lieberman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolutionary biology",
        "human evolution"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-story-of-the-mongols-whom-we-call-the-tartars-2f9e8e",
      "title": "The Story of the Mongols Whom We Call the Tartars",
      "author": "Giovanni da Pian del Carpine",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22096012,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T03:16:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22096012",
          "commentText": "You will love this book: The Story of the Mongols Whom We Call the Tartars by Friar Giovanni Carpini.\nThe cover itself is worth the price of the book - https://www.amazon.com/Story-Mongols-Whom-Call-Tartars/dp/08... (https://www.amazon.com/Story-Mongols-Whom-Call-Tartars/dp/0828320179/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=The+Story+of+the+Mongols%3A+Whom+We+Call+the+Tartars&qid=1579490057&s=books&sr=1-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Story of the Mongols Whom We Call the Tartars by Friar Giovanni Carpini.",
          "reason": "Directly recommends the book and says its cover alone is worth the price.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Giovanni da Pian del Carpine"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "medieval travel",
        "mongol empire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-strange-case-of-dr-jekyll-and-mr-hyde-6ef2f8",
      "title": "The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde",
      "author": "Robert Louis Stevenson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2963436,
          "author": "aorshan",
          "createdAt": "2011-09-05T21:59:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 2963294,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Got a Kindle. What now? What books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2963436",
          "commentText": "I would recommend taking a look through all of the free classics available on the Kindle store. There are thousands of old books that are out of copyright and are completely free to download. You can find stuff like the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, papers by einstein, Gulliver's Travels, Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde, Dracula, and lots of other really great reads.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde",
          "reason": "Recommended as one of the free classics available on Kindle.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for free classic books on Kindle.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Louis Stevenson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dual identity",
        "gothic fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-strange-last-voyage-of-donald-crowhurst-f693ce",
      "title": "The Strange Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42656952,
          "author": "JohnMakin",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T16:15:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42656952",
          "commentText": "If you're interested in a book about massive failure - read the story of Donald Crowhurst (The Strange Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst is the book, there is also a documentary out there). It's hard to tell much without spoiling it, but basically, a highly publicized sailing competition was sponsored in the mid 20th century to see who could be the first person in history to solo circumnavigate the globe with a sailboat. Crowhurst had little to no sailing experience, and mostly sold navigation equipment and gadgets for sailing - a weekend warrior - and bet his entire future and business to support his entry into this endeavor. It erm... did not go well, and got increasingly worse, then almost ok.. then absolutely not okay. They don't know what truly happened in the end, but what did survive shows he went mad at sea from the likely pressure he was under.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Strange Last Voyage of Donald Crowhurst is the book",
          "reason": "Recommended as a story about Donald Crowhurst’s failed attempt to solo-circumnavigate the globe.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in a dramatic story of failure and sailing.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the events are hard to describe without spoiling the story and that the truth of the ending is unknown.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "donald crowhurst",
        "failure",
        "sailing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-strange-life-of-ivan-osokin-62f5ca",
      "title": "The Strange Life of Ivan Osokin",
      "author": "P. D. Ouspensky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 876637,
          "author": "electromagnetic",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T13:20:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876637",
          "commentText": "Fiction: The Strange Life of Ivan Osokin, it made me realize that the things I wanted wouldn't just come to me if I waited around.\nNon-fiction: Surely, you're joking, Mr Feynman! It made me realize that even the most highly qualified people are still just people and can just as easily be wrong as anyone else, a fact Feynman appeared to use to his advantage constantly.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Strange Life of Ivan Osokin, it made me realize that the things I wanted wouldn't just come to me if I waited around.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed how they think about waiting for what they want.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "P. D. Ouspensky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fantasy",
        "second chances"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-strangest-man-61bd04",
      "title": "The Strangest Man",
      "author": "Graham Farmelo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16296923,
          "author": "fiddyschmitt",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T09:37:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296923",
          "commentText": "The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood. An easily digestible summary of information and key figures in its history.\nTuring's Cathedral (or as my brothers call it: Von Neumann's Cathedral). An awesome account of the history of computation, and the obstacles that had to be overcome.\nCryptonomicon. Hilarious\nThe Strangest Man, by Graham Farmelo. A biography of delightfully awkward Paul Dirac.\nThe Library of Babel, by Jorge Luis Borges. Thought provoking and profound.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Strangest Man, by Graham Farmelo. A biography of delightfully awkward Paul Dirac.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a biography of Paul Dirac and calls him delightfully awkward.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Graham Farmelo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "paul dirac",
        "physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-strategy-paradox-2ed72b",
      "title": "The Strategy Paradox",
      "author": "Michael E. Raynor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6414260,
          "author": "hvass",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-19T20:59:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6414260",
          "commentText": "The Black Swan (anything by Taleb really), Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Letters from a Stoic by Seneca, Epictetus' Discourses, Fish that ate the whale by Rich Cohen, Man's Search for Meaning,  Titan, Principles by Ray Dalio (not really a book, but really worth reading, plus it's free), 4HW by Tim Ferris, The Strategy Paradox.\nAlso Teddy Roosevelt's biography has been very influential.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Strategy Paradox",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books that changed one's life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael E. Raynor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "strategic uncertainty",
        "strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-strategy-of-conflict-05fd2d",
      "title": "The Strategy of Conflict",
      "author": "Thomas Schelling",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9674336,
          "author": "Symmetry",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T12:16:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674336",
          "commentText": "I'm just going to answer with the books that rearranged my understanding of the world the most.  In no particular order.\n\"Thinking Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman.\n\"Quantum Computing since Democritus\" by Scott Aaronson.\n\"The Strategy of Conflict\" by Thomas Schelling.\n\"Guns, Germs, and Steel\" and \"The World until Yesterday\" by Jared Diamond.\n\"The Retreat To Commitment\" by W. W. Bartley.\n\"The Myth of the Rational Voter\" by Bryan Caplan.  Despite the name it made me appreciate democracy a lot more.\n\"Wars, Guns, and Votes\" by Paul Collier.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Strategy of Conflict\" by Thomas Schelling.",
          "reason": "Included among books that rearranged the commenter's understanding of the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Schelling"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "game theory",
        "strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-strategy-of-peace-bb8d73",
      "title": "The Strategy of Peace",
      "author": "John F. Kennedy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25531548,
          "author": "randmeerkat",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T21:22:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25531548",
          "commentText": "The Strategy of Peace by John F. Kennedy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Strategy of Peace by John F. Kennedy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John F. Kennedy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "peace"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-street-of-crocodiles-a1bded",
      "title": "The Street of Crocodiles",
      "author": "Bruno Schulz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41175744,
          "author": "WarOnPrivacy",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:49:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175744",
          "commentText": "The only book. The Street of Crocodiles by Bruno Schulz.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Street of Crocodiles by Bruno Schulz",
          "reason": "Named as the commenter’s sole book recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruno Schulz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-structure-and-interpretation-of-computer-programs-31644e",
      "title": "The Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs",
      "author": "Harold Abelson, Gerald Jay Sussman, Julie Sussman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1971239,
          "author": "celoyd",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T08:31:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971239",
          "commentText": "An obvious technical one: The Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs. That might have saved me a lot of time to read in early adolescence. (Or maybe it was better to have to figure things out in my own half-assed way. Time travel is tricky.)\nBut something like Francis Bacon’s Essays might be more important. Seeing that lively and methodical a mind right at the horizon of easy readability would have been a powerful clue about how people think and how far afield it’s useful to look for interesting things.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs. That might have saved me a lot of time to read in early adolescence.",
          "reason": "Says it might have saved them time if read in early adolescence.",
          "audience": "Early adolescents interested in computing.",
          "caveat": "The commenter considers that figuring things out independently may have been better.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Harold Abelson, Gerald Jay Sussman, Julie Sussman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer programming",
        "lisp"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-student-as-nigger-bcb3e6",
      "title": "The Student as Nigger",
      "author": "Jerry Farber",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1634183,
          "author": "dandrews",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-25T21:14:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1634183",
          "commentText": "The Student as Nigger, Jerry Farber's collection of essays published circa 1970.  Powerful, angry, and a product of its time (Farber was active in the civil rights movement), it exposed the university social dynamic in raw terms.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Student as Nigger, Jerry Farber's collection of essays published circa 1970. Powerful, angry, and a product of its time",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as powerful and says it exposed university social dynamics in raw terms.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it a product of its time.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jerry Farber"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "civil rights",
        "higher education"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-stupidity-paradox-e13b10",
      "title": "The Stupidity Paradox",
      "author": "Mats Alvesson and André Spicer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32936161,
          "author": "epolanski",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T08:23:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936161",
          "commentText": "- The Way of The Superior Man. The only \"self help\" book I give any credit. It really boils down to encouraging people to have a purpose in life and accept ourselves.\n- The Stupidity Paradox. Ever feel the world works in a \"stupid\" way? That your organization keeps promoting stupid ideas? Read this book and get into the roots of functional stupidity. It's a bit repetitive, but extremely insightful book.\n- Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs. The book I most recommend for any software professional.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Stupidity Paradox.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it examines functional stupidity in organizations and offers insight into why organizations promote stupid ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is a bit repetitive.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mats Alvesson",
        "André Spicer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "functional stupidity",
        "organizational behavior"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-subtle-art-of-not-giving-a-f-ck-a-counterintuitive-approach-t-eb2cfa",
      "title": "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life",
      "author": "Mark Manson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42963613,
          "author": "eamag",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-06T15:58:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42963613",
          "commentText": "- Three Comrades by Erich Maria Remarque\n- Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky\n- and also somehow The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Manson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self help"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-subtle-art-of-not-giving-a-fuck-575662",
      "title": "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck",
      "author": "Mark Manson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15964246,
          "author": "matchmike1313",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T21:05:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15964246",
          "commentText": "1. 10% Happier\n2. Traction\n3. Unshakable\n4. Shoe Dog (This has been my favorite book thus far of 2017, I did not think it would of left such a lasting impression on me about life and success and business)\n5. Start with Why\n6. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*uck",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "6. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*uck",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking which books the commenter would recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15963444,
          "author": "csnewb",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T19:40:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15963444",
          "commentText": "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck is a cringy read, I couldn't get past the first chapter. Deep Work as a whole can be summarized in a sentence. My interpretation is: put away distractions and focus on getting things done. There's other advice there but none of it is anything you haven't heard of before. CODE is great on the other hand. Just skip the nonsense self-help stuff.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck is a cringy read, I couldn't get past the first chapter.",
          "reason": "Criticizes the book as cringy and says they could not get past its first chapter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Could not get past the first chapter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Manson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self help"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-success-manual-700921",
      "title": "The Success Manual",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2174198,
          "author": "pramit",
          "createdAt": "2011-02-03T09:21:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 2172825,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: If you could recommend only three management books...",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2174198",
          "commentText": "Shamelss plug: The Success Manual - Contains concise actionable summaries from 200+ Greatest Business and Self-help books of all time. 600+ pages PDF $14.95",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Success Manual - Contains concise actionable summaries from 200+ Greatest Business and Self-help books of all time.",
          "reason": "Promoted as a collection of concise, actionable summaries of business and self-help books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment describes it as a 600-page PDF for $14.95.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business summaries",
        "self help"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-success-system-that-never-fails-659bf1",
      "title": "The Success System That Never Fails",
      "author": "W. Clement Stone",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10234196,
          "author": "davemel37",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T16:13:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10234196",
          "commentText": "My runner up sales books are:\nBe My Guest by Conrad Hilton \nThe Success System That Never Fails by W. clement stone\nThe Ultimate Sales Letter by Dan Kennedy\nThe Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin\nWatch all of Brene Browns TED talks about vulnerability. \nSales requires trust and trust is built on connection and connection is built by being vulnerable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Success System That Never Fails by W. clement stone",
          "reason": "Lists it among the commenter's runner-up sales books.",
          "audience": "People interested in sales, trust, and connection.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10234173,
          "author": "davemel37",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T16:09:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10234173",
          "commentText": "Just to add to this list, amything by W. Clement Stone - specifically The Success System That Never Fails.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "specifically The Success System That Never Fails.",
          "reason": "Recommends this title specifically while adding to a list of suggested sales reading.",
          "audience": "People seeking sales and success advice.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. Clement Stone"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sales",
        "success"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-summer-book-4a1fdc",
      "title": "The Summer Book",
      "author": "Tove Jansson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41175683,
          "author": "the-smug-one",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:40:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175683",
          "commentText": "These aren't \"The best\" or whatever, but they're very good:\n- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Summer_Book\n- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoner_%28novel%29\n- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_on_a_winter%27s_night_a_tra... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_on_a_winter%27s_night_a_traveler)\n- I'm currently reading Pyotr Kropotkin's autobiography, it's interesting.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Summer_Book",
          "reason": "Includes it among books the commenter says are very good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter qualifies that these aren't necessarily “the best.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tove Jansson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sun-also-rises-650404",
      "title": "The Sun Also Rises",
      "author": "Ernest Hemingway",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31985192,
          "author": "pramit",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-05T06:58:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31985192",
          "commentText": "Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. For the language and the story.\nThe Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. For the language and the story.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. For the language and the story.",
          "reason": "Named as a rereading choice for its language and story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1868596,
          "author": "robertk",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-04T12:42:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1868596",
          "commentText": "The Brothers Karamazov - Fyodor Dostoevsky\nThe Sun Also Rises - Ernest Hemingway\nChess Openings for Black, Explained",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Sun Also Rises - Ernest Hemingway",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ernest Hemingway"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "modernist literature",
        "expatriate fiction",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sunken-land-begins-to-rise-again-b06f7e",
      "title": "The Sunken Land Begins to Rise Again",
      "author": "M. John Harrison",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37157769,
          "author": "jemmyw",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T05:54:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37157769",
          "commentText": "Blindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts [1] I enjoyed the ideas in these books.\nThe Sunken Land Begins to Rise Again [2] by M. John Harrison. Beautiful writing. His descriptions give me vivid dreams if I read before bed.\nThe Thursday Murder Club [3] by Richard Osman. Light reading, amusing, beginning of a series.\n[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echopraxia_%28novel%29\n[2] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49201192-the-sunken-land... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49201192-the-sunken-land-begins-to-rise-again)\n[3] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54846475-the-thursday-mu... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54846475-the-thursday-murder-club)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Sunken Land Begins to Rise Again [2] by M. John Harrison. Beautiful writing. His descriptions give me vivid dreams if I read before bed.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its writing and vivid descriptions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "M. John Harrison"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dreamlike prose",
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sunlight-dialogues-82ad22",
      "title": "The Sunlight Dialogues",
      "author": "John Gardner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12099199,
          "author": "rolancaster01",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T06:01:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12099199",
          "commentText": "Melville \"Bartlby the Scrivener\" & Ramsey \"When We Are No More: how Digital Memory Is Shaping Our Future\"\nDown \"Brilliant Beacons: a History of the American Lighthouse\"\nKoestler \"Darkness Before Noon\" & \"The Invisible Writing\" & \"The Ghost in the Machine\"\nJohn Gardner - anything really but October light and the sunlight dialogs in particular.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the sunlight dialogs in particular",
          "reason": "The commenter says they particularly like it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Gardner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sunlit-man-f49bc0",
      "title": "The Sunlit Man",
      "author": "Brandon Sanderson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38562603,
          "author": "ashton314",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T22:18:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38562603",
          "commentText": "+1 for Yumi and Tress. You don’t have to be deep into the rest of his books to appreciate them. (Unlike Sunlit Man) The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England was a total hoot—if you want something light and silly, go for that.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "(Unlike Sunlit Man)",
          "reason": "Contrasts it with Yumi and Tress regarding how much familiarity with Sanderson’s other books is needed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter implies it requires deeper familiarity with the author’s other books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brandon Sanderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cosmere"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-supermen-the-story-of-seymour-cray-and-the-technical-wizards--cfd777",
      "title": "The Supermen: The Story of Seymour Cray and the Technical Wizards Behind the Supercomputer",
      "author": "Charles J. Murray",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17205006,
          "author": "n_t",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T13:20:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205006",
          "commentText": "The Supermen: The Story of Seymour Cray and the Technical Wizards Behind the Supercomputer. I found it interesting read but then could be as I was in supercomputing area and could relate to lot of things.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Supermen: The Story of Seymour Cray and the Technical Wizards Behind the Supercomputer",
          "reason": "The commenter found it interesting, particularly because their work in supercomputing made it relatable.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in supercomputing may find it especially relatable.",
          "caveat": "The commenter’s positive reaction may be shaped by their own work in the field.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles J. Murray"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "seymour cray",
        "supercomputing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-supreme-court-in-the-american-system-of-government-511992",
      "title": "The Supreme Court in the American System of Government",
      "author": "Robert H. Jackson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22093129,
          "author": "neplus",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T18:53:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22093129",
          "commentText": "Depends on your definition of practically unknown. With that said, these are the four that immediately spring to mind as being both worth reading and relatively obscure (judging by date of publication in conjunction with being either out of print or with very few star ratings on Amazon).\nDid Monetary Forces Cause the Great Depression? - Peter Termin, 1975\nTermin is still going strong at MIT. His 1975 book was foundational for challenging Friedman on the cause of the Great Depression. Given what was to come in the 1980s this book quickly became overshadowed and destined for obscurity. However, it still provides an appropriate, timely lens to analyze monetary theory without the abstraction that has engrossed economics as of late.\nThe Supreme Court in the American System of Government  - Robert Jackson, 1955\nA series of lectures created for a Harvard lecture series in 1954-55 by Justice Jackson. He suddenly died before being able to deliver them, but they were compiled in a book now out of print. Justice Jackson is widely regarded - across the aisle - as one of the most brilliant legal writers of our time (or perhaps of any time). While this book doesn't set out his entire judicial philosophy, or even do what the title says due to his untimely death, it does lay a valuable conception of the proper role of the SCOTUS within the Republic. Also recommended, to see both his pen and intellect in action, are his opinions in Korematsu v. United States and West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette.\nThe Opium of the Intellectuals - Aron, 1955\nAmazon does a better job of summarizing than I could off the top of my head, so here you go: \"Raymond Aron's 1955 masterpiece The Opium of the Intellectuals, is one of the great works of twentieth- century political reflection. Aron shows how noble ideas can slide into the tyranny of \"secular religion\" and emphasizes how political thought has the profound responsibility of telling the truth about social and political reality-in all its mundane imperfections and tragic complexities.\"\nAn incredibly difficult read that is worth trying to get through. Brimming with ideas and not without its own pitfalls. Tells the story of 20th Century intellectual history and thought as well as any could, although in a rather indirect way.\nThe Protestant Establishment: Aristocracy and Caste in America (Aristocracy & Caste in America) - Baltzell, 1987\nI'll let Amazon summarize again: \"This classic account of the traditional upper class in America traces its origins, lifestyles, and political and social attitudes from the time of Theodore Roosevelt to that of John F. Kennedy. Sociologist E. Digby Baltzell describes the problems of exclusion and prejudice within the community of white Anglo-Saxon Protestants (or WASPs, an acronym he coined) and predicts with amazing accuracy what will happen when this inbred group is forced to share privilege and power with talented members of minority groups.\"\nMy summary would be: what will happen (hypothetically, remember the date of publication) when an ephemeral class (WASPs) suddenly disappear from their previous pedestal of influence? Prescient, widely applicable to other countries with their own quasi-classes, and deeply interesting for those less familiar with the subject.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it does lay a valuable conception of the proper role of the SCOTUS within the Republic",
          "reason": "The commenter says it offers a valuable conception of the Supreme Court's role.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the Supreme Court and American government.",
          "caveat": "The book does not cover Jackson's entire judicial philosophy or fully deliver what its title promises; it is out of print.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert H. Jackson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american government",
        "us supreme court"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-swerve-db1c90",
      "title": "The Swerve",
      "author": "Stephen Greenblatt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36104903,
          "author": "colechristensen",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T15:32:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36104903",
          "commentText": "Christianity:\nThe Swerve - Greenblatt\nThe Kingdom - Carrére\nBoth very much in the sense of historical development of the religion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Swerve - Greenblatt",
          "reason": "Listed as a book on the historical development of Christianity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Greenblatt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christianity",
        "renaissance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-sword-of-kaigen-342530",
      "title": "The Sword of Kaigen",
      "author": "M. L. Wang",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42509344,
          "author": "sanman8119",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T15:51:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42509344",
          "commentText": "Fiction: Sword of Kaigen M.L. Wang\nNon-Fiction: The Will to Changs Bell Hooks",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fiction: Sword of Kaigen M.L. Wang",
          "reason": "Named as the year's fiction pick.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "M. L. Wang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "martial arts"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-symposium-df4df0",
      "title": "The Symposium",
      "author": "Plato",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503416,
          "author": "kkshin",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T09:21:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503416",
          "commentText": "It really depends on what you're looking for, but Philosophy is a field where one philosopher's work is built on top of the other's going all the way back to the ancient Greek's.  Its important (I think anyways) to read the raw texts before you read philosophical commentary so that you have a chance to form your own opinions.  That being said, here's some recommendations of mine that cover a breadth of philosophical subjects and time periods.  Its always good to see someone else want to learn more philsophy, especially if its of their own volition.\nPlato.  Strangely enough, Plato is probably one of the best introductions to philosophy, not only because he was one of the first whose writings survive to modern time, but also because its relatively simple to read and understand.  Some of my personal favorite are 'The Apology', 'The Symposium', and 'The Phaedrus', and of course 'The Republic'.  The weird thing with Plato is you'll never know how much of his writings are his thinking as opposed to Socrates teaching.  I still reread Plato because the stories (most of his writing is in narrative form) are so damn entertaining.\nAristotle.  This is a natural progression from reading Plato.  The 'Nichomachean Ethics' is a cornerstone of ancient philosophy and is a relative simple read.\nJohn Locke/Gottfried Leibniz.  I'll admit, I struggled through 'An Essay of Human Understanding' but this title and Leibniz's rebuttal 'New Essays on Human Understanding' illustrate a historically important philosophical debate between empiricists and rationalists.  Since you're reading 'Common Sense' you might also want to give Locke's 'Second Treatise on Civil Government' a gander.\nImmaneul Kant.  Since you're reading Schopenhauer you should read Kant as he was heavily influenced by him.  You'll hear him referenced a lot if you continue to read philosophy so you should familiarize yourself with his thinking, especially on his thoughts in epistemology.\nBertrand Russell.  People have already recommended him and he's one of the most popular philosopher's of modern times, mostly because he's so easy to read and was somewhat of a cultural icon during his time.  I have a particular fondness for his work because when I had doubts about my faith, \"Why I Am not A Christian\" helped me find words to communicate my break with Catholocism.  His \"History of Western Philosophy\" is considered a cornerstone history of philosophy book (although it is somewhat dated now).  His writings are usually rather short and concise.\nJacques Derrida/Gilles Deleuze.  Now we're getting into some wacky shit.  To be fair, I shouldn't even be commenting on it because I have no idea what these guys are talking about half the time.  These are the philosophers that people read and pretend to understand because they want to sound smart.  You know the stereotypical \"philosophy\" students that you see in movies.  Maybe you'll find something of substance in their work although many philsopher's believe these guys are/were hacks and purposefully obfuscate their writing to hide the fact that there's no substance in it.\nOne of the best ways to read philosophy is to start with a philosopher who truly changed the game with their work (such as Kant) and work your way out reading the work of his supporters as well as the work of those that disagree with him.  This way you'll get a worldy view on 'important' philosophical issues while starting to formulate your own opinions on th ematter.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'The Symposium'",
          "reason": "Named among the commenter’s personal favorites and praised as part of Plato’s entertaining narratives.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Plato"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient greek philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-tactical-edge-130711",
      "title": "The Tactical Edge",
      "author": "Charles Remsberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24323451,
          "author": "giantg2",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-30T15:20:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 24286084,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading at the moment and what do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24323451",
          "commentText": "Sorry, looks like I made a mistake. The title I'm actually reading is The Tactical Edge by Remsburg. Street Survival is still good, but I think The Tactical Edge is more useful.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The title I'm actually reading is The Tactical Edge by Remsburg.",
          "reason": "Says it is more useful than Street Survival.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment does not explicitly recommend it to the reader.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Remsberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "law enforcement",
        "police tactics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-tactics-of-mistake-03081e",
      "title": "The Tactics of Mistake",
      "author": "Gordon R. Dickson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2150752,
          "author": "Tim1776",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-28T04:08:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2150752",
          "commentText": "My favorite science fiction story is \"The Tactics of Mistake\" by Gordon R. Dickson.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favorite science fiction story is \"The Tactics of Mistake\" by Gordon R. Dickson.",
          "reason": "Calls it their favorite science fiction story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gordon R. Dickson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military science fiction",
        "strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-taken-trilogy-cef6aa",
      "title": "The Taken Trilogy",
      "author": "Alan Dean Foster",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7970785,
          "author": "will_work4tears",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T14:16:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7970785",
          "commentText": "I just finished Alan Dean Foster's \"Taken\" Trilogy and really enjoyed it.  It's probably \"not as bad\" as Dan Brown (opinion only, possibly), but it's what most here would just classify as escapist trash.\nAlso Scott Meyer released a sequel to his \"Off to be the Wizard\" book (Spell or Highwater) and I finished reading it soon after the Taken trilogy.  It's a great series too.\nI bought the \"Everything is Bullshit\" book and I'm on a plane tomorrow, so I'll probably finish it during the flight.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I just finished Alan Dean Foster's \"Taken\" Trilogy and really enjoyed it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed the trilogy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as escapist trash by what most readers here would classify it as; the commenter presents this as an opinion.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan Dean Foster"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-tale-of-peter-rabbit-3b0c11",
      "title": "The Tale of Peter Rabbit",
      "author": "Beatrix Potter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50037878,
          "author": "NishanStepak",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-10T22:37:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50037878",
          "commentText": "I have always liked The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter, Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, Chicken Soup With Rice by Maurice Sendak, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss and Yertle The Turtle by Dr. Seuss.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have always liked it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Beatrix Potter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-tale-of-the-heike-783610",
      "title": "The Tale of the Heike",
      "author": "Anonymous; translated by Helen Craig McCullough",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15156533,
          "author": "jeffersonheard",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:44:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156533",
          "commentText": "Getting More - Stuart Diamond. I still think this is the best book on the art of negotiation.\nGetting Things Done - David Allen. If you have adult ADHD like me, and you haven't read this, it's the first system that's really worked for productivity for me.\nMan's Search for Meaning - Victor Frankl.\nLiving Buddha, Living Christ - Thich Nhat Hanh.\nCosmos - Carl Sagan.\nThe Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. LeGuin.\nThe One who Walks Away from Omelas - U.K. LeGuin.\nWild Seed - Octavia Butler.\nThe Heike Monogatari - (tr. Helen Craig McCullough) “The sound of the Gion Shoja temple bells echoes the impermanence of all things; the color of the sala flowers reveals the truth that to flourish is to fall. The proud do not endure, like a passing dream on a night in spring; the mighty fall at last, to be no more than dust before the wind.” If you need a comparison. this is the Japanese historical equivalent of Game of Thrones combined with a bit of MacBeth. The rise and fall of two shogunate families, and an analysis of the tragic flaws of character that brought their fall about.\nLes Miserables - Victor Hugo.\nSmall Gods - Terry Pratchett.\nHeart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad.\nThe Guide - R. K. Narayan.\nEvidence - Mary Oliver.\nAll of Us - The Collected Poetry of Raymond Carver.\nSilence - Shusaku Endo.\nThe Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald.\nThe Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Murakami Haruki. This and the next four are odd choices, perhaps, since it's a surrealist book, but IMO books that force your imagination to work hard do as much for creativity and fresh ideas as any of the more popular methods.\nThe Well-Built City (The Physiognomy / Memoranda / The Beyond) Jeffery Ford - Surrealist novellas best described as about the protagonist living and achieving agency within the constructs, dreams, and nightmares of a \"Great Man's\" mind.\nSnow Crash - Neal Stephenson.\nGravity's Rainbow - Thomas Pynchon.\nDhalgren - Samuel L. \"Chip\" Delany.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Heike Monogatari - (tr. Helen Craig McCullough)",
          "reason": "The commenter compares its Japanese historical account of two shogunate families' rise and fall to Game of Thrones and Macbeth.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anonymous; translated by Helen Craig McCullough"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "impermanence",
        "japanese history",
        "warrior clans"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-talent-war-2f6ece",
      "title": "The Talent War",
      "author": "Mike Sarraille and George Randle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mike Sarraille",
        "George Randle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "talent management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-tangled-web-5ff8c1",
      "title": "The Tangled Web",
      "author": "Michal Zalewski",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3338494,
          "author": "m0nastic",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T21:02:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3338494",
          "commentText": "Right now I'm reading:\nFiction-\n- Reamde (Bought it when it came out, but had to wait to start until I finished some other stuff on my list)\n- The Big Blowdown by George Pelecanos\nNonfiction-\n- Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopedia (Volume 1) -- primarily for research, but it's fascinating.\n- Dark Markets by Misha Glenny\n- How to Live on Mars by robert Zubrin\n- The Lightness of Being by Frank Wilczek\n- This is Your Brain on Music by Daniel Levitin\n- Towards a New Architecture by Le Corbusier\n- and Strange Things Happen by Stewart Copeland\nTechnical-\n- Tangled Web (I saw someone else mention it, and it's really really good so far)\n- Skiena's Algorithms book (making slower progress than I'd like).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Tangled Web (I saw someone else mention it, and it's really really good so far)",
          "reason": "Calls it really good so far.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The positive assessment is tentative; they are still reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michal Zalewski"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "browser security",
        "web security"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-tangled-web-a-guide-to-securing-modern-web-applications-35456a",
      "title": "The Tangled Web: A Guide to Securing Modern Web Applications",
      "author": "Michal Zalewski",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3338033,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T18:02:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3338033",
          "commentText": "Have heard absolutely nothing but great things about this book.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Have heard absolutely nothing but great things about this book.",
          "reason": "Reports hearing only positive things about the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The praise is hearsay; the commenter does not say they have read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3337862,
          "author": "dtwwtd",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T16:47:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3337862",
          "commentText": "The Tangled Web: A Guide to Securing Modern Web Applications: http://lcamtuf.coredump.cx/tangled/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Tangled Web: A Guide to Securing Modern Web Applications",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michal Zalewski"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "web security"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-tao-is-not-silent-61f57a",
      "title": "The Tao Is Not Silent",
      "author": "Raymond Smullyan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9348291,
          "author": "serve_yay",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:36:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348291",
          "commentText": "\"How to Win Friends and Influence People\", Dale Carnegie\n\"The Black Swan\", Taleb\n\"How To Be Idle: A Loafer's Manifesto\", Tom Hodgkinson\n\"The Tao Is Not Silent\", Raymond Smullyan\nIn that order.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Tao Is Not Silent\", Raymond Smullyan",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about books that changed one's perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Raymond Smullyan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "logic",
        "taoism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-tao-jones-averages-ecb6e7",
      "title": "The Tao Jones Averages",
      "author": "Bennett W. Goodspeed",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43686747,
          "author": "bradac56",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-14T21:55:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 43685856,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What 3 Books Would You Recommend to Anyone?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43686747",
          "commentText": "1.) The Tao Jones Averages by Bennett W. Goodspeed 1984 (this is the primer before reading Jack Bogle's books).\n2.) The Democratic Party: A History by Frank R. Kent 1928 (an important read of where both modern USA political parties came from).\n3.) Native American Anarchism by Eunice Minette Schuster..1970 (bias is a funny thing).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Tao Jones Averages by Bennett W. Goodspeed 1984",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a primer before reading Jack Bogle's books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bennett W. Goodspeed"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "investing",
        "personal finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-tao-of-power-b0cf81",
      "title": "The Tao of Power",
      "author": "R. L. Wing",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12419211,
          "author": "endswapper",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-03T13:59:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12419211",
          "commentText": "The Tao of Power by R.L. Wing\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Tao-Power-Leadership-Excellence-trans... (https://www.amazon.com/Tao-Power-Leadership-Excellence-translation/dp/0385196377)\nIt's like The Art of War, but for life in a business/leadership context.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Tao of Power by R.L. Wing\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Tao-Power-Leadership-Excellence-trans...\nIt's like The Art of War, but for life in a business/leadership context.",
          "reason": "Offered as a book for applying Taoist principles to business and leadership.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in business and leadership.",
          "caveat": "Compared to The Art of War; the commenter gives no explicit personal evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "R. L. Wing"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "taoism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-tao-of-wu-2140c2",
      "title": "The Tao of Wu",
      "author": "RZA",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37158044,
          "author": "mrexroad",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T06:42:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37158044",
          "commentText": "Diaspora [0] by Greg Egan. A fun dive into post-human civilization published in late ‘90s. Great read if you like hard sci-fi.\nTao of Wu [1] by RZA. Because, perspective.\n[0]https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diaspora_%28novel%29\n[1]https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tao_of_Wu",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tao of Wu [1] by RZA. Because, perspective.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it for perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "RZA"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "spirituality",
        "wu tang clan"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-te-of-piglet-e8622b",
      "title": "The Te of Piglet",
      "author": "Benjamin Hoff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43616560,
          "author": "eskatonic",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T22:17:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43616560",
          "commentText": "I feel the same way.  \"The Tao of Pooh\" is a book I come back to a lot.\n\"The Te of Piglet\"... is not.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "\"The Te of Piglet\"... is not.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they do not return to this follow-up.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10789212,
          "author": "andrei_says_",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T18:56:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10789212",
          "commentText": "Impro! Is incredible.\nIf you liked the Tao of Pooh, you may enjoy The Te of Piglet",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you may enjoy The Te of Piglet",
          "reason": "Suggests it to readers who liked The Tao of Pooh.",
          "audience": "Readers who liked The Tao of Pooh.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Benjamin Hoff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "taoism",
        "winnie the pooh"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-teachings-of-don-juan-7fda7d",
      "title": "The Teachings of Don Juan",
      "author": "Carlos Castaneda",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17170508,
          "author": "8bitsrule",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-28T03:55:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17170508",
          "commentText": "Great fun following that saga. Esp. 'Separate Reality'",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great fun following that saga. Esp. 'Separate Reality'",
          "reason": "Calls following the saga great fun.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carlos Castaneda"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "don juan series"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-teachings-of-don-juan-a-yaqui-way-of-knowledge-46643a",
      "title": "The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge",
      "author": "Carlos Castaneda",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10208417,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T16:04:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10208417",
          "commentText": "Carlos Castenada's The Teachings of Don Jaun: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Carlos Castenada's The Teachings of Don Jaun: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carlos Castaneda"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "anthropology",
        "shamanism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-teachings-of-huang-po-ed4c97",
      "title": "The Teachings of Huang-po",
      "author": "Huang-po Xiyun; translated by John Blofeld",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15630924,
          "author": "mbrock",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T18:57:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630924",
          "commentText": "Gödel, Escher, Bach awakened my intellectual curiosity about formal systems and other autistic modes of beauty as a teenager. After \"The Selfish Gene\" it was the first book I bought and read on my own volition, so I have to credit it as a major influence.\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs for showing that you can think rigorously and compose beautiful programs out of simple pieces.\nContingency, Irony, and Solidarity by Richard Rorty for showing that it's possible to think and feel about politics while maintaining a profoundly ironic and groundless mind.\nThe Body in Pain by Elaine Scarry for its beautiful view of civilization as materialized caring and of the inflicting of pain as metaphysically destructive.\nBeing-in-the-world by Dreyfus for introducing me to Heidegger and showing how continental philosophy inspired by Heidegger was a major force in the evolution of AI and how AI researchers tended to be influenced by rationalist philosophy in the vein of Descartes which leads to huge misunderstandings of the nature of being.\nDhammapada translated by Gil Fronsdal because it's a beautiful exposition of early Buddhist poetry and clearly shows the worldview of south east Asian Buddhism.\nDebt by David Graeber for making me interested in money and credit systems from an anthropological point of view.\nA Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace for being hilarious and sad and buzzing with neurotic perceptive overeducated thought in a way that mirrored my own precocious self-consciousness and made me feel less \"marooned in my own skull.\"\nThe Uses of Disorder by Richard Sennett for giving a defense of the anarchy of urban life that views conflict as necessary for growth.\nAfter Virtue by Alisdair MacIntyre for showing the contemporary situation in thought and ethics as profoundly abnormal and difficult, being the aftermath of the Enlightenment project's failure to ground morality in objective reason, and pointing to virtue within traditions as the only way to live coherently.\nThe Teachings of Huang-bo for being a merciless and hilarious attack on sanctimonious and ritualistic Buddhism, displaying the role of sarcasm and wit in spirituality, and generally just shouting \"wake up, lazy pretentious idiot\" on every page.\nFanged Noumena by Nick Land for diving deeply into amphetaminic insanity thus accurately mirroring the schizophrenia of postmodern capitalism.\nThe letters of Van Gogh.\nPhillip Lopate's personal essays.\nHyperobjects by Timothy Morton.\nOn the Origins of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Teachings of Huang-bo for being a merciless and hilarious attack on sanctimonious and ritualistic Buddhism",
          "reason": "Praises its wit and criticism of sanctimonious, ritualistic Buddhism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Huang-po Xiyun; translated by John Blofeld"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "spirituality",
        "zen buddhism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-technological-republic-f4f6ae",
      "title": "The Technological Republic",
      "author": "Alexander C. Karp and Nicholas W. Zamiska",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46393242,
          "author": "nika1975",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T15:52:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46393242",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed The Technological Republic by Alexander C. Karp and Nicholas W. Zamiska. It’s sharp, opinionated, and unusually concrete about how state capacity, technology, and institutional competence intersect in practice. Even if you don’t agree with all of it, it’s a book that forces clearer thinking about power, technology, and governance.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed The Technological Republic by Alexander C. Karp and Nicholas W. Zamiska. It’s sharp, opinionated, and unusually concrete about how state capacity, technology, and institutional competence intersect in practice. Even if you don’t agree with all of it, it’s a book that forces clearer thinking about power, technology, and governance.",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed its concrete discussion and says it forces clearer thinking about power, technology, and governance.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Opinionated; the commenter allows that readers may disagree with some of it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alexander C. Karp",
        "Nicholas W. Zamiska"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "governance",
        "state capacity",
        "technology policy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-technology-trap-capital-labor-and-power-in-the-age-of-automat-26f20d",
      "title": "The Technology Trap: Capital, Labor, and Power in the Age of Automation",
      "author": "Carl Benedikt Frey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36619755,
          "author": "theage",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-06T17:37:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36619755",
          "commentText": "The Discoverers: A History of Man’s Search to Know His World and Himself - Daniel J. Boorstin\nHow Innovation Works: And Why It Flourishes in Freedom - Matt Ridley\nThe Technology Trap: Capital, Labor, and Power in the Age of Automation - Carl Benedikt Frey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Technology Trap: Capital, Labor, and Power in the Age of Automation - Carl Benedikt Frey",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for technology history books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carl Benedikt Frey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "automation",
        "economic history",
        "technology and labor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-teenage-liberation-handbook-ebbba7",
      "title": "The Teenage Liberation Handbook",
      "author": "Grace Llewellyn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1237586,
          "author": "gursikh",
          "createdAt": "2010-04-02T21:12:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1237586",
          "commentText": "The Teenage Liberation Handbook",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Teenage Liberation Handbook",
          "reason": "Offered as a book in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "Teenagers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Grace Llewellyn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Parenting"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "homeschooling",
        "self directed learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-terminal-experiment-f9f407",
      "title": "The Terminal Experiment",
      "author": "Robert J. Sawyer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17536654,
          "author": "dochtman",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:35:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536654",
          "commentText": "Isaac Asimov is one of the classics, of course. I'm particularly fond of the robot novels (all four of the Elijah Baley ones especially) and the entire Foundation series. Of course, you also can't miss the robot short stories. Oh, and The End of Eternity!\nAt some point I found Charles Stross' Accelerando, which is freely available online (along with a bunch of other short stories), and found everything I've read (which is most of it at this point, I think) enjoyably fast-paced. In particular the Laundry series (of which I've bought every iteration as soon as they came out over the past few years) -- though arguably these maybe cross-over from SF into fantasy a bit -- and the Halting State trilogy.\nIn terms of online available work, Cory Doctorow's work is also great. Like Stross, most of his work is more near-term SF, which I have liked, and a bunch of it is available online under a Creative Commons license. It often moves fast and is also politically interesting; sometimes the activism shines through a little blatantly, but the themes are always make me thing in various ways I appreciate (but maybe will fail your lighthearted criterion even if it is fun). His latest is Walkaway, which I would recommend.\nI got into Neal Stephenson through Cryptonomicon, which is one of the greats. Stephenson has a pretty rambly, wordy style, but at least that also makes his stories last a bit longer. After that, I mostly moved on to Anathem, Reamde and Seveneves all of which are big and interesting and great reads (it took me longer than usual to get up to speed on Anathem, but it was very much worth it in the end). I tried one of the more historic ones (I think it was Quicksilver) at some point but haven't finished it. The 2017 Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. was a bit lighter, but lots of fun, too.\nWilliam Gibson has already been mentioned, which I would also recommend. I read the Sprawl trilogy a very long time ago, and it's made a lasting expression. I've started rereading it recently. I also liked the Blue Ant trilogy and The Peripheral, but have so far missed the more recent work.\nMore in the one-off category: The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell is one of my all-time favorites, and mixes deep SF with psychology and religion in interesting ways. There's a sequel, but it's not as good. I also liked The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, which is also on the softer side. I read Scalzi's Redshirts and liked it (especially if you're familiar with the Star Trek universe), it feels similar to Ready Player One in some ways. Daniel Suarez's (or Leinad Zeraus as he originally published them) Daemon is fun and easy to digest, along with its sequel Freedom. I liked Robert J. Sawyer's The Terminal Experiment, but one person I recommended it too wasn't impressed -- I still think it's fun, if not very deep. I also bought his Factoring Humanity and liked it okay.\nHope that helps. Always interested in more recommendations based on this list!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I liked Robert J. Sawyer's The Terminal Experiment, but one person I recommended it too wasn't impressed -- I still think it's fun, if not very deep.",
          "reason": "Says it is fun, if not very deep, while noting another reader was unimpressed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Another person the commenter recommended it to was not impressed; commenter says it is not very deep.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert J. Sawyer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "consciousness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-terranauts-76acb7",
      "title": "The Terranauts",
      "author": "T. C. Boyle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12475387,
          "author": "fitzwatermellow",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T20:07:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12475387",
          "commentText": "There is some remarkable fiction coming out this season by some of the best:\nJonathan Safran Foer's Here I Am\nZadie Smith's Swing Time\nIan McEwan's Nutshell\nColson Whitehead's The Underground Railroad\nCarl Hiassan's Razor Girl\nAlan Moore's Jerusalem\nJonathan Lethem's A Gamber's Anatomy\nHa Jin's The Boat Rocker\nT.C. Boyle's The Terranauts\nMichael Chabon's Moonglow\nCormac McCarthy's The Passenger\nI've got plenty of friends who never touch fiction because \"it's not real\". Preferring science, history, economics, biography and virtually anything else. But I think its obligatory at times. The soul requires it's own nourishment, if not more so than the body and the mind. Indulge yourself. If only because great writing will make your writing greater, as if by osmosis. But ultimately, because only fiction can uncover the truths that can't be revealed any other way ;)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "T.C. Boyle's The Terranauts",
          "reason": "Included in a list of remarkable fiction; the comment urges readers to indulge in fiction.",
          "audience": "Readers who tend to avoid fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "T. C. Boyle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-thank-you-economy-31f14f",
      "title": "The Thank You Economy",
      "author": "Gary Vaynerchuk",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3396148,
          "author": "alexanderberman",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T15:57:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3396148",
          "commentText": "In no particular order:\n* Boomerang by Michael Lewis\n* Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson\n* The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins\n* The Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gary Vaynerchuk"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "customer relationships",
        "marketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-theoretical-minimum-6a236f",
      "title": "The Theoretical Minimum",
      "author": "Leonard Susskind",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46480551,
          "author": "thraxil",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-03T19:29:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 46473352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Expository/Succinct Books on Modern Physics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46480551",
          "commentText": "Leonard Susskind's \"The Theoretical Minimum\" series is a great start. His corresponding Stanford lectures are on youtube as well and are a nice supplement.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Leonard Susskind's \"The Theoretical Minimum\" series is a great start.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a starting point for learning physics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leonard Susskind"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "physics textbooks",
        "theoretical physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-theoretical-minimum-what-you-need-to-know-to-start-doing-phys-f70ed8",
      "title": "The Theoretical Minimum: What You Need to Know to Start Doing Physics",
      "author": "Leonard Susskind",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27629753,
          "author": "etherio",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T12:13:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27629753",
          "commentText": "- \"The Theoretical Minimum: What You Need to Know to Start Doing Physics\" by Leonard Susskind. I'm reading the entire series and it's very clear and interesting, definitely recommend if you want to get into physics.\n- \"Speech and Language Processing (3rd ed. draft)\" - Really good intro to natural language processing.\n- Kar by Orhan Pamuk - not a technical book just an intriguing fiction book in turkish I want to read to work on my Turkish;.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm reading the entire series and it's very clear and interesting, definitely recommend if you want to get into physics.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the series clear and interesting and recommends it for getting into physics.",
          "audience": "People who want to get into physics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leonard Susskind"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "introductory physics",
        "physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-theory-that-would-not-die-how-bayes-rule-cracked-the-enigma-c-7fafd3",
      "title": "The Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy",
      "author": "Sharon Bertsch McGrayne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sharon Bertsch McGrayne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bayes theorem",
        "bayesian statistics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-theory-of-functions-9eb634",
      "title": "The Theory of Functions",
      "author": "E. C. Titchmarsh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34441116,
          "author": "steppi",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T15:11:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34441116",
          "commentText": "Some favorites below. Books 0-3 are accessible. The remaining books are more difficult but I'd highly recommend them to math students.\n0. Jan Gullberg, Mathematics, From the Birth of Numbers. A highly accessible popular survey on different branches of higher mathematics. I read this over the Summer between high school and starting my undergraduate degree. It's what made me want to study math. Previously I'd wanted to be a guitar player, but had to find a new ambition after an injury left me unable to play.\n1. The high school mathematics series by Israel Gelfand. Algebra, Trigonometry, The Method of Coordinates, and Functions and Graphs. I\ndidn't have much mathematics background in high school, but working through these really solidified my grasp on the basics.\n2. George Polya. How to Solve it. A short book giving excellent high level advice on mathematical problem solving.\n3. George E. Andrews, Number Theory. I worked through this freshman year contemporaneously with my first proof based class on simple logic and set theory. A very beautiful and accessible introduction to basic number theory. The combinatorial/geometric proofs of Fermat's Little Theorem and Wilson's Theorem are lovely. It also includes a very nice proof of Chebyshev's theorem on the asymptotic density of primes and even the Rogers-Ramanujan identities for integer partitions.\n4. Vladimir Arnold, Ordinary Differential Equations: Undergrad ODE classes are often taught in a cookbook fashion and if so, don't offer much enlightenment. This book explains what's going on at geometrical level. I didn't appreciate ODEs until I read this. See https://www.uni-muenster.de/Physik.TP/~munsteg/arnold.html for Arnold's views on teaching mathematics.\n5. E.C. Titchmarsh The Theory of Functions: Recommended by my undergraduate advisor because he noticed that I liked reading older books. It contains sections on complex analysis and real analysis with measure theory, but I've only read the complex analysis sections. It's not for everyone, if I recall correctly, there is not a single picture, but it is very lively and has a lot of material you won't find in a standard complex analysis book, including Dirichlet series. Excellent as a supplement to a standard complex analysis book.\n6. George Polya. Mathematics and Plausible Reasoning. An excellent expansion on Polya's ideas on How to Solve it. While the goal is to seek rigorous proofs, to get there it's powerful to be able to think based on intuition, heuristics, and plausible reasoning. A lot of math exposition is theorem/proof based and doesn't help develop these skills. In a similar vein, see also Terence Tao's classic post There's more to mathematics than rigour and proofs https://terrytao.wordpress.com/career-advice/theres-more-to-... (https://terrytao.wordpress.com/career-advice/theres-more-to-mathematics-than-rigour-and-proofs/).\n7. H.S.M Coxeter, An Introduction to Geometry. A book of very beautiful classical geometry. Something typically not touched on at all in a typical mathematics curriculum.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "E.C. Titchmarsh The Theory of Functions:",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its lively treatment and material beyond a standard complex analysis book.",
          "audience": "Readers studying complex analysis.",
          "caveat": "Not for everyone; the commenter recalls it having no pictures and has read only its complex analysis sections.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "E. C. Titchmarsh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "complex analysis",
        "dirichlet series",
        "real analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-theory-of-money-and-credit-69c395",
      "title": "The Theory of Money and Credit",
      "author": "Ludwig von Mises",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1464936,
          "author": "nandemo",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T04:43:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1464936",
          "commentText": "I love that book.\nAnother good, \"popular\" Austrian-school book is What Has Government Done to Our Money? by Murray Rothbard. The Theory of Money and Credit by Mises is on same subject but it's more comprehensive, the tone is more academic and is considerably harder. Both are available online.\nhttp://mises.org/money.asp\nhttp://mises.org/books/Theory_Money_Credit/Contents.aspx",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Theory of Money and Credit by Mises is on same subject but it's more comprehensive, the tone is more academic and is considerably harder.",
          "reason": "Presented as a more comprehensive treatment of the same subject.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in a more comprehensive treatment of money and credit.",
          "caveat": "More academic in tone and considerably harder.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ludwig von Mises"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "austrian economics",
        "monetary economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-theory-of-poker-9098a7",
      "title": "The Theory of Poker",
      "author": "David Sklansky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783503,
          "author": "MuEta",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:43:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783503",
          "commentText": "The Baroque Cycle - Neal Stephenson - It was 3000+ pages all told, and I LOVED it. His writing has always enthralled me, and I was hooked from the start\nEvery Discworld Novel - Terry Pratchett - Not much can be said that hasn't already been said a million times over. If you haven't read them yet, start now\nThe Theory of Poker - David Sklansky - Helped out my poker game tremendously. I'm much more ev+ now",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Theory of Poker - David Sklansky - Helped out my poker game tremendously. I'm much more ev+ now",
          "reason": "Says it substantially improved their poker game.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Sklansky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "game theory",
        "poker strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-therapeutic-relationship-21dbde",
      "title": "The Therapeutic Relationship",
      "author": "Petruska Clarkson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40046351,
          "author": "reify",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-15T22:19:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40046351",
          "commentText": "Beyond Doer and Done to_ Recognition Theory, Intersubjectivity and the Third - Jessica Benjamin - (2017, Routledge)\nThe Therapeutic Relationship - Petruska Clarkson - (2003, Wiley)\nLove's Executioner & Other Tales of Psychotherapy - Irvin D. Yalom - (2012, Basic Books)\nBeautiful Chaos - Robert M. Drake - (2014, Vintage Wild)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Therapeutic Relationship - Petruska Clarkson - (2003, Wiley)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Petruska Clarkson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "psychotherapy",
        "therapeutic alliance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-things-we-make-7cd827",
      "title": "The Things We Make",
      "author": "Bill Hammack",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39059833,
          "author": "matesitox",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T19:23:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39059833",
          "commentText": "The Things We Make by Bill Hammack\nChanged my way of understanding what engineering is. Read the chaoter on designing cathedrals without math, science or modelling.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Things We Make by Bill Hammack",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book changed their understanding of engineering and highlights a chapter on designing cathedrals without math, science, or modelling.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Hammack"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cathedral design",
        "engineering",
        "engineering education"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-things-we-make-the-unknown-history-of-invention-from-cathedra-3f432e",
      "title": "The Things We Make: The Unknown History of Invention from Cathedrals to Soda Cans",
      "author": "Bill Hammack",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36584397,
          "author": "lamchob",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-04T09:52:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36584397",
          "commentText": "Haven't had a chance to read it yet, but I enjoy the authors youtube content (The Engineering Guy): https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/75598048-the-things-we-m... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/75598048-the-things-we-make)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/75598048-the-things-we-m...",
          "reason": "The commenter has not read it yet, but enjoys the author's YouTube content.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Haven't had a chance to read it yet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bill Hammack"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "engineering",
        "history of invention"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-thinking-machine-4d1e1e",
      "title": "The Thinking Machine",
      "author": "Stephen Witt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46397856,
          "author": "emehex",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T00:21:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46397856",
          "commentText": "Favourite books of the year:\n\"When the Moon Hits Your Eye\" - John Scalzi\n\"Making History\" - K.J. Parker\n\"Let Dogs be Dogs\" - Monks of New Skete\n\"The First Gentleman\" - Bill Clinton (it's actually fun!)\n\"The Thinking Machine\" - Stephen Witt",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Thinking Machine\" - Stephen Witt",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favourite books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Witt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "technology history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-third-chimpanzee-98e3f7",
      "title": "The Third Chimpanzee",
      "author": "Jared Diamond",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29816240,
          "author": "cpach",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-05T22:47:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29816240",
          "commentText": "The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins is great.\nOr something by Jared Diamond, e.g. The Third Chimpanzee.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Third Chimpanzee.",
          "reason": "Offered as an example of a book by Jared Diamond.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Suggested as one possible option.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9636497,
          "author": "mattkrea",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-01T02:24:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 9636361,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9636497",
          "commentText": "http://www.amazon.com/The-Third-Chimpanzee-Evolution-Future/... (http://www.amazon.com/The-Third-Chimpanzee-Evolution-Future/dp/0060845503)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The-Third-Chimpanzee-Evolution-Future",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9347839,
          "author": "stevenmays",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T14:40:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9347839",
          "commentText": "The Third Chimpanzee, Jared Diamond - Human evolution.\nCode Complete 2 - Only halfway through but this is by far the best book about programming I have ever read.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Third Chimpanzee, Jared Diamond - Human evolution.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jared Diamond"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "anthropology",
        "human evolution"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-third-door-the-wild-quest-to-uncover-how-the-world-s-most-suc-19bdd9",
      "title": "The Third Door: The Wild Quest to Uncover How the World's Most Successful People Launched Their Careers",
      "author": "Alex Banayan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33850938,
          "author": "sahilc2200",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T05:36:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33850938",
          "commentText": "Three books that really stood out for me last year were:-\n1. A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life by Donald Miller (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1999475.A_Million_Miles_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1999475.A_Million_Miles_in_a_Thousand_Years))\n2. The Third Door: The Wild Quest to Uncover How the World's Most Successful People Launched Their Careers by Alex Banyan  (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36739769-the-third-door)\n3. A Thousand Brains: A New Theory of Intelligence by Jeff Hawkins (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54503521-a-thousand-brai... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54503521-a-thousand-brains))\nThere are still like 4 weeks left until 2022 ends, and am hoping to finish more books. Wish me luck! :D",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Third Door: The Wild Quest to Uncover How the World's Most Successful People Launched Their Careers by Alex Banyan",
          "reason": "Lists it among the three books that stood out last year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alex Banayan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "career stories",
        "entrepreneurship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-third-plate-field-notes-on-the-future-of-food-f8aa85",
      "title": "The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food",
      "author": "Dan Barber",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23154647,
          "author": "JeffDClark",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T14:55:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23154647",
          "commentText": "A piece of fiction that has never failed to make me think every time I read it, is: The Futurological Congress: From the Memoirs of Ijon Tichy by Stanislaw Lem.\nOne of the tenets of getting your mind bent is reading things that are antithetical to your own world view. For this reason I read and had my mind bent by Supernatural: Meetings with the Ancient Teachers of Mankind - Graham Hancock.\nFinally, I offer The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food by Dan Barber. I have read a lot about food, nature, etc. but Barber nails the heart of the problem with our current (really recent past, in light of the pandemic) food culture. From farms and restaurants to the consumers (we are not just eaters) he shows how there could be another way that is more sustainable, as well as being more delicious.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Finally, I offer The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of Food by Dan Barber.",
          "reason": "Says it explains how food culture could become more sustainable and delicious.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in food, farming, and sustainability.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Barber"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "food systems",
        "sustainable agriculture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-third-reich-trilogy-6c0b0d",
      "title": "The Third Reich Trilogy",
      "author": "Richard J. Evans",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12244493,
          "author": "noinsight",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T00:01:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12244493",
          "commentText": "There's a new trilogy by Richard J. Evans about the same subject. I have them sitting on my bookshelf but have yet to read them.\nApparently Shirer's book has drawn some criticism because he was a journalist and not a historian whereas Evans is a historian.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Third_Reich_Trilogy",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "There's a new trilogy by Richard J. Evans about the same subject.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter owns the books but has yet to read them; reports that Shirer's book has drawn criticism because he was a journalist rather than a historian.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8106995,
          "author": "watwut",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:33:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106995",
          "commentText": "\"The Coming of the Third Reich\" from Richard J. Evans\nI read it recently and it did changed the way I look at the politics and government now. It made me fully understand that things like separation/accumulation of powers are really important. As in when activists of all kinds complained about such set-ups before, I treated it only abstract theoretical problems. Not anymore, I see the point now. The Third Reich did not happen overnight as it seemed from high school version of it, it was made possible by thousands tiny steps by varying parties.\nThere were other things to learn from that book too, but the above was the most important. It is a first part of a trilogy and whole of it is worth reading. That first part was the most eye opening to me through.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It is a first part of a trilogy",
          "reason": "The commenter says the whole trilogy is worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The first volume was the most eye opening to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard J. Evans"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nazi germany",
        "rise of fascism",
        "third reich"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-third-wave-6eb8a3",
      "title": "The Third Wave",
      "author": "Alvin Toffler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9674847,
          "author": "fakturk",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T14:54:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674847",
          "commentText": "The Third Wave - Alvin Toffler\nListen Little Man - Wilhelm Reich\nPraise to Hell - Gunduz Vassaf (actully I read this book in turkish and I don't know is it translated to english but I still want to recommend this one)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Third Wave - Alvin Toffler",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to the request for a mind-blowing book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alvin Toffler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "futurism",
        "social change"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-thought-gang-b6b709",
      "title": "The Thought Gang",
      "author": "Tibor Fischer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25844205,
          "author": "DanBC",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T09:05:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25844205",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed The Collector Collector and The Thought Gang by Tibor Fischer. They're both short, and funny.\nhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Collector-Tibor-Fischer/dp/00992681... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Collector-Tibor-Fischer/dp/0099268191)\nhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Thought-Gang-Tibor-Fischer/dp/00995... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Thought-Gang-Tibor-Fischer/dp/0099516926)\nI enjoyed all the books written by Fred Vargas. Detective stories, but funny. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fred-Vargas/e/B001I9OXT6",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed The Collector Collector and The Thought Gang by Tibor Fischer.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as short and funny.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tibor Fischer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-thoughtworks-anthology-bba6df",
      "title": "The Thoughtworks Anthology",
      "author": "Various authors",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1752555,
          "author": "chegra",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T11:59:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752555",
          "commentText": "These books, although some now I might not endorse some of their teaching but they have help me to see the world in a different light:\nThe Mystery Method -  Erik Von Markovik[Social Engineering at its best]\nRich Dad Poor Dad: Guide to Investing - Robert Kiyoski\nThe Thoughtworks Anthology: Essays on Software Technology and Innovation (Pragmatic Programmers)\nBible - First class book in teaching how to behave towards others, especially proverbs.\nTao Te Ching - For this two verse you should read it:\n\"When people see some things as beautiful,\nother things become ugly.\nWhen people see some things as good,\nother things become bad.\nBeing and non-being create each other.\nDifficult and easy support each other.\nLong and short define each other.\nHigh and low depend on each other.\nBefore and after follow each other\"\nCyropaedia - \"Along with the The prince this book was required reading by all former statesmen.\"",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Thoughtworks Anthology: Essays on Software Technology and Innovation (Pragmatic Programmers)",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter says helped them see the world differently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they may no longer endorse some of the books' teachings.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software innovation",
        "software technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-thousand-autumns-of-jacob-de-zoet-99992b",
      "title": "The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet",
      "author": "David Mitchell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1975250,
          "author": "cafard",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T14:36:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1975250",
          "commentText": "Dunno. Maybe _The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet_, by Thomas Mitchell, a novel set in the Dutch trading post at Nagasaki, ca. 1800. Maybe de Tocquivelle's _Souvenirs_ (of the revolution of 1848)--but that I am re-reading. Maybe the NYRB edition of Thoreau's journals, but was that this year?",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Maybe _The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet_, by Thomas Mitchell, a novel set in the Dutch trading post at Nagasaki, ca. 1800.",
          "reason": "Offers it as a tentative choice for the best book read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure; the author is David Mitchell, though the comment says Thomas Mitchell.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Mitchell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "japan"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-three-christs-of-ypsilanti-3d6ca9",
      "title": "The Three Christs of Ypsilanti",
      "author": "Milton Rokeach",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783915,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:06:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783915",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction, best to worst:\nHenry Marsh, Do No Harm. A brilliant memoir by a neurosurgeon about his work, the nature of his profession, successes and mistakes (especially the latter). Frequently touches or verges into the personal. Not morbid, but often sad.\nKeith Johnstone, Impro for Storytellers. \nViola Spolin, Improvisation for the Theater\nTwo very good books about improvisation, although Spolin's is too dry and theory-laden for me (it's meant for teachers more than practitioners). Both, however, pale compared to Keith Johnstone's earlier Impro: Improvisation and the Theater, which is a life-changing book about what improvisation can teach us about spontaneous creativity and relationships between people. I recommend that one first and foremost if you know nothing about improvisation and are curious.\nMartinus J G Veltman, Facts and Mysteries in Elementary Particle Physics. A readable account - necessarily simplified, of course - of the current state of affairs in elementary particles and much of the last 50 years of history, by one of the participants (a Nobel prize winner). Not as organized and methodical as I thought it would be, and half a year later I forgot most of the physical explanations, but it was an interesting read.\nRobert B. Edgerton, Sick Societies. A thorough examination of the hundreds of horrible examples when \"natural\" societies studied by anthropologists have customs that are not only bad from our modern Western point of view, but arguably fail in achieving their own objectives. The whole book exists to counter lazy cultural relativism of the \"maybe we don't like X, but if they do it, it must be for a good reason and it must be a useful adaptation for them\" kind.\nMichael Harris, Mathematics Without Apologies. A very eclectic and idiosyncratic book by a mathematician on the sociology and epistemology of mathematics as a discipline. To be appreciated for its wealth of ideas and references to other interesting books and theories, rather than for any particular argument or thread.\nMilton Rokeach, The Three Christs of Ypsilanti. A story on what happened when a psychologist tried to bring three psychiatric patients, each believing themselves to be Christ, together and to talk it out amongst themselves. Happened in the 1960s. The idea is more interesting than the outcome.\nFiction, best to worst:\nPatrick O'Brian, The Hundred Days. The penultimate book in the series of the best historical novels (the Aubrey-Maturin series) ever written, by a huge margin. The series transcend the genre and I count the Aubrey-Maturin books among the very best books I read in the last decade.\nDodie Smith, I Capture the Castle. A brilliantly written coming-of-age story about a girl growing up in an impoverished family occupying a decaying castle in the English countryside, set in the 1930s. Reminded me in many ways of Rebecca West's The Fountain Overflows, a novel in the similar genre (but with a younger protagonist) that's known much less than it deserves.\nJuan Rulfo, Pedro Paramo. If you read and liked Garcia Marquez's A Hundred Years of Solitude, this one is shorter, darker, involves many more dead people, and you may want to give it a try.\nAlfred Hayes, In Love. A story of a man obsessed by love in a mid-century NYC. Unexpectedly touching, very convincing psychologically.\nIain M. Banks, Against a Dark Background. SF, a grand heist novel set in a advanced civilization living in a star system located unimaginably far away from any other stars and galaxies, and so doomed to a lone struggle with its own long history. A wealth of technological and social ideas you'd expect from Banks. The ending felt a bit forced.\nGene Wolfe, There Are Doors. Gene Wolfe, Nightsite of the Long Sun/Lake of the Long Sun.\nGene Wolfe is the best writer American science fiction produced in the last half-century. \"There are Doors\" is a pretty weird fantasy novel about an alternate world where men die after their first intercourse (as some spiders do in ours), and the hero travels back and forth between that world and ours. It's good, but not as strong as Wolfe's best, which to my taste is the Book of the New Sun tetralogy, the novellas in the Fifth Head of Cerberus collection, and many of his short stories (well-collected in The Best of Gene Wolfe). The other two are the first half of the \"Book of the Long Sun\" series that I'm still reading through.\nUrsula K. Le Guin, The Dispossessed. Superb political SF about an imagined anarchist [anti-]utopia. A serious attempt to describe a human society with no central power structures and no ownership. The hero is a physicist born and raised in that society who escapes to a sibling planet with the more typical modern states. This novel took all the awards in the 1970s when it was published, and deservedly so.\n[cont'd]",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Milton Rokeach, The Three Christs of Ypsilanti. A story on what happened when a psychologist tried to bring three psychiatric patients, each believing themselves to be Christ, together and to talk it out amongst themselves. Happened in the 1960s. The idea is more interesting than the outcome.",
          "reason": "Finds the premise more interesting than the outcome.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The idea is more interesting than the outcome.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Milton Rokeach"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mental health",
        "social psychology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-three-pillars-of-zen-77ebc3",
      "title": "The Three Pillars of Zen",
      "author": "Philip Kapleau",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36429792,
          "author": "gala8y",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T09:34:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36429792",
          "commentText": "Three Pillars of Zen, read when I was 16, it felt like \"This is it. This is how I see it.\"\nFew books by Ken Wilber, gave me a framework, a meta-frame of sorts when I was young.\nIntroduction to NLP (esp. chapter V on Meta Model, took me two years to process it)\nStructure of Magic, vol. II - communication, incongruity\nMind and Nature by Gregory Bateson\nAnd I could go on and on... but the winner is...\n\"Embracing Our Selves\" by Sidra & Hal Stone.\nThis book and perspective changed my life completely. It was like a grenade bursting inside my mind and I've seen many people reacting to it this way (incl. people closest to my heart). It's a perspective shift, an insight. You've been warned. :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Three Pillars of Zen, read when I was 16",
          "reason": "Says it felt like “This is it. This is how I see it.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip Kapleau"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "meditation",
        "zen buddhism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-three-pound-enigma-e185c8",
      "title": "The Three Pound Enigma",
      "author": "Sharon Moalem",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 240824,
          "author": "dcurtis",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T05:32:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240824",
          "commentText": "V.S. Ramachandran's Phantoms in the Brain changed my life.\nThe Man Who Mistook His Wife For a Hat by Oliver Sacks solidified my interest in neuroscience\nAnd The Three Pound Enigma solidified my fascination with medicine in general.\nIf you only read one, read Phantoms in the Brain. It's like the bible of science, providing the crumbs for future research into the deeply interesting and previously philosophical realms of the human brain and who we are.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Three Pound Enigma solidified my fascination with medicine in general.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book solidified their fascination with medicine.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sharon Moalem"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "brain",
        "medicine"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-three-body-problem-trilogy-005295",
      "title": "The Three-Body Problem trilogy",
      "author": "Cixin Liu",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23469484,
          "author": "kediz",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T18:50:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23469484",
          "commentText": "If you like the Foundation series, you would probably like the three body problem trilogy. The scale(both in space and time) of the story is as big if not bigger than Foundation and the story is equally fascinating. Really good read!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you would probably like the three body problem trilogy",
          "reason": "Recommended to readers who like the Foundation series; praised for its scale and fascinating story.",
          "audience": "Readers who like the Foundation series.",
          "caveat": "None stated.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cixin Liu"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cosmic scale",
        "first contact"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-thrilling-adventures-of-lovelace-and-babbage-cfb3fb",
      "title": "The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage",
      "author": "Sydney Padua",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22709397,
          "author": "NateEag",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T05:18:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22709397",
          "commentText": "If you want to learn about the proto-history of the computer, a graphic novel called \"The Thrilling Adventures Of Lovelace And Babbage\" is well worth your time.\nThe comic itself is pure fiction of a zany cartoon comedy variety.\nThe writer is obsessed with the actual history, though, to a point where her footnotes sometimes take as much space on the page as comic panels.\nIt's a glorious thing and provides more insight into who Babbage and Lovelace really were than anything else I've personally read.\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thrilling_Adventures_of_... (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thrilling_Adventures_of_Lovelace_and_Babbage)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "a graphic novel called \"The Thrilling Adventures Of Lovelace And Babbage\" is well worth your time.",
          "reason": "Recommended as an engaging way to learn about the early history of computing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comic itself is pure fiction, though the footnotes cover historical details.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sydney Padua"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer history",
        "graphic novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-thrilling-adventures-of-lovelace-and-babbage-the-mostly-true--bb7057",
      "title": "The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Computer",
      "author": "Sydney Padua",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15962109,
          "author": "fgandiya",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T17:48:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15962109",
          "commentText": "This year I read:\n1. The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Computer - A steampunk graphic novel about Ada Lovelace and Charlie Babbage. Fun story with loads of research to back it up. Got even better when I got to go the UK and explore the places they worked at in their livetimes\n2. The Hardware Hacker - A compilation of storis by bunnie focused on the hardware/maker(ish) ecosystem. Also discusses the Chinese manufacturing ecosystem and answers questions that most people have about it.\n3. Technically Wrong - A book about how tech can sometimes leave lots of people behind for one reason or another and how we can fix them. A very quick read.\n4. The Masters of Doom - The story of id Software, the company which spawned an entire genre with games like Doom and Wolfenstwein in its early days.\n5. Blood, Sweat and Pixels - The book looks into how video games are made and the many challenges along the way. Focuses on ten games from solo all the way to AAA titles. Really good if you want to know why video games turn out the way they do. After reading this, you'll double take whenever you hear of a delayed game, cancelled project, E3 demos and buggy releases. It also has some uplifting moments.\n6. My textbooks :).\nHopefully I can also read The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, Deep Work and CODE.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fun story with loads of research to back it up.",
          "reason": "Calls it fun and praises its supporting research.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sydney Padua"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ada lovelace",
        "charles babbage",
        "graphic novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-thursday-murder-club-72d659",
      "title": "The Thursday Murder Club",
      "author": "Richard Osman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37157769,
          "author": "jemmyw",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T05:54:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37157769",
          "commentText": "Blindsight and Echopraxia by Peter Watts [1] I enjoyed the ideas in these books.\nThe Sunken Land Begins to Rise Again [2] by M. John Harrison. Beautiful writing. His descriptions give me vivid dreams if I read before bed.\nThe Thursday Murder Club [3] by Richard Osman. Light reading, amusing, beginning of a series.\n[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echopraxia_%28novel%29\n[2] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49201192-the-sunken-land... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49201192-the-sunken-land-begins-to-rise-again)\n[3] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54846475-the-thursday-mu... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/54846475-the-thursday-murder-club)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Thursday Murder Club [3] by Richard Osman. Light reading, amusing, beginning of a series.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it amusing and light reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is the beginning of a series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Osman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "amateur detectives",
        "cozy mystery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-tiger-that-isn-t-a6645c",
      "title": "The Tiger That Isn't",
      "author": "Andrew Dilnot and Michael Blastland",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1569283,
          "author": "lemming",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T22:08:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569283",
          "commentText": "On a \"what makes us tick\" non-fiction bent:\n1. Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (http://tinyurl.com/33kv6te) - fascinating look at the author's theory of Flow, the state of total absorption that accompanies total concentration - so called \"optimal experience\". Anyone who programs knows this feeling. Really excellent book.\n2. Stumbling on Happiness by Daniel Gilbert (http://tinyurl.com/38lvdzc) - not the self-help book it sounds like, but an interesting look at why we're so bad at working out what will make us happy.\n3. The Tiger that isn't by Andrew Dilnot (http://tinyurl.com/38hntqx) - interesting guide to our instinctive interpretation of statistics and how the media manipulates it.\n4. Bad Science by Ben Goldacre (http://tinyurl.com/3yk8woz) - at once amusing and horrifying look at various aspects of pseudoscience, especially as applied to healthcare.\nFiction:\n1. Anything by Iain Banks, especially the sci-fi.\n2. If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things by Jon McGregor (http://tinyurl.com/3496d34) - worth reading just for the language he uses.\n3. American Gods by Neil Gaiman (http://tinyurl.com/3xyr65w) - great fantasy with a darkly humorous side.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "interesting guide to our instinctive interpretation of statistics and how the media manipulates it.",
          "reason": "Describes it as an interesting guide to interpreting statistics and media manipulation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew Dilnot and Michael Blastland"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "media literacy",
        "statistics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-tiger-s-wife-d42e23",
      "title": "The Tiger's Wife",
      "author": "Téa Obreht",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20332888,
          "author": "KaiserPro",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T07:16:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20332888",
          "commentText": "I personally hate self improvement books/management, so here are some narrative books that I loved and got lost in\n1) The tiger's wife - To me it has a brilliant full universe. Its comprised of a overarching narrative broken up with lots of short stories.\n2) night watch/ making money / going postal - terry pratchett Fun stories with full characters.\n3) THe pigeon tunnels - john le carre, Again composed of short stories, not overly spy-y just fascinating character studies, with a bit of history.\n4) differently morphous - Yahtzee croshaw this one is a scifi comedy, 100% worth getting in audiobook form\n5) rivers of london - ben aaronovich, policeman who was all set for a life of being a desk clerk accidentally becomes a wizard policemen.\n6) harry potter, obviously :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1) The tiger's wife - To me it has a brilliant full universe. Its comprised of a overarching narrative broken up with lots of short stories.",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of narrative books the commenter loved and praises its expansive universe.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Téa Obreht"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-tiger-a-true-story-of-vengeance-and-survival-1c74c0",
      "title": "The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival",
      "author": "John Vaillant",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40429433,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T15:07:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40429433",
          "commentText": "Shadow Divers was amazing: https://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Divers-Adventure-Americans-Eve... (https://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Divers-Adventure-Americans-Everything/dp/0739320831)\nThe Tiger was also amazing: https://www.amazon.com/Tiger-Vengeance-Survival-Vintage-Depa... (https://www.amazon.com/Tiger-Vengeance-Survival-Vintage-Departures/dp/0307389049)\nBoth non-fiction",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Tiger was also amazing",
          "reason": "Calls it amazing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Nonfiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Vaillant"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human wildlife conflict",
        "siberian tiger"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-time-machine-and-other-stories-766828",
      "title": "The Time Machine and Other Stories",
      "author": "H. G. Wells",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20915799,
          "author": "NeedMoreTea",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T06:53:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20915799",
          "commentText": "The Phantom Rickshaw and other Eerie Tales, Rudyard Kipling. This is the one that includes \"The Man Who Would be King\" that's a fairly well known film with Sean Connery and Michael Caine.\nHis other short story books, such as The Jungle Book and Just So Stories - so much better than the Disney.\nThe Time Machine and other Stories, H G Wells.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Time Machine and other Stories, H G Wells.",
          "reason": "Lists the collection in response to a request for favorite old books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "H. G. Wells"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-time-paradox-f07457",
      "title": "The Time Paradox",
      "author": "Philip Zimbardo and John Boyd",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21902042,
          "author": "sivers",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T21:56:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902042",
          "commentText": "Since 2007, I've taken detailed notes on every book I've read, then posted them on my site with my top recommendations up top:\nhttps://sivers.org/book\nMy top recommendations here for the Hacker News crowd - with a nudge for the under-rated, are:\nThe Time Paradox - by Philip Zimbardo and John Boyd\nhttps://sivers.org/book/TimeParadox\nProfound idea that everyone has a primary time focus: either Future-focused, Present-focused, or Past-focused. Fascinating implications of each. Because I'm so future-focused, reading this book helped me understand people who are very present-focused. Also great advice on shifting your focus when needed. I read it 7 years ago, but still think about it almost every day.\n--\nMindwise: How We Understand What Others Think, Believe, Feel, and Want - by Nicholas Epley\nhttps://sivers.org/book/Mindwise\nMany new brilliant insights, especially about over-estimating the differences between you and others, thereby separating into us-vs-them tribalism. Scan to the end of my notes, to see. If you know more books like this, please recommend them to me. I adore this subject.\n--\nThe War of Art - by Steven Pressfield\nhttps://sivers.org/book/WarOfArt\nHave you experienced a vision of the person you might become, the work you could accomplish, the realized being you were meant to be? Are you a writer who doesn’t write, a painter who doesn’t paint, an entrepreneur who never starts a venture? Then you know what “Resistance” is. This book is about that. Read it.\n--\nE-Myth Revisited - by Michael Gerber\nhttps://sivers.org/book/EMythRevisited\nAbsolutely everyone who is an entrepreneur or wants to be one needs to read this book. I first read it after 10 years of successfully running my company, and was still blown away and totally humbled by its wisdom. Re-reading it today, I'm amazed how my view of business was completely changed by this one little book. See my notes for examples, but definitely read the book itself to get the real impact.\n--\nThe Courage to Be Disliked - by Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga\nhttps://sivers.org/book/Disliked\nWow. A profound little philosophy book from Japan, communicating the psychology of Alfred Adler - a rival of Freud. Told as a conversation between an angry student and a patient teacher. A little book so good that I rushed home from other activites to keep reading it, and finished in a day. A surprisingly fresh perspective on how to live. (The “disliked” part is not the point, so don’t let the title distract you.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Time Paradox - by Philip Zimbardo and John Boyd",
          "reason": "Includes it among their top recommendations and describes its ideas and advice positively.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026494,
          "author": "sivers",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T00:12:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026494",
          "commentText": "(The links here bring you to my notes from each book, and the ISBN number for each so you can find it easily at your favorite library/store/whatever.)\nHow We Decide - by Jonah Lehrer:\nBrilliant book with one clear message: our emotional brain is faster and usually smarter than our logical brain. Our emotions are trained by years of logic and experience, retaining it all for real wisdom. Many decisions are better made by going with the gut feeling. Gets a little too technical with deep brain/neuro/cortex talk, but brings it back to usable points.\nhttp://sivers.org/book/HowWeDecide\nThe Investor's Manifesto - by William J. Bernstein:\nAbsolutely my favorite author and advisor on the subject of investing. Anyone with any money to invest (or already invested) please read this book. Such clear thinking, using only facts, and using numbers not guesses. Modern portfolio theory: use passive indexes of the entire market, no speculation, no stock picking, and avoid the entire fee-sucking financial industry.\nhttp://sivers.org/book/InvestorsManifesto\nSum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives - by David Eagleman:\nFiction. Awesomely creative think-piece of 40 different short stories of what happens when you die. To be clear: the author is not pretending this is fact! The framework is inspiring for anyone: coming up with 40 different answers to any one question.\nhttp://sivers.org/book/Sum\nThe Talent Code - by Daniel Coyle:\nA great book showing that deep practice - (struggling in certain targeted ways - operating at the edges of your ability, where you make mistakes - experiences where you're forced to slow down, make errors, and correct them) - is what really makes you improve at anything.\nhttp://sivers.org/book/TalentCode\nInfluence - by Robert Cialdini:\nClassic book on the psychology of persuasion. I read it 15 years ago, thought about it ever since, and re-read it now. How to get a 700% improvement in volunteers. How to sell more by doubling your prices. How to make people feel they made a choice, when really you made it for them.\nhttp://sivers.org/book/Influence\nThe Time Paradox - by Philip Zimbardo and John Boyd:\nSee my in-depth article about this book at http://sivers.org/time\nhttp://sivers.org/book/TimeParadox",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "See my in-depth article about this book",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip Zimbardo and John Boyd"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "time perspective",
        "personality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-time-traveler-s-guide-to-medieval-england-170133",
      "title": "The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England",
      "author": "Ian Mortimer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18662208,
          "author": "earthicus",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T08:09:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18662208",
          "commentText": "Ofer Gal - Baroque Science. A highly academic history of the scientific revolution, not the most readable book. It focused quite a bit on mathematization, especially in optics (and Kepler's optics revolution in particular), and also in observation via instrumentation like telescopes and microscopes.\nPaul Nahin - The Logician and the Engineer. About Boole and Shannon's work; I had already learned the material so i skimmed part of it and returned it to the library.\nIan Mortimer - The time traveler's guide to medieval england. Talks about what daily life was like for different social classes in 14th century England eg towns & cities, food, clothes, housing, employment, travel etc. I got about halfway through and lost interest in the subject matter.\nLucio Russo - The forgotten Revolution. A very readable academic history of the development of science in ptolomaic egypt (eg euclid, archimedes, etc). This was certainly the most surprising book I read all year. This time period has been almost completely deleted from history, which jumps straight from aristotle to the renaissance (with a quick stop in the islamic world if you're being spoiled), and their achievements were incredibly impressive!\nJim al-Khalili - The House of Wisdom. A pop-history book about arabic science that i got from the library. I was wary because it's written by a particle physicist and not a historian, and sure enough it is filled with so much nonsense that I through it down in disgust after a few chapters.\nColin Pask - Magnificent Principia. A brief tour of some of the highlights of Newton's Principia, using both newton's geometric diagrams and modern notation. Following the modern notation of course assumes some basic calculus. Highly recommended - it made me want to learn old fashioned celestial mechanics! Perhaps in 2019...\nRandall Munroe - What if. A fun light read about whimsical scenarios.\nSigmund - Exact thinking in demented times. About the vienna circle, the philosophical group associated with logical positivism.\nNewman [ed] - The world of mathematics vol 1. A varied Collection of mathematical writings, both contemporary and historical.\nRichard J Evans - The Coming of the Third Reich. Evans has recently written a three volume treatment of the third Reich. this is of course the first and starts with the origins of the modern form of antisemitism in the late 19th century. I hope to read the next two in 2019!\nRobert Harper - Practical foundations for programming languages. I've mostly just skimmed it so my understanding is quite superficial, maybe in a year or two I'll go through and do all the exercises. I liked that he avoided 'paradigms' and developed the subject more systematically. The book's table of contents is absolutely irresistible!\nTolkien - the Hobbit. I finally got around to reading it... I didn't care for it. I started the lord of the rings but i don't think i'm going to finish it.\nMichael Chriton - Jurassic Park. The movie was better.\nAgatha Christie - Murder on the Orient Express. I think i just don't like fiction. The few years before this I tried reading more fancy literature and i didn't like that, so this year I tried more popular literature... Recently i heard someone say they thought that history spoiled fiction for them. I think I've suffered the same problem.\nFindlay & O'Rourke - Power and Plenty. (in progress) An economic history of the 2nd millennium, absolutely fascinating so far. The discussion of the black death was particularly memorable. It's become something of a meme to point out how the peasant survivors were economically better off than their parents and grandparents. In fact that effect was limited to western europe. In eastern europe the economics were different and feudalism deepened, and in the arab world the reaction was different still: (if i remember my reading correctly) it was certain sects of military men who came out on top. I'm bringing it up because it is a perfect reminder that reality is more complicated than memes.\nRobert Harper - Programming in Standard ML. (in progress) Online notes about functional programming.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I got about halfway through and lost interest in the subject matter.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter lost interest about halfway through.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ian Mortimer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "daily life",
        "medieval england"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-time-of-gifts-acd389",
      "title": "The Time of Gifts",
      "author": "Patrick Leigh Fermor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16759148,
          "author": "pjc50",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T21:12:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16759148",
          "commentText": "I have 2 of the 7 books of the X Window Programming Reference in that role.\nApart from K&R, there are very few programming books which are worthwhile; up to about 10 years ago the ORA series were worthwhile, but nowadays especially with StackExchange it's just far better to get the one fragment of information you need in a handy searchable pasteable internet format.\n(Non-programming book recs: recently The Man Who Stole Portugal (non-fiction, surprisingly relevant to crypto) and The Time Of Gifts (biography, extravagantly written, requires checking wikipedia every 5 dozen words unless you have a really excellent knowledge of European history)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "and The Time Of Gifts (biography, extravagantly written, requires checking wikipedia every 5 dozen words unless you have a really excellent knowledge of European history)",
          "reason": "Lists it among recent non-fiction recommendations and praises its extravagant writing.",
          "audience": "Readers with strong knowledge of European history.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says unfamiliar references may require frequent Wikipedia checks.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Patrick Leigh Fermor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "europe",
        "travel writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-tipping-point-how-little-things-can-make-a-big-difference-1fb094",
      "title": "The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference",
      "author": "Malcolm Gladwell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 191784,
          "author": "coglethorpe",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-16T14:12:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=191784",
          "commentText": "1. \"The Wisdom of Crowds\" by James Surowiecki\n2. \"Predictably Irrational\" by Dan Ariely\n3. \"The Search\" by John Battelle\n4. \"Made to Stick\" by Chip Heath and Dan Heath\n5. \"The Tipping Point\" by Malcolm Gladwell\nThat should cover your trip. I've listened to all of them and really liked all of them.  \"Blink\" by Gladwell is also good, but not as business related.\nI would love to hear any other suggestions people have in this category.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Tipping Point\" by Malcolm Gladwell",
          "reason": "Included in a list of suggested audiobooks; the commenter says they listened to and liked all the listed titles.",
          "audience": "Listeners interested in business related books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Malcolm Gladwell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "behavior change",
        "social epidemics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-toilet-paper-entrepreneur-57bc66",
      "title": "The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur",
      "author": "Mike Michalowicz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3395837,
          "author": "fduran",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T14:37:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395837",
          "commentText": "\"The snowball: Warren Buffett and the business of life\"\n\"The autobiography of Benjamin Franklin\"\n\"The toilet paper entrepreneur\"\n\"The lean startup\"\n\"Anything you want\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The toilet paper entrepreneur\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mike Michalowicz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-tolkien-reader-3e87ac",
      "title": "The Tolkien Reader",
      "author": "J. R. R. Tolkien",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15961153,
          "author": "bernardino",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:09:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961153",
          "commentText": "1. The Tolkien Reader by J.R.R. Tolkien - If you are into trolls living under a bridge, and more.\n2. Smoke and Mirrors: Short Fiction and Illusions by Neil Gaiman - If you are into a young knight with a cool horse looking for a holy grail but to only find out an elderly woman bought it from a thrift store, and more.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Tolkien Reader by J.R.R. Tolkien",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the thread’s book prompt, with a playful description of its contents.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in fantasy and folklore.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. R. R. Tolkien"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "folklore",
        "short fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-tombs-of-atuan-f746ec",
      "title": "The Tombs of Atuan",
      "author": "Ursula K. Le Guin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665209,
          "author": "PostPost",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:26:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665209",
          "commentText": "Sorry for the wall of text.\n1. Bourne (The language and world of this novel are extraordinary - everything is falling apart yet brimming with life. Strangely moving)\n2. The Design of Everyday things (Essential for anyone in UI/UX)\n3. All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (Highly engaging, entertaining sci-fi novella series, from an author that can write a very decent robot protagonist)\n4. The Power (Interesting story with sci-fi elements on the dynamics of power, sex, and gender roles. I didn't care for the book, but the first 3/4 of the book are amazing)\n5. Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days\n6. 7 brief Lessons on Physics\n7. The Last Lecture (The energy and positivity coming from a man knowing he's about to die is infectious. Great read)\n8. A wizard of Earthsea (Move over Harry Potter, this is the essential children's story about wizards)\n9. Exploring diabetes with owls (Funny, irreverent)\n10. Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children (Made an effort to read more YA this year - this was the best in this series, but I still hated it. There's a host of better YA series out there.)\n11. A Wizard of Earthsea: The Tombs of Atuan (See 8.)\n12. The Girl in the Dark (Interesting book about a skin condition I had never heard of, and the trials of living with a very rare condition)\n13. The Phantom Tollbooth (Clever children's book)\n14. Black hole blues and songs from outer space (Informative book about the study of space,  the political and economic forces standing in the way of science, and the incredible individuals working in this field)\n15. Welcome to Night Vale (Hugely entertaining, clever and weird)\n16. You need a budget (Basic economics book explaining how to budget in a way that lets you do more with your money)\n17. To fight Against This Age (Incredibly pretentious, \nIvory Tower philosophizing)\n18. Infinity Gauntlet (Half the Universe dying because Thanos wanted to sleep with Lady Death will never not be ridiculous)\n19. The Right and Wrong Stuff (Great read explaining how to anticipate and avoid career pitfalls)\n20. Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children: Hollow City (pretty shitty)\n21. The Farthest Shore (Ursula K. Le Guin was the biggest loss this year)\n22. Miss peregrine's home for Peculiar Children: Library of Souls (I hate this book and all its characters)\n23. Every Good Endevour (Religious book about a Christian worldview and the value of labor - not a bad read)\n24. When to Rob a Bank and 131 warped suggestions… (interesting, funny, from the writers of Freakonomics)\n25. Weapons of Math Destruction (Probably the most useful book on this list, if you're reading this on \"hackernews\")\n26. Holes (Perfect summer paperback read)\n27. Silver Screen Sirens (Essential for film geeks)\n28. A full life: reflections at 90 (I gained a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter: he lived an incredible life and does great things)\n29. Call Me by your name (Very good romance novel to send to your bigoted relatives at Christmas)\n30. Hyperbole and a half (Incredibly entertaining, very distinctive art style)\n31. The Murderbot diaries: Artificial Condition (See 3.)\n32. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Best children's book, fight me)\n33. Less (Exceptionally well-written)\n34. Resilience (Great book, especially for those that have gone through extremely difficult circumstances)\n35. The Strange Bird (Dark, bleak, full of life, see 1.)\n36. The Murderbot diaries: Rogue Protocol (See 3.)\n37. His Dark Materials: The subtle knife (See 32.)\n38. Tap Dancing to Work (Very dry, some stories/articles are fantastic, others very, very boring for people that do not care about finance)\n39. So Good They Can't Ignore You (Pretty good)\n40. His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass (Amazing YA, see 32.)\n41. Uncontainable (Inspirational book about conscious capitalism)\n42. The Emperor of All Maladies (Pretty much everything you'll ever want to know about Cancer, written in a very engaging way)\n43. Blind Spot\n44. Shoe dog (Great story, see madmax108's comment, totally agree)\n45. The Faithful Spy (Beautiful artwork describing a Christian pastor's fight against fascism during WW2)\n46. Zero to One\n47. You'll grow out of it\n48. The Happiness advantage (Really fantastic book about the value of positive psychology)\n49. Dreams from my father (Enlightening look into Obama's \nearly days)\n50. Ayoade on Ayoade (Entertaining, extremely scatter-brained, not as funny as his interviews or tv programs)\n51. The Diabolic (badly written YA Sci-Fi)\n52. The Physics of Everyday Things (surprisingly informative, recommended for non science-people interested in the way things work)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Wizard of Earthsea: The Tombs of Atuan (See 8.)",
          "reason": "The parenthetical refers back to the comment's endorsement of the Earthsea book.",
          "audience": "Readers of children's fantasy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ursula K. Le Guin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coming of age",
        "wizard fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-tomorrow-file-df5285",
      "title": "The Tomorrow File",
      "author": "Lawrence Sanders",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 86095,
          "author": "scylla",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T21:05:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86095",
          "commentText": "Godel Escher Bach - non fiction\nThe Tomorrow File - fiction. Written in the 1970s as the author's only foray into science fiction. Seriously, it's that good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seriously, it's that good.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it “that good” and highlights its unusual science-fiction premise.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in science fiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it was the author's only foray into science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lawrence Sanders"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "near future science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-tongue-and-quill-3daf57",
      "title": "The Tongue and Quill",
      "author": "United States Air Force",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32343612,
          "author": "scruple",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-04T14:47:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32343612",
          "commentText": "I keep a copy on my desk and thumb through it occasionally when I need help with my writing. Next to that book is also a copy of Williams and Colomb's Style: Toward Clarity and Grace. I've also read the USAF Tongue and Quill. There are good lessons in all 3 of these books for technical writers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've also read the USAF Tongue and Quill. There are good lessons in all 3 of these books for technical writers.",
          "reason": "Says the three books offer good lessons for technical writers.",
          "audience": "Technical writers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "United States Air Force"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "style guide",
        "technical writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-torah-b2f9b5",
      "title": "The Torah",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25531528,
          "author": "haivri",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T21:19:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25531528",
          "commentText": "The Torah and it's related works, most notably:\nThe Guide for the Perplexed by Maimonides\nOn the Essence of Chassidus by Menachem Mendel Schneersohn",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Torah and it's related works",
          "reason": "Names the Torah among the works the commenter recommends.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "jewish scripture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-total-money-makeover-a95ad2",
      "title": "The Total Money Makeover",
      "author": "Dave Ramsey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17988815,
          "author": "johnnyRose",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-14T16:54:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17988815",
          "commentText": "It's not particularly intellectual, but The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey has definitely changed my life for the better. I wish I had read it years ago.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "has definitely changed my life for the better.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book changed their life for the better.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not particularly intellectual.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dave Ramsey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "debt management",
        "personal finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-town-11d3b9",
      "title": "The Town",
      "author": "William Faulkner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5691600,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T18:40:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5691600",
          "commentText": "Blood Meridian, Cormac McCarthy.\nPhilosphical Investigations, Ludwig Witgenstein.\nThe Analects.\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, Ableson and Sussman.\nThe Hamet and The Town and The Mansion, William Faulkner.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Hamet and The Town and The Mansion, William Faulkner.",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for good book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Faulkner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classic literature",
        "southern literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-traitor-baru-cormorant-e3058f",
      "title": "The Traitor Baru Cormorant",
      "author": "Seth Dickinson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17538918,
          "author": "minhazm423",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T05:13:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17538918",
          "commentText": "Hey unfortunately I have nothing to add but I'd like to make a request for sci fi books\nw/ these themes:\nfinance\ncurrency\neconomics\nmath\nmoney\npower\nSome common reccomendations I've seen are\nanything by Neal Stephenson\nThe other recommendations Ive seen are fantasy like\nThe Traitor Baru Cormorant\nThe Dagger and Coin series\nMaking Money\nGoing Postal\nDoes anyone have any similar recommendations?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Traitor Baru Cormorant",
          "reason": "Listed among fantasy recommendations the commenter has seen while requesting similar books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter asks for similar recommendations and does not endorse this title.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10784101,
          "author": "skorgu",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:39:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10784101",
          "commentText": "I was on a sf kick this year apparently.\nFull list (why can't amazon show me the read dates of my kindle books?!):\n- Ancillary Sword\n- The Magician's Land\n- The Three Body Problem (incomplete)\n- Libriomancer, Codex Born, Unbound\n- Thank You, Jeeves\n- Omon Ra (incomplete)\n- Stations of the Tide\n- 1Q84 (staggeringly incomplete)\n- The Desert Spear (incomplete)\n- The Lost Fleet: {Dauntless,Fearless,Courageous} (third \none incomplete)\n- Superintelligence\n- Nexus, Crux (incomplete)\n- Another Fine Myth\n- The Annihilation Score\n- The Man with the Golden Torc, Daemons are Forever\n- The Fractal Prince (incomplete)\n- Crooked\n- Ancillary Mercy\n- The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet\n- The Traitor Baru Cormarant\n- Excession\n- Hive Mind\n- Seveneves",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "- The Traitor Baru Cormarant",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed in a reading list; no evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783529,
          "author": "Symmetry",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:46:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783529",
          "commentText": "Here are the ones I'd be willing to recommend, in reverse chronological order of when I read them.  I read 59 total.  Listen to books on tape while working out has maybe doubled my reading rate.\nGenghis Khan: His Conquests, His Empire, His Legacy - Great book on how the Mongol Empire came to be, who Genghis was, and it put the whole thing in perspective for me in a useful way.\nThe Knowledge: How to Rebuild Our World from Scratch - What it says on the tin.  Actually a good overview how some important technologies interrelate.\nSuperforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction - How to be wrong less often.  Based on the Good Judgement Project results.\nThe Three-Body Problem - Decent enough science fiction but extra interesting because it's science fiction from a different culture.\nIgnition!: An informal history of liquid rocket propellants - A history of things that go boom.  Engaging writing and I learned things about chemistry.\nThe Traitor Baru Cormorant - I'm nominating this for a Hugo.  It tells you it's going to stab you in the gut but when it does you don't see it coming.  Plus high quality scheming and speculation on economics, society, and empire.\nThe Sorcerer of the Wildeeps - Excellent use of voice and an overall good book.\nBloom - Made my skin crawl in places and also was good at making you feel a radical change in perspective.\nSeeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed - An interesting perspective on certain aspects of government.  A bit too negative for the topic, the factors outlined are also why commercial economies were able to develop more centralized economies than agrarian ones in the early modern era.\nPolitical Order and Political Decay: From the Industrial Revolution to the Globalization of Democracy - Quite good book on bureaucracy though not as excellent as the previous book on the origins of states.\nLast First Snow - It's always great to read books about the struggles between people with sympathetic motivations.\nThe Unwelcome Warlock - The latest in a series of fantasy books where people use magic in creative and sensible ways.\nAsteroid Mining 101: Wealth for the New Space Economy -Mostly about all the different sorts of asteroids.\nSeveneves - Neal Stephenson's latest.  If you like his books read it but maybe skip the last 1/3 after the timeskip.\nElon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future - Wow he did a lot of cool stuff.\nStories of Your Life and Others - Brilliant and poetic short stories.\nDarwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life - Some interesting perspective on materialism.\nPower, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life - Best science book I've read in a while!  Shows why mitochondria matter, the fundamental limits of prochariotic life, and several important ways mitochondria influence again and evolution.\nBlue Remembered Earth - Awesome near futureish book that does well at imagining a future that isn't just a linear extrapolation but is still believable.\nA Key, an Egg, an Unfortunate Remark - Not enough pacifist badass grandmothers in urban fantasy.\nQuantum Computing since Democritus - I understand QM much better now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Traitor Baru Cormorant - I'm nominating this for a Hugo. It tells you it's going to stab you in the gut but when it does you don't see it coming. Plus high quality scheming and speculation on economics, society, and empire.",
          "reason": "Nominates it for a Hugo and praises its emotional impact and political scheming.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Seth Dickinson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Economics",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political fantasy",
        "empire",
        "finance",
        "imperialism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-transcendence-of-the-ego-aa92d6",
      "title": "The Transcendence of the Ego",
      "author": "Jean-Paul Sartre",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13970979,
          "author": "jlg23",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T19:38:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13970979",
          "commentText": "\"La transcendence de l'ego\", by Jean-Paul Sartre[1] - I read it when I was 14, by sheer accident, and it provided all the backing for intuitively understanding Sapir-Worf and finally for being able to navigate in a multitude of cultural environments without getting looked upon/shot at or being killed (depending on where the world I am ;)\n[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Transcendence_of_the_Ego",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"La transcendence de l'ego\", by Jean-Paul Sartre",
          "reason": "Describes reading it at 14 and says it helped him understand Sapir-Whorf and navigate varied cultural environments.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jean-Paul Sartre"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "existentialism",
        "phenomenology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-transformation-of-war-8080fc",
      "title": "The Transformation of War",
      "author": "Martin van Creveld",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 457027,
          "author": "rudyfink",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T20:02:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=457027",
          "commentText": "The first book I checked to make sure was included in this tread was \"Supplying War\".  There are many standard texts on conflict, but that one somehow misses many lists.  I think the examination of conflicts from the point of view of logistics serves two very good purposes: it's an essential education in making sure a force is supplied and it's a good perspective of looking at a conflict as a long term temporal and spacial endeavor.\n\"Command in War\" is also quite good, and I have not yet read \"Transformation in War\".",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I have not yet read \"Transformation in War\".",
          "reason": "Mentions a plan or intention to read it without evaluating or recommending it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 456375,
          "author": "Agathos",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T14:38:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456375",
          "commentText": "Martin van Creveld writes some serious analysis. Consider...\nSupplying War -- on logistics (as in \"professionals study...\")\nCommand in War -- on communication, information, and the importance of local autonomy leading to quick action\nThe Transformation of War -- has strategy's biggest buzzword right there in the title, but this was written back in 1991. On the growing role of low-intensity and asymmetric conflicts.\nHis books tend to be short, but very dense.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "On the growing role of low-intensity and asymmetric conflicts.",
          "reason": "Recommended for its discussion of low-intensity and asymmetric conflicts.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in modern conflict and military strategy.",
          "caveat": "The comment says his books tend to be short but very dense.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin van Creveld"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "asymmetric warfare",
        "military strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-transparent-society-db086c",
      "title": "The Transparent Society",
      "author": "David Brin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1752669,
          "author": "Symmetry",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T13:24:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752669",
          "commentText": "Trying to confine myself to books I haven't seen others mention:\n\"Guns, Votes, and Democracy\" is a wonderful book about democracy in the third world and is both insightful and surprisingly readable.\n\"The Retreat to Commitment\" is the only philosophy book I'd actually recommend.\n\"The Design of Everyday Things\" is a book for anyone who makes or uses things.\n\"The Transparent Society\" is a thought provoking book on the future of privacy.\n\"The Mystery of Capital\" is a book on the importance of non-corrupt government in successful capitalism, a good point of view to have in addition to Rand.\n\"The Strategy of Conflict\" on how to use game theory in the real world, and negotiations especially.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Transparent Society\" is a thought provoking book on the future of privacy.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it thought provoking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Brin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "privacy",
        "surveillance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-travels-of-marco-polo-5d8261",
      "title": "The Travels of Marco Polo",
      "author": "Marco Polo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41236698,
          "author": "warrenm",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-13T16:00:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41236698",
          "commentText": "The Travels of Marco Polo (I prefer the Modern Library edition translated by Manuel Komroff (it was published in 1931, but the source dates to the 13th-14th centuries))",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Travels of Marco Polo",
          "reason": "Recommended in response to a request for favorite classic books; the commenter prefers the Modern Library edition translated by Manuel Komroff.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The cited edition was published in 1931, while the source dates to the 13th–14th centuries.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marco Polo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "medieval history",
        "travel writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-trembling-of-a-leaf-4ccc32",
      "title": "The Trembling of a Leaf",
      "author": "W. Somerset Maugham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50115740,
          "author": "frigidcow",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T08:34:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50115740",
          "commentText": "Peter Hoeg Smilla's Sense of Snow (twice)\nW.Somerset Maugham The Trembling of a Leaf(twice)\nAnd many others..",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "W.Somerset Maugham The Trembling of a Leaf(twice)",
          "reason": "Listed as a book the commenter read twice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. Somerset Maugham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-triumph-of-conservatism-1c7733",
      "title": "The Triumph of Conservatism",
      "author": "Gabriel Kolko",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 240706,
          "author": "bokonist",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T02:56:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240706",
          "commentText": "The Triumph of Conservatism by Gabriel Kolko - the book for understanding the rise of corporate serfdom\nThe World of Yesterday by Stefan Zweig - will make you nostalgic for the days of monarchy\nWorld on Fire by Amy Chua - the single best book for understanding globalization that I have read.  The antidote to Tom Friedman.\nAmerica's Great Depression by Murray Rothbard - very different from the story you get in school.  Is he right?\nTwo favorite tech books are Inside Intuit and The Manager Pool",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Triumph of Conservatism by Gabriel Kolko - the book for understanding the rise of corporate serfdom",
          "reason": "Recommended as a book for understanding the rise of corporate serfdom.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gabriel Kolko"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american history",
        "corporate power"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-trivium-the-liberal-arts-of-logic-grammar-and-rhetoric-unders-61c3a0",
      "title": "The Trivium: The Liberal Arts of Logic, Grammar, and Rhetoric: Understanding the Nature and Function of Language",
      "author": "Sister Miriam Joseph",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30828547,
          "author": "billfruit",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T08:45:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30828547",
          "commentText": "Some books from a few different domains which may be of the type OP is asking for:\n1. The Trivium: The Liberal Arts of Logic, Grammar, and Rhetoric : Understanding the Nature and Function of Language by Sister Miriam Joseph.\n2. Introduction to Logic by Irving Copi.\n3. Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective by Randall Bryant and others.\n5. Prolog Programming by Ivan Bratko.\n6. Information Theory, Inference and Learning Algorithms by David MacKay\n7. Geometry by Brennan.\n8. Understanding Poetry by Robert Penn Warren and Cleanth Brookes",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Trivium: The Liberal Arts of Logic, Grammar, and Rhetoric : Understanding the Nature and Function of Language by Sister Miriam Joseph.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sister Miriam Joseph"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Philosophy",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "grammar",
        "logic",
        "rhetoric"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-trouble-with-being-born-00daa5",
      "title": "The Trouble with Being Born",
      "author": "Emil Cioran",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18745659,
          "author": "DyslexicAtheist",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T12:06:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18745659",
          "commentText": "my reading has taken a dark turn this year. I blame it on Thomas Ligotti (first book on my list)  ;)\n- The Conspiracy Against the Human Race (Thomas Ligotti) ... fun fact: S01 of 'True Detectives' has ripped part of the dialogue straight from this book without giving credit\n- The Trouble with being born (Emil Cioran)\n- The Industrial Society and its Future (Ted Kaczynski)\n- The Technological Society (Jaques Ellul)\n- Propaganda (Jaques Ellul)\n- McMafia - A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld (Misha Glenny)\n- The Doors Of Perception (Aldous Huxley)\n- The Manipulation of Human Behavior (Albert D. Biderman)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Trouble with being born (Emil Cioran)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Included in the commenter’s reading list.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503560,
          "author": "igravious",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T12:51:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503560",
          "commentText": "It is with joy that I answer your question. And if I may be allowed to answer it philosophically. The books you find incredibly interesting may be the books the validate your worldview. There are many of these. The book you find eye-opening may be the books that open the door into the world of philosophy proper for you. There are not many of these because you only need to go through that door once I feel.\nAlso, I would observe that besides Ayn Rand (who for many is not a philosopher) not a single female philosopher has been mentioned here which I find is a damning indictment on the state of affairs of the world of ideas. To remedy that I would recommend to you read A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft or anything by De Beauvoir (and do ignore her contemporary Sartre for he was nothing but a windbag).\nI am delighted that you singled out Thomas Paine (who again is not a philosopher as such; must be something in the air in the States) and Arthur Schopenhauer. They are both tremendous stylists. I've said this many times before - I don't care how great a philosopher's ideas are, if they can't write well I don't want to know. Thus we have people here recommending Kripke or Frege or heck knows who like that who bludgeon you to death with their tedious logic. Avoid them I say.\nFinally I would like to be clichéd and recommend anything by Nietzsche except for Thus Spake Zarathustra even though he himself considered it his best work and I would especially recommend Ecce Homo by him because it is a summation of his previous works by his own hand. Nietzsche was the supreme stylist and ruthlessly honest and fearless. Also I'd recommend A Short Treatise on the Great Virtues by a contemporary philosopher André Comte-Sponville. This is a remarkable book on virtue theory that takes in Aristotle, Spinoza, Nietzsche and Woody Allen among others and is divided up by virtue which is extremely novel. It is fantastically written. Anything by Cioran as well such as The Trouble with Being Born. I'm trying not to typecast myself here! :)\nAnd finally finally Sophie's World and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance while nice cute books are not true philosophy books. This is also why I wouldn't recommend Camus' The Outsider though someone did mention The Myth of Sisyphus. Borges falls into this category. Sophie's world is really a kid's book as well and one that I would perhaps recommend to children though I'd recommend Borges or Camus or Kafka first.\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Vindication-Rights-Woman-Penguin-Cla... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vindication-Rights-Woman-Penguin-Classics/dp/0141441259)\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Second-Sex-Vintage-classics/dp/00997... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Second-Sex-Vintage-classics/dp/009974421X)\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Penguin-Great-Ideas-Suffering-World/... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Penguin-Great-Ideas-Suffering-World/dp/0141018941)\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Ecce-Homo-Becomes-Penguin-Classics/d... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ecce-Homo-Becomes-Penguin-Classics/dp/0140445153)\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Short-Treatise-Great-Virtues-Philoso... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Short-Treatise-Great-Virtues-Philosophy/dp/0099437988)\nhttp://www.amazon.co.uk/Trouble-Being-Born-E-M-Cioran/dp/155... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/Trouble-Being-Born-E-M-Cioran/dp/1559704624)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anything by Cioran as well such as The Trouble with Being Born.",
          "reason": "Recommends Cioran's work, naming this book as an example.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Cioran.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Emil Cioran"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aphorisms",
        "existentialism",
        "pessimism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-truce-a23940",
      "title": "The Truce",
      "author": "Primo Levi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13258390,
          "author": "alc90",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-26T14:47:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13258390",
          "commentText": "My goal for this year was to read 10 books. Not a huge challenge but I'm happy I managed to complete it. I'm currently at my 16th book - so I might say that's pretty good.\nHere's my 2016 reading list:\n#1. Zero to One - Peter Thiel - 3.5*\n#2. The Alchemis - Paulo Coelho - 3.5*\n#3. Founders at Work - Jessica Livingston - 3*\n#4. Traction - Gabriel Weinberg - 4.5*\n#5. How to Win Friends and Influence People - Dale Carnegie -4*\n#6. Reinventing Organizations: A Guide to Creating Organizations... - Frederic Laloux, Ken Wilber - 4*\n#7. Daily Rituals: How Artists Work - Mason Currey - 3*\n#8. Rich Dad, Poor Dad - Robert T. Kiyosak - 3*\n#9. The Lean Startup: How Today's Entrepreneurs... - Eric Ries - 4.5*\n#10. Meaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly - Bernadette Jiwa - 3*\n#11. Elon Musk: Inventing the Future - Ashlee Vance - 4*\n#12. Rework - Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson - 4.5*\n#13. Anything You Want - Derek Sivers - 4.5*\n#14. South of the Border, West of the Sun - Haruki Murakami - 3.5*\n#15. As A Man Thinketh / The Path Of Prosperity - James Allen - 4*\nCurrently I'm reading If This Is a Man / The Truce by Primo Levi - and so far it seems to be one of the top 3 books I've read this year - definitely a 4+* book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Currently I'm reading If This Is a Man / The Truce by Primo Levi - and so far it seems to be one of the top 3 books I've read this year - definitely a 4+* book.",
          "reason": "Calls it one of the top three books read that year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment says the book is still being read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Primo Levi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "holocaust memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-truth-machine-e9c49f",
      "title": "The Truth Machine",
      "author": "James L. Halperin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23568303,
          "author": "wmeredith",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-18T21:35:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 23561163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book that nobody you know has heard of?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23568303",
          "commentText": "The Truth Machine by James Halperin\nThis is mediocre book with an absolutely jaw dropping concept at its core. It's worth reading for all involved with building technology.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Truth Machine by James Halperin\nThis is mediocre book with an absolutely jaw dropping concept at its core. It's worth reading for all involved with building technology.",
          "reason": "Calls the book mediocre but says its concept makes it worth reading for people building technology.",
          "audience": "People involved with building technology.",
          "caveat": "Describes the book as mediocre.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James L. Halperin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "speculative fiction",
        "technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-tsar-of-love-and-techno-1e31c0",
      "title": "The Tsar of Love and Techno",
      "author": "Anthony Marra",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10833182,
          "author": "ggreer",
          "createdAt": "2016-01-03T23:48:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 10833032,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book you've recently read and enjoyed?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10833182",
          "commentText": "Last month I read The Tsar of Love and Techno[1] by Anthony Marra. The writing, story, and characters are all fascinating. If you want to take a break from sci-fi, give it a read.\n1. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23995336-the-tsar-of-love... (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23995336-the-tsar-of-love-and-techno)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The writing, story, and characters are all fascinating. If you want to take a break from sci-fi, give it a read.",
          "reason": "Praises the writing, story, and characters, and directly recommends reading it.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a break from science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anthony Marra"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "russian history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-turing-omnibus-61-excursions-in-computer-science-50005b",
      "title": "The Turing Omnibus: 61 Excursions in Computer Science",
      "author": "A. K. Dewdney",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25540475,
          "author": "apricot",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-26T01:06:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25540475",
          "commentText": "Answer to the title question but not the second one: I decided to go into computer science after reading \"The Turing Omnibus\" by A.K. Dewdney. It was like my brain was let loose in a candy store. I must have been insufferable that summer, always talking about Boolean logic and perceptrons and Turing machines and NP-completeness.\nAnswer to the second question but not the title one: \"The Friendly Orange Glow\" by Brian Dear is a well-written history of the PLATO computer system and, most importantly, of the community that grew around it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Turing Omnibus\" by A.K. Dewdney",
          "reason": "Reading it led the commenter to pursue computer science.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "A. K. Dewdney"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "boolean logic",
        "computational complexity",
        "turing machines"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-tusks-of-extinction-7b9c09",
      "title": "The Tusks of Extinction",
      "author": "Ray Nayler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45951939,
          "author": "scrapheap",
          "createdAt": "2025-11-17T08:55:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 45947737,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45951939",
          "commentText": "Stand out books for me that I've read this year:\n* The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler (Short, but a great read)\n* The Incandescent by Emily Tesh\n* The Armchair Universe by A.K.Dewdney (First read this one many years ago, but I've been reading it again)\n* Final Orbit by Chris Hadfield (third book in a series, so you'd want to start at the begining with The Apollo Murders)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Tusks of Extinction by Ray Nayler (Short, but a great read)",
          "reason": "Called a great read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Short.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ray Nayler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "climate fiction",
        "de extinction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-twelve-chairs-948fba",
      "title": "The Twelve Chairs",
      "author": "Ilya Ilf and Yevgeny Petrov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17383990,
          "author": "wrinkl3",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T23:18:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17383990",
          "commentText": "The same two authors also have a duology of satyrical novels about a conman in the 30s Soviet Russia: The Twelve Chairs [1] and The Little Golden Calf [2]. The novels are incredibly witty and their quotes/references are still part of the common Russian vernacular.\n[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Twelve_Chairs\n[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Golden_Calf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Twelve Chairs [1]",
          "reason": "Included in a duology described as incredibly witty, with quotes still common in Russian vernacular.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ilya Ilf and Yevgeny Petrov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "con man",
        "soviet satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-twelve-kingdoms-096478",
      "title": "The Twelve Kingdoms",
      "author": "Fuyumi Ono",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13970010,
          "author": "jensnockert",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T17:49:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13970010",
          "commentText": "\"The Twelve Kingdoms\", by Fuyumi Ono. We'll count all the volumes as one.\nMaybe I read them at just the right time in just the right place, but if you are in the right mood it tells you a story about leadership, a kernel of intersectionality, and most importantly why it's so hard for leadership figures to change the way they are headed even if they can clearly see that they are heading straight into an iceberg.\nThere's also an animated TV-series by NHK that I can recommend.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"The Twelve Kingdoms\", by Fuyumi Ono. We'll count all the volumes as one.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the series offers a story about leadership and how leaders resist changing course.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in leadership themes in fantasy fiction.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes timing and mood may have shaped their experience.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fuyumi Ono"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "leadership",
        "political fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-twits-4bbaa6",
      "title": "The Twits",
      "author": "Roald Dahl",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34637920,
          "author": "xedrac",
          "createdAt": "2023-02-03T06:45:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 34634274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books your kids like most",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34637920",
          "commentText": "\"The Twits\" was a favorite of my younger kids.  I recently read \"The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe\" to them, and they loved it.  Of course we had to make Turkish Delight after learning about it in the book.  Other winners include:  Redwall series, The Wingfeather Saga, Artemis Foul series, The Phantom Toll Booth.  But 4 is a bit young for those.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Twits\" was a favorite of my younger kids.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was a favorite of their younger children.",
          "audience": "Children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roald Dahl"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s books",
        "comic fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-two-towers-a2dd3a",
      "title": "The Two Towers",
      "author": "J. R. R. Tolkien",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39255260,
          "author": "md1348",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T22:38:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39255260",
          "commentText": "\"The Algorithm Design Manual\" by Skiena to prep for algo interviews, in case hiring picks up again.\n\"The Two Towers\" by Tolkien, I last read them in high school and wanted to revisit Middle-earth.\n\"Python Distilled\" by Beazley - I'm using it to iron out some of my knowledge gaps with the language. It's well-written and informative!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "\"The Two Towers\" by Tolkien, I last read them in high school and wanted to revisit Middle-earth.",
          "reason": "The commenter is revisiting Middle-earth after first reading it in high school.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38570149,
          "author": "thorin",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T15:27:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38570149",
          "commentText": "I think they are willing to put up with / indulge me reading something I enjoy to have a bit of close time together. The like the challenge of it being a massive book, but I remember finding the two towers pretty boring as a kid myself. I may stop for a bit after fellowship as I always thought that was the most readable of the books myself. I suppose that makes me not a true fan. I found the Silmarillion completely unreadable, but I do like middle earth.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I remember finding the two towers pretty boring as a kid myself.",
          "reason": "The commenter recalls finding it boring as a child.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 38567865,
          "author": "v-erne",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T11:48:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38567865",
          "commentText": "I noticed the same thing. We are at the end of Two towers and thanks to forcing those books onto my children (lets face it - they are quite slow and \"boring\" in comparison to normal children books) I have found new appreciation for stories contained in them.\nBut be advised that there are downsides to this - this time around I won't be able to stop myself from buying Frodos/Bilbos \"Sting\" when attending Fantasy Covent here in Warsaw (and its comming this weekend)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "We are at the end of Two towers",
          "reason": "Discussed as part of reading the book aloud to the commenter's children.",
          "audience": "The commenter mentions reading it with their children.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. R. R. Tolkien"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "high fantasy",
        "the lord of the rings"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-twyford-code-43dd8f",
      "title": "The Twyford Code",
      "author": "Janice Hallett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40464564,
          "author": "CRConrad",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-24T09:56:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40464564",
          "commentText": "Oh, I forgot -- also Rent åt helvete by Elinor Torp.\nAnd, in fiction: Red Team blues by Cory Doctorow (again), The Twyford code by Janice Hallett, and The Glass Key by Dashiell Hammett.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Twyford code by Janice Hallett",
          "reason": "Listed as a fiction pick in response to a thread asking for the best books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Janice Hallett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mystery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-tyrannicide-brief-88548d",
      "title": "The Tyrannicide Brief",
      "author": "Geoffrey Robertson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227141,
          "author": "cromulent",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T18:12:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227141",
          "commentText": "My favourite read of the last few years was The Tyrannicide Brief.\nI moved house 15000 km recently and this was one of the few books that came along (the others are in storage). Most of the other ones are mentioned in other comments.\nFrom the New Yorker review:\nIn 1649, after Oliver Cromwell and his army had taken King Charles I prisoner, they had to decide what to do with him. The easiest option, according to a contemporary, was assassination, \"for which there were hands ready enough to be employed.\" Instead, a lawyer named John Cooke was given the brief to prosecute him. (Other lawyers left town to dodge the job.) At the time, there was no language for what Charles was charged with: as king, he was the law, so prosecuting him seemed a logical absurdity. Robertson, a lawyer involved in the prosecutions of Augusto Pinochet and Saddam Hussein, credits Cooke with helping to make those proceedings possible; he \"made tyranny a crime.\" But Cooke himself was executed after the monarchy was restored. His heart and genitals were fed to stray dogs, and his head, at King Charles II's direction, was displayed at the entrance to Westminster Hall.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favourite read of the last few years was The Tyrannicide Brief.",
          "reason": "The commenter names it as their favorite read of recent years.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Geoffrey Robertson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "english civil war",
        "legal history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ui-audit-aee4d1",
      "title": "The UI Audit",
      "author": "Jane Portman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12713714,
          "author": "charlieirish",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-15T12:20:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12713714",
          "commentText": "I keep re-reading The UI Audit by Jane Portman:\nhttp://uibreakfast.com/audit/\nI use it every time I need to craft an interface but especially for SaaS apps. The OP requested something from a 'newbie perspective'; this book will explain the basics but the real value comes from the explanations and advice with respect to why UI decisions lead to happier users.\nI've copy/pasted the chapter headings from the site:\nIntroduction\nChapter 1. Your Product Strategy\nChapter 2. Navigation\nChapter 3. Dashboard & Homescreen\nChapter 4. Audit Your Screens\nChapter 5. The Problem of Style\nChapter 6. Get a Theme\nChapter 7. Plan for Improvements\nChapter 8. Deal With New Features",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I keep re-reading The UI Audit by Jane Portman:",
          "reason": "The commenter repeatedly uses it when crafting interfaces, especially for SaaS apps, and says it explains why UI decisions lead to happier users.",
          "audience": "The commenter says it explains the basics, with particular use for SaaS apps.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its real value is in the explanations and advice about why UI decisions lead to happier users.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jane Portman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "interface design",
        "saas",
        "ui audit"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ux-book-agile-ux-design-for-a-quality-user-experience-431980",
      "title": "The UX Book: Agile UX Design for a Quality User Experience",
      "author": "Rex Hartson and Pardha S. Pyla",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43724651,
          "author": "skydhash",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-18T03:14:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 43723077,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on talking to users?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43724651",
          "commentText": "There are three main subproblems to your questions:\n1. Find out what users wants. The answer to that is research and the only book I have is Just Enough Research by Erika Hall. I also found Essentials of Business Research Methods by Joe Hair Jr. et al.\n2. Build the thing that the user wants. That's mostly the real of Software Requirements and I have two candidates for you:\n- Mastering the Requirements Process: Getting Requirements Right by Suzanne and James Robertson\n- Software Requirements by Karl Wiegers and Joy Beatty.\n3. Build something that the user likes and that he can use. That's UX and I have three candidates this time:\n- Observing the User Experience, 2nd Edition by E. Goodman and M. Kunlavsky\n- Understanding Your Users, 2nd Edition by K. Baxter et al.\n- The UX Book by R. Hartson and P. S. Pyla\nAll of those just emphasize having an objective view of what you want to bring to the users and a rational execution strategy. I haven't read all so I can't judge them, but I believe they will give you enough starting points for you to devise your own method.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The UX Book by R. Hartson and P. S. Pyla",
          "reason": "Listed as a UX book candidate.",
          "audience": "People learning to build things users like and can use.",
          "caveat": "One of three candidates; commenter says they have not read all the listed books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rex Hartson",
        "Pardha S. Pyla"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "user experience",
        "ux design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ugly-american-c7ab69",
      "title": "The Ugly American",
      "author": "William J. Lederer and Eugene Burdick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 85863,
          "author": "jgrahamc",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T08:09:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85863",
          "commentText": "You reminded me of a great little book published a long time ago which is still very relevant: \"The Ugly American\"(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ugly_American).   A recent really good read was Le Carre's \"The Mission Song\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "great little book published a long time ago which is still very relevant: \"The Ugly American\"",
          "reason": "Describes it as a great, still-relevant book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William J. Lederer and Eugene Burdick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ultimate-hitchhiker-s-guide-b977a7",
      "title": "The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide",
      "author": "Douglas Adams",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 200191,
          "author": "eznet",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-26T13:47:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 199722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=200191",
          "commentText": "I know what book I am taking for my week away next week:  The Ultimate HitchHiker's Guide - 5 complete novels and 1 story.  This is an awesome group of stories that are really fun to read.  If you haven't read them at least once or have only read the guide to the galaxy, you should definitely check it out.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Ultimate HitchHiker's Guide - 5 complete novels and 1 story.",
          "reason": "Called an awesome, fun group of stories and recommended for readers who have not read them.",
          "audience": "Readers who have not read the collection, or have only read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Adams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ultimate-marketing-plan-b85281",
      "title": "The Ultimate Marketing Plan",
      "author": "Dan S. Kennedy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6130130,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2013-07-30T21:18:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 6130006,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read re marketing for my website?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6130130",
          "commentText": "I'm not sure if the fact that it's a game changes anything or not as I don't play in that space myself.  But just in terms of marketing in general, some of the essentials include:\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing - Al Ries & Jack Trout\nPositioning - Al Ries & Jack Trout\nRepositioning - Jack Trout (with Steve Rivkin)\nDifferentiate or Die - Jack Trout (with Steve Rivkin)\nThe Ultimate Marketing Plan - Dan S. Kennedy\nThe Ultimate Sales Machine - Chet Holmes\nAll Marketers Are Liars - Seth Godin\nThe Purple Cow - Seth Godin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Ultimate Marketing Plan - Dan S. Kennedy",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan S. Kennedy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marketing",
        "marketing planning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ultimate-question-2-0-bea064",
      "title": "The Ultimate Question 2.0",
      "author": "Fred Reichheld",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8795694,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T07:00:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795694",
          "commentText": "The Four Steps To The Epiphany - Steve Blank\nNeuromancer - William Gibson\nPredictable Revenue - Aaron Ross, Marylou Tyler\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nThe Ultimate Question 2.0 - Fred Reichheld‎\nThe Singularity is Near - Ray Kurzweil\nMoonshot! - John Sculley\nZero To One - Peter Thiel\nRepublic - Plato\nMeditations - Marcus Aurelius\nNineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell\nFahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury\nThe Mysterious Island - Jules Verne\nDiscipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy, Fred Wiersema\nFalse Memory - Dean Koontz\nNOS4A2- Joe Hill\nRevival - Stephen King\nBarbarians At The Gate - John Helyar and Bryan Burrough\nInto Thin Air - John Krakauer\nHow To Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nand any collection of the works of H.P. Lovecraft.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Ultimate Question 2.0 - Fred Reichheld‎",
          "reason": "Listed in response to the request for impactful or liked books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fred Reichheld"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "customer loyalty",
        "net promoter score"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ultimate-revolution-169af2",
      "title": "The Ultimate Revolution",
      "author": "Aldous Huxley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 191760,
          "author": "wheels",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-16T13:45:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=191760",
          "commentText": "I like to dig up classic speeches and listen to them in such situations.  It's pretty easy to dig them up from online archives, and they're more natural to listen to for me than audio books.  Given the top thread at the moment, I can recommend Huxley's The Ultimate Revolution.  :-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can recommend Huxley's The Ultimate Revolution.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly recommends this speech for listening on a road trip.",
          "audience": "Listeners looking for classic speeches.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Aldous Huxley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopia",
        "political speech"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ultimate-sales-letter-bb0265",
      "title": "The Ultimate Sales Letter",
      "author": "Dan Kennedy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10234196,
          "author": "davemel37",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T16:13:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10234196",
          "commentText": "My runner up sales books are:\nBe My Guest by Conrad Hilton \nThe Success System That Never Fails by W. clement stone\nThe Ultimate Sales Letter by Dan Kennedy\nThe Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin\nWatch all of Brene Browns TED talks about vulnerability. \nSales requires trust and trust is built on connection and connection is built by being vulnerable.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Ultimate Sales Letter by Dan Kennedy",
          "reason": "Lists it among the commenter's runner-up sales books.",
          "audience": "People interested in sales, trust, and connection.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Kennedy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "direct response marketing",
        "sales"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ultimate-sales-machine-turbocharge-your-business-with-relentl-b1c78f",
      "title": "The Ultimate Sales Machine: Turbocharge Your Business with Relentless Focus on 12 Key Strategies",
      "author": "Chet Holmes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1569056,
          "author": "lionhearted",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:01:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569056",
          "commentText": "I just started \"The Ultimate Sales Machine\" - looks really, really promising. Author gives good general advice you might've already heard before (sell to current clients, have a good training program, consistency and processes), but he actually takes the time to write about how much \"pigheaded discipline and determination\" a given policy is going to take to implement. It's been a good read so far, very synergistic with E-Myth for those who like E-Myth.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I just started \"The Ultimate Sales Machine\" - looks really, really promising.",
          "reason": "Calls it promising and describes practical advice and implementation guidance.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The general advice may already be familiar.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chet Holmes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business processes",
        "sales"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ultimate-secret-to-getting-absolutely-everything-you-want-24fb69",
      "title": "The Ultimate Secret to Getting Absolutely Everything You Want",
      "author": "Mike Hernacki",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9348316,
          "author": "edw519",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:39:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348316",
          "commentText": "\"The Ultimate Secret to Getting Absolutely Everything You Want\" by Mike Hernacki\nThe title sounds hokey, but it's one of the few self-help books that ever made much difference for me.\nThe secret is simple but for most people, elusive. We talk about it all the time here on HN.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Secret-Getting-Absolutely-Eve... (http://www.amazon.com/Ultimate-Secret-Getting-Absolutely-Everything/dp/1589804864/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1428593698&sr=8-1&keywords=mike+hernacki)\nSPOILER below\n  .\n  .\n  .\n  .\n  .\n  .\n  .\n  .\n  .\n  .\n  .\n  .\n  .\n  .\n  .\n  .\n  .\n  .\n  .\n  .\n  .\n  .\n  .\n  .\n  .\n  .\n  .\n  .\n  .\n  .\n  .\n  .\n  .\n  .\n  .\n  .\n  .\n\n\"I am willing to do whatever it takes to get what I want.\"\n(My spoiler doesn't do it justice. Take an hour and read the book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it's one of the few self-help books that ever made much difference for me.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it made a meaningful difference and urges readers to take an hour to read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The title sounds hokey.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mike Hernacki"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "motivation",
        "self help"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-unbanking-of-america-4a66b9",
      "title": "The Unbanking of America",
      "author": " Lisa Servon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32791254,
          "author": "calderwoodra",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T15:03:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32791254",
          "commentText": "the Unbanking of America - the author does a deep dive and recounts first hand experiences of lower income Americans dealing with banks. I would say this is required reading for anyone interested in Fintech/neobanks that target the lower income segment",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Unbanking of America - the author does a deep dive and recounts first hand experiences of lower income Americans dealing with banks.",
          "reason": "The commenter highlights its deep dive and firsthand accounts of lower-income Americans dealing with banks.",
          "audience": "People interested in fintech or neobanks serving lower-income customers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        " Lisa Servon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "banking",
        "financial inclusion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-unconscious-as-infinite-sets-bdf9f2",
      "title": "The Unconscious as Infinite Sets",
      "author": "Ignacio Matte Blanco",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23153310,
          "author": "9214",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T12:43:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23153310",
          "commentText": "• \"Laws of Form\" by George Spencer-Brown, a little book that describes how to bootstrap the Universe from nothing. Louis Kauffman [1] has a lot of papers/writeups on it, from knot theory to quantum physics. If you ever wanted to make a pancake truly from scratch, this is a place to start.\n• \"The Unconscious as Infinite Sets\" by Ignacio Matte Blanco. Reformulates Freud in logico-mathematical terms and establishes a formal system (bi-logic) to describe unconsciousness phenomena: in case you ever wanted to apply category theory to study yourself.\n• \"The Protracted Game\" by Scott Boorman. Interprets Maoist's revolutionary strategies during 1927 - 1949 period as a game of Go. Interesting both from historical, military, and game-theoretical perspective; raised an appreciation of Eastern wisdom and 'board games as a tool of thought' [2] for me.\n• \"The Unwritten Laws of Engineering\" by W. J. King. Written in 1944, but the advice is still relevant, more so to the software engineering field. Should be at least skimmed at any part of your career.\n• \"The Myth of Sisyphus\" by Alber Camus. Unequivocally answers the most important question there is — does life have meaning, and if not, should you kill yourself over it? I read it in my teens while wrestling with existential dread, and lived a somewhat happy and interesting life ever after.\n[1]: http://homepages.math.uic.edu/~kauffman/Form.html\n[2]: There's also \"Laws of the Game\" by Eigen & Winkler that describes natural phenomena as glass-bead games with various rules.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Unconscious as Infinite Sets\" by Ignacio Matte Blanco.",
          "reason": "Suggested for studying unconscious phenomena using a formal system.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ignacio Matte Blanco"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bi logic",
        "psychoanalysis",
        "unconscious"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-underachiever-s-manifesto-the-guide-to-accomplishing-little-a-c2de3a",
      "title": "The Underachiever's Manifesto: The Guide to Accomplishing Little and Feeling Great",
      "author": "Ray Bennett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23468067,
          "author": "jrs235",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T16:31:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23468067",
          "commentText": "The Underachiever's Manifesto: The Guide to Accomplishing Little and Feeling Great\nand\nThe Principles of Product Development Flow: Second Generation Lean Product Development",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Underachiever's Manifesto: The Guide to Accomplishing Little and Feeling Great",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books worth rereading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ray Bennett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "anti hustle",
        "stress reduction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-undercover-economist-strikes-back-63f80f",
      "title": "The Undercover Economist Strikes Back",
      "author": "Tim Harford",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12416227,
          "author": "lifeisstillgood",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T20:57:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416227",
          "commentText": "Up the organization\nhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Up-Organization-Corporation-Stiflin... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Up-Organization-Corporation-Stifling-Strangling/dp/0787987751)\nThe complete Yes Minister\nhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Yes-Minister-Prime-Complete-Collect... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Yes-Minister-Prime-Complete-Collection/dp/B000HXDM0U)\nThe undercover economist and it's follow up\nhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Undercover-Economist-Tim-Harford/dp... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Undercover-Economist-Tim-Harford/dp/0349119856)\nI would struggle to encapsulate it all except \"people and organizations can be vicious and complex but we all innately want them to be simple, fair and if we can find someone believable we can turn around any hideous situation\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The undercover economist and it's follow up",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tim Harford"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "popular economics"
      ],
      "purposes": []
    },
    {
      "id": "the-undersea-network-f9f702",
      "title": "The Undersea Network",
      "author": "Nicole Starosielski",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nicole Starosielski"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "internet infrastructure",
        "submarine cables"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-unfair-advantage-b30f75",
      "title": "The Unfair Advantage",
      "author": "Mark Donohue and Paul Van Valkenburgh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9348848,
          "author": "mgarfias",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:37:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348848",
          "commentText": "Heinlein: The Moon is a Harsh Mistress\nRobert Coram: Boyd\nMark Donohue (w/Paul Van Valkenburgh): The Unfair Advantage\nCarroll Smith: XXX To Win (its a series of books)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mark Donohue (w/Paul Van Valkenburgh): The Unfair Advantage",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Donohue and Paul Van Valkenburgh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "auto racing",
        "motorsport"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-unfettered-mind-b67dfd",
      "title": "The Unfettered Mind",
      "author": "Takuan Sōhō",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 456288,
          "author": "fiaz",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T13:17:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456288",
          "commentText": "My favorite (copied from Wikipedia):\nThe Unfettered Mind (Japanese: 不動智神妙録 Fudōchi Shinmyōroku) is a three-part treatise on Buddhist philosophy and martial arts written by Takuan Soho, a Japanese monk of the Rinzai sect. The title translates roughly to \"The Mysterious Records of Immovable Wisdom\". The treatise was written as correspondence to Yagyū Munenori, inheritor to the Yagyū Shinkage-ryū school of swordsmanship. Written for the laity, the book makes little use of Buddhist terminology, but instead focuses on describing situations followed by an interpretation. Its contents make an effort to apply Zen Buddhism to martial arts.\nAvailable in PDF form here:\nhttp://www.daikonforge.com/downloads/TheUnfetteredMind.pdf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favorite (copied from Wikipedia):\nThe Unfettered Mind (Japanese: 不動智神妙録 Fudōchi Shinmyōroku)",
          "reason": "Identifies it as their favorite and provides a description of the treatise.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Takuan Sōhō"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "martial arts",
        "zen buddhism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-unfinished-nation-a-concise-history-of-the-american-people-7579a7",
      "title": "The Unfinished Nation: A Concise History of the American People",
      "author": "Alan Brinkley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16084272,
          "author": "arbales",
          "createdAt": "2018-01-06T07:20:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 16079020,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16084272",
          "commentText": "The Unfinished Nation by Alan Brinkley",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Unfinished Nation by Alan Brinkley",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to the thread’s request for the best textbook.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan Brinkley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "united states history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ungoverned-5a7dab",
      "title": "The Ungoverned",
      "author": "Vernor Vinge",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1027206,
          "author": "billswift",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T14:05:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027206",
          "commentText": "The Peace War and Marooned in Realtime are also in a one volume Across Realtime, which also includes his entertaining novella The Ungoverned which introduces some of the characters, including W W Brierson (sp?) of Marooned.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "which also includes his entertaining novella The Ungoverned",
          "reason": "Calls the novella entertaining.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vernor Vinge"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "novella",
        "time travel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-unheavenly-city-38117d",
      "title": "The Unheavenly City",
      "author": "Edward C. Banfield",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3335596,
          "author": "da02",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-09T21:01:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3335596",
          "commentText": "The Unheavenly City by Edward Banfield:\nPDF: http://www.kevinrkosar.com/Edward-C-Banfield/Edward-C-Banfie... (http://www.kevinrkosar.com/Edward-C-Banfield/Edward-C-Banfield-The-Unheavenly-City-Revisited.pdf)\nReview: http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/92789.html\nHis time preference classes explains so much of people regardless of race, religion, nationality, etc.\nRise of the Fourth Reich: http://www.amazon.com/Rise-Fourth-Reich-Societies-Threaten/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Rise-Fourth-Reich-Societies-Threaten/dp/0061245593/)\nThis is where I learned about Konrad Zuse creating a digital computer and programming language miles away from Bletchley Park in the early 40s.\nDealers of Lightning: http://www.amazon.com/Dealers-Lightning-Xerox-PARC-Computer/... (http://www.amazon.com/Dealers-Lightning-Xerox-PARC-Computer/dp/0887309895)\nIt's about XEROX PARC. Unfortunately, they did not talk about how PARC made the OS and apps obsolete by using objects communicating over a network. I had to learn about that from an Alan Kay video.  It did show how PARC contributed to the Internet by creating an internet before ARPANET.\nLast and best of all: http://vpri.org/html/writings.php\nThe latest report, \"Steps Toward Expressive Programming Systems\", describes a computer system without an OS.  They seem to be refining what PARC did back in the late 1970s.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Unheavenly City by Edward Banfield",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book's discussion of time preference classes explains a lot.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward C. Banfield"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "social class",
        "urban sociology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-unicorn-project-a-novel-about-developers-digital-disruption-a-c020f2",
      "title": "The Unicorn Project: A Novel about Developers, Digital Disruption, and Thriving in the Age of Data",
      "author": "Gene Kim",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27889701,
          "author": "valbaca",
          "createdAt": "2021-07-20T03:12:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 27879593,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Programming Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27889701",
          "commentText": "\"Algorithms to Live By\"\n\"The Phoenix Project\" / \"The Unicorn Project\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Unicorn Project\"",
          "reason": "Listed as a recommendation in response to the request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gene Kim"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "devops",
        "software development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-uninhabitable-earth-326468",
      "title": "The Uninhabitable Earth",
      "author": "David Wallace-Wells",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20332694,
          "author": "d0ublespeak",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T06:36:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20332694",
          "commentText": "The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells - super eye opening.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells - super eye opening.",
          "reason": "Calls it eye opening.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Wallace-Wells"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "climate change",
        "global warming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-universe-speaks-in-numbers-how-modern-math-reveals-nature-s-d-a72b7a",
      "title": "The Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets",
      "author": "Graham Farmelo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Graham Farmelo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-universe-in-a-nutshell-03c2c2",
      "title": "The Universe in a Nutshell",
      "author": "Stephen Hawking",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16762533,
          "author": "m3h",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-05T07:06:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16762533",
          "commentText": "\"A Brief History of Time\" and \"Universe in a nutshell\" are always there. I never get tired of reading a random page from those books.\nI have nothing programming related on my desk; we have Google to thanks for that.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Universe in a nutshell\"",
          "reason": "Says the book is always there and that they enjoy reading random pages from it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Hawking"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cosmology",
        "physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-universe-in-a-single-atom-the-convergence-of-science-and-spir-7db646",
      "title": "The Universe in a Single Atom: The Convergence of Science and Spirituality",
      "author": "Dalai Lama",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23154196,
          "author": "gdubs",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T14:15:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23154196",
          "commentText": "Someone already mentioned “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”, so I’ll go with something I read last year, Carlo Rovelli’s, “Reality is Not What it Seems.”\nI don’t think I really ever grasped the concept of relativity fully until reading that book — at least the aspects of time. [edit: well, not “fully”, I’m sure — but at least a lot more than I have in the past.]\nAt the same time I read the Dalai Lama’s, “Universe in a Single Atom”, which focuses on his love of science / physics, and was a very good pair to Rovelli’s book. It made me really think about the role of subjectivity in terms of Relativity. It also made me think about life, and consciousness, broadly.\nThat led to the Dalai Lama’s other book, “A Profound Mind”, which helped me really understand the Buddhist concept of “Emptiness” for the first time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Dalai Lama’s, “Universe in a Single Atom”",
          "reason": "The commenter says it prompted thought about subjectivity, relativity, life, and consciousness.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in science and physics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dalai Lama"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consciousness",
        "physics",
        "science and spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-unwritten-laws-of-engineering-bb114e",
      "title": "The Unwritten Laws of Engineering",
      "author": "James G. Skakoon; originally by W. J. King",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23374342,
          "author": "stratified",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-01T00:17:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23374342",
          "commentText": "The unwritten laws of engineering (James G. Skakoon, original by W.J. King). 67 page introduction to \"soft skills\" for engineers. I wish I read this book earlier to understand that being a great coder is only part of growing into a great engineer.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The unwritten laws of engineering (James G. Skakoon, original by W.J. King). 67 page introduction to \"soft skills\" for engineers. I wish I read this book earlier",
          "reason": "Recommends it as an early read for engineers.",
          "audience": "Engineers developing their soft skills.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James G. Skakoon",
        "W. J. King"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "engineering soft skills"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-up-and-under-8fb517",
      "title": "The Up and Under",
      "author": "Deborah Baker",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38570515,
          "author": "mooreds",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T16:00:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38570515",
          "commentText": "I got into some interesting fantasy/SF:\n* The Locked Tomb Trilogy -- the first book is so good and the second and third books are good and unique.\n* The Great Cities Duology (first book was stronger)\n* The Paladin's Legacy (sequel series to The Deed of Paksenarrion, great to be back in that world)\n* The Founders Trilogy by Robert Jackson Bennett\n* The Up and Under series by Deborah Baker is super whimsical\n* The Redwinter Series by Ed McDonald\nIf you're into the genre, all of these are great (at least the ones I've read, haven't finished all the series).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Up and Under series by Deborah Baker is super whimsical",
          "reason": "Praised as super whimsical.",
          "audience": "fantasy/SF readers",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not finished all the series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Deborah Baker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "portal fantasy",
        "whimsical fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-upside-of-irrationality-the-unexpected-benefits-of-defying-lo-355504",
      "title": "The Upside of Irrationality: The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic at Work and at Home",
      "author": "Dan Ariely",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2963450,
          "author": "fabiandesimone",
          "createdAt": "2011-09-05T22:07:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 2963294,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Got a Kindle. What now? What books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2963450",
          "commentText": "Forget about the spammy title, this is an amazing book on copy writting:\nCashvertising:\nhttp://amzn.to/nrwKnf (all links have my affiliate link. On my way to richness baby! ;)\nI'm currently reading this one, so far so good:\nMoonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything\nhttp://amzn.to/nGEnkv\nThis is a small list of books I want to read:\nThe Secret Life of Pronouns: What Our Words Say About Us\nhttp://amzn.to/oiEIDs\nWillpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength\nhttp://amzn.to/qTNpgB\nDo More Faster: TechStars Lessons to Accelerate Your Startup\nhttp://amzn.to/njSDPh\nThe Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement\nhttp://amzn.to/okuaFh\nThe Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal\nhttp://amzn.to/rptuZ9\nThe Upside of Irrationality: The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic at Work and at Home\nhttp://amzn.to/oaIDgu",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Upside of Irrationality: The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic at Work and at Home",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed among books the commenter wants to read; no evaluation is given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2642504,
          "author": "pitchups",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T21:34:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2642504",
          "commentText": "Here are some more favorites (they may not qualify as the best books ever, but great books with original and useful  ideas):\n- Where Good Ideas Come From: The Natural History of Innovation by Steven Johnson\n- The Upside of Irrationality: The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic at Work and at Home by Dan Ariely\n- Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip Heath, Dan Heath",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Upside of Irrationality: The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic at Work and at Home by Dan Ariely",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorites and described as a great book with original, useful ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these may not qualify as the best books ever.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Ariely"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "behavioral economics",
        "decision making"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-upside-of-your-dark-side-6a8712",
      "title": "The Upside of Your Dark Side",
      "author": "Todd B. Kashdan and Robert Biswas-Diener",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12144339,
          "author": "lazyjones",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:59:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144339",
          "commentText": "First part of the question (actual influences):\n1) Philip and Alex's Guide to Web Publishing (not strictly a book). http://philip.greenspun.com/panda/\n2) The \"Dragon Book\" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principles_of_Compiler_Design\n3) Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach\nSecond part (at hindsight):\n1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rich_Dad_Poor_Dad (cheesy, but useful)\n2) http://toddkashdan.com/upside.php\n3) https://www.schranner.com/de/news/2012/04/16/-verhandeln-im-... (https://www.schranner.com/de/news/2012/04/16/-verhandeln-im-grenzbereich-und-teure-fehler-jetzt-auch-im-apple-ibook-store) - German book about negotiations written by an experienced hostage negotiator.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "http://toddkashdan.com/upside.php",
          "reason": "Listed as a hindsight choice in response to the books question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Todd B. Kashdan and Robert Biswas-Diener"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "positive psychology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-upstarts-0c7925",
      "title": "The Upstarts",
      "author": "Brad Stone",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172037,
          "author": "jacktribe",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:47:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172037",
          "commentText": "As someone who is more interested in building the product than marketing it, I found the following recent reads helpful in achieving a balance:\n1. Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey A. Moore - making your product work for the masses\n2. The Cold Start Problem by Andrew Chen - achieving escape velocity, getting viral referral traffic\n3. Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss - it might seem a bit gimmicky but negotiation always comes off gimmicky\nMotivational stories:\n4. The Almanack Of Naval Ravikant by Eric Jorgenson\n5. The Founders by Jimmy Soni\n6. The Upstarts by Brad Stone\n7. Hatching Twitter by Nick Bilton\n8. That Will Never Work by Marc Randolph\n9. Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonald's by Ray Kroc\nCan't skip:\n10. Zero To One by Peter Thiel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Upstarts by Brad Stone",
          "reason": "Listed as a motivational story.",
          "audience": "People building products.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brad Stone"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "airbnb",
        "uber"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-urantia-book-ae352d",
      "title": "The Urantia Book",
      "author": "Unknown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15156672,
          "author": "ambletron",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T16:05:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156672",
          "commentText": "The Urantia Book[1]\nThere's a peculiar richness, depth, and inventiveness to it that has kept me coming back to it on occasion for over 20 years of intermittent reading.  I haven't come across another book quite like it.  Of the few people who have heard about it, most bounce right off after skimming it, very understandably so.\nBut taken as a human project it's really quite an extraordinary piece of work.  Having written short fiction and most of a novel before, I feel like I have a sense of the hard work it takes to master the craft of writing, and I have a lot of respect when I see not just good writing but writing that innovates, keeps pushing.  The Urantia Book is like a fractal in its simplicity vs the narrative spun out from the seed ideas.  The mental model is to merge both a science mindset and spirituality.\nRecommend the iPhone app of it (is free, and has a quotes collection included).\n[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Urantia_Book",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "There's a peculiar richness, depth, and inventiveness to it that has kept me coming back to it on occasion for over 20 years of intermittent reading.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its richness, depth, inventiveness, and writing, while describing its central model as combining science and spirituality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that many readers understandably bounce off after skimming it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cosmology",
        "religious literature",
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-use-of-knowledge-in-society-8abdc1",
      "title": "The Use of Knowledge in Society",
      "author": "F. A. Hayek",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 142885,
          "author": "Prrometheus",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-21T22:49:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=142885",
          "commentText": "Some books:\n\"The Fountainhead\" - gave me the gift of self-confidence\n\"The Ancestor's Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution\" - helps me understand where I come from and where I fit in the Biosphere\n\"The Use of Knowledge in Society\" - This, along with other pieces on economics and capitalist anarchism, gave me an appreciation for distributed non-hierarchical systems. (http://www.econlib.org/Library/Essays/hykKnw1.html)\nPaul Graham's stuff - Got me to the point where I'm quitting my job in two weeks.\nI read a ton of fantasy, sci fi, and historical fiction growing up. I'm sure that has something to do with my grand imagination, distaste for authority, and idealism.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Use of Knowledge in Society\" - This, along with other pieces on economics and capitalist anarchism, gave me an appreciation for distributed non-hierarchical systems.",
          "reason": "Says it helped them appreciate distributed, non-hierarchical systems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter groups it with other writings on economics and capitalist anarchism.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "F. A. Hayek"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "decentralized systems",
        "economic knowledge"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-use-of-weapons-43f107",
      "title": "The Use of Weapons",
      "author": "Iain M. Banks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1974474,
          "author": "smutticus",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-06T08:21:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 1973516,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1974474",
          "commentText": "I've read all of his novels and must say I am an Ian M Banks addict.  I've read some of his fiction as well which he publishes under Ian Banks.\nMy favorite is The Use of Weapons.  I liked Surface Detail but I do think you should read the Culture novels in the order they were written.\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_series",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favorite is The Use of Weapons.",
          "reason": "Names it as their favorite among Banks's novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Iain M. Banks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political science fiction",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-uses-of-disorder-028cc8",
      "title": "The Uses of Disorder",
      "author": "Richard Sennett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15630924,
          "author": "mbrock",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T18:57:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630924",
          "commentText": "Gödel, Escher, Bach awakened my intellectual curiosity about formal systems and other autistic modes of beauty as a teenager. After \"The Selfish Gene\" it was the first book I bought and read on my own volition, so I have to credit it as a major influence.\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs for showing that you can think rigorously and compose beautiful programs out of simple pieces.\nContingency, Irony, and Solidarity by Richard Rorty for showing that it's possible to think and feel about politics while maintaining a profoundly ironic and groundless mind.\nThe Body in Pain by Elaine Scarry for its beautiful view of civilization as materialized caring and of the inflicting of pain as metaphysically destructive.\nBeing-in-the-world by Dreyfus for introducing me to Heidegger and showing how continental philosophy inspired by Heidegger was a major force in the evolution of AI and how AI researchers tended to be influenced by rationalist philosophy in the vein of Descartes which leads to huge misunderstandings of the nature of being.\nDhammapada translated by Gil Fronsdal because it's a beautiful exposition of early Buddhist poetry and clearly shows the worldview of south east Asian Buddhism.\nDebt by David Graeber for making me interested in money and credit systems from an anthropological point of view.\nA Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again by David Foster Wallace for being hilarious and sad and buzzing with neurotic perceptive overeducated thought in a way that mirrored my own precocious self-consciousness and made me feel less \"marooned in my own skull.\"\nThe Uses of Disorder by Richard Sennett for giving a defense of the anarchy of urban life that views conflict as necessary for growth.\nAfter Virtue by Alisdair MacIntyre for showing the contemporary situation in thought and ethics as profoundly abnormal and difficult, being the aftermath of the Enlightenment project's failure to ground morality in objective reason, and pointing to virtue within traditions as the only way to live coherently.\nThe Teachings of Huang-bo for being a merciless and hilarious attack on sanctimonious and ritualistic Buddhism, displaying the role of sarcasm and wit in spirituality, and generally just shouting \"wake up, lazy pretentious idiot\" on every page.\nFanged Noumena by Nick Land for diving deeply into amphetaminic insanity thus accurately mirroring the schizophrenia of postmodern capitalism.\nThe letters of Van Gogh.\nPhillip Lopate's personal essays.\nHyperobjects by Timothy Morton.\nOn the Origins of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind by Julian Jaynes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Uses of Disorder by Richard Sennett for giving a defense of the anarchy of urban life that views conflict as necessary for growth.",
          "reason": "Values its defense of urban disorder and conflict as necessary for growth.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Sennett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "social theory",
        "urban life"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-value-of-others-d2383e",
      "title": "The Value of Others",
      "author": "Orion Taraban",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42219433,
          "author": "lovestory",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T05:56:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42219433",
          "commentText": "I only have time to listen to audiobooks so I hope this list is not too basic.\nOn the Edge: The Art of Risking Everything by Nate Silver\nThe End of Reality: How Four Billionaires Are Selling a Fantasy Future of the Metaverse, Mars, and Crypto by Jonathan Taplin\nThe Value of Others by Orion Taraban\nRinsed: From Cartels to Crypto: How the Tech Industry Washes Money for the World's Deadliest Crooks by Geoff White\nWhy We Die: The New Science of Aging and the Quest for Immortality by Venki Ramakrishnan\nExtremely Hardcore: Inside Elon Musk's Twitter by Zoe Schiffer\nBottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Katherine Eban\nAI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference by Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor\nHijacking Bitcoin: The Hidden History of BTC by Roger Ver\nGo Woke, Go Broke: The Inside Story of the Radicalization of Corporate America by Charles Gasparino\nThe Catalyst: RNA and the Quest to Unlock Life's Deepest Secrets by Thomas R Cech\nand my book of the year\nGood Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health by Casey Means M D",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Value of Others by Orion Taraban",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Orion Taraban"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dating",
        "relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-varieties-of-religious-experience-a-study-in-human-nature-989eff",
      "title": "The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature",
      "author": "William James",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36105383,
          "author": "CrazyStat",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T16:17:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105383",
          "commentText": "I like this book but I don't think it's a good fit for what the OP is looking for. James is interested in the religious experiences that individuals have, and writes from a Protestant Christian point of view. It doesn't have much to say about the history or evolution of religion as a general global phenomenon.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I like this book but I don't think it's a good fit for what the OP is looking for.",
          "reason": "Discusses individual religious experiences from a Protestant Christian perspective.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in individual religious experiences.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not a good fit for the OP's interest in religion's general global history or evolution.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36104939,
          "author": "FrustratedMonky",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T15:34:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36104939",
          "commentText": "The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature is a book by Harvard University psychologist and philosopher William James",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature is a book",
          "reason": "Identifies it as a book relevant to religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William James"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "psychology of religion",
        "religious experience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-varieties-of-scientific-experience-f0b90b",
      "title": "The Varieties of Scientific Experience",
      "author": "Carl Sagan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 57425,
          "author": "endlessvoid94",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-20T15:03:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=57425",
          "commentText": "Guns Germs and Steel is possibly one of the most fascinating books I've read in years.  No wonder it won a Pulitzer.\nAlso I have to add a Carl Sagan book.  \"Varieties of Scientific Experience\" is fantastic.  \"pale blue dot\", as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Varieties of Scientific Experience\" is fantastic.",
          "reason": "Calls it fantastic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carl Sagan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cosmology",
        "science and religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-vaz-bf5b6f",
      "title": "The Vaz",
      "author": "Laurence Dahners",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36083958,
          "author": "code_Whisperer",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-26T13:38:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36083958",
          "commentText": "Easily these (so far):\nThis is How You Lose the Time War - Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone (actually now one of my all-time favorites, without regard to genre. Just amazing)\nChildren of Time - Adrian Tchaikovsky\nThe Book of Strange New Things - Michael Faber\nTed Chiang's short story collections (Exhalations and Stories of your life and others)\nDaemon - Daniel Suarez\nThe City and the City - China Miéville\nRoadside Picnic - Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (this one still haunts my dreams at times)\nWe Are Legion (We Are Bob) (Bobiverse Book 1) - Dennis Taylor (just finished this series for book club)\nGalatea 2.2, The Overstory, Bewilderment, The Gold Bug Variations - 4 different books, all by Richard Powers - what can I say, the man is a genius and a treasure\nEifelheim - Michael Flynn - ok, this book can be a slog at times, but it is very rewarding for those who persevere, and has stuck in my brain for many years\nChocky - John Wyndham - A quiet, delightful surprise\nProvidence - Max Barry - This book flows like a movie. It will make a great movie. I found myself LITERALLY out of breath a couple of times\nHench: A Novel - Natalie Zina Walschots - Quirky, memorable\nThe Peacemaker's Code - Deepak Malhotra - Why hasn't this guy written more sci-fi?\nOrange World and Other Stories - Karen Russell - OK, maybe not strictly sci-fi, but this book tickles my brain\nGUILTY PLEASURE SCI-FI FAVORITE: The Vaz series by Laurence Dahners. I think I've read that series 3 times now.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "GUILTY PLEASURE SCI-FI FAVORITE: The Vaz series by Laurence Dahners.",
          "reason": "Calls the series a guilty pleasure favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a guilty pleasure.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Laurence Dahners"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military science fiction",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-velvet-rage-overcoming-the-pain-of-growing-up-gay-in-a-straig-bb75a5",
      "title": "The Velvet Rage: Overcoming the Pain of Growing Up Gay in a Straight Man's World",
      "author": "Alan Downs",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6977019,
          "author": "thomasfedb",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T22:49:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6977019",
          "commentText": "I never really thought that reading psychology books by PhDs would change your outlook on your own life. Turns out, they seem to have PhDs for a reason. This one made a big impact:\nThe Velvet Rage: Overcoming the Pain of Growing Up Gay in a Straight Man's World",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This one made a big impact:\nThe Velvet Rage: Overcoming the Pain of Growing Up Gay in a Straight Man's World",
          "reason": "The commenter says it made a big impact on their outlook on life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan Downs"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "lgbtq identity",
        "personal growth"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-velveteen-rabbit-6f75f8",
      "title": "The Velveteen Rabbit",
      "author": "Margery Williams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50039255,
          "author": "neom",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T02:31:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50039255",
          "commentText": "The Velveteen Rabbit\nThe Owl and the Pussycat\nGoodnight Moon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Velveteen Rabbit",
          "reason": "Named as a favorite title in response to the thread’s request for favorite children’s books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Margery Williams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s picture book",
        "classic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-vicomte-of-bragelonne-ten-years-later-94b6ce",
      "title": "The Vicomte of Bragelonne: Ten Years Later",
      "author": "Alexandre Dumas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20918348,
          "author": "idoubtit",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T14:13:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20918348",
          "commentText": "Monte Cristo is also my favorite novel by Alexandre Dumas, but I enjoyed many other books he wrote — he used to have assistants that wrote part of his books, and, IIRC, one of them claimed that he was the main author of some novels.\nI'd recommend reading \"Les 3 mousquetaires\", where the Lady is one of the most interesting characters I've ever met. The book was a huge success, and is still famous in France nowadays, like its main character, D'Artagnan. The two sequences are okay, \"Vingt ans après\" and \"Le vicomte de Bragelonne\".\nOther good historical novels by Dumas are \"La reine Margot\", \"Joseph Balsamo\", \"Le collier de la reine\". For the fans, there are dozens of lesser novels, like \"La tulipe noire\" (which I know I've read, but can't remember at all).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Vingt ans après\" and \"Le vicomte de Bragelonne\"",
          "reason": "Describes it as an okay sequel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter rates the sequels as okay.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alexandre Dumas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical adventure",
        "swashbuckling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-view-from-flyover-country-dispatches-from-the-forgotten-ameri-acad68",
      "title": "The View from Flyover Country: Dispatches from the Forgotten America",
      "author": "Sarah Kendzior",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18744544,
          "author": "japhyr",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T05:02:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744544",
          "commentText": "The View from Flyover Country\nSarah Kendzior is my favorite political analyst today. She has called so much of what's happened over the past few years long before others, and she cuts right to the heart of what's happening. This book is a collection of essays she published about the changing economy and political scene over the past ~5 years.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/View-Flyover-Country-Dispatches-Forgo... (https://www.amazon.com/View-Flyover-Country-Dispatches-Forgotten/dp/1250189939)\nhttps://twitter.com/sarahkendzior",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The View from Flyover Country\nSarah Kendzior is my favorite political analyst today. She has called so much of what's happened over the past few years long before others, and she cuts right to the heart of what's happening. This book is a collection of essays she published about the changing economy and political scene over the past ~5 years.",
          "reason": "Recommends the collection and praises Kendzior's political analysis.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sarah Kendzior"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american politics",
        "political essays"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-view-from-the-cheap-seats-77360f",
      "title": "The View from the Cheap Seats",
      "author": "Neil Gaiman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13236590,
          "author": "viraptor",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T11:37:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13236590",
          "commentText": "The view from the cheap seats by Neil Gaiman http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24331386-the-view-from-th... (http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/24331386-the-view-from-the-cheap-seats) - lots of good content about books, music, comic books history, etc. There's over 80 other books mentioned inside and it makes you want to read all of them.\nDracula by Bram Stoker - because it was mentioned in the previous one and it's amazing how many elements we borrowed / changed / rewritten in the new works compared to the original.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "lots of good content about books, music, comic books history, etc.",
          "reason": "Praised for its content about books, music, and comics history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it makes readers want to read many of the books it mentions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neil Gaiman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "books",
        "essays",
        "music"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-vindication-of-man-af4313",
      "title": "The Vindication of Man",
      "author": "John C. Wright",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13123171,
          "author": "joeclark77",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-07T15:27:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13123171",
          "commentText": "It was a long wait, without the benefit of a cryo-chamber, but worth it.  Vindication is far and away the best of the series for me.  I suppose it'll be another year or so before the next is out.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Vindication is far and away the best of the series for me.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best installment in the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The next installment may take another year or so to appear.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13120144,
          "author": "joeclark77",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-07T03:05:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13120144",
          "commentText": "John C Wright's \"eschaton sequence\":\nCount to a Trillion\nThe Hermetic Millennia\nJudge of Ages\nArchitect of Aeons\nThe Vindication of Man\n(and one more to come)\nIt's a combination of hard sci-fi and space opera, based around one essentially immortal character (and his rival, and his girl) carrying out a mission over tens of thousands of years.  Mind-blowing scale and yet there's a romance to it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Vindication of Man",
          "reason": "Listed as an installment in the series offered in response to a request for the year's best sci-fi.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John C. Wright"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hard science fiction",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-virginian-5cf1a2",
      "title": "The Virginian",
      "author": "Owen Wister",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41240816,
          "author": "bikenaga",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-13T23:14:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41240816",
          "commentText": "Someone else mentioned Thomas Hardy's \"The Mayor of Casterbirdge\". It's the one of his 5 major novels I haven't read. \"Far From the Madding Crowd\" and \"Return of the Native\" are okay, but the two that really are magnificent are:\n\"Jude the Obscure\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/153\n\"Tess of the D'Urbervilles\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/110\nYou can sense his fury at the society he was depicting. You might not want to read either of these, particularly \"Tess\", if you're prone to depression.\nFrederick Jackson Turner, \"The Frontier in American History\" (1921) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/22994\nThis collection leads off with Turner's essay \"The Significance of the Frontier in American History\" (1893). It's considered by some the most influential historical essay about America ever written. Historians went back and forth on his claims for decades, and people pointed out many issues with them. It seems like the critics predominate now. But it's still worth reading, particularly since (right or wrong) his ideas influenced the way we think of ourselves. Turner was a very good writer - he was a noted orator, and his essays have an oratorical quality - and the other essays in the collection are pretty good, too.\nOwen Wister, \"The Virginian\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1298\nZane Grey, \"Riders of the Purple Sage\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1300\nAnd the sequel: \"The Rainbow Trail\" - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/5067\n\"The Virginian\" (1902) and \"Riders\" (1912) established many of the themes and tropes for the \"standard\" western, and they're still fun to read. But the genre comprises many other kinds of writing - e.g. A. B. Guthrie, Elmer Kelton, and the next writer.\nWilla Cather's novels:\nThe \"plains trilogy\" (the stories are set in Nebraska and Colorado, but otherwise unrelated):\n\"O Pioneers!\" (1913) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/24\n\"The Song of the Lark\" (1915) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/44\n\"My Ántonia\" (1918) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19810\nAnd not quite a hundred years ago, but a wonderful novel:\n\"Death Comes for the Archbishop\" (1927) - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/69730\nA few brief mentions: James Joyce's \"Ulysses\", though I had a tough time getting through it; some of Nathaniel Hawthorne's short stories (e.g. \"The Minister's Black Veil\"); \"Njal's Saga\" (I liked the Penguin edition with the translation by Magnusson and Pallson); the great works of classic fantasy (Lord Dunsany, E. R. Eddison, William Morris, Arthur Machen); the essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Owen Wister, \"The Virginian\"",
          "reason": "Along with Riders of the Purple Sage, it helped establish themes and tropes of the standard Western and remains fun to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Owen Wister"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "western"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-virtue-of-selfishness-a-new-concept-of-egoism-1afb75",
      "title": "The Virtue of Selfishness: A New Concept of Egoism",
      "author": "Ayn Rand",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5700940,
          "author": "maxharris",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-13T19:41:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5700940",
          "commentText": "The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Those are the two to start with.\nIf you like those, check out some of her nonfiction books: The Virtue of Selfishness: A New Concept of Egoism, Philosophy: Who Needs It, and Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology (these are but a few - Rand wrote a long series of nonfiction books).\nAyn Rand's Normative Ethics: The Virtuous Egoist by Tara Smith (a philosophy professor at UT-Austin) is excellent because it unpacks Ayn Rand's ethical system in an academic style. Finally, Leonard Peikoff's Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand gives a comprehensive view of Rand's entire philosophy.\nLight reading (not by Objectivist authors, and not in any particular order):\nMasters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture by David Kushner\nThe Soul of A New Machine by Tracy Kidder\nThe Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA by James Watson\nWhat Do You Care What Other People Think?: Further Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard Feynman\nSurely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard Feynman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Virtue of Selfishness: A New Concept of Egoism, Philosophy: Who Needs It, and Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology",
          "reason": "Suggested as one of Rand's nonfiction books to explore if the reader likes her novels.",
          "audience": "Readers who like Rand's novels.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these are only a few of her nonfiction books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ayn Rand"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ethics",
        "objectivism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-virtues-of-war-29b6a0",
      "title": "The Virtues of War",
      "author": "Steven Pressfield",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227235,
          "author": "ctkrohn",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T18:51:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227235",
          "commentText": "Stephen Pressfield is fantastic.  Besides \"Gates of Fire,\" I've read \"The Afghan Campaign\" and \"The Virtues of War,\" two novels about Alexander The Great.  Very highly recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Virtues of War,\" two novels about Alexander The Great.",
          "reason": "Included among the author's novels; the comment ends with an emphatic recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Pressfield"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient greece",
        "historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-vision-of-the-anointed-27fdb7",
      "title": "The Vision of the Anointed",
      "author": "Thomas Sowell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19089970,
          "author": "Fellshard",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T21:24:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19089970",
          "commentText": "In similar veins, his 'A Conflict of Visions' and 'The Vision of the Anointed' are two stunning incisive books that show pretty directly why we are where we are now, as divided as we are now.  Likely corresponds strongly with Haidt's 'The Righteous Mind', referred to elsewhere in this topic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'A Conflict of Visions' and 'The Vision of the Anointed' are two stunning incisive books",
          "reason": "Calls both books stunning and incisive, saying they help explain current social divisions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Sowell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political ideology",
        "social divisions"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-vitamin-d-solution-c5df2f",
      "title": "The Vitamin D Solution",
      "author": "Michael F. Holick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1635177,
          "author": "adammichaelc",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-26T05:38:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 1631946,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1635177",
          "commentText": "Business: 7 Habits, 8th Habit, Getting Things Done, 4 Steps to Epiphany, Straight from the Gut\nSpiritual: Book of Mormon, Book of Isaiah, The 4 Gospels in the New Testament\nRelationship: The 5 Love Languages, Men are from Mars Women from Venus\nPhysical: Spark, The Vitamin D Solution",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Physical: Spark, The Vitamin D Solution",
          "reason": "Included in a list answering the question about books that changed your life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael F. Holick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "vitamin d"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-volatility-machine-41a4d0",
      "title": "The Volatility Machine",
      "author": "Michael Pettis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12561912,
          "author": "crdoconnor",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T02:27:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12561912",
          "commentText": "Traders, Guns and Money - Satyajit Das\nDebunking Economics - Steve Keen\nThe Volatility Machine - Michael Pettis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Volatility Machine - Michael Pettis",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for must-read economics and finance books.",
          "audience": "Someone learning about economics or finance.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Pettis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial crises",
        "international finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-voyage-of-the-beagle-729fc8",
      "title": "The Voyage of the Beagle",
      "author": "Charles Darwin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20917282,
          "author": "arethuza",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T11:55:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20917282",
          "commentText": "The Voyage of the Beagle by Darwin is a great read - its an account of his adventures (no other word) on the Beagle.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Voyage of the Beagle by Darwin is a great read",
          "reason": "Explicitly called a great read in response to the thread’s book question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "An account of Darwin’s adventures aboard the Beagle.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Darwin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "natural history",
        "travel writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-weirdest-people-in-the-world-how-the-west-became-psychologica-2b569b",
      "title": "The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous",
      "author": "Joseph Henrich",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36105344,
          "author": "sdsaga12",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T16:14:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105344",
          "commentText": "I second the recommendation for Nongbri's \"Before Religion\". It definitely improved my understanding of what it is we even mean / have meant by \"religion\".\nFor a more evolutionary understanding of religion, I'd recommend Joseph Henrich's \"The WEIRDest People in the World\" and \"The Secret of our Success\".\nFinally though certainly not least importantly, I'd recommend Iain McGilchrist's \"The Master and His Emissary\" and \"The Matter with Things\". Both touch on how it is we see and understand the world and how the current default perspective differs from those of other times and places.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend Joseph Henrich's \"The WEIRDest People in the World\"",
          "reason": "Recommended for a more evolutionary understanding of religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph Henrich"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cultural evolution",
        "weird societies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-wager-08761e",
      "title": "The Wager",
      "author": "David Grann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42655274,
          "author": "te_chris",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T13:05:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42655274",
          "commentText": "The Wager by David Grann, about a disastrous British maritime voyage in the 18th century that involved shipwreck, surviving castaways, multiple distinct routes back to Britain, then fighting over the story when different parties got back.\nNone of this hagiographic bollocks.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Wager by David Grann, about a disastrous British maritime voyage in the 18th century",
          "reason": "Describes a disastrous voyage, survival, and a dispute over the account of events.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "None of this hagiographic bollocks.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Grann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "maritime history",
        "shipwrecks"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-wall-fdc7a8",
      "title": "The Wall",
      "author": "Marlen Haushofer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2615877,
          "author": "kaeluka",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T11:04:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2615877",
          "commentText": "Just now I'm reading something I wanted to read for a long time: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The next will be Through the Looking Glass, same author.\nAmongst the last few books I read, I recommend Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five, Marlen Haushofer - The Wall (although this will be too kafkaesque for some), Fahrenheit 451.\nI do love Jules Verne as well.\nAtlas Shrugged should be known to anyone around here, I guess.. Relating to Atlas Shrugged: Nietzsche - Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Both books were very influential to me when I was younger.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Marlen Haushofer - The Wall (although this will be too kafkaesque for some)",
          "reason": "Recommended with a caveat that its Kafkaesque style may not suit everyone.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy Kafkaesque fiction.",
          "caveat": "May be too Kafkaesque for some readers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marlen Haushofer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopian fiction",
        "psychological fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-wall-die-wand-0869d4",
      "title": "The Wall (Die Wand)",
      "author": "Marlen Haushofer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46267894,
          "author": "idoubtit",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-14T22:41:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 46226571,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46267894",
          "commentText": "1. Die Wand (1963, Germany). The Wall. Marlen Haushofer.\nAn excellent novel, simple, yet moving. Why do we live and what is our connection to nature?\n2. Fifth Business (1970, Canada). Robertson Davies.\nI've read thousands of novels, so I'm always glad to read something new and unpredictable, but still based on the best premise: interesting characters.\n3. Sostiene Pereira (1994, Italy). Pereira Maintains. Antonio Tabucchi.\nMy favorite book this year. A deep and smart and tense plunge into the Portuguese life of a few decades ago. Italian literature has so many gems.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Die Wand (1963, Germany). The Wall. Marlen Haushofer.\nAn excellent novel, simple, yet moving. Why do we live and what is our connection to nature?",
          "reason": "Called an excellent, moving novel that raises questions about life and our connection to nature.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as simple.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marlen Haushofer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Nature",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nature",
        "solitude"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-wall-street-self-defense-manual-a-consumer-s-guide-to-intelli-08f468",
      "title": "The Wall Street Self-Defense Manual: A Consumer's Guide to Intelligent Investing",
      "author": "Henry Blodget",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 248571,
          "author": "ojbyrne",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T15:33:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248571",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed Henry Blodgett's \"The Wall Street Self-defense Manual: A Consumer's Guide to Intelligent Investing\" (http://www.amazon.com/Wall-Street-Self-defense-Manual-Intell... (http://www.amazon.com/Wall-Street-Self-defense-Manual-Intelligent/dp/0977743322)).\nIt's basically a diatribe against active investing. Buy index funds and hold them.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Henry Blodgett's \"The Wall Street Self-defense Manual: A Consumer's Guide to Intelligent Investing\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed it and summarizes its case against active investing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Its argument is characterized as a diatribe against active investing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Henry Blodget"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "active investing",
        "index investing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-wander-society-f8563c",
      "title": "The Wander Society",
      "author": "Keri Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17520040,
          "author": "galeforcewinds",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T02:08:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17520040",
          "commentText": "William Gibson's Neuromancer continues to hold up well both for adults and teens. Worth a read or re-read.\nTravel books can be a good fit for the summer, and Keri Smith's Wander Society is a fun pick.\nI also like to make a random pick or two that I'd never normally choose for myself. My next random pick may be off this thread...\nZ",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Keri Smith's Wander Society is a fun pick.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a fun pick.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Keri Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creative practice",
        "walking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-war-against-women-93f203",
      "title": "The War Against Women",
      "author": "Marilyn French",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14478453,
          "author": "adekok",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T20:55:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478453",
          "commentText": "The Gift of Fear (Gavin Debecker) - how to deal with bad people\nThe War against Women (Marilyn French) - the underlying premise is wrong, but reading it is a good way to learn how to deal with semi-rational, but insane theses.  And yes, I can defend this position with quotes / paraphrases from the book, with rational explanations as to why it's insane\nHow the Police generate false confessions (James Trainum) - former cop explains why harsh interrogation techniques are counter-productive, and how to defend yourself\nGet the Truth (Philip Houston et all) - how to tell when people are lying, via simple techniques you can remember",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The War against Women (Marilyn French) - the underlying premise is wrong, but reading it is a good way to learn how to deal with semi-rational, but insane theses.",
          "reason": "Suggested as a way to learn how to address what the commenter considers irrational arguments.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its underlying premise is wrong and calls its theses insane.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marilyn French"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "feminism",
        "political argument"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-war-of-art-break-through-the-blocks-and-win-your-inner-creati-935181",
      "title": "The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles",
      "author": "Steven Pressfield",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10765967,
          "author": "splitdisk",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T03:41:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10765967",
          "commentText": "The War of Art | Steven Pressfield\nMay have turned me into a workaholic though...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The War of Art | Steven Pressfield\nMay have turned me into a workaholic though...",
          "reason": "Suggests the book may have made them a workaholic, with an implied reservation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter links its effect to becoming a workaholic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Pressfield"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creativity",
        "procrastination"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-war-on-science-723316",
      "title": "The War on Science",
      "author": "Shawn Otto",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18663282,
          "author": "bun_at_work",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:22:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663282",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction:\n- Factfulness by Hans Rosling\n- The War on Science by Shawn Otto\n- Basic Economics by Thomas Sowell\n- A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson\n- The Storm Before the Storm by Mike Duncan\n- The Enigma of Reason by Hugo Mercier\nFiction:\n- And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie\n- The Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson\n- The Magicians by Lev Grossman\nThe non-fiction books were all incredible and highly recommended. I especially appreciate The War on Science as it is highly relevant in today's polarized and emotional political climate.\nThe fiction books were good, for the most part. However, The Magicians might be the worst book I have ever read, not limited to fiction or fantasy. For more on that, ask.\nI managed to read significantly more books this year due to joining an at-work book club, which has been very nice.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I especially appreciate The War on Science as it is highly relevant in today's polarized and emotional political climate.",
          "reason": "The commenter especially appreciates it and says it is highly relevant to today's political climate.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Shawn Otto"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "politics",
        "science communication"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-warden-series-029004",
      "title": "The Warden series",
      "author": "Anthony Trollope",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22101112,
          "author": "lizzard",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T18:45:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22101112",
          "commentText": "Trollope is pretty great. Especially if you like a long story arc and a large cast of characters, try the Warden series and the Palliser series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "try the Warden series and the Palliser series",
          "reason": "Suggested for readers who like a long story arc and a large cast of characters.",
          "audience": "Readers who like a long story arc and a large cast of characters.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anthony Trollope"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "victorian literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-warren-buffett-way-e2e968",
      "title": "The Warren Buffett Way",
      "author": "Robert G. Hagstrom",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 248542,
          "author": "simplyauser",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T15:09:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248542",
          "commentText": "I have read many of the recommend books. Here are my two pence.\nBooks on Wealth\n    1. \"Rich Dad Poor Dad\"\n     and find out exactly why someone becomes rich.\n    (if you like this one, at some point you may also\n     want to quickly scan through \"Cashflow Quadrant\n     Rich Dad's Guide to Financial Freedom\".)\n\n     2. Also \"chapter 6 - How to make wealth\"\n     from \"Hackers and Painters's chapter 6 - \"\n\n     3. \"The Way to Wealth by Benjamin Franklin\"\n\n\nInvesting books in this order\n    1. Peter Lynch's One Up on wall street\n    2. The Intelligent Investor  (Ben Graham)\n    3. Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits\n    4. Security Analysis (Ben Graham)\n    5. The Warren Buffet Way is a famous business read not exceptional but read it if you have some time left\n    6. A Random Walk Down Wall Street (Read it for a good laugh)\n\n\nDo NOT read\n    1. AA- The Motley Fool Money Guide\n    2. How Gerge Soros Knows What He Knows\n    3. Investing Online For Dummies\n    4. Malkiel Burton - A Random Walk Down Wall Street\n    5. Cracking the millionaire code\n    6. Joel Greenblatt - You Can Be A Stock Market Genius",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Warren Buffet Way is a famous business read not exceptional but read it if you have some time left",
          "reason": "Presented as an optional business read when time allows.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not exceptional and suggests it only if time is available.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert G. Hagstrom"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "investing",
        "value investing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-warren-commission-report-bbd373",
      "title": "The Warren Commission Report",
      "author": "United States President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910796,
          "author": "kamphey",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T17:17:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910796",
          "commentText": "The Warren Commission Report.\nOriginally suggested by Werner Herzog as the most thrilling book ever written. It's ludicrously detailed. Absolutely riveting and thrilling. Opened my eyes to how a story can be constructed around a single moment and elucidated by a huge investigation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Warren Commission Report.",
          "reason": "Describes it as riveting and thrilling, and says it opened their eyes to how a story can be constructed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "United States President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "government investigations",
        "kennedy assassination"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-wars-of-the-roses-435963",
      "title": "The Wars of the Roses",
      "author": "Dan Jones",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40429844,
          "author": "romanhn",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T15:39:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40429844",
          "commentText": "I read a lot of history, but many of the books are quite dry. A rare exception were the books by Dan Jones I recently read, on medieval England (The Plantagenets, The Wars Of Roses). I learned a bunch and sincerely enjoyed the process. His Powers and Thrones book is next up.\nIncidentally, I found out that Shakespeare covered similar timelines (especially the wars of the roses) in his 8 history plays, which I've been going through. Never read any Shakespeare before, and liking it enough that I already made a top ten list of his works to get into next.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Wars Of Roses",
          "reason": "Includes it among books about medieval England that the commenter enjoyed and learned from.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in medieval England.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Jones"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "medieval england",
        "wars of the roses"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-watch-646da1",
      "title": "The Watch",
      "author": "Terry Pratchett",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13968701,
          "author": "GedByrne",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T15:49:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13968701",
          "commentText": "The same here.\nI so wish that Sir Terry could be here now, helping us to make sense of what is happening with some silly little stories.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The same here.",
          "reason": "Agrees with the parent’s praise of the Watch sub-series and its influence on their worldview.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry Pratchett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "police procedural",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-watchmen-dd963e",
      "title": "The Watchmen",
      "author": "Jonathan Littman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17750144,
          "author": "metaodi",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T14:05:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17750144",
          "commentText": "I want to add \"The Watchmen\" by Jonathan Littman. It's the story of Kevin Poulsen. It's very well written and I personally liked it better than all the Mitnick stories, but they are certainly comparable.\nIt's been a while since I've last read it, but I think about it with a bit of nostalgia, as there are all those phone phreaking and dumpster diving stories in it, when nobody cared about security.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's very well written and I personally liked it better than all the Mitnick stories",
          "reason": "Calls it well written and says they preferred it to the Mitnick stories.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comparison is based on personal preference; recollection is nostalgic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Littman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hacker culture",
        "kevin poulsen",
        "phone phreaking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-way-it-is-7b6002",
      "title": "The Way It Is",
      "author": "Ajahn Sumedho",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17170083,
          "author": "cko",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-28T01:17:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17170083",
          "commentText": "The way it is by Ajahn Sumedho. A collection of talks, perhaps a bit rambling at times, but very insightful, by a Theravadan Buddhist monk.\nI read this every few months.\nhttps://cdn.amaravati.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/26/Way-... (https://cdn.amaravati.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/26/Way-it-is-by-ajahn-sumedho.pdf)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The way it is by Ajahn Sumedho. A collection of talks, perhaps a bit rambling at times, but very insightful",
          "reason": "Calls the collection very insightful and says they reread it every few months.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it can be a bit rambling.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ajahn Sumedho"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhist talks",
        "theravada buddhism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-way-we-live-now-d19646",
      "title": "The Way We Live Now",
      "author": "Anthony Trollope",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41175841,
          "author": "montgomery_r",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:58:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175841",
          "commentText": "Aargh, Formatting! Try 2 :\nFor the value of ‘best’ that includes\n(a) had a deep and long lasting impact on how I think about the world and\n(b) I consider beautiful pieces of writing in their own right,\nhere are some in no particular order:\nThe Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins\nThinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nNaming and Necessity, Saul Kripke\nTractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein\n(These you might want to approach via a gentle introduction if you did not study Philosophy to degree level)\nThe Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle\nDarkness at Noon, Arthur Koestler\nThe Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse\nA Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh\nDiaries, Samuel Pepys\nFalling Off the Map, Pico Iyer\nA Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor\nThe Lonely Sea and the Sky, Francis Chichester\nThe Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope\nBevis, Richard Jeffries\nThe Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith\nThe Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse\nHitch-22, essays, Christopher Hitchens\nCollected Essays, William Hazlitt\nVenice, Martin Gayford\nThe Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski\nThe Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch\nToo obvious a list, perhaps, but some gems for all that! Happy reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope",
          "reason": "Includes the title among books considered impactful and beautifully written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 41175718,
          "author": "montgomery_r",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:45:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175718",
          "commentText": "For the value of ‘best’ that includes  (a) had a deep and long lasting impact on how I think about the world and (b) I consider beautiful pieces of writing in their own right, here are some in no particular order: \nThe Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins \nThinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nNaming and Necessity, Saul Kripke\nTractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein\n(These you might want to approach via a gentle introduction if you did not study Philosophy to degree level) \nThe Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle\nDarkness at Noon,\nArthur Koestler\nThe Glass Bead Game,\nHermann Hesse\nA Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh\nDiaries, Samuel Pepys\nFalling Off the Map, Pico Iyer\nA Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor\nThe Lonely Sea and the Sky,\nFrancis Chichester\nThe Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope\nBevis, Richard Jeffries\nThe Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith\nThe Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse\nHitch-22, essaysChristopher Hitchens \nCollected Essays, William Hazlitt\nVenice, Martin Gayford\nThe Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski\nThe Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch\nToo obvious a list, perhaps, but some gems for all that! Happy reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope",
          "reason": "Includes it among books with lasting impact on how they think and that they consider beautiful writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anthony Trollope"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "victorian literature",
        "financial satire",
        "social satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-way-we-think-7a489a",
      "title": "The Way We Think",
      "author": "Gilles Fauconnier, Mark Turner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15157485,
          "author": "subsubsub",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T18:33:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15157485",
          "commentText": "All the books, without the affiliate links:\n- Philosophy In The Flesh [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001FSJAWK]\n- The Political Mind [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0017T0B2U]\n- The Way We Think [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00AAL62RO]\n- Louder Than Words [https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00918JOBI]",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Way We Think",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 15157316,
          "author": "ignacio_gcaa",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T17:55:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15157316",
          "commentText": "This cognitive science/cognitive linguistics books were a hinge point for me:\nGeorge Lakoff:\n- Philosophy In The Flesh http://amzn.to/2xFTKU7\n- The Political Mind http://amzn.to/2vU9rF1\nGilles Fauconnier, Mark Turner:\n- The Way We Think http://amzn.to/2xFv4ep\nBenjamin K. Bergen:\n- Louder Than Words http://amzn.to/2wwsMhv",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Way We Think http://amzn.to/2xFv4ep",
          "reason": "The commenter says these books were a hinge point for them.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in cognitive science and cognitive linguistics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gilles Fauconnier, Mark Turner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognitive linguistics",
        "conceptual blending"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-way-of-the-strangers-encounters-with-the-islamic-state-2da721",
      "title": "The Way of the Strangers: Encounters with the Islamic State",
      "author": "Graeme Wood",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15961256,
          "author": "strictnein",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:22:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961256",
          "commentText": "Sorry, this got a little longer than I meant it to be\n- Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheed - It's over 20 years old now but still really good, especially if you're into planes like the U-2, F-117, and SR-71\nIf you're wanting a deeper understanding of the other side of the war on terror, I'd recommend the following:\n- I Was Told to Come Alone: My Journey Behind the Lines of Jihad\n- Salafi-Jihadism: The History of an Idea\n- The Way of the Strangers: Encounters with the Islamic State\n- After the Prophet: The Epic Story of the Shia-Sunni Split in Islam\n- The Black Banners: The Inside Story of 9/11 and the War Against al-Qaeda\nIf you're wanting a dive into Russia:\n- The Invention of Russia: From Gorbachev's Freedom to Putin's War\n- The Red Web: The Struggle Between Russia's Digital Dictators and the New Online Revolutionaries\n- Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible: The Surreal Heart of the New Russia\nIf you're wanting true Spy stuff:\n- The Billion Dollar Spy: A True Story of Cold War Espionage and Betrayal\n- The Spy's Son: The True Story of the Highest-Ranking CIA Officer Ever Convicted of Espionage and the Son He Trained to Spy for Russia\n- Left of Boom: How a Young CIA Case Officer Penetrated the Taliban and Al-Qaeda (the author is a little full of himself, but still, it's interesting)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Way of the Strangers: Encounters with the Islamic State",
          "reason": "Recommended for a deeper understanding of the other side of the war on terror.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a deeper understanding of the other side of the war on terror.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Graeme Wood"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "islamic state",
        "jihadism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-way-to-love-62079f",
      "title": "The Way to Love",
      "author": "Anthony de Mello",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40068121,
          "author": "Wonnk13",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-17T18:02:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 40045862,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40068121",
          "commentText": "The Way to Love by Anthony Demello. Fits in your pocket and almost zen like koans. Little meditations on happiness and suffering without pushing too much religion down your throat.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Way to Love by Anthony Demello.",
          "reason": "Offers short meditations on happiness and suffering.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it avoids pushing too much religion.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anthony de Mello"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "happiness",
        "meditations",
        "suffering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-ways-of-knowing-718248",
      "title": "The Ways of Knowing",
      "author": "W. P. Montague",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 242597,
          "author": "aspirant",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-10T16:37:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=242597",
          "commentText": "Ineed. Mayson, I hope there are a few copies of the Ways of Knowing left on AbeBooks because that's where I scored about six copies a few months back.\nI realize now that in littering my friend's apartments with these books, I've been trying to transform my town into Cambridge (or into what PG says Cambridge is). But I seem to be a size too small for that job. Or as Montague might say, I don't command the prepotency needed to elicit that kind of change... yet.\nSo I'm taking a break from all that to compare Cities and Ambition with my own experience. My train leaves for Cambridge in a few weeks.\nGiddiup.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "a few copies of the Ways of Knowing left on AbeBooks",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 241800,
          "author": "aspirant",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T23:23:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=241800",
          "commentText": "\"Highly technical,\" says the Times.\n\"Popish!\" raves the Globe.\nSorry, couldn't resist. Seriously though, I bet he's at the library checking it out right now. :)\nBut while we're recommending books he doesn't want, I would like to suggest W.P. Montague's, The Ways of Knowing.\nParticularly, it's explanation of authoritarianism, when it's appropriate and when it's not, has been indispensable.\nTo whet your appetite, I'll say this much:\nMontague asserts that if you want to fill your head with true beliefs (this stuff called knowledge) about reality, then you should be aware of five distinct types of evidence that a human can collect and five distinct logical theories with which to process (Rationalism, Empiricism, Authoritarianism, Pragmatism, Mysticism). The more mastery, the more knowledge.\nThe book is slow going but not for the usual reasons. Each page made me want to pause and sit and think until I had totally reprocessed all my life's experiences and questioned all my now seemingly ill-formed conclusions in the new light of my increased powers of reasoning.\nIf I found a genie in a lamp and he granted me one wish, I would wish that everyone in the world would read the first chapter of that book... or for a puppy.\nYou can get a nice ~1930's copy for like $6 at an antique book store.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would like to suggest W.P. Montague's, The Ways of Knowing.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it and says its explanation of authoritarianism has been indispensable.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in evidence, knowledge, and reasoning.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is slow going.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. P. Montague"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epistemology",
        "theories of knowledge"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-wealth-and-poverty-of-nations-a69a78",
      "title": "The Wealth and Poverty of Nations",
      "author": "David S. Landes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34167137,
          "author": "than3",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T22:54:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34167137",
          "commentText": "The Wealth of Nations (Adam Smith), and its follow-up The Wealth and Poverty of Nations (Landis).\nHaving been written in 1778 it still stands prominent with regard to its descriptions of how markets work, and the importance of the division of labor.\nThe latter book, also describes common pitfalls, often unknown to those living in the northern hemispheres with regard to Civilization development in tropical regions, and why Africa and Latin America are not more developed, and by extension what we can expect as climate change drives those tropical climates north.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Wealth and Poverty of Nations (Landis)",
          "reason": "Discusses pitfalls in civilization development in tropical regions and the development of Africa and Latin America.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David S. Landes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "development economics",
        "economic history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-wealth-of-networks-b60392",
      "title": "The Wealth of Networks",
      "author": "Yochai Benkler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3445271,
          "author": "malandrew",
          "createdAt": "2012-01-10T01:49:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 3439607,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best Economics read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3445271",
          "commentText": "I highly recommend a commonly ignored part of economics and that is the economics of goods with zero marginal cost of production. The two key texts in this area are:\nYochai Benkler's \"The Wealth of Networks\"\n-- This text is a bit dated (2005) and the first two chapters couldn't be more dry and boring, but after that the economic discussion in the book about how economics changes when the marginal cost of product reaches zero or near-zero is fascinating.\nHal Varian's \"Information Rules\"\n-- This book covers the same ground at Yochai's book, but is less academic in tone. FYI, Varian is Google's chief economist.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Yochai Benkler's \"The Wealth of Networks\"",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a key text on the economics of goods with zero marginal production cost.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in economics of goods with zero marginal cost.",
          "caveat": "The 2005 text is somewhat dated, and its first two chapters are dry and boring.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Yochai Benkler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "digital economics",
        "networked information economy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-wealthy-barber-2fb29c",
      "title": "The Wealthy Barber",
      "author": "David Chilton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 687231,
          "author": "tom_rath",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-04T15:49:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 687066,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on getting rich?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=687231",
          "commentText": "Probably not what you have in mind, but The Wealthy Barber ( http://www.wealthybarber.com/ ) provides common-sense advice for accumulating and managing modest wealth without needing corporate success.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Wealthy Barber ( http://www.wealthybarber.com/ ) provides common-sense advice for accumulating and managing modest wealth",
          "reason": "Recommended for common-sense advice on accumulating and managing modest wealth.",
          "audience": "Readers aiming to manage modest wealth without corporate success.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may not fit what the asker has in mind.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Chilton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal finance",
        "saving and investing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-wealthy-barber-returns-080671",
      "title": "The Wealthy Barber Returns",
      "author": "David Chilton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43404947,
          "author": "buu709",
          "createdAt": "2025-03-18T20:52:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 43402403,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book/course/resource for personal finance or financial literacy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43404947",
          "commentText": "I would imagine it would depend on where you're from? I'm from Canada and the book that helped me more than anything else is 'The Wealthy Barber Returns'.\n'Millionaire Teacher' is also fantastic, and I believe is U.S. based (been a few years).\nBoth books teach the fundamentals of how to save/invest in a safe manner in a way that is easily digestible. Barber especially is an engrossing read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the book that helped me more than anything else is 'The Wealthy Barber Returns'.",
          "reason": "Described as especially helpful for learning to save and invest safely.",
          "audience": "Readers in Canada.",
          "caveat": "Advice may depend on where the reader lives; the commenter is from Canada.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Chilton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "investing",
        "personal finance",
        "saving"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-weary-blues-13da12",
      "title": "The Weary Blues",
      "author": "Langston Hughes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10213452,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-14T02:30:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 10211331,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10213452",
          "commentText": "Hugo and Nebula award winner Ancillary Justice is pretty good, though perhaps not great. Before that I reread No Country for Old Men, Cormac McCarthy is definitely great and I enjoyed it far more this time than when I read it nine years ago. Right now I am rereading Dune for the first time in at least twenty and possibly thirty years partially because Ancillary Justice reminded me of it, partially because it might be something I recommend trying to my son and partially because being able to read previously read books in new ways is turning out to be a pleasure of getting older. Anyway, Dune is great in ways that Dino Delaurentis and subsequent film makers had made me forget.\nLangston Hughes' Weary Blues is amazing, but I'm no expert on poetry.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Langston Hughes' Weary Blues is amazing, but I'm no expert on poetry.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it amazing, while noting limited expertise in poetry.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are no expert on poetry.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Langston Hughes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "harlem renaissance",
        "poetry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-web-application-hacker-s-handbook-af587a",
      "title": "The Web Application Hacker's Handbook",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14139759,
          "author": "alltakendamned",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T15:40:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14139759",
          "commentText": "For application security I'd say:\nWeb Application Hackers Handbook 2nd Edition\nand\nThe Art of Software Security Assessment",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Web Application Hackers Handbook 2nd Edition",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "penetration testing",
        "web application security"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-web-startup-success-guide-a2eaa8",
      "title": "The Web Startup Success Guide",
      "author": "Bob Walsh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1568078,
          "author": "allwein",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T16:32:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 1567456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I want to start a web company what books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1568078",
          "commentText": "\"The Web Startup Success Guide\" by Bob Walsh is fantastic\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1430219858?tag=keysofgeni-2... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1430219858?tag=keysofgeni-20)\nIn case you don't know Bob, he's the guy behind the http://www.47hats.com/ blog, which is a great resource for startups and MicroISV's.  He also does The Startup Success Podcast.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Web Startup Success Guide\" by Bob Walsh is fantastic",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the book fantastic.",
          "audience": "People starting a web business.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bob Walsh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "startup strategy",
        "web startups"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-wee-free-men-51f098",
      "title": "The Wee Free Men",
      "author": "Terry Pratchett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41175853,
          "author": "bubblebeard",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:59:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175853",
          "commentText": "”The Count of Monte Cristo”, one of my favorites. It’s a classic the general story being jailbreak/revenge. A little slow paced at times but the writing is fantastic.\nIf you enjoy fantasy novels I would recommend ”The Wee Free Men” by Terry Pratchett, it’s outstanding.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would recommend ”The Wee Free Men” by Terry Pratchett",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it to readers who enjoy fantasy novels.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy fantasy novels.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8401598,
          "author": "eli_gottlieb",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-02T16:45:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 8401011,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8401598",
          "commentText": "Recently finished:\nDown and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow -- frankly, I found it kind of boring, and also found the narrator unsympathetic.  I'm not sure if the author intended him to be an Unreliable Narrator or not.\nFacts, Values, and Norms by Peter Railton --  Gains three stars for combining serious consideration of ethical and meta-ethical issues with a completely naturalistic worldview and a genuine grappling with history and ideology. Loses two stars for being far, far too long-winded and using vague, colloquial terminology and appeals to intuition where a methodoological naturalist can and should appeal to the fruits of science. (Copy-pasta'd from my Amazon review)\nRapture of the Nerds by Charles Stross -- pretty funny, even if it made a transhuman superintelligent supercivilization look kind of... dumb.\nCurrently re-reading for fun:\nThe Wee Free Men and I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett -- It's Discworld.  Go read them.  NOW.  And read A Hat Full of Sky in the middle.\nThen there's been a lot of textbooks I've been reading, which I won't list.  Though...\nLogical Labyrinths by Raymond Smullyan -- dense, and fun, a graduate-level intro textbook to first-order logic disguised as a logic textbook.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Wee Free Men and I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry Pratchett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "young adult fantasy",
        "witches"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-week-a-history-of-the-unnatural-rhythms-that-made-us-who-we-a-6a330b",
      "title": "The Week: A History of the Unnatural Rhythms That Made Us Who We Are",
      "author": "David M. Henkin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42220961,
          "author": "throw0101d",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T14:13:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42220961",
          "commentText": "If I had to pick one: The rise and fall of American growth: the U.S. standard of living since the Civil War by Robert Gordon. The gains that we have made in the (early) 20th century are unlikely to ever be repeated, and progress in many metrics has measurably slowed or even stalled since ~1970s (likely being asymptotic). And while the Internet (classified under the Information, Communication, Technology (ICT) chapters) gave a bump in the 1990s, it's mostly been flat since 2004.\nMore economic history with Slouching towards Utopia: an economic history of the twentieth century by J. Bradford Delong. More economic ideas stuff in Value(s): building a better world for all by Mark Carney (ran the Banks of Canada and England). Also Waphsott's Keynes Hayek: the clash that defined modern economics and Samuelson Friedman: the battle over the free market.\nThe currency of politics: the political theory of money from Aristotle to Keynes by Sefan Eich, Money: the true story of a made-up thing by Jacob Goldstein, and The power of gold: the history of an obsession by Peter Bernstein (also his Against the Gods on risk). Show how much of a human construct \"money\" is, how its meaning changes in different times and places/cultures. Should be required reading by all the 'hard money' folks (gold standard, BTC).\nThe good life: lessons from the world's longest scientific study of happiness by Waldinger and Schultz (directors of the Harvard study). If there's one 'magic' thing for health and happiness it seems to be having good relationships (family, friends) in your life.\nReligion: what it is, how it works, and why it matters by Christian Smith and Strange rites: new religions for a godless world by Tara Burton. While many think that religion is in decline, the non-material/supernatural things that people believe in has actually shifted. And having beliefs in a super-human entity seems to be the basis of most societies and civilizations. Related, The warfare between science and religion : the idea that wouldn't die, a series of essays; the conflict thesis bunk, both historically and presently.\nThe origins of Canadian and American political differences by Jason Kaufman, two seemingly-the-same neighbouring countries that have had different development paths when it comes to culture and government. (I'm Canadian.)\nSpeaking of government: Civil resistance: what everyone needs to know by Erica Chenoweth. Seems violence/force is generally a less effective way to affect change in society than non-violence.\nThe week: a history of the unnatural rhythms that made us who we are by David Henkin. Seems that while seven days has been around for a long while, making it a really 'hard' structure/schedule around it is a more recent phenomenon than you'd expect.\nIf you have kids, Karen Le Billon's French kids eat everything (and yours can, too) and Getting to YUM: the 7 secrets of raising eager eaters, her husband is French and she lived there for a year and found many things done better there than US/CA. See also The happiest kids in the world: how Dutch parents help their kids and themselves by doing less by Acosta and Hutchison.\nFlying blind: the 737 MAX tragedy and the fall of Boeing by Peter Robison is an HN favourite. While we get a lot of engineer vs MBA comments, I think the bigger problem (associated with the MBA-types) is financialization, i.e., returns over everything else. Having non-engineers/MBAs can be 'fine' also long as trying to squeeze blood/money from a stone at the cost of everything else.\nSome philosophy with Alasdair C. MacIntyre: After Virtue is a good starting point. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/After_Virtue",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The week: a history of the unnatural rhythms that made us who we are by David Henkin",
          "reason": "Explains that the book traces how the seven-day week became a rigid schedule.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in time and social history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David M. Henkin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "social history",
        "timekeeping",
        "weekly calendar"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-weird-df12d7",
      "title": "The Weird",
      "author": "Jeff VanderMeer and Ann VanderMeer, editors",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13238592,
          "author": "apocalypstyx",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T17:07:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238592",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\nInherent Vice  ---  Thomas Pynchon\nThe Great and Secret Show  ---  Clive Barker\nJurassic Park  ---  Michael Crichton\nThe Mothman Prophecies  ---  John A. Keel (1)\nThe Wind in the Willows  ---  Kenneth Grahame\nEnder's Game  ---  Orson Scott Card\nAll Quiet on the Western Front  ---   Erich Maria Remarque\nThe Drought  ---  J. G. Ballard\nThe Dead Father's Club  ---  Matt Harris\nChildren of Men  ---  P. D. James\nThe Islanders  ---  Pascal Garnier\nSilence of the Lambs  ---  Thomas Harris\nInherit the Wind  ---  Jerome Lawrence & Robert E. Lee\nThe Butt  ---  Will Self\nInside Outside  ---  Philip Jose Farmer\nThe Panda Theory  ---  Pascal Garnier\nFanshaw  ---  Nathaniel Hawthorne\nThe Scarlet Letter  ---  Nathaniel Hawthorne\nThis Census-Taker  ---  China Mieville\nThe House of the Seven Gables  ---  Nathaniel Hawthorne\nThe A26  ---  Pascal Garnier\nThe Blithedale Romance  ---  Nathaniel Hawthorne\nThe Weird  ---  Edited by Jeff VanderMeer & Ann VanderMeer (2)\nFront Seat Passenger  ---  Pascal Garnier\nNon-Fiction:\nThe Wealth of Networks  ---  Yochai Benkler\nField Notes from A Catastrophe  ---  Elizabeth Kolbert\nWhat Ever Happened to Modernism?  ---  Gabriel Josipovici\nEscape Velocity  ---  Mark Dery\nWhat We See When We Read  ---  Peter Mendelsund\n(1) Author described as non-fiction, publisher hedged bets and labelled in as such, supposedly.\n(2) If only this book could be picked by Subterranean or Centipede press so it'd be a better printed and bound book than Tor ever seems to want to do.\nI always recommend Ballard, even when not wanted.  Relevant quote:\n   A story by J. G. Ballard, as you know, calls for people who don't\n   think. One begins with characters who regard the physical universe\n   as a mysterious and arbitrary place, and who would not dream of\n   trying to understand its actual laws. Furthermore, in order to be\n   the protagonist of a J.G. Ballard novel, or anything more than a\n   very minor character therein, you must have cut yourself off from\n   the entire body of scientific education. In this way, when the world\n   disaster — be it wind or water — comes upon you, you are under\n   absolutely no obligation to do anything about it but sit and worship\n   it. Even more further, some force has acted to remove from the face\n   of the world all people who might impose good sense or rational\n   behavior on you, so that the disaster proceeds unchecked and unopposed\n   except by the almost inevitable thumb-rule engineer type who for\n   his individual comfort builds a huge pyramid (without huge footings)\n   to resist high winds, or trains a herd of alligators and renegade\n   divers to help him out in dealing with deep water.  Algis Budrys,\n   Galaxy magazine (December 1966)\n\n\nI'd recommend Pascal Garnier for anyone who likes sickly dark humor + surrealism + noir + a kind of Ballardian-air.  Also Pynchon.  Hawthorne might be the stand-out this year, in the sense of his works' subtle, implicit ability to question the authorial mode, the nature of the text itself, and the instability of it.\nIn non-fiction I'd recommend Dery's Escape Velocity; It's from the 90s but still deals too presciently with many of the issues around the near-religification of modern electronic technology.  And Josipovici if you lean toward depressive jolts of existential anxiety (it deals mostly with the arts, but I think there's a broader life applicability).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Weird  ---  Edited by Jeff VanderMeer & Ann VanderMeer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter wishes it had been published with better printing and binding.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeff VanderMeer and Ann VanderMeer, editors"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short story anthology",
        "weird fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-weirkey-chronicles-8855bf",
      "title": "The Weirkey Chronicles",
      "author": "Sarah Lin",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42270928,
          "author": "asicsp",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T04:53:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42270928",
          "commentText": "I mostly read progression fantasy books these days. Here are some series that I enjoyed a lot:\n* \"Beware of Chicken\" by CasualFarmer\n* \"The Immaculate Collection\" by havlo\n* \"The Runic Artist\" by Ellake\n* \"The Broken Knife\" by SilverSidhe\n* \"Immovable Mage\" by ImmovableMage\n* \"The Gorgon Incident and Other Stories\" by John Bierce\n* \"Quest Academy\" by Brian J. Nordon\n* \"The Weirkey Chronicles\" by Sarah Lin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Weirkey Chronicles\" by Sarah Lin",
          "reason": "Listed among progression fantasy series the commenter enjoyed a lot.",
          "audience": "Readers of progression fantasy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sarah Lin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cultivation fantasy",
        "progression fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-well-of-ascension-ecea5d",
      "title": "The Well of Ascension",
      "author": "Brandon Sanderson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25905446,
          "author": "brokenintuition",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T16:52:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25905446",
          "commentText": "This is mine as well, I'll probably start it this week. I just finished Well of Ascension and really enjoying the series so far.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I just finished Well of Ascension and really enjoying the series so far.",
          "reason": "Reports enjoying the book and the series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brandon Sanderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "mistborn"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-well-built-city-trilogy-666756",
      "title": "The Well-Built City trilogy",
      "author": "Jeffrey Ford",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15156533,
          "author": "jeffersonheard",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:44:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156533",
          "commentText": "Getting More - Stuart Diamond. I still think this is the best book on the art of negotiation.\nGetting Things Done - David Allen. If you have adult ADHD like me, and you haven't read this, it's the first system that's really worked for productivity for me.\nMan's Search for Meaning - Victor Frankl.\nLiving Buddha, Living Christ - Thich Nhat Hanh.\nCosmos - Carl Sagan.\nThe Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. LeGuin.\nThe One who Walks Away from Omelas - U.K. LeGuin.\nWild Seed - Octavia Butler.\nThe Heike Monogatari - (tr. Helen Craig McCullough) “The sound of the Gion Shoja temple bells echoes the impermanence of all things; the color of the sala flowers reveals the truth that to flourish is to fall. The proud do not endure, like a passing dream on a night in spring; the mighty fall at last, to be no more than dust before the wind.” If you need a comparison. this is the Japanese historical equivalent of Game of Thrones combined with a bit of MacBeth. The rise and fall of two shogunate families, and an analysis of the tragic flaws of character that brought their fall about.\nLes Miserables - Victor Hugo.\nSmall Gods - Terry Pratchett.\nHeart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad.\nThe Guide - R. K. Narayan.\nEvidence - Mary Oliver.\nAll of Us - The Collected Poetry of Raymond Carver.\nSilence - Shusaku Endo.\nThe Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald.\nThe Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Murakami Haruki. This and the next four are odd choices, perhaps, since it's a surrealist book, but IMO books that force your imagination to work hard do as much for creativity and fresh ideas as any of the more popular methods.\nThe Well-Built City (The Physiognomy / Memoranda / The Beyond) Jeffery Ford - Surrealist novellas best described as about the protagonist living and achieving agency within the constructs, dreams, and nightmares of a \"Great Man's\" mind.\nSnow Crash - Neal Stephenson.\nGravity's Rainbow - Thomas Pynchon.\nDhalgren - Samuel L. \"Chip\" Delany.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Well-Built City (The Physiognomy / Memoranda / The Beyond) Jeffery Ford",
          "reason": "The commenter describes surreal novellas about a protagonist gaining agency within constructs, dreams, and nightmares.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter acknowledges it as an odd choice and describes it as surrealist.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeffrey Ford"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "agency",
        "dreams",
        "surrealism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-well-grounded-rubyist-4245e2",
      "title": "The Well-Grounded Rubyist",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 781189,
          "author": "petercooper",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-23T23:15:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 781079,
          "threadTitle": "Can you recommend some good RoR books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=781189",
          "commentText": "A book with an ocean wave doesn't ring any bells. One edition of AWDwR has a hammock and an ocean, but I don't think that's what you mean.\nThe Well Grounded Rubyist is okay but yeah, you'd definitely need good OO experience first because it doesn't go into OO basics whatsoever. It does cover the dynamic features of Ruby quite well though.\nI also forgot to mention the Sitepoint book - Build Your Own Ruby on Rails Web Applications. An excellent hobbyist book. I suspect pro developers might find some issues with it though (without cracking it open again I can't elaborate on this but I did hear some comments, despite liking it myself).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Well Grounded Rubyist is okay but yeah, you'd definitely need good OO experience first",
          "reason": "Offers a qualified assessment: okay, but assumes solid object-oriented experience.",
          "audience": "Readers with good object-oriented experience.",
          "caveat": "Does not cover OO basics; covers Ruby's dynamic features well.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ruby programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-well-grounded-rubyist-b7c259",
      "title": "The Well-Grounded Rubyist",
      "author": "David A. Black",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10182322,
          "author": "kruk",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-07T17:49:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 10181953,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the latest and greatest books on your favorite language?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10182322",
          "commentText": "Ruby:\nDavid A. Black - The Well-Grounded Rubyist - http://www.amazon.com/Well-Grounded-Rubyist-David-Black/dp/1... (http://www.amazon.com/Well-Grounded-Rubyist-David-Black/dp/1617291692/)\nGreat both for people new to the language and those looking to strengthen their foundations.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great both for people new to the language and those looking to strengthen their foundations.",
          "reason": "Recommended for new Ruby learners and people strengthening their foundations.",
          "audience": "People new to Ruby and those strengthening their foundations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3231106,
          "author": "safetyscissors",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-13T16:49:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3231106",
          "commentText": "Well Grounded Rubyist,  \niOS Programming (Big Nerd Ranch), \nSteve Jobs",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Well Grounded Rubyist",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David A. Black"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ruby",
        "ruby programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-well-tempered-clavier-f152aa",
      "title": "The Well-Tempered Clavier",
      "author": "Johann Sebastian Bach",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14145513,
          "author": "tylercubell",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-19T04:52:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14145513",
          "commentText": "For pianists, I think many would agree with Hans von Bülow when he called Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier the \"The Old Testament\" and Beethoven's 32 Piano Sonatas the \"The New Testament\".\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_von_B%C3%BClow#Quotations",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bach's The Well-Tempered Clavier the \"The Old Testament\"",
          "reason": "Presented as a canonical work for pianists.",
          "audience": "Pianists.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Johann Sebastian Bach"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classical piano",
        "keyboard music"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-well-the-epic-history-of-the-first-online-community-e9f450",
      "title": "The Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community",
      "author": "Katie Hafner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Katie Hafner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "internet history",
        "online communities"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-wellness-sense-1d66d4",
      "title": "The Wellness Sense",
      "author": "Om Swami",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40329407,
          "author": "animeshz916",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-11T17:18:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40329407",
          "commentText": "1. The Wellness Sense - Om Swami\n2. The subtle art of not giving a f*ck - Mark Manson\nThere are a few more but these are the actual killers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Wellness Sense - Om Swami",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Om Swami"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "wellness"
      ],
      "purposes": []
    },
    {
      "id": "the-western-lands-0622f1",
      "title": "The Western Lands",
      "author": "William S. Burroughs",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22724133,
          "author": "mirimir",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T00:35:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22724133",
          "commentText": "I'm an old man now, so I'm especially interested in books about getting complete with life. I'm also into amusing and distracting.\nTop on my list are William S. Burroughs' last trilogy (especially Place of Dead Roads and The Western Lands) and Matthew Stover's Caine series (especially Caine Black Knife and Caine's Law). Burroughs published that trilogy when he was about my age, and there's some amazing stuff about how memory shows up. The Caine series is basically a contemplation of \"What if you could undo the worst thing that you've ever done?\".\nI could go on about many other authors whom I've loved, over the years, but there's other stuff that I gotta do now.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "especially Place of Dead Roads and The Western Lands",
          "reason": "Highlights it as a standout in Burroughs's final trilogy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William S. Burroughs"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "experimental fiction",
        "memory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-western-way-of-war-e2f984",
      "title": "The Western Way of War",
      "author": "Victor Davis Hanson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 456866,
          "author": "pg",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T18:45:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456866",
          "commentText": "Along with the Anabasis and Caesar's Gallic Wars, I particularly recommend Johnnie Johnson's Wing Leader, Hanson's Western Way of War, and Oman's Art of War in the Middle Ages.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hanson's Western Way of War",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter particularly recommends.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in military history and warfare.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Victor Davis Hanson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient warfare",
        "military history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-whale-and-the-snail-0918c9",
      "title": "The Whale and the Snail",
      "author": "Julia Donaldson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50038501,
          "author": "stackghost",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T00:27:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50038501",
          "commentText": "I really wanted to like Iggy Peck, Ada Twist, and Rosie Revere, because they promote really positive messages. But man, the verse is really clumsy and poor in some areas.  Not stellar writing.\nTo add to your list: anything by Julia Donaldson. The Gruffalo, Super Worm, Room on the Broom, the Whale and the Snail.\nPerennial favs when my kids were 3-5",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Gruffalo, Super Worm, Room on the Broom, the Whale and the Snail.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends Julia Donaldson's children's books as perennial favorites.",
          "audience": "Children ages 3–5",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Julia Donaldson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "picture books",
        "rhyming books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-white-goddess-341c0a",
      "title": "The White Goddess",
      "author": "Robert Graves",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9674192,
          "author": "ThomPete",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T11:23:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674192",
          "commentText": "The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Origin-Consciousness-Breakdown-Bicamer... (http://www.amazon.com/Origin-Consciousness-Breakdown-Bicameral-Mind/dp/0618057072)\nI found it on this list:\nhttp://spacecollective.org/wilfriedhoujebek/4076/Summery-Boo... (http://spacecollective.org/wilfriedhoujebek/4076/Summery-Books-Too-Far-Out-For-Johnny-Depp)\nWhere also the following books some of which I read to (Vehicles is really good) can be found:\nThe White Goddess - Robert Graves\nGraves' grammar of poetic myth works at so many levels at the same time that I can't keep track of them all. This is not a book, this is a neurosis you can borrow. Druidic power to the nerds.\nThe Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind - Julian Jaynes\nNever mind the bulky title. The theory of Jaynes seems preposterous at first: before man was conscious he would not stop and think when making a decision, instead he would literally hear a voice telling him what to do. When life became too complicated this faculty broke down, but not in an instant. Religion is a by-product of this neuro-catastrophe. Jaynes however knows to make use of historic material in such a way that in the course of his argument he becomes plausible! If you don't trust me on this, trust Daniel Dennett.\nThe Ghost of Chance - William S. Burroughs\nBurroughs was a great admirer of Jaynes and here he uses the bicameral image of two dividing brain spheres as a metaphor for the divide between peaceful lemur on Madagascar and the war-mongering chimpanzee on the African mainland as a reminder that human evolution could have taken a better turn.\nAncient Evenings - Norman Mailer\nThis book, the only lengthy novel in this list, I first looked up because Burroughs referenced it as his inspiration for 'The Western Lands'. When I noticed it starts with my favourite Yeats quote I knew I needed to read this. Even though Burroughs could never have written it like this, at times it is more Burroughs then Burroughs himself. It is the autobiography of a Ka, the lowliest soul of the seven souls of the ancient Egyptians, which makes for unusual reading. Especially because Mailer uses an uncensored version of Egyptian mythology which, to put it mildly, differs from the version you get of it from the National Geographic. The Egyptians practised sex magic with the stamina of a bonobo. Mailer makes Aleister Crowley look like a prudish schoolboy. This is the boldest attempt to recreate a radically different mind from ours that I know of, and does so successfully. The novel as the creation of an artificial consciousness. At the same time it doubles as an All American Novel (yuk).\nThe Mind in the Cave - David Lewis-Williams\nPalaeolithic Psychedelia anyone? Close your eyes, place a finger on both of your eyelids and press gently. What you see is the origin of all art, you only need to look at rock-art with a guide like Lewis-Williams to see it.\nThe Chinese Written Character as a Medium for Poetry - Ernest Fennolosa\nEdited by Ezra Pound, the most spectacular misunderstanding of language ever to be reprinted. It reads excellent and it gives us a language (Chinoiserie-Chinese) that does not exist in this world but should exist in a better world.\nVehicles - Valentino Braitenberg\nI have read so much stuff relating to Cybernetics, AI, emergent systems and self-organization that I am totally saturated with it. The material itself is exciting but the professional obligation of science to be dull gets on my nerves. But this is an exception, wonderfully written and illustrated with funky little drawings. Vehicles is a tiny book but its size is deceptive. This introduction to synthetic psychology describes a number of simple responsive vehicles that with each new feature became aware of the world around them a good deal more. Each new vehicle is a new mind.\nThe Coleridge Notebooks.\nCharles Lamb said he loved to lend his books to ‘Poet, Metaphysician, Bard’ Coleridge because he would return them with annotations more interesting then the book itself. Samuel Taylor Coleridge had a mind that was free, discursive, unruly and truly original. His notebooks record the flow of his thoughts as if you are sitting next to him. Every now and then I dip into this and always come out with some gem I never saw before. Get the Seamus Perry edition of this. Get a copy of the Road to Xanadu by Livingstone-Lowes for extra enjoyment.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Graves' grammar of poetic myth works at so many levels at the same time that I can't keep track of them all. This is not a book, this is a neurosis you can borrow. Druidic power to the nerds.",
          "reason": "The poetic myth operates on many levels and is described with playful enthusiasm.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Graves"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "celtic mythology",
        "poetic myth"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-white-tiger-50b136",
      "title": "The White Tiger",
      "author": "Aravind Adiga",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3233221,
          "author": "Geekette",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-14T07:07:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 3230965,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3233221",
          "commentText": "White Tiger (Aravind Adiga)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "White Tiger (Aravind Adiga)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1027286,
          "author": "brown9-2",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T15:27:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027286",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction:\nCoders at Work by Peter Siebel and Founders at Work by Jessica Livingston - I loved reading about the founder's stories and first-hand perspectives of notable programmers.\nThe Pleasures and Sorrows of Work by Alain de Botton - really interesting perspective on \"work\" and various types of careers and people that find happiness in them/work itself.\nSuperfreakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner - even if you don't agree with their arguments or think that the authors are all fluff, I think that their writing style is exceptionally clear and easy to understand.\nThe Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb - some really interesting ideas and analysis, although the book could have been 1/2 as short\nFiction:\nAnathem by Neal Stephenson - starts out slow but after the first 200 pages it became a really great story that I couldn't put down.\nLife of Pi by Yann Martel - loved the main story of the book, the controversial ending didn't bother me too much because I don't feel like it takes away from the story at all.\nThe Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson - cheap fun and suspenseful\nThe Road by Cormac McCarthy - I don't think much needs to be said about this book\nWhite Tiger by Aravind Adiga - extremely interesting and gripping novel about a side of the world most of us Westerners never see\nHitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams - finally read this classic. I read the \"Ultimate Edition\" which contains all 5 of Adams' novel, loved the first one but the story felt like it started to putter out by the third.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "extremely interesting and gripping novel",
          "reason": "Calls it an interesting and gripping novel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Aravind Adiga"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "india",
        "indian literature",
        "social inequality",
        "social satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-wide-lens-a-new-strategy-for-innovation-f82a59",
      "title": "The Wide Lens: A New Strategy for Innovation",
      "author": "Ron Adner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12070437,
          "author": "jbms",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T12:07:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12070437",
          "commentText": "Eat That Frog!  (Brian Tracy)- Lots of useful productivity tips. Motivating and practical.\nBleachers (John Grisham) - I learned a lot about the culture behind American Football and school/college sports.\nThe Wide Lens (Ron Adner) - I learned a systematic approach towards evaluating ideas and the environment around them so that I could determine what needs to change (outside of my innovations) that must be encouraged for my ideas to succeed.\nThe Martian (Andy Weir) - I got a \"feel\" for living on Mars being a reality potentially sooner than I appreciated.\nBrownlow North (K Moody Stuart) - A book about a Scottish Evangelist. It was superb to see where he started from in his preaching, how he differed from everyone else, and how that was probably the key to his startling effectiveness.\nSongs of the Spirit: The Place of Psalms in the Worship of God (Ed: Kenneth Stewart) - I learned an appreciation for the book of Psalms, though written long before it, it is clearly (by how it's written, what it discusses in the past tense, and what's only understood now) FOR the New Testament church.\nIn my Father's House (Corrie ten Boom) - a beautiful insight into what a Christian household can look like.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I learned a systematic approach towards evaluating ideas and the environment around them",
          "reason": "Describes a systematic approach for evaluating ideas and the conditions for their success.",
          "audience": "People evaluating innovations and what needs to change for them to succeed.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ron Adner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ecosystems",
        "innovation strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-wild-shore-6d4b19",
      "title": "The Wild Shore",
      "author": "Kim Stanley Robinson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50117152,
          "author": "suprjami",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T11:36:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50117152",
          "commentText": "I've lost count of the times I've read Neuromancer.\nKim Stanley Robinson's The Wild Shore is another repeat favourite.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Kim Stanley Robinson's The Wild Shore is another repeat favourite.",
          "reason": "Called another repeat favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kim Stanley Robinson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "post apocalyptic fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-will-of-the-many-dc2dc7",
      "title": "The Will of the Many",
      "author": "James Islington",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46399668,
          "author": "dandano",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T06:37:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46399668",
          "commentText": "The Will of the Many. I’m about to start Red Rising series as it’s similar to it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Will of the Many.",
          "reason": "Offers it in response to a request for recommendations in the same genre.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Islington"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "political intrigue"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-will-to-believe-0c2292",
      "title": "The Will to Believe",
      "author": "William James",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10093811,
          "author": "bradezone",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-20T18:47:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10093811",
          "commentText": "The Will to Believe, by William James",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Will to Believe, by William James",
          "reason": "Offered as a book to read in response to a request for more nonfiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William James"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "pragmatism",
        "religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-will-to-change-men-masculinity-and-love-3491b4",
      "title": "The Will to Change: Men, Masculinity, and Love",
      "author": "bell hooks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42509344,
          "author": "sanman8119",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T15:51:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42509344",
          "commentText": "Fiction: Sword of Kaigen M.L. Wang\nNon-Fiction: The Will to Changs Bell Hooks",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Non-Fiction: The Will to Changs Bell Hooks",
          "reason": "Named as the year's nonfiction pick.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "bell hooks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "gender studies",
        "masculinity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-willpower-instinct-6a4d1e",
      "title": "The Willpower Instinct",
      "author": "Kelly McGonigal",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11229907,
          "author": "latishsehgal",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T16:26:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229907",
          "commentText": "My top 4 recommendations (full list and notes at http://www.dotnetsurfers.com/books/)\nThe Power of Habit,\nSearch Inside Yourself,\nThe Willpower Instinct,\nZero to One",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Willpower Instinct,",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's top four recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kelly McGonigal"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self control",
        "willpower"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-wind-in-the-willows-70aa64",
      "title": "The Wind in the Willows",
      "author": "Kenneth Grahame",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50039390,
          "author": "jep888",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-11T02:53:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50039390",
          "commentText": "The Narnia series, the Harry Potter series, Alice in Wonderland, Wind in the Willows,the Sherlock Holmes series (there are great versions of these made slightly easier for children to read), and of course all of Roald Dahl's books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wind in the Willows",
          "reason": "Named in a list of children’s books.",
          "audience": "Children.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13238592,
          "author": "apocalypstyx",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T17:07:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238592",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\nInherent Vice  ---  Thomas Pynchon\nThe Great and Secret Show  ---  Clive Barker\nJurassic Park  ---  Michael Crichton\nThe Mothman Prophecies  ---  John A. Keel (1)\nThe Wind in the Willows  ---  Kenneth Grahame\nEnder's Game  ---  Orson Scott Card\nAll Quiet on the Western Front  ---   Erich Maria Remarque\nThe Drought  ---  J. G. Ballard\nThe Dead Father's Club  ---  Matt Harris\nChildren of Men  ---  P. D. James\nThe Islanders  ---  Pascal Garnier\nSilence of the Lambs  ---  Thomas Harris\nInherit the Wind  ---  Jerome Lawrence & Robert E. Lee\nThe Butt  ---  Will Self\nInside Outside  ---  Philip Jose Farmer\nThe Panda Theory  ---  Pascal Garnier\nFanshaw  ---  Nathaniel Hawthorne\nThe Scarlet Letter  ---  Nathaniel Hawthorne\nThis Census-Taker  ---  China Mieville\nThe House of the Seven Gables  ---  Nathaniel Hawthorne\nThe A26  ---  Pascal Garnier\nThe Blithedale Romance  ---  Nathaniel Hawthorne\nThe Weird  ---  Edited by Jeff VanderMeer & Ann VanderMeer (2)\nFront Seat Passenger  ---  Pascal Garnier\nNon-Fiction:\nThe Wealth of Networks  ---  Yochai Benkler\nField Notes from A Catastrophe  ---  Elizabeth Kolbert\nWhat Ever Happened to Modernism?  ---  Gabriel Josipovici\nEscape Velocity  ---  Mark Dery\nWhat We See When We Read  ---  Peter Mendelsund\n(1) Author described as non-fiction, publisher hedged bets and labelled in as such, supposedly.\n(2) If only this book could be picked by Subterranean or Centipede press so it'd be a better printed and bound book than Tor ever seems to want to do.\nI always recommend Ballard, even when not wanted.  Relevant quote:\n   A story by J. G. Ballard, as you know, calls for people who don't\n   think. One begins with characters who regard the physical universe\n   as a mysterious and arbitrary place, and who would not dream of\n   trying to understand its actual laws. Furthermore, in order to be\n   the protagonist of a J.G. Ballard novel, or anything more than a\n   very minor character therein, you must have cut yourself off from\n   the entire body of scientific education. In this way, when the world\n   disaster — be it wind or water — comes upon you, you are under\n   absolutely no obligation to do anything about it but sit and worship\n   it. Even more further, some force has acted to remove from the face\n   of the world all people who might impose good sense or rational\n   behavior on you, so that the disaster proceeds unchecked and unopposed\n   except by the almost inevitable thumb-rule engineer type who for\n   his individual comfort builds a huge pyramid (without huge footings)\n   to resist high winds, or trains a herd of alligators and renegade\n   divers to help him out in dealing with deep water.  Algis Budrys,\n   Galaxy magazine (December 1966)\n\n\nI'd recommend Pascal Garnier for anyone who likes sickly dark humor + surrealism + noir + a kind of Ballardian-air.  Also Pynchon.  Hawthorne might be the stand-out this year, in the sense of his works' subtle, implicit ability to question the authorial mode, the nature of the text itself, and the instability of it.\nIn non-fiction I'd recommend Dery's Escape Velocity; It's from the 90s but still deals too presciently with many of the issues around the near-religification of modern electronic technology.  And Josipovici if you lean toward depressive jolts of existential anxiety (it deals mostly with the arts, but I think there's a broader life applicability).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The Wind in the Willows  ---  Kenneth Grahame",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kenneth Grahame"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "animals",
        "children s classic",
        "children s literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-wingfeather-saga-0f47d5",
      "title": "The Wingfeather Saga",
      "author": "Andrew Peterson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34637920,
          "author": "xedrac",
          "createdAt": "2023-02-03T06:45:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 34634274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books your kids like most",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34637920",
          "commentText": "\"The Twits\" was a favorite of my younger kids.  I recently read \"The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe\" to them, and they loved it.  Of course we had to make Turkish Delight after learning about it in the book.  Other winners include:  Redwall series, The Wingfeather Saga, Artemis Foul series, The Phantom Toll Booth.  But 4 is a bit young for those.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Wingfeather Saga",
          "reason": "The commenter includes the series among other winners, then says the listed books may be too old for a four-year-old.",
          "audience": "Older children",
          "caveat": "The commenter says four is a bit young for it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew Peterson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure",
        "children s fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-winner-take-all-society-28092e",
      "title": "The Winner-Take-All Society",
      "author": "Robert H. Frank and Philip J. Cook",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1570073,
          "author": "sr3d",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T03:59:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1570073",
          "commentText": "Not in any particular order, but I'd highly recommend these interesting books:\nHow to run a Thriving Business - Ralph Warner (the founder of Nolo book)\nThe Death of Ivan Ilyich - Leo Tolstoy (I read this based on a recommendation by a fellow HNer)\nPredictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions - Dan Ariely.\nThe Winner-Take-All Society - Robert H. Frank, et all.\nGun, Germs, and Steel - Jared Diamond.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Winner-Take-All Society - Robert H. Frank, et all.",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the commenter’s highly recommended books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert H. Frank and Philip J. Cook"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "inequality",
        "winner take all markets"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-winning-brief-c16e07",
      "title": "The Winning Brief",
      "author": "Bryan A. Garner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43612522,
          "author": "treetalker",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T15:20:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43612522",
          "commentText": "Peter Bevelin's Seeking Wisdom.\nThe other day someone on here recommended The Philosopher's Toolkit, and I ordered a copy based on that recommendation. I've only started to dip into various parts, but I can already confirm that it is a good introductory compendium of the basics of philosophy, logic, and argumentation. In the same vein is Daniel Dennett's Intuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking.\nA personal favorite is Frances  Yates's The Art of Memory (think: intersection of rhetoric, mnemonic systems, philosophical systems, and the occult during the Renaissance).\nMatthew Butterick's Practical Typography and Typography for Lawyers. Bryan Garner's The Winning Brief.\nUmberto Eco's How to Write a Thesis. Adler's How to Read a Book. Pierre Bayard's How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read.\nI could go on. Book posts are my favorite posts on HN, but they always lighten my wallet and at home I'm surrounded with ever-growing piles of great material.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bryan Garner's The Winning Brief.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bryan A. Garner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "brief writing",
        "legal writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-wisdom-of-the-desert-a1f7bc",
      "title": "The Wisdom of the Desert",
      "author": "Thomas Merton (translator)",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39730711,
          "author": "hprotagonist",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-17T00:26:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39730711",
          "commentText": "Brueggemann is amazing.\nI would also add, in no particular order:\n- wisdom of the desert (merton's translation of the sayings of the desert fathers)\n- pilgrim at tinker creek; annie dillard\n- goatwalking, jim corbett\n- Impostors of God: Inquiries into our favorite Idols, william stringfellow\n- the new testament, trans. by david bentley hart\n- the sabbath, Abraham Joshua Heschel\n- zen flesh, zen bones\n- moral man, immoral society -- neibuhr\n- principia discordia\n- the poetry and sermons of john donne\n- many other poets.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "wisdom of the desert (merton's translation of the sayings of the desert fathers)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Merton (translator)"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian monasticism",
        "desert fathers"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-wisdom-of-the-heart-ff89ec",
      "title": "The Wisdom of the Heart",
      "author": "Henry Miller",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22722272,
          "author": "robertlf",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T20:12:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22722272",
          "commentText": "If you like Henry Miller, you'll probably enjoy his favorite books.  Check out \"The Books In My Life\" and \"The Wisdom of the Heart.\"  I had the good fortune to visit his cabin in Big Sur a couple of years ago and it was very inspiring.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and \"The Wisdom of the Heart.\"",
          "reason": "Suggests it as one of Henry Miller’s favorite books.",
          "audience": "Readers who like Henry Miller.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Henry Miller"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "essays",
        "literary criticism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-wise-heart-e7257e",
      "title": "The Wise Heart",
      "author": "Jack Kornfield",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25905063,
          "author": "sg47",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-25T16:31:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25905063",
          "commentText": "The Wise Heart by Jack Kornfield",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Wise Heart by Jack Kornfield",
          "reason": "Names the book they want to read next in response to the question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jack Kornfield"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhism",
        "mindfulness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-wizard-of-earthsea-9f915f",
      "title": "The Wizard of Earthsea",
      "author": "Ursula K. Le Guin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39252024,
          "author": "jkmcf",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T17:05:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39252024",
          "commentText": "This past week I started Ursula Le Guin's \"Worlds of Exile and Illusion: Three Complete Novels of the Hainish Series in One Volume--Rocannon's World; Planet of Exile; City of Illusions\"\nThese are her earliest, published novels. The introduction is a bit odd as the author hasn't read much le Guin including her most popular, award winning books other than The Wizard of Earthsea.\nI'm not much of a critical reader, but these definitely do not have the philosophical depth (or I don't have the philosophical depth to pic up on it) of The Dispossessed and friends, but they are interesting and well written.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Worlds-Exile-Illusion-Rocannons-Illus... (https://www.amazon.com/Worlds-Exile-Illusion-Rocannons-Illusions-ebook/dp/B01MQIG9PL)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "other than The Wizard of Earthsea",
          "reason": "Mentioned as one of the introduction author's familiar Le Guin books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783919,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:07:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783919",
          "commentText": "[cont'd]\nMichael Frayn, Democracy. A compulsively readable play about an episode in the politics of West Germany in the 1970s, a subject I didn't know could be made so interesting to me. Superb.\nMichael Flynn, Eifelheim. Excellent and profound SF/historical novel about aliens crashing in the Germany of the Middle Ages, and how that would work out. Avoids cheap tricks, very strong on historical research and verisimilitude.\nRoss Thomas, The Cold War Swap, Cast a Yellow Shadow, Chinaman's Chance. Very well-written thrillers, typically stories about spying or political corruption. I'm usually bored by this genre, couldn't put these down. Will read more by this (hitherto unknown to me) author.\nUrsula K. Le Guin, The Wizard of Earthsea. (reread) Still as good as I remembered it to be.\nP.K.Dick, The Man in the High Castle. (reread) Very inventive and weird in a good way, but I wish the characters would be a little different (everyone is the same highly neurotic mouthpiece for the author), and the obsession with I Ching does nothing for me. Still worth reading.\nRobert Ryan, Dead Man's Land. A Sherlock Holmes novel in which 90% of the action is with John Watson rejoining the Army to help in World War I at his late middle age, and Holmes appears only briefly. Works quite well. Very detailed on day-to-day trench warfare and medicine at the front.\nMichael Frayn, Noises Off. A funny short play, very meta, not as good as his \"Democracy\".\nNeil Gaiman, The Ocean at the End of the Lane. Better than his two long novels of the 2000s. A self-contained fairy tale, fun to read and well-written, but not beyond that. Gaiman's unsurpassed masterpiece, to me, is still The Sandman.\nMichael Swansick, Chasing the Phoenix. SF, set on a future Earth where computers and electronic communication are outlawed following problems with runaway AIs, but there's lots of high technology (e.g. genetics) otherwise. Funny and amusing, a light read.\n[edit: deleted about 20 books I didn't like or hated]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ursula K. Le Guin, The Wizard of Earthsea. (reread) Still as good as I remembered it to be.",
          "reason": "Says it is still as good as remembered.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ursula K. Le Guin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "coming of age",
        "earthsea cycle",
        "wizard fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-wizard-of-menlo-park-2909cc",
      "title": "The Wizard of Menlo Park",
      "author": "Randall E. Stross",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17910521,
          "author": "adventured",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-04T16:53:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17910521",
          "commentText": "In no particular order.\nEmpires of Light, by Jonnes. Titan, by Chernow. The Wright Brothers, by McCullough. His Excellency, by Ellis. The Wizard of Menlo Park, by Stross. I Invented the Modern Age, by Snow. Dealers of Lightning, by Hiltzik. Margin of Safety, by Klarman. Masters of Doom, by Kushner. Andrew Carnegie, by Nasaw. Infidel, by Hirsi Ali. Buffett, by Lowenstein. Where Wizards Stay Up Late, by Hafner. Shoe Dog, by Knight. The Making of the Atomic Bomb, by Rhodes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Wizard of Menlo Park, by Stross.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Randall E. Stross"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "invention",
        "thomas edison"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-wizard-of-menlo-park-how-thomas-alva-edison-invented-the-mode-6bac0f",
      "title": "The Wizard of Menlo Park: How Thomas Alva Edison Invented the Modern World",
      "author": "Randall E. Stross",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2615674,
          "author": "hooande",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T09:24:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2615674",
          "commentText": "\"The Wizard of Menlo Park: How Thomas Alva Edison Invented the Modern World\" http://www.amazon.com/Wizard-Menlo-Park-Thomas-Invented/dp/1... (http://www.amazon.com/Wizard-Menlo-Park-Thomas-Invented/dp/1400047625). Highly recommend",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Wizard of Menlo Park: How Thomas Alva Edison Invented the Modern World\" http://www.amazon.com/Wizard-Menlo-Park-Thomas-Invented/dp/1.... Highly recommend",
          "reason": "Explicitly says they highly recommend the book.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Thomas Edison and the history of invention.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Randall E. Stross"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of technology",
        "thomas edison"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-wonderful-wizard-of-oz-2e2cad",
      "title": "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz",
      "author": "L. Frank Baum",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20914624,
          "author": "zhoujianfu",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T02:01:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914624",
          "commentText": "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite old books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "L. Frank Baum"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-works-of-lysander-spooner-13f583",
      "title": "The Works of Lysander Spooner",
      "author": "Lysander Spooner",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9612744,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T17:01:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9612744",
          "commentText": "The Law - Frédéric Bastiat. http://bastiat.org/en/the_law.html\nCapitalism - A Treatise on Economics - George Reisman.  http://www.capitalism.net/Capitalism/CAPITALISM_Internet.pdf\nThe Works of Lysander Spooner.  http://lysanderspooner.org/node/2\nThe Machinery of Freedom David Friedman. - http://daviddfriedman.com/The_Machinery_of_Freedom_.pdf\nDemocratizing Innovation - Eric Von Hippel. http://web.mit.edu/evhippel/www/democ1.htm\nThe Sources of Innovation - Eric Von Hippel. http://web.mit.edu/evhippel/www/sources.htm\nIntroduction to Information Retrieval - http://nlp.stanford.edu/IR-book/html/htmledition/irbook.html\nInformation Theory, Inference, and Learning Algorithms - David MacKay.  http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/itprnn/book.html\nIntroduction to Cybernetics - William Ross Ashby. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/books/IntroCyb.pdf\n\"Man-Computer Symbiosis\" and \"The Computer As A Communication Device\" - J.C.R. Licklider. http://memex.org/licklider.pdf\nDesign For A Brain - William Ross Ashby. https://archive.org/details/designforbrainor00ashb\nThe Writings of Douglas Engelbart. http://www.dougengelbart.org/library/library.html\nand if you like maths, don't miss this great list of free maths texts by George Cain:  https://people.math.gatech.edu/~cain/textbooks/onlinebooks.h... (https://people.math.gatech.edu/~cain/textbooks/onlinebooks.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Works of Lysander Spooner.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lysander Spooner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "anarchism",
        "political philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-world-beyond-your-head-3412ce",
      "title": "The World Beyond Your Head",
      "author": "Matthew B. Crawford",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11229786,
          "author": "te_chris",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:50:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229786",
          "commentText": "The world beyond your head is fantastic.  http://www.amazon.com/The-World-Beyond-Your-Head/dp/03742929... (http://www.amazon.com/The-World-Beyond-Your-Head/dp/0374292981)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The world beyond your head is fantastic.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the book as fantastic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785552,
          "author": "benajibayassine",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:50:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785552",
          "commentText": "1- The Emperor's Handbook by Marcus Aurelius. Jan, 10th 2015\n2- The crowd, a study of the popular mind by Gustave Le Bon. Jan, 10th 2015\n3- Remote by Jason Fried. Jan, 11th 2015\n4- The shape of the world to come by Laurent Cohen-Tanugi, Jan, 20th, 2015\n5- Post office by Charles Bukowski. Jan, 23rd 2015\n6- Gang leader for a day by Sudhir Venkatesh. Feb, 6th 2015\n7- Zen mind, beginner's mind by Shunryu Suzuki. Feb, 8th 2015\n8- The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Feb, 23rd 2015\n9- Darkness Visible by William Styron. March, 1st 2015\n10- Zero to One by Peter Thiel and Blake Masters. March, 9th 2015\n11- The Kaizen way: One small step can change your life by Robert Mauter. March, 11th 2015\n12- Time by Alexander Waugh. March, 12th 2015\n13- Max and the cats by Moacyr Scliar. March, 14th 2015\n14- Scattered by Gabor Mate. March, 20th 2015\n15- East of Eden by John Steinbeck. March, 30th 2015\n16- Crossing the unknown sea by David Whyte. April, 7th 2015\n17- Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. April, 13th 2015\n18- The World beyond your Head by Matthew Crawford. April, 22nd 2015\n19- How to Think about Exercise by Damon Young. April, 23rd 2015\n20- Solitude by Anthony Storr. May, 8th 2015\n21- Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. June, 10th 2015\n22- The bastard of Istanbul (in Arabic) by Elif Shafak. June, 21st 2015\n23- L’ordre libertaire: la vie philosophique d’Albert Camus by Michel Onfray. July, 7th 2015\n24- Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse. July, 10th 2015\n25- The arab uprisings by James Gelvin. July, 13th 2015\n26- How to worry less about money by John Armstrong. July, 13th 2015\n27- Self comes to mind by Antonio Damasio. July, 31st2015\n28- Muhammad: The First Muslim by Lesley Hazleton. August, 4th t2015\n29- Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari. August, 15th 2015 \n30- Heidegger's Being and Time by William Blattner. August, 18th 2015 \n31- Heidegger and a hippo walk through those pearly gates by Thomas Cathcart and Daniel Klein. August, 19th 2015 \n32- Why nations fail by Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson. October, 3rd 2015 \n33- Charlie Munger: the complete investor by Tren Griffin October, 9th 2015 \n34- The selfish gene by Richard Dawkins October, 23rd 2015\n35- The philosophical baby by Alison Gopnik October, 28th 2015\n36- The three-body problem by Cixin Liu November, 1st 2015\n37- Open letter to a young man by Andre Maurois November, 13th 2015\n38- Thinking fast and slow by Daniel Kahneman November, 16th 2015\n39- What do you care what people think by Richard Feynman November, 18th 2015\n40- When the body says No by Gabor Maté November, 29th 2015\n41- The truth will set you free by Alice Miller. December, 5th 2015\n42- The shallows by Nicholar Carr. December, 7th 2015\n43- What matters most byJames Hollis. December, 14th 2015\n44- Finding meaning in the second jalf of life byJames Hollis. December, 20yh2015",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The World beyond your Head by Matthew Crawford",
          "reason": "Included in a dated list of books read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthew B. Crawford"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "attention",
        "contemplation",
        "embodied cognition",
        "modern life"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-world-book-encyclopedia-b3a8fd",
      "title": "The World Book Encyclopedia",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36431800,
          "author": "sowbug",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T13:24:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36431800",
          "commentText": "When I was seven years old, my mom got ensnared by a door-to-door World Book encyclopedia sales pitch.\nThat set, in turn, ensnared me. It was the closest thing in the 1970s to today's internet. I could look up almost any topic that came to mind. I could research any topic we were learning in grade school. When I was bored, I could flip through any volume and learn about whatever subject happened to present itself. I still remember the acetate sheets separating the human body into skeletal, muscular, nervous, and digestive layers. I remember the beautiful drawings of sea creatures. I even remember article typefaces.\nMaybe I'd have figured this out anyway, but those encyclopedia gave me the lifelong habit of assuming that answers were out there, if you had the ability and desire to go find them. They also sparked a love of reading for fun.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "World Book encyclopedia sales pitch",
          "reason": "The encyclopedia sparked a lifelong habit of looking for answers and a love of reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter wonders whether they might have developed this habit anyway.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Learning",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "encyclopedia",
        "reference"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-world-that-wasn-t-henry-wallace-and-the-fate-of-the-american--7bfcf9",
      "title": "The World That Wasn't: Henry Wallace and the Fate of the American Century",
      "author": "Benn Steil",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42222063,
          "author": "pinewurst",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T17:22:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42222063",
          "commentText": "The World That Wasn't: Henry Wallace and the Fate of the American Century by Benn Steil.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The World That Wasn't: Henry Wallace and the Fate of the American Century by Benn Steil.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Benn Steil"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american politics",
        "henry wallace"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-world-until-yesterday-what-can-we-learn-from-traditional-soci-ca4467",
      "title": "The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies?",
      "author": "Jared Diamond",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11229877,
          "author": "fsiefken",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T16:16:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229877",
          "commentText": "That's a very broad question, so I read your comments to get a feel from where you might be coming from and/or going to and where you and I might overlap:\n* Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Antifragile, things that gain from disorder http://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Incer... (http://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Incerto/dp/0812979680/)\n* Jared Diamond. The World until yesterday, what can we learn from traditional societies http://www.amazon.com/World-Until-Yesterday-Traditional-Soci... (http://www.amazon.com/World-Until-Yesterday-Traditional-Societies/dp/0143124404)\n* Frans de Waal. The Bonobo and the Atheist: In Search of Humanism Among the Primates http://www.amazon.com/Bonobo-Atheist-Search-Humanism-Primate... (http://www.amazon.com/Bonobo-Atheist-Search-Humanism-Primates/dp/0393347796/)\n* John Higgs. The KLF: Chaos, Magic... http://www.amazon.com/KLF-Chaos-Magic-Music-Money-ebook/dp/B... (http://www.amazon.com/KLF-Chaos-Magic-Music-Money-ebook/dp/B00ABFHOS0/)\n* Joseph Jaworski. Synchronicity, the inner Path of leadership http://www.amazon.com/Synchronicity-The-Inner-Path-Leadershi... (http://www.amazon.com/Synchronicity-The-Inner-Path-Leadership-ebook/dp/B0051ANRBI)\n* Piero Ferrucci. Your Inner Will, finding personal strength in critical times http://www.amazon.com/Your-Inner-Will-Personal-Strength/dp/0... (http://www.amazon.com/Your-Inner-Will-Personal-Strength/dp/0399174931)\n* William Irvine. A Guide to the good life, the ancient art of stoic joy http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic/dp/01953... (http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic/dp/0195374614)\n* Chogyam Trungpa. Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior http://www.amazon.com/Shambhala-Sacred-Warrior-Chogyam-Trung... (http://www.amazon.com/Shambhala-Sacred-Warrior-Chogyam-Trungpa/dp/1590304519/)\n* Tomas Malik. Patience with God: The Story of Zacchaeus Continuing In Us http://www.amazon.com/Patience-God-Story-Zacchaeus-Continuin... (http://www.amazon.com/Patience-God-Story-Zacchaeus-Continuing/dp/0385524498/)\n* Nick Winter. The Motivation Hacker http://www.amazon.com/Motivation-Hacker-Nick-Winter/dp/09892... (http://www.amazon.com/Motivation-Hacker-Nick-Winter/dp/0989279820)\n* Chas Emerick, Brian Carper, Christophe Grad. Clojure Programming http://www.amazon.com/Clojure-Programming-Chas-Emerick/dp/14... (http://www.amazon.com/Clojure-Programming-Chas-Emerick/dp/1449394701)\nFiction:\n* Peter Hamilton - The Reality Dysfunction\n* Neal Stephenson - Cryptonomicon (his other hit: Snow Crash is surprisingly more history then SF now...)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jared Diamond. The World until yesterday, what can we learn from traditional societies",
          "reason": "Included in a response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jared Diamond"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "anthropology",
        "traditional societies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-world-without-us-4bb980",
      "title": "The World Without Us",
      "author": "Alan Weisman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30241225,
          "author": "egc",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T06:55:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241225",
          "commentText": "The World without us\nIts an incredible non-fiction book",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The World without us\nIts an incredible non-fiction book",
          "reason": "Offers it as a book everyone should read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 715121,
          "author": "scott_s",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-20T20:30:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 715074,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=715121",
          "commentText": "Current: The Road by Cormac McCarthy.\nLast: The World Without Us by Alan Weisman.\nThe best recent: Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamon.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Last: The World Without Us by Alan Weisman.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan Weisman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human impact",
        "ecology",
        "environmental science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-world-as-it-is-a-memoir-of-the-obama-white-house-952dd4",
      "title": "The World as It Is: A Memoir of the Obama White House",
      "author": "Ben Rhodes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18744518,
          "author": "jen729w",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T04:55:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744518",
          "commentText": "Breaking news : the remaking of journalism and why it matters now – Rusbridger, Alan\nFrom the editor of The Guardian for the last 20 years, a fascinating look at the move from traditional print to online news.\n---\nThe perfect weapon : war, sabotage, and fear in the cyber age – Sanger, David E.\nThe subtitle says it all. From that I’m now reading ‘Click Here to Kill Everybody’ by Schneier. Enjoying it so far.\n---\nThe world as it is : a memoir of the Obama White House\n— Rhodes, Benjamin J.\nAnother obvious one based on the title.\n---\nAs a side note, join your local library, people. None of this cost me a penny. I hope you still have a library wherever you live. Ours (Melbourne City Library Service) is just magnificent.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The world as it is : a memoir of the Obama White House\n— Rhodes, Benjamin J.\nAnother obvious one based on the title.",
          "reason": "Lists the memoir as an obvious choice based on its title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ben Rhodes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "obama administration",
        "white house"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-world-of-mathematics-a70650",
      "title": "The World of Mathematics",
      "author": "James R. Newman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 665899,
          "author": "menloparkbum",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T22:40:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665899",
          "commentText": "I like James R. Newman's \"The World of Mathematics.\" It's a four volume set and you can often find it at a used bookstore for next to nothing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I like James R. Newman's \"The World of Mathematics.\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says they like the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James R. Newman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical essays",
        "mathematics anthology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-world-of-mathematics-4826c5",
      "title": "The World of Mathematics",
      "author": "James R. Newman (editor)",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 760095,
          "author": "MaysonL",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-13T05:45:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 755043,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=760095",
          "commentText": "The World of Mathematics edited by James Newman (a four-volume anthology) may give you a feel for and an interest in exploring math further. It's a great collection ranging from mathematical curiousities and puzzles to memoirs of mathematicians to a very moving short story by Aldous Huxley.\nAlso, One, Two, Three, Infinity by George Gamow (a great physicist) is a great intro.\nSecond the How To Solve It recommendations.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The World of Mathematics edited by James Newman (a four-volume anthology) may give you a feel for and an interest in exploring math further.",
          "reason": "Says the anthology may spark interest and praises its range of mathematical material.",
          "audience": "Readers looking to develop interest in mathematics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James R. Newman (editor)"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematics anthology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-worldly-philosophers-054f2b",
      "title": "The Worldly Philosophers",
      "author": "Robert Heilbroner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41183704,
          "author": "wannabebarista",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T17:55:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41183704",
          "commentText": "Here are books I recommend to everyone and got me interested in economics and philosophy:\n- The Worldly Philosophers by Robert Heilbroner\n- The Cost of Rights: Why Liberty Depends on Taxes by Stephen Holmes and Cass Sunstein\n- Wittgenstein's Poker by David Edmonds and John Eidinow\n- A History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Worldly Philosophers by Robert Heilbroner",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommended to everyone; commenter says these books got them interested in economics and philosophy.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in economics and philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Heilbroner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of economic thought"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-worm-ouroboros-3d3649",
      "title": "The Worm Ouroboros",
      "author": "E. R. Eddison",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2639808,
          "author": "argimenes",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-10T04:32:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639808",
          "commentText": "Sci-Fi: The Dune series. All of them. There is no excuse to give up after the first one. Frank Herbert was a philosopher who worked in the medium of the sci-fi novel.\nFantasy: \"The Worm Ourobourous\".  If Christoper Marlowe had invented the fantasy novel genre, this is what he would have written. The prose makes modern fantasy look like milquetoast.\nCriticism: \"The Art and Craft of Drawing\" by Vernon Blake. The best attempt to capture the mental processes involved in drawing like the Masters. It was written in the 1920s when artists could still draw like the Masters and knew the tradition.\nProgramming: \"Paradigms of Artificial Intelligence Programming: Case Studies in Common Lisp\". A gymnasium for the programming mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The prose makes modern fantasy look like milquetoast.",
          "reason": "Praises its prose by comparison with modern fantasy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "E. R. Eddison"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "archaic prose",
        "classic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-wright-brothers-c3e186",
      "title": "The Wright Brothers",
      "author": "Fred C. Kelly",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42656314,
          "author": "phkahler",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T15:16:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42656314",
          "commentText": "\"THE WRIGHT BROTHERS\" by Fred C. Kelly.  This is the one I read and it turns out to be on project Gutenberg:\nhttps://www.gutenberg.org/files/67672/67672-h/67672-h.htm\nI'm really curious how that is considered public domain, it was published in 1943 and he died in 1959.\nAnyway, one of the things most fascinating to me was their attempts to sell an airplane to the US army and other business related things. You'd think inventing the airplane would bring quick financial rewards but it was a long road.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"THE WRIGHT BROTHERS\" by Fred C. Kelly. This is the one I read",
          "reason": "Describes the brothers' efforts to sell an airplane and the long road to financial rewards.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fred C. Kelly"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aviation history",
        "invention"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-writer-a11407",
      "title": "The Writer",
      "author": "James Patterson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46247337,
          "author": "devrundown",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-12T18:52:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 46226571,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46247337",
          "commentText": "- The Writer - James Patterson\n- Terminal Man - Michael Crichton\n- The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Writer - James Patterson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Patterson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-writer-s-journey-6c40a7",
      "title": "The Writer's Journey",
      "author": "Christopher Vogler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227529,
          "author": "jlees",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T20:54:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227529",
          "commentText": "The Writer's Journey by Christopher Vogler. A really interesting analysis of modern narrative structure rooted in mythology. It'll appeal to HN readers; it's an analytical way of breaking down every story ever told.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A really interesting analysis of modern narrative structure rooted in mythology. It'll appeal to HN readers; it's an analytical way of breaking down every story ever told.",
          "reason": "Recommends its analysis of narrative structure and mythology as interesting and appealing to HN readers.",
          "audience": "HN readers interested in analytical approaches to stories.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christopher Vogler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mythology",
        "narrative structure",
        "story analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-writings-of-douglas-engelbart-7af613",
      "title": "The Writings of Douglas Engelbart",
      "author": "Douglas Engelbart",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9612744,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T17:01:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9612744",
          "commentText": "The Law - Frédéric Bastiat. http://bastiat.org/en/the_law.html\nCapitalism - A Treatise on Economics - George Reisman.  http://www.capitalism.net/Capitalism/CAPITALISM_Internet.pdf\nThe Works of Lysander Spooner.  http://lysanderspooner.org/node/2\nThe Machinery of Freedom David Friedman. - http://daviddfriedman.com/The_Machinery_of_Freedom_.pdf\nDemocratizing Innovation - Eric Von Hippel. http://web.mit.edu/evhippel/www/democ1.htm\nThe Sources of Innovation - Eric Von Hippel. http://web.mit.edu/evhippel/www/sources.htm\nIntroduction to Information Retrieval - http://nlp.stanford.edu/IR-book/html/htmledition/irbook.html\nInformation Theory, Inference, and Learning Algorithms - David MacKay.  http://www.inference.phy.cam.ac.uk/itprnn/book.html\nIntroduction to Cybernetics - William Ross Ashby. http://pespmc1.vub.ac.be/books/IntroCyb.pdf\n\"Man-Computer Symbiosis\" and \"The Computer As A Communication Device\" - J.C.R. Licklider. http://memex.org/licklider.pdf\nDesign For A Brain - William Ross Ashby. https://archive.org/details/designforbrainor00ashb\nThe Writings of Douglas Engelbart. http://www.dougengelbart.org/library/library.html\nand if you like maths, don't miss this great list of free maths texts by George Cain:  https://people.math.gatech.edu/~cain/textbooks/onlinebooks.h... (https://people.math.gatech.edu/~cain/textbooks/onlinebooks.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Writings of Douglas Engelbart.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Engelbart"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computing history",
        "human computer interaction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-wrong-unit-13db4f",
      "title": "The Wrong Unit",
      "author": "Rob Dircks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17537661,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T23:20:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537661",
          "commentText": "Farmer in the Sky by Robert Heinlein [1]\nThe Complete Robot by Isaac Asimov [2]\nThe Wrong Unit [3] wasn't a bad little humorous tale.\nPretty much anything by Timothy Zahn (sans Star Wars novelisations) [4] or Robert Sawyer [5] floats my boat.\nThe First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North [6]\nBarsk: The Elephants’ Graveyard by Lawrence M. Schoen [7] made me care about sentient elephants.\nFuzzy Nation by John Scalzi [8] is very funny. Audiobook version narrated by Wil Wheaton.\nOf ones already mentioned:\nThe Bobiverse was surprisingly good (including the audiobook version).\nThe Expanse is good.\nWith regards to Dune, there are some like myself who only ever liked the first book in the series. (Also there is a good audiobook version out there.)\nThe Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and sequels are great world building and characters, although the plots seem to meander about with not too much purpose.\nThe Martian is great.\n[1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50851.Farmer_in_the_Sky\n[2] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50091.The_Complete_Robot\n[3] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30959279-the-wrong-unit\n[4] https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12479.Timothy_Zahn\n[5] https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/25883.Robert_J_Sawyer\n[6] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295861-the-first-fifte... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295861-the-first-fifteen-lives-of-harry-august)\n[7] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25667916-barsk\n[8] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11167622-fuzzy-nation",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The Wrong Unit [3] wasn't a bad little humorous tale.",
          "reason": "Describes it as a humorous tale that wasn't bad.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rob Dircks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "humor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-year-of-living-biblically-ccdf92",
      "title": "The Year of Living Biblically",
      "author": "A. J. Jacobs",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46697452,
          "author": "vunderba",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-20T20:38:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46690957,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What non-fiction do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46697452",
          "commentText": "Totally agree. If you like this style of memoir + deep subject dive, I also highly recommend anything by A.J. Jacobs - his \"Year of Living Biblically\", and \"The Know-It-All\" are great reads in the same vein.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Year of Living Biblically\"",
          "reason": "The commenter highly recommends this memoir and deep subject dive as a great read.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy memoirs combined with a deep subject dive.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "A. J. Jacobs"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "religion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-years-of-lyndon-b-johnson-14f3fb",
      "title": "The Years of Lyndon B. Johnson",
      "author": "Robert A. Caro",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49916053,
          "author": "asdfqwertzxcv",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-01T00:03:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49916053",
          "commentText": "The Power Broker is very good but his LBJ series is phenomenal. When I recommend it to people I say it's like The Odyssey of American History and Politics. It's the best non-fiction series I've ever read and I almost exclusively read NF.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "his LBJ series is phenomenal.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the LBJ series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21802662,
          "author": "L_Rahman",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T12:55:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21802662",
          "commentText": "Seeing Like a State\nRobert Caro's Lyndon B. Johnson biographies\nThe Overstory",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Robert Caro's Lyndon B. Johnson biographies",
          "reason": "The commenter lists Robert Caro's biographies among books they plan to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No specific volume identified.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert A. Caro"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political biography",
        "lyndon b johnson",
        "us politics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-years-of-lyndon-johnson-means-of-ascent-5caef6",
      "title": "The Years of Lyndon Johnson: Means of Ascent",
      "author": "Robert A. Caro",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33382606,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T10:05:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382606",
          "commentText": "Top 2 so far:\n   * Washington: A life by Ron Chernow\n   * The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won by Victor Davis Hanson\n\nThe Washington book is a very detailed by clear overview of his life. Easy to follow (even for complex situations) and very week written.\nThe WW2 book is amazing. Compares the countries fighting in around 20 different areas (technology, leadership, geography, aircraft) and says who is better and why.\nAlso very good:\n   * FDR by Jean Edward Smith\n   * Master of the Senate by Robert A. Caro\n   * The Penguin History of New Zealand by Michael King\n   * The years of Lyndon Johnson 2 – Means of Ascent by Robert Caro\n   * Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road by Kyle Buchanan\n   * Becoming Trader Joe: How I Did Business My Way and Still Beat the Big Guys by Joe Coulombe\n   * How Innovation Works: And Why It Flourishes in Freedom by Matt Ridley\n   * Yeager: An Autobiography by Chuck Yeager\n   * The years of Lyndon Johnson: The Path to Power by Robert Caro\n   * The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson\n   * Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson\n   * An Economist walks into a Brothel: And Other Unexpected Places to Understand Risk by Allison Schrager\n   * The Devil’s Candy: The Bonfire of the Vanities Goes to Hollywood by Julie Salamon\n   * Sam Walton: Made in America by Sam Walton",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* The years of Lyndon Johnson 2 – Means of Ascent by Robert Caro",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert A. Caro"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american politics",
        "lyndon b johnson"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-years-of-lyndon-johnson-the-path-to-power-26e6de",
      "title": "The Years of Lyndon Johnson: The Path to Power",
      "author": "Robert A. Caro",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33382606,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T10:05:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382606",
          "commentText": "Top 2 so far:\n   * Washington: A life by Ron Chernow\n   * The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won by Victor Davis Hanson\n\nThe Washington book is a very detailed by clear overview of his life. Easy to follow (even for complex situations) and very week written.\nThe WW2 book is amazing. Compares the countries fighting in around 20 different areas (technology, leadership, geography, aircraft) and says who is better and why.\nAlso very good:\n   * FDR by Jean Edward Smith\n   * Master of the Senate by Robert A. Caro\n   * The Penguin History of New Zealand by Michael King\n   * The years of Lyndon Johnson 2 – Means of Ascent by Robert Caro\n   * Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road by Kyle Buchanan\n   * Becoming Trader Joe: How I Did Business My Way and Still Beat the Big Guys by Joe Coulombe\n   * How Innovation Works: And Why It Flourishes in Freedom by Matt Ridley\n   * Yeager: An Autobiography by Chuck Yeager\n   * The years of Lyndon Johnson: The Path to Power by Robert Caro\n   * The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson\n   * Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson\n   * An Economist walks into a Brothel: And Other Unexpected Places to Understand Risk by Allison Schrager\n   * The Devil’s Candy: The Bonfire of the Vanities Goes to Hollywood by Julie Salamon\n   * Sam Walton: Made in America by Sam Walton",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* The years of Lyndon Johnson: The Path to Power by Robert Caro",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert A. Caro"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american politics",
        "lyndon b johnson"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-yoga-sutras-of-patanjali-31c57e",
      "title": "The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali",
      "author": "Patanjali",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25537169,
          "author": "t0ughcritic",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-25T16:02:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25537169",
          "commentText": "For mental health and spirituality the Bhagvad Gita. Definitely not what I expected originally and had put it off for years/decades. After reading it, I felt a bit blissed out, what actually led me to read it was another book on taming our mind called The Yogasutras of Patanjali. I feel like it hasn’t been ‘discovered’ yet by the west but it had life changing consequences for me (for the better).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Yogasutras of Patanjali",
          "reason": "The commenter says this book on taming the mind led them to read the Bhagavad Gita.",
          "audience": "People interested in mental health and spirituality.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Patanjali"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hinduism",
        "meditation",
        "yoga"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-young-entrepreneur-s-guide-to-starting-and-running-a-business-37abfa",
      "title": "The Young Entrepreneur's Guide to Starting and Running a Business",
      "author": "Steve Mariotti",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5502679,
          "author": "annaNwonderland",
          "createdAt": "2013-04-06T04:58:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 5501062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Business Book For a 13-year-old Girl?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5502679",
          "commentText": "A lot of the books mentioned sound fabulous, but are mostly geared towards adults. Here are a couple of suggestions that I used with my 13 year old.  We homeschooled him for a year so that he could develop his game app business.\n1.  Show Me The Money by Alvin D. Hall:  This book is by DK books.  It is colorful and a GREAT intro to the basics of finance, business and economics.  \n2.  The Young Entrepreneur's Guide to Starting and Running a Business (Completely Revised and Updated) by Steve Mariotti is another awesome book. He was a teacher in a rough inner-city school when he noticed that he could keep the kids attention when he taught math in the context of running a business.  He then developed a course around that idea.  Your daughter may not want to read the entire book.  It's one of those books where you can read different chapters based on interest.  \n3.  One of the homeschool writing classes my son took was How to Write a Business Plan.  The teachers used the book The One Page Business Plan for the Creative Entrepreneur by Jim Horan.  Great way for kids to learn the aspects of a business. The book is VERY EASY to follow.\nInspirational book for your daughter (I got this for my daughter):  \n-Girls Think of Everything: Stories of Ingenious Inventions by Women\nWRITING MAGAZINE: New Moon Girls (newmoon.com)\nMy daughter has a subscription. This magazine and web site is written and edited by the girls.\nVIDEOS: Khan Academy\n- Economics of a Cupcake Factory\n- Raising Money for a Startup (shows the whole process)\n- The Business Cycle\nVIDEOS: When my daughter was in 5th grade, I used some Schlessinger Media videos on economics to introduce her to the basics of business.  I was able to check these out of the library (we are in the Silicon Valley).  These videos are:\n- Economics for Children: Starting a Business\n- Economics for Children: What is Economics\n- Economics for Children: Saving, spending, and investing money\nINSPIRATION: Resources for your daughter:\n- Woman Innovate Mobile (wim.co) - focuses on startups by female founders in the area of mobile products/services.\n- Hackbright Academy (www.hackbrightacademy.com) - programming fellowship for women\n- JumpThru Women's Business Accelerator (http://jumpthru.net)\n- GeekGirl (http://geekgirlcamp.com)\nMOVIE: Inspirational movie for your daughter:\n- Temple Grandin:  shows how Temple Grandin overcame the disabilities of autism and revolutionized cattle slaughter houses so that they would be more humane.  Her invention is now used by most slaughter houses.  The gore of the slaughter is kept at a minimum in the movie.  It is mostly focused on the challenges she faced and overcame.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "another awesome book.",
          "reason": "Called an awesome book and recommended as a resource for a young person interested in business.",
          "audience": "A young person interested in starting or running a business.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says she may prefer reading selected chapters rather than the whole book.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve Mariotti"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "starting a business"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-zahir-9c8104",
      "title": "The Zahir",
      "author": "Paulo Coelho",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9350136,
          "author": "pariya",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T19:05:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350136",
          "commentText": "\"The War of Art\" by Steven Pressfield (good read if you want to learn how to quit procrastinating!)\n\"The Greatest Salesman on Earth\" by Og Mandino\n\"The Zahir\" by Paolo Coelho is about challenging tradition, highly recommend.\n\"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" by Dale Carnegie\nWhen I was in high school-\n\"The Alchemist\" by Paolo Coelho",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Zahir\" by Paolo Coelho is about challenging tradition, highly recommend.",
          "reason": "The commenter highly recommends it as a book about challenging tradition.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9347986,
          "author": "thingamarobert",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:00:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9347986",
          "commentText": "Maybe you'd like to follow that up with \"The Art of War\", by Niccolo\nMachiavelli? :)\nI'm in the middle of Paulo Coelho's \"The Zahir\". The next one in line is\n\"Thinking, Fast and Slow\", by Daniel Kahneman. I'm really looking forward to\nthat one!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm in the middle of Paulo Coelho's \"The Zahir\".",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paulo Coelho"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "spiritual journey"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-zeitgeist-movement-defined-realizing-a-preferable-future-da4f7c",
      "title": "The Zeitgeist Movement Defined: Realizing a Preferable Future",
      "author": "Peter Joseph",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10767227,
          "author": "PerfectElement",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T15:15:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10767227",
          "commentText": "If you haven't read it yet, I recommend this: http://www.amazon.com/Zeitgeist-Movement-Defined-Realizing-T... (http://www.amazon.com/Zeitgeist-Movement-Defined-Realizing-Thought/dp/1495303195/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend this",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the book in response to the thread's book question; the linked title identifies it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Joseph"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "resource based economy",
        "social systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-zen-teaching-of-huang-po-on-the-transmission-of-mind-cc523d",
      "title": "The Zen Teaching of Huang Po: On the Transmission of Mind",
      "author": "Huang Po; translated by John Blofeld",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39058507,
          "author": "FrustratedMonky",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T17:45:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39058507",
          "commentText": "For Eastern Influence.\nI think AI Engineers would be interested in a more Zen take, examining 'conceptual mind', 'subjective experience'.\n\"\"The Zen Teaching of Huang Po: On the Transmission of Mind\"\"\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/276779.The_Zen_Teaching_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/276779.The_Zen_Teaching_of_Huang_Po)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"\"The Zen Teaching of Huang Po: On the Transmission of Mind\"\"",
          "reason": "Suggested as an Eastern-influenced, Zen perspective on conceptual mind and subjective experience.",
          "audience": "AI engineers interested in a Zen perspective.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Huang Po"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "subjective experience",
        "zen buddhism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-zen-of-seeing-8fabcc",
      "title": "The Zen of Seeing",
      "author": "Frederick Franck",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3277985,
          "author": "locopati",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T19:35:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3277985",
          "commentText": "In the vein of shaking up your ways of approaching things\nThe Zen of Creativity (http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Creativity-Cultivating-Your-Artist... (http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Creativity-Cultivating-Your-Artistic/dp/0345466330))\nThe Zen of Seeing (http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Seeing-Drawing-Meditation/dp/03947... (http://www.amazon.com/Zen-Seeing-Drawing-Meditation/dp/0394719689))\nLearning by Heart (http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Heart-Teachings-Creative-Spir... (http://www.amazon.com/Learning-Heart-Teachings-Creative-Spirit/dp/B0058M6HD4))",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Zen of Seeing",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frederick Franck"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "drawing",
        "mindfulness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-best-books-that-make-sense-of-how-globalization-broke-down-an-98b7a5",
      "title": "The best books that make sense of how globalization broke down, and what happens next",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42653631,
          "author": "bwb",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T08:02:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42653631",
          "commentText": "Out of the Shadows By Jonathan Kingsman\nhttps://shepherd.com/book/out-of-the-shadows\nAmazing book about the grain markets and how they have changed over the last 40 years.\n\"Once shadowy figures, grain merchants have now come out of the shadows. Almost everything that you eat or drink today will contain something bought, stored, transported, processed, shipped, distributed or sold by one of the seven giants of the agricultural supply chain. The media often refers to them as the ABCD group of international grain-trading companies, with ABCD standing for ADM, Bunge, Cargill and Dreyfus. The acronym, though, ignores the other three giants of the food supply: Glencore, COFCO International and Wilmar. Together, they handle 50 percent of the international trade in grain and oilseeds. In this book’s series of exclusive and unprecedented interviews, CEOs and senior traders from these seven giants describe in their own words how the agricultural markets are changing, and how they are adapting to those changes.\"\nThe Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket\nBy Benjamin Lorr\nhttps://shepherd.com/book/the-secret-life-of-groceries\nFive years of research really explains large swaths of our food system and how it changes what we eat.\nYou might like these as well:\nThe best unexpectedly enthralling books about seemingly boring things\nhttps://shepherd.com/best-books/good-books-about-seemingly-b... (https://shepherd.com/best-books/good-books-about-seemingly-boring-things)\nThe best books that make sense of how globalization broke down, and what happens next\nhttps://shepherd.com/best-books/globalization-breaks-down-wh... (https://shepherd.com/best-books/globalization-breaks-down-what-happens-next)\n*Features The Big Rig, a book about the American trucking industry and it's breakdown\nSome good ones in there :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The best books that make sense of how globalization broke down, and what happens next",
          "reason": "Links a list about globalization's breakdown and what follows.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "globalization",
        "international trade"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-best-unexpectedly-enthralling-books-about-seemingly-boring-th-798f75",
      "title": "The best unexpectedly enthralling books about seemingly boring things",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42653631,
          "author": "bwb",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T08:02:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42653631",
          "commentText": "Out of the Shadows By Jonathan Kingsman\nhttps://shepherd.com/book/out-of-the-shadows\nAmazing book about the grain markets and how they have changed over the last 40 years.\n\"Once shadowy figures, grain merchants have now come out of the shadows. Almost everything that you eat or drink today will contain something bought, stored, transported, processed, shipped, distributed or sold by one of the seven giants of the agricultural supply chain. The media often refers to them as the ABCD group of international grain-trading companies, with ABCD standing for ADM, Bunge, Cargill and Dreyfus. The acronym, though, ignores the other three giants of the food supply: Glencore, COFCO International and Wilmar. Together, they handle 50 percent of the international trade in grain and oilseeds. In this book’s series of exclusive and unprecedented interviews, CEOs and senior traders from these seven giants describe in their own words how the agricultural markets are changing, and how they are adapting to those changes.\"\nThe Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket\nBy Benjamin Lorr\nhttps://shepherd.com/book/the-secret-life-of-groceries\nFive years of research really explains large swaths of our food system and how it changes what we eat.\nYou might like these as well:\nThe best unexpectedly enthralling books about seemingly boring things\nhttps://shepherd.com/best-books/good-books-about-seemingly-b... (https://shepherd.com/best-books/good-books-about-seemingly-boring-things)\nThe best books that make sense of how globalization broke down, and what happens next\nhttps://shepherd.com/best-books/globalization-breaks-down-wh... (https://shepherd.com/best-books/globalization-breaks-down-what-happens-next)\n*Features The Big Rig, a book about the American trucking industry and it's breakdown\nSome good ones in there :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The best unexpectedly enthralling books about seemingly boring things",
          "reason": "Links a list of books described as unexpectedly enthralling.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "books about industries",
        "books about infrastructure"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "the-plays-of-william-shakespeare-4521bf",
      "title": "The plays of William Shakespeare",
      "author": "William Shakespeare",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41242266,
          "author": "constantinum",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-14T03:23:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41242266",
          "commentText": "There is a bookshelf called The Harvard Classics.\nThe collection of literary works, philosophical texts, and scientific writings was initially titled \"Dr. Eliot's Five Foot Shelf.\" It was assembled by Charles W. Eliot, who served as Harvard University's president.\nAlmost all the books can be read for free in Gutenberg.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_Classics\nhttps://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/bookshelf/40\nMy favourite will always be the plays of William Shakespeare. It has it all.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My favourite will always be the plays of William Shakespeare.",
          "reason": "The commenter names Shakespeare's plays as their favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Shakespeare"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "plays",
        "shakespearean drama"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "theatre-of-the-gods-eaa28e",
      "title": "Theatre of the Gods",
      "author": "Matt Suddain",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8947577,
          "author": "eswat",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-26T15:47:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8947577",
          "commentText": "Theatre of the Gods by Matt Suddain is an epic read. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card is one of the few books I’ll reread every few years. Both are sci-fi.\nAnd, while not technically a book but a manga, Appleseed by Masamune Shirow is another collection I reread every few years (precursor to Ghost in the Shell).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Theatre of the Gods by Matt Suddain is an epic read.",
          "reason": "Calls it an epic read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matt Suddain"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "thee-psychick-bible-5f0f01",
      "title": "Thee Psychick Bible",
      "author": "Genesis P-Orridge",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7968366,
          "author": "egypturnash",
          "createdAt": "2014-06-30T23:39:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968366",
          "commentText": "I just devoured Blindsight by Peter Watts[1]. It's a fascinating bit of SF that explores some really fascinating ideas about how consciousness works.\nI've also been dipping into Daily Rituals: How Artists Work[2]. Lots of brief summaries of how various famous creators have broken up their workday; it both inspires me to get off my ass, and makes me feel better about the days when absolutely nothing happens.\nOh, and I've been slowly picking at Thee Psychick Bible[3], a collection of the majgickal documents of Genesis P-Orridge. Not sure it's really got any ideas I haven't seen in my other mystical readings. But there sure is a lot of it.\n1: http://rifters.com/real/Blindsight.htm\n2: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009Y4I4OM/ref=oh_aui_d_det... (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009Y4I4OM/ref=oh_aui_d_detailpage_o02_?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\n3: http://www.amazon.com/THEE-PSYCHICK-BIBLE-Apocryphal-Scriptu... (http://www.amazon.com/THEE-PSYCHICK-BIBLE-Apocryphal-Scriptures/dp/1932595902)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Not sure it's really got any ideas I haven't seen in my other mystical readings. But there sure is a lot of it.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure it offers new ideas and notes its length.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Genesis P-Orridge"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mysticism",
        "occult"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "theogony-3a81b2",
      "title": "Theogony",
      "author": "Hesiod",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22727526,
          "author": "Cro_on",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T12:40:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22727526",
          "commentText": "Ulysses.\nSurprised I haven't seen it mentioned yet, as it normally is in book threads on HN.\nThe reason that it had, and still has, such a positive influence on my life is the plethora of literary tools which it possesses. It allows for infinite play and imagination, while still being the apparent product of extreme dedication and earned mastery.\nIn fact, I prefer Portrait of The Artist as a Young Man as a novel, and I'm sure that the Wake is a perfect encyclopedia of language, cryptography, history, et al. But Ulysses takes it as an (humerous, profound, tricky, psychoanalytic, poetic, radical) example of the process of artistic experiment, the practically infinite range of the possible, and the unforgiving merit of deep study and eclectic knowledge.\nI go back every so often to bounce my own ideas and troubling sentences off of it, more often than not just to get a little bit of validation.\nNext would be Hesiod - Theogany, a 900 line 'epic' poem from the dawn of written literature. He is considered to be the first economist, though at that point of course it is simply philosophy. It explained for me the concept of emergent consciousness in a very biblical way, and let me realise the notion that religious works are just misunderstood metaphors; products of an imperfect language. It's unsurprising I suppose that something so short, that was written almost 3000 years ago, has such incredible lessons and timeless human value.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Next would be Hesiod - Theogany, a 900 line 'epic' poem from the dawn of written literature.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped explain emergent consciousness and the metaphorical nature of religious works.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as a short poem, about 900 lines.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hesiod"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient greek literature",
        "greek mythology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "theology-and-sanity-a22497",
      "title": "Theology and Sanity",
      "author": "Frank Sheed",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13240800,
          "author": "cicero",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T22:06:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13240800",
          "commentText": "A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter Miller (recommended SF classic)\nThe Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis (an old favorite, recommended)\nThe Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco (some interesting parts, but overall a disappointment)\nTheology and Sanity - Frank Sheed (recommended; a very written description of the Catholic faith; weaknesses are it's long and it's aimed to a mid 20th c. audience)\nChristianity for Modern Pagans: Pascal's Pensees - Peter Kreeft (recommended; a good exposition of Blaise Pascal's thought)\nCatholicism: A journey to the heart of the faith - Robert Barron (recommended; a good explanation of Catholicism for the common person)\nHis Master's Voice - Stanislaw Lem (recommended; very intellectual look at the problem of first contact)\nThe Industries of the Future - Alec Ross (the robotics chapter is best; other parts are more light-weight; easy read)\nClouds of Witnesses - Dorothy Sayers (not my favorite Sayers mystery, but enjoyable)\nA Study in Scarlet - Arthur Conan Doyle (recommended)\nWhy Gender Matters - Leonard Sax (recommended; most of the book is based on good science, but he does go out on a limb a time or two.)\nOld School - Tobias Wolff (recommended; a world before widespread TV where high school boys actually got excited about literature)\nInfinite Space, Infinite God - Karina and Robert Fabian editors (story quality varies; I enjoyed some of them)\nThe Sign of Four - Arthur Conan Doyle (recommended)\nOn Stranger Tides - Tim Powers (recommended; I love Powers, but Anubis Gates and Last Call are better. Still, if you like pirates you should like this)\nThe Art of Worldly Wisdom - Baltasar Gracian (interesting)\nAquinas at Prayer: the Bible, Mysticism, and Poetry - Paul Murray (recommended; this shows a different side of Thomas Aquinas)\nAristotle for Everybody: Difficult Thought Made Easy - Mortimer Adler (recommended; I almost think this should be required reading)\nThe Pilgrim's Regress - C.S. Lewis (I enjoyed it, but the ideas Lewis argues against are somewhat dated.)\nEdit for formatting",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Theology and Sanity - Frank Sheed (recommended; a very written description of the Catholic faith; weaknesses are it's long and it's aimed to a mid 20th c. audience)",
          "reason": "Recommended for its description of the Catholic faith, with caveats about length and its mid-20th-century audience.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a description of the Catholic faith.",
          "caveat": "Long and aimed at a mid-20th-century audience.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frank Sheed"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "catholic theology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "theoretical-computer-science-37779e",
      "title": "Theoretical Computer Science",
      "author": "Juraj Hromkovič",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11229610,
          "author": "Kenji",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T14:41:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229610",
          "commentText": ">Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: An excellent book with autobiographic content about Richard Feynman, contains many funny stories and interesting insights of this brilliant man.\n>J. Hromkovic: Theoretical Computer Science: An excellent introduction to complexity theory, kolmogorov complexity, automata and turing machine, language and grammar theory\n>Harris & Harris: Digital Design and Computer Architecture: Introduction to electrical engineering, graudally builds your knowledge until you could implement a simple little CPU in e.g. Verilog.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "J. Hromkovic: Theoretical Computer Science: An excellent introduction to complexity theory, kolmogorov complexity, automata and turing machine, language and grammar theory",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an excellent introduction to several theoretical computer science topics.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an introduction to theoretical computer science.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Juraj Hromkovič"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "automata theory",
        "complexity theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "theory-of-bastards-93c6cd",
      "title": "Theory of Bastards",
      "author": "Audrey Schulman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38560202,
          "author": "monkeypicks",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T18:52:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38560202",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\nVictory City- new Salman Rushdie book. Great retelling of the history of one of the great medieval South Indian kingdoms. Not his best, but his writing is still top notch.\nSea of Tranquility- speculative fiction from Emily St. John Mandel (of Station Eleven fame). It's a series of interconnected stories spanning centuries from the near past to the near future. Beautifully written. Read when I was down with COVID earlier this year and it invaded my dreams (in a good way). Short and easy read.\nGiovanni's Room- story of an American expat in Paris caught between his love for a man and his duty to his girlfriend. This is the first James Baldwin book I have read but will definitely check out more of his work in 2024.\nTheory of Bastards- speculative fiction by Audrey Schulmann. Literary sci-fi similar to Station Eleven. It's about a woman researching primate behavior set in the near future where the earth is ravaged by the effects of climate change. Very well researched, beautifully written and nothing like I have ever read before. This won the 2019 Philip K Dick Award.\nInvisible Cities- literary fiction by Italo Calvino. It's less than 200 pages but a very dense and tough read. It's a conversation between Marco Polo and Kublai Khan where MP is describing cities in KK's vast empire. It's a strange, strange book that I think I will return to often. If you liked the world building in Piranesi and want more, this is the book for you. Calvino describes 55 cities in under 200 pages, with each one feeling very different. Again, first Calvino book I have read and will definitely check out more of his works in 2024.\nNon-fiction:\nThinking in Systems: A Primer- by Donella Meadows. Read this based on HN's recommendation. Thank you!\nOn Intelligence- by Jeff Hawkins. This was on my shelf for years and am glad I got to read it this year. The creator of the Palm Pilot presents his theory of intelligence and how the brain works. It's compelling. I hope to read his follow up book in 2024. Would love HN's recommendations of similar books.\nA Primate's Memoir- by Robert M. Sapolsky. Enjoyable read of the author's research on Savannah baboons and his adventures in Africa. His love for primates and humans alike come through clearly.\nBuild: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making- by Tony Fadell. A great business book by the co-founder of Nest. Draws on his experience both as a startup founder and leading innovative teams at large tech companies (Apple, in his case). Just as any business book, this could have been shorter and less repetitive but thankfully, there is enough good material here to be a book rather than a blog post.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Very well researched, beautifully written and nothing like I have ever read before.",
          "reason": "Praises its research and writing and describes its premise.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Audrey Schulman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Nature",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "climate fiction",
        "primate behavior"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "theory-of-point-estimation-4067ad",
      "title": "Theory of Point Estimation",
      "author": "George Casella and Erich L. Lehmann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27639272,
          "author": "darawk",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T05:05:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27639272",
          "commentText": "Attempting to self study statistics and econometrics in a serious way. I just finished Casella and Berger's \"Statistical Inference\". I'm about halfway through Shumway and Stoffer's \"Time Series Analysis\", but then next on the list, in the order I tend to read them:\n  - Theory of Point Estimation Casella/Lehmann\n\n  - Bayesian Data Analysis 3rd ed.\n\n  - Convex Optimization - Boyd\n\n  - Econometrics - Hayashi\n\n  - New Introduction to Multiple Time Series Analysis\n\n  - Elements of Statistical Learning\n\n  - Machine Learning: A probabilistic perspective\n\nThere's a fair amount of overlap between these books, so it's not quite as much as it seems. But i'm hoping to make it through at least a chapter a week this year, which should get me most of the way through them. We'll see how it goes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Theory of Point Estimation Casella/Lehmann",
          "reason": "Lists it next in their planned reading.",
          "audience": "People self-studying statistics and econometrics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Casella",
        "Erich L. Lehmann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "estimation theory",
        "statistics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "theory-of-recursive-functions-and-effective-computability-fb165b",
      "title": "Theory of Recursive Functions and Effective Computability",
      "author": "Hartley Rogers Jr.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 665517,
          "author": "paulreiners",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T17:18:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665517",
          "commentText": "\"Theory of Recursive Functions and Effective Computability\" by Hartley Rogers is excellent.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Theory of Recursive Functions and Effective Computability\" by Hartley Rogers is excellent.",
          "reason": "Calls it excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hartley Rogers Jr."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computability",
        "recursion theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "there-are-doors-62de32",
      "title": "There Are Doors",
      "author": "Gene Wolfe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783915,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T16:06:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783915",
          "commentText": "Non-fiction, best to worst:\nHenry Marsh, Do No Harm. A brilliant memoir by a neurosurgeon about his work, the nature of his profession, successes and mistakes (especially the latter). Frequently touches or verges into the personal. Not morbid, but often sad.\nKeith Johnstone, Impro for Storytellers. \nViola Spolin, Improvisation for the Theater\nTwo very good books about improvisation, although Spolin's is too dry and theory-laden for me (it's meant for teachers more than practitioners). Both, however, pale compared to Keith Johnstone's earlier Impro: Improvisation and the Theater, which is a life-changing book about what improvisation can teach us about spontaneous creativity and relationships between people. I recommend that one first and foremost if you know nothing about improvisation and are curious.\nMartinus J G Veltman, Facts and Mysteries in Elementary Particle Physics. A readable account - necessarily simplified, of course - of the current state of affairs in elementary particles and much of the last 50 years of history, by one of the participants (a Nobel prize winner). Not as organized and methodical as I thought it would be, and half a year later I forgot most of the physical explanations, but it was an interesting read.\nRobert B. Edgerton, Sick Societies. A thorough examination of the hundreds of horrible examples when \"natural\" societies studied by anthropologists have customs that are not only bad from our modern Western point of view, but arguably fail in achieving their own objectives. The whole book exists to counter lazy cultural relativism of the \"maybe we don't like X, but if they do it, it must be for a good reason and it must be a useful adaptation for them\" kind.\nMichael Harris, Mathematics Without Apologies. A very eclectic and idiosyncratic book by a mathematician on the sociology and epistemology of mathematics as a discipline. To be appreciated for its wealth of ideas and references to other interesting books and theories, rather than for any particular argument or thread.\nMilton Rokeach, The Three Christs of Ypsilanti. A story on what happened when a psychologist tried to bring three psychiatric patients, each believing themselves to be Christ, together and to talk it out amongst themselves. Happened in the 1960s. The idea is more interesting than the outcome.\nFiction, best to worst:\nPatrick O'Brian, The Hundred Days. The penultimate book in the series of the best historical novels (the Aubrey-Maturin series) ever written, by a huge margin. The series transcend the genre and I count the Aubrey-Maturin books among the very best books I read in the last decade.\nDodie Smith, I Capture the Castle. A brilliantly written coming-of-age story about a girl growing up in an impoverished family occupying a decaying castle in the English countryside, set in the 1930s. Reminded me in many ways of Rebecca West's The Fountain Overflows, a novel in the similar genre (but with a younger protagonist) that's known much less than it deserves.\nJuan Rulfo, Pedro Paramo. If you read and liked Garcia Marquez's A Hundred Years of Solitude, this one is shorter, darker, involves many more dead people, and you may want to give it a try.\nAlfred Hayes, In Love. A story of a man obsessed by love in a mid-century NYC. Unexpectedly touching, very convincing psychologically.\nIain M. Banks, Against a Dark Background. SF, a grand heist novel set in a advanced civilization living in a star system located unimaginably far away from any other stars and galaxies, and so doomed to a lone struggle with its own long history. A wealth of technological and social ideas you'd expect from Banks. The ending felt a bit forced.\nGene Wolfe, There Are Doors. Gene Wolfe, Nightsite of the Long Sun/Lake of the Long Sun.\nGene Wolfe is the best writer American science fiction produced in the last half-century. \"There are Doors\" is a pretty weird fantasy novel about an alternate world where men die after their first intercourse (as some spiders do in ours), and the hero travels back and forth between that world and ours. It's good, but not as strong as Wolfe's best, which to my taste is the Book of the New Sun tetralogy, the novellas in the Fifth Head of Cerberus collection, and many of his short stories (well-collected in The Best of Gene Wolfe). The other two are the first half of the \"Book of the Long Sun\" series that I'm still reading through.\nUrsula K. Le Guin, The Dispossessed. Superb political SF about an imagined anarchist [anti-]utopia. A serious attempt to describe a human society with no central power structures and no ownership. The hero is a physicist born and raised in that society who escapes to a sibling planet with the more typical modern states. This novel took all the awards in the 1970s when it was published, and deservedly so.\n[cont'd]",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"There are Doors\" is a pretty weird fantasy novel about an alternate world where men die after their first intercourse (as some spiders do in ours), and the hero travels back and forth between that world and ours. It's good, but not as strong as Wolfe's best",
          "reason": "Calls it good, though not as strong as Wolfe's best.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not as strong as the author's best, in the commenter's view.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gene Wolfe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternate worlds",
        "weird fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "there-are-no-electrons-electronics-for-earthlings-95c48a",
      "title": "There Are No Electrons: Electronics for Earthlings",
      "author": "Kenn Amdahl",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37937258,
          "author": "jazzyjackson",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:48:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937258",
          "commentText": "in that vein, \"there are no electrons: electronics for earthlings\" left an impression on me and is much shorter :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"there are no electrons: electronics for earthlings\" left an impression on me and is much shorter :)",
          "reason": "The commenter says it left an impression and notes that it is much shorter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter only notes its shorter length in comparison with the parent-mentioned book.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kenn Amdahl"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "electronics",
        "popular science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "these-alien-shores-388063",
      "title": "These Alien Shores",
      "author": "Sarah Zettel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2047314,
          "author": "solost",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-28T23:38:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2047314",
          "commentText": "A few additional thoughts based on the comments here:\nIf you liked \"In Conquest Born\" - Friedman wrote These Alien Shores, which is a true hacker sci fi, absolutely incredible.\nThe Book of Skaith by Leigh Bracket is a truely awesome compilation of the three Skaith novels. Leigh helped write the initial Empire Strikes back!\nAlmost anything by Jack Vance will be good.  If you've read The Dying Earth, George RR Martin just produced a tribute called Songs of the Dying Earth with some of the best Sci Fi writers contributing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Friedman wrote These Alien Shores, which is a true hacker sci fi, absolutely incredible.",
          "reason": "Calls it absolutely incredible and describes it as hacker science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sarah Zettel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyberpunk",
        "hacker fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "they-can-t-kill-us-until-they-kill-us-00f16b",
      "title": "They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us",
      "author": "Hanif Abdurraqib",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42220574,
          "author": "kasey_junk",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T12:37:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42220574",
          "commentText": "Completely, 100%, off topic and not within the parameters of the question.\nBut if you are the type of person who thinks a De La book is for you, read “Go Ahead In The Rain” by Hanif Abdurraqib\nAnd if you like that, definitely check out “They Can’t Kill Us, Until They Kill Us”.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "definitely check out “They Can’t Kill Us, Until They Kill Us”.",
          "reason": "Recommends it if the reader likes the preceding book.",
          "audience": "People interested in hip-hop and music writing.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says this is off topic and outside the question’s parameters.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hanif Abdurraqib"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hip hop",
        "music essays",
        "pop culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "they-made-america-4b82bc",
      "title": "They Made America",
      "author": "Harold Evans",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1026362,
          "author": "adamhowell",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T22:29:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026362",
          "commentText": "The War of Art (again) - I reread this book at least once a year. IMHO one of the best books ever written on the creative process, no matter what you're creating.\nIn Defense of Food - Best criticism of the problems with reductionist \"nutrition-ism\" I've read.\nThey Made America - Good, quick history of some of America's most revolutionary inventors, businessmen and women.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Good, quick history of some of America's most revolutionary inventors, businessmen and women.",
          "reason": "Praises it as a good, quick history of American inventors and businesspeople.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as quick.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Harold Evans"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american inventors",
        "business history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "thieves-emporium-9db582",
      "title": "Thieves Emporium",
      "author": "Max Hernandez",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15671440,
          "author": "gravidor",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-10T17:33:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15671440",
          "commentText": "The Name of the Wind - For all the reasons mentioned above, is one of my absolute favorite fiction books.  Its not just the characters, its Rothfuss' use of language.  I've never kept track of so many quotable phrases in a book.\nEnders Shadow Series by Orson Scott Card - I loved the majority of the Ender's Game series was disappointed when it was over.  Throughout those books, Bean was always my favorite character and it was a great day when I discovered the Ender's Shadow series which chronicles Bean's life over several books. The thing I loved most about Bean were his powers of analysis and he taught me to think more about scenario outcomes and think about multiple ways of achieving my goals.\nDune - A pattern is emerging here.  I love the books where the hero CHOOSES to ascend and works to get there.  Paul Atredies starts out a boy against harsh conditions and rises to the challenge.\nThe Stand by Stephen King - I read this book when I was 14 or 15 on summer break in a week.  I fell in from the start and read for entire days until it was done and when it was over I was in awe at the size (1000+ pages) and scope of what King accomplished.\nThe Alpha Strategy by John Pugsley - Its an interesting book and look at economics and wealth preservation in layman's terms.  Its funny because this book was written in the 80s and when I read it, it was immediately applicable.  I grew up in a pretty liberal household and this book made me start to pay attention to what liberals and conservatives were saying and form my own opinions.\nAtlas Shrugged - I read this right after the book above and the two in combination really caused a mindeset shift for me. It wasn't so much that everyone is out to get me or against me, but more I am responsible for my outcomes and I need to invest in myself.\nE-Myth Revisited By Michael Gerber - Piqued my interest in systems and where I started to learn the value of systems and making success repeatable.\nWorking the System By Sam Carpenter - More of the \"how-to\" book E-Myth Revisited should have been.\nDaemon Series - This one has been mentioned and while it didn't have the impact on my that the other books did, I did enjoy the world the author created.\nThieves Emporium by Max Hernandez - This was a quick read and appealed to my love of technical fiction.  Similar to Daemon, its use of technology in the story is interesting and not that far off from the real world at this point.  [WARNING: GRAPHIC SCENES]\nI was unambitious and coasted through life until after college, and it wasn't until I was in my late 20s that I started really reading books like these.  Over the past few years, I've become almost a completely different person.  I read a tremendous amount and can say its had a huge impact on my \"mental models\" and how I approach life.\nBooks I'm interested in reading next include: \n- Meditations\n- Works on mental models\n- Elon Musk biography (the amount he's able to accomplish quickly is staggering)\nI don't read as much fiction as I used to, instead choosing to focus on technical books, but fiction has definitely had an impact on my development as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This was a quick read and appealed to my love of technical fiction.",
          "reason": "Says it appealed to their interest in technical fiction and found its use of technology interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter warns of graphic scenes.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Max Hernandez"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "techno thriller",
        "technology in fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "thieves-in-the-night-3aaf98",
      "title": "Thieves in the Night",
      "author": "Arthur Koestler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17169741,
          "author": "mm321",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T23:27:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17169741",
          "commentText": "Don't know about changing my life, but these books changed the way i look at things:\nThe Tao of Pooh: Benjamin Hoff\nSlaughterhouse-Five, or The Children's Crusade by Kurt Vonnegut\nTI 99/4a basic reference manual\nStructure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, by Abelson, Sussman\nObject Oriented Analysis and Design by Grady Booch\nDarkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler\nThieves in the Night by Arthur Koestler\nAll the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren\nThe Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck\nThe Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.\nWar and Peace by L.N.Tolstoy\nChapaev and the void by Pelevin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thieves in the Night by Arthur Koestler",
          "reason": "Listed among books that changed how the commenter looks at things.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur Koestler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "palestine",
        "zionism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "thieves-world-0f0508",
      "title": "Thieves' World",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8947475,
          "author": "huxley",
          "createdAt": "2015-01-26T15:29:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 8944374,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favorite sci-fi and fantasy books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8947475",
          "commentText": "For Fantasy I loved the Thieves' World shared universe. The first 4 books were my favourites.\nhttp://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thieves'_World\nWhile some of his work hasn't aged well, I am still quite fond of several of Michael Moorcock's Elric novels and the first Corum trilogy.\nhttp://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elric_of_Melniboné\nhttp://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corum_Jhaelen_Irsei",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved the Thieves' World shared universe.",
          "reason": "Says they loved the shared universe and names it as a fantasy favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter especially liked the first four books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "shared world fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "thing-explainer-complicated-stuff-in-simple-words-6cc56c",
      "title": "Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words",
      "author": "Randall Munroe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783549,
          "author": "mziel",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:51:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783549",
          "commentText": "Not-technical\n\"The World's Toughest Endurance Challenges\" - Very nicely illustrated\n\"Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words\" - Extremely enjoyable. People here certainly are aware of xkcd and it's type of humor.\nTechnical\n\"Functional programming in Scala\" - good read for Scala beginners, especially after \"Scala for the Impatient\"\n\"Learning Spark\" - the best book on Spark so far\n\"Assessing and Improving Prediction and Classification\" - couple of interesting ideas for ML and Data Science\n\"Neural Network Design\" - Quite basic, but I like the flow and introducing mathematical concepts just before they're needed.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Thing Explainer: Complicated Stuff in Simple Words\" - Extremely enjoyable. People here certainly are aware of xkcd and it's type of humor.",
          "reason": "Calls it extremely enjoyable and notes its xkcd-style humor.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Randall Munroe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "explainers",
        "simple language"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "things-hidden-since-the-foundation-of-the-world-151995",
      "title": "Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World",
      "author": "René Girard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24289326,
          "author": "ibn-python",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-27T01:36:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 24286084,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading at the moment and what do you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24289326",
          "commentText": "The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York by Robert Caro is a fascinating take on how power and corruption can manifest in modern era.\nThings Hidden Since The Foundation Of The World by Rene Girard explores through dialogues his theory of mimesis. Barely have made a dent into it and so am not sure if I’d recommend it yet but it’s had polarizing reviews.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Barely have made a dent into it and so am not sure if I’d recommend it yet but it’s had polarizing reviews.",
          "reason": "The commenter has only just begun it and is unsure whether to recommend it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether to recommend it; reviews are polarizing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 22864447,
          "author": "Tycho",
          "createdAt": "2020-04-14T10:40:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 22861452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading to make sense of the economy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22864447",
          "commentText": "Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World by René Girard.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World by René Girard.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "René Girard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mimetic theory",
        "dialogue"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "things-the-grandchildren-should-know-bd9246",
      "title": "Things The Grandchildren Should Know",
      "author": "Mark Oliver Everett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 200110,
          "author": "timcederman",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-26T10:30:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 199722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=200110",
          "commentText": "Things The Grandchildren Should Know - Mark Oliver Everett (as in son of Hugh Everett, many-worlds theorem physicist)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Things The Grandchildren Should Know - Mark Oliver Everett",
          "reason": "Named as a book to take on the trip, in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Oliver Everett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "music"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "things-a-computer-scientist-rarely-talks-about-235e68",
      "title": "Things a Computer Scientist Rarely Talks About",
      "author": "Donald Knuth",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13970225,
          "author": "kej",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-27T18:13:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 13967350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-technology book has influenced you the most and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13970225",
          "commentText": "Two follow ups that would appeal to the HN crowd: Things a Computer Scientist Rarely Talks About [1] and 3:16 Bible Texts Illuminated [2], both by Donald Knuth.\n[1] https://cs.stanford.edu/~uno/things.html\n[2] https://cs.stanford.edu/~uno/316.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Two follow ups that would appeal to the HN crowd: Things a Computer Scientist Rarely Talks About [1]",
          "reason": "Suggested as a follow-up that may appeal to the HN crowd.",
          "audience": "HN readers",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donald Knuth"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "things-in-nature-merely-grow-d28b4a",
      "title": "Things in Nature Merely Grow",
      "author": "Yiyun Li",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49903575,
          "author": "chadd",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T02:15:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49903575",
          "commentText": "I do a lot more reading now while i wait for AI bots, it's much better than scrolling social media, i get a few minutes at a time all day long and it's been a mental game changer.\n* Fun - Vince Fynn's \"Mitch Rapp\" Series - a bit dated, but if you like Tom Clancy it's got a similar vibe.\n* Beautiful/Thought Provoking - Things In Nature Merely Grow, by Yiyun Li",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Things In Nature Merely Grow, by Yiyun Li",
          "reason": "Recommends it as beautiful and thought provoking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Yiyun Li"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "think-about-analysis-798172",
      "title": "Think About Analysis",
      "author": "Lara Alcock",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31490479,
          "author": "mikevm",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T11:06:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31490479",
          "commentText": "I couldn't disagree more. I studied Analysis in the Uni, and even in that environment Rudin is pretty bad. For a total newcomer that book will leave you completely helpless. Also, solutions are a must have, without them you are almsot totally lost. In their absence, it is OK to ask on StackExchange or #math on EFnet.\nFirst let's start with a few books to prep you for college-level maths:\n* https://www.amazon.com/How-Study-as-Mathematics-Major-ebook/... (https://www.amazon.com/How-Study-as-Mathematics-Major-ebook/dp/B00B9CIORY)\n* https://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Proofs-Introduction-Mathemat... (https://www.amazon.com/How-Read-Proofs-Introduction-Mathematical-ebook-dp-B00I8XF6TQ/dp/B00I8XF6TQ) ; or\n* https://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Proofs-Modular-Mathematics-Al... (https://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Proofs-Modular-Mathematics-Allenby/dp/0340676531) ; or\n* https://www.amazon.com/How-Prove-Structured-Daniel-Velleman-... (https://www.amazon.com/How-Prove-Structured-Daniel-Velleman-dp-1108439535/dp/1108439535) (I believe you can find solutions to the 2nd edition online)\nFor Single-Variable Analysis\n* https://www.amazon.com/Think-About-Analysis-Lara-Alcock/dp/0... (https://www.amazon.com/Think-About-Analysis-Lara-Alcock/dp/0198723539)\n* https://www.amazon.com/How-Why-One-Variable-Calculus/dp/1119... (https://www.amazon.com/How-Why-One-Variable-Calculus/dp/1119043387)\n* https://www.amazon.com/Mathematical-Analysis-Straightforward... (https://www.amazon.com/Mathematical-Analysis-Straightforward-Approach-2nd/dp/0521288827) (contains solutions to exercises)\n* https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Analysis-Undergraduate-... (https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Analysis-Undergraduate-Texts-Mathematics-ebook/dp/B00XWDQUH4) (there are solutions online for the 2nd edition)\n* https://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Functions-Steps-into-Analysis... (https://www.amazon.com/Numbers-Functions-Steps-into-Analysis/dp/0521788366) (this book is a brilliant exercise-guided approach that helps you build up your knowledge step by step + solutions are provided).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://www.amazon.com/Think-About-Analysis-Lara-Alcock/dp/0...",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lara Alcock"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "real analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "think-bayes-e5299a",
      "title": "Think Bayes",
      "author": "Allen B. Downey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9758428,
          "author": "rubiquity",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T14:14:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758428",
          "commentText": "Eloquent Ruby is one of my favorite books, too. That book really motivated me to learn how programming languages work. Here are a few other books I found to be enjoyable and well-written:\nProgramming Erlang by Joe Armstrong\nProgramming Elixir by Dave Thomas\nSeven (more) Languages In Seven Weeks by Bruce Tate\nThink Bayes, Think OS, How To Think Like A Functional Programmer (Think OCaml) and The Little Book of Semaphores by Allen B. Downey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Think Bayes",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter found enjoyable and well-written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6698237,
          "author": "nmcfarl",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-08T18:48:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6698237",
          "commentText": "Also reading The Signal and the Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail — but Some Don't - Nate Silver\nAnd also in progress:\nBuried for Pleasure - Edmund Crispin\nThe Dying Trade - Peter Corris\nThink Bayes - Allen B Downey",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Think Bayes - Allen B Downey",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Allen B. Downey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bayesian statistics",
        "python"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "think-bayes-bayesian-statistics-in-python-3f2805",
      "title": "Think Bayes: Bayesian Statistics in Python",
      "author": "Allen B. Downey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9612334,
          "author": "avinassh",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T16:06:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9612334",
          "commentText": "This repo maintains list of free programming books [0].\nMany of the books at Green Tea Press[1] are available for free:\n- Think Python: How To Think Like a Computer Scientist\n- Think Bayes: Bayesian Statistics in Python\n- Think Complexity: Exploring Complexity Science with Python\n- Think Stats: Probability and Statistics for Programmers\n- The Little Book of Semaphores\n- Physical Modeling in MATLAB\n- Learning Perl the Hard Way\nfew others. Do check the site.\nSecondly, books by Al Sweigart[2] are also freely available. They include:\n- Automate the Boring Stuff with Python[3]\n- Hacking Secret Ciphers with Python\n- Invent Your Own Computer Games with Python\n- Making Games with Python & Pygame\n[0] - https://github.com/vhf/free-programming-books\n[1] - http://www.greenteapress.com/\n[2] - https://inventwithpython.com/\n[3] - https://automatetheboringstuff.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Think Bayes: Bayesian Statistics in Python",
          "reason": "Listed among freely available programming books in response to a request for free reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Allen B. Downey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bayesian statistics",
        "python"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "think-complexity-exploring-complexity-science-with-python-aff6ee",
      "title": "Think Complexity: Exploring Complexity Science with Python",
      "author": "Allen B. Downey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9612334,
          "author": "avinassh",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T16:06:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9612334",
          "commentText": "This repo maintains list of free programming books [0].\nMany of the books at Green Tea Press[1] are available for free:\n- Think Python: How To Think Like a Computer Scientist\n- Think Bayes: Bayesian Statistics in Python\n- Think Complexity: Exploring Complexity Science with Python\n- Think Stats: Probability and Statistics for Programmers\n- The Little Book of Semaphores\n- Physical Modeling in MATLAB\n- Learning Perl the Hard Way\nfew others. Do check the site.\nSecondly, books by Al Sweigart[2] are also freely available. They include:\n- Automate the Boring Stuff with Python[3]\n- Hacking Secret Ciphers with Python\n- Invent Your Own Computer Games with Python\n- Making Games with Python & Pygame\n[0] - https://github.com/vhf/free-programming-books\n[1] - http://www.greenteapress.com/\n[2] - https://inventwithpython.com/\n[3] - https://automatetheboringstuff.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Think Complexity: Exploring Complexity Science with Python",
          "reason": "Listed among freely available programming books in response to a request for free reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Allen B. Downey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "complexity science",
        "python"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "think-like-a-freak-1abed3",
      "title": "Think Like a Freak",
      "author": "Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14478716,
          "author": "febin",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-03T21:58:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 14477851,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you wish you had read earlier?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14478716",
          "commentText": "The Holy Bible\nStart With Why\nThe Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck\nThink Like a Freak\nSmartCuts",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Think Like a Freak",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10785428,
          "author": "ycom13__",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:23:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785428",
          "commentText": "Here are all the ones I read this year\n  A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire) by George R. R. Martin\n  A Feast for Crows: A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) by George R.R. Martin\n  The Confident Speaker: Beat Your Nerves and Communicate at Your Best in Any Situation by Harrison Monarth\n  House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewsk\n  To the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War by Jeff Shaara \n  Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson\n  Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader by Brent Schlender\n  George Washington's Secret Six: The Spy Ring That Saved the American Revolution by Brian Kilmeade\n  Think Like a Freak: The Authors of Freakonomics Offer to Retrain Your Brain by Steven D. Levitt\n  Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance\n  Finders Keepers: A Novel by Stephen King\n  The Guns of August: The Pulitzer Prize-Winning Classic About the Outbreak of World War I by Barbara W. Tuchman\n  The Wright Brothers by David McCullough\n  Seveneves: A Novel by Neal Stephenson\n  The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson\n  Hitler's Last Day: Minute by Minute by Emma Craigie\n  The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins\n  Robopocalypse: A Novel (Vintage Contemporaries) by Daniel H. Wilson\n  Robogenesis by Daniel H. Wilson\n  In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick\n\n\n\nMy 5 favorite ones from that list are\n  In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick\n  Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance\n  To the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War by Jeff Shaara \n  Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson\n  The Wright Brothers by David McCullough",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Think Like a Freak: The Authors of Freakonomics Offer to Retrain Your Brain by Steven D. Levitt",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books read this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven D. Levitt",
        "Stephen J. Dubner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "behavioral economics",
        "problem solving"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "think-twice-4201d1",
      "title": "Think Twice",
      "author": "Michael J. Mauboussin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3277592,
          "author": "lpolovets",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T17:30:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3277592",
          "commentText": "Category 1:\n- Simple Heuristics That Make Use Smart by Gigerenzer, et al. (http://www.amazon.com/Simple-Heuristics-That-Make-Smart/dp/0... (http://www.amazon.com/Simple-Heuristics-That-Make-Smart/dp/0195143817/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1322242265&sr=1-1)). I have heard good things about this book but have not read it yet.\nCategory 2:\n- Think Twice by Mauboussin (http://www.amazon.com/Think-Twice-Harnessing-Power-Counterin... (http://www.amazon.com/Think-Twice-Harnessing-Power-Counterintuition/dp/1422176754))\n- Influence by Cialdini (http://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Busine... (http://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Business-Essentials/dp/006124189X))\nCategory 3:\n- You already mentioned Michalko, but his other book, Thinkertoys, is also very good (http://www.amazon.com/Thinkertoys-Handbook-Creative-Thinking... (http://www.amazon.com/Thinkertoys-Handbook-Creative-Thinking-Techniques-2nd/dp/1580087736))\nCategory 5:\n- Switch by the Heath brothers is excellent (http://www.amazon.com/Switch-Change-Things-When-Hard/dp/0385... (http://www.amazon.com/Switch-Change-Things-When-Hard/dp/0385528752/))",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Think Twice by Mauboussin",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael J. Mauboussin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognitive bias",
        "decision making"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "think-on-these-things-bd892a",
      "title": "Think on These Things",
      "author": "Jiddu Krishnamurti",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11229799,
          "author": "swatkat",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:52:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229799",
          "commentText": "I Am That, by Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj\nFreedom from the Known, by Jiddu Krishnamurti\nThink on These Things, by Jiddu Krishnamurti\nThe Bhagavad Gita\nThe Grand Design, by Stephen Hawking",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Think on These Things, by Jiddu Krishnamurti",
          "reason": "Offered as a book suggestion in response to a request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jiddu Krishnamurti"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "education",
        "self inquiry",
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "think-a-compelling-introduction-to-philosophy-d47749",
      "title": "Think: A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy",
      "author": "Simon Blackburn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23151855,
          "author": "joeberon",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T08:50:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23151855",
          "commentText": "Any intro to philosophy book, e.g. \"Think: A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy\" by Simon Blackburn",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Think: A Compelling Introduction to Philosophy\" by Simon Blackburn",
          "reason": "Offered as an example of an introductory philosophy book.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for an introduction to philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Simon Blackburn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "introductory philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "thinkertoys-63e211",
      "title": "Thinkertoys",
      "author": "Michael Michalko",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3277592,
          "author": "lpolovets",
          "createdAt": "2011-11-25T17:30:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 3277457,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3277592",
          "commentText": "Category 1:\n- Simple Heuristics That Make Use Smart by Gigerenzer, et al. (http://www.amazon.com/Simple-Heuristics-That-Make-Smart/dp/0... (http://www.amazon.com/Simple-Heuristics-That-Make-Smart/dp/0195143817/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1322242265&sr=1-1)). I have heard good things about this book but have not read it yet.\nCategory 2:\n- Think Twice by Mauboussin (http://www.amazon.com/Think-Twice-Harnessing-Power-Counterin... (http://www.amazon.com/Think-Twice-Harnessing-Power-Counterintuition/dp/1422176754))\n- Influence by Cialdini (http://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Busine... (http://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Business-Essentials/dp/006124189X))\nCategory 3:\n- You already mentioned Michalko, but his other book, Thinkertoys, is also very good (http://www.amazon.com/Thinkertoys-Handbook-Creative-Thinking... (http://www.amazon.com/Thinkertoys-Handbook-Creative-Thinking-Techniques-2nd/dp/1580087736))\nCategory 5:\n- Switch by the Heath brothers is excellent (http://www.amazon.com/Switch-Change-Things-When-Hard/dp/0385... (http://www.amazon.com/Switch-Change-Things-When-Hard/dp/0385528752/))",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinkertoys, is also very good",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly calls this book very good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Michalko"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creative thinking",
        "creativity techniques"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "thinking-about-mathematics-10c8ce",
      "title": "Thinking About Mathematics",
      "author": "Stewart Shapiro",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665060,
          "author": "billybatson",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:11:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665060",
          "commentText": "A Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley: Decent. I think this book would best be read in conjunction while working through a textbook. I will admit that it did do quite a bit to help relieve math anxiety, but the nature of the book is practicality.\nBrave New World by Aldous Huxley: A reread. A bit depressing considering the state of the world today. I found myself wondering which reality would be preferable.\nLetters to a Young Mathematician by Ian Stewart: Easy, but fruitful read. I've struggled a lot with math confidence, and this helped alleviate a lot of that.\nHow to Speak, How to Listen by Mortimer J. Adler: A lot of practical advice. My biggest takeaway was this: if it's worth talking about, even if the conversation sucks or the other person doesn't understand, any bit of advancement and understanding is worth the effort. Really helped me increase my patience when talking to people.\nQuack This Way by David Foster Wallace and Bryan Garner: Super useful and practical discussion between two lovers of language. I keep a copy with me at all times.\nThe Autobiography of Gucci Mane: Just a fun read while on vacation. \"If Gucci can do it, you can do it\".\nJesus' Son by Denis Johnson: A nice if brutal read. It was my first foray in DJ. I felt Cormac McCarthyish vibes.\nBlood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy: A classic. The Judge.\nThinking About Mathematics by Stuart Shapiro: Highly recommended for anyone interested in the philosophical questions of mathematics. Shapiro writes clearly, concisely, and in a manner that is easy to read.\nThe Liars' Club by Mary Karr: Pretty great but brutal.\nThe Broom of the System by David Foster Wallace: I really enjoyed it. It's ode to Wittgenstein and it helped me cope with a lot of questions that I felt after studying LW.\nThe Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe: I think we've all been in Werther's shoes. Though I hope that nobody comes to the same conclusion he came to.\nManage Your Day-To-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, & Sharpen Your Creative Mind: A pretty great book. I find myself writing a book report on it to make sure I internalize a lot of the lessons. If you're having trouble doing creative work while working, read this.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Highly recommended for anyone interested in the philosophical questions of mathematics. Shapiro writes clearly, concisely, and in a manner that is easy to read.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommended for its clear discussion of philosophical questions in mathematics.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the philosophy of mathematics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stewart Shapiro"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "philosophy of mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "thinking-forth-fc387a",
      "title": "Thinking FORTH",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14488757,
          "author": "tomxor",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T16:14:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14488757",
          "commentText": "Thinking FORTH (yes it's language agnostic, even though it's about FORTH)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking FORTH (yes it's language agnostic, even though it's about FORTH)",
          "reason": "Offered as a book to add to the reader’s library in response to the request for recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It is about FORTH despite being described as language agnostic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "forth",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "thinking-mathematically-40e686",
      "title": "Thinking Mathematically",
      "author": "John Mason, Leone Burton, Kaye Stacey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29817930,
          "author": "edye",
          "createdAt": "2022-01-06T01:32:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 29814776,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book should I buy for my 18th birthday?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29817930",
          "commentText": "Thinking Mathematically by Mason, Burton, and Stacey. It helps with solving math problems and in the process teaches heuristics to improve self-awareness and observational skills.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking Mathematically by Mason, Burton, and Stacey.",
          "reason": "Recommended for solving math problems and developing self-awareness and observational skills.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Mason",
        "Leone Burton",
        "Kaye Stacey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical thinking",
        "problem solving"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "thinking-mathematically-4d1efc",
      "title": "Thinking Mathematically",
      "author": "John Mason, Leone Burton, and Kaye Stacey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34441895,
          "author": "nhatcher",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T16:13:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34441895",
          "commentText": "Lot's of good books already here!\nIn the same spirit as Polya's book \"Thinking mathematically\" by J.\nMason, L. Burton and K. Stacey\nI learned a lot in the early days with Demidovich book on 5000 problems on mathematical analysis.\nTom Apostol books on calculus, but for me his book on analytical number theory. Alongside alan baker's thin book on number theory.\nGilbert Strang book(s) on linear algebra.\nRudin book on functional analysis.\nOh Hardy's book on divergent series!\nIan Steward books on transcendental numbers and Galois theory.\nElements of algebraic topology by Munkres is a fantastic book.\nSo many books are invaluable to me in teaching not only math but mathematical thinking.\nI guess if you want to learn thinking but not necessarily math \"thinking mathematically\" above mentioned is your friend.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "In the same spirit as Polya's book \"Thinking mathematically\" by J. Mason, L. Burton and K. Stacey",
          "reason": "Recommended for learning mathematical thinking, rather than math subject matter specifically.",
          "audience": "People who want to learn mathematical thinking.",
          "caveat": "The commenter distinguishes learning mathematical thinking from learning math itself.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Mason",
        "Leone Burton",
        "Kaye Stacey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical thinking",
        "problem solving"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "thinking-recursively-8779fa",
      "title": "Thinking Recursively",
      "author": "Eric S. Roberts",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4388779,
          "author": "jfaucett",
          "createdAt": "2012-08-15T22:58:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 4382456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: reading list for high school students interested in CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4388779",
          "commentText": "what programming languages do you teach? I ask because, I remember now back to when I first really started trying to program, and I think it would have been great to get introduced to interesting code bases back then. So guess, I'm just looking back now and will recommend what I wish I had had, maybe some of it help:)\nAs a teen, I fumbled around for a while before discovering linux and open source and that good feeling you get when you download the src and start perusing and firing up your debugger. Having said that if you teach js, I'd highly recommend dojo, underscore, I guess most c /c++ might be too advanced but if not Webkit, Redis, and glib are clean fun code bases and dissecting Lisp / Emacs was a blast. As far as answering you actual question goes, I really liked Gödel, Escher, Bach back then, also thinking recursively by Roberts. The only \"technical\" book I enjoyed reading was Modern Operating Systems by Tanenbaum ( don't know what current editions are like, the roughly 2000-2001 version was great though). Its was simple, very clear, humorous, and a gives a great overview of how the os works.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "also thinking recursively by Roberts",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric S. Roberts"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer science education",
        "recursion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "thinking-strategically-9990df",
      "title": "Thinking Strategically",
      "author": "Avinash K. Dixit and Barry J. Nalebuff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13805633,
          "author": "baron816",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T20:08:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805633",
          "commentText": "Thinking Strategically. A great primer on game theory. Everything changed colors for me after I read this. Definite required reading for everyone.\nAbundance. Problems of economic scarcity are really about access. Technology can solve those problems, and we're getting close to solving a lot of the biggest ones.\nBorderless Economics. Immigration has a lot of huge benefits. But really, it's the best humanitarian tool advanced countries have.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking Strategically. A great primer on game theory. Everything changed colors for me after I read this. Definite required reading for everyone.",
          "reason": "Calls it a great primer and required reading; says it changed how they saw things.",
          "audience": "Everyone, in the commenter’s view.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Avinash K. Dixit and Barry J. Nalebuff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "game theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "thinking-in-bets-making-smarter-decisions-when-you-don-t-have-all-c50bfc",
      "title": "Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts",
      "author": "Annie Duke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19896295,
          "author": "LeonB",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T03:43:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19896295",
          "commentText": "“Thinking in Bets” by Annie Duke takes you through a specific model.\n“Principles” by Ray Dalio gives a mesh of models that Ray has learnt or improved.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Thinking in Bets” by Annie Duke takes you through a specific model.",
          "reason": "Takes the reader through a specific model.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Annie Duke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "decision making",
        "probabilistic thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "thinking-in-c-28c752",
      "title": "Thinking in C++",
      "author": "Bruce Eckel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7758352,
          "author": "Jake232",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T22:47:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7758352",
          "commentText": "I'm pretty proficient in a ton of other languages, so I'm hoping I have a pretty good head start and will be able to follow the book, but I'll read Thinking in C++ in the meantime until my order arrives. Thanks for the suggestion!",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'll read Thinking in C++ in the meantime until my order arrives.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7757970,
          "author": "tdicola",
          "createdAt": "2014-05-16T21:17:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 7756497,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best programming book you've read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7757970",
          "commentText": "I don't think it's going to help that much if you're new to the language.  You probably want to cram something more beginner friendly like Thinking in C++: http://mindview.net/Books/TICPP/ThinkingInCPP2e.html  It's a great book that helped me really start to grok C++ long ago when I was new to the language.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You probably want to cram something more beginner friendly like Thinking in C++",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a more beginner-friendly option for learning C++.",
          "audience": "People new to C++.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruce Eckel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "thinking-in-java-dedc85",
      "title": "Thinking in Java",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9758068,
          "author": "sayems",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-22T13:21:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 9757609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best written programming books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9758068",
          "commentText": "Thinking in Java,  \nJava Generics and Collection,   \nHead First Design Patterns",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thinking in Java",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "java"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "thinking-in-systems-fca8bd",
      "title": "Thinking in Systems",
      "author": "Donella Meadows",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21353407,
          "author": "sah2ed",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-25T10:01:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21353407",
          "commentText": "OT: Interesting blog you’ve got there.\nI’ve seen Donella Meadows’ Thinking in Systems book recommended here a few times before, but your review really pulled the trigger for me, so thanks!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I’ve seen Donella Meadows’ Thinking in Systems book recommended here a few times before, but your review really pulled the trigger for me",
          "reason": "The commenter says the review persuaded them to get the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donella Meadows"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "systems thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "thirteen-the-apollo-flight-that-failed-35c918",
      "title": "Thirteen: The Apollo Flight That Failed",
      "author": "Henry S. F. Cooper Jr.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13236925,
          "author": "jrgifford",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T12:55:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13236925",
          "commentText": "I read 54 books (might be 56, there's still time!) in 2016. Here's the ones I recommend:\nFiction:\n- Owner's Share by Nathan Lowell\nI forget who recommended I read the Solar Clipper series several years ago, but I have been following them for a long time and look forward to it. It's part of a series, so start with the first one (Quarter Share) and continue from there.\n- Star Wars: Tarkin by James Luceno\nNon fiction:\n- Programming Beyond Practices by Gregory Brown.\n- Thirteen: The Apollo Flight That Failed by Henry S.F. Cooper Jr.\nFor the rest of the books I read this year: https://www.goodreads.com/user_challenges/3965760",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Here's the ones I recommend:",
          "reason": "Included in the list the commenter explicitly recommends.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Henry S. F. Cooper Jr."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "apollo 13",
        "nasa",
        "spaceflight"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "this-object-prototypes-6c531e",
      "title": "This & Object Prototypes",
      "author": "Kyle Simpson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14521795,
          "author": "ciw1973",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-09T14:53:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14521795",
          "commentText": "\"Eloquent Javascript\" (http://eloquentjavascript.net/) definitely gets my vote, as it starts with concepts that someone new to programming would need to understand before diving into the specifics of the language. Available to read online for free, although well worth spending money on a physical copy to thumb through, but it may be a little too slow to get going for someone who already has experience with other languages.\nFor developers, I'd recommend Kyle Simpson's \"You Don't Know JS\" books, in particular \"This & Object Prototypes\", followed by \"Scopes & Closures\". Well written, with plenty of example code, these are deep dives into specific areas which make Javascript different/weird. They're available to read in his Github repo (https://github.com/getify/You-Dont-Know-JS), but consider buying them, as he deserves to get paid.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "in particular \"This & Object Prototypes\"",
          "reason": "Highlights it as a particular book in the recommended series.",
          "audience": "Developers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kyle Simpson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "javascript",
        "object prototypes"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "this-book-needs-no-title-a-budget-of-living-paradoxes-2fa277",
      "title": "This Book Needs No Title: A Budget of Living Paradoxes",
      "author": "Raymond Smullyan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29309778,
          "author": "carapace",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T18:19:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29309778",
          "commentText": "\"Planet Without Laughter\"\n> excerpted from This Book Needs No Title: A Budget of Living Paradoxes by Raymund Smullyan\nhttps://www-cs-faculty.stanford.edu/~knuth/smullyan.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "excerpted from This Book Needs No Title: A Budget of Living Paradoxes by Raymund Smullyan",
          "reason": "Names the source book while answering a question about other books the commenter recommends.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Raymond Smullyan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "logic",
        "paradoxes",
        "puzzles"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "this-book-will-make-you-smarter-71056d",
      "title": "This Book Will Make You Smarter",
      "author": "John Brockman, editor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8257652,
          "author": "onion2k",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T14:13:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257652",
          "commentText": "This Book Will Make You Smarter - http://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Will-Make-You-Smarter/dp/055277... (http://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Will-Make-You-Smarter/dp/0552778486)\nIt's a collection of essays from leading modern thinkers (Dawson, Pinker, etc) on which cognitive tools people should be equipped with. It's fantastic. I'm 1/4 through at the moment and I can honestly say it lives up to it's title.\nYou can read all the essays for free at http://edge.org/responses/what-scientific-concept-would-impr... (http://edge.org/responses/what-scientific-concept-would-improve-everybodys-cognitive-toolkit) (book form is a lot nicer though) - edge.org is well worth poking about on. There's some seriously interesting stuff on there.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It's fantastic. I'm 1/4 through at the moment and I can honestly say it lives up to it's title.",
          "reason": "Calls it fantastic and says it lives up to its title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is about a quarter of the way through.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Brockman, editor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognitive tools",
        "essay collection"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "this-census-taker-9c3e32",
      "title": "This Census-Taker",
      "author": "China Miéville",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13238592,
          "author": "apocalypstyx",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T17:07:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238592",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\nInherent Vice  ---  Thomas Pynchon\nThe Great and Secret Show  ---  Clive Barker\nJurassic Park  ---  Michael Crichton\nThe Mothman Prophecies  ---  John A. Keel (1)\nThe Wind in the Willows  ---  Kenneth Grahame\nEnder's Game  ---  Orson Scott Card\nAll Quiet on the Western Front  ---   Erich Maria Remarque\nThe Drought  ---  J. G. Ballard\nThe Dead Father's Club  ---  Matt Harris\nChildren of Men  ---  P. D. James\nThe Islanders  ---  Pascal Garnier\nSilence of the Lambs  ---  Thomas Harris\nInherit the Wind  ---  Jerome Lawrence & Robert E. Lee\nThe Butt  ---  Will Self\nInside Outside  ---  Philip Jose Farmer\nThe Panda Theory  ---  Pascal Garnier\nFanshaw  ---  Nathaniel Hawthorne\nThe Scarlet Letter  ---  Nathaniel Hawthorne\nThis Census-Taker  ---  China Mieville\nThe House of the Seven Gables  ---  Nathaniel Hawthorne\nThe A26  ---  Pascal Garnier\nThe Blithedale Romance  ---  Nathaniel Hawthorne\nThe Weird  ---  Edited by Jeff VanderMeer & Ann VanderMeer (2)\nFront Seat Passenger  ---  Pascal Garnier\nNon-Fiction:\nThe Wealth of Networks  ---  Yochai Benkler\nField Notes from A Catastrophe  ---  Elizabeth Kolbert\nWhat Ever Happened to Modernism?  ---  Gabriel Josipovici\nEscape Velocity  ---  Mark Dery\nWhat We See When We Read  ---  Peter Mendelsund\n(1) Author described as non-fiction, publisher hedged bets and labelled in as such, supposedly.\n(2) If only this book could be picked by Subterranean or Centipede press so it'd be a better printed and bound book than Tor ever seems to want to do.\nI always recommend Ballard, even when not wanted.  Relevant quote:\n   A story by J. G. Ballard, as you know, calls for people who don't\n   think. One begins with characters who regard the physical universe\n   as a mysterious and arbitrary place, and who would not dream of\n   trying to understand its actual laws. Furthermore, in order to be\n   the protagonist of a J.G. Ballard novel, or anything more than a\n   very minor character therein, you must have cut yourself off from\n   the entire body of scientific education. In this way, when the world\n   disaster — be it wind or water — comes upon you, you are under\n   absolutely no obligation to do anything about it but sit and worship\n   it. Even more further, some force has acted to remove from the face\n   of the world all people who might impose good sense or rational\n   behavior on you, so that the disaster proceeds unchecked and unopposed\n   except by the almost inevitable thumb-rule engineer type who for\n   his individual comfort builds a huge pyramid (without huge footings)\n   to resist high winds, or trains a herd of alligators and renegade\n   divers to help him out in dealing with deep water.  Algis Budrys,\n   Galaxy magazine (December 1966)\n\n\nI'd recommend Pascal Garnier for anyone who likes sickly dark humor + surrealism + noir + a kind of Ballardian-air.  Also Pynchon.  Hawthorne might be the stand-out this year, in the sense of his works' subtle, implicit ability to question the authorial mode, the nature of the text itself, and the instability of it.\nIn non-fiction I'd recommend Dery's Escape Velocity; It's from the 90s but still deals too presciently with many of the issues around the near-religification of modern electronic technology.  And Josipovici if you lean toward depressive jolts of existential anxiety (it deals mostly with the arts, but I think there's a broader life applicability).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "This Census-Taker  ---  China Mieville",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13118207,
          "author": "elevensies",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-06T20:50:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13118207",
          "commentText": "Three books I enjoyed this year:\nthis census taker, China Mieville\nTo Say Nothing Of The Dog, Connie Willis\nThe Possibility of an Island, Houellebecq\nIf you enjoy science-fiction, it is quite possible that you wouldn't enjoy any of the books above or even classify them as science-fiction (I would though) -- so definitely look them up or try the kindle sample to see if they appeal to you.\nAlso, I see Ann Leckie's Ancillary trilogy mentioned elsewhere, I second that recommendation.\n[Also, honourable mention to the TV show Westworld -- if it were a book I would have included.]",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this census taker, China Mieville",
          "reason": "Listed among three books the commenter enjoyed that year, in response to a request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes some readers may not classify it as science fiction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 11229948,
          "author": "elevensies",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T16:40:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229948",
          "commentText": "Some highlights from the last couple months of my reading, nonfiction:\nSoftwar (Larry Ellison), Matthew Symonds\nA Perfect Red, Amy Butler Greenfield\nAssault on Lake Casitas, Brad Alan Lewis\nand fiction:\nThis Census-Taker, China Mieville\nWhatever, Michel Houellebecq",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "This Census-Taker, China Mieville",
          "reason": "Listed among recent fiction reading; no evaluation is given.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "China Miéville"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fantasy",
        "literary speculative fiction",
        "mystery",
        "weird fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "this-explains-everything-cf227f",
      "title": "This Explains Everything",
      "author": "John Brockman (editor)",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19896678,
          "author": "imakwana",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T05:51:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19896678",
          "commentText": "# Intuition Pump and other tools for thinking by Daniel Dennett\n# Books edited by John Brockman - 1) This Explains Everything, 2) This Idea is Brilliant, 3) This Will Make You Smarter, 4) Thinking\n# Personal MBA by Josh Kaufman\nAlso second the recommendation of other books based on Charlie Munger's wisdom and farnam street's reading list.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1) This Explains Everything",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Brockman (editor)"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "big questions",
        "science essays"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "this-explains-everything-deep-beautiful-and-elegant-theories-of-h-b776fb",
      "title": "This Explains Everything: Deep, Beautiful, and Elegant Theories of How the World Works",
      "author": "John Brockman (editor)",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7968872,
          "author": "markbao",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T02:24:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968872",
          "commentText": "I'm currently reading This Explains Everything: Deep, Beautiful, and Elegant Theories of How the World Works, a regretfully titled yet excellent book. [0]\nEdge.org, in its annual question to prominent scientists and 'thought leaders', asked them \"What is your favorite deep, elegant, or beautiful explanation?\" My favorite ones so far include the many offshoots of natural selection and evolution, plus all of the stuff about the brain.\nI recently finished The Cold War: A New History, a great primer to how we got to the geopolitical situation we are in now (at least the major western/eastern powers), and A Short History of Nearly Everything, which was an awesome birds-eye view of modern science. ★★★★☆ to both.\nMy next book is going to be about AI; let me know if you have any recommendations. (I'm not sure I'm ready for GEB.)\n[0] http://www.amazon.com/dp/0062230174/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "a regretfully titled yet excellent book",
          "reason": "Calls the book excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter regrets its title.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Brockman (editor)"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "science essays",
        "scientific explanations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "this-house-of-sky-1ad2b0",
      "title": "This House of Sky",
      "author": "Ivan Doig",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25326999,
          "author": "cafard",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-06T21:55:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25326999",
          "commentText": "For a bit of adventure, also Teddy Blue Abbot We Pointed Them North about the cattle drives of the late 19th Century, and Ivan Doig's In This House of Sky, about growing up as a sheep rancher's son in Montana, and about his father's upbringing and work.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ivan Doig's In This House of Sky, about growing up as a sheep rancher's son in Montana",
          "reason": "Described as an account of growing up in a ranching family and his father's work.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a little adventure.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ivan Doig"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "family memoir",
        "montana",
        "ranching"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "this-is-going-to-hurt-ab40dd",
      "title": "This Is Going to Hurt",
      "author": "Adam Kay",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25318741,
          "author": "mellosouls",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T21:48:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25318741",
          "commentText": "This is Going To Hurt by Adam Kay\nMemoirs of a Doctor in the UK. Very funny at times and moving as well. Useful insights for outsiders into the medical profession and a light read. NHS based, but presumably relevant to other health systems and countries.\nhttps://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Is_Going_to_Hurt",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is Going To Hurt by Adam Kay",
          "reason": "Memoir about a doctor's life in the UK; described as funny and moving, with insights for outsiders into medicine.",
          "audience": "Outsiders curious about the medical profession.",
          "caveat": "NHS-based; the commenter says it is presumably relevant to other health systems and countries.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adam Kay"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Health",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "medical memoir",
        "uk nhs"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "this-is-how-they-tell-me-the-world-ends-674397",
      "title": "This Is How They Tell Me the World Ends",
      "author": "Nicole Perlroth",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29678842,
          "author": "ChristopherDrum",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T23:36:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29678842",
          "commentText": "Fiction: \"The Underground Railroad\" by Colson Whitehead\n(now a well-reviewed series on Amazon) A fantastic book that lingered with me for weeks after reading it.\nNon-fiction: \"This Is How They Tell Me The World Ends\" by Nicole Perlroth\nIf you want to be shaken to your core by the past, present, and future of cyber-espionage and cyber-warfare, this is the book that will drop your jaw more than once.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you want to be shaken to your core by the past, present, and future of cyber-espionage and cyber-warfare, this is the book that will drop your jaw more than once.",
          "reason": "Presents it as a striking account of cyber-espionage and cyber-warfare.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in cyber-espionage and cyber-warfare.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nicole Perlroth"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyber espionage",
        "cyber warfare"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "this-is-marketing-af704b",
      "title": "This Is Marketing",
      "author": "Seth Godin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25210873,
          "author": "r_singh",
          "createdAt": "2020-11-25T16:23:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 25207732,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Suggest good books on bootstrapping a startup",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25210873",
          "commentText": "This is Marketing, Traction, Monetising Innovation, check this small but great post out too: https://www.indiehackers.com/post/selling-before-you-build-f... (https://www.indiehackers.com/post/selling-before-you-build-from-a-sales-professional-cd9432a176)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is Marketing",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Seth Godin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "this-is-not-my-hat-956332",
      "title": "This Is Not My Hat",
      "author": "Jon Klassen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11700113,
          "author": "DanBC",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-15T09:10:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11700113",
          "commentText": "Still mostly reading childrens books.\nThis is not my hat: https://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Not-Hat-Jon-Klassen/dp/1406353... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Not-Hat-Jon-Klassen/dp/1406353434)\nBlack dog: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Dog-Levi-Pinfold/dp/184877052... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Black-Dog-Levi-Pinfold/dp/1848770529)\nFArTHER: https://www.amazon.co.uk/FArTHER-Grahame-Baker-Smith/dp/1848... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/FArTHER-Grahame-Baker-Smith/dp/1848771339) (Sadly this book uses a stupid font. Other than that it's lovely.)\nPirate Diary: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pirate-Diary-Journal-Jake-Carpenter... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pirate-Diary-Journal-Jake-Carpenter/dp/0744594308)\nI get these from the CILIP Kate Greenaway award. Once you know the name of the writer, or illustrator, or even publisher, you can usually find more good books. http://www.carnegiegreenaway.org.uk/greenaway.php\nCILIP is a UK librarian organisation.  The US equivalent award is probably something like the Caldecott Medal: http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/caldecottmeda... (http://www.ala.org/alsc/awardsgrants/bookmedia/caldecottmedal/caldecottmedal)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is not my hat:",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jon Klassen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "this-is-not-your-city-1cab18",
      "title": "This Is Not Your City",
      "author": "Caitlin Horrocks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3988442,
          "author": "DanBC",
          "createdAt": "2012-05-17T18:48:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 3987016,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3988442",
          "commentText": "Short story collection:\nThis is not your city, by Caitlin Horrocks\n(http://www.amazon.co.uk/This-Is-Not-Your-City/dp/1932511911)\n\"The Psychopath Test\" by Jon Ronson - he's really good journalist and writes well.  This is an interesting read about the newish \"psychopaths everywhere\" meme.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is not your city, by Caitlin Horrocks",
          "reason": "Listed as a recent book in response to the thread asking for a great book read recently.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Caitlin Horrocks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "contemporary literary fiction",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "this-is-not-a-game-b73d6c",
      "title": "This Is Not a Game",
      "author": "Walter Jon Williams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4967406,
          "author": "jlees",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T23:12:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967406",
          "commentText": "I wouldn't class Ready Player One as the best book of 2012, but it was certainly enjoyable (when I read it in 2011). I prefer This Is Not A Game and Pattern Recognition in this genre; also worth checking out is Tad Williams' Otherland series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I prefer This Is Not A Game and Pattern Recognition in this genre",
          "reason": "The commenter says they prefer it to Ready Player One in the genre.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Walter Jon Williams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternate reality games",
        "technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "this-is-running-for-your-life-df9b4d",
      "title": "This Is Running for Your Life",
      "author": "Michelle Orange",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5402286,
          "author": "navait",
          "createdAt": "2013-03-19T17:27:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 5401749,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What interesting books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5402286",
          "commentText": "\"This is Running for Your Life\", a collection of essays by Michelle Orange. She writes about a trip to Beirut and her grandmother's death to discuss our cuture's relationship with nostalgia and death. Very witty and fascinating - I ook forward to reading her next book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"This is Running for Your Life\", a collection of essays by Michelle Orange. She writes about a trip to Beirut and her grandmother's death to discuss our cuture's relationship with nostalgia and death. Very witty and fascinating - I ook forward to reading her next book.",
          "reason": "Describes the essays as witty and fascinating.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michelle Orange"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Society",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "death",
        "essays",
        "nostalgia"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "this-is-what-i-talk-about-when-i-talk-about-running-bda2eb",
      "title": "This Is What I Talk About When I Talk About Running",
      "author": "Haruki Murakami",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17047094,
          "author": "parallel_item",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T13:21:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17047094",
          "commentText": "They aren't all self help. Some just shook my world view so much that I couldn't help but introspect, reviewing everything I believe from a new angle. I find the experience I had with each fairly intimate. I hope others may have the same experience with any book, but think that these may do it.\n1. This Is What I Talk About When I Talk About Running - Haruki Murakami\nMurakami talking about his decision to become an author and also his lifelong hobby of running.\n2. Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls - David Sedaris\nMade me laugh for the first time in awhile.\n3. The Myth of Sisyphus - Albert Camus\nAbsurdity.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This Is What I Talk About When I Talk About Running - Haruki Murakami",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book shook their worldview and describes Murakami's reflections on authorship and running.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Haruki Murakami"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "running"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "this-is-your-brain-on-music-2cae57",
      "title": "This Is Your Brain on Music",
      "author": "Daniel J. Levitin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37937328,
          "author": "jrace",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T01:56:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37937328",
          "commentText": "This Is Your Brain on Music\n-by Daniel Levitin\n--helped me understand why listening to music has such a varied and profound effect on me.\nHallucinations \n-by Oliver Sack\n--piqued my interest in the brain and the notion that it is running the show behind the scenes and what we perceive to be reality is merely a construct of our neural activity.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This Is Your Brain on Music\n-by Daniel Levitin",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped explain music's varied, profound effects on them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3338494,
          "author": "m0nastic",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T21:02:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3338494",
          "commentText": "Right now I'm reading:\nFiction-\n- Reamde (Bought it when it came out, but had to wait to start until I finished some other stuff on my list)\n- The Big Blowdown by George Pelecanos\nNonfiction-\n- Russian Criminal Tattoo Encyclopedia (Volume 1) -- primarily for research, but it's fascinating.\n- Dark Markets by Misha Glenny\n- How to Live on Mars by robert Zubrin\n- The Lightness of Being by Frank Wilczek\n- This is Your Brain on Music by Daniel Levitin\n- Towards a New Architecture by Le Corbusier\n- and Strange Things Happen by Stewart Copeland\nTechnical-\n- Tangled Web (I saw someone else mention it, and it's really really good so far)\n- Skiena's Algorithms book (making slower progress than I'd like).",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "This is Your Brain on Music by Daniel Levitin",
          "reason": "Lists it among books they are reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel J. Levitin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science",
        "Art"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "music cognition",
        "neuroscience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "this-island-earth-ad3cfe",
      "title": "This Island Earth",
      "author": "Raymond F. Jones",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4661385,
          "author": "Androgeny",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-16T19:16:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 4661261,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite Science Fiction book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4661385",
          "commentText": "This Island Earth - an early example of the use of a puzzle (meritocratic choice)to determine an intelligent protagonist as well as a defense against being mathematically expendable. Though the movie bombed, the book and its themes still resonate.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the book and its themes still resonate.",
          "reason": "Says the book's themes still resonate and describes its puzzle and defense against being mathematically expendable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the movie bombed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Raymond F. Jones"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classic science fiction",
        "meritocracy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "this-naked-mind-d2a27c",
      "title": "This Naked Mind",
      "author": "Annie Grace",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37945974,
          "author": "stranded22",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T17:41:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37945974",
          "commentText": "Ok:\n1) Happy by Derren Brown - a stoic interpretation for the modern world (how to live, and die, happy)\n2) The Daily Stoic - 366 pages of stoic philosophy for each day\n3) how to control drinking / this naked mind- second book is a reinterpretation of the first, made the biggest impact on my life, helping me stop drinking\n4) Atomic Habits - helped me appreciate it is a little nudge that makes the biggest long term difference",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this naked mind- second book is a reinterpretation of the first, made the biggest impact on my life, helping me stop drinking",
          "reason": "The commenter says it had a major impact and helped them stop drinking.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a reinterpretation of the preceding book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Annie Grace"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alcohol",
        "behavior change"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "this-outcast-generation-03bb98",
      "title": "This Outcast Generation",
      "author": "Taijun Takeda",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34160861,
          "author": "themodelplumber",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:44:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160861",
          "commentText": "I realized I can't really recommend books to audiences much anymore, because I don't read those types of audience-books as much as I used to.\nBut still, here are some I probably bought for $0.99 and enjoyed:\nLost Restaurants of Seattle\nThis Outcast Generation by Taijun Takeda\nThe Royal Navy Lynx: An Operational History\nA Doctor's War by Aidan MacCarthy\nSniping in France by Hesketh-Prichard\nThe Art of Whittling by Faurot\nMoscow Calling by Angus Roxburgh\nFeynman's Rainbow by Leonard Mlodinow\nIcelandic Folk Tales by Stefansson\nIf you like any of those topics then you have my random recommendation, and possibly the indulgent vanity of once more having avoided consumer risk, or maybe consumer regret.\nThese were fun in 2022, in addition to 1) web browsing, which I find is definitely reading, despite all its numbered-pagelessness, and 2) dipping back into lots of classics and favorites, from Blacksad to Darwin to Scaramouche and Tom Sawyer.\n(Possibly throwing in a volume on the adventures of Groo, a Weird Tales, a Comics Cavalcade, some TTRPGs, and a Scooby-Doo Team-Up...)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "This Outcast Generation by Taijun Takeda",
          "reason": "Included among books enjoyed in 2022 and offered as a recommendation to readers interested in the topics.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the book's topic.",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls the recommendations random.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Taijun Takeda"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "japanese literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "this-will-make-you-smarter-2512e4",
      "title": "This Will Make You Smarter",
      "author": "John Brockman (editor)",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19896678,
          "author": "imakwana",
          "createdAt": "2019-05-13T05:51:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 19895407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books teach mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19896678",
          "commentText": "# Intuition Pump and other tools for thinking by Daniel Dennett\n# Books edited by John Brockman - 1) This Explains Everything, 2) This Idea is Brilliant, 3) This Will Make You Smarter, 4) Thinking\n# Personal MBA by Josh Kaufman\nAlso second the recommendation of other books based on Charlie Munger's wisdom and farnam street's reading list.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "3) This Will Make You Smarter",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Brockman (editor)"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mental models",
        "science essays"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "thistlefoot-e617c4",
      "title": "Thistlefoot",
      "author": "GennaRose Nethercott",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42270216,
          "author": "Yawrehto",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T02:15:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42270216",
          "commentText": "Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott. If you're into Jewish history/legend, Baba Yaga, intergenerational trauma, or just good books, I would find it difficult to recommend it more. It's well-told and well-paced (note: do not read at night if you have something to do in the early morning the next day). As you would expect from a book drawing heavily on Jewish history, it can be difficult to read.\nMiddlegame by Seanan McGuire. Excellent book that handles time travel and its implications reasonablly well. She also wrote a shorter, \"children's\" book series under a pen name; quotes from it appeared in Middlegame. It's called the Up-and-under series. I've only made it through book one so far, as I lost book two, but so far it's been good!\nSilent Spring by Rachel Carson. It's been on my list of books to read for ages and it is in fact excellent, if difficult. I'm planning on reading some of her--allegedly much less dark--books about the sea next, because I've heard she can be very poetic and in Silent Spring it shines through sometimes, but not often.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott.",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends it for its storytelling and pacing.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Jewish history and legend, Baba Yaga, or intergenerational trauma.",
          "caveat": "Can be difficult to read; avoid starting it late if you have an early morning.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "GennaRose Nethercott"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "baba yaga",
        "intergenerational trauma",
        "jewish folklore"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "thomas-the-tank-engine-458e23",
      "title": "Thomas the Tank Engine",
      "author": "Rev. W. Awdry",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34634533,
          "author": "deckiedan",
          "createdAt": "2023-02-02T23:01:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 34634274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books your kids like most",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34634533",
          "commentText": "We've 2 kids, 8 and 5 - both total book worms (and into Minecraft and biking and dude perfect and all sorts... But they love books).\nFind stuff you'll enjoy reading to them. And read to them a lot. You've got the right idea.\nMO Williams books are great for that age.  The elephant and piggie books are fun, Annette's Baguette is brilliant.  The Brambly Hedge books are lovely. Dr Seuss is mostly quite fun.  Peter's railway (if they like trains or engineering at all), the Thomas the Tank engine books, the topsy and Tim books are ok...\nBut get lots of books from the library, charity / thrift stores.  Get lots of books to try out, and have available for them to read. And if they aren't interested, you can always thrift them again. Hanging out at the local library can be good. No time pressure, just let them browse and look at whatever random things they want.\nFor slightly older kids, we've really enjoyed reading Hillary McKay, Terry Pratchett's kids books / short stories, Vivian French's books are great.  and some of the classics are great too - EE Milne, the Paddington books...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the Thomas the Tank engine books",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls them okay.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rev. W. Awdry"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "picture books",
        "trains"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "thou-shall-prosper-ten-commandments-for-making-money-83ab3f",
      "title": "Thou Shall Prosper: Ten Commandments for Making Money",
      "author": "Rabbi Daniel Lapin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38557134,
          "author": "HenryBemis",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:04:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557134",
          "commentText": "Halftime: Moving from Success...\n(this makes sense if you around 40 or over 40)(I read it a few years back and then again this year as a self-follow-up)\nThou Shall Prosper: Ten Commandments for Making Money\n(it's NOT about making money - I found it more useful on \"adding value\" more than \"making money - it changed my perspective on 'how to work, how to operate, how to see things, how to see/seek/grab opportunities' but ultimately how to add value - _and_ get paid handsomely for it)(ok it is about making money, but as a result, not as a driver)\n(if you ignore the \"too much Judaism\" bits, it is a great book)(I read it a few years back and then again this year as a self-follow-up)\nIf you are a parent, Meg Meeker's\n- Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters\n- Strong Mothers, Strong Sons\n(if you ignore the \"too much Christianity\" bits, these are great books) I found them to be super useful manuals/cheatsheets to building strong loving and trusting relationships with my kid(s). I used it with/for my daughter and our relationship moved from a cold father-daughter-we-don't-understand-each-other to a thriving friendly loving respecting listening relationship where she ASKS to actually spend time with me. I cannot recommend it enough to any parent that asks me for books(again.. ignoring the \"too much Christianity\" bits)\n(Disclaimer: I don't want to proselytize anyone to either/or/both Judaism, Christianity or any other religion.)(it's just that I found the Prosper and Strong books so useful..)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it changed my perspective on 'how to work, how to operate, how to see things, how to see/seek/grab opportunities' but ultimately how to add value",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed their perspective on work and adding value.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says to ignore the “too much Judaism” bits.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rabbi Daniel Lapin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business ethics",
        "value creation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "thoughts-without-a-thinker-dd6574",
      "title": "Thoughts Without a Thinker",
      "author": "Mark Epstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1026869,
          "author": "zackattack",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T06:14:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026869",
          "commentText": "Gangleader for a Day - Sudhir Venkatesh's illuminating story about the housing projects, crack gangs and community dynamics of south side chicago in the '90s.\nPredictably Irrational - Dan Ariely explains a lot of the idiosyncracies in everyday human behavior\nThoughts Without a Thinker - Mark Epstein's enjoyable tale about buddhism and psychotherapy\nWorst:\nSuperFreakonomics - Superficial, poorly written, overly patriotic cocktail party factoids",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Mark Epstein's enjoyable tale about buddhism and psychotherapy",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an enjoyable account of Buddhism and psychotherapy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Epstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhism",
        "psychotherapy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "thoughts-on-design-ad9fcd",
      "title": "Thoughts on Design",
      "author": "Paul Rand",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12711221,
          "author": "ryanSrich",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-14T21:28:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12711221",
          "commentText": "Here's a list of all design books that I give to new hires:\nBranded Interactions: Creating the Digital Experience - (https://www.amazon.com/Branded-Interactions-Creating-Digital... (https://www.amazon.com/Branded-Interactions-Creating-Digital-Experience/dp/0500518173))\nThe Visual Display of Quantitative Information - https://www.amazon.com/Visual-Display-Quantitative-Informati... (https://www.amazon.com/Visual-Display-Quantitative-Information/dp/0961392142/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480332&sr=1-1&keywords=Edward+Tufte)\nUniversal Principles of Design - https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Principles-Design-Revised-U... (https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Principles-Design-Revised-Updated/dp/1592535879/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480359&sr=1-1&keywords=universal+principles+of+design)\nThe Interface: IBM and the Transformation of Corporate Design, 1945-1976 - https://www.amazon.com/Interface-Transformation-Corporate-19... (https://www.amazon.com/Interface-Transformation-Corporate-1945-1976-Quadrant/dp/0816670390/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480388&sr=1-1&keywords=the+interface+ibm)\nMultiple Signatures: On Designers, Authors, Readers and Users - https://www.amazon.com/Multiple-Signatures-Designers-Authors... (https://www.amazon.com/Multiple-Signatures-Designers-Authors-Readers/dp/0847839737/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480427&sr=1-1&keywords=Multiple+Signatures)\nChange by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation - https://www.amazon.com/Change-Design-Transforms-Organization... (https://www.amazon.com/Change-Design-Transforms-Organizations-Innovation/dp/0061766089/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480449&sr=1-1&keywords=Change+by+design)\nThoughts on Design - https://www.amazon.com/Thoughts-Design-Paul-Rand/dp/08118754... (https://www.amazon.com/Thoughts-Design-Paul-Rand/dp/081187544X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480478&sr=1-1&keywords=Thoughts+on+design)\nNotes on the Synthesis of Form - https://www.amazon.com/Notes-Synthesis-Form-Harvard-Paperbac... (https://www.amazon.com/Notes-Synthesis-Form-Harvard-Paperbacks/dp/0674627512/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480495&sr=1-1&keywords=notes+on+the+synthesis+of+form)\n..and a list of ones I'm considering adding:\nUnflattening - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0674744438/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0674744438/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\nCreative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All  - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/038534936X/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/038534936X/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\nThe Design Method - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321928849/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321928849/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\nProduct Design for the Web: Principles of Designing and Releasing Web Products- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321929039/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321929039/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Here's a list of all design books that I give to new hires:",
          "reason": "Included in a design book list given to new hires.",
          "audience": "New hires.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Rand"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "design theory",
        "graphic design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "thrawn-trilogy-1a2db9",
      "title": "Thrawn Trilogy",
      "author": "Timothy Zahn",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17537852,
          "author": "rektide",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-16T00:15:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17537852",
          "commentText": "Central Station by Lavie Tidhar is an amazing charming story of a world deeply steeped old sitting baking world where new things are coming about. It is charm & delight in the purest & simplest.\nSpin by Robert Charles Wilson. \"Robert Charles Wilson is a hell of a storyteller,\" said Stephen King and this wonderful tour through time and space, humanity & people's lives is incredible.\nThe Quantum Thief series by Hannu Rajaniemi is open, scenic, wild, & so so vivid, one of the most beautiful worlds I've ever visited, & it reminds me so much of a joyous wild swashbuckling run. The mystery of the main character is enchanting.\nInfoquake series by David Louis Edelson is a gripping suspenseful rise of a star entrepreneur that redefines and radically expands the world, amid an already boisterous & full & busy beautiful world already overflowing in seamless technology everywhere. Although the plot line whips along with some suspense & tension, the scenery and the voyage is incredible.\nLathe of Heaven by Ursala Le Guin could quite easily, quite simply be the best first contact story story ever. Touching, and sincere, & simple. This world is not bright and shiny but her writing and the bonding of characters is incredible. See also the rest of the Hainish cycle.\nLeft Hand of Darkness also by Ursala Le Guin is a shifting chaotic shizmatic tale, about picking our fates. \"Well, I did it through dreams. Phil would have done it another way. But yeah, homage to Phil [K.] Dick is right.\"\n- https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/a... (https://www.wired.com/2012/07/geeks-guide-ursula-k-le-guin/all/)\nFallen Dragon is an early & involved Peter Hamilton adventure book. There's leaving home, & space ships, more space ships, bad guys, fighting back the bad guys, bigger ships, and action. There is A LOT going on, all the time, & violence, but damn this book comes together into something incredible, & telling, & powerful & strong, something that easily makes it my top pick for most-underappreciated Peter Hamilton.\nDiamond Age by Neal Stephenson, which I'm providing largely as a counterweight to the Snowcrash & Sevenses recommendations here. Diamond Age is much less dark, and way more a fun tail about an incredible & mysterious primer for a young lady.\nSirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut.\nAll Systems Red series by Martha Wells is a underprivileged barely coping robot dealing with the humans she hates having to talk to & a shitty planet trying to kill them. Simple, fun, some action & violence, but the main character is a total hoot the whole time with more loner/zero/drop-out attitude & spunk than anything I've read & it's unbelievably charming.\nLords of Light by Roger Zelazny has more style, pizzaz, & spirit than I feel like any of us deserve. An interesting, storied tale from the post-singularity, with a remarkable & robust cast.\nIllium/Olympos by Dan Simmons, are, in my mind still the clear winner, far above Hyperion. The cast is charming beyond belief, stumbling through a world they both know all too much about & far far too little. Some really incredible worldbuilding here.\nRainbow's End by Vernor Vinge. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE A Fire Upon the Deep. But Rainbow's End really is our planet, sometime not far out, and Vinge has the most tour of this next place we're headed, with threads, and annotations, and group chat being the defining new technologies of humanity. And the tale of the misfit happenstance adventurers who wind up ensnared in the plot line is a fun, roving hoot of a journey, a wonderful second chance at a coming of age story.\nMedusa Chronicles by two of my favorites, Alastair Reynolds & Stephen Baxter is probably my favorite exploring the solar system book, about a guy/robot a bit apart from humanity that really wants to see what the local area has to offer. A lot of high tension conflicting societal impulses that our somewhat aloof lead stumbles through, on his personal mission of exploration. Lots of interesting robot philosophy & very varied elements of space come together with the characters to make an incredibly fun space epic, set in a delightful & intriguing alternative history\nOther's recommendations I'd +1: Dune (but super heady material), The Stars My Destination (brimming with class & substance), Mote in God's Eye (some of the best Space Colonial Marines style stuff out there), Accelerando (and Iron Sky and ... overflowing playful scifi), Blue Ant series (dripping with style), Foundation series (and much more Asimov!), Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy (simple direct exciting hunt for treasure in Star Wars), Fuzzy Nation (fun tale)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy (simple direct exciting hunt for treasure in Star Wars)",
          "reason": "Describes the trilogy as a simple, direct, exciting adventure.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Timothy Zahn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera",
        "star wars"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "threaded-interpretive-languages-ef4eb9",
      "title": "Threaded Interpretive Languages",
      "author": "R. G. Loeliger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30822741,
          "author": "zabzonk",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-27T18:33:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30822741",
          "commentText": "Not entirely sure what you are asking here, but:\nhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Threaded-Interpretive-Languages-R-G... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Threaded-Interpretive-Languages-R-G-Loeliger/dp/007038360X)\nIt's quite easy to get into and you can expand it and have all sorts of fun with it.  Certainly not a revered epitome.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://www.amazon.co.uk/Threaded-Interpretive-Languages-R-G...",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is easy to get into and can lead to hands-on exploration.",
          "audience": "Readers curious about programming languages.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is not entirely sure what the question is asking.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "R. G. Loeliger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming languages",
        "threaded interpreters"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "three-critics-of-the-enlightenment-vico-hamann-herder-b09b9f",
      "title": "Three Critics of the Enlightenment: Vico, Hamann, Herder",
      "author": "Isaiah Berlin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12070964,
          "author": "cafard",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T13:43:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12070964",
          "commentText": "Solo: An American Dreamer in Europe by Wright Morris, a memoir of spending part of 1932 and 1933 in Austria, Italy, and France. Not on the whole as rewarding as his other memoirs Will's Boy and A Cloak of Light, but interesting enough.\nAdolphe and Le Cahier Rouge by Benjamin Constant. The former a devastating short novel, the latter a memoir, a portrait of the artist as a young twerp. (The things we boomers would say if something comparable had been published by a millenial!)\nFates and Furies by Lauren Groff, a novel read for a book club. The less said, the better.\nAutobiography by Henry James. Very slow going, but rewarding, a mind at work.\nMy Promised Land by Avi Shalets. A history of Israel and the Zionist project by an Israeli journalist. It covers a lot of ground that most Americans (I infer from my book club) don't know. It seemed to me that it could have been maybe 15% shorter, and that David Remnick should have impounded Shalets's thesaurus.\nThree Critics of the Enlightenment: Vico, Hamann, Herder by Isaiah Berlin. Well worth reading, but requiring more time than just its own reading, for now I have to read some Herder. I have already fought my way through some Hamann; the translation is heavily footnoted, as necessary for those of us who aren't handy with Greek, Hebrew, and Latin, and don't have the Bible memorized.\nKulturgeschichte der Neuzeit (vol. ii) by Egon Friedell. Clive James's recommendation in Cultural Amnesia put me onto this one. Most interesting, but slow going because my German is rusty.\n[Edit: got rid of most of the \"most interesting\"s.]",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Well worth reading, but requiring more time than just its own reading",
          "reason": "Calls it well worth reading while noting it demands additional reading and time.",
          "audience": "Readers prepared to consult related works and translations.",
          "caveat": "Requires more time than reading the book itself.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isaiah Berlin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "enlightenment",
        "intellectual history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "three-men-on-the-bummel-04de9f",
      "title": "Three Men on the Bummel",
      "author": "Jerome K. Jerome",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17382701,
          "author": "icebraining",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T18:41:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17382701",
          "commentText": "+1. Works pretty well as an audiobook as well. \"Three Men on the Bummel\" is amusing too, although not as good.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"Three Men on the Bummel\" is amusing too, although not as good.",
          "reason": "Calls it amusing, while qualifying that it is not as good as the other book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it is not as good as Three Men in a Boat.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jerome K. Jerome"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fiction",
        "travel humor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "three-roads-to-quantum-gravity-b68859",
      "title": "Three Roads to Quantum Gravity",
      "author": "Lee Smolin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Three Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lee Smolin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "quantum gravity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "three-scientists-and-their-gods-99de83",
      "title": "Three Scientists and Their Gods",
      "author": "Robert L. Heilbroner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15630498,
          "author": "dedalus",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T17:35:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630498",
          "commentText": "Three Scientists and their Gods: This book foreshadows the meaning and purpose of science+tech https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214570.Three_Scientists_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/214570.Three_Scientists_and_Their_Gods)\nScifi: The Three Body problem (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)) for its whole encompassing narrative about human future and some of it will be real (fusion instead of chemical fuel, pulse propulsion and other social consequences)\nArdor: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20931250-ardor if you ever wanted to understand ancient indian philosophy. Heavy read, not recommended for fun but more as quest\nFoxTales: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/412167.Foxtales about how software was developed in the midwest free of all the fashion/hipsterism currently in vogue and building a community of users for your software\nThe elements of networking style: If you ever wanted to know the politics of how networking RFCs are made: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2298785.The_Elements_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2298785.The_Elements_of_Networking_Style) and design choices made to build modern day internet\nUnwritten Laws of Engineering: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13122143-unwritten-laws-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13122143-unwritten-laws-of-engineering) is an old and timeless way detailing what it means to engineer\nHigh Performance Browser Networking: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17985198-high-performanc... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17985198-high-performance-browser-networking) if you ever wanted to know what happens inside a browser\nThe Computer and the Brain: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/358880.The_Computer_and_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/358880.The_Computer_and_the_Brain) where the master compares the machine with our brain\nThe Grammatical Man: If you ever wanted to know the importance of structure and constraint in everything: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/722028.Grammatical_Man",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Three Scientists and their Gods: This book foreshadows the meaning and purpose of science+tech",
          "reason": "Says it foreshadows the meaning and purpose of science and technology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert L. Heilbroner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of science",
        "technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "three-worlds-collide-4183f2",
      "title": "Three Worlds Collide",
      "author": "Robin Hanson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7302026,
          "author": "gamegoblin",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T01:07:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7302026",
          "commentText": "I misread your question as sci-fi novellas, but I still think you'll enjoy these (Three Worlds and Prime Intellect are both quite long, anyway).\nThree Worlds Collide\nhttp://robinhanson.typepad.com/files/three-worlds-collide.pd... (http://robinhanson.typepad.com/files/three-worlds-collide.pdf)\nThe Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect\nhttp://localroger.com/prime-intellect/mopiall.html\nThe next few are short stories:\nThe Last Question\nhttp://www.thrivenotes.com/the-last-question/\nThe Last Answer\nhttp://www.thrivenotes.com/the-last-answer/\nLet's Help Germinate This Seed\nhttp://www.thrivenotes.com/lets-help-germinate-this-seed/\nThe Egg\nhttp://www.galactanet.com/oneoff/theegg_mod.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Three Worlds Collide",
          "reason": "Lists it among stories the commenter thinks the reader will enjoy.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking science-fiction stories.",
          "caveat": "The commenter initially misread the request as asking for novellas and notes that this and Prime Intellect are long.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robin Hanson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alien contact",
        "moral dilemmas"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "three-worlds-collide-1ef71b",
      "title": "Three Worlds Collide",
      "author": "Eliezer Yudkowsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9675795,
          "author": "raspie",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T18:30:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9675795",
          "commentText": "Re: Eliezer Yudkowsky, also \"Three Worlds Collide\": http://robinhanson.typepad.com/files/three-worlds-collide.pd... (http://robinhanson.typepad.com/files/three-worlds-collide.pdf)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "also \"Three Worlds Collide\":",
          "reason": "Adds it to the preceding list of mind-blowing reading suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eliezer Yudkowsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "speculative fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "throne-of-the-crescent-moon-5109ca",
      "title": "Throne of the Crescent Moon",
      "author": "Saladin Ahmed",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4967242,
          "author": "colomon",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T22:03:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967242",
          "commentText": "New:\nRange of Ghosts, Elizabeth Bear\nThrone of the Crescent Moon, Saladin Ahmed\nOld:\nThe House of the Stag, Kage Baker\nSoldier of Sidon, Gene Wolfe\nRange of Ghosts was definitely the stand out book of the year for me, the other three I'm sure I will reread.  (Actually this time around was already a reread for Soldier of Sidon.)  I'm pretty sure there were a couple of other books I read and quite enjoyed that I've forgotten now.  No science fiction books come to mind at all, which makes me kind of sad.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Throne of the Crescent Moon, Saladin Ahmed",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Saladin Ahmed"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "arabian fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "through-a-camel-s-eye-20da60",
      "title": "Through a Camel's Eye",
      "author": "Dorothy Johnston",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21461088,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T09:54:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21461088",
          "commentText": "Currently:\nThrough a Camel's Eye by Dorothy Johnston although admit I'm having trouble getting into it. Will give it another 50 pages before I decide.\nAnd today started listening to Dune Messiah on audiobook. I loved the first book which I've reread many times, but didn't enjoy the following books at all when I read them years and years ago. Decided to give them another try.\nRecommend:\nThe First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North for beautiful prose, charming writing and an inventive story. Her first and best book under that pseudonym.\nBarsk: The Elephants' Graveyard and The Moons of Barsk by Lawrence M. Schoen for making me care about anthropomorphic elephants.\nChildren of Time and Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovsky for almost making me care about non-anthropomorphic spiders.\nI Am Not a Serial Killer and sequels by Dan Wells for tricking me into reading a horror novel when I at first thought it was a thriller, but really enjoying it anyway.\nThe Lost Man by Jane Harper for being similar but so far a lot better than Through a Camel's Eye.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "although admit I'm having trouble getting into it. Will give it another 50 pages before I decide.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is having trouble getting into it and will give it 50 more pages before deciding.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dorothy Johnston"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crime fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "through-the-gates-of-the-silver-key-d7f7b8",
      "title": "Through the Gates of the Silver Key",
      "author": "H. P. Lovecraft and E. Hoffmann Price",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50115941,
          "author": "johncoltrane",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T09:03:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50115941",
          "commentText": "J.R.R. Tolkien: The lord of the Rings (lost count)\nPhilip K. Dick: Ubik, Flow My Tears The Policeman Said, A Scanner Darkly, etc. too many to count (many more than twice)\nWilliam Gibson: everything at least twice\nNeal Stephenson: Snow crash (three times, I think)\nClifford D. Simak: City\nH. P. Lovecraft: everything at least twice. There is a French compilation of The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, The Silver Key, and Through the Gates of the Silver Key that I've read countless times. I've used two editions and I'm at my third.\nMaurice G. Dantec: Babylon Babies (three times)\nPossibly many others.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Through the Gates of the Silver Key",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have read this work countless times in a French compilation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Named as part of a compilation, not necessarily a standalone edition.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "H. P. Lovecraft",
        "E. Hoffmann Price"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cosmic horror",
        "weird fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "through-the-looking-glass-9805c8",
      "title": "Through the Looking-Glass",
      "author": "Lewis Carroll",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2615877,
          "author": "kaeluka",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T11:04:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2615877",
          "commentText": "Just now I'm reading something I wanted to read for a long time: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. The next will be Through the Looking Glass, same author.\nAmongst the last few books I read, I recommend Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five, Marlen Haushofer - The Wall (although this will be too kafkaesque for some), Fahrenheit 451.\nI do love Jules Verne as well.\nAtlas Shrugged should be known to anyone around here, I guess.. Relating to Atlas Shrugged: Nietzsche - Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Both books were very influential to me when I was younger.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The next will be Through the Looking Glass, same author.",
          "reason": "The comment lists it among books recommended in response to the reading question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 143508,
          "author": "andrewl",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T19:59:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143508",
          "commentText": "D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths\nStar Trek, the original series\nI, Robot by Isaac Asimov. The first science fiction story I read, which lead to all the others.\nThe Annotated Alice by Lewis Carroll and Martin Gardner. That's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, by Lewis Carroll, with wonderful annotations by Martin Gardner.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "and Through the Looking Glass, by Lewis Carroll, with wonderful annotations by Martin Gardner.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Named as one of the works included in The Annotated Alice.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lewis Carroll"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classic children s literature",
        "classic literature",
        "fantasy",
        "nonsense literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "through-the-looking-glass-and-what-alice-found-there-70d0a7",
      "title": "Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There",
      "author": "Lewis Carroll",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41388360,
          "author": "fabianholzer",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T07:48:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41388360",
          "commentText": "The sequel \"Through the Looking-Glass\" contains one of the most fitting parables on software engineering ever written: The Red Queen's race...",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The sequel \"Through the Looking-Glass\" contains one of the most fitting parables on software engineering ever written: The Red Queen's race...",
          "reason": "Points to a parable in the sequel as fitting software engineering.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5691391,
          "author": "bloodorange",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-11T17:53:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 5691256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5691391",
          "commentText": "\"Alice's Adventures in Wonderland\" - Lewis Carroll\n\"Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There\" - Lewis Carroll\n\"Dracula\" - Bram Stoker\n\"Frankenstein\" - Mary Shelly\n\"On Education\" - Bertrand Russell\n\"The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy\" - Douglas Adams\n\"Animal Farm\" - George Orwell\n\"1984\" - George Orwell\n\"Lord of The Flies\" - William Golding\n\"Brave New World\" - Aldous Huxley\n\"Gulliver's Travels\" - Jonathan Swift\n\"The Selfish Gene\" - Richard Dawkins",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There\" - Lewis Carroll",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for good book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lewis Carroll"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classic literature",
        "fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "thunder-run-the-armored-strike-to-capture-baghdad-78d6ea",
      "title": "Thunder Run: The Armored Strike to Capture Baghdad",
      "author": "David Zucchino",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10783443,
          "author": "SuperChihuahua",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:34:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783443",
          "commentText": "I've read 33 books so I'm not going to publish the list here, but i blogged about it: http://blog.habrador.com/2015/12/books-ive-read-in-2015.html\nThe books I liked the most were:\n-  The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes - and Why\n- On Intelligence\n- The Martian\n- The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution\n- Einstein: His Life and Universe\n- Alan Turing: The Enigma\n- Neuroscience for Dummies\n- Thunder Run - (which is about the battle of Baghdad in 2003)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Thunder Run - (which is about the battle of Baghdad in 2003)",
          "reason": "Includes it among the books they liked most.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Zucchino"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "battle of baghdad",
        "iraq war"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tibet-tibet-915801",
      "title": "Tibet, Tibet",
      "author": "Patrick French",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13237188,
          "author": "kranner",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:44:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237188",
          "commentText": "- Tetris: The Games People Play by Box Brown\n- Tibet, Tibet by Patrick French\n- Maya: A Novel by CW Huntington, Jr\n- The Science of Enlightenment by Shinzen Young\n- Flask Web Development by Miguel Grinberg\n- Buddha's Diet by Tara Cottrell\n- A Feast of Vultures by Josy Joseph\n- Genghis Khan: Life, Death and Resurrection by John Man\n- Chasing the Scream by Johann Hari\n- Cuckold by Kiran Nagarkar\n- Goliath by Tom Gauld\n- This Will Never Happen Again by David Cain\n- Cure by Jo Marchant\n- If It’s Monday It Must Be Madurai: A Conducted Tour of India by Srinath Perur\n- Deep Work by Cal Newport\n- Enduring Love by Ian McEwan\n- The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery\n- The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt\n- The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion\nand a few others that aren't worth recommending; all the above are.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "all the above are.",
          "reason": "The commenter includes the listed books among those worth recommending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Patrick French"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "politics",
        "tibet",
        "travel writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tigana-22bb52",
      "title": "Tigana",
      "author": "Guy Gavriel Kay",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38557015,
          "author": "TheAceOfHearts",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T14:54:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557015",
          "commentText": "Vita Nostra because it has an interesting magic system. Piranesi because it also has a weird magic system.\nI didn't read it this past year, but the first one that came to mind was Tigana. That book was rather weird for me, because the process of reading it wasn't very enjoyable, but after finishing I loved it.\nIf anyone has suggestions for fantasy or sci-fi books with weird or non-standard magic systems I'd love to hear em. I've already read most of the big names like Sanderson.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the process of reading it wasn't very enjoyable, but after finishing I loved it.",
          "reason": "The commenter ultimately loved the book after finding the reading experience unenjoyable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Reading it was not enjoyable for the commenter, despite loving it afterward.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Guy Gavriel Kay"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy",
        "historical fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tiger-shrimp-tango-e57ec7",
      "title": "Tiger Shrimp Tango",
      "author": "Tim Dorsey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8257624,
          "author": "leephillips",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T14:08:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257624",
          "commentText": "Just finished Tiger Shrimp Tango by Tim Dorsey, and found out that it is 17th in a series starring the same ensemble of main characters (I'd never read Dorsey before).\nIf you want nothing more nor less than pure entertainment and hilarity, with plenty of social satire, this works.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Just finished Tiger Shrimp Tango by Tim Dorsey",
          "reason": "Described as pure entertainment and hilarity, with social satire.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking entertainment, hilarity, and social satire.",
          "caveat": "The praise is conditional on wanting this kind of entertainment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tim Dorsey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic crime fiction",
        "social satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "time-is-the-simplest-thing-b89bba",
      "title": "Time Is the Simplest Thing",
      "author": "Clifford D. Simak",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8106989,
          "author": "cellover",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:32:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106989",
          "commentText": "I like understanding where I am located in space and time, that is why I love reading about science & science fiction ; it is indirectly related to religion in the sense that it makes you think about your world, about yourself.\nBuddhism / Religion / ... :\n- Siddartha - Hermann Hesse\n- The Alchemist - Paulo Coelho\nScience:\n- A brief history of time - Stephen Hawking (space, time)\n- The Blind Watchmaker - Richard Dawkins (evolution)\n- Le cerveau intime - Marc Jeannerod (in french only)\nScience-fiction:\n- The Road - Cormack Mc Carthy\n- City - Clifford D. Simack\n- Time is the simplest thing - Clifford D. Simack\n- Ringworld - Larry Niven",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Time is the simplest thing - Clifford D. Simack",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Clifford D. Simak"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space exploration",
        "telepathy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "time-out-of-joint-abc11c",
      "title": "Time Out of Joint",
      "author": "Philip K. Dick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36021585,
          "author": "mbustamanter",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:55:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021585",
          "commentText": "Two favorite books of mine I've seldom seen mentioned but I think are gems: The three stigmata of Palmer Eldritch and Time out of joint, both by Philip K. Dick. The first plays with several layers of reality along the book. One time I found myself re-reading some passages because there were so many layers it was hard to follow, but it's worth it. The second is (if I recall correctly) the inspiration for a 90s pop movie starring Jim Carrey. I won't mention the name because it might give away some plot points.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Time out of joint",
          "reason": "The commenter names it as a favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip K. Dick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "time-and-free-will-an-essay-on-the-immediate-data-of-consciousnes-62d6a6",
      "title": "Time and Free Will: An Essay on the Immediate Data of Consciousness",
      "author": "Henri Bergson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22095906,
          "author": "pattusk",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T02:56:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22095906",
          "commentText": "Bergson's Time and Free Will: An Essay on the Immediate Data of Consciousness\nNot exactly unknown but Bergson isn't as fashionable as he used to be and often derided for his belief in spiritualism and failure to understand Einstein's relativity.\nYet I've always found his core argument about duration and science (that science only measure discrete moments but never the full motion) has always fascinated me.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Bergson's Time and Free Will: An Essay on the Immediate Data of Consciousness",
          "reason": "Discusses Bergson’s argument about duration and science and says it has long fascinated them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Notes it is not exactly unknown and that Bergson is less fashionable and often derided.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Henri Bergson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "henri bergson",
        "philosophy of time"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "time-for-the-stars-9e9597",
      "title": "Time for the Stars",
      "author": "Robert A. Heinlein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15630190,
          "author": "curtis",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:47:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630190",
          "commentText": "I love just about every one of Robert A. Heinlein's juvenile science fiction novels [1] and still love them as an adult.  When I was a teenager, Time for the Stars [2] was probably my favorite, but as an adult, I've come to appreciate Citizen of the Galaxy [3] more.\n[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinlein_juveniles\n[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_for_the_Stars\n[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_of_the_Galaxy",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Time for the Stars [2] was probably my favorite",
          "reason": "Says it was probably their favorite as a teenager.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes it as a teenage favorite.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert A. Heinlein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "interstellar travel",
        "juvenile science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "timequake-553eb0",
      "title": "Timequake",
      "author": "Kurt Vonnegut",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6416411,
          "author": "seanccox",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-20T07:28:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6416411",
          "commentText": "White Teeth, Zadie Smith\nFierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates, Tom Robbins\nHomage to Catalonia, George Orwell\nCatch 22, Joseph Heller\nTimequake; Mother Night, Kurt Vonnegut Jr.\nSeven Pillars of Wisdom, TE Lawrence\nThe Histories, Tacitus\nThe Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger (caveat, it was most effective when I read it at 16)\nRedwall, Brian Jaques (got me really excited about reading when I was in the fourth grade)\nThis list could be much, much longer, but those are the most prominent 'life-changers' that come to mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Timequake; Mother Night, Kurt Vonnegut Jr.",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the most prominent life-changers that come to mind.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kurt Vonnegut"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "satire",
        "science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tiny-beautiful-things-ca538d",
      "title": "Tiny Beautiful Things",
      "author": "Cheryl Strayed",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9348752,
          "author": "andrea_sdl",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T16:26:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348752",
          "commentText": "Tiny beautiful things by Cheryl Strayed.\nOut of the overcrowded self-help world this book will challenge you and get to your heart.\nThere's something to learn in every story.\nAnother one is \"The power of vulnerability\" by Brene Brown, actually it's an audiobook, I think the book has no equivalent written version but it might be something on the line of \"Daring greatly\" (same author).\nThese books will challenge you in many ways.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "this book will challenge you and get to your heart.\nThere's something to learn in every story.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is emotionally affecting and that each story offers something to learn.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as part of the overcrowded self-help world.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cheryl Strayed"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "advice essays",
        "personal growth"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tiny-c-projects-f1e239",
      "title": "Tiny C Projects",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34417647,
          "author": "saboot",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-17T19:43:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 34412069,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach programming by building a series of small projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34417647",
          "commentText": "This was just released, I haven't picked it up yet but it's definitely on my wish list\nhttps://www.manning.com/books/tiny-c-projects",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "This was just released, I haven't picked it up yet but it's definitely on my wish list",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is on their wish list, though they have not read it yet.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter hasn't picked it up yet.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming",
        "project based learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tiny-habits-ff3216",
      "title": "Tiny Habits",
      "author": "BJ Fogg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40282537,
          "author": "AnonC",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T05:10:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40282537",
          "commentText": "There is a reward at the end. That is an important requirement for this method.\nIt’s easy to try this out in a little more structured way and with assistance. Tiny habits [1] has a free five day program where you can try it and seek assistance from a person trained in this method. I tried it and it didn’t really stick for me, but I wouldn’t say that it was a total waste of my time. I could relate to the advice and I plan to read the book sometime.\n[1]: https://tinyhabits.com",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I could relate to the advice and I plan to read the book sometime.",
          "reason": "Plans to read it and relates to its advice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Tried the program; it did not really stick, though it was not a total waste of time.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 30242792,
          "author": "chegra",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T10:25:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30242792",
          "commentText": "I never read his book, but I have taken a course by him via email. But yes, I believe they are the same thing. I think BJ Fogg has a more academic bent to it while this is a book from someone telling a story about what worked for them. I tend to like personal stories backed up with scientific evidence(I don't know if tiny habit is like that since I never read it). But, I like the practical implementation steps given in a personal story. What this book has over the stuff I was doing via email is that it is less complicated.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I don't know if tiny habit is like that since I never read it",
          "reason": "Compares an email course with the book, while saying the commenter has not read the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it and is unsure whether it includes scientific evidence.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "BJ Fogg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Health",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "habit formation",
        "behavior change"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tiny-habits-cb1ea3",
      "title": "Tiny Habits",
      "author": "B.J. Fogg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35173254,
          "author": "duckmysick",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T19:10:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35173254",
          "commentText": "Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg.\nIt's unconventional, because it's not strictly about businesses or startups or selling.\nBut if you think about, running a business is doing predictable things over and over again. Problem is, it's so complicated and there's so many things you need to take care of. Breaking them down into smallest possible steps and making habits out of them kept me moving. Write one sentence. Dial one number. Open one email. Process one invoice. It quickly snowballed.\nLater, when I started scaling and delegating, I had a blueprint ready for someone else. Because they would struggle too.\nAnd that's just a business side. The book also helped me with personal habits.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg.",
          "reason": "The commenter says breaking work into small steps and building habits helped keep the business moving, enabled delegation, and helped with personal habits.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not strictly about businesses, startups, or selling.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 18486226,
          "author": "21dayhero",
          "createdAt": "2018-11-19T13:27:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 18473561,
          "threadTitle": "Best book/paper you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18486226",
          "commentText": "sure:\nJames Clear, the above author has the blog where he writes about habits extensively: www.jamesclear.com\nTiny Habits is a habit program created by Stanford Prof BJ Fogg - www.tinyhabits.com\n21 Day Hero (shameless plug) - is a place where you start building habits through 21 day challenges. We're transitioning however to full-on habit building journey, through an app and other tools/programs - www.21dayhero.com\nSelfication - http://www.selfication.com/ - is also a great blog in the behavioral science direction\nBest apps out there is Fabulous, Spar!, Habitica, Pacifica and many others.\nIf you want this all in one - our team actually have this secret habit landscape map done, which includes all books, apps, researchers, blogs in the habit space. Haven't shared publicly yet. But can email it to you if you wish",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Tiny Habits is a habit program created by Stanford Prof BJ Fogg",
          "reason": "Identifies it as a habit program; the comment does not evaluate or recommend a book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "This refers to a program, not a book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "B.J. Fogg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Business",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "habit formation",
        "behavior change"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tiny-habits-the-small-changes-that-change-everything-644a96",
      "title": "Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything",
      "author": "BJ Fogg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40279762,
          "author": "kibae",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-06T21:34:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40279762",
          "commentText": "Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg might be a better book for you. The key to building habits is to start with a habit that is ridiculously small and once you feel like you've got that locked in, you can add another ridiculously small habit on top of it.\ne.g. To build a flossing habit, floss just one tooth a day. Once you've got into the habit of pulling out floss and flossing just one tooth, you can move onto flossing two teeth and so on.\nIf at any point you feel resistance to doing the bigger habit you're trying to build up, you can always revert back to doing the initial tiny habit of flossing just one tooth.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tiny Habits by BJ Fogg might be a better book for you.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends starting with a very small habit and gradually building it up.",
          "audience": "Someone who struggles to implement productivity advice and suspects ADHD is a factor.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "BJ Fogg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adhd",
        "habit formation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tipitaka-e20574",
      "title": "Tipitaka",
      "author": "Unknown",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34161496,
          "author": "psithurism",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T14:53:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161496",
          "commentText": "Sociology:\n- The Coddling of the American Mind\n- The Tao of Pooh\n- Guns, Germs, and Steel\n- Weapons of the Weak\nReligious:\n- Guru Granth Sahib\n- Bible (King James Version)\n- Q’uran\n- The Book of Mormon \n- Tipitaka\nFantasy:\n- Dawn of Wonder by Jonathan Renshaw\n- The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan \n- The Way of Kings series by Brandon Sanderson\n- Mistborn also by Brandon Sanderson\n- Red Rising by Pierce Brown\n- The Licanius trilogy by James Islington\n- Saga of the Forgotten Warrior series by Larry Correia\nBiography\n- John Adams by David McCullough",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Tipitaka",
          "reason": "Listed under religious books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhism",
        "religious scripture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tirukkural-292d03",
      "title": "Tirukkural",
      "author": "Thiruvalluvar",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17382243,
          "author": "senthil_rajasek",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T17:20:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17382243",
          "commentText": "Tirukkural\nExcerpt from the Wikipedia page,\n\"Considered one of the greatest works ever written on ethics and morality, chiefly secular ethics, it is known for its universality and non-denominational nature.\"\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tirukkuṛaḷ",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tirukkural",
          "reason": "Introduced with a description from Wikipedia as a major work on ethics and morality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The description is explicitly attributed to the Wikipedia page.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thiruvalluvar"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aphorisms",
        "ethics",
        "tamil literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "titan-7bab1c",
      "title": "Titan",
      "author": "Stephen Baxter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4661483,
          "author": "abosley",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-16T19:40:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 4661261,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite Science Fiction book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4661483",
          "commentText": "I'll have to say Neuromancer by William Gibson.  Changed my worldview and what I thought was possible.  I'm a huge fan of Ian M Banks, Charlie Stross, Ian MacDonald, Cory Doctorow, Peter Watts and older (90's) Stephen Baxter.  Baxter's Titan is a great piece of writing - makes you feel the isolation of being millions of miles from humanity",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Baxter's Titan is a great piece of writing - makes you feel the isolation of being millions of miles from humanity",
          "reason": "Praises its writing and its portrayal of isolation in space.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Baxter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "isolation",
        "space exploration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "to-have-or-to-be-2eaccc",
      "title": "To Have or to Be?",
      "author": "Erich Fromm",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36429358,
          "author": "manuelmoreale",
          "createdAt": "2023-06-22T08:18:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 36428036,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book has had the most meaningful contribution in your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36429358",
          "commentText": "To Have or to Be? by Erich Fromm\nHelped me shape the way I look at relationships in my life.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "To Have or to Be? by Erich Fromm\nHelped me shape the way I look at relationships in my life.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it shaped how they view relationships.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Erich Fromm"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "humanistic psychology",
        "relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "to-pixar-and-beyond-my-unlikely-journey-with-steve-jobs-and-the-f-7bc799",
      "title": "To Pixar and Beyond: My Unlikely Journey with Steve Jobs and the First $1 Trillion Company",
      "author": "Lawrence Levy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29670178,
          "author": "tehnub",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T04:24:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29670178",
          "commentText": "Fiction: Berserk. Not a book, but a long-running manga that began in 1989 by then-22-year-old Kentaro Miura, and which was ongoing until his tragic death this year in May. It is a fantasy; some parts are grim, some immensely tragic, but at its core it is human and uplifting, and we see moments of incredible beauty and deep emotion. On top of this, the art is absolutely gorgeous and is in a class of its own. If you're interested in Berserk, I recommend reading the original manga, but the 1997 anime is excellent as well.\nNonfiction: To Pixar And Beyond. The former CFO of Pixar, Lawrence Levy, tells the story of Pixar's IPO and the making of Toy Story. Very interesting reading for anyone interesting in Steve Jobs, Pixar, or the business of movies and tech.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nonfiction: To Pixar And Beyond. The former CFO of Pixar, Lawrence Levy, tells the story of Pixar's IPO and the making of Toy Story.",
          "reason": "The author recounts Pixar’s IPO and the making of Toy Story.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Steve Jobs, Pixar, or the business of movies and tech.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lawrence Levy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "film business",
        "pixar"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "to-reign-in-hell-f2f6f8",
      "title": "To Reign in Hell",
      "author": "Steven Brust",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5833109,
          "author": "nicwolff",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T15:45:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5833109",
          "commentText": "Top three:\nMockingbird, by Walter Tevis;\nRiddley Walker, by Russell Hoban;\nGlimpses of the Moon, by Edith Wharton\nSome other favorites:\nThe Dog Stars, by Peter Heller;\nTo Reign In Hell, by Steven Brust;\nMachine Man, by Max Barry;\nThe Dawn Patrol, by Don Winslow;\nThe Woman, by Hank Ketchum",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "To Reign In Hell, by Steven Brust",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's other favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Brust"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biblical retelling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "to-ride-hell-s-chasm-d587de",
      "title": "To Ride Hell's Chasm",
      "author": "Janny Wurts",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25913977,
          "author": "asicsp",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-26T09:34:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 25904433,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book do you want to read next?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25913977",
          "commentText": "See https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/wiki/lists\nMy recommendations, in no particular order:\n* The Riyria Revelations by Michael Sullivan\n* Memory, Sorrow and Thorn by Tad Williams\n* To Ride Hell's Chasm by Janny Wurts\n* Worm by Wildbow\n* Cradle by Will Wight (think anime like Naruto in book form, but without fillers/fan-service)\n* Farseer by Robin Hobb\n* Powder Mage by Brian McClellan\n* The First Law by Joe Abercrombie\n* The Dagger and the Coin by Daniel Abraham",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* To Ride Hell's Chasm by Janny Wurts",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's fantasy recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking fantasy novels or epics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Janny Wurts"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure",
        "epic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "to-save-everything-click-here-07c59c",
      "title": "To Save Everything, Click Here",
      "author": "Evgeny Morozov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39063214,
          "author": "crabmusket",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-20T00:14:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39063214",
          "commentText": "I need to read Illich. I've been following The Convivial Society, a newsletter whose author is very influenced by Illich.\nMy introduction to tech criticism was To Save Everything, Click Here by Evgeny Morozov. He describes a lot of tech culture as \"solutionism\" which I think is a great lens to have in your pocket.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "To Save Everything, Click Here by Evgeny Morozov.",
          "reason": "Names it as the commenter’s introduction to tech criticism and says it presents a useful lens for understanding solutionism.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Evgeny Morozov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "solutionism",
        "technology criticism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "to-save-everything-click-here-the-folly-of-technological-solution-3958b7",
      "title": "To Save Everything, Click Here: The Folly of Technological Solutionism",
      "author": "Evgeny Morozov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8795504,
          "author": "pizza",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T05:21:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795504",
          "commentText": "Books I imagine will have 'tremendous' (what a prior, lol) effect\nNon-fiction;\nSlavoj Zizek's Absolute Recoil: Towards a New Foundation of Dialectical Materialism\nEvgeny Morozov's To Save Everything Click Here: The Folly of Technological Solutionism\nFiction;\nWilliam Gibson's Neuromancer\nVernor Vinge's A Deepness in the Sky (Zones of Thought)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Evgeny Morozov's To Save Everything Click Here: The Folly of Technological Solutionism",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter expects to have a tremendous effect.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Evgeny Morozov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "solutionism",
        "technology criticism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "to-sell-is-human-the-surprising-truth-about-moving-others-8a73b7",
      "title": "To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others",
      "author": "Daniel H. Pink",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10233545,
          "author": "mbesto",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T14:30:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10233545",
          "commentText": "These are great books for starting off with the why and how of sales:\nDaniel Pink - To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others http://www.amazon.com/Sell-Human-Surprising-Moving-Others/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/Sell-Human-Surprising-Moving-Others/dp/1594631905/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8)\nDale Carnegie - How to Win Friends & Influence People http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/06... (http://www.amazon.com/How-Win-Friends-Influence-People/dp/0671027034/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1442499882&sr=1-1)\nAs you understand the macro details of sales, the more micro things (tactics, strategies, best practices) are probably best served by specific industry or specific aspects of sales. For example:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Behind-Cloud-Salesforce-com-Billion-Do... (http://www.amazon.com/Behind-Cloud-Salesforce-com-Billion-Dollar-Company-/dp/0470521163/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1442500049&sr=8-1)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Sales-Acceleration-Formula-Technology-... (http://www.amazon.com/Sales-Acceleration-Formula-Technology-Inbound/dp/1119047072/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1442500089&sr=8-2)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Predictable-Revenue-Business-Practices... (http://www.amazon.com/Predictable-Revenue-Business-Practices-Salesforce-com/dp/0984380213/ref=pd_sim_14_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=08BC3RAFN4RSZDNWQJ9Q&dpID=51mYrIgNB6L&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR104%2C160_)\nI also really like Jason Lemkin and his SaaStr blog: http://www.saastr.com/ Loads of SaaS sales practices on there.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "These are great books for starting off with the why and how of sales:\nDaniel Pink - To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others",
          "reason": "Suggested as a good starting book for understanding sales.",
          "audience": "People starting to learn sales.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel H. Pink"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "persuasion",
        "sales"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "to-stay-alive-a30c4e",
      "title": "To Stay Alive",
      "author": "Michel Houellebecq",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17337268,
          "author": "0b01",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:10:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337268",
          "commentText": "To Stay Alive by Michel Houellebecq",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "To Stay Alive by Michel Houellebecq",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michel Houellebecq"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creative life"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "to-your-scattered-bodies-go-cb4a1c",
      "title": "To Your Scattered Bodies Go",
      "author": "Philip José Farmer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 140490,
          "author": "nazgulnarsil",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T02:59:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140490",
          "commentText": "depends on the subgenre :)\nSuperhuman:\nSlan by A.E. Van Vogt\nMore Than Human by Theodore STurgeon\nOdd John by Olaf Stapledon\nPost Apocalyptic:\nThe Day of The Triffids by John Whyndham\nEarth Abides by George R. Stewart\nA Canticle for Lebowitz by...don't remember\nSpace Opera/Adventure:\nany of The Culture novels by Iain M. Banks\nThe Reality Dysfunction series by ...don't remember\nHyperion series by Dan Simmons\nTo Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer\nDystopian:\nWe by Yevgeny Zamyatin <---highly overlooked, predates 1984 and Brave New World\nBut the Absolute Best would be anything by:\nStanislaw Lem (Cyberiad, Futurological Congress, Solaris)\nAlfred Bester (The STars my Destination, The Demolished Man)\nor Samuel R. Delany (Babel-17, Dhalgren, Trtion, Nova)\noh and Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light and This Immortal are both great.\nSome of Philip K. Dick's stuff is great, but everyone recommends him. :)\nalmost forgot John Brunner, check out Steel Beach, The Sheep Look Up, and Stand on Zanzibar.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "To Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip José Farmer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure",
        "resurrection"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "to-the-last-man-a-novel-of-the-first-world-war-ac9d43",
      "title": "To the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War",
      "author": "Jeff Shaara",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10785428,
          "author": "ycom13__",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:23:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785428",
          "commentText": "Here are all the ones I read this year\n  A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire) by George R. R. Martin\n  A Feast for Crows: A Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) by George R.R. Martin\n  The Confident Speaker: Beat Your Nerves and Communicate at Your Best in Any Situation by Harrison Monarth\n  House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewsk\n  To the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War by Jeff Shaara \n  Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson\n  Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader by Brent Schlender\n  George Washington's Secret Six: The Spy Ring That Saved the American Revolution by Brian Kilmeade\n  Think Like a Freak: The Authors of Freakonomics Offer to Retrain Your Brain by Steven D. Levitt\n  Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance\n  Finders Keepers: A Novel by Stephen King\n  The Guns of August: The Pulitzer Prize-Winning Classic About the Outbreak of World War I by Barbara W. Tuchman\n  The Wright Brothers by David McCullough\n  Seveneves: A Novel by Neal Stephenson\n  The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson\n  Hitler's Last Day: Minute by Minute by Emma Craigie\n  The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins\n  Robopocalypse: A Novel (Vintage Contemporaries) by Daniel H. Wilson\n  Robogenesis by Daniel H. Wilson\n  In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick\n\n\n\nMy 5 favorite ones from that list are\n  In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathaniel Philbrick\n  Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance\n  To the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War by Jeff Shaara \n  Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson\n  The Wright Brothers by David McCullough",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "To the Last Man: A Novel of the First World War by Jeff Shaara",
          "reason": "Included in the list and later named among the commenter's five favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeff Shaara"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction",
        "world war i"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tobit-0066a4",
      "title": "Tobit",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8107077,
          "author": "kilo_man",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T09:00:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107077",
          "commentText": "Just listing books that have had a big impact on me:\n* The Now Habit - http://www.amazon.com/dp/1585425524\n* Getting Things Done - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0142000280\n* Simply Christian - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061920622\n* Surprised by Hope - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0061551821\n* The Great Divorce - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060652950\n* Mere Christianity - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060652926\n* The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius - http://www.amazon.com/dp/048629823X\n* Tao Te Ching - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0060812451\nBooks from the Bible that I like:\n* Genesis\n* Judges\n* Ruth\n* Tobit\n* Job\n* Psalms\n* Ecclesiastes\n* Sirach/Ecclesiasticus\n* Everything written by John",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tobit",
          "reason": "Listed among biblical books the commenter says they like.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bible",
        "deuterocanonical books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tog-on-interface-a3a055",
      "title": "Tog on Interface",
      "author": "Bruce Tognazzini",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12711324,
          "author": "joatmon-snoo",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-14T21:45:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12711324",
          "commentText": "How has Bruce Tognazzini's stuff not been mentioned yet? Tog on Software and Tog on Interface are great.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Tog-Software-Design-Bruce-Tognazzini/... (https://www.amazon.com/Tog-Software-Design-Bruce-Tognazzini/dp/0201489171)\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Tog-Interface-Bruce-Tognazzini/dp/020... (https://www.amazon.com/Tog-Interface-Bruce-Tognazzini/dp/0201608421)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tog on Software and Tog on Interface are great.",
          "reason": "Called a great book in response to a request for UI design books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruce Tognazzini"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "user interface design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tog-on-software-fbce42",
      "title": "Tog on Software",
      "author": "Bruce Tognazzini",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12711324,
          "author": "joatmon-snoo",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-14T21:45:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12711324",
          "commentText": "How has Bruce Tognazzini's stuff not been mentioned yet? Tog on Software and Tog on Interface are great.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Tog-Software-Design-Bruce-Tognazzini/... (https://www.amazon.com/Tog-Software-Design-Bruce-Tognazzini/dp/0201489171)\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Tog-Interface-Bruce-Tognazzini/dp/020... (https://www.amazon.com/Tog-Interface-Bruce-Tognazzini/dp/0201608421)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tog on Software and Tog on Interface are great.",
          "reason": "Called a great book in response to a request for UI design books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruce Tognazzini"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software design",
        "user interface design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tom-robbins-s-books-d11362",
      "title": "Tom Robbins's books",
      "author": "Tom Robbins",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41175653,
          "author": "taylodl",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:37:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175653",
          "commentText": "- Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (Pirsig)\n- Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid (Hofstadter)\n- Shadows of the Mind: A Search for the Missing Science of Consciousness (Penrose)\n- Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind (Suzuki)\n- Demian (Hesse)\n- The Stranger (Camus)\n- Slaughterhouse-Five (Vonnegut)\n- Another Roadside Attraction (Robbins)\nI have read many books that have had an impact on me for a time, but these are the books that have had an enduring impact going on now for decades.\nAnd yes, one of these books, Another Roadside Attraction, is unlike the others. You can substitute any Tom Robbins book, or read them all!, but this is the book that started it all for me. Tom Robbins' books taught me to not take life so seriously.\nDemian and The Stranger may be fiction, but let's just say their purpose is to get across a philosophical point.\nFinally, with regards to Slaughterhouse-Five, you'll just have to read it.\nEnjoy!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You can substitute any Tom Robbins book, or read them all!",
          "reason": "Recommends any of Robbins's books as alternatives and says they taught the commenter not to take life so seriously.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No specific other title is named.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Robbins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "counterculture",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tom-sawyer-484cac",
      "title": "Tom Sawyer",
      "author": "Mark Twain",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6700203,
          "author": "bmelton",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-09T01:08:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6700203",
          "commentText": "> But what are the books that you do still find brilliant?\nWith every Vonnegut novel I re-read, I discover something new, more insightful, more brilliant and more compelling than I was able to grasp the last time I read it.  This is true for just about every Vonnegut book I've bothered to re-read.\nThe same holds true for Mark Twain (so far).  I recently re-read Tom Sawyer, which I only re-read after realizing that I couldn't really remember anything from my first reading of it.  Phenomenal.\nThere are more, I'm sure, but I'd have to give it thought.  The only non-print thing I can think of that is as compelling is \"Primer\", which is a must-watch movie, but I don't know why I'm mentioning it here, except to remark that it takes more than a single viewing to digest the entire film.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recently re-read Tom Sawyer",
          "reason": "Calls the book phenomenal.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 141209,
          "author": "SwellJoe",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T22:36:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=141209",
          "commentText": "Asimov's two big universes, found in the Robots series and the Foundation series, (which turned out to be the same when he revisited them in the 70's and 80's) are simply wonderful.  By far my favorite sci-fi, and among the most enduring works in the genre.  I read them both every two or three years, and sometimes grab one off the shelf when I just want something to read.  The early Foundation is sort of a future history version of \"The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire\" (I seem to recall that was intentional, actually).  Asimov's autobiographies and the posthumous book of his correspondence are all fantastic and insightful.  I learned a lot from them, and my admiration for the man increased even more upon reading them.\nDune is also astoundingly good, though after the first three, the quality goes downhill (slowly, but surely).  Definitely lots to think about.\nRendezvous with Rama left me breathless...and I could not put it down until I'd read the last page.  I've returned to it a couple of times, and loved it every single time.  The later Rama books are deeply flawed, and should have never happened (they were not written by Clarke, and it shows), as they make Rama seem...hmmm, I can't really think of the right word that expresses it.  Cheap, dinky, small, something bad.  But Rendezvous is a must read for everyone.\nDouglas Adams, of course.  The whole Hitchhikers' series is a must, while the Dirk Gently stuff is also funny, but not sci-fi and not mandatory.\nI mentioned in another thread my love of dystopias, and one of the best ever is The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.  She's one of the best sci-fi writers alive (she doesn't exclusively write sci-fi, however).  Oryx and Crake is also fascinating.\nCat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut.  I enjoy all of Vonnegut's work, but Cat's Cradle is a magical perfect novel.\nI don't know if everyone would agree that it's sci-fi, but Mark Twain's Letters from the Earth was an eye opener for me when I was a kid (I went on a Mark Twain kick when I was in elementary school...no one ever told me that all of his books weren't kids books, so I read everything I could get my hands on after being hooked by Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn).  Turns out Mark Twain was seditious, heretical, and quite the troublemaker all around.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "after being hooked by Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn",
          "reason": "Mentions it as the book that hooked them on Mark Twain as a child.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Twain"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure",
        "adventure fiction",
        "coming of age"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tom-swift-jr-7aae8f",
      "title": "Tom Swift Jr.",
      "author": "Victor Appleton II (pseudonym)",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22724626,
          "author": "fdavison",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T02:19:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22724626",
          "commentText": "Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine.  Changed my eight year old life in 1962.  I wanted to work with computers and electronics from that moment.\nOh, and all the Tom Swift Jr series.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Dunn_and_the_Homework_Ma... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Dunn_and_the_Homework_Machine)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Oh, and all the Tom Swift Jr series.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Victor Appleton II (pseudonym)"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "too-big-to-fail-the-inside-story-of-how-wall-street-and-washingto-3a014f",
      "title": "Too Big to Fail: The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System—and Themselves",
      "author": "Andrew Ross Sorkin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1026586,
          "author": "rogupta",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T01:52:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026586",
          "commentText": "I second that - 2/3 through and have a hard time putting it down.  It's written in a way that outsiders can understand the hour-by-hour details of the crisis.  While some of his opinions are clear, it seems mostly objective.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "2/3 through and have a hard time putting it down. It's written in a way that outsiders can understand the hour-by-hour details of the crisis.",
          "reason": "Seconding the parent’s recommendation and praising the book’s readability and detail.",
          "audience": "Outsiders seeking an accessible account of the financial crisis.",
          "caveat": "Some of the author's opinions are clear; commenter says it seems mostly objective.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew Ross Sorkin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial crisis",
        "wall street"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "too-loud-a-solitude-67adbb",
      "title": "Too Loud a Solitude",
      "author": "Bohumil Hrabal",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17381914,
          "author": "asimpletune",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T16:17:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17381914",
          "commentText": "Foreign:\n* Life: a users manual by George s Perec.\n* Too Loud a Solitude by Bohumil Hrabal\n* Auto-da-fe by Elias Canetti\nDomestic:\nThese are harder because I feel like they’re all pretty well known, but maybe they’re not actually read. Like, known bc people have heard the name, but are not read as much anymore.\n* Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson\n* Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon\n* Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy\nActually unknown (but super good) domestic:\n* Stuff by Larry McMurtry (only famous for lonesome dove)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Too Loud a Solitude by Bohumil Hrabal",
          "reason": "Offers it as a lesser-known foreign book in response to the request.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bohumil Hrabal"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "czech literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "too-nice-for-your-own-good-dd6b8f",
      "title": "Too Nice for Your Own Good",
      "author": "Duke Robinson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2615739,
          "author": "krmmalik",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T09:54:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2615739",
          "commentText": "I'm currently reading Meatball Sundae by Seth Godin. It talks about how, just like the industrial revolution did away with the local blacksmith, the new marketing revolution is going to do away with the need to interrupt people through Tv/Radio/Advertising etc.\nHe also says that as the way to market a business has and is changing, this also means the way companies organise themselves and run has to fundamentally change too. Its a very interesting read.\nThe second book i am reading is called \"Too nice for your own good\" by Duke Robinson. It's for people who are either passive/aggressive or not very assertive. I have yet to make a judgment on this one, but it seems ok so far.\nApologies if you were looking for some interesting reading in terms of fiction. I havent read fiction in years.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I have yet to make a judgment on this one, but it seems ok so far.",
          "reason": "Says it seems okay so far but has not reached a judgment.",
          "audience": "People who are passive-aggressive or not very assertive.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not yet made a judgment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Duke Robinson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "assertiveness",
        "interpersonal relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tools-for-conviviality-fb2de8",
      "title": "Tools for Conviviality",
      "author": "Ivan Illich",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39058027,
          "author": "jonjacky",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T17:17:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39058027",
          "commentText": "Don't overlook books that are critical of engineering as it is often practiced and how it fits into our society:\nComputer Power and Human Reason by Joseph Weizenbaum (1976).  Weizenbaum wrote\nEliza, the first AI chatbot, almost sixty years ago and was appalled at the reception.  This book is still very pertinent, especially the Introduction,\nChapter 1 On Tools, chapter 9, Incomprehensible Programs, and chapter 10,\nAgainst the Imperialism of Instrumental Reason.  Chapter 4, Science and the Compulsive Programmer, is one of the first written accounts of the hacker culture.\nWeizenbaum's original paper on Eliza (1966) [0] is still very pertinent to the present generation of chatbots, especially the introduction and discussion.\nTools for Conviviality, Ivan Illich (1973) [1].  Influenced recent work\nby the computer scientists Steven Kell [2],[3] and Kartik Agaram [4].\nComputation and Human Experience, Phil Agre (1997) (excerpt at [5]).  Agre\ngot a PhD in AI at MIT in the 80s and 90s and became very critical of the field.\nI think his shorter writings [6][7] are a better introduction, especially the personal memoir at [6]:\n\"about how I became (relatively speaking, and in a small way) a better person through philosophy.\"\n0. https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/365153.365168\n1. http://akkartik.name/illich.pdf\n2. https://www.humprog.org/~stephen//research/talks/kell19de-es... (https://www.humprog.org/~stephen//research/talks/kell19de-escalating-intro-script.txt)\n3. https://www.humprog.org/~stephen//research/talks/kell19softw... (https://www.humprog.org/~stephen//research/talks/kell19software-slides.pdf)\n4. http://akkartik.name/akkartik-convivial-20200607.pdf\n5. https://pages.gseis.ucla.edu/faculty/agre/che-intro.html\n6. https://pages.gseis.ucla.edu/faculty/agre/notes/00-7-12.html\n7. https://pages.gseis.ucla.edu/faculty/agre/critical.html",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tools for Conviviality, Ivan Illich (1973) [1].",
          "reason": "Included among books critical of engineering as practiced and its place in society.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21458726,
          "author": "aditchandra",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T01:03:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21458726",
          "commentText": "Tools for Conviviality - Ivan Illich; The Dark Forest - Liu Cixin",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Tools for Conviviality - Ivan Illich",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ivan Illich"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "appropriate technology",
        "conviviality",
        "technology and society"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "topics-on-modern-physics-4f2037",
      "title": "Topics on Modern Physics",
      "author": "John Dirk Walecka",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46474243,
          "author": "OgsyedIE",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-03T08:46:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 46473352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Expository/Succinct Books on Modern Physics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46474243",
          "commentText": "I've skimmed Walecka's Topics and it seems like an excellent resource on intermediate modern physics for somebody who is separately studying undergraduate mathematics, particularly the undergraduate content of real analysis, linear algebra, differential equations and group theory, but tough for somebody who is taking much less mathematics than physics.\nIf you can commit to the two fields of study in parallel Walecka should be perfectly suitable but if not then there may be eventual problems with keeping up.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Walecka's Topics",
          "reason": "Described as an excellent resource on intermediate modern physics.",
          "audience": "Someone studying undergraduate mathematics alongside physics.",
          "caveat": "May be tough for someone studying much less mathematics than physics.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Dirk Walecka"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "modern physics",
        "physics textbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "topoi-127992",
      "title": "Topoi",
      "author": "Robert Goldblatt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32198987,
          "author": "PeterWhittaker",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-23T00:44:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32198987",
          "commentText": "A few open books scattered through the house:\n  Billion Dollar Spy, Hoffman (I’m kind of obsessed with Cold War espionage)\n\n  SICP, JS edition (great read, I do a lot of JS work and I’ve learned a lot, despite time spent studying the language itself, and I’m still in the first chapter)\n\n  Topoi, Goldblatt (tough read, but Category Theory calls to me)\n\n  The Order of Time, Rovelli (his work is the clearest explication I’ve yet encountered of how QM might really be)\n\n  Helgoland, Rovelli (ibid)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Topoi, Goldblatt (tough read, but Category Theory calls to me)",
          "reason": "Describes it as a tough read and says category theory interests them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Tough read.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Goldblatt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "category theory",
        "topos theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "topology-from-the-differential-viewpoint-a0a507",
      "title": "Topology from the Differential Viewpoint",
      "author": "John Milnor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32790697,
          "author": "ABeeSea",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T13:58:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790697",
          "commentText": "Differential Forms in Algebraic Topology might be one of the best math books ever written.\nI’ll add Milnor’s Topology from the Differential Viewpoint and/or \nDifferential Topology by Guillemin and Pollack.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I’ll add Milnor’s Topology from the Differential Viewpoint",
          "reason": "The commenter adds it as another suggested math book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Milnor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "differential topology",
        "topology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "topsy-and-tim-0f926d",
      "title": "Topsy and Tim",
      "author": "Jean Adamson and Gareth Adamson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34634533,
          "author": "deckiedan",
          "createdAt": "2023-02-02T23:01:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 34634274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books your kids like most",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34634533",
          "commentText": "We've 2 kids, 8 and 5 - both total book worms (and into Minecraft and biking and dude perfect and all sorts... But they love books).\nFind stuff you'll enjoy reading to them. And read to them a lot. You've got the right idea.\nMO Williams books are great for that age.  The elephant and piggie books are fun, Annette's Baguette is brilliant.  The Brambly Hedge books are lovely. Dr Seuss is mostly quite fun.  Peter's railway (if they like trains or engineering at all), the Thomas the Tank engine books, the topsy and Tim books are ok...\nBut get lots of books from the library, charity / thrift stores.  Get lots of books to try out, and have available for them to read. And if they aren't interested, you can always thrift them again. Hanging out at the local library can be good. No time pressure, just let them browse and look at whatever random things they want.\nFor slightly older kids, we've really enjoyed reading Hillary McKay, Terry Pratchett's kids books / short stories, Vivian French's books are great.  and some of the classics are great too - EE Milne, the Paddington books...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "the topsy and Tim books are ok",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are okay.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jean Adamson",
        "Gareth Adamson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "early readers",
        "everyday adventures"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "torah-399409",
      "title": "Torah",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36135179,
          "author": "hello_computer",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-31T06:31:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36135179",
          "commentText": "Start with the originals--Torah, Bible, Koran, Vedas, Buddhist Canons, Greco-Roman Mythologies, Avesta, Enûma Eliš--then work your way out toward commentaries, sects, cults, precursors, apocrypha, heresies, schisms, etc.  The problem with any condensed \"Grand Tour of Religion\" is the inevitable editorial bias (i.e. adopting someone else's understanding instead of developing your own).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Start with the originals--Torah, Bible, Koran, Vedas, Buddhist Canons",
          "reason": "Included among primary religious texts to start with.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter recommends a broad sequence of primary texts before commentaries and other traditions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "judaism",
        "scripture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tortilla-flat-a5663d",
      "title": "Tortilla Flat",
      "author": "John Steinbeck",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6388577,
          "author": "od2m",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-15T09:47:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6388577",
          "commentText": "Vonnegut (Cat's Cradle, Slaughterhouse 5), Bukowski (Postman). Steinbeck (Tortilla flat). All their stuff is good, but those are my favorites :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Steinbeck (Tortilla flat)",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s favorites.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Steinbeck"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "total-freedom-6d46ef",
      "title": "Total Freedom",
      "author": "J. Krishnamurti",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16298962,
          "author": "koolhead17",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T19:00:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16298962",
          "commentText": "* Total Freedom by J Krishnamurti\n* Meditations by Marcus Aurelius\n* Wit and Wisdom from Poor Richard's Almanack by \nBenjamin Franklin\n* Influence by Robert B. Cialdini",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Total Freedom by J Krishnamurti",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books the commenter wishes they had taken to heart.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. Krishnamurti"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "freedom",
        "self inquiry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "total-recall-my-unbelievably-true-life-story-36973a",
      "title": "Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story",
      "author": "Arnold Schwarzenegger and Peter Petre",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4787936,
          "author": "SuperChihuahua",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T10:10:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787936",
          "commentText": "Coders at work\nThe numbers behind Numb3rs\nStatistical methods in counterterrorism\nTotal recall (the biography by Schwarzenegger)\nFrom dictatorship to democracy (available for free here: http://www.aeinstein.org/organizations98ce.html)\nThe miracle of mindfulness\nThe design of everyday things\nEscape from camp 14",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Total recall (the biography by Schwarzenegger)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arnold Schwarzenegger and Peter Petre"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "arnold schwarzenegger"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "total-recall-my-unbelievably-true-life-story-2fa34c",
      "title": "Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story",
      "author": "Arnold Schwarzenegger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17046447,
          "author": "jpamata",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-11T11:35:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17046447",
          "commentText": "1. A Guide to the Good Life by William Irvine\n-my first introduction to stoicism.\n2. Mastery by Robert Greene\n-stories about the lives of luminaries such as Henry Ford, Michael Faraday, and Da Vinci on what it takes to be successful.\n3. Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story by Arnold Schwarzenegger\n-for providing me a new mental framework on building discipline and confidence.\n4. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain\n-for giving me a paradigm shift on how to think about myself and others.\n5. Seeking Wisdom From Darwin to Munger by Peter Bevelin\n-a compendium of cognitive biases and mental models.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Total Recall: My Unbelievably True Life Story by Arnold Schwarzenegger",
          "reason": "The commenter says it gave them a new framework for building discipline and confidence.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arnold Schwarzenegger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "autobiography",
        "discipline"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "touch-8f4692",
      "title": "Touch",
      "author": "Claire North",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13569455,
          "author": "anotherevan",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-04T22:20:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 13566733,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book have you re-read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13569455",
          "commentText": "Three books I tend to re-read every 3-8 years are: Farmer in the Sky[1], The Chrysalids[2] and Dune[3][4]. Read them as a teenager and thirty years later still re-read.\nOthers I’ve re-read recently are:\n* Camouflage [5]\n* The Green And the Gray [6]\n* The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August [7]\n* The Martian [8]\n* I Am Not A Serial Killer series [9]\nI plan to re-read in the near future:\n* Touch [10]\n* The Hollow City [11]\n* Pulling Up Stakes [12]\nYes, I read a lot. [13]\n---\n[1] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50851.Farmer_in_the_Sky\n[2] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/826845.The_Chrysalids\n[3] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1000049.Dune\n[4] Only the first book in the series. Really disliked all the rest. Last couple of times I’ve listened to the Audible audiobook version which is excellent.\n[5] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21607.Camouflage\n[6] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/216455.The_Green_And_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/216455.The_Green_And_the_Gray)\n[7] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295861-the-first-fifte... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18295861-the-first-fifteen-lives-of-harry-august)\n[8] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18007564-the-martian\n[9] https://www.goodreads.com/series/49883-john-cleaver\n[10] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23561543-touch\n[11] https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13034956-the-hollow-city\n[12] https://www.goodreads.com/series/94696-pulling-up-stakes\n[13] http://www.michevan.id.au/content/reading-habits-of-2015/",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "* Touch [10]",
          "reason": "Plans to reread it in the near future.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13117093,
          "author": "stubadub",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-06T18:39:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 13116532,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best sci-fi you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13117093",
          "commentText": "Touch by the same author, Claire North is a great book too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Touch by the same author, Claire North is a great book too.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly calls it a great book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Claire North"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "body swapping",
        "identity",
        "immortality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "toxic-parents-198206",
      "title": "Toxic Parents",
      "author": "Susan Forward",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30738649,
          "author": "bbrbb11",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T23:50:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30738649",
          "commentText": "Toxic parents, Susan Forward. Opened my eyes on issues with my parents and highlighted that it's not me being broken. First step to overcome my issues.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Toxic parents, Susan Forward.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them understand issues with their parents and take a first step toward addressing them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Susan Forward"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Parenting",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adult children of difficult parents",
        "family relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "toyota-kata-0352a4",
      "title": "Toyota Kata",
      "author": "Mike Rother",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15762368,
          "author": "wpietri",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-23T02:39:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 15761599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on specific topics that have applied to many areas of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15762368",
          "commentText": "Franz de Waal's \"Chimpanzee Politics\". It's nominally about the social relationships of a chimp colony in a Dutch zoo. But it made me see the extent to which humans are just another great ape, and a lot of human dynamics are really primate dynamics, especially around social power.\nJohnstone's \"Impro\". It's about improvisational theater, and mainly meant for people learning improv. But the section on status transactions helped me see a lot about how we express those primate dominance dynamics. There's also great material on the nature of creativity.\n\"Getting to Yes\" is a great book about business negotiation, but is lessons about shifting discussions from zero-sum to positive-sum are things I use a lot.\nBraitenberg's \"Vehicles: Experiments in Synthetic Psychology\" is a way of thinking about psychology (and our inference of mind) by examining imaginary robots.\n\"The Toyota Way\" and other books on Lean Manufacturing are about running extremely effective manufacturing operations. But they have deeply changed how I think about systems of making software and running businesses. Other great books in this category include \"Toyota Kata\" and \"Principles of Product Development Flow\".\n\"Crossing the Chasm\" is about how tech products get adopted. But its mindset around segmenting audiences and building credibility taught me a lot about any sort of social change.\n\"Why Does He Do That? Inside the Minds of Angry and Controlling Men\" is nominally about abuse in romantic relationships. But its insights about power and control have  been useful to me way beyond that. E.g., so much behavior in large corporations is inexplicable if you look at it in business terms, and perfectly sensible if you think about if from the perspective of, \"What would a person with abusive tendencies gain from this situation?\"\nAlso, hearty +1s for books \"Design of Everyday Things\", \"Finite and Infinite Games\", and \"Punished by Rewards\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Other great books in this category include \"Toyota Kata\"",
          "reason": "Explicitly included among other great books on lean manufacturing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mike Rother"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "continuous improvement",
        "lean manufacturing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tracers-in-the-dark-the-global-hunt-for-the-crime-lords-of-crypto-c281f9",
      "title": "Tracers in the Dark: The Global Hunt for the Crime Lords of Cryptocurrency",
      "author": "Andy Greenberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 44571155,
          "author": "pajamasam",
          "createdAt": "2025-07-15T13:50:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 44568054,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44571155",
          "commentText": "Tracers in the Dark: The Global Hunt for the Crime Lords of Cryptocurrency by Andy Greenberg was exceptionally well researched and told.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tracers in the Dark: The Global Hunt for the Crime Lords of Cryptocurrency by Andy Greenberg was exceptionally well researched and told.",
          "reason": "Praises its research and storytelling.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andy Greenberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cryptocurrency",
        "cybercrime"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "traction-344cb1",
      "title": "Traction",
      "author": "Gabriel Weinberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8257499,
          "author": "bilalhusain",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T13:51:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257499",
          "commentText": "All the reviews of this book are so positive. I have read free chapters. Is it worth purchasing?",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "All the reviews of this book are so positive. I have read free chapters. Is it worth purchasing?",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter asks whether it is worth purchasing and does not state a personal evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8257484,
          "author": "nyddle",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T13:46:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257484",
          "commentText": "Traction by Gabriel Weinberg (http://tractionbook.com/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Traction by Gabriel Weinberg",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gabriel Weinberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marketing",
        "startup growth"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "traction-13b40a",
      "title": "Traction",
      "author": "Justin Mares and Gabriel Weinberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10786160,
          "author": "wushupork",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T22:57:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786160",
          "commentText": "Traction by Justin Mares, Gabriel Weinberg - would probably reread\nGrowth Hacker Marketing by Ryan Holiday\nHow to Fail at Almost Everything by Scott Adams - great read\nScaling Up By Verne Harnish\nGreat By Choice by Jim Collins - love the whole series\nThe Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes - probably worth a reread\nHow to Win at the Sport of Business By Mark Cuban - good read\nElon Mush by Ashlee Vance - need I say more\nThe Hard Thing about Hard Things By Ben Horowitz\nThe Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg - probably need to deeply absorb this - a lot of good stuff\nCopy This! By Paul Orfalea - another good \"small business\" entrepreneur book\nThe E-Myth Revisited By Michael Gerber - 2nd time read. Got more out of it this time.\nThe People's Tycoon (Ford) by Steven Watts - I love reading about businessmen from this age\nScrum by JJ Sutherland Jeff Sutherland - good read for development teams",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Traction by Justin Mares, Gabriel Weinberg - would probably reread",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Justin Mares and Gabriel Weinberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "startup growth"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "traction-get-a-grip-on-your-business-82e546",
      "title": "Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business",
      "author": "Gino Wickman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16577453,
          "author": "wjr",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-13T16:38:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16577453",
          "commentText": "ReWork by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson (good reference on good principles)\nTraction by Gino Wickman (how to create SOPs & scale)\nAuthority by Nathan Barry (how to develop an audience)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "(how to create SOPs & scale)",
          "reason": "Listed for guidance on creating standard operating procedures and scaling a business.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gino Wickman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business operations",
        "scaling",
        "sops"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "traction-how-any-startup-can-achieve-explosive-customer-growth-68eb75",
      "title": "Traction: How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer Growth",
      "author": "Gabriel Weinberg; Justin Mares",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41558534,
          "author": "yas_hmaheshwari",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-16T17:43:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41558534",
          "commentText": "Thank you for recommending this!\nI have ordered this book just now, but from the preface, this is the book I have been searching for",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Thank you for recommending this!\nI have ordered this book just now, but from the preface, this is the book I have been searching for",
          "reason": "Thanks the commenter for the recommendation and says they ordered it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has only read the preface so far.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gabriel Weinberg",
        "Justin Mares"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "customer growth",
        "startup marketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "trade-wars-are-class-wars-how-rising-inequality-distorts-the-glob-0a948a",
      "title": "Trade Wars Are Class Wars: How Rising Inequality Distorts the Global Economy and Threatens International Peace",
      "author": "Matthew C. Klein and Michael Pettis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40279034,
          "author": "smallmancontrov",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-06T20:19:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40279034",
          "commentText": "Trade Wars are Class Wars by Klein and Pettis\nI was originally pointed to this book as an answer to my persistent question \"I love manufacturing, but it seems like the US economy hates manufacturing, why?\" and while it did give me a satisfactory grasp of the macroeconomics involved, it also became my reference for a handful of trade policy / macroeconomic points that are, shall we say, less frequently bubbled up by The Submarine (in reference to the Paul Graham essay).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Trade Wars are Class Wars by Klein and Pettis",
          "reason": "The commenter says it gave them a satisfactory grasp of the macroeconomics involved and serves as a reference for trade policy and macroeconomic points.",
          "audience": "Readers curious about why the US economy seems to disfavor manufacturing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthew C. Klein",
        "Michael Pettis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "international trade",
        "macroeconomics",
        "manufacturing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "trade-off-why-some-things-catch-on-and-others-don-t-13d2f8",
      "title": "Trade-Off: Why Some Things Catch On, and Others Don't",
      "author": "Kevin Maney",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1027868,
          "author": "wushupork",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T23:49:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027868",
          "commentText": "I got a Kindle as a gift too and I love it as well. I highly recommend you play with it or at least borrow someone's (if they'll let you) if you doubt you'll like it.\n\"Inside Steve's Brain\" - Great book on the history of Apple, and the inner workings of the company and the philosophy.\n\"Never Eat Alone\" by Keith Ferrazzi on the importance of networking and building relationships.\n\"Trade-Off, Why Some Things Catch On, and Others Don't\"\n\"The Pixar Touch\" Great history of Pixar and how they came about.\n\"Call me Ted\" - Ted Turner's autobiography\n\"How the Mighty Fall\" Jim Collins",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Trade-Off, Why Some Things Catch On, and Others Don't\"",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books enjoyed and recommended.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kevin Maney"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consumer choice",
        "innovation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "trading-up-701d37",
      "title": "Trading Up",
      "author": "Michael J. Silverstein and Neil Fiske",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 193375,
          "author": "swhnorton",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-18T14:48:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 193308,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What books on marketing do you recomend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=193375",
          "commentText": "Purple Cow and Trading Up",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Trading Up",
          "reason": "Listed as a response to a request for marketing book recommendations.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for marketing books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael J. Silverstein and Neil Fiske"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consumer behavior",
        "premium brands"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "traffic-c3d531",
      "title": "Traffic",
      "author": "John Ruskin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20917271,
          "author": "RobertKerans",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T11:53:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20917271",
          "commentText": "Traffic by Ruskin I reread quite a lot. For background, it's a lecture he gave when invited to speak, as the eminent architectural critic of the day, to dignitaries on the opening of a new exchange building. Was expected to talk about the architecture, but he talked about capitalism instead\n> You shall have thousands of gold pieces; - thousands of thousands - millions - mountains of gold: where will you keep them?\nMore technical, but I constantly use Ruskin's Modern Painters as art reference. Each volume has detailed chapelters on natural forms (trees, mountains, etc). The attempts at geometric drawings of the structures of cloud patterns are particularly beautiful imo. He's a phenomenal writer, anyway.\nMentioned by others elsewhere in the comments, but Candide and The Count of Monte Cristo are possibly my two favourite books. The first one feels incredibly modern, which is quite impressive given that it's basically the first European novel. Second one I've always thought is like an exceptionally good airport novel (and the sci-fi version is also one of my favourite books, and one of the best sci-fi novels ever written). Very difficult to put down.\nAlso, anything by Swift, Hazlitt, Twain I can read and reread endlessly. I read a lot of opder stuff, but I've noticed I'm often quite quick to discard it if it doesn't scan as contemporary writing -- those three I find in particular have quite modern styles",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Traffic by Ruskin I reread quite a lot.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they reread it often and quotes from it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Ruskin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "architecture",
        "capitalism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tragedy-and-hope-fe44df",
      "title": "Tragedy and Hope",
      "author": "Carroll Quigley",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12987787,
          "author": "jstewartmobile",
          "createdAt": "2016-11-18T16:18:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 12980932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book did you read in 2016 that was so good you gifted it to others?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12987787",
          "commentText": "Two books:\n- John Taylor Gatto's \"The Underground History of American Education\"\n- Carroll Quigley's \"Tragedy and Hope\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Carroll Quigley's \"Tragedy and Hope\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carroll Quigley"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "20th century history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "trainspotting-e7de54",
      "title": "Trainspotting",
      "author": "Irvine Welsh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8110192,
          "author": "sogen",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T18:49:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8110192",
          "commentText": "* Anything by Cortázar.\n* Trainspotting,\n* Fight Club\n* Anything by Carl Sagan, specially Contact\n* Lord of the Rings\n* The Hobbit\n* And finally:\nAnything by Michael Ende:\nThe Neverending Story,\nMomo (one of my faves).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Trainspotting,",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a request for book suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Irvine Welsh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "drug culture",
        "scottish literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "traitor-s-blade-ea6cdd",
      "title": "Traitor's Blade",
      "author": "Sebastien de Castell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34161387,
          "author": "yawz",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T14:41:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161387",
          "commentText": "My best nonfiction read was The 1619 Project. It's a heavy read, but I highly recommend it. The runner up would be Christian Livermore's We Are Not OK.\nBest fiction read was Tim Winton's Breath or (there's probably some recency bias at play here) Sebastian de Castel's Traitor's Blade.\nI also read a few comic books. I love the East of West series (at least the first three books).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Sebastian de Castel's Traitor's Blade",
          "reason": "Listed as a best fiction read, with possible recency bias.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes there may be recency bias.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sebastien de Castell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "swashbuckling fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "traite-de-savoir-vivre-a-l-usage-des-jeunes-generations-5c428b",
      "title": "Traité de savoir-vivre à l’usage des jeunes générations",
      "author": "Raoul Vaneigem",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31968238,
          "author": "gverrilla",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-03T15:06:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31968238",
          "commentText": "Traité de savoir-vivre à l’usage des jeunes générations\nRaoul Vaneigem",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Traité de savoir-vivre à l’usage des jeunes générations\nRaoul Vaneigem",
          "reason": "Named as the book the commenter would reread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Raoul Vaneigem"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "situationist international"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "trance-formations-6713f1",
      "title": "Trance-Formations",
      "author": "Richard Bandler and John Grinder",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27638943,
          "author": "carapace",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-26T03:52:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 27636743,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book or course gave you an unfair advantage?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27638943",
          "commentText": "\"Book of the Subgenius\" (various authors) but I don't recommend it.  It's not for everyone.\nLearn (self-)hypnosis.  \"TRANCE-formations\" by Bandler and Grinder (and Bandler's other books as well) and \"Monsters and Magical Sticks: There's No Such Thing as Hypnosis?\" by Steven Heller.\nRobert Anton Wilson's books are pretty good too.  Also \"Angel Tech: A Modern Shaman's Guide to Reality Selection\" by Antero Alli.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"TRANCE-formations\" by Bandler and Grinder",
          "reason": "Listed in support of learning self-hypnosis.",
          "audience": "People interested in learning self-hypnosis.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Bandler",
        "John Grinder"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hypnosis",
        "nlp"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "transaction-processing-concepts-and-techniques-2fd210",
      "title": "Transaction Processing: Concepts and Techniques",
      "author": "Jim Gray and Andreas Reuter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32790546,
          "author": "twoodfin",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T13:41:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32790546",
          "commentText": "“Transaction Processing: Concepts and Techniques” by Jim Gray & Andreas Reuter. Rightly the Bible of database systems.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "“Transaction Processing: Concepts and Techniques” by Jim Gray & Andreas Reuter.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the Bible of database systems.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jim Gray",
        "Andreas Reuter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "database systems",
        "transaction processing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "transcending-css-00fbf7",
      "title": "Transcending CSS",
      "author": "Andy Clarke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 575086,
          "author": "kenhty",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-23T04:18:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 574468,
          "threadTitle": "What is the best CSS book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=575086",
          "commentText": "Handcrafted CSS: More Bulletproof Web Design (Rough Cuts)\nFlexible Web Design: Creating Liquid and Elastic Layouts with CSS (Just released)\nTrascending CSS (Released)\nLearning the Yahoo! User Interface library: Develop your next generation web applications with the YUI JavaScript development library (Released, for yui and some javascript)\nI want them but don't have money.\nHave a look at OOCSS:\nhttp://wiki.github.com/stubbornella/oocss\nAnd CSS Discuss:\nhttp://css-discuss.incutio.com",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Trascending CSS (Released)",
          "reason": "Lists it among books the commenter wants.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter wants the books but says they do not have money.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 574684,
          "author": "juanpablo",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-22T22:29:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 574468,
          "threadTitle": "What is the best CSS book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=574684",
          "commentText": "Trascending CSS",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Trascending CSS",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andy Clarke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "css",
        "web design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "transformation-6981bb",
      "title": "Transformation",
      "author": "Neal Asher",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36023307,
          "author": "DazWilkin",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T18:03:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36023307",
          "commentText": "I really enjoy(ed) Neal Asher's \"Transformation\" series (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Intelligence) and the Polity universe.\nI enjoy sci-fi series, interesting spacecraft, compelling aliens and am a sucker for machine-based intelligence.\nThis series combines all these and re-engaged in sci-fi. I went on to read most of Asher's other books including \"Agent Cormac\" and \"Spatterjay\" series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Neal Asher's \"Transformation\" series",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed the series and lists its appeal, including spacecraft, aliens, and machine intelligence.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy science fiction featuring spacecraft, aliens, and machine intelligence.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neal Asher"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "machine intelligence",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "transformer-the-deep-chemistry-of-life-and-death-e35a5b",
      "title": "Transformer: The Deep Chemistry of Life and Death",
      "author": "Nick Lane",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33382506,
          "author": "Jedd",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T09:45:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382506",
          "commentText": "Nick Lane's 'Transformer - The Deep Chemistry of Life and Death' (2022).\nI read it just after reading his 2016 novel 'The Vital Question - Energy, Evolution, and the Origins of Complex Life'.\nCan recommend both, and I believe both were suggestions I picked up from HN originally.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Nick Lane's 'Transformer - The Deep Chemistry of Life and Death' (2022).",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it and says they read it after The Vital Question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nick Lane"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "biochemistry",
        "cellular respiration",
        "metabolism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "transparent-things-5707a9",
      "title": "Transparent Things",
      "author": "Vladimir Nabokov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10208130,
          "author": "V-2",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T14:15:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10208130",
          "commentText": "Obviously not s-f as such, but - quite a few novels by Nabokov. \"The Luzhin Defence\" (aka \"The Defense\"), \"The Eye\", \"Bend Sinister\", \"Transparent Things\" - all very immersing, and posing the question of what's the true reality, its underpinnings and seams. Challenging reads for sure, every detail matters.\nSome might recommend Pynchon as well, personally I'm not convinced but to each his own.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"The Luzhin Defence\" (aka \"The Defense\"), \"The Eye\", \"Bend Sinister\", \"Transparent Things\" - all very immersing, and posing the question of what's the true reality, its underpinnings and seams.",
          "reason": "Described as immersive and as questioning the nature and foundations of reality.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls these challenging reads and says every detail matters.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vladimir Nabokov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "psychological fiction",
        "reality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "trapped-under-the-sea-f536a0",
      "title": "Trapped Under the Sea",
      "author": "Neil Swidey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10836007,
          "author": "jlewallen",
          "createdAt": "2016-01-04T15:20:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 10833032,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book you've recently read and enjoyed?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10836007",
          "commentText": "I just finished Trapped Under the Sea by Neil Swidey Definitely feel confident in saying I enjoyed rather than loved the book.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I just finished Trapped Under the Sea by Neil Swidey Definitely feel confident in saying I enjoyed rather than loved the book.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Enjoyed, but did not love it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neil Swidey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "boston harbor",
        "engineering disaster"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "trapped-under-the-sea-one-engineering-marvel-five-men-and-a-disas-52dc86",
      "title": "Trapped Under the Sea: One Engineering Marvel, Five Men, and a Disaster Ten Miles Into the Darkness",
      "author": "Neil Swidey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38556496,
          "author": "CharleFKane",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T14:09:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38556496",
          "commentText": "Deadly Times: The 1910 Bombing of the Los Angeles Times and America's Forgotten Decade of Terror, Lew Irwin\nRiver of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile, Candice Millard\nThe Fleet That Had To Die,  Richard Hough\nTrapped Under the Sea: One Engineering Marvel, Five Men, and a Disaster Ten Miles Into the Darkness, Neil Swidey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Trapped Under the Sea: One Engineering Marvel, Five Men, and a Disaster Ten Miles Into the Darkness, Neil Swidey",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neil Swidey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "engineering disasters",
        "undersea tunnel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "traveler-s-gate-c85c23",
      "title": "Traveler's Gate",
      "author": "Will Wight",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37158554,
          "author": "spoiler",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T07:58:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37158554",
          "commentText": "The Cradle series by Will Wight. It's a Wuxia adapted for Western audiences. He has other great series; I liked the parallel Sea/Shadow trilogies a lot. Traveler's Gate series I enjoyed, but not as much as the rest. He recently also started a new series called Last Horizon; it's about space wizards and it's a bit whimsical, but fun.\nThe Expanse series is great, but I reckon people already mentioned it elsewhere in the thread.\nJames Islington's Licanius trilogy is one of my favourite fantasy book series probably. He recently started a new series called Hierarchy, which I also recommend. They're very \"grounded\" fantasy, and the magic systems is very woven into society and its structure. The human relationships in his books are pretty nuanced, which is why I like his works so much.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Traveler's Gate series I enjoyed, but not as much as the rest.",
          "reason": "Enjoyed the series, with a relative caveat.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Enjoyed less than the author's other series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Will Wight"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "treatise-on-efficacy-between-western-and-chinese-thinking-f12d73",
      "title": "Treatise on Efficacy: Between Western and Chinese Thinking",
      "author": "François Jullien",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39058526,
          "author": "hosh",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T17:46:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39058526",
          "commentText": "There are several ways to approach the Tao Te Ching, including the mystical, but I think that there's a great book that explains the underlying approach the Chinese have,  called, Treatise on Efficacy.\nEssentially, in Chinese philosophy, any given situation has a propensity (water tends to run downhill). It is therefore more effective to work with that propensity, than it is to work heroically against that propensity. This is very much a layer in what the Tao Te Ching talks about.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "called, Treatise on Efficacy.",
          "reason": "Recommended for understanding the Chinese approach of working with a situation's propensity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "François Jullien"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chinese philosophy",
        "practical efficacy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tress-of-the-emerald-sea-ad1a88",
      "title": "Tress of the Emerald Sea",
      "author": "Brandon Sanderson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38562603,
          "author": "ashton314",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T22:18:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38562603",
          "commentText": "+1 for Yumi and Tress. You don’t have to be deep into the rest of his books to appreciate them. (Unlike Sunlit Man) The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England was a total hoot—if you want something light and silly, go for that.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for Yumi and Tress. You don’t have to be deep into the rest of his books to appreciate them.",
          "reason": "Affirms the recommendation and says the book can be enjoyed without extensive knowledge of Sanderson’s other books.",
          "audience": "Readers new to Sanderson’s books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brandon Sanderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tribe-e2a34c",
      "title": "Tribe",
      "author": "Sebastian Junger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18744627,
          "author": "dipa",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T05:36:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744627",
          "commentText": "The Righteous Mind by Johnathan Haidt\nTribe by Sebastian Junger\njust put my full lists on medium:\nhttps://medium.com/@dopeshika/2018-in-books-startup-science-... (https://medium.com/@dopeshika/2018-in-books-startup-science-silicon-valley-550f0e37aa31)\nhttps://medium.com/@dopeshika/2018-in-books-mind-consciousne... (https://medium.com/@dopeshika/2018-in-books-mind-consciousness-ae966c38ff3b)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tribe by Sebastian Junger",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sebastian Junger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "belonging",
        "war and society"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "trickster-makes-this-world-4d9630",
      "title": "Trickster Makes This World",
      "author": "Lewis Hyde",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9675178,
          "author": "neilk",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T16:06:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9675178",
          "commentText": "Chomsky's oeuvre on politics, in general. There isn't one single book that states a thesis, it's about a perspective. So perhaps start with The Chomsky Reader.  An easier-to-digest intro is the documentary Manufacturing Consent. The twist is that a lot of the things you think of as \"bugs\" in the political and economic systems of the Western democracies are \"features\" from the perspective of powerful elites. But the meta-lesson is that big questions can be answered. If you get past the mythology in your culture, and read primary sources, you can really figure this stuff out. Chomsky can go off the deep end at times (and his fanclub does so a lot), but his documentation is meticulous. Well worth reading.\nFor very different perspectives on programming, check out Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programming (read it a decade ago and I use techniques from there every day.)\nThe Gift by Lewis Hyde. Although directed at artists, it is highly relevant to creative programmers and the phenomenon of open source. He is able to articulate things which are very hard to talk about, like the intersection of economics and artistry, and how the gifting ethos is necessary for any culture to thrive. If you think ESR had the last word on how open source works, you need to read this.\nAnother book of interest by Hyde is Trickster Makes This World, wherein you learn the hacker archetype - the giver of technology; the player of tricks - has been around since prehistory. It's not a coincidence that those two aspects are always seen together.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another book of interest by Hyde is Trickster Makes This World, wherein you learn the hacker archetype",
          "reason": "Recommends it for its exploration of the hacker archetype and its history.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in hackers, technology, and myth.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lewis Hyde"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "archetypes",
        "hacker culture",
        "trickster mythology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "trigonometry-the-easy-way-395c8b",
      "title": "Trigonometry the Easy Way",
      "author": "Douglas Downing",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23726579,
          "author": "JoshTriplett",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T19:07:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23726579",
          "commentText": "As a child, I greatly enjoyed \"Algebra the Easy Way\", \"Trigonometry the Easy Way\", and \"Calculus the Easy Way\". They present each of the subjects not as already-invented concepts that you just have to learn, but as things being invented by a fictional kingdom as they need them. I greatly prefer that style over rote memorization; I can remember it better when I know how to recreate it. Even more importantly, it encourages the mindset that all of these things were invented, and that other things can be, too.\n(Note: the other books in the \"Easy Way\" series do not follow the same style, and are just ordinary textbooks.)\nAlso, in a completely different direction, I haven't seen anyone mention Feynman yet, and that will definitely encourage a broader view of mathematics and science.\nOr, to go another angle, you might consider things like \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Trigonometry the Easy Way\"",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed its approach of presenting trigonometry as something invented as needed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says other books in the Easy Way series do not follow the same style.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglas Downing"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "trigonometry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "trillion-dollar-coach-8a2c17",
      "title": "Trillion Dollar Coach",
      "author": "Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg, and Alan Eagle",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21714168,
          "author": "lynfogeek",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T17:25:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21714168",
          "commentText": "A few recommendations from me and peers in my company who highly value some of the following:\n- \"Managing Humans\" by Michael Lopp very insightful and easy to read.\n- \"Accelerate: The Science of Lean Software and DevOps: Building and Scaling High Performing Technology Organizations\" by Dr Nicole Forsgren brings a long research on how to organize teams for success.\n- \"The Manager's Path: A Guide for Tech Leaders Navigating Growth and Change\" by Camille Fournier which I especially recommend for new managers.\nLastly, and this time not tech-specific, but by far my best read of 2019:\n\"Trillion Dollar Coach: The Leadership Playbook of Silicon Valley's Bill Campbell\" written by Eric Schmidt & others.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Trillion Dollar Coach: The Leadership Playbook of Silicon Valley's Bill Campbell\" written by Eric Schmidt & others.",
          "reason": "The commenter identifies it as their best read of 2019.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not tech-specific.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg, and Alan Eagle"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "executive coaching",
        "leadership",
        "silicon valley"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "triumph-and-tragedy-of-lyndon-b-johnson-ec2fe7",
      "title": "Triumph and Tragedy of Lyndon B. Johnson",
      "author": "Robert A. Caro",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467690,
          "author": "cududa",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:51:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467690",
          "commentText": "Triumph And Tragedy of Lyndon B Johnson (his effectiveness to pass legislation fascinated me)\nHarry Potter (comfort series)\nCharlie Wilson’s War (it’s hilarious and informative),\nGame Change (a sobering reminder of the 2008 election and how we got to today),\nLincoln’s Melancholy (on his depression).\nI’ve read lots of books twice, but the above are the only I can find in my library I’ve read 3 or more times. Outside of Harry Potter, I view the figures in those books most responsible for turning points in our nations history.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Triumph And Tragedy of Lyndon B Johnson",
          "reason": "The commenter says Johnson's effectiveness at passing legislation fascinated them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert A. Caro"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political biography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "triumph-of-the-city-ed76ee",
      "title": "Triumph of the City",
      "author": "Edward Glaeser",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39249196,
          "author": "Tomte",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T10:50:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249196",
          "commentText": "Edward Glaeser: Triumph of the City",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Edward Glaeser: Triumph of the City",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 32936258,
          "author": "fullsend",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T08:39:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32936258",
          "commentText": "I enjoy content that adds curious new information and different views to topics full of cliches, while still being relatively respectable or well researched.\nComing Apart - this book described the coming separation of the US into two “classes” long before it was widely talked about. Today most talk about it as a political divide. This book tackles it as a divide between knowledge workers and the rest. A controversial take that adds much needed food for thought to the conversation. If you’ve lived poor and you’ve also lived in a place like Palo Alto, you’ll be astounded by how readily you can point and say, “that’s me”. Lots of fascinating statistics.\nBowling Alone - a great book about the collapse of US social life. Dense, lots of statistics, but a clear picture is laid out of increasing isolation and alienation. Read it alongside something like Consumer’s Republic to understand how so much of this stems from the selfishness and individuality encouraged by consumerism in post-war America.\nTriumph of the City - an excellent take that can be used as food for thought when people are talking about how dirty cities are. In truth, the author argues, they are our greenest “invention” ever. Lots of good evidence. Imagine collecting the trash if every human lived on their own acre of land. The sewage, the energy usage. Cities are incredibly efficient and clean.\nThe Man Who Solved The Market - everyone interested in finance needs to read this and it’s precursor More Money Than God. The Bogleheads and their index fund ilk are often correct when they say “money managers all lose to an index after fees”. Beating the market is nigh on impossible for all but a few. Most of those few work at Renaissance Technologies. Their Medallion Fund has made 36% after fees every single year since 1989. The fund does its best in market crash years. Closed to outside investors. A story of mathematicians essentially building models that can predict the future reliably. Utterly fascinating, the most successful money printer ever built. As a bonus, we learn that Jim Simons originally controlled this printer and spent the money helping US math teachers. He then ceded control to Robert Mercer, who used the printer’s output to fund Cambridge Analytica, Steve Bannon, Trump, etc.\nThe Snowball - a biography of Warren Buffet that tells an incredible story. The story is one of total obsession. Of a human who literally started from a few dollars, learned about some principles like compounding at age 6, and applied the exact same principles every day for the rest of his life with very little deviation. The craziest part of this story is how every 10 years, he’s surrounded by people saying “times have changed, you’re missing out”. Then those people get blown up by whatever black swan, and Warren’s snowball just grows and grows. He didn’t become a billionaire till he was in his 50’s but the snowball is still growing and he’s one of the richest people alive.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Triumph of the City - an excellent take that can be used as food for thought when people are talking about how dirty cities are.",
          "reason": "The commenter presents its argument that cities are an efficient and clean human invention, supported by evidence.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward Glaeser"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cities",
        "urban economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "trojan-horse-9fee69",
      "title": "Trojan Horse",
      "author": "Mark Russinovich",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17749639,
          "author": "terminalcommand",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T12:49:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17749639",
          "commentText": "Mark Russinovich's Jeff Aiken Trilogy. If you're looking for a quality bestseller similar to Dan Brown books.\nZero day, Trojan Horse and Rogue Code are all excellent novels. Some common themes include computer virus epidemics, cyber armies, cyber warfare, dangers of an overnetworked but undersecured society",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zero day, Trojan Horse and Rogue Code are all excellent novels.",
          "reason": "Described as an excellent novel in a recommended trilogy.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a quality bestseller similar to Dan Brown.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Russinovich"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer security",
        "cyber thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tropic-of-cancer-150dee",
      "title": "Tropic of Cancer",
      "author": "Henry Miller",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32197647,
          "author": "powersnail",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T22:04:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197647",
          "commentText": "Halfway through Tropic of Cancer, and halfway through The Bright Ages.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Halfway through Tropic of Cancer",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are halfway through it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25531759,
          "author": "medill1919",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T21:49:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25531759",
          "commentText": "Henry Miller's \"Tropic of Cancer\" Live life, follow your dream, and don't let hunger stop you from your work. And pay attention to everything.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Henry Miller's \"Tropic of Cancer\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says it inspired them to pursue their dreams and attend to life around them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 8716503,
          "author": "kunstmord",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T14:22:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8716503",
          "commentText": "Tropic of Capricorn by Henry Miller. To be honest, I re-read it, but it had a much more significant impact the second time (I originally considered it to be weaker than \"Black Spring\" and \"Tropic of Cancer\", but this time round, due to certain personal circumstances, it resonated with me in a very powerful way – his ruminations concerning compassion, interacting with other people, the meaning and value of work and creativity). \nnfortunately, the only new book I read this year was \"The Great Mortality\", a pretty interesting but a tad too un-academic account of the Black Plague in Europe. Hopefully, I'll have a lot more time to read in 2015.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "and \"Tropic of Cancer\", but this time round",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a book the commenter previously considered stronger than Tropic of Capricorn.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "This is a past comparison; the commenter does not state a current evaluation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Henry Miller"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "autobiographical fiction",
        "modernist literature",
        "modernism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tropic-of-capricorn-5b0fc1",
      "title": "Tropic of Capricorn",
      "author": "Henry Miller",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8716503,
          "author": "kunstmord",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T14:22:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8716503",
          "commentText": "Tropic of Capricorn by Henry Miller. To be honest, I re-read it, but it had a much more significant impact the second time (I originally considered it to be weaker than \"Black Spring\" and \"Tropic of Cancer\", but this time round, due to certain personal circumstances, it resonated with me in a very powerful way – his ruminations concerning compassion, interacting with other people, the meaning and value of work and creativity). \nnfortunately, the only new book I read this year was \"The Great Mortality\", a pretty interesting but a tad too un-academic account of the Black Plague in Europe. Hopefully, I'll have a lot more time to read in 2015.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "it had a much more significant impact the second time",
          "reason": "The commenter says the reread had a powerful impact and resonated with them around compassion, work, and creativity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Its impact was much stronger on rereading and depended on personal circumstances.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Henry Miller"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "autobiographical fiction",
        "modernism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "troubled-22e707",
      "title": "Troubled",
      "author": "Rob Henderson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42317475,
          "author": "gadders",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-04T13:59:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42317475",
          "commentText": "Reading Rob Henderson now and have been following him to a while. It's a great read.",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Reading Rob Henderson now",
          "reason": "Says they are currently reading Henderson; the parent identifies the book as Troubled.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 42268834,
          "author": "sien",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:04:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268834",
          "commentText": "A few of the books that stand out that I've read this year.\nTroubled - Rob Henderson. About how Henderson was in state care and wound up at prestigious universities and his thoughts on the world.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/176444107-troubled\nNot the End of the World - Hannah Ritchie from 'Our World in Data' about the state of the planet.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145624737-not-the-end-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/145624737-not-the-end-of-the-world)\nDictatorland - Paul Kenyon - About the dictators who have impoverished Africa.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36260719-dictatorland\nMagic Pill - Johann Hari - About Semaglutide and how people got fat.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/201319612-magic-pill\nOn the Edge - Nate Silver - About how seeing the world in terms of risk and expected value can work.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/204236707-on-the-edge\nOrbital - Samantha Harvey - Booker Prize winner about people on the ISS and the world.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/123136728-orbital\nBuild, Baby, Build - Bryan Caplan on why YIMBYism is a good idea. This is a graphic novel. It's really fun.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/181564537-build-baby-bui... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/181564537-build-baby-build)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Troubled - Rob Henderson. About how Henderson was in state care and wound up at prestigious universities and his thoughts on the world.",
          "reason": "Lists it among books that stood out this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rob Henderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "foster care",
        "memoir",
        "social mobility"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "troy-rising-74bdd5",
      "title": "Troy Rising",
      "author": "John Ringo",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25845573,
          "author": "ryanmercer",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T12:22:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25845573",
          "commentText": "Heinlein is always great.\nCheck out B. V. Larson's Swarm and Undying Mercenaries series, Dennis E. Taylor Bobiverse series, and Craig Alanson's Expeditionary Force.\nAlso what I mentioned to OP, what I'm doing my annual re-listen of https://www.goodreads.com/series/51166-troy-rising\nThey're not Heinlein by any means but they're fairly good hard science fiction. The audiobook versions all have fantastic narrators too if one has a commute.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "what I'm doing my annual re-listen of https://www.goodreads.com/series/51166-troy-rising",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are relistening to the series and calls the referenced series fairly good overall.",
          "audience": "Listeners who enjoy audiobooks or have a commute.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the recommendations are not Heinlein by any means.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25845478,
          "author": "ryanmercer",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T12:11:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25845478",
          "commentText": "Right now I'm doing my annual re-listen to John Ringo's \"maple syrup trilogy\" (next I'll do my annual re-listen of The Martian, narrated by R. C. Bray not Huwill Huwheaton) https://www.goodreads.com/series/51166-troy-rising\nIt's a really fun series, basically an alien race appears in the system and installs a gate to open up trade with the system. It has some really neat ideas in it and some good challenges they work through from fuel to interstellar war, with the primary character being your run of the mill guy with tech industry experience working in a rural community fighting his way to being fantastically wealthy and arguably the primary defender of human space.\nBook 1: Live Free or Die:\n>First Contact Was Friendly\n>When aliens trundled a gate to other worlds into the solar system, the world reacted with awe, hope and fear. But the first aliens to come through, the Glatun, were peaceful traders and the world breathed a sigh of relief.\n>Who Controls the Orbitals, Controls the World\nThey're a good read, but the narrator makes them quite a good listen. I've actually bought other author's entire series purely because Mark Boyett has narrated them.\nMark Boyett, R.C. Bray, and Luke Daniels are some great narrators and all do a lot of narration in the hard science fiction space. They make the audio versions of books far superior to reading it yourself, at last in my opinion.\nDaemon and the sequel Freedom TM by Daniel Suarez are also a fun read. It uses near-future, or even at the time experimental tech, to weave a mostly believable near-future scenario.\nDaemon:\n>When the obituary of legendary computer game architect Matthew Sobol appears online, a previously dormant daemon activates, initiating a chain of events that begins to unravel our interconnected world. This daemon reads news headlines, recruits human followers, and orders assassinations. With Sobol’s secrets buried with him, and as new layers of his daemon are unleashed, it’s up to Detective Peter Sebeck to stop a self-replicating virtual killer before it achieves its ultimate purpose - one that goes far beyond anything Sebeck could have imagined....",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm doing my annual re-listen to John Ringo's \"maple syrup trilogy\"",
          "reason": "The commenter relistens to and describes the series as fun, with interesting ideas and challenges.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Ringo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "military science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "trucks-13f344",
      "title": "Trucks",
      "author": "Byron Barton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26775082,
          "author": "rmk",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-12T00:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26775082",
          "commentText": "- Good Night, Moon\n- The Runaway Bunny\n- Harold and the Purple Crayon\n- Grandfather Twilight (for slightly older children)\n- Sandra Boynton books\n- Max's Breakfast (and other books)\n- I Read Signs (Tana Hoban; other books by her also quite good)\n- Go! Go! Go! Stop! (Cherise Mericle Harper)\n- Little Pea (Amy Krouse Rosenthal)\n- Trucks, My Car (and other Byron Barton books)\n- The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Eric Carle; some other books by this author are also good)\n- Roadwork (Sally Sutton; also in the same vein by the illustrator Brian Lovelock: Demolition, Flight of the Honey Bee, The Rain Train).\nMany others come to mind, but these are well-loved.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Trucks, My Car (and other Byron Barton books)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Byron Barton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s concept books",
        "vehicles"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "true-grit-666384",
      "title": "True Grit",
      "author": "Charles Portis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10836593,
          "author": "searine",
          "createdAt": "2016-01-04T16:47:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 10833032,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book you've recently read and enjoyed?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10836593",
          "commentText": "Oh boy, you fucked up now. Here are the books I read this past year that I felt were \"Good\", starting from the most recent :\nTo Kill A Mocking Bird (Insanely good)\nTrue Grit (Insanely good)\nThe Little Friend (Good)\nPriceless (Very good, about art theft)\nThe Secret History (Insanely good)\nReady Player One (Good, nerdy)\nShadow Divers (Very good, history nerd book)\nDiary of Anne Frank (Very good)\nUnbroken (Very good, way better than the movie)\nWith The Old Breed at Peleliu and Okinawa (Very good)\nSeveneves (good, but I'm a Stephenson fanboy)\nThe Martian (Very good, but just watch the movie).\nI read a bunch of other stuff, but that's what I found really \"good\" this past year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "True Grit (Insanely good)",
          "reason": "Described as “Insanely good.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Portis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "western"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "true-life-in-god-0b2f2a",
      "title": "True Life in God",
      "author": "Vassula Rydén",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5709743,
          "author": "cadalac",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-15T02:07:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5709743",
          "commentText": "True Life in God\nhttp://www.tlig.org/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "True Life in God",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vassula Rydén"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian spirituality",
        "mysticism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "true-names-and-other-dangers-4a5a09",
      "title": "True Names and Other Dangers",
      "author": "Vernor Vinge",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 140527,
          "author": "Eliezer",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T03:58:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140527",
          "commentText": "\"True Names and Other Dangers\".  Reading a remark by Vernor Vinge on his concept of the \"Singularity\" led to my current career as a Research Fellow of the Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"True Names and Other Dangers\".",
          "reason": "A remark by Vinge about the Singularity led to the commenter’s current career.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vernor Vinge"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "technological singularity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "trust-e7b27a",
      "title": "Trust",
      "author": "Hernan Diaz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38557198,
          "author": "velavar",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T15:09:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557198",
          "commentText": "This was the year I got my attention under enough control to be able to read voraciously again like I used to in my childhood :)\n* I'll always bring up The Three-body problem because I re-read it every year\n* Piranesi because of it's fantastical story-telling\n* The Covenant of Water - because it's a fantastic medical drama and a sweeping story spanning generations\n* Victory City - Salamn Rushdie's latest novel which is surprisingly readable\n* The Enchanted Forest/Kaikeyi/Palace of Illusions - because they cover the major Indian epics from the lens of the women characters (think Circe with an Indian background)\n* Trust - The same story told from different viewpoints with a setting in the early NY financial world, which makes it extra interesting\nI notice that I do tend to favour books with an Indian background because of my nostalgia for it as  I live in a foreign land. Maybe I'll branch out more next year!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The same story told from different viewpoints with a setting in the early NY financial world, which makes it extra interesting",
          "reason": "The multiple viewpoints and early New York finance setting make it interesting to the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hernan Diaz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial fiction",
        "historical fiction",
        "multiple perspectives"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "trust-me-i-m-lying-f5f15c",
      "title": "Trust Me, I'm Lying",
      "author": "Ryan Holiday",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22095915,
          "author": "neuro_image3",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T02:58:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22095915",
          "commentText": "\"Trust me, I'm Lying\" by Ryan Holiday",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "\"Trust me, I'm Lying\" by Ryan Holiday",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 16296337,
          "author": "caseysoftware",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T05:27:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296337",
          "commentText": "Trust Me, I'm Lying by Ryan Holliday\nInfluence: The Psychology of Persuasion\nI read both a couple years ago and was fascinated (and annoyed) by how many of the little tricks and tactics I recognized in sales, in the news, and really in every day life. Reading them didn't make me immune to any of it but now I'm aware and try to think more critically about what I see and hear.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Trust Me, I'm Lying by Ryan Holliday",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a question about books one wishes one had read earlier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says reading the books did not make them immune to the tactics discussed.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ryan Holiday"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Society",
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "media manipulation",
        "public relations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "trust-me-i-m-lying-confessions-of-a-media-manipulator-b57551",
      "title": "Trust Me, I'm Lying: Confessions of a Media Manipulator",
      "author": "Ryan Holiday",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10765730,
          "author": "iamnothere",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-20T02:00:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 10765063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10765730",
          "commentText": "Trust Me, I'm Lying by Ryan Holiday. It's Chomsky's \"Manufacturing Consent\" for the social media age.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Trust Me, I'm Lying by Ryan Holiday. It's Chomsky's \"Manufacturing Consent\" for the social media age.",
          "reason": "Presents it favorably as a contemporary counterpart to Manufacturing Consent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ryan Holiday"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "media manipulation",
        "social media"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "trustee-from-the-toolroom-9b5330",
      "title": "Trustee from the Toolroom",
      "author": "Nevil Shute",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15630235,
          "author": "netman21",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-05T16:55:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15630235",
          "commentText": "Trustee From The Tool Room, by Neville Shute.  Maker as hero. Adventures in the South Pacific.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Maker as hero. Adventures in the South Pacific.",
          "reason": "Offered as a favorite book in response to the thread question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nevil Shute"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "truth-and-beauty-aesthetics-and-motivations-in-science-03c3af",
      "title": "Truth and Beauty: Aesthetics and Motivations in Science",
      "author": "Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1971325,
          "author": "eerpini",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-05T09:44:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 1971163,
          "threadTitle": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1971325",
          "commentText": "Truth and Beauty (Aesthetics and Motivations in Science) by S. Chandrasekhar \nI got to know of this book much later than I would have preferred !",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Truth and Beauty (Aesthetics and Motivations in Science) by S. Chandrasekhar \nI got to know of this book much later than I would have preferred !",
          "reason": "Would have preferred to discover the book earlier.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of science",
        "scientific aesthetics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tuesdays-with-morrie-d49817",
      "title": "Tuesdays with Morrie",
      "author": "Mitch Albom",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18476114,
          "author": "anvsh",
          "createdAt": "2018-11-17T16:27:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 18473561,
          "threadTitle": "Best book/paper you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18476114",
          "commentText": "Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Alboom, really great book about life and everything brilliant about it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "really great book about life and everything brilliant about it.",
          "reason": "Calls it a really great book about life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783593,
          "author": "fmax30",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T14:59:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783593",
          "commentText": "I had read zero books by April 2015.\nHave read the following since then.\n1. 1984 by Orwell\n2. Animal Farm by Orwell\n3. 40 Rules of Love by Elif Shafak\n4. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline\n5. The Man in the high castle by Philip k Dic\n6. Tuesdays with morrie by Mitch Albom\n7. Broken Verses by Kamila Shamsie\n8. The Tipping Point by Malcom Gladwell\n9. Veronica Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho\n10. The Little Prince by antoine saint exupery\n11. A Monster calls by Patrick ness\nBooks that I am currently reading very very slowly ( 1-3 chapters per week )\n1. The Grand Design by Stephen Hawking\n2. The Wind Up Bird Chronicles by Murakami (I am really enjoying the slow reading here)\n3. Zen and art of motorcycle by Robert Pirsig\nEdit: Formatting",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "6. Tuesdays with morrie by Mitch Albom",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mitch Albom"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "life lessons",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tuf-voyaging-bd6fa3",
      "title": "Tuf Voyaging",
      "author": "George R. R. Martin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13236323,
          "author": "chimprich",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T10:37:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13236323",
          "commentText": "* The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee. The prose was a bit purple for me but fascinating book about the progress of cancer treatment including recent advances. Second half of the book is more interesting in my opinion so don't give up if you find the history of cancer a little do dry.\n* Tuf Voyaging by George RR Martin. I thought this was a stupid premise (guy travels the universe in a huge ship with cat companions?) but a friend strongly recommended it and I found it stupidly readable and very entertaining.\n* Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery by Henry Marsh. Deeply interesting and humane book about the work of an eminent brain surgeon.\n* The Better Angels of Our Nature: The Decline of Violence In History And Its Causes by Steven Pinker. Strong persuasive central thesis even if though I didn't agree with all his arguments. Very wide-ranging book with many ideas from philosophy and history.\n* Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic by David Quammen. Informative and scary book about zoonotic diseases. Like a non-fiction cross between the detective, horror and sci-fi genres.\n* The Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela. Read this because I felt I should rather than out of pure interest, but it was a good decision: fascinating biography and startling how intelligent and occasionally ruthless Mandela was.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I found it stupidly readable and very entertaining.",
          "reason": "Found it very entertaining and easy to read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The premise initially seemed stupid to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George R. R. Martin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories",
        "space adventure"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tufte-s-books-a8fdba",
      "title": "Tufte's books",
      "author": "Edward R. Tufte",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1265288,
          "author": "aohtsab",
          "createdAt": "2010-04-14T16:18:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 1265091,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good books on graphing/charting/visualization?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1265288",
          "commentText": "Fun fact - Tufte's in Arlington giving a talk and we're taking a 15 minute break right now. Compelling speaker and thrilling read (he's giving away four of his books to every attendee).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "thrilling read (he's giving away four of his books to every attendee)",
          "reason": "Describes Tufte's writing as a thrilling read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward R. Tufte"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data visualization",
        "statistical graphics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tuning-for-speed-fdf4e8",
      "title": "Tuning for Speed",
      "author": "Phil Irving",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9614697,
          "author": "AnthonBerg",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T22:04:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9614697",
          "commentText": "Tuning for Speed by Phil Irving - http://tuningforspeed.com/files/Tuning_for_Speed.pdf\nCombustion engine tuning. Very accessible yet deep.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tuning for Speed by Phil Irving - http://tuningforspeed.com/files/Tuning_for_Speed.pdf Combustion engine tuning. Very accessible yet deep.",
          "reason": "Presents the book as a free read and praises it as accessible yet deep.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Phil Irving"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "engine tuning",
        "internal combustion engines"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "turing-s-vision-the-birth-of-computer-science-94c411",
      "title": "Turing's Vision: The Birth of Computer Science",
      "author": "Chris Bernhardt",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21902464,
          "author": "jdkee",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-28T23:10:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21902464",
          "commentText": "How to Change Your Mind, Michael Pollan.\nTuring's Vision: The Birth of Computer Science, Chris Bernhardt.\nThe Peripheral, William Gibson.\nLila, Robert Pirsig. (re-read)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Turing's Vision: The Birth of Computer Science, Chris Bernhardt.",
          "reason": "Named in response to a question about influential books read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris Bernhardt"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alan turing",
        "foundations of computer science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tutortexts-bc0e74",
      "title": "TutorTexts",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30491911,
          "author": "vmilner",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-27T19:58:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 30485544,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: The book that did it for you in math and/or CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30491911",
          "commentText": "Possibly \"TutorTexts\"\nhttps://gamebooks.org/Series/457/Show\nI had Lasker's chess one as a school prize - it was awesome.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Possibly \"TutorTexts\"",
          "reason": "Suggests the TutorTexts series as a possible match for the books being sought.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The identification is tentative.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programmed learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tuxedo-park-56412a",
      "title": "Tuxedo Park",
      "author": "Jennet Conant",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 621301,
          "author": "joe_bleau",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-21T23:43:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 621237,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=621301",
          "commentText": "Can't pick just one, but I enjoyed: Tuxedo Park, Soul Of a New Machine, and The Deadly Fuze.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed: Tuxedo Park, Soul Of a New Machine, and The Deadly Fuze.",
          "reason": "Includes it in a list of books the commenter enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jennet Conant"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "radar development",
        "scientific biography",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "tuxedo-park-a-wall-street-tycoon-and-the-secret-palace-of-science-21214e",
      "title": "Tuxedo Park: A Wall Street Tycoon and the Secret Palace of Science That Changed the Course of World War II",
      "author": "Jennet Conant",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36602896,
          "author": "haberlerm",
          "createdAt": "2023-07-05T16:37:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 36581241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good Books on the History of Technology?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36602896",
          "commentText": "The Invention That Changed the World: How a Small Group of Radar Pioneers Won the Second World War and Launched a Technological Revolution\nthe story of Alfred Loomis, who was key in radar development:\nTuxedo Park: A Wall Street Tycoon and the Secret Palace of Science That Changed the Course of World War II",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Tuxedo Park: A Wall Street Tycoon and the Secret Palace of Science That Changed the Course of World War II",
          "reason": "A story about Alfred Loomis, who was key in radar development.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 23573788,
          "author": "chrisbennet",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-19T12:30:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 23561163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book that nobody you know has heard of?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23573788",
          "commentText": "This is one of my favorites: \"The Sprite: The Story of a Red Fox.\" It was first published in 1924 I think, I have a later copy from 1927? It's the true story of a pet fox.\nAnother one I liked is \"Tuxedo Park : A Wall Street Tycoon and the Secret Palace of Science That Changed the Course of World War II\". This one isn't that rare but I haven't anyone mention it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another one I liked is \"Tuxedo Park : A Wall Street Tycoon and the Secret Palace of Science That Changed the Course of World War II\".",
          "reason": "The commenter says they liked the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not that rare, but they have not heard anyone mention it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jennet Conant"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alfred loomis",
        "history of science",
        "radar history",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "twenty-small-sailboats-to-take-you-anywhere-da1879",
      "title": "Twenty Small Sailboats to Take You Anywhere",
      "author": "John Vigor",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40284561,
          "author": "JackMorgan",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T12:14:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40284561",
          "commentText": "Wow, this is interesting, very few books I've read more than once! Even fewer are non fiction, but they sure do explain a lot about me:\n- Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving by Pete Walker helped me process a number of assaults that happened to me as a child\n- Designing Data Intensive Applications by Martin Kleppmann helped me understand intuitively how databases work and how to use eventual consistency to handle workloads\n- The Highly Sensitive Person: How To Thrive when the World Overwhelms You by Elaine Aron this helped me process my and my families neurodivergence.\n- Structure And Interpretation of Computer Programs by Ableson and Sussman. Great book, it's how I learned to love Lisp. I felt like I grew 10x in skill from completing all the homework.\n- Starting Strength: Basic Barbell Training by Mark Rippetoe. This is the book that got me into powerlifting  as a regular part of my fitness. I used this to heal my back, neck, and wrist pain. Changed my life.\n- Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter by James Gurney. The GOAT of plein air painting himself teaches so much about how light works on complex forms. I've dog-eared this book.\n- Reinventing Organizations by Frederic Laloux. A great look into how to build and run a self organizing team. Very insightful for when I was leading several teams and needed inspiration for something other than the typical chain of command.\n- The Classroom Management Book by Harry Wong. This book taught me so much about how humans work. I still apply lessons from this book 20 years later.\n- Real World Haskell by O'Sullivan, Goerzen, Stewart. This taught me a lot about Haskell, and got me into all the neat effects needed to make a function pure but still handle IO/async, etc.\n- Peopleware by DeMarco, Lister. My go to book for people management and a philosophy of project management\n- Science of Trust: Emotional Attunement for Couples by Gottman. I love this book for teaching me how to be a better spouse and friend.\n- The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing by Larimore, Lindauer. A great guide to building a permanent portfolio that will return consistent gains with the market. Simple in hindsight, thanks to this book. Best book on investing I've ever read.\n- How to Take Smart Notes by Ahrens. Introduces the zettlekasten system for thinking and creativity. Very inspiring, got me to start a personal file that I keep going to this day, five years later.\n- Twenty Small Sailboats to Take you Anywhere by Vigor. I read this book over and over, dreaming of buying a small boat and sailing around the world. Maybe this year...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Twenty Small Sailboats to Take you Anywhere by Vigor. I read this book over and over, dreaming of buying a small boat and sailing around the world.",
          "reason": "The commenter rereads it while dreaming of buying a small boat and sailing around the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Vigor"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sailing",
        "small boats"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "twenty-years-after-f8ee49",
      "title": "Twenty Years After",
      "author": "Alexandre Dumas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20918348,
          "author": "idoubtit",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T14:13:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20918348",
          "commentText": "Monte Cristo is also my favorite novel by Alexandre Dumas, but I enjoyed many other books he wrote — he used to have assistants that wrote part of his books, and, IIRC, one of them claimed that he was the main author of some novels.\nI'd recommend reading \"Les 3 mousquetaires\", where the Lady is one of the most interesting characters I've ever met. The book was a huge success, and is still famous in France nowadays, like its main character, D'Artagnan. The two sequences are okay, \"Vingt ans après\" and \"Le vicomte de Bragelonne\".\nOther good historical novels by Dumas are \"La reine Margot\", \"Joseph Balsamo\", \"Le collier de la reine\". For the fans, there are dozens of lesser novels, like \"La tulipe noire\" (which I know I've read, but can't remember at all).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The two sequences are okay, \"Vingt ans après\"",
          "reason": "Describes it as an okay sequel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter rates the sequels as okay.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alexandre Dumas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical adventure",
        "swashbuckling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "twilight-of-democracy-fee15b",
      "title": "Twilight of Democracy",
      "author": "Anne Applebaum",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34160619,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:11:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160619",
          "commentText": "This year I've put myself to the challenge to read at least one book per week which I primarily could complete by reading in the middle of the night while holding our sleeping baby in my arms. It has been an interesting challenge which gave me a lot of fulfilment and has certainly changed my mind on how I view the world. This comment became quite a long read, apologies for that.\nBooks I highly recommend:\nChurchill by Andrew Roberts (p:1105)\nA biography about one of the most interesting figures in politics and WWII. Roberts gives a very detailed description of the life of Churchill and manages to keep you interested the entire length of the book.\nThe God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (p:374)\nIn The God Delusion Dawkins gives arguments why there is no God, why we do not need a God and why religion is damaging to our society. If you are religious it might not be the book for you unless you are open to hear his arguments and line of reasoning. Dawkins will challenge your worldview.\nThe Bomb by Fred Kaplan (p:384)\nKaplan describes the policy of different US presidents on the atomic bomb and war in general. And primarily on the inability of US presidents and policy-makers to tune down its military. A chilling read which makes you appreciate a nuclear holocaust did not happen (yet)....\nPoor Economics by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo (p:320)\nBanerjee and Duflo give a gripping portrait of how poor people live. They offer an insight in the choices and decisions people make surviving on less than 1 USD a day (corrected for purchasing power). It made me completely rethink my own view on poverty and development aid; stressing even more that in order to help one need to have a complete understanding of the individual's situation and the local boundary conditions.\nProject Hail Mary  by Andy Weir (p:476)\nThis book triggered my science fiction reading. For some reason I never was interested in science fiction. Most likely triggered by reading Foundation by Asimov a few years back which apparently is not a book to my taste. But Andy Weir completely annihilated that wrong perspective on science fiction. Project Hail Mary is interesting, funny and gripping book.\nKindred by Octavia Butler  (p:287)\nThis book.... From page one I was hooked and almost read it in one go. Butler is a wonderful author and Kindred is a must-read. The book is about a woman traveling back in time to end up on a slave plantation. It's a chilling account of slavery.\nOther books I read this year, ask me anything about one of these books. I've added a + if I think its worth a recommendation\nBiography:\nNavalny by Dollbaum, Lallouet and Noble (p:280); The Man from the Future by Ananyo Bhattacharya (p:354) +\nSociology; Politics; Economics; Business:\nOnly the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove (p:224); The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli  (p:140); Winter is Coming by Garry Kasparov (p:290); Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum (p:224) +; Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl (p:164) +; We Are Bellingcat by Eliot Higgins (p:272); De Zeven Vinkjes by Joris Luyendijk (p:200); Waarom vuilnismannen meer verdienen dan bankiers by Rutger Bregman (p:104)\nComedy: The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (p:336)\nHistory:\nBand of Brothers  by Stephen E. Ambrose (p:432); The Nuclear Jihadist by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins (p:413) +; The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre (p:384) +; De Heineken Ontvoering by Peter R. de Vries (p:347); Red Famine by Anne Apllebaum (p:384); Night by Elie Wiesel (p:115) +\nScience, Technology, Mathematics:\nFermat's Enigma by Simon Singh (p:315) +; A Mathematician's Apology by G.H. Hardy (p:153); The Great Influenza by John M. Barry (p:546); The Rise and Fall of the Dinousaurs by Stephen Brusatte (p:404) ++; The Double Helix by James Watson (p:144)\nSport:\nRun or Die by Killian Jornet (p:208); The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton  (p:290) +; The Rise of the Ultra Runners by  (p:304); Tom Dumoulin by Patrick Bernhart (p:203)\nFiction:\nAnthem by Ayn Rand (p:105); Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (p:704); The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (p:566); Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (p:466); Live and Let die by Ian Fleming  (p:229)\nClassics:\nA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (p:104); The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (p:201); The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald (p:180); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (p:139); Animal Farm by George Orwell (p:122) +; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (p:227) +; The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (p:118)\nScience Fiction:\nThe Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (p:399); All Systems Red  by Martha Wells (p:144) +; A Memory Called Empire  by Arkady Martine (p:462) +; A Psalm built for the Wild by Becky Chambers (p:160); Dune by Frank Herbert (p:658); Foundation by Isaac Asimov (p:244); The Martian by Andy Weir (p:384) +;\nThe Forever War by Joe Haldeman (p:278)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum",
          "reason": "Marked with a plus as worth recommending.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anne Applebaum"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "authoritarianism",
        "democracy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "twinkie-deconstructed-my-journey-to-discover-how-the-ingredients--92dc54",
      "title": "Twinkie, Deconstructed: My Journey to Discover How the Ingredients Found in Processed Foods Are Grown, Mined (Yes, Mined), and Manipulated into What America Eats",
      "author": "Steve Ettlinger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22096120,
          "author": "WheelsAtLarge",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T03:36:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22096120",
          "commentText": "\"Twinkie, Deconstructed: My Journey to Discover How the Ingredients Found in Processed Foods Are Grown, Mined (Yes, Mined), and Manipulated into What America Eats.\" by Steve Ettlinger\nThe book is a look at the way ingredients to everyday products are created. It's both entertaining and eye-opening.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Twinkie, Deconstructed: My Journey to Discover How the Ingredients Found in Processed Foods Are Grown, Mined (Yes, Mined), and Manipulated into What America Eats.\" by Steve Ettlinger",
          "reason": "Describes the origins of everyday product ingredients as entertaining and eye-opening.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve Ettlinger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "food ingredients",
        "food production"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "two-2218d9",
      "title": "Two",
      "author": "Melissa Ann Pinney",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12245275,
          "author": "physicsyogi",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T03:17:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12245275",
          "commentText": "I gave Joseph Brodsky's Watermark and Alan Watts' The Wisdom of Insecurity to two friends last year. And for  Mothers Day last year I gave my wife a book of themed photos and prose, Two, by Melissa Ann Pinney.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Two, by Melissa Ann Pinney",
          "reason": "Named as a book the commenter gave their wife for Mother's Day.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as a book of themed photos and prose.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Melissa Ann Pinney"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "photography",
        "prose"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "two-scoops-of-django-9b6190",
      "title": "Two Scoops of Django",
      "author": "Daniel Roy Greenfeld and Audrey Roy Greenfeld",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8001335,
          "author": "rayalez",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T20:54:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8001335",
          "commentText": "> \"Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach\"\nI think it is one of the best books written on any topic ever period.\nIt is kinda advanced but also brilliant, and was a turning point in my decision to master hacking.\n> Now I am reading \"Two Scoops of Django\" and enjoying it A LOT.\nIt's closer to a beginner/intermediate level, and it brings me a lot of joy and excitement about programming.\n> Another one is \"Hackers & Painters\", of course. PG is brilliant, nuff said.\nHis book \"ANSI Common Lisp\" is definitely on the top of my reading list, I've already started and it is great.\n> Just to mention, a little less technical book is \"Ghost In The Wires\" by Kevin Mitnick, a famous hacker.\nI'm listening the audiobook now and it is really inspiring, entertaining and fantastic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Now I am reading \"Two Scoops of Django\" and enjoying it A LOT.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it brings joy and excitement about programming.",
          "audience": "Beginner to intermediate readers, as described by the commenter.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Roy Greenfeld and Audrey Roy Greenfeld"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "django",
        "python"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "two-treatises-of-government-1fc790",
      "title": "Two Treatises of Government",
      "author": "John Locke",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12565777,
          "author": "marmot777",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T16:23:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12565777",
          "commentText": "These are important books but obviously not a comprehensive list.\n* John Locke's Two Treatises of Government - It's political philosophy but it's hard to understand Classical Liberalism without having read some Locke.\n* Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations - He and Locke are the two main guys to read for a solid start on Classical Liberalism, which is completely different than modern political liberalism. It's like having two features in an app with nearly the same name. Confusing as fuck.\n* E. F. Schumacher's Small Is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered - This book will shift your perspective, useful to avoid becoming an a mindless advocate for one school of thought or another.\n* Marx is a tough one as Capital is massive and unreadable and The Communist Manifesto is a propaganda pamphlet but I think you need to at least find some articles that summarize the basics.\n* Keynes and Hayek - This hip hop battle is a decent start:\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0nERTFo-Sk\nthen read Keynes' The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money and Hayek's The Road to Serfdom.\n* Milton Friedman's - Yes, read Capitalism and Freedom. I hesitated to include it as the guy's so good at making the case that it can turn you into a market advocate bot. Please resist that.\nCan someone help me on this, is there a book balance Hayek and a book to balance Friedman? I'm sorry but Keynes doesn't do it for me. Look at the difference in titles between Hayek and Keynes. It's hard to motivate to read the Keynes book but nobody ever has trouble reading Hayek.\nI see a lot of these ideas come up on HN a lot. What I don't like so much is when someone becomes an advocate for a particular ism. To me, all isms are rubbish. All of them. Understand but do not become a shill for an ideology.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "John Locke's Two Treatises of Government - It's political philosophy but it's hard to understand Classical Liberalism without having read some Locke.",
          "reason": "Described as important for understanding classical liberalism.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking to understand classical liberalism.",
          "caveat": "Political philosophy rather than economics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Locke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classical liberalism",
        "political philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "type-driven-development-with-idris-5f440e",
      "title": "Type-Driven Development with Idris",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29311416,
          "author": "mixedCase",
          "createdAt": "2021-11-22T20:47:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29311416",
          "commentText": "Type-Driven Development with Idris. If you haven't delved into dependent typing before, you absolutely owe it to yourself.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Type-Driven Development with Idris.",
          "reason": "The commenter says readers unfamiliar with dependent typing owe it to themselves to explore it.",
          "audience": "Readers who have not delved into dependent typing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dependent types",
        "idris",
        "type driven development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "typee-a-peep-at-polynesian-life-4cf5af",
      "title": "Typee: A Peep at Polynesian Life",
      "author": "Herman Melville",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38562494,
          "author": "rmk",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T22:08:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38562494",
          "commentText": "A few books I read this year (or perhaps late last year), and wholeheartedly recommend:\n- Typee: A peep at Polynesian Life by Herman Melville\n- Fatu-Hiva, Back to Nature by Thor Heyerdahl\n- The lost world: being an account of the recent amazing adventures of Professor E. Challenger, Lord John Roxton, Professor Summerlee and Mr Ed. Malone of the 'Daily Gazette'",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Typee: A peep at Polynesian Life by Herman Melville",
          "reason": "Includes it among books read and wholeheartedly recommended.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Herman Melville"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "polynesia",
        "travel narrative"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "typography-for-lawyers-8d22a7",
      "title": "Typography for Lawyers",
      "author": "Matthew Butterick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43612522,
          "author": "treetalker",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T15:20:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43612522",
          "commentText": "Peter Bevelin's Seeking Wisdom.\nThe other day someone on here recommended The Philosopher's Toolkit, and I ordered a copy based on that recommendation. I've only started to dip into various parts, but I can already confirm that it is a good introductory compendium of the basics of philosophy, logic, and argumentation. In the same vein is Daniel Dennett's Intuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking.\nA personal favorite is Frances  Yates's The Art of Memory (think: intersection of rhetoric, mnemonic systems, philosophical systems, and the occult during the Renaissance).\nMatthew Butterick's Practical Typography and Typography for Lawyers. Bryan Garner's The Winning Brief.\nUmberto Eco's How to Write a Thesis. Adler's How to Read a Book. Pierre Bayard's How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read.\nI could go on. Book posts are my favorite posts on HN, but they always lighten my wallet and at home I'm surrounded with ever-growing piles of great material.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Matthew Butterick's Practical Typography and Typography for Lawyers.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthew Butterick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "legal writing",
        "typography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "typography-in-ten-minutes-04f170",
      "title": "Typography in Ten Minutes",
      "author": "Matthew Butterick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9614156,
          "author": "jay-saint",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T20:37:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9614156",
          "commentText": "Butterick's Practical Typography http://practicaltypography.com is a must read for anyone in design or UX field.\nEveryone should read and take to heart the condensed version http://practicaltypography.com/typography-in-ten-minutes.htm... (http://practicaltypography.com/typography-in-ten-minutes.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Everyone should read and take to heart the condensed version",
          "reason": "Recommends the condensed version to everyone.",
          "audience": "Everyone.",
          "caveat": "It is a condensed version of Practical Typography.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Matthew Butterick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "typography",
        "visual communication"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "u-s-a-trilogy-7ef00c",
      "title": "U.S.A. Trilogy",
      "author": "John Dos Passos",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17169369,
          "author": "wrycoder",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T22:10:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17169369",
          "commentText": "Gravitation by Misner, Thorne, and Wheeler\nThe Road to Reality by Penrose\nThe Order of Time by Carlo Rovelli\n\"For a long time, we have tried to understand the world in terms of some primary substance.  Perhaps physics, more than any other discipline, has pursued this primary substance.  But the more we have studied it, the less the world seems comprehensible in terms of something that is.  It seems to be a lot more intelligible in terms of relations between events.\n...\nWe therefore describe the world as it happens, not as it is.  Newton's mechanics, Maxwell's equations, quantum mechanics, and so on, tell us how events happen, not how things are...we understand the world in its becoming, not in its being.  Things in themselves are only events that for a while are monotonous.  But only before returning to dust, everything returns to dust.\nThe absence of time does not mean, therefore, that everything is frozen and unmoving.  It means that the incessant happening that wearies the world is not ordered along a time line, is not measured by a gigantic tick-tocking.  It does not even form a four-dimensional geometry.  It is a boundless and disorderly network of quantum events.  The world is more like Naples than Singapore.\nIf by 'time' we mean nothing more than happening, then everything is time.  There is only that which exists in time.\"\nVery influential in my teens:\nAbsalom, Absalom by Faulkner\nUSA by John Dos Passos\nCache Lake Country by Rowlands",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "USA by John Dos Passos",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was very influential in their teens.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Dos Passos"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american modernism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "unix-network-programming-volume-1-the-sockets-networking-api-dad033",
      "title": "UNIX Network Programming, Volume 1: The Sockets Networking API",
      "author": "W. Richard Stevens",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1213369,
          "author": "gte910h",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-23T16:47:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 1212675,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I use and love Python. What's the best book to learn C ?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1213369",
          "commentText": "This post only contains non-aff links\nWhile I'm certainly good at C, and have been the guy people asked the C and C toolchain questions at a couple places I've worked, I'd say you're in for more than 1 book to grok the topics you've expressed interest in, and haven't met the single book that does all you want.\n1: If you're a python programmer, I do suggest staying with pure C and AWAY from C++. You have little use case for it if you can mix python and C and it is literally pain incarnate while you do not know every little bit of it and/or work with people who do not know every little bit of it.\n2: Secondly, a single book on C will not get you where you're going. You will need several.\n3: I'd stick with K&R for reference, but then go to the following two books for threading and all the other stuff like networking:\nYou need these two books to get down C and it's ecosystem (make, autotools, etc):\nAdvanced Unix Programming by Rochkind (Really good explanation of signals especially): http://www.amazon.com/Advanced-UNIX-Programming-Marc-Rochkin... (http://www.amazon.com/Advanced-UNIX-Programming-Marc-Rochkind/dp/0131411543/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269362485&sr=8-1)\nGnu/Linux Application Programming by M. Tim Jones (Recovers some of the same stuff as AUP, but does better with the toolchain): \nhttp://www.amazon.com/GNU-Linux-Application-Programming/dp/1... (http://www.amazon.com/GNU-Linux-Application-Programming/dp/1584505680/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269362580&sr=8-1)\nIf you want to go more advanced, this is likely the correct book:\nAdvanced Programming in the Unix Environment:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Programming-UNIX-Environment-... (http://www.amazon.com/Advanced-Programming-UNIX-Environment-2nd/dp/0201433079/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269362485&sr=8-2)\nAlthough if you're diving deep into networking, this is likely the correct book:\nUnix Networking Programming: Vol I by Stevens:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Unix-Network-Programming-Sockets-Netwo... (http://www.amazon.com/Unix-Network-Programming-Sockets-Networking/dp/0131411551/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1269362819&sr=1-1)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Unix Networking Programming: Vol I by Stevens",
          "reason": "Suggested for readers diving deeply into networking.",
          "audience": "C learners focused on Unix networking.",
          "caveat": "Suggested specifically for deep networking coverage.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. Richard Stevens"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming",
        "network programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "unix-systems-for-modern-architectures-symmetric-multiprocessing-a-0e6c60",
      "title": "UNIX Systems for Modern Architectures: Symmetric Multiprocessing and Caching for Kernel Programmers",
      "author": "Curt Schimmel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22096179,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T03:57:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22096179",
          "commentText": "This is a thread after my own heart! I love finding out and reading old, less well-known and thought provoking books on a variety of subject matters. I have come to the conclusion that \"popular\" almost always equals \"lowest common denominator\" and \"fad of the month\" particularly given today's media hype cycles. Moreover one has to guard against having ones mental models bounded within a box. By actively seeking out lesser known and out of the way viewpoints one truly grows. Some books from my collection which i have not seen mentioned here (in no particular order or categorization);\n* The Natural History of Nonsense by Bergan Evans\n* Programming on Purpose, Essays on Software Design by P. J. Plauger\n* Management: A Political Activity by Ted Stephenson\n* The Energy of Life: The Science of What Makes Our Minds and Bodies Work by Guy Brown\n* Patterns for Time-Triggered Embedded Systems: Building Reliable Applications with the 8051 Family of Microcontrollers by Michael Pont.\n* UNIX Systems for Modern Architectures: Symmetric Multiprocessing and Caching for Kernel Programmers by Curt Schimmel.\n* Maxims and Reflections (Ricordi) by Francesco Guicciardini\nThere are a bunch more i have to root around for :-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "UNIX Systems for Modern Architectures: Symmetric Multiprocessing and Caching for Kernel Programmers by Curt Schimmel.",
          "reason": "Lists it among books from their collection that they have not seen mentioned in the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Curt Schimmel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "multiprocessor systems",
        "operating systems",
        "unix"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "unix-and-linux-system-administration-handbook-b3ec53",
      "title": "UNIX and Linux System Administration Handbook",
      "author": "Evi Nemeth, Garth Snyder, Trent R. Hein, Ben Whaley, and Dan Mackin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16757794,
          "author": "PascLeRasc",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T18:59:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16757794",
          "commentText": "The Hardware Hacker by Bunnie Huang. It's great for casual reading and some reference to how electronics are manufactured.\nUNIX and Linux System Administration Handbook. I have an old version but it's also great material and excellent writing.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "it's also great material and excellent writing.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its material and writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has an old version.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Evi Nemeth, Garth Snyder, Trent R. Hein, Ben Whaley, and Dan Mackin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "linux",
        "system administration",
        "unix"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ultra-processed-people-e91992",
      "title": "Ultra-Processed People",
      "author": "Chris van Tulleken",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46398558,
          "author": "ImaCake",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T02:38:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46398558",
          "commentText": "I read/listened/sampled a lot this year but a few have reached out into my life and changed me at least a little bit.\n- In Defense of Food - Michael Pollan. A brilliant \"not diet\" book about not eating crap and enjoying chocolate cake with your friends. I followed this up with Ultra Processed People to arm myself with the facts to defend not eating the junk people call food.\n- The Dispossesed - Ursula Le Guin: recommended in previous year's HN what did you reads. An absolutely triumph for how it manages to portray a believable anarchist society.\n- Adult Children of Alcoholics: useful to the multitude of us who grew up with an alcoholic parent(s). I used this to identify the common patterns I share with others who grew up like me. You are not alone!\n- The Invention of Clouds (not finished): I really like the context of \"dissenting science\" which the author conveys brilliantly. Turns out Dark Academia and Bro Science are not new.\n- The Art of Frugal Hedonism: Irreverant although it comes off a little pious. This book has helped me accept that I have enough stuff already.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I followed this up with Ultra Processed People to arm myself with the facts",
          "reason": "Read it to get facts supporting choices about highly processed food.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chris van Tulleken"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "food",
        "nutrition",
        "processed food"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ultralearning-7e195b",
      "title": "Ultralearning",
      "author": "Scott H. Young",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29032266,
          "author": "xupybd",
          "createdAt": "2021-10-28T21:29:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 29030285,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Audio Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29032266",
          "commentText": "> What are you reading and why? \nAudiobooks are a special case for me. They help fill the time when I'm driving to work, mowing the lawn or doing dishes. If I consume my entertainment during these productive times, I find I'm less drawn to television and other mindless distractions. They also help me to be motivated to do tasks that I otherwise find dull. The better alternative is to find a friend to share these tasks with, but that is not always a practical option.\nWhile I do read for entertainment, I really enjoy non-fiction as long as it's light. If I want to explore a topic and truly learn something, I often need to find a text version. That said, I have found some great audiobooks that I have learnt from:\n-The Goal\n-Pragmatic Programmer\n-Designing Data-Intensive Applications\n-Thinking Fast and Slow\n-Ultralearning\nThe best entertainment so far have been\n-Dune\n-The Expanse series\n-The Bobiverse series\n-The Expeditionary force series.\nI asked this question so broadly as I wanted to try something that I wouldn't usually go for. I have a heavy bias towards sci-fi and wouldn't mind exploring other genres. I love good non-fiction but have also found a lot of trash non-fiction out there that I regret wasting time on.\nI have a log of recommendations but not of books read. It sounds like a good idea.\nI'll add How to Read a Book to my list :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I have found some great audiobooks that I have learnt from:\n-The Goal\n-Pragmatic Programmer\n-Designing Data-Intensive Applications\n-Thinking Fast and Slow\n-Ultralearning",
          "reason": "Includes it among audiobooks the commenter learned from.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott H. Young"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self directed learning",
        "study methods"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ultralight-startup-869c1c",
      "title": "Ultralight Startup",
      "author": "Jason L. Baptiste",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4479002,
          "author": "maheshguruswamy",
          "createdAt": "2012-09-05T12:29:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 4476107,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN : What are some great books an aspiring entrepreneur should read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4479002",
          "commentText": "Surprised no one mentioned these..\nDo more faster\nUltralight startups",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ultralight startups",
          "reason": "Named in response to a question asking for books aspiring entrepreneurs should read.",
          "audience": "Aspiring entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jason L. Baptiste"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bootstrapping",
        "startups"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ultramarathon-man-7ec977",
      "title": "Ultramarathon Man",
      "author": "Dean Karnazes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32938877,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-22T14:02:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 32935412,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books you have read till now that were worth investing time in?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32938877",
          "commentText": "That would be a long list, given that I read a lot of books and would generally say that most of the books I've read were worth investing time in to some extent. But for what it's worth, here's a subset, cribbed from my previous HN comments:\nSomething Deeply Hidden - Sean Carroll\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThe Man Who Loved Only Numbers: The Story of Paul Erdos and the Search for Mathematical Truth - Paul Hoffman\nThe Man Who Knew Infinity: A Life of the Genius Ramanujan - Robert Kanigel\nLost in Math - Sabine Hossenfelder\nThe First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg\nHyperspace - Michio Kaku\nNot Even Wrong - Peter Woit\nThe Trouble With Physics - Lee Smolin\nAbout Time - Paul Davies\nTime Reborn - Lee Smolin\nThe Elegant Universe - Brian Greene\nThe Hidden Reality - Brian Greene\nThe Fabric of the Cosmos - Brian Greene\nQuantum Space: Loop Quantum Gravity and the Search for the Structure of Space, Time, and the Universe - Jim Baggott\nThe Universe Speaks in Numbers: How Modern Math Reveals Nature's Deepest Secrets - Graham Farmelo\nThree Roads To Quantum Gravity - Lee Smolin\nProgramming the Universe: A Quantum Computer Scientist Takes on the Cosmos - Seth Lloyd\nHiggs - The invention and discovery of the 'God Particle' - Jim Baggott\nAnalogy Making As Perception - Melanie Mitchell\nSociety of Mind - Marvin Minsky\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 1 - Ben Goertzel\nEngineering General Intelligence, Part 2 - Ben Goertzel\nThe AGI Revolution - Ben Goertzel\nHackers & Painters by our very own Paul \"pg\" Graham\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Steven Levy\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Tracy Kidder\nCyberpunk: Outlaws and Hackers on the Computer Frontier -  Katie Hafner & John Markoff\nArtificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology - Steven Levy\nGhost In The Wires - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Deception - Kevin Mitnick\nThe Art of Intrusion - Kevin Mitnick\nGodel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas Hofstadter\nThe Fountainhead - Ayn Rand\nIt's Not About The Bike - Lance Armstrong\nUltramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes\nCharles Proteus Steinmetz: The Electrical Wizard of Schenectady - Robert Bly\nReport From Engine Co 82 - Dennis Smith\nPositioning: The Battle for Your Mind - Al Ries, Jack Trout and Philip Kotler\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing: Violate Them at Your Own Risk! - Al Ries and Jack Trout\nRe-Positioning: Marketing in an Era of Competition, Change and Crisis by Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Branding - Al Ries and Laura Ries\nDifferentiate or Die: Survival in Our Era of Killer Competition - Jack Trout and Steve Rivkin\nMarketing High Technology - William H. Davidow\nMarketing Warfare - Al Ries\nThe Discipline of Market Leaders - Michael Treacy and Fred Wiersema\nCrossing The Chasm - Geoffrey Moore\nHow to Measure Anything - Douglas Hubbard\nFooled by Randomness - Nassim Nicholas Taleb\nThe Black Swan - Nassim Nicholas Taleb",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ultramarathon Man - Dean Karnazes",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dean Karnazes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ultramarathon"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "un-lun-dun-acb5ab",
      "title": "Un Lun Dun",
      "author": "China Miéville",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2615777,
          "author": "limmeau",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-03T10:14:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 2615647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2615777",
          "commentText": "I'm somewhere in Un Lun Dun by China Mieville right now. I cannot recommend his imaginative writing enough. (Un Lun Dun is a children's book in the same way the Potters are children's books).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I cannot recommend his imaginative writing enough. (Un Lun Dun is a children's book in the same way the Potters are children's books).",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends the author's imaginative writing and identifies this title as an example.",
          "audience": "Readers open to imaginative fiction, including adults who may overlook children's books.",
          "caveat": "Described as a children's book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "China Miéville"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s fantasy",
        "portal fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "unbelievable-my-front-row-seat-to-the-craziest-campaign-in-americ-afb98e",
      "title": "Unbelievable: My Front-Row Seat to the Craziest Campaign in America",
      "author": "Katy Tur",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18664739,
          "author": "nop_slide",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T15:35:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18664739",
          "commentText": "- A Random Walk Down Wall Street: I got much more interested in personal finance this year, and definitely recommend this book as a stepping stone for learning about investing.\n- Frankenstein: Highly recommend! It is nothing like it is portrayed to be in pop culture and I thoroughly enjoyed it.\n- Unbelievable: My Front-Row Seat to the Craziest Campaign in America: It is literally unbelievable. It follows Katy Tur, a reporter tasked with following Trump leading up to the election. If you aren't already fed up with Trump, then give this a whirl.\n- Dune: 5/5 sci-fi\n- The Society of the Spectacle: I had trouble with this one. I think some things get lost in translation, and the philosophical arguments are so abstract it was a bit hard to follow along. I had a few key take-aways but to be honest it was kind of a chore to read.\n- How Not to Die: Argues for prioritizing a plant-based diet, and definitely changed my relationship with food.\n- East of Eden: My wife's favorite book and is now one of my favorites.\n- Sapiens: Very enjoyable, but some of it can feel pseudo-sciency and gets a bit nihilistic in the end.\n- Man's Search for Meaning: Also very enjoyable, a good reminder to appreciate the people and things around you.\n- A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy: Very accessible intro to Stoicism\n- Red Notice: A True Story of Finance, Murder, and One Man's Fight for Justice: Very interesting and reads like a fiction thriller. TLDR Russia doesn't fuck around",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you aren't already fed up with Trump, then give this a whirl.",
          "reason": "Suggests the book to readers who are not already fed up with Trump.",
          "audience": "Readers not already fed up with Trump.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it follows a reporter covering Trump before the election.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Katy Tur"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "2016 us election",
        "political journalism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "unbroken-a-world-war-ii-story-of-survival-resilience-and-redempti-c8e148",
      "title": "Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption",
      "author": "Laura Hillenbrand",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42656561,
          "author": "gcj",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T15:39:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42656561",
          "commentText": "Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption\nZamperini's life was a series of hard things. Going to the Olympics, surviving a plane crash, then 47 days at sea, then a Japanese concentration camp ...\nVery well written as well",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption",
          "reason": "Recounts Zamperini's Olympic ambitions, plane crash, time at sea, and imprisonment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Very well written as well.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13237255,
          "author": "hackerkid",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:59:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237255",
          "commentText": "- Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari\n- Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight\n- Rework by Jason Fried\n- Rocket Boys by Homer Hickam\n- Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand\n- The Martian by Andy Weir\n- Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman by Richard Feynman",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Laura Hillenbrand"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "survival",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "uncanny-x-men-dfdfbb",
      "title": "Uncanny X-Men",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39730170,
          "author": "aSithLord",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T22:49:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39730170",
          "commentText": "Uncanny X-Men 141-142",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Uncanny X-Men 141-142",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter specifies issues 141–142.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "superhero comics",
        "x men"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "uncle-fred-series-7ef166",
      "title": "Uncle Fred series",
      "author": "P. G. Wodehouse",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42508426,
          "author": "ocfnash",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T12:11:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42508426",
          "commentText": "If you like these, you should try the Uncle Fred books. Of course almost everything by Wodehouse is a sublime masterpiece.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you should try the Uncle Fred books",
          "reason": "Suggests the Uncle Fred books to readers who like the books in the parent comment.",
          "audience": "Readers who like the books mentioned in the parent comment.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "P. G. Wodehouse"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "uncommon-carriers-0f2eeb",
      "title": "Uncommon Carriers",
      "author": "John McPhee",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25318763,
          "author": "ju-st",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T21:53:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25318763",
          "commentText": "Uncommon Carriers https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004OA64LQ  \"a collection of six excursions across the United States in various vehicles: coal train; barge-pushing towboat; a canoe on the Concord and Merrimack River, following John and Henry Thoreau's excursion in August, 1839; a UPS sorting station and truck; a five-axle, sixty-five foot, eighteen-wheel chemical tanker. \" (quote from an Amazon review)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Uncommon Carriers",
          "reason": "Described as excursions across the US in vehicles and workplaces including trains, boats, a UPS station, and a chemical tanker.",
          "audience": "Readers curious about transportation and related work.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John McPhee"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "transportation",
        "working life"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "uncommon-people-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-rock-stars-1955-1994-de418c",
      "title": "Uncommon People: The Rise and Fall of the Rock Stars 1955–1994",
      "author": "David Hepworth",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18744369,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T04:11:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18744369",
          "commentText": "* The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris by David McCullough\n* Higher: A Historic Race to the Sky and the Making of a City by Neal Bascomb\n* Caesar’s Last Breath: Decoding the Secrets of the Air Around Us by Sam Kean\n* Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari\n* A Man on the Moon: The Voyages of the Apollo Astronauts by Andrew Chaikin\n* The Actor’s Life: A survival guide by Jenna Fischer\n* The Interstellar Age: The Story of the NASA Men and Women Who Flew the Forty-Year Voyager Mission by Jim Bell\n* The Sports Gene: Inside the Science of Extraordinary Athletic Performance by David Epstein\n* Uncommon People: The Rise and Fall of the Rock Stars 1955-1994 by David Hepworth\n* Chasing Space: An Astronaut's Story of Grit, Grace, & Second Chances by Leland Melvin\n* The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough\n* Jefferson: Architect of American Liberty by John B. Boles",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Uncommon People: The Rise and Fall of the Rock Stars 1955-1994 by David Hepworth",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite nonfiction book read in 2018.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Hepworth"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "music history",
        "rock music"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "unconditional-parenting-2fcee9",
      "title": "Unconditional Parenting",
      "author": "Alfie Kohn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17059805,
          "author": "staticgarden",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-13T16:50:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 17045790,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have made you introspect?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17059805",
          "commentText": "Not related to tech, but \"A Guide to the Good Live\" (https://www.audible.com/pd/Nonfiction/A-Guide-to-the-Good-Li... (https://www.audible.com/pd/Nonfiction/A-Guide-to-the-Good-Life-Audiobook/B00G6ZLMDC)) , \"Unconditional Parenting\" (https://www.audible.com/pd/Self-Development/Unconditional-Pa... (https://www.audible.com/pd/Self-Development/Unconditional-Parenting-Audiobook/B01IE0HI1G)). These have really been mind altering. Both the books have challenged my beliefs and they make a lot of sense once you read them completely.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Unconditional Parenting\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was mind-altering and challenged their beliefs.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it makes sense once read completely.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alfie Kohn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Parenting",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "non punitive parenting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "uncontainable-b21991",
      "title": "Uncontainable",
      "author": "Kip Tindell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665209,
          "author": "PostPost",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:26:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665209",
          "commentText": "Sorry for the wall of text.\n1. Bourne (The language and world of this novel are extraordinary - everything is falling apart yet brimming with life. Strangely moving)\n2. The Design of Everyday things (Essential for anyone in UI/UX)\n3. All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (Highly engaging, entertaining sci-fi novella series, from an author that can write a very decent robot protagonist)\n4. The Power (Interesting story with sci-fi elements on the dynamics of power, sex, and gender roles. I didn't care for the book, but the first 3/4 of the book are amazing)\n5. Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days\n6. 7 brief Lessons on Physics\n7. The Last Lecture (The energy and positivity coming from a man knowing he's about to die is infectious. Great read)\n8. A wizard of Earthsea (Move over Harry Potter, this is the essential children's story about wizards)\n9. Exploring diabetes with owls (Funny, irreverent)\n10. Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children (Made an effort to read more YA this year - this was the best in this series, but I still hated it. There's a host of better YA series out there.)\n11. A Wizard of Earthsea: The Tombs of Atuan (See 8.)\n12. The Girl in the Dark (Interesting book about a skin condition I had never heard of, and the trials of living with a very rare condition)\n13. The Phantom Tollbooth (Clever children's book)\n14. Black hole blues and songs from outer space (Informative book about the study of space,  the political and economic forces standing in the way of science, and the incredible individuals working in this field)\n15. Welcome to Night Vale (Hugely entertaining, clever and weird)\n16. You need a budget (Basic economics book explaining how to budget in a way that lets you do more with your money)\n17. To fight Against This Age (Incredibly pretentious, \nIvory Tower philosophizing)\n18. Infinity Gauntlet (Half the Universe dying because Thanos wanted to sleep with Lady Death will never not be ridiculous)\n19. The Right and Wrong Stuff (Great read explaining how to anticipate and avoid career pitfalls)\n20. Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children: Hollow City (pretty shitty)\n21. The Farthest Shore (Ursula K. Le Guin was the biggest loss this year)\n22. Miss peregrine's home for Peculiar Children: Library of Souls (I hate this book and all its characters)\n23. Every Good Endevour (Religious book about a Christian worldview and the value of labor - not a bad read)\n24. When to Rob a Bank and 131 warped suggestions… (interesting, funny, from the writers of Freakonomics)\n25. Weapons of Math Destruction (Probably the most useful book on this list, if you're reading this on \"hackernews\")\n26. Holes (Perfect summer paperback read)\n27. Silver Screen Sirens (Essential for film geeks)\n28. A full life: reflections at 90 (I gained a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter: he lived an incredible life and does great things)\n29. Call Me by your name (Very good romance novel to send to your bigoted relatives at Christmas)\n30. Hyperbole and a half (Incredibly entertaining, very distinctive art style)\n31. The Murderbot diaries: Artificial Condition (See 3.)\n32. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Best children's book, fight me)\n33. Less (Exceptionally well-written)\n34. Resilience (Great book, especially for those that have gone through extremely difficult circumstances)\n35. The Strange Bird (Dark, bleak, full of life, see 1.)\n36. The Murderbot diaries: Rogue Protocol (See 3.)\n37. His Dark Materials: The subtle knife (See 32.)\n38. Tap Dancing to Work (Very dry, some stories/articles are fantastic, others very, very boring for people that do not care about finance)\n39. So Good They Can't Ignore You (Pretty good)\n40. His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass (Amazing YA, see 32.)\n41. Uncontainable (Inspirational book about conscious capitalism)\n42. The Emperor of All Maladies (Pretty much everything you'll ever want to know about Cancer, written in a very engaging way)\n43. Blind Spot\n44. Shoe dog (Great story, see madmax108's comment, totally agree)\n45. The Faithful Spy (Beautiful artwork describing a Christian pastor's fight against fascism during WW2)\n46. Zero to One\n47. You'll grow out of it\n48. The Happiness advantage (Really fantastic book about the value of positive psychology)\n49. Dreams from my father (Enlightening look into Obama's \nearly days)\n50. Ayoade on Ayoade (Entertaining, extremely scatter-brained, not as funny as his interviews or tv programs)\n51. The Diabolic (badly written YA Sci-Fi)\n52. The Physics of Everyday Things (surprisingly informative, recommended for non science-people interested in the way things work)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Inspirational book about conscious capitalism",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as inspirational.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kip Tindell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "conscious capitalism",
        "leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "undaunted-courage-327261",
      "title": "Undaunted Courage",
      "author": "Stephen E. Ambrose",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49903352,
          "author": "tastyfreeze",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-30T01:42:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49903352",
          "commentText": "Dungeon Crawler Carl book 7.  Started the series in January. Most books I've read in a year since I read the Expanse series.\nHistorical books that are great... Empire of the Summer Moon, Undaunted Courage, Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Undaunted Courage",
          "reason": "Lists it among historical books they consider great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen E. Ambrose"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "lewis and clark expedition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "under-milk-wood-b14caa",
      "title": "Under Milk Wood",
      "author": "Dylan Thomas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17338752,
          "author": "shem73",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T15:04:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17338752",
          "commentText": "Anything by PG Wodehouse. Perfect antidote to too much seriousness.\nOften in spring I read Dylan Thomas 's Under Milk Wood.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Dylan Thomas 's Under Milk Wood",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dylan Thomas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "poetry",
        "radio play"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "under-wildwood-e84674",
      "title": "Under Wildwood",
      "author": "Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4966836,
          "author": "zwieback",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T19:25:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4966836",
          "commentText": "\"Wildwood\" and \"Under Wildwood\" by Colin Meloy (the guy from the Decemberists) and Carson Ellis. Written for older kids but I enjoyed them too. I don't usually read fantasy books but these are different.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Wildwood\" and \"Under Wildwood\" by Colin Meloy (the guy from the Decemberists) and Carson Ellis. Written for older kids but I enjoyed them too.",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed these books.",
          "audience": "Older children",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they do not usually read fantasy books, though these are different.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "middle grade"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "under-the-dome-1d0b58",
      "title": "Under the Dome",
      "author": "Stephen King",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6698583,
          "author": "frigg",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-08T19:37:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6698583",
          "commentText": "I'm reading Under the Dome right now. After this I'm thinking of starting The Gunslinger.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "I'm reading Under the Dome right now.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1026500,
          "author": "jsz0",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T00:21:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026500",
          "commentText": "Maybe not as high brow as some of the other suggestions here but I really enjoyed Stephen King's Under The Dome. It's basically a story of small town political corruption and the human tendency to be easily exploited by dictatorial types in a crisis.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed Stephen King's Under The Dome.",
          "reason": "Says they really enjoyed it and describes its themes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen King"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopian fiction",
        "horror",
        "political corruption"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "under-the-skin-fffbe1",
      "title": "Under the Skin",
      "author": "Michel Faber",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3336001,
          "author": "tangentcity",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-09T22:45:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3336001",
          "commentText": "I've noticed too that when people recommend books or say what they're reading, it's almost never novels. It's either technical, or memoirs.\nHere's one novel I just finished rereading that's almost like an anti-Oprah book in that you won't identify with any of the characters, it doesn't build to sweet resolution, it doesn't say great things about the human spirit, yet at the end you feel enobled for having spent time with such a true work of art: Michel Faber's Under the Skin. http://www.amazon.com/Under-Skin-Novel-Michel-Faber/dp/01560... (http://www.amazon.com/Under-Skin-Novel-Michel-Faber/dp/0156011603)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "at the end you feel enobled for having spent time with such a true work of art: Michel Faber's Under the Skin.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises it as a true work of art and describes its challenging tone.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says it offers no sweet resolution and makes it hard to identify with its characters.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michel Faber"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "underground-the-tokyo-gas-attack-and-the-japanese-psyche-02daee",
      "title": "Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche",
      "author": "Haruki Murakami",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46398713,
          "author": "__alexander",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T03:08:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46398713",
          "commentText": "Murakami’s fiction novels are extremely different from “What I Talk About When I Talk About Running”. If you want to try another non-fiction book of his check-out “Underground : The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche”, I loved it. If you go the fiction route “Kafka on the Shore” and “A Wild Sheep Chase” are a good starting point. Avoid some of his longer works unless you enjoy his style.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I loved it.",
          "reason": "Recommends this nonfiction book and says they loved it.",
          "audience": "For someone seeking another Murakami nonfiction book.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Haruki Murakami"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "1995 tokyo subway sarin attack",
        "interviews",
        "japan"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "underland-a-deep-time-journey-67932d",
      "title": "Underland: A Deep Time Journey",
      "author": "Robert Macfarlane",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21459544,
          "author": "banjo_milkman",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T03:39:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21459544",
          "commentText": "My struggle book 6 by Karl Ove Knausgaard. Good, though I think I preferred the earlier books. It's still very compelling, but a little too much Hitler in this one\nUnderland: A Deep Time Journey by Robert Macfarlane. Poetic landscape history, reminiscent of Sebald. Good stuff.\nClick here to kill everybody by Bruce Schneier. Scary.\nMachines like me by Ian McEwan. First McEwan I read for a while but I liked it more than I expected. I thought the AI bits were quite good.\nThe deep history of ourselves : the four-billion-year story of how we got conscious brains by Joseph LeDoux. Bit disappointed in this one, it seemed like there should have been a better story here.\nThe Tangled Tree: A Radical New History of Life:  David Quammen.\nThe Age of Surveillance Capitalism: The Fight for a Human Future at the New Frontier of Power by Shoshana Zuboff. Makes CS careers look less appealing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Poetic landscape history, reminiscent of Sebald. Good stuff.",
          "reason": "Calls it good stuff and praises its poetic landscape history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is reminiscent of Sebald.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Macfarlane"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Nature"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "deep time",
        "landscape writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "understand-761317",
      "title": "Understand",
      "author": "Ted Chiang",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8629448,
          "author": "rajacombinator",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-19T11:40:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8629448",
          "commentText": "\"The Golden Age\" by John C. Wright - just awesome, and I agree with the values of the main character\n\"Chronicles of Amber\" by Roger Zelazny - for imagination and badassery\nFavorite short story is \"Understand\" by Ted Chiang - mind-expanding ;)\nAlso in general the lesser known Heinlein books are amazing. Not a fan of Stranger in a Strange Land. Named my current company after a reference to The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "mind-expanding ;)",
          "reason": "The commenter describes this short story as mind-expanding.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ted Chiang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognitive enhancement",
        "short story"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "understanding-computation-d8074c",
      "title": "Understanding Computation",
      "author": "Tom Stuart",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21370355,
          "author": "cben",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-27T15:36:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21370355",
          "commentText": "My recommendations are not exactly what you ask but what I suspect you'll enjoy if you're asking this.\n(1) \"Understanding Computation\" by Tom Stuart.\nNot \"fundamental\" as a deep textbook, but very approachable for programmers intro into a big chunk of CS, explaining deep ideas about languages using rigorous working clean code (in Ruby, no prior knowledge needed).\nI especially loved the first few chapters about what it means to define a programming languange and various kinds of formal semantics.\n(2) Designing Data-Intensive Applications, Martin Kleppmann.  This gives you a phenomenally good survey of concepts and practice of distributed systems.  This is more software engineering than pure CS, but in my view you can't approach the field of distributed systems without blending both anyway.\n(3) POODR — Practical Object-Oriented Design, in Ruby, by Sandi Metz.  This is 100% software engineering, where there is no single definition of \"foundational\", but many people who read this swear by it.  It's remarkably thin but lucid distillation of ideas that were \"in the air\" but Sandi nailed them down.  An important thesis is that good code is not an aesthetic judgement of how it _now_ looks, but objective question how easy it will be to _change in the future_.  Not Ruby-specific at all, but it teaches the original Smalltalk \"message-passing\" view of OOP, that for people that only learnt statically-typed Java, C++ etc view of OOP is a fundamental idea they're missing on.\nFinally, not a book, but \"the morning paper\" https://blog.acolyer.org/ is excellent \"return on your time\" if you want to sample academic papers, both classic foundational ones, as well as cutting edge.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Understanding Computation\" by Tom Stuart. Not \"fundamental\" as a deep textbook, but very approachable for programmers intro into a big chunk of CS",
          "reason": "Recommended as an approachable introduction to a broad range of computer science ideas.",
          "audience": "Programmers; the commenter says no prior knowledge is needed.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not a deep textbook and focuses on a big chunk of CS.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6698119,
          "author": "OWaz",
          "createdAt": "2013-11-08T18:32:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 6697572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6698119",
          "commentText": "I've just started three books this week. Telegraph Avenue by  Michael Chabon, First Shift by Hugh Howey and Understanding Computation by Tom Stuart.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Understanding Computation by Tom Stuart",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Stuart"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming languages",
        "computation",
        "computation theory",
        "formal semantics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "understanding-computers-and-cognition-a-new-foundation-for-design-1cca70",
      "title": "Understanding Computers and Cognition: A New Foundation for Design",
      "author": "Terry Winograd, Fernando Flores",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11703655,
          "author": "panic",
          "createdAt": "2016-05-16T01:16:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 11699518,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11703655",
          "commentText": "Understanding Computers and Cognition: A New Foundation for Design by Terry Winograd and Fernando Flores.  Highly recommended if you're interested in how people interact with computers (and how computers interact with people, and how both interact with the world in general).  http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Computers-Cognition-Foun... (http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Computers-Cognition-Foundation-Design/dp/0201112973)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Highly recommended if you're interested in how people interact with computers",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommended to readers interested in how people and computers interact.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in human-computer interaction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry Winograd, Fernando Flores"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "design theory",
        "human computer interaction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "understanding-deep-learning-86a779",
      "title": "Understanding Deep Learning",
      "author": "Simon J. D. Prince",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42508432,
          "author": "yu3zhou4",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T12:13:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42508432",
          "commentText": "„Understanding Deep Learning” by Simon Prince\nAmong all ML books, it’s a really good overview of many concepts connected one to another and spelled out in easy to grasp way\nAlso „Designing Machine Learning Systems” by Chip Huyen looks really promising and very hands-on (lessons learned by very committed practitioner). It gives actionable tips and provides real life insights. I haven’t finished reading it yet though",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "„Understanding Deep Learning” by Simon Prince\nAmong all ML books, it’s a really good overview",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a clear overview that connects machine-learning concepts.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Simon J. D. Prince"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "deep learning",
        "machine learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "understanding-media-474b47",
      "title": "Understanding Media",
      "author": "Marshall McLuhan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13805409,
          "author": "e_tm_",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T19:40:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805409",
          "commentText": "Understanding Media - Marshall McLuhan\nThe Book: on the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are - Alan Watts\nThe Limits to Growth - Donella Meadows\nIshmael - Daniel Quinn",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Understanding Media - Marshall McLuhan",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marshall McLuhan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "media theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "understanding-michael-porter-the-essential-guide-to-competition-a-f651f0",
      "title": "Understanding Michael Porter: The Essential Guide to Competition and Strategy",
      "author": "Joan Magretta",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6975808,
          "author": "curiouslurker",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T18:56:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6975808",
          "commentText": "Understanding Michael Porter on Strategy by Magretta. Porter is a well known thinker on business strategy but most people misunderstand him. He has also been derided because his own company (Monitor) failed but his work in strategy still remains the best.\nThis book by one of his former students and proteges lays it out clearly. Too many people don't really know what strategy is about. The bottom line is that if you have a strategy it should show up in your profits and the examples/case studies of Southwest, Ikea and Zara are really insightful. If you are serious about business or entrepreneurship this book is a must read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book by one of his former students and proteges lays it out clearly.",
          "reason": "Calls it a clear explanation of Michael Porter's strategy ideas and a must-read for business or entrepreneurship.",
          "audience": "People serious about business or entrepreneurship.",
          "caveat": "Acknowledges that Porter has been derided because Monitor failed, while arguing his strategy work remains the best.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joan Magretta"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business strategy",
        "competitive strategy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "understanding-money-mechanics-7ecd45",
      "title": "Understanding Money Mechanics",
      "author": "Robert P. Murphy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22574402,
          "author": "alexmingoia",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T10:46:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22574402",
          "commentText": "To add to this, Understanding Money Mechanics (https://mises.org/library/understanding-money-mechanics-0) is a fantastic “comprehensive overview of the theory, history, and practice of money and banking, with a focus on the United States.”\nI highly recommend it, especially because it was written recently so it provides understanding behind contemporary banking procedures, practices, and econometrics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Understanding Money Mechanics",
          "reason": "Highly recommended as a recent overview of money and banking, including contemporary banking practices.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an overview of money and banking.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert P. Murphy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "money and banking",
        "u s banking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "understanding-physics-491674",
      "title": "Understanding Physics",
      "author": "Isaac Asimov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10027996,
          "author": "hga",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T17:34:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027996",
          "commentText": "I do remember it being fairly good when I read some of it in high school, although something about it failed to capture me and prompt me to read it all the way through.\nOne factor of that may be because Asimov didn't really understand the material, turns out he hit a wall when going from differential to integral calculus (the 2nd part of introductory calculus, very basic stuff), so I now view it with suspicion.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I do remember it being fairly good when I read some of it in high school",
          "reason": "Says it seemed fairly good but did not hold their interest enough to finish.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they read only some of it and view it with suspicion due to Asimov's calculus limitations.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isaac Asimov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "understanding-poetry-9d547c",
      "title": "Understanding Poetry",
      "author": "Robert Penn Warren and Cleanth Brooks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30828547,
          "author": "billfruit",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-28T08:45:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30828547",
          "commentText": "Some books from a few different domains which may be of the type OP is asking for:\n1. The Trivium: The Liberal Arts of Logic, Grammar, and Rhetoric : Understanding the Nature and Function of Language by Sister Miriam Joseph.\n2. Introduction to Logic by Irving Copi.\n3. Computer Systems: A Programmer's Perspective by Randall Bryant and others.\n5. Prolog Programming by Ivan Bratko.\n6. Information Theory, Inference and Learning Algorithms by David MacKay\n7. Geometry by Brennan.\n8. Understanding Poetry by Robert Penn Warren and Cleanth Brookes",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Understanding Poetry by Robert Penn Warren and Cleanth Brookes",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert Penn Warren",
        "Cleanth Brooks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary criticism",
        "poetry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "understanding-postmodernism-c3d9fb",
      "title": "Understanding Postmodernism",
      "author": "Stephen R. C. Hicks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43612362,
          "author": "hellisothers",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T15:04:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43612362",
          "commentText": "Understanding Postmodernism.  I know there are deeper books out there on the subject but this was accessible and opened the door to many other deeper books of thought that continue to shape me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Understanding Postmodernism.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it was accessible and opened the door to deeper books that continue to shape them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that deeper books on the subject exist.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen R. C. Hicks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "postmodernism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "understanding-symbolic-logic-249968",
      "title": "Understanding Symbolic Logic",
      "author": "Virginia Klenk",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34454052,
          "author": "keiferski",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-20T15:06:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34454052",
          "commentText": "I just started with that SEP article and then googled around for some other books and videos. There are some excellent lectures on YouTube, this one for example:\nhttps://youtu.be/UhX1ouUjDHE\nAlso, you might find that symbolic logic is a good introduction to thinking mathematically. I used Klenk’s Understanding Symbolic Logic for a course a decade ago and really enjoyed it.\nFor actual mathematics lessons, Khan Academy is pretty solid.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I used Klenk’s Understanding Symbolic Logic for a course a decade ago and really enjoyed it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed using it for a course.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Used for a course a decade ago.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Virginia Klenk"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "symbolic logic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "understanding-time-and-space-fd469a",
      "title": "Understanding Time and Space",
      "author": "Steven E. Landsburg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46483124,
          "author": "kurtis_reed",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-03T23:51:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 46473352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Expository/Succinct Books on Modern Physics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46483124",
          "commentText": "Understanding Time and Space by Steven E Landsburg (subtitle: An Invitation to the Theory of Relativity for Anyone Who is Now, or Has Ever Been, an Inquisitive High School Student)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Understanding Time and Space by Steven E Landsburg",
          "reason": "Listed as a book suggestion in response to a request for physics books.",
          "audience": "Inquisitive high school students, as stated in the subtitle.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven E. Landsburg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "physics for general readers",
        "relativity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "understanding-variation-af4f3c",
      "title": "Understanding Variation",
      "author": "Donald J. Wheeler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41546903,
          "author": "kqr",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-15T11:48:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 41545633,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Must-Read Books for Startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41546903",
          "commentText": "A bit unconventional, but I think Wheeler's Understanding Variation followed by Deming's A New Economics teach people how to interpret past and future in a way that makes both exploration and exploitation more effective.\nI would not want to go through life not having read those -- much less run an early-stage company!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wheeler's Understanding Variation",
          "reason": "Recommends it for interpreting past and future to improve exploration and exploitation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Donald J. Wheeler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "statistical process control",
        "systems thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "understanding-wall-street-906d6c",
      "title": "Understanding Wall Street",
      "author": "Jeffrey Little",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12565254,
          "author": "chromaton",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T15:21:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12565254",
          "commentText": "Understanding Wall Street by Jeffrey Little gives a good overview of many kinds of financial instruments, including stocks, bonds, and options. It's NOT an investment flavor of the week book and is now on its 5th edition, the first having come out over 30 years ago.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Understanding Wall Street by Jeffrey Little gives a good overview of many kinds of financial instruments, including stocks, bonds, and options.",
          "reason": "Praised for its overview of financial instruments.",
          "audience": "Readers wanting an overview of stocks, bonds, options, and other financial instruments.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not an investment flavor-of-the-week book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeffrey Little"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial instruments",
        "financial markets"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "understanding-your-users-a-practical-guide-to-user-research-metho-ac1234",
      "title": "Understanding Your Users: A Practical Guide to User Research Methods",
      "author": "Cathy Baxter, Catherine Courage, and Kelley Caine",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43724651,
          "author": "skydhash",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-18T03:14:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 43723077,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on talking to users?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43724651",
          "commentText": "There are three main subproblems to your questions:\n1. Find out what users wants. The answer to that is research and the only book I have is Just Enough Research by Erika Hall. I also found Essentials of Business Research Methods by Joe Hair Jr. et al.\n2. Build the thing that the user wants. That's mostly the real of Software Requirements and I have two candidates for you:\n- Mastering the Requirements Process: Getting Requirements Right by Suzanne and James Robertson\n- Software Requirements by Karl Wiegers and Joy Beatty.\n3. Build something that the user likes and that he can use. That's UX and I have three candidates this time:\n- Observing the User Experience, 2nd Edition by E. Goodman and M. Kunlavsky\n- Understanding Your Users, 2nd Edition by K. Baxter et al.\n- The UX Book by R. Hartson and P. S. Pyla\nAll of those just emphasize having an objective view of what you want to bring to the users and a rational execution strategy. I haven't read all so I can't judge them, but I believe they will give you enough starting points for you to devise your own method.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Understanding Your Users, 2nd Edition by K. Baxter et al.",
          "reason": "Listed as a UX book candidate.",
          "audience": "People learning to build things users like and can use.",
          "caveat": "One of three candidates; commenter says they have not read all the listed books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cathy Baxter",
        "Catherine Courage",
        "Kelley Caine"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "user experience",
        "user research"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "understanding-and-using-c-pointers-c29595",
      "title": "Understanding and Using C Pointers",
      "author": "Richard Reese",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12160697,
          "author": "satysin",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-25T18:49:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 12160209,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 12 year old tech savvy girl – books, programs, events, advice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12160697",
          "commentText": "Start with Programming in C or C A Modern Approach (although the latter is expensive even second hand) and learn some basic Linux.\nThen K&R just because everyone should read it.\nGrab C in a Nutshell, Understanding and Using C Pointers and C A Reference Manual for reference.\nThen get the Linux Programming Interface book.\nOkay maybe a bit overkill for a 12 year old...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Understanding and Using C Pointers",
          "reason": "Suggested as a reference.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Reese"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "c programming",
        "pointers"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "understanding-the-apple-ii-73405b",
      "title": "Understanding the Apple II",
      "author": "Jim Sather",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46780141,
          "author": "abkt",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-27T14:11:33.000Z",
          "threadId": 46778461,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books to learn 6502 ASM and the Apple II",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46780141",
          "commentText": "Is the Apple II Reference Manual good for that ? Or anything specific to the Apple II, like \"What's Where in the Apple\" or \"Understanding the Apple II\" ?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "or \"Understanding the Apple II\" ?",
          "reason": "Asks whether this book is useful for learning Apple II specifics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 46779025,
          "author": "ksherlock",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-27T12:20:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 46778461,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books to learn 6502 ASM and the Apple II",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46779025",
          "commentText": "For Apple-II specific info, consider\nThe Assembly Lines book -- https://archive.org/details/AssemblyLinesCompleteWagner\nUnderstanding the Apple IIe -- https://archive.org/details/understandingapp0000sath\nUnderstanding the Apple II -- https://archive.org/details/understanding_the_apple_ii",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Understanding the Apple II",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jim Sather"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "apple ii",
        "computer hardware"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "understanding-the-four-rules-of-simple-design-c8cfee",
      "title": "Understanding the Four Rules of Simple Design",
      "author": "Cory Haines",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14488255,
          "author": "tmaly",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T15:27:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14488255",
          "commentText": "Understanding the Four Rules of Simple Design  by Cory Haines\nI like the 4 simple rules,  I think he originally got these from Kent Beck.  It is easier to keep this system in your mind if it is just a few basic principles.\nWorking Effectively with Legacy Code by Michael Feathers\nAs others also mentioned this.  I think this is becoming more important as people transition to new jobs where they have to take on existing software.  Having a process to deal with code that lacks documentation and tests is really important.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Understanding the Four Rules of Simple Design  by Cory Haines",
          "reason": "Recommends the book and says its four principles are easier to keep in mind.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking memorable principles for simple design.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says the rules may have originated with Kent Beck.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cory Haines"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "simple design",
        "software design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "understanding-the-present-1efc00",
      "title": "Understanding the Present",
      "author": "Bryan Appleyard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23574163,
          "author": "etewiah",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-19T13:13:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 23561163,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite book that nobody you know has heard of?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23574163",
          "commentText": "Understanding the present by Bryan Appleyard",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Understanding the present by Bryan Appleyard",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bryan Appleyard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "science and society"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "underworld-9b983d",
      "title": "Underworld",
      "author": "Don DeLillo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25846715,
          "author": "dawg-",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T14:21:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25846715",
          "commentText": "Amazing book and you totally nailed the reason why it's my all-time favorite. It's a monster story where the book itself is the monster. Instead of seeing the monster through the words of the characters, the reader holds it in their own hands. In our insane pursuit of reading and understanding this monstrous book we become a little bit like Ahab himself by the end. It gives you an impression of something huge lurking behind the pages, something bigger than your comprehension. The pursuit of God, or the Truth, or whatever big universal thing you believe in, is such a huge and terrifying endeavor that it will break a human being if we are too honest about it. Moby Dick is truly an awe-inspiring experience. Also, don't skip the whaling chapters. They are secretly the best parts of the book.\nAnother book that gives off very similar vibes is Don DeLillo's Underworld.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another book that gives off very similar vibes is Don DeLillo's Underworld.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a book with a similar atmosphere to Moby-Dick.",
          "audience": "Readers who like Moby-Dick.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Don DeLillo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american literature",
        "postmodern fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "undying-mercenaries-8623b0",
      "title": "Undying Mercenaries",
      "author": "B. V. Larson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25845573,
          "author": "ryanmercer",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T12:22:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25845573",
          "commentText": "Heinlein is always great.\nCheck out B. V. Larson's Swarm and Undying Mercenaries series, Dennis E. Taylor Bobiverse series, and Craig Alanson's Expeditionary Force.\nAlso what I mentioned to OP, what I'm doing my annual re-listen of https://www.goodreads.com/series/51166-troy-rising\nThey're not Heinlein by any means but they're fairly good hard science fiction. The audiobook versions all have fantastic narrators too if one has a commute.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Check out B. V. Larson's Swarm and Undying Mercenaries series",
          "reason": "Suggested among science fiction series the commenter describes as fairly good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these series are not Heinlein by any means.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "B. V. Larson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "unflattening-51b106",
      "title": "Unflattening",
      "author": "Nick Sousanis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12711221,
          "author": "ryanSrich",
          "createdAt": "2016-10-14T21:28:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 12711060,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books or articles on UI design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12711221",
          "commentText": "Here's a list of all design books that I give to new hires:\nBranded Interactions: Creating the Digital Experience - (https://www.amazon.com/Branded-Interactions-Creating-Digital... (https://www.amazon.com/Branded-Interactions-Creating-Digital-Experience/dp/0500518173))\nThe Visual Display of Quantitative Information - https://www.amazon.com/Visual-Display-Quantitative-Informati... (https://www.amazon.com/Visual-Display-Quantitative-Information/dp/0961392142/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480332&sr=1-1&keywords=Edward+Tufte)\nUniversal Principles of Design - https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Principles-Design-Revised-U... (https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Principles-Design-Revised-Updated/dp/1592535879/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480359&sr=1-1&keywords=universal+principles+of+design)\nThe Interface: IBM and the Transformation of Corporate Design, 1945-1976 - https://www.amazon.com/Interface-Transformation-Corporate-19... (https://www.amazon.com/Interface-Transformation-Corporate-1945-1976-Quadrant/dp/0816670390/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480388&sr=1-1&keywords=the+interface+ibm)\nMultiple Signatures: On Designers, Authors, Readers and Users - https://www.amazon.com/Multiple-Signatures-Designers-Authors... (https://www.amazon.com/Multiple-Signatures-Designers-Authors-Readers/dp/0847839737/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480427&sr=1-1&keywords=Multiple+Signatures)\nChange by Design: How Design Thinking Transforms Organizations and Inspires Innovation - https://www.amazon.com/Change-Design-Transforms-Organization... (https://www.amazon.com/Change-Design-Transforms-Organizations-Innovation/dp/0061766089/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480449&sr=1-1&keywords=Change+by+design)\nThoughts on Design - https://www.amazon.com/Thoughts-Design-Paul-Rand/dp/08118754... (https://www.amazon.com/Thoughts-Design-Paul-Rand/dp/081187544X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480478&sr=1-1&keywords=Thoughts+on+design)\nNotes on the Synthesis of Form - https://www.amazon.com/Notes-Synthesis-Form-Harvard-Paperbac... (https://www.amazon.com/Notes-Synthesis-Form-Harvard-Paperbacks/dp/0674627512/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1476480495&sr=1-1&keywords=notes+on+the+synthesis+of+form)\n..and a list of ones I'm considering adding:\nUnflattening - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0674744438/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0674744438/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\nCreative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All  - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/038534936X/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/038534936X/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\nThe Design Method - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321928849/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321928849/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)\nProduct Design for the Web: Principles of Designing and Releasing Web Products- https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321929039/ref=oh_aui_deta... (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321929039/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "and a list of ones I'm considering adding:",
          "reason": "The commenter is considering adding it to the design book list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Under consideration for addition to the list.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nick Sousanis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comics",
        "visual storytelling",
        "visual thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "unity-in-24-hours-af1e81",
      "title": "Unity in 24 Hours",
      "author": "Mike Geig",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21772404,
          "author": "runninganyways",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-12T15:13:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 21765528,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fun Tech Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21772404",
          "commentText": "Unity in 24 hours is pretty cool. If you haven't done game development before this will open up a lot of possibilities for you and it's pretty fun. For example, not only will it show you how to create 2D and 3D games but it's pretty easy to turn a 3D game into a virtual reality game. But especially with virtual reality it doesn't have to be a game. So it's actually super practical in my opinion.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Unity-Development-Hours-Teach-Yoursel... (https://www.amazon.com/Unity-Development-Hours-Teach-Yourself/dp/0134998138)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Unity in 24 hours is pretty cool.",
          "reason": "Said to open up possibilities for game development and make it easy to create 2D, 3D, and VR games.",
          "audience": "Readers new to game development.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mike Geig"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "game development",
        "unity",
        "virtual reality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "universal-history-of-numbers-18c4db",
      "title": "Universal History of Numbers",
      "author": "Georges Ifrah",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10027564,
          "author": "walterbell",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T15:46:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10027564",
          "commentText": "1) A2K Handbook, free online, http://a2knetwork.org/handbook\n\"Access to Knowledge (A2K) is the umbrella term for a movement that aims to create more equitable public access to the products of human culture and learning. The ultimate objective of the movement is to create a world in which educational and cultural works are accessible to all, and in which consumers and creators alike participate in a vibrant ecosystem of innovation and creativity.\"\n2) Sci-Fi author L. Sprague de Camp's 1963 book, \"The Ancient Engineers\", covers the period from early Egyptian engineering up to Galileo. http://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Engineers-L-Sprague-Camp/dp/03... (http://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Engineers-L-Sprague-Camp/dp/0345482875/)\n“History, technology, culture, finance, and sociology intersect here. It’s not history from the top (kings and such, which some say is dry), nor history from the bottom (average people, which is necessarily endless and perhaps not very revealing). It’s history from the nuts-and-bolts middle – how structures were built, how materials were transported, how wars were fought. When you know this sort of foundational information, everything else becomes more real.”\n3) Paul Calter, \"Squaring the Circle: Geometry in Art & Architecture\", http://www.amazon.com/Squaring-Circle-Geometry-Art-Architect... (http://www.amazon.com/Squaring-Circle-Geometry-Art-Architecture/dp/0470412127/)\n\"the combination of the subject knowledge of design, architecture, art, geometry, philospohy, music theory, and mathematics ... Calter includes the basic lessons and explanations of a regular Geometry course in his book, but then he interweaves an integrated classical curriculum (based on deductive reasoning)\"\n4) Georges Ifrah, \"Universal History of Numbers\", http://www.amazon.com/Universal-History-Numbers-Prehistory-I... (http://www.amazon.com/Universal-History-Numbers-Prehistory-Invention/dp/0471375683/)\n\"the first complete account of the invention and evolution of numbers the world over ... Dubbed the \"Indiana Jones of numbers,\" Georges Ifrah traveled all over the world for ten years to uncover the little-known details of this amazing story. From India to China, and from Egypt to Chile, Ifrah talked to mathematicians, historians, archaeologists, and philosophers.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "4) Georges Ifrah, \"Universal History of Numbers\"",
          "reason": "Lists the book and describes its account of the invention and evolution of numbers worldwide.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Georges Ifrah"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of numerals",
        "number systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "university-economics-f7040f",
      "title": "University Economics",
      "author": "Armen A. Alchian",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1464914,
          "author": "splat",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T04:28:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1464914",
          "commentText": "University Economics by Armen Alchian is quite a good introductory textbook to the basics of mainstream economics. It has a strong emphasis on understanding economic concepts intuitively which I like.\nIf you're looking for a more mathematical introduction, McAfee's open source book is a pretty good introduction to microeconomics and is available for free at http://www.introecon.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "University Economics by Armen Alchian is quite a good introductory textbook to the basics of mainstream economics.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a good introductory text emphasizing intuitive understanding of economic concepts.",
          "audience": "Readers learning the basics of mainstream economics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Armen A. Alchian"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "introductory economics",
        "mainstream economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "university-physics-with-modern-physics-ed3939",
      "title": "University Physics with Modern Physics",
      "author": "Hugh D. Young and Roger A. Freedman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46473690,
          "author": "OgsyedIE",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-03T07:43:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 46473352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Expository/Succinct Books on Modern Physics",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46473690",
          "commentText": "Most topics develop into advanced rabbitholes that takes years of learning in just that one topic to assume proficiency, but for somebody looking to get a detailed overview Young and Freedman's University Physics with Modern Physics is the best introduction to a little bit of everything.\nThe mathematical prerequisites are essentially algebra, precalculus and basic calculus, all of which are excellently covered by the OpenStax series of free textbooks published by Rice University.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Young and Freedman's University Physics with Modern Physics",
          "reason": "Described as the best introduction to a little bit of everything.",
          "audience": "Someone seeking a detailed overview of physics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hugh D. Young",
        "Roger A. Freedman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "modern physics",
        "physics textbook"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "unix-power-tools-5ef8dc",
      "title": "Unix Power Tools",
      "author": "Arnold Robbins, Nelson H. F. Beebe, and others",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22094219,
          "author": "dredmorbius",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-19T21:27:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22094219",
          "commentText": "In no particular order, and some of these being more \"highly underrated\" as opposed to \"unknown\", with the notable exception of Smith's Wealth of Nations which is disturbingly un- and mis-read:\n1. Grammatical Man, by Jeremy Campbell (1982)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-e... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/grammatical-man-information-entropy-language-and-life/oclc/856698430)\nMy introduction to information theory and its diverse set of interrelated applications and phenomena.\n2. Ecology and the Politics of Scarcity, by William Ophuls (1977)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-s... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-and-the-politics-of-scarcity-revisited-the-unraveling-of-the-american-dream/oclc/872523631)\nDistills the Limits to Growth issue to its essence, and looks at the political implications, with a set of estimates of political developments which have played out closely.\n3. An Inquiry to the Nature and Wealth of Nations, by Adam Smith (1776)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/inquiry-into-the-nature-and-c... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/inquiry-into-the-nature-and-causes-of-the-wealth-of-nations/oclc/1083940513)\nThe best-known, but least-read, and most mis-read book on this list.  Smith isn't perfect and has flaws.  But his message is extraordinarily misunderstood and misrepresented.  Even where he is wrong, he is instructive.\n4. Commercialism and Journalism, by Hamilton Holt (1909)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/commercialism-and-journalism/... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/commercialism-and-journalism/oclc/639344712)\nA short but extraordinarily illuminating read on the influence of money and advertising on the press, coming near the beginning of the era of mass media.\n5. Unix Power Tools, by Mike Loukides et al (1997)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/2584502... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/unix-power-tools/oclc/258450296)\nThe book that really got me \"over the hump\" in understanding the Unix environment and tools.  Now somewhat dated, though still highly useful.\n6. A Short History of Progress, by Ronald Wright (2004)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/short-history-of-progress/ocl... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/short-history-of-progress/oclc/1089834019)\nAn exploration of the story, question, and future, of progress.\n7. Entropy and the Economic Process, by Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen (1971)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/entropy-law-and-the-economic-... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/entropy-law-and-the-economic-process/oclc/299362046)\nA re-thinking of economics taking thermodynamics into account.  Famously difficult to read, but well worth the effort.\n8. On the Damned Human Race, by Mark Twain (1962)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/mark-twain-on-the-damned-huma... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/mark-twain-on-the-damned-human-race/oclc/950982242)\nA darker, angrier, more bitter side of Twain, cracking open the sanitised version those familiar with Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn will know, and giving an insight to the darker side of late 19th and early 20th century America.\n9. Energy and Civilization, by Vaclav Smil (2017)\nhttps://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-and-civilization-a-his... (https://www.worldcat.org/title/energy-and-civilization-a-history/oclc/1032365823)\nA re-casting of history, not according to spiritual or cultural progress, Great Men, or social dynamics, but the access to and utilisation of energy sources.\n10. Resistances to the Adoption of Technological Innovations, by Bernhard J. Stern (1937)\nhttps://archive.org/details/technologicaltre1937unitrich/pag... (https://archive.org/details/technologicaltre1937unitrich/page/39)\nA fascinating exploration of the organised opposition to numerous significant technological innovations through the ages, contrary to the conventional story told by mainstream economic and innovation models and stories.  Stern's research assistant at the time he was working on this topic went on to become known as a science fiction author, and based one of his first works on this notion:  Isaac Asimov.\nOn the question of compiling such lists:  I've recently started keeping a research journal in which I'm trying to capture works of significance that I've read, vaguely inspired by both index-card methods (such as Zettelkasten or POIC) and bullet journals.\nThe organisation is \"BOTI\" -- best of the interval.\nI will start a two-page spread, dated, of a specific class of entries -- works, videos, authors, ideas, etc. -- and when that closes, start another.  Periodically (about every month, for now) I'll select the best of those works for a BOTM list, and at the end of a year, a BOTY list.\nOr at least that's the idea.\nThis may address the question of keeping track of the most significant works (or authors, concepts, ideas, etc.) over time, which otherwise tend to become a bit of a jumble.\nThe BOTI list and periodic aggregations themselves resemble round-robin databases, or ring or circular buffers or files, though without actually rewriting each specific list.  The initial capture levels remain accessible (in the journal) for revisiting, should something prove to have been more significant on subsequent reflection than initially appeared.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Unix Power Tools, by Mike Loukides et al (1997)",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them understand the Unix environment and tools.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is somewhat dated, though still useful.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arnold Robbins",
        "Nelson H. F. Beebe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "command line",
        "unix"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "unix-and-linux-system-administration-handbook-27908f",
      "title": "Unix and Linux System Administration Handbook",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21311948,
          "author": "FillardMillmore",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-21T13:23:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 21311302,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most fundamental books on computer science?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21311948",
          "commentText": "I'm going to cast a vote for 'Unix & Linux System Administration Handbook' - it's been around a long time and is currently on edition 5. It's the book that made me fall in love with system administration.\nIt's an extensive and well-rounded look at various fundamental system administration topics with examples included from multiple different *nix distributions (topics like work management, logging, networking, security, the kernel, systemd, permissions, etc.). If you're at all interested in Linux, this is a great book to have on your shelf.\nhttps://admin.com/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm going to cast a vote for 'Unix & Linux System Administration Handbook'",
          "reason": "Calls it a great book for anyone interested in Linux and says it sparked a love of system administration.",
          "audience": "People interested in Linux or system administration.",
          "caveat": "Extensive and broad in scope; currently on its fifth edition.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "linux",
        "system administration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "unix-for-programmers-and-users-342888",
      "title": "Unix for Programmers and Users",
      "author": "Graham Glass and King Ables",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32793680,
          "author": "GekkePrutser",
          "createdAt": "2022-09-10T19:11:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 32790064,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you consider real gems in your field of work/study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32793680",
          "commentText": "\"Unix for Programmers and Users\" by Graham Glass and King Ables. Really great book that took you through the basics of Unix, the various shells, all the way to programming with system calls, sockets etc. Even dove into filesystem design, inodes etc. All in one reasonably compact book. I love books that can explain complex stuff in few words and do it well. I got it as part of my studies and I had worked through it already by the time I got the class :)\nLater he made a special edition for this newfangled \"Linux\" stuff :) But the one I had was for the original Unix. Linux was already around at that time but still very much beta quality. At college we mainly used HP-UX and Sequent.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Unix for Programmers and Users\" by Graham Glass and King Ables.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its compact coverage of Unix basics, shells, system calls, sockets, and filesystem design.",
          "audience": "Programmers learning Unix and its underlying systems.",
          "caveat": "The commenter had the original Unix edition; a later special edition covered Linux.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Graham Glass",
        "King Ables"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "operating systems",
        "systems programming",
        "unix"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "unleashing-the-ideavirus-133246",
      "title": "Unleashing the Ideavirus",
      "author": "Seth Godin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1083647,
          "author": "docpepin",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-28T12:56:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 1080708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Marketing Books for Developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1083647",
          "commentText": "Unleashing the Ideavirus by Seth Godin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Unleashing the Ideavirus by Seth Godin",
          "reason": "Given as an answer to a request for marketing book recommendations.",
          "audience": "People seeking marketing books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Seth Godin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marketing",
        "viral marketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "unlimited-power-7e0703",
      "title": "Unlimited Power",
      "author": "Tony Robbins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 687149,
          "author": "iterationx",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-04T13:33:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 687066,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on getting rich?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=687149",
          "commentText": "The best selling book is Tony Robbins \"Unlimited Power\" with like 9 million copies sold, but its also about fitness, so its not as targeted as you might like, although I liked it, but I'm not rich.\nAnother one which I liked was, \"Losing My Virginity: How I've Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way\" Richard Branson\nIt's how Branson got rich which is pretty interesting.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "although I liked it, but I'm not rich.",
          "reason": "Says they liked it, while noting they are not rich.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are not rich.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tony Robbins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal development",
        "success"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "unseen-academicals-0750b5",
      "title": "Unseen Academicals",
      "author": "Terry Pratchett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665061,
          "author": "sn41",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:11:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665061",
          "commentText": "Since no one has mentioned it so far, I recommend the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. This year, I finished (numbers in Discworld order, annotated by the series):\n9. Eric [Rincewind]\n10. Moving Pictures [Independent]\n12. Witches Abroad [Witches]\n18. Maskerade [Witches]\n19. Feet of clay [The City Watch]\n23. Carpe Jugulum [Witches]\n32. A Hat Full of Sky [Tiffany Aching]\n37. Unseen Academicals [Wizards]\n38. I Shall Wear Midnight [Tiffany Aching]\nBrilliant series, highly recommended. Whenever I feel down, I re-read one of the Witches series - I spot something I never noticed before - an immediate mood-booster!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "37. Unseen Academicals [Wizards]",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the Discworld books the commenter finished this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry Pratchett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fantasy",
        "wizards"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "unstoppable-us-84d5f4",
      "title": "Unstoppable Us",
      "author": "Yuval Noah Harari",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43688053,
          "author": "WheelsAtLarge",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-15T01:13:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 43685856,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What 3 Books Would You Recommend to Anyone?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43688053",
          "commentText": "If you like sapiens, try \"Unstoppable Us.\" It's a kids book but it's surprising how insightful it is. Yuval Noah Harari is a great communicator. I wish there was someone like him for every subject under the sun.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "try \"Unstoppable Us.\" It's a kids book but it's surprising how insightful it is.",
          "reason": "Recommended to readers who like Sapiens; the commenter finds it insightful.",
          "audience": "Children, and readers who like Sapiens.",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes it as a kids' book.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Yuval Noah Harari"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "untimely-thoughts-4e8c86",
      "title": "Untimely Thoughts",
      "author": "Friedrich Nietzsche",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1027538,
          "author": "julius_geezer",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T19:28:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027538",
          "commentText": "Some on this list are great, some just good:\n_The Critique of Pure Reason_--got about halfway through 30 years ago, set it aside, picked it up again. Probably shorter than <i>The Fountainhead</i> but takes a long time to read.\n_The Vindication of Tradition_, Jaroslav Pelikan, theology, very short quick read.\n_Netherland_ by Joseph O'Neill, via the neighborhood book club. Interesting picture of New York, thin characterization.\n_The Library at Night_, Alberto Manguel, actually a gift to my wife from a friend of hers. Good browsing book.\n_Untimely Thoughts_ by Nietzche. Probably not a great place to start Nietzche, but at least the first essay is interesting.\n_The Spectator Bird_, Wallace Stegner. Good novel, though maybe not my favorite Stegner.\n_Germany 1866-1945_ by Gordon Craig. Long, very readable.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Probably not a great place to start Nietzche, but at least the first essay is interesting.",
          "reason": "Says at least the first essay is interesting.",
          "audience": "Readers beginning to read Nietzsche.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is probably not a great starting point.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Friedrich Nietzsche"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "essays",
        "nietzsche"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "unwritten-laws-of-engineering-6f86c8",
      "title": "Unwritten Laws of Engineering",
      "author": "W. J. King",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41387965,
          "author": "einszwei",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-29T06:36:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41387965",
          "commentText": "Unwritten Laws of Engineering by W.J. King from 1940. This  has nothing about software engineering in particular but a useful list of Do's and Don't for workplace. You would be surprised how much of this is relevant today.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Unwritten Laws of Engineering by W.J. King from 1940.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a useful list of workplace do's and don'ts, with relevance today.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not specifically about software engineering.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. J. King"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "engineering careers",
        "workplace advice"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "up-from-slavery-082f12",
      "title": "Up From Slavery",
      "author": "Booker T. Washington",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25532137,
          "author": "jvreagan",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T22:35:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25532137",
          "commentText": "Up From Slavery by Booker T Washington.  Teaches you anything is possible despite your circumstance.  Thankful my kids have read it and taken it to heart.  This should be a must read for anyone IMO.\nMore recently, Disparities and Discrimination by Thomas Sowell was a real eye opener for me.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Up From Slavery by Booker T Washington.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the book teaches that anything is possible despite one's circumstances.",
          "audience": "The commenter says their children have read it and recommends it to anyone.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Booker T. Washington"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "african american history",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "up-jim-river-235cf8",
      "title": "Up Jim River",
      "author": "Michael Flynn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6900556,
          "author": "jrjarrett",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T14:19:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6900556",
          "commentText": "1. The Ocean at the End Of The Lane - Neil Gaiman\n2. Ancillary Justice - Ann Leckie\n3. The January Dancer/Up Jim River/In The Lion's Mouth/On The Razor's Edge - Michael Flynn\n4. Ghost Spin - Chris Moriarity",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Up Jim River",
          "reason": "Included in the commenter's list answering which books were best.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Flynn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "up-from-eden-a-transpersonal-view-of-human-evolution-f75f58",
      "title": "Up from Eden: A Transpersonal View of Human Evolution",
      "author": "Ken Wilber",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36105367,
          "author": "fsiefken",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T16:15:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105367",
          "commentText": "A, yes that's a topic I've been interested in all my life.\n## Frans de Waal. The Bonobo and the Atheist\n\"..evidence for the seeds of ethical behavior in primate societies that further cements the case for the biological origins of human fairness. Interweaving vivid tales from the animal kingdom with thoughtful philosophical analysis, de Waal seeks a bottom-up explanation of morality that emphasizes our connection with animals. In doing so, de Waal explores for the first time the implications of his work for our understanding of modern religion. Whatever the role of religious moral imperatives, he sees it as a \"Johnny-come-lately\" role that emerged only as an addition to our natural instincts for cooperation and empathy.\"\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Bonobo-Atheist-Search-Humanism-Primat... (https://www.amazon.com/Bonobo-Atheist-Search-Humanism-Primates-ebook/dp/B007Q6XKEY/)\n## Aleksi Kuokkanen. Constructing Ethical Patterns in Times of Globalization\nhttps://brill.com/display/title/20218\n## Ken Wilber. Up from Eden.\nDated and I find Ken Wilber's views in general to be problematic. Still it's one approach to understand religion.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Up-Eden-Transpersonal-Human-Evolution... (https://www.amazon.com/Up-Eden-Transpersonal-Human-Evolution/dp/0835607313)\n## Cardinal Walter Kasper. Mercy\n\"Cardinal Walter Kasper examines God’s mercy while holding these devastating facts and questions in hand. He looks at empathy and compassion as a starting point for theological reflection on the topic. He continues by reflecting upon the following: What does it mean to believe in a merciful God? How are divine mercy and divine justice related? How can we speak of a sympathetic―that is, a compassionate―God? Can undeserved woe and divine mercy be brought into harmony with one another? He likewise seeks to address the ethical questions that similarly arise: How can we measure up to the standard of divine mercy in our own actions? What does the message of mercy mean for the practice of the church and how can we cause the central message of God’s mercy to shine in the life of Christians and the church? What does this message mean for a new culture of mercy in our society? These considerations of mercy lead to the fundamental questions of theology. In this work, Kasper combines theological reflection with spiritual, pastoral, and social considerations on this essential topic at a crucial time.\"\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Mercy-Essence-Gospel-Christian-Life/d... (https://www.amazon.com/Mercy-Essence-Gospel-Christian-Life/dp/0809106094)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "## Ken Wilber. Up from Eden.\nDated and I find Ken Wilber's views in general to be problematic. Still it's one approach to understand religion.",
          "reason": "Described as one approach to understanding religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter calls it dated and says Wilber's views are generally problematic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ken Wilber"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "religious evolution",
        "transpersonal psychology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "up-from-never-0b3936",
      "title": "Up from Never",
      "author": "Joseph N. Sorrentino",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42513211,
          "author": "MrCoffee7",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-26T04:57:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42513211",
          "commentText": "\"Up From Never,\" a true life story by Joseph N. Sorrentino.  He had a rough childhood with many scrapes with the law and failed 4 times to graduate from high school.  He eventually saw where his life was headed if he did not change, and decided to get a better education.  He  went to Harvard Law School where he gave the valedictory address for his graduating class.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Up From Never,\" a true life story by Joseph N. Sorrentino.",
          "reason": "Shares the book as a standout read and describes the author’s path from a difficult childhood to Harvard Law School.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph N. Sorrentino"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "education",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "up-and-under-bf5a2a",
      "title": "Up-and-Under",
      "author": "Seanan McGuire",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42270216,
          "author": "Yawrehto",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T02:15:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42270216",
          "commentText": "Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott. If you're into Jewish history/legend, Baba Yaga, intergenerational trauma, or just good books, I would find it difficult to recommend it more. It's well-told and well-paced (note: do not read at night if you have something to do in the early morning the next day). As you would expect from a book drawing heavily on Jewish history, it can be difficult to read.\nMiddlegame by Seanan McGuire. Excellent book that handles time travel and its implications reasonablly well. She also wrote a shorter, \"children's\" book series under a pen name; quotes from it appeared in Middlegame. It's called the Up-and-under series. I've only made it through book one so far, as I lost book two, but so far it's been good!\nSilent Spring by Rachel Carson. It's been on my list of books to read for ages and it is in fact excellent, if difficult. I'm planning on reading some of her--allegedly much less dark--books about the sea next, because I've heard she can be very poetic and in Silent Spring it shines through sometimes, but not often.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's called the Up-and-under series. I've only made it through book one so far, as I lost book two, but so far it's been good!",
          "reason": "Says the series has been good so far, based on the first book.",
          "audience": "Children's fantasy readers.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has read only the first book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Seanan McGuire"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s fantasy",
        "portal fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "upanishads-8b4518",
      "title": "Upanishads",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9709952,
          "author": "atsaloli",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-13T05:02:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9709952",
          "commentText": "The authorship of most Upanishads is uncertain and unknown.   See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upanishads",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "The authorship of most Upanishads is uncertain and unknown.",
          "reason": "Notes that the authorship of the Upanishads is uncertain.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1752362,
          "author": "metamemetics",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T08:13:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1752362",
          "commentText": "Gravity's Rainbow (Pynchon)\nThe Notebooks of Malte Laurids Brigge (Rilke)\nThe Age of Extremes: A History of the World, 1914-1991 (Hobsbawm)\nBhagavad Gita\nUpanishads\nCrimes Against Logic: Exposing the Bogus Arguments of Politicians, Priests, Journalists, and Other Serial Offenders (Whyte)\nTractatus Logico-Philosophicus (Wittgenstein)\nedit: added 2 more & author names",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Upanishads",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient indian texts",
        "hindu philosophy",
        "hindu scripture",
        "vedanta"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "uplift-83f157",
      "title": "Uplift",
      "author": "David Brin",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13240161,
          "author": "Freak_NL",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T20:35:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13240161",
          "commentText": "I've read all six novels of David Brin's Uplift trilogies this past year. If you enjoy sci-fi written with a sound grasp of ecological issues and an intriguing take on galactic society, have a look at these books.\nAlso, dolphins in space.\nIf you are unfamiliar with this author, you may remember him from his essay on a particular persistent trope in sci-fi writing linked on HN:\nhttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13040930\nI enjoyed the Uplift series (written in the eighties and nineties) a lot, and was pleasantly surprised to learn of a short story bundle that came out just this year. It includes a novelette that takes place in the Uplift universe, wrapping up some loose ends.\nThe story bundle is named Insistence of Vision, named for the opening story. The name is indubitably a nod to John Varley's (sublime!) short story The Persistence of Vision (also the name of the story bundle it is collected in, recommended for any sci-fi fan). I always find short sci-fi stories refreshing in that they provide a chance to explore more radical ideas and settings that would be hard to facilitate in longer works. Brin is one of those authors who succeeds in titillating the reader's imagination with interesting what-ifs and extrapolations without feeling contrived. Recommended.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've read all six novels of David Brin's Uplift trilogies",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the series and recommends it to readers who like science fiction with ecological themes and galactic society.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in ecological issues and galactic society in science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Brin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ecological science fiction",
        "galactic society"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "uplift-trilogy-a32295",
      "title": "Uplift Trilogy",
      "author": "David Brin",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15428633,
          "author": "hackeraccount",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T15:50:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428633",
          "commentText": "David Brin's Uplift Trilogy.  Also, Not really an amazing book but Seveneves by Neal Stephenson was pretty technical.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "David Brin's Uplift Trilogy.",
          "reason": "Suggests the trilogy in response to a request for hard science fiction AI novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Brin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hard science fiction",
        "uplift"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "uplift-universe-d81724",
      "title": "Uplift Universe",
      "author": "David Brin",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 140671,
          "author": "tokipin",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T08:48:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140671",
          "commentText": "David Brin's Uplift novels",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "David Brin's Uplift novels",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Brin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "first contact",
        "uplift"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "uprooted-ce3c2a",
      "title": "Uprooted",
      "author": "Naomi Novik",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18663395,
          "author": "Arkdy",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:44:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663395",
          "commentText": "Wow, that's interesting. We must have approached Grossman from completely different perspectives. Last year (2017) I read the entire Magicians series and thoroughly enjoyed them because they made me uncomfortable. I was trash, in the same way that Quentin was trash, so following his arc was introspective.\nAt the time I contrasted it to the optimism in \"All the Birds in the Sky\" by Charlie Jane Anders (if you're familiar)\nWhat was your experience like?\nFor reference, my most recent fiction is:\n- \"Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World\" by Murakami\n- \"Uprooted\" by Naomi Novik\n- \"God Emperor of Dune\" by Frank Herbert",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "- \"Uprooted\" by Naomi Novik",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13237020,
          "author": "Jemaclus",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T13:13:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237020",
          "commentText": "I keep an active list of books I've read, along with my reviews at my book review website, https://books.brianseitel.com. One of the benefits of this is that my favorite books automatically populate on the left. In 2016, I read over 60 books. My top 10 for 2016 (so far) are, in rough order of favorite-ness:\n- \"All the Birds in the Sky\" by Charlie Jane Anders\n- \"The Shards of Heaven\" and its sequel \"The Gates of Hell\" by Michael Livingston (fictional story set in Roman times)\n- \"The Last Breath\" by Charlie Magee\n- \"The Guns of Empire\" by Django Wexler (Book 4 of The Shadow Campaigns series, which I highly recommend)\n- \"The King's Traitor\" by Jeff Wheeler (original take on Arthurian legend)\n- \"Uprooted\" by Naomi Novik\n- \"End Game\" by Lindsay Buroker (Book 8 of her sci-fi series, The Fallen Empire, which is a pretty fun series overall. Short and sweet adventures.)\n- \"Soulblade\" by Lindsay Buroker (Book 8 of her fantasy series, Dragon Blood, which is another great series. All of Buroker's books are good, imo.)\n- \"Ghost Talkers\" by Mary Robinette Kowal (It's WWII, ghosts are real... and they're spies.)\nThis year I also read books 1-3 of The Expanse, and I think they would also be in this list, except I haven't reviewed them yet. I'm currently reading Book 4, with the recently published book, Babylon's Ashes, in the queue. I fully expect these to make it into the top 10.\nObviously, I enjoy sci-fi / fantasy the most, but across a wide range of sub-genres. For non-sci-fi, my top read was \"I Will Teach You To Be Rich\" by Ramit Sethi, which really changed the way I organize my finances.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "My top 10 for 2016 (so far) are, in rough order of favorite-ness:",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter's top books of the year, ranked by preference.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Naomi Novik"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fairy tale retelling",
        "folklore",
        "folklore inspired fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "urban-shaman-c09704",
      "title": "Urban Shaman",
      "author": "Serge Kahili King",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25532350,
          "author": "rendx",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-24T23:02:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 25530700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was a book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25532350",
          "commentText": "Urban Shaman, by Serge Kahili King.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Urban Shaman, by Serge Kahili King.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Serge Kahili King"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hawaiian shamanism",
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "usability-testing-essentials-ready-set-test-56b807",
      "title": "Usability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!",
      "author": "Carol M. Barnum",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carol M. Barnum"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "usability testing",
        "user research"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "user-series-c9d09a",
      "title": "UseR! Series",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1265536,
          "author": "revorad",
          "createdAt": "2010-04-14T17:49:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 1265091,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any good books on graphing/charting/visualization?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1265536",
          "commentText": "Oh cool, I haven't read that book, will look it up. The UseR series books are very good too, although a bit expensive. If you have access to a good University library, I recommend looking them up.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The UseR series books are very good too",
          "reason": "Recommends the UseR series, while noting its books can be expensive.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A bit expensive; suggests checking a university library.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "r programming"
      ],
      "purposes": []
    },
    {
      "id": "using-econometrics-a-practical-guide-fccb83",
      "title": "Using Econometrics: A Practical Guide",
      "author": "A. H. Studenmund",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12562927,
          "author": "rubyn00bie",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T07:30:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12562927",
          "commentText": "Preface: For a bit of I suppose... uhh, qualification, I took nearly every single upper division Economics class my university offered (~25). I did so because I LOVE Econ. Also, sorry for the rambling nature of this.\nFirst things first, finance is only sort of economics, it's really just finance. I'd highly recommend taking an accounting class (or book) and a grab an intro finance book. Accounting will really help with jargon, and just some really basic things (like balance sheets). Also, \"Security Analysis\" [0] is the \"only\" book you'll ever need, Warren Buffet recommended it to Bill Gates, and now Bill Gates recommends it to everyone.\nBack to Economics... There are two primary \"groups\" of thought... sort of like twins separated at birth who grow to hate each other.\n----------------------------------\nThe First: Neoclassical Economics\n----------------------------------\nFocuses primarily on microeconomics and largely mathematical. It's birth is largely due to Economists wanting to make econ a \"true science\" like we see the physical sciences (biology, chemistry, physics). It starts around the late 1800s and really picks up steam around the time of Einstein. Math was hot and being applied everywhere.\nA really interesting period to research and study is right after black Tuesday (and before the great depression) and what the central bank didn't do (before central bank intervention in markets). While I really detest the bastard, Milton Friedman's work on monetary policy is pretty science and generally good here. [1],[2].\nI'm a Keynesian (I suppose-- Econ gets deep fast), and so you'd be no where without reading some of what Keynes did to get our assess out of the great depression (i.e. government spending). It's also more or less the birth of Macroeconomics... You'll know you're good when you laugh at forgetting: Y = C + I + G + (X - M). Some good things to get started are looking at the IS-LM [3] model and AS-AD [4] model.\nThat gets you into the 60s - 70s. Tall Paul Volker is the unsung hero of the 80s, read about him (he ran the federal reserve). After that microeconomics starts to fragment into things involving game theory and behavioral economics (Daniel Kahneman is the man).\nEconometric analysis mathematically speaking is just multivariate regression analysis for time series or cross-sectional data. More \"modern\" analysis is probably using panel data [5] (combination of cross sectional and time series). Calculus, linear algebra, and differential equations should prepare one plenty for everything but panel data analysis. The real \"econ\" part is applying solid econ theory to the mathematics you're using, a textbook will help [6]. For finance this is your bread and butter.\nGame theory will apply a lot of different mathematical tools. You will need to love pure math. To really get into it requires pain or love. I like a healthy amount of both.\n----------------------------------\nThe Second: Heterodox Economics\n----------------------------------\nSo as it turns out, neoclassical economics is at most half of Economics. It's really where the \"philosophy\" comes into play. You're gonna need a quick history lesson to sort of see it's topic matter. Economics really didn't exist before... the 1500s. You can try to apply economics to earlier times but you could also just make shit up and post it to twitter. Both would be equally likely to contain truth.\nEconomics came into existence around the time the Dutch began developing trade routes (1550s). A by product of all this trade, is tons of cash, and goods-- currency (silver, metals, whatever) starts to actually be used in society (before that it was mostly just a status symbol). It pisses off a lot of _institutions_, most of all \"the church\" and monarchies because money is allowing people to gain power. It's usurping power from them. This is the rise of the \"merchant class\" and now thanks to money (trade really, but whatever it's complicated)-- people are liberating themselves from the social status they're born into. Eventually modern republics appear, and governments form. Nations trading globally becomes more common (Dutch, English, Spanish) and we get to Adam Smith, David Ricardo [7], et. al.\nNow it's the 1800s. People are seeing the birth and growth of capitalism, industry, corporations, and the tumultuous death of agrarian life. Now the way the \"common person\" lives their day dramatically changing, for a few it was better for most it was worse. Some economists begin to ask why are we replacing these now defunct _institutions_ with equally shitty, or possibly shittier, ones. This is more or less becomes the birth of heterodox economics which largely studies the more abstract ideas like \"institutions\"; by it's very nature the content tends to be philosophical.\nBy the 1920s heterodox economics is falling by the wayside. The content is less able to be tested like a physical science (i.e. no math/stats); so, it's treated like a misbegotten child... By the 1950s heterodox content was marginal at best-- the cold war and fear of communism made (makes) people insane. Economists pretty much had to be pro-capitalism or face being called \"commies\" and thrown in jail or worse being a narc in a witch hunt. This was more or less the nail in the coffin in mainstream heterodox economics (at least for research in the Occident). After the cold-war ended the nail got pulled out, but I wouldn't say it's really outta the coffin yet.\nThis book [8] isn't great but it's quickly digestible and will point you in the appropriate directions.\n----------------------------------\n----------------------------------\nSome Rambling to Finish\nI'd highly recommend not just learning how to use the tools, but why we have them and where they came from. Economics is vastly deeper than the average person will ever know. That depth is greatly empowering and guiding when using its lenses to see and solve problems. One last thing, know there's no going back, you will see the world differently.\n[0] https://www.amazon.com/Security-Analysis-Foreword-Buffett-Ed... (https://www.amazon.com/Security-Analysis-Foreword-Buffett-Editions/dp/0071592539)\n[1] \"The Role of Monetary Policy.\" American Economic Review, Vol. 58, No. 1 (Mar., 1968), pp. 1–17 JSTOR presidential address to American Economics Association\n[2] \"Inflation and Unemployment: Nobel lecture\", 1977, Journal of Political Economy. Vol. 85, pp. 451–72. JSTOR\n[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IS%E2%80%93LM_model\n[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AD%E2%80%93AS_model\n[5] The course I took on panel data, http://web.pdx.edu/%7Ecrkl/ec510/ec510-PD.htm\n[6] https://www.amazon.com/Using-Econometrics-Practical-Addison-... (https://www.amazon.com/Using-Econometrics-Practical-Addison-Wesley-Economics/dp/0131367730)\n[7] He more or less invented trade theory (competitive advantage) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Ricardo\n[8] https://www.amazon.com/Age-Economist-9th-Daniel-Fusfeld/dp/0... (https://www.amazon.com/Age-Economist-9th-Daniel-Fusfeld/dp/0321088123)\nEdit: for formatting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "a textbook will help [6]",
          "reason": "The linked textbook is presented as useful for applying economic theory to econometric analysis.",
          "audience": "Readers learning econometric analysis.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "A. H. Studenmund"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "econometrics",
        "regression analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "utopia-1a56cf",
      "title": "Utopia",
      "author": "Thomas More",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26670656,
          "author": "cx42net",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-02T11:50:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26670656",
          "commentText": "I try to read every night before going to bed, and I'm trying to alternate between a technical book, and a pleasure book.\nI recently finished the whole lot of Foundation from Asimov, Zero to sold from Arvid Kahl and I'm currently reading \"The wealth of Nations\" from Adam Smith (Gotta admit, it hurts).\nThe motivation behind alternating between pleasure and technical is to try to increase my knowledge (even though I feel like I retain 1% of what I read), and to enjoy reading too (with the pleasure book)\nOn my to read next list, I have:\n- High growth Handbook (Elad Gil) (Pleaure book)\n - Utopia - Thomas More (Technical)\n - Beyond the rift - Peter Watts (Pleasure)\n - Manufacturing consent (Noam Chomsky) (Technical)\n - Children of time - Adrian Tchaikovsky",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Utopia - Thomas More (Technical)",
          "reason": "Listed on the commenter's to-read list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12069367,
          "author": "klez",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T07:15:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12069367",
          "commentText": "Not in order\n1 - Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson)\n2 - The Trial (Franz Kafka)\n3 - Beyond the door (Philip K Dick - short story)\n4 - The eyes have it (Philip K Dick - short story)\n5 - Seven brief lessons on Physics (Carlo Rovelli)\n6 - I have no mouth, and I must scream (Herlan Ellison - short story)\n7 - The art of simplicity (Dominique Loreau)\n8 - On anarchism (Noam Chomsky)\n9 - The difference engine (William Gibson, Bruce Sterling)\n10 - Utopia (Thomas More)\n11 - Sophie's world (Jostein Gaarder)\n12 - Rete padrona (Federico Rampini - essays about the 'dark side' of the corporate web)\n13 - The art of discarding (Nagisa Tatsumi)\n14 - Symposium (Plato)\nAnd a couple of very short philosophy booklets by Zizek (about the Matrix) and Baudrillard (about 'cyberphilosophy')",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Utopia (Thomas More)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1503387,
          "author": "wheels",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T08:59:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503387",
          "commentText": "I don't think it's the best place to get started.  I've read it cover to cover and it's great background for further reading in philosophy, but it's a dry start.  Russell's Unpopular Essays is a good deal more fun to read.\nOther things I'd recommend for wading into the waters of philosophy would be Utopia by Sir Thomas More, or Meditations on First Philosophy by René Descartes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Utopia by Sir Thomas More",
          "reason": "Suggested as a way to begin exploring philosophy.",
          "audience": "Readers beginning to explore philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas More"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political philosophy",
        "utopian fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "uzumaki-a28497",
      "title": "Uzumaki",
      "author": "Junji Ito",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33383028,
          "author": "photochemsyn",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T11:20:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33383028",
          "commentText": "Nomi Prins, All the Presidents Bankers, and also Collusion: How Central Bankers Rigged the World.\nThose two books illustrate the financialization of the US and global economy over time, and although dense, are well worth the effort.  She has a new book out as of Oct, \"Permanent Distortion: How Financial Markets Abandoned the Real Economy Forever.\"\nPeter Anderas, Smuggler Nation: How Illicit Trade Made America\nA very fun historical read, covering everything from textile machinery smuggling from Britain to the American colonies, to rum and whiskey smuggling into Indian Country in the 19th century, to opium smuggling to China, to Prohibition and the modern Drug War, cotton smuggling by the South to Europe to finance the South's Civil War army, and the smuggling of people from slaves to immigrants.  Very eye-opening, a lot of America's 'wealthy families' got their first pool of capital in this manner.\nAlso:\nJunji Ito, Uzumaki and No Longer Human\nWilliam Gibson, The Peripheral and Agency",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Junji Ito, Uzumaki",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Junji Ito"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cosmic horror",
        "horror manga"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "v13-3af7e5",
      "title": "V13",
      "author": "Emmanuel Carrère",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40429428,
          "author": "iamthirsty",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T15:06:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40429428",
          "commentText": "Interesting. Does it approach it from a clinical & objective point of view or is it more of an over-arching story focused on the highlights?",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Does it approach it from a clinical & objective point of view or is it more of an over-arching story focused on the highlights?",
          "reason": "Asks about the book's approach and focus without expressing an opinion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 40429378,
          "author": "tgv",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-21T15:02:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 40428978,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you've read so far in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40429378",
          "commentText": "V13 by Emmanuel Carrère. It's a non-fiction about the trial following the attacks on Bataclan in Paris on Friday, 13 Nov. 2015 (V13 is Friday 13). It can't fulfill all its promises, but it does provide an insight in the role of law and justice in a state following such outrageous deeds, in particular on the human side.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "It can't fulfill all its promises, but it does provide an insight in the role of law and justice in a state following such outrageous deeds, in particular on the human side.",
          "reason": "It offers insight into law, justice, and their human dimensions after the Bataclan attacks.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it cannot fulfill all its promises.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Emmanuel Carrère"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bataclan trial",
        "law and justice"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "vagabond-e3e83a",
      "title": "Vagabond",
      "author": "Takehiko Inoue",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14744871,
          "author": "old_chap",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-11T15:16:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 14743087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've read that few others have?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14744871",
          "commentText": "Good book. You might also like the manga 'Vagabond' which is loosely based on Eiji's work.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You might also like the manga 'Vagabond'",
          "reason": "Suggested as a manga the recipient might enjoy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Loosely based on Eiji Yoshikawa's work.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Takehiko Inoue"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "manga",
        "samurai"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "valis-trilogy-64e721",
      "title": "Valis Trilogy",
      "author": "Philip K. Dick",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9676354,
          "author": "pacnw",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T20:59:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9676354",
          "commentText": "Anything by Phillip K. Dick. Start with the Valis Trilogy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anything by Phillip K. Dick. Start with the Valis Trilogy.",
          "reason": "Recommends starting with this trilogy as an entry point to Dick's work.",
          "audience": "Readers exploring Philip K. Dick's books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip K. Dick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternate reality",
        "metaphysical science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "valley-boy-5a123b",
      "title": "Valley Boy",
      "author": "Tom Perkins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17206704,
          "author": "hkmurakami",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T16:07:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17206704",
          "commentText": "\"Andy Grove\"\n\"The Intel Trinity\"\n\"Netscape Time\"\n\"Valley Boy\"\nBrian Kernighan is a CS professor at Princeton and quite a personable guy. I'd imagine that he has some talks about his work and past up online.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Valley Boy\"",
          "reason": "Included in a list of book suggestions in response to a request for tech company history.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Silicon Valley and entrepreneurship.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Perkins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "silicon valley",
        "venture capital"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "valley-of-genius-574822",
      "title": "Valley of Genius",
      "author": "Adam Fisher",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adam Fisher"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "silicon valley",
        "technology companies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "valley-of-genius-the-uncensored-history-of-silicon-valley-c6baf3",
      "title": "Valley of Genius: The Uncensored History of Silicon Valley",
      "author": "Adam Fisher",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22730267,
          "author": "blueyes",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-30T17:45:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22730267",
          "commentText": "Fire in the Valley: The Making of the Personal Computer\nHigh Stakes, No Prisoners - history of the birth of the Internet written by the founder of FrontPage, with a keen critique of Netscape's history - Charles Ferguson\nComputer Wars - a look at the decline of IBM by the early 90s - Charles Ferguson\nValley of Genius: The Uncensored History of Silicon Valley - An oral history of the Valley in the 80s and 90s.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Valley of Genius: The Uncensored History of Silicon Valley - An oral history of the Valley in the 80s and 90s.",
          "reason": "Listed as an oral history of Silicon Valley in the 1980s and 1990s.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adam Fisher"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "oral history",
        "silicon valley history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "value-investing-from-graham-to-buffett-and-beyond-f927a7",
      "title": "Value Investing: From Graham to Buffett and Beyond",
      "author": "Bruce C. N. Greenwald, Judd Kahn, Paul D. Sonkin, and Michael van Biema",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22574472,
          "author": "kriro",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T11:10:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22574472",
          "commentText": "I think the first question that you will face is if you agree with the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) and the random walk. Basically they say that prices reflect all available information and that you cannot \"beat\" the market (there's a subtle difference between EMH and random walk). The return on an investment is a direct reflection of the risk.\nGood reading to get an understanding for this are \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" and papers by Eugene Fama (EMH will be covered by any intro to finance book as well). For a good overview of EMH, I like this paper: http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/fileadmin/UCL-CS/images/Research_Stu... (http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/fileadmin/UCL-CS/images/Research_Student_Information/RN_11_04.pdf)\nThe investment takeaway is that you should invest in passive index funds with low management cost (typically ETFs).\nThere's different contrasting points of view most notably behavioral finance. The EMH argument is basically the market is an aggregation of all available information. Due to the power of averaging it is going to be correct (if one person overestimates, another will underestimate and it will all cancel out). The behavioral counterargument is that there are certain human biases that lead to all parties being wrong in the same direction (such as risk aversion).\nAnother POV that is aligned with the behavioral view is that the theory of evolution provides a good framework for thinking about markets. I like the book \"Adaptive Markets\" which also gives a good overview of EMH and behavioral finance so I'll recommend that as a reference. I think together with \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" you're set for \"general framework of thought\" material.\nPersonally, I am a value investor so I can only recommend books from that school of thought. The basic idea is that you look at the fundamentals of a company and the stock market can misprice them. The holy grail is finding a company where the sum of (current) assets is worth more than the current market valuation via the stock price because in essence that means if the company would be liquidated and everything would be sold off, you'd still walk away with a profit. In essence, you're trying to buy 1$ for < 1$.\nThis is Buffett's philosophy and he has done really well with it. I'd recommend \"Value Investing\" by Greenwald, Kahn, Sonkin and van Biema as a good intro book that summarizes everything and has some easy to follow examples (because you can't usually just take the assets face value but have to discount them etc.). The classics are \"The Intelligent Investor\" and \"Security Analysis\" (more academic but for me this is the gold standard).\nIf you need a quick \"how to read balance sheets/income statement/cash flow statements\" I'd recommend \"Warren Buffett Accounting Book\"\nI think the best essay that describes what markets are good for is \"The use of Knowledge in Society\" by Hayek. At least it makes sense for me that they serve the function of aggregating local and specialized information.\nIf you're interested, it's also a decent idea to research the different theories of the business cycle. Keynesian, Real Business Cycle, Austrian etc.\ntl;dr:\n- A Random Walk Down Wall Street\n- Adaptive Markets\n- Value Investing (+ Warren Buffett Accounting Book)\nEdit: I'm assuming you want a \"quick overview\". Otherwise, get some mainstream Finance and Behavioral Finance textbooks :D",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd recommend \"Value Investing\" by Greenwald, Kahn, Sonkin and van Biema as a good intro book",
          "reason": "Recommended as an introductory book on value investing with easy-to-follow examples.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in value investing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruce C. N. Greenwald",
        "Judd Kahn",
        "Paul D. Sonkin",
        "Michael van Biema"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial analysis",
        "value investing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "value-s-building-a-better-world-for-all-38cad0",
      "title": "Value(s): Building a Better World for All",
      "author": "Mark Carney",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42220961,
          "author": "throw0101d",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T14:13:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42220961",
          "commentText": "If I had to pick one: The rise and fall of American growth: the U.S. standard of living since the Civil War by Robert Gordon. The gains that we have made in the (early) 20th century are unlikely to ever be repeated, and progress in many metrics has measurably slowed or even stalled since ~1970s (likely being asymptotic). And while the Internet (classified under the Information, Communication, Technology (ICT) chapters) gave a bump in the 1990s, it's mostly been flat since 2004.\nMore economic history with Slouching towards Utopia: an economic history of the twentieth century by J. Bradford Delong. More economic ideas stuff in Value(s): building a better world for all by Mark Carney (ran the Banks of Canada and England). Also Waphsott's Keynes Hayek: the clash that defined modern economics and Samuelson Friedman: the battle over the free market.\nThe currency of politics: the political theory of money from Aristotle to Keynes by Sefan Eich, Money: the true story of a made-up thing by Jacob Goldstein, and The power of gold: the history of an obsession by Peter Bernstein (also his Against the Gods on risk). Show how much of a human construct \"money\" is, how its meaning changes in different times and places/cultures. Should be required reading by all the 'hard money' folks (gold standard, BTC).\nThe good life: lessons from the world's longest scientific study of happiness by Waldinger and Schultz (directors of the Harvard study). If there's one 'magic' thing for health and happiness it seems to be having good relationships (family, friends) in your life.\nReligion: what it is, how it works, and why it matters by Christian Smith and Strange rites: new religions for a godless world by Tara Burton. While many think that religion is in decline, the non-material/supernatural things that people believe in has actually shifted. And having beliefs in a super-human entity seems to be the basis of most societies and civilizations. Related, The warfare between science and religion : the idea that wouldn't die, a series of essays; the conflict thesis bunk, both historically and presently.\nThe origins of Canadian and American political differences by Jason Kaufman, two seemingly-the-same neighbouring countries that have had different development paths when it comes to culture and government. (I'm Canadian.)\nSpeaking of government: Civil resistance: what everyone needs to know by Erica Chenoweth. Seems violence/force is generally a less effective way to affect change in society than non-violence.\nThe week: a history of the unnatural rhythms that made us who we are by David Henkin. Seems that while seven days has been around for a long while, making it a really 'hard' structure/schedule around it is a more recent phenomenon than you'd expect.\nIf you have kids, Karen Le Billon's French kids eat everything (and yours can, too) and Getting to YUM: the 7 secrets of raising eager eaters, her husband is French and she lived there for a year and found many things done better there than US/CA. See also The happiest kids in the world: how Dutch parents help their kids and themselves by doing less by Acosta and Hutchison.\nFlying blind: the 737 MAX tragedy and the fall of Boeing by Peter Robison is an HN favourite. While we get a lot of engineer vs MBA comments, I think the bigger problem (associated with the MBA-types) is financialization, i.e., returns over everything else. Having non-engineers/MBAs can be 'fine' also long as trying to squeeze blood/money from a stone at the cost of everything else.\nSome philosophy with Alasdair C. MacIntyre: After Virtue is a good starting point. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/After_Virtue",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "More economic ideas stuff in Value(s): building a better world for all by Mark Carney",
          "reason": "Lists it among books on economic ideas.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in economic ideas.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Carney"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "economic ideas",
        "public policy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "vanished-kingdoms-the-rise-and-fall-of-states-and-nations-217360",
      "title": "Vanished Kingdoms: The Rise and Fall of States and Nations",
      "author": "Norman Davies",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8109152,
          "author": "acheron",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:25:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109152",
          "commentText": "Vanished Kingdoms by Norman Davies. History of Europe from the perspective of \"countries\" that don't exist anymore. Covers medieval kingdoms (Tolosa, Strathclyde, Aragon); more recent countries (Poland-Lithuania, Saxe-Coburg-Gotha); up to very recent times (USSR). Very interesting perspective on history.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Very interesting perspective on history.",
          "reason": "Finds its perspective on the history of vanished European countries very interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Norman Davies"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "european history",
        "historical geography",
        "vanished states"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "vanity-fair-c017a7",
      "title": "Vanity Fair",
      "author": "William Makepeace Thackeray",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3337259,
          "author": "gruseom",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T08:29:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3337259",
          "commentText": "I'm almost at the end of Vanity Fair. It is long, surprisingly light, and psychologically astute. There's one passage where Thackeray nails the concept of cognitive dissonance so strikingly (100 years before Festinger) that it ought to be in textbooks. Many of his observations have made me laugh with their classic English wit. He also has one hell of an anti-heroine. This book reminded me why I used to love literature.\nAlso, Strangers to Ourselves by Timothy Wilson - a good book on research into unconscious thought processes.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This book reminded me why I used to love literature.",
          "reason": "Praises its psychological insight, wit, and antiheroine; says it rekindled their love of literature.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Describes it as long, though surprisingly light.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Makepeace Thackeray"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "19th century literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "vatta-s-war-3cd3a5",
      "title": "Vatta's War",
      "author": "Elizabeth Moon",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32197576,
          "author": "zem",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T21:58:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197576",
          "commentText": "reading through the vatta's war series (fun military sf) at roughly four days per book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "reading through the vatta's war series (fun military sf)",
          "reason": "The commenter describes reading the series as fun military science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Elizabeth Moon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military science fiction",
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "vector-calculus-57da00",
      "title": "Vector Calculus",
      "author": "John H. Hubbard and Barbara Burke Hubbard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31499196,
          "author": "sn9",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-25T00:28:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31499196",
          "commentText": "The other benefit is that all of the AoPS books have extremely complete solutions manuals so you'll get immediate feedback on the quality of your solution, or you can just look if you've been banging your head against something for a while.\nSolutions manuals are the autodidact's best friend.\nOther high quality books with complete solutions included or in separate solutions manuals include Spivak's Calculus, Hubbard and Hubbard's Vector Calculus, Tenenbaum and Pollard's Ordinary Differential Equations (a really cheap Dover text from the 60s!), and Knuth et. al's Concrete Mathematics.\nGoing through the AoPS books and the above will give you an extremely solid foundation to learn any further math you might need as a software engineer as needed.\nIf you have a career spanning 3-4 decades, spending a few years mastering this material can be extremely useful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Hubbard and Hubbard's Vector Calculus",
          "reason": "Names it among high-quality books with complete solutions available.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John H. Hubbard",
        "Barbara Burke Hubbard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "vector calculus"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "vector-calculus-linear-algebra-and-differential-forms-74d16d",
      "title": "Vector Calculus, Linear Algebra, and Differential Forms",
      "author": "John Hubbard and Barbara Hubbard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23727968,
          "author": "jostylr",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T21:53:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23727968",
          "commentText": "I remember Pi in the Sky by John Barrows very fondly. It has more of a focus on geometry and logic.\nA Programmer's Introduction to Mathematics by Jeremy Kun is wide ranging and appropriate if there is also interest in programming.\nNature and Growth of Modern Mathematics by Edna Kramer is a wonderful book if history is a passion as well.\nElements of Mathematics by John Stillwell is a broad overview of subjects. It has a crisp mathematical feel to it.\nVector Calculus, Linear Algebra, and Differential Forms by John & Barbara Hubbard is a beautiful introduction to the multi-dimensional aspects, but it is a book that should happen after knowing one dimensional calculus. .\nIf your child hasn't been exposed to Guesstimation, then a book on that is highly recommended. The book with that title by Weinstein and Adams is a nice guide to investigating that realm.\nIf the child does arithmetic from right to left, as is sadly too common, the book Speed Mathematics Simplified by Edward Stoddard is a great remedy for that.\nEveryday Calculus by Oscar Fernandez could also be worth a look.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Vector Calculus, Linear Algebra, and Differential Forms by John & Barbara Hubbard is a beautiful introduction to the multi-dimensional aspects",
          "reason": "Introduces multidimensional aspects of mathematics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Should be read after learning one-dimensional calculus.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Hubbard",
        "Barbara Hubbard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "differential forms",
        "linear algebra",
        "vector calculus"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "vector-calculus-linear-algebra-and-differential-forms-349a8b",
      "title": "Vector Calculus, Linear Algebra, and Differential Forms",
      "author": "John H. Hubbard and Barbara Burke Hubbard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31489263,
          "author": "jpfr",
          "createdAt": "2022-05-24T08:01:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 31488608,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Serious mathematics books that can replace a good teacher?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31489263",
          "commentText": "The best book for me was \"Vector Calculus, Linear Algebra, and Differential Forms\" by Hubbard and Hubbard.\nIt is the only book (I know of) that brings you from absolute basics to an integrated development of the subjects from its title. And that integrated developments actually leads to a good didactic method.\nThe search function will show you many comments on HN recommending it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Vector Calculus, Linear Algebra, and Differential Forms\" by Hubbard and Hubbard.",
          "reason": "Recommended as an integrated introduction to the subjects in its title.",
          "audience": "Readers starting from the absolute basics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is the only book they know that takes this integrated approach.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John H. Hubbard",
        "Barbara Burke Hubbard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "differential forms",
        "linear algebra",
        "vector calculus"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "vedas-253ff4",
      "title": "Vedas",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36135179,
          "author": "hello_computer",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-31T06:31:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36135179",
          "commentText": "Start with the originals--Torah, Bible, Koran, Vedas, Buddhist Canons, Greco-Roman Mythologies, Avesta, Enûma Eliš--then work your way out toward commentaries, sects, cults, precursors, apocrypha, heresies, schisms, etc.  The problem with any condensed \"Grand Tour of Religion\" is the inevitable editorial bias (i.e. adopting someone else's understanding instead of developing your own).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Koran, Vedas, Buddhist Canons",
          "reason": "Included among primary religious texts to start with.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter recommends a broad sequence of primary texts before commentaries and other traditions.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hinduism",
        "scripture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "vehicles-f1167c",
      "title": "Vehicles",
      "author": "Valentino Braitenberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9674192,
          "author": "ThomPete",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T11:23:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674192",
          "commentText": "The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Origin-Consciousness-Breakdown-Bicamer... (http://www.amazon.com/Origin-Consciousness-Breakdown-Bicameral-Mind/dp/0618057072)\nI found it on this list:\nhttp://spacecollective.org/wilfriedhoujebek/4076/Summery-Boo... (http://spacecollective.org/wilfriedhoujebek/4076/Summery-Books-Too-Far-Out-For-Johnny-Depp)\nWhere also the following books some of which I read to (Vehicles is really good) can be found:\nThe White Goddess - Robert Graves\nGraves' grammar of poetic myth works at so many levels at the same time that I can't keep track of them all. This is not a book, this is a neurosis you can borrow. Druidic power to the nerds.\nThe Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind - Julian Jaynes\nNever mind the bulky title. The theory of Jaynes seems preposterous at first: before man was conscious he would not stop and think when making a decision, instead he would literally hear a voice telling him what to do. When life became too complicated this faculty broke down, but not in an instant. Religion is a by-product of this neuro-catastrophe. Jaynes however knows to make use of historic material in such a way that in the course of his argument he becomes plausible! If you don't trust me on this, trust Daniel Dennett.\nThe Ghost of Chance - William S. Burroughs\nBurroughs was a great admirer of Jaynes and here he uses the bicameral image of two dividing brain spheres as a metaphor for the divide between peaceful lemur on Madagascar and the war-mongering chimpanzee on the African mainland as a reminder that human evolution could have taken a better turn.\nAncient Evenings - Norman Mailer\nThis book, the only lengthy novel in this list, I first looked up because Burroughs referenced it as his inspiration for 'The Western Lands'. When I noticed it starts with my favourite Yeats quote I knew I needed to read this. Even though Burroughs could never have written it like this, at times it is more Burroughs then Burroughs himself. It is the autobiography of a Ka, the lowliest soul of the seven souls of the ancient Egyptians, which makes for unusual reading. Especially because Mailer uses an uncensored version of Egyptian mythology which, to put it mildly, differs from the version you get of it from the National Geographic. The Egyptians practised sex magic with the stamina of a bonobo. Mailer makes Aleister Crowley look like a prudish schoolboy. This is the boldest attempt to recreate a radically different mind from ours that I know of, and does so successfully. The novel as the creation of an artificial consciousness. At the same time it doubles as an All American Novel (yuk).\nThe Mind in the Cave - David Lewis-Williams\nPalaeolithic Psychedelia anyone? Close your eyes, place a finger on both of your eyelids and press gently. What you see is the origin of all art, you only need to look at rock-art with a guide like Lewis-Williams to see it.\nThe Chinese Written Character as a Medium for Poetry - Ernest Fennolosa\nEdited by Ezra Pound, the most spectacular misunderstanding of language ever to be reprinted. It reads excellent and it gives us a language (Chinoiserie-Chinese) that does not exist in this world but should exist in a better world.\nVehicles - Valentino Braitenberg\nI have read so much stuff relating to Cybernetics, AI, emergent systems and self-organization that I am totally saturated with it. The material itself is exciting but the professional obligation of science to be dull gets on my nerves. But this is an exception, wonderfully written and illustrated with funky little drawings. Vehicles is a tiny book but its size is deceptive. This introduction to synthetic psychology describes a number of simple responsive vehicles that with each new feature became aware of the world around them a good deal more. Each new vehicle is a new mind.\nThe Coleridge Notebooks.\nCharles Lamb said he loved to lend his books to ‘Poet, Metaphysician, Bard’ Coleridge because he would return them with annotations more interesting then the book itself. Samuel Taylor Coleridge had a mind that was free, discursive, unruly and truly original. His notebooks record the flow of his thoughts as if you are sitting next to him. Every now and then I dip into this and always come out with some gem I never saw before. Get the Seamus Perry edition of this. Get a copy of the Road to Xanadu by Livingstone-Lowes for extra enjoyment.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "But this is an exception, wonderfully written and illustrated with funky little drawings. Vehicles is a tiny book but its size is deceptive.",
          "reason": "Praised as a well-written, illustrated introduction to synthetic psychology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Valentino Braitenberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cybernetics",
        "emergent systems",
        "synthetic psychology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "venice-350713",
      "title": "Venice",
      "author": "Martin Gayford",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41175841,
          "author": "montgomery_r",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-06T21:58:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41175841",
          "commentText": "Aargh, Formatting! Try 2 :\nFor the value of ‘best’ that includes\n(a) had a deep and long lasting impact on how I think about the world and\n(b) I consider beautiful pieces of writing in their own right,\nhere are some in no particular order:\nThe Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins\nThinking Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman\nNaming and Necessity, Saul Kripke\nTractatus LogicoPhilosophicus, Ludwig Wittgenstein\n(These you might want to approach via a gentle introduction if you did not study Philosophy to degree level)\nThe Rediscovery of the Mind, John R Searle\nDarkness at Noon, Arthur Koestler\nThe Glass Bead Game, Hermann Hesse\nA Handful of Dust, Evelyn Waugh\nDiaries, Samuel Pepys\nFalling Off the Map, Pico Iyer\nA Time of Gifts, Patrick Leigh Fermor\nThe Lonely Sea and the Sky, Francis Chichester\nThe Way We Live Now, Anthony Trollope\nBevis, Richard Jeffries\nThe Diary of a Nobody, George and Weedon GrossSmith\nThe Inimitable Jeeves, PG Wodehouse\nHitch-22, essays, Christopher Hitchens\nCollected Essays, William Hazlitt\nVenice, Martin Gayford\nThe Ascent of Man, Jacob Bronowski\nThe Fabric of Reality, David Deutsch\nToo obvious a list, perhaps, but some gems for all that! Happy reading.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Venice, Martin Gayford",
          "reason": "Includes the title among books considered impactful and beautifully written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin Gayford"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "art history",
        "venetian art"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "venture-capitalists-at-work-f31a62",
      "title": "Venture Capitalists at Work",
      "author": "Tarang Shah and Sheetal Shah",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8795309,
          "author": "147",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-25T03:28:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 8795058,
          "threadTitle": "Please recommend a book to read. List for 2015",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8795309",
          "commentText": "I just bought 4 books off of Amazon and got them today:\nMathematics: Its Content, Methods and Meaning. Highly recommended overview of math by some HNers so I figured I would check it out.\nVenture capitalists at work. I didn't realize there were more \"at work\" series books other than coders and founders, so this one sounds right up my alley.\nInformation Rules, a book that's supposedly dated on economics and how it applies to the internet world. Recommended on Chris Dixon's blog and looked interesting. Thought I might get some new insights to bitcoin or something with it.\nAnd Walter Isaacson's new book, the innovators.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "this one sounds right up my alley",
          "reason": "The commenter says the subject sounds appealing to them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tarang Shah and Sheetal Shah"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "startup financing",
        "venture capital"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "venture-deals-be-smarter-than-your-lawyer-and-venture-capitalist-f5174a",
      "title": "Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist",
      "author": "Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35171625,
          "author": "yumraj",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:19:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35171625",
          "commentText": "Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Venture Deals: Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brad Feld",
        "Jason Mendelson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "startup financing",
        "venture capital"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ventus-6f9d0a",
      "title": "Ventus",
      "author": "Karl Schroeder",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9093431,
          "author": "JoachimS",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-23T09:57:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9093431",
          "commentText": "Sanderson's law is what I feel. Thanks for pointing it out.\nI really enjoyed Karl Schroeders Ventus where the population saw technology as magic:\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ventus\nNuttails Suffiently Advanced Technology is also a good example:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Sufficiently-Advanced-Technology-Inver... (http://www.amazon.com/Sufficiently-Advanced-Technology-Inverse-Shadows-ebook/dp/B00DVZM1WQ)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed Karl Schroeders Ventus where the population saw technology as magic:",
          "reason": "Says they really enjoyed the novel and describes its premise.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Karl Schroeder"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "planetary romance",
        "technology as magic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "venus-equilateral-add678",
      "title": "Venus Equilateral",
      "author": "George O. Smith",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36023446,
          "author": "kcartlidge",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T18:20:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36023446",
          "commentText": "Multiple re-reads:\n- Saga of the Exiles by Julian May, which merges science fiction with folklore/fantasy in Pliocene Earth\n- Hyperion by Dan Simmons, excellent SF with a feel of the Canterbury Tales about it\n- Neuromancer by William Gibson, plus the follow-ups (all the Sprawl) are very good too\n- The Sheep Look Up by John Brunner, about the eco collapse of the US in the 1980s (10 years after it was written) and which William Gibson called a \"brilliant novel\"\nAnd a couple of guilty pleasures:\n- Venus Equilateral by George O Smith, 1940s stories based around a three mile long space station at the L4 point in space, a bit like Babylon 5 meets DS9 in the era of vacuum tubes\n- Necrotech by KC Alexander, a brutal and obscene body-mod cyberpunk dystopia (the sequel of which, Nanoshock, has a superbly offensive opening sentence)\n- Halcyon Drift by Brian Stableford, about a corporate dystopia and a pilot who hooks up his body to merge with his ship (a bit blase now but less so then, especially as I had read far less at the time)\n- Bio of a Space Tyrant by Piers Anthony, a 6 book series following the rise of a refugee to becoming the Tyrant of Jupiter",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Venus Equilateral by George O Smith, 1940s stories based around a three mile long space station",
          "reason": "Describes these stories as set around a large space station at the L4 point.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George O. Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories",
        "space station"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "vernon-god-little-3c72f0",
      "title": "Vernon God Little",
      "author": "D. B. C. Pierre",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17337486,
          "author": "andy_boot",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T11:49:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17337486",
          "commentText": "Catch 22. - I can re-read that over and over laughing at the silliness of their situation.\nAlso If you enjoyed Catch I recommend Vernon God Little",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you enjoyed Catch I recommend Vernon God Little",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends it to readers who enjoyed Catch-22.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoyed Catch-22.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "D. B. C. Pierre"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "black comedy",
        "satire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "verse-and-versions-fefb6c",
      "title": "Verse and Versions",
      "author": "Vladimir Nabokov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1027545,
          "author": "julius_geezer",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T19:34:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027545",
          "commentText": "The British computer scientist Martin Ward has a site dedicated to G.K. Chesterton, with a fair bit of his work on-line.\nI lent a copy of Nabokov's _Verse and Versions_ to a friend, and the cheap binding finally gave out. Look for his poetry, also,",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Look for his poetry, also,",
          "reason": "Encourages looking for Nabokov's poetry after mentioning a lent copy of this collection.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The copy's cheap binding gave out.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vladimir Nabokov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "poetry",
        "translation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "very-short-introductions-2970df",
      "title": "Very Short Introductions",
      "author": "Oxford University Press",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36105073,
          "author": "keiferski",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T15:46:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105073",
          "commentText": "I have had the opposite experience and don’t recommend this series at all. Every book I’ve read from it is either rambling and hard to follow or simply not written for a beginner audience. You’re better off reading the Wikipedia page.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I have had the opposite experience and don’t recommend this series at all.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the books they read were rambling, hard to follow, or unsuitable for beginners.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Based on the books the commenter has read from the series.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 36105045,
          "author": "capableweb",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T15:43:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105045",
          "commentText": "I'm a big fan of the \"Very Short Introductions\" series from Oxford University Press. They're usually brief and gives a wide starting point to a lot of different viewpoints of a subject, useful as a starting point into a topic. Seems there are about 730 books published in the series so far, with a wide range of topics. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Very_Short_Introductions\nI personally haven't read it, but there is one for religion as well, \"Religion: A Very Short Introduction\" (9780190064679). Then there are a bunch of them around specific subjects in religion as well, browse the list in the Wikipedia article and you'll find them.\nI've read maybe ~20 books from the series and all besides two or three have been of utmost quality, so probably this one is at least a good starting point.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'm a big fan of the \"Very Short Introductions\" series from Oxford University Press.",
          "reason": "Praised as a brief, wide-ranging starting point across subjects.",
          "audience": "Useful as a starting point into a topic.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read the religion volume.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Oxford University Press"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "introductory overviews"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "very-short-introductions-2d2320",
      "title": "Very Short Introductions",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46696411,
          "author": "baranmelik",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-20T19:11:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 46690957,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What non-fiction do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46696411",
          "commentText": "The Very Short Introduction series is great. ie A Very Short Introduction to Art History, Quantum Theory: A Very Short Introduction etc",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Very Short Introduction series is great.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the series and gives art history and quantum theory as examples.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 20730056,
          "author": "gshubert17",
          "createdAt": "2019-08-18T13:38:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 20729252,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book to read to get a footing in CS theory?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20730056",
          "commentText": "A really good overview of the field of CS is _Great Principles of Computing_ by Peter Denning and Craig Martell, 2015. It's a good book for CS students who want overviews of less familiar areas of computer science, and for anyone (in other areas) who want to know more about computation.\nAnother is Subrata Dasgupta's _Computer Science: A Very Short Introduction_, a 2016 addition to Oxford's Very Short Introduction series. It has over five pages of further references to more detailed and specialized works.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "a 2016 addition to Oxford's Very Short Introduction series",
          "reason": "Identifies the book's series and notes its further references to specialized works.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short introductions",
        "academic overviews"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "vibrations-and-waves-a85dca",
      "title": "Vibrations and Waves",
      "author": "A. P. French",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34441583,
          "author": "tylerstorm",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T15:49:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34441583",
          "commentText": "I second this suggestion for Calculus Made Easy by Thompson. It's become a bit of a classic...was published in like 1915. Super unique approach to teaching calculus.  It's an excellent supplement...lots of good insights. It may be particularly good for people who believe they're bad at math. His style may convince people otherwise.\nAlso, Vibrations and Waves, by AP French. Granted, this is a physics book, but I appreciate his style so much. He makes use of a lot of geometric methods to solving problems. It definitly expanded my math horizons!  His other books are good too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also, Vibrations and Waves, by AP French. Granted, this is a physics book, but I appreciate his style so much.",
          "reason": "The commenter values its geometric methods for solving problems and says it expanded their math horizons.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A physics book, rather than strictly a math book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "A. P. French"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "geometric methods",
        "waves"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "vicious-5a6cbd",
      "title": "Vicious",
      "author": "V. E. Schwab",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7301871,
          "author": "yawz",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T00:39:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7301871",
          "commentText": "Are you looking for something similar?\nIt's not easy to recommend something based on a single book but have a look at Vicious by V. E. Schwab, This Perfect Day by Ira Levin or Wool by Hugh Howey.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "have a look at Vicious by V. E. Schwab",
          "reason": "Suggests the book as a possible read in response to a request for science-fiction suggestions.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking a science-fiction recommendation based on Ready Player One.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that recommending from a single book is difficult.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "V. E. Schwab"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "superpowers",
        "villain protagonists"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "victory-216e6e",
      "title": "Victory",
      "author": "Joseph Conrad",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20914676,
          "author": "hristov",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T02:12:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914676",
          "commentText": "Victory - Joseph Conrad\nNotes from the Underground - Dostoyevsky\nBrothers Karamazov - Dostoyevsky (there is a bunch of other brilliant Dostoyevsky books)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Victory - Joseph Conrad",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about favorite old books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph Conrad"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "vienna-9d29eb",
      "title": "Vienna",
      "author": "Richard Cockett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42275555,
          "author": "_hdki",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T17:46:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42275555",
          "commentText": "A few of this year's highlights for me and my notes on the books, where available.\nFiction -\nNotes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/2ab29d16-0cb1-4ef8-8cde... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/2ab29d16-0cb1-4ef8-8cde-8c9d90db0daf)\nPride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/65214629-29ac-45a6-b474... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/65214629-29ac-45a6-b474-b9fad1285564)\nBleak House by Charles Dickens\nThe Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/bd090cb4-bc9a-41cb-9833... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/bd090cb4-bc9a-41cb-9833-f60834ccd28c)\nNonfiction -\nThe House of Government by Yuri Slezkine (my luckiest find of the year)\nStalin: The Court of The Red Tsar by Simon Sebag Montefiore - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/13ebec0d-0859-4858-864a... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/13ebec0d-0859-4858-864a-8c28bacfed8f)\nVienna by Richard Cockett - https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/c0e1d1fb-dea7-456b-a95e... (https://papertrail.biblish.com/books/c0e1d1fb-dea7-456b-a95e-fcccdd63814a)\nThe House That Madigan Built by Ray Long (an interesting history of a legendary figure in Illinois state politics)\nSay Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Vienna by Richard Cockett",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter’s nonfiction highlights of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Cockett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "central europe",
        "vienna"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "vietnam-an-epic-tragedy-1945-1975-33d162",
      "title": "Vietnam: An Epic Tragedy, 1945–1975",
      "author": "Max Hastings",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21459000,
          "author": "kpwags",
          "createdAt": "2019-11-06T01:59:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 21457827,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21459000",
          "commentText": "Vietnam: An Epic Tragedy, 1945-1975 by Sir Max Hastings\nGreat account of the history of the conflict in Vietnam up to and including the Vietnam War",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Great account of the history of the conflict in Vietnam up to and including the Vietnam War",
          "reason": "Calls it a great account of the conflict in Vietnam and the Vietnam War.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Max Hastings"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military history",
        "vietnam war"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "villains-of-all-nations-atlantic-pirates-in-the-golden-age-462462",
      "title": "Villains of All Nations: Atlantic Pirates in the Golden Age",
      "author": "Marcus Rediker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23467715,
          "author": "p4bl0",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T15:53:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23467715",
          "commentText": "The Campus Trilogy (Changing Places, Small World, Nice Work), by David Lodge.\nDO IT!: Scenarios of the Revolution, by Jerry Rubin.\nThe Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking A Spy Through The Maze Of Computer Espionage, by Cliff Stoll.\nThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams.\nLogicomix, by Apóstolos K. Doxiàdis and Christos Papadimitriou.\nOther books that I strongly recommend can be found here (some of them are in French): https://pablo.rauzy.name/miscellaneous.html#books\nUpdate: Pirates de tous les pays, by Marcus Rediker is a translation of Villains of All Nations: Atlantic Pirates in the Golden Age which you can thus read in English :). It really is an awesome read! After I finished it I immidiately ordered 5 more copies to give them to friends.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Villains of All Nations: Atlantic Pirates in the Golden Age",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an awesome read and says they bought five copies to give to friends.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marcus Rediker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "atlantic history",
        "pirate history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "vineland-fd1341",
      "title": "Vineland",
      "author": "Thomas Pynchon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4968895,
          "author": "tucosan",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T11:27:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4968895",
          "commentText": "Seconded. \nI am surprised that there are not more of Pynchon's books in this thread.\n'Vineland' is an easy, humorous read. If you want to take Pynchon head on, I can't recommend 'Against the day' too much.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "'Vineland' is an easy, humorous read.",
          "reason": "Describes it as an easy, humorous read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Pynchon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "vinland-saga-6ebcb0",
      "title": "Vinland Saga",
      "author": "Makoto Yukimura",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41423129,
          "author": "gugug6",
          "createdAt": "2024-09-02T06:37:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 41387062,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books should I read to improve as a software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41423129",
          "commentText": "harry potter \nlord of the rings\ndune \ngame of thrones\nberserk\nvinland saga\nrobinson curso\n                 : happy reading time!!!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "vinland saga",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Makoto Yukimura"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical manga",
        "vikings"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "vintage-spirits-and-forgotten-cocktails-from-the-alamagoozlum-to--eb3c3e",
      "title": "Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails: From the Alamagoozlum to the Zombie 100 Rediscovered Recipes and the Stories Behind Them",
      "author": "Ted Haigh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1569505,
          "author": "rudyfink",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T23:29:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569505",
          "commentText": "Here are some nonfiction books that I've enjoyed.\nHow We Know What Isn't So: The Fallibility of Human Reason in Everyday Life - Gilovich - a good book on the inability of the human mind to accept things as random.\nCrucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High - Patterson, et all - fluffy but nice short and solid book for better skills at listening and responding in conversation\nFull Throttle: The Life & Fast Times of Racing Legend Curtis Turner - Edlestein - Curtis Turner was an influential figure in the development of what became NASCAR.  I enjoyed the book for his character and as insight into a pass time that I had not really understood.\nPeter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Day - Reinhart - His latest book on quality home baking.  This is definitely a do along with the book kind of read, but I found it to be easy to follow, appealing to detail, and satisfying in producing delicious bread.\nVintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails: From the Alamagoozlum to the Zombie 100 Rediscovered Recipes and the Stories Behind Them - Haigh - If you're of age, this is an interesting background in cocktails and their evolution in America.\nI forget whether it was on HN or not, but I've been enjoying this list of great magazine articles http://www.kk.org/cooltools/the-best-magazi.php .",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "If you're of age, this is an interesting background in cocktails and their evolution in America.",
          "reason": "Recommended as an interesting history of cocktails and their evolution in America.",
          "audience": "Adults of legal drinking age.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ted Haigh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american drinking culture",
        "cocktails"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "violence-and-social-orders-093c9d",
      "title": "Violence and Social Orders",
      "author": "Douglass C. North, John Joseph Wallis, and Barry R. Weingast",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10029440,
          "author": "programnature",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-09T03:41:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10029440",
          "commentText": "Definitely a must-read. Also: Why Nations Fail, and Violence and Social Orders. People in tech would be well-served by a deeper understanding of the systems we operate in and hope to change.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Violence and Social Orders",
          "reason": "Named as a must-read, alongside two other books.",
          "audience": "People in tech interested in the systems they operate in and hope to change.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Douglass C. North, John Joseph Wallis, and Barry R. Weingast"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "institutions",
        "political economy",
        "state formation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "viral-loop-c6c93d",
      "title": "Viral Loop",
      "author": "Adam Penenberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1569317,
          "author": "msuprovici1",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T22:19:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 1567456,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I want to start a web company what books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569317",
          "commentText": "Free - Chris Anderson;\n4 Steps to Epiphany;\nFounders at Work;\nCrossing the Chasm;\nViral Loop;\nGroundswell;\nLoosing My Virginity - Richard Brandson;\nGood to Great - Collins;\nEntrepreneurs guide to Business Law;",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Viral Loop;",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adam Penenberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "network effects",
        "viral growth"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "virga-a54020",
      "title": "Virga",
      "author": "Karl Schroeder",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15429383,
          "author": "programd",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T18:47:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15429383",
          "commentText": "Karl Schroeder's Virga series features a vast zero-G fullerene sphere filled with artificial stars and floating nation states. Great hard sci world building and fun swashbuckling adventures, with a deep offstage story which only gradually comes into focus.\nKarl writes about engineering Virga on his blog:\nhttp://www.kschroeder.com/my-books/sun-of-suns/engineering-v... (http://www.kschroeder.com/my-books/sun-of-suns/engineering-virga)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Karl Schroeder's Virga series features a vast zero-G fullerene sphere filled with artificial stars and floating nation states.",
          "reason": "Praises its hard science worldbuilding, swashbuckling adventures, and gradually unfolding story.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Karl Schroeder"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hard science fiction",
        "space habitats",
        "swashbuckling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "vision-and-brain-81e674",
      "title": "Vision and Brain",
      "author": "R. J. (Jim) Stone",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4967446,
          "author": "martingoodson",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T23:28:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967446",
          "commentText": "Vision and Brain by Jim Stone\nhttp://mitpress.mit.edu/books/vision-and-brain-0\nA computational neuroscience approach to the visual system. Changed the way I think about perception and cognition.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Changed the way I think about perception and cognition.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed how they think about perception and cognition.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "R. J. (Jim) Stone"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computational neuroscience",
        "visual system"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "visual-complex-functions-7d2ff3",
      "title": "Visual Complex Functions",
      "author": "Elias Wegert",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34444033,
          "author": "omershapira",
          "createdAt": "2023-01-19T18:54:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 34439828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Math books that made you significantly better at math?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34444033",
          "commentText": "Donald Sarason's \"Complex Function Theory\".\nThere are bigger more complete books on complex analysis. There are even ones that are more appealing, like \"Visual Complex Functions\" by Elias Wegert.\nSarason's book is only 160 pages long, with legible text and clear examples. It covers the length of an undergraduate university class, and explains Holomorphic functions perfectly. The proofs are crystal clear, and so are the motivations. I haven't seen a better introduction.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "like \"Visual Complex Functions\" by Elias Wegert.",
          "reason": "Mentioned as a more appealing alternative.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says larger, more complete books on complex analysis exist.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Elias Wegert"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "complex analysis",
        "visual mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "visual-complexity-mapping-patterns-of-information-bb3495",
      "title": "Visual Complexity: Mapping Patterns of Information",
      "author": "Manuel Lima",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16758142,
          "author": "engi_nerd",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T19:34:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16758142",
          "commentText": "I keep a wide variety of references around this desk. Some of my favorites:\nManuel Lima's \"Visual Complexity\", \"The Book of Circles\", and \"The Book of Trees\". These are useful as references and as visualization inspiration.\nJacques Bertin's \"Semiology of Graphics\". Gorgeous and immensely useful.\nDesmond and Nicholas Higham's \"MATLAB Guide, 3rd Edition\", and Yair Altman's \"Accelerating MATLAB Performance\". Both are invaluable for serious MATLAB work.\nTitus A. Beu's book on Numerical Programming is very good as a reference.\nFor anyone needing to work on military simulations, \"Engineering Principles of Combat Modeling and Distributed Simulation\" by Tolk is the best reference I have found on the subject.\nAnd TAOCP and CLRS are here for reference purposes as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Visual Complexity\", \"The Book of Circles\", and \"The Book of Trees\". These are useful as references and as visualization inspiration.",
          "reason": "One of the commenter's favorites; useful as a reference and source of visualization inspiration.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Manuel Lima"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data visualization",
        "information design",
        "visual complexity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "visual-differential-geometry-and-forms-e56b6f",
      "title": "Visual Differential Geometry and Forms",
      "author": "Tristan Needham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27629783,
          "author": "musgravepeter",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-25T12:16:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 27628296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Technical Summer Reading List",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27629783",
          "commentText": "Snap. I am also a physicist trying to learn math. \nIn my case it's:\n- Introduction to Analysis (Mattuck)\n- Elementary Differential Geometry (Pressley)\nboth chosen because they have solutions in the book, which I find important for self-study.\nAlso just got (hot off the presses)\nVisual Differential Geometry and Forms (Needham)\nLooks fantastic!\nTopology is next on the list...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Visual Differential Geometry and Forms (Needham)\nLooks fantastic!",
          "reason": "The commenter says it looks fantastic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tristan Needham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "differential forms",
        "differential geometry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "visual-explanations-dafd42",
      "title": "Visual Explanations",
      "author": "Edward R. Tufte",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14137439,
          "author": "azeirah",
          "createdAt": "2017-04-18T09:32:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 14136470,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book is considered the bible of your field/industry?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14137439",
          "commentText": "Godel Escher Bach is fairly bible-ish if you ask me\nAnother set of books I consider to be \"one\" bible are Edward Tufte's (1) The Visual Display of Quantitative Information, (2) Envisioning Information, (3) Visual Explanations and (4) Beautiful Evidence.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Visual Explanations",
          "reason": "Included in a set of books the commenter considers one bible.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3338865,
          "author": "tptacek",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-11T00:10:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3338865",
          "commentText": "Is Beautiful Evidence good?\nVDQA is an all-time favorite of mine, and I've even paid to see him talk live about this stuff, but I've found his books got fuzzier and increasingly subjective over time, so that I really don't even remember what Visual Explanations was trying to say anymore.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "I really don't even remember what Visual Explanations was trying to say anymore.",
          "reason": "Says they no longer remember what the book was trying to say.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They found Tufte's later books increasingly fuzzy and subjective.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 3338248,
          "author": "euroclydon",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-10T19:30:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 3335496,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3338248",
          "commentText": "The Confusion - Neal Stephenson\n(I'm starting to tire a little of the female hero character who's in all his books, but on the whole, The Baroque Cycle, which this is the second volume of, has been very educational and always entertaining)\nThe Visual Display of Quantative Information, Envisioning Information, Visual Explanations, and Beautiful Evidence\n(I picked up all four books by Edward Tufte at his one day training course.  At the 2011 SVG Open, I was blown away by Mike Bostock's D3 demo, and Niel Fraser told me to read all of Tuftes books to see where these revolutionary ways of displaying information came from)\nESV Bible, actually hoping to find time to get my Python script running so I can download the audio, chapter by chapter, because the audio version I bought is nigh impossible to navigate.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Visual Explanations",
          "reason": "Included among Tufte's books the commenter picked up after being told to read them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward R. Tufte"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design",
        "Art"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "data visualization",
        "information design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "visual-intelligence-a5eb43",
      "title": "Visual Intelligence",
      "author": "Amy E. Herman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12474247,
          "author": "thr0waway1239",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T16:52:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12474247",
          "commentText": "I have found Google's Authors@Google playlist an excellent resource for finding new books to read. Even better, you can usually listen to the first 5 minutes or so of the talk and get a very reasonable idea whether you are interested, without investing too much of your time.\nhttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGGpadyh0wS589np9dre-... (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGGpadyh0wS589np9dre-nOeGfzRfutmQ)\nFor example, I found Amy Herman's \"Visual Intelligence\", it is pretty good (I am still reading it).\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4v_tn4nyjwE",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I found Amy Herman's \"Visual Intelligence\", it is pretty good (I am still reading it).",
          "reason": "Calls it pretty good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Still reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Amy E. Herman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "observation skills",
        "visual perception"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "vita-nostra-54417b",
      "title": "Vita Nostra",
      "author": "Marina and Sergey Dyachenko",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38557015,
          "author": "TheAceOfHearts",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T14:54:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557015",
          "commentText": "Vita Nostra because it has an interesting magic system. Piranesi because it also has a weird magic system.\nI didn't read it this past year, but the first one that came to mind was Tigana. That book was rather weird for me, because the process of reading it wasn't very enjoyable, but after finishing I loved it.\nIf anyone has suggestions for fantasy or sci-fi books with weird or non-standard magic systems I'd love to hear em. I've already read most of the big names like Sanderson.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Vita Nostra because it has an interesting magic system.",
          "reason": "Praised for its interesting magic system.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in unusual magic systems.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marina Dyachenko",
        "Sergey Dyachenko"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dark academia",
        "magic systems"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "vlad-taltos-e4d480",
      "title": "Vlad Taltos",
      "author": "Steven Brust",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5838681,
          "author": "stevekemp",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-07T13:20:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5838681",
          "commentText": "I just hope he comes back to the Lady Teldra plot sometime soon.  The last few books have left me hanging for almost as long as I can bear.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "The last few books have left me hanging for almost as long as I can bear.",
          "reason": "Says the latest installments have left the commenter eager for what happens next.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy dragons, sarcasm, and crime.",
          "caveat": "The commenter has been left hanging by the last few books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 5833953,
          "author": "jtbigwoo",
          "createdAt": "2013-06-06T17:49:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 5832407,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best fiction book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5833953",
          "commentText": "All the nerds I know (which is basically everybody I know) like the Vlad Taltos books.  As long as you're OK with dragons, sarcasm, and crime you should like them, too.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Vlad Taltos books",
          "reason": "Says people they know like these books and gives elements a reader should be okay with.",
          "audience": "Readers comfortable with dragons, sarcasm, and crime.",
          "caveat": "This reports others' preferences rather than the commenter's own endorsement.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Brust"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "assassins",
        "crime",
        "crime fantasy",
        "sarcastic protagonist"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "vlad-taltos-56c5a2",
      "title": "Vlad Taltos",
      "author": "Stephen Brust",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7303128,
          "author": "HackOfAllTrades",
          "createdAt": "2014-02-26T05:35:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 7301740,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7303128",
          "commentText": "These days I seem to prefer extended series of books that develop a detailed alternate universe.  Three truly excellent series (Author-Series-1st Book):\nEric Flint - 1632 - \"1632\"\nDavid Weber - Honor Harrington - \"On Basilisk Station\"\nStephen Brust - Vlad Taltos - \"Taltos\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Stephen Brust - Vlad Taltos - \"Taltos\"",
          "reason": "Names the series as an excellent choice for readers who prefer extended series and detailed alternate universes.",
          "audience": "Readers who prefer extended series with detailed alternate universes.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Brust"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "assassins",
        "urban fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "vlad-taltos-series-d3d16f",
      "title": "Vlad Taltos series",
      "author": "Steven Brust",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25844948,
          "author": "opendomain",
          "createdAt": "2021-01-20T11:02:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 25844049,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: I only read tech/business books – recommend me some fiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25844948",
          "commentText": "any book by Steven Brust",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "any book by Steven Brust",
          "reason": "Recommends the author's books without naming an individual title.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Brust"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "assassins",
        "epic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "voltaire-s-bastards-11b090",
      "title": "Voltaire's Bastards",
      "author": "John Ralston Saul",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17914326,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-05T01:12:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17914326",
          "commentText": "All these had a huge impact on me. The descriptions are inadequate, I've just tried to mention the subject matter.\nDeborah Tannen, You Just Don't Understand - how males and females talk different languages.\nLakoff & Johnson, Metaphors We Live By - how our language and thoughts are built from a fabric of conceptual metaphors. Philosophy In The Flesh is about the conceptual metaphors that philosophy is built from.\nJonathan Glover, Humanity: A Moral History of the Twentieth Century - WWI, WWII and other wars, nazism, communism etc\nPlutarch's Lives - biographies and stories from famous ancient Greeks and Romans. Amazing how little's changed.\nLin Yutang, The Importance of Understanding - introduced me to ancient Chinese philosophers. The Importance of Living - introduced me to ancient Chinese writers, poets and the Chinese way of life.\nHofstadter, Gödel, Escher, Bach - read it when I was 14, and I was into music, art and programming, so it blew my mind.\nSusan Faludi, STIFFED - men, work, jobs, masculinity, 20th C\nWalter Lippmann, Public Opinion - media, war, propaganda, democracy\nNoam Chomsky's political books\nE.F. Schumacher, Small is Beautiful - the world, development, government, planning, organization, humanity, sustainability\nJ.R. Saul, Voltaire's Bastards - power, history, democracy, technocracy, reason, rationality, history from late 18th C until today.\nRaymond Williams, Culture and Society 1780-1950 - the anti-industrialist tradition, politics, culture, society and the new language describing these things\nClifford Pickover, Computers, Patterns, Chaos, and Beauty - programming, mathematics, art, fractals, dynamical systems etc\nBen Zander, The Art of Possibility - hard to explain, kind of advanced self-help, the magic of changing attitudes, expectations, habits.\nMy favourite non-fiction books of all time, though, are the essays of Emerson, Hazlitt, RL Stevenson, GK Chesterton, Santayana, Bertrand Russell. And the books of Nietzsche, SARK and Robert Fulghum.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "J.R. Saul, Voltaire's Bastards - power, history, democracy, technocracy, reason, rationality",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books said to have had a huge impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Ralston Saul"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "enlightenment",
        "technocracy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "vox-graeca-2977a9",
      "title": "Vox Graeca",
      "author": "W. Sidney Allen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1026940,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T07:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026940",
          "commentText": "I got myself a Sony Reader mid-2009 and started reading about twice more than I had been before. 2009 was also the first year in which I wasn't too lazy to document which books I read (I'm really glad I wasn't). Here're some of the favourites this year:\nClassics:\nKafka's The Process and America - both stunning novels that deserve to be read as much as his most famous, The Castle.\nJan Potocki, The Manuscript Found in Saragossa - a trippy collection of tales organised in multiple nested frames.\nScott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby.\nLeo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina. Still as breathtaking as I'd remembered it from the previous reading five years ago.\nScience Fiction:\nGene Wolfe, The Book of the New Sun. Wolfe, whom I hadn't read before, turns out to be in a class of his own. It's literary SF, overwhelmingly masterful and beautiful in its prose and characters, yet it could give any hardcore SF novel a run in terms of its ideas. It demands and richly rewards a close reading. I'll be reading more Wolfe in 2010.\nTed Chiang, collected stories. Chiang writes only stories, and has written just a few of them, but nearly every one is a gem. Read Understand on the web (http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/stories/under.htm) to see if you like his style - I do.\nVernor Vinge, A Deepness in the Sky, The Peace War, Marooned in Realtime. All great novels, but start from A Fire Upon the Deep (I read that in 2008) if you haven't read Vinge before, it's the best introduction.\nGreg Egan, Diaspora, Quarantine, Distress. Egan is the best hardcore SF author out there. _Diaspora_ is a fascinating take on shared simulated reality that's very different from the usual fare. Quarantine will appeal to your inner quantum mechanical geek.\nContemporary fiction:\nPynchon, V. Pynchon is the best novelist we've got. I recommend The Crying of the Lot 49 as the best Pynchon to start from; V is more difficult and much longer, but rewards the patience. I still can't get over the fact that Pynchon wrote and published this novel when he was 26.\nOrhan Pamuk, The Black Book.\nAnnie Proulx, Fine Just The Way It Is. A new collection of stories from the best writer about rural America out there. Three are extraordinary, two so-so, the rest very good.\nNon-fiction:\nW. Sidney Allen, Vox Graeca and Vox Latina. If you want to know how ancient Greek and Latin sounded, these are the books to read.\nElizabeth Lloyd. The Case Of The Female Orgasm. An interesting study into how available evolutionary explanations of female orgasm fail in various ways. This is a book about evolutionary biology and its methodological soundness as much as it is about explaining female orgasm.\nComputer-related:\nPeter Seibel, Coders at Work. A fantastic collection of interview with great programmers. The one 2009 book no hacker should be without.\nSqueak by Example. Does a great job of explaining Smalltalk in general and Squeak in particular.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you want to know how ancient Greek and Latin sounded, these are the books to read.",
          "reason": "Recommended for learning how ancient Greek and Latin sounded.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the pronunciation of ancient Greek and Latin.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. Sidney Allen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient greek pronunciation",
        "classical languages"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "vox-latina-2266db",
      "title": "Vox Latina",
      "author": "W. Sidney Allen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1026940,
          "author": "anatoly",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T07:55:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026940",
          "commentText": "I got myself a Sony Reader mid-2009 and started reading about twice more than I had been before. 2009 was also the first year in which I wasn't too lazy to document which books I read (I'm really glad I wasn't). Here're some of the favourites this year:\nClassics:\nKafka's The Process and America - both stunning novels that deserve to be read as much as his most famous, The Castle.\nJan Potocki, The Manuscript Found in Saragossa - a trippy collection of tales organised in multiple nested frames.\nScott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby.\nLeo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina. Still as breathtaking as I'd remembered it from the previous reading five years ago.\nScience Fiction:\nGene Wolfe, The Book of the New Sun. Wolfe, whom I hadn't read before, turns out to be in a class of his own. It's literary SF, overwhelmingly masterful and beautiful in its prose and characters, yet it could give any hardcore SF novel a run in terms of its ideas. It demands and richly rewards a close reading. I'll be reading more Wolfe in 2010.\nTed Chiang, collected stories. Chiang writes only stories, and has written just a few of them, but nearly every one is a gem. Read Understand on the web (http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/stories/under.htm) to see if you like his style - I do.\nVernor Vinge, A Deepness in the Sky, The Peace War, Marooned in Realtime. All great novels, but start from A Fire Upon the Deep (I read that in 2008) if you haven't read Vinge before, it's the best introduction.\nGreg Egan, Diaspora, Quarantine, Distress. Egan is the best hardcore SF author out there. _Diaspora_ is a fascinating take on shared simulated reality that's very different from the usual fare. Quarantine will appeal to your inner quantum mechanical geek.\nContemporary fiction:\nPynchon, V. Pynchon is the best novelist we've got. I recommend The Crying of the Lot 49 as the best Pynchon to start from; V is more difficult and much longer, but rewards the patience. I still can't get over the fact that Pynchon wrote and published this novel when he was 26.\nOrhan Pamuk, The Black Book.\nAnnie Proulx, Fine Just The Way It Is. A new collection of stories from the best writer about rural America out there. Three are extraordinary, two so-so, the rest very good.\nNon-fiction:\nW. Sidney Allen, Vox Graeca and Vox Latina. If you want to know how ancient Greek and Latin sounded, these are the books to read.\nElizabeth Lloyd. The Case Of The Female Orgasm. An interesting study into how available evolutionary explanations of female orgasm fail in various ways. This is a book about evolutionary biology and its methodological soundness as much as it is about explaining female orgasm.\nComputer-related:\nPeter Seibel, Coders at Work. A fantastic collection of interview with great programmers. The one 2009 book no hacker should be without.\nSqueak by Example. Does a great job of explaining Smalltalk in general and Squeak in particular.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you want to know how ancient Greek and Latin sounded, these are the books to read.",
          "reason": "Recommended for learning how ancient Greek and Latin sounded.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the pronunciation of ancient Greek and Latin.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. Sidney Allen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classical languages",
        "latin pronunciation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "voyage-from-yesteryear-c9d972",
      "title": "Voyage from Yesteryear",
      "author": "James P. Hogan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15428898,
          "author": "pdfernhout",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:48:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428898",
          "commentText": "Almost anything by James P. Hogan -- one of the best hard sci-fi writers as he trained as an electrical and computer engineer (including about AI like \"The Two Faces of Tomorrow\" from 1979 and still a good read as it was informed by talking to Marvin Minsky at the MIT AI lab): http://www.jamesphogan.com/biblio/novels.php\nMost of his sci-fi is from the late 1970s through the early 2000s.\nI especially like his Voyage From Yesteryear from 1982:\nhttp://www.jamesphogan.com/books/info.php?titleID=29&cmd=sum... (http://www.jamesphogan.com/books/info.php?titleID=29&cmd=summary)\n\"The fun begins when a generation ship housing a population of thousands arrives to \"reclaim\" the colony on behalf of the repressive, authoritarian regime that emerged following the crisis period. The Mayflower II brings with it all the tried and tested apparatus for bringing a recalcitrant population to heel: authority, with its power structure and symbolism, to impress; commercial institutions with the promise of wealth and possessions, to tempt and ensnare; a religious presence, to awe and instill duty and obedience; and if all else fails, armed military force to compel. But what happens when these methods encounter a population that has never been conditioned to respond? ... \n  The book has an interesting corollary. Around about the mid eighties, I received a letter notifying me that the story had been serialized in an underground Polish s.f. magazine. They hadn't exactly \"stolen\" it, the publishers explained, but had credited zlotys to an account in my name there, so if I ever decided to take a holiday in Poland the expenses would be covered (there was no exchange mechanism with Western currencies at that time). Then the story started surfacing in other countries of Eastern Europe, by all accounts to an enthusiastic reception. What they liked there, apparently, was the updated \"Ghandiesque\" formula on how bring down an oppressive regime when it's got all the guns. And a couple of years later, they were all doing it!\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I especially like his Voyage From Yesteryear from 1982",
          "reason": "Says this is a book they especially like.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James P. Hogan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "generation ship",
        "political systems",
        "utopian fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "voyage-to-kazohinia-062cf0",
      "title": "Voyage to Kazohinia",
      "author": "Sándor Szathmári",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22096860,
          "author": "hgal",
          "createdAt": "2020-01-20T06:54:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 22092108,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best unknown books you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22096860",
          "commentText": "Voyage to Kazohinia by Sándor Szathmári.  I guess it's fairly unknown outside Hungary. Published first in the forties it's still my favourite utopia/dystopia.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Voyage to Kazohinia by Sándor Szathmári.",
          "reason": "The commenter names it as a favorite utopia/dystopia.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as fairly unknown outside Hungary.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sándor Szathmári"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopia",
        "utopia"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "vulcan-607-8596b4",
      "title": "Vulcan 607",
      "author": "Rowland White",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21792874,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T22:44:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21792874",
          "commentText": "The ones I rated highest out of those I read this year (which is what I think the question means).\n* Exactly: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester\n* Atomic Adventures: Secret Islands, Forgotten N-Rays, and Isotopic Murder-A Journey into the Wild World of Nuclear Science by James Magaffey\n* Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande\n* Vulcan 607 by Rowland White\n* Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen\n* Best. Movie. Year. Ever: How 1999 Blew Up the Big Screen by Brian Raftery\n* A Fabulous Creation: How the LP Saved Our Lives by David Hepworth\n* 1983: Reagan, Andropov, and a World on the Brink by Taylor Downing\n* The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes and Why by Amanda Ripley\n* In Your Defence: Stories of Life and Law by Sarah Langford\n* Springfield Confidential: Jokes, Secrets, and Outright Lies from a Lifetime Writing for The Simpsons by Mike Reiss\n* Working Actor: Breaking in, Making a Living, and Making a Life in the Fabulous Trenches of Show Business by David Dean Bottrell\n* Becoming by Michelle Obama\n* Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress by Steven Pinker\n* Rush Hour by Iain Gatel\n* Tamed: Ten Species that Changed our World by Alice Roberts\n* The Next American City: The Big Promise of Our Midsize Metros by Mick Cornett",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The ones I rated highest out of those I read this year",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s highest-rated books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rowland White"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "falklands war",
        "military aviation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "vulkan-programming-guide-the-official-guide-to-learning-vulkan-6900a2",
      "title": "Vulkan Programming Guide: The Official Guide to Learning Vulkan",
      "author": "Graham Sellers, John Kessenich, and Dave Shreiner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14653409,
          "author": "jacobparker",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-28T12:13:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 14652936,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books on modern computer graphics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14653409",
          "commentText": "If you're interested in something that's not strictly real-time a good book is physically based rendering http://www.pbrt.org/ . It uses a literate-programming style which is neat. It's about path-tracing which is similar to ray-tracing but can give an unbiased approximation to the rendering equation (which is a reasonably accurate model of \"everyday\" optics.) Here is a JS+WebGL (mostly WebGL ;) ) interactive path-tracer: http://madebyevan.com/webgl-path-tracing/\n---\nVulkan is pretty boring to be honest. I'm very doubtful that you want to bother with it if you're just starting. Using these APIs is like filling out tax forms, but Vulkan is a lot more effort than OpenGL (but, OpenGL is weird...) Learning shaders in OpenGL will be pretty transferable knowledge. Vulkan uses a lower-level assembly-like language, SPIR-V that doesn't pretend to be C (like GLSL) but there are GLSL to SPIR-V compilers. I can't comment on DX (I haven't used it.)\nHere's a tutorial on drawing you first triangle: https://software.intel.com/en-us/articles/api-without-secret... (https://software.intel.com/en-us/articles/api-without-secrets-introduction-to-vulkan-part-3) . Note that there is a lottttt of code to do this (this is part 3...) I really think you could learn more about modern graphics with glBegin(GL_TRIANGLES) and writing GLSL shaders than boring yourself with Vulkan.\nIf you do want to play with Vulkan there is this book (piggy-backing off the rep from the old \"OpenGL Bible\") https://www.amazon.com/Vulkan-Programming-Guide-Official-Lea... (https://www.amazon.com/Vulkan-Programming-Guide-Official-Learning/dp/0134464540) . I can't give it an honest review because I got bored; I plan to pick it up again later...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "there is this book (piggy-backing off the rep from the old \"OpenGL Bible\")",
          "reason": "Identified as a Vulkan book, but the commenter says they cannot give it an honest review.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter got bored and has not reviewed it honestly; plans to return to it.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Graham Sellers, John Kessenich, and Dave Shreiner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "graphics apis",
        "vulkan"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "vurt-883519",
      "title": "Vurt",
      "author": "Jeff Noon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1569628,
          "author": "squidsoup",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T00:25:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569628",
          "commentText": "I think Haruki Murakami (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haruki_murakami) is one of the most interesting and weird contemporary novelists alive today. On a similar Japanese tip, also check out anything by Kobo Abe, particularly The Woman in the Dunes and The Box Man.\nIf you're into sci-fi, as inevitably a lot of hackers are, Jeff Noon's Vurt and Pollen are both brilliant.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jeff Noon's Vurt and Pollen are both brilliant.",
          "reason": "Called brilliant.",
          "audience": "Readers into science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeff Noon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyberpunk",
        "surreal fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wtf-6afd6e",
      "title": "WTF?",
      "author": "Tim O'Reilly",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24181496,
          "author": "digiajay",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-16T21:29:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 24176902,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please suggest some good books you have read recently",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24181496",
          "commentText": "If it’s for web and tech, I’m reading WTF BY Tim. Really good to read for a person who went through tech times. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/34017076-wtf",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "WTF BY Tim",
          "reason": "Recommends it for readers interested in web and technology, especially those who experienced the tech industry's development.",
          "audience": "People interested in web and tech, particularly those who went through tech times.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tim O'Reilly"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "internet history",
        "technology industry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "waiting-for-nothing-9a0105",
      "title": "Waiting for Nothing",
      "author": "Tom Kromer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43613568,
          "author": "josefritzishere",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T17:01:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43613568",
          "commentText": "I am a lifetime avid reader but  there are very few books I come back to and re-read. I guess the books which impact you the most aren't the ones you'd expect. Here are some that come to mind:\n*Novels in Three Lines* - Felix Feneon; like clever sarcastic haiku\n*Riddley Walker* - Russell Hoban; It's written in an imagined language making it completely and utterly immersive\n*Waiting for Nothing* - Tom Kromer; Great depression era destitution, and travel\n*Days of Life and Death and Escape to the Moon* - William Saroyan; In an era of great writers, Saroyan remains wildly under appreciated.\n*Really the Blues* - Mezz Mezzrow; Written in 1920s jive slang, it's emblematic of an era\n*The KLF* - John Higgs; The book is subtitled \"Chaos, Magic and the Band who Burned a Million Pounds\"  All those things are true and Higgs brilliantly tells the tale.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "*Waiting for Nothing* - Tom Kromer; Great depression era destitution, and travel",
          "reason": "The commenter describes its focus on Depression-era destitution and travel.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Kromer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "great depression",
        "poverty"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "waking-up-overcoming-the-obstacles-to-human-potential-78b235",
      "title": "Waking Up: Overcoming the Obstacles to Human Potential",
      "author": "Charles T. Tart",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39057722,
          "author": "drannex",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-19T16:58:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39057722",
          "commentText": "I can't understate just how great \"Waking Up: Overcoming the Obstacles to Human Potential\" by Charles Tart (2001) is. It's a cross between engineering and the spirituality (although I argue, it's more on the philosophy and psychoanalysis  of engineering than spiritual).\nI wrote a (short) review on the book directly after reading it here[1]. I've since reread the book, and while some of my opinions on it are the same, some I understand the nuance much more in context of the rest of the book, I need to update it.\n1. https://macleodsawyer.com/books/waking-up/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can't understate just how great \"Waking Up: Overcoming the Obstacles to Human Potential\" by Charles Tart (2001) is.",
          "reason": "The commenter strongly recommends the book and describes it as connecting engineering with spirituality and philosophy.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter qualifies that it is more about philosophy and psychoanalysis of engineering than spirituality.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles T. Tart"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "engineering philosophy",
        "human potential"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "walden-or-life-in-the-woods-4568fb",
      "title": "Walden; or, Life in the Woods",
      "author": "Henry David Thoreau",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 876362,
          "author": "dlgtho",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T09:39:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876362",
          "commentText": "Walden; or, Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau\nName of the Rose by Umberto Eco",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Walden; or, Life in the Woods by Henry David Thoreau",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to the thread’s request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Henry David Thoreau"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nature writing",
        "transcendentalism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "walkaway-f6d7f2",
      "title": "Walkaway",
      "author": "Cory Doctorow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17536654,
          "author": "dochtman",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:35:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536654",
          "commentText": "Isaac Asimov is one of the classics, of course. I'm particularly fond of the robot novels (all four of the Elijah Baley ones especially) and the entire Foundation series. Of course, you also can't miss the robot short stories. Oh, and The End of Eternity!\nAt some point I found Charles Stross' Accelerando, which is freely available online (along with a bunch of other short stories), and found everything I've read (which is most of it at this point, I think) enjoyably fast-paced. In particular the Laundry series (of which I've bought every iteration as soon as they came out over the past few years) -- though arguably these maybe cross-over from SF into fantasy a bit -- and the Halting State trilogy.\nIn terms of online available work, Cory Doctorow's work is also great. Like Stross, most of his work is more near-term SF, which I have liked, and a bunch of it is available online under a Creative Commons license. It often moves fast and is also politically interesting; sometimes the activism shines through a little blatantly, but the themes are always make me thing in various ways I appreciate (but maybe will fail your lighthearted criterion even if it is fun). His latest is Walkaway, which I would recommend.\nI got into Neal Stephenson through Cryptonomicon, which is one of the greats. Stephenson has a pretty rambly, wordy style, but at least that also makes his stories last a bit longer. After that, I mostly moved on to Anathem, Reamde and Seveneves all of which are big and interesting and great reads (it took me longer than usual to get up to speed on Anathem, but it was very much worth it in the end). I tried one of the more historic ones (I think it was Quicksilver) at some point but haven't finished it. The 2017 Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. was a bit lighter, but lots of fun, too.\nWilliam Gibson has already been mentioned, which I would also recommend. I read the Sprawl trilogy a very long time ago, and it's made a lasting expression. I've started rereading it recently. I also liked the Blue Ant trilogy and The Peripheral, but have so far missed the more recent work.\nMore in the one-off category: The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell is one of my all-time favorites, and mixes deep SF with psychology and religion in interesting ways. There's a sequel, but it's not as good. I also liked The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, which is also on the softer side. I read Scalzi's Redshirts and liked it (especially if you're familiar with the Star Trek universe), it feels similar to Ready Player One in some ways. Daniel Suarez's (or Leinad Zeraus as he originally published them) Daemon is fun and easy to digest, along with its sequel Freedom. I liked Robert J. Sawyer's The Terminal Experiment, but one person I recommended it too wasn't impressed -- I still think it's fun, if not very deep. I also bought his Factoring Humanity and liked it okay.\nHope that helps. Always interested in more recommendations based on this list!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His latest is Walkaway, which I would recommend.",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cory Doctorow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "near future fiction",
        "political fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "walking-2e9e64",
      "title": "Walking",
      "author": "Henry David Thoreau",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42972561,
          "author": "disjunct",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-07T13:58:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 42963513,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books influenced your moral compass?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42972561",
          "commentText": "I was hoping to see Thoreau here. I'd also recommend his book Walking, maybe even to be read before Walden. It identifies and preempts a lot of what the 'mindfulness' industry deals with and reorients it all around an idea of wilderness.\nBut I'd also be careful reading Walden. I don't think it's a literal instruction manual as some have taken it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I'd also recommend his book Walking",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it as a book about wilderness and says it addresses themes taken up by the mindfulness industry.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They suggest reading it before Walden.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Henry David Thoreau"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nature writing",
        "wilderness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "walking-your-blues-away-46cfcd",
      "title": "Walking Your Blues Away",
      "author": "Thom Hartmann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37162858,
          "author": "mptest",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T15:08:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37162858",
          "commentText": "In a similar vein to the CPTSD rec, I will always tell people Walking your blues away by thom hartman (basically about applying emdr while walking) saved my life. It is a truly wonderful short and easy to read book.Everyone I've recommended it to from different walks of life have all found it fantastic. If you've anything weighing on you, walking your blues away may help. Thank you for your recommendations.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Walking your blues away by thom hartman",
          "reason": "The commenter says it helped them and others, and recommends it to people carrying emotional burdens.",
          "audience": "People with something weighing on them.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thom Hartmann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "emdr",
        "walking therapy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "walking-on-glass-04df5f",
      "title": "Walking on Glass",
      "author": "Iain Banks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1569722,
          "author": "viraptor",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-03T01:07:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569722",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\n- Someone already mentioned Neil Gaiman's \"American Gods\", but it's so good, I'll mention it again :) Very well constructed and has its specific atmosphere...\n- Anything by Iain Banks - \"Walking on glass\", \"Wasp factory\", \"A song of stone\" are definitely not light reading, but worth spending some time on them. His science-fiction is much simpler, but... didn't get me as excited as \"Walking on glass\".\nNon-fiction:\n- \"Leading Lean Software Development - Results are not the point\" (http://www.amazon.com/Leading-Lean-Software-Development-Resu... (http://www.amazon.com/Leading-Lean-Software-Development-Results/dp/0321620704)) is the best team / organisation / project leading book I've seen. I hate most of books like that with passion, but this one is different. I can't wait for the next story they introduce in every chapter. It touches many topics useful for anyone working with even one other person and you can read it like a good adventure book - it's got clear examples, interesting quotes and in-depth but not boring analysis.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Walking on glass\", \"Wasp factory\", \"A song of stone\" are definitely not light reading, but worth spending some time on them",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is worth spending time on, while noting it is not light reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Not light reading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Iain Banks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "scottish literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "walls-of-wind-54c184",
      "title": "Walls of Wind",
      "author": "J. A. McLachlan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34171806,
          "author": "drakonka",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-29T12:03:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34171806",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov and Walls of Wind by J. A. McLachlan this year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "and Walls of Wind by J. A. McLachlan this year",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter enjoyed this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. A. McLachlan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "walt-disney-328eab",
      "title": "Walt Disney",
      "author": "Neal Gabler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 135563,
          "author": "wallflower",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T22:55:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135563",
          "commentText": "\"Becoming a Technical Leader\" by Gerald Weinberg\nUnconventional perspective on management\n\"How Buildings Learn\" by Stewart Brand\nOne of the best books about designing long-term architectures. Excellent coffee table book\n\"Envisioning Information\" by Edward Tufte\n\"Walt Disney\" by Neal Gabler\nExcellent biography of maybe the greatest imagineer ever\n\"The Art of Software Testing\" by Glenford J. Myers\n~100 page classic. The central premise is that the successful test is one that finds bugs/issues not one that doesn't.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Walt Disney\" by Neal Gabler\nExcellent biography of maybe the greatest imagineer ever",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it an excellent biography.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter qualifies the superlative with “maybe.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neal Gabler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "animation",
        "entertainment history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "walt-disney-an-american-original-9ac9a5",
      "title": "Walt Disney: An American Original",
      "author": "Bob Thomas",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4787426,
          "author": "spuiszis",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T06:23:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787426",
          "commentText": "Man's Search for Meaning - ViktorFrankl\nEndgame (Biography of Bobby Fischer) - Frank Brady\nWalt Disney - Bob Thomas\nThe Given Day - Dennis Lehane (Fiction)\nShutter Island - Dennis Lehane (Way better than movie)\nMichael Lewis - The Big Short\nChurchill - Paul Johnson (faster read than the others)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Walt Disney - Bob Thomas",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bob Thomas"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "walt disney"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "walt-disney-triumph-of-the-american-imagination-1582a5",
      "title": "Walt Disney: Triumph of the American Imagination",
      "author": "Neal Gabler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227085,
          "author": "wallflower",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T17:54:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227085",
          "commentText": "\"How Buildings Learn: What happens after they're built\" by Stewart Brand (ok, it's about systems and software arch)\n\"Walt Disney: Triumph of the American Imagination\" by Neal Gabler (This is awesome because the 1st third is about his multiple failures)\nAny David Macaulay book (breathtaking deconstruction construction)\nAny book on child crafts and games, vintage better. (The writing is superb and a lot of activities are excellent)\nAny book on network marketing (I'm not involved but have been pitched many times. The talk about funnels for recruiting is realistic).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Walt Disney: Triumph of the American Imagination\" by Neal Gabler (This is awesome because the 1st third is about his multiple failures)",
          "reason": "Calls it awesome and explains what makes it compelling.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neal Gabler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american culture",
        "creativity",
        "walt disney"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "walt-s-way-96e2a6",
      "title": "Walt's Way",
      "author": "Andrew Lock",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42274055,
          "author": "codazoda",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-29T14:21:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42274055",
          "commentText": "Here are a few I enjoyed this year...\nWalts Way, Andrew Lock\nBusy Doing Nothing, Hundred Rabbits\nThe Art and Business of Online Writing, Nocolas Cole\nIf you want to be a writer and publish your own book I've written a short how-to guide. I'm updating it right now, building a site to promote other authors, and I'll release the new version in the coming days. My email address is in my profile if you're interested.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Walts Way, Andrew Lock",
          "reason": "Listed among books the commenter enjoyed this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andrew Lock"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [],
      "nicheTags": [],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "waltzing-with-bears-884c20",
      "title": "Waltzing with Bears",
      "author": "Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17037265,
          "author": "gargarplex",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-10T08:54:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 17031609,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you should have read when you start a career in SE / CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17037265",
          "commentText": "Waltzing With Bears.  Oh my god how I wish I had read that one book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Waltzing With Bears. Oh my god how I wish I had read that one book.",
          "reason": "The commenter regrets not having read it, implying it would have been valuable in this career-focused thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom DeMarco",
        "Timothy Lister"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "project risk management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "waltzing-with-bears-managing-risk-on-software-projects-057020",
      "title": "Waltzing with Bears: Managing Risk on Software Projects",
      "author": "Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 136078,
          "author": "andrewf",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-13T17:04:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=136078",
          "commentText": "DeMarco & Lister (yes, the Peopleware guys) - Waltzing With Bears: Managing Risk on Software Projects",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "DeMarco & Lister (yes, the Peopleware guys) - Waltzing With Bears: Managing Risk on Software Projects",
          "reason": "Listed as a book for the hacker's bookshelf.",
          "audience": "Readers managing software projects.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom DeMarco",
        "Timothy Lister"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "risk management",
        "software project management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wanted-a033a4",
      "title": "Wanted",
      "author": "Mark Millar",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38238472,
          "author": "sidkhanooja",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T08:35:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238472",
          "commentText": "Comics! I recently finished Wanted (which made for a shitty movie, but a decent comic) and Watchmen (I despair I hadn't gotten around to it sooner).\nNow I'm planning to read V for Vendetta, The Killing Joke, Batman: Year One, and some more. I've finally come around to comics as an art form, and I couldn't be happier!",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I recently finished Wanted",
          "reason": "Mentions having finished the comic; no explicit recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Calls the movie shitty and the comic decent.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Millar"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic book"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wanting-ec862a",
      "title": "Wanting",
      "author": "Luke Burgis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37941195,
          "author": "chegra",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T11:10:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37941195",
          "commentText": "I will go with Wanting by Luke Burgis. It makes the works of Rene Girard accessible. For me, it made me conscious of how much of our nature is simply copying others. Basically, one should make a conscious effort to select who to copy. Also, because we copy it means we would have a desire for the same object in which conflict can arise. We can realize this and take steps to mitigate possible conflict.\nA surprising insight of the book is that having hierarchies reduces conflict.  I wrote a summary of the book here:  https://www.chestergrant.com/summary-wanting-by-luke-burgis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I will go with Wanting by Luke Burgis.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it made them conscious of imitation and desire, and of ways to mitigate resulting conflict.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Luke Burgis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mimetic desire",
        "rene girard"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wanting-the-power-of-mimetic-desire-in-everyday-life-854f1d",
      "title": "Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life",
      "author": "Luke Burgis",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29670571,
          "author": "srsamarthyam",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T05:25:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29670571",
          "commentText": "Wanting: The power of mimetic desire in everyday life by Luke Burgis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wanting: The power of mimetic desire in everyday life by Luke Burgis",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Luke Burgis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mimetic desire"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "war-is-a-racket-e3062a",
      "title": "War Is a Racket",
      "author": "Smedley D. Butler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13803959,
          "author": "yesbabyyes",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T16:59:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13803959",
          "commentText": "Fundamentally changed are so big words but these were pretty cool:\n- Douglas Hofstadter's GEB: An Eternal Golden Braid\n- Debt: The First 5,000 Years by David Graeber\n- Ursula K. LeGuin's The Word for World is Forest\n- Propaganda by Edward Bernays\n- Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond\n-  Empires: The Logic of World Domination from Ancient Rome to the United States by Herfried Münkler\n- Smedley D. Butler's War is a Racket (more of an exposé)\n- In Praise of Idleness by Bertrand Russell (ditto)\n- Neuromancer by William Gibson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Smedley D. Butler's War is a Racket",
          "reason": "Listed among books that changed the way the commenter thinks about the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as more of an exposé.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Smedley D. Butler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military intervention",
        "war profiteering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "war-made-new-technology-warfare-and-the-course-of-history-1500-to-0e778b",
      "title": "War Made New: Technology, Warfare, and the Course of History, 1500 to Today",
      "author": "Max Boot",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 457703,
          "author": "pingswept",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-30T04:36:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=457703",
          "commentText": "War Made New: Technology, Warfare, and the Course of History, 1500 to Today by Max Boot. Just published in 2006.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/War-Made-New-Technology-Warfare/dp/159... (http://www.amazon.com/War-Made-New-Technology-Warfare/dp/1592402224)\nI don't agree with the guy's politics, but his view on the melding of technology and military history is pretty interesting.\n\"My major conclusion? Simply that it's not enough to acquire first-class technology. You also need the right organizational structure, training, and leadership to take advantage of that technology. Today, the U.S. is the undisputed leader in high-tech hardware, but our government bureaucracy is still designed to fight mirror-image adversaries from the Industrial Age--not nimble, decentralized foes like Al Qaeda.\" -- Max Boot\nSee also: http://www.cfr.org/publication/10313/war_made_new.html",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I don't agree with the guy's politics, but his view on the melding of technology and military history is pretty interesting.",
          "reason": "The commenter finds its treatment of technology and military history interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter disagrees with the author's politics.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Max Boot"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military history",
        "warfare technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "war-nerd-2cfb57",
      "title": "War Nerd",
      "author": "Gary Brecher",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 456365,
          "author": "byrneseyeview",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T14:31:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456365",
          "commentText": "http://www.amazon.com/War-Nerd-Soft-Skull-Press/dp/097966368... (http://www.amazon.com/War-Nerd-Soft-Skull-Press/dp/0979663687)\nCertainly not dry. I can't vouch for his accuracy, but he knows a lot and could point you to some interesting battles/periods to study.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Certainly not dry. I can't vouch for his accuracy",
          "reason": "Suggested for its lively, non-dry style and potential to point readers to battles or periods to study.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking lively writing about war.",
          "caveat": "The commenter cannot vouch for the author's accuracy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gary Brecher"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military history",
        "war commentary"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "war-and-peace-and-war-99fc65",
      "title": "War and Peace and War",
      "author": "Peter Turchin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227367,
          "author": "dkimball",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T19:49:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227367",
          "commentText": "You might be interested in _War and Peace and War_, a theory of history focusing on social capital as a driving force, and in _The Fourth Turning_ -- which looks at changes over four-generation intervals, and which, written in 1997, made some surprisingly good predictions about the 2000s (the Aughts?).\nBoth of these are in the tradition of Oswald Spengler's _Decline of the West_ and Arnold Toynbee's _A Study of History_; I'd recommend the abridged version of the latter, and I'd observe that if you can make it all the way through either of these you have more stamina than I do...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You might be interested in _War and Peace and War_, a theory of history focusing on social capital as a driving force",
          "reason": "Suggested for readers interested in a theory of history centered on social capital.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in historical theory and social capital.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Turchin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical sociology",
        "social capital"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "war-and-the-iliad-a313e2",
      "title": "War and the Iliad",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41241541,
          "author": "cafard",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-14T01:02:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 41236452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite classic books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41241541",
          "commentText": "NYRB had the wonderful idea of taking the first and last few chapters of Henry Adams's history of the US 1801-1817, and printing them in a form you can slide into a windbreaker's pocket. Look for The Jeffersonian Transformation. For that matter NYRB's War and the Iliad is excellent brief reading, though I say less for Simone Weil's famous essay that for Rachel Bespaloff's \"On the Iliad\" and Herman Broch's \"The Style of the Mythical Age\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "NYRB's War and the Iliad is excellent brief reading",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it excellent brief reading.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for brief reading.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "iliad",
        "war"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "war-and-the-iliad-0da1b4",
      "title": "War and the Iliad",
      "author": "Simone Weil, Rachel Bespaloff, and Herman Broch",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4973074,
          "author": "cafard",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-27T12:06:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4973074",
          "commentText": "Of the translations, I've read only Robert Fitzgerald's. Might I recommend, as elsewhere in the comments, War and the Iliad, an NYRB collection of essays by Simone Weil, Rachel Bespaloff, and Herman Broch? The Weil essay, which I first read long ago, strikes me now as saying more about Weil than about the Iliad; Bespaloff's essays I think excellent, and blurb quotes Robert Fitzgerald to that effect. Broch's essay is fascinating, but less focused on the poem.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Might I recommend, as elsewhere in the comments, War and the Iliad, an NYRB collection of essays by Simone Weil, Rachel Bespaloff, and Herman Broch?",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommends the essay collection and praises Bespaloff's essays as excellent.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes the Broch essay as fascinating but less focused on the poem.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Simone Weil, Rachel Bespaloff, and Herman Broch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "iliad",
        "literary essays"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "warfare-in-antiquity-history-of-the-art-of-war-volume-i-addb5f",
      "title": "Warfare in Antiquity: History of the Art of War, Volume I",
      "author": "Hans Delbrück",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39249278,
          "author": "paganel",
          "createdAt": "2024-02-04T11:02:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 39248780,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading Feb 2024",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39249278",
          "commentText": "Found this on a friend's bookshelves: Warfare in Antiquity\n - History of the Art of War, Volume I [1], a 1970 English translation of a book written by a very knowledgeable German guy in the early 1900s, and I must say it is very intellectually challenging, helps you see battle/wars in a new light.\n[1] https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/nebraska-paperback/9780803... (https://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/nebraska-paperback/9780803291997/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Warfare in Antiquity\n - History of the Art of War, Volume I",
          "reason": "The commenter says it is intellectually challenging and helps readers see battles and wars in a new light.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter describes the English translation as a 1970 edition of an early 1900s German work.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hans Delbrück"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient warfare",
        "military history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "warped-passages-unraveling-the-mysteries-of-the-universe-s-hidden-b458f8",
      "title": "Warped Passages: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe's Hidden Dimensions",
      "author": "Lisa Randall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37938356,
          "author": "dosmithds2060",
          "createdAt": "2023-10-19T04:22:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 37936873,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which non-fiction books had the biggest impact on you?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37938356",
          "commentText": "electric cool aid acid test\nthe code book\nwarped passages",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "warped passages",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 797903,
          "author": "sammyo",
          "createdAt": "2009-09-01T12:48:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 797070,
          "threadTitle": "What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=797903",
          "commentText": "Warped Passages: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe's Hidden Dimensions\nThe Road to Reality  (and I'll probably be able to post this for the next 3 or more  threads of this type :)\nDead Until Dark (well when it comes in, certainly not going to buy this, and the library reserve goes nuts for books that spawn your popular vapire drama)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Warped Passages: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe's Hidden Dimensions",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lisa Randall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "extra dimensions",
        "theoretical physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "warren-buffett-accounting-book-1a5005",
      "title": "Warren Buffett Accounting Book",
      "author": "Stig Brodersen and Preston Pysh",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22574472,
          "author": "kriro",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T11:10:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22574472",
          "commentText": "I think the first question that you will face is if you agree with the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) and the random walk. Basically they say that prices reflect all available information and that you cannot \"beat\" the market (there's a subtle difference between EMH and random walk). The return on an investment is a direct reflection of the risk.\nGood reading to get an understanding for this are \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" and papers by Eugene Fama (EMH will be covered by any intro to finance book as well). For a good overview of EMH, I like this paper: http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/fileadmin/UCL-CS/images/Research_Stu... (http://www.cs.ucl.ac.uk/fileadmin/UCL-CS/images/Research_Student_Information/RN_11_04.pdf)\nThe investment takeaway is that you should invest in passive index funds with low management cost (typically ETFs).\nThere's different contrasting points of view most notably behavioral finance. The EMH argument is basically the market is an aggregation of all available information. Due to the power of averaging it is going to be correct (if one person overestimates, another will underestimate and it will all cancel out). The behavioral counterargument is that there are certain human biases that lead to all parties being wrong in the same direction (such as risk aversion).\nAnother POV that is aligned with the behavioral view is that the theory of evolution provides a good framework for thinking about markets. I like the book \"Adaptive Markets\" which also gives a good overview of EMH and behavioral finance so I'll recommend that as a reference. I think together with \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" you're set for \"general framework of thought\" material.\nPersonally, I am a value investor so I can only recommend books from that school of thought. The basic idea is that you look at the fundamentals of a company and the stock market can misprice them. The holy grail is finding a company where the sum of (current) assets is worth more than the current market valuation via the stock price because in essence that means if the company would be liquidated and everything would be sold off, you'd still walk away with a profit. In essence, you're trying to buy 1$ for < 1$.\nThis is Buffett's philosophy and he has done really well with it. I'd recommend \"Value Investing\" by Greenwald, Kahn, Sonkin and van Biema as a good intro book that summarizes everything and has some easy to follow examples (because you can't usually just take the assets face value but have to discount them etc.). The classics are \"The Intelligent Investor\" and \"Security Analysis\" (more academic but for me this is the gold standard).\nIf you need a quick \"how to read balance sheets/income statement/cash flow statements\" I'd recommend \"Warren Buffett Accounting Book\"\nI think the best essay that describes what markets are good for is \"The use of Knowledge in Society\" by Hayek. At least it makes sense for me that they serve the function of aggregating local and specialized information.\nIf you're interested, it's also a decent idea to research the different theories of the business cycle. Keynesian, Real Business Cycle, Austrian etc.\ntl;dr:\n- A Random Walk Down Wall Street\n- Adaptive Markets\n- Value Investing (+ Warren Buffett Accounting Book)\nEdit: I'm assuming you want a \"quick overview\". Otherwise, get some mainstream Finance and Behavioral Finance textbooks :D",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "If you need a quick \"how to read balance sheets/income statement/cash flow statements\" I'd recommend \"Warren Buffett Accounting Book\"",
          "reason": "Recommended for a quick guide to reading financial statements.",
          "audience": "Readers who want to read balance sheets, income statements, and cash flow statements.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stig Brodersen",
        "Preston Pysh"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "accounting",
        "financial statements"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "warren-buffett-s-letters-from-the-chairman-271efa",
      "title": "Warren Buffett's Letters from the Chairman",
      "author": "Warren Buffett",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 248702,
          "author": "nostrademons",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T16:48:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248702",
          "commentText": "#1 for me would be The Intelligent Investor, by Benjamin Graham.  Also read all of Warren Buffett's Letters from the Chairman - they're all up on the Berkshire Hathaway website.  Peter Lynch's books are good too.\nI see a lot of people here recommending A Random Walk Down Wall Street, which is a good book, but you're going to finish it and say \"This investing stuff is too complicated for me.  I think I'll just put my money in index funds.\"  Which is perfectly sensible investment advice, but if that's all you want, I can tell you \"Go invest in index funds\" right now and save you a couple hours of reading. ;-)\nJeremy Siegel's Stocks for the Long Run is like Random Walk - it's decent, but the conclusion is basically \"go invest in a stock index fund and don't worry about it\".  I'm not even sure that's great advice right now - he bases a lot of his argument on historical performance, but when an asset class has done well over the recent past, that usually means it'll do poorly in the near future.  Read neither or both - Random Walk gives you good perspective for understanding Stocks for the Long Run.\nFinally, if you do get into investing, make sure you start small.  I've made some wonderful investment decisions and some truly terrible ones.  The wonderful ones more than compensated, but they looked very similar at the time, and if I'd put all my money into the terrible one there wouldn't be any capital available for the wonderful one.\nActually, I'd recommend doing some dry-runs: pretend that you're putting money in a stock, and then track how well you'd have done over time if it were real.  Read all the 10-Ks for the stock (they're up in the EDGAR database at the SEC's website), research all the fundamentals, and listen to the analyst conference calls (Yahoo Finance webcasts them live whenever earnings come out).  That'll give you a sense of what questions to ask and what events affect the stock price.\nI did some of those dry runs and lost hypothetical money on a lot of them, which makes me very glad that they're just dry runs. ;-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Also read all of Warren Buffett's Letters from the Chairman",
          "reason": "Recommends reading Buffett's letters for investment insight.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in investing.",
          "caveat": "Available on the Berkshire Hathaway website, according to the comment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Warren Buffett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "investing",
        "shareholder letters"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "warren-buffett-s-letters-to-berkshire-hathaway-shareholders-449c01",
      "title": "Warren Buffett's Letters to Berkshire Hathaway Shareholders",
      "author": "Warren Buffett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12416833,
          "author": "cs702",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-02T22:54:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 12415621,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12416833",
          "commentText": "I agree with others on the \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius.\nOff the top of my head, I would add:\n* \"The Way to Wealth,\" by Benjamin Franklin: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0918222885 (also available online for free; it's in the public domain) -- no-nonsense practical advice from a super-successful individual\n* Warren Buffett's Letters to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders: http://www.berkshirehathaway.com/letters/letters.html (also available organized by topic, in a bound book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1611637589 which some will find much easier to read)\n* \"The Intelligent Investor,\" by Benjamin Graham (specifically the chapters titled \"The Investor and Market Fluctuations\" and \"Margin of Safety\"): https://www.amazon.com/dp/0060555661\n* \"Influence: the Psychology of Persuasion,\" by Robert Cialdini: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0688128165\nAlso:\n* \"Devil Take the Hindmost,\" by Edward Chancellor: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0452281806\n* \"A Short History of Financial Euphoria,\" by John Kenneth Galbraith: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0140238565\n* \"Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds,\" by Charles Mackay: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1586635581",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Warren Buffett's Letters to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders: http://www.berkshirehathaway.com/letters/letters.html",
          "reason": "Lists the letters as a suggested resource and notes a bound edition for easier reading.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Berkshire Hathaway and investing.",
          "caveat": "The comment refers both to shareholder letters and a bound book organized by topic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Warren Buffett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "investing",
        "shareholder letters"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "warren-buffett-s-letters-to-shareholders-c2afa9",
      "title": "Warren Buffett's Letters to Shareholders",
      "author": "Warren Buffett",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22575420,
          "author": "jonahbenton",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-14T14:16:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 22573204,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book recommendations for understanding financial systems?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22575420",
          "commentText": "Huge, huge topic. You will have to pick a path through the enormous jungle.\nThe starting point I would recommend is bottom up, through accounting and financial statements. Core knowledge, of both practical and intellectual value. Tons of books here, I particularly like\nThomas Ittelson - Financial Statements\nAccessible, straightforward, friendly.\nAfter that, any of the collections of\nWarren Buffett's Letters to Shareholders\nare both entertaining and intellectually valuable, and provide great insight. Read forward, eg, from his first letters in the 1960s, to now.\nOne of the realizations in the journey is that there are, and have been, a lot of different kinds of money- credit money and exchange money and asset money and so forth. A relatively abstract/intellectual but immensely useful survey is\nThe Nature of Money - Geoffrey Ingham\nThe concept of an asset is critical to the functioning of the financial system. New kinds of assets are created all the time. One of the best written books I have read recently goes into venture capital and debt asset creation:\nThe Code Of Capital - Katharina Pistor\nThe role of different kinds of money in history, especially US history, is absolutely fascinating. I am in the middle of\nAmerican Bonds - Sarah Quinn\nand can recommend.\nI do not especially recommend the Dalio books or Graeber's Debt or Ferguson's books. They are fine but I did not find them helping me build understanding. Not quite junk food, but definitely not protein.\nI unfortunately have not found any of the books I have seen about the Federal Reserve to be worthy of recommending. My wife works there and so I have perhaps a unique perspective. But nothing conveys the challenge and the mechanics of what they do. Still looking. The papers the various Fed banks publish, as well as the papers published by the Bank of England, are uniformly outstanding.\nFinally, some of the bitcoin people have written about money. Tho I am a believer in bitcoin I absolutely recommend against most of them, especially Saifedean Ammous's book. Do not read.\nGood luck!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Warren Buffett's Letters to Shareholders",
          "reason": "Recommended as entertaining and intellectually valuable, with insight into business and investing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter suggests reading them chronologically, starting with the first letters from the 1960s.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Warren Buffett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "investing",
        "shareholder letters"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "warrenpoint-66b6af",
      "title": "Warrenpoint",
      "author": "Denis Donoghue",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1027668,
          "author": "julius_geezer",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T21:16:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1027668",
          "commentText": "Four I had forgotten:\n_Warrenpoint_ by Denis Donoghue. Memoirs of youth, beautifully written.\n_The Great Melody: A Thematic Biography of Edmund Burke_ by Conor Cruise O'Brien.\n_Autobiographies_ by W. B. Yeats. This was I think the first time reading it through, though 25 years ago I read a fair bit in a housemate's copy. There are sentences that you will want to reread to see how he does it. And in the art of payback, Yeats on George Moore makes Hemingway on Fitzgerald/Ford/Stein/etc look amateurish.\n_The Italians_ by Luigi Barzini.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Memoirs of youth, beautifully written.",
          "reason": "Calls the memoir beautifully written.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Denis Donoghue"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "youth"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "warrior-of-the-light-81af01",
      "title": "Warrior of the Light",
      "author": "Paulo Coelho",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8717100,
          "author": "marmot1101",
          "createdAt": "2014-12-08T16:05:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 8716111,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8717100",
          "commentText": "Work related:  Inspired by Mary Cagan, The Innovators by Walter Isaacson\nNon-Work related: The Supreme Gift and Warrior of Light by Coelho.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Warrior of Light by Coelho",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paulo Coelho"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wars-guns-and-votes-c53623",
      "title": "Wars, Guns, and Votes",
      "author": "Paul Collier",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9674336,
          "author": "Symmetry",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-07T12:16:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 9674080,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9674336",
          "commentText": "I'm just going to answer with the books that rearranged my understanding of the world the most.  In no particular order.\n\"Thinking Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman.\n\"Quantum Computing since Democritus\" by Scott Aaronson.\n\"The Strategy of Conflict\" by Thomas Schelling.\n\"Guns, Germs, and Steel\" and \"The World until Yesterday\" by Jared Diamond.\n\"The Retreat To Commitment\" by W. W. Bartley.\n\"The Myth of the Rational Voter\" by Bryan Caplan.  Despite the name it made me appreciate democracy a lot more.\n\"Wars, Guns, and Votes\" by Paul Collier.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Wars, Guns, and Votes\" by Paul Collier.",
          "reason": "Included among books that rearranged the commenter's understanding of the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Collier"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "conflict",
        "political economy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wartime-a265fa",
      "title": "Wartime",
      "author": "Paul Fussell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 456339,
          "author": "mechanical_fish",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T14:08:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456339",
          "commentText": "You sound like you're looking for something like Jones' The Art of War in the Western World:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Art-War-Western-World/dp/0252069668\nOr just go there and follow Amazon \"related\" links.\nJones is of the \"very broad\" school of military history. It can be a little bit dry, but it certainly tries to be comprehensive: It's like Civilization in that it starts with phalanx and then moves slowly forward through the history of strategy and tactics.\nYou might like the works of John Keegan, another famous military historian who takes a general approach. He's got a History of Warfare that's like a lighter-weight version of Jones -- I might recommend starting with that, actually. His one-volume histories of WWI and WWII are probably decent.\nKeegan is British, so it wouldn't surprise me if his histories were heavy on the Western front. If you want the actual history of WWII you need a history that's more about the Eastern Front, which is pretty much where the war in Europe was actually decided. Unfortunately, the history on that subject lags decades behind, because the surviving Germans didn't exactly want to dwell on it and the Soviets weren't exactly forthcoming. (Many of the key Soviet figures either got disappeared by Stalin or lived under the constant fear of being disappeared by Stalin.) I'm not sure what the best current general history of the Eastern Front is, but I do know that the big Western expert on the subject is David Glantz, who has spent the last twenty years digging through formerly-sealed Soviet records of enormous battles that were covered up for years.  I'd probably start with:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Slaughterhouse-Handbook-Eastern-David-... (http://www.amazon.com/Slaughterhouse-Handbook-Eastern-David-Glantz/dp/097176509X)\nbecause I don't know any better and it comes up first on Amazon.\nIf you want something written by a gamer try the works of James Dunnigan, founder of SPI and author of a whole pile of famous simulation board games. I read most of his Dirty Little Secrets of World War II and it was interesting. A much breezier style than the heavy-duty military historians. And he's got books that cover contemporary military stuff as well as history.\nNobody should read about war at the 10,000 foot level without also reading about what it's actually like on the ground. Obviously, the great modern literary works on the subject are Slaughterhouse Five and, even more so, Catch-22. In the realm of nonfiction, Fussell's Wartime was interesting, but it led me to Eugene Sledge's With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa, which is even better: a very good book by a guy from the front lines in the Pacific who is not shy about telling you exactly what went on. Comes with an endorsement by PG! (from the last time I mentioned it on HN.)Don't read it over lunch if you're squeamish.\n(I haven't actually read some of these, but my dad is a military boardgamer and military history buff. He's got several bookshelves packed with books like these.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fussell's Wartime was interesting",
          "reason": "The commenter found it interesting.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in nonfiction accounts of wartime experience.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Fussell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "war literature",
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wasteland-of-flint-5652cc",
      "title": "Wasteland of Flint",
      "author": "Thomas Harlan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8622232,
          "author": "mswen",
          "createdAt": "2014-11-18T03:27:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 8612193,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favourite sci-fi/fantasy book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8622232",
          "commentText": "I have read and enjoyed many of the classics that others have mentioned. I would give a shout-out to Wasteland of Flint by Thomas Harlan.  I enjoyed it for how it incorporated alternate history in our relatively recent past - imagine a world in which the Inca and Imperial Japanese kingdoms became the dominant superpowers and led the industrial revolution, Europeans were conquered and fast forward into far future world with aliens, FTL space travel all mixed with what the Inca and Japanese cultures might have evolved into in that context and how those of European descent were seen as the lower caste. Some interesting cultural reversals and twists mixed in with future technology and ancient alien technology.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I would give a shout-out to Wasteland of Flint by Thomas Harlan.  I enjoyed it for how it incorporated alternate history in our relatively recent past",
          "reason": "Shouts out the book and says they enjoyed its alternate history and cultural reversals.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Harlan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alternate history",
        "cultural reversal",
        "first contact"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "watchmen-164a83",
      "title": "Watchmen",
      "author": "Alan Moore",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6924278,
          "author": "bmelton",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-17T22:02:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 6921805,
          "threadTitle": "What book has inspired you the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6924278",
          "commentText": "I would have put \"Sandman\" on my list, but might have deleted it for its non-novel status.  Thanks for bucking the trend with Watchmen. ;-)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Thanks for bucking the trend with Watchmen. ;-)",
          "reason": "Thanks the parent commenter for naming it, without stating an opinion of the work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1753060,
          "author": "bherms",
          "createdAt": "2010-10-03T17:04:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 1752139,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1753060",
          "commentText": "Every one of those is on my list :)\nI've read Watchmen, Everything is Illuminated, and Slaughterhouse Five.  All were fantastic.  The film adaptation of Everything is Illuminated was actually very good too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I've read Watchmen, Everything is Illuminated, and Slaughterhouse Five. All were fantastic.",
          "reason": "Includes it among books they found fantastic.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Alan Moore"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "graphic novel",
        "existentialism",
        "superhero fiction",
        "superheroes"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "water-59ec4f",
      "title": "Water",
      "author": "Rumi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46391987,
          "author": "neuralkoi",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T13:54:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46391987",
          "commentText": "How to Think Like Socrates - I normally have a difficult time digesting philosophy in older translations or language, but this one was really nicely written and well communicated.\nWater by Rumi (translated by Haleh Liza Gafori) - also unexpectedly good. She uses a modern style and it reads so beautifully. It gave me glimpse of the beauty of the Persian language.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Water by Rumi (translated by Haleh Liza Gafori) - also unexpectedly good. She uses a modern style and it reads so beautifully. It gave me glimpse of the beauty of the Persian language.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the translation is unexpectedly good, beautiful to read, and offers a glimpse of Persian’s beauty.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rumi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "persian poetry",
        "poetry translation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "water-margin-5858db",
      "title": "Water Margin",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17381922,
          "author": "zawerf",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T16:18:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17381922",
          "commentText": "The \"Four Great Classic Novels\" from 14th-18th century China: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_Chinese_Novels\nSpecifically:\nWater Margin\nRomance of the Three Kingdoms\nJourney to the West\nDream of the Red Chamber\nThey are referenced in everything in asian media and there a bajillion tv/movie adaptations of them but they are relatively unknown in the west.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Water Margin",
          "reason": "Lists it as one of the Four Great Classic Novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chinese literature",
        "classical novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "water-margin-495dda",
      "title": "Water Margin",
      "author": "Shi Nai'an",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17389959,
          "author": "icsllaf",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-25T04:49:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17389959",
          "commentText": "I'm currently reading Water Margin which was translated to English by the Foreign Language Press[0]. Although very simplified in tone and diction, the translation is still amazing and it comes in four volumes as well so it's around 2000 pages of text.\n[0]http://www.flp.com.cn/en/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'm currently reading Water Margin which was translated to English by the Foreign Language Press",
          "reason": "Describes the translation as amazing while discussing the book being read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The translation is simplified in tone and diction.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Shi Nai'an"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chinese literature",
        "classic novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "watermark-dfeb2b",
      "title": "Watermark",
      "author": "Joseph Brodsky",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12245275,
          "author": "physicsyogi",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T03:17:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12245275",
          "commentText": "I gave Joseph Brodsky's Watermark and Alan Watts' The Wisdom of Insecurity to two friends last year. And for  Mothers Day last year I gave my wife a book of themed photos and prose, Two, by Melissa Ann Pinney.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I gave Joseph Brodsky's Watermark",
          "reason": "Named as a book the commenter gave to a friend in response to a question about gift books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joseph Brodsky"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary memoir",
        "venice"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "way-station-06112b",
      "title": "Way Station",
      "author": "Clifford D. Simak",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2527540,
          "author": "brudgers",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-09T04:15:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 2526568,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2527540",
          "commentText": "I recently have been reading Hugo Award Novels and recommend Roger Zelazny's This Immortal which is good enough to have shared the award with Dune in 1965. Lord of Light is also a great read and won a Hugo in 1968. Clifford Simak's Way Station, Phillip K. Dick's Man in the High Castle, and Walter Miller's Canticle for Leibowitz are other great Hugo novels from the early 1960's that tend to be overshadowed by more famous authors from that period such as Heinlein (not that I wouldn't recommend The Moon is a Harsh Mistress if you haven't read it).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Way Station",
          "reason": "Includes it among other great Hugo novels.",
          "audience": "Science fiction readers interested in Hugo Award novels.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Clifford D. Simak"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hugo award"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "way-of-the-peaceful-warrior-dddf4d",
      "title": "Way of the Peaceful Warrior",
      "author": "Dan Millman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30241243,
          "author": "cyneox",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T06:59:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30241243",
          "commentText": "- Way of the peaceful warrior\n- Range\n- Conversations with God\n- Factfulness\n- Accelerate: Building and Scaling High-Performing Technology Organizations",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Way of the peaceful warrior",
          "reason": "Lists it as an answer to the request for a book recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Millman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal growth",
        "spiritual fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ways-of-curating-1877f9",
      "title": "Ways of Curating",
      "author": "Hans Ulrich Obrist",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30824200,
          "author": "biztos",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-27T21:12:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 30822339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book can attract anyone towards your field of study?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30824200",
          "commentText": "Ways of Curating by Hans Ulrich Obrist should do the trick for anyone considering contemporary art in galleries, museums, etc, and it’s also a great read for artists and collectors.\nhttps://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20613616-ways-of-curatin... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20613616-ways-of-curating)\nFor me personally this helped a lot with the decision to create an international art center (small, and still under construction!) instead of just pounding my artist head against the wall of the market forever.\nBut generally speaking, it’s an eye opener and a great illustration of how to generate influence from enthusiasm.  It’s probably hard to read if you aren’t already familiar with European contemporary art, but it rewards patience.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Ways of Curating by Hans Ulrich Obrist should do the trick for anyone considering contemporary art in galleries, museums, etc, and it’s also a great read for artists and collectors.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as an introduction to contemporary art and a useful read for artists and collectors.",
          "audience": "People considering contemporary art, artists, and collectors.",
          "caveat": "Probably hard to read without familiarity with European contemporary art, but rewards patience.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hans Ulrich Obrist"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "art institutions",
        "contemporary art",
        "curating"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ways-of-seeing-c33d2b",
      "title": "Ways of Seeing",
      "author": "John Berger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23858921,
          "author": "schnevets",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:48:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23858921",
          "commentText": "The Design of Everyday Things\nWays of Seeing\nThe Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ways of Seeing",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Berger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "art criticism",
        "visual culture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ways-of-worldmaking-0b40fb",
      "title": "Ways of Worldmaking",
      "author": "Nelson Goodman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503373,
          "author": "carid",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T08:44:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503373",
          "commentText": "A couple by Stanley Cavell:\nMust We Mean What We Say? (1969)\nThe Claim of Reason: Wittgenstein, Skepticism, Morality, and Tragedy (1979) New York: Oxford University Press.\nI would also second Russell's A Brief History of Western Philosophy.  It's biased and weirdly shallow in some places, but written by a philosopher, so not a toothless compilation.\nObscure but made an impression on me: Ways of Worldmaking by Nelson Goodman.\nIf you can get through it: John Rawls's A Theory of Justice...an important book with a few very important ideas.\nStuff by Amartya Sen.\nOn philosophy of science, the historical narratives do the job I think, like The Sleepwalkers by Arthur Koestler (a great read once you get through the Greeks).  You could read Thomas Kuhn, Feyerabend's autobiography \"Killing Time\" which is great, and if you're really serious read Peter Galison's stuff.\nFinally, again, more history that pure philosophy but I really liked Wittgenstein's Vienna by Toulmin.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Obscure but made an impression on me: Ways of Worldmaking by Nelson Goodman.",
          "reason": "The commenter says this obscure book made an impression on them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Described as obscure.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nelson Goodman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "philosophy of art",
        "worldmaking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ways-to-connect-on-interface-and-product-design-8af8fe",
      "title": "Ways to Connect: On Interface and Product Design",
      "author": "Ryan Singer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18667711,
          "author": "tonycoco",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T20:59:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 18662992,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on modern UI/UX?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18667711",
          "commentText": "The Visual Display of Quantitative Information: Edward R. Tufte\nWays to Connect: On Interface and Product Design, Ryan Singer\nSomething on color theory\nDesign language books (Bauhaus, etc)\nThe entire Google design team has quite a few open resources: https://material.io/design/ and https://design.google",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Ways to Connect: On Interface and Product Design, Ryan Singer",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question asking for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ryan Singer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "interface design",
        "product design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "we-are-anonymous-ef58ff",
      "title": "We Are Anonymous",
      "author": "Parmy Olson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4788271,
          "author": "dontstealmyname",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T12:45:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4788271",
          "commentText": "I found the book \"The definitive book of body language: How to read others's thoughts by their gestures\" by Allan and Barbara Pease to be a great read.\nThe greatest show on Earth - Richard Dawkins was an excellent read.\nSurely  you're joking Mr Feynman by Richard p.Feynman was terrific read by a very small bit can considerred offensive or  at the least dated in its outlook but if you can get past that its great!\nI recently finished a book on ID called \"Masters of doom\" by David Kushner which I rather enjoyed as well.\nI also love reading about crackers from the (mostly) 80's and I can recommend.\nCuckoo Egg by Cliff Stoll\nMasters of deception\nWe are anonymous - Inside the hacker world of lulzsec, anonymous and the global cyber insurgency  by Parmy Olson\nI loved \"Underground Hacking Madness and the obsession on the electronic frontier\" once I got past the first 2 or 3 chapters (also it was researched by Julian Assange before wikileak and has a chapter about his hacking) An Ebook copy can be found on the authors website http://www.underground-book.net/download.php3\nGhost in the wire Kevin Mitnick",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "We are anonymous - Inside the hacker world of lulzsec, anonymous and the global cyber insurgency  by Parmy Olson",
          "reason": "Included in a list the commenter says they can recommend.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Parmy Olson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "anonymous",
        "hacktivism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "we-are-not-ok-f7854e",
      "title": "We Are Not OK",
      "author": "Christian Livermore",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34161387,
          "author": "yawz",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T14:41:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161387",
          "commentText": "My best nonfiction read was The 1619 Project. It's a heavy read, but I highly recommend it. The runner up would be Christian Livermore's We Are Not OK.\nBest fiction read was Tim Winton's Breath or (there's probably some recency bias at play here) Sebastian de Castel's Traitor's Blade.\nI also read a few comic books. I love the East of West series (at least the first three books).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The runner up would be Christian Livermore's We Are Not OK.",
          "reason": "Listed as runner-up nonfiction read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Christian Livermore"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "we-can-remember-it-for-you-wholesale-80619b",
      "title": "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale",
      "author": "Philip K. Dick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48091810,
          "author": "abstractspoon",
          "createdAt": "2026-05-11T06:52:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 48084905,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci fi books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48091810",
          "commentText": "\"we can remember it for you wholesale\" PKD",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"we can remember it for you wholesale\" PKD",
          "reason": "Names a short story in response to a request for science fiction reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip K. Dick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memory",
        "short story"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "we-learn-nothing-6069f2",
      "title": "We Learn Nothing",
      "author": "Tim Kreider",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8257602,
          "author": "donquichotte",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T14:05:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257602",
          "commentText": "We Learn Nothing by Tim Kreider. Kreider has a a blog on NYT. I liked this post [1] and bought the book. Enjoyed every single page of it.\n[1] http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/15/i-know-what-... (http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/15/i-know-what-you-think-of-me/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I liked this post [1] and bought the book. Enjoyed every single page of it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed every page.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tim Kreider"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "humor",
        "personal essays"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "we-pointed-them-north-efcbe9",
      "title": "We Pointed Them North",
      "author": "Teddy Blue Abbott",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25326999,
          "author": "cafard",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-06T21:55:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25326999",
          "commentText": "For a bit of adventure, also Teddy Blue Abbot We Pointed Them North about the cattle drives of the late 19th Century, and Ivan Doig's In This House of Sky, about growing up as a sheep rancher's son in Montana, and about his father's upbringing and work.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Teddy Blue Abbot We Pointed Them North about the cattle drives of the late 19th Century",
          "reason": "Described as an account of cattle drives in the late 19th century.",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a little adventure.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Teddy Blue Abbott"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american west",
        "cattle drives",
        "cowboy memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "weapons-of-math-destruction-how-big-data-increases-inequality-and-b73b0e",
      "title": "Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy",
      "author": "Cathy O'Neil",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13237740,
          "author": "kevinSuttle",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T15:16:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237740",
          "commentText": "Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy (Cathy O'Neil)\n\nWhoa. Need to check that one out. Thanks.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Whoa. Need to check that one out. Thanks.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The comment expresses interest in a book suggested by someone else, not an evaluation or recommendation.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cathy O'Neil"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Society",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "algorithmic bias",
        "big data",
        "inequality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "weapons-of-the-weak-491ffb",
      "title": "Weapons of the Weak",
      "author": "James C. Scott",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34161496,
          "author": "psithurism",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T14:53:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34161496",
          "commentText": "Sociology:\n- The Coddling of the American Mind\n- The Tao of Pooh\n- Guns, Germs, and Steel\n- Weapons of the Weak\nReligious:\n- Guru Granth Sahib\n- Bible (King James Version)\n- Q’uran\n- The Book of Mormon \n- Tipitaka\nFantasy:\n- Dawn of Wonder by Jonathan Renshaw\n- The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan \n- The Way of Kings series by Brandon Sanderson\n- Mistborn also by Brandon Sanderson\n- Red Rising by Pierce Brown\n- The Licanius trilogy by James Islington\n- Saga of the Forgotten Warrior series by Larry Correia\nBiography\n- John Adams by David McCullough",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Weapons of the Weak",
          "reason": "Listed under sociology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James C. Scott"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "peasant resistance",
        "political anthropology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "weaveworld-96f2f1",
      "title": "Weaveworld",
      "author": "Clive Barker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41177210,
          "author": "retzkek",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T01:04:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41177210",
          "commentText": "The Overstory by Richard Powers - an intertwining of lives, as witnessed by the oldest beings on Earth, putting things into a rather different perspective.\nThe Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi - compassion and redemption, set in a terrifyingly plausible near future where the oil and tech companies have been replaced by gene and agro conglomerates. Calories or joules, it’s just energy.\nWeaveworld by Clive Barker - a dark, fantastical yarn of vivid (sometimes grotesque) imagery, spinning a new take on the oldest tale, that of good vs. evil.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Weaveworld by Clive Barker",
          "reason": "Listed as a favorite; described as a dark, fantastical tale with vivid imagery.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Imagery is sometimes grotesque.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Clive Barker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dark fantasy",
        "horror"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "weaving-the-web-the-original-design-and-ultimate-destiny-of-the-w-90d00f",
      "title": "Weaving the Web: The Original Design and Ultimate Destiny of the World Wide Web",
      "author": "Tim Berners-Lee with Mark Fischetti",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17205315,
          "author": "chubot",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T13:55:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205315",
          "commentText": "- Paypal Wars.  I read this twice -- once back in 2006 or so, before I really knew who any of the people were (Thiel, Musk, etc.).  And then once a few years ago.\n- Chaos Monkeys -- about Facebook circa 2010, touches on YC a few years before that.  Somewhat controversial, but a good book.\n- Weaving the Web by Tim Berners-Lee -- talks about the story from CERN to MIT, etc.\nEchoing some other posts:\n- The Idea Factory\n- The Dream Machine (probably the densest and most informative computer history book I've read)\n- Masters of Doom\n- The Supermen (about Seymour Cray) -- I didn't know anything about this side of the industry!  Interesting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "- Weaving the Web by Tim Berners-Lee -- talks about the story from CERN to MIT, etc.",
          "reason": "Included as a recommended account of the Web’s development.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the history of the Web.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tim Berners-Lee with Mark Fischetti"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cern",
        "world wide web"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "web-api-design-0db6ab",
      "title": "Web API Design",
      "author": "Apigee",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12266781,
          "author": "prima-facie",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-11T07:51:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 12262586,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are good reads for designing APIs?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12266781",
          "commentText": "Web API design by Apigee - https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B8qU9uFznmLsdFBHS1I2c1ZLRk... (https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B8qU9uFznmLsdFBHS1I2c1ZLRkE)\nRestful service design - https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B8qU9uFznmLsUEZ3TEFMbDZQcU... (https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B8qU9uFznmLsUEZ3TEFMbDZQcUE)\nNotes on RESTful APIs - http://wooptoo.com/blog/notes-on-restful-apis/ - written by yours truly some years ago",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Web API design by Apigee",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12266585,
          "author": "junto",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-11T06:25:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 12262586,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are good reads for designing APIs?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12266585",
          "commentText": "I found Apigee's API design eBook really useful:\nhttp://apigee.com/about/resources/ebooks/web-api-design\nI was impressed with the Rackspace Cloud API and documentation too. Especially their authentication services.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Apigee's API design eBook",
          "reason": "The commenter says they found it really useful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Apigee"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "api design",
        "web apis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "web-analytics-an-hour-a-day-ede6eb",
      "title": "Web Analytics: An Hour A Day",
      "author": "Avinash Kaushik",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 673512,
          "author": "showerst",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-25T12:09:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 673487,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there any good Internet marketing books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=673512",
          "commentText": "I'm not sure that it exactly qualifies as marketing, but Avinash Kaushik's \"Web Analytics: An Hour A Day\" is really great on how to design for and think about project metrics on the net, which in my experience is one of the biggest advantages that the great guys are holding.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Avinash Kaushik's \"Web Analytics: An Hour A Day\" is really great",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it really great and describes its focus on project metrics.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in designing for and thinking about online project metrics.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether it exactly qualifies as marketing.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Avinash Kaushik"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "project metrics",
        "web analytics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "web-applications-a-web-developer-s-guide-3161d5",
      "title": "Web Applications: A Web Developer's Guide",
      "author": "Philip Greenspun",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37326327,
          "author": "solardev",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-30T18:06:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 37325594,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books to learn web development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37326327",
          "commentText": "This seems like an interesting resource for people who already work in the industry and know what the modern practices are. Having a historical perspective is interesting, and also know what best practices have stayed through the years. However, it's also important to know what simply isn't used anymore.\nI'm not sure that this is a good resource for a beginner, because it would teach them practices that aren't just out of fashion, but altogether unused, and would hurt them in the job market IMHO.\nMuch of this text is now obsolete -- not obsolete like \"oh, a new JS lib du jour came out yesterday and we should all adopt it\", but obsolete like \"if you use this, many browsers won't support it and nobody else in your generation will be able to maintain your code\".\nSpecifically:\n- DNS and HTTPS are way more complicated now than when this was written\n- Mobile usability isn't done this way any more; WAP and XHTML are not in use\n- VoiceXML is not used\n- XML in general has largely given way to JSON. SOAP is rarely used except maybe outside of academia and other niches.\n- RSS is pretty much dead\n- The DOM structure is not as semantic as in the past (unfortunately)\n- It presupposes that most data must live in a RMDBS as opposed to other storage paradigms\n- It completely ignores (well, predates) the prevalence of abstracted cloud services that most web work uses these days, vs reinventing search etc. from scratch\n- Analytics is likewise way more complex today, but in the post-Google Analytics era and in the post-privacy era\n- Some of the HTML syntax it uses is deprecated\n- It presupposes a simpler full-stack model where a small web team will do the entire full stack work from the UI to the DB admin, vs today where that's usually specialized and/or outsourced to various third parties and APIs\nI hope this doesn't come across as snobby... just trying to give the OP some context about where this fits in relative to modern work. Some of the fundamentals are indeed worthwhile reading, but the text itself doesn't make clear what is or is not still relevant. Without prior knowledge to be able to differentiate that, this book could teach a bunch of deprecated practices.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Much of this text is now obsolete",
          "reason": "Explains that the book's practices and technologies are substantially outdated.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It may be useful for historical perspective, but much of its content is obsolete and could teach deprecated practices.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 37326018,
          "author": "tjr",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-30T17:49:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 37325594,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books to learn web development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37326018",
          "commentText": "This might not be considered hip and modern any more, but I think there's still a lot of good fundamentals described, and well-written:\nhttp://philip.greenspun.com/seia/",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "http://philip.greenspun.com/seia/",
          "reason": "Recommends the linked book as a source of good fundamentals and good writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may no longer be considered hip and modern.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip Greenspun"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "web-copy-that-sells-43b929",
      "title": "Web Copy That Sells",
      "author": "Maria Veloso",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30746251,
          "author": "kcartlidge",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T20:24:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30746251",
          "commentText": "- Total Freedom by Jiddu Krishnamurti.\nInitially this came across as shallow truths masquerading as profundity, especially with his unwillingness/inability to explain himself during discussions. Finally I read enough that some things just 'clicked' into place and my perspectives shifted along with my outlook on life.\n- Letters from the Desert by Carlo Carretto (first half).\nI was brought up a protestant so was never really exposed to catholic thought in my formative years. When I finally started exploring the classics for myself I found them often overly wordy and mystical, so I moved on to more modern (relatively speaking) works like this and the Way of the Pilgrim too. The simplicity of the writing and the clarity of the thoughts in the first few chapters of Letters from the Desert hit me hard.\n- The Quran\nA wonderfully phrased book that captures its times very well. Ideally to be read alongside something like Islam: A Short History or Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet, both by Karen Armstrong, to provide the context.\nAs an aside the Qu'ran is available for free online in audio format both as interlinear English/Arabic but also as Arabic only, and as a non-speaker of Arabic I often find listening to it being chanted a very calming and uplifting experience despite having no clue what is being said.\n- Getting Real by 37 Signals.\nAs a programmer/developer/engineer since the late 1980s this was a revelation, bringing a clarity to my own thoughts and feelings about much of the world of enterprise software development. Very obvious points in retrospect that nobody ever (including me) seemed to have realised during my entire career before then.\n- Web Copy that Sells by Maria Veloso.\nA strange choice, given that there is nothing 'profound' in here. What it is, though, is a very well written book on persuasion which finally got me to see that I'd spent years avoiding 'sales' as something that wasn't for me whereas in reality it's for everyone and we do it all the time.\n- The Body by Charles Colson.\nColson was jailed for his part in the Nixon stuff, then became a Christian. It's an incredibly moving book which is not his autobiography but an analysis of what is going wrong with the church. The impact comes from the stories he relates at the start of the chapters (especially the opening ones about 9/11). Those tales gave me an understanding of the potential 'greatness' in people.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Web Copy that Sells by Maria Veloso.",
          "reason": "The book changed the commenter's view of sales and persuasion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it contains nothing profound.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Maria Veloso"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "copywriting",
        "persuasion"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "web-development-with-go-118a94",
      "title": "Web Development with Go",
      "author": "Michael Hartl",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13664706,
          "author": "joncalhoun",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-16T23:47:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13664706",
          "commentText": "Web Development with Go (see https://www.usegolang.com) is based on starting with pretty minimal Go and web development experience and walking you through the process of building a complete web application.\nI find this approach works well because you don't have to ask \"why did he make that design decision\" but instead I intentionally make common mistakes a beginner would make, wait until they become an issue, and then I demonstrate how we can fix that issue. As a result you really get to understand not only how to create a web app in Go but also why developers tend to follow different design patterns.\nI said this in another comment, but it is based on Michael Hartl's Rails Tutorial. I think showing someone how to go from nothing to a full app is a great way to help them get into web development without the frustration that comes from piecing together blog posts/docs/trial&error.\nIf you are interested in Go I'd love to get your feedback :) and if it isn't obvious, I am the author of the book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Web Development with Go (see https://www.usegolang.com)",
          "reason": "The author presents this book as a way to learn by building a complete web application.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Go and web development.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is the author.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Hartl"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "go",
        "web development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "web-operations-keeping-the-data-on-time-903b38",
      "title": "Web Operations: Keeping the Data on Time",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12243640,
          "author": "sokoloff",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-07T21:02:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12243640",
          "commentText": "Web Operations:Keeping the Data On Time",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Web Operations:Keeping the Data On Time",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "web operations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "web-protocols-and-practice-http-1-1-networking-protocols-caching--d3f48d",
      "title": "Web Protocols and Practice: HTTP/1.1, Networking Protocols, Caching, and Traffic Measurement",
      "author": "Krishnamurthy and Rexford",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 27671662,
          "author": "rramadass",
          "createdAt": "2021-06-29T04:08:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 27650775,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books/courses to learn networking essentials for web developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27671662",
          "commentText": "I think you are looking for a book which covers details of all the \"Hardware Appliances/Software Components\" which live in a network serving \"Web based Applications\". I don't know of any one book which will cover everything but you might find the following useful.\n* An Engineering Approach to Computer Networking: ATM Networks, the Internet, and the Telephone Network by S. Keshav - This is a great text on fundamentals of Networking. Nothing to do with the \"Web\" but everything to do with what underpins it.\n* Web Protocols and Practice: HTTP/1.1, Networking Protocols, Caching, and Traffic Measurement by Krishnamurthy and Rexford - Best book i have seen yet which explains the interplay between HTTP and the underlying TCP/IP protocol suite.\n* Load Balancing Servers, Firewalls, and Caches by Kopparapu.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Web Protocols and Practice: HTTP/1.1, Networking Protocols, Caching, and Traffic Measurement by Krishnamurthy and Rexford - Best book i have seen yet",
          "reason": "Recommended for explaining the interplay between HTTP and TCP/IP.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Krishnamurthy",
        "Rexford"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "http",
        "tcp ip"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "web-standards-solutions-598c66",
      "title": "Web Standards Solutions",
      "author": "Dan Cederholm",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 240850,
          "author": "trotzke",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T06:28:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240850",
          "commentText": "On my desk:\nGetting Real (37Signals),\nHardball (Chris Mathews),\nPrioritizing Web Usability (Jakob Nielsen)\nNearby shelf:\nThe Design of Everyday Things,\nMaverick,\nFounders at work,\nA Brief History of Time,\nA Pattern Language,\nPeopleware,\nMade to stick,\nWeb Standards Solutions,\nDesigning Interactions,\nThe Pragmatic Programmer,\nThe Mythical Man-Month,\nOh, the Places You'll Go!\nOther good reads:\nBlink,\nTipping Point,\nLong Tail,\nFreakonomics",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Web Standards Solutions,",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for recommended books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Cederholm"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "html and css",
        "web standards"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "web-standards-solutions-the-markup-and-style-handbook-d0478d",
      "title": "Web Standards Solutions: The Markup and Style Handbook",
      "author": "Dan Cederholm",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 574718,
          "author": "rimantas",
          "createdAt": "2009-04-22T22:51:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 574468,
          "threadTitle": "What is the best CSS book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=574718",
          "commentText": "I did like both books by Cederholm, so I also recommend Web Standards Solutions: The Markup and Style Handbook",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I also recommend Web Standards Solutions: The Markup and Style Handbook",
          "reason": "Recommends the book based on liking both of Cederholm’s books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dan Cederholm"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "css",
        "html",
        "web standards"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "weird-life-the-search-for-life-that-is-very-very-different-from-o-9dd539",
      "title": "Weird Life: The Search for Life That Is Very, Very Different from Our Own",
      "author": "David Toomey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8110196,
          "author": "Glench",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T18:50:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8110196",
          "commentText": "Weird Life - The Search for Life That is Very, Very Different from Our Own\nAn easy introductory survey of the different types of life there are and may be.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "An easy introductory survey of the different types of life there are and may be.",
          "reason": "Describes it as an easy introductory survey.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an accessible survey of possible forms of life.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6387586,
          "author": "mehmehshoe",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-14T23:55:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6387586",
          "commentText": "Weird Life: The Search for Life That Is Very, Very Different from Our Own.\nI am cheating with an audiobook though....spend a lot of time in a car=)",
          "stance": "unclear",
          "evidence": "Weird Life: The Search for Life That Is Very, Very Different from Our Own.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they are listening to the audiobook.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Toomey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "astrobiology",
        "alternative life",
        "extremophiles"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "welcome-to-the-desert-of-the-real-five-essays-on-september-11-and-0da490",
      "title": "Welcome to the Desert of the Real: Five Essays on September 11 and Related Dates",
      "author": "Slavoj Žižek",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 85884,
          "author": "maurycy",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T09:54:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85884",
          "commentText": "Many.\nIn short:\nAll books written by Witold Gombrowicz (Diary if have to pick one),\nAll books written by Slavoj Zizek (Welcome to the Desert of the Real: Five Essays on September 11 and Related Dates if have to pick one)\nRecently read and significant:\nThe Logic of Scientific Discovery, Karl Popper,\nMarket Wizards: Interviews with Top Traders, Jack Schwager",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All books written by Slavoj Zizek (Welcome to the Desert of the Real: Five Essays on September 11 and Related Dates if have to pick one)",
          "reason": "Names it as the pick from the author's books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Slavoj Žižek"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "september 11",
        "zizek"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "welcome-to-the-urban-revolution-d383ac",
      "title": "Welcome to the Urban Revolution",
      "author": "Jeb Brugmann",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1226892,
          "author": "RyanMcGreal",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:46:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226892",
          "commentText": "Some recent engaging reads:\n* Dan Ariely, Predictably Irrational\n* Christopher McDougall, Born to Run\n* Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers\n* Jeb Brugman, Welcome to the Urban Revolution\n* Richard Florida, Who's Your City?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Jeb Brugman, Welcome to the Urban Revolution",
          "reason": "Included among recent engaging reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeb Brugmann"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cities",
        "urban development"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "well-designed-how-to-use-empathy-to-create-products-people-love-8b6c9e",
      "title": "Well Designed: How to Use Empathy to Create Products People Love",
      "author": "Jon Kolko",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9349919,
          "author": "javamonn",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T18:40:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9349919",
          "commentText": "I read three books at a time, and only pick up/start/buy a new one once I finish one. Helps acquiring a large back log of unread literature around the apartment. :)\n  * Labyrinths - Jorge Louis Borges [0]\nI believe HN was the reason I picked this up, if I remember correctly. It's a collection of short stories, each of which can be finished in a night, which is satisfying. I really dig his writing style and fantastical nature of the stories. I've done a bit of philosophical reading but a lot of the references he makes go over my head, leaving me to do a bit of research after each story.\n  * The Design of Everyday Things - Don Norman [1]\nPicked this up after finishing Debbie Millman's How to Think Like a Great Graphic Designer [2] (Misleading title, I would 100% recommend this book to anyone). I'm not sure what I expected, but so far this hasn't been satisfying. The first couple of chapters have been laying out a framework and defining terms. Considering swapping this out for Jon Kolko's Well Designed - How to Use Empathy To Create Products People Love [3], which seemed much more actionable after picking it up at Barnes and Noble.\n  * Real World OCaml - Yaron Minsky, Anil Madhavapeddy, Jason Hickey [4]\n\nSecond time picking this up, originally read up to chapter on Functors over the summer. I started over this time and I'm about finished with the first section, \"Language Concepts\", now. It's worth noting that the entire text is available online for free on the book's website. [5] I did some Scheme in high school and read through the fist half of SICP and dabble in functional js, but this is my first experience with a semi pure functional language and I'm loving it. I'm going through the functional challenges on Hackerrank in OCaml at the same time to solidify some of the language concepts. Decided to go with OCaml over Haskell or Clojure because I'm super interested in using/contributing to Mirage OS [6]\n[0] http://www.amazon.com/Labyrinths-Directions-Paperbook-Jorge-... (http://www.amazon.com/Labyrinths-Directions-Paperbook-Jorge-Borges/dp/0811216993)\n[1] http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0465050654\n[2] http://www.amazon.com/Think-Like-Great-Graphic-Designer/dp/1... (http://www.amazon.com/Think-Like-Great-Graphic-Designer/dp/1581154968)\n[3] http://www.amazon.com/Well-Designed-Empathy-Create-Products-... (http://www.amazon.com/Well-Designed-Empathy-Create-Products-People/dp/1625274793)\n[4] http://www.amazon.com/Real-World-OCaml-Functional-programmin... (http://www.amazon.com/Real-World-OCaml-Functional-programming/dp/144932391X)\n[5] https://realworldocaml.org/v1/en/html/index.html\n[6] http://openmirage.org/\nedit: formatting",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "which seemed much more actionable after picking it up at Barnes and Noble.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it more actionable than The Design of Everyday Things.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has only picked it up, not described reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jon Kolko"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "design empathy",
        "product design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "well-grounded-rubyist-98366c",
      "title": "Well-Grounded Rubyist",
      "author": "David A. Black",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 781147,
          "author": "gtani",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-23T22:43:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 781079,
          "threadTitle": "Can you recommend some good RoR books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=781147",
          "commentText": "all good rec's.  Some others, all well-reviewed on amazon and assuming you have a team of java /C, C++, C# / PHP, python or some kind of web app coders\n- Well-Grounded Rubyist by David A. Black (infinite number stars!)\n- the 2 Wrox books, Professional Rails (Rappin), Art of (Benson)\n- Advanced rails (Oreilly, Ediger);\nThe one i'd stear clear of, i don't remember who wrote it, but it has a picture of an ocean wave on the cover.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Well-Grounded Rubyist by David A. Black (infinite number stars!)",
          "reason": "Gives it emphatic praise in a list of Rails book recommendations.",
          "audience": "Teams with experience in Java, C, C++, C#, PHP, Python, or web app development.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David A. Black"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ruby programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "well-grounded-rubyist-b88d0f",
      "title": "Well-Grounded Rubyist",
      "author": "David Black",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 781207,
          "author": "isharan",
          "createdAt": "2009-08-23T23:36:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 781079,
          "threadTitle": "Can you recommend some good RoR books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=781207",
          "commentText": "The main thing you want to do when learning Rails is to make sure you're pretty solid in Ruby. David Black's Well-Grounded Rubyist covers a lot of Ruby.\nAs for Rails, I have nothing but good things to about Foundation Rails 2 by Eldon Alameda. He gives a brief introduction to Ruby at the beginning, and doesn't rely on scaffolding/plugins, something a lot of early Rails developers try and overuse. Although, now that I think about it, the routing chapter was a little weak. Of course there's also the standard Agile Web Development with Rails (3rd Edition) which was written by the creator of Rails.\nAfter that, the best place is to start writing apps and get some hands-on experience. If you want, there's another book that Eldon Alameda wrote called \"Practical Rails Projects\" which does exactly that -- guides you through 6 or 7 Rails projects to teach you all about Rails. However, it uses an older version of Rails (1.2.3 compared to the current 2.3.3) but I'm sure a lot of the concepts will still apply. You can always install an older version of Rails to follow along.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "David Black's Well-Grounded Rubyist covers a lot of Ruby.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a source covering substantial Ruby material.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Black"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ruby programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "western-esotericism-a-guide-for-the-perplexed-3608d5",
      "title": "Western Esotericism: A Guide for the Perplexed",
      "author": "Wouter J. Hanegraaff",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23859045,
          "author": "dr_dshiv",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-16T13:59:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 23858599,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book helped you understand the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23859045",
          "commentText": "#1: \"Western Esotericism: a guide for the perplexed\"\nYou just wouldn't believe it. \nExtremely good scholarship.\nIn the same vein, \n\"Music, science and natural magic in 17th century England\" (about the birth of the Royal Society)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "#1: \"Western Esotericism: a guide for the perplexed\"",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it their number one pick and praises its scholarship.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Wouter J. Hanegraaff"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "religious studies",
        "western esotericism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-buddha-taught-c21bda",
      "title": "What Buddha Taught",
      "author": "Walpola Rahula",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8106928,
          "author": "tdubhro1",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:13:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8106928",
          "commentText": "Buddhism: Not Always So, and anything else by Shunryu Suzuki, What Buddha Taught, by Rahula\nSmarter: A Mathematical Bridge by Stephen Hewson, it will make you grok the real structure of mathematics even if you're starting with fairly basic undergraduate level math, and it will make it immensely easier to tackle new areas of mathematics.\nPattern recognition and machine learning by Bishop\nPopular: Coders at Work, Founders at Work, Behind the Cloud",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "What Buddha Taught, by Rahula",
          "reason": "Suggested under Buddhism in response to a request for reading suggestions.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Buddhism.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Walpola Rahula"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhism",
        "buddhist teachings"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-do-you-care-what-other-people-think-a2fd04",
      "title": "What Do You Care What Other People Think?",
      "author": "Richard P. Feynman and Ralph Leighton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 135262,
          "author": "klocksib",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-12T16:59:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 135185,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What would you put on a hacker's bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=135262",
          "commentText": "Hmmm, here's a list of books I really like:\nMemory as a Programming Concept in C and C++ by Frenck\nThe Design and Implementation of the FreeBSD Operating System by McKusick/Neville-Neil\nLearning GNU Emacs by Cameron, et al.\nPractical Common Lisp by Seibel\nThe C Programming Language by K&R\nThe C++ Programming Language Stroustrup\nThe Design and Analysis of Algorithms by Leviten\nAssembly Language Programming for the IBM PC Family by Jones\nEssays/Collections:\nHackers & Painters by PG\nSurely You're Joking Mr. Feynman by Feynman\nWhat Do You Care What Other People Think by Feynman\nThe Cathedral & The Bazaar by Raymond\nNovels:\nThe Soul of a New Machine by Kidder\nWhere Wizards Stay up Late by Hafner",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "What Do You Care What Other People Think by Feynman",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books the commenter really likes.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard P. Feynman",
        "Ralph Leighton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-do-you-care-what-other-people-think-further-adventures-of-a--b25005",
      "title": "What Do You Care What Other People Think?: Further Adventures of a Curious Character",
      "author": "Richard P. Feynman and Ralph Leighton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2650123,
          "author": "jcallahan",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-13T18:28:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2650123",
          "commentText": "Read something REALLY fun, enlightening and TRUE: Surely you're joking Mr. Feynman! (Adventures of a curious character) and What do you care what other people think (Further adventures of a curious character)\nObAmazon: http://www.amazon.com/What-Care-Other-People-Think/dp/039332... (http://www.amazon.com/What-Care-Other-People-Think/dp/0393320928)\nObAmazon: http://www.amazon.com/Surely-Feynman-Adventures-Curious-Char... (http://www.amazon.com/Surely-Feynman-Adventures-Curious-Character/dp/0393316041)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "What do you care what other people think (Further adventures of a curious character)",
          "reason": "Included in a recommendation of books described as fun, enlightening, and true.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard P. Feynman",
        "Ralph Leighton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-do-you-care-what-other-people-think-further-adventures-of-a--ac11df",
      "title": "What Do You Care What Other People Think?: Further Adventures of a Curious Character",
      "author": "Richard P. Feynman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5700940,
          "author": "maxharris",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-13T19:41:31.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5700940",
          "commentText": "The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. Those are the two to start with.\nIf you like those, check out some of her nonfiction books: The Virtue of Selfishness: A New Concept of Egoism, Philosophy: Who Needs It, and Introduction to Objectivist Epistemology (these are but a few - Rand wrote a long series of nonfiction books).\nAyn Rand's Normative Ethics: The Virtuous Egoist by Tara Smith (a philosophy professor at UT-Austin) is excellent because it unpacks Ayn Rand's ethical system in an academic style. Finally, Leonard Peikoff's Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand gives a comprehensive view of Rand's entire philosophy.\nLight reading (not by Objectivist authors, and not in any particular order):\nMasters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture by David Kushner\nThe Soul of A New Machine by Tracy Kidder\nThe Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA by James Watson\nWhat Do You Care What Other People Think?: Further Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard Feynman\nSurely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard Feynman",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "What Do You Care What Other People Think?: Further Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard Feynman",
          "reason": "Included in a list labeled light reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says these are not by Objectivist authors and are not in a particular order.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard P. Feynman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-do-you-do-with-a-chance-440f5d",
      "title": "What Do You Do with a Chance?",
      "author": "Kobi Yamada",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33855036,
          "author": "chiefalchemist",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T16:27:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33855036",
          "commentText": "A slight pivot but worth mentioning, I've collected a number of \"children's\" books that (for me) are just as good - better? - for adults. For example:\n- \"What do you do with a problem?\"\nhttps://www.amazon.com/What-Do-You-Problem/dp/1943200009\n- \"What do you do with an idea?\"\nhttps://www.amazon.com/What-Do-You-Idea/dp/1938298071/\n- \"What do you do with a chance?\"\nhttps://www.amazon.com/What-Do-You-Chance/dp/1943200734/\n- \"I wish you more\"\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Encouragement-Gifts-Uplifting-Books-G... (https://www.amazon.com/Encouragement-Gifts-Uplifting-Books-Graduation/dp/1452126992/)\nOf course, there are others. These are just the ones that come to mind ATM.\nI've given the \"What do...?\" books as gifts to plenty of adult and young adults.   My point is, a book doesn't have to be 200+ pages to have an impact.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"What do you do with a chance?\"",
          "reason": "Includes it among children's books they consider just as good or better for adults.",
          "audience": "Adults and young adults; also suggested as a gift.",
          "caveat": "The commenter frames it as a children's book that can appeal to adults.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kobi Yamada"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "picture books",
        "taking chances"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-do-you-do-with-a-problem-6d964e",
      "title": "What Do You Do with a Problem?",
      "author": "Kobi Yamada",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33855036,
          "author": "chiefalchemist",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T16:27:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33855036",
          "commentText": "A slight pivot but worth mentioning, I've collected a number of \"children's\" books that (for me) are just as good - better? - for adults. For example:\n- \"What do you do with a problem?\"\nhttps://www.amazon.com/What-Do-You-Problem/dp/1943200009\n- \"What do you do with an idea?\"\nhttps://www.amazon.com/What-Do-You-Idea/dp/1938298071/\n- \"What do you do with a chance?\"\nhttps://www.amazon.com/What-Do-You-Chance/dp/1943200734/\n- \"I wish you more\"\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Encouragement-Gifts-Uplifting-Books-G... (https://www.amazon.com/Encouragement-Gifts-Uplifting-Books-Graduation/dp/1452126992/)\nOf course, there are others. These are just the ones that come to mind ATM.\nI've given the \"What do...?\" books as gifts to plenty of adult and young adults.   My point is, a book doesn't have to be 200+ pages to have an impact.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"What do you do with a problem?\"",
          "reason": "Includes it among children's books they consider just as good or better for adults.",
          "audience": "Adults and young adults; also suggested as a gift.",
          "caveat": "The commenter frames it as a children's book that can appeal to adults.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kobi Yamada"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "picture books",
        "problem solving"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-do-you-do-with-an-idea-cf8b93",
      "title": "What Do You Do with an Idea?",
      "author": "Kobi Yamada",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33855036,
          "author": "chiefalchemist",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T16:27:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33855036",
          "commentText": "A slight pivot but worth mentioning, I've collected a number of \"children's\" books that (for me) are just as good - better? - for adults. For example:\n- \"What do you do with a problem?\"\nhttps://www.amazon.com/What-Do-You-Problem/dp/1943200009\n- \"What do you do with an idea?\"\nhttps://www.amazon.com/What-Do-You-Idea/dp/1938298071/\n- \"What do you do with a chance?\"\nhttps://www.amazon.com/What-Do-You-Chance/dp/1943200734/\n- \"I wish you more\"\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Encouragement-Gifts-Uplifting-Books-G... (https://www.amazon.com/Encouragement-Gifts-Uplifting-Books-Graduation/dp/1452126992/)\nOf course, there are others. These are just the ones that come to mind ATM.\nI've given the \"What do...?\" books as gifts to plenty of adult and young adults.   My point is, a book doesn't have to be 200+ pages to have an impact.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"What do you do with an idea?\"",
          "reason": "Includes it among children's books they consider just as good or better for adults.",
          "audience": "Adults and young adults; also suggested as a gift.",
          "caveat": "The commenter frames it as a children's book that can appeal to adults.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kobi Yamada"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creativity",
        "picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-do-you-say-after-you-say-hello-002f88",
      "title": "What Do You Say After You Say Hello?",
      "author": "Eric Berne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10785476,
          "author": "ThrustVectoring",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T20:31:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785476",
          "commentText": "Books I'm glad I've read:\nThe Inner Game of Tennis\nImpro by Keith Johnstone\nSeeing Like a State\nThe Timeless Way of Building\nLinear and Geometric Algebra by Alan Macdonald\nMeditations by Marcus Aurelius (read this one thrice)\nThe Tao of Pooh\nScience, Strategy and War: The Strategic Theory of John Boyd\nThe Drama of the Gifted Child\nInteraction Ritual\nWhat Do You Say After You Say Hello?\nOf niche use:\nMathematics: its Content, Methods and Meaning - mostly useful for figuring out what math you don't know. I recommend reading it at a fairly decent pace, and noting what subjects don't sound like an overview of something you've already learned.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "What Do You Say After You Say Hello?",
          "reason": "Included under “Books I'm glad I've read.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Berne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "relationships",
        "transactional analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-do-you-say-after-you-ve-said-hello-8ff897",
      "title": "What Do You Say After You've Said Hello?",
      "author": "Eric Berne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17938850,
          "author": "dmccunney",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-08T01:21:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17938850",
          "commentText": "An assortment:\n\"The Silent Language\" by Edward T. Hall.\nHall was an anthropologist attached to the University of New Mexico.  He and his research partner, linguist Norman Trager, were doing research in comparative culture.  Hall realized they would need a comprehensive theory of culture to describe what they were comparing and provide ways to compare them.  Hall's model was \"culture as communication\", and the results were presented in the book above.  His key point was that most of culture was like the iceberg - 90% of it is processed on an unconscious reflex level.  We are no more aware of most of our culture than a fish is of the water it swims in.  We only become aware when we are set down in a culture that does things differently than ours. The Silent Language is about how we use space.  The followup \"The Hidden Dimension looks into how different cultures use time. Many things fell into place when I read Hall.\n\"Games People Play\" by Eric Berne.\nBerne was a psychiatrist and founder of the discipline of Transactional Analysis.  Games People Play was a PopSci bestseller when first published, which was odd because it's a highly technical volume written for other psychiatrists.  His thesis was that most human behavior could be viewed as games, and most of what we did were ways of structuring time.  Follow up with his \"What Do You Say After You've Said Hello?\" and \"Beyond Games and Scripts\".  Hall's work above did much to explain teh behavior of societies.  Berne's work does much to explain the behavior of people in societies.\n\"The Anatomy of Criticism\" by Northrop Frye.\nFrye was a Professor of English at Toronto University.  He had completed a study of William Blake called \"Fearful Symmetry\", and was attempting to do a study of Spencer's Faery Queen.  But he found himself trying to make sense of various terms used in literature, and the result became a work of pure theory, unconnected with any specific works.  He refers to poetry and poetics, but his canvas is broader.  Part of his problem was that there was no general term in English for a work of prose fiction.  It's a set of four essays, covering Historical Criticism, Ethical Criticism, Archetypal Criticism, and Rhetorical Criticism, but makes clear that while each form is valid in its own terms, none fully described literature, and a more synoptic view was required.\n\"The Structure of Scientific Revolutions\" by Thomas S. Kuhn\nKuhn's work challenged the accepted notions of scientific progress, and the notion of steady accumulation.  His thesis was that the real progress came from notions that lay outside accepted theories, and provided new paradigms by which reality might be understood, and faced all the resistance transformative ideas face from entrenched doctrine until they are demonstrated to be correct.\n\"Management: Tasks, Practices, Responsibilities\" by Peter F. Drucker.\nDrucker was our present generation's primary primary theorist and consultant on the practice of management, and just what management was and what mangers did.  This work was probably his magnum opus, where he pulled together the ideas he'd formulated elsewhere into a coherent whole.  It's a liberal education not only in management, but in the nature and structure of market based economies.\n\"The Making of Economic Society\" by Robert F. Heilbroner.\nThis is probably the best single volume overview I'm aware of on economics and economic history, beginning with just what an economy is, and the changing conception of economics through history, with the transition from Traditional through Command to Market economies and the issues involved with each.  Many animated discussions I see online about economics make me say \"Those words don't mean what you think they do.  Please read Heilbroner, and come back when you have.  Then we might at least be talking about the same things.\"\n\"The Problems of Philosophy\" by Bertrand Russell.\nRussell is concerned with knowledge, and how we know what we know.  He asks \"Is there any knowledge in the world so certin that no reasonable man could doubt it?\", and concludes that it's one of the most difficult questions that can be asked.  When we understand the obstacles in the way of a straightforward and confident answer, we are launched on the study of philosophy, which is concerned with precisely such questions.  If philosophy is of interest, this is a superb place to start.\n\"Religion and the Rise of Capitalism\" by R. H. Tawney.\nEconomies don't exist in vacuums.  The are aspects of the societies in which they exist, and reflect the values of those societies. Religion has been a critical part of the value systems of societies for as long as there have been societies, and religious notions on what sort of behavior is acceptable affect the structure of economies by determining what sort of transactions are permissible. Tawney is specifically concerned with religious thought in England affecting social organization and economic issues in the period immediately preceding the Reformation and the two following centuries, but while his focus in England, his description of the way in which Christian religious doctrine changed gradually to make a capitalist economy possible in England, the underlying processes could be applied through Europe in general. Read this as a companion to Max Weber's \"The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism\", originally written in German and concerned with the Netherlands and Germany.\n\"Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy\" by Joseph A. Schumpeter.\nSchumpeter was an Austrian economist, a contemporary of John Maynard Keynes, and (briefly) Austria's Finance Minister in the 1920's.  Like Keynes, he considered himself influenced by Marx.  But unlike many others, he believed Marx \"asked all the right questions, and got all the wrong answers\".  Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy was Schumpeter's (often delightfully snarky) attempt to understand what Marx got wrong and why.  It's a useful brainwash after you've spent any time reading MArx or other folks who consider themselves Marxists, and provides a needed sense of perspective.\nThere's more, but I have to stop somewhere...",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Follow up with his \"What Do You Say After You've Said Hello?\"",
          "reason": "Suggested as a follow-up to understand behavior in society.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eric Berne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "transactional analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-does-it-all-mean-31d60c",
      "title": "What Does It All Mean?",
      "author": "Thomas Nagel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10786739,
          "author": "hackerbloos",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T02:19:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10786739",
          "commentText": "I've just updated my list of books I read this year. Scores are out of 5. If there is a + it means I found it to be extra special for some reason or other.\n= Jan =\nSmarter Than You Think - Clive Thompson 3\nThe positives of tech and the internet.\n= Feb =\nSuper Sad True Love Story - Gary Shteyngart 4\nScience fiction set in the not too distant future. Main themes include life extension and surveillance.\n= Mar =\nThe HitchHiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams 4\nThe Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams 3\nHad never read this series, thought it might be about time.\n= Apr =\nWhat does it all Mean? - Thomas Nagel 2 (though it is kind of meant for people who have never done any Philosophy, ever, so would recommend to someone like that. Will pass it on to someone taking an interest in the subject)\nAn introduction to Philosophy.\nEarth - David Brin 5+\nScience fiction set in the not too distant future, written in the 90s. Really interesting themes / vision of post climate change world.\nSlaughterHouse Five - Kurt Vonnegut 5\nSemi autobiographical account of the bombing of Dresden in WW2. Really funny and clever ideas. Very good.\n= May =\nNick Cohen - What’s Left? 4\nAccount of how the left has degenerated since the collapse of the hard left and the winning of liberal battles e.g. LGBT rights. Basic premise is that those on the left hate the West and the status quo so much they stoop to allying themselves with anyone who also opposes the status quo.\n= June =\nPlato at the Googleplex: Why Philosophy won’t go away - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 5+\nPlato has somehow appeared in the 21st century and is doing a talk at Google! A really enjoyable account of how Plato’s philosophy could be applied to modern issues. Really good. I want to go to Athens.\n= July =\nThe Mind Body Problem - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 4\nNovel about a female philosophy student shagging around and philosophising about it.\nBelieving Bullshit - Stephen Law 4\nBook detailing the various tricks / schemes played by charlatans and how to avoid being taken in by them.\n= August =\n36 Arguments for the Existence of God: a work of fiction - Rebecca Newberger Goldstein 3\nNovel about an academic and his mentor. It was ok.\n= September =\nThe Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams 3\nThink I’m done reading these for now, don’t feel the urge to finish the set.\nKafka - The Trial 5\nReally good. Love the surrealism - the nightmarish / dreamish-ness of it. Saw it in the Theatre as well after reading it, thought that was great too.\n= October =\n= November =\nExistence - David Brin 3\nNot as good as Earth. Glad I read that first. Interesting imagining of what form contact from alien life could take though. Also interesting look at existential risks. The main part I didn’t like was how it skipped forward in time 3 decades about 3/4s of the way through, I had thought the characters were a little weak in general up until then anyway, and then they were pretty much gone entirely at that point.\n= December =\nAlone Together - Sherry Turtle 4\nThe negatives of tech, robotics and the internet. Interesting and important read.\nImperium - Robert Harris 5\nFirst in the semi-fictional trilogy accounting the fall of the Roman Republic, told through the eyes of Cicero’s secretary, Tiro. Really good. The politics, the corruption, the ancient city really brought to life. Enhanced by having visited Rome in the Summer.\nAlso currently reading ‘Reclaiming Conversation’ by Sherry Turkle, an account of the negative affect being permanently tethered to the internet has on our conversations, our capacity for empathy and our relationships, and Nietzsche’s 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra'.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "would recommend to someone like that. Will pass it on to someone taking an interest in the subject",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it to someone new to philosophy.",
          "audience": "People who have never studied philosophy and are interested in it.",
          "caveat": "The recommendation is for beginners.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thomas Nagel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "introductory philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-doesn-t-kill-us-ddcfaa",
      "title": "What Doesn't Kill Us",
      "author": "Scott Carney",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18474096,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2018-11-17T05:19:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 18473561,
          "threadTitle": "Best book/paper you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18474096",
          "commentText": "\"Why We Sleep\", by Matthew Walker [1]. I've read a lot about sleep over the years, but I still found it fascinating and comprehensive.\nI've mentioned the book on several other threads [2], so I'll avoid repeating here.\nAlong the same lines of expanding the ability of your body/mind, one that I'm currently reading is \"What doesn't kill us\" [3]. Pretty fascinating to think that we have a lot more control over our immune system than originally thought.\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501... (https://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Sleep-Unlocking-Dreams/dp/1501144324/)\n[2] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17606274\n[3] https://www.amazon.com/What-Doesnt-Kill-Environmental-Condit... (https://www.amazon.com/What-Doesnt-Kill-Environmental-Conditioning/dp/1623366909)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Pretty fascinating to think that we have a lot more control over our immune system than originally thought.",
          "reason": "Says the book's ideas about how much control we have over the immune system are fascinating.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter is currently reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Scott Carney"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "environmental conditioning",
        "immune system"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-engineers-know-and-how-they-know-it-7c8f7c",
      "title": "What Engineers Know and How They Know It",
      "author": "Walter G. Vincenti",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39064024,
          "author": "atrettel",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-20T02:21:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39064024",
          "commentText": "I recommend reading What Engineers Know and How They Know It by Walter Vincenti [1].  The book is directed towards mechanical and aerospace engineers, but discusses the philosophy and epistemology of engineering as a discipline via several case studies.  A major topic of the book is the idea that engineering is not just \"applied science\" and does not necessarily need to use the scientific method (kinda summarized in the saying \"it's not stupid if it works\" in my opinion).  The book analyzes several case studies to break apart the engineering process from the drawing board and through the production phase, and sometimes in multiple iterations back and forth even.\n[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_Engineers_Know_and_How_Th... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What_Engineers_Know_and_How_They_Know_It)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend reading What Engineers Know and How They Know It by Walter Vincenti",
          "reason": "Examines engineering knowledge and practice through case studies, including whether engineering is simply applied science.",
          "audience": "Mechanical and aerospace engineers; readers interested in engineering philosophy.",
          "caveat": "The book is directed towards mechanical and aerospace engineers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Walter G. Vincenti"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "case studies",
        "engineering philosophy",
        "epistemology of engineering"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-ever-happened-to-modernism-c1d473",
      "title": "What Ever Happened to Modernism?",
      "author": "Gabriel Josipovici",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13238592,
          "author": "apocalypstyx",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T17:07:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238592",
          "commentText": "Fiction:\nInherent Vice  ---  Thomas Pynchon\nThe Great and Secret Show  ---  Clive Barker\nJurassic Park  ---  Michael Crichton\nThe Mothman Prophecies  ---  John A. Keel (1)\nThe Wind in the Willows  ---  Kenneth Grahame\nEnder's Game  ---  Orson Scott Card\nAll Quiet on the Western Front  ---   Erich Maria Remarque\nThe Drought  ---  J. G. Ballard\nThe Dead Father's Club  ---  Matt Harris\nChildren of Men  ---  P. D. James\nThe Islanders  ---  Pascal Garnier\nSilence of the Lambs  ---  Thomas Harris\nInherit the Wind  ---  Jerome Lawrence & Robert E. Lee\nThe Butt  ---  Will Self\nInside Outside  ---  Philip Jose Farmer\nThe Panda Theory  ---  Pascal Garnier\nFanshaw  ---  Nathaniel Hawthorne\nThe Scarlet Letter  ---  Nathaniel Hawthorne\nThis Census-Taker  ---  China Mieville\nThe House of the Seven Gables  ---  Nathaniel Hawthorne\nThe A26  ---  Pascal Garnier\nThe Blithedale Romance  ---  Nathaniel Hawthorne\nThe Weird  ---  Edited by Jeff VanderMeer & Ann VanderMeer (2)\nFront Seat Passenger  ---  Pascal Garnier\nNon-Fiction:\nThe Wealth of Networks  ---  Yochai Benkler\nField Notes from A Catastrophe  ---  Elizabeth Kolbert\nWhat Ever Happened to Modernism?  ---  Gabriel Josipovici\nEscape Velocity  ---  Mark Dery\nWhat We See When We Read  ---  Peter Mendelsund\n(1) Author described as non-fiction, publisher hedged bets and labelled in as such, supposedly.\n(2) If only this book could be picked by Subterranean or Centipede press so it'd be a better printed and bound book than Tor ever seems to want to do.\nI always recommend Ballard, even when not wanted.  Relevant quote:\n   A story by J. G. Ballard, as you know, calls for people who don't\n   think. One begins with characters who regard the physical universe\n   as a mysterious and arbitrary place, and who would not dream of\n   trying to understand its actual laws. Furthermore, in order to be\n   the protagonist of a J.G. Ballard novel, or anything more than a\n   very minor character therein, you must have cut yourself off from\n   the entire body of scientific education. In this way, when the world\n   disaster — be it wind or water — comes upon you, you are under\n   absolutely no obligation to do anything about it but sit and worship\n   it. Even more further, some force has acted to remove from the face\n   of the world all people who might impose good sense or rational\n   behavior on you, so that the disaster proceeds unchecked and unopposed\n   except by the almost inevitable thumb-rule engineer type who for\n   his individual comfort builds a huge pyramid (without huge footings)\n   to resist high winds, or trains a herd of alligators and renegade\n   divers to help him out in dealing with deep water.  Algis Budrys,\n   Galaxy magazine (December 1966)\n\n\nI'd recommend Pascal Garnier for anyone who likes sickly dark humor + surrealism + noir + a kind of Ballardian-air.  Also Pynchon.  Hawthorne might be the stand-out this year, in the sense of his works' subtle, implicit ability to question the authorial mode, the nature of the text itself, and the instability of it.\nIn non-fiction I'd recommend Dery's Escape Velocity; It's from the 90s but still deals too presciently with many of the issues around the near-religification of modern electronic technology.  And Josipovici if you lean toward depressive jolts of existential anxiety (it deals mostly with the arts, but I think there's a broader life applicability).",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "And Josipovici if you lean toward depressive jolts of existential anxiety",
          "reason": "Recommends it for readers who appreciate existential unease; says it focuses mostly on the arts but may apply more broadly to life.",
          "audience": "Readers drawn to depressive jolts of existential anxiety.",
          "caveat": "Deals mostly with the arts.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gabriel Josipovici"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "existentialism",
        "modernism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-every-body-is-saying-a45ee7",
      "title": "What Every BODY Is Saying",
      "author": "Joe Navarro and Marvin Karlins",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23153802,
          "author": "mitchelldeacon9",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-12T13:35:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 23151144,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Mind bending books to read and never be the same as before?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23153802",
          "commentText": "In addition to the classics of cognitive psychology (Kahneman, Taleb, et al.), I would also recommend books on psychological manipulation, religious cults, and con men. The following books offer a multi-disciplinary perspective on psychological techniques to improve awareness and exploit other people, both of which are essential to enhance your perception and protect yourself against fraud and manipulation.\nCialdini, Robert (2006) Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion\nGuinn, Jeff (2017) Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple\nEkman, Paul (2007) Emotions Revealed: Recognizing Faces and Feelings to Improve Communication and Emotional Life\nKahneman, Daniel (2011) Thinking, Fast and Slow\nMitnick, Kevin and William Simon (2002) Art of Deception\nNavarro and Karlins (2008) What Every Body is Saying: Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Speed-Reading People\nNietzsche, Friedrich (1887) On the Genealogy of Morals\nRhodes, Richard (1986) Making of the Atomic Bomb\nSun Tzu (c. 400 BCE) Art of War\nTaleb, Nassim Nicholas (2005) Fooled by Randomness\nWright, Lawrence (2013) Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood and the Prison of Belief",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Navarro and Karlins (2008) What Every Body is Saying: Ex-FBI Agent's Guide to Speed-Reading People",
          "reason": "Listed among books offering perspectives on psychological techniques and reading people.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in recognizing manipulation.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joe Navarro",
        "Marvin Karlins"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "body language",
        "nonverbal communication"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-got-you-here-won-t-get-you-there-a1f7f8",
      "title": "What Got You Here Won't Get You There",
      "author": "Marshall Goldsmith with Mark Reiter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10787209,
          "author": "theologic",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-24T05:16:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10787209",
          "commentText": "Got a new job in May so slowed me down, but got through around 8 this year.\nI'm a Lencioni fan:\nDeath by Meeting --  Describes 3 types of meetings\nGetting Naked -- Describes how to consult\nI'm also a Marshall Goldsmith fan:\nWhat Got You Here Won't Get You There -  Once you get beyond a Director level with some mistakes, read this book\nMojo, How to Get It, How To Keep It - Another \"look yourself in the mirror\" book\nAlso:\n21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership  - John Maxwell. A little prod to act more like a leader.\nReady Player One -- Ernest Cline, Great Young Adult Book.  Escapist fantasy.\nEvery Shot Counts -- Mark Broady, Statistical Look At Golf, but has some smell of Kahnemann\nTo Kill A Mockingbird -- Timeless Classic I Never Got To.  Loved Atticus.  I won't read a Watchman if it spoils my view of what Atticus was all about.\nStarted But Not Finished:\nBusiness Dynamics Thinking -- Sterman (out of MIT). I need to take off work to read this 'cause it is so massive.  Basically it is control theory applied to business modelling.  However, I am convinced if somebody can apply these models, it really is the best competitive advantage.  However, too people willing to stick with it.\nHow to Measure Anything -- Douglas Hubbard.  Sort of makes me mad because it is so commonsense, yet most businesses don't apply this commonsense approach.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Once you get beyond a Director level with some mistakes, read this book",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends it to readers past director level who have made some mistakes.",
          "audience": "People beyond director level who want to address career mistakes.",
          "caveat": "The recommendation is aimed at people beyond director level.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marshall Goldsmith with Mark Reiter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "executive coaching",
        "leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-got-you-here-won-t-get-you-there-156ebf",
      "title": "What Got You Here Won't Get You There",
      "author": "Marshall Goldsmith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13238121,
          "author": "guiambros",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T16:01:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13238121",
          "commentText": "Last year I gave myself a Zuckerberg-style goal to read a book every two weeks. It started well, but some months were harder than others (usually when the book wasn't very good, so I would switch to podcasts for a few weeks, before getting back on track).\nHere's an unordered list of the best:\n[BUSINESS / SELF-IMPROVEMENT]\n- \"Work Rules!\" - about Google's culture and values\n- \"Search Inside Yourself\" - about mindfulness, meditation, and the impact on your life.\n- \"What got you here won't get you there\" - Liked a lot more than I expected.\n- \"Re-read Innovator's Dilemma\" - a great classic; never gets old.\n- \"How will you measure your life\" - from the same author. Also excellent.\n- \"The Best Service is No Service\" - good overview on why Amazon's customer service is so good\n- \"Crucial Conversations\" - half is common sense; half is good tips to practice everyday.\n[PROGRAMMING]\n- \"Fluent Python\" - was afraid it'd be too basic, but not really. Enjoyed it a lot.\n- \"Think Complexity\" - about algorithm complexity, data structures, etc. Great read.\n- \"Python Data Science Handbook\" - meh.\n- \"Fundamentals of Deep Learning\" - good intro. Helped me solidify some concepts from Andrew Ng's ML course\n- \"Deep Learning\" - by Goodfellow and Bengio. Just started, but really liking it.\n[STARTUPS] (all excellent; in order)\n- \"The Hard Things about Hard Things\"\n- \"Zero to One\"\n- \"The Founder's Dilemmas\"\n- \"The Launch Pad\"\n[FICTION]\n- Trilogy: \"Off to be a wizard / An Unwelcome Quest / Spell or High Water\"\n- \"Infinite Jest\" - tried but failed to finish. May try again later.\n- \"Ready Player One\" - nice, but repetitive after a while. Good read before the movie comes out.\n[NON-FICTION]\n- \"What If?\" - xkcd FTW\n- \"How to Read a Book\" - good concepts, but should be a 10 pages blog post, not a book\n- \"Spark\" - Science of the Exercise and the Brain - Long, but good\n- \"Sugar Shock\" - still reading; hopefully will help me cut my sweet cravings\n[BIOGRAPHIES]\n- \"The New New Thing\" - about Jim Clark's life, one of the very first entrepreneurs\n- \"Machines of Loving Grace\" - about the research and the rise of AI\n- \"Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution\"\n- \"The Second Coming of Steve Jobs\" - About Pixar's story. Liked more than Isaacson's biography\n- \"The Innovators\" - great summary of computer industry, from the 1800's till today\n- \"Ghost in the Wires\" - Kevin Mitnick's story. Had started years ago, but finally finished it\n- \"Idea Man\" - about Paul Allen's story. Quite an impressive man.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"What got you here won't get you there\" - Liked a lot more than I expected.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they liked it a lot more than expected.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marshall Goldsmith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "behavior change",
        "leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-happened-to-you-a9f94d",
      "title": "What Happened to You?",
      "author": "Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35171605,
          "author": "grepLeigh",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T17:18:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35171605",
          "commentText": "Most posts offer the obvious suggestions (The Mom Test, High Growth Handbook, The Personal MBA, The Power Law, Hard Thing about Hard Thing, Will It Fly, etc), so I'll focus on some non-obvious suggestions.\nFor tactical advice, I find talks/podcasts and mastermind groups more useful than books.  My favorite podcast (by far) is Rob Walling's Startups for the Rest of Us, which is oriented towards building a capital-efficient bootstrapped business. The archive is full of extremely valuable tactical advice.\nThe books I've found most helpful on my entrepreneurship journey are about mental health, emotional intelligence, and relationships of all kinds. Sharing a few that have had a profound impact, since they helped me metabolize and understand what drove me to become a founder in the first place.\n1. The Self-Compassion Skills Workbook by Tim Desmond\n2. Path of Compassion by Thich Nhat Hanh\n3. The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read, Philippa Perry\n4. Burnout, Emily Nagoski\n5. Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents, Lindsay C. Gibson\n6. Self-Compassion, Dr. Kristin Neff\n7. How to Keep House While Drowning, KC Davis\n8. Deploy Empathy, Michele Hansen\n9. The Body Keeps the Score, Bessel A. Van der Kolk\n10. Atlas of the Heart, Brene Brown\n11. What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing by Bruce D. Perry and Oprah Winfrey",
          "reason": "Listed among books that helped the commenter on their entrepreneurship journey.",
          "audience": "Founders interested in mental health, emotional intelligence, and relationships.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruce D. Perry",
        "Oprah Winfrey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "resilience",
        "trauma"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-has-government-done-to-our-money-235f6b",
      "title": "What Has Government Done to Our Money?",
      "author": "Murray N. Rothbard",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1464936,
          "author": "nandemo",
          "createdAt": "2010-06-27T04:43:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 1464694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1464936",
          "commentText": "I love that book.\nAnother good, \"popular\" Austrian-school book is What Has Government Done to Our Money? by Murray Rothbard. The Theory of Money and Credit by Mises is on same subject but it's more comprehensive, the tone is more academic and is considerably harder. Both are available online.\nhttp://mises.org/money.asp\nhttp://mises.org/books/Theory_Money_Credit/Contents.aspx",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Another good, \"popular\" Austrian-school book is What Has Government Done to Our Money? by Murray Rothbard.",
          "reason": "Described as a good, popular Austrian school book on money.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Murray N. Rothbard"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "austrian economics",
        "monetary economics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-hath-god-wrought-the-transformation-of-america-1815-1848-8b94f1",
      "title": "What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815–1848",
      "author": "Daniel Walker Howe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10028126,
          "author": "cloverich",
          "createdAt": "2015-08-08T18:06:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 10027102,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books with a high signal to noise ratio?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10028126",
          "commentText": "I've been (slowly) working through the series (Oxford History of the United States) and want to put a mention in for \"What Hath God Wrought\", covering 1815-1848. Similar in scope and depth to Battle Cry, gave me similar feelings of \"How can a book so long feel like it's barely abel to get all this information in.\"\nThats the period I was least interested in going in, but have ranked as the best History book I've read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "want to put a mention in for \"What Hath God Wrought\", covering 1815-1848. Similar in scope and depth to Battle Cry, gave me similar feelings of \"How can a book so long feel like it's barely abel to get all this information in.\"",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its information density and ranks it as their best history book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Walker Howe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "19th century",
        "united states history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-i-believe-bb8a8f",
      "title": "What I Believe",
      "author": "Bertrand Russell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 192237,
          "author": "asnyder",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-16T21:09:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 191715,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: Road trip. Which audio books would you recommend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=192237",
          "commentText": "1.\"The Long Tail\" by Chris Anderson\n2.\"Super Crunchers\" by Ian Ayres\n3.\"Six Great Scientists\" by J.G Crowther\n4.\"The Meaning of It All\" by Richard Feynman\n5.\"Dealers of Lightning\"(The story of XEROX Parc) by Michael Hiltzik \n6.\"What I Believe\" by Betrand Russell\nThe above titles can all be found at audible.com, and probably through itunes too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"What I Believe\" by Betrand Russell",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bertrand Russell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-if-4440e1",
      "title": "What If?",
      "author": "Randall Munroe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12473765,
          "author": "kaushikt",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T15:19:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12473765",
          "commentText": "zero to one - Peter thiel -  good read\nold man and the sea - Hemingway - good read\nsapiens (currently reading) - Yuval Noah Harari - fantastic till now\nWhat if (still reading) - Randall Munroe - an interesting read",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "What if (still reading) - Randall Munroe - an interesting read",
          "reason": "Calls it an interesting read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Still reading it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Randall Munroe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "popular science",
        "thought experiments"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-if-2-1a5a49",
      "title": "What If? 2",
      "author": "Randall Munroe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38557077,
          "author": "rossdavidh",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T14:59:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38557077",
          "commentText": "End Times: Elites, Counter-Elites, and the Path of Political Disintegration by Peter Turchin.  Instead of just bemoaning the current state of politics, Turchin uses a data-informed comparison to previous, similar cycles to see where we're headed.\nWhat if? 2 by Randall Munroe.  The physics, biology, and chemistry textbook we should have had in high school.\nDifferent: Gender Through the Eyes of a Primatologist by Frans de Waal.  Primatologist with half a century of experience analyzes current gender identity debates from the viewpoint of someone who knows about more than one primate species (not just humans).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The physics, biology, and chemistry textbook we should have had in high school.",
          "reason": "Characterizes it as an engaging physics, biology, and chemistry textbook.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in accessible science explanations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Randall Munroe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hypothetical questions",
        "popular science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-intelligence-tests-miss-f1ebe7",
      "title": "What Intelligence Tests Miss",
      "author": "Keith E. Stanovich",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13805715,
          "author": "conistonwater",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T20:19:00.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805715",
          "commentText": "Do you mean all the priming stuff? I thought the fast-slow thinking distinction was still okay. In that case, What Intelligence Tests Miss by Keith Stanovich might be a better read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "What Intelligence Tests Miss by Keith Stanovich might be a better read.",
          "reason": "Suggests it as a better read in the discussion about limitations in another book’s premises.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Keith E. Stanovich"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "intelligence testing",
        "rationality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-is-calculus-about-86fa50",
      "title": "What Is Calculus About?",
      "author": "W. W. Sawyer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 665688,
          "author": "JimJinkins",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-19T18:56:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 665029,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good math books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=665688",
          "commentText": "W. W. Sawyer\nMathematician's Delight\nPrelude to Mathematics\nWhat is Calculus About? \nThis is best intro to calculus I ever saw.  When I taught introductory calculus, I recommended it to all my students.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "This is best intro to calculus I ever saw.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best introduction to calculus the commenter has seen.",
          "audience": "Students learning introductory calculus.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. W. Sawyer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "calculus"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-is-called-thinking-e589df",
      "title": "What Is Called Thinking?",
      "author": "Martin Heidegger",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2643431,
          "author": "kentpalmer",
          "createdAt": "2011-06-11T07:45:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 2639582,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2643431",
          "commentText": "Heidegger What is called Thinking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Heidegger What is called Thinking.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Martin Heidegger"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "philosophy of thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-is-islam-the-importance-of-being-islamic-5e8972",
      "title": "What Is Islam? The Importance of Being Islamic",
      "author": "Shahab Ahmed",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36105343,
          "author": "mrwnmonm",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T16:14:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105343",
          "commentText": "I would add \"What is Islam? - by Shahab Ahmed\" and \"A Culture of Ambiguity - by Thomas Bauer\", althought I don't agree with everything they say.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "\"What is Islam? - by Shahab Ahmed\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they do not agree with everything in the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Shahab Ahmed"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "islam",
        "religious studies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-is-man-and-other-essays-f63465",
      "title": "What Is Man? and Other Essays",
      "author": "Mark Twain",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20914410,
          "author": "perl4ever",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T01:09:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20914410",
          "commentText": "What is Man? And Other Essays\nby Mark Twain\nhttps://www.gutenberg.org/files/70/70-h/70-h.htm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "What is Man? And Other Essays\nby Mark Twain",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Twain"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "essays"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-is-mathematics-ec1631",
      "title": "What Is Mathematics?",
      "author": "Richard Courant, Herbert Robbins, and Ian Stewart",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21347254,
          "author": "vector_spaces",
          "createdAt": "2019-10-24T17:55:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 21346272,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there books for mathematics like Feynman's lectures on physics?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21347254",
          "commentText": "The closest I'm aware of is What Is Mathematics? by Courant, Robbins, and Stewart -- starts off developing the natural numbers, goes onto number theory, analysis, complex numbers, set theory, projective geometry, non-euclidean geometry, topology, calculus, optimization, and some chapters on recent developments (as of its republishing in 1996, book was originally published in 1941).\nA lesser known one that isn't quite as comprehensive is a little Dover tome by Mendelson: Number Systems and the Foundations of Analysis. It starts off with the (abstract) natural numbers, and from there develops (parts of) real and complex analysis, using a categorical point of view throughout.\nOne of my favorite parts in the latter:\n“What is our intuitive understanding of the natural numbers? Surely this being the firmest of all our mathematical ideas, should have a definite, transparent meaning. Let us examine a few attempts to make this meaning clear:\n(1) The natural numbers may be thought of as symbolic expressions:\n1 is |, 2 is ||, 3 is |||, 4 is ||||, etc. Thus, we start with a vertical stroke | and obtain new expressions by appending additional vertical strokes. There are some obvious objections with this approach. First, we cannot be talking about particular physical marks on paper, since a vertical stroke for the number 1 may be repeated in different physical locations. The number 1 cannot be a class of all congruent strokes, since the length of the stroke may vary; we would even acknowledge as a 1 a somewhat wiggly stroke written by a very nervous person. Even if we should succeed in giving a sufficiently general geometric characterization of the curves which would be recognized as 1’s, there is still another objection. Different people and different civilizations may use different symbols for the basic unit, for example, a circle or a square instead of a stroke. Yet, we could not give priority to one symbolism over any of the others. Nevertheless, in all cases, we would have to admit that, regardless of the difference in symbols, we are all talking about the same things.\n(2) The natural numbers may be conceived to be set-theoretic objects. In one very appealing version of this approach, the number 1 is defined as the set of all singletons {x}; the number 2 is the set of all unordered pairs {x, y}, where x =/= y; the number 3 is the set of all sets {x, y, z} where x =/= y, x =/= z, y =/= z; and so on. Within a suitable axiomatic presentation of set theory, clear rigorous definitions can be given along these lines for the general notion of natural number and for familiar operations and relations involving natural numbers. Indeed, the axioms for a Peano system are easy consequences of the definitions and simple theorems of set theory. Nevertheless, there are strong deficiencies in this approach as well.\nFirst, there are many competing forms of axiomatic set theory. In some of them, the approach sketched above cannot be carried through, and a completely different definition is necessary. For example, one can define the natural numbers as follows: 1 = {∅}, 2 = {∅, 1}, 3 = {∅, 1, 2}, etc. Alternatively, one could use: 1 = {∅}, 2 = {1}, 3 = {2}, etc. Thus, even in set theory, there is no single way to handle the natural numbers. However, even if a set-theoretic definition is agreed upon,it can be argued that the clear mathematical idea of the natural numbers should not be defined in set-theoretic terms. The paradoxes (that is, arguments leading to a contradiction) arising in set theory have cast doubt upon the clarity and meaningfulness of the general notions of set theory. It would be inadvisable then to define our basic mathematical concepts in terms of set theoretic ideas.\nThis discussion leads us to the conjecture that the natural numbers are not particular mathematical objects. Different people, different languages, and different set theories may have different systems of natural numbers. However, they all satisfy the axioms for Peano systems and therefore are isomorphic. There is no one system which has priority in any sense over all the others. For Peano systems, as for all mathematical systems, it is the form (or structure) which is important, not the “content”. Since the natural numbers are necessary in the further development of mathematics, we shall make one simple assumption:Basic Axiom There exists a Peano system.“\nElliott Mendelson, Number Systems and the Foundations of Analysis",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The closest I'm aware of is What Is Mathematics? by Courant, Robbins, and Stewart",
          "reason": "Presented as the closest book the commenter knows to the requested broad, Feynman-like mathematics treatment.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Courant, Herbert Robbins, and Ian Stewart"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical foundations",
        "mathematics overview"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-is-property-592f57",
      "title": "What Is Property?",
      "author": "Pierre-Joseph Proudhon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4787229,
          "author": "GuiA",
          "createdAt": "2012-11-15T05:18:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 4787046,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some Good Books you have read in past one year or so..",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787229",
          "commentText": "A varied assortment:\n---\nThe Lifecycle of Software Objects\nZen Mind, Beginner's Mind\nWhat Is Property\nThe City of Dreaming Books\nBorn to Run\nGödel, Escher, Bach",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "What Is Property",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pierre-Joseph Proudhon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "political theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-is-real-db7c68",
      "title": "What Is Real?",
      "author": "Adam Becker",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20339600,
          "author": "PeterWhittaker",
          "createdAt": "2019-07-02T21:32:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 20332455,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20339600",
          "commentText": "\"What is Real\" by Adam Becker. He presents the sociology of why the Copenhagen interpretation persisted for so long, despite strong opposition early on and refutations of Von Neumann's work on why it had to be true.\nOnce into the modern world, he provides an overview of current interpretations and their experimental support.\nBecker's book is, I think, the best lay person's explanation of the problems QM was invented to solve, the Copenhagen Interpretation itself, and several of the more modern interpretations.\nGreat, mind bending read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Becker's book is, I think, the best lay person's explanation of the problems QM was invented to solve",
          "reason": "Calls it the best lay explanation of quantum mechanics' problems and interpretations, and describes it as a mind-bending read.",
          "audience": "Lay readers interested in quantum mechanics and its interpretations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Adam Becker"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "history of science",
        "interpretations of quantum mechanics",
        "quantum mechanics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-is-the-name-of-this-book-493956",
      "title": "What Is the Name of This Book?",
      "author": "Raymond Smullyan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2330197,
          "author": "pwp",
          "createdAt": "2011-03-16T00:55:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 2329700,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that change your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2330197",
          "commentText": "\"What Is The Name Of This Book?\" by Raymond Smullyan is a great book if you like puzzles or want a playful way to improve your logic/reasoning skills. It does a really good job of incrementally building up to more complicated problems. It starts out with puzzles using basic if p then q style logic and moves all the way up to Gödel's Incompleteness Theorem in a way that is both accessible by and entertaining to someone as young as 10.\nIt took me about two weeks to a month to read and give each question due thought at a pretty leisurely pace, though I am sure most would take many much less time. (I had to stop to keep up on homework/study for tests for about a week of time.)\nI don't know if I became a better programmer from it, but it is very much inline with the hacker spirit. You can get it probably from the library/inter-library loan (as I did initially), but you will probably fall in love with it and shell out the $10 to get the used copy.\nHope you enjoy,  pwp",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "is a great book if you like puzzles or want a playful way to improve your logic/reasoning skills.",
          "reason": "Praises its incremental puzzles and accessible, entertaining approach to logic.",
          "audience": "Puzzle fans and readers seeking to improve logic or reasoning; accessible to readers as young as 10.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure whether it made them a better programmer.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Raymond Smullyan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "logic puzzles",
        "reasoning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-makes-this-book-so-great-017c17",
      "title": "What Makes This Book So Great",
      "author": "Jo Walton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9637133,
          "author": "MaysonL",
          "createdAt": "2015-06-01T07:18:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 9636361,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9637133",
          "commentText": "Jo Walton's What Makes This Book So Great along with about half a dozen of the books it mentions (it's a collection of blog posts on books she's rereading) which I hadn't previously read. All of the previously unread ones I've now finally read are good, a couple great, ditto the ones previously read. One was enough of a downer that I didn't finish it (Random Acts of Senseless Violence).\nDefinitely recommended if you enjoy science fiction and/or fantasy.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Definitely recommended if you enjoy science fiction and/or fantasy.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly recommends it to readers who enjoy science fiction or fantasy.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy science fiction or fantasy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jo Walton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "book essays",
        "science fiction and fantasy criticism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-management-is-49abb4",
      "title": "What Management Is",
      "author": "Joan Magretta",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 65157,
          "author": "Kaizyn",
          "createdAt": "2007-10-09T06:11:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 65153,
          "threadTitle": "Top Books for Entrepreneurs. List them.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=65157",
          "commentText": "This has come up a couple times before.  However, specifically for entrepreneurs, the books to read are:\n  1) How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie\n  2) Musashi's The Book of Five Rings\n  3) Gonzo Marketing by Christopher Locke\n  4) Getting Things Done by David Allen\n  5) What Management Is by Joan Magretta\n\nThere are other books, but less relevant in a business context.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "What Management Is by Joan Magretta",
          "reason": "Listed among books to read specifically for entrepreneurs.",
          "audience": "Entrepreneurs.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joan Magretta"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-moves-the-dead-4e5d8b",
      "title": "What Moves the Dead",
      "author": "T. Kingfisher",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 48091164,
          "author": "tim-tday",
          "createdAt": "2026-05-11T04:51:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 48084905,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci fi books are you reading now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48091164",
          "commentText": "The latest dungeon crawler Carl book comes out on Tuesday. That’s a fun series.\nI’m also reading the new James SA  Corey series (the expanse). The first one is called “the mercy of gods”.\nI also received the recommendation of “what moves the dead” but I haven’t read it yet.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I also received the recommendation of “what moves the dead” but I haven’t read it yet.",
          "reason": "Reports receiving a recommendation for the book but has not read it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "T. Kingfisher"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "gothic horror",
        "retelling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-they-teach-you-at-harvard-business-school-d9b3d7",
      "title": "What They Teach You at Harvard Business School",
      "author": "Philip Delves Broughton",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8109157,
          "author": "kanakiyajay",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:26:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109157",
          "commentText": "\"What they teach you at Harvard Business School\"\nA must if you are thinking of taking the plunge from development to doing an MBA",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A must if you are thinking of taking the plunge from development to doing an MBA",
          "reason": "Calls it a must-read for developers considering an MBA.",
          "audience": "Developers thinking about pursuing an MBA.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip Delves Broughton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business school",
        "mba"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-we-cannot-know-3218a7",
      "title": "What We Cannot Know",
      "author": "Marcus du Sautoy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18663336,
          "author": "0db532a0",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T12:32:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663336",
          "commentText": "Personal summaries and opinions on some books I’ve read this year:\nThe First Man - Camus: A semi-autobiographical novel about his childhood growing up in Algeria in a poor family, his friendships, his educational successes and becoming a man.\nThe Unbearable Lightness of Being - Kundera: A realistic, unromantic look at the ideals involved in love, sexual and romantic relationships.\nLaughable Loves - Kundera: More of the same in the form of a collection of short stories. Thoroughly enjoyed.\nThe Only Way to Stop Smoking Permanently - Alan Carr: I’m not particularly into self-help books, but this has actually worked so far. It focusses on removing the desire to smoke, rather than increasing willpower not to smoke.\nMetamorphosis - Kafka: Looks at duty to family, social alienation and the equation of a man’s worth with his career and earning ability.\nWhat we cannot Know - du Sautoy: A not too poppy pop-science look into the limits of human knowledge and consciousness. Delves into maths, astronomy, philosophy, existence of a god, quantum physics. Still interesting as a graduate of mathematics, and answers a few questions I had about quantum physics.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Still interesting as a graduate of mathematics, and answers a few questions I had about quantum physics.",
          "reason": "The commenter found it interesting and says it answered some of their questions about quantum physics.",
          "audience": "A mathematics graduate, per the commenter's experience.",
          "caveat": "Described as not too poppy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marcus du Sautoy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics",
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "limits of knowledge",
        "quantum physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-we-talk-about-when-we-talk-about-love-90f646",
      "title": "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love",
      "author": "Raymond Carver",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10175587,
          "author": "jmduke",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-05T18:28:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 10175465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10175587",
          "commentText": "I just finished up Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari -- which, while not groundbreaking, was supremely interesting and readable.  If you like Aziz's standup, it's basically him playing sociologist for 200 pages.\nRight now I'm going back and forth between Black Hat Python (because I owe it to myself to at least learn a little bit of this stuff) and What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Carver.  Two totally separate ends of the spectrum, but they're both great.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "they're both great",
          "reason": "The commenter says both books they are reading are great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 9350837,
          "author": "pdiddy",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T20:35:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 9346313,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9350837",
          "commentText": "Birdman also heavily revolves around What We Talk About When We Talk About Love.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Birdman also heavily revolves around What We Talk About When We Talk About Love.",
          "reason": "Named as a subject of the film; no evaluation or recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Raymond Carver"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short stories",
        "minimalism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-will-be-e23b24",
      "title": "What Will Be",
      "author": "Michael L. Dertouzos",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19556750,
          "author": "Zuchi237",
          "createdAt": "2019-04-02T17:49:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 19556208,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on the early history of the Internet and/or Web?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19556750",
          "commentText": "What Will Be - From Old president of MIT",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "What Will Be - From Old president of MIT",
          "reason": "Offers the book as an answer to a request for recommendations on early internet history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael L. Dertouzos"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "future of technology",
        "internet history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-you-do-is-who-you-are-7a36b2",
      "title": "What You Do Is Who You Are",
      "author": "Ben Horowitz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ben Horowitz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "company culture",
        "leadership"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-you-make-it-1634e2",
      "title": "What You Make It",
      "author": "Michael Marshall Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17382220,
          "author": "oldcynic",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T17:16:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17382220",
          "commentText": "Is Michael Marshall Smith well known in the US?\nIntruders was made into a BBC America series, but his earlier works are much more interesting.\nOnly Forward, One of Us, What You Make It, or Spares from the nineties are all well written, and all beat any of the suspense he's written as Michael Marshall. He simply seems much better writing near future dystopian sci-fi.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Only Forward, One of Us, What You Make It, or Spares from the nineties are all well written",
          "reason": "Grouped among the author's better written earlier works; the commenter prefers his near-future dystopian science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Marshall Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "british science fiction",
        "near future dystopia"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-you-ll-wish-you-d-known-aba887",
      "title": "What You'll Wish You'd Known",
      "author": "Paul Graham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16296328,
          "author": "HiroshiSan",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T05:24:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16296328",
          "commentText": "^ this. I read Paul Graham's, What You'll Wish You'd Known when I was in high school and it was like \"okay great I get it\" and only now after reading it again recently has it become \"wow, now I feel it.\"\nAnd for me it seems to boil down to feeling the message rather than knowing it. Someone can tell you to work out and stay in shape, but sometimes it takes hitting a personal low to make a permanent change.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Paul Graham's, What You'll Wish You'd Known when I was in high school",
          "reason": "Says rereading it made the message feel newly meaningful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says its impact became clearer only on rereading it later in life.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Graham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "life advice"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-a-plant-knows-ea3ff8",
      "title": "What a Plant Knows",
      "author": "Daniel Chamovitz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46693299,
          "author": "0xmattf",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-20T16:01:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 46690957,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What non-fiction do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46693299",
          "commentText": "I only read non-fiction; mostly philosophy. Here are some books off the top of my head:\n* The Inner Citadel/Philosophy as a Way of Life by Pierre Hadot\n* Plato's dialogues (someone already mentioned a few of them, but the Republic was missing from their list).\n* Epictetus (Discourses and Enchiridion)\n* The various essays/letters of Seneca\n* Matter and Consciousness by Churchland (older, but fascinating)\n* The Mediations of Marcus Aurelius\n* (mostly) any Buddhist texts\n* What a Plant Knows\n* Moonwalking with Einstein\nThere are tons of fascinating books, way too many to list.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "What a Plant Knows",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Chamovitz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "plant biology",
        "plant perception"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-the-buddha-taught-1537d0",
      "title": "What the Buddha Taught",
      "author": "Walpola Rahula",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30737599,
          "author": "rg111",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-19T21:09:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30737599",
          "commentText": "\"What the Buddha Taught\" by Walpola Rahula is an extremely good book.\nIt limits itself only to direct teachings of Buddha, and it explains the core concepts and teachings of Buddhism by explaining everything simply.\nThe author is a revered scholar and his style of writing is excellent.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"What the Buddha Taught\" by Walpola Rahula is an extremely good book.",
          "reason": "Recommended for its explanation of core Buddhist concepts through direct teachings of the Buddha.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it limits itself to direct teachings of the Buddha.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Walpola Rahula"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhism",
        "buddhist teachings"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-the-ceo-wants-you-to-know-860d7b",
      "title": "What the CEO Wants You to Know",
      "author": "Ram Charan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4967883,
          "author": "murrayb",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-26T02:18:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4967883",
          "commentText": "For the mind: Mindfulness in Plain English - Bhante Henepola Gunaratana\nFor the body: Born To Run - Chris McDougall\nFor fun: REAMDE - Neal Stephenson\nFor business: What The CEO Wants You To Know - Ram Charan",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For business: What The CEO Wants You To Know - Ram Charan",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ram Charan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-the-dog-saw-7d35ed",
      "title": "What the Dog Saw",
      "author": "Malcolm Gladwell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1026506,
          "author": "paulgb",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T00:30:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026506",
          "commentText": "The best book I read in 2009 was The Selfish Gene by Richard Dawkins. It's surprisingly accessible (I've never taken a biology class), and talks a lot about evolutionary game theory which I found fascinating.\nSome other books I read last year:\nHow the Mind Works by Steven Pinker. It was a great book, Pinker's writing is accessible and entertaining. Much more so than On Intelligence by Jeff Hawkins.\nMore with Less: Paul MacCready and the Dream of Efficient Flight by Paul Ciotti. I really enjoyed this one, it was the story of the first team to cross the English channel with human-powered flight.\nWhat the Dog Saw by Malcolm Gladwell. I liked this one better than Gladwell's other books. There is less theorizing and arguing a point and more telling stories, which is what Gladwell excels at.\nThe Mind's I by Douglas Hofstadter and Daniel Dennett. If you are patient with what is sometimes (in my humble opinion) pointlessly arguing semantics, some of the sections are interesting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I liked this one better than Gladwell's other books.",
          "reason": "Says they liked it better than Gladwell's other books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Malcolm Gladwell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "essays",
        "journalism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-the-dormouse-said-how-the-sixties-counterculture-shaped-the--492cf6",
      "title": "What the Dormouse Said: How the Sixties Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer Industry",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17207826,
          "author": "Liquix",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T17:33:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17207826",
          "commentText": "What the Dormouse Said: How the Sixties Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer Industry is exactly what you're looking for. It goes way back to before Xerox or Apple, getting up close and personal with the visionaries who dreamt that computers would one day augment human intellect, especially Doug Engelbart. I wish I was better at summarizing books - this is really really worth reading\nhttps://www.amazon.com/What-Dormouse-Said-Counterculture-Per... (https://www.amazon.com/What-Dormouse-Said-Counterculture-Personal/dp/0143036769)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "What the Dormouse Said: How the Sixties Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer Industry is exactly what you're looking for.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it directly matches the request and calls it really worth reading.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in the counterculture and visionaries behind personal computing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "1960s counterculture",
        "computer history",
        "personal computing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-to-listen-for-in-music-0e418e",
      "title": "What to Listen for in Music",
      "author": "Aaron Copland",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1026553,
          "author": "jdlegg",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T01:32:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026553",
          "commentText": "\"Blood Meridian\" by Cormac McCarthy\n\"War and Peace\" by Leo Tolstoy\n\"What to Listen For in Music\" by Aaron Copland",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"What to Listen For in Music\" by Aaron Copland",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a thread asking for books read and recommended.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Aaron Copland"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "music appreciation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-s-mine-is-yours-how-collaborative-consumption-is-changing-th-adbcd9",
      "title": "What's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption Is Changing the Way We Live",
      "author": "Rachel Botsman and Roo Rogers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17933066,
          "author": "merrua",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-07T10:04:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17933066",
          "commentText": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.\nBusiness / Tech\nGrit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.\nAre Your Lights On?: How to Figure Out What the Problem Really Is.\nManaging Expectations: Working with People Who Want More: Working with People Who Want More, Better, Faster, Sooner, Now! \nExplore It!: Reduce Risk and Increase Confidence with Exploratory Testing.\nSpam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime-From Global Epidemic to Your Front Door.\nWeapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. \nBadass: Making Users Awesome.\nSocial Engineering in IT Security: Tools, Tactics, and Techniques.\nHow to Make Sense of Any Mess: Information Architecture for Everybody. \nAgile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great.\nThe Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.\nThe Global War for Internet Governance.\nCoding Freedom: The Ethics and Aesthetics of Hacking.\nHate Crimes in Cyberspace.\nHigh Noon: The Inside Story of Scott McNealy and the Rise of Sun Microsystems.\nMindset: The New Psychology of Success.\nWhere Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet.\nThe Soul of A New Machine.\nHot Spots: Why Some Companies Buzz with Energy and Innovation - And Others Don't.\nA Computer Called LEO: Lyons Tea Shops and the World's First Office Computer.\nPower Failure: The Inside Story of the Collapse of Enron.\nThe Mesh: Why the Future of Business is Sharing.\nWhat's Mine Is Yours: How Collaborative Consumption is Changing the Way We Live.\nPrivacy in Context: Technology, Policy, and the Integrity of Social Life.\nQuiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking.\nThe Boy Kings: A Journey into the Heart of the Social Network.\nThe Undersea Network (Sign, Storage, Transmission).\nAutomating Inequality: How High-Tech Tools Profile, Police, and Punish the Poor.\nMeaningful: The Story of Ideas That Fly. \nZero Bugs and Program Faster.\nOfficial Criticism Manual: Perfecting the Art of Giving and Receiving Criticism.\nHacking Wireless Access Points: Cracking, Tracking, and Signal Jacking.\nUsability Testing Essentials: Ready, Set...Test!\nBehind Closed Doors: Secrets of Great Management.\nThe Accidental Project Manager. \nBuilding Successful Communities of Practice.\nCard Sorting: Designing Usable Categories.\nMore Fearless Change: Strategies for Making Your Ideas Happen.\nSecurity and Usability: Designing Secure Systems that People Can Use.\nBroad Band: The Untold Story of the Women Who Made the Internet. \nThe Well: The Epic History of the First Online Community.\nProgrammers at Work.\nScience\nThe Theory That Would Not Die: How Bayes' Rule Cracked the Enigma Code, Hunted Down Russian Submarines, and Emerged Triumphant from Two Centuries of Controversy\nDarwin's Ghosts: In Search of the First Evolutionists\nThe Dinosaur Hunters: A True Story of Scientific Rivalry and the Discovery of the Prehistoric World\nChasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens\nThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.\nHidden Figures\nPrometheans in the Lab: Chemistry and the Making of the Modern World\nFixing My Gaze: A Scientist's Journey into Seeing in Three Dimensions\nThe Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History\nKnocking On Heaven's Door: How Physics and Scientific Thinking Illuminate our Universe\nSightlines \nAn Ocean of Air: A Natural History of the Atmosphere\nSnowball Earth: The Story of the Global Catastrophe That Spawned Life as We Know it\nBlood Work: A Tale of Medicine and Murder in the Scientific Revolution\nBeing Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error: The Meaning of Error in an Age of Certainty\nMycophilia\nPacking for Mars: The Curious Science Of Life In Space\nNo Logo\nKing of Infinite Space: Donald Coxeter, the Man Who Saved Geometry\nThe Ghosts Of Evolution Nonsensical Fruit, Missing Partners, And Other Ecological Anachronisms\nRosalind Franklin: The Dark Lady of DNA\nGrowing Up Boeing: The Early Jet Age Through the Eyes of a Test Pilot's Daughter\nSoundings: The Story of the Remarkable Woman Who Mapped the Ocean Floor\nMoby-Duck: The True Story of 28,800 bath Toys Lost at Sea\nNaming Nature: The Clash Between Instinct and Science\nWorld / Politics / Other\nDrift: The Unmooring of American Military Power\nThe New Jim Crow\nThe Market for Force: The Consequences of Privatizing Security\nImaginary Weapons: A Journey Through the Pentagon's Scientific Underworld\nInside Scientology: The Story of America's Most Secretive Religion\nThe irregulars : Roald Dahl and the British spy ring in wartime Washington\nHoly Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing\nThe Gift of Fear",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I enjoyed all these. All of them are worth a read.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed the listed books and that they are worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rachel Botsman and Roo Rogers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "collaborative consumption",
        "sharing economy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-s-where-in-the-apple-51a7f3",
      "title": "What's Where in the Apple",
      "author": "Tom Weishaar",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46783171,
          "author": "waffletower",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-27T17:25:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 46778461,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books to learn 6502 ASM and the Apple II",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46783171",
          "commentText": "I strongly recommend \"What's Where in the Apple\": https://archive.org/details/whatswhereinappl0000lueb\nI loved that book back in the day.  Specific, directly addressable memory locations are mapped to system devices in a way that is quite foreign and Wild West when compared to modern computer architectures.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I strongly recommend \"What's Where in the Apple\"",
          "reason": "Strongly recommends the book; the commenter says they loved it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Weishaar"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "apple ii",
        "memory mapping"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-s-the-big-idea-ed0325",
      "title": "What's the Big Idea?",
      "author": "George Lois",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 193747,
          "author": "SwellJoe",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-19T00:29:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 193308,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What books on marketing do you recomend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=193747",
          "commentText": "Ogilvy on Advertising is one of my absolute favorites, and I go back to it regularly.  It's also a beautiful book with lots of large photos of campaigns.  It's not specifically \"marketing\" of course, but it covers that area, as well.\nThe funny thing is that a lot of folks in the business writing books today like to present themselves as being innovators and mavericks going against the \"old school\" of advertising and marketing...but Ogilvy covers a lot of the \"new\" techniques that folks like Godin and Ries and many others in the web era are pushing.  Stuff like directly talking to your customer; the power of personal messages, for example, is covered in great detail in Ogilvy's book.  Sure, the technology wasn't there yet to tweet and blog, but the ideas translate quite clearly and easily if you just think about it for a minute.\nAnother \"old timer\" (who also considered himself a maverick fighting the Ogilvy ways) is George Lois.  His book \"What's the Big Idea?\" is full of great stories of reaching a market on the cheap.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "His book \"What's the Big Idea?\" is full of great stories of reaching a market on the cheap.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its stories about reaching a market cheaply.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "George Lois"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "advertising",
        "marketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "whatever-you-think-think-the-opposite-50bfe6",
      "title": "Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite",
      "author": "Paul Arden",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 57106,
          "author": "rkabir",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T22:53:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=57106",
          "commentText": "Hubbard's \"A Message to Garcia\" (written in 1899) is a must-read. It's available online here: http://www.birdsnest.com/garcia.htm\nMy AI professor made us read it for his class - no one else in the class seemed to like it, so you might not either.\nMy other two staples are\nPaul Arden's books. (\"It's Not How Good You Are, Its How Good You Want to Be: The World's Best Selling Book\", and \"Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite\")\nThey're short reads, with huge print. Very simple, and to the point. They don't really say anything new / earth shaking - but it's a nicely packaged dose of one part inspiration, one part ambition, and one part a kick in the pants to do stuff. Anytime I'm in a lull, I re-read them both. They're also handy to give to nay-saying family, \"friends\" and colleagues.\nIf I haven't gifted you with this personal tri-force, you're probably not my friend.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite\"",
          "reason": "Describes the book as an inspiring, ambitious nudge to take action and says they reread it.",
          "audience": "People looking for a short dose of inspiration and ambition.",
          "caveat": "Says it does not offer anything new or earth-shaking.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Arden"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creativity",
        "motivation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "when-genius-failed-dc7786",
      "title": "When Genius Failed",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17207493,
          "author": "kevas",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T17:07:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17207493",
          "commentText": "Based on your listings, you may also enjoy When Genius Failed, which is based on LTCM and their downfall.\nLink: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0375758259/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_j0... (https://www.amazon.com/dp/0375758259/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_j0xeBb89BDX4H)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you may also enjoy When Genius Failed, which is based on LTCM and their downfall.",
          "reason": "Suggested as an account of LTCM and its downfall.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in business and financial failures.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business failure",
        "financial crisis",
        "ltcm"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "when-genius-failed-the-rise-and-fall-of-long-term-capital-managem-6268de",
      "title": "When Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management",
      "author": "Roger Lowenstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25318804,
          "author": "NothingIsReal",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T21:57:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25318804",
          "commentText": "1. How I Raised Myself From Failure to Success in Selling, Bettger\nA good intro to sales, and a very good book on self-development.\n2. When Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management, Lowenstein\nA story about LTCM, one of the early and most notorious \"quant\" hedge funds. A cheeky nod to intellectualism.\n3. Liar's Poker, Lewis\nInvestment banking through a trader's eyes. Yes, the absurdity is only partly dramatized.\n4. Pimp: The Story of My Life, Iceberg Slim\nNo pithy blurb can summarize this; read it if you want a look into human nature.\n5. The Six-Month Fix: Adventures in Rescuing Failing Companies, Sutton\nWritten by a friend and a mentor; may he rest. Gives you a sobering account of what really goes behind the scenes of many companies, along with their management.\nApologies; I know this list isn't focused on more humbling professions like the examples you gave.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "When Genius Failed: The Rise and Fall of Long-Term Capital Management, Lowenstein",
          "reason": "A story about LTCM, an early and notorious quantitative hedge fund; described as a cheeky nod to intellectualism.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in hedge funds and finance.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roger Lowenstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hedge funds",
        "long term capital management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "when-harlie-was-one-65bffd",
      "title": "When HARLIE Was One",
      "author": "David Gerrold",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15428686,
          "author": "Uhhrrr",
          "createdAt": "2017-10-08T16:01:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 15428558,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best hard scifi AI novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15428686",
          "commentText": "\"When HARLIE Was One\" by David Gerrold had a fair amount of technical detail IIRC. Also \"Destination: Void\" by Frank Herbert.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"When HARLIE Was One\" by David Gerrold had a fair amount of technical detail IIRC.",
          "reason": "Notes that it contains a fair amount of technical detail.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The assessment is qualified by “IIRC.”",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Gerrold"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence",
        "classic science fiction",
        "computer science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "when-heaven-and-earth-changed-places-a-vietnamese-woman-s-journey-870bdb",
      "title": "When Heaven and Earth Changed Places: A Vietnamese Woman's Journey from War to Peace",
      "author": "Le Ly Hayslip with Jay Wurts",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19088692,
          "author": "MikeCapone",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T19:15:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19088692",
          "commentText": "So many, and I wish I could write a long paragraph on each, but I'm unfortunately short on time. I'm posting any in case just one person who hasn't heard of those checks them out and gets value:\n-Godel, Escher, Bach (Douglas Hosfstadter)\n-The Mindbody Prescription (John E. Sarno, completely cured my long-term crippling RSI that kept me from using computers and was ruining my life)\n-Feeling Good (Dr. Burns, cognitive therapy mostly centered on depression, but I want to learn about this before I have depression so that I can avoid it and do 'maintenance' on myself)\n-The 5 Love Languages (Gary Chapman, made me understand a lot more about how people express and receive love, and the problems that arise from mismatched languages in relationships)\n-Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman (you guys probably already know this)\n-The Blank Slate (Steven Pinker)\n-The Snowball (Warren Buffett biography)\n-Influence (Robert B. Cialdini)\n-Your Money or Your Life (Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin)\n-When Heaven and Earth Changed Places: A Vietnamese Woman's Journey from War to Peace (Le Ly Hayslip)\n-The Halo Effect (Phil Rosenzweig)\n-The LessWrong.com sequences on rationality",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-When Heaven and Earth Changed Places: A Vietnamese Woman's Journey from War to Peace (Le Ly Hayslip)",
          "reason": "Listed among books offered to readers who might get value from them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Le Ly Hayslip with Jay Wurts"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "vietnam",
        "vietnam war"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "when-sysadmins-ruled-the-earth-180856",
      "title": "When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth",
      "author": "Cory Doctorow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43114753,
          "author": "eftepede",
          "createdAt": "2025-02-20T14:04:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 43084739,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction/non-fiction book should everyone read on the topic of CS?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43114753",
          "commentText": "When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "When Sysadmins Ruled the Earth",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cory Doctorow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short fiction",
        "sysadmins"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "when-they-severed-earth-from-sky-88694a",
      "title": "When They Severed Earth from Sky",
      "author": "Elizabeth Wayland Barber and Paul T. Barber",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39729478,
          "author": "082349872349872",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-16T21:09:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39729478",
          "commentText": "When They Severed Earth From Sky (2004); see https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38761574",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "When They Severed Earth From Sky (2004)",
          "reason": "Listed as an answer to a question about books that changed perspectives on religion.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Elizabeth Wayland Barber",
        "Paul T. Barber"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comparative religion",
        "folklore",
        "mythology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "when-things-fall-apart-dcf018",
      "title": "When Things Fall Apart",
      "author": "Pema Chödrön",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38238603,
          "author": "SunlightEdge",
          "createdAt": "2023-11-12T08:59:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 38237730,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading these days?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38238603",
          "commentText": "\"No time to lose\" a book by Pema Chodron. Its a translation and commentary of a Buddhist manuscript on basically how to become enlightened. I found the sections on how humans all suffer from past emotional memories (kleshnas) really interesting. As was the discussion on rage and forgiving people cruel to oneself. I followed it up with another of her books \"when things fall apart\". Again very good.\nI'm now reading a Witcher fantasy novel. Blood of elves.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "another of her books \"when things fall apart\". Again very good.",
          "reason": "Calls it very good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Pema Chödrön"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhism",
        "coping with hardship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "when-you-are-engulfed-in-flames-48b8e1",
      "title": "When You Are Engulfed in Flames",
      "author": "David Sedaris",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1569162,
          "author": "namin",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:31:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569162",
          "commentText": "Some books I've read this summer, which I can recommend:\n- The Facebook Effect -- well-written insider's account of the history of Facebook and its ambitions.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Facebook-Effect-Inside-Company-Connect... (http://www.amazon.com/Facebook-Effect-Inside-Company-Connecting/dp/1439102112)\n- The Quantum Enigma -- an accessible digest of quantum mechanics and its philosophical consequences.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Enigma-Physics-Encounters-Cons... (http://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Enigma-Physics-Encounters-Consciousness/dp/019534250X/)\n- Flesh & Machines -- a lightweight history of robotics and some wacky speculations by MIT's Rodney Brooks.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Flesh-Machines-Robots-Will-Change/dp/0... (http://www.amazon.com/Flesh-Machines-Robots-Will-Change/dp/0375420797)\n- The Language of Life: DNA and the Revolution of Personalized Medecine -- a well-backed account of what is or will be possible in medicine thanks to a better understanding of the genome and increase use of DNA sequencing for prevention, diagnostic, and treatment.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Language-Life-Revolution-Personalized-... (http://www.amazon.com/Language-Life-Revolution-Personalized-Medicine/dp/0061733180/)\n- ... by David Sedaris -- Funny short stories. Perhaps The Santaland Diaries for something light but really amusing, and When You Are Engulfed in Flames for something darker and more well-known. Also, if you like short stories, I heartily recommend Children Playing Before a Statue of Hercules, a varied collection of short stories selected by Sedaris.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/David-Sedaris/e/B000AQ3YUW/\nhttp://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0349119759\nhttp://www.amazon.com/When-You-Are-Engulfed-Flames/dp/031615... (http://www.amazon.com/When-You-Are-Engulfed-Flames/dp/0316154687/)\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Children-Playing-Before-Statue-Hercule... (http://www.amazon.com/Children-Playing-Before-Statue-Hercules/dp/074327394X/)\n- Dreams of My Father -- Barack Obama writes candidly and beautifully about his childhood and early adulthood; it's not a political book, and it's worth reading for the writing alone.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Dreams-My-Father-Story-Inheritance/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Dreams-My-Father-Story-Inheritance/dp/1400082773/)\n- Mathematics: The Loss of Certainty: a chatty history of mathematics, and its perception.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Loss-Certainty-Galaxy-Book... (http://www.amazon.com/Mathematics-Loss-Certainty-Galaxy-Books/dp/0195030850)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "When You Are Engulfed in Flames for something darker and more well-known.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as a darker, well-known choice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Sedaris"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "essay collection",
        "humor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "when-the-air-hits-your-brain-tales-from-neurosurgery-f40676",
      "title": "When the Air Hits Your Brain: Tales from Neurosurgery",
      "author": "Frank Vertosick Jr.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7968642,
          "author": "ggreer",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T00:57:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7968642",
          "commentText": "I just started When the Air Hits Your Brain: Tales from Neurosurgery[1]. The author is a neurosurgeon and an excellent writer.\nThe last book I read was Abdel Haleem's translation of the Qur'an[2]. For an ancient religious text, it's rather short. Total reading time was maybe 16 hours over the course of a week. I'm not religious, but it was interesting to get a better idea of what Muslims believe and why. That said, the whole thing reads like a 7th-century version of Time Cube. I came away with the impression that the author was a schizophrenic who knew of parts of the Bible.\nThe most useful book I've recently read is Steve Blank's Four Steps to the Epiphany[3]. It's a more structured version of a lot of the stuff I learned in YC.\nMy favorite books of the past year are Confessions of a Yakuza[4] and Infidel[5]. The subjects of each book are as different as can be, but their stories are quite captivating. Both survived immense suffering and managed to thrive afterwards. Reading those books reminded me of how lucky I am and how insignificant my problems are.\n1. http://www.amazon.com/When-Air-Hits-Your-Brain-ebook/dp/B006... (http://www.amazon.com/When-Air-Hits-Your-Brain-ebook/dp/B006WOFB5C/)\n2. http://www.amazon.com/Quran-Oxford-Worlds-Classics-ebook/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Quran-Oxford-Worlds-Classics-ebook/dp/B001ODEPPI/)\n3. http://www.amazon.com/Four-Steps-Epiphany-Steve-Blank-ebook/... (http://www.amazon.com/Four-Steps-Epiphany-Steve-Blank-ebook/dp/B00FLZKNUQ/)\n4. http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Yakuza-Junichi-Saga-ebook/... (http://www.amazon.com/Confessions-Yakuza-Junichi-Saga-ebook/dp/B003YL3PPY)\n5. http://www.amazon.com/Infidel-Ayaan-Hirsi-Ali-ebook/dp/B000N... (http://www.amazon.com/Infidel-Ayaan-Hirsi-Ali-ebook/dp/B000NY12CI/)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I just started When the Air Hits Your Brain: Tales from Neurosurgery[1]. The author is a neurosurgeon and an excellent writer.",
          "reason": "Notes that the author is an excellent writer.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has just started the book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frank Vertosick Jr."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "medical memoir",
        "neurosurgery"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "when-the-lion-feeds-de29db",
      "title": "When the Lion Feeds",
      "author": "Wilbur Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 876634,
          "author": "jakkals",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T13:18:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876634",
          "commentText": "Right now, Anathem by Neal Stephenson is my favorite.\nI read through the comments before adding my 2 cents. I saw a lot of my favorite books, including a few by Neal Stephenson. But I did not see Anathem. Hmmm...\nI also saw a few references to James Clavell's Shogan. Excellent book. But I liked Tai Pan more, and in fact, I would say that this is my second favorite.\nJust to add another title that nobody here is likely mention, the first book that I read that blew my mind (admittedly in my very young days) was \"When the Lion feeds\" by Wilbur Smith.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the first book that I read that blew my mind (admittedly in my very young days)",
          "reason": "It was a mind-blowing read for the commenter when they were young.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Wilbur Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical adventure",
        "south africa"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "when-the-moon-hits-your-eye-20b948",
      "title": "When the Moon Hits Your Eye",
      "author": "John Scalzi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46397856,
          "author": "emehex",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-27T00:21:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46397856",
          "commentText": "Favourite books of the year:\n\"When the Moon Hits Your Eye\" - John Scalzi\n\"Making History\" - K.J. Parker\n\"Let Dogs be Dogs\" - Monks of New Skete\n\"The First Gentleman\" - Bill Clinton (it's actually fun!)\n\"The Thinking Machine\" - Stephen Witt",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"When the Moon Hits Your Eye\" - John Scalzi",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favourite books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Scalzi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "when-to-rob-a-bank-ada03e",
      "title": "When to Rob a Bank",
      "author": "Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665209,
          "author": "PostPost",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:26:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665209",
          "commentText": "Sorry for the wall of text.\n1. Bourne (The language and world of this novel are extraordinary - everything is falling apart yet brimming with life. Strangely moving)\n2. The Design of Everyday things (Essential for anyone in UI/UX)\n3. All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (Highly engaging, entertaining sci-fi novella series, from an author that can write a very decent robot protagonist)\n4. The Power (Interesting story with sci-fi elements on the dynamics of power, sex, and gender roles. I didn't care for the book, but the first 3/4 of the book are amazing)\n5. Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days\n6. 7 brief Lessons on Physics\n7. The Last Lecture (The energy and positivity coming from a man knowing he's about to die is infectious. Great read)\n8. A wizard of Earthsea (Move over Harry Potter, this is the essential children's story about wizards)\n9. Exploring diabetes with owls (Funny, irreverent)\n10. Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children (Made an effort to read more YA this year - this was the best in this series, but I still hated it. There's a host of better YA series out there.)\n11. A Wizard of Earthsea: The Tombs of Atuan (See 8.)\n12. The Girl in the Dark (Interesting book about a skin condition I had never heard of, and the trials of living with a very rare condition)\n13. The Phantom Tollbooth (Clever children's book)\n14. Black hole blues and songs from outer space (Informative book about the study of space,  the political and economic forces standing in the way of science, and the incredible individuals working in this field)\n15. Welcome to Night Vale (Hugely entertaining, clever and weird)\n16. You need a budget (Basic economics book explaining how to budget in a way that lets you do more with your money)\n17. To fight Against This Age (Incredibly pretentious, \nIvory Tower philosophizing)\n18. Infinity Gauntlet (Half the Universe dying because Thanos wanted to sleep with Lady Death will never not be ridiculous)\n19. The Right and Wrong Stuff (Great read explaining how to anticipate and avoid career pitfalls)\n20. Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children: Hollow City (pretty shitty)\n21. The Farthest Shore (Ursula K. Le Guin was the biggest loss this year)\n22. Miss peregrine's home for Peculiar Children: Library of Souls (I hate this book and all its characters)\n23. Every Good Endevour (Religious book about a Christian worldview and the value of labor - not a bad read)\n24. When to Rob a Bank and 131 warped suggestions… (interesting, funny, from the writers of Freakonomics)\n25. Weapons of Math Destruction (Probably the most useful book on this list, if you're reading this on \"hackernews\")\n26. Holes (Perfect summer paperback read)\n27. Silver Screen Sirens (Essential for film geeks)\n28. A full life: reflections at 90 (I gained a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter: he lived an incredible life and does great things)\n29. Call Me by your name (Very good romance novel to send to your bigoted relatives at Christmas)\n30. Hyperbole and a half (Incredibly entertaining, very distinctive art style)\n31. The Murderbot diaries: Artificial Condition (See 3.)\n32. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Best children's book, fight me)\n33. Less (Exceptionally well-written)\n34. Resilience (Great book, especially for those that have gone through extremely difficult circumstances)\n35. The Strange Bird (Dark, bleak, full of life, see 1.)\n36. The Murderbot diaries: Rogue Protocol (See 3.)\n37. His Dark Materials: The subtle knife (See 32.)\n38. Tap Dancing to Work (Very dry, some stories/articles are fantastic, others very, very boring for people that do not care about finance)\n39. So Good They Can't Ignore You (Pretty good)\n40. His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass (Amazing YA, see 32.)\n41. Uncontainable (Inspirational book about conscious capitalism)\n42. The Emperor of All Maladies (Pretty much everything you'll ever want to know about Cancer, written in a very engaging way)\n43. Blind Spot\n44. Shoe dog (Great story, see madmax108's comment, totally agree)\n45. The Faithful Spy (Beautiful artwork describing a Christian pastor's fight against fascism during WW2)\n46. Zero to One\n47. You'll grow out of it\n48. The Happiness advantage (Really fantastic book about the value of positive psychology)\n49. Dreams from my father (Enlightening look into Obama's \nearly days)\n50. Ayoade on Ayoade (Entertaining, extremely scatter-brained, not as funny as his interviews or tv programs)\n51. The Diabolic (badly written YA Sci-Fi)\n52. The Physics of Everyday Things (surprisingly informative, recommended for non science-people interested in the way things work)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "interesting, funny, from the writers of Freakonomics",
          "reason": "The commenter describes it as interesting and funny.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven D. Levitt",
        "Stephen J. Dubner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "behavioral economics",
        "humor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "where-are-the-customers-yachts-3c1213",
      "title": "Where Are the Customers' Yachts?",
      "author": "Fred Schwed Jr.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12563982,
          "author": "pjc50",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-23T12:18:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 12556160,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the must-read books about economics/finance?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12563982",
          "commentText": "Note that \"finance\" and \"economics\" are separate disciplines, roughly corresponding to applied vs theoretical.\nThe book which changed my thinking the most was \"The Other Path\" https://www.amazon.co.uk/Other-Path-Economic-Answer-Terroris... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Other-Path-Economic-Answer-Terrorism/dp/0465016103)\nIt would be easy to give it the traditional libertarian gloss of \"reducing regulation to improve the economy\", but it's much more subtle than that. It looks at the costs of being outside the \"system\", and the benefits of simplifying the system so as to include more people and businesses. Along with land reform to reflect the actual reality of buildings.\nAlso, short and entertaining, but with lots of insights into principal-agent problems and bubble mentality: \"Where Are the Customers' Yachts?\" https://www.amazon.co.uk/Where-Are-Customers-Yachts-Investme... (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Where-Are-Customers-Yachts-Investment/dp/0471770892)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "short and entertaining, but with lots of insights into principal-agent problems and bubble mentality: \"Where Are the Customers' Yachts?\"",
          "reason": "Praises the book as entertaining and insightful.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Short; focuses on principal-agent problems and market bubbles.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fred Schwed Jr."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "investing",
        "market bubbles",
        "wall street"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "where-good-ideas-come-from-6b5e29",
      "title": "Where Good Ideas Come From",
      "author": "Steven Johnson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18696898,
          "author": "greenido",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-17T04:30:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18696898",
          "commentText": "Some books I've enjoyed in the past year:\nWish to laugh?\n* Born a Crime, by Trevor Noah\n* Yes please! by Amy Poehler\nThink?\n* Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell\n* Where Good Ideas Come from, by Steven Johnson\n* The Emperor of All Maladies and The Gene: An Intimate History both by Mukherjee Siddhartha\nLearn (more) about great thinkers?\n* Einstein or Leonardo da Vinci or Steve Jobs, by Walter Isaacson\n* Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike, by Phil Knight\nYuval Noah Harari 3 good ones:\n* Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow\n* Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\n* 21 lessons for the 21st century\nFrom time to time, I try to put some good ones over here: https://greenido.wordpress.com/?s=book",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Where Good Ideas Come from, by Steven Johnson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Readers looking for a book that prompts thought.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steven Johnson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "creativity",
        "innovation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "where-i-was-from-089ff9",
      "title": "Where I Was From",
      "author": "Joan Didion",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 86044,
          "author": "jdale27",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T19:08:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86044",
          "commentText": "(I'm going to ignore the prohibition on \"programming/technical books\".)\n- GEB\n- SICP\n- anything by Paul Auster or Hermann Hesse\n- most Haruki Murakami, especially \"The Wind-up Bird Chronicle\"\n- Joan Didion, \"Where I Was From\"\n- Richard P. Gabriel, \"Patterns of Software\"\n- Durbin, Eddy, Krogh, and Mitchison, \"Biological Sequence Analysis\"\n- Italo Calvino, \"if on a winter's night a traveller\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Joan Didion, \"Where I Was From\"",
          "reason": "Listed among the commenter's favorites in response to the thread.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joan Didion"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "california",
        "cultural criticism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "where-is-my-flying-car-a-memoir-of-future-past-899191",
      "title": "Where Is My Flying Car?: A Memoir of Future Past",
      "author": "J. Storrs Hall",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25558359,
          "author": "dusted",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-28T11:23:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 25554464,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books for dealing with workplace politics and dishonesty?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25558359",
          "commentText": "Your question is related to why we don't have flying cars! :)\nThis book seems to deal with just about anything worthwhile, and while it does not go deep into specific workplace situations, it touches a lot on the subject of motivation and behaviors that affect the subjects, so you might yet find it interesting, if you're willing to take wild ride.\nOf the books I've read in 2020, this is the one I must recommend anytime I get a chance: Where Is My Flying Car?: A Memoir of Future Past by J Storrs Hall",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Of the books I've read in 2020, this is the one I must recommend anytime I get a chance: Where Is My Flying Car?: A Memoir of Future Past by J Storrs Hall",
          "reason": "The commenter says they recommend it whenever they get the chance and suggests it touches on motivation and behavior.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that it does not go deep into specific workplace situations.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "J. Storrs Hall"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "future studies",
        "memoir",
        "technology history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "where-wizards-stay-up-late-the-origins-of-the-internet-44450e",
      "title": "Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet",
      "author": "Katie Hafner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19556364,
          "author": "StrangeDoctor",
          "createdAt": "2019-04-02T17:09:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 19556208,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on the early history of the Internet and/or Web?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19556364",
          "commentText": "Where wizards stay up late by katie hafner\nHighly readable, don't know about insight, don't know about accuracy.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Where wizards stay up late by katie hafner\nHighly readable, don't know about insight, don't know about accuracy.",
          "reason": "Praises its readability but is unsure about its insight and accuracy.",
          "audience": "Readers prioritizing readability in a history of the Internet.",
          "caveat": "The commenter is unsure about its insight and accuracy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Katie Hafner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer networking",
        "internet history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "where-the-sidewalk-ends-56aa9c",
      "title": "Where the Sidewalk Ends",
      "author": "Shel Silverstein",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34635728,
          "author": "fRCRXVMWzG7YFux",
          "createdAt": "2023-02-03T01:00:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34634274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books your kids like most",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34635728",
          "commentText": "Something that has stuck with me for my entire life is my mother reading me poetry as a child, in particular\n- The Cremation Of Sam McGee by Robert W. Service\n- The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes\n- Forgiven and King John's Christmas by A. A. Milne\n- Called Up by Dudley Clarke (not sure how good that one is to everyone, I'm just incredibly nostalgic for it.)\nIt gave me a lifelong love of rhyming and word games, one I've always been happy to have. Yours might still be a bit young for that, but other more age-appropriate stuff would work just as well. Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light In The Attic by Shell Silverstein are fantastic.\nOh man, wait, also Robert Munsch. Equally wonderful memories with some of those (Love You Forever is in my opinion, really great from the lens of a kid, and it's silly to read it through the eyes of an adult. The intended message is very obviously that your parental love will always be with your child. It also introduced me to the idea of caring for my parents someday as something I would have to consider, and something I would want to do).\nAs for screen time itself, I would really recommend just putting a hard limit on it, it did nothing but good for me as a kid to be limited to 4 hours of recreational screen time per week, and when I was introduced to computers, the limitations they place on me vis-a-vis social networks saved me from myself in so many ways.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light In The Attic by Shell Silverstein are fantastic.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends these poetry books as fantastic.",
          "audience": "Children",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Shel Silverstein"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s poetry",
        "rhyming poetry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "where-the-wild-things-are-97e4cc",
      "title": "Where the Wild Things Are",
      "author": "Maurice Sendak",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50037878,
          "author": "NishanStepak",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-10T22:37:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50037878",
          "commentText": "I have always liked The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter, Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak, Chicken Soup With Rice by Maurice Sendak, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss and Yertle The Turtle by Dr. Seuss.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak",
          "reason": "The commenter says they have always liked it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Maurice Sendak"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "where-the-wizards-stay-up-late-a4d9b2",
      "title": "Where the Wizards Stay Up Late",
      "author": "Katie Hafner and Matthew Lyon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3580176,
          "author": "pasbesoin",
          "createdAt": "2012-02-11T21:13:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 3564256,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best programming books for someone in prison?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3580176",
          "commentText": "Mathematics is probably \"theoretical\" enough?  A good Discrete Mathematics text,  Perhaps some others.  He'll have some mathematics knowledge around which to orient his programming.  And people have been learning math for a long time -- meaning, long before computers.\nRelated, a good book on logic, including logic as implemented in circuits.\nI recall a fairly intense \"computer science survey course\" back in college, that started with and, or, not gates and built up through adders, etc, to an ACU.  Introduced a pseudo assembly language.  I forget how far it continued beyond that.  Something like that book I can see doable in good part on paper and in thinking, and it would provide some fundamental background that many programmers don't have or don't retain.\nIt might also be helpful to give him a good, concise book on project management.  So that he has some idea what people are talking about when he encounters the work environment.\nAnd there are always some of the classics, both for insight and for cultural orientation.  Brooks' \"The Mythical Man Month\".  Kidder's \"The Soul of a New Machine\".  Some years back, I rather enjoyed \"Where the Wizards Stay Up Late\", for it's take on the early development of what we now call \"the Net\".\nIf you're sadistic (and willing to risk some bucks against the chance of censorship), you can always send him Knuth's compendium.  ;-)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Where the Wizards Stay Up Late",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed its take on the early development of the Net.",
          "audience": "Someone interested in the history of computing and the internet.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Katie Hafner",
        "Matthew Lyon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "arpanet",
        "internet history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wherever-you-go-there-you-are-ecc545",
      "title": "Wherever You Go, There You Are",
      "author": "Jon Kabat-Zinn",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42268867,
          "author": "fredoliveira",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-28T22:08:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 42268570,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read this year?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42268867",
          "commentText": "Read a lot this year — a lot more than most years. A few highlights:\nThe making of the atomic bomb by Richard Rhodes was probably the best of the bunch. I read it because I see some parallels between the discovery of atomic power and the search for AGI, and wanted an insight on the ethics and decision making of the time. It didn't disappoint.\nThe dawn of everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow was a solid read and retelling of how civilization began and evolved.\nThe message by Ta-Nehisi Coates, I read in two sittings — it was that impactful. A reminder of how the oppressed becomes the oppressor again and again. \"As it happens, you can See the world but never see the people in it\"\nOther highlights: The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt; re-read Thinking in Systems by Daniella Meadows; re-read Wherever You Go There You Are by Jon Kabat Zinn; The light eaters by Zoe Schlanger; I don't want to talk about it, by Terrence Real.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "re-read Wherever You Go There You Are by Jon Kabat Zinn",
          "reason": "Mentions rereading it among the year's highlights.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jon Kabat-Zinn"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "meditation",
        "mindfulness"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "whipping-star-5ef4c5",
      "title": "Whipping Star",
      "author": "Frank Herbert",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 140492,
          "author": "nazgulnarsil",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-19T03:02:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 140363,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=140492",
          "commentText": "Dune is fantasy >_>\nGod Emperor of Dune was my favorite even though it was the most preachy.  I thought the original Dune was a bit preachy being so strongly allegorical and all.\nI prefer Herbert's other novels like Whipping Star/The Dosadi Experiment",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I prefer Herbert's other novels like Whipping Star/The Dosadi Experiment",
          "reason": "Says they prefer Herbert's other novels.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frank Herbert"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "whirlwind-cb263c",
      "title": "Whirlwind",
      "author": "James Clavell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6397823,
          "author": "kyzyl",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-17T05:55:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 6387284,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What literature do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6397823",
          "commentText": "Yeah the Asian Saga includes King Rat, Shogun, Noble House, Taipan as well as Gai-gin, The Whirlwind. They're all pretty good books but I believe Taipan, Noble House and Shogun are considered Clavell's best work, in that order (personally I like Noble House best).\nThanks for the recommendation though.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "King Rat, Shogun, Noble House, Taipan as well as Gai-gin, The Whirlwind.",
          "reason": "Includes it among the saga books the commenter considers pretty good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Clavell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "whispers-the-voices-of-paranoia-dd347c",
      "title": "Whispers: The Voices of Paranoia",
      "author": "Ronald K. Siegel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25318980,
          "author": "Tade0",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T22:22:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25318980",
          "commentText": "Whispers: The Voices of Paranoia, Ronald K. Siegel\nA collection of stories showing some of the ugly parts of being a psychopharmacologist, based on the author's own experiences.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Whispers: The Voices of Paranoia, Ronald K. Siegel",
          "reason": "Described as stories about the less pleasant aspects of psychopharmacology, based on the author's experience.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "A collection of stories, rather than a memoir.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ronald K. Siegel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "paranoia",
        "psychopharmacology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "white-line-fever-15290b",
      "title": "White Line Fever",
      "author": "Lemmy Kilmister and Janiss Garza",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40277942,
          "author": "Grimeton",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-06T18:34:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40277942",
          "commentText": "\"White Line Fever\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"White Line Fever\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lemmy Kilmister",
        "Janiss Garza"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "music memoir",
        "rock music"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "white-noise-42d51a",
      "title": "White Noise",
      "author": "Don DeLillo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6898810,
          "author": "bmelton",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-13T02:58:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 6898606,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the best book you read in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6898810",
          "commentText": "The Silo Saga, by Hugh Howey.  Originally self-published and released as short Kindle \"Singles\", the first section of the series is collected in \"Wool\".  The Omnibus collects the first five singles, and is $6 on Amazon[1]... but if you want to test it out, the first single he released is still available for free in the Kindle store.  It ranks among the best zero dollars I spent all year.\nBehind that, I really enjoyed \"White Noise\" by Don Delillo, though I did have some problems with characterization (basically, all the characters were the author), and Democracy Incorporated: Managed Democracy and the Specter of Inverted Totalitarianism\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Wool-Part-One-Hugh-Howey-ebook/dp/B005... (http://www.amazon.com/Wool-Part-One-Hugh-Howey-ebook/dp/B005FC52L0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386903043&sr=8-1&keywords=Wool+Part+1)\n[2] http://www.amazon.com/Wool-Omnibus-Silo-Saga-ebook/dp/B0071X... (http://www.amazon.com/Wool-Omnibus-Silo-Saga-ebook/dp/B0071XO8RA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386903023&sr=8-1&keywords=Wool)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed \"White Noise\" by Don Delillo",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really enjoyed the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter had problems with characterization, saying the characters were basically all the author.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1569082,
          "author": "agentargo",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T21:06:53.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1569082",
          "commentText": "I've been into Klosterman lately\nDowntown Owl (novel)\nSex Drugs and Cocoa Puffs (essays on pop culture)\nEating the Dinosaur (more essays)\nOther Novels:\nLolita - Nabokov\nWhite Noise - Delillo",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "White Noise - Delillo",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Don DeLillo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "satire",
        "literary fiction",
        "postmodern fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "white-space-is-not-your-enemy-a-beginner-s-guide-to-communicating-88965c",
      "title": "White Space Is Not Your Enemy: A Beginner's Guide to Communicating Visually Through Graphic, Web and Multimedia Design",
      "author": "Kimberly Elam, Rebecca Hagen, and Ellen E. Schultz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6231336,
          "author": "ulisesrmzroche",
          "createdAt": "2013-08-18T02:17:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 6231052,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is a good book for learning front end design?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6231336",
          "commentText": "There's a pretty good basic book on the basics of design called \"White Space is not your Enemy\" that I find pretty helpful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"White Space is not your Enemy\"",
          "reason": "Describes it as a helpful basic book on design.",
          "audience": "Readers learning design basics.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kimberly Elam, Rebecca Hagen, and Ellen E. Schultz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "design fundamentals",
        "visual design"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "white-teeth-dda2cd",
      "title": "White Teeth",
      "author": "Zadie Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6416411,
          "author": "seanccox",
          "createdAt": "2013-09-20T07:28:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 6413600,
          "threadTitle": "Ask: Read a book that changed your life? Title?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6416411",
          "commentText": "White Teeth, Zadie Smith\nFierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates, Tom Robbins\nHomage to Catalonia, George Orwell\nCatch 22, Joseph Heller\nTimequake; Mother Night, Kurt Vonnegut Jr.\nSeven Pillars of Wisdom, TE Lawrence\nThe Histories, Tacitus\nThe Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger (caveat, it was most effective when I read it at 16)\nRedwall, Brian Jaques (got me really excited about reading when I was in the fourth grade)\nThis list could be much, much longer, but those are the most prominent 'life-changers' that come to mind.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "White Teeth, Zadie Smith",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the most prominent life-changers that come to mind.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Zadie Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "multiculturalism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "who-am-i-d8984b",
      "title": "Who Am I?",
      "author": "Ramana Maharshi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40282780,
          "author": "jimsojim",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T05:55:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40282780",
          "commentText": "\"Who Am I?\" by Ramana Maharshi",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Who Am I?\" by Ramana Maharshi",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ramana Maharshi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "advaita vedanta",
        "self inquiry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "who-has-seen-the-wind-82160e",
      "title": "Who Has Seen the Wind",
      "author": "W. O. Mitchell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17381807,
          "author": "ambrosite",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T15:55:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17381807",
          "commentText": "Who Has Seen the Wind by W.O. Mitchell is a novel that was required reading in Canada for generations, but it is almost completely unknown in the United States. I don't know if it is a \"great\" book (I have not read it myself), but many Canadians consider it a classic of Canadian literature.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Who Has Seen the Wind by W.O. Mitchell",
          "reason": "Reports it is a Canadian classic, while explicitly saying the commenter has not read it and is unsure it is great.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it; the assessment is attributed to Canadians generally.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. O. Mitchell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "canadian literature",
        "coming of age"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "who-we-are-and-how-we-got-here-7b6b81",
      "title": "Who We Are and How We Got Here",
      "author": "David Reich",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33850229,
          "author": "jeffreyrogers",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T03:17:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33850229",
          "commentText": "Red Plenty, a novel that is loosely about the invention of linear programming in the Soviet Union (a branch of mathematics, only somewhat related to computer programming). Good description of what the process of scientific invention feels like in the first part of the book. (if you want more depth on the mathematics of linear programming, Understanding and Using Linear Programming is a very readable (and short) textbook that only requires basic linear algebra knowledge).\nMoneyball, people have been recommending this to me for years but I never read it because I find baseball so boring. I'm glad I finally read it. It's not really a book about baseball it's about finding and exploiting unappreciated edges.\nWho We Are and How We Got Here, makes a lot of the recent genetic research on human origins understandable. Especially relevant this year due to Svante Paabo's nobel prize.\nOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood, possibly better than the movie (which I love). Reads a bit like a script. The dialog is very good and contains many \"scenes\" that aren't in the movie.\n$12 Million Dollar Stuffed Shark, if you are interested in modern art or how things that look like something anyone could do can sell for absurd amounts of money this book is worth reading.\nA Sailor of Austria: In Which Without Really Intending to, Otto Prohaska Becomes Official War Hero No. 27 of the Hapsburg Empire, one of the reviews I read before starting this described it as something like \"a techno-thriller set on an austrian submarine in world war one\". If that sounds appealing to you, you'll probably like this book. If not don't bother starting it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "makes a lot of the recent genetic research on human origins understandable",
          "reason": "Says it makes recent genetic research on human origins understandable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Reich"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ancient dna",
        "human origins"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "who-will-cry-when-you-die-6a1aff",
      "title": "Who Will Cry When You Die?",
      "author": "Robin Sharma",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12103556,
          "author": "vram22",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-15T20:20:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 12097136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12103556",
          "commentText": "Robin Sharma's \"The Monk who sold his Ferrari\" is a good one. So is his \"Who Will Cry When You Die?\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "So is his \"Who Will Cry When You Die?\"",
          "reason": "Also recommends this book as a good one.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robin Sharma"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal development",
        "self help"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "who-would-win-5f550c",
      "title": "Who Would Win?",
      "author": "Jerry Pallotta",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50059327,
          "author": "dyingkneepad",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-12T17:01:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 50037859,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's your favorite children's books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50059327",
          "commentText": "The Dog Man series is probably the one I read the most to my kids, and the one I liked the most. The 10 first books are one whole story, read them in order. The Cat Kid Comic Club is cool as well.\nThe \"Who would win?\" series is also very popular at home.\nThe Owly comics are amazing for kids who are just starting to read. It's also super cute.\nJunie B. Jones stuff is also something I recall reading multiple times.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The \"Who would win?\" series is also very popular at home.",
          "reason": "The commenter says the series is very popular at home.",
          "audience": "Children at home.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jerry Pallotta"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "animal comparisons",
        "children s nonfiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "who-s-your-city-e1bbd4",
      "title": "Who's Your City?",
      "author": "Richard Florida",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1226892,
          "author": "RyanMcGreal",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T16:46:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226892",
          "commentText": "Some recent engaging reads:\n* Dan Ariely, Predictably Irrational\n* Christopher McDougall, Born to Run\n* Malcolm Gladwell, Outliers\n* Jeb Brugman, Welcome to the Urban Revolution\n* Richard Florida, Who's Your City?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Richard Florida, Who's Your City?",
          "reason": "Included among recent engaging reads.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Florida"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cities",
        "geography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "whole-earth-discipline-d7e914",
      "title": "Whole Earth Discipline",
      "author": "Stewart Brand",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227156,
          "author": "MikeCapone",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T18:20:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227156",
          "commentText": "A few that I've read recently and liked:\nPredictably Irrational by Dan Ariely\nMostly about cognitive biases. Helps you think better by knowing your shortcomings.\nWhole Earth Discipline by Stewart Brand\nAbout protecting the environment, but with interesting takes on nuclear power, GMOs, cities and slums, etc.\nGood Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes\nMade me re-think a lot of things about food. Despite the \"pop-science\" title, this is a well researched book that looks at countless studies from the past 150 years.\nAmerican Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheier by Martin Sherwin and Kai Bird\nA biography of Robert Oppenheimer. Fascinating man.\nThe Blank Slate by Steven Pinker\nA must read. Evolutionary psychology.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A few that I've read recently and liked:",
          "reason": "Included among books the commenter has read and liked; it covers environmental protection and related topics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stewart Brand"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "environmentalism",
        "gmos",
        "nuclear power"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wholeness-and-the-implicate-order-169e8e",
      "title": "Wholeness and the Implicate Order",
      "author": "David Bohm",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10208732,
          "author": "m_alexgr",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-12T17:52:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 10207101,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that altered your view of reality",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10208732",
          "commentText": "The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind - Julian Jaynes\nWholeness and the Implicate Order - David Bohm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wholeness and the Implicate Order - David Bohm",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Bohm"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "holism",
        "quantum physics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "why-evolution-is-true-ba93ef",
      "title": "Why Evolution Is True",
      "author": "Jerry A. Coyne",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1026351,
          "author": "tokenadult",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-01T22:22:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026351",
          "commentText": "My favorite read in early 2009 was What Intelligence Tests Miss: The Psychology of Rational Thought by Keith Stanovich\nhttp://www.amazon.com/What-Intelligence-Tests-Miss-Psycholog... (http://www.amazon.com/What-Intelligence-Tests-Miss-Psychology/dp/030012385X/)\nwhich is full of helpful information on developing the kind of cognition missed by IQ tests that constitutes rationality, very important information for parents, educators, and business leaders.\n2009, the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his book On the Origin of Species, has been a banner year for new books on evolutionary biology. Some of my favorites include\nWhy Evolution is True by Jerry Coyne\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Why-Evolution-True-Jerry-Coyne/dp/0670... (http://www.amazon.com/Why-Evolution-True-Jerry-Coyne/dp/0670020532/)\nThe Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution by Richard Dawkins\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Show-Earth-Evidence-Evolution... (http://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Show-Earth-Evidence-Evolution/dp/1416594787/)\nand\nEvolution: The First Four Billion Years edited by Michael Ruse and Joseph Travis.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Evolution-First-Four-Billion-Years/dp/... (http://www.amazon.com/Evolution-First-Four-Billion-Years/dp/067403175X/)\nAll are full of up to date information about biology, which, as Thedosius Dobzhansky said, only makes sense in the light of evolution.\nSuperFreakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner\nhttp://www.amazon.com/SuperFreakonomics-Cooling-Patriotic-Pr... (http://www.amazon.com/SuperFreakonomics-Cooling-Patriotic-Prostitutes-Insurance/dp/0060889578)\nis enjoyable and thought-provoking, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, for all the usual reasons applying to collaborations by those two authors.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Some of my favorites include\nWhy Evolution is True by Jerry Coyne",
          "reason": "Includes it among the commenter's favorite books on evolutionary biology.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jerry A. Coyne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolution",
        "evolutionary biology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "why-gender-matters-4023e2",
      "title": "Why Gender Matters",
      "author": "Leonard Sax",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13240800,
          "author": "cicero",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T22:06:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13240800",
          "commentText": "A Canticle for Leibowitz - Walter Miller (recommended SF classic)\nThe Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis (an old favorite, recommended)\nThe Name of the Rose - Umberto Eco (some interesting parts, but overall a disappointment)\nTheology and Sanity - Frank Sheed (recommended; a very written description of the Catholic faith; weaknesses are it's long and it's aimed to a mid 20th c. audience)\nChristianity for Modern Pagans: Pascal's Pensees - Peter Kreeft (recommended; a good exposition of Blaise Pascal's thought)\nCatholicism: A journey to the heart of the faith - Robert Barron (recommended; a good explanation of Catholicism for the common person)\nHis Master's Voice - Stanislaw Lem (recommended; very intellectual look at the problem of first contact)\nThe Industries of the Future - Alec Ross (the robotics chapter is best; other parts are more light-weight; easy read)\nClouds of Witnesses - Dorothy Sayers (not my favorite Sayers mystery, but enjoyable)\nA Study in Scarlet - Arthur Conan Doyle (recommended)\nWhy Gender Matters - Leonard Sax (recommended; most of the book is based on good science, but he does go out on a limb a time or two.)\nOld School - Tobias Wolff (recommended; a world before widespread TV where high school boys actually got excited about literature)\nInfinite Space, Infinite God - Karina and Robert Fabian editors (story quality varies; I enjoyed some of them)\nThe Sign of Four - Arthur Conan Doyle (recommended)\nOn Stranger Tides - Tim Powers (recommended; I love Powers, but Anubis Gates and Last Call are better. Still, if you like pirates you should like this)\nThe Art of Worldly Wisdom - Baltasar Gracian (interesting)\nAquinas at Prayer: the Bible, Mysticism, and Poetry - Paul Murray (recommended; this shows a different side of Thomas Aquinas)\nAristotle for Everybody: Difficult Thought Made Easy - Mortimer Adler (recommended; I almost think this should be required reading)\nThe Pilgrim's Regress - C.S. Lewis (I enjoyed it, but the ideas Lewis argues against are somewhat dated.)\nEdit for formatting",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Why Gender Matters - Leonard Sax (recommended; most of the book is based on good science, but he does go out on a limb a time or two.)",
          "reason": "Recommended, with the commenter saying most of it rests on good science.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The author goes out on a limb a time or two.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Leonard Sax"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Science",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "gender differences",
        "parenting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "why-information-grows-the-evolution-of-order-from-atoms-to-econom-695c82",
      "title": "Why Information Grows: The Evolution of Order, from Atoms to Economies",
      "author": "César Hidalgo",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18743911,
          "author": "rationalbeaver",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-23T02:01:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 18743465,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite nonfiction books of 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18743911",
          "commentText": "Why Information Grows: The Evolution of Order, from Atoms to Economies - César Hidalgo (2015)\nFantastic read that gave me a new way to understand the world.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Fantastic read that gave me a new way to understand the world.",
          "reason": "Says it offered a new way to understand the world.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "César Hidalgo"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "complex systems",
        "information theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "why-machines-learn-ed6885",
      "title": "Why Machines Learn",
      "author": "Anil Ananthaswamy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46226650,
          "author": "marai2",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-11T01:43:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 46226571,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: End of Year Book Recommendations",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46226650",
          "commentText": "1. Why Machines Learn - Anil Ananthaswamy\nFantastic exposition of machine learning. The author does an amazing job of bringing a technical subject down to an easily readable level.\n2. The Joy of Abstraction - Eugenia Cheng\nSimilar to the above review. I never thought Category Theory could be made so easily readable!\n3. A Little History of Philosophy - Nigel Warburton\nSmall, compact book. A quick interesting jaunnt through the history of philosophy. Entertaining and educational!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "1. Why Machines Learn - Anil Ananthaswamy\nFantastic exposition of machine learning.",
          "reason": "Praises its exposition of machine learning and says technical material is made easy to read.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking an accessible introduction to machine learning.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Anil Ananthaswamy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "accessible technical nonfiction",
        "machine learning"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "why-new-systems-fail-theory-and-practice-collide-9e72bf",
      "title": "Why New Systems Fail: Theory and Practice Collide",
      "author": "Phil Simon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14487697,
          "author": "bluetwo",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T14:13:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487697",
          "commentText": "Why New Systems Fail: Theory and Practice Collide by Phil Simon",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Why New Systems Fail: Theory and Practice Collide by Phil Simon",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for books to add to a programming library.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Phil Simon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "project failure",
        "systems implementation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "why-programs-fail-a-guide-to-systematic-debugging-bde3f5",
      "title": "Why Programs Fail: A Guide to Systematic Debugging",
      "author": "Andreas Zeller",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9243899,
          "author": "troydj",
          "createdAt": "2015-03-21T19:28:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 9242384,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on debugging?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9243899",
          "commentText": "Andreas Zeller, original author of GNU DDD, has a good book called \"Why Programs Fail:  A Guide to Systematic Debugging\", 2nd edition.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Why-Programs-Fail-Systematic-Debugging... (http://www.amazon.com/Why-Programs-Fail-Systematic-Debugging-ebook/dp/B0092L8LCW)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "has a good book called \"Why Programs Fail: A Guide to Systematic Debugging\", 2nd edition.",
          "reason": "Recommends the book as a good guide to systematic debugging.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andreas Zeller"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software debugging",
        "systematic debugging"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "why-smart-people-make-big-money-mistakes-and-how-to-correct-them-9f7cd6",
      "title": "Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes and How to Correct Them",
      "author": "Gary Belsky and Thomas Gilovich",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 248600,
          "author": "eposts",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T15:59:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248600",
          "commentText": "Here is a good list:\nhttp://www.bogleheads.org/readbooks.htm\nGeneral Investing\n# The Four Pillars of Investing - by William (\"Bill\") Bernstein.\n# Wise Investing Made Simple or The Only Guide to a Winning Investment Strategy You'll Ever Need - by Larry Swedroe\n# The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing - by Taylor Larimore, Mel Lindauer, and Michael LeBoeuf\n# All About Asset Allocation - by Rick Ferri\n# The Informed Investor - by Frank Armstrong\n# The Little Book of Common Sense Investing - by John \"Jack\" Bogle\n# The Coffeehouse Investor - by Bill Schultheis.\nInvestor Behavior\n# Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes And How To Correct Them - by Gary Belsky and Thomas Gilovich\n# Your Money and Your Brain: How the New Science of Neuroeconomics Can Help Make You Rich - by Jason Zweig\n# Rational Investing in Irrational Times: How to Avoid the Costly Mistakes Even Smart People Make Today - by Larry Swedroe\nFinancial History\n# Against the Gods and Capital Ideas - by Peter L. Bernstein\n# Devil Take the Hindmost: A History of Financial Speculation - by Edward Chancellor\n# A Random Walk Down Wall Street - by Burton Malkiel\nLike others here have mentioned, http://www.bogleheads.org/ is a great forum for Vanguard investors.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes And How To Correct Them - by Gary Belsky and Thomas Gilovich",
          "reason": "Listed under investor behavior in response to a request for learning resources.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking resources on investor behavior.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gary Belsky and Thomas Gilovich"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "behavioral finance",
        "investing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "why-switzerland-611e21",
      "title": "Why Switzerland?",
      "author": "Jonathan Steinberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17168677,
          "author": "alienjr",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T19:31:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168677",
          "commentText": "I can't give just one, but here are a few that had a strong influence on me: \n\"12 Rules for Life\" by Jordan Peterson, \"Why Switzerland?\" Jonathan Steinberg, \"Little Book of Common Sense Investing\" by John C. Bogle, \"A Random Walk Down Wall Street\" by Butron Malkiel, \"Liberalismus\" by Ludwig von Mises, \"Meditations\" by Marcus Aurelius, \"A Treatise of Human Nature\" by David Hume, \"Thinking, Fast and Slow\" by Daniel Kahneman, \"The Law\" by Frédéric Bastiat, \"Autobiography\" by Benjamin Franklin, \"Common Sense\" by Thomas Paine, \"Gespräche mit Goethe\" by Johann Peter Eckermann, \"Walden\" by Henry David Thoreau, \"The Old Regime and the Revolution\" Alexis de Tocqueville, \"On Liberty\" by John Stuart Mill, \"A Treatise on Political Economy\" by Jean-Baptiste Say, \"The Man Versus the State\" by Herbert Spencer, \"The Revolt of the Masses\" by José Ortega y Gasset, \"Capitalism, Socialism and Democracy\" by Joseph Alois Schumpeter, \"The Logic of Scientific Discovery\" by Karl Popper, \"The Machinery of Freedom\" by David Friedman, \"On Power\" Bertrand de Jouvenel, \"1984\" by George Orwell, \"The State\" by Anthony de Jasay, \"Sketched With the Quill\" by Andrzej Bobkowski, \"My Correct Views on Everything\" by Leszek Kolakowski, \"The Captive Mind\" Czesław Miłosz, \"One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich\" by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, \"The House of the Dead\" by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, \"Conversations with an Executioner\" by Kazimierz Moczarski, \"Diary 1954\" by Leopold Tyrmand, \"The Master and Margarita\" by Mikhail Bulgakov, \"A World Apart: A Memoir of the Gulag\" by Gustaw Herling-Grudziński",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Why Switzerland?\" Jonathan Steinberg",
          "reason": "Listed among books that had a strong influence on the commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Steinberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "swiss history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "why-we-buy-a3e58c",
      "title": "Why We Buy",
      "author": "Paco Underhill",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5574,
          "author": "python_kiss",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T02:11:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5574",
          "commentText": "About 14 months ago, I had little knowledge of how to execute a startup. In particular, I wasn't familiar with any online marketing tactics. The following books helped me a lot in that respective, and more:\n\n1. Positioning, 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing/Branding, Focus, Marketing Warfare\n2. Purple Cow, All Marketers are Liars, Permission Marketing (I didn't like \"The Big Moo\", \"Free prize inside\" or \"Small is the new Big\").\n3. Founters At Work\n4. Wikinomics, Wisdom of Crowds, The Tipping Point (Blink! was alright). I am looking forward to reading \"The Long Tail\" and \"The starfish and the spider\"...has anyone read them yet?\n6. Why We Buy\n7. Hackers and Painters\n8. The E-Myth revisited\n9. The Art of the Start\n10. On War, The Art of War by Machiavelli and Sun Tzu (not exactly for startups, but definitely useful)\n11. Crossing the Chasm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Why We Buy",
          "reason": "Listed among books that helped the commenter learn startup execution and online marketing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paco Underhill"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consumer behavior",
        "retail"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "why-we-buy-the-science-of-shopping-2f05e6",
      "title": "Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping",
      "author": "Paco Underhill",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1080802,
          "author": "mos1",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-27T16:19:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 1080708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Marketing Books for Developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1080802",
          "commentText": "Influence - The Psychology of Persuasion by Cialdini.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Busine... (http://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Business-Essentials/dp/006124189X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216856193&sr=8-1)\nThe 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing - Violate Them at Your Own Risk!\nhttp://www.amazon.com/22-Immutable-Laws-Marketing-Violate/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/22-Immutable-Laws-Marketing-Violate/dp/0887306667/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216858700&sr=1-1)\nDon't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to We Usability, by Steve Krug:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Me-Think-Usability/dp/032134... (http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Make-Me-Think-Usability/dp/0321344758/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216860599&sr=1-1)\nInformation Architecture for the World Wide Web: Designing Large Scale Web Sites, by Paul Rosenfeld and Peter Morville:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Information-Architecture-World-Wide-We... (http://www.amazon.com/Information-Architecture-World-Wide-Web/dp/0596527349/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216860826&sr=1-1)\nWhy We Buy: The Science of Shopping, by Paco Underhill\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Buy-Shopping-Updated-Internet/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Buy-Shopping-Updated-Internet/dp/1416595244/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1264609112&sr=1-1)\nAnd at least one Jakob Nielsen Usability book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping, by Paco Underhill",
          "reason": "Listed as a suggestion in response to a request for marketing books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paco Underhill"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "consumer behavior",
        "retail"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "why-we-die-the-new-science-of-aging-and-the-quest-for-immortality-995186",
      "title": "Why We Die: The New Science of Aging and the Quest for Immortality",
      "author": "Venki Ramakrishnan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42219433,
          "author": "lovestory",
          "createdAt": "2024-11-23T05:56:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 42218828,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42219433",
          "commentText": "I only have time to listen to audiobooks so I hope this list is not too basic.\nOn the Edge: The Art of Risking Everything by Nate Silver\nThe End of Reality: How Four Billionaires Are Selling a Fantasy Future of the Metaverse, Mars, and Crypto by Jonathan Taplin\nThe Value of Others by Orion Taraban\nRinsed: From Cartels to Crypto: How the Tech Industry Washes Money for the World's Deadliest Crooks by Geoff White\nWhy We Die: The New Science of Aging and the Quest for Immortality by Venki Ramakrishnan\nExtremely Hardcore: Inside Elon Musk's Twitter by Zoe Schiffer\nBottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom by Katherine Eban\nAI Snake Oil: What Artificial Intelligence Can Do, What It Can’t, and How to Tell the Difference by Arvind Narayanan and Sayash Kapoor\nHijacking Bitcoin: The Hidden History of BTC by Roger Ver\nGo Woke, Go Broke: The Inside Story of the Radicalization of Corporate America by Charles Gasparino\nThe Catalyst: RNA and the Quest to Unlock Life's Deepest Secrets by Thomas R Cech\nand my book of the year\nGood Energy: The Surprising Connection Between Metabolism and Limitless Health by Casey Means M D",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Why We Die: The New Science of Aging and the Quest for Immortality by Venki Ramakrishnan",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Venki Ramakrishnan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aging",
        "biology",
        "longevity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "why-we-do-what-we-do-dcd0f9",
      "title": "Why We Do What We Do",
      "author": "Edward L. Deci",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5755156,
          "author": "jonajon",
          "createdAt": "2013-05-23T03:20:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 5700602,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books that changed how you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5755156",
          "commentText": "The New Digital Age - Eric Schmidt & Jared Cohen\nWhy We Do What We Do - Edward Deci\nThe Talent Code - Daniel Coyle",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Why We Do What We Do - Edward Deci",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Edward L. Deci"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "motivation",
        "self determination theory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "why-we-get-fat-and-what-to-do-about-it-2d22ea",
      "title": "Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It",
      "author": "Gary Taubes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3395699,
          "author": "Hates_",
          "createdAt": "2011-12-27T13:38:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 3395061,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395699",
          "commentText": "I highly recommend his other book \"Why we get fat\" too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend his other book \"Why we get fat\" too.",
          "reason": "Explicitly says they highly recommend it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gary Taubes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "nutrition",
        "obesity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "why-we-get-sick-3ceb2c",
      "title": "Why We Get Sick",
      "author": "Benjamin Bikman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38568067,
          "author": "d4rkp4ttern",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-08T12:13:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38568067",
          "commentText": "Benjamin Bickman - Why we get sick.\nA life changer. Makes a compelling case that insulin resistance is at the root of many illnesses.  Clarified my nagging questions about added sugar vs sugar in fruits (both are bad) and gave me a simple way to make food choices. Convinced me to finally go LCHF (Low Carb High Fat) or Keto.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Benjamin Bickman - Why we get sick.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it changed their perspective on insulin resistance and influenced their food choices.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it argues insulin resistance is at the root of many illnesses and that both added sugar and fruit sugar are bad.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Benjamin Bikman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "insulin resistance",
        "nutrition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "why-we-sleep-9f3036",
      "title": "Why We Sleep",
      "author": "Albrecht Vorster",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21906515,
          "author": "_0ffh",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T15:59:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21906515",
          "commentText": "Funnily enough, there's also a completely different book by the very same name, written by a German sleep researcher. And this one's actually really good (imo). [1]\n[1] https://service.randomhouse.de/paperback/Why-We-Sleep/Albrec... (https://service.randomhouse.de/paperback/Why-We-Sleep/Albrecht-Vorster/e540135.rhd)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "And this one's actually really good (imo).",
          "reason": "The commenter positively evaluates this distinct book with the same title.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Albrecht Vorster"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sleep science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "why-we-work-54d7d1",
      "title": "Why We Work",
      "author": "Barry Schwartz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11229751,
          "author": "tetraodonpuffer",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:42:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229751",
          "commentText": "some recommendations on mixed topics from my recent non-fiction reads, I enjoyed all of them for different reasons (the song machine book even got me to listen to music I would never have thought I'd enjoy, but can't argue Max Martin knows how to write a catchy song!)\nWhen breath becomes air\nhttp://smile.amazon.com/When-Breath-Becomes-Paul-Kalanithi/d... (http://smile.amazon.com/When-Breath-Becomes-Paul-Kalanithi/dp/081298840X/)\nDo no harm, Stories of Life, Death, and Brain Surgery\nhttp://smile.amazon.com/Do-No-Harm-Stories-Surgery/dp/125006... (http://smile.amazon.com/Do-No-Harm-Stories-Surgery/dp/125006581X/)\nThe Song Machine: Inside the Hit Factory\nhttp://smile.amazon.com/Song-Machine-Inside-Hit-Factory/dp/0... (http://smile.amazon.com/Song-Machine-Inside-Hit-Factory/dp/0393241920/)\nWhy we work\nhttp://smile.amazon.com/Why-We-Work-TED-Books/dp/1476784868/\nEnlightenment 2.0\nhttp://smile.amazon.com/Enlightenment-2-0-Restoring-politics... (http://smile.amazon.com/Enlightenment-2-0-Restoring-politics-economy/dp/0062342894/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "some recommendations on mixed topics from my recent non-fiction reads, I enjoyed all of them",
          "reason": "Included in a list of nonfiction books the commenter recommends and enjoyed.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Barry Schwartz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "meaning",
        "motivation",
        "work"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "why-the-allies-won-20d775",
      "title": "Why the Allies Won",
      "author": "Richard Overy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15960279,
          "author": "atulatul",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T14:11:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15960279",
          "commentText": "Update: added a few lines about the books than just a name listing\nFrom the ones I read in 2017, I would highly recommend (non-IT):\n1. The hidden life of trees- Peter Wohlleben Why forest trees are different than the ones you plant, how the communicate, how they care for their friends when they are not well, how mother trees protect their young ones by not letting them grow too fast, the fungi network, etc. The book is very easy to read- there is no scientific terminology overload. Things are told very simply. Not restricted to students of the subject. Learned something interesting every couple of pages. \nAnother aspect is that the love shows. It is very clear that the author is in love with the subject. The author manages a wild forest in Germany and talks mainly about trees in terms of beeches, firs, oaks, etc. The author is politely insistent that we should protect the natural wild forests and let them be.\n2. Why the allies won- Richard Overy Probably the best book I read on WW2. So many more factors went into winning the war than actual fight. Probably appealed to my analytical mind.\n3. India After Gandhi- Ramachandra Guha As the author says history ends for many Indians with freedom. Very good chronicles. Started appreciating Nehru more.\n4. Re-read Gone With The Wind, To Kill a Mockingbird, the Godfather and a few P.G Wodehouse- all of which I like.\nCurrently, halfway through Stephen Fry's Mythos which seems good enough to recommend. I am pretty new to the Greek Mythology and he is a good story teller. Don't have much to compare it with, though.\nAlso, by choice, I read quite a few books in rural Marathi(an Indian regional language) and was surprised how good the story telling was. Also noticed that I had gone quite far from my mother tongue but was happy to see how easy it was to go back.\nPlease answer my similar question https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15960188",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Probably the best book I read on WW2.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it probably their best book on World War II and appreciates its analysis of factors beyond combat.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it probably appealed to their analytical mind.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Richard Overy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "why-the-west-rules-for-now-8c75d1",
      "title": "Why the West Rules—for Now",
      "author": "Ian Morris",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17521978,
          "author": "wazoox",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T11:26:38.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521978",
          "commentText": "Here is a quick list of the last great books I've read which are available in English (some 'Ive read in other languages):\n- History of Western Philosophy, by Bertrand Russell :\n   This is a wonderful book. Read it.\n- Why the West rules -- for now, Ian Morris :\n   How geography drives history. really deep and thought-provoking.\n- the Strange Defeat, Marc Bloch :\n   A gripping, living narration of the French armies collapse in 1940, from the inside (Marc Bloch was an officer). With a very deep analysis of the long maturing reasons for this defeat.\n- Histories of Alexander the Great, Quintus Curtius Rufus :\n   The title says it all. Very elegant Latin prose.\n- The Golden Ass, Apuleius :\n   A funny story and an immortal classic.\n- The Blitzkrieg Legend: The 1940 Campaign in the West, Karl-Heinz Frieser :\n   For true military history geeks :)\nI notice that these are either classics, or history. Well, so be it :)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How geography drives history. really deep and thought-provoking.",
          "reason": "Praises its thought-provoking account of geography and history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 14859665,
          "author": "jim-davis",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T19:56:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859665",
          "commentText": "Ian Morris: Why the West Rules - for now\nRichard Baldwin - The Great Convergence",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Ian Morris: Why the West Rules - for now",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ian Morris"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comparative civilizations",
        "comparative history",
        "geography",
        "world history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wicked-the-life-and-times-of-the-wicked-witch-of-the-west-55953d",
      "title": "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West",
      "author": "Gregory Maguire",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 876444,
          "author": "axod",
          "createdAt": "2009-10-12T10:38:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 875686,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=876444",
          "commentText": "Gregory Maguire: \"Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West\"\nThe other would be this 8088 chip reference book I had. I loved that book. Had all the instructions with timings etc etc Blue cover but I forget the exact name.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gregory Maguire: \"Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West\"",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to the thread’s request for favorite books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gregory Maguire"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fairy tale retelling",
        "revisionist fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wikinomics-e73f5f",
      "title": "Wikinomics",
      "author": "Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5574,
          "author": "python_kiss",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T02:11:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5574",
          "commentText": "About 14 months ago, I had little knowledge of how to execute a startup. In particular, I wasn't familiar with any online marketing tactics. The following books helped me a lot in that respective, and more:\n\n1. Positioning, 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing/Branding, Focus, Marketing Warfare\n2. Purple Cow, All Marketers are Liars, Permission Marketing (I didn't like \"The Big Moo\", \"Free prize inside\" or \"Small is the new Big\").\n3. Founters At Work\n4. Wikinomics, Wisdom of Crowds, The Tipping Point (Blink! was alright). I am looking forward to reading \"The Long Tail\" and \"The starfish and the spider\"...has anyone read them yet?\n6. Why We Buy\n7. Hackers and Painters\n8. The E-Myth revisited\n9. The Art of the Start\n10. On War, The Art of War by Machiavelli and Sun Tzu (not exactly for startups, but definitely useful)\n11. Crossing the Chasm",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wikinomics",
          "reason": "Listed among books that helped the commenter learn startup execution and online marketing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "collaborative production",
        "digital economy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wild-seed-b0c4e6",
      "title": "Wild Seed",
      "author": "Octavia E. Butler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15156533,
          "author": "jeffersonheard",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-02T15:44:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15156533",
          "commentText": "Getting More - Stuart Diamond. I still think this is the best book on the art of negotiation.\nGetting Things Done - David Allen. If you have adult ADHD like me, and you haven't read this, it's the first system that's really worked for productivity for me.\nMan's Search for Meaning - Victor Frankl.\nLiving Buddha, Living Christ - Thich Nhat Hanh.\nCosmos - Carl Sagan.\nThe Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. LeGuin.\nThe One who Walks Away from Omelas - U.K. LeGuin.\nWild Seed - Octavia Butler.\nThe Heike Monogatari - (tr. Helen Craig McCullough) “The sound of the Gion Shoja temple bells echoes the impermanence of all things; the color of the sala flowers reveals the truth that to flourish is to fall. The proud do not endure, like a passing dream on a night in spring; the mighty fall at last, to be no more than dust before the wind.” If you need a comparison. this is the Japanese historical equivalent of Game of Thrones combined with a bit of MacBeth. The rise and fall of two shogunate families, and an analysis of the tragic flaws of character that brought their fall about.\nLes Miserables - Victor Hugo.\nSmall Gods - Terry Pratchett.\nHeart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad.\nThe Guide - R. K. Narayan.\nEvidence - Mary Oliver.\nAll of Us - The Collected Poetry of Raymond Carver.\nSilence - Shusaku Endo.\nThe Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald.\nThe Wind-Up Bird Chronicle - Murakami Haruki. This and the next four are odd choices, perhaps, since it's a surrealist book, but IMO books that force your imagination to work hard do as much for creativity and fresh ideas as any of the more popular methods.\nThe Well-Built City (The Physiognomy / Memoranda / The Beyond) Jeffery Ford - Surrealist novellas best described as about the protagonist living and achieving agency within the constructs, dreams, and nightmares of a \"Great Man's\" mind.\nSnow Crash - Neal Stephenson.\nGravity's Rainbow - Thomas Pynchon.\nDhalgren - Samuel L. \"Chip\" Delany.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wild Seed - Octavia Butler.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Octavia E. Butler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "immortality",
        "power",
        "shapeshifting"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wild-swans-three-daughters-of-china-b89c81",
      "title": "Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China",
      "author": "Jung Chang",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 49899985,
          "author": "mon_",
          "createdAt": "2026-09-29T20:30:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 49893157,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49899985",
          "commentText": "Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang.\nIt's an autobiographical history which recounts the lives of the author, her mother, and her grandmother throughout an extremely transformational century in Chinese history.\nI went into this knowing little to no Chinese history, and it has opened my eyes to this fascinating country. I hope to visit China for the first time in 2027. Before I go, I'm doing a deep dive into Chinese history. Open to recommendations on what to read next!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It's an autobiographical history which recounts the lives of the author, her mother, and her grandmother throughout an extremely transformational century in Chinese history.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it opened their eyes to China and its history.",
          "audience": "Readers with little prior knowledge of Chinese history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jung Chang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chinese history",
        "family memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wild-at-heart-e342cb",
      "title": "Wild at Heart",
      "author": "John Eldredge",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 85926,
          "author": "nfriedly",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T14:05:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85926",
          "commentText": "The Bible,\nWild at Heart,\nHow to Win Friends and Influence People,\nSongs for Martha <-- I have an autographed copy,\nHitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy,\nRainbow Six (and most other Clancy books)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wild at Heart,",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Eldredge"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian spirituality",
        "masculinity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wild-from-lost-to-found-on-the-pacific-crest-trail-2e4672",
      "title": "Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail",
      "author": "Cheryl Strayed",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22721540,
          "author": "cnorthwood",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-29T18:56:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 22718592,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22721540",
          "commentText": "Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes.\nWild by Cheryl Strayed - not strictly fiction but it could be read as such. Opened my mind to areas of society I wasn't aware of.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Wild by Cheryl Strayed - not strictly fiction but it could be read as such. Opened my mind to areas of society I wasn't aware of.",
          "reason": "Says the book broadened their awareness of parts of society.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not strictly fiction, though it could be read as such.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Cheryl Strayed"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Nature",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "pacific crest trail"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wildwood-e522c8",
      "title": "Wildwood",
      "author": "Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4966836,
          "author": "zwieback",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T19:25:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4966836",
          "commentText": "\"Wildwood\" and \"Under Wildwood\" by Colin Meloy (the guy from the Decemberists) and Carson Ellis. Written for older kids but I enjoyed them too. I don't usually read fantasy books but these are different.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Wildwood\" and \"Under Wildwood\" by Colin Meloy (the guy from the Decemberists) and Carson Ellis. Written for older kids but I enjoyed them too.",
          "reason": "Says they enjoyed these books.",
          "audience": "Older children",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they do not usually read fantasy books, though these are different.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Colin Meloy and Carson Ellis"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "middle grade"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "william-joyce-picture-books-88b811",
      "title": "William Joyce picture books",
      "author": "William Joyce",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26780413,
          "author": "pmdulaney",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-12T15:25:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 26774350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite toddler books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26780413",
          "commentText": "The Napping House by Audrey Wood\nAll the picture books of William Joyce\nPaul O. Zelinsky's Rumpelstiltskin",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All the picture books of William Joyce",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Joyce"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s picture books"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "williwaw-2d9ba5",
      "title": "Williwaw",
      "author": "Gore Vidal",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2526794,
          "author": "m0nastic",
          "createdAt": "2011-05-08T21:51:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 2526568,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2526794",
          "commentText": "I'm not sure about \"essential reading\", but I like most anything besides Science Fiction or Fantasy (probably the opposite of most folks here)\nSome of my top choices would be:\nAnything by Bulgakov (Heart of a Dog and Master and Margerita are both pretty widely available in English)\nBerlin Stories by Christopher Isherwood\nBurmese Days by George Orwell\nCakes and Ale by Somerset Maugham\nColor of Summer by Reinaldo Arenas\nWilliwaw by Gore Vidal\nThe Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Williwaw by Gore Vidal",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s top choices.",
          "audience": "Readers who like fiction outside science fiction and fantasy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gore Vidal"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "world war ii"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "willpower-rediscovering-the-greatest-human-strength-4c74a3",
      "title": "Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength",
      "author": "Roy F. Baumeister and John Tierney",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 4966472,
          "author": "lpolovets",
          "createdAt": "2012-12-25T17:35:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 4966230,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in 2012",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4966472",
          "commentText": "I really liked Succeed by Halvorson, as well as Willpower by Baumeister and Tierney. The former covers research on setting goals, the latter covers research on being more disciplined. Both book are a great blend of interesting studies and practical advice.\nAmazon links: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0452297710 and http://www.amazon.com/dp/0143122231\nThorough book notes:\nhttp://www.quora.com/Leo-Polovets/Exceptionally-long-book-no... (http://www.quora.com/Leo-Polovets/Exceptionally-long-book-notes-for-exceptionally-good-books/Notes-on-Succeed-by-Halvorson) and http://www.quora.com/Leo-Polovets/Exceptionally-long-book-no... (http://www.quora.com/Leo-Polovets/Exceptionally-long-book-notes-for-exceptionally-good-books/Notes-on-Willpower-by-Baumeister-and-Tierney)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Both book are a great blend of interesting studies and practical advice.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls both books a great blend of interesting studies and practical advice.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 2963450,
          "author": "fabiandesimone",
          "createdAt": "2011-09-05T22:07:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 2963294,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Got a Kindle. What now? What books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2963450",
          "commentText": "Forget about the spammy title, this is an amazing book on copy writting:\nCashvertising:\nhttp://amzn.to/nrwKnf (all links have my affiliate link. On my way to richness baby! ;)\nI'm currently reading this one, so far so good:\nMoonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything\nhttp://amzn.to/nGEnkv\nThis is a small list of books I want to read:\nThe Secret Life of Pronouns: What Our Words Say About Us\nhttp://amzn.to/oiEIDs\nWillpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength\nhttp://amzn.to/qTNpgB\nDo More Faster: TechStars Lessons to Accelerate Your Startup\nhttp://amzn.to/njSDPh\nThe Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement\nhttp://amzn.to/okuaFh\nThe Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal\nhttp://amzn.to/rptuZ9\nThe Upside of Irrationality: The Unexpected Benefits of Defying Logic at Work and at Home\nhttp://amzn.to/oaIDgu",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed among books the commenter wants to read; no evaluation is given.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roy F. Baumeister and John Tierney"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "self control",
        "discipline",
        "willpower"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "windows-internals-75315f",
      "title": "Windows Internals",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40512944,
          "author": "eps",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-29T15:22:59.000Z",
          "threadId": 40497383,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Can anyone recommend a Windows Systems programming book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40512944",
          "commentText": "That's the answer.\nWindows Internals is a really good source for deep understanding of the OS.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Windows Internals is a really good source for deep understanding of the OS.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a source for deep understanding of Windows.",
          "audience": "Someone seeking deeper understanding of Windows internals.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "operating systems",
        "windows internals"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "windows-internals-27541a",
      "title": "Windows Internals",
      "author": "Mark Russinovich; David Solomon; Alex Ionescu",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40514344,
          "author": "dgellow",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-29T17:11:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 40497383,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Can anyone recommend a Windows Systems programming book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40514344",
          "commentText": "Agreed, also anything else from Russinovich.\nhttps://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/resources/win... (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/resources/windows-internals)\nBut you have to be aware the part 1 is now a bit dated, the 7th edition is from 2017. The part 2 is from 2021. It’s not a big deal but some references are a bit outdated and some modern stuff is missing, but nothing that will be a blocker.\nThe books aren’t focused on programming though, but they explains the security, threading model, etc. Really interesting reads.\nI comment it often but something great with windows API is that you can still use all the Win32 APIs, almost all old examples you can find on MSDN are still relevant to this day. The only thing you need to get started is a way to interact with C, and learn windows conventions (parameter names are weird at first but make sense, the error handling can also be confusing at first, the process model is a bit strange at first if you come from Unix, etc)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "anything else from Russinovich",
          "reason": "Recommends other work by Russinovich in the context of a Windows systems programming book recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The books are not focused on programming; part 1 is somewhat dated.",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Russinovich",
        "David Solomon",
        "Alex Ionescu"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "operating systems",
        "windows internals"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "windows-internals-2f6a3d",
      "title": "Windows Internals",
      "author": "Mark Russinovich and David A. Solomon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8001351,
          "author": "presty",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-07T20:56:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 7998382,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best technical eBook you have read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8001351",
          "commentText": "edit: forget my answer. I didn't read them as ebooks\nfor plain books:\nWindows Internals by Solomon and Russinovich\nAI: A modern Approach by Russell and Norvig",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Windows Internals by Solomon and Russinovich",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Listed as a print book, not an ebook.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Russinovich and David A. Solomon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "operating systems",
        "windows"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "winesburg-ohio-4aa33a",
      "title": "Winesburg, Ohio",
      "author": "Sherwood Anderson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17381914,
          "author": "asimpletune",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-23T16:17:28.000Z",
          "threadId": 17381352,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some great books that are relatively unknown in the US?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17381914",
          "commentText": "Foreign:\n* Life: a users manual by George s Perec.\n* Too Loud a Solitude by Bohumil Hrabal\n* Auto-da-fe by Elias Canetti\nDomestic:\nThese are harder because I feel like they’re all pretty well known, but maybe they’re not actually read. Like, known bc people have heard the name, but are not read as much anymore.\n* Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson\n* Gravity’s Rainbow by Thomas Pynchon\n* Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy\nActually unknown (but super good) domestic:\n* Stuff by Larry McMurtry (only famous for lonesome dove)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Anderson",
          "reason": "Includes it among domestic books that may be known by name but less often read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it may be known by name but not read as much anymore.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 6975850,
          "author": "noname123",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T19:03:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6975850",
          "commentText": "I remember reading two pieces of the book from an anthology many moons ago; how did it affect you? Is it because it's a book about a young man's discovery of his sexual yearnings or a the zeitgeist of the life of the adults around him? Thanks, I'd like to very much read it.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Thanks, I'd like to very much read it.",
          "reason": "Expresses interest in reading the book and asks how it affected the other commenter.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sherwood Anderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american literature",
        "short stories",
        "short story cycle"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wing-leader-ede5db",
      "title": "Wing Leader",
      "author": "Johnnie Johnson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 456866,
          "author": "pg",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T18:45:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456866",
          "commentText": "Along with the Anabasis and Caesar's Gallic Wars, I particularly recommend Johnnie Johnson's Wing Leader, Hanson's Western Way of War, and Oman's Art of War in the Middle Ages.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I particularly recommend Johnnie Johnson's Wing Leader",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommended by the commenter.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in military aviation and history.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Johnnie Johnson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "military aviation",
        "military history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wings-of-fire-32b438",
      "title": "Wings of Fire",
      "author": "A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, Arun Tiwari",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40280027,
          "author": "sedawk",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-06T22:02:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40280027",
          "commentText": "In no particular order...\n0. Made in Japan: Akio Morita and Sony, by Akio Morita, Edwin M. Reingold, Mitsuko Shimomura\n1. The Practice of Programming (TPOP) , by Brian W. Kernighan, Rob Pike\n2. Wings of Fire, by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Arun Tiwari",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wings of Fire, by A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Arun Tiwari",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "A. P. J. Abdul Kalam",
        "Arun Tiwari"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wings-to-awakening-e5ced2",
      "title": "Wings to Awakening",
      "author": "Thanissaro Bhikkhu",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17984986,
          "author": "RikNieu",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-14T05:51:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 17980964,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What was the one book that you read and it actually changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17984986",
          "commentText": "Wings To Awakening by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.\nI was always interested and had a vaguely interested in Buddhism, but this book laid out everything about it nice and clear(well, in dense language at times), almost like paint-by-numbers. Everything just made sense from then on.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wings To Awakening by Thanissaro Bhikkhu.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it clearly laid out Buddhism and made everything make sense.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in understanding Buddhism.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes the language can be dense at times.",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thanissaro Bhikkhu"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhism",
        "early buddhist teachings"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "winners-losers-microsoft-competition-and-america-s-high-tech-futu-db6e2a",
      "title": "Winners, Losers & Microsoft: Competition and America's High Tech Future",
      "author": "Robert X. Cringely",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17205403,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-01T14:04:18.000Z",
          "threadId": 17204467,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations on books and documentaries on tech companies/people?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17205403",
          "commentText": "Maybe not perfect matches, but a few titles I'm familiar with that you might like:\nDreaming in Code - covers Mitch Kapor's post Lotus effort to build Chandler.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreaming_in_Code\nEveryone Else Must Fail - all about Larry Ellison and Oracle\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Everyone-Else-Must-Fail-Unvarnished/d... (https://www.amazon.com/Everyone-Else-Must-Fail-Unvarnished/dp/0712621482)\nWinners, Losers & Microsoft - title says it all\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Winners-Losers-Microsoft-Competition-... (https://www.amazon.com/Winners-Losers-Microsoft-Competition-Technology/dp/0945999844)\nTwo books by Bill Gates:\nBusiness At The Speed of Thought\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Business-Speed-Thought-Succeeding-Dig... (https://www.amazon.com/Business-Speed-Thought-Succeeding-Digital/dp/0446525685/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1527861952&sr=1-1&keywords=business+at+the+speed+of+thought)\nand\nThe Road Ahead\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Road-Ahead-Completely-Up-Date/dp/0140... (https://www.amazon.com/Road-Ahead-Completely-Up-Date/dp/0140260404/ref=pd_sbs_14_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0140260404&pd_rd_r=ZRRXQ50NEK3EPWVC9FM9&pd_rd_w=q6Fr8&pd_rd_wg=iFPgv&psc=1&refRID=ZRRXQ50NEK3EPWVC9FM9)\nAlso:\nMCI: Failure Is Not An Option\nhttps://www.amazon.com/MCI-Failure-Invented-Competition-Tele... (https://www.amazon.com/MCI-Failure-Invented-Competition-Telecommunications/dp/1888232412/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1527861809&sr=1-1&keywords=failure+is+not+an+option+mci)\nAlready mentioned, but I feel obligated to add another +1 for these three:\nThe Soul of a New Machine - Kidder\nHackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution - Levy\nThe Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation - Gertner\nAlso, if you enjoy this kind of stuff, you might enjoy the AMC series Halt and Catch Fire. Yes it's fiction and highly dramatized, but it captures a lot of the spirit of the times from the beginnings of the PC era up through the Dot Com Bubble era.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Winners, Losers & Microsoft - title says it all",
          "reason": "Suggested as a title the reader might like about Microsoft and competition.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Microsoft and the technology industry.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert X. Cringely"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "microsoft",
        "technology competition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "winnetou-c90b28",
      "title": "Winnetou",
      "author": "Karl May",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20915813,
          "author": "oh-moses",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-09T06:56:36.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20915813",
          "commentText": "As a kid I really enjoyed the Winnetou stories by Karl May",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "As a kid I really enjoyed the Winnetou stories by Karl May",
          "reason": "Says they really enjoyed the Winnetou stories.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Karl May"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure",
        "western"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "winning-421dca",
      "title": "Winning",
      "author": "Jack Welch and Suzy Welch",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Mentioned specifically for its M&A chapter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 21713941,
          "author": "jppope",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-05T17:01:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 21712194,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21713941",
          "commentText": "Here's my shortlist:\n- The Art of the Advantage (33 stratagems)\n- Winning By Jack Welch\n- Tribal Leadership\n- Creativity Inc\n- The Lean Startup (~leadership in the face of uncertainty)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Winning By Jack Welch",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jack Welch",
        "Suzy Welch"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "management",
        "leadership",
        "mergers and acquisitions"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "winning-through-intimidation-40e199",
      "title": "Winning Through Intimidation",
      "author": "Robert J. Ringer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2173418,
          "author": "lsc",
          "createdAt": "2011-02-03T03:21:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 2172825,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: If you could recommend only three management books...",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2173418",
          "commentText": "personally, I'd recommend the classics.\n1. winning friends and influencing people by Dale Carnegie\nprobably the best \"quick introduction to people skills\" I've seen.\nthen, if you need to deal with vendor salespeople\n2. winning through intimidation by Robert J. Ringer.\n(not that I really advocate doing what he says, but it's an important window into the sales mind.  You need some applied cynicism  to defend yourself the first time you go to rent an office, a server, or anything else, really.)\nbut, I guess that's only two, and neither is as specific as you want.  I've never read a specific business book that I found useful.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "(not that I really advocate doing what he says, but it's an important window into the sales mind.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a way to understand the sales mindset and protect oneself in dealings with vendors.",
          "audience": "People dealing with vendor salespeople.",
          "caveat": "The commenter does not advocate following the book’s advice.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert J. Ringer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "negotiation",
        "sales"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "winter-is-coming-4dd4de",
      "title": "Winter Is Coming",
      "author": "Garry Kasparov",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 34160619,
          "author": "Pietertje",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-28T13:11:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 34160611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34160619",
          "commentText": "This year I've put myself to the challenge to read at least one book per week which I primarily could complete by reading in the middle of the night while holding our sleeping baby in my arms. It has been an interesting challenge which gave me a lot of fulfilment and has certainly changed my mind on how I view the world. This comment became quite a long read, apologies for that.\nBooks I highly recommend:\nChurchill by Andrew Roberts (p:1105)\nA biography about one of the most interesting figures in politics and WWII. Roberts gives a very detailed description of the life of Churchill and manages to keep you interested the entire length of the book.\nThe God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (p:374)\nIn The God Delusion Dawkins gives arguments why there is no God, why we do not need a God and why religion is damaging to our society. If you are religious it might not be the book for you unless you are open to hear his arguments and line of reasoning. Dawkins will challenge your worldview.\nThe Bomb by Fred Kaplan (p:384)\nKaplan describes the policy of different US presidents on the atomic bomb and war in general. And primarily on the inability of US presidents and policy-makers to tune down its military. A chilling read which makes you appreciate a nuclear holocaust did not happen (yet)....\nPoor Economics by Abhijit V. Banerjee and Esther Duflo (p:320)\nBanerjee and Duflo give a gripping portrait of how poor people live. They offer an insight in the choices and decisions people make surviving on less than 1 USD a day (corrected for purchasing power). It made me completely rethink my own view on poverty and development aid; stressing even more that in order to help one need to have a complete understanding of the individual's situation and the local boundary conditions.\nProject Hail Mary  by Andy Weir (p:476)\nThis book triggered my science fiction reading. For some reason I never was interested in science fiction. Most likely triggered by reading Foundation by Asimov a few years back which apparently is not a book to my taste. But Andy Weir completely annihilated that wrong perspective on science fiction. Project Hail Mary is interesting, funny and gripping book.\nKindred by Octavia Butler  (p:287)\nThis book.... From page one I was hooked and almost read it in one go. Butler is a wonderful author and Kindred is a must-read. The book is about a woman traveling back in time to end up on a slave plantation. It's a chilling account of slavery.\nOther books I read this year, ask me anything about one of these books. I've added a + if I think its worth a recommendation\nBiography:\nNavalny by Dollbaum, Lallouet and Noble (p:280); The Man from the Future by Ananyo Bhattacharya (p:354) +\nSociology; Politics; Economics; Business:\nOnly the Paranoid Survive by Andrew S. Grove (p:224); The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli  (p:140); Winter is Coming by Garry Kasparov (p:290); Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum (p:224) +; Man's Search for Meaning by Victor E. Frankl (p:164) +; We Are Bellingcat by Eliot Higgins (p:272); De Zeven Vinkjes by Joris Luyendijk (p:200); Waarom vuilnismannen meer verdienen dan bankiers by Rutger Bregman (p:104)\nComedy: The Dilbert Principle by Scott Adams (p:336)\nHistory:\nBand of Brothers  by Stephen E. Ambrose (p:432); The Nuclear Jihadist by Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins (p:413) +; The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre (p:384) +; De Heineken Ontvoering by Peter R. de Vries (p:347); Red Famine by Anne Apllebaum (p:384); Night by Elie Wiesel (p:115) +\nScience, Technology, Mathematics:\nFermat's Enigma by Simon Singh (p:315) +; A Mathematician's Apology by G.H. Hardy (p:153); The Great Influenza by John M. Barry (p:546); The Rise and Fall of the Dinousaurs by Stephen Brusatte (p:404) ++; The Double Helix by James Watson (p:144)\nSport:\nRun or Die by Killian Jornet (p:208); The Secret Race by Tyler Hamilton  (p:290) +; The Rise of the Ultra Runners by  (p:304); Tom Dumoulin by Patrick Bernhart (p:203)\nFiction:\nAnthem by Ayn Rand (p:105); Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (p:704); The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum (p:566); Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (p:466); Live and Let die by Ian Fleming  (p:229)\nClassics:\nA Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (p:104); The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (p:201); The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzergerald (p:180); Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (p:139); Animal Farm by George Orwell (p:122) +; Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (p:227) +; The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (p:118)\nScience Fiction:\nThe Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (p:399); All Systems Red  by Martha Wells (p:144) +; A Memory Called Empire  by Arkady Martine (p:462) +; A Psalm built for the Wild by Becky Chambers (p:160); Dune by Frank Herbert (p:658); Foundation by Isaac Asimov (p:244); The Martian by Andy Weir (p:384) +;\nThe Forever War by Joe Haldeman (p:278)",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Winter is Coming by Garry Kasparov",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 13237380,
          "author": "rdeboo",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T14:22:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13237380",
          "commentText": "I set myself a goal to read 20 books; I succeeded.\nHere's the ones I recommend most:\nKim Zetter - Countdown to Zero (on Stuxnet virus and how it was smuggled into the nuclear facility; very interesting)\nGary Kasparov - Winter is Coming (we should consider Russia a dictatorship by now; though until recently, western politicians treated it as a democratic partner country)\nMark Goodman - Future crimes (wide spanning book on crime in the age of the internet)\nPhilip E. Tetlock - Superforecasting (how amateurs can consistently beat domain professionals in forecasting all kind of stuff)\nVenkat Subramaniam - Programming Concurrency on the JVM (good overview of your options (diy with locking / akka / clojure & STM))",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Gary Kasparov - Winter is Coming (we should consider Russia a dictatorship by now; though until recently, western politicians treated it as a democratic partner country)",
          "reason": "Includes it among the books the commenter recommends most.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Russia and democracy.",
          "caveat": "The parenthetical expresses the commenter's political assessment.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Garry Kasparov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "authoritarianism",
        "politics",
        "russia",
        "russian politics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "winter-s-tale-302b99",
      "title": "Winter's Tale",
      "author": "Mark Helprin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17339194,
          "author": "pdxgene",
          "createdAt": "2018-06-18T15:54:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 17336708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is your comfort book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17339194",
          "commentText": "I go back to \"Winter's Tale\" by Mark Helprin once or twice a decade. It has an uncanny combination of page-turner pace and sheer stop-and-savor-it writing beauty that makes it a sheer joy every time.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Winter's Tale\" by Mark Helprin",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a joy to reread, praising its page-turning pace and beautiful writing.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Helprin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "historical fantasy",
        "magical realism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "winterlong-d9ada8",
      "title": "Winterlong",
      "author": "Elizabeth Hand",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 50116114,
          "author": "genezeta",
          "createdAt": "2026-10-16T09:24:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 50115565,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books did you read at least twice?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50116114",
          "commentText": "Elizabeth Hand's Winterlong, probably 3-4 times.\nMost of Raymond Chandler and Dashiel Hammet I've read multiple times. I've read Brautigan's Dreaming of Babylon a bunch of times too.\nAll of William Gibson. Miyazaki's Nausicaä of The Valley of Wind, in various languages. Stephen Cosgrove's Muffin Muncher, I couldn't say how many times I must have read that (It appears they've now changed the title to Muffin Dragon).\nI've read The Soul of a New Machine a couple of times too. The Hitchhiker's and Dirk Gently's trilogies a few times.\nStefano Benni's Baol probably half a dozen times. And Acts of The Apostles by John FX Sundman a bunch too. Oh, and a few of Martin Gardner's books. And Smullyan's To Mock a Mockingbird.\nAnd most probably also many others. Most of my books are now in boxes or have been gifted away, though.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Elizabeth Hand's Winterlong, probably 3-4 times.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they read it three or four times.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The reading count is approximate.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Elizabeth Hand"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopian fiction",
        "post apocalyptic fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wintersmith-4541e8",
      "title": "Wintersmith",
      "author": "Terry Pratchett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1026884,
          "author": "Daniel_Newby",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-02T06:33:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 1026296,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026884",
          "commentText": "Redliners by David Drake. Burned out soldiers are sent to baby-sit a planetary colonization. Fortunately for the story it turns out to be a planet full of monsters. Baen Free Library.\nAccelerando, Iron Sunrise, and Singularity Sky by Charles Stross.  Singularity stories.\nHouse of Leaves by Mark Danielewski.  Supernatural meta-fiction with half the story in the footnotes.  Reminiscent of the movie Donnie Darko.\nCrooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis.  Private eye gets retained by the White House to track down the other U.S. Constitution.  To quote William Gibson, \"Stop It. You're frightening me.\"\nHurry Down Sunshine by Michael Greenberg.  Story of his teenage daughter's descent into manic psychosis.\nA Hat Full of Sky and Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett.  Kids' stories, so they have wall-to-wall story, unlike some of his more situational adult books.\nJames H. Schmitz science fiction stories. Available from the Baen Free Library of digital books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "A Hat Full of Sky and Wintersmith by Terry Pratchett. Kids' stories, so they have wall-to-wall story",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the children’s books for having “wall-to-wall story.”",
          "audience": "Readers of children’s stories.",
          "caveat": "The commenter contrasts them with some of Pratchett’s more situational adult books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry Pratchett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "children s fantasy",
        "discworld"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wired-for-story-531631",
      "title": "Wired for Story",
      "author": "Lisa Cron",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32349712,
          "author": "MarinaMichaels",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-04T23:40:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32349712",
          "commentText": "Lisa Cron's book, _Wired for Story_, is aimed at fiction writers, but any type of writer can benefit from her book. She gives excellent cognitive-science-based reasons for each writing tip she gives.\nI'm an editor/book project manager at a major computer book publishing company, and a former software tech writer. I recommend Lisa Cron's book to  all my authors.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Lisa Cron's book, _Wired for Story_, is aimed at fiction writers, but any type of writer can benefit from her book.",
          "reason": "Recommends it to writers broadly, noting its cognitive-science-based writing tips.",
          "audience": "Writers of any kind; aimed at fiction writers.",
          "caveat": "The book is aimed at fiction writers.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Lisa Cron"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognitive science",
        "storytelling"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wireless-99d8fe",
      "title": "Wireless",
      "author": "Charles Stross",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36021193,
          "author": "beckingz",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T14:26:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36021193",
          "commentText": "Revelation Space - Alastair Reynolds\nWireless - Charles Stross\nStories of your life and others - Ted Chiang\nMoonrise - Ben Bova\nLast Plane to Heaven - Jay Lake\nBest of Greg Egan - Greg Egan",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wireless - Charles Stross",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a request for science fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 1865864,
          "author": "Vivtek",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T18:31:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865864",
          "commentText": "Right now, Charlie Stross Wireless, a short story collection.  However, what I'm going to read very shortly will be Moby-Dick for the third time; my daughter just read it in her high school English class and it became clear to me that it's time to read it again.  Good Lord, that man could turn a phrase.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Right now, Charlie Stross Wireless, a short story collection.",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Charles Stross"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "short fiction",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wireless-nation-the-frenzied-launch-of-the-cellular-revolution-ad90ec",
      "title": "Wireless Nation: The Frenzied Launch of the Cellular Revolution",
      "author": "James B. Murray",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25319599,
          "author": "slimmyjim",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T23:57:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319599",
          "commentText": "My favorite genre as well. Found this one riveting and hilarious: Wireless Nation: The Frenzied Launch of the Cellular Revolution by James B Murray.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Nation-Frenzied-Cellular-Rev... (https://www.amazon.com/Wireless-Nation-Frenzied-Cellular-Revolution/dp/0738206881/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Wireless+Nation%3A+The+Frenzied+Launch+of+the+Cellular+Revolution&qid=1607212012&sr=8-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wireless Nation: The Frenzied Launch of the Cellular Revolution by James B Murray.",
          "reason": "Described as riveting and hilarious.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James B. Murray"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cellular industry",
        "telecommunications history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wireshark-network-analysis-the-official-wireshark-certified-netwo-ed024a",
      "title": "Wireshark Network Analysis: The Official Wireshark Certified Network Analyst Study Guide",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14859610,
          "author": "GoldDust",
          "createdAt": "2017-07-26T19:52:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 14859274,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you currently reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14859610",
          "commentText": "\"Wireshark Network Analysis: The Official Wireshark Certified Network Analyst Study Guide\"\nEither I'm more of a nerd than I thought, or this is actually pretty well written. I'm really enjoying it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Either I'm more of a nerd than I thought, or this is actually pretty well written. I'm really enjoying it.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are really enjoying the book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "network analysis",
        "wireshark"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wisdom-takes-work-82888c",
      "title": "Wisdom Takes Work",
      "author": "Ryan Holiday",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46396841,
          "author": "phtrivier",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T22:08:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46396841",
          "commentText": "I started the year with \"Right thing, right now\", and I'm ending it with \"wisdom takes work\" (R.Holiday), but I'm happy to say that I'm now a bit \"tired\" of re-reading the same rehashing of other people's book, and I want to read the original ones. Which, actually, is the pont.\nI wanted to read classics, and devoured \"The portrait of Dorian Gray\" (O.Wilde), where maybe 50% of all the \"as O.Wilde said...\" quotes seem to come from (uttered by a single, incredibly obnoxious character.)\nI challenged myself to read \"Les Miserables\" (V.Hugo), and actually managed to get two tomes out of five down. Eminently quotable, heavily skippable - why on earth spend half a time on describing the ins and out of Waterloo, except to show off ? - and, surprisingly, at times, _funny_.\nThe bio of Pierre Mendès France (J.Lacouture) was very much topical, given the mess in Franch politics. We had more PMs in one year than in a few chapters of the book. It's very weird to read that, at some point, some politicians were \"liked\" by the people - but lost power anyway.\nA small Edouard Phillipe book called \"Men who read\" almost made me like the guy - his next book is more serious and expected. It pains me to think that our next election is going to be about \"well read people who disappointed everyone\" vs \"popular jocks with no education who will end up disappointing everyone\".\n\"Abundance\" (E.Klein / D.Thompson) is an attempt from \"well read people\" to at least try and understand why everyone is disappointed and prefer the jocks. I don't think they included any solution in their book, though - maybe they save it for the sequel, or for E.Klein's presidential bid.\nI want to read all Stripe press - if only, because the covers rock, and they're optimistic. Started with \"Poor Charlie's Almanach\" (C.Munger), which a disappointing rehash of the same funny speech seven times. (Tldr : be multidisciplinary, study cognitive biases, don't trade). In the middle of \"The Origins of Efficiency \" (Potter)\n\"The Wave\" (Souleymane) was not optimistic. And not practical at all - sure, AI enabled drones carrying bioweapons will suck. \"The Age of predators\" (G. Da Empoli) reminds us that the AI enabled bioweapons carrying drones will come from an illiberal state enabled by billionaires from Silicon Valley, and Russian trolls. I wish someone told me where to go to avoid being targeted too early.\n\"Everything is tuberculosis\" (J. Greene) reminded me of a time when scientists were trying to solve problems as opposed to creating brand new ones - but at least the next generations won't die of boredom.\n\"We, programmers\" is a rehash of Uncle Bob's pre talks \"history of programming\". I loved the long and detailed parts about G.Hopper. He ends with a (failed) attempt to convince that programmers will still be needed in the age of AI.\nSteve Yegge's \"Vibe coding\" goes full \"resistance is futile\" about programming with agents, and, interestingly, ends up talking more about TDD than Uncle Bob - but the words \"electricity consumption\" and \"climate impact\" are not utured, because, why spoil the fun.\n\"The Common LISP cookbook\" tried to explain me the difference between ASDF, quicklisp and whatnot - 2025 was the closest year I ever go to actually writing something in LISP instead of reading books about it.\nAnd also, \"The baby is a mammal\" (M.Odent) and \"Becoming a dad for dummies\", because this year was probably the last one we're I'll get so much time to read :)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I'm ending it with \"wisdom takes work\" (R.Holiday)",
          "reason": "The commenter says they are tired of rereading books that rehash others’ ideas.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Grouped with what the commenter calls repeated rehashes of other people’s books.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ryan Holiday"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal development",
        "stoicism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wisdom-s-workshop-d9d77d",
      "title": "Wisdom’s Workshop",
      "author": "James Axtell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42509520,
          "author": "wannabebarista",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T16:26:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42509520",
          "commentText": "Wisdom’s Workshop (2016) by James Axtell is a history of the American research university from Medieval times to the present. It's worth reading for anyone in academia or grad school in the US.\nEach year, I put together lists of the books and articles that I found most interesting. Here's my book list for 2024: https://bcmullins.github.io/interesting-books-2024/\nI'm still cranking out my list of articles.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wisdom’s Workshop (2016) by James Axtell",
          "reason": "Calls it worth reading and identifies its history of the American research university.",
          "audience": "People in academia or US graduate school.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Axtell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american universities",
        "higher education"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wise-investing-made-simple-a37c44",
      "title": "Wise Investing Made Simple",
      "author": "Larry Swedroe",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 248600,
          "author": "eposts",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T15:59:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248600",
          "commentText": "Here is a good list:\nhttp://www.bogleheads.org/readbooks.htm\nGeneral Investing\n# The Four Pillars of Investing - by William (\"Bill\") Bernstein.\n# Wise Investing Made Simple or The Only Guide to a Winning Investment Strategy You'll Ever Need - by Larry Swedroe\n# The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing - by Taylor Larimore, Mel Lindauer, and Michael LeBoeuf\n# All About Asset Allocation - by Rick Ferri\n# The Informed Investor - by Frank Armstrong\n# The Little Book of Common Sense Investing - by John \"Jack\" Bogle\n# The Coffeehouse Investor - by Bill Schultheis.\nInvestor Behavior\n# Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes And How To Correct Them - by Gary Belsky and Thomas Gilovich\n# Your Money and Your Brain: How the New Science of Neuroeconomics Can Help Make You Rich - by Jason Zweig\n# Rational Investing in Irrational Times: How to Avoid the Costly Mistakes Even Smart People Make Today - by Larry Swedroe\nFinancial History\n# Against the Gods and Capital Ideas - by Peter L. Bernstein\n# Devil Take the Hindmost: A History of Financial Speculation - by Edward Chancellor\n# A Random Walk Down Wall Street - by Burton Malkiel\nLike others here have mentioned, http://www.bogleheads.org/ is a great forum for Vanguard investors.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wise Investing Made Simple or The Only Guide to a Winning Investment Strategy You'll Ever Need - by Larry Swedroe",
          "reason": "Listed as a general investing book in response to a request for learning resources.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking general investing resources.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Larry Swedroe"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "investing",
        "personal finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wiseguy-14d21d",
      "title": "Wiseguy",
      "author": "Nicholas Pileggi",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12475866,
          "author": "stryk",
          "createdAt": "2016-09-11T21:38:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 12473693,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What good books have you read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12475866",
          "commentText": "Wise Guy - Nicholas Pileggi\nThis is the chronicle of the life of Henry Hill, a half-Irish half-Sicilian kid from Brooklyn, New York who rose through the ranks of the Mafia back in it's heydays. The most entertaining book concerning organized crime that I've ever read, by far (these guys really had it all. they were both feared and respected. they could quite literally do whatever they wanted to do, whenever they wanted to do it and they need not have any fear of reprisal from anything or anybody). Also, this is the book that gave birth to the Martin Scorsese movie GoodFellas -- but as is so often the case, the book is much better than the movie. Given that the movie is fantastic, that is really saying something IMHO.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wise Guy - Nicholas Pileggi",
          "reason": "Calls it the most entertaining book about organized crime they have read and says it surpasses the movie.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in organized crime.",
          "caveat": "The comparison is to the film Goodfellas, which the commenter also calls fantastic.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Nicholas Pileggi"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american mafia",
        "organized crime"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wit-and-wisdom-from-poor-richard-s-almanack-9ebe15",
      "title": "Wit and Wisdom from Poor Richard's Almanack",
      "author": "Benjamin Franklin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16298962,
          "author": "koolhead17",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-03T19:00:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 16296200,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books do you wish you'd read earlier in life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16298962",
          "commentText": "* Total Freedom by J Krishnamurti\n* Meditations by Marcus Aurelius\n* Wit and Wisdom from Poor Richard's Almanack by \nBenjamin Franklin\n* Influence by Robert B. Cialdini",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wit and Wisdom from Poor Richard's Almanack by \nBenjamin Franklin",
          "reason": "Listed in response to a question about books the commenter wishes they had taken to heart.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Benjamin Franklin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "american history",
        "aphorisms"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "witch-hat-atelier-1958cd",
      "title": "Witch Hat Atelier",
      "author": "Kamome Shirahama",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42566468,
          "author": "derangedHorse",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-01T15:13:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42566468",
          "commentText": "Attack on Titan is great. I don't think I've heard of Witch Hat Atelier but it sounds interesting. Thanks for the recommendation!\nI've read 20th Century Boys, but the author seems to have been better at crafting the mystery than providing answers for them.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I don't think I've heard of Witch Hat Atelier but it sounds interesting. Thanks for the recommendation!",
          "reason": "Says it sounds interesting and thanks the other commenter for the recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Has not heard of it before and has not stated that they have read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kamome Shirahama"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "magic system",
        "manga",
        "witches"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "witchblade-compendium-2-23f063",
      "title": "Witchblade Compendium 2",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32197359,
          "author": "dyingkneepad",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-22T21:32:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 32196791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book are you reading, since when?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32197359",
          "commentText": "Thanks to having little kids and going to the public library every 3 weeks, I read 4-12 books every 3 weeks. During these 3 weeks I also re-read books I previously read.\nSeriously, if you're thinking about upgrading your book read count, I highly suggest having kindergartners.\nNow if you want something I'm reading without the kids around: Witchblade Compendium 2. I read 21 out of 50 chapters. Been reading since early/mid June. Would not recommend so far, but I heard that after chapter 30 (issue 80 of the series) it gets good, we'll see.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Witchblade Compendium 2.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they would not recommend it so far, while noting they heard it improves after chapter 30.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has read 21 of 50 chapters and has heard it gets good after chapter 30.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic book",
        "dark fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "witches-abroad-c29594",
      "title": "Witches Abroad",
      "author": "Terry Pratchett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665061,
          "author": "sn41",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:11:35.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665061",
          "commentText": "Since no one has mentioned it so far, I recommend the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. This year, I finished (numbers in Discworld order, annotated by the series):\n9. Eric [Rincewind]\n10. Moving Pictures [Independent]\n12. Witches Abroad [Witches]\n18. Maskerade [Witches]\n19. Feet of clay [The City Watch]\n23. Carpe Jugulum [Witches]\n32. A Hat Full of Sky [Tiffany Aching]\n37. Unseen Academicals [Wizards]\n38. I Shall Wear Midnight [Tiffany Aching]\nBrilliant series, highly recommended. Whenever I feel down, I re-read one of the Witches series - I spot something I never noticed before - an immediate mood-booster!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "12. Witches Abroad [Witches]",
          "reason": "Listed as one of the Discworld books the commenter finished this year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry Pratchett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fantasy",
        "witches"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "with-each-every-breath-015a26",
      "title": "With Each & Every Breath",
      "author": "Thanissaro Bhikkhu",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9613991,
          "author": "Estragon",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T20:12:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9613991",
          "commentText": "Debt: The First 5000 Years [1]  Anthropological analysis of finance.\nWith Each & Every Breath [2]  Highly practical primer on meditation and how it works, from a Thai Forest tradition perspective.\n[1] https://libcom.org/files/__Debt__The_First_5_000_Years.pdf\n[2] http://www.dhammatalks.org/Archive/Writings/EachAndEveryBrea... (http://www.dhammatalks.org/Archive/Writings/EachAndEveryBreath_v130123.pdf)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "With Each & Every Breath [2] Highly practical primer on meditation and how it works, from a Thai Forest tradition perspective.",
          "reason": "Lists it in response to a request for recommended free reads and calls it a practical primer.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "From a Thai Forest tradition perspective.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thanissaro Bhikkhu"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "buddhism",
        "meditation",
        "thai forest tradition"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "with-folded-hands-52e24b",
      "title": "With Folded Hands",
      "author": "Jack Williamson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35396581,
          "author": "defrost",
          "createdAt": "2023-04-01T02:52:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 35392063,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Science Fiction books that predict where ChatGPT might lead us?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35396581",
          "commentText": "With Folded Hands (novella)\nThe Humanoids\nby Jack Williamson ( ~ 1949 )\nSimple premise: Slowly the humanoids spread throughout the galaxy, threatening to stifle all human endeavor.\nie. Humanity gets hugged to death by AI via robots that helicopter cuddle smother them for their own good.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "With Folded Hands (novella)",
          "reason": "Depicts humanoids threatening to stifle human endeavor.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jack Williamson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "human autonomy",
        "robotics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "with-the-old-breed-at-peleliu-and-okinawa-9c96e6",
      "title": "With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa",
      "author": "Eugene B. Sledge",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 456339,
          "author": "mechanical_fish",
          "createdAt": "2009-01-29T14:08:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 456275,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456339",
          "commentText": "You sound like you're looking for something like Jones' The Art of War in the Western World:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Art-War-Western-World/dp/0252069668\nOr just go there and follow Amazon \"related\" links.\nJones is of the \"very broad\" school of military history. It can be a little bit dry, but it certainly tries to be comprehensive: It's like Civilization in that it starts with phalanx and then moves slowly forward through the history of strategy and tactics.\nYou might like the works of John Keegan, another famous military historian who takes a general approach. He's got a History of Warfare that's like a lighter-weight version of Jones -- I might recommend starting with that, actually. His one-volume histories of WWI and WWII are probably decent.\nKeegan is British, so it wouldn't surprise me if his histories were heavy on the Western front. If you want the actual history of WWII you need a history that's more about the Eastern Front, which is pretty much where the war in Europe was actually decided. Unfortunately, the history on that subject lags decades behind, because the surviving Germans didn't exactly want to dwell on it and the Soviets weren't exactly forthcoming. (Many of the key Soviet figures either got disappeared by Stalin or lived under the constant fear of being disappeared by Stalin.) I'm not sure what the best current general history of the Eastern Front is, but I do know that the big Western expert on the subject is David Glantz, who has spent the last twenty years digging through formerly-sealed Soviet records of enormous battles that were covered up for years.  I'd probably start with:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Slaughterhouse-Handbook-Eastern-David-... (http://www.amazon.com/Slaughterhouse-Handbook-Eastern-David-Glantz/dp/097176509X)\nbecause I don't know any better and it comes up first on Amazon.\nIf you want something written by a gamer try the works of James Dunnigan, founder of SPI and author of a whole pile of famous simulation board games. I read most of his Dirty Little Secrets of World War II and it was interesting. A much breezier style than the heavy-duty military historians. And he's got books that cover contemporary military stuff as well as history.\nNobody should read about war at the 10,000 foot level without also reading about what it's actually like on the ground. Obviously, the great modern literary works on the subject are Slaughterhouse Five and, even more so, Catch-22. In the realm of nonfiction, Fussell's Wartime was interesting, but it led me to Eugene Sledge's With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa, which is even better: a very good book by a guy from the front lines in the Pacific who is not shy about telling you exactly what went on. Comes with an endorsement by PG! (from the last time I mentioned it on HN.)Don't read it over lunch if you're squeamish.\n(I haven't actually read some of these, but my dad is a military boardgamer and military history buff. He's got several bookshelves packed with books like these.)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "which is even better: a very good book by a guy from the front lines in the Pacific",
          "reason": "The commenter rates it even better than Wartime and calls it a very good book.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in firsthand accounts of combat in the Pacific.",
          "caveat": "Don't read it over lunch if you're squeamish.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Eugene B. Sledge"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "combat",
        "pacific war",
        "war memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "with-the-old-breed-at-peleliu-and-okinawa-63d713",
      "title": "With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa",
      "author": "E. B. Sledge",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10836593,
          "author": "searine",
          "createdAt": "2016-01-04T16:47:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 10833032,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book you've recently read and enjoyed?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10836593",
          "commentText": "Oh boy, you fucked up now. Here are the books I read this past year that I felt were \"Good\", starting from the most recent :\nTo Kill A Mocking Bird (Insanely good)\nTrue Grit (Insanely good)\nThe Little Friend (Good)\nPriceless (Very good, about art theft)\nThe Secret History (Insanely good)\nReady Player One (Good, nerdy)\nShadow Divers (Very good, history nerd book)\nDiary of Anne Frank (Very good)\nUnbroken (Very good, way better than the movie)\nWith The Old Breed at Peleliu and Okinawa (Very good)\nSeveneves (good, but I'm a Stephenson fanboy)\nThe Martian (Very good, but just watch the movie).\nI read a bunch of other stuff, but that's what I found really \"good\" this past year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "With The Old Breed at Peleliu and Okinawa (Very good)",
          "reason": "Described as “Very good.”",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "E. B. Sledge"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "memoir",
        "pacific war"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "without-a-word-ad0c9d",
      "title": "Without a Word",
      "author": "Zhang Jie",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18662508,
          "author": "amuresan",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T09:26:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18662508",
          "commentText": "1. La peste (Albert Camus) - entertaining if you're into French existentialism\n2. Linked (Barabasi) - insightful and useful to understand that most phenomenon we see in real life follow a power law and what that means\n3. Leonardo da Vinci (Walter Isaacson) - surprising how little of da Vinci's real personality is reflected in his modern image\n4. Matrix computations – third edition (Gene Golub, Charles van Loan) - good read if you're into linear algebra\n5. Giving effective feedback (Harvard business review) - useful for getting an understanding on how to handle human interaction\n6. The old man and the sea (Ernest Hemingway) - enjoyed it a lot, a reflection of Hemingway's romantic spirit. Also, a quick read.\n7. Screwjack (Hunter S. Thompson) - didn't resonate with me although I am a fan of existentialism\n8. Sun and steel (Yukio Mishima) - raw and intimate. before reading this book I'd recommend reading up on Mishima's life\n9. Stranger than fiction (Chuck Palahniuck) - somewhat entertaining, more so because it served as a glimpse into Palahniuck's creative process\n10. Thinking in Systems: A Primer (Dana Meadows) - useful for understanding that in modern life we have complex systems at work with emergent behavior that we didn't expect. Trying to isolate / model a single component of one of these systems is a flawed approach.\n11. Chaos monkeys (Antonio Garcia Martinez) - entertaining, but quite long\n12. Weapons of math destruction (Cathy O'Neil) - in a way, similar to Thinking in systems, but at an applied level. Shows how rules in modern society can have unintended negative consequences when hidden negative feedback loops emerge from the complex system they are embedded in.\n13. Lolita (Nabokov) - a brilliant novel from many points of view. Although the topic is controversial, it is a book that had to be written.\n14. The prince (Machiavelli) - an interesting read. It was intended as a guide to the young price Cesare Borgia from his teacher Machiavelli. The secret to enjoying it is not to judge it by modern morality.\n15. Give and take (Adam Grant) - psychology research about giving / taking / matching personality types presented in a book for the masses. I would not read it again; watching a presentation online should be enough to get the point across.\n16. Mécanique (Landau, Lifchitz) - refresh of mechanics\n17. Do androids dream of electric sheep (Philip K. Dick) - enjoyable and entertaining! I'm surprised how different the feel of the book is compared to the Blade runner films. In the book androids are purely rational beings, whereas the film wraps them in an aura of romanticism.\n18. How we learn (Benedict Carey) - decades of learning research condensed in a book\n19. Advanced Calculus: A Differential Forms Approach (Harold M. Edwards) - the best math book I've read so far! For me it was eye-opening in a fundamental way. Edwards is truly a gifted teacher.\n20. Three men in a boat (Jerome K. Jerome) - enjoyable and amusing\n21. Getting to yes (Roger Fisher, William Ury) - negotiation book, nicely written and structured\n22. Without a word (Zhang Jie) - historical novel by one of China's most acclaimed modern writers. I don't have a good reference to compare against since this was my first Chinese novel, but overall I did enjoy it. It felt real and raw.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "overall I did enjoy it. It felt real and raw.",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed it and describes it as real and raw.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It was their first Chinese novel, so they lack a good comparison point.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Zhang Jie"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "chinese literature",
        "historical novel"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wittgenstein-s-poker-1b9ca4",
      "title": "Wittgenstein's Poker",
      "author": "David Edmonds and John Eidinow",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41183704,
          "author": "wannabebarista",
          "createdAt": "2024-08-07T17:55:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 41175280,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41183704",
          "commentText": "Here are books I recommend to everyone and got me interested in economics and philosophy:\n- The Worldly Philosophers by Robert Heilbroner\n- The Cost of Rights: Why Liberty Depends on Taxes by Stephen Holmes and Cass Sunstein\n- Wittgenstein's Poker by David Edmonds and John Eidinow\n- A History of Western Philosophy by Bertrand Russell",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wittgenstein's Poker by David Edmonds and John Eidinow",
          "reason": "Explicitly recommended to everyone; commenter says these books got them interested in economics and philosophy.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in economics and philosophy.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Edmonds",
        "John Eidinow"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "philosophical history",
        "wittgenstein"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wittgenstein-s-vienna-70e60c",
      "title": "Wittgenstein's Vienna",
      "author": "Allan Janik and Stephen Toulmin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503373,
          "author": "carid",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T08:44:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503373",
          "commentText": "A couple by Stanley Cavell:\nMust We Mean What We Say? (1969)\nThe Claim of Reason: Wittgenstein, Skepticism, Morality, and Tragedy (1979) New York: Oxford University Press.\nI would also second Russell's A Brief History of Western Philosophy.  It's biased and weirdly shallow in some places, but written by a philosopher, so not a toothless compilation.\nObscure but made an impression on me: Ways of Worldmaking by Nelson Goodman.\nIf you can get through it: John Rawls's A Theory of Justice...an important book with a few very important ideas.\nStuff by Amartya Sen.\nOn philosophy of science, the historical narratives do the job I think, like The Sleepwalkers by Arthur Koestler (a great read once you get through the Greeks).  You could read Thomas Kuhn, Feyerabend's autobiography \"Killing Time\" which is great, and if you're really serious read Peter Galison's stuff.\nFinally, again, more history that pure philosophy but I really liked Wittgenstein's Vienna by Toulmin.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I really liked Wittgenstein's Vienna by Toulmin.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they really liked this book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is more history than pure philosophy.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Allan Janik and Stephen Toulmin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "intellectual history",
        "wittgenstein"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wizard-s-bane-501188",
      "title": "Wizard's Bane",
      "author": "Rick Cook",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 3788055,
          "author": "LarryMade",
          "createdAt": "2012-04-02T13:50:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 3781486,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi Books for Hackers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3788055",
          "commentText": "One that has a lot of programming and hackerish humor is the Wizard's Bane series by Rick cook.  Fantasy realm mixing programming and magic quite well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One that has a lot of programming and hackerish humor is the Wizard's Bane series by Rick cook.",
          "reason": "Recommends the series for its programming and hacker humor and mix of fantasy and magic.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in fantasy with programming and hacker humor.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rick Cook"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "magic",
        "programming humor"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wizard-s-first-rule-e0310b",
      "title": "Wizard's First Rule",
      "author": "Terry Goodkind",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23471522,
          "author": "me_smith",
          "createdAt": "2020-06-09T22:10:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 23467400,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have you read more than once?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23471522",
          "commentText": "The Hobbit - Tolkien\nWizard's First Rule (Sword of Truth Book 1) - Goodkind\nFaith of the Fallen (Sword of Truth Book 6) - Goodkind\nEnder's Game - Card\n1984 - Orwell\nI'm looking to read Asimov's Foundation series again. Maybe spend more time with Hyperion.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wizard's First Rule (Sword of Truth Book 1) - Goodkind",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry Goodkind"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wizardry-ff5ecc",
      "title": "Wizardry",
      "author": "Rick Cook",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46161500,
          "author": "ashtavakra",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-05T14:09:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 46128404,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What fiction books would you recommend for programmers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46161500",
          "commentText": "I consolidated the comments for my reference later. Someone else might also find it useful:\n# Fiction Books Recommended for Programmers (HN Thread 46128404)\n## Adrian Tchaikovsky\n- *Children of Time* — Science Fiction (Evolution, Space Opera)  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-tim... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25499718-children-of-time)\n## Rick Cook — Wizardry Series\n- *Wizard’s Bane* — Fantasy, Programming/Magic Mashup  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/112616.Wizard_s_Bane\n- *Wizardry Series (overview)*  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/43084-wiz\n## James P. Hogan\n- *Inherit the Stars* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/743568.Inherit_the_Stars\n- *Code of the Lifemaker* — Sci-Fi, Artificial Life  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifem... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/296722.Code_of_the_Lifemaker)\n- *The Two Faces of Tomorrow* — AI, Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218017.The_Two_Faces_of_Tomorrow)\n## D. F. Jones — Colossus Trilogy\n- *Colossus* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi Thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806105.Colossus\n- *The Fall of Colossus* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colos... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806106.The_Fall_of_Colossus)\n- *Colossus and the Crab* — AI, Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/806107.Colossus_and_the_Crab)\n## Lewis Padgett (Henry Kuttner)\n- *A Logic Named Joe* — Golden-Age Sci-Fi, AI Precursor  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-j... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16179042-a-logic-named-joe)\n## David Gerrold\n- *When H.A.R.L.I.E. Was One* — AI, Classic Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/865672.When_H_A_R_L_I_E_Was_One)\n## William Gibson / Bruce Sterling\n- *Neuromancer* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6088007-neuromancer\n- *The Difference Engine* — Steampunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Eng... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16781.The_Difference_Engine)\n## Neal Stephenson\n- *Snow Crash* — Cyberpunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash\n- *Cryptonomicon* — Techno-thriller, Cyber-history  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/816.Cryptonomicon\n- *Anathem* — Philosophical Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2845024-anathem\n- *The Diamond Age* — Nanopunk  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/827.The_Diamond_Age\n## Fred Saberhagen\n- *Octagon* — AI, Techno-thriller  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1891958.Octagon\n## Lois McMaster Bujold — Vorkosigan Saga\n- *Series Overview* — Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/40946-vorkosigan-saga\n## Richard Powers\n- *Galatea 2.2* — Literary Fiction, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45104.Galatea_2_2\n## Scott Meyer\n- *Off to Be the Wizard* — Comic Fantasy with Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18616975-off-to-be-the-wizard)\n## Daniel Suarez\n- *Daemon* — Cyber-thriller, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6665844-daemon\n## Thomas J. Ryan\n- *The Adolescence of P-1* — AI, Classic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_o... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/218059.The_Adolescence_of_P_1)\n## Ernest Cline\n- *Ready Player One* — Sci-Fi, Gaming, Pop-Culture Adventure  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9969571-ready-player-one\n## Dennis E. Taylor\n- *We Are Legion (We Are Bob)* — Humorous Sci-Fi, AI, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-w... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29475817-we-are-legion-we-are-bob)\n## Ted Chiang\n- *Stories of Your Life and Others* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_L... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/223380.Stories_of_Your_Life_and_Others)\n- *Exhalation* — Speculative Fiction, Philosophy, AI  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41160292-exhalation\n- *The Lifecycle of Software Objects* — AI, Digital Consciousness  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9166173-the-lifecycle-of-software-objects)\n## Charles Stross\n- *Laundry Files Series* — Math-based Magic, Techno-Fantasy  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/series/50764-laundry-files\n## Ken Liu\n- *The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menag... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11289614-the-paper-menagerie-and-other-stories)\n- *The Hidden Girl and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, AI, VR  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51008178-the-hidden-girl-and-other-stories)\n## Ellen Ullman\n- *The Bug* — Tech Industry Literary Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/703.The_Bug\n## Cory Doctorow\n- *Radicalized* — Techno-sociopolitical Speculative Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/40604122-radicalized\n## qntm (Sam Hughes)\n- *Valuable Humans in Transit and Other Stories* — Speculative Fiction, Computing Themes  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/56516939-valuable-humans-in-transit-and-other-stories)\n## Roger Williams\n- *The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect* — AI, Post-Singularity SF  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/258140.The_Metamorphosis_of_Prime_Intellect)\n## Greg Bear\n- *Eon* — Hard Science Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/924843.Eon\n## Vernor Vinge\n- *A Deepness in the Sky* — Hard Sci-Fi, Space Opera  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/175303.A_Deepness_in_the_Sky)\n## Terry Pratchett\n- *Going Postal* — Comic Fantasy, Satire of Bureaucracy & Tech  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64222.Going_Postal\n## Bruce Bethke\n- *Headcrash* — Cyber-satire  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/213465.Headcrash\n## Mary Shelley\n- *Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus* — Classic Gothic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35031085-frankenstein\n## Douglas Adams\n- *The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy* — Comic Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guid... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11.The_Hitchhiker_s_Guide_to_the_Galaxy)\n## Jorge Luis Borges\n- *The Library of Babel* — Metaphysical Fiction  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-b... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7844213-the-library-of-babel)\n## Greg Egan\n- *Permutation City* — Simulation Theory, Hard Sci-Fi  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/156784.Permutation_City\n## Cixin Liu\n- *The Three-Body Problem* — Hard Sci-Fi, First Contact  \n  https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20518872-the-three-body-problem)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Rick Cook — Wizardry Series",
          "reason": "Lists the series in a compilation of programmer-focused fiction recommendations.",
          "audience": "Programmers.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rick Cook"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Fantasy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "programming magic"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "woe-is-i-b1e398",
      "title": "Woe Is I",
      "author": "Patricia T. O'Conner",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40290219,
          "author": "patal",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-07T19:11:49.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40290219",
          "commentText": "\"Last Chance to See\" by Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine. About Adams and Carwardine travelling the world to document several animals on the brink of extinction (by then 1988). Very entertaining and raising questions about the responsibility of human globalization. An all-time favourite.\n\"Never In Anger\" by Jean Briggs. About her living 17 months among Inuit in the 1970ies, documenting how the Inuit see emotions and raise their children without any shouting or violence.\n\"Shots in the Dark - Japan, Zen, and the West\" by Shōji Yamada. About the culture exchange between Japan and the West in the early 20th century and how several perceptions of Zen got constructed in the process.\n\"Gödel, Escher, Bach\" by Douglas Hofstaedter. About core ideas in logic, music and art, and their connections. I always find something new there.\n\"In Praise of Mastery\" / \"芸談\" by Tanizaki Jun’ichirō. An essay about the japanese pursuit of mastery. It's a fascinating window into the arts perception in late 19th century Japan.\nWebster's Dictionary of 1913. A great resource for looking up original meanings of words. I find it very useful for naming stuff in programming.\n\"Woe Is I\" by Patricia O'Conner. A witty grammar book. O'Conner's entertaining style makes it easy to grasp the grammar topics and come back for more.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Woe Is I\" by Patricia O'Conner.",
          "reason": "Calls it a witty, entertaining grammar book that makes the topics easy to grasp.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Patricia T. O'Conner"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "grammar"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Reference"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wonders-of-numbers-97358d",
      "title": "Wonders of Numbers",
      "author": "Clifford A. Pickover",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23727645,
          "author": "dTal",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-03T21:06:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23727645",
          "commentText": "For a deep, but deeply entertaining introduction to extraordinarily high-level concepts that remain useful tools of thought forever - Godel, Escher, Bach. That belongs on everyone's bookshelf.\nFor a kind of \"cabinet of curiosities\", I endorse \"Wonders of Numbers\" by Clifford Pickover. This book was pivotal in my relationship with mathematics, containing as it does brief excursions into all manner of fascinating topics like cellular automata, and the Collatz Conjecture, as well as a host of more obscure oddities. It's a perfect book to have around when learning programing as well, since it has a nearly bottomless well of interesting things to code. Nor is it dry, thanks to Pickover's whimsical style.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I endorse \"Wonders of Numbers\" by Clifford Pickover.",
          "reason": "Endorses it as a cabinet of mathematical curiosities with brief excursions across varied topics.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Brief excursions across topics rather than sustained coverage.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Clifford A. Pickover"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mathematical curiosities",
        "recreational mathematics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wool-shift-and-dust-1c46dd",
      "title": "Wool, Shift, and Dust",
      "author": "Hugh Howey",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8109331,
          "author": "loarabia",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T16:48:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 8108932,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8109331",
          "commentText": "Just finished reading Hugh Howey's \"Dust\". The Wool, Shift, and Dust series from Hugh Howey are great dystopic sci-fi. Picked up The Signal and the Noise from Nate Silver as my next book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The Wool, Shift, and Dust series from Hugh Howey are great dystopic sci-fi.",
          "reason": "The commenter praises the series as great dystopian science fiction.",
          "audience": "Readers who enjoy dystopian science fiction.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hugh Howey"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopian fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "word-and-object-a26bb4",
      "title": "Word and Object",
      "author": "W. V. Quine",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15159375,
          "author": "mrmyers",
          "createdAt": "2017-09-03T02:26:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 15155833,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have made the biggest impact on your mental models?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15159375",
          "commentText": "Modeling the world generally (as in, why mathematics works and can apply to the real world):\n  =Bertrand Russell=\n  * An Inquiry into Meaning and Truth\n  * A Theory of Knowledge\n  * Logic and Knowledge\n  =W.V. Quine=\n  * Word and Object\n  * Mathematical Logic\n  =Norbert Weiner=\n  * Cybernetics: Or Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine\n  =Smullyan=\n  * Diagonalization and Self Reference\n\nSquishy Human Things:\n  Thomas Kuhn      - The Structure of Scientific Revolutions\n  Norbert Weiner   - The Human Use of Human-Beings\n  Bertrand Russell - A History of Western Philosophy\n  Karl Popper      - The Open Society and Its Enemies\n  Daniel Dennet    - Consciousness Explained\n  E. Abbot Abbot   - Flatland",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Word and Object",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 4597375,
          "author": "rwl",
          "createdAt": "2012-10-01T15:03:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 4596721,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4597375",
          "commentText": "For work: Quine's Word and Object; Dummett's Frege: Philosophy of Language; Plato's Republic; and paper after paper. (I am a philosophy graduate student.)\nFor pleasure: just started Virginia Woolf's To the Lighthouse.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Quine's Word and Object",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Philosophy graduate students; commenter identifies as a philosophy graduate student.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "advanced"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "W. V. Quine"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "analytic philosophy",
        "language"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "word-of-mouth-marketing-20120d",
      "title": "Word of Mouth Marketing",
      "author": "Andy Sernovitz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 193345,
          "author": "unfoldedorigami",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-18T13:42:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 193308,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: What books on marketing do you recomend?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=193345",
          "commentText": "Of all the books and research we've read, these are the ones we've found the most useful information from and influenced a large part of our redesign at Wufoo :\nCall to Action \nhttp://www.calltoactionbook.com/\n(how to think about landing pages and navigation)\nLanding Page Optimization\nhttp://landingpageoptimizationbook.com/\n(best technical book on how to measure landing pages, do not buy SEO books, they're all terrible and rehash what you see on most blogs)\nWord of Mouth Marketing\nhttp://wordofmouthbook.com/\n(sometimes great marketing has nothing to do with what you do on the web)\nMade to Stick\nhttp://www.madetostick.com/\n(just a great read on how you should shape your copy and ideas so they have maximum sticking power)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Word of Mouth Marketing",
          "reason": "The commenter says these books provided the most useful information and influenced their redesign.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in marketing beyond web channels.",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes that great marketing sometimes has nothing to do with the web.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Andy Sernovitz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "word of mouth marketing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "work-ae4ce5",
      "title": "Work",
      "author": "Studs Terkel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 7969623,
          "author": "russgray",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-01T08:12:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 7968124,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Books Are You Reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7969623",
          "commentText": "I caved and started reading A Song Of Ice And Fire after Game of Thrones S4 finished broadcasting. First book was good, and I'm just starting the second. I've also been binging on cheap self-published horror and apocalypse ebook collections from Amazon (just can't resist those 99p anthologies), and my ongoing 'serious' book is Work by Studs Terkel. Like a couple of other books mentioned in this thread, this is a real eye-opener that reminds me how lucky I am.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Like a couple of other books mentioned in this thread, this is a real eye-opener that reminds me how lucky I am.",
          "reason": "Calls it a real eye-opener that reminds them how lucky they are.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Studs Terkel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "oral history",
        "work"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "work-the-system-bd08ca",
      "title": "Work the System",
      "author": "Sam Carpenter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12246950,
          "author": "supersan",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T11:46:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 12244168,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book impacted your life the most and how?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12246950",
          "commentText": "For me it would have to be the Michael gerber's Emyth books. It will forever change how you think about business and maybe the world around you.\nFollowed by sam carpenter's work the system. I think if you're a programmer trying to make it as a business person those two books are the most invaluable.\nEdit: about the how part.. Before reading and understanding these books I was always in a kind of firefighting mode. It was like a constant pain in the neck that something was somewhere needed me. Sure i was making money but I was not enjoying it and felt stressed all the time. Plus I wasn't scaling my business because of the constant need of attention from everything. Then I learned the systems thinking and it all started to change.. It was like I felt I had wasted 10 years of my life being stupid before. I'm telling you these two books can forever change your life both professionally and personally if you aren't already doing it.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Followed by sam carpenter's work the system. I think if you're a programmer trying to make it as a business person those two books are the most invaluable.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of the most invaluable books for programmers becoming businesspeople.",
          "audience": "Programmers trying to build a business.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sam Carpenter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business operations",
        "systems thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "work-the-system-the-simple-mechanics-of-making-more-and-working-l-009a44",
      "title": "Work the System: The Simple Mechanics of Making More and Working Less",
      "author": "Sam Carpenter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16580937,
          "author": "superasn",
          "createdAt": "2018-03-13T23:44:25.000Z",
          "threadId": 16568949,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books have helped you the most professionally?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16580937",
          "commentText": "As a small business owner I'd have to say E-Myth Revisited and Work the system.\nBecause once you learn systems thinking, you see the world totally differently and from a business point of view, understanding how their systems work is like getting to have a look at the source code of that business.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "E-Myth Revisited and Work the system.",
          "reason": "The commenter names it among books that helped professionally and explains the value of systems thinking.",
          "audience": "Small business owners.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sam Carpenter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "small business",
        "systems thinking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "working-608700",
      "title": "Working",
      "author": "Studs Terkel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 25319055,
          "author": "varenc",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T22:33:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25319055",
          "commentText": "Check out “Gig: Americans Talk About Their Jobs”\nIt’s fascinating and covers a very wide range of professions. Sorta of like a more modern remake of Stud Terkel’s 1974 book “Working”",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "more modern remake of Stud Terkel’s 1974 book “Working”",
          "reason": "Mentioned as the earlier book that Gig resembles.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25318802,
          "author": "blackgirldev",
          "createdAt": "2020-12-05T21:57:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 25317963,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25318802",
          "commentText": "Working, by Studs Terkel\nhttps://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Working_%28Terkel_book%29",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Working, by Studs Terkel",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Studs Terkel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Society",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "occupations",
        "oral history",
        "work",
        "working life"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "working-actor-breaking-in-making-a-living-and-making-a-life-in-th-dd35b1",
      "title": "Working Actor: Breaking in, Making a Living, and Making a Life in the Fabulous Trenches of Show Business",
      "author": "David Dean Bottrell",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21792874,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-14T22:44:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 21792158,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Favorite Nonfiction Books of 2019?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21792874",
          "commentText": "The ones I rated highest out of those I read this year (which is what I think the question means).\n* Exactly: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World by Simon Winchester\n* Atomic Adventures: Secret Islands, Forgotten N-Rays, and Isotopic Murder-A Journey into the Wild World of Nuclear Science by James Magaffey\n* Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande\n* Vulcan 607 by Rowland White\n* Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen\n* Best. Movie. Year. Ever: How 1999 Blew Up the Big Screen by Brian Raftery\n* A Fabulous Creation: How the LP Saved Our Lives by David Hepworth\n* 1983: Reagan, Andropov, and a World on the Brink by Taylor Downing\n* The Unthinkable: Who Survives When Disaster Strikes and Why by Amanda Ripley\n* In Your Defence: Stories of Life and Law by Sarah Langford\n* Springfield Confidential: Jokes, Secrets, and Outright Lies from a Lifetime Writing for The Simpsons by Mike Reiss\n* Working Actor: Breaking in, Making a Living, and Making a Life in the Fabulous Trenches of Show Business by David Dean Bottrell\n* Becoming by Michelle Obama\n* Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress by Steven Pinker\n* Rush Hour by Iain Gatel\n* Tamed: Ten Species that Changed our World by Alice Roberts\n* The Next American City: The Big Promise of Our Midsize Metros by Mick Cornett",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The ones I rated highest out of those I read this year",
          "reason": "Included among the commenter’s highest-rated books of the year.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David Dean Bottrell"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Art",
        "Learning"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "acting",
        "show business"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "working-the-system-006d6a",
      "title": "Working the System",
      "author": "Sam Carpenter",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15671440,
          "author": "gravidor",
          "createdAt": "2017-11-10T17:33:17.000Z",
          "threadId": 15629762,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15671440",
          "commentText": "The Name of the Wind - For all the reasons mentioned above, is one of my absolute favorite fiction books.  Its not just the characters, its Rothfuss' use of language.  I've never kept track of so many quotable phrases in a book.\nEnders Shadow Series by Orson Scott Card - I loved the majority of the Ender's Game series was disappointed when it was over.  Throughout those books, Bean was always my favorite character and it was a great day when I discovered the Ender's Shadow series which chronicles Bean's life over several books. The thing I loved most about Bean were his powers of analysis and he taught me to think more about scenario outcomes and think about multiple ways of achieving my goals.\nDune - A pattern is emerging here.  I love the books where the hero CHOOSES to ascend and works to get there.  Paul Atredies starts out a boy against harsh conditions and rises to the challenge.\nThe Stand by Stephen King - I read this book when I was 14 or 15 on summer break in a week.  I fell in from the start and read for entire days until it was done and when it was over I was in awe at the size (1000+ pages) and scope of what King accomplished.\nThe Alpha Strategy by John Pugsley - Its an interesting book and look at economics and wealth preservation in layman's terms.  Its funny because this book was written in the 80s and when I read it, it was immediately applicable.  I grew up in a pretty liberal household and this book made me start to pay attention to what liberals and conservatives were saying and form my own opinions.\nAtlas Shrugged - I read this right after the book above and the two in combination really caused a mindeset shift for me. It wasn't so much that everyone is out to get me or against me, but more I am responsible for my outcomes and I need to invest in myself.\nE-Myth Revisited By Michael Gerber - Piqued my interest in systems and where I started to learn the value of systems and making success repeatable.\nWorking the System By Sam Carpenter - More of the \"how-to\" book E-Myth Revisited should have been.\nDaemon Series - This one has been mentioned and while it didn't have the impact on my that the other books did, I did enjoy the world the author created.\nThieves Emporium by Max Hernandez - This was a quick read and appealed to my love of technical fiction.  Similar to Daemon, its use of technology in the story is interesting and not that far off from the real world at this point.  [WARNING: GRAPHIC SCENES]\nI was unambitious and coasted through life until after college, and it wasn't until I was in my late 20s that I started really reading books like these.  Over the past few years, I've become almost a completely different person.  I read a tremendous amount and can say its had a huge impact on my \"mental models\" and how I approach life.\nBooks I'm interested in reading next include: \n- Meditations\n- Works on mental models\n- Elon Musk biography (the amount he's able to accomplish quickly is staggering)\nI don't read as much fiction as I used to, instead choosing to focus on technical books, but fiction has definitely had an impact on my development as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "More of the \"how-to\" book E-Myth Revisited should have been.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as the more practical how-to companion to The E-Myth Revisited.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Sam Carpenter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "business systems",
        "operations"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "working-people-talk-about-what-they-do-all-day-and-how-they-feel--a7aee3",
      "title": "Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do",
      "author": "Studs Terkel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11229745,
          "author": "a3n",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T15:40:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229745",
          "commentText": "Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Working:_People_Talk_About_Wha... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Working:_People_Talk_About_What_They_Do_All_Day_and_How_They_Feel_About_What_They_Do)\nGig: Americans Talk About Their Jobs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bowe_%28author%29#Gig:_Am... (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bowe_%28author%29#Gig:_Americans_Talk_About_Their_Jobs)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Studs Terkel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "oral history",
        "work"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "working-researching-interviewing-writing-43ce06",
      "title": "Working: Researching, Interviewing, Writing",
      "author": "Robert A. Caro",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33383514,
          "author": "EdwardCoffin",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T12:36:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33383514",
          "commentText": "Working: Researching, Interviewing, Writing by Robert. A. Caro. He is known for his biographies of Robert Moses (The Power Broker) and of Lyndon Johnson, and for his extensive research of these subjects.\nEarly in the book, covering his early career when he was working as a journalist, one of his bosses gave him a lesson in investigative reporting in a nutshell: Just remember, turn every page. Never assume anything. Turn every goddamned page.  The book contains various subsequent examples of him doing exactly that in various research endeavours, and also going to extreme lengths to put himself in a better mindset for writing whatever he is working on at the time, like moving to the area a subject grew up in to live there for a year to better research his early life.\nThere are examples of him sifting through many boxes of documents in an archive that would seem to be inconsequential, but then happening on a receipt or memo that is just an allusion to something that gives him the lead he needs to uncover some real information.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Working: Researching, Interviewing, Writing by Robert. A. Caro.",
          "reason": "Discusses Caro's investigative research and writing process, including the advice to turn every page.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in investigative reporting, research, and writing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Robert A. Caro"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "investigative reporting",
        "research methods"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "workplace-management-826b58",
      "title": "Workplace Management",
      "author": "Taiichi Ohno",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39081708,
          "author": "atomicnature",
          "createdAt": "2024-01-21T19:06:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 39057219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books on philosophy of engineering?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39081708",
          "commentText": "Essay: Rickover's \"Doing a job\" - https://govleaders.org/rickover.htm\nBooks:\n- Rickover's \"The Never-Ending Challenge of Engineering\"\n- Taichi Ohno's \"WorkPlace Management\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Taichi Ohno's \"WorkPlace Management\"",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Taiichi Ohno"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "lean manufacturing",
        "operations management"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "works-by-arthur-c-clarke-0e4cd3",
      "title": "Works by Arthur C. Clarke",
      "author": "Arthur C. Clarke",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2043697,
          "author": "veb",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T21:20:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043697",
          "commentText": "Why has nobody mentioned the author Ben Bova? Especially the Astroid Wars trilogy.\nAnything by Stephen Baxter, Arthur C. Clarke, and Isaac Asimov is a must read!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Arthur C. Clarke",
          "reason": "Calls the author's work a must-read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arthur C. Clarke"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classic science fiction",
        "space exploration"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "works-by-carl-sagan-e94810",
      "title": "Works by Carl Sagan",
      "author": "Carl Sagan",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8110192,
          "author": "sogen",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T18:49:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8110192",
          "commentText": "* Anything by Cortázar.\n* Trainspotting,\n* Fight Club\n* Anything by Carl Sagan, specially Contact\n* Lord of the Rings\n* The Hobbit\n* And finally:\nAnything by Michael Ende:\nThe Neverending Story,\nMomo (one of my faves).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anything by Carl Sagan",
          "reason": "Recommends Sagan's work in response to a request for book suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No individual title specified.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Carl Sagan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "astronomy",
        "popular science"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "works-by-friedrich-nietzsche-8f9688",
      "title": "Works by Friedrich Nietzsche",
      "author": "Friedrich Nietzsche",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 20926622,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2019-09-10T10:05:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 20914127,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books or essays written at least 100 years ago?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20926622",
          "commentText": "All the essays of Emerson, GK Chesterton, Hazlitt, Oscar Wilde, RL Stevenson, William James\nEvery book by Nietzsche (except Zarathustra).\nLa Bruyere - Characters\nCharles Mackay - Memoirs of Extraordinary Popular \nDelusions and the Madness of Crowds\nAmbrose Bierce - The Devil's Dictionary",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Every book by Nietzsche (except Zarathustra).",
          "reason": "Recommends Nietzsche's books broadly, with an explicit exception.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Excludes Thus Spoke Zarathustra.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Friedrich Nietzsche"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "german philosophy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "works-by-hermann-hesse-560236",
      "title": "Works by Hermann Hesse",
      "author": "Hermann Hesse",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8107029,
          "author": "kgogolek",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:44:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107029",
          "commentText": "Herman Hesse - Steppenwolf.\nActually everything by Hesse.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Actually everything by Hesse.",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends Hesse's works broadly after naming Steppenwolf.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Hermann Hesse"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "existentialism",
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "works-by-isaac-asimov-5eeeb0",
      "title": "Works by Isaac Asimov",
      "author": "Isaac Asimov",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2043697,
          "author": "veb",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T21:20:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043697",
          "commentText": "Why has nobody mentioned the author Ben Bova? Especially the Astroid Wars trilogy.\nAnything by Stephen Baxter, Arthur C. Clarke, and Isaac Asimov is a must read!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Isaac Asimov is a must read!",
          "reason": "Calls the author's work a must-read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Isaac Asimov"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classic science fiction",
        "robotics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "works-by-julio-cortazar-a30aa1",
      "title": "Works by Julio Cortázar",
      "author": "Julio Cortázar",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8110192,
          "author": "sogen",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T18:49:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8110192",
          "commentText": "* Anything by Cortázar.\n* Trainspotting,\n* Fight Club\n* Anything by Carl Sagan, specially Contact\n* Lord of the Rings\n* The Hobbit\n* And finally:\nAnything by Michael Ende:\nThe Neverending Story,\nMomo (one of my faves).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anything by Cortázar.",
          "reason": "Recommends Cortázar's work in response to a request for book suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No individual title specified.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Julio Cortázar"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "latin american literature",
        "short stories"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "works-by-michael-ende-57b577",
      "title": "Works by Michael Ende",
      "author": "Michael Ende",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8110192,
          "author": "sogen",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T18:49:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8110192",
          "commentText": "* Anything by Cortázar.\n* Trainspotting,\n* Fight Club\n* Anything by Carl Sagan, specially Contact\n* Lord of the Rings\n* The Hobbit\n* And finally:\nAnything by Michael Ende:\nThe Neverending Story,\nMomo (one of my faves).",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anything by Michael Ende",
          "reason": "Recommends Ende's work in response to a request for book suggestions.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "No individual title specified.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Ende"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "german literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "works-by-p-g-wodehouse-9e6510",
      "title": "Works by P. G. Wodehouse",
      "author": "P. G. Wodehouse",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42508426,
          "author": "ocfnash",
          "createdAt": "2024-12-25T12:11:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 42508087,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the best thing you read in 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42508426",
          "commentText": "If you like these, you should try the Uncle Fred books. Of course almost everything by Wodehouse is a sublime masterpiece.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "almost everything by Wodehouse is a sublime masterpiece",
          "reason": "Strongly praises nearly all of Wodehouse's work.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "Says “almost everything,” not every work.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "P. G. Wodehouse"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "works-by-philip-k-dick-5fc33c",
      "title": "Works by Philip K. Dick",
      "author": "Philip K. Dick",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 56709,
          "author": "ericb",
          "createdAt": "2007-09-19T04:32:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 56618,
          "threadTitle": "What books would you recommend reading?  Why?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=56709",
          "commentText": "How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.  It is arguably the most useful book I've ever read, albeit with the most embarassing title.\nAs inklesspen mentioned, Elements of Style is a must.\nCode Complete and the Mythical Man Month by Fred Brooks.  Timeless coding wisdom.\nFor a laugh, Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, or Hitchhiker's Guide.  \nBody Language, Julius Fast. Kitschy but fascinating insights into body language.\nFabric of the Cosmos, Brian Greene.  Brian is a fluke of nature--a physicist who can explain things realy well!\nAnything by Phillip K. Dick.  Sci-fi stories that make you think.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Sci-fi stories that make you think.",
          "reason": "Recommends the author's science fiction for its thought-provoking stories.",
          "audience": "Readers of science fiction.",
          "caveat": "No specific title is named.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip K. Dick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "dystopia",
        "speculative fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "works-by-stephen-baxter-848a95",
      "title": "Works by Stephen Baxter",
      "author": "Stephen Baxter",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2043697,
          "author": "veb",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-27T21:20:42.000Z",
          "threadId": 2043418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2043697",
          "commentText": "Why has nobody mentioned the author Ben Bova? Especially the Astroid Wars trilogy.\nAnything by Stephen Baxter, Arthur C. Clarke, and Isaac Asimov is a must read!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anything by Stephen Baxter",
          "reason": "Calls the author's work a must-read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Baxter"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hard science fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "works-by-william-gibson-a74051",
      "title": "Works by William Gibson",
      "author": "William Gibson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 85940,
          "author": "bockris",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-04T14:43:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=85940",
          "commentText": "All of William Gibson and all of Neal Stephenson (especially Cryptonomicon and Baroque cycle series)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All of William Gibson",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Gibson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyberpunk",
        "near future fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "works-of-franz-kafka-61cc17",
      "title": "Works of Franz Kafka",
      "author": "Franz Kafka",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43614148,
          "author": "zingababba",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T17:59:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43614148",
          "commentText": "The book I consistently reread is Notes from the Underground. Anything by Balzac is highly rereadable also. I don't read much fiction anymore but fiction has left the deepest imprints on me. I did just read Jew Sus by Feuchtwanger, I'd recommend it. All of Kafka's works are up there too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "All of Kafka's works are up there too.",
          "reason": "The commenter places Kafka's works among fiction that left a deep impression.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Franz Kafka"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "absurdism",
        "existentialism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "works-of-g-k-chesterton-c2c42a",
      "title": "Works of G. K. Chesterton",
      "author": "G. K. Chesterton",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 31975884,
          "author": "42e6e8c8-f7b8-4",
          "createdAt": "2022-07-04T11:29:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 31968169,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which book would you pick to re-read for the rest of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31975884",
          "commentText": "Works of GK Chesterton.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Works of GK Chesterton.",
          "reason": "Offered as an answer to the rereading question.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "G. K. Chesterton"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian literature",
        "essays"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "works-of-honore-de-balzac-f18ec1",
      "title": "Works of Honoré de Balzac",
      "author": "Honoré de Balzac",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 43614148,
          "author": "zingababba",
          "createdAt": "2025-04-07T17:59:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 43611474,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have been worth your time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43614148",
          "commentText": "The book I consistently reread is Notes from the Underground. Anything by Balzac is highly rereadable also. I don't read much fiction anymore but fiction has left the deepest imprints on me. I did just read Jew Sus by Feuchtwanger, I'd recommend it. All of Kafka's works are up there too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Anything by Balzac is highly rereadable also.",
          "reason": "The commenter says Balzac's works are highly rereadable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Honoré de Balzac"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "french literature",
        "realism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "works-of-jules-verne-e17b84",
      "title": "Works of Jules Verne",
      "author": "Jules Verne",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 41773516,
          "author": "codeadict",
          "createdAt": "2024-10-08T03:14:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 41756432,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the \"best\" book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41773516",
          "commentText": "My absolute one would be Don Quijote de La Mancha by Cervantes - Taught me the beauty of language, to follow my own ideas and the power of a little craziness. Second would be anything from Jules Verne, his books got me to love science and engineering when I was a kid.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "anything from Jules Verne, his books got me to love science and engineering when I was a kid.",
          "reason": "Recommends Verne's books, which inspired a childhood love of science and engineering.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in science and engineering adventure stories.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jules Verne"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure fiction",
        "scientific romance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "works-of-william-shakespeare-704754",
      "title": "Works of William Shakespeare",
      "author": "William Shakespeare",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 143121,
          "author": "Fuca",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-22T04:56:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 142836,
          "threadTitle": "Articles, Ideas, Books and/or Concepts that have changed your life",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=143121",
          "commentText": "Tao te ching, Shakespeare, and the pharse \"Your will only have 2 friends: your dad and a dollar in your pocket\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Shakespeare",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Shakespeare"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "shakespearean literature"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "world-builders-90a804",
      "title": "World Builders",
      "author": "Bruno Maçães",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46397578,
          "author": "Barrin92",
          "createdAt": "2025-12-26T23:39:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 46391572,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What did you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46397578",
          "commentText": "Among non-fiction what stood out to me was David Bentley Hart's All Things are Full of Gods, great book also very fun to read written as a Platonic dialogue. To me one of the most compelling theologians today.\nBruno Maçães, World Builders. Good book on the impact of technology in geopolitics has been consistently interesting.\nAmong fiction re-read a lot of Lovecraft, noticed that I like the Dream Quest stories more than the horror these days which surprised me. But they're more compelling to me now because of how much you can see Lovecraft as a person in them.\nThe last three Dune books. Liked the last two about the Bene Gesserit a lot, was surprised how much I disliked God Emperor given the praise it gets, but it honestly reads like Frank Herbert posting twitter hot takes as a worm with no story\nMark Twain, The Mysterious Stranger. Among the best novellas I've ever read, very different in tone from most of his books.\nShūsaku Endō, Silence. Book about a Jesuit mission in early Edo Japan. My favorite Japanese book in a long time.\nAmong technical books, re-read The Mythical Man Month, probably more relevant than it ever was in an age of artifical man-hours added to projects. Robert Seacord Effective C, after not having written C in a long time. Really good intermediate level book for modern C. Also making my way through The Little Schemer as a replacement for advent of code in the second half of the month this year.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bruno Maçães, World Builders. Good book on the impact of technology in geopolitics has been consistently interesting.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it good and says its discussion of technology's impact on geopolitics is consistently interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bruno Maçães"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "geopolitics",
        "technology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "world-war-z-an-oral-history-of-the-zombie-war-c6119f",
      "title": "World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War",
      "author": "Max Brooks",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1568941,
          "author": "kjbekkelund",
          "createdAt": "2010-08-02T20:30:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 1568904,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1568941",
          "commentText": "My favourite books read lately are Here Comes Everybody by Clay Shirky and Perrotta's Metaprogramming Ruby. If you haven't read Free by Chris Anderson, it's also highly recommended. It's just an article, but Anarconomy by the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies was a very interesting read (http://www.cifs.dk/doc/medlemsrapporter/MR0309UK.pdf).\nIf you are willing to check out an audiobook, World War Z is truly an amazing book. Absolutely the best audiobook I have heard so far.\nEnjoy your weeks off!",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "World War Z is truly an amazing book. Absolutely the best audiobook I have heard so far.",
          "reason": "Calls it an amazing book and the best audiobook they have heard.",
          "audience": "Listeners considering an audiobook.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Max Brooks"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "epistolary fiction",
        "horror",
        "zombies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "world-without-mind-the-existential-threat-of-big-tech-aa022c",
      "title": "World Without Mind: The Existential Threat of Big Tech",
      "author": "Franklin Foer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16352164,
          "author": "DyslexicAtheist",
          "createdAt": "2018-02-11T10:58:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 16351310,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books you wish your colleagues had read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16352164",
          "commentText": "- Nassim N. Taleb: Black Swan and Antifragile[0]\n  - Robert Cialdini: Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion[1]\n  - Franklin Foer: World Without Mind: The Existential Threat of Big Tech[2]\n  - Herbert Marcuse: One-Dimensional Man: Studies in the Ideology of Advanced Industrial Society[3]\n\n[0] https://www.amazon.com/Black-Swan-Improbable-Robustness-Frag... (https://www.amazon.com/Black-Swan-Improbable-Robustness-Fragility/dp/081297381X)\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Rober... (https://www.amazon.com/Influence-Psychology-Persuasion-Robert-Cialdini/dp/006124189X)\n[2] https://www.amazon.com/World-Without-Mind-Existential-Threat... (https://www.amazon.com/World-Without-Mind-Existential-Threat/dp/1101981113)\n[3] https://www.amazon.com/One-Dimensional-Man-Ideology-Industri... (https://www.amazon.com/One-Dimensional-Man-Ideology-Industrial-Routledge/dp/0415289777)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Franklin Foer: World Without Mind: The Existential Threat of Big Tech",
          "reason": "Listed among books for colleagues to read.",
          "audience": "Colleagues in the thread's book recommendations.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Franklin Foer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "digital media",
        "technology criticism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "world-on-fire-how-exporting-free-market-democracy-breeds-ethnic-h-f01c9f",
      "title": "World on Fire: How Exporting Free Market Democracy Breeds Ethnic Hatred and Global Instability",
      "author": "Amy Chua",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 240706,
          "author": "bokonist",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-09T02:56:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 240628,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC (and PG): What books do you have on your bookshelf?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=240706",
          "commentText": "The Triumph of Conservatism by Gabriel Kolko - the book for understanding the rise of corporate serfdom\nThe World of Yesterday by Stefan Zweig - will make you nostalgic for the days of monarchy\nWorld on Fire by Amy Chua - the single best book for understanding globalization that I have read.  The antidote to Tom Friedman.\nAmerica's Great Depression by Murray Rothbard - very different from the story you get in school.  Is he right?\nTwo favorite tech books are Inside Intuit and The Manager Pool",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the single best book for understanding globalization that I have read.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it the best book they have read for understanding globalization.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking to understand globalization.",
          "caveat": "The assessment is based on the commenter's own reading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Amy Chua"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "ethnic conflict",
        "globalization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "worlds-together-worlds-apart-dbc2d8",
      "title": "Worlds Together, Worlds Apart",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8270778,
          "author": "septerr",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-04T21:34:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8270778",
          "commentText": "Worlds Together Worlds Apart (http://amzn.to/1rzYmUg)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Worlds Together Worlds Apart",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "global history",
        "world history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "worldwar-series-8521da",
      "title": "Worldwar series",
      "author": "Harry Turtledove",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36022493,
          "author": "beckingz",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-21T16:26:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 36020597,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite sci-fi books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36022493",
          "commentText": "Turtledove's alternative history books are quite good. In The Balance was especially fun.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Turtledove's alternative history books",
          "reason": "The commenter says Turtledove's alternate history books are quite good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Harry Turtledove"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alien invasion",
        "alternate history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "worm-2024ed",
      "title": "Worm",
      "author": "John C. \"Wildbow\" McCrae",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9614224,
          "author": "fortytw2",
          "createdAt": "2015-05-27T20:48:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 9611219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your recommended reads that are available for free?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9614224",
          "commentText": "Adding to the suggestion of HPMOR, Worm (https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2011/06/11/1-1/) is excellent and well worth a read.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Worm (https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2011/06/11/1-1/) is excellent and well worth a read.",
          "reason": "Calls it excellent and well worth reading.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John C. \"Wildbow\" McCrae"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "superhero fiction",
        "web serial"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "worm-1cd1c4",
      "title": "Worm",
      "author": "John C. McCrae",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10785820,
          "author": "nkzednan",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T21:37:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10785820",
          "commentText": "Riyria Revelations trilogy - quite good. Follows two thieves for hire. Read the books in publication order\nReady player one - liked it\nsamurai's garden\nExpanse series by James Corey entertaining\nSteelheart and Firefight by Sanderson- good but like Mistborn better\nWorm online serial parahumans good\nNonfiction I read: Delivering happiness, Drive, Power of Habit, Power of full engagement",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Worm online serial parahumans good",
          "reason": "Calls the online serial good.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "It is an online serial rather than a traditionally published book.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John C. McCrae"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "superheroes",
        "web serial"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "worm-089497",
      "title": "Worm",
      "author": "John McCrae",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21907905,
          "author": "qznc",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-29T19:31:20.000Z",
          "threadId": 21900498,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books you read in the past decade?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21907905",
          "commentText": "I read a lot of fanfiction in the last years. On the downside the writing is less polished. On the upside it is free and non-mainstream.\nI was influenced by Eliezer Yudkowsky and his take on rationality. His fanfiction \"Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality\" serves as a nice introduction. http://www.hpmor.com/\nWorm by John McCrae is an epic superhero/villain story. Consider it Game of Thrones in the superhero genre. With 16 million words it is a really long story. For comparison, the Harry Potter series is 10 million words.\nThe Metropolition Man by Alexander Wales is also in the superhero genre, but turns it on its head. Lex Luthor is the hero standing up against Superman.\nThe Last Ringbearer by Kirill Yeskov does the same to Lord of the Rings. It effectively becomes a fantasy spy thriller.\nThese three are great stories that show how good and evil are a point of view. An important lesson to learn in a time when US and China are increasingly hostile. Since HN is american, China might be compared to Mordor and Xi Jinping to Lux Luthor. Fiction stories may help you to at least imagine that they consider themselves as the good guys.\nAccelerando by Charles Stross turns the concept of technological singularity into a well-written story. As the story spans a looong timespan and shows how humanity antiquates itself, it makes you feel small in a good sense.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Worm by John McCrae is an epic superhero/villain story. Consider it Game of Thrones in the superhero genre. With 16 million words it is a really long story.",
          "reason": "Praised as an epic superhero story and compared to Game of Thrones.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in superhero fiction.",
          "caveat": "A very long story, at 16 million words.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John McCrae"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "superheroes",
        "web serial"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "worm-the-first-digital-world-war-a6dc4b",
      "title": "Worm: The First Digital World War",
      "author": "Mark Bowden",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 22708572,
          "author": "mitchelldeacon9",
          "createdAt": "2020-03-28T01:58:41.000Z",
          "threadId": 22692281,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Computer Science/History Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22708572",
          "commentText": "The following is a list of my favorite books on software engineering, cyber-security, and the history of IT business development.\nBowden, Mark (2011) Worm: The First Digital World War\nBrooks, Frederick (1995) Mythical Man-Month, 2nd ed.\nChristensen, Clayton (1997) Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail\nHafner, Katie and Matthew Lyon (1996) Where Wizards Stay Up Late: Origins of the Internet\nHunt, Andrew and David Thomas (1999) Pragmatic Programmer\nMacCormick, John (2012) Nine Algorithms that Changed the Future\nMcConnell, Steve (2004) Code Complete, 2nd ed.\nMitnick, Kevin and William Simon (2002) Art of Deception\nPoulsen, Kevin (2011) Kingpin: How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cyber-Crime Underworld\nRaymond, Eric (2003) Art of Unix Programming\nStone, Brad (2013) The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon\nTorvalds, Linus and David Diamond (2001) Just for Fun: Story of an Accidental Revolutionary\nWallace, James and Jim Erickson (1992) Hard Drive: Bill Gates and Making of the Microsoft Empire\nWilliams, Sam (2002) Free as in Freedom: Richard Stallman's Crusade for Free Software\nWilson, Mike (1996) The Difference between God and Larry Ellison: Inside Oracle Corp",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Bowden, Mark (2011) Worm: The First Digital World War",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Bowden"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "computer worms",
        "cybersecurity"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "worthless-impossible-and-stupid-d77677",
      "title": "Worthless, Impossible and Stupid",
      "author": "Daniel Isenberg",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 6976452,
          "author": "davidw",
          "createdAt": "2013-12-28T20:41:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 6975638,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2013?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6976452",
          "commentText": "Looking through my list, none jumps out as a 'life changer':\nhttp://davids-book-reviews.blogspot.it/\nAlthough there are several good ones there:\n* Nathan Barry's Authority: http://blog.liberwriter.com/2013/11/21/nathan-barrys-authori... (http://blog.liberwriter.com/2013/11/21/nathan-barrys-authority/)\n* Worthless, Impossible and Stupid: http://davids-book-reviews.blogspot.it/2013/09/worthless-imp... (http://davids-book-reviews.blogspot.it/2013/09/worthless-impossible-and-stupid-how.html) - not one for the ages, but I thought his take on entrepreneurship was interesting.\n* http://davids-book-reviews.blogspot.it/2013/08/pathfinder-jo... (http://davids-book-reviews.blogspot.it/2013/08/pathfinder-john-charles-fremont-and.html) - biography of John Fremont.  Interesting guy in an interesting period of American history.\n* http://davids-book-reviews.blogspot.it/2013/02/innovation-an... (http://davids-book-reviews.blogspot.it/2013/02/innovation-and-entrepreneurship.html) - Innovation and Entrepreneurship by Drucker.  Still a very relevant book in a lot of ways.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "not one for the ages, but I thought his take on entrepreneurship was interesting.",
          "reason": "The commenter found its perspective on entrepreneurship interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not one for the ages.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Daniel Isenberg"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "write-great-code-a98e91",
      "title": "Write Great Code",
      "author": "Randall Hyde",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14487708,
          "author": "ctrlp",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-05T14:14:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 14486657,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What language-agnostic programming books should I read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14487708",
          "commentText": "If you consider C to be language-agnostic, here are some gems. These are personal favorites as much for their excellent writing as for their content.\nThe Unix Programming Environment was published in 1984. I read it over 20 years later and was astonished at how well it had aged. For a technical book from the 80's, it is amazingly lucid and well-written. It pre-dates modern unix, so things have changed but much that goes unstated in newer books (for brevity) is explicit in UPE. (Plus, the history itself is illuminating.) It gave me a much deeper understanding of how programs actually run over computer hardware. Examples in C are old-school and take a bit of close reading but oh so rewarding. https://www.amazon.com/Unix-Programming-Environment-Prentice... (https://www.amazon.com/Unix-Programming-Environment-Prentice-Hall-Software/dp/013937681X)\nMastering Algorithms in C. Another fantastically well-written book that shows (with practical examples) how to implement common algorithms. This is just such a great book!\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Algorithms-Techniques-Sorti... (https://www.amazon.com/Mastering-Algorithms-Techniques-Sorting-Encryption/dp/1565924533)\nAlso:\nCode (Petzold). This one is truly language-agnostic. Others have mentioned it already. Can't recommend enough if you're iffy on the internals of computers and programming.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Code-Language-Computer-Hardware-Softw... (https://www.amazon.com/Code-Language-Computer-Hardware-Software/dp/073560505X)\nWrite Great Code (Volumes I and II). Randall Hyde's books are fantastic explications of the underlying computer operations. Examples are in assembly or pseudo-code but easy to understand.\nhttps://www.amazon.com/Write-Great-Code-Understanding-Machin... (https://www.amazon.com/Write-Great-Code-Understanding-Machine-ebook/dp/B0096FEJGQ/)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Randall Hyde's books are fantastic explications of the underlying computer operations.",
          "reason": "Praised for clearly explaining underlying computer operations.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in how computer operations work.",
          "caveat": "Examples use assembly or pseudocode.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Randall Hyde"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "assembly language",
        "computer architecture"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "write-useful-books-c66acd",
      "title": "Write Useful Books",
      "author": "Rob Fitzpatrick",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32346252,
          "author": "goopthink",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-04T18:05:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32346252",
          "commentText": "\"Write Useful Books\" by Rob Fitzpatrick is an amazing guide for how to write, test, edit, and polish technical nonfiction.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Write Useful Books\" by Rob Fitzpatrick is an amazing guide for how to write, test, edit, and polish technical nonfiction.",
          "reason": "Recommended as a guide to writing and refining technical nonfiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rob Fitzpatrick"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "book writing",
        "technical nonfiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "write-you-a-haskell-5e89a4",
      "title": "Write You a Haskell",
      "author": "Stephen Diehl",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28480473,
          "author": "eru",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-10T12:19:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 28478751,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach you programming languages via systems projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28480473",
          "commentText": "See \"Write Yourself a Scheme in 48 Hours\" https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Write_Yourself_a_Scheme_in_48_... (https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Write_Yourself_a_Scheme_in_48_Hours) and \"Write You A Haskell\" http://dev.stephendiehl.com/fun/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Write You A Haskell\"",
          "reason": "Offers it as a relevant example in response to a request for project based books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Stephen Diehl"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "functional programming",
        "haskell"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "write-yourself-a-scheme-in-48-hours-762732",
      "title": "Write Yourself a Scheme in 48 Hours",
      "author": "Jeremy Gibbons",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28480473,
          "author": "eru",
          "createdAt": "2021-09-10T12:19:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 28478751,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that teach you programming languages via systems projects?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28480473",
          "commentText": "See \"Write Yourself a Scheme in 48 Hours\" https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Write_Yourself_a_Scheme_in_48_... (https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Write_Yourself_a_Scheme_in_48_Hours) and \"Write You A Haskell\" http://dev.stephendiehl.com/fun/",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "See \"Write Yourself a Scheme in 48 Hours\"",
          "reason": "Offers it as a relevant example in response to a request for project based books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeremy Gibbons"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "interpreters",
        "scheme"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "write-yourself-a-scheme-in-48-hours-094bd4",
      "title": "Write Yourself a Scheme in 48 Hours",
      "author": "Jonathan Tang",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13663501,
          "author": "eli_gottlieb",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-16T20:57:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13663501",
          "commentText": "For learning Haskell: https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Write_Yourself_a_Scheme_in_48_... (https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Write_Yourself_a_Scheme_in_48_Hours)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Write_Yourself_a_Scheme_in_48_...",
          "reason": "Suggested as a resource for learning Haskell.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jonathan Tang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "haskell",
        "interpreter implementation",
        "scheme"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "writing-compilers-and-interpreters-96562a",
      "title": "Writing Compilers and Interpreters",
      "author": "Ronald Mak",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13670422,
          "author": "cestith",
          "createdAt": "2017-02-17T18:20:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 13660086,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some books where the reader learns by building one project?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13670422",
          "commentText": "I already answered about \"The Art of the Metaobject Protocol\" but then two more language-implementation-centric books came to mind today.\n1. \"Writing Compilers and Interpreters\" by Ronald Mak\n2. \"Building an Optimizing Compiler\" by Bob Morgan\nMorgan's book is well sought after and out of print. It's one of the few books in the field for which the print edition prices keep climbing.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Writing Compilers and Interpreters\" by Ronald Mak",
          "reason": "Named as one of two language-implementation books in the answer to a request for project-based books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Ronald Mak"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "compiler construction",
        "interpreters"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "writing-tools-50-essential-strategies-for-every-writer-fbf4ac",
      "title": "Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer",
      "author": "Roy Peter Clark",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1965828,
          "author": "parka",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-03T14:14:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 1965039,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books for English writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1965828",
          "commentText": "Writing Tools: 50 Essential Strategies for Every Writer\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Writing-Tools-Essential-Strategies-Wri... (http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Tools-Essential-Strategies-Writer/dp/0316014990)\nI highly recommend this book. Expect improvement immediately.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I highly recommend this book. Expect improvement immediately.",
          "reason": "The commenter highly recommends it and predicts immediate improvement.",
          "audience": "Writers seeking to improve their writing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Roy Peter Clark"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "writing craft",
        "writing strategies"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "writing-a-go-compiler-927e82",
      "title": "Writing a Go Compiler",
      "author": "Thorsten Ball",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804093,
          "author": "misiti3780",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:12:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804093",
          "commentText": "Writing a Go Interpreter\nWriting a Go Compiler\nNo One Cares about Crazy People\nI Heard You Paint Houses\nUNIX: A History and a Memoir\nRed Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine\nHow Asia Works\nThe Dream Machine\nBlack Earth\nThe Fabric of Reality\nBehave (tried twice, maybe third times a charm?)\nA Short History of Nearly Everything\nStiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers\nGenius: The Life and Science Richard Feynman\nSuper Thinking\nMan's Search for Meaning\nThe Cooking Gene\nThe Vital Question: Why is Life The Way it Is (re-read)\nThe Case Against Sugar\nThe 15 Decisive Battles of the World\nThe History of the Peloponnesian War\nThe Beginning of Infinity\nThe Book of Why",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Writing a Go Compiler",
          "reason": "Listed in the commenter's planned reading list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Thorsten Ball"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "compilers",
        "go"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "writing-for-software-developers-ef3aab",
      "title": "Writing for Software Developers",
      "author": "Philip Kiely",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 32346550,
          "author": "cratermoon",
          "createdAt": "2022-08-04T18:29:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 32342493,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any great books about technical writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32346550",
          "commentText": "David Beer & David McMurrey, A Guide to Writing as an Engineer http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1103219505\nPhilip Kiely, Writing for Software Developers https://philipkiely.com/wfsd/\nMichael Alley The Craft of Scientific Writing http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/1032304610\nAlso see Online Technical Writing https://mcmassociates.io/textbook/ David McMurrey",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Philip Kiely, Writing for Software Developers",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Philip Kiely"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "software documentation",
        "technical writing"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "writing-on-water-e1027c",
      "title": "Writing on Water",
      "author": "Mooji",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17168324,
          "author": "z66is",
          "createdAt": "2018-05-27T18:32:07.000Z",
          "threadId": 17168136,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's one book that changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17168324",
          "commentText": "Writing On Water by Mooji.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Writing On Water by Mooji.",
          "reason": "Named as an answer to the question asking for one book that changed the commenter’s life.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mooji"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "spirituality"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "writing-to-learn-f7f8bb",
      "title": "Writing to Learn",
      "author": "William Zinsser",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 45954201,
          "author": "bicepjai",
          "createdAt": "2025-11-17T15:03:30.000Z",
          "threadId": 45947737,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What were the best books you read in 2025?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45954201",
          "commentText": "1. Talking to My Daughter About the Economy: or, How Capitalism Works--and How It Fails\n2. Writing to learn. People who are scared of writing like me must listen to this every year :)\n3. Made to stick\n4. Million dollar weekend\n5. Surrounded by idiots",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Writing to learn. People who are scared of writing like me must listen to this every year :)",
          "reason": "Listed as a book to revisit yearly.",
          "audience": "People who are scared of writing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Zinsser"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Learning",
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "writing instruction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "writing-with-style-conversations-on-the-art-of-writing-7c0777",
      "title": "Writing with Style: Conversations on the Art of Writing",
      "author": "John Trimble",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23369506,
          "author": "rement",
          "createdAt": "2020-05-31T13:34:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 23363595,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books under 200 pages for developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23369506",
          "commentText": "\"Writing with Style, Conversations on the Art of Writing\", by John Trimble is another great writing book (The second edition is 161 pages if you don't include the appendices).\nThe ability to communicate in writing is an important skill even for developers.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Writing with Style, Conversations on the Art of Writing\", by John Trimble is another great writing book",
          "reason": "Calls it a great writing book and notes that written communication matters for developers.",
          "audience": "Developers who want to improve their written communication.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John Trimble"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "style",
        "writing craft"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "writing-with-style-conversations-on-the-art-of-writing-01f106",
      "title": "Writing with Style: Conversations on the Art of Writing",
      "author": "John R. Trimble",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1965188,
          "author": "jawartak",
          "createdAt": "2010-12-03T08:31:11.000Z",
          "threadId": 1965039,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Good books for English writing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1965188",
          "commentText": "Writing with Style - the best book I've ever read on writing.\nhttp://www.amazon.com/Writing-Style-Conversations-Art-2nd/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Style-Conversations-Art-2nd/dp/0130257133)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Writing with Style - the best book I've ever read on writing.",
          "reason": "Calls it the best book they have read on writing.",
          "audience": "People seeking to improve their writing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "John R. Trimble"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Writing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "writing craft"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "writings-on-an-ethical-life-98739f",
      "title": "Writings on an Ethical Life",
      "author": "Peter Singer",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8528127,
          "author": "jordanpg",
          "createdAt": "2014-10-29T16:35:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 8528058,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What Book Has the Most Page-for-Page Wisdom?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8528127",
          "commentText": "- The Open Society and Its Enemies by Karl Popper\n- Writings on an Ethical Life by Peter Singer\n- Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid by Douglas R. Hofstadter\n- Arguably: Essays by Christopher Hitchens",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Writings on an Ethical Life by Peter Singer",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Singer"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "applied ethics",
        "ethics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wrong-why-experts-keep-failing-us-and-how-to-know-when-not-to-tru-71a30c",
      "title": "Wrong: Why Experts Keep Failing Us—and How to Know When Not to Trust Them",
      "author": "David H. Freedman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 24213645,
          "author": "giardini",
          "createdAt": "2020-08-19T17:59:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 24176902,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Please suggest some good books you have read recently",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24213645",
          "commentText": "Wrong: Why Experts Keep Failing Us - and How to Know When Not to Trust Them by David H. Freedman\n- Painfully relevant to the current pandemic. Explains why the experts aren't!\nThe End of Average by Todd Rose\n- Pulls the curtain(s) aside from education, corporations and the non-science of \"scientific management\". Why Taylorism continues to dominate corporate and social life today. Explains many features of our lives (both civic and corporate) that were \"baked into\" society decades ago, are rarely examined (indeed rarely noticed) and are ripe for replacement.\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_management\nThe Miraculous Fever Tree by Fiammetta Rocco\nThis reads like (and should be made into) a BBC series: story after story of generations of human suffering from malaria, which remains far more deadly than Covid-19. Where else do you read that merely living in Rome before the existence of a cure for malaria was almost guaranteed to shorten your life significantly and end it badly? Imperial Rome, the center of Roman civilization! Rome, the center of the Catholic Church during and after Rome fell and into the Early Middle Ages! And this disease was endemic not only in Rome but to most of southern Europe extending up to Britain.\nhttps://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/science-mal... (https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/science-malaria-in-britain-1361345.html)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wrong: Why Experts Keep Failing Us - and How to Know When Not to Trust Them by David H. Freedman\n- Painfully relevant to the current pandemic. Explains why the experts aren't!",
          "reason": "Called painfully relevant to the pandemic and explains why experts fail.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David H. Freedman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "expertise",
        "science communication"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wuthering-heights-0253bc",
      "title": "Wuthering Heights",
      "author": "Emily Brontë",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18663693,
          "author": "Garph",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T13:33:19.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18663693",
          "commentText": "Between September and October I put down my usual collection of science fiction and cookbooks to read books from female authors. I strongly recommend each:\n1. Pride and Prejudiced by Jane Austen\n2. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte\n3. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood\nedit: line breaks",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I strongly recommend each:\n1. Pride and Prejudiced by Jane Austen\n2. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte",
          "reason": "The commenter strongly recommends each book in the list.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Emily Brontë"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "classic literature",
        "gothic fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wycliffite-spirituality-7f8bfd",
      "title": "Wycliffite Spirituality",
      "author": "",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8257542,
          "author": "ZanyProgrammer",
          "createdAt": "2014-09-02T13:57:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 8257369,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is HN reading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8257542",
          "commentText": "Wycliffite Spirituality from Paulist Press' Classics of Western Spirituality series.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Wycliffite Spirituality",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christian spirituality",
        "medieval theology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "wyrd-sisters-078ff0",
      "title": "Wyrd Sisters",
      "author": "Terry Pratchett",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12247192,
          "author": "RegW",
          "createdAt": "2016-08-08T12:34:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 12243611,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book have you given as a gift?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12247192",
          "commentText": "I gave this to one son when he was about 18, along with a pretty much complete set of Discworld: http://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/discworld-reading-order/.  These were collected over many years, so a bit of a wrench.  The best of which might be: \"Wyrd Sisters\" (Shakespeare), or \"The Truth\" (Newspapers).  He can make fun of pretty much anything, while still showing it great affection.\nNeil Gaiman's \"The Graveyard Book\" is a great book for reading to younger kids. Weird, creepy, but strangely uplifting, even if it does begin with a triple murder.  I can't remember which kid took that.\nI bought Robert Silverberg's \"Nightwings\" in the 80s and read it several times.  I was going to give away but couldn't find it, so I had to buy a new copy and read it again first.  This seems to anticipate a lot that followed, from genetic modification to drastic climate change, but it is essentially about a character trying to cope in a mad world.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The best of which might be: \"Wyrd Sisters\"",
          "reason": "Named as one of the best Discworld books; its subject is Shakespeare.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Terry Pratchett"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fantasy",
        "shakespeare adaptation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "xx-dd580b",
      "title": "XX",
      "author": "Rian Hughes",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 28072509,
          "author": "d4rkp4ttern",
          "createdAt": "2021-08-05T12:03:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 28058829,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Modern Sci-Fi Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28072509",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed “XX” by Rian Hughes — a completely new kind of sci fi. Like my other fav sci-fi book Three Body Problem, it all starts with a signal from space, but then... very boldly imagined book and deserves much more praise than it seems to have gotten.\nAmazon.com: XX (9781419750694): Hughes, Rian: Books https://www.amazon.com/dp/1419750690",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I really enjoyed “XX” by Rian Hughes",
          "reason": "The commenter enjoyed it and describes it as a boldly imagined new kind of science fiction.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Rian Hughes"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction",
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "experimental fiction",
        "extraterrestrial signal"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "xenogenesis-7032f9",
      "title": "Xenogenesis",
      "author": "Octavia E. Butler",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17536565,
          "author": "stevewillows",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-15T19:19:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 17536241,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17536565",
          "commentText": "I'm halfway through Lilith's Brood / the Xenogenesis series from Octavia E. Butler, and I'm loving it. Despite the sci-fi angle, it feels like this is how things could play out if we were introduced to a mostly well-intended alien species.\nThe first book is mostly conversation in interview form, but I was drawn in tight and didn't want to put it down.\nThe audiobook performance for this series is fantastic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "the Xenogenesis series from Octavia E. Butler, and I'm loving it.",
          "reason": "Identifies the same series by its alternate title and expresses enthusiasm for it.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Octavia E. Butler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "alien species",
        "first contact"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "yeager-an-autobiography-352158",
      "title": "Yeager: An Autobiography",
      "author": "Chuck Yeager",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33382606,
          "author": "slyall",
          "createdAt": "2022-10-29T10:05:04.000Z",
          "threadId": 33381791,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some of the best books you have read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33382606",
          "commentText": "Top 2 so far:\n   * Washington: A life by Ron Chernow\n   * The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won by Victor Davis Hanson\n\nThe Washington book is a very detailed by clear overview of his life. Easy to follow (even for complex situations) and very week written.\nThe WW2 book is amazing. Compares the countries fighting in around 20 different areas (technology, leadership, geography, aircraft) and says who is better and why.\nAlso very good:\n   * FDR by Jean Edward Smith\n   * Master of the Senate by Robert A. Caro\n   * The Penguin History of New Zealand by Michael King\n   * The years of Lyndon Johnson 2 – Means of Ascent by Robert Caro\n   * Blood, Sweat & Chrome: The Wild and True Story of Mad Max: Fury Road by Kyle Buchanan\n   * Becoming Trader Joe: How I Did Business My Way and Still Beat the Big Guys by Joe Coulombe\n   * How Innovation Works: And Why It Flourishes in Freedom by Matt Ridley\n   * Yeager: An Autobiography by Chuck Yeager\n   * The years of Lyndon Johnson: The Path to Power by Robert Caro\n   * The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson\n   * Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson\n   * An Economist walks into a Brothel: And Other Unexpected Places to Understand Risk by Allison Schrager\n   * The Devil’s Candy: The Bonfire of the Vanities Goes to Hollywood by Julie Salamon\n   * Sam Walton: Made in America by Sam Walton",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "* Yeager: An Autobiography by Chuck Yeager",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chuck Yeager"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aviation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "yeager-an-autobiography-f68bbf",
      "title": "Yeager: An Autobiography",
      "author": "Chuck Yeager and Leo Janos",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 203295,
          "author": "apstuff",
          "createdAt": "2008-05-29T14:23:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 202918,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are some good biographies to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=203295",
          "commentText": "\"Yeager\" \nThe biography of Chuck Yeager -- first test pilot to break the speed of sound. His description of going above 80,000 feet, the subsequent failure of the aircraft and what he does to regain control is chilling. The book's a good read. Direct and to the point -- like the man himself.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The book's a good read. Direct and to the point -- like the man himself.",
          "reason": "Called a good, direct, and to-the-point read.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chuck Yeager and Leo Janos"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "aviation",
        "chuck yeager",
        "test pilots"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "yellowface-ca1687",
      "title": "Yellowface",
      "author": "R. F. Kuang",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37168117,
          "author": "tjalfi",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-17T21:09:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 37156372,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Any interesting books you have read lately?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37168117",
          "commentText": "Contemporary:\n° Yellowface by R.F. Kuang\n° Big Swiss by Jen Beagin\nThriller:\n° Barbed Wire Heart by Tess Sharpe",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Yellowface by R.F. Kuang",
          "reason": "Lists it among contemporary fiction recommendations in response to a request for books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "R. F. Kuang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "literary fiction",
        "publishing industry"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "yes-man-058469",
      "title": "Yes Man",
      "author": "Danny Wallace",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40878332,
          "author": "chrismatheson",
          "createdAt": "2024-07-04T21:47:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 40878040,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book bit, stung and shook you deeply?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40878332",
          "commentText": "Yes man, Danny Wallace. Don’t take it’s comedy approach wrongly, I think a lot of folks could improve their happiness by reading and internalising this book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Yes man, Danny Wallace.",
          "reason": "Says readers could improve their happiness by reading and internalizing the book.",
          "audience": "People seeking to improve their happiness.",
          "caveat": "The commenter cautions against misreading its comedic approach.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Danny Wallace"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "yes-please-4171e6",
      "title": "Yes Please",
      "author": "Amy Poehler",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18696898,
          "author": "greenido",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-17T04:30:27.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18696898",
          "commentText": "Some books I've enjoyed in the past year:\nWish to laugh?\n* Born a Crime, by Trevor Noah\n* Yes please! by Amy Poehler\nThink?\n* Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell\n* Where Good Ideas Come from, by Steven Johnson\n* The Emperor of All Maladies and The Gene: An Intimate History both by Mukherjee Siddhartha\nLearn (more) about great thinkers?\n* Einstein or Leonardo da Vinci or Steve Jobs, by Walter Isaacson\n* Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike, by Phil Knight\nYuval Noah Harari 3 good ones:\n* Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow\n* Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind\n* 21 lessons for the 21st century\nFrom time to time, I try to put some good ones over here: https://greenido.wordpress.com/?s=book",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Yes please! by Amy Poehler",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "Readers who wish to laugh.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 12070439,
          "author": "tartuffe78",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-11T12:08:02.000Z",
          "threadId": 12067117,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have you read in the first half of 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12070439",
          "commentText": "1. Alas Babylon, Pat Frank\n2. A Talent For War, Jack McDevitt\n3. Endymion, Dan Simmons\n4. Programming iOS 9 ( 50% ), Matt Neuburg\n5. Yes Please, Amy Poehler\n6. The Nature of the Beast, Louise Penny",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Yes Please, Amy Poehler",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 10783776,
          "author": "noxToken",
          "createdAt": "2015-12-23T15:40:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 10783219,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2015?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10783776",
          "commentText": "Was light year for me:\nConfessions of a D-List Supervillain - Jim Bernheimer\nOrigins of a D-List Supervillain - Jim Bernheimer\nThe second is a prequel of the first. I haven't read the third in the series. Light reading about a guy's descent into villainy.\nYes Please - Amy Poehler: I love memoirs. I just didn't love this one. It read a lot like Leslie Knope was the author, but there was an obscene amount of name dropping that kept interrupting the flow of the book for me.\nFresh Off the Boat: A Memoir - Eddie Huang: Like I said, I'm a sucker for these things. Picked it up, because the series reminded me of a 90s Asian version of Everybody Hates Chris. The absurdity and random profanity was a little off-putting at first. Remembering how I felt as a black boy doing some of the same dumb things in the 90s really put it into perspective though.\nThe Serpent of Venice: A Novel - Christopher Moore: The follow up to Fool. It's a different take on Shakespearian story-telling. I can't recommend his novels enough.\nQuantum Lens - Douglas E. Richards: I read this solely because I liked Wired and Amped. No-frills action with a sci-fi element. You probably won't get engrossed, but you will be entertained.\nSpell or High Water & An Unwelcome Quest - Scott Meyer: Books 2 & 3 in a series about a group of guys who can manipulate reality through writing scripts. Good, but not my favorite.\nArmada: A Novel - Ernest Cline: Ah yes. The long awaited sophomore effort from the author of Ready Player One. This book fell harder than it deserved to, because people where expecting it to be analogous to Ready Player One. Spoiler: it's not. The novel does have its short-comings. Repetitive dialogue, shoe-horned classic pop-culture references and shallow writing plague this book. If you've got time for a short novel, give it a whirl, but don't expect anything amazing.\nWords of Radiance - Brandon Sanderson: Book 2 of the Stormlight Archives. If it's an epic by Sanderson, do yourself a favor and board the hype train. You won't be disappointed. It's everything you want in a long fantasy novel without being bogged down with side-plots and details.\nWarbreaker - Brandon Sanderson: This is a standalone novel with a tie-on to Words of Radiance. I'm only halfway through it. Would recommend so far, especially since it's free from the author.",
          "stance": "criticism",
          "evidence": "Yes Please - Amy Poehler: I love memoirs. I just didn't love this one. It read a lot like Leslie Knope was the author, but there was an obscene amount of name dropping that kept interrupting the flow of the book for me.",
          "reason": "Says they did not love it; excessive name-dropping disrupted the flow.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The voice reminded them of Leslie Knope, and name-dropping interrupted the book's flow.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Amy Poehler"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comedy",
        "memoir",
        "comedy memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "yet-another-introduction-to-analysis-and-metric-spaces-bae70b",
      "title": "Yet Another Introduction to Analysis and Metric Spaces",
      "author": "Victor Bryant",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 23735412,
          "author": "bmitc",
          "createdAt": "2020-07-04T22:44:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 23711942,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend a maths book for a teenager?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23735412",
          "commentText": "Since you mention analysis, I recommend Yet Another Introduction to Analysis and Metric Spaces by Victor Bryant. They should be at the right level and a lot of fun.\nAnother analysis suggestion is Creative Mathematics by H.S. Wall. It is a book that walks a high school level student through creating the proofs themselves. The topic covered is a stripped down version of analysis, calculus, and later even differential geometry. It's really brilliant. Going slow and having fun when you're a teen would be much more productive than going fast and burning out.\nThe Spivak book is a good suggestion and might be a little difficult depending on their actual background. The books by Gelfand mentioned by someone else (there's actually a series of them that cover algebra, functions, coordinates, trigonometry, etc.) would help provide the needed background.\nThe book Conceptual Mathematics is claimed to be aimed at high school students. Maybe give it a whirl and see what happens. If they know calculus, then Advanced Calculus: A Differential Forms Approach by Harold Edwards is a gem. The first three chapters should be readable, as they give heuristic discussions of the topic.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I recommend Yet Another Introduction to Analysis and Metric Spaces by Victor Bryant.",
          "reason": "Recommends it as an analysis book.",
          "audience": "A teenager studying analysis.",
          "caveat": "They should be at the right level, according to the commenter.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Victor Bryant"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Mathematics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "metric spaces",
        "real analysis"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "you-are-not-a-gadget-ce6b2e",
      "title": "You Are Not a Gadget",
      "author": "Jaron Lanier",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1865440,
          "author": "rick_2047",
          "createdAt": "2010-11-03T16:57:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 1865350,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1865440",
          "commentText": "I liked the description of You are not a Gadget, maybe I will pick it up after I complete one of my current books (its almost definitely going to be TECS, GEB will take year to even be read once and understood superficially and add another few years for my habit of googleing or wiki-ing ever word I don't understand.)",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I liked the description of You are not a Gadget",
          "reason": "Likes the book's description and may pick it up after finishing current books.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not yet decided to read it.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jaron Lanier"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "digital culture",
        "technology criticism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "you-are-now-less-dumb-34b25c",
      "title": "You Are Now Less Dumb",
      "author": "David McRaney",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 16758134,
          "author": "Royalaid",
          "createdAt": "2018-04-04T19:33:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 16756243,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books do you keep on your desk?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16758134",
          "commentText": "I would also recommend You are not so Smart and You Are Now Less Dumb if you like the cognitive bais theme",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You Are Now Less Dumb if you like the cognitive bais theme",
          "reason": "Recommended for readers interested in cognitive biases.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in cognitive biases.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "David McRaney"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cognitive biases",
        "heuristics",
        "popular psychology"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "you-can-heal-your-life-7b7c49",
      "title": "You Can Heal Your Life",
      "author": "Louise Hay",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30741713,
          "author": "rendx",
          "createdAt": "2022-03-20T11:18:08.000Z",
          "threadId": 30734709,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What book changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30741713",
          "commentText": "Louise Hay: You Can Heal Your Life\nhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Can_Heal_Your_Life\n\"by 2008, over 35 million copies worldwide had been sold in over 30 languages, becoming the best-selling non-fiction book of all time\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Louise Hay: You Can Heal Your Life",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Louise Hay"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "mind body",
        "self help"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "you-can-negotiate-anything-66cacf",
      "title": "You Can Negotiate Anything",
      "author": "Herb Cohen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9348370,
          "author": "probably_wrong",
          "createdAt": "2015-04-09T15:47:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 9348119,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348370",
          "commentText": "\"You Can Negotiate Anything\", by Herb Cohen.\nBy taking the point of view that \"negotiation\" is not \"convincing morons to do what I want\" but \"let's try and solve this together\", the author introduces a couple points about how to deal with all sorts of conflicts and difficult situations. I read it several years ago, and yet there's not a month in which I don't put at least one of its lessons in use.\nI found it a lot more useful and honest than the famed \"How to influence friends and win people\" but, somewhat ironically, I never used it in any negotiation involving money.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"You Can Negotiate Anything\", by Herb Cohen.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they use its approach to resolve conflicts and still apply lessons regularly.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "They say they have never used it in a negotiation involving money.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Herb Cohen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "conflict resolution",
        "negotiation"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill",
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "you-can-trust-the-communists-to-be-communists-2ad779",
      "title": "You Can Trust the Communists (to Be Communists)",
      "author": "Fred Schwarz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1503277,
          "author": "SkyMarshal",
          "createdAt": "2010-07-10T07:28:14.000Z",
          "threadId": 1503137,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1503277",
          "commentText": "Sophie's World is a fun novel and a map of the historical development of philosophy.\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophies_World\nThe first book on philosophy that both blew my hair back and made me realize philosophy is alot more than just academic was You Can Trust the Communists (to be Communists).\nhttp://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/50s/schwarz-cover.htm... (http://www.writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/50s/schwarz-cover.html)\nMy best friend in college was a Russian Jew whose family immigrated to US during the Cold War, and he kept that book on his coffee table.\nIt's the Yin to Howard Zinn's Yang - A People's History of the United States - which even though it's not philosophy is worth reading too.\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Peoples_History_of_the_United... (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Peoples_History_of_the_United_States)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The first book on philosophy that both blew my hair back and made me realize philosophy is alot more than just academic was You Can Trust the Communists (to be Communists).",
          "reason": "The commenter says it made a strong impression and showed them philosophy extends beyond academia.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Fred Schwarz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "anti communism",
        "cold war"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "you-can-t-win-20c93c",
      "title": "You Can't Win",
      "author": "Jack Black",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665294,
          "author": "Stronico",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:36:22.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665294",
          "commentText": "You Can't Win by Jack Black - autobiography of a small-time safecracker in the late 19th and early 20th century.  Long enough ago for everything in life to be different, not long enough ago for everything in life to be incomprehensible.",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Long enough ago for everything in life to be different, not long enough ago for everything in life to be incomprehensible.",
          "reason": "The commenter highlights how the historical distance feels both unfamiliar and understandable.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 17521488,
          "author": "Stronico",
          "createdAt": "2018-07-13T09:06:10.000Z",
          "threadId": 17513576,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: 2018 Summer Reading List?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17521488",
          "commentText": "1.  You Can't Win by Jack Black - autobiography of a late 19th century safecracker and general criminal - long enough ago for everything to be different, but the differences are still recognizable\n2.  Stalin - the Kremlin Mountaineer - a great, and short biography of Joseph Stalin - one of the rare books that could have been longer\n3.  Stars Beneath Us: Finding God in the Evolving Cosmos by Paul Wallace - an astrophysicist looks at the book of Job and reveals it as the big picture view.\n4.  The True Believer by Eric Hoffer - the all time classic of the study of mass movements.  Full of aphorisms too.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You Can't Win by Jack Black - autobiography of a late 19th century safecracker and general criminal - long enough ago for everything to be different, but the differences are still recognizable",
          "reason": "Recommends it with an appealing description of its historical perspective.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jack Black"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "crime",
        "autobiography",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "you-don-t-know-js-yet-8c2be2",
      "title": "You Don't Know JS Yet",
      "author": "Kyle Simpson",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 37326179,
          "author": "id00",
          "createdAt": "2023-08-30T17:58:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 37325594,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books to learn web development?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37326179",
          "commentText": "I remember \"JavaScript: The Good Parts\" by Douglas Crockford touched some parts in depth.\nAlso \"You Don't Know JS Yet\" has some depth in it\nhttps://github.com/getify/You-Dont-Know-JS",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"You Don't Know JS Yet\" has some depth in it",
          "reason": "Mentions it as a book with depth.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kyle Simpson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "javascript",
        "programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "you-don-t-know-js-scope-closures-943e95",
      "title": "You Don't Know JS: Scope & Closures",
      "author": "Kyle Simpson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 14464817,
          "author": "bhj",
          "createdAt": "2017-06-01T21:14:24.000Z",
          "threadId": 14460429,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best current book to learn JavaScript?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14464817",
          "commentText": "As a webdev who used JS for a while without really knowing what was going on under the hood and just chalking \"unexpected\" behavior up to That Darn JavaScript(TM), reading You Don't Know JS: Scope & Closures was really great:\nhttps://github.com/getify/You-Dont-Know-JS/tree/master/scope... (https://github.com/getify/You-Dont-Know-JS/tree/master/scope%20%26%20closures)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "reading You Don't Know JS: Scope & Closures was really great",
          "reason": "The commenter says reading this volume was a great experience for understanding JavaScript behavior under the hood.",
          "audience": "Web developers who use JavaScript but want to understand its behavior more deeply.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kyle Simpson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "closures",
        "javascript",
        "scope"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "you-have-the-right-to-remain-innocent-db67e1",
      "title": "You Have the Right to Remain Innocent",
      "author": "James Duane",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 15961346,
          "author": "billbrown",
          "createdAt": "2017-12-19T16:31:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 15960146,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2017?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15961346",
          "commentText": "Here's quite a few, but they might be of interest to others.\n1. You Have the Right to Remain Innocent: great advice that I had never seen anywhere else (except his video that started the whole thing).\n2. The Vital Question: good overview of origin of life research.\n3. Fragment: hard science fiction (is that the term?) that delved into evolution and dovetailed with some of the reading I had been doing around that subject.\n4. The Science of Navigation: delved into the wonder of current navigational technology and how we got to here.\n5. The Lost City of the Monkey God: bought on a lark, made me realize that archaeology can still find new things nowadays.\n6. Island of the Lost: historical account of two shipwrecks on the same island at the same time that knew nothing of each other.\n7. Protecting the Gift: another eye-opener about being more aware of the ways people _can_ prey on children.\n8. Wondrous Contrivances: how people reacted to new techologies in the past.\n9. Rig Ship for Ultra Quiet: submariner's account of life during a Cold War operation.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You Have the Right to Remain Innocent: great advice that I had never seen anywhere else",
          "reason": "The commenter praises its advice as new to them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "James Duane"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "criminal law",
        "interacting with police"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "you-just-don-t-understand-ad0fd5",
      "title": "You Just Don't Understand",
      "author": "Deborah Tannen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17914326,
          "author": "yesenadam",
          "createdAt": "2018-09-05T01:12:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 17909694,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite non-fiction books of all time?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17914326",
          "commentText": "All these had a huge impact on me. The descriptions are inadequate, I've just tried to mention the subject matter.\nDeborah Tannen, You Just Don't Understand - how males and females talk different languages.\nLakoff & Johnson, Metaphors We Live By - how our language and thoughts are built from a fabric of conceptual metaphors. Philosophy In The Flesh is about the conceptual metaphors that philosophy is built from.\nJonathan Glover, Humanity: A Moral History of the Twentieth Century - WWI, WWII and other wars, nazism, communism etc\nPlutarch's Lives - biographies and stories from famous ancient Greeks and Romans. Amazing how little's changed.\nLin Yutang, The Importance of Understanding - introduced me to ancient Chinese philosophers. The Importance of Living - introduced me to ancient Chinese writers, poets and the Chinese way of life.\nHofstadter, Gödel, Escher, Bach - read it when I was 14, and I was into music, art and programming, so it blew my mind.\nSusan Faludi, STIFFED - men, work, jobs, masculinity, 20th C\nWalter Lippmann, Public Opinion - media, war, propaganda, democracy\nNoam Chomsky's political books\nE.F. Schumacher, Small is Beautiful - the world, development, government, planning, organization, humanity, sustainability\nJ.R. Saul, Voltaire's Bastards - power, history, democracy, technocracy, reason, rationality, history from late 18th C until today.\nRaymond Williams, Culture and Society 1780-1950 - the anti-industrialist tradition, politics, culture, society and the new language describing these things\nClifford Pickover, Computers, Patterns, Chaos, and Beauty - programming, mathematics, art, fractals, dynamical systems etc\nBen Zander, The Art of Possibility - hard to explain, kind of advanced self-help, the magic of changing attitudes, expectations, habits.\nMy favourite non-fiction books of all time, though, are the essays of Emerson, Hazlitt, RL Stevenson, GK Chesterton, Santayana, Bertrand Russell. And the books of Nietzsche, SARK and Robert Fulghum.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Deborah Tannen, You Just Don't Understand - how males and females talk different languages.",
          "reason": "Included in a list of books said to have had a huge impact.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Deborah Tannen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "conversation",
        "gender and communication"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "you-just-don-t-understand-women-and-men-in-conversation-662a03",
      "title": "You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation",
      "author": "Deborah Tannen",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35930601,
          "author": "rgoulter",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-13T17:31:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 35929112,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the most eye-opening textbooks you have ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35930601",
          "commentText": "\"You Just Don't Understand\" by Deborah Tannen.\nThe author discusses that often when conflict in communication arises between men/women, it resembles the same tensions in cross-cultural communication.\nThe author discusses that some communication styles are competitive (with a heavy lens around status and confrontation), other styles are cooperative (with a heavy emphasis on belonging, relatedness, similarities).\nThe author discusses example of such conflicts. -- One example was, when someone's complaining about a problem, a competitive-oriented mindset typically tries suggest a solution, whereas a related-orient mindset typically shows empathy. Crossing the wires: suggesting a solution might come across an uncaring, and expressing empathy might come across as unhelpful.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The author discusses that often when conflict in communication arises between men/women, it resembles the same tensions in cross-cultural communication.",
          "reason": "Describes the book’s account of gendered communication conflicts and differing styles.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in communication conflicts and gender differences.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Deborah Tannen"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "communication styles",
        "gender and language",
        "interpersonal conflict"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "you-look-like-a-thing-and-i-love-you-857d89",
      "title": "You Look Like a Thing and I Love You",
      "author": "Janelle Shane",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 29672617,
          "author": "carlio",
          "createdAt": "2021-12-24T11:10:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 29668228,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29672617",
          "commentText": "I didn't do it on purpose, but I read \"You look like a thing and I love you\"[0] followed by \"I, Robot\"[1] and that combination was really fun.\nThe ideas Isaac Asimov put forward in I, Robot (written in the 1940/50s!) juxtaposed with a factual description of the current use of AI and the unusual side effects was really cool.\n0: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44286534-you-look-like-a... (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/44286534-you-look-like-a-thing-and-i-love-you)\n1: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41804.I_Robot",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "I read \"You look like a thing and I love you\"",
          "reason": "The commenter says the pairing of the books was fun.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The positive comment concerns the pairing, not an explicit evaluation of this book alone.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Janelle Shane"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "artificial intelligence"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "you-need-a-budget-8f4729",
      "title": "You Need a Budget",
      "author": "Jesse Mecham",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18665209,
          "author": "PostPost",
          "createdAt": "2018-12-12T16:26:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 18661546,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18665209",
          "commentText": "Sorry for the wall of text.\n1. Bourne (The language and world of this novel are extraordinary - everything is falling apart yet brimming with life. Strangely moving)\n2. The Design of Everyday things (Essential for anyone in UI/UX)\n3. All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries (Highly engaging, entertaining sci-fi novella series, from an author that can write a very decent robot protagonist)\n4. The Power (Interesting story with sci-fi elements on the dynamics of power, sex, and gender roles. I didn't care for the book, but the first 3/4 of the book are amazing)\n5. Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days\n6. 7 brief Lessons on Physics\n7. The Last Lecture (The energy and positivity coming from a man knowing he's about to die is infectious. Great read)\n8. A wizard of Earthsea (Move over Harry Potter, this is the essential children's story about wizards)\n9. Exploring diabetes with owls (Funny, irreverent)\n10. Miss Peregrines home for peculiar children (Made an effort to read more YA this year - this was the best in this series, but I still hated it. There's a host of better YA series out there.)\n11. A Wizard of Earthsea: The Tombs of Atuan (See 8.)\n12. The Girl in the Dark (Interesting book about a skin condition I had never heard of, and the trials of living with a very rare condition)\n13. The Phantom Tollbooth (Clever children's book)\n14. Black hole blues and songs from outer space (Informative book about the study of space,  the political and economic forces standing in the way of science, and the incredible individuals working in this field)\n15. Welcome to Night Vale (Hugely entertaining, clever and weird)\n16. You need a budget (Basic economics book explaining how to budget in a way that lets you do more with your money)\n17. To fight Against This Age (Incredibly pretentious, \nIvory Tower philosophizing)\n18. Infinity Gauntlet (Half the Universe dying because Thanos wanted to sleep with Lady Death will never not be ridiculous)\n19. The Right and Wrong Stuff (Great read explaining how to anticipate and avoid career pitfalls)\n20. Miss Peregrine's home for peculiar children: Hollow City (pretty shitty)\n21. The Farthest Shore (Ursula K. Le Guin was the biggest loss this year)\n22. Miss peregrine's home for Peculiar Children: Library of Souls (I hate this book and all its characters)\n23. Every Good Endevour (Religious book about a Christian worldview and the value of labor - not a bad read)\n24. When to Rob a Bank and 131 warped suggestions… (interesting, funny, from the writers of Freakonomics)\n25. Weapons of Math Destruction (Probably the most useful book on this list, if you're reading this on \"hackernews\")\n26. Holes (Perfect summer paperback read)\n27. Silver Screen Sirens (Essential for film geeks)\n28. A full life: reflections at 90 (I gained a lot of respect for Jimmy Carter: he lived an incredible life and does great things)\n29. Call Me by your name (Very good romance novel to send to your bigoted relatives at Christmas)\n30. Hyperbole and a half (Incredibly entertaining, very distinctive art style)\n31. The Murderbot diaries: Artificial Condition (See 3.)\n32. His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Best children's book, fight me)\n33. Less (Exceptionally well-written)\n34. Resilience (Great book, especially for those that have gone through extremely difficult circumstances)\n35. The Strange Bird (Dark, bleak, full of life, see 1.)\n36. The Murderbot diaries: Rogue Protocol (See 3.)\n37. His Dark Materials: The subtle knife (See 32.)\n38. Tap Dancing to Work (Very dry, some stories/articles are fantastic, others very, very boring for people that do not care about finance)\n39. So Good They Can't Ignore You (Pretty good)\n40. His Dark Materials: The Amber Spyglass (Amazing YA, see 32.)\n41. Uncontainable (Inspirational book about conscious capitalism)\n42. The Emperor of All Maladies (Pretty much everything you'll ever want to know about Cancer, written in a very engaging way)\n43. Blind Spot\n44. Shoe dog (Great story, see madmax108's comment, totally agree)\n45. The Faithful Spy (Beautiful artwork describing a Christian pastor's fight against fascism during WW2)\n46. Zero to One\n47. You'll grow out of it\n48. The Happiness advantage (Really fantastic book about the value of positive psychology)\n49. Dreams from my father (Enlightening look into Obama's \nearly days)\n50. Ayoade on Ayoade (Entertaining, extremely scatter-brained, not as funny as his interviews or tv programs)\n51. The Diabolic (badly written YA Sci-Fi)\n52. The Physics of Everyday Things (surprisingly informative, recommended for non science-people interested in the way things work)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Basic economics book explaining how to budget in a way that lets you do more with your money",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a basic book on budgeting and money management.",
          "audience": "People looking to learn budgeting.",
          "caveat": "Described as basic.",
          "difficulty": "introductory"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jesse Mecham"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "budgeting",
        "personal finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "you-re-never-weird-on-the-internet-0f46c9",
      "title": "You're Never Weird on the Internet",
      "author": "Felicia Day",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10216977,
          "author": "Jemaclus",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-14T19:33:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 10211331,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Great nontech book that you read recently?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10216977",
          "commentText": "Just recently finished \"Seveneves\" by Neal Stephenson. It's sci-fi, but fantastic.\nFor non-sci-fi, my favorite fantasy book I've read recently was \"The Lies of Locke Lamora\" (and its sequels) by Scott Lynch. Another is \"Dirty Jobs\" by Christopher Moore, a bit on the Pratchett-inspired side of things.\nI also recently finished Felicia Day's memoir, \"You're Never Weird on the Internet,\" which I highly recommend.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "which I highly recommend.",
          "reason": "The commenter explicitly says they highly recommend the memoir.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Felicia Day"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "internet culture",
        "memoir"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective",
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "you-re-not-listening-d8ed90",
      "title": "You're Not Listening",
      "author": "Kate Murphy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33856486,
          "author": "chiefalchemist",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T18:56:15.000Z",
          "threadId": 33854815,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Reading material on how to be a better software engineer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33856486",
          "commentText": "\"You're Not Listening\" by Kate Murphy.\nIt's not at all software related but it will make you a better teammate, partner (i.e., client relationship), manager and/or leader.\nTechnology is the easy part. People, that's the difference between average and above.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"You're Not Listening\" by Kate Murphy.",
          "reason": "Recommends it for becoming a better teammate, partner, manager, or leader.",
          "audience": "People seeking to improve listening and relationships at work or in life.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is not software-related.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kate Murphy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "communication",
        "listening",
        "relationships"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "you-re-not-listening-what-you-re-missing-and-why-it-matters-b72cb3",
      "title": "You're Not Listening: What You're Missing and Why It Matters",
      "author": "Kate Murphy",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 33855100,
          "author": "chiefalchemist",
          "createdAt": "2022-12-04T16:33:23.000Z",
          "threadId": 33849267,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books read in 2022?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33855100",
          "commentText": "+1 for \"You're Not Listening\". I had it on my shelf for too long. When I finally pulled it down and read it there was a feeling of \"I wish I would have done that a lot sooner.\"\nThink Again was good as well, but didn't hit me as hard as \"Listening.\"",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for \"You're Not Listening\".",
          "reason": "Endorses the recommendation and says they wish they had read it sooner.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Kate Murphy"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "active listening",
        "communication"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "you-inc-the-art-of-selling-yourself-f44886",
      "title": "You, Inc.: The Art of Selling Yourself",
      "author": "Harry Beckwith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 673569,
          "author": "sivers",
          "createdAt": "2009-06-25T13:02:39.000Z",
          "threadId": 673487,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Are there any good Internet marketing books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=673569",
          "commentText": "To get fundamentals and theory foundation, drop the \"internet\" part of your requirement.  The internet is just another way to connect people.\nAll successful marketing comes down to a fundamental understanding of people, how we like to be spoken to, what captures our attention, and what messages stick.\nRead my notes and excerpts on some of these books to get an idea if they're what you're looking for:\n==\nSmall is the New Big - by Seth Godin\nA \"best-of\" collection of small essays about marketing. Seth writes in general terms meant to give you perspective, change the way you think about marketing, and inspire you to actions, no matter how small, that make all the difference.  Read anything by Seth Godin (as others here have said), but this is his best overview.\nhttp://sivers.org/book/SmallIsTheNewBig\n==\nMade to Stick - by Chip Heath and Dan Heath\nA deep analysis of what makes certain ideas or stories memorable.\nhttp://sivers.org/book/MadeToStick\n==\nYou, Inc - The Art of Selling Yourself - by Harry Beckwith\nHarry Beckwith is amazing. Read everything by him. This is just his newest. He's the best at reminding you how basic human consideration translates into marketing.\nhttp://sivers.org/book/YouInc\n==\nGetting Everything You Can Out of All You've Got - by Jay Abraham\nJay Abraham is an absolute marketing genius from an angle the others here don't cover.  This gets you into his mindset, seeing profitable aspects in your business you never noticed before, and how to communicate them to your audience.  Sorry I don't have notes on this one:\nhttp://www.amazon.com/dp/0312284543",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "You, Inc - The Art of Selling Yourself - by Harry Beckwith",
          "reason": "Recommended as Beckwith's newest book, with praise for its marketing insights.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in marketing and customer consideration.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says Beckwith's other work is also worth reading.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Harry Beckwith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marketing",
        "personal branding"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "young-man-luther-2b7742",
      "title": "Young Man Luther",
      "author": "Erik H. Erikson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2922102,
          "author": "noahth",
          "createdAt": "2011-08-24T19:11:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 2919368,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books have changed the way you think?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2922102",
          "commentText": "Lots of books have influenced me over time, but these are some of the books that have a lot of influence over my current mindset:\nGodel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid - Douglas Hofstadter\nImagined Communities - Benedict Anderson\nHistorical Capitalism - Immanuel Wallerstein\nYoung Man Luther - Erik Erikson",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Young Man Luther - Erik Erikson",
          "reason": "Listed among books that influenced the commenter's current mindset.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Erik H. Erikson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "martin luther",
        "psychohistory"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "young-stalin-a95f52",
      "title": "Young Stalin",
      "author": "Simon Sebag Montefiore",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 42654972,
          "author": "narrator",
          "createdAt": "2025-01-10T12:16:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 42614722,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42654972",
          "commentText": "One of the fun things about reading Young Stalin, which is a biography of Stalin from birth to the Russian revolution, is nobody liked him in Georgia where he grew up, especially after the fall of the Soviet Union, so it was easy for the biographer to get sources to tell all the negative and horrifying details of his earlier life building and running organized crime gangs to fund the Russian revolution.  Imagine the most paranoid narcissistic jerks you've ever known who also happen to be exceptionally intelligent decide to take over a country and they manage to pull it off.  Fascinating stuff.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One of the fun things about reading Young Stalin",
          "reason": "Describes the biography as fascinating and highlights its account of Stalin’s early life and criminal activity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 7002816,
          "author": "DonGateley",
          "createdAt": "2014-01-02T22:31:12.000Z",
          "threadId": 7001282,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books changed your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7002816",
          "commentText": "Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test - Tom Wolfe\nBe Here Now - Ram Das\nWhole Earth Catalog - Stewart Brand\nInfinite Jest - David Foster Wallace\nSavage Continent - Keith Lowe\nForged - Bart D. Ehrman\nYoung Stalin - Simon Sebag Montefiore\nCourt of the Red Czar - Simon Sebag Montefiore",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Young Stalin - Simon Sebag Montefiore",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Simon Sebag Montefiore"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "joseph stalin",
        "russian revolution",
        "soviet history"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "your-inner-fish-a-journey-into-the-3-5-billion-year-history-of-th-9e1fc5",
      "title": "Your Inner Fish: A Journey Into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body",
      "author": "Neil Shubin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 46692558,
          "author": "jbrockwork",
          "createdAt": "2026-01-20T15:09:03.000Z",
          "threadId": 46690957,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What non-fiction do you read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46692558",
          "commentText": "Your Inner Fish: A Journey Into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body\n - Really cool account of human evolutionary history\nStolen Focus (Johann Hari)\n - About how we've lost (and can regain) the ability to focus due to technological distraction (currently social media, etc. but hasn't always been)\nChip War\n - History and geopolitical significance of the semiconductor industry",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Your Inner Fish: A Journey Into the 3.5-Billion-Year History of the Human Body",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it a cool account of human evolutionary history.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Neil Shubin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "evolutionary biology",
        "human evolution"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "your-inner-will-finding-personal-strength-in-critical-times-f747fb",
      "title": "Your Inner Will: Finding Personal Strength in Critical Times",
      "author": "Piero Ferrucci",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 11229877,
          "author": "fsiefken",
          "createdAt": "2016-03-05T16:16:47.000Z",
          "threadId": 11229312,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Book Recommendations?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11229877",
          "commentText": "That's a very broad question, so I read your comments to get a feel from where you might be coming from and/or going to and where you and I might overlap:\n* Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Antifragile, things that gain from disorder http://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Incer... (http://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Incerto/dp/0812979680/)\n* Jared Diamond. The World until yesterday, what can we learn from traditional societies http://www.amazon.com/World-Until-Yesterday-Traditional-Soci... (http://www.amazon.com/World-Until-Yesterday-Traditional-Societies/dp/0143124404)\n* Frans de Waal. The Bonobo and the Atheist: In Search of Humanism Among the Primates http://www.amazon.com/Bonobo-Atheist-Search-Humanism-Primate... (http://www.amazon.com/Bonobo-Atheist-Search-Humanism-Primates/dp/0393347796/)\n* John Higgs. The KLF: Chaos, Magic... http://www.amazon.com/KLF-Chaos-Magic-Music-Money-ebook/dp/B... (http://www.amazon.com/KLF-Chaos-Magic-Music-Money-ebook/dp/B00ABFHOS0/)\n* Joseph Jaworski. Synchronicity, the inner Path of leadership http://www.amazon.com/Synchronicity-The-Inner-Path-Leadershi... (http://www.amazon.com/Synchronicity-The-Inner-Path-Leadership-ebook/dp/B0051ANRBI)\n* Piero Ferrucci. Your Inner Will, finding personal strength in critical times http://www.amazon.com/Your-Inner-Will-Personal-Strength/dp/0... (http://www.amazon.com/Your-Inner-Will-Personal-Strength/dp/0399174931)\n* William Irvine. A Guide to the good life, the ancient art of stoic joy http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic/dp/01953... (http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Good-Life-Ancient-Stoic/dp/0195374614)\n* Chogyam Trungpa. Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior http://www.amazon.com/Shambhala-Sacred-Warrior-Chogyam-Trung... (http://www.amazon.com/Shambhala-Sacred-Warrior-Chogyam-Trungpa/dp/1590304519/)\n* Tomas Malik. Patience with God: The Story of Zacchaeus Continuing In Us http://www.amazon.com/Patience-God-Story-Zacchaeus-Continuin... (http://www.amazon.com/Patience-God-Story-Zacchaeus-Continuing/dp/0385524498/)\n* Nick Winter. The Motivation Hacker http://www.amazon.com/Motivation-Hacker-Nick-Winter/dp/09892... (http://www.amazon.com/Motivation-Hacker-Nick-Winter/dp/0989279820)\n* Chas Emerick, Brian Carper, Christophe Grad. Clojure Programming http://www.amazon.com/Clojure-Programming-Chas-Emerick/dp/14... (http://www.amazon.com/Clojure-Programming-Chas-Emerick/dp/1449394701)\nFiction:\n* Peter Hamilton - The Reality Dysfunction\n* Neal Stephenson - Cryptonomicon (his other hit: Snow Crash is surprisingly more history then SF now...)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Piero Ferrucci. Your Inner Will, finding personal strength in critical times",
          "reason": "Included in a response to a request for book recommendations.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Piero Ferrucci"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Health",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "personal development",
        "resilience"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "your-marketing-sucks-c86680",
      "title": "Your Marketing Sucks",
      "author": "Mark Stevens",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 947710,
          "author": "jason_tko",
          "createdAt": "2009-11-18T03:08:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 947581,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN:  What's the best first business book for a programmer?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=947710",
          "commentText": "Great question.\nFirstly, the more I've gotten involved in business over the years, the more I've come to realise that for any kind of sale requiring human contact, personal relationships are absolutely paramount.\nThis is fairly straightforward, but it bears repeating.  People will buy from people who they like.  In a situation where a customer can choose between Vendor A and Vendor B who have similar products and prices, they will choose the likable Vendor A who is friendly and who they enjoy getting a call from.  This is 100 times more powerful than Vendor B who has 3 additional features that are really great, but who has made no attempt to establish any kind of relationship with the customer.\nAs such, the first book I would recommend would be the classic \"How to Win Friends and Influence People\" by Dale Carnegie.\nOnce you've got a handle on that, \"Ready, Fire, Aim\" by Michael Masterson talks about the value of moving quickly, selling quickly, and figuring out the finer details as you're moving along.  This was invaluable for me, since I used to want to have everything pretty much perfect before moving.  This was negative because it took a long time to get anything to market, and also because theory rarely survives direct contact with reality - the adjustment period in the first stage of operations is critical to the overall success of the project.  This book also has plenty of enjoyable personal stories and business anecdotes that make it very readable.\nI second \"Made to Stick\" as a great study on what makes things popular, and how they become popular.\nIt's really hard to narrow down more book recommendations actually - I've read hundreds of books over the years on a variety of topics.  What I found I needed to do, was continuously seek out good books and learn about topics as they arose.\nGenerally when it comes to book learning and business, I would recommend this : figure out your basic plan, and get started.\nOnce you encounter your first problem, seek help (ideally from both a mentor and some books).\nFor instance, you've built a product, now you want to sell it.  You hop on Google Ads and put down $400.  You've got a solid click through rate, and 2 weeks later, zero sales.\nTime to learn about marketing.  Seek out some good marketing books (Your Marketing Sucks is very good), buy them, read them, and ask your mentor about them.\nNow you're making some sales, and a Sales guy approaches you.  He bought your product, and he likes it.  He's interested to become your salesperson.  Next you need to find some good books on negotiation (Getting To Yes).  Of course, you're also going to need to get some advice from a lawyer or a mentor to ensure that the deal you do is fair and economically sustainable.\nDifferent books will provide all sorts of different benefits and insights depending on the stage of your business and your level of experience.  Book selection should be a continual process.\nHope this is helpful and best of luck.  Please feel free to contact me if you need anything else.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seek out some good marketing books (Your Marketing Sucks is very good)",
          "reason": "Describes it as a very good marketing book for learning after a business encounters sales problems.",
          "audience": "People learning to market a product.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Mark Stevens"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "marketing",
        "sales"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "your-money-and-your-brain-2c679d",
      "title": "Your Money and Your Brain",
      "author": "Jason Zweig",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 248600,
          "author": "eposts",
          "createdAt": "2008-07-17T15:59:09.000Z",
          "threadId": 248469,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=248600",
          "commentText": "Here is a good list:\nhttp://www.bogleheads.org/readbooks.htm\nGeneral Investing\n# The Four Pillars of Investing - by William (\"Bill\") Bernstein.\n# Wise Investing Made Simple or The Only Guide to a Winning Investment Strategy You'll Ever Need - by Larry Swedroe\n# The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing - by Taylor Larimore, Mel Lindauer, and Michael LeBoeuf\n# All About Asset Allocation - by Rick Ferri\n# The Informed Investor - by Frank Armstrong\n# The Little Book of Common Sense Investing - by John \"Jack\" Bogle\n# The Coffeehouse Investor - by Bill Schultheis.\nInvestor Behavior\n# Why Smart People Make Big Money Mistakes And How To Correct Them - by Gary Belsky and Thomas Gilovich\n# Your Money and Your Brain: How the New Science of Neuroeconomics Can Help Make You Rich - by Jason Zweig\n# Rational Investing in Irrational Times: How to Avoid the Costly Mistakes Even Smart People Make Today - by Larry Swedroe\nFinancial History\n# Against the Gods and Capital Ideas - by Peter L. Bernstein\n# Devil Take the Hindmost: A History of Financial Speculation - by Edward Chancellor\n# A Random Walk Down Wall Street - by Burton Malkiel\nLike others here have mentioned, http://www.bogleheads.org/ is a great forum for Vanguard investors.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Your Money and Your Brain: How the New Science of Neuroeconomics Can Help Make You Rich - by Jason Zweig",
          "reason": "Listed under investor behavior in response to a request for learning resources.",
          "audience": "Readers seeking resources on investor behavior.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jason Zweig"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology",
        "Science"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "behavioral finance",
        "neuroeconomics"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "your-money-or-your-life-e888b9",
      "title": "Your Money or Your Life",
      "author": "Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 19088692,
          "author": "MikeCapone",
          "createdAt": "2019-02-05T19:15:13.000Z",
          "threadId": 19087418,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19088692",
          "commentText": "So many, and I wish I could write a long paragraph on each, but I'm unfortunately short on time. I'm posting any in case just one person who hasn't heard of those checks them out and gets value:\n-Godel, Escher, Bach (Douglas Hosfstadter)\n-The Mindbody Prescription (John E. Sarno, completely cured my long-term crippling RSI that kept me from using computers and was ruining my life)\n-Feeling Good (Dr. Burns, cognitive therapy mostly centered on depression, but I want to learn about this before I have depression so that I can avoid it and do 'maintenance' on myself)\n-The 5 Love Languages (Gary Chapman, made me understand a lot more about how people express and receive love, and the problems that arise from mismatched languages in relationships)\n-Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman (you guys probably already know this)\n-The Blank Slate (Steven Pinker)\n-The Snowball (Warren Buffett biography)\n-Influence (Robert B. Cialdini)\n-Your Money or Your Life (Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin)\n-When Heaven and Earth Changed Places: A Vietnamese Woman's Journey from War to Peace (Le Ly Hayslip)\n-The Halo Effect (Phil Rosenzweig)\n-The LessWrong.com sequences on rationality",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "-Your Money or Your Life (Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin)",
          "reason": "Listed among books offered to readers who might get value from them.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Health"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "financial independence",
        "personal finance"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "yumi-and-the-nightmare-painter-60627c",
      "title": "Yumi and the Nightmare Painter",
      "author": "Brandon Sanderson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 38562603,
          "author": "ashton314",
          "createdAt": "2023-12-07T22:18:16.000Z",
          "threadId": 38556188,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2023 and recommend for 2024?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38562603",
          "commentText": "+1 for Yumi and Tress. You don’t have to be deep into the rest of his books to appreciate them. (Unlike Sunlit Man) The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England was a total hoot—if you want something light and silly, go for that.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "+1 for Yumi and Tress. You don’t have to be deep into the rest of his books to appreciate them.",
          "reason": "Affirms the recommendation and says the book can be enjoyed without extensive knowledge of Sanderson’s other books.",
          "audience": "Readers new to Sanderson’s books.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Brandon Sanderson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "romantic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "z80-assembly-language-subroutines-0d5274",
      "title": "Z80 Assembly Language Subroutines",
      "author": "William Barden Jr.",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40111726,
          "author": "KingOfCoders",
          "createdAt": "2024-04-22T05:56:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 40104823,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Which books/resources to understand modern Assembler?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40111726",
          "commentText": "OT: Not a modern one, but \"Z80 Assembly Language Subroutines\" has been my favorite computer book for 40+ years.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"Z80 Assembly Language Subroutines\" has been my favorite computer book for 40+ years.",
          "reason": "Calls it a longtime favorite.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes it is not modern.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "William Barden Jr."
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "subroutines",
        "z80 assembly"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "zach-like-2462bb",
      "title": "ZACH-LIKE",
      "author": "Zachtronics",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 21804066,
          "author": "Delfino",
          "createdAt": "2019-12-16T16:09:21.000Z",
          "threadId": 21802452,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you plan to read in 2020?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21804066",
          "commentText": "I read about 25 books this year, here are the top 10 I look forward to reading in 2020, many of them informed by my favorites of 2019:\nHomo Deus by Yuval Noah Harari - I read Sapiens this year and really enjoyed it. I just started this today one so I may finish that before the end of the year.\nThinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman - I like books that make me think and from what I've heard, this will definitely do the trick. I read Factfulness this year and this was a suggested follow-up.\nThe Language Instinct by Steven Pinker - I've gotten really into natural languages since I've lived outside my country of origin for the last 2 and a half years and I've heard good things about this book being an entry point into linguistics.\nSword of Destiny by Andrzej Sapkowski - With the new Witcher show coming out on Netflix I finally went back and beat The Witcher 3 then read the first book, The Last Wish. It was enjoyable enough that I want to keep going with the series.\nEducated by Tara Westover - Was convinced by Bill Gate's blog this is worthwhile. I'm a teacher so it wasn't hard to convince me.\nRobot Builder's Bonanza by Gordon McComb - I've been asked to teach a robotics course next year and this one seems to be The Book everyone recommends to dive into robotics.\nDivided by Partition: United by Resilience by Mallika Ahluwalia - I recently visited the Partition Museum in Amritsar, Punjab, India and purchased this book there to learn about more stories about people impacted by this event.\nThe Elements of Computing Systems by Noam Nisan and Shimon Shocken - I just read Code by Petzold and it was one of my favorite books. Even though I studied Computer Science in University and most of the concepts weren't new to me, it was such a fun experience mentally \"building\" a computer from relays/transistors to logic gates and up to assemblers, compilers, and interpreters. I want to keep going with this and jump into the Nand2Tetris online course.\nThe Annotated Turing by Charles Petzold - Again, I loved Petzold's Code so I looked up other books he wrote and this one looks great. I've never actually read Turing's work so I'm excited to have some background and explanation to help me not just read the words but grasp their significance.\nZACH-LIKE by Zachtronics - I played through several Zachtronics games this year (TIS-100, Shenzhen I/O and Opus Magnum) so I can't wait to dive into some of the thinking behind creating these and similar games.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "ZACH-LIKE by Zachtronics",
          "reason": "The commenter says they cannot wait to explore the thinking behind these and similar games.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Zachtronics"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Design"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "game design",
        "puzzle games"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "zag-the-number-one-strategy-of-high-performance-brands-bebc14",
      "title": "Zag: The Number One Strategy of High-Performance Brands",
      "author": "Marty Neumeier",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1081430,
          "author": "limist",
          "createdAt": "2010-01-27T19:44:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 1080708,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Marketing Books for Developers?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1081430",
          "commentText": "One of the best high-level but still applied and applicable books on marketing I've found is \"Zag: The Number One Strategy of High-Performance Brands\" by Marty Neumeier.\nThe author writes well, gives usable structure and advice, and walks you through his 17 step process to develop your marketing strategy, from the high level (Who are you?) to the mid-level (What do they call you? your brand name) to the details (What do they experience?).  Amazingly, I found that his approach works for both large businesses (his examples), and fledgling web startups (my experience).  His experience and enthusiasm also shine through.\nIt's a quick read, but I find I go back to it often to check if my thinking and perspective are where they need to be - that is, taking the end-user's viewpoint.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "One of the best high-level but still applied and applicable books on marketing I've found is \"Zag: The Number One Strategy of High-Performance Brands\" by Marty Neumeier.",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it one of the best applied marketing books they have found and describes its practical structure and advice.",
          "audience": "Readers developing a marketing strategy, from large businesses to fledgling web startups.",
          "caveat": "The commenter says it is a quick read but returns to it often for guidance.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Marty Neumeier"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "branding",
        "marketing strategy",
        "startups"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "zamonia-9246d0",
      "title": "Zamonia",
      "author": "Walter Moers",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 1227208,
          "author": "GvS",
          "createdAt": "2010-03-29T18:42:37.000Z",
          "threadId": 1226736,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1227208",
          "commentText": "I can recommend Zamonia series by Walter Moers:\n   The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear\n   Rumo & His Miraculous Adventures\n   The City of Dreaming Books\n\nAwesome fantasy books.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "I can recommend Zamonia series by Walter Moers",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends this fantasy series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Walter Moers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "adventure fantasy",
        "comic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "zamonia-books-75f7f9",
      "title": "Zamonia books",
      "author": "Walter Moers",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 86442,
          "author": "Tichy",
          "createdAt": "2007-12-05T23:48:26.000Z",
          "threadId": 85840,
          "threadTitle": "Ask YC: favorite books",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=86442",
          "commentText": "Some more SF/Fantasy yarns:\n- Hyperion by Dan Simmons\n- 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear and all the other Zamonien books (only know german version)\n- Pollen by Jeff Noon\n- Otherland by Tad Williams\n- Ubik by PK Dick",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "all the other Zamonien books",
          "reason": "The commenter recommends the other books set in Zamonia along with Captain Bluebear.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter notes they only know the German version.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Walter Moers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fantasy",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "comic fantasy"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "zealot-f18a61",
      "title": "Zealot",
      "author": "Reza Aslan",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36105086,
          "author": "nemosaltat",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T15:47:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36105086",
          "commentText": "After the Bible & The Quran, Reza Aslan’s “Zealot” (Christianity) & No god but God (Islam) provide some great historical context.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Reza Aslan’s “Zealot” (Christianity)",
          "reason": "Offered as historical context on Christianity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Reza Aslan"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "History"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "christianity",
        "historical jesus"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "zeitoun-879f37",
      "title": "Zeitoun",
      "author": "Dave Eggers",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2087883,
          "author": "bkudria",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-10T08:27:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 2087360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books of 2010?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2087883",
          "commentText": "Reposted from my site: (http://ben.kudria.net/post/2548785108/my-favorite-books-of-2... (http://ben.kudria.net/post/2548785108/my-favorite-books-of-2010)). Affiliate links there, for those inclined.\n===\nIn 2010, every single book I read, I read on my Kindle. Buying a Kindle has been the best thing I have ever done for my reading addiction. I recently upgraded to a Kindle 3, and I wholeheartedly recommended you get one as well, even if you currently have a Kindle 2.\nHere are the top books I enjoyed in 2010, and you will enjoy also.\n- The His Dark Materials Trilogy. Start with The Golden Compass.\n- The City & The City by China Miéville. Quite the post-modern detective story. (Read also his novel Perdido Street Station)\n- Surface Detail, the new novel by Iain M. Banks, who has quickly catapulted to the very top of my “Favorite Sci-Fi Authors” list. Surface Detail may not be the best novel for a Banks-unfamiliar reader, however — you may wish to start with something like Consider Phlebas or Look To Windward.\n- I re-read Robert M. Pirsig’s Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Read this book carefully and it will change your life. (N.B. It’s not really about Zen, although it kinda is.)\n- The true story Zeitoun, by Dave Eggers, about Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a Syrian-born painting contractor in New Orleans. What Zeitoun does for the people of New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina is heartwarming and truly American, and what the US Government does to him and his family is terrifying and utterly infuriating.\n- The Wind-up Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi is a fun Thai cyber/gene-punk yarn. Bacigalupi is a new author, and I look forward to reading more of his stuff.\n- Dan Simmons’ Song Of Kali has an invasive and palpable stench of suspense. This horror novel set in Calcutta is an excruciating, brutal, and brilliant read.\n- Kafka On the Shore by Haruki Murakami. I’ve always been a fan of Murakami’s works, but this novel from 2002 is, in my opinion, one of his greatest. It’s beautiful, haunting, and superbly thought-provoking.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "The true story Zeitoun, by Dave Eggers",
          "reason": "The commenter calls the story heartwarming and truly American, and describes the government’s treatment of Zeitoun and his family as terrifying and infuriating.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Dave Eggers"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "hurricane katrina",
        "syrian american"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "zen-buddhism-selected-writings-c41738",
      "title": "Zen Buddhism: Selected Writings",
      "author": "D. T. Suzuki",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 36104942,
          "author": "DasCorCor",
          "createdAt": "2023-05-28T15:34:44.000Z",
          "threadId": 36104616,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best book on religion?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36104942",
          "commentText": "Zen Buddhism Selected Writings by DT Suzuki is really good. Seeing Zen as an organic mixture of Indian Hinduism, Buddhism and Chinese Taoism which then arrived on the West Coast of the US is really interesting.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zen Buddhism Selected Writings by DT Suzuki is really good.",
          "reason": "Recommends the book and says its perspective on Zen's cultural influences is interesting.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "D. T. Suzuki"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "History",
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "religion",
        "zen buddhism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "zen-flesh-zen-bones-c0723a",
      "title": "Zen Flesh, Zen Bones",
      "author": "Paul Reps (compiler)",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 39730711,
          "author": "hprotagonist",
          "createdAt": "2024-03-17T00:26:06.000Z",
          "threadId": 39729307,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books that gave you different perspective on religion",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39730711",
          "commentText": "Brueggemann is amazing.\nI would also add, in no particular order:\n- wisdom of the desert (merton's translation of the sayings of the desert fathers)\n- pilgrim at tinker creek; annie dillard\n- goatwalking, jim corbett\n- Impostors of God: Inquiries into our favorite Idols, william stringfellow\n- the new testament, trans. by david bentley hart\n- the sabbath, Abraham Joshua Heschel\n- zen flesh, zen bones\n- moral man, immoral society -- neibuhr\n- principia discordia\n- the poetry and sermons of john donne\n- many other poets.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "zen flesh, zen bones",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Reps (compiler)"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "koans",
        "zen buddhism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "zen-flesh-zen-bones-424db2",
      "title": "Zen Flesh, Zen Bones",
      "author": "Paul Reps",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 8107058,
          "author": "danschuller",
          "createdAt": "2014-07-30T08:53:46.000Z",
          "threadId": 8106870,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are your favorite books? I'm bored",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8107058",
          "commentText": "I really enjoyed \"The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks & Win Your Inner Creative Battles\".\nI've have it recommended a few times but the title sounded a bit self help-like so I avoided it. Eventually I did ready and it's pretty great. It covers how people manage to get work done, which is pretty important for everyone.\nLast year I read The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt. It's non-fiction, though I believe the central premise is a little tongue in cheek. An ancient Roman manuscript that's rediscovered and helps set off the enlightenment and our modern culture.\nFor Buddhism I enjoyed Zen Flesh, Zen Bones by Paul Reps, mainly a collection of translated koans. If you've never it I recommend Godel Escher Bach : An Eternal Golden Braid, as it also likes to play with Buddhism. It's a book that tends to get a bit of hate but I found it quite fun and playful.\nNon-fiction for sci-fi and fantasy: Robin Hobb and Vernor Vinge.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "For Buddhism I enjoyed Zen Flesh, Zen Bones by Paul Reps, mainly a collection of translated koans.",
          "reason": "The commenter says they enjoyed this collection of translated koans.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in Buddhism and Zen koans.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Paul Reps"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Philosophy"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "koans",
        "zen buddhism"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "zen-of-assembly-language-a0ee63",
      "title": "Zen of Assembly Language",
      "author": "Michael Abrash",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 177062,
          "author": "jksmith",
          "createdAt": "2008-04-29T22:22:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 176803,
          "threadTitle": "Which is your favorite 70-80s computer book?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=177062",
          "commentText": "Damn straight. His \"Thinking Forth\" also. Abrash's \"Zen of Assembly\" was also another memorable book.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Abrash's \"Zen of Assembly\" was also another memorable book.",
          "reason": "Calls it a memorable book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Abrash"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "assembly language",
        "x86"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "zen-of-graphics-programming-13c874",
      "title": "Zen of Graphics Programming",
      "author": "Michael Abrash",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12144628,
          "author": "ericssmith",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T16:33:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144628",
          "commentText": "The headline and the body are posing two different questions. Regarding books that impacted my career in software. The top three are:\n1) K&R C\n2) Zen of Graphics Programming\n3) C++ Programming Language, 2E\nI wouldn't recommend any of these to a young version of myself today.",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "Zen of Graphics Programming",
          "reason": "Named as one of the top books that impacted the commenter's software career.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter says they would not recommend these books to their younger self today.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Michael Abrash"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "graphics programming"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "zero-resistance-selling-db1c21",
      "title": "Zero Resistance Selling",
      "author": "Maxwell Maltz",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 10234953,
          "author": "sachitgupta",
          "createdAt": "2015-09-17T17:52:32.000Z",
          "threadId": 10233339,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Best books or videos to get better at sales?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10234953",
          "commentText": "Zero Resistance Selling: http://www.amazon.com/Zero-Resistance-Selling-Maxwell-Maltz/... (http://www.amazon.com/Zero-Resistance-Selling-Maxwell-Maltz/dp/0735200394)\non the mindset of sales.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zero Resistance Selling: http://www.amazon.com/Zero-Resistance-Selling-Maxwell-Maltz/...",
          "reason": "Recommended as a book on the mindset of sales.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in sales mindset.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Maxwell Maltz"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Psychology"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "sales",
        "sales mindset"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Improve a skill"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "zero-sum-game-a120da",
      "title": "Zero Sum Game",
      "author": "S. L. Huang",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 18824354,
          "author": "mindcrime",
          "createdAt": "2019-01-04T14:49:50.000Z",
          "threadId": 18824130,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What article/book do you recommend for my next flight?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18824354",
          "commentText": "If you like thrillers with a geeky edge to them, you might like Zero Sum Game by S.L Huang. Some review I read described the protagonist of the story as \"the geek's Jack Reacher\".  Pretty good analogy, IMO.\nIf you want non-fiction, maybe try Dreaming In Code. Or if you haven't read it before, how about *The Soul of a New Machine\"?",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "you might like Zero Sum Game by S.L Huang.",
          "reason": "Suggests it for readers who enjoy thrillers with a geeky edge.",
          "audience": "Readers who like thrillers with a geeky edge.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "S. L. Huang"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "technology",
        "thriller"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "zero-waste-home-80ea44",
      "title": "Zero Waste Home",
      "author": "Bea Johnson",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 30242146,
          "author": "lcordier",
          "createdAt": "2022-02-07T09:06:57.000Z",
          "threadId": 30241190,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is one book you would recommend everyone to read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30242146",
          "commentText": "How about \"Zero Waste Home\" by Bea Johnson\nFor its potential impact on humanity...\n> Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rot (and only in that order) is my method to\n> reducing my family’s annual trash to a jar since 2008 -- Bea Johnson\nhttps://zerowastehome.com/\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4n-jOJol3I",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "How about \"Zero Waste Home\" by Bea Johnson\nFor its potential impact on humanity...",
          "reason": "Suggests it for its potential impact on humanity.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Bea Johnson"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Nature",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "household waste",
        "sustainable living",
        "zero waste"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Navigate life"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "zero-to-ipo-184aaf",
      "title": "Zero to IPO",
      "author": "Frederic Kerrest",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 35172746,
          "author": "lanstein",
          "createdAt": "2023-03-15T18:36:48.000Z",
          "threadId": 35168647,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books helped you in your entrepreneurship journey?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35172746",
          "commentText": "Advice to Founders and CEOs\n- Dear Founder (Maynard Webb)\n- The Hard Things About Hard Things (Ben Horowitz)\n- Straight Talk for Startups (Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman)\n- The Founders’ Dilemmas (Noam Wasserman)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Daily Nietzsche (Brad Feld and Dave Jilk)\n- Build (Tony Fadell)\n- Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)\n- The Great CEO Within (Matt Mochary)\nFinance\n- Wharton's Introduction to Financial Accounting course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting](https://w... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/wharton-accounting%29)\n- How Finance Works: The HBR Guide to Thinking Smart About the Numbers (Mihir Desai)\n- Financial Intelligence for Entrepreneurs: What You Really Need to Know About the Numbers (Karen Berman and Joe Knight)\nOpen-Book Company (Employee Ownership, Financial Literacy, Goal-setting)\n- The Great Game of Business (Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham)\nLegal\n- Acceleration (Ryan Roberts)\n- The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Law and Strategy (Constance Bagley and Craig Dauchy)\nCompany Strategy and Direction (post-product/market fit)\n- Crossing the Chasm (Geoff Moore)\n- Zone to Win (Geoff Moore)\n- Only the Paranoid Survive (Andy Grove)\n- Blitzscaling (Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh)\n- The Innovator's Dilemma (Clayton Christensen)\n- Good to Great (Jim Collins)\n- Playing to Win (A.G. Lafley and Roger Martin)\n- Tape Sucks (Frank Slootman)\n- Strategy vol. 1&2 (Harvard Business Review)\nPricing\n- Monetizing Innovation (Georg Tacke and Madhavan Ramanujan)\n- Confessions of the Pricing Man (Hermann Simon)\nStartup Phase\n- The Lean Startup (Eric Ries)\n- The Four Steps to the Epiphany (Steve Blank)\n- Zero to One (Peter Thiel)\nManagement/Leadership\n- The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker)\n- Managing Humans (Michael Lopp)\n- The Art of Leadership (Michael Lopp)\n- High Output Management (Andy Grove)\n- Managing Oneself (Peter Drucker)\n- Essentials: Management (First Round Capital)\n- The Making of a Manager (Julie Zhuo)\n- The Powell Principles (Oren Harari)\n- Radical Candor (Kim Scott)\n- Leading Matters (John L. Hennessy) (fantastic book list in the coda)\n- Turn the Ship Around (L. David Marquet) (this is THE book on delegation)\n- Principles (Ray Dalio)\nCOO/Succession Planning\n- Riding Shotgun (Nathan Bennett and Stephen A. Miles)\nPeople Performance/HR/Culture\n- Powerful (Patty McCord)\n- No Rules Rules (Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer)\n- Netflix culture deck\n- The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni)\n- Work Rules! (Laszlo Bock)\n- It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work (DHH and Jason Fried)\n- The Culture Map (Erin Meyer)\n- The Talent War (Mike Sarraille and George Randle)\n- Great People Decisions (Claudio Fernández-Aráoz)\n- The Holloway Guide to Technical Recruiting and Hiring (Ozzie Osman)\n- Punished by Rewards (Alfie Kohn)\nPurpose, Passion, and Self\n- Start with Why (Simon Sinek)\n- What You Do is Who You Are (Ben Horowitz)\n- Drive (Daniel Pink)\n- Mindset (Carol Dweck)\n- Grit (Angela Duckworth)\n- The Almanack of Naval Ravikant (Eric Jorgenson)\nFundraising/VC\n- Secrets of Sand Hill Road (Scott Kupor)\n- Venture Deals (Brad Feld and Jason Mendelson)\n- Raising Venture Capital (Andy Sparks)\n- The Business of Venture Capital (Mahendra Ramsinghani)\n- Done Deals (Udayan Gupta)\n- The Power Law (Sebastian Mallaby)\n- VC (Tom Nicholas)\nBoard\n- Boardroom Excellence (Paul Brountas)\n- Startups Boards (Brad Feld and Mahendra Ramsinghani)\nM&A\n- Winning (Jack Welch) - M&A chapter\n- Connecting the Dots (John Chambers) - M&A chapter\nMarketing\n- Data-Driven Marketing (Mark Jeffery)\n- Positioning (Al Ries and Jack Trout)\n- Scientific Advertising (Claude Hopkins)\n- Traction (Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares)\n- Behind the Cloud (Marc Benioff and Carlye Adler)\n- Ogilvy on Advertising (David Ogilvy)\n- Marketing High Technology (William Davidow)\nPsychology\n- Influence (Robert Cialdini)\nNegotiation\nFirst, read Influence (under Psychology), then, in order\n- Thinking in Bets (Annie Duke)\n- Getting to Yes (Roger Fisher and William Ury)\n- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)\n- The Bald Truth (David Falk)\nSelf\n- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (Stephen Covey)\nDesign and UX\n- Creative Confidence (Tom Kelley and David Kelley)\nAI (Machine Learning, Deep Learning/Neural Networks)\n- Andrew Ng's AI for Everyone course: [https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone](https://www.... (https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone]%28https://www.coursera.org/learn/ai-for-everyone%29)\nGrowth (Data Science, etc.)\n- Hacking Growth (Sean Ellis and Morgan Brown)\nGraph Theory\nProduct\n- Inspired (Marty Cagan)\n- Joel on Software (Joel Spolsky)\nCustomer Loyalty/Customer Success\n- Delivering Happiness (Tony Hsieh)\n- Setting the Table (Danny Meyer)\nFinding a Startup Job\n- Entering StartupLand (Jeffrey Bussgang)\nCIO as ICP\n- The CIO Paradox (Martha Heller)\n- Be the Business (Martha Heller)\nStories\n- Made in America (Sam Walton)\n- Shoe Dog (Phil Knight)\n- The Everything Store (Brad Stone)\n- Built from Scratch (Bernie Marcus and Arthur Blank)\n- Hard Drive (James Wallace)\n- Steve Jobs (Walter Isaacson)\n- Elon Musk (Ashlee Vance)\n- Creativity, Inc. (Ed Catmull)\n- The Ride of a Lifetime (Bob Iger)\n- Valley of Genius (Adam Fisher)\n- The Idea Factory (Jon Gertner)\n- Dealers of Lightning (Michael Hertzik)\n- Idea Man (Paul Allen)\n- Pour Your Heart Into It (Howard Schultz)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zero to IPO (Frederic Kerrest)",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Frederic Kerrest"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "fundraising",
        "startups"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "zero-to-one-notes-on-startups-or-how-to-build-the-future-483dbf",
      "title": "Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future",
      "author": "Peter Thiel",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 40279216,
          "author": "jasiek-net",
          "createdAt": "2024-05-06T20:36:01.000Z",
          "threadId": 40277933,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What nonfiction books do you keep rereading?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40279216",
          "commentText": "Same here - Zero to one - really inspiring book!\nAnd Lean startup - far too ambitious for me at the moment, but I learned a lot from it.\n4 hour work week - I would say it’s more like a fiction book, but still fun to read.\n7 habits of highly effective people - it’s saved my life in high school, I knew some parts of it by heart.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Same here - Zero to one - really inspiring book!",
          "reason": "The commenter calls it inspiring.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Thiel"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "entrepreneurship",
        "startups"
      ],
      "purposes": []
    },
    {
      "id": "zero-to-one-notes-on-startups-or-how-to-build-the-future-ceb259",
      "title": "Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future",
      "author": "Peter Thiel and Blake Masters",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 12144059,
          "author": "xiaoma",
          "createdAt": "2016-07-22T15:19:34.000Z",
          "threadId": 12142360,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What three books impacted your career the most?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12144059",
          "commentText": "1) Hackers and Painters, by Paul Graham—This book had a huge influence on me and is why I left a successful and growing low tech business in Asia to move to California and become a software engineer.\n2) Zero to One, by Peter Thiel—Zero to one opened my eyes to several angles of business that I hadn't been thinking about. It made me think much harder about making long-term plans towards a concrete goal, even if changes must be made along the way. It also clarified my thoughts about the nature of competition and non-conformity. Courage is in even shorter supply than genius.\n3. The Hero with a Thousand Faces, by Joseph Campbell—While it's not a business book, this book is a deep look at mythology and psychology. I find it helpful both for understanding people and for understanding myself.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "It made me think much harder about making long-term plans towards a concrete goal, even if changes must be made along the way.",
          "reason": "The commenter says it broadened their thinking about business and long-term plans.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "intermediate"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Peter Thiel",
        "Blake Masters"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Economics"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "competition",
        "startups"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Change perspective"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "zero-to-sold-836102",
      "title": "Zero to Sold",
      "author": "Arvid Kahl",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 26670656,
          "author": "cx42net",
          "createdAt": "2021-04-02T11:50:54.000Z",
          "threadId": 26593122,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Do you read books regularly? Fiction or nonfiction?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26670656",
          "commentText": "I try to read every night before going to bed, and I'm trying to alternate between a technical book, and a pleasure book.\nI recently finished the whole lot of Foundation from Asimov, Zero to sold from Arvid Kahl and I'm currently reading \"The wealth of Nations\" from Adam Smith (Gotta admit, it hurts).\nThe motivation behind alternating between pleasure and technical is to try to increase my knowledge (even though I feel like I retain 1% of what I read), and to enjoy reading too (with the pleasure book)\nOn my to read next list, I have:\n- High growth Handbook (Elad Gil) (Pleaure book)\n - Utopia - Thomas More (Technical)\n - Beyond the rift - Peter Watts (Pleasure)\n - Manufacturing consent (Noam Chomsky) (Technical)\n - Children of time - Adrian Tchaikovsky",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Zero to sold from Arvid Kahl",
          "reason": "The commenter says they recently finished this book.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25208590,
          "author": "saran945",
          "createdAt": "2020-11-25T12:41:45.000Z",
          "threadId": 25207732,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Suggest good books on bootstrapping a startup",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25208590",
          "commentText": "Thank you.\nYesterday I bought this book :)\nIts totally waste of time to build and learn the hard way.\nI am going to buy and read as many books as possible for next few months.\n- Saran",
          "stance": "neutral",
          "evidence": "Yesterday I bought this book :)",
          "reason": "Says they bought the book, referring to the parent comment's recommendation.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        },
        {
          "commentId": 25208351,
          "author": "villgax",
          "createdAt": "2020-11-25T12:05:43.000Z",
          "threadId": 25207732,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Suggest good books on bootstrapping a startup",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25208351",
          "commentText": "Arvid Kahl's Zero to Sold",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Arvid Kahl's Zero to Sold",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Arvid Kahl"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "bootstrapping",
        "saas startups",
        "saas"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Build something",
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "zero-sum-future-1ff905",
      "title": "Zero-Sum Future",
      "author": "Gideon Rachman",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13805365,
          "author": "jonbaer",
          "createdAt": "2017-03-06T19:34:56.000Z",
          "threadId": 13803787,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What books fundamentally changed the way you think about the world?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13805365",
          "commentText": "Prisoners of Geography - Tim Marshall\nThe Revenge of Geography - Robert D. Kaplan\nPrisoner's Dilemma - William Poundstone\nThe Master Algorithm - Pedro Domingos\nZero-Sum Future - Gideon Rachman\nThe End of History and the Last Man - Francis Fukuyama\nEntanglement - Amir Aczel",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Zero-Sum Future - Gideon Rachman",
          "reason": "",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Gideon Rachman"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Economics",
        "Society"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "geopolitics",
        "globalization"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "zeroes-9e1a14",
      "title": "Zeroes",
      "author": "Chuck Wendig",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 17750872,
          "author": "dwyerm",
          "createdAt": "2018-08-13T15:36:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 17749283,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17750872",
          "commentText": "It feels wrong to recommend a book I haven't read yet, but Chuck Wendig's \"Zeroes\" might be a good book to pair with Scalzi. I expect from his other books and the reviews that this is going to be more of an adventure book than any hard-computer-science...  But, again, that might be what you're looking for.\nOn a similar note, its been a while since I've read them, but I rather enjoyed James Strickland's books, Looking Glass and Irreconcilable Differences. Part of that might be because there's a part where he explains IPV4 addressing, and the example he uses happens to be the Class-B where I grew up. It was a little like seeing your house in the background of a movie.\nI also sort of enjoyed Rick Dakan's \"Geek Mafia\", but that appears to have fallen off the planet; only the sequels are on Amazon right now...",
          "stance": "qualified",
          "evidence": "might be a good book to pair with Scalzi",
          "reason": "Suggested as a possible cybercrime novel to pair with Scalzi.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "The commenter has not read it and is relying on other books and reviews; may be more adventure than hard computer science.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Chuck Wendig"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Computing",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "cyberthriller",
        "hacking"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "zones-of-thought-910a50",
      "title": "Zones of Thought",
      "author": "Vernor S. Vinge",
      "kind": "series",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 9056399,
          "author": "macmac",
          "createdAt": "2015-02-16T11:42:05.000Z",
          "threadId": 9056319,
          "threadTitle": "What are your favourite sci-fi  books?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9056399",
          "commentText": "Anything by Iain M. Banks. Start with \"The Player of Games\" and \"Consider Phlebas\".\nAnything by Vernor S. Vinge especially \"Zones of Thought\" series.\n\"Daemon\", \"Freedom(tm)\", \"Kill Decision\" and \"Influx\" by Daniel Suarez.\n\"The Martian\" by Andy Weir.\nAnything by Neal Stephenson, especially \"Reamde: A Novel\" and \"Cryptonomicon\".\nAnything by Hannu Rajaniemi, especially \"The Fractal Prince\".",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "especially \"Zones of Thought\" series.",
          "reason": "The commenter particularly recommends this series.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Vernor S. Vinge"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Science fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "space opera"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "eboys-the-first-inside-account-of-venture-capitalists-at-work-91cb12",
      "title": "eBoys: The First Inside Account of Venture Capitalists at Work",
      "author": "Randall E. Stross",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 138216,
          "author": "jasonlbaptiste",
          "createdAt": "2008-03-16T15:49:29.000Z",
          "threadId": 137879,
          "threadTitle": "Best Books For a Startup?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=138216",
          "commentText": "Wow, how could I forget this one:\neBoys: The First Inside Account of Venture Capitalists at Work by Randall Stross (San Jose State Professor, Writes for the Times Occasionally, etc.)\nSeriously, this is a really open approach to how Benchmark Capital approached investments in eBay, Webvan,etc.  I believe it's available on itunes as an audiobook as well.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Seriously, this is a really open approach to how Benchmark Capital approached investments in eBay, Webvan,etc.",
          "reason": "Praised as an unusually open account of Benchmark Capital's investments.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Randall E. Stross"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "startup investing",
        "venture capital"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "hackoff-com-an-historic-murder-mystery-set-in-the-internet-bubble-94e3b6",
      "title": "hackoff.com: an historic murder mystery set in the Internet bubble and rubble",
      "author": "Tom Evslin",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 602239,
          "author": "rg",
          "createdAt": "2009-05-10T16:36:51.000Z",
          "threadId": 601903,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Fictional books related to startups?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=602239",
          "commentText": "\"hackoff.com: an historic murder mystery set in the Internet bubble and rubble\", by Tom Evslin (pub. 2007).\nTom is a software hacker himself and a very well known serial startup entrepreneur, with successes in comm and graphics apps (both Mac and PC) and then a huge IPO for his company ITXC during the internet bubble.  His fictional murder mystery is based on his insider view of startups, both the both technical and financial sides.\nGo to http://hackoff.com (note that the fictional domain which is the title of the book is also a real domain to promote the book).  You can read the entire book or listen to Tom read the entire book free, or receive all the text episodes by RSS or email, or receive all the audio episodes by RSS or podcast.  You can order the hardback book edition from Amazon, or buy a Kindle edition.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"hackoff.com: an historic murder mystery set in the Internet bubble and rubble\", by Tom Evslin (pub. 2007).",
          "reason": "Describes the book and its startup setting in response to a request for related fiction.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in startup stories and internet-era murder mysteries.",
          "caveat": "The author offers the full text and audio online for free.",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Tom Evslin"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Business",
        "Computing",
        "Fiction"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "internet bubble",
        "murder mystery",
        "startup fiction"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Enjoy a story"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "icon-steve-jobs-a0e6af",
      "title": "iCon: Steve Jobs",
      "author": "Jeffrey S. Young; William L. Simon",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 5662,
          "author": "sharpshoot",
          "createdAt": "2007-03-22T12:02:40.000Z",
          "threadId": 5572,
          "threadTitle": "Startup founders, what books did you find most helpful?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5662",
          "commentText": "startup by jerry Kaplan. This book really gives you the insight and adrenaline involved in building an idea which was too early for its time. Emotional stuff :)\niCon: the unofficial biography of steve jobs. Tremendous into steve's character",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "Tremendous into steve's character",
          "reason": "Calls it tremendous for understanding Steve Jobs's character.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Jeffrey S. Young; William L. Simon"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Business"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "steve jobs",
        "technology entrepreneurship"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "iwoz-cefabe",
      "title": "iWoz",
      "author": "Steve Wozniak",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 687161,
          "author": "edw519",
          "createdAt": "2009-07-04T13:57:55.000Z",
          "threadId": 687066,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books on getting rich?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=687161",
          "commentText": "Biographies of the very rich and successful who started with nothing are usually very good.  I look for common themes and key points in their lives.   A few of my favorites:\nCarnegie by Peter Krass, http://www.amazon.com/Carnegie-Peter-Krass/dp/0471468835/ref... (http://www.amazon.com/Carnegie-Peter-Krass/dp/0471468835/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246715621&sr=8-7)\n\"Titan, The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr.\" by Ron Chernow, http://www.amazon.com/Titan-Life-John-Rockefeller-Sr/dp/1400... (http://www.amazon.com/Titan-Life-John-Rockefeller-Sr/dp/1400077303/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246715706&sr=1-1)\n\"iWoz\", by Steve Wozniak, http://www.amazon.com/iWoz-Computer-Invented-Personal-Co-Fou... (http://www.amazon.com/iWoz-Computer-Invented-Personal-Co-Founded/dp/0393061434/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246715846&sr=1-1)",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"iWoz\", by Steve Wozniak",
          "reason": "Includes it among favorite biographies in response to a request for book suggestions.",
          "audience": "Readers interested in biographies of successful people who started with nothing.",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve Wozniak"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "steve wozniak",
        "technology biography"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "iwoz-computer-geek-to-cult-icon-how-i-invented-the-personal-compu-066319",
      "title": "iWoz: Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-Founded Apple, and Had Fun Doing It",
      "author": "Steve Wozniak and Gina Smith",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 2152775,
          "author": "Tim1776",
          "createdAt": "2011-01-28T17:59:58.000Z",
          "threadId": 2147034,
          "threadTitle": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2152775",
          "commentText": "A few great biographies: \"The Man Behind The Microchip\" by Leslie Berlin, \"iWoz: Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-Founded Apple, and Had Fun Doing It\" by Steve Wozniak and Gina Smith, and \"Just One More Thing\" by Peter Falk.",
          "stance": "recommendation",
          "evidence": "\"iWoz: Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-Founded Apple, and Had Fun Doing It\" by Steve Wozniak and Gina Smith",
          "reason": "Lists it among a few great biographies.",
          "audience": "",
          "caveat": "",
          "difficulty": "unknown"
        }
      ],
      "authorNames": [
        "Steve Wozniak",
        "Gina Smith"
      ],
      "recommenders": 1,
      "threads": 1,
      "topics": [
        "Biography",
        "Computing"
      ],
      "nicheTags": [
        "apple",
        "personal computers"
      ],
      "purposes": [
        "Understand a subject"
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "p53-the-gene-that-cracked-the-cancer-code-d86e2f",
      "title": "p53: The Gene that Cracked the Cancer Code",
      "author": "Sue Armstrong",
      "kind": "book",
      "mentions": [
        {
          "commentId": 13236453,
          "author": "mutor",
          "createdAt": "2016-12-22T11:02:52.000Z",
          "threadId": 13235767,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13236453",
          "commentText": "One book which I'd like to mention here is:\np53: The Gene that Cracked the Cancer Code by Sue Armstrong. Its a well written book on a very complex topic. [1]\n[1] https://www.amazon.com/p53-Gene-that-Cracked-Cancer/dp/14729... (https://www.amazon.com/p53-Gene-that-Cracked-Cancer/dp/1472910524/)",
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          "commentId": 2415365,
          "author": "nikcub",
          "createdAt": "2011-04-06T15:08:50.000Z",
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          "threadTitle": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2415365",
          "commentText": "The best way to learn the UNIX tools is in the context of shell scripting and using the combination of tools to achieve a purpose (such as parsing log files, setting up shortcuts as part of your dev toolchain)\n1. Understand the philosophy behind UNIX. ie. everything is a file and it is small apps that are very good at a single task that can be combined through pipes etc. to process larger tasks (this has lost its way somewhat in Linux, but still holds true)\n2. Look at your computer usage through development, sysadmin, etc. and find parts that you want to automate, and then set out to write scripts to complete these tasks. for eg. in each one of my projects I have a script called start.sh which has a bunch of tasks implemented (eg. backup, serve, dns (to update dyndns for callbacks), push, diff, deploy, stage (run remote commands) etc.). Remember that git is itself a set of shell scripts, as are most server management commands. Take a peak inside each of these to learn how they are implemented.\n3. Once you have a good understanding of what you want to implement, just go for it. Learn along the way by using Bash scripting, regular expressions, an understanding of UNIX/Linux, sed, awk, yacc/bison (to analyze code and extract info). You will end up building your own collection of shell scripts, environment variables, .vimrc, ssh, curl (you can do almost any API request and auth with curl and a shell script - automate tweets, RSS feeds) etc. (I have been meaning to publish my own, the most recent one I wrote greps my code for TODO's and pushes them to a simple webapp where I can view them, sort them, etc. along side my 'personal' todo list)\n4. You need two sets of resources, one is for learning, the other is for reference which you keep handy. Here are my own recommendations:\nLearning:\nThe learning style book comes down a lot to personal preference. You can go wrong, so get a feel for each topic by reading online tutorials and then scan the TOC and sample chapters of books that look good. A subscription to O'Reilly Safari comes in handy. There are now also a lot of screencasts online, try searching YouTube for the topic with 'screencast' or 'tutorial', once you find a good screencast publisher look at the rest of his/her videos.\nYou can also get the O'Reilly books on special in bundles sometimes, check their website\nThere is no book that really introduces UNIX and then covers most of these topics as I described. ie. 'UNIX for Developers'.\n* UNIX:\n- FreeBSD handbook: http://www.freebsd.org/doc/handbook/\n- Linux Documentation Project: http://tldp.org/LDP/\n- Linux Command Line and Shell Scripting Bible: http://www.amazon.com/Linux-Command-Shell-Scripting-Bible/dp... (http://www.amazon.com/Linux-Command-Shell-Scripting-Bible/dp/047025128X/)\n- UNIX In a Nutshell (I haven't read this in a while but it is on my shelf): http://oreilly.com/catalog/9781565924277\n- Learning UNIX (also O'Reilly): http://www.amazon.com/Learning-UNIX-Operating-System-Fifth/d... (http://www.amazon.com/Learning-UNIX-Operating-System-Fifth/dp/0596002610)\n* Bash:\n- http://linuxcommand.org/\n- http://bash.cyberciti.biz/guide/Main_Page (better, and v good)\n- Learning the Bash shell: http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596009656/\n- Advanced Bash Scripting (online): http://tldp.org/LDP/abs/html/\n- YouTube playlist: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=2284887FAE36E6D8\n* Regular Expressions:\n- Mastering Regular Expressions (this is such a great book. I didn't like regexp until I picked this up eons ago): http://oreilly.com/catalog/9781565922570\n* sed/awk/grep etc.\n- sed & awk (O'Reilly): http://oreilly.com/catalog/9781565922259\n* Vim/Vi:\n- vimcasts (screencasts): http://vimcasts.org\n- more screencasts (these are great): http://vimeo.com/user1690209/videos\n- learning vi: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1565924266\nReference:\nOn my browser toolbar, I have a folder called '_ref', it has around 70+ bookmarks (online documentation, cheatsheats) in it each titled what the link is a reference for (ie. 'vi', 'bash' etc.). I will publish it online, and will post the links here. I have collected the links over years.",
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          "threadId": 29306651,
          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Most interesting, mildly impractical, well-written books on software?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29308414",
          "commentText": "> xchg rax,rax\nYes!!!\nGreat list, thanks for sharing.",
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          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29308407",
          "commentText": "Ruby Under the Microscope:\nhttp://patshaughnessy.net/ruby-under-a-microscope\nThe CS Detective: \nhttps://nostarch.com/csdetective\nMazes for Programmers: \nhttp://www.mazesforprogrammers.com/\nA Curious Moon:\nhttps://bigmachine.io/products/a-curious-moon/\nxchg rax,rax:\nhttps://www.xorpd.net/pages/xchg_rax/snip_00.html",
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          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What's the best textbook you've read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16080990",
          "commentText": "A dear favorite of mine was Baldor's Algebra. Everyone else in high school was scared of it, but I found it to be very methodical and easy to follow from one topic to another.\nPicture of the cover, with text in Spanish: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%81lgebra_de_Baldor",
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          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What are the books that changed the perspective of your life?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9348755",
          "commentText": "Altruism - Mathieu Ricard\nSearch Inside Yourself - Chade-Meng Tan\nBible - several authors\nSiddhartha - Hermann Hesse\nFight Club - Chuck Palahniuk\nEléments de Philosophie Angélique - Denis Marquet (french)\nAu coeur de l'instant - Jean Bouchart d'Orval (french)",
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          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639721",
          "commentText": "King Lear (Shakespeare).\nDisgrace (Coetzee).\nThe Brothers Karamazov (Dostoevsky).\nТихий Дон (Sholohov's name is on the cover; there are several translations under various titles as Quiet Don or something like that).",
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          "author": "orloffm",
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          "threadTitle": "Ask HN: Recommend books that give you insight into other professions",
          "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25323491",
          "commentText": "Sorry for this kind of answer, but for Russians I highly recommend the book \"Три Еврея\", Юрий Мухин. Despite the idiotic name \"Three Jews\", it's an incredible description of management of a huge steel plant (and life in general around it) in 1980s Soviet Union. Something I'd like to see in a thread like this.",
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        "createdAt": "2008-03-16T02:14:01Z",
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        "title": "Ask YC: Good books to take on a week away?",
        "createdAt": "2008-05-25T21:02:24Z",
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        "id": 248469,
        "title": "Ask HN: Best books/source to learn about investing?",
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        "id": 295871,
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        "id": 358490,
        "title": "Ask HN: What's a good book to learn electronics?",
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        "id": 407067,
        "title": "Ask YC: Let's start a Hacker News book club",
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        "id": 456275,
        "title": "Ask HN: good books about military strategy?",
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        "eligibleComments": 65,
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        "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=456275"
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        "id": 568556,
        "title": "Ask HN: Sales book recommendation?",
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        "id": 574468,
        "title": "What is the best CSS book?",
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        "id": 600953,
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        "id": 601903,
        "title": "Ask HN: Fictional books related to startups?",
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        "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=601903"
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        "id": 621237,
        "title": "Ask HN: Favorite true story tech book?",
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        "id": 657892,
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        "id": 665029,
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        "id": 673487,
        "title": "Ask HN: Are there any good Internet marketing books?",
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        "id": 687066,
        "title": "Ask HN: Books on getting rich?",
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        "id": 715074,
        "title": "Ask HN: What was the latest book you read?",
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        "id": 755043,
        "title": "Ask HN: Best Mathematics book for complete noobie?",
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        "id": 766544,
        "title": "Ask HN: Programming books to read while on vacation?",
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      {
        "id": 781079,
        "title": "Can you recommend some good RoR books?",
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      {
        "id": 797070,
        "title": "What are you reading?",
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        "id": 858824,
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        "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=858824"
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      {
        "id": 868994,
        "title": "Ask HN: Good books to learn Prolog?",
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        "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=868994"
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        "id": 875686,
        "title": "Ask HN: Please name two of your most favorite books.",
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        "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=875686"
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      {
        "id": 947581,
        "title": "Ask HN:  What's the best first business book for a programmer?",
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        "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=947581"
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      {
        "id": 1023970,
        "title": "Ask HN: Which Scheme book to read?",
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        "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1023970"
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      {
        "id": 1026296,
        "title": "Ask HN: Great books you read in 2009?",
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        "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1026296"
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      {
        "id": 1080708,
        "title": "Ask HN: Marketing Books for Developers?",
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        "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1080708"
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      {
        "id": 1212675,
        "title": "Ask HN: I use and love Python. What's the best book to learn C ?",
        "createdAt": "2010-03-23T11:39:58Z",
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      {
        "id": 1226736,
        "title": "Ask HN: Interesting (Non software) books?",
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        "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1226736"
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        "id": 1265091,
        "title": "Ask HN: Any good books on graphing/charting/visualization?",
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        "id": 1463717,
        "title": "Need best Javascript books suggestion",
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        "id": 1464694,
        "title": "Ask HN: Best book(s) to learn about the basics of economics?",
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        "id": 1503137,
        "title": "Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?",
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        "id": 1567456,
        "title": "Ask HN: I want to start a web company what books should I read?",
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      {
        "id": 1568904,
        "title": "Ask HN: Summer Reading Recommendations?",
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        "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1568904"
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      {
        "id": 1631946,
        "title": "Ask HN: Books that changed your life?",
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        "id": 1724596,
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      {
        "id": 1752139,
        "title": "Ask HN: Good books?",
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      {
        "id": 1763111,
        "title": "Ask HN: Anyone read Tibetan Book of Living and Dying?",
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        "indexedComments": 38,
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        "id": 1864688,
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        "id": 1865350,
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      {
        "id": 1965039,
        "title": "Ask HN: Good books for English writing?",
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        "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1965039"
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      {
        "id": 1971163,
        "title": "If you could give a book to your younger self, what would it be?",
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        "id": 1973516,
        "title": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why",
        "createdAt": "2010-12-06T02:00:54Z",
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        "id": 2043418,
        "title": "Ask HN: What sci-fi books are you reading?",
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        "id": 2087360,
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      {
        "id": 2147034,
        "title": "What is the book that has completely changed your way of thinking?",
        "createdAt": "2011-01-27T07:49:48Z",
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      {
        "id": 2172825,
        "title": "Ask HN: If you could recommend only three management books...",
        "createdAt": "2011-02-02T23:56:34Z",
        "indexedComments": 19,
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        "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2172825"
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      {
        "id": 2329700,
        "title": "Ask HN: Books that change your way of thinking?",
        "createdAt": "2011-03-15T22:13:56Z",
        "indexedComments": 16,
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        "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2329700"
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      {
        "id": 2380810,
        "title": "Best program and books to learn how to code?",
        "createdAt": "2011-03-29T00:38:05Z",
        "indexedComments": 23,
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        "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2380810"
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      {
        "id": 2414280,
        "title": "Must Read CS Books For Self Self-Taught Programmers",
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        "indexedComments": 61,
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      {
        "id": 2524205,
        "title": "Ask HN: Books for soon to be Software Engineers",
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        "id": 2526568,
        "title": "Ask HN: What do you read?",
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        "id": 2615647,
        "title": "Ask HN: What books are you reading",
        "createdAt": "2011-06-03T09:11:01Z",
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      {
        "id": 2639582,
        "title": "Ask HN: What is the greatest book you've ever read?",
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        "indexedComments": 61,
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        "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2639582"
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      {
        "id": 2723436,
        "title": "Suggest good sites/books on probability",
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      {
        "id": 2897515,
        "title": "Ask HN: Books on overcoming shyness",
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        "indexedComments": 55,
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        "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2897515"
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      {
        "id": 2919368,
        "title": "Ask HN: What books have changed the way you think?",
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      {
        "id": 2963294,
        "title": "Ask HN: Got a Kindle. What now? What books should I read?",
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        "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2963294"
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      {
        "id": 3177815,
        "title": "Good books for hackers interested in quant finance?",
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        "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3177815"
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      {
        "id": 3230965,
        "title": "Ask HN: What are you reading right now?",
        "createdAt": "2011-11-13T15:49:12Z",
        "indexedComments": 59,
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      {
        "id": 3277457,
        "title": "Ask HN: What books to read on developing mental models and increasing cognition?",
        "createdAt": "2011-11-25T16:36:08Z",
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        "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3277457"
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      {
        "id": 3335496,
        "title": "Ask HN: What are you reading? What've you read lately?",
        "createdAt": "2011-12-09T20:35:37Z",
        "indexedComments": 41,
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        "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3335496"
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      {
        "id": 3380141,
        "title": "Ask HN: Best Intro Programming Book?",
        "createdAt": "2011-12-22T02:51:32Z",
        "indexedComments": 17,
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        "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3380141"
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      {
        "id": 3395061,
        "title": "Ask HN: Best book you read in 2011",
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        "indexedComments": 307,
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        "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3395061"
      },
      {
        "id": 3439607,
        "title": "Ask HN: What is the best Economics read?",
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        "indexedComments": 13,
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        "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3439607"
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      {
        "id": 3564256,
        "title": "Ask HN: What are the best programming books for someone in prison?",
        "createdAt": "2012-02-07T23:48:20Z",
        "indexedComments": 18,
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        "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3564256"
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      {
        "id": 3570099,
        "title": "Best book to study Java",
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        "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3570099"
      },
      {
        "id": 3643009,
        "title": "Ask HN: Best non-technical book you've read lately?",
        "createdAt": "2012-02-28T13:08:42Z",
        "indexedComments": 24,
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        "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3643009"
      },
      {
        "id": 3781486,
        "title": "Ask HN: Sci-Fi Books for Hackers?",
        "createdAt": "2012-03-31T20:44:10Z",
        "indexedComments": 10,
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        "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3781486"
      },
      {
        "id": 3987016,
        "title": "Ask HN: Great book that you read recently?",
        "createdAt": "2012-05-17T14:07:53Z",
        "indexedComments": 27,
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        "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3987016"
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      {
        "id": 3991620,
        "title": "Ask HN: What PR book should I read?",
        "createdAt": "2012-05-18T13:18:23Z",
        "indexedComments": 14,
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        "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3991620"
      },
      {
        "id": 4087396,
        "title": "Must-read programming books?",
        "createdAt": "2012-06-09T06:11:43Z",
        "indexedComments": 6,
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        "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4087396"
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      {
        "id": 4239104,
        "title": "Ask HN: What books have you read & liked in 2012 till now?",
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        "indexedComments": 9,
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      },
      {
        "id": 4351898,
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        "id": 40962582,
        "title": "Ask HN: Most accurate scientific book on human sleep?",
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        "id": 41545633,
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        "id": 41693844,
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        "id": 41756432,
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        "id": 42218828,
        "title": "Ask HN: Best non-fiction book you read in 2024?",
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        "id": 43402403,
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        "id": 43572949,
        "title": "Ask HN: Best books written on “How to think”?",
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        "id": 43685856,
        "title": "Ask HN: What 3 Books Would You Recommend to Anyone?",
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        "id": 43723077,
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        "id": 44269143,
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        "id": 44568054,
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        "id": 45097025,
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        "id": 45312545,
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        "id": 46483863,
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        "id": 46778461,
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        "id": 47984463,
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        "id": 48981842,
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        "id": 49464764,
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        "id": 49724691,
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        "indexedComments": 23,
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    "selection": "Purposive title-reviewed sample of Ask HN book recommendations and reading discussions, up to 20 per calendar year. Favor active discussions and a variety of months and subjects. Include reading-status discussions as discovery material without treating every listed book as an endorsement. Exclude software tools, RSS/news/blog-only requests, bookkeeping and travel bookings, publishing and book-writing, book sales/giveaways, and reading-habit discussions without requested book recommendations. 2006 has no matching indexed discussions; 2007 has fewer than 20 relevant candidates. Comments require model-level title, identity, endorsement, and exact-excerpt validation. Not an exhaustive or representative HN sample. Historical thread IDs were reviewed explicitly. All 8,700 existing 2020–2026 comments and their reviewed extraction responses are retained. The original pilot union can exceed 100 comments in a shared thread. Historical comments stop before 2020; the original collection keeps its November 3, 2026 cutoff.",
    "coverage": "A bounded sample of matching Ask HN reading discussions searched from 2006 through the cutoff, with sampled comments from 2007–2026. No matching indexed reading discussions found in 2006. Not all HN book mentions.",
    "sourceCollections": [
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    ]
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